Issue 28 by indoustribune

US ‘doubling down’ on boosting trade with ‘critical partner’ India,

says Assistant Commerce Secretary Venkataraman

Friday, 17 May 2024

By Arul Louis

India has emerged as a “critical partner” for the US which is “doubling down” on it for trade and working on further boosting economic ties, according to a senior US trade official.

Assistant Commerce Secretary Arun Venkataraman said, “I genuinely believe that this is very much a heyday of this bilateral economic relationship” between India and the US.

“We are doubling down on India and finding more ways to collaborate and grow that economic integration,” he told reporters on Thursday ahead of the World Trade Week in New York.

India “has become an even more critical partner for the US,” he said.

“We are amazed by the incredible deepening of the collaboration that’s happened in the last few years with India.”

According to the US International Trade Administration, total trade in goods and services between India and the US topped $191 billion in 2022, almost doubling from 2014.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) from the US reached $103 billion during the 2022-23 fiscal year, while Indian FDI flows to the US reached $14.4 billion in 2021 providing for more than 72,000 US jobs.

Asked by a reporter if the US would consider a free trade agreement with India, Venkataraman did not directly address the possibility, instead pointing to India’s participation with the US and 12 other countries in the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) launched in 2022.

“Free trade agreements are a fantastic tool and can be very effective, but I think we should also remember the free trade agreements are only one tool in the toolkit,” he said.

Right now, he said that the IPEF “is addressing key elements that you don’t find in free trade agreements, addressing the urgencies of the day”.

“We’re focused on getting that (IPEF) implemented” and making sure “that we avoid some of the vulnerabilities that we all learned during the pandemic,” he added.

While most of the attention to keeping the Indo-Pacific region free and open has been focused on strategic issues, Venkataraman emphasized the critical role of the IPEF.

The Tamil Nadu-born Venkataraman holds the Global Markets portfolio in the Commerce Department in addition to being the Director-General of the US and Foreign Commercial Service.

EAM Jaishankar takes dig at Canada,

says freedom of speech cannot be freedom to support separatism and terrorism in foreign country

Targeting the Justin Trudeau government for giving refuge to pro-Khalistani elements, External Affairs Minister

(EAM) S. Jaishankar on Thursday said that further deterioration in bilateral ties would eventually result in a big loss for Canada.

“Freedom of speech cannot be freedom to advocate violence, freedom of speech cannot be freedom to support separatism and terrorism in a foreign country. It cannot be... A group of Khalistanis have been misusing Canada’s freedom laws for years. But when the Canadian government has any political compulsions, they accommodate these people who are also their vote bank,” said the EAM while speaking at ‘Vishwabandhu Bharat’ interaction in Nashik, Maharashtra.

As pro-Khalistani elements continue

to indulge in anti-India activities, New Delhi has conveyed to Ottawa on several occasions that democratic countries which respect the rule of law should not allow

US refutes allegations of meddling in Indian elections

The US has denied any involvement in India’s ongoing Lok Sabha elections, saying that it has adopted the same policy for such events taking place anywhere in the world.

“Of course, we don’t involve ourselves in elections in India, as we don’t involve ourselves in elections anywhere in the world. Those are decisions for the people of India to make,” US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said during a media briefing in Washington on Thursday.

Miller was responding to a question asking for his reaction to Russian Foreign Ministry

spokesperson Maria Zakharova’s comments on Wednesday where she had said that the US is trying to “complicate” the ongoing Lok Sabha elections in India, by making “regular unfounded accusations” on threats to religious freedom in the country.

The US State Department official also refused to react to the ongoing investigation on the alleged plot to assassinate Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

“There is a publicly-returned indictment that contains alleged facts. They’re allegations until they’re proven before a jury that anyone can go and read. I won’t speak to them here because, of course, it’s an ongoing legal matter. And I’ll leave it at that,” said Miller.

elements in the name of freedom of expression.

India-US ties passing through ‘historic era’, won’t be affected by Pannun case: US Ambassador Garcetti

Calling it the “most consequential relationship” that is passing through a “historic era”, US Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, asserted on Tuesday that the ongoing investigation into an alleged plot to assassinate Sikh radical Gurpatwant Singh Pannun will not affect ties between Washington and New Delhi.

“How we manage those moments defines the strength of a relationship... I would say our work every single day at the embassy, every single day at the Ministry of External Affairs, the Indian Embassy in Washington, has not slowed down one bit,” Garcetti told NDTV in an exclusive interview.

Last November, the US prosecutors had alleged a foiled plot to assassinate Pannun, a US citizen and head of the pro-Khalistan outfit Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), on behalf of an Indian government employee.

intimidation by radical

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VOL: 01 • ISSUE: 28 We serve community first 17 MAY 2024 www.indoustribune.com MIDWEST EDITION

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India-US ties passing through ‘historic era’, won’t be affected by Pannun case: US Ambassador Garcetti

Likening the India-US relationship to a marriage, which has its share of inevitable fights and disagreements, Garcetti added, “It continues to accelerate because we want this relationship, we need this relationship, and we have this relationship.”

Criticizing certain reports in the US media, India has maintained that “unwarranted and unsubstantiated imputations” on a serious matter should be avoided.

“There is an ongoing investigation of the High-Level Committee set up by the Government of India to look into the security concerns shared by the US government on networks of organized criminals, terrorists, and others. Speculative and irresponsible comments on it are not helpful,” Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, said last month.

Economic superpowers like India reshaping global economy, says Rishi Sunak

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday cited India’s rise as an ‘economic superpower’ as he pledged to create a dynamic, innovative economy fuelled by technological progress.

Insisting that “more will change in the next five years than in the last 30”, Sunak, during his speech on security at the Policy Exchange think-tank, spoke on a “clear plan and bold ideas” to deliver a secure future for the Britons.

He also maintained that “new and fast-growing economic superpowers” like India, Indonesia, and Nigeria are significantly reshaping the global economy.

“We must be prepared strategically and economically, with robust plans and

greater national resilience, to meet this time of instability with strength,” said the UK PM while elaborating on the current geopolitical situation.

The UK, which has had five Conservative Prime Ministers since 2010, is expected to go to the polls later this year.

Sunak was only spotlighting the resilience demonstrated by the Indian economy as it successfully mitigated the risks of global economic downturn over the recent years, including the Covid-19 aftermath.

“I see India as Asia’s Silicon Valley and the UK as Europe’s Silicon Valley, so there’s a lot we can work on together,” Jeremy Hunt, UK’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, had said following talks with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Delhi last September.

No exemptions for India firms, says US on Chabahar deal

Afew hours after India and Iran signed a 10-year agreement regarding the Chabahar port, the US has said there will be no exemptions for Indian firms dealing with Iran from sanctions already in force.

This signals a dramatic shift away from the previous exemption from sanctions granted by the Trump administration in 2018 when the then-president rescinded the Iran nuclear deal signed by his predecessor President Barack Obama.

Vedant Patel, the Principal Deputy Spokesperson for the US State Department, told reporters on Monday that while the agreement was a bilateral matter between India and Iran and that India was free to run its foreign policy the way it wants, “any entity (or) anyone considering business deals with Iran … need to be aware of the potential risks that they’re opening themselves up to the term risk of sanctions”.

Asked if there will be no exemptions, the Spokesperson said, “No.”

He was responding to questions on the agreement signed by New Delhi and Tehran that allows India to operate the Chabahar port for 10 years.

The 2018 exemption was granted to allow India to construct and develop the port in south Iran to allow it to send shipments to Afghanistan and beyond because Pakistan did not allow the use of its territory.

EAM Jaishankar takes dig at Canada, says freedom of speech cannot be freedom to support separatism and terrorism in foreign country

“Our relations have been spoiled today because of the activities of these people who are even threatening our Ambassador and various diplomats posted in the country. They threw smoke bombs inside the High Commission and, at one time, our diplomats were facing great difficulty to get out of the building. People who supported terror activities against India have been given refuge in Canada. The government there should have a relook at the entire situation,” he asserted.

Earlier this month, India reacted strongly to pro-Khalistani elements taking centerstage, shouting anti-India slogans and displaying objectionable posters against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a ‘Nagar Kirtan’ parade organized in Canada’s Malton.

Urging the Canadian government led by Trudeau to stop providing criminal and secessionist elements a safe haven and political

space in the country, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated that celebration and glorification of violence should not be a part of any civilized society.

“We have tried to make them understand this many times that deterioration in

bilateral ties will also be a big loss for them. These people who have been given refuge in Canada are criminals who have also taken their gang warfare to the country now. They should understand it well by now as some people are taking full advantage of it,” he said in Nashik.

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Biden proposes changes to presidential debates

The 2024 version of the presidential debate, a key element of US politics, will be significantly different and fewer, if President Joe Biden’s proposal sent on Wednesday is accepted by the body that organizes them and, more importantly, by former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee.

In a letter to the Commission on Presidential Debates, which has organized these debates for decades now, the Biden campaign has proposed two debates, instead of the three scheduled by the body as before, and to be held in June and September, instead of in September and October, without live audiences, and with a provision to automatically switch off the microphone when the candidate’s time elapsed.

The letter, signed by Biden campaign chair Jennifer O’Malley Dillon, which was first reported by The New York Times, also stated that the President will only participate in the debates if they are hosted

by a news organization.

Also, the Biden campaign wants the debates to take place between him and Trump, no third person, who is not named but is clearly Robert Kennedy Jr.

“Donald Trump lost two debates to me in 2020,” Biden said in a video released by his campaign.

“Since then he hasn’t shown up for a debate. Now he’s acting like he wants to debate me again. Well, make my day, pal, I’ll even do it twice. So let’s pick the dates, Donald – I hear you’re free on Wednesdays,” he added, referring to the ongoing trial in New York, which takes a break on Wednesdays.

In a post on X, Biden went on to say: “I’ve received and accepted an invitation from @CNN for a debate on June 27th. Over to you, Donald. As you said, anywhere, any time, any place.”

Trump accepted the offer and said in an earlier post on Truth Social, his social media platform, that he accepted the offer.

“I am Ready and Willing to debate Crooked Joe at the two proposed times, June and September.”

He added that he would prefer a “large

US partnerships with South Korea, Japan key to making prosperous, secure Indo-Pacific, says Campbell

The US’ bilateral and trilateral relationships with South Korea and Japan will help enhance prosperity and security for all parties in the Indo-Pacific, US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said on Tuesday.

Campbell made the remarks in a virtual speech, pointing out that such partnerships have never carried more significance than now as the world faces many opportunities and challenges at the same time, Yonhap news agency reported.

“Both alliances have transformed from primarily security-focused relationships to truly comprehensive global partnerships, with impacts reverberating far beyond the Indo-Pacific,” Campbell said in a prerecorded keynote speech during a forum hosted by the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, a Seoul-based think tank.

Campbell cast the series of bilateral and trilateral summits the US has had with South

6,600

UKorea, Japan, and separately with Japan and the Philippines as a clear demonstration of the “not just historic but unrivaled” level of commitment from Washington and its allies in the Indo-Pacific.

“As President Biden has made clear, our partners and allies are critical if we are to be successful in seizing these key opportunities and maintaining our readiness to confront the most pressing challenges of the 21st century,”

Campbell said.

“Our bilateral and trilateral bonds with the Republic of Korea and Japan will define the future of Asia and grow our collective prosperity and security,” he said. On the trilateral cooperation with Seoul and Tokyo, Campbell noted that such commitment was made possible by the leaders of the two Asian allies, which led to a dramatic improvement in their bilateral relations.

evacuated in wildfire-hit Canada

p to 6,600 residents have been evacuated in Canada’s western province of Alberta due to a raging wildfire, local media reported.

The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo issued the evacuation order Tuesday afternoon after declaring a state of local emergency, CBC News reported.

The evacuation order is in effect for the neighborhoods of Beacon Hill, Abasand, Prairie Creek and Grayling Terrace. Several areas in Fort McMurray are being evacuated to make way for firefighters, Xinhua news agency reported.

were ordered to leave by 4 p.m. Mountain Time (2200 GMT), the municipality said. According to CBC News, Jody Butz, the regional fire chief, said that the order would

affect up to 6,600 people in the evacuation zone.

Local roads and highways were choked with vehicles Tuesday afternoon as residents fled south, the report said. According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, a total of 134 fires were actively burning nationwide on Tuesday, with 43 fires categorized as out of control.

The Canadian government warned that above-normal temperatures nationwide could lead to greater wildfire risks. Canada’s wildfire season in 2023 is the most destructive on record. According to the Canadian National Fire Database, there were 7,131 fires recorded nationwide in 2023, burning a record 1,72,03,625 hectares of land.

venue” for “excitement purposes”. But his real intent may become clear when the two campaigns actually get down to negotiating the details. He did not participate in the Republican primary debates despite repeated calls from his rivals.

The changes proposed by the Biden campaign seek to prevent a repeat of the 2020 debates. In the first, Trump had repeatedly interrupted Biden and spoke over him which forced an exasperated Biden to say: “Will you shut up, man? This is so unpresidential.”

Trump had also famously shown up ill and had shortly after announced he had contracted coronavirus.

The Biden campaign was furious that the commission, which is an independent and non-partisan body, failed to ensure adherence to its rules. The Trump family members had taken off their masks before sitting. The debate was held at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, which had gone on to take the heaviest toll in the United States.

