A long-planned upgrade to America's air leg has finally arrived.
Key point: The B61 Mod 12 is engineered with a special "Tail Subassembly" to give the bomb increased accuracy.
The Air Force's B-2 Stealth bomber has test-dropped an upgraded, multi-function B61-12 nuclear bomb which improves accuracy, integrates various attack options into a single bomb and changes the strategic landscape with regard to nuclear weapons mission possibilities.
Earlier this summer, the Air Force dropped a B61-12 nuclear weapon from a B-2 at Nellis AFB, marking a new developmental flight test phase for the upgraded bomb, Air Force spokeswoman Capt. Hope Cronin told Warrior Maven earlier this year.
"The updated weapon will include improved safety, security and reliability," Cronin said.
Barack Obama sits with FBI Director James Comey in the Oval Office in Washington, July 16, 2015. Vikram Amar writes that he hoped that the president considered taking charge of his own DOJ right after Comey's October announcement. He could have directed DOJ to put however many people it takes to review every Clinton-related email found in Weiner's device at least once, and then forward him in three days the 100 most relevant emails. He then could have briefed the American public on whether these emails add anything to the investigation into Clinton. Yuri Gripas/Reuters
Up until now, President Obama has said he knew nothing about the FBI bid to destroy his political rival, Donald J.Trump, as evidenced in the newly released and mighty critical Inspector General, report.
Back in August 2016, Obama said:
"I do not talk to the attorney general about pending investigations. I do not talk to FBI directors about pending investigations," he insisted.
"I guarantee that there is no political influence in any investigation conducted by the Justice Department or the FBI -- not just in this case, but in any case. FULL STOP. PERIOD. Guaranteed. Nobody gets treated differently when it comes to the Justice Department," he said.
Today, Obama's claim is in tatters. Julie Kelly of the Federalist, found references within the new IG report that Obama was briefed on the gamy investigation, and knew all about it all along.
WNU Editor: President Obama's role in this scandal is one story that has been completely ignored by the main stream media. Now we know through the IG report that President Obama was briefed, and that he knew what was happening. So why is no one questioning him?
WASHINGTON — When a long-awaited inspector general report about the F.B.I.'s Russia investigation became public this week, partisans across the political spectrum mined it to argue about whether President Trump falsely smeared the F.B.I. or was its victim. But the report was also important for reasons that had nothing to do with Mr. Trump.
At more than 400 pages, the study amounted to the most searching look ever at the government's secretive system for carrying out national-security surveillance on American soil. And what the report showed was not pretty.
The Justice Department's independent inspector general, Michael E. Horowitz, and his team uncovered a staggeringly dysfunctional and error-ridden process in how the F.B.I. went about obtaining and renewing court permission under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, to wiretap Carter Page, a former Trump campaign adviser.
WNU Editor: The above analysis by New York Times reporter Charlie Savage omits a major point. Michael Horowitz's team did uncover a staggeringly dysfunctional and error-ridden process. The list is here .... This Is How Bad The FBI's Russia FISA Request Was. But what caught my attention was that none of these errors, false statements, and violations favoured President Trump. To put it bluntly. This was done deliberately.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a joint press conference with Hungarian Prime Minister at Varkert Bazar cultural center in Budapest. November 07, 2019 AFP
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Tuesday listed President of the United States, Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Qatar's Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani as world leaders whom he most admires.
The Turkish president said Europe lacked an inspirational leader and he struggles to name from the continent during a Q&A with university students in capital Ankara, Ihlas news agency reported.
"When we look at Europe, there is a serious leadership crisis, a leadership vacuum," the Turkish president said, adding, "I don't find the courage in myself to say such and such leader is exemplary in Europe."
Voters in the United Kingdom head to the polls Thursday for a crucial election that could determine the country's future, and how and when it will break off from the European Union.
This will be the fifth major vote in the country in less than five years — including two previous general elections, European Parliament elections and the Brexit referendum — a sign of how chaotic British politics have become.
The stakes are high, voters are weary and the two main candidates for prime minister are especially polarizing.
Here are some key details to understand before Thursday's vote.
Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn are focusing on Brexit and public services in their final hours of campaigning.
In their last interviews with the BBC ahead of Thursday's poll, Mr Johnson repeated his main pledges, saying: "Only if you get Brexit done [can you] move the country forward."
Meanwhile, Mr Corbyn said there was a "greater understanding" from the public that the country "cannot go on with underfunded public services".
The polls will open at 07:00 GMT.
Both leaders held their final rallies in London on Wednesday night.
Islamist militants killed 71 soldiers in an attack on a remote military camp in Niger near the border with Mali, an army spokesman said on Wednesday, in the deadliest raid against the Nigerien military in living memory.
Jihadists with links to Islamic State and al Qaeda have mounted increasingly lethal attacks across West Africa's Sahel region this year despite the commitment of thousands of regional and foreign troops to counter them.
The violence has hit Mali and Burkina Faso the hardest, rendering large swathes of those countries ungovernable, but it has also spilled into Niger, which shares long and porous borders with its two neighbors.
Vice President Mike Pence visits the US Air Force's 50th Space Wing at Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado in 2017. This is a unit that would end up part of the new Space Force under the latest plan in Congress. USAF
* After more than 60 years, the U.S. military adds another member to the family. * A bipartisan defense budget agreement will authorize the creation of the Space Force. * The Space Force will be, like the Army or Air Force, a distinct military service under the Pentagon. * The service will take over space functions from existing services, wielding them into a single independent branch overseen by a Chief of Space Operations.
It's really happening. A bipartisan budget agreement for 2020 will see the creation of a new branch of the military specifically oriented towards space. The United States Space Force will be the first new service branch in more than 60 years, tasked to ensure America's freedom to operate in outer space—or take space away from somebody else.
According to a draft of the 2020 National Defense Authorization Agreement, also known as the 2020 U.S. defense budget, the Pentagon will redesignate the U.S. Air Force's Space Command the U.S. Space Force, spinning it off from an arm of the Air Force into a separate service.
(Reuters) - The U.S. Army plans to fund construction of rare earths processing facilities, part of an urgent push by Washington to secure domestic supply of the minerals used to make military weapons and electronics, according to a government document seen by Reuters.
The move would mark the first financial investment by the U.S. military into commercial-scale rare earths production since World War Two's Manhattan Project built the first atomic bomb.
It comes after President Donald Trump earlier this year ordered the military to update its supply chain for the niche materials, warning that reliance on other nations for the strategic minerals could hamper U.S. defenses.
China, which refines most of the world's rare earths, has threatened to stop exporting the specialized minerals to the United States, using its monopoly as a cudgel in the ongoing trade spat between the world's two largest economies.
WNU Editor: Electronics need rare earths to work .... especially in advanced weapon systems and communications. I am surprised that it has taken the US this long to address this vulnerability.
* Congress could give the Pentagon up to $30 million to buy and store F-35s meant for Turkey. * The stealth jets, which were to be sent to Turkey before the end of the year, can't be sold to the NATO ally unless it gets rid of the Russian-made S-400 air-defense system, according to requirements in the final version of the National Defense Authorization Act. * The US pushed Turkey out of the F-35 program over concerns the fighter could be compromised by the S-400, which is known in Russia as the "F-35 killer."
Congress is offering the Defense Department the option to purchase Turkey's F-35 Joint Strike Fighters and giving the defense secretary discretion to spend up to $30 million to store the fifth-generation jets until a plan for their use is formalized, according to the final version of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2020.
ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey said on Wednesday it would retaliate against any U.S. sanctions over its purchase of Russian defense systems, adding that with Britain it had agreed to speed up a joint fighter jet program to meet Turkish defense needs.
U.S. lawmakers will vote - and likely pass - a defense bill later on Wednesday that calls for sanctions against Turkey over Ankara's decision to procure the S-400 defenses.
Turkey and the United States, NATO allies, have been at odds over the purchase.
Washington says the S-400s pose a threat to its F-35 fighter jets and cannot be integrated into NATO defenses. In response, it has suspended Turkey from the F-35 jet program, where it was a manufacturer and buyer, and threatened sanctions.
* The final Opinium survey puts the Conservative Party on 45 per cent and the Labour Party on 33 per cent * The Tories are down one per cent when compared to company's previous poll but Labour is up two points * Poll suggests that one in ten voters are yet to make up their mind on who to back at the ballot box tomorrow * Opinium poll comes after a massive YouGov survey showed Boris Johnson is on course to win 28 seat majority * But margin of error on YouGov survey is sufficiently large that a hung parliament is still very real possibility * The latest poll numbers came as all the main party leaders embarked on a frantic last day of campaigning
A new poll today gave a last-minute boost to Boris Johnson on the eve of the general election - putting the Tories on course to win a majority.
But Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party are still gaining ground with just hours to go until the nation votes, according to the survey conducted by Opinium between December 10-11.
It puts the Tories on 45 per cent overall, down one point on the company's work published last week.
Labour is up two points in the poll to 33 per cent, giving the Tories a 12 point lead as Britain prepares to go to the ballot box.
* The activist, 16, inspired the school strikes for the climate movement * She has become the face of the youth climate movement, drawing large crowds with her appearances at protests and conferences over the past year and a half * Time editor-in-chief Edward Felsenthal said she 'came from essentially nowhere to lead a worldwide movement', confirming she is their youngest ever choice * Malala Yousafzai was runner up in 2012, losing out to Barack Obama, aged 15 * Thunberg's accusations that leaders are failing younger generations have made headlines, including her shouts of 'How dare you?' at the U.N. General Assembly * This year's shortlist included President Donald Trump and Nancy Pelosi
Greta Thunberg has been named Time's 2019 Person of the Year, becoming the youngest ever recipient of the title.
The activist, 16, inspired the school strikes for the climate movement after going alone to the Swedish parliament on Fridays.
The then 15-year-old held up a sign that read 'skolstrejk för klimatet', which translates as 'School strike for the climate'.
Since then she has become the face of the youth climate movement, drawing large crowds with her appearances at protests and conferences over the past year and a half.
Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi has said the case brought against her country at the World Court was "incomplete and misleading" as she began her defence to accusations of genocide against the Rohingya Muslim minority.
The Republic of The Gambia, a small West African country, launched the case against Myanmar at the International Court of Justice, the UN's highest court, alleging it has violated the 1948 Genocide Convention.
Leading Myanmar's defence herself at the court in The Hague, Ms Suu Kyi acknowledged disproportionate force may have been used at times by the military, but said the conflict in the western Rakhine state was "complex and not easy to fathom".
"We are deeply concerned that so many basic and fundamental errors were made by three separate [teams]," DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz said.
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department should require high-level approval before the FBI opens an investigation into a major political campaign, the department's inspector general testified Wednesday as he briefed senators on his report into the probe of the 2016 Trump campaign.
In his opening statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee, Inspector General Michael Horowitz expressed misgivings about the FBI's errors and omissions in its requests for judicial approval to conduct surveillance on Trump campaign aide Carter Page.
* Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, 21, acted alone when he attacked a U.S. Navy base in Pensacola, Florida, on Friday before he was fatally shot by deputy sheriff * Navy spokeswoman said: 'A safety stand-down and operational pause commenced Monday for Saudi Arabian aviation students' * Another official said the grounding was to help Saudi students prepare to restart their training and the same would happen at a US military squadron * U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said he'd instructed armed forces to review security at military bases and screenings for foreign soldiers who come to the US * Northern Command spokesman said local commanders in the US also had the authority to 'add further countermeasures as needed' * But instructor pilots said top brass denied their requests to be armed. They said Tuesday: 'We don't want to count on cops or gate guards to save us in a crisis'
More than 300 Saudi Arabian military aviation students have been grounded as part of a 'safety stand-down' after a Saudi Air Force lieutenant shot and killed three people last Friday at a US Navy base in Florida.
The FBI has said US investigators believe Saudi Air Force Second Lieutenant Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, 21, acted alone when he attacked in Pensacola then was fatally shot by a deputy sheriff who was first to respond.
The US Defense Secretary said he had instructed the armed forces to review both security at military bases and screening for foreign soldiers who come to the United States for training after the shooting.
But three anonymous pilot instructors claim their requests to arm themselves after the attack have been denied by a top Navy brass.
WNU Editor: I have been watching this all morning. The media and Democrats are over-playing their hand in denying that there was any political-bias in starting and proceeding with the FBI investigation/surveillance of the Trump campaign. After hearing multiple times that there was no bias, you cannot help but feel on that there was bias. And common sense is common sense. When you look at this entire picture face on and read the Horowitz's report, it is so blatantly obvious that bias was the reason why this entire probe was launched to spy on the Trump campaign.
On a side note. When President-elect Trump was claiming that his communications in Trump Tower was being spied on, the media (and everyone else) ridiculed and denounced his claims. Today .... and with the release of the Horowitz report this past Monday .... we now know that he was right.
Update #1: This is revealing. Hillary Clinton received an intelligence briefing that Russia may interfere with her campaign, but candidate Trump did not?!?!?! So who was the target? Trump or Russia? It looks like Trump was the target, which is why he was not properly briefed. Michael Horowitz's non-answer on this topic is telling. I can also now understand why Michael Horowitz is saying that no one admitted that there was bias and/or documented it. He is protecting himself. Of course no one would admit that they were bias, nor would they document it. So hence there was no bias. But the problem is that the actions behind the starting and proceeding with this investigation show bias on every level.
Update #2: Michael Horowitz: "My report vindicates no one". This should be the headline newsline today, but it will not be.
It's quiet. The sound of a vehicle's blinker clicks louder than it normally would while a mother, a father, a sister-in-law and a brother's girlfriend sit silently.
Then, a line of service members saluting their passing vehicle appears. Captured on Facebook Live by the family, the line stretches for miles at the Naval Air Station Pensacola, just days after Joshua Kaleb Watson was taken away from his family in a shooting that left four people dead, including the shooter, and eight injured.
Dad Benjamin Watson reaches over to hold the hand of his wife, Shelia Wilemon Watson, as they continued driving in silence. Minutes later, they drove under a massive flag held up by firefighter truck ladders.
The Naval Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) appears on TV as an effective team of special agents. Mark Harmon and his cast are treated as reverentially as Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.'s FBI agents in the 1960s and 70s.
However, Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani's December 6th terror attack reveals that something is seriously wrong at NCIS Resident Agency Pensacola, whose website lists its mission as:"Preventing terrorism and related hostile acts against DON forces and installations."
Sadly, this tragedy did not come as a surprise to anyone familiar with the base. Pensacola NAS is the home of Naval Aviation, and a symbol of American military power. It hosts the National Aviation Museum, Barrancas National Cemetery and historic Fort Barrancas.
Nevertheless, it has been badly mismanaged. I experienced my own set of Pensacola SNAFUs last year, complained on the base commander's website, and wrote about it on my blog.
WNU Editor: This is not the first time the U.S. is having a debate on increasing security as well as vetting the people who enter the country. And here is an easy prediction. If history is any indication, it will not be the last.
