Category: News

  • Trump’s New Gold Card Plan: Helping Indian Students Get Jobs in America

    Trump’s New Gold Card Plan: Helping Indian Students Get Jobs in America

    On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump announced a new plan called the ‘gold card’ that will help Indian students studying in America. This plan allows American companies to hire these graduates easily. Right now, many top students from places like India, China, and Japan graduate from famous schools like Harvard and Yale but face uncertainty about getting jobs because their visas can be tricky.

    To solve this problem, Trump said that companies can buy a ‘gold card’ for $5 million that will let them hire talented foreign students who studied in the US. This ensures those students can stay and work here. Trump believes these gold cards will be popular among companies looking for smart, hardworking people.

    During a meeting, Trump mentioned that having a gold card will help companies recruit the best talent without worrying about immigration issues. He also said that the money from these cards could help pay off national debt.

    Trump wants to encourage businesses to hire people and believes this plan will be a win-win: companies get the workers they need, and America can benefit from their talents.

    He joked about the idea, saying, “I hope you liked it!” and talked about how the current immigration system hasn’t worked well for companies wanting to hire skilled workers from abroad.

    Additionally, Trump mentioned that businesses operating inside the US will not have to pay any extra fees called tariffs, while those outside the country will. He thinks this will motivate companies to invest and create jobs, which will help reduce national debt

  • Massive Fire Engulfs Half of Surat’s Shiv Shakti Market

    Massive Fire Engulfs Half of Surat’s Shiv Shakti Market

    Firefighters are working hard to put out a big fire at the Shiv Shakti textile market in Surat, which started on Wednesday morning. The fire has burned down almost half of the shops. Because the building is weak, firefighters can only spray water from outside using special hydraulic platforms.

    Officials have closed off the area to keep people safe and have asked everyone to leave. Police are there to manage traffic and security. Chief Fire Officer Basant Kumar Parikh explained that it is very hot inside the building because it stored a lot of materials. They received the first fire alarm around 8 AM. “We’re unsure if the building will hold up. We’re fighting the fire from the outside,” he said, noting that half of the shops in the market are damaged.

    Teams are still working to control the flames. Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Bhagirath Gadhavi reported that the area has been completely sealed off and many police officers are on duty. “Firefighters are busy putting out the fire in the cloth market. We’ve evacuated everyone and closed all shops, even in nearby areas,” DCP Gadhavi stated. The Shiv Shakti market has around 800 shops, and they are all shut down for safety.

  • Promoter Selling in Nifty50 Hits Record Low: What You Need to Know

    Promoter Selling in Nifty50 Hits Record Low: What You Need to Know

    Right now, a lot of business leaders, known as promoters, from the companies that make up India’s Nifty50 stock index are selling their shares. This is happening at a speed we’ve never seen before, with their total ownership dropping to just 41.1%, the lowest it’s been in 22 years.

    Promoters are selling their shares just as stock prices hit record highs, which makes many investors worry. Typically, company owners know their businesses really well and wouldn’t sell unless they think the future looks tough. Since 2009, promoter ownership has mostly gone down, except for a brief period from 2019 to 2021 when it slightly increased.

    Some major companies like Cipla and Tata Motors are seeing the largest drops. For example, Cipla’s ownership fell by 4.28% over the last nine months, and Tata Motors saw a 3.79% drop. Other big names like Bharti Airtel and TCS are also part of this trend.

    What This Means for You as an Investor

    When promoters start to sell, it can be a warning sign. Dr. V K Vijayakumar, a financial expert, says that the upcoming earnings growth for Nifty50 is expected to drop to only 7%. This doesn’t match the high stock prices we’ve seen lately. The promoters may have sensed that their companies might not do as well in the future and sold their stakes at good prices.

    However, sometimes promoters sell for valid reasons, like needing to pay off debts or meet certain regulations. Investors should always look closely at why a promoter is selling before making any decisions.

    Shifting Ownership Trends

    As promoters are selling, more institutional investors are buying in. These big investment firms now own 47.5% of Nifty50 companies, the highest ever. This is mostly because local mutual funds are increasing their holdings. However, individual investors’ shares have stayed the same for about six years.

    While having more institutional investors can make the market more stable, it can also mean promoters have less control over their companies. This shift might change how businesses are run and could lead to unexpected ups and downs in the market.

    In summary, while selling by promoters may raise alarms, understanding their reasons and looking at the broader market conditions is key for investors. It’s essential to research a company’s fundamentals before jumping to conclusions about stock performance.

