Author: Supriya Jena

  • Meillard Leads Slalom Race as Title Showdown Approaches

    Meillard Leads Slalom Race as Title Showdown Approaches

    HAFJELL, Norway — Loic Meillard, the world champion skier from Switzerland, had the fastest time in the first run of the final slalom race of the season on Sunday. Meillard is trying to improve his chances of winning the slalom title. He finished 0.34 seconds ahead of Brazil’s Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, who hopes to become the first Brazilian to win a major ski race. Fabio Gstrein from Austria came in third, just 0.1 seconds behind Braathen.

    Even though Meillard has eight top-five finishes in slalom this season, he hasn’t won yet. His only World Cup victory in slalom was last year in Aspen, Colorado. Pinheiro Braathen, who returned to skiing after a year off and switched from the Norwegian team, has had four podium finishes this season.

    Henrik Kristoffersen, who is currently leading the slalom standings, finished sixth in this race, and he needs to make up 0.84 seconds in the second run later on Sunday. Kristoffersen has won the slalom title three times before, with his last win in 2022. French Olympic champion Clement Noel is in fourth place, finishing 0.52 seconds behind Meillard.

    The slalom title will likely be decided in the final race at the World Cup finals in Sun Valley, Idaho, on March 27. Last year’s champion, Manuel Feller, skied out during the first run, but he was already out of the running for the season title before this race began. Marco Odermatt, another Swiss star, won the overall and giant slalom titles on Saturday but does not compete in slalom.

  • Nitin Gadkari Denounces Caste Politics and Highlights Health Initiatives

    Nitin Gadkari Denounces Caste Politics and Highlights Health Initiatives

    On Saturday, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari strongly criticized caste politics. He explained that a person’s true greatness comes from their qualities, not their caste, religion, or gender. Speaking at a graduation ceremony for the Central India Group of Institutions in Nagpur, Gadkari said he will not support caste politics, even if it costs him votes in elections.

    He gave an example of Dr. Abdul Kalam, who became a world-famous nuclear scientist through his hard work, not because of his background. Gadkari stated, “We will not judge anyone based on caste, religion, language, or gender.”

    He mentioned that some of his friends have warned him that his views on caste might hurt his chances in elections. In response, he said, “I will stick to my beliefs, whether or not I win votes. Does anyone really get hurt if they lose elections?”

    Nitin Gadkari Praises IPS Officer’s Work on Health Issues

    Gadkari also praised IPS officer Sandeep Tamgadge for his efforts in fighting sickle cell disease and thalassemia, which affect many people in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra. He highlighted the important work of the Tamgadge Trust in providing healthcare and screenings for underprivileged communities.

    The trust, named after Sandeep’s late father, Madhukarrao Tamgadge, focuses on helping marginalized groups. With Sandeep as the Additional Director General of Police in Nagaland, the trust is currently leading a large screening program for sickle cell disease in partnership with government bodies.

  • Delhi BJP Begins Exciting Restructuring After Election Win

    Delhi BJP Begins Exciting Restructuring After Election Win

    A month after winning the elections in Delhi, the local branch of the BJP is getting a makeover. BJP president Virendra Sachdeva, who led the party to victory, announced that this revamp, called “Sangathan Parv”, will happen this week. The party’s main leaders have named Mahendra Nagpal as the person in charge of the elections in Delhi, with Yogesh Atrey and Vijay Solanki helping him. Sachdeva mentioned that the BJP believes in teamwork and wants to give everyone in the party a chance to be involved in making decisions. Elections will take place at different levels, including booths, Mandals, district, and state committees.

  • Severe Storms and Tornado Warnings in Atlanta Tonight

    Severe Storms and Tornado Warnings in Atlanta Tonight

    Severe storms are coming to Atlanta, Georgia, and the surrounding areas tonight. The National Weather Service says there could be tornadoes until 4 a.m. on Sunday. This warning affects many counties, including Fulton, Clayton, Rockdale, Henry, Paulding, Cherokee, Cobb, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Spalding, Coweta, Forsyth, Fayette, Hall, and Douglas.

    People living in these areas should stay alert and pay attention to the news as the storm moves through. Some parts of North Georgia have already faced heavy storms, and many residents have taken shelter.

    Tornado warnings are in effect for Cobb, Paulding, Cherokee, Gilmer, and Fannin counties. Stay safe and keep updated for more information.

