Issue 16

Blinken, China’s Foreign Minister discuss Taiwan, Ukraine war

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Friday, 23 February, 2024

VOL: 01 • ISSUE: 16

IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

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S Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi discussed a range of regional and global issues, including the Korean Peninsula, Taiwan and Russia’s war in Ukraine during their talks in Germany last week, a US State Department spokesperson said.

They met on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Friday as Washington has been doubling down on its drive to “responsibly” manage strategic competition with China through improved bilateral communication and other measures, Yonhap news agency reported.

“The two sides also exchanged views on the situation in the Middle East and on the Korean Peninsula and affirmed that their respective senior officials should meet to follow up on these discussions,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a readout.

See Pg. 02

23 FEBRUARY 2024

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India on track to become $10 trillion economy, set for 3rd largest slot: WEF President IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

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ndia is on track to become a $10 trillion economy in coming years and grab the third-largest slot soon, World Economic Forum President Borge Brende said on Thursday as he described the country as a place with optimism not seen elsewhere in a very fragmented and polarized world. In an exclusive video interview with the Press Trust of India, Brende also said that the World Economic Forum (WEF) hopes to come back to the country with the WEF India Summit in collaboration with Government of India when the time is ripe.

“The Indian economy is the fastest growing among all large economies of the world. We saw in Davos this year that there was a huge interest in India and I think this will only continue,” Brende said. Geneva-based WEF, which describes itself as an international

organization for public-private cooperation, holds its annual meeting in the Swiss ski resort town Davos every year in January. Brende said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is “always very, very welcome to Davos”.

optimism which is not the case all over the world. We are facing a geopolitical recession, a very fragmented and polarized world, but still there are areas where we can collaborate and it is important to find those areas,” he said.

See Pg. 03

“When you come to India, you feel some

to deepen India’s strong ties with Western nations Need economic engagement with India: Albanian getting better by the day, says Jaishankar Foreign Minister IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

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ndia has an extremely strong relationship with Western countries which is getting better by the day, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said at the 60th Munich Security Conference that was held last week.

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The minister was speaking at a panel discussion on ‘Growing the Pie: Seizing Shared Opportunities’, which he attended along with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock.

Responding to a question by Financial Times’ Roula Khalaf on the rise of BRICS as a challenge to the West, the minister said that it is important to make a distinction between “being non-West and anti-West” in today’s times.

“I think it’s important today to make a distinction between being non-West and anti-West. I would certainly characterize India as a country, which is non-West... which has an extremely strong relationship with Western countries getting better by the day,” Jaishankar said.

the United States “is the strongest it has ever been”.

“What we don’t need to do and what we’re not doing is trying to somehow design the world to rigid blocks... The relationship between our countries, I would argue, is the strongest it has ever been,” Blinken said.

Calling BRICS a “very interesting group”, Jaishankar said, “It is geographically as disparate as it can be. Yet, it is bound by the fact that these discussions we’ve had over a decade-and-a-half have been very useful for all of us.”

“(It) Makes no difference that India happens to be a leading member of BRICS, we are leading member of the G7... We have a multiplicity of things that we’re doing together every single day in different ways of organizing ourselves,” the Secretary of State added.

Carrying forward the discussion, Blinken said that the relationship between India and

Jaishankar and Blinken also met on Friday on the sidelines of the conference

to discuss maritime security in the Red Sea. “Secretary Blinken highlighted that the respective US and Indian approaches to maritime security in the Red Sea are mutually reinforcing and play important roles in safeguarding economic stability in the region,” US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement released on Friday.

Miller added that the two leaders also discussed ongoing work to ensure lasting peace and security in the Middle East. Taking to social media platform X, Jaishankar said his talks with Blinken centered on the situation in Ukraine, West Asia, and the Indo-Pacific, in addition to reviewing “continuing progress” in bilateral ties.

cknowledging India as a major international player and an economic power, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of Albania, Igli Hasani, said on Thursday that immense possibilities of cooperation exist between the two countries in spheres ranging from IT, digitization, tourism and economy. Hasani, who arrived in New Delhi for the 9th Raisina Dialogue on Wednesday, said that Albania will soon open an embassy in New Delhi and further strengthen and deepen the bilateral relationship, which he described as “excellent”.

Albania, he said, is moving rapidly to foster stronger economic ties with India.

“I’m so happy to find the opportunity to visit the country for the Raisina Dialogue... we are working great together but at the same time, we should deepen economic engagement between our countries because the potentials are high, the possibilities are immense, and we need to create the necessary mechanisms to make things happen,” Hasani said in a media interaction with reporters in the capital.

See Pg. 03

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Friday, 23 February, 2024

Blinken, China’s Foreign Minister discuss Taiwan, Ukraine war Contd. from Pg. 01 Miller did not elaborate on the Korea-related topic, but the two sides were expected to touch on North Korea’s evolving military threats.

Blinken emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in the South China Sea, while raising concerns over China’s support for Russia’s war against Ukraine, including support for Russia’s defence industrial base, according to Miller.

The secretary also highlighted the importance of continuing to implement the progress made by President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping at their summit in November in California, including counternarcotics cooperation and military-to-military communications.

American delegation visits Ram Temple in Ayodhya IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

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uantum Integrators CEO and India Business Association’s Advisory Chairman, Raj Pandya, led an American delegation to Ayodhya, consisting of leaders of the Indian-American diaspora.

Leading the delegation, Pandya arrived in the city on Wednesday morning to pay his respects and pray for prosperity and global peace at the iconic Ram Temple. During the visit, he emphasized the significance of Ayodhya beyond the Hindu faith, highlighting its importance in Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism as well.

“The secretary reiterated that the United States will stand up for our interests and values and those of our allies and partners,” Miller said. Both sides recognized the importance of maintaining open lines of communication across a range of strategic issues, including consultations and high-level meetings in key areas in the coming months, according to the spokesperson.

Pandya stressed that Lord Ram transcends religious boundaries and is a symbol of India’s cultural identity, love, sacrifice, rich Indian heritage revered by millions worldwide.

Dhiren Amin, the President of the Indian Business Association, Inc. in the US, was also part of the delegation. Amin said that he is feeling simply nostalgic. Addressing the media after offering prayers at the temple, Pandya reiterated the universality of Lord Ram’s worship, emphasizing that his legacy spans across religions and nations, symbolizing

Russia-US relations won’t improve for decades, says Medvedev

US makes first lunar landing in over 50 years IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

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ussian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev Thursday said that Russia-US ties will not improve in the coming years and even decades.

In an interview to the local media, Dmitry Medvedev said that his current position allows him to speak more categorically and openly than during other periods, Xinhua news agency reported.

Both countries will not be able to develop normal ties in the upcoming years after what has happened, no matter who is in power in Washington, Dmitry Medvedev said.

He reiterated that Moscow had never refused to negotiate with Kiev as it is Ukraine that forbids talks, but attempts made by Western countries to steer Ukraine in this direction have remained unsuccessful.

Russia’s preconditions for such negotiations would be “the recognition of the results of the special military operation,” he said, adding that Ukraine is trying to delay the negotiation process fearing immediate defeat.

S company Intuitive Machines’ first lunar lander touched down on the moon early Friday morning, marking the first American spacecraft to land on the lunar surface in more than 50 years. The uncrewed lander, named Odysseus, landed at the lunar South Pole on Thursday at 6.23 p.m. Eastern Time, according to NASA. Odysseus carries NASA science and other commercial payloads to the moon.

The spacecraft was launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Thursday last week from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The mission, codenamed IM-1, marks Intuitive Machines’ first robotic flight to the moon’s surface, Xinhua news agency reported. The scientific objectives of the mission include studies of plume-surface

India’s rich cultural heritage and unifying spirit. Pandya also mentioned that the rebuilding of the temple was celebrated by Indian-Americans throughout the US. He said: “We believe in strengthening the US-India relationship by creating more employment opportunities, and mutual business partnerships in both the countries which are world’s two largest democracies working together is the current and future

need of the better world.” Pandya emphasized and reiterated that India’s manpower is a big asset that the country has and the US needs that for its betterment. “Both countries coming together and working together is inevitable.”

The American delegation’s visit to Ayodhya is seen as a gesture of cultural and spiritual exchange, promoting understanding and harmony across nations and beliefs.

Israel foreign ministry to distribute Hamas atrocities report globally

interactions, radio astronomy, and space weather interactions with the lunar surface.

It will also demonstrate precision landing technologies and communication and navigation node capabilities, according to NASA. NASA is working with several US companies to deliver science and technology to the lunar surface through the Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative.

The last US moon landing mission was made in December 1972, when Apollo 17 touched down on the lunar surface for the final mission of the Apollo Program. In January, another NASA-backed company, Astrobiotic Technology’s lunar lander suffered “critical” fuel loss and could not make it to the Moon.

The lander carries six NASA instruments that will investigate the lunar environment and test technologies for future Artemis missions.

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srael‘s foreign ministry will distribute globally a report of the Association of Aid Centers for Victims of Sexual Assault detailing the systematic abuse committed by Hamas during the massacre in the southern Israel on October 7. This, according to the ministry, will be the first step of an extensive public diplomacy campaign by the Israel government worldwide. The detailed evidence collected on systematic sexual crimes committed by Hamas terrorists against Israeli citizens during the October 7 attack will be showcased across the globe.

Israel Foreign Minister, Israel Katz instructed to translate the report published as soon as possible and distribute the translated versions to the whole world with the help of Israeli embassies abroad.

Kantz in a statement said “The horrors of October 7 continue to be revealed even many months later,” He adds, “The crimes of sexual violence, which find expression in this important report, will serve the State of Israel in its ceaseless war against the terrorist organization Hamas in the political arena.”

The Israel Foreign Ministry in recent weeks is in the process of raising international awareness of the issue of harm and violence by Hamas terrorists in Israel.

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Friday, 23 February, 2024

Trump moves to dismiss charges accusing him of mishandling classified documents By: Arul Louis, IANS

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ormer U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday asked a federal judge to dismiss criminal charges accusing him of illegally holding onto sensitive U.S. national security documents when he left office, arguing the prosecution is legally flawed.

Lawyers for Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican nomination, challenged the appointment of Special Counsel Jack Smith, argued the charges conflict with another U.S. law on the use of presidential records, and claimed the central charge in the case is improperly vague.

Trump also claimed he was immune from charges he unlawfully retained national security documents because the allegations stem from decisions he made in his final weeks as president.

Trump has pleaded not guilty to a 40-count indictment in Florida federal court accusing him of illegally retaining classified documents at his Florida resort after leaving office in 2021 and obstructing U.S. government attempts to retrieve them. Prosecutors working with Smith accused Trump of keeping documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida that included information about the U.S. nuclear program and potential domestic vulnerabilities.

Trump sought to conceal boxes containing classified papers after receiving a grand jury subpoena demanding their return, according to the indictment. Trump has made presidential immunity claims in both federal and state cases accusing him of illegally attempting to subvert the results of the 2020 presidential election. A U.S. appeals court in Washington rejected the argument in the federal election case this month, and Trump has appealed the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.

India on track to become $10 trillion economy, set for 3rd largest slot: WEF President Contd. from Pg. 01

He also lauded India’s digital competitiveness and said digital trade is growing much faster than traditional goods in the world today.

“India is well placed and it is just a question of time before India becomes the third largest economy in the world after the US and China,” he said.

On India’s role in handling geopolitical conflicts, Brende said, “We will see a larger and larger Indian footprint on the global diplomatic scene in the years to come.”

India’s major priority so far has been to secure economic growth, eradicate poverty, and ensure that India is flourishing when it comes

Trump may be allowed to immediately appeal a denial of his immunity claim, potentially delaying the documents case as it has done with the federal election case.

Trump was charged alongside his personal

aide, Walt Nauta, and Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos de Oliveira. Both have pleaded not guilty.

De Oliveria also moved on Thursday to dismiss the charges against him. Nauta was expected to file a similar legal motion.

A trial is scheduled to begin in May, but Trump has sought a delay. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon has scheduled a March 1 hearing on the timing of the trial.

Need to deepen economic engagement with India: Albanian Foreign Minister Contd. from Pg. 01

Brende said it is necessary to underline that the economic growth is not so bad, especially in the case of India where “we are seeing 7 per cent economic growth and the world’s largest economy, the US, which is also doing very well.” On India targeting to become the third largest economy in the next 2-3 years, Brende said India is on track to become a $ 10 trillion economy in the coming years.

“India has gone through important reforms and it is well placed vis-a-vis the two largest economies, the US and China. Also, India is seeing a good increase in foreign direct investments, a lot of manufacturing activities are now taking place in India which used to happen in other emerging economies,” he said.

Prosecutors in the classified documents case called Trump’s immunity claim “frivolous” in a previous court filing, noting the conduct charged in the indictment all occurred after Trump left the White House.

The minister who had interactions with entrepreneurs and businesses from both Albania and India said that the country would like to profit from India’s expertise in IT, innovation, and digitization.

to prosperity.

“I think India has also stayed away from any knee-jerk reactions on geopolitical issues. It’s not an easy neighbourhood in Asia but India has dealt with situations very well and we do not see any conflicts in this region as we have seen in places like Ukraine and the Middle East,” he added.

Brende said India is an important country when it comes to digitalisation with 1.4 billion people with digital IDs, linked bank accounts and effective payment systems.

“At the same time, the advent of new technologies raises concerns. While there are big opportunities presented by generative AI, there are also threats in the form of deepfakes and increased cyber attacks. So, it is very necessary to be vigilant and also have policies for that,” he said.

For example, cybercrime last year stole $ 2 trillion from the global economy, he said.

“India is currently the fifth-largest economy in the world and is soon to go up and higher... this is something that should only encourage us to do more on not only possibilities but mechanisms to make this engagement as profitable for our people as possible.” Hasani said one of the first things he prioritized after taking over as the country’s foreign minister last year, was to “increase engagement with India” and increase opportunities of working with the Indians.

country located in south-eastern Europe in the Balkan Peninsula last year, Hasani said there are possibilities of having direct flights from India to Albania.