Key Putin aide visits New Delhi, holds talks on Afghanistan

Zamir Kabulov, the Russian President’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, held talks with J.P. Singh, Joint Secretary for Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran in the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi on Wednesday. Kabulov is the Special Presidential Envoy for Afghanistan and also the Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Second Asian Department.

Interestingly, his visit to the national capital comes just two days after India and Iran signed a 10-year agreement on Chabahar port which the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to include in the framework of the multilateral International NorthSouth Transport Corridor (INSTC) project Late last month, Kabulov traveled to Kabul to hold meetings with the interim senior leadership of Afghanistan, including Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Kabir, Foreign Affairs Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, and Acting Minister of Interior Affairs, Sirajuddin Haqqani.

A seasoned diplomat with a firm grip over the affairs in the region, Singh too was in Kabul in the first week of March to hold talks with Muttaqi, including on India-Afghanistan relations and economic transit matters. It is pertinent to mention that besides working on maintaining peace in the region, India remains keen to expand trade with the Central Asian countries, Russia, and beyond through the Chabahar port in Iran which has played a key role in enhancing regional connectivity.

India has also used the port to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance, especially to Afghanistan during the Covid-19 pandemic by shipping tonnes of wheat and pulses to Kabul via the Shahid Beheshti Terminal.

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Friday, 17 May 2024

All residents in the evacuation zone

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Publisher Note

Celebrating UNESCO recognition of Ramcharitmanas and Panchatantra

Letter from Pub-

Dr. (H) Avi Verma

We are delighted to share the remarkable news of the UNESCO recognition bestowed upon two iconic treasures of Indian literature: the Ramcharitmanas and the Panchatantra. This momentous honor, announced during the 10th General Meeting of the Memory of the World Committee for Asia and the Pacific (MOWCAP), is a testament to the enduring legacy and global significance of these timeless works.

Different versions of the Ramcharitmanas or Ramayan, penned by the revered saintpoet Goswami Tulsidas and Maharishi Valmik and the Panchatantra, a collection of ancient Indian fables dating back to the 3rd century BCE, have captivated readers across generations with their profound wisdom, moral lessons, and timeless storytelling.

This prestigious recognition not only celebrates the rich literary heritage of India but also underscores the profound influence of Hindu philosophy and culture on the global stage. The Ramcharitmanas and the Panchatantra have left an indelible mark on readers worldwide, transcending boundaries of time and geography to inspire countless hearts and minds.

We extend our heartfelt congratulations to the Hindu community worldwide on this historic achievement, which fills every heart with pride and joy. The inscription of these revered texts in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Regional Register for the 2024 cycle is a testament to their enduring relevance and universal appeal, reaffirming their status as literary treasures of humanity.

We also commend the efforts

of the Modi government for their unwavering commitment to preserving and promoting India’s rich cultural heritage. This recognition comes as a fitting tribute following the historic Pran Pratishtha of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya earlier this year, a momentous event that captured the essence of India’s spiritual and cultural ethos.

As we celebrate this milestone, let us reaffirm our commitment to preserving and sharing our literary and cultural heritage with the world, ensuring that the wisdom and teachings of the Ramcharitmanas and the Panchatantra continue to inspire and enlighten future generations.

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Disclaimer The aim of IndoUS Tribune is to entertain, educate and inform the readers. The opinions expressed in our published works are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions of IndoUS Tribune or the editors. The information contained in our published work has been obtained by Indous Tribune nor its authors guarantees the accuracy or completeness of any information published herein and neither IndoUS Tribune nor its authors shall be responsible for any errors, omissions, or claims for damages, including exemplary damages, arising out of use, inability to use, or with regard to the accuracy or sufficiency of the information contained in this publication. Neither the editor, nor the publisher or any other party associated with the production of IndoUS Tribune accept the responsibility of any accident or injury resulting from the use of materials contained herein. All the content of the IndoUS Tribune is printed and published in Chicago. All rights reserved. No part of any work published in the paper may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher.

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

US announces $400 million in additional weapons aid to Ukraine

The US has announced an additional package of weapons and equipment for Ukraine worth $400 million.

Capabilities included in the package were additional air munitions for Patriot and National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems; Stinger anti-aircraft missiles; equipment to integrate Western launchers, missiles, and radars with Ukraine’s systems; additional High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems and ammunition, according to a statement by the State Department released on Friday.

Also to be provided to Ukraine were 155mm and 105mm artillery rounds; TOW and Javelin missiles and AT-4 antiarmor systems; Precision aerial munitions; High-speed Anti-radiation missiles; Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles; M113 Armored Personnel Carriers; Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles; coastal and riverine patrol boats; small arms ammunition and grenades; demolitions munitions; and spare parts, the statement said as quoted by Xinhua news agency report.

The US has committed more than $51.3 billion in military aid to Ukraine since the beginning of President Joe Biden’s administration, including more than $50.6 billion since the beginning of the RussiaUkraine war on February 24, 2022, the Defence Department said in a news statement.

The new assistance from the US came on the same day northern Ukraine was reportedly attacked by Russia in a new ground operation that began on Friday dawn.

Targeting the border town of Vovchansk near Ukraine’s second-largest city of Kharkiv, the attack was the most serious cross-border ground offensive by Russia in nearly two years, according to a CNN report citing a Ukrainian military source.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who thanked the US for the new package on X, was quoted by CNN as saying the assault was part of “a new wave of counteroffensive actions” by Russia, adding that a “fierce battle” was being fought in the area.

US government defends Israel over Gaza ‘genocide’ accusations

The US government has defended the Israeli leadership against accusations that it is committing genocide against Palestinians in the fight against the militant organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

“We do not believe what is happening in Gaza is a genocide. We have been firmly on record rejecting that proposition,” US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in Washington on Monday.

Sullivan added that the US had also presented its position on this issue in writing and detail before the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

“We believe Israel can and must do more to ensure the protection and well-being of innocent civilians,” he said.

The Gaza war was triggered by the unprecedented attacks in which militants from the Palestinian Hamas movement and other Islamist groups killed more than 1,200 people in Israel on October 7. Israel responded with massive airstrikes and a ground offensive.

Given the high number of civilian casualties and the catastrophic situation in the Gaza Strip, Israel has come in for increasing criticism internationally. At the end of December, South Africa took Israel

to the ICJ for alleged violations of the Genocide Convention during the Gaza war.

In an interim ruling, the UN court ordered Israel to take protective measures to prevent genocide. Israel has repeatedly rejected accusations of genocide and argues it invoked the right to self-defence after the October 7 attacks.

Nearly 35,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war so far, according to Gaza’s Health authority. The US government -and US President Joe Biden in particular -- is also currently facing numerous accusations of aiding and abetting genocide through its military support for Israel.

Protesters have been interrupting public appearances by the President with corresponding slogans. Others complain that Biden is letting his important ally down by adopting an increasingly harsh tone towards Israel.

Hundreds of faculty, staff demand UCLA chancellor’s resignation

Nearly 900 members of the University of California (UC) faculty and staff have been calling on Gene Block, chancellor of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), to resign over the university’s response to pro-Palestinian protests on campus.

“We will not stand by as our students are assaulted and silenced,” said the group in an online petition, Xinhua news agency reported.

“We remain committed to protecting our students’ safety and their right to protest, assemble, and speak freely.”

A total of 895 people from the 10-campus public university system have signed the petition as of Thursday night. Of them, 642 are from UCLA.

In the petition, the group said that they demand that UCLA recommend all legal charges be dropped and grant full amnesty to all students, staff and faculty involved in the encampment and peaceful protest.

“Following the violent and aggressive police sweep of the Palestine Solidarity Encampment on May 2, 2024, resulting in more than 200 students, faculty, and staff arrested while peacefully protesting, it has become obvious that Chancellor Block has failed our university,” said the petition.

UC faculty and staff members also demand that UCLA issue a report within 30 days to fully disclose all investments so that students may understand how the university prioritizes their finances and call on UCLA to divest from all military weapons production companies and supporting systems.

In a message to its members earlier this week, the UCLA Academic Senate, representing the university’s faculty, said, “Recent events that transpired on our campus deeply dismayed and disappointed many faculty, staff, students and alumni.”

The UCLA Academic Senate said it will hold an emergency meeting on Friday to consider a no-confidence resolution and a censure resolution of Block, who has been chancellor of UCLA since 2007.

UCLA’s Undergraduate Students Association Council also passed a resolution on Tuesday night calling for the resignation of Block if he does not meet the demands of the Palestine Solidarity Encampment, according to Daily Bruin, the university’s student newspaper.

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India’s New York Consulate to be open 365 days for “genuine emergencies”

The Indian Consulate in New York has announced that it will remain open throughout the year, including weekends and other holidays, to address the “emergency requirements” of people.

In a press release, the Consulate General of India, New York said that it will be open from 2 pm to 4 pm during all holidays, with effect from May 10.

“It is reiterated that this facility is for people with genuine emergencies and not for regular consular services,” it added.

The Indian mission advised the applicants to call the Consulate’s emergency helpline number: 1-917-8157066 before coming to the Consulate for any emergency service. This is to ascertain the per-requisite of supporting documents for these services and to ensure that they fall in the category of emergency services, which cannot be postponed to the next working day of the Consulate.

Notably, the facility is only for emergency requirements of travel documents such as Emergency Visa, Emergency Certificate (for travel to India on same day) and transportation of mortal remains being sent the same day. The applicant will be charged an emergency service fee for an emergency visa, as has been the practice, the Consulate General added.

Another Indian-origin man arrested in Canada’s 22.5 million gold, cash heist

A36-year-old Indian-origin man has been arrested in Canada in connection with a brazen multimillion-dollar gold heist at Toronto’s main airport, almost a month after the arrest of five others involved in the theft -- the biggest in the country’s history.

On April 17, 2023, an air cargo container carrying more than 22 million Canadian dollars worth of gold bars and foreign currency was stolen from a secure storage facility using fake paperwork, Peels Regional Police said. The gold and currency had arrived on an Air Canada flight from Zurich, Switzerland, to Pearson International Airport in Toronto.

Indian-origin man sentenced to 11 months in jail for phishing in Singapore

An Indian-origin man, employed in the Singapore Air Force, was on Wednesday sentenced to 11 months in jail for phishing women’s social media login details to get their intimate images.

K Eshwaran, 26, pleaded guilty to 10 charges under the Computer Misuse Act. Another 21 charges were considered for sentencing, Channel News Asia reported. From 2019 to 2023, he sent phishing links to 22 victims to get login credentials for their social media, cloud server and email accounts.

Eshwaran targeted victims whom he knew in real life or victims whose intimate images had been posted to an adult forum, prosecutors said. The identities of all his victims were protected by a court order, which the prosecution requested given the sexual element of his offences.

Posing as a “helpful netizen”, Eshwaran would send phishing links to victims with a message saying that their intimate images had been posted online, prosecutors said. In some cases, he used a website to generate possible login credentials based on a victim’s social media details that he had and then used trial

and error to access their accounts.

More than once, he also gained unauthorized access to men’s social media accounts. He would then impersonate the account holder and contact women whom he thought had an intimate relationship with the man to ask for intimate photos. Eshwaran continued to re-offend in 2023, even when he was out on bail and already under investigation for his earlier phishing attacks.

His victims made police reports after realizing they were being phished or that their accounts had been hacked. The prosecution sought 11 to 16 months of jail time. Deputy Public Prosecutor Joshua Phang argued that Eshwaran’s offences were premeditated and sophisticated. Eshwaran will start serving his sentence on June 19 after the judge granted his request for a deferral.

Hyderabad techie dies in US road accident

Shortly after the flight’s landing, the cargo was offloaded and transported to a separate location on airport property. It was reported missing to the police a day later. On May 6, 2024, investigators arrested and charged Archit Grover at the airport in Toronto as he flew in from India, according to the police.

The police had issued a Canadawide warrant for his arrest earlier. He is charged with theft over Canadian dollars 5,000 and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence, police said in a statement on Thursday.

Grover was held for a bail hearing and attended the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton. He is also being indicted in the US for firearm-related charges.

Indian-origin woman dies in a knife attack in London

Aman has been charged with the murder of an Indian-origin woman in London, the UK Metropolitan Police said in a statement. Anita Mukhey (66) was stabbed by the accused in Burnt Oak Broadway on May 9. She worked part-time in the National Health Service as a medical secretary. The police reached the spot on reports of stabbing. But, the victim succumbed to her knife wounds.

“Officers, London Ambulance Service (LAS) and London’s Air Ambulance (HEMS) all attended the scene, where a 66-year-old woman was treated for knife wounds. Sadly, despite the best efforts of emergency services, she died at the scene. Her family have been informed,” the police statement read. The accused, Jalal Debella (22) was arrested on suspicion of murder in the Colindale area on the same day of the incident. He was charged with murder and possession of an offensive weapon at Willesden Magistrates’ Court on May 11.

The victim’s family issued a statement via police as a tribute to Mukhey and requested privacy in this “difficult time.” He was charged with murder and possession of an offensive weapon at Willesden Magistrates’ Court on May 11.

A30-year-old software engineer from Hyderabad died in a road accident in North Carolina, United States. Abbaraju Prudhvi Raj was killed in the accident which occurred on Tuesday night in north Charlotte.

