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Budgeting to promote social objectives—a primer on braiding and blending

By webfeeds.brookings.edu
Published On :: Mon, 06 Apr 2020 13:06:09 +0000

We know that to achieve success in most social policy areas, such as homelessness, school graduation, stable housing, happier aging, or better community health, we need a high degree of cross-sector and cross-program collaboration and budgeting. But that is perceived as being lacking in government at all levels, due to siloed agencies and programs, and…

       


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Iraq has a new prime minister. What next?

By webfeeds.brookings.edu
Published On :: Fri, 20 Mar 2020 15:02:22 +0000

Iraq has a new prime minister-designate, almost three weeks after the previous nominee — Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi — failed to secure parliamentary approval for his cabinet. The new figure, Adnan al-Zurfi, is a veteran of the Iraqi opposition and a long-time member of the ruling class who worked closely with the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA)…

       


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Seven takeaways from Theresa May's ascension to U.K. prime minister

By webfeeds.brookings.edu
Published On :: Tue, 12 Jul 2016 16:38:00 -0400


Editor's note: This piece originally appeared in the Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire on July 11, 2016. Theresa May has since succeeded David Cameron as UK prime minister.

Theresa May is poised to become Britain’s next prime minister on Wednesday. This means there is a reasonable chance the post-Brexit whirlwind of U.K. politics will quiet somewhat. Here are seven things that stand out about the next PM:

1. Her experience. Ms. May has been in the top ranks of British politics for almost two decades. She is one of the longest-serving home secretaries, overseeing domestic security, law and order, and immigration. With the exception of Michael Gove, who was knocked out early in the contest, she was by far the most experienced candidate in the race.

2. Her resilience. Ms. May is what Americans call a tough cookie. When I was in government, she was the Cabinet minister with whom David Cameron least liked to tangle. When Ms. May said no, she meant no. This did not always lead to perfect policy outcomes, of course. But few in Westminster doubt her strength.

3. Modernizing instincts. As the Conservative Party’s first female chairman, Ms. May pointed out in 2002 that to many voters the Tories were seen as the “nasty party” and that reform was essential. She helped to lay the ground for David Cameron to emerge as a new, more moderate face of the Conservative Party. Ms. May was also one of the first senior Conservatives to back same-sex marriage.

4. She backed Remain. As the only leadership candidate who was on the losing side of the Brexit vote, she is, paradoxically, well-placed to unite the Conservative Party in parliament. Most Tory MPs were, like Ms. May, in the Remain camp. But she was a lukewarm Remainer and has a history of being skeptical of European institutions–including the European Convention on Human Rights–which will endear her to Brexiteers. Already she has made it clear that “Brexit means Brexit” and that she will only trigger Article 50, which governs the process by which an EU member exits, when she has her negotiating position worked out. So far, so good. (Particularly for those worried about market volatility and the U.K. economy in the wake of the June 23 referendum.)

5. Government stability. Given her strong support among parliamentary colleagues, Ms. May is not likely to feel any need to trigger an emergency general election. Instead, she can make the case that the U.K. needs a stable government during the lengthy Brexit negotiations to come (and she’ll be right). Labour politicians calling for an election are whistling in the wind, especially given their own leadership civil war.

6. Gender issues and non-issues. Theresa May is about to become the U.K.’s second female prime minister and there has been refreshingly little commentary on her gender. The only real exception was the row caused by her opponent Andrea Leadsom, who clumsily implied in a recent interview that not being a mother made Ms. May less qualified. (Ms. Leadsom apologized shortly before dropping out of the contest.) If Labour MPs manage to dislodge their leader, Jeremy Corbyn (an outcome that may be decided in court), the favorite to succeed him is Angela Eagle, who is married to a woman.

7. Redressing the class balance. The United Kingdom has been run by posh people, since, well, forever. But David Cameron’s crowd was a particularly upper-crust bunch, mostly educated at private schools. Ms. May, by contrast, went to a comprehensive high school (in American English, a public school). To the extent that there is need for more class diversity among governing elites, this is another piece of good news.

None of this alters the disastrous economic implications of the Brexit vote. But by turning to May, the Conservatives will be better prepared to secure a period of stable government, with a little more class and gender diversity thrown in for good measure. That’s about the best one could hope for.