To understand just how shoddy the FBI's work was in securing a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant targeting the Trump campaign, you only need to read an obscure attachment to Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz's report.
Appendix 1 identifies the total violations by the FBI of the so-called Woods Procedures, the process by which the bureau verifies information and assures the FISA court its evidence is true.
The Appendix identifies a total of 51 Woods procedure violations from the FISA application the FBI submitted to the court authorizing surveillance of former Trump campaign aide Carter Page starting in October 2016.
A whopping nine of those violations fell into the category called: "Supporting document shows that the factual assertion is inaccurate."
For those who don't speak IG parlance, it means the FBI made nine false assertions to the FISA court. In short, what the bureau said was contradicted by the evidence in its official file.
WNU Editor: The above reporter John Solomon is despised by the main stream media and from many Democrats. He is now rubbing salt in the wounds of those who have been saying for years that he was wrong. As to the report itself, former FBI Director James Comey has a different point of view .... The truth is finally out. The FBI fulfilled its mission (James Comey, Washington Post). What's my take. Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz's probe and report was focused on only one secret FISA application. Are there more disasters out there that we do not know?
One country has just made a very pricey purchase in response to growing threats from the Chinese government - and it won't go down well.
The Japanese government has purchased an uninhabited island valued at 16 billion yen ($AU215 million) on the East China Sea, in response to growing threats from Beijing.
Mageshima, an 8.2sq km block of land on the Osumi Islands between Kyushi and Okinawa prefecture, hosted an important airfield for the Japanese military in the closing stages of World War II.
"It's important to secure the site for field carrier landing practice from the viewpoint of security so we will continue to try to build a permanent facility at an early date," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said of the agreement.
China is developing a new high-tech system of mass surveillance and coercion aimed suppressing political dissent among its 1.4 billion people, while forcing American and Western businesses to conform to the government's communist policies if they want to operate there.
The system that critics call an Orwellian national-level control system has been dubbed the Social Credit System (SCS) and was set for launch in the coming year, although recent reports from China now say the rollout could be delayed until 2021.
The massive system has been tested in several major Chinese cities and uses millions of surveillance cameras linked to supercomputers containing massive databases. Face and voice recognition technology then identifies and monitors people with the goal of controlling behaviors that range from dissident political activity to jaywalking, ostensibly as part of a financial credit monitoring system similar to those used in the West.
From August to December of 2016, MQ-9 Reaper aircrews supported the Government of National Accord and other coalition partners to remove Islamic State of Iraq and Syria fighters from Sirte, Libya. On Dec. 19, 2016, Sirte was declared liberated from ISIS.
The U.S. military believes one of its drones lost near Libya's capital Tripoli on Nov. 21 was brought down by Russian air defenses, according U.S. Africa Command.
Air Force Col. Christopher Karns, a spokesman for AFRICOM , told Military Times that the U.S. believes the remotely piloted aircraft may have been brought down by Russian mercenaries or troops with Khalifa Hifter's Libyan National Army operating a Russian air defense system.
The U.S. is working various diplomatic channels as it seeks return of the downed drone, Karns said.
The commander of AFRICOM, U.S. Army General Stephen Townsend told Reuters that he believes the individuals who shot down the drone "didn't know it was a U.S. remotely piloted aircraft when they fired on it."
Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has announced that he is prepared to deploy Turkish soldiers to Libya, should the UN-recognised government make the request.
During a televised interview on Monday, Erdogan disclosed "if Libya were to invite Turkey, of course Turkey would have the right to go to Libya as per the accord," referring to last month's deal signed with Libya's Government of National Accord (GNA), led by Prime Minister Fayez Al-Sarraj. "We are prepared to give all manner of support to Libya," Erdogan added.
This comes against developments that Libyan general, Khalifa Haftar, and his Libyan National Army (LNA) are edging closer to the capital, Tripoli, with support from Russian forces. "Haftar is not a national representative of Libya there, Sarraj is," President Erdoğan asserted.
While much of the nation's political, media and public attention was focused on House Democrats' impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump, "U.S. military officials" told The Wall Street Journal the White House was considering dispatching up to 14,000 additional troops to the Middle East.
In normal news cycles when a president is not facing a historic impeachment by Congress, the possibility of such a substantial military deployment would be a major event with all the costs and dangers inherent in such movements of lethal might into turbulent areas.
The addition of that many personnel would essentially double the deployment of U.S. troops to the Mideast just since May, ostensibly to discourage any further ill-advised adventures by Iran's troubled regime of mullahs.
(BERLIN) — One of Germany’s richest families, which owns Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Pret A Manger and other international brands, is giving millions to support Holocaust survivors as it seeks to atone for its use of forced laborers during the Nazi era and its enthusiastic support of Adolf Hitler, The Associated Press has learned.
In addition to 5 million euros ($5.5 million) being given to the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany to help thousands of elderly survivors around the world, the Reimann family’s JAB Investors company plans to announce Thursday that it will provide another 5 million euros to find and support forced laborers used by its predecessor under the Nazis. An additional 25 million euros will be provided annually to Holocaust education and promoting democratic values to fight the rise of populist nationalism.
The family established the Alfred Landecker Foundation in Berlin to oversee the efforts, named after a German Jew who was killed by the Nazis and — remarkably — whose grandchildren have a combined 45% stake in JAB.
“To confront this was quite an emotional wake-up call for the family,” David Kamenetzky, board chairman of both the foundation and JAB Investors, said in a telephone interview from Washington ahead of Thursday’s planned announcement.
The 5 million euros dedicated to the Claims Conference’s existing emergency assistance program will be distributed through some 200 welfare agencies over the next three years, said Greg Schneider, executive vice president of the conference.
“It will have a huge impact on the lives of the poorest Holocaust survivors around the world,” Schneider told the AP in a telephone interview from New York.
This year some 10,500 survivors, average age 83, were helped through short-term financial crises by the program in 34 countries. The additional funding will allow for increased payments, or some 3,000 more survivors to receive assistance, with the Claims Conference and partner agencies taking on the administrative costs themselves.
The announcement comes after the Reimann family earlier this year released initial details from a report it had commissioned on its own Nazi past.
Luxembourg-based JAB, worth some 20 billion euros, grew out of Benckiser, an industrial chemicals company run by Albert Reimann Sr. and Albert Reimann Jr., Nazi party members who died in 1954 and 1984 respectively.
Today, in addition to Krispy Kreme Doughnuts and Pret a Manger, the conglomerate has controlling stakes in the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, Keurig Green Mountain, Peet’s Coffee & Tea, Caribou Coffee Co., Panera Bread and other companies.
Immediately after World War II, Reimann Sr. and Jr. were investigated by the occupying Allied powers and initially banned by the French from continuing their business activities. The judgment was then overturned by the Americans.
Neither talked about the Nazi era, according to the family, but after coming across documents they had kept, the younger generation began to ask questions and commissioned a University of Munich historian in 2014 to examine the family’s past more thoroughly.
He uncovered documents in Germany, France and the U.S. that revealed Albert Reimann Sr. and Albert Reimann Jr. used Russian civilians and French POWs as forced laborers, and were early supporters of the Nazi party, including donating to the paramilitary SS even before Hitler came to power.
Researchers have so far identified 838 people who were forced to work for Benckiser during the war, Kamenetzky said. None were Jewish or were sent to Benckiser as slave laborers from concentration camps.
Efforts are underway to locate those who might still be alive, not only to offer financial assistance but also to ask them to talk about their experiences, he said.
“We have a commitment to look into the history,” Kamenetzky said.
That history also includes Alfred Landecker, a Jewish German World War I veteran who was killed by the Nazis, likely either in the Sobibor or Belzec death camp.
In a remarkable twist, Albert Reimann Jr. — a Nazi — ended up having three children with Emilie Landecker, the daughter of Alfred Landecker, whose Catholic wife died in 1928.
Landecker had all three of his children baptized Catholic, and by the time the Gestapo came for him in 1942 Emilie Landecker was already working as a clerk for Reimann Jr. — the same man who in 1937 wrote a letter personally to SS leader Heinrich Himmler declaring “we are a purely Aryan family business.”
Emilie Landecker continued to work for the company after the war. Though it’s not clear when she and Reimann Jr. started their affair, they had their first child together in 1951, followed by two more. Reimann Jr., who had no children with his wife, adopted all three in 1965. Two of them are now among four shareholders in JAB Investors. The third is uninvolved.
With an eye on the events that led to the killing of their grandfather and 6 million other Jews, the annual 25 million euro funding through the foundation will focus on programs aimed at fighting anti-Semitism, protecting minorities, and strengthening democracies against populism and nationalism.
The family named the foundation after Alfred Landecker, both as a tribute to him and to ensure the focus was not on JAB Investors or the Benckiser company, Kamenetzky said.
“Of everything that came out of this, the 10 million, the 25 million, the most important thing is the naming,” he said. “The naming is a true statement
(MOSCOW) — Russia’s foreign ministry said Thursday that it has expelled two German diplomats in retaliation for Germany doing the same last week.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said that it was making the move “due to the reciprocity principle” and ordered them to leave the country within the next seven days.
The German Foreign Ministry expelled two employees of the Russian Embassy in Berlin last Wednesday, after Russian authorities didn’t answer requests by Germany to help shed light on a brazen daylight slaying of a Georgian man in Berlin.
German federal prosecutors took over the investigation after concluding that evidence suggests involvement either by the government of Russia or Chechnya.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement last week that the “politicized approach to the investigation is inappropriate” and promised to take “reciprocal measures.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier this week that the slain man was “a bandit” and “a murderer” and said that Russia repeatedly asked Germany to extradite him, but to no avail.
The German Justice Ministry said Wednesday it is not aware of any extradition requests for the victim from Russia.
(Bloomberg) — Malaysia has confirmed its first case of polio in almost three decades, sparking fears that the disease is spreading across the region after the Philippines declared an epidemic in September.
A test by the World Health Organization found that the virus, detected in a three-month-old boy from the eastern state of Sabah, is linked to the one found in the Philippines, according to Malaysia’s health ministry. The last polio case in Malaysia was in 1992. In 2000, the country had declared itself free of the crippling and potentially fatal disease.
The Philippines, which lies across a narrow sea from Sabah, declared an outbreak in September. The WHO has confirmed at least nine cases in the country this year.
Polio ceased to be a public health problem in industrialized nations during the 1950s and 1960s with the introduction of effective vaccines. Since a global initiative began in 1988, polio cases have decreased by more than 99%. But the virus can be imported into a polio-free country and spread rapidly among unimmunized populations.
Malaysia, following a similar move by the Philippines, is embarking on an aggressive immunization drive to prevent the virus from spreading further. The health ministry issued public notices and held seminars to encourage parents to vaccinate their children, calling it a “sign of true love” and citing an Islamic religious leader who said it’s a sin not to ensure children are protected from preventable diseases.
The strain detected in Sabah came from a weakened polio virus used in vaccines, which could infect those without immunity in unsanitary conditions, the ministry said. It found that 12% of children age 2 months through 15 years in the affected area weren’t vaccinated.
At least 250 journalists were imprisoned in relation to their work last year, with China and Turkey topping the list of the world’s leading jailers, according to an annual survey complied by the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Published Wednesday, 2019’s survey was the fourth consecutive year the New York-based NGO found the number of imprisoned journalists exceeded 250 globally.
After China and Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt were the worst jailers, the report found. Of those jailed, 98% were local journalists covering news in their home countries, and 27% were held without charges.
“The imprisonment of a single journalist is a terrible injustice that has far-reaching consequences for families, friends, and colleagues,” Joel Simon, executive director of Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), said in a statement. “But the imprisonment of hundreds of journalists—year after year—is a threat to the global information system on which we all depend.”
“Repressive governments are using these cruel tactics to deprive their own societies and the entire world of essential information,” Simon says.
As of Dec. 1 2019, China was the top jailer, with 48 journalists behind bars, according to the CPJ. Those jailed include Sophia Huang Xueqin, a #MeToo activist in China, who was arrested after writing about her experience attending pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. She has been charged with “picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” a charge commonly used to silence dissenters in the country.
The survey found that others in China were arrested for work in the far northwestern province Xinjiang, where the estimated detention of more than 1 million Uighurs, Kazakhs and other Muslims has prompted increasing international pressure on Beijing. The report alleges that editors who had retired over a decade ago were arrested for publishing work related to politics, legal and demographic developments in the region.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has cracked down on all forms of dissent during his tenure, including jailing journalists, lawyers and human rights activists.
Across the continent in Turkey, 47 journalists were jailed this year. The report notes that 2019 marks the first time in four years that Turkey is not the worst offender on its list. But CPJ says this results from a successful government campaign to eliminate independent reporting. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s administration has closed over 100 news outlets and silenced journalists with terror-related charges, according to the CPJ.
Saudi Arabia and Egypt both imprisoned 26 journalists, reports CPJ. The non-profit alleges that several journalists in Saudi Arabia were subject to torture as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman continued his crackdown on dissent.
In Egypt, a wave of arrests occurred ahead of anti-government protests in September, CPJ says. One journalist, an award-winning photographer Mahmoud Abou Zeid, known as Shawkan, was included on the list of jailed journalists. According to CPJ, although Shawkan has officially been released, authorities make him check in at a police station every night, and have allegedly forced him to stay in prison each night since he was supposedly freed in March.
In sub-saharan Africa, Eritrea was the worst offending country, with 39 imprisoned journalists.
The report found that the number of journalists held worldwide in relation to “false news” charges has increased. In 2019, 30 journalists were in jail on charges related to spreading false news, compared to 28 last year.
Earlier this year, Russia and Singapore joined the list of countries enacting fake news laws to criminalize the publication of false information, but critics fear the provisions will be used as a tool to silence dissent.
(JERUSALEM) — Israel’s deadlocked parliament on Wednesday failed to meet a midnight deadline to form a coalition government, triggering an unprecedented third election in a 12-month period while giving scandal-plagued Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a welcome break as he fights to save his political career.
The move prolongs a year-long political stalemate that has paralyzed the government and undermined public trust in the government. The country now enters what once again is sure to be a bitter three-month political campaign that is expected to deliver very similar results.
“Keep your children away from the television,” said Yair Lapid, a leader of the opposition Blue and White party, saying the campaign will be a “festival of hate, violence and disgust.”
“What used to be a celebration of democracy has become a moment of shame for this building,” he added. “There are only three reasons for this election — bribery, fraud and breach of trust,” he said, referring to the criminal charges filed against Netanyahu last month.
Following the Sept. 17 vote, Netanyahu’s Likud party and the rival Blue and White, led by former military commander Benny Gantz, both failed to cobble together a governing coalition. Then, during a final three-week window that ended Wednesday, they were unable to agree on a power-sharing agreement or find an alternative leader.
Both men had insisted they want to avoid another costly election campaign. And together, their parties control a solid majority in the 120-seat Knesset.
