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[ad_1] U.S. moving remaining Ukraine embassy staff from Kyiv to Lviv -Blinken [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] The Supreme Court on Monday upheld the order of the Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) that had quashed a direction issued by the National Stock Exchange of India to Axis Bank that funds lying in the bank account of Karvy Stock Broking are assets of the exchange’s defaulter committee. A bench led by Justice LN Rao after hearing both the sides rejected the NSE’s appeal against the SAT’s November 29 order. The NSE said the rights/interests of investors/clients of a defaulter trading member, guaranteed under the regulatory framework of Sebi and NSE, supersede the purported right of lien of a commercial bank over the accounts of such trading member. If the SAT’s order is followed, miscreant trading members would take undue advantage and would devise ingenious ways of removing the innocent investors’ securities and any monies received from misutilisation of such securities out of the hands and reach of the defaulter committee and other trading members, senior counsel Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for NSE, argued. Such restricted interpretation would undoubtedly not only render NSE’s byelaws redundant but also deprive the defaulters’ committee, and in turn, the investors of their dues and rights, thereby defeating the purpose of the NSE byelaws, he added. Sebi had in November 2019 put various restrictions on Karvy, including prohibiting it from taking new clients in respect of its stock broking activities as it had misused clients’ securities by unauthorisedly pledging the securities. Axis Bank had challenged the communication issued on December 8, 2020 by the exchange holding that the bank accounts of Karvy become the assets of the defaulter committee of the exchange since the stock broker has been declared a defaulter and expelled from the membership of the bourse. Senior counsel Shyam Divan and counsel Ankul Saigal, appearing for the bank, argued that Karvy owed it Rs 165 crore with interest and the NSE had no power to issue any directions to the bank to freeze its accounts on which the lender had a banker’s lien. The counsel also contended that Axis Bank is a commercial bank and not a trading member and therefore is not bound by Sebi laws, including the bye laws of the NSE. Stating that NSE did not have any jurisdiction to pass such order based on Sebi’s confirmatory order, the SAT had ruled that the exchange could not have held that the funds lying in the account of Karvy Stock Broking are assets of the committee as per the NSE bye laws. Besides, the vesting of the assets in the defaulters committee is limited and cannot include all the assets of Karvy, the defaulter, the tribunal said, adding that only such security deposited with the stock exchange vests with the defaulters committee. In addition, other monies, securities and other assets due, payable or deliverable to the defaulter by any other trading member also vest with the defaulters committee, it added. [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] Need a new chromebook? This is a great deal! Best Buy has this Acer 11.6″ Chromebook for just $109 shipped as the daily deal today! This is regularly $249 and is a great deal. Valid today only, February 14, 2022. [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] Chainmonsters Launches Closed Beta on iOS and Android [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] Coronavirus Cases in India Today, Coronavirus Statistics in India Highlights: The week has started on a positive note in terms of Covid numbers as the latest coronavirus tally updated by the Union Health Ministry shows all indicators are either in green or inching towards that. The morning bulletin released by the government on Monday showed that India registered 34, 113 new Covid-19 infections in the last 24 hours. This was a significantly lower than the Sunday figures. Another sign of relief was a consistent drop in the Covid fatalities. On Monday, the country witnessed 346 corona deaths. Also Read: Rajasthan Govt orders mandatory RT-PCR test on arrival for international passengers The third wave of the Covid-19 infections, driven by the highly transmissible Omicron variant that began in India sometime in mid-December last year, has seen a significant decline in weekly Covid deaths. After the peak of the nearly 3.5 lakh daily Covid cases in the period of January 20-26, the daily cases have come down to 30K. However, a close analysis of the testing pattern is also required to see if the cases have dropped due to less testing or there has been a general decline in the spread of the virus. Here are the latest Covid-related news, research