Author: Rasmita Jena

  • Ben Sawyer’s Contract Extended: New Zealand Women’s Cricket Coach Until 2026

    Ben Sawyer’s Contract Extended: New Zealand Women’s Cricket Coach Until 2026

    Wellington, New Zealand – The New Zealand women’s cricket team has some great news! Ben Sawyer, their coach, has signed a contract to stay on for two more years. This means he will guide the team, known as the White Ferns, until December 2026. Sawyer helped New Zealand win their very first ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in the UAE last October, which was a huge achievement.

    As an Australian, Sawyer will lead New Zealand in important tournaments coming up, like the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in India next year and defending their T20 World Cup title in England in 2026.

    Sophie Devine, the captain of the team, is really happy about Sawyer’s continued support. “I’m stoked that Ben is staying with us,” she said. “He has done amazing work for the White Ferns and women’s cricket in New Zealand. The team is in a great place now, so having him for another two years will help us a lot.”

    Next up for Sawyer and the White Ferns is a three-match One Day International series against Australia. The team is currently sixth in the ICC Women’s Championship standings and needs strong performances to automatically qualify for the 50-over World Cup in India next year.

    During the last Women’s T20 World Cup, Sophie Devine scored 114 runs, with her best score being 57 against India. In the final match against South Africa, New Zealand batted first and scored 158 runs. Amelia Kerr and Brooke Halliday had a big partnership to help the team recover after a few quick wickets.

    In the chase for 159 runs, South Africa struggled and ended up scoring only 126 runs. Amelia Kerr and Rosemary Mair took important wickets, with Kerr winning the ‘Player of the Match’ for her excellent performance with both bat and ball.

  • Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs OnePlus 13: Key Differences Explained

    Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs OnePlus 13: Key Differences Explained

    Next month, OnePlus is all set to launch its new flagship phone, the OnePlus 13. This phone is generating a lot of excitement with its new look and improved features. But there’s still a strong contender in the market: the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, released in 2023, which remains popular for its great performance. So, should you go for the latest OnePlus model or consider the older Galaxy S23 Ultra, which might be cheaper? Let’s take a closer look.

    Design and Display

    The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra has a stylish design made from glass and aluminum. It features a quad-camera setup and an S-Pen for extra functionality. The upcoming OnePlus 13 is expected to have a fresh design, possibly with a vegan leather back, making it tough and stylish as well. The Galaxy S23 Ultra has an IP68 rating, meaning it can withstand some water and dust, while the OnePlus 13 might come with an even tougher IP69 rating.

    When it comes to the display, the Galaxy S23 Ultra has a 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen with a refresh rate of 120Hz and can get super bright at 1750 nits. The OnePlus 13, however, might sport a slightly larger 6.82-inch 2K+ AMOLED display, also with a 120Hz refresh rate, and could reach an amazing brightness of 4500 nits.

    Performance and Battery Life

    Powering the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, paired with an Adreno 740 GPU, up to 12GB RAM, and up to 1TB of storage. In contrast, the new OnePlus 13 is expected to come with the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, up to 16GB RAM, and 1TB of UFS 4.1 storage. This means the OnePlus 13 could potentially be faster and better at using artificial intelligence features.

    The Galaxy S23 Ultra has a 5000 mAh battery that supports 45W charging. The OnePlus 13 is likely to come with a bigger 6000 mAh battery and super-fast 100W SuperVOOC charging.

    Camera

    For photography, the Galaxy S23 Ultra has a quad-camera setup, including a massive 200 MP main camera, a 10 MP telephoto lens for 3x zoom, another 10 MP periscope telephoto camera with 5x zoom, and a 12 MP ultra-wide camera. Meanwhile, the OnePlus 13 is expected to carry a triple-camera setup with a 50 MP main camera, a 50 MP telephoto lens with 3x zoom, and a 50 MP ultra-wide camera.

    Price in India

    The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra launched for ₹1,24,999 but is available online at discounts for under ₹80,000. The new OnePlus 13 is expected to be priced around ₹70,000.

    So, which phone is right for you? If you want the latest features and bigger battery, wait for the OnePlus 13. But if you’re looking for a strong performer at a better price, the Galaxy S23 Ultra is still a great choice

  • Josh Hazlewood Aims for Return as Australia Eyes Series Win Against India

    Josh Hazlewood Aims for Return as Australia Eyes Series Win Against India

    Melbourne, Australia: Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood is hopeful about his fitness before the third Test against India at the famous Gabba stadium in Brisbane. Hazlewood has been dealing with a side strain, which kept him out of the game when Australia won the second Test in Adelaide by 10 wickets, tying the five-match series at 1-1. This win has given the team a boost in their chances of reaching the ICC World Test Championship Final next year.

