Issue 27

Israel criticizes Joe Biden’s threat of arms freeze over Rafah

Friday, 10 May 2024

Israel on Thursday criticized US President Joe Biden’s threat of an arms freeze in the event of a further advance in Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip. Far-right Israeli Police Minister Itamar BenGvir wrote on X on Thursday that the Palestinian Islamist Hamas loves Biden. To make his message clear, he placed a heart emoji between the words “Hamas” and “Biden.”

Israeli opposition politicians criticized Ben-Gvir for endangering Israel with such statements. However, Ben-Gvir is not a member of the war cabinet and is therefore not directly involved in key decisions in the Gaza war.

In an interview with broadcaster CNN, Biden had said that the US would not supply the weapons for a full-scale invasion of Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip, which is overcrowded with hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees.

The US government had already withheld a delivery of ammunition because of Israel’s actions in Rafah. US media reported that the delivery comprised 3,500 bombs, including 2,000-pound bombs.

According to analysts, Israel is using these in the fight against Hamas, for example to destroy the Islamists’ underground tunnels. US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin made it clear to Congress on Wednesday that Washington expects Israel to take precise action in Gaza to protect civilians. However, 2000-pound bombs could cause “collateral damage.”

Senior Israeli officials have expressed “deep frustration” over the withheld delivery and warned that it could jeopardize indirect negotiations on a ceasefire and the release of hostages, two informed sources told the Axios news portal.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz posted on X: “Israel will continue to fight Hamas until its destruction. There is no war more just than this.” Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich wrote in a statement that Israel had received a reminder “that our war of independence is still ongoing.”

In the course of its founding in 1948, the state was also confronted with a US arms embargo. “Today, once again, we will achieve a complete victory in this war, despite President Biden’s resistance and an arms embargo. We simply have no other choice, because this war is an existential struggle and anything less than a comprehensive victory would jeopardize the existence of the Jewish state.”

Stop providing safe haven to criminal & secessionist elements: India tells Canada

India on Tuesday reacted strongly to pro-Khalistani elements taking the center stage, raising anti-India slogans, and displaying objectionable posters against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a ‘Nagar Kirtan’ organized at Malton in Canada, urging the government led by Justin Trudeau to stop providing criminal and secessionist elements a safe haven and political space in the country.

The parade organized on Monday from Malton to Rexdale in Ontario witnessed not just the raising of anti-India slogans, but also floats threatening India’s top leaders.

“As you are aware, we have repeatedly raised our strong concerns regarding the violent imagery being used by extremist elements in Canada against our political leadership. Last year, a float depicting the assassination of our former Prime Minister was used in a procession.

“Display of posters of Indian diplomats

have also been put out across Canada threatening violence against them,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA)

Russia accuses US of interfering in India’s internal affairs, trying to ‘complicate’ Lok Sabha elections

Targeting the US for interfering in India’s internal affairs, Russia has said that Washington is trying to “complicate” the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, including by making “regular unfounded accusations” on threats to religious freedom in the country.

Reacting strongly to the recent report released by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson

Maria Zakharova said Washington not only “groundlessly” accuses India, but also many other states.

“Regular unfounded accusations by the United States against New Delhi - we see that they groundlessly accuse not only India, but also many other states - of violating religious freedoms are a reflection of the United States’ misunderstanding of the national mentality, the historical context of the development of the Indian state and disrespect for India as a state,” Zakharova told mediapersons in Moscow on Wednesday.

“I am sure that this also comes from the neocolonial mentality, the mentality of the colonial period, the period of the slave trade, and imperialism... This does not only apply to India. The reason is the desire to unbalance the internal political situation in India in order to complicate the general parliamentary elections taking place in the country. Of course, this is part of interference in India’s internal affairs,” added the Russian MFA spokesperson.

During the regular media briefing, Zakharova was also asked about a report published in a US newspaper that accused an Indian official of a “foiled assassination”

“According to the information we have, Washington has not yet provided any reliable evidence of the involvement of Indian citizens in the preparation of the murder of a certain G.S. Pannun. Speculation on this topic in the absence of evidence is unacceptable,” stated Zakharova.

Last week, India slammed the USCIRF report, saying that the agency’s efforts to interfere in India’s ongoing elections will never succeed.

“They have been releasing their reports earlier as well, in earlier years. The USCIRF is known as a biased organization with a political agenda. They continue to publish their propaganda on India masquerading as part of an annual report. We really have no expectation that USCIRF will even seek to understand India’s diverse, pluralistic and democratic ethos. Their efforts to interfere in the largest electoral exercise of the world will never succeed,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters in New Delhi.

ndia on Thursday reminded Maldives that it has been a key provider of development assistance to the island nation and several projects funded by New Delhi have benefited the lives of thousands of people in the country.

“India has been a key provider of development assistance to the Maldives. Our projects have benefited the lives of people of your country; contributed directly to the quality of life. They range from infrastructure projects and social initiatives to medical evacuation and health facilities,” External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said during his meeting with Moosa Zameer, Foreign Minister of Maldives, who is on his first official visit to India since assuming office. It is in our common interest that we reach an understanding to take our relationship forward, EAM Jaishankar tells Maldives Foreign Minister

spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement.

plot on foreign soil.

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Friday, 10 May 2024

It is in our common interest that we reach an understanding to take our relationship forward, EAM Jaishankar tells Maldives Foreign Minister

from Pg. 01

In his opening remarks, Jaishankar mentioned India extending financial support to Maldives “on favorable terms” in the past and also mentioned New Delhi being the “first responder” on numerous occasions.

“Our cooperation has also enhanced the security and well-being of your country through shared activities, equipment provisioning, capacity building and training. It is in our common interest that we reach an understanding on how best we take our relationship forward,” said the EAM.

The meeting, Jaishankar stated, was an opportunity to discuss the mutual relationship and chart out future directions.

“As close and proximate neighbors, the development of our ties is obviously based on mutual interests and reciprocal sensitivity. As far as India is concerned, these are articulated in terms of our ‘Neighborhood First’ policy and ‘SAGAR’ vision,” he said.

In spite of the recent sour ties between the two neighboring countries after President Mohamed Muizzu came to power in Maldives last year, India recently announced limited exports of essential goods including sugar, wheat, rice, onions and eggs as a goodwill gesture.

“A pleasure to meet with Dr. S. Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs of India, in New Delhi. We reflected on our long history of bilateral partnership shared by mutual respect and understanding. We exchanged perspectives on increasing engagement and exchanges between Maldives and India, both bilaterally and in the international arena,” Zameer posted on X after the meeting with Jaishankar.

Stop providing safe haven to criminal & secessionist elements: India tells Canada

from Pg. 01

Insisting that celebration and glorification of violence should not be a part of any civilized society, the MEA official made it clear that democratic countries “which respect the rule of law” should not allow intimidation by radical elements in the name of freedom of expression.

“We continue to remain concerned about the security of our diplomatic representatives in Canada and expect the Government of Canada to ensure that they are able to carry out their responsibilities without fear.

“We again call upon the Government of Canada to stop providing criminal and secessionist elements a safe haven and political space in Canada,” Jaiswal said in the statement.

2

TikTok sues US government to block potential ban

TikTok, an online video entertainment platform, and its Chinese parent company ByteDance have filed a legal challenge against the US government over a law forcing ByteDance to sell off the ultra-popular app or face a nationwide ban in the country.

US President Joe Biden signed a TikTok ban bill into law last month after it was passed by both houses of US Congress.

“Congress has taken the unprecedented step of expressly singling out and banning TikTok: a vibrant online forum for protected speech and expression used by 170 million Americans to create, share, and view videos over the Internet,” said TikTok in the petition filed on Tuesday in the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, adding that “For the first time in history, Congress has enacted a law that subjects a single, named speech platform to a permanent, nationwide ban, and bars every American from participating in a unique online

community with more than 1 billion people worldwide.”

TikTok pointed out in the petition that the law -- the Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act -- is “unconstitutional”, Xinhua news agency reported.

“Banning TikTok is so obviously unconstitutional, in fact, that even the Act’s sponsors recognized that reality, and therefore have tried mightily to depict the law not as a ban at all, but merely a regulation of TikTok’s ownership,” said TikTok.

The law only gives ByteDance 270 days to sell TikTok to a non-Chinese buyer, with the possibility of a 90-day extension if the US President determines it necessary.

“But in reality, there is no choice,” said TikTok, noting that the “qualified divestiture” demanded by the Act to allow TikTok to continue operating in the US is simply not possible: not commercially, not technologically, not legally.

US House votes to kill motion to remove Speaker Mike Johnson

The US House of Representatives has overwhelmingly voted to kill a resolution to remove House Speaker Mike Johnson. The House on Wednesday voted 35943 on a motion by Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene from Georgia to oust Johnson from his post, with seven Democrats voting “present”, Xinhua news agency reported.

Greene called up her resolution to remove fellow Republican and House Speaker Johnson on the House floor Wednesday evening. But House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, a Louisiana Republican, immediately motioned to table the measure.

“A remarkable number of House Republicans joined with Democrats to rescue the speaker, who has only been in the job for a little over six months,” reported The Washington Post, adding that Johnson earned grudging respect from more traditional Republicans for ensuring the government didn’t run out of funding and sending aid to US allies and Israel and Ukraine, but he only did so with Democratic support, infuriating members like Greene.

Johnson has also been emboldened by the backing of former US President Donald Trump, who reiterated his support for the Louisiana Republican over the weekend, said the report.

It’s the second time in less than a year that Republicans have sought to remove their own party’s speaker. Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California was voted out of the job in October through a motion filed by a fellow member of the Republican Party.

Greene has called for Johnson’s removal in recent weeks, mostly over the US aid package for Ukraine. It’s the latest sign of continued Republican infighting.

Israel criticizes Joe Biden’s threat of arms freeze over Rafah

Contd. from Pg. 01

Since the Israeli army took over the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing on Monday, around 80,000 people have fled the city, which is overcrowded with refugees, according to UN figures. Israel expanded its presence on Tuesday by sending troops to the eastern side of Rafah.

“The toll on these families is unbearable. Nowhere is safe,” the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinians in the Near East or UNRWA said on X, adding: “We need a #CeasefireNOW.”

Meanwhile, an Israeli strike on a car in southern Lebanon Thursday, killed at least four people, Lebanese civil defence and security sources said. The attack set the car ablaze on a road in the town of Baflieh in south Lebanon. It was not initially clear whether the victims were members of the pro-Iranian Hezbollah or other militias operating from Lebanon. The Israeli military said it was investigating the matter.

On Wednesday, Israeli strikes on two areas

in southern Lebanon killed three members of the Islamic Jihad in the town Khyiam and two from he pro-Iranian Hezbollah in Adissyeh. Since the beginning of the Gaza war seven months ago, there have been daily military confrontations between Israel’s army and the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon at the border.

There have already been fatalities on both sides. Mutual shelling has caused severe destruction in towns on both sides of the border, resulting in either the evacuation or departure of around 150,000 people from the combat zone.

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Contd.

Contd.

Trump’s classified documents trial postponed indefinitely

The official start of the trial against former US President Donald Trump in the affair surrounding the retention of secret government documents has been postponed indefinitely.

The previously planned start of the trial on May 20 has been cancelled, the judge in charge, Aileen Cannon, announced in a letter on Tuesday. She said unresolved legal issues were behind the postponement. It is therefore unlikely that the trial will begin before the US presidential election in November.

The decision is a success for the Republican candidate, as he is trying to delay the start of a possible trial as much as possible. The 77-year-old hopes to move back into the White House after the presidential election.

Trump is currently also on trial in a court in New York in connection with hush money payments to a porn actress. But this trial is not Trump’s only legal problem.

Trump was hit with federal charges in the document affair last year. He is accused of unlawfully retaining highly-sensitive information from his time as president between 2017 and 2021.

In August 2022, the FBI raided Trump’s mansion in Florida and seized several sets of documents classified as top secret. Trump is also accused of conspiring to obstruct the investigation.

He is alleged to have tried to use associates to make footage from surveillance cameras disappear and to have boxes of documents taken away.

Trump pleaded not guilty when the charges were presented in Miami last year. His lawyers are still trying to avert the trial, invoking Trump’s immunity as president. They argue that keeping the documents as personal records was an official act of the president.

Hamas did not agree to draft for ceasefire before Rafah assault: US

The US government contradicted reports that Hamas had agreed to a proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza war shortly before the Israeli army started a military operation in the city of Rafah.

“Hamas did not accept the ceasefire proposal. Hamas responded, and in their response, made several suggestions. It’s not the same as accepting,” said US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller in Washington. Miller explained that the draft under discussion was an offer made at the end of April.

“That’s the offer that was on the table,” he said. “Hamas seemed to make clear... in their public statements that they accepted that offer yesterday. That is not what they did. They responded with amendments - call it a counter proposal if you wantand we’re working through the details of that now.”

The Israeli military on Tuesday said it had taken control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing in the south of the Gaza Strip overnight, in an operation the Israeli leadership has promised would be “limited.”

Rafah was the last city in the Gaza Strip that Israeli forces had not entered during its massive offensive, which began after the October 7 attacks on southern Israel, during

which Hamas and other groups killed around 1,200 people and took around 200 hostages. The more than 100 hostages, still in captivity, are believed to be held in Rafah. Israel’s allies and other international leaders have been warning against a Rafah offensive. Large numbers of Palestinian civilians have sought shelter in the city after fleeing Israeli airstrikes and ground operations elsewhere in the Gaza Strip.

Biden condemns antiSemitism, promises to support Israel

US President Joe Biden has strongly condemned antiSemitism at pro-Palestinian protests at universities and reaffirmed his “ironclad” support for Israel.

“My commitment to the safety of the Jewish people, the security of Israel, and its right to exist as an independent Jewish state is ironclad. Even when we disagree,” Biden said at the US Capitol on Tuesday at an event commemorating the victims of the Holocaust.

“There is no place on any campus in America or any place in America for anti-Semitism or hate speech or threats of violence of any kind,” he said.

Some of the rallies in support of Palestine at US campuses have also criticized Biden’s Middle East policy. He, meanwhile, has become more critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s actions in the Gaza war.

In his speech, Biden said people must learn from history, and pointed to the unprecedented massacre of more than 1,200 people by militants from the Palestinian Islamist organization Hamas and other groups in Israel on October 7 that led to the war.

Too many people deny, denigrate or distort the Holocaust and October 7, including the “appalling use of sexual violence by Hamas to torture and terrorize Jews,” Biden said. This is “despicable” and must stop.