Speaking of the Indian community in Albania, he said it is “small but significant” and a rise in their number will only benefit the country in terms of their expertise in business and many other aspects.

“At the same time, possibilities of Albanians visiting India should be well explored because you have a beautiful country, you have an excellent history.

You have such good traditions and I am sure my compatriots will enjoy visiting,” the minister said.

Albanian language traces its roots in Sanskrit and has a strong connect with India, and according to recent Ministry of External Affairs data, approximately 400 Indians are in Albania with most of them being temporary workers.

With nearly 50,000 Indians visiting the

India and Albania completed 65 years of the establishment of diplomatic ties in 2021 and held their third Foreign Office Consultations in Delhi last year, reviewing bilateral, regional, and international issues.

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delhi@indoustribune.com 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.

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IndoUS Tribune condemns violence and discrimination against Hindus, calls for urgent action in Sandeshkhali

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ecent events have brought to light deeply troubling reports regarding the condition of Hindus in certain regions, particularly in West Bengal. The IndoUS Tribune staunchly condemns any form of discrimination or violence against any community, including Hindus. Every individual has the right to live free from fear and persecution, irrespective of their religious or cultural background.

Reports from Sandeshkhali and other areas highlight a disturbing trend of targeted violence and intimidation against Hindus, including women. The IndoUS Tribune strongly condemns these atrocities and demands urgent attention from authorities and society at large. The safety and well-being of all citizens, regardless of their religious affiliations, must be prioritized above political expediency. The plight of Hindu girls in Sandeshkhali, who are being subjected to unspeakable acts of violence and coercion, is particularly alarming. These heinous crimes, including rape and deprivation of their rights, represent a grave violation of their dignity and human rights.

The IndoUS Tribune stands in solidarity with the victims and their families, calling for swift justice and accountability for the perpetrators.

Prominent leaders have voiced their concerns about the situation. BJP alleges that women are unsafe in Trinamool Congress-ruled West Bengal, with Locket Chatterjee claiming that Trinamool ‘goons’ have sexually assaulted Hindu women. Trinamool strongman Shahjahan Sheikh is absconding in the Sandeshkali case, adding to the urgency of the situation.

The IndoUS Tribune calls for immediate action to address the root causes of discrimination and violence against Hindus in Sandeshkhali and other affected areas. Perpetrators of these crimes must be brought to justice swiftly, and measures must be implemented to ensure the safety and well-being of all individuals.

We urge authorities to prioritize the protection of vulnerable populations and uphold the principles of democracy and pluralism.

In conclusion, the IndoUS Tribune forcefully condemns the reported instances of violence and discrimination against Hindus, particularly Hindu girls, in Sandeshkhali and other regions. We stand with the victims and their families, offering our unwavering support and solidarity. It is imperative that we unite to create a future where every individual can live free from fear and persecution.

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

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Friday, 19 January, 2024

UN rights chief slams UK’s Rwanda bill IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

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he UK’s recent legislative moves to facilitate the removal of asylum-seekers to Rwanda run contrary to the basic principles of the rule of law and risk delivering a serious blow to human rights, the UN Human Rights Chief said.

The bill would also drastically strip back the courts’ ability to scrutinize removal decisions, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said on Monday in a statement as quoted by Xinhua news agency report.

The UK’s proposed legislation, known as the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill, requires every decision maker -- be it a government minister, immigration office, or court or tribunal reviewing asylum decisions -- to treat Rwanda as a “safe country” in terms of protecting refugees and asylum seekers against refoulement, irrespective of evidence that exists now or may exist in the future, he added.

The UN human rights office has reiterated the concerns expressed by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) that the scheme is not compatible with international refugee law, the statement said. “The combined effects of this Bill, attempting to shield government action from standard legal scrutiny, directly undercut basic human rights principles,” Turk added.

PTI offered ‘lucrative position’ for making rigging allegations, claims ex-Rawalpindi Commissioner IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

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ithdrawing all his allegations related to rigging in the February 8 general elections in Pakistan, former Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chattha said he was “extremely ashamed, embarrassed”, and claimed that he made the move in coordination with a Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) leader, a media report said.

“I take full responsibility for my actions and surrender myself before the authorities for any kind of legal action,” Chattha said in a statement to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Geo News reported.

In a dramatic development last Saturday, Chattha had tendered his resignation, which he said was out of “guilty conscience” for abetting largescale electoral rigging in the garrison city, further raising the political mercury in the country.

The Commissioner, in the rare press conference, had taken responsibility for the “rigging” that he claimed took place in Rawalpindi Division.

“We converted the losers into winners with 50,000 votes margin,” he had stated.

In response to his allegations, the PTI, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), and other political parties -- most of whom had already rejected the election results -- demanded an investigation into the matter.

BJP releases documentary on ‘atrocities’ on women in Sandeshkhali IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

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he BJP has released a documentary on the ongoing crisis in West Bengal’s Sandeshkhali where the women protesting against sexual harassment and violence have described the absconding Trinamool Congress leader, Sheikh Shahjahan, as the “virtual President” of the small conglomeration of islands. The protesting women have also said that peace will not be restored in Sandeshkhali unless President’s Rule is imposed. “Sincerely we feel that we will be safe only if the President’s rule is imposed,” many of the local women were heard saying in the video.

The local women have also accused the state police of backing and covering up the ill-deeds by Shahjahan and his associates.

According to them the blatant police support made the absconding ruling party leader and his associates so audacious in carrying out the oppression against the local villagers, especially the women.

“Shahjahan’s associates used to scan and identify good-looking women and summon them to the local party office in the early hours. Anyone refusing to abide had to face tremendous oppression along with their family members including physical torture, forceful grabbing of their land and forcing us to work like bonded laborers in the businesses run by them,” a woman was heard saying in the video.

Another woman was heard narrating the story on how the open support from the local

police made Shahjahan and his associates so ‘powerful’. “Anyone who dared to approach the local police station with complaints of oppression was advised by the cops to go Shahjahan and his associates for remission,” a woman protester was heard saying in the video. The protesting women also refuted the charges by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee that the protests by local women in Sandeshkhali for the last two weeks were actually orchestrated by “outsiders” having the backing of opposition parties like BJP and CPI(M).

“No other party apart from Trinamool Congress has virtually any existence in Sandeshkhali. We had always been associated with Trinamool Congress. But our association and commitment towards the ruling party was never a shield against oppression by Shahjahan and their associates. At the same time it is a false propaganda that those who are protesting here are outsiders,” a protesting woman said.

Biden willing to personally discuss Ukraine aid with top House Republican IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

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“The way they’re walking away from the threat of Russia, they way they’re walking away from NATO, the way they’re walking away from meeting our obligations. It’s just shocking. I’ve never seen anything like it,” Biden added.

Johnson, who’s been withholding a vote in his chamber on a Senate-passed national security spending bill in order to squeeze out Democrats’ compromise allowing significant upgrades to border security, told reporters last week that he had been

Meanwhile, a team of BJP delegation led by the party Lok Sabha member Locket Chatterjee and the party legislator Agnimitra Paul was stopped by the police midway while they were on their way to Sandeshkhali. After being stopped in the Bhojerhat area, Chatterjee and Paul were seen getting engaged in a heated exchange of words with the police officials. There was a minor scuffle between the BJP supporters and the cops.

Chatterjee was later arrested and brought to the Kolkata Police headquarters at Lalbazar in Central Kolkata.

Alexei Navalny’s widow Yulia Navalnaya accuses Putin of murder, pledges to continue fight IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

S President Joe Biden has said that he is willing to meet with House Speaker Mike Johnson in order to secure the longawaited passage of a bill that contains funding for the provision of additional arms to Ukraine.

“Sure, I’d be happy to meet with him if he has anything to say,” Biden told reporters on Monday as he returned to the White House from Delaware, where he spent the weekend. The President said House GOP members, led by Johnson, are “making a big mistake by not responding” to the repeated calls from the White House that they should approve the administration’s supplemental budget request and meet Ukraine’s urgent need for resupply of ammunition in its conflict with Russia, Xinhua news agency reported.

Besides the arrest of absconding Trinamool Congress leader, the protesting women, on Friday, also raised the demand of return of farmland illegally and forcefully occupied by Shahjahan and his associates and converted them into pisciculture farms by forcefully flowing in saline water there.

Y requesting a meeting with Biden “for weeks”.

“A month I’ve been asking to sit down with the President to talk about the border and talk about national security, and that meeting has not been granted,” Johnson said.

“And I’m going to continue to insist on that, because they’re very serious issues that need to be addressed. And if the Speaker of the House can’t meet with the President of the United States, that’s a problem.”

ulia Navalnaya, the widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who was reported to have collapsed after a walk, has accused Russian President Valadimir Putin of her husband’s murder and pledged to continue his work, a media report said.

In a nine minute video on Monday, 47-year-old Navalnaya, said: “Three days ago, Vladimir Putin killed my husband Alexei Navalny, the father of my children and took away the most important thing I had. The person who was closest to me and whom I loved most. During an interview, Navalnaya, an economist who had left her job for raising her kids, said: “When you are not a politician but you see the darkest things against your family then, of course, it radicalizes you.”

She said that the most important thing “we can do for Alexei and for ourselves is to continue to fight more desperately, more fiercely than before.” Navalny, who has been Putin’s most prolific critic for over a decade, was confirmed dead by the opposition on Saturday. Earlier, the Western leaders, including US President Joe Biden have blamed Puting for Navalny’s death, which Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said were “arrogant” and “unacceptable”.

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Friday, 23 February, 2024

Judge blocks California from suing makers of ‘abnormally dangerous’ guns

US lawmakers call for Quad inter-parliamentary ties IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

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he US House of Representatives has passed a non-binding resolution calling for a legislation to form an inter-parliamentary group of lawmakers from the Quad member countries -- the US, India, Japan and Australia -- to further strengthen cooperation among them, which will essentially add another dimension to the dialogue and take it to another level.

IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

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federal judge on Wednesday blocked California’s attorney general from enforcing a new law that allows residents, the state and local governments to sue members of the firearms industry that manufacture or sell “abnormally dangerous” guns.

U.S. District Judge Andrew Schopler in San Diego sided with a firearms industry trade association in finding that part of a gun control measure signed into law by Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom in 2022 was likely unconstitutional. It is the first ruling in a case challenging the constitutionality of California’s Firearm Industry Responsibility Act. The law was enacted shortly after the conservative-majority U.S. Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling in June 2022 concerning the U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment that significantly expanded gun rights.

Newsom, in signing the new state firearms restrictions into law in July 2022, called them necessary to ensure makers of deadly firearms could be held accountable in court and could “no longer hide from the mass destruction that they have caused.”

Two arrested for breaking into Secret Service vehicle of Biden’s granddaughter IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

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wo teenagers have been arrested in connection with the break-in of a secret service vehicle assigned to US President Joe Biden’s granddaughter Naomi Biden. The break in had occurred outside Naomi Biden’s house in Georgetown area in Washington DC last year, BBC reported.

The incident occurred on November 12 and Naomi Biden’s secret service agent had fired at the thieves. As per the court records, the accused was identified as Robert Kemp and an unnamed juvenile.

The accused were arrested after finding out a stolen car used for get-away vehicle in the crime. Robert Kemp was arrested on February 7 and another accused was arrested on February 16.

The resolution says that this Act, which should be called ‘Strengthening the Quad Act’, and the formation of the inter-parliamentary group will “sustain and deepen engagement between senior officials of the Quad countries on a full spectrum of issues; and be modeled on the successful and long-standing bilateral intra-parliamentary groups between the United States and Mexico, Canada, and the United Kingdom, as well as other formal and informal parliamentary exchanges”.

The resolution envisions the US parliamentary group as comprising 24 members, half being members of the House of Representatives and the other half from the Senate. The legislation proposed by the resolution also seeks a strategy from the Secretary of State on “strategy for bolstering engagement and cooperation with the Quad”.

It needs to also describe “how the United States intends to demonstrate democratic leadership in the Indo-Pacific

through quadrilateral engagement with India, Japan, and Australia on shared interests and common challenges”.

Since the rejuvenation of the Quad in 2017, the group has witnessed growing traction in the member countries with annual engagements elevated to summit level, mostly after President Joe Biden took office in 2021. The four member countries have been cooperating on an entire range of issues,

Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi for 2026 Senate run?

IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

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ndian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi is planning to run for the US Senate in 2026, according to a top US magazine that has placed the representative in the list of 50 most powerful in Chicago, a city in Illinois state. Born in New Delhi to parents from Tamil Nadu and raised in Illinois, the Democrat was ranked number 24 in Chicago Magazine’s “heavy hitters” list, which was topped by Illinois Governor J B Pritzker.

Elected to Congress in 2016, the 50-year-old is now in his fourth term representing Illinois’ 8th District, which includes Chicago’s west and northwest suburbs as well as the 41st ward of the city.

“Krishnamoorthi... who used his former perch as chairman of a House Oversight subcommittee to investigate everything from the Washington Commanders to the baby formula shortage, has $14.4 million in his campaign coffers,” the magazine said.

The amount, according to the magazine, is more than three times as much as any other congressional representative from Illinois, and the third-highest total in the

from health to technology. The security part of the dialogue, as envisaged at its formation as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, has been relegated to the background, although it remains a key issue bilaterally for each of these member nations.

Representative Gregory Meeks, the ranking member of the House Foreign Relations Committee, had introduced the resolution in September 2023.

US launches research network to evaluate emerging cancer screening technologies IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

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he US National Institutes of Health (NIH) has launched a clinical trials network to evaluate emerging technologies for cancer screening, the agency said.

entire Congress.

The Cancer Screening Research Network will investigate on how to identify cancers earlier, when they may be easier to treat. Eight groups have received funding from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of NIH, to carry out the initial activities of the network, Xinhua news agency reported.

