AV 03rd June 2023

Unlocking the potential of communities

SEE PAGE - 16 & 17

F O R E I G N S T U D E N T S , T H E P R I D E O F U K

Restriction on international students on bringing family members to the UK in the garb of reducing immigration faces backlash and garners support from Lord Tariq Ahmed

Indian students don’t just come to s t u d y a b r o a d f o r a d e g r e e T h e y break generational curses to travel all the way to the UK, many take hefty education loans, sell jewellery, put homes on collaterals and work hard to make up for the EMIs and send some money back home for t h e i r f a m i l i e s . C u t t i n g d o w n i m m i g r a t i o n a n d m a k i n g r u l e s t o stop their dependents from coming w i t h t h e m t o t h e U K i s a l m o s t inhuman Maybe the policymakers a r e n o t s e n s i t i v e e n o u g h t o understand that these students may not have anyone else to take care of t h e i r p a r e n t s , s i b l i n g o r s o l e surviving family member.

Continued on page 10

I n h i s r e m a r k s a t t h e n e w P a r l i a m e n t ' s o p e n i n g , P r i m e M i n i s t e r N a r e n d r a M o d i d e c l a r e d t h a t t h e s p e c t a c u l a r s t r u c t u r e , which was built in a record-breaking 30 m o n t h s a n d d e f i e d t h e e p i d e m i c , " w i l l witness the sunrise of a self-reliant India."

“This new building will see the fulfilment of the resolutions of a developed India This n e w b u i l d i n g i s a l s o a n i d e a l f o r t h e coexistence of the new and the old,” he said.

Continued on page 25

Princess Sophia Duleep Singh honoured with a commemorative Blue Plaque

Lord Ahmad promises the strengthening of the UK-India FTA

Grand celebration marks the 51st anniversary of Gujarat Samachar

Indian weddings for grabs, as innovative tourism ideas expand globally

PM Modi opens new Parliament building amid boycott by Opposition

PM Modi installs ‘Sengol’ at new Parliament building

Squadron Leader Amir Khan

with Keith Vaz

DR B H AV YA NG R AC H A RYA

MBChB Medicine, BSc, MRCP, PGC

Dr Acharya is a consultant in Palliative Medicine based at Cynthia Spencer Hospice in Northampton He cares for patients in the hospice in-patient unit and also provides Palliative Medicine cover for the community hospitals, including providing visits in patients’ homes and in care homes

His other interests include Palliative care for patients with end-stage respiratory conditions and he is also the lead physician for the Palliative Neurology Service in Northampton, which provides holistic and multi-disciplinary support for patients with progressive neurological conditions

He enjoys travelling and enjoys music, especially singing Indian Classical Music and playing the Sitar

1) Which place, or city or country do you most feel at home in?

Leicester

2) What are your proudest achievements?

Having my parents present with me for my medical graduation.

3) What inspires you?

My parents and family People’s courage even in the most adverse situations Peoples humility and service to humanity Nature

4) What has been biggest obstacle in your career?

Doubt – but this has been overcome with encouragement and support and by God’s grace, taking one step forward at a time – like the footprint's poem

5) Who has been the biggest influence on your career to date?

Father/Mother/Sisters/ Brother Shri Rameshbhai Oza (Spiritual leader from India)

6) What is the best aspect about your current role?

Being able to devote time and energy

Equality chief vows to clear her name on bullying accusations

Am id a r ow ov er tr ans rights, Baroness Falkner of Margravine, the chair woman of the equality watchdog ha s vow ed to c le ar he r name She is facing an investigation into allegations by present and former staff at the E qua li ty an d Huma n Rights Commission (EHRC), by an independent KC

Supporters of the Baroness say that the claims are politically motivated after EHRC commissioners, led by Falkner, overruled advice from its executive and backed a review of equalities law which was

to support people through a very vulnerable time in their life – it is a privilege that people allow/are accepting of my ‘intrusion’ into their life

7) And the worst?

Frustrations at not being able to access the help that patients need in a timely manner – especially in relation to social care and healthcare funding

8) What are your long-term goals?

To continue to serve throughout my life – when I retire to travel the world and do voluntary work to support and care for people

9) If you were Prime Minister, what one aspect would you change?

From my role – it would be to unify the funding for social care and healthcare

10) If you were marooned on a desert island, which historical figure would you like to spend your time with and why?

Adi Shankracharya or Ram Krishna Paramhans – to gain their insight into spirituality

Transparent makeover for Koh-i-Noor display

The organizers of the new Jewel House exhibition are trying to contextualise the turbulent colonial history of Koh-i-Noor in a “transparent” way The diamond, claimed by India, is on display at the Tower of London

To note that it has had many previous owners, the diamond is described as a ‘symbol of conquest’ An armlet dating back to

1830 has also been placed at the exhibition The label of the armlet read: Queen Victoria received the Koh-i-Noor diamond in 1850, set in this enamelled armlet Now set with replicas, the central stone shows the Koh-i-Noor’s earlier Mughal cut It was re-cut in 1852 to improve its sparkle and conform to European tastes

The exhibition at the Tower of London has been carefully curated to showcase the magnif icent jewels that were used during the coronation ceremony of King Charles III and Queen Camilla This special display is a testament to the historical signif icance of these artifacts and marks their return to the Tower

Notably, in a diplomatic gesture, Queen Camilla made a conscious decision to abstain from using the Kohinoor diamond during her coronation

predicted to cause damage to trans rights The supporters claim that the allegations were raised only after the commissioners recommended that the government consider creating a

legal distinction between people born female and those who transition to become women They overruled concerns of the EHRC management team Falkner is said to have taken the allegations “ very seriously and with humility”, adding: “I will be cooperating fully with the investigation and have every conf idence in being exonerated ” Broad allegations are among the staff complaints about the commission becoming “ an unsafe place to work” as a result of the trans controversy

Gross misconduct proceedings for the head of VIP paedophile hearing

According to a police watchdog, a senior law enforceme nt of f i ce r, Stev e Rodhouse, will face enquiry over Scotland Yard’s disastrous handling of the VIP paedophile inquiry Steve, head of operations at the National Crime Agency (NCA), has been informed of his proceedings after claims that he used “inaccurate and dishonest words” at the conclusion of Operation Midland , were surfaced He was the former deputy assistant commissioner at the Met and was in charge of the 16-month inquir y against a paedophile The enquir y cost £2 5 million and involved more than two dozen off i-

cers The team was investigating allegations of murder and sexual abuse at the heart of the establishment After Carl Beech, also known as Nick, a paedophile and fantasist, made false claims about being abused as a child he was jailed for 18 years for per verting the course of justice, among other offences He had made claims against f igures

including the Conservative politician Sir Edward Heath and Lord Brittan of Spennithorne, a former home secretar y, reported Times Two men only identif ied as Witness A and Witness B, supported Beech’s claims with false allegations

In March 2016

Rodhouse said that “off icers have not found evidence to prove that they were knowingly misled by a complainant” He then contradicted himself in August of the same year when he told Sir Richard Henriques, a former High Court judge, during his inquiry: “I am satisf ied that both A and B have told deliberate lies ”

One in six registered university students are taught overseas

A cc or di n g t o research by a watchdog, one in six students enrolled at an En gl is h Un iv er s i ty a re ta ught ab roa d This is done by partnering up with overs e as p ar tn er s t o increase the range of certain programs

However, Off ice for Students, a regulator for England has reported that some overseas institutions are emphasising focus on the quantity of students rather than the quantity It emphasised on the fact that it was diff icult to oversee all aspects of teaching due to

the subcontracting the teaching of students to other providers

Students living overseas accounted for 16 per cent of all those registered at English institutions, the research into the scale of transnational education found This 16 per cent

accounts to 455,000 students, with the highest proportion in China 27 per cent of students abroad were taught by overseas partner organisations and 25 per cent were taught by distance, flexible or distributed learning Those who studied at overseas branch campuses account to only about 6 per cent Institutions with the biggest population of students living and studying overseas included the Open University, University of London and Coventr y University

Unemployment rates double for BME workers

According to a new ana lysis published on Friday (26) by the Trade Union Congress (TUC), the unemployment rate for bla ck, ethnic and mino r it y ( BME ) is mo re than double (2 2 times) as co mpa r e d t o t h e ir w h ite counterparts

The study of the most recent labour market statistics has revealed that the rate of unemployment stood at 6 9 per cent for BME workers against a much lower 3 2 per cent for white workers The unemployment rate of 8 1 per

cent, faced by black women is nearly three times higher than the 2 8 per cent for white women

An appeal to end the structural discrimination and inequalities in employment sector has been made by the TUC It insisted on the introduction of mandator y ethnicity pay gap reporting, urging employers to publish an action plan on how they ensure pay parity between black and white workers The ban on zero-hours contracts will also disproportionately

benef it BME workers, it pointed out Under zerohours contracts workers are subjected to the whims of managers and never know how much they will earn each week

The study, which started on Friday in London, was conducted as part of the TUC’s Black workers’ conference The situation is worse now than in 2008 when the unemployment rate for BME women was 2 3 times higher than that for white women, the union body inferred

Baroness Kishwer Falkner

Steve Rodhouse

What do foreign students contribute to the UK?

On 8 December 2022, Nick Jennings, Vice Chancellor and President of Loughborough University in The Times of India wrote: in the face of an increasingly integrated world, a comprehensive global education is perhaps the most reliable pathways through which India and the UK can sustain their historic associations The students of our countries, with their drive, passion, technical expertise, and yearning for success, must leverage the educational opportunities afforded to them by the UK’s best universities The United Kingdom, boasting seven of the world’s 50 top universities, has seen an increasing demand for education over the years With a heritage of producing some of the most well-renowned scholars across the humanities and STEM, the UK education system is globally recognized for its high-quality education

Indian students at British universities historically have included Mohandas Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the leaders of the Indian independence movement in the 1920s and 1930s, as well as many other lesser-known young scholars

Dr BR Ambedkar received his Master’s degree from LSE in 1921 and his doctorate in 1923 KR Narayanan, the 10th President of India came to England in 1945 to study BSc Political Science at the LSE VK Krishna Menon went on to study MA in Psychology at University College, London and MSc in Political Science from LSE Jyoti Basu served as the Chief Minister of West Bengal from 1977-2000 came to England to study law and graduated from LSE (see page 1 and 6) This is not an exhaustive list and there are so many more UK-educated people who have made a difference to the world

Among recent Bollywood stars and their children, from Abhishek-Shweta Bachchan, Soha and Saif Ali Khan, Pareeniti Chopra, Varun Dhawan, Aryan Khan – all have studied in the

UK Some for generations together

What Home Secretary Suella Braverman is trying is to undo years of ongoing relationship of faith and trust

Closer to every general election, the immigration becomes a topic of sour debate In 2022, it was seen that immigration numbers in the UK have tripled since Brexit, but in the key areas such as NHS and hospitality industry, continues to suffer due to the lack of right workforce

According to the Centre for Economic Performance, London School of Economics, many people are concerned that immigration reduces the pay and job chances of the UKborn due to more competition for jobs But immigrants consume goods and services, and this increased demand helps to create more employment opportunities Immigrants also might have skills that complement UK-born workers So, we need empirical evidence to settle the issue of whether the economic impact of immigration is negative or positive for the UK-born

In the UK, immigrants are more likely to have more educational and skilled qualifications For example, just 20% of UK citizens finished education at 21 or later But 53% of new immigrants were educated until 21 or later

For many students, travelling to a different country without family is a tough deal But spouses and family members who accompany cannot live or work in the UK permanently And none of them are eligible to remain in the country unless the main applicant secures a job here, which again has its own criteria to fulfil

The government must be intelligent about this whole student family visa fiasco, especially when the UK-India relationship is at such an important crossroads (see p10-11) This is not the time to turn back on real support

Why should India stay away from NATO plus?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is going to visit America next month Meanwhile, a powerful Congressional Committee has recommended strengthening NATO Plus by including India In order to strengthen international defence cooperation, NATO Plus or NATO Plus 5, a security arrangement, brings together NATO and five nations: Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Israel, and South Korea This is not the first time that efforts were being made in the US to make India a part of NATO Plus India has its own advantages as well as disadvantages If India joins NATO Plus, it will have greater access to advanced US weapons systems and vital intelligence, as well as US military assistance against China

India's concerns have grown as a result of Chinese operations and India's strategic encirclement in South Asia Additionally, it is believed that increased India-US cooperation is a logical geopolitical development because of the faith in common values such as democracy, freedom of expression, etc

However, Indian strategic circles are apprehensive of US motives They worry that the US wants to pit India against China in order to use it as a bulwark and limit the developing Chinese economy This may be a well-calculated strategy, as after the Chinese decline, India is likely to be the main strategic contender to the US There will be no clear winner if China and India are locked in a protracted military and economic battle Both will end up with major losses, shattered morale, and massive economic reverses

If India were to join NATO, it could pose a significant problem for the country in terms of tackling possible threats from neighboring or far-reaching Western powers

Thought for the week

Worry is a misuse of imagination Unknown

Political Sketchbook

Alpesh Patel

I asked Kissinger, AI and Chanakya, What India Should Do About China and UK Relations

As a former Council M em ber of Chatham House (Royal Institute for International Affairs) I wonde r ed how Fo re ig n Re l at i ons

mi ght be ‘ w ar gam e d’ or ‘ c hess boarded’ in the future I also gave a l ec t ur e a t t he Un ive r sit y of International Business in Beijing

on 12th September 2001 Look at the date I was struck by how little 9 /11 mattered to the Chinese save for its economic impac t That's an important lesson to the Western c entric view of the worl d

This is what I asked AI (I use ChatGPT4Plus with web plugins for upto date information and an AI prompt improvement tool with multiple iterations to get the level of detail I wanted)

You are Henry Kissinger, and your task is to provide advice to the Indian Prime Minister on dealing with China while working with the UK Your response should be detailed and realistic, taking into account various factors such as political tensions, economic considerations, military capabilities, and diplomatic relations

The NATO treaty's Article 5 mandates that an attack on one member country is considered an attack on all, requiring mandatory assistance and aid from all member countries This clause could entangle India in conflicts and disputes initiated by the United States or other NATO countries, which may not necessarily benefit India As a result, several Indian soldiers will die in wars that we have no reason to be involved in

If India ratifies the agreement, the topic of placing NATO bases on Indian territories will once again come up This might spark significant opposition across the nation and perhaps be viewed as a violation of our sovereignty

India’s formal association with NATO will doom its robust strategic relationship with Russia which goes back to the Cold War days Though Russia’s share of Indian arms imports has decreased from 69 per cent from 2012-17 to 46 per cent from 2017–21, it continues to be the largest weapons supplier to India India is dependent on Russia for parts of its entire old armaments India fears that formally associating with NATO will further push Russia into China’s fold, their number one adversary The Russians have few options, and their alliance with China seems inevitable and the logical outcome of the escalating USRussia rivalry since 2008 This is especially true in light of the Ukraine war and the US posture in that conflict India made the decision to maintain its neutrality throughout the Cold War They are making every effort to shed their reputation as a developing nation and take their place on the world stage India prioritises its own interests above all else This is the reason why it is also a member of the WTO, the SCO and registers its presence in the Quad

BJP planning its roadmap for 2024, Opposition still stuck in 2018

With barely a year left for the 2024 Lok Sabha election, one would expect the opposition to be finalising their strategies and agendas What’s the opposition doing a year ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election that they didn’t do in 2018?

Essentially, nothing different - other than the Bharat Jodo Yatra that emboldened the Congress to claim its numero uno status in the opposition camp But the yatra seems to be already fading from public memory Ask any opposition leader about their best hope in 2024 and most of them will tell you that it’s to bring the BJP’s tally down below 250 in the 543 seat Lok Sabha

And what are they doing to bring the BJP’s tally down when their past efforts only increased it - from 282 in 2014 to 303 in 2019? Well, opposition leaders say that the National Democratic Alliance has “maxed out” in many states in 2014 and 2019 elections Opposition leaders seem to be convinced that these numbers will come down by at least 20-25 per cent, bringing the BJP’s tally below 250 in the Lok Sabha in 2024 Opposition parties think that the ruling party can’t significantly improve its tally in states where it has not done well And why do they think the BJP’s tally in those dozen states would go down because the BJP has lost major allies - Uddhav Thackeray in Maharashtra and Nitish Kumar in Bihar

The opposition is, of course, conveniently ignoring other factors In Bihar, for instance, Nitish Kumar had split ties with the BJP before the 2014 elections The BJP went with Ram Vilas

Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party and Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Samata Party and won 31 out of these 40 seats Similarly, a grand alliance between the Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Rashtriya Lok Dal had managed to bring down the NDA’s tally to 64 in 2019 from 73 in 2014 in UP With BSP out of this alliance, the BJP may even be looking to better its 2014 tally in UP, especially with chief minister Yogi Adityanath gaining in popularity Modi was the single most important factor in the 2014 and 2019 elections and BJP’s allies gained more from their alliance than the other way around Opposition leaders also are seeing some headwinds against the BJP in other states They are expecting a dip in the BJP’s tally in West Bengal given how Mamata Banerjee defeated the party in the last Assembly election Similarly, they see the BJP sliding in Odisha - from eight in 2019 Essentially, the opposition’s hope lies in the voter’s fatigue with Modi after his two terms in office This is giving them the confidence that they can continue to do the same things and produce a different result in 2024 Opposition leaders seem to be living in a time warp Look at the contrast in the approach of the ruling and the opposition parties The BJP is working on its weak areas It has already deployed 70 senior leaders, including ministers, to work in about 144 Lok Sabha constituencies, including many that it lost On the other hand, the opposition is hoping to forge unity without doing anything to achieve their wishful thinking

Please provide a clear and concise response that outlines specific strategies for managing India's relationship with China while also collaborating with the UK Consider potential challenges or obstacles that may arise in this process and propose creative solutions to overcome them Additionally, please explain how these strategies align with India's long-term goals and interests

Your response should reflect an understanding of global politics and diplomacy, as well as cultural differences between nations Please note that you should avoid any language or suggestions that could be considered offensive or insensitive ChatGPT:

As Henry Kissinger, I would advise the Indian Prime Minister as follows:

Bolstering Economic Cooperation with the UK: A key strategy would be to strengthen economic ties with the UK, a significant global player and India's historical partner The ongoing negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement should be seen as a significant opportunity to deepen economic engagement1 A robust economic partnership with the UK can provide a counterbalance to China's economic influence

Scientific and Technological Collaboration: Another aspect of the relationship with the UK that can be fortified is the collaboration in science and technology The recently observed focus of the UK on enhancing science and innovation ties with India can be leveraged to foster advancements that can match up to China's rapid technological growth1

Military and Strategic Coordination with the UK: Given the UK's geopolitical interests in the Indo-Pacific, strategic military cooperation could be beneficial for India Joint military exercises, intelligence sharing, and discussions on military technology could help India build a robust defense capability, which is essential given China's military assertiveness

Navigating the Relationship with China: With regards to China, I would recommend a policy of 'Competitive Coexistence' This would involve competing with China where necessary (for example, at the border or in the Indian Ocean), and cooperating where possible (trade, climate change, etc ) Avoid unnecessarily antagonizing China, but make it clear that India will stand firm on its core interests

Engaging in Multilateral Forums: India should leverage its role in international forums like the UN, G20, and BRICS to engage with China constructively and to ensure that its interests are not compromised Such platforms provide opportunities for dialogue and negotiation, which are crucial for managing relationships with major powers Resolving Border Disputes with China: Efforts should be intensified to resolve the long-standing border disputes with China through diplomatic means This would require patient negotiation, confidence-building measures, and possibly third-party mediation or facilitation A resolution of these disputes would remove a major source of tension in the India-China relationship Balancing Act: It s important for India to balance its relations with both the UK and China India should not be seen as aligning too closely with one against the other This requires nuanced diplomacy and maintaining a degree of strategic autonomy These strategies, while presenting their own set of challenges, provide a roadmap for India to navigate its relations with the UK and China As with any diplomatic endeavor, the key would be to remain flexible and adapt to changing circumstances while always keeping India's long-term national interests at the forefront

Not bad Next week – Chanakya And then what India should do on Russian sanctions

Man, guilty of sending racist messages to twenty-two MPs

B en j ami n Pri c e, 32 , of B el mont Road, He ref ord, has pleaded guilty to sending grossly offensive, indecent and obscene messages t o twe nt y- two MPs on Wednesday, 24th of May

He sent these messages to Members of Parliament including Diane Abbott MP, Tulip Siddiq MP and Suella Braverman KC and Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak A majority of the emails were sent in a three-day period between 19 and 21 November 2022, after sending the first email in January 2022 Price sent twenty- six emails in total and of those, eighteen contained racial abuse directed towards the recipient The remaining eight emails were grossly offensive

He was initially arrested on 23 November 2022 and chose not to make any com-

ments in the police interview He was arrested again on January 4, 2023, after a thorough digital forensic investigation by the police He admitted to sending the emails then

Richard Purchase of the CPS said: “Members of Parliament have difficult jobs to perform which leave them open to public scruti-

CPS employee jailed after accessing serious crime cases 593 times

Muhammad Iqbal, a Crown Protection Services employee has b een j ai le d a fte r ac c es s in g thr ee c as e f i les related to serious organized c ri me wi thout author iz ation

On multiple occasions, Iqbal would contact people connected to the defendants in the three cases, immediately after accessing the files Soon, he was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office

course of justice

Rosemary Ainslie, head of the Special Crime Division at the CPS - which deals with the most serious cases, said: “Iqbal’s conduct was simply unacceptable

ny but that is no excuse for Benjamin Price’s behaviour

It is unacceptable for people to subject MPs to personalised abuse, including discriminatory abuse

Price has pleaded guilty to all 26 charges at his first hearing at Hereford Magistrates’ Court He will be sentenced on 20 June 2023

Counterfeit clothing boss sentenced in London’s largest carousel tax frauds

Soc k ma nuf ac ture r Ari f Pa te l, 5 5 an d c o-a c cus ed

Mohamed Jaffar Ali, 59, of Dubai, have been sentenced for a combined total of 31 years The two men were involved in the largest ever carousel tax fraud

A joint investigation conducted by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and Lancashire Police found that Patel and his gang tried to steal £97 million through VAT repayment claims The claims were made for false exports of textiles and mobile phones They also imported and sold counterfeit clothes, the genuine counterpart of which would cost around £50 million The money made was used to buy properties throughout London and Preston through off-shore accounts

Twenty- six members of this crime syndicate have

been convicted following six trials between 2011 and 2013 with the collective jail time being 147 years and seven months Additionally, more than £78 million of the gang ’ s assets have been restrained

Eamonn O’Neill, Assistant Director, Fraud Investigation Service, HMRC, said: “Arif Patel and

Mohamed Jaffar Ali were at the heart of one of the biggest carousel tax frauds this country has ever seen and the severity of their crimes has been recognised by today’s sentencing Patel and Ali were sentenced in their absence with the former getting 20 years behind the bars and the latter getting 11 years

No investigation against Braverman for breach of Ministerial code

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, on Tuesday (24), c oncluded that Home Secretary Suella Braverman’s handling of the traffic violation case did not c ount as a breac h of the m i ni s t er i al c ode a nd ha s dec ided agains t launc hi ng a n et hi c s i nv es t ig at i on agai nst her

Braverman was accused of asking civil servants for special treatment to avoid penalty points and fine on her licence after getting a speeding ticket Her verdict was concluded after a 48hour consideration from 10 Downing Street While her verdict was in consideration, Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer accused Rishi Sunak of being too weak to fire her Opposition parties had demanded that Sunak order a thorough investiga-

tion by ethics adviser Sir Laurie Magnus

According to the Financial Voice, Sunak has consulted his Magnus and he, “has advised that on this occasion further investigation is not necessary and I have accepted that advice”

Sunak also rebuked

Braverman stating that she could have avoided giving

Photographs of case documents and relevant files were also found on his iPhone

He was sentenced to three years and nine months of imprisonment at the Southwark Crown Court after pleading guilty to one count of misconduct in public office and perverting the

He repeatedly viewed sensitive documents that he had no authorisation to access and used his position to help a driver escape prosecution for a road traffic offence ” Iqbal worked for the CPS between February 2014 and 2021, when he was dismissed He was suspended in 2019 after his offence was discovered

Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies to run day school on Sunday

Oxford’s Centre for Hindu Studies is conducting a day school on 4th June, 2023 (S un d ay ) on ho w k no wle dg e is acq u ire d in Hinduism The le ctur e is called ‘How we know what we know?’

Different Hindu traditions understand the world differently and often share an understanding of how to get to that knowledge This day school examines the science of knowledge and knowledge acquisition as developed in India and answers questions like How do we know what we know? Can we trust what our eyes

see? Can we reason our way to the truth? Or do we have to learn from authority?

The lecture will be brought together and conducted by Prof Gavin Flood (Academic Director), Dr

Rembert Lutjeharms (Sanskritist and Librarian), Dr Jessica Frazier (Research Lecturer and Humanitas Fellow) and the centre’s first ever PhD students, Dr Kenneth Valpey

Thousands of stolen bank details sold online

According to an investigation by Times, scammers are openly trading stolen bank de tai l s on s oci al med ia W hat’s mor e? They ar e claiming that the police do nothing to stop them

The report found over a dozen groups on Telegram freely advertising stolen bank details and selling access to tutorials on how to

become a scammer These scammers appear to be fearless and boast about the police being unable to catch them “If people get caught, then I would be in prison”, boasted one of them

More than 500 stolen cards are sold in just a week, by some fraudsters

3.7 million Britons to receive benefits without seeking work

According to an analysis by the Centre for Social Justice, 3 7 million of the 5 2 million people claiming outof-work benefits will receive funds without having to look for jobs

They have been granted exemption from attending work-related interviews and employment training because they have been accessed as too ill to work

During the coronavirus pandemic, the number of these claimants increased by 500,000 and the amount of their benefits increased to amount between £22 5 billion and £26 5 billion a year, the CSJ said

In line with the inflation figure for last September, the cost of these benefit payments increased by 10 1 per cent last month “The gov-

ernment ought to focus on getting British people off benefits and back into work rather than bringing in workers from abroad” Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the former Conservative leader who co-founded the CSJ, was quoted as saying by Times

The government will announce the latest figures for net migration to the UK today

Royal Navy could issue multiple identity cards for gender-fluid recruits

rise to the perception of impropriety He, however, acknowledged that she had apologised and provided a full account of events She was caught speeding in her car last summer, while she was attorney-general and had asked civil servants to arrange one-onone driving awareness course

After b eing c hallen ged by internal diversity and inclusion groups, The Royal Navy is considering issuing multiple identity cards to its gende r- fl ui d rec rui ts I dea ll y, every recruit is allowed only one “Mod 90 ” identification card

The identification card contains the name and a photograph of the person, and allows access to the Defence Ministry The position was being “challenged” by staff networks, said the

navy “We hope to offer more inclusive guidance,” it is reported to have said by Times, adding that extra passes were already available for some gender-fluid people, at their main place of work

Gender fluidity is the concept that gender identity is not fixed and a person may identify as a different gender over time The revelation emerged in the navy ’ s

application to the Stonewall Top 100 Employers list, which is run by the LGBT rights charity

The navy demonstrated how extensive the diversity and inclusion training was ingrained into the service in their submission for last year ’ s Stonewall 100 scheme It was ranked joint 71st in the group ’ s top 100 employers list for last year

Hereford Magistrates Court

Seized shipping container, boxes containing counterfeit items (Inset)Arif Patel & Mohamed Jaffar Ali

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak with Home Secretary Suella Braverman

Amnesty International Award to Gary Lineker

So, it goes on The Match of the Day presenter, Gary Lineker, received a Sports and Human Rights award at a ceremony hosted by Amnesty International in Rome on Wednesday, 24 May

He has been described as a staunch advocate for the rights of refugees and migrants

This is the man who compared the immigration policy of the UK Government to the policy of Nazi Germany in the 1930 ’ s for which he was taken off the air by the BBC This followed a tweet containing information condemning the shooting of a Palestinian footballer by Israeli soldiers, the footballer turning out to be a Hamas terrorist who was shooting at the soldiers

This is so patently wrong It should also be noted that he will be soaking up praise in Italy, a country led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni who has warned of “ an invasion” of migrants and refugees I fail to see Lineker’s criticism of this policy

It should be noted that Amnesty International is no friend of the State of Israel and that he will be receiving his award alongside a Palestinian footballer

All sane people should be criticising the granting of this award As has recently been said, “perhaps it is time for Gary Lineker to hang up his microphone, as he did his boots long ago ”

I sincerely hope so

Chairman

Jonathan Metliss

of Action aga inst Discrimination and Je

wish

We ekly

Why can’t we get our priorities right?

