AV 01st July 2023

“Even

Nine years since that ban on Narendra Modi was lifted, the Indian PM has gained increasingly more support from the White House PM Modi became the second Indian Prime Minister after Manmohan Singh to be honoured with a State Visit to the United States The first state visit by Mr Modi to the United States did not disappoint supporters of the alliance.

with

Keith Vaz JOH N H E S S

John Hess wa s the BBC’s f irst Political Edit or for the East Midla nds and for 20 ye ars, he r eport ed fr om Downing Stre et an d Par lia ment for ra dio an d TV Now he’s campaig ning t o be t he f irst East Midla nds Re gional Mayor

During his distinguished broadcasting career, he was nominated for three Royal Television Society awards and for two years running was a f inalist for Midlands

T V journalist of the year

At the last count, he had inter viewed eight UK Prime Ministers and one US President , Bill Clinton and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Benazir

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

H a v i n g j u s t r e t u r n e d f r o m a h o l i d a y i n Madeira and the worst tropical storms to hit the island in a generation, I would welcome the calm, huge beaches, and big skies of North Norfolk Wells-next-the-Sea is always a personal favourite I never tire of London The buzz and excitement of the place never fades

2) What are your proudest achievements?

This is bound to be personal My wife Chris and I are fortunate to have three grown children They are level-headed, sensible and none of them have ever showed any inclination to go into journalism or broadcasting Now we have four grandchildren and embracing childcare duties when required

3) What inspires you?

It’s hard to beat the experience of going to an orchestral concert to hear a top-class orchestra a n d w o r l d b e a t i n g c h o i r I t r y t o g e t t o Birmingham s Symphony Hall and watch the CBSO at any opportunity I’m also chair of the Nottingham-based "Music for Ever yone" charity which encourages people from all backgrounds and abilities to come together and sing It's so good for the soul and for your personal wellbeing Music for Ever yone" celebrates its 40th anniversar y next month - that is certainly a big achievement

4) What has been biggest obstacle in your career?

I feel ver y fortunate and privileged to have worked for the BBC for most of my journalistic career The organisation represents the ver y best of public ser vice broadcasting, but working for it can be -at times- ver y frustrating and mind boggling Like any large institution, it goes through regular shake-ups and reorganisations, and that inevitably affects people and their hopes and aspirations On some of, I found myself at a sharp end of a few of those big changes, especially during the time of John Birt's period of BBC Director General The key to sur vival in such a large organisation is to be adaptable

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

Without doubt, the biggest influence on my c a r e e r w a s my f i r s t B B C n e w s e d i t o r C h r i s Throup He ran the newsroom at BBC Radio Nottingham, Chris had a remarkable nose for a good news stor y and inspired a generation of n e w s g a t h e r e r s I j o i n e d R a d i o No t t i n g h a m straight from newspapers and Chris helped shape me into a broadcast journalist Running a news operation can be diff icult and challenging at the best of times, but Chris always kept his cool He

Bhutto

He retired after 35 years with BBC news in 2015

He is now an Honorar y Professor at the School of Po l i t i c s a n d I n t e r n a t i o n a l Relations, at the University of Nottingham

A father of three grown children and a grandfather of four, John lives near the Trent Bridge home of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club, where he’s a member

was a keen player of backgammon over the lunchtime pint Maybe that was the key to keeping calm

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

In a possible case of poacher turned gamekeeper, I am now campaigning to be the Labour Party's candidate for the f irst ever East Midlands Regional Mayor it's a new role responsible for d e v o l v e d p o w e r s f r o m g o v e r n m e n t c o v e r i n g transport, housing, economic development and adult education and skills training Other areas of England already have regional, or metro mayors and it's taken the East Midlands a while to catch up It's the biggest mayoral region in the countr y covering a population of 2 2 million people and including the main cities of Nottingham and Derby It s a vibrant area which has sometimes struggled to get its voice heard The new role of Regional Mayor will help address that and I will ensure that voice is heard loud and clear

7) And the worst?

At present, one of the inevitable challenges is reaching out to so many people across such a large geographical area Mainstream media is ver y fragmented, and the historic nature of the T V transmission map ibn parts of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, means people aren't necessarily watching local news for their area Social media can help but it doesn't suit ever yone

8) What are your long term goals?

If I am fortunate enough to win the Labour nomination for East Midlands Mayor - the result is announced early August -then it’s the second phase of being in campaign readiness for the Mayoral election next May There's likely to be a ver y strong Conser vative Party challenger and the timing of the election will be ver y signif icant Wi t h a l i ke ly G e n e r a l E le c t io n n e x t ye a r, a Labour victor y in the Mayoral contest will be a tremendous morale booster for Labour supporters This part of the Midlands has traditionally been politically marginal, and Labour took a bounding at the last general election I'm conf ident the tide is turning, and my aim is to ensure a Labour mayoral victor y ushers in a sweeping general election in the parliamentar y constituencies in my patch

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

It worries me that education appears to have dropped down the priorities of people and, in turn, the government Education needs to be part of our ever yday conversation again The state of some of our school buildings is a concern; classrooms with leaking roofs and an over prescriptive curriculum doesn't encourage the enjoyment of learning Teaching has become too narrow and it's in danger of l e a v i n g a g e n e r a t i o n o f s c h o o l k i d s behind Our system of education is ready for a full review and reform

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

The f ilm maker and actor Orson

We l le s w o u l d b e t o p o f my D e s e r t Island list Citizen Kane remains a master class in movie making, and his iconic appearance in Carl Reed's "The Third Man" still has huge impact I never tire of it, even though I know nearly ever y frame in the movie Orson was a great stor yteller Maybe guilty of the occasional tall stor y, but he would never disappoint and I'm sure he would turn the desert Island into an elaborate f ilm set We would never want to leave!

Ex- teacher admits to sex offences against Indian children

A form er deputy head teacher a t a w el l-k no w n L o nd o n school, previously attended by m em bers of the ro yal fam ily, has pleaded guilty to engag ing i n il li ci t ac ti v i ti es i nv o lv i ng I nd ia n tee na g ers M a tth e w S m i th , 3 4 , res i d i ng i n E a st D u lw i c h , ad m i tte d to 2 2 c h ar g es , w h ic h in c lu d ed instructing teenag ers in India v ia online platform s to exploit and abus e yo un ger ch ild ren d uring his time in Nep al

A p p e a r i n g i n S o u t h w a r k Cr o w n Court on Tuesday (20), Smith, described as a "prolif ic offender," is scheduled to be sentenced on August 4 He briefly worked at Thomas s Battersea school in London, an institution known for its £20,000-a-year fees and attended by Prince George and Princess Charlotte Smith's arrest took place in November of last year when investigators discovered that he had been sharing abusive material on the dark web during his stay in Nepal

At the time of his arrest, he was

e n g a g i n g i n o n l i n e conversations with a boy in India, offering f inancial rewards in exchange for explicit images of a younger c h i l d , a c c o r d i n g t o t h e Na t i o n a l Cr i m e

A g e n c y D u r i n g t h e investigation, authori t i e s s e i s e d o v e r 1 2 0 , 0 0 0 i n d e c e n t i m a g e s o f c h i l d r e n that Smith had stored on a laptop, SD card, and phone Smith has been detained in custody and faced f ive charges, including causing the sexual exploitation of a child under 13 Investigations revealed that he had paid the Indian boy and another teenager a total of £65,398 over a f iveyear period to carr y out abusive acts against children Prior to his time in Nepal, Smith had worked in orphanages a n d n o n- g o v e r n m e n t a l o r g a n i s a t i o n s across India from 2007 to 2014 He then moved to Nepal, where he taught at Kathmandu's British School

Smith

UK marks the 7 5th anniversary of Windrush

Th e 75th anniversary of the a rri v a l o f t h e E m p i re Wind rush in Britain from th e C ari bb ean wa s co mm e m o ra ted n ati o nw i d e , wh ile camp aig ners emphasised that th eir pursuit of " justice" rem ains ongo ing

Th e ship carried app roxim a te ly 5 0 0 m en and w omen, becoming the f irst v essel to transp ort workers fro m the C aribbean wh o had responded to Britain's appeal to add ress labour shortages following World War II

On Thursday, the King participated in numerous events, including a ser vice in Windsor, where he praised the profo u n d a n d e n d u r i n g l e g a c y o f t h e Windrush generation Various activities took place to commemorate the occasion, such as ceremonies at Southwark Cathedral in London and the Port of Tilbur y in Essex, where the ship originally docked on June 22, 1948 Museums throughout the UK host-

ed exhibitions, and a vibrant carnival parade marched through the streets of Brixton in south London Additionally, the Windrush flag was proudly raised at prominent landmarks like the Houses of Parliament Pa t r i c k Ve r n o n , w h o l e a d s t h e Windrush 75 network responsible for o r g a n i s i n g m a n y o f t h e e v e n t s , expressed that this was an opportunity to celebrate the diversity of modern Britain and recognise the remarkable legacy of the pioneering Windrush generation

Tipu Sultan’s ornate sporting gun on export ban

A r ar e and intr icately designed spo rt ing g u n , o r ig in a t in g f r o m I nd ia an d c r a ft e d fo r Ti pu Su ltan, the r uler of Mysore in the 18 th c e nt u r y, ha s b ee n p r o hi b it e d f r o m b eing expo rt ed o ut o f t he Un it ed Kingdom This measu re aim s to allow su ff icient time for a Br it ish institut io n or pot ential buyer to come forward and acquire the f irear m for pu bl ic examination, contr ibu ting to the stu dy of the histo rical relatio nship between the UK and India

Lord Stephen Parkinson, the UK's M i n i s t e r fo r A r t s a n d He r i t a g e , recently announced the decision to i m p o s e a n e x p o r t b a n o n t h e "Flintlock Sporting Gun" based on r e c o m m e n d a t i o n s f r o m t h e Reviewing Committee on the Export

o f Wo r k s o f A r t a n d O b j e c t s o f

Cultural Interest (RCEWA) Dating back to 1793-1794 and created by A s a d K h a n Mu h a m m e d , t h e g u n , classif ied as a 14-bore, was originally designed for shooting, specif ically birds It bears the signature of its maker

The RCEWA has determined that the sporting gun holds both aesthetic signif icance and considerable value for studying the lives of Tipu Sultan, his court, Lord Cornwallis, British histor y, and the conclusion of the third Anglo-Mysorean war

King Charles III at Windsor reception

Flintlock Sporting Gun

India shines in UK and US, as PM Modi woos the world

The growing importance of India, especially under the leadership of prime Minister Narendra Modi is something to watch out for On Monday the UK-India week was officially open to all, with Sir Keir Starmer, Leader of His Majesty’s Opposition as the keynote speaker Interestingly it was seen as his efforts to make amends with PM Modi and India, as the party has distanced itself from both, over the years Despite being the first choice of Indians arriving in the UK in the past, the current relationship is in dire needs of “resetting” (see interview on p7)

Sir Starmer addressing the audience at Queen Elizabeth II Centre, said, “This is a changed Labour Party Across the board we ’ ve embraced the power of enterprise; understand that this is the only way to pay your way in the modern world And this means that we see the Indian community for the success story they are in 21st century Britain Success is such an important word In the past, I accept - Labour gave the impression we could only see the lives of people and communities who needed our support But my Labour Party understands that what working people want in every community is success, aspiration and security ”

On asked about the occasionally challenging relationship between Labour and India in the past, Sir Starmer responded saying, “There are lots of issues in the Labour Party where over the past two years we have openly taken the decision to change our party, to look out to the world in a different way, and to recognise when it comes to India what an incredible, powerful, important country India is, and modern India is going forward, and ensure we have the right relationship going forwards And that is why I want to be open about the trade deal, which I hope we can negotiate I know, obviously there are a number of rounds, but we

A

share that ambition, but see that only as the first step in a strategic partnership that goes way beyond just trade ” (See P6-7)

UK-India week organised by India Global Forum has come a long way under the leadership of founder Prof Manoj Ladwa Currently in its 5th edition, this year marks a fantastic line of speakers and topics including Artificial Intelligence and Climate Change

At the same time, PM Narendra Modi’s American sojourn deserves a mention While he is meant to visit France during Bastille Day (15 July), given the current IndoPacific development, India continues to play a significant role in the global political domain A friend of Russia, UK, EU and that of the US - is a rare combo India has forever taken pride in its non-alignment stand, or strategic autonomy, despite relying on Moscow for 50% of its defence needs Trucks carrying protest banners drove through New York, while past President Obama took a dig at him, the White House rolled out the red carpet to greet PM Modi including a ceremonial welcome PM Modi was once denied US visa over human rights concerns, today, he is a crucial partner of the US influencing the global order How times have changed!

V i c e P r e s i d e n t K a m a l a H a r r i s , w h o i s h a l f I n d i a n , seemed extra proud and in acknowledgement of her Indian roots – not a small achievement either In fact, the Indian Prime Minister received standing ovation and raucous applause (and selfies), as he became the first Indian Prime Minister to address the US Congress twice on one night While PM Modi may not be another Chanakya, but he has achieved what no Indian leader did in possibly the last seven decades – a true defining ‘AI’ (America-India) partnership

herculean task for opposition parties

The meeting of leaders of 15 Opposition parties, in Patna in Bihar on June 23, signals a new urgency among them to coordinate their campaigns against the BJP in the run-up to the 2024 general election They have very little common ground other than rivalry with BJP to join hands Their fundamental view points about the coalition are not clear Against the backdrop of allegations that the BJP is misusing state power to corner the Opposition, the leaders talked up the importance of the gathering and termed it as a “ war cry of a united opposition” for the “rebirth of a secular democratic India” In reality, the deliberations were exploratory, and the event was more for optics than devising any common strategy The recent victory of the Congress in the Karnataka Assembly elections has had a mixed impact on unity efforts Some regional parties such as the Bharat Rashtra Samithi of Telangana now feel more threatened by the Congress than by the BJP Parties such as the Samajwadi Party of Uttar Pradesh and the Trinamool Congress of West Bengal want the Congress to vacate the field or play second fiddle for the sake of a common candidate against the BJP in every constituency

The real challenge will begin after the photo-op This is not the first time that Opposition parties are attempting a joint platform to take on the ruling party Past experiences show that an opportunistic coalition won't last long But the anti-BJP alliance that is being put together now is against a government that has decisively won two terms at the Centre, and posted several electoral successes in the states It is headed by a leader whose popularity remains high Today,

Thought for the week

Belief creates the actual fact

William James

Political Sketchbook

Alpesh Patel

An Alternative PM Modi Speech to the US Congress

Last Friday, on a panel in Parliament, alongside an Indian diplomat, I congratulated them on their PM’s outstanding speech to the US Congress Then I promptly turned to a UK Parliamentarian and joked someone ’ s muscling in on the UK-US Special Relationship

When I worked in that US Congress, I used to write speeches for the Congressman for whom I worked My biggest regret in life is not continuing to work there Anyway, as a speechwriter here is my alternative speech for PM Modi to the US Congress:

“ L a d i e s a n d G e n t l e m e n o f t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s Congress,

Opposition parties must deal with the challenges of seatsharing, identifying a common leader and a common minimum programme - in a polity that is far more splintered and sharply defined regional arenas and therefore many more turf wars

The coming together of parties or leaders does not automatically lead to their voters coming together, as past experiences show If at all the uphill objective of a single joint candidate against the BJP is achieved, that will be no guarantee of victory for the Opposition It is natural for parties to change their views over time, but voters are smart enough to tell opportunism from an evolution of positions A stark case in point is of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which rose to prominence by calling each of these Opposition leaders names, but now seeks their support to preserve its own power There have to be some broad principles that tie parties of various ideological persuasions together Now their only agenda is to banish BJP from power Even if they manage to get a majority, there is no guarantee that they will be able to rule the country efficiently Unless the parties are ready to sacrifice their self interest, they cannot rule the country for long Past experience shows that for the coalition to survive the parties should be ready to give more than what they get

The Opposition parties must also introspect and take corrective measures to win public confidence They must also anticipate multi-pronged responses by the BJP in the months ahead By the time the opposition parties devise their strategy, BJP will be far ahead of them

China blocking India's rightful place for UNSC seat

Over the past few years, a number of divisive topics like international terrorism, the conflict in Ukraine, the causes of the Covid pandemic and others, have amply demonstrated the necessity of a multipolar world system A spotlight has been placed on important multilateral organisations, particularly the United Nations Security Council, and calls for structural reforms have since grown louder and more vociferous

The lack of inclusion and representation in the international body is the main justification for an increase in UNSC membership The Indo-Pacific region has emerged as the centre of global geopolitics, raising concerns about the forum's membership, which still reflects the conditions of the 1945 post-World War II era Moreover, no African or Latin American country has been given representation, while Europe enjoys ‘over-representation’ among the P5 (Five permanent members of the UNSC - China, USA, UK, France, and Russia) It is in this regard that it is argued that the current membership scheme is divorced from the emerging geopolitical realities

Oftentimes, the permanent members have been accused of misusing their veto power to suit their national agendas at the detriment of global security For instance, Russia vetoed many resolutions condemning its actions in Ukraine, USA has used it nearly 20 times over Israel-Palestine issue, China has deployed it as a diplomatic weapon against India to ‘safeguard’ terrorists

Due to the UN Charter's strict regulations, expanding the UNSC is a challenging task to accomplish Any amendment

must receive approval from two-thirds of all members and avoid any one of the five permanent members' veto power Germany, Japan and India have just received support from the US for seats on the Council Even the UK, France and Russia support India’s bid for a permanent seat China, one of the UNSC's five permanent members, has been using its veto power to thwart India's attempts to join the organisation permanently India's dispute with China over border issues and its objection to China s Belt and Road Initiative might be seen as additional complements to opposition

India has done enough to merit a permanent seat It’s one of the largest contributors of troops to UN peacekeeping missions The values outlined in the UN Charter are closely aligned with India's position of strategic neutrality during the Cold War, which was demonstrated by its leadership of the Non Aligned Movement (NAM) and ability to adhere to the Panchsheel principles of peace and tranquilly, non-interference, and non-aggression in foreign policy It has supplied the Third World with a large quantity of Covid vaccines It has become the pharmacy and the software house of the world India's permanent membership in the UNSC can make the UN a more democratic global governing body

The G-4 countries - Brazil, Germany, India, and Japanhave been supporting each other for the permanent seats on the UNSC India has asserted that the Council, in its current form, does not reflect today's geopolitical realities and its credibility is at stake if nations such as developing powers like India do not have a permanent seat at the international body

I stand before you today as a representative of the world's largest democracy, a country that values freedom, equality, and human dignity as its core tenets A nation that, much like your own, has a diverse tapestry of cultures, languages, religions, and ideas, yet finds unity in diversity, and strength in pluralism E Pluribus Unum –f r o m m a n y , o n e , c o u l d h a v e w r i t t e n t o o a b o u t Hindustan

India and the United States share a common heritage as democratic nations We are both societies shaped by the will of the people, powered by the spirit of freedom, and driven by the pursuit of progress Our nations were born out of a desire for self-governance, a longing for liberty, and a demand for human rights These shared values have been the bedrock of our bilateral relations, and they continue to strengthen our bond in the face of shared challenges and opportunities

In India, we deeply value our democratic traditions, our commitment to the rule of law, and our respect for human rights These are not mere words inscribed in our Constitution, but ideals that we strive to live by every day They guide our actions, shape our policies, and inspire our youth Just as America's founding principles continue to guide this great nation, India too is guided by its commitment to uphold these principles in the face of all challenges

We believe in the power of dialogue and the importance of peaceful resolution Our democratic ethos ensures that every voice is heard, every concern is acknowledged, and every individual's rights are protected Our courts uphold the rights of the people, and our media ensures accountability and transparency Like you, we strive too to perfection We too know like all great nations, we are a work in progress; but we strive to achieve the ideal of our Constitution This commitment to human rights and democratic values is as strong in India as it is in the United States

India and the United States also share a common commitment to safeguarding these rights and values not just within our borders, but across the world We have stood shoulder to shoulder to confront the forces that threaten these ideals in two World Wars, and we will continue to do so

Our cooperation extends beyond our shared democratic values We collaborate in science and technology, space exploration, climate change, and health initiatives Our economies are intertwined, and our people-to-people ties are growing stronger each day Indeed, the lady standing behind me, the Vice President of the United States, is testimony to that

I believe that our shared commitment to democracy and human rights will continue to guide our partnership in the years to come We have much to learn from each other, much to share, and much to achieve together In this journey, let us remember the words of Mahatma Gandhi, who said, "Democracy is not a state in which people act like sheep It is a state in which people act upon their individual sense of responsibility towards all "

Let us continue to act upon our shared sense of responsibility towards our people, towards our nations, and towards the world Let us continue to uphold the principles of democracy and human rights that are the cornerstone of our societies And let us continue to work together, as partners, for a better, more peaceful, and more equitable world

Thank you ”

Cambridge Union President resigns following vote manipulation allegation

A c cord i ng to T h e T im es, th e P r es i d en t o f th e C am bri d g e U nio n resigned w ithin a week of allegations emerg ing abou t vote m ani p u l ati o n t o s ec u re t h e appo intment of a friend as his successor Max Ghose stepped d o w n f o llo w in g an in te rna l inquiry cond ucted by the u nion, w hich uncovered several irregularities d uring the election p rocess fo r officers fo r the 20 24 L ent term

The investigation was initia t e d a f t e r J a m e s H a r d y , t h e deputy returning officer for the vote, reported an incident of electoral misconduct by Ghose, who is an alumnus of Old Eton College The report described the misconduct as one of the most shocking instances of electoral malpractice witnessed by H a r d y H a r d y d i s c l o s e d t h a t Ghose was the last person with access to the box containing the votes Ghose served as the chief returning officer for the vote and is alleged to have accessed the spreadsheet containing the votes after the polls had closed Screenshots extracted from the spreadsheet revealed that modifications were made to the docu m e n t b e t w e e n 6 : 1 5 p m a n d 6:30 pm under a profile attributed to 'Maximilian Ghose ' These alterations included the addit i o n o f s e v e r a l m e m b e r s h i p n u m b e r s , s o m e o f w h i c h

Labour to appoint external advisor to promote diversity

belonged to individuals who had already left the university in the previous year

The purpose of the spreadsheet was to verify the participants in the physical ballot and ensure their alignment with the recorded data After conducting an inquiry, the union has decided to postpone the next president's election until the following year Consequently, following the findings of the inquiry, Max Ghose, who was elected in March and assumed the position in June, has tendered his resignation Ghose, a second-year student studying politics and international relations, campaigned on initiatives such as enhancing the equalities budget and creati n g a u n i o n a p p d u r i n g h i s t e n u r e I n t h e i n t e r i m , t h e responsibilities of the president will be taken up by the vice president Originally, he was expected to serve until November

Humza Yousaf vows to prioritise independence in campaign for general election

A cc o rd in g t o F i rs t M i n is te r H u m z a Y o u s af , t h e S c o tt is h National P arty (S NP ) plans to p rioritise independ ence as a key focus in its cam paign for th e next UK g eneral electio n Yousaf m ad e this anno uncement d uring a party conference held in Dundee

He emphasised that if the S N P s e c u r e s t h e m a j o r i t y o f Scottish seats in the forthcoming election, they will actively pursue fresh negotiations with the UK government regarding independence This signifies the party s commitment to pushing f o r S c o t l a n d ' s i n d e p e n d e n c e from the United Kingdom

“We will seek negotiations w i t h t h e U K g o v e r n m e n t o n how we give democratic effect to Scotland becoming an independent nation”, he said

Yousaf's comments come at a time when public support for the SNP has been declining following the arrest of its former leader and first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, who was known for her strong advocacy of the independence movement

The conference in Dundee marks the first in-person gatheri n g s i n c e Y o u s a f , a g e d 3 8 , assumed the role of SNP leader in March Since then, the party h a s e x p e r i e n c e d a s i g n i f i c a n t decline in popularity

Currently, the SNP holds 64 seats in the Scottish Parliament out of a total of 129, governing in a coalition with the pro-inde-

A ccording to The Guard ian, the Labour P arty plans to ap point an external advisor with the aim o f p r o m o ti ng d i v e rs i ty an d en co u ra g i ng i nd iv id u a ls fr o m u n d err ep re s ent ed g ro u p s , i nc lu d in g w o m en , e th ni c m i n o ri ti es , a nd th o s e fr o m w orking -class backgro unds, to pu rsue political office at all levels and across p arties Working alongside deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner at the Cabinet Office, the diversity tsar will collaborate on developing a comprehensive action plan to address barriers and promote inclusivity The advisor will also c l o s e l y c o o p e r a t e w i t h t h e

E l e c t o r a l C o m m i s s i o n T h e party's objective is to ensure that politicians have a closer connection and personal understanding of the impact their policies have on different communities The advisor will provide reco m m e n d a t i o n s t o e l i m i n a t e obstacles that hinder individuals from underrepresented groups who aspire to enter politics as candidates The party already implements internal programs s u c h a s t h e B e r n i e G r a n t Leadership and Jo Cox Women

i n L e a d e r s h i p i n i t i a t i v e s t o address representation gaps and provide mentorship to candidates Angela Rayner, the deputy Labour leader, has underscored the urgent need to address the representation gap in politics She emphasised that the current p o l i t i c a l l a n d s c a p e i s o u t o f

DOCTOR SENTENCED FOR OPERATING DARK WEB PLATFORM

touch with the realities of society, and it is crucial to bridge t h i s g a p i n t e r m s o f g e n d e r , class, and ethnicity Rayner personally prioritises tackling this issue

R a y n e r s h a r e d h e r o w n experiences with misogyny and highlighted that the messages she receives from women indicate the widespread nature of such experiences, both within Westminster and in workplaces across the country The statement also referred to Samuel Kasumu, a former Tory London mayoral hopeful, who recently revealed that he was excluded from the longlist due to being perceived as an "outsider " A c c o r d i n g t o t h e r e p o r t , t h e r e a r e c o n c e r n s a m o n g Labour members regarding the p e r c e i v e d m a r g i n a l i s a t i o n o f individuals who have personal experiences in addressing issues s u c h a s a n t i - b l a c k r a c i s m , I s l a m o p h o b i a , m i s o g y n y , a n d classism These individuals are often associated with the left wing of the party

Former police officer convicted of sexual offenses against young cadets

Mohammed Adnan Ali , a f ormer

S o u r c e T w t t e r

Hamza Yousaf

p e n d e n c e G r e e n s T h e p a r t y represents 48 out of Scotland's 5 9 c o n s t i t u e n c i e s i n t h e U K Parliament

G reater Manchester Poli ce o ffic er, has been sentenced to five years in pri son for instigati ng inappropriate relati onshi ps with young indivi d ual s und er h i s c are Al i , 36, w o rk ed w i th ca d e ts a nd wa s f ound gu ilty of s exual of fences agai nst thos e h e was res ponsible fo r D u r i n g h i s s e n t e n c i n g a t

Sadik Khan opens London Refugee Week 2023

Londo n Mayor Sadiq Kh an has inau gurated an exhibition show casing a collection of photograph s that celebrate the lives of refug ees, coincid ing with Refu gee Week from June 19 to 25

The exhibition features individuals such as a Ukrainian doctor, a survivor of the Kindertransport initiative, and a girl who escaped from the Taliban The photographs were taken by Philip Coburn, a photographer for the Daily Mirror who himself survived a bomb attack in Afghanistan

In his opening remarks, Mayor Khan expressed his pride in City Hall for upholding London's longstanding tradition of providing sanctuary to those seeking refuge from conflicts, natural disasters, and persecution “By deepening our compassion for people seeking refuge and asylum, we set an example for the rest of the world as we build a fairer London for all”, he said

The People Move project focuses on capturing individuals who have migrated to the UK, often as refugees, along with the objects they brought with them The project initially began on Instagram during Refugee Week 2022, showcasing the stories of a hundred people and their unique journeys This exhibition marks the first physical presentation of Coburn's work from the People Move project Through these photographs, the project aims to provide a deeper understanding of the experiences, resilience, and personal histories of individuals who have sought refuge in the UK By highlighting the objects that hold significance to these individuals, the project offers a powerful visual representation of their stories and the diverse paths that have led them to their new homes

A psychiatrist residing in South London has been sentenced to a sixyear prison term for his involvement in operating a dark web platform focused on child sexual abuse Dr Kabir Garg 33 played a role as a moderator on a website known as The Annex, boasting approximately 90,000 members across the globe The platform witnessed the daily sharing of numerous links to child abuse material To access The Annex, members utilised a dark web browser called Tor ' In November 2022 Garg was apprehended at his residence in Lewisham during a wellcoordinated operation conducted in collaboration with international authorities Interestingly, at the moment of his arrest, Garg's laptop was discovered with the site actively open and logged into his moderator account As part of the investigation, law enforcement seized Garg s laptop and other electronic devices for thorough analysis

ART MALIK RECEIVES JINNAH MEDAL

Liverpool Crown Court on Friday, Ali was also placed on the sex o f f e n d e r r e g i s t e r T h e C r o w n P r o s e c u t i o n S e r v i c e ' s s p e c i a l i s t prosecutor, Karen Tonge, stated that Ali abused his position of trust for his own sexual gratification Ali held roles as a volunteer police cadet leader and a student officer development and assessm e n t c o o r d i n a t o r , p r e s e n t i n g h i m s e l f a s a t r u s t w o r t h y a n d inspiring leader He had received awards for his work with young people T h e i n v e s t i g a t i o n b e g a n i n October 2018 when a young person reported Ali's inappropriate b e h a v i o u r t o a c o l l e a g u e

Subsequently, other cadets and apprentices under his supervision came forward with accounts of his misconduct Greater Manchester Police discovered that Ali had sent numerous sexual images, includi n g h i g h l y i n a p p r o p r i a t e p h ot o g r a p h s o f h i m s e l f , a n d h a d encouraged young people to send images to him in return

Following his arrest, Ali faced a five-week trial and was convicted in April of this year He was found guilty of sexual assault and 15 counts of misconduct in a public office After the proven gross m i s c o n d u c t o f M o h a m m e d

Adnan Ali in April 2022, he has been dismissed from service and barred from further involvement in policing

Currently, the police force is pursuing a pension forfeiture certificate for Ali

British actor Art Malik was honoured with the Jinnah Medal by the Pakistan Society during their 68th annual dinner which took place at the Great Hall Lincoln s Inn last week The event was graced by the presence of Pakistan's High Commissioner, Moazzam Ahmad Khan, and Ambassador Leena Salim Moazzam, who were the guests of honour The keynote speaker for the evening was Prof Yasmeen Lari an architect and Sir Arthur Marshall Visiting Professor of Sustainable Design at Jesus College, Cambridge and co-founder of the Heritage Foundation of Pakistan Born as Athar Ul Haque Malik in Bahawalpur in 1952, Art Malik has made a significant impact on the global stage throughout the past four decades He has accumulated an impressive repertoire of over 44 television productions and more than 34 feature films according to a statement

His most recent film credit includes Disney s The Little Mermaid

DAUGHTER’S LAST WORDS CONTINUE TO HAUNT MOTHER

During the murder trial of Fawziyah Javed, her husband Kashif Anwar claimed that her fatal fall occurred accidentally while they were taking a selfie Fawziyah, a 31-year-old employment lawyer from Leeds, fell off a rocky cliff at Arthur's Seat in September 2021, resulting in her passing The tragic incident of death in Edinburgh continues to deeply affect her mother

It was revealed during the trial that Anwar had been controlling and abusive towards Fawziyah In April 2022, Anwar was sentenced to 20 years in prison for causing the death of his wife and their unborn child Fawziyah's mother Yasmin shared that her daughter s last words to her were filled with fear and uncertainty Fawziyah asked Am I going to die? Is my baby going to die?

These haunting words continue to impact Yasmin deeply as she mourns the loss of her daughter and grandchild

Max Ghose

Angela Rayner

Indian stars enjoying vacation in the UK

U nited Kingd om is now one o f the favourite destinations amo ngst trav ellers d ue to its f asc inated h i sto ry, v ib rant c u lt u re, d e li ci o u s f o o d , f am o us at tra ct io n s an d m any m ore A s su mmer season approaches in U K, m any Indian celebrities are enjoyi n g th e ir v a ca ti o ns w i th their fam ilies after a h ectic w ork schedule Those days w ere long gone wh en their g o to d es ti n ati o n w as M aldiv es

Actress Anushka Sharma and Indian cricketer Virat Kohli are currently enjoying a vacation in the UK, as evidenced by a circulating picture of them in the internet

The image captures the couple looking delightful coffee date, happily posing for the

camera The star couple Soha Ali Khan and Kunal Khemu has landed in the UK for a vacation The duo took to their respective social media hand l e s a n d s h a r e d p i c t u r e s from their trip Her sisteri n - l a w K a r e e n a K a p o o r Khan and brother Saif Ali K h a n a r e a l s o o n f a m i l y v a c a t i o n i n L o n d o n T h e actress shared a few pictures f r o m h e r r e c e n t m o r n i n g walk with hubby Saif, and t h e i r k i d s T a i m u r a n d Jehangir on her Instagram

Stories

A f t e r h a v i n g a h e c t i c y e a r o f s h o o t i n g b a c k - t ob a c k p r o j e c t s , B - t o w n actress Shilpa Shetty Kundra jetted off to London with her family where she cele-

Bollywood superstar Shankar Mahadevan receives major university honour

b r a t e d h e r b i r t h d a y

Madhuri Dixit and her husband Shriram Nene playfully pose for each other's came r a s o n t h e i r r e s p e c t i v e I n s t a g r a m h a n d l e s i n London Producer Rhea Kapoor s h a r e d g l i m p s e s f r o m h e r

British Indians honoured by the RSC

Th e R o ya l O rga ni s at i o n o f C h em i s t ry (R S C ), a n est eemed c hemi c al sc ienc es organisation i n the UK, has announced the winners of the 2023 award coho rt, includ ing two Briti sh Indi an acad emi cs, P ro f e s s o rs S o h i ni K arNarayan and Bhavi n Patel

s u m m e r h o l i d a y s i n L o n d o n , w i t h h e r s i s t e r s

Janhvi Kapoor and Sonam

K a p o o r T a k i n g t o h e r I n s t a g r a m h a n d l e , R h e a shared a string of pictures of their fun time together -laughing, eating and posing for pictures

The RSC honours people, groups, and teams for their outstanding contributions to t h e a d v a n c e m e n t o f t h e c h e m i c a l s c i e n c e s t h r o u g h these prizes RSC named winners for the four primary cate g o r i e s“ H o r i z o n P r i z e s " , " V o l u n t e e r R e c o g n i t i o n P r i z e s " , " R e s e a r c h & I n n o v a t i o n P r i z e s " a n d " I n c l u s i o n a n d D i v e r s i t y Prize" Professor Bhavin Patel –

P r o f e s s o r o f C l i n i c a l a n d B i o a n a l y t i c a l C h e m i s t r y a t t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f B r i g h t o n w o n t h e ‘ 2 0 2 3 A n a l y t i c a l Science mid-career Prize’ for the development of innovative electrochemical sensors f o r a d v a n c i n g t h e u n d e rs t a n d i n g o f b i o l o g i c a l s i gnalling processes

A n o t h e r B r i t i s h I n d i a n professor named in the list is P r o f e s s o r S o h i n i K a rNarayan, who has won the ‘ 2 0 2 3 M a t e r i a l s C h e m i s t r y mid-career Prize: Peter Day P r i z e ’ f o r h e r r e s e a r c h i n f u n c t i o n a l p o l y m e r s a n d n a n o c o m p o s i t e s , a n d t h e i r application in energy, sensing a n d b i o m e d i c i n e u s i n g microscale additive manufacturing

Bo llywo od voc al is t and gl obal ly accl aimed singer, co mp o s e r an d ac t o r S h a nk ar M ah adevan has been awarde d a n h o n o r a ry do c t o r a te f ro m B ir m in gh am C i ty U niversity (BCU ) in reco gnition o f h is ou tstanding services to mus ic and the arts

He was given the award at a special ceremony held at t h e U n i v e r s i t y ’ s R o y a l B i r m i n g h a m C o n s e r v a t o i r e (RBC) on Saturday (24 June)

A member of the internationally renowned ShankarEhsaan-Loy song writing trio, he has composed music for scores of Bollywood films, as w e l l a s e s t a b l i s h i n g t h e S h a n k a r M a h a d e v a n A c a d e m y , w h i c h p r o v i d e s educational opportunities for aspiring musicians His most famous album, ‘Breathless’, released in 1998, topped the charts in India for over 10 weeks, and he has 18 million monthly listeners on Spotify Re c eivi ng th e h o no ra ry d o c t o r at e , S h a nk ar M ah adevan said: “This is a moment I will cherish – and I want to thank Birmingham City University for making this happen ”

“It’s like a dream for me H a v i n g m y f a m i l y i n t h e audience, this is really special I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all those gurus from whom I’ve learned so much ”

M a h a d e v a n w a s j o i n e d o n s t a g e b y U s t a d Z a k i r Hussain, Indian tabla maestro, composer and percuss i o n i s t , a n d J o h n McLaughlin, legendary guitarist and a pioneer of jazz

fusion Prof esso r Ph ilip P low den, V ic e - C h an c e l l o r a t

Birm ingham C ity University, said: “Shankar is not only an e x c e p t i o n a l a r t i s t a c r o s s m a n y g e n r e s , a B o l l y w o o d legend, and a beloved TV star – but he’s also an educational i n n o v a t o r w h o b e l i e v e s i n making the best tuition availa b l e t o t a l e n t e d a s p i r i n g musicians It was fantastic to be joined at the event not only by Shankar’s family, but b y h i s b r o t h e r m u s i c i a n s ,

Maestro Zakir and Maestro

John “ W e a r e h o n o u r e d t o have the opportunity to formally bring Shankar into our University community ”

Anita Bhalla OBE, Chair of th e Bo ard of Governors at BCU and a past BBC execut iv e an d br o a dc a s t er , s a id:

“We are delighted to recognise Shankar’s distinguished musical career and his outstanding contribution to the development of up-and-coming talent

“This event symbolises so many themes that are important to our University It’s a b o u t c r e a t i v i t y , c o l l a b o r ation, partnerships and being f u t u r e f a c i n g , w e l c o m i n g people from the region, the w i d e r U K a n d a l s o f r o m across the world ”

Over the next few years, Shankar will lead several coll a b o r a t i v e p r o j e c t s a t t h e U n i v e r s i t y ’ s R o y a l

B i r m i n g h a m C o n s e r v a t o i r e and STEAMhouse, a major £70 million innovation centre based at its city centre campus

Shankar Mahadevan (centre) with Professor Philip Plowden and Anita Bhalla OBE

Shilpa Shetty Kundra Virat Kohli

‘INDIA SHINING’ AT THE UK INDIA WEEK 2023

T h e U K- I n d i a W e e k 2 0 2 3 i s a week- long programme that s eeks t o hon o ur a n d s t r en g th e n th e longstanding partnership between these two countries by provi di ng a platform to spotlight cruci al topi cs, includi ng poli ti cs, trade, b usin es s, sus tain ab ility, in clusi on, and i nnovation

