AV 12th April 2025

NO RECOGNITION, NO SUPPORT

Anusha Singh Life hasn’t been the same for Minreet Kaur since her mother’s myeloma (blood cancer) diagnosis in September 2023 The changes began during the five-month p

responsibility for her parents and the household After the diagnosis, she made the difficult decision to step away from her

career as a journalist, shifting to freelance work in order to focus on caregiving and managing daily

The UK economy, still reeling from

pandemic, now faces yet another blow that could deepen the crisis

Continued on page 11

Subhasini

Minreet Kaur (right), with mum Pritpal Kaur (centre) and father Rajinder Singh (left)

Full story on page 13 India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman visits

Prime Minister Keir Starmer

Minister slams MPs backing Kashmir airport while opposing Heathrow

A London MP fa cing criticism for supporting a campa ign t o b uil d an airport in

P a k i s t a n - a d m i n i s t e r e d Kashmir, despit e previously opposing He athrow expa nsion , has defended her posit ion

Twenty cross-party MPs signed a letter to Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, urging him to fund the construction of an airport in Mirpur The

c a m p a i g n , i n i t i a t e d b y

L a b o u r M P Mo h a m m a d Yasin of Bedford, argues that British Kashmiris are discouraged from visiting the region due to the 80-mile journey from Islamabad

The MPs described the proposal as a “ ver y important matter to the Kashmiri d i a s p o r

Ho w e v e r, t h e move has drawn criticism because nearly half the sign

He a t h r o w ’ s t h i r d r u n w a y expansion in west London

A m o n g t h e m w e r e L o n d o n M Ps D r R o s e n a

A l l i n -K h a n a n d St e l l a

Creasy Creasy took to social media to address the back-

l a s h , c a l l i n g t h e c r i t i c i s m d i v i s i v e a n

“The letter is to the Pakistan PM to ask them to make good on a pledge to build an a i

British citizens with ties to t

Walthamstow MP

I N B R I E F GRADUATE VISAS IN CROSSHAIRS AMID CRACKDOWN

Lord Qurban Hussain, Afzal Khan, Abtisam Mohamed,

AI giants reject government’s copyright reform plans

Te c h gi a n t s O pe n A I a n d

G o og l e h a v e p u sh e d b a c k a gainst the UK governmen t’s

p r e fe r re d s ol u t io n t o t h e ongoing dispute ove r AI a nd copyright

Ministers had proposed amending copyright law to allow AI f irms to train their models on publicly available content for commercial purposes without rights hold-

e r s ’ c o n s e n t u n l e s s t h e y choose to opt out

In responses to the government’s science, innovation and technology com-

m i t t e e , b o t h c o m p a n i e s rejected the opt-out model OpenAI called instead for a

b r o a d e r c o p y r i g h t e xe m pt i o n , a r g u i n g t h a t s i m i l a r policies in other regions, like

t h e E U, f a c e “ s i g n i f i c a n t implementation challenges ”

The company warned that s t r i c t e r t r a n s p a r e n c y r u l e s

c o u l d l e a d d e v e l o p e r s t o deprioritise the UK market

It urged the government to adopt an innovation-friendly

approach that would position the UK as “the AI capital of Europe ” Google, meanwhile, said rights holders already have tools to block web crawlers and shouldn’t automatically receive compensation if their content is used for training It defended training on the open web as essential and warned that excessive transparency requirements could hurt AI development and the UK’s global competitiveness

The government’s proposals had previously drawn strong backlash, with nearly a l l m a j o r U K n e w s p a p e r s joining a campaign against them Ministers now plan to publish reviews of technical solutions and bolster transp a r e n c y t o a d d r e s s t h e s e c o n c e r n s Me a n w h i l e , a Publishers Association poll shows cross-party support in Parliament for greater transparency from AI f irms and compensation for creatives whose work is used

Yasmin Qureshi, Naz Shah, Baggy Shanker, and Zarah Sultana

Security Minister Dan Jar vis offered a measured r e s p o n

l l i n g T

m

s Radio, “MPs should focus on their constituencies, but that doesn’t mean they can’t have opinions on international issues ”

One of the signatories, Birmingham MP Tahir Ali, faced criticism after advocating for the Mirpur airport despite his city currently dealing with a bin strike crisis

Mirpur that remains unfulf illed,” Ali said “Many of my constituents face diff iculties traveling long distances to reach the nearest airport in Pakistan I’ll continue to press for this commitment to be honoured ” B

saying: “You’re an MP for Bi

Your city is piled high with r

Labour council Focus on the UK ”

L abour MPs deported from Israel

La bour MPs Yuan Yang and Ab ti

from UK Forei gn Sec retar y David Lam my, who called th

” and “deeply concerni ng

Yang, MP for Earley and Wo

Luton Airport on Saturday as part of a parliamentar y delegation However, upon arrival, they were turned away at the border, with Israeli authorities accusing t h e m o f i n t e n d i n g t o “spread anti-Israel hatred ” Lammy condemned the decision saying, “It is unacc e p t a b l e , c o u n t e r p r o d u ctive, and deeply concerning

that two British MPs on an o f f i c i a l v

y I’ v

a i s e d this directly with the Israeli government, and we ’ re supporting both MPs ” The Foreign Secretar y reaff irmed the UK’s priority of securing a ceasef ire

and negotiations to end the

decision to deny entr y to the MPs prompting accusations of hypocrisy following her remarks

In a statement, Israel’s e m b a s s y i n L o n d o n c l a i m e d t h e M Ps’ v i s i t a i m e d t o “ p r o v o ke” a n d “spread falsehoods,” justifying the refusal as a standard security measure

CHANGE OF NAME

I PATEL REENABEN VIRALKUMAR RESIDENT OF FLAT 2 180 HIGH STREET, ONGAR, ESSEX, CM5 9JJ, UNITED KINGDOM, DECLARES THAT I HAVE CHANGED MY NAME FROM PATEL REENABEN VIRALKUMAR TO PATEL REENA, AND NOW I AM KNOWN AS PATEL REENA.

Place-address (India) 8/16-D

A fresh Government push to cut migration has triggered internal tensions over plans to tighten the graduate visa route The Home Office is preparing reforms that would make it harder for international graduates to stay in the UK without securing high-skilled jobs following net migration figures reaching 728 000 in the year to June The move aims to bring numbers down to pre -pandemic levels of 200,000 –300,000, but education officials warn it could severely impact universities that depend on international student fees Currently graduates can remain in the UK for up to two years without employment Under new proposals they may be required to earn between £36 000 and £40 000 to qualify for a work visa though the final threshold remains undecided Ministers are targeting sectors with low long-term salary growth and intend to limit graduate stays without clear career paths The graduate route accounted for around 150,000 migrants last year roughly 10% of the total net migration figure

PEERS URGE NEW LAW TO PROTECT WHISTLEBLOWERS

Peers have urged the Government to legally require large employers to investigate whistleblower claims following scandals such as the Post Office crisis and Carillion s collapse Campaigners argue that gaps in current legislation have allowed serious issues to go unchecked Labour s Lord Wills, a former justice minister, has tabled an amendment to the Employment Rights Bill, based on proposals from whistleblowing charity Protect If adopted, it would place a legal duty on employers with a turnover of over £10 million to investigate whistleblowing concerns The amendment has cross-party support from Baroness Nicky Morgan (Conservative), Baroness Kramer (Liberal Democrat), and Baroness Jones (Green) The proposal gained early support in the House of Commons, with Labour MP Alex Sobel and Lib Dem MP Alistair Carmichael backing the change Campaigners believe the Lords’ legal expertise boosts its chances of success

PUPILS TO LEARN ABOUT ONLINE SCAMS, SPENDING

Pupils in England will soon receive lessons on recognising the risks of in- game purchases and critically evaluating influencers’ claims, as part of a new initiative to boost financial literacy The 80 -lesson programme, developed by the Oak National Academy, targets children aged 5 to 16 and aims to help them make informed decisions in an increasingly digital world The move follows growing concerns over children unintentionally spending large sums online particularly on games featuring “loot boxes” and paid extras Many parents have been caught off guard by unexpected charges highlighting the need for better awareness Primary pupils will learn basic money skills including where money comes from, how to manage it, and the difference between needs and wants Secondary school students will tackle more advanced topic s such as inflation, cryptocurrency, investing, and analysing financial information The programme responds to long-standing calls from parents and experts for stronger financial education to prepare young people for real-world challenges

Trump backs Starmer’s Chagos Islands deal

A deal to transfer sovereignty o f the Ch ag os Islands to Mauritius is now in its f inal stages, Dow ning Street has co nf i rm ed , fo llow i ng su pp o rt fro m fo rm er U S President Do nald Trum p T h e a g r e e m e n t w o u l d see the UK relinquish control of the British Indian O c e a n Te r r i t o r y w h i l e securing a long-term lease to retain access to the vital Diego Garcia militar y base, w h i c h i s j o i n t l y o p e r a t e d with the US Talks are ongoi n g b e t w e e n t h e

Mauritian governments to settle the treaty's terms

f inalisation of the

recognised the strength of the agreement during the P r i m e M i n i s

Washington, and now it is for the UK and Mauritius to c

Although an initial deal was a n

progress stalled due to politi c a l c h a n g e

n M a u r i t i u s a n d Tr u m

’ s r e t u r n t o power Legal rulings have backed Mauritius’s claim to the islands Reports suggest the UK may pay up to £90 m

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan Mohammad Yasin

Zarah Sultana

Yuan Yang

Abtisam Mohamed

s

MIDLANDS/NORTH

£10m boost for West Midlands innovation programme

T h e W e s t M id l a n d s

I n n o v a t io n A c ce le r a t or is r eceivin g a £1 0 million fundin g boost to support mor e local busin esses, re se arche rs, a nd e nt repr ene urs in tur nin g cut ting-e dge ide as in to comme rcial succe sse s The additional funding

i s p a r t o f a £ 3 0 m i l l i o n national investment secured

b y W e s t M i d l a n d s M a y o r R i c h a r d P

n l y three in the UK to benefit

M

M i d l a n d s C

i n e d Authority, the programme has already backed over 700 businesses, helping secure

hundreds of local jobs

One of the businesses supported by the initiative is that of Anil Patel and Dipa Patel from Enable Design

w h o h a v e d e s i g n e d a n adjustable wheelchair seating system that adapts to growth and posture changes over time The new funding

w i l l e n h a n c e s u p p o r t t h r o u g h e x p e r t g u i d a n c e and grants, particularly targ e t i n g h i g h - p o t e n t i a l s e ctors such as advanced manufacturing, healthcare, diag-

nostics, and green technologies

Birmingham waste crisis deepens

Birm ing ham , the UK’s second -larg est city, is grappling w ith a growing waste crisis, with around 19,0 00 tons of uncollected rubbish p iling up across th e city

Residents are voicing outrage, calling the city a “paradise for rats,” as refuse builds up in public areas The crisis began in December after Birmingham City Council laid off 150 workers and proposed wage cuts and a ban on

warned of strike action

The strike began on March 11, with collection trucks blocked from leaving depots Unite blamed the council for prolonging the issue, saying, “The council could easily resolve this but is determined to enforce wage cuts ”

I N B R I E F TRAM SERVICES RESUME AFTER DAMAGE

Innovation and Technology

It champions a locally led

proud

Mayor Parker said, “The West Midlands has

James Watt’s steam engine to the UK’s first petrol car and now we're leading innovation in 5G, medical techn

This new investment supp o r t s m y G r

Everyone plan, which focuses on talent, research, and real-world solutions to build a stronger, fairer economy

delivered by Innovate UK on behalf of UK Research and I

City Region as pilot areas

This new funding builds on £100 million already invested into the initiative

500,000 waste cases weekly this has now dropped below 360,000 The rubbish is growing by nearly 1,000 tons daily, exacerbating the public health risk Norman Yousaf, director of Monster Clearance, said, “We now regularly see rats during collections our workers wear protective gear to avoid bites ” Pest control professionals warn that the warm weather and abundant food make rats bolder and poison ineffective

C o m p l a i n t s a r e f l o o d i n g s o c i a l m e d i a , with reports of rats gnawing car wiring and even biting residents Tensions are heightened as the city, which declared bankruptcy in 2023, has raised council taxes by 17 5%

and development, unlocking new opportunities for innovation-driven growth

Tributes paid to 'kind and dearly loved' woman

Heartfelt tribu tes h av e been p a i d to a m u ch - l o v ed

d au ghter, sister, and friend

w ho was described as some-

o ne w ho "broug ht warmth to everyone around her

W e s t M i d l a n d s P o l i c e have named the victim as 46-year-old Paramjit Kaur,

w h o t r a g i c a

y d i e d a t a property on Swan Crescent in Oldbury on the morning of Monday, March 31

T h e f o r c e c o n f i r m e d that 50-year-old Harminder

M a t t u h a s b e e n c h a r g e d with her murder

I n a s t a t e m e n t , P a r a m j i t ' s g r i e v i n g f a m i l y

were deeply saddened by the

Paramjit Kaur

woman with serious injuries

a

Crescent at around 8 20am on Monday Sadly, she was confirmed dead at the scene

Our thoughts are with her loved ones at this devastating time “ H a r m i n d e r M a t t u h a s been charged with murder and has been remanded in

Leicester man jailed for rape and filming attack in park

A man w ho rap ed a woman in a L eicester park and film ed th e as sault before sh aring th e footag e has been jailed Gagandeep Gulati, 20 , approached his victim, a young wo man, in Jubilee Square last September He persuaded her to g o w ith him to nearby C astle Gard ens, wh ere he raped and sexually assaulted her Leicestershire Police said Gulati recorded the attack on his phone and later sent clips of it to others Detectives spent a week reviewing CCTV to trace the woman ’ s movements and eventually identified footage of Gulati His identity remained unknown until Detective Constable Matt Smith visited his accommodation Recognising him from the footage, Smith arrested Gulati on the spot

Tram services on the West Midlands Metro network have resumed after earlier disruption caused by damage to overhead lines near the depot The incident had halted all services between Wolverhampton Station and West Bromwich Central, with operators initially warning of no trams until further notice Power has since been restored, and trams are now running across the full route from Wolverhampton to Edgbaston Village However, delays are expected as services return to normal In a statement on X, West Midlands Metro thanked passengers for their “patience and understanding ” POLICE APPEAL

FOR HELP TRACING WOMAN

West Midlands Police have issued a public appeal to help trace a woman wanted in connection with an assault in Birmingham Officers are looking to locate 30-year-old Henna Zaman who is wanted on suspicion of common assault The force has shared an image of Zaman as part of their efforts to track her down In a statement shared on social media, Birmingham Police said, "The 30-year-old is wanted on suspicion of common assault in #Birmingham If you see her or have any information about her whereabouts please call 101 or contact us via Live Chat on our website quoting reference 20/165126/25 " Police are urging anyone with relevant information to come forward to assist with the ongoing investigation

FORMER LORD MAYOR STRIPPED OF TITLE

s o f Paramjit Kaur (Soni)’s passing A kind, hardworking, and dearly loved daughter, s

c u s t o d y t o a

Wolverhampton Magistrates' C

d , s h e brought warmth to everyone around her Her loss leaves us in profound sorrow, but her memory will forever live in our hearts ”

April 2 ”

Officers will be conducting additional patrols in the area in the coming days to offer reassurance and support to the local community

Gulati was charged with rape, assault by penetration, sexual assault, and distributing an intimate film During his police interview, he falsely claimed that he was the victim and that the woman had assaulted him

The case was handled by Leicestershire Police's Signal team, which specialises in serio u s s e x u a l o f f e n c e s F o l l o w i n g a t r i a l a t Leicester Crown Court, Gulati previously of Peacock Lane, Leicester was convicted on all charges and sentenced to six years in prison He was also placed on the sex offender register for life

Labour councillor pressured to support Muslim colleague

A Birm ing ham L abour councillor h as been reprimand ed for trying to pressure a fem ale colleag ue i nto b acki ng W asee m Za ffar ’ s b id to bec om e th

c ity’ s firs t M uslim lead er

S a q i b K h a n

u n d t o have breached the council’s Code of Conduct by failing to treat Shabina Bano with respect An independent investigation found Khan made repeated attempts to

i n f l u e n c e B a n o ’ s v o t e d u r i n g Labour’s leadership contest in 2022 Bano, who now sits with the Liberal Democrats, claimed she faced bullying and pressure from a group of male colleagues

w

framed her support for Zaffar as

formed part of a pattern of disres p e c t f u l

u

W h

l e acknowledging that lobbying is common in politics, the committee stated that Khan’s actions crossed the line into coercion Khan denied all wrongdoing and claimed his remarks were misinterpreted or said in jest However, the committee found Bano’s testimony more credible Complaints against other counc i l l o r s , i n c l u d i n

Z

f f a r , w

e dropped, though a case against Mohammed Idrees is still pending B

attempts to influence Bano and

“her duty as a Muslim ” Bano said the lobbying began while she was still a candidate and intensified after her election She was allegedly promised political rewards and warned of consequences if she didn’t vote in favour of Zaffar She ultimately did not vote for him, and he narrowly lost The council’s standards committee concluded Khan’s com-

Labour colleagues had quietly expressed sympathy but had also urged her to move on

Former Labour Lord Mayor of Birmingham Muhammed Afzal has been stripped of his honorary title of alderman of the city after being found to have lied in an election court The 79-year-old who once represented Aston was accused of handing out packs of dates to voters and then denying it under oath following his defeat in the May 2022 local elections The council was petitioned to revoke his honorary title and associated privileges, such as free city centre parking and the right to use the title on official materials However, it took nearly two years for action to be taken, as the council first needed to amend its rules On Tuesday, April 8, the title and privileges were officially withdrawn Afzal, who also chairs Birmingham Central Mosque, had resisted the decision, arguing that he was being discriminated against based on his age and race but the council ultimately proceeded

Mayor Richard Parker with Anil Patel and Dipa Patel

Saqib Khan

Shabina Bano

Henna Zaman

Cllr Muhammad Afzal

Justice Secretary plans to limit sentencing council

Ju stic e Secretary S habana

M a h m o o d is rev ie w i ng w hether m inisters sho uld h ave greater ov ersi gh t o f the S entencing C ouncil following backlash over new g uid elines critics say ri sk creating a “ two-tier” j ustice system

The proposed changes would allow ministers to block or amend sentencing guidelines before they take

M a h m o o d r e j e c t e d n

w guidance that urged judges to consider an offender’s ethnicity, culture, religion, gender, or age when determining whether to impose prison or community sentences

In response

prevent the guidelines from b e i n g i m p

e d T h e law, expected to pass swiftl y t h r o u g h P

,

would bar sentencing rules that rely on personal characteristics of offenders

A l t h o u g h t h e S e n t e n c i n g C

agreed to delay implementation, emails seen by The T

were informed only hours

begun applying sentences

appropriate,” raising con-

cerns that some judges may continue to use it regardless

The review will consid-

potentially granting ministers final approval over all sentencing guidelines Any

included in the upcoming

crowding

ensure the Council cannot

Stringer has called for the removal of Council members who drafted the controversial guidelines, accusing them of exceeding their remit and politicising justice

Mahmood told MPs the Council’s role and processes “must be considered further ”

Ealing festival cancelled after food stall fire

S o uth all’ s annu al V ai sakh i

N ag a r K i rta n c ele br ati o n w as bro ught to an abrupt h alt after a fire broke ou t at a food stall, leaving several p eop le injured The incident o c c u rre d o n S o u th R o ad , rep orted ly caused by a gas canister catching fire during the major S ikh relig ious procession Thousands had gathered for the event, which was set t o b e g i n a t P a r k A v e n u e

Gurdwara and end at Guru N a n a k R o a d G u r d w a r a , commemorating the foundi n g o f t h e K h a l s a P a n t h

