As India's quality of schooling plummets, here's how Budget 2019 can help

The school education system in India is facing a shortage of trained teachers and a lack of proper infrastructure.

 

Interim Budget 2019: India stepped up its spending on school education by 9.35% from 2014-15 (Rs 45,722.41 crore) to 2018-19 (Rs 50,000 crore). But education’s share in the total union budget fell from 2.55% to 2.05% in this period, according to an IndiaSpend analysis of budgetary data.

On February 1, 2019, when the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) presents its last budget before general elections, it will have to address a critical issue in India’s school education: Its quality compares poorly with many south Asian and BRICS nations even though India spends a higher percentage of its gross domestic product (GDP) on education.

In rural India, almost half of grade V students cannot read a grade II text and more than 70% them cannot do division, said the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2018. These numbers indicate a fall in standards over the last 10 years.

Twin problems of school funding: low allocation and underutilisation

Till April 2018, school education in India was mostly covered by three centrally-sponsored schemes:

• Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA or education for all) that aims to provide universal education to all children between the ages of 6 to 14 years.
• Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA or national middle education mission) which facilitates secondary education.
• Teacher Education which aims to create sound institutional infrastructure for pre-service and in-service training of elementary and secondary school teachers.

Read full News → Budget 2019 Expectations

Govt's intent to present 'regular budget' serious, grave: Congress

Tewari said the NDA-BJP government does not have the electoral mandate and it does not have the electoral legitimacy to present six full budgets in five years.

 

 

Interim Budget 2019: The Congress on Thursday said it will strongly oppose both inside and outside Parliament the presentation of a "full budget" by the BJP-led NDA government as it has "no electoral legitimacy" and the step will go against set precedents and Parliamentary traditions.

Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari termed as "serious and grave" reports claiming that the BJP-led Government was planning to present a "regular budget" and demanded that it should follow constitutional propriety and only presents a vote-on-account on February 1, 2019 ahead of general elections.

BJP sources have indicated that the Modi government is likely to present a full-fledged budget with a slew of announcements on welfare measures relating to farmers, youth and women.

"A budget is budget. The government is likely present a full-fledged budget. There is no such rule that the government before elections should not present a budget for the entire year. The new government may make changes after the polls if it so wishes," a sources in BJP said.

Tewari said if the reports in public space are correct then it would be "a flagrant violation" of all parliamentary conventions, procedures and traditions that have been followed over the past seven decades since the Constitution of India came into effect.

Read full News → Budget 2019 Expectations 

What 2019 Budget can do to help India clean its air, reduce coal addiction

Addressing policy issues are important if India is to fulfill its commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement 2015 to install 175 giga watt (GW).

 

Interim Budget 2019: India has one of the world’s largest programmes to expand renewables--a doubling of capacity over the next four years--but India’s ambitious 2022 target of generating enough non-coal energy to replace the equivalent of 175 coal-powered plants is veering off track

On February 1, 2019, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has a chance to get things back on track, help India reduce its addiction to coal, help clean the country’s air and meet the global climate-change commitments of the world’s fourth-fastest growing carbon polluter

After record growth in the installed capacity of renewables over the four years to 2017, capacity addition slowed down in 2018. The main reasons: an anti-dumping duty imposed by the government on imported solar modules to aid domestic manufacturing, higher rates of taxation under the goods and service tax (GST) and unclear policy.

So, the last budget before 2019 general elections is of particular significance to the renewables sector, which comprises electricity from solar, wind, hydro and bio power.

The upcoming budget can help remove policy uncertainties from the sector and provide “long-term indications”, Daanish Verma, executive vice president, sustainable investment banking, YES Bank, told IndiaSpend.

Read full News → Budget 2019 Expectations 

Yamaha India launches two bikes in FZ range: Check out the price, specs

The introduction of the new FZ-FI and FZS-FI with ABS followed the first launch of ABS-enabled YZF-R15 version 3.0 from the company in 2019.

 

Automobile News: Japanese two-wheeler major Yamaha Monday launched two new motorcycles in its FZ range in the premium segment priced up to Rs 97,000 (ex-showroom Delhi).

