It seems, has not just learnt but also mastered the art of skiing within a very short period of time, much to the delight of all her fans and well wishers, who are filled with admiration for her.
The actress, who has a huge fandom all across south India, and recently has forayed into Bollywood with 'The Family Man: Season 2', recently had posted a picture of herself in skiing gear. She also shared a video in which the she is seen enjoying skiing
Her caption for the post read: "Day 4 is when the magic happens", adding a hashtag, "Skiing ain't easy but it sure is fun."
Soon after that she posted a video on her Instagram handle in which she is seen skiing a considerably long distance, and said, "Leave your ego at home they said... no truer words have been spoken."
On Thursday, the 'Oh! Baby' actress has put out another post on how she learnt skiing.
Samantha shared her experience and journey of skiing through her Instagram post. The post read: "I began my skiing journey with toddlers on a bunny slope.Very humbling!
"Fell a 100 times. Got up each time.The thought of quitting crossed my mind multiple times but boy am I glad, I pushed through. In the time and effort it took for graduating from bunny slopes to completing a Red run, I found something truly special. It's been exhilarating & daunting in the best way imaginable."
The actress, while giving a shout out to her trainer, also made a point by hashtagging the phrases, 'Just The Beginning' and 'Never Felt More Alive'.
The actress shared a video in which she is seen skiing and falling. She captioned it: "One of the 100 falls."
The machine was created by Dr Philip Nitschke also known as ‘Dr Death’, the director of the non-profit organisation Exit International. According to Exit International report, around 1300 people died by 'assisted suicide' last year in Switzerland. The legalization of ‘Sarco’ has however sparked a row among many as they claim this machine glorifies suicide.
"When our national anthem was rendered in Switzerland, I felt immensely proud. I will also try to grab gold in Dubai Asian Youth Para Games 2017 and bring accolades to our State and country," an elated Jayanti said.
To hit her next target, she has started practice session at Kalinga Stadium. "I am confident that she would win gold in Dubai and would script history as no para athlete from the country has ever bagged gold in the event,” her coach Bishnu Prasad Mishra said.
Behera had won silver in 200 metre race and gold in 400 metre at Para Athletics Junior Championships recently in Switzerland. The lone participant from the country had also brought many accolades by winning gold at the China Open Para Athletic Grand Prix Championship.
Also Read: U-17 Football World Cup Kochi Match Tickets Sold Out
Her family is overwhelmed with her success. "I had never expected that my daughter would touch such a level. I always wish for her wellbeing," her mother said.
Jayanti's childhood had passed through many ups and down. Daughter of a daily wage earner, she became physically challenged at the age of one when she fell down in a burning hearth. She survived even as her left palm got damaged.
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Jayanti clocked a timing of 1:01 minutes and came ahead of Amanda Cerna of Chile and Long Kei Fu of Hong Kong.
She has already bagged a silver medal in the 200 mts event at the championships.
She is the lone runner representing the country in international events, said her proud coach Bishnu Prasad Mishra.
In the recently concluded senior World Para Athletics Championships, she secured 6th place in the 400 mts event.
Earlier this year at the China Open Para Athletics Grand Prix championships, Jayanti won gold in the 400 meters race at the championship by clocking a time of 1.02 minutes. She also bagged a silver medal in 200 mtr race with a timing of 28.50 seconds.
Aleksandar Mitrovic handed Serbia the lead in the fifth minute during the match on Friday.
Switzerland equalised in the second half, thanks to a superb long range strike by Granit Xhaka (52nd).
Shaqiri (90th) found the winning goal in the final minute of regulation time. Switzerland thus became the first team at this World Cup to clinch a come from behind victory after conceding first.
They now have four points from two matches, having held title contenders Brazil to a draw in their campaign opener.
They are at the same number of points as Brazil, but sit at the second place behind the South Americans due to an inferior goal difference.
Serbia are on three points from two games. They are currently third in the group.
Serbia enjoyed a promising start when Dusan Tadic won the ball near the corn er flag and sent in a cross which was headed in by Mitrovic.
The setback galvanised the Swiss who dominated possession for the rest of the game.
But despite being under considerable pressure, the Serbian defence prevented the Swiss from creating too many clear chances in the first half.
Switzerland finally made their domination count when Shaqiri's shot was bloc ked by the Serbian defence.
Xhaka pounced on the loose ball and unleashed a first time attempt from outs ide the penalty box which beat Serbia goalkeeper Vladimir Stojkovic with its pace and vicious swing before bulging the net.