At one time our politicians, our armed forces, as well as our intellectuals were best in the world, enable this tiny island to rule half the world, from Hong Kong in the East to Falkland Islands in the West, sun never used to set on British Empire

So how come we have become a pauper, practically on every front At one time we had some 20% of the world trade; it is less than 1% now We were the leading manufacturers of ships, motor vehicles, as well as industrial machineries the world depended on The car names such as Austin, Morris, Rover, Jaguar, and four wheeled drive land-rovers were at the front Some of these names have been preserved, not by us but by Tata, Nissan, Toyota and other foreign manufacturers from France, Germany, Japan and even India It seems ruler is now being ruled by mighty colonial nations like India

No one could build a cruise ship like Titanic, although it sank on the maiden voyage, mainly due to the negligence of the captain who thought Titanic was unsinkable, ignoring the dangers of floating giant icebergs

In sharp contrast, our politicians, press, and public are more interested in finding out how our Home Secretary Ms Suella Baverman, paid her speeding fine when we are faced with war in Ukraine where the West is fighting a proxy war against Russia, using Ukraine as a scape goat The G7 nations are meeting in Japan to discuss how to stop rampaging China from following into the footsteps of Mongol terrorist Genghis Khan, one of the most ruthless conquerors of the ancient world!

The world is on the brink of recession; our economy is in dire state with double figure inflation, food prices going through the roof and most families struggling to put food on the dining table, often parents missing meals so that they could feed their children, not to let them go to bed hungry!

Food banks have spread widely throughout the nation, with long queues, people standing for hours for a handout, a week’s supply of necessity for a family Who could have imagined that such a mighty nation, in the top ten, could stoop so low to survive?

I feel in Rishi Sunak as PM and Ms Baverman as tough talking Home Secretary, we have the far-sighted politicians who are capable to get us out of this mess and restore our reputation as the leading democratic nation of the Western world

Bh upendra M Gandhi

Mann Ki Baat

PM Modi in Mann Ki Baat said many CEOs were once backpackers who explored entire India and got inspired and gave birth to new ideas by observing and being in tune with people places and nature Indian jugaad none can beat Whether making lassi using washing machine or designing an all-purpose vehicle for rural roads We are simple people with extraordinary talent Our strength is our diversity Students keen to explore foreign countries in exchange programmes could travel across India and discover themselves

The top ranks in civil services exam in India bagged by women They have come a long way in every sphere of life

They have conquered what was once believed to be the domain of men We trust PM in upcoming Mann Ki Baat would congratulate the Toppers

TS Karthik

Heat wave in India

To avoid your body reaching such a situation, there are a few things which you can do to avoid heat stroke Drink plenty of water and keep your body hydrated Experts have asked people to have cool drinks like coconut water, mint water, lemon water, fresh fruit juices and buttermilk

Save your skin from severe sunburns by generously applying broad-spectrum sunscreen every 2-3 hours Wear light and loose cotton clothing to remain cool and cover your head from direct sunlight

Use an umbrella when out in the sun and avoid direct sunlight whenever possible Have fresh fruit and vegetable juices with your meals and consume a plant-based diet

Keep the doors, windows and curtains of your house closed during the day, especially on the sunny side of your house Open them up at night to let cooler air in

Talking about why a person should not have high protein foods in the current weather, Dr Komal Malik, Head Dietician of Asian Hospital, Faridabad, told India Today that a typical non-vegetarian diet causes dehydration during a heatwave since food takes time to digest A longer digestion process increases heat in the body, triggering dehydration

To help ease your stomach from pain or increase body heat, have drinks like lemon water, coconut water, buttermilk, and fluids rich in electrolytes, instead of having tea and coffee Spicy foods should be avoided altogether Jubel D'Cruz

Insensitive move to amend immigration for international students

In the name of cutting down immigration, Britain has somewhere lost its humanity and morals This act is almost dismissive of the rich history that Indians have brought to the UK in the past The greats like Gandhi to Rabindra Nath Tagore visited London and became an integral part of its cultural history Former RBI Governor Urjit R Patel completed his Bachelor's Degree in Economics from the London School of Economics He later went on to do a Master's in Philosophy from Oxford University

Dr BR Ambedkar received his master’s degree from LSE in 1921 and his doctorate in 1923 KR Narayanan, the 10th President of India came to England in 1945 to study BSc Political Science at LSE VK Krishna Menon came on to study MA in Psychology at University College, London and MSc in Political Science from LSE Jyotirindra Basu, another politician, Jyoti Basu(popularly known) served as the Chief Minister of West Bengal from 1977-2000 came to England to study law and graduated from LSE

Kapil D udakia

India becomes Bharat

28th May 2023, the day when India finally took its first step to becoming Bharat What an i ncredible day in the hi story of Bharat for a nation to witness the inauguration of its new Parliament building - Sansad Bhavan For those who were lucky enough to watch thi s live, I am certain every one of you would have had your hearts poundi ng to the beats of Vande Mataram

75 years after getting independence from the British, India finally laid to rest the colonial grip on Delhi The Lutyenwalas left distraught, but the Bharatvasi could finally stand with their heads high knowing that the true seat of Dharmic democracy had finally found an abode that was worthy of its ancestral heritage

The day itself was rather special Did you know that it was on this very day that Nehru was cremated in 1964, and also the very day when Veer Savarkar was born in 1883 History my friends finds a way to bring karmic balance when it is needed

From Germany, Prof N John Camm summed it up nicely when he tweeted: ‘India’s New Parliament officially ends Nehru Era and marks the beginning of a new era of modern, powerful, and self-reliant India I personally congratulate every Indian for this great moment and prosperous future Go and rule over the world’

Closer to home, FISIUK (Friends of India Soc Intl UK) tweeted, ‘New parliament resonates with new India It reflects the hard work of every Indian who has contributed to bring India to its long due stature We wish this temple of democracy continues to enlighten the world with true democratic values driven by PM Modi’

Women’s empowerment series

Mathur

Indians are the top most nationality that makes up the student population in England and Wales, with 43,175 of them enrolled at higher educational institutions during the 2021 census, according to an analysis released in London This was followed closely by China at 11 2 per cent with 41,810 Chinese students enrolled in the two regions of the United Kingdom Sahiba

Our heartfelt thanks for the Zoom event 27 May and for giving respect and a profile to the book ‘Whispers of my Heart’ Women’s empowerment series is truly remarkable in awareness for the women ’ s achievement, need to do more

Also thanks for the recognition you gave to the cause of philanthropy may soon bring us near to target pledge of cataract surgery I am touched by your interest and dedication to the community

Jayashree and Rajni

Splendid Zoom events by Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar

Guru Arjan Devji Sahid Din

Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar hosted an exclusive Zoom event as a tribute to the martyrdom of Guru Arjan Devji on May 23, 2023 Lord Rami Ranger, Dr Onkar Sahota (Politician, Labour Party) and Mr Narinder Singh Mudhar (Trustee of the Brent Sikh Centre ) were the guest speakers for this programme The entire event was moderated by Krishna Pujara, CEO- Enfield Saheli Narinder Mudhar also recited the Ardas (sikh prayer) followed with few more prayers by renowned singer, Maya Deepak

Women Empowerment and Achievements-II

The second zoom series of Women Empowerment and Achievement was organised on 27th May, 2023 Ruchi Ghanashyam (Former High Commissioner of India to the UK), Usha Upadhyay (Former HOD of Gujarati and Former Dean- Arts Faculty in the Gujarat Vidyapith, Ahmedabad, India) were the key note speakers for the event The event was followed by the e-launch of a poetry collection book ‘Whispers of My heart’ by Jayashree Shah The event was moderated by Krishna Pujara, CEO- Enfield Saheli and Jyotsna Shah, Consulting Editor Gujarat Samachar Bharti Patel presented melodious songs during the event

Detailed report of both these events will be published in the coming editions

The event was so overwhelming that even Shah Rukh Khan was forced to surf the wave of human emotions and tweet: ‘What a magnificent new home for the people who uphold our Constitution, represent every citizen of this great Nation and protect the diversity of her one people A new Parliament building for a New India but with the age-old dream of Glory for India Jai Hind!’ Jai Hind indeed Shah Rukh, and may Jai Hind remain on your lips from now on Lord Rami Ranger commented, ‘It marks the end of the colonial past and the beginning of a new India Modern building made by sovereign nation speaks about the bright and optimistic future of India’

Consul General of ISRAEL to Midwest India, Kobbi Shoshani said it nicely, ‘Heartiest congratulations to the people of India and PM Modi for the inauguration of the new Parliament building Thrilled to watch recital of the Jewish prayers in the grand ceremony Long live democracy ’

I am not surprised that we are witnessing such pride being exhibited not just in Bharat, but right across the world Remember, there will always be those who will do their best to diminish this tremendous day for Bharat, but for all of us who are true Indians, there is only pride in a nation that has finally moved on to find a future that is embedded in its glorious past Those who elected to boycott its opening, I fear not only will this go down as a monumental error of judgement on their part, but history will record them and their respective parties as treacherous to the nation

During the inauguration, there were so many moments of utter brilliance and greatness, but there was one that will stay with me forever When PM Modi performed 'sashtang pranam' in front of the 'Sengol' as a mark of utmost respect, total commitment, and absolute dedication to the nation For me this was a Prime Minister whose very life breath is that of, and for, the nation

Someone famously said, “India is, the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grandmother of tradition Our most valuable and most instructive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only”

Today that India has discovered its Bharat Varsh heritage Jai Hind

Experts at Axiom property event express confidence in the market

O n W e dn es da y, 24 Ma y

2023 Axiom DWFM held its fourth face to face property l unch follo wing the p and e mic an d s ev e n v ir t ua l lunches titled “Real Estate M ar ke t : Po st Bu dg e t Co mme r cia l O pp or t unities” In excess of 110 guests a t t e nde d th e S ch oo l o f Philosophy and Economic S cie nce in Ma nd ev il l e Place, Marylebone, another record number of a ttende es for these lunches

The event was chaired by Jonathan Metliss, the Chairman of Axiom DWFM, and external speakers included Alex Brummer, financial editor of the Daily Mail, Will Clough partner and auctioneer with Allsops Commercial Auction Team, the UK’s leading Property Auctioneer, and Adrian Pepper of Pepper Media Alicia Pattihis (General Real Estate) and Gemma

Princess Sophia Duleep Singh honoured with a commemorative Blue Plaque

Pri n ce ss Sophi a D ule ep Si ng h, the da ughte r of Maharaja Duleep Singh and the goddaughter of Queen Victoria has been honoured wi th a c ommem orat iv e B lue Pl aq ue in London

The Blue Plaque, administe red b y the En gli s h Heritage charity, recognises the hi st or i ca l s ig ni ficance of buildings associated with notable figures

tor, and author of 'Sovereign, Squire and Rebel: Maharajah Duleep Singh & the Heirs of the Lost Kingdom,' championed the cause for the Blue Plaque He discovered Princess Sophia's story while researching her father and was disheartened by the lack of recognition she received However, Princess Sophia

Hawthorne (Property Litigation) of Axiom as well as other Axiom Lawyers in the room spoke about the Real Estate activities of the practice as well as recent developments in the law

In introducing the events and speakers,

Jonathan Metliss talked about current issues in the real estate market including house prices, position of landlords, ground rents, interest rates, infrastructure opportunities and the impact of artificial intelligence

Alex Brummer from the Daily Mail talked about the general state of the UK economy which he considered more resilient than people give it credit for and that optimism rather than pessimism was in order He focused in particular on inflation rates and was critical of the activities of the Bank of England in this area He also made reference to the effect of artificial intelligence and chatbot on the economy as well as the whole area of freedom of expression

Will Clough from Allsops expressed confidence in the market stating that there was an active appetite for deals Only twenty percent of buyers

were using finance as opposed to cash reserves The market was healthy and big lots were selling

In discussing the outcome of the next general election, Adrian Pepper thought it would be a very “ close run ” and that the leading politicians of both major parties were technocrats rather than individualistic

Jonathan Metliss, Chairman Axiom DWFM in his closing remarks emphasised the positive and commercial approach of Axiom, and Daniel Gleek from Axiom DWFM thanked the attendees

The next Real Estate lunch is slated for September 2023

This tribute pays homage to Princess Sophia's remarkable life and her contributions as a suffragette, revolutionary, and advocate for women's voting rights

Anita Anand, the author of the biography 'Sophia: Princess, Suffragette, Revolutionary,' expressed her admiration for Princess Sophia, stating that discovering her extraordinary story surpassed her previous knowledge of the suffragettes “Forgive me but this is one of the happiest days of my life! Princess Sophia Duleep Singh gets her blue plaque at Hampton Court! And sisters from everywhere come to celebrate her in the blazing sun! Princess, Suffragette, Revolutionary,” she tweeted

As the last princess of the Sikh Empire, goddaughter of Queen Victoria, and a prominent figure in society and fashion, Princess Sophia had the opportunity to lead a life of comfort and celebrity However, she chose a more challenging path, utilizing her international fame and influence to fight tirelessly for women's suffrage With unwavering dedication, loyalty, and selflessness, she made a significant impact on the movement

Peter Bance, a British Sikh historian, art collec-

has now become an icon, bridging the worlds of British royalty and the women's suffrage movement in the early 20th century

Drovna Oxley, Princess Sophia s goddaughter, recalled her conversations with the princess about the suffragettes and her commitment to exercising her right to vote Princess Sophia's dedication to the cause extended to attending politically significant protests, daring the authorities to take action against her Her residence at Faraday House sparked controversy, notably when she was photographed selling 'The Suffragette' newspaper outside Hampton Court Palace The subsequent discussions in court and government circles regarding her eviction were eventually dismissed to avoid entangling the Crown in suffrage debates Additionally, Faraday House faced bailiff raids due to Princess Sophia's non-payment of taxes after she joined the Women's Tax Resistance League in 1911

Throughout her life, Princess Sophia remained connected to India, and her ashes were brought to the country by her sister Bamba in 1949 Her legacy as a trailblazer for women's rights continues to inspire and resonate with people around the world

Guests at the Axiom Property Lunch

Jinja Reunion 2023: An emotional roller coaster ride down memory lane

Mahesh Liloriya

Reunions has often been described as an emotional roller coaster ride The s a me w as obs e rved i n the “J in j a R eun ion 2 02 3 ” or gan is ed at t he

R adi s s on Red H ote l, He at hrow on Sunday 28 May, which evoked powerful emotions among the residents and the spouses

Jinja Ratna Awards were presented to the members of the community for

gration, nationality, and human rights law Without looking at nationality, origin, or religion we helped the people To date, we have served more than 40,000 people from all over the world ”

Founder of the Jinja reunion, Jagdish Bulsara said, “Thank you for all the nominations done in my favour I accepted this very reluctantly in the beginning because I thought it would be a very selfish act But my nominators said I must accept the award and that is why on behalf of all the Jinjaits I accept

Is A.I. new coal or plastic?

Rohit Vadhwana

When coal became mainstream for industrial use, people might have argued that it is a boon for our progress Similarly, the invention of plastic was considered an important discovery for convenience in our lives The way both these discoveries were received and welcomed, because of their usefulness, is similar to our response in today's time to artificial intelligence The whole world is optimistic to adopt the use of AI in every field of life Its benefits are highlighted disproportionately against the discussion on its adverse effects We need to understand that no one can predict the exact outcome of any discovery or material unless it is put to good use for a reasonable time

The fact is that having taken advantage of coal and plastic in industrialisation and wealth generation for decades, now we have turned our back on them They are no more welcome in the same way as they were some time ago Their utility has come under question in comparison to the harmfulness they have caused Similarly, any new discovery like A I may have a similar future if not put to the test of informed discussion

their outstanding achievements in several fields, 50 years since leaving Jinja

The High Commissioner of Uganda to the UK and Ambassador Ireland H E Nimisha Madhvani said, “Whatever I am today is because of my family I am very honoured that the president trusted me in this position I hope I will be able to serve my country intelligently, with trust and honour

"It’s good that President Museveni has invited all Ugandans to return their property I urge all of you to come and visit Uganda It’s a safe destination,

most natural and beautiful countries in the world Visit, revisit, go back and look at your roots and think about investing It is a safe country Even the political climate is very safe At the Lohana International Business Conference, delegates from 32 countries participated Record-breaking attendings and meetings were noted

Normally, we examine the utility of new products or discoveries in a positive spirit, having optimism in mind Its contribution to economic growth and human welfare is highlighted everywhere Research papers and lectures go deep into the aspect of their utility and propose to adopt it as early as possible It has happened in the past for various products and is happening now for the A I Similar attitude will remain in place in future also, whenever any new discovery with potential benefit is made

But do we also give enough attention to the harmful effect of these products? Did our forefathers pay enough attention to find out how coal or plastic may damage our environment? Were such views given due respect or were discarded as sceptical ideas? Were the dissenting opinions accepted by our society? Was there lobbying to silence these views? Did the corporates, hungry for profit, prevail over a rational discussion? Did the governments debate such products or discoveries in national legislatures giving them enough time?

this award gratefully ”

actually Jinja, the source of the river Nile is heaven on earth Fresh air, water, food, fresh pineapple, and Matunda juice all are inviting you Please come to Uganda We will give you Visas in two days Just a few months ago, in Uganda, we observed the largest gathering- Lohana International Business Forum I suggest organising the next reunion in Uganda ”

CB Patel, Chairman and Editor-inChief of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar said, “Bhanubhai as a cricketer and philanthropist is our role model I want to mention here that H E Nimisha Madhvani is the only Indian Woman across all the overseas countries who has served as High Commissioner in India and in the UK It is not a small achievement Only Jinja has regular reunions, very active and very powerful, all the people who are involved in this, I bow to them Jinja’s reunion is not a small thing Only a few months ago there was a fantastic conference of Lohanas We all must learn from this Ugandan Asians played a very important role in development, wherever they live ”

Veteran Cricket player Bhanubhai Patel said, “When there is a gathering you must make an effort to see the old friends and past achievements so don’t give the excuse that I didn’t have time, car or transport You can manage even at this age; I drove the car and came here ”

The organiser of regular Jinja events, Bharat Ghelani said, “Uganda is a very welcoming country One of the

He further said, “All the students in Jinja who either commuted from nearby villages or small towns to study in Jinja and all those who stayed with relatives to study in Jinja or were residents of Boarding Houses who did their Schooling in Jinja were invited to this reunion ”

Professional Photographer

Bhupendra Jethwa said, “I devote 50 per cent of my time to charity ”

Chandubhai Nathwani, owner of VB and Sons said, “It seems that I am in Jinja not in London This award is the blessing of my parents They worked very hard Even today my whole family is with us We are the five brothers, and we all live together with our grandchildren ”

Himat Lakhani added, “In 1974 I started a charity free service on immi-

Ma hes h Kote c ha, President and founder of Structural Credit International Corp said, “Madhvani family and mine family go back three generations Jinja could produce such an amazing group of people If Uganda is a pearl of Africa, Jinja is the pearl of Uganda My mother gives me a passion for learning, my father gave me a clear direction to my succession On the 98th birthday of my mother Lilavati Kotecha who was a teacher, she has written poetry of a devotional kind ” He recited the poem Nil Ganga Na Neer Ni Yaadi Ma

In a very emotional speech, Olympian Malkit Sin gh Sondh Kita said, “I don’t know in which language I should talk, Punjabi, Gujarati or Swahili But the real thing is I am very proud today Nothing more can be expected of what you have given to me I am grateful to all those elders, sports fanatics who are watching us from heaven Because of them, we all are standing here Jinja will always live within us It is the Vatan award, not the Ratan award ” Photo credit: Raj D Bakrania, PrMediapix

Jinja Ratna Awards

The ‘Jinja Ratna Award was presented for outstanding achievements since leaving Jinja for business, public life, political and educational fields to 24 personalities:

v Amama Thornley

v Ashok Lakhani

v Bhanubhai Patel

v Bharat Ghelani

v Bhupendra Jethwa

v Chander Mehta

v Chandubhai Nathwani

v Deepak Khazanchi

v Deven Lakhani

v Himat Lakhani

v Jagdish Bulsara

v Jasbir Singh Gill

v Jayant Upadhyay

v Mahesh Kotecha

v Malkit Singh Sondh

v Manoj Joshi

v Mayurbhai Madhvani

v Nazim Madhavji

v Nimisha Madhvani

v Raaj Gambhir

v Ravi Govinda

v Sudhirbhai Ruparelia

v Thakrar Family

v Umesh Patel

Whatever might have happened to products/discoveries like coal and plastic in the past, now we are seeing the irreversible damage they have caused to our environment The question here is whether they have made a disproportionately better impact than the damage caused by them Whether we would have been able to live without them Would humanity be better placed without using either coal or plastic? Will we be able to repair the damage and restore our ecosystem? All these aspects should be taken into account when we go into debates over the use of A I since it is the next big thing we are going to face in our lifetime

The wider possible uses of A I need to be understood and examined in this light Let the A I , or for that matter, any new product or discovery, be the coal or plastic again Let us not accept anything which has utility but hazard as well since our planet has already suffered wounds and we should not make them more painful

(Expressed opinions are personal)

Pharmacy assistant steals £330,000 worth of diabetes tests in Leicester

A pharm ac y as si s ta nt repor ted ly s tol e £33 0,000 worth of diabetes tests in Leicester He has been jailed for three years and seven months on Friday

According to BBC, Abdul Nargoliya's actions were uncovered when a 2018 investigation into 22,000 kits ordered by the business found only 370 had been sold 30-year-old, Abdul of Woodboy Street in Leicester, pleaded guilty at Leicester Crown Court to theft by an employee and concealing, transferring, and converting criminal

property Sgt Mike Archer said the defendant "was an employee who abused his position purely for his own financial gain This was a premeditated and planned theft for a substantial sum of money," he added

Man arrested for driving into gates of Downing Street

A man was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and dangerous driving after a vehicle was driven into the gates of Downing Street

The silver Kia car crashed into the gates at

around 4 20 pm on Thursday, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement “There were no reports of any injuries “Enquiries are ongoing to establish the circumstances ”

Outsourced care leading to children drifting away

A recent study conducted by O xf ord Uni ve rs it y ha s found that the involvement of f or- prof i t prov id ers i n c hildren's care ha s led to more children being placed i n un st ab le, s hort- t erm placements far from their families

The research analyzed over 600,000 care records and identified 17,000 outof-area placements in England between 2011 and 2022 that can be attributed to the outsourcing of care to for-profit providers It highlights the negative impact of private involvement in care provision on vulnerable children and found that higher rates of outsourcing were associated with higher rates of placements breaking down within two years, which is considered a benchmark of stability by the government

Over the past 30 years, the private sector has assumed predominant control over the provision of residential care for children in England Presently, over 80% of residential homes in England operate with profitoriented objectives, often under the ownership of sizeable chains burdened with debt and controlled by private equity investors leading to an escalating consolida-

tion of smaller organizations

Gender-pay-gap won ’t close soon for women in their 50s

A Labour analysis has revealed that female workers belonging to the equal pay generation and born around the time of the 1970 Equal Pay Act, are unlikely to witness the gender pay gap closing within their professional lives

The sluggish pace of progress in achieving pay parity for women in their 50s indicates that the gender pay gap will persist until at least 2050 if the current trajectory persists This projection has been highlighted by Anneliese Dodds, the shadow secretary of state for women and equalities

It has prompted Labour to assert that this situation amounts to effectively forsaking an entire generation of women in the workforce To further gravitate this concern, data extracted from Office for National Statistics’ annual

Gender-pay-gap won’t close soon for women in their 50s

survey of hours and earnings demonstrates that the gender pay gap is most pronounced among women aged 50 to 59, standing at 11 7% for those employed full-time

The analysis indicates that the pay gap within this age group has only narrowed by 5 1 percentage points since 2010 when the Conservatives assumed power Consequently, if the current rate of change persists, it will take another 27 years to completely eliminate the pay gap for this particular bracket

A Lab our a na lys i s has revealed that female workers belonging to the equal pa y gen era ti on an d bor n around the time of the 1970 Equal Pay Act, are unlikely to witness the gender pay gap closing within their professional lives

The sluggish pace of progress in achieving pay parity for women in their 50s indicates that the gender pay gap will persist until at least 2050 if the current trajectory persists This projection has been highlighted by Anneliese Dodds, the shadow secretary of state for women and equalities

Anneliese Dodds

It has prompted Labour to assert that this situation amounts to effectively forsaking an entire generation of women in the workforce To further gravitate this concern, data extracted

from Office for National Statistics’ annual survey of hours and earnings demonstrates that the gender pay gap is most pronounced among women aged 50 to 59, standing at 11 7% for those employed full-time

The analysis indicates that the pay gap within this age group has only narrowed by 5 1 percentage points since 2010 when the Conservatives assumed power Consequently, if the current rate of change persists, it will take another 27 years to completely eliminate the pay gap for this particular bracket

Post Office issues apology for past racist actions

The Post Office has issued an apology for its use of racist termi nology when referri ng to postmasters who were wrongly investigated as part of the Horizon IT scandal

An internal document has revealed that fraud investigators were instructed to categorize suspects based on their racial characteristics Over 700 sub-postmasters faced prosecution for false accounting due to flawed information from the system, making this scandal widely regarded as the most extensive miscarriage of justice in the history of the

United Kingdom

According to reports, the guidance, which circulated between 2008 and 2011, man-

Source: Tw tter

dated investigators to assign a numerical code to sub-postmasters based on their racial backgrounds These numbered

categories in the document included terms such as 'Chinese/Japanese types', 'Dark Skinned European Types', and 'Negroid Types' terms that are outdated, offensive, and rooted in the colonial era of the 1800s, specifically referring to individuals of African descent

While a spokesperson for the Post Office acknowledged this as a "historical document," they emphasized that the organization unequivocally disapproves of racism in any form and condemned the use of such "abhorrent" language

FOREIGN STUDENTS, THE PRIDE OF UK

Continued

from

It’s like asking to give up a lifelong bond in order to get a foreign degree that may not even guarantee a job or poststudy work opportunities

On Tuesday, the UK announced a series of measures targeting international students, including restrictions on family members, as the government faces mounting pressure to reduce immigration Following a decline during the pandemic, net migration has been steadily increasing and is projected to reach a record high this year According to official figures released last November, net migration was estimated to be slightly over 500,000 by June 2022 Under the new proposals, only students enrolled in postgraduate research programs will be allowed to bring dependents to the UK while studying Overseas students will be prohibited from switching from the student route to work routes before completing their studies The government also stated that there would be enhanced enforcement activities and a crackdown on unscrupulous agents exploiting education as a means for immigration purposes However, UK Deputy Foreign Minister Lord Tariq Ahmad reassured that the recent changes in UK visa rules will not affect Indian undergraduate students Lord Ahmad emphasised that the UK government recognises the value of Indian students and the new visa rules primarily target students in research and doctoral programs who do not complete their courses

Speaking to NDTV, Lord Ahmad stated, "Undergraduate and research students will always be welcomed " He further expressed the UK's desire to have more students from India, emphasising that the aim is to curb illegal immigration rather than discourage legitimate students ”

These comments follow UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman's recent statement to the House of Commons, where she announced that international students would no longer be able to bring their family members to the UK, except for those enrolled in research programs Students pursuing research-led master's courses and PhD programs will still have the option to bring dependents, including children and elderly parents Braverman also emphasised the government's commitment to cracking down on unscrupulous education agents who facilitate inappropriate applications focused on immigration rather than genuine education opportunities These rule changes are part of the Rishi Sunak government's efforts to reduce annual net migration and prevent the misuse of student visas as a means to secure employment in the UK

Braverman asserted that the proposed measures strike the right balance and are expected to lead to a decrease in net migration to pre-pandemic levels in the medium term According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), there were 127,731 (study visa) grants to Indian nationals in the year ending September 2022, an increase of 93,470 (273 per cent) compared to 2019 (34,261) Chinese students were granted 116,476 visas during the period, 2 per cent fewer than the number seen in 2019 (119,231) Including international students in our net migration figures is wrong and fooling the public.

