Japan’s Nikkei share average rose by over 1%, reaching its highest point in nearly three weeks. It started strong by crossing the 38,000 mark for the first time since late February, hitting 38,004.2, but ended the morning session at 37,943.23, which is still a 1.43% increase from yesterday. The Topix, a broader index, also rose by 1.44%.
Investors felt hopeful with some good news, like the rise in U.S. stocks, encouraging them to buy shares, especially trading companies. Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway increased its shares in five Japanese trading companies, which helped boost their stock prices. For instance, Mitsui & Co. jumped 4.32%, and Mitsubishi Corporation went up by 4.27%. Fast Retailing, the company behind Uniqlo, increased by 1.54%, while Advantest, a chip-testing equipment maker, surged by 3.18%.
Despite this rise, some experts, like Yusuke Sakai from T&D Asset Management, mentioned that people are still worried about U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff policies, which could impact the market. Another analyst, Shuutarou Yasuda from Tokai Tokyo Intelligence Laboratory, noted that while investors felt a bit relieved, they are not fully confident in the market just yet. As a result, some investors chose to sell stocks when the Nikkei got close to the 38,000 mark.
Meanwhile, shares related to defence, which had been doing well due to expectations of increased defence spending, fell. Companies like IHI and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries dropped by 3.72% and 2.2%, respectively.
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Nikkei Hits 3-Week High: What’s Boosting Japan’s Market?
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Nagpur Protests: Curfew Imposed Over Aurangzeb’s Grave Demand
Clashes broke out in Nagpur over a protest organized by the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), where they demanded the removal of Aurangzeb’s grave. BJP MP Anil Bonde claimed that the fighting was caused by people involved in organized crime and suggested it was a plan to tarnish the reputation of Maharashtra’s Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis. Bonde criticized opposition leaders, particularly Jitendra Awhad from the NCP, who had previously praised Aurangzeb.
In response to the violence, the police enforced a curfew in several parts of Nagpur, meaning people had to stay indoors to keep things calm. This curfew follows the clashes on March 17 when around 200 to 250 VHP and Bajrang Dal members gathered near the statue of Shivaji Maharaj to support the demand to remove Aurangzeb’s grave. -
Texas Moves to Ban Furries in Schools with New FURRIES Act
A new law introduced in Texas aims to stop students from acting like animals in schools, especially those who identify as furries. This bill, called the FURRIES Act, is supported by Governor Greg Abbott. If passed, it would make it illegal for students to bark, hiss, meow, wear tails or leashes, and use litter boxes at public schools. However, school mascots and dress-up days for Halloween or certain themes would still be allowed.
Rep. Stan Gerdes, who created the bill, believes schools should focus on learning. He said, “Our classrooms should be for education, not for distractions. We need to keep the focus on teaching kids the basics, like reading and math.”
While the law would apply to public schools, it wouldn’t affect private schools. During a meeting with church leaders, Abbott suggested that if parents feel their children are distracted by furries in public schools, they should have the right to move them to a school of their choice. Abbott has always supported the idea of school choice, which means parents can use their tax money to send their kids to different schools, including private ones. But he also admitted that this could mean less money for public schools.
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Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore: Home After 9 Months in Space
NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are ready to come back to Earth after spending nine months at the International Space Station (ISS). They planned to stay for just eight days, but their return was delayed because their Boeing Starliner capsule had problems and couldn’t take them home.
To bring them back safely, NASA used help from SpaceX, a company owned by Elon Musk. SpaceX sent its Crew Dragon capsule to rescue them. Sunita and Butch are now set to leave the ISS at 1:05 am ET (10:35 am IST) and will begin their 17-hour journey back home. They are expected to land in the Gulf of Mexico at 5:57 pm ET on Tuesday (3:27 am IST on Wednesday). The exact landing spot will depend on the weather.
After they land, they will go to NASA’s Johnson Space Center for some medical checks. It’s important for astronauts to get checked because living in space can cause health problems like weak bones and muscles, vision issues, and even loneliness.
Originally, they were supposed to return on Wednesday night, but NASA delayed their trip because of bad weather. You can watch their return live on NASA’s stream starting at 10:45 pm EST on Monday, when they will prepare to close the hatch.