Xhaka is the third Swiss player to score in more than one World Cup tournament.
He follows in the footsteps of former stars Jacques Fatton and Andre Abegglen.
Abegglen scored in the 1934 and 1938 World Cups while Fatton scored at the 1950 and 1954 editions.
Shaqiri hit the post soon after with a curling attempt from the right edge of the Serbia box.
Serbia did have their chances in the second half, not least a square pass across the face of goal by Aleksandar Kolarov which missed the extended leg of a Serbian player at the far post by mere inches.
Shaqiri found the winner in the closing stages off the counter.
He latched on to a pass out of defence, made a solo run from the half line with the Serbian defence caught off guard, before scoring with a calm finish.
Brazil's starting lineup will be made up of goalkeeper Alisson; defenders Danilo, Thiago Silva, Miranda and Marcelo; defensive midfielder Casemiro; attacking midfielders Willian, Paulinho, Philippe Coutinho and Neymar, and Gabriel Jesus as the lone striker, reports Efe.
The 4-1-4-1 formation has been tried and tested, as it was effective for Brazil during the South American qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup.
Brazil will face Switzerland on Sunday to open their campaign for a sixth World Cup.
Wednesday's practice was not open to the public and even accredited journalists were only allowed to watch for 20 minutes.
In a separate field and under the supervision of physical therapists, midfielder Fred started his first training session after suffering an ankle injury on June 7.
The 24-year-old injured his right ankle during training after a tackle by Casemiro.
Renato Augusto, who injured his knee two weeks ago, has started training with the rest of the team.
Image source: AFP
The Information Technology, Industries and Commerce Minister has been invited to the prestigious meet in recognition of his active role in making Telangana the number one state in the ease of doing business ranking, said the statement from the Minister's office.
More than 2,500 business leaders, economists and politicians from around the world will attend the meeting scheduled to be held in Davos.
The forum, while extending the special invite, took into consideration the key role played by the minister in organising Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Hyderabad last month and his efforts over last three years in attracting investment to the state.
Rama Rao, the son of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, will meet business leaders and CEOs of leading companies during the four-day meet starting from January 23.
KTR, as the minister is popularly known, said he would highlight the policies of the state government, especially the industrial policy and the enormous investment opportunities in the state.
According to the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), the agreement was inked at the North Block here.
"With the completion of parliamentary procedure in Switzerland and signing of a mutual agreement, India and Switzerland are set for automatic exchange of information from January 1 next," the CBDT said.
Earlier, India had signed a Joint Declaration with Switzerland for the implementation of automatic exchange of information which envisages that India will receive information on accounts held by Indian residents in Switzerland automatically.
The Hot Air Balloon festival is being organsied to promote tourism. Known for its coffee plantations, rich cultural heritage and stunning waterfalls, Araku valley is a known destination on the country's tourist map.
But a number of people are concerned about the safety issues, mostly about the possibility of accidents.
Samit Garg, CEO of E-Factor and SkyWaltz that has organised the festival in association with Andhra Pradesh Tourism, clarified that although hot air balloons can reach a maximum height of 50,000 feet above the sea level, the air traffic regulations only permit them to fly up to 2,500 feet.
"Even though many people are scared of trying it but it is a very safe and secure medium. There is no motor or engine in it so there are no chances of technical failure. Only the bad weather is sometimes a hinderance," Garg added.
Garg also said that the craze for hot air balloons in India is increasing by about 25 per cent every year and that more and more people are enthusiastic to try it out. He also said that Jaipur is known as the capital of hot air balloons in India and that almost 30-40 people fly daily.
"A pilot needs to have experience of about five to seven years for a license to fly hot air balloons," he shared.
This is in line with FIFA's objective to further develop women's football.
Staubli is one of seven women referees invited to the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017 India where all the male and female match officials, nominated by FIFA's Referees Committee, have completed a host of activities together in a series of seminars, including theoretical sessions in the classroom and practical sessions on the field of play.
That FIFA has selected female referees for a men's tournament is a logical consequence of an education programme that FIFA's Refereeing Department started in 2016.
The positive results and improvements seen in the joint preparations have shown that the time has come for elite female referees to officiate in men's competitions together with their male colleagues.
The company will also launch Surface Book and Surface Studio devices in new markets soon.
Surface Book and Surface Studio are available for pre-order in new markets, including Britain, Austria, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. The devices will be available for purchase on April 20.