But neither was willing to compromise on their core demands for a unity government. Netanyahu insisted on serving as prime minister, where he is best positioned to fight his corruption charges. Gantz has refused to serve under a prime minister with such serious legal problems and called on Likud to choose a different leader.
Hours before the deadline, parliament took an initial step to dissolve itself on its own. But as speeches and committee work stretched into the night, the lawmakers managed to pass only one of three required readings of the bill on time by a 91-0 margin. Even after the deadline automatically dissolved parliament, lawmakers worked throughout the night to finalize the March 2 election date.
Given the divisions in Israeli society, and the deep mistrust between the opposing camps, there appears to be little hope that another vote will break the loop of elections and instability that has rocked the country for the past year. The recent campaigns have been characterized by mudslinging and accusations that Netanyahu has incited against the country’s Arab minority.
Netanyahu did not participate in the late-night parliamentary debate. But in a video on social media, he accused Gantz of courting Arab “terror supporters” and forcing new elections. “In order to prevent this happening again, there is only one thing we must do: win and win big,” he said.
The upcoming campaign is expected to cost the economy hundreds of millions of dollars and continue the paralysis until the middle of next year. With limited authority, a string of caretaker governments over the past year have frozen major legislation, key appointments, long-term planning and budgets for the military and important government ministries.
But for Netanyahu, the country’s longest-ever serving leader, a new campaign offers a much-needed lifeline.
Netanyahu is desperately clinging to power to wage his legal battle from the favorable perch of prime minister. Israeli law does not require a sitting prime minister to resign if charged with a crime.
Netanyahu can now use his office in the coming months as a bully pulpit to continue his attacks on prosecutors and police investigators, whom he has accused of staging an “attempted coup” against him.
Without a functioning parliament in place, Netanyahu can also put on hold his expected request for immunity from prosecution.
The outgoing parliament did not have a majority in favor of granting him immunity. Netanyahu can now hope that the next election delivers him a more favorable result. Netanyahu’s trial is on hold until the immunity issue is resolved, a process that is expected to take months.
After the March election, he also could use coalition negotiations as leverage to push potential partners to support his immunity request.
Yohanan Plesner, president of the Israel Democracy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank, said that being in the prime minister’s post during these negotiations is a huge advantage. “Because then one can trade politically important Cabinet portfolios and so on in return for support for the immunity,” he said.
Netanyahu’s first immediate challenge will be to fend off an insurrection inside Likud. The party announced Wednesday that it will hold a leadership primary on Dec. 26.
One renegade lawmaker, Gideon Saar, has already said he will challenge Netanyahu, though the prime minister remains popular in the party and appears to have a solid edge.
Netanyahu could also face new legal questions. Although he is currently not required to step down, Israeli law is unclear about whether he could be given the authority to form a new government after the next election. Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit, who was criticized for his slow decision making before he indicted Netanyahu, will now have to rule on that question as well.
Even if Netanyahu overcomes these challenges, polls indicate that he will not be able to muster a majority in favor of granting him immunity or forming a coalition government.
Maverick politician Avigdor Lieberman, a former Netanyahu ally, has turned into the prime minister’s greatest nemesis.
Lieberman served in a string of Netanyahu governments, but then abruptly resigned as defense minister last December to protest what he thought were weak policies toward Gaza militants.
That resignation pushed the country into its current predicament, setting the stage for inconclusive elections in April and then in September.
Refusing to endorse either Netanyahu or Gantz, Lieberman has repeatedly called on them to form a broad secular unity government. But with all three leaders refusing to bend, a new election may not be able to break the deadlock.
Lieberman said the two big parties were responsible for what he called “unnecessary” elections. “Neither Likud nor Blue and White wanted a unity government,” he said.
(UNITED NATIONS) — The United States warned North Korea Wednesday that its “deeply counterproductive” ballistic missile tests risk closing the door on prospects for negotiating peace but said it is “prepared to be flexible” and take concrete, parallel steps with Pyongyang toward an agreement.
U.S. Ambassador Kelly Craft delivered the message at a Security Council meeting less than three weeks before North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s end-of-December deadline for the Trump administration to come up with new proposals to revive nuclear diplomacy
Negotiations faltered after the U.S. rejected North Korean demands for broad sanctions relief in exchange for a partial surrender of the North’s nuclear capabilities at Kim’s second summit with U.S. President Donald Trump last February. North Korea has carried out 13 ballistic missile launches since May to pressure Washington, and has hinted at lifting its moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile tests if the Trump administration fails to make substantial concessions before the new year.
Craft warned North Korea that “the United States and the Security Council have a goal, not a deadline” of working toward peace, healing the wounds of the Korean War, and achieving the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, a vision that Kim and Trump agreed to at their first summit in Singapore in June 2018.
The United States wants to make “crystal clear” to North Korea “that its continued ballistic missile testing is deeply counterproductive” to Trump’s and Kim’s shared objectives, she said. “These actions also risk closing the door on this opportunity to find a better way for the future.”
Craft cited North Korean threats to take a “new path” in the coming weeks and its hints of “a resumption of serious provocations,” which she said would mean they could launch space vehicles using long-range ballistic missile technology or test intercontinental ballistic missiles “which are designed to attack the continental United States with nuclear weapons.”
The United States trusts that North Korea “will turn away from further hostility and threats, and instead make a bold decision to engage with us,” she said. “If events prove otherwise, we, this Security Council, must all be prepared to act accordingly.”
The council met for the second time in a week on North Korea’s increasing ballistic missile and nuclear-related activities, this time at the request of the United States, which effectively blocked a council discussion on the North’s dismal human rights situation expected on Tuesday.
Stephen Biegun, the Trump administration’s special representative for North Korea, briefed the 15 council members over a private lunch but left Kraft to address the open council meeting.
North Korea didn’t speak at the meeting but key ally China called on Washington and Pyongyang to work together to keep tensions from escalating, and to nurture the rapprochement they had made over the last two years.
“Seize the hard-earned opportunity,” Chinese Ambassador Zhang Jun said, calling on the two sides “to prevent the dialogue process from derailing or backpedaling.”
Zhang called the current situation “very complicated” and “fragile” saying “the top priority is to resume dialogue of the two parties directly concerned, and avoid any confrontational actions.”
“It’s good to hear that the U.S. is still willing to be engaged in dialogues,” he said. “But meanwhile both parties should continue to walk towards each other and then to accommodate the concern from the other side and to build up confidence and trust.”
He called for the council to lift sanctions that affect the livelihoods of innocent people, saying this may encourage North Korea “to go forward in the right direction, may create a more favorable condition for dialogue.”
Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said Moscow would also like to see a resumption of dialogue.
But he said North Korea, having delivered on a freeze of nuclear and long-range missile tests, can’t be expected to “continue to do so indefinitely in the absence of any moves its way.”
“Negotiation is a two-way street,” Nebenzia said. “That should be understood.”
The Russian ambassador said it is “high time” that the council consider adopting a statement or resolution to encourage negotiations on denuclearization, security guarantees, and promoting stability on the Korean peninsula.
Craft responded saying “any discussion of a new road map or Security Council resolution must bear in mind the reality that over the past year and a half” North Korea has continued to advance its prohibited programs “and repeatedly refused to engage in sustained diplomatic engagement.”
Stressing U.S. flexibility, she said, “we recognize the need for a balanced agreement and parallel actions that address the concerns of all parties.”
“But we need a committed negotiating partner to take the reciprocal actions required for progress,” Craft said.
The United States holds the Security Council presidency this month, and some diplomats have been puzzled at its refusal to sign a letter that would have authorized the Security Council to hold a meeting on the human rights situation in North Korea — after it said it would.
Without U.S. support, diplomats said European and other countries that wanted the U.N.’s most powerful body to discuss human rights in North Korea were one vote short of the number they needed to go ahead with a meeting.
Asked about the human rights issue on her way into the meeting, Craft said: “Human rights is every day, for me.”
The Security Council discussed the human rights situation in North Korea from 2014 through 2017, but skipped 2018.
Germany’s U.N. Ambassador Christoph Heusgen raised the impact of North Korea’s “gross”” human rights violations on peace and security in his speech to the council.
“It’s only by torturing, by locking up millions in a gulag system that the regime can quell the aspirations of its people,”” he said.
(LONDON) — “Love, Actually” is all around this year in Britain’s pre-Christmas election.
The 2003 romantic comedy about the love lives of assorted Londoners over the holiday season has played a surprisingly large role in the campaign for Thursday’s general election. It has inspired political ads from both Labour and the Conservatives, and “Love, Actually” star Hugh Grant has been out on the campaign trail urging voters to oust Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Johnson’s Conservatives flooded social media Tuesday with an ad parodying the “Love, Actually” scene in which Mark (Andrew Lincoln) stands at the door of secret crush Juliet (Keira Knightley), professing his love on a series of cue cards while her new husband sits obliviously inside.
In the political ad, Johnson stands on the threshold of a voter’s home, promising that if she votes Conservative “by this time next year, we’ll have Brexit done … and we can move on.” The ad ends with an entreaty to “Vote Conservative actually.”
Johnson says he will lead Britain out of the European Union by the scheduled Jan. 31 deadline if he wins Thursday’s election.
Opposition Labour candidate Rosena Allin-Khan accused the Conservatives of ripping off her own similar “Love, Actually” spoof, posted several weeks ago, in which she persuades a Conservative voter to change his mind.
The Conservative ad also sparked a flood of parodies, with rival parties and social media users replacing the writing on Johnson’s cards with less flattering slogans. Party campaigners probably won’t mind: The Conservative’s digital strategy throughout the campaign has been to get supporters and detractors alike talking about the party.
Former Justice Secretary David Gauke, who was expelled by Johnson for opposing his Brexit plan and is running Thursday as an independent, tweeted a photo of himself holding a card with the words “Brexit won’t get done, actually.”
For many Britons, “Love, Actually” has become a holiday season TV staple and a guilty pleasure. Some film fans cringe at its saccharine elements, like the adorable child, played by Thomas Brodie-Sangster, who is helped by stepdad Liam Neeson to woo a classmate. But just as many cherish the scene in which Grant, as a boyish British prime minister, berates a boorish U.S. president played by Billy Bob Thornton.
That role helped make Grant a liberal heartthrob, and he has become increasingly political in real life, campaigning against press intrusion and the hacking of celebrities.
In this election, Grant has gone out on the campaign trail with non-Conservative candidates, urging electors to vote tactically to kick Johnson’s party out of office.
Grant conceded that the Conservative ad was “quite well done, very high production values.”
“But I did notice that one of the cards from the original film that he (Johnson) didn’t hold up is the one where Andrew Lincoln held up a card saying ‘because of Christmas you tell the truth,’“ Grant told the BBC. “And I just wonder if the spin doctors in the Tory party thought that was a card that wouldn’t look too great in Boris Johnson’s hands.”
(HONG KONG) — For Hong Kong spectators mentally and physically drained from six months of pro-democracy protests that have convulsed the city, a rousing performance of “Les Miserables” proved almost too much to bear.
Audience members wept, dabbing their eyes with handkerchiefs, big tears rolling down their cheeks, as a Hong Kong theater troupe aiming to both comfort and re-energize emotionally battered spectators belted out the rousing musical based on Victor Hugo’s classic tale of rebellion in 19th century France.
Audience members said images from the protests flashed through their minds as they soaked up the free outdoor performance on Tuesday night.
The crowd several hundred strong joined with the troupe in singing “Do You Hear the People Sing?” — the stirring lyrics eloquently putting to words what many Hong Kong protesters feel.
“It is the music of a people who will not be slaves again!” they sang. “Will you join in our crusade? Who will be strong and stand with me?”
The amateur troupe, dressed in black, which has become the color of protest in Hong Kong, is made up of volunteers who responded to an online appeal for singers and musicians.
Singer Harriet Chung said their aim is to tour the show to all 18 of Hong Kong’s districts. Tuesday’s performance was the troupe’s third, staged in a park in Tai Po in the New Territories that are north of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon and which butt up against mainland China.
“It is a very powerful work that everyone needs in such a time in Hong Kong,” Chung said. “There’s a lot of violence. There’s a lot of injustice around. But this piece is about love and power and what you can do for love, for your ideals, for your ideas, so that is why we want to pass this message to everyone in Hong Kong.”
With no costumes and minimalist lighting, the show lacks the big-ticket stagecraft of Hollywood, Broadway and London West End cousins but packs a powerful emotional punch in the febrile atmosphere of anti-government protest in Hong Kong.
Wiping away tears that welled behind his glasses, red-eyed spectator Herman Tang said the song “Bring Him Home” made him think of protesters who were trapped by a police siege of a university campus last month.
“Very moved,” he said. “Some of the words in the song echo the current situation in Hong Kong.”
Organizers made booklets of the lyrics, in Chinese and English, for spectators to download onto their cellphones so they could sing along. Audience members waved lit phones in the air during songs, creating a tapestry of lights. At the end, the troupe and the audience, accompanied by the orchestra, joined in a hair-raising rendition of “Glory to Hong Kong,” an anonymously penned anthem that has become the protest movement’s signature song.
Chung, the singer who works as a writer in her day job, said she’s long been a fan of “Les Miserables,” but that it strikes an especially deep chord now.
“It’s like pictures after pictures of happenings in Hong Kong passing through my mind when I sing the lyrics. Sometimes it’s heartbreaking. Sometimes it’s heartwarming,” she said. “There are pictures of protests, police violence, and the life we have lost, the brothers and sisters we lost in this movement, so it is a very emotional journey and I can feel that from the audience, too.”
Spectators who came to the show worried that the protest movement is flagging as it enters a seventh month went away feeling energized and sounding recommitted to a long-haul struggle. The movement is pushing five key demands, including full elections for Hong Kong’s legislature and leader and a probe of the city’s police force, which has fired 26,000 tear-gas and rubber-baton rounds at protesters and arrested more than 6,000 people.
“When people unite together, there is power,” said audience member Yan Chan. “We have energy and power to make Hong Kong better.”
Wai Wai Nu is a Rohingya activist, former political prisoner, and founder of the Women Peace Network in Myanmar. Since her release from prison in 2012, Nu has dedicated herself to working for democracy and human rights, particularly on behalf of marginalized women and members of her own ethnic group, the minority Rohingya population. Originally from Rakhine state, Myanmar, she was named as a TIME Next Generation Leader in 2017, and is currently studying at Columbia University as an Obama Foundation scholar. This week, Nu is present at the International Court of Justice, the U.N.’s highest court, in The Hague, the Netherlands for hearings in a landmark case claiming Myanmar has violated the 1948 convention on the prevention and punishment of the crime of genocide. Myanmar’s de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, is leading the country’s defense and said Wednesday that “genocidal intent cannot be the only conclusion.”
Being at The Hague this week is very painful and very emotional. It’s painful to see the person we regard as a leader, as a democracy icon and as a peace champion to stand there and defend the military and their crimes, while undermining the suffering of the people, undermining the tragedy and violence and denying our existence.