His family in LB Nagar in Hyderabad received the information that Prudhvi Raj lost his life in a tragic turn of events after surviving a crash along with his wife and friends.

The techie’s car had collided with an unattended vehicle on the road. All the occupants of the car were saved due to the airbags and they had walked to the side of the road. Prudhvi Raj, who wanted to call the police, approached the crashed car to reach for his phone. However, an incoming vehicle hit him resulting in his death.

The techie had been working in the US for eight years and had married last year. Prudjvi Raj’s father Abbaraju Venkataraman, a retired employee of the electricity department, passed away two years ago. The family and friends were making efforts to bring home the mortal remains. His friends created a GoFundMe page to help the family. According to SriPriya Dandamraju, who is organising the fundraiser, he was solely supporting the family.

“Our friend succumbed to the injuries caused by a car accident last night, everything happened in the blink of an eye. We had an initial impact with an unattended vehicle on the highway, causing our airbags to deploy. We made a stop and walked to the side of the road. Meanwhile, to call the police, our friend Prudhvi approached our crashed car to reach for the phone and in the darkness of the night, an incoming vehicle hit him and ran away. While all of this happened, his wife and we (friends) were looking around for him. Prudhvi was declared spot dead by the police on the scene (who arrived after the crash),” reads the page.

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Guterres expresses ‘appreciation’ for India’s contributions amid signs Indian UN staffer killed in Israel attack in Gaza

By Arul Louis

Expressing appreciation for India’s contribution to the UN, Secretary General Antonio Guterres sends his “apologies” and “condolences” to the nation over the death of soldier-turnedUN staffer Waibhav Anil Kale in an attack in Gaza, his spokesperson Farhan Haq said on Tuesday.

The indications are that the vehicle Kale was traveling in was fired on by Israeli forces on Monday.

Haq said that the UN has set up a fact-finding panel to determine responsibility for Monday’s attack on the clearly marked UN vehicle that Kale, a security coordinator with the UN Department of Security and Safety (DSS), was travelling in.

The vehicle appears to have been hit by firing from a tank and the details of the incident “are still being verified with the Israeli Defense Forces”, he said.

Without naming Israel, he indicated that the attack was carried out by its forces.

“At this point, we are in discussion with Israel to determine exactly how this incident happened and the nature of what happened. I don’t think at this

‘Sare

stage we are in doubt about where the shots came from as much as what the circumstances were,” he said, adding: “We believe it came from a tank in the area.”

Jordan has blamed Israel for the attack in which a woman from the country was injured. Israel Defense Forces said that according to an initial inquiry, Monday’s attack happened in an active combat zone and that it was not made aware of the vehicle’s movement.

The white vehicle flying a UN flag and with large UN markings was attacked in the Rafah area of Gaza where more than a million Palestinians ordered out of other parts of the territory by Israel are crowded in. Defying UN and international warnings, Israel has launched an incursion into Rafah in pursuit of Hamas.

Haq said, “We appreciate the

jahan se achchha Hindustan hamara’ played at White House

The White House’s Marine Band on Monday played ‘Sare jahan se achchha Hindustan hamara’ before scores of Asian-Americans as they gathered to celebrate the annual Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month here at a reception with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

The patriotic song, written by

Mohammad Iqbal during India’s Independence struggle, was played twice by the White House Marine Band at the request of Indian-Americans who were invited by the president for the annual event.

This is the second time in less than a year that the popular Indian patriotic song was played at the White House.

The last time it was played was during the historic State Visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 23. The Marine Band said it had practiced the song ahead of the State Visit.

contribution that India has made (to the UN) and we also express our apologies and our condolences to the government and people of India.”

Kale joins the roster of more than 200 Indians who have died in the service of the UN. The majority of them - 179are peacekeepers but many other Indian civilians, who like employees of the DSS are not peacekeepers, have died working for the UN in various capacities in trouble spots.

Kale, a retired Indian Army colonel, was a 46-year-old father of two teenage children who had retired from the Army and joined the UN last month, according to a UN source.

Haq said that Kale is the first nonPalestinian killed in the current conflict in Gaza that flared up in October.

There were 71 foreigners working for the UN in Gaza but he did not have a breakdown by nationality, he said.

Haq said that 188 Palestinian employees of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the UN arm for humanitarian services for Palestinians, have been killed.

“We will be working with the authorities on the ground to get restitution for all of those who have

been killed,” Haq declared.

DSS provides security for UN installations and personnel and often works under warlike conditions across the world.

The UN is supplying food and humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza, where its infrastructure has been destroyed in Israeli attacks and the UN has warned a famine is imminent. Haq said that Kale’s vehicle was in a convoy engaged in “their regular work (for which) they go to different locations to assess security conditions. And this was the European Hospital in Rafah”.

Guterres, who condemned the attack on Kale’s vehicle, reiterated his call for a humanitarian ceasefire and the release of the hostages taken by Hamas, which sparked the conflict with an attack on Israel in which about 1,200 people were killed and 128 were kidnapped. Israel’s retaliation on Gaza, from where Hamas launched the attack, has killed about 34,000 Palestinians, most of them women, children or the aged.

Last month, four foreigners and three Palestinians working for a nonprofit organization, World’s Kitchen, were killed in Gaza. Israel admitted to carrying out the attack, which it asserted was inadvertent.

Indian national charged in connection with Nijjar’s murder appears before Canadian court

An Indian national charged in connection with the killing of a Khalistani separatist appeared before a Canadian court, which ordered him to re-appear on May 21 alongside three co-accused arrested in the high-profile case that has severely strained India’s relations with Canada. Amandeep Singh, a 22-year-old suspect in the killing of Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, appeared via video in a Surrey court on Wednesday, and the matter has been put forward to next week, local media reports said.

Nijjar, 45, was killed outside Guru Nanak

Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia on June 18, 2023. Amandeep was charged on May 11 with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder, just over a week after identical charges were announced against three co-accused -- Karan Brar (22), Kamalpreet Singh (22) and 28-year-old Karanpreet Singh.

Amandeep appeared in court in Surrey virtually from Ontario, where he was already in the custody of Peel Regional Police for unrelated firearms charges. A judge set his next court date for May 21 — when he’ll appear alongside the other three men charged with conspiring to kill Nijjar. His appearance before the court was marred by technical delays.

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ModiNomics has created over 50 crore jobs, says Anurag Thakur

Union Minister and senior BJP leader Anurag Singh Thakur said on Wednesday that the opposition INDI Alliance is making “misleading and hollow” allegations on insufficient jobs in the country as part of their “bogus propaganda” to gain votes in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls.

To back his argument, Thakur cited a recently released report by the consultant group SKOCH that shows 5.14 crore personyears of employment have been generated every year since 2014, adding up to 51.4 core person-years of employment over the decade ending 2024 since the Narendra Modi government came to power. The Minister also said that the Opposition tried to spread the canard that there has been no reduction in poverty.

But data-based studies of international

Mumbai hoarding crash: Billboard owner Bhavesh Bhinde nabbed from Udaipur

In a big breakthrough, a Mumbai Police team has tracked and arrested Bhavesh Bhinde -- the owner of the hoarding that crashed in Ghatkopar on May 13 -- from his hideout in Rajasthan’s Udaipur, sources said here on Thursday.

Bhinde, a director at EGO Media Co., was on the run ever since the gigantic billboard crashed on Monday, claiming 16 lives and injuring 88 others. Soon after the tragedy, the Mumbai Police had lodged a case against Bhinde invoking the stringent charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

An official source said the Bhandup police had formed multiple teams to track down Bhinde, who was constantly on the move and changing locations, making it difficult for the police to pin him down.

Finally, a Crime Branch team pursuing him managed to zero in on Bhinde in Udaipur. He is being brought to Mumbai. Besides the hoarding crash case, Bhinde - who claims to be politically connected - is facing several other cases at different police stations in the city.

organizations like IMF and World Bank show that there has been a massive reduction in absolute poverty numbers during the ‘Modi Decade’, compared to the previous ‘UPA Decade of Decay’, he said.

“During the Congress-led UPA rule, corruption used to be banner headlines. Now,

After Manipur, Mizoram likely to initiate biometric enrollment process for Myanmar refugees

After Manipur, the Mizoram government is likely to initiate biometric enrollment for refugees, particularly from Myanmar, officials said on Thursday.

After the military junta seized power in Myanmar on February 1, 2021, at least 34,350 people including women, elderly people and children from the neighboring country took shelter in 11 districts of Mizoram.

the Modi government’s unprecedented thrust on development makes headlines. That’s the key difference,” he remarked.

The Minister said, “Modi 3.0 will bring bigger changes and transformation. We will soon become the third largest economy in the world.”

FM Sitharaman blames CM Kejriwal for ‘shocking’ assault on Swati Maliwal

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday blamed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for the “shocking assault” on AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal which took place at his official residence.

Addressing a press conference here, FM Sitharman said that Chief Minister Kejriwal owes an explanation and an apology as to how the attack on the AAP leader took place in his own house, carried out by “his right-hand man” Bhibhav Kumar, while he was present there.

She lashed out at Kejriwal saying that instead of being apologetic over the deplorable incident, he has been “shamelessly” roaming around with the culprit Bhibav Kumar, while campaigning in UP.

FM Sitharaman took Kejriwal to task for ignoring such a serious issue and refusing to say anything over the assault, when journalists asked for his comment on the incident.

She said it was shocking that the Delhi

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said during an election campaign in Bihar’s Sitamarhi District on Thursday that just like Prime Minister Narendra Modi had got the Ram Temple made in Ayodhya a monument dedicated to Sita would be built in her birthplace.

“PM Modi completed the work of building a grand temple of Ramlalla in Ayodhya. Now the work of building a great monument at the birthplace of Ma Sita remains.

“Those who kept themselves away

CM just pushed aside the journalists’ mic and shamelessly moved on with his political campaigning.

FM Sitharaman said that AAP party MP Sanjay Singh has also admitted that Swati Maliwal was assaulted and yet Kejriwal has kept silent on the issue.

She said that it has taken three or four days for Swati Mahiwal to file her complaint which means that she was under pressure from the AAP leadership.

“This is a very serious issue as a woman Rajya Sabha MP has been assaulted in the home of the Chief Minister of Delhi. I am sure the Rajya Sabha Secretariat will also take up the issue,” she added.

“If a Rajya Sabha MP can be assaulted in the house of Chief Minister how can the AAP leadership protect other women in Delhi,” she remarked.

A visibly angry FM Sitharaman also dug up old cases of some AAP leaders who are facing legal action over the incidents involving women.

Ramayana circuit,” HM Shah said at the rally.

A Mizoram government official on Thursday said that Chief Minister Lalduhoma, during a meeting with the leaders of the state’s influential NGO Young Mizo Association (CYMA), indicated the state government’s plan for biometric enrollment for refugees.

Officials said that of the total refugees, 17,901 people are staying in the rented and relatives’ houses and 16,445 migrants are sheltered in 149 relief camps across seven districts of Mizoram.

Another 1,167 refugees have also taken shelter in Mizoram since 2022 after they fled to the state following alleged ethnic persecution in Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh. All the refugees from Myanmar and Bangladesh belong to the Kuki-Zomi-Chin community and have similar ethnicity and cultural and linguistic ties with the Mizos of Mizoram.

Jyotiraditya Scindia performs last rites of mother Madhavi Raje Scindia in Gwalior

The last rites of Madhavi Raje Scindia, the mother of Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, were performed in Gwalior on Thursday evening. Madhavi Raje Scindia, who was suffering from pneumonia and sepsis, died during treatment at AIIMS Delhi on Wednesday morning.

Her husband Madhavrao Scindia, who was also a Union Minister, died in a plane crash in 2001. Several BJP leaders and ministers, including Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, along with state Congress chief Jitu Patwari and other Congress leaders attended the funeral procession.

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Friday, 17 May 2024

from Ramlalla’s temple cannot build this monument. Only PM Modi and BJP can build a monument dedicated to her life. We will also connect Janakpur and Sitamarhi through the IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

built

PM, says HM Shah in Sitamarhi

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After Ram Temple, monument honoring Sita will be

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Election-related seizures cross 1,100 crore in Rajasthan since March 1

The Chief Electoral Officer of Rajasthan, Praveen Gupta, said on Thursday that in view of the Lok Sabha elections in the state, various enforcement agencies have seized drugs, liquor, precious metals, freebies, and cash worth Rs 1,106 crore since March 1, These include drugs worth Rs 202.25 crore, liquor worth more than Rs 47 crore, gold and silver valued at Rs 70 crore, and cash amounting to Rs 42 crore, Gupta said.

Besides, other materials worth more than Rs 743.97 crore and freebies worth about Rs 90 lakh have also been seized during the period under review by different agencies since March 1, the CEO said. After the implementation of the Model Code of Conduct on March 16, the value of the items seized by the agencies on the instructions of the Election Commission has exceeded Rs 1,000 crore.

Post-poll violence in Andhra Pradesh, prohibitory orders in Palnadu district

Authorities have imposed prohibitory orders in the Palnadu district of Andhra Pradesh even as fresh incidents of post-poll violence were reported from some other districts on Wednesday.

On the direction of the Election Commission of India, Palnadu district authorities imposed Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code across the district and beefed up security across the district.

