Monday, 29 April 2019
Multi-nation survey finds Indians increasingly unhappy with state of democracy
But there was a party-line split on the perception of the functioning of democracy across the board. Dissatisfaction was higher among people who did not support the BJP-led ruling National Democratic Alliance than among its supporters, the study found. While only 16% of those who supported the National Democratic Alliance were dissatisfied with the way democracy was working in the country, 42% of those who did not support the ruling coalition were dissatisfied, according to India-specific data provided by Pew in response to a request from Hindustan Times. India was also no exception to the 'strong' correlation found by the survey generally between assessments of the functioning of democracy and views of the state of the economy — dissatisfaction was linked to poor or bad economy. While 12% of Indians thought the economy was in a bad shape in 2017, 30% for them subscribed to that dismal view in 2018. 'India stands out as the country in which concerns about the economy increased the most of any of the 27 surveyed,' said Laura Silver, a senior researcher at Pew. Asked how relevant these findings, which were based on a survey conducted a year ago in the spring of 2018, could be in the elections currently underway in India, Silver said that though 'some level of fluctuation in people's satisfaction with democracy is possible (over time) … some of the patterns we've identified here could be relevant for the Indian election'. Silver suggested three findings that could. Two of them were, as already reported. One, dissatisfaction with the working of democracy was higher among people who don't support the ruling NDA; and, two, those unhappy with the economy will be most dissatisfied. The third finding, true also for other countries, was the impact of frustrations with political corruption on the assessment about the functioning of democracy. In India, 64% agreed with the statement posed to them in the questionnaire that the statement 'most politicians are corrupt' describes their country well. People who feel this way tend to be more dissatisfied with democracy, the report said. That was 10 points above the 27-nation median of 54% of respondents who believed politicians are generally corrupt, reflecting the mood in the 27 countries surveyed, some of whom seemed more frustrated than others. In Russia, for instance, 82% of those surveyed said they agreed politicians were corrupt, and so did 70% of the Italians and Hungarians and 69% of the Americans. Other factors that could have an impact, though much 'weaker'. included the perception of respondents about the the rights of people to express themselves, a fundamental right. Of Indians not satisfied with the state of democracy in their country, 52% agreed with one of the questions posed to them that free speech was not protected in the country. DailyhuntDisclaimer: This story is auto-aggregated by a computer program and has not been created or edited by Dailyhunt. Publisher: Hindustan Timeshttps://yozkelvozkeeneens.wixsite.com/qred
The big baddies of the comic world
He was reportedly inspired by Malcolm McDowell's mannerisms in A Clockwork Orange (1971), the Stanley Kubrick-directed masterpiece. The Joker's quirky character and crimes are based on the concept of fun, even though that fun may be sinister and dark. The Joker is intelligent, diabolical and sadistic and even when he gets caught and imprisoned, he remains calm, knowing he has the upper hand. Magneto "They wish to cure us. But I say to you we are the cure! The cure for that infirm, imperfect condition called "Homo sapiens!" They have their weapons. we have ours. We will strike with a vengeance and a fury that this world has never witnessed. And if any mutants stand in our way, we will use this poison against them!"Best portrayal: Ian McKellen, X-Men seriesSuperpowers: The ability to generate and control magnetic fieldsMagneto's character, like many others in the superhero world, is not etched out in black and white. His actions are dictated by the suffering he experienced as an adolescent during the Holocaust at Auschwit. It would be wrong to call Magneto insane, in the sense of not being criminally responsible. Films have tried to portray Magneto as a man who believes that direct action will save his people from annihilation, a sort of dark counterpart to Xavier (played by Patrick Stewart) who believes good examples and dialogue will save mutants. He regards mutants as superior to humans in terms of evolution and is against the idea of peaceful human-mutant co-existence. Loki"I ask only one thing in return, a good seat from which to watch Asgard burn".Best portrayal: Tom Hiddleston, Thor (2011), The Avengers (2012), Thor: The Dark World (2013), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018)Superpowers: Magic, energy projection and creation of force fields - Loki can do it all. To many, he is morally grey at best. Loki is a complex character but that doesn't necessarily make him a dangerous enemy. Within the MCU, he is looked at as a troubled but charismatic personality who is capable of deception. Loki's motivations, while extreme, are nuanced and complicated. There has never been anyone quite in the same league as this supervillain. He is human, with complex motives and methods that are evil, immoral, and unethical, but still understandable. They are the most hated people. We love to see them getting bashed up, but they have clearly evolved. From being the stereotypical bad guys, they are now giving their superhero nemeses a run for their money. With plots being tweaked around them, some supervillains now have a cult following, rubbing shoulders with superheroes in terms of sheer popularity. t2 lists some iconic supervillains that power some of the biggest superhero franchises.Bane "Ah, you think darkness is your ally. But you merely adopted the dark; I was born in it, moulded by it. I didn't see the light until I was already a man, by then it was nothing to me but BLINDING! The shadows betray you, because they belong to