Work to form multi-polar world order will continue, says Putin after beginning fifth presidential term

Promising continuation of his efforts to form a “multipolar world order” and an “equal and indivisible security system”, Vladimir Putin, who took office as President of Russia for the fifth time on Tuesday, said that Moscow remains open to strengthening good relations with all countries that see it as a “reliable and honest partner”.

“We do not refuse dialogue with Western states. The choice is theirs: do they intend to continue trying to restrain the development of Russia, continue the policy of aggression, continuous pressure on our country for years, or look for a path to cooperation and peace,” he said

after the ceremony held at St. Andrew’s Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace which marked the beginning his new six-year presidential term.

The 71-year-old leader was quick to add that the conversation - including on issues of security and strategic stability - is possible “only on equal terms, respecting each other’s interests” and “not from a position of strength”.

“Together with our partners in Eurasian integration and other sovereign development centres, we will continue to work to form a multipolar world order and an equal and indivisible security system,” he added.

The ceremony began with the ceremonial introduction of the State Flag

of Russia, the Standard of the President, the Constitution of Russia and the Badge of the President of Russia.

Elected with 87 per cent of the vote, Putin took the oath to the people of Russia following which Valery Zorkin, Chairman of the Constitutional Court, announced his assumption as President of the Russian Federation. Later, the Presidential Regiment was presented to Putin, who is also the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.

“I am confident that we will pass through this difficult, milestone period with dignity, become even stronger and will definitely implement long-term plans and large-scale projects aimed at achieving development goals,” said Putin.

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Friday, 10 May

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Publisher Note

Happy Mother’s Day from IndoUS Tribune!

As we celebrate Mother’s Day, I extend my heartfelt wishes to all the mothers around the world who play an invaluable role in shaping the future of humanity. Today, we honor and appreciate the selfless love, unwavering dedication, and boundless sacrifices of mothers everywhere.

Mothers hold a special place in our hearts, for they are the architects of our earliest memories and the guardians of our deepest emotions.

From the moment a child is conceived, a mother’s nurturing begins, as she carries her precious cargo with grace and strength, embodying the miracle of life itself.

Throughout the journey of motherhood, from infancy to adulthood, mothers are the steadfast pillars of support, guiding their children with wisdom, compassion, and unconditional love. They instill values of kindness, resilience, and empathy, laying the foundation for a brighter tomorrow.

It is the tender touch of a mother’s hand, the soothing lullabies sung in the quiet of the night, and the reassuring embrace that nurture the soul and shape the character of a child. Every smile, every tear, and every

moment shared between a mother and child is a testament to the profound bond that transcends time and space.

Today, as we honor mothers worldwide, let us express our deepest gratitude for their immeasurable contributions to our lives and society as a whole. Let us cherish the memories we hold dear and celebrate the remarkable women who have touched our hearts with their love and kindness.

To all the mothers, grandmothers, stepmothers, foster mothers, and mother figures, we say thank you for your boundless love, unwavering strength, and endless sacrifices.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Best Regards, Dr. (H) Avi Verma Publisher, IndoUS Tribune

Dr. (H) Avi Verma

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Friday, 10 May 2024

Indian sailors still on stranded ship off US port city after 35 days

They would have been in Colombo in Sri Lanka, their destination, a couple of days ago, and would have been on their way home. But they remain on a cargo ship off the coast of the US port city of Baltimore. The 20 Indian members of the crew of Dali remain on board the vessel 35 days after the container ship brought down a bridge in Baltimore on March 26 in an early morning maritime accident that claimed the lives of six men who were working on the bridge at the time.

A member of the crew who was injured received treatment on shore and returned to the ship the day after. If everything had gone right that night, they would be in Colombo by the end of Monday or Tuesday. Fluent Cargo, a company that says it plans freight routes for clients across land, air, and sea, says a container ship would take about 33 days and 21 hours to reach Colombo from Baltimore. If everything goes according to schedule, they might have added.

Dali hit a pillar of the Key Scott Bridge, a 50-year-old structure that serves thousands of motorists every day, in circumstances that are being investigated by multiple US agencies. The collision brought the bridge and blocked the passage of all cargo ships waiting to be on their way after Dali. The crew are on the ship which is the scene of investigation by the US authorities.

The FBI has launched a criminal inquiry into the incident apart from separate probes underway by the National Transportation Safety Board and the Coast Guard’s Marine

Board of Investigation. The bridge collapse received nationwide attention and US President Joe Biden has promised all possible help in the construction of the bridge and visited the site. Jim Lawrence, a spokesperson for the Dali owner Grace Ocean Private Ltd., said the Indian crew members confirmed their presence on board now for 33 days.

“Still on board, in good spirits,” he added.

They are frequently represented by representatives of the company and the Indian embassy and by the Seamen’s Church Institute, which serves mariners in education, legal advocacy, and pastoral guidance. The crew “routinely have catered meals and desserts

Ukraine arrests 2 colonels over secret plot to murder Zelenskyy

Ukraine’s security service said it had foiled a plot to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelenskyy by undercover Ukrainian security officials who were working for Russia.

Two unnamed colonels from the Ukrainian State Security Department, the SBU — the main organization protecting top officials including Zelenskyy — were part of a group of covert agents helping Russia’s security service, the FSB, to plot the assassination, Kyiv said.

The colonels were arrested and Kyiv

said the conspiracy included plans to also murder SBU chief Vasyl Malyuk and Military Intelligence boss Kyrylo Budanov.

Zelenskyy has previously said he has survived more than 10 assassination attempts. “But it is the first time such a high-ranking official of the state security department has become [the] enemy’s moles,” Artem Dehtiarenko, SBU spokesman said in an interview.

Both colonels were detained by Ukraine’s security service. If found guilty in court, they face life in prison for plotting a terror attack and state treason.

delivered to the ship”, Lawrence said, adding, “In addition to performing normal duties on board the ship, they are also assisting with the investigations and with the ongoing salvage work.”

A request to interview the crew or get a written statement from any of them was turned down “out of respect for the investigation”.

The Indian embassy in Washington D.C. declined a request for the names of the stranded sailors and had not responded till the filing of this report to a request for information about the well-being of the Indian sailors: if they can go off the ship, whether they have US

permission to go on the mainland, and, finally, how often was the embassy or the relevant consulate checking on the crew. Experts have said the sailors could remain on the ship for a few more weeks and or, months. And when they are allowed to leave, the junior sailors will be prioritized. The senior members were in for a long stay on the ship which is standing still in the waters as engineers cut away parts of the collapsed bridge lying across its bow, the front part.

Authorities expect to get the ship afloat again by May 10 and dock it. It will remain there for the duration of the investigations. The owners have said the crew has received counseling from workplace mental health specialists with experience in the maritime industry.

A dedicated team that included clinical psychologists had worked round-the-clock in support of the crew in the immediate aftermath of the incident “in the form of regular, individual, and confidential counseling”. These resources were on offer also to families of the crew. The company had allowed the crew members unlimited use of the ship’s satellite communications system to stay in contact with their families.

The spokesperson did not say the crew was still enjoying this facility. Dali was constructed by South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries and was launched in late 2014.

It’s owned by Grace Ocean Private Ltd, flies a Singapore flag, and runs on diesel. It is 984 feet (300 meter) long, weighs 95,000 tons when empty, and can carry 10,000 20-foot (six meter) containers.

UNGA president invokes Mahatma Gandhi to call for protecting journalists

Invoking Mahatma Gandhi’s statement that “freedom of the press is a precious privilege that no country can forego”, General Assembly President Dennis Francis has called for reaffirming commitments “to protecting journalists and media workers worldwide”.

After posting the comment on the social media X on World Press Freedom Day, last week, Francis issued a joint statement with Presidents Simona Mirela Miculescu of the UNESCO General Conference, Paula Narváez of the UN Economic and Social Council, and Omar Zneiber of the Human Rights Council, focusing on journalists covering the environment.

“We advocate for the strengthening of policies that promote free, independent, and pluralistic media, thereby fostering a vibrant and robust public sphere, a pillar of peaceful, just, inclusive, sustainable, and prosperous societies,” they said.

“We also recognize the role of journalists and media workers, including women, in raising public awareness about climate change, environmental and disaster issues,” they said.

According to Francis’s Spokesperson Monica Grayely, the World Press Freedom Day this year “is dedicated to the importance of journalism and freedom of expression in the context of the current global environmental crisis”.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a message, “The world is going through an unprecedented environmental emergency which poses an existential threat to this and future generations.”

“People need to know about this - and journalists and media workers have a key role in informing and educating them,” he said.

He said, “It is no surprise that some powerful people, companies and institutions will stop at nothing to prevent environmental journalists from doing their jobs. Media freedom is under siege. And environmental journalism is an increasingly dangerous profession.”

UNESCO reported that in the past 15 years, there have been about 750 attacks on journalists and news outlets reporting on environmental issues.

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Renowned American artist Frank Stella dies aged 87

Frank Stella, the American artist renowned for his abstract works, died on Saturday at the age of 87, his longtime representative said in a statement. Stella died at his home in Manhattan. His wife, Dr. Harriet E. McGurk, said the cause was lymphoma, according to The New York Times. Born in 1936, Massachusetts native Stella attended Phillips Academy Andover, where he studied painting under Patrick Morgan. He then studied history and painting at Princeton under Stephen Greene and Willliam Seitz, before moving to New York City in the late 1950s.

Stella achieved early fame with his monochromatic “Black Paintings,” which were displayed at the Museum of Modern Art when he was just 22, and became his most famous contribution to the postwar abstract movement. Stella used house paint and a wide brush to create black stripes and left evenly spaced thin lines of exposed canvas between them. His acclaimed works include the “Protractor Series” of curved lines and bright colors, created in the late 1960s and early 70s, as well as the neon-speckled “Moby Dick”-inspired sculptures from the 80s and 90s.

RFK Jr. details medical abnormality that he says was a parasitic worm in his brain

US presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr has said that the health scare he faced back in 2010 “was caused by a worm”, which got into his brain and “ate a portion of it and then died”.

His statements were mentioned in a divorce case deposition in 2012 and have been reviewed by The New York Times.

Two years before the deposition, Kennedy experienced “memory loss and mental fogginess” so severe that one of his friends grew concerned he might have a ‘brain tumor,’ the report said.

Back then, neurologists, who earlier treated his uncle -- Massachusetts senator Ted Kennedy, before his death from brain cancer in 2009 -- told him that he had a dark spot on his brain scans, concluding that he, too, had a tumor.

However, Kennedy later got to know from a doctor at New York-Presbyterian Hospital that the scans had picked up abnormalities which later turned out to be “caused by a worm”. Further, he stated that the cognitive issues were later resolved. Around the same time, he was also diagnosed with mercury poisoning. While it sounds strange to many, parasites can affect the human brain.

US Senate passes sweeping aviation safety, consumer bill

The U.S. Senate late on Thursday overwhelmingly passed a broad aviation bill to boost air traffic controller staffing, increase funding to avert runway close-call incidents and speed refunds for canceled flights.

The $105 billion, five-year measure reauthorizes the Federal Aviation Administration. The bill prohibits airlines from charging fees for families to sit together and requires airplanes to be equipped with 25-hour cockpit recording devices - up from the current two-hours - and directs the FAA to deploy advanced airport surface technology to help prevent collisions.

The bill adds five daily round-trip flights at busy Washington National Airport and requires airlines to accept vouchers and credits for at least five years. Efforts to boost aviation safety in the United States have taken on new urgency after a series of near-miss incidents and the Jan. 5 Alaska Airlines and Boeing 737 MAX 9 door plug mid-air emergency.

The bill, which is expected to get final approval next week from the U.S. House of Representatives, does not raise the mandatory pilot retirement age to 67 as lawmakers had sought to do last year.

Earlier this week, lawmakers agreed to revise language to ensure quick refunds for airline passengers whose flights are canceled who bought non-refundable tickets and who are not seeking alternative flights.

The bill raises maximum civil penalties for airline consumer violations from $25,000 per violation to $75,000 and aims to address a shortage of 3,000 air traffic controllers by directing the FAA to implement improved staffing standards and to hire more inspectors, engineers and technical specialists.

Baltimore bridge collapse: Body of last missing worker recovered

The body of the sixth and final worker who was missing after a bridge collapse in the US city of Baltimore more than one month ago has been recovered, officials have said.

Unified Command salvage teams located the victim and promptly notified the Maryland Department of State Police. State police investigators along with officers from the Maryland Transportation Authority Police and the FBI responded to the scene and recovered the body of a sixth construction worker, Xinhua news agency reported, citing an official statement posted online.

The victim is identified as Jose Mynor Lopez, 37, of Baltimore, Maryland, said the statement.

“With heavy hearts, today marks a

significant milestone in our recovery efforts and providing closure to the loved ones of the six workers who lost their lives in this tragic event,” said Colonel Roland L. Butler, Jr., Superintendent of the Maryland Department of State Police, in the statement.

The 2.6-km-long Francis Scott Key Bridge, a major bridge that held Interstate 695, collapsed on March 26 after being hit by a large container ship, which experienced a power failure before the collision. Eight people initially went into the water after the incident occurred and two of them were rescued from the Patapsco River, with one in critical condition.

The six individuals who went missing, all road maintenance workers, were reportedly on the bridge repairing potholes. They were all presumed dead after the US Coast Guard suspended days of search and rescue efforts.

Columbia University cancels main commencement event

Columbia University has cancelled its main graduation after weeks of protests on campus over the Israel-Gaza war. The Ivy League school said it was ditching the 15 May commencement in favor of smaller celebrations to focus on “keeping them safe”.

The New York City university said it had arrived at the decision after consultations with student leaders. Colleges across the US are bracing for disruptions at graduations amid pro-Palestinian protests. Columbia University said in a statement on Monday, “Our students emphasized that these smaller-scale, school-based celebrations are most meaningful to them and their families.

“They are eager to cross the stage to applause and family pride and hear from their school’s invited guest speakers. As a result, we will focus our resources on those school ceremonies and on keeping them safe, respectful, and running smoothly.”

About 2,500 people have been arrested at campuses nationwide, according to an Associated Press count. Last week, Columbia called in the police to clear pro-Palestinian protesters from its campus in Upper Manhattan, leading to more than 100 arrests.

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Over 600 rescued from flooded areas in Texas

More than 600 people have been rescued from flooded areas around Houston, the fourth largest US city, as a flood watch continues through Sunday afternoon in eastern Texas. More rainfall was forecast, raising the risk of major flooding. More than 21 inches (53 centimeters) of rain fell in the past five days near Splendora, about 30 miles (50 km) northeast of Houston, said the service. Lina Hidalgo, judge of Harris County, said at a news conference on Saturday that nearly 180 people and 122 pets had been rescued from murky water across multiple areas in the county.