  • Virgin Atlantic and Joby Aviation Partner for Air Taxi Service in the UK

    Virgin Atlantic and Joby Aviation Partner for Air Taxi Service in the UK

    British airline Virgin Atlantic is teaming up with Joby Aviation, a new company that makes air taxis, to make travel to and from airports in the UK faster and easier. However, the UK government still needs to give the green light for air taxis to operate.

    Virgin Atlantic’s CEO, Shai Weiss, said in an interview that they are excited to launch the service in the UK as soon as they can. He explained it simply: “Think about traveling from Canary Wharf to New York!” Canary Wharf is a major financial area in London.

    Joby Aviation plans to offer 11-minute trips connecting London Heathrow Airport and Canary Wharf, which are about 25 miles apart. The prices for these trips will be similar to current premium ride-sharing options, like Uber.

    Joby is one of the companies making electric air taxis, which are vehicles that can take off and land vertically. They hope to start services in Dubai this year or by early 2026.

    The company is waiting for the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority to approve their application, and they wish to get the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration’s certification too. One challenge they face is finding places to take off and land, called vertiports. Joby will operate some of these sites but is also looking for help from local governments and investors to build more.

    JoeBen Bevirt, the CEO of Joby, mentioned that securing these locations might take the longest time before they can launch services, similar to what they experienced in Dubai.

    Commercial details of the partnership between Virgin and Joby haven’t been shared, but Delta Air Lines owns parts of both companies. They have a similar agreement with Joby.

    Virgin Atlantic had previously partnered with another air taxi startup, Vertical Aerospace Ltd., but Weiss mentioned that partnership ended last year.

  • Investigating Sudiksha Konanki’s Disappearance: Key Details Revealed

    Investigating Sudiksha Konanki’s Disappearance: Key Details Revealed

    Joshua Riibe is a person of interest in the case of Sudiksha Konanki, a University of Pittsburgh student who has gone missing. Authorities in the Dominican Republic took away Riibe’s passport nearly 10 days after Sudiksha was last seen with him.

    Riibe, who is from Iowa and studies at St. Cloud State University, says he is helping the police. “I’m just trying to help them out,” he told NBC News. “The ocean is a dangerous place.”

    Riibe was seen with Sudiksha during an overnight trip. They were reported to have gone into the water together. On the beach, they were seen holding hands, but only Riibe returned to the hotel.

    Riibe told police they had fun on the beach on March 6 at around 4 a.m. They were with friends, but when those friends left, Riibe and Sudiksha remained. They waded into the water, but a strong wave pulled them away.

    Riibe claims he tried to save Sudiksha, saying he pulled her closer to shore and swallowed a lot of seawater, which made him sick. “The last time I saw her, I asked her if she was OK,” he recalled. However, he started to vomit and lost sight of her.

    When Riibe woke up later, he went back to his room. Police still haven’t charged him with anything. Even though police call him a person of interest, he isn’t a suspect just yet.

    Clothing believed to belong to Sudiksha was discovered on a lounge chair at the beach where she disappeared. This clothing looks familiar to what Sudiksha was wearing that night.

  • Indian Market Update: Holi Weekend & Global Trading Insights

    Indian Market Update: Holi Weekend & Global Trading Insights

    The Indian stock market was closed on Friday because of the festival Holi, which means investors get a longer weekend until trading starts again on Monday. On Thursday, the main stock indexes in India went down despite some early happiness about lower inflation in the U.S. and India. This dip happened because of growing trade worries, especially after U.S. President Trump announced he might impose more tariffs on Europe and Canada. Companies like Reliance Industries and HDFC Bank heavily influenced this drop. The BSE Sensex fell by 200.85 points, or 0.27%, closing at 73,828.91. The Nifty 50 index also decreased by 73.30 points, or 0.33%, ending at 22,397.20.

    Market Insights
    Vinod Nair, from Geojit Financial Services, mentioned that a shorter trading week combined with issues in the U.S. market is causing some stress worldwide. However, the Indian market remains strong due to recent improvements in the economy and inflation rates. He pointed out that signs of recovery and potential future rate cuts help keep investor confidence up.

    U.S. Market Update
    On Friday, U.S. stocks bounced back as investors saw opportunities after a week of uncertainty caused by trade tensions. The Dow Jones rose by 674.62 points (1.65%) to close at 41,488.19. The S&P 500 climbed by 117.42 points (2.13%) to finish at 5,638.94, and the Nasdaq gained 451.07 points (2.61%) reaching 17,754.09.