The easiest and most effective way to get the Creators Update is through the Windows Insider programme.
The new capabilities coming with the Windows 10 Creators Update include faster Microsoft Edge browser, additional security and privacy protections, simpler game broadcasting with Beam, and 3D designing for everyone.
In Microsoft Edge, the Creators Update will deliver better tab management features designed specifically to address the chaos and clutter of the web and the fear of losing tabs.
With these tab management features, a user can also preview visual thumbnails of all opened tabs at a glance, and set a group of tabs aside in an instant to get a fresh start, removing all distractions and providing a clean browser feel.
The company has said that Microsoft Edge is safer and more secure than ever, providing protection from phishing and malicious software.
The Creators Update will bring more extensions to Microsoft Edge such as Ebates, Intel TrueKey, Read & Write, Ghostery, and RoboForm among others. Microsoft Edge is the only browser with Cortana built-in.
Now users can play Netflix movies and content in 4K Ultra HD resolution. Microsoft Edge is the only browser making this possible.
With Windows Ink in the Creators Update, users will now be able to do things like draw or write on your photos and videos with a variety of pens, create 3D objects from scratch on Paint 3D, and write or draw directly on a Microsoft Edge webpage.
Using your digital pen, you can also markup digital documents on Microsoft Word just like you do with a paper and a pen.
The company also provided more power to Cortana making it easier for the users to complete their day-to-day task easily.
Microsoft also upped the security and privacy in the new update that let a user choose the experience with Windows.
In the Creators Update, Microsoft added Beam broadcasting technology making it easier for users to broadcast gameplay on Windows 10 and Xbox One. With Game Bar, a gamer can take screenshots and record gaming moments.
Game Mode is another new Windows 10 feature arriving with the Creators Update that optimises Windows 10 PC to provide a better, more consistent gaming experience.
With 3D in Windows 10, a user can experience and create amazing things in a new dimension using an ecosystem of 3D apps built into your Windows 10 device.
The new Paint 3D app makes it easy to create or modify 3D objects. Easily change colour and texture, or turn 2D images into 3D objects. Then share on Remix3D or print in 3D.
Microsoft also added improvements across a suite of built-in apps for music, maps and photos that work across Xbox and HoloLens.
"A meeting of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) would be held in Europe in May or June to discuss on according approval to Bhitarkanika National Park," Sidhant Das, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), told IANS.
An IUCN team had visited the national park, located in Kendrapara district, last November. IUCN makes recommendations on whether a site should be included in the World Heritage List or not.
"We have already submitted a dossier on Bhitarkanika that contains ground-level information on biodiversity, the ecosystem, human habitation and socio-economic condition of local residents and their dependence on forest produce. During their visit, the team was also apprised of the rich biodiversity of the sanctuary," said Das.
IUCN is reviewing nine World Heritage nominations with natural criteria, including two extensions and seven new sites, which are proposed for 2017.
"The IUCN World Heritage Panel gathered in December in Gland, Switzerland, to consider the proposals as part of a rigorous evaluation process which will conclude in April," said a recent post on the IUCN website.
IUCN makes recommendations to the World Heritage Committee, which takes the final call during its annual session in July.
The 41st World Heritage Committee meeting will take place in Krakow, Poland, July 2-12, according to the website.
Bhitarkanika is also a Ramsar wetland site, having been declared so in 2002. The park figured on the tentative list of future heritage sites of Unesco in 2009 and made its way to the final list in 2014.
Earlier, in 1984, Unecso had declared the Sun Temple at Konark a World Heritage Site.
The Bhitarkanika sanctuary was declared a protected forest in 1961, with 672 km of its area declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1975 and its core area of 145 km declared a National Park in 1998.
"We hope Bhitarkanika gets the world heritage tag soon. This will enable the park to get more funding from the government and international agencies. It will also attract more tourists," said Bimal Prasanna Acharya, Divisional Forest officer, Rajnagar Mangrove (Wildlife) Forest Division.
The forest has more than 300 plant species of about 80 families, including 94 species of mangroves and associates of 28 families. It has other unique features like the largest number of saltwater estuarine crocodiles in the world, 300 species of indigenous and migratory birds and mass nesting of Olive Ridley turtles.
It has also 24 species of crabs and two species of horseshoe crabs. A community management system and participation of the people in the development of the area are other important features of the site.
The train is on the Golden Pass Line, and has been launched by Switzerland Tourism and the Swiss Travel System.