In 2022, he donated $460,000 to Democratic candidates and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. As of now, he is “stockpiling his campaign cash to run for the Senate in 2026” if Dick Durbin retires, according to the magazine.

In 2024, the network will launch a pilot study, known as the Vanguard Study on Multi-Cancer Detection, to address the feasibility of using multi-cancer detection tests in future randomized controlled trials, according to NIH.

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Yale University reinstates standardized test requirement teams have reexamined their remaining application criteria to ensure academically qualified students from underrepresented, disadvantaged backgrounds have a fair shot at acceptance.

IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

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ale University said on Thursday it would reinstate a requirement that applicants submit standardized test scores after a four-year hiatus for the COVID-19 pandemic, and the admissions dean said the requirement would help disadvantaged students.

Yale’s decision, which will impact applicants planning to enroll in fall 2025, followed announcements from Dartmouth University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) that they would reimpose standardized testing requirements.

Critics of standardized testing in college admissions have long pushed for schools to permanently drop the requirement, saying the tests mostly benefit students with access to expensive preparation courses, leaving disadvantaged students further behind.

Hundreds of colleges made standardized testing an optional portion of the application when COVID-19 shut down testing centers. Since then, elite schools have evaluated admissions results with and without test score submissions in an effort to create permanent policies that help them admit high-achieving, diverse classes.

Yale’s admissions dean Jeremiah Quinlan said his team had analyzed admissions

Moderate Democratic Senator Joe Manchin not to run for US President IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

MIT did so in 2022, saying tests were a key predictor of student success.

Dartmouth announced its decision this month, after conducting a study that found standardized tests could greatly help the admissions team identify “high-achieving less-advantaged applicants.” data from the past few years and found that test scores, in conjunction with all other parts of a student’s application, gave them a better sense of whether students had excelled in their circumstances and were ready for the university’s academic

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Specifically, he had considered the possibility of being the candidate for No Labels, a centrist organization seeking to establish a third alternative against both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. The possibility of Manchin’s candidacy had caused concern among Democrats, who worried that he could have detracted votes from Biden and disrupted the 2024 presidential election outcome.

“I will not be seeking a third-party run. I will not be involved in a presidential run,” Manchin said during a speech after debating for months whether to run for the White House as a third-party candidate. “I will not be a deal breaker or a spoiler,” Manchin said.

“I will be involved in making sure that we secure a president that has the knowledge and has the passion and has the ability to bring this country together,” he noted. Manchin, who has served as West Virginia’s Senator since 2010, has called himself a “centrist, moderate, conservative Democrat” and is generally cited as the most conservative Democrat in the Senate.

Debate over usefulness of standardized testing has intensified since the U.S. Supreme Court banned race-conscious admissions in 2023. College admissions

Nikki Haley says she’s not dropping out of Republican primary race IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

enator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, a moderate Democrat, has announced that he is not running for US President, putting an end to prolonged speculation regarding his potential candidacy outside the two major parties. Since the 76-year-old Senator declared in November that he would not pursue re-election, speculation kept surging about whether he would pursue a presidential bid, Xinhua news agency reported.

rigor.

epublican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, former US ambassador to the United Nations and former Governor of South Carolina, has said that she is not dropping out of the race. Haley made the remarks on Tuesday in a “State of the Race” address in Greenville, South Carolina, just days ahead of the Republican primary in the southeastern state, where she served as the first female Governor from 2011 to 2017, Xinhua news agency reported.

“When the country’s future is on the line, you don’t drop out. You keep fighting. In fact, you fight harder than ever. That’s why I refuse to quit,” she said in the speech delivered at Clemson

University at Greenville ONE. “South Carolina will vote on Saturday. But on Sunday, I’ll still be running for President.

I’m not going anywhere,” she added.

Haley, who is trying to challenge former President Donald Trump on her home turf, said the presidential primaries have barely begun, with just three states having voted. Trump won GOP primary in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada, cementing his status as the clear front-runner to become the Republican Party’s nominee for the presidential election.

The Republican presidential candidate accused President Joe Biden and Trump of turning people against each other and dividing the country at a time “when America desperately, urgently, needs a uniter”.

Cornell and Vanderbilt Universities extended their test optional policies this month, Cornell for one year and Vanderbilt for three. Other elite colleges are expected to announce decisions on testing policies this spring.

Trump launches sneaker line after court fined him $355 mn penalty in civil fraud case IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

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ormer US President Donald Trump has launched a sneaker line, a day after a New York judge fined him and his companies nearly $355 million in the civil fraud case. The former president unveiled “Trump Sneakers” at Sneaker Con in Philadelphia. He placed a pair of gold sneakers, which a new website priced at $399 and named the “NEVER SURRENDER HIGH-TOP SNEAKER”, on the podium as he spoke, media reports said .

“This is something I’ve been talking about for 12 years, 13 years, and I think it’s going to be a big success,” said Trump, the frontliner in GOP nominations in a potential rematch between him and President Joe Biden for 2024 presidential elections. By Saturday night, the $399 sneakers were listed as sold out on the website. There had been 1,000 pairs of the sneakers available for purchase, according to the site.

The former president is also selling two versions of sneakers that have “T” and “45” on the sides for $199, according to the website. Cologne and perfume are for sale at $99 each.

According to the website, the products are “trademarks of CIC Ventures LLC. Trump Sneakers are not designed, manufactured, distributed or sold

by Donald J. Trump, The Trump Organization or any of their respective affiliates or principals. 45Footwear, LLC uses the Trump name, image and likeness under a license agreement,” CNN reported.

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UK English test scandal: Foreign students launch legal action against Home Office IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

7-year ban on Indian restaurant owner for hiring illegal workers in UK IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

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group of international students, who were falsely accused of cheating in English language tests in the UK, have launched legal proceedings against the Home Office.

The students, many of them from countries like India and Pakistan, are now seeking compensation for unlawful detention false imprisonment, loss of earnings, and damage to their mental health, ITV News reported.

Bindmans, a law firm representing 23 students who have already won immigration appeals and had their visas returned, is now working to obtain a blanket compensation scheme for them.

Between October 2020 and March 2022, the firm issued 23 claims with only one case being settled so far.

The move comes 10 years after the Home Office abruptly terminated the visas of 35,000 international students, making their stay in the country illegal overnight.

US cop who ran Indian student Jaahnavi Kandula over not to face criminal charges IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

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he Seattle police officer who struck and killed Indian student Jaahnavi Kandula while responding to an overdose call, will not face any criminal charges due to lack of “sufficient” evidence, authorities said.

On Wednesday, the King County Prosecutor’s Office said they would not move forward with criminal charges against Seattle Police Officer Kevin Dave, FOX13 Seattle reported. In a statement released on Wednesday, the King County Prosecuting Attorney said, “Kandula’s death is heartbreaking and impacted communities in King County and across the world.”

Kandula, 23, was struck by a police vehicle driven by Officer Dave when she was crossing a street in Seattle on January 23. He was driving 74 mph (more than 119 kmh) on the way to a report of a drug overdose call. Kandula was thrown 100 feet when she was struck by the speeding police patrol vehicle.

In bodycam footage released by the Seattle Police Department, Officer Daniel Auderer laughed about the deadly crash and dismissed any implication Dave might be at fault or that a criminal investigation was necessary. King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion said that she believes they lack the evidence to prove a criminal case beyond a reasonable doubt, the report added.

he owner of an Indian restaurant and takeaway in the UK has been banned as a company director until 2031 for hiring three illegal workers from Bangladesh without conducting right-towork checks. Ikbal Hussain, 51, hired the workers, all in their forties, at the Taste of Raj on High Street, Hertfordshire, before the restaurant was raided by immigration enforcement officials in March 2020.

A resident of Enfield, Hussain was the sole director of the restaurant, trading under the company name of Tender Love Ltd, since June 2014.

The workers told investigators they had worked at the restaurant for between four days and up to two months. Hussain not only employed them without conducting right-to-work checks but also failed to keep the required documentation proving they were eligible to work in the UK, a

Home Office statement said on Tuesday.

Calling this a serious breach of legislation, Kevin Read, Chief Investigator at the Insolvency Service, said that

Hussain cannot be involved in the promotion, formation or management of a company in the UK as a result of the ban, which came into effect on February 16.

British-Indian jailed for life over murder committed 30 years ago IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

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51-year-old Indian-origin man, who murdered a mother of two children 30 years ago, has been sentenced to life after new DNA techniques used on a single hair left at the scene proved he was the killer.

Sandip Patel, who stabbed 39-year-old Marina Koppel more than 140 times in a flat in Westminster on August 8, 1994, was convicted of murder and sentenced at the Old Bailey court, the BBC reported on Friday.

Patel, who was a 21-year-old student at

the time of the murder, became a suspect in 2022 after investigators found a hair strand stuck in a ring worn by Koppel.

While sentencing Patel, Justice Cavanagh said “aggravating factors included the use of and attempted disposal of a knife, the gratuitous and sustained violence, the vulnerability of Koppel, and a lack of remorse”, the news outlet reported.

“The terror and pain that you inflicted on Koppel is difficult to imagine. You deprived [her] of many more years of life. No sentence that I pass can compensate the family of Mrs Koppel for their loss,” he added. The jury deliberated for more than three hours before finding Patel guilty.

British Indian artist’s vibrant ice-cream van in race for Trafalgar Square plinth “It is a story of resourcefulness and entrepreneurship, amid the struggle of adapting to a new life elsewhere. A journey that took him from Calcutta’s Dunlop factory, where his magic tricks earnt his transfer overseas, to Liverpool’s Dunlop factory,” it said.

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vibrant installation by a British Indian artist inspired by her father’s migration from India to the UK is on the shortlist for a public vote to choose the next sculpture to adorn the Fourth Plinth on Trafalgar Square here. Chila Kumari Burman’s ‘The Smile You Send Returns To You’ is among seven proposals unveiled by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan on Monday as the new set of choices for the plinth at the iconic landmark, which rotates between artworks reflective of and celebrating the multicultural UK capital.

for a childhood memory and a symbol of optimism.

At the centre of Burman’s sculpture is her father’s ice-cream van named The Rocket, which is a recurring motif in the award-winning artist’s work as a metaphor

“It tells of the artist’s own lived experience, and her father’s voyage on the HMS battery from India to the UK,” reads the description.

Liverpool-born and London-based Burman calls herself a “Punjabi Liverpudlian” and is celebrated for her radical feminist practice, which examines representation, gender and cultural identity.

She is joined on the shortlist by artists Gabriel Chaile, Ruth Ewan, Thomas J Price, Veronica Ryan, Tschabalala Self and Andra Ursuta who have all created maquettes of their proposed artworks which are on display at the National Gallery until March 17.

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he construction, inauguration, and restoration of its temples across the world is yet another testament to India building and deepening its ties with its 32 millionplus-strong diaspora and an estimated 1.2 billion Hindus across the world.

From US to UAE: As Hindus abroad grow, so do their places of worship address that the UAE has written a golden chapter and won the hearts of 140 Crore Indians and that “this temple will be a symbol of communal harmony and unity of the world.”

Much before the British arrived in India and years after they left, the continuous migration of Hindus -- as traders, indentured laborers, skilled workers, and highly qualified professionals -- has given rise to several temples in the countries they settled in. It is estimated that there are around two million Hindu temples across the world and some of the noted ones include the Angkor Wat in Cambodia, the Prambanan temple in Indonesia, Nepal’s Pashupatinath Temple, and Australia’s Shiva Vishnu Temple. In Thailand, the construction of Hindu temples started in the third and fourth centuries AD with the earliest images of Lord Vishu being found, and in Vietnam, the Cham people built several Hindu temples.

“There are temples not only in India and the Indian subcontinent but in many regions beyond,” External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had aptly said during his visit to Cambodia in 2022.

Asserting that “our civilization is not limited to India but is spread across countries”, Jaishankar, in a way, suggested why it is important for the country to build as well as ensure the revival and restoration of temples across the world.

According to Hindus, these places of worship are necessary to keep them and

The UAE has three other Hindu temples that are located in Dubai. The event came just weeks after he presided over the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. Before this, the BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham, the world’s largest Hindu temple constructed outside India, was inaugurated in the Robbinsville Township of New Jersey in October last year.

In 2019, Modi launched a multimillion-dollar renovation project for the 200-year-old Shrinathji Temple in Bahrain’s Manama. their coming generations rooted and connected to their culture, values, beliefs, and traditions.

“Far away from my home and family, these temples to me are a source of strength and support,” said Kajal Dhadwal, a mother of two, who has been living in Tanzania for more than 14 years. Living close to the Arusha city, she frequents the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir and the ISKON centre there.

As the number of Hindus across the world grow from strength to strength, so does their need for more places of worship. According to the External Affairs Ministry, the number of Indians who moved abroad for good was 2,25,620 in 2022 and 87,026 till June 2023.

Bolstering this Hindu spirit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Abu Dhabi’s first Hindu temple, the BAPS Mandir on February 14. He stated in his

The demand for temples in foreign lands grows as they not only provide a place of worship but exhibit rich Indian architecture, sculptures, and scripture carvings on walls that get global recognition for the community in that country.

As a soft power, countries realize that the construction of Hindu shrines will help strengthen their economy and tourism, in addition to boosting bilateral ties and better people-to-people contacts.

Over 2 mn Indian diaspora are reinforcing Canadian police arrest 2 teenagers for Indo-Canadian relations, says Jitendra Singh shooting incident outside home of close IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

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ore than 2 million Indian diaspora are reinforcing New Delhi-Ottawa relations and contributing to the development of both nations, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh said as he met a high-level delegation on Wednesday. Singh told Scott Moe, Premier of Saskatchewan province who was leading the delegation, that the presence of the Indian diaspora in the Canadian Parliament and the cabinet is a testimony of longstanding relations between the two countries. Acknowledging the positive contributions made by the Indian community, the minister said they act as a bridge between the two nations as Canada is one of the most favored destinations for Indian students for higher education.