Over the course of the week, delegates from the UK and India discussed the UK-India partnership i n d e t a i l “ I n d i a G l o b a l F o r u m ’ s annual UK-India Week is a highly anticipated fixture in the bilateral calendar of our two great nations It is a catalyst for forging new trade ties, lasting collaborations, and a better future for our people I'm confident this partnership will be a defining one for our times,” said UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in a statement Keynote address b y Sir Keir Starmer

Sir Keir Starmer, Le ade r of the U K O pp osi t io n, u s e d a k e y n o t e address at India Global Forum’s UKIndia Week to declare that Labour u n d e r h i s l e a d e r s h i p w i l l b e a changed party that looks beyond the shadows of the past to collaborate with modern India

“I have a clear message for you all today - This is a changed Labour P a r t y A c r o s s t h e b o a r d w e ’ v e embraced the power of enterprise; understand that this is the only way t o p a y y o u r w a y i n t h e m o d e r n world And this means that we see the Indian Community as the success story they are in 21st-century Britain Success is such an important word In the past, I accept - Labour gave the impression we could only see the lives of people and communities who needed our support But my Labour Party understands that what working people want in every c o m m u n i t y i s s u c c e s s , a s p i r a t i o n and security ”

R e f l e c t i n g o n I n d i a ’ s c u r r e n t standing in the world, Starmer said this was an opportunity for it to be India’s century “When the history of two nations is as intertwined as ours - that can cast a long shadow But, I don’t see that shadow over today’s India I see a modern nation, a confident nation, a nation that knows, that while there are profound challenges in the world at the momentt h i s i s , w i t h o u t q u e s t i o n , a t i m e w h e n t h e s t a b i l i t y o f n a t i o n s i s under threat - that the opportunity is there for this to be an Indian cent u r y , w i t h I n d i a s h i n i n g a s t h e biggest democracy and a huge contributor to global growth and prosperity ”

C a l l i n g f o r a n e w a p p r o a c h towards India, the Labour Leader said, “The challenge, as I see it now, is for Britain to step out of the shadows in its mind, to cast aside the entitlement of history and deepen our relationship with the real India, modern India, future India "

W e l c o m i n g S t a r m e r t o In d ia G l ob a l F or um , F ou n d e r a n d C h a i r ma n , M a n o j L a d w a s a i d ,

“Whilst British politicians will vigorously seek out every vote, the relat i o n s h i p w i t h I n d i a i s n o w o f national strategic importance We cannot and must not allow it to be h e l d h o s t a g e t o t h e v a g a r i e s o f domestic politics

There are many in this room who work relentlessly to ensure that this partnership serves all of our people, and is always driven by posi-

tivity, ambition, and purpose It is a journey that many of us have been travelling all our lives Sir Keir, I invite you, on behalf of everyone here, to also join our journey ”

UK-India W eek 2023 kic ks off with the launch of Young Leaders Fellowship Programme

India Global Forum’s UK-India Week 2023 kicked off with the first-ever Young Leaders Forum at the Nehru Centre in London on S a t u r d a y ( J u n e 2 4 ) T h e e v e n t marked the launch of the Young Leaders Fellowship by India Global F o r u m ( I G F ) F o u n d e r a n d Chairman, Manoj Ladwa “ T h e Y o u n g L e a d e r s F e l l o w s h i p p r o g r a m m e p r o v i d e s a n o u t s t a n d i n g o p p o r t u n i t y f o r students studying in the UK to work with India Global Forum, offering them practical work exper i e n c e , a c c e s s t o m e n t o r s h i p , invaluable leadership skills, and

cate that composers that put in a melody or songwriters can put in a few words

“I would say a lot of people find inspiration to open a new tab, get into some stuff and get some lyric ideas I just feel like it shouldn't replace the whole art of songwriting ”

Urging the current generation t o e m b r a c e e n t r e p r e n e u r s h i p , G a u t a m S h r o f f , M a n a g i n g Director & Head, Nuvama Group said, “Don't think of doing a job Try and be an entrepreneur There is a lot of support available now t h a t w a s n ’ t p r e v i o u s l y e a s y t o access ”

Designed to empower the next generation of leaders, prominent s p e a k e r s a n d successful youth leaders shared valuable insights on effective leadership strategies for the future

The Young Leaders Forum witn e s s e d e n g a g i n g d i s c u s s i o n s o n y o u t h - l e d i n n o v a t i o n & e n t r e p r e n e u r s h i p , p o l it i c s , a c t i v i s m , a n d c o m m u n i t y development Some notable speakers included: K Annamalai, BJP State President – Tamil Nadu, Ani l S he t ty , F o u n d e r , M e t a M a n , A l ex i n a P hi r i , M i n i s t e r i a l Programmes Lead - Asia Pacific, C h i n a a n d H o n g K o n g , Department of Business & Trade, Is hita Sawant, CEO & Founder, M e o l a a a n d R a j e s h A g ra w a l ( D e p u t y M a y o r f o r B u s i n e s s , London) UK

B JP Tamil Nadu s tate president stron gly defends India's democracy

I n d i a n p o l i t i c s o p e r a t e i n a uniquely Indian way If anyone wants to analyse us with a Western lens, they will fail " Asked about the possibility of I n d i a o f f e r i n g d u a l c i t i z e n s h i p ,

A n n a m a l a i i n d i c a t e d t h a t t h e

Indian Government was aware of the growing demand "If someone thinks dual citizenship isn't possible, I'll say wait for a few years We are open to listening to you, we will listen to you "

O n a q u e s t i o n a b o u t ' B r a i n

D r a i n ' f r o m I n d i a , A n n a m a l a i explained, "We should be grateful to the UK, because it is a country

indeed, companies lost investors in the UK And obviously what they're looking for here is just the m a r k e t b u t a l s o a l l t h a t g o e s around with it, the quality of services, the technology opportunities here, and the opportunity to build branding in the UK The UK still has a huge ability to set global narrative standards and use that as a springboard to further international expansion That is huge, but the other way around I'd say the I n d i a o p p o r t u n i t i e s a r e a l s o s t r o n g e r I n d i a n b u s i n e s s e s a r e now ambitiously looking for global opportunities, and partnerships w i t h I n d i a n b u s i n e s s e s i n t h e

t h e c h a n c e t o l e v e r a g e a n unmatched global network The future belongs to those who are determined to make a difference, a n d t h i s f e l l o w s h i p s e r v e s a s a stepping stone for our youngsters to become catalysts of progress, ”

he said

The inaugural event of UKIndia Week 2023, Young Leaders Forum, brought together young leaders, influencers, and changemakers from India and the UK, providing them with a platform to engage in meaningful discussions, exchange ideas, and share insights on the challenges and opportunities presented by youth leadership

W e i g h i n g i n o n t h e g l o b a l debate on artificial intelligence, p o p u l a r s i n g e r , s o n g w r i t e r , a n d youth icon, Armaan Malik said, “I don’t think you can replace human emotions and feeling what you ’ re writing about The whole art of songwriting is sitting with a composer and producer and writing what you ’ re feeling There are certain emotions that AI cannot repli-

In a strong rebuttal to Western m e d i a c r i t i c s , B J P T a m i l N a d u S t a t e P r e s i d e n t K A n n a m a l a i underscored India's commitment to democratic values The BJP leader was speaking at India Global Forum's first-ever Young Leaders F o r u m a t t h e N e h r u C e n t r e i n London on Saturday (June 24)

Answering a question from the audience on the criticism of India b y W e s t e r n m e d i a a n a l y s t s , Annamalai said, "Indian democracy i s d e e p - r o o t e d a n d v e r y o l d Democracy is in our DNA India is a complex country, and Indian politics cannot be fit into black and white "

Referring to the recent farmers' p r o t e s t s i n I n d i a d e m a n d i n g a repeal of 3 agriculture-related laws, Annamalai said, "If anyone wants to protest in India, they can block a highway for 9 months That is how deep our democracy is We allow o u r p r o t e s t e r s t o d o t h a t , e v e n Britain doesn't "

A p p e a l i n g t o t h e m e d i a , h e said, "It is easy to evaluate India from outside I request the media to come to stay with us and understand India and Indian politics

so gratefully allowing its borders to be open, not preventing anyone coming in, sharing its resources, treating every single person in the U K a b s o l u t e l y e q u a l l y a n d w e l l deservingly; So I would say it’s a model, and years from now [its possible] border silos will go "

T h e i n a u g u r a l e v e n t o f U KIndia Week 2023, Young Leaders Forum, convened young leaders, i n f l u e n c e r s , a n d c h a n g e - m a k e r s from India and the UK, providing them with a platform to engage in meaningful discussions, exchange ideas, and share insights on the challenges and opportunities presented by youth leadership

E n c o m p a s s i n g 1 2 m a r q u e e

e v e n t s w i t h 1 5 0 s p e a k e r s a n d

2 , 0 0 0 + p a r t i c i p a n t s , ‘ U K - I n d i a Week 2023 ’ brings together busin e s s l e a d e r s , p o l i c y m a k e r s , a n d thought leaders from India and the UK to discuss opportunities for further collaboration and growth between the two countries through a series of exclusive networking opportunities, panel discussions, and keynote speeches, covering a range of topics including trade, investment, innovation, technolog y , a n d s u s t a i n a b i l i t y , t h a t a r e a l i g n e d w i t h t h e o b j e c t i v e s o f R o a d m a p 2 0 3 0 U K - I n d i a W e e k 2023, described as a highly anticipated fixture in the bilateral calendar by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, runs until 30 June 2023

Indian-owned busin esses in the UK

On Monday, during a Q&A session at the UK India Week, a d d r e s s i n g c o n c e r n s o f I n d i a nowned businesses in the UK, High C om m i s s i o n e r Vi k ra m D or a i s w a m i s a i d , “ I n d i a n b u s inesses here have done extraordinarily well As per the last report the CII commissioned, there are 950 Indian businesses here What is surprising is how few people seem to go out in both camps at the end of going for 100,000 staff over, 100 times the top 10 in-game c o m p a n i e s a l o n e e m p l o y e d S o

Indian market, which is changing since 2014, at a degree pace that has been unprecedented, in particularly affected states in the rural areas It's an interesting thought, just for those of you in the digital business - 300 million people are on the internet in rural India So just see the scale of opportunity that creates for British businesses looking to offer new services or new products for a new market ” India’s soft power D u r i n g t h e c o n v e r s a t i o n , Doraiswami also said, “India's soft power lies in its history, its cultures, civilisational values, and of course, in something quite as sort of self-contained as yoga which captures all of this But it also lies in the value that Indian people bring Our student community has 145,000 students in this country businesses, and 950 businesses are up here as well as the quality of services, we have some of our finest hotels here The sense is that Indians are associated with t e c h n o l o g y , g o o d s e r v i c e w i t h hospitality with yoga and wellness, I think these are great pieces to put together and to package along with the rest of the relationship, which is of course about the, fortunately, counsel about tradeoffs in that we have in our relationship ”

Wha t's chan ged about the UK-I ndia relationshi p from the end of the Brexi t transi tion period to now?

British H igh Co mmissi oner to I nd i a, Al ex E ll i s s a i d , “ T h e U K doesn't have a choice It has to go big on India India is extremely attractive, but it's also quite challenging There's a collective interest in having a much bigger and broader relationship with India, which is forward looking, the art is converting the design into reality there, I think we still got a bit of work to do But as soon as the termination of the network depends o n s u s t a i n a b i l i t y , a s y o u k n o w , trade relationship ”

Labour Party Leader Sir Keir Starmer delivering keynote address at India Global Forum

British High Commissioner to India Alex Ellis and Indian High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswami at the UK-India Week 2023

BJP Tamil Nadu State President K Annamalai

UK-India trade deal

Addressing a question on the UK-India trade deal, Mr Ellis said, “India and UK are two very different economies of different sizes, that takes getting used to the UK is never negotiated trade in this kind of with a country of that sort of s h a p e e c o n o m y f o r I n d i a , n e w back into the FTAs struggle with the UAE

“There are always issues about goods and services But if you're negotiating numbers, you can get a deal The question is whether you can avoid some sticking consequences But in the end, it will require political determination I think there's a very powerful signal from the UK, you need to do a free trade deal First of all, in terms of l o w e r i n g t a r i f f s , a n d s o f o r t h , that's great, and now opens more access to services But secondly, it sends a signal to businesses about the conduct of doing business in each of these countries And that is growing very fast, as I said, but I think we could do more than find there is a strategic element to it It is a symbol to the world, that two of the biggest democracies in the world are able to do a trade deal a n d i t ' s a b o u t m o r e , i t ' s a b o u t business much more ”

The City of London hosts the first UK-India Sustainable Infrastructure Summit

T h e C i t y o f L o n d o n

Corporation hosted business and government leaders for the firste v e r U K - I n d i a I n f r a s t r u c t u r e Summit on June 27

T h e s u m m i t , w h i c h m a r k e d UK-India week celebrations, conv e n e d s u s t a i n a b l e f i n a n c e a n d infrastructure financing leaders to evaluate the growing demands in the sector and understand the key opportunities for partnership and investment to deliver sustainable infrastructure in India

H o s t e d i n p a r t n e r s h i p w i t h I n d i a G l o b a l F o r u m , t h e e v e n t emphasised the power of the UKIndia relationship and its significance in meeting shared goals and tackling the world’s largest challenges

L or d May or of the C ity o f L o nd o n, Ni cho la s Ly o ns s a i d :

“Sustainable infrastructure is critical for India’s economic trajectory and to meet the needs of its f a s t - g r o w i n g p o p u l a t i o n w h i l e fulfilling its ambition to reach net zero by 2070 With strong government backing and unparalleled g l o b a l e x p e r t i s e i n s u s t a i n a b l e finance and infrastructure financing solutions, the City of London and the UK can help India to a c c e s s o n e o f t h e l a r g e s t a n d diversified global capital pools on the best possible terms ”

The founder and chairman of the India Global Forum, Manoj Ladwa, said: “As the fastest growing major economy in the world, and the most populous, India has h u g e a s p i r a t i o n s a n d e q u a l l y huge responsibilities The rapid building of high-quality sustainable physical and digital infrastructure will be critical to achieving India’s growth trajectory, as w e l l a s b a l a n c i n g i t s n e t z e r o commitments I am confident that the UK and India, with the firepower of the City of London, c a n p u r p o s e l y u n l o c k t h e f u l l potential for a sustainable and

TIME TO RESET UK-INDIA RELATIONS?

Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer takes some crucial questions head-on, during a Q&A at the UK-India Week 2023

economy So, there are things that we can do and one of t h o s e f o r t u n e s i s going to be the partn e r s h i p a r r a n g em e n t w h e r e b u s inesses and government work together, strategically over a period of time Q-

prosperous future for both our nations and indeed, the world ”

UK Investment Minister ‘ very opt imistic’ about Free Trade Agreement with India

S p e a k i n g a t t h e ‘ U K - I n d i a Infrastructure Summit' hosted by City of London in association w i t h I n d i a G l o b a l F o r u m , U K

In ves tm en t Mi ni ste r L ord

Dominic Johnson, underscored the importance of the Free Trade deal for both UK and India, while steering clear of committing to a t i m e f r a m e J o h n s o n s a i d , “ I ' m very optimistic because I think it is very important to do a trade deal for both sides and it's reall y i m p o r t a n t f o r b u s i n e s s t o express their support for such a deal because it’s about allowing b u s i n e s s e s t o f u n c t i o n m o r e effectively with greater profits, w e a l t h a n d s e c u r i t y f o r t h e world ”

“ F r o m t h e p e r s p e c t i v e o f

British business in India, I will continue to push for the simplification of interstate activities in terms of entrepreneurial regulations between states that are selling goods and services And, I will

c o n t i n u e t o p u s h f o r g r e a t e r work when it comes to a free trade, because that that will help us to put more money into growing the economy to provide the jobs for the next generation ”

Founder and Chairman, IGF, Manoj Ladwa in his address said, "As the fastest growing major economy in the world, and the most populous, India has huge a s p i r a t i o n s a n d e q u a l l y h u g e responsibilities The rapid building of high quality sustainable physical and digital infrastructure will be critical to achieving India’s growth trajectory, as well as balancing its net zero commitments " V i k r a m D o r a i s w a m i , H i g h Commissioner of India to the UK, and B V R Subrahmanyam, CEO, NITI Aayog made a strong c a s e f o r t h e C i t y o f L o n d o n investing in sustainable infrastructure in India, while showcasing recent policy, legislative and social changes in India

Doraiswami remarked, “The cause of investing in India has never been a better one That is in other words, there is no better reason for you to invest in India not just for profit, but also for the social benefit and the environmental benefit; for the totality And I would argue that your interests are best served in aligning with us in making sure that the transformation of India happens in a way that does not replicate any of the faults of the past ”

“UK particularly the City of London has excellent capabilities i n s t r u c t u r i n g a n d f u n n e l l i n g finance where it is needed. UK has demonstrated technological capabilities while India is at the f r o n t i e r s o f i n n o v a t i o n C o m b i n i n g t e c h n o l o g y w i t h f i n a n c i n g w o u l d e n h a n c e t h e c o o p e r a t i o n , ” s a i d Subrahmanyam

Bullish on India, Lord Jitesh Gadhia, Member House of Lords, Me mb er of the Cou rt of Directors, Bank of England said, “India has a tailwind which is a c o m b i n a t i o n o f e c o n o m i c s , demographics and political stability ” Referring to Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer’s remarks o n t h e F T A a t I n d i a G l o b a l Forum, he said, “ The statement on FTA is a good sign; it proves whatever the electoral outcome in Britain, the Indian relationship is strategic ”

C o m m e n t i n g o n t h e f o u r areas of focus for Adani Green En ergy L im ite d, C EO Am it Singh, remarked, “Securing your resources, developing a supplier ecosystem that is diverse, application of technology, and doing it through the lens of sustainability ”

N i c h o l a s L y o n s , t h e L o r d Mayor of the City of London, e m p h a s i s e d L o n d o n ’ s u n p a r a lleled global expertise in sustainable finance and infrastructure financing solutions “UK should be a partner of choice for India for its infrastructure needs; the City of London & the UK can help India into the largest & most diversified global capital pools on the best possible terms ”

“We have up to 4bn pounds of capacity to use in India,” said Caroline Healy, Deputy Director – I n t e r n a t i o n a l R e l a t i o n s , U K Export Finance “My key message is that UK Export Finance wants to do more business in India, we ’ ve got capacity and we ’ ve got the product suite ”

As laid out in Roadmap 2030, this collaboration constitutes a critical component of the IndiaUK partnership in addressing climate change Other participants included: Riddhima Yadav (Vice P r e s i d e n t , B r o o k f i e l d A s s e t Management), Sriram Krishnan ( C h i e f B u s i n e s s D e v e l o p m e n t Officer, National Stock Exchange of India Limited), Sameer Sinha (Founder and MD, Savvy Group), A n k u s h A g a r w a l ( H e a d o f Financial Services, Ola Electric), Uday Khemka (Vice Chair, Sun Group) and Gurdeep Singh Kohli (Founding Member SC Ventures, Standard Chartered)

Q-Do you want to press Control, Alt, Delete, and reset relations between the UK and India?

KS: I do think we need to look forward or backwards And I think from time-to-time resetting is the right approach What I'm trying to sell out today isn't the basis of that future relationship but recognises the past, of course, what actually sees the two countries now going together in a relationship of openness and respect in the way I've tried to set out So, it's very much l o o k i n g f o r w a r d , o r b a c k w a r d knowledge in history, but actually setting up the aspiration the ambition for the future

What about trade with the EU, a lot of those Indian businesses would quite like to use UK as a jumping-off place for Europe, how we can improve that, even within the constraints of Brexit?

KS: Well, we've left the EU, and there's no case for going back We must make Brexit work With a closer relationship with the EU, I do think there are areas we can work together for science and education skills, certainly the creative sector or security, I think there are s e v e r a l w a y s i n w h i c h w e c a n improve on that relationship

Q-

It's fair to say that the relationship between the Labour Party in India has been challenging, maybe even prickly Why do you think that is?

KS: There are lots of issues in the Labour Party where over the l a s t t w o y e a r s , w e h a v e o p e n l y taken the decision to change our party to look out to the world in a different way And to recognise when it comes to India well to what an incredibly powerful country in the areas of authenticity going forward, and to ensure that we have the right relationship forward And that's why I want to be open about the (free) trade deal, which I hope we can negotiate So obviously, the number of rounds still works, we share that ambition But here's the first step In our strategic partnership, it goes way beyond just the trade

What would you push in order to get that trade deal done? I do think it's a question of being clear about what our values and priorities have There are a lot of issues in the mix in the trade deal I'm not privy to the rounds going on in precise detail I think everybody understands the fundamentals in terms of goods and services, and the skills matrix, that has to be part o f t h e d i s c u s s i o n o f a n y t r a d e agreement

Q- How will you encourage more investment from Indian businesses?

KS: We have to have stability if we need to get our economy back under control Of course, it is legitimate to ask why the UK is always hit harder than other countries We got to sort that out if we're to attract investment and we have huge amounts of work to do on skills Most businesses say they can t get the skills they need when they need them I have to address that, to create the conditions to take advantage of AI and technology, which is moving up the pace and could be a huge boost for the

Q- I'd love to hear a little deeper about how that pursuit of economic growth is consistent with your climate ambitions You've mentioned clean technology and Indian renewables How do those fit together?

KS: I think they fit perfectly together through fantastic There are opportunities when it comes to climate change and the changes needed in our economy are part and parcel of the origin of our growth If we push forward, we've got one of our missions There are five issues when it comes to government And these will determine everything that we do- our priorit i e s , d e c i s i o n - m a k i n g , s t r a t e g i c thinking, partnership, and stay the course when politics and political events will try to knock you off the course One of them is clean power generation by 2030 which is going to be tough But if we achieve that, we will have cheaper bills, hugely important for businesses There's no business in the last two years that hasn't felt the impact of higher energy bills

Q-

Let's talk briefly about your potential role as the next prime minister in a relationship with Prime Minister Modi How do you see that working relationship UK potentially as a diminishing power, India's a growing power?

KS: I think that relationship should be a respectful, open relat i o n s h i p , t h a t ’ s b a s e d o n t h e future, not the past

Q-

There were some discussions where you mentioned the history of inequality and exploitation during the colonial era How should the UK approach this issue of empire? Does it still have relevance in the modern world about the Kohinoor diamond?

KS: It should be the defining feature of how we go forward We have used the word reset before, this is what I mean by saying resetting relationship, which recognises where we are now, rather than defining ourselves by the past

Lord Mayor of the City of London, Nicholas Lyons

Sir Keir Starmer during his interview

Shree Jagannatha Society UK hosts Ratha Yatra festival

Amidst joyous cries of ‘Hari Bolo’ and ‘Jai Jagannatha’, the auspicious Ratha Yatra of Lord Jagannatha was celebrated on Sunday, 25 June 2023, with great fanfare by S hr ee Jagannath a S ociety U K ( SJ SUK ) at S ou t hal l , London in the presence of hundreds of ecstatic devotees

A s p e r t h e H i n d u Calendar, a symbolic Ratha Y a t r a w a s c o n d u c t e d b y SJSUK on the 20th of June

To enable Jagannatha devotees across London and the UK to celebrate this grand j o u r n e y o f t h e L o r d Jagannatha and His divine s i b l i n g s L o r d B a l a b h a d r a and Devi Subhadra, when the deities travel on their annual trip to the abode of t h e i r a u n t i n G u n d i c h a Mandir, SJSUK organised a m a j e s t i c f e s t i v a l a t T h e V i l l i e r s H i g h S c h o o l Southall where participants c o u l d m i n g l e f r e e l y w i t h the deities

Over 500 devotees of all ages – from as young as 3 y e a r s o l d t o t h o s e o f advanced years in their 80s – thronged the venue, joining in the festivities, chanting the name of the Lord, dancing joyously as bhajans and kirtans were sung, and blissfully pulling the chariot along

T h e e l a b o r a t e r i t u a l s

a n d f e s t i v i t i e s w e r e c o nducted in accordance with Jagannatha ‘Riti' (age old p r a c t i c e s a n d t r a d i t i o n s ) practiced by priests from Shri Jagannatha Mandir in Puri, Odisha and as per the ‘ V i d h i ’ ( r e l i g i o u s p r o c edures) laid out in Skanda

P u r a n a A n e w l y r e f u rbished resplendent ‘Ratha' ( c h a r i o t ) , l o v i n g l y h a n dc o n s t r u c t e d , p a i n t e d a n d decorated by devotees who volunteered their time and effort over several days of p a i n - s t a k i n g e f f o r t , w a s readied to carry the deities, L o r d J a g a n n a t h a , Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Sudarshana The Ratha Yatra rituals began with the divine deities adorned with new clothes and bedecked with beautiful flowers and jewellery on their throne in S o u t h a l l ’ s S h r i R a m M a n d i r T h e r e a f t e r , i n a grand ceremonial Pahandi Yatra, rhythmically swaying to the sounds of bells, cymbals and conch shells, the ' V i g r a h a M u r t i s ' o f t h e Lords were lovingly carried

by devotees to Villiers High School

A f t e r t h e ' R a t h a Pratishtha' (consecration of t h e C h a r i o t ) p u j a , t h e deities were adorned with e l a b o r a t e h e a d g e a r m a d e from flower arrangements They were then carried to t h e i r c h a r i o t b y a r i t u a l 'Pahandi Bije' procession, w i t h e c s t a t i c d e v o t e e s swaying and dancing to the b e a t s o f c y m b a l s a n d conches, leaving the gathered onlookers enthralled The 'Chhera Pahanra' ritual, where the chariot was s w e p t b y a c e r e m o n i a l b r o o m a n d c l e a n e d , w a s performed The chariot was then pulled in ceremonial procession as cymbals and conches rang out in jubilat i o n , c r i e s o f ‘ H a r i B o l o ’

Diaspora celebrates Ratha Yatra in London

The R ath Yatr a of J a g a n n a t h Puri holds a s i g n i f i c a n t plac e i n the Hi ndu c alendar and is celebrated with great enthusiasm in the state of Odisha, India, every year T h i s f e s t i v a l d r a w s i n thousands of devotees who e a g e r l y g a t h e r t o c a t c h a glimpse of the chariots carr y i n g t h e i d o l s o f L o r d

o w n R a t h

rent the air, and devotees sang and danced in blissful worship of the Lord of the U n i v e r s e , M a h a p r a b h u Jagannatha The highlight was the mellifluous bhajans sung with utmost devotion by young children, clearly demonstrating that the rich J a g a n n a t h a c u l t u r e a n d Indian ethos has taken root i n t h e U n i t e d K i n g d o m Devotees were able to offer Puja to the deities on the chariot, and avail this most r a r e o p p o r t u n i t y t o s e e k His blessings

The devotees were also t r e a t e d t o d e l i c i o u s ' C h h a p p a n B h o g P r a s a d ' which comprises of 56 special delicacies and included such unique delicacies like 'chhena taadia, poda pitha, khiramohana' etc

Memorial held at The Bhavan to pay tribute to Indra Sethia

A memorial for Indra Sethia was held at The Bhavan on Thursday 22 June, in the presence of his family, friends, colleagues, and dear ones

Mr Sethia was associated with The Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan London from midseventies until he passed away on Saturday 3 June 2023 Indraji, as he was popularly known, joined The Bhavan in the mid-70’s –initially as a donor, then as one of the Executive Committee members He first became the Joint Treasurer and finally Bhavan’s Hon Treasurer

The evening began with a Jain prayer by Keerti Sethia after which Bhavan’s Executive director Dr M N Nandakumara offered a Vedic prayer

This was followed by heart-warming tributes by Bhavan’s Executive Committee members Varinder Singh, Jayshree Rajkotia, Manubhai Ramji, Kaushik Nathwani who shared their memories and spoke of his wonderful personality and contributions to The Bhavan

C B Patel, Chairman of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar, spoke about his connection with Indraji, his family, warmth and kindness

Dr Nandakumara remembered Indraji’s long and selfless contributions and association with The Bhavan fondly

The Bhavan’s Chairman Subhanu Saxena paid tributes quoting Vedas and the Bhagavad Gita He too recalled having known Indraji right from the time he joined The Bhavan as a Sanskrit student back in the eighties

Staff Parvati Nair also spoke fondly recalling Indraji’s association with her and The Bhavan

Tribute by the family and friends

Indraji’s family spoke movingly about his life His daughters, Keerti and Aarti reminded the audience that he was the first Indian to be admitted to the Institute of Directors and the longest serving member of the Bhavan’s Executive Committee But despite his achievements, Indraji remained a humble man with kind heart

His son-in-law, Philip Thomas, shared how they were united in their love for family and cricket Chetan Pugalia (nephew) recalled Indraji’s zest for life, wit, warmth and charm

His granddaughter, Mihira, described him as a ‘ man of charisma, culture and towering intelligence ’ whose association with the Bhavan inspired his love for arts and culture from across India

Finally, his son, Ramesh, described how Indraji would have been overwhelmed to

have been commemorated by so many people who held him in such high regards Sumaniji, Pratibhapragyaji and Punyapragyaji, chanted Jain prayers to conclude

The evening ended with a Hindustani vocal rendition of Ram Bhajan by students of Chandrima Misra, the resident Hindustani vocal teacher of Bhavan followed by prashad served for all

The event was a fitting tribute to the life of Indraji, and his legacy will be remembered and cherished by one and all

Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Goddess Subhadra The Jagannath Temple, as one of t h e f o u r m a i n p i l g r i m a g e sites known as Char Dham, holds immense spiritual and religious importance Over the years, this widely celebrated festival has seen participation from the global d i a s p o r a , w i t h v a r i o u s r e g i o n s o r g a n i s i n g t h e i r

Y a t r a s , o r c h a r i o t f e s t ivals The first Rath Yatra in London took place in 1969, o r c h e s t r a t e d by a group of pioneering devotees and their congreg a t i o n S t a r t i n g f r o m Marble Arch, the procession made its way to Trafalgar Square Shyamasundar Dasa c o n s t r u c t e d t h e i n a u g u r a l chariot for Lord Jagannath in London Following Srila P r a b h u p a d a ' s i n s t r u c t i o n s f r o m I S K C O N , t h e d e i t y idols were crafted to exude captivating beauty, intende d t o a t t r a c t e v e r y o n e ' s attention These deity idols continue to be worshiped in London, and once a year, they are paraded through the streets, culminating in Trafalgar Square

Charities team up to raise dementia awareness in Leicester

South Asian community

Peopl e f rom Sout h As i an backgrounds are more likely to develop dementia than the general UK population Res e arc her s don ’t ful ly understand why this is, but certain cultural and social factors, as well as a higher risk of other health conditions like heart disease and stroke may play a role

R e c e n t r e p o r t s h a v e highlighted delays in seeking and receiving a dement i a d i a g n o s i s f o r p e o p l e f r o m S o u t h A s i a n b a c kgrounds, as well as worse long-term health outcomes

There is also under-repres e n t a t i o n o f p e o p l e f r o m South Asian backgrounds in m e d i c a l r e s e a r c h s t u d i e s , meaning their findings are not representative

T o t a c k l e t h i s , A l z h e i m e r ’ s R e s e a r c h U K a n d S o u t h A s i a n H e a l t h Action is piloting a scheme t o r e c r u i t p e o p l e f r o m S o u t h A s i a n c o m m u n i t i e s across Leicester to become D e m e n t i a C o m m u n i t y Champions They are inviting people to learn more about the condition at a free e v e n t a t t h e B e l g r a v e N e i g h b o r h o o d C e n t r e o n

Saturday 24 June from 1:30 –3:30pm

The charity has partn e r e d w i t h S o u t h A s i a n Health Action, a leading UK British Asian health charity, t o t r a i n l o c a l D e m e n t i a C o m m u n i t y C h a m p i o n s who will run the event in t h e h e a r t o f L e i c e s t e r ’ s South Asian Community

Labour MP Barry Gardiner and founder of Labour Friends of India, was conferred with Padma Shri in 2020 for his contributions in public affairs

Since he could not receive the award in person then, on Friday, 23 June 2023, an event was hosted by the High Commission of India, at India House, to present him with the honour

Peter Brook, the British theatre director who was behind an epic adaptation of ‘The Mahabharata’, that world toured in the 1980s, was awarded Padma Shri in 2021 for contributions in the field of art Since he died in 2022, aged 97, his son accepted the honour on his behalf at this event

HE Vikram Doraiswami, Indian High Commissioner to the UK said, “We felicitate two very distinguished friends of India; honouring them for their friendship and the long years of service to the friendship between our peoples and to fostering greater understanding

Devotees during Ratha Yatra

A fitting tribute by granddaughter Mihira

CB Patel Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar won the Lifetime Achievement category at the Achievement Awards 2023 organised by the World Tamil Organisation and Global Tamil Economic Conference London in the House of Commons on Friday 23 June

HE Vikram Doraiswami presenting the Padma Shri award to Barry Gardiner MP at India House

Anusha Singh

Sh alina Patel is a hig hly accomplished historian, teach er, and writer who has mad e significant contributions to th e field of ed u cati o n, p arti cu larl y i n d e co l o ni zi n g t h e h i s to r y curriculum in th e UK Fo r th e past 12 years, she h as been teach i ng Hi sto ry at Claremont High Sch ool, a prominent mixed com preh en si v e s c h o o l in W es t Londo n R e c o g n i z e d f o r h e r exceptional teaching skills a n d d e d i c a t i o n , S h a l i n a r e c e i v e d t h e p r e s t i g i o u s S i l v e r P e a r s o n T e a c h i n g Award for Teacher of the Year in a Secondary School in 2018 In 2020, she was also honoured with a GG2 L e a d e r s h i p & D i v e r s i t y Award, an esteemed recognition that she shares with notable individuals such as Bernadine Evaristo

W i t h h e r e x t e n s i v e experience, dedication, and i n n o v a t i v e a p p r o a c h t o education, she has emerged as one of the leading figures in the movement to decolonize the history curriculum in the UK Her expertise and passion for decolonizing education have led her to spearhead a new program focused on decolonizing primary and secondary school curricula This init i a t i v e h a s r e c e i v e d widespread recognition and h a s b e e n a d o p t e d b y n u m e r o u s s c h o o l s a c r o s s the nation Her efforts have been instrumental in bringing about positive change, f o s t e r i n g i n c l u s i v i t y , a n d encouraging a more diverse and representative unders t a n d i n g o f h i s t o r y i n schools nationwide

Shalina, in a conversation with the Asian voice, discusses about the importance of women in history and why the colonial past of the Empire needs to be a part of the school curriculum

Why is it important to educate students across the UK, on the empire s history?

T h e h i s t o r y o f t h e e m p i r e i s s o i m p o r t a n t because it explains so much about why Britain is the way it is today, from the different people that live here to the content of our museums

Secondly, we need to t h i n k a b o u t t h i s a s o u r shared history For examp l e , s o m e t h i n g l i k e t h e Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 1919 is as much a part of Britain’s history as it is part of India’s

Finally there is also so much classic ‘school history ’ that intersects with the empire such as the world

important and a context all schools will already teach

The story of WW2 spy Noor Inayat Khan is one of my favourites to bring in before we teach about D-Day

Exploring the wellness aspect of music

Sunita Khau nd Bhuyan is a v iolinist and HR professional on Wellness, leadership an d c h an g e in te rv e nti o ns th r o u g h th e m ed iu m o f mu sic and h as 25 years o f experience in the field

that an organization wants to drive through the music What do you have to say about women in music and the opportunities they have access to?

wars, with for example prepartition India sending over 2 5 million soldiers, which i s t h e l a r g e s t v o l u n t e e r army in history! The story of the empire can be taught alongside so many historical contexts that students already come across in the history classroom What are some issues related to diaspora and women’s rights that you make sure you discuss with your students?

We try to shine a light on issues like the import a n c e o f v o t i n g a n d t h e fight and struggle that went into this so that students understand the importance of exercising their democratic right to vote when they are older I love to t e a c h a b o u t w o m e n t h a t fought for rights and freedoms here in the UK There are so many examples of this We teach our students for example about Sophia Duleep Singh who was a s u f f r a g e t t e S h e d i d s o m a n y b r i l l i a n t t h i n g s t o p r o t e s t f o r w o m e n ’ s s u ffrage, including boycotting the 1911 census and refusing t o p a y h e r t a x e s u n t i l w o m e n g o t t h e v o t e S t u d e n t s a r e o f t e n s u rprised to learn there was a suffragette of South Asian heritage

It’s also really important that students are aware o f t h e s t r u g g l e s m i g r a n t c o m m u n i t i e s f a c e d w h e n they moved to Britain For example, we also mention the struggle faced by Anwar Ditta who had to campaign against the Home Office on the late 1970s for the right for her children to move here

Tanika Gupta s play The Empress , based on the stories of ayahs and lascars in Queen Victoria’s reign, was included in the GCSE curriculum in 2019 What other works related to the empire and diaspora history, according to you should be included in the study curriculum across the UK?

There’s so much scope f o r t e a c h i n g e m p i r e a n d diaspora history within the curriculum The contribution of the empire to the w o r l d w a r s i s i n c r e d i b l y

Doing case studies of different places across the empire is really important a s t h e e x p e r i e n c e s o f c o l o n i s e d p e o p l e w a s n ’ t homogenous – so for example showing students the s i m i l a r i t i e s a n d c r u c i a l l y t h e d i f f e r e n c e s i n h o w i n d i g e n o u s g r o u p s w e r e treated in Australia vs how Indians were treated under t h e E a s t I n d i a C o m p a n y and British Raj

Another facet of imperial history I’d love to see covered more is indentured servitude as this explains why there are Indian diaspora communities in places like Guyana

The upcoming Trailblazers event which you will be joining as a speaker, pays tribute to Rani Laxmi Bai, Sophia Duleep Singh, and Homai Vyarawala Do you think that the women in history are easily side-tracked and forgotten? Can you share the importance of paying homage to the stories of these women?

I think that the classic idea of history being written by the victors rings true a n d p l a y s a r o l e h e r e Women throughout history h a v e t r a d i t i o n a l l y b e e n side-lined due to a lack of a r c h i v a l e v i d e n c e a b o u t them, for example Lack of a c c e s s t o e d u c a t i o n f o r w o m e n h a s m e a n t t h e y were also less likely to write l e t t e r s a n d d i a r i e s f o r example Race and class of course also come into this T h e r e m u s t b e c o u n t l e s s s t o r i e s o f e x t r a o r d i n a r y women which have theref o r e f a l l e n t h r o u g h t h e c r a c k s I t ’ s t h e r e f o r e s o important to celebrate the s t o r i e s o f w o m e n w e d o know about – and to share them as widely as possible What other trailblazing women do you wish were discussed and celebrated more often?