I’m very hopeful that this will lead to the actual justice processes. Many of us within Myanmar and outside Myanmar who work on human rights, peace and justice, and the Rohingya from all over the world are very excited to see this. This is the first time that we have gotten a chance to open up and discuss openly, to acknowledge the suffering and to have the chance to listen to everything together. This process may take a long time, but this is an opening and this is the beginning.
My family living in Rakhine have been in a living hell, living in open prisons in their own villages without even having a right to rebuild their houses. My aunties and uncles are trapped in Internally-Displaced Persons camps in Sittwe, and my young cousins are living in the camps without having access to education and employment opportunities. They have been deprived of their dignity and freedom. They are being denied of having a life to enjoy like other human beings.
My grandmother is 86 years old, and she has health problems but no access to healthcare. The restrictions on movement mean she can’t go to the hospital properly, and there aren’t proper health care facilities for the Rohingya at all.
My grandma has lived in her village in Buthidaung, Rakhine state for her entire life. She had a rich experience growing up there; she was kind of a queen in her village when she was younger, the family was rich and educated, they took care of the entire village and city and they owned a lot of land.
Luckily her house was not burnt when the whole village was attacked in 2017. That was the first time that she called us and she said just bring me wherever you can. It was the most painful words from her that we have ever heard. My grandmother never wanted to leave her village or her home because our ancestral home and graves are there, our heritage is there. Now she is an outsider and living like a prisoner in her own home without having enough access to food and healthcare.
When it comes to core human rights violations, such as genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, the international community has a responsibility to protect under international laws. At the same time, all of us as human beings have a responsibility to cherish our life and our existence, our humanity and to protect it. It is essential that when persecutions happen in one place, we stand up and we help the existence and the rights of others.
Aung San Suu Kyi and perpetrators themselves have constantly denied the crimes and our existence itself for decades, so it is time for the international community to stand up. This experience has made me feel that the world has not forgotten us. We need more leadership for more persecutions and all violations around the world — not just the Rohingya.
I believe in the credibility of the court, and I believe that this will lead to the actual justice for the victims and reform in the country. The government of Myanmar will take the necessary actions under their obligations of the genocide convention, to prevent further atrocity crimes, to repair and compensate and bring justice for the victims. And more importantly, bring equality and peace for the Rohingya and other ethnic people in the country. This is what I am expecting and I am hoping to see. This is a moment where we have an opportunity to acknowledge, to realize and to repair.
As told to Suyin Haynes. This interview has been condensed and lightly edited for clarity.
(CANBERRA, Australia) — The South Pacific region of Bougainville voted overwhelmingly to become the world’s newest nation by gaining independence from Papua New Guinea, results showed Wednesday.
Bougainville Referendum Commission Chairman Bertie Ahern was cheered when he announced that more than 98% of valid ballots favored independence. The other option in the vote was greater autonomy from Papua New Guinea.
The referendum is nonbinding, and independence will need to be negotiated between leaders from Bougainville and Papua New Guinea. The final say would then go to lawmakers in the Papua New Guinea Parliament. The process of becoming a separate nation could take years to achieve.
Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape’s office said he was out of town and was not available for comment.
Around 85% of eligible voters cast more than 181,000 ballots in two weeks of voting.
The referendum is a key part of a 2001 peace agreement that ended a civil war in which at least 15,000 people died in the cluster of islands to the east of the Papua New Guinea mainland.
The violence in Bougainville began in the late 1980s, triggered by conflict over an enormous opencast copper mine at Panguna. The mine was a huge export earner for Papua New Guinea, but many in Bougainville felt they received no benefit and resented the pollution and disruption of their traditional way of living.
The mine has remained shut since the conflict. Some believe it could provide a revenue source for Bougainville should it become independent.
Gianluca Rampolla, the United Nations resident coordinator in Papua New Guinea, congratulated national and provincial governments on the “inclusive and peaceful conduct of the Bougainville Referendum.”
“There are ways to go, and like all paths it may be neither smooth nor straight, but the United Nations will continue to be there as the two governments map their future, together,” Rampolla said in a statement.
David Sharma, an Australian government lawmaker who once lived in Bougainville as a diplomat and helped draft the 2001 peace agreement, said Australia would keep a close eye on developments in its nearest neighbors.
“I’m pleased that the Bougainvilleans have expressed their view in such a clear way, but I would sound a note of caution that Bougainville is an island of about 200,000 people and countries of that sort of population often struggle to take on all the full attributes of a sovereign state,” Sharmer told Australian Broadcasting Corp.
“How this plays out will be a concern. The civil war that started all this in 1988 was initially over a big resource project — the Panguna Copper Mine — but really because of Bougainvillean separatism or independence aspirations at the time, so obviously these issues have sparked serious civil conflict before and unrest, and so I think it is a time we need to tread cautiously and watch closely and do what we can to make sure the situation remains as calm as possible.,” he added.
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DONALD TRUMP has lashed out at French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, accusing them of running "delinquent countries".
THE UNITED STATES has warned North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un of serious reprisals, if the Stalinist state makes good on its threat to resume its intercontinental missile testing.
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ICFRE Previous Year Question Papers: Applicants who are in search of previous year question papers for ICFRE exam 2019-20 can get it on this page. last year question papers with solutions helps in preparing for the exam in a better way. On this page you can also find syllabus, exam pattern and other exam related details in the sections below.
ICFRE Previous Year Question Papers Pdf Download
Indian Council of Forestry Research Deputy Conservator of Forest, Conservator of Forest model papers helps people to understand the type of questions asked in the exam. Since, we have also given solutions to all the questions, candidates can make out their mistakes while preparing and correct it there itself. So, while attending the exam applicants can remember the proper way to analyse the question and answer accordingly. ICFRE recruitment exams will be conducted in the upcoming months. We are giving the sample papers with solutions before hand so its get easy for aspirants to prepare for the exam much before the exam date.
Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education released recruitment notification to fill various Deputy Conservator, Conservator, Multi Tasking Staff, Technician & Technical Asst posts. Interested applicants are hereby informed to apply for the exam before the last date. The last date to apply for exam is on 31st January 2020. For further details related to exam check below section.
ICFRE Model Exam Papers for Dy Conservator of Forest & CF
Description
Details
Name of the Organization
Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE)
No. of Vacancies
Various
Name of the Post
Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF), Conservator of Forests (CF), MTS, Technician, Technical Asst
Category
Previous Papers
Exam Date
Update Soon
Job Location
Dehradun
Official Website
www.icfre.org
Selection Process: Written Exam, Interview
Before preparing for the exam, candidates should check the syllabus & exam pattern details that helps in understanding the exam structure. Previous papers helps in preparing for the exam focusing mainly on frequently asked questions and topics that are important.
Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education Exam Pattern Details
On this page you can get exam pattern details that are recently updated by the Board. The posts for which exam pattern is given here are: Deputy Conservator of Forest, Conservator of Forest, Multi Tasking Staff, Technician & Technical Assistant. Candidates who have applied for any of these exams can get syllabus, exam pattern, previous papers details over here.
ICFRE Multi Tasking Staff Exam Pattern Pdf
Exam Type
Subjects
Multiple Choice Questions
Reasoning
English
Numerical Ability
General Awareness
Computer Knowledge
ICFRE Previous Papers with Questions and Answers Pdf
Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) Model Papers Pdf
Mumbai University Results 2019 declared for T.Y.B.Com. B.com on 11th December 2019. Check out the updated Mumbai University Semester wise Exam results 2019-20 details from the below section. We have updated the University Exam Results from the official website. As the University Board has released the first half 2019 results. The current page is fully equipped with the results of all courses like T.Y.B.A., B.Arch, M.A and soon. Hence, Check other information on Mumbai University Results in the below sections of this page. Check out more information on the official website i.e,mu.ac.in.
Mumbai University Exam Results 2019-20
As that the University of Mumbai has released the semester wise examination results through Pdf format. Those candidates who wish to check down their results can check it out here. The Mumbai University has updated the results for B.M.M, T.Y.B.COM, M.SC, and also various other courses on 10th December 2019as a recent update. Students of Mumbai University check the updated and previously released examination results from the below section. Also, stay in touch with our recruitment.guru page to get the recent updates about the Mumbai University Results 2019.
Mumbai University is one of the oldest universities in Maharashtra & Mumbai city as well. It was established on 18th July 1857. The Mumbai University is also known for MU. Most of the people usually called it as MU. It offers Bachelor’s, Master & Doctoral courses. along with these courses, it also offers Diploma courses, Certificate courses in multiple disciplines like Arts, Commerce, Science, Medical & Engineering. The Mumbai University has 3 main campuses across Mumbai city and one it out of the city.
wherein the Fort campus carries out only administrative works. There are 711 colleges affiliated to the university as per the 2011 census. But it increased to 762 now. When we discuss Key people of the university, The Honorable Governor of Maharashtra giving services as Chancellor of the university. While Mr.Suhas Pednekar is Vice-Chancellor of the Mumbai University.
Mumbai University Revaluation Exam Results 2019-20
Candidates of Mumbai University those who have undergone the Semester Examination for the courses conducted by the University it time for you check out exam results. Students who failed in the regular examination can go for the second chance which is called Revaluation Results. This revaluation results will also help in increasing the scorecard obtained in the regular examination. This Revaluation is only for those who wish that their examination paper should be evaluated once again. As soon as the main exam results are released the University Board will announce the revaluation dates. Students those wish can apply for the revaluation. Do have a regular update with the official website of the University as that the Mumbai University Board releases the Revaluation Results within a few week’s interval gaps.
ESIC Faridabad Faculty Jobs 2019 Notification – Walk-in for 18 Professor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor Vacancy. Employees State Insurance Corporation authorities inviting eligible and interested candidates to fill 18 vacancies for the Professor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor Jobs. Eligible and interested applicants can attend the walk-in on 26th December 2019 for the desired post. Before that check with the terms and conditions given in the ESIC Job Notification.
This ESIC Notification is for Professor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor Job under various departments as mentioned below. Educational qualification, department wise vacancy details, age limit, & how to apply steps are loaded here. Read below to get more details about the Specialist & Super Specialist Vacancy
ESIC Faridabad Faculty Jobs 2019 – 18 Openings
Name of the Organization
Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC)
Name of the Post
Professor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor
ESIC Delhi Recruitment 2019 – Walk-in | 19 Junior Resident Vacancies. Employees State Insurance Corporation authorities inviting eligible and interested candidates to fill the vacancy for the Junior Resident Job. Eligible and interested can attend the walk-in on 20th December 2019 for the desired post. Before that check with the terms and conditions given in the ESIC Delhi Junior Resident Jobs 2019 Notification.
This ESIC Notification is for Junior Resident Job under various departments as mentioned below. Eligible aspirants can get the complete details of Latest ESIC Delhi Junior Resident Walkin 2019 from the below sections. Educational qualification, department wise vacancy details, age limit, & how to apply steps are loaded here.
ESIC Delhi Junior Resident Jobs 2019 – 19 Openings
ESIC Recruitment 2019 – Walk-in for 14 Specialist Vacancy. Employees State Insurance Corporation authorities inviting eligible and interested candidates to fill the vacancy for the Specialist & Super Specialist Job. Eligible and interested can attend the walk-in on scheduled date & time for the desired post. Before that check with the terms and conditions given in the ESIC Job Notification.
This ESIC Notification is for Specialist & Super Specialist Job under various departments as mentioned below. Eligible aspirants will be selected on a Demand Professional Service for 1 Year. Educational qualification, department wise vacancy details, age limit, & how to apply steps are loaded here. Read below to get more details about the Specialist & Super Specialist Vacancy
Intensive(CriticaI Care Medicine /Emergency Medicine)
Total
14
Eligibility Criteria for Employees State Insurance Corporation Recruitment 2019
Educational Qualification:
Specialist:
MBBS with PG (MD/ DNB/ Diploma) in concerned specialty from a recognized university with 3 years Degree 5 years Diploma of post PG qualification experience and registered with MCI/ State Medical Council.
Super Specialist:
MBBS with DNB (Super Specialty), DW/ McH and registered with Medical Council & recognized by MCI.
ESIC Age Limit:
Maximum Age Limit – 70 Years
Application Fee:
Refer to ESIC Recruitment Notification for Application Fee details.
ESIC Job Salary Details:
Best Salary.
Selection Process:
Interview.
How to Apply for ESIC Recruitment 2019?
Download ESIC Notification given below.
Go through the eligibility details, terms & conditions regarding ESIC Jobs.
If you agree with the given conditions & eligible for the ESIC Vacancy.
Download the ESIC application form given below.
Fill the required details duly in the specific space.
Enclose the essential document copies.
Paste the recent passport size photograph.
Attend the walk-in on scheduled date & time with application & document copies.
Walk-in Venue:
ESIC Medical College & Hospital, NH-3, NIT, Faridabad, Haryana.
ESIC Recruitment 2019 – Walk-in for 142 Medical Jobs. Employees State Insurance Corporation has planned for Walk-in to select eligible aspirants for the various vacancies in ESIC Centres Across India. Candidates will be selected on a contractual basis. Interested candidates go through this page to get more details about the ESIC Notification for the various medical jobs. Accordingly, 142 vacancies are available for Senior Resident, Junior Resident, Tutor, Assistant Professor, Professor, Associate Professor, & Part-Time/ Full-Time Specialist posts. Walk-in for Various medical jobs in ESIC is going to held on 21st November 2019 – 12th December 2019.
Applicants should report on a scheduled time. Aspirants get ESIC Job Details in the below section. Information like Educational qualification, vacancy details, age limit, pay scale, & how to apply steps are given. Go through and ensure your eligibility for ESIC Recruitment. After placement contractual period may be extended ed based on the performance of the candidates.
MBBS with PG Degree/ DNB/ Diploma in Concerned Speciality from government recognized university/ institution/ college.
Assistant Professor
Doctorate Degree & Master’s Degree/ MS/ MD in the respective specialty from a recognized university/ institution with teaching experience in a recognized medical college.
Associate Professor
Professor
Tutor
A recognized medical qualification included in the first or second schedule or Part-II of the third schedule of the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956. Registered with Medical Council of India or State Medical Council Master’s Degree in the respective specialty from a recognized university/ institution
Junior Resident
MBBS from a recognized university Completed a one-year Junior Residency.
Full Time/ Part-time Specialist
DM/ DNB/ PG Degree/ PG Diploma in Concerned Speciality with a minimum of 3 years experience.
Age Limit:
Post Name
Age Limit
Senior Resident
37 Years
Assistant Professor
50 Years
Associate Professor
50 Years
Professor
50 Years
Tutor
30 Years
Junior Resident
30 Years
Part-time Specialist
45 Years
Application Fee:
Refer to the ESIC Recruitment Notification for Application Fee details given below.
