It seemed like a deal too good to be true. A new house — and potentially a whole new life — for sale in sunkissed rural Italy for the princely sum of just one euro, or little over a dollar.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
Ambassador Bill Taylor and deputy assistant secretary of state George Kent are scheduled to testify in a public impeachment hearing before the House Intelligence Committee.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
This high-end, 1080p HD security camera boasts AI-enhanced features like facial recognition and night vision to help you always keep an eye on your home. Save 16 percent off $59.99 when you buy for $49.99.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
A calendar of predictions about the future, including facial recognition, digital movie stars, AI prejudice, bot-human pidgin, monkey-human hybrids and neo-Victorian repression.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
Two people in China are being treated for plague, authorities said Tuesday. It's the second time the disease, the same one that caused the Black Death, one of the deadliest pandemics in human history, has been detected in the region.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
Qantas plans to offer the longest commercial flight ever, nonstop from New York to Sydney. A reporter took the test flight, with kangaroo-themed pajamas and, perhaps, too much medication.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
Since Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced a formal impeachment inquiry in September, House investigators have conducted weeks of fact-finding largely in private to determine if President Trump abused the power of his office in his dealings with Ukraine. On Wednesday, the inquiry enters a new phase: public hearings.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
Lindsey Vonn is a three-time Olympic medalist with 82 World Cup golds, an internationally renowned comeback artist, and one of the most dominant American athletes of a generation. She is also, as of February, no longer skiing. So what will she do next?
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
The beauty and calm of the Aland Islands are deceptive. Isolation encourages contemplation — but can it, as one grieving mother wonders, offer respite as well?
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
What exactly did the Navy encounter 15 years ago off the Southern California coast? These men were there — and they're ready tell their side of the story.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
Hong Kong readies for more chaos as anti-government protesters paralyze parts of the Asian financial hub for a third day. Click here for the latest news from the protests: https://t.co/vemfHnmRI7pic.twitter.com/4PXEtp3nth
#UPDATE A deputy senate speaker, Jeanine Anez, proclaims herself Bolivia's new interim president as Evo Morales' opponents seek to end civil turmoil and fill the power vacuum left by his abrupt resignation as president pic.twitter.com/UpORMWViZB
Mark Fogel's TED Talk on fighter squadron culture is going around. It's worth a look. For those that have never been around it directly, it really describes the foundation of what goes on in a well ran squadron. My biggest take away after visiting... 1/2https://t.co/9AZ6it0ca8
Yantar photographed previously while transiting through the Bosporus at night. The hangar for the deep-diving mini subs is beneath the large radome.Yörük Işık, bosphorusobserver.com
A controversial suspected spy ship has arrived in the Americas, open source intelligence indicates. According to position tracking data, the Russian Navy's Yantar left her home port about a month ago, and has not been visible on open sources until suddenly appearing in the Caribbean on Friday. That she appeared on ship trackers so suddenly is unusual.
She has gained attention in the past for hovering in the vicinity of the undersea cables which connect the world. Called Submarine Communications Cables (SCC), these crisscross the world's oceans carrying Internet traffic and military communications.
A demonstrator dives to the ground from a water cannon during a protest against Chile's government in Santiago, Chile November 11, 2019. REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado
Don Cherry is an 85-year-old former National Hockey League player and coach who became an icon of sports broadcasting in Canada, known for wildly colored sports jackets and commentary that is almost as colorful. He's already stirred the ire of progressives by complaining about European players taking over his beloved sport, being a self-described nationalist and Donald Trump supporter, and his career as a sportscaster appears to have come to a crashing end, as his employer, Canadian broadcaster Sportsnet, dismissed him Monday.
WNU Editor: For those who may not know. I am a hockey fan. Correction. A big hockey fan. And I have seen over the years more than my fair share of Don Cherry on TV in Canada. I will admit that he knows his stuff, it is just that he is loud and very opinionated. But that is his shtick, and many people enjoy watching it. I do not. I still remember decades ago his encouragement to NHL hockey players that they should crack the skulls of Soviet hockey players when they play against them. So his criticism of "you people" for not buying poppies to remember Canada's fallen is quite mild. But for some reason this time around it was different, and the media frenzy to see him fired was quite a sight to see. Especially when the pundits who were the loudest to see John Cherry fired were also the same ones who gave Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a pass two months ago when he admitted that he did not know exactly how many times he wore "blackface" over the years. A double standard at play .... you betcha. As for Don Cherry's future, he has already received a job offer from Russia's top hockey team who would love to have someone like him commenting on hockey .... Don Cherry offered job by Russian hockey team to 'talk whatever he thinks' (The Guardian). I hope he takes the job. Knowing my fellow Muscovites, they will love his comments and analysis on the game.
Update: Something that I forgot to say. On Sundays I go to a massive fruit and vegetable store that caters primarily to the ethnic community. This Sunday when I was there I did a quick survey on who was wearing poppy. I would say only 5 had a poppy, and about 75 did not. I was one of those 75 who was not wearing a poppy. But yes .... I usually do wear one.
Chase Bank CEO Jamie Dimon had news that Leslie Stahl, the CBS host of 60 Minutes, did not want to hear: "This is the most prosperous economy the world has ever seen." Though she worked hard at trying to knock him off his statement, it did not work.
Here is a partial transcript of the interview with Chase Bank CEO Jamie Dimon according to CBS:
Gang violence is now at a level where it threatens to undermine the Swedish state.
One night last week, explosions took place in three different locations in and around Stockholm. There were no injuries this time, just the usual shattered windows, scattered debris and shocked people woken by the blast.
The police bomb squad was already on its way to the first explosion in the district of Vaxholm when it had to turn around and prioritise the detonation at a residential building in the more densely populated city centre. Residents whose doors had been deformed by the shock wave had to be rescued. The third target (seemingly unrelated) was a facility belonging to a Syriac Orthodox church, which had already been bombed twice in the past year.
WASHINGTON—Political corruption is so deeply embedded in all sectors of Ukraine's government that witnesses called by Democrats in the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) impeachment inquiry agreed that President Donald Trump was right to worry that U.S. aid would be wasted.
That's according to a highly detailed, 18-page memorandum to HPSCI Republicans from their committee staff released late Nov. 11. The committee's minority staff argued that the testimony provided behind closed doors in the past 49 days was "all unclassified, so the closed-door process is purely for information control.
"This arrangement has allowed [HPSCI Chairman Rep. Adam] Schiff—who has already publicly fabricated evidence and mislead Americans about his interactions with the anonymous whistleblower—to selectively leak cherry-picked information to help paint misleading public narratives, while at the same time, placing a gag order on the Republican members present."
WNU Editor: Long time readers of this blog know my views on corruption in Ukraine. Being one who has family, friends and contacts there, and who has also lived there. To say that the place is a cesspool of corruption is an understatement. And as for these Democrat impeachment witnesses agreeing with President Trump to be leery of giving aid to such a corrupt country .... no surprises there. Now will we here this in public testimony? I doubt it.
Bolivian Senator Jeanine Anez gestures after she declared herself as Interim President of Bolivia, at the balcony of the Presidential Palace, in La Paz, Bolivia November 12, 2019. REUTERS/Marco Bello
Days after the resignation of longtime Bolivian President Evo Morales, Senator Jeanine Anez has declared herself the interim president of Bolivia. Morales fled to Mexico after weeks of violent protests.
Opposition politician Jeanine Anez on Tuesday declared herself Bolivia's interim president after the resignation of longtime President Evo Morales, who arrived in Mexico earlier in the day after fleeing the Andean nation.
With the move, Anez, the second vice president of the Senate, took temporary control of the Senate and put herself in position to become the country's president.
"They did not jail a man," declared the released prisoner. "They tried to kill an idea, and ideas don't disappear."
The freed man was Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the former left-wing Brazilian president who was jailed last year on corruption charges that his supporters believe were politically motivated. Lula left office in 2010 with a staggering 80 percent approval rating and was favored to be on course to return to power in 2018; his imprisonment paved the path to the presidency for far-right firebrand Jair Bolsonaro, who, both on the campaign trail and now in office, has loudly banged the drum against perceived perfidy and tyranny of leftist dogma.
Former Bolivian President Evo Morales has arrived in Mexico City saying he asked for asylum because his life was in danger.
Mr Morales resigned on Sunday after weeks of protests over a disputed presidential election result.
The Mexican jet carrying him landed at an airport in Mexico City, where he gave a brief news conference.
Mr Morales said he was forced to stand down but did so willingly "so there would be no more bloodshed".
The left-wing leader said he and the Bolivian government were "very grateful" to Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, whom he credited with saving his life.
Alleged militant deported as part of Turkey's drive to expel foreign jihadists in its custody
An alleged American member of Islamic State, stranded for a second day on the border between Greece and Turkey after Turkey expelled him, is "not our problem", the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has said.
The man, named by the Turkish news agency Demiroren as Muhammed Darwis B, is believed to be a US citizen of Jordanian descent. He was deported on Monday as part of Turkey's controversial new policy to deport foreign jihadists in its custody.
* The Air Force is looking for ways to connect its platforms to better share information across battlefields. * That connectivity may mean the F-22 and F-35 stealth fighters will talk to the secretive X-37B space plane.
The US Air Force is taking its mission to connect multiple platforms and battlefields to new heights — literally.
The service's stealthiest jets and a super-secret space plane could one day share information.
That's the concept Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein teased last week, saying he's interested in seeing how the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, F-22 Raptor and X-37 space plane might talk to each other.
Audience members at an Air Force Association breakfast Wednesday at first thought the chief meant something a little more down to Earth, either the X-47B unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) or even the Kratos XQ-58 Valkyrie drone, which the service is experimenting with for its Loyal Wingman program.
But it is indeed the super secret X-37B space plane, a service official said following Goldfein's remarks.
UN draft report obtained by Al Jazeera says member states gave weapons to warring parties in Libya, violating sanctions.
Al Jazeera has obtained a draft copy of a report by United Nations which reveals that member states - the United Arab Emirates, Sudan, Turkey and Jordan - have violated the arms embargo imposed on Libya.
The report by the Panel of Experts of the International Sanctions Committee on Libya said that Sudan and its Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemeti, did not abide by UN sanctions to ban military support to the parties involved in the Libyan conflict, noting that 1,000 Sudanese Rapid Support Forces were sent to eastern Libya in July.
The system is likely the service's new "ODIN" laser dazzler that is meant to blind enemy optics on ships, boats, aircraft, and missiles.
A photo from one of our awesome commenters, James Milliken, shows the American Arleigh Burke class destroyer USS Dewey (DDG-105) outfitted with a new turreted system installed on its forward close-in weapon system pedestal—an area usually left open on the majority of Flight IIA Arleigh Burke class destroyers. The image was taken in San Diego very recently. The use of Dewey for integrating new technologies isn't surprising. The ship has been used to test cutting edge capabilities, like the temporarily installed Laser Weapon System (LaWS) and the firing of Hyper-Velocity Projectiles, although what we are seeing in the image above is a far more permanent capability.
It would take just three Republican senators to turn the impeachment vote into a secret ballot. It's not hard to imagine what would happen then.
By most everyone's judgment, the Senate will not vote to remove President Donald Trump from office if the House impeaches him. But what if senators could vote on impeachment by secret ballot? If they didn't have to face backlash from constituents or the media or the president himself, who knows how many Republican senators would vote to remove?
A secret impeachment ballot might sound crazy, but it's actually quite possible. In fact, it would take only three senators to allow for that possibility.
WNU Editor: The author of the above post is Juleanna Glover who has worked as an adviser for several Republican politicians that include George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, John Ashcroft and Rudy Giuliani, and the presidential campaigns of John McCain and Jeb Bush. Can anyone say "Never Trumper". But she does lay out a possible way for a U.S. Senate impeachment vote to be held by secret ballot. The question that remains unanswered is ... will the Republican Party (or at least some of them) go down this path?
U.S. President Donald Trump faces reporters with U.S. hostage negotiator Robert O'Brien after he named O'Brien as his fourth White House national security adviser at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, California, U.S., September 18, 2019. REUTERS/Tom Brenner
The changes have long been in the works, but they're happening amid an impeachment probe that has deepened the president's distrust of his staff.
White House national security adviser Robert O'Brien is moving quickly to shrink and reshape his staff – rattling some nerves already frayed by the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump.
The changes at the National Security Council are both sweeping and minute: several dozen policy roles will be eliminated as staffers return to their home agencies or leave government in the coming two months; at least two NSC divisions are being phased out completely; a third, meanwhile, has been handed off to a separate White House-based group.
WNU Editor: There were too many leaks coming out of the administration on foreign policy decisions and telephone calls that only stopped when President Trump started to limit the access that the NSC had to his decisions and discussions. It looks like the NSC undermined itself.
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union governments gave the green light on Tuesday for 13 new defence projects in a step to develop more firepower independently of the United States.
Under plans agreed by EU defence ministers in Brussels, work will begin on a new patrol vessel, an electronic jamming weapon for aircraft and technology to track ballistic missiles.
The projects took months to negotiate but French President Emmanuel Macron underlined the desire for deeper EU defence collaboration last week when he said the U.S.-led NATO defence alliance was dying.
Some 47 joint EU defence projects are now in the works following the signing of a pact by France, Germany and 23 other EU governments in late 2017 to fund, develop and deploy armed forces following Britain's decision to quit the bloc.
Kevin King (left), from Pennsylvania, and Timothy Weekes, an English teacher from Wagga Wagga in New South Wales, who were abducted three years ago from outside Kabul's American University of Afghanistan in Kabul.
Afghan president Ghani hopes move will help secure release of American and Australian
Afghanistan's president says he has ordered the release of three Taliban fighters in an effort to persuade the insurgent group to free a kidnapped American and Australian professor.
Timothy Weekes, an English teacher from Wagga Wagga in New South Wales, and Kevin King, from Pennsylvania, were abducted three years ago from outside American University of Afghanistan in Kabul by fighters in military uniform.
Ashraf Ghani, the Afghan president, said in a televised address on Tuesday that the three prisoners, from the Taliban-linked Haqqani network, would be released "conditionally in exchange" for the academics.
Israel's military has killed one of the most senior commanders of Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad in a rare targeted strike in the Gaza Strip, prompting retaliatory rocket fire and fears of a severe escalation in violence.
The Islamic Jihad group said their 42-year-old commander Baha Abu Al-Ata and his wife were killed in their home in Gaza City in a targeted attack.
In the most serious escalation in months, an Israeli missile attack also targeted the home of Islamic Jihad official Akram Ajouri in Damascus, killing two people including one of his sons, Syrian state media said.
Key point: Moscow could not win, but if nuclear weapons were used everyone would lose.
How much of a threat do Russia's emerging 5th-generation stealth fighter, nuclear arsenal, high-tech air defenses, anti-satellite weapons, conventional army and submarines pose to NATO and the U.S.?
Current tensions between Russia and NATO are leading many to carefully assess this question and examine the current state of weaponry and technological sophistication of the Russian military -- with a mind to better understanding the extent of the kinds of threats they may pose.
Naturally, Russia's military maneuvers and annexation of the Crimean peninsula have many Pentagon analysts likely wondering about and assessing the pace of Russia's current military modernization and the relative condition of the former Cold War military giant's forces, platforms and weaponry.
For two nights last weekend, Hong Kong lawmaker Lam Cheuk-Ting slept on a fold-out mattress on the floor of his office in the Legislative Council and ate congee delivered by his staff.
One of seven pro-democracy lawmakers who faced arrest for disrupting a legislative meeting in May to stop a bill allowing extraditions to mainland China, Lam challenged police to enter the complex and arrest him. They never did, and he voluntarily attended a court hearing on Monday without being detained like the others.
He took the drastic measure to resist what democracy advocates in Hong Kong see as a growing crackdown on elected leaders, one he fears could get even worse as the protests become more violent. Many are worried that Beijing may exert its authority over the city to postpone district council elections set for Nov. 24 or even bypass Hong Kong's legislature to pass controversial national security legislation.
Beijing's "strategies are very clear," Lam, a former corruption investigator, said at his Legco office after his court hearing. "They're trying to adopt the hard line approach."
WNU Editor: As long as the Hong Kong government stays loyal to China (which they are), and the Hong Kong police do not abandon their posts (they are still there), Beijing will not intervene in the foreseeable future.
Hong Kong's rule of law has been pushed to the "brink of total collapse" after more than five months of protests, police have warned.
The warning came a day after the territory saw a marked escalation in violence, with police shooting one activist in the torso.
A pro-Beijing supporter was later set on fire by anti-government protesters.