Local media reported more than 100 water rescues in Polk County and nearly 400 in Montgomery County. All three counties are in or around the Houston metro area. The water rose nearly as high as the power lines close to the East Fork of the San Jacinto.

Other areas had water up to rooftops, the Houston Chronicle reported on Saturday. Hidalgo described the flooding along the East Fork as the “worst one since Harvey.” Hidalgo last week ordered a mandatory evacuation of the Houston areas along the east fork of the San Jacinto River, asking residents to leave their homes as soon as possible. Houston city officials said on Saturday that the area received about four months’ worth of rain in about one week. No deaths or injuries have been reported.

US soldier in Russian detention didn’t request approval for trip to Russia, says Army spokesperson

AUS soldier, held in Russia for alleged theft, did not request official clearance for his trip to Russia, an Army spokesperson said, noting he is currently in a pretrial detention facility. Cynthia Smith, the spokesperson, made the remarks as Staff Sgt. Gordon Black was arrested on charges of stealing personal property in the Russian Far Eastern city of Vladivostok on Thursday, Yonhap news agency reported.

Black was most recently assigned to the Eighth US Army at Camp Humphreys in South Korea, Smith confirmed. On April 10, he was issued a permanent change-ofstation (PCS) leave for reassignment to Fort Cavazos, Texas, but flew from Incheon, west of Seoul, to Vladivostok via China for personal reasons.

“Black did not request official clearance, and DoD did not authorize his travel to China and Russia. Official and leave travel is currently restricted pursuant to the DoD Foreign Clearance Guide,” Smith said in a statement. DoD means the Department of Defense.

“There is no evidence Black intended to remain in Russia after his PCS leave period ended,” she added.

On Friday, a Russian foreign ministry official informed the US Embassy in Moscow that Black was arrested. He will remain in detention until his next hearing pending determination, according to Smith.

Hunter Biden loses bid to dismiss gun charges, clearing way for June trial

Afederal appeals court panel rejected a bid by U.S. President Joe Biden’s son to dismiss criminal gun charges, clearing the way for Hunter Biden’s June 3 trial, a first for the child of a sitting president. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia said Hunter Biden could not appeal because the lower court had not yet entered a final judgment in the case.

Shortly after the appeals court ruled, U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika ordered the trial of up to six days to begin June 3 in Wilmington, Delaware. Hunter Biden’s legal team said they will ask the full appeals court in Philadelphia to review the panel’s decision.

“In reviewing the panel’s decision, we believe the issues involved are too

important and further review of our request is appropriate,” said a statement by Abbe Lowell, an attorney for Hunter Biden.

Hunter Biden was appealing orders issued last month by Noreika. The judge denied motions to dismiss two counts accusing Hunter Biden of lying about using illegal narcotics when he purchased a Colt Cobra handgun in 2018 and a third count of illegally possessing that weapon.

Hunter Biden’s legal team had argued that the lower trial court had to wait for the federal appeals court to rule before it could push ahead with a trial.

Hunter Biden faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison on the gun charges. The trial will come as Joe Biden is ramping up his campaign for reelection. Hunter Biden is also facing criminal tax charges in California.

Biden administration, civil groups sue Iowa over immigrant arrest law

The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden filed a lawsuit on Thursday seeking to block an Iowa law authorizing the arrest and prosecution of people who have returned to the U.S. after being deported, as a growing number of Republican-led states consider similar proposals.

The complaint filed in Des Moines, Iowa, federal court by the U.S. Department of Justice claims that the law known as S.F. 2340 unlawfully interferes with the federal government’s ability to enforce U.S. immigration law.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other civil rights groups filed a similar lawsuit in the same court earlier on Thursday. The Biden administration

and the ACLU have made the same argument in lawsuits challenging a similar Texas law that has served as a model for Republican lawmakers across the country who say President Joe Biden, a Democrat, has failed to address a recent increase in illegal border crossings.

Iowa’s law makes “illegal reentry” into the state a crime punishable by up to two years in prison and authorizes state judges to order that individuals return to their home countries after serving sentences.

The lawsuits filed on Thursday say S.F. 2340 clashes with the system created by federal law for deporting people who are in the country illegally. And the state law does not exempt people who have legal status in the United States, including asylum applicants and recipients of visas for survivors of domestic violence, the civil rights groups said.

Oklahoma tornadoes kill at least one person, injure five

Aswarm of tornadoes touched down overnight in Oklahoma, according to local media reports, killing at least one person and injuring at least five as they flattened homes and ripped down trees in the northeast corner of the state. As the morning sun rose over the area, fire crews were surveying the destruction and rescuing residents in Barnsdall and Bartlesville, two rural towns just north of Tulsa ravaged by the twisters, according to local news. Some 40 homes were damaged or destroyed and a natural gas leak was reported in Barnsdall, according to the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management. One person died in the community of 1,000, according to KOCO News. Five others were injured in Bartlesville, a town of 30,000, the ABC affiliate in Oklahoma City reported.

Video footage aired on local media and social media showed destroyed houses, downed powerlines and trees and debris strewn across roadways throughout the area. Some 16,000 homes and businesses were without power in Oklahoma, according to Poweroutage.us.

Trump’s hush money trial continues as prosecutors prepare for final witnesses

Donald Trump returned to court on Friday after porn star Stormy Daniels’ lurid testimony about her alleged sexual encounter with him, as prosecutors prepared to call their final witnesses in the first-ever criminal trial of a sitting or former U.S. president.

In seven hours of testimony this week over two days in New York state criminal court in Manhattan, Daniels spared few details.

She told jurors she had sex with Trump in a Lake Tahoe hotel suite in 2006 while he was married to his wife Melania, testifying about gold tweezers she saw in his toiletry bag and stating that he did not wear a condom.

Trump, 77, has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up his former lawyer Michael Cohen’s $130,000 payment to Daniels, 45, for her silence ahead of the 2016 U.S. presidential election about the alleged encounter.

He denies having sex with Daniels and has called the case a politically motivated effort to interfere with his campaign to win back the White House in the Nov. 5 U.S. election against his Democratic opponent, President Joe Biden.

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Monty Panesar, first Sikh to play cricket from England against India, quits politics one week after joining it

Former England spinner

Monty Panesar has ended his political stint in just one week as he announced that he is withdrawing as a parliamentary candidate for George Galloway’s Workers Party of Great Britain.

The 42-year-old Panesar was unveiled by Galloway amid much fanfare in Westminster last week. The former left-arm spinner was due to contest the Ealing Southall seat in West London at the next general election.

Panesar, however, decided to withdraw his candidacy after a series of challenging media interviews, in one of which he struggled to offer an opinion on the UK’s continued membership of NATO. Earlier, Panesar had expressed prime ministerial aspirations and said that he wanted to be “the voice for the workers of this country”. Panesar, whose full name is Mudhsuden Singh Panesar, became the first practising Sikh to represent England in 2006 during a tour of India.

Indian Embassy in China holds first meeting with students hit hard by Covid visa bans

The Indian Embassy in Beijing has held its first interactive session with the Indian students who suffered the most during the three-year Covid-19 period following China’s visa bans prolonging their academic periods for several years.

Around 80 old and new students from more than 13 Chinese universities took part in the “welcome and interaction ceremony” held on May 4. Indian Ambassador to China Pradeep Kumar Rawat, and Counselor Nitinjeet Singh interacted with the students and heard their grievances and experiences during Saturday’s meeting. Until the coronavirus struck China in early 2020 over 23,000 Indian students mostly studying medicine in Chinese universities constituting the second-highest number of foreign students after Pakistan.

Currently, the numbers reportedly come down to around 10,000 across China.

Chinese medical universities became preferred destinations in the past as private medical colleges in India charged exorbitant fees while admissions to government institutions became extremely competitive. However, they have to write the Foreign Medical Graduates Examination in India to qualify for practice in India.

When COVID-19 struck China, most of the Indian students left for home at the height of lockdowns and could not return until early last year due to China’s visa bans and restrictions. Many of them started returning in the latter part of 2022 while the Chinese universities began a new intake of students last year.

Some of the old students in their media interactions said they are shattered by China’s COVID visa bans and feel that Beijing could have handled the crisis more compassionately taking into consideration the impact of the restrictions had on their academic careers and meager budgets as most of them hail from middle-class backgrounds.

Last week’s meeting was the first held by the Indian Embassy here to step up its interactions with the students considering their plight and the issues they faced. During the height of the COVID visa bans, the Embassy actively pursued with China to permit the early return of the students considering the damage the delay caused to their studies. Students said they were told at the meeting to remain cautious and disciplined strictly abiding by the local laws. According to recent reports, three Indian students were under detention in China on charges of criminal offences.

Indian Americans caution US university on demand to display ‘flag of Kashmir’

Indian Americans are calling upon a US university not to implement a portion of one of the demands it conceded to protesting students to display on campus the flags of “occupied people”, which listed Kashmiris along with Palestinians and the Kurds.

“This is a dangerous territory for Rutgers to get involved (sic),” Thomas Abraham, Chairman of the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO), wrote in a letter to Jonathan Holloway President, Rutgers UniversityNew Brunswick in New Jersey state.

“By even considering this demand, you are questioning the integrity of India. Kashmir is very much part of India. There is no separate flag for Kashmir. Kashmir residents are not displaced people. In fact, the displaced people are the Hindu minorities who had to leave

Kashmir because of violence against them. If Rutgers displays such a flag of Kashmir, that will be the beginning of more sit-ins by students who are opposed to such flags,” Abraham wrote.

The university has not implemented this demand.

“The Office of the Chancellor will take stock of flags that are displayed across Rutgers- New Brunswick campus, and ensure appropriate representation of

Telangana student missing in US, father says spoke to him last on May 2

Astudent from Telangana, pursuing his masters from a university in the US, has been reported missing in Chicago for a week, as per his family. The Consulate General of India in Chicago said, in a post on X, that it was deeply concerned to learn that Rupesh Chandra Chintakindi has been incommunicado since May 2. It said it was in touch with the police and Indian diaspora to locate/ reestablish contact with Chintakindi. He had gone to the US in December 2023 and was pursuing a master’s degree from Concordia University in Wisconsin City.

Chicago police have also issued a statement about the student, urging residents to provide any information about him. Chintakindi hails from Warangal district and his family is worried about his whereabouts. It has requested the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian embassy in the US to help trace him.

students enrolled in academic and other spaces,” Chancellor Francine Conway wrote in a three-page letter responding to the protesting students on Thursday.

The students had demanded, as specified in her letter, “display the flags of occupied peoples -- including but not limited to Palestinians, Kurds, and Kashmiris - in all areas displaying international flags across the Rutgers campuses”.

Students were protesting the Israeli war in Gaza as students of many universities across the country and had put forth 10 demands. The top demand, which has been common to protesters in all other universities, was divestment from companies doing business with Israel or supporting its war effort and cutting links with Israel.

The chancellor said the university is reviewing these links and will discuss the findings with the students.

According to his family members, he was in regular touch with them. His father Sadanandam said he last spoke to him through a WhatsApp call on May 2, and Chintakindi told him that he was busy with some work. Later, Sadanandam tried to reach him but he remained offline.

After waiting for two days, Chintakindi’s family members contacted his roommates. They informed him that he left the room on April 30 saying he was going to meet someone from Texas who had come to meet him. He told them that he would return in two days but did not return. At the family’s request, his roommates lodged a complaint with Chicago police.

Last month, a student from Hyderabad, who had been missing since March 7, was found dead in the US city of Cleveland. Mohammed Abdul Arfath, pursuing his master’s degree in Information Technology at Cleveland University, Ohio, had not been in touch with the family since March 7 and his family here had received a ransom call.

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Punjab and Haryana High Court urges Union of India to ensure woman’s safety in Bahrain

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed the Union of India to ensure the safety of a woman allegedly sold by her live-in partner in Bahrain. Justice Alok Jain of the high court has asked it to make certain that the Indian Embassy in Qatar inquired into the matter with promptitude while ensuring her wellbeing. The direction came on habeas corpus petition filed by the detainee’s parents, who –among other things –made reference to “love-jihad”.

Taking up the petition filed against the State of Punjab and other respondents, Justice Jain took note of the petitioners’ contentions through counsel Prikshit Thakur that the detainee, in a live-in relationship, had approached the court to seek protection of life and liberty. The plea was filed even though there was no threat to their life and liberty.

Acting on her initial plea, the court on August 25, 2023, granted the protection with a direction to the SHO concerned in Jalandhar district to arrange a meeting between the detainee and the parents. Justice Jain observed another petition was subsequently filed in which the detainee, along with her live-in partner, was called. Directions were also issued to the detainee to be in touch with her parents.

Referring to the petition now placed before the Bench, Justice Jain added that it was filed on the basis of a video call and communication received from the detainee alleging that she was sold by her live-in partner in Bahrain and was likely to be eliminated anytime. It was the petitioner’s “positive case” that the live-in partner had admitted before the Goraya SHO that the detainee had been sent to a foreign country for work purpose.

Considering the exigency of the matter, Justice Jain issued notice to the

MTech student from Haryana stabbed to death in Australia

A22-year-old MTech student was allegedly stabbed to death in Australia during a fight between some Indian students, the victim’s uncle said on Monday. He said that one more student was injured in the incident, which took place on Saturday around 9 pm local time in Melbourne.

According to Yashvir, the victim’s uncle, Navjeet Sandhu was fatally attacked with a knife by another student when he tried to intervene in a dispute between a few Indian students over some rent issue.

“Navjeet’s friend (another Indian student) had asked him to accompany him to his house to pick up his belongings as he had a car. While his friend went inside, Navjeet heard some shouts and saw there was a scuffle. When Navjeet tried to intervene asking them not to fight, he was fatally stabbed in the chest with a knife,” Yashvir, who’ll retire from the Army in July, said.

He added that like Navjeet, the alleged accused also hails from Karnal in Haryana. Yashvir said the family got the information about the incident early Sunday morning.

Navjeet’s friend, whom he was

accompanying, also sustained injuries in the incident, the uncle of the deceased said.

Yashvir said the family is in a state of shock. “Navjeet was a brilliant student and was to join his family in July for vacations,” he said.

According to Yashvir, Navjeet had moved to Australia on a study visa oneand-a-half years ago and his father, who is a farmer, had sold one-and-half acres of their land to fund his education.

“We urge the Government of India to help us to bring the body as soon as possible,” he said.