District Collector and Magistrate Shiva Shankar issued orders to police for imposing section 144, which prohibits public gatherings.

NIA files charge sheet against 10th accused in J&K drone weapon dropping case

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday filed a charge sheet in the court in Jammu against the 10th accused in the dropping of weapons from Pakistan by drones in J&K’s Kathua in 2022, an official statement said. The 10th accused charged in the case is Zakir Hussain alias Sonu of LeT against whom the case had been registered in 2022 by the agency.

Nine other accused have already been named in the charge sheet under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Arms Act, and the Explosive Substances Act, the NIA statement said. According to the charge sheet, Hussain was supporting and assisting the

operatives of LeT in collecting and delivering the arms and ammunition consignments dropped by the drones coming from the Pakistan side.

The case was originally registered by Rajbagh police in Kathua district of Jammu on May 29, 2022, after a drone (hexacopter) was intercepted and recovered with several Under Barrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL) rounds and magnetic bombs near Dhalli area, the probe agency said.

The NIA took over the case on July 30, 2022. Among the accused named in the charge sheet is Faisal Muneer, identified as the main handler of the overground worker (OGW) network active in the border area villages of Kathua. Muneer was working under the direction of designated militant, Pakistanbased Sajjad Gul, of the LeT, NIA said.

Calcutta HC orders release of BJP leader arrested by police

In a blow to the West Bengal government, the Calcutta High Court on Friday ordered the release of a woman BJP leader from Sandeshkhali, Mampi Das who was arrested after a sting operation video went viral in which a BJP leader stated that the women’s protest was plotted and orchestrated by the BJP and Das played a key role in it. While raising questions on the justification for the arrest, the singlejudge Bench of Justice Jay Sengupta also questioned who was behind the police action.

Justice Sengupta ordered that Das be released on a personal bond and put a stay on Section 195A (punishment for threatening to give false evidence) of the Indian Penal Code imposed on her. The next hearing in the matter will be

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Wednesday issued the first set of citizenship certificates to at least 14 applicants under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Notably, the Centre notified the CAA rules for implementation on March 11, 2024, as the law remained in the ‘dormant’ state for a couple of years. The applications for citizenship under the CAA were moved from persons belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi and Christian communities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, who entered India till December 31, 2014, on account of

on June 19. He also observed the manner in which Das was arrested. Stating that there were clear directions of the Supreme Court on the use of Section 195A, a non-bailable offense, he observed that if not the Calcutta High Court, the state government and police should at least go by the directions of the Supreme Court.

He also questioned the order of the Judicial Magistrate who ordered the arrest of Das in the matter. “Who is the Investigating Officer in this case and who is the mastermind?” he questioned. He also questioned how the lower court ordered police custody for Das without examining the Case Diary. The BJP’s state spokesman Samik Bhattacharya said, “Since the beginning we had been saying that Mampi’s arrest was a part of a bigger conspiracy.”

religious persecution.

The Empowered Committee headed by Director (Census Operation) after due scrutiny of papers granted citizenship to 14 applicants. The CAA, seeking to give Indian citizenship to persecuted minorities from neighboring nations including Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh was passed by the Parliament in 2019. The law, however, after enactment by the Parliament, got embroiled in controversy as demonstrations and protests mushroomed across the country. First, the violent protests and then the outbreak of the Covid pandemic apparently led to long delays in the notification of CAA.

Chief vigilance officer dies, 14 rescued in Rajasthan mine accident

Asenior vigilance officer at Hindustan Copper Limited died after a lift collapsed at the Kolihan mine in Rajasthan’s Neem Ka thana district, said officials, adding that 14 trapped people have been rescued. Fifteen employees, including vigilance officers and workers of Hindustan Copper Ltd, were trapped at 1,875 ft in a mine at Kolihan near Khetri in the district after the lift broke down.

“Fourteen out of the 15 employees, including vigilance officers and workers of Hindustan Copper Ltd, were rescued on Wednesday. The 15th person, an official passed away and could not be saved despite all efforts,” confirmed Superintendent of Police (SP) Praveen Nayak. The deceased was identified as Chief Vigilance Officer Upendra Pandey. SP Nayak said, “Pandey could not be saved despite all efforts. An official announcement will be made soon in this regard. His body is at Neem Ka Thana hospital.”

Manish Sisodia’s judicial custody extended till May 30 in excise policy case

ADelhi court on Wednesday extended till May 30 the judicial custody of AAP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia in the liquor policy case. Special Judge Kaveri Baweja of the Rouse Avenue Court passed the orders upon the expiry of the previously granted judicial custody. On Tuesday, a bench of Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma of the Delhi High Court reserved its verdict on the bail plea filed by Sisodia, who remains behind bars on corruption and money laundering charges.

During the hearing, ED counsel advocate Zoheb Hossain submitted before the high court that the probe agency will soon file a supplementary charge sheet in the excise policy case arraying the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as an accused. In its probe, the probe agency found that the proceeds of crime to the tune of Rs 45 crore, which was part of the ‘bribes’ received from the ‘South Group’, were used by the AAP for campaigning in the 2021-22 Assembly elections in Goa.

Earlier, the trial court had refused to grant bail to the former deputy CM. Sisodia’s bail application has been pending since February.

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CAA comes to fruition: Home Ministry hands over first citizenship certificates to 14 individuals

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Zelensky cancels foreign trips as situation worsens in Kharkiv

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has canceled all trips abroad in the coming days in light of the advancing Russian offensive in the Kharkiv region, his spokesman Serhiy Nykyforov said on Wednesday.

Zelensky was to visit Spain and Portugal at the end of the week. Russia began a ground and air assault on Ukraine’s second city Kharkiv, in the north-east and the surrounding region last week.

In what analysts describe as one of the most perilous moments for Kyiv in the war, Moscow’s forces have been able to capture several villages as they continue to bombard Kharkiv with missiles.

Worries are mounting that Russia is using the wave of attacks on the city to possibly lay the groundwork to capture Kharkiv. The military leadership in Kyiv - struggling with a lack of weapons, ammunition and soldiers - said earlier on Wednesday that troops were being withdrawn from some Kharkiv positions.

Several passers-by were injured in an indiscriminate knife attack in the northern Swiss town of Zofingen, according to the local police. Police said on social media on Wednesday evening that the perpetrator had been apprehended by special forces after hiding in a building for two hours.

The victims had been transported to the hospital with stab wounds, Xinhua news agency quoted police as saying. A large-scale police operation continued in the evening. The authorities advised people to avoid areas near the local train station. It was still unclear if there was more than one attacker, police said.

New Zealand ‘gravely concerned’ with situation in French territory New Caledonia

New Zealand on Thursday said that it remains “gravely concerned” about the situation in New Caledonia, a French overseas territory in the Pacific Ocean.

“New Zealand, as a neighbor of New Caledonia and fellow member of the Pacific Islands Forum, has a strong interest in the peaceful resolution of the situation there. France and New Zealand are close partners in the Pacific. We are urging all sides to engage in constructive dialogue,” said Foreign Minister Winston Peters. On Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron decided to declare a ‘state of emergency’ in New Caledonia after the escalating situation and violent protests in Noumea resulted in the death of two gendarmes.

Macron urged the need for a resumption of political dialogue and asked the Prime

Minister and the Minister of the Interior and Overseas Territories to quickly invite the New Caledonian delegations to Paris. New Zealand, meanwhile, said on Thursday that it is in “close contact” with local authorities in Noumea and Paris and partners such as Australia and Japan,

so as to keep abreast of developments.

Meanwhile, French armed force National Gendarmerie has reinforced its numbers on site by sending several squadrons of mobile gendarmerie and soldiers.

Sudan denies reports of visa denial to US envoy

Sudan’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday issued a statement refuting claims that the Sudanese government had declined to grant an entry visa to U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan, Tom Perriello.

The ministry clarified, “The Sudanese Embassy in Washington or any other capital did not receive a request from Mr. Perriello for an entry visa,”.

Earlier reports from Sudanese local media suggested that Perriello had stated during a meeting with a Sudanese civil group in Kampala, Uganda, that the Sudanese government had denied him a visa. Responding to these reports, the Sudanese Foreign Ministry confirmed that the Sudanese embassy in Washington contacted the U.S. State Department, which affirmed that Perriello had not made such statements.

Perriello was appointed as the U.S. special envoy for Sudan on Feb. 26, 2024, with a mandate to lead U.S. efforts to resolve the ongoing armed conflict in Sudan.

Sudan has been witnessing deadly clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces since April 15, 2023, which have killed 15,550 people and displaced 8.7 million others so far, according to recent estimates by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Australia sanctions entities linked to North Korea arms supply

Australia on Friday imposed financial sanctions on six entities linked to North Korea’s supply of weapons to Russia. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the continued transfer of weapons from North Korea to Russia was a “flagrant violation” of United Nations Security Council resolutions.

“Australia condemns, in the strongest possible terms, North Korea’s illegal export and Russia’s procurement and use of North Korean ballistic missiles, in support of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine,” she said in a statement.

“The use of North Korean ballistic missiles by Russia increases the suffering of the Ukrainian people, supports Russia’s illegal and immoral war of aggression and undermines the global non-proliferation regime.”

Wong said deepening cooperation between North Korea and Russia had “grave security implications” for Europe, the Korean Peninsula and the Indo-Pacific region. Tensions in the Asia-Pacific region are high. Since

the beginning of 2022, North Korea has significantly increased the scope of its weapons tests, including the testing of nuclear-capable missiles, and has stepped up its rhetoric against the US and its allies.

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Russian oil still ending up in UK despite sanctions

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Russian oil is still ending up in the United Kingdom despite sanctions, a committee heard.

The import, acquisition, and supply of Russian oil and oil products into the UK was banned in December 2022. G7 countries also agreed to cap the price of Russian oil and petroleum products, more generally, to reduce Vladimir Putin’s ability to finance his war in Ukraine.

Richard Bronze, head of geopolitics at Energy Aspects, a research company focused on global energy markets, gave evidence about the success of the sanctions to the Treasury Committee on Tuesday. He was asked if, despite the sanctions, it was likely Russian oil was still ending up in the UK.

“Once it has been processed, or transformed by a refinery, yes,” he said. He was asked to

EU and NATO officials criticize Georgia’s ‘foreign agents’ law

European Commission and NATO officials, on Wednesday, criticized Georgia’s adoption of a law requiring foreign-funded organizations to register as “foreign agents”.

“The spirit and content of the law are not in line with EU core norms and values,” said a statement by EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell and Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi.

On Tuesday, Georgia’s Parliament passed the controversial legislation despite angry protests in Tbilisi and urging by the EU and the United States not to adopt it.

Thousands of people once again took to the streets of the capital on Tuesday evening. One of their chief concerns is that the law threatens Georgia’s path to European Union membership. Many also fear that in the former Soviet republic - as in neighboring Russia - critical organizations and media will be silenced.

estimate how much. “Probably not significant, these refineries, particularly in India, are a long distance from UK markets,” he said.

“So, just from an economic perspective, we import far more of our oil from European countries, far more from the US, so most of it will be going to other destinations.

“It will probably be well below 5% of our

total imports, but there will be some.”

He added it would be “technically quite complex” to prevent it. He said his organization does not take policy positions, so he could not recommend anything.

“But in the question, are there refineries that are importing crude oil, processing it, and are those same refineries exporting to countries that are part of the price cap coalition - yes, it appears so,” he said. However, he said it was “trickier” to say if the “molecules” of Russian oil remain the same after they have been refined.

“It is trickier to say are the molecules of Russian oil the same ones, once processed, that are loaded onto tankers and coming back in,” he said. He added that if the molecules are refined or processed, then that flow is permitted under the rules as they have been set by the UK and other G7 countries.

Chinese warplanes harass Taiwan before

presidential inauguration

Taiwan’s Defence Ministry on Wednesday said it had registered 45 Chinese warplanes in Taiwan’s airspace within 24 hours. The number marked a recent record high in the number of Chinese daily sorties this year. This new record number comes just days before the presidential inauguration of Lai Ching-te from the independence-leading Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), to take place on May 20.

Among the detected aircraft, 26 of them crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan’s northern and southwestern air space, the ministry said on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, six Chinese Navy vessels had been spotted, the ministry said.

Taiwan had monitored the situation and tasked Combat air patrol aircraft, Navy vessels, and land-based missile systems to respond to these activities, the ministry said. Taiwan regularly reports such actions by Chinese

forces. This year’s previous record number of daily sorties of Chinese warplanes, 36, was seen in March.

Taiwan has had an independent government since 1949, but China considers the self-ruled democracy part of its territory.

Israel’s Foreign Minister calls for resignation of UNRWA Chief

Israel Foreign Minister Katz has called for the resignation of the Commissioner General of UNRWA Philip Lazzarini following the presence of Hamas members at the UN agency in Gaza.

The Israel Foreign Minister said that while Philip Lazzarini is denying the presence of Hamas members at the UNRWA compound however there is clear proof that the militant outfit was using UNRWA premises and its vehicles.

“There is proof of Hamas members firing at civilians within a UNRWA facility next to UN vehicles in Rafah. No lie from Antonio Gutteres and Philip Lazzarini will hide the truth: UNRWA is an arm of Hamas,” Katz said.