Protesters continued to clash with police on Tuesday in the central business district and at universities.
According to news agency AFP, hundreds of masked protesters were seen throwing bricks and other objects, while police used tear gas to force them back.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro speaks during a solidarity conference in Havana, Cuba November 3, 2019. Picture taken November 3, 2019. Miraflores Palace/Handout via REUTERS
CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan opposition leaders looking to oust their country's socialist government can perhaps take some hope from the resignation of its leftist ally in Bolivia, President Evo Morales, on Sunday after weeks of street protests.
But one key factor makes the Bolivia playbook a difficult one to carry out against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro: Venezuela's armed forces have consistently refused to take the side of protesters as Bolivia's military did on Sunday.
Venezuela's barracks have stood by the ruling Socialist Party despite a crippling economic meltdown, two waves of major protests in 2014 and 2017 and broad condemnation of Maduro's 2018 re-election that was widely described as fraudulent.
* Evo Morales was spirited out of Bolivia last night after Mexico granted asylum * The socialist leader had feared arrest after his abrupt resignation as President * Morales quit under pressure from the military after weeks of protests in Bolivia
Bolivia's former leader Evo Morales has fled to Mexico, leaving behind a country in turmoil after his resignation two days ago.
Morales posed with a Mexican flag as he was spirited away into exile on an air force jet last night.
'His life and integrity are safe,' Mexico's foreign minister Marcelo Ebrard announced as he revealed the plane had taken off.
Mexico had yesterday offered asylum to the socialist leader amid fears he would be arrested following his abrupt resignation.
Jerusalem (CNN)A senior commander of Gaza Strip militant group Islamic Jihad has been killed in an Israeli air strike, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Prime Minister's Office said in a statement Tuesday.
And, in Damascus, Syria says another Israeli air strike killed at least two people including the son of Islamic Jihad leader, Akram al-Ajouri.
The moves clearly ignite tension along the Israel-Gaza border. Baha Abu al-Ata was killed in the overnight strike on a house in Shajaiyah, in Gaza City. His wife Asma Abu Al-Ata was also killed, while seven others -- including children -- were injured, Palestinian Ministry of Health officials said.
RUSSIAN nuclear fast attack submarines have twice staged underwater 'duels' while also testing NATO defences between Scotland, Iceland and Greenland in the Atlantic, say reports in Moscow.
TOURISTS will soon have to pay to visit one of Sicily's much loved beaches, as local authorities impose a visitor cap to mitigate the damage done by overcrowding.
WORLD WAR 3 contingency planning initiated Government proposals to cut phone lines around the UK in the event of an imminent nuclear strike, a historian claimed.
BUSHFIRES are raging across Australia, impacting Queensland, Sydney and Perth as temperatures rise. Now fresh warnings have been issued as weather conditions could worsen fires.
DONALD TRUMP has been spotted again with toilet paper trailing behind him as he exited the presidential limousine at Wall Street Helipad Landing with the First Lady.
AUTHORITIES in Australia have warned that the worse it still to come as firefighters struggle with blazes with strong winds set to make conditions worse.
MELANIA TRUMP was attacked on social media after footage of her breaking military protocol during this year's Veterans Day parade emerged on social media.
When Aurora Lo Porto noticed an alarming escalation of racist attitudes on social media in Italy during the past two years, she felt the impulse to act. The medical student had noticed that in her once-welcoming hometown of Catania, Sicily, neighbors and acquaintances had started speaking about immigrants only through harmful stereotypes and unverified data.
In the past five years, about500,000migrants escaping war and poverty have landed in Sicily. The island’s residents have become increasingly troubled by the situation, sparking a rise in votes for populist parties in the latest elections. So about two months ago, Lo Porto, 26, decided to launch a monthly self-defense class.
But punching bags and kickboxing instructors have been replaced by piles of books and comfortable chairs; instead of meeting in a local gym, she chose one of Italy’s smallest bookstores. The kind of self-defense practiced in this cozy, single-room shop is a type of civil resistance against xenophobia, through collective reasoning and dialogue.
“The idea came from the forgotten notion that the mind is our most powerful muscle, and that books are the instruments to keep it fit,” says Lo Porto, co-founder of Italy’s first “self-defense reading group.”
Launched in September as a collaboration between Legatoria Prampolini, a local bookstore and cultural hub, and the humanitarian non-profit Emergency, which assists with organizing the group, the project aims to equip participants with critical thinking skills to actively respond to the atmosphere of intolerance spreading across Italy.
Since a populist government came to power in early 2018, immigrants and other marginalized communities have beentargeted by far-right rhetoric and legal measures, championed by former Ministry of Interior Matteo Salvini. A new immigration law that went into force last December stripped many asylum-seekers of their humanitarian protection rights, while Roma camps have faced more frequent evictions.
Although Salvini, who leads Italy’s popular far-right League, was ousted from power in September, the situation remains troubling. On Nov. 6, an anti-fascist bookstorewas set on fire in Rome, and an Italian Auschwitz survivor honored as a senator for life had to be given police protection after she proposed an anti-racism committee and faced an onslaught of anti-Semitic death threats.
“The root cause of this historical moment is ignorance, and books represent the only way out,” Lo Porto says. “Reading promotes patience, freedom of thought and non-violent reasoning.” The topics tackled at every class range from conflict and migration to human rights and anti-hate speech. Each month, Lo Porto, who acts as the group’s moderator, picks a new book that participants are expected to read in advance and then discuss together.
At a recent session in late October, participants discussed the autobiographical novel Green Parrots by Italian surgeon and activist Gino Strada, which examines the issue of civilian casualties in 20th century war-torn countries. Some 18 people gathered in a circle as Francesca Tudisco shared a poem by Emily Dickinson. “If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain,” she read. For her, a chapter of the book reminded her the importance of empathy and kindness in times of darkness.
Members of the group, which is called “I Read as Legitimate Defense,” represent a wide variety of ages, backgrounds and personal motivations. Tudisco, a 66-year-old retired flight-attendant, grew up with her parents’ stories of Italy under fascism during the Second World War. She is afraid the current political climate is going back in a similar direction. “I wanted to feel useful and help younger generations realize the impact of today’s actions by sharing my memories of the past,” Tudisco explains.
Tudisco then asked if they felt that the novel gave them useful tools to understand the current siege on hospitals in Syria; a lively discussion ensured. As Lo Porto brought the meeting to a close, she mentioned the topic for the next session: the Sicilian fishermen saving migrants’ lives at sea, some of whom last August broke theclosed-ports policy enforced by Salvini. Attendees left talking enthusiastically about the next meeting.
Project co-founder Maria Carmela Sciacca, owner of the shop, says now more than ever there’s a need for libraries and bookstores to become safe spaces in cities to tackle social concerns. “We see lots of hate around us and feel powerless when trying to fight it. But micro-communities help us realize we’re not alone when struggling for change,” Sciacca says, her eyes sparkling with determination.
The group welcomes first-time visitors and hopes to grow its audience in the next few months. Although the majority of participants are Italian citizens, who remain the main target, more migrants have expressed interest in joining to add their experience to the debate.
Mercy David, a 20 year-old sales assistant at Legatoria Prampolini and refugee from Nigeria, is moved by the growing number of people making efforts to dig deeper. “It is so heartwarming to see many gathering here at night after work, because they want to see change, and make it happen themselves,” the girl says.
David fled Nigeria after Boko Haram militants kidnapped three fellow classmates in 2016. After a nine-week journey, including crossing the Sahara Desert, she landed in Sicily at the age of 16. By day, she works part-time at the bookshop, and attends evening classes to graduate with an Italian high school diploma.
Inspired by her new daily environment, she hopes to write a book about her journey across the sea. Next summer, the group will organize its first large-scale public reading in the city’s main square. There, David looks forward to reading excerpts from her first draft.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli airstrikes killed two Islamic Jihad militants in Gaza on Wednesday as rocket fire toward Israel resumed after a brief overnight lull, raising the death toll in Gaza to 12 Palestinians in the heaviest round of fighting in months.
The Israeli military said more than 250 rockets have been fired at Israeli communities since the violence erupted after an Israeli airstrike killed a senior Islamic Jihad commander accused of being the mastermind of recent attacks.
Schools remained closed in Israeli communities near the Gaza border as rockets continued to rain down, albeit in lesser ferocity that during the relentless barrage the previous day.
But in a sign that the current round could be brief, Gaza’s Hamas rulers have yet to enter the fray. Although larger and more powerful than the Iranian-backed Islamic Jihad, Hamas is also more pragmatic. With Gaza’s economy in tatters, it appears to have little desire for another round of fighting with Israel.
Egypt, which frequently mediates between Israel and Gaza militants, has been working to de-escalate tensions, according to officials in Cairo.
Seeking to keep the outburst under control, the Israeli military has restricted its operations to Islamic Jihad, and nearly all the casualties so far are members of the militant group.
Tuesday’s pre-dawn Israeli strike came almost simultaneously as another strike attributed to Israel, which targeted a senior Islamic Jihad commander based in Syria. The strikes appeared to be a new surge in the open warfare between Israel and Iranian proxies in the region.
Iran has forces based in Syria, Israel’s northern neighbor, and supports Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. In Gaza, it supplies Islamic Jihad with cash, weapons and expertise. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also claimed that Iran is using Iraq and far-off Yemen, where Tehran supports Shiite Houthi rebels at war with a Saudi-led coalition backing the government, to plan attacks against Israel. Hamas also receives some support from Iran.
Israel frequently strikes Iranian interests in Syria but Tuesday’s attack in Damascus appeared to be a rare assassination attempt of a Palestinian militant in the Syrian capital.
LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Clashes broke out in the streets of Bolivia’s capital Tuesday evening when an opposition leader in the Senate declared herself the country’s interim president after Evo Morales fled to Mexico following his surprise weekend resignation.
Jeanine Añez claimed the post of Senate leader late in the day, a position next in line for the presidency, even though she lacked a quorum because of a boycott by Morales’ Movement for Socialism party. Without being sworn in by anyone, she then appeared on a balcony of the old presidential palace wearing the presidential sash and holding a Bible in her hand.
“My commitment is to return democracy and tranquility to the country,” she said. “They can never again steal our vote.”
It was uncertain how much support Añez could count on from other power centers in her bid to replace Morales, who stepped down Sunday under pressure from Bolivia’s military following weeks of violent protests fed by allegations of electoral fraud in the Oct. 20 presidential election.
Some Bolivians quickly took to the streets cheering and waving national flags in opposition strongholds like the cities of Santa Cruz and Cochabamba, but angry Morales’ supporters tried to reach the Congress building in La Paz screaming, “She must quit!” Police and soldiers fired tear gas trying to disperse the crowd and detained some demonstrators.
Morales, who sought to transform Bolivia as its first indigenous president, had faced weeks of widespread outrage over his claim to have won the election outright. He stepped down soon after an Organization of American States audit reported widespread irregularities in the vote count.
He arrived in Mexico on Tuesday under a grant of asylum. But his resignation still needed to be approved by both houses of Congress, and lawmakers could not assemble the numbers needed for formal sessions.
Añez, a 52-year-old lawmaker, women’s rights activist and television presenter, forged ahead anyway, arguing that Bolivia could not wait and be left in a power vacuum. After Morales quit, resignations by allies left vacancies in the only posts listed by the constitution as presidential successors — the vice president, the head of the Senate and the leader of the lower house.
Añez was a second-tier opposition figure until Morales resigned Sunday after nearly 14 years in power, the longest presidential reign ever in Bolivia.
From the start, she tried to set differences with the socialist leader. She greeted supporters at an old palace instead of the nearby modern 26-story presidential palace with a heliport that was built by Morales and that his foes had criticized as one of his excesses. She also carried a Bible, which had been banned by Morales from the presidential palace.
Morales said on Twitter from Mexico that Añez’s “self-proclamation” was an affront to constitutional government. “Bolivia is suffering an assault on the power of the people,” he wrote.
Even before Añez acted, thousands of his supporters were in the streets of the capital in peaceful demonstrations clamoring for his return. Military fighter jets flew repeatedly over La Paz in a show of force that infuriated Morales loyalists who were blocked by police and soldiers from marching to the main square.
“We’re not afraid!” shouted demonstrators, who believe Morales’ departure was a coup d’etat and an act of discrimination against Bolivia’s indigenous communities.
“Evo was like a father to me. We had a voice, we had rights,” said Maria Apasa, who like Morales is a member of the Aymara indigenous group.
Morales’ detractors accused him of becoming increasingly authoritarian and rigging the election.
Morales was met at Mexico City’s airport by Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard after a flight from Bolivia on a Mexican government plane and repeated his allegations he had been forced to resign by a coup.
“The president of Mexico saved my life,” Morales said, thanking President Andrés Manuel López Obrador for granting him asylum. He vowed to “continue the struggle.”
Ebrard said Mexican diplomats had to scramble to arrange a flight path for the plane because some nations initially closed airspace to it. The plane stopped in Paraguay to refuel.
Morales’ departure was a dramatic fall for the one-time llama shepherd from the Bolivian highlands and former coca growers’ union leader who as president helped lift millions out poverty, increased social rights and presided over nearly 14 years of stability and high economic growth in South America’s poorest country.
In the end, his downfall was prompted by his insistence on holding onto power. He ran for a fourth term after refusing to accept the results of a referendum that upheld term limits for the president — restrictions thrown out by a top court that critics contend was stacked in his favor.
Gen. Williams Kaliman, chief of the armed forces, announced a joint police-military operation in a television address Monday seeking to calm street fighting. He said the hope was to “avoid bloodshed and mourning of the Bolivian family,” and he urged Bolivians to help restore peace.
Ronald Arias said he had left his home in El Alto and walked for three hours to his job in downtown La Paz because the cable car connecting the cities was suspended for security reasons and barricades blocked access to public transportation.
Arias, a native Aymara, said that thanks to Morales, his parents in the countryside gained access for the first time to running water and gas for cooking.
“I was so saddened by his resignation,” he said. “A lot of people in El Alto shed tears for the president.”
___
Associated Press writers Paola Flores in La Paz and Christopher Torchia in Mexico City contributed to this report.
Turmoil hit Hong Kong again Wednesday as anti-government protesters resumed their new tactic of inflicting as much disruption as possible to transportation networks during the working week. They also paralyzed the financial district, where remarkable scenes unfolded as police clashed with suited office workers who turned out in support of black-clad student activists.
Scores of bus services were canceled and train services along three major lines suspended after protesters damaged stations overnight and threw objects on the tracks. Three trains were also set on fire. The lengthy delays caused dangerous overcrowding and chaotic scenes at the stations that remained open, requiring police to maintain order.
Traffic on many key roads ground to a halt as protesters threw up barricades and other obstacles from the early morning, effectively cutting off several suburbs from the rest of the city. Commuters reported waiting hours for any transportation.
Authorities came under fire for endangering children’s safety by keeping schools open amid the disruptions. Many schools defied the order to operate and suspended classes.
The Hospital Authority meanwhile warned that medical services would be affected and, citing safety concerns, the Jockey Club cancelled the evening race meeting—regarded as an extreme measure in racing-mad Hong Kong. Many stores, offices, banks and businesses were closed. Major finance and law firms encouraged their staff to leave work early or work from home.
Shortly after noon, office workers in Central, the financial district, began occupying roads for the third day running in support of the protests. Crowds chanted “Hongkongers, avenge!” and “Save our students!” The windows of a mainland Chinese-owned bank were smashed to applause from bystanders. White collar workers could be seen helping masked protesters erect barricades across major streets.
A tense standoff took place outside the Stock Exchange as riot police arrested three people before a furious crowd of mostly office workers. One of the arrested individuals was knocked unconscious.
Riot police also stormed the key intersection of Pedder Street and Queen’s Road, the heart of commercial Hong Kong, and made several arrests. Rachel, a young woman in business attire, stood sobbing uncontrollably. “My friend got arrested and I don’t know where he is,” she told TIME. “He was trying to runaway from the police and he got caught by them.”
Officers soon beat a retreat, however, followed by hostile, jeering crowds, who reoccupied roads as soon as police left.
“I can’t keep silent anymore. I was siting at home, watching the live [news] streams—it’s time to stand up,” said Andrew, 25, a recruiter.
“We’re here to support the students. If someone broke into your house, you’d fight back, that’s the situation,” said Eddie, 36, a financial services worker neatly attired in a suit.
Chris, a 22-year-old expatriate, told TIME: “I have no words, really. It’s sad that this is lunchtime on a weekday in Central. I’m kind of used to it by now, but it’s sad.”