ESIC Mumbai is inviting candidates to attend a walk-in drive on 10th & 11th December 2019 for senior resident & specialist posts. Currently, there are 31 vacancies. This walk-in will take place in Mumbai. Aspirants can check if they are eligible and apply to attend the walk-in. Registration for the walk-in will start at 9.30 am on both days.
Details of the walk-in are given below. Candidates can check if they are eligible with the details below. They can also refer to the notification below.
ESIC Recruitment 2019 Notification is out!! Walk-in for 75 Senior Resident Job Vacancy. Employees State Insurance Corporation has published this Notification to fill the 75 Vacancies of Senior Resident Post. Aspirants who have completed MBBS along with Post Graduation Degree or Diploma and searching for Central Government jobs may apply for this ESIC Senior Resident Vacancy. Interested Eligible Candidates can attend the Walk-in on a scheduled date and time.
ESIC Recruitment Board has declared vacancies for the Senior Resident under various departments. Candidates will be recruited for Regular or GDMO posts. Eligible candidates wish to apply for the ESIC Recruitment Senior Resident Posts appear for the Interview with essential documents and DD of Application fee on a date and time mentioned for the respective category.
Overview of ESIC Hospital Delhi Senior Resident Vacancy 2019
ESIC Senior Resident Vacancy 2019 – Department Wise
Post Name
No.of. Vacancies
Senior Resident (Regular)
Pathology
01
Skin & VD
02
CT/MRI
02
Medicine
19
Anesthesia
12
Surgery
04
Pediatrics
07
OBS & Gynae
05
Eye
01
Bio-Chemistry
02
Anesthesia/CT/MRI
01
Casualty
02
ENT
02
Microbiology
01
Orthopedics
01
Senior Resident (against GDMO for One year)
Medicine
04
Surgery
02
Peads/PICU
01
Anesthesia
03
Casualty
01
CT/MRI/Radio
02
Total
75
Eligibility Criteria for ESIC Recruitment Senior Resident Posts
Educational Qualification:
Name of the Post
Qualification
Senior Resident (Regular)
MBBS and PG Degree or Diploma in concerned specialty from a recognized university (In the entry pay level – 11 plus other allowances as admissible in ESIC.)
Senior Resident (against GDMO for One year)
Age Limit:
For the candidates applying for the Senior Resident Vacancy in ESIC Recruitment age limit as on 31-10-2019 should be 37 Years
Age Relaxation:
As per the Central Government Rule.
Application Fee:
Aspirants appearing for Walk-in should bring the proof for the Non-refundable fee along with the document copies.
Pay the fee through Demand Draft of “ESIC Saving Fund Account No. 2” payable at New Delhi.
General Candidates – Rs. 300/-
SC/ ST Candidates – Rs. 75/-
PWD/ Female Candidates – NIL
ESIC Senior Resident Salary:
Entry Pay Level – 11 & other allowances as admissible in ESIC.
Selection Process:
Walk-in-Interview.
How to Apply for ESIC Delhi Job Vacancy 2019?
Download the Notification given below.
Read the notification carefully, check the eligibility details
If you are eligible appear for the Walk-in-Interview.
Pay the Application fee through Demand Draft.
Attend the walk-in with the documents given below.
Original and their one self-attested copies essential for Walk-in
Age proof Certificate.
MBBS Certificate.
Two Photographs (PP Size).
Caste Certificate.
PG Degree/Diploma Certificate.
DMC Registration Certificate with MD/MS/DNB qualification.
No Objection Ce1tificate from present employer (if applicable).
Experience Certificates (if applicable).
Income and Asset certificate.
Walk-in-Interview Venue:
5th Floor, Dean Office, ESI-PGIMSR, Basaidarapur, New Delhi-15
Walk-in Dates for ESIC Senior Resident Vacancy 2019
ESIC Recruitment 2019 – Apply Offline for 22 Tutor Job Vacancies. Employees State Insurance Corporation invites Offline Application for the Teaching Faculty Positions. There is only 22 vacancies are allotted for the Professor, Associate Professor, and Assistant Professor Post. ESIC Application form is getting received from 03rd October 2019. Interested can begin to apply for the ESIC Faculty Job Vacancies. Candidates will be selected on a contractual basis for a period of one year.
Applications should reach on or before the last date 26th October 2019. Aspirants get ESIC Tutor Job Details in the below section. Information like Educational qualification, department wise vacancy details, age limit, pay scale, & how to apply steps are given. Go through and ensure with your eligibility for ESIC Recruitment Teaching Job Vacancies at ESIC PGIMSR, ESIC Medical College & ESIC Hospital & ODC (EZ), JOKA. After placement contractual period may be extended ed based on the performance of the candidates.
ESIC Teaching Jobs 2019 – Department & Category Wise Details
Department
Category
Total
Professor
TB & RD
UR – 01
01
Radiology
UR – 01
01
Community Medicine
UR – 01
01
General Medicine
SC – 01
01
Associate Professor
General Surgery
UR – 01
01
General Medicine
UR – 01, SC – 01
02
ENT
UR – 01
01
Anesthesiology
UR – 02, SC – 01
03
Radiology
UR – 01, EWS – 01
02
Dermatology
ST – 01
01
Blood Bank
UR – 01
01
Assistant Professor
FMT
UR – 01
01
Blood Bank
UR – 01
01
Community Medicine
OBC – 02
02
General Surgery
UR – 01
01
General Medicine
UR – 01
01
Pathology
SC – 01
01
Total
22
Eligibility Criteria for ESIC Tutor Recruitment 2019
Educational Qualification:
Recognized Medical qualification included in the First or Second Schedule or Part-II of the Third Schedule to the Indian Medical Council, Act, 1956. (Holders of educational qualifications included in Part-II of the Third Schedule should also fulfill the conditions stipulated in section 13 (3) of the said Act).
Post-graduate qualification e.g. MD (Doctor of Medicine) or (MS) Master of Surgery or a recognized qualification equivalent thereto in the respective subject or allied discipline
Experience Details:
Post Name
Experience
Professor
4 years of teaching experience as a Reader or Associate Professor in a recognized medical college in the concerned specialty. 3 years of teaching experience as Associate Professor in the concerned specialty in a recognized medical college
Associate Professor
5 years teaching experience as Lecturer or Assistant Professor in a recognized medical college in the concerned specialty or 4 years of teaching experience as Assistant Professor in the concerned specialty
Assistant Professor
3 years of teaching experience in the subject as Resident/ Registrar/ Demonstrator/Tutor in a recognized medical college either during the post-graduation course or after obtaining a postgraduate degree in the subject. 1 year as Senior Resident in the concerned subject in a recognized/Permitted medical college.
Age Limit for ESIC Recruitment – Teaching Jobs:
Maximum Age – 69 Years
Age Relaxation:
As per the Norms.
ESIC Recruitment Salary Details:
Post Name
Salary
Professor
Rs. 1,77,000/-
Associate Professor
Rs. 1,16,000/-
Assistant Professor
Rs. 1,01,000/-
Application Fee:
Pay the Application fee through Demand Draft in favor of 'ESI Fund Account No. I' payable at 'Kolkata'.
Candidates are willing to apply for the ESIC Recruitment Tutor Jobs in Employees State Insurance Corporation should fulfill conditions, as mentioned in ESIC Recruitment Notification. Eligible can send their application form with the necessary documents like educational, qualification, experience, and age proof certificate as mentioned in ESIC Notification to the below-mentioned address.
Click on the Official Notification link provided below
Read the notification carefully, check the eligibility details
If you are eligible, then download the application form through the link given below.
Start filling the blanks in the application form.
Fill all the required details that are asked in.
Paste your recent passport size photo on the specific space.
Attach the essential self-attested document copies.
Enclose the DD proof with the application form.
Finally, send the application to the concerned address.
NOTE: Applicants may send the application through email @deanpgi-joka.wb@esic.nic.in /post / by hand.
Postal Address:
Dean Office, Esic Medical College, Joka, Diamond Harbour Road, Kolkata – 700104.
About Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC)
Employees State Insurance Corporation (contracted as ESI) is a self-financing government disability and medical coverage conspire for Indian specialists. ESIC is a Statutory Body and Administrative Ministry will be Ministry of Labor and Employment, Government of India. Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC), built up by ESI Act, is a self-ruling partnership under the Ministry of Labor and Employment, Government of India. As it is a lawful element, the partnership can raise advances and take measures for releasing such advances with the earlier authorization of the focal government and it can secure both portable and resolute property and all livelihoods from the property will vest with the corporation. The enterprise can set up emergency clinics either autonomously or in a joint effort with the state government or other private elements, yet the greater part of the dispensaries and medical clinics are controlled by concerned state governments.
Maharashtra Fire Services Result 2019 Released @ mahafireservice.gov.in. Directorate of Maharashtra Fire Services (DMFS) has declared the Result for Maharashtra Fire Services (MFS) post. Therefore, the Authority has conducted the Written Examination on 16th September 2019. Many aspirants appeared for the MFS Examination. After completing the examination candidates are waiting for the Results. This is the right place to get your Results. Moreover, the Authority has revealed the Maharashtra Fire Services Exam Result 2019 on 09th December 2019. We will give a direct link to download the Fire Services Result 2019. And also, you can download the Maharashtra Fs Cut Off Marks and Merit List from this page.
DMFS Maharashtra Fire Service Result 2019- Get Here
Directorate of Maharashtra Fire Services Department successfully conducted the MFS Exam in the month of September 2019. And recently, they have released the Result for the above-given post. Therefore, we have given the updated news regarding the Maharashtra Result 2019. So, Candidates can get their Results from our Website called recruitment.guru. We will update the latest and upcoming results on our website. Hence, visit our page on a regular basis.
Above all the details in the table will help you to get some information about the Maharashtra Fire service recruitment, Exam date, Category, Selection process, job location and finally the release date of the Result 2019. While checking the results candidates must have their roll number and password along with them. These details will be useful for entering the required details to check the exam result.
Fire Services Cut Off Marks 2019 @ mahafireservice.gov.in
Candidates whose name in the Maharashtra Fire Services Cut Off Marks 2019 will be eligible to go for the next rounds. To get qualify for the further level candidates must score minimum qualifying cut off marks. Most importantly, aspirants must concentrate more on the Maharashtra exam cut off Marks. And also, the Maharashtra board have some factors to decide the Maharashtra Fire Services Cut Off Marks 2019 such as
Candidates category
Previous year cut off marks
The number of vacancies available
The number of the candidates appeared for the exam
Directorate of Maharashtra Fire Services MFS Merit List 2019
The Maharashtra Fire Services Merit List 2019 contains the Candidates name and roll number. Candidates with highest marks in the Maharashtra Fire Services exam 2019 will shortlist in the MFS Merit List 2019. Moreover, aspirants listed in the Merit List will get higher priority while going for the next level of interviews. So, all the Contenders try to score more marks in the DMFS Examination. Concentrate more on the Maharashtra Fs Merit List also. Further, we can see the stepwise procedure to download Directorate MFS Result 2019.
How to check the Directorate MFS Result 2019?
Firstly, Candidates can visit the official website Directorate of Maharashtra Fire Services (DMFS) @ mahafireservice.gov.in
Secondly, the Homepage of the DMFS will open on the screen with a list of links.
On the homepage search for the link related to the Maharashtra Fire Services Result 2019
Then click on the link.
Enter the login details and press the submit button.
Then, you can find the DMFS Maharashtra Fire Services Result 2019 on the screen.
Finally, check and download the Maharashtra Fire Services Result 2019 for future uses.
Direct Links to Download Maharashtra Fire Services Result 2019
Cochin Shipyard Recruitment 2019: 31 Ship Draftsman Trainee & Ship Design Assistant Vacancy, Apply Online Before 20th December 2019. Cochin Shipyard Limited has released its latest job notification to recruit 31 candidates for Ship Draftsman Trainee and Ship Design Assistant Posts. This is a very good opportunity for candidates looking for shipyard Jobs. Candidates selected in the Cochin Shipyard Recruitment will be placed in Cochin/ Kochi/ Ernakulam. Apply online if you want to be a part of CSL Careers. The last date to apply is 20th December 2019. You can find all the important details below.
Cochin Shipyard Recruitment 2019-20
Candidate must have completed a three-year diploma course in engineering and must be less than 30 years to be eligible for these posts. Interested candidates can check for eligibility with the details below. A link to the official website and official notification is also provided for your reference.
Cochin Shipyard was incorporated in 1972. It is a fully owned Government of India company. The yard can build and repair the largest vessels in India. Cochin Shipyard can build ships up to 1,10,000 DWT and repair ships up to 1,25,000 DWT. CSL has also secured shipbuilding orders from internationally renowned companies from Europe & Middle East and is nominated to build the country’s first indigenous Air Defense Ship. Cochin Shipyard Limited has developed adequate capabilities to handle complex and sophisticated repair jobs. It also trains graduate engineers to marine engineers, who later can join ships both Indian and Foreign as 5th Engineers. 100 candidates are trained every year.
MP High Court Result 2019 Declared for Higher Judicial Service (Entry Level) posts @ mphc.gov.in. Candidates after completing the Higher Judicial Service (Entry Level) Examination waiting for the Result 2019. Therefore, the High Court of Madhya Pradesh has commenced the Examination to fill entry-level posts on 21st September 2019. Many aspirants appeared for the examination successfully. Moreover, the MP High Court has released the MP High Court HJS Results 2019 on 09th December 2019. So.aspirants can download the MPHC Higher Judicial Service Results 2019 using this site. And also Can download the MPHC Cut Off Marks and Merit List 2019.
MP High Court HJS Result 2019- Download Here
Aspirants participated in the prelims examination and searching for the HJS Result 2019. This is the right place to get your results. Because the MPHC Higher Judicial Service Prelims Result 2019 is now available on the official website. The Candidates will be selected according to the performance of the candidates in the exam. To know the Result status candidates can continue reading this article. We will give a direct link to download the Madhya Pradesh High Court Result 2019.
MPHC Higher Judicial Service Result 2019– Overview
While Checking Results, Candidates must have login credentials like Candidates roll number and password along with them. MP High Court HJS Selection List 2019 will release according to the performance of the Candidates in the MP Entry-level Examination 2019. We will provide the link to check the selection List 2019 in the below session.
Madhya Pradesh High Court HJS Entry Level Cut Off Marks 2019
Above all the information will help you to check your Results. However, the officials of the High Court of Madhya Pradesh released the MP High Court HJS Entry Level Cut Off Marks 2019. The Aspirants should score minimum qualifying cut off marks to get selected for the next round. Most importantly, the Board will shortlist the candidates according to the categories of BC, ST, OC, SC. So, Candidates should concentrate on the cutoff marks.
High Court HJS Entry Level Merit List 2019 @ mphc.gov.in
Once completing the HJS Prelims and Mains Examination. The Madhya Pradesh High Court Department will reveal the MP High Court HJS Entry Level Merit List 2019. Candidates who score high marks in both the preliminary and Mains Exam will get shortlisted in the MP HJS Merit List 2019. So, Check the Merit List with respect to names and roll numbers of Aspirants. Further, we can see the stepwise procedure to download the MP High Court HJS Selection List 2019.