Union of India for May third week before asking a counsel appearing on its behalf to look into the matter on an urgent basis and ensure that the Embassy of India in Qatar, too, inquired into the matter promptly and ensured the detainee’s safety.

The respondent-police authorities were also directed to take action against the partner and his kin for seeking necessary details and information regarding the detainee. The state and its functionaries, and the Union of India, were also asked to work in coordination to prevent harm to anyone.

3 Indians accused of Hardeep Nijjar’s killing appear before Canadian court amid pro-Khalistan slogans

Members of the Sikh Community from British Columbia crowded a Surrey courtroom on Tuesday as three Indian nationals accused of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s killing made their first court appearance by video, according to Globe and Mail, a Canada-based news website.

As the trio, dressed in orange jumpsuits, appeared before court, pro-Khalistani protesters chanted slogans and held placards, outside the Surrey provincial court, blaming India’s government for the killing Judge Delaram Jahani questioned the three suspects, Karan Brar, Karanpreet Singh, and Kamalpreet Singh, in brief.

Through their attorneys, Brar and Karanpreet Singh decided to appear again on May 21. The court, however, is yet to decide on a new date for Kamalpreet Singh who has sought legal counsel, the Globe and Mail reported.

The three men were taken into custody in Edmonton last week on Friday and are accused of first-degree murder and murderous conspiracy in connection with the June 2023 shooting of Nijjar, which severely damaged Canada’s relations with India.

India calls out Canada over ‘celebration of violence’ at pro-Khalistan parade

Pro-Khalistan elements in Canada again targeted the India leadership and gave inflammatory speeches at a rally in Toronto this Sunday.

A gathering the previous Sunday had seen pro-Khalistan chants in the presence of Canadian PM Justin Trudeau. This time it was a 6-km parade where the route and floats had separatist slogans targeting India, including one that showed Prime Minister Narendra Modi behind bars. Another float displayed a map of Khalistan and called for greater participation in an upcoming socalled referendum on the issue.

Reports said inflammatory speeches were delivered by Paramjit Mand of the Dal Khalsa and Avtar Singh Pannu, declared a terrorist by Indians security agencies. However, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who would feature in such events, was not seen. Pannun has refrained from attending any such event ever since Kahlistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot dead in Canada in June last year which was followed by US claims of an aborted attempt on his life as well.

Reacting to the raising of Khalistan slogans at an event in Toronto last Sunday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had summoned Canada’s Deputy High Commissioner over the issue. The event had demonstrated that “political space that has been given in Canada to separatism, extremism and violence”, the MEA had said.

march was the annual Nagar Kirtan Parade organized by the Ontario Gurdwara Committee (OGC). Three days earlier, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) claimed to have arrested three Indians on study visas in connection with Nijjar’s killing. Reports in the Canadian media said the three youngsters were connected to gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, currently incarcerated in a Delhi jail.

The event was attended by Ontario’s Premier Doug Ford. “It was great to join so many friends at the Sikh Spiritual Centre in Etobicoke for this year’s Vaisakhi celebrations and Khalsa Day Parade! During this special time for Ontario’s Sikh community, I wish you and your loved ones peace and prosperity as you celebrate the birth of the Khalsa,” he posted on X along with photos of interaction with children, women and other participants in the event.

External Affairs Minister Jaishankar has accused Ottawa of giving “separatism a certain legitimacy in the name of free speech” and warned that “it’s not a one-way street, a pushback will come”.

The

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Delhi CM Kejriwal freed from Tihar after 40-day judicial custody in excise policy case

The Supreme Court on Friday released Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on interim bail till June 1 in view of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, noting that while serious accusations have been made against him, “he has not been convicted”.

“Arvind Kejriwal is the Chief Minister of Delhi and a leader of one of the national parties. No doubt, serious accusations have been made, but he has not been convicted. He does not have any criminal antecedents. He is not a threat to the society. The investigation in the present case has remained pending since August 2022,” a bench headed by Justice Sanjiv Khanna said in its order.

interim bail, adding that while examining the question of grant of interim bail, the courts always take into consideration the peculiarities associated with the person in question and the surrounding circumstances.

The bench, also comprising Justice Dipankar Datta, said that ongoing general elections prompted it to release CM Kejriwal on

India cannot depend on other countries for its security, says Defence Secretary

India cannot depend on other countries for its security and safeguarding national interests, Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane said on Thursday.

Speaking at the national symposium and industry meet on ‘Emerging Technologies in Infrastructure Development’ organized by the DRDO, Aramane stressed that self-reliance will help the country take giant strides on the path of becoming a developed nation by 2047.

He also emphasized the need to achieve self-reliance in every field to deal with future challenges.

“India is a country with a significant percentage of young population, and selfreliance will ensure gainful employment for them,” he said.

Underlining the importance of achieving ‘Aatmanirbharta’ in defence, Aramane asserted that there is no trusted trend in geopolitics, and India cannot depend on other countries for its security and to safeguard national interests.

Highlighting the emphasis being laid by the government on infrastructure development along the borders, the Defence Secretary exhorted the infrastructure firms to contribute in further strengthening the apparatus.

Rejecting the ED’s contention that the grant of interim relief on account of elections would place the politicians in a beneficial position compared to ordinary citizens, the top court said that the Lok Sabha polls were the “most significant and important event this year” and to ignore the same would be iniquitous and wrong. It held that the situation cannot be compared with a farmer or a businessman who wishes to pursue his vocation. In an affidavit filed on Thursday, the Enforcement Director (ED) said that giving differential treatment to a politician for campaigning would breach the principles of Article 14 for the reason that harvesting for a farmer would be an equally important factor for seeking interim bail as would a board meeting or an annual general meeting

for a director of a company who commits a crime. Meanwhile, the court also ordered that Kejriwal, while out on interim bail, will not visit his office or the Secretariat and will not sign official files unless it is required and necessary for obtaining clearance/approval of the Lt Governor of Delhi.

“He will not make any comment with regard to his role in the present case, and he will not interact with any of the witnesses and/or have access to any official files connected with the case,” it said.

It clarified that the grant of interim relief should not be treated as an expression of opinion on the merits of the case or the criminal appeal which is pending before the Supreme Court. Kejriwal., who has been arrested by the ED in the excise policy case, would be freed on interim bail after furnishing a Rs 50,000 bail bond with a surety of the like amount to the satisfaction of the Jail Superintendent. As per the SC order, the AAP supremo is required to surrender to jail authorities on June 2.

Top Army Eastern Command officials discuss Manipur security situation with Governor

Top Army officers, led by Eastern Command chief Lt Gen R.C. Tiwari on Thursday met Manipur Governor Anusuiya Uikey and discussed the security situation in the ethnic violence-hit state, the Raj Bhavan said.

A Raj Bhavan official said that the Army officials highlighted the security preparedness of the Army and Assam Rifles to face any eventuality in the state and also highlighted various activities taken up to ensure safety among the masses.

The army officials highlighted the relief activities taken up to support displaced families in different parts of the state, the official said, adding that they also informed the Governor that the Army would always work to maintain peace and stability in the northeastern region in general, and Manipur in particular.

The Governor appreciated the Army and

The portals of the holy Kedarnath Dham are set to open on Friday. While the preparations for the ceremonial opening of the temple are in full swing, the devotees have started assembling in large numbers in adjacent Sonprayag and Gaurikund, for the first darshan of the deity.

One major highlight of this year’s opening ceremony is that the temple is being decorated with 20 quintals of flowers. The pictures of the decorated temple, as it surfaced on social media gave a mesmerizing look. BadrinathKedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) President Ajendra Ajay told newsmen that the flowers reached the holy temple via helicopters and the devotees are ecstatic and elated over such arrangements. The doors for Kedarnath

Spear (III) Corps chief Lt. Gen H.S. Sahi and Inspector General, Assam Rifles, South, Major General Ravroop Singh accompanied the Eastern Command chief.

Dham along with two other holy shrines Gangotri and Yamunotri will open on May 10 while the gates of Badrinath will open on May 12.

The Char Dham Yatra holds profound spiritual significance in Hinduism. The devotees get to chance to undertake the yatra from April-May to October-November. The Himalayan temple, visited by lakhs of people every year remains closed during the winters.

Post-poll violence in Bengal’s Murshidabad continues, shops set on fire

The post-poll violence in the Murshidabad district of West Bengal continued on Thursday as shops of some activists of the Congress-CPI(M) alliance were set on fire.

The incident took place in the Domkal area of Murshidabad Lok Sabha constituency. On early Thursday morning, the local people spotted the burning shops and informed the owners, and a fire tender then reached the spot.

Although the fire was brought under control soon, the shops were gutted, resulting in the loss of lakhs of rupees. Two of the shop owners were earlier with the Trinamool Congress and had joined the Congress-CPI(M) alliance just before the Lok Sabha polls. One of them, Mozammel Mondal said that since he joined the Congress he had been facing threats from the ruling party activists. “Ultimately, our shops were gutted by the goons having the backing of the ruling party,” claimed Mondal.

The district Trinamool Congress leadership has, however, rubbished the allegations of the involvement of their party activists in the incident. The police have begun the probe, said officials.

Japanese Ambassador on two-day Nagaland visit to strengthen ties

Japan’s Ambassador to India, Hiroshi Suzuki began a two-day visit to Nagaland on Tuesday to further strengthen the cultural and diplomatic ties between Japan and the northeastern state, officials said.

Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and his wife Kaisa Rio welcomed the envoy and his entourage at the Chief Minister’s residential complex immediately after the envoy reached Kohima late Tuesday evening.

A state government official said that the visiting diplomat later discussed various aspects with the Chief Minister. A cultural program was organized in honor of the Ambassador and his team of officials.

Assam Rifles’ efforts and asked them to extend all possible support to the administration to restore complete peace and tranquility in the State.

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Char Dham Yatra: Kedarnath shrine adorned with 20 quintals of flowers, portals open on Friday

India News

Friday, 10 May 2024

25 terminated Air India Express employees reinstated as Chief Labor Commissioner steps in

Atotal of 25 cabin crew members of Air India Express who were terminated after they reported sick on Tuesday and Wednesday have been reinstated following a meeting at the office of the Chief Labor Commissioner (CLC) between the airline management and employees’ body in New Delhi on Thursday.

Since Tuesday, over 200 cabin crew members have gone on mass sick leave alleging that despite assurances of job security, salary preservation, and recognition of seniority and expertise, there has been a visible departure from these commitments during the transition from AirAsia to Air India Express. On Thursday, Delhi Regional Labor Commissioner Ashok Perumalla had issued a notice to the Air India Express Employees Union and the airline management for their appearance for conciliation proceedings at his chamber in Delhi’s Dwarka area.

“On appeal of the Chief Labor Commissioner (Central) the management agreed to reinstate 25 cabin crew who have been terminated on May 7 and May 8 for reporting sick as a concerted action immediately. The management will review the cases of these cabin crew as per service regulations,” it further read.

Over 80 flights were cancelled on Thursday following the mass sick leave taken by the

Home Secretary reviews response to hoax emails received by Delhi schools

In the aftermath of hoax emails received by several schools in Delhi last week, the Home Secretary conducted a comprehensive review of the situation. Stressing the importance of preparedness, he called for the development of detailed protocols and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to effectively address similar incidents in the future.

“Home Secretary reviewed the situation in wake of hoax emails received by some schools in Delhi last week. He stressed the need to prepare detailed protocol and SOPs to handle any such situation in future. Home Secretary asked Delhi Police and schools to have close coordination for an effective response mechanism so that misinformation does not create any unnecessary panic,” said the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) Spokesperson in a tweet on Monday.

The Spokesperson added that the Home Secretary also emphasized the need to enhance security, CCTV cameras and regular monitoring of emails in the schools.

cabin crew of Air India Express, said an official. “We will be operating 283 flights today. We have mobilized all resources and Air India will support us by operating on 20 of our routes. However, 85 of our flights stand cancelled and we urge our guests booked to fly with us to check if their flight is affected by the disruption before heading to the airport,” said

the Air India Express spokesperson.

“We are pleased with the progress we made at the conciliation meeting and welcome our cabin crew colleagues back at work. This will help us swiftly restore our flight schedule and fulfill our commitments to our guests.”statement.

EC updates provisional figures for third phase turnout to 65.68 percent

The voter turnout in the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections on Tuesday, covering 93 constituencies in 11 states/ UTs, was approximately 65.68 percent on Wednesday with the highest voting reported from Assam (4 seats) at 85.45 percent, and the lowest from Uttar Pradesh (10 seats) at 57.55 percent., the Election Commission said.

“The updated approximate voter turnout figures for polling in the third phase of the General Elections stands at 65.68 percent at 10 p.m. on 08.05.2024. The same shall continue to be updated by the field level officers and will be available PC wise (along with respective AC segments) live at VTR App,” an Election Commission spokesman said in a tweet.

The poll panel clarified that the data was per the information being filled in

the systems by the field officer and “was an approximate trend, as data from some polling stations (PS) takes time and this trend does not include postal ballot. Final actual account of votes recorded for each PS is shared in Form 17 C with all polling agents at close of polls”.

Of the other states, West Bengal (4 seats) recorded 77.53 percent voting, followed by Goa (2 seats) with 76.06 percent, while Chhatisgarh (7 seats) logged 71.98 percent, Karnataka (14 seats) 71.84 percent, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (2 seats) 71.31 percent, Madhya Pradesh (9 seats) 66.74 percent, Gujarat (25 seats) 60.13 percent, and Bihar (5 seats) 59.14 percent, the poll panel said.

With the conclusion of Phase 3, polling in half of the Lok Sabha seats (283) is over now, covering 20 states/UTs. The next phase, comprising 96 seats, across 10 states/UTs, will be held on May 13.

Under fire, Sam Pitroda steps down as Indian Overseas Congress Chairman

Veteran Congressman Sam Pitroda, facing fire over a string of controversial statements in the recent past, stepped down as the Chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress on Wednesday. Congress communications in-charge Jairam Ramesh took to X to inform about Pitroda’s decision and said that he did it of his own accord.

He also said that the Congress has accepted Pitroda’s resignation. Pitroda, said to be the political mentor of Rahul Gandhi, found himself in the eye of the storm over his statements, the latest being a “racial slur” on the country’s citizens.

Speaking to The Statesman, the Congress leader derided the country’s diversity with his controversial statement. “A diverse country, where people in the East look like Chinese, people on the West look like Arabs, people on the North look like maybe white and people in the South look like of Africa,” Pitroda said, drawing anger and outrage from BJP and other political parties.