Among those injured were at least four volunteers taking part in the procession W

o assuring that none appeared to be serious

Social media was flooded with messages of support

and concern One eyewitness wrote, “Was stood like three shops away Everyone ran for their lives Praying for the injured and grateful to be okay ” E a l i n

firmed the incident on X, advising the public to avoid the area as the event was

emergency services for their swift response

UK universities with US funds face diversity survey

UK univer sities r ece iving US funding a re b eing a ske d by t he Tr ump administr ation to compl ete surve ys confirmin g t heir projects are not linke d

t o d iv e r s it y , e q ui t y , a n d inclusion (DEI) initiat iv es Several higher education

UK achieves breakthrough in hypersonic missile engine development

Britain has successfully tested a new engine for h ypersonic missiles, marking a m ajor milesto ne in European defence innov ation

The breakthrough, which enables missiles to travel at speeds exceeding Mach 5, paves the way for a next-generation hypersonic cruise missile with significantly greater range than conventional rockets

This technology promises to enhance the UK’s strike capabilities and provide a critical edge on future battlefields The Ministry of Defence confirmed that the goal is to deliver a hypersonic weapon demonstrator by 2030 under its Team Hypersonics (UK) programme

The engine underwent 233 successful stat-

Centre in Virginia, as part of a joint initiative

Technology Laboratory (Dstl) and the US Air Force Research Laboratory The six-week test-

refinements, with support from British SME Gas Dynamics Ltd

Defence Secretary John Healey hailed the achievement as a “milestone moment,” highlighting its significance in maintaining the UK’s technological edge in an increasingly volatile global landscape

SOAS Library receives major Indian book donation

In a significant bo ost to South Asian stu dies, the S OA S U niv ersity of Lo nd on Library has receiv ed a v aluable donation of over 50 titles (14 2 copies) focused on the Dravid ian m ovement in Tam il Nadu and southern Ind ia The collection o ffers vital resources for scholars exploring one of India’s most imp actfu l sociopolitical m ovements

Donor Sabarisan Vedamurthy stressed the movement’s continued relevance to modern debates on social justice and inclusive identity, calling the books essential for understanding India’s complex socio-political fabric

I N B R I E F NEARLY 100 LONDON STAFF EARN ABOVE PM

New figures factoring in salaries bonuses and other benefits reveal that Westminster City Council had more employees receiving six-figure pay packages than any other local authority in the country According to research by the TaxPayer s Alliance, 73 members of staff at Westminster received total remuneration of £100,000 or more in 2023/24 an increase of 13 compared to the previous year The analysis highlights that Westminster also topped the list for the number of employees earning over £200,000, with eight staff members crossing that threshold In comparison, Bromley Council, the City of London Corporation, and Wandsworth Council each had seven employees receiving remuneration of at least £200 000 The report has added to ongoing scrutiny over public sector pay with critics arguing that local authorities should focus more on frontline services than high executive pay

UK E-VISA GLITCHES RISK LEGAL RESIDENTS' RIGHTS

Britain s shift to an online-only immigration system is threatening the rights of nearly 4 million legal residents, rights groups warn, as longstanding issues with the e-visa system remain unresolved Introduced in 2019 for EU citizens post-Brexit, e-visas are now being expanded to non-EU migrants and refugees But many have faced difficulties accessing their digital status, leaving them unable to prove their right to work, rent, or claim benefits System errors, account issues and outages have plagued the rollout “We’ve seen how the system fails ” said Andreea Dumitrache of the3million a group supporting EU citizens For the most vulnerable it’s the difference between putting a roof over someone s head or not Despite the concerns, the government insists the system is tried and tested and will improve both security and efficiency

s o u r c e s t o l d P o l i t i c s H o m e that researchers must also c o n f

n s have not received funding from China, Russia, Cuba, or Iran The same surveys have reportedly been sent to universities in Australia and the EU While US government a g e n c i e s d o n o t f u n d U K

2025 APRIL O LORD! Appear!

O LORD, Lord the whole earth is in an upheaval; it groans and suffers, it is in agony... all this suffering that has descended upon it must not be in vain; grant that all this bloodshed may produce a swifter germination of the seeds of beauty and light and love which must blossom and cover the earth with their rich harvest. Out of the depths of this abysm of darkness the whole being of the earth cries to Thee that Thou mayst give it air and light; it is stifling, wilt Thou not come to its aid?

O Lord, what must we do to triumph?

Hear us, for we must conquer at any price. Break down every resistance: appear! - The Mother (Prayers and Meditations) August 21, 1914

universities directly, individual research projects often receive grants

A U K g

n t spokesperson said, “The conditions set by the US government on its grant funding are entirely its prerogative

institutions His administra-

policies, leading to closures of DEI offices and cancelled academic events

V e d a m u r t h y a l s o e x p r e s s e d p l a n s t o extend this initiative globally, aiming to share key texts with universities worldwide and promote the academic study of Global South social movements like the Dravidian movement SOAS, known for its expertise in Global South scholarship, already hosts one of the m o s t c o m p r e h e n s i v e S o u t h A s i a n s t u d i e s libraries This donation strengthens its role as a leading centre for research on the region’s political and historical developments The coll e c t i o n i n c l u d e s s e m i n a l w o r k s b y E V R

Periyar, C N Annadurai, and M Karunanidhi, covering themes of social justice, linguistic equality, and regional identity, along with critical analyses of the movement’s lasting impact

All white board resigns following racial justice review

Th e all-w hite board of the Tud or Trust, o ne of Britain’s m ost prom inent family charitable foundations, has stepped dow n follow ing a major review focused on racial justice and th e charity’ s h istorical stru ctures

The board, formerly dominated by descendants of founder Sir Godfrey Mitchell, has been replaced by eight new trustees only one of whom is white The transition follows the charity’s decision to pause its grant-making in 2023 while it examined internal practices and its role in wider societal inequalities

MINISTER AIMS TO LIMIT STAFF TRIPS, MERCH

The development comes as UK universities face severe financial strain due to frozen tuition fees, falling international student numbers, and r i s i n

The trust acknowledged it was still “learning about racial justice, white supremacy culture, and how racism exists within Tudor and wider society ” Christopher Graves, Mitchell’s grandson a n d l o

M P

Helen Hayes, chair of the education select committee, recently warned the sector is nearing a “crunch point ”

replaced by a Black woman as part of the leadership overhaul New CEO Raji Hunjan called the changes a “defining moment,” with racial justice now the primary lens through which the trust operates

The Government is tightening controls on Whitehall spending by curbing branded merchandise and staff “away days” for civil servants Senior minister Pat McFadden said that reducing “wasteful spending” would allow more resources for frontline services such as policing and education Following the freeze on civil service credit cards departments are now required to review their policies on non-essential and branded items Under new rules Government-branded materials will only be permitted when deemed essential such as for overseas diplomatic engagements Additionally, team-building activities must now take place in Government buildings to avoid unnecessary venue costs McFadden emphasised that these changes are part of a broader effort to focus public funds where they’re most needed on schools, hospitals, and police services The reforms are part of the Government’s “Plan for Change,” which aims to drive economic growth and improve public services In March, McFadden also announced a system of performance-linked pay and voluntary exits for underperforming civil servants

Shabana Mahmood

Donald Trump

A remarkable journey of seva, shiksha, and sadhana

Gujarat, a project personally

Thinking Ahead: Avoiding Those Quick, Unplanned Reactions

Jain school

organisations and devoted supporters of Veerayatan to commemorate its inspiring 50-year legacy of compassion, education, and spiritu-

a

nun, distinguished scholar, and eloquent speaker fluent i n m u l t i p l e l a n g u a g e s ,

S a d h v i j i c a p t i v a t e d t h e audience with her presence and message

O n e o f t h e e v e n i n g ’ s

h i g h l i g h t s w a s T h e W i l d Mind, a thought-provoking

s

SCVP students aged 7 to 13

Their poise and insight left the audience deeply moved Sadhvi Shri Shilapiji, the first Jain Sadhvi to earn a postgraduate degree over-

( M P h

delivered a compelling talk

on Veerayatan’s humanitar-

Param Pujya Acharya Shri

care, education, and disaster

nearly two decades, transforming rural lives through education

Rooted in the timeless

Mahavir, Veerayatan stands on three pillars: Seva (selfless service), Shiksha (inclu-

Sadhana (spiritual growth) Its mission is to uplift lives

and purpose transcending all boundaries

The evening concluded

, expressing how the school has shaped their spiritual a

Gratitude was also extended

and online classes, embodying the true spirit of service and inclusivity

UK pledges equal partnership with Uganda

F CD O Mi ni ster fo r A fri ca,

L o rd C o ll ins o f H ig h bu ry, concluded a tw o-day visit to U gand a on Ap ril 4 , aimed at s tr en g th en i ng U K - U g a nd a

t ie s T h e v i s i t f oc u s ed o n t rad e, g ree n d ev e lo p m e nt, h ealth research, and peop leto-people connectio ns

A key highlight of Lord Collins’ visit was launching

t h e U K - U g a n d a G r o w t h Dialogue, a quarterly plat-

form with Uganda’s Ministry of Finance to fast-track commercial deals, boost the busin

n

n d attract investment

“This is more than talk –it’s action,” said Lord Collins “We’re removing trade barriers, encouraging innovation, a n d b u i l d i n g e q u a l , l o n gterm partnerships ”

Zembo’s electric motorcycles are helping boda boda riders save around $500 annually while cutting air pollution-

the move as a major boost for trade, tourism, and people-to-people ties

Lord Collins also visited the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI), which has partnered with the UK for over 35 years in tackling dise

s

s l i k e H I V / A I D S a n d Ebola With over £25 million in ongoing UK support, including from the Medical Research Council and UK

supporting Uganda’s transition to clean transport and creating green jobs

G

decade At a special recep-

Uganda Airlines welcomed

universities, UVRI plays a key role in strengthening

lance and research

i p s h o w s t h e UK’s commitment to working as equal partners with Uganda We’re here to supp o r t s u s t a i n a b l e d e v e l o pment and shared growth,” Lord Collins said

Rohit Vadhwana

L i fe th row s cu rv eballs W e all f ace unexpected situations, and sometim es, ou r first response is a quick, unplanned reaction – a knee-jerk reaction Th is h app ens when we're caugh t off g uard, w hen w e hav en't tho ught about what migh t hap pen We have two cho ices: we can try to prepare for the future, or we can j ust react to whatev er comes o ur way

When we can't see the future coming, we're forced to react without any planning These reactions are often rushed and not well thought out We're basically relying on luck, not good planning Think about a small business that suddenly loses a big customer If they haven't planned for this, they might panic and make bad decisions, like firing people or closing down parts of the business

Being prepared for the future means imagining what might happen

We need to look at what's happening today and think about what it might lead to For example, if we see that more and more people are using their phones to pay for things, we can guess that businesses will need to accept mobile payments Or, if we see that climate change is causing more extreme weather, we know we need to prepare for that

We can't predict the future perfectly, but we can be more aware of what's going on We can read the news, listen to debates, and talk to people who are following trends This helps us see patterns and get a sense of what might happen For example, if you notice that artificial intelligence is becoming more common in your job field, you know that you might need to learn new skills

When we see changes coming, we need to be able to change too This means learning new skills, changing how we work, and being open to new ideas For example, if your job changes because of new technology, you might need to learn how to use new software or work with a new team Or, if society changes, like how people are more accepting of different lifestyles, you might need to change your thinking and be more open-minded

Learning to adapt is like learning a new dance You might feel awkward at first, but with practice, you'll get better at it It's about being flexible and willing to try new things By being prepared for the future, we can avoid just reacting to things We can be people who plan and adapt, instead of people who just make knee-jerk reactions This helps us handle the future better It's like having a map for a journey If you have a map, you're less likely to get lost If you're prepared for the future, you're less likely to get caught off guard Being prepared gives you more control and helps you face the future with confidence

(Expressed opinions are personal)

of

Ja inism, Sikhism,

Supported by dedicated volunteers, the project overcame several challenges to establish the Dharmic Prayer R

H o s p i t a l B i r m i n g h a m

INSIGHT UK, praising the volunteers’ efforts in making the event a success W

Prayer Room highlighted the strength of

power of community and the need for spiritual care We’re especially grateful to Queen

Volunteers visited mandirs across Birmingham to collect ‘ g a n g a j a l t h e e r t h ’ i n a ‘ k a l a s h ’ , u s e d d u r i n g t h e purification ceremony The inauguration included rituals such as ‘deepa prajwalana’, ‘ prana prathistapana’, ‘aarti’, ‘ p u s h p a a r c h a n a ’ , a n d ‘prasadam’ distribution “The H i n d u c o m m u n i t y i s i m m e n s e l y p r o u d , ”

Sadhvis and community members present at the event

H E Nimisha Madhvani, Lord Collins of Highbury and President of Uganda Yoweri K Museveni (centre right) with other dignitaries at the State House

H E Nimisha Madhvani at the Uganda Airlines event

Lord Dolar Popat, Ugandan High Commissioner to the United Kingdom H E Nimisha Madhvani with FCDO Minister for Africa, Lord Collins of Highbury (second left)

Varsha Bavishi

Bavishi and Honourable

Blackman (right) with other dignitaries

Prepare yourself in the calm before the next storm hits

Property investors may be entering a brief period of calm before another storm arrives We know that property transactions surged in recent weeks, as people tried to complete before the new stamp duty thresholds came into play.

Further frantic action may have emerged following the spring statement,

w i t h s o m e f e a r i n g t h e Chancellor would have no choice but to unveil further painful tax rises In the end

t h o u g h , t h e r e w e r e r e l atively few announcements made that will have a direct

investors

Now, with the new tax

e , p r o p

y investors will at least know where they stand Yes, tax and admin costs are set to

r i s e o v

t h e c o m i n g months But at least now they can be factored in to planning, without any further fiscal announcements to worry about

That is, at least in the short term Rachel Reeves does not have much space for any budget tinkering And with the fresh reality of a global trade war, it’s unlikely that our economy will be able to handle further pressures In fact, Keir Starmer has refused to rule

the market quickly, there’s usually bargains to be had Prices drop as desperation kicks in There may only be a few months to ready oneself for what could be on the way

F o r t u n a t e l y , t h e s p ecialist finance market can help in more ways than one here There is bespoke refi-

Flag raised in Ayr to mark new diplomatic role

A vibra nt fl ag-raisin g ceremony took pl ace on Friday, 4th Apr il , in Ay r, Scot land, at the residence of HemansuRoy Tr iv edy t o ma rk his offici a l a p po in t m e

Honora ry Consul of TimorLeste in Scotl and The event was attended by over 70 guests, including

Timor-Leste to the UK, MSP

Timor-Leste and Scotland,

and Development Office The primary role of the

Ramnavmi celebrations at Preston Mandir

Ramnavm i is a s acred o cca-

Lord Ram and c el ebrating his divine virtu es Devotees gathe

o m 11:00am, joining in heartfelt bh ajans and ch eris hing the darshan of Ram Bhagwan

Solanki brought the Saryu Jal Loti into the mandir, where a puja was performed by Pujari Hasmukhbhai Following the puja, the sacred Saryu Jal was taken into the Ram Mandir, and the Snan Vidhi (ritual bathing) of Lord Ram was c

their family

Pujari then narrated the divine story of Lord Ram’s

Neasden Temple marks

Swaminarayan Jayanti and Ram Navmi with youth-led celebration

T he divine manifestation of B h ag w an S h r i

S w am i na ray an a nd Bhagw an Shri Ramachand ra w ere joyfully celebrated on S aturd ay 5 Ap ril 2025 with a g rand c ultural prog ramm e at BAP S Shri Sw am inarayan M and ir, Lo ndo n ( Neasd en T em ple)

More than 150 children and youths, guided by 40 dedicated young volunteers, delivered inspiring performances across two sittings

T h e e v e n t o f

d t h o usands of visitors a chance to

through a colourful production of skits, dances, bha-

each segment focusing on key aspects of their lives and teachings

The vibrant celebrations were brought to a climax

depicting the joy and bliss

God, leaving the audience spiritually uplifted Palak Patel, who attended the evening performance,

reflect on the virtues and

and Bhagwan Ramachandra

The virtues of Bhagwan

birth This was followed by Putt Darshan, led by yajmans

A m r a t b h a i a n d N e e l a m b e n

b

Patel The dhwaja (flag) atop the Ram Mandir was hoisted

their family

The celebration continued with aarti performed by y a j m

Neelaben Patel The final ceremony, Parnu Jullawanu, was

Nehaben Shah

Over 500 devotees gathered to pay homage to Lord Ram and seek his blessings All attendees had the opportunity to do darshan of the Ram Parivar and gently pull the string to swing baby Ram in the cradle Prashad, generously sponsored by Lalitaben Natwarlal Solanki and family, was offered to everyone The d

Chaitra Navratri aarti in

captivated my children and

Rao added, “The dedication of the cast, crew, and volun-

months was inspiring It was heartwarming to see the joy it brought to

and Rama Navmi were celebrated on Sunday 6 April 2025, with a noon arti for Shri Ramchandra Bhagwan, a discourse by Yogvivekdas Swami, and an evening kirtan bhakti by swamis and

Paresh Raja, CEO MFS

of Ram, Sita and Lakshman as a part of Ramnavmi celebration in the Preston Mandir

Annakut offering to Bhagwan Ramachandraji on the occassion of Shri Rama Navmi

Devotees gathered to joyously celebrate Shri Swaminarayan Jayanti and Shri Rama Navmi

Lessons

from the Myanmar earthquake

It is unfortunate to note that the powerful earthquakes that hit Myanmar, Thailand and China have killed thousands of people apart from leaving behind a trail of destruction out there First off, immediate help should be extended to the affected areas Plus, global forums like the UN should send officials to the earthquake-hit areas to take stock of the situation

To begin with, Thailand and Myanmar have long been among the most beautiful Asian countries in the world Thanks to amazing seas, natural resources and panoramic vistas, they have always been a tourist attraction As a school student, I got to learn a lot about Myanmar and Thailand in geography during my school days in the 1990s in Korkai, Tiruchendur, Tuticorin, Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu

At the same time, it is really a setback to understand that there have been no advancements or breakthroughs in forecasting natural disasters like earthquakes despite so many such natural calamities and in spite of massive damage caused by them The East or the West, countries have been grappling with numerous natural catastrophes right up till date In this context, the West and Asian countries must come forward to make the most of technology to tackle natural disasters head-to-head

Above all else, countries and governments could do better to encourage all kinds of green activities from expanding green areas to planting trees to facilitating rigorous agricultural activities like growing food crops so as to be able to save Mother Earth, humanity, the ecology and abundant natural resources from the clutches of natural catastrophes

P Sent hil Sar ava na Dura i Trump’s 26% tariff tsunami: Will India fight back or fold?