There are so many! One of my favourites is Jayben Desai whom we teach in the context of a post-1945 unit we cover on protests She was heavily involved in the Grunwick Strike which started in Willesden in 1976 and was a dispute over pay a n d w o r k i n g c o n d i t i o n s , particularly related to how migrant women were being treated in the workplace This protest involved walko u t s a n d e v e n h u n g e r s t r i k e s T h e i m a g e s o f Jayaben and her colleagues in their saris and cardigans h o l d i n g u p p l a c a r d s a r e quite striking

With a musical journey s p a n n i n g t w o d e c a d e s , S u n i t a h a s e m b a r k e d o n numerous tours throughout the United Kingdom, captivating audiences across the c o u n t r y a n d h a s l e f t a n indelible mark on the UK's m u s i c s c e n e S u n i t a h a s shattered myths as the first violinist in India to masterf u l l y p l a y A s s a m e s e f o l k t u n e s o n t h i s c l a s s i c a l instrument

H e r e , s h e s p e a k s t o Asian Voice about empowe r i n g t a l e n t s a n d w h a t music means to her

What do you hope to achieve with your partnership with the Delphic Council?

G i v e n t h a t m y m a i n work is to look at a greater awareness of the benefits of music than just entertainment, the Delphic Council attracted me It is more than just about the livelihoods of artists

I was very keen to partn e r w i t h t h e m t o c r e a t e awareness about the wellb e i n g a s p e c t o f m u s i c because music has its own s c i e n t i f i c i m p a c t o n t h e brain Also, as an artist who h a s h a d t h e p r i v i l e g e o f access, I want to be able to pave the way for those who d o n ’ t T h e r e a r e a l o t o f artists who are so talented but don't have access So it's always nice to be part of a forum where we can give access to artists

Can you elaborate on your work as an ambassador for the South Asian Women’s fund in Sri Lanka?

When you are listening t o m u s i c , t h e e n d o r p h i n s

f l o w i n t h e b o d y T h a t s what creates the feel-good hormone- dopamine, and if you can tap it with two more h o r m o n e s , s e r o t o n i n a n d o x y t o c i n , t h e r e s u l t s a r e therapeutic Using music for those who need it is where m y a s s o c i a t i o n w i t h t h e South Asian Women's Fund stems from Apart from that, I'm a joyful ambassador for Don Bosco, both in Mumbai and in Assam where they rehabilitate street children Engagement in music helps them heal and gets the best out of them We can also evaluate their faculties to m u s i c , a n d t h a t a c t u a l l y fuels their academic careers It creates better cognitive health

What does your role as an HR professional on Wellness, leadership and change through the medium of music entail?

I use music for learning and training interventions, which is my main occupat i o n T w e n t y - f i v e y e a r s back, I introduced the concept of art as a medium for leadership and as a medium for therapy and healing I introduced music in the corporate world as a learning tool and an enrichment prog r a m , s o m e t i m e s a l s o h i n g e d o n r e c r e a t i o n I t started from Friday meets a n d w e n t i n t o t r a i n i n g Initially, it started as a music program and today, it's definitely more structured with great outcomes It's about s p e c i f i c l e a d e r s h i p v a l u e s

At least 50% of women d o n t g e t a c c e s s t o f a i r o p p o r t u n i t i e s F o r m e , i t was always my own little niche So, to figure out a lot of things that most artists go through is difficult for me to imagine But even when it comes to corporate, there is gender bias in the boardroom or outside And once a woman is doing something completely on merit, people look at our connections But no one will understand that the connections have been created because of what you have done It's a very thin tightrope for women at this point

How has the art of music transformed over the generations in your family?

T e a c h i n g m u s i c i s a huge devotion And I don't t h i n k a n y o n e c a n m a t c h that to my mother She s one of the most senior violinists of Assam and she is never after any recognition My generation needs gratification My mother was very strict I had not played a song till I was 20- 25 years old But I realise that the way she build the depth has helped me play Scottish folk and other complicated tunes today It's all because of the depth of the discipline Now my son is trained in Western classical So it's a structured approach Also, me and my mother play music for the people but with my son it depends on whether he wants to and the ambiance There is also a generational gap, obviously I think the new generation is v e r y f o c u s e d a n d t h e y ' r e v e r y d r i v e n b y w h a t t h e internet So, you know, I find it quite unnerving

Taj 51 Buckingham Gate Suites and Residences hosts Sunita Bhuyan for a showstopping musical performance

Taj, The Chambers presents Rendezvous event series

On Sun day 25t h June Taj 51 Bu c k i n g h a m G a t e , S u it e s a n d R e sid e n ce s h ost e d a n e n t h r a ll in g e v e n i n g o f Ind ian a rt s and cultur e a s p a r t o f it s R e n d e zv o u s e ven ts, which is a se ries of s p e ci a ll y cu r a t e d e v e n t s a vailable to me mbe rs of Taj’ s pr iv at e me mbe rs club Ta j, The C hambers S u n i t a B h u y a n , r e n o w n e d v i o l i n i s t a n d advocate for the transformative power of music, gave a showstopping performance t o g u e s t s T h e e x c l u s i v e showcase was delivered in association with the Delphic Council of London to celebrate World Music Day The aim was to raise awareness

about the benefits of music, as well as creating a platform for artists The partnership aims to contribute towards fostering a thriving creator economy

W i t h a n i l l u s t r i o u s

c a r e e r , S u n i t a B h u y a n s m u s i c a l j o u r n e y i n c l u d e s two decades of touring the United Kingdom and captivating audiences across the UK through diverse collabor a t i o n s l i k e G l a s g o w a n d Edinburgh Mela under the C r e a t i v e S c o t l a n d b a n n e r ;

a n d f o r t h e H i g h Commission of India in the UK Breaking barriers and w i t h a m i s s i o n t o i m p a c t l i v e s t h r o u g h m u s i c a n d

e f f e c t p o s i t i v e c h a n g e ,

Sunita has challenged myths as the first violinist in India to play Assamese folk on the violin Additionally, she is t h e o n l y H R p r a c t i t i o n e r who trains executives and y o u t h i n C r e a t i v i t y , Wellbeing, and Leadership through music

Taj 51 Buckingham Gate Suites and Residences has recently welcomed a number of musical and cultural s t a r s t o i t s h o t e l , h o s t i n g p e r f o r m a n c e s f o r g u e s t s R e c e n t p e r f o r m e r s a l s o include the pop queen of India Usha Uthup and legendary Indian classic Sarod players and brothers, Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash

“There’s so much scope for teaching empire and diaspora history within the curriculum”

Shalina Patel

Sunita Bhuyan

Should

the London-Ahmedabad direct flight operate from Gatwick or Heathrow?

Dear read ers, Fo r th e p ast few mo nths , the Gu jarati com mu ni ty in Britain has d eb ate d w h et h er H ea th ro w o r Gatwick should serve as the departure airp ort for the d irect flig ht between L ond on and Ah medabad

Earlier, this flights were operated from Heathrow Airport, but it is now being operated from Gatwick Airport This decision by the flight operator, Air India has impacted majority of G u j a r a t i s w h o w a n t t o v i s i t t h e i r motherland

We already have raised this issue in Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar We wrote a letter to the CEO of Air I n d i a a n d M a n a g i n g D i r e c t o r , Campbell Wilson citing the inconven i e n c e c a u s e d t o t r a v e l e r s a n d r e q u e s t e d t h e m t o r e c o n s i d e r t h e d e c i s i o n t o o p e r a t e t h e L o n d o nA h m e d a b a d - L o n d o n d i r e c t f l i g h t from Gatwick Airport

Currently, Air India operates three f l i g h t s p e r w e e k o n t h e L o n d o nA h m e d a b a d - L o n d o n r o u t e a n d a l l t h r e e f l i g h t s d e p a r t f r o m G a t w i c k Airport On behalf of the Gujarati c o m m u n i t y w e r e q u e s t t h e f l i g h t operator to convert at least one direct flight be run from Heathrow This demand is justified by the fact that

• About 65 per cent of Gujaratis living in Britain reside in Greater L o n d o n ( w i t h i n t h e M 2 5 ) a n d another 15 to 20 per cent live in the E a s t / W e s t M i d l a n d s , i e Birmingham, Leicester etc

• S e c o n d , t h e 2 0 - 3 0 m i l e a r e a a r o u n d G a t w i c k A i r p o r t i n c l u d e s parts of South London It might be convenient for locals, but Heathrow Airport offers greater flexibility in

terms of distance, journey time, and public transport costs for r e s i d e n t s i n E s s e x , Hertfordshire, North London, North East, North West, South

W e s t , C e n t r a l a n d W e s t London

It’s worth mentioning that t h e I n d i a n P r i m e M i n i s t e r Narendra Modi during his historic visit to Britain in 2015, made an a n n o u n c e m e n t t o r e s u m e t h e L o n d o n - A h m e d a b a d - L o n d o n d i r e c t flight, while addressing the enthusiastic audience at Wembley Stadium on November 13 Mr Modi praised the direct flight campaign carried out by A s i a n V o i c e - G u j a r a t S a m a c h a r f o r resuming this flight The announcement of the continuation of direct f l i g h t s w a s w e l c o m e d w i t h g r e a t enthusiasm as tourists visiting Gujarat knew the importance of this direct flight

T h i s f l i g h t ' s u s e f u l n e s s i s e v idenced by the fact that it is usually booked in advance

Although, the management of Air India has made a very concrete decision by choosing to operate the flights f r o m G a t w i c k A i r p o r t r a t h e r t h a n Heathrow, our contention is that the company should not only consider the profit-loss, but also the convenience of the passengers Resuming direct f l i g h t s b e t w e e n L o n d o n a n d A h m e d a b a d w a s a g r e a t r e l i e f t o c o u n t l e s s p a s s e n g e r s I n t h e p a s t , extensive transit stays in MumbaiDelhi or the Middle East prevented many elderly people, travelers with disabilities, mothers travelling alone with children, families etc from visiting their home countries For these

Misadventure Supreme

Although misadventures could be costly, both in lives and finances, it is widely accepted that without such adventure, the under-water trip to the sunken remains of one of the most talked about ships, one and only “Titanic” described unsinkable when it was launched, yet it perished on her maiden voyage with some 1600 casualties, most of the human remains are still locked up in their cabins It would be sacrilege to disturb souls resting in their beloved ship Titanic, their final resting place

So, the latest expedition, no more than a tourist curiosity, was ill advised, to say the least Suspicious people devoted to the sunken ship may even say that this was the punishment for disturbing the resting souls, invading their private space! But for the relatives of the people who perished, it was a heart-rending, sad, and painful experience they will never forget

This expedition was not the first, nor it will be the last, as with the passage of time, the curiosity, the magic of the ship is increasing by leaps and bounds But it is of utmost importance that rules and regulations are tightened, made full proof to avoid further loss of lives associated with Titanic It is widely assumed that the material used was not up to the standard, capable of withstanding the water pressure at the depth of some four to six hundred meters

Bhupen dra M Gand hi

people, direct flight has proved to be a true blessing The most popular flight f o r t r a v e l l e r s i s f r o m L o n d o n

H e a t h r o w t o A h m e d a b a d o r v i c e versa Money, energy, and time are all saved

Several readers have suggested to us that we need to work together to

m a k e s u r e t h a t H e a t h r o w A i r p o r t operates at least one direct flight on t h e L o n d o n - A h m e d a b a d - L o n d o n route We also want more and more readers to sign up for this campaign Please share your opinions with me on this matter which will also guide us further

Y o u c a n e m a i l m e o n cb patel@abplgroup com or send a lett e r a t o u r o f f i c e a d d r e s s ( A s i a n Business Publications Ltd , Units 207208, Harrow Business Centre, 429-433 P i n n e r R o a d , N o r t h H a r r o w , Middlesex, HA1 4HN) Do mention your complete name and address in the letter or email that you forward to me Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar are committed to serve its readers, s u p p o r t e r s a n d t h e c o m m u n i t y a t large But we are incomplete without your support and guidance

Yours,

C B P atel

Publisher & Editor-in-Ch ief

Modi-Biden bonhomie will strengthen India-US relationships

An article on “Modi-Biden bonhomie will strengthen India-US relationships” in AV clearly shows the in-depth relationship between the two countries There are many common areas but the most important is a smooth flow of skilled manpower from India to America Top bosses of Alphabet, IBM and Microsoft are from India which shows that the sky is the limit for those who are excellent in academics and other soft skills

Modi has been able to meet many top-level people of the world not only from politics but also from the business fraternity which is one of the greatest achievements of his visit He has addressed the US Congress for the second time which is also a great honour I think, there is no other leader in the world who can speak with such fluency without any notes or pre-prepared lectures that too in English which is not his first language His knowledge about the US or wherever he visits is such that some time event native people of that country are amazed

He has transformed India’s image in the hearts and minds of people around the world in such a short span that it will become history There is no doubt about his victory in 2024 general election in India Today all the countries of the world, irrespective of what their perceptions were in the past, are interested in India and want to participate, invest and learn from India

Hitesh Hing u

India-US relations have become stronger

US President and his wife, breaking all the protocols, gave a warm welcome to PM Narendra Modi who was on a visit to America It was an electrifying moment to see the crowd present at the event, mainly of Indian origin chanting the name ‘Modi’ Mr Modi became the first Indian PM to who got an opportunity to address the US Congress twice He visited US on June 21, which was also World Yoga Day India has given the invaluable gift of yoga to the world and today yoga has established it significance worldwide Many Guinness word record has also been achieved He met the many businessmen of America and urged to invest in India He also had a meeting with the CEOs of Whatsapp, Twitter and Google As India is expanding in the field of Technology and with this visit, India heads to become stronger in IT industry

Today, India has the wealth of talented youth in every sector which will make the country more dynamic

On another note, Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar have raised campaign on London-Ahmedabad-London direct flight Most of the Gujaratis in the UK live in and around London In my opinion this flight should run from Heathrow, not just because it saves time, but it is more convenient for old age travellers and children

Kapil D udakia

Leicester – Will Truth Prevail?

I attend ed an interesting ev ent at the Henry Jackson S o c i et y t h is w e ek ti tl ed , ‘ L es so n s fr o m L ei c es te r:

A dd ressing S ocial Coh esion and Extrem ism Concerns’

We also know the government has announced its own independent review into the clashes in Leicester between the Muslim and Hindu communities This has sent shockwaves throughout the Islamist communities not just in the UK, but right across the world There is real fear with Islamists that their modus operandi of attacking Hindus (in this case, but remember, they do the same with Jews, Sikhs etc) will not only be exposed, but they will be held accountable for their despicable anti-social behaviour Of course, I am always a bit reluctant to come to any judgements too quickly on any such reviews Let’s wait and see if this Government inquiry really unearths the Islamists and their anti-Hindu actions, or whether it attempts to use lame excuses to appease to the Islamists, as we have seen so often in the past

The event at the Henry Jackson Society was an opportunity to consolidate the findings of two research reports into the unrest One was Prasiddha Sudhakar’s research into Anti-Hindu disinformation and its prevalence on social media platforms And the other by Charlotte Littlewood into the Hindu-Muslim unrest in Leicester

The renowned investigative journalist John Ware hosted the event to ask questions on both reports and to separate facts from fake information John comes with a pedigree; he has worked for almost every news media outlet including print and TV

The event brought out a few key issues, but in my view, the fundamentals that drive such Islamists to attack Hindus, and then claim victimhood I believe are still not w e l l u n d e r s t o o d P r a s i d d h a ( N e t w o r k C o n t a g i o n Research Institute), speaking from Canada gave a great global context of how various social media platforms and fake news techniques are now being deployed by Islamists to get their narrative across (weaponising the use of technology) And often this narrative tends to be more fake then based on any credible facts Charlotte tweeted: Whilst anti-Muslim prejudice exists within sections of the Hindu community and poses a threat to social cohesion it has been used as a convenient smokescreen for an organised, malicious attack on Hindus in the UK by gang members and known extremists In my view, Hindus don’t pose any threat to social cohesion There is no evidence over many decades to show that Hindus have posed any such threat, ever However, the days of Hindus being victimised by Islamists are coming to an end And one cannot lay blame to the victim for wanting to fight back the aggression of the extremists The real danger to social cohesion are the Islamists, it’s time to call a spade a spade I had to pull up John Ware though who used the terms Hindutva and Hindu extremism without much thought (in my view) or any understanding or appreciation of what was at play He showed how Islamists have successfully planted the seeds of disinformation to such an extent that even highly qualified and experienced journalists are taken in by this fake narrative I asked a simple question, who, what or where are these Hindu extremists? Show me if Hindus have bombed our London buses? Show me if Hindus have indulged in grooming gangs? Show me if Hindus have hijacked planes? Show me if Hindus have blown up building? Show me if Hindus have gone on our streets and killed innocent bystanders? The answer is very simple, never have Hindus ever indulged in such atrocities Whereas the Islamists are up to their necks in it To compare Islamists with Hindus is a disservice to the most peaceful, well integrated, and most contributory community in our society Another attendee from the Jain community said that he was shocked at the vile attacks on Hindus He pointed out that the proportion of Hindus in our jails is the smallest, whereas other communities are significantly overrepresented That should tell any well meaning independent minded person the reality of the aggressors

In Leicester (as in other places) the victims (Hindus) are victimised not only by Islamists, but also by many in our media who have intentionally, or in their ignorance, taken the side of the extremists Some researchers and analysts indulge in trying to find the role of Hindus, whilst ignoring the Islamists who are the very epicentre of such disturbances I am glad to see that the Henry Jackson Society have started to redress this imbalance by exposing that which others wish to hide

T h e q u e s t i o n r e m a i n s , w i l l t h e t r u t h p r e v a i l i n Leicester? Or will we continue to see narratives being deployed to victimise the victims just to appease the extremists?

Bharat Sac han ia

Where are the Diaspora Women?

Ruchi Ghanashyam

Mrs Ruchi Ghanashyam is the former High Commissioner of India to the UK With a career in Indian Foreign Service for over 38 years, she has been posted in many countries including South Africa, Ghana, before arriving in the UK She was o n l y t h e s e c o n d w o m a n H i g h Commissioner to the UK since India’s independence and during her tenure, she w i t n e s s e d a n u m b e r o f s i g n i f i c a n t developments in the UK-India relations

@RuchiGhanashyam

When I joine d the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) in 1982, diplomacy wa s still a fa ir ly mal e domina ted field The first woma n in IFS, Ms Mut ha mma ’ s st ruggles in an a lmost ex cl usive ly male profession, cle ared some hur dles for wome n en tran ts in India Women who ca me l ater , hel ped shat ter other glass ceilings At the time I joined, perceptual challe nges re ma in ed I woul d occasion all y hea r male coll eagues compla in about posit ive discr iminat ion favour in g women in the service, especial ly in postings abr oa d The be st wa y to preserve on e ’ s dign it y seemed not t o see k or expect fav ours on account of one ’ s gender I tra in ed my se lf t o t hink as a professional first and for emost

The situation is a lot different now, with women comprising 26 5 percent of IFS In 2021, women were almost 43 percent of the e n t r a n t s t o I F S W o m e n h a v e s e r v e d i n almost every capacity at headquarters and have represented India in the most powerful

and important countries as well as in countries in conflict Currently, 23 women are leading India’s missions and posts Women comprise one third of entrants to the civil services in India this year, the highest number till now Moreover, women claimed the top 4 ranks, comprising 14 of the top 25 candidates this year This is the second consecut i v e y e a r t h a t w o m e n c a n d i d a t e s h a v e secured the top three positions

W h e n I w a s p o s t e d a s I n d i a ’ s H i g h

Commissioner to the UK, there was a lot of excitement about a woman being sent for the job after over six decades I remained somewhat unmoved by this honour: after all, I saw myself as a professional diplomat!

One day, I received a small delegation of professional high achievers from the Indian diaspora One of them was a woman, who had much success to her credit She referred to the positive impact of a woman HC of India “I see myself as a professional, first and foremost”, I demurred gently She corrected me and pointed out the importance of a woman in position as a role model for other women in the diaspora While I had always tried to mentor younger women, and had returned to my MLB Girls college in Bhopal for engagements with girls there, this interaction was a reminder to me of the responsibility all women owe to each other

Earlier in June this year, the Oxford Union organised a panel discussion on the topic, ‘Ethnic Minority Women in Foreign Service’ I was initially a bit perplexed when I received an invitation to the event “I’m not an ethnic minority woman in my country; we have no such differences in India”, I thought to myself But the organiser of the event, Misha Mian, clarified that she wanted my perspectives of having dealt with the diaspora which comprises the ethnic minority in the UK, and earlier in South Africa An u n d e r g r a d u a t e s t u d e n t o f G l o b a l A f f a i r s , Misha organised the panel as the Ethnic Minorities Officer of the Oxford Union in its Bicentenary year ’ s Trinity Term

Dr Deepak Chopra joins in conversation with author Amish Tripathi

D r D e e p a k Ch o pr a , a r en owne d spir itua l t ea cher a n d a ut h or , e n g a ge d in a con ver sation with Dir ector TNC, Amish Tripathi at t he N e h r u C e n t r e i n Lo n d on T h e e v e n t fe a t u r e d a n insightful dial ogue b etween t he two promine nt figur es H E Vikr am K Dora iswami, Indian High Commissioner , d e l iv e r e d t h e k e y n ot e speech

Deepak is known for his expertise in holistic wellness and his exploration of consciousness, while Amish is a popular Indian author, best known for his mythological fiction novels

During the conversation, the two intellectuals likely d i s c u s s e d v a r i o u s t o p i c s related to spirituality, philosophy, and the human experience They may have delved into subjects such as mindfulness, personal growth, the

n a t u r e o f r e a l i t y , a n d t h e intersection between science and spirituality

Given Deepak Chopra's inclination towards blending ancient wisdom with modern scientific understanding, it s probable that the convers a t i o n i n v o l v e d a h a r m onious synthesis of traditional spiritual concepts and cont e m p o r a r y i n s i g h t s T h e a u d i e n c e l i k e l y h a d t h e opportunity to gain valuable insights into personal transf o r m a t i o n , t h e p o w e r o f

T h e r e w e r e f o u r o u t s t a n d i n g w o m e n with me in that panel Two serving ambassadors of their respective countries to the UK, Bangladesh HC, Saida Muna Tasneem, and Cuban Ambassador, Barbara Montalvo Alvarez Former US Ambassador to Niger, Bisa Williams and Nnenne Iwuji-eme, former UK HC to Mozambique, and the UK’s first Black female career diplomat to be appointed High Commissioner, represented the ethnic minority in their respective countries

Each participant highlighted the challenges they had faced and encouraged young women, especially from ethnic minorities, to fearlessly choose their career options An interaction after the panel discussion provided those interested an opportunity to further d i s c u s s t h e i r c o ncerns with the panelists

T h e O x f o r d Union Society is a d e b a t i n g s o c i e t y founded by a group of young students a t O x f o r d University in 1823, a n d i s o n e o f B r i t a i n ’ s o l d e s t u n i v e r s i t y unions It is, without doubt, one of the world’s most prestigious private students’ societies The choice of the subject of discussion, Ethnic Minority Women in Foreign Service, in itself, demonstrated the reason why this Society is regarded so highly!

In my 38 years in the Indian Foreign Service, I served in many countries I came across diplomats from almost every country, especially at the United Nations in New York, where I served in the Indian Mission to the UN for almost four years In all these years of service, I met a handful of women representing the ethnic minority in their country I did come across black women diplomats representing the United States; in Accra, Ghana, when I first reached, the US ambassador and her deputy were both black women I have had to wrack my brains for

others! I know an Indian origin woman in the Belgian foreign service, who served in the Belgian consulate in Mumbai, and is s e r v i n g i n I s t a n b u l a f t e r a p o s t i n g i n Cameroon I also know a woman from the Pakistani diaspora in the South African foreign service But apart from these few examples, I’m unable to recall other ethnic minority women in foreign services I hear that r e c e n t l y , a P a k i s t a n i o r i g i n w o m a n h a s joined the UK foreign service I know of male diplomats of Indian origin, but can not recall any Indian origin woman in the UK foreign service

In the UK, women from the south Asian diasporas are fairly visible in several professions They have distinguished themselves as ministers and political leaders at various levels of the UK’s politics, including as m e m b e r s o f p a r l i a m e n t Doctors, nurses, teachers, p r o f e s s o r s , j o u r n a l i s t s , e n g i n e e r s , r e s e a r c h e r s , bankers Think of a profession and one can recall a woman from the diaspora in that field The civil services, including foreign service, seems a bit of an exception It’s time the talented young women from the diaspora start making their presence felt in this field as well In this context, I recall Baroness Sandy Verma’s effort to mentor young diaspora women; she had brought a large group of diaspora women to the high commission as part of this effort

As HC in London, I had requested Grant Thornton to study the impact of the Indian diaspora in the UK Thanks to their effort with FICCI, the report ‘Diaspora Effect’, brought out astonishing details of the diaspora ’ s contribution to the UK As Baroness Usha Prashar reminded us at the launch, a number of Indian companies have women directors on their board

It’s time now to study the contribution of diaspora women Any takers ??

belief systems, and the significance of finding purpose and meaning in life

Overall, the event provided a platform for Deepak Chopra and Amish Tripathi to share their unique perspectives, stimulate intellectual discourse, and inspire individuals on their spiritual journeys

W i t h b e t w e e n a r o u n d 200 guests present, it was comparable to a full house when Ritika Patni joined the conversation for the Q&A

Gang transported drugs using ‘thank you NHS’ van during lockdown

After exploiting a governme nt Co vi d lo a n t o p u rch ase more than 1 00kg of h eroin and cocaine, a narco tics gang was sentenced t o a lm o s t a c e nt u ry i n p r i s o n E v en d u ri n g th e p a n de mi c lo c k do wn , th e gang managed to deliver the Class A drugs covertly by us ing a " Th ank You NHS " van The group of 10 men

who have been jailed supplied more than 100kg of mainly heroin and cocaine across the West Midlands

W o r k i n g d u r i n g t h e height of the Covid pand e m i c i n 2 0 2 0 , t h e W e s t B r o m w i c h c r i m e g r o u p made over £1 5m Two of the men in the group were g r a n t e d g o v e r n m e n tbacked ‘Covid loans’ which they then reinvested into

their drugs empire All ten men implicated a p p e a r e d b e f o r e L e i c e s t e r Crown Court and entered guilty pleas to drug-related charges, including conspiracy to provide Class A substances Bhipon Chahal, 25, M a t t h i a s T u l l o c h , 4 3 a n d Kamaljit Singh Chahal, 52 a l o n g w i t h o t h e r s w e r e h a n d e d d i f f e r e n t p r i s o n sentences

Panel discussion at the Oxford Union

HE Vikram Doraiswami addressing the guests Dr Deepak Chopra with Amish Tripathi on stage

Ameet Jogia collects MBE from the Palace

Ameet J ogia collected his MBE from B ucki ngham Palac e wi th his family this week Now Prime Mini ster Ri shi Sunak’s Political Adviser, he recei ved his MBE for Political and Pub li c Servic es in The Queen’s Birthday Honours l i s t re l e as e d t o ma r k He r Majesty’ s Platinum Jubilee

been widely known as Lord Popat’s right hand within the community. Late last year, he was chosen by Rishi Sunak to join his new team at No10 as his Political Adviser.

Ameet is also Co-Chair of the Conservative Friends of India – the Party’s largest

Dr Samani Pratibha Pragya and Samani Punya Pragya moving to the US to teach Jainism

It w a s t

a Principal and Director of Mahapragya International School, Tamkor, Rajasthan, India for a decade.

a n d a p p r e c ia t e t h e ex tra ordina ry wor k they ha ve don e for the ben efit of t he community

Under their guidance, Jain Vishva Bharati won many prestigious awards including Lord Lieutenant of London’s faith and community award recently. They represented Jains in Interfaith events and various global religious

Having devoted over 20 years of service to the Conservative Party since the age of 16, both as an activist and Councillor in Harrow, Ameet has committed his life to public service, including as a Magistrate and School Governor.

He started his political career in Westminster as a Political Aide to Lord Dolar Popat. Having worked with Lord Popat for almost 15 years, he has

affiliate member group and an active member of the Conservative Party for over 20 years.

Having joined the Conservative Party at the age of just 16, Ameet has played a leading role in helping the Party to engage with the British Indian community – particularly Britain’s 1.7 million British Indian diaspora. He has since worked his way up the Party and demonstrated his commitment

to the Party countless times. His humble background and upbringing has resonated with many within and outside the Party. Speaking at Conservative Party Conference, he said his upbringing inspired him to get involved in civic duty and to give back to his local community, which had given him and his family so much.

At his investiture ceremony, Ameet was joined by his wife Priya Jogia, his father-in-law Deepak Jatania, former President of Lohana Community North London, and of course his mentor Lord Dolar Popat.

Legal consultant Ramesh Vala awarded CBE for services to the community, charities and Covid-19 response

A t an Inves titure Cerem ony held a t Bucki ngham pala ce o n 13 J un e , R am e s h V a la , f r e e l a n c e le g a l c on s ul t a n t, w as formally inve sted with the rank of Comm ander of the M ost Excellen t Order of the Bri ti sh Em pire ( CB E) i n H e r M a j e s t y T he Q ue e n ’ s 2 022 B irthday Hon ours lis t, h a v i n g pr e v i o us l y b e e n a ppoin ted an Of ficer ( OB E) i n 2 001

Growing up in the streets of Nairobi, Ramesh lost his mother at a young age and became a parental figure to his siblings while his father worked long hours to provide for the family. However, his dream of becoming a lawyer led him to study Law at the London School of Economics. After graduating, Ramesh began a meteoric rise in the legal profession, becoming a salaried partner 18 months after qualifying, and an equity partner in a top 100 law firm within another two yearsone of only ten from a minority ethnic background at that time.

Throughout his professional life Ramesh has mentored and assisted many young lawyers and professionals to break the glass ceiling and achieve their dreams. He also harbours a deep-rooted passion for charity work, and over the years he has worked hard to

support cancer relief, girls’ education, anti-slavery, natural disaster relief, hospital facilities, sports for disabled children, food for poor children and eyesight surgeries for the poor across the UK, Africa and India.

He has raised over £2 million for charity in this time and continues to work hard to support causes close to his heart.

As a champion of the recognition of the history, contributions and assimilation of the British Indian community in the UK, Ramesh has also led fundraising efforts and contributed to a number of causes and project which celebrate and recognise the UK’s diverse cultures and perspectives.

His inclusion as part of this prestigious list recognises not only his outstanding professional career, but also his valued and

continued commitment to supporting charitable causes and championing Britain’s unique and diverse cultures.

R a m e s h c o m m e n t e d :

“For a little boy who grew up in the back streets of Nairobi to have been twice honoured in the country he is proud to call his home is huge!

“I am so grateful to so many including my incredible wife, Ella, family and friends, and clients and colleagues who, over the years, have shaped my thoughts and actions.

I am grateful for the guidance I have received from some brilliant individuals who have been on this journey with me, challenging and stretching me every step of the way. This recognition would not have happened without you and this is for you.

“I am delighted to have been afforded so many diverse opportunities to give back. I am blessed to have been able to spearhead many of them, and to have raised over £2 million for various causes is something truly special.

“I take this opportunity to reaffirm my continued commitment to working tirelessly to serve the public and the communities in which I live balancing this with my professional life.”

These Samanijis are Jain Sadhavis (nuns) who are allowed to travel and their moto is to spread the message of peace and nonviolence.

Dr Samani Pratibha Pragya is a visiting research fellow at SOAS, University of London. She received her PhD on “Prekā Meditation: History and Methods” from SOAS. Her research interests include the modern development of Jain yoga and meditation. She initiated a rural development project at Tamkore, Rajasthan and established Mahapragya International School there.

Samani Punya Pragya is an MA in Prakrit Language and Literature. A melodious singer and talented composer who has voiced three spiritual albums. She translated the book into English, “Mantra: One Solution”. She has travelled widely in India and abroad, including the UK, USA, Canada, Africa, and Singapore spreading the message of love and harmony. She served as

events including several visits to the Vatican City.

Notable dignitaries at the event included presidents of various Jain organisations including Mehoolbhai Sanghrajka, Dilipbhai Mithani, Jyotsnaben Shah from Gujarat Samachar among others and they spoke about the fantastic community work that the Samanijis did. Haubhai Vora and Rajesh Jain, Trustees of JVB London, highlighted the multidisciplinary knowledge they imparted to thousands of people. This then led to a spectacular performance by the JVB Gyanshala children. There were children as young as 3, all the way to 16, dancing and singing on-stage to moving and meaningful songs.

The JVB Women’s Wing also put on some mesmerising dances, and of course, managed to add in some garba steps.

Apart from being a Jain nun, Samaniji’s will be a distinguished faculty at University of Florida, US.

Radio broadcasting pioneer and the founder of Sunrise Radio, Dr Avtar Singh Lit has passed away.

He entered broadcasting to give the British Asian community a voice, which he indisputably achieved and far more. Condolences to his family and loved ones.

Samani Punya Pragya

Dr Samani Pratibha Pragya

Audience at the farewell ceremony

Deepak Jatania, Priya Jogia, Ameet Jogia MBE, Lord Dolar Popat

Cllr Ameet Jogia MBE

Shefali Saxena

N e i l Sh a h j o i n e d t he

L on d on S to c k E x c ha n g e th ree ye ars ago, after 15 y ears i n i nvestm ent b anki ng He’s a Director in the Pri mary M arkets te am an d h e a d c ov e r a g e f o r t he T e c h S e c t or g l ob al l y , w h e r e h e s u pp o r ts f ounde rs rai se c apital an d e le vating their profile to c on t i n u e gr o w i n g a n d s cali ng their b us ine sses

U n t i l n o w , t h i s h a s been through 50+ tech & tech-enabled IPOs on the L o n d o n S t o c k E x c h a n g e but Neil is really excited by everything the UK is doing in private markets which enables us to help even m o r e f o u n d e r s “ I ’ m a proud British Indian Like many Gujaratis in London, o n e o f m y p a r e n t s w a s born and raised in Kenya and moved here in the 70s I grew up in the Midlands and live in East London w i t h m y w i f e a n d t w o boys,” he told Asian Voice in an exclusive interview Read more excerpts here: What is your perspective on the ongoing UK-India partnership - The Living Bridge and knowledge exchange, especially in the Technology sector?

I first visited India in 1990 and I suspect many Indians looked abroad for i d e a s a t t h a t t i m e M y most recent trip was with the Global Tech Advocates l a s t N o v e m b e r – I w a s b l o w n a w a y ! I t h i n k there’s so much that we can learn from India I’ve been impressed at the level of knowledge sharing that i s h a p p e n i n g o r g a n i c a l l y a n d f a c i l i t a t e d t h r o u g h o r g a n i s a t i o n s s u c h a s L o n d o n & P a r t n e r s , t h e Department of Business & T r a d e a n d e v e n t h e L o n d o n S t o c k E x c h a n g e Group (LSEG), which has significant operations in c i t i e s l i k e M u m b a i , Bengaluru and Pune I see u n t a p p e d o p p o r t u n i t i e s everywhere

When we speak of technology, do you think it is a bit complacent to only think digital? Or there are more avenues to discuss here?

As an Exchange, we are fortunate in some ways as w e c a n l e t t h e m a r k e t decide Ben Graham said that ‘In the short run, the m a r k e t i s a v o t i n g machine but in the long r u n , i t i s a w e i g h i n g machine’ The same is true o f t e c h n o l o g y a n d l o g i c beats emotion in the long run If you believe in quant u m , t h e f u t u r e ’ s m o r e than just 0s and 1s

are contributing to environmental objectives with our Green Economy Mark We have also launched the Voluntary Carbon Market t o e n a b l e f i n a n c i n g a t s c a l e i n t o p r o j e c t s t h a t mitigate climate change

What is the pragmatic future of AI in the tech world and how do you think it’ll impact the jobs of creative and non-creative professionals?

International Widows Day Commemoration 2023

“ Discrimination ag ainst w ido w s h as ex is te d fo r c e nturies,” India’s solicitor g eneral Mr Tushar Mehta told d inner gu ests at the Hou se of L ord s, ad ding that “ as the m ost p opulous country, the larg est d emo cracy and the fastest-growing econo my in t h e w o rl d , I nd i a h as an i m p o r tan t p a rt to p la y in f i nd i n g s o lu t io n s to c h alleng es and creati ng a su stainable w orld for ev eryone

What according to you has the UK cracked as a nation in terms of innovation, that the world can learn from?

If I take a step back and look at the things that w e ’ r e r e a l l y g o o d a t i n Tech, I’d say its FinTech in t h e b r o a d e s t s e n s e , e v idenced by the sheer volu m e o f c o m p a n i e s t h a t h a v e e m e r g e d i n r e c e n t years, as well as compound s e m i c o n d u c t o r s a n d A I where - I think the UK has the ability to shine But o u r r e a l s t r e n g t h a s a nation is creativity which we see in everything from fashion and food & beverages to games and film all o f w h i c h a r e r e n o w n e d worldwide

Last year, LSEG investe d i n a b u s i n e s s c a l l e d Floww, which started life as a venture capital portfol i o m a n a g e m e n t t o o l E a r l i e r t h i s y e a r , F l o w w g o t i t s F C A a r r a n g e r l i c e n c e t o h e l p p r i v a t e c o m p a n i e s r a i s e e a r l ystage capital I’m also really excited by the work by LSEG going into what will be the world’s first regulated intermittent trading venue for private companies These initiatives will enable us to help many m o r e e n t r e p r e n e u r s a n d support our aim to be an E x c h a n g e G r o u p t h a t i s agnostic as to whether a company is public or private After all, the primary function of an Exchange is to connect creators and capital

What kind of innovation do you think is needed in terms of technology to combat the climate crisis?

There are many examples where innovation by companies can combat clim a t e c h a n g e , s u c h a s Supercritical, a company w h i c h r e c e n t l y a c q u i r e d Series A funding, who are using giant fans for direct c a r b o n c a p t u r e S u s t a i n a b l e f i n a n c e i s a growing industry, and it takes time to build stand a r d s a n d t r u s t A t t h e London Stock Exchange, we recognise London-listed companies and funds that derive more than 50% o f t h e i r r e v e n u e s f r o m

and

that

I think AI is here to s t a y a n d w i t h t h e r i g h t g u a r d r a i l s i n p l a c e , w i l l allow us to be more efficient with our day to day tasks, and enable us to use m o r e o f o u r t i m e a n d intellect to focus on the things that interest us

What is the contribution of South Asians in the UK to the tech sector? Do you think community professionals are rewarded and recognised for their work, enough?