The Congress also took exception to Pitroda’s remarks on the “color of citizens” and termed it “unfortunate and unacceptable”. Deeply embarrassed with his statement, Jairam Ramesh, earlier in the day, wrote, “The Indian National Congress completely dissociates itself from such analogies, they are most unfortunate and unacceptable.”

Pitroda’s recent assertions on Inheritance tax and its benefits also received huge flak from the BJP and put his own party in a spot.

Two terrorists killed in gunfight with security forces in Kashmir’s Kulgam

Atop commander of the banned militant outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba’s frontal organization The Resistance Front (TRF) was killed along with another terrorist in an encounter with the security forces in J&K’s Kulgam district. IGP Kashmir V. K. Birdi told reporters that the top TRF commander identified as Basit Dar is one of the two terrorists killed by the security forces in the encounter in the Redwani area of Kulgam district.

“The identity of the second slain terrorist is being ascertained. Firing exchanges have stopped, but searches are still going on in the area,” police said. Security forces had started a cordon and search operation after receiving inputs about the presence of terrorists in the Redwani area. After the security forces closed on the hiding terrorists, they opened fire triggering an encounter during which two terrorists were killed.

It must be recalled that Kulgam is part of the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha where voting is scheduled for May 25.

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South Korea to take part in US-led cyber exercise amid rising security threats from North Korea

South Korea’s Cyber Operations Command will participate in a US-led multinational cyber exercise this week to boost its capabilities to counter malicious cyber activities, Seoul’s defence ministry said on Sunday, amid growing security threats from North Korea.

According to the defence ministry, nine personnel from South Korea’s military will join the Cyber Flag exercise to be held from Sunday through Saturday (local time) in the US state of Virginia.

The online exercise is designed to sharpen skills for multinational cooperation in countering cyber threats and share intelligence against enemies’ cyber activities, reports Yonhap news agency.

Since 2011, the US Cyber Command has conducted the cyber exercise annually to improve the readiness of Washington, its allies and partner countries against security threats in the online domain.

This year’s exercise involves 18 nations, including the ‘Five Eyes’ intelligence alliance, which consists of the US, Britain, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, and other partner countries.

It will mark South Korea’s third participation in the exercise since the nation first joined it in 2022.

Ukraine extends martial law, military mobilization

The Ukrainian Parliament on Wednesday extended the current martial law and general mobilization of troops for another 90 days, said parliamentarian Yaroslav Zheleznyak.

The bills to prolong martial law and mobilization were backed by 339 and 336 lawmakers respectively, with a required minimum of 226, Zheleznyak wrote on Telegram.

Both restrictive measures will be in place till August 11, Xinhua news agency reported. The Ukrainian Parliament imposed martial law and declared military mobilization in the wake of the war with Russia in February 2022, and has extended the measures 11 times since then. A new mobilization law aimed at recruiting more troops for the country’s armed forces will take effect on May 18.

London plans future flood defence as Thames Barrier turns 40

Flood defence walls through London will need to be half a meter higher in the future to protect against climate change, officials said as they marked the 40th anniversary of the Thames Barrier. The barrier, officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II, on May 8, 1984, and operated by the Environment Agency, was designed to protect London from flooding until 2030, but the “sleeping giant” is now expected to function until 2070.

The structure took eight years to construct, at 535 million pounds ($668 million) -- 2.4 billion pounds in today’s money -- and consists of 10 steel gates, with the main gates each as wide as the opening of Tower Bridge, weighing 3,300 ton, and as high as a five-storey building when raised. Since its construction, it has been closed 221 times to prevent flooding of the capital, working with other flood defences along the Thames to protect 1.42 million people, residential property worth 321 billion

pounds, hundreds of schools, hospitals, railway and train stations, and four World Heritage sites. Without the barrier, officials said storm surges and frequent tidal flooding of the Thames would submerge buildings along the river -- with only the city of London itself standing on high ground -- risking lives and livelihoods and causing huge amounts of damage.

In the absence of the barrier, which is downstream from Greenwich and close to the city airport, the flood defence walls that line the Thames through central London would

have to have been built up by another three meters, cutting off the city from its river.

However, with sea levels expected to rise by a meter by 2,100, along with increasingly intense storms driven by climate change, officials say that greater defences against flooding will be needed in the coming decades. These include raising the flood walls and defences that line the Thames downriver of the barrier by half a meter by 2040 and then by the same amount by 2050, to the west, through central London.

A decision will need to be made by 2040 on what to do with the barrier itself, with options, including upgrading the existing barrier by 2070, so that the gates are not overtopped by rising seas and storm surges or installing a series of flood storage “reservoirs” downstream. The other options are a new barrier with a similar design to the current one, which has moveable gates that lie flat on the riverbed when not needed to allow vessels to pass through and then swing up to close, or a permanent barrier with locks for river traffic.

Deadly storms claim 100 lives, damage 100,000 homes in Brazil

At least 100 people have died and nearly 100,000 homes have been destroyed or significantly damaged from more than a week of record rainfall and flooding in south Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul state, local authorities have said.

The National Confederation of Municipalities said in an update on Wednesday that overflowing rivers and floods in the state have affected around 1.45 million people and forced some 200,000 residents to flee their homes, Xinhua news agency reported.

Based on data from the Civil Defense agency, some 99,800 residences of all types have sustained either total or partial damage since the state’s worst weatherrelated disaster hit on April 29, according to the confederation. As many as 414 of

497 towns in the state, a top agricultural and livestock producer that borders Argentina and Uruguay, have suffered from the storms and declared emergencies.

The confederation estimates the economic losses at 4.6 billion Reals (about $904 million), taking into account the damage to housing and public infrastructure, as well as agriculture, livestock, industry, commerce and services. In just one week, Rio Grande do Sul saw five months’ worth of rain, sparking unprecedented flooding.

Australia commits to gas beyond 2050 under future strategy

The Australian government has committed to the extraction and use of gas as a power source beyond 2050. The governing Labor Party on Thursday announced Australia’s Future Gas Strategy, setting out the role gas will play as the country pursues a net zero carbon emissions target by 2050, Xinhua news agency reported.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the strategy is a necessary component for Australia to achieve net zero emissions.

“We support net zero, and gas and its firming capacity is part of assisting with that pathway to net zero,” he said at a press conference.

The strategy highlights the need for ongoing exploration, investment and

development in the sector to avoid a shortfall in gas supplies. Gas currently supplies 27 percent of Australia’s energy needs and represents 14 percent of the country’s export income.

Revealing the strategy, Resources Minister Madeleine King said gas would play an important role in firming renewable power generation and in sectors where

carbon emissions are hard to abate, such as manufacturing and minerals processing until alternative power sources are viable.

“Gas plays a crucial role in supporting our economy, with the sector employing 20,000 people across the country, including remote and regional communities,” she said in a statement.

“The Strategy makes it clear that gas will remain an important source of energy through to 2050 and beyond, and its uses will change as we improve industrial energy efficiency, firm renewables, and reduce emissions.”

According to government agency Geoscience Australia, 40 per cent of Australia’s gas exports in 2020-21 were sent to China, 37 per cent to Japan and 10 per cent to South Korea.

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One year after violent protests shook Pakistan, military and Imran’s PTI still at loggerheads

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Thursday (May 9) marked one year to the time when supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his party Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) expressed their anger against the country’s powerful military establishment by engaging in violence, riots, attacks on military installations and a ‘call for resistance’ -- a narrative that Khan successfully injected in his supporters since his ouster from power in April 2022.

Today, both PTI and the military establishment mark May 9 as a ‘black day’ by labeling each other as the victim and an aggressor. The current ruling federal government -- along with its coalition political partners who control the provincial set-ups in

Senior conservative says UK PM Sunak ultimately to blame for Tory ‘chaos’

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak bears ultimate responsibility for a Tory party mired in chaos, a senior Conservative has said as a poll indicated a 30-point lead for Labor. Tees Valley Mayor Lord Ben Houchen said the Conservatives are “fighting each other like rats in a sack” and the blame for the party’s difficulties “ultimately lies with Rishi.”

Lord Houchen held on in Tees Valley in a rare bright spot in an otherwise dismal set of local election results for the Conservatives a week ago. He told BBC Radio Tees: “Things don’t look great for the Conservative Party at the moment. There is still a way through but that way through is getting narrower by the day.”

He said there is general disaffection with politics among voters rather than a desire to back Labor, so there is still the chance for the Conservatives to turn things around.

“If the Government actually got on and delivered some real things and showed themselves to be competent, and did the things that people wanted them to, then there is a way through to be able to get some of that respect back, some of that confidence back from the public and to help reduce what is a very large gap at the minute,” he said.

The Conservatives suffered a mauling from the electorate in last week’s contests, losing nearly 500 council seats, the West Midlands mayoral race and the Blackpool South by-election.

Sunak’s woes deepened with the defection of MP Natalie Elphicke to Labor in protest against his record on housing and stopping small boat crossings of the English Channel.

Sindh, Balochistan and Punjab -- condemn PTI and Imran Khan for brainwashing supporters who carried out targeted violent attacks on sensitive military installations across the country, last year.

The military establishment also remains vocal on the issue.

“The Armed Forces of Pakistan, along with Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee

(CJCSC) and Services Chiefs, strongly condemn the criminal acts perpetrated on May 9, 2023. On this one of the darkest days in our national history, politically motivated and brainwashed miscreants in an act of rebellion, deliberately resorted to violence against state institutions and vandalised sacred symbols of the state and the sites belonging to national heritage,” read a statement issued by the InterServices Public Relations (ISPR).

The military establishment maintains that it showed “utmost restraint” during the orchestrated violence, highlighting that the malicious attempt to trigger confrontation between the protesters and the armed forces was thwarted.

The ISPR has made it clear that the culprits behind the riots and attacks will not be spared.

Germany ready to play leading security role, says Defence Minister Boris Pistorius

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has assured Washington that Berlin is prepared to play a leading security policy role in Europe and will provide the military capabilities to do so.

“Let us - the US and Germany together - shape a future with all those who stand up for freedom, peace and the rules-based international order,” Pistorius said in a keynote speech at the Johns Hopkins University in Washington on Thursday.

Germany is a steadfast ally and is able and willing to fulfil its role in the alliance and global politics, Pistorius said. The Minister said that Germany was in the midst of a military build-up process and had abandoned the restraint it had long cultivated - as in the supply of weapons to war zones.

He said he wanted to address the fact that Germany had abandoned compulsory military service and said that “times have changed.” He spoke of a “mistake” and said, “I am convinced

that Germany needs some kind of military conscription.”

The Europeans are also aware that the US is focusing its attention on the Indo-Pacific and must respond to China’s armament, aggressive economic policy and striving for geopolitical dominance. Germany is determined to make a contribution to a rules-based order there too, he said.

The Marshall Plan was a US program that helped European nations rebuild their economies after World War II. Germany particularly benefited from it.

Lebanon requests Qatar’s assistance to evacuate Lebanese women from Gaza

Lebanese Foreign Affairs Minister Abdallah Bou Habib has said that his country has asked for assistance from Qatar to evacuate Lebanese women from Gaza through the Rafah crossing.

“We requested Qatari assistance to get Lebanese women and their families out through the Rafah crossing, as they have been stuck since the start of the aggression on Gaza, despite all our previous attempts to bring them home,” Bou Habib added on Thursday, according to a report by Lebanese National News Agency. The Lebanese Foreign Minister made the remarks after meeting with Qatar’s Ambassador to Lebanon, Saud bin Abdul Rahman Al-Thani.

Meanwhile, Bou Habib praised Qatar’s constructive role in helping Lebanon emerge

from its presidential crisis. Qatar is working through the five-nation group on Lebanon, which comprises Qatar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, France, and the US, to help the country accelerate its presidential election and financial and economic reforms. The position of Lebanese President has been vacant since the end of the term of former President Michel Aoun in October 2022. The Parliament failed to elect a new President for the country in light of the division of political forces and the failure of the parliamentary blocs to agree on a consensual figure to assume the presidency.

China’s Chang’e-6 enters lunar orbit after near-moon braking

China’s Chang’e-6 lunar probe has successfully entered its circumlunar orbit, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) said on Wednesday. According to the CNSA, on Wednesday morning, Chang’e-6 successfully performed a near-moon braking procedure before entering the circumlunar orbit.

The near-moon braking procedure is a key orbital control for Chang’e-6 during its flight. The braking makes its relative speed lower than the lunar escape velocity so that it can be captured by the Moon’s gravity and fly around the Moon.

Supported by the Queqiao-2 relay satellite, Chang’e-6 will later adjust the altitude and inclination of the orbit around the Moon and choose a proper time to carry out the separation of the orbiterreturner combination and the landerascender combination.

Later, the lander-ascender combination will conduct a soft landing on the South Pole-Aitken Basin to carry out the sampling and return mission on the far side of the Moon as planned, the report said.

Delegations of Hamas, Israel, Qatar and the US leave Cairo as they fail to reach Gaza truce deal

The delegations of Hamas, Israel, Qatar and the US left Egypt after talks for reaching a truce in the Gaza Strip hit an impasse, the media reported.

“The delegations participating in the Cairo talks left for consultations, while some points of disagreement remained unresolved,” Egypt’s state-affiliated Al-Qahera News TV channel report quoted an unnamed senior official as saying on Thursday.

The delegations arrived in Cairo on Tuesday to achieve a comprehensive truce in the conflict-stricken Gaza. Yet, no agreement has been reached despite some progress in the negotiations, Xinhua news agency reported.

Among the major disputes between the conflicting parties are the number and lists of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners to be released under a swap deal, as well as issues regarding Israel’s partial withdrawal from Gaza to allow free movement of Palestinians in the enclave.

The talks stalled when the Israeli military launched an operation in Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah crowded with more than one million internally displaced Palestinians and took control of the Palestinian side of the key Rafah crossing.

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Honda opens new R&D facility in India to accelerate electrification

Honda R&D (India) Private Limited, a subsidiary of Honda Motor Co, on Thursday, opened its new Solution R&D Center in the country to accelerate electrification.

Opened in Bengaluru, the new facility will incorporate advanced mobility technologies into electrified vehicle development more quickly, as well as work on software and connected services through ‘co-creating’ open innovation by adopting technologies and ideas of research and development companies, according to the company.

The facility will also be partnering with companies with new ideas to develop new services and businesses that go beyond the scope of existing businesses and products from a long-term perspective.

Amazon Web Services to invest additional $9 billion in Singapore to grow its cloud infrastructure

Amazon Web Services (AWS) on Tuesday said it will invest an additional $9 billion in Singapore over the next five years to grow its cloud infrastructure and services in the country.

