Author: Supriya Jena

  • 27-Year-Old Man’s US Tourist Visa Denied: Emotional Reddit Story

    27-Year-Old Man’s US Tourist Visa Denied: Emotional Reddit Story

    A 27-year-old man shared his story on Reddit about how his visa to visit the US as a tourist was denied, even though his father and sister got theirs approved. He explained that he was currently looking for a job but would soon start studying at a well-known school in India. His trip to the US was just part of a vacation with family.

    The man, who has 4.5 years of experience in analytics, used to work at ZS for a year and then spent three years at a startup. He shared that he was accepted into the Indian School of Business for an MBA program starting in April 2025. After resigning from his job in January, he planned the US trip for March.

    During the visa interview, he answered several questions but ended up feeling sad when he was told his visa was not accepted. He mentioned feeling disappointed and thought he had good reasons to return to India for his studies.

    On social media, some people gave their opinions on what might have caused his visa denial. Some believed he might have confused the interviewer with his answers, while others felt he was just unlucky. A few pointed out that his financial situation could have raised concerns

  • U.S. Plans New Approach to Strengthen Ties with China Under Rubio

    U.S. Plans New Approach to Strengthen Ties with China Under Rubio

    The U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, recently told China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi that the Trump administration wants to build a relationship with China that helps American interests and puts the needs of the American people first. This call was the first time the two talked since President Donald Trump took office.

    Rubio highlighted that the U.S. is committed to supporting its allies in the area and is very concerned about China’s actions against Taiwan and in the South China Sea. Many countries, including Vietnam, the Philippines, and Malaysia, have claims in the South China Sea, which China claims most of.

    During the call, Rubio also talked about other important issues between the U.S. and China. Over the last year, relations between the two countries have worsened due to a trade war that has led to increased tariffs.

    In Congress, two lawmakers, John Moolenaar and Tom Suozzi, introduced a new law called the Restoring Trade Fairness Act. This law aims to take away China’s special trade status, which it received from Congress back in 2000 to encourage China to trade fairly.

    Additionally, Senator Ted Cruz introduced a law called the Protecting Military Installations and Ranges Act, which would stop foreign countries like China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea from buying certain land near U.S. military bases. Cruz said this is important for the safety of American troops.

    Congressman Dan Meuser has also reintroduced the China Exchange Rate Transparency Act. This law aims to make China more open about its money practices, as many believe it unfairly affects U.S. businesses. The act will ask the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to insist on China’s fair financial practices.

  • Mumbai Fare Hikes: Buses, Autos, and Trains Affected

    Mumbai Fare Hikes: Buses, Autos, and Trains Affected

    In Mumbai, the bus fares for the state-run Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) have gone up by 14.95%. This change started on Saturday. Now, if you travel by MSRTC buses, you will have to pay a little more for your tickets. MSRTC runs around 15,000 buses that carry about 55 lakh passengers every day, making it one of India’s biggest bus services.

    In addition to the bus fare hike, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Transport Authority (MMRTA) has decided to raise the base fare for auto-rickshaws and taxis by Rs 3. This means the fare for auto-rickshaws will change from Rs 23 to Rs 26, and the base fare for taxis will increase from Rs 28 to Rs 31. Also, blue-and-silver AC cool cabs will see an increase in their fare by Rs 8, raising the first 1.5 kilometers fare from Rs 40 to Rs 48. Please remember, these new fares will only start when all vehicle meters are adjusted to show the new prices.

    On a different note, the Western Railway has started a three-day mega block from the 24th to the 26th of this month. This means there will be no trains during these times for bridge construction work between Bandra and Mahim. The block began at 11 PM last night and will last until 8:30 AM each day. Although normal train services have resumed now, some long-distance trains will be affected. For example, Train No. 20901, Mumbai Central-Gandhinagar Capital Vande Bharat Express, will now leave at 06:15 hrs on January 25, 2025. Other trains, like Train No. 12009, Mumbai Central-Ahmedabad Shatabdi Express, will depart at 06:30 hrs on the same date. Train No. 09052, Bhusaval-Dadar Special, will short terminate at Borivali and won’t continue to Dadar on January 25, 2025. For the latest updates, check the Western Railway’s platform on X.