Ranveer is thrilled.
"The 'Ranveer on Tour' train is not just transport, but an unforgettable journey that takes you on a panoramic journey of Switzerland.
"Looking through the huge panoramic windows of the train is a feast for the eyes as you drink in the beautiful views of tall mountains, green valleys and endless vineyards.
"I still remember being completely mesmerised on my first train ride last summer and I hope all our esteemed travellers enjoy this incredible ride as much as I did," the "Padmaavat" star said in a statement.
The train has been branded with pictures of the actor.
The ride offers views of the changing landscapes of the Lake Geneva Region, and will take its passengers from Montreux, through the Unesco world heritage vineyards of Lavaux and the Jura mountains to the Bernese Alps.
Martin Nydegger, CEO, Switzerland Tourism said the Indian market is fundamentally important for them.
"In 2017, activities to promote Switzerland in India have resulted in a strong increase of 23.4 per cent in overnights," Nydegger said, adding that the campaign with Ranveer as brand ambassador has contributed to the success.
According to Maurus Lauber, CEO, Swiss Travel System, the number of Indian travellers using the Swiss Travel Pass has doubled since 2013. With the Golden Pass Panoramic train named after Ranveer, Lauber hopes more Indians will be inspired to travel on the route.
India had officially applied for membership of the grouping which controls export of nuclear materials, equipment and technology in May last year.
The matter came up for discussion at the Seoul plenary session of the NSG in June last year, but yielded little result with Beijing scuttling India's bid on the ground that it was not a signatory to the non-proliferation treaty (NPT).
Ahead of the next NSG plenary session, official sources say, India has renewed its efforts to become a member of the 48-nation group by engaging with all member countries, but resistance from China still remains despite the pro-India push from other key players such as the US, the UK, France and Russia.
China has been pressing for a two-step process which includes setting up criteria - a standard for admission -- for the inclusion of countries that are not signatories to the NPT. Beijing also equates India's case with Pakistan, which, too, has applied for the NSG membership.
The issue of India's membership is expected to be discussed at the Bern meet, but the "status quo" still remains, a senior official says.
Indicating that there was no change in China's position towards India's NSG bid, Chinese Ambassador here Luo Zhaohui at an event last month had said, "On the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) issue, we do not oppose any country's membership, believing that a standard for admission should be agreed upon first."
India has repeatedly said that China is the "one country" which has been blocking its bid.
The two sides conducted two rounds of talks between China's nuclear negotiator Wang Qun and India's then secretary for disarmament Amandeep Singh Gill on September 13 and October 31 last year.
The NSG consultative group's meeting in November last year also ended like the Seoul plenary session. It remained inconclusive on India's application as China continued to oppose the entry of non-NPT nations and called for a two-step "non-discriminatory" solution for admission of such countries into the grouping.
Over the last one year, India has tried to get more support for its NSG bid, but not all its efforts have proved to be successful. For instance, Turkey has agreed to support India's bid to the group, but it also favours Pakistan's bid.
New Zealand has also not given any concrete assurance on supporting India's bid.
"Prime Minister (John Phillip) Key stated that New Zealand would continue to contribute constructively to the process currently underway in the NSG to consider India's membership. New Zealand is committed to working with NSG members to reach a decision as soon as possible," a joint statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Kiwi counterpart John Key said after the latter's visit to New Delhi in October last year.
It, however, said that Swiss authorities have been requested to provide the relevant facts along with their view on possible reasons for increase or decrease in deposits so that facts could be presented in the correct perspective.
Certain reports suggested that the funds of Indians in Swiss Banks have risen to over Rs 20,700 crore (CHF 2.55 billion) at the end of 2020 from Rs 6,625 crore (CHF 899 million) at the end of 2019, reversing a 2-year declining trend. It has also been stated that this is also the highest figure of deposits in the last 13 years.
"Reports allude to the fact that the figures reported are official figures reported by banks to Swiss National Bank (SNB) and do not indicate the quantum of much-debated alleged black money held by Indians in Switzerland. Further, these statistics do not include the money that Indians, NRIs or others might have in Swiss banks in the names of third-country entities," the Ministry statement said.
The statement added that the customer deposits have actually fallen from the end of 2019 in Swiss Banks. The funds held through fiduciaries have also more than halved from the end of 2019. The biggest increase is in "Other amounts due from customers". These are in form of bonds, securities, and various other financial instruments, the finance min statement said.