me! I will show you where I have made my home while preparing to bring justice. Then I will break you".Best portrayal: Tom Hardy, The Dark Knight Rises (2012)Superpowers: He uses the super-steroid known as Venom to enhance his physical attributes to superhuman levels. Bane is smart enough to rival Batman. He had to learn to fight to survive, scoring his first kill at the age of 12. Bane is a driven and intelligent yet logical villain, who challenges Batman as well as tests him. He is a tricky character and though he's a genius, he's often presented as a brute. Even The Dark Knight Rises doesn't quite get Bane right, but it comes close in what is clearly director Nolan's take. Bane is the only Batman villain to ever defeat the caped crusader and is, in almost every way, a perfect foil to Batman. Thanos"Going to bed hungry, scrounging for scraps. Your planet was on the brink of collapse. I was the one who stopped that. You know what's happened since then? The children born have known nothing but full bellies and clear skies. It's a paradise".Best portrayal: Josh Brolin, Avengers: Infinity War (2018)Superpowers: Can project cosmic energy, is capable of telekinesis and telepathy. According to directors Joe and Anthony Russo, Avengers: Infinity War belongs to Thanos. We couldn't agree more. Josh Brolin played the character to perfection, and in the process, immortalised the villain forever. Very few characters achieve iconic status riding on a single film, but Thanos did it in the "snap of a finger".His greatness lies in the fact that he strikes a chord with many of us. He thinks he is right, but he isn't. He dreams of a universe without suffering but goes to the extent of wiping out half the population (officially the highest body count for any villain, ever). A burgeoning population could put any planet/universe on the brink of extinction, but he chooses to go the wrong way for a right cause. His tragic flaw? Thanos tries to be God. DailyhuntDisclaimer: This story is auto-aggregated by a computer program and has not been created or edited by Dailyhunt. Publisher: The Telegraphhttps://www.aeriagames.com/user/reetasignaas/
Sensex falls 150 points on foreign fund outflow in early trade
On the other hand, the gainers in the lot include HCL Tech, HDFC Bank, Asian Paints, Infosys, Hindustan Uniliver, Axis Bank and ONGC. On Friday, the Sensex closed 336.47 points, or 0.87 per cent, higher at 39,067.33. The NSE Nifty too ended 112.85 points, or 0.97 per cent, up at 11,754.65. Domestic equity markets were closed Monday due to elections in Mumbai. Meanwhile, Chinese manufacturing sector index fell in April to 50.1, compared to 50.5 in previous month, according to the data released by the National Statistics Bureau. The US equity indices touched a record high on Monday on strong gross domestic product data, which grew at 3.2 per cent in January-March period this year. Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) emerged as net sellers in the capital markets on Friday, pulling out Rs 70.73 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) bought shares to the tune of Rs 920.88 crore. The rupee appreciated by 32 paise to 69.70 against the US dollar in opening trade Tuesday. Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, fell 0.22 per cent to trade at USD 71.88 per barrel. Elsewhere in Asia, benchmark equity indices in Tokyo and Seoul were trading lower, while Shanghai index surged higher. Investors remained cautious over US Federal Reserve policy decision due Wednesday. ... DailyhuntDisclaimer: This story is auto-aggregated by a computer program and has not been created or edited by Dailyhunt. Publisher: Deccan Chroniclehttps://www.sbnation.com/users/renaultregens
http://echometer.com/UserProfile/tabid/61/userId/534478/Default.aspx
Dish TV updates multi-TV policy with Rs 50 NCF for secondary connections
TRAI's new rules for cable, DTH companies: How to choose your channels setTimeout(function(){(function(id){var embedTag=document.getElementById(id).children[0]; if(embedTag){var width=embedTag.offsetWidth; var height=embedTag.offsetHeight; embedTag.height=document.body.offsetWidth * (height/width); embedTag.width=document.body.offsetWidth;}})("embed-quint-brightcove-iframe-tag-0");},1000); Dish TV subscribers can either stick with the same channels for their secondary connection or get different content. For those who are unaware, the connection with the maximum number of channels will be considered as primary connection by the operator. So, if users do not choose specific channels or packs for their multi connections, then the content on these multi connections will remain the same as a user's primary connection. However, there is the option of choosing different channels as well for those who wish to. TRAI raps Dish TV India over consumer complaints: Here's what happened It should be noted that the NCF for up to 100 channels is Rs 130 (plus GST), which is around Rs 153 and this will be applied to the primary connection. After 100 channels, users will be charged at Rs 20 for a slab of per 25 channels. Also, one HD (High Definition) channel will count as two SD (Standard Definition) channels. The new rules are in compliance with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's (TRAI) new framework for cable and DTH providers, which came into effect on February 1 this year. Earlier this week, TRAI pulled up Dish TV and directed it to comply with the provisions of the new framework after consumer complaints relating to the operators' specific offering as well as grievance redressal helpline. DailyhuntDisclaimer: This story is auto-aggregated by a computer program and has not been created or edited by Dailyhunt. Publisher: The Indian Expresshttps://www.openstreetmap.org/user/despacitoleen
Staff offers to take over Jet Airways