As mentioned by Priscilla Chong, country manager of AWS Singapore, the investment will support the development and expansion of the DC capabilities in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) Singapore region, reports CNBC.

Amazon’s cloud computing arm launched its first APAC region in Singapore in 2010 -- its first foray outside of the US and Europe. Since then, AWS has invested over $8 billion into Singapore’s cloud infrastructure and ecosystem.

Musk calls for fully reusable rockets & spacecraft, as Boeing scrubs Starliner

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on Tuesday called the need for fully reusable rockets & spacecraft, and not another capsule, even as rival Boeing’s much-awaited Starliner yet again scrubbed its crewed mission.

“The world doesn’t need another capsule,” the tech billionaire said in a post on X.com. “What matters is fully reusable rockets and spacecraft,” he added.

His comments come as Boeing on Friday scrubbed the Starliner manned mission, which was expected to launch NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Indian-Origin Sunita Williams to the space station. But it was stalled

just two hours before the launch after facing an issue with a valve in the rocket’s upper stage. Both Boeing and SpaceX signed a contract with NASA’s Commercial Crew Program to fly operational missions to and from the space station with Starliner in 2014.

While SpaceX’s Dragon capsules have been launching astronauts to space on its Falcon 9 rockets since 2020, Boeing is yet to make a mark. Although Boeing got $4.2 billion to develop an astronaut capsule and SpaceX only got $2.6 billion, SpaceX finished 4 years sooner.

Musk also noted the difference between the designs of crew capsule Dragon 1 and 2. “Too many non-technical managers at Boeing,” he said. Meanwhile, Boeing, the world’s largest aerospace company is facing a controversy over the mysterious deaths of whistleblowers.

“How do they even get any work done with so many whistles being blown!?” said Musk in reply to a user who cited that the company has “too many whistleblowers.”

“Boeing should rebrand to a whistle manufacturer,” Musk said. Both Boeing’s Starliner and SpaceX’s Dragon are aimed at carrying astronauts and cargo for NASA missions to low Earth orbit, and beyond.

South Korea raises concerns over US inquiry on connected vehicle supply chains

South Korea has raised its automotive industry’s concerns with the US over Washington’s inquiry and envisioned rules to address potential security risks from “connected vehicles” that use technology from China and other countries of concern.

The South Korean government has submitted its comments to the US Department of Commerce as the department has requested public feedback on its rule-making process designed to tackle those risks stemming from supply chains for connected vehicles, reports Yonhap news agency.

Connected vehicles refer to smart cars

linked to the internet and other wireless networks for navigational programs and other online services. In February, the Biden administration said it would launch the inquiry into the risks posed by the vehicles, especially those involving Chinese-manufactured technology. The government expressed expectation that the US will provide a “precise” definition of the scope of connected vehicles, as it pointed out that the current U.S. definition of the cars in question is “excessively broad.”

It also requested that the US investigation and subsequent measures about the supply chains for connected vehicles focus on “components and services that pose significant risks to national security.”

US automotive firm BorgWarner launches R&D centre in South Korea

US automotive company

BorgWarner has opened a research and development centre in South Korea, which is expected to help stabilize the supply chain in the sector, the industry ministry said on Thursday.

The new center, located in Daegu, 237 kms south of Seoul, will focus on developing integrated driving modules for automobiles with a combined investment of $43.6 million through 2027, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

BorgWarner currently operates seven production lines across South Korea, employing around 1,400 workers. The company pledged to open the centre on the margins of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s visit to the U.S. in 2022, reports Yonhap news agency.

Samsung’s affiliate acquires French AI medtech startup Sonio

Samsung Electronics said on Wednesday that its medical equipment unit Samsung Medison has acquired the French artificial intelligence (AI) medtech startup Sonio, as part of its effort to expand its AI-powered healthcare solution business.

Samsung Medison entered into a share purchase agreement to acquire Sonio, which specialises in AI development for diagnostic reporting in obstetrics and gynaecology ultrasound, reports Yonhap news agency.

Through the acquisition of Sonio, Samsung Medison will gain access to the AI development talent in Europe and will enhance its medical AI solutions with Sonio’s AI diagnostic assistant and reporting technology. Founded in 2020, the Paris-based startup has developed an AI-powered prenatal screening solution that automates ultrasound reporting.

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US weekly jobless claims highest in more than eight months as labor market eases

The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits rose last week to the highest level in more than eight months, offering more evidence that the labor market was steadily cooling.

The weekly jobless claims report from the Labor Department on Thursday, the most timely data on the economy’s health, followed news last week that the economy added the fewest jobs in six months in April, while job openings dropped to a three-year low in March.

Ebbing labor market momentum has put two interest rate cuts from the Federal Reserve this year back on the table.

US overtakes China as Germany’s top trading partner

The United States overtook China as Germany’s most important trading partner in the first quarter of this year, analysts suggest based on the official data from the German statistics office. Germany’s trade with the United Statesexports and imports combined - totaled 63 billion Euros ($68 billion) from January to March, while the figure for China was just under 60 billion Euros, the data showed.

In 2023, China was Germany’s top trading partner for the eighth year in a row, with volumes reaching 253 billion Euros, although that was only a few hundred million ahead of the U.S.

India holds talks for closer ties on critical minerals, shrimp farming with Australia

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India has discussed the issues of pharmaceutical pricing control in generic drugs and the need for closer cooperation in critical minerals with Australia, the Union Commerce Ministry said last week. The need for closer collaboration for establishing disease-free zones for shrimps and prawns in India also came up for discussion at the first Joint Committee Meeting (JCM) in Canberra under the India-Australia Economic Co-operation and Trade Agreement (Ind-Aus ECTA), the ministry said.

Besides, the JCM meeting also addressed certain critical services issues, including

the consideration of India’s request for facilitation of cross-border e-payments and mutual recognition of qualifications in professions like nursing and dentistry.

India and Australia are looking at joint investments to build new supply chains underpinned by critical minerals processed in Australia that will help India’s plans to lower emissions from its electricity network and become a global manufacturing hub, for electric vehicles and smartphones. Critical minerals are a key raw material in these hi-tech products. Currently, China has a near-monopoly on critical minerals. India and Australia are both keen to set up a strong alternative supply chain to break China’s dominance of the market.

Jack Dorsey, who founded Twitter (now called X), has quit the board of Bluesky, a decentralized social media platform he also helped co-founded. The company said in a post that it is now searching for a new board member.

“With Jack’s departure, we are searching for a new board member for the Bluesky public benefit company who shares our commitment to building a social network that puts people in control of their experience,” Bluesky said on its own platform.

Dorsey-backed Bluesky, an alternative to Twitter/X, reached two million users in November last year. The company thanked Dorsey for his help in funding and initiating the project.

Google fights $17 billion UK lawsuit over adtech practices

Google parent Alphabet urged a London tribunal to block a mass lawsuit which accuses it of abusing its dominance in the online advertising market, in the latest case to focus on the search giant’s business practices.

The lawsuit seeks damages of up to 13.6 billion pounds ($16.9 billion) on behalf of publishers of websites and apps based in the United Kingdom, who say they have suffered losses due to Google’s allegedly anticompetitive behavior.

Lawyers for Ad Tech Collective Action asked the Competition Appeal

Hyundai Motor to raise stake in autonomous driving JV Motional in US

Hyundai Motor Group said last week that it will raise its stake in Motional, the group’s autonomous driving joint venture in the United States, through a paid-in capital increase, as well as invest in the local venture partner Aptiv.

Hyundai Motor Group said the decision for the paid-in capital increase and the acquisition of an 11 percent stake in the U.S. mobility startup Aptiv was reached to secure stable management authority in Motional to actively

develop autonomous driving technology and internalize core technologies.

The South Korean automaker group’s capital increase in Motional will be worth 663 billion Won. Together with the acquisition of the 11 percent stake in Aptiv, Hyundai Motor Group’s stake in the joint venture will increase from the existing 50 percent to 55.8 percent. Hyundai Motor Group said it aims to accelerate autonomous driving technology development through its participation in the capital increase while also pursuing stable revenue generation strategies.

Tribunal (CAT) to certify the case to proceed towards a trial at the start of a three-day hearing on Wednesday. Ad Tech Collective Action’s lawyer Robert O’Donoghue said the London lawsuit was “the latest in a series of major set-preferencing abuse cases involving Google”.

Google, however, said the case was incoherent and did not explain how alleged anticompetitive conduct had supposedly caused losses to the publishers. The case comes amid ongoing probes by regulators into Google’s adtech business, including by Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority and the European Commission, which O’Donoghue said was concluding imminently.

Mercedes rejects claims it prevented union organizing at US plant

German premium carmaker Mercedes-Benz rejected on Wednesday claims it has been trying to prevent the formation of a union at its Alabama plant, ahead of a critical vote there next week. United Auto Workers, the United States’ biggest automotive union, said about 5,000 workers are set to vote next week on whether to unionize at Mercedes’ plant in Vance, Alabama, and its nearby battery plant.

The group “respects the decision of the employees to establish a trade union organization, and it will monitor the

election process and will make sure that every team member has the opportunity to cast a secret vote,” Mercedes board member Renata Jungo Bruengger said at the annual shareholders’ meeting. The vote in Alabama is scheduled to begin on Monday, with final results due on May 17. If successful, Mercedes would become the second automaker in the U.S. South to see its workers join the UAW’s ranks in the last month, following the lead of a Volkswagen factory in Tennessee. Workers at the VW plant voted in late April to unionize by a margin of 73% in favor of the UAW, a strong showing that came after two previous losses at the same facility.

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Twitter founder Jack Dorsey quits Bluesky board, confirms company

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Norris takes first F1 win in Miami GP

McLaren’s Lando Norris took advantage of a midrace Safety Car period to beat Max Verstappen and win his first Formula One Grand Prix in Miami.

Norris had been running sixth in the early stages of the race, but everything changed when the Safety Car was deployed on lap 29 after Kevin Magnussen tangled with Logan Sargeant at Turn 3, sending both into the barriers.

Crucially for Norris, he was the only one of the leading runners not to have changed tyres by this point, and was thus able to pit without losing the lead he had inherited as others had pitted, reports Xinhua.

When racing resumed on lap 33, Norris

First-of-its-kind hybrid cricket pitch marks its arrival in India via Dharamshala

Since the start of this millennium, innovation has been gaining currency in cricket – be it be via zing bails, spider cam, cricket bat sensor or hawk eye technology. In terms of pitches, a vital factor in teams deciding how they go about the game, there has been the addition of drop-in wickets.

But the addition of hybrid pitches into the cricketing ecosystem in England in 2017 grabbed the attention of many onlookers. SISGrass, a UK-based synthetic turf manufacturing company, which specializes in hybrid pitches not just in cricket, but also in football, rugby and hockey, have now brought this first-of-itskind innovation to India.

In partnership with the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA), SISGrass’ Universal Machine has installed two hybrid pitches each on the main square and practice area of the picturesque venue.

had the pace to hold off the threat from Red Bull’s Verstappen, and managed the gap for the rest of the race to score a fairytale first Grand Prix win on his 110th start.

McLaren had brought upgrades to Miami, and Norris had shown genuine pace on his way to victory, crossing the line 7.6 seconds ahead of the previously dominant Verstappen. The Dutchman, who had

PSG’s Mbappe walks off when asked about Real Madrid after Champions League loss

The final whistle blew at the Parc Des Princes and it was Borussia Dortmund, that jumped with joy as Mats Hummels’ goal made all the difference in the second leg of the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League. It was a bittersweet day for football fans as although the black and yellow fans around the world were ecstatic, it also felt like the end of PSG’s hopes of winning a Champions League in the foreseeable future.

PSG forward Kylian Mbappe more probable

than not played his last CL game for the club as his contract is reaching completion. During the post-game interview, Mbappe was asked if he would be supporting Real Madrid in the second semifinal of the tournament, to which the French World Cup winner did not reply and walked off with a look of disappointment.

Mbappe to Real Madrid is by far the biggest transfer saga that football has ever seen. The 25-year-old has spent the better part of a decade being linked to the record Champions League winner.

NZ’s Colin Munro announces retirement from international cricket

New Zealand batter Colin Munro has decided to draw curtains on his international career that spanned 123 matches. A white-ball specialist, who featured at two previous T20 World Cups, was hoping to reignite his New Zealand career at next month’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, but the 37-yearold missed out on earning a recall and decided to call time on his international career.

won Saturday’s Sprint event and led the early stages of the Grand Prix, also cut the chicane on lap 22 and struck a plastic bollard, with Red Bull saying the incident cost him some performance.

Behind the top two, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc rounded out the top three, with teammate Carlos Sainz fourth after overtaking Norris’ teammate Oscar Piastri, who subsequently needed to pit for a new front wing, ruining his chances of points. Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez had a low-key run to fifth place, ahead of Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton in sixth.

The seventh round of the 2024 F1 World Championship is the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Imola, Italy on May 19.

Kyren Wilson wins maiden snooker world title

World No. 12 Kyren Wilson clinched the world title for the first time after beating qualifier Jak Jones 18-14 in the final of the Snooker World Championship.

Wilson became the 23rd player to lift the World Championship trophy at the Crucible. It’s a sixth ranking title for Wilson and first since the 2022 European Masters, and his first Triple Crown success. Banking the top prize of £500,000, he jumps nine places up the rankings to a career high position of third.

On the other hand, Jones missed out on becoming only the second qualifier, after Terry Griffiths and Shaun Murphy, to lift the trophy. But having appeared in his first ranking final, the £200,000 prize boosts him 30 places to number 14, as he joins the elite top 16 for the first time.

Having won the first seven frames during the opening session on Sunday, Wilson was able to nurse his advantage to the winning post, and although tenacious Jones fought hard, he couldn’t narrow the gap to less than three. By coming from 17-11 to 17-14 he created an exciting finish, but it proved too little, too late, world snooker reports.

Funding boosted for Australian Institute of Sport ahead of 2032 Brisbane Olympics

The Australian government has announced a funding boost for the nation’s high-performance sports institute ahead of the 2032 Brisbane Olympics. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Friday that a 249.7 million Australian dollar (165 million U.S. dollar) upgrade for the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in Canberra will give Australian athletes the best chance of winning gold at the 2032 Games.

An independent review of the AIS handed to the government in February recommended that it should remain in Canberra rather than relocate to Brisbane in the lead-up to the Olympics but found its facilities were in need of an upgrade before the Games.

