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Imagine this: You are all set to crush your workout—lifting weights, doing cardio, or tackling an intense cycling session. Your playlist is fantastic, your gear is perfect, but your energy might be lacking a bit. Instead of reaching for a processed energy bar or an expensive pre-workout drink filled with artificial ingredients, why not opt for a natural boost with dates? These little, caramel-like powerhouses are the ultimate energy boosters, loaded with quick-digesting carbs, essential minerals, and a ton of workout-friendly benefits. And the best part? They’re not just great for before your workout; they’re fantastic during and after your session too! Let’s dive into why dates should become your new favorite fitness fuel.

1. Instant energy without the sugar crash

Have you ever kicked off a workout feeling like an absolute powerhouse, only to hit a wall halfway through? It’s a common feeling when your body uses up its energy stores too quickly.
Dates are brimming with natural sugars-—glucose, fructose, and sucrose—that deliver an instant boost and a steady supply of fuel. Unlike processed sugars that give you a quick spike followed by a crash, dates offer stable, long-lasting energy, making them perfect for everything from high-intensity interval training to long-distance runs.

2. Natural alternative to processed pre-workout fixes

According to C.S. Siddarth, food safety and nutrition expert, founder, wild date snacks, “Energy gels and sports drinks often promise a quick fuel boost, but many of them are ultra-processed sugar bombs filled with artificial flavors and preservatives. In contrast, dates are a clean, natural energy source. They serve as a single-ingredient energy gel, rich in fast-absorbing carbohydrates, electrolytes (especially potassium), and antioxidants that can help combat workout fatigue. Blend dates with water and a pinch of salt to create an all-natural endurance gel. These are ideal for runners, cyclists and anyone needing mid workout fuel.”

3. Prevent muscle cramps

Muscle cramps can quickly derail your workout. Whether you’re lifting heavy weights or running long distances, your muscles rely on electrolytes, especially potassium, to perform at their best. While many people reach for bananas for a potassium boost, dates contain more potassium per gram! Additionally, dates provide magnesium and calcium, creating a powerful combination of minerals that support muscle health.

4. Lightweight, portable, and gym bag-friendly

Dates are such a fantastic snack! Unlike protein shakes that might spill or bananas that can get all mushy, dates are compact, mess-free, and perfect for on-the-go. Just toss a handful into your bag, and you’ll have a delicious energy boost no matter where your day takes you!

5. Speeds up post-workout recovery

Your workout does not end when you leave the gym. Recovery is just as important as the effort you put in. Dates help rebuild depleted glycogen stores (the energy you burned) and restore lost electrolytes due to their potassium, magnesium, and natural sugars. This makes them an ideal snack on recovery days, aiding muscle healing before you go all out in your next workout session. If you don’t replenish glycogen and electrolytes, you’re more likely to feel fatigued.

6. Gut Health

Simrun Chopra, deep health coach, nutritionist, founder, Nourish with sim says, “A healthy gut plays an essential role in digestion and in helping your body absorb nutrients effectively, maintain energy levels, and recover after activities. Dates are a fantastic source of fiber, especially prebiotics, which support the growth of friendly gut bacteria. This nourishment leads to smoother digestion and better nutrient absorption. Just remember, by matching your portion sizes to your body’s energy needs, you can fully enjoy the delicious benefits of the Dates diet.”

From fueling your workout to maintaining endurance during it and aiding recovery afterward, dates are a complete game-changer for those who love fitness. They consist of natural sugars, with no artificial additives, and are loaded with vital minerals and quickly digestible carbohydrates. So, the next time you get ready for a workout, consider skipping the processed energy bars and opt for dates instead. Both your body and your taste buds will appreciate it!

Two people died and eight were injured after a being run over by a man who was driving his car under the influence of alcohol in Jaipur’s Nahargarh area. The man, identified as Usman, was said to be driving at the speed of around 70-80 kmph in the relatively congested area.