Publication: Wall Street Journal
      
 
 


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Shadow banking in China: A primer

By webfeeds.brookings.edu
Published On :: Wed, 01 Apr 2015 13:15:00 -0400


The rapid development of China’s shadow banking sector since 2010 has attracted a great amount of commentary both inside and outside the country. Haunted by the severe crisis in the US financial system in 2008, which was caused in part by the previously unsuspected fragility of a large network of non-bank financial activities, many analysts wonder if China might be headed for a similar meltdown. The concern is especially acute given China’s very rapid rate of credit creation since 2010 and the lack of transparency in much off balance sheet or non-bank activity.

This paper will address the following questions:

  1. What is shadow banking?
  2. Why does the sector matter?
  3. What was the Chinese credit system like before shadow banking?
  4. What is the nature of shadow banking in China now?
  5. How big is shadow banking in China?
  6. Why has Chinese shadow banking grown so fast?
  7. How does Chinese shadow banking relate to the formal banking sector?
  8. Why has the Chinese sector developed as it has?
  9. How does the size and structure of shadow banking in China compare to other countries?
  10. Will there be a major shadow banking crisis in China?
  11. How do Chinese authorities intend to reform shadow banking?

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Socialism: A short primer

By webfeeds.brookings.edu
Published On :: Mon, 13 May 2019 09:30:12 +0000

Something new is happening in American politics. Although most Americans continue to oppose socialism, it has reentered electoral politics and is enjoying an upsurge in public support unseen since the days of Eugene V. Debs. The three questions we will be focusing on are: Why has this happened? What does today’s “democratic socialism” mean in…

       


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We need more primary care physicians: Here’s why and how

By webfeeds.brookings.edu
Published On :: Mon, 08 Jul 2019 14:29:48 +0000

A series of articles published this year in JAMA Internal Medicine has substantially added to the empirical literature showing that access to and use of primary care medicine in the US is associated with higher value care and better health outcomes than care that is more specialist-oriented. While these studies confirm our view that the…

       


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Responsible innovation: A primer for policymakers

By webfeeds.brookings.edu
Published On :: Tue, 05 May 2015 00:00:00 -0400


Technical change is advancing at a breakneck speed while the institutions that govern innovative activity slog forward trying to keep pace. The lag has created a need for reform in the governance of innovation. Reformers who focus primarily on the social benefits of innovation propose to unmoor the innovative forces of the market. Conversely, those who deal mostly with innovation’s social costs wish to constrain it by introducing regulations in advance of technological developments. In this paper, Walter Valdivia and David Guston argue for a different approach to reform the governance of innovation that they call "Responsible Innovation" because it seeks to imbue in the actors of the innovation system a more robust sense of individual and collective responsibility.

Responsible innovation appreciates the power of free markets in organizing innovation and realizing social expectations but is self-conscious about the social costs that markets do not internalize. At the same time, the actions it recommends do not seek to slow down innovation because they do not constrain the set of options for researchers and businesses, they expand it. Responsible innovation is not a doctrine of regulation and much less an instantiation of the precautionary principle. Innovation and society can evolve down several paths and the path forward is to some extent open to collective choice. The aim of a responsible governance of innovation is to make that choice more consonant with democratic principles.

Valdivia and Guston illustrate how responsible innovation can be implemented with three practical initiatives: 