and more from India and around the globe: [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] The post Digit Review 2022 — Automate Your Savings appeared first on Millennial Money. Digit is a budgeting app that helps users automate their savings. That means it calculates how much money you need to save and automatically transfers it from your checking account to a separate savings account. In this Digit review we’ll share everything you need to know to decide if Digit is right for you. Now, I’m a bit skeptical about financial automation tools. When it comes to managing my money, I’d much rather roll up my sleeves and get to work than take the easy way out. But not all of us are natural-born savers. Some folks need some extra help getting started. If this sounds like you, Digit may be a great solution. In this Digit review, we’ll explore how the personal finance app works. We’ll also assess the pros and cons and talk about some of its top competitors to help you determine whether the Digit app is right for you. Overall Rating Pros Easy to use Overdraft protection 0.10 percent bonus Easy withdrawal option Automatic transfers Cons No interest $5 monthly fee Limited customer support Ease of Use 9.5 Customer Support 7.5 Automatic transfers 9.5 Overdraft protection 9.5 No interest 7.0 or, skip straight to the section on how to sign up for Digit. What Is Digit? Digit is a personal finance app created in 2013. Its goal is to help users put money away for growth without having to think about it. When you open up a Digit account, the app helps you set up a savings goal and then uses machine learning to analyze your spending habits. Digit sets money aside in a separate savings account based on how much money you want to save and how much money you need for your regular expenses. Let’s break down how Digit can help your personal finance with automated savings. How Digit Works  Here’s how Digit works. 1. Analyzes your account First, Digit connects with your linked checking account. Then Digit analyzes your inbound and outbound cash flows and looks for spending patterns. That means Digit will leave plenty of funds in your checking account to cover your bills and necessary spending. 2. Determines the right savings amount Once Digit has a clear understanding of your financial situation, the app determines how much it can pull out of your account without you noticing.  Digit does this using an algorithm, machine learning, and behavioral psychology principles. Pretty cool, if you ask me! Digit will also let you set up customized savings goals. These can include an emergency fund, a vacation fund, or money you want to put aside for retirement. 3. Moves money automatically  The last step involves transferring money into your Digit savings account, which the service does automatically by removing money from your account each day. You can then go about your life with the peace of mind that comes with knowing you’re saving your cash without having to worry about it.  Digit uses a handful of partner banks — including Chase, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo — to hold its savings accounts. That means your account will be FDIC-insured up to $250,000. Digit savings accounts offer a savings bonus of 0.10% annually, paid out on a quarterly basis. To be honest, you could easily find another online savings account that would pay you a higher annual percentage yield (APY). Digit Features Here are the best Digit features. Automatic saving Digit encourages a “set it and forget it” approach.  Simply download the app, set up a Digit savings account, and let the app handle the rest. By factoring in your upcoming bills and scheduled payments, the Digit app reduces the risk that you set aside too much in savings in one month.  Easy withdrawal Digit lets you withdraw money 24/7/365.  What’s more, Digit doesn’t have a monthly restriction limiting how many times you can pull money from your account. That’s compared to most savings accounts, which are bound by the Federal Reserve’s Regulation D, which limits customers to six withdrawals or transfers per month. Not so fast, though. Digit charges $0.99 for an instant withdrawal. But at least you won’t have to wait several days or weeks to get your cash like you would with other apps.  Overdraft fee protection If you have a limited cash flow, you’re probably wondering about overdraft protection. Digit offers an overdraft guarantee with a feature called Safe Saving that allows you to set a minimum balance in your account. If your account falls below this threshold, Digit won’t pull any money from your account. For example, you may tell Digit not to remove money if your account balance reaches $100.  