The two new products FZ-FI and FZS-FI equipped with advanced braking system, anti-lock braking system (ABS), are powered by 149 cc 4-stroke, single-cylinder engines, India Yamaha Motor (IYM) said in statement.

While the FZ-FI is priced at Rs 95,000, the FZ-S FI is tagged at Rs 97,000 (all prices ex-showroom Delhi), it added.

"The new launch from Yamaha will strengthen the company's presence in the deluxe class in India," Yamaha Motor India Group of companies Chairman Motofumi Shitara said.

The introduction of the new FZ-FI and FZS-FI with ABS followed the first launch of ABS-enabled YZF-R15 version 3.0 from the company in 2019.

Know More → Yamaha FZ Bikes 2019

 

Nissan launches new SUV 'Kicks' in India starting at Rs 9.55 lakh

It would be "available in four variants, XL, XV, XV Premium amd XV Premium+ in diesel, and two dynamic variants - XL, XV in petrol.

 

Automobile News: Automobile major Nissan launched its new SUV "Kicks" in India at an introductory price of Rs 9.55 lakh.

 

The car would offer "1.5H 4K" petrol option with five-speed manual transmission and "1.5K 9K dci" engine with six-speed manual transmission, Nissan said in a statement.

 

It would be "available in four variants, XL, XV, XV Premium amd XV Premium+ in diesel, and two dynamic variants - XL, XV in petrol.

 

Speaking at the launch event here, Peyman Kargar, Senior Vice President of Nissan Motor, said: "Our R&D and design teams in India developed the SUV in collaboration with our teams in Japan, Australia and Brazil. The new Nissan Kicks has Nissan Intelligent Mobility at its core."

 

The car also features anti-lock braking system (ABS), electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD) and brake assist system.

Know More → Nissan Kicks SUV 2019

Tata Harrier SUV Launched In India with prices starting at Rs 12.69 lakh

With the Harrier, Tata Motors is looking for significant gains in India's competitive utility vehicle market

 

Automobile News: Tata Motors' Harrier is all set to go on sale from Wednesday. With prices starting from Rs 12.69 lakh to Rs 16.25 lakh, the five-seater SUV will compete with the Jeep Compass, Hyundai Creta and the Mahindra XUV500.

 

With competitive pricing, the Harrier takes on the rivals head-on. While the Compass is priced at Rs 15.40 lakh to Rs 22.90 lakh, the Creta prices start at Rs 9.60 lakh, going up to Rs 15.64 lakh, and the XUV 500 is priced from Rs 12.65 lakh to Rs 19 lakh.

"The Harrier is a gamechanger for Tata Motors," said Guenter Butschek, chief executive and managing director at the firm, adding that it will take the brand perception of Tata Motors a notch higher.

With the Harrier, Tata Motors is looking for significant gains in India's competitive utility vehicle market where its share in the first nine months of the current financial year stands at 10.84 per cent over a year ago period, according to Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (Siam).

Powered by the 2.0-litre turbocharged diesel from Fiat Chrysler Automobile India, the model has a six-speed manual gearbox. While there’s no four-wheel drive, the Harrier does get ESP-based ‘Terrain Response’ modes — normal, wet and rough road.

Know More → Tata Harrier SUV

 

 

Maruti Suzuki launches new version of WagonR (Price, Mileage and Features)

The new WagonR with one-litre engine will deliver a fuel efficiency of 22.5 km per litre while the bigger 1.2 litre petrol powertain would return efficiency of 21.5 km per litre

Automobile News: The country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) Wednesday launched a new version of its hatchback WagonR priced between Rs 4.19 lakh and Rs 5.69 lakh (ex-showroom).

The new WagonR comes with a new 1.2-litre petrol engine option along with another choice of 1-litre powertrain. It also comes with an automatic gear shift variant.

The one-litre manual versions are priced at Rs 4.19 lakh and Rs 4.69 lakh while the automated gear shift trim is tagged at Rs 5.16 lakh.

The 1.2-litre variants are priced between Rs 4.89 lakh and Rs 5.69 lakh (all prices ex-showroom).

The vehicle has been developed on the Suzuki's fifth-generation HEARTECT platform and is wider and longer than its outgoing version.

As a result, the boot space has also gone up in the new model to 341 litres.