My team and I have had the pleasure of seeing the very best South Asian t e c h t a l e n t s h i n e F o r example, Bhairav Trivedi a t C A B P a y m e n t s ; V i n M a r r i a o f A C S f a m e , Vishal Marria and Imam H o q u e a t Q u a n t e x a , T S A n i l a t M o n z o , J a i d e v Janardana at Zopa, Rishi K h o s l a a t O a k N o r t h , G o r d o n S a n g h e r a a t Oxford Nanopore and we can’t forget brothers Ron and Mickey Kalifa as well as rising stars like Nina Mohanty In the last couple of years, I’ve seen this community start to get the recognition it has earned but I think we need more r o l e m o d e l s f o r y o u n g Asian people to aspire to W h e n I g r a d u a t e d f r o m t h e L o n d o n S c h o o l o f E c o n o m i c s , m o s t o f m y p e e r s w e n t i n t o f i n a n c e and looking that that same cohort, I’d say the majority are working in tech and building the flywheel You were at 10 Downing Street recently for the London Tech Week Please describe your experience

Firstly, I want to thank the Prime Minister and his team for not only inviting me but for stopping what t h e y w e r e d o i n g t o s a y hello It was an immense h o n o u r I h a d m a s s i v e imposter syndrome in that garden and stood amongst some of the biggest names in global tech and investment What was also humbling to see was that even those most critical of the UK are secretly rooting for us too We all have a vested interest, with just different ways of showing it I’m a proud optimist It’s the secret to being happy

L o o m b a F o u n d a t i o n , t h a t h a s l e d t h e c a m p a i g n f o r widows over the last 25 years and persuaded the United N a t i o n s t o a d o p t International Widows Day as its own initiative ”

Mr Mehta was speaking by live video link from Delhi, addressing a banquet hosted by Crossbench Peer Lord Raj Loomba CBE to commemor a t e I n t e r n a t i o n a l W i d o w s Day, which was simultaneo u s l y m a r k e d w i t h e l e v e n Loomba Foundation-coordin a t e d e v e n t s i n l o c a t i o n s throughout India, as well as by other organisations in UN member states throughout the world

“ T h i s i s a d e e p - r o o t e d p r o b l e m t h a t c a n n o t b e solved by the Government alone,” Mr Mehta said “It r e q u i r e s a c u l t u r a l c h a n g e and I am pleased that it is a charity with Indian roots, the

Former UK First Lady, Lady Cherie Blair, CBE, KC, p r e s i d e n t o f t h e L o o m b a Foundation, recounted how Lord Loomba “ came up with the idea of an annual, global, day of action when we came to realise that the plight of widows is by no means confined to India but is prevalent all over the world, built into deep-rooted traditions and customs that are hard to shake even with national legislation ” She said that following its adoption by the United Nations in 2011 after a f i v e - y e a r c a m p a i g n , “ t h e issue is no longer invisible, and slowly but surely the dial is beginning to shift,” adding that “ we all have our part to play in completing that task ”

T h e b a n q u e t w a s a l s o addressed by G P Hinduja, c h a i r m a n o f t h e H i n d u j a G r o u p , a n d b y t h e I n d i a n High Commissioner to the UK, HE Vikram Doraiswami

I n h i s v o t e o f t h a n k s , Loomba Foundation founder and chairman/trustee Lord

Raj Loomba CBE noted that t h e r e a s o n I n t e r n a t i o n a l Widows Day had been established was that “ we wanted t o a c h i e v e m o r e t h a n w e could alone, and that we can only do through awareness ” He noted that “when we got the unanimous support of the United Nations General Assembly in 2010 it was the culmination of a campaign, but as ever, when we reached the mountain top, it showed the path ahead and the even higher peaks that must be scaled ” “ Y o u n g w o m e n , L o r d L o o m b a p o i n t e d o u t , “ a r e still routinely blamed for the d e a t h o f t h e i r h u s b a n d s , deprived of their inheritance and left unable to fend for themselves or their children

T h e c u s t o m s a n d r i t u a l s around widowhood in many countries are dehumanising and degrading Our aim is not just to help widows and their children, but to eradicate discrimination from the world The World Widows R e p o r t p u b l i s h e d b y t h e Loomba Foundation in 2016 showed that there are still a quarter of a billion widows of whom 38 million live below the poverty line with their dependent children ”

University of Birmingham appoints academics for Jain Studies module

T h e U n i v er si ty o f Birmingham h as announced t h ree si g n if i ca nt a ca d em i c appo intments as p art of its e ff o rt s to e st ab li sh a r en o w ned tea ch i n g and research program in Jainism

Dr Areti Theofilopoulou h a s b e e n a p p o i n t e d a s A s s i s t a n t P r o f e s s o r i n t h e Ethics of Non-Violence In her role, she will focus on exploring the ethical aspects of non-violence within the context of Jain philosophy and its applications to contemporary issues

as the Dharmanath Assistant Professor in Jain Studies Her r e s e a r c h p r i m a r i l y f o c u s e s on Jainism, exploring how J a i n t h o u g h t e v o l v e d t h r o u g h i n t e r a c t i o n s w i t h other South Asian religious traditions

Joining the University of B i r m i n g h a m a s a P o s t -

Doctoral Research Fellow in Jain Studies is Jinesh Sheth

Currently in the final stages

o f h i s P h D o n ' A C r i t i c a l Study of Anekāntavāda' at t h e D e p a r t m e n t o f P h i l o s o p h y , U n i v e r s i t y o f Mumbai, he brings valuable expertise to the field

“Even those most critical of the UK are secretly rooting for us too,” says Neil Shah

Neil Shah

Lord Raj Loomba CBE Indian High Commissioner HE Vikram Doraiswami

Lady Cher e Blair CBE KC presenting an award at the ceremony

Dr Marie-Hélène Gor sse

Dr Areti Theofilopolou

Jineth Sheth

Yoga takes over the Trafalgar Square

After a break due to the CO VI D- 19 pa ndemi c, t he cel ebrat io ns o f th e International Day of Yoga 2023 made a comeback at T ra fal gar S qu ar e o n

Tuesday

of India was accompanied by several senior staff members f r o m t h e I n d i a n m i s s i o n who actively participated in the comprehensive yoga session Among them was Sujit G h o s h , t h e D e p u t y H i g h

Community unites to celebrate International Yoga Day in Newbury

Last weekend, re siden ts of Newbury gathered for the second consecutive year in Victoria Park to celebrate In ter nat i on al Yoga Da y Orga ni z ed b y the l oca l Hi nd u group B har ati Shakha Newbury in partnership with Swasti Yoga and Newbury Town Council, the eve nt took plac e on Saturday morning, June 17

Patidar Samaj actively participates in Yoga Day events

Alarge number of participa nts j oi ned the Nat i on al A ss oc ia ti on of Patidar Samaj to celebrate International Yoga Day on Wednesday, 21 June at its centre in Tooting

tion on the calm yoga and meditation bring

Sister Krishna presented the works of The Brahma Kumaris and techniques of m e d i t a t i o n S h e s a i d t h a t Brahma Kumaris teach Raja

T h i s y e a r ' s e v e n t w i tnessed the participation of n u m e r o u s m e m b e r s f r o m the Indian diaspora and yoga enthusiasts, who gathered at t h e r e n o w n e d s q u a r e i n London The session, which lasted for two hours, was g u i d e d b y e x p e r t s f r o m e s t e e m e d Y o g a o r g a n i z at i o n s b a s e d i n t h e U K , including Isha Foundation, Iyengar Yoga UK, Brahma K u m a r i s , H e a r t f u l n e s s M e d i t a t i o n , a n d S h r i m a d R a j c h a n d r a M i s s i o n D h a r a m p u r ( S R M D ) U K

Together, they facilitated a comprehensive and holistic e x p e r i e n c e f o r a l l p a r t i c ipants T h e g a t h e r i n g a t

Trafalgar Square was meticu l o u s l y o r g a n i z e d b y t h e Indian High Commission in London, with the support of the Mayor of London The e v e n t c o m m e n c e d w i t h prayers, setting a serene and s p i r i t u a l a t m o s p h e r e Throughout the session, the experts led the participants t h r o u g h v a r i o u s a s a n a s (yoga postures) and breathi n g e x e r c i s e s , p r o v i d i n g detailed explanations about the specific benefits of each movement It was a harmonious blend of physical pract i c e a n d e d u c a t i o n a l insights, enriching the experience for all attendees

The High Commissioner

Commissioner to the UK, who also joined in the practice Reflecting on the event, M i n i s t e r a t t h e H i g h Commission and Director of t h e N e h r u C e n t r e i n L o n d o n , a n d a c c l a i m e d a u t h o r , A m i s h T r i p a t h i expressed his delight at the o p p o r t u n i t y f o r t h e H i g h Commission and the Nehru Centre to host the yoga session at Trafalgar Square a truly iconic location featuri n g N e l s o n ' s C o l u m n a n d the National Gallery Amish Tripathi further highlighted the significance of the area, as it is frequented by countless Londoners, making it an ideal setting for the celebration of yoga

In conjunction with the International Day of Yoga 2023, a series of yoga events were organized across the United Kingdom throughout the week These events were designed to coincide w i t h t h e c e l e b r a t i o n a n d p r o v i d e o p p o r t u n i t i e s f o r individuals to participate in yoga activities

Additionally, as part of t h e w i d e r I n d i a n N a v y # O c e a n R i n g o f Y o g a o u tr e a c h – t h e H i g h C o m m i s s i o n c o n d u c t e d Yoga with the Royal Navy, onboard the RN Destroyer at Portsmouth to promote Yoga as a way of life for good health and wellness

Wellbeing at the DocksMuseum of London Docklands

Sisters and brothers from Global Cooperation House in London teamed up with the Museum of London and Maison Mangrove to create a sp e cial o n e-d a y ev e n t entitled: Wellbeing at the Docks at the Museum of L on d on Do ckl a n ds n e a r Canary Wharf

A l l d a y l o n g B r a h m a Kumaris ran free Raja Yoga Meditation sessions, talks, g a m e s a n d a c t i v i t i e sincluding the Virtue wheel, t h e E m e r g e n c y O p t i m i s t , the Tree of Good Wishes and Guiding Star Cardswith an opportunity to take a selfie with yourself with butterfly wings under the h e a d i n g ' S e l f R e f l e c t i o n l e a d s t o T r a n s f o r m a t i o n '

As well as passers-by, severa l s c h o o l c h i l d r e n o n a school visit to the museum

A total of around 70 participants laid out their yoga mats in front of the bandstand and joined in the coll e c t i v e s e s s i o n N o t a b l y , Newbury Mayor Nigel Foot and several town councillors also attended and actively participated in the event

“It was very nice to see t h e N e w b u r y c o m m u n i t y , especially the youth, come together for this event and to also see this turning into a n a n n u a l e v e n t ” , M a y o r Foot was quoted as saying by Newbury Today

T h e o n e - h o u r s e s s i o n , which commenced at 9 am, provided an opportunity for t h e c o m m u n i t y t o c o m e together and embrace the practice of yoga It was a testament to the community's interest and support for this special day

The International Yoga Day celebration in Victoria Park exemplified the collabo r a t i v e s p i r i t b e t w e e n B h a r a t i S h a k h a N e w b u r y , Swasti Yoga, and Newbury Town Council The event not only promoted physical and mental well-being but also fostered a sense of unity and togetherness among the participants

Yoga celebrations at Consulate General of India

On June 18th, 2016, Consulate General of India, Birmingham organized the second International Day of Yoga celebration in collaboration with Indian communities and yoga learning institutions The event took place at the Centre for Oneness, Sant Nirankari Satsang Bhawan, Wednesbury, Birmingham

Sandwell, Rugby, Coventry, and other areas

The attendees comprised yoga experts, gurus, students, teachers, medical professionals, and leaders from various communities

Pravin Amin, President w e l c o m e d a l l a n d h a i l e d

Y o g a a s a n i n t e r n a t i o n a l activity He explained the need to remain active and t h a t m u s c l e s a r e u n i q u e , using them increases their power All the committee m e m b e r s o f t h e N a t i o n a l

Association of Patidar Samaj and Dame Indira Patel DBE j o i n e d h i m i n t h e l a m plighting ceremony

Bharti Patel and Bindu

P a r i k h c o n d u c t e d a 3 0minute Yoga session with v a r i o u s t e c h n i q u e s o f pranayam, pressure points a n d a s a n a s D r M a n e e s h

MBBS, MD MRCPCH, who h a s b e e n p a r t o f S o c i a l

Services of Vihangam Yog Sanstha which works in coll a b o r a t i o n w i t h U N , explained about YOGA and body functions Vikas ji, a S o f t w a r e E n g i n e e r a n d a c e r t i f i e d Y o g a i n s t r u c t o r , put forward a demonstra-

Yoga as a way of experiencing peace of mind, a positive approach to life, and explori n g t h e i r o w n s p i r i t u a l i t y enabling them to develop inner calm, clear thinking, a n d p e r s o n a l w e l l - b e i n g Sister Krishna commenced by explaining the meaning of ‘Om Shanti’ followed by a short introduction on realizing the self and our original qualities Harshad Patel was joined by all for various yoga poses including Surya Namaskar Nitin Mehta MBE from t h e Y o u n g V e g e t a r i a n Society explained that Yoga a n d v e g e t a r i a n i s m w e r e s p r e a d i n g t h r o u g h o u t t h e world Millions of people in t h e W e s t e r n w o r l d h a v e b e c o m e v e g e t a r i a n a s t h e benefits to health and the environment are enormous He also explained the need to protect and not harm living animals and insects

took time to try meditation or spin the Virtue Wheel

A separate programme of expert speakers on diff e r e n t a s p e c t s a n d t r a d it i o n s o f w e l l - b e i n g r a n a l o n g s i d e t h i s a n d S i s t e r

Jaymini was a key part of this She opened the event by leading the audience in a p o w e r f u l b r e a t h i n g , p o sture and meditation experience and spoke later in the day on the theme of Raja Y o g a M e d i t a t i o nW e l l b e i n g f o r t h e M i n d A i d a N i a n g o f M a s o n M a n g r o v e , w h o w o r k s a t t h e M u s e u m o f L o n d o n , closed the day with a pass i o n a t e c a l l t o a l l t h o s e attending and participating to take care of their own well-being - so that they are t h e n b e t t e r a b l e t o l o o k after others

Representatives from renowned organizations such as Patanjali Yogpeeth, Sant Nirankari Mission, Isha Foundation, The Art of Living, Brahma Kumaris, Hindu Initiative for Global Harmony, Hindu Swayam Sevak Sangha (UK), Manavata, Purna Vidya, Viswa Hindu Parishad, and Sandwell City Council actively participated in the celebration

The event was graced by Baroness Sandeep Verma, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for International Development, UK, who attended as the Chief Guest The gathering attracted approximately 200 individuals from across the Midlands region, including the Deputy Mayor of Sandwell City Council, Councillor Susan Downing, as well as representatives from Wolverhampton,

Americans spend $16 bn on yoga annually

Washington: With more yoga s tudi os pe r capita than an y other country (7,000), America has emerged as the industry s hub Each year, they spend $16 b i lli on on y oga i n st ruct ion , apparel, gear, and accessories

A cc ordi n g t o Yoga Jour nal , m ore t han 3 6 mi ll i on Americans (or around 12% of the population) practise yoga, wh ic h was popul ari s ed b y Pa ram aham sa Yogan and a about a century ago and was f i rs t pres en ted b y Sw ami Vivekananda in 1883

Last week, thousands of A m e r i c a n s , m a n y o f t h e m Indian-Americans, was out on their mats in New York and other cities as PM Narendra Modi leads a yoga session at t h e U n i t e d N a t i o n s ’ S e c r e t a r i a t t o m a r k t h e International Yoga Day (June 2 1 ) , a f o r m a l d e s i g n a t i o n sought and obtained in 2014 by New Delhi in an effort to propagate its ancient heritage for its health benefits

The outcomes, at least in terms of numbers, are already evident: Since 2012, when just

One

least tried yoga, and during the past four years, the number of those over 50 who practise it has tripled Female practitioners make about 72% of the workforce

“ A c c e p t a n c e o f a n o t h e r country’s culture and heritage on such a large scale it m i g h t b e d i f f i c u l t t o f i n d a n o t h e r p a r a l l e l Y o g a h a s indeed lifted and popularised the Indian way of life,” India’s e n v o y t o t h e U N R u c h i r a Kamboj told the media ahead of the prime ministerial push in New York before he departs f o r W a s h i n g t o n D C f o r h i s

Yoga at Trafalgar Square

PM Modi leads Yoga day event at United Nations

Nitin TeckChandani: Robothink

Sunetra Senior

Robothink, a leading coding, robotics, and engi neering company, is making significant s trides in preparing chi ldren aged 4 to 14 through STEM-themed camps, workshops and afterschool and learning centre programmes for children With a global presence in over 23 different countries, RoboThink is on a mission to nurture geniuses around the world and improve the lives of children through STEM education With a focus on educative robotics

and coding, RoboThink introduces children to important STEM concepts such as m echa ni cal , ele ctr ic al engi ne eri ng, a nd c odi ng The progr am promote s logi ca l thinking, critical thinking, problem-solving, spatial awareness abilities, and fosters creativity through hands on project-based lessons ***

A c c o r d i n g t o N i t i n , t h e C E O o f RoboThink UK, we are living in the midst of a new industrial revolution, where vehicles can drive themselves, factories run day and night without humans and robots perform surgery without rest Moreover with the advancement of artificial i n t e l l i g e n c e a n d e m e r g i n g technologies like Chat GPT, it i s c r u c i a l f o r c h i l d r e n t o become technologically savvy from an early age: "Recent research indicates that 65% of kids will have job roles that do not exist in the current m a r k e t , " h e s h a r e d "Considering these changes, it has become essential and a necessity for children, pare n t s , s c h o o l s a n d g o v e r nments to educate the next generation on these new technologies at an early age to prepare them for a changing world RoboThink is on a mission to equip children with the necessary problem-solving skills and mindset to adapt and succeed in the ever-evolving technological landscape"

Nitin emphasises for children growing up in today’s day and age, it is essential that they have exposure to robotics and coding to successfully participate in a 21st century workforce RoboThink programs offer a fun and educational way for students of all

ages and skill levels to gain exposure to these critical programs develop the skills and habits for lifelong achievement: "At the heart of RoboThink's approach is a p a t e n t e d 3 - d i m e n s i o n a l p r o p r i e t a r y robotics classroom kit developed by early childhood researchers that allows children to build any type of robot with just three types of cells, whether it's a helicopter or a dinosaur " This innovative system fosters creativity and resourcefulness while adding technicality through RoboThink’s coding program which is a mixture of computer coding and robotics coding Each project is tailored to align with a child's interests, k e e p i n g t h e m e n g a g e d a n d m o t i v a t e d

Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the celebration of International Yoga Day at the United Nations in New York and urged people "to join hands together to realise the goal of one earth, one family, one future "

The United Nations in 2014 declared June 21 the International Day of Yoga, adopting a measure proposed by Modi "Let us use the power of yoga, not only to be healthy, happy, but also to be kind to ourselves and to each other," Modi told a gathering of yoga devotees seated on yellow mats on the north lawn of UN headquarters by New

most nationalities - 135 - at a yoga lesson

Regular assessments are conducted to gauge the child's mood and p r e v e n t b o r e d o m T h r o u g h e x p e r i m e n t a t i o n a n d p l a y t i m e w i t h t h e r o b o t s , c h i l d r e n a r e encouraged to explore different combinations, fostering an open and inquisitive mindset

RoboThink prepares children for a future, where keeping up with rapid advancements is crucial, by merging coveted skills such as technological visualization, data processing, and problem-solving Nitin commented: "We see ourselves as a supplement to the education sector, hoping to work with schools nationwide and even introduce our lessons into the national curriculum at some stage There is a high demand for adults to be leading STEM employees, but e a r l y e d u c a t i o n l a c k s t h e n e c e s s a r y resources to achieve this Even inexperienced adults in the sector can benefit from our programs, as demonstrated by an engineer at McLaren's who was impressed with our clear demonstration of gears and their workability as a valuable mental tool "

E d u c a t i n g m o r e t h a n 5 0 , 0 0 0 k i d s worldwide, RoboThink operates through physical in-person learning centres, allowing children to experience the world of r o b o t i c s a n d c o d i n g f i r s t - h a n d N i t i n emphasizes the importance of STEM educ a t i o n a n d e n c o u r a g e s i n d i v i d u a l s t o embrace technology as an enabler rather than becoming entirely dependent on it RoboThink is shaping the next generation o f i n n o v a t o r s , c r e a t o r s , a n d c r i t i c a l thinkers, preparing them to confidently navigate the challenges and opportunities: “At RoboThink we believe, every child is born with unlimited potential, and it is our dream to unlock that potential ”

W: https://www robothink co uk/

York's East River

"Let us use the power of yoga to build bridges of friendship, a peaceful world, and a cleaner, greener and sustainable future," he said

“It is a very old tradition (but) it is also living and dynamic When we do yoga, we feel physically fit, mentally calm and emotionally content,” he said before participating in International Yoga Day celebrations under the aegis of UN “But it is not just about doing exercise on a mat Yoga is a way of life,” he added, stressing that it is free from copyrights and patents The event set a Guinness World Record, announced on scene, for

Surat city sets a world record

The Yoga Day event organised in Surat city of Gujarat has set a new Guinness World Record for the largest gathering for a yoga session at one place with 153,000 people joining the program, officials said The previous world record was set in 2018 in Kota city of Rajasthan when 100,984 people participated in a Yoga Day session in one place Gujarat Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi said, "The Yoga Day event in Surat has set a new Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of people for a yoga session in one place

More than one lakh people took part in the event and broke the previous record " Defence Minister Rajnath Singh with other participants performed yoga onboard INS Vikrant, in Kochi Border Security Force (BSF) personnel take part in a yoga session at India-Pakistan Wagah border post about 35km from Amritsar The celebrations in Jammu and Kashmir reached new heights when a session of yoga was held on the Chenab railway bridge, the highest bridge in the world, which is located in the Reasi region Worldwide celebration of Yoga day

Many people from different parts of the world participated the Yoga event with the theme ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ aptly translating to One Earth One Family One Future To celebrate the International Day of Yoga, 650 people gathered on the grounds of Tokyo's Tsukiji Honganji Temple to perform yoga People residing in Malaysia observed the day in different parts of the cities India’s neighbouring country, Nepal’s officers performed Yoga at the National Police Academy in Kathmandu

Yoga istructor at Adani Group sets

Guinness world record

Smita Kumari, an in-house yo ga in str uc to r at th e Adani Grou p fo r th e past fo ur ye ars, h as s et a Guinness World Record for holding the centre split pose (Samakonasana) for 3 hours, 10 minutes, and 12 seconds Th e rec or d-br eaki ng f eat took place in Ahmedabad on December 17, 2022 Smita, 29 , w as pr ese nted h er Gui nne ss Wo rld Rec o rds certificate by Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani

The centre split is a challenging pose that requires years of dedicated practice to master It is a prerequisite for expertise in disciplines like yoga, ballet, dance, gymnastics, and martial arts

Smita decided to apply f o r t h e G u i n n e s s W o r l d

Records last year However, she faced several challenges in the lead-up to the event, such as registration, paperwork, and fees That's when Adani Sportsline stepped in t o h e l p T h e t e a m , a l o n g with the in-house physiot h e r a p i s t a n d d i e t i c i a n , helped Smita plan out her journey meticulously until

the event day Smita joined AEL in 2019 a s a p r o f e s s i o n a l y o g a i n s t r u c t o r " J u s t l i k e y o g a was never a planned part of m y g o a l s , m o v i n g t o A h m e d a b a d t o o w a s t h e same This move proved a life-changing experience for me I even found a family in my colleagues," she said

"Recent research indicates that 65% of kids will have job roles that do not exist in the current market. Considering these changes, it has become essential and a necessity for children, parents, schools and governments to educate the next generation on these new technologies at an early age to prepare them for a changing world"

ROBOTHINK

New agreements involving high-end defence collaboration, semiconductor sector investments, and a partnership in quantum, advanced computing, and AI were announced by the two sides

The decision by India to join the 11-nation mineral security partnership for important minerals, where C h i n a n o w e n j o y s a g l o b a l monopoly, and cooperation on critical and emerging technologies, particularly in renewable energy, will improve future cooperation in this area Additionally, the agreements between NASA and ISRO for human spaceflight and India's decision to join the 27-nation Artemis Accords for collaboration in space exploration will both help India advance its aspirations in the area

This visit can deepen the relations of US and India The United States is India's largest trade partner in goods and services, with both countries collaborating closely in areas such as science and technology, education, health, defence, and s e c u r i t y A p o s i t i v e c u l t u r a l exchange can help to strengthen the foundation of the relationship and serve as a bridge between the two nations, facilitating successful cooperation in other areas

PM Modi responds to a journalist's question during a joint presser I n a r a r e o c c u r r e n c e , P r i m e

Minister Narendra Modi took questions from journalists during a joint press briefing with US President Joe B i d e n a t t h e W h i t e H o u s e

Responding to a question from the US media on the steps taken by the Indian government to protect the rights of Muslims and other minorities and uphold free speech, Modi said that ‘democracy runs in our veins’

At the press conference in the White House, Sabrina Siddiqui, the White House correspondent of the Wall Street Journal, asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi a question o n t h e a l l e g e d d i s c r i m i n a t i o n o f minorities in India during his visit to the US

She asked Modi, India has long prided itself as the world’s largest d e m o c r a c y , b u t t h e r e a r e m a n y human rights groups who say that your government has discriminated a g a i n s t r e l i g i o u s m i n o r i t i e s a n d sought to silence its critics As you stand here in the East Room of the White House, where so many world leaders have made commitments to protecting democracy, what steps are you and your government willing to take to improve the rights of Muslims and other minorities in your country and to uphold free speech?"

"We are a democracy India and America both have democracy in their DNA Democracy is in our spirit, we live it, and it's written in our Constitution So no question of discrimination on the grounds of caste, creed, or religion arises That is why, India believes in sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas, sabka prayaas and walks ahead with it," he said White House press conferences with other world leaders have been tightly controlled, with U S officials d e s i g n a t i n g r e p o r t e r s b e f o r e h a n d f r o m t h e A m e r i c a n a n d f o r e i g n media for Biden and his guests to call upon and a very limited number

of questions

Biden had been facing increasing pressure from fellow Democrats to raise alleged human rights issues with Modi after 75 US Senators and Congressional lawmakers wrote a l e t t e r t o t h e P r e s i d e n t o u t l i n i n g their areas of concern

Old friends in a changing world, It’s time to deepen relations

Speaking to the Indian diaspora and addressing the US Congress a s e c o n d t i m e , P r i m e M i n i s t e r N a r e n d r a M o d i m a d e o n e t h i n g quite clear: US-India relations are e x p a n d i n g a n d d e e p e n i n g

According to Prime Minister Modi's speech to the Congress, this is a historic development that will benefit not only the US and India but the entire world However, many people are curious to know what brought India and the US together Factors such as the market size of the Indian economy are increasing, which leads t o t h e g r o w i n g i n f l u e n c e o f

P M M O D I ’ S U

More than 400 guests were invited for the dinner and they included big names in the tech world and billionaire industrialists such as Mukesh Ambani, Anand Mahindra, Google CEO Sunder Pichai, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Apple CEO Tim Cook

During his address at the State Dinner, MrModi raised a toast for his "wonderful" hosts He raised it for good health, prosperity, and the p u r s u i t o f h a p p i n e s s , f o r l i b e r t y , equality, and fraternity, and for the e v e r - l a s t i n g b o n d s o f f r i e n d s h i p between India and the US

"With every passing day, Indians and Americans are getting to know e a c h o t h e r b e t t e r W e c a n p r onounce each other's names correctly We can understand each other's accents better Children in India become Spider Man on Halloween, and America's youth is dancing to the tune of NaatuNaatu'," the Prime Minister said

"Indian Americans have come a

M o d i ' s v i s i t a s a c o m p o n e n t o f W a s h i n g t o n ' s p o l i c y t o s u p p o r t India in order to control China, e x c l u d i n g a m o d e r a t e " c a u t i o u s

optimism," since Beijing believes the two sides aren't completely on the same page According to experts, China's strategic threat has caused the US and India to converge despite the fact that their respective strate-

shock last week by calling Xi a "dictator" at a fundraiser event on June 20 When he referred to Xi as a "dictator" at a fundraiser on June 20, Biden gave it yet another shock last week "For dictators, that is a major disgrace The US President commented on the spy balloon incident f r o m e a r l y 2 0 2 3 w h e n h e s a i d , "When they didn't know what hap-

a n d i a s p o r a i n A m e r i c a n business and politics The China factor may be the most important one for the current closeness, the country’s meteoric rise is being seen as a threat to globalsecurity by many nations The Quad is a forum to contain the aggressive designs of China, and the current US-India friendship is only an extension of that at a bilateral level

Why America needs India

Since 2000, relations between India and the US have improved under every US president and Indian prime minister The Civil Nuclear C o o p e r a t i o n A g r e e m e n t w a s a game-changing move that began the p r o c e s s o f r e m o v i n g b a r r i e r s t o I n d i a ' s a c c e s s t o m o r e a d v a n c e d defence and dual-use technologies in the US Till then, India hardly bought any defence supplies from the US, but it has now contracted to buy more than $20 billion worth

It is obvious that Prime Minister Modi's visit to the US would further strengthen the amazing turnaround of the US-India relationship from one of distance and mistrust to one o f c l o s e n e s s a n d c o o p e r a t i o n I n addition to the Indo-Pacific region's strategic importance, the US needs India more than India needs the US due to both countries' shared commitment to a free, open, and democratic international order India can help the US with its experiences in healthcare, digitalisation, multilate r a l e n g a g e m e n t s , a n d c o l l a b o r a -

tions with the Global South PM Modi appreciates the role of Indian Americans in strengthening India-US ties State Dinner was hosted in honour of PM Modi by US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden at the North Lawn of the White House

long way in the US They are proud of India's values, democratic traditions, and culture and have always found a respectful place in America's melting pot Indian Americans have played a significant role in further strengthening the inclusive society and economy of the US," PM Modi said

"Be it hospitals or hotels, universities or research labs, gas stations or logistics management, they are maki n g t h e i r m a r k e v e r y w h e r e , " h e added

pened

The Chinese government was quick to reprimand US Ambassador t o C h i n a N i c h o l a s B u r n s o v e r Biden’s remarks "China expresses strong dissatisfaction and opposition," said Mao Ning, a spokesperson at the Chinese foreign affairs ministry

U S V i c e P r e s i d e n t , K a m a l a Harris said India is a very important part of her life and that she is deeply connected to the country The history and teachings in India and of India have not only influenced me, they, of course, have shaped the e n t i r e g l o b e , H a r r i s s a i d i n h e r address at a luncheon hosted by her a n d S e c r e t a r y o f S t a t e A n t o n y B l i n k e n i n t h e h o n o u r o f P r i m e

Minister Narendra Modi

NaMo’s visit to the US is everything China hates Chinese media claims that the US is exhibiting "wishful thinking" over India's potential and that Delhi i s n ' t v e r y e x c i t

gic objectives are different C h i n e s e e x p e r t s h a v e a r g u e d that India is exploiting a Goldilocks moment in the US, where the Indian PM presented New Delhi with optimum geopolitical bandwidth

"India has a very big appetite, and it wants everything; whether it can eat or not is another matter,"

said Liu Zongyi, a researcher at the S h a n g h a i I n s t i t u t e s f o r

International Studies

"The most fundamental reason why the United States treats India so grandly this time is to unite with I n d i a t o c o n t a i n C h i n a j o i n t l y , " wrote Liu

The US-China truce struck during US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Beijing was already in jeopardy Biden gave it another

Key takeaways from PM Modi’s US visit: India's position in the world has b e e n s i g n i f i c a n t l y i m p a c t e d b y P r i m e M i n i s t e r N a r e n d r a M o d i ' s recent state visit to the US, which highlighted the nation's two identities as a spiritual democracy and an e c o n o m i c b e h e m o t h P M M o d i s journey demonstrated India's rich cultural history, diplomatic skills, a n d e x p a n d i n g i n f l u e n c e o n t h e g l o b a l a r e n a , f r o m o r g a n i s i n g a world record-breaking yoga session at the UN to striking significant defence and semiconductor production deals

Manifesting India’s cultural and spiritual leadership PM Modi leading 177 nations in p e r f o r m i n g y o g a a t t h e U n i t e d N a t i o n s o n I n t e r n a t i o n a l Y o g a

Diwas was a historic moment, similar of Swami Vivekananda's impactful speech at the World Congress of Religions in 1893 The idea of India

PM in a bilateral meeting with the President

PM Modi addressing US Congress

Prime Minister's meeting with the Bohra community members in Egypt

Meeting with the top CEOs

U S S O J O U R N

keep his position as prime minister, which is supported by several intelligence sources

H-1B visa renewal can be done in the US itself, says PM Modi

In a big relief to Indian professionals, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that Indian professionals can renew their work visas w i t h o u t t r a v e l l i n g a b r o a d "America's new consulates will be o p e n e d i n B e n g a l u r u a n d

Ahmedabad It has now been decided that the H1B visa renewal can be done in the US itself," PM Modi said while addressing the Indian diaspora at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, DC

To make the process of renewing an H-1B visa easier for various Indians who are currently working in the US on an H-1B visa, the US government announced that they will establish "in-country" renewable H-1B visas as part of the peopleto-people initiative

Boost ties with the US through bilateral talks and deals

i n t h e U S h o u r s b e f o r e t h e announcement

T h e s t r a t e g i c c l i n c h b e t w e e n India and the US just got tighter

The proposed mega deal for top-tier armed MQ-9B Predator or Reaper drones and the "landmark" agreement to co-produce GE-F414 fighter jet engines are meant to advance d e f e n c e - i n d u s t r i a l c o o p e r a t i o n between the two countries beyond the current buyer-seller relationship A senior White House official stated that the US will open cons u l a t e s i n B e n g a l u r u a n d A h m e d a b a d t o f o s t e r e v e n m o r e interpersonal ties between the two nations

'Abundance in Millets' was officially released by Mr Modi while he w a s o n a s t a t e v i s i t t o t h e U S Falguni, an Indian-American singer and songwriter and Mr Modi "collaborated" on the song

Sitharaman slams Obama over the minorities remark

"

said

tenure No one will take him seriously," she added

Egypt Visit

After a successful US visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 24 June landed in Egypt for the first bilateral visit by an Indian PM after 26 years In a special honour, the Egyptian PM received PM Modi at the airport in Cairo and was given a Guard of Honour on his arrival

At a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on his maiden State visit to Egypt, former Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal R K S B h a d a u r i a ( R e t d ) s a i d b o t h sides are keen to develop their own d e f e n c e i n d u s t r i a l b a s e a n d c a n work in partnership in the field of military R&D and manufacturing

"In the field of defence, India and Egypt have had excellent bilateral relationships Historically our

h i g h e s t s t a t e h o n o u r c o n f e r r e d upon Prime Minister Modi Mr Modi and El-Sisi inked the s t r a t e g i c p a r t n e r s h i p d o c u m e n t a f t e r t h e i r w i d e - r a n g i n g t a l k s e nc o m p a s s i n g f u r t h e r e n h a n c i n g political and security cooperation, d e f e n c e c o l l a b o r a t i o n , t r a d e a n d investment ties, scientific and academic exchanges, and strengthening p e o p l e - t o - p e o p l e c o n t a c t s T h e y also discussed further cooperation in the G-20, highlighting the issues of food and energy insecurity, climate change, and the need for the Global South to have a concerted v o i c e T h e P r i m e M i n i s t e r a l s o extended an invitation to El-Sisi to attend the G-20 Summit in New Delhi in September

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the Grand Mufti of Egypt Dr Shawki Ibrahim Abdel-Karim Allam in Cairo ”Had enriching discussions on India-Egypt ties, notably cultural a n d p e o p l e - t o - p e o p l e l i n k a g e s , " Modi wrote on Twitter

Special moments of PM Modi during Egypt visit

a s a " s p i r i t u a l d e m o c r a c y " w a s strengthened by PM Modi's leadership in promoting the world's adoption of yoga

Opposing toxic rhetoric and fostering unity

During his tour, PM Modi successfully debunked the false claims that India's democracy is in peril and that Muslims pose a security risk

There were many deals, bilateral meetings, and developments that took place during Modi’s maiden visit, which turned into a multifaceted event

First Lady Jill Biden, in an event o n s k i l l d e v e l o p m e n t t h a t s h e attended with PM Modi, said that if the economies of India and the US are to be robust, the nations need to invest in young people The pro-

Sitharaman, who claimed that no one will take him seriously after sixs e v e n M u s l i m - m a j o r i t y n a t i o n s were attacked during his administration In an interview, Obama said that if ethnic minorities" are not protected in India, the country will come apart Speaking to reporters at the party headquarters, Sitharaman said that the success of Mr Modi’s visit was a "matter of pride" for the

Before departing for India a few hours later, Mr Modi visited Egypt’s h i s t o r i c 1 1 t h - c e n t u r y A l - H a k i m Mosque in Cairo, restored with the help of India’s Dawoodi Bohra community The Prime Minister was s e e n a p p r e c i a t i n g t h e i n t r i c a t e l y carved inscriptions on the walls and doorways of the mosque, which was built in 1012

He underscored India's long-standing commitment to democratic values and inclusivity in his moving speech to the Senate

Supporting defence and semiconductor production deals

The strategic military and semiconductor production agreements that were signed between India and the US were the most important economic successes of PM Modi's visit These agreements strengthen I n d i a ' s d e f e n c e c a p a b i l i t i e s w h i l e also establishing it as a dependable partner for cutting-edge technology partnerships

M o v i n g b e y o n d C h i n a a n d asserting regional dominance

The strong Indo-US axis is indicated by US President Joe Biden's c o u r a g e o u s s t a n d a g a i n s t t h e Chinese establishment, branding it a d i c t a t o r s h i p T h i s c o l l a b o r a t i v e approach between the two nations aims to ensure peace, stability, and p r o s p e r i t y i n t h e I n d o - P a c i f i c region, thereby positioning India as a key player in shaping the region's future

The US knows PM Modi will be back in 2024

And lastly, why would the US invest so generously in India when there are upcoming general elections? This is due to the US's conviction that PM Modi will profitably

gramme "India and USA: Skilling for the Future" at the National Science Foundation, focused on workforce redevelopment across higher educat i o n i n s t i t u t i o n s t o e x p a n d a n d enhance access to quality education across society PM Modi gave Jill B i d e n a 7 5 - c a r a t l a b - g r o w n d i amond during his US visit, which made Surat's jewellers and diamantaires very happy

American computer chip maker Micron announced its plan to invest over $2 7 billion in an assembly and t e s t p l a n t i n G u j a r a t S a n j a y