    European Market Snapshot
    European stocks showed slight gains but were still facing a significant drop over the week due to ongoing global trade concerns. The pan-European STOXX 600 rose 0.4% but was down around 2% for the week as of Friday morning.

    Technical Analysis
    The Nifty index is forming a symmetrical triangle pattern, a sign of potential market movement. According to senior analyst Rupak De, if the Nifty goes above 22,550, it could surge, while falling below 22,350 might affect market sentiment negatively.

    Active Stocks
    The most traded stocks included Data Patterns (India), IndusInd Bank, and HDFC Bank. In terms of volume, Vodafone Idea led with 40.86 crore shares traded.

    Market Sentiment
    Overall, market sentiment was bearish. Out of 4,105 stocks on the BSE on Thursday, 2,561 went down, 1,424 went up, and 120 stayed unchanged.

  • Actress Claims Co-Star Harassed Her at Holi Party in Mumbai

    Actress Claims Co-Star Harassed Her at Holi Party in Mumbai

    A famous TV actress has accused her drunk co-star of touching her inappropriately during a Holi party in Mumbai. The actress said that her 29-year-old colleague, who works for a TV channel, forced colors onto her face and grabbed her during a rooftop party arranged by her company in Jogeshwari.

    In her complaint, the actress shared what happened. She claimed the co-star, who was very drunk, sneaked up to her and applied colors to her cheeks, even though she tried to hide from him behind a stall. She also mentioned that he was making unwanted advances toward other women at the party.

    The actress said that he told her, “I love you, let’s see who can stop me from getting to you,” before he began to touch her inappropriately. Even when she tried to push him away, he wouldn’t stop.

    Feeling “mentally shocked” after the incident, she told her friends about what happened. When her friends confronted the actor, he allegedly pushed them away, leading to a physical fight.

    The police have now opened a case against the man for sexual harassment. They have called him in for questioning, and further investigation is ongoing.

  • New Zealand Crushes Pakistan in T20I Opener – Jamieson Leads the Charge

    New Zealand Crushes Pakistan in T20I Opener – Jamieson Leads the Charge

    Christchurch, New Zealand: New Zealand is ahead 1-0 in the five-match T20I series against Pakistan. In the first match, New Zealand bowled out Pakistan for just 91 runs in 18.4 overs. New Zealand chased down the target quickly, finishing at 92 runs for just one wicket lost in only 10.1 overs.

    After the match, New Zealand captain Michael Bracewell praised the fans and mentioned it was tough to manage bowler Kyle Jamieson, who was ready to bowl his fourth over. “It was a fantastic day in front of such a great crowd. We’ve played against Pakistan before, and having them in the same team made it hard for them to recover. I had to hold Kyle back for one over. He was eager to bowl, and maybe if I had let him bowl that over, we could have limited Pakistan to an even lower score. It’s always challenging to manage bowlers in T20 matches,” said Bracewell.

    Kyle Jamieson, who was the Player of the Match, also shared his thoughts. He felt great to be playing at home and enjoyed the bowling conditions. He praised his teammates for their depth and ability to handle the situation. He mentioned how much he appreciated his bowling partner Jacob Duffy and also Zakary Foulkes.

    “It felt good to be back on home soil. The conditions were perfect for us, and Duff and I did well. We expected some big hits, but we managed to keep our bowling steady. It was a great team win. We have strong players who can take advantage of these conditions, and our bowling performance today was impressive,” Jamieson added.

    Despite new changes in their team led by Salman Agha, Pakistan struggled against New Zealand’s fast bowlers, losing by nine wickets in their first T20I match on Sunday. The Pakistani team had three debutants: Hasan Nawaz and Abdul Samad scored only a few runs, while bowler Mohammed Ali also made his first appearance.

  • Xi Jinping Declines EU-China Summit Invitation Amid Rising Tensions

    Xi Jinping Declines EU-China Summit Invitation Amid Rising Tensions

    Chinese President Xi Jinping has said no to visiting Brussels for a special meeting to celebrate 50 years of friendship between the EU and China. Instead of Xi, China will send Premier Li Qiang to meet with the leaders of the European Council and the European Commission. Usually, the Chinese Premier goes to these meetings in Brussels, and the President hosts them in China. The EU wanted Xi to attend because they think this 50th anniversary is important.

    Relations between China and Europe have gotten tense since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. The EU accuses China of supporting Russia. Last year, the EU also put tariffs (extra charges) on Chinese electric vehicles. Talks are happening to set a date for the meeting and to decide who will represent China, but the Chinese government said they have no new information about it. The EU has not yet commented on this news.