Trump just turned up the heat on India, slapping a massive 26% tariff on its exports to the U S , effective April 9, 2025 This is part of his fiery "Liberation Day" trade war, which imposes blanket tariffs on imports and even steeper ones on countries with “unfair” trade practices His message? If you tax us, we’ll tax you harder

India had hoped for a last-minute reprieve, especially after PM Modi’s recent U S visit Instead, Trump doubled down, calling out India’s 100% tariffs on U S cars and agricultural goods The impact? A potential $7 billion blow to Indian exporters, hitting automobiles, metals, jewellery, and food products the hardest The Indian government is scrambling, with Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal in urgent talks with the U S

Meanwhile, Indian markets are in panic mode, bracing for disruption With the 9th April deadline looming, the big question is: Will India cave and slash tariffs, or will it stand its ground and risk a full-blown trade war? One thing’s for sure Trump’s “America First” policy just got a whole lot tougher for India

Dr Narsibh ai Maganlal Patel

Remembering Lord Mahavira and the eternal values of Jainism

Lord Mahavira, also known as Vardhamana, was the 24th and last Tirthankara of Jainism a revered spiritual teacher who emphasized non-violence and a principled way of living He is honoured as one of the central figures and spiritual f o u n d e r s o f t h e J a i n r e l i g i o n I n J a i n p h i l o s o p h y , Tirthankaras are enlightened beings who pave the path for others to attain liberation (moksha)

Lord Mahavira was born in 599 BC in Kundalpur, a village in the Vaishali district of Bihar, India, into a royal family At the age of 30, he renounced his worldly life and became a monk, dedicating himself to intense meditation and ascetic practices in search of spiritual truth His teachings are centred around the core principles of Ahimsa (non-violence), Satya (truthfulness), Asteya (non-stealing) and Aparigraha (non-attachment)

Through deep discipline and unwavering commitment, Lord Mahavira attained Kevala Jnana, a state of omniscience or supreme knowledge He ultimately attained Nirvana (liberation) in 527 BC at Pawapuri, Bihar Lord Mahavira’s teachings have had a profound impact on Indian thought, culture, and spiritual life Today, Jainism is practiced by millions across India, Nepal, and various parts of the world

Reflecting on my own life growing up in Karamsad, Gujarat the same hometown as Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the Iron Man of India and the first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of independent India I feel a deep sense of gratitude During my school and college years, I had many close friends from the Jain community I fondly remember accompanying them to their temples (Derasars), and they too would visit Hindu temples with us We also shared warm friendships with peers of Christian and Muslim faiths The timeless values taught by Lord Mahavira hold deep relevance even today If we can apply his principles of compassion, truth, and self-restraint in our daily lives, we can build a world that is happier, more peaceful, and more harmonious Suresh an d B ha vna Patel

Kapil Dudakia

K A P I L’S K H I C H A D I

Institutionalised Anti-Hindu Hatred?

I have just returned from my holiday in Portugal to find that the world as I knew it has changed dramatically There is so much going on that attracts my interest but for this week I will focus on one issue, namely what many Hindus believe is the rampant rise of institutionalised anti-Hindu hatred I have raised this issue in the past, but since the election of the new Labour government it seems the anti-Hindu forces have been granted a green light to attack our community

Last week the Daily Mail ran an article written by Abul Taher (theirsecurity correspondent)with the leading headline: ‘British Hindu extremists are forming alliances with far-right groups over their common hatred of Muslims’ The article for all intents and purposes was an unwarranted attack on Hindus There was no measure of balance, or presenting the other side, or presenting real grassroots facts The article stated: ‘The secret report, compiled by the N

extremism - which is known as Hindutva - may worsen community relationships between Hindus and other faith groups like Muslims and Sikhs The study is written by the National Community Tension Team’

A sensational declaration My immediate reaction was,

(NPCC)’? ‘National Community Tension Team’?

So it seems there is a clandestine team made up of Police Chiefs who have prepared a ‘secret’ report written by the National Community Tension Team, and that this report has been seen by the Daily Mail, and I assume by the author also

This raises some fundamental questions:

a Is there such a report? If so, who instigated it, when and why?

b What was the makeup of the team that wrote the report?

c What were the terms of reference for the said report and who set them?

d What was the evidence base on which the report relies upon?

e D i d t h e y c o n s u l t a n y H i n d u o r g a n i s a t i o n o r individual/s? If so, which one/s?

f Was the Secretary of State aware that such a report had been instigated?

g When was the SoS aware of the contents of the report?

h How did the Daily Mail get access to the report if it is meant to be ‘secret’?

i Was the report leaked? If so, by whom? Or was it strategically made available to the Daily Mail? If so, by whom?

Of course these are just the headline questions that come to mind A thorough investigation should explore the connections between the police chiefs, the Daily Mail, local and national politicians, and the Islamists who they appear to be protecting I spoke to Smt Trupti Patel, President of the Hindu Forum of Britain who said, ‘We are very disappointed with the Daily Mail with its one-sided article that seems to be designed to assassinate the good name of the Hindu com-

Upcoming events

S S

•

w i l l celebrate its 2nd Hanuman Janmotsav on Saturday, 12 April 2025, from 2:00 PM at Avanti House Secondary School, Stanmore The event features Sundarkand Paath, Hanuman Chalisa, and free Prasad

• The British Indian Jewish Association (BIJA) is hosting a virtual heritage tour of the historic Knesset Eliyahoo Synagogue in Mumbai, led by Ralphy Jhirad The event will take place online on Sunday, 27 April 2025, from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM Registered participants will receive the Zoom link two days before the event

• The Brahma Kumaris UK is organising a two-day Hindi event titled “Importance of Bhagwat and Gita in the Present Time” on Saturday, 12 April, from 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM Sister BK Shivamani will share insights into the timeless wisdom of the Bhagwat and Gita, offering guidance on attaining inner peace, clarity, and right action amidst the challenges of modern life

• The Navnat Vanik Association is organising Mahavir Janma Kalyanak on Sunday, 20 April 2025, from 10:15 AM to 1:15 PM at the Navnat Centre, H a y e s T h

programme including a Shobha Yatra, Snatra Pooja, Stavan, the 14 Swapna depicted through a colourful dance performance, and more

munity on untested and fake anti-Hindu narrative’ Adding, ‘This matter requires a full investigation to ascertain why the most law-abiding community is being targeted with such vile anti-Hindu hatred’

V i n o d P o p a t (

Organisations Groups) in his letter to the Daily Mail said, ‘We call upon Daily Mail to retract these unsubstantiated remarks by publishing a corrigendum’, adding, ‘The inflammatory and misleading nature of this report deeply concerns us, as it not only misrepresents the Hindu community but also exacerbates social divisions’

INSIGHT(Social movement of British Hindus&Indians) posted, ‘A ‘secret’ NPCC report apparently obtained by the Daily Mail, branding “Hindutva” as a looming threat in the UK is a sloppy, biased mess that should embarrass any serious analyst It smears an entire community under the guise of “intelligence ” The evidence? Zero!’ INSIGHT have launched a survey of British Hindus to ascertain the mood of the community on anti-Hindu hatred You can take part here: https://insightuk org/anti-hindu-hate-survey

The uproar from the Hindu community is justified We live in this moment when the Government will not allow a statutory inquiry into Pakistani grooming gangs At a moment in time when the Home Secretary wants to bring in two-tier sentencing guidelines so white criminals get longer sentences and non-white criminals are given some latitude to get a lesser sentence The Labour Party, and by association the Government, has adopted the universally condemned definition of Islamophobia Tens of Millions of pounds have been set aside to support the Muslim community, whilst many other faith communities receive next to nothing The priority for this Labour Government is now clearer than it has ever been It’s to protect the extremists, the rapist, the corrupt politicians and the compromised institutions It seems they have learnt nothing from the mess they made with the rampant antisemitism that was exposed within the Labour party It seems now it’s the turn of the Hindus

I wrote to the RT Hon Chris PhillipsMP (Shadow Home Secretary) and have asked him to chase this serious issue at ministerial level and to demand an investigation into all aspects of the report and it’s leaking I also informed Bob Blackman MP, and I am glad to report that he has already raised this issue in Parliament Bob is also the Chair of the APPG for British Hindus and as such it is imperative that this matter is taken up with the full force of the parliamentary system

It has become apparent to me that many of our leading institutions are now practicing targeted racism against certain communities, e g Hindus, Jews They seem to be ignoring their own data of those who commit the most crimes On that verifiable evidence Hindus and Jews are significantly underrepresented in our jails However, Muslims with some 16000 in our jails are seriously overrepresented The c

Chiefsand those at the Daily Mail must be bordering on utter stupidity if they think attacking Hindus without any evidence shows them in good light

Ed Sheeran rocks London with rooftop bus gig for ‘Azizam’ Singer Ed Sheeran surprised Londoners with a rooftop performance of his new single ‘Azizam’ on a moving pink bus Dressed in a pink sweatshirt and black pants, he played guitar alongside an orchestra featuring dhols, drums, and trombones, turning the streets into a lively dance floor

Bhaktivedanta Manor celebrated the vibrant festival of ‘Ramanavami’ on Sunday, 6 April 2025, with great devotion and enthusiasm A full report capturing the highlights of the event will be featured in next week’s edition

S m a l l a n d m e d i u m - s i z e d enterprises (SMEs), many of which rely on exports to the US, are particularly vulnera-

b l e S o m e a r e a l

d y preparing to halt shipments due to the added costs

T

Trump confirms a proposed

2

imports According to a new report from the Institute for P u b l i c P o

R

c h (IPPR), such a move would severely impact the UK’s car m

communities

China has warned it will retaliate if President Donald Trump enforces a proposed 5 0 % t a r i f f o n C h i n

i t s interests The move heightens tensions in an already f r a g i l e g l o b a l t r a d e l a n d -

scape

T h e r i p p l e e f f e c t s a r e being felt worldwide In the U K , p o l i t i c a l l e a d e r s a r e ramping up efforts to protect national interests and shield key industries from the fallout of escalating US tariffs With stock markets tumbling and investor confi-

d e n c e f a l t e r i n g , e c o n o m i c e x p e r t s a r e w a r n i n g o f a potential recession on the horizon

A s a t r a d e - d e p e n d e n t nation, the UK faces a delic a t e b a l a n c i n g a c t m a i nt a i n i n g s t r a t e g i c r e l a t i o n s w i t h t h e U S w h i l e a l s o

s t r e n g t h e n i n g t i e s w i t h other global partners to mitigate the impact of mount-

i n g t r a d e t e n s i o n s Navigating this turbulence will require diplomatic agilit y a n d s t r o n g e c o n o m i c planning to safeguard longterm stability

Lead ers hits back at Trump tariffs, eyes national interest first

S e v e r a l l e a d e r s h a v e voiced strong opposition to the new US tariffs, warning of their impact on British i n d u s t r i e s T h e y h a v e pledged to respond firmly

b u t p r a g m a t i c a l l y p r i o r itising national interest, protecting jobs, and ensuring c o n t i n u e d e c o n o m i c resilience amid rising global trade tensions

P r i m e M i n i s t e r K e i r Starmer used Jaguar Land

R o v e r ’ s ( J L R ) o w n e d b y I n d i a n c o m p a n y - T a t a Motors UK headquarters in Solihull as the stage for a

m a j o r e c o n o m i c s p e e c h , addressing growing uncer-

t a i n t y f o l l o w i n g U S

President Donald Trump’s new global trade tariffs

Calling JLR a symbol of “British brilliance,” Starmer praised the UK’s manufac-

t u r i n g w o r k f o r c e a n d p l e d g e d f u l l g o v e r n m

s u p p o r t d u

i n g t u r b u l e n t

times He acknowledged the serious threat posed by the US-imposed 25% tariff on car exports: “Nobody is pre-

Trade war threatens UK growth

tending that tariffs are good news 25% on automotive exports is a huge challenge to our future ”

However, he framed the crisis as part of a broader t r a n s f o r m a t i o n : “ I t ’ s a c h a n g i n g a n d c o m p l e t e l y new world – an era where old assumptions no longer apply ”

Starmer promised a radical overhaul of government to support British industry, i n c l u d i n g f a s t e r h o u s i n g , infrastructure and industrial growth On global trade, he s a i d , “ W e w i l l a c c e l e r a t e trade deals across the globe, but when it comes to the US – I will only strike a deal if it is in the national interest ”

Rejecting the idea that British industry is in decline, he said, “Anyone who says

Britain doesn’t make anyt h i n g a n y m o r e – I i n v i t e them to come here They won’t say that again ”

The Prime Minister also unveiled sweeping changes to support the UK’s shift to e l e c t r i c v e h i c l e s ( E V s ) , i n c l u d i n g a 2 0 % c u t t o industry fines, a delay to the hybrid ban until 2035, and a £ 2 3 b i l l i o n i n v e s t m e n t i n the car industry “This is the m o m e n t w e b a c k B r i t i s h business and charge up the e l e c t r i c r e v o l u t i o n , ” h e declared He also promised to boost the life sciences sec-

t o r , s l a s h i n g c l i n i c a l t r i a l setup times and pledging up to £600 million for a new H e a l t h D a t a R e s e a r c h Service

A statement from HM T r e a s u r y n o t e d t h a t Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves warned the United States’ recent decision to impose tariffs could h a v e s i g n i f i c a n t i m p l i c ations for the global economy “ T h e s e i m p l i c a t i o n s have already been reflected in the reaction we ’ ve seen in g l o b a l m a r k e t s , ” s h e s a i d “ T h e f i n a n c i a l a u t h o r i t i e s are closely monitoring the s i t u a t i o n ” R e e v e s c o nfirmed that she had spoken to the Governor of the Bank of England, who reassured her that markets are functioning well and that the U K ’ s b a n k i n g s y s t e m remains resilient

Acknowledging the concerns of families and busin e s s e s , R e e v e s s a i d , “ W e h a v e y o u r b a c k s ” S h e e m p h

G o v e r n m e n t w o u l d n o t stand by amid global uncertainty but would “act deci-

sively, in our national interest, to protect working people ” On the risk of escalating tensions, she stated, “A trade war is in nobody’s interest That’s why we must remain pragmatic, cool-headed, and pursue the best deal with the United States ” O n A p r i l

Secretary Jonathan Reynolds a

the United States' decision to impose a 10% reciprocal tariff on UK exports and a 25% global tariff on cars In h

released an indicative list of

could be targeted in a potential UK response He also clarified that items of wider

medical supplies and mili-

would be excluded from any future tariff measures, prov

degree of certainty amid rising trade tensions “ N o c o u n

U K received the lowest reciproc

, ” Reynolds said “While this v i n d i c a t e s t h e p r a g m a t i c approach this Government has taken, we know the job is far from done ” Reynolds acknowledged the disappointment over the tariffs and the global impact they will have, but reiterated the Government’s commitm

national interest “We are w

a t e these turbulent times and support all UK industries,” he said

T a l k s w

h e U S remain ongoing to secure

ment “There are clear synergies between our markets, and a deal is not just possible

i t ’ s f a v o u r a b l e t o b o t h countries,” Reynolds stated “Industry leaders across key sectors welcome our coolh e a d e d a n d c o n s t r u c t i v e approach ”

Cautioning against reactionary measures, Reynolds a d d e d

t h comes in making the right choices at the right time Escalating a trade war would serve no one ”

To ensure the UK is prepared, Reynolds announced a formal request for input from British businesses on possible retaliatory tariffs

“This will give businesses a chance to shape any potent i a l U K r e s p o n s e , ” h e explained, noting the consultation will run until May

1 “If a deal is reached, this process will be paused, and any measures lifted ”

“U K is a trade-dependent economy, securing deals w ith the U S is vital”

P ran es h Nar ay ana n, Research Fellow at Institute for Public P olicy Research (IPPR), explained the wider implications of the US tari f f s a n d s

essentially a tax on imports The US has now imposed

higher tariffs on goods from nearly every country The r a t e s a r e b a s e d o n t r a d e i

a l a n c e s s o t h e m o r e the US imports from a count r y r e l a t i v e t o w h a t i t exports, the higher the tariff The UK has received one of the lowest new tariff rates announced on April 2, but t h a t ’ s o n t o p o f e x i s t i n g ones, particularly targeting cars, steel, and aluminium " He continued, "The general tariff is 10%, but for cars it's now 35% That’s signific a n t f o r t h e U K , w h i c h mainly exports cars, pharmaceuticals, machinery, and military equipment to the U S P h a r m a c e u t i c a l s a r e exempt, but the car industry w i l l b e h a r d e s t h i t E v e n though the UK received a r e l a t i v e l y b e t t e r r a t e , t h e a u t o m o t i v e s e c t o r f a c e s major challenges "

An IPPR study estimates that around 25,000 UK jobs could be at risk from the proposed US tariffs on car imports Speaking about the s c a l e o f t h e t h r e a t , Narayanan noted, "The US is t h e s e c o n d - l a r g e s t e x p o r t market for UK-made cars

Over a third (35 per cent) of cars manufactured in the UK in 2024 went to the US Now that those vehicles are 35% m o r e e x p e n s i v e i n t h e American market, it will be h a r d e r f o r c o m p a n i e s l i k e Jaguar Land Rover and Mini ( o w n e d b y B M W ) t o s t a y c o m p e t i t i v e T h e s e f i r m s employ thousands in the UK, so the ripple effects could be serious "

Narayanan also warned of indirect consequences via Europe He said, “Since the E U i s o u r b i g g e s t t r a d i n g partner, if its exports to the US decline due to tariffs, it c o u l d a f f e c t t h e i r i n c o m e a n d r e d u c e d e m a n d f o r British goods This is one of the biggest shifts in global trade policy in a generationit will have wide-reaching consequences

O n p o l i c y , h e s t r e s s e d the need for strategic economic resilience Narayanan

s a i d , " T h e U K i s a t r a d e -

d e p e n d e n t e c o n o m y , s o s e c u r i n g t r a d e d e a l s - e s p ecially with the US is vital

B u t j u s t a s i m p o r t a n t i s strengthening the domestic economy That means more public investment, a robust industrial strategy, and targ e t e d s u p p o r t f o r s e c t o r s with growth potential " "We need to use tools

l i k e t h e N a t i o n a l W e a l t h

F u n d a n d

e c o n o m y w e w a n t I n f r a s t r u c t u r e i n v e s t m e n tespecially in transport and clean energy-is overdue and e s s e n t i a l f o r s u p p o r t i n g manufacturing And finally, innovation funding must be t a r g e t e d t o w a r d

c sectors to boost long-term competitiveness," he added C h a ir o f th e I nt ern at io n al C h am be r o f C omm erce (IC C) U K, L ord Karan Bilimo ria said, “The United States accounts for o n l y 1 3 % o f g l o b a l t r a d e Surely, we should be working with the other 87% of countries around the world to make sure we continue with the rules-based multilateral trading system This is the time when the UK needs to take leadership As Chair of the International C h a m b e r o f C o m m e r c e (ICC) UK, the largest busin e s s o r g a n i s a t i o n i n

h e world with 45 million members in 170 countries, we are saying that this is the time when we must promote and modernise trade and plan for growth to unlock £25 billion in trade for the UK We must digitise trade, where the UK can take the lead, and where transaction times can be reduced from three months to one hour, and with 80% reduction in trade transaction costs This is the time for the UK to actually take the lead, but not pick a fight with the US When it comes to services, our position with the United States i s i n

export $126 billion worth of

import, which is around $57 billion That gives us a significant trade surplus in this sector And what’s crucial here is that these new tariffs d o n ’ t a p

which means our most comp e t i

tries that primarily export goods, we

service exports -a space where we continue to lead

and

companies facing steep US tariffs might redirect their exports to markets like the UK, where tariffs are lower This could result in a surge of cheaper goods entering the UK She explained that tariffs of this scale are likely

prices in order to maintain demand

Industry leaders warn of economic shockwaves from Trump’s tariffs

In comm ents shared with Newspage, UK ind ustry lead ers hav e voiced serious concerns about the imp act on supply chains, interest rates, and consum er confid ence- and are urging the Bank of Eng land to respo nd sw iftly

1 ) Bob Singh, Founder at Chess Mortgages commented: "Trump's terrible and terrifying tit-for-tat tariffs have made markets tremble and tumble since Liberation Day causing trade tensions The effects of the tariffs will cause a shortage in supply of vital goods and lead to inflationary pressures worldwide The question for the Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee is not whether to cut but by how much? Whilst the markets have penciled in a 25bps cut, 50bps could be a smart move to preempt any slowdown in the economy Any inflationary pressures likely to be caused by rising energy prices is likely to be offset by lower cost of fuel Lenders are already offering sub-4% pricing as swap rates head south, giving homebuyers a welcome Easter boost "

2) Rakesh Dua, CEO at DUA Accountancy & Business Consultancy commented: "Businesses and consumers desperately need a rate cut given the uncertainty and lack of growth, let alone the devastation of a trade war

So my view is the Bank of England simply cannot ignore this because a downward spiral caused by a lack of confidence will be much more brutal than inflationary risk The tide is turning and the Bank of England needs to wake up before it turns into a tsunami where even late rate cuts cannot filter through for months and years to deal with the carnage caused from a challenging set of economic data and forecasts NI increases coupled with employer confidence being so low will likely mean wage increases will come down, as will new vacancies