  1. Industry: Incorporating values and motivations to innovation decisions that go beyond the profit motive could help industry take on a long-view of those decisions and better manage its own costs associated with liability and regulation, while reducing the social cost of negative externalities. Consequently, responsible innovation should be an integral part of corporate social responsibility, considering that the latter has already become part of the language of business, from the classroom to the board room, and that is effectively shaping, in some quarters, corporate policies and decisions.
  2. Universities and National Laboratories: Centers for Responsible Innovation, fashioned after the institutional reform of Internal Review Boards to protect human subjects in research and the Offices of Technology Transfer created to commercialize academic research, could organize existing responsible innovation efforts at university and laboratory campuses. These Centers would formalize the consideration of impacts of research proposals on legal and regulatory frameworks, economic opportunity and inequality, sustainable development and the environment, as well as ethical questions beyond the integrity of research subjects.
  3. Federal Government: Federal policy should improve its protections and support of scientific research while providing mechanisms of public accountability for research funding agencies and their contractors. Demanding a return on investment for every research grant is a misguided approach that devalues research and undermines trust between Congress and the scientific community. At the same time, scientific institutions and their advocates should improve public engagement and demonstrate their willingness and ability to be responsive to societal concerns and expectations about the public research agenda. Second, if scientific research is a public good, by definition, markets are not effective commercializing it. New mechanisms to develop practical applications from federal research with little market appeal should be introduced to counterbalance the emphasis the current technology transfer system places on research ready for the market. Third, federal innovation policy needs to be better coordinated with other federal policy, including tax, industrial, and trade policy as well as regulatory regimes. It should also improve coordination with initiatives at the local and state level to improve the outcomes of innovation for each region, state, and metro area.

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Why Bernie Sanders vastly underperformed in the 2020 primary

By webfeeds.brookings.edu
Published On :: Fri, 20 Mar 2020 16:43:18 +0000

Senator Bernie Sanders entered the 2020 Democratic primary race with a wind at his back. With a narrow loss to Hillary Clinton in 2016 and a massive political organization, Mr. Sanders set the tone for the policy conversation in the race. Soon after announcing, the Vermont senator began raising record amounts of money, largely online…

       


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Presidential Campaign Update: Al & Arnold At The New Hampsire Primary

By www.treehugger.com
Published On :: Sat, 17 Nov 2007 10:00:26 -0500

This is wonderful. A bi-partisan political storm is brewing over New Hampshire because Al and Arnold have found a clever way to inject serious climate discussion into the coming US presidential primary season. Timing could not be better, with the IPCC


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Freakonomics Watch: "The Primitive Food Movement"

By www.treehugger.com
Published On :: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:36:41 -0500

The first Freakonomics book was a lot of fun; the second less so, as it sort of devolved into "if the scientific consensus and/or coast-hugging liberal elite are for it, we are against it" type of thing. Hence Freakonomics Watch; or perhaps it should


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Protest works: Australian Prime Minister backtracks (a bit) on climate change

By www.treehugger.com
Published On :: Tue, 26 Feb 2019 07:00:00 -0500

He's not exactly treating it like a crisis. But at least he's doing something...


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Lighten up: Primary steel production is responsible for up to 9 percent of CO2 emissions

By www.treehugger.com
Published On :: Wed, 02 Jan 2019 10:23:16 -0500

We have to use less of the stuff in our cars, our buildings, and our infrastructure.


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Canadian Conservative leader (and possible Prime Minister) promises the earth

By www.treehugger.com
Published On :: Mon, 14 Oct 2019 10:41:05 -0400

Andrew Scheer is a climate arsonist.


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Clothing firms Joe Fresh and Primark to compensate victims of Bangladesh building collapse

By www.treehugger.com
Published On :: Mon, 29 Apr 2013 17:57:00 -0400

Good for the Westons, owners of both, for doing the right thing by admitting their use of the factory and their willingness to help out.


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High-income countries are driving the extinction of the world's primates

By www.treehugger.com
Published On :: Mon, 17 Jun 2019 15:20:35 -0400

Consumer demand for meat, soy, palm oil, and more has resulted in 60% of primate species facing extinction.


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Photos of the world's 25 most endangered primates

By www.treehugger.com
Published On :: Thu, 10 Oct 2019 16:13:58 -0400

Meet the primate species that are among the most endangered on the planet, and the most in need of conservation measures.


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It's primates versus palm oil in Africa

By www.treehugger.com
Published On :: Wed, 15 Aug 2018 12:00:00 -0400

Since both require the same habitat, scientists are worried how primates will survive the expansion of industrial oil palm plantations.