The company said the use of high tensile steel has improved the overall safety, rigidity and NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness) performance in the new offering.

Know more about → New Maruti WagonR 2019

Despite 2-child policy, China sees fewest births in almost 60 years in 2018

The number of babies born last year fell by some 2 million from 2017, to 15.23 million, it was the least since 1961 and the third-lowest since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

 

 

International News: Births in China dropped to the lowest level in almost 60 years in 2018, signaling the country’s looser two-child policy has done little to reverse its slowing birthrate, and worsening the outlook for growth in the world’s second-largest economy.

The number of babies born last year fell by some 2 million from 2017, to 15.23 million, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed on Monday. Demographer He Yafu said it was the least since 1961 and the third-lowest since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.

The demographics stand to fuel concerns about China’s economy, which is on a long-term slowing trajectory even as signs of stabilization suggest efforts to cushion its deceleration are taking hold. China’s expansion was the slowest since the 2009 financial crisis last quarter, as the government grapples with a debt cleanup and ongoing trade war with the U.S.

Signs of a steep drop in birth numbers had already emerged, as China’s major cities disclosed their birth figures for 2018. Wenzhou, a manufacturing hub and wealthy coastal city, saw its birth number drop to the lowest level in 10 years. A neighboring city, Ningbo, estimated births declined by about 17 percent.

↓ Read the full news here ↓

Two-Child Policy China

Clashes in Athens as tens of thousands protest Macedonian name deal

Flag-waving demonstrators had created a sea of blue and white on Syntagma square near the parliament, while much of the city center was closed to traffic and some metro stations shut as a precaution.

 

 

International News: Clashes between police and a group of masked protesters left several injured in Athens on Sunday as tens of thousands demonstrated against a name change deal with neighboring Macedonia that the Greek parliament is due to ratify in days.

The violence flared as Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras attempts to face down a political storm over his championing of a landmark agreement with Macedonia aimed at ending a 27-year dispute with Athens over the country's name.

Police estimates put the number of demonstrators at 60,000 at 1200 GMT, while organisers said 100,000 people had arrived for the rally, with hundreds of buses bringing demonstrators, especially from the region of northern Greece that also claims the Macedonia name.

Ten police were hurt in the protests, according to the Greek citizens' protection ministry, while a first aid station said two protesters were hospitalised with breathing difficulties.

Scuffles broke out after about 30 masked youths tried to force the closure of the parliament building, throwing stones and other projectiles. Riot police responded with volleys of tear gas, dispersing the crowd outside the legislature.

↓ Read the full news here ↓

Protest in Athens & Greece

Google faces protests over censored China search engine 'Project Dragonfly'

Several Google employees citing a lack of corporate transparency in the wake of the censored search engine project.

 

International News: Google's offices in the US, UK, Canada, India, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Sweden, Switzerland, and Denmark witnessed renewed protests by human rights groups over its plan to re-enter China through a censored search application code-named "Project Dragonfly".
The demonstrations were organised by a coalition of Chinese, Tibetan, Uighur, and human rights groups outside the tech giant's offices. The Tibetan advocacy groups that were protesting included Free Tibet and the International Tibet Network.
"They fear that a censored search engine would lead to further oppression of the Tibetans, as filtered searches would erase terms such as 'Tibet' and 'Tiananmen Square' in line with the official narrative of the Chinese Communist Party," the Business Insider reported late on Friday.
The same concerns apply to the Chinese citizens, including other oppressed minorities such as Uighur Muslims and Southern Mongolian people, the report added.
The Internet giant designed a censored version for China search engine to blacklist information about human rights, democracy, peaceful protest, and religion in accordance with strict rules on censorship in the country that are enforced by its Communist Party government.

↓ Read the full news here ↓

Google shuts down Project Dragonfly

Paramount, the movie studio behind The Godfather, is fighting for its life

After decades of nearly slapstick mismanagement - spinning off TV and missing the internet - the studio behind The Godfather is fighting for its life.