M e h r o t r a , t h e C E O o f M i c r o n , voiced excitement about "greater opportunities" in India at a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi

country Responding to a query on criticisms against the Modi government on religious discrimination, S i t h a r a m a n s a i d t h a t s h e f o u n d O b a m a ’ s c o m m e n t s " s u r p r i s i n g " His comments came as Mr Modi was set to address the US Congress It was surprising that when the PM was visiting the US, a former US President (Barack Obama) was maki n g a s t a t e m e n t o n I n d i a n Muslims I will tread with caution here, since we want a good friendship with the US But comments come from there on India’s religious tolerance Perhaps six Muslim-dominated countries were bombed due to him (Obama) From Yemen to Syria, there was a war-like situa-

defence forces have shared a close bond," Bhadauria told the media

"We have a lot of commonalities of equipment, and thinking Egypt is v e r y k e e n t o d e v e l o p t h e i r o w n industrial base for their defence services in terms of new developments and ability to repair and sustain," he added

The former IAF chief further said, "Given the commonalities in platforms and equipment, I think there is a huge potential to cooperate and collaborate in the field of defence R&D and manufacturing " There is a very significant possibility of exporting weapon systems, sensors and platforms and also supporting Egypt in their quest for indig e n i s a t i o n a n d b u i l d i n g u p t h e i r own industrial complex," Bhadauria added

He said Prime Minister Modi's visit would substantially change the t r a j e c t o r y o f m u t u a l c o o p e r a t i o n between the two countries in all areas of interest

"India and Egypt are the two biggest operators of the Rafale combat aircraft after the original manufacturer country Rafale and have had many other systems in comm o n I n d i a n A i r F o r c e c h i e f A i r

Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari and Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande had also recently visited Egypt for forgi n g c l o s e r t i e s b e t w e e n t h e t w o

sides, he said PM Modi conferred Egypt’s highest state honour

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was awarded the ‘Order of the Nile’, Egypt’s highest honour, by President A b d e l F a t t a h E l - S i s i a t t h e

P r e s i d e n t i a l P a l a c e i n C a i r o

Instituted in 1915, the ‘Order of the Nile’ is conferred upon heads of state, crown princes, and vice presidents who offer Egypt or humanity invaluable services This is the 13th

Apart from touring the pyramids o f G i z a , h e a l s o v i s i t e d t h e H e l i o p o l i s C o m m o n w e a l t h W a r Cemetery and offered tributes to the Indian soldiers who bravely fought and laid down their lives in Egypt and Palestine during the First World War Modi offered floral tributes and signed the visitor’s book at the C e m e t e r y t h a t c o m p r i s e s t h e Heliopolis (Port Tewfik) Memorial and the Heliopolis (Aden) Memorial

Mr Modi met members of the Indian community in Egypt, who hailed him as "India’s hero" "Saara Hindustan sabka hero hai Deshke log mehnatkarte, desh ki taraqqi

hoti hai (Entire India, everyone ’ s hero The people of the country work hard, and the nation progresses)," the prime minister said

The objective of the prime minister's visits abroad has been to fost e r c l o s e r r e l a t i o n s w i t h f o r e i g n c o u n t r i e s a n d p r o m o t e I n d i a ' s engagements at regional and global level These visits have enabled India to strengthen relations with partner countries and put forward India's v i e w p o i n t a n d s h a p e t h e g l o b a l a g e n d a o n g l o b a l i s s u e s s u c h a s reformed multilateralism, climate change, transnational crime, terrorism, cyber-security, etc The USI n d i a r e l a t i o n s h i p c a n b e n e f i t President Biden and Prime Minister Modi for the upcoming general elections in 2024 These opportunities can help both of them to rebuild their public images and create positive perception about the government as well

PM pays floral tribute to Mahatma Gandhi bust at UN Headquarters

PM Modi at the luncheon hosted by VP Kamala Harris, Secretary of State Blinken

PM visits the Great Pyramid of Giza in Cairo, Egypt

PM arrives at John F. Kennedy Airport, in New York, USA

Alpesh Patel OBE

I have analysed ov er a h und red portfolios of peop le from retirees to p rofessio nals and entrepreneu rs Not one po rtfolio was m istake free Here are the most co mmon erro rs:

1 They had a bunch of investment trusts – these had usually underperformed such as generating losses when markets soared eg Scottish Mortgage

2 They had so many funds that they must have owned 500 stocks eg 10 funds with 50 stocks each

3 They had so many stocks they generated poor performance because even good companies represented very little of their portfolio

4 They held what used to be good companies once, but were not held on years too long

5 They held on to stocks in which they had losses for years so the capital was not generating returns

6 They did not use an ISA or SIPP wrapper account for their returns to be tax free potentially

7 They did not know they don’t have to buy only UK companies and could have had Microsoft for instance in their accounts including ISAs

8 They bought many stocks based on word of mouth and don’t know what to do now

9 They bought stocks based on name recognition and those names did not do well

10 They bought stocks because an IFA had picked them and suffered poor performance

11 They had Vodafone, HSBC, Lloyds and suffered poor performance whilst the rest of us doubled our pension pot with bigger and less volatile companies which performed do much better

12 They had no idea how to evaluate companies in a simple way

These are just a few which come to mind As of January 2023, some of the most purchased investment trusts included Scottish Mortgage Ord, City of London Ord, and F&C Investment Trust Ord, among others However, their performance varied considerably, with returns ranging from negative to positive over the previous year For instance, the Scottish Mortgage Ord showed a negative return of 30 2%

In the realm of personal finance, ISAs (Individual Savings Accounts) and pensions should hold a place of priority for investors due to their tax advantages The UK government provides tax relief on pension contributions, and growth in pensions is largely free from tax ISAs offer a similarly tax-efficient way to save, with any growth or income earned within an ISA free from UK tax

Despite their advantages, ISAs and pensions should not be the sole focus of an investment strategy

My best performers so far this year have been nVidia, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, Alphabet, Meta Some of my worst performers – Disney, Warner Brothers

India's TCS signs

£840 million contract with UK's Nest

Banks to delay repossession of homes of borrowers

C ha n ce llo r J e r e my Hu n t an nou nce d t hat th e ba nk s have a gre ed to wait at least 12 m onths before r epossessin g the homes of bor rower s who fa ll be hind on paym ent s as Br ita in gr a pple s wit h a looming mor tga ge crisis

Traders now expect UK interest rates to peak at 6 25 per cent, the highest level since 1998, with stubbornly high inflation stoking bets on further tightening The

Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee voted to increase rates by 0 5 percentage points to 5 per cent, leading to big jumps in monthly m o r t g a g e r e p a y m e n t s f o r borrowers on variable rates or needing to refresh fixedrate deals

P a n t h e o n E c o n o m i c s f o r e c a s t t h a t h o u s e p r i c e s would fall 10 per cent peakto trough, after previously anticipating an 8 per cent

fall, adding: “We expect the downturn to be drawn out, with prices not reaching a floor until the beginning of 2024 ”

Repossessions are still at a relatively low level, but many experts are worried about the consequences of the recent rise in borrowing costs

“

T h e l a s t t h i n g t h a t [lenders] want to do is reposs e s s a h o m e , b u t i n t h a t

extreme situation they have agreed there will be a minim u m 1 2 - m o n t h p e r i o d before there’s a repossession without consent,” Hunt said after meeting bank executives in Downing Street

Landlords pass higher costs to tenants as the pressure of mortgage crisis increases

Renters across the UK are fa c i n g s i gn i f i c a nt c ha llenges as landlords pas s on increased mortgage costs to th ei r t e na n t s T hi s ha s re s ul te d i n r e c or d r en t i nc r e as e s , ad d i ng t o t he exi sting cost of living crisis

P r o p e r t y e x p e r t s a n d charities have raised concerns about the impact of the Bank of England's rapid rise in borrowing costs The recent increase in interest rates to 5% has not only affected the mortgage costs of homeowners but has also

had a broader impact on the affordability of housing for renters There are concerns that this trend could potentially lead to a larger crisis in the availability of affordable housing

R e c e n t o f f i c i a l f i g u r e s have revealed a significant increase in private rental costs in the UK In April, rental costs rose at a yearly r a t e o f 5 % , m a r k i n g t h e s h a r p e s t p a c e o f g r o w t h s i n c e r e c o r d s b e g a n i n January 2016 Furthermore, r e n t s o u t s i d e o f L o n d o n

Heathrow airport security staff strike called off after pay vote

Security staff members of th e U n i te un i on a t H e at hr ow Ai r po rt ha v e c al l ed of f t he i r p l an n e d s tr i k es af t er v ot i n g i n favour of a new pay deal

Initially, they had intended to carry out strikes nearly every weekend from midJ un e un t i l t he e n d of Au gu s t H o we v er , th e uni on paused i ts plann ed ac ti on to vote on a proposal put forward by Heathrow

Ai rport

The newly agreed pay d e a l i n c l u d e s a 1 0 % p a y i n c r e a s e r e t r o a c t i v e t o January 1, with the increase taking effect from workers' July payslips Additionally, there will be a further pay rise of 1 5% from October a n d a g u a r a n t e e d p a y increase linked to inflation f o r 2 0 2 4 A c c o r d i n g t o

U n i t e , t h i s a g r e e m e n t amounts to a pay increase ranging between 15 5% and 17 5%, depending on the pay bands of the staff

The deal also includes improvements in maternity and paternity pay, an end to the practice of shifting staff between terminals without notice, and the cessation of u s i n g a g e n c y w o r k e r s i n security roles, as soon as feasible for Heathrow

I n i t i a l l y , m o r e t h a n 2 , 0 0 0 s e c u r i t y s t a f f f r o m Terminal 3 and Terminal 5 a t H e a t h r o w , a l o n g w i t h campus security responsible for screening workers and worker vehicles, were planning to take part in the industrial action However, with the acceptance of the new pay deal, the strikes have been called off

saw an even more substant i a l s u r g e , r e a c h i n g t h e fastest rate of increase since r e c o r d s d a t i n g b a c k t o 2006

This rise in rental costs can be attributed to a comb i n a t i o n o f f a c t o r s Landlords are facing their o w n m o u n t i n g e x p e n s e s , leading them to raise rents Meanwhile, landlords who are unable to increase rents may opt to sell their propert i e s , u l t i m a t e l y d i s p l a c i n g tenants This situation has resulted in a growing num-

ber of people seeking assist a n c e w i t h n o - f a u l t e v i ct i o n s , a s r e p o r t e d b y Citizens Advice In fact, the number of individuals seeking help in such cases has more than quadrupled since 2019, reaching record levels

These trends illustrate the challenging landscape faced by both tenants and landlords in the UK's rental m a r k e t , w i t h r i s i n g c o s t s a n d i n c r e a s i n g h o u s i n g insecurity impacting individuals and families across the country

London businesses failing to pay minimum wage named

Th e U K G ov e r n m e n t

"n a m e d an d s h a m e d" a nu mb e r of L on don bu siness es for f ailing to pay the m i n i m u m w a ge A m o n g th e m w e re a n up m a r k e t Ma yf ai r re sta ura nt a nd a s t ri n g of d e pa r t m e n t store s O ver 200 busine sses , i n c lud i n g we l l- k no wn re t ai l e rs l i ke WH Sm i th , M a r k s & Sp e n c e r , an d A rg o s , w e re re q u i r e d t o rep ay the o we d am oun ts a n d w e r e f i n e d a pp r ox imately £7 million

The government's list of employers who violated n a t i o n a l m i n i m u m w a g e l a w s b e t w e e n 2 0 1 7 a n d 2 0 1 9 i n c l u d e d t h i r t y London-based businesses

N o t a b l e n a t i o n a l c h a i n s , such as M&S, were named for failing to pay £578,390 to 5,363 workers, with the

c o m p a n y a t t r i b u t i n g t h e issue to an unintentional technical problem concerning temporary workers Other businesses on the l i s t i n c l u d e d E x e c u t i v e S p o r t L i m i t e d , a s p o r t s development company in W i m b l e d o n t h a t o w e d £ 2 0 , 2 0 0 3 4 t o e i g h t e m p l o y e e s P a r k V i e w H ealt h Clubs Ltd, which operates three leisure cent r e s i n B a r n e t , o w e d £12,191 87 to four employees Morleys Stores, runn i n g e i g h t d e p a r t m e n t s t o r e s i n L o n d o n , o w e d £11,640 77 to 78 workers Roka Mayfair, an upmarket s u s h i r e s t a u r a n t n e a r Oxford Street known for its £ 1 0 5 p e r p e r s o n t a s t i n g menus, was also listed for failing to pay £5,741 87 to 16 workers

I n di a 's to p I T s er vi c es p ro vi der Tata Consu ltancy S ervices (TCS) said that it h as signed a new c ontract worth 840 mi llion po unds w i th B ri t is h p e n si o n sc heme Nest fo r an initial tenure o f 1 0 years

T h e c o n t r a c t , t o h e l p Nest transform its administration services, if extended to the entirety of its 18-year tenure would be worth 1 5 billion pounds, TCS said in a statement

T h e d e a l c o m e s a t a time when Indian IT services companies are facing demand challenges in their k e y m a r k e t s , t h e U n i t e d

States and Europe, where c l i e n t s h a v e c u t s p e n d s amid worries about recession TCS and Nest have been w o r k i n g t o g e t h e r s i n c e 2011 Last week, TCS mutually terminated a $2 billion c o n t r a c t w i t h i n s u r a n c e provider Transamerica, citing reasons that include a challenging macro environment In response to the slowd o w n , t h e c o m p a n i e s a r e slashing hiring and getting projects done with existing w o r k e r s , a r a r e p u l l b a c k t h a t c o u l d w e i g h o n t h e country's economy

Millions of disabled people to get payment to assist with cost-of-living

Ov er s i x m i ll io n p eo p le with disabilities in the U K h av e s tar ted r ec ei v i ng a £1 50 paym ent to assist with th e cost o f liv ing The go vernment w ill distribute this paym ent to elig ible hou seholds o ver a tw o-week period , from 20 Ju ne to 4 July B ene fi c i ari es w il l rec ei v e th e p ayment automatically, without need ing to take any action

This payment follows a previous disability cost-of-

l i v i n g p a y m e n t m a d e i n S e p t e m b e r T h e a i m o f these payments is to prov i d e f i n a n c i a l s u p p o r t t o individuals with disabilities, h e l p i n g t h e m m e e t t h e i r daily living expenses

Cost-of-living payments were initially introduced as a means to assist families facing the increasing costs of gas and electricity While t h e s e p a y m e n t s w e r e n o t specifically designated for these bills, households had

the flexibility to allocate the f u n d s a c c o r d i n g t o t h e i r needs

T h e g o v e r n m e n t h a s also extended cost-of-living p a y m e n t s t o l o w - i n c o m e households and pensioners i n r e c e n t m o n t h s T h e s e initiatives aim to provide financial support to vulnerable groups facing economic challenges

F u r t h e r m o r e , b e t w e e n

O c t o b e r a n d M a r c h , a l l household energy bills were

reduced by a minimum of £400

However, there are currently no plans to repeat t h i s r e d u c t i o n i n t h e upcoming winter season

Households in the UK have been adversely affected by rising prices, with inflation reaching its highest levels in 40 years last year The s u r g e i n f o o d p r i c e s h a s b e e n p a r t i c u l a r l y n o t a b l e , with staples like sugar, milk, and pasta experiencing significant increases

Fitch raises India's FY24 growth forecast

F i tc h Ra tin gs inc r ea s ed it s p red ic tio n f o r I ndi a' s G DP gro wth fo r the current fiscal y e a r, c it in g th e c o u n tr y ' s o veral l s trength and s tro ng qu arterl y GDP gro wth Fitch h ad ea r l ie r f o re c a s t t h e ec onomy to grow by 6% in

2 023- 24, lo wering it f ro m 6

2 % N ow, it has f orecast 6 5 % gro wth f or 2024-25 and 2025-

2 6 fiscal years “ I n d i a ’ s e c o n o m y h a s

b e e n s h o w i n g b r o a d - b a s e d strength - with GDP up by 6 1% (year-on-year) in 1Q23 and auto sales, PMI surveys and c r e d i t g r o w t h r e m a i n i n g robust in recent months - and

to 6.3% from 6%

we have raised our forecast for the fiscal year ending in March 2024 (FY23-24) by 0 3 percentage points to 6 3%,”

Fitch Rating said in its Global Economic Outlook

According to the rating agency, growth in emerging

markets outside of China for 2023 has been increased from 2 % t o 2 9 % , w i t h n o t a b l e gains in Brazil, India, Mexico, and Russia “The stronger out turn in 1Q23 and near-term momentum have prompted us to upgrade our FY23-24

Navigating the market

Suresh Vagjiani, Sow & Reap Properties Ltd

growth forecast to 6 3%revised up from 6% in March - one of highest growth rates in the world,” Fitch said in its report W h i l e t h e g o v e r n m e n t p r e d i c t s g r o w t h t o b e between 6 5% and 7% in the current fiscal year, the RBI projects growth to be 6 5% A f t e r a q u i c k e r - t h a na n t i c i p a t e d r e o p e n i n g r e b o u n d i n 1 Q 2 3 , C h i n a ' s growth has been forecasted to increase to 5 6% in 2023 from 5 2% The recovery has faltered somewhat in recent m o n t h s b u t c o n s u m p t i o n continues to normalise

Air India firms up order for 470 aircraft worth $70 bn

A ir India firmed u p its order o f 470 Airbus and Bo eing aircraft w orth $70 billion at l i st p r ic e A ir I nd ia h ad sig ned a letter of intent (LoI) in February to purchase 4 00 s i ng le- ai s le a nd 7 0 tw i na i sl e ai rc raf t fr o m t h e a i rfr am e m anu f ac tu r ers , w hich will start entering its fleet in a few m onths This also giv es A ir India options a nd p u rc h as e r ig h ts f o r another 370 planes, making it a potentially 84 0-aircraft d eal

The LoI was converted i n t o a f i r m o r d e r a t t h e

o n g o i n g P a r i s A i r S h o w , when the Tata Group airline signed purchase agreements for the 470 aircraft - 190 Boeing 737Max, 140 Airbus

A 3 2 0 n e o a n d 7 0 A i r b u s A 3 2 1 n e o ( 4 0 0 n a r r o wbodies) and 34 A350-1000, 20 Boeing 787 Dreamliners,

10 Boeing 777X and s i x A 3 5 0 - 9 0 0 ( 7 0 wide-bodies)

T a t a S o n s a n d

Air India chairman

N C h a n d r a s e k a r a n said: “This landmark s t e p f u r t h e r positions Air India for long-term growth and success that, we have every hope, will come together to r e p r e s e n t t h e b e s t o f m o d e r n a v i a t i o n t o t h e world ”

A kasa buys 4 more B73 7s

Akasa, the newest airline in India, placed a three-digit

Goldman Sachs board to meet in India after more than a decade

T h e bo ar d o f G ol d m a n S ac h s w il l finally convene in India th is week after m ore than a d ecade David Solomon, the CEO of the investm ent bank, will be in charg e of the trip to Delhi and B en g al u ru U nd er h i s p re d ec e ss o r L lo yd Bl an kf ei n, th e bo a rd fi rs t convened in India in Mum bai in 20 12 T h e exp a ns i o n o f th e c o m p a ny ’ s H yd era ba d fa ci li ty is o ne o f t h e d is c u ss i o n p o in ts o n th e b o ard ’ s ag end a When the med ia asked th e c o m p a ny a bo u t th e m eet in g , S hivaprasanna Hebbar, Goldm an Sach s s p o k es p ers o n in I nd i a, sa id , “ A s a reflection of increased opportu nities, o u r board i s m eeting in I ndi a We d ecline to com ment on any m arket sp eculation about their agenda ”

Lakshmi N Mittal, the executive chairman of ArcelorMittal, is a member

of the board However, it s unclear whether Mittal will be a member of the v i s i t i n g t e a m T h e t e c h n o l o g i c a l capability of the bank's Bengaluru and H y d e r a b a d c e n t r e s w i l l b e demonstrated by Solomon to his board m e m b e r s T h e c e n t r e s c o l l a b o r a t e closely with international teams

Goldman Sachs Services in India, the bank’s second largest office after N e w Y o r k , e m p l o y s a r o u n d 9 , 0 0 0 e m p l o y e e s T h e I n d i a c e n t r e s h a v e m o r p h e d i n t o d e e p f i n a n c i a l technology hubs, underpinned by core engineering development They are key to two of the bank’s growth enginesconsumer and transaction banking In the latter, Goldman Sachs is helping its clients build a treasury of the future that is API-enabled and is powered by analytics

Gujarat's direct tax collection up by 19% in FY22-23

D ata o n di rec t tax co llec tio n f rom Gujarat reported the gro ss and net tax collections increased by 23 % and 1 9%, r es p ec ti v e ly, ye ar o v er ye ar i n th e financial year (FY) 20 22–23 com pared to th e FY 2021– 22 The numbers were h igher than the national average of 20 % and 18% resp ectively Com pared to net collectio n of di rec t taxes of £ 6 98 billion in th e FY 2021-22, the collection went up by 19% to £8 29 billion in F Y 20 22-23

Officials from the state income tax d e p a r t m e n t r e p o r t e d a s i g n i f i c a n t increase in corporate tax collections It increased by 25% to £4 12 billion in FY 2022–23 from £3 29 billion in FY 2021–

22 In advance tax collection too the corporate sector performed well; the collection increased by 22% from £2 20

According to officials, it was also one of the highest increases in the state's refunds, which increased by 51% to reach £1 53 billion in FY 2022–23 from £1 01 billion in FY 2021–22 The state recorded a 13% increase in total tax revenue and an 11% increase in advance tax payments from individual taxpayers

With rat es h av ing increased and mor tgage pr oducts f oll owing su it, it seems a normal BTL pur ch ase now becomes unv iable, unless yo u put down a lar ge deposit o r t he yield is excep tionall y high

Could this mean the end of BTLs? At least until the rates come down again? I think lenders will respond, by not making their products cheaper, but adapting them to fit the new environment

What I mean by this is they would look to increase the arrangement fee, and therefore lower the month to month interest rate, so overall nothing has changed but it now is likely to fit the lenders rental multiple

Already many large agents have priced the stock they are selling at a yield of 7 2% These are good quality properties in solid locations This was unheard of a few years back, the price has been driven by the rate rise and the anticipated rise

o r d e r f o r f u r t h e r a i r c r a f t before the year's end and added four more planes to i t s o r d e r a t t h e P a r i s A i r

Show “We are excited to add four more Boeing 737-8 to support our international expansion, taking our initial order of 72 aircraft to 76 to be delivered in the next four years We are also on track t o f i n a l i s e a n o t h e r s i g n i f i c a n t t h r e e - d i g i t aircraft order and will be ready to announce it before t h e e n d o f t h e c a l e n d a r y e a r , ” V i n a y D u b e , A k a s a founder and CEO, said

UK’s Lloyds to set up tech centre in Hyderabad

Does this mean an end to BTL investments? I don’t think so The immediate test of the market without any time lag is the auction results Allsop results, on the 22nd June 2023, shows a sales rate of 70%, with over £43M raised This was on the day of the rate rise

The appetite for property is strong in the UK; far more than the rest of Europe UK property is also perceived as a safety net when there is instability in the market place It has behaved unintuitively, in times of uncertainty, with some locations actually seeing a price rise, notably Kensington and Notting Hill This is to do with a global perception of London property being a sort of safety deposit box against the turbulence of the global economy

Certainly this will be enough to scare novice investors But the seasoned ones know this is the time when bargains will begin to come to the surface

One needs to look at the deal in a pragmatic manner If you ’ re paying say 6% on your five year fixed mortgage, then it could be argued you ’ re paying about 1 5% extra, therefore I would look to take this amount off the property price, and a little more for the effort So I would expect at least a 10% discount on anything I invest in, in this environment The other concern is if you purchase at a certain price, the property value is likely to drop further after the purchase The chances of this happening is strong, obviously depending on the price you came in at

T h e r e a r e o n l y t w o w a y s t o m a k e m o n e y i n property, one is capital growth and the other is income, no third way Therefore another angle is to ensure the income side is generating month on month a positive cash flow In this type of environment, rents will be increasing, as the first time buyer will be unable to get on the first rung, therefore increasing the demand for rentals

UK’ s L loyds Banking Gro up will invest i n a ne w tec h n ol o g y c en tre in Hyderabad as part of its effo rts to enhance its dig ital capabilities

The ‘Lloyds Technology Centre’ will operate under the umbrella of Lloyds Banking Group and is part of t h e o r g a n i s a t i o n ’ s 3 - b i l l i o n - p o u n d investment over the next three years to revamp its digital offerings Later this y e a r , t h e t e c h n o l o g y c e n t r e i s scheduled to open, and it will initially hire 600 highly qualified professionals in technology, data, and cyber security sectors It seeks to improve customer experience while bolstering the team's i n t e r n a l t e c h n o l o g i c a l c a p a b i l i t i e s

U t i l i s i n g t e c h n o l o g y , d i g i t a l capabilities, data, and analytics to spur innovation will be the main focus of the Lloyds Technology Centre

U S restaurant chain too selects Hyd erabad

T h e s e c o n d - l a r g e s t r e s t a u r a n t chain in the US, Inspire Brands, has established a tech innovation hub in H y d e r a b a d t h a t e m p l o y s o v e r 1 0 0 employees The $31 billion corporation is the owner of popular brands like Jimmy John's, Arby's, Baskin-Robbins, Buffalo Wild Wings, and Dunkin' The Hyderabad support centre now forms p a r t o f a g l o b a l n e t w o r k w i t h s i x additional sites

Nearly third-fold increase in Gujarat’s investor base

G uj a ra t 's i n ve s t or b a s e nearly tripled over a 10-year pe r i od, dr a wn i n b y th e pr om i s e of s pe c ta c ul a r returns and encouraged by rising awareness of savings and inves ting

T h e N a t i o n a l S t o c k

E x c h a n g e ( N S E ) r e p o r t e d that the total number of e q u i t y i n v e s t o r s f r o m

Gujarat was 69,00,000 in t h e f i s c a l y e a r 2 0 2 3 , a n increase of 2 8% from the f i s c a l y e a r 2 0 1 3 T h e n u m b e r o f i n v e s t o r s

increased sharply since the Covid pandemic, as 60% of t h e s e i n v e s t o r s w e r e registered after April 2020 Experts attribute the rising n u m b e r o f i n v e s t o r s t o g r e a t e r a w a r e n e s s , l o w e r b a n k i n t e r e s t r a t e s a n d improved financial literacy, besides better gains

Gunjan Choksi, director o f a s t o c k b r o k i n g f i r m , s a i d , “ D e c l i n e i n i n t e r e s t rates for bank deposits was

one of the key reasons that diverted investors towards equity markets Moreover, financial literacy increased over the years and there is a greater inclination of the y o u n g e r g e n e r a t i o n t o w a r d s e q u i t y i n v e s t m e n t s T h i s l e d t o m o r e d e m a t a c c o u n t s g e t t i n g o p e n e d o u t o f G u j a r a t I n v e s t o r s m u s t i n v e s t w i t h a l o n g - t e r m focus ” “ T h e i n v e s t m e n t i n t o equities from Gujarat has increased sharply over the past decade Ten years ago, Gujarat accounted for 7% ( £ 1 5 6 8 m n ) i n t h e d a i l y average turnover of Indian investors This has grown t o 1 3 % a t £ 1 3 9 b i l l i o n during the fiscal year 2023, ” said a top official of NSE He added, “Gujarat based i n v e s t o r s ’ i n v e s t m e n t g r o w t h r a t e h a s n o w s u r p a s s e d t h e n a t i o n a l average ”

Sikh man shot dead in Peshawar

P E S HA WA R: Pakistan police o n S und ay arrested som e suspects in connectio n with the m urd er of a Sikh man here who was shot d ead by unid entified gunmen, in a p r o bab le c as e o f ta rg e tte d ki l li ng M anmoh an Sing h, 3 5, was on his way to the interior city area of Peshaw ar from Rasheed Garh i, a s ubu rban lo cali ty o f P esh awar wh en som e armed men attacked him near Guldara Cho wk Kakshal Th is is the latest incident of targ eted attacks ag ainst m inority com munities

Though Singh was shifted to a hospital, he was pronounced dead by the doctors, police said Some suspects have been arrested in the murder of Singh who was a

‘hakeem’ (Unani medicine practitioner), A s h f a q A n w a r , t h e c i t y p o l i c e c h i e f i n Peshawar told reporters The police chief said they are close to arresting the main accused This is the second incident of armed attack on a Sikh man in the Yakka Toot area in the last 48 hours A Sikh man w a s i n j u r e d a f t e r h e s u s t a i n e d b u l l e t wounds on his legs earlier The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) is investigating the armed attack on Sikh trader Tarlok Singh who was injured in the attack The police believe that two attacks on Sikh men in Peshawar within 48 hours may be target killings A Sikh businessman was shot dead in the city by unknown assailants in March

Pak tweaks budget to get IMF lifeline

I S L A M A B A D : P ak i st an ’ s p arl ia m en t on S und ay approv ed th e bu dget for the new fiscal year starting next m onth, a d ay after th e g overnment mad e sev eral ch anges to meet stiff conditions d ictated by the IM F

Fighting tooth and nail to revive a stalled IMF lending programme and rescue the flailing economy, the government introduced additional taxes along with cuts in public spending to shrink the deficit

The budget was passed during a National Assembly session that lacked quorum, with only 70 lawmakers on the treasury benches and two opposition MPs present in the 342member house Foreign minister Bilawal B h u t t o - Z a r d a r i a n d h i s f a t h e r A s i f A l i Z a r d a r i , k e y g o v e r n i n g c o a l i t i o n f i g u r e s , were among the absentees

Finance minister Ishaq Dar defended the nine amendments in the 2023-24 finance bill (budget) Pakistan will raise Rs 215 billion through new taxes to meet the IMF riders, Dar said, adding this will not burden the poor and middle segments Running expenditure will be pruned by Rs 85 billion, which

Pakistan withdraws notice banning Holi in varsities

in brief

NEPAL COURT LIFTS BAN ON ‘ADIPURUSH’

A Nepal court last week lifted the ban on Hindi films including Prabhas-starrer Adipurush” asking authorities not to halt the screening of any movie passed by the country’s censor board A dialogue of “Adipurush”, in which Sita is mentioned as “India’s daughter”, had led to the ban on all Hindi films, which was announced by Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah Shah said he is ready to face any punishment but will not allow the film’s screening as the matter pertains to “Nepal s sovereignty and independence” A single bench of the Patan high court judge Dhir Bahadur Chand issued a short term order, stating that the screening of films that have acquired permission from the censor board should not be stopped

would have no impact on the proposed development budget, raise in salaries and pensions of federal government employees, Dar said Dar said the government had held talks with the Washington-based IMF with complete sincerity He assured Parliament that once the wrinkles with the IMF were ironed out, all details would be made public by placing the agreement on the finance ministry’s website

The amendments followed ameeting PM Shehbaz Sharif held with IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva last week

Pak arrests 7 ‘traffickers’ for key role in Greece boat tragedy

ISL AMA B AD : Pakistani authorities said they ha ve arr est ed seven a lle ged key figures in a human tr affick ing ring foll owing l ast week’s sinking of a n ove rcr owded smug gling vesse l o ff G r e e ce t h a t l e f t o v e r 5 00 m i gr a n t s missing, including Pa kista nis

The arrests occurred during the last two days as part of a government crackdown on traffickers, according to the police, who said t h a t t h e r i n g w a s i n v o l v e d i n i m p o r t i n g P a k i s t a n i s i n t o E u r o p e T h i r t y a d d i t i o n a l suspects were detained in Pakistan during the last several days and were being investigated for their possible involvement in smuggling operations

Police continue to conduct raids across the nation in an effort to apprehend everyone connected to the tragedy of the migrant ship

Local police are receiving assistance from Pakistan's intelligence services in locating smugglers who have disappeared

Each of those who tried to make the perilous journey to Europe - hoping for a better life - paid the smugglers between $5,000 to $8,000, Pakistani authorities said The boat which capsized off the Greek coastwhile carrying as many as 750 people - on J u n e 1 4 i s o n e o f t h e w o r s t m i g r a n t shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea Only 1 0 4 m e n s u r v i v e d a n d 8 2 b o d i e s w e r e recovered

A t l e a s t 3 5 0 P a k i s t a n i s w e r e o n a n overloaded boat that capsized and sank in open seas off Greece last week, Pakistan’s i n t e r i o r m i n i s t e r s a i d t h a t a t l e a s t 3 5 0 Pakistanis were on board the ill-fated boat

Gotabaya Rajapaksa stalled probe into mass graves: Report

C OL OM BO: Form er Sri L ankan President Go tabaya Rajapaksa has been accused of tam pering with police records to ham per investig ations into mass g raves d iscov ered in an area where he w as a m ilitary officer at th e h eig ht of a blood y Marxist rebellion in 1989

In a report, activist groups, including the I n t e r n a t i o n a l T r u t h a n d J u s t i c e P r o j e c t , Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka and F a m i l i e s o f t h e D i s a p p e a r e d s a i d e v e n though hundreds of remains were unearthed in about 20 exhumations of mass graves in the past three decades, no action has been taken to identify the victims and return their remains to their families

Tens of thousands of remains could still be buried in undiscovered mass graves, the report said None of the numerous commissions of inquiry established by successive governments was mandated to look into

mass graves Instead, efforts to uncover the truth were stymied, the report said

When mass graves were discovered and investigations began, judges and forensic experts were transferred abruptly, families’ lawyers were denied access to sites, no effort was made to find living witnesses, no postmortem data were collected and, in the very rare cases in which someone was convicted, they were later pardoned, it said

“It is a story of a lack of political will – an inadequate legal framework, a lack of a c o h e r e n t p o l i c y a n d o f i n s u f f i c i e n t resources For the families of the disappeared it is a story of unresolved tragedy; the bereaved are forced to live and die without e v e r f i n d i n g t h e i r l o v e d o n e s , ” i t s a i d Gotabaya's alleged role in the exhumations of mass graves was an example of political interference, it added

I SL A M A BA D : Pakistan’ s Hig her Education Com mission (HEC) h as withdraw n the notification banning Holi celebrations in universities, a day after receiving severe criticism for the m ove

The order of the HEC came days after students of Quaid-i-Azam University celebrated Holi on the campus on June 12 and videos of the event went viral In a notice dated June 22, the HEC said that it is “highly respectful of all religions, faiths, and beliefs, and the associated festivals and celebrations observed in the country”

Calling its previous notice to ban Holi celebrations in universities “taken out of context”, the HEC said, “Considering that the message inferred from the communication has regrettably led to misinterpretation, HEC is pleased to withdraw the same ”

Earlier this month, videos of Holi celebrations at the Quaid-i-Azam University in Islamabad went viral In the videos, students were seen playing Holi with colours and enjoying celebrations on the college campus

T h e e v e n t w a s h e l d b y t h e M e h r a n Students’ Council, a non-political cultural organisation of the university, reports said In March, at least 15 Hindu students were injured after members of a radical Islamic student organisation stopped them from celebrating Holi at the Punjab University premises

Two Pakistanis jailed for life in Greece for gang-raping British girl

A T H EN S : Two Pakistani men h ave been jail ed for life i n G reece for gang-raping an 18-yearold Briti sh girl on her sunbed after she went for a morni ng swi m Th e two men, aged 27 and 24 , rap ed the Bri ton on a beach i n R eth ymno, a ci ty on the north co as t of Crete, in July 2022

The Pakistanis, who have not been named, had approached the then 18-year-old as she sunbathed on a sunbed before launching their a t t a c k T h e y o u n g t o u r i s t t e a r f u l l y t o l d Rethymno court how the two men pinned her down on the sunbed and raped her one after the other, reports the Olympia newspaper

The woman had immediately reported the gang-rape to the authorities before the police were able to identify and arrest her attackers

The two men confessed to the crime at the time of their arrest, but during their court appearance, they claimed that the woman had consented and had stopped when she asked them to

But the court sentenced the two Pakistanis to life in prison over the gang-rape They will serve their sentence in prisons in the Greek city of Tripoli Their lawyers have appealed the sentence, according to local media

The sentencing comes days after two 19y e a r - o l d B r i t i s h m e n a c c u s e d o f r a p i n g a British woman and filming the attack in a Greek hotel were released from custody but ordered to report to the embassy in London every month while the investigation continu e s T h e 2 4 - y e a r - o l d u n i d e n t i f i e d B r i t o n claimed the two teenagers assaulted her in her inebriated state in a hotel room last week in Rethymno on the Greek island of Crete She alleged the pair filmed the sexual assault on their mobile phones after meeting them at a bar in the city earlier that night

HINDUS URGE GIFTSHOP TO WITHDRAW LORD GANESHA SOCKS

Upset Hindus have urged Haverfordwest (Pembrokeshire Wales) based online gift-shop “Wisdom Wares” to immediately withdraw socks carrying images of Hindu deity Lord Ganesha; calling it highly inappropriate Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA), said that Lord Ganesha is highly revered in Hinduism and is meant to be worshipped in temples or home shrines and not to adorn one’s legs/feet/ankles/calves or absorb sweat Inappropriate usage of sacred Hindu deities or concepts or symbols or icons for commercial or other agenda was not okay as it hurt the devotees Zed who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism also urged Wisdom Wares to offer a formal apology besides withdrawing Lord Ganesha socks

IMRAN KHAN GETS PRE-ARREST BAIL

A Pakistani anti-terrorism court cancelled the arrest warrants against former PM Imran Khan and granted him pre-arrest bail till July 7 in two cases related to arson attacks during the May 9 violence which erupted following his arrest in a corruption case The PTI party chief appeared before Lahore s anti-terrorism court amid high security and challenged the arrest warrants issued against him “After a brief argument from Khan s counsel, the ATC granted him pre-arrest bail till July 7 in both cases and asked him to submit surety bonds worth Pakistani Rs 1,00,000,” a court official said

B’DAY WISHES FOR SUU KYI LEAD TO ARRESTS

Pro-democracy activists in Myanmar say that more than 130 people, most of them women, have been arrested for participating in a “flower strike” marking the birthday of Aung San Suu Kyi, the civilian leader who was ousted by military in a February 2021 coup She turned 78 on June 19 The protest drew nationwide support, and many shops were reported to have sold all their flowers Most of the arrests occurred on June 19, but they continued through the week as the military tracked down participants and supporters In some cities and towns soldiers seized women in the streets for holding a flower or wearing one in their hair Some were beaten witnesses said

31 KILLED AT CHINA RESTAURANT AFTER GAS LEAK BLAST

China’s president ordered a national safety campaign after a massive cooking gas explosion at a barbecue restaurant in the northwest killed 31 people and injured seven others The blast tore through the restaurant in Yinchuan, the capital of the traditionally Muslim Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region Xinhua reported An hour before the explosion employees noticed the smell of cooking gas and discovered that a gas tank valve was broken The blast occurred while an employee was replacing thevalve Nine people have been detained by authorities, including the owner of the restaurant, shareholders and employees

in brief

CHINESE MILLIONAIRE FAILS EXAM FOR 27TH TIME

After failing to achieve a high enough score on China s dreaded college entry exam for the 27th time, 56-year-old millionaire Liang Shi is beginning to wonder if he will ever make it to his dream university Shi a selfmade millionaire, has taken the gruelling "gaokao" exam dozens of times over the past four decades hoping to earn a place at toptier Sichuan University and fulfil his ambition of becoming "an intellectual" By most measures Liang has had a successful life but his university dreams have so far eluded him