3 ) Riz Malik, Independent Financial Adviser at R3 Wealth commented: "Things could deteriorate quickly if the sell off continues and global retaliation ramps up Trump’s Liberation Day tariffs were designed to make a statement but may have underestimated the global fallout If other nations hit back harder, the US risks isolating itself economically with serious consequences for markets worldwide "

Dr Swati Dhingra

Pranesh Narayanan

Lord Karan Bilimoria

NO RECOGNITION, NO SUPPORT

This is the story of many carers in the community, where caring for a parent isn’t seen as a job but as an act of love While most will say they wouldn’t have it any other way, they also won’t deny that

t h e y a r e s t r u g g l i n g Ram zi

S u l ei m an , P o li c y and P u bl ic

A ffairs Manager at Carers Tru st, also finds this to be true as he stated that carers from ethnic minority backgrounds, including from

A s i a n b a c k g r o u n d s ,

m o r e d i s a d v a n t a g e d t h a n t h e i r white counterparts

H e s a i d , “ E n e r g y b i l l s h a v e been soaring, food prices are rising and the cost-of-living is only going up If you ’ re a carer, it’s hard to cut back on those expenses –you need to keep the house warm, you might have to make sure lifesaving equipment is running or special food is bought for the person you look after

“ T h e s e p r e s s u r e s a r e m a d e worse because a lot of carers find it difficult to balance caring and employment Around two-thirds have had to cut back on their working hours or give up work completely because of the pressure their caring role brings That leads to huge financial strain and carers are more likely to live in poverty than the wider population ” R a m z i p o i n t e d o u t t h a t

C a r e r ’ s A l l o w a n c e i s t h e m a i n benefit carers can claim but it has hugely complicated rules and, at just £83 30 per week, is the lowest benefit of its kind “Even those carers who meet its complex eligibility criteria tell us that it doesn’t

much work you can do before losing eligibility The current system

d o e s n ’ t t r u l y a c k n o w l e d g e t h e work that unpaid carers do-especially within South Asian communities ”

While the allowance being a m e r e t o k e n i s a p r o b l e m b i g enough in itself, it doesn’t help t h a t M i n r e e t i s c o n s t a n t l y exhausted She is very close to her parents and caring for them is an act of love for her but she feels drained most of the time, trying to juggle it all on her own

She further added, “I’m the only one managing everything: running the household, looking after two elderly parents, handling errands, appointments, and all the responsibilities both inside and outside the home There's barely any time left to focus on my own things

“ A s f o r m a n a g i n g f r e e l a n c e work, honestly, I don’t really manage it I just go with the flow

m e e t t h e i r n e e d s T h e Government has just raised the e a r n i n g s l i m i t f o r C a r e r ’ s Allowance - you can now claim if you earn less than £196 a weekbut the system is still woefully inadequate and needs a complete overhaul”, he said

“I barely get any time to myself”

Minreet has recently started claiming Carer’s Allowance, but it’s only around £81 a week, which i s b a r e l y a n y t h i n g , “ E s p e c i a l l y when my weekly shopping alone comes to about £150, with the cost

o f e v e r y t h i n g g o i n g u p , t h a t allowance doesn’t actually help much at all It feels more like a token gesture than meaningful support

“ C a r e r ’ s A l l o w a n c e m i g h t

work as a small top-up if you ’ re able to work alongside caring, but even then, you ’ re limited in how

duty A lot of people assume that because we ’ re Asian, we’ll just take o n t h e c a r i n g r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s without question”, she said It doesn’t help her situation

t h a t h e r s i b l i n g d o e s n ’ t r e a l l y share the responsibilities with her

o

said, “Daughters like me, especially those who are single, carry so much, yet we ’ re rarely seen or heard We’re part of a forgotten

with little to no recognition or support

“There needs to be more support in place for people like us We should have the same opportunities as others who don’t carry

falls on us on top of the care we already provide

“Unpaid carers are often invisible Our years of service go unacknowledged But we do so much We work incredibly hard often doing the kind of emotional and physical labour that no one else

sense of love to care for someone every single day ”

“Would I get resp ite care easily?”

break? I just need to check on Mum ”

While her mother does not like Rajul fussing over her at all, it does affect her deeply “If someone calls me when I’m expecting a doctor’s call, I don’t want to talk I’m like, “Go away, don’t disturb me ” I become tense and hyperfocused

“Being an IT consultant, I also travel a lot, which makes it even more challenging I need to work, of course, but it adds another layer of stress and worry All of this does take a mental toll I think that’s only human If it didn’t affect me, something wouldn’t be right ”

Rajul has a very unique perspective of the need for additional help for carers According to her, “if the roles were reversed if this were about a child, particularly a d i s a b l e d c h i l d t h e y w o u l d receive a significant amount of respite care But in my case, even though I work and I'm actively involved in local politics here in Leicester, and people know me well, would I get respite care that easily? No, I wouldn’t

“ W o u l d t h e g o v e r n m e n t acknowledge me for the care I p r o v i d e ? H o n e s t l y , n o , t h e y wouldn’t In fact, from their perspective, it’s more convenient and cost-effective for me to look after my mum at home, rather than placing her in a care home After all, a care home would cost them far more than the minimal support I receive to care for her myself ”

Yo u hav e rights, know them

A c c o r d i n g t o E m i l y

H o l z h a u s e n C B E , D i r e c t o r o f Policy and Public Affairs at Carers UK, Carers are legally entitled to a range of different support and it pays to ensure that you know your rights

Hindu group bids for Wexham Court Parish Hall in direct sale plea

A Hindu org anisation i s urg ing Sloug h Boroug h C ouncil to sell Wexh am C ourt Parish Hall d irectly, witho ut opening the sale to oth er bid ders

C

buildings that could be sold, following a request from Wexham Court Parish Council, which currently leases the property

The Hindu organisation Jeeyar Educational Trust UK (JETUK) has launched a petition urging Slough Borough Council to sell Wexham Court Parish Hall directly to them, to “ serve the Hindu community” and “enrich the cultural fabric of Slough ” T

Slough’s growing Hindu population and calls for a “preferential sale,” arguing a larger, dedicated

educational, and charitable services

T h e p e t i t i o n , l a u n c h e d o n March 14 and running until June 13, has over 1,770 signatures It urges Slough Borough Council to sell Wexham Court Parish Hall directly to JETUK, bypassing a bidding process

Citing JETUK’s non-profit status and community services, the petition requests a direct commercial discussion based on the council’s and market valuation

Dozens of Reform UK candidates are ex-Tories

to Labou

When I take on assignments, I often end up having to ask for

d e a d l i n e e x t e n s i o n s b e c a u s e u n e x p e c t e d t h i n g s c o m e u p I haven’t figured out a reliable system or balance yet

“I haven’t been able to return to full-time work The responsibilities are heavy, and I’m doing it all on my own I don’t have a partn e r o r c h i l d r e n , s o m e t h i n g I would love to have, but I barely get any time to myself ” M i n r e e t a l s o a d d r e s s e d t h e tight-lipped approach around the struggles of carers in the South Asian community “In our culture, w e r a r e l y s p e a k o p e n l y a b o u t being carers I feel like I’m one of the few people from my community who has come forward to talk about what it's really like, particularly as an Asian woman There's this expectation that we just get on with it, that it’s simply our

Raj ul Tejura compares unpaid carers to unsung heroes, those quietly doing the work out of love and duty, without any recognition She also feels that this is something that comes to us naturally when we step up to care for our loved ones, it feels like the logical thing to do “You are not looking for recognition and that’s the beauty of it”, she said

She looks after her 84-year old young-at-heart mother and if you speak to her, she will tell you that she is the lucky one who gets to live in her mother’s care and how it’s a blessing But this full-time IT

c o n s u l t a n t c a n n o t d e n y t h a t things can get hectic for her even with additional help, especially when her mum falls sick

“I start to feel like I’m drowning, It s like there s this sudden role reversal and I become the parent all of a sudden And that’s when it really starts

“When I’m working, I have cameras in the house just so I can check in on her see if she’s okay, whether she’s had a fall If I see her heading into the bathroom while I’m on a Teams call, I’ll say, “Guys, can we take a 10-minute

S h e s a i d , “ C a r e r s o f t e n s a y that they've missed out on vital financial or practical support that could have made things easier Carers are entitled to an assessment of their needs and the local council will look at the emotional a n d p r a c t i c a l s u p p o r t n e e d e d People might also be entitled to a discount on their council tax, and there are other entitlements, too

“Unpaid carers in the UK provide care worth a staggering £184 billion a year, yet still too often do n o t r e c e i v e t h e r e c o g n i t i o n o r support they need The reality for m a n y i s e x t r e m e l y t o u g h Knowing your rights as a carer is important to help you feel confident asking for what you need, and in circumstances where your rights are not being met ” R a m z i S u l e i m a n a t C a r e r s Trust also added that Carers also need to be supported to find and stay in employment "Most fundamentally, there are six million carers in the UK and they’re filling the gaps created by the social care crisis Without the Government finally producing and delivering on a long-term plan for social care, carers will continue to be left to struggle, often with only their local carer organisations for support , he said

Tory candidates for the Runcorn a

Greater Lincolnshire mayoral race, where former MP Andrea Jenkyns is standing

All but one of Reform’s MPs, including leader Nigel Farage, are ex-Conservatives Labour has accused Reform of

with politicians trying

losses A Reform UK spokesperson said the defectors make up “less than 4%” of their 1,630 candidates, and questioned Labour’s stance given its own acceptance of former Tory MPs Christian Wakeford and Natalie Elphicke Labour’s analysis found over 60 of Reform’s local election cand

councillors, activists or candidates Sarah Pochin, Reform’s candidate for the Runcorn and Helsby byelection, is a former Tory councillor who once praised Michael G

now-deleted posts Of the 23 councils up for election in May, 19 are Conservativerun Mayoral contests will also be

Lincolnshire

Emily Holzhausen CBE

Ramzi Suleiman

Rajul and her mum, Sushilaben P Tejura

Continued from page 1

India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman visits the UK for bilateral meetings

“I n a rapi dly evolvin g, multipolar world, coun tri es are inc reasingly

l e an i n g on b i l a te r a l a r ra n g emen ts due to the growing i neffec ti veness of m ultilateral in sti-

t ut i o n s ” , I n d i a ’ s F i n a n c e

M i n i s te r N i r m a l a S i t h ar a m a n

sai d in London where she has a rr i ve d f or th e 13 th I nd i a - UK

Ec on o m i c a n d Fi n a n c i al Dialogue (EFD) with her B ritish counterpart, Chance llor Rac hel

Reeves

The Indian Union Minister

f o r F i n a n c e a n d C o r p o r a t e

Affairs said this as she delivered the inaugural address during a

f i r e s i d e c h

h e ‘ O p p o

t i e s a n

l e n g e s for India’s quest to become a developed economy by 2047 ’ , at India House, London

The chat was moderated by Lord Nicholas Stern, Professor of Economics and Government and Chair of the Grantham Research Institute, LSE and BJP leader NK

S i n g h w a s a

w global uncertainties are pushing nations to forge direct partnerships “ G l o

noted, arguing that navigating

UK’s first as mother gives birth after womb transplant

Surgeo ns are celebrating a landmark achievement as a woman h as beco me the first in the UK to give bi r th fo ll o wi n g a w o mb t ra nsplant, a moment h ai led as “asto nishing” in the field of reproductive medicine

Prior to her fireside chat at India House, she held meetings with Vindi Banga, Chairman of

(UKGI), and Shriti Vadera, Chair

Secretary and former Chair of the UK India Business Council

During her interaction with Ms

explore investment

ongoing for quite some time, even with previous UK governments,” she clarified Still, with the new Labour government in t h e U K s h o w i n g i n t e r e s t , s h e

more practical than relying on m u l t i l a

emerging landscape, ideological affiliations and traditional blocs are becoming less relevant, with economic and strategic interests driving bilateral deals forward

Her comments came amid questions about the impact of

r e c e n t U S t a r i f f h i k e s , announced by President Donald Trump on April 2, on India-UK trade talks The US has imposed new tariffs of 10% on UK exports and 26% on Indian goods

However, Sitharaman denied that these tariffs were accelerat-

i n g t h e t r a d e n e g o t i a t i o n s between India and the UK “This is not something we are rushing into because of developments in the US These talks have been

expressed optimism that a deal could be finalised “ sooner rather than later ”

Alongside her dialogue with Chancellor Reeves, Sitharaman is also engaging with the City of London and its Lord Mayor She is promoting GIFT City, India’s f l a g s h i p f i n a n c i a l h u b i n Ahmedabad, as a key destination for global financial services

The bilateral dialogue also i

investment treaty, mutual recognition of professional qualifications, and deeper cooperation in the education sector Sitharaman revealed that India and the UK are exploring opportunities for B

campuses in India, while also increasing the number of Indian students in the UK

Commissioner of India to the UK on April

also interact with Prime Minister Keir Stamer as the latter plans

along with UK Secretary of State for Business and Trade Rt Hon Jonathan Reynolds, she will cohost the Roundtable in partnership with the City of London, with top CEOs and senior management of prominent pension funds and asset managers in the UK as participants

Prior to her meeting with Sitharaman, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said, “The Business Secretary and I are

Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman,

Dialogue as we seek to secure

new trade deal

“We will be covering the topics of growth and global issues,

potential across various sectors

, investment and trade opportunities, as part of the Government’s Plan for Change ”

ceive

Currently, around ten more women are undergoing approval for womb transplants, which cost

Transplant UK Hundreds more

Grace Davidson, 36, who was diagnosed as a teenager with a rare condition that meant she was born without a uterus, described the birth of her daughter as “the greatest gift we could ever have asked for ” She and her husband, Angus, 3 7 , n a m e d

been performed in the UK using organs from deceased donors, and d o c t o r

recipients will also be able to con-

have expressed interest in the programme The charity has permission to carry out ten transplants from deceased donors and five from living donors and hopes for eventual NHS funding

The birth of Amy Isabel follows more than two decades of research led by Professor Richard S m i t h , c l i n i c a l l e a d a t W o m b Transplant UK He was present in the operating theatre alongside Quiroga when the 2 04kg (4 5lb) baby was delivered

Former Indian Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi visits London

Ind ian politician and statesman, is cu

United Kingd om Mr Trivedi has held several key positions in the Indian governm

Minister of Railways and Union

Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare He has served as a Member of Parliament in both the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha,

across multiple terms Mr Trivedi has also made significant contributions as the founding convenor of the Forum of Parliamentarians for a Leprosy-Free India Beyond his political accomplishments, he is also a trained pilot We at Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar are pleased to welcome Mr Trivedi to the UK and look forw a r d t o m e a n i n g f u l e x c h a n g e s during his visit

Stronger housing duty urged for abuse victims

V ic ti m s o f d o m es ti c ab u se ar e often unable to leave d angerous si tu ati o

a Liberal Dem ocrat MP has warned Z o e F r a n k l

, M P f o r Guildford, highlighted that councils are not currently required to provide like-for-like housing, creating significant barriers for those f

s

n g t h e n i n g o f t h e s t a t u t o r y duty on local authorities to ensure victims are offered safe, stable, and affordable accommodation F r a n k l i n ' s c o m m e n t s c a m e a f t e r L a b o u r M P L e e B a r r o n shared the case of a constituent who, facing domestic abuse, was forced to choose between a safe home and keeping custody of her children Barron questioned what t h e g o v e r n m e n t w a s d o i n

ensure councils properly prioritise domestic abuse victims in housing allocations I

e s Minister Rushanara Ali acknowledged the housing challenges but emphasised that the government is w o r k i n

to £160 million Ali also noted that the government is addressing

Grace and Angus Davidson (front) with the hospital team at the birth of baby Amy Isabel

HE Vikram Doraiswami receives Nirmala Sitharaman at the airport

Indian Finance Minister with Shriti Vadera (left)

Smt Sitharaman with Dame Patricia Hewitt (right)

Nirmala Sitharaman with Vindi Banga (left)

Rushanara Ali

Boys need male role models in school, says Education Secretary

Ed ucation S ecretary Brid get

P h il li p s o n h as i s su e d a strong call for mo re m en to enter the teachi ng profession, warning that a lack of p ositiv e male role m odels is

c o nt ri bu t in g to w h a t sh e

d es cr i bed a s a “ d e fi ni n g issue o f our time” – the wellbeing and d ev elopm ent of boys in m odern Britain

Speaking at the inaugur a l F e s t i v a l o f C h i l d h o o d , organised by the Children’s Commissioner for England, Phillipson pointed to rising

c o n c e r n s a r o u n d “ t o x i c online influences” and the urgent need for boys to be guided by male figures in their formative years Her comments come as the critic a l l y a c c

i e s A d o l e s c e n c e h a s sparked widespread debate on the vulnerability of boys

t o o n l i n e m i s o g y n y a n d harmful digital content

“It’s clear the behaviour of boys, their influences, and the young men they become is a defining issue of our time,” Phillipson told attendees “We need to raise a generation of boys with the s t r e n g t h t o r e j e c t t h a t h a t r e d – w i t h c u r i o s i t y ,

c o m p a s s i o n , k i n d n e s s ,

r e s i l i e n c e , h o p e a n d respect ”

Highlighting the gender

i m b a l a n c e i n t e a c h i n g , Phillipson noted that only one in four teachers in UK schools are men, dropping

to just one in seven in nursery and primary education, and a mere one in 33 in early years roles While teacher numbers have increased by 28,000 since 2010, only 533 of those have been men, a statistic she called “extraordinary ”

T h e L a b o u r e d u c a t i o n secretary stressed that while schools are a critical part of the solution, families also have a central role to play “ S c h o o ls ca n ’t s o lv e t h es e problems alone, and responsibility starts at home with parents,” she said “But our boys also need strong, posit i v e m a l e r o l e

school ”

Phillipson joins a line of

r , academic research has been mixed on the impact of male teachers on boys' academic

performance or behaviour,

strating clear benefits solely based on teacher gender

for England, also addressed

from society and are turning to the internet for answers

“ C h i l d

tened to They want to be heard,” she said “But some of the foundations of childhood are cracking A different version of childhood is playing out – one that we are struggling to be honest about ”

De Souza called for a national reckoning with the realities of modern child-

h o o d , i n c l u d i n g d i g i t a l exposure and the growing influence of artificial intell i g e n c e S h e a n n o u n c e d plans to launch an investigation into mobile phone

usage in schools, trust in l

c e m e n t a m o n g children, and the psychological effects of deepfake technology

“If we want children to experience the vivid techni-

colour of life – the joy of childhood, the innocence of youth – we have to prove w

ChatGPT,” she added T

underscore a growing cons

temic action is needed to support boys, restore

K

Speaking to Asian Voice,

founder of the digital learn-

“About 75% of

Fraudster dad made up kidnap, cancer for cash

kidnapped, having cancer, and even claimed his mother had died to get money from her Judge Heidi Kubik KC

o k advantage of her naivety,”

began asking for money starting with small sums for car costs and claiming he ran a boxing gym

Patel’s lies escalated as he drained his girlfriend’s savings, pressured her to take out loans, and borrow from family He made up stories of kidnappings, fake funerals, and even claimed he had cancer

When she had nothing left, he threatened to leave or harm himself, yet never repaid her Her father and b r o t h e r e v e n

claims to extract money, including funeral costs for h i s m o

“couldn’t refuse” as there was “always an emergency, ” and was left “totally devastated” by the betrayal

h e r w h o i s s t i l l

alive The victim, who met Patel at work in January 2 0 2 2 , s a i d s h e f e l t s h e

P r o s e c u t o r E l i z a b e t h

Power said Patel initially o f f e r e d t h e v i c t i m e m otional support, then quickly

, d e m a n d i

£69,368 back His lawyer said the fraud was fuelled by a gambling addiction, which spiralled out of control

Young Londoners flee city as housing costs soar

Young Londoners are quitting the capital as soaring rents and sky-hig h house prices push them out, the G15 g roup of m ajo r housi ng as so c i at io n s h as warned They’ve urged Labour t o b o o s t h o u s e b u i l d i n g funds, saying young people have little choice but to leave London rents rose 9 9% i n t h e y e a

F e b r u a

, averaging £2,235 a month the fastest rise in the UK,

according to the ONS Despite sluggish house price growth (2 3% annually), average London homes s

£ 5 2 9 , 3 6 9 , f a r above the national average, says Nationwide F i o n a F l

S m i t h , chair of the G15 and CEO of L&Q, warned that young Londoners want to stay but

shortages,” she said “We need more than funding we need structural change so housing associations can build again ” The G15 warns young Londoners are being priced out, with some low earners spending up to 77% of their wages on housing Poverty a f f

2 2 m i l l i o n Londoners rising to 29% for 20–24-year-olds while 4 8 million private renters across England are now in poverty

Celebrating the spirit of Gujarat and Maharashtra

May 1 marks the foundation day of both Gujarat and Maharashtra To celebrate this special occasion, a dedicated episode of ‘S O N E R I S A N G A T’ has been organised, honouring the rich cultural heritage and vibrant traditions of both states.