Singh also mentioned PM Narendra Modi’s invitation to India’s diaspora to do research in India’s premier institutions and contribute to

its progress under the VAIBHAV fellowship program. Cooperation and collaboration in areas like Electric Vehicles, Cyber Physical System, Quantum Technologies, Future Manufacturing, Green Hydrogen Fuel, Deep Ocean Mining etc were also discussed, a Ministry of Science & technology release stated. He told the delegation that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, India established the ‘Anusandhan’ National Research Foundation.

The foundation prioritizes research in areas of technology and science to foster and revitalise the innovation ecosystem with around 60-70 per cent participation of the private sector. He also emphasized that the government is keen on opening arms to welcome non-governmental organizations to contribute to technology development and support them. The meeting comes as India is keen to develop research collaborations with Canadian R&D institutions and technology collaborations with Canadian industries.

aide of slain Khalistani separatist IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

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anadian police have arrested two teenagers for a shooting incident outside the home of a close aide of slain Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, an incident for which the separatist groups had blamed Indian agencies.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police on Tuesday confirmed that two teenagers had been arrested in connection with the February 1 shooting incident outside the house of Simranjit Singh, a close aide of Nijjar, in South Surrey.

In the statement, the RCMP also made it clear that investigators have not established any links to foreign interference in this case. “At the time of this incident, there was speculation circulating that this was connected to foreign interference. Investigators have not established any links to foreign interference in relation to this matter,” the statement said.

It said that on February 6, the Surrey RCMP Serious Crime Unit executed a search warrant on a residence and seized three firearms and multiple electronic devices during the search. On February 12, two 16-year-old youths were arrested and the British Columbia Prosecution Service approved charges of discharging a firearm into a place and possessing a loaded prohibited firearm.

“The youths are currently being held in custody awaiting their next court appearance,” the RCMP said. A spokesperson for the British Columbia Gurdwaras Council, Moninder Singh, said at the time that the home belonged to Simranjeet Singh, who was a friend of Nijjar whose killing in Surrey in June last led to a diplomatic row between India and Canada.

According to sources, the case turned out to be that of a family feud.

Khalistani leaders tried to mislead the Canadian security agencies to throw the investigation off the track. But the truth came to the fore when Surrey RCMP cracked the case by the arrest of two teenagers for the crime, sources said.

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Samyukta Kisan Morcha to hold tractor march on Feb 26, ‘mahapanchayat’ in Delhi on March 14 under Section 320 (of the IPC) against the Haryana CM and the Home Minister and the death of a protestor would be judicially probed,” he said.

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fter discussing the situation at the interstate borders between Punjab and Haryana where thousands of farmers have been camping for over a week, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella organization of the farmers’ organizations, on Thursday announced a series of protests, including a ‘mahapanchayat’ in Delhi on March 14.

Accompanying farmer leaders from across the country, Tikait said on February 26 a tractor march would be carried out across the country on one side of national highways. “One side of all the highways will be allowed for the commuters to use. We will ply tractors only on the one side.”

It demanded registration of a murder case against Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Home Minister Anil Vij over the death of a man during the farmers’ agitation a day earlier and a compensation of Rs 1 Crore for the deceased.

Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait told the media after the coordination committee meeting of the SKM said on Friday a ‘black day’ for

On March 14, a ‘mahapanchayat’ would be held in Delhi for the next course of action.

non-implementation of their demands, comprising the law guaranteeing the minimum support price (MSP) of crops,

would be observed across the country.

“We demand registration of a murder case

Navy launches probe India and Netherlands to enhance as videos of Chinese maritime security in Indian Ocean Region fishing vessels IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk ndia and Netherlands will work entering Indian together to enhance maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region waters near and they initiated an important high-level dialogue in this regard on Friday.

Karnataka go viral

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The MoD said that during the talks, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh suggested that Dutch Original Equipment Manufacturers could be encouraged to integrate Indian vendors into their supply chains. The MoD said that India has developed a vibrant innovation and

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Sources said that the incident was reported three days ago and the Indian Navy is looking into the matter. The intrusions by the Chinese fishing boats came to light after two videos went viral on social media in coastal districts raising concerns. One 43-second-long video shows a huge vessel bearing two Chinese flags and the marking ‘BVKY 5’ coursing through the Arabian Sea in Indian territorial waters during the day.

Shiv Sena MLA ‘admits’ to killing tiger, flaunting its tooth in necklace

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a bilateral meeting with Netherlands’ Defence Minister Kajsa Ollongren in New Delhi on Friday.

According to the Ministry of Defence (MoD) the two ministers discussed possibilities for expanding bilateral cooperation, particularly in maritime and industrial domains. They noted the increased interaction between the two navies and expressed keenness to work together to enhance maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region, the MoD official added.

he Indian Navy has launched a probe into reports of large fishing vessels bearing Chinese flags allegedly sneaking into the Indian territorial waters in the Arabian Sea near the Karnataka coastal region, sources stated on Friday.

Farmers leaders on Wednesday put the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march on hold for two days after a protester was killed and about 12 police personnel injured in clashes at Khanauri border, one of the two protest sites on the Punjab-Haryana border.

industrial eco-system.

Given the Indian and Dutch complementarities in skills, technology and scale, both sides were in agreement to encourage more interactions between the Defence industries, and in high-tech sectors of semi-conductors and clean energy.

Netherlands’ Defence Minister is attending the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi, the official added.

Russian skier killed, 4 others rescued in Gulmarg avalanche accident IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

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Russian skier was killed while 4 others, including a local guide, were rescued after an avalanche hit a group of skiers in Jammu and Kashmir’s Gulmarg ski resort on Thursday.

Officials said that a group, comprising 4 Russians and a local guide, had gone for skiing to Afarwat heights in Gulmarg ski resort when an avalanche hit them.

“One male Russian skier was killed

while 4 others including 3 Russians, including a woman, and a local ski guide were rescued,” an official said. Gulmarg and other higher reaches of Kashmir have received bountiful snowfall during the last 4 days. This has brightened up the prospect of skiing and other winter sports at Gulmarg ski resort.

The 4th Khelo India national snow sports event was inaugurated at Gulmarg

by J&K Lt Governor, Manoj Sinha on Wednesday.

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n MLA of Maharashtra’s ruling Shiv Sena MLA has “confessed” to reportedly hunting and killing a tiger nearly four decades ago, and now wears its tooth in a necklace. Buldhana MLA Sanjay Rambhau Gaikwad, belonging to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s ruling Shiv Sena, made the stunning claim during a Shivaji Jayantai function a couple of days ago. Videos of Gaikwad making the proud proclamation have gone viral on social media, eliciting both angry and shocked responses from users. In the video, Gaikwad is being casually queried about the tiger tooth necklace, along with other necklaces he is seen wearing, and he readily provides an explanation.

“This is the tooth of a tiger. I had hunted it in 1987 and then removed it (the tooth),” said Gaikwad, and then laughed. At one point, the lawmaker clarified that it was not a leopard tooth, but that of a tiger which he had ostensibly killed – though killing the tiger is banned in India since 1972. The eastern districts of Maharashtra have around 440 tigers in the wild as per the last tiger Census in 2023, spread around in the sanctuaries at Melghat, Pench, Tadoba, Sahyadri, Bor and Navegaon-Nagzira.

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From air connectivity to IMEC, PM Modi had ‘productive meeting’ with Greek counterpart, says official IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

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omprehensive discussions were held between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis, focusing on the importance of connectivity and regional and global issues of concern, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said on Wednesday. Greek PM Mitsotakis is currently on a two-day state visit to India and is joining the inaugural session of the Raisina Dialogue, India’s flagship conference on geo-politics and geo-economics, as the chief guest.

“This visit of the Greek Prime Minister and the comprehensive discussions, during the ongoing visit, have focused on enhancing and enriching all elements of strategic partnership. Both leaders also discussed the regional and global issues of common concern and also the ongoing developments in Europe,” Kwatra said addressing a special briefing on PM Modi’s visit.

Kwatra’s comments came as PM Modi mentioned in a post on X that he had a “productive meeting” with his Greek counterpart, covering key areas like technology, pharmaceuticals, skill development, space, and innovation.

“We also agreed to boost cooperation in areas like shipping, connectivity and defence,” PM Modi wrote. Kwatra said that the two leaders also focused on the importance of connectivity, both maritime connectivity and partnership through corridors -- particularly the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEC). In response to a query, he said the discussions on IMEC took place in the larger context of stronger connectivity between India and Greece and looked at all possible options that would stand in this connectivity.

I&B Minister Anurag Thakur launches 4 portals to modernize media landscape IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

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he Minister for Information and Broadcasting (I&B), Anurag Thakur, on Thursday launched four transformative portals, which have the potential to modernize the entire media landscape. The Press Sewa Portal will bring a paradigm shift in the registration of periodicals and newspapers.

The motive behind the transformative initiative is to facilitate a more conducive business environment for newspaper publishers and TV channels, enhance transparency and efficiency in government communication, and also enable easy access to authentic government videos.

Under the initiative, a comprehensive database of Local Cable Operators (LCOs) will also be created to streamline the regulatory processes in the cable television sector.

The I&B Minister, addressing the gathering after the launch, said, “India is viewed as an attractive destination for investment today, with global companies setting up businesses here.”

Recalling PM Narendra Modi’s emphasis

on governance and economic reforms, resulting in the country’s enhanced status in ease of doing business, he said that this has led to increased investment from both existing businesses and new entrepreneurs.

“The startup ecosystem, in particular, has flourished, with a significant increase in the

urges PM, EAM Assam Forest and Wildlife officials Owaisi to bring back Indians being trained on GPS for elephant ‘stranded’ in Russia population estimation IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

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IMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to take steps to bring back 12 Indians who were reportedly forced to fight in Ukrain alongside the Russian Army.

The Hyderabad MP said the Prime Minister and the External Affairs Minister should take up the issue with Russia and bring the youth safely to India as their families are worried over their safety. He claimed these unemployed youth who had gone to Russia to work as security personnel at buildings were cheated and taken to the war front.

“Given the strategic importance that Greece holds in terms of its location, and the manner in which it could partner with the IMEC corridor was discussed,” Kwatra told reporters. The two also discussed “air connectivity, in terms of the intent of both leaders to encourage the private sector to start direct, bilateral flights between India and Greece”.

“Both governments are making efforts to ensure that the private sector airlines in both countries should be encouraged to take advantage of the tourism-related and business-related potential between the two countries to start flights as soon as possible,” Kwatra said in response to a question.

The Foreign Secretary added that it will be a little difficult to say when these flights will start, as the decision will be taken by the private sector operators. This is the first bilateral head of state/governmentlevel visit from Greece to India after 15 years.

While the last Prime Ministerial visit from Greece to India took place in 2008, PM Modi visited Athens on August 25, 2023.

number of startups and unicorns,” Thakur said. The Press Sewa Portal, developed under the Press and Registration of Periodicals Act, 2023, is a monumental step towards complete automation of the process for newspaper registration and other related processes. This portal will simplify the cumbersome registration procedures.

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ssam’s Forest and Wildlife Department officials are being imparted GPS (Global Positioning System) training as part of the ongoing elephant estimation 2024 exercise, officials said on Thursday.

According to officials, the satellite navigation system is being used to pinpoint the ground position of a wild elephant.

Experts from Guwahati-based northeast India’s leading biodiversity conservation organization “Aaranyak” are imparted GPS training to Forest and Wildlife officials of Goalpara, Tinsukia and Dibru-Saikhowa National Park, and Kamrup and Chirang Forest Divisions.

Elephant population estimation has been underway since February 20

and it would continue till February 27. In addition to GPS training, GPS essential mobile app training has also been imparted which will be useful for field work. Moreover, a practical session was organised on “uploading block boundaries in GPS using basecamp software” for elephant estimation, the expert said.

Aaranyak’s Secretary General and CEO Dr Bibhab Kumar Talukdar said that the objective of the elephant estimation is to guide conservation efforts by assessing populations’ health, habitat requirements and formulating strategies for alleviating human-elephant conflicts.

According to the latest census in 2017, India is home to 27,312 elephants and of them, Assam is home to 5,719 elephants, the second largest pachyderm population in India after Karnataka (6,049).

Owaisi told mediapersons that they included two youth from Telangana, three from Karnataka, two from Kashmir and one each from Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh.

He said that after the family members of some of these youth met him, he wrote to Jaishankar and the Indian Ambassador in Russia.

Owaisi said three agents cheated the unemployed youth by sending them to Russia to fight against Ukraine. Faisal Khan, one of the agents, is in Dubai while Sufiyan and Puja are from Mumbai.

Ramesh and Moin are Indian agents in Russia, Owaisi claimed.

The AIMIM MP said the youth sent a video showing how they were pushed on the war front and were fired upon. They also claimed that one of them was killed in the attack, Owaisi said.

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15 killed as mine collapses in Venezuela IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

Verdict on Assange US extradition appeal to be announced at later date IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

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ifteen people were killed and 11 others injured after a mine collapsed in La Paragua in Venezuela’s Bolivar state.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said search and rescue teams are on the spot to find trapped miners, Xinhua news agency reported.

Nicolas Maduro said: “We immediately dispatched all the civil defence teams, together with the governor of Bolivar state Angel Marcano, we would strengthen the rescue phase.”

According to preliminary investigations, the mine collapsed after some drilling.

he UK High Court on Wednesday concluded its two-day hearing on WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s appeal against his extradition to the US on espionage charges, but the judges said they would give their decision at a later date.

Assange, 52, is wanted in the US on allegations of disclosing national defence information following WikiLeaks’s publication of hundreds of thousands of leaked military documents relating to the Afghanistan and Iraq wars a decade ago, which included an Apache helicopter video footage documenting the US military gunning down Reuters journalists and children in Baghdad’s streets in 2007.

be given.