How to check the MP High Court HJS Result 2019?
Firstly, Candidates can visit the official website High Court of Madhya Pradesh that is mphc.gov.in.
Secondly, you can see the Exam Updates section in the middle of the home page.
And there search for the link related to MPHC Higher Judicial Service Prelims Result 2019.
Click on the Link
Then, the PDF of the MP High Court HJS Prelims Exam Result 2019 opens on the screen.
Finally, download and save the PDf and use it for future.
Direct Links to Download MP High Court Result 2019
Calicut University Results 2019 Released @ uoc.ac.in:Calicut Universityis one of the famous university in Kerala which releases the examination results by the board. Updated Calicut University Results released on11th December 2019 for Semester wise Bachelor and Master Degree Exams. Here we provide all the Courses Results according to the semester wise. Candidates do check complete section to know the latest Updated Calicut University Exam Results 2019.
Calicut University Results 2019-20
Calicut University (CU) is one of the top universities in India. Around 373 colleges are affiliated to the University of Calicut which has an annual intake of 100000 students. The University conducts exams for the students who are pursuing their UG, PG Programme, Ph.D. Programming Courses. Candidates can get the updated University results from the below page which will direct you to the official site. Earlier CU had declared M.Com 2nd Sem Results. Candidates can check their results of all exams from the direct link given below. Here you will find the direct link to check Calicut University Exam Result 2019.
Latest University of Calicut Exam Results 2019-20
Examination Name
Release Date
Results Link
Result of VIII Semester B.Tech. (2k Scheme) Supplementary Examination December 2014
The University of Calicut is the largest University in Kerala. Established in the year 1968, it is the second university to be set up in Kerala. The University aims to nurture excellence in education and research in its catchment areas of Northern Kerala, historically consigned to the periphery of Kerala's academic map. Calicut University lays its emphasis on fostering quality human resource that benefits both local communities and wider humanity. The University created through a Government plan bifurcating Kerala University. The four post-graduate departments of the University of Kerala operating in Calicut annexed to the new University along with 54 constituent colleges spread across 7 northern districts.
University of Calicut Regular/ Supplementary Result
Students, those who have not cleared or got low marks in the University examinations can apply for the Revaluation. This is is a second chance for the students to increase their marks in subjects in which they have scored low marks. If students have written the main exam well and still got a low score or having doubts in the correction of the exam paper it is a choice to increase their marks. Currently, the Calicut University has released the revaluation results for UG, PG with all-region Students. So Students can check the Revaluation results from the official website as well as on this page.
Are you searching for UPTET Syllabus 2019? Then, bingo!!! you are in the right destination. Here we have given UPTET Recruitment 2019 syllabus along with exam pattern details. However, go through the entire article to score better marks in the exam and get selected for the post.
UPTET Syllabus 2019 Pdf
UPTET Job Notification 2019 yet to release by Uttar Pradesh Basic Education Board (UPBEB) for various posts in the upcoming months. Interested candidates keep in track with this article to get all the updates related to UPTET 2019 notification syllabus in Hindi.
UPTET exam contains 2 papers organized by UPBEB Board through which primary schools (Class 1 to 5) and upper primary (Class 6 to 8) Teachers recruited. Aspirants who want to teach students from class 1 to 5 need to pass paper 1. Similarly, applicants interested in teaching students from class 6 to 8 need to pass paper 2. To crack the exam successfully it is important to prepare according to syllabus & exam pattern for the exam. Further, check the below section to know the exam details.
To crack the exam successfully it is important to understand the exam pattern. it gives an idea about the structure of the exam and the type of questions asked in the exam. Check the table given below to get detailed exam pattern information.
Uttar Pradesh TET Paper 1 Syllabus & Exam Pattern 2019
Topics
No of Questions
Exam Duration
Mathematics
30
150 Minutes
Child Development and Teaching
30
Language 1 (Hindi)
30
Language 2 (English, Urdu, Sanskrit)
30
Environmental Studies (EVS)
Thirty (30)
Total
150 Q
UPTET Paper 2 Exam Pattern & Syllabus 2019
Topics
No of Questions
Exam Duration
Language 1
30
150 Minutes
Language 2
30
Child Development and Teaching
30
Science & Mathematics OR Social Science
60
Total
150 Q
The exam will be of objective type questions.
Qualifying marks will be 90.
UPTET Exam Paper will be bilingual in both Hindi & English
Uttar Pradesh Adhyaapak (अध्यापक) Syllabus 2019 in Hindi Pdf
The detailed syllabus of UPTET Primary & Upper Primary Teachers in present under this section. Candidates can also download UPTET official syllabus pdf through the link that is given in the below section of the article.
Uttar Pradesh Teacher Eligibility Test Syllabus 2019 Paper 1 Exam
The important topics to refer to crack paper 1 exam successfully is given in this section. Check it out !!!
UPTET Primary Syllabus for Child Development & Pedagogy
The concept of development and its relationship with learning
Principles of Child Development
The basic processes of learning and teaching, learning strategies of children, as a social activity, learning: the social context of learning.
Child as a Problem Solver and a Scientific Investigator
Understand child’s errors as an important concept of learning in children, important steps in the learning process. Inspiration and sensations, inspiration and learning
Factors contributing to learning
Child-centered and progressive education concepts
The critical vision of the formation of intellectualism
Multi-dimensional intellectualism
Linguistic and contemplative society as gender formation: gender roles. Gender bias and educational behavior
Explain the differences based on the diversity of individual differences, language, caste, gender, community, religion among the learners.
Differences between assessment and evaluation of learning for learning, school-based assessment
Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation: Sense and Behavior
To evaluate the level of preparation of learners; Preparation of suitable questions for classroom teaching and thoughtful thinking and achievement of the learner.
Effect of heredity and environment
Socialization processes: Social world and child (teachers, guardians and friends)
Piaget, Colberg, and Vygotsky: Construction and Illustrated Perspectives
UPTET Syllabus of Hindi Language
Language Comprehension
Pedagogy of language development
Spotting error/ Sentence Correction
Idiom and Phrases
Fill in the blanks
Antonyms and synonyms
Uttar Pradesh UPTET (English/Urdu/Sanskrit) Language Syllabus
Language skills
Comprehension
Pedagogy of language development
UP TET Maths New Syllabus in Hindi Pdf
Number system
Shapes and geometry
Data handling
Measurements and units
UPTET Environment Syllabus 2019 in Hindi Pdf
Family and friends
Shelters
Water, travel
Things we make and do
Food and nutrition
Syllabus of UPTET 2019 Paper 2 Exam
The topics to refer before going to attend the paper 2 exams is given under this section. Read further to know more about it.
UPTET Child development & pedagogy Syllabus in Hindi
Child development concept
Inclusive learning and understanding language children with special needs
Learning and pedagogy
UP TET Syllabus for Language I (Mandatory/Compulsory)
Unseen Passage
Language Pedagogy
Grammar
UPTET Syllabus for Language II (Mandatory/Compulsory)
Mathematics – Number system & simplification, percentage & ratio, time, work, speed &distance, algebra & mensuration, geometry, average, profit & loss, pedagogy of mathematics
Science – Food & Materials, How things work, moving things, people and ideas, natural phenomenon and resources, the world of the living, pedagogy of science
Social studies – History, geography, social and political life, economics and static GK, UP Related questions, social studies pedagogy
UPTET Syllabus 2019 – Important Links Need to be Considered
MIDHANI Recruitment 2019: Apply Online | 17 Manager, Office Attendant & Other Vacancies. Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited has released a Job Notification for hiring 17 Manager, Turner, Office Attendant & Other Posts. Aspirants can start applying online from 11th December 2019. The closing date for online application is 25th December 2019. The Selection process for all non-executive posts will be through written test and trade/skill test. The selection process will take place in Hyderabad, Telangana. Candidates who aspire to be a part of MIDHANI Careers can apply for the same by paying an application fee.
Candidates who are eligible for MIDHANI Jobs can apply online for the same with the link given below. Details on eligibility, pay scale, age limit, application fee, etc. are given below. Interested and eligible candidates can view the MIDHANI Recruitment Notification 2019 and then read carefully the eligibility criteria and the instructions to apply online.
There are a total of 17 vacancies for the various posts in MIDHANI Recruitment 2019. The details of vacancies given in the MIDHANI Recruitment Notification 2019 is as follows:
Name of the Post
Number of Posts
Reservation
Dy. Manager (Quality Management)
01
OBC – 1
Manager (Process Control)
01
OBC – 1
Manager (Quality Management)
01
OBC – 1
Manager (Purchase)
01
SC – 1
Sr. Manager (Mechanical Maintenance)
01
OBC – 1
Sr. Manager (Electrical Maintenance)
01
ST – 1
Sr. Manager (Purchase)
01
SC – 1
Dy. General Manager (Rolling Mills)
01
SC – 1
Dy. General Manager (Refractory Maintenance)
01
ST – 1
Dy. General Manager (Maintenance)
01
OBC – 1
Office Attendant (WG-0)
02
ST – 2
Turner (WG-3)
02
OBC – 2
Junior Assistant (WG-4)
02
SC – 2
Lab Technician (WG-5)
01
OBC – 1
Total
17 Posts
Eligibility Criteria for MIDHANI Recruitment 2019
Candidates interested in MIDHANI Jobs can check their eligibility with the details below to apply online.
Nationality:
Only Indian nationals may apply for MIDHANI Recruitment 2019
Academic Qualification:
Name of the Post
Educational Qualification
Minimum Experience
Dy. Manager (Quality Management)
BE / B.Tech in Metallurgical/ Material Science/ Mechanical Engineering
2 Years
Manager (Process Control)
BE / B.Tech in Metallurgical Engineering
7 Years
Manager (Quality Management)
BE / B.Tech in Metallurgical/ Material Science/ Mechanical Engineering
7 Years
Manager (Purchase)
BE / B.Tech and MBA preferably in Materials Management / PG Diploma in Materials Management
7 Years
Sr. Manager (Mechanical Maintenance)
BE / B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering
10 Years
Sr. Manager (Electrical Maintenance)
BE / B.Tech in Electrical/ Instrumentation Engineering
10 Years
Sr. Manager (Purchase)
BE / B.Tech and MBA
10 Years
Dy. General Manager (Rolling Mills)
BE / B.Tech in Metallurgical/ Mechanical Engineering
12 Years
Dy. General Manager (Refractory Maintenance)
BE / B.Tech in Ceramic Engineering
12 Years
Dy. General Manager (Maintenance)
BE / B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering
12 Years
Office Attendant (WG-0)
7th Class pass
4 Years
Turner (WG-3)
SSC + ITI (Turner) with NAC
4 Years
Junior Assistant (WG-4)
B.E/B. Tech with certificate course in PC Operation from reputed/ recognized institution (or) Degree having PC operation as one of the subjects is essential
2 Years
Lab Technician (WG-5)
B.Sc (Chemistry/Physics) or 60% marks in Diploma in Engineering (Metallurgy)
3 Years
Read the official notification for more details on MIDHANI Vacancies 2019.
Age Limit for MIDHANI Jobs 2019-20:
For MIDHANI Recruitment 2019, the officials of the board have given the maximum age limit
Name of the Post
Upper Age Limit
Dy. Manager (Quality Management)
35 Years
Manager (Process Control)
40 Years
Manager (Quality Management)
40 Years
Manager (Purchase)
40 Years
Sr. Manager (Mechanical Maintenance)
45 Years
Sr. Manager (Electrical Maintenance)
45 Years
Sr. Manager (Purchase)
45 Years
Dy. General Manager (Rolling Mills)
45 Years
Dy. General Manager (Refractory Maintenance)
45 Years
Dy. General Manager (Maintenance)
45 Years
Office Attendant (WG-0)
30 Years
Turner (WG-3)
30 Years
Junior Assistant (WG-4)
35 Years
Lab Technician (WG-5)
35 Years
The age limit mentioned above is for the unreserved category only. Age relaxation is available for OBC, SC, ST as per the regulations of Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited, Hyderabad.
Selection Process:
Selection for all executive posts will happen through an interview. In case the number of applicants is more, a written test may also be conducted
Selection for all non-executive posts will happen through written test and trade/skill test
Pay Scale for MIDHANI Recruitment 2019:
The pay scale for each post is as under.
Name of the Post
Scale of Pay (Rs.) (IDA Pattern)
CTC Per annum (approx.) Rs. In Lakhs
Dy. Manager (Quality Management)
50,000-3%-1,60,000
10.3 – 33.1
Manager (Process Control)
60,000-3%-1,80,000
12.4 – 37.3
Manager (Quality Management)
60,000-3%-1,80,000
12.4 – 37.3
Manager (Purchase)
60,000-3%-1,80,000
12.4 – 37.3
Sr. Manager (Mechanical Maintenance)
70,000-3%-2,00,000
14.5 – 41.4
Sr. Manager (Electrical Maintenance)
70,000-3%-2,00,000
14.5 – 41.4
Sr. Manager (Purchase)
70,000-3%-2,00,000
14.5 – 41.4
Dy. General Manager (Rolling Mills)
80,000-3%-2,20,000
16.5 – 45.6
Dy. General Manager (Refractory Maintenance)
80,000-3%-2,20,000
16.5 – 45.6
Dy. General Manager (Maintenance)
80,000-3%-2,20,000
16.5 – 45.6
Office Attendant (WG-0)
18,000-3%
3.6
Turner (WG-3)
21,000-3%
4.2
Junior Assistant (WG-4)
21,900-3%
4.4
Lab Technician (WG-5)
22,950-3%
4.6
MIDHANI Online Application Fee:
Category
Fee
General/OBC
Rs. 100/-
SC/ST
No fee
How to apply for MIDHANI Recruitment 2019?
Visit the MIDHANI official website @ www.midhani-india.in
Go to careers>E-recruitment
Read the notification details and instructions carefully
Fill in all the details correctly
Make sure to enter a valid mobile number and Email ID
Pay the application fee, as application, online
Upload all the relevant documents
Submit the online form before 5.00 pm on 14th December 2019
Take a print out of the submitted application form.
MIDHANI Recruitment 2019: Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited, often abbreviated as MIDHANI has released a notification for hiring 27 Assistant Manager, Manager, JOT, SOT & other posts. Aspirants can start applying online from 21st November 2019. The closing date for online application is 14th December 2019. The candidates will be selected based on their performance in the written test as well as the interview. The selection process will take place in Hyderabad, Telangana. Hired candidates will be placed in Hyderabad. Candidates who aspire to be a part of MIDHANI Careers can apply for the same by paying an application fee.