The latest upheavals came after violent unrest across the territory on Monday and Tuesday. Hundreds have been arrested and scores injured in clashes with police since the start of the week. Two people were hospitalized in critical condition—one a protester shot by police, the other a man who was set on fire after arguing with a group of youths.
Unrest has been particularly intense at Hong Kong’s universities, with disturbances on several campuses. Hong Kong’s second-oldest university, the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), spent much of Tuesday under palls of tear gas and smoke from fires as police and students battled through the day and night.
As darkness fell, students from other parts of Hong Kong came to reinforce protesters at CUHK and well-wishers donated medical supplies and food that were ferried overnight to the campus, where students remain in anticipation of further clashes. Police suspect the university is being used as a weapons factory because of the hundreds of petrol bombs hurled at officers during the fighting—then highest number so far.
Local media meanwhile reported the evacuation of around 80 mainland Chinese students from CUHK on Wednesday morning. Mainlanders have been frequently assaulted and intimidated by Hong Kong protesters. The Communist Youth League in Shenzhen, the Chinese city closest to Hong Kong, said it was offering free accommodation to mainland students fleeing the territory. Taiwanese and other foreign students are also reportedly fleeing the campus.
As protests raged, Hong Kong’s number two official, Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung called for calm. “No matter your values or your aims, this violence, destruction and attacking of others—these unlawful actions—are not ways to achieve your goals,” he said at a press conference. “These are not solutions, and will not allow you to get what you want. The government reiterates that we have the determination, confidence and ability to stop the violence and chaos.”
Speaking at the same gathering, Secretary for Security John Lee appealed for Hong Kong’s democracy movement to stop harboring violent radicals. “If you see violence and do not address it, then to an extent, you are indulging this violence,” he said. “If this violence continues to be indulged, the consequences to Hong Kong society will be too dreadful to be imagined.”
Late Tuesday, the Liaison Office—Beijing’s representative in semi-autonomous Hong Kong—issued a statement expressing its “Strongest condemnation of the escalation of violent, destructive behavior” and called on the local administration to “use every necessary measure to stop the violence and chaos, restore order, arrest criminals, and seriously punish violent action.”
The statement came amid news that the Hong Kong government was preparing to transfer hardened prison officers, trained in handling prison riots, to the police in order to relieve the burden on a severely strained force. Local media also reported that hundreds of retired police officers were preparing to don their uniforms once again as violence escalates.
Hong Kong’s anti-government rebellion is now in its fifth month and represents the most serious challenge in decades to Beijing. Protesters are demanding greater political freedom for the enclave, with many advocating secession from China, to which Hong Kong was retroceded in 1997 after 156 years as a British colony.
—With reporting by Aria Chen, Amy Gunia and Hillary Leung/Hong Kong
An unusually tiny deer has been found in Vietnam. Researchers say it’s the first sighting of the rare silver-backed chevrotain in nearly three decades.
At less than 10 pounds, the chevrotain, which the Global Wildlife Conservation (GWC) also dubbed a “miniature fanged deer,” is the size of a rabbit. Also called the Vietnamese mouse-deer, chevrotains are actually neither deer nor mice, but they’re the smallest ungulates — or hoofed mammals — in the world, according to the GWC.
It’s been a long while since this mammal has been seen in real life. Its last sighting was in 1990 in Vietnam, according to the GWC. The organization, which is dedicated to conserving animals and habitats worldwide, worked with the Southern Institute of Ecology in Vietnam and the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research for the research, which was published in the Nature Ecology and Evolution scientific journal on Monday. The expedition is part of a “global push to locate species that haven’t been sighted in recent years,” explains Andrew Tilker, one of the paper’s co-authors. So finding an animal that hasn’t been seen in nearly three decades was a top priority.
When the animal was recorded in 1990, it wasn’t even found alive. A Vietnamese and Russian expedition acquired a chevrotain that was already hunted, and that 1990 discovery was only the fifth chevrotain ever recorded, according to the report.
That’s what makes this discovery of living chevrotains that much more exciting for the conservation community. “For so long this species has seemingly only existed as part of our imagination,” An Nguyen, one of the expedition’s leaders and an associate conservation scientist for GWC, said in a press release. “We’re moving quickly now to figure out how best to protect it.”
How did they find the mouse-deer?
The research team photographed the elusive animal after setting up three camera traps and conducting interviews with local villagers and forest rangers in three different southern Vietnamese province.
“They put them in the forest, kind of opportunistically,” hoping to find them, Tilker explains. Over the course of a few months, it paid off when the team caught a few hundred photos of the silver-backed chevrotain. Then, over five more months, they caught more than 1,000 photographs from 29 cameras.
What threatens this species?
“This is an area that’s under immense pressure for habitat loss and poaching,” Tilker says about why this animal was a priority among the others on the top 25 most wanted list.
Habitat loss, mainly in the form of deforestation, is only partially responsible for the decline of the species, which was first discovered in 1910 in Nha Trang, Vietnam.
While experts have yet to get specific information about the biggest danger facing rare chevrotains, the team has a pretty good idea. Tilker says the environmental issues are a “distant second” to the creature’s real threat: illegal hunting. “Mainland southeast Asia is in the midst of a snaring crisis right now,” he says.
Snaring is hunting with a wire that can catch animals by the neck in the wild. The chevrotain’s “behavioral irregularities,” including its diet of fallen fruit and confinement to the ground, make it further susceptible to snaring, according to a 2004 report.
This widespread hunting has led to “empty forest syndrome” in Asia — the sobering idea that eventually, hundreds of forests could be devoid of all natural wildlife.
But the tiny, essentially unknown deer-like animal is just one example, which Tilker says it comes down to status. “People set snares in the forest largely, almost exclusively, to supply the thriving illegal wildlife trade,” Tilker says. Hunters then illegally sell animals — chevrotain included — to local restaurants and markets, because “bush meat in Vietnam is seen as something of a status symbol,” he explains.
Are there others out there?
While researchers have no idea how many of these chevrotain remain, Tilker says this discovery suggests there are others roaming around in Vietnam. There is this one confirmed population, and another area where locals have reported some sightings. But, “beyond that, we really have no idea,” he admits.
Naturally, they’re embarking to find out. The team will survey the creatures with cameras in two more areas to create a “conservation action plan” in the hopes of keeping chevrotains in existence.
Kurucz Sándor was around 7 when, in 1938, German soldiers came to his town in what was then Czechoslovakia.
One by one, Sándor’s friends and neighbors, who were members of the Roma ethnic group, were taken away by the Einsatzgruppen, who were Nazi security forces. They were supposedly taken to check their IDs, but they never came back. By the age of 10, Sándor had seen many of his remaining neighbors murdered.
But the boy had musical talent, and the soldiers liked to listen to him play. On stage, hands trembling as he held his violin, he would witness the horrors of the German Reich, seeing Roma women led past his stage to be raped by the Nazis. Sándor, who died in 2000, was able to survive Nazi persecution because of his music, but hundreds of thousands of Roma were murdered during the Holocaust. Many more faced persecution, displacement, forced labor, forced medical experimentation and sterilization, violence and imprisonment.
More than 80 years later, their descendants — including Kurucz Sándor’s granddaughter Daniela Abraham — are fighting for recognition of that often overlooked part of history.
“I can’t imagine how horrific it would have been for my grandfather to have to continue to play music while seeing what was going on in front of him,” Abraham tells TIME. “The Roma genocide, where whole communities of Roma were destroyed by the Nazi regime, is often forgotten.”
Roma and Sinti people, often derogatorily referred to as “gypsies,” are members of an ethnic group with deep roots across Europe. While Sinti are of Western and Central Europe origin, Roma are those of Eastern and South Eastern Europe origin. The term Roma is often used to describe this community as a whole. Today, Roma communities are spread across Europe and the U.S., and many are still marginalized, but the Holocaust represents an ugly peak in that history of persecution.
Abraham set up the Sinti Roma Holocaust Memorial Trust in 2018 in the hope of bringing the Roma genocide into mainstream consciousness. “I don’t want our people who have suffered at the hands of the Nazis to be forgotten. They deserve to be remembered,” Abraham says.
The often overlooked persecution of Roma living across Europe is also now the focus of a new exhibition at The Wiener Holocaust Library in London, Forgotten Victims: The Nazi Genocide of the Roma and Sinti, on view for the next five months. The exhibition, curated by Barbara Warnock, features the stories of Roma subjected to Hitler’s terror. Their fates have been discovered using the International Tracing Service (ITS) digital archive, which was established to trace those lost and missing during World War II and the Holocaust.
“The exhibition is really important in exposing what happened,” Warnock tells TIME. “Even when people are aware that Roma were targeted by the Nazis — and often people aren’t — it’s rare that people actually know any details about it.”
Heightened persecution
While the discrimination against Roma began centuries before the Nazi era, their treatment worsened drastically following Hitler’s accession to power in January of 1933. By the mid-1930s, the Nazis had banned Roma from working in certain jobs, Roma were subjected to forced sterilization as a form of ethnic cleansing, and a large number were sent to special internment camps.
An estimated 500,000 Roma were killed, but the precise number is unknown — in part because many murders were unrecorded — and some researchers argue that the true death toll is higher. The number is small compared to the estimated six million Jews killed during the Holocaust and the Roma were not central to the Nazis’ hateful ideology, but they were similarly regarded as a threat to the “Aryan master race.” Warnock estimates that the death toll represented about a quarter of the Roma population.
“A majority of the Roma never even made it to the camps, they were simply murdered whenever they were found, and their deaths went unrecorded,” Abraham says. “This is why there is such a major discrepancy between ‘official’ death tolls based upon Nazi records and the actual losses to our population.”
Following the German army’s invasion of Austria in March 1938, the persecution of this group intensified. More than a thousand Roma and Sinti in Germany and Austria were sent to concentration camps where many were murdered.
During this time, everything changed for Hermine Horvarth, a 13-year-old Roma girl living in Jabing, Austria. Her father was taken to Dachau concentration camp in June 1938, leaving Horvarth with her pregnant mother and five siblings.
“I noticed quite soon that the local [SS leader] had no qualms about any racial problem when it was a matter of a young gypsy girl,” Horvarth told journalist Emmi Moravitz in February 1958. “He kept pestering me. One day he suddenly appeared in front of me with a pistol at the ready.” But Horvarth, whose testimony to Moravitz is featured in the Weiner Library exhibit, escaped and told the SS leader’s wife. His wife demanded that Horvarth repeated the accusation in the presence of the SS leader. “While I was speaking, she positioned me behind her back to protect me. He reached for his pistol in fury, and it was not there,” Horvarth recalled. His wife had hidden the gun and Horvarth was able to escape.
Horvarth was later sent to Auschwitz. Her block was next to the railway tracks to the crematorium. “[One night] I could hear terrible screams,” she recalled. “What I saw was so terrible that I fell unconscious. They were throwing people who were still alive into the flames. Since this time I suffer from epileptic seizures.”
Eventually, after being moved to Ravensbrück concentration camp, Horvarth managed to escape and return home, but nothing was there. “No-one thought we would ever come back,” Horvarth recalled. “My entire possessions comprised a casserole dish and a spoon — and the courage to start a new life.” Horvarth died at the age of 33, on March 10, 1958, leaving behind her three children and partner Herr Gussak.
The official beginning of the Second World War in September 1939 meant the persecution expanded, as the German Reich marched on to invade Poland and France. Starting in early 1942, thousands of Roma who had been confined to ghettos in Poland were deported to Trebilinka and Chelmno concentration camps and murdered by gas. Later that year, Heinrich Himmler, the head of the SS, ordered most remaining Roma to be deported to occupied Poland from Germany.
In 1943, the Nazis created a specific section of the Auschwitz-Birkenhau camp designated the “Zigeunerlarger” or “Gypsy” camp. Around 23,000 Roma were deported to Auschwitz, of whom 21,000 were murdered in shootings and gas chambers.
The policy of genocide was made clear in a letter written by Himmler in 1944 stating that “the accomplished evacuation and isolation” of “Jews and Gypsies” meant that the initial directives against them were no longer necessary.
In part because so many Roma deaths went unrecorded, many families don’t know what happened to their relatives. Every week, the Wiener Holocaust Library’s researcher in charge of overlooking the ITS is contacted by people hoping to find out what happened to their loved ones.
Forced medical experiments
What did happen to them was often gruesome. In 1938, Dr. Robert Ritter, head of the Racial Hygiene Research Center at the Reich Bureau for Health, began a project with the aim of analyzing the “racial characteristics” of Roma.
Scientists would check their health, take their blood and measure their craniums. “They came up with spurious racist ideas about why Roma were inferior for genetic reasons,” says Warnock. This research provided the pseudo-scientific basis for the extermination and forced sterilization of thousands of Roma and Sinti.
The experiences of Theresia Reinhart, a Sinti woman who defied Nazi orders of forced sterilization and became pregnant, is featured in the Wiener Holocaust Library. Reinhart gave birth to twins, but her daughters, Rolanda and Rita, were taken away from her at birth by the Nazis. The twins were subjected to horrific medical experimentation. “Some of the Nazi scientists were interested in twin experiments, and so the poor babies were experimented on,” Warnock says. “One baby, Rolanda, died in the course of a medical experiment.”
Eventually, Reinhart’s daughter Rita was returned to her parents. After the war, mother and daughter set up a Sinti organization in Germany to campaign to raise awareness of what happened.
Margareta Kraus, who was deported to Auschwitz as a teenager with her family, is also featured in the exhibition. The only details Kraus divulged to journalist Reimer Gilsenbach in 1966 were that her parents both perished in Auschwitz and that she was then set to Ravenbrück camp where she worked as a slave laborer. But, using the ITS archive, Warnock found more detail about the ordeal Kraus went through.
“We found out that she’d been subject to forced medical experimentation in Auschwitz, which she hadn’t mentioned in her account. So we were able to learn more horrifying insight into her experiences,” Warnock says.
The fight for restitution
Across Europe since the post-war period, Roma have found it difficult to gain recognition of the scale of their persecution during WWII as well as make restitution claims. In part, this was because the persecution and murder of Roma was not prosecuted specifically at the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials between 1945 and 1946 — and in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, the experiences of Roma often went unacknowledged. German authorities denied that Roma were incarcerated in camps for racial reasons, arguing instead that they had been imprisoned because of an “a-social and criminal record.”
The experiences of Hans Braun, a German Sinti man, are illustrative of the difficulties in claiming restitution.
Braun, a forced laborer in a factory, was suspected of sabotage after accidentally breaking his machine in 1941. He went into hiding but was arrested and sent to Auschwitz; he was later transferred to Flossenbürg concentration camp in 1944. Braun first put in a claim for restitution in 1950. German police put criminal investigator Inspector Dalheim in charge of Braun’s restitution claim, with the aim of establishing, from the ITS, that Braun hadn’t been sent to Auschwitz or Flossenbürg concentration camps because of racial reasons, but because he was a criminal. Braun’s claim was denied. Experts like Warnock see this as an example of a concerted effort to discredit claims.
“This gives some insight into the difficulties that the Roma and Sinti faced immediately postwar with recognition and restitution claims,” says Warnock.
Braun later made a second restitution claim in 1956, which seems to have been successful, as he then applied for admission to Canada, where he started a family.
It wasn’t until 1982 that Germany officially recognized the persecution against Roma as a genocide based on race. France apologized for its collaboration in Nazi crimes against Roma and Sinti in 2016.
For Roma groups, it’s not enough.
The importance of remembering
Mainstream discussions about the Nazi persecution rarely address the Roma Holocaust.
Warnock argues that the continued marginalization of Roma in Europe means that it’s still a struggle to gain recognition for what happened. “For a group that is marginalized, it’s going to be hard to get their voices heard and represented,” she says.
Tania Gessi works for Roma Support Group, an organization that aims to do just this. “The Jewish people have been very explicit and verbal about their experience, and they really sought justice,” Gessi tells TIME. “For the Roma, it’s an entirely different story. For multiple reasons, they didn’t feel empowered to do that so now it’s really about giving them the voice that they didn’t have in the past to really highlight their experience… People are fighting for recognition of what happened in the past, but also what is happening now.”
Rabbi Jonathon Wittenberg, speaking at the opening of the Wiener Holocaust Museum’s exhibition, on Oct. 30, said: “I’m shocked at the isolation in which your communities are left with their legacy and this has to change, it has to end. We share together the responsibility of learning about this legacy. It affects those who were then and those who are now.”
Descendants of the persecuted Roma fear that if the Roma Holocaust experience is not remembered, history could repeat itself. “If you don’t educate the public about the Roma Holocaust, then future generations could do the same thing,” Abraham says.