The very accomplished and integral member of the British Asian community in Britain, Lord Bilimoria came to the UK from India to study He holds a diploma in accounting from the London Metropolitan University He also read law at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge While at Cambridge, Bilimoria played on the university's polo team, organised their first-ever tour of India, received a Half-Blue in 1988, and led the debating team against Oxford for two years, becoming also the vicepresident of the Cambridge Union before graduating in 1988

On May 25, Lord Karan Bilimoria CBE DL said in his speech at the UK Parliament, “The Prime Minister has five priorities One of them is to stop illegal migration through the boats crossing the channel Everyone agrees that we must do everything we can to stop them Another of his priorities is to grow the economy If the Prime Minister wants this, why are we restricting businesses from getting the labour force they need if they cannot get it domestically? I just had a meeting with leading hoteliers One of them is shortly opening one of the best hotels in London and is targeting under 100% occupancy: he cannot recruit the people he needs We need to activate the shortage occupation list That is the promise of the points-based system That will help If we exclude international students from net migration figures, we will not scare people with these high figures that are not a true representation of migration into this country ”

Commenting on the ongoing debate at the Parliament on Student Visas, Lord Bilimoria said, “I speak as co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on International Students and the president of UKCISA Is the Minister aware that we are in a global race for international students? We are against Australia, the United States of America and Canada, in particular, and those countries offer far better postgraduate work opportunities than we do We offer two years; Australia offers four, five and six years Why

do we keep including international students in our net migration figures? It is wrong and fooling the public The USA and Australia treat them as temporary migrants, which is what they are If you exclude international students from the net migration figures, maybe the Government will hit the targets they have wanted to hit for so many years ”

International students should really be taken out of these statistics

NISAU UK Chairperson Sanam Arora told the newsweekly, “International students must urgently be removed from the net migration targets; as is done in other countries By design they are students, who are here temporarily, therefore it really doesn’t make sense to categorise them as migrants If we want to reflect a true picture of migration in the country then international students should really be taken out of these statistics

The UK must adopt a stable policy on international students, it’s after a lot of hard work from the whole higher education sector including a 7 year campaign from NISAU that we have managed to secure again our position as one of the most desired countries in the world for the best talent to want to come and study and contribute here

The higher education sector is one of our largest exports, we should be doing everything we can to help it thrive This includes ensuring the post study work visa remains protected and students be taken out of the net migration stats ”

In a previous interview with Asian Voice, Sanam had also addressed the hiccup that creates trouble for international students who have to wait for a period of time to switch to work visa after their student visa expires “Where I think we need to make things simpler for students is to be able to educate employers and encourage them to take on more international students through the post-study work visa We need to make it simpler for them to then switch to another visa type Similarly, we need to be able to look at employers’ concerns about whether they want to train someone and invest all the training for two years when they're going to go back eventually What if we were to give a smooth transition to employers to say if you want to retain talent after the expiration of the visa, we as the UK are going to be going to make it easy for you to do so? And that's absolutely something we should do,” Sanam said

Notable increase in migration from India to Northern Ireland

Post-Brexit rule changes have led to a notable increase in migration from India to Northern Ireland, according to an analysis conducted by economist Mark Magill from

Ulster University With new UK laws making it more challenging for EU nationals to move for low-paid work, the liberalisation of the visa system for high-skilled and medical professionals is attracting more individuals from India and other Asian countries Magill's analysis of national insurance registrations, a method used to estimate migration flows, reveals that in the 2022/23 period, Indian nationals accounted for the largest share of migrant registrations in Northern Ireland, with 3,732 registrations

This was followed by individuals from the Republic of Ireland (2,079) and Ukraine (1,569) Magill points out that the past two years have seen more registrations from India than in the previous 15 years combined, indicating a significant shift The top 10 list of registrations by country in 2022/23 is markedly different from that of 2015/16, where India was the only non-EU country represented with 225 registrations Currently, the top 10 includes only Ireland and Bulgaria as EU countries

It is worth noting that migration rules for Irish citizens remain unaffected by Brexit due to the longstanding bilateral arrangement between the UK and Ireland known as the Common Travel Area

Surging immigration contributes to soaring rents across the UK

Meanwhile, the influx of immigrants has resulted in an 8% increase in rents, raising concerns about a potential decline in housing supply due to Michael Gove's proposed reforms Recent analysis reveals that a substantial number of individuals entering the rental market from abroad have been primarily responsible for the unprecedented growth in rental prices throughout the United Kingdom over the past year

Costs and benefits of international higher education students to the UK

Yet, international students, including Indians who make up one of the largest cohorts at British universities, bring a net positive economic impact for the UK economy even once other costs are factored in, a new report has found “International students put nearly 10 times more into the economy than they take out boosting both local and national economic wellbeing, said Dr Gavan Conlon, Partner at London Economics which had been commissioned to conduct the analysis

After a review into it’s c ultur e, Poli c e Scotland’s chief constab le, Ia in Li vi ngs ton e, has admitted to institutional racism and disc ri mi na ti on i n the force This admiss ion invi tes wider concern ab out UK poli c e, notably at the country’s la rge st f orc e, the Metropolitan Police in London

Published on Wednesday (24), the independent review uncovered accounts of racism, sexism and homophobia by serving officers

The review follows the ongoing public inquiry into the death of Sheku Bayoh, a black man who died while being restrained by six officers while in custody Whether race played a part in the death of Bayoh, 31, in 2015 is being looked into

A “boys club” culture operating through all ranks within Police Scotland was discussed earlier this month by several women, who formerly served as officers Claims of ongoing discrimination against minority communities, and first-hand accounts of racism, sexism and homophobia were outlined by the SPA review group

In March, prime min-

Iain Livingstone

ister Rishi Sunak called for “top to bottom” reform of London’s Metropolitan Police, after similar findings were made The review, written by government official Louise Casey came after the kidnap, rape and murder of a woman by serving officer Wayne Couzens in 2021

The inciden shocked the nation and Couzens was jailed for life Another officer David Carrick, has been sentenced to life in prison for dozens of rapes and sexual assaults, hitting already flagging public trust

In 1999, the Met was accused of institutional racism because of its botched response to the racist murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence in 1993

T h e u nres t in Leicester last year, inv o lv in g g r ou p s of young Muslim and Hindu men, has prompted the Go v er nment to init iate an ind ep end ent r ev iew

C r e d i L e c e s t e r s h r e p o l c e

In response to the i n t e r - c o m m u n a l t r ou bl es in S ept ember t hat r esu lt ed in v and al ism and assau l ts , Lei cest ersh ir e Police have made approximately 100 arrests

To delve into the causes of the disorder and develop preventive measures for similar incidents in the future, Communities Secretary

Michael Gove has appointed Lord (Ian) Austin as the chair of an Independent Review

Lord Austin will lead a panel of independent experts who will work together to understand the roots of the unrest

Expressing his concern, Secretary of State for Communities

Independent review into Leicester unrest launched

Lord Ahmad promises the strengthening of the UK-India FTA

M i ni st er o f S tate F o rei g n C o m m o nw eal th & Develo pment Affairs, Lord Tariq Ahmad was in India from 27-31 M ay to accelerate science and technology ties

Building on the ambitions for the UK-India relationship set out in the 2030 Roadmap, Lord Ahmad met senior Indian Ministers and officials, including Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra, External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla, and G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant

The visit’s focus on science, technology and innovation emphasised the UK’s commitment to deepening partnerships in these areas across the globe – evidenced by the recent announcement of a new Tech Envoy to the Indo-Pacific Strengthening the UK-India relationship is a key pillar of the UK’s longterm foreign policy, as part of its enduring engagement in the Indo-Pacific set out in the Integrated Review Refresh

UK Minister for South Asia Lord Ahmad said: “The UK and India are trusted partners united by the unique living bridge that closely connects our countries and people

Building on the 2030 Roadmap for India-UK future relations, we are deepening our collaboration on science and technology, bringing new innovations to both our nations

The visit comes as the UK and India continue to make progress towards a mutually beneficial Free

Trade Agreement (FTA) An ambitious, balanced FTA would boost the current trading relationship, worth £36 billion in 2022

A trade deal with India supports the government’s growth strategy to take advantage of the UK’s status as an independent trading nation, creating new trade and investment opportunities and championing free trade

First trip to his mother’s birthplace in Jodhpur

Lord Ahmad’s visit to Rajasthan was his first trip to his mother’s birthplace of Jodphur as Minister for South Asia and highlighted the region’s rich cultural history He visited the iconic Mehrangarh Fort, and discuss education, sustainability and gender equality with

Charity p lays a v vital p part i in s society, help ing t th e u nfortunate i in v various ways G Given t their a altruist n nature, i it is a alarming t th at s some l large a and r revered ch arities h have b been h hit b by a abuse s scandals, misuse o of f funds a and c cover-ups

Our charity, One Kind Act, is one of the exceptions to this rule. We hope that it comes as a huge relief that we hold ourselves to the highest standards of integrity, particularly with accountability and transparency.

We seek out causes that do noble, life changing work at grass roots level that has a sustainable impact, and then through active fundraising, we award grants for the cause. Effectively run by volunteers, we aim to ensure the full amount of any donation reaches the needy. Administration costs are not deducted from charitable funds.

Thorough due diligence, regular site visits and a policy of follow-on grants have seen them quietly improve thousands of lives across the world. Our honesty and ethics have helped increase trust and confidence in charitable giving by our donors and supporters.

Asian Achievers have therefore chosen us as their charity partner for the Asian Achievers Awards in September 2023. Money raised will go towards our Bright Start Programme, which includes the

https://www

emerging women leaders “

I arrived in Jodhpur, my maternal ancestral home 76 years after my mother bid farewell to the Blue City I say ‘Salaam Jodhpur- Namaste Rajasthan’,” he said in a

largest innovation campus, and space launch vehicle company Skyroot He also visited the National Institute of Animal Biotechnology and discuss the further potential for science and technology collaboration with Indian alumni of Chevening, the UK’s flagship international scholarship programme

enhance the bilateral trading relationship which was worth an estimated GBP 34 billion in 2022

tweet

Launch of ‘English Skills for Youth’ programme

In New Delhi, Lord Ahmad launched the ‘English Skills for Youth’ programme, co-developed by the British Council and Microsoft India, which will enhance global employment opportunities for Indian young people, especially young women The Minister announced the winners of the UK-India Health-Tech Boot Camp boosting health-tech innovations from India

Concluding his visit to Hyderabad, Lord Ahmad highlighted science and tech innovations with trips to THub and T-Works, the technology start-up incubator and prototyping facility which are part of the world’s

following elements:

• Some of the brightest but desperately poor children are given a 2- year scholarship and helped to secure admission into universities. This is because only 50% of children go to school in India, many of whom drop out due to poverty, poor teaching, dilapidated government schools, exploitation; this sad list is endless. As a result, breaking out of the vicious cycle of poverty for these children is impossible.

• Classrooms are rebuilt or refurbished to the latest digital standards, furniture and learning resources are provided.

• Clean sanitation, toilets, washing facilities are built, clean drinking water is provided.

Nelson Mandela said education is the most powerful weapon to change the world. We at One Kind Act aims to break the cycles of poverty and provide a pathway to a better future, changing the world, one child, one school at a time.

We are honoured to have partnered with Asian Achievers. As quoted by our Chairman, Shamit Malhotra, ‘Our partnership with Asian Achievers gives us a platform to celebrate all that is great about British Asians, whose kindness, passion, determination and generosity is helping us to make a huge difference to the lives of people in need’.

Ensure the security of India's diplom atic missions in the UK and prevent misuse of d emocratic freedoms

In his meeting with the External affairs minister S Jaishankar, Lord Ahmad was asked to ensure the security of India's diplomatic missions in the UK and prevent misuse of democratic freedoms This came against the backdrop of the vandalisation of the Indian High Commission in London in March by pro-Khalistan supporters

"Met with UK MOS Lord Tariq Ahmad today in New Delhi Underlined the obligation to ensure the security

of our diplomatic missions and prevent misuse of democratic freedoms," Jaishankar tweeted

Speaking to WION, Lord Ahmed said, “We have security provisions in place We are also looking at added security structures within the framework of the diplomatic mission ” Free Trad e Agreem ent and South A sia to Indo-Pacific and G20

India and the UK have had nine rounds of negotiations of the free trade agreement (FTA) since January last year aiming towards a comprehensive pact that is expected to significantly

During the India visit, he met India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra, G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant & G20 Coordinator Harish Shringla Asked about updates in the ongoing free trade agreement negotiations, he pointed out, FTA is progressing well ' , & 'We are making good progress, several chapters have progressed and being closed, and we remain hopeful on reaching an early agreement '

In Ahmedabad

Dr S Jaishankar with Lord Tariq Ahmad

In Jodhpur

Lord Ahmad at the British Council India

Lord Ahmad at the Mecca Masjid and Charminar in Hyderabad

Lord Ahmad with Former Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla

Lord Ahmad in Hyderabad

Grand celebration marks the 51st anniversary of Gujarat Samachar

Gujarat Samachar marked its 51st anniversary of its spectacular publication journey on

programme was held to celebrate the milestone and notable celebrities from India and the UK were invited. The moderator of the event was Jyotsnaben Shah, Managing editor of Gujarat Samachar Meena Trivedy and Mayaben Deepak through their melodious musical programme entertained the guests Actress Bhavini Jani sent a gratitude poem and Asian Voice Managing editor Rupanjana Dutta sent a special message to Editor/Publisher CB Patel

Krishna Pujara

Talking about the successful journey of Asian Business Publication

Limited (ABPL), Saheli

Enfield CEO Krishna Pujara said, "Gujarat Samachar began its journey on May 5, 1972 and distributed its weekly paper via shop sales, subscriptions and through online and its weekly readership is in excess of 200,000 Gujarat Samachar is the most respected and influential paper of the Gujarati community Along the way, they have developed a close relationship with both our readers and advertisers based on trust and service to the community This publishing journey has been going on unhindered since the first edition of Gujarat Samachar was released on May 5, 1972, by Appasaheb, former High Commissioner of India to the UK "

Rohit Vadhwana

Rohit Vadhwana, India's Deputy High Commissioner in Nairobi, said, "I would like to congratulate CB Saheb, Gujarat Samachar and all the readers for your 51st year of success As you have entered the forest, I request that you be more brave and firm in the forest, because now you are determined to face any predatory animals there Especially on foreign soil, completing 50 years in journalism is a huge success CB Patel began a campaign in the Parliament on Gujarati’s opinions and he presented your thoughts while also making a positive impact on society I hope this newspaper continues to be used as a medium "

Lord Rami Ranger

Lord Rami Ranger, CBE Chairman of the BritishSikh Association, said, "CB have done a remarkable job in more than many ways I have admired you and received a lot of inspiration, support, and help from you You are a pillar of this community

Half a century ago, we were a struggling community

We had no voice and you gave that voice to the community, which made us united You gave us a medium to bind us together - the newspaper, which is celebrating its 51st anniversary I hope we can see another 51 years of your service to the community So therefore, you carry on inspiring people because you have no idea how many other people consider you a role model "

MP Bob Blackman

Padma Shri Bob Blackman said, "Gujarat Samachar is becoming the most important medium in maintaining contact with that community, India and the entire society And his team has maintained a completely professional approach in presenting news, opinions and reviews to the wider topics It is one of those newspapers that is widely read within the community and treasured You have not only established values in newspapers, but also promoted these morals to the entire Gujarati community Congratulations on Gujarat Samachar s 51st Anniversary "

Lord Navnit Dholakia

Lord Navneet Dholakia, OBE, said, "I remember the first meeting with CB Patel He created a dummy version of Asian Voice I was really happy, because he connected a large section with the Gujarati community and the Asian community, and made a great effort to explain how rights and liberties are appreciated in this country In his newspaper, CB was able to publish articles and public reviews that effectively reflected the views of the Asian community and others I am glad that every week I get my copy of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar, which I put in the library of the House of Lords for others to read It surely touches the hearts of the people of the country

Dinker Mehta

Famous comedian Dinker Mehta said, "Gujarat Samachar, which has been available in many countries, including the UK, Europe and Asia unhindred, has completed 51 years

Congratulations to CB

Patel! Gujarat Samachar means newspaper, so NEWS comes from N, E, W, S -North, East, West, South - from all four directions PAPER comes from ‘Past and Present Event Reporting’ That means a newspaper that collects news from all four directions As for Gujarat Samachar, I have to say that not only four directions but also the sky above and the abyss below are included For 51 years, Gujarat Samachar has survived because of your character, your staff and team I wish Gujarat Samachar, CB Patel, the entire team and the readers a healthy mind and good health

Subhash V Thakrar

Subhash Thakkar, vicepresident of the London Chamber of Commerce and founder-chairman of the Charity Clarity, said, "Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar that I have been reading and watching are definitely evolving CB readily acknowledges that there was a period when the weekly newspapers were not interesting to read and many people, including myself, spent the time simply turning the pages one at a time However, the situation has changed over the years We have all learned to respect this news medium, which has matured so much in the past 50 years I really think your newspapers have become an institution I congratulate you very much I think you are leaving a powerful legacy for the Gujarati community and the wider community I recognise you as an institution You have valued the Gujarati community and the presence of business people Your publication has really good coverage, from Bangladeshi communities to Pakistani communities "

Vishnu

Pandya

Padma Shri Vishnubhai

Pandya, Honorary Editor of Gujarat Samachar, senior Journalist and columnist, said, "After 51 years in journalism, we usually get thrills, but behind it there is so much pain, so much ambition, and so much courage We consider journalism as a

mission, which I serve Service alone does not run Idealism, a practical approach, and discipline - all three are needed The question is how Gujarat Samachar would have progressed under the leadership of CB for 51 years Even though people should write about CB, one should write about the history of the Gujarat Samachar because a Gujarati newspaper like this abroad is a historical phenomenon

M NandaKumara

M NandaKumara, Director of Bhartiya Vidhya Bhavan, said, "Gujarat Samachar has always stood for the good of our community CB is able to communicate with the richest and poorest people with equal dignity He is somebody who has been very easily accessible to this paper He has served our community in such a way that it's very difficult to express in words He is doing this kind of service in every corner of our country Serving society is the most difficult job To be able to reach the truth and to be able to explain it is very difficult, but he has been doing that difficult job for more than five decades "

Dr Keyur Buch

Dr Keyur Buch, orthopedic surgeon, said, "We have to speak from the Karmayogi itself, because from the Karmayog building where the Karmayog mission has started, me and my 91 year old mother wish Gujarat Samachar success in its continued journey even after serving the community for more than 50 years Gujarat Samachar and Asian Voice played a major role in my life My father wrote a beautiful article in praise of Gujarat Samachar and when he died, Gujarat Samachar paid a beautiful tribute to him as a conscientious person Even though I live in Gujarat, I am still actively involved with Gujarat Samachar Best wishes from Dr Keyur Buch and his family to the entire family of Gujarat Samachar, Asian Voice Jai Ho

Mahesh Liloriya

Mahesh Liloriya, Group Editor of Gujarat Samachar and Asian Voice, said, "On this occasion, Gujarat Samachar is not just a newspaper but a living testimony of our day to day life CB Patel is a complete school Through Gujarat Samachar and Asian Voice, every single thing said by CB sir has become a living creed Gujarat Samachar began and succeeded in a number of campaigns for societal rights such as saving the Hare Krishna temple, the right to a British passport, and Air India's direct flight from Ahmedabad CB wrote in the first issue of Gujarat Samachar that ‘these newspapers are not being published for financial gain; this is a campaign started to pay off the debt of society ' In the year of the golden jubilee anniversary, CB Patel was honoured by the President of India with the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman He is the only British national to receive this honour at the Pravasi Bharatiya Convention in 2023 "

CB Patel

CB Patel, Editor and Publisher of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar, said, "Many people have spoken very well about me, it is your generosity But I did not feel tired at all and did not carry any burdens God gave me an opportunity to do this work My father told me in October 1973 that life should have a purpose You all became my colleagues in many ways I think my father must have been pleased that I made an effort to complete a task which he wanted me to continue I am only instrumental My biggest idol is my reader - my supporters I have told everyone to forget about the success; the service we will provide is supreme You may or may not get the fruit I still believe that God will still give me an opportunity to serve "

Badal Lakhlani

Shree Laxmi Narayan Mandir (Birmingham)

Shikhar Pratishtha Mahotsav

Piyush Ambalalbhai Mistry

Shree Hindu Community Centre at Shree Laxmi Narayan Mandir, Birmingham celebrated “Shi khar Pratis htha Mahotsav” on Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th May 2023

This was a truly magnificent celebration over two extraordinary days graced by the Consul General of India, Birmingham Dr Shashank Vikram; Lord Mayor of Birmingham – Councillor Chaman Lal; Shri Dhirajbhai Shah, President of Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, Shri C B Patel of Gujarat Samachar and Asian Voice and leaders of numerous other local and national temples and organisations, where the spirit of "unity in diversity– anekata mein ekta" truly shone brightly at the Mandir’s festivities Over 1,800 devotees from Birmingham and various nearby and faraway towns congregated to commemorate a significant milestone in the transformation journey of the Mandir

10 years ago, a vision was outlined to replace the old façade of the Mandir building with a more fitting frontage of the Mandir that was representative and symbolic of the Sanatan Dharma This vision became a reality this year!

On Saturday morning the festivities started with a Maha Puja of Ganesh ji and Shree Laxmi Narayan Bhagwan and was followed by a Havan conducted by the Mandirs’ Shashtriji, Shri Mayurbhai Joshi and supported by 80 Yajmans Following a delicious Mahaprasad, the visitors were treated to a spectacular cultural programme with over 20 performances delivered by over 140 participants from 3 to 80 years old The performances epitomised the diversity of cultures from across India and covered Bharat Natyam and semi-classical song in Kannada from Karnataka; poems, folk dances and Krishna-Sudama Milan natak from Gujarat; Kutchi Pudi from Andhra Pradesh; Bathukama, Natu-Natu dance, and patriotic

songs in Telugu; folk dances from Rajasthan; Lavni, Jogwa and Powda from Maharastra; bhangra from Punjab; a Kutchi folk dance and most inspiring was recitations of mantras and presentation of Surya namaskar by children from Balgokulum who transported everyone to the sacred realm of Bhakti Yoga as they recited Chapter 12, and sharing the heart-warming teachings from the Shrimad Bhagavad Geeta

The whole programme was adorned in the rich tapestries of cultures, costumes and dialects from many regions of India and reverberated the true essence of a united Hindu Community Centre at Shree Laxmi Narayan Mandir The cultural programme was compered by Dev Parmar, a radio presenter and mimicry artist

On Sunday morning, there was a highenergy Rath Yatra full of reverence and devotion from the nearby Tyseley Locomotive works to the Mandir Several hundred devotees together with Iskcon Coventry chanted and danced in complete devotion and unison and marched towards the Mandir At the Mandir, with a deep sense of bhakti, pride and an opulent grandeur, the 3 Shikhar “Dhwajas” were raised and a Pradikshina of the Mandir was completed Following the ceremonies, there was a programme of Abhaar Vidhi compered by Piyush Mistry, Public Relations Officer of Shree Prajapati Association UK

Shri Mukeshbhai Ladwa – President of the Centre and Laxmi Narayan Mandir,

Tribute to Lord Basaveshwara in London by Smt Dr Tejaswini Anant kumar

On Behalf of The Lambeth Basaveshwara Foundation, Dr Neeraj Patil, Chairman of The Lambeth Basaveshwara Foundation and Former Mayor of The London Borough of Lambeth shared a press statement on how t he f oun der and P res i den t of Ad amy a Chetana, Smt Tejeswini Anant Kumar, paid tribute to Lord Basaveshwara's statue i n London on 29th May 2023 She was accompanied by her daughter Vijeta Ananthkumar

the LCA project, founding Adamya Chetana, and driving several firsts in green lifestyle and environmental changes, all in her unique way

addressed the congregation and provided an overview of the 10-year journey from the inception of the Shikhar Project to its fruitful completion this year The journey highlighted the conviction and resolve of Mukeshbhai, the Mandir committee and the project team made up of the principal contractor, Vascroft Contracts Limited and its inspirational co-founder Shri Shashibhai Vekaria, sub-contractors, architects, struc-

The event was organised by the Lambeth Basaveshwara Foundation and Basava Samithi of the United Kingdom, who built the statue in London and members of The British Indian/Kannada community were present during this event

On 14th November 2015, The Honourable Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, unveiled this historic statue in London The Basaveshwara statue in London is the first statue to be unveiled by an Indian Prime Minister in the U K and one of the first conceptual statues approved by the British Cabinet in the vicinity of the Parliament as per the Statues Act of the United Kingdom,1854

Smt Tejaswini Ananthkumar is a truly multi-faceted personality; Engineer by education, scientist by profession, activist, wife, mother, and social entrepreneur Her achievements are spread across working on

Dr Tejaswini founded and runs AdamyaChetana (www adamyachetana org) in 1997 This was set up in memory of Smt: Girija Shastry, mother of her husband Shri Ananth Kumar, MP and Central cabinet minister Adamya Chetana works on three core themes: Anna-Akshara-Aarogya and several initiatives on Rural Development and Environmental issues

Dr Tejaswini’s work at Adamya Chetana, through dozens of projects, has positively impacted the nourishment, learning, and health of lakhs of under privileged children improved the conditions in many villages, and helping increase the green cover of Bengaluru

Annapoorna program runs five (Bengaluru, Hubballi, Kalaburgi, Harihar and Jodhpur in Rajasthan) state of the art kitchens deliver hot, nutritious and tasty midday meals to over two lakh underprivileged schoolchildren per year

Smt Tejeswini is also a keen environmentalist who runs zero garbage kitchens by recycling waste The Government of Karnataka acknowledged her contribution to society and was awarded the highest civilian award in Karnataka, The Rajotsava Award

tural engineers, site manager and the lighting engineers

Swami Sarvasthananda Ji – minister in charge of the Ramakrishna Vedanta Centre in Buckinghamshire – addressed the audience providing his reflections on the role of the Mandirs and encouraging the youth to carry forward our Dharma Following this, several dignitaries who have made significant contributions to the journey of the transformation of the Mandir were offered obeisance with a symbolic shawl The programme concluded with a Dhun

Following lunch, there was a Bhajan programme led by Iskcon Coventry and the devotees joined in with much joy and enthusiasm Final farewells brought the weekend’s programme to an end, with everyone heading home still buzzing with the weekends' celebrations

Led by Shri Bhagubhai Chudasama, the

Religious Committee and Mahotsav co-ordinator, over 120 volunteers exemplified the essence of sewa bhav, flawlessly executing their duties with utmost devotion ranging from efficiently managing the carpark and shuttle bus transport to warmly welcoming the guests, from serving delicious Mahaprasad to maintaining crowd control, and from arranging chairs across the three areas of the Mandir to accomplishing various other tasks to co-ordinating and running the programmes on stage and around the Mandir, and finally clearing up the hall to make the overall programme a success

More importantly several Mandirs from Birmingham, Luton, Leamington Spa and Coventry rallied together to provide their support during the Mahotsav exemplifying the spirit of “Sangathan Mein Shakti Hein” –we are strong when united!