Around 9 pm, Usman drove his Creta car from MI Road towards the walled city, causing accidents on the way. CCTV footage showed the car speeding down the road, hitting the people, vehicles and objects coming in his way.

As per an eyewitness Dipendra, the car ran down a girl and then crashed into his bike near Santoshi Mata Mandir. “While I was able to get off his bike in time, the vehicle was for dragged for at least 20 metres,” he told NDTV.

The iron works factory owner was chased by a man on a scooter, who eventually caught up with the car and grabbed the steering. Though he was dragged for a distance, the motorist managed to turn the car’s steering, after which it crashed into a blockade and stopped.

Usman ran away after his car was stopped but was later detained.

As soon as the information about the accident was received, teams of Nahargarh police station reached the spot and the injured were immediately rushed to the hospital.

BJP MLA Balmukund Acharya said those injured include a three-year-old girl. He also demanded that more checkposts be installed in the area.

Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said called the incident “heart-wrenching”, calling for the accused’s prosecution under serious sections.

President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that new negotiations were in the works aimed at getting more hostages released from Hamas captivity in Gaza.

“We’re working now on another deal that we hope will succeed, and we’re committed to getting all the hostages out,” Netanyahu told reporters in the Oval Office.

Trump for his part said: “We are trying very hard to get the hostages out. We’re looking at another ceasefire, we’ll see what happens.”

Netanyahu added that “the hostages are in agony, and we want to get them all out.”

The Israeli leader, seated next to Trump, highlighted an earlier hostage release agreement negotiated in part by Trump’s regional envoy Steve Witkoff that “got 25 out.”

Netanyahu’s visit follows the collapse of Israel’s six-week truce with Palestinian group Hamas, whose militants launched an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 that triggered the Israeli invasion of Gaza.

The fragile ceasefire ended with Israel’s resumption of air strikes on Gaza on March 18.

The recent truce had allowed the return of 33 Israeli hostages, eight of whom were dead, in exchange for the release of some 1,800 Palestinians held in Israeli jails.

The prime minister and his government maintain — against the advice of most hostage families — that increased military pressure is the only way to force Hamas to return the remaining hostages, dead or alive.

Of the 251 hostages abducted during Hamas’s October 7 attack, 58 remain in captivity in Gaza, including 34 who the Israeli military says are dead.

On another issue, after staying silent of late on his much-criticized idea of the United States taking over Gaza and displacing its two million people, Trump plugged it again on Monday.

“I think it’s an incredible piece of important real estate, and I think it’s something that we would be involved in,” Trump said.

Trump has repeatedly spoken of Gaza, which the Palestinians want as part of a future state of their own, as a business opportunity for America, saying Gaza could be transformed into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”

Countries around the world and in particular Arab nations have rejected this proposal vehemently, including Egypt and Jordan, where Trump has suggested the Palestinians of Gaza be sent to live.

“But you know, having a peace force like the United States there, controlling and owning the Gaza Strip would be a good thing, because right now … all I hear about is killing and Hamas and problems,” Trump said.

He added: “And if you take the people, the Palestinians, and move them around to different countries, and you have plenty of countries that will do that, and you really have a freedom, a freedom zone.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he would like the war in Gaza to stop, as he hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House.

Trump said work was ongoing to free hostages held by Hamas, but said securing the release of all the hostages was “a long process.”

Israel launched the war after Hamas-led fighters attacked southern Israel on Oct 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage, according to Israeli tallies. Since then, Israel has so far killed more than 50,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities.

Asked if he would deliver on his promise during his campaign for president to end the war in Gaza, Trump said: “I’d like to see the war stop, and I think the war will stop at some point, that won’t be in the too-distant future.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Donald Trump has announced an additional 50 per cent tariff on China less than 48 hours after Beijing announced a tit-for-tat 34 per cent tariff on the United States, which Trump had declared two days earlier as part of his reciprocal tariff order. This now takes US’ tariff on all Chinese goods to an all-time high of 84 per cent as the US-China trade war escalates.