he letter to SBI chairman Rajnish Kumar was written by Ashwani Singh, general secretary - Society for Welfare of Indian Pilots, and Ashish Kumar Mohanty, president -Jet Aircraft Maintenance Engineers Welfare Association. The other signatories to the communication were P.P. Singh, senior vice-president (operations) and accountable manager - JetLite, and B.B. Singh - manager, human resources, Jet Airways.They pointed out that while it was realistic to know that the employees would not have the cash or credit needed to acquire the airline, they proposed a commitment of Rs 7,000 crores. This includes Rs 4,000 crore coming from the employees and the rest from an external investor.The letter proposed that the contribution from employees be realised from their future earnings and "increased productivity" whose value it claimed can be quantified in advance. "According to our initial estimate, the contribution of the employee group over a hypothetical five-year Employee Stock Ownership Programme (ESOP) is likely to be upward of Rs 4,000 crore. In addition, we are also confident of securing an investment commitment of up to Rs 3,000 crore from outside investors,'' the letter said.According to the group of employees, which also included the two management personnel, the main objective of their proposal was to preserve the Jet Airways brand and deliver strong value to shareholders over a "reasonable" period of time. They further averred that their proposed exercise will need a complete overhaul of the management team of the airline and crafting fresh priorities for the short, medium and long term.While the team requested the SBI chief to consider the "employee consortium" as one of the bidders, sources said they have investors who are keen to bring in money. However, they declined to disclose their identities.There are four bidders that include Etihad (which holds 24 per cent in Jet Airways) who are keen to acquire the company and the bidding process will conclude on May 10. However, there are concerns that the lenders may have to take a large haircut on their Rs 8000-crore exposure and that there could be tepid interest from aspirants as some of its slots have been allotted to rivals. DailyhuntDisclaimer: This story is auto-aggregated by a computer program and has not been created or edited by Dailyhunt. Publisher: The Telegraphhttps://www.sbnation.com/users/reetasignaas
Automobile sector set for a crude shock this fiscal year
Already, the sector seems to have no respite from the multiple headwinds battering it, with the sectoral index slipping 5.13 per cent from 20,201 on April 18 to 19,164 on April 26. A poor show by auto majors on the back of waning demand have also led to shares of TVS (down 2.07 per cent), Bajaj Auto (down 1.3 per cent), Maruti Suzuki (down 1.03 per cent) and Mahindra and Mahindra (down 0.94 per cent) trading in losses. With price deregulation, diesel is no longer the affordable/cheap fuel; and coupled with the fact that diesel cars are pricier, petrol is back in favour all over again. Now with the added cost challenge coming up in the form of Bharat Stage VI emission norms that will make vehicles dearer, the last thing the industry would want is an oil price shock. Fearing a slack in auto sales in the coming quarters, Maruti Suzuki chairman RC Bhargava said factors like the US embargo on Iranian crude imports and new emission norms are playing a spoilsport. "I would have had great confidence that auto demand will pick up after the Lok Sabha polls, but the US putting an embargo on Iranian oil imports and BS-VI emission norms are some of the factors that may hit auto sales going forward," Bhargava said. Besides the oil trouble, the sector has survived various hurdles such as the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India's order to increase higher insurance premiums for two-wheelers. "Increased insurance premium had pressured buyers, which led to about consistent 10-15 per cent drop in two-wheeler sales," said analysts at Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers. That apart, a host of other factors - Kerala floods, patchy monsoon, tight liquidity, crash in farm prices - dampened sales volume. The effect is likely to remain at least during the first quarter of FY20, considering the current levels of inventory pile-up by companies," said Rakesh Batra, partner and sector leader, Automotive, Ernst & Young India. The outcome of the general would be critical to set the course of the market, he added. DailyhuntDisclaimer: This story is auto-aggregated by a computer program and has not been created or edited by Dailyhunt. Publisher: The New Indian Expresshttps://about.me/signaa
Russell likes to be 'superhero'
Hand-eye co-ordination, a good bat speed and balance are important... I generate a lot of power from the shoulders and core... Everything works together. You need to make sure your body is fit and strong in order to play those upward shots in those moments. When the bowler is trying to outsmart you with a wide or slower ball, you need to be strong," explained.Russell agreed that Sunday's innings against Mumbai Indians will rank among his all-time best."One of my best T20 days, definitely. We needed to get 200-plus, but getting 232 was just enough. If it was just under 200, we would have been on the losing end. We kept our heads calm under pressure and executed our plans well."He said he was a fan of Avengers. "Yes, I am a fan of Avengers. I am watching it for a while. If the fans say that I am a superhero, I am happy," he remarked.Captain Dinesh Karthik was also happy for Russell. "Russell is a great player, he's a special player and it's good to see him grow as a player. The maturity he's showing is great to see. We live another day, that's important."But what was his message to the team once they lost six matches in a row. "I think at the end of the day, you should make sure your process is right. It might sound cliched but it's a high-pressure sport."Shubman Gill, who made a classy 76 off 45 balls, said Russell was promoted in the order to keep the momentum going. "I think because of the situation Russell came in early. To keep the momentum going." DailyhuntDisclaimer: This story is auto-aggregated by a computer program and has not been created or edited by Dailyhunt. Publisher: The Telegraphhttp://www.feedbooks.com/user/5137142/profile
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)