On Tuesday, the Israel Defense Force (IDF) said that during an operation in the eastern Rafah region, Hamas members were identified in the UNRWA compound. This compound, according to the IDF, is a central point for the distribution of aid and is a logistics distribution center.

Putin arrives in Beijing for state visit

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing early on Thursday for a two-day state visit.

Putin will hold a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. He is also slated to travel to the Chinese industrial city of Harbin and visit a Russian-Chinese trade fair there.

It is Putin’s first trip abroad since the start of his fifth term in office just over a week ago. While in China he expects to conclude several cooperation agreements, news agency dpa reported.

The choice of Beijing as the first destination is also symbolic, as Russia was the first country Xi visited after taking office for a third term. The two nuclear powers have close economic ties.

Lawrence Wong sworn in as Prime Minister of Singapore

Lawrence Wong took his oath of office as Singapore’s fourth Prime Minister at the Istana, the country’s presidential palace, on Wednesday. In the inauguration speech, Wong expressed gratitude to Lee Hsien Loong, who served as the prime minister for the past two decades and remains in the new cabinet as a senior minister, reports Xinhua News Agency.

Wong, 51, is the first prime minister of Singapore born after the country’s independence in 1965. He said that the handover also signifies a passing of the baton across generations. Wong said one of his priorities is to identify and bring younger talents in their 30s and 40s to the team, and his leadership style will differ from previous generations.

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Threads rolls out its own fact-checking program to rate false content

After relying on Instagram and Facebook’s networks for several months, Meta-owned Threads has rolled out its own fact-checking programme to rate false content on the platform. Instagram head Adam Mosseri announced this new development in a post on Threads on Wednesday.

“FYI we recently rolled out the ability for our third-party fact-checking partners to review and rate false content on Threads,” Mosseri wrote. “Previously, we matched near-identical false content on Threads based on what was fact-checked on Facebook and Instagram. Now fact-checkers can rate Threads content on it’s own,” he added.

However, he didn’t mention when exactly the program was rolled out and if it was limited to certain geographies. As per TechCrunch, this move by Meta appears to be largely targeting preparation for the forthcoming US elections.

AWS CEO Adam Selipsky steps down, Matt Garman to head Amazon’s cloud arm

Amazon Web Services (AWS) CEO Adam Selipsky has stepped down from his position, its parent company Amazon confirmed on Tuesday. Matt Garman will become CEO of AWS, effective June 3.

“We were fortunate that Selipsky agreed to step in and lead AWS, and has deftly led the business, while also developing his leadership team,” Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said in a blog post.

“Selipsky is now going to move onto his next challenge (after taking a well-deserved respite),” he added.

Under Selipsky’s direction, the team invented and released new services at a rapid clip, including several impactful Generative AI services, such as Amazon Bedrock and Amazon Q. Selipsky leaves AWS in a strong position, having reached a $100 billion annual revenue run rate this past quarter, with YoY revenue accelerating again. AWS reported $9.42 billion in operating income in its latest quarter result, or about 62 percent of Amazon’s total income.

“Given the state of the business and the leadership team, now is an appropriate moment for me to make this transition, and to take the opportunity to spend more time with family for a while, recharge a bit, and create some mental free space to reflect and consider the possibilities,” said Selipsky.

Garman started at Amazon as a MBA intern during the summer of 2005, and joined the company full-time in 2006 as one of the first AWS product managers.

Amazon faces 2 lawsuits in US over ‘dark patterns’ as India prepares guidelines

As the Indian government aims to curb the use of ‘dark patterns’ on e-commerce platforms, the US state of Arizona has filed two new lawsuits against Amazon, accusing the e-tailing giant of deceiving consumers with “dark patterns.”

One of the lawsuits accuses the company of “engaging in deceptive business practices” by allegedly using “design tricks known as dark patterns to keep users from canceling their Amazon Prime subscriptions.”

The other lawsuit, filed by Arizona

Attorney General Kris Mayes, accuses Amazon of “unfairly maintaining monopoly status by enforcing agreements with thirdparty sellers that restrict them from offering lower prices off of the platform than they do on Amazon,” The Verge reported on Thursday. The US state of Arizona has asked the court to stop Amazon from “engaging in the allegedly deceptive and anticompetitive practices” and “award civil penalties and disgorgement of ill-gotten gains.”

Amazon said in a statement that it was “surprised and disappointed by these cases.” The company also defended Prime’s sign-up and cancellation processes, saying these are “clear and simple by design,” adding that the lawsuits would actually force it to “feature higher prices.”

The use of “dark patterns” by online platforms have created controversy in India as well. These deceptive techniques mislead people into doing something they did not wish to do, such as paying for items or services they did not intend to buy. The Indian government recently released draft guidelines to curb “dark patterns” used by big online platforms. The Digital India Act is also equipped to regulate “dark patterns” on the internet through user safety provisions.

OpenAI partners Reddit to train its AI on users’ posts

ChatGPT maker OpenAI has inked a deal with Reddit to train its artificial intelligence (AI) models on users’ posts on the popular community discussion platform. As part of the partnership, OpenAI will bring Reddit content to ChatGPT and new products. In order to do so, OpenAI will access Reddit’s Data API, which provides real-time, structured, and unique content from Reddit.

“This will enable OpenAI’s AI tools to better understand and showcase Reddit content, especially on recent topics,” Reddit said in a statement.

The deal will also enable Reddit to bring new AI-powered features to “redditors and mods”. Brad Lightcap, COO of OpenAI, said that they are thrilled to partner

EU probes Facebook, Instagram over child safety

The European Commission on Thursday launched formal proceedings against Facebook and Instagram owned by American tech giant Meta over concerns about child safety.

“The Commission is concerned that the systems of both Facebook and Instagram, including their algorithms, may stimulate behavioral addictions in children,” said the European Commission in a statement. The investigation will also examine Meta’s age-assurance and verification methods, the Commission added, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The probe is being conducted under the European Union’s (EU) Digital Services Act (DSA), which came into effect last year. The DSA obliges tech companies to do more to counter illegal content and mitigate risks such as disinformation or election manipulation on their platforms. Companies violating the DSA can face fines of up to 6 percent of their annual global turnover.

Facebook and Instagram have previously faced EU scrutiny over election disinformation in a case opened in late April, ahead of the European Parliament elections in June.

Uber to acquire Delivery Hero’s foodpanda business in Taiwan for $950 million

Uwith Reddit to enhance “ChatGPT with uniquely timely and relevant information, and to explore the possibilities to enrich the Reddit experience with AI-powered features.”

The partnership is consistent with other content arrangements, and does not change Reddit’s Data API Terms or Developer Terms.

“Reddit has become one of the internet’s largest open archives of authentic, relevant, and always up to date human conversations about anything and everything,” said Steve Huffman, Reddit Co-Founder and CEO.

“Including it in ChatGPT upholds our belief in a connected internet, helps people find more of what they’re looking for, and helps new audiences find community on Reddit,” he added.

ber Technologies will acquire Delivery Hero’s owned foodpanda business in Taiwan for $950 million in cash, as the online food ordering company focuses on other markets.

The acquisition is subject to regulatory approval and other customary closing conditions and is targeted to close in the first half of 2025, the companies said in a joint statement on Tuesday. Separately, both firms have also entered into an agreement for Uber to buy $300 million in newly issued ordinary shares of Delivery Hero.

Until closing, Delivery Hero will continue to operate foodpanda Taiwan like before. In the period following closing, the company’s local consumers, merchants, and delivery partners will be moved to Uber Eats.

foodpanda is one of Asia’s major online food and grocery delivery services, operating in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Hong Kong. Delivery Hero, based in Germany, purchased the company in 2016.

www.indoustribune.com Friday, 17 May 2024 14 Business

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Nothing

London-based consumer tech brand, Nothing, on Tuesday announced that it will be integrating OpenAI’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbot ChatGPT into all of its audio products. The company initially announced the integration of ChatGPT into its newly-launched Nothing Ear and Ear (a), which it unveiled last month.

Now, the consumer tech brand will be integrating ChatGPT into all of its other audio products, which include -- Ear (1), Ear (stick), Ear (2), CMF Buds, CMF Neckband Pro, and CMF Buds Pro.

“The integration will be available on the additional products via a Nothing X app update on May 21, earlier than the previously announced June rollout,” the company said in a statement.

“Users will be able to pinch-to-speak to ChatGPT directly from Nothing audio products paired with Nothing phones,” it added. Meanwhile, Nothing said it achieved 144 percent growth (year-onyear) in the first quarter (January-March period) this year.

Citing Counterpoint Research data, the company said that the growth is attributed to the mid-range model, the Nothing Phone (2a) which garnered “significant mind share”. Founded in 2020, Nothing has sold more than 3 million products globally, including Phone (1)

Self-driving tech company Motional sacks nearly 550 employees in US

Autonomous vehicle technology company Motional has sacked around 550 employees, or about 40 percent of its workforce, in the US, reports said on Saturday. Nearly 145 of the impacted staff worked in the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN). According to a TechCrunch report on Saturday, Motional “is pausing commercial operations and delaying plans to launch a robotaxi service.”

Every team at Motional has been affected, including the chief operating officer, Abe Ghabra. The team working on Motional’s remote vehicle assistance platform has been “heavily cut”.

India’s steel, aluminum exports to US likely to rise as China faces tariff wall

IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

With US President Joe Biden announcing a steep hike in tariffs on $18 billion worth of Chinese goods, an opportunity has opened up for India to increase its exports of items such as steel and aluminum as well as medical goods such as facemasks, PPE, syringes & needles and gloves to the American market, according to industry experts and market analysts.

The opportunity for India comes in the backdrop of the strengthening of bilateral economic ties between the two countries. India and the US had decided to end all bilateral trade disputes that were pending at the World Trade Organization during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to Washington in June 2023.

Following this, the US agreed to withdraw the 25 percent and 10 percent import duties on certain steel and aluminum products respectively, that had been earlier imposed “on grounds of national security”.

India had reciprocated by withdrawing its retaliatory duties on American products such as chickpeas, lentils, almonds and walnuts.

“The US move to ramp up duties on Chinese goods provides an opportunity to India and other competitors to chip in the supply gap. Of the products affected

by additional duties on China, India has opportunities in facemasks, PPE, syringes & needles, medical gloves, aluminum and iron & steel,” said Federation of Indian Export Organizations (FIEO) President Ashwani Kumar.

After the trade disputes were settled in one-go following PM Modi’s talks in Washington, the US subsequently agreed to allow the import of 3,36,000 tones of steel and aluminum from India with the waiver of additional duties that were imposed under a national security law by the erstwhile Donald Trump administration in 2018.

“Now with a greater opportunity arising following the hike in the tariff on Chinese goods, the exports of Indian steel and aluminum products are expected to accelerate,” said a senior SAIL official who did not want to be named.

However, at the same time, there are concerns in the steel sector that China, which has excess capacity, may resort to dumping its steel output in other markets, including India.

Chinese marketplace Temu under scanner for breaching EU’s Digital Services Act

The European consumer organization on Thursday filed a complaint against Chinese online marketplace Temu for failing to protect consumers by breaching the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA).

BEUC, which represents 45 regional consumer protection groups across 31 EU countries, called for the EU to designate Temu as a “very large online platform” (VLOP) under the DSA.

The VLOP status means that the Chinese platform has to comply with additional transparency and accountability rules, like Alibaba,

Biden signs sweeping aviation safety, reform bill into law

President Joe Biden signed on Thursday sweeping aviation legislation that will boost U.S. air traffic controller staffing, increase funding to avert runway close-call incidents and speed up refunds for canceled flights. The $105 billion, five-year measure reauthorizes the Federal Aviation Administration. It prohibits airlines from charging fees for families to sit together, requires airplanes to be equipped with 25-hour cockpit recording devices, raises maximum civil penalties for airline consumer violations from $25,000 per violation to $75,000 and boosts aircraft production scrutiny.

“Following flight disruptions, runway close calls and consumer frustrations, this law is set to deliver the safest, most reliable aviation system in the world,” said Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell. “Plane manufacturers will see more safety inspectors on factory floors and tougher safety standards from the FAA.” Biden has repeatedly clashed with air carriers, calling for new stricter consumer rules and harshly criticizing them for imposing fees. His administration has also aggressively moved to block further consolidation in the passenger airline industry, including successfully blocking a tie-up between JetBlue Airways and Spirit Airlines and quashing an alliance between JetBlue and American Airlines.

Amazon, Booking.com and Google Shopping which are among other VLOPs.

Among the breaches BEUC has identified, Temu is failing to provide

sufficient traceability of the traders that sell on its platform and, thereby, “to ensure that the products sold to EU consumers conform to EU law”.

Temu is using “manipulative practices such as dark patterns to get consumers, for example, to spend more than they might originally want to, or to complicate the process of closing down their account”.

The Chinese marketplace has also failed to “provide transparency about how it recommends products to consumers”. Earlier this week, the South Korean antitrust regulator signed agreements with AliExpress and Temu to prevent them from selling harmful products to consumers.

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, on Tuesday, took potshots at Sam Altman-run OpenAI, saying their latest event to announce new AI models made him “cringe.” Author Ashley St Clair posted on X that with OpenAI, humans can now let AI perceive reality in real time for them and “we may have just replaced the post-truth era with something much worse.”