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Elecnor Deimos publica las primeras imágenes del satélite DEIMOS-2 - Elecnor Deimos publica las primeras imágenes del satélite DEIMOS-2

By feedproxy.google.com
Published On :: 07 Jul 2014 14:43:00 EDT

Elecnor Deimos publica las primeras imágenes del satélite DEIMOS-2


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Esta Primavera Renace Mas Hermosa y Saludable - Video

By feedproxy.google.com
Published On :: 26 Feb 2015 18:55:00 EST

Esta Primavera Renace Mas Hermosa y Saludable


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Lucero conducirá la primera edición de los "Latin American Music Awards" en vivo por TELEMUNDO el 8 de octubre a las 9pm/8c - Artistas en los primeros Latin American Music Awards 8 de oct. en TELEMUNDO

By feedproxy.google.com
Published On :: 02 Oct 2015 15:06:00 EDT

Artistas en los primeros Latin American Music Awards 8 de oct. en TELEMUNDO


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NEW DATA EVALUATING THE BOSTON SCIENTIFIC ELUVIA™ DRUG-ELUTING VASCULAR STENT SYSTEM DEMONSTRATE 94.4 PERCENT PRIMARY PATENCY RATE AT NINE MONTHS - Hear from Professor Stefan Müller-Hülsbeck, M.D., PhD, MAJESTIC trial principal investigator

By feedproxy.google.com
Published On :: 28 Apr 2015 12:47:00 EDT

Hear from Professor Stefan Müller-Hülsbeck, M.D., PhD, MAJESTIC trial principal investigator


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Consumer confidence in housing falls to lowest level since the subprime crash

By www.cnbc.com
Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 16:17:26 GMT

The economic free fall from Covid-19 is taking its toll on what had been strong housing demand just a few months ago.


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India primed: what Amazon's vast new Hyderabad campus reveals about its plans

By www.theguardian.com
Published On :: 2019-12-31T07:00:29Z

Amazon have arrived in force in rapidly expanding Hyderabad, with designs on the currently almost non-existent Indian e-commence market

The futuristic lobby of the new Amazon building in Hyderabad feels as though it should have a permanent orchestra blasting out Also Sprach Zarathustra. The scale is intended to awe. A large slogan on a wall suggests the company is “Delivering smiles”. The only sound that rises above the hush is a synthesised beep, coming from a giant screen playing a video of the campus at various stages of its construction.

Built on nine acres in this Indian city’s financial district, it is Amazon’s single largest building globally and the only Amazon-owned campus outside the US. It can house over 15,000 employees, but its size is its main architectural feature: it resembles the same cube of glass steel and chrome seen in corporate offices across Hyderabad, though a flash of magenta reflected in one of the top floor windows, from a billowing sari across the road, is a nice Indian touch.

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Microsoft Surface Pro X review: not yet ready for prime time

By www.theguardian.com
Published On :: 2020-03-12T07:00:25Z

Long battery life, 4G and beautiful design can’t stop it being held back by a lack of apps for its ARM chip

The Surface Pro X is a glimpse of an ARM-powered Windows future, combining the best bits of phones and computers, but while that future is closer than ever, it isn’t quite ready yet.

The new £999 Surface Pro X might look like the rest of Microsoft’s Surface tablets on the outside, but it is fundamentally a different beast on the inside.

Screen: 13in LCD 2880x1920 (267 PPI)

Processor: Microsoft SQ1 (ARM)

RAM: 8 or 16GB

Storage: 128, 256 and 512GB

Graphics: Adreno 685

Operating system: Windows 10 Home

Camera: 10MP rear, 5MP front-facing, Windows Hello

Connectivity: Wifi ac, Bluetooth 5, 2x USB-C, Surface Connect, LTE, nano sim, esim

Dimensions: 287 x 208 x 7.3mm

Weight: 774g

The screen is far too dim on resuming from sleep until you hit the brightness button, at which point it returns to normal

The machine ran cool throughout, barely getting warmer than room temperature even when pushed hard

There’s no real mis-touch rejection at the edges of the screen, which means you have to be careful where you put your fingers when holding the tablet

Pros: slim, great 13in screen, 4G, kickstand, nine-hour battery, 2x USB-C, quick charging, Windows Hello, brilliant keyboard (essential additional purchase), smart stylus holder, Windows 10

Cons: not much ARM-native software, no good photo editors, no SD card reader, no headphone socket, no Thunderbolt 3, keyboard not included

Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 review: still sleek, just no longer unique