  • North Korea Sends More Troops to Support Russia Amid Ukraine Conflict

    North Korea Sends More Troops to Support Russia Amid Ukraine Conflict

    North Korea has sent more soldiers to Russia, according to South Korea’s spy agency. They shared with AFP that over 10,000 North Korean troops were sent to Russia last year to help fight against Ukraine in the Kursk area. Earlier this month, South Korea said that the North Korean soldiers who were on the front lines in Kursk hadn’t fought since mid-January. Ukraine reported that these soldiers were pulled back after suffering heavy losses.

    On Thursday, a South Korean intelligence official said that some of these soldiers have been redeployed back to the front lines, along with extra soldiers. The exact number of these troops is still being figured out. Neither Russia nor North Korea confirmed this troop movement, but last year, the two countries made a deal that included a promise to defend each other.

  • Supreme Court Halts Trump’s Foreign Aid Cuts: What You Need to Know

    Supreme Court Halts Trump’s Foreign Aid Cuts: What You Need to Know

    On Thursday, the US Supreme Court paused a judge’s order that required the Trump administration to release billions of dollars meant for foreign aid. Chief Justice John Roberts stated that the lower court’s decision would be on hold until the Supreme Court can review it in detail.

    What the Judge Said
    Judge Amir H Ali ruled that the Trump administration must stop its freeze on foreign aid while a lawsuit by some nonprofit groups and businesses is still in progress. Previously, an appellate court had denied the government’s request to stop the judge’s order.

    After an executive order by Trump, the government halted foreign assistance, which he labeled as wasteful and not fitting his global policy goals.

    Big Cuts in Foreign Aid
    On Thursday, the Trump administration announced plans to cut more than 90% of USAID’s foreign aid contracts and a total of $60 billion in aid worldwide. These cuts leave very few remaining projects for advocates to fight to save in ongoing legal battles.

    Details about these cuts were shared in a confidential memo seen by the AP news agency and in court filings.

    Trump and Musk Target Foreign Aid
    Trump and his ally Elon Musk are working hard to shrink the size of the federal government, believing that USAID programs promote a liberal agenda and waste taxpayer money. On January 20, Trump ordered a review of all foreign aid programs, leading to an immediate stop of all foreign assistance funds.

    This funding freeze has halted thousands of US-funded programs in other countries, and many USAID employees have been put on forced leave or fired.

  • Intuitive Machines Launches Athena: A New Era of Moon Exploration

    Intuitive Machines Launches Athena: A New Era of Moon Exploration

    A U.S. private space company called Intuitive Machines has taken a big step toward exploring the Moon. On Wednesday, they launched their Moon lander, named Athena, using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The launch took place from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, and Athena is set to land on the Moon on March 6.

    This is the second mission for Intuitive Machines to study the Moon. Their first mission last year ended in failure when they couldn’t land correctly.

    What is Athena’s Mission?

    Athena aims to touch down on the Moon’s Mons Mouton region, located about 160 kilometers from the Moon’s south pole. After landing, it will send out rovers like the Micro Nova Hopper named Grace. Grace is unique because it can hop around and gather scientific information. One of its main tasks is to explore a dark crater that’s about 400 meters away from where Athena lands. This will be the first time anyone has explored such a crater!

    If Athena lands successfully, it will also observe a lunar eclipse on March 14. During this event, the Moon, the Earth, and the Sun will line up, creating a beautiful sight. While people on Earth will see the Moon vanish, Athena will watch the Sun move behind the Earth and then reappear on the other side of the horizon.

    Improvements Since Last Time

    Trent Martin, a senior vice president at Intuitive Machines, said this mission is “much more complex” than their last one. He emphasized the importance of landing upright to do science experiments on the Moon.

    Other companies are also planning to land on the Moon. For example, Firefly Aerospace and Japan’s ispace have their own missions underway. Firefly’s Blue Ghost lander will try to land this Sunday, and ispace is expected to land in the coming months.

    After learning from past mistakes, Intuitive Machines has made improvements to avoid issues that caused their first mission to fail last year. In February 2024, their Odysseus lander reached the Moon’s surface but tipped over due to a broken leg. They are optimistic and prepared for this mission, but Trent Martin added, “You never know what could happen

  • SpiceJet’s Impressive Turnaround: Profit in Q3 2024

    SpiceJet’s Impressive Turnaround: Profit in Q3 2024

    SpiceJet is making headlines because it has started making money again! In the last three months of 2024, the airline earned ₹26 crore, a big turnaround from a loss of ₹300 crore a year before. Their total income jumped by 35%, reaching ₹1,651 crore, thanks to more passengers flying and better operations.