Assange has been held at southeast London’s high-security Belmarsh Prison since 2019, Xinhua news agency reported.

Lawyers for the US said earlier that he would be allowed to transfer to Australia, his home country, to serve any prison sentence he may

If the two judges at the UK High Court rule in Assange’s favor, a full appeal hearing will be scheduled to consider his challenge and could lead to a new decision about his extradition.

If he loses the case, Assange could be

extradited within weeks unless his legal team can get an emergency injunction at the European Court of Human Rights in time.

Hundreds of supporters of Assange gathered outside the High Court in central London on Wednesday despite rain, holding signs that read “Free Julian Assange” and chanting “Free Julian!” and “No extradition!”.

Five killed as cargo ship rams into bridge in China

Argentine rail workers strike paralyses transit IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

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ive people were killed after a cargo ship rammed into a bridge, leading to collapse of a portion of the structure on Thursday morning in China’s Guangdong province.

The victims included driver of a bus without passengers, a motorbike rider and three people who were in vehicles that fell into the river under the bridge, Xinhua news agency reported.

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ailway workers in Argentina went on a 24-hour nationwide strike, demanding better wages as the government announced it might fine those “responsible” for organising the work stoppage, according to authorities.

“More than a million people have been affected in their means of getting to work, medical consultations and recreational activities due to the train strike we are experiencing,” Presidential Spokesperson Manuel Adorni said on Wednesday. “The pertinent measures are being evaluated so that this does not remain without consequences,” he added.

The cessation of rail service brought the capital Buenos Aires to a near standstill, overwhelming subway and bus lines, with long lines of commuters waiting at transit hubs throughout the city, Xinhua news agency reported. The general secretary of the Railway Conductors Union, Omar Maturano, said workers were calling for “a recomposition” in wages given Argentina’s high inflation rate.

Railway union leaders met on Wednesday with authorities to discuss wage increases, but with no consensus in sight, and they agreed to suspend talks until Tuesday.

The accident occurred early morning when the container ship hit the pier of the Lixinsha Bridge in Nansha District.

Five vehicles, including a motorbike, were involved in the accident. Two of the vehicles plunged into the river while the

others fell onto the vessel, a preliminary investigation has found.

Three other people suffered injuries and were sent to hospital for treatment. Two of them fell from the bridge and sustained bone fractures and soft tissue contusions, and they are in stable condition, according to the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yatsen University.

Houthis launch attacks on Israeli city, British cargo ship, US warship: Spokesman IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

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emen’s Houthi group has said it had launched attacks on an Israeli city, a British cargo ship, and a US warship, in what it called a response to the “American-British aggression” against Yemen and its support of the Palestinians in Gaza.

The Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea on Thursday said in a statement broadcast by the group’s al-Masirah TV that the first attack targeted the Israeli city of Eilat with ballistic missiles and drones, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Israeli army said it had intercepted

a missile from the Red Sea heading for Eilat on Thursday morning, while Israeli media cited Israeli officials as saying the missile was “apparently” from the Houthis.

The second attack hit a British-owned cargo ship, MV Islander, in the Gulf of Aden with naval missiles, causing a fire on board, Sarea said. He said the third attack targeted a US Navy destroyer in the Red Sea with drones.

The US Central Command confirmed on social media platform X that it

had shot down six Houthi drones in the Red Sea, which were likely targeting US and coalition warships and posing “immediate threats.” It also said the Houthis had fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles from southern Yemen into the Gulf of Aden, hitting the MV Islander and causing one minor injury and damage.

Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi vowed in a televised speech to launch more attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

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Friday, 23 February, 2024

Iran says Israel behind gas pipeline blasts

More than 6,400 trainee doctors submit resignations in South Korea IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

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ore than 6,400 trainee doctors have submitted their resignations to protest the South Korean government’s plan of boosting the number of medical students, leading to delays in surgeries and medical treatment, officials said on Tuesday.

IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

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ran’s Oil Minister Javad Owji has said that the blasts that hit the country’s gas transfer pipelines a week ago were an “Israeli conspiracy”. On the sidelines of a cabinet meeting in the Iranian capital Tehran, Owji on Wednesday pointed to the blasts that occurred on February 14 at two points along the national natural gas transfer network in the provinces of Fars, and Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, according to the Shana News Agency affiliated with the Iranian Oil Ministry.

After the blasts, the damaged gas pipelines, which were mostly located in the mountainous and hard-to-reach areas, were soon repaired and were able to resume operations, the Iranian Minister said, adding the blasts failed to disrupt gas supplies to any part of the country, Xinhua news agency reported.

Tensions brewed between doctors and the government over the latter’s plan to add 2,000 to the country’s medical school enrollment quota next year. Till Monday, 6,415 trainee doctors at 100 hospitals submitted their resignations, with about 1,600 of them walking off the job. As per the health authorities, the number of

doctors in South Korea relative to the size of the population is among the lowest in the developed world. However, the doctors claimed that the government has

Israel to send delegation for Gaza truce talks in Paris

not had full consultations on the matter and that the move will compromise the quality of medical education and services.

Calls grow in Nepal for restoration of Hindu state IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

72 killed in Lassa fever outbreak in Nigeria IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

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t least 72 fatal cases of Lassa fever have been reported in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, since the beginning of this year, public health authorities said on Thursday.

The 72 deaths were among a total of 411 cases confirmed so far from the outbreak of the viral hemorrhagic fever recorded across 21 states since January, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the latest report of the Nigeria Center for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC).

Lassa fever is a disease spread to humans through food or household items contaminated with rodent urine or feces. It is reportedly transmitted when saliva, urine, and excreta of rats come into contact with humans. In 2023, at least 219 deaths were recorded from 1,227 confirmed cases of Lassa fever, according to the NCDC.

IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

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he US has asked Pakistan to respect freedom of expression and restore access to X and other social media platforms. On disruptions on social media in Pakistan, US state department spokesperson Matthew Miller, in a media briefing, said: “So we are concerned by any report of restrictions on the exercise of the freedom of expression and association in Pakistan, including the partial or complete government-imposed internet shutdowns, which includes, of course, on social media platforms.

“We continue to call on Pakistan to respect freedom of expression and restore access to any social media that has been

IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

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srael’s war cabinet decided on Thursday night to send a delegation for Gaza ceasefire talks in Paris on Friday, as international negotiators renew efforts to secure a deal between Israel and Hamas.

A government official confirmed to Xinhua news agency that the head of the Mossad intelligence agency, David Barnea, will lead the Israeli delegation. The talks will be attended

by Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani and Director of US Central Intelligence Agency William Burns.

The White House’s Middle East coordinator, Brett McGurk, was in Israel on Thursday for talks with senior officials to negotiate the

release of hostages held in Gaza and to secure a pause in the fighting. McGurk’s visit comes amid heightened efforts to broker a ceasefire agreement, as Israel’s declared intention to launch an incursion into the densely populated city of Rafah raised global concern and more than four months of heavy Israeli bombardments in the Gaza Strip had killed 29,410 Palestinians and wounded 69,465 others as of Thursday.

After meeting McGurk, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is “preparing the continuation of intense ground operations”.

Gallant’s office said in a statement that their meeting focused on efforts to free the remaining 134 hostages still held in Gaza, at least 30 of whom are believed to be dead.

US asks Pakistan to respect freedom of expression, end social media curbs restricted, including Twitter, I think now known as X,” the spokesperson added.

On irregularities in election process in Pakistan, Matthew Miller said the US wants full investigation into the matter.

Mobile internet was suspended on February 8, the polling day after which the country’s caretaker government had said that the step was taken as a security measure. As per NetBlocks, a global internet monitor, X services have been restricted in the country since February 17, Geo news reported.

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epal is witnessing a growing call for the restoration of the Hindu state. The erstwhile Hindu state, adopted federal, secular, and democratic identity in 2008.

The changes took place after the CPN (Maoist) decided to join the political mainstream after shunning the decadelong “people’s war” in 2006 that killed over 13,000 people.

Leaders of major political parties are calling for the restoration of the Hindu state in Nepal by establishing the ‘Vaidik Sanatan Hindu State’. The calls for the restoration of the Hindu state are also gaining strength inside the Nepali Congress, the grand old party of Nepali politics which is also the largest party in all three tiers of the government -- local, federal, and provinces.

As many as 950 general committee members of the party during the recent 14th ‘Mahasamiti’ meeting in Kathmandu have signed a petition calling for the restoration of the Hindu state in Nepal.

Over 2,200 Nepali Congress delegates have attended the Mahasamiti meeting which is considered as the highest-level policymaking body of the party.

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Business www.indoustribune.com

Friday, 23 February, 2024

US grants $1.5 bn to Global Foundries to boost domestic chip production, create jobs IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

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n a bid to push chip manufacturing, US Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday announced to grant $1.5 billion to semiconductor company GlobalFoundries to expand domestic production, strengthen US supply chains, and create “thousands of good paying jobs right here in America”.

In a White House statement, the Joe Biden administration announced that GlobalFoundries has been awarded funding via the $52 billion CHIPS and Science Act. “Semiconductors are the brain of modern technology. While they are no larger than a fingernail and no thicker than a piece of paper, they are essential to every electronic device that we currently use – from computers and televisions to cars and washing machines,” said Harris.

The preliminary agreement with

YouTube brings new channel pages for creators on its TV app IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

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oogle-owned YouTube has unveiled a new look for creators’ channels on its TV app, with the goal of improving the user experience and making content more accessible on the big screen.

New features include a more modern layout, improved action buttons, and the ability to play a mix of video content. YouTube said in its video announcing changes to creators’ pages that the update focuses on offering a more immersive layout and easier access to Subscribe.

The new design comes after the company revealed new data indicating that top creators who receive the majority of their watch time on TVs had grown more than 400 per cent in the past three years.

development and manufacturing of vehicles and smartphones, and are used for satellite and space communications that are essential to our national defense and national security,” Harris added.

GlobalFoundries will allow them to create a new state-of-the-art semiconductor production facility in Malta, New York, and will allow

the company to expand existing operations in both New York and Vermont. “The chips made by GlobalFoundries are critical for the

Wage negotiations at Samsung break down, union plans strike IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

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etail giant Walmart on Tuesday said it is acquiring US-based TV maker Vizio in a deal valued at nearly $2.3 billion, in a bid to boost its ad business.

The acquisition of Vizio and its SmartCast Operating System (OS) would enable Walmart to serve its customers in new ways, including innovative television and in-home entertainment and media experiences.

The tech giant’s management and the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) held the sixth round of talks over this year’s wage increase earlier in the day, but the negotiations broke down as the two sides failed to narrow down their differences, according to the sources, reports Yonhap news agency.

After the claim is filed at the state commission, it will step in to mediate for a period of 10 days.

If the two sides fail to reach an agreement

Walmart acquires US TV maker Vizio for nearly $2.3 bn to boost ad biz IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

age negotiations between management and a labour union at Samsung Electronics broke down, industry sources said on Tuesday, leading the union to start the process to go on strike.

The management has suggested a 2.5 per cent pay raise, but the NSEU has come up with an 8.1 per cent increase. The NSEU said it plans to bring the dispute to the National Labor Relations Commission for arbitration later in the day.

The investment is likely to create more than 10,000 good jobs over the next decade, including many union construction jobs that pay fair wages and offer benefits like child care services.

even after the 10 day-mediation, the union is given the legal authority to initiate a strike.

The NSEU is the biggest single labor union at Samsung Electronics with some 17,000 members. Samsung Electronics has not had a strike since its founding in 1969.

Vizio has more than 500 direct advertiser partnerships which “now accounts for a majority of the company’s gross profit.” Vizio’s smart TV OS called SmartCast is also used by more than 18 million active accounts. The transaction is subject to regulatory clearance and other closing conditions specified in the merger agreement, said Walmart. With fiscal year 2024 revenue of $648 billion, Walmart employs approximately 2.1 million associates worldwide.

BCAS directs seven airlines to deliver baggage within 30 minutes IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

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he Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) in India has directed seven airlines to ensure that delivery of last baggage is made within 30 minutes as per the Service Quality Requirements of Operation, Management and Delivery Agreement (OMDA). The BCAS has directed the airlines to implement the required measures within 10 days by February 26.

According to officials, on Friday, BCAS wrote letters to seven airlines including

Air India, Indigo, Akasa, SpiceJet, Vistara, Air India Express Connect and Air India Express to implement the required measures to ensure that delivery of the last baggage is made within 30 minutes as per the Service Quality Requirements of OMDA. BCAS started the continuous exercise of monitoring the time of arrival of baggage at belts of six major airports in January.

“Since the beginning of the review exercise, performance of all airlines is being monitored on a weekly basis and have improved but but are not as per the mandates,” said the official.

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Friday, 23 February, 2024

Bitcoin market cap scales $1 trillion

China makes biggest-ever cut to mortgage rate to boost housing market IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

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hina’s central bank has cut its key mortgage reference rate by a record amount, as it ramps up efforts to stem a prolonged property crisis, a media report said. The People’s Bank of China (PBoC) announced on Tuesday that it would cut its five-year loan prime rate (LPR) from 4.2 percent to 3.95 percent, while keeping the one-year LPR unchanged at 3.45 percent, CNN reported.

The 25 basis point cut to the five-year LPR is the biggest reduction the central bank has made since it revamped its LPR system in 2019. LPR is the rate at which commercial banks lend to their best customers. The five-year rate usually serves as a reference for mortgages.

IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

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he value of the world’s most popular cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, has more than tripled to $52,000 since November 2022. The year 2022 was marked by the high-profile implosion of crypto exchange FTX, which triggered liquidity crises at several smaller crypto firms, CNN reported.

Following bitcoin’s gains in 2023, investors have returned in droves in recent weeks, pushing the asset’s market capitalization above $1 trillion for the first time since its 2021 heyday, based on data from CoinMarketCap, the report said.

In contrast to traditional currencies, the supply of Bitcoin is limited and is expected to peak in 2140, according to the pricetracking website for cryptocurrencies.