We warmly invite readers of Gujarat Samachar and Asian Voice to nominate members of the Gujarati community who have lived in the UK for over 50 years and have made remarkable contributions to society Please share their name, photograph and a brief summary of their service to the community Email us at : support@abplgroup com

In this special episode, we will honour the remarkable individuals who have dedicated themselves to community service Those who continue to serve will be recognised for their ongoing efforts, while heartfelt tributes will be paid to those who are no longer with us

Join us in celebrating the spirit of selfless service and acknowledging the invaluable contributions of our community members during this memorable *Soneri Sangat* Zoom programme on Thursday, 1st May

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson

Kavitha Ravindran Rachel de Souza

Prime Minister hosts Eid reception in Downing Street

Keir Starmer praised British Muslims for their contributions across society, condemned rising Islamophobia, called for peace in Gaza, and emphasised that Downing Street is a home for all communities

On W ednes day, March 2, P

Starmer hosted a reception in D owning Street to mark

community

Having hosted an Iftar event in Downing Street

few weeks ago, the Prime Minister said that wishing p

Downing Street was

championed the contribution the Muslim community makes across society and the economy, “We do need to say a big thank you to our Muslim communi-

t i e s f o

walks of life, different sectors

“That contribution is

is really important – and non-Muslims alike

“ P e o p l e l i k e m e f e e l really welcome, and I think that’s an incredible thing about, not just what you do, but the way that you do it

“And we ’ ve seen this from Windsor to Belfast, from Cardiff to Glasgow, and of course in mosques up and down the country, w h i c h h a v e p r o v i

there, whether that’s the N H S , w h e t h e r i t ’ s b u s iness, education, and civil society in particular – who support every day in our c o m m u n i t i e s - a n d o f course to charities – who are incredibly generous in giving to others ” He also congratulated t h e c o m m u n i t y f o r i t s work to spread the spirit of R a m a d a n a n d w e l c o m e d people from all faiths and b a c k g r o u n d s t o s i m i l a r events up and down the country stating, “And it’s

b e e n a r e a l p r i v i l e g e t o have that sense of contribution over Ramadan, and w i t h t h e f a n t a s t

c , w e lcoming Iftars we ’ ve seen, open to Muslims – and this

to combat it too

“ W e ’ v e a n n o u n c e d

£29 4 million through the P r o t e c t i v e S e c u r i t y f o r Mosques scheme, and a scheme for Muslim faith schools And that is good –but it’s also really bad It’s really bad that we are having to put money towards the protective security for mosques

‘Eid Milan’ at India House

M em b er s o f th e V V U K , BVA L U K, and BVU K came to gether for a sp ecial Eid

M ilan f unc tio n h os ted by

Hi s E xc el le nc y V i kr am

Do r ai sw am i , th e Hi g h

Co mm issioner of Ind ia to the U K at India House in London

The event was marked by a spirit of unity, festivity, and cross-cultural and multifaith engagements

The gathering celebrate d t h e c u l m i n a t i o n o f

R a m a d a n a n d t h e j o y o u s occasion of Eid, serving as a vibrant reflection of India's diverse traditions and the

hand, and spread the spirit of Ramadan, by bringing people together ” At the same time, he a

observed Ramadan here, it has been incredibly diffic u l t w a t c h i n g o

s observing Ramadan in pain and suffering around the rest of the world - particularly in Gaza He said, "We need that ceasefire deal –u p h e l d i n f u l l A n d i n January, we provided an e x t r a

n humanitarian aid to surge support, which desperately needs to get into Gaza – at volume and at pace " He added that alongside international events, it is appalling that 2024 was the worst year on record

s l i m h a t e crime, and added, “I’ve said i t b e f o r e , a n d I ’ l l s a y i t again: there is no place for A n t i

“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: there is no place for AntiMuslim hatred in Britain – no place."

“ I a m g l a d w e a r e doing – it is the right thing to do, and we are working on it – but I do think it’s a reminder that we need to look forward to the day where we are putting our money into other things with you, rather than prot e c t i v e s e c u r i t y a r o u n d mosques or around faith schools ” H e c o n c l u d e d b y

championing the response to the unrest we saw in

S o u t h p o r t , w h e r e c o mmunities came together to help their local Mosque He said that was the best of our society, which we see time and time again He said that as Prime Minister, he is determined that not only is the contribution made by Muslims

g i v e n t r u e r e c o g n i t i o n , but that we celebrate it at every opportunity Labour leaders such as S h a b a n a M a h m o o d , L o n d o n M a y o r S a d i q Khan and Hajira Piranie

s

a t t e n d e d t h e r e c e p t i o n Piranie later shared a mes-

i t u d e t

t h e P r i m e M i n i s t e r f o r acknowledging the contri-

b u t i o n s o f t h e M u s l i m community She wrote, “ A s a y o u n g M u s l i m Indian girl who grew up w a t c h i n g h e r p a r e n t s work tirelessly to build a life in this country, I never imagined being invited as a g u e s t t o t h e P r i m e

Minister’s home to celebrate Eid

“It’s a special moment that means so much to my family, and for so many

o t h e r s w h o m a d e t h i s

c o u n t r y h o m e I t ’ s a reminder that our voices, our traditions, & our celebrations belong here too Keir Starmer said tonight that this is not just his home- this is our home ”

s t r o n g c u l t u r a l b o n d s shared between India and the UK

H E V i k r a m

Doraiswami and his excellent team warmly welcomed all guests, emphasising the i m p o r t a n c e o f i n c l u s i v i t y , connectivity, heritage, and the deep-rooted contributions of the Indian diaspora to British society

V e t e r a n s r e p r e

edged for their dedicated service and continued role in building bridges between

communities and upholding Indian values

The function featured traditional Indian hospitality with an array of festive delicacies, cultural perform a n c e s , a n d m e a n i n g f u l conversations among community leaders, diplomats, and veterans alike

Cllr Imam Haque from East Ham was one of the attendees He said that he took the opportunity to discuss the significant contributions of Indian Bengalis to the UK, exploring their rich cultural heritage and h i s t o r i c

event

Heathrow resumes operations after major power outage

London’s Heathro w A irpo rt resumed full operations on Saturday follow ing a major power ou tage caused by a fire at an electrical substation, which disrupted services and g rou nd ed flights across Eu rope ’ s busiest airport Air India confirmed the resumption of normal oper-

Flight AI161, which had been

depart for its intended destination at 2:05 PM IST

s and delays Tens of thous a n d s o f p a s s e n g e r s w e r e left stranded, scrambling for a l t e r n a t i v e f l i g h t s a n d accommodations as airlines worked to restore schedules

B y S a t u r d a y m o r n i n g , most flights were operating as planned, though residual d e l a y s a n d c a n c e l l a t i o n s p e r s i s t e d B r i t i

Audience enjoying the musical performance

HE Vikram Doraiswami addressing the gathering

Prime Minister Keir Starmer with wife Victoria Starmer and Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood

PM Starmer addressing the attendees

Shabana Mahmood

Sir Keir Starmer greeting Royal Air Force s Squadron Leader, Amir Khan among other guests

Sadiq Khan addressing the attendees

Keeping Kirtan relevant for today’s youth

Taren Kaur

Subhasini Naicker

Taren Kaur is a singersongwriter and composer with a lifelong passion for music Inspired by her father’s Kirtan and her mother’s Sitar lessons, she began playing guitar at age seven and went on to study music formally

W h i l e c o m p o s i n g f o r TV and film, Taren discovered a deep spiritual con-

n e c t i o n t h r o u g h s i n g i n g

S h a b a d o n g u i t a r T h i s experience led her to focus on Kirtan and spiritually inspired music as a way to

c o n n e c t w i t h t h e D i v i n e and share peace, love, and joy with others

I n a n i n t e r v i e w w i t h

Asian Voice, Taren spoke about the connection with

h

K i r t a n , s p i r i t u a l m e s s a g e through music and much more

Do you feel a deeper connection with your faith when you’re singing Kirtan? How does it influence your daily life?

Singing Kirtan deepens my connection with Sikhi and with Guru Ji every sing l e d a y T h e m o r e I immerse myself in Gurbani,

t h e m o r e I l e a r n E a c h

S h a b a d c a r r i e s s o m u c h wisdom and guidance, and when I reflect on the meanings while singing, it really opens my heart in such a powerful way

K i r t a n i s a c o n s t a n t presence in my daily life

From the moment I wake up, I find myself singing or humming Shabads, working on new compositions

a n d p r o j e c t s t h r o u g h o u t

t h e d a y , o r l i s t e n i n g t o m u s i c o r K i r t a n t h a t inspires me It helps brings a sense of peace and clarity, and I feel it keeps me more

a l i g n e d w i t h G u r u J i ’ s t e a c h i n g s o n t h i s r o l l e rcoaster of life

I think the practice of singing Kirtan encourages me to be more mindful in how I live, speak, and serve

It reminds me to focus on the bigger picture, and to strive to live with love and humility It’s a gift that I am incredibly grateful for that c o n s t a n t l y u p l i f t s a n d guides me

Do you find that music has helped you build bridges across different communities and cultures? Music is universal - it t r a n s c e n d s b a r r i e

feel, and relate I’ve been so touched to see people from d

tracks, and share how the music impacted them, even

Kirtan - it’s a Divine vibra-

a t c o n n e c t s a n d speaks directly to the soul

I feel grateful to be able

t o s h a r e t h e m e s s a g e o f O n e n e s s t h r o u g h K i r t a n

Gurbani teaches us that we are all connected, and that t h e D i v i n e L i g h t e x i s t s within every being - and I really try to reflect that in the music I create Whether I’m performing live or sharing content online, it’s so inspiring and heartwarming to see how people from all over the world and different walks of life engage with it

I’ve also been blessed to work with people from diff e r e n t b a c k g r o u n d s a n d collaborate across genres

It’s lovely to see how music

c a n b r i n g c o m m u n i t i e s

t o g e t h e r G u r b a n i a n d Kirtan are inclusive - not exclusive And I hope my w o r k h e l p s m o r e p e o p l e feel connected and uplifted, no matter their background

Vaisakhi marks the birth of the Khalsa How do you reflect this message of spiritual strength and unity through your music?

I always try to carry the t e a c h i n g s o f t h e G u r u ’ s t h r o u g h m y m u s i c I ’ v e always felt that Kirtan is for

and the world I grew up in I want it to feel authentic to me, while also being accessible to a wide audience

T h a t f u s i o n h a s h e l p e d

b r i d g e g e n e r a t i o n s a n d communities, and I’ve been blessed to see it become a d

Guru’s message

I a l s o w r i t e E n g l i s h spiritual songs inspired by Gurbani and the teachings of the Guru’s, and create animated videos for children, helping them connect w

young age Through all of

o share love, light, and unityqualities that I feel reflect the spirit of the Khalsa If even one person feels more connected to God through the music or work I do, then I feel I’ve done my job How do you envision the role of devotional music evolving in today’s world, especially for younger generations?

I b e l i e v e d e v o t i o n a l

role in today’s world, especially as more people seek peace, healing, and deeper c o n n e c t i

K i r t a n , mantra, and spiritual music create space to slow down

stress and anxiety

tions, it’s vital to make this

through traditional instruments, fusion styles, or digital platforms, the essence

British Punjabis celebrate Vaisakhi with pride

T he Pun j a b i c om m

the coun try’s economy, culture, and public life From s u

and professionals to c ommunity leaders and artists, Punj abi s have be come an integral part of British society

The community’s roots in the UK run deep One of the earliest notable figures w

Singh, the last ruler of the S

exiled to Britain in 1853 His daughter, Princess Sophia

D u l e e p S i n g h , b e c a m e a trailblazer in British histor y , a l e a d i n g s u f f r a g e t t e who campaigned fearlessly for women ’ s rights Today, a statue of the Maharajah stands at Butten Island in Thetford, Norfolk, close to the Elveden Estate where he lived, unveiled by the P r i n c e o f W a l e s i n 1 9 9 9

While his arrival marked an early connection, the first Sikh Gurdwara in the UK

w a s e s t a b l i s h e d l a t e r , i n 1911, in Putney, London, a humble beginning that laid the foundation for a thriving Sikh spiritual and cultural presence

For this vibrant community, Vaisakhi is more

than just a harvest festival, it is a powerful celebration

o f i d e n t i t y , f a i t h , a n d

resilience Marking the form a t i o n o f t h

1699 by Guru Gobind Singh Ji, Vaisakhi holds deep spir-

courage, unity, and service

Over the decades, Vaisakhi has become a key moment in the UK’s multicultural c a l e n d

T h e f i r s t m

j o r public celebration was held in Southall in the 1970s, and since then, Nagar Kirtans colourful Sikh processions accompanied by devotional m

cherished annual traditions across the country These e

together in a shared spirit o

remembrance

Reflecting on the meaning of the festival, Company

said, “Vaisakhi

everyone, and I hope the music I create can help people from all walks of life feel peace, connection, and a s e n s e o f b e l o n g i n g

Whether someone understands the words or not, the v i b r a t i o n a n d e n e r g y o f Gurbani can still be deeply healing

My music blends traditional Kirtan with modern a n d w e s t e r n i n f l u e n c e s , reflecting both my heritage

the same

That’s why I also create music for children, using animated songs and videos to make learning meaningful and fun Planting those seeds early can help build a lifelong bond with devotional music and with God I’m hopeful about the next g e n

tradition forward in their own unique way

This Vaisakhi, may we wear our values like the Five Ksbold, visible, and unwavering- and walk the Guru’s path of truth ‘Khalsa mero roop hai khaas, Khalsa mai hoon karo nivaas ’”

Manjit Singh Shalapuri

Dear Financial Voice Reader, Alpesh

Patel

Like Warren Buffett I like market fa lls It m eans I c an buy good stoc ks more cheaply for future returns lik e i n 2023

In the wake of President Donald Trump's sweeping tariff announcements, global markets have experienced significant volatility The S&P 500 has plummeted approximately 12% since April 2, 2025, edging close to bear market territory This turbulence has prompted many investors to reassess their portfolios, with some opting to hold substantial cash positions while retaining select equities for long-term growth Financial Sector Resilience

Among the retained holdings, Goldman Sachs (GS) and JPMorgan Chase (JPM) stand out as prudent choices Despite the market downturn, these banking giants have demonstrated resilience Goldman Sachs is currently trading at 1 4 times its book value, suggesting it remains undervalued JPMorgan Chase, under the steadfast leadership of CEO Jamie Dimon, continues to exhibit robust financial health, positioning it as a defensive asset in uncertain times I am holding these for at least 5 years Others I have sold to buy back later cheaper In a few months probably

Tech Titans: Awaiting the Right Moment

The decision to delay reinvestment in tech behem

Platforms (META) appears judicious These companies, collectively known as the "Magnificent Seven," have faced substantial losses amid the current market condit i o n s A p p l e , f o r i n s

n

, h a s e x p

n c e d a 1 9 % decline over the past three days, exacerbated by its reliance on China-based production So my decision to sell out is timely Similarly, Amazon and Alphabet have seen their stock prices fall by 9% and 4%, respectively Given the potential for further declines, exercising patience before re-entering these positions could prove advantageous

Insurance Brokers: Evaluating Opportunities

In the insurance brokerage sector, Brown & Brown (BRO) and Arthur J Gallagher & Co (AJG) present intriguing opportunities Arthur J Gallagher's recent acquisition of Woodruff Sawyer for $1 2 billion is poised to enhance its market presence and service offerings Market Outlook and Strategic Considerations

The broader economic landscape is fraught with uncertainty Goldman Sachs has raised the probability of a U S recession to 45% within the next 12 months, citing tightening financial conditions and heightened policy uncertainty J P Morgan echoes this sentiment, estimating a 60% chance of a global recession by year's end In light of these projections, maintaining a substantial cash position provides flexibility to capitalize on future investment opportunities as they arise

In conclusion, the current market environment necessitates a cautious and strategic approach Holding cash reserves, retaining resilient financial stocks like Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase, and postponing reinvestment in volatile tech stocks until more favorable conditions emerge, aligns with a prudent investment strategy Vigilant monitoring of market developments and economic indicators will be crucial in navigating the path ahead When the time is right I will also am sure have nVidia again and Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, Visa, Costco, Lam Research Will I make a killing? I expect so But getting in now would see potentially 40% losses No thanks

Overseas interest in UK property falls

T h e n u m b e r o f o v e r s e a s buyers registering to purchase property in the UK has fallen to a record low, a c c

o m Hamptons International In the first quarter of 2025, just 1 per cent of applicants were based abroad t h e l o w e s t

c e records began in 2008, and down from 1 2 per cent in 2 0 2 4 T h e d e c

i s attributed to rising costs for i n t e r n a t i o n a l i n

South Asians shine in the Sunday Times Young Power List 2025

The Su nday Tim es Y o un g P ow er List celebr ating exceptional you ng indiv iduals in th e UK wh o are making a real diff er ence acro ss industries, f rom tech and spo rt t o f ood and fashion, h as been r ev ealed

This year ’ s list highlights not just talent, but also tenacity and innova-

Beveridge, said tax changes, Brexit, and limited capital

property less attractive to foreign buyers, particularly

and Chelsea, and the City of London

prominently among the 30 rising s

power here isn’t just wealth or social media clout; it’s about influence, originality, and lasting impact

C h o s e n

whether on a global platform or behind the scenes

Here’s a look at the South Asian young power-

Sunday Times’ political, business, arts, and lifestyle teams, the individuals on the list are all aged 30 or under, based in the UK, and pushing

Henna Zinzuwadia, 27 - Sommelier and Culinary Innovator

Leicester-born Henna Zinzuwadia has redefined the role of a sommelier by pairing wines with cuisines often overlooked by the fine dining world Asian, African, Caribbean, and South American Her work has spotlighted global ingredients and challenged traditional perceptions of wine pairing

Her accolades speak volumes: GQ Sommelier of the Year 2022, People’s Choice Person of the Year by Be Inclusive Hospitality, and spots on both CODE’s 30 Under 30 and Perazim’s Top 25 Creatives in the UK Internationally, she’s even served as sommelier for the American Chamber of Commerce in Kenya

Zinzuwadia’s path to wine wasn’t conventional While studying economics at the University of Manchester, a fall from a six-metre slide at a trampoline park forced her to pause and reconsider her future That detour led her to Bedales wine bar in East London, where despite knowing little about wine she was captivated by the ritual and culture around it Bedales gave her a chance, and within a year she was hosting tastings She later earned certifications from the Wine and Spirit Education Trust and rose to general manager Her career has since taken her to Akoko, a West African fine dining spot, and Pahli Hill Bandra Bhai, an Indian restaurant in Fitzrovia Now freelance, she collaborates with MJ Wine Cellars and hosts her own tastings, bringing wine culture to new audiences