Warnock agrees. “The awful events of the Nazi era very much reveal the danger of marginalizing and discriminating against minority groups, or groups who are less powerful in a society. They are very illustrative of the need to keep constantly vigilant in terms of prejudicial language and actions.”
In April of 2019, in Bulgaria, Krasimir Karakachanov, head of the Bulgarian National Movement, presented his “Roma integration strategy” to various ministers. It defines Roma people as “a-social Gypsies” and calls for a limit on the number of children Roma women can have by offering free abortions. The “strategy” is to be officially put on the government’s agenda, Karakachanov stated in July.
“The misconceptions that fueled the genocide are still around,” Abraham says. “The beast is there. It’s sleeping, but one day it could wake up again.”
It began with an anonymous phone call. A woman called the British investigative journalist Heidi Blake in March 2015, gave her an address, and told her she had a story. Blake turned up at an address in Pimlico, London where Michelle Young was waiting for her. In December 2014, Michelle’s ex-husband, Scottish property developer Scot Young, 52, was found impaled on iron railings after he fell from the fourth floor of his girlfriend’s flat in Marylebone, West London. The death made headlines, raising concerns that it was linked to a series of suspicious deaths of businessmen in the U.K.
Michelle told Blake, who has been the Global Investigations Editor at BuzzFeed News since 2018, that she believed her ex-husband been murdered. She wanted the journalist’s investigative team to look into it. She handed Blake a wealth of evidence about Young’s business affairs; it soon became clear that he had deep connections to several Russian oligarchs, who had fled to the U.K because they had fallen out of favor with President Vladimir Putin, who came to power in 2000, and needed a safe place to stash their money. “That’s where we began,” Blake says.
Over the course of a two-year investigation, BuzzFeed News discovered that Young was one of 14 people whom U.S. intelligence officials suspected were assassinated on British soil by Russia’s security services or mafia groups. The list includes Boris Berezovsky, an exiled Russian oligarch, who was found hanged in his flat in 2013 and eight members of his inner circle. But the British government intelligence passed on by its closest ally, Blake says, and did not treat the 14 deaths as suspicious.
TIME: Why was U.K. hesitant to confront the suspected assassinations?
Heidi Blake: That’s the burning question. We at BuzzFeed spent years talking to government officials, former and current, to piece together an understanding. What emerged was that the British government—in common with other governments in Europe and the U.S.—was extremely anxious to court Putin in the hopes that he could be brought into the institutions, alliances that underpin the stability of the Western liberal world order. Putin was given a spot in G8, brought into closer cooperation with NATO, became a central part in the war on terror and played a leading role in the Iran nuclear deal.
There was also a huge dependency on Russian energy and on the Russian money that pours into Western economies, especially in London.
The general feeling in government circles was that it’s better to keep Putin on our side, than to pick a fight with the Kremlin over what seemed to be isolated incidents, as well as risk what looked like an opportunity to build a lasting alliance with Russia.
The British government’s reaction to the case of the former FSB officer Alexander Litvinenko, who died in the full glare of the world’s media from radiation poisoning in London in 2006, was very telling. The government resisted calls for a proper investigation into his death for eight years, citing the need to protect “international relations” with Russia, and only after a series of jaw-droppingly audacious moves by the Kremlin did officials relent and open a public inquiry that ultimately found in 2016 that the assassination had likely been on Putin’s orders.
A U.K. counter-terrorism unit investigated the 2018 Skripal case and deemed it an attempted assassination and a murder. What changed the U.K.’s approach?
In recent years, it’s become ever more apparent that Putin never intended to enter the liberal fold, honestly cooperate with Western governments and that he’s been waging a covert war of subversion against Western institutions. Western officials are now waking up to the fact that it has been a huge mistake to turn a blind eye.
The attack against Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury with a chemical nerve agent—the first time a nerve agent has been used on European soil since the Second World War—that endangered the lives of hundreds of innocent civilians in Britain, was a real watershed moment. The British government realized that the Russian campaign of assassinations had just been allowed to spin out of control. Now, governments are scrambling to get to grips with it.
These deaths are about more than eliminating an individual. What message is Russia trying to send?
These deaths are part of Russia’s propaganda operation—they aim to show the muscle of the Russian state and warn anyone considering betraying the motherland that if you cross Putin, there’s no safe place for you, the long arm of the Russian state can reach you anywhere.
But they’re also about telling Western governments not to tangle with Russia. The attempted assassination of the Skripals is a case in point. Novichok is a highly conspicuous Russian poison, which was developed by the Soviets and is known to Western intelligence as originating in Russia. That attack was a message with a very clear return address.
When the U.K. stood up to Russia after the Skripal case, in some ways, it played into Putin’s hands. [Then Prime Minister Theresa May said it was “highly likely” that Russia was responsible and framed it as an act of war. Britain and its allies expelled 153 Russian spies from Western capitals, imposed sanctions and impeded trade.] Is this an unwinnable war?
Western governments are caught in a huge dilemma when responding to Russian attacks. And it’s difficult to say what is the right approach. Putin used the strong British response to the attack on the Skripals as an election tool and helped himself to a massive majority in the 2018 presidential elections, on the back of language about Russophobia and the ‘Western enemy’. All of that plays into his strongman image and the sense he wants to create that the world outside his borders is full of adversaries and only Putin can be trusted to defend the motherland.
There’s a large community of Russian dissidents in the U.K, several of whom are in contact with Scotland Yard about their safety. Some of them live everyday in fear and have to employ heavy-duty security measures. I would have thought it’s only a matter of time before there’s another suspicious death. This is an ongoing and escalating problem.
Taking a firm line draws a bellicose response from the Kremlin. But there has to be a point where governments draws a line. The price of appeasement, as history has taught us, is too steep.
(VENICE, Italy) — Tourists and Venetians alike donned high boots and took to strategically placed raised walkways on Tuesday to slosh through the high water that has hit much of the lagoon city.
Venice’s tide forecast office said the water level peaked at 1.27 meters (about 4 feet 3 inches) Tuesday morning but warned that an even higher tide was forecast for after nightfall.
The high water invaded cafes, stores and other businesses. Sirens warned people in Venice of the rising water, and as a precaution, authorities closed nursery schools.
A top tourist attraction, the Ducal Palace, just off St. Mark’s Square, tweeted that it’s “open today, despite the exceptional tide,” and advised visitors to use the raised walkways leading to its entrance.
Many hotels keep disposable knee-high plastic boots handy for tourists. Venetians’ wardrobes often include over-the-knee rubber boots.
As the phenomenon of high water, locally known as “acqua alta,” goes, the levels Tuesday, while amusing for tourists and a nuisance for residents going about their business, were far lower than the 1.94 meters (6 feet 4 inches) in the devastating November 1966 flood in Venice.
But even lesser levels of the salty high water, over the years, take their toll on the city, eroding foundations of homes, businesses and city buildings.
Bad weather is continuing to dog Italy, with no real let-up forecast for several days.
In Policoro, a southern town in an area known for its ancient Greek ruins, a whirlwind ripped the roofs off two homes, but the occupants inside escaped injury, Italian news reports said.
In that same region of Basilicata, swaths of the tourist town of Matera, famed for its Sassi former cave dwellings, were flooded after heavy rains.
(HONG KONG) — Protesters in Hong Kong battled police on multiple fronts Tuesday, from major disruptions during the morning rush hour to a late-night standoff at a prominent university, as the 5-month-old anti-government movement takes an increasingly violent turn.
Gasoline bombs and fires lit up the night at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, while police massed for a possible clearing action with a water cannon truck.
It was the second straight day of weekday protests and followed an especially violent day Monday in which police shot one protester and a man was set on fire.
As on Monday morning, the day began with protesters shutting down parts of the commuter rail system and blocking roads. Some people took more than two hours to get to work, while others stayed home.
Bus tires were punctured and debris thrown on railway tracks. Police fired tear gas at protesters who littered roadways with bricks and anything else they could get their hands on — even merchandise still wrapped in plastic and tossed out from boxes.
Commuters got off one stopped train and were escorted on foot along the tracks.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam, speaking to news media after a weekly meeting with advisers, called the blocking of the morning commute “a very selfish act.”
“People from different sectors in society are holding fast to their positions and refusing to concede to violence or other radical actions,” she said. “I hereby express my gratitude to those who are still going to work and school today.”
Many office workers turned out in support of the protesters, who rallied for a second day on Pedder Street in Central, a business and high-end shopping district.
A few thousand people took over several blocks, chanting “Five demands, not one less” while holding up one hand with five outstretched fingers. Their demands include democratic changes and an independent investigation of police treatment of protesters.
Traffic was blocked on two major roads, with buses and half a dozen of Hong Kong’s famous trams lined up unable to move. The words “Join Us” were spray painted on the front window of a halted double-decker bus abandoned by the driver and passengers. The driver-side window was shattered, with a message reading “Sorry” added later.
Office workers filled the sidewalks and overhead walkways, some joining the protesters in chanting.
One 24-year-old man, who would not give his name, said he was there to support the protesters and accused the police of using excessive force, a common complaint among the city’s 7.4 million people.
Police fired tear gas to disperse protesters and onlookers who were hurling abuse at the officers. At least one person was injured when he was struck on the head by a tear gas canister. But protesters returned by evening and were again blocking roads with bricks and commandeered buses.
Protests ebbed and flowed all day at several universities. Classes were canceled, and clashes were particularly intense at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Scores of officers charged onto the campus after firing tear gas, arresting student protesters who tried to block their way with makeshift barricades, including a burning car.
That didn’t end the standoff, which was continuing Tuesday night.
Recent weeks have been marked by escalating vandalism of shops linked to mainland China and train stations, and assaults by both protesters and pro-Beijing supporters.
On Monday, a police officer drew his gun during a struggle with protesters, shooting one in the abdomen. In another neighborhood, a 57-year-old man was set on fire after an apparent argument.
Both remained hospitalized Tuesday, the shot protester in serious condition and the man who was burned in critical condition, the Hospital Authority said.
Video also showed a policeman on a motorcycle weaving at high speed through a group of protesters walking up a street.
Police say those incidents are being investigated but defend the officers’ actions as necessary for their own safety.
Police spokesman Kong Wing-cheung said the burning had been registered as a case of attempted murder and called on the public to provide information about the assailant.
“Hong Kong’s rule of law has been pushed to the brink of total collapse,” Kong said, calling those who defend or maintain ties with violent protesters “accomplices.”
In Beijing, foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang lambasted the U.S. and Britain over statements of concern about the spike in violence.
“The United States and Britain pretend to be fair on this incident, but it only reveals how they confuse right and wrong and how hypocritical they are. And their verbal justice once again exposes their double standards and ulterior motives,” Geng said at a daily briefing.
China accuses the U.S. and other foreign powers of fomenting and encouraging the protests.
In Washington, the U.S. government said Monday that it is watching the situation with “grave concern.”
“?We condemn violence on all sides, extend our sympathies to victims of violence regardless of their political inclinations, and call for all parties — police and protesters — to exercise restraint,” State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement.
She urged the government to address the underlying concerns behind the protests and the protesters to respond to efforts at dialogue.
Police said they had arrested 287 people on Monday, raising to the number of arrests since the movement began in June to more than 3,500. The latest arrests ranged in age from 12 to 82 years old and 190 were students.
The Hospital Authority said 128 people were taken to hospitals Monday, and one remained in critical condition and five others in serious condition on Tuesday.
The protests began over a proposed law that would have allowed criminal suspects to be extradited to mainland China, where they could face opaque and politically sensitive trials.
Activists saw the bill as another sign of an erosion in Hong Kong’s autonomy and civic freedoms, which China promised would be maintained for 50 years under a “one nation, two systems” principle when the former British colony returned to Chinese control in 1997.
Lam eventually withdrew the extradition bill but has insisted the violence stop before any further political dialogue can take place.
District council elections on Nov. 24 are seen as a measure of public sentiment toward Hong Kong’s government. Pro-democracy lawmakers have accused the government of trying to provoke violence to justify canceling or postponing the vote.
___
Associated Press news assistant Phoebe Lai contributed to this story.
The U.K. government’s decision to delay the release of a report on alleged Russian interference in British politics has been criticized as “shameful” by Hillary Clinton. Speaking to the BBC on Monday November 11, while on a book tour in the U.K., the former U.S. presidential candidate said people in Britain deserve to see what is included in the report before the general election next month.
The 50-page report by parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC), entitled “Russia”, was due to be published Monday November 4, but it will now be delayed until after the Dec. 12 general election, as Prime Minister Boris Johnson has refused to give it the necessary approval. The culmination of an 18-month inquiry, the ISC report had compiled evidence from Britain’s main intelligence agencies, MI5, GCHQ and MI6. The BBC said the report “includes allegations of espionage, subversion and interference in elections.”
Clinton said she was “dumbfounded” that the government would not release the report. “That should be an absolute condition,” she said. “I find it inexplicable that your government will not release a government report about Russian influence. Inexplicable and shameful.” There is no doubt, she says, that Russia is “determined” to try to shape the politics of Western democracies, “we know it in our country, we have seen it in Europe, we have seen it here.”
A spokesperson for Johnson’s office, 10 Downing Street, defended the report’s delay in statement: “There are a number of administrative stages and processes which reports such as this, which often contain sensitive information, have to go through before they are published.”
But the delay has raised suspicion among a number of British politicians. Labour’s shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry said the decision was “clearly politically motivated”. Speaking in the Commons last week, she suggested the report could lead to questions about links between Russia, Brexit and the Tory leadership, which could disrupt the Conservative election campaign.
Russia is suspected of conducting an interference operation to swing the 2016 Brexit referendum in favor of the “leave” side, which Johnson supported as a figurehead of the campaign group Vote Leave. On Nov. 10, The Sunday Times newspaper also reported that nine Russian donors to the ruling Conservative Party have been named in the secret intelligence report. It also wrote that intelligence agencies are “furious” over the government’s block on the publication of the report.
The British government says it has not seen evidence of “successful” Russian interference in U.K. elections, including the 2016 vote to leave the E.U. But Britain has accused the Kremlin of meddling in the domestic politics and elections of several Western countries, including the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Putin hotly denied any interference with the U.S. vote to help Donald Trump win the presidency, even though U.S. special counsel Robert Mueller has revealed evidence of a Kremlin operation to interfere with the vote. Mueller charged 12 Russian military intelligence officers with breaking into Democratic Party emails, and indicted other Russians who used fake social media accounts to spread divisive rhetoric that aimed to undermine the U.S. political system.
Clinton claims that Russia were still “in” the U.S. electoral system, “pumping out propaganda”, adding “I’d hate to see that happen here”.
You are subscribed to email updates from World – TIME. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.
Email delivery powered by Google
Google, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States
The DDM is one of the most foundational financial theories, but it's only as good as its assumptions. Learn if this model works for you and how to use it.
Operating leverage can tell you a lot about a company and its future profitability, and the level of risk it offers to investors. Learn the pros and cons.
Find & compare best CD rates available to anyone in the US! Check out the highest nationally available rates for each CD term from federally insured banks and credit unions.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
Your retirement security depends on your retirement accounts and the nest egg you build with them. Find out how to get the most out of your 401(k) plan.
Find out the best practices for most financial modeling to price a bonds, calculate coupon payments, then learn how to calculate a bond's yield to maturity in Microsoft Excel.
Read our complete guide to working from home to learn about the industries with the top types of flexible, remote jobs available and how to avoid scams.
Filing early for Social Security can make sense. Here's a list of when it's appropriate to ignore the conventional wisdom of waiting as long as you can.
The relationship between the stock market and your monthly Social Security check should be on your mind, as sizable investment gains from the market can matter in certain situations.
Spousal Social Security benefits may be taxable at the federal level, as well as in some states, depending on your total household income for the year.
Step by step guide on how to open a Roth IRA if you qualify. Opening an account is a simple process and then you will also need to make some investment decisions.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
File and suspend was a Social Security claiming strategy that allowed couples of retirement age to receive spousal benefits while delaying retirement credits.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
The most common employer match is 50 cents on the dollar of up to 6% of your salary. In most cases, you should contribute enough to get the maximum match.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
Gold ETFs operating as trusts are straightforward. The trust holds gold and issues shares. Learn how ETFs are more efficient than buying physical gold.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
You can get Social Security retirement or survivors benefits and work at the same time. But that income could reduce your Social Security benefits. Find out how.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
A point-of-service plan (POS) is a managed-care health insurance plan that provides different benefits for using in-network or out-of-network providers.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
A Roth 401(k) is an employer-sponsored investment savings account that is funded with post-tax money, which means that withdrawals in retirement are tax free.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
A prior probability, in Bayesian statistical inference, is the probability of an event based on established knowledge, before empirical data is collected.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
Marginal rate of substitution is the amount of a good a consumer is willing to consume in relation to another good, as long as it is equally satisfying.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
The Walt Disney Company is one of the largest media and entertainment conglomerates in the world. Learn more about the top companies driving its growth.