Money flows into Bitcoin have been boosted by the recent launch of exchangetraded funds that invest directly in the cryptocurrency and which have made it easier for retail investors to put money into the asset. The value of bitcoin has risen nearly 13 per cent since January 10, when US regulators gave the green light to investment firms wishing to offer such funds, CNN reported.

“On its own, it will not revive new home sales. But coupled with efforts to provide increased credit support to the developers, today’s cut should help to reduce pressure on the property sector somewhat,” they said,

as per the report. China’s economy has been hobbled by a real-estate downturn since 2021, when a government crackdown on developers’ borrowing triggered a liquidity crisis in the sector.

The property market has since entered a

prolonged slump, marked by an ongoing decline in both investment and sales of property. Dozens of major developers have defaulted on their debt, with Evergrande, once the country’s second largest homebuilder, ordered to liquidate last month, CNN reported.

In a first, India’s APEDA plans trial run of mango, pomegranate exports by sea to USA & Europe IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

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gricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) in India is planning to send trial shipments of mangoes and pomegranates to the USA and the European Union by sea with the aim of bringing down the transport cost of exporting fresh fruits, the Commerce and Industry Ministry said on Tuesday.

“The move is being undertaken as a significant breakthrough has already been achieved with bananas being successfully shipped by sea to the Netherlands in November and to Russia

in January,” the ministry said.

The ministry said that APEDA in collaboration with the Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture (CISH) has embarked on a proactive initiative to develop sea protocols tailored for the export of fresh produce to long-distance markets.

Google to pause Gemini AI model’s image generation of people due to inaccuracies IndoUS Tribune Newsdesk

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oogle is pausing its AI tool that creates images of people following inaccuracies in some historical depictions generated by the model, the latest hiccup in the Alphabet-owned (GOOGL.O) company’s efforts to catch up with rivals OpenAI and Microsoft.

Google started offering image generation through its Gemini AI models earlier this month, but over the past few days some users on social media had flagged that the model returns historical images which are sometimes inaccurate.

“We’re aware that Gemini is offering inaccuracies in some historical image generation depictions,” Google had said on Wednesday.

Since the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in November 2022, Google has been racing to produce AI software rivaling what the Microsoft-backed company had introduced.

When Google released its generative AI chatbot Bard a year ago, the company had shared inaccurate information about pictures of a planet outside the Earth’s solar system in a promotional video, causing shares to slide as much as 9%.

Bard was rechristened as Gemini earlier this month and Google rolled out paid subscription plans, which users could choose for better reasoning capabilities from the AI model.

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Friday, 23 February, 2024

Swiatek sweeps past Stephens in Dubai opener

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orld No.1 Iga Swiatek got off to a winning start at the Dubai Tennis Championships with a 6-4, 6-4 second-round win over American Sloane Stephens.

Swiatek serve to record a double break with some aggressive tennis. The pair proceeded to trade breaks in games six through eight.

But Swiatek started to show why she is the world’s top-ranked player, holding serve and taking out Stephens’ serve for a fourth time to seal the first set.

After Swiatek recorded four wins to capture the Qatar Open title last week, the Pole needed nearly 2 hours to extend her unbeaten run in the Middle East this year to five in her return to Dubai after a runner-up finish to Barbora Krejcikova in 2023.

With both players seemingly trying to work each other out, the second set got off to a cagey start. Swiatek held serve to take the opening game. Yet Stephens refused to be outgunned by a player ranked 40 places above her in the opening exchanges and held firm to take the set to 4-4. After holding serve in game nine, the 2023 Dubai finalist Swiatek turned up the power in Stephens’ next service game to take a 6-4, 6-4 victory and move into the last 16. Swiatek will next face two-time former Dubai champion and No.15 seed Elina Svitolina for a spot in the quarterfinals.

Swiatek didn’t have it all her own way against Stephens, who secured an early break of serve to take a 2-1 lead. An unforced error on break point on her own serve in the very next game restored parity but the experienced American atoned for her mistake straight away, taking on the

Pakistan beat India by 5 wickets in Friendship Cricket Series for the Blind in UAE

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kipper Badar Munir smashed a blistering century as Pakistan men’s blind cricket team defeated India by five wickets in the first T20 of the Friendship Cricket Series for the Blind in Dubai on Thursday.

India scored 212/6 in 20 overs thanks to a gutsy knock by D. Venkateswara Rao (49) and skipper T. Durga Rao (61). However, Pakistan chased down the target with four balls to spare.

With this win, Pakistan has taken a 1 -0 lead in the three-match series.

The Friendship Cricket Series for the Blind was to be played with Pakistan and Sri Lanka as a part of a Tri-Series.

Alcaraz confident of defending Indian German World Cupwinning defender Andreas Wells title despite ankle injury Brehme dies aged 63

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arlos Alcaraz expects to be fit to defend his title at the Paribas Open in Indian Wells next month as the Spaniard shared an injury update on his social media.

“I just had an MRI on my ankle after yesterday’s injury. After the meeting with my doctor @drlopezmartinez and my physiotherapists @juanjo_moreno_m and @sergiokine the diagnosis is a grade II lateral sprain. I have a sprain that will keep me out for a few days!

See you in Las Vegas and Indian Wells!” the former World No. 1 in the wrote in his social media post.

Alcaraz rolled his right ankle just two points into his Rio de Janeiro opener against

Thiago Monteiro Tuesday night and retired after two games. The Spaniard planted his right foot to halt his momentum, but his right ankle rolled badly and he fell to the ground on his backside, according to the tournament website. With Monteiro’s help, Alcaraz made his way back to his bench and had his ankle heavily strapped by ATP physio Alejandro Resnicoff. He returned to the court and broke the Brazilian to take a 1-0 lead. But his movement was compromised and he retired after dropping serve in the next game.

With Alcaraz defending 1000 points as the reigning champion in Indian Wells, he will face a challenge from Jannik Sinner for the World No. 2 ranking.

Haynes, Copeland announced general manager of Sixers and Thunder Cricket New South Wales has announced the appointment of Rachael Haynes, former vicecaptain of the national team, as the general manager for the Sydney Sixers, while retired fast bowler Trent Copeland assumes the same position for the Sydney Thunder. The decision comes on the heels of a comprehensive review of the recent WBBL and BBL seasons, with Cricket NSW seeking fresh perspectives to propel the teams to new heights.

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ndreas Brehme, who scored the winner in the final of the 1990 World Cup against Argentina to help West Germany win the title, passed away on Tuesday, aged 63.

Brehme “died suddenly” from cardiac arrest on Monday night, his partner Susanne Schaefer told German news agency DPA. The former German defender was a key member of Lothar Matthäus’ team and scored the winner off a penalty in the final against Diego Maradona’s Argentina in Rome as Germany won their second title.

A versatile left-back, Brehme earned 86 caps for Germany, scoring eight goals. He also won the domestic league titles while playing for Kaiserslautern, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan. But scoring the winner in the final of the 1990 World Cup was his crowning glory.

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Friday, 23 February, 2024

Premier League: Crystal Palace appoint Oliver Glasner as new manager

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rystal Palace have announced appointment of Oliver Glasner their manager a few hours after Roy Hodgson stepped down from his post as first-team manager. Glasner has signed a deal to become the Eagles’ boss until the end of the 2025/2026 season.

Most recently, Glasner managed Eintracht Frankfurt to historic success winning the 2021/22 UEFA Europa League, the club’s first continental trophy in more than 40 years. This was achieved in Glasner’s first season in charge of Die Adler (‘the Eagles’).

The 49-year-old previously managed Austrian teams SV Ried, where he made more than 550 appearances and won two cups as a player; as well as LASK, whom he guided from the second tier to European qualification in just three seasons, before earning a place in the Champions League qualifiers in his fourth.

Anush Agarwalla gets first-ever Paris Olympics quota in Dressage for India

Champions League: Galeno’s late stunner gives Porto dramatic win over Arsenal

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rsenal’s return to the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League did not go to plan after a strike from Galeno in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time gave Porto a 1-0 win in the first leg of their last16 tie. Galeno scored a brilliant goal on Wednesday night to give the Portuguese team the advantage ahead of the second leg at Emirates Stadium. Arsenal struggled to create chances like they have in recent matches as they failed to register a shot on target for the first time this season.

Arsenal’s potent front line was kept quiet by some disciplined Porto defending, and the Gunners failed to carve out an opening until centre-back William Saliba headed wide from Bukayo Saka’s corner in the 35th minute.

That was swiftly followed by the evening’s most dramatic moment, however, as

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The young rider hoped that he would be able to retain the quota. “I will continue doing what I have always been doing: staying focused, being disciplined, working hard, setting goals and achieving them. I am confident that I will be selected to represent India at this prestigious stage,” Agarwalla said.

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apan’s star Hideki Matsuyama secured an historic three-stroke victory at The Genesis Invitational to become the leading Asian golfer with the most PGA TOUR titles with an unprecedented nine career wins.

The 31-year-old started the final round six shots off the lead but put together one of the greatest rounds at the iconic Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles with a sensational 9-under 62 to win comfortably from Will Zalatoris (69) and Luke List (68). Overnight leader Patrick Cantlay finished tied fourth after a 72.

The first real clear-cut chance of the night fell to the hosts, with Galeno thundering a shot onto the post and then putting the rebound narrowly wide with 21 minutes gone.

The second half continued in a similar vein, with Porto frustrating the Arsenal attack despite the Gunners pressing higher up the pitch. Their clearest sight of goal came when defender Gabriel headed a Declan Rice free-kick over the bar as full time approached.

nush Agarwalla, who won a historic gold in Team Dressage at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, has secured a quota place for the country in dressage discipline for Paris Olympics, the Equestrian Federation of India (EFI) informed on Monday. Agarwalla, who also won an individual bronze in Hangzhou Asian Games in September 2023, was allotted the quota based on his performance in four FEI events -- Wroclaw, Poland (73.485%) Kronenberg, Netherlands (74.4%), Frankfurt, Germany (72.9%), and Mechelen, Belgium (74.2%). The quota belongs to the country, and the National Federation will conduct a final trial before sending the final name to the organizers.

Matsuyama takes historic ninth PGA TOUR victory at Genesis, Theegala 37th

Galeno made amends for his earlier miss by bending in a superb long-range, rightfooted effort to send the home fans wild.

In the end, Arsenal were unable to muster a single shot on target during the entire match. The result leaves the tie beautifully poised for what should be a fascinating second leg in London in just under three weeks’ time.

The win was worth $4 million from the $20 million purse and moves him to No. 20 in the world with the entire major season ahead of him. Matsuyama now has 18 wins worldwide, eight on the Japan Golf Tour and the unofficial Hero World Challenge, also hosted by Tiger Woods.

Indian-American Sahith Theegala (7269-70-71) at 2-under had an average week in T-37th place, while World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (66) was T-10 and Rory McIlroy (70) was T-24. Earlier tournament host Tiger Woods withdrew from the event in the second round due to illness.

8-year-old Ashwath becomes youngest chess player to beat grandmaster

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n eight-year-old became the youngest player to defeat a grandmaster in classical chess on Sunday when Ashwath Kaushik beat Poland’s Jacek Stopa at the Burgdorfer Stadthaus Open in Switzerland. The previous record was set last month by then eight-year-old Leonid Ivanovic, who became the first player under the age of nine to beat a grandmaster in a classical game, but Ashwath was five months younger than the Serbian when he beat Stopa, according to Chess.com.

“It felt really exciting and amazing, and I felt proud of my game and how I played, especially since I was worse at one point but managed to come back from that,” Ashwath told Chess.com.

The Indian-born kid who lives in Singapore, learned to play the game at the age of four and became a World Under-Eight

Rapid Champion in 2022, the website said. Ashwath finished the tournament in 12th place after losing to International

Master Harry Grieve. He is currently ranked as world No. 37,338 on FIDE.

Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli named in ‘Incredible 16 of IPL’

Ex-India cricketer Lalchand Rajput appointed UAE head coach

In anticipation of the IPL 2024, cricket enthusiasts were treated to a thrilling revelation as Star Sports on Tuesday unveiled the “Incredible 16 of the IPL.” This selection process aimed to assemble the greatest IPL team of all time, featuring 11 players, four impact substitutes, and a coach. Icons such as Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni, AB de Villiers, Ravindra Jadeja, and Jasprit Bumrah received unanimous recognition for their contributions to the IPL.

Former Indian cricketer Lalchand Rajput has been appointed the new head coach of UAE men’s team for a three-year period. Rajput, who played two Tests and four ODIs for India from 1985 to 1987, will be taking over from interim head coach Mudassar Nazar. Rajput, 62, was the manager of the MS Dhoni-captained Indian team winning the inaugural men’s T20 World Cup in 2007 in South Africa.

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Friday, 23 February, 2024

Priyanka Chopra gives sneak peek into MM’s ‘first hike’

Tiffany Haddish defends trip to Israel after backlash, says she ‘cares about both sides’

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ctress-comedian Tiffany Haddish has defended her travel to Israel amid ongoing conflict in Gaza after landing in hot water. She called going to the Middle East country an “educational trip” amid the war. Haddish joined ‘TMZ Live’ after she arrived in Israel. “I can’t believe everything that I read,” she said.

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lobal star Priyanka Chopra Jonas on Thursday shared the glimpses of her little bundle of joy Malti Marie’s (MM) first hike, sharing how she touched everything, jumped in puddles, calling the little angel as her ‘magic dust’.

Taking to Instagram, where Priyanka enjoys 90.6 million followers, she shared a series of photos, and videos. The photos show her enjoying the hike as she plays in the mud. Nick Jonas dropped a red heart eyes emoji in the comment section.

Priyanka got married to American singer and actor, Nick Jonas in December 2018. In January 2022, the couple had their first child, a girl, Malti Marie, via surrogacy. Meanwhile, on the work front, Priyanka was last featured in ‘Love Again’.