  • Five Men Arrested for Alleged Rape of Mentally Challenged Woman in Goa

    Five Men Arrested for Alleged Rape of Mentally Challenged Woman in Goa

    Five men have been arrested for allegedly raping a woman with mental challenges in South Goa, police said on Saturday. The incident happened in Margao during the night between Wednesday and Thursday.

    The police chief of South Goa, Sunita Sawant, explained that one of the men made friends with the woman, who is in her 20s, at the Margao bus stand. He then took her on a bus to another place. Once they arrived, the man brought the woman to an apartment where four other men were waiting. They then allegedly assaulted her.

    The woman’s mother found out what happened and filed a complaint. Based on this, the police arrested all five men according to the rules set by the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS).

  • Mexico Ready to Welcome Back Citizens as U.S. Deportations Increase

    Mexico Ready to Welcome Back Citizens as U.S. Deportations Increase

    Mexico is ready to cooperate with the United States as President Donald Trump’s administration sends Mexican citizens back to their home country. The Mexican foreign ministry shared this message on Friday, saying they will always welcome returning Mexicans with open arms. This comes after a statement from the White House press secretary mentioned that Mexico accepted a record four deportation flights in just one day on Thursday.

  • Local Markets Down: What Investors Should Know This Week

    Local Markets Down: What Investors Should Know This Week

    This week, the local markets ended on a downbeat note. Many investors were quick to sell off their shares after any gains, following a common trend of selling on good news. Even though the company results for the third quarter met expectations, the market still dipped.

    Several things contributed to this market drop, like cuts in spending by the Federal Reserve, slower earnings growth, high stock prices, and uncertainty in trade. Only four small companies managed to earn double-digit gains this week. The biggest winner was MPS, which shot up by 24%, followed by Fairchem Organics at 17%, Capri Global at 12%, and Zensar Technologies at 10.7%. On the flip side, 81 small companies experienced big losses. The biggest losers included Newgen Software, Cyient, and The India Cements.

    In the midcap segment, no stocks saw gains in double digits, but Go Digit, Coforge, Mphasis, Persistent Systems, Laurus Labs, and United Breweries saw increases of up to 8%. Among the larger companies in the Sensex group, Kotak Bank led the pack with a 7% gain, closely followed by Ultratech at 7% and Tech Mahindra at 3.8%.

    What should investors do next? Bigger upcoming events, like the Federal Open Market Committee meeting and the Union Budget announcement, will likely shape market feelings. While expectations for the Union Budget are low, if it concludes without any negative surprises, it could help ease worries in the market.

    Analysts believe that uncertainty around Trump’s economic policies and high stock prices may affect the market short-term, especially in emerging markets. Vinod Nair from Geojit Financial Services thinks the market is now going through its last stage of adjusting. With the market down about 14%, it seems the worst may be over, supported by strong economic fundamentals. If company earnings grow at the usual 15% by FY26, we could see the market recover.

    For long-term investors, now might be a good time to be patient and gradually buy more stocks, according to Nair. From a technical perspective, the market didn’t bounce back significantly after forming a Doji pattern last week, and it closed down by 0.5%. Nifty’s near-term outlook is weak, and if it drops below 22,975, it may go down to 22,800. Any rise towards 23,350-23,400 could be a chance to sell, according to Nagaraj Shetti from HDFC Securities.

  • US Supreme Court Approves Extradition of Mumbai Attack Convict Tahawwur Rana

    US Supreme Court Approves Extradition of Mumbai Attack Convict Tahawwur Rana

    The US Supreme Court has made a big decision about a man named Tahawwur Rana, who is connected to the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks. They agreed to send him back to India. Rana, who is a Canadian citizen originally from Pakistan, had one last chance to avoid extradition, but his request was turned down.

    Before this, Rana had already lost cases in other federal courts, including one in San Francisco. On November 13, he asked the Supreme Court to hear his case, but they said no on January 21, just a day after Donald Trump became President. The Supreme Court simply stated, “Petition DENIED.”

    Right now, Rana is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles. This means he will be sent back to face justice in India for his part in the Mumbai attacks

  • TS TET 2024 Answer Key Released: Check and Raise Objections

    TS TET 2024 Answer Key Released: Check and Raise Objections

    The Department of School Education in Telangana has shared the answer key for the Telangana Teacher Eligibility Test (TS TET) 2024. If you took the test, you can check the provisional answer key on the official TS TET website: tgtet2024.aptonline.in.