A payment gateway refers to the front-end technology that reads payment cards and sends customer information to the merchant acquiring bank for processing.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
How much money do you need to retire? That depends on your income and lifestyle. Find out retirement savings by age and answers to "How much do I need to retire?"
Understand the difference between a short sale and a foreclosure; both result in the loss of a home, either through a sale by the owner or the mortgage holder.
Telangana University Results2019 for Various UG and PG Courses are available Here. The Students of Telangana Univesity can find the TU Exam Result here. Generally, the Telangana University announces the academic Results in its TU Exam page. As the Official Page will be busy we help you in finding the TU Exam Results 2019 easily. Also, we provide you with the direct links for all the UG and PG Courses academic Results 2019 below. Furthermore, aspirants can visit the official Telangana Univerisity Results page for any queries.
Telangana University Results 2019 @ tuexams.org
Telangana University had held Degree exams in the month of May/ June 2019. Now, TU Resultsare released for all UG, PG courses. The Courses involve APE, PCH-5YRS, IMBA- 2,4,6th sem, LLB, BA, B.Sc., BBA, BCA, MA, M.Sc., MBA, MCA, M Phil and etc. All the candidates who wrote the UG exams and waiting for the Telangana University Results can get the Telangana University Results 2019 from here. Candidates can Check the Telangana UG results from here. Otherwise, you can also get this from the official site: www.telanganauniversity.ac.in.
Telangana University is a state-funded college situated at Dichpally in Nizamabad, Telangana, India, set up in 2006 by the legislature of United Andhra Pradesh. The grounds include 600 sections of land (2.4 km2) of land. The college comprises of 7 structures they are authoritative structure, University College, University College of Law, University College of Commerce and Management, two lodgings one for young ladies and other for young men. Telangana University was built up through Act Number 28 of 2006, state government, to take into account the scholastic quest for the regressive and rustic understudy network of Nizamabad and Adilabad locale.
The college involves 6 postgraduate courses in September 2006, 7 Courses were included during 2007-2008 and 5 courses were incorporated into 2008, raising the number of courses to 18. Till 2008 college worked at Girraj Govt. The school (Autonomous), Nizamabad. In 2009 it moved to its very own grounds at Dichpally. The college offers 18 courses with 1250 understudies seeking after their examinations in courses at University Main Campus and the South-Campus of Bhiknoor, Nizamabad District both adjoining the National High Way 44. The University is the third biggest government colleges in the province of Telangana after Osmania and Kakatiya universities.
Telangana University Revaluation/ Supplementary Results
Once completed with the Main Examination, the board will announce the Main Semester Exam Results within a month or two. Here you can get the updated Telangana University main exam Results from the main section. Students who have failed in the main examination have one more chance of getting down with the exam results. The Board has the second chance in the name of Revaluation. Students who wish to increase their score or those who wish to get pass marks can use this opportunity. The Application for the revaluation will be avail until from 2days after the publication of the main results. In case if you do not feel satisfactory from the revaluation results, applicants can again take down the examination in Name of Supplementary exam.
GSRTC Syllabus 2019: Dear Aspirants !! Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation Officials have recently issued a job notification for filling 2389 Vacancies of the Conductor Posts. And also the Board Authority of Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation is planning to conduct the Written Examination for recruiting 2389 Conductor Posts. Gujarat SRTC Examination Date and the Exam Centres will be announced soon. Aspirants who are looking for Government jobs can apply this GSRTC Conductor Recruitment 2019 before or on 30th November 2019. So, the candidates are requested to read the Gujarat SRTC Syllabus 2019 to prepare well for the examination.
In order to help out the candidates to their exam preparation, we have shared the complete GSRTC Conductor Syllabus 2019 along with Exam Pattern. By referring the GSRTC Syllabus2019 candidates will get an idea about the topics to be prepared for the written exam. We suggested the candidates make a perfect schedule according to the Gujarat SRTC Conductor Syllabus and Gujarat RTC Conductor Exam Pattern 2019 which is updated here. Here we are also presenting GSRTC Conductor Old Question Papers along with GSRTC Syllabus for obtaining more marks in the exam. Read the complete article for more detailed information about Gujarat SRTC Conductor Exam Syllabus 2019.
From the reference of GSRTC Exam Pattern 2019 candidates will get the details of the type of exam question paper, topics that are covered for the written exam, marks distribution for each subject, duration of the exam. Get the complete structure of the GSRTC Conductor Exam Pattern 2019 by referring to this section. Hence start their preparation accordingly to gain the highest marks in the Written Exam.
GSRTC Conductor Exam Pattern 2019
Type of Examination
Name of the Subject
Number of Marks
Time Duration
Objective Type Examination
Technical Knowledge
50
2 Hours
General Knowledge
10
Gujarathi History and Geography
10
Current Affairs
10
Computer Knowledge
10
Gujarat Literature
5
English Language
5
Total
100
Selection Procedures:
The Board Authority ofGujarat State Road Transport Corporation will conduct the number of rounds to recruit for the post of the Conductor. The GSRTC Conductor Selection Process 2019 shall be made on the basis of the Written Examination and interview. So, the candidates should perform well in the following rounds to get the conductor Post.
Download GSRTC Conductor Syllabus 2019 in PDF format for free of cost by clicking on the link arranged at the end of the page. Refer to each and every topic of Gujarat SRT Conductor Syllabus for scoring qualify marks in the written exam.
Gujarat RTC Conductor Syllabus – General Knowledge
As per the recent update Bihar Staff Selection Commission wants to hire 326 young talented candidates for the posts of Stenographer. Interested candidates who want to work with BSSC can appear for the written exam which is going to conducted on 17th November 2019. It is impossible to clear the written exam without having the proper preparation. Improve your subject skills and time by referring to the BSSC Syllabus 2019 provided on this page. This is very useful to the aspirants and makes them good enough to take the Written Examination. So candidates can go through the entire page for detailed information. The direct link for the BSSC Stenographer Syllabus 2019 Pdf is attached at the end of the page.
Now, candidates who had applied for BSSC Recruitment 2019 standing in the right place scroll down this page to read the complete information about the BSSC Stenographer Syllabus 2019 and Exam Pattern. Our recruitment.guru team has provided the Stenographer Exam Syllabus 2019 and also the Exam Pattern on this webpage. If you are the job seeker of Bihar state then grab this opportunity by proving yourself in the recruitment process. Check out Bihar SSC Stenographer Exam Pattern 2019 provided before going to start the exam preparation. For the sake of candidates, we have described the Bihar Staff Selection Commission Syllabus 2019, Exam Pattern along with the Bihar SSC Stenographer Previous Papers.
Aspirants after applying for the Examination, must and should have an idea regarding the BSSC Stenographer Syllabus Selection Process 2019. The Officials of the Bihar SSC conducts the Written Examination for the post of the Stenographer in the month of November 2019. The candidates selected in the Written Test are promoted for the second round of the selection process that is Interview. Candidates must prepare well in the following selection rounds to recruited as a Stenographer.
Written Examination
Interview
Download BSSC Syllabus 2019-20 PDF
Bihar SSC Stenographer General Knowledge Syllabus 2019
IBPS PO MT Mains Admit Card 2019 Available Here to Download. Candidates who are eligible to take down the examination must download the IBPS Admit Card from the below table. To participate in the examination all the aspirants should clear the prelims exam with eligible scoring. So, Make sure with the eligibility and download the IBPS PO Mains Admit Card 2019.
IBPS PO Admit Card 2019 OUT !! Institute of Banking Personnel Selection has released the admit card for the post of Probationary Officer & Management Trainee. In recent, the board had declared the Prelims exam date on its official website. Hence, the admit card is available now to download at the end of the section. The IBPS PO Admit Card is an important document to participate in the examination. The admit card is available for 4336 PO and Management Trainee Posts. Moreover, the IBPS PO Prelims exam will be held from 12th, 13th, 19th & 20th October 2019.
IBPS PO Admit Card 2019
The Selection Board has recently released the official notification to recruit the 4336 Management Trainee and Probationary Officers Post. Hence, the admit card has been issued for the above-said post on its official website. Thus, the IBPS PO Prelims Admit Card has been released on 30th September 2019. Though, the direct link to download the hall ticket is active now to download.
Enter all the needed details in the IBPS Probationary Officer Admit Card to participate in the examination. The Hall Ticket is to identify the right person who is going to take down the examination. Meanwhile, Invigilators will allow the examiners to the examination hall who are carrying the IBPS PO Admit Card. Candidates will not be allowed to participate in the exam without the IBPS PO Hall Ticket 2019.
Candidates Name
Name of the Candidate's Father
The venue of the Exam Centre
Date & Time of the Test
Reporting Time to the Exam Hall
Gender (Male/ Female)
Roll Number
Duration of the Online Test
Space for Invigilator's Signature
Registration Number
Name of the Test Centre
Category of the candidates
Space for Applicant's Signature
Name of the Exam Conducting Board
Photograph of the Candidate
Applicant's Date of Birth
Name of the Written Test
Important Guidelines for the Exam Takers
Full Name of the Applicant
Examination Centre Code
Signature of the Board Counselor
IBPS PO Prelims Exam 2019-20
The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection has decided to conduct the Probationary Officers Prelims Examination at various centers. All the exam details like exam date, exam time and exam center details are available on the IBPS PO Admit Card. The IBPS PO Prelims exam will be held on 12th, 13th, 19th & 20th October 2019. Here you can get the IBPS PO Prelims Syllabus and the previous paper to prepare for the examination. Download it and prepare well. Score High by getting enough details from Recruitment. Guru.
Make sure to take the Original ID Proof along with the IBPS PO Admit Card. Check to the IBPS PO Prelims Hall Ticket details once completed. Candidates cannot correct the mistakes in the IBPS PO Call Letter once it submitted. So, be conscious while filling the admit card details.
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
IBPS PO Admit Card Download Steps 2019-20
Click on the IBPS PO Hall Ticket 2019.
Enter the Registration Number and Password to get the admit card page.
Enter the Captcha shown on the page.
Now the IBPS PO Prelims Admit Card will appear on the screen.
Fill all the valid details in the hall ticket page.
Check the details before submitting it.
After the clear glance Submit the Admit Card.
Finally, Download the Call Letter.
Take a print out of the admit card and carry for the IBPS PO Prelims Examination.
Dear Folks!!. Check out Kerala University Result 2019 for Second Semester B.P.Ed. (2 Year) Degree, M.B.A, B.Pharm & Other Courses. The University has declared the results for various courses every day. Currently, The University has released the results of Second Semester B.P.Ed. (2 Year) Degree result, LL.B 5th year, LL.B 1st Sem 3yr, LLM 2nd Sem, M.A Political Science and other Courses results available here. Students who have been appeared for these examinations can check the results from the official website of the University i.e, keralauniversity.ac.in. Hence more, you can check the Kerala University Result at the Official Site. Moreover, we also provide the Kerala University Revaluation Result 2019 here.
Kerala University Result 2019
If you are in search of the Kerala University Exam Result 2019, then you came to the right place. Here, you can check out the semester wise results of this University regarding all the courses. So, candidates can get their respective scores of this Kerala University Exam Results 2019. Here, find the results for Kerala University Degree Result, Kerala Technical University Result, Kerala University Distance Education Result along with Kerala University Revaluation Result.
Hence more, you can verify the Kerala University Result at the official website and our site recruitment.guru. Recently, the University has published some results, and the future will release some Courses Result. Here we will be updating the Upcoming Kerala University Result link, it will work once the University will release it officially. Students anyone can check their results from this site now, here we have provided a direct link to get your Kerala University Result without any confusion.
Latest Results Update: Students can get all UG/PG Results which released from Kerala University
Latest Kerala University Exam Result 2019
Name of the Exam
Announcement Date
Download Link
Second Semester B.P.Ed. (2 Year) Degree Examination, May 2019
Career Related First Degree Programme under CBCSS Group 2(a) Fourth Semester B.Sc. Botany & Biotechnology (247) Degree Examination November 2018 (Prior to 2013 Admn.) (2012 Admission: Supplementary, 2010 & 2011 Admission: Mercy chance)
FIRST SEMESTER (APRIL 2019), THIRD SEMESTER (MAY 2019), FIFTH (APRIL 2019) AND SEVENTH SEMESTER (JUNE 2019) – FIVE YEAR MBA (INTEGRATED) DEGREE EXAMINATIONS (2015 SCHEME)
Third Semester B.Com Commerce with Computer Application (138) Career Related First Degree Programme Under CBCSS Group 2 (b) (Prior to 2013 Admission.Mercy Chance 2010&2011 Admns.& Supplementary 2012 Admn) Degree Examination June 2019
FOURTH SEMESTER POST GRADUATE DEGREE EXAMINATIONS SEPTEMBER 2019 MSc Bioinformatics Chemistry Applied Chemistry Analytical Chemistry Geography Zoology MA Political Science
Rank List of Fourth semester MA Philosophy, MA Sanskrit Language and Literature, MA Business Economics, MA Public Administration, MA Human Resource and Management and MA Tamil Language and Literature examinations September 2019.
FOURTH SEMESTER POST GRADUATE DEGREE EXAMINATIONS, SEPTEMBER 2019 – MA – Philosophy, Sanskrit Language and Literature, Business Economics, Public Administration, Human Resource Management.
Fifth Semester Group 2(a) B.A English and Communicative English (133)Degree Career Related First Degree Programme under CBCSS Examinations (Prior to 2013 Admn) 2010, 2011 Mercy Chance, 2012 Admn Supplementary), 2019
Sixth and Fifth Semester Group 2(a) B.Sc. Chemistry & Industrial Chemistry (241) Degree Career Related First Degree Programme under CBCSS Examinations (Prior to 2013 Admn) 2010, 2011 Mercy Chance, 2012 Admn Supplementary), 2019
Fifth Semester Group 2(a) B.Sc. Physics and Computer Application (328) Degree Career Related First Degree Programme under CBCSS Examinations (Prior to 2013 Admn) 2010, 2011 Mercy Chance, 2012 Admn Supplementary), 2019
SECOND SEMESTER B.A HONOURS DEGREE PROGRAMME IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE DEGREE EXAMINATION JUNE 2019 (2018 ADMISSION-REGULAR/ 2017 ADMISSION-IMPROVEMENT / 2013-2016 ADMISSION-SUPPLEMENTARY)
FIRST DEGREE PROGRAMME UNDER CBCSS FIRST SEMESTER B.COM COMMERCE & TAX PROCEDURE AND PRACTICE (337),GROUP 2(A), (2018 ADMN : REGULAR) DEGREE EXAMINATION, NOVEMBER 2018)
The University of Kerala, formerly the University of Travancore, is an affiliating university located in Thiruvananthapuram, capital of the state of Kerala, India. It was established in 1937. At present, the University has sixteen faculties and forty-one departments of teaching and research in addition to study centres and other departments. Teaching, Research, and Knowledge extension are the mandate of the Departments. They primarily focus on post-graduate (masters) programmes, MPhil programmes (1-year research degree) and doctoral research.
Kerala University Supply/Revaluation Results
Students are waiting for the results if they scored well they 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 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 University of Kerala will take a week or more to process the exam papers to announce the Kerala University Revaluation Results. Do stay updated with the University to know about the Revaluation Exam Results.
FCI Result 2019 @ fci.gov.in – The Food Corporation of India will declare the FCI Result 2019 Phase 2 Shortly. Check your FCI Result Date 2019 and Expected Cut off Marks from the below sections. FCI Phase-II Exam was conducted on 27th July 2019. Candidates who appeared in the Phase – II are waiting for the Result. So, here on this page, we will be updating the latest result link and it will activate at the time of announcement. All candidates are required to visit this page regularly to get the latest updates about FCI Result Phase 2 Exam.
FCI Result 2019 for Phase II – Declare Soon
Applicants who are waiting for the FCI 2019 Phase 2 Score Card & Marks can check your result from this page. Here we will be updating the latest result link for Zone Wise. The Updated result link will activate at the time of the result announced officially. Candidates who get qualified in the Phase 2 examination can attend the next two rounds (Skill test (Qualifying in nature) and Document verification. So applicants should aware of the FCI Result Date 2019 to attend the further rounds.