 

International News: It was a legendary Hollywood battle, one filled with so much back-stabbing and subterfuge that Vanity Fair likened it to a horror movie: “Wall Street as directed by Hitchcock."
For months starting in the fall of 1993, two media titans, Sumner M Redstone and Barry Diller, fought each other for what was then the entertainment industry's ultimate prize: Paramount Pictures, the 62-acre studio behind classic films like The Godfather and Chinatown and contemporary blockbusters like Top Gun and Beverly Hills Cop.
The home entertainment boom was showering Hollywood with cash. But Paramount was more than a money machine. Legacy studios like Paramount — founded in the 1910s, operating sumptuous sound-stage complexes and controlling vast film libraries — rarely came up for sale. Owning one made you a permanent power player, a certified member of the cultural elite.
With a bid of $9.75 billion, or $17 billion in today’s money, Redstone’s Viacom took the spoils. “Don’t tell me I don’t buy you anything for your birthday,” he told his then-wife, Phyllis, as they celebrated with lawyers at the 21 Club in New York.
Flash forward 25 years, and Paramount once again finds itself at the center of a battle. Only this time the historic studio is not the belle of the Hollywood ball, not even remotely. Today, Paramount is fighting for its very existence.

↓ Read the full news here ↓

Paramount is fighting for its life

IBPS 2019 Calendar released: Check the dates for PO, Clerk, SO exams

The first exam will be for the post of CRP RRB-VIII (Officers) officer scale I and CRP RRB-VIII (office assistants).

Education News: The IBPS has issued a tentative calendar for the exams to recruit IBPS Probationary Officers (PO), Specialist Officers (SO), Clerks, Officers, Office Assistant. The recruitment of IBPS Officer and Office Assistant is for Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) while POs, SOs, and clerks will be recruited for PSBs.

Candidates can check the exam calendar on the official website at ibps.in

IBPS calendar 2019 released. Check the dates for PO, Clerk, SO exams The first exam will be for the post of CRP RRB-VIII (Officers) officer scale I and CRP RRB-VIII (office assistants). The preliminary exam for these is scheduled to be held from August 3-4, 2019 and August 11, 17, 18 and 25, 2019.

The main examination for officer scale I will be conducted on September 22, 2019.

The IBPS will also conduct single exam for officer scale II and III posts will be held on September 22, 2019 and the main exam for the post of office assistants on September 29, 2019.

Read more → IBPS 2019 Calendar

Bill Gates congratulates government on Ayushman Bharat, Modi thanks him

The government had recently said that 6,85,000 beneficiaries have availed free healthcare in the first 100 days of the scheme.

Latest News: Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates Thursday congratulated the government for the achievements made by the Ayushman Bharat healthcare scheme in its first 100 days.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked Gates, saying the scheme stems out of the government's commitment to provide top quality and affordable healthcare to the poor.

"Congratulations to the Indian government on the first 100 days of @AyushmanNHA. It's great to see how many people have been reached by the program so far," Gates tweeted, tagging the prime minister's office.

The government had recently said that 6,85,000 beneficiaries have availed free healthcare in the first 100 days of the scheme.

In reply, Modi thanked Gates for his appreciation, saying Ayushman Bharat "stems out of our commitment to provide top quality and affordable healthcare to the poor".

Read more → Ayushman Bharat Scheme

Ram Rahim get life imprisonment for journalist's murder 16 years ago

The Dera Sacha Sauda chief and the three others convicted last Friday in the case appeared before the court through video conferencing.

Latest News: A special CBI court in Panchkula Thursday sentenced self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and three others to life imprisonment for the murder of a journalist over 16 years ago.

The Dera Sacha Sauda chief and the three others convicted last Friday in the case appeared before the court through video conferencing.

On January 11, special CBI Court judge Jagdeep Singh had convicted the four men for the murder of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati in 2002.

All the four were convicted under section 302 (murder) and 120 B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code. Ram Rahim appeared through video conferencing from Sunaria jail in Rohtak, where he is already serving a 20-year-sentence in a rape case.

The three others - Nirmal Singh, Kuldeep Singh and Krishan Lal - appeared from Ambala jail.

The journalist was killed in Haryana's Sirsa in October 2002 after his newspaper published an anonymous letter alleging sexual exploitation of women by the godman at the Dera headquarters in the same town.

Read full News here → Gurmeet Ram Rahim Convicted

Explainer: What is an interim budget? What FM Jaitley can and cannot do

This will be the last Budget of the current BJP-led NDA government before the 2019 General Elections.