MIDHANI Recruitment 2019-20
Candidates who are eligible for MIDHANI Jobs can apply online for the same with the link given below. Details on eligibility, pay scale, age limit, application fee, etc. are given below. Candidates can also refer to the official notification for more details. The link to the official notification and online application is given below. Candidates must read all the details carefully before applying as any mistake in the application may lead to rejection.
There are a total of 27 vacancies for the various posts in MIDHANI Recruitment 2019. The details of vacancies given in the MIDHANI Recruitment Notification 2019 is as follows:
For Senior Operative Trainee (SOT) – Pickling Shop (WG-04)
35 Years.
The age limit mentioned above is for the unreserved category only. Age relaxation is available for OBC, SC, ST as per the regulations of Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited, Hyderabad.
Selection Process:
Selection for all executive posts will happen through an interview. In case the number of applicants is more, a written test may also be conducted
Selection for all non-executive posts will happen through written test and trade/skill test
For Senior Operative Trainee (SOT) – Pickling Shop (WG-04)
21,900-3%.
4.4/-.
MIDHANI Online Application Fee:
Category
Fee
General/OBC
Rs. 100/-
SC/ST
No fee
How to apply for MIDHANI Recruitment 2019?
Visit the MIDHANI official website @ www.midhani-india.in
Go to careers>E-recruitment
Read the notification details and instructions carefully
Fill in all the details correctly
Make sure to enter a valid mobile number and Email ID
Pay the application fee, as application, online
Upload all the relevant documents
Submit the online form before 5.00 pm on 14th December 2019
Take a print out of the submitted application form
General Information :
Incomplete/Incorrect applications will be rejected
Corrigendum if any, related to MIDHANI Recruitment 2019, will be notified on only on the official website
Bringing outside influence or canvassing will lead to disqualification
Written test and Skill/Trade test will be in English only
Hired managers will have to execute a bond for a period of 3 years
Hired JOTs and SOTs will be under training for a period of 1 year
Applicants from Govt/Quasi Govt/PSU/ should submit a No Objection Certificate for MIDHANI Recruitment at the time of written test/Trade test or interview, failing which they will not be allowed to attend the selection procedure
Admit card/Hall Ticket will be released 10 days prior to the date of the test and can be downloaded from the official website
Further details of date, time and venue of the selection process will be informed through the website or via mail/SMS
For outstation students, to and fro train tickets will be reimbursed
Address:
Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited, PO Kanchanbagh,
Hyderabad, Telangana – 500058
Contact Details for queries regarding MIDHANI Recruitment:
Telephone Number – +91-40-2434000/01/02/03/04/05/06
MIDHANI is a high tech Metallurgical industry located in Hyderabad, Telangana. It falls under the administrative control of the Ministry of Defence of India. MIDHANI is engaged in the manufacture of superalloys and special steels in various forms and shapes. It caters to the strategic sector like Defence, Space, Atomic energy and also to commercial sectors. Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited has around 775 employees.
HSL Recruitment 2019: Hindustan Shipyard Limited invites applications from interested candidates for Manager posts. The posts include Assistant Manager, Senior Manager, General Manager, and Manager jobs. There are a total of 23 vacancies for the said posts. Candidates can start applying from 11th December 2019. The last date to apply online for the HSL Recruitment is 11th January 2020. Candidates can check for eligibility and apply for HSL Recruitment.
HSL Recruitment 2019-20
Interested candidates can start by checking eligibility with the details given below. If the candidate is eligible, they can check all the other details given below like pay scale, application fee and follow the procedure to apply online. Only online applications. Candidates can refer to the official notification in case they have queries after reading the article. A link to the official notification, application form and website is provided below for reference.
Candidates interested in HSL Jobs can check their eligibility with the details below to apply online. Candidate must have completed graduation or post-graduation to be eligible for HSL Recruitment
Refer to the official website for details on the pay scale for HSL Jobs
HSL Online Application Fee:
Category
Application Fee
General/OBC
Rs. 300/-
SC/ST
No Fee
Application fee has to be paid offline through Demand Draft drawn in favour of “M/s Hindustan Shipyard Ltd.”, payable at Visakhapatnam.
How to apply for HSL Recruitment 2019?
Visit the official website @ www.hslvizag.in
Go to current opening recruitment
Find the advertisement for the post you want to apply for and read it carefully
Check if you are eligible
Open the application form
Fill in all the details correctly and make sure there are no errors
Submit the application form before the last date, i.e., 11th January 2020
Hall Ticket:
Candidate can download hall ticket for HSL recruitment from the official website 10 days before the exam is conducted. The same will be notified in the official website
NEW DELHI: Bharti Airtel chairman Sunil Mittal called on the government to ensure that the Indian telecom market continues to have three private carriers. He also urged the Centre and the judiciary to give "sympathetic consideration" to the industry's appeal for relief after the Supreme Court's order on adjusted gross revenue (AGR) left companies struggling.Mittal also said the telecom regulator needs to urgently intervene to fix a floor price for tariffs. This, he said, is required for the average revenue per user (ARPU) to rise to Rs 200 initially, and to Rs 300 over time, for the industry to be healthy and sustainable."The situation is dire — it is a matter of survival for everyone. Vodafone (Idea) is in losses, Airtel is in losses, (state-owned) BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd) is in losses," Mittal said.'We've been Killing Each Other'"There is one competitor who has unlimited access to finances — I wouldn't comment on that but the situation is bad," he said soon after a meeting with Department of Telecommunications (DoT) secretary Anshu Prakash on Wednesday. 72483385 "We have gone through several crises but this is the most difficult time for the industry," Mittal added.The presence of more companies is key to consumers being well served by competition."It is absolutely essential that we have three (private players) plus one (state-run) players," he said. "Lower the taxes and find ways and means to support the sector in one form or the other."He urged the Supreme Court to consider Bharti's review petition with understanding."The honourable SC needs to look at our review petition from the point of view that there are unintended consequences and lots of other companies, including public sector, are coming into this unreasonable AGR definition, which could have never been the intention," he said.He was referring to the government's recent clarification that the AGR order will be applicable to all telecom licensees, which includes companies such as GAIL, RailTel, Power Grid and others. These companies, which may have minor telecom businesses, may have to pay dues based on their entire revenue with retrospective effect."Our legal team were perhaps not able to persuade the honourable Supreme Court on the unreasonableness of DoT's AGR interpretation but equally, I think DoT didn't realise the unintended consequences on the larger ecosystem," said Mittal, adding that the government should have a "sympathetic view" towards the industry.Mittal said his comments were in the context of statements made by both Vodafone Group CEO Nick Read and Vodafone Idea chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla, both of whom have said in the recent past that the Indian telco will have to shut if it doesn't get any relief on AGR dues."It will be very self-serving for me to say that two plus one is fine. I, as a person who has watched this industry from scratch — I was the first private sector guy in telecom — so, from that point of view I think India needs three plus one," Mittal said, referring to analysts who have said that Bharti Airtel stands to gain if Vodafone Idea collapses. He pointed out China, the world's largest market, has three and the US has four operators.MORATORIUM NOT ENOUGHThe recent two-year moratorium on spectrum payments won't do much to help Vodafone Idea unless there is relief on the AGR dues. "Otherwise, it is just deferment with interest," Mittal said.Vodafone Idea was left facing statutory dues of over Rs 53,000 crore, as per the telecom department's calculations, following the October 24 Supreme Court verdict that broadened the definition of AGR to include non-core items. The amount could go up, the government has said. Bharti Airtel faces over Rs 35,500 crore in additional dues comprising licence fees, spectrum usage charges (SUC), interest and penalties.Both telcos, which have filed separate review petitions, reported record losses of over Rs 50,000 crore and Rs 23,000 crore in the July-September quarter, respectively, owing to provisions for the AGR dues. The government has previously said it can't give AGR relief, unless directed to do so by the court.Licence holders have to pay about 8% of AGR to DoT as fees. Telcos also need to pay 3-4% of AGR as SUC.Fifteen telecom companies that were directly party to the case owe the government about Rs 1.47 lakh crore. The industry estimates that non-telecom companies that have telecom licences may have to pay about Rs 2.28 lakh crore, calculated from the time they got their respective permits.Mittal said that non-telecom companies such as GAIL, RailTel, Power Grid and Delhi Metro will now be charged licence fees even for the sale of gas or train tickets as per the wider interpretation of the apex court ruling, which shouldn't be the case."Ramifications were huge and therefore the review petition is in front of the honourable SC and we hope they will look into this whole thing," he added. He said the AGR dues have added to the woes of the industry, which has been swamped by "unprecedented competition" for over three years—since the entry of Reliance Jio in September 2016—which has hurt balance sheets and caused financial stress, triggering the exit of eight operators."In the quest for being in the market, we have been killing each other for three and a half years," Mittal said. "It is an odd situation — we need a digital ecosystem to support new age industries but equally, the industry is in a crisis".RARE SITUATIONHe added that setting a floor for tariffs was essential."It is a rare situation where we have written to the Trai (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India), saying please regulate us, because the industry is killing itself. Tariff needs to go up, industry needs to become viable," said Mittal. "Also, the fact that the three of us (Airtel, Reliance Jio Infocomm and Vodafone Idea) have written to the regulator says something. First time, the COAI (Cellular Operators Association of India) has an agreement to write something."Last week, all three carriers, through COAI, asked the sector regulator to establish floor pricing for data services soon. Due to fierce rivalry, tariff correction was not possible voluntarily by any carrier, it said."My own view is India needs to be eventually at Rs 300 (ARPU), per month which means customers at low end need to pay about Rs 100 and higher end need to pay Rs 450-500, where they are consuming a lot," he said.The government needs to lower levies to help the industry."You can't have telecom services being taxed like the sin tax! 30% of revenues are going in one form or the other—that must come down," said Mittal.He urged the telecom ministry to take up issues such as lowering licence fees and SUC in some forum, given that the panel of secretaries set up to provide relief to the industry didn't take decisions on those matters.Mittal wasn't hopeful of a refund of the Rs 36,000 crore input tax credit lying with the finance ministry, given the government's finances."It is our money sitting with the government and even if they cannot refund it, can they at least offset it? Rs 36,000 crore, this is sizeable sum of money, we get no interest on this but we pay interest," said Mittal.He said however that Bharti Airtel was fighting it out in the market place."We are in a better situation—we have now decided to raise funds," Mittal said. "However, if you have to go in for network expansion, invest in newer technologies, bid for 5G spectrum and then build a 5G ecosystem which India deserves, then industry needs to be viable."Referring to the Bharti Airtel statement in the fiscal second quarter regarding concerns about viability if it couldn't raise money on its terms in the face of the AGR dues, Mittal said, "That is an accounting standard… They (auditor Deloitte) called it out. It isn't my interpretation or view of the company… It is a standard and that is why we are in the market to raise money."
NEW DELHI: India's personal data protection bill offers stronger provisions to users seeking deletion of their information from commercial and social platforms compared with European privacy laws according to officials and legal experts. The new Bill provides for Right to Erasure, in addition to the provision of Right to be forgotten in the draft bill submitted by a panel led by retired Supreme Court judge Justice BN Srikrishna.The Bill allows individuals to approach the adjudicating officer under the independent regulator (the Data Protection Authority) to restrict or delete personal content that meets certain predefined criteria. The EU, meanwhile, puts the onus on the user to reach out to data controllers of companies such as Google and Facebook to delete such content.A top government official told ET that the rules in India will apply to any organisation that has user data including "search engines".Legal experts are of the view that there are several implementation challenges with the provisions and the real test will come in defining what user data was required to perform the task in hand and how to ascertain that it's purpose was now over. "It is likely to be one of the most crucial features of the Bill, the right to be forgotten may see some of the longest debates or court room battles as companies would want to design their consent requirement broadly versus data principals or individuals wanting it to narrow," said Dipti Lavya Swain, partner at HSA Advocates.Allowing users to seek deletion of their data was among the points that saw intense debates when the Right to be Forgotten was first coined in 2014 after a legal battle involving search giant Google. EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) subsequently adopted the provisions when it was being framed in 2016. For instance, deletion of a search engine result throwing up past crimes that an individual has subsequently been absolved of led to arguments by people demanding that such information should not be deleted and should remain as a public record."The new Bill is stronger in terms of protecting the user privacy from private entities. In this regard, the Bill is an improvement over the 2018 draft," said Udbhav Tiwari, policy advisor, Mozilla Corporation. Tiwari added the new Bill has added the provision around Right to Erasure, which says that users can ask data fiduciaries to delete the data which is no longer necessary for the purpose it was collected for. "The earlier provisions were not clear and didn't create such active obligations on the service provider around erasure."A member of the Justice BN Srikrishna Committee which drafted the PDP Bill said that it remains to be seen how Right to be Forgotten and Erasure will be implemented."We got the feedback from companies that Right to be Forgotten is the most difficult provision to implement in the GDPR." Even if the data fiduciary deletes the data, what happens to newspaper reports about the same incident, these are questions which will need to be carefully considered, the person told ET.
The cost of transferring shares from one account to another — including off-market trades — is set to go up from next year. A finance ministry notification on Tuesday said various such transactions will now attract stamp duty from January 9. Also, all transactions done on stock exchanges will have the same stamp duty rates across the country.Till now, off-market share transactions were not subjected to this tax. Various states collected stamp duty at different rates. In the Union Budget on February 5, the government announced a simplified stamp duty collection process for listed securities, bringing in a unified rate. From January 9, stock exchanges will collect the stamp duty for trading stocks and commodities on exchanges and depository will collect for any off-market transactions at a unified rate and deposit the proceeds with the central government, which in turn will divide it among the states.The new stamp duty for equity delivery trades would be only on the buy-side of the transaction at 0.0.15 per cent or Rs 1,500 per crore. Currently, it is charged on both buy and sell trades. 72483718 For intra-day equity and options (equity and commodities) trades, the new stamp duty would be 0.003 per cent or Rs 300 per crore. For futures — equity and commodities — it will be 0.002 per cent or Rs 200 per crore and for currency, it will be 0.0001 per cent or Rs 10 per crore.Stamp duty is charged per contract note and based on traded volume. Currently, brokers collect from clients and pay to the respective state governments."Active traders from Tamil Nadu, Goa, Daman & Diu will benefit from the new uniform stamp duty collection while traders based out of states where there was a maximum cap on the stamp duty per day like Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana and Odisha will be affected" said Nitin Kamath, founder of discount brokerage Zerodha. "It remains nearly unchanged for most other states like Maharashtra and Delhi".Most states collected stamp duty in the range of Rs 200 to Rs 300 per crore for intraday/derivatives. Some states like Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Haryana, Odisha, Telengana and Uttar Pradesh had a maximum cap per contract note. For instance, Andhra Pradesh currently charges stamp duty of 0.005 per cent or Rs 50 per contract whichever is maximum. Similarly, Uttar Pradesh charges 0.002 per cent or Rs 1,000 per contract whichever is maximum.Several brokerages have been choosing their place of incorporation in destinations like Daman and Goa where the stamp duty rate is lower. For instance, Maharashtra collects a stamp duty of 0.01 per cent for delivery-based trades which is double of Daman's 0.005 per cent slab. Bringing in a uniform rate will do away with such advantages.