Simmy Dhillon, 27 - Co-founder of Simmer Eats

Simmy Dhillon co-founded Simmer Eats, a health-conscious meal delivery company that has become one of the UK’s fastest-growing businesses It all started modestly Dhillon, who grew up in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, cooked healthy meals at home and began selling extra portions to fellow students while studying economics at the University of Bristol

As demand grew, he took a year off to focus on the business, all while interning at Google and an investment bank, and even travelling before launching Simmer Eats in 2017

The company now offers more than 60 reheatable meals, with around 25 available weekly at an average price of £6 90 With national delivery, a team of 15, and £36 1 million in revenue for the year to January, Simmer Eats ranks 11th on the Sunday Times 100 list of the UK’s fastest-growing firms

A bo li sh i ng th e U K ’ s no n-

d o m i ci l ed ( no n- d o m ) ta x status could cost the economy up to £ 111 billion in lost gro wth by 2035 and result in ten s of t h o u sa nd s o f j o b

lo s se s, t h e A d a m S m i th Institute (A SI) has w arned

T h e t h i n k t a n k e s t imates that if just over half of the UK’s 21,100 remittance-

b a s e d n o n - d o m s w e r e t o leave, the country could lose 44,000 jobs by 2030 Even under a more moderate sce-

launched a new call for evidence to support its Plan for Change, inviting businesses, trade unions, civil society, and individuals with lived

future equality policy

regardless of people’s background This 12-week con-

strengthen the right to

n a r i o , b a s e d o n O x f o r d E c o n o m i c s ’ p r o j e c t i o n o f 7 , 0 9 4 d e p a r t u r e s , t h e U K could still face a £32 4 billion hit and more than 28,000 job losses

The ASI attributes these losses to falling investment, r e d u c e d c o n s u m e r s p e n ding, and lower tax revenue all linked to an anticipated exodus of wealthy individuals It argues that non-doms may leave the UK due to rising taxes on high-net-worth

abled people It will contribute to the development of the draft Equality (Race and Disability) Bill, due later this session, and follows the r

t y a n d disability pay gap reporting, which closes on 10 June Minister for Equalities, Seema Malhotra MP said, “Our goal is to understand how we can better remove barriers to opportunity and b o o s t h o u s e h o l d i n c o m e s across the country so people c a n a c h i e v e a c c o r d i n g t o their talents, irrespective of their backgrounds

Murvah Iqbal, 29 - Founder of Hived

In 2021, Murvah Iqbal launched Hived, a parcel delivery service powered entire-

known for poor customer satisfaction

Evri and Yodel scored just 32% and 38% r

Hived has offered a breath of fresh air

Today, its 250-vehicle fleet delivers for m

Nespresso across London

The startup has raised £30 million in investment and completed more than five million deliveries It’s now eyeing expansion in Birmingham and Manchester her hometown “Manchester is my hometown, so I’m excited about that,” Iqbal says Iqbal’s entrepreneurial instincts go way back As a teenager, she helped brand her uncle’s diner chain, Archie’s, and played football for Manchester City Women’s youth teams But it was a visit to Silicon Valley, where she toured Google and Tesla, that sparked her ambition to build something meaningful and scalable

individuals, political hostility toward wealth creators, and a weakening economic outlook M a x w

w , t

S I ’ s d i r e c t

o f p u b l i c affairs, warned the government is “risking a serious hole in the UK’s finances”

a n d c a l l e d f o r a n u r g e n t rethink He proposed adopting an Italian-style flat tax of £150,000 on foreign income to retain and attract nond o m s w h i

n g t

x revenue T h e T r e a s u

y

j e c t e d the ASI’s projections, stating, “The figures are incorrect and not recognised ” It cited the Office for Budget R e s p o n s i b i l i t y ’ s a n a l y s i s , which predicts the changes will raise £33 8 billion over five years The government says the reforms will ensure fairness, modernise the system, and attract global talent and investment

The government is seeking views on a wide range of topics, such as the extent of pay discrimination based on race and disability, and how to make equal pay protec-

also considering measures to stop outsourcing being used to avoid paying equal wages, and the creation of a dedicated Equal Pay Regulatory and Enforcement Unit with union involvement O

Henna Zinzuwadia

Murvah Iqbal

Simmy Dhillon

Seema Malhotra

with a

gl o b al s to c k m a r ke t

Black Monday bloodbath as markets crash Adani group starts Colombo terminal operations

bl ood b a t h un f ol d in g a f te r

th e D ow J on e s a n d S& P

Fut ur e s f e l l s ha r pl y on

Sunda y in the wake of l ast

we ek ’ s m e l t do wn ov e r U S

Pr e s id e n t D on a l d Tr um p ’ s tarif fs

O n M o n d a y , T o k y o ’

s suspended due to the market

plunge

per cent in early

came even as the American President defended his tariffs over the weekend while he

countries are ‘dying to make

markets is transitory

While analysts who said Trump is unlikely to walk his

growing view that these tariff

perhaps a few different ways in which the endgame could e

possibility is that the reverses i

markets and pressure from

force Trump to temper the

possibility going forward is that the US Congress could

power accorded to the White House on tariffs There are

powers over what is evidently not

10 per cent rise in India's March GST collection

apid pace In March, based

collections were estimated at

r ,

m p a r e d with £1 68bn during 2023-24

F o r t h e f u l l y e a r , g o v t estimated an increase of 9 5% t o o v e r £ 2 2 0 b n , w h i c h marked the slowest pace of expansion since 2020-21, the y e a r t h a t s a w m a s s i v e disruption due to Covid-19 pandemic

T h e r e w a s a l s o a 4 1 % jump in refunds, pegged at £ 1 9 6 b n i n M a r c h , a g a i n driven by a 202% jump in import-related refunds

“India’s sustained growth in GST collections suggests a

resilient domestic economy, s e e m i n g l y i n s u l a t e d f r o m global economic challenges, driven by strong consumer spending However, a 13 5% i n c r e a s e i n i m p o r t G S T c o m p a r e d t o M a r c h 2 0 2 4 highlights a significant rise in imports compared to the s a m e p e r i o d l a s t y e a r

Further, it’s noteworthy that there has been a 25 7% surge in export refunds year-ony e a r , w h i c h i n d i c a t e s t h a t g o v t ’ s m a n u f a c t u r i n g i n i t i a t i v e s a r e s h o w i n g p o s i t i v e r e

Saurabh Agarwal, tax partner at EY India Wa

India unlikely to ease checks on investments from China

I n d i a i

u nl i kel y to e as e i n v es tm e nt ch e ck s o n

C hinese firm s amid calls to r ev i e w F D I no rm s as i t rem ains wary of flow s from acro ss th e bord er Tru mp

s t arif fs h av e m ad e

en

m o re a ler t to th r eat o f

C h ine se exp o rt s, so m e o f w hich m ay be div erted to

I n d i a a nd o t h er A s ia n m arkets

A d an i P

h a s commenced o perations at

und

public–priv ate partnership at the Port of Colom bo

The project is operated by a consortium that includes Adani Ports, Sri Lanka's leading conglomerate John Keells Holdings PLC, and the Sri Lanka Ports Authority, under a 35y

Representing an investment of $800 million, the CWIT terminal features a 1,400-metre quay length and a 20-metre depth, with the capacity to handle approximately 3 2 million Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) annually

CWIT is the first fully automated deep-water terminal in C o l

capabilities, improve vessel turnaround times, and position Colombo as a key transshipment hub in South Asia

Construction began in early 2022, with rapid progress leading to the commencement of operations this month Final infrastructure installations are nearing completion, and the facility is expected to set new benchmarks for operational efficiency and reliability in regional maritime logistics

“The commencement of operations at CWIT marks a momentous milestone in regional cooperation between India and Sri Lanka,” said Gautam Adani, Chairman of the Adani Group

Gujarat-based SMEs raise £191.9mn through IPOs in FY25

Private sector has been pushing Modi govt to review i t s i n v e s t m e n t r e g i m e , t i g h t e n e d a f

I n d i a w e a t

hostility in Ladakh led to a ban on several apps and govt p r o c u r e m e n t c u r b s T h e clamour for easing norms has increased in the last few d a y s w i t h m a n y commentators arguing that a n a l l i a n c e w i t h C h i n a , especially for tech, will help

T he gov t has nam ed economist Poonam Gupta as th e new d ep uty gov ernor of the central bank, filling u p the post that h ad been lying vacant after M ich ael P atra’s term ended tw oand-a-h alf month s ag o Her appo intment, with a term of three years, com es on the eve of the m onetary p olicy meeting next week

She is currently director general of think tank National Council for Applied Economic Research (NCAER) and is also a part-time member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, apart from being the convenor of the Advisory Council to the 16th Finance Commission

Gupta earned a master’s degree from the Delhi School of E c o n o m i c s , b e f o r e c o m p

University of Maryland, where Arvind Panagariya was her

director and CEO of think tank ICRIER

Her appointment marks the return of a woman as DG after 14 years Of the 65 deputy governors since 1935, only K J Udeshi, Shyamala Gopinath and Usha Thorat were women

opaque nature of ownership of Chinese companies and t h

i r c l o s e t i e s w i t h t h e communist regime and the m i l i t a r y B e s i d e s , C h i n a ’ s non-market economy status based on its policies, be it subsidies to manufacturers o

some in govt view as indirect doles, add to the concern over easing of curbs

In any case, the regime is seen to be hostile towards I n d i a ’ s b i

While govt has been seeking to attract global giants to set u p f a c t o r

often sought to tighten the screws on these companies

WagonR pips Punch, becomes top

selling car

Maruti’s old warhorse Wago nR emerged as the highest-selli ng model in t he coun try in FY25, ahead of Tata ’ s Punch WagonR is one of the key models for Maruti and at 198,000 units its sales were a shade higher than 196,000 units sold by Punch Hyundai’s Creta was the third most-selling car with volumes of 194,000 units The victory for WagonR is even sweeter, considering that it is the only small car in the list of Top 5 models, with the rest being SUV/UVs (Maruti Ertiga is the fifth largest)

Partho Banerjee, senior executive officer (marketing & sales) at Maruti Suzuki, said while many analysts had downplayed the strength of hatchbacks, numbers of WagonR clearly show that there is still a lot of juice left in the category “India is a large country and there are all kinds of customers here, including those who love and want hatchbacks,” Banerjee said Maruti, he said, remains focused on building and selling cars of all body types, including SUVs, which have been a key focus area for the company “We have a play across categories and in no way are trying to run down SUVs or any other category We do not want to deprive customers of choice by not giving them options ”

Gujarat’s small and medium ent erp r i se s ( S M E s) a re making wav es in th e IPO market, raking in a reco rd £

highest ev er for th

yea

in

Gu j ar at ranked second in SME IPO fu n d rai s i ng a ft er

m

listed on BSE SME pulled in £ 6 8 3 m n N a t i o n w i d e , 2 4 1 companies raised £981 1mn through IPOs Maharashtra led the pack with 71 SME listings, while Delhi ranked third with 36 SME IPOs Despite a slight dip in

n u m b e r o f I P O s compared to FY24, when 53 Gujarat-based SMEs raised £160 9mn, the total funds raised in FY25 hit an all-time high for the state in FY25

Apple, Samsung set to ship more smartphones from India to US

‘Make in India’ is the mantra as global smartphone g iants

A p p le a nd S am s u ng l

pro ductio n to blu nt th e im pact of Donald T

tariffs on C hina and Vietnam, w

US

Even though it is a logistical challenge with major customs and other regulatory efforts required, the issue is being addressed on an urgent basis to ensure that supplies to the US remain competitive

Apple, the world’s biggest electronics seller, has started to use production at India’s factories to ship iPhones to the US, with plans to drastically cut down exports from China

The decision is being taken as Trump has announced a 26% reciprocal tariff on Indian exports to the US, while it is 54% for China, including the 34% announced last week, and 46% for Vietnam

“India’s factories will be increasingly used to ship only to the US Demand in other markets such as Europe, Latin America and even Asia will now be catered to from the China factories In a way, this will be a significant leapfrogging for iPhone production in India and may lead to major expansion in the country, if Apple decides to stick to the formula going forward,” a top industry official said

Currently, iPhones in India are being made by units of Taiwanese Foxconn and Tata group The latter had acquired the assets of Wistron and Pegatron - both from Taiwanover the past few years “If Apple does not go for developing all-new production zones in locations, such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia, or in Brazil -all of which have US tariffs of 10% - then there will be a significant expansion of capacity in India,” the official said

Poonam Gupta

Donald Trump

in brief

VANITY FAIR EDITOR RADHIKA JONES STEPS DOWN

After nearly eight years at the helm of Vanity Fair, Radhika Jones is stepping down as editorin-chief In a memo to staff on April 3, Jones explained her decision to leave, citing a sense of completion and a desire to pursue new goals centered around family writing In her note Jones reflected on her time leading the iconic magazine describing how she regularly revisits the memo she wrote in 2017 when she first interviewed for the role Somewhat to my surprise I realized that - with your help - I had accomplished virtually all of those goals she said, highlighting Vanity Fair s transformation into a vibrant, modern publication with bold journalism, a dynamic video and studio presence, and wide digital reach

PROFESSOR, SCHOLAR SAYAN MUKHERJEE DIES

Sayan Mukherjee a Professor of Statistical Science Mathematics and Biostatistics & Bioinformatics at Duke University passed away unexpectedly on March 31 He was 54 A pioneering scholar known for bridging disciplines, Mukherjee s research spanned statistics, mathematics computer science, biology and medicine His work focused on developing computational and statistical methods to analyze complex, high-dimensional data - advancing fields from cancer genomics to medical imaging Born in India, Mukherjee earned his Ph D from MIT in 2001 followed by a Sloan Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Broad Institute

DR SURESH REDDY RE-ELECTED AS OAK BROOK TRUSTEE

Dr Suresh Reddy was re-elected as a trustee for Oak Brook Township Illinois alongside Jim Nagle and Dr Melissa Martin in the April 1 elections Four candidates vied for three seats in this election for the village of nearly 10,000 residents, located 15 miles west of downtown Chicago A physician by profession, Reddy expressed gratitude and renewed commitment to the community Oak Brook stands at a pivotal moment in its growth and development ” he said Reddy is a past president of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin

US NSA DIRECTOR TIMOTHY HAUGH FIRED

The director of the US national security agency (NSA ) was fired, the Washington Post reported Timothy Haugh who is also head of US Cyber Command was dismissed along with his deputy at the NSA, Wendy Noble, the newspaper said Noble was reassigned to a job within Pentagon’s office of the undersecretary of defence for intelligence, the newspaper said The NSA is part of US defence department Officials said they did not know the reason for Haugh’s dismissal or Noble’s reassignment US Cyber Command deputy William Hartmann was named acting NSA director and Sheila Thomas, who was executive director at NSA, was named acting deputy

STUDENT FACING DEPORTATION LEAVES THE US

Cornell University graduate student activist targeted by Trump administration for deportation says he voluntarily left the US after losing a bid to block his removal Momodou Taal said in a post on X he “lost faith that a favorable ruling from the courts would guarantee my personal safety and ability to express my beliefs ” Taal, who was prominent in the pro-Palestinian movement, was twice suspended for disruptive protests Taal is one of several pro-Palestinian students who have been threatened with deportation actions over protests A judge in Albany New York, last week refused to block Taal’s deportation while his lawsuit proceeded

N

Harvard’s Bharat Anand to lead NYU Stern Business School

including founding faculty chair and senior associate dean of HBS Online, where he helped launch a new model of online business

provost, he played a major role in

Busine ss School, Ana nd will ta ke up his ne w role in August 2025 A

corporate leadership, and education innovation At Harvard, he

h

approach during the pandemic His research focuses on the business challenges of the digital age - especially how companies can get noticed and get paid He is the author of The Content

Digital Change, recognized by Fast Company and Bloomberg as one of the top business books of 2016

Anand studied economics at H

(PhD) He began his academic

Management before joining HBS in 1998 Over the years, he has

research awards and

currently chairing Harvard’s Generative

Indian American confirmed for top justice dept

WA S HI NGT ON: I n a s h arp ly

d i v i d ed

ly along party lines, th

U S Senate confirmed Harmeet Dhillon as Assistant Attorney General for Civ il Rights in a 52-45 decisio n Only one Republican, Senator Lisa Murko wski of Alaska, broke ran ks to j o i n De m o c rat s i n oppo sing the confirm ation Dhillon, a longtime conservative attorney and vocal ally of f o r m e r P r e s i d e n t D o n a l d Trump, will now oversee key a r e a s o f t h e J u s t i c e Department’s work - including hate crime prosecutions, voting

rights litigation, and investigations into discriminatory practices by law enforcement agencies T r u m p f i r s

n December 2023 via Truth Social, hailing her as a stalwart defender of constitutional freedoms

, Harmeet has stood up consistently to protect our cherished Civil Liberties,” Trump wrote He cited her lawsuits against Big Tech, legal action on behalf of C h r i s t i a n s d u r i n g C

d

1 9 restrictions, and efforts to com-

bat what he called “woke” workplace policies “Harmeet is one of the top Election lawyers in the Country,” he added, “fighting to ensure that all, and only, legal votes are counted ” D

comments after her recital of a Sikh prayer at the Republican N

Trump pointed to her faith sayi n g , “ H

member of the Sikh religious community In her new role at the DOJ, Harmeet will be a tire-

India Philanthropy Alliance raises $9mn

HY A T T S V IL L E : T h e I nd i a Philanth rop y Alliance (IPA), the US-based coalition o f non-p rofit an d p h i la nth r o p i c o rg an i zations, hosted the third annual Ind ia Giv ing Day on M arch 14, raising nearly $9 million from 2, 6 91 d o no rs T h e f un d s w i ll support 3 7 non-profit organizati o ns w o rk in g i n h ea lth ca re, ed ucation, livelih ood enhancem ent , env iro n m enta l s u sta inab il i ty, an d ani m a l w el fa re across India

For the second consecutive year, Vibha attracted the highest

Vicente Ferrer Foundation (347) India Giving Day was established by IPA to enhance the impact of donations supporting development initiatives in India The event encourages thoughtful and effective philanthropy w i t h i n t h

focusing on long-term, meaningful change

d i a Philanthropy Alliance, acknowl-

Indian sentenced 35 years for sexual exploitation of children

OKL A HO M A CI TY : A n I n d i a n nationa l residi ng in Oklahoma, has b

through a socia l medi

application Sai Kum ar Kurre mula, 3 1, who w as in the US on an i mmig ra nt v isa, w i ll a ls o

accordin

Kurremula deceptively posed as a young teenager online to establish

i c t i m s H

subsequently engaged in threats a n d b l a c k m

, u s i n g c h

l d pornography to coerce them into c o m p l y i n g w i t h h i s d e m a n d s when they resisted

C o u r t d o c u m e n t s r e v e a l e d that Kurremula utilized an online messaging app to exploit at least 19 young individuals His modus operandi involved creating a false persona of a boy aged between 13 and 15 to gain the confidence of his targets When the children did not adhere to his instructions, he resorted to manipulation, threats, a n d a t t e m p t s t o s o l i c i t f

r child pornography In one documented instance, Kurremula threatened to visit a v i c t i m

m e a n d e

e h e r parents to explicit images of her H e a l s o t h r e a

n d threatened to publicly disseminate sexually explicit images of a third individual

three children and knowingly distributing child pornography

o b e r t T r o e s t e r , condemned Kurremula’s actions as “appalling” and asserted that the lengthy prison sentence was fully justified He emphasized t h a t i n d i v i d u a l s w h o e x p l o i t children online will face severe consequences under the law The FBI, which conducted the investigation, characterized K u r r e m u l a ’ s a c t i o n s a s “disgusting” and highlighted the significant harm inflicted on the victims