The President, Shri Mukeshbhai Ladwa, commented on the programme saying This was a fabulous event that has truly epitomised the vision of bringing Hindus from all parts of India living in Birmingham to use the Mandir as theirs, to celebrate the religious and cultural events together, and the true measure of success is not the buildings but the increased vibrancy within the Mandir and increasing the youth participation going forward"

Mahesh Liloriya

Conservation and wildlife

l o v er s , bu sin ess es and sch ool child ren supported a very special book launch for an esteemed Ug and an wildl ife vet at the Uganda

H ouse London ‘Walking

W i th Go r il l as ’ by D r

G lad ys K alema-Z ikuso ka w as l au nch ed by t h e Ugandan foreig n minister J eje O d on g o , S ecr et ar y G ene ra l o f N at io nal R esi st anc e Mo v em ent P arty Richard To dwong , t h e Hig h Com missioner of Uganda H E Nimisha Mad hvani and prominent personalities

Launching, Ugandan Foreign Affairs Minister Jeje Odongo said, “We are here to recognize the work done by Dr Gladys Many of us aspire to see the great gigantic creature and incidentally, the Mountain Gorilla exists only in Africa and in Africa, the largest population is found in Uganda Until people like Dr Gladys got involved, this beautiful gigantic creature was in danger There was a threat that our children or grandchildren may not be able to see this creature

Due to the intensive efforts of conservation, now the population of Gorillas is growing If you want to fly to Uganda, please come to Uganda House ”

Richard Todwong, Secretary General of National Resistance Movement Party said, “Happy to know about this initiative is now in the records of this book It is more than a book We invite you to come and visit Uganda Have the experience of these wonderful friends Uganda is open for you; it has free entry and free exit ”

The High Commis-

sioner of Uganda H E Nimisha Madhvani said, “We are very proud of you Dr Gladys You have worked very hard and are really an aspiration to young women I request that people come to Uganda to explore wildlife, nature and their roots Travelling to Uganda is safe, easy and beneficial in all aspects ”

In the closing remarks, Praveen Moman Founder of Volcanoes Safaris said, “It’s been a long journey for those who are working for Great Ape Conservation for the last 25 years I want to congratulate Dr Gladys; she

A Beacon of Harmony and Service

and all such people make this journey a success One health philosophy is to focus either on Gorillas or Humans but Dr Gladys’s philosophy of focusing on both is a practical strategy I am also trying to build a balance between tourism and conservation for the last 25 years ”

Dr Gladys shared anecdotes from her memoir ‘Walking With Gorillas’ with BBC presenter Claudia Hammond She shared her experiences working in wildlife conservation and public health She said, “You need to address human and wildlife health together to have holistic outcomes One Health is being recognized in the conservation community as a viable way to achieve sustainable development Conser-vation is about understanding that people are part of the equation ” Welcome speech was given by Lawrence Zikusoka, Co-Founder, Conservation Through Public Health Ndhego and Tendo Zikusoka read an excerpt from ‘Walking With Gorillas’

One third of young girls miss school due to a lack of access to period products

A t hi r d o f yo un g pe op le ac ross the UK are missin g s c hoo l d ue t o a la c k of ac ces s to period products and the shame surroundin g periods in sc hools

New data commissioned by a group of UK charities fighting period poverty; Birmingham based charity Cysters, Irise, In Kind Direct, Freedom4Girls and Bloody Good Period has revealed that a third of young girls are missing school due to a lack of care or access to period products, which equates to over 3 million days missed every year Nearly half (44%) of girls have difficulty accessing free period products at school, a further 44% of girls feel too embarrassed to ask for period products at school, and a quarter (24%) have been too embarrassed to notify a teacher when they have started their period

There’s little wonder that girls are experiencing period shame, given that 61% of girls have had issues accessing toilets in lessons when on their period, and a further 25% have to justify exactly why they needed to go to the toilet, leaving one in four girls (24%) having to hide their period products when accessing a toilet at school

One student commented, “My teachers don’t let me go to the toilet on my period Or just at all And the ones that do, let me say I can’t take my bag, but then everyone would see my products I wish they’d put some in the toilets, like on the wall in the cubicle, so you could just have them there and then ”

The Every Period Counts campaign is backed by Irise, Plan International, Bloody Good Period, Girl Guiding, Freedom4Girls, Cysters, Period Positive, Modibodi, In Kind Direct, Tees,Tok Ko youth space, Sex Ed Matters, Brook, Element Society, Birmingham City University, Golddigger Trust, The Sikh Human Rights Group and Love Your Period

Tara Bachoo aged from 19 of Cysters, comments, “I felt like I was living in a nightmare throughout my National 5 ’ s to Advanced Highers I bled out onto the back of my skirt which leaked blood on the chair I was sitting on on several occasions and I constantly had to run out of English and Biology classes to throw up Additionally, I had teachers look confused when I took out my phone and dug it into my stomach to control searing pain, and

some looked in dismay when I didn’t participate in PE or other activities, just because I was on my period At school, what do you think this does to a young girl's confidence? I dreaded going to school and would wake up in the night sweating in an anxiety attack ”

Alarmingly, more than 1 in 10 schools still don’t provide free period products, with 13% of girls stating that their school/college doesn’t offer free period products at all Education is still a big problem, too, with a huge 52% of girls saying they have never been taught how to use period products at school or college

The Every Period Counts campaign intends to show schools, local councils and national policymakers why Period Dignity matters to Young People

The campaign is calling for Period Dignity to be realised through key actions: All UK schools to make free period products available in a shame-free way to everyone who needs them The UK government is to commit to a new action plan to eradicate period poverty and shame in UK schools by 2025 Politicians make period dignity a right by legislat-

ing for it in England and Wales

Neelam Heera-Shergill, Fou nder of Cyster s, comments, “Young people are tired of being unheard and having decisions made for them without them It is important for them to be included in the decisionmaking process that affects them day to day in school When menstruation is a conversation that is kept quiet and hidden away, it promotes more shame and stigma for those who need help, especially with the rising costs of living We are also concerned that the more marginalised people in our society are the ones who have been hit the hardest, and we hope to keep their voices at the forefront of our advocacy

We are calling upon the government to support the efforts of grassroots organisations like us, and commit to ending period poverty by 2025 ”

MPs in England and Wales will be called upon to make the free period product schemes mandatory for all schools and colleges and to make period products available for free to all young people, not just those living in poverty, which only increases the stigma

British Airways Felix and esteemed guests and organisations from around the world celebrate community day at Neasden Temple BAP S S h ri S wa mi nar ay an Mandir, Neasden – po pularly k no wn a s ‘N ea sd en Temple’ – hosted an inspirin g c o mmu n it y e ven t o n Wednesday 24 May in the p res en c e o f Hi s H o li n es s Mahant Swami Maharaj – a glo b al ly re s p ec ted H i ndu spiritual leader who is currently visiting the UK – and es tee med gu es ts f ro m al l over th e country Th e event was a testament to unity, co m mu ni ty se rvi c e, a nd interfaith harmo ny

The event brought together more than 1,400 guests, friends and wellwishers to appreciate their support and to introduce them to His Holiness

Mahant Swami Maharaj

The evening explored the core values of faith, service and global harmony through live performances, videos and presentations by esteemed speakers from around the world

In his address to the audience, Captain James Basnett, Director of Flying at British Airways (BA), reflected on the longstanding partnership with BAPS to support various humanitarian efforts and the correlation between His Holiness

Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s ethos, “In the joy of others lies our own, ” and BA’s motto, “Fly to serve ” He added: “Engagement with the community is possible at all levels It inspires, it informs, and it brings together and awakens the human spirit within our organisations ”

Charlotte Hill, Chief Executive of The Felix Project, shared her positive impressions of the event and the work with Neasden

Temple She said, “Being at an event like this is such a humbling reminder of what can be achieved when communities come together We’ve loved the partnership that The Felix Project has always had with Neasden Temple ”

Esteemed speakers like Professor Chris Butler, Professor of Primary Care at the University of Oxford, highlighted the essential contributions of the Mandir and BAPS during Covid and in serving the wider nation at a critical time Stressing the importance of community health, he said, “In the joy of others lies our own, but I would like to add on behalf of our partnership and collaboration that ‘In the health of others lies our own ’”

The event highlighted inspiring stories from around the world, including from Yann Dubosc, Mayor of Bussy-Saint-Georges – an eastern suburb of Paris where a BAPS mandir is being constructed He said:

“Through BAPS, I discovered the wisdom and values of Hinduism, such as mutual respect regardless of age or race, and service to society, as exemplified by your commendable actions during COVID and at the beginning of the war in Ukraine ” He also shared his appreciation of the “dialogue [by BAPS] with other communities to preserve and promote harmony” in the region

David Gold, Director of External Affairs and Public Policy at Royal Mail, praised Neasden Temple as a global architectural icon and a beacon of diversity and openness “This is a place that opens its doors and opens its heart to all of us regardless of our faith or whether we have no faith at all,” he commented

Andrew Davidson, the artist behind Royal Mail’s ‘Diversity & Community’ Coronation stamp featuring Neasden Temple, shared his personal experience of designing the stamp: “As you may well imagine, the diversity stamp was the hardest to design and the most sensitive, as all faiths which share this small island must be represented fairly and respectfully From a personal point of view, I thought this temple was the most perfect to represent your faith ”

Reflecting on the significance of the event, Harriet Crabtree, Executive Director of the Interfaith Network for the UK, said, “When you ’ re in the presence of a holy person [His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj] and leader with a powerful commitment to unity and bringing people together, it’s a very remarkable experience ”

Mahant Swami Maharaj underscored the values of unity, peace and service, reflecting the teachings of Their Holinesses Yogiji Maharaj and Pramukh Swami Maharaj “They didn’t just say this; they lived it, every second of their lives,” he said

Yogvivekdas Swami, Head Swami of BAPS UK & Europe, concluded: “Together we can build bridges, we can foster understanding, and pave the way for a better, brighter future of global harmony ”

His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj addressing the gathering

“You need to address human and wildlife health together in order to have holistic outcomes”

At the Launch of “Walking With Gorillas by Dr Gladys KalemaZikusoka ” From Right to Left: The High Commissioner of Uganda H E Nimisha Madhvani, Author Dr Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, Ugandan foreign minister Jeje Odongo, Ugandan Govt Official and Group Editor Mahesh Liloriya

Indian weddings for grabs, as innovative tourism ideas expand globally

Anusha Singh

Indian weddings are popular for their pomp and gaiety Though they differ from region to religion to community to preferences, they include much more than a ceremony The rituals and practices passed down from generations, coupled with emotions of families, make these weddings a spectacular and elaborate affair

Outside South Asia there is a different fan base for Indian weddings, thanks to Bollywood Many aspire to attend at least one Indian wedding celebration in their lifetime, especially hosted in India, though not many can, due to lack of opportunities

they would like to experience themselves in a foreign place

Given the large number of guests in an Indian wedding, having a few more additional guests didn t feel like an added hassle Sharing their whole experience, the couple said, “We were hoping to make a personal connection with the guests, but that was impossible with everything happening around It was mostly our friends and family who interacted with them throughout and had a great time explaining the rituals to them, helping them get dressed in Indian attire and making them feel involved in

Mindscapes, an international cultural progr amme ab out men ta l hea lt h developed by Wellcome Trust, a charitable foundation supporting science to solve the urgent health challenges facing everyone with an aim to transform how we underst an d, a ddre ss a nd t al k a bout men tal health by bringing together cultural, policy and research folks Through a range of cultural activities - including an artist residency, a documentary film created by sanitation worke rs, ex hi bi tions and eventsMindscapes Bengaluru provides new perspectives on how people and communities in different contexts live with and seek solutions to their mental health concerns

was not created as a space for mental health It was created as a space with the aim of doing nothing, the aim of just existing And I think in turn, it has taken a huge positive effect on the mental health of the people in the area For people to see a swing and to come back to this idea of understanding of swings not just being for children but also for adults to feel this calmness of being rocked back and forth Sometimes we also have workshops in that space where everybody comes together and does an activity but also to just sit around to gossip and talk and do nothing - which is the beauty of the space and very much helps us with our own mental health

How can UK-India multiculturalism contribute to making safer spaces for better mental health?

Therefore, finding this gap in the market, Join My Wedding has set up a platform which has introduced Indian weddings for grabs In this niche of wedding tourism, foreigners travelling through India, can book to attend a wedding, to get a feel of the culture, colour and celebrations involved – only for $150 USD Those happy to accommodate tourists at their weddings, can register their interest on this platform and vice versa

Asian Voice spoke to Orsi Parkanyi, CoFounder of Join My Wedding Explaining the idea behind this unique start-up, she said, “I grew up in Hungary, but lived in Australia for 11 years when I was in my early twenties During those years, I missed out on all of my friends' weddings that happened in Hungary Around the same time, I spoke to a girl who told me about many amazing weddings she was going to attend that summer She also shared that she had attended a traditional Indian wedding in India and it was the most amazing experience of her life! So, I thought to myself, what if there was a way for tourists to join authentic weddings around the world?

“Initially, it was difficult to find couples to register, but we approached Facebook groups with the idea and after the very first sign-up, and initial media features, couples started to register organically ”

The process

There is a verification procedure in place, for both couples and guests Join My Wedding personally talks to each couple and the traveller – sometimes for hours – to make sure that the need for safety is met

All parties are connected over WhatsApp and the organisation is, heavily involved in their communication and the entire organising process The start-up is at the moment focussing on India In the future, they are planning to expand and be present more globally They have had travellers from many countries including UK, US, Australia, Norway, Germany, Netherlands and France to name a few Wedding tourism is not at all a bad idea

Namrata and Nitin were one of the few initial couples to register their wedding on the platform They did so with almost no expectations and definitely not with monetary interests According to Namrata, the couple took a spur-of-the-moment decision and things just worked out because the idea of giving someone this experience itself was fascinating to both of them and something

every event ”

They further added, “Wedding tourism is not at all a bad idea, but should come with certain limitations People should not exploit tourists and their interests for money But that also does not mean, we should invite anyone and everyone free of cost Having a ticket price will filter down the guests and only those who are really interested in indulging in culture will make an effort to buy it It should be a fair process to both the parties is all I feel ”

Utsav and Preksha, on the other hand, have an upcoming wedding in December that they have registered on Join My Wedding For Utsav, the idea to register the wedding on the platform came from talking to other people “I’ve been living in Australia for the last 5 years and own a convenience store I have met a lot of people who talk about Indian weddings to me and tell me how Indian weddings are one of a kind They want to be a part of it, but don’t have Indian friends who can invite them”, said Utsav

Sharing the reaction of their parents, Utsav and Preksha added, “We consulted our parents about it and they were like it’s your wedding and it is your decision

“We have created a website so that they can get all the information they want and will be providing them with all the contact details and a representative who will be available on call and by mail Join My Wedding will help us with payments and marketing ”

Utsav’s opinion on this relatively new niche of wedding tourism is fairly unbiased and he considers it a great opportunity for young couples, “who can host guests and flaunt our culture ”

Asian Voice spoke to Indu Antony - the Mindscapes Bengaluru artist-in-residence whose exhibition opens in three places across Bengaluru, inviting ideas, artworks and people to travel: at the Museum of Art & Photography (MAP), the artist’s studio space Kāike in Cooke town and Namma Katte, a place for leisure for the women and children of Lingarajapuram Indu’s work foregrounds questions around language on mental health and the city, care and a shared space for healing in togetherness

Asa South Asian, what do you think is the importance of space when it comes to mental health?

I think in South Asia, especially in India, public spaces are not really accessible for women a lot of times A group of women just sitting on the streets is not a visual sight that we see very often So it was very important to create these spaces, not just as a space of leisure to do nothing but also as a space to come together It need not be a space which has a very specific function but a space where the function is very much in the hands of the people who use that space It was very important for me to create this space also to reflect on mental health To be very honest, the space

I think mental health is very much of global importance, at this moment especially - post covid we have gone through a collective trauma and it is at the forefront of how to deal with what is happening around us Not just around UK and India but also all around the world, there is quite a bit of importance around having conversations about mental health But at the same time, it is also very culturally different I think just the idea of space is very relevant to any country Just having a physical space but coming into a space where there is no expectation of oneself, is very beautiful to approach It does not require you to be a certain way to enter this space You can just enter it That is very much universal and is even more important post the pandemic

How can the readers of Asian Voice in the UK access your exhibition?

The readers of Asian Voice can have access to the films that were being made around the concept of mental health At the same time, we are hoping to do a virtual tour of the exhibition via an online space and maybe have a small recording of one of the walkthroughs that are happening, and put it up on an online platform that people can have access to But at the same time, I am on Instagram and I reach out to as many people as possible and get back to those who reach out to me and try and talk to everybody - I put out detailed descriptions of all the works that have been made as a part of the Mindscapes project

As part of Mindscapes, Wellcome is also working with film producers to produce the world’s first crowd-sourced feature film about mental health The project, titled ‘I Hope This Helps’ is currently inviting people all over the world to submit footage Readers can find out more and register their interest via https://ihopethishelpsfilm com/

Salman Rushdie collects royal honour, says writing again

On Tuesday (23), author Salman Rushdie shared that he has returned to his writing desk after being repeatedly stabbed at an event last year in the US Rushdie, who had recently been invested as a 'Companion of Honour' in Britain, a prestigious accolade limited to 65 members, made the statement following a ceremony at Windsor Castle near London The 75-yearold writer expressed that it took some time, but he has now resumed his work

Rushdie has called New York home for the past 20 years where he suffered a harrowing incident last August While speaking at an arts centre, he was subjected to a brutal attack that resulted in multiple stabbings, leaving him blind in one eye

In a significant development, he granted his first interview since the assault around the time of his latest novel's release, Victory City, in February During this conversation, he bravely shared the immense challenges he encountered in resuming his writing journey The traumatic experience had taken a toll on his mental well-being, leading to post-traumatic stress

Rushdie

Salman

Rushdie has been the victim of repeated death threats and attempts on his life since the publication of his 1988 novel, The Satanic Verses It was declared blasphemous by Iran’s supreme leader

The author was awarded a British knighthood in 2007

The importance of space in mental health

Indu Antony

Namrata & Navin

Orsi Parkanyi

Utsav & Preksha

U N L O C K I N G T H E P O T E N T I A L O

U n ite d Nation s ha s rec en tly reported that extreme weather has caused deaths of 2 million people and $4 3 trillion in economic damage over the past half a century

The second edition of the annual ‘Be the Change’ panel discussion, an initiative by Asian Voice in association with Royal Air Force, focussed on problems posed by Climate Change and possible solutions

It was held at the Peers’ Dining Room in the House of Lords on Friday 26 May 2023 and was attended by more than 150 guests

The agenda of the initiative was to encourage communities to play their part in minimising the adverse effects of climate crises and help provide a sustainable future for the generations to come

Lord Raj Loomba CBE, who hosted the event on behalf of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar said, “Climate Change threatens humanity It is our own children and grandchildren who will live with its consequences It is always the poorest of the poor who will suffer the most from its impact, and in some cases entire communities and nations are threatened with extinction For many, particularly the most disadvantaged, climate change is already threatening livelihoods and security through droughts and floods I understand that the Royal Air Force is committed to playing its part in achieving Net Zero They also make us proud by providing support and aid during humanitarian crises We are glad to have the RAF on our side to defend our country and the world against this threat, which many believe is the greatest of all I have always believed that we can achieve more by working together

“For over 25 years, The Loomba Foundation has supported disadvantaged widows and their children in various parts of the world, and we are aware that

without our various partners we could never bring about change for the marginalised We must do the same for climate change We must do what we can to make our own actions and lifestyle sustainable, and no one organisation or country can do this singlehandedly We must build alliances and collaborations to deal with this challenge This is why I’m so pleased that Asian Voice under the visionary leadership of CB Patel has gone to great lengths to host this event on climate change ”

Squadron Leader Amir Khan welcomed the audience on behalf of the RAF and Warrant Officer

Caroline Cooper gave a short presentation on the RAF’s mission to combat the climate crisis

Alpesh Patel OBE moderated the panel discussion The panellists shared their perspectives on the challenges and possible solutions to combat the looming climate crisis

Resonating with the mission and vision of Lord Loomba’s Foundation, Pu shpa na th Kri sh nam ur thy reiterated that women are the hardest hit by climate change impact He also emphasised that climate change does not impact everyone uniformly And even if it does, it depends upon how strong or weak you are both physically and financially He said, “People who have the least are in the darkest paradox of our time while dealing with the problem of livelihood But the most extraordinary thing for me is that, despite being beaten, broken, and battered, they are reimagining the future with hope And that is what triggers me ”

Dr Chamu Kuppuswamy said, “The problem is the lack of urgency We don't have time on our side to deal with climate emergencies Many councils in the UK have climate emergency declarations, but then what after that? What we are dealing with is the tip of the iceberg Beneath the surface, the

issues are much bigger ”

Offering his solution Sy ed Ahmed OBE, who has been working on community energy said, “Very often we see the collective power of community groups at work Be it raising finance for local development or build places of

worship or recreation centres, community groups are powerful

So, we need to unlock the potential of local communities to contribute to reducing carbon emissions and provide opportunities for younger people to train in new technologies ”

The vote of thanks was presented by ABPL’s Chairman CB Patel The RAF presented the panellists with a bag of sustainable and climate-friendly souvenirs

Rupan jana Dutta , Managing Editor, Asian Voice was the host for the evening

Asian Voice hosted a Climate Change panel discussion as part of the seco

Rupanjana Dutta Managing Editor Asian Voice introducing the event

CB Patel, Chairman Asian Voice & Gujarat Samachar

Lord Raj Loomba CBE hosted the event on behalf of Asian Voice & Gujarat Samachar

Warrant Officer Caroline Cooper presenting the RAF's strategy to mitigate climate change

A guest with RAF delegates during the drinks and canapes

Guests at the drinks reception

Photo courtesy: Raj D Bakrania, PrMediapix

OF C O M M U N I T I E S

RAF integrating sustainability into all decision-making at all levels

(Extract from Warrant Officer Caroline Cooper’s presentation at the event)

Defence is responsible for half of central Government estate emissions and the RAF is responsible for approximately 40% of Defence Carbon emissions Since last year thirty Air Forces have now signed the Global Air Forces Climate Change Collaboration

The RAF completed a pioneering Guinness World Record with the first flight of a fully synthetically fuelled aircraft, opening the way to the potential for zero carbon aviation and reducing our dependence on limited fossil fuel and SAF supplies Called “Project Martin,” the short microlight flight was a collaboration with an industry partner

In Spring 2022, the RAF successfully flew a fourmetre drone with synthetic aviation fuel, enhancing their ground-breaking work

On 16 November 2022, following a year-long technical partnership between the RAF, Defence Equipment & Support, Industry Partners, an RAF Voyager flew from RAF Brize Norton on 100% SAF This was the first time any military in-service wide body aircraft had flown on completely 100% sustainable aviation fuel Using leftover fuel, the Voyager conducted an air-to-air refuelling of a Typhoon and C-130 Hercules The fuel was re-manufactured in accordance with aviation fuel specifications

On 17 April 2023, a second RAF Voyager was powered b y a S A F b l e n d , p r o v i d e d i n c o l l a b o r a t i o n w i t h International Airlines Group and BP This provided a further air-to-air refuelling sortie over the North Sea supplying close to 50% SAF blend to other RAF aircraft This flight marked the launch of a new, updated aviation sector Decarbonisation Roadmap by UK industry coalition Sustainable Aviation, that reaffirms the sector’s commitment to reach Net Zero carbon by 2050

The UK’s proactive approach to incorporate SAF into routine use is also helping to guide other NATO and global Air Forces that are yet to clear aircraft up to 50% SAF blend This is important to ensure interoperability between nations and simplify the logistics chain so that multiple specifications are not required in the future to meet different national standards

This is a key element of operational resilience and support advantage, so the data and experiences gathered during these trials will be shared with other military Air Forces SAF will become part of the global aviation sector fuel mix, and thus, its use will become standard wherever Air Forces operate globally

The RAF is also planning to investigate sustainable a v i a t i o n o p p o r t u n i t i e s w i t h o u r h e l i c o p t e r s a n d uncrewed air systems, and where emerging new civil sustainable aviation technologies, such as electric/hydrogen Vertical Take-Off and Landing and airships might play a part in the medium to longer term

We have several novel solar power projects underway, most notably at RAF Wittering We are investigating the potential for geothermal and wind technology that does not interfere with our radars, lightweight solar panels for building roofs, and the longer-term potential of transitioning to biogas and hydrogen as UK civil networks decarbonise our national gas networks

There are numerous projects exploiting synthetic training using XR, AR and VR to deliver an immersive training experience With an increase of virtual training to complement face-to-face elements, the movement of personnel across the UK has been significantly reduced

Ultimately, we are now integrating sustainability into all our decision-making at all levels, from the main operating bases to the front line Discussions are starting to understand the impact of, and opportunities from, a growing military use of the space domain

We need to embed climate change and sustainability considerations in all MoD processes from Strategic Defence Reviews, through Defence and Command planning, to new systems requirement setting, new building designs, whole life costings, and decision-making to engrain climate change and sustainability into Defence’s DNA This is starting to happen, but we have some years to go until it is truly business as usual, but only applied w

Moderator of the panel discussion Alpesh Patel OBE

Cllr Mina Parmar (2nd left) with guests

Panellists Syed Ahmed OBE, Dr Chamu Kuppuswamy, Pushpanath Krishnamurthy, moderator Alpesh Patel with RAF delegates and CB Patel

Squadron Leader Amir Khan welcoming the guests and dignitaries on behalf of the RAF

Dear Financia

Voice Reader Alpesh Patel OBE

After a 150%+ AI-Driven Stock Boost, We Turned to AI

Again to Decide Our Next Move: Here's What It Said

Imagine this: one of your stocks has skyrocketed by 200% and you're contemplating the next move Should you sell?

Should you hold? Or perhaps explore other strategies? With the power of AI, we've simulated the thought processes of the world's leading investors, from Warren Buffett to Eugene Fama and Bill Ackman, to guide you through this exciting yet challenging decision

Le t's go through some of the main strate gies:

1 Hold the Stock: This strategy involves keeping the stock in your portfolio, expecting its value to continue rising

Pros:

Potential for further gains:

D eferral of tax liabilitie s:

Cons: Potential for loss: If the stock's value decreases, you could lose some or all of your unrealized gains

Opportunity cost: By holding onto the stock, you may miss out on other potentially lucrative investment opportunities

2 Sell the Stock : This strategy involves selling the stock and realizing your gains

Pros:

Locking in profits:

D iversification: The proceeds from the sale can be used to invest in different assets

Cons:

Taxes: Selling the stock will trigger a taxable event

Missing out on future gains:

3 Sell a Portion of the Stock: This strategy involves selling part of your holdings in the stock

Pros:

Partial profit-taking: You can realize some gains while still keeping a stake in the stock for potential future growth

Partial diversification: The proceeds from the partial sale can be used to diversify your portfolio

Cons:

Partial exposure to loss: If the stock's value decreases, you could lose some of your unrealized gains on the portion you still hold

Tax implications: The sale could trigger a taxable event, potentially leading to a capital gains tax bill

4 Use a Stop-Loss Order: This strategy involves setting an order to automatically sell the stock if its price falls to a certain level

Pros:

Protection a gainst major losses: If the stock's price falls dramatically, the stop-loss order can help protect your gains

No need for constant monitoring: Once the stop-loss order is set, it will automatically execute when the conditions are met

Cons:

Loss of control: The order executes automatically, so you might end up selling in a temporary downturn

No guarantee of a specific price: If the stock's price gaps down below your stop price, you might sell for less than you expect

5 Hedge the Investment: This strategy involves using financial instruments (like options) to reduce risk

Pros:

P ote n tia l d own si de pro te ction : Hedging can limit potential losses if the stock's price falls

Retain upside potential: If the stock s price continues to rise, you can still benefit

Cons:

Cost: Hedging strategies often involve buying options

These are not bad answers at all I want to share them as part of my Campaign for a Million – to teach a million people to be better at investing We are now using AI as part of that education process It’s the future after all Check out all the free educational resources at www campaignforamillion com I am to say we ’ re using it in my stock picking too: www alpeshpatel com/shares

Hunt favours raising interest rate despite recession risk

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has taken a stance that he would bac k f urther i nt eres t ra te hik es by the Ba nk of England in order to combat soaring inflation despite the risk of plunging the UK into recession

The comments have come to light after the figures this week showed a higher annual inflation in April as compared to the expected 8 7% This figure has led to a rise in the prospect of a 13th interest rate rise by the Bank of England Interest rates

could climb up from their current level of 4 5% to 5 5% by the end of the year, putting further pressure on borrowers and the housing market

On being asked whether he was comfortable with the central bank doing whatever was needed to bring down inflation, despite the risk of recession, he responded affirmatively According to Hunt, inflation will continue to soar without determination and coordination by the Bank of England and Treasury

BoE can't rule out rate hike

According to Jonathan Haskel, a member of its decisionmaking body, the BoE cannot rule out more interest rate hikes Haskel told an audience in Washington DC that in case the inflation worsens, the bank might have no other option but to increase interest rates again to achieve its 2% target A day after Consumer Prices Index inflation was revealed to have hit 8 7% in April,

Government to ask supermarkets to cap prices of basic food items

The B ri ti sh g ov er nme n t is look ing a t p lan s to ha v e re t ai ler s ca p t he p ri ces of ba sic foo d it e ms suc h a s bread and milk, as the cost of such essentials continued to ri se in t he doub le di git s However, when asked about such pr ice con tr ols, hea lth minister Stev e Ba rclay said that it was "not my understanding "

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's No 10 Office is in talks with supermarkets on a deal similar to one in

France where major retailers charge the "lowest possible amount", according to a report The PM's office did not respond to a request for comment on the report, which cited sources within the government "My understanding is that the government is working constructively with supermarkets as to how we address the very real concerns around food inflation and the cost of living and doing so in a way that is also

UK may be JLR Tata’s pick for gigafactory over Spain

The chief of Jaguar Land Rover's parent comp an y T ata i s exp ec ted to fly to Lond on to dis cus s an a gree men t on bui ldi ng a multib i l l i o n - p o u n d electric c ar battery plan t i n t he U K , according to reports The car giant could open a plant in Somerset as Britain slugs it out with Spain

Talks between the Government and Tata are believed to be at an advanced stage, following the offers of incentives by Jeremy Hunt A hefty amount of £500 million in subsidies has been offered to persuade the Tatas to build the plant in the UK rather than elsewhere in Europe This comes after JLR CEO, Adrian Mardell gave the confirmation that the company will not be building a plant itself

Despite rife speculation, it could be a key player in a Midlands gigafactory based near Coventry where it was announced that construction would not happen He confirmed the company would instead be an "anchor customer", following the set up of a factory by parent company Tata He, however, conceded it might not be based in the UK

Asda to acquire petrol stations group EG UK

Asda wi ll acquire 350 petrol f or ec our ts an d 1,00 0 takeaways i n the UK and I r el an d f ro m i ts s i s te r business EG Group, in a deal worth £2 27bn, helping the retailer in its ambition of o ve rta k i ng Sa i ns b ury ’ s to b e c ome B ri ta i n ’ s s ec on d biggest grocer

The supermarket group ’ s chair, Stuart Rose, said the acquisition would create a “ powerful consumer champion” that was committed to being a “price leader” on fuel and the low-

est price of the UK’s big four supermarkets on groceries

However, the deal is funded by an additional £770m of new loans and £450m in new funds from the billionaire Issa brothers and the private-equity firm TDR Capital, who bought Asda in 2020 and also own EG

A further £1 1bn will be raised through the sale and lease-back of Asda supermarkets, heaping new financial liabilities on the business which has already

struggled to keep pace with some of its bigger rivals in the battle against inflation

The combined group is expected to serve about 21 million customers every week and will have revenues of nearly £30bn Both businesses are chaired by Rose, the former boss of Marks & Spencer He said the business will have a “fully sustainable capital structure” and that adding profits from EG’s UK forecourts would help service its extra debts

Asda is currently the

very mindful to the impact on suppliers,”