    Hazlewood, who took four wickets in the first Test in Perth, worked hard on his fitness in Adelaide on Monday. He hopes to play in the upcoming Test if he doesn’t feel any pain in the next couple of days. “It really depends on how I feel in the 24 hours after my workout,” Hazlewood said, adding, “It’s important to cool down and then see how my body reacts before deciding if I can play again.”

    If Hazlewood returns, Scott Boland may have to sit out, even though he played well in Adelaide. Both bowlers will head to Brisbane for the test match, where Australia hopes to improve their recent record. They have lost two out of the last four Tests held at the Gabba, including a match against India. Hazlewood believes that if the team adjusts quickly to playing with a red ball instead of a pink one, they will do well. “We usually play well in Brisbane. The last match was with a pink ball, but the red ball suits us better,” he explained.

    In the second Test, India elected to bat first but struggled against the moving pink ball and fast bowler Mitchell Starc. They managed just 180 runs, with only a few partnerships standing out. Australian captain Pat Cummins and Boland took crucial wickets.

    In their first innings, Australia put together a strong performance, with Travis Head scoring 140 runs. This helped them get to a total of 337 runs, giving them a lead of 157 runs.

    In the second innings, India faced more challenges as their star players failed to perform. They ended the day at 128 for 5 wickets. The next day didn’t go better for India, who got bowled out for just 175 runs, with Australia needing only 19 runs to win. Cummins took five wickets, while Boland and Starc chipped in as well.

    With a target of just 19 runs, Khawaja and McSweeney quickly scored the runs in just 3.2 overs, giving Australia a comfortable win.

  • Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar Celebrate 40 Years of Marriage!

    Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar Celebrate 40 Years of Marriage!

    Famous actress Shabana Azmi and her husband, the talented lyricist Javed Akhtar, are celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary on Monday! To make this special day even sweeter, Shabana shared a lovely picture of them on her Instagram.

    In the photo, Shabana looks beautiful in a pink outfit with a matching scarf and a flower in her hair. Javed looks sharp in a white shirt and jacket. Shabana wrote a cute message with the picture: “It’s 40 years today since we got married, and he still makes me laugh.”

    Actor Annu Kapoor also shared a fun story about how he helped Javed and Shabana get married. He said, “I arranged their wedding on December 9, 1984. Javed was sitting nearby, while Shabana was inside reading. I told her to make a choice.” When Javed thought Shabana wasn’t ready, Annu checked with her. She said, “Yes, I am!” Annu went back to Javed and said, “Okay, I’m going now.”

    Annu hurried to find a priest for the wedding ceremony. Shabana’s mother got out a beautiful red wedding dress. He even called stars Boney and Anil Kapoor to join the celebration. They all danced and celebrated until 4 or 5 in the morning before Shabana and Javed finally got married!

    Javed and Shabana met for the first time at her father, Kaifi Azmi’s house. Javed was previously married to Honey Irani and has two kids, Farhan and Zoya Akhtar.

  • Sanjay Dutt Joins Baaghi 4: Fans Can’t Wait for the Action!

    Sanjay Dutt Joins Baaghi 4: Fans Can’t Wait for the Action!

    Actor Sanjay Dutt is joining the popular Baaghi movie series, and things are about to get even more exciting! The announcement came on Monday with a new poster that shows Sanjay in a cool, intense look.

    In the poster, he sits on a throne, wearing bloody clothes and holding a lifeless woman in his arms, looking both sad and angry. The tagline reads, “Every Aashiq Is A Villain,” hinting that his character will be complicated and intriguing. Fans can’t wait to see how he brings this character to life!

    Tiger Shroff, who stars in Baaghi 4, shared the poster on his Instagram and wrote, “Every Aashiq is a Villain… Welcome @duttsanjay to Baaghi 4.” Fans on social media went wild after seeing Sanjay’s tough look! Many said things like, “This is going to be awesome!” and “We’re in for a big surprise!” People are very excited to see Sanjay back in action.