The new funding will go towards building a new high-performance training and testing center, new accommodation and a multi-sport indoor training facility at the existing AIS site in Canberra’s northern suburbs, reports Xinhua.

Team India’s new T20 jersey launched ahead of World Cup

Adidas, India’s official kit partner, has revealed the team’s jersey for the upcoming T20 World Cup to be played in the USA and Caribbean from June 1. The new gear features tri-color stripes on a V-shaped neck with blue and saffron colors on the sleeves.

Adidas shared a video on its official Twitter handle revealing India’s T20 jersey. The video features skipper Rohit Sharma, spinner Kuldeep Yadav and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja at the Dharamsala stadium. A chopper is seen carrying the blue-orange jersey.

The jersey displays the hallmark three stripes emblem of sports apparel giant Adidas along with the BCCI logo. “The new jersey can be bought from stores and online from May 7,” Adidas captioned the video. On April 30, the BCCI named India’s 15-member squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup to be held in the US and West Indies.

Cricket growth will

be boasted

by the hosting of T20 WC 2024, says USA cricket chief Pisike

The United States of America (USA) will be co-hosting the ICC T20 men’s cricket World Cup 2024 for the first time along with the West Indies and it will attract huge popularity in the growth of cricket in the baseball-playing nation, believes USA cricket chairman Venu Pisike.

The men’s T20 World Cup is scheduled to take place from June 1-29.

The USA cricket team, who are making their debut in the World Cup will play its first match against neighbors, Canada on June 1. Led by 31-year-old wicket-keeper batter Monank Patel, USA’s squad features some familiar names alongside performers from the recent T20I series against Canada.

New Zealand all-rounder and 2015 Men’s Cricket World Cup finalist Corey Anderson will also feature in the USA squad. Anderson, who played 13 Tests and 48 ODIs for New Zealand, moved to the USA after 2020 and became eligible to play for them only in 2023. Former Indian first-class cricketer Milind Kumar and former India U-19 player Harmeet Singh are also part of the squad.

In the USA, Eisenhower Park in New York; Broward County in Lauderhill, Florida and Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas, Texas, will be the venues. Twenty

teams will be divided into four groups of five each for the first round. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the Super Eight stage. In a bid to prepare for the 20-team tournament, the USA cricket authorities recently had pitches imported from Adelaide in Australia.

The ICC board suspended the membership of the USA Cricket Association back in 2015 with immediate effect and expressed significant concerns about the governance, finance, reputation, and cricketing activities of USACA. However, Piske opined that the new governance will work transparently and will work for the growth of the sport.

Indian para-athletes gear up for World ParaAthletics World Championships in Kobe

The Indian contingent comprising 33 athletes is all set to embark on a journey to the 2024 World Para Athletics World Championships in Kobe, Japan, as they prepare to showcase their prowess on the global stage. A total of 40 athletes, 32 men and 8 women, are participating in this edition which is to be held between May 17 to 24. In the previous edition of the World Championships in Paris, India secured a commendable tally of nine medals, including three gold. Looking ahead to Kobe 2024, the Indian team aims to surpass this achievement with a target of 13-14 medals. The athletes have undergone rigorous training and have received unparalleled support to enhance their performance. Positive results are expected from proven champions like Sumit Antil, Sachin Khilari, Simran Sharma and others.

Reflecting on this momentous occasion, Devendra Jhajharia, president of the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI), expressed his optimism and dedication towards the team’s goals.

Olympic flame lands at Marseille Old Port amid fiery atmosphere

The Olympic flame of Paris 2024 arrived at the renowned Old Port of Marseille amid the radiant hues of the sunset on Wednesday evening. More than 150,000 spectators gathered for the grand ceremony as France’s Olympic swimming champion Florent Manaudou, carrying the torch, walked down from the majestic three-masted ship Belem under the watchful eyes of French President Emmanuel Macron.

An adopted Marseillais, Manaudou symbolically passed the torch to Nantenin Keita, Paralympic champion and four-time medalist in the 100m, 200m, and 400m. Mirroring the event in Athens, where French Olympic and Paralympic champions

Zimbabwe Cricket confirm Madhevere, Mavuta’s return after drug ban

Zimbabwe Cricket has confirmed the return of Wessly Madhevere and Brandon Mavuta to international circuit after the duo was suspended way back in December for drug use. Madhevere and Mavuta were given a fourmonth ban for the use of recreational drugs, a fact that came to light during an in-house drug test. The last time this duo played for Zimbabwe was in the Ireland tour in December, 2023.

Gabriella Papadakis and Beatrice Hess passed the torch, Paris 2024 chose two Olympic and Paralympic athletes to carry the Flame to Marseille. This first handover on French soil symbolizes Paris 2024’s ambition to unify the Olympic and Paralympic Games, reports Xinhua.

After being cheered by the crowd, Keita handed the torch to the singer Jul, another Marseille native, who lit the cauldron on the central stage of the Old Port. The Olympic flame for the Paris 2024 Games was lit in Greece on April 16, before being officially handed to France at the Panathenaic Stadium on April 26. It left Athens aboard the Belem the next morning and completed a 12-day voyage before arriving in Marseille.

Brazil Football Confederation postpone 3 top-tier clubs’ matches following floods

Following the devastating flood in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande Do Sul, three top-tier clubs-Internacional, Gremio and Juventude-- had all requested the Brazilian Football Confederation to postpone their games for the next 20 days as they are all based out of the flooded state and in no condition to host football matches at such times. All matches are postponed scheduled until May 27, 2024.

Friday, 10 May 2024

Ali Fazal on how it’s humbling to work with Kamal Haasan and Mani Ratnam

Actor Ali Fazal, who is making his debut in the South Indian film industry with Mani Ratnam’s ‘Thug Life’ starring Kamal Haasan, said that working with two stalwarts of Indian cinema is a humbling experience for him. Ali said, “I am genuinely thrilled to be a part of Mani’s vision for ‘Thug Life.’ I hope to bring something of significance to this canvas. It’s an honor to collaborate with Kamal Haasan and exchange ideas with him.”

“Working with two stalwarts of Indian cinema is a humbling experience. I am deeply grateful to Mani for entrusting me with this role, and I am eagerly looking forward to bringing it to life on screen.”

The film will be shot by Ravi K. Chandran, and the music will be composed by the legendary A. R. Rahman. Details about Ali’s character are being kept under wraps. Production for ‘Thug Life’ has officially commenced in New Delhi.

Chad Michael Murray reveals why he picks up roles keeping his children in mind

Actor Chad Michael Murray has talked about how he considers his children while signing on to a role for a film. “I don’t want my kids going to school, being freshmen in high school, and dad’s… posted all over their locker,” he said in a recent interview with Numero, reports deadline.com.

“That’s not fair to them, so making decisions for that has been great.”

Murray began his acting journey on TV with appearances on ‘One Tree Hill’, ‘Gilmore Girls’, ‘Dawson’s Creek’, and ‘Riverdale’. He then featured in films such as ‘A Cinderella Story’, ‘Freaky Friday’, and ‘Fruitvale Station’. The actor also starred in ‘Chosen’, ‘Sun Records’, and ‘Sullivan’s Crossing’ before returning to TV with the series ‘Agent Carter’.

Murray, who is a father to an 8-year-old son, a 6-year-old daughter, and a monthold daughter welcomed last August with wife Sarah Roemer, expressed how fatherhood has changed his outlook.

“So very much. I would say, a lot of material, especially over the past 5 to 8 years since my son was born, I choose because I think one of the last things you really want is for your kids to be berated in school for what their parents are doing,” Murray said.

Manoj Bajpayee on his 100th film ‘Bhaiyya ji’:

‘Never imagined I’d be able to do even 10 films’

Padma Shri awardee Manoj

Bajpayee, who is gearing up for the release of his 100th film

‘Bhaiyya ji’, shared that he never thought that he would be able to do even 10 films. The actor spoke with the media at the trailer launch of the film in the Andheri area of Mumbai on Thursday. He shared that he considers himself very lucky to have reached where he is today. At the risk of sounding modest, Manoj told a huge turnout of the media that many artists do the hard work each day but it’s the love of the audience that has allowed him and empowered him to tell the stories of his choice as an actor.

“I never thought I’ll do more than 10 films but life has been kind that I’m here with my 100th film. It’s not like that I alone do the hard work, all artists hustle hard everyday but it’s because of God and the audience that I have reached this place”.

Manoj’s journey in cinema has been quite dramatic. After trying for the National School of Drama, when he didn’t get into the institute, he learned acting from Barry John. Manoj has been a good friend of Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan since their theatre days as both of them had a common guru in Barry John.

Manoj made his foray into the cinema 30 years ago with the critically acclaimed ‘Bandit Queen’ in which he had a small role. He then caught the attention of Ram Gopal Varma who eventually cast him as Bhiku Mhatre in the cult-classic ‘Satya’, a film which disrupted the storytelling style in Hindi cinema and bolstered the progress of independent films.

Youtuber

Sanjyot Keer heads to Cannes; second Indian chef after Vikas Khanna to do so

Chef Sanjyot Keer, who is known for his YouTube channel ‘Your Food Lab’, is heading to Cannes Film Festival. He will be the second Indian chef to walk the red carpet at Fest after Chef Vikas Khanna. He will be walking the red carpet at the Grand Lumiere Theatre on May 17.

Since past few years, many influencers and social media personalities have made their way to the film festival. Sanjyot’s appearance at the fest marks an important juncture in the Indian culinary industry.

Talking about heading to the festival, Sanjyot Keer said: “The Cannes Film Festival is an incredible stage for cinema and culture. I am grateful to have been invited to experience this Festival in all its glory. In my 8-year journey with Your Food Lab, I have strived hard to make every food video feel like cinema in my own way of storytelling.”

He further mentioned, “My life-long goal is to bring a fresh perspective to traditional Indian cooking, making it accessible to audiences worldwide through my work as a culinary artiste.”

In addition, Sanjyot recently produced the short film ‘Before We Die’ that talks about the water crisis in the interiors of Maharashtra.

The Cannes Film Festival, which is considered to be in the ‘Big Three’ European film festivals, is set to be held from May 14 to May 25.

What made Madhuri Dixit take a break from acting to start her family

Actress Madhuri Dixit Nene has spoken about her decision of taking a break professionally to start a family with her husband Shriram Nene. While having a conversation on ‘Kiska Brand Bajega’, Madhuri spoke about her decision and said: “For me, it was one of the dreams I had for myself.”

Madhuri got married in 1999 with Shriram, a cardiovascular surgeon from Los Angeles. They welcomed their first born named Arin, in 2003. It was two years later, when they had their second son Ryan.

Madhuri shared that having a family and having children was always something she looked forward to. Talking about whether she was worried about her time off, the actress shared her thoughts: “I am going to have kids, and this is going to be fun.”

Madhuri, who made her comeback in acting in 2022 with ‘The Fame Game’, emphasized the fact that choosing to have a family was a no-brainer for her.

Kevan Lannister of ‘Game Of Thrones’, Ian Gelder, passes away at 74

British actor Ian Gelder, popular for playing Kevan Lannister in ‘Game of Thrones’, passed away due to complications from bile duct cancer. He was 74. Gelder’s partner, Ben Daniels, confirmed his death in an Instagram post on Tuesday.

“It is with huge huge sadness and a heavy heart broken into a million pieces that I’m leaving this post to announce the passing of my darling husband and life partner Ian Gelder,” Daniels wrote, reports variety.com.

The actor essayed the younger brother of Lord Tywin Lannister played by Charles Dance in 12 episodes of the series. He had also featured in several television series, including ‘Doctor Who’, ‘Snatch’, ‘Fifteen-Love’, ‘Casualty’, ‘Edward the King’, ‘I Thought You’d Gone’ and ‘His Dark Materials’ among many others.

Sonam Kapoor highlights country’s heritage when she showcases Indian craftsmanship globally

Actress and fashionista Sonam Kapoor takes pride in representing the country’s rich heritage, history, and diversity on global platforms. The actress said she tries to highlight the country’s heritage.

“If I had to represent India in one way or another, I would highlight the country’s diversity and resilience. The fact that we have such a strong cultural heritage and ancient civilization means that whatever is made in India has great value,” she said. Sonam said, “It is a multicultural place where people from many faiths live together in harmony, and representing that is of utmost importance.”

“Besides being the land of yoga and

spiritualism, for which India is renowned in other parts of the world, it is also celebrated for its music and artisanal craftsmanship. It is the realm of jewelry and embroidery,” she added.

“Most notably, numerous haute couture and luxury houses have their clothing intricately embroidered in India.” Sonam uses her social media platform to champion Indian craftsmanship.

The actress said, “When you have a platform, there is a responsibility to put your most authentic self forward; you must represent your truest self and not a facade. When you have the right moral values and worldviews, it is interesting to see how people appreciate that and attach themselves to it.”

French actress, BAFTA winner Isabelle

Huppert named Venice film fest jury head

BAFTA-winning French actress Isabelle Huppert is set to head to Italy as she will preside over the main jury of the upcoming edition of the Venice Film Festival. The actress has a longstanding rapport with the festival as she has won Venice’s Coppa Volpi for best actress twice, first with ‘Story of Women’ in 1988, and subsequently with ‘La Ceremonie’ in 1995, both directed by Claude Chabrol, reports Variety. The actress has made a total of eight films with Chabrol, and also has a close bond with the Cannes Film Festival where in 1978, she won the best actress statuette for Chabrol’s ‘Violette’. Venice Film Festival is the oldest film festival in the world and is included in the ‘Big Three’ European film festivals and ‘Big Five’ film festivals across the world.

As per Variety, in 2001, she won her second best actress award at Cannes for her tour-de-force performance as a sadomasochistic music professor in Michael Haneke’s ‘The Piano’. In 2005, Huppert was honored by Venice with a Special Golden Lion for her titular role in ‘Gabrielle’, Patrice Chereau’s costume drama about an imploded marriage.

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22 Dharam - Karam

Embarking on a divine odyssey: Exploring the sacred Mata temples of Himachal Pradesh

Today’s Darshan - Mata Chintpurni

By Dr. Avi Verma

Today marks the beginning of an enchanting journey through the mystical realm of Himachal Pradesh, where the divine presence of Mata temples beckons us with their sacred allure. Our inaugural pilgrimage commences with the revered Mata Chintpurni Temple, nestled amidst the picturesque hills of this enchanting state in India.

As the first rays of dawn gently caress the tranquil landscape, we embark on our quest to seek the divine blessings of Maa Chintpurni, the embodiment of divine grace and fulfilment of desires. With hearts brimming with anticipation and reverence, we traverse the winding paths that lead us to the sacred abode of the Goddess.