Barclay said

Britain has western Europe's highest rate of inflation for food, with prices up more than 19% over the past year, the worst such run since the 1970s Household budgets have also been strained by surging energy prices, driven higher partly by the war in Ukraine

Major supermarkets such as Tesco and

Jeremy Hunt

Haskel said, “ as difficult as our current circumstances are, embedded inflation would be worse The fact of the matter is that inflation in Britain is too high these numbers are just too large”, he further added

UK’s third biggest supermarket with a 13 9% share of the grocery market, according to the research firm Kantar, compared with Sainsbury’s, which has 14 8% After it buys EG, the combined group will operate about 640 supermarkets, 700 petrol forecourts and 1,000 takeaways, including large franchises for KFC and Subway All of the EG sites acquired will be rebranded as Asda – 166 EG locations had already been renamed Asda on the Move

Sainsbury s have announced price cuts on some food items in recent weeks The British Retail Consortium (BRC), which represents all the major supermarkets, blamed the government's new regulation for many of the costs, and urged it in a statement to simplify rules "rather than recreating 1970s-style price controls "

Homeowners should brace for 5% plus mortgage rates

UK's latest inflation figures have sent the m oney markets into turmoil and pushed the swap rates up Homeowners and first-time buyers were being warned to expect 5%-plus fixedrate deals in the coming weeks

According to reports, Nick Mendes, mortgage technical manager John Charcol, listed his doubts about two-year fixed-rate mortgages and predicted that there would probably be few five-year deals priced at less than 5% in the coming weeks, given the fact that lenders are forced to reprice their mortgages upwards

Within hours of his comments, one of the UK’s biggest lenders, Nationwide, announced its decision to increase selected fixed and tracker rates by up to 0 45% The prospect of 5% mortgages will serve as a further blow to potential firsttime buyers and households hoping to re-mortgage their existing deal According to Jonathan Haskel, Bank of England’s interest rate setter, borrowing costs may have to rise further

Persistent inflation behind Germany’s recession

As inflation hits the German economy, the country has been pushed into recession in the first three months of the year

The economy saw a 0 5% contraction in the last three months of last year and has contracted by 0 3% between January and March Higher prices of things such as food, clothing and furniture, have weighed on households spending The impact of higher energy prices on businesses is also reflecting to make industrial orders weaker The revised figures showed household spending was 1 2% lower than in the previous quarter, while government spending was 4 9% lower

Following the scaling back of government grants for electric and hybrid cars, car sales also fell Given Germany's heavy reliance on Russian energy, the recession was less severe than some had predicted This was due to a mild winter and the reopening of China's economy helping ease the impact of higher energy prices The largest economy in Europe was also affected when Russian gas supplies dried up following its invasion of Europe A country is deemed to be in recession when its economy shrinks for two consecutive three-month periods, or quarters The IMF has predicted that Germany will be the weakest of the world's advanced economies, shrinking 0 1% this year

India set to be fastest growing G20 economy: Moody’s

W i th the ri se of t he industrial and infrastructure sectors, India will have the f as te st - growi ng G- 2 0 economy over the coming y ea rs , but r ef orm an d r egul ator y ob st ac les ma y prevent foreign investment, according to global ratings agency Moody's According to the report, urbanisation, an expanding number of nuclear families, and a large, youthful and educated labour force will

increase demand for homes, cement, and new automobiles According to the report, with a projected GDP of $3 5 trillion in 2022, India will be the most populous nation on earth and have the fifth-largest economy worldwide It also said the government's infrastructure spending will bolster steel and cement sectors, while India’s netzero commitment will drive investment in renewable

LIC profit surges nearly 6 times to £1.34 bn in Q4

Insurance giant LIC saw its March quarter net profit rise nearly six-fold after a change in accounting policy The fourth quarter's net profit was £1 34 billion, up 466% from £237 1 million in the same quarter last year

The net profit for FY23 stood at £3 63 billion as compared to £404 3 million in the previous year - a nine-fold increase

The corporation’s assets under management (AUM) increased to £439 billion as of March 31, as compared to £408 billion in March 2022, a year-on-year increase of 7 7%

The corporation has doubled its dividend to Rs 3 per share from Rs 1 5 last year LIC’s new business value (VNB) grew 16 5% to £1 15 billion The Indian Embedded Value (IEV), a measure of the valuation of life companies, increased by 7 5% to £58 billion

Changes in accounting procedures during the current year led to the transfer of money from the non-par (nonparticipating policies) fund to the shareholders' account, which resulted in the accretion of £2 72 billion (net of tax), the amount for solvency margin Surplus in non-par insurance is not distributed to policyholders

Go First gets 30 days to submit revival plan

T he Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) asked G o Fi rst to subm it “ a c omprehensive restructuring/ revival plan for a sustainable revival of operations” within 30 days

According to a senior regulatory official, the airline has been required to provide information regarding its operational aircraft count, post holders, pilots, and other staff, as well as its funding and working capital, in addition to its maintenance readiness and agreements with lessors and vendors Depending on its response showing it has the financial and manpower resources to safely resume flights with reasonable schedule integrity, DGCA will decide on whether it be allowed to fly again

Since May 3, the airline, which is currently in voluntary insolvency, has cancelled every flight Go First was instructed to stop selling tickets "directly or indirectly" by the DGCA

Meanwhile, Go First told DGCA that it hopes to resume operations at the “earliest” but has not given any tentative timeline by when it plans to do so and on what scale “After having got reprieve from lessors repossessing aircraft (referring to NCLAT upholding NCLT admitting Go First’s insolvency plea), the reply is basically a

energy Larger production capacity will raise rated companies’ competitiveness in these sectors, a credit positive if they manage execution risks with financial discipline

“While demand across the manufacturing and infrastructure sectors will grow 3-12% annually for the rest of the decade, India’s capacity will still rank well behind China's by 2030, ”

Property deal blueprint

Vagjiani,

statement of intent that the airline wishes to resume operations But this reply does not have details like funding; with how many planes and how many routes they plan to resume operations on We expect another communication when the IRP (insolvency resolution professional) has something concrete to share,” said people in the know

Moody’s said “Leading companies will invest around $150 billion in additional capacity, requiring access to multiple funding sources, but most rated companies can tolerate a rise in debt,” the report said But it cautioned that bureaucracy could slow approval processes in obtaining licences

Musk looking at India to start new Tesla factory

This week we exchanged on a small deal on behalf of a client What was interesting was the story around the deal Of course merely doing the deal has a buzz to it as well; though it was a small one

We were attempting to purchase this same property about a year ago, on behalf of another client During the fag end of the deal being closed, the property was repossessed from the vendor, therefore the deal was no longer on the table A frustrating situation as the buyer was ready and willing, and had spent a few thousand on this transaction, which had gone up in smoke We managed to promptly source another deal for him, which he subsequently managed to complete on

We know often failed deals tend to come back on the market; the boomerang effect I call it This deal did not disappoint, however, there was an interesting twist to this deal The tenancy was ‘unknown’ – perhaps to the administrators and therefore the market, but not to us We knew this was an AST and therefore nothing to be concerned about, aside from the new reforms the government is trying to put into place

This wasn’t the first time we had come across this scenario Previously, we came across a freehold block of flats in West London The property was on the market by the administrators as a consequence of a contentious divorce All the ASTs were described as ‘unknown’ tenancies, we ended up purchasing the block for about half the price, and flipped it prior to completion

This new deal was a blueprint of the previous deal, in fact it was more of a slam dunk deal, as we had known this deal more intimately as we had been involved in most of the conveyancing

Elon Musk, the CEO and founder of Tesla, has said that India is on t he c ompany 's rada r f or the loca ti on of a ne w production, days after a Tesla team visited India In an interview, Musk said that the electric car maker will pick a fresh location for a new factory by the close of this year, and added that India could be an interesting proposition for such an expansion

Asked which would be the most exciting country to build a Tesla plant right now, Musk said, “We did make an announcement that Mexico would be our next location outside the US We’ll probably pick another location towards the end of this year ”

On whether India will be an “interesting” contender for this move, he said, “Absolutely ” Musk’s words, even while being non-committal on India, set off speculations that the electric carmaker may finally be looking at India seriously, especially as he has previously expressed his desire to launch his cars here even while complaining of “challenges” and high import duty in doing so

The buzz is growing more credible as a result of the government's openness about bringing the company to India and the visit by the Tesla team barely a week ago The business had previously asked for a reduction in import taxes so that it could temporarily import cars into the nation

First in decade, India's FDI inflows fall 16% in FY23

Due to a sluggish global economy, inflows of foreign direct investment (FDI) into India decreased 16% to $71 billion ( on a gross basis) for 2022–23, the first dip in 10 years

According to the most recent information made available by the RBI in its monthly bulletin, direct inflows during the previous fiscal year were 27% lower at $41 6 billion after accounting for repatriation and disinvestment by foreign investors

The last financial year's majority was marked by the falling tendency Importantly, India defied the pattern even in 2020, the year of the Covid-induced lockdown, when inflows soared as a result of significant investments made by tech behemoths in startups and Reliance Jio But high inflation and weak demand in the US and Europe has dried up flows into startups, which were large recipients of surplus money floating globally The drop in flows has, however, failed to dampen sentiments, with officials and economists maintaining that it would be reversed, and investors are likely to step up investments once the global uncertainty ends

“The slowdown in FDI has been a global trend in 2022, so this doesn’t come as a surprise But India, as the fastestgrowing economy in G-20, is structurally well-positioned to attract healthy FDI flows over the medium term The government should take advantage of the ongoing diversification of global supply chains and attract foreign investments into India’s manufacturing sector,” said DK Joshi, chief economist at ratings agency Crisil

What’s interesting is the property was offered to us the day before, which is unusual in itself, as administrators prefer it to go to auction for transparency reasons They must have been desperate We took the decision to purchase on the auction date and consequently got a £5K discount It could have gone either way, it was a gamble – which paid off on this occasion The property has been purchased with about a 30% discount to the market level, unusual at this level

The deal is also situated in a location which is still maturing, we believe there is a lot of growth to be had in this spot Much has occurred and there is more to be had

Now the deal is in hand, the next step is to complete it within the auction timeframe Once this is done, the next challenge is to extract the discount obtained, so that there are no cash funds left in the deal

We are also tracking a couple more live deals in this location If the above is of interest, do get in touch with our office now

Reliance to tie-up with Chinese retailer Shein

R eli an c e I ndus tr ie s is pl ann i ng to pa rtn er wi th Shein to bring the quickly expanding Chinese retailer back to India in an effort to c orne r t he $10 bi l li on dome s ti c onl i ne f as hi on market, say reports

According to reports, Reliance will tie up with Shein three years after India banned the online retailer’s app in its attempt to freeze out Chinese companies in retaliation for border clashes The low-cost offering helps India's largest publicly traded company by market capitalization in its fight to rule the nation's $10 billion online fashion retail sector by 2022, according to analyst projections

As part of the licence agreement, which was recently approved by the

government, Shein would receive a percentage of profits from its fast fashion sales in India, people familiar with the deal said

Reliance has deals with high-end brands like Balenciaga and Burberry and it has roughly 13,000 physical stores selling reasonably priced clothing all over India

“Reliance’s other international brand

partnerships are more premium, being luxury or designer brands,” said Devangshu Dutta, chief executive of consultant Third Eyesight “India is still a relatively low per-capitaincome economy The bigger opportunity is in brands which are euphemistically called value brands, and that’s where Shein is positioned ”

Suresh

Sow & Reap Properties Ltd

Elon Musk

Bangladesh promises free, fair polls after US warns of visa curbs

DH A KA : Bang ladesh will take st ep s to ta ck le and p rev e nt u nla w fu l p r ac ti c es o r in ter fe ren c e i n i ts e le ct io n s, authorities said , a day after the United States threatened curbs on citizens of the So uth A sian nation who u nd ermine them

C o n c e r n a r o s e a f t e r a l l e g a t i o n s o f v o t e manipulation and targeting of t h e p o l i t i c a l o p p o s i t i o n disrupted national elections in 2 0 1 4 a n d 2 0 1 8 , c l a i m s t h e S h e i k h H a s i n a g o v e r n m e n t , whose Awami League party won both, has consistently denied

T h e 2 0 1 4 p o l l s w e r e b o y c o t t e d b y t h e r i v a l B a n g l a d e s h N a t i o n a l i s t P a r t y (BNP) of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the

US is adopting a new policy to restrict visas for Bangladeshis who undermine the democratic election process at home He s a i d t h e U S w a s s u p p o r t i n g “free, fair and peaceful national e l e c t i o n s ” a n d w o u l d t a r g e t e i t h e r p r o - g o v e r n m e n t o r o p p o s i t i o n s u p p o r t e r s i n t h e deeply polarised nation

“I am announcing this policy to lend our support to all those seeking to advance democracy

i n B a n g l a d e s h , ” s a i d Blinken, who already has a u t h o r i t y u n d e r t h e U S law to restrict visas over election meddling

He stated that those who are "believed to be r e s p o n s i b l e f o r , o r complicit in, undermining t h e d e m o c r a t i c e l e c t i o n process in Bangladesh" might be affected, including current or former officials and lawmakers, members of law enforcement, t h e j u d i c i a r y , a n d s e c u r i t y services

In response, the Bangladesh f o r e i g n m i n i s t r y i s s u e d a statement, assuring of free and fair elections, due in January next year “The government apparatus will take necessary measures to

in brief

4 KILLED IN PAK SUICIDE ATTACK

p r e v e n t a n d a d d r e s s a n y u n l a w f u l p r a c t i c e s o r interference to compromise the smooth and participatory c o n d u c t o f t h e e l e c t i o n s , ” i t said S p e a k i n g a t t h e Q a t a r E c o n o m i c F o r u m i n c a p i t a l Doha, Hasina also promised a fair election

“I am here to ensure our people’s voting rights because people should decide who will run the country It is people’s power I want to ensure people’s power, ” she said “ I a m n o t h e r e t o g r a b p o w e r , r a t h e r I w a n t t o e m p o w e r o u r p e o p l e T h e y should have that right to choose their government So under our g o v e r n m e n t , e l e c t i o n s w i l l definitely be free and fair ”

Envoys from 30 countries visit BAPS temple in Abu Dhabi

AB U D HA B I : Di plomats and di plomats from more than 30 c ountrie s visited the BAPS temple, the fi rs t traditional Hin du s ton e tem ple in the UAE, which i s bei ng cons truc ted

Envoys and mission representatives from the Philippines, B a n g l a d e s h , S r i L a n k a , Afghanistan, Japan, Indonesia, I s r a e l , B r a z i l , B e l g i u m , N e w Z e a l a n d , C a n a d a , N i g e r i a a m o n g o t h e r s w e r e p r e s e n t d u r i n g t h e a u g u s t g a t h e r i n g

following a special invitation by Sunjay Sudhir, Ambassador of India to the UAE

Sudhir briefed the ambassadors and their families on the progress of the temple, since t h e l a y i n g o f i t s f o u n d a t i o n s t o n e b y P r i m e M i n i s t e r N a r e n d r a M o d i i n 2 0 1 8 H e

described the temple project as a symbol of the “close, historic and cultural bonds” between India and the UAE, who share the values of peace, harmony, tolerance and coexistence

Sudhir also hailed the vision of the leadership of the UAE and their inspiring efforts to build a diverse, peaceful and cohesive community A video message by India's foreign minister S Jaishankar talking about the temple was shown to the envoys S w a m i B r a h m a v i h a r i d a s , the head of BAPS temple, was also present on the occasion In a n i n t e r a c t i o n w i t h S w a m i

Brahmaviharidas, who is also spearheading the project, the envoys were briefed about the features of the temple, which

Ex-Nepal ministers among 30 charged in US-bound refugee scam

KATHM A N D U: Nepali pro secu tors h av e ch ar ged 3 0 peo ple, including two f ormer cabinet m inist ers, with corru ption in a c as e inv o l v in g f aki ng do c um ents f or N ep ali natio nals to e n t er t h e U n it ed S t a t es as

Bh utanese refu gees

Sixteen people were seized a n d c h a r g e d l a s t m o n t h , i n c l u d i n g t h e m o s t s e n i o r b u r e a u c r a t i n t h e m i n i s t r y , former Home Secretary Tek N a r a y a n P a n d e y , f o r m e r

Energy Minister Tope Bahadur Rayamajhi and former Home Minister Bal Krishna Khand

Police are searching for 14 others who were charged in absentia

L a k s h m a n U p a d h y a y Ghimire, a spokesman for the district attorney’s office, said the accused are charged with “ c h e a t i n g , o r g a n i s e d c r i m e , document forgery and state offence”

The lawsuit was filed at the K a t h m a n d u D i s t r i c t C o u r t after police looked into claims that they had amassed significant sums of money from a large number of Nepali citizens while making promises to

b r i n g t h e m t o t h e U n i t e d States as Bhutanese refugees

“If found guilty, they could be jailed for up to more than 15 y e a r s , ” G h i m i r e s a i d T h e m e d i a r e p o r t e d t h a t t h o s e involved have allegedly “swind l e d a r o u n d 8 7 5 N e p a l i n a t i o n a l s o f m i l l i o n s o f rupees ” A c c o r d i n g t o a r e p o r t , Rayamajhi has been suspended a s a s e c r e t a r y o f t h e

C o m m u n i s t P a r t y o f N e p a l

( U n i f i e d M a r x i s t - L e n i n i s t ) p a r t y A b o u t 1 2 0 , 0 0 0

Bhutanese nationals of Nepali origin have been expelled or fled neighbouring Bhutan to Nepal since the early 1990s

A t h i r d - c o u n t r y r e s e t t l ement policy allowed for the relocation of about 113,000 of t h e m a f t e r t h e t w o S o u t h

Asian neighbours were unable to return them These nations included the US, Canada, and Australia

The US has taken about 100,000 refugees from Nepal Several thousand are still living in camps in eastern Nepal, saying they want to go back to Bhutan

will make it not only an archit e c t u r a l m a r v e l b u t a l s o a unique symbol of peace, tolerance and harmony BAPS volunteers gave the visitors an explanation of how v a r i o u s w o r l d r e l i g i o n s a n d Indian folklore were represent-

ed at the temple during the trip The envoys were in awe of the meticulously hand-sculpte d c o l u m n s , f a c a d e s , a n d rafters on the grounds of the temple, which blend cultural symbols from both the UAE and India

China battles new Covid variant, may infect 65 mn people a week from June: report

BE IJ I NG : S ince th e new XBB v ar i an ts o f t h e v ir u s a re e vo lvi n g t o o v er c o me th e immunity built up after Ch ina's abrupt departure from its " zero c o v i d" p o li c y l as t ye ar , th e Chi nese government is rapidly distribu ting vaccines to combat an ongo ing new wave of the co ro navirus th at is anticip ated to peak in J une that can infect 65 millio n p eo ple a week

According to official media

s o u r c e s , C h i n e s e epidemiologist Zhong Nanshan said that two new vaccinations f o r t h e X B B o m i c r o n s u b v a r i a n t s ( i n c l u d i n g X B B

1 9 1, XBB 1 5, and XBB 1 16) h a v e b e e n g i v e n p r e l i m i n a r y approval Speaking at a biotech s y m p o s i u m i n G u a n g z h o u , Zhong said that three to four other vaccines will soon receive approval, but he gave no further information

S i n c e C h i n a ' s s t r i c t z e r oCovid strategy was abandoned last winter, when up to 85% of the population was unwell, the l a t e s t o u t b r e a k m a y b e t h e w o r s t w a v e o f d i s e a s e s e v e r

A suicide car bomber targeted a security checkpoint in northwestern Pakistan killing two soldiers a policeman and a civilian the military and security officials said It was the second militant attack to hit Pakistan in as many days The bombing happened in North Waziristan a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that borders Afghanistan and is a former stronghold of the militant Pakistani Taliban group Several civilians were also wounded in the attack, Rehmat Khan, a police officer said The military also confirmed the attack It said the attacker wanted to target a nearby public gathering but security forces “prevented a major catastrophe” by intercepting the car bomber No one claimed responsibility for the attack but suspicion is likely to fall on Pakistani Taliban

WRITER SEEKS $10M IN NEW DAMAGES FROM TRUMP

Writer E Jean Carroll sought to amend the first of her two defamation lawsuits against Donald Trump to demand at least $10 million in additional damages citing comments he made after a court verdict favouring her “She’s a whack job ” the 2024 Republican primary candidate said on CNN the day after a New York jury found him liable for sexually abusing and defaming the Elle magazine writer earlier this month The jury had ordered him to pay Carroll $5 million in damages Those comments - with Trump adding that Carroll was telling a “made-up story and that he didn t know herconstitute further “defamatory statements, Carroll’s lawyers argue

US BILL SEEKS HIRING OF FOREIGN HEALTH STAFF ON H-1B VISAS

A legislation aiming at hiring foreign healthcare professionals on H-1B visas to help the US department of veteran affairs meet the medical needs of people has been introduced

incre ase i n infec tio ns in t he United States as a result of the n e w v a r i a t i o n s , t h e p u b l i c h e a l t h e m e r g e n c y w a s nevertheless proclaimed to be over on May 11 even though specialists have not ruled out the possibility of new variants c a u s i n g a n o t h e r w a v e o f illnesses in the years to come, according to the media

Officials in China predict that the latest wave will be less s e v e r e , b u t p u b l i c h e a l t h e x p e r t s t h i n k t h a t a r o b u s t vaccination booster programme and a ready supply of antivirals i n h o s p i t a l s a r e c r u c i a l t o p r e v e n t a n o t h e r i n c r e a s e i n death among the large senior population of the country

Another epidemiologist at the University of Hong Kong's School of Public Health said, "The number of infections will be less The severe cases will certainly be less, and deaths will be less, but that could still be a large number," he said a d d i n g t h a t E v e n w h e n w e think this is a milder wave, it could still be quite a substantial h e a l t h i m p a c t o n t h e community "

The Expanding Health Care Providers for Veterans Act was introduced by Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib and Delia Ramirez If signed into a law, the legislation would make it easier for VA (veteran affairs) and State Veterans Homes to hire foreign employees on H-1B visas when they cannot find a suitable applicant in US Specifically, the bill designates the Department of Veterans Affairs and State Veterans Homes as cap exempt institutions for the purposes of H-1B visa programme “Our veterans deserve highquality healthcare, and our district knows first hand the importance of providing access to care,” Tlaib said

S KOREA DETAINS FLYER FOR OPENING PLANE DOOR

South Korean police detained a man who opened a door of an Asiana Airlines plane minutes before it was due to land in Daegu causing panic among the passengers, officials said The Airbus A321-200 plane landed safelylater It had set off from the island of Jeju an hour earlier Nine passengers, all teenagers, were sent to hospital after suffering breathing issues, a Daegu fire department official said “I thought the plane was going to explode It looked like passengers next to the open door were fainting,” an unidentified passenger said The official said it was possible to open the emergency exit when the plane was near the ground as the pressure inside and outside were similar The plane was two or three minutes away from landing when the male passenger sitting next to an emergency exit opened a cover and pulled a lever so the door opened with the plane 656 feet off the ground an airline spokesperson said

in brief Two Australian universities bar Indian students from six states

BLACK BOY WHO CALLED FOR HELP SHOT BY COP IN US

A Mississippi family demanded a police officer be dismissed and charged with aggravated assault for shooting an 11-year-old boy when police responded to the child s own domestic disturbance call at his home Aderrien Murry who called police at the request of his mother was unarmed and following instructions from Indianola officer Greg Capers when Capers shot him in the chest, family attorney Carlos Moore said The boy had called police after his mother Nakala Murry, was threatened by a man, but Capers “escalated the situation,” Moore said The man was his father, ABC News reported, citing Murry Moore called for bodycam video to be released and objected to Capers being placed on paid leave pending the investigation “We are demanding justice An 11-year-old black boy in the city of Indianola came within an inch of losing his life ” Moore said

ZIMBABWE NAMED MOST MISERABLE COUNTRY IN THE WORLD

Zimbabwe has emerged as the least happy nation in eminent economist Steve Hanke's Annual Misery Index (HAMI), which evaluates nations primarily on their economic conditions

The African country that has surpassed wartorn nations like Ukraine, Syria, and Sudan and has majorly been plagued with skyrocketing inflation, which touched 243 8 per cent last year

A total of 157 countries were analysed for the rankings as per reports 'Thanks to stunning inflation, high unemployment high lending rates and anemic real GDP growth, Zimbabwe clocks in as the world s most miserable country in the Hanke 2022 Annual Misery Index Need I say more? ' Steve Hanke tweeted

US STATE EXONERATES 12 ‘WITCHES’

The US state of Connecticut has exonerated 12 people convicted of witchcraft in colonial America almost 400 years ago following a campaign to clear their names Eleven of the accused witches were hanged after trials in the northeastern state of Connecticut in the mid1600s, with one receiving a reprieve

Lawmakers in the New England state passed a resolution proclaiming their innocence and condemning the deaths of the nine women and two men as a miscarriage of justice ” It followed a campaign by the CT Witch Trial Exoneration Project a group that includes descendants of some of those killed The group said in a statement that it was “ecstatic, pleased, and appreciative of the senators who voted 33-1 in favor of the move

IRAN, TALIBAN EXCHANGE HEAVY GUNFIRE

The Taliban and Iran exchanged heavy gunfire on the Islamic Republic’s border with Afghanistan killing and wounding troops while sharply escalating rising tensions between the two countries amid a dispute over water rights Iran s state-run IRNA news agency said the Taliban of opening fire first on the border of Iran s Sistan and Baluchestan province and the Afghan province of Nimroz The clash comes as Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi earlier this month warned the Taliban not to violate Iran’s water rights to the Helmand River The Iran Meteorological Organization says that an estimated 97% of the country now faces some level of drought

US MAN SHOOTS ROOMMATE FOR EATING HIS SNACK

A man in the US state of Kentucky is facing criminal charges after allegedly shooting his roommate during a dispute over a Hot Pocket, which is a type of microwaveable patty Clifton Williams, 64, was arrested on assault charges Sunday after he accused his roommate of eating their last Hot Pocket and attacked him, shooting him in the buttocks, police in Louisville said The victim was taken to hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries

C A N B E R R A : T wo Au st ral i an co l le ges , We st ern S ydn ey University in New S outh Wales an d F ede rat io n Uni ve rs i ty i n V ic to r i a, h a ve ea ch i ss u ed a p ro h i bi ti o n o n ac ce p ti ng st u den ts f ro m ce rta i n I n di an st ate s du e to an i nc rea se i n fr au du l ent v is a a p p li c ati o n s, ac c or di ng t o rep o r ts in th e media

Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir were among the states from which the education brokers were directed to exclude

applicants The report indicated that one in four applications is now deemed “fraudulent” or “non-genuine” by the country's Department of Home Affairs

The prohibition was made public before Prime Minister Narendra Modi s trip to Australia, which included a significant gathering of the Indian diaspora in Sydney

In a letter on May 19, Federation University said that they have observed a significant increase in the proportion of visa applications being refused from some Indian regions by the

Indian American judge gives a dressing down to militia leader over Capitol riot case

WASHINGT ON : US district ju dge Am it Meh ta , India n-Am e ric a n, h a d s om e h a rs h wo r ds f o r Stewart Rhodes before h e sentenced the leader of a far-righ t anti-go vernment militia fo r his attempts to rig th e 2020 presidential el ection - whic h culmi nat e d in t h e d ea dl y a tt a ck o n t h e U S Capito l

Mehta, in his early 50s, handed down an 18-year prison sentence to Rhodes, the leader of the Oath Keepers, for his role in the violent attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 Rhodes received the harshest sentence so far for the disturbances started by supporters of former president Donald Trump who were upset with the outcome of the 2020 election, which was won by Democratic front-runner Joe Biden

Before announcing the sentence, Mehta, a nominee of former president Barack Obama, delivered a chilling address to Rhodes about the impact of his seditious conspiracy crimes on American democracy, media reported “I dare say, Rhodes – and I never have said this to anyone I have sentenced – you pose an ongoing threat and peril to our democracy and the fabric of this country,” Mehta said “I dare say we all now hold our collective breaths when an election is approaching Will we have another January 6 again? That remains to be seen ” Rhodes claimed he was a “political prisoner ” - a label the judge sharply rejected “You are not a political prisoner, Rhodes That is not why you are here It is not because of your beliefs It is not because Joe Biden is the president right now ” The sentence is the first handed down in over a decade for seditious conspiracy and Mehta said he wanted to explain the offence to the public “Seditious conspiracy, when you take those two concepts and put it together, is among the most serious crimes an American can commit It is an offence against the government to use force It is an offence against the people of our country,” the judge said

Department of Home Affairs

“We hoped this would prove to be a short-term issue [but] it is now clear there is a trend emerging,” the letter said In a letter to agents, Western Sydney University stated that it could no longer accept applications from Punjab, Haryana, and Gujarat due to the high number of Indian students who began their studies in 2022 but dropped out “The regions within India that have been identified as presenting the highest attrition risk are Punjab, Haryana and