This is over and above a 10 per cent global tariff, which the White House has said, applies to all nations worldwide, taking China’s tally of Trump’s tariffs to a staggering 94 per cent. Though President Trump gave China’s Xi Jinping a 24-hour window of opportunity to roll-back or “withdraw” the additional tariff he has imposed against the US, failing which, Chinese goods will face this revised 94 per cent tariff in total.

President Trump made the announcement at around 11:30 am (US time – 9 pm India time). Citing his earlier “warning” to “tariff abuser” China, he shared a post on his social media platform Truth Social, in which he wrote, “Yesterday, China issued retaliatory tariffs of 34 per cent, on top of their already record setting tariffs, non-monetary tariffs, illegal subsidization of companies, and massive long term currency manipulation, despite my warning that any country that retaliates against the US by issuing additional tariffs, above and beyond their already existing long term tariff abuse of our nation, will be immediately met with new and substantially higher tariffs, over and above those initially set.”

He went on to warn that “If China does not withdraw its 34 per cent increase above their already long term trading abuses by tomorrow, April 8th, 2025, the United States will impose additional tariffs on China of 50 per cent, effective April 9th.”

The furious US president also threatened the end all talks with China regarding Beijing’s request for dialogue amid a globally spiralling tariff war. He also said that nations that have not retaliated the US import duty, will be given a chance to negotiate. “Additionally, all talks with China concerning their requested meetings with us will be terminated! Negotiations with other countries, which have also requested meetings, will begin taking place immediately. Thank you for your attention to this matter,” he wrote.

Global stock markets and oil prices have been in a free fall for the past 72 hours over President Trump order to impose reciprocal tariffs on nations that tariff America. “These are, as the name suggests, just reciprocal – which means we do to them, what they do to us”, President Trump had said during his Wednesday announcement.

China, who President Trump has repeatedly singled out for its gross “tariff abuse” against the United States “for decades”, swiftly hit back with Beijing upping existing US tariffs by an additional 34 per cent – the same as what Trump levied on them. Before Trump’s announcement, Beijing had warned that reciprocal tariffs will lead to a “painful trade war” which will “not benefit anyone”.
 

As WWE star Kevin Owens has recently announced on last week’s SmackDown that he will not be joining the WrestleMania match against Randy Orton owing to his serious neck injury, fans have been quite upset as they won’t be able to witness Owens’ bout against the Viper.
It has come to light that the WWE champion has been dealing with this injury for approximately four months and now requires surgery, leading to the cancellation of the match.
Now, Kevin Owens has come out with a major recovery update about his serious neck injury, which he admitted that needs treatment and surgery, during a segment on the last Friday Smackdown edition of April 4, 2025.
Let’s take a look at the major recovery update that Kevin Owens has for the WWE Universe.

Kevin Owens reveals major recovery update regarding his injury

In a major update on his injury status, Kevin Owens provided an early recovery time ahead of having his neck surgery. Though his return to the WWE ring seems uncertain, WWE champion revealed that he fully intends to return to the ring.
The wrestler shared his recovery update while speaking on My Mom’s Basement show with Robbie Fox. He stated in the interview that he knows people who have experienced same injury and have been out of work for six months to a year.

Speaking about his injury update, Owens said, “I know I’ll come back — or at the very least, I really hope I come back. You know, I guess there’s … I never take anything for granted in what we do, so who knows? But it’s pretty likely I’ll come back. And then, maybe we could do it eventually.”
He further added to the interview, “I haven’t talked to the surgeon or anything like that yet. I’m going to do all that on Monday. I mean, I know that most of the people who have gone through similar things have probably, you know, six months to eight months to a year. So I would assume within that range, but I don’t really know. Like I said, it’s all really new right now.”