    About Baaghi 4: Last month, the first poster of Baaghi 4 was released, showing Tiger Shroff looking tough and covered in blood, holding a machete and sitting in a messy toilet. The poster said, “This time, he is not the same,” making everyone curious about the story.

    The Baaghi franchise began in 2016 with Tiger Shroff and Disha Patani. The first movie was a big hit, making ₹129 crore worldwide! This led to the success of Baaghi 2, which earned ₹259 crore. In 2020, Baaghi 3 came out, starring Shraddha Kapoor and Riteish Deshmukh, and even with the pandemic, it made ₹137 crore.

  • South Africa vs Sri Lanka: Final Day Showdown in the 2nd Test Match!

    South Africa vs Sri Lanka: Final Day Showdown in the 2nd Test Match!

    South Africa needs five more wickets, while Sri Lanka is chasing 143 runs as the thrilling final day of the second Test arrives. At the end of the fourth day, Sri Lanka scored 205-5, trying to reach a target of 348 runs to win the match and tie the series. South Africa aims to find the remaining batsmen to claim a 2-0 victory.

    Sri Lanka’s captain, Dhananjaya de Silva, and Kusal Mendes showed great partnership, both not out on 39 runs, giving their team hope. They maintained a quick scoring rate, but they need to chase down more runs than any team has previously managed at this venue—Australia’s 271-8 against South Africa in 1997.

    Both teams are eager to win. Sri Lanka needs this win to stay in the race for a spot in the World Test Championship final at Lord’s in June. If South Africa wins, they will move to the top of the standings, ahead of Australia.

    After getting South Africa out for 317 runs post-lunch, Sri Lanka played aggressively but lost two openers—Pathum Nissanka and Dimuth Karunaratne—before tea. Karunaratne was out for just 1 run, and Nissanka scored 18 runs before chasing a wide ball and getting caught by the bowler Dane Paterson. Paterson also got Dinesh Chandimal out for 29 runs in the last session.

    Spinner Keshav Maharaj got veteran Angelo Mathews out for 32 runs. The attacking Kamindu Mendes scored 35 runs quickly but got caught by wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne off another Maharaj delivery.

    Earlier, Prabath Jayasuriya took five wickets for 129 runs—his first five-wicket haul outside of Sri Lanka. Temba Bavuma topped South Africa’s score in their second innings with 66 runs. He began the day with 48, achieved his 24th fifty, but was eventually out by Jayasuriya.

    South Africa won the first Test against Sri Lanka by 233 runs in Durban.

  • Farmers Challenge PM Modi: Protests Intensify in Haryana

    Farmers Challenge PM Modi: Protests Intensify in Haryana

    Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher criticized Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Haryana. He asked if the PM would say his party’s wins in elections show his way of helping India is working. Pandher pointed out that farmers are unhappy with both the ruling BJP and the opposition INDIA alliance. He urged PM Modi to pay attention to the ongoing farmers’ protests.

    “Is he going to say that because his party wins elections, we should see his development as good?” Pandher said. “Farmers and youth have many problems, and the PM should announce solutions that help farmers.”

    Today, PM Modi is in Panipat to start construction on a large new campus for Maharana Pratap Horticultural University in Karnal. This $700 crore project will help farmers grow different crops and improve gardening technology.

    Recently, police in Punjab and Haryana spoke with farmer leaders about their concerns after many farmers were injured in protests. Tensions are high at the Punjab-Haryana border, where police used tear gas on farmers trying to head to Delhi. Pandher accused the Punjab government of working with the central government to stop the protests. Opposition leaders criticized how the government is handling the situation, highlighting problems like fertilizer shortages and the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops.

    More discussions are planned for today as farmers decide their next steps in their fight for better treatment.

  • Bomb Threats Prompt School Closures in Delhi: $30,000 Ransom Demanded!

    Bomb Threats Prompt School Closures in Delhi: $30,000 Ransom Demanded!

    On Monday morning, around 40 schools in Delhi got scary emails saying there were bombs planted inside their buildings. The sender asked for $30,000, or USD 30,000, in return for not causing harm.

    The schools that received these threats included well-known ones like DPS RK Puram, GD Goenka, The British School, and Modern School, among others. After getting the emails, most schools decided to stop classes for the day and sent students home as a safety measure.

    Fire and police teams quickly arrived to search the schools. At around 9:30 AM, officials said they hadn’t found anything suspicious in the buildings. The emails were sent late Sunday night at 11:38 PM from the address [email protected].