The ministry also ascribed various other reasons for the increase in deposits and not possible on account of the increase of deposits in the Swiss banks out of undeclared incomes of Indian residents. It said that that increase in deposits may be on account of an increase in deposits owing to the business of Swiss Bank branches located in India or an Increase in Inter- bank transactions between Swiss and Indian Banks. Also, it could be due to a capital increase for a subsidiary of a Swiss Company in India or an increase in the liabilities connected with the outstanding derivative financial instruments.
The government has issued clarifications in wake of the widely held position that it has curbed generation of black money in the economy or unaccounted funds of Indians stashed abroad. The fresh tax agreements reached between India and certain perceived tax havens have introduced certain instruments to prevent round-tripping of funds and generation of black money.
It is pertinent to point out that India and Switzerland are signatories to the Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters (MAAC) and both countries have also signed the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement (MCAA) pursuant to which, the Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) is activated between the two countries for sharing of financial account information annually for the calendar year 2018 onwards.
Exchanges of Financial Account information in respect of residents of each country have taken place between both countries in 2019 as well as 2020. In view of the existing legal arrangement for the exchange of information of financial accounts (which has a significant deterrent effect on tax evasion through undisclosed assets abroad), there does not appear to be any significant possibility of the increase of deposits in the Swiss banks which is out of undeclared incomes of Indian residents, the finance ministry said.
The event will be co-hosted with Switzerland and co-convened by Turkey, Germany, Ethiopia, and Costa Rica and the secretary-general of the United Nations is expected to attend, said UNHCR, the Xinhua news agency reported.
"Refugee situations send ripples across entire regions and beyond," said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.
"Dealing with displacement challenges cannot be done alone and requires unity of vision and ambition among all countries, coupled with real, concrete action."
Such action, he said, is the goal of the Global Compact on Refugees and it is what the United Nations will be working towards through the Global Refugee Forum.
With tens of millions of people affected by war, conflict, and persecution, UNHCR said the Global Refugee Forum will be an opportunity for countries to take stock of today's situation and to strengthen the international response.
It follows the new Global Compact on Refugees that was agreed to last December by the UN General Assembly, and the December meeting is part of its implementation.
UNHCR said the Global Compact on Refugees, along with the principle of equitable burden and responsibility-sharing, seeks to improve the global response to refugee situations.
It does this by providing stronger support to the countries and communities welcoming refugees and simultaneously equipping refugees with the means to become more self-reliant.
It also aims to increase resettlement spots for the most vulnerable refugees and other legal pathways for admission to safe third countries, and improve conditions in the refugees' countries of origin.
"The Global Refugee Forum is a unique occasion for States and others to come together and announce bold, new measures they will take to ease pressure on host countries, boost refugee self-reliance, and search for solutions," said UNHCR.
The forum will bring together governments, international organisations, local authorities, civil society, the private sector, host community members, and refugees themselves.
Secretary (West) Gitesh Sharma said that the President will be visiting the three countries to bring high business elements to the fore, according to standard practice.
He will be accompanied by First Lady Savita Kovind and a high-level delegation consisting of Minister of State for Women and Child Development Debasree Chaudhuri, Lok Sabha MPs Ramapati Ram Tripathi and Basanta Kumar Panda, Sharma said.
According to a report in the NPR, the Google employee was in its Zurich office "for a limited time" before showing COVID-19 symptoms.
"We can confirm that one employee from our Zurich office has been diagnosed with the coronavirus. They were in the Zurich office for a limited time, before they had any symptoms," a Google spokesperson said in a statement.
"We have taken - and will continue to take - all necessary precautionary measures, following the advice of public health officials, as we prioritize everyone's health and safety," the spokesperson added.
The company said it has not shut down its Zurich office but has restricted employees to travel to Iran, Italy and China and is set to expand the travel curb to Japan and South Korea next month.
Google has also cancelled its 'Global News Initiative' summit in northern California in April while Facebook has also called off its flagship F8 developer conference in May.
"We regret that we have to cancel our global Google News Initiative summit but the health and wellbeing of our guests is our number one priority," said the company in a statement given to CNN.
On Friday, the World Health Organization said that the risk of global impact from the virus was "very high" as the coronavirus reached 57 countries.
An Amazon spokesperson said that the company has put a restriction for all non-essential travel.
The death toll due to the outbreak in China has risen to 2,835, health authorities said on Saturday, while the number of confirmed cases increased to 79,251.
(IANS)