Widespread support  Digit works with more than 2,500 U.S. banks and credit unions, so chances are there will be no problem linking your checking account to a Digit account. However, keep in mind that right now, Digit only works with U.S. banks. Unfortunately, international institutions will not work with this app. Debt reduction service  Are you buried up to your eyeballs in credit card debt? Digit may be able to help.  Digit offers a credit card reduction plan for making automatic payments. To activate this feature, set a credit card debt reduction goal in the Digit app. Then Digit will allocate money every month toward your credit card payments.  If you take this approach, just make sure that the money makes a difference and puts a dent in your debt. Take my word for it: Putting credit card payments — or any payment — on auto-pay is risky.  As a side note, trying to save while you’re in debt is like spinning tires in the mud. You can’t move forward and make actual gains until you get control over high-interest debt.  Truth be told, problem debt is a top wealth killer. If you’re in debt, treat the situation like a financial emergency. Digit Direct checking account (coming soon) In June, Digit announced it will

[ad_1] Yay! One of my favorite freebies is back — a free 8×10 photo print from Walgreens! {Looking for more freebies? Don’t miss our huge list of 50 freebies you can sign up for right now! And be sure to check out all the latest photo deals and free photo prints.} Walgreens Free 8×10 Photo Print Through February 15th, you can get a free 8×10 photo print at Walgreens with free in-store pickup. Just upload your picture on the Walgreens website or mobile app, go to checkout, use coupon code JUSTINEMAIL, and choose in-store pickup. Your total should be $0.00! Please note that this may only work in the mobile app. I love using these freebies to grab fun prints of some of my favorite photos. And then I usually pick out a pretty frame at Dollar Tree to put it in! Valid through tomorrow, February 15, 2022. [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] AMD closes biggest chip acquisition with $49.8 billion purchase of Xilinx [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] By Garima Garg Monsoon: A Poem of Love and Longing by Abhay K. Sahitya Akademi, Pages 70, Price – Rs 110, ISBN: 9789355482808 In the day and age of instant messaging and video calls, would you choose the clouds to take your message to a loved one? No, not cloud computing but actual clouds that travel and store up the joy i.e. monsoon within them. After all, the legendary Sanskrit poet Kalidasa did it centuries ago when he wrote his poem Meghaduta. That is precisely what inspired Abhay K., poet and diplomat, after which he did not only translate the poem but also began to imagine what a modern-day version of it may look like. In the mean-time, he also translated Kalidasa’s poem of seasons, Ritusamhara. It follows, then, in his poem Monsoon: A Poem of Love and Longing, where monsoon takes his message from the island nation of Madagascar to the beautiful valley of Kashmir in India, we witness an extraordinary readaptation of Kalidasa’s genius for the present times. In the introduction, Abhay K., who is currently India’s Ambassador to Madagascar, writes that the countries of the Indian Ocean, Africa and Asia have a host of unlikely shared histories that show how they are connected in a variety of ways. The journey, as it unfolds through the one hundred and fifty stanzas (each stanza consisting of four lines) of the poem, is a veritable opera of seasons, biodiversity, geography, history, culture, and of course, the infinite manifestations of humanity itself. It starts with the poet beseeching the clouds in Antananarivo, the capital city of the country where he is currently stationed— lovesick and far away from my beloved,      I beseech you to take my message alongwith amorous squeals of Vasa parrotsreverberating songs of Indri Indri (9)                                                        the sound of sea waves crashing on coral beachesmating calls of the Golden Mantellasmellifluous chirps of the Red fodysonorous songs of the Malagasy Coucal (10)                                               These verses set the stage ever so magically because they not only hint at the poet’s love and longing for the beloved but also the glory of nature. But unlike Kalidasa, who wrote in the fifth century and likely did not travel out of India, Abhay K. has travelled the world. He shows us the many cascading layers that form a country in the 21st century. For instance, when he writes about Mauritius, he takes us through it from the peninsula of Le Morne Brabant to the pond of Ganga Talao. In doing so, he packs more than what one might expect— help the parasailers soar high at Ile aux Cerfslisten to the sound of the giant waves crashingagainst the volcanic cliffs at La Roche Qui Pleure,pray at Ganga