Meanwhile, the longest time anyone has spent in space is 371 days by Frank Rubio in 2023. The world record is still held by Russia’s Valeri Polyakov, who lived in space for an amazing 437 days between 1994 and 1995.
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Virat Kohli Excited for IPL 2025: Fun Moments with New Teammates
The new season of the IPL (Indian Premier League) is about to begin, and Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s star player Virat Kohli is getting to know the new team members. Kohli has played for RCB since the tournament started and is aiming to win his first IPL title in 2025. Even though he played with great players like AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle, RCB still hasn’t won any IPL championship.
For IPL 2025, RCB has brought in a lot of new players, with only three from last season sticking around: Kohli, Rajat Patidar, and Yash Dayal. As the oldest player in the team, Kohli has started bonding with Phil Salt, who was bought for an impressive INR 11.50 crore during the auction.
At the RCB unbox event, something funny happened. While RCB players were throwing balls to their fans, Salt accidentally hit Kohli on the side of the head with a ball. Kohli turned around quickly to see who it was, and when he found Salt, they both laughed and hugged each other. Salt said in a video shared by RCB, “I just saw Virat in my eye-line and hit him perfectly on the head. He looked confused for a moment, but we laughed it off.”
Kohli, who used to be RCB’s captain, expressed his happiness at being back in Bengaluru. He said, “It is fantastic to return to this wonderful city and awesome fans. I’ve been here for 18 years, and I love it. We have a great team, and I can’t wait for the season to start!”
The RCB team celebrated their loyal fans by doing a lap around the stadium. The crowd enjoyed a special performance by popular rapper Hanumankind, making the event even more exciting.
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Trump Ends Protection for Biden’s Adult Children: What’s Next
Former President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he is ending Secret Service protection for Joe Biden’s adult children. Just before leaving office, Trump had extended this protection for six more months. He expressed his concerns on social media about the number of agents assigned to Biden’s son, Hunter, who has 18 agents while in South Africa. Trump also mentioned that Hunter’s sister, Ashley, has 13 agents assigned to her.
Typically, former presidents and their spouses receive Secret Service protection for life, but their kids stop receiving it at 16 unless it is extended, as Trump did for Biden’s children. While visiting the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Monday, a reporter asked Trump if he would also revoke protection for his own son. Trump responded that he hadn’t heard about this issue before but would look into it later. -
Severance Season 2 Finale: Date, Plot, and What’s Next
This week, the exciting finale of Severance Season 2 is coming out, and fans can’t wait to see what happens next after the last episode’s huge twists. Severance first started on Apple TV+ in February 2022 and quickly became really popular. The show got 14 Emmy nominations in its first season! It’s a thrilling mix of sci-fi and a funny look at business culture, making it a hit with both critics and fans, according to Forbes.
After a long wait of three years, Season 2 is back, and executive producer Ben Stiller directed a lot of the episodes. Critics and viewers are loving it once again! Here’s what you need to know about the Season 2 finale of Severance.
The last episode of Season 2 will be 76 minutes long, promising an exciting conclusion to the story. Viewers should prepare for surprises since this show is known for its unpredictable twists.
Where and When to Watch
The finale will be available on Apple TV+ on Thursday, March 20, at 9 PM EST. Recently, new episodes have been released every Thursday. You can also watch Severance on Amazon Prime Video using a “free trial” if you don’t have an Apple TV+ subscription. This season has ten episodes, which is one more than Season 1.Plot Summary
Severance tells the story of workers at Lumon Industries, run by Mark (played by Adam Scott). Their minds are split in such a way that they forget everything about work when they go home. They have two identities: “Outtie” (for home) and “Innie” (for work).Will There Be a Season 3?
There are talks about a third season. Ben Stiller mentioned back in February that they are forming a writer’s room to prevent fans from waiting another three years for new episodes, like they did between the first and second seasons. -
Pakistan Hits Back at Modi’s One-Sided Remarks on Kashmir
On Monday, Pakistan responded strongly to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent comments about Jammu and Kashmir. Modi spoke during a podcast with American host Lex Fridman, where he claimed that every effort to build peace with Pakistan ended in betrayal. He expressed hope that wisdom would guide Pakistan’s leaders to improve relations between the two countries.