Interim Budget 2019: With just a few months left before the Narendra Modi government formally completes its tenure, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will present NDA regime's first interim budget on February 1, 2019.

As this will be the ruling BJP government’s last budget before the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, here's an explanation of what an interim budget actually means.

What is an interim budget?

An interim budget is presented by a government which is going through a transition period or is in its last year in office ahead of the general elections. Traditionally, an incumbent government cannot present a full-fledged Union Budget in the election year. Instead, the Finance Minister presents an interim budget during the joint sitting of Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha in the Parliament, the livemint reported.

With an interim budget, the incumbent government seeks a vote of approval from the Parliament to draw money from the Consolidated Fund of India to meet its budget expenses before the end of the financial year, i.e; March 31st, 2019. It is a traditional practice which takes place in the run-up to every general election, according to an India Today report.

The full-fledged Union Budget is presented by the newly-elected government after Lok Sabha polls. In recent times, interim budgets have been instrumental for the incumbent governments to list out their achievements to draw voters' support.

Read full news here → Union Budget 2019

Budget 2019: FinMin starts 'Know Your Budget' series to educate people on Twitter

The 'Know Your Budget' series, which explains the importance of Union Budget and its making, would continue for about a fortnight.

Interim Budget 2019: Seeking to educate general public about the budgetary process, the finance ministry Tuesday started a series on Twitter providing definitions of various terms used in the budget.

The 'Know Your Budget' series, which explains the importance of Union Budget and its making, would continue for about a fortnight.

The government on February 1 would unveil the interim Budget for 2019-20 as the general elections are due in the next couple of months. The Union Budget 2019 for the next fiscal would be presented by the new government.

The series which began on the ministry's Twitter handle on Tuesday explained what is Union Budget and Vote on Account.

The Budget, the ministry explains, "is the most comprehensive report of the government's finances in which revenues from all sources and outlays for all activities are consolidated.

Read full news here → Budget 2019

'The Accidental Prime Minister': Nothing accidental about it (Movie Review)

Film: "The Accidental Prime Minister"; Director: Vijay Ratnakar Gutte; Cast: Anupam Kher, Akshaye Khanna, Aahana Kumra, Suzanne Bernert and Arjun Mathur.

Entertainment News: If you enjoy political satires, "The Accidental Prime Minister" may not be the film that its makers would recommend for you. Outwardly, the intent and purpose of this fiercely political parable is to give us the "real" picture of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's parent party and how it manipulated him into fronting their dynastic designs.

And how much more real can it get than Anupam Kher as Mr. Singh? The beard, the turban, the soft hushed barely audible voice (make sure you get your seats in a Dolby equipped theater)... Anupam gets the externals so right that we scarcely care about what lies beneath.

And what lies! If we are to believe this film, then Manmohan Singh was a 'baba' in the woods, an angel in disguise, a scholar and academician thrown into the cesspit of politics, manipulated into supporting the Congress monarchy by a scheming mother-son pair. And we all know who they are, giggle giggle.

There is nothing accidental about "The Accidental Prime Minister". The not-so-hidden agenda is to show Sonia Gandhi and her two children in the worst light possible. And it can't get any worse than Suzanne Bernert as Sonia Gandhi. Suzanne arches her eyebrows so sharply, I feared for her facial well-being.

Read my full review here → The Accidental Prime Minister Movie Review

'Uri' is that war film we've been waiting for (Movie Review)

Film: "Uri"; Director: Aditya Dhar; Starring: Vicky Kaushal, Mohit Raina, Paresh Rawal, Yami Gautam.

Entertainment News:  Wars often rage within the soldiers' hearts, specially when they belong to army families. In one of this significant war film's highpoints, Major Vihaan Singh Shergill, played by the self-effacing Vicky Kaushal, gathers his troop together somewhere in Kashmir before striking surgically in the country next door (okay, Pakistan. There. I said it).

These are soldiers who have lost loved ones in terror attacks, and their blood boils.

"URI - The Surgical strike" brings the blood of cross-border tension to a boil but avoids a spillover. There is a rush of patriotic pride in the product -- and why should there not be? -- but it is reined-in, curbed and never allowed to spill over in a gush of irrepressible jingoism. If you want to see soldiers dancing around a bonfire singing about how much they love their country and how much miss their loved ones, then you've got the wrong war film.