    The email claimed, “I planted multiple bombs inside the building. The bombs are small and hidden very well. It will not cause much damage to the building, but many people will be injured when the bombs go off.” The mail continued with a threatening message: “You all deserve to suffer and lose limbs. If I do not receive $30,000, my group ‘KNR’ is behind this attack.”

    One school, Mother Mary’s School, told parents to pick up their kids immediately due to the threat. A parent named Harish shared his frustration, saying, “I received an emergency message from the school. This shows the government is failing to keep schools safe since these threats keep happening.”

    This isn’t the first time such threats have been made. In May, over 200 schools, hospitals, and important buildings in Delhi received similar bomb threats, and the case remains unsolved because the emails were sent anonymously using a special tool called a Virtual Private Network.

  • Bomb Threats Target Delhi Schools: Students Sent Home for Safety

    Bomb Threats Target Delhi Schools: Students Sent Home for Safety

    On Monday morning, more than 40 schools in Delhi received a scary email demanding $30,000. The email threatened to “detonate bombs” if the money was not paid. As a safety measure, many schools sent students home early.

    Some of the first schools to report the threats were Delhi Public School in RK Puram and GD Goenka Public School in Paschim Vihar. The email claimed that small bombs were hidden “very well” and warned that while they wouldn’t cause much damage, many people would be hurt if they went off. It read: “I planted multiple bombs inside school buildings. The bombs are small and hidden very well. They will not cause much damage, but many people will be injured when they explode. If I do not receive $30,000, I will detonate the bombs.”

    This email was sent late at night on December 8, around 11:38 pm. Other schools that also received similar messages included Mother Mary’s School, British School, Salwan Public School, and Cambridge School.

    Mother Mary’s School informed parents: “An email was received this morning regarding a bomb threat. The students are being sent home immediately as a precaution. Please collect your children from the bus stops.”

    Delhi’s Chief Minister, Atishi, criticized the central government, saying it has failed to keep people safe. She pointed to the increase in threats and crime in Delhi. She stated, “The law and order situation has never been this bad.” Former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also spoke out, asking Union Home Minister Amit Shah to explain the safety issues in Delhi.

  • Indian Stock Market Steady Before Key Inflation Reports

    Indian Stock Market Steady Before Key Inflation Reports

    The Indian stock market started the week a bit flat on Monday. Last Friday, it had a great week, the best since June! Investors seem to be taking a cautious approach as they await important inflation reports from both the U.S. and India this week.

    The main index, S&P BSE Sensex, dropped 47.34 points or 0.06% to 81,661.78. The broader Nifty 50 index also fell slightly by 8.05 points or 0.03%, starting at 24,669.75.

    Shares of State Bank of India and big player Larsen and Toubro (L&T) showed some strength, both gaining over 1%. Everyone is keeping an eye on the U.S. consumer price inflation (CPI) data coming out on Wednesday. This will help determine future interest rates and could affect foreign investment in countries like India.

    In India, CPI data will be released on Thursday. This information could play a big role in the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) deciding when to cut rates.

    Dr. V K Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist at Geojit Financial Services, commented that the ongoing market rally could lift the Nifty higher, but he expressed concerns about the slowing Indian economy and how it might affect market momentum. He said, “The near-term trend is mildly positive, but we must be careful. While the U.S. market is doing well, we can’t be too optimistic. A Fed rate cut this month is likely and could keep the equity markets afloat, but the long-term picture is still uncertain.”

    In Asia, shares faced challenges, with South Korean shares dropping by 1.4%. Meanwhile, Japan’s Nikkei index gained 0.3% due to an upward revision in economic growth, while Chinese stocks varied near flat. China’s consumer price index fell 0.6% in November, which meant annual inflation dropped to 0.2%. This highlights the need for stronger policy support.

    This week, the European Central Bank is expected to cut interest rates by 25 basis points, with a small chance of a larger cut. U.S. stock futures, including S&P 500 and Nasdaq, remained mostly unchanged on Monday.

    In currency news, the Indian rupee slipped 5 paise to 84.71 against the US dollar. Oil prices are slightly up, with Brent crude at $71.35 a barrel and U.S. crude at $67.44 per barrel, primarily due to events in the Middle East, even as investors worry about low demand from China.

    On December 6, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) were selling stocks worth Rs 1,830.31 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) bought Rs 1,659.06 crore worth of stocks.