Microsoft Surface Pro 6 review: a fantastic tablet PC you shouldn’t buy

Microsoft Surface Go review: tablet that’s better for work than play

Microsoft Surface Studio 2 review: in a class of its own

16in MacBook Pro review: bigger battery, new keyboard, new Apple

Apple MacBook Air review: the new default Mac

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Franklin India Prima Fund-Growth

By portal.amfiindia.com
Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 00:00:00

Category Equity Scheme - Mid Cap Fund
NAV 730.6525
Repurchase Price
Sale Price
Date 08-May-2020


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Franklin India Prima Fund-Dividend

By portal.amfiindia.com
Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 00:00:00

Category Equity Scheme - Mid Cap Fund
NAV 42.1007
Repurchase Price
Sale Price
Date 08-May-2020


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Franklin India Prima Fund - Direct - Growth

By portal.amfiindia.com
Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 00:00:00

Category Equity Scheme - Mid Cap Fund
NAV 787.2242
Repurchase Price
Sale Price
Date 08-May-2020


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Franklin India Prima Fund - Direct - Dividend

By portal.amfiindia.com
Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 00:00:00

Category Equity Scheme - Mid Cap Fund
NAV 46.6695
Repurchase Price
Sale Price
Date 08-May-2020


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Nippon India Prime Debt Fund- Weekly Dividend Plan

By portal.amfiindia.com
Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 00:00:00

Category Debt Scheme - Corporate Bond Fund
NAV 17.0798
Repurchase Price
Sale Price
Date 08-May-2020


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Nippon India Prime Debt Fund- Daily Dividend Reinvestment Plan

By portal.amfiindia.com
Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 00:00:00

Category Debt Scheme - Corporate Bond Fund
NAV 17.0679
Repurchase Price
Sale Price
Date 08-May-2020


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Nippon India Prime Debt Fund - Quarterly Dividend Plan

By portal.amfiindia.com
Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 00:00:00

Category Debt Scheme - Corporate Bond Fund
NAV 11.7473
Repurchase Price
Sale Price
Date 08-May-2020


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Nippon India Prime Debt Fund - Monthly Dividend Plan

By portal.amfiindia.com
Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 00:00:00

Category Debt Scheme - Corporate Bond Fund
NAV 11.3358
Repurchase Price
Sale Price
Date 08-May-2020


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Nippon India Prime Debt Fund - Growth Plan - Growth Option

By portal.amfiindia.com
Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 00:00:00

Category Debt Scheme - Corporate Bond Fund
NAV 42.3194
Repurchase Price
Sale Price
Date 08-May-2020


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Nippon India Prime Debt Fund - Growth Plan - Bonus Option

By portal.amfiindia.com
Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 00:00:00

Category Debt Scheme - Corporate Bond Fund
NAV 30.2243
Repurchase Price
Sale Price
Date 08-May-2020


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Nippon India Prime Debt Fund - Dividend Plan

By portal.amfiindia.com
Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 00:00:00

Category Debt Scheme - Corporate Bond Fund
NAV 13.5580
Repurchase Price
Sale Price
Date 08-May-2020


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Nippon India Prime Debt Fund - Direct Plan Weekly Dividend Plan

By portal.amfiindia.com
Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 00:00:00

Category Debt Scheme - Corporate Bond Fund
NAV 17.0830
Repurchase Price
Sale Price
Date 08-May-2020


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Nippon India Prime Debt Fund - Direct Plan Quarterly Dividend Plan

By portal.amfiindia.com
Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 00:00:00

Category Debt Scheme - Corporate Bond Fund
NAV 11.8616
Repurchase Price
Sale Price
Date 08-May-2020


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Nippon India Prime Debt Fund - Direct Plan Monthly Dividend Plan

By portal.amfiindia.com
Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 00:00:00

Category Debt Scheme - Corporate Bond Fund
NAV 11.4473
Repurchase Price
Sale Price
Date 08-May-2020


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Nippon India Prime Debt Fund - Direct Plan Growth Plan - Growth Option

By portal.amfiindia.com
Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 00:00:00

Category Debt Scheme - Corporate Bond Fund
NAV 43.5693
Repurchase Price
Sale Price
Date 08-May-2020


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Nippon India Prime Debt Fund - Direct Plan Growth Plan - Bonus