Yes, these soldiers love their country. But family comes first. And when Vihaan's brother-in-law (Mohit Raina, making a striking big-screen debut) is killed in a vivid recreation of that real-life murderous attack at the Uri army base, Vihaan channels his personal loss to seek revenge on behalf of the country. It may not be the most patriotic of purposes. But it gives a certain disingenuous believability to the mission.

Read my full review here → URI - The Surgical strike Movie Review

'Cabaret': Comedy masquerading as drama of doomed damsel (Movie Review)

Film: "Cabaret" (ZEE5); Director: Kaustav Narayan Niyogi; Cast: Richa Chadha, Gulshan Devaiah and S. Sreesanth

Entertainment News: Do you recall those ravishing, sizzling cabaret numbers by Helen in the movies of the 1970s? Indeed? What's more, do you recall the 1972 Liza Minnelli exemplary titled "Cabaret" for which the on-screen actress won an Oscar?

Okay. Now erase the memories of Helen and Minnelli. Chances are, after seeing "Cabaret", you would never want look at another cabaret number. On second thought, it would be hard for you to go to the following Richa Chadha film without a shiver of worry.
This one drags you down to the dungeons of despair. Windowless and dingy.

"Cabaret" opens with brutish policeman in Jharkhand gunning down a husband and after that approaching her gruffly for sexual favors. Vipin Sachdeva, who plays the policeman, doesn't keep it unpretentious. For what reason should he, while everything around him shouts for consideration. He simply unzips his trousers and tells the woman to get on with it. This is a man in yoni-form.

Read my full review here → Cabaret Movie Review

'Petta': Vintage Rajinikanth in his element in this old school revenge saga (Movie Review)

Film: "Petta"; Language: Tamil; Cast: Rajinikanth, Simran, Trisha, Sasikumar, Vijay Sethupathi and Nawazuddin Siddiqui; Director: Karthik Subbaraj.

Entertainment News: If there's one thing Karthik Subbaraj's "Petta" really succeeds in achieving, it is that it lets superstar Rajinikanth be himself and have fun on-screen. From a happy hop to an impromptu dance step and slow-motion walk to the flip of his hair with his own hands with panache; we see Rajinikanth in his element after a long time and boy, it's a joy to watch him do what he is best at. There's even the famous Rajinikanth cigarette flip but it comes with a surprise and it is best enjoyed when watched on the big screen.

The story revolves around a hostel warden named Kaali (Rajinikanth) who comes to set things right. After being introduced without much hullabaloo in his last three films, Subbaraj gives us a bang for a buck Rajinikanth introduction scene.

The prelude to the introduction shot is just what every Rajinikanth fan wants to see. As we hear some men talking about how one guy has thrashed most of them, we see Rajinikanth in the dark, we see his shadow, we see him from the back and even before we see his face, we see half of it while he's standing right behind the guy who has just knocked him down.

If you're not a Rajinikanth fanboy, you can't write a better introduction scene and Subbaraj makes a solid impression right at the beginning. Everything that follows in the first half is a show-reel for Rajinikanth to showcase his machismo, and as the story gets into the second half the film gets into the Subbaraj zone.


Read my full review here → Petta Movie Review

From the civil war to 9/11: A brief history of national emergencies in United States

Here are some notable examples of national emergency declarations in the United States.

International News:  If President Donald Trump declares a national emergency to build a wall on the southern border of the US it would be an extraordinary action sure to draw lawsuits and consternation on both sides of the aisle.

Yet it would be far from the first time a president has declared a national emergency in support of domestic objectives. Among the most famous was President Abraham Lincoln’s decision in 1861 to suspend habeas corpus, citing the demands of the Civil War.

Since then, emergencies have been declared during crises large (the Great Depression, the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terror attacks) and small (remember the 1970 postal strike?).

Trump, eager to bypass a Congress that has refused to appropriate funds for the wall -- precipitating a partial government shutdown that has stretched into its 18th day -- is considering invoking emergency powers that allow the Department of Defense to shift military construction funds during a crisis.