48 WOMEN DIE IN HONDURAS PRISON RIOT

A grisly riot at a women s prison in Honduras left at least 48 women dead the spokesperson for the prosecutor s office said The violent incident took place and most of the victims were burned to death while others were shot The riot had been planned by gang members with guards knowledge, Honduran President Xiomara Castro said on Twitter moments after the incident The riot was likely in reaction to a government crackdown in recent months on corruption within prisons, said Julissa Villanueva, head of the penal system

AUSTRALIA GIVES TWITTER 28 DAYS TO CLEAN

An Australian cyber regulator said it has demanded Twitter to explain its handling of online hate as the microblog has become the country s most complained about platform since new owner Elon Musk lifted bans on a reported 62,000 accounts The demand builds on a campaign by the eSafety Commissioner to make the website more accountable after Musk bought with a promise to restore its commitment to freespeech The regulator has called on Twitter to detail its handling of online child abuse which it said has picked up on the website since Musk’s takeover

LOST REMBRANDT PORTRAITS TO BE SOLD AFTER 200 YEARS

As family heirlooms go, it doesn t get much better than a pair of Rembrandt portraits that the world had forgotten about for 200 years A British family “rather casually enjoyed” the oil paintings by the 17th century Dutch master until an expert from Christie’s auction house spotted them Now the last pair of Rembrandt portraits to remain in private hands are set to fetch between £5 million and £8 million when they go under the hammer at Christie s in London

AILING THAI JUMBO IN LANKA TO FLY BACK HOME FOR RECOVERY

Twice a day carers in Sri Lanka lead Sak Surin, an elephant donated by Thailand over 20 years ago, into a custom-made crate, where he stands patiently, training for a special six-hour flight to carry him home and recover his health The 29-yearold weighs 4 000 kg and stands nine feet tall but he suffers from abscesses and a stiff foreleg that makes it tough to walk and stand This is possibly the first time in history we are attempting to fly an elephant this large to a new destination,” said Madusha Perera, a veterinary surgeon at the national zoo in Colombo The jumbo is set to travel on July 1 to Chiang Mai city and spend two weeks in quarantine

China blocks India-US bid to brand Mumbai attack accused global terrorist

N E W YO R K : C hina formally op p os e d a U N SC r e s o lu t i on th a t w o ul d h a v e d e s i g n a t e d L as hk a r - e - T a i b a c o m m a n d e r an d s us pe ct ed 2 6 /11 t err ori s t Sajid Mir as a global terrorist, d ef y i n g I n d i a ' s r e pe a t e d requests to put as ide politic al d i f f e re n c e s a n d a d d re s s t h e problem of terrori sm

The action happened hours before Modi's arrival in new Y o r k t o l e a d t h e U n ' s I n t e r n a t i o n a l D a y o f Y o g a

celebrations, and it appeared to be planned to coincide with his first state visit to the US The proposal for a Un ban on Mir, which the US and India had last y e a r b u t w h i c h B e i j i n g h a d placed on "technical hold," was terminated by China It also belied hopes of China being more mindful of India’s terror concerns after Beijing lifted a similar hold earlier this year on t h e s a n c t i o n i n g o f a n o t h e r P a k i s t a n - b a s e d t e r r o r i s t a n d

L e T d e p u t y c h i e f , A b d u l rehman Makki, allowing his listing under the UnSC’s ISIL ( D a ’ e s h ) a n d A l Q a i d a Sanctions Committee S o u r c e s t a t e d t h a t “ T h e t i m i n g f o r c o n v e r t i n g t h e technical hold into a formal block tells a story Maybe it’s their (China’s) way of signalling how important they think they are in the Un ” Beijing still had 3 m o r e m o n t h s t o o f f i c i a l l y block the proposal

M i r i s o n I n d i a ’ s m o s t w a n t e d l i s t b e c a u s e o f h i s i n v o l v e m e n t i n t h e M u m b a i attacks The recording of Mir instructing the 26/11 criminals was shown by Indian officials to the UnSC counterterrorism committee special meeting that India held last year The US r e g a r d s f o r J u s t i c e P r o g r a m had also offered a reward of up to $5 million for information l e a d i n g t o M i r ’ s a r r e s t a n d conviction

Missing Titan submarine has imploded, say authorities

News reports have reve aled tha t the Titan s ub m ar i n e, op e r at e d by O c e a nG a t e E xpe dit ions , ha s e xpl ode d in the A tl an tic Ocean Five people were on board the submarine when it se t out on an expedition on June 18 t o explore the Titanic's sunken wrec kage of f the coast of Newf oundl and, but two hours later it los t contact

The US Coast Guard joined forces with deep-water specialists from Canada, the UK, and France to launch a search operation for the Titan submarine, sparking a desperate multinational rescue effort A formal inquiry has not yet been launched because maritime agencies are still busy searching the area where the vessel was destroyed

However, the US Coast Guard confirmed there were no survivors after the catastrophic implosion deep in the north Atlantic The s u b m e r s i b l e ’ s o p e r a t o r , o c e a n G a t e expeditions, issued a statement grieving the five men on board, including oceanGate Ceo and founder Stockton rush, British businessman Hamish Harding, French diver PaulH e n r i n a r g e o l e t , P a k i s t a n i b i l l i o n a i r e S h a h z a d a D a w o o d a n d h i s s o n S u l e m a n Dawood

Following the news, British Asian Trust, s u p p o r t e d b y S h a h z a d a D a w o o d i s s u e d a

statement- “The British Asian Trust is deeply saddened by the tragic news that our supporter Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman have passed away Shahzada was a wonderful and generous man who supported our work in South Asia for many years, while his son was just emerging into adulthood with a promising future ahead ” The family of the Pakistani business tycoon, in an obituary, shared- “The relationship between Shahzada and Suleman was a joy to behold; they were each other’s greatest supporters and cherished a shared passion for adventure and exploration of all the world had to offer them ”

“Family values are a guiding beacon for t h e D a w o o d f a m i l y a n d S h a h z a d a a l w a y s strived to emulate these, teaching his children to do the same He was passionate about philanthropy and giving back because above all, he cared deeply about people and human development ”

“Suleman, much like his father, was also deeply committed to serve His excitement to join engro after he graduated could not be contained, culminating in an internship in the summer of 2022 to learn more about the organization that his family was such a passionate believer in; Suleman is remembered fondly by engro colleagues as a tall young man walking

Body suspected to be of missing Indian found in Canada river

T O RO N T O : Canadian p olice have fo und a body w hich they believe is of a 20- year-ol d Indian s tudent from Gu jarat who went missing las t week, acc ording to media repo rts The body w as disc overed eas t of Brando n C ity in t h e p ro vin c e o f M an it o b a , c l o s e t o t h e

As siniboine River and the Highw ay 110 bridge

According to CBC news' report, Vishay Patel's family members reported him missing recently The next day, Patel's family members who were exploring the area discovered garments close to the Highway 110 bridge and Assiniboine river A dead guy was discovered by emergency personnel, according to the

report The report stated that Patel was seen on home surveillance leaving his house in a grey Honda Civic, adding that the authorities have not yet verified the person's identity Police were informed by a witness that Patel may have been seen heading towards the riverbank Discovery Centre grounds

T h e a u t h o r i t i e s h a d t o l d t h e p u b l i c through social media that they should avoid the riverbank area due to an ongoing search and rescue operation The office of the chief medical examiner said authorities will be continuing the investigation, although there are no signs of foul play at this time

Wagner fighters move to Belarus under Kremlin deal

M O SC O W: He avily a rmed Russia n me rcena ries of the W agn er gr oup withd rew from the souther n Russia n cit y of R ostov und er a d e a l t h a t h a lt e d t h e i r r a p id a d v a n ce o n M os c ow bu t l e ft un a n sw e r e d qu e s t io n s abou t P re side n t V la di mir Put in ’ s g rip on power ending their mutiny, the wagner group headed back to their bases in return for guarantees for their safety Their leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, will move to Belarus u n d e r t h e d e a l m e d i a t e d b y B e l a r u s i a n President Alexander Lukashenko

Prigozhin, 62, was seen leaving the district military headquarters in rostov - hundreds of miles south of Moscow - in a sport utility vehicle Prigozhin, a former Putin ally and ex-convict whose forces have fought the bloodiest battles of the 16-month war in Ukraine, said his decision to advance on Moscow was intended to remove corrupt

and incompetent russian commanders he blames for botching the war each hour on Saturday brought news of Prigozhin’s private military company forces inching closer to Moscow, posing a threat to Putin and raising the specter of a civil war in t h e n u c l e a r - a r m e d s t a t e T h e K r e m l i n

spokesman, Dmitri Peskov, said the agreement was struck to “avoid bloodshed, to avoid an internal confrontation, to avoid clashes with unpredictable consequences ”

Under the deal, Peskov said a criminal case opened against Prigozhin for armed mutiny would be dropped, Prigozhin would move to Belarus, and wagner fighters who rallied to his cause would face no action, in r e c o g n i t i o n o f t h e i r p r e v i o u s s e r v i c e t o

russia Peskov said Lukashenko had offered to mediate, with Putin’s approval, because h e h a d k n o w n P r i g o z h i n p e r s o n a l l y f o r around 20 years

around with his beloved rubik’s cube and a smile on his face ”

According to experts, the cost of the unprecedented search for the missing Titan submersible will easily stretch into the millions of dollars The US Coast Guard, the Canadian Coast Guard, the US navy, as well as o t h e r g o v e r n m e n t a n d p r i v a t e e n t i t i e s , searched an area that was thousands of miles long, twice the size of Connecticut, and in waters that were two and a half miles (4 km) deep Titan submersible tragedy signifies the first recorded fatalities in over six decades of c i v i l i a n d e e p - s e a e x p l o r a t i o n H o w e v e r , industry experts point out that oceanGate was able to operate independently due to the lack of government regulation in international waters

Indians’ funds in Swiss banks down 11% to £3 billion

BER N : F und s parked by I nd ian indi vidu als and f irms in S wiss banks, includi ng through I nd iabased branches and other financi al i nsti tuti ons, d ec lined by 11 per cent in 2022 to 3 4 2 bi ll ion S wiss francs (nearly £3 bi llio n), annual d ata from S wi tzerl and’s central bank s howed

The decline in aggregate funds of Indian clients with Swiss banks, from a 14-yearhigh of CHF 3 83 billion in 2021, follows two consecutive years of increase and was largely driven by a sharp plunge of nearly 34 per cent in customer deposit accounts from a seven-year high

These are official figures reported by banks to the SnB and do not indicate the quantum of the much-debated alleged black m o n e y h e l d b y I n d i a n s i n S w i t z e r l a n d These figures also do not include the money that Indians, nrIs or others might have in Swiss banks in the names of third-country entities The total amount of CHF 3,424 million, described by the SnB as ‘total liabilities’ of Swiss banks or ‘amounts due to’ their Indian clients at the end of 2022, included C H F 3 9 4 m i l l i o n i n c u s t o m e r d e p o s i t s (down from CHF 602 million at 2021-end), CHF 1,110 million held via other banks (down from 1,225 million), CHF 24 million (up from CHF 3 million) through fiduciaries or trusts, and the highest component of CHF 1,896 million (down from 2,002 million) as ‘other amounts due to customers in form of bonds, securities and various other financial instruments

The total amount stood at a record high of nearly 6 5 billion Swiss francs in 2006, after which it has been mostly on a downward path, except for a few years including in 2011, 2013, 2017, 2020 and 2021, as per the Swiss national Bank (SnB) data

Emergency became darkest days in the history of India

O n J u n e 2 5, 1 9 7 5 , I nd i ra Gand hi, th e prime m inister o f I n d i a a t t h at ti m e , d ec lar ed an em erg enc y A cc o rd in g to th e o r d er issued by the th en-President F akhru din A li Ahm ed , the c au s e o f th e e m er g en cy d ec lar ati o n w as o ng o i ng internal unrest This ord er l ed t o t h e s tar t o f a 2 1m onth era wh erein Ind ira Gand hi g ot th e autocratic a u th o ri ty to ru le th e c o u nt ry by v i o la ti ng a ll p rinciples o f democracy and h uman rights P o l i t i c a l o p p o n e n t s o f M r s G a n d h i w e r e p u t behind bars, and censorship and curbs on press freedom were imposed against the

m e d i a T h e e m e r g e n c y continues to be one of the m o s t c o n t e n t i o u s e r a s i n I n d i a ' s h i s t o r y a s a n independent nation J a y a p r a k a s h N a r a y a n , popularly referred to as JP or Lok Nayak is remembered f o r l e a d i n g t h e m i d - 1 9 7 0 s o p p o s i t i o n a g a i n s t P r i m e

Minister Indira Gandhi, for w h o s e o v e r t h r o w h e h a d c a l l e d f o r a " t o t a l r e v o l u t i o n " W h e n t h e

A l l a h a b a d H i g h C o u r t d e c l a r e d I n d i r a G a n d h i guilty of breaking electoral laws, she and the CMs were ordered to resign by Narayan and the police and military w e r e t o l d t o d i s o b e y i m m o r a l a n d i l l e g a l commands

A l o n g w i t h t h e limitations on civil liberties, there was a crackdown on t r a d e u n i o n s d u r i n g t h e e m e r g e n c y A c c o r d i n g t o r e p o r t s , t h e g o v e r n m e n t enacted fixed pay without r o o m f o r b o n u s e s a n d p r o h i b i t e d w o r k e r s t r i k e s

a n d u n i o n a c t i v i t i e s T h e w o r k e r s w h o r e s i s t e d t h i s w e r e s e v e r e l y r e p r e s s e d Sanjay Gandhi's nationwide p r o g r a m m e o f m a s s s t e r i l i s a t i o n a n d t h e b e a u t i f i c a t i o n o f c i t i e s t h r o u g h t h e r e m o v a l o f s l u m s w i t h l i t t l e t o n o a d v a n c e n o t i c e t o s l u m r e s i d e n t s w e r e a d d i t i o n a l contentious aspects of this time period

P r i m e M i n i s t e r Narendra Modi paid homage to those who resisted the emergency on completion of 48 years of the ‘dark days of emergency ’ PM Modi said t h e 2 1 - m o n t h p e r i o d r e m a i n s a n ‘ u n f o r g e t t a b l e period in our history’

Gujarat losing over £100,000 to cyber fraud every day

Cy b e r ce l l of G u ja r a t C ID crime sta ted t ha t ev ery day, ci t ize n s i n t he st a t e coll ectively lose £100, 000 t o 120,000 to online financial fr a u d M os t o f t h e se complaints a re per taining t o v ict im s f a l l i n g pr e y t o se x t o r t io n r a ck e t s a n d cy b e r b u l l y i n g r e l a t e d t o in sta nt loan apps

Most of the complaints come from the state s four l a r g e s t c i t i e s , i n c l u d i n g Ahmedabad At the 'Hacked' event held at a society in

Ahmedabad, representatives o f G u j a r a t ' s C I D c r i m e ' s c y b e r c e l l s h o c k i n g l y disclosed this information

The session was organised by media agency and Gujarat CID (crime) to make people more aware of cybercrime and its prevention The cops revealed that, every day, they receive about 1,200 calls on t h e c y b e r c r i m e h e l p l i n e 1930 Of these around 250 calls are related to financial frauds

A m o n g t h e o f f i c i a l s

p r e s e n t w e r e P I c y b e r f o r e n s i c s a n d p r e v e n t i o n , M a n i s h B h a n k h a r i a , P I c y b e r c e l l G u j a r a t C I D (crime) Hemant Pandya and PSI Dhaval Shukal “ T h e o n l i n e g a m i n g s i t e s , t o w h i c h m o s t t e e n a g e r s a r e h o o k e d , a r e b e c o m i n g m a j o r p h i s h i n g p o i n t s f o r c y b e r c r i m i n a l s W e g e t c o m p l a i n t s a b o u t a n t i - s o c i a l e l e m e n t s reaching out to youngsters t h r o u g h t e x t s a n d v i d e ochats On these gaming sites,

Infosys co-founder Nilekani gives IIT-Bombay £31.5 mn

In fosys co-foun der Nan dan N il e k a n i a n n o un c e d a d onat ion of £3 1 5 million t o IIT-Bombay , his alma mat er, t o c om m e m o r a t e h i s 5 0 y e a rs of i nv olve me n t wit h t he institut ion In or der t o e ar n a ba che lor 's deg ree in e le c t r i ca l e n g i n e e r in g , N il e k a n i e n r o ll e d a t t h e in st itution in 1 973 B y a d d i n g t h e e n d o w m e n t t o h i s p r i o r grant of £8 5 million, which w a s p a r t i a l l y u t i l i s e d t o c o n s t r u c t d o r m f a c i l i t i e s , Nilekani's total commitment now stands at £40 million This is the largest private gift r e c e i v e d b y a n y I n d i a n university, not just the IITs T h e e n d o w m e n t w i l l b e made over a five-year period

Nilekani signed the MoU in Bengaluru in the presence

Nandan Nilekani

of Prof Subhasis Chaudhuri, director of IIT Bombay, and three former directors He h a s b e c o m e t h e a n c h o r donor in the institute’s plan to raise $500 million (£420 million) by 2030 The money would be used to advance infrastructure and speed up R&D Pound 18 million were d o n a t e d t o I I T B o m b a y during the most recent fiscal year

Nilekani has left it to the

discretion of IIT Bombay to s p e n d t h e m o n e y “ I t ’ s a s untied as possible for them t o i d e n t i f y k e y a r e a s o f d e v e l o p m e n t , " h e s a i d “ I have benefited from IIT I’m what I’m because of IIT It’s m o r e t h a n m o n e y – a n emotional commitment to I I T , ” N i l e k a n i t o l d t h e media “Joining IIT Bombay w a s a n a c t o f t e e n a g e r e b e l l i o n I w e n t f o r a n interview at IIT Madras And in those days, there were no mobile phones My father sent me a telegram asking m e t o j o i n I I T M a d r a s c h e m i c a l ( e n g i n e e r i n g ) I w a s 1 8 a n d “ y o u d o t h e opposite of what your father tells you at that age ” I joined electrical engineering at IIT Bombay, and I don’t regret that decision,” he said

one can share documents as w e l l , ” s a y s B h a n k h a r i a , warning parents to be on the l o o k o u t f o r s u c h o n l i n e i n t e r a c t i o n s R e g a r d i n g i n s t a n t l o a n a p p s , B h a n k h a r i a s a i d , “ M a n y m i d d l e - c l a s s w o m e n a r e falling prey to instant loan a p p s , w h i c h h i j a c k y o u r contact list, messages and photo galleries Photos are m o r p h e d u s i n g pornographic material and w o m e n a r e m o s t l y a t t h e receiving end of such scams ”

Pr i t e sh Da ve , 3 7 , n e v e r had La dy Luck on his side be ca use most wome n he m e t t ur n e d d o w n h i s m a r r i a g e p r o po s a l beca use he did n't wor k for th e g ov er n me nt At the age of 35, he became awa re, t hat he m ig ht not be a bl e t o r e a li se h i s desire of hav ing childr en be ca u se h e h a d m i sse d t h e l if e m il e st o n e o f g e t t i n g m a r r i e d N o t re ady to give up on th at, Da v e s t a r t e d fe r t il it y the rapy to become a sin gle fa the r Th is t ime, L ady Luck was on his side , a nd this self-employe d, Class 1 2 pass ba che lor be came fa the r of twins - a boy a nd a girlea rly la st yea r Infertility specialist Dr P a r t h B a v i s h i o f B a v i s h i Fertility Institute said that Dave is one of the last few men to have achieved these feat months before the new s u r r o g a c y l a w c a m e i n t o force “According to the new r u l e s , s u r r o g a c y i s n o t a l l o w e d f o r s i n g l e m e n , w o m e n , l i v e - i n a n d s a m e sex couples,” said Dr Parth D a v e d i v i d e s h i s t i m e b e t w e e n S u r a t , w h e r e h i s p a r e n t s r e s i d e , a n d B h a v n a g a r , w h e r e h e

m a n a g e s a G r a h a k S e v a Kendra for a nationalised bank "I know I got lucky as n o w a s i n g l e t o n l i k e m e c a n n o t e v e n q u a l i f y f o r surrogacy," he adds

D a v e s a y s t h a t h i s children Dhairya and Divya have become the life of his family “Despite my genuine e f f o r t s , m y p a r e n t s w e r e d i s a p p o i n t e d w h e n I w a s u n a b l e t o o b t a i n a g i r l ' s hand in marriage However, the arrival of the twins has filled our house with joy,” says Dave who spends hours playing with his children in the morning and evening He says his mother is his pillar of support in raising his babies “I may not have a life-partner, but I have got my family for life This is the biggest blessing,” says Dave

Japanese companies to invest 5 trillion yen in India by 2027

B y 2 02 7 , J ap an es e bu s in es s es p lan to in ves t a co mbin ed 5 trillion yen in Ind ia, accord in g to Dr Yas ukata Fukahori, t he c o n s ul g e n er al o f Ja p an i n

Mumbai He w as in Ahmedabad t o o f f i c ia lly o p en t h e Ja p an Cultural Cent re at the AMA

“ B e i n g P r i m e M i n i s t e r Narendra Modi’s home state a n d t h e b i r t h p l a c e o f corporate giants like Adani and Reliance Group, Gujarat will certainly be a preferred d e s t i n a t i o n i n I n d i a f o r Japanese companies to make investments It is the second largest exporting state after Maharashtra and better port c o n n e c t i v i t y w i l l o n l y a i d m a n u f a c t u r i n g c o m p a n i e s from Japan,” Fukahori said He claims that Gujarat is home to at least 150 Japanese businesses, 50 of which are

NIA to probe attacks by Khalistanis on Indian missions in US, Canada

T h e Nat i o nal In v es ti g a ti o n A g e nc y ( NIA) has assum ed charge of th e p robe into a string of assaults carried o ut by K h a li s tan i m il i tan ts o n I n d i an e m ba s si es i n t h e U S and C ana d a, sou rces in th e Delhi po lice said

The Delhi Police Special Cell had previously registered two FIRs under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) regarding the attacks that took place in March in San Francisco and Toronto in March

According to the sources, the police chose to transfer the investigation to the NIA after carefully considering the matter because of the NIA's experience w i t h c a s e s i n v o l v i n g t e r r o r i s m a n d international aspects

There have been incidents recently where pro-Khalistan protesters in the U S h a v e t h r e a t e n e d N e w D e l h i ' s ambassador to Washington, Taranjit Singh Sandhu On March 20, multiple videos captured a large mob launching an attack on the Indian Consulate in S a n F r a n c i s c o , w h i l e l o u d P u n j a b i

music played in the background

The assailants vandalised the outer wall of the building by spray-painting a p r o m i n e n t g r a f f i t i t h a t r e a d " F r e e Amritpal", referring to the jailed Waris De chief Amritpal Singh

T h e a t t a c k e r s u s e d t h e w o o d e n

butts of Khalistan flags, which they had been waving earlier, to smash the glass doors and windows of the Consulate

Despite the mob breaching a barricade, they could not enter the Consulate premises

A l s o i n M a r c h , p r o - K h a l i s t a n supporters organised a protest outside t h e C o n s u l a t e G e n e r a l o f I n d i a i n Toronto during which they reportedly engaged in acts of aggression towards I n d i a n - o r i g i n j o u r n a l i s t s w h o w e r e present at the scene In reaction, the External Affairs M i n i s t r y e x p r e s s e d " s t r o n g c o n c e r n about the actions of separatist and extremist elements" and "sought an e x p l a n a t i o n o n h o w s u c h e l e m e n t s were allowed, in the presence of police, to breach the security of our diplomatic Mission and Consulates"

located in Ahmedabad

“ S e v e r a l J a p a n e s e m a n u f a c t u r i n g u n i t s a r e looking to shift base out of China as it is difficult to sustain operations there In such a situation, India is the next best option available to J a p a n e s e f i r m s t o s e t u p t h e i r m a n u f a c t u r i n g facilities As far as Gujarat is c o n c e r n e d , a u t o m o b i l e s , c h e m i c a l s a n d e l e c t r i c a p p l i a n c e m a n u f a c t u r i n g will be the key sectors which w i l l a t t r a c t i n v e s t m e n t s from Japan,” he added

“We are also looking at GIFT-IFSC for investments in the fintech sector GIFT

City already has the presence of Japanese banks which are operating their IFSC banking units from there,” he added Speaking about the Japan C u l t u r a l C e n t r e , M u k e s h Patel, president, Indo Japan F r i e n d s h i p A s s o c i a t i o n (IJFA), said, “Over the years, the Japan Centre at AMA has e n j o y e d w i d e s p r e a d recognition and goodwill for their vision and mission of m a k i n g G u j a r a t t h e m i n iJapan of India The Japan Cultural Centre is expected t o s e r v e a s a c a t a l y s t i n f u r t h e r s t r e n g t h e n i n g t h e b o n d b e t w e e n J a p a n a n d India, particularly Gujarat ”

Opposition seeks Manipur CM’s removal

F aced with the d em and of oppo sition p arties for remov al o f M anipur CM N Biren S ing h, h ome minister Amit Sh ah said there is need to tread cautiously in a volatile situation and cautio ned that ev ery m ove can have consequences

The removal of Biren Singh, who has been accused of inaction, emerged as the key issue during the 3-hour long deliberations over the ethnic violence in Manipur at the all party meeting, chaired by Shah Shah told the meeting that the government is making all efforts to restore peace in the state and bring about ethnic reconciliation, while seeking help from all parties for return of normalcy

The home minister maintained that the Centre has spared no efforts to ensure early return of peace to the state which has witnessed ethnic strife for more than 50 days, triggered by the High Court order to explore reservation for Meities The meeting, the first since violence broke out, saw t h e o p p o s i t i o n p a r t i e s a l s o c o m p l a i n i n g a b o u t

Narendra Modi’s alleged silence and demanding that an all party delegation be allowed to visit the strife-torn state

Gujarati man is among last to be single dad via surrogacy

Indira Gandhi

Pritesh Dave

Google to open global fintech operations centre at GIFT City

Google, the US-based intern et b ehe moth, i s get ti ng ready to launch its global f intec h operati on s hub at G an dhi nag ar' s Guj ar at International Finance TecCity (GIFT) Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google, made t he ne ws a fte r mee ti ng Pr i me Mi ni s te r Nar en dra Modi during the latter's visit to the US

The investment is a big push for GIFT City which houses the country’s first I n t e r n a t i o n a l F i n a n c i a l S e r v i c e s C e n t r e ( I F S C ) , which is being pegged as a global fintech hub “We are announcing the opening of our global fintech operation centre in GIFT City, Gujarat This will cement India’s fintech leadership, thanks to UPI and Aadhaar We will build on that foundation and take it globally,” said Pichai

“It was an honour to meet PM Modi during his h i s t o r i c v i s i t t o t h e U S Google is also investing $10

billion in India’s digitisation fund including companies working in AI As part of our 100 language initiative, we ’ re bringing more Indian languages (on our platform) soon With the advent of AI, the opportunity for India to progress is exciting,” Pichai said Amazon announces fresh $15bn investment

E - c o m m e r c e g i a n t Amazon pledged to invest $ 1 5 b i l l i o n i n I n d i a a s

Prime Minister Narendra Modi prepared to depart

Doval meets Oman sultan, foreign minister to boost ties

the US In a meeting with David L Calhoun, president and CEO of Boeing, the PM made a push for funding for space manuf a c t u r i n g i n h i s n a t i o n “Discussed Amazon’s commitment to invest $26 bill i o n i n I n d i a b y 2 0 3 0 ; working together we will s u p p o r t s t a r t - u p s , c r e a t e jobs, enable exports, and empower individuals and small businesses to comp e t e g l o b a l l y , ” A m a z o n CEO Andy Jassy tweeted after meeting Modi

Delhi HC judge delivers 65 verdicts just before retirement

In a record of sorts, a judge in the Delhi high court pronounced 65 judgments on Monday, her last working d ay Sitt ing in d if f er en t c om b ina tion s of d ivis ion b e nc he s he a de d b y he r, Justice Mukta Gupta delivered verdicts on a host of matters ranging from murd er an d ra pe app ea ls to c om mu tin g a de at h r ow p ris on er ’ s pun ish me nt to life without remiss ion for 20 ye ar s She re tire s on T ues d ay , af te r a 14 -y e arlong stint as a judge in the high court

The cause list of the HC f o r M o n d a y , w h i c h c a m e out a day before, created a buzz when lawyers, litigants and court watchers spotted a list of 65 verdicts scheduled to be pronounced by

her Since the court is on v a c a t i o n , o n l y d e s i g n a t e d b e n c h e s a r e p r e s i d i n g o n f i x e d d a y s , r e s u l t i n g i n mostly urgent cases being heard and hardly any verdicts being handed down

However

H o w e v e r , M o n d a y turned out to be a packed day for lawyers and litigants awaiting their fate before Justice Gupta’s bench First a bench of her and Justice Anish Dayal commuted the death penalty awarded to a man for kidnapping for ransom and killing a 12-yearold child to life imprisonment with no remission till 20 years

Writing for the bench, Justice Gupta said the crime can’t be held to be the rarest o f r a r e s i n c e t h e m u r d e r

wasn’t pre-planned or diabolic enough to shock the c o l l e c t i v e c o n s c i e n c e o f society It also pointed out that reformation of the convict was possible The same bench also upheld the conv i c t i o n a n d 1 0 - y e a r s e ntence of five UP policemen for custodial torture of a 26y e a r - o l d m a n c a u s i n g h i s death in 2006 However, it rejected the appeal of the complainant, the father of t h e v i c t i m , s e e k i n g t h e police trial for murder

Later, another bench of Justices Gupta and Poonam

A Bamba modified the punishment awarded by a trial court to five convicts of a 2014 gang-rape case from life sentence for the remainder of their natural lives to life imprisonment

Landslides block Manali highway, hundreds stuck

As heavy monsoon rain battered the hill state, which has recorded at least nine deaths in flash floods and landslides in the past three days, hundreds of tourists and locals were left stranded i n c ar s a nd bus es i n the Mandi district of Himachal Pr ades h ove r t he pas t 24 hour s The Chan di gar hM ana li nat i onal h ig hway r ema in ed c los ed unti l Monday evening The situation in Jammu a n d K a s h m i r w a s e q u a l l y precarious as landslides and stones shooting down hillsides at various locations, including the Mehad area of Ramban, forced the closure o f t h e 2 5 0 k m J a m m uSrinagar national highway, t h e o n l y a l l - w e a t h e r r o a d

connecting the valley with the rest of the country, as well as the alternate Mughal Road, until Monday afternoon The traffic police tweete d , “ N H - 4 4 b l o c k e d P e o p l e a r e a d v i s e d n o t 2 travel till restoration work is completed ” Workers managed to clear the highway partially for one-way traffic T h e b u s y C h a n d i g a r hManali highway was among 3 0 1 r o a d s c l o s e d i n H i m a c h a l s i n c e S u n d a y b e c a u s e o f l a n d s l i d e s a n d

In di a' s hig h-le v el e n ga gement with t he Ara b world continued as Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned to India from Egypt, where he signed a strategic partnership a gr e eme n t wi th Pr esi de nt Ab d el Fa t t ah e l-S isi O n Monday, NSA Ajit Doval trave lle d to t he Sult an a te of Oman to strengthen bilateral coop er a t ion , in cludi ng i n defence and security Doval called on Oman’s S u l t a n H a i t h a m b i n T a r i k and delivered a personal message of greetings from Modi, said the Indian government According to the Oman News agency, Doval also held talks with Oman’s foreign minister S a y y i d B a d r H a m a d A l Busaidi with a focus on possible bilateral cooperation in t h e s p h e r e s o f t e c h n o l o g y ,

military matters and mining

“ D o v a l a l s o h e l d w i d e r a n g i n g d i s c u s s i o n s w i t h

G e n e r a l S u l t a n b i n

Mohammed Al Nomani, minister of the royal office The

d i s c u s s i o n s e n a b l e d a h i g h l e v e l r e v i e w o f t h e m u l t if a c e t e d b i l a t e r a l r e l a t i o n s b e t w e e n I n d i a a n d t h e S u l t a n a t e o f O m a n w i t h f o c u s o n s t r e n g t h e n i n g mutually beneficial coopera-

tion in key areas for economic & technological developm e n t , m u t u a l s e c u r i t y a n d regional stability,” said the government in a statement According to the government, the NSA’s visit reflected the strong bilateral relat i o n b e t w e e n I n d i a a n d Oman, the importance of the Arab country as a key partner of India in the Gulf and highlighted India’s commitment to strengthening its strategic p a r t n e r s h i p w i t h t h e Sultanate The two officials further discussed a number of regional and international issues and underscored the emphasis of the leadership of the two countries on espousing policies of constructive d i a l o g u e a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l cooperation, the Omani news agency said

Another under-construction bridge collapses in Bihar

A f te r a br idg e o ve r t he Ganga came crashing down in Bihar within three weeks, bringing the state government under fire, a portion o f a n ot he r br idg e be in g built over the Mechi river in Kishanganj district caved T h e c o l l a p s e d b r i d g e , b e i n g c o n s t r u c t e d b y t h e N a t i o n a l H i g h w a y Authority of India (NHAI),

was part of a 49-km fourl a n e r o a d , l i n k i n g Kishanganj and Katihar dist r i c t s , u n d e r t h e c e n t r a l government’s Bharat Mala project The construction of the bridge had started last year and it was supposed to be inaugurated next year

D e p u t y C M T e j a s h w i Yadav said, “The bridge was b e i n g c o n s t r u c t e d b y t h e

NHAI It had nothing to do with the state government

I t i s t h e N H A I w h i c h i s e m p o w e r e d t o r e w a r d o r punish officials or agencies c o n c e r n e d ” T h e S u l t a n g a n j - A g u a n i G h a t bridge on the Ganga had collapsed on June 4, triggering a war of words between B J P a n d G r a n d A l l i a n c e constituents

flash floods The alternative r o u t e o f K u l l u - B a j a u r aKataula-Mandi was blocked too

Tourists attempting to leave the soggy hills were forced to spend the night in t h e i r v e h i c l e s o n t h e C h a n d i g a r h - M a n a l i r o u t e d u e t o a t r a f f i c j a m t h a t s t r e t c h e d f o r s e v e r a l k m s close to Pandoh, a landslidep r o n e a r e a M a n y p e o p l e w e r e o b s e r v e d t r u d g i n g m a n y k m s i n s e a r c h o f restaurants

Authorities in Kullu said the rain and size of debris slowed down workers and machines clearing the highway “The boulders are so huge that some of them may h a v e t o b e b l a s t e d w i t h dynamites,” an official said

Sundar Pichai & Narendra Modi

Ajit Doval

SC allows TN minister’s treatment at private hospital

N E W D E L H I : T h e S u p rem e Co urt refu sed to interfere with th e M ad ras high court’ s interim o rd e r a llo w i n g m ed ic al tr eat m en t o f ar res te d T am il Nad u minister Senthil Balaji in a p riv ate hospital and turned do wn a plea o f ED Noting that th e m atter is still pending in the h i g h c o u rt, w h i ch w as scheduled to take up the case on June 22, a bench of Justices

Surya Kant and Justice M M Sundresh left it for the HC to decide the case on m erit

A s s o l i c i t o r g e n e r a l T u s h a r Mehta tried to impress upon the court to intervene as it would set a wrong precedent where an accused can frustrate custodial interrogation by getting admitted in hospital after being remanded to police custody, the bench said that the HC was yet to take a call on the issue and there was no reason to believe that the HC would not decide the case as per law

Balaji u nd ergoes bypass surgery

Meanwhile, Balaji underwent a beating heart coronary artery bypass surgery a week after the ED on June 1 4 a r r e s t e d h i m o v e r m o n e y

£6 bn needed to implement 5 poll guarantees: Karnataka CM

BE N G AL U R U: Karn at aka Chie f Minister Sidda ram aiah sa id a tot al of £5 9 billion to 6 billion is r equir ed an nually , for the impleme nta tion of Congr ess' five poll gua ran te es ' He said , t he fre sh bud get of the n ew C ongr ess gove rnm ent , which he will be pre sent ing on July 7, is like ly to be of the size £3 3 5 billion

in brief

35 LEADERS OF KCR'S PARTY TO JOIN CONG

l a u n d e r i n g c h a r g e s a f t e r 1 8 - h o u r questioning In a bulletin, Chennai’s Kauvery Hospital said Balaji is stable and being monitored in the posto p e r a t i v e c a r d i o t h o r a c i c i n t e n s i v e care unit “Four bypass grafts were p l a c e d a n d c o r o n a r y revascularization was established ” A C h e n n a i c o u r t g r a n t e d E D Balaji’s custody starting June 16 and allowed it to interrogate him only within hospital premises, prompting the federal agency to move Supreme Court ED accused Balaji of feigning illness immediately after his arrest a n d o p p o s e d h i s s h i f t i n g t o t h e private hospital

The Chief Minister, who also holds the finance portfolio, was speaking after inaugurating the training camp organised for the newly elected MLAs of the 16th Legislative Assembly Addressing the legislators, he said, "the present budget is a r o u n d 3 0 b i l l i o n p o u n d a s I ' m i m p l e m e n t i n g f i v e guarantees, I will have to provide £4 billion for it, for the remaining period A total of nearly £6 billion is required for five guarantees " Noting that the previous BJP government had presented a budget in February by taking a vote on account for four months, the Chief Minister said, the budget he will be presenting on July 7 will come into force from August 1 The five guarantees are: up to 200 units of free power to all households (Gruha Jyoti), ₹ 2,000 monthly assistance to the woman head of every family (Gruha Lakshmi), 10 kg of free rice to every member of a BPL h o u s e h o l d ( A n n a B h a g y a ) , ₹ 3 , 0 0 0 e v e r y m o n t h f o r unemployed graduates and ₹ 1,500 for unemployed diploma holders, both in the age group of 18-25 (Yuva Nidhi), and free travel for women in public transport buses (Shakti)

While the government has already launched the scheme which will provide free travel for women in public transport buses, the other four schemes are in various stages of implementation, and the timeline has already been fixed for their rollout

Punjab passes bill to replace governor with CM as university chancellor

CHA ND IGA RH: The Punjab a ssem bl y pa ssed th e P u njab U n iv er s it i es La w s ( A m en dm e nt ) B il l , 2 02 3 t o r ep lace th e gov er nor with th e CM as th e ch ancel lor o f stater un univ er sities, becoming th e f o u r t h st a t e a f t e r B en g al , Keral a and Tamil Nadu to pass such a bill