FCI Phase 2 Result 2019 (Assistant Grade III, JE, Steno Grade-II, AG II, Typist)
FCI Result 2019 Phase 2 – Assistant Grade III, JE, Steno Grade II, AG II, Typist Cut Off, Merit List
Description
Details
Organization Name
Food Corporation of India (FCI)
Post Name
Junior Engineer, Steno Grade-II, Assistant Grade II, Typist, Assistant Grade III Posts
Candidates who will qualify in Phase 2 – Online Exam can attend the Skill Test. After announcing the FCI Result Phase 2, applicants will receive the Call letter for the Skill Test. All the applicants can keep track of this page to get your Results. Also, candidates can check your FCI 2019 Exam Phase II Result from the official website fci.gov.in. The FCI Recruitment process is to fill 4103 candidates for various Posts.
FCI Cut off Marks 2019 @ fci.gov.in
A huge number of candidates have appeared for the FCI Recruitment 2019. Now the candidates are shortlisted for the next round on the basis of FCI Cut off Marks 2019. FCI will release the Cut off Marks officially for all categories after the announcement of FCI Result 2019 Phase 2. Candidates can check your FCI 2019 Phase II Score Card & Marks by Category and Zone Wise. Here we have provided a direct link to check and download your result.
FCI AG-II, Typist, Junior Engineer Merit List 2019
The merit list will be decided based on the highest marks secured by the candidates in the examination. Get the shortlisted candidate’s details by checking with the name of the candidates and the roll number. It's important to check the FCI Junior Engineer, Steno Grade-II, Assistant Grade II, Typist, Assistant Grade III Posts Merit List 2019 to know the selection of next rounds.
BEL Result 2019: Bharat Electronics Limited has released it’s BEL Exam Result 2019 for various posts. Candidates can make use of this page to check their BEL Results 2019 here. Moreover, the BEL Merit List 2019 is released by the officials and hence there would be no ambiguity. By checking results applicants can evaluate their performance in the examination. BEL Results 2019 can be viewed only by those applicants who had appeared for the examination. However, we have provided direct links to help aspirants easily check their results. Aspirants can read through the article given below to check their results.
BEL Apprentice Result 2019Available Now – Officials of Bharat Electronics Limited declared the BEL Apprenticeship Training Result 2019 for Graduates, Technicians (Diploma) on 12th November 2019. So the candidates who had attended the written test on 10th November 2019 can now check the BEL Graduates, Technicians Result 2019. Moreover, we have placed here the direct links to download the BEL Apprentice Result 2019 which are given by the higher authority.
BEL Apprentice Result 2019
BEL Apprentice Result 2019 | Graduates, Technicians
BEL Apprentice Result 2019 (Graduates) – Click Here BEL Apprentice Result 2019 Technicians (Diploma) – Click Here
BEL Software Engineer Result 2019 Available Now – Applicants those who have appeared for the Software Engineer Examination can check and download your result from the below link. Candidates can find the result for the Post of Software Engineer (On Contract Basis) based on the Interview held on 08th June 2019. Here anyone can download links for BEL Shortlisted candidates for interview is given below. Click on it to check your name, or you could visit the @ Bel-india.in/career page to get your BEL Results.
BEL Result 2019 for Dy Manager & Sr Engineer for PD & IC is out. A list of shortlisted candidates has been released on the BEL Careers page. The BEL interview for Dept Manager and Sr engineer is on 3rd Nov 2019. The list of selected candidates has been released in a PDF format. Download link for BEL Shortlisted candidates for the interview is given below. Click on it to check your name, or you could visit the @ Bel-india.in/career page.
BEL Result for Security post is available now. The Aspirants who applied for Havildar (Security) Posts can check the list of candidates eligible for Physical Test here. However, we were given a direct link for the BEL Security Guard Physical Test Selected Candidates list below. Hence, Click on the link and check the BEL Result 2019.
BEL Result for Contract Engineers post is available now. The Aspirants who applied for Respective Engineering Posts can check the list of candidates eligible for written examination here. However, we were given a direct link for BEL Civil, Mechanical, Electrical & Computer Science posts separately. Hence, Click on the link and check the BEL Result 2019. Also, download the hall ticket for Written Examination on our BEL Admit Card page.
Bharat Electrical Limited has given the Result for the post of Contract Engineer. The Aspirants those who appeared for the BEL Contract Engineers Examination 2019 can check the Result below. Also. download the BEL Result for Contract Engineer PDF in the table below. Furthermore, check the Official Website for any queries regarding the BEL Result.
Bharat Electrical Limited Result 2019: Candidates waiting for the results of the BEL Written test can now check their results. Bharat Electronics Limited had released its BEL Exam Result 2019 for the post of Engineer-NS (S&CS). Applicants who had written the test on 6th February 2019 can now check if they have been shortlisted or not. Therefore, check the links given below for the results of Engineer vacancy in BEL.
BEL Engineer Exam Result 2019 (S & CS) – Click Here
Engineer Exam Result 2019 (S & CS) Electronics – Click Here
Are you guys in search of BEL Result 2019 ?? guys then here is the great news for such applicants. The officials of Bharat Electronics Limited had released its BEL Exam Result 2019 for the post of Dy. Engineer (Fixed Tenure). A good number of applicants had applied for the post and attended the examination. Hence such candidates are eagerly waiting to check their BEL Merit List 2019. Refer to the link given below to check your results.
Interview Shortlist BEL Dy Engg Result 2019 – Downaod
Bharat Electrical Limited Result 2019
Get BEL Result 2019 – Contract Engineer (Electronics, Mechanical): Looking for BEL Result 2019 ?? then here is the great news for such applicants. The officials of Bharat Electronics Limited has released it’s BEL Exam Result 2019. A good number of contenders had applied for the post and appeared for the examination. Hence guys finally the waiting is coming to end. Applicants who have appeared for the examination can now check their BEL Merit List 2019.
The BEL Result 2019: The officials of Bharat Electronics Limited has released it’s BEL Exam Results 2019. A huge number of applicants had applied for the post and attended the examination. Hence such applied contenders are eagerly waiting to check their BEL Merit List 2019. By checking results candidates can evaluate their performance in the examination. The result consists of the name of shortlisted applicants and only such contenders can take up further rounds.
Are you guys in search of BEL Result 2019 ?? then here is the great news for such applicants. The officials of Bharat Electronics Limited had released its results for the post of Dy Engineer. A good number of aspirants had appeared for the exams and are now eagerly waiting to check their BEL Exam Result 2019. By checking results applicants can evaluate their performance in the examination. Moreover, the BEL Merit List 2019 is released by the authorized people and hence there would be no ambiguity. Make use of the link given below and check your results.
TNPSC Hall Ticket 2019: The Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission will release it’s TNPSC Exam Hall Ticket 2019 for various examinations. Admit card is a mandatory document to be carried while attending the examinations. However the TNPSC Exam Admit Card 2019 will be here to download when released by the officials at www.tnpsc.gov.in. Stay tuned to our page and download TNPSC Admit Card 2019 here. Moreover, the Admit Card contains important information like the examination date, timings, and venue that help contenders to reach the exam hall on time.
TNPSC Exam Hall Ticket 2019 will be released on 17th December 2019. Hence, Aspirants can download the admit card from the below section. Therefore, the Commission has announced the exam date from 22nd December to 30th December 2019. Thus, Make sure to download the TNPSC Departmental Hall Ticket 2019.
TNPSC Departmental Exam Admit Card 2019
Post Name
Child Development Project Officer (CDPO), Departmental Officer
TNPSC CDPO Admit Card 2019Released on 12th November 2019. Thus, the Child Development Project Officer exam will be held on 16th & 17th November 2019. Hence, the admit card must be downloaded from the below section to take down the examination. Interested aspirants can get the TNPSC Hall Ticket by entering the valid application number and date of birth.
TNPSC CDPO Hall Ticket 2019
Post Name
Child Development Project Officer (CDPO), Assistant Director
TNPSC Jailor Admit Card 2019 is yet to release. Hence, the admit card will be available soon on its official website. Moreover, the exam date will also be declared by the officials of the Tamilnadu Public Service Commission. Therefore, Eligible candidates can download the TNPSC Hall Ticket from the below section.
TNPSC Civil Judge Admit Card 2019 will be available soon. The TNPSC Hall Ticket will be released on its official website. After completing the application process officials will issue the admit card for the applicants. Eligible contenders can download the TNPSC Civil Judge Admit Card from the upcoming table. The Prelims exam will be conducted on 24th November 2019.
TNPSC Civil Judge Official Notification PDF 2019 – Download
TNPSC Group 4 Hall Ticket 2019 – Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission will release the admit card for Group 4 Combined Civil Services Exam. Hence, the exam will be held on 01st September 2019. Download the admit card from the below section. The hall ticket will be released on 04th Week of August 2019.
TNPSC JSO Admit Card 2019 will be available soon. The Hall Ticket is going to be released for 64 Junior Scientific Officers. Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission will release the admit card on 03rd Week of August 2019. Thus, the JSO Examination is going to be held on 24th August 2019.
TNPSC CESE Admit Card 2019 has been released on 01st August 2019. Hence, the TNPSC CESE Exam will be held on 10th August 2019. The direct link to download the admit card has been provided in the following table. Exam appearing candidates can download the TNPSC CESE Hall Ticket.
TNPSC Admit Card 2019 will be available soon. Candidates can get for Senior Chemist Written Exam Call Letter. Tamil Nadu PSC Admit card is available on the main website. The Admit Card will be released on 1st of November 2019. Therefore all the candidates who are sitting for the exam kindly click on the link below to avail your TNPSC Admit Card 2019.
TNPSC is yet to release the admit card for the post of 42 Assistant Tourist Grade II Officers. Thus, the board will release the admit card on the 02nd Week of September 2019. As per the announcement, the board has declared the exam date on 29th September 2019. Eligible candidates can download the admit card from the below section.
TNPSC Admit Card – Assistant Tourist Grade II Exam 2019
Post Name
Assistant Conservator of Forests Included in Group-I A Services
TamilNadu Public Service Commission Exams Board announced the Admit Card for the Post of Assistant Conservator of Forests Included in Group-I A Services. However, the Candidates who are waiting for a long time can download the TNPSC Hall Ticket below.
TNPSC Hall Ticket – Group-I A Services Exam 2019
Post Name
Assistant Conservator of Forests Included in Group-I A Services
TNPSC Group 1 Hall Ticket 2019 has been released for the post of Deputy Collector, Deputy Super Intendant of Police and Other Vacancies. Hence, Candidates can download it from the direct link provided below. The admit card has been released on 01st July 2019. Moreover, the exam date has been scheduled from 12th July to 14th July 2019.
TNPSC Hall Ticket 2019: Applied for TNPSC Agriculture Officer Extension.? The Examination date for TNPSC Agriculture Officer is 14th July 2019. So, the date to announce the TNPSC Hall Ticket for candidates who applied for the TNPSC Exam is close. Applicants need to be ready with their Roll Number and Date of Birth Details to download the TPSC Admit Card for Agriculture Officer. However, we provide you with a direct link to download your TSPSC Hall Ticket for Agriculture Officer 2019 below. Aspirants need to carry their TNPSC Admit Card along with them to the examination section on 6th June 2019.
TNPSC Hall Ticket for Agriculture Officer 2019 – Get Here
TNPSC Admit Card 2019
The TNPSC Hall Ticket 2019 is released for the Assistant Commissioner is now released for the Assistant Commissioner Written Examinations. So, now all the individuals who had applied for the Assistant Commissioner Examinations can click on the direct link that is provided below. And, the date of the TNPSC Exams will be on 24th August 2019. Therefore, the applicants can start downloading your respective Tamil Nadu PSC Exam Call Letter 2019 and take the printout of it.
TNPSC Asst Commissioner Hall Ticket 2019 – Click Here
TNPSC Group 2 Hall Ticket
The Telangana Public Service Commission will release the TNPSC Hall Ticket2019 here. Furthermore, the authority will issue the TNPSC Exam Admit Card for all the applicants who submitted all the details in the application form only to them. Therefore, all the candidates appearing for the TNPSC Group 2 Exams can stay tuned to this page to get more details about TNPSC Group 2 Exam Dates, Admit Card Release Dates etc.
Candidates can get their TNPSC Hall Ticket 2019 here. Those aspirants who had applied for the post of Combined Civil Services Examination- VI are waiting to download their TNPSC Admit Card 2019. As admit card is a mandatory document to be carried while attending the exams. Failing to carry TNPSC Exam Hall Ticket 2019 will not be allowed to take up the exams. The examination for this post is on 11th February 2019. Hence don’t waste your time and get ready with your application number to download the TNPSC Exam Admit Card 2019.
TNPSC Group 4 Notification Details
Name of the board: Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission
Name of the Post: VAO, Junior Assistant, Bill Collector etc
No. of Vacancies: 9351
Exam Date: 11th February 2019
How to download TNPSC Group IV VAO Exam Hall Ticket
TNPSC Hall Ticket 2019: A good number of contenders had taken up the examination for the post of Executive Officer Grade I. Those applied aspirants are eagerly waiting to download their TNPSC Exam Hall Ticket 2019. The examination for the post of Executive Officer is on 20th and 21st January 2019. Hence such aspirants are eager in getting their TNPSC Admit Card 2019. Moreover, the hall ticket contains important information like the examination date, timings, and venue that helps applicants to reach the exam hall on time. However, we have provided a direct link to download TNPSC Hall Ticket 2019.
Aspirants can get their TNPSC Exam Hall Ticket 2019 here. A huge number of candidates had applied for the post of Group I A Service. Moreover, the examination date is on 17th December 2019. Hence such applied contenders are eagerly waiting to download their TNPSC Exam Admit Card 2019. However, the admit card contains important information like the examination date, timings and other information that help applicants to reach examination hall on time. Failing to carry TNPSC Admit Card 2019 will not be allowed to take up the examination. To help applicants easily get admit card we have provided a direct link.
Candidates can download their TNPSC Hall Ticket 2019 here. The officials of Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission had released its notification. Interested and eligible applicants had applied for the post on or before the last date. Hence those contenders have to take up their examination on 26th November 2017. At this point, TNPSC Exam Hall Ticket 2019 plays a major role. As admit card is an identity for contenders to attend the exam hall.
Are you guys in search of TNPSC Hall Ticket 2019. A huge number of applicants had applied for the post of Assistant in the Departments of Secretariat. The examination for this post is on 25th November 2017. However, contenders can get their TNPSC Admit Card 2019 here. The hall ticket contains important information like the examination date, timings and other details which help individuals to reach exam hall on time. Hence don’t waste your time and get ready with your application number to download TNPSC Exam Admit Card 2019.
ICDS Question Paper for Anganwadi Supervisor, Nutritious Meal Organiser, Cooking Assistant, Anganwadi Workers & Assistant, Anganwadi Helper posts is available here. Candidates who applied for ICDS recruitment can find the Anganwadi Supervisor previous year question papers, interview question & answers pdf. Aspirants can download ICDS previous papers, interview questions pdf for free of cost on our page. Find the exam pattern and personal interview date 2019 in the sections below.
ICDS Exam Question Paper Download Pdf
Integrated Child Developer Services (ICDS) has released the notification for Anganwadi Supervisor, Nutritious Meal Organiser, Cooking Assistant, Anganwadi Workers & Assistant, Anganwadi Helper posts. Since ICDS West Bengal had announced various Supervisor recruitment. Keep checking as we will update the details soon the board releases the notification. However, the applicants of ICDS Anganwadi supervisor, assistant and helper post can find the interview question paper with answers in the section below.
Have you applied for Integrated Child Developer Service (ICDS) Anganwadi Supervisor, Accountant, Assistant & Helper exam 2019? Searching for ICDS Supervisor previous year question papers West Bengal And didn’t find them yet? If your answer is yes, then you are in the right place to get the ICDS Anganwadi exam question paper download. These previous papers are very useful while preparing for any kind of competitive or entrance exam. Individuals can download the previous papers from this page at free of cost. Get more similar jobs like ICDS Recruitment in Central Government Jobs
The ICDS will conduct the personal interview round for the applicants of Anganwadi asst and helper vacancies. However, applicants can keep checking our page for more updates. Find the details regarding the selection process and interview rounds in the section below.
West Bengal ICDS Supervisor Previous Year Question Papers Pdf
West Bengal Integrated Child Developer Services (WB ICDS) has released recruitment notification for various posts. However, the candidates who are appearing for Supervisor Prelims exam can check the exam date, exam pattern, and model papers in the below sections of the article. Later download the WB ICDS Model exam question papers with answers pdf from the direct links given in the below table.