    Ajay Singh, the Chairman and Managing Director, said this performance shows how resilient the company is and highlights their focus on fixing financial issues. For the first time in ten years, SpiceJet’s worth is now positive, which is a huge step towards their goal of becoming stronger.

    The airline also raised ₹3,000 crore through a stock sale, attracting interest from global investors. This money has helped SpiceJet pay off old debts, expand their fleet, and grow their operations faster.

    SpiceJet carried a lot of passengers, with an impressive 87% of seats filled, and they made ₹4.57 for each passenger on average. They spent ₹170 crore to get their grounded planes back into the air.

    However, shares of SpiceJet have not performed well lately, dropping 29.65% over the past year and 20.91% over the last three years. They are lagging behind their competitors and market indices like Sensex and Nifty50.

  • Cuban Critiques Musk: Is Trump’s Job Getting Tougher

    Cuban Critiques Musk: Is Trump’s Job Getting Tougher

    Mark Cuban, a well-known entrepreneur and owner of the Dallas Mavericks, criticized Elon Musk, the billionaire behind DOGE and former CEO of Tesla, at a recent political conference in Washington, D.C. Cuban claimed that Musk is making things harder for people trying to achieve political goals, including Donald Trump’s plans.

    During the Principles First Summit, Cuban noted that Musk seems unconcerned about public opinion, saying, “Elon doesn’t care.” He pointed out that while Trump has a talent for selling ideas—a skill that helps him gain support—Musk’s actions could create difficulties for Trump by making him look bad.

    Cuban praised Trump for being a great salesperson in politics, saying he can convince people to buy into his ideas. However, Cuban also criticized Trump’s ability to follow through on those ideas, saying people are beginning to wonder if he can get things done.

    Cuban mentioned that Trump’s supporters still stick by him, much like people in relationships no one else approves of. He humorously suggested that these supporters might ignore major issues because they don’t want to admit they made a mistake.

    In addition, Cuban said Trump has struggled with his choice of advisors, which only adds to his problems. He believes that mistakes made by Musk and Trump could help the Democrats gain an advantage in upcoming elections. Cuban suggested Democrats should be more persuasive in their messaging and could even pursue investigations into shady activities.

    Finally, he challenged Musk to prove his worth, saying, “Elon’s got to step up or shut up.”

  • Teen Girl Alleges Repeated Rape by Tuition Teacher in South Delhi

    Teen Girl Alleges Repeated Rape by Tuition Teacher in South Delhi

    A 15-year-old girl has accused her tuition teacher of raping her several times in South Delhi. On Wednesday, the girl and her father went to the police station to report what happened. The police official, Ankit Chauhan, said that the girl claimed the teacher had been giving her classes since 2022 and had hurt her multiple times at the tuition center. She also said that the teacher threatened and blackmailed her to keep quiet. The police have started an investigation and filed a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and other laws.

  • Recent Go-Arounds Highlight Aviation Safety Concerns

    Recent Go-Arounds Highlight Aviation Safety Concerns

    An American Airlines plane arriving at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport had to pull up and go around instead of landing safely. This happened because an air traffic controller told the pilot to avoid getting too close to another plane that was taking off from the same runway. The incident involved American Flight 2246 coming from Boston and happened around 8:20 a.m. on Tuesday.

    Just a couple of hours later, another plane at Chicago’s Midway Airport also had to climb back up into the sky to avoid an accident. This was Southwest Flight 2504 coming from Omaha, Nebraska. The crew did a go-around to stay safe from another aircraft that was on the runway. They followed the safety rules and landed without any problems.

    Recently, there have been concerns about safety in the skies due to several serious airplane incidents. This includes a tragic crash of a small plane in Alaska on February 6 that took the lives of 10 people. There was also a midair collision between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines flight at National Airport on January 26 that resulted in 67 fatalities. Additionally, a medical jet carrying a child and her mother crashed on January 31 in a Philadelphia neighborhood, killing everyone on board—seven people total—and injuring 19 others. On February 17, a Delta flight flipped and landed on its roof at Toronto’s Pearson Airport, injuring 21 passengers.