Musk, a staunch critic of OpenAI, replied that the company’s “demo made me cringe.”

“Can’t wait for the Grok (xAI) version of this demo,” an X user commented. In March, the tech billionaire sued OpenAI and its CEO Altman, alleging that they breached

their original contractual agreements around AI.

OpenAI also hit back at the lawsuit, saying that in order to further the mission, “Musk wanted us to merge with Tesla or he wanted full control.” Musk had left OpenAI, thinking the company would fail, according to Altman.

At its live-streaming event on Monday, the ChatGPT developer unveiled GPT-4o — the new flagship model that provides GPT-4level intelligence but is “much faster and improves on its capabilities across text, voice, and vision.”

ChatGPT also now supports more than 50 languages.

www.indoustribune.com Friday, 17 May 2024 15 Business OpenAI’s new demo made me cringe, says Musk

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of its audio products

to integrate ChatGPT into all

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Juve manager Allegri reportedly threatens journalist after Coppa Italia win

After Juventus’ Coppa Italia title win at the Stadio Olimpico, club’s manager Massimiliano Allegri reportedly threatened the director of an Italian newspaper.

Juventus avoided finishing another season without a trophy as they registered their 15th Coppa Italia title after beating Atalanta 1-0 in the final on Wednesday night.

“After the game, Allegri told me, you’re a sh**y director! Write the truth in your newspaper, not what the club tells you. Look, I know where to come and get you. I know where to wait for you. I’ll come and rip off both your ears. I’ll come and hit you in the face. Write the truth in your newspaper,” said Italian newspaper Tuttosport director Guido Vaciago

Emirates Stadium set to become home ground for Arsenal women’s team

The Arsenal women’s team has announced that they will play the majority of their games at the Emirates Stadium from the 2024/24 Women’s Super League season onwards. This is a huge step-up for women’s football which has seen a sudden growth in support in recent seasons. The club has had an average attendance of 32,618 so far this season.

“For almost four decades, we’ve been at the forefront of the women’s game. We’ve recently seen extraordinary growth in supporters coming to Emirates Stadium for games held here, which include two complete sell-outs this season.

“The next step in our journey is to make Emirates Stadium our main home for Arsenal Women. We’re looking forward to giving more supporters the chance to watch our women’s team play.

This change will see the team play eight of the eleven home fixtures at the Emirates alongside three UEFA Champions League fixtures given that the team qualifies for the competition. Besides this all homegames including three WSL matches and the domestic tournaments will be played at their previous home ground, the Mangata Pay UK Stadium also known as Meadow Park.

WADA to hold special Board meeting over contamination case involving swimmers from China

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has decided to hold an extraordinary meeting of its Foundation Board to discuss the contamination case involving swimmers from China. WADA said on Monday that the meeting will be held virtually at 07:00 EDT on Friday after WADA’s Executive Committee (ExCo) already met regarding the case on April 25.

“The objective of the Board meeting is to provide members with the opportunity to be further informed on this important matter by WADA experts and to be able to ask any questions that they may have,” it said.

WADA Executive Committee members and media were invited to observe the meeting, reports Xinhua.

Earlier, WADA had stood firmly by the results of its scientific investigation and legal decision concerning Chinese swimmers in the wake of reports that many top Chinese swimmers had failed dope tests before the Tokyo Olympic Games. The Chinese officials claim it was due to environmental contamination.

WADA stuck to the stance after reviewing a documentary released by German broadcaster, ARD, about an alleged mass doping case concerning Chinese swimmers. The agency also announced that it would hold a virtual

media conference on Monday to clarify the misinterpretation, with WADA president Witold Banka, among other key officials of the agency, on hand to answer media questions.

A group of Chinese swimmers tested positive for TMZ in early 2021 after inadvertently being exposed to the substance through contamination. The WADA Science Department reviewed this case thoroughly in June and July 2021 and concluded that there was no concrete basis to challenge the asserted contamination. Following some misleading and potentially defamatory media coverage this week, the agency has provided information to clarify and reserved its right to take legal action as appropriate.

Germany announces preliminary 27-man squad ahead of Euro 2024

Ahead of the Euro 2024 which is scheduled to begin on June 15, Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann announced the preliminary squad he will be fielding for the friendlies. The biggest talking point of the squad was the exclusion of Mats Hummels and Leon Goretzka as both are veterans of their country and Hummels has had an exemplary season with Borussia Dortmund which has seen the black and yellow reach the finals of the tournament.

on its website.

The incident followed when Allegri was shown a red card in the stoppage time of the final. It is said that the Italian manager was furious with Vaciago due to the newspaper claiming that he was close to being sacked by Juventus and about to be replaced at the helm with Thiago Motta, the manager of another Italian side Bologna.

Despite the Coppa Italia win, it is rumored that the 56-year-old may be on his way out of the club after the side has not won the Scudetto since the 2019/20 season.

‘The Old Lady’ is currently sitting at fourth place in the league with Atalanta BC lurking.

‘Retiring as a legend’: FIFA pay tribute to Chhetri with Messi, Ronaldo comparison

Following Sunil Chhetri’s official announcement in which the striker announced that he will be playing his last game for India against Kuwait on June 6, many boards, teams and players have come out to pay tribute to the Indian captain’s stellar career.

The official handle for the FIFA World Cup has posted a tribute for Chhetri as well which included the iconic photo of him standing with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo on a podium, which signifies the top three active international goal scorers. The picture was coupled with a caption, “Retiring as a legend”.

“Sunil Chhetri, the world’s third-highest active international goalscorer, will play his final game for Indian Football in next month’s FIFA WorldCup qualifiers,” added the official account for the FIFA World Cup on X (formerly known as Twitter).

The 39-year old played his 150th game for his country against Afghanistan last month. FIFA World Cup’s official account also posted a video of Chhetri’s previous interview in which he talked about the comparisons made between him, Messi and Ronaldo.

www.indoustribune.com Friday, 17 May 2024 16 Sports

Top cricketers eyeing last shot at T20 World Cup glory

By Niharika Raina

The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is the pinnacle prize for any international cricketer in the shortest format of the game.

Right from MS Dhoni to Daren Sammy to Aaron Finch and Jos Buttler, they all along with Younis Khan and Lasith Malinga had the honor of captaining their respective teams to the T20 World Cup title.

Come June 1, and 20 teams will be in a battle for the entire month to decide who would win the prestigious Men’s T20 World Cup silverware. For some of the players, it could become the last chance to have a shot at winning the title.

Here’s a look at some cricketers who could potentially be playing their last Men’s T20 World Cup:

The India captain has been playing T20Is since 2007 and played handy knocks in India’s title-winning run in South Africa. Now, after having taken India to a runners-up finish in the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup, Rohit would be itching to go one step further through the upcoming T20I showpiece.

But Rohit’s form in second half of IPL 2024 has been a concern, a season where he’s not captaining Mumbai Indians anymore. In his last seven innings this season, the-37-year-old has been out of sorts and has amassed 88 runs at a strike rate of 104.8 and average of 12.6.

With India having lots of young batting talent and soon to burst on the big stage, Rohit will probably treat this World Cup as his last hope of claiming his hands at a white-ball silverware by leading India to glory in the Caribbean and USA.

Virat Kohli (India)

If there is one player in the Indian team who’s desperate to win a global title alongside, it’s the talismanic Virat Kohli. Though he has won medals from the 2011 Men’s ODI World Cup at home and 2013 Champions Trophy, Kohli would be aiming to have a shot at winning the T20 World Cup to complete his set of medals in white-ball cricket.

The signs are there as Kohli, 35, is in stellar form in the ongoing IPL 2024 season and is leading run-making charts in the tournament. He averages 81.5 in T20 World Cups and has two Player of the Tournament awards too, which means chances are bright for him to do the bulk of scoring for India in upcoming World Cup.

Though his strike rate and scoring effectiveness against spin has been a major talking point, Kohli did show through his 92 against Punjab Kings that he’s adding shots like slog-sweep to counter that, which is a massive news for India.

David Warner (Australia)

The aggressive left-handed opening batter has been one of the biggest players for Australia since 2009. From there, Warner has two ODI World Cup winners medals, as well as one each from the T20 World Cup and World Test Championship. Warner right now is on the swansong of his

Newey expects to join new team at the end of F1 season as his bid adieu to Red Bull

Formula 1 design luminary Adrian Newey has officially declared his intention to part ways with Red Bull Racing in 2025, marking the end of an illustrious era. Newey, who has served as Red Bull’s chief technical officer since 2006 and massively responsible for the team’s 117 race wins, 272 podiums, seven drivers titles and six constructors titles, will gradually transition away from his Formula 1 design responsibilities throughout the current year.

career, after

from Tests and ODIs earlier this year.

Though he hasn’t been in greatest of form for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2024 and has missed a lot of games due to injury, Warner, 37, would be itching to sign off from international cricket on a high with the T20 World Cup silverware.

Ali

An explosive left-handed batter who can bat anywhere in the line-up and doubles up as a handy off-spin bowler, Moeen has a wealth of experience in terms of playing T20 cricket, mainly as a floater.

He won the 2022 T20 World Cup and has a runner-up finish against his name in 2016.

Moeen, 36, had gone back into Test cricket retirement after last year’s Ashes and was also rumored to quit ODIs for prolonging his T20 career. With many younger crop of players coming through the ranks in England, the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup could be his last global appearance in the shorter format.

Quinton de Kock (South Africa)

The left-handed wicketkeeper-batter had retired from Tests at the end of 2021 and signed off from the ODI format after last year’s World Cup in India, where he struck four centuries for South Africa in their semifinal finish.

Of late, de Kock hadn’t been in best of form in T20s, having had a run in the BBL and SA20, though there’s been some improvement on that in the ongoing IPL 2024. If South Africa, the perennial underachievers, are to finally win a global trophy through the upcoming T20 World Cup, de Kock will have to play a crucial role in it if he signs off from international cricket later.

Brazilian para runner Jacques breaks Men’s 5,000m T11 world record

Brazilian para-athlete Yeltsin Jacques won the Men’s 5,000m T11 Final with a new world record at the Para Athletics World Championships. The 32-year-old visually-impaired athlete clocked 14 minutes 53.97 seconds at the Universiade Memorial Stadium in the central Japanese port city of Kobe. Outrunning his previous personal best of 15:12.37, the athlete also set a new championship record.

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17 Sports

Friday, 17

2024

Rohit Sharma (India) cricketing retiring Moeen (England)

Friday, 17 May 2024

Saif Ali Khan modifies Kareena’s tattoo that he sports on his forearm

Actor Saif Ali Khan, who will be seen making his Telugu debut with ‘Devara’, has modified his wife Kareena Kapoor Khan’s tattoo on his forearm.

The actor was recently spotted at Mumbai airport when he caught the attention of the shutterbugs. Saif had inked his wife’s name on his left forearm in Hindi while they were dating. The new tattoo design seems to have covered up Kareena’s name. However, it’s unclear if Saif modified the tattoo as per the demand of his character in a film or if it’s a temporary modification.

Saif and Kareena tied the knot in 2012, and are parents to Taimur Ali Khan and Jehangir Ali Khan. Meanwhile, on the work front, Saif will be seen essaying the role of a cop in ‘Devara’ which also stars Jr NTR and Janhvi Kapoor.

Chris Hemsworth is overcome by emotions as ‘Furiosa’ gets 6-minute standing ovation at Cannes

The Chris Hemsworth and Anya Taylor-Joy-starrer ‘Furiosa’ received a thunderous response at the 77th Cannes Film Festival.

The audience at the world premiere of director George Miller’s prequel, ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’, gave the high-octane action film a six-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival.

Taylor-Joy blew kisses into the camera, while Hemsworth looked teary-eyed at the rapturous response.

“We worked very hard on this film, and it’ll be very interesting to see what you make of it,” Miller said briefly, taking a microphone to address the crowd. “Thank you for having us.”

Set in a post-apocalyptic world before the events of ‘Fury Road’, ‘Furiosa’ steps into the shoes of Charlize Theron for the title role, reports variety.com.

Early in the film, a young Furiosa is kidnapped and imprisoned by a group of bandits led by Warlord Dementus (Hemsworth). The ‘Fury Road’ prequel was one of the most-anticipated premieres at this year’s Cannes.

Entertainment

Guneet Monga, Women in Film Los Angeles launch initiative to back women filmmakers in India

Academy Award winner Guneet Monga will be pioneering a new initiative, a part of the global WIFTI (Women In Film & Television International) network, to advance gender equity in Indian screen industries, which was launched at the 77th Cannes Film Festival.

Guneet said, “From being in rooms where male colleagues have had to communicate on my behalf so I’d be taken seriously, to leading international co-productions and studio-scale projects, I’ve seen and been actively involved in the progress over two decades.”

“Yet comprehensive studies like the ‘O Womaniya! The 2023 report’ still suggests a lack of gender diversities across key filmmaking departments. The study of 156 films reported that only 12 percent of head-of-department positions were occupied by women.”

In an exclusive Cannes Film Festival event hosted by the Paris Film Region and WIF (Women In Film, Los Angeles), the official launch of a new Women In Film chapter was announced; WIF: India.