However, in none of the t h r e e s t a t e s t h e b i l l h a s b e c o m e a l e g i s l a t i o n a s t h e respective governors have not given their nod

Speaking during the debate

WEST BENGAL

on the bill, CM Bhagwant Mann s a i d m e n o f h i g h i n t e g r i t y , prudence and repute need to be a p p o i n t e d a s u n i v e r s i t y v i c e chancellors to carry forward the r i c h c u l t u r e , t r a d i t i o n s a n d l e g a c y o f t h e s t a t e I t i s s u r p r i s i n g t h a t t h e g o v e r n o r , who knows nothing about the s t a t e , i s e m p o w e r e d ( a s c h a n c e l l o r ) t o a p p o i n t v i c ec h a n c e l l o r s , w h i c h i s t o t a l l y

unfair, he said I n t e r e s t i n g l y , l i k e o t h e r amendments in various laws, the bill, too, will be sent to governor

Banwarilal Purohit f o r h i s a s s e n t Mann said rather than securing the i n t e r e s t s o f t h e state, the governor is often seen on the o t h e r s i d e I n s t e a d o f s a f e g u a r d i n g t h e i n t e r e s t s o f Punjab and Punja-bis, he had been taking a stance in favour of Haryana to allow its entry in the P a n j a b U n i v e r s i t y s e n a t e , h e added This is a very strange situation as the governor, “just to appease his political masters

SC rejects Bengal govt plea against central forces in panchayat polls

NE W DE LH I: The Suprem e Court las t w e ek al l owe d d ep l oy m e n t o f c e n t r al f or ces for hol ding the Jul y 8 panc ha yat polls for 75,000 posts ac ross West Bengal

A b ench of Jus tices B V Nagarathna and M anoj M is ra rejec ted t he plea of the Trinamool governm ent and West B engal State El ection Com mis sion, which had a pproa ched the apex c ourt, challenging t h e Ca l c ut t a H C or de r d ir e c t in g th e deployme nt of the c entral forc es

Noting that past polls in the state had been marred by violence, the top court s a i d , “ H o l d i n g e l e c t i o n s c a n n o t b e a licence for violence, and HC has seen earlier instances of violence Elections cannot be accompanied by violence ”

“If persons (candidates) are not able to file their nominations and if they are finished off while they are going to file, where is the free and fair election,” the apex court observed, adding that there was no need to interfere with the HC order that was passed to ensure “free and fair elections” in the state

Senior Advocates Siddharth Agrawal and Meenakshi Arora, appearing for the state and the state election commission respectively, tried to convince the court

that the HC was wrong in passing the directions which was done just a day after the election date was announced

They said the HC should have waited for few days to gauge whether there was any shortfall in the preparations to ensure free and fair polls

The SC bench, however, was not convinced and observed that violence was witnessed in earlier elections too

“The fact remains that the tenor of the order of the HC is ultimately to ensure that free and fair election is conducted in the entire state of West Bengal, since the state is conducting election for local bodies on a single day and having regard to the volume of booths which are being set up, we find that the order of the HC does not call for any interference,” the bench said

in Delhi, is indulging in such gimmicks”, he said M a n n s a i d t h e g o v e r n o r ’ s act is a brazen disrespect of the v e r d i c t o f t h e p e o p l e N o interference of the governor is r e q u i r e d i n t h e d a y - t o - d a y f u n c t i o n i n g o f t h e s t a t e universities, he added

Clashes, bombings and vandalism scorch

Bengal poll turf

K OL K A TA : Beng al s panchayat po ll turf remained a picture of lawlessness, with clashes betw een w orkers of riv al political parties, bomb attacks o n cand idates’ hou ses, v andalism and d isruptive pro tests keeping several d istricts on the boil

At Raghunathganj in Murshidabad, four TMC workers were wounded in fighting with rivals from Congress Four people suspected to be involved in the clashes were arrested Raninagar, another restive M

Congress and CPM supporters swamped the state highway in Berhampore in the morning to protest the mayhem

P o l i c e r e c o v e r e d c r u d e b o m b s f r o m m a n y locations in Raghunathganj, Hariharpara, Salar and Rejinagar Two people were arrested at Contai in East Midnapore for making crude bombs In Karimpur, Nadia, the house of BJP candidate Saraswati Biswas was ransacked Purulia’s Raghunathpur witnessed clashes between TMC and CPM workers The house of a TMC worker was ransacked, while CPM alleged homes of several of its workers were vandalised too Many villagers were forced to flee, sources said In Siliguri, TMC youth wing leader Jayabrata Mukhuti was hospitalised after being attacked with weapons A suspect identified as Jhantu Saha was arrested

K Chandrasekhar Rao s Bharat Rashtra Samithi in Telangana is bracing for a blow as 35 of its key leaders are said to be set to join the Congress ahead of the state elections due later this year The group led by former BRS leader Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and the state s former minister Jupally Krishna Rao, have met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi in Delhi Sources in the Congress said more leaders from the ruling BRS and some from the BJP will join the party at the event Sources said both Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and Jupally Krishna Rao along with their supporters will formally join the Congress in the first week of July The function will be held in presence of national leaders at a public meeting in Khammam where Congress leader Bhatti Vikramarka may conclude his foot march

AP CM’S SISTER PLANS TO MERGER OF HER PARTY WITH CONG

Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy s estranged sister, YS Sharmila, who started her own party

Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Telangana Party (YSRTP) two years ago, is learnt to be in talks with Congress for a merger that could happen soon, given that both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh will face assembly polls in less than a year Sources said Congress wants Sharmila to focus on Andhra Pradesh, home turf of her late father and former CM of united Andhra Pradesh YS Rajasekhara Reddy, while her party primarily operates in Telangana and she could be reluctant in taking on her brother A Congress insider said YSR stood for united Andhra Pradesh and that sentiment could go against Sharmila in Telangana where she may be seen as an outsider”

SGPC WARNS PUNJAB GOVT OVER GURDWARAS ACT

The SGPC general house unanimously rejected the AAP government s amendment to the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925, to allow free telecast of the Gurbani from the Golden Temple Passing a resolution, the SGPC asked the government not to interfere in the religious affairs of the Sikhs The house also asked the government to withdraw the amendment or be ready to face a “morcha” Interestingly, the SGPC got support even from non-SAD members of the house Bibi Jagir Kaur, who had contested against SADbacked Harjinder Singh Dhami during the election for the post of the SGPC chief on November 9 supported the SGPC on the issue Balwinder Singh Bains another opposition member also flayed the interference of the government in SGPC matters

TAGORE LETTER SOLD FOR RS 21,00,000

A rare handwritten letter by Rabindranath Tagore, where he expressed reservations about English translations of his short stories, was sold at a price seven times above the original estimate at an online art auction Initially expected to be acquired at the estimated value of Rs 2 to 300,000, it went for Rs 21,13,212, following competitive bidding by several collectors The letter is dated January 3, 1930, and is addressed to Satyabhushan Sen Translation is an integral part of literature and Rabindranath addressed that side of literature He says that the readers did not appreciate the translation of his short stories and he seems skeptical about it Tagore also pointed out that his writing style is really different from contemporary ones That might also establish a contrast between his and the other writers

Senthil Balaji

Opposition likely to firm up joint plan against BJP at Shimla

H av in g b ro k en th e i ce an d a nn o u nc ed th e in te nt to w o r k together, the Opposition bloc is likely to focus on a jo int people’s p rog ramm e and an early joint camp aig n to get th e anti-BJP camp o ff the ground with a nationwid e blitz T he fo llowup to the Patna co nc l av e , s c h ed ul ed t o b e h el d i n S himla next month, is seen as a crucial step in provid ing a coherent face to the fledg ling coalition

The Shimla gathering would be aimed at erecting the twin pillars o f ‘ p r o g r a m m e a n d c a m p a i g n ” , which would help provide a strong foundation for the anti-BJP camp, sources said The brainstorming will discuss a sort of manifesto w h i c h w o u l d c o n t r a s t t h e

Opposition with the ruling BJP in terms of policy, with a greater clari t y o n o p p o s i t i o n ’ s a g e n d a a n d promises, and failures of the Modi government

B e s i d e s , s o u r c e s s a i d , t h e

O p p o s i t i o n i s a l s o l o o k i n g a t launching a joint campaign across the states to send out a message to the people that the united camp is

Pak-based gangster Haji Salim trying to revive LTTE, say officials

I ndi an age nci es h av e di sco vered that Haji Salim, a gangster based in Karachi, is c o n n ec t ed t o u n d er wo r ld don Dawood Ibrah im and p laying a key ro le in effort t o re vi v e th e Li b er at i o n T i ge rs o f T am i l E e la m ( LT TE) insurgent group in S ri Lanka and India throu gh extensive drug and weapo n smuggling, p eople familiar with the develo pment said

With the active support o f t h e I n t e r - S e r v i c e s Intelligence, Pakistan's spy agency, they claimed Salim, who is thought to be the brains behind a multimillion dollar drug network in P a k i s t a n a n d t h e I n d i a n Ocean, has frequently been

spotted at Dawood's Clifton Road residence in Karachi

It is suspected they both use each other's resources for smuggling

The agencies, including t h e N a r c o t i c s C o n t r o l Bureau (NCB), the National Investigation Agency (NIA) a n d t h e D i r e c t o r a t e o f R e v e n u e a n d I n t e l l i g e n c e (DRI), are working on identifying Indian contacts of Salim as well as Ibrahim’s D - C o m p a n y t o d i s m a n t l e the entire criminal network

L a s t m o n t h , t h e N C B a n d t h e n a v y w o r k e d together to intercept a socalled mother ship in the Indian Ocean, resulting in the seizure of 2,500 kg of

h i g h q u a l i t y m e t h a mphetamine valued at 1 2 billion The consignment originated from the death crescent (a term coined by home minister Amit Shah for the s m u g g l i n g r o u t e o f I r a n , Pakistan and Afghanistan) and was sent from Makran c o a s t i n B a l o c h i s t a n province

Last week, while filing a charge sheet against 13 people in a probe related to revival of LTTE in India, the NIA said Sri Lankan drug mafia members were sourcing drugs from Salim “The accused used various foreign WhatsApp numbers to c a r r y o u t t h e c l a n d e s t i n e trade

Singer Honey Singh alleges death threat from gangster Goldy Brar

Sin ger Honey Si ngh comp l a i n e d t ha t C an ad i a nb ased gangster G oldy B rar h ad t hre ate n ed h im ove r t h e p h on e , p r om p t i n g Delhi polic e's s pec ial c ell to f ile an FIR and laun ch an i nquiry Singh claims that Brar d e m a n d e d R s 5 0 , 0 0 , 0 0 0 from him and threatened him with severe repercussions if the money was not paid Brar is wanted in connection with the murder of P u n j a b i p o p m u s i c i a n Sidhu Moose Wala S i n g h m e t t h e D e l h i p o l i c e c o m m i s s i o n e r a n d

d e m a n d e d s e c u r i t y Another businessman also met the police brass after r e c e i v i n g e x t o r t i o n c a l l s f r o m a n o t h e r g a n g s t e r , sources said “On receipt of t h e c o m p l a i n t , p r o m p t action has been taken and a case under sections of crim-

inal intimidation and extortion has been registered,” t h e s p o k e s p e r s o n a d d e d Singh told the media that Brar had made threats to him and his workers after filing his complaint He further stated that for the first time in his life he received a life threat and now he and his family were scared “We received some voice notes a l s o W e r e c e i v e d t h e s e threats from international p h o n e n u m b e r s I h a v e requested security cover, ” he said Singh did not reveal the contents of the complaint

Grandma fights off leopard to save granddaughters

A 58-year-old woman was inj ured while valiantly protecting her two granddaughters during a leopard attack in Aabki village, Tehri di stri ct

The grandmother named Chandrama Devi, is from the Pratapnagar neighbourhood of Tehri She was on her home's porch with her two 4-year-old granddaughters, Vaishnavi and Riyanshi, when they came across the wild animal

According to locals, upon realising that the creature was a leopard, Devi swiftly r u s h e d t o p r o t e c t h e r g r a n d d a u g h t e r s , pulling them back while shielding them from harm However, the leopard attacked her and attempted to drag the woman away V i l l a g e h e a d , S h i v r a j R a m o l a s a i d , "Fortunately, the cries for help from the trio alerted the family, who rushed outside and

scared the animal away Chandrama Devi sustained injuries but managed to keep her granddaughters out of harm s way

C h a n d r a m a r e c e i v e d i n i t i a l f i r s t a i d while being sent right away to a neighbouring medical facility for treatment She was then directed to another Dehradun medical centre She sustained injuries mostly to her face, according to doctors at the Himalayan Hospital, where she is presently undergoing treatment

"While she had a few minor injuries, they are not life threatening She was examined by a plastic surgeon and received seven-eight stitches on her face, where the majority of her injuries were located Her condition is stable, and she is expected to b e d i s c h a r g e d s o o n , " s a i d a h o s p i t a l spokesperson

a serious initiative at presenting an alternative platform to BJP

“We are eyeing a late July or early August kickstart to public rallies, which will be held in states as part of outreach to the people More than outreach, it will first be to convey our commitment to the voters,” a source said

The keenness on a common programme is driven by the belief that the bloc will have to reach out to the people with a positive agenda, rather than just a criticism of the failures of the Modi dispensation A AP-C ong discord

The AAP struck a discordant note earlier when the largest nonNDA unity initiative in years that

started with leaders of 15 parties congregating in Patna to strategise for Mission 2024 culminated with 14 of them on the same page AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal wanted the C o n g r e s s t o s u p p o r t i t s s t a n d against the central decree on control of administrative services in the national capital Sources said that while brains t o r m i n g t h e o p p o s i t i o n ' s j o i n t strategy for 2024 at Nitish's resid e n c e , K e j r i w a l i n s i s t e d t h a t Congress make an announcement at the end of the meeting that it would support AAP on the ordinance Neither Congress president M a l l i k a r j u n K h a r g e n o r R a h u l Gandhi gave any clearcut assurance to AAP, sources said

Seven India made cough syrups under WHO investigation

The W orld He alt h Org anisat ion has iden tified a t le ast sev en cough syrups ma de in Ind ia a s da nge rous as par t of it s pr obe in to cont a mi n a t e d me d ic a t i o n s t h o u g h t t o be r e sp on si ble f or m or e t ha n 3 00 fa t a lit ie s , a ccord in g to med ia rep or ts

Christian Lindmeier, the spokesperson for the global health body, said that 20 toxic products made by 15 manufacturers in India and Indonesia have been identified The 20 medications include vitamins, paracetamol and cough syrups Fifteen of these have been recognised as contaminated syrups, seven of which are produced by the companies QP P h a r m a c h e m i n P u n j a b , M a i d e n

Pharmaceuticals in Haryana, and Marion Biotech in Noida

Last week, the WHO had said that it was conducting an investigation into a global threat caused due to toxic cough syrups In October, when the WHO issued a global alert for four such medications made by Maiden Pharmaceuticals, deaths caused by poisonous

Two

cough syrups made headlines Authorities in The Gambia connected the four medications to 66 deaths, the majority of which were caused by severe renal failure

In December, the WHO recommended not using two cough syrups made by Indian pharmaceutical firm Marion Biotech after Uzbekistan’s health ministry said that 18 children died after consuming the Dok 1 Max syrup manufactured by the company In April 2023, another Indian drugmaker was also found by the World Health Organization to have exported contaminated cough syrup to the Marshall Islands and Micronesia

Commenting on allegations of deaths of children linked to India-made medicines, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya told media that India has a zero-tolerance policy on spurious medicines He said that following reports of deaths linked to Indiam a d e c o u g h s y r u p s , 7 1 c o m p a n i e s w e r e issued show-cause notices and 18 of them were shut down

J&K docs fired for plotting with ISI for fake rape-murder autopsy report

The Jam mu a nd Kashmir admin ist rat ion has fire d tw o gove rn men t do ct ors from t heir p o si t i o n s fo r a l le g e d l y c o n sp i r i n g w i t h Pa kistan 's ISI to fabricat e t he post -morte m r e po r t s o f t w o y o un g K a sh m i r i w om e n n a m e d A si y a J a n a n d N e e l of a r J a n w h o dr owned in Shopian in 2009 a nd a ttr ibute t heir de aths to ra pe a nd murd er

The post-mortem reports from the J&K doctors were later found to be false by the C B I , w i t h f i n d i n g s f r o m A I I M S a n d t h e Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) determining that the two women died from "asphyxia as a result of accidental drowning" and ruling out any evidence of rape or an attempt to commit rape in either case

The two doctors terminated from service under Article 311(2)(c) of the Constitution of India - Dr Nighat Shaheen Chiloo, a consultant gynaecologist now posted at sub-district

hospital in Chadoora, Budgam and Dr Bilal Ahmad Dalal, a medical officer last posted at N T P H C , S h o p i a n - w e r e f o u n d t o h a v e “actively worked with Pakistan and hatched a conspiracy with its assets within Kashmir to falsify the postmortem reports of Asiya and Neelofar,” a J&K government functionary told the media

J&K ‘ r ape ’ r epor t sp ark ed off 7-mont h-long v iolen t prot est

In 2009, Doctors Bilal Ahmed and Nighat Shaheen were suspended for failing to follow proper procedure during an autopsy After some time, they were reinstated The “ rape ” finding in their falsified report had sparked off a seven-month cycle of violence in J&K, during which 42 strike calls were given and 600 law and order incidents left seven civilians dead and 135 others, including 35 police and para-military personnel, injured

IT man held for posing as PMO official in Vadodara

A m an from Vad odara has land ed in soup after he d rop ped name of the Prime Minister’s office (PM O) w hile trying to secure admissions fo r tw o so ns of an Army m an A fter Mayank Tiw ari, a Vadod ara resid ent, introd uced h imself as an em ployee o f the P MO, the school management grew suspicious and registered an o ffence at the Wagh odiya po lice station

Tiwari had contacted the New Era Secondary School located in Nizampura in March 2022 for admission of his friend’s two sons He introduced himself as a director of strategic advisory and director of government advisory in the PMO when he met school authorities

After functionaries at the school asked Tiwari to meet Dr Devanshu Patel, the trustee of the school at Parul University, he went there and met Devanshu’s wife Dr Geetika Patel During interaction, Tiwari discussed education and even said that he could work with the institute in the field of education

He even said that he could get research projects and claimed that he could help with permissions, but the expenses will have to be borne by the university Tiwari was asked to go back to the school and complete formalities for the education The parents of the two boys went through the admission process of the school and were granted an admission

The management, however, made discreet inquiries about Tiwari Recently they came to know that Tiwari had nothing to do with the PMO Following this the school authorities filed an offence agains Tiwari and he was arrested

Honey Singh

Book Review

The India Way: Strategies for an Uncertain World

economic reforms, the 1998 nuclear test, and the 2005 nuclear deal, India couldn’t quite focus on it On the other hand, China persevered and began economic reforms 15 years after the protracted use of the nuclear option The book further explains India’s position and diplomatic approach to world politics If it joined dialogues like the Quad, the Indo-Pacific, or the BRICS, it also joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

For the past 40 years, the US-China relationship has drawn interest from throughout the world, China's close neighbour and the focus of American interest is India A m e r i c a h a s e n g a g e d i n u n f a i r t r a d e , e x c e s s i v e immigration, and unreceptive ally behaviour during its time as the dominant global power, and China is doing the same to maintain its position at the top The US-China dynamic alliance is a big question now, and with effective Indian policy-making and a mix of multiple approaches, India can find a way that’ll benefit it

J a i s h a n k a r u s e s h i s t o r i c a l i n s t a n c e s s u c h a s t h e

The world has experienced divergent polarisations in different phases After the fall of the Soviet Union, it briefly remained unipolar before becoming bipolar, and it is currently transitioning to multipolarity China has officially e n t e r e d t h e w o r l d s t a g e , a n d e v e r y o n e c a n s e e i t Unexpectedly, a non-Western power has supplanted a number of other world powers and is now almost in charge of the Western-led international system The author S Jaishankar, who is currently in charge of the Ministry of External Affairs, provides readers with insights into how New Delhi formulates its foreign policy and examines various issues from the past and present and how they will affect global politics in the future

The book begins with China's place in the global order a n d h o w i t u s e d a v a r i e t y o f s t r a t e g i e s t o o v e r c o m e obstacles and advance to its current position He continues by comparing where India falls behind the rest of the world India and China were sailing in the same boat at the time of t h e i r i n d e p e n d e n c e , b u t d u e t o d e l a y e d e c o n o m i c development and reforms that couldn’t happen at a set time and disruptions like the 1972 Bangladesh war, 1991

M a h a b h a r a t a , K a u t i l y a n p o l i t i c s , a n d m a n y o t h e r s t o illustrate how rule-based behaviour and national objectives might have been amicably resolved in the past He uses the post-1991 economic reform strategy, which utterly went wrong, as an example As a result, the current trade conflicts and post-corona recovery are crucial obligations to lay out a more modern strategy The choices we make on the economic front will have a direct impact on our overall national power Additionally, Jaishankar's history of these r

The author goes on to analyse how to formulate a good international relations policy India must try to repair its sociological and economic ties and play the diplomatic game by cooperating with the United States, controlling China, developing Europe, insuring Russia, and including Japan We must manage our national security and integrity while learning vital lessons from China to advance India might have also been able to find some good in the Corona pandemic This catastrophe could have been used to make India the pharmacy of the world and promote yoga and

international relations with realism

One can grasp a lot from the precedents and strategies of foreign policymaking narrated in the book The book's eight chapters provide readers with insight into various nations and their approaches to international politics It offers pertinent insights and considerations on the most appropriate model for India to use in its international strategy

Five garden laws to obey this summer

Homeowners have been offered tips and advice to prevent them from breaking common garden laws and rules this summer – and avoid hefty fines With warmer weather predicted over the coming weeks, families will be getting their gardens and outdoor spaces ready for the sunnier months

T o h e l p t h e m a v o i d a n y neighbourly disputes or unexpected fines, overseas property experts from Y o u r O v e r s e a s H o m e c o m h a v e researched and revealed several laws that must be obeyed - both in the UK and overseas

Overhanging branches

In the UK, if your neighbour’s tree branches are growing over into your garden, legally you are entitled to t r i m t h e m b a c k t o t h e c o m m o n b o u n d a r y H o w e v e r , a n y c u t t i n g s must be offered back to the tree or hedge owner

T h i s r u l e d i f f e r s i n o t h e r countries in Europe In France, for example, the neighbour has a legal obligation to cut them but you do not h a v e t h e r i g h t t o d o i t y o u r s e l f However, if it is not full branches but just roots, brambles or twigs, then you can do it yourself

The Right to Light

The ‘right to light’ gives property owners and residents the right to the light that streams into the ‘defined apertures’ in their houses and other buildings As a property or landowner, you must abide by this easement –you ’ re not allowed to build a structure that will block the light into your neighbour’s windows, and that goes for large trees, shrubs and bushes too

Protected trees and plants

Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) were introduced in the UK in 1947 w i t h i n t h e T o w n a n d C o u n t r y Planning Act They are placed by the Local Planning Authority in order to ‘prohibit the cutting down, uprooting, topping, lopping, wilful damage or wilful destruction of a tree without p r i o r w r i t t e n c o n s e n t ’ T h i s i s particularly relevant for older homes or those that come with a lot of land Felling a tree with a TPO can result in fines of up to £20,000!

Fences and boundaries

There’s a common belief in the UK t h a t a s a h o m e o w n e r , y o u a r e responsible for the fence on the left, as you look at your garden However, this won't always be the case Due to the UK's legal system, there are no strict laws about the boundary lines between two properties As a result, there is no set of rules about whether you own the fences on the left or right side of your property However, the

fences themselves may give you a clue I f t h e g o o d s i d e f a c e s i n t o y o u r garden, it s usually yours

O n c e y o u ’ v e e s t a b l i s h e d w h o ’ s responsible for what, it’s important to note that you can’t make changes to y o u r s i d e o f a n e i g h b o u r ’ s f e n c e without their permission That means painting it, too!

Garden sheds and outdoor buildings

Most garden sheds come under ‘permitted development’ That means they’re incidental to the enjoyment of the dwelling place, rather than being a separate dwelling place in their own r i g h t , a n d s o t h e y d o n o t r e q

Post-pregnancy diabetes patients struggle to regulate blood sugar levels

Researchers have fou nd that p eop le who develo p diabetes after pregnancy were sig nificantly less likely to be able to control it if they had g estational diabetes, especially i f th e y w er e B lac k o r H i s p ani c T h e s tu d y a ls o d i sco vered th at the li kelih ood of develop ing diabetes w ithin nine years after delivery w as m ore th an 11 tim es h igher in those w ith g estational diabetes th an in peop le wh ose p regnancies d id not entail it The stud y w as p u b li s h ed i n Jo u r nal

‘ Diabetes C are ’

The first 12 weeks to one y e a r p o s t p a r t u m h a d t h e h i g h e s t i n c i d e n c e o f d i abetes and the lowest likelihood of diabetic managem e n t , a c c o r d i n g t o t h e Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai researchers

Among those who experienced diabetes after delivery, the researchers found that a history of gestational diabetes was associated with

more difficulty controlling glucose levels In particular, of those with postpartumo n s e t d i a b e t e s f o l l o w i n g gestational diabetes, Black and Hispanic people experie n c e d a l o n g e r t i m e t o achieve control of their glucose levels than those without gestational diabetes T h e r e s e a r c h t e a m developed a novel population-based cohort of more t h a n 3 3 0 , 0 0 0 p o s t p a r t u m women in New York City, u s i n g d a t a f r o m 2 0 0 9 t o 2017 to examine how gestat i o n a l d i a b e t e s i n t e r a c t s with race and ethnicity to

influence diabetes risk and control The birth records included data about pregn a n c y - r e l a t e d c o m o r b i d it i e s , i n c l u d i n g g e s t a t i o n a l d i a b e t e s a n d g e s t a t i o n a l hypertensive disorders, selfreported race and ethnicity, a n d s o c i o d e m o g r a p h i c c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s , i n c l u d i n g age, nativity, education, and insurance type or status

Through their analysis, the Mount Sinai researchers were able to confirm prior estimates of diabetes risk a t t r i b u t e d t o g e s t a t i o n a l diabetes and build on limite d e x i s t i n g e v i d e n c e o f

racial and ethnic differences in the influence of gestat i o n a l d i a b e t e s T h e d a t a supports policies facilitating a n d e x p a n d i n g a c c e s s t o health care after delivery, such as extending postpart u m c o v e r a g e u n d e r Medicaid

"This study shows that a history of gestational diabetes is a red flag for higher r i s k o f d i a b e t e s b u t a l s o p o o r e r c o n t r o l d o w n t h e l i n e , w i t h B l a c k a n d H i s p a n i c w o m e n m o s t affected," said senior author Teresa Janevic, Ph D , MPH, A s s o c i a t e P r o f e s s o r o f Obstetrics, Gynecology and R e p r o d u c t i v e S c i e n c e , Population Health Science a n d P o l i c y , a n d G l o b a l Health and Health Systems

D e s i g n a t I c a h n M o u n t Sinai "The good news is this red flag provides the opportunity for diabetes prevent i o n i f w e f o c u s m o r e intently on mom's health in the first year postpartum ”

Carotene-rich diet linked to decreased artery fat levels

A hig h a mount of ca rote ne s in the blood has been associa t e d w it h l e s s a r t e r y a t her oscle r osis an d, con sequen tly, a decre ased risk of ca rdiova scular disease The r ecen t st udy's findin gs we re p ublishe d as open a cce ss in C linical N ut rition by a group of re se ar che rs fr om IDIBAPS a nd t he UOC

The work was headed by Gemma Chiva Blanch of the I D I B A P S T r a n s l a t i o n a l Research in Diabetes, lipids and Obesity group, led by Josep Vidal Chiva Blanch is p a r t o f t h e C I B E R O B N research centre and an assoc i a t e p r o f e s s o r a n d researcher at the Faculty of H e a l t h S c i e n c e s o f t h e U n i v e r s i t a t O b e r t a d e Catalunya (UOC) A t h e r o s c l e r o s i s i s t h e

More positive outcomes when elders are treated locally

build-up of fat, generally the LDL or "bad" type of cholesterol, on the inner walls of the blood vessels This buildu p , i n t h e f o r m o f a t h e r o s c l e r o t i c p l a q u e s , causes a narrowing of the v e s s e l ' s i n t e r n a l d i a m e t e r , t h e r e b y h i n d e r i n g t h e b l o o d s c i r c u l a t i o n Furthermore, these plaques can rupture and form clots that obstruct the blood flow, leading to myocardial infarctions (heart attacks) when the blood doesn't reach the heart or ischaemic strokes when it doesn't reach the

brain

It's no secret that diet plays a key role in cardiovascular diseases Carotenes are bioactive compounds found in yellow, orange and green fruits and vegetables, such as c a r r o t s , s p i n a c h , l e t t u c e , t o m a t o e s , s w e e t p o t a t o e s , b r o c c o l i , c a n t a l o u p e s , b e l l peppers, mangoes, papayas, apricots, loquats and pumpkins Carotenes are potent i a l l y c a p a b l e o f c h e c k i n g a t h e r o s c l e r o s i s " H o w e v e r , the studies carried out to date have not been conclus i v e , a n d i t e v e n a p p e a r s that, when administered as a s u p p l e m e n t , t h e y h a v e a prejudicial effect," explained Chiva Blanch

The article looked at 200 people between 50 and 70 forming part of the DIABIM-

Taking regular nap is good for the brain, study finds

T aking a nap d uring the day c an l eav e y o u f eel in g r ef res h e d , re ch a rg e d an d ready to take on th e world

Now new research suggests it could be good for your b rain to o A stu d y w h i ch analysed data from people aged 4 0 to 69 has show n d aytim e nap ping cou ld slow the rate at w hich th e brain sh rinks as w e age

The average difference i n b r a i n v o l u m e b e t w e e n habitual nappers and those who were not was equivalent to 2 6 to 6 5 years of ageing, researchers found T h e y s a i d t h e y h o p e t h e i r f i n d i n g s i n t o t h e health benefits of sleeping during the day will reduce any stigma that still exists a r o u n d d a y t i m e n a p p i n g Senior author Dr Victoria G a r f i e l d , f r o m t h e M R C Unit for Lifelong Health &

Ageing at UCL, said: "Our f i n d i n g s s u g g e s t t h a t , f o r some people, short daytime naps may be a part of the puzzle that could help preserve the health of the brain as we get older " P r e v i o u s r e s e a r c h h a s suggested people who have had a short nap perform better in cognitive tests in the hours afterwards than those w h o d i d n o t t a k e f o r t y winks Researchers looked a t 9 7 s n i p p e t s o f D N A thought to determine people's likelihood of habitual napping

They compared measures of brain health and cognition of people who are more genetically prog r a m m e d t o n a p w i t h people who did not have t h e s e c h a n g e s i n D N A , using data from 378,932 p e o p l e f r o m t h e U K Biobank study

They found that, overall, p e o p l e p r e d e t e r m i n e d t o nap had a larger total brain volume The genetic variants - DNA changes - influe n c i n g t h e l i k e l i h o o d o f someone to nap were identified in an earlier study looking at data from 452,633 UK Biobank participants

But the researchers did not find a difference in how well those programmed to b e h a b i t u a l n a p p e r s p e rformed on three other measures of brain health and cognitive function

Olde r people wi th health concerns freq ue ntly re quire some amount of i ntermedi ate moni torin g, care , and tr e a t m e n t W h i l e t h e y m a y n o t n e e d a ho s pi ta l ' s resources, they requi re more adva nce d he lp than a n ursing home can off er “In termedia te care un its” are primari ly in tend ed to replace an acute hospita l admiss ion but are occas ionally use d followi ng admiss ion P a l E r l i n g M a r t i n u s s e n , a p r o f e s s o r i n t h e Department of Sociology and Political Science at the N o r w e g i a n U n i v e r s i t y o f S c i e n c e a n d T e c h n o l o g y (NTNU), says, “Intermediate care units are the newest trend in health policy, and Norway is way ahead of the curve in this regard ” The units are a form of middle ground between a hospital and a nursing home close to patients’ homes Norway has established this healthcare offering in the last ten years as part of the Norwegian Coordination Reform implemented in 2012

CAP cohort and recruited by t h e I D I B A P S P r i m a r y H e a l t h c a r e t r a n s v e r s a l research group led by Antoni Siso Almirall The volunteers taking part in the study were analysed with regard to two parameters: the concentrat i o n o f c a r o t e n e s i n t h e b l o o d a n d , b y m e a n s o f u l t r a s o u n d i m a g i n g , t h e presence of atherosclerotic plaques in the carotid artery " T h e s t u d y c o n c l u d e s that the greater the concentration of carotenes in the b l o o d , t h e l e s s e r t h e atherosclerotic burden, particularly in women [ ] So, we can confirm that a diet rich in fruit and vegetables and thus in carotenes lowers the risk of suffering from cardiovascular diseases," said Chiva

Blanch

A group of NTNU, SINTEF and UiO researchers have now studied how this service affects various indicators that can provide evidence of the quality of Norway's health service Martinussen said, “All Norwegian municipalities had to set up ‘municipal acute units’ (MAUs) following the healthcare decentralization and coordination reform in 2012 ”

The aim was to provide well-integrated services more adapted to individual users Findings show that the reformed healthcare service is better for older patients who need close follow-up Martinussen said, “We’ve found that introducing these medical units is associated with both lower mortality and fewer readmissions ”

However, this finding only applies to the oldest patients The connection is also significantly stronger if the municipal acute units are well-staffed by medical professionals This type of intermediate health service is thus associated with lower mortality rates for the elderly It might indicate that the healthcare services within the municipalities have improved since MAUs were introduced

“Our findings are a strong indication that MAUs have worked as intended Health services for the elderly might have improved by moving some treatment from the hospitals to where people live But this should be followed up by further research,” says Martinussen

Plant-based food packages linked to lower BMI in children: Study

Acc ording to a new study by r esearc her s at the M as s Gen eral Brigham H os pital sys te m, a “food is medicine” approach could improve f am il ies ' n ut rit ion s ec urit y while l owe rin g c hildren’s body ma ss index (BMI) Rese archers f rom the Mass achusetts General Hospital and Boston Children’s Hospit al investigator studied whether of fering weekly plant -bas ed f oods to fam il ies requesting food ass is tanc e during the pandemic c aus ed weight change s in children

The team found an association between increased food package receipt and decreased BMI The findings, published in Preventing Chronic Disease, add to a growing body of evidence that providing plant-based foods could be a useful strategy to prevent childhood obesity in children from food-insecure families

“It's important to encourage healthy eating habits during childhood to help prevent co-morbidities associated with obesity later in life, but many families to do not have access to expensive healthy foods, such as produce,” said senior author Lauren Fiechtner, MD, MPH, Director of the Pediatric Nutrition Center at Mass General for Children and Health and Research Advisor at The Greater Boston Food Bank "Food pantries like MGH

Revere that can provide families with healthy foods are a huge help in making sure that kids have a long, healthy future and have the best cardiovascular and metabolic health possible from a young age ”

"Children in families with food insecurity are frequently skipping meals or skipping food for a whole day because their family does not have enough money for food," said Fiechtner "One way for parents to stretch a tight food budget and make sure their children are at least eating something is to buy the cheapest foods available, which are often not nutritious and contribute to obesity and other health problems ”

The researchers examined BMI during a baseline period prior to receiving food packages and then during a follow-up period using the Mass General Brigham electronic health record At the start of the study, 57% of children aged 2-18 had a BMI at or above the 85th percentile At follow-up, this number was reduced to 49% The researchers also saw a decrease in BMI with each additional food family package received and estimated that children in households who received 27 weeks or more of packages may have had a BMI decrease of 1 08 kg/m2 or more

Abhishek Bachchan reveals why he took break after ‘Housefull 3’

In his 23 year career, actor Abhishek Bachchan has forged a niche in the industry After his role as Inspector Jai Dixit in ‘Dhoom 3,’ he starred in several light-hearted films like ‘Happy New Year,’ ‘The Shaukeens,’ ‘All Is Well,’ and later, ’Housefull 3’ in 2016. He then took a break and returned only in 2018 with ‘Manmarziyaan’ in which he played the second male lead.

Ileana D'Cruz responds to question about gaining weight due to pregnancy

In an interview, Abhishek has explained the reason behind his break He said, “I was very complacent I was getting great work, great money, all the films were becoming s u p e r h i t s B u t I k n e w I w a s n ’ t p u s h i n g myself You should never think that I can sleep-walk through a film! No, you ’ re not meant to sleep-walk through a film because people are putting hard earned money on you!

He added, “You have to have sleepless nights Somewhere that's the price you pay as an actor for your gift When it stops meaning that and it comes easily to you, you've started your downward trajectory and that's the space I was in So, I said, let me stop Whichever films I had signed that time, which hadn t started, I returned the signing amounts to them I told them I need to reevaluate things, I took that time off, I came back and started selecting work which gave me sleepless nights ”

Abhishek was last seen in the 2022 film ‘ D a s v i , ’ w h i c h f e a t u r e s h i m a s a j a i l e d politician who resumes his studies in jail He was also seen in the second season of his web series ‘Breathe: Into The Shadows’ last y e a r T h e a c t o r r e c e n t l y c o m p l e t e d t h e shooting of R Balki’s ‘Ghoomer ’ He also produced a film titled ‘SSS7’ and also shot a film with Remo D’Souza and will now begin working on Shoojit Sircar’s next

pregnant with her first child, Ileana D’Cruz has responded to an Instagram user who asked her if she is worried about gaining weight The actor held an Ask Me Anything session on Instagram over the weekend, where she answered several questions from her fans and followers She talked about her pregnancy journey among other topics

Currently

they have to weigh yo consistently on your m I've loved how my bo past few months ” She added, "It's wondrous humbling human and there ar great But I have a s y s t e m a n d p e o p l e remind me that I am human inside me! S m a t t e r D o n ' t g o b amount of weight ga your pregnancy Stay As healthy as you can body! Do what feel heart emoji) ”

A person asked her, "You worried you are gonna gain weight?" She responded, "Ok so this question would initially really trigger me And I think it's because so many people comment on your weight when you're having a baby It doesn't help when you go to your doctor checkups and

Ileana also repli where a fan asked, “ f e e l i n g w h e n y o u heartbeat of your bab time?” She said, "One beautiful moments I e x p e r i e n c e d I c a n describe how overwh was There were te h a p p i n e s s a n d s o r e l i e f a n d j o y A m surge of love for a tin that was going to be grown baby soon ”

Kangana reacts to negative reviews for ‘Tiku Weds Sheru’

Actress Kangana Ranaut has reacted to negative reviews received by her maiden production ‘Tiku Weds Sheru,’ calling it part of a “smear campaign” orchestrated by the “movie mafia ” She urged viewers to watch the film and not go by “fake trends” and “paid reviews ”

The movie features actors Nawazuddin Siddique (49) and Avneet Kaur (21) Many on Reddit were ‘grossed-out' on seeing them kiss in the movie trailer A person said so disappointing to s Avneet Kaur, who is just 21, paired opposite someone (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), who is 49 " One wrote, "Shocking how it's coming from Kangana " Kangana Ranaut is the film's producer Kangana took to Instagram Stories to write, “ movie mafia doing everything to harm my film, fake reviews and smear campaigns started even before its release Anyway it s streaming now please watch it for yourself or only ask your friends or people you know about the reviews of the film if they saw it before you, don't go by paid fake trends or reviews ”

“I was 16 when I started, it's better to start young if you are looking at a film career, problem is if you play a flower on the wall, exploited just for youth and has no lines or role or opportunity given Whatever mafia PR is trying to do with age controversy, please understand it's not working how about

Kiara Advani calls husband Sidharth Malhotra her 'home'

orking on your own films and watching TWS again,” Kangana wrote on Instagram Stories In another Story, angana posted ture of her and Irrfan Khan and wrote, “Fun facts Earlier choice for TWS Irrfan Khan and Kangana Ranaut - Age gap more than 20 years Finally, who did the film Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Avneet Kaur - Age gap more than 20 years ”

Addressing the negative response, Nawazuddin had said in an interview, “Romance is ageless The problem is that the young men have no romance left We are from the times when romance was something else We would be in love and be in 'ishq' for years Today, Shah Rukh Khan continues to do romantic roles because the young generation is ‘nalli’ (useless) They don't know romance

In a recent interview, newlymarried actress Kiara Advani called herself lucky as she spoke about true love and marriage

She added that she believes in true love since she is in a love marriage. Kiara married her ‘Shershaah’ co-star, actor Sidharth Malhotra earlier this year. The two recently came back to India after a vacation in Japan.