Earlier on SmackDown, an emotional Kevin Owens thanked his fans for their unwavering support, when he announced that he won’t be able to participate this year on the Show of Shows.
Previously, Owens was last seen in the Elimination Chambers PLE on March 1, 2025, in an Unsanctioned Match against his former best friend, Sami Zayn. During the Elimination Chambers match, Sami Zayn was defeated by Kevin Owens, after brutally thrashing the former inside the ring.
On the segment, Randy Orton made a shocking comeback to save Sami Zayn and attacked Kevin Owens brutally. This intense feud led to the company fixing an anticipated clash at the upcoming Shows of the Show on April 19, 2025, and April 20, 2025, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Also Read: WrestleMania 41: WWE cancels Kevin Owens’ match against Randy Orton due to major injury | WWE News – The Times of India
However, now it has been officially confirmed by WWE that the match won’t take place due to Owens’ injury, and later a match would be set up after his recovery to settle down the difference between Owens and Randy Orton.

The Supreme Court judgment cancelling the appointment of more than 25,000 teachers and other school staff in West Bengal has sparked a massive political row, with the ruling Trinamool Congress and the Opposition BJP and CPM trading barbs. But away from this din is the silence of uncertainty that faces 25,753 sacked employees, who are wondering how to pay bills and put food on the table.

NDTV spoke to two teachers whose appointments have been cancelled. They spoke of the EMI burden, ailing parents, schoolgoing children and how the Supreme Court judgment had turned their world upside down.

Pratap Roychowdhury taught in a school in South 24 Parganas near Kolkata, till yesterday. “If a man loses his job, you can imagine how it impacts his family. There are home loans, EMIs and many people are dependent on him. Everything will be finished,” he said.

The bench of Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar yesterday cancelled the appointments of all 25,753 teachers and other staff appointed by the West Bengal School Service Commission in 2016 for massive irregularities. “In our opinion, this is a case wherein the entire selection process has been vitiated and tainted beyond resolution. Manipulations and frauds on a large scale, coupled with the attempted cover-up, have dented the selection process beyond repair and partial redemption. The credibility and legitimacy of the selection are denuded,” the court said. 

The court said that while the untainted candidates, whose names did not come up during the investigation, need not return the salaries they received in the last eight years, they would no longer have their jobs. 

Mr Roychowdhury held the state government responsible for what they are going through. Asked if he expects any help from the state government, he replied, “This government engineered this scam. What can we expect from them?”

Amit Ranjan Bhuyan taught physical science to students of Class 9 and 10. He doesn’t have a job anymore. “We studied, cracked a competitive exam and got a job. Some people resorted to corruption. It would not have been possible without the state government’s support. But those untainted like us were expecting that we would be able to continue in our jobs. This judgment has destroyed our lives. I have a nine-year-old daughter, my wife and my mother. There are EMIs, how will we look for new jobs now,” he said.

Mr Bhuyan said the state government cannot escape responsibility for the damage they have done. “Why so much corruption? The state government is responsible. But the Supreme Court should have given relief to those not involved in corruption. Why did I lose my job?”

The sacked teacher said the road ahead is very tough. “If I were 25-26, I would have cracked another exam. The confidence levels are different then. I am 39 now, which job will I be eligible for? The Supreme Court has said we can take the same exam in three months. Is it possible to crack the same competitive exam after 10 years? I do not know whether I will be able to. The judgment gave the same punishment to those involved in corruption and those not involved. I have been honest all my life, and my academics are good. This is unfair,” he said.

BJP vs Trinamool Over Teachers’ Sackings

In the aftermath of the verdict, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged that opposition parties BJP and CPM had conspired to effect a collapse of Bengal’s education system. She also said she cannot accept the verdict personally, even though her government would implement it. The BJP has hit back, with party MP Sambit Patra alleging that lakhs of people are paying for the Trinamool Congress government’s corruption. “Where is Rahul Gandhi now? Where are INDI alliance partners? Didi will go to jail, surely,” he said.