She has ‘Heads of State’ next in her kitty.

Ali Fazal joins the cast of Sunny Deol-starrer ‘Lahore 1947’

“I need to go see for myself. I want to talk to the actual people here, the people that actually experienced the situation that happened on the 7th,” she said, reports aceshowbiz.com.

The actress-comedian added: “The people that actually have family members that are hostages that were taken out of their own homes, that were on their way to work driving from Palestine to Israel, working here on a daily basis, and how they were taken as well.

“I wanted to talk to the people. I wanted to be with the people. I wanted to see with my own eyes, hear with my own ears.”

the actress said: “Yes, I’m going over there too.

I’m a firm believer in: ‘Go see with your own eyes before you pass judgment.’ Go over there cautiously, be cautious, but go see for yourself.”

She insisted: “I care about both sides. I care about humanity. Human beings.”

in 2018 when they were asking me about Mo’Nique and her husband, I said I don’t do my business like she does her business. Because I don’t have a husband. I don’t have what she has. I’m all alone! That’s what I’m trying to tell you guys. I’m doing this all by myself.”

“I learned that people were taken out of their homes. I learned that people were taken away from the actual event that was happening.

All those people that were killed, there was a lot of people killed, but a lot of people were kidnapped from that event. I didn’t know that before. I learned that there were 100 people that have been freed from being hostages in Gaza, but there are still 100 plus people that are over there.”

“I know there’s a lot of religious stuff going on, a lot of control of the land, ‘No Jews here, no this there’ whatever... that’s neither here nor there with me. It’s about human life, human beings. Human beings, man! That’s what I care about. That’s why I’m here.”

She added: “I don’t have a whole family full of men, or a man supporting me. I’m doing it on my own. I’m learning on my own. For people to say... I have to make light of something that the average female wouldn’t do.”

Talking about Israel’s counter attack in Gaza,

“I’m here all by myself. Just like I was saying

Haddish said that she “learned a lot” from the region.

She also replied to criticism that she shouldn’t have joked about finding a man in Israel given the seriousness of the situation.

“The average female wouldn’t have the courage to go see for themselves. There’s a lot of scary … out here, and y’all can be scared, but I’m going to go ahead and follow my instincts, and learn as much as I can learn. Educate myself before I go speaking on subject matters.”

Puneet Issar to take Broadway-style musical ‘Jai Shri Ram – Ramayan’ to US, Canada

A

ctor Ali Fazal, who is known for his work in ‘Mirzapur’, the ‘Fukrey’ franchise and ‘Khufiya’, among others, has joined the cast of the upcoming film ‘Lahore 1947’.

The film directed by Rajkumar Santoshi also stars Sunny Deol, who is basking in the success of ‘Gadar 2’, Abhimanyu Singh and Preity Zinta.

Ali Fazal is one of the most promising talents in Indian cinema who has also worked in international productions.

The actor has become a favorite of memers owing to his performance as Guddu Bhaiya in the streaming show ‘Mirzapur’ seasons 1 and 2. He also surprised all with his special appearance as Zafar Bhai in ‘Fukrey 3’.

Aamir Khan will take over the charge as producer under Aamir Khan Productions, while Rajkumar Santoshi will helm the project together.

A

ctor Puneet Issar, who is known for essaying the role of Duryodhana in B. R. Chopra’s television series ‘Mahabharat’, is set to tell the Indian epic tale of ‘Ramayana’ in a Broadwaystyle musical.

The show titled ‘Jai Shri Ram – Ramayan’, will be premiered in the US and Canada after successful exhibition across India. The show, created, written, produced, and directed by Puneet Issar & Siddhant Issar, offers a captivating rendition of the epic and presents its highlights in a poetic format.

through this unforgettable epic narrative. This is not only an ancient Indian epic, the production also portrays human relationships, and values of humanity, steering clear of religious themes.”

Talking about the musical show, Puneet Issar shared: “I am thrilled to premiere this grandeur, offering audiences in the US and Canada a glimpse of Indian artistry and talent

He further mentioned, “This show is a must for today’s generation and I can’t wait to spread joy and entertainment through our performances. I am looking forward to forging

new memories for sure.” The Broadway-style spectacle stars Puneet Issar as Raavan, Vindu Dara Singh as Hanuman, Shilpa Raizada as Sita, and Siddhant Issar as Ram. The theatrical production will grace the stage across multiple venues in the US and Canada, including cities Dallas, California Bay Area, Los Angeles, New Jersey, Chicago, Houston, Toronto, Vancouver, Raleigh, North Carolina, Boston from midApril to May.

19

Entertainment

www.indoustribune.com

Friday, 23 February, 2024

Alia Bhatt wraps up ‘Jigra’ with Vedang Raina

Maisie Williams had identity crisis after ‘Game Of Thrones’

Ameen Sayani, the voice of radio’s golden era, passes away at age 91

T

he upcoming Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina-starrer film ‘Jigra’ wrapped up its shoot on Thursday evening.

Alia took to her Instagram and shared the update with her 83 million followers by sharing an array of pictures with her co-actor Vedang Raina. The film has been directed by Vasan Bala, who is known for films like ‘Monica O My Darling’ and ‘Peddlers’.

Alia has worked in the film in dual capacity, as ‘Jigra’ is produced by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions and Alia’s own production house Eternal Sunshine. The film is set to release on September 27, 2024.

Sam Mendes to helm films on each of the Beatles: Paul, John, George, Ringo

A

A

ctress Maisie Williams, who shot to stardom at 12 with her role as Arya Stark in ‘Game Of Thrones’, said that being part of such a popular fantasy show gave her an identity crisis as she was growing up in the spotlight.

“I was so lost for so long and I knew that I was, and when I couldn’t pin down what I felt my identity was within that, it brought me a lot of discomfort. Now I feel a lot more comfortable in my own skin. It’s hard to even put myself back there and talk about how tough it was because I think it’s done,” Maisie told The Sunday Times newspaper.

The 26-year-old star shared that she felt very down when she was trying to break

T

he Beatles legends John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr will be the subject of a different upcoming feature film. The four separate films will tell the stories of each of them in standalone narratives.

away from her ‘Game of Thrones’ character.

Maisie even shared that she was finding it difficult to landing roles, reports aceshowbiz. com.

The actress added: “It was at its absolute worst when I was also out of touch with myself -- not knowing your identity and that kind of thing -- I think rejection at that point felt so personal, so painful. I’d solely compare myself to other actresses, and the way people looked, and all of the most destructive ways that you can compare yourself.”

Moving out from London, helped Maisie.

“I just have, for the most part, manufactured my life to make me feel like I’m not famous at all,” she shared.

Sam said in a statement: “I’m honored to be telling the story of the greatest rock band of all time, and excited to challenge the notion of what constitutes a trip to the movies.”

The four films will be financed and distributed by Sony Pictures Entertainment with preferred release of all of them in 2027.

He produced a record number of 54,000 radio programmes and lent his voice to over 19,000 advertisements and jingles.

Anushka-Virat blessed with a boy; name him ‘Akaay’

To stop being seen smoking by his daughter, Shahid Kapoor decided to kick the butt

The films will be directed by the Oscar nominated filmmaker Sam Mendes. Sam plans to make four separate movies, one from each Beatles member’s point of view, reports Variety.

They will intersect to “tell the astonishing story of the greatest band in history,” leading up to their 1970 breakup, according to a press release. Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and the families of the late John Lennon and George Harrison have granted full life story and music rights for the scripted films.

meen Sayani, the iconic radio personality, passed away at the age of 91 due to cardiac failure. He suffered a heart attack on Tuesday evening. He achieved huge popularity through his radio program ‘Geetmala’ which has gone down as a milestone in India’s radio landscape. His captivating voice and engaging style spelled a cast at the listeners cultivating fans across the country, and popularized the medium of radio which got a further boost in early 2000s as the dotcom bubble burst. His signature way of addressing listeners as “Behno aur Bhaiyo” (sisters and brothers) became instantly recognizable and widely imitated.

S

tar couple Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli have announced the arrival of their second child -- a boy -- and revealed that they have named their bundle of joy ‘Akaay’.

A

ctor Shahid Kapoor has opened up about his decision to quit smoking, and it is his eight-yearold daughter Misha. Shahid appeared on ‘No Filter Neha’ season 6, a podcast hosted by actress Neha Dhupia, who chats with her industry friends and makes interesting conversations.

During the show, Shahid revealed about his decision to quit smoking: “When I used to smoke, I would hide from my daughter and smoke. That is actually the

reason I gave it up; one day, while I was hiding and having my smoke, I told myself that I am not going to do this forever.

And that is actually the day I decided to quit smoking.” Shahid married Mira Rajput in July 2015. The couple has two kids-- daughter Misha, and son Zain.

On the work front, Shahid was last seen in ‘Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya’, a science fiction romantic comedy costarring Kriti Sanon. He next has ‘Deva’ in the pipeline.

The couple had been very secretive about Anushka’s second pregnancy. However, a video had been doing the rounds, which had raised speculation. In the clip, the actress could be seen walking with a baby bump in a black dress with her cricketer husband.

Anushka and Virat, who are fondly called as ‘Virushka’ by the fans, got married in December 2017 in a hush-hush ceremony in Italy. In 2021, Anushka and Virat welcomed their daughter who they named Vamika.

20

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Friday, 23 February, 2024

FIA-NE collaborates with Harvard’s Annual India Conference, spotlighting ‘Rising India’

By Vandana Jhingan

H

arvard University hosted its prestigious 21st annual India Conference, a dynamic platform showcasing intellectual prowess and fostering global collaboration from February 17-18, 2024. The two-day event is a groundbreaking student-led initiative held in partnership with the Harvard Kennedy School and the Harvard Business School recognized as one of the largest student run events in the US. Themed, India Rising, this year’s conference explored the rich heritage of India’s journey towards becoming a global economic powerhouse. The events saw over 50 distinguished speakers, including luminaries like Indermit Gill, Chief Economist at the World Bank, Arun Puri, Editor-in-Chief of India today, Bollywood actress Karishma Kapoor and many more well known personalities.

Bharatiya Seniors of Chicago organize a grand Valentine’s Day celebration

By Jayanti Oza

I

n the presence of around 900 community members, Bharatiya Seniors of Chicago celebrated Valentine’s Day in a grand way. Held on February 17, 2024 at the Rana Reagan Centre, Carol Stream Town, the event was a huge hit amongst the attendees.

BSC’s committee members enjoying the Valentine’s Day program.

BSC members enjoying the Bollywood songs.

BSC Vice President Mr. Hirjibhai Ponkia and committee members along with BSC Secretary Rashila Dobria started the program by singing Ganesh Vandana. On this occasion famous singers from Chicagoland, Rajesh Chalam and Pavitra Anand entertained the members continuously for three hours by singing old and new Bollywood songs.

BSC Executives with musical group

Singer Rajesh Chalam and Pavitra Anand entertaining the audience by singing old and new film songs.

Rajesh Chalam won the hearts by singing the famous classical number ‘Madhuban Mein Radhika Nache Re’ from the movie Kohinoor.

Along with him Richard Kristian on tabla. Mr. Parasottam Pandya, Managing Trustee of BSC thanked the committee members for making the program a success. The event concluded with a scrumptious dinner.

Dharam Karam

21 www.indoustribune.com

Friday, 23 February, 2024

Exploring Kashi Vishwanath Temple: A Journey into Spiritual Magnificence

T

he Kashi Vishwanath Temple, famously known as the Golden Temple, is a magnificent edifice that stands as a testament to India’s rich spiritual and cultural legacy. This sacred sanctuary is deeply intertwined with the mythical city of Varanasi, also known as Kashi or Benares, which holds a significant place as one of the seven holiest cities in Hinduism. Let us embark on a profound exploration of its history, mythology, architectural grandeur, and spiritual significance in the Hindu faith.

Origin and Legends: The roots of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple delve deep into antiquity, resonating with the mystical aura of Varanasi. According to revered Hindu scriptures such as the Skanda Purana and the Kashi Khanda, this divine abode of Lord Shiva was established by the deity himself. The temple enshrines the Jyotirlinga, a sacred symbol of Lord Shiva’s

cosmic energy and formless essence. It is believed that devotees from far and wide are drawn to the sanctity of this site, seeking solace and spiritual upliftment in the divine presence of the Jyotirlinga.

exterior of the temple is adorned with exquisite carvings depicting scenes from Hindu mythology, celestial beings, and intricate floral motifs, showcasing the unparalleled craftsmanship of ancient Indian artisans.

Legend has it that the original temple was erected by the devout King Harishchandra in ancient times, signifying the enduring devotion of generations past. Over the epochs, the temple underwent numerous reconstructions and renovations, each reflecting the architectural finesse and religious fervor of its time.

Spiritual Significance:

Architectural Marvel: The Kashi Vishwanath Temple stands as an epitome of Nagara-style temple architecture, characterized by its towering spire (shikhara) and intricately carved stone facades.

The sanctum sanctorum houses the revered Jyotirlinga of Lord Vishwanath, exuding an aura of divine serenity and sanctity. The

A pilgrimage to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple is believed to cleanse one’s soul of sins and bestow the ultimate liberation, known as moksha. The temple’s hallowed halls resonate with tales of unwavering faith, devotion, and endurance, as witnessed through the annals of time. It has stood witness to the vicissitudes of history, the rise and fall of empires, and the eternal devotion of countless pilgrims who flock to its sacred precincts seeking solace and spiritual enlightenment.

Challenges and Controversies: Throughout its storied existence, the Kashi Vishwanath Temple has faced numerous challenges, including the ravages of time and destruction wrought by historical conflicts.

Notably, the temple suffered severe damage at the hands of Qutb-ud-Din Aibak’s army in 1194. However, despite adversities, the temple’s spiritual flame continues to burn brightly, symbolizing the indomitable spirit of devotion and resilience.