By portal.amfiindia.com
Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 00:00:00

Category Debt Scheme - Corporate Bond Fund
NAV 31.1069
Repurchase Price
Sale Price
Date 08-May-2020


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Nippon India Prime Debt Fund - Direct Plan Daily Dividend Reinvestment Option

By portal.amfiindia.com
Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 00:00:00

Category Debt Scheme - Corporate Bond Fund
NAV 17.0707
Repurchase Price
Sale Price
Date 08-May-2020


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Nippon India Prime Debt Fund - Direct Plan - Dividend Plan

By portal.amfiindia.com
Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 00:00:00

Category Debt Scheme - Corporate Bond Fund
NAV 13.8060
Repurchase Price
Sale Price
Date 08-May-2020


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Poem of the month: Primavera by Robin Robertson

By www.theguardian.com
Published On :: 2020-05-09T11:00:54Z

for Cait

The Brimstone is back
in the woken hills of Vallombrosa,
passing the word
from speedwell to violet
wood anemone to celandine.
I could walk to you now
with Spring just ahead of me,
north over flat ground
at two miles an hour,
the sap moving with me,
under the rising
grass of the field
like a dragged magnet,
the lights of the flowers
coming on in waves
as I walked with the budburst
and the flushing of trees.
If I started now,
I could bring you the Spring
for your birthday.

Continue reading...


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Fossil ‘monster’ looks alien but may be related to primitive fish

By www.newscientist.com
Published On :: Fri, 01 May 2020 12:33:37 +0000

The Tully Monster is a famously odd 300-million-year-old fossil that looks like an alien, but a new analysis suggests it was a backboned animal like a hagfish or lamprey


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The Accidental Prime Minister movie review: A bad accident

By www.mid-day.com
Published On :: 12 Jan 2019 12:35:07 GMT

The Accidental Prime Minister
U: Biography, drama
Dir: Vijay Gutte
Cast: Anupam Kher, Akshaye Khanna
Rating:

Given the imagery in the trailer, it is impossible to walk into The Accidental Prime Minister anticipating anything. The intent of its makers is evident: its strategic release, months prior to the election, solidifies its positioning as a propaganda film. Films are meant to have fodder for debate and discussion. And the topic of discussion here, I propose, is how Mayank Tewari, the writer of Newton (one of India’s most balanced political films) and Hansal Mehta (Shahid) came up with something as abhorrent as this.

Probably hoping to pitch this as India’s answer to House Of Cards (HOC), the film’s narrative is too incoherent to make a political statement, let alone start a dialogue. HOC, of course, made with tremendous gumption, never has a political bias. It merely mirrors the goings-on behind the closed doors of the White House. Based on the book by Sanjaya Baru, this movie attempts to make sense of power games in the corridors of the coveted bungalow No. 7, Race Course Road (the official residence of PMO). But there’s no escaping the fact that it can only pass as a run-down, Made In China version of HOC.

If at all the idea was to shame and embarrass the Congress party, the writing here lacks the desired punch. The onus of shaping the material lies in the hands of the director, and Vijay Gutte is visibly inept. Of course, the lofty and on-point casting of Akshaye Khanna as Baru and Anupam Kher as PM Dr Manmohan Singh, salvages the situation considerably, but there’s no saving the film from shoddy direction.

Baru’s book walks the tightrope carefully, making ground-breaking political revelations, but never reducing Dr Singh to a laughable figure. Even his worst critics would agree, Singh was a man of poise. On Gutte’s insistence (or so I would like to believe) Kher turns Singh into a mute cartoon, who deserves to be pitied. It almost feels like the makers want to mock Singh — mimic his voice, slouch his gait. Baru had carefully carved Singh as a fiercely loyal man, standing strong on his ideals; one who is manipulated by the Gandhis (Sonia and Rahul). Gutte never focuses on the vulnerable equations between Singh and the Gandhi family.

He, in fact, allows Khanna to get disturbingly Frank Underwood-ish, turning up the dark humour in every third sentence. Khanna is great at what he does, but he makes Baru seem more like a saffron loyalist, not a Congress insider. Gutte takes us through the hallmarks of the Congress government, from the nuclear deal to the 2G scam, in a news bulletin, decade roundup-sort of a fashion, creating the build up for the film’s Singham (PM Modi). Do we know how Singh felt through it all? That’s for another film. There’s enough to laugh about in this offering, but the joke here is that while Hollywood continues to make great content, we are still nitpicking and name-calling.