Gujarat," the letter from the university on May 8 said “Due to the urgency of this matter, the university has decided to pause recruitment from these regions in India, effective immediately ” the letter further said Emails obtained from Victoria University, Edith Cowan University, the University of Wollongong, Torrens University, as well as agents affiliated with Southern Cross University, suggested a noticeable tightening of scrutiny on these Indian students' applications

Indian origin charged with attempting to kill US president

W A S H I N GT ON : A m an of I nd i an o ri g in wa s ar rest ed i n Washington after he crashed a truck into security barriers near the White House After the crash, he took out a Nazi flag from his ba ckp ac k H e la ter to ld th e authorities that he wanted to kill the US president and admired Ad olf Hitler

Sai Varshith Kandula, 19, has said that his goal was to “get to the White House, seize power and be put in charge of the nation”, according to an affidavit filed in a US District Court When asked how he planned to seize power, Kandula said he would “kill the president if that’s what I have to do and would hurt anyone that would stand in my way ” He had been planning the attack for six months, Kandula told the investigators

Among other offences, Kandula has been charged with threatening to kill or kidnap or harm a president, vice president or family

members Kandula, a resident of Missouri, flew in to Washington and rented a truck from near the airport, according to the affidavit Around 9 35 pm, he drove onto security barriers on a pavement near Lafayette Square, a park in front of the White House He then put the truck in reverse and drove into the barriers again After he was held, Kandula told the security officials that he admired the “ great history” of the Nazis and their “authoritarian nature, eugenics and their one world order” Kandula also said that he looked up to Hitler “because he was a strong leader”, the affidavit stated Faces 10-year jail

During a hearing, a US magistrate judge informed Kandula that the charges he’s facing carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or a combination of the two It also carries a mandatory restitution payment

Indian Americans to welcome PM Modi with unity march on June 18

W A S H I N G T O N: A n "I nd ia Uni t y D ay" march will be held on J une 18 in 20 major cities acro ss America to greet Prime Minister Narendra Mo di ahead of his historic state visit to the US later this month, organisers have announced

On the invitation of President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, Prime Minister Modi will travel to the US for the first time in June The US president and the First Lady will also host Modi at a state dinner on June 22

“The (Indian American) community is really excited (about Modi’s visit) The community is gathering on June 18 here in Washington DC at the National Monument And there will be a march from Washington Monument to Lincoln Memorial, calling it ‘India Unity Day’ and welcoming Modiji That is two days in advance,” said community leader Adapa Prasad, who is also the national president of Overseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP) USA

Also at the same time, in about 20 places

across the United States, “from east to west, from north to south, covering major cities” there will be similar welcome marches at iconic places like Times Square in New York and Golden Bridge in San Francisco, he said

The other cities are Boston, Chicago, Atlanta, Miami, Tampa, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Francisco, Columbus, and St Louis

On the evening of June 21, as he arrived at a Washington DC hotel, the Indian American community planned to have a cultural event spanning Kashmir to Kanyakumari, and West to East different cultural events in front of the White House, Prasad said

“On (June) 22nd morning, we are expecting about three to 5,000 Indian diaspora invited by White House on the lawns of the White House That is a historic moment because this is the first time any countryspecific diaspora is invited to the White House in such large numbers,” Prasad said

American lawmaker introduces bill to declare Diwali as federal holiday in US

W A S H I N G T O N : A we ll - kno w n A me ric an politician filed in the US Congress a bill to declare Diwali, the festival of lights, an off icial holiday in the country

"Diwali is one of the most important days of the year for billions of people across the globe, and for countless families and communities in Queens, New York, and the United States, Congresswoman Grace Meng told reporters during a virtual news conference soon after introducing the bill in the House of Representatives

The festival of lights would become the 12th legally acknowledged holiday in the United

States if the Diwali Day Act were to be passed by Congress and signed into law by the President

Establishing a federal holiday for Diwali, and the day off it would provide, would allow families and friends to celebrate together, and demonstrate that the government values the diverse cultural makeup of the nation, the Congresswoman said "Diwali celebrations are a wonderful time here in Queens, and each year it is easy to see just how important this day is to so many people America s strength is derived from the diverse experiences, cultures and communities that make up this nation," she said

"My Diwali Day Act is one step toward edu-

cating all Americans on the importance of this day, and celebrating the full face of American diversity I look forward to shepherding this bill through Congress," Meng said New York Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar said, "This year, we saw our entire state speak with one voice in support of recognising Diwali and the South Asian community "

"My extraordinary partner in government Congresswoman Meng is now taking the movement national with her historic legislation to make Diwali a federal holiday Together, we are showing that Diwali is an American holiday To the over 4 mi

Sai Varshith Kandula

Amit Mehta

PM Modi urges states to show fiscal prudence at Niti Aayog meet

Pr i me Mi ni st er Na ren dra

M odi ad vi se d s ta tes t o d eve lop plan s wi th f is c al restraint and urged them to develop a shared vision for reaching the objective of a developed country by 2047

Chairing the 8th meeting of the government’s policy think tank Niti Aayog at the new convention centre at Pragati Maidan, the PM said that the Centre, states and Union Territories should work as Team India and fulfil the dreams and aspirations of people for a developed country by 2047

According to him, Niti Aayog can be crucial in assisting states in creating their 25-year strategies and coordinating them with the national development goal He asked the states and UTs to collaborate with Niti Aayog so that the nation could make a significant advancement in

Gujarati

Nischal Sanghavi Cancer is an affliction that u pend s lives wh ich bri ng s p h ysi cal, em oti o na l and financial burden to not only those affected, but also to th ei r f riend s , f ami ly, and s oc iety i n g eneral I t is a dreadful disease that mostly leads to huge suffering and eventually to death for many Indian American Harit Nandani, who hails from Gujarat and lives in San Carlos, California has been playing an instrumental role in the development of the world’s first multi-cancer early detection test GalleriⓇ , which can detect the presence of DNA shed by cancer cells in your bloodstream

Talking to Asian Voice from California, Harit said, “Every year millions of people die of cancer, several more who are diagnosed mostly suffer from huge pain However, if cancer is detected at a very early stage, even before a person experiences any symptoms, it can be treated right away, significantly reducing the risks of suffering and death ” Galleri, GRAIL's first

As 2 more die, just 1 of 4

Kuno cheetah cubs left

Two more cubs born to a cheetah imported from Namibia in September perished at MP's Kuno National Park, representing a significant setback for Project Cheetah Jwala, one of the cheetah's four newborn cubs, had passed aw ay two days prior CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan called a m eeting of forest officials after being shaken by the deaths Th e pups, who were just born two months ago, brought th e number of fatalities am ong cheetahs brought to Kuno from African countries to six in the previous two months Preliminary investigations suggest the cause of death as malnutrition The last remaining cub has been shifted to hospital

accomplishing the objective Niti Aayog CEO B

V R Subrahmanyam told reporters after the meeting of the council, “Fiscally imprudent states are suffering the consequences and the prime minister said we should all behave responsibly when we are announcing plans ”

“He basically said fiscal prudence is essential because you do not want to overburden future generations Keep that in

mind in whatever you do, we need to keep that in mind whenever we plan and announce things I think the message was there ”

The PM also urged the states to take advantage of the Centre’s budget which had been advanced to February and urged the CM’s to implement works in the first three months of the fiscal year “I have prepone my budget so that you can prepare your budgets better Get cracking in the first

three months of the year, ” the PM was quoted as telling the chief ministers Chief ministers from 11 states, mostly run by opposition parties, did not attend the summit, which was attended by 19 states and six Union Territories Punjab, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Delhi, Telangana, Odisha, West Bengal, Kerala, Manipur, and Rajasthan were among the 11 states whose chief ministers did not attend the meeting

Wildlife activist Ajay Dubey has demanded urgent removal of state’s chief wildlife warden JS Chouhan National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) constituted a “Cheetah Project Steering Committee” to review the progress of the drive After the death of three adults and three cubs, Kuno is now home to 18 cheetahs Following the death of the first cub, a team of wildlife doctors and personnel monitored the remaining cubs and their mother, Jwala Jwala received additional nourishment throughout the day to maintain its health Veterinarians tried to save the sick cub but were unable

A maximum temperature of 46–47 degrees Celsius was recorded on May 23, according to officials, making it the hottest day of the summer season thus far “The intense heat wave led the management and doctors to swiftly provide the cubs treatment,” said an official release

Preliminary investigations suggest that the cub, born two months ago, died because of “weakness” At the spot where they had previously been seen, a monitoring team found one of the cubs motionless, while the other three were seen moving around with their mother

4 Rajasthan cow vigilantes get 7- year jail for 2018 lynching

by the UK NHS in a trial called NHS-Galleri Harit is eagerly awaiting the launch of Galleri in his home country India, as he has seen many of his dear ones suffering from cancer, back home

multi-cancer early detection test uses advanced genomic sequencing technology and machine learning to detect over 50 types of cancer, including those that are typically difficult to detect Harit has been working in cancer research for over 10 years and has been at GRAIL over the last five and a half years He leads teams in the US and UK for the research and implementation of Galleri as Director of Clinical Data Management at the firm

In fact, the test was successfully launched as a lab-developed test in the US with thousands of people already tested It has successfully helped several hundred people by detecting their cancer Currently, it is being assessed at a large scale

For the NHS-Galleri trial, over 140,000 people aged 50 to 77 have volunteered to take part in the trial after receiving an invitation letter from the NHS Participants will attend three appointments over two years, about 12 months apart If successful, the trial could transform early cancer detection in England The study is now well into its second year and is closed to recruitment

The recommended screening interval for the Galleri test is annually to provide the opportunity to detect more cancers early, according to the Galleri website (www galleri com) It is up to the patient’s healthcare provider to determine the appropriate screening interval based on the individual’s underlying risk factors

Harit, who went to the US to study pharmaceutical science and clinical research after schooling in the city of Rajkot, has been an inspiration for many others back in India His work profile involves collaborating with scientists, statisticians and doctors on challenging projects that could last several years - clinical research is impactful work that takes rigor and time to show successful results However, according to Harit it is his dream to get mankind free from this public health crisis that keeps him on his toes all the time

Rakbar Kh an, alias A kbar, and a fellow resident of a Haryana village were grazing cattle through a jungle close to Ramgarh on the evening of July 20, 2018, when four members of a cow vigilante group attacked them They w ere fo und g ui lty and sentenced to seven years in prison

Additional district judge Sunil Kumar Goyal of a special court in Alwar convicted Naresh, Vijay, Paramjeet and Dharmendra, and acquitted another accused “with the benefit of doubt” The court said not enough evidence was produced against Nawal Kishor Sharma, the fifth suspect

On June 21, Khan allegedly passed away following injuries He was brought to the community health centre, where it was determined that he had passed away During the assault on the previous night, his buddy Aslam was able to flee In accordance with IPC Sections 304(1) (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 341 (punishment for improper restraint), the court found the four guilty

The group will spend time in jail in addition to paying a fine of Rs 10,500 each

Although Rakbar Khan and family welcomed the verdict, some were not happy with the sentence “It

appears the public prosecutor failed to argue the case properly This is the reason why the accused got seven years instead of life imprisonment We will appeal against this order in the high court,” said Sher Mohammed of Meo panchayat

“Accused Nawal Kishor was acquitted We will decide our next course of action related to appeal against the order after getting the final copy of the court judgment,” said Khan’s counsel Ashok Sharma For his part, Nawal Kishor said he has full faith in the judiciary and will appeal against the conviction of “ our fellows”

Eight Gyanvapi cases to be heard together, says Varanasi court

District judge Ajay Krishna

Vi shvesha ruled that eight c i vi l ca s es r el at ed t o th e Gyanvapi di spute would be clubbed together and heard jointly by his court Seven of these cases - all of which are t he s a me ki n d - w er e t ra ns f er re d to h is c our t from other Varanasi courts wh i le t he pr im ar y c as ei nvolving the peti tion for a uth ori z at i on to wor s hi p Shrin gar G auri and other d ei ti e s i n the Gy an va pi c om poun d - w as al re ad y being heard by the district c ourt in a cc orda nc e wi th t he S upre me Co urt 's instructions

In his order, the district judge stated that it would be expedient in the interest of justice that all these suits were consolidated and tried together “Civil suit No 693/ 2021 (new No 18/2022) Rakhi Singh and Others

versus State of UP and Others shall be the leading case and evidence shall be recorded in the leading case, ” the court ruled This case is already with the district judge’s court

Referring to the seven civil suits transferred to his court, the judge added that in all these cases the subject matter and points raised for determination are almost the same In each of these cases, a right to worship idols of various Hindu gods

and goddesses inside the Gyanvapi complex is demanded in each of the eight arguments

It was observed by this court in an April 17 order that if all these cases remained pending in different courts, there was a possibility that contradictory orders might be passed, whereas if all these cases were in one court there would be no possibility of passing contradictory judgments and orders

Five women plaintiffs in suit No 18/2022 (Rakhi Singh vs State of UP and Others) are seeking regular worship of Shringar Gauri and other deities in the Gyanvapi mosque compound

origin man at the center of cancer-cure revolution

National men's hockey team honoured by High Commission of India in the UK

Harit Nandani

Modi govt firm on holding border status quo, says Jaishankar

The Narendra Modi government has taken steps to ensure that no attempts are made to change the status quo in border areas unilaterally, said India's external affairs minister S Jaishankar in an address at Anant National University ( ANU) in Ahmedabad

He delivered a talk on ‘Modi’s India: A Rising Power’ The minister also inaugurated Anushilp, an exhibition on crafts, a collaborative initiative between ANU and the USIN Foundation

Addressing the challenge posed by China, Jaishankar acknowledged the complexity of the situation, particularly the recent incursions in eastern Ladakh “The challenge from China is very complicated and has been visible in border areas in the past three years

Some responses are clearly required, and the government has undertaken those responses to ensure that no attempt is made to change the status quo in the border areas unilaterally,” he said

Drawing an analogy between international relationships and human connections, the EAM emphasized the need for equilibrium and mutual respect between nations “If India sees respect, sensitivity, and recognition, it can think of a better relationship with China But if we do not, we need to stand up for our rights and be firm in asserting opposition,” said the minister

During his 45-minute talk, Jaishankar touched upon various topics, including India’s growing

influence, the evolving contours of its foreign policy, and the way forward He highlighted India’s significant global footprint and the country’s leadership in international alliances focusing on solar energy and disaster-resilient infrastructure He added that G7 was ground to discuss the global course of action, but the process has democratized with the G20 The minister said expectations from India’s leadership in the forum are high

He emphasized India’s proactive engagement with the Indo-Pacific region through the Quad and its outreach to the Middle East through I2U2 He highlighted the improvement in India’s relationships with neighbouring countries through collaborative projects He emphasized that the concept of neighbourhood extends beyond immediate geographical boundaries, underscoring the significance of regional cooperation

Tourists will soon be able to visit forbidden Ladakh zones

Indians will soon be able to cruise their 4x4s or launch biking blitz through some forbidden land in the strategic Chang Chenmo sector c los e to pat rolli n g poi nts north of Pangong lake in eastern Ladakh, even as the border standoff with China is into its fourth year now

Tourists would be permitted to cross the 18,314foot-high Marsimik La (pass) up to Tsogtsalo in the first phase, according to sources Tsogtsalo is a pasture land close to the junction of the Rimdi Chu and

Chang Chenmo rivers about 160 km east of Leh, close to the LAC (line of actual control) with China that runs north of Pangong In the second phase, tourists will be allowed to travel up to Hot Springs, further up from Tsogtsalu, and the memorial built in honour of 10 CRPF jawans martyred on October 21, 1959 when their patrol was attacked by the Chinese

The Indian Army, usually hesitant in such cases, is on board “Indian Army endorsed the opening of a

number of treks and routes including Marsimik La, in addition to other places such as Hot Spring and Tsogtsalo,” the Army HQ said The Ladakh government aims to open these latest frontier areas to tourists as part of the Center's focus on border area development Locals who had previously travelled these territories with their herds had also been waiting for it patiently The inner line permit system for Indians was scrapped in August 2021 but areas close to the disput-

Rain, thunderstorms kill nine in Gujarat

Nine people d ied in Gujarat as thunderstorm and hailstorm lashed the state, which was b rou gh t by a cyc loni c c irc ulati on o ver

Rajasthan, government officials said India Meteorological Department (IMD) officials said that this summer, the state has received 34 7 mm rains so far, which is about 10 times h i gh er th an norm al Maj o r rainf all was caused by seven western disturbances and cyclonic circulations experienced by the state between March 1 and May 29, which is also much higher than normal

Districts with two fatalities each were Patan and Kheda, and districts with one death each were Ahmedabad, Bhavnagar, Banaskantha, Chhota Udepur, and Botad Lightning and heavy rains, according to officials, were the main causes of the deaths

The places which received the highest

PM Modi talks tough against temple vandalism in Australia

The world supports him when he says that an attack on a place of wo rs hip is " no t ac ce pt abl e," ac co rd ing to Pri me Minis te r

Narendra Modi, who spoke out strongly against temple vandalism occurrences in Australia He was addressing a public gathering after he arrived in the national capital from a three-nation visit

"I want to tell you that while speaking about the culture and great tradition of India, never get immersed in a slave mentality, speak with courage The world is eager to listen The world agrees with me when I say that attack on our pilgrimage sites is not acceptable," PM Modi said

Earlier, PM Modi had red-flagged the temple vandalism in Australia while he met with PM Anthony Albanese during the last leg of his visit in the country

ed parts of LAC remain out of bounds for visitors

However, this time, after two discussions the local Army brass had with senior government officials in December 2022, clearance was granted fast According to sources, the administration wanted to start opening up the territories in April, but a change of guard at the local formation delayed things down

"PM Anthony Albanese and I have, in the past, discussed the issue of attacks on temples in Australia and activities of separatist elements We discussed the matter today also," he said, adding that PM Albanese assured taking ‘strict actions’ against elements that harm ‘friendly and warm ties between India and Australia’

I gave him (prime minister Modi) the assurance Australia is a country that respects people's faith that we don't tolerate the sort of extreme actions and attacks we have seen on religious temples, be they Hindu temples, synagogues, or churches This has no place in Australia," PM Albanese told reporters after the bilateral meeting With a bilateral discussion with Albanese, a business round table where the two parties signed an agreement for the two-way movement of students and business personnel, and another agreement to establish a task force for collaborative green hydrogen production, Modi concluded his three-nation tour

rainfall are -Becharaji 65 mm, Danta 55 mm, Ahmedabad 54 mm, Vadgam 52 mm and Chanasma 50 mm among others There had been 1 mm or more of rain in 91 talukas overall Hailstorms that dumped hailstones the size of huge pebbles on Ahmedabad city and other areas of the state, including districts in north Gujarat, were recorded Manorama Mohanty, head of the India Meteorological Department Gujarat, said, “The rains are caused by subsequent spells of western disturbance and cyclonic circulations This season is normal for western disturbance, but if we talk about the year in the past decade, it would reach Gujarat at the end of May or beginning of June Instead, this year we have recorded an average three spells of western disturbances for the past three months that have brought substantial rainfall ”

Shinde Sena alleges step-motherly treatment by BJP

A day after claiming 22 of the state's 48 Lok Sabha seats, voices inside the Shiv Sena, led by CM Eknath Shinde, began to complain about the BJP's "step-motherly" behaviour despite the fact that their party is now a m ember of the NDA

Sena's MP Gajanan Kirtikar claimed that they were being unfairly treated and that Sena had a legitimate claim to the 22 seats it had run for in 2019 Deepak Kesarkar, Kirtikar's coworker, concurred By emphasising the long-standing relations between the Sena and the BJP, Shinde attempted to diffuse the situation "The elections will go smoothly, there is still time Everyone shouldn't be concerned,” he said

Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis also sounded placatory “There is complete cohesion and understanding between the two

parties The distribution of seats will take place at an appropriate time,” Fadnavis said in Ahmednagar

Minister Deepak Kesarkar, also from Sena, said his party expects the old formula of seat sharing between Sena and BJP would continue “Based on that formula, BJP gets some extra seats in the Lok Sabha, and Sena gets more assembly seats We have already started preparations on seats that usually come our way, ” he said In the state, 41 of 48 seats were won by the BJP-united Shiv Sena combine in 2019 Mumbai north-west MP Gajanan Kirtikar of Sena said: “Earlier, we were not a constituent party of NDA Now, being apart of NDA, our work should be done It is our demand that we should be given constituent party status We are being unfairly treated by the BJP ”

S Jaishankar

Anthony Albanese & Narendra Modi,

24 new ministers join Karnataka cabinet

B ENGA LUR U: A full-fledged cabinet has b ee n for m ed in K a rn a ta k a, w i th 2 4 ministers sworn in on Saturday, nearly a for t ni ght aft e r t he C ong r ess w on t he assembly poll s with a thum ping majority

Ten ministers, including CM Siddaramaiah and deputy CM DK Shivakumar, were sworn in last week This is the first time in recent times that a new government has managed to install a fullstrength cabinet of 34 ministers in such a short time Portfolios are likely to be distributed later Of the 34 members in Siddaramaiah’s cabinet, including the CM, eight belong to the politically significant Lingayat community, five are Vokkaligas, including Shivakumar, six are from the SC, three from the ST, two each from the Kuruba and Muslim communities, one Brahmin, and the remaining from OBC

Among the surprise omissions from the cabinet are former CM Jagadish Shettar and former deputy CM Laxman Savadi, who jumped ship to join Congress from BJP just before the assembly elections and helped tilt the Lingayat vote bank in favour of the grand old party They had deserted BJP after being denied tickets

Siddaramaiah later allocated portfolios to ministers in his cabinet, keeping the finance department with himself while assigning the irrigation and Bengaluru City Development departments

to Shivakumar G Parameshwara, who has previously handled the home department, has once again been allocated the portfolio, MB Patil is the new large and medium industries minister while KJ Geroge has been given the energy department portfolio

Apart from the finance department, the chief minister, who has presented 13 state budgets, has kept cabinet affairs, department of personnel and administrative reforms, intelligence, information, IT and BT, infrastructure development and all unallocated portfolios

DK Shivakumar has got the allimportant Major and Medium Irrigation and Bengaluru City Development, including the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), Bangalore Development Authority, Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board, Bangalore Metropolitan Region Development Authority and the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited

Sidhu Moosewala's fans take out candle march in Mansa

MAN SA : A large n umbe rs of Sidhu Moose wa la’s fa ns p ar ticipa te d in a ca nd le light march on his fir st d e a t h a n n i v e r sa r y on M o n da y e v e n i n g Sl a in s in g e r ’ s mo t h e r C ha r a n

K a ur a n d h i s u n cle

Chamka ur Singh led the march

His fans were seen carrying placards demanding justice They were raising slogans “Sidhu bai zindabad, Moosewala bai zindabad” and “Justice for Sidhu”

Addressing the gathering, Charan Kaur said, “The government claims to have arrested a number of persons in the case, but we want to see the mastermind behind the bars ” She appealed to the singer’s fans not to raise slogans against anyone

Moosewala’s uncle Chamkaur

Singh said, “One year has passed The government claims that 5-6 persons hired for the crime have been arrested, but we want to see

in brief

No discussion on banning groups like Bajrang Dal: Karnataka minister EPS DEMANDS STALIN'S RESIGNATION OVER HOOCH DEATHS

Paramesh wara said that no discu ssions have taken p la ce s o fa r a bo u t ba nni n g o rg ani z ati o n s li ke Ba jr an g D al si nc e th e Co ngr es s go ve rnme nt assumed power in th e state He emphasised th at any co mmen ts ma de o n th is matt er c ou l d be opinions and were given in respo nse to media inquiries

Parameshwara's comments were prompted by a question regarding a reported statement from his cabinet colleague Priyank Kharge suggesting that the government could ban groups such as the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Bajrang Dal if they disturbed the peace

"No discussions regarding this have taken place In our manifesto, we mentioned Bajrang Dal and PFI, stating that we would take action, potentially to the extent of banning them if they disrupt peace Beyond that, no discussions have taken place," said Parameshwara

When addressing reporters, Parameshwara underscored that opinions might have been shared when the media asked, but such matters need thorough discussion In response to a question about withdrawing anti-conversion and cow slaughter laws, Parameshwara stated that any legislation or rules that are anti-society, disrupt peace, or are anti-people will be subject to review

"Our goal is to provide a pro-people government If a situation arises where we need to withdraw legislation to deliver such an administration, we will," he affirmed

Sidhu against Cong supporting AAP over ordinance

behind bars the persons who planned the murder ”

Charan Kaur was inconsolable when she reached the cremation spot in front of the Moosewala’s statue to pay tribute to him on his first death anniversary at Musa village in Mansa district She cried remembering her son Standing in front of his statue, she said, “One year has passed since you left us, but we have not got justice so far ”

She attended the bhog of Sukhmani Sahib path organised by villagers at the Musa village gurdwara Later, a blood donation camp was also organised in memory of the slain singer A large number of Moosewala’s fans visited his house and the cremation spot to pay tribute to him Sidhu Moosewala was shot dead on May 29 last year

NEW DEL HI: Former Punjab Cong ress chief Navjot Singh S id hu said that there cannot be an alliance where there are id eolog ical d ifferences, even as the Punjab leadership met p arty chief Mallikarjun Kharg e in Delhi to discuss the support over ordinance to the AAP

The meeting was attended by former party chief Rahul Gandhi, Amrinder Raja Warring, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Partap Singh Bajwa, Harish Chaudhary, Sidhu and several others

After the meeting, Sidhu, when asked about the alliance with AAP in the state for 2024 Lok Sabha elections, in a cryptic reply said, "An alliance cannot be formed if there are ideological differences " "And I am clear about it as my fight is for the truth and I am following this and I do not compromise on moral values Moral values are at the lowest ebb because democratic values have been dismantled, Sidhu said

Meanwhile, several other party leaders said that whatever they have to tell on the issue they have conveyed to the party leadership and that cannot be disclosed in public Many Congress leaders from Delhi and Punjab have opposed supporting Kejriwal over the ordinance issue Senior Congress leaders like Ajay Maken, Sandeep Dikshit and Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa have already echoed that the party should not support AAP

Earlier in the day, during the Delhi meeting, many party leaders told Kharge not to have alliance with AAP for 2024 polls and also not to support it in the ordinance issue

SC refuses to stay ED, CBI probe against Abhishek Banerjee

N E W D E L H I : T h e S u p rem e Court last week refu sed to stay t h e C alc u tt a H i gh Co u r t's d ir ec ti o n a ll o wi ng t h e E n fo r ce men t Di re c to ra te an d Central Bureau o f Investigatio n ( C BI ) to p r o be T ri nam o o l C o ngr es s lea der Ab h is h e k B an erj e e i n co n nec ti o n wi th Bengal recruitment scam

Hearing the matter, a bench comprising Justices JK Maheshwari and PS Narasimha said that the court is not inclined to interfere as far as an investigation is concerned However, the bench stayed the high court's order imposing a Rs 25,00,000 cost on the party's

national general secretary Representing the ED, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju submitted that the high court order only said that investigate if you want and independently of that order, the probe agency has the power of investigation

"That power is unfettered and it cannot be usurped," he added

M e a n w h i l e , representing Banerjee, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi contended that his client was giving a speech and had nothing to do with the matter and in the speech, he does not refer to any judge Singhvi further argued that a direction is given that he should be investigated and said he will show the errors in the order The bench said it will post the matter after summer vacations and agreed to stay the cost The top court has

Leader of the opposition and AIADMK general secretary of Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) demanded the resignation of Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin and minister for prohibition V Senthil Balaji over several deaths caused by spurious liquor in Villupuram and Chengalpet districts Hooch claimed the lives of nine people in Villupuram district and five others in Chengalpet district recently Speaking to reporters EPS said Stalin and Senthil Balaji were responsible for the hooch menace in Tamil Nadu “The illicit liquor is sold in large numbers Despite reports in the newspapers and the media the DMK government has not concentrated on it because more income comes from it This government is focussed only on income They don t even think of the problems caused by it We lost so many lives Taking responsibility, Stalin and Senthil Balaji should resign, EPS said

KERALA BECOMES FIRST E-GOVERNED STATE IN INDIA

Kerala has become India s first fully egoverned state, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced The state has made over 900 services via a single window system, the e-sevanam portal “The state has digitised its government services to ensure smooth and fast delivery of its services to people The idea is to leverage technology for the state’s development and to empower people to bridge the digital divide,” the CM said during an event organised by the Kerala IT Mission, adding that e-governance will make an impact in building a new face of Kerala The state has made around 900 services through a single window system called e-sevanam Portal, which was introduced to provide government services to the people About 75 million certificates have been made available through another popular scheme e-district Over 250 services are being delivered online in panchayats currently

ABSCONDING DERA MEMBER ARRESTED

Dera Sacha Sauda member Sandeep Bareta one of the main conspirators in the 2015 Bargari sacrilege cases who had been on the run for eight years was arrested at Bengaluru s Kempegowda International Airport last week by immigration officials as he was about to board a flight to Shanghai via Singapore Bengaluru police later handed over his custody to cops from Punjab Police s SIT A member of Dera s national committee, Bareta, along with Harsh Dhuri and Pardeep Kaler, was wanted by Punjab Police in three cases of sacrilege registered in 2015 at Bajakhana police station in Faridkot district The three men were declared proclaimed offenders a long while back