Renovation and Transformation: In recent years, the Kashi Vishwanath Temple has undergone a monumental transformation as part of the Kashi Vishwanath Dham project. Spearheaded by the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Special Area Development Board (SKVSADB), this ambitious endeavor aimed to revitalize and rejuvenate the temple complex while preserving its sacred heritage.

The project scope encompassed the demolition of dilapidated structures and illegal encroachments, paving the way for the expansion and beautification of the temple precincts. The temple complex, once

confined to a modest area, now sprawls over vast expanses adorned with red sandstone, Chunar stone, Kota granite, and Makrana marble.

Accessibility and Facilities: As part of the renovation efforts, the Kashi Vishwanath Temple now offers enhanced accessibility features, including the installation of escalators to assist pilgrims, especially the elderly and physically challenged. These escalators provide seamless connectivity between the temple and the riverfront, ensuring a comfortable and hassle-free pilgrimage experience.

Moreover, the temple complex extends to encompass various ghats along the sacred Ganges, including Lalita Ghat, Manikarnika Ghat, and Jalasen Ghat, enriching the spiritual ambiance of the surroundings.

Darshan and Pooja Information: Devotees visiting the Kashi Vishwanath Temple can partake in darshan, or divine viewing, from the early hours of the morning until the evening, allowing ample time for spiritual communion and reflection.

The temple corridor has been designed to accommodate large gatherings, ensuring a peaceful and immersive darshan experience for visitors.

Additionally, the temple offers pooja and archak services, allowing devotees to participate in sacred rituals and seek the blessings of Lord Vishwanath. Special arrangements are made for families, enabling them to perform poojas together and receive the divine grace of the deity.

In essence, the Kashi Vishwanath Temple stands as a beacon of spirituality, bridging the gap between the mortal realm and the divine realm. Its recent renovation and transformation exemplify a harmonious blend of tradition and modernity, ensuring that future generations can continue to bask in its divine radiance and timeless devotion.

22

Dharam Karam www.indoustribune.com

Friday, 23 February, 2024

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Friday, 23 February, 2024

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25 Friday, 23 February, 2024

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Health & Fitness www.indoustribune.com

Friday, 23 February, 2024

Here’s why you get muscle pain during viral fever

C

oming down with a cold, virus or the flu is never fun.

But sometimes you can push through if the symptoms aren’t too bad. Have a sore throat? Gargle.

Feeling congested? Take a steam shower.

Mild fever? Take fever-reducing medicine.

It’s bearable, though not ideal. But once full-body aches set in (often accompanied by a fever), you may quickly find yourself out of commission. Unlike the muscle aches that can come on after one too many squats, body aches from an illness tend to cause dull pain and discomfort everywhere.

The good news is you can find some relief from full-body aches right in the comfort of your home. Here’s what you need to know: What causes body aches when you’re sick?

When you have the flu, a common cold, a virus or a bacterial infection, your immune system jumps into action. It reacts by releasing white blood cells to fight off the infection. The reaction causes inflammation, which can leave your muscles feeling achy.

The good news is that your achiness is a sign that your body is fighting off the illness. But the harder your body works, the more severely the body might ache.

Full-body aches are also often

accompanied by other symptoms including: 4Fever

4Weakness 4Fatigue 4Shivering or body temperature changes

4Cold and flu-like symptoms What helps body aches?

The best way to diminish full-body aches is to treat the underlying cause of the aching. But as you’re waiting for treatment to kick in — or just waiting for a virus to run its course — try to: Stay hydrated: Some symptoms of cold and flu — such as sweating, vomiting and diarrhea — can leave you dehydrated. But water is essential to your body’s normal functioning and its ability to fight infection. Drink plenty of water, broth, tea or electrolyte drinks. Soup is also a great way to stay hydrated, especially if you are struggling to eat solid foods.

Use heat to relax your muscles: Heat can loosen muscles and provide relief from body aches. If you don’t have a severe fever, a warm bath or shower can be relaxing. But avoid making the temperature too hot — keep the water just above lukewarm to maintain your body temperature. Heating pads or blankets can also offer some comfort, but avoid excessive heat and don’t use them if there is a chance you may fall asleep.

Regulate your body temperature: Fullbody aches often go hand-in-hand with a fever. As a higher body temperature causes you to shiver, your muscles tense up and may begin to ache. To regulate your body temperature, reach for fever-reducing pain medicine, take a cool bath and use only a thin blanket or sheet.

Rest: Research shows that the immune system and sleep are closely connected.

Sleep strengthens the body’s defense system. And when the body is fighting infection, it craves more sleep. The problem is that when you are sick, other symptoms often make it hard to sleep soundly. Try to rest as much as possible — it will relax your muscles and speed up the healing process.

27 www.indoustribune.com

Friday, 23 February, 2024

sba 7(a) sba loan 7(a program ) loan program

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Size of Loans Size of Loans Benefits to Business Benefits to Business • Longer amortization • Longer amortization allows for lower allows loan forpayments lower loan payments • Up to $5 million • Up to $5 million • No future balloon • No future payment balloon (fully payment amortizing (fullyloan) amortizing loan) Terms of Loans Terms of Loans • Non-collateral • Non-collateral dependent loans dependent available loans available • Up to 25 years • Upfor to 25 realyears estate fordebt real estate debt • Closing costs • Closing can becosts included can be in loan included in loan • Up to 15 years • Upfor to non 15 years real estate for nondebt real (term estatecan debt be(term can be blended if the blended debt includes if the debt both includes real estate bothand realnon estate and n Typical Customers/Use Typical Customers/Use of Funds of Funds real estate debt) real estate debt) • Real estate• acquisitions Real estate acquisitions or refinancing—up or refinancing—up to 90% to 90% financing available financing (51% available owner-occupied) (51% owner-occupied) Interest Rates Interest Rates • Construction • Construction Loans—up toLoans—up 90% financing to 90% available financing available • Variable and • Variable fixed rate and options fixed rate options • Franchise •financing Franchise financing Loan Fees Loan Fees • Business acquisitions • Business acquisitions • The SBA Guarantee • The SBAfee Guarantee ranges from fee ranges 2% to 3.5% fromof2% to 3.5% of • Insurance •Agency Insurance Acquisitions Agency Acquisitions the guaranteed the portion guaranteed of the portion loan of the loan • Machinery• &Machinery equipment&acquisitions equipment acquisitions or refinancing— or refinancing— • Other fees• include Other fees packaging includefees, packaging third party fees, third party up to 100% financing up to 100% available financing available reports, lien reports, filings, title liencharges, filings, title etc.charges, (closingetc. fees(closing fees • Line of credit • Line restructuring of credit restructuring can be incorporated can be incorporated into the loan)into the loan) • Lease refinancing • Lease refinancing • Business Expansion • BusinessLoans Expansion Loans

Name name name Namename namename namename namename name name Huyname Tran name HuynaT Title title title title titletitle title title title title titletitle titletitle titletitle title title title VPtitle -Title Business Development VP - Business Officer Development Offict (920) Phone475-1152 phone (920) Phone475-1 pho (920) (920) Cell cell475-1152 cell cell Cell cell475-1 cell htran@bylinebank.com htran@bylinebank.c Email email email Email email email email email email em ©2017 Byline Bank. ©2017 Member BylineFDIC. Bank. Member FDIC.

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Friday, 23 February, 2024

Aqua Workouts: The latest fitness Mantra

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ver heard of aqua workouts? Yes, swimming is one of them but there are plenty more which you must not be aware of. Imagine kickboxing or doing yoga in water! Try out a few of these aqua workouts to stay fit and have some fun.

Here is a list of some of the aqua workouts that you can do: Aqua kickboxing: It involves kicks, jabs, punches and more. Kickboxing itself is a very high-energy workout and when done in water, it becomes a mammoth of a workout.

It uses all major muscles and burns lots of calories.

Aqua pilates: Pilates focuses on core. The same workout done in water is exceptional for the core, strengthening the back and toning the abs. You can do side lying crunches and stretches in water. Sometimes you can hold the side railing or wall of the pool.

Aqua yoga: Yoga has lot of stretches. The same stretches get much better inside the water.

People who are not able to lift their leg up, are easily able to do it inside the water. The buoyancy helps them. So, a lot of standing postures like tree pose and warrior pose can be done in the pool. It also improves your balance.

Aqua chi: Tai chi when done in water is extremely soothing and relaxing. It is the

best meditation. Imagine doing it with the sound of the water waves. It is good for strengthening too.

Aqua aerobics: You can jog, jump, skip, hop, do full aerobics in water and burn some calories while doing aerobics in the pool.

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Friday, 23 February, 2024

Here’s how you can ace a beach wedding look Entertainment

4 Color wheel: Color is what reveals the true magic at these events. We can’t imagine a beach with ladies in staid black, blue or brown color. Accompany the color wheel to pastel shades for a perfect wedding.

4 Keep it simple and graceful: Say a complete no to velvets or heavily embellished ensembles for a beach wedding.

The idea is to travel light and heavy velvets and embellishments act as a deterrent in travelling light. Also, these do not go with the theme of a beach wedding. Go for draped outfits which can be worn easily.

4 Be classy: Elegant, fussfree and sophisticated jewelry are the key words.

Keep yourself at ease with nothing expensive to take care of instead.

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each weddings are alluring with waves, sun and sand presenting a perfect frame for photographs. But your choice of ensemble can make or break your special day. So, opt for easy and flowy outfits over ethnic to make a style statement, says an expert.

Here are easy ways to help you turn up as a style diva at your next beach wedding: 4 Let go of Indian ethnic: Beach weddings are more of a western affair thus making gota-patti, anarkali and lehengas seem out of order. Instead, opt for contemporary Indian wear, like simple full-skirted lehengas, elegant gowns, dhoti pants with a shirt style blouse.

4 Go for prints: A solid botanical print

is an exquisite way to brighten any beachfront affair.

4 Big ‘no’ for heels: Heels and stilettos on the beach will act as a hindrance to enjoy the sunset and the beach. Also, the chances are that they are likely to get spoilt in the sand.

These should be avoided so the obvious choice should be to stick to flats, chappals and thong slippers.

4 Fabric sense: Try adorning yourself with free flowing silhouettes in breathable fabrics like cotton, linen, organza, chiffon or georgette.

4 Hair affair: Keep your hair tied up in a bun or a high pony to beat the heat. Outfits with deep back look great with such hairdos.

Beauty & Fashion

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From a winter old-school textile, the vintage pattern of houndstooth (pointy-shaped checks) has now become a style statement.

Show off your vintage glam in style

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rom designers to celebrities, the nifty design that was once primarily used for trench coats, blazers and winter dresses, is now making its presence felt in other seasons as well.

While this pattern, which originated in Scotland, looks classic in black and white, other variations, like black on red, black on beige, and beige on white for a softer look, are also being explored now. In fact, washed yellow on light grey and red on white also work wonders. And if one wishes to keep it simple, then black and white teamed with color highlights will do the trick.

On the other hand, even though

traditionally, houndstooth is woven in wool, it is now being used in fabrics such as chiffon, georgette, crepe, mulmul, linen, and cotton, among others.

Men can also experiment with this pattern to raise their sartorial tempo. From prints on shorts, to T-shirts, houndstooth is pretty unisex in its approach.

If you wish to flaunt this trend, here are some ways you can incorporate houndstooth in your ensemble: Wear your style

4 Asymmetric chiffon tunic with houndstooth print, paired with narrow cotton black trousers or cotton-knit leggings.

4 A sleeveless houndstooth printed top with a white linen jacket and white linen cropped trousers.

4 A white tee or georgette ruffle top with pencil houndstooth trousers.

4 A houndstooth georgette shift dress with a white linen peplum jacket.

4 A houndstooth printed chiffon saree with a solid-colored blouse.

4 Houndstooth shorts with a basic white tee.

4 A waistcoat in houndstooth print, paired with a pair of denim and white shirt.

Dos and Don’ts 4 Don’t overdo the print. Balance it out with a solid coordinate so that it does not overpower the look.

4 Don’t accessorize too much. You can wear a pair of earrings and a small wristlet that will not attract too much attention.

4 Don’t try to mix too many small prints with it. That will take away from the appeal of the pattern.

Choosing the right products for your little ones Selecting the right personal care products for kids is an important aspect of parenting. With so much buzz around skincare and routine for kids, parents are becoming more anxious in their selection process.

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ventually the anxiety results in decisions that can negatively impact kids’ wellbeing.

Let’s explore some common mistakes parents make when purchasing personal care products for their children and how to avoid them.

Ignoring Ingredient Labels: Parents commonly make the mistake of not reading the ingredient labels on personal hygiene products. Harmful ingredients such as sulphates, parabens, and phthalates are often found in many products marketed to children. For instance, many shampoos contain sulphates, which can irritate skin, and parabens, which can disrupt the endocrine system. Parents must prioritize products with natural, hypoallergenic ingredients to avoid these problems. By taking this preventive measure, potentially hazardous chemicals

are kept away from children’s sensitive skin.

Thinking ‘Child-Friendly’ Always Means Safe: The term “child-friendly” is not always synonymous with safety, therefore it can be deceptive. Animations and vibrant packaging are common strategies used by manufacturers to attract both parents and kids. However, these promotional strategies might divert attention away from potentially harmful ingredients. Parents should carefully read product labels to ensure that the contents meet their safety standards, looking beyond the branding.

Falling for Marketing Gimmicks: When purchasing personal hygiene products for children, parents often fall prey to marketing tactics. It is important to prioritize ingredients over colorful child-attractive

packaging. As responsible parents, it is important to choose products considering the ingredients used in the products. Focus on the actual benefits of the product rather than being influenced by catchy slogans.

Spend some time to educate yourself about potential irritants and allergens. Parents may protect their children’s health and well-being by making educated decisions.

Ignoring Allergen Considerations: Every child is different, and so are their allergies and sensitivity levels. If product compositions are not checked for allergens, the child may experience adverse issues, parents should carefully review ingredient lists, especially if their child has documented allergies.

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