Kiara said, “Abhi abhi meri s h a a d i h u i h a i Y e h e k l o v e m a r r i a g e t h a S o n a t u r a l l y , main toh believe karti hoon (in t r u e l o v e ) ( I g o t m a r r i e d recently It was a love marriage So naturally, I believe in true love) ”

She also added, "Ghar do logon se banta hain And main bohot khush kismat hoon ki jo mere saathi hain, the man I ve chosen to live my life with Mera jo pati hain (A home is made by two people I am very l u c k y t h a t m y p a r t n e r m y husband), he is my best friend M e r e l i y e ( F o r m e ) h e i s everything He is my home W h e r e v e r w e a r e , c h a a h e i n kahin bhi ho duniya mein jis bhi city mein, mere liye wahi mera ghar hai (wherever we are in this world, in whichever city, for me he is my home) ”

Sidharth and Kiara tied the knot in an intimate ceremony o n F e b r u a r y 7 t h i s y e a r a t Suryagarh Palace in Rajasthan T h e y h o s t e d a r e c e p t i o n i n Delhi for their close friends and later in Mumbai Karan J o h a r , K a r e e n a K a p o o r , A l i a B h a t t , K a j o l , G a u r i K h a n , S a n j a y L e e l a B h a n s a l i a n d m a n y m o r e c e l e b r i t i e s attended the grand reception On the work front, Kiara h a s t h e r o m a n t i c m u s i c a l d r a m a ‘ S a t y a p r e m K i K a t h a ’ a l o n g s i d e K a r t i k A a r y a n Helmed by Sameer Vidwans, the movie is all set to hit the theatres on June 29 The film a l s o s t a r s S u p r i y a P a t h a k , G a j r a j R a o , S i d d h a r t h R a n d h e r i a , A n o o r a d h a P a t e l , R a j p a l Y a d a v , N i r r m i t e

Saawaant and Shikha Talsania

She also has Game Changer alongside Ram Charan in the pipeline The official release date of the film is still awaited M e a n w h i l e , S i d h a r t h w i l l be seen in the upcoming film ‘Yodha ’ He will also be making h i s d i g i t a l d e b u t w i t h t h e upcoming web series ‘Indian Police Force ’ Helmed by Rohit S h e t t y , t h e s e r i e s a l s o s t a r s

Vivek Oberoi and Shilpa Shetty in pivotal roles and will stream exclusively on Prime Video

Om

Raut’s ‘Adipurush’ appears to be caught in a never-ending controversy

In the latest, the All India Cine Workers Association wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, demanding registration of a cas against the makers of the movie for “hurtin religious sentiments” and its continued efforts to “make money selling discounted tickets across the multiplexes ” The letter demanded an FIR against Raut, co-writer Manoj Muntasir, and producers of the film

The film has received major backla from across the country for its bad VFX unacceptable dialogues The criticism ev prompted makers to revise the dialogues of a certain scene in the movie that caused major uproar

Fan asks Shah Rukh to smoke a cigarette with him, actor responds

According to a media report, the letter read, “This letter is to draw your attention towards a Movie called Adipurush which was released on 16th June 2023 in the theatres across India, have been Hurting the Sentiments of Hindu religion and the people who belief and pray Bhagwan Ram, Maa Sita and Ram sevak Bhagwan uman, the Movie running in the theatres tinues to depict the image of Bhagwan Ram d entire Ramayan and the producers also want make money selling discounted tickets across M u l t i p l e x e s , w h i c h w i l l s e n d a w r o n g s s a g e a b o u t o u r l e a r n i n g a n d f a i t h t h e m a y a n , t h e M a k e r s T - S e r i e s a n d t h e oducers, Writer Manoj Muntasir, and director m Raut have made a mockery of Ramayan by isting the dialogues , the costumes and the o r y l i n e ( c h a r a c t e r s w h i c h s o u n d s nacceptable to anybody and everybody ”

The letter also stated, "We are requesting ou to lodge an FIR against the director Makers Adipurush Movie the producers Bhushan umar T-Series and others, the director Om aut and the writer Manoj Muntasir Shukla ” P r o d u c e d b y T - S e r i e s , A d i p u r u s h i s a n nterpretation of Ramayana, directed by Raut, hat stars Prabhas as Raghav (based on Rama), Kriti Sanon as Janaki (Sita), Saif Ali Khan as Lankesh (Ravana), Sunny Singh as Lakshman and Devdutta Nage as Bajrang It released in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada J 6 It released in theatres last week in Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Tamil

Gulshan Devaiah on audience acceptance of LGBTQ+ stories

ActorGulshan Devaiah’s performance as a queer character in last year’s ‘Badhaai Do’ garnered much praise. In lieu of pride month, the actor said he feels happy to see people’s mindset changing towards such stories. He also narrated an incident that made him believe that people are actually becoming receptive.

“I was in Dehradun, shooting for my film G u n s a n d G u l a b s A n d c o i n c i d e n t a l l y , Rajkummar (Rao, co-star in Badhaai Do) was also there We were staying in the same h o t e l a n d w h e n e v e r w e w e n t t o t h e restaurant, some of the other guests and locals with their families would come to dine there There were so many times that e l d e r l y w o m e n w h o h a d g r a n d c h i l d r e n would come to me and Raj to appreciate the film They even said that we were such a great couple on screen That left me so surprised,” he recounts

Bollywood

super star Shah Rukh Khan completed 31 years in the industry last week He held an Ask SRK session on Twitter to celebrate the occasion, and as expected, his fans came up with quirky and a few warm questions for their favourite actor Shah made his acting debut with ‘Deewana’ opposite late actor Divya Bharti in 1992

B e g i n n i n g t h e s e s s i o n S h a h wrote, “Wow just realised yrs to the day when Deewa hit the screens It’s been quite a ride mostly a good one Thanks all and we c a n d o 3 1 m i n u t e s o f

#AskSRK ??” A person asked him, “One thing w h i c h y o u w i l l n e v e r forget from Deewana's Set?” Shah Rukh replied, “Working with Divyaji and Rajji ” Someone asked him “Sir how do you feel when watch this epic entry of yourself It's been 31 years and it still gives us chills ” He replied, “Should have worn a helmet ”

W h e n a s k e d ‘ w h i c h i s t h e p r o u d e s t

achievement you had in these 31 years?’ Shah Rukh replied, “Being able to entertain lots of people lots of times That’s it ” A person asked, “You have been always an inspiration sir, any motivational lines from you for the rest of the year sir ” The actor said, “Focus hard on work love family even harder!”

A person even asked the actor, “Sath me cigarette pine chaloge kya (let's go smoke a c i g a r e t t e t o g e t h e r ) @ i a m s r k s i r ? ? ? ” H e replied, “Main apni buri aadatein akele hi karta hoon (I indulge in my bad habits by myself)!”

Once again, someone asked him to do a film like ‘Swades ’ “After so many successful years in Bollywood and after doing l every sort of role, now, e picking a movie, do you o k a t i t ' s c o m m e r c i a l aspect or you would also l i k e t o d o s o m e roles/movies which you m a y h a v e n o t d o n e before, or may b more

Like Swadesh,” read a tweet Shah Rukh said, “I now try and do the kind of film the particular director wants to do not ly what I see myself as ” he actor made his muchawaited comeback after a foury e a r h i a t u s , w i t h S i d d h a r t h A n a n d ’ s blockbuster action-thriller ‘Pathaan ’ He will be seen next in the upcoming action-thriller ‘Jawan,’ which is set to hit the theatres on September 7 Helmed by South filmmaker Atlee, the film also stars Nayanthara and Vijay Sethupathi in lead roles He also has director Rajkumar Hirani's next ‘Dunki’ opposite actor Taapsee Pannu

Veteranactor Zeenat Aman featured in a stunning interview for Vogue India recently, where she spoke about people who had “far more interest” in her looks than her intellect She said that though she leveraged her looks, she “chose roles that pushed the envelope ” The actor said there are incidents in her life that people cling to, adding that a few bad days, decades ago, do not define her

Zeenat said, “I realised early on that the w o r l d d e s i r e d y o u t h a n d b e a u t y f r o m women in the film industry So I leveraged my looks, but I also chose roles that pushed t h e e n v e l o p e S t i l l , t h e r e w a s f a r m o r e interest in my face and figure than there ever was in my intellect This is one reason that I have loved ageing - it has evened the scales ” S h e a d d e d , “ I h a v e l e d a l i f e o f b r e a t h t a k i n g h i g h s a n d p r o f o u n d l o w s

There is nothing I regret, and nobody that I owe Any shame or fear that has ever dogged me has long evaporated There are incidents in my life that the public cling to and that are dredged up again and again I am aware o f t h e s e , a n d b e c o m i n g i n c r e a s i n g l y immune to them My life is not defined by a few bad days that transpired many decades a g o , a n d I n e e d n e i t h e r s y m p a t h y n o r defence I am content in myself ”

Zeenat rose to fame with ‘Hare Rama Hare Krishna’ in 1971 She later went on to work in movies like ‘Yaadon Ki Baaraat,’ ‘ R o t i K a p d a A u r M a k a a n , ’ ‘ C h o r i M e r a

Kaam,’

D e v a i a h s a i d h e d o e s n ’ t h a v e a n y k n o w l e d g e o r e x t r a o b s e r v a t i o n a b o u t I n d i a n a u d i e n c e s a c c e p t i n g L G B T Q I A + s t o r i e s a n d i t ’ s t h r o u g h h i s p e r s o n a l e x p e r i e n c e s h e f e e l s u c h f i l m s h e l p i n bringing about a difference “I’ve not read any research papers or statistics that films around homosexuality are being accepted or not But, this is my experience I never i m a g i n e d t h a t i n a s m a l l t o w n l i k e Dehradun, people would come and show so much love for Badhaai Do If people come in and give me their best wishes, that means things are changing,” he adds

The 45-year-old asserts that people are a lot more open now and maybe the film industry needs to realise that fact “Maybe w e u n d e r e s t i m a t e o u r s o c i e t y t o s o m e extent With any sensitive topic, you can’t shove everything down somebody’s throat It really depends on how you communicate the subject to them When you tell stories, p e o p l e a r e a b l e t o i d e n t i f y w i t h y o u r characters, so there is no need to push any thoughts,” he opines, adding that cinema holds the power to impact the audience, and often in positive ways

“I don’t know if there is a change per se, but there are definitely more stories being told Cinema has soft power and it can impact society and promote inclusivity We have to be careful not to overestimate or underestimate the power of cinema, or the power of stories,” says Devaiah, who reveals there was no prep as such that he did for his character in the film

S t a t i n g t h a t h e d o e s n ’ t l i k e t o o v e r complicate things, he explains, “I completely liked the idea that I would be romancing Raj, and that’s all I had to do I just tried to be sincere to the writing How does it matter? How does the gender of the person in a story matter? If I had to fall in love with a lamp post, then that’s my reality So, it didn’t matter at all ”

Zeenat Aman chose 'roles that pushed the envelope'

‘Dharam Veer,’ ‘Mahaan,’ ‘Pukar,’ and ‘Teesri Aankh ’

Cine workers association seeks FIR against 'Adipurush’ makers

Ram Charan, Upasana welcome baby girl

Kamal Haasan praises Mari Selvaraj for his 'social justice politics'

Filmmaker Mari Selvaraj has been in the news for his speech during the audio launch go ‘Maamannan’ and his views on ‘Thevar Magan’ movie. While his statements have become a raging topic of discussion, actor Kamal Haasan who was the chief guest for the event, has appreciated Mari for his politics

Rashmika Mandanna’s manager allegedly cheats her of Rs 80,00,000

ActorRam Charan and his wife Upasana

Kondidela welcomed a baby girl early last week They made their first public appearance with their child over the weekend as they posed outside the hospital on their way home Upasana has now taken to Instagram to share a picture with her baby and expressed her gratitude to fans for their love and blessings

U p a s a n a p o s t e d a p i c t u r e o f h e r s e l f beside Ram Charan, holding the baby in her arms She wore an off-white floral printed dress and smiled at the camera Upasana wrote in the caption, “Overwhelmed by the warm welcome for our little one Thank you for all the love and blessings (red heart and baby face emoticons) @alwaysramcharan @alwaysrhyme”

Meanwhile, Ram addressed the media waiting outside the hospital and thanked his fans and well-wishers for their blessings He also thanked the doctors for their efforts He said, “We are so lucky Upasana and the baby, there are no complications They are doing very, very well ”

Haasan said, “I have been watching your films since Pariyerum Perumal One quality I like about you is, instead of defining who is the opposition, intending to change the society, you attempt to give even the oppressors a neutral space When you are in anger t h a t t h o u g h t d o e s n o t o c c u r B u t y o u r thought proves your quest for equality ” He added, “When you are fighting, we should have justice on our side, not just anger In your fight that justice can be seen ” Mari is a Dalit director who has done anti-caste films like ‘Pariyerum Perumal’ and ‘Karnan ’ Kamal revealed that he had watched ‘Maamannan’ already and said that instead of merely congratulating, he will root for its success

A p p r e c i a t i n g U d h a y a n i d h i S t a l i n f o r choosing to act and produce the film, Kamal said, “This is not a film about Mari Selvaraj’s politics, but ours ” He added, “The voice in the film is an important one It is not just Mari’s but the voice of crores of people This is a generation that dictates the path of India, and films like these are necessary ”

Rashmika

Mandanna has reportedly been cheated of Rs 80,00,000 by her long-time manager, who has since been fired. As per a media report, the actress immediately terminated the employment of the manager

While the actress is yet to react or comment on the incident officially, the report quoted a source as saying, “There is some chatter about Rashmika being duped of Rs 80 Lakh by her manager Apparently, she d i d n ’ t w a n t t o c r e a t e a s c e n e a b o u t i t Therefore, she dealt with it on her own by firing her manager ”

On the work front, her upcoming projects include ‘Animal,’ helmed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga and stars Ranbir Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, and Bobby Deol It is all set to hit the

theatres on August 11 Rashmika is currently shooting for ‘Pushpa: The Rule,’ second part in the franchise She plays the role of Srivalli in the movie, which is being directed by Sukumar and features Allu Arjun in the lead

‘Pushpa: The Rule,’ the second part will focus on the face-off between Allu Arjun and Fahadh Faasil, who was introduced as the prime antagonist towards the end of the first part Originally shot in Telugu, Pushpa was d u b b e d a n d r e l e a s e d i n H i n d i , T a m i l , Malayalam, and Kannada It’s the first film for Allu Arjun to simultaneously release in five languages

In the film, Allu Arjun was seen playing a lorry driver cum sandalwood smuggler The film grossed over Rs 300 crore worldwide

Singer Chinmayi Sripada reveals her twins' faces in cute birthday pics

After welcoming twins in June last year, singer Chinmayi Sripada shared the first-ever pictures of her babies on their first birthday Chinmayi gave birth to twins – a son and a daughter – on June 18, 2022 She took to Instagram to share adorable pictures of her kids, Driptah and Sharvas, around their birthday.

The first picture Chinmayi shared had the singer holding her babies in her arms and speaking on a video call with her husband, Rahul The next few photos showed candid moments of her twins playing and e a t i n g S h a r i n g h e r b a b i e s p h o t o s , Chinmayi wrote in her caption, It’s been the greatest blessing (heart emojis) ”

A comment on her post read, "Aww, sending twice the love " One more read, "Twice as many birthday wishes, blessings a n d l o v e " A p e r s o n a l s o c o m m e n t e d , "Happiest birthday to cuties Shravas and Dripta " One more wrote, “Oh my God they are so big now!! Sending you and Rahul so much love ”

The singer had announced the arrival o f h e r a n d a c t o r - h u s b a n d R a h u l

Ravindran’s twins in June 2022, following w h i c h , a s e c t i o n o f o n l i n e u s e r s h a d claimed their babies were born via surrogacy

Chinmayi had then schooled those who had been asking if she had her babies through surrogacy as she had never posted p i c t u r e s o f h e r s e l f b e i n g p r e g n a n t Chinmayi had shared a long note in which she had spoken about guarding her private life

In October last year, Chinmayi Sripada had shared the ‘only selfie’ she took during her pregnancy She wrote in the caption, “The only selfie I took throughout pregnancy The only Here at almost 32 weeks (sic) ” She wore a yellow dress in the mirror selfie

She had also shared a video explaining why she did not share her baby bump photos The singer spoke about feeling scared after she had a miscarriage earlier, and wanting to safeguard her privacy In her video, Chinmayi had also said she now had ‘ a little bit of regret about not taking many photographs’ during her pregnancy

Chiranjeevi had earlier visited his grandd a u g h t e r i n t h e h o s p i t a l H e s p o k e t o reporters outside the hospital, “Today at 1 49 AM, Ram Charan and Upasana gave birth to a baby girl Our family is extremely happy We have been seeking for many years now that they should become parents and put a baby in our hands By the grace of god and the blessings of all, it has come true We consider it very special that the baby is born on Tuesday, which is auspicious day for praying to Lord Anjaneya (Hanuman) ”

Fans and celebrities flocked to Upasana’s post with their wishes Priyanka Chopra w r o t e , “ C o n g r a t u l a t i o n s ” R a k u l P r e e t wrote, "Upsiiiiii congratulations (red heart emoticons) may she be blessed with all the joy, happiness and abundance in the world”

Karan Johar honoured at British Parliament

Bollywood

director Karan Johar

was honoured by the British Parliament for his contribution to the “global entertainment industry” as he completes 25 years as a filmmaker in 2023

Karan shared the news on his o f f i c i a l I n s t a g r a m a c c o u n t , t h e same day his longtime friend and s u p e r s t a r S h a h R u k h K h a n u n v e i l e d t h e t e a s e r o f h i s upcoming directorial “Rocky Aur

Rani Kii Prem Kahani”

Indian-origin House of Lords p e e r B a r o n e s s S a n d y V e r m a presented the citation to Karan, he said in his post

“Today has been such a special day! I am fortunate and deeply grateful to be honoured at the British House of Parliament, in London by the esteemed Baroness Verma of Leicester We celebrated my 25th year as a filmmaker in the film industry and I launched the t e a s e r f o r # R o c k y A u r R a n i K i i P r e m K a h a a n i t o o ! ” t h e 5 1 - y e a r - o l d f i l m m a k e r wrote

It is one of those days when he realises that dreams do come true, he added K a r a n m a d e h i s d i r e c t o r i a l debut in 1998 with “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai”, and has gone on to

Diljit Dosanjh reacts after getting shoutout from top US leader at Modi luncheon

Punjabi singer and actor Diljit Dosanjh found a special mention at a luncheon hosted by the US State Department in honour of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke how India is a part of their daily lives now He mentioned Jhumpa Lahiri’s novels, samosas, and Mindy Kaling’s comedy

The US State Department with US Vice President Kamala Harris hosted Modi at a luncheon, during which, Blinken honoured India He said, “Here in the US, India is a part of our daily lives We enjoy o u r J h u m p a

samosas We laugh at the comedies of Mindy Kaling We dance to the beats of Diljit at Coachella And yes Mr Prime Minister and I can say this from personal experience, we keep ourselves more or less fit and

healthy doing yoga

Hours after th shared a clip of Bl on Twitter On F posting the video

created

i Ali Set to stream i n 2 0 2 4 , t h e m o v i e a l s o f e a t u r e s P a r i n e e t i C h o p r a I t presents the untold true story of Punjab’s original rockstar of the

in the 80s due to the sheer power of his music He was shot dead at the age of just 27

Harrison Ford remembers

become one of the most influential figures in the Indian film industry

A s a d i r e c t o r , h i s c r e d i t s i n c l u d e “ K a b h i K h u s h i K a b h i e

G h a m ” , “ K a b h i A l v i d a N a a

Kehna”, and “My Name Is Khan”

He has films such as “Kal Ho Naa

Ho”, “Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani”, “Kapoor & Sons”, and “Raazi” to his c r e d i t a s a p r o d u c e r A l s o a p r e s e n t e r , K a r a n h o s t s h i s celebrity chat show “Koffee With Karan”

“Thank you everyone for the unabashed love you have shown me in my journey And I promise y o u , t h e r e i s m o r e t o c o m e ! @ u k p a r l i a m e n t , ” t h e d i r e c t o r further said in his post His family banner Dharma Productions also posted a series of pictures of Karan receiving the citation

'The Night Manager’ creator reveals Tom Hiddleston’s reaction to his show

The second and final part of the Indian adaptation of ‘The Night Manager’ is all set to release on Disney+

Hotstar on June 30. In an interview, director Sandeep Modi shared details on his experience creating the adaptation, some of his casting choices, and the reaction of the OG Night Manager Tom Hiddleston

Modi said it wasn’t always the decision to break the show into two parts He said, “Whenever we would watch them all that is when we realized that it is a show that ideally needs to be seen not like a binge There is a joy in ruminating t h e s h o w S o m e w h e r e w e w e r e fiddling with the idea that should we do a weekly drop of an episode like a lot of shows do? That is when I floated the idea that is there a possibility of not releasing like a binge, and the platform was quite surprised!”

When asked what is the best t h i n g h e ’ s b e e n t o l d a b o u t t h e show, he said he’s been told the show is “ as good as the original ”

‘Indiana Jones’ co-star Amrish Puri

Hollywood veteran Harrison Ford is bracing to reprise his iconic role of archeologist Indiana Jones one last time in the upcoming ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny ’ In a recent interview, he remembered Indian legend Amrish Puri, his co-star in 1984’s ‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom ’ Puri starred as antagonist Mola Ram, a terrifying occult priest who is into human sacrifices, opposite F o r d ’ s t i t u l a r w h i p - c r a c k i n g archeologist Set in India, it was the second film in the popular a c t i o n a d v e n t u r e f r a n c h i s e , directed by Steven Spielberg W h e n a s k e d a b o u t P u r i ,

r e g a r d e d a s o n e o f t h e m o s t revered villains in Hindi cinema, F o r d s h a r e d f o n d m e m o r i e s o f working with the late Indian actor “He was a wonderful person, a very charming man (He was) nothing like the character that he played in o u r f i l m V e r y s o p h i s t i c a t e d I really admired him and enjoyed working with him We had a good

Social media is full of racists and sexists: Mai tre yi R ama krishnan

Modi said, “I think the best thing I have been told about The Night Manager is that it is as good as the original I really rate the original very highly and some people told me that I really pinch myself that some people in the world, some small segment feel that our show is as good as the original That is a huge thing for me! I I am very happy about that and I am holding on to that message that I have got from a few people and that really means a lot to me ”

Sharing Hiddleston’s reaction to the adaptation, he said, “I had gone to London for the screening and he saw the opening episode and he said I want to watch more I said I have only carried one more episode! He sat through that too He said, ‘I really want to watch the whole show ’”

time together And yes, I r e m e m b e r w h e n h e passed,” Ford, 80, said in a v i r t u a l r o u n d t a b l e interview P u r i p a s s e d a w a y i n

2 0 0 5 T h o u g h k n o w n primarily for his negative roles in hit films like ‘Mr

I n d i a ’ , ‘ V i s h w a t m a ’ a n d ‘ T r i d e v , ’ P u r i a l s o l e f t a l a s t i n g i m p r e s s i o n i n movies such as ‘Mandi,’ ‘Pardes’ and ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge ’ In his autobiography ‘The Act of Life,’ Puri revealed that he was initially disinterested in the part of Mola Ram Also, ‘Temple of Doom’ d i d n ’ t r e l e a s e i n I n d i a a n d t h e media at home criticised Puri and actor Roshan Seth for being “antinational” for appearing in the film

Actor

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan shot to fame playing an Indian teen struggling to find her identity in Netflix’s ‘Never Have I Ever.’ In a recent interview, she says she has received both love and merciless trolling, which is why she has stopped seeking validation from the virtual world.

T h e

S o c i a l m e d i a c a n b e stressful and anxiety-inducing It allows people to make opinions all the time and be very cruel because we forget that there’s a real human being behind the screen People on social media like to misinterpret things, make fake stories and just judge others ” She added, “Racists are online I don’t need their approval I’m okay There are absolute sexist and bigots online I’m totally okay without the approval of the homophobes So, I take that all with a grain of salt ”

“I don’t put my validation in social media I just treat it like a fun thing, by posting cool stuff such as video game stuff, or photo shoots to keep it real And then I go to my friends and my loved ones to tell and remind me of the person I am, ” Maitreyi said

Mayoral Commission on Race Equality responds to independent commission on equity in Cricket report

In light of the revelations made by former Yorkshi re cri cketer Azeem Rafi q reg ard in g the rac ism he en du red in prof es sio n al cri cket, Commission on Race Equality (CoRE) took immediate action to investigate similar issues within Bristol and the South West

In an official statement, the I n d e p e n d e n t C o m m i s s i o n o n Race Equality (CoRE) set up by M a y o r M a r v i n R e e s r e g a r d i n g the Independent Commission on Equity in Cricket's (ICEC) report on racism in cricket, said, “We responded promptly by initiating a comprehensive investigation i n t o s i m i l a r i s s u e s i n B r i s t o l Today, we are pleased to share our report on the matter, which d e t a i l s t h e f i n d i n g s o f o u r

i n v e s t i g a t i o n W e h a v e a l s o s u b m i t t e d o u r r e p o r t t o t h e

I n d e p e n d e n t C o m m i s s i o n f o r E q u i t y i n C r i c k e t ( I C E C ) i n r e s p o n s e t o t h e i r c a l l f o r evidence ” The Commission has taken the lead in supporting cricket leaders within their region to f o s t e r t r a n s p a r e n c y a n d accountability in acknowledging the current state of the game and c h a r t i n g a p a t h f o r p r o g r e s s Since then, they have actively collaborated with cricket leaders

in Bristol and the surrounding r e g i o n , i n c l u d i n g G C C C (Gloucestershire County Cricket C l u b ) , G C F ( G l o u c e s t e r s h i r e C r i c k e t F o u n d a t i o n ) , B & D C A ( B r i s t o l & D i s t r i c t C r i c k e t Association), and WEPL (West of England Premier League)

T o g e t h e r , t h e c o m m i s s i o n has facilitated the establishment o f t h e c o m b i n e d E q u a l i t y , Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) w o r k i n g g r o u p , l e d b y t h e G l o u c e s t e r s h i r e C r i c k e t Foundation (GCF) “CoRE has b e e n s e r v i n g a s a n i n f o r m a l c o n d u i t b e t w e e n t h e w o r k i n g g r o u p a n d t h e E n g l a n d a n d W a l e s C r i c k e t B o a r d ( E C B ) , p r o v i d i n g v a l u a b l e s u p p o r t While the current focus of the n e w l y f o r m e d E D I g r o u p

in brief

revolves around addressing the findings, recommendations, and questions presented by CoRE, we anticipate that the forthcoming ICEC report will further bolster o u r c o l l e c t i v e e f f o r t s , ” t h e statement read The statement further added, “Bristol has not waited for the ICEC report to spur us into action We have actively collaborated with local cricket administrators who have taken the initiative to ensure that cricket stands as an antiracist and truly inclusive sport Our ultimate goal is to create an environment where anyone with an interest in playing cricket can f l o u r i s h a n d r e a l i z e t h e i r f u l l p o t e n t i a l , r e g a r d l e s s o f t h e i r s o c i a l , e t h n i c , o r r a c i a l background ”

Rehan Ahmed, 18, gets Ashes call-up as cover for Ali

The 18-year-old Rehan Ahmed has been added to the England squad for the second Ashes Test as cover f or M oeen Al i A hmed, the Leicestershire leg spinner, has never played a Test match in England His only game in the format was in Pakistan in Decemb er, when he took five w ick ets in the secon d innings and seven in the match If he plays at Lord’s, he will be the youngest cricketer in the history of the men ’ s Ashes

A l i w a s b r o u g h t i n a s a replacement for England’s Jack Leach, who was ruled out of the series with a stress fracture He was selected for the first Test but, having not played a firstclass game since 2021, struggled and suffered a blistered spinning f i n g e r d u r i n g t h e d e f e a t Brendon McCullum, the England head coach, said that Ali would retain his place if fit, but the i n c l u s i o n o f A h m e d i n d i c a t e s

that there is some doubt over his finger healing by the start of the game on Wednesday Will Jacks, the Surrey allrounder, was thought to be in consideration to provide cover for Ali, but England have opted f o r t h e m o r e a t t a c k i n g option They may decide to play four frontline seamers and use Joe Root to bowl the spin overs Mark Wood is likely to come into the side and Chris Woakes will be

EMERGING ASIA CUP: INDIAN WOMEN CLINCH TITLE

Spin duo of Shreyanka Patil and Mannat Kashyap starred with the ball after a sedate batting effort to guide the India U-23 team to the Women’s Emerging Asia Cup T20 title with a 31-run win over Bangladesh in the final Electing to bat, India posted a modest 127 for seven before the bowlers rose to the occasion with Patil (4/13) and Kashyap (3/20) sharing seven wickets between them to bundle out Bangladesh for 96, in 19 2 overs Off-break bowler Kanika Ahuja (2/23) also chipped in with two wickets It was complete spin show from the Indians with off-spinner Patil and slow left-arm orthodox Kashyap ruling the roost on a slow pitch Sobhana Mostary and Nahida Akter scored 16 runs each while Nahida Akter remained stranded on 17 not out for Bangladesh

CHIRAG-SATWIK PAIR RISES TO WORLD NO 3

under strong consideration given his fine record at Lord’s, where he averages 61 2 with the bat and 11 3 with the ball

Jaiswal, Gaikwad get calls for West Indies tour

T h e na tio na l se lec to rs, w h i le p ic king India’s T est and ODI squads for the upcoming West Indies tour - the team for th e five

T 2 0Is w il l be na me d l aterdropped both Chetesh war Pujara and Umesh Yadav from the side for the two-Test series in the Caribbean, which will be India’s first in the 2023-25 WTC cycle

I n - f o r m o p e n e r s Y a s h a s v i J a i s w a l , R u t u r a j G a i k w a d a n d s e a m e r M u k e s h K u m a r w e r e g i v e n m a i d e n T e s t c a l l - u p s , w h i l e 3 2 - y e a r - o l d a c e p a c e r M o h a m m e d S h a m i h a s b e e n rested from both Tests and ODIs i n t h e C a r i b b e a n , k e e p i n g important assignments like the

Asia Cup and World Cup later this year in mind I n t e r e s t i n g l y , U m e s h ’ s replacement in the Test squad is Delhi pacer Navdeep Saini, who hasn’t played a Test for India since January 2021 The 30-yearold didn’t play a single game in the Ranji Trophy last season but was included in the Rest of India team for the Irani Cup tie against M a d h y a P r a d e s h i n G w a l i o r , where he took four wickets “He h a s i m p r e s s e d t h e s e l e c t o r s w h e n e v e r h e h a s b o w l e d , ” a source said

In a big vote of confidence in t h e i r a b i l i t i e s , M a h a r a s h t r a ’ s

G a i k w a d , w h o w a s u n a b l e t o

Australian women score 89-run victory over England

A s hl eigh G ar dn er to ok eig ht w ic ke ts in En gl an d’ s s ec on d in n in gs as Aus t ra lia ’ s wo me n s e c ure d vic tor y in the o ne -of f Ashes Test match by 89 runs on Monday Chasing the highest run chase in women ’ s Test history of 268 to win, England were all out for 178 as Gardner took all five wickets to fall on the final day De f ea t at T re nt B rid ge giv es England a mountain to climb if they are to reclaim the Ashes

Australia’s Test win is worth four points in the multi-format series with three ODI and T20 matches to come, each worth two points The Australians are world c h a m p i o n s i n b o t h w h i t e - b a l l formats and also proved just too good with the red ball after a tight contest that went all five days in

join the team in England due to h i s m a r r i a g e , a n d B e n g a l ’ s Mukesh, who has 149 wickets in 38 first-class games, have been picked in both the Test and ODI teams In what clearly seems like a g a m e o f m u s i c a l c h a i r s , m i d d l e - o r d e r b a t s m a n Suryakumar Yadav, who too was among the reserves for the WTC final, has been dropped from the 1 6 - m a n T e s t s q u a d A n d h r a ’ s ’ k e e p e r - b a t K S B h a r a t , w h o made just 5 & 23 must consider himself lucky to have survived the axe T E S T S Q U A D : R o h i t S h a r m a ( c ) , S h u b m a n G i l l , Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli,

f r o n t o f r e c o r d c r o w d s f o r a women ’ s Test in England

The previous three women ’ s Ashes Tests had finished as a draw with only four days allocated for play Gardner said the value of adding a fifth day was shown in getting a result

G a r d n e r ’ s t h r e e w i c k e t s towards the end of play on Sunday left England up against it at 116-5

o v e r n i g h t T h e h o s t s a d d e d 2 5

before Kate Cross edged behind off

G a r d n e r A m y J o n e s a d d e d j u s t four before she was stumped but Danni Wyatt’s half-century got the target down to double figures with three wickets in hand However, those final three wickets fell for just three runs as Gardner removed S o p h i e E c c l e s t o n e , L a u r e n F i l e r and Wyatt

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ajinkya Rahane ( v c ) , K S B h a r a t ( w k ) , I s h a n K i s h a n ( w k ) , R a v i c h a n d r a n A s h w i n , R a v i n d r a J a d e j a , S h a r d u l T h a k u r , A x a r P a t e l , M o h d S i r a j , M u k e s h K u m a r , J a y d e v U n a d k a t a n d N a v d e e p Saini

ODI SQUAD: Rohit Sharma ( c ) , S h u b m a n G i l l , R u t u r a j G a i k w a d , V i r a t K o h l i , S u r y a K u m a r Y a d a v , S a n j u S a m s o n (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik P a n d y a ( v c ) , S h a r d u l T h a k u r , R a v i n d r a J a d e j a , A x a r P a t e l , Y u z v e n d r a C h a h a l , K u l d e e p Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Mohd S i r a j , U m r a n M a l i k , M u k e s h Kumar

Ashwin maintains top spot in bowlers rankings

Indian offspinner Ravichandran Ashwin has maintained the top s pot amon g b owl ers, whi le E ng la nd’s J oe Root top ple d Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne to be come the world’ s topranked batter in the ICC Test rankings

A s h w i n , w h o w a s ignored for the World Test Championship final against Australia earlier this month i n L o n d o n , r e m a i n e d t h e world No 1 bowler with 860 p o i n t s , f o l l o w e d b y England’s James Anderson at s e c o n d w i t h 8 2 9 p o i n t s A m o n g I n d i a n b o w l e r s , J a s p r i t B u m r a h ( 7 7 2 ) a n d

R a v i n d r a J a d e j a ( 7 6 5 ) occupied the eighth and the

Fresh from winning their maiden Super 1000 men’s doubles title star Indian shuttlers Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty achieved a career-best world number three in the latest BWF ranking The Commonwealth Games gold medalists upstaged reigning world champions Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia in straight games to win the Indonesia Open, becoming the first pair from India to claim a Super 1000 event The Indian duo is in the middle of a dream 2023 having won two World Tour titles already, besides the Swiss Open along side a gold medal at the Badminton Asia Championships

BOXING WILL BE PART OF 2024 OLYMPICS

The International Boxing Association (IBA) was banished from the Olympic family, ending a years-long dispute fuelled by defying advice and instructions from the IOC Boxing, however will keep its status as an Olympic sport at the 2024 Paris Games The International Olympic Committee (IOC) voted to derecognize the IBA at a specially called meeting chaired by IOC president Thomas Bach The vote was 69-1 with 10 members abstaining Boxing was never really in danger of being kicked out of the Olympics over the four years since the IOC suspended the sport’s governing body in an effort to force changes We highly value the sport of boxing We have an extremely serious problem with IBA because of their governance, Bach told IOC members during their online meeting

WFI ELECTIONS RESCHEDULED TO JULY 11

ninth spot respectively with no change in their rankings

I n d i a ’ s b a t t i n g m a i n s t a y

Virat Kohli slipped down one s p o t t o o c c u p y t h e 1 4 t h place, while captain Rohit Sharma was placed at 12th place

W i c k e t k e e p e r - b a t t e r

R i s h a b h P a n t i s t h e o n l y Indian to feature in the top 10, taking the last spot, The big shake-up came at the top of b a t t e r s ’ r a n k i n g s , a s R o o t jumped five places to dethrone L a b u s c h a g n e L a b u s c h a g n e dropped to third as a result of s c o r e s o f 0 a n d 1 3 a g a i n s t

E n g l a n d , w i t h K i w i v e t e r a n Kane Williamson jumping two places to second overall

The Wrestling Federation of India’s (WFI) much-awaited elections were postponed to July 11, as opposed to the originally scheduled date of July 6, by the returning officer (RO) Mahesh Mittal Kumar – a retired Jammu and Kashmir High Court Chief Justice With this, the last date for receiving the names of electoral college has also been extended to June 25, which was extended twice earlier too The elections were rescheduled following objections raised by several states, namely Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Assam, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Tripura, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, among others It’s been learnt that Indian Olympic Association’s (IOA) joint secretary and acting CEO, Kalyan Chaubey, wrote a letter to Mittal Kumar, requesting him to postpone the elections after the Olympic body received several objections from the aggrieved states which accused the previous regime headed by Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh of disbanding them on frivolous grounds

Rehan Ahmed

Azeem Rafiq