According to a statement, WIF: India aims to bring parity and opportunities for women seeking careers in the screen industries. An advisory council of industry leaders will be assembled with representation from across India to support the programming and advocacy of WIF: India, including research, mentorship, and

creative labs for women filmmakers.

She added, “Throughout its 50 years, WIF has worked to transform the culture in Hollywood by helping build the pipeline of emerging women creatives. My hope for WIF: India is to help lower the systemic barriers in accessing these jobs for women, as well as excite a new era of

transformation – by offering mentorship, networking, and opening up fellowships, workshops, and an industry helpline to help sustain the careers of those currently in the industry.”

Founded in 1973 as Women In Film, Los Angeles, WIF has been fighting for gender equity for more than 50 years.

Jessica Biel calls her marriage to Justin Timberlake ‘a work in progress’

Actress Jessica Biel says that her marriage to singer-actor Justin Timberlake is a “work-in-progress” and she is always trying to “find the balance” while he is away on tour.

“It’s always a work in progress, right? It’s constantly trying to find the balance, trying to find the time we can connect.”

“Thank goodness for Zoom and FaceTime. For parents who are gone a lot, that has been really helpful. Just finding the time we can connect and see each other in person or get him with the kids, the actress told ‘The View’.

“We’ve never done this before with two, I’m exhausted. There’s been four shows. I don’t know how he’s gonna do it or how we’re gonna do it, but we’re gonna get through it, somehow, some way!” added Biel, who has been married to Timberlake since 2012 and has sons Silias and Finneas with him.

Biel has released ‘A Kids Book About Periods’ and talked about how she wants her sons to be aware of female reproductive health, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

“It was kind of an accident. Female reproductive health has always been interesting to me. It just felt like an important subject to start with to demystify, de-stigmatize and give parents and young people who are about to experience big changes in their bodies a tool and a resource,” she said.

The actress said that it is important for everybody to know about the changes a family

member or a loved one is experiencing. She concluded by saying: “I have a period, and I want my boys to understand what I’m going through, I want them to be supportive or maybe eventual partners. When I was young and I was learning about sex-ed and health, we were separated, so it was all a mystery, and it doesn’t feel right.”

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Friday, 17 May 2024

Ed Sheeran reveals reason behind his album names: ‘plus, subtract, divide, multiply & equals’

The Grammy winning American pop star Ed Sheeran has opened up on the real reason behind the quirky names of his albums in the new episode of ‘The Great Indian Kapil Show’ (TGIKS).

Amidst all the fun and banter, host Kapil Sharma was curious about the names of Ed’s albums like - ‘plus, subtract, divide, multiply and equals’ corresponding to his tour name which is ‘Mathematics’.

Responding to this, Ed, the first international celebrity on the show revealed, “I released some independent records when I was 17 or 18 years of age. I released five of them and ‘plus’ was an addition to them. ‘Multiply’ was meant to make everything bigger and take it worldwide. ‘Divide’ was a double column. ‘Subtract’ stripped everything back. And ‘equal’ was the sum of all the parts. When I was 18, I made a plan that I would release five albums.”

Sheeran’s debut album ‘plus’ was released in September 2011 and topped the UK Albums Chart. His second studio album ‘multiply’ released in June 2014, ‘Divide’ was released in March 2017, ‘Equals’ released in 2021, while ‘Subtract’ in May, 2023.

Ashley Judd diagnosed with ‘sleep disorder’ after prolonged health battle

Ashley Judd has spoken about how she has been diagnosed with a “sleepiness sleep disorder” after a long health battle. The actress has talked about the recovery she’s undergone after fracturing her leg in a “freak accident” right after her mother’s death in 2022.

She wrote, “It’s been a long journey to full recovery: I have had a parasite (gone now, and featured, thank you, in the New England Journal of Medicine, so exotic was it), mono, big weight gain, and now loss, finally a diagnosis of a sleepiness sleep disorder (I now know why I always napped over lunch on movie sets!), and more!”

She said, “Y’all are so awesome for cheering me on, and I notice how often you ask about my leg and foot recovery. That accident in DRC was hellacious to a factor of 10.”

“I remain grateful to my siblings there who saved my life and encouraged my spirit as I was carried out of the depths of the second lung of the planet for 67 hours to get medical attention and that first pain medicine.”

She also admitted she was “profoundly grateful” for the insurance she has through the SAG/Aftra union, as well as her “healthcare team.”

Sophie Turner reveals she contemplated terminating first pregnancy with Joe Jonas

‘Game of Thrones’ star Sophie Turner revealed that she was not sure about stepping into motherhood in her early 20s and even considered terminating her first pregnancy.

Turner spoke about how she considered not keeping the child and discussed the situation with her estranged husband, Joe Jonas. In Bali, Turner found out she was pregnant and said that sat on the news for a week.

“Maybe because I was so young, I sat on it for a week,” the actress told British Vogue,

reports pagesix.com. Turner said she threw the pregnancy test at Joe Jonas, asking, “What do you think we should do? Do you think we should have it?”

The actress shared that she didn’t know if she wanted to be a mother at the time and even spoke to therapists about her feelings.

“When you’re in your early 20s, life is so frivolous,” she said.

Turner said that she “didn’t know” if she “wanted to be a mother,” but after discussing it

with Joe, “something changed” in her.

“I just knew I had to have her,” the ‘Dark Phoenix’ star said.

Joe and Turner welcomed their daughter, Willa, in 2020. Two years later, they had another daughter, Delphine.

The actress added, “Because my ex and I travel so much, I wanted Willa to have a sibling. I wanted them to have each other. They’re so much fun, total girlie girls, and absolute rays of sunshine in my life.”

Kiran Rao’s advice to aspiring writers: ‘Do something that you resonate with’

Basking in the warm reception accorded to ‘Laapataa Ladies’, Kiran Rao has a message for all aspiring screenwriters: be on top of your game. Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the 15th KASHISH Pride Film Festival, Rao said, “I always feel that there are some films that do well and some that don’t. In order to be relevant, you have to make something that speaks to you as an audience.”

A good story, according to Rao, is “something that you resonate with, something that you find interesting and important to talk about.”

Speaking about the evolution of the audience, Rao said, “People’s attention span is reduced because they have access to multiple screens and different types of content that are easily available.”

Adding her personal take on the subject, she noted, “As a filmmaker, I feel that you need to be on top of your game. If you are good, and tell stories that are interesting, that are relevant to you, that you have a certain desire to communicate, you will be a good storyteller, whether you are on an OTT platform or making a film.”

Giving a shout out to Aamir Khan for producing ‘Laapataa Ladies’, Rao said, “A film like this could have been made

only by a producer such as Aamir Khan because he wants to make the best possible films.”

www.indoustribune.com

Entertainment

Sewa International meets for another successful National Conference

By Vandana Jhingan

Sewa International USA, the Hindu faith-based non-profit organization, held its 18th National Conference at India Hub in Schaumburg, IL, on May 4 and 5. The conference brought together over 140 volunteers, including Sewa’s directors, advisory board members, executive team leaders, chapter presidents, coordinators, and other functionaries.

Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi and the Consul General of India in Chicago, Somnath Ghosh, attended the event. Krishnamoorthi highlighted the significant contributions of the Indian American community, noting its representation in various fields, including Congress. Referring to the recent census findings, he said the Indian American community is the fastest-growing, best-educated, and most prosperous segment of America. He expressed his support for Sewa International and assured the gathering that he would be a part of all its endeavors.

Bhagavad Gita -- The life guide

Gauranga Das Prabhu, Director of Govardhan Eco Village in Maharashtra and popular spiritual and motivational speaker, and Jay Shetty, author, life coach, and advisor to global celebrities, participated in a “fireside chat” at the

event. Gauranga Das said the Bhagavad Gita, the Hindu spiritual treatise, is the best guide to a fulfilling life and mental well-being.

Reflecting on his spiritual journey, he commended Sewa for its active engagement in giving back to society.

Gauranga Das, citing the Gita, said that charity is a duty without expectations. He emphasized the importance of performing duties according to time, place, and circumstance. Drawing a comparison between Lord Krishna’s

description of sewa (selfless service) and Sewa volunteers’ work, he said that success lies in living for others.

Jay Shetty said that absorption in any spiritual practice leads to intensity in action and sensitivity in dealings. He praised Sewa for embodying this principle, highlighting Sewa’s intensity in action and commitment, and sensitivity in helping and reaching out to those in need. He commended Sewa for making selfless service the focus of human life, especially in a world distracted by various other pursuits.

Indian diaspora in 180 countries

In his opening remarks, Sridhar Talanki, a member of Sewa’s Board of Directors, emphasized the vision of a harmonious, happy world experiencing oneness through sewa, noting that Sewa International has set a benchmark for excellence through its service activities.

Shyam Parande, a member of the Board of Advisors, highlighted the presence of Indians in 180 countries, noting that despite centuries of oppression, Hindu heritage continues to flow like the river Ganga.

Arun Kankani, President of Sewa International, released Sewa’s annual report and announced the new team, including the board of directors, teams,

and advisors. He also released a booklet highlighting the milestones of Sewa’s 20-year journey since its founding in 2004.

Venkat Santanaraman, Vice President, Finance, highlighted the remarkable 22% increase in revenues in 2023. Contributions from various sources supported this growth, including 67% from individuals, 14% from family funds, and 10% from matching donations.

Sandeep Khadkekar, Vice President of Marketing, and Swadesh Katoch, Vice President of Disaster Management, led sessions on marketing strategies and impactful initiatives, such as the Bhutanese Refugee Empowerment (BRE) and Sewa’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Shrinarayan Chandak honored Sewa honored Shrinarayan Chandak, a member of Sewa’s Advisory Board and leader of various dharmic causes. Chandak and his wife Asha have lived in the US for the past 55 years, contributing significantly to the Indian American community. Sewa’s Advisory Board members Saumitra Gokhale and Shyam Parande commended Shrinarayan Chandak’s dedication and organizational skills that had strengthened the community’s fabric in the US.

www.indoustribune.com Friday, 17 May 2024 22

Community

www.indoustribune.com Friday, 17 May 2024 23

National India Hub hosts an exclusive Mother’s Day fundraising event

National India Hub organized its exclusive Mother’s Day celebrations in Schaumburg, IL, on Sunday, May 12, 2024. This was organized to support fund-raising for Sewa’s SHE (Sanitation, Hygiene and Empowerment) program. SHE’s mission is to Equip socio-economically disadvantaged Girls with education, life skills and selfconfidence to enable them to achieve their highest potential in India.

The event was arranged as a fun-filled celebration with a noble purpose. It received an overwhelming response from the Indian community leaders and diaspora in Chicagoland.

Ms. Promila Kumar (founder of Sanjeevi 4 u) and Ms. Reena Shukla (SEWA Chicago chapter) commenced the program with a grand welcome of esteemed guests, sponsors and all volunteers. They persuasively highlighted the plans & goals of SEWA and SHE before handing it over to the emcees of the evening, Mrs. Ruchi Srivastava and Mrs. Prerna Awasthi.

Emphasizing the importance of Bharat’s civilizational gifts like Sanskaar and family as institutions to the world, UPSC girls started the program with Vishnu Stuti to seek divine blessings. The cultural program unfolded slowly while the Music Jam group kept the guests engaged throughout the evening with a live band and singing. The brief puppet show by international artist M Santhosh Kumar was mesmerizing.

SEWA LEADs, volunteers and SHE teams’ diligence made the event successful with their unwavering support. The generous sponsors were Kurti Connections, Chai Latte Digital, BestBrains, Smart Solutions, Coldwell Banker, India Co, Mall of India and India Bazar, whose commitment to supporting the community

resonated throughout the event. Kurti Connection generously sponsored the game prizes to keep the participants motivated.

Sewa’s entire SHE team was there to support the cause, and they gave a brief overview to the attendees. The team updated the attendees about all the great work happening in India under the SHE project and how it is helping to transform lives and create change. More than $9,000 was raised through generous donations and sponsorships. The founder of India Hub, Mr. Harish Kolasani, shared his vision for

Community building and commitment to sharing truly in line with the tagline “TO UNITE—CELEBRATE & HELP EACH OTHER.”

The Ayurveda talk by eminent Vaidya Swati ji from HemaVeda Ayurveda on Women’s health through our daily routine was informative and thought provoking.

The exceptional efforts to highlight Indian culture and values and bridge the gap between generations were tremendously evident throughout the program. The family walk with Mom, and friends was a very jubilant memory. The bingo game organized by our teen girls Niharika & Saanvi further elevated the event’s atmosphere. Mouth-watering food and snacks were an intrinsic part of this family fun event.

The organizers’ attention to each detail, from the registration desk to the stage-tostage show and food to present a smooth, joyful family show, was incredible, including a very inclusive vote of thanks from Vinod Pandey, a core team member of Sewa-SHE. Everyone had a remarkable experience, and it was a result of the unwavering dedication and tireless efforts of the SHE team.

In conclusion, India HUB’s exclusive Mother’s Day fund-raising event was an extraordinary success. It celebrated India’s vibrant culture and traditions and garnered extensive media coverage from TV Asia, Chai Latte Digital, and A3N Media!