Upon reaching the temple complex, we are greeted by the serene ambiance, resonating with the chants of hymns and the fragrance of incense. The sanctum sanctorum beckons, where the idol of Maa Chintpurni awaits, adorned with vibrant flowers and ornaments, radiating an aura of divine benevolence.

With each step, we offer our prayers and supplications, expressing our devotion through rituals and offerings. The sacred ritual of pooja archana fills the air, as devotees from near and far converge to seek the blessings of the compassionate Mother Goddess.

As we stand in the divine presence of Maa Chintpurni, surrounded by the ethereal beauty of the temple and the serene embrace of nature, we find solace and fulfillment. Our hearts overflow with gratitude, knowing that our prayers are heard and our worries relieved by the compassionate gaze of the Goddess.

And so, with hearts uplifted and spirits renewed, we depart from the temple, carrying with us the divine blessings of Maa Chintpurni as we continue our journey through the sacred Mata Temples of Himachal Pradesh, each week unveiling a new chapter in

our spiritual odyssey. In the sacred land of Himachal Pradesh, nestled amidst the picturesque hills, lies the revered temple of Maa Chintpurni, a manifestation of the Hindu Goddess Durga. This divine abode, also known as Chintpurni Devi Temple, holds profound significance for Hindus worldwide, drawing devotees seeking solace, guidance, and blessings from the compassionate Mother Goddess.

Legend has it that long ago, in a time of great turmoil and suffering, the demon king Shumbh-Nishumbh unleashed chaos upon the earth, threatening to engulf it in darkness. Amidst the turmoil, the gods sought the aid of the supreme divine feminine power, Devi Durga, to vanquish the malevolent forces and restore harmony to the universe.

In response to their pleas, Devi Durga assumed the form of Maa Chintpurni, the embodiment of divine grace and fulfillment of desires. With her divine energy, she annihilated the demons and restored peace to the world. It is said that wherever devotees earnestly invoke her name, Maa Chintpurni dispels worries, fulfills aspirations, and grants inner peace, earning her the epithet “the reliever of worries.”

The temple dedicated to Maa Chintpurni stands as a testament to her benevolence and omnipresence. Devotees from far and wide embark on a spiritual pilgrimage to seek her divine blessings and offer their prayers, expressing their devotion through various rituals and offerings.

Upon entering the temple complex, devotees are greeted by the serene ambiance, resonating with the chants of hymns and the fragrance of incense. They approach the sanctum sanctorum, where the idol of Maa Chintpurni sits in all her resplendent glory, adorned with vibrant flowers and ornaments.

Devotees offer flowers, fruits, and sweets to the Goddess as tokens of their reverence and gratitude. Some undertake the sacred ritual of

“mundan,” where they shave off their hair as an offering to the Goddess, symbolizing the shedding of worldly attachments and seeking spiritual renewal.

A unique aspect of worship at the Chintpurni Devi Temple is the ritual of tying “mouli” or sacred threads around the holy tree, believed to fulfill wishes and bring good fortune. Devotees fervently tie these threads while making heartfelt prayers, entrusting their hopes and desires to the compassionate Goddess.

Throughout the year, the temple resonates with the sounds of devotional songs and the fervent prayers of devotees, who comeseeking solace and divine intervention in times of distress. It is believed that Maa Chintpurni, ever compassionate and benevolent, listens to the prayers of her devotees and bestows her blessings abundantly, guiding them on the path of righteousness and fulfillment.

In addition to the daily influx of devotees, the Chintpurni Devi Temple witnesses a special fervor on the auspicious occasion of Sangrand, the first day of the Hindu calendar month. Devotees from the nearby areas, their hearts brimming with unwavering devotion, converge upon the temple to offer their reverent prayers and perform the sacred pooja archana.

Driven by their deep faith and spiritual fervor, these devotees embark on a journey of devotion, often traveling for one to three hours in the wee hours of the morning to reach the temple precincts. Despite the distance and the early hour, their dedication remains steadfast as they eagerly anticipate the divine darshan of Maa Chintpurni.

As the first rays of the sun illuminate the horizon, illuminating the path to the temple, these devotees arrive, their hearts filled with anticipation and reverence. They partake in the ancient ritual of pooja archana, offering their heartfelt prayers and seeking the benevolent blessings of the Goddess.

For these devotees, the monthly pilgrimage to the Chintpurni Devi Temple is not merely a ritual but a profound expression of their devotion and gratitude towards the divine Mother Goddess. It is a sacred journey of the soul, a reaffirmation of their unwavering faith in the omnipresent grace of Maa Chintpurni.

As they stand in the divine presence of the Goddess, surrounded by the ethereal beauty of the temple and the serene ambiance of the hills, these devotees find solace and fulfillment, knowing that their prayers are heard and their hearts are embraced by the compassionate Mother Goddess.

And so, with hearts uplifted and spirits renewed, these devotees depart from the temple, their souls enriched and their devotion deepened, ready to face the challenges of life with renewed faith and unwavering devotion to Maa Chintpurni, the reliever of worries and fulfiller of desires.

Friday, 10 May 2024

Chicagoland hosts the premiere of awardwinning Gujarati film ‘Mane Lai Ja’

By Jayanti Oza

Chicagoland hosted the prestigious premiere of the critically acclaimed and blockbuster film ‘Mane Lai Ja’ on May 4, 2024. Presented by the esteemed USA Film Productions Company, helmed by Ramesh Punatar and Sean Patel, this special screening was attended by over 200 distinguished guests at the Bensenville Theater in Bensenville, IL.

The event was graced by the presence of esteemed personalities, including Chief Guest Sunil Shah from NY Life, Swapnil Shah, renowned Hollywood Actor, Producer, and Director, Bharat Oza from Media Oza, Naresh Shah from Rely Care, as well as sponsors like Legacy Entertainment, HGI Financials, Dream Motor Car, Sreeji Travels, and A.B. Entertainment.

To add an extra element of delight to the evening, the organizers offered incentives to early attendees, with the first 25 men receiving a complimentary carrying pouch and the first 25 women getting a pair of gold earrings. Additionally, a lucky draw was conducted after the screening, enhancing the overall experience for the attendees.

‘Mane Lai Ja’ struck a deep emotional chord with the audience, leaving many moved to tears. The film not only entertained but also provoked contemplation on the harmful rituals prevalent in our culture. The event was a huge success and the organizers thanked everyone for their support in making the premiere a resounding success.

One of the scenes from the film

Movie sponsor Ibrahim Kariwala, Rita shah, Ramesh Punatar, Naresh Shah and Swapnil Shah

Poster of ‘ Mane Lai Ja’

Last-minute ideas to surprise your mom on Mother’s Day

Bring out the scrapbooks and photo albums, or browse through your digital photos for a nostalgic trip down memory lane.

Being spontaneous has its advantages. But when it comes to special occasions like Mother’s Day, it is best to plan ahead of time. So, this Mother’s Day, plan something unique to make your mother feel special, such as fun-filled indoor activities or making her nostalgic.

Breakfast in Bed

This has to be the perfect Mother’s Day treat. Make something from one of her favorite cookbooks to take it to the next level and start the day with a surprise breakfast in bed.

Turn your home into a movie theatre

All you need is a projector, a blank wall or sheet, and your favorite movie to recreate the cinema experience. Don’t forget to bring the popcorn!

Having a candle light dinner

Turn off all the lights for the evening and do everything by candlelight to create a super romantic atmosphere. Cell phone flashlights are also not permitted!

Play classic card games

Poker, UNO, and many other card games are available; all you need

is a deck of cards and you’ll have a full night of competition ahead of you. You can also play these games online if you want to make it a double date and invite some friends along.

Have a deep conversation

Play games like Never Have I Ever and Truth or Dare during a

sleepover with your mother. Your responses will almost certainly organically lead to some intense (in a good way!) conversation.

Go through old photos

Bring out the scrapbooks and photo albums, or browse through your digital photos for a nostalgic trip down memory lane.

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28 Health & Fitness

STRIKING the right balance to prevent cardiovascular diseases

Cardiovascular disease continues to be a major global health concern, with heart attacks and strokes ranking as leading causes of death worldwide. However, these conditions are not inevitable.

Individuals can take proactive steps toward safeguarding their heart health with conscious lifestyle adjustments and medical interventions. Health is a delicate balance of prevention and early intervention. Small, consistent lifestyle changes can drastically reduce risk over time.

Checkout the 12 essential heart health tips by Dr. Hiremath:

Adopt a balanced diet: A healthy diet is fundamental to maintaining a healthy heart. Aim for a balanced intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats. Avoid saturated fats, trans fats, and excessive sugars, which can contribute to obesity, high cholesterol, and other cardiovascular risks.

Exercise regularly: Regular physical activity is vital for a healthy heart. The American Heart Association recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week. Activities such as brisk walking, jogging, cycling, or swimming can boost cardiovascular fitness, strengthen the heart muscle, and improve circulation.

Manage stress effectively: Chronic stress has been shown to contribute to heart disease by raising blood pressure, causing unhealthy behaviors like overeating or smoking, and increasing inflammation in the body. Developing stress management techniques such as meditation, deep breathing exercises, or yoga can help to relax the mind and body.

Monitor your blood pressure: High blood pressure, or hypertension, is often called a “silent killer” because it may not present symptoms but significantly increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Regularly monitoring blood pressure at home or with a healthcare professional can help identify any issues early on.

check-ups are essential for catching potential heart issues early. Regular cholesterol screenings, ECGs, and other tests can help monitor cardiovascular health and identify issues before they escalate. Early detection allows for timely intervention, reducing the risk of more severe complications.

Quit smoking: Smoking is a major risk factor for heart disease, damaging blood vessels, raising blood pressure, and contributing to atherosclerosis. Quitting smoking is one of the most effective steps you can take to improve heart health. Seek support from smoking cessation programs, counseling, or medication to aid in breaking the habit.

Limit alcohol consumption: Excessive alcohol consumption can raise blood pressure, increase triglyceride levels, and contribute to heart disease. The American Heart Association recommends a maximum of one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men. Opting for non-alcoholic beverages, moderating consumption, or seeking support from health

professionals can help reduce alcohol-related cardiovascular risks.

Maintain a healthy weight: Obesity is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Maintaining a healthy weight through a balanced diet and regular exercise can significantly reduce these risks. For sustainable weight management, avoid crash diets and seek guidance from healthcare professionals or nutritionists to develop a plan tailored to your needs.

Sleep well: Lack of sleep has been linked to various health issues, including heart disease. Aim for 7-8 hours of quality sleep per night. Developing a consistent sleep routine, avoiding electronic devices before bed, and creating a relaxing bedtime environment can help improve sleep quality.

Stay hydrated: Dehydration can thicken the blood, increasing the risk of blood clots and heart strain. Ensure adequate hydration throughout the day, especially in hot weather or

during exercise. The recommended daily intake varies depending on individual needs, but generally, adults should aim for 8-10 cups of water per day. Proper hydration helps maintain cardiovascular function and overall health.

Control cholesterol levels: High cholesterol contributes to plaque build-up in the arteries, increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Regular cholesterol screenings can help monitor levels and catch any issues early. A diet rich in fiber and low in saturated fats, alongside regular exercise and medication, if necessary, can help maintain healthy cholesterol levels. Consult your healthcare professional for personalized advice on managing cholesterol.

Manage diabetes: Diabetes can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease by damaging blood vessels and nerves. Managing diabetes through diet, exercise, and medication can help reduce these risks. Regular monitoring of blood sugar levels and consulting a healthcare professional for comprehensive diabetes management is crucial for overall health.

Friday, 10 May 2024

Bold diamond pieces for fashion-forward choices

Witnessing our beloved celebrities flaunt those stunning oversized diamonds has undoubtedly reignited the popularity of statement jewelry in the fashion realm. From Kiara Advani stealing the spotlight with her bridal bling to the Ambani family captivating us with their extraordinary collections, it’s evident: that jewelry isn’t just an accessory—it’s a mirror reflecting your unique personality and style.

Check out the five-must-have lab-grown diamonds jewelry pieces, to update your collection:

4Statement Earrings: Earrings have the remarkable ability to frame your face and boost any look. Opt for statement earrings adorned with lab-grown diamonds to add a touch of glamour and sophistication. Whether you prefer bold studs, dazzling chandeliers, or intricately designed hoops, these earrings are sure to catch the eye and spark conversation wherever you go.

4Layered Necklaces: Embrace the art of layering with necklaces featuring lab-grown diamonds. With these sustainable rocks, you can create luxurious looks by mixing and matching different lengths and styles. Whether you layer delicate chains with sparkling pendants or opt for a bold combination of chunky jewels, each piece adds depth and dimension to the outfit, radiating effortless elegance.

4Statement Rings: Rings go beyond mere adornments; they’re symbols of your unique identity. When your cocktail ring speaks volumes, the possibilities for self-expression are limitless. Thanks to the affordability of lab-grown options compared to mined diamonds, you can captivate attention with a striking solitaire or an intricately designed setting. Flaunt your individuality and make a bold style statement without compromise.

4Cuff Bracelets: Make a bold statement

with cuff bracelets adorned with lab-grown diamonds. From sleek and modern designs to intricate and ornate patterns, these bracelets add a touch of glamour and sophistication to any piece. Whether worn alone as a striking focal point or stacked with other bracelets for a layered look, cuff bracelets are versatile pieces that effortlessly elevate your wrist game.

4Ear Cuffs and Climbers: Take your ear game to new heights with ear cuffs and climbers adorned with lab-grown diamonds. These sleek yet sophisticated accessories hug the curves of your ears, infusing a modern flair into your ensemble. Whether you prefer a minimalist and refined design or crave something bold and attention grabbing, earcuffs and climbers are guaranteed to make a statement and elevate your overall style.

So, go ahead, let your style shine bright with these exquisite lab-grown diamond pieces, and make a statement that’s as bold and beautiful as you are.

The best-dressed stars from the 2024 Met Gala

Every year, the Met Gala red carpet produces some of the most memorable celebrity fashion moments of all time. This year’s affair in New York City—themed “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion”—was certainly no different, with a bevy of A-listers hitting the red carpet in custom creations. The night’s very best dressed attendees were those who paid homage to this year’s theme —doing so in both thoughtful and unexpected ways. Some of the people who caught the eyes were:

• Bad Bunny in Maison Margiela

• Jennifer Lopez in Schiaparelli

• Lana Del Rey in Alexander McQueen

• Nicki Minaj in Marni

• Mona Patel in Iris van Herpen