Read the full timeline here → National Emergencies in US

Bluefin tuna sells for record $3 million in a Tokyo fish auction

The giant fish was purchased by Kiyoshi Kimura, who owns the Sushizanmai sushi restaurant chain.

International News:  A 613-pound bluefin tuna sold for more than $3 million at an action in Tokyo’s new fish market, setting a record, Reuters reports.

The giant fish was purchased by Kiyoshi Kimura, who owns the Sushizanmai sushi restaurant chain.

“The tuna looks so tasty and very fresh, but I think I did too much,” Kimura reportedly said outside the market after his purchase.

“I expected it would be between 30 million ($277,213) and 50 million yen ($462,022), or 60 million yen ($554,426) at the highest, but it ended up five times more,” he said, according to Reuters.

The restaurateur had previously held the record for “”top price paid for a single fish at the new year’s auction” for six consecutive years years until 2017, when another restaurateur bested him.

Read full news here → Bluefin Tuna Fish Auction

China passes law to have own version of Islam, make it conform to socialism

The other four religion of China are Taoism, Buddhism, Catholicism, and Protestantism.

International News: China has passed a law that seeks to "Sinicize" Islam within five years and might do that with other four religions in the country, according to the state media.

Under the all-powerful Chinese President Xi Jinping, China has heavily cracked down on religion, especially Islam practised by most Uighurs in the country's Xinjiang province who Beijing suspects of having separatist and extremist tendencies.

"China passed a five-year plan to Sinicize Islam at a meeting on Saturday with representatives from China's eight Islamic associations," said a report in the Global Times.

There are over 20 million Muslims in the country. Islam is one of the five officially recognised religions in atheist China. The other four are Taoism, Buddhism, Catholicism, and Protestantism.

The top officials in the Chinese government have often likened the religion to "mental disease" that "needs to be cured."

Read full news → Islam Law in China

Golden Globes 2019: Upsets to surprises, here are the highlights and lowlights

The Golden Globes featured a number of upsets and rousing thank-yous as well as flubbed intros and snoozy speeches.

Entertainment News: The Golden Globes featured a number of upsets and rousing thank-yous as well as flubbed intros and snoozy speeches.

Here are the highlights and lowlights as we saw them:

Most Stirring Opening Speech:

• After the Golden Globes hosts Sandra Oh and Andy Samberg delivered a largely safe opening, going out of their way to praise the work of Hollywood, Oh hit a surprisingly emotional note about representation in the film and television industry and gains in diversity onscreen and off. She was referring to several films this awards season that feature people of color, and her hosting gig was itself a barrier breaker: she was the first Asian woman to front a major American awards show. Oh told the crowd that she had signed on as host because “I wanted to be here to look out into this audience and witness this moment of change.” She acknowledged that the progress could be temporary, saying, “I’m not fooling myself. Next year could be different.” But, she concluded, “right now, this moment is real.” As if to prove her point, the Globes rewarded a notably diverse group of actors, directors and stories. — Sopan Deb

Also Read: Golden Globes 2019 Complete Winner list

Most Shocking Win (Especially to the Winner)

• Everyone expected the Golden Globe for best actress in a drama to go to Lady Gaga for “A Star Is Born” — including Glenn Close apparently. When Close’s name was read instead, the look of total surprise on her face provided one of the night’s most memorable moments. She went on to deliver a heartfelt personal speech, connecting the struggle of her movie character — a thwarted writer who lives in the shadow of her Nobel-winning husband — with her own mother, who, Close said, had a tendency to sublimate herself to Close’s father. Between her speech and Olivia Colman’s equally gangbusters acceptance for best actress in a comedy (for “The Favorite”), the super-stacked best actress race at the Oscars just got even more interesting. — Kyle Buchanan

Know the highlights & lowlights → Golden Globe 2019 Awards

King Kohli's India script history with maiden Test series win in Australia

India scored 622 for 7 in their first innings and then bowled out Australia for 300 thereby enforcing the follow-on.

India Tour of Australia 2019: India scripted history winning their first ever series on Australian soil beating the home team 2-1 after the fourth and final Test ended in a tame draw due to inclement weather.

India scored 622 for 7 in their first innings and then bowled out Australia for 300 thereby enforcing the follow-on.