For more information about SHE team Chicago and its projects, please visit their website https://she.sewausa.org/ or contact them at sewachicago@sewausa.org

www.indoustribune.com Friday,

May 2024 24 Community

Community

By Vandana Jhingan

www.indoustribune.com Friday, 17 May 2024 25

Assault on women members of parliament: The politics of double standards and declining morals

By Rakesh Malhotra

The Incident and the Aftermath

For 32 hours, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) remained silent, neither confirming nor denying the incident. The silence was finally broken with an acknowledgment of the assault, accompanied by promises of strict action. However, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s public appearances with the implicated personal secretary have fueled suspicions and outrage. This blatant disregard for accountability has undermined public trust and highlighted the party’s double standards.

Political Reactions and Double Standards

The response from various political leaders has been tepid and hypocritical at best. When questioned about the incident, many leaders from the India Alliance chose to downplay it as an “internal matter” of the party, thereby sidestepping the pressing issue of women’s safety.

Sanjay Singh of AAP assured the public that the party would take decisive action, yet his words seem hollow against the Chief Minister’s inaction. Priyanka Gandhi voiced her concern, emphasizing the need for stringent measures to protect women in politics, yet refrained from direct criticism of the Chief Minister. In a recent press

conference, Akhilesh Yadav’s remark that “there are other important things than this” starkly reveals a mindset that sidelines women’s safety and empowerment. Such dismissive attitudes are unacceptable and highlight the urgent need for a shift in political priorities towards protecting and empowering women.

Home Minister Amit Shah called for a thorough investigation, but the followthrough still needs to be seen.

Vandana Singh, a prominent Delhi Women’s Commission member, condemned the incident, highlighting the irony that even the former head of the Delhi Women’s Commission is unsafe within the political sphere. Could the assault on Swati Maliwal have happened without CM Kejriwal’s knowledge?

Questions BJP’s Shazia Ilmi. Nirmala Sitharaman also voiced their concerns, calling for a robust and impartial inquiry. However, these calls for action seem to be falling on deaf ears.

Role of Institutions

The role of institutions like the Women’s Commission and Delhi Police has been questioned in this case. Despite the severity of the allegations, there has been no significant intervention from the Women’s Commission, which is supposed to be at

the forefront of advocating for women’s safety and justice. The Delhi Police have yet to make any substantial progress in the investigation, raising doubts about their commitment to protecting women, especially those in high-risk environments like politics.

The judiciary’s response has been equally disappointing, with neither the lower nor the high court taking cognizance of the matter. This apathy reflects a broader systemic failure to address crimes against women, particularly when influential political figures are involved.

Restoring Confidence

In light of these events, the question arises: How can we instill confidence in women to participate in politics when they are not safe even within the halls of power? The assault on women MPs at the Chief Minister’s residence is not just an isolated incident but a symptom of a deeper malaise affecting our political system.

Moving Forward

Immediate and concrete steps must be taken to restore faith in the system. It may include the following:

4Transparent Investigation: A swift,

transparent, and impartial investigation must be conducted, with regular updates to the public.

4Accountability: The Chief Minister must be fully accountable for their actions and staff conduct. This unequivocally includes the potential for resignation or suspension pending investigation outcomes.

4Institutional Reform: It is imperative to strengthen the Women’s Commission and guarantee that law enforcement agencies are equipped and committed to handling such cases with the seriousness they deserve.

4Judicial Oversight: The judiciary must take a proactive stance in ensuring that cases of assault, especially involving high-profile individuals, are not swept under the rug.

Conclusion

The assault on women MPs in the Chief Minister’s house is a stark reminder of the challenges women face in politics. It calls for a united front against misogyny and violence, demanding accountability from our leaders and institutions. Only then can we hope to create a safer, more inclusive political environment for all.

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26 Community

Friday, 17 May 2024

In a shocking incident, the alleged assault and abuse of women Members of Parliament (MPs) at the Delhi Chief Minister’s residence by his secretary has cast a dark shadow over Indian politics. The episode, which reportedly occurred at the behest of the Chief Minister himself, has raised serious questions about the safety of women in political circles and the moral integrity of our leaders.

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28 Health & Fitness

Managing dry eyes

Managing dry eyes effectively involves a combination of lifestyle changes, environmental adjustments, and proper eye care practices

By Dr Rishi Raj Borah

Dry eyes can be a persistent problem for many individuals, causing discomfort and sometimes even affecting daily activities. Dry eye syndrome occurs when the eyes do not produce enough tears or when the tears evaporate too quickly, and the eyes aren’t being lubricated adequately.

This can result in symptoms such as irritation, redness, sensitivity to light, and a gritty sensation in the eyes. Whether due

to environmental factors, prolonged screen time, or underlying health conditions, managing dry eyes effectively is crucial for maintaining eye health and overall wellbeing.

Tips for Relief and Comfort

4Stay Hydrated: Proper hydration is essential for overall health, including eye health. Drinking an adequate amount of water throughout the day can help maintain tear production and prevent dryness.

4Use Artificial Tears: Over-the-counter

artificial tear drops can provide immediate relief by lubricating the eyes and alleviating dryness. It’s important to choose preservative-free drops and use them as needed, following the instructions on the packaging.

4Blink Regularly: Spending long periods staring at screens can lead to decreased blinking, which can exacerbate dry eyes. Therefore, make a conscious effort to blink regularly, especially when using computers, smartphones, or other digital devices.

4Take Breaks from Screens: To reduce eye strain and dryness associated with prolonged screen time, follow

4Use a Humidifier: Dry indoor air can contribute to dry eyes. Using a humidifier at home can add moisture to the air, helping to prevent the evaporation of tears and maintain comfortable eye conditions.

4Protect Your Eyes: Wear wraparound sunglasses or goggles when outdoors to shield the eyes from wind, dust, and other environmental irritants that can exacerbate dryness.

4Maintain a Healthy Diet: Consuming foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, flaxseeds, and walnuts, may help reduce inflammation and improve tear quality. Additionally, incorporating foods high in vitamins A, C, and E can support overall eye

Consult an Eye Care Professional: If dry eye symptoms persist or worsen despite self-care measures, it’s important to seek guidance from an eye care professional. They can conduct a comprehensive eye exam to determine the underlying cause of dryness and recommend appropriate treatment options, such as prescription eye drops or other therapies.

Managing dry eyes effectively involves a combination of lifestyle changes, environmental adjustments, and proper eye care practices. By implementing these tips for relief and comfort, individuals can alleviate symptoms, improve eye health, and enhance overall quality of life. Remember to stay proactive about eye health and seek professional guidance when needed to ensure optimal management of dry eyes.

www.indoustribune.com Friday, 17 May 2024

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Health & Fitness

5 loud noises that could damage your hearing

damage your hearing:

Prolonged exposure to an overly loud noise or short exposure may damage the inner ear, leading to hearing loss

Extensive exposure to loud noise at your workplace, during your travel, or entertainment is very harmful to your hearing health. Prolonged exposure to an overly loud noise or short exposure may damage the inner ear, leading to hearing loss. Be aware of these everyday damaging loud noises and steer away from them.

Raja S, Audiologist, Founder & Managing Director of Hearzap

shares five loud noises that can

4Unexpected explosions: While uncommon for most people, unexpected explosions like a car backfire or a sonic boom can be incredibly loud (often exceeding 140 dB) and cause immediate hearing damage.

4Festivals and concerts: Try to stay away from loudspeakers while attending a concert or festival. Carry your earplugs so that you can secure your ears completely. Keep your hearing at a safe distance.

4Home improvement equipment: Do you want to tackle an upcoming home improvement project? Put in earplugs before the chainsaw or drill machine is plugged in. The sounds of the machine and chainsaws produce sounds greater than 90 dB. Safeguard yourself before it hurts you more.

4Personal audio on high: Many people crank up their headphones or earbuds to drown out background noise. However, the CDC warns that listening to music above 60% volume for extended periods can

hearing. Be mindful of the volume setting and consider using noisecancelling headphones to reduce the need for such high volumes.

4Hidden culprits: Even some seemingly harmless places can have surprisingly loud noises. Arcades, movie theaters, and bowling alleys can all exceed safe listening levels. Be aware of your surroundings and take breaks from the noise whenever possible.

“Securing ears is more important, as it helps make our lives joyful. Any time, you encounter any sort of pain, get yourself tested

www.indoustribune.com Friday, 17 May 2024 30

6 Cannes looks of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan that are momentsdefiningin pop culture

Actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has headed to the ongoing 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival with her daughter Aaradhya. Over the years, the actress has represented India at the Cannes red carpet numerous times, with several of her iconic looks creating a buzz and going down in the pages of pop-culture history.

The actress made her Cannes debut in 2002, for the screening of her film ‘Devdas’ directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. For the event, she wore a golden-colored saree designed by Neeta Lulla. She accessorized her look with a choker gold necklace, regal bangles, and earrings.

The following year, she graced the Cannes Film Festival for the screening of ‘Matrix Reloaded’. For the occasion, she wore a futurist black corset with a crisscross lace up at the centre front seam.

In 2016, Aishwarya sported her most viral look from the event, opting for a purple-colored lipstick. She walked the red carpet in a pastel floral off-theshoulder Bardot gown by Rami Kadi. The gown was embellished with floral patterns and vines in purple and green. She rounded up her look with smokey eyes and purple-toned lips. This look of the actress went viral on the Internet, sparking a meme fest.

The next year, she slayed the festival with her Cinderella look. She wore a Michael Cinco gown at the 2017 Cannes.

In 2019, she stepped out on the red carpet in an off-shoulder tiered gown from Ashi Studio. Her look was all about feathers, ruffles, and lace. She rounded up her look with a pair of white heels and accessorized it with dangling diamond earrings.

For her 2022 appearance at the Cannes Red Carpet, the actress made an unusual choice as she wore a sculpted gown by Gaurav Gupta. The outfit featured a halolike element behind her head as the shell that Venus rises from Botticelli’s famous painting ‘The Birth of Venus’. The red carpet look and the thought behind it were deconstructed by Gaurav in an Instagram post.

www.indoustribune.com

Friday, 17 May 2024

Beauty & Fashion

Issue 28

says Assistant Commerce Secretary Venkataraman

EAM Jaishankar takes dig at Canada,

US refutes allegations of meddling in Indian elections

Economic superpowers like India reshaping global economy, says Rishi Sunak

3 Top Stories

Biden proposes changes to presidential debates

US partnerships with South Korea, Japan key to making prosperous, secure Indo-Pacific, says Campbell

evacuated in wildfire-hit Canada

Key Putin aide visits New Delhi, holds talks on Afghanistan

Publisher Note

Celebrating UNESCO recognition of Ramcharitmanas and Panchatantra

Dr. (H) Avi Verma

Top Stories

Slovakian PM Fico remains in ‘serious’ condition after assassination attempt

US announces $400 million in additional weapons aid to Ukraine

US government defends Israel over Gaza ‘genocide’ accusations

Another Indian-origin man arrested in Canada’s 22.5 million gold, cash heist

Hyderabad techie dies in US road accident

Indian-origin woman dies in a knife attack in London

Guterres expresses ‘appreciation’ for India’s contributions amid signs Indian UN staffer killed in Israel attack in Gaza

jahan se achchha Hindustan hamara’ played at White House

Indian national charged in connection with Nijjar’s murder appears before Canadian court

ModiNomics has created over 50 crore jobs, says Anurag Thakur

Mumbai hoarding crash: Billboard owner Bhavesh Bhinde nabbed from Udaipur

FM Sitharaman blames CM Kejriwal for ‘shocking’ assault on Swati Maliwal

India News

NIA files charge sheet against 10th accused in J&K drone weapon dropping case

Calcutta HC orders release of BJP leader arrested by police

New Zealand ‘gravely concerned’ with situation in French territory New Caledonia

Sudan denies reports of visa denial to US envoy

Australia sanctions entities linked to North Korea arms supply

Russian oil still ending up in UK despite sanctions

Chinese warplanes harass Taiwan before

presidential inauguration

Israel’s Foreign Minister calls for resignation of UNRWA Chief

Amazon faces 2 lawsuits in US over ‘dark patterns’ as India prepares guidelines

OpenAI partners Reddit to train its AI on users’ posts

Self-driving tech company Motional sacks nearly 550 employees in US

India’s steel, aluminum exports to US likely to rise as China faces tariff wall

Chinese marketplace Temu under scanner for breaching EU’s Digital Services Act

Biden signs sweeping aviation safety, reform bill into law

Juve manager Allegri reportedly threatens journalist after Coppa Italia win

WADA to hold special Board meeting over contamination case involving swimmers from China

Top cricketers eyeing last shot at T20 World Cup glory

Entertainment

Guneet Monga, Women in Film Los Angeles launch initiative to back women filmmakers in India

Jessica Biel calls her marriage to Justin Timberlake ‘a work in progress’

Sophie Turner reveals she contemplated terminating first pregnancy with Joe Jonas

Sewa International meets for another successful National Conference

National India Hub hosts an exclusive Mother’s Day fundraising event

Assault on women members of parliament: The politics of double standards and declining morals

Role of Institutions

Restoring Confidence

Moving Forward

Growing businesses need cash flow. We can help.

28 Health & Fitness

Managing dry eyes

Tips for Relief and Comfort

Health & Fitness

5 loud noises that could damage your hearing

6 Cannes looks of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan that are momentsdefiningin pop culture