ANOTHER FIRECRACKER BLAST IN BENGAL

scheduled the matter for further hearing in the second week of July

Earlier on May 22, Singhvi had submitted before the apex court that Banerjee was being called for questioning while campaigning outside the state and urged the court for an early listing of the matter The bench agreed to examine the matter

On May 18, the Calcutta High Court's single-judge bench of Justice Amrita Sinha upheld the previous order by the bench of Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay of the same court empowering the central agencies to question Banerjee

Two more people were killed and another grievously injured during an explosion in another firecracker unit in Bengal’s Malda town This is the third explosion in a week s time when firecrackers stockpiled illegally in the state caught fire since May 16 The explosions have so far claimed the lives of 16 people A police crackdown since the first accident in Egra in southern Bengal yielded more than 90 000 kg of fireworks valued at £150 000 stored clandestinely in homes shops and godowns across the state Five fire engines laboured nine hours to control the blaze that killed two men and burned down 13 shops Witnesses said drums of carbideusually used to ripen mangoes - were being unloaded from a lorry into a godown in the morning One of the drums reportedly slipped from a worker s hands and it exploded, igniting firecrackers stored in adjacent shops

Abhishek Banerjee

Ministers highlight achievements of Modi govt as it completes 9 years

A ft er n in e ye ar s i n o f fi c e, U nio n mini s ters h eld n ews conferences in variou s cities aro und India to showcase the majo r accomplishments of the Modi administratio n o ver the p revious five years

The central leaders who addressed press conferences include - Nirmala Sitharaman in Mumbai, Anurag Thakur in Ahmedabad, Meenakshi Lekhi in Bengaluru, Hardeep Singh Puri in Lucknow, Ashwani Vaishnaw in Guwahati, Bhupendra Yadav in Bhopal, Arjun Ram Meghwal in Hyderabad, Jitendra Singh in Chennai, Gajendra Singh in Patna, Mansukh Mandaviya in Kolkata, Piyush Goyal in Jaipur and Smriti Irani in Rohtak

Narendra Modi

Citing various BJP-run Centre programmes, he claimed that in nine years, the Modi administration had given cooking gas connections to 96 million households under the Ujjwala Yojna, helped 800 million people by providing them with food under the PM Garib Kalyan Ann Yojna, and covered 500 million beneficiaries under the Ayushman Bharat Health Insurance Scheme

Manipur ethnic gulf widens, big relocation on: Security officials

Top sources in t he security establishmen t said Union home minist er Amit Sha h began a four-day visit as the ne arly mon th-long ethnic conflict in Manipur has pola rise d t he majority Meitei and the tribal Kuki communities to t he point that they appe ar irr econcilable This polar isat ion has been a ccentuat ed by a recent outbr eak of violence that could worse n unless the Cent re acts swift ly a nd decisively to end it

The two groups had previously engaged in territorial and identity-related conflicts, but the violence since May 3 has been the

CBI books Rolls Royce for graft in plane deal

For suspected wro ngdoing in the purch ase of Hawk-

mediaries and middlemen

deadliest in their turbulent history, leaving over 100 people dead and several others injured

“The situation outwardly looks like it is being brought under control, but inside it is extremely volatile The breakdown of trust between the Meitei community of the valley and the Kuki tribe that inhabits the hills is total,” a senior security official said

“Relocation is happening in hordes - most Kukis have fled to areas where they are in a majority while Meitei people have returned from Kuki areas like Churachandpur to the Imphal valley,” the official said

40 suspe cte d Kuki milit ants kille d

UP CM Yogi Adityanath praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying his government’s nine years has brought India safe borders, world class infrastructure, and increased its global esteem

“In the last 9 years, the Modi government has given the nation four strong pillars, which are respect, internal and external security, welfare of the underprivileged, and infrastructure development,” Yogi said addressing a press conference in Lucknow along with Hardeep Singh Puri

Puri too highlighted the achievements of the Modi government’s nine-year tenure He said that the work done in the period has been unprecedented

At present, 17,42,505 houses have been sanctioned in UP under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna (urban), he added

In the national capital, Union civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said in the past nine years of Modi government, India has forged its image as a self-reliant country while focusing on the welfare of the poor

115 Advance Jet Trainer aircraft, the CBI has filed an F IR ag ai ns t B ri ti s h aero sp ace giant Rolls Royce PLC, its former India director Ti m Jo nes, and arms dealer Su dh i r Ch ou dh ri e British Aero sp ace Systems and Choudhrie's son Bhanu were also ch arged in th e FIR

In addition, the FIR asserted that 100 million pounds were transferred by Russian armaments firms into a Swiss bank account (No 120467) in the name of Portsmouth, a business connected to Choudhrie for defence agreements involving the acquisition of MiG fighter aircraft

The CBI registered the case after a preliminary inquiry, launched in 2016,

found that Choudhrie and others had entered into a criminal conspiracy with public servants who allegedly abused their official positions to increase the number of Hawk aircraft to be procured from British Aerospace Systems and get the manufacturer licence fee raised from 4 million pounds to 7 5 million pounds by paying huge kickbacks to intermediaries

The wrong doing happened despite the fact that the agreement included an integrity pact which prohibited payments to inter-

The FIR also made the sensational allegation that corruption in the procurement of aircraft would have come to light in 2006 or 2007, but for the accused's successful efforts to have the documents destroyed after the income tax department stumbled upon key records indicating fraud in the deal while conducting research on Rolls Royce India Pvt Ltd The CBI’s preliminary inquiry found that in a meeting on September 3, 2003, the Cabinet Committee on Security had approved procurement of 66 Hawk-115 aircraft and signing of an inter-government agreement between the governments of India and the UK for long-term product support

At least 40 armed terrorists suspected to be from Kuki militant groups have been killed in a massive crackdown by state police and security forces, chief minister N Biren Singh said in Imphal According to state government officials, operations against the armed militants are still ongoing, and the casualty figures could increase Fresh violence broke out with reports of firing and arson At least 10 more people killed in fresh violence at several places since Saturday night, officials stated A group of 10 Kuki-Zomi MLAs of the BJPled coalition, two of them ministers, has already petitioned Shah for a separate administration for areas inhabited by the tribe The Kukis accuse police of cooperating with those who attacked them, and they blame the state administration and chief minister N Biren Singh for the continued bloodshed

“This instability will remain unless the Centre takes some concrete steps We are trying to contain unrest with the maximum possible effort, but we possibly cannot deploy soldiers at every location Army commanders are visiting villages and talking to civil society organisations of both communities, although there is no meeting ground at this moment,” another top source in the security set-up said

PM Modi opens new Parliament building amid boycott by Opposition

Continued from page 1

Modi elevated the building of the new Parliament to the level of national renewal that would be a source of inspiration for other nations and a force for global good at the inauguration ceremony, which was held against the backdrop of opposition protests and a simmering controversy over the installation of the "sengol," a symbol of ethical and fair governance associated with Shaivite traditions of Tamil Nadu

He stated it was time for India to regain its old glory which declined under foreign control He noted that the nation had once been affluent “The new India of the 21st century is full of high spirits and is now leaving behind that thinking of slavery Today, India is turning once again to that glorious stream of ancient times ”

Opposition b oycotts the function

Staying away from the opening of new Parliament building along with like-minded parties, Congress termed the exclusion of President Droupadi Murmu from the ceremony as a “black day” for democracy, and blamed it on the “anti-backward class, anti-tribal” mindset of RSS Congress mocked the function presided over “by a self-glorifying PM” Narendra Modi as a “ coronation”, and pointed to the police attack on protesting women wrestlers at a stone’s throw from the inauguration venue as the fate of “ people” under a “monarch”

Congress president Mallikarjun

Kharge said, “The right to inaugurate the new Parliament was snatched from the President Women players were

beaten up on the streets with dictatorial force The three lies of BJP-RSS rulers - democracy, nationalism and save daughter - now stand exposed before the country Remember Modiji, democracy is not just about buildings, but it functions with the voice of the people ”

At least 21 opposition parties boycotted the event, which coincided with the birth anniversary of a Hindu nationalist ideologue V D Savarkar

PM fulfilled long-pending deman d:

speaker

Speaker Om Birla and Rajya Sabha deputy chairman Harivansh, in their addresses at the inauguration said PM

Modi had fulfilled a long pending demand of parliamentarians for a new building "I once again express my gratitude to the prime minister that respecting the sentiments of the members, he immediately accepted their request and also made it a reality in such a short time,” he added Modi is people’s pick: Prez

President Droupadi Murmu in her message said that the PM, as the popular representative of the people of India, was the appropriate choice to lead the opening ceremony despite several opposition parties boycotting the inauguration over the exclusion of the President from the event

RESIDENT RELIGIOUS WORKER:

Summary of the job description: Regular worship, performing morning & evening Arti, Waving lamps in front of deities. Change the clothes of the deities. Keep the stage of deities clean. Playing Dholak sometimes, sing religious songs (Chanting) to Devotees. Should have the ability to get on with everyone.

Salary + Accommodation, other amenities and benefits comes to £1600 pm

Please send your application to Mrs Saroj Mittal (General Secretary) 07859 057 598

by 1st July

Train skips stop, goes back a km to pick up passengers

In an odd event, a train in Kerala reversed back for about a km after skipping a station to pick up the waiting passengers. Since there was no time lost as a result of the incident, officials have played down what happened. The incident occurred when Venad Express from Thiruvananthapuram neared Cheriyanad, a D-grade station. There was no signal at Cheriyanad as it is only a halt station The loco pilot realised the mistake of skipping the station only after crossing it. But when the loco pilot realised the m i s t a k e , h e r e v e r s e d t h e t r a i n b a c k t o p i c k t h e w a i t i n g passengers. Though it is a minor incident, the rail officials have sought an explanation from the loco pilot on the lapse as part of norms. (Agency)

Man fights leopard barehanded

Ankil Damor's brave act give a new lease of life to his little daughters The incident occurred in Fulpur village in the early hours when the feline broke into Damor's home Prashant Tomar, assistant conservator of forest, Devgadh Baria, said that Damor went out of the house to answer nature’s call leaving the kuccha house door open When he walked back within a few minutes, Damor was shocked to see a leopard holding his three-year-old daughter Vansha in its jaws Instinctively, Damor lunged at the leopard that was attempting to escape through the entrance But the father stood like a rock in its path and the feline was forced to drop Vansha, but it soon caught his five-year-old daughter Kavya The father pursued the wild cat obstinately even though it had a crying child in its jaw Damor jostled the leopard for a few seconds before throwing a piece of fabric at it, which caused the leopard to get panicked and drop the little girl from its jaws (The Times of India)

DNA test reunites farmer with missing cow

Dularam, a 70-year-old farmer of Ramnagar Bas hamlet in Rajasthan's Churu district, decided not to shave his beard and moustache after one of his cows went missing in September 2021 He even climbed atop a mobile tower earlier this year in protest, as three different investigating officers of police had failed to trace his treasured cow, which was pregnant when it went missing In July 2022, however, he found his cow roaming on the streets and took her home After getting her back, Dularam circulated on social media that whoever had her calves should return them to him Following this, some people came and thrashed him and took away the cow claiming that Dularam had stolen it The case again went to the police and this time the police used the DNA test to determine the real owner After the test the police restored the cow to the farmer (Agency)

Shirdi temple’s earnings cross preCovid levels

The Saibaba temple in Shirdi earned an income of £90 million in 2022-23, which is higher than the earnings before the pre-Covid period which was £80 million Rahul Jadhav, the interim CEO of the Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust (SSST), said that in 2020-21 and 2021-22, the earnings had significantly dropped to about £40 million in each fiscal The temple was closed for a long duration Even when it reopened, the state placed severe restrictions on the daily footfall, said Jadhav According to Jadhav, there are around 60,000 worshippers visiting every day in 2022–2023 The number increased on the weekends and during holidays like Ram Navami and Dasara, among others There was a significant increase in the number of devotees visiting the temple last fiscal because many could not come to Shirdi during the pandemic After the pandemic, the state withdrew its restrictions and the temple started seeing a major increase in visitors (Agency)

Unable to pay bribe, woman delivers on road

In the Iglas neighbourhood of Aligarh district, a 25-year-old pregnant wife of a daily wage earner was forced to deliver a child on the roadside According to reports, a nearby community health centre (CHC) refused to admit her as she was unable to pay a 'bribe of Rs 1,000 ' Several women, including passersby, came to the aid of the woman, Suman Devi, and covered her with a sari after which she gave birth to a baby boy A video of the entire incident has gone viral on social media The woman ’ s husband alleged that the CHC staff had demanded a Rs 1,000 bribe (Agency)

Rigorous dress code for Assam teachers

The Assam government has prescribed a rigorous dress code for the school teachers in the BJP-ruled state

The chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that male teachers have to wear "appropriate formal attire" while women are required to wear salwar suits, saris, and mekhela chadors - traditional handwoven two-piece female garb The notification issued by the state government asks teachers to comply with the order “scrupulously” or face disciplinary action

The order goes on to stress that “ a teacher is expected to be an example of decency, especially while discharging duties Both males and females should be dressed up in clean, modest and decent clothes in sober

colours, which should not look flashy Casual and party apparels should be strictly avoided,” says the notification (Agency)

In 53-day trial, man awarded life sentence for rape

A 19-yearold man was sentenced to life i m p r i s o n m e n t for raping a f o u r - y e a r - o l d girl in the Amroha district of Uttar Pradesh after a 53day trial before the court of assistant district and sessions judge (Pocso), Kapila Raghav The court also fined Sushil Kumar, the guilty man to pay Rs 80,000, of which Rs 75,000 must be paid to the girl's family The incident occurred on March 11, 2023, when the neighbour sexually abused the little while she was alone at her home and her parents were working on a farm The crime occurred in a village under Dhanaura police station Following the family’s complaint, an FIR was registered against the accused for rape and under relevant sections of the Pocso Act The court’s proceedings subsequently began on March 29 and in a 53-day trial, the verdict was pronounced (Agency)

BJP neta calls off daughter’s interfaith marriage

Yashpal Benam, former BJP MLA and the municipal chairman of Pauri, called off his daughter's wedding with a Muslim boy after the invitation card went viral and caused a storm "The May 26, 27, and 28 wedding have been postponed because the current atmosphere is not suited," a statement said “The groom ’ s father does not want the marriage to be solemnised under police protection,” Benam added “My daughter’s marriage was fixed with her friend, a Muslim boy from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, with the consent of both the families We had taken the decision keeping in view the happiness and future of the children Today, adults are free to decide about their personal lives ” said Benam After the wedding card went viral, rightwing organisations like the VHP and the Bajrang Dal held a series of protests against Yashpal Benam on the issue (Agency)

Two ex-MLAs jailed for attacking poll officers

Following a dispute over the recounting of votes during the MLC elections in 2003, an MP/MLA court found two former lawmakers and five others guilty of striking administrative officers and stealing ballots

in Basti The court in Basti convicted the main accused, Sanjay Jaiswal, a two-time MLA from Congress (2012) and BJP (2017), and former BJP MLA Aditya Vikram Singh (2012) Arpita Yadav, a second civil judge, fined them each Rs 2,000 and sentenced them to three years in prison During the election, there was a dispute over the recounting of votes, and Jaiswal, a Congress politician at the time who was backing Kanchana Singh, and six of his cronies attacked the election officials and stole ballots papers According to district government counsel, Basti, Devanand Singh, the dispute arose after a businessman, Manish Jaiswal, won the elections against Kanchana Singh (Agency) Passenger fined for bid to hoodwink airlines

An airline passenger recently went to extreme lengths to avoid paying a fee for extra baggage - she wore many of the clothes she had packed to bring down carryon bag's weight Her trick, however, didn't work and she was wound up receiving a fine from the airline Notably, Adriana Ocampo, 19, was flying with Jetstar from Melbourne to Adelaide, Australia, where she lived, after a trip with a friend She put on all of her extra clothing after realising that her carryon luggage weighed more than the permitted seven kg to avoid paying an excess baggage fee In a video that went viral, the teenager piled on almost six kilos of clothing including t-shirts, jackets, jumpers, and trousers (Agency) Leopard’s love for its lost cub stirs villagers’ emotions

The heartstrings of worried locals in Waghodia taluka in Gujarat were pulled by the touching reunion of a lost leopard pup with its mother It was a sight to behold weathered tillers hunching down in the shadows to take in the rare time they had been anticipating for four days The female leopard didn’t disappoint this time It slowly moved towards the wide field to pick up its cub before vanishing into the night Loud cheers that echoed throughout Jaffrapura hamlet as the residents, who were to witness the unusual moment, welcomed the reunion Some villagers saw the leopard and her two cubs earlier close to the settlement The leopard family must have been relocating owing to some construction work going on there but got separated from one of her cubs,” said Hemant Vadhwana, wildlife activist The villagers saw the cub wandering in the field and immediately informed Vadhwana and also forest officials (The Times of India)

Foods to consume in summer to beat the heat

With the rise in temperature, focusing on light, refreshing meals that help keep you hydrated and provide essential nutrients while being low in calories is important An ideal summer diet i s ri ch i n vi ta mi ns , mi ner al s an d anti oxi dants whi le low c alori es li ke watermelon, cucumber, berries, melons, tomatoes, leafy greens, zucchini, bell peppers, corn and citrus fruits

Adding lean protein sources that are lighter and easier to digest and can include tofu, lentils, chickpeas, and Greek yogurt is also important Salads and wraps are ideal for summer, so load them up with colourful vegetables, lean protein and a light dressing or vinaigrette or experiment with different ingredients to keep them interesting

and satisfying

Health experts suggest keeping oneself adequately hydrated and covered while going out in the sun and recommend fruits like watermelon, muskmelon, mango, and grapes Also, drink aam panna and lemonade

Including yogurt in your diet provides a perfect blend of probiotics for gut health, protein, calcium, and vitamins

Cucumbers are crisp and hydrating as they are composed of 95 per cent water They will keep you refreshed and provide essential vitamins and minerals Also, add summer ’ s natural candy - berries burst with antioxidants and fibre They help fight inflammation and support digestion Summer demands the vibrancy of citrus fruits like oranges, grapefruits, and lemons

A refreshing way to incorporate nutrients is to consume smoothies with a base of water, coconut water or almond milk and add a variety of fruits, vegetables and a source of protein like Greek yogurt or protein powder

Regular exercise protects you from severe brain hemorrhage, says study

A st ud y f ro m th e U niv e rsit y of Gothenburg suggests regular physical a ct ivit y a n d e x er cise m a y r ed uce b lee ding in pe rson s suffe rin g from intracerebral hemorrhage The study, published in the journal Stoke and Vascular Neurology, looked at data from 686 persons who were treated for in t ra ce r eb r al he m or rh a ge at S ah lg re nsk a U niv er sit y Hospit al in Go th e nb u rg f ro m 201 4 t o 20 19 R esearchers of the study stressed the im p or ta n ce of p hy sica l act iv ity in b rain protection

The findings are the outcome of a retrospective analysis Those who reported being physically active regularly had lower hemorrhages than those who reported being idle Physically active was defined as engaging in at least light physical activity, such as walking, cycling, swimming, gardening, or dancing, for at least four hours weekly

The main author of the study, Adam Viktorisson, a Ph D student in clinical neuroscience at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, and doctor in general practice at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, said, “We found that individuals who

Social stress and problem-solving deficits contribute to suicide risk in teen girls

As per a study published by t he Ame r ica n Psychological Association, t ee n fe ma le s wh o ha v e more t r oub le effi cien t ly re solv in g in t er pe r son al difficulties when they are und er so cia l st r ess an d t hose wit h mor e interpersonal stress in their liv es a r e mor e lik ely t o engage in suicidal behaviour

engage in regular physical activity had, on average, bleeding volumes that were 50 per cent smaller upon arriving to the hospital A similar connection had previously been seen in animal studies, but no prior study has demonstrated this in humans ”

Patients who go to the hospital with a suspected intracerebral hemorrhage undergo a computerised tomography (CT) scan of the brain

Neurosurgery may be required depending on the severity of the hemorrhage However, in most cases, non-surgical methods and medications are used to manage symptoms and promote patient recovery

Thomas Skoglund, associate professor of neurosurgery at the University of Gothenburg, a neurosurgeon at the University Hospital, and one of the study’s coauthors, said, “In cases of major intracerebral hemorrhages, there is a risk of increased pressure within the skull that can potentially lead to fatal outcomes ”

The findings were significant regardless of the location within the cerebrum Physically active

individuals exhibited reduced bleeding in both the deep regions of the brain, which are often associated with high blood pressure, and the surface regions, which are linked to age-related conditions like dementia The study creates scope for further research on intracerebral hemorrhages and physical activity Katharina Stibrant Sunnerhagen, professor of rehabilitation medicine at the University of Gothenburg and senior consultant physician at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, oversees the study "We hope that our findings contribute to a deeper understanding of intracerebral hemorrhages and aid in the development of more effective preventive measures" she concluded

Poor eating habits among students may result in a lifetime of illness: Study

A team of researchers has warned that poor eating habi ts formed during posts e c ond ar y ed uc at io n m ay l ea d t o o be s i ty , re sp i ra tor y di s e as e s, a n d d ep re ss i on i n th e fut ure Dr Joan Bottorff, a Professor at UBCO’s School o f Nur s i ng , i s on e of s ev er al i n te rn a ti on al re s ea rc he rs w ho p ub li s he d a mul ti -s i te s t udy on

university students’ eating habits

Almost 12,000 medical students from 31 Chinese universities participated in the study investigating the relationship between eating habits, obesity, and other disorders According to Dr Bottorff, many bad eating habits begin at university and can last for decades She said, “We know many students consume high-calorie meals along with sugary foods and drinks and there is lots of evidence to show those kinds of eating behaviours can lead to obesity These are not the only habits that lead to obesity, but they are important and can’t be ruled out ”

The study, published recently in Preventive Medicine Reports, was led by Dr Shihui Peng with the School of Medicine at China's Jinan University

While well-established research links unhealthy diets to many chronic diseases, this study aimed to show a relationship between poor eating habits and infectious diseases, including colds and diarrhea

Dr Bottorff notes that due to the nature of the study, it was impossible to show cause and effect, but the relationship between poor eating habits, obesity, and respiratory illnesses was well supported

"There has been biomedical research that also supports this link between obesity and infectious diseases, and most recently this has been related to COVID-19," she adds

"We know from some of the recent publications related to COVID-19 obese people were more likely to have severe conditions and outcomes Reasons that have been offered for this increased vulnerability include impaired breathing from the pressure of extra weight and poorer inflammatory and immune responses," she said

A typical student diet of high-sugar or high-calorie foods can become a

long-term issue as these habits can lead to obesity Dr Bottorff says there is evidence to show that stress and anxiety can cause overeating, but overeating can also lead to stress and depression

"The bottom line here is that we shouldn't be ignoring this risk pattern among young people at university It is well documented that a significant portion of students have unhealthy diets," she adds "The types of foods they are eating are linked to obesity And this can lead to other health problems that are not just about chronic disease but also infectious diseases ”

While Dr Bottorff says, students should be taught about healthy eating while at university, the onus should be on the school to provide healthy and affordable food options for all students "We need to think about the food environment that we provide students We need to ensure that in our cafeterias and vending machines, there are healthy food options so that they can eat on the go but also make healthy food choices ”

Previous research has found that interpersonal stressors, such as conflict with peers, friends and family, are related to suicidal behaviour Some theories of suicidal behaviour suggest that poor social problemsolving skills may contribute to the link, possibly because teens with poorer social problem-solving skills are more likely to see suicide as a viable solution to their distress when they feel they’ve exhausted other options The research in question aimed to test these associations by considering both experimentally simulated and real-world measures of suicide risk The research was published in the Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Science

The findings provide empirical support for cognitive and behavioral theories of suicide that suggest that deficits in abilities to effectively manage and solve interpersonal problems may be related to suicidal behavior," said author Olivia Pollak, MA, of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill “Clinically, this is notable, as problem-solving features prominently in several treatments for suicidal or self-harming behaviors ”

Participants in the study included 185 girls aged 12 to 17 who had experienced some mental health concerns in the past two years At the beginning of the study, participants completed surveys or

interviews about their mental health symptoms and suicidal behaviours They also completed a task assessing their social problem-solving skills, which involved responding to scenarios involving interpersonal conflicts or challenges with other people, such as peers, friends, family members and romantic partners

The researchers also followed the girls for nine months, checking in every three months to ask them about the stressors they were experiencing in interpersonal domains, such as with peers, friends and family members, and about suicidal behaviours

Overall, the researchers found that girls who showed greater declines in problemsolving effectiveness in the lab and who experienced higher levels of interpersonal stress over the nine-month follow-up period were more likely to exhibit suicidal behaviour over the nine-month followup period

"Importantly, problemsolving deficits under distress may increase risk for future suicidal behavior only in combination with greater cumulative interpersonal stress in real life," Pollak said "Risk for suicidal behavior was higher among adolescents who showed greater declines in effectiveness and who experienced high levels of interpersonal stress over nine-month follow-up, consistent with robust evidence for links between interpersonal life stress and suicidal behavior ”

Harmful habits that cause fatty liver

In recent decades, cases of NAFLD (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease) are increasing The problem has been seen across age groups and the condition has been rising alarmingly The abnormal deposit of fats on liver is referred as fatty liver Excess accumulation of fat in your liver could cause symptoms like abdominal pain, nausea etc

Habits that can cause fatty liver are:

Food habits: Our diet has changed from grains, dals, and vegetables to burgers, sandwiches, etc We often eat not because we are hungry, but as we love to eat

Sedentary lifestyle: Our lack of physical activities have changed drastically We no longer walk or cycle to reach a destination, our cars, bikes and buses take care of that Children used to play in the grounds shifted to their mobile phones or consoles

Junk food: We are consuming food more than we need As a result, fat, which is a form of stored energy, keeps piling up in our tissues, and liver being the kitchen in our bodies and stores the most It also gets deposited in other tissues

Anushka calls Virat ‘picture o calmness and peace on field’

Actor Anushka Sharma teased husbandcricketer Virat Kohli at a recent event She was asked to share a habit of his that is her favourite, but she had to give the wrong answer only She teased him, saying he is a “picture of calmness and peace on the field ” Kohli is known for losing his calm on the field when playing matches.

Speaking at a Puma event Jam with Fam, Anushka talked about her 'favourite habit of Virat' – she was asked to give the wrong answer – and said, "He is a picture of calmness and peace on the field Zen No chikkham chilli (shouting) on the field, on the field To this, Virat laughed and replied, Three most important words"

The video from the event was shared on Puma's YouTube channel In it, Virat was asked to repeat a line from Anushka and Ranveer Singh's film ‘Band Baaja Baaraat ’ Anushka gave him a cue with her line from the film, “Pyaar Vyapaar ki jodi kabhi nahi baitthi Nah bhaiyya, main toh single hi best (The

relationship of love and business ne works I'm better off on my ow Repeating Ranveer's line, Virat respon Buniz karle mere saath, bread pako kasam kabhi dhoka nahi dunga (Do bu with me, I wear on this snack, I will cheat you) ”

A shocked Anushka asked, How you do it?" She also hugged him and ki his hand The actor added, "I felt like proposed to me Actually one of reasons when we were dating each oth one of the things I was very impress with and I was like, 'Yeh life partner accha hai (He is a good life partne Because he has a good memory, I don remember anything Bhayanka (Terrible) liability But I don't forg anything about my daughter ”

Anushka and Virat tied the knot December 11, 2017, in an intima ceremony in Italy They later welcome their first child, Vamika Kohli, on January 11, 2021

Gulshan Devaiah has a crush on Sai Pallavi, but no strength to approach her Actor

Gushan Devaiah recently revealed that he has a crush on actor Sai Pallavi, he even has her number but could never approach her. He had earlier revealed his crush on her and called it his “obsession.” He talked about her in a new interview and said he is a bit “infatuated” by her. However, there’s nothing more than that. Gulshan was married to actress Kallirroi Tziafeta from Greece got married in 2012 d parted ways in 020 Talking about her, he said, “I give equal credit to my ex-wife Kallirroi for really making sure we keep in all the good things and not ruin anything We didn’t hink we wanted to be example for society e think it’s tough, it

Hansal Mehta says 'no agenda' behind his films

Amitabh calls himself an 'idiot', apologises for this mistake

ActorAmitabh

Bachchan

penned a note correcting himself over a recent mistake. He took to his blog over the weekend, called himself an “idiot” and even apologised to his fans for attributing a song by late singer Bob Dylan to the Beatles

Taking to his blog, Amitabh wrote, "Oh dear left very early for work and have had to time to meet the Ef here and I am desperately trying to finish the work so I can be at the GOJ in time But before that, a correction my apologies and my gratitude to the most efficient Ef for pointing it out to me ”

He added, "The 'the answer my friends is blowing in the wind ' is NOT the Beatles its Bob Dylan yes of course such an idiot I am so do excuse the error shall correct it immediately till then my love " Bob Dylan's ‘Blowin' in the Wind’ is from the 1963 album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan

isn’t, actually We gave ourselves time, we were not in a hurry She is my best friend now I can tell her anything If I go out on a date I tell her ”

He also spoke about Sai He said, “I have a huge crush on Sai Pallavi and it’s been going on for a while now I have her number too But I don’t have the strength to approach her I think she is a wonderful actor and dancer I think it’s a crush only There is nothing more than that I’m a bit infatuated by her sometimes But she is also a capable actress She is a very good actor And, hopefully, sometime in my life, as soon as I get an opportunity to work with her in a film, I think I’d be happy with that I don’t know about the rest And what can I do if the rest is not going to happen? That’s also there ”

“If it's meant to be, it'll happen If it's not meant to be, then it won't happen But if you get a chance to work with a good actor, that would be good There's nothing wrong with that At least you can do that much,” he added

The note comes about a blog he had written earlier He wrote, "There are moments in life when you give give because you wish to no compulsion, no reward expected, no reason just to give Do I do wrong do I announce do I make that public do I seek aggrandisement from the others or the moral social attribute givers of the Universe ? ''The answer my friend is written in the Wind the answer is written in the Wind the Beatles (he struck off the two words) an atrocious error its BOB DYLAN !!!!!”