Talao brimming with the holy water (24) bow in reverence to Shiva, seek his blessings —may your journey ahead be smooth,let the serpent around his neck not scare youbeware! his third eye may burn you to cinders (25)                                           if opened in a fit of rageyour journey would end here in Mauritiusleaving millions expecting your auspicious arrivaldevoid of rains, devoid of life, devoid of joy (26) The verses depict the biodiversity of Mauritius and its French heritage and also deftly introduce Hindu mythology. By referring to the statue of the fierce Lord Shiva that stands on the path to the Talao, Abhay K. tells us about the country’s Indian and Hindu diaspora too. He further makes sure to remind us why we need the rains and how they actively foster much of what we understand as life. In this way, he packs a global and wholesome perspective in his poem, which is companioned by copious footnotes. Throughout this awesome journey, the poet warps and wefts the various threads that started their weave from Madagascar’s Antananarivo. So, while in the thirteenth verse, he mentions the country’s native Baobab trees for the first time, in the forty-fifth verse we learn of its descendant in Sri Lanka’s Palk Bay. It is precisely at this point that the clouds of monsoon separate in two directions— some move towards the Bay of Bengal while the rest travel along the Western Ghats towards India’s capital city of New Delhi, where the two eventually merge and travel towards Kashmir. That rain revitalizes our lives after summers is something we know all too well. But nowhere does it manifest with as much as in, well, the City of Joy itself. Abhay K. takes us through the Sundarbans and the coastal city of Kolkata, where the monsoon is nothing short of a festival after the harshest of summers— you would like to stay here longerbut the City of Joy has savoury surprisesawaiting you, relishJhalMuri, Moong Dal KhichdiBainganBhaja, Ghoti Gorom, and Hilsa fry (51) the whole city will come out in the Maidanto celebrate your arrival with great pomp,children will spend the day playing footballjoin them and help them score a goal or two (52)                                Once again, rains here see more than just people and land. They see different varieties of sea-food and street-food and last but not the least, football! As one of the only regions in India where the sport is popular in an otherwise cricket crazy nation, Abhay K. gently adds a fun detail like a rainbow to his clouds. In another verse, as someone who grew up in Bihar, he strikes a deeper and more personalchord— visit my mother in Chhabilapur and give her my loverecount all you’ve seen, tell her that I’ll be back soon,recharge the waters of the lotus pond at Pawapuriwhere Lord Mahavira rests in deep samadhi(56) Biharis will rejoice upon your arrival listeningto sweet old Bhojpuri songs of their kinsfolkbrought by you from Mauritius and Seychelles,farmers will start sowing paddy singing rain songs (57) and offer you various delicacies—shinghara,dal puri, littichokha, kadhibari, pitha, ghugni,pholourie,peda, laai, chhena, tilkut, anarsa, thekuabatasha, shakkarpara, and khaja, relish these (58) Many of these will be recognized by Indians across the world and for those who don’t, it’s a culinary expedition waiting to be undertaken. But we also learn about the monsoon as the harbinger of yet another

[ad_1] Redfin CEO Glenn Kelman Grace Alipour spoke loudly into the phone over the cries of her two-year-old being strapped into a car seat. “I started at Redfin 12 years ago,” she said. “And in 2017, I decided to go on full-time as a lead agent.” Representing homebuyers in Orange County, California, Alipour generally completed 2-3 escrows a month while many colleagues did 4-5. “It is high-volume work,” Alipour recalled. Alipour gushed about Redfin’s training program, and she accessed maternity leave benefits other agents lack. But Alipour exited Redfin for Compass last month, due to Redfin’s sales expectations. “With a two-year-old, I couldn’t meet the quota,” she said. Redfin is a publicly traded company, a nationally recognized listings website and one of the biggest brokerages in the country. But what makes Redfin different – what makes it radically, transformatively different – is that it classifies real estate agents as employees.  These employee agents are exceedingly more productive than the average independent contractor agent. They are also more diligently responsive to leads – and perhaps to each other.  “We would go out to dinner a lot on the beach in Asbury Park on the Jersey shore,” recalled Jacki Wilfinger, an erstwhile Redfin agent in New Jersey. “And there would be get-togethers, like an escape room.” But Redfin’s model paradoxically makes it much more vulnerable to litigation, including a blockbuster race discrimination lawsuit on the verge of settlement. And while former agents have nice things to say about Redfin, they also leave in droves.  “For the hours you put in,” Wilfinger said. “The pay wasn’t great.”   So, does Redfin’s model work? Or not?  On a mission Way back in the drab plaid of the 1970s, brokerages often classified agents as employees and offered them health care and pension plans. That changed with RE/MAX, under its swaggering CEO Dave Liniger. “RE/MAX came in with a totally different model,” recalled Stephen Baird, CEO of Baird & Warner whose father ran that brokerage at the time. “And so, because of that, we had to make our agents independent contractors and terminate their pension plan and health insurance.” An independent contractor agent mostly finds their own leads and can receive minimal training or resources from their brokerage. Some agents, like ones at RE/MAX, even pay the brokerage fees for office space and marketing tools. In exchange, the agents set a sales commission and negotiate with the brokerage their commission cut. In July, the National Association of Realtors reported that 87% of its over 1.5 million members are independent contractors. “This classification is essential to the real estate industry, homeowners across the country, and to boosting the economy,” NAR declared. Indeed, today, brokerage executives see independent contractor agents as not just saving them money – in turn, relegating the agents to go on their spouses’ health plan or the state’s “Obamacare” health exchange – but as a philosophical virtue. The employee model “disincentivizes hard work, and caps earning potential,” said Courtney Poulos, CEO of ACME Real Estate in Los Angeles and Orlando. “With independent contractors, the success of the agent is based on their skill.”  Redfin, on the other hand, has had agents as employees since Glenn Kelman founded it in Seattle in 2006. Like Robert Reffkin at Compass and Rich Barton at Zillow, Kelman is not from a real estate background. He previously founded and helmed Plumtree Software for seven years. While Reffkin has said agents require the right technology to succeed, and Barton espouses that consumers hunger for information and simplicity, Kelman’s insight is that independent contractor agent’s incentives are aligned with them making the most money, and not on the consumer finding the best deal.. Living on commissions often means getting paid more for convincing a buyer to increase their acceptable price range or coaxing a seller to hold out for a more lucrative deal. Redfin pays agents a baseline salary – the average salary for a Redfin agent in 2021 was 23,000, according to the company – plus performance bonuses not completely tethered to a home’s sale price. For example, homes sold for between $201,000 to $450,000 receive one flat commission, and homes sold in the range of $450,001 and $700,000 receive a different, somewhat larger commission. The model, then and now, turned off many agents who are self-identified entrepreneurs, unappreciative of any ceiling. But it also drew a bountiful new crop of people into real estate. “I shared their sentiment that the brokerage really needed to be fixed,” said one former longtime Redfin agent, who requested anonymity to speak candidly about his many years at the company. “Everyone seemed on a mission and was really smart and that’s what got me on board.” Noah Goldberg came to Redfin in 2014, nine years after graduating from American University and bouncing between different corporate jobs. “I did a nine to five job – inventory analysis – in my mid-to-late 20’s,” said Goldberg, presently a Redfin agent in Charlotte. “It was as boring as it sounds like. Redfin was an amazing place to start my real estate career. They provided me training, and marketing, and covered mileage.” Trust the process Like many, if not most, employer-employee relationships – from General Motors giving autoworkers a vehicle to assemble to Wyndham providing clerks the guests to check in – Redfin agents are handed work to do by a supervisor.   Redfin is the third most trafficked U.S. website for real estate listings (behind Zillow and Realtor.com) with 49.1 million average unique visitors per month, as of September. Website visitors interested in a particular home or market become leads assigned to agents, according to that agent’s specific geographic area. Redfin agents are spread across the country. But they are most concentrated in wealthier cities including Seattle, Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco. A Redfin spokesperson said that the company has attracted agents, “Who love customer service, and would rather spend their time working with clients than drumming up new business or doing administrative tasks,” a claim that rang true