In a historic moment for the Indian American community, six leaders were sworn into the U.S. House of Representatives on January 3, 2025, the largest number to date. Congressman Dr. Ami Bera, who has served for 12 years, celebrated the milestone, recalling his journey as the sole Indian American in Congress in 2012.The six representatives, all Democrats, include Dr. Ami Bera (California-7th), Ro Khanna (California-17th), Raja Krishnamoorthi (Illinois-8th), Pramila Jayapal (Washington-7th), Shri Thanedar (Michigan-13th), and newcomer Suhash Subramanian (Virginia-10th). Collectively, they form the informal “Samosa Caucus,” coined by Mr. Krishnamoorthi.Prominent figures among them, such as Ms. Jayapal, lead a progressive
A four-year-old girl, P Liya Lakshmi, tragically lost her life on Friday after falling into a septic tank at a private matriculation school near the Vikravandi police station. The incident occurred when the young student, returning from the restroom, stepped on a corroded steel lid covering the tank, which gave way. Despite efforts by school authorities, she could not be saved and was declared dead upon arrival at the Government Villupuram Medical College and Hospital in Mundiyambakkam.The girl's parents, Sivasankari and Palanivel, and outraged locals held a road blockade on the Chennai-Villupuram highway, accusing the school management of negligence. Palanivel,
At just 11 years old, Vhenisa Sree from Tamil Nadu is making a name for herself in Indian archery. She is poised to become the youngest competitor in the upcoming National Games in Uttarakhand after qualifying by reaching the quarterfinals of the National Championships in Jharkhand. Vhenisa impressed with a seventh-place finish in the qualification stage, outscoring reigning world champion Aditi Gopichand Swami.Starting archery at the tender age of six, Vhenisa transitioned to senior-level competitions by the age of nine, showcasing remarkable maturity and skill. Her coach, Joyal Ezekiel, credits her success not to innate talent but to her unwavering
Student enrolment in 40 PM-SHRI schools across five states has witnessed a remarkable surge of 75.8% in just three years, showcasing the impact of the PM Schools for Rising India (PM-SHRI) initiative. According to data from the Ministry of Education, these schools, spread across Manipur, Tripura, Rajasthan, Meghalaya, and Madhya Pradesh, saw their enrolment rise from 14,258 in 2020-21 to 25,065 in 2023-24.The PM-SHRI scheme, launched in 2022, aims to revamp 14,500 schools nationwide into "exemplar schools" under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. These schools are envisioned to serve as models for academic excellence while mentoring nearby institutions. The
The Union Sports Ministry announced the recipients of the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, honoring exceptional contributions to Indian sports. This year’s awardees include Paris Olympics double medallist shooter Manu Bhaker, world chess champion D Gukesh, men’s hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh, and para-athlete Praveen Kumar.Manu Bhaker’s recognition came after significant controversy, as her name was initially excluded from the awards committee's recommendations despite her historic achievement of winning two medals at the Paris Olympics. Bhaker later acknowledged a lapse in filing her nomination, which led to her exclusion. Once rectified, her inclusion in the final list became inevitable,
On January 1, 2025, a Tesla Cybertruck exploded outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, killing the driver and injuring seven bystanders. The vehicle was packed with fireworks and gas canisters, which caused the massive blast. The driver, identified as 37-year-old Army Master Sgt. Matthew Livelsberger, was an active-duty Green Beret.Authorities are investigating the motives behind the explosion, as well as potential links to a separate attack in New Orleans that occurred the same day. The incident has raised concerns about the driver’s intentions and whether the event was part of a larger coordinated act.Tesla CEO Elon Musk issued
Rohit Sharma will be dropped from the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Sydney due to poor form, making him the first Indian captain to be dropped mid-series for performance reasons. Jasprit Bumrah will assume captaincy as India trails the series 1-2 and must win the Sydney Test to retain the trophy. Rohit's poor form has been evident, scoring just 31 runs in five innings at an average of 6.20, the worst-ever performance by a visiting captain in Australia.Rohit played as an opener in Melbourne after initially batting at No. 6 in Adelaide and Brisbane but failed to regain
A devastating attack occurred on New Year's Day in New Orleans' French Quarter when a man intentionally drove a pickup truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street, killing at least 15 people and injuring dozens more. The FBI identified the attacker as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old U.S. citizen from Texas, who allegedly carried out the attack under ISIS inspiration, as evidenced by videos he posted hours before the incident. The truck was adorned with an ISIS flag and equipped with potential improvised explosive devices (IEDs).The attacker bypassed police barricades before crashing into revelers. After exiting the vehicle, he engaged in
The chess world was set ablaze with controversy after Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi agreed to share the World Blitz Championship title at the FIDE Rapid and Blitz Championship held in New York. The decision, which came after a tied tiebreaker, left many players and fans questioning the integrity of the event.Carlsen initially took the lead, winning the first two games of the final, but Nepomniachtchi bounced back to level the score at 2-2. After three consecutive draws in the tiebreaks, Carlsen proposed sharing the title, and Nepo agreed. While FIDE deliberated the unprecedented decision, Carlsen was caught on camera