Constitutional Rights, and will

Election Laws fairly and firmly

Dhillon, a former official in the California Republican Party and a graduate of Dartmouth College and the University of Virginia Law School, has become a central figure in Trump’s legal orbit She served as a legal adviser during his 2020 campaign, w h

e s o f widespread voter fraud - particularly in Pennsylvania, a state that President Joe Biden won legitimately

for 37 non-profits

edged the event’s success “The generosity we witnessed reflects the deep commitment of the Indian diaspora to India’s future

These funds will support initiat i v e s t h a t c r e a t e t a n g i b l e improvements in communities across the country ” The campaign’s success was a l s o d r i v e n b y 4 0 0 v o l u n t e e r fundraisers and nearly 70 community events across the US, w

their work and engaged with s

eight non-profits collaborated

attendees with an opportunity to learn about their initiatives and ways to contribute S e j a l D

Education Fund and Co-Chair of India Giving Day, highlighted the importance of collaboration “India Giving Day demonstrates that philanthropy is not about competition but about expanding opportunities By working

impact ”

Indian student named 2025 NASA Hubble Fellow

P A S A DE NA : Viraj Karam belkar, a P h D c an d i d at e at th e C a li fo r ni a I ns ti tu t e o f Techno log y (C altech), has been selected as a 2025 fello w in the es te em e d NA S A H u bb le

F el lo w s h i p P ro g r am O u t o f ov er 650 app licants th is year, Karambelkar is o ne of ju st 24 early-career astrop hysicists honored with the fellow sh ip, wh ich will su pport his w ork on the origins and ev olution of the universe

O r i g i n a l l y f r o m P u n e , K a r a m b e l k a r c o m p l e t e d h i s degree in engineering physics and mathematics at IIT Bombay in 2019 before pursuing his PhD at Caltech under the mentors h i p o f P r o f e s s o r M a n s i Kasliwal His research focuses on time-domain and multi-mess e n g e r a s t r o n o m y , e x p l o r i n g topics such as stellar mergers, gravitational waves, and cosmic explosions

Karambelkar’s work utilizes advanced optical and infrared surveys to track transient cosmic events He has made significant contributions to the development of data-processing tools

Viraj Karambelkar

Telescopes A s a H u b

research with upcoming astronomical surveys, including the V

, NASA’s SPHEREx mission, and the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope His studies aim to f u r t h

a n d i n

o f binary star evolution, gravitational wave sources, and cosmic dust formation

Shah calls Maoists as brothers, urges them to join mainstream

H o m e m i ni st e r A m it

Shah referr ed to Maoists in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar

a s “brothe rs ” and urged t hen to surre nder their

w e a p on s a n d j oi n t he

m a i n st r e a m , a s su r in g

t h e m p r ot e c t io n a n d i n t e g r a t i on i n t o t he

c oun t ry ’ s d ev e l op me nt

“I’ve come to request a ll

Na xal it e br ot hers: lay down

a rms, join the mainstrea m You ar e our own No one

r e joi ce s a t t he d e at h o f a

Na xal it e, ” he said Shah stressed the need for peace in Bastar to facili-

t a t e d e v e l o p m e n t “ W h a t could not happen in past 50 years, PM Modi wants to give everything in five years This can only happen when there is peace, ” he said at the clos-

i n g c e r e m o n y o f B a s t a r

P a n d u m f e s t i v a l i n

D a n t e w a d a - o n c e a

stronghold of Maoist insurgency but now an area where

security forces are gaining an upper hand In past three months, 521 M a o i s t s h a v e l a i d d o w n arms, while 881 surrenders were recorded in 2024, Shah said H

“Every village should have a small clinic, every tehsil a small hospital The district c

ment facilities for every dise

should receive 60kg of rice

have a ration card, an Aadhaar card, and a

the event that saw

tribal people

vowed that Bastar would be free from “red terror” by next

Chhattisgarh’s new surrender and rehabilitation policy, which grants £100,000 to villages that declare themselves “Naxal-free” He urged local communities to hold village m

Maoists to surrender, saying: “Security forces will continue to take the fight to those who choose the path of violence, but those who surrender will be welcomed with dignity ”

Union minister launches India's first climate change station in J&K

U

Singh launche d India’s first h i gh

a

t it u d e cl

ma

r ese ar ch st at ion in Ja mmu a

district a nd said that In dia is n ow at the fore front of clim a t e f or e c a st i n g a n d r esearch in the Himala yas

G i v i n g c r e d i t t o P M

Modi for India”s leadership in climate change initiatives, Singh said this marks a significant milestone in India’s global leadership in climate science “Today, India opens a gateway into climate fore-

c a s t a n d r e s e a r c h

n t h e Himalayas,” Singh said while

i n a u g u r a t i n g t h e f i r s t

H i m a l a y a n h i g h - a l t i t u d e

a t m o s p h e r i c a n d c l i m a t e research center in the higher h i l l r e a c h e s o f N a t h a t o p , near here Singh was accom-

p a n i e d b y J a m m u a n d

Kashmir Minister of Science

a n d T e c h n o l o g y S a t i s h

Sharma “This move marks a s i g n i f i c a n t m i l e s t o n e i n India’s global leadership in c l i m a t e s c i e n c e , ” S h a r m a said, adding that Jammu and K a s h m i r i s l e a d i n g I n d i a ’ s global initiative in climate study and research in the Himalayas

T h e s t a t e - o f - t h e - a r t facility, situated at one of the h i g h e s t a l t i t u d e s i n t h e region, is expected to serve as a crucial gateway for cutting-edge climate research in the northwestern Himalayas Singh also flagged off the I n d o - S w i s s j o i n t r e s e a r c h p r o j e c t “ I c e - C r u n c h ( I c e n u c l e a t i n g p a r t i c l e s a n d

c l o u d c o n d e n s a t i o n n u c l e i properties in the northwest-

ern Himalayas)” - a collaborative study between Indian s c i e n t i s t s a n d r e s e a r c

s f r o m E T H Z

i c h , S w i t z e r l a n d , a i m e d a t exploring the properties of ice nucleating particles and cloud condensation nuclei in the region

“This is not just a scientific milestone, it is a historic moment With the establishment of this station, we are opening up a new gateway i n t o c l i m a t e r e s e a r c h a n d s t u d i e s i n t h e H i m a l a y a s , with India leading the way, ” S i n g h s a i

g

Jammu and Kashmir for this facility was deliberate, lever-

a g i n g i t s h i g h - a

t i t u d e advantage for more accurate

a t m o s p h e r i c a n d c l i m a t e measurements

Muslim bodies, DMK move

SC against Waqf act

T w o d ays af ter Waq f ( Amendment) Act came into

f o rc e, i ts c o ns ti tu ti o n al v ali d i t y w as c h all en g ed

b efo re Su p rem e C o urt by

D M K , M au la na A rs h ad M ad ani of Jamiat Ulam a-eHind, the A ll Ind ia M uslim

P e rs o na l L aw B o ar d , a nd

S am astha Kerala Jam iathul

U lema The petitions object p rimarily to the elimination o f the ‘ waqf by user ’ p rov ision and alleg ed “ ou ster of M uslim s ” from waqf m anagement

Senior advocates Kapil

S i b a l a n d A M S i n g h v i , appearing for Madani and t h e K e r a l a I s l a m i c b o d y , requested a bench led by CJI

S a n j i v K h a n n a f o r u r g e n t h e a r i n g o n t h e p e t i t i o n s But the CJI refused to deviate from the ‘ no mentioning for urgent listing’ principle

b u t s a i d t h e s e p e t i t i o n s would be listed as soon as possible

Laying out its challenge to changes carried out to the 2013 Waqf Act in detail, the Kerala outfit of clerics said the amendments “display a p a t e n t d i s c r i m i n a t i o n a g a i n s t M u s l i m s , b a s e d purely on religion, ousting them from carrying out any meaningful administration of an entity that is a creation of their very religion ” I n c l u s i o n o f n o nM u s l i m s i n t h e C e n t r a l Waqf Council and the Board of Auqaf exhibited a “deep lack of trust on the part of l e g i s l a t o r s ” i n a l l - M u s l i m council and board to carry out the duties and functions of the two bodies, it said DMK MP A Raja, who w a s p a r t o f t h e J o i n t P a r l i a m e n t a r y C o m m i t t e e on the waqf bill, in his petition said the changes violated the fundamental rights of M u s l i m c o m m u n i t y M a d a n i ’ s p e t i t i o n , f i l e d

Jaishankar and US Secretary Rubio hold talks on bilateral trade deal

India's external affairs minister S Jaish ankar and U S S ec r eta ry o f S t ate M a rc o Rubio o n Mo nd ay agreed on the need for early conclusion o f th e proposed Ind iaU S bilateral trade deal

The issue figured prominently during a phone conv

Jaishankar and Rubio that

announced reciprocal tariffs for around 50 countries, including India I

announced the tariffs on April 2 In a post on X on the phone conversation, Jaishankar said it was agreed on the importance of the early conclusion of the bilateral trade agreement between India and the US Jaishankar also said that he and Rubio exchanged perspectives on the Indo-Pacific, the Indian subcontinent, Europe, Middle East and the Caribbean

"Good to speak with @SecRubio today Exchanged perspectives on the Indo-Pacific, the Indian subcontinent, Europe, Middle East/West Asia and the Caribbean," he said

t h r o u g h F u z a i l

ment of implementation of t h e c h a n g e s b r o u g h t i n t o the Waqf Act saying these amendments were destructive of the centuries-old tradition of waqf administration as it omitted ‘waqf by user ’ from the definition of waqf He said the provision requiring submission of evidence in support of a particular asset being a waqf property would render centuriesold mosques vulnerable to govt takeover of the land

Earlier, the Rajya Sabha p a s s e d t h e W a q f (Amendment) Bill with 128 v o t e s i n f a v o u r a n d 9 5 against after a marathon 15h o u r d e b a t e T h e l e n g t h y debate, marked by acrimon i o u s e x c h a n g e s , e n d e d with the opposition seeking a division and the bill sailing through with NDA’s ‘ secular’ allies firmly in its corner

"Agreed on the importance of the early conclusion of

Jaishankar added Following talks between

first tranche of the bilateral trade agreement by

Representative Brendan Lynch visited India and held talks with his

Nikhil Gupta to face trial in Nov for Pannun murder plot

I nd i a n n ati o na l N ik h i l

G up ta, i nd ic te d by U S autho rities for p lotti ng to k il l S i k h s ep ar ati s t Gurp atwant Singh P annun, will g o o n trial o n No v 3 and not in June or Ju ly as was earlier propo sed A US district judge of t h e S o u t h e r n D i s t r i c t o f New York finalised the date for the trial, which will last only for a week, after both p r o s e c u t i o n a n d d e f e n c e sought postponement of the trial to allow them to file pretrial motions to resolve legal issues that may have a bearing on the trial

In a Feb 28 order, the court had asked both parties to suggest a trial date in June or July While the parties also said in their latest sub-

mission that they anticipate d t h e t r i a l t o l a s t f o

k s , t h e c o u r t a l l o w e d o n l y a week to wrap up the trial Gupta, who has pleaded not guilty to the charges against h i m , h a s b e e n h e l d i n a detention centre since the Czech Republic, where he was first detained, extradited him to the US on June 14 last year Gupta stands accused of h i r i n g a h i t m a n f o r

official identified

unravelled as the hit man turned out to be a federal u

7 killed as man posing as British heart surgeon

performs surgeries

Aut horities in Ma dhya Pr ade sh’s Damoh dist rict ar e in vestig atin g a ca se of med ica l fra ud a ft er a man posing as a Brit ish hea rt sur geon a llege dly perform ed surge ries at a priv ate mission ar y hospita l, r esult ing in the dea th of a t le ast seve n people within a mont h Allegations were made by Damoh Child W e l f a r e C o m m i t t e e p r e s i d e n t D e e p a k Tiwari who claimed that a person called N John Kem took up the job in the Christian missionary hospital, impersonating a famous British doctor by the same name, claiming to be a cardiologist He then performed heart s u r g e r i e s o n p a t i e n t s T h e p a t i e n

w h o underwent surgery died later on, officials said National Human Rights Commission member Priyank Kanoongo alleged said an investigation would be conducted into this incident Taking to his X account, Kanoongo wrote: “A case has come to light involving the untimely deaths of seven people during heart surgeries performed by a fake doctor at a missionary hospital under the guise of treating heart disease According to the complaint, the missionary hospital is covered u n d e r t h e P r i m e M i n i s t e r ’ s A y u s h m

Bharat scheme, and government funds have also been misused”

Pannun’s assassination

According to the depart-

hire and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and, if convicted, faces a maximum

Supreme Court judges to make their assets, liabilities public

Sup r em e C ou rt j ud ge s l e d b y CJ I S an j iv Khanna have unanim ousl y dec ided to make public their ass ets and liabilities as a dor mant is sue about wealt h of constitutional c ourt judge s was revived after the all eged dis covery of a huge am ount of cas h at high cour t judge Justice Yas hwant Varm a ’ s of ficial residence on Marc h 14

CJI Khanna mooted the proposal before the collegium comprising himself and Justices B R Gavai, Surya Kant, A S Oka and Vikram Nath and later, the issue was put forth before a full court meeting All judges agreed to the proposal to make public their assets and liabilities by posting it on the apex court’s website The SC in a press release said 30 of the 33 SC judges, including the CJI, have declared their assets Two newly appointed judgesJustices K Vinod Chandran and Joymalya Bagchi - are yet to declare their assets and liabilities to the CJI The SC has a sanctioned strength of 34 judges but one post is vacant

“The assets and liabilities statements of j u d g e s , w h i c h

e m a n d a

i l y d e c

e d before the CJI by every judge of the SC and, thereafter, kept in sealed cover, is likely to be uploaded on the SC website by the end of this month,” an SC source said

Home Minister Amit Shah at a cultural event in Dantewada

S Jaishankar and Marco Rubio

Gurpatwant Singh

Pannun

SC: Telangana CM making mockery of 10th Schedule

NE W D E L H I : Wi th th e T elang ana assem bly sp eaker arg uing that a court cou ld not d irect a speaker to decide on d isqualification o f MLA s wh o alleg ed ly d efected to another party, Sup reme

C o u rt sa id a s a p r o tec to r o f th e C onstitu tion, it was not powerless to p ass an ord er when “ m ockery of the 1 0th Schedule”, pertaining to th e antid efection law, w as being m ade

A bench of Justices B R Gavai and A

G M a s i h a l s o

T e l a n g a n a C M R e v

n t h R e d d

’ s statement in the assembly that no byelections would take place even if BRS

M L A s

Observing that a statement made in

political speeches given in a public rally, the bench said if this was said on the floor of the House, then the CM was “making a mockery of the 10th Schedule”

The court was also surprised over

speaker, that courts could not direct

disqualification pleas

Rohatgi said disqualification pleas pending before a speaker were beyond judicial review

The court, however, asked what would happen if an MLA defected after one month of election and the speaker did not take a decision for five years and the tenure of assembly came to an end

“No direction can be passed to take a decision in a particular way but it can be directed that the decision is taken within a reasonable time If the speaker does not act at all, then the courts in this country, which not only have a power but also a duty as guardians of t

C

powerless,” the bench said

Farm leader Dallewal ends 131-day fast, vows to put up stronger fight

F A T E H G A R H S A H I B : V et era n farm leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal o n

S u n d ay e nd e d h i s 1 3 1 -d ay f as t

f o ll o w i ng f erv ent ap p e als f ro m

f ar m er s g ath e red at a

m ah ap a nc h ay at at S i rh i nd g ra i n m arket Dallew al h ad been o n a h ung er strike since November 26

l as t yea r t o p re ss f o r v ar io u s d em ands of the farm ers, inclu ding a

l eg a l g u a ran tee o n M S P f o r al l crops

A day earlier, Union Agriculture

M i n i s t e r S h i v r a j S i n g h C h o u h a n had urged Dallewal to end his fast Sources said retired DIG Narinder Bhargav also played a key role in convincing the veteran leader

While announcing the end of

h i s f a s t , D a l l e w a l a s s e r t e d t h a t

d e s p i t e t h e C e n t r e a n d P u n j a b

G o v e r n m e n t ’ s “ c o e r c i v e ” a c t i o n s , including dismantling protest sites

a t K h a n a u r i a n d S h a m b h u ,

Gold smuggling accused Ranya's husband to seek divorce

BE N GALU RU : Wh il e Kannada ac tress Ranya Rao has b e en m ak in g h ea dl

s muggl ing case, h er h usband, Jatin Hukkeri, has now decided to get s eparated from her Recently, Jatin h eld a p ress conference w here h e reveal ed that h

will

divo rce f rom Ranya

“Since the day we got married, I have been enduring pain and distress Today, I have made the decision to file for divorce," he said

Hukkeri married Ranya in a high-profile marriage around four months ago Hukkeri is an architect by profession, holding a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture and Interior Design from RV College of Engineering in Bengaluru He pursued further studies at the Royal C

specialising in Disruptive Market Innovation

Bengaluru airport in March this year Following her arrest, the Bengaluru Directorate of Revenue Intelligence recovered gold jewellery worth £206,000 and £267,000 in cash from her Bengaluru home during raids

In her arrest memo, DRI said Ranya had purchased gold in Dubai on November 13 and December 20, and declared that she was headed for Geneva But she arrived in India, according to the arrest memo Ranya has admitted that before her arrest, she brought gold from Dubai to India on at least two earlier occasions DRI officials believe that she evaded customs duty worth around £483,000 Ranya’s bail plea has been rejected three times as of now

4 former Punjab cops given 5 years’ RI in sex scandal case

NORTH-EAST

Meitei, Kuki representatives hold talks with Centre

T

M ei tei and Kuki communities in an effort to bring lasting peace in the state Sources s aid the meeting was aimed at enhancing trust and cooperation between the Meiteis and Kukis and finding a roadmap to restore peace and normalcy in Manipur T

and

and

NEW DE L HI : The S upreme C ourt u pheld the Calcu tta Hig h Court order i n v al id ati n g th e a p p o in tm e nt o f 25,753 teachers and no n-teaching staff

m ad e by th e W es t Be ng al S c h o ol S ervice C omm ission (SSC ) in 2016 in the state-run and state-aid ed schools, saying “the entire selection process is v itiated and tainted by fraud”

A bench of Chief Justice of India

S a n j i v K h a n n a a n d J u s t i c e S a n j a y Kumar said, “The process is tainted beyond repair The legitimacy of the selection process is denuded due to widespread manipulation and fraud ”

Reading out the judgment, Justice

K h a n n a s a i d c a n d i d

d y appointed need not hand over the salary paid to them so far Justice Khanna, however, said nothing after

t h i s p

treated as vacant service

The court said a fresh selection process be initiated and completed

w

d

d a m a g i n g t r a c t o r - t r a i l e r s a n d confiscating activists’ belongings, the movement would continue with renewed determination He emphasised that his decision to break the fast was conditional upon farmers’ unwavering support until all demands were met “I want an assurance that we will have to put up a stronger morcha The fight is on The MSP (guarantee) has to be taken and a bigger morcha has to be put up Do you agree, ” he asked the gathering “It is not my wish (to end fast) but with a heavy heart, I accept your o r d e r F o r m e , t h e w o r d o f t h e s a n g a t i s G o d ’ s w

Dallewal accused both governments

o f “ c o w a r d i c e a n d b e t r a y a l ” , referring to an alleged plot to detain him after a meeting in Chandigarh “They can suppress us but never silence us, ” he vowed

Supreme Court upholds dismissal of 25,000 Bengal teachers

process

The bench also fixed April 4 to hear the Special Leave Petition filed by West Bengal challenging the High Court order directing a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the matter

The SC had earlier allowed the CBI investigation ordered by the High Court to continue with the condition that no coercive steps be taken