NEW DELHI: ITC is extending its nascent frozen foods business to a range of new products and smaller towns and cities to compete with more established rivals such as McCain Foods and Godrej Yummiez, even as it chases an ambitious target of Rs 1 lakh crore non-tobacco FMCG sales by 2030."Our focus is on expanding category penetration to retail and food services, including in tier II and III markets, through products and competitive pricing," said Sachid Madan, chief executive (frozen snacks) at the Kolkata-based conglomerate.The company has rolled out a range of vegetarian and non-veg frozen snacks under its ITC Master Chef franchise to add to its frozen prawns. The products are targeted at both retail consumers and to supply to restaurants and hotels."We are leveraging the backend, and the category ecosystem will also benefit farmers through better prices and lower wastage," Madan said.The frozen food category, estimated at Rs 7,400 crore, is growing 15-17% a year in the country, riding on convenience, taste and pricing, even though on a much a smaller base than mature packaged foods categories such as biscuits and noodles that are growing in mid-single digits.The frozen snacks segment accounts for a meagre 2.5% of the overall packaged foods market. But the category has a growth potential of 20 times in five years, Madan said. The market dynamics are being driven by retail (Rs 1,400 crore), food services (Rs 2,400 crore), and export (Rs 3,600 crore), he said.For the quarter ended September 30, ITC's gross revenue grew 5.9% year-on-year at Rs 11,750.2 crore, driven mainly by paperboards, hotels and the non-cigarette FMCG business comprising packaged food, personal care, stationary products, agarbatti and safety matches.72483405 The non-cigarette FMCG business grew 4% in gross revenue at Rs 3,288.31 crore, riding on foods categories such as potato chips, biscuits and personal care.The Indian food processing industry is expected to expand at a compounded annual growth rate of 11.5% for five years from 2017-18 to reach a value of Rs 15,97,000 crore by FY23, according to a report by global market research store Research & Markets.Key growth drivers for the industry include breakfast cereals, dairy food, bakery, organic food, confectionary, ready meals, naturally healthy beverages, pet food, ingredients, and savoury snacks, the report said. Breakfast cereals and savoury snacks are the fastest-growing segments and are expected to expand at 19.2% and 33.6%, respectively, in the period between 2018 to 2023.The report listed high costs of transportation and trader margins at various levels of the distribution network as key growth hurdles.
MUMBAI: Nippon Express said India will be one of its most critical markets in helping increase the share of overseas revenue to half the total at Japan's biggest logistics company. It expects to treble sales from markets outside Japan to $12 billion by 2028.In September, Nippon acquired a 22% stake in the logistics arm of Future Group for Rs 646 crore."Only after GST implementation in 2017, the consumer logistics industry in India has changed but it is still highly fragmented. For us, it is the top market in terms of growth potential," Satoshi Horikiri, senior managing executive officer at Nippon Express, told ET.The Future Supply Chain offers various third-party services, including express cargo and temperature-controlled logistics in India. Nippon is focusing on international freight forwarding of cargo arriving in and departing from the country.India is part of Nippon's bigger push to capitalise on new growth opportunities on the back of modernisation of the road infrastructure network, reorganization of traditional supply chain networks due to the implementation of GST and consumption growth driven by a fast growing middle income group.Nippon said it will bring global clients, including Uniqlo and 7-Eleven, in India to broaden its customer base. Japan's largest fashion brand Uniqlo entered India two months ago, while the country's wholesale conglomerate Mitsui & Co is in talks with Kishore Biyani's Future Group to invest in a company that will supply fresh food to the upcoming 7-Eleven stores."Several Japanese companies that have recently entered or are keen to launch consumer and retail business in India are apprehensive about issues in terms of logistics and distribution. Now, we can handle these clients through the Future Group partnership. At the same time, we will also offer our global logistics services to Indian customers via FSC," said Horikiri.
GENEVA: Airlines across the globe and in India will continue to face overcapacity problem, further cramping their ability to charge higher for air tickets, which is currently 62% lower than in 1998.International Air Transport Association (IATA) chief economist Brian Pearce said that the problem of capacity is set increase in calendar year 2020.Data Pearce shared shows that airlines across the globe added 5.1% of the total fleet in 2019 and the number is set to increase by over 2 percentage points in 2020. The prediction is that airlines across the globe would add about 2,100 aircraft in 2020, which will be 7.5% of the total aircraft capacity in the world based on available seat kilometres (ASK)."Increased capacity induction is set to keep fares stressed all across the globe," Pearce said."Flying is becoming more affordable. The average return fare in 2019, before surcharges and taxes, is forecast to be 62% lower than in 1998, after adjusting for inflation," IATA DG Alexandre de Juniac said in his speech.This means that young people in emerging economies are exposed to travel opportunities that their parents could only have dreamed of at the same age, he added.72483491 While lower fares have made flying affordable in India, airlines have started to complain about excess capacity in the market that is leading to lower fares for passengers, impacting the bottom line of airlines. The rush by airlines to add planes and launch flights on slots vacated by Jet Airways has led to overcapacity in the Indian market, slashed fares and losses piling up for carriers.According to the winter schedule, airlines have announced a high double-digit increase in capacity, filling the space created on key routes after Jet's demise.Overcapacity has kept fares under stress even during the festive season that sees an uptick in travel. While airlines complain about excess capacity, market leader IndiGo feels that there is no overcapacity in the Indian market and feels that the airline 'does not have enough planes to add flights.' IATA, however, forecast better numbers for the airline industry and says the global airline industry will produce a net profit of $29.3 billion in 2020, improved over a net profit of $25.9 billion expected in 2019 (revised downward from a $28 billion forecast in June). If achieved, 2020 will mark the industry's eleventh consecutive year in the black.The agency also adds that the profitability will be concentrated with the top 30 airlines and airlines in many regions will report losses or decline in numbers.(The reporter is in Geneva at the invitation of IATA)
Tobacco-to-consumer goods conglomerate ITC is languishing near its lowest levels of 2019 amid concerns the upcoming Goods and Services Tax Council, which is meeting on December 18, could increase taxes on cigarettes. Notwithstanding the worries about a possible tax hike on cigarettes, most analysts have 'buy' recommendations on the stock as ITC is among the cheapest consumer stocks, trading at a discount of around 30 per cent to its 10-year average valuation.The stock ended up 1 per cent at Rs 238 on Wednesday, near its 52-week low of Rs 234.10 which was hit on September 18. With GST collections of states falling short, there are rising expectations of a tax hike on cigarettes which has led to ITC shares falling over 20 per cent from their recent peak in April this year and 8 per cent in the last one month."States are not happy with the cess they are getting from the central government so the fear is that cigarette taxes may go up as it is one of the key components of the cess. It has been around 18-19 months since there have been no tax hike on cigarettes, so at some stage the taxes have to go up," said Abneesh Roy, senior vice-presidentinstitutional equities at Edelweiss."Valuations are cheap and profits are growing at 9-10 per cent but if the tax hike is over 10 per cent, it will be seen negatively as it will then impact volumes. A 5-8 per cent hike will be absorbed," said Roy. The group derived 46 per cent of its total revenues from cigarettes. Consumer businesses contribute 25 per cent to its revenue. Hotels and agri-businesses contributed 4 per cent and 12 per cent to its total revenues, respectively.ITC, which sells brands such as Sunfeast biscuits and Gold Flake cigarettes, is trading at 19.1 times estimated price-to-earnings ratio, according to Bloomberg data. Of the 38 analysts tracking the stock, 34 have a 'buy' rating and four analysts have a 'hold' rating.The company posted a standalone profit growth of 36.2 per cent in the three-months ended September at Rs 4,023 crore – its highest ever quarterly profit-due to fall in tax expenses and tax credit. Its cigarette business posted 6 per cent growth in gross revenue at Rs 5,326.8 crore.Rising competition from peers in the tobacco sector has also weighed on the stock recently, said some analysts. ITC has underperformed the BSE FMCG index which is down about 5 per cent in the last one month. 72467029 "The company is facing competition from VST Industries and GPI – both of them have 10 per cent market share each now and they are going pan-India. The company has not been able to take price hikes because of the economic slowdown and competition from other players," said Vishal Gutka, VP-consumer and retail at Phillip Capital. "Volume growth has been in low-single digits in the last few quarters and we don't see any meaningful upside. If the cess on cigarettes is hiked, volume may even decline," said Gutka. Phillip Capital has a 'buy' rating on the stock despite these concerns as it is one of the cheapest consumer stocks.Others believe that any impact on volumes in the event of a cigarette tax hike will be temporary.An analysis of historical trends confirms that when consumers are faced with a tax increase on cigarettes after a period of relatively benign pricing, the impact on volumes is short lived, said Morgan Stanley, which has an 'overweight' rating on ITC with a target price of Rs 370.IIFL believes that a cigarette tax hike is possible but it is not a near uncertainty which the market seems to be pricing in. "A nil-tomoderate tax hike will remove the event risk on the stock. The case for a high-tax hike is weak, given the lack of revenue-generating potential and a resultant surge in demand for illegal cigarettes," said Percy Panthanki of IIFL in a note on Wednesday.
Mumbai: The yields on government's 10-year treasury bill surged yet again on Wednesday to close at a 12-week high, as market traders, partly spooked by global rating agency S&P's warning over a possible downgrade of India's sovereign rating, continued their selling spree."If this (GDP) recovery does not materialize, and it becomes clear that India's structural growth has significantly deteriorated, we could lower the rating," S&P Global Ratings credit analyst Andrew Wood said on Wednesday. The rating agency also forecast the real GDP growth to further decelerate to 5.1%.The yields gained five basis points on Wednesday to close at 6.76 per cent. The benchmark yield has now surged 27 basis points in five trading sessions since the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) unanimously decided to keep repo rates on hold on Thursday; a decision which largely belied market expectations given the sluggish economic performance in recent times.One basis point is 0.01 percentage point. Bond yields rise when prices fall."A lot of positions got built along the yield curve in shorter and longer end bonds. Now one doesn't know. The food inflation is set to remain high…there are a lot of uncertainties which is something the markets don't like," said Sandeep Bagla, associate director at Trust Group. "People might as well sell and stay out because the interest curve is getting steeper and bearish."RBI has forecasted inflation in the second half of the current fiscal to be in the range of 5.1-4.7% as against the previous estimate 3.5-3.7 percent, which has led many market participants to believe that the rate cut pause taken by the central bank could be prolonged. RBI also sharply reduced its growth forecast for 2019-20 to 5 percent from 6.1 percent. India's economy grew at 4.5% in July-September, the weakest pace in more than 6 years.Furthermore, bond street traders may also have been wary of taking any fresh position before the release of consumer price index (CPI) inflation figures for the month of November on Thursday, market observers pointed out."It is almost a belated realization in the market that fiscal space for policy action is now constrained," said K Harihar of FirstRand Bank.Meanwhile, the rupee strengthened to 70.84 a dollar, up 12% from its previous close.
BENGALURU: Social media giant Facebook has revamped a programme that checks for fake news on its platform, with users now being alerted to such posts as soon as they view it.Facebook started a pilot factchecking program in Karnataka last year through a partnership with fact-checking portal Boom, followed by one with Vishvas-.News. The company will now also check facts in partnership with AFP India, Fact Crescendo, Factly, Newsmobile Fact Checker, The Quint and India Today Fact Check.Facebook said in a blog post that it will use "both technology and human review to remove fake accounts, promote news literacy and disrupt the financial incentives of spammers". The fake news posts will be rated as 'false, mixture, false headline, opinion, satire', among other definitions. The initiative will be rolled out in as many as 12 languages. The company had earlier tested the same in countries such as Singapore and the Netherlands.Facebook did not respond to ET's queries seeking details of the programme till press time on Wednesday. Facebook will first identify the fake news, review its content and then narrow down its reach.The company will also act against pages that 'repeatedly share false news' and reduce both the moneymaking potential of such pages and their advertising revenue.72483607 Advertising budgets and revenues will take a hit if pages that peddle fake news are removed, said Karthik Srinivasan, a communications consultant. "Many (political) parties and others share their agenda or posts through such pages. If these pages start being removed, these parties are bound to be hit," Srinivasan said.Facebook will, however, exempt posts from politicians. "If a claim is made directly by a politician on their page, in an ad or on their website, it is considered direct speech and ineligible for our third-party factchecking programme," it said. However, Facebook wrote that, "when a politician shares a specific piece of content — i.e. a link to an article, video or photo created by someone else that has been previously debunked on Facebook — we will demote that content, display a warning and reject its inclusion in ads."The new fact-checking programme "will help in removing fake news and create more awareness among citizens. This will also help law enforcement agencies to trace offenders," said Rajshekhar Rajharia, a cybersecurity expert who assists the police in solving cases related to cybercrime.Political parties hire people to create fake news posts and Facebook has become the main platform to spread such stories, said a social media expert who did not wish to be named.
New Delhi: Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal told Lok Sabha on Wednesday that 2,85,890 jobs are reported by 23,657 DPIIT recognized start-ups, as on December 4, 2019. Of these, the highest of 52,847 were reported in Maharashtra followed by Karnataka.As on November 21, 2019, SIDBI has committed Rs 3123.20 crore to 47 SEBI registered Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs). These funds have raised a corpus fund of Rs 25,728 Crore. "Rs 695.94 Crore have been drawn from the Fund of Funds for start-ups. Rs 2,669.83 Crore have been invested into 279 startups," he said.Separately, he informed Parliament that 5,620 cheating incidents have been reported on e-commerce platforms in the April-November period."For improving the mutual coordination between e-Commerce companies and retailers, stakeholder consultation are being held," he said.Referring to a Nasscom report, he said that Indian e-commerce market registered an estimated growth of approximately 24% in 2018 to reach $43 billion. Further, it is estimated that it will reach to $54 billion in 2019.
Sanjeev Bikhchandani: The career entrepreneur If there was someone who had total faith in his ability to build a business and backed him to the hilt, it was his jeevansathi, Surabhi, a batchmate from IIM Ahmedabad. Those were tough times and the business took a lot out of him. What it couldn't take out were some of his middle class values.
Rising renewables penetration to hit discoms Currently, the cost of renewable energy is cushioned by indirect subsidies such as waivers of transmission charge of around Rs 1.5-2 per unit, speakers said. Further, dedicated transmission lines for renewable plants are utilised only around 20% due to the intermittent nature of power generation from such sources, raising its real cost.
3one4 Capital announces closure of two dedicated seeds and opportunity funds The fund currently stands oversubscribed and has confirmed Rs 45 crore ($6.5 million) in commitments towards its final close. It is a dedicated seed fund that will focus on investing in the very first rounds of companies pursuing markets where 3one4 has developed core sets of thesis.