    Along with the answer key, you will also find your response sheet. You can download the response sheet from the same website.

    If you think there’s a mistake in the answer key, don’t worry! There’s a chance for you to raise an objection. The window for raising objections is open from January 25 to January 27, 2025, until 5 PM. This means you have some time to share your concerns about the initial answer key. An expert committee will review your objections.

    How to Download the TS TET 2024 Answer Key:
    1. Go to the official TS TET website: tgtet2024.aptonline.in.
    2. Click on the link for the TS TET Answer Key 2024 on the homepage.
    3. A new page will open. Click on your subject to see the answer key.
    4. Check the answer key and download it.
    5. Print it or keep it saved for future reference.

    The TS TET exam took place from January 2 to January 20, 2025, in two shifts: the first shift was from 9 AM to 11:30 AM and the second shift from 2 PM to 4:30 PM. For more information, visit the official TS TET website!

  • Wall Street Dips as Tech Stocks Struggle Amid Mixed Reports

    Wall Street Dips as Tech Stocks Struggle Amid Mixed Reports

    Wall Street’s main stock indexes went down on Friday as investors took a moment to think about new economic data and company earnings. The big problem was the technology sector, especially big names like Nvidia, which had a quick drop after a big rise earlier in the week.

    Some housing market data was higher than expected, showing more people are buying homes. However, a survey showed that business activity slowed to its lowest point in nine months, even though companies are hiring more workers. This might help the Federal Reserve decide carefully on how to manage interest rates this year.

    Consumer mood dropped from 73.2 to 71.1, indicating people are less optimistic. Investors are expecting the Federal Reserve to keep interest rates the same at their meeting on January 28-29, with hopes of cutting rates by June.

    Scott Helfstein, an investment expert, said the mixed economic news has investors preparing for a busy week ahead with important data and the Fed meeting coming up. There’s also uncertainty about President Trump’s new policies, as he mentioned tariffs on other countries without sharing clear details.

    The Dow Jones dropped 140.82 points, sitting at 44,424.25. The S&P 500 lost 17.47 points to 6,101.24, and the Nasdaq dropped 99.38 points to 19,954.30. Even with these losses, the S&P 500 went up 1.74% for the week, and the Nasdaq and Dow also gained.

    Six sectors in the S&P 500 gained, with communications performing the best. NextEra Energy was the biggest winner, rising 5.2%. Technology stocks were the weakest, particularly Texas Instruments, which fell 7.2% due to lower profit forecasts. Nvidia dropped 3.1%, along with Microsoft and Tesla, which both saw small losses.

    American Express did well, reporting a big profit increase, but its shares still dropped. Boeing’s shares fell after it announced a possible $4 billion loss; they will report results on Tuesday.

    On a positive note, Verizon’s shares rose after it reported better-than-expected subscriber growth. More stocks went up than down on the NYSE, and many stocks hit new highs

  • DJ Unk: Remembering the Iconic Atlanta Rapper at 43

    DJ Unk: Remembering the Iconic Atlanta Rapper at 43

    Atlanta rapper DJ Unk has sadly passed away at 43. He was born Anthony Leonard Platt and was known for his famous songs “Walk It Out” and “2 Step” released in 2006. The cause of his death hasn’t been shared yet, but his family shared the sad news on Friday. His wife, Sherkita Long-Platt, wrote on Facebook, “I just lost my husband and my kids just lost their father. Our life will never be the same. I LOVE YOU ANTHONY FOREVER.”

    His former record label, Big Oomp Records, also confirmed the news on social media, calling him a “true ATL legend.” They praised his impact on music, saying songs like “Walk It Out” and “2 Step” will always be remembered and that he inspired many artists and fans.

    DJ Unk was an important figure in snap music, a style that became popular in the mid-2000s. His song “Walk It Out” reached No. 2 and “2 Step” went to No. 4 on the Billboard Hot Rap Songs Chart.

    In the past, DJ Unk had health problems, including a heart attack in 2009. He said it was due to touring, unhealthy eating, and not exercising. “It was stress,” he explained in a 2010 interview. His fans and loved ones will remember him for his energy and creativity.