The Pakistan Foreign Office quickly issued a statement saying Modi’s remarks were misleading and one-sided. They pointed out that the long-standing issue of Jammu and Kashmir remains unresolved after over 70 years, despite India’s promises to the United Nations and the people of Kashmir.
The statement accused India of creating problems in Pakistan and oppressing people in Jammu and Kashmir. It also claimed India is involved in planned attacks and terrorism beyond its borders. Pakistan said it has always been open to talks to resolve important issues, particularly the Kashmir dispute. They believe that peace in South Asia has suffered because of India’s inflexible approach and ambitions for power.
Pakistan’s comment said that India’s negative narrative about Pakistan harms the relationship between the two countries and makes peace harder to achieve. Modi mentioned that India considers Jammu and Kashmir to be a permanent part of the country. Relations between India and Pakistan worsened, and trade between them stopped after India removed the special status of Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019.
During the podcast, Modi recalled inviting Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to his swearing-in ceremony in 2014, hoping for a fresh start. However, he said that attempts at peace have often faced hostility. Modi emphasized that many people in Pakistan likely desire peace, too, as they suffer from ongoing violence and terror that affects innocent lives. He also called out Pakistan for being a source of terrorism, stating that the world understands where the roots of terror lie, and that Pakistan has caused pain not only for India but worldwide. -
India’s Key Conference on Climate Change: A Vision for 2047
New Delhi: The Indian government’s environment ministry is organizing a big conference with two Harvard University institutes starting March 19. The event is called “India 2047: Building a Climate-Resilient Future.” This conference will help shape India’s National Adaptation Plan, which is a plan for dealing with climate change.
The two organizing partners are the Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute and the Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability at Harvard.
Suman Bery, vice chairperson of NITI Aayog, and Kirti Vardhan Singh, the environment minister, are set to attend. Many important speakers will share their thoughts, including professors from Harvard University. They will discuss various topics like climate science, health, work, and buildings.
For example, one topic will focus on how climate change affects water and farming. Another important area is health, where experts will talk about how rising temperatures impact people’s well-being. There will also be conversations about how climate change affects jobs and how buildings should be designed for extreme weather.
The conference aims to produce useful research papers and reports to help with climate action worldwide. This is a unique chance to discuss these important issues in a place where climate change is a big concern.
India is working hard to adapt to climate change because it needs to grow economically but face challenges from environmental issues. Recent government reports show that spending on climate adaptation jumped from 3.7% of the country’s GDP in 2016 to 5.6% in 2022.
The document also highlighted the importance of not shutting down coal power plants, stating that it would waste huge investments without proper alternatives in place.
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India and Philippines Push for Faster Trade Agreement
New Delhi, India and the Philippines want to speed up talks for a special trade agreement, said Filipino Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo on Monday. Speaking to Indian business leaders at FICCI, he stressed the importance of working together in the Philippines’ nickel sector.
Manalo pointed out that the Philippines is the world’s top nickel ore exporter, earning around USD 1.95 billion from exports. Nickel is mainly used to make lithium-ion batteries. Currently, almost all of the Philippines’ nickel exports go to China, and only a tiny portion goes to Japan.
Manalo expressed interest in having India become a player in the Philippines’ nickel market. He mentioned that India imports about USD 707 million in raw nickel from countries like Russia, Norway, and Japan, which opens up a chance for better supply chains.
“We have a natural fit between our economies that we haven’t fully used yet,” said Manalo. He highlighted that they need to move quickly on discussions for a bilateral trade agreement that has been in talks for two years. Manalo believes this agreement is important for diversifying trade and building stronger ties between the two countries.
He sees great potential for India as a market for Philippine products, with an estimated USD 577 million in untapped exports. “We want to move from planning to actual negotiations for this trade agreement to help our economies grow,” he said. Manalo is excited to collaborate more with Indian businesses in areas like cars, batteries, tech, health, and agriculture.