He also added, "And so in this realm of uncertainty and resolve we survive and see the unfortunate that do not puzzled and remorse why they how they why the lag the difference the defined alienation they did some wrong the others did some right ? who decided that for them and who for the others ?”

On the work front, Bachchan is set to feature in ‘Project K,’ which also stars Deepika Padukone and Prabhas It is a bilingual film shot simultaneously in Hindi and Telugu Amitabh will also be seen in Ribhu Dasgupta’s next courtroom drama film ‘Section 84 ’

Hina Khan attends G20 meet in Srinagar

Filmmaker

Hansal Mehta has clarified how he retains the authenticity of his films without hurting sentiments In an interview, he said he neither judges the characters nor is there any “agenda” behind his storytelling Hansal added that the “only reason” he tells stories is to allow the “audience to be the judge ”

“I do my work very simply I don’t judge my characters and their circumstances There is no agenda behind my storytelling The only reason I tell stories is to allow the audience to be the judge, reflect and to question In my opinion it is my job to raise those questions for the audience In my work, the audience is an equal collaborator as much as the writers, actors, and everyone else Because the audiences have to go back, take the story, think and make their own judgments about it,” he said Talking about choosing the actors for his films, he added, “I think the focus must be on the character The person whom you are casting, you should see your character in them That’s all I look for when I am casting And I am of course helped by Mukesh Chhabra, who always pushes me to

experiment and try new things Then of course I can cast with such honesty, thanks to the producers and the platforms that have supported my work And I am hoping that this continues ”

Hansal is all set to develop an intriguing web series titled ‘Scoop ’ The series, to be streamed on Netflix from June 2, will mark actor Inayat Sood's debut on the platform The series also stars Karishma Tanna, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Harman Baweja and Prosenjit Chatterjee

ActorHina Khan attended the G20 Tourism Working Group meeting in Srinagar recently, where several talents from the Union Territory graced the event. In an interview, she said she was excited to be in her hometown. She said, “I was excited about being honoured in Jammu & Kashmir as I have never got recognition from fellow Kashmiris for my work and achievements My peers ge so much love from cities where they hail from and finally, I got to experience the same ”

She added, “There are many budding talents in the state including actors, rappers, singers who want to come out of their shell and pro themselves When I met m of them and they asked m did I manage?’ As they too felt pressure and reactions from relatives and I said, ‘believe in yourself and if your parents stand by you, then nothing can stop you ’ ” Hina took to Instagram to share her experience She wrote, “Grateful to be part of the G20 Tourism Working Group Meeting in Srinagar, promoting positive growth and constructive alternatives for young people in Jammu-Kashmir and the country Proud to

contribute to Naya Kashmir’s growth story and inspire fellow Kashmiri youth Met amazing talent today, thanks to Mayor of Srinagar for the opportunity Seeing recognition from home government for genuine achievers is encouraging Hoping to inspire many more to choose the right path for their future Thank you, r @junaidmattu official this wonderful nitiative ”

The actor credited the Mayor of Srinagar for his “ progressive attitude” and how he “ wants to break stereotypes and taboos” She adds, “He brought different talents from all walks of life ome together to talk ut their experiences and e each other and the new generation ”

On development and tourism in Srinagar, she says, “I absolutely love how Srinagar now is a smart city and there is so much development in the city It has grown so much in recent times and it felt like a new place There are so many new places that have opened up, including cafes and there is so much beauty and so much to see I am sure tourism will sky rocket It felt like a new city ”

Irrfan cried when I acknowledged his performance in ‘Paan Singh Tomar': Sutapa

Sikdar

Alia, Hrithik and Anil Kapoor win awards at IIFA 2023

Hrithik Roshan bagged the trophy of best actor in a leading role at International Indian Film Academy Awards

(IIFA) 2023 in Abu Dhabi He received the trophy for his action-packed performance in 'Vikram Vedha', which also starred Saif Ali Khan Alia Bhatt won best actor in a leading role (female) for 'Gangubai Kathiawadi Producer Jayantilal Gada received the award on behalf of Alia, as the actor's maternal grandfather, Narendra Razdan, is reportedly not well.

Veteran actor Anil Kapoor was conferred with the award for performance in a supporting role (male) for his role in 'Jug Jugg

Jeeyo '

Veteran actor Kamal Haasan received a standing ovation when he was conferred with the award for Outstanding Achievement in Indian Cinema Singer and music composer A R Rahman gave the award to Kamal, who looked dapper in a black suit As soon as Kamal Haasan received the trophy, everyone including Salman Khan and others

stood up from their seats and applauded the actor 'Brahmastra: Part OneShiva' won many of the awards, including best playback singer for Shreya Ghoshal (female) and Arijit Singh (male), as well as best supporting actor (female) for Mouni Roy

Late Bollywood actor

Irrfan Khan's son, Babil Khan, won the best debut (male) award for the film 'Qala', and shared it with Santanu Maheshwari, who starred in 'Gangubai Kathiawadi ' Khushali Kumar won best debut (female) for 'Dhoka Around the Corner ' 'Gangubai Kathiawadi' also won several awards in the technical categories, clinching trophies for cinematography, screenplay and dialogue

Vicky Kaushal reacts to video of Salman’s bodyguards pushing him

Lateactor Irrfan Khan has created quite a legacy in the Indian movie industry and Hollywood. However, none of his movies won immense praise from his wife, Sutapa Sikdar, until his 2012 film ‘Paan Singh Tomar ’ The role earned him a National Film Award

Actor Vicky Kaushal has finally reacted to a video that surfaced online in which Salman Khan’s bodyguards seemingly push him at an event in Abu Dhabi Speaking to reporters, Vicky said that matters “are blown out of proportion at times ” He added that “things are not actually as they seem in videos ”

On IIFA Rocks 2023 green carpet, Vicky told reporters about the viral clip, "Kayi baar bahut baatein badh jaati hain Bohut uss baarein mein unnecessary chatter hota

watched the video I just did and I must admit that I can't see why this is being made a big deal ”

In the previous much talked about video, Vicky posed for a picture with a fan as Salman entered from the opposite side, escorted by his security Vicky, seemingly, attempted to shake hands with Salman However, the actor's bodyguards appeared to push him out of the way As the video went viral on social media, many people reacted to the video

On the work front, Vicky is gearing up

Nawazuddin Siddiqui recently opened up about romance in small towns versus big cities The actor believes “true romance” only happens in small towns as people don’t judge each other, unlike those in the city He added that people from small towns don’t look into the other person’s bank balance for everything related to the heart

A new book titled ‘Irrfan: A Life in Movies’ is set to be unveiled on June 7 and features excerpts from one of Sutapa’s interviews in which she talked about his best performances According to a media report, she says, “I would not say, 'Arre wah, kya kamaal kar diya toone!' (What a remarkable performance you ’ ve given!)

Till I actually felt it, you know? Like in Paan Singh Tomar, I felt that he lived that character, and I cried And he cried because he said this is the first time I was acknowledging his performance ”

The report also said that she has also talked about her favourite performances of the actor She has revealed in the book that she loved him in the American drama television series ‘In Treatment,’ ‘Qarib Qarib Single,’ and ‘Maqbool ’

The upcoming book offers a compelling account of Irrfan’s life and achievements - starting from his days at the NSD to his nearly decade-long stint in television and his gradual ascent in the film industry

hai Uska koi fayda nahi

hai (Several times things are blown out of proportion There are unnecessary chatters about many things)

Things are not actually as they seem sometimes in the video There is no point in talking about that ”

At the same event, Vicky and Salman Khan also met each other and shared a warm hug In a clip shared by a paparazzo account, Vicky talked to several people as Salman walked and stood beside him Vicky turned around and the two actors hugged Reacting to the clip, a fan wrote, "Awwww!!! Haters can go cry in a corner now!" Another said, “I didn't want to comment on the alleged shoving until I

for the release of his film ‘Zara Hatke Zara Bachke ’ He stars opposite Sara Ali Khan in the film, which will release in theatres on June 2

He also has 'Sam Bahadur’ in the pipeline, helmed by Meghna Gulzar and produced by Ronnie Screwvala It is the story of India's war hero and first Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw It also stars Sanya Malhotra and Fatima Sana Sheikh in the lead roles The film is all set to hit the theatres on December 1

Meanwhile, Salman will be next seen in ‘Tiger 3 ’ , part of YRF Spy Universe It also stars Katrina Kaif as Zoya and Emraan Hashmi as the villain Shah Rukh Khan will have an extended cameo in the film

His statement comes when his tumultuous relationship with his estranged wife Aaliya Siddiqui is making headlines Aaliya had alleged that the actor’s mother harassed her, and also claimed that he “disowned” their children - Shora and Yani

He says in an interview, “True romance only happens in small towns What happens in the name of romance between people in big cities is compromise and adjustment In small towns, people aren’t scared to open their hearts out to one another because they don’t judge each other They fall in love without even taking the bank balance of the other person into consideration Ishq aur pyaar abhi bhi bacha hua hai small towns mein (love is still alive in small towns) ”

When asked if he would call himself romantic, Nawaz added, “It’s a good thing to love, fall in love, be in love and spread love Love is very important I’m a very romantic person I love my films and a lot of things in life It’s important to have some bit of romance in our lives But there’s a dearth of it today ”

The actor’s latest outing is ‘Jogira Sara Ra Ra,’ which was released last week He stars opposite Neha Sharma in the film The actor has several films lined up for release in the pipeline These include Tiku Weds Sheru, Noorani Chehra, Adbhut and Haddi

Nawazuddin says true romance happens only in small towns

Atlee’s pictures from

Cannes red carpet with his wife Priya surface on the internet

‘Jawan’ director Atlee made his Cannes Film Festival debut last week The filmmaker walked the red carpet with his wife Priya, twinning in black as they posed for photographers He will make his Bollywood debut with Shah Rukh Khan this September

Atlee and Priya's red carpet-pictures were shared on Instagram by a talent agent The post was captioned, "As cameras flashed amidst the glitz & glam, Director @atlee47 & @priyaatlee graced the red carpet at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival on May 21st (black heart emoji) #CannesFilmFestival #Atlee " In the first photo, Atlee and Priya are posing and waving at the cameras from the steps leading up to the Palais The director wore a black tuxedo while Priya was seen in a black beaded saree for the occasion

The second and third pictures feature the couple as they make their way on the red carpet while posing for the numerous paparazzi Fans reacted to the director's pictures on social media

One fan wrote, "Awwww couple " Another fan added, "Woww (red heart emoji) that's fantastic " Others also dropped fire emojis on the Instagram post

Atlee's ‘Jawan' will be released on September 7, 2023 Besides Shah Rukh Khan, the action film stars Nayanthara, Vijay Sethupathi, Sanya Malhotra, Priyamani and Yogi Babu Priya and Atlee, who married on November 9, 2014, welcomed their first child, Meer, this January He made his directorial debut in 2013 with Raja Rani’ starring Nayanthara, Nazriya and Arya

Chinmayi Sripaada slams

Kamal Haasan for his silence over her MeToo allegations

politicians who speak for women ’ s safety while they ignore harassment right under their noses? Just Asking Now while my timeline will blow up with abuse, shouting and yelling imma gonna exit Buhbye ” She further tweeted, “Needless to say there is soooo much anger So many Kamal Haasan supporters ask me the same survivor-shaming questions that those opposing our Indian wrestlers have said The playbook to shame women who name powerful

Actor Sudhakar reacts to 'fake news ' about his death

Actor-comedian G Sudharkar has responded to rumours about his death In a video, he has urged people not to fall prey to rumours about his ill health and death He said that he’s very happy and doing fine Over the last few days, posts about the actor’s death have been circulating on the internet Reacting to these reports, he released a video clarifying he’s alive and doing fine

Ajith Kumar gifts bike to fellow rider who organised his Nepal trip

Kamal Haasan took to Twitter last week to extend his support for the wrestlers’ protest against WFI head Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh He urged Indians to give attention to those who need it Wrestlers such as Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia and others have been protesting at Jantar Mantar in Delhi against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who has been accused of sexual harassment by female athletes

Rendering his support, Kamal wrote, “Today marks 1 month of protests by athletes of the wrestling fraternity Instead of fighting for national glory, we have forced them to fight for personal safety Fellow Indians, who deserves our attention, our national sporting icons or a politician with an extensive criminal history? I stand with my champions Wrestlers protest’ ”

The tweet, however, did not go down well with Chinmayi Sripaada, who asked him where his support was when she was banned from the movie industry after she “named her molester ” During the MeToo era, the singer had alleged that Tamil lyricist Vairamuthu sexually harassed her on work trips and threatened to end her career when she didn’t respond

Chinmayi responded to Haasan’s tweet, “ 5 years of a singer in Tamil Nadu being banned for naming a molester right in front of their eyes and not a pip about it since the poettu has their respect How does one trust

molesters is the exact same I had all the right to question an actor, who is now a politician to clean up the yard he artistically ruled and it make the space safer for women like me to speak up Not be incarcerated for it It was a simple ask My case has been going on and on and on since November 2018 with multiple people from the Film Industry shaming me for speaking up ”

In 2018, Chinmayi was one of the first women from the film industry to open up about her MeToo story after sharing a Twitter thread about the sexual abuse she faced over the years She called out lyricist Vairamuthu for sexually harassing her, when the two were in Switzerland for a concert titled Veezhamattom in 2005 Vairamuthu then released a statement denying all allegations Chinmayi then reacted by calling him a liar

Following her allegations on Vairamuthu, Chinmayi was axed from the South Indian Cine, Television Artistes and Dubbing Artistes Union Her ban is yet to be revoked

In the video, Sudhakar said, “Namaste Whatever you ’ ve been reading on me is fake news Please don’t believe in those rumours and spread I’m very happy and doing absolutely fine ” Sudhakar made his acting debut as a lead hero in the 1978 Tamil film ‘Kizhake Pogum Rail ’ He went on to play the lead hero in over a dozen films He forayed into Telugu films with ‘Pavitra Prema’ in 1980

He continued to play lead roles for close to a decade He started taking up comic roles in the early 90s and gained a lot of popularity as one of the top comedians in the Telugu industry

He turned producer with Chiranjeevstarrer 1988 film ‘Yamudiki Mogudu,’ and went on to produce three more films He also acted in the Hindi film, ‘Shubh Kaamna’ in 1983

ActorAjith Kumar recently travelled across the country as part of his biking expedition Apart from India, he has also biked around Nepal, Bhutan and parts of Europe As he gears up for the next leg of his bike tour in November, Ajith surprised his fellow rider Sugat Satpathy with a superbike worth Rs 125,000 He had helped organise Ajith’s recent Nepal tour, and the bike came as a token of gratitude

Sugat took to Instagram to reveal he had organised a bike tour for Ajith twice He wrote, “During the end of the same year [2022], I got super lucky I would say privileged to get in touch with Mr Ajith Kumar, who is one of the biggest super star of Tamil movie industry Also an avid biker, who rides a Adventure bike with pure class Later, I organised a complete North-east tour for him and was riding with him on my trustworthy years old Duke 390 Following the ride, he promised of doing one more tour of Nepal n Bhutan with me (part of his world tour plan) Which we completed Recently on 6th of May Throughout the ride, we created many unforgettable memories, rode incredible miles, witnessed many beautiful sunsets and sunrises ”

His post added, “This F850gs right here, means so much to me rather than being just a motorcycle It is gifted to me by him YES! IT'S A GIFT from Anna to me, with lots of love He didn't think twice He just wanted me to have this beautiful looking F850GS , capable enough to explore the globe Words will fall short of the role this person has in my life but yes, we vibe the same tribe He made me feel more like an elder brother who wishes only and only the best for me and expecting nothing in return You're the best, Anna ”

The starting price of the BMW F850gs is around 12 5 lakh On the work front, Ajith, recently seen in ‘Thunivu,’ will soon commence work on his upcoming Tamil film, ‘Vidaamuyarchi ’

It’s important to promote Indianness: Sara

Actress

Sara Ali Khan is busy promoting her upcoming film ‘Zara Hatke

Zara Bachke.’ Speaking in a recent interview, she spoke about her Cannes visit and how she focused on her “Indianness” at the film festival. She wore a beige and white Abu Jane Sandeep Khosla lehenga with two dupattas for her debut walk on the Cannes red carpet.

She also wore a white saree-like gown from the same designer duo, a strapless black Moschino gown and a shimmery tassel Rachel Gilbert gown for her other appearances in Cannes

Talking about her Cannes appearances, Sara said in an interview, “I think it's important to promote 'Indianness' We are such a culturally rich country We have so many languages, emotions and so much depth and I'm proud to be able to talk about it on a global platform ”

She added, "I was invited by the Indian pavilion (at Cannes) and I was also invited by the Red Sea Film Festival people who invited me there to celebrate women both behind the camera and in front of the camera The actor said the three words that define her as an individual are -'woman', 'actor' and 'Indian' "I got to represent all these aspects," she added

Fashion designers Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla said about Sara's Cannes lehenga, “Sara Ali Khan made her Cannes debut in an exquisite h a n d - e m b r o i d e r e d m u l t i - p a n e l s k i r t T h e i n t r i c a t e s h a d o w w o r k embroidery, adorning each unique panel, showcases a mesmerizing calendar of designs from our archives of couture down the years Sara's ensemble is a masterpiece of craftsmanship, with a resplendent blouse with intricate work in crystals, pearls, and resham work Adding to the allure, the ensemble features two drapes in tulle an enchanting oneshoulder drape and a long head veil Both drapes boast the finest shadow work, with the head veil embellished with tiny shadow dots and intricate borders ”

Natasha Poonawala spotted with Leonardo DiCaprio, poses on yacht with Tobey Maguire

Philanthropist and entrepreneur

Natasha Poonawalla recently attended the premiere of Martin Scorsese’s ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ co-starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro at the Cannes Film Festival 2023. Ahead of the premiere, she posed with Tobey Maguire and others on a yacht ahead of the premiere

Natasha took to Instagram to share photos of herself from the film festival He wrote, “Out with the homies for Leo and Martin Scorsese’s masterpiece Killers of the Flower Moon one of the best p e r f o r m a n c e s b y L e o n a r d o DiCaprio and his co-stars Thank you for including me in this epic moment and for my chat with the genius Martin Scorsese ”

Natasha was dressed in a white gown and striking gold jewellery and posed with Tobey and others

Kareena joins Yuvraj

Singh at the Monaco F1 Grand Prix practice race

o n a y a c h t S h e w a s a l s o s e e n chatting with Scorsese as they sat t o g e t h e r a t a p a r t y i n a n o t h e r photo she posted Natasha also shared some solo photos of herself f r o m h e r C a n n e s 2 0 2 3 o u t i n g , a l o n g w i t h a c l i p o f L e o n a r d o s m i l i n g a n d p o i n t i n g t o w a r d s Martin from the premiere as their

film received a standing ovation Natasha also hung out with Irina Shayk, a Russian model and television personality She shared Irina's photo in her Instagram post S o m e p h o t o s o f N a t a s h a w i t h Leonardo from Cannes 2023 were a l s o s h a r e d o n a f a n p a g e o n T w i t t e r W h i l e t h e a c t o r w a s

dressed in black and wore a face mask, Natasha was spotted in a shimmery white outfit

Priyanka didn’t want to play sidekick in Hollywood

Priyanka Chopra’s Hollywood career took off with the US TV show ‘Quantico’ in 2015. This year, she headlined a rom-com and a web series as a lead actor. In an interview, she spoke about how she has been actively seeking out roles that don’t have her as a sidekick or stereotype her because of her background

PeeCee also named other artists in H o l l y w o o d l i k e S i m o n e A s h l e y , Mindy Kaling, and even Deepika

P a d u k o n e , w h i c h h a v e c h a n g e d how South Asians are perceived on screen She wanted them all to b e c o m e t h e “ n e w n o r m a l ” a n d hopefully change things for the next generation of actors after her She said, “In the last five years, there has been a big demand from actors who say, “I don’t want to be a sidekick anymore ” I know I did I

didn’t want to be one of the checks in the box that says we ’ ve made our c a s t d i v e r s e t h a t w e h a v e a n Indian, an Asian, and so on I didn’t

want to have that And I know a lot of my colleagues don’t want to do that ” She added, "So I’ve taken many

meetings where I’ve clearly told p r o d u c e r s , “ D o n ’ t p u t m e i n stereotypical parts ” I don’t want to do it I’m going to work hard for you because I know my damn job I’ll come onto the set and do 10 percent more than what you asked for, or maybe even 20 percent I will be better than anyone you ’ ve c a s t b e c a u s e I ’ m n o t a f r a i d o f working hard It requires selling yourself ”

Priyanka’s Russo Brothers-backed Prime Video web series ‘Citadel’ was recently renewed for a second season The first season, which premiered on April 28, ended on May 26 Production for the next s e a s o n i s m o v i n g t o C a l i f o r n i a , with filmmaker Joe Russo directing all episodes for the next one Cos t a r s R i c h a r d M a d d e n , S t a n l e y

T u c c i a n d L e s l e y M a n v i l l e w i l l return for the second season

Kareena

Kapoor was in Monaco for the F1 Grand Prix 2023 Pictures from the event have surfaced online, and Yuvraj joined her in some of them. Bebo has been sharing updates from the event on her Instagram Stories. The photos from the Monaco event feature Kareena having a great time. For the event, Kareena opted for an easy-breezy look in a beige and brown sleeveless top paired with matching baggy pants She finished her look with heels, sunglasses and untied hair

A n e x c i t e d K a r e e n a h a d previously posted a selfie from her flight to Monaco She captioned it, “ B u r s t i n g w i t h e x c i t e m e n t M o n a c o b o u n d ” T h i s w a s followed by some glimpses from t h e e v e n t S h e s h a r e d p i c t u r e s from the race and added “Insanity” in the caption This was the actor’s first appearance at the practice race in Monaco It was one of the 23 important races of the Formula One schedule this year The final event will take place in Abu Dhabi in November

On the work front, Kareena was last seen in Aamir Khan’s ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ in 2022 She is c u r r e n t l y f i l m i n g f o r R h e a K a p o o r ’ s u p c o m i n g f i l m ‘ T h e C r e w ’ T h e m o v i e f e a t u r e s h e r with Kriti Canon, Diljit Dosanjh, and Tabu It is directed by Rajesh Krishnan The film will be based on three women and is touted to be a laugh-riot, set against the backdrop of the struggling airline industry

S h e a l s o h a s S u j o y G h o s h ’ s upcoming film ‘The Devotion of Suspect X ’ It stars her with Vijay Varma and Jaideep Ahlawat for the first time Kareena is also the lead actor in Hansal Mehta’s untitled

Chennai lift IPL crown again

Ch e nn a i S up e r K in gs cla ime d a re co r dequalling fifth Indian Premier Leag ue title wit h a fiv e-wicket win ove r Gujara t Titans in a r a i n -a f fe ct e d but t hr i lli n g s um mi t showdown in Ahme dabad on Mon day night

Sai Sudharsan capitalised on a solid start when Gujarat were asked to bat and hammered 96 off 47 balls, including six sixes, for Gujarat, who amassed 214 for four

Chasing a revised target of 171 from 15 overs after a lengthy rain interruption, Chennai survived intense drama before Ravindra Jadeja sealed their victory, hitting 10 runs off the last two deliveries

After Dhoni won the toss and elected to field, Shubman Gill walked out to bat having smashed three hundreds in his past four innings As Gill, the tournament's top scorer, was dropped at square-leg with the batter on three, the opener appeared to have luck on his side Gill also survived a run out chance when Jadeja could not properly gather the ball before breaking the stumps However, the left-arm spinner made up for it in the same over When Jadeja enticed Gill (39) to leave the crease, Dhoni, 41, showed that his reflexes haven't slowed down with age by quickly whipping off the bails

Chahar also floored a return catch from Wriddhiman Saha, who smashed 54 before falling to the seamer with Dhoni collecting the top edge Sudharsan then tore into the attack and hit Matheesha Pathirana for back-to-back sixes in the final over of the innings to inch closer to a hundred but Pathirana denied him the milestone

Rain forced Chennai openers off the pitch after three balls, stopping play for two hours and 20 minutes Chasing the revised target, Ruturaj Gaikwad (26) and Devon Conway (47) plundered 72 runs from the first six overs before Noor Ahmad removed both in the seventh over Needing 10 off the last two balls, Jadeja hit Mohit over his head for a six and followed it with a boundary to seal a thrilling victory

Prannoy wins first BWF Tour title in Malaysia

HS Prannoy ended the long wait and ensured the first BWF World Tour title for him The Ker ala shuttler prevailed over W eng Hong Yang of China in an energy-sapping one hour 34 minute final 21-19, 13-2 1, 2 1-18 to clinch the M al a y sia M ast er s B W F Supe r -5 00 t it l e in Kuala Lumpur last week Prannoy is the first Indian man to win the Malaysia Masters after its inception in 2009

This is also the first singles title of the season for India As the Indian fans waited with bated breath after both players were locked at 18-18, Prannoy fired three smashes, two to the right and one to the left of his opponent to seize the crown “I think there are just too many emotions as such because the last six years were too much of a roller coaster ride for me and I really didn’t expect this to happen after six years To be honest, if you had asked me in 2017, I don’t think I would have told you that in 2023 I would be winning a Super 500 I want to thank all the coaches and the support staff I think we have worked really, really hard and the result is showing,” Prannoy said after the victory

“It’s too many emotions as such and then you are excited to come out there and play in

front of such a big crowd The draw was really tough for me and had really tough matches as I had to dig really deep,” he added The hardhitting 30-year-old battled several peculiar health issues all through his career and despite possessing loads of talent was undone by untimely injuries, which at times looked threatened to finish off his career

While his friends Kidambi Srikanth, Sai Praneeth and Parupalli Kashyap won titles, Prannoy was slowed down by injuries For a long time he struggled with problem of sweat foot that affected his movement on the court During the World Championships in 2018 he suffered from gastroesophageal reflux disease He took a long time to recover and when it looked like things were moving well he contracted Covid-19 in November 2020 Though many of his fellow shuttlers recovered well, Prannoy suffered from the after-affects of the infection as the lining of his lungs got inflamed Even though age was not on his side he never lost hope and played a few fabulous matches to power India to the top of the Thomas Cup podium last year The victory at Kuala Lumpur will help Prannoy realise his dream of competing in the Olympics

Monank Patel to lead USA at 2023 Cricket World Cup Qualifier

U SA has announced their 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC Men's Cricket W orld Cup Qualifier, which will take place in Zimbabwe from June 18 to July 9 Monank Patel has been appointed captain of the team during the tournam ent The U SA team earned their place in the qualifier after securing the top position in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Qualifier Playoff held in Namibia earlier this year

Aaron Jones has been chosen as the deputy to Monank Patel The squad also features left-arm pacer Abhishek Paradkar, who will be stepping in for Ian Holland, as he will

be unavailable due to his county championship commitments with Hampshire in England

Pacer Ali Khan, who topped the wicket-taking chart in the Qualifier Playoff with 16 scalps, including an impressive haul of 7/42 against Jersey, will miss the first two matches after he received a demerit point during the final game at the Qualifier Playoff for animated exchanges with Jersey players According to Khan's accumulated demerit points led to a twomatch suspension, regardless of the format USA has been placed in Group A for the tournament

alongside West Indies, Zimbabwe, Netherlands, and Nepal Each team will play the others in their group once, with the top three teams from each group advancing to the Super Six stage In the Super Six, the teams will face the sides they didn't encounter in the group stage All points earned in the group stage will be carried over to the Super Six stage, except for those obtained against teams that fail to progress to the Super Six The two top teams following the Super Six stage will compete in the final and secure qualification for the main ODI World Cup event in India