Watch The Accidental Prime Minister Trailer

Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates



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Mere Pyare Prime Minister Film Review: Toilet: Eklame katha!

By www.mid-day.com
Published On :: 16 Mar 2019 06:20:55 GMT

Mere Pyare Prime Minister
U/A: Social drama
Dir: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
Cast: Anjali Patil, Om Kanojiya
Ratings: 

What's the first thing you wonder about this film, given its title, and the fact that no head honcho of a democratic state in world history has ever had as many biopics - shorts, docs, features, web-series - simultaneously being made on him/her, even while they're still in office?

So, well, no, this isn't really a film on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Or it is, only by suggestion, since a boy writes a letter to the PM, which would be Modi (who else), but we don't see his lookalike on screen (unlike Uri, and many others in the pipeline).

Be that as it may, a film that focuses on the problem of urban, open defecation, the eradication of which should be on the agenda of every corporator/legislator, and of course the PM (current, or ones to follow), belongs to proper public service advertising/announcement (PSA) space, rather than propaganda of any kind.

Why are your suspicions slightly legit still? For it's hard to explain why the filmmakers would go ahead with this PSA script (unless they're genuinely struggling, or been forced into coming up with one), when every element here has been dished out plenty of times before, and there is no attempt to top any of it either.

Check out the trailer here:

And you could go right from trying to meet, or connect, with a head of state (I Am Kalam, My Name Is Khan), to detailing life among kids in a Mumbai slum (Salaam Bombay, Slumdog Millionaire), or in general, the Mumbai slum itself (Dharavi, Gully Boy), to addressing head-on how the poor in India (men, but women, in particular) have to bear the burden of shitting in the open, because there are no frickin' loos, which is what the rather entertainingly done, recent Akshay Kumar picture, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, was all about.

Even as a peek into the lives of Mumbai slum-dwellers, who constitute about half the metropolis, the Iranian Majid Majidi's Beyond The Clouds (2017) seemed a far more perceptive, original and thought-provoking take, than this local, thoroughly distant, predictably upper-class view of the lives of the downtrodden others, with every conceivable cliche that must dictate it - rape, domestic violence, drunken males, and Sheela Ki Jawani, Baby Doll type of Bollywood songs/entertainment as the only route towards momentary escape.

This is the sort of film that ideally aims to ride on its supposedly noble intentions alone, rather than engaging characters or story, the gist of which is that there's a little boy (a wonderfully cast Om Kanojiya), who does odd jobs selling newspapers, condoms, etc.

He shares a lovely bond with his single mother (Anjali Patil). He writes a letter to the PM hoping for a public toilet in his slum. That the right to shit in peace must involve a petition to the PM, no less, is tragic enough. That you don't feel for anyone in this film (let alone, the issue), with the camera hovering around a bunch of parallel songs/story-lines, aimed to extend a simple short film into a full-length feature, is perhaps worse.

Also Read: Watch video: The fun-filled making of Mere Pyare Prime Minister's title track

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Spoiler Alert: Doesn't Amazon Prime's web show Upload remind you of Black Mirror's San Junipero episode?

By www.mid-day.com
Published On :: 2 May 2020 02:29:22 GMT

Welcome aboard! But before you read this one, let us be clear that the next few paragraphs are filled with nothing but spoilers. If you are nerd enough to gorge on all the sci-fiction shows the web throws at you, you've landed on the perfect page. Amazon Prime Video released a good sci-fi show, that has a hint of comedy and a dash of romance and drama, on May 1, 2020, and we couldn't help but binge on this one.

Black Mirror, the popular Netflix show, which gave us some good dark and gritty content to watch out for, has kind of an uncanny resemblance to this show. How, you ask? An episode on Black Mirror showed an alternate world where people who die can move to a place named San Junipero, and live an afterlife on their own terms. Watching Upload, you'll surely be reminded of that episode.