However persistent drizzle washed out day five thereby keeping the victory margin down to 2-1.

Coming into this fifth Test, India had an unassailable 2-1 series' lead after winning the first Test in Adelaide by 31 runs and the third Test in Melbourne by 137 runs. Australia had won the second Test in Perth by 146 runs.

The morning began with similar murky clouds as seen throughout Sunday, and right at the supposed start of play at 10 am local time, rain arrived to prevent any possibility of cricket happening at the Sydney Cricket Ground.


Highlights & Scorecard → India Vs Australia 4th Test Match

To bridge fiscal deficit, RBI likely to pay govt $5.8 bn interim dividend

The dividend could help Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration bridge a widening budget deficit following a drop in tax collections.

Interim Budget 2019: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), having changed management last month following a clash with the government, is likely to transfer an interim dividend of Rs 300-400 billion ($4.32 billion-$5.8 billion) to the government by March, according to three sources with direct knowledge of the matter.

The dividend could help Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration bridge a widening budget deficit following a drop in tax collections, and would come after the government pushed the RBI for the additional funds ahead of a national election due by May.

Former finance ministry official Shaktikanta Das was appointed as the new governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), following resignation of Urjit Patel last month amid tensions over the dividend payout and other issues.

The government and RBI have now appointed a panel to look into the issue around the sharing of the RBI's reserves.

"We are absolutely sure that an interim dividend of more than 300 billion rupees would be paid before March end," one of the sources told Reuters.

Read the full news here → Union Budget 2019

Must writers be moral? In the #MeToo moment, their contracts may require it

'No way. I'm not signing that,' a New Yorker writer said when she saw the terms

MeToo Movement: When you see publishers and authors chatting chummily at book parties, you’re likely to think that they’re on the same side — the side of great literature and the free flow of ideas.

In reality, their interests are at odds. Publishers are marketers. They don’t like scandals that might threaten their bottom line — or the bottom lines of the multinational media conglomerates of which most form a small part. Authors are people, often flawed. Sometimes they behave badly. How, for instance, should publishers deal with the #MeToo era, when accusations of sexual impropriety can lead to books being pulled from shelves and syllabuses, as happened last year with the novelists Junot Díaz and Sherman Alexie?

One answer is the increasingly widespread “morality clause.” Over the past few years, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins and Penguin Random House have added such clauses to their standard book contracts. I’ve heard that Hachette Book Group is debating putting one in its trade book contracts, though the publisher wouldn’t confirm it. These clauses release a company from the obligation to publish a book if, in the words of Penguin Random House, “past or future conduct of the author inconsistent with the author’s reputation at the time this agreement is executed comes to light and results in sustained, widespread public condemnation of the author that materially diminishes the sales potential of the work.”

That’s reasonable, I guess. Penguin, to its credit, doesn’t ask authors to return their advances. But other publishers do, and some are even more hard-nosed.

Read the full news here → MeToo

Netflix pulls 'Patriot Act' episode criticizing Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince

In the episode, Minhaj blames Mohammed bin Salman for Khashoggi's murder, calling it the "biggest tragedy of the MBS era".

International News: Netflix has removed an episode of Hasan Minhaj-facilitated "Patriot Act" in Saudi Arabia, which included a section censuring the nation's Crown Prince Mohammed receptacle Salman's supposed association in columnist Jamal Khashoggi.
The scene won't air in Saudi Arabia however is accessible somewhere else.

In the scene, Minhaj points the finger at Mohammed receptacle Salman for Khashoggi's homicide, considering it the "greatest catastrophe of the MBS period", as per The Hollywood Reporter.

Also Read: Hasan Minhaj responds to Netflix pulling out 'Patriot Act' episode in Saudi Arabia

Minhaj likewise talked about how American organizations wanted to keep their business ties unblemished with Saudi Arabia.

Netflix, on its part said they got a legitimate demand from the Saudi government to expel the scene from its stage, however the scene stays accessible on YouTube.

"We firmly support creative opportunity and removed this scene just in Saudi Arabia after we had gotten a legitimate lawful request - and to comply to local law," Netflix US said in an statement.

↓↓↓ Watch the controversial episode here ↓↓↓

Patriot Act