ICDS Supervisor Solved Practice Papers | Exam Paper Pattern 2019
Part – I: Preliminary Screening Test Pattern 2019
Exam Type
No. of Questions
Marks
Objective Type Questions
100
100
Each question carries 1 mark.
Duration of Exam is 1 Hour.
Negative marking will be there for the exam.
Part – II: Mains Written Examination Pattern 2019
Paper Name
Subject
Marks
Paper I
English
100
Paper II
Bengali/Urdu/Nepali/Santali
100
Paper III
General Studies & Current Affair
100
Paper IV
Arithmetic
100
Each Paper exam duration will be 90 Minutes.
There will be Descriptive/Conventional type of questions.
The candidates who qualify on the basis of merit in prelims will only be called for the written exam.
Part – III: Viva-Voce Test
The applicants who are qualified in both Prelims & Mains will be called for Viva-Voce Test which is of 50 marks.
Direct Links to Download ICDS Supervisor Exam Previous Question Papers Pdf – Click Here
ICDS Exam Model Question Paper Pattern 2019
Integrated Child Developer Services (ICDS) – Jammu & Kashmir, West Bengal, Bihar, and other states generally conduct the interview for the applicants. If they receive more applications, then the respective state ICDS boards will shortlist the candidates for interview based on their performance in basic objective type written the test. However, find the complete selection process and marks for each section details in our ICDS Syllabus page.
Find the expected exam pattern details for the ICDS basic objective written test 2019. The below details are not official and will be updated if the board announces any official details. Hence, go through the details and find the ICDS West Bengal & other question paper below. Aspirants can download the ICDS Anganwadi Supervisor, Assistant & helper interview question & answer pdf in the section following.
Aspirants who are going to appear for the written test and personal interview rounds of ICDS recruitment can find the exam question paper with answers here. ICDS question paper download given below is only for reference purpose. Hence, aspirants can download the pdf for free of cost and start your preparation.
Refer all the papers for better understanding and prepare well. Find the FAQ about ICDS and general ICDS interview question paper pdf for आंगनवाड़ी सेविका और आंगनवाड़ी सहायिका & other posts below. Hope these help you in the preparation. Aspirants can comment in the section below regarding the update over ICDS exam 2019.
Integrated Child Developer Services Exam Old Question Papers Pdf
AP Police Constable Previous Question Papers is available here. The candidates who are looking for AP Police Constable Previous Papers in Telugu can find here. Also, find the free AP Constable Previous Papers Pdf download links in the section below. However, go through the complete article and find the link for AP Police SI, ASI, Driver, Constable Prelims, Mains Question papers Pdf. Also, check the AP Police Syllabus for SI and Constable from the link provided below.
AP Police Constable Previous Papers Pdf
The AP Police Recruitment Board has given a Notification to fill 13,059 Constable, Driver, SI & ASI Posts. However, the aspirants who are waiting for AP Police Jobs can start applying online from our AP Police Recruitment page. Also, to make you easy in finding the AP Constable Previous Papers Pdf we have given a direct link below. Moreover, check the official AP Police page for more details.
Download all AP Police Previous Papers here. The aspirants who are applying for AP Police Constable vacancies, need to start their preparation as early as possible to gain the right marks in the exam. For that purpose, we are providing AP Police Constable Previous Papers. We have given the solutions for Police Constable Solved Exam Papers to make your preparation efficient.
Question paper for an AP drive prelims exam will have objective type multiple-choice questions. The total time duration for prelims is 3hrs.
AP Police Mains Exam Pattern 2019
Names of the Subjects
No of Questions
Maximum Marks
English
200
200
Arithmetic
General Science
General Awareness
Current Events
Test of Reasoning/ Mental Ability
Download ఆంధ్ర ప్రదేశ్ పోలీస్ శాఖ Question Papers PDF
Click here to download the AP Police Constable Previous Question Papers from the attached Pdfs. The Andhra Pradesh State Level Police Recruitment Board will start the Prelims Exam in upcoming days. Hence, aspirants who want to clear the AP Police Prelims Exam can download the Pdf here. Also, check the AP Police Model Question Paper Pdf for easy understanding. Moreover, download the AP Police Constable or SI Prelims and Mains Exam Answer Key Pdf below.
AP Police Constable Previous Papers – Model Question Paper Pdf
The candidates applied for the above job role need to prepare well for the exam. So, we have uploaded the AP Police Driver Previous Year Question Papers. By solving the previous year question paper, students can develop confidence in the examination. Therefore, refer to these AP Police Model Question Papers and score good marks in the examination. Also, check AP Police Driver Syllabus and Exam Pattern 2019.
Direct Links to Download the AP Police Previous Year Papers in Pdf format
In this section, aspirants can get the AP Police Constable Previous Question Papers here. Hence, download it and save it for the future. Practice well by referring to the AP Police Driver Previous Papers in Pdf format.
Candidates who are going to appear for the written test can download the Admit Card before 15 days prior to the exam. Share the details with your friends who are also going to appear for the AP Police prelims exam 2019. Download the New AP Police Constable Exam Admit Card 2019 here as soon as it is released by the Board.
AP Police Exam Syllabus 2019
The Candidates who are going to appear for AP Police SI, Constable Prelims and Mains Exam can check the Syllabus and Exam Pattern here. However, we updated the latest AP Police Exam Syllabus and Pattern details. Also, download the free AP Police SI, Constable Syllabus 2019 Pdf for free below.
1) An alone can do a piece of work in 6 days and B alone in 8 days. A and B undertook to do it for Rs. 3200. With the help of C, they completed the work in 3 days. How much is to be paid to C?
Rs. 375
Rs. 400
Rs. 600
Rs. 800
Answer: B
2) Grand Central Terminal, Park Avenue, New York is the world's
largest railway station
highest railway station
longest railway station
None of the above.
Answer: A
3) In the following, the questions choose the word which best expresses the meaning of the given word.
CORPULENT
Lean
Gaunt
Emaciated
Obese
Answer: D
4) Look at this series: 8, 43, 11, 41, __, 39, 17, … What number should fill in the blank?
08
14
43
44
Answer: B
5) Tripitakas are sacred books of
Buddhists
Hindus
Jains
None of the above
Answer: A
AP Police Exam Asked Questions
6) ICICI is the name of
Chemical industry
bureau
corporation
financial institution
Answer: D
7) If A is the brother of B; B is the sister of C; and C is the father of D, how D is related to A?
Brother
Sister
Nephew
Cannot be determined
Answer: D.
8) Statements: Some mangoes are yellow. Some Tixo is mangoes.
Conclusions: Some mangoes are green. Tixo is yellow.
Only (1) conclusion follows
Only (2) conclusion follows
Either (1) or (2) follows
Neither (1) nor (2) follows
Both (1) and (2) follow
Answer: D
9) RELINQUISH
Abdicate
Renounce
Possess
Deny
Answer: C
10) A trader mixes 26 kg of rice at Rs. 20 per kg with 30 kg rice of other variety at Rs. 36 per kg and sells the mixture at Rs. 30 per kg. His profit percent is:
Two of India's leading banks see growth slowing to 5% in the current financial year, following a sharper-than-expected contraction in industrial production in September and little evidence of a meaningful recovery. GDP grew 6.8% in FY19.Growth in the July-September period may have dropped to 4.2% from 5% in the first quarter, according to estimates compiled by ET, increasing pressure on the government to take more steps to revive sentiment and demand. Official GDP data for the second quarter will be released on November 29 and the first full-year estimate will be available in January."The second-quarter GDP growth rate is likely to slip to 4.2% on account of low automobile sales, deceleration in air traffic movement, flattening of core sector growth and declining investment in construction and infrastructure," according to Ecowrap, a monthly report by the Economic Research Department of State Bank of India (SBI).The SBI report pegged full-year growth at 5%, down from 6.1% it had estimated earlier and expects "larger rate cuts" from RBI in the December monetary policy review, although it cautioned against such a move. The economy grew 5% in the June quarter, its slowest pace in six years.Data released on Monday showed industrial production contracted 4.3% in September, the worst performance since October 2011. For the six months to September, industrial growth was 1.3% against 5.2% in the same period last year.The numbers triggered a raft of downgrades, even sharper than those after the first-quarter GDP estimates were announced in end-August.'Economic Activity has Worsened'A Kotak Mahindra Bank note said it expected second-quarter growth at 4.7% and full-year growth at 5%."After a disappointing start to 1QFY20 amid a consumption and investment-led slowdown, high-frequency indicators suggest that economic activity has worsened in 2QFY20, despite a pickup in government spending," the note said.The weakness in the real estate and financial sectors are feeding into each other, said Crisil chief economist DK Joshi, pegging July-September growth at below 5%. The "recovery will be gradual as the current downturn is accompanied by clean-up in the financial sector."LITTLE CHEERAdvance indicators show weak consumption and investment, prompting gloomy estimates.Power demand fell 13% in October, diesel consumption has contracted in recent months and, despite the festive season, retail car sales were barely positive in November. A quarterly survey by think tank National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) showed business confidence at a six-year low in October, falling sharply by 15.3% from July."Most high-frequency indicators remain visibly weak," said Siddhartha Sanyal, chief economist and head of research, Bandhan Bank. "Business and consumer sentiment indicators are markedly depressed as well. Overall, a sub-5% Q2 FY20 GDP print is a strong possibility." Any improvement in the second half will likely be modest and gradual.Sanyal pegged FY20 growth at 5.5%.HDFC Bank chief economist Abheek Barua is more optimistic about the last six months of the fiscal year."Second half will look better... sequentially it would be better," he said. "There are structural issues in automobile but sectors such as FMCG (fastmoving consumer goods), pharma, chemical seem to be doing well looking at the corporate results."HDFC Bank expects second-quarter growth at 4.8% and 5.8% in FY20.Barua's optimism was shared by rating agency CARE's chief economist Madan Sabnavis, who expects second-quarter growth at 4.5% and for the full year at 6.2%, with a downward bias."We may expect better numbers in Q3 and Q4 as the statistical bias would diminish," Sabnavis said. "However, on the whole, growth conditions remain muted and for the full year our projection remains at around 6.2% with downward bias."Kotak also expects economic activity to improve somewhat from the second half due to a favorable base effect and lower policy rates amid easier liquidity conditions and government spending.RATE CUTS AND STIMULUSThe expectations of sharp rate cuts have risen in the December policy review.The central bank has already cut policy rates by135 basis points in the current year. In its last policy review the RBI had cut its growth forecast for the year to 6.1% from 6.8% estimated earlier. The central bank had forecast a 5.3% rise in GDP in the July-September quarter.However, the SBI report said "a larger rate cut" is unlikely to lead to an immediate revival and could result in potential financial instability. Debt-financed consumption against increasing household leverage has not worked overseas and India can't be an exception it warned, calling for fiscal measures from the government."Much of the reluctance about use of fiscal policy in India currently appears from the fact that the monetary policy space is still adequate. This we believe could be counterproductive," said the SBI report authored by Soumya Kanti Ghosh, group chief economic adviser. 72031923 "A more aggressive fiscal and monetary response is needed to arrest the downturn," Edelweiss said.The government has unveiled a series of measures, including a cut in the corporate tax rate to 15% and a Rs 25,000 crore special window for stalled real estate projects to help revive the economy.
American tech firms are increasingly sponsoring green cards, or permanent US residency, for their employees from India and elsewhere in a bid to hold on to their skilled talent pool at a time when work visa extensions have become unpredictable. Eight out of the top 10 companies that applied for green cards for their employees in fiscal 2019 were US firms, show data released by the US labour department. Amazon, which also received the second highest number of H-1B work visas in FY19, filed 3,247 permanent residency applications followed by Cognizant and Google with 2,927 and 2,425 applications, respectively. Others in the top 10 list included Intel, Facebook, Microsoft, Cisco and Deloitte - besides Indian firms Tata Consultancy Services and Infosys at number five and seven, respectively - all with more than 1,000 applications each. "Cognizant has consistently been an industry leader in sponsoring many of our employees in securing legal permanent residence in the US because they are highly-skilled, highly-educated knowledge professionals who are valuable assets to our company and clients," a company spokesperson said. Other US companies in the list did not respond to email queries from ET as of press time Tuesday. According to labour department data, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which processes these applications, received 113,014 applications for permanent labour certification programme during 2018-19 (October-September), 8.3% more than in FY18. Of the total, 53.2% were for Indian citizens, followed by Chinese residents at 11.2%. Majority of the applicants were H-1B and L1 work visa holders - 68.2% and 7.2%, respectively. The development indicates that companies are willing to go the extra mile to hold on to skilled talent by sponsoring their residency applications - something that is normally done by the individual, unlike the H-1B visa that is sponsored by the employer, experts said. That is because the US authorities have been increasingly denying applications for work visa extensions on various grounds. "Given the strong representation of foreign-born students in top engineering and business schools across the United States, leading technology companies increasingly rely on these types of students to fill their new hiring pipelines," said Rogelio Caceres, cofounder of global investment firm LCR Capital Partners. "Unfortunately, given tech companies' significant talent needs, the H-1B employer-sponsored visa programme is no longer viewed as a reliable source, given how unpredictable and uncertain the approval process has become."Hence, sponsoring an employee's residency applications is seen as a more reliable way to ensure the person can stay on in the US such that the business doesn't get impacted.In recent years, American tech companies have been garnering the largest share of H-1B visas issued, with Amazon, Google and Facebook among the top 10 recipients in FY19.Most expat employees in the US first enter the workplace on an H-1B visa, which is for an initial period of three years, and can be extended by another three. While most apply for permanent resident status within this period, it can take up to a decade or even longer for this to come through, especially for Indians.According to official data, 58.2% of green card applicants worked in computer or math-related jobs, with 24.3% of the work sites being in California, where most of the top tech companies are based.