Here we have four reasons that make Upload a good watch:

A futuristic approach

As the lockdown extends, and so does our watch-list (of course, it is a never-ending one), we have got you the scoop on one more show, and this time, it is a futuristic approach towards the afterlife of a human. In the new show Upload, our loved ones or us, 'upload' our memories and special moments on a database, which will help you to experience everything, just like a living person. Even the seven sins of a human -  pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony, and sloth, have been shown by the great brains who work on the artificial intelligence of this 'afterlife heaven'.

A life, after life

Okay, so the essence of this entire show lies in the afterlife of people who have decided to 'upload' themselves, and live a kingsize life in a virtual world. This manmade heaven is no less than a fairyland, where everything is just happy and the way we want it. But, the only glitch in this virtual world is the bugs and the viruses. Just like our real-world has problems, the digital world created beyond the horizon by some great nerdy minds have to face multiple technical difficulties.

Watch the trailer of Upload here:

A gamer's show

The show Upload starts with a brat Nathan Brown (Robbie Amell), who is deeply in love with his girlfriend Ingrid (Allegra Edwards). The duo sees their future together, but Nathan's death faults Ingrid's plan. To keep him forever, she uploads his memory and avatar in an afterlife - Horizen - and what comes next is AI personified! Video game lovers will connect with this show for real. The only difference is one doesn't have to sit with a joystick to select the next move.

A reimagined heaven

Upload shares a materialistic world which many people mistake for life and realise it once everything is gone for real. Nathan experiences the same thing when he meets his angel, Nora (Andy Allo), given by Horizen, to guide him. She not only becomes his 'guiding angel' but also helps him solve the mystery behind his sudden death caused due to a technical glitch in his auto-driven car. What comes next is kind of predictable.

The entire struggle to maintain a lifestyle in the afterlife will make you cringe about the world's perception of leading a good life, and also an afterlife. This show will actually make you think about what went wrong with these people.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi to interact with Chief Ministers on COVID-19 situation

By www.mid-day.com
Published On :: 27 Apr 2020 05:58:29 GMT

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to interact with Chief Ministers on Monday, via conferencing, on the prevailing COVID-19 situation in the country.

"At 10 AM, Shri Narendra Modi will be interacting with state Chief Ministers via video conferencing. They will be discussing aspects relating to the COVID-19 situation," PMO tweeted.

Today's meeting comes just a week ahead of the scheduled ending of nationwide lockdown. On March 24, the Prime Minister had announced a 21-day lockdown as a precautionary measure to contain the spread of COVID-19. The lockdown was later extended till May 3.

Meanwhile, speaking on the forthcoming meeting with the Prime Minister, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao said, "The CMs will explain the situation in their respective states at the conference. There will be some estimate on the situation in the country and in the states. Opinions on how the next plan of action will also be figured on Monday's conference. Hence, there will be clarity on the future course of action."

The Prime Minister has already held two such interactions with the Chief Ministers over the COVID-19 situation in the country.

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Buddha Purnima: Prime Minister Narendra Modi extends wishes to nation, followers of Lord Buddha across world

By www.mid-day.com
Published On :: 7 May 2020 04:42:49 GMT

On the occasion of Buddha Purnima, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday extended greetings to the nation and the followers of Lord Buddha around the world.  I extend my wishes to all on the occasion of Buddha Purnima. Today, the situation is such that I cannot participate in Buddha Purnima programmes physically. It would have been my pleasure to be with you all in the celebrations, but circumstances prevailing today do not permit us," the Prime Minister said in his address.

"It is my good fortune that I have got the opportunity to take your blessings. In 2015, 2018 in Delhi and in 2017 in Colombo, I had the chance of joining this event and being amongst you," he said. Praising Lord Buddha, the Prime Minister used one of his sayings to state that the lack of physical interaction on this occasion would not be a hindrance to the enthusiasm surrounding the day.

"Lord Buddha had said - the mind is the basis of Dhamma, the mind is Supreme, the mind is at the forefront of all tendencies. That's why since our minds are connected, we don't feel the lack of physical presence much," the Prime Minister said.

The festival of Buddha Purnima is celebrated to commemorate the birth of Siddhartha Gautama, who later became Gautam Buddha.

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