By Amit ShahNovember 4, 2019 shall go down as an historic milestone for India's bold decision to stay away from the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). The decision also cements India's growing stature as a country that is rock solid in its resolve to not only protect its own interests, but also to boldly ward off any attempts to being arm-twisted. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, New India reflects a new self-confidence.India's not joining RCEP was summed up by the PM himself: 'Whenever I try and gauge India's interest in light of her joining RCEP, I do not get an answer in the affirmative; neither Gandhiji's policy of self-reliance nor my wisdom allows me to join RCEP.' What makes this decision significant is that this has yet again demonstrated that the PM can go to any extent to safeguard the interests of farmers, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), textile, dairy and manufacturing, medicine, steel and chemical industries. The PM didn't compromise on it since the agreement didn't seem to accommodate India's concerns on issues like trade losses and dumping. India should not be party to any such international treaty that's one-sided & against the interests of our farmers and entrepreneurs.The Congress-led UPA government failed in safeguarding the interests of India. In 2007, it had already begun thinking of engaging in a regional trade agreement (RTA) with China. How this affected India's trade with China is borne out by the fact that during UPA's tenure, India's trade losses with China grew 23 times — from $1.9 billion in 2005 to $44.8 billion in 2014. This hit indigenous industries hard.An example of Congress' history of compromising with India's interests is the 2013 Bali Agreement. While participating in the WTO conference, then commerce minister Anand Sharma had weakened India's stand on its provisions for agriculture subsidy and support prices to farmers. This could have created havoc for farmers, but for the timely intervention of the PM in 2014, who ensured that then commerce minister Nirmala Sitharaman rejected the proposal.Rebuilding the WallIt is ironic that Congress, which has had a shaky history of dealing with such international treaties, is now desperately trying to take credit for the PM's decision to stay away from RCEP. In fact, it was Congress' lack of foresight that had led to India agreeing to become part of this bloc. In its original form, other than 10 Asean countries, only China, Japan and South Korea were to join RCEP.However, thanks to Congress' lack of concern for the kind of damages it could pose to SMEs and farmers, the UPA government agreed to become part of RCEP. It was evident from the start that this could open the floodgates for Chinese goods to enter India. India also did not share favourable terms of trade with other countries of the bloc.Congress had also compromised India's interests in the Asean free trade agreement (FTA). Even as countries like Indonesia and Vietnam decided to open only 50% and 69% of their market share for India, New Delhi decided to open 74% of India's commodities for trade. Decisions like these caused India enormous loss in its trades with RCEP countries — from $7 billion in 2004 to $78 billion in 2014. In the context of current exchange rates, this translates into losses of Rs 5,46,000 crore (2014) from Rs 50,000 crore (2004).2019 is the New 2014Since 2014, in RCEP dialogues, GoI has aggressively protected India's interests and worked with member countries to agree to favourable conditions, such as opening up the services sector for the first time for India, higher exports from India, etc. Congress was so eager to be a part of RCEP that it had conceded that the import duty as applicable on January 1, 2014, would be taken as the base rate, assuming the agreement would be operational by 2016.This could have caused havoc, as the 2014 base rate would have led to unhindered imports. Also, the import duties on many products have gone up in last few years. The PM argued for 2019 as the base rate.In the RCEP conference, along with commerce minister Piyush Goel, the PM put forward the interests of farmers, SMEs and manufacturing industries, and vigorously asked for amendments vital to India's interest. The most prominent demands were amendment in tariff differential, changes in base rate for customs duty, changes in the most favoured nation (MFN) rule, asking for exemptions built into ratchet obligations as part of the pact, respecting India's federal character while determining investments, etc. India was unwavering in its resolve to bring to the fore these pertinent issues.At one point during the dialogue, out of the 70 agenda items, around 50 were of concern to India.GoI has begun to evaluate Asean and the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with South Korea. It is working on getting into trade relations with Japan, the US, EU countries, and other developed nations that shall help in making India a $5 trillion economy. Considering India's growing stature, RCEP members can't afford to ignore it for long, and will come around to agree to GoI's terms. Meanwhile, India has maintained successful economic relations with Asean by the means of FTA.By rejecting RCEP, India has firmly protected its industries from any adverse effects that Chinese interests could have caused. For us, India remains first, and foremost.The writer is home minister, GoI
American tech firms are increasingly sponsoring green cards, or permanent US residency, for their employees from India and elsewhere in a bid to hold on to their skilled talent pool at a time when work visa extensions have become unpredictable. Eight out of the top 10 companies that applied for green cards for their employees in fiscal 2019 were US firms, show data released by the US labour department. Amazon, which also received the second highest number of H-1B work visas in FY19, filed 3,247 permanent residency applications followed by Cognizant and Google with 2,927 and 2,425 applications, respectively. Others in the top 10 list included Intel, Facebook, Microsoft, Cisco and Deloitte - besides Indian firms Tata Consultancy Services and Infosys at number five and seven, respectively - all with more than 1,000 applications each. "Cognizant has consistently been an industry leader in sponsoring many of our employees in securing legal permanent residence in the US because they are highly-skilled, highly-educated knowledge professionals who are valuable assets to our company and clients," a company spokesperson said. Other US companies in the list did not respond to email queries from ET as of press time Tuesday. According to labour department data, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which processes these applications, received 113,014 applications for permanent labour certification programme during 2018-19 (October-September), 8.3% more than in FY18. Of the total, 53.2% were for Indian citizens, followed by Chinese residents at 11.2%. Majority of the applicants were H-1B and L1 work visa holders - 68.2% and 7.2%, respectively. The development indicates that companies are willing to go the extra mile to hold on to skilled talent by sponsoring their residency applications - something that is normally done by the individual, unlike the H-1B visa that is sponsored by the employer, experts said. That is because the US authorities have been increasingly denying applications for work visa extensions on various grounds. "Given the strong representation of foreign-born students in top engineering and business schools across the United States, leading technology companies increasingly rely on these types of students to fill their new hiring pipelines," said Rogelio Caceres, cofounder of global investment firm LCR Capital Partners. "Unfortunately, given tech companies' significant talent needs, the H-1B employer-sponsored visa programme is no longer viewed as a reliable source, given how unpredictable and uncertain the approval process has become."Hence, sponsoring an employee's residency applications is seen as a more reliable way to ensure the person can stay on in the US such that the business doesn't get impacted.In recent years, American tech companies have been garnering the largest share of H-1B visas issued, with Amazon, Google and Facebook among the top 10 recipients in FY19.Most expat employees in the US first enter the workplace on an H-1B visa, which is for an initial period of three years, and can be extended by another three. While most apply for permanent resident status within this period, it can take up to a decade or even longer for this to come through, especially for Indians.According to official data, 58.2% of green card applicants worked in computer or math-related jobs, with 24.3% of the work sites being in California, where most of the top tech companies are based.
NEW DELHI: Oil and Natural Gas Corp is seeking buyers for the first gas from its KG basin fields, which would begin production next month after years of delay. ONGC is auctioning 0.75 million metric standard cubic meters a day (MMSCDM) of gas for three years from its KG-DWN-98/2 fields, bids for which are to be submitted by November 19. ONGC is spending more than $5 billion to bring these fields to production.It has set a reserve price of $5.61 per million metric British thermal unit (mmBtu) and the minimum bid quantity at 0.05 MMSCMD. Bidders will have to quote the number of days they would need to offtake gas after being awarded—with preference for the bidder with fewer days in case of a price tie. Bidders will make a single bid electronically.Other bidders will be asked to match the highest quoted price. Reliance Industries and partner BP too are set to e-auction 5 MMSCMD of gas from its KG basin fields on November 15. They plan to supply gas from April. These new domestic gas supplies will likely replace some of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports that have expanded 7.9% in the first half of 2019-20 and make up half of country's gas consumption.But a recent collapse in the global LNG market has made it tougher for ONGC and RIL-BP to extract high prices. RIL-BP's reserve price for KG gas is linked to three months dated Brent with a slope of 8.4%. At the current crude oil rate of $62 a barrel, it comes to $5.21 per mmBtu. ONGC's reserve price is linked to the average three months rate of LNG delivered to west India plus a constant of $1and a marketing margin of $0.20 per mmBtu, which comes to $5.61for October.The global LNG market is in a slump due to a combination of excessive supply, slowing major economies, and warmer-than-usual winter in key importers like Japan and China. Spot LNG rates are currently at their lowest for this time of the year in a decade. The glut is expected to keep prices low next summer. Bidders for ONGC gas will have to quote for all three years while RIL gas buyers have the option to seek volumes for two to six years. ONGC and RIL have freedom to sell their gas at market rates, which must not breach the government-set ceiling, currently at $8.43 per mmBtu.
NEW DELHI: Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday said some e-commerce companies are indulging in predatory pricing which is adversely impacting millions of small retailers."I would like to highlight the adverse impact of predatory pricing indulged by some e-commerce players which adversely impact millions of small retailers. It is important for e-commerce to follow the letter and spirit of the law," he said at the BRICS trade ministers meeting in Brasilia.The minister said the need of the hour is to develop digital infrastructure, digital skills and institutions particularly in the developing and less developed world.The global economic outlook is facing grave challenges amidst growing protectionism and rising trade tensions manifested in unilateral measures, Goyal noted."In this uncertain world, India continues to offer economic opportunities," he said mentioning several steps taken by the union government to attract investments.The minister said that increasing trends of protectionism in the form of non-tariff barriers (NTBs), both stated and unstated, deny market access, particularly for developing countries."The developed world advocates open and free trade with emphasis on removal of tariffs in developing countries, while in reality, they are raising more barriers in the form of NTBs," he said.These developments are contributing to enhancing economic uncertainties and raising the cost of doing trade in developing and least developed countries, Goyal said.Further, he also called upon the countries to ensure that WTO reform process does not dilute its basic principles like special and differential treatment to developing countries.Talking about MSMEs, he said this sector is highly vulnerable to the vagaries of economic uncertainties in the form of high fuel costs, trade tensions, high tariffs and non-trade barriers.All these disrupt the integration of MSMEs into global value chains and impede their market access opportunities, he said."It is important to preserve the rules-based trading system and adequate low-cost finance to provide sustainability for MSMEs," the minister said.It is important for the member countries to look at ways and means to increase cooperation amongst BRICS nations across all modes of services with a view to balanced and equitable outcomes, Goyal stressed.
By Joanna OssingerWealthy people around the globe are hunkering down for a potentially turbulent 2020, according to UBS Global Wealth Management.A majority of rich investors expect a significant drop in markets before the end of next year, and 25% of their average assets are currently in cash, according to a survey of more than 3,400 global respondents. The U.S.-China trade conflict is their top geopolitical concern, while the upcoming American presidential election is seen as another significant threat to portfolios."The rapidly changing geopolitical environment is the biggest concern for investors around the world," said Paula Polito, client strategy officer at UBS GWM, in a statement. "They see global interconnectivity and reverberations of change impacting their portfolios more than traditional business fundamentals, a marked change from the past." 72025565 Nearly four-fifths of respondents say volatility is likely to increase, and 55% think there will be a significant market sell-off before the end of 2020, according to the report which was conducted between August and October and polled those with at least $1 million in investable assets. Sixty percent are considering increasing their cash levels further, while 62% plan to increase diversification across asset classes.In the same survey in May, an even higher amount -- 32% -- of investor portfolios was in cash.It's a sentiment shared by Stephen Lansdown, the billionaire co-founder of financial-services firm Hargreaves Lansdown Plc. Speaking at an event to roll out research from Guernsey Finance on wealthy families last month, he said he's "got a lot of cash at the moment" because markets have disappointed him.Still, it seems that wealthy investor caution is strictly for the short-term. Almost 70% of respondents globally are optimistic about investment returns over the next 10 years."The challenge is that they seem to want to respond" to short-term uncertainty "by really shortening their time horizons and shifting to assets like cash that are safe," said Michael Crook, a managing director on the investment strategy team. Though with many of these people investing on a time horizon across decades and for future generations, that "seems like a mismatch."
Whether the government is able to stick to the fiscal deficit targets is possibly the biggest concern for the market currently, said Manishi Raychaudhuri, MD, Asia-Pacific, at BNP Paribas. Despite this concern, India remains one of the preferred markets as it offers relatively high earnings growth and low earnings variability, said Raychaudhuri in an interview with Sanam Mirchandani. Edited excerpts:Moody's has downgraded India's outlook to negative. Is it be a big cause of concern?It is not surprising because we have seen downgrades to economic growth from various different agencies. We are in a growth slowdown environment which has become entrenched and a recovery is unlikely to be a V-shaped one. It will possibly be a long drawn-out and slow recovery because many of the factors that have contributed to this slowdown are difficult to mitigate in a short span of time. The most recent economic measures that we have seen from the government are supply side measures which are targeted at addressing the investment side. For the consumption-oriented measures to come through we still have to wait and watch for further economic measures. Much of this consumption slowdown has happened because of income uncertainty. We could possibly see a bit of a recovery in the January-March quarter, purely on a low base. It will take a while longer for a lasting recovery to come through.Will the downgrade affect foreign flows into India?Flows over the past one month have improved both in debt and equity. The reasons that have been cited by the global credit rating agencies have not really been unknown to the investor base. If they have been investing in the Indian bond market in debt and equity, it's not got anything to do with the previous credit rating that India had. This influx of inflows into emerging markets as a whole is not specific to India. We have seen this in the entire emerging market complex. Global central banks have turned more benign in their monetary policy outlook over the past one month as the growth slowdown has become entrenched, notwithstanding how the Fed (US Federal Reserve) sounded a few days ago. They have sort of raised the possibility that the Fed may stop for a while. I don't think the market really believes that right now. We are also seeing some of the global traderelated worries subsiding, at least temporarily. We are seeing the possibility of a no-deal Brexit being avoided. Despite some of the major geopolitical issues in the Middle East, some of the key variables like oil prices haven't really fluctuated. The market is leaping, at least temporarily, over the big wall of worry, that had been created over the past two or three quarters. This kind of a situation would possibly last over the next two to three months.What is your preference list within emerging markets?We have an overweight on India compared to the benchmark rate of about 10-10.5%. We are 14-15% overweight in India. We are also overweight on China, Indonesia and Thailand. If we look at the so-called sustainability of earnings growth, then the Indian market and many Indian stocks actually fall in that bracket. India provides a combination of relatively high earnings growth in the 8-10% range and quite low earnings variability. It is this sustainability or relative certainty of earnings growth, which really attracts the investor base to the Indian market. We may have stepped away from that trend over the past few quarters but for the investors base who are looking at India, it's really the long term that matters.Do you think the government will be able to stick to the fiscal deficit targets?That is possibly the biggest concern now. The corporate tax rate cut basically was about ?1.45 trillion. Even if part of that is neutralised by an increase in the divestment programme, it could lead to some degree of expansion of the budgeted borrowing program or the budgeted fiscal deficit, which is what the bond market is also telling us. This is something we have to wait and watch out for. If we get a sense that the government is able to neutralise that through asset sales, that is possibly the most positive outcome of this whole pack of policy measures that they have adopted.Equities are hitting record highs, while global bond yields are pointing to a sharp downturn. How will investors deal with this?If one looks at developed market bond yields and the Indian or Asian bond yields, there is a gulf of a difference and that is encouraging this flow of money into this region. The hunt for yield is actually forcing investors to look at emerging markets. If the risk of earnings disappointments or the risk of defaults is possibly contained then this significant surge in flows that we have seen towards emerging market bonds and equity will possibly last for a while.What is your outlook for the rupee?The rupee in the foreseeable time horizon, the next two quarters or so, would possibly remain in the current range, between 70 to 71.5. Our official forecast by the end of 2020 is 70.5, which is pretty much where the rupee is now.Are earnings downgrades for Indian corporates over?Estimates for FY20 are pretty much in line now. The earnings growth consensus earnings growth estimate is only about 5-6% which seems okay. I don't think there's much of a scope for that to be downgraded, partly because there are pockets of the Indian corporate base which are doing reasonably well, like the retail lending private sector banks. Even consumer staples have not done badly. Next year still presents a bit of a concern. The consensus earnings growth for FY21is about 23%. There is still some more scope for that to get downgraded, particularly in certain sectors. There are high growth expectations in banks, the asset quality risk may not have been fully factored in there. I still see significantly high growth estimates being factored in consumer discretionary. But the bulk of the downgrades are possibly behind us.Which are your top sector picks?Our stock picks are concentrated in three or four sectors. We like the private sector banks, particularly the retail-focused ones. We also like insurance. Some of the stocks in the energy or utility space offer not only stability but they are also a play on high dividend yields. We have seen reasonably good growth from the frontline companies in consumer staples. The only problem is they are over-owned. Frontline companies are trading at 35-40 times PE so one has to be a bit selective there. There are pockets in IT that we like. So that's, that has been one of the best currency hedges as far as India is concerned.
Iconic handset maker Motorola, which is now owned by Lenovo, is losing a lot of ground in the Indian market. For the fiscal year ended March 2019, sales at Motorola Mobility India — which houses both Motorola and Lenovo smartphone brands — fell 71% year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 1,972.8 crore, as per latest regulatory disclosures.This, analysts said, is due in part to the intense competition from Chinese rivals Xiaomi and the three brands of BBK Electronics — Oppo, Vivo and Realme."Motorola lost in the sales channel strategy," said Counterpoint Technology Market Research associate director Tarun Pathak. "Realme gave a strong competition in the online segment, especially in sub $200 (Rs 14,000) segment where Motorola had its strength. Apart from this, their organisation restructuring also had an impact," he said.As per the filings to Registrar of Companies, accessed through business intelligence platform Veratech Intelligence, Motorola Mobility India's net profit in FY19 fell to Rs 19.8 crore compared with Rs 46.5 crore in FY18.This is a sharp contrast to its performance in FY18, when the company had grown sales by 400% over the previous year when Lenovo had consolidated its entire smartphone business under this entity."The growth in FY18 was fuelled by borrowings, while decline in sales has led company to deleverage by disposing of assets last fiscal. Motorola is a recognised brand. It needs a strong strategy that can make use of its brand value to help it ride the tide," said Veratech's founder Mohit Yadav.The company did not give any reason for the fall in sales. In its filings, it said the directors had made all efforts to enhance the business performance.An email query sent to Motorola India remained unanswered till as of press time.Motorola-Lenovo was once among the top four smartphone brands in India. But its grip on the Indian market started loosening about two years ago.As per Counterpoint, its market share dipped from 1.6% in calendar 2018 to an all-time low of 0.9% in July-September quarter of 2019. In contrast, it was at the sixth spot in 2017.Motorola India MD Prashanth Mani had earlier told ET the company was focussed more on profit than on growing volume sales. He had said Motorola was also eyeing India as a global production and export hub.
FIR against makers of national award film 'Hellaro' Makers of the Gujarati film booked for the alleged use of a "derogatory term" in a dialogue to refer to a Scheduled Caste character
Talking tough: Vodafone says future in India could be in doubt without govt relief Says either it takes its boots off the industry's neck and allows it to compete, or firm is destined for a potentially chaotic final act.
Need clarity on IRDAI's inclusion of bariatric surgery: OSSI 'The gastroenterology surgeons do not want the insurers to add a lot of riders/ extra clauses to save themselves from covering it'