MO HA L I: A sp ecial CBI court in M ohali sentenced four former senior Punjab p olice officers to five years ’ rigorous im prisonment in the Mo ga sex scandal case, concluding an 1 8year leg al battle that had severely tarnished the state’ s law enforcem ent cred ibility

Special CBI judge Rakesh Gupta handed down the verdict, holding the officers guilty of corruption, abuse of power, & extortion The convicted include Moga ex-SSP Davinder Singh Garcha, former SP (HQ) Paramdeep Singh Sandhu, Moga City ex-SHO Raman Kumar and ex-inspector Amarjit Singh CBI public prosecutor Anmol Narang confirmed the sentences He said the court fined Garcha, Paramdeep Singh Sandhu and Raman Kumar Rs 200,000 under the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act Kumar also received an additional three-year jail term under IPC Sec 384 (extortion) and a Rs 100,000 fine, and Amarjit Singh too was given an additional three years ’ imprisonment with a Rs 200,000 fine, as well as another 18 months in jail under IPC Secs 384 read with 511 (attempted extortion) and a Rs 50,000 fine The sentences are to run concurrently All four were found guilty on March 30 of misusing their official positions and engaging in corrupt practices under Secs 13(1)(d) and 13(2) of the PC Act Raman Kumar and Amarjit Singh were also convicted of extortion and attempted extortion, respectively

Bengal governor opposes Mamata's 17 VC picks

K OL K A T A : Wes t Beng al g o v erno r C V A nand a Bo se subm itted to SC in a sealed cover his opp osition to CM M am a ta B an erj ee ’ s rec o m m e nd a ti o ns fo r v i cech ancellors of 17 state-run univ ersities, based on the sh ortlisted panel of the SC-nominated Justice UU Lalit c o m m i t tee T h e se u ni v e rs it i es i nc lu d e C a lc u tta U niv ersity and Jadavp ur U niv ersity

A statement posted on X by Raj Bhavan’s media cell read: “HG (Governor) and Chancellor has appointed vicechancellors in 19 universities In the case of the remaining 17 universities, by em- ploying due diligence, including background and antecedent review of the candidates and after obtaining reports from credible sources in the field, HG and Chancellor has raised valid reservations in a sealed cover, on the candidates preferred by the chief m i n i s t e r , f o r c

Court ” Raj Bhavan also claimed that SC was not aware of this development when it heard the case on April 2 The statement added: “The bench was scheduled to sit until 1pm, but the case was not heard in time The opposing parties requested a specific date The Chancellor’s lawyer informed the court that 19 out of 36 names were cleared, and due to the case being taken up out of turn, the Attorney General couldn’t attend, so the sealed covers with the Chancellor’s remarks weren’t submitted

The Kuki delegation comprised nine representatives The central government's mediators included AK Mishra, a retired special director of the Intelligence Bureau During a debate on Manipur in the Lok Sabha, Home Minister Amit Shah said the Ministry of Home Affairs held discussions with the representatives of Meitei and Kuki communities in the past Shah said the situation in Manipur is largely under control as there has been no death in the last four months, but it can't be considered satisfactory as displaced people are still living in relief camps President's rule in Manipur was imposed on February 13 after the then chief minister N Biren Singh resigned on February 9 Over 260

violence broke out in May 2023 Thousands of firearms were looted from police stations across Manipur during the initial phase of the conflict

OUTRAGE IN NE STATES OVER YUNUS REMARKS

Bangladesh’s interim govt chief adviser Muhammad Yunus sparked a political firestorm with his remarks that China could use his country as a conduit to “make extensions” in India’s landlocked northeastern region Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma and politicians across party lines warned against any external attempts to manipulate the region’s strategic position During a recent speech in China Yunus referred to the northeastern region as landlocked and positioned Bangladesh as their gateway to the ocean They have no way to reach out to the ocean We are the only guardian of the ocean for this region he said Sarma said such narratives have previously been echoed by separatist forces and called on Union govt to take decisive steps to counter them Such provocative statements by Yunus must not be taken lightly, as they reflect deeper strategic considerations and longstanding agendas, he wrote on X

LOK SABHA ADOPTS MANIPUR RESOLUTION

The Lok Sabha adopted a resolution confirming the imposition of President s rule in Manipur Home minister Amit Shah said the situation in the state was largely under control as there had been no death in the last four months but it couldn’t be considered satisfactory with displaced people living in relief camps Replying to a short debate, Shah also said after the imposition of President's rule discussions were held with Meiteis and Kukis, and separate meetings were conducted with different organisations from both communities The home ministry will soon convene a joint meeting he said adding that while the govt was working to find a path to end the violence the top priority was to establish peace President s rule was imposed in Manipur on Feb 13 after then CM Biren Singh resigned on Feb 9 after months of ethnic violence which started in May 2023

WEST

Revanth Reddy

Mamata Banerjee

Protect minorities, PM Modi tells Muhammad Yunus

said India’s relationship is with the country and not with any political party or organisation India, Thailand sign 5 MoUs India and Thailand upgraded

committ ed a gain st them

In their first bilateral meeting since the formation of the interim govt in Dhaka in Aug 2024, Modi sought positive and constructive relationship with Bangladesh based on pragmatism, and urged Yunus to avoid rhetoric that could vitiate t h e a t m o s p h

meeting took place on the sidelines o

r a

T

c h n i c a l a n d Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) summit in Bangkok Yunus came to the meeting armed with his own l i s t o f i s s u e s D h a k a c o n s i d e r s important, including the extradit i o n o f S h

r killings and pending Teesta watersharing agreement

Modi touched upon the issue of elections in Bangladesh as he reiterated India's support for a democratic, stable, peaceful, progressive, and inclusive Bangladesh “The PM underlined that India believed in a p e o p l e - c e n t r i c

p p

o a c h t o t h e relationship and highlighted the c o o p e r a t i o n b e t w e e n t h e t w o countries over a long period that has delivered tangible benefits to people in both countries,” said for-

e i g n s e c r e t a r y V i k r a m M i s r

security agencies, as PM Modi held bilateral talks with his counterpart P

S

a M o d i backed “Asean unity” and “Asean centrality”, saying that in the IndoPacific region, both countries advoc

comprehensive strategic partner of India, and in this region, as neigh-

have shared interests in regional peace, stability, and prosperity we believe in development and not expansionism,” said Modi, alluding to the threat that several Asean States feel from increasing Chinese

assertiveness in South China Sea India and Thailand signed five MoUs, including one between min-

Thailand foreign ministry Modi said the countries emphasised on

northeastern states Modi thanked Thailand for the cooperation in facilitating the return of Indian victims of cybercrime Modi said that Thailand held a special place in India’s Act East Policy and its Indo-

ments signed to foster cooperation in the areas of MSME, handloom and handicrafts

Myanmar urged to restore democratic process

In a meeting with Myanmar

Aung Hlaing, PM Modi underlined the importance of early restoration

Myanmar, including through credi-

ble and inclusive elections He said India would support all efforts, as it has in the past, to foster trust and

Myanmar-led transition towards

future

Modi offered condolences at

Dubai Crown Prince meets PM Modi and

Rajnath,

discusses trade and defence

T he v isiting Crown Prince o f Du bai, Sh eikh Hamdan bin Mohamm ed bin Rashid

A l M ak to u m , m e t P ri m e M inister Narendra Mod i as w ell a s D ef en ce M i ni st er Rajnath Sing h and discussed trade ties and stepping up d efence m anufacturing collaboration

The Crown Prince, who

i s a l s o t h e U A E

y Prime Minister and Minister

o f D e f e n c e , m e t E x t e r n a l Affairs Minister S Jaishankar as well

Modi posted on X after

t h e m e e t i n g : “ D u b a i h a s played a key role in advanci n g t h e I n d i a - U A E

C o m p r e h e n s i v e S t r a t e g i c P a r t n e r s h i p T h i s s p e c i a l

v i s i t r e a f f i r m s o u r d e e prooted friendship and paves the way for even stronger collaboration in the future ”

Recalling his visit to the UAE last year during which he participated in the World

G o v e r n m e n t S u m m i t i n Dubai as Guest of Honour,

t h e P r i m e M i n i s t e r s a i d

Sheikh Hamdan’s visit “signified generational continuity in the strong and historic ties between India and the

U A E , e m p h a s i s i n g t h e enduring partnership built o n m u t u a l t r u s t a n d a shared vision for the future”

“They discussed ways to f u r t h e r s t r e n g t h e n t h e India-UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, especially in the areas of trade, investments, defence, energy, technology, education, sports and people-to-people ties,” a PMO statement said PM Modi expressed his gratitude to the leadership of the UAE for ensuring the welfare of around 4 3 mill i o n I n d i a n s l i v i n g i n t h e UAE, the statement said According to a Defence Ministry statement, Rajnath a n d S h e i k h H a m d a n “expressed happiness on the current defence cooperation

the loss of life and the damage caused by the recent earthquake in Myanmar and the leaders discussed I

humanitarian aid, disaster relief, a

Myanmar Unlike the West, India has continued to engage with the military in Myanmar because of the n e e d f o r c o o p e r a t i o n w i t h t h e

Asean country to check the activities of insurgent groups active in the border areas

Won’t let our land be used against India: Lanka

Amid growing Chinese footprint in the Indian Ocean, India s i g n e d i t s f i r s t e v e r M o U f o r d e f e n c e c o o p e r a t i o n w i t h S r i Lanka that will help both sides formalise and enhance cooperation between their armed forces The agreement was one of the highlights of PM Modi’s visit to strategically-located neighbour that also saw a major boost for energy ties in the form of a grid inter-connectivity pact that will allow Sri Lanka to e x p o r t e l e c t r i c i t y a n d a n o t h e r

MoU for developing Trincomalee as an energy hub

T h e b i l a t e r a l m e e t w a s f o llowed by signing of 7 MoUs and agreements The heads acknowle d g e d t h a t s e c u r i t y i n t e r e s t s o f India and Sri Lanka are interlinked a n d P r e s i d e n t A n u r a K u m a r a

Dissanayake reassured India that he won’t allow Lankan land or the

oceans around it to be used in any way inimical to India ’ s security interests or regional stability Modi also announced a debt restructuring agreement that, he said, will provide immediate assistance and relief to the people of Sri Lanka, along with reduced interest rates on loans On the sensitive issue of fishermen, the two decided to handle it with a humane approach with Modi emphasising on immediate release of fishermen and their b o a t s O n t h e T a m i l i s s u e , Dissanayake briefed Modi about his “inclusive” approach and the Indian PM expressed hope that the Sri Lankan govt would meet the aspirations of the Tamil people and fulfil its commitment towards f

conducting provincial council elections

PM Modi honoured

through institutional mech-

exchange of training programmes

acknowledged that defence

progress made in other areas such as trade and business

exchanges as one of the key areas of defence cooperation,” it said

According to the statement, the two leaders said

between the defence industries should be an integral part of the bilateral coopera-

opportunities for enhancing their partnership in defence manufacturing

T h e U ni t ed S ta te s h as impo sed 104 per cent tari ffs on China, effective Ap ril 9, the White H ouse has conf i rm ed T h e d ev el o p m en t f o l lo w s a wa rn i n g a n d a one-day deadli ne issued by P resident Donald Trump to China demanding the ro llback o f its 34 p er cent duty o n US impo rts A 20 p er cent levy impo sed in March and a 34 p er cent increase last week have brou gh t total tariffs on Chinese imp orts to 104 per cent

E a r l i e r t h i s w e e k ,

T r u m p h a d s t a t e d t h a t

China would face an additional 50 per cent tariff on t o p o f a n a l r e a d y announced 34 per cent levy unless it reversed its reciprocal tariffs on US imports within one day The White

H o u s e ’ s c o n f i r m a t i o n

marks the implementation of these combined tariffs

In response to the initial 34 per cent US tariff, China

a n n o u n c e d a 3 4 p e r c e n t

r e c i p r o c a l t a r i f f o n U S

g o o d s , e f f e c t i v e A p r i l 1 0

China’s Commerce Ministry stated it would take coun-

oured PM Modi with the Mitra Vibhushana award “This honour, which was introduced in 2008, is conferred upon heads of states and govt for their friendship, and PM Modi highly deserves this honour; that is what we firmly believe,” Dissanayake said Earlier in the day, Modi was accorded a historic

Independence Square - the first time that Sri Lanka has honoured a visiting leader in this manner

104% tariffs imposed on China, confirms White House

t e r m e a s u r e

its lowest level since January Chinese government bonds have seen a sharp rally On April 2, Trump also announced 26 per cent tariffs on imports from India, labelling them "reciprocal" tariffs as part of a broader trade policy shift

PM Modi in a group photograph with Crown Prince of Dubai, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and other dignitaries

Muhammad Yunus & PM Narendra Modi

PM Narendra Modi attends the 6th BIMSTEC Summit at Bangkok

PM Narendra Modi meets the Senior General of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, Mr Min Aung Hlaing

PM Narendra Modi presented with the Holy Scriptures: “World Ti-pitaka: Sajjhaya Phonetic Edition” by the Prime Minister of Thailand, Ms Paetongtarn Shinawatra

PM Narendra Modi being conferred with the Sri Lanka’s prestigious “Mithra Vibhushana medal by the Sri Lankan President, Anura Kumara Dissanayake

Fun-filled ideas for kids this Easter holiday in the UK

As spring blossoms across the UK and schools break up for the Easter holidays, it’s the perfect time for families to enjoy quality time together Whether you're looking to keep your children entertained indoors or outdoors, there are plenty of exciting activities and events to explore during the Easter break From egg hunts to creative workshops, here’s a roundup of ideas to make the most of the Easter holidays with your little ones:

1. Join an Easter egg hunt

No Easter is complete without the thrill of an egg hunt! The National Trust and English Heritage sites across the UK are hosting Easter trails, where children can explore beautiful gardens and historic estates while collecting clues and chocolate rewards Look out for

House, or Waddesdon Manor

2. Get creative with Easter crafts

Set up a craft station at home and let kids design Easter cards, decorate eggs, or make

b u n n y m a

M

community centres also offer themed craft workshops over the break It's a great way to

Easter treats Some chocolatiers and venues

children during Easter week

5. Enjoy the great outdoors

With longer daylight hours, it's the ideal time to head to local parks or countryside trails Pack a picnic, take scooters or bikes, and make the most of the sunshine Woodland walks and nature scavenger hunts are also great for keeping kids engaged

6 Catch a family show or movie

Theatres across the UK come alive with f a

holidays, while cinemas offer plenty of festive

unleash creativity while learning about the holiday's symbols and traditions

3 Visit a farm

Spring is lambing season, making it a great time to visit a local farm Children can feed animals, pet baby goats and chicks, and even see lambs being born Farms like Willows

(Buckinghamshire) offer hands-on fun for the whole family

4 Chocolate making workshops

I f y o u r k i d s a r e c h o c o h o l i c s , b o o k a chocolate-making workshop where they can learn how to mould and decorate their own

An independent boo ksh op i n Wo rcester has launched

t h e c it y ’ s fi r st c h i ld re n ’ s literature festival, with all events o ffered on a " pay-as-

y o u - f e el b as i s S cr

va l from Su nday to Friday 18 Ap ril B o o k s h o p o w n e r a n d former Worcestershire poet

l a u r e a t e L e e n a B a t c h e l o r said the pricing model aims

t o m a k e t h e f e s t i v a l accessible for all families

“ I t ’ s

buying a book and books can feel like a luxury,” said Script Haven owner Leena B a t c h e l o r A

M

n

s t i v a l , families can pay what they wish - or nothing at all - for e v e n t s i n c l u d

unique movie experience from 17 to 19 April Audiences can

cars, with a special line-up of

Bhaijaan, Amar Akbar Anthony, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, and Jab We Met (all with English

Robot (2pm, Friday 18 April) and 90s action hit Speed (7pm, Friday 18 April)

7 Explore a castle or museum

Many heritage sites and museums have i n t e r a c t i v

activities specially designed for children The Tower of London, Warwick Castle, and the N a t u r a l H i s t o r y M u s e

m a r e a l w a y s favourites with kids

8. Try baking together

Get into the kitchen and try baking Easter favourites like hot cross buns, bunny-shaped biscuits, or a traditional Simnel cake Kids love mixing, decorating, and (of course) eating the results!

creative writing workshops A c

Toddler accidentally eats grandfather's ashes

A mother in the UK was stunned to discover that her toddler had eaten the ashes of her late father after they were kept in an urn in their living room Natasha Emeny had left her toddler alone in the room to put away clothes, and when she returned, she was mortified to find her one-year-old son Koah covered in her late father s cremated ashes In a video filmed by the shocked mother, the child can be seen with ashes all over him as a hysterical Emeny kept repeating that he "ate her dad " She claimed that the urn was out of her son's reach as it was placed on a top shelf, but the child was somehow able to access it and decided to snack on his grandfather's ashes

Sanitation worker gets £3 4mn I-T notice

A sanitation worker in Agra drawing a monthly salary of Rs 15,000 received a £3 4mn income tax notice The letter, issued on March 22, reads: “As per the records, the assessee, Karan Kumar, has not filed his ITR for AY 2019-20 As per the record/system the assessee has an income of Rs 33,85,85,368 for 2019-20 ” The 34year-old Karan said he received the I-T notice on March 29 Initially, he did not understand the content of the notice He got the jolt of his life after he came to know what was written in the notice after he consulted some people “I am a sanitation worker at the SBI branch in Khair area of the city I joined this job on a contractual basis in 2021 Today, I lodged a complaint at Chandaus police station,” said Karan Karan claimed his PAN card is being misused by someone He said that in 2019, he was employed at a private company and during this time, the management asked for some documents, including his PAN

Water bottle thrown from train kills boy

A 14-year-old boy, Badal Santosh Singh, was killed after being hit by a bottle of water thrown from a moving train, near the railway tracks in Shapar Veraval on the outskirts of Rajkot Police are yet to file an FIR in this case According to police, Badal and a friend were playing beside the Shapar Veraval railway tracks A plastic bottle, full of water, thrown from a passing train, struck Badal in the chest, causing him to lose consciousness immediately Paramedics soon arrived but pronounced him dead at the spot The police have ordered a forensic postmortem to ascertain the exact cause of death Investigators said Badal lived with his family in the Shantidham area of Shapar Veraval The family is from Madhya Pradesh He was his parents’ only son Bengal man turns bed into car

No other place is a better repository of human creativity than the Internet And when it comes to “desi jugaad,” or innovative creations, not many do it better than Indians The latest is a West Bengal man's creation - a "bed car" A video of Nawab Sheikh behind the wheel cruising on the roads of Murshidabad to the amusement of motorcycle riders is going viral on Instagram The clip shows a bed transformed into a mobile vehicle, with four wheels and brakes It is powered by a motor and regulated by a steering system Besides having a mattress, colourful bedsheet, and pillows, the bed has a peculiar addition: side mirrors attached to either side of the footboard Social media users flocked to the comments section and reacted to this unique creation One user wrote, “India is not for beginners ” A second user quipped, “69 missed calls from rolls Royce,” followed by a laughing emoticon “This can only be seen in India,” a third remarked

Pak man's tip changed Indian student's life

A simple act of generosity from a Pakistani immigrant in Canada changed the life of an Indian student, touching millions online Hamza Aziz, a nurse and influencer, recently shared the inspiring story of Navneet, an Uber Eats delivery driver from Punjab Unlike others, Navneet was the only driver willing to return to the restaurant to correct an incorrect order- a small but meaningful act that earned him a CAD 100 ( Rs 6,000) tip from Hamza Curious about his journey, Hamza asked Navneet what drives him The young student spoke about his hardships - years spent away from family and his relentless pursuit of a dream: opening his barbershop in Canada The video quickly went viral, garnering over 4 million views But more than just inspiring people, it brought real change to Navneet's life An entrepreneur who saw the clip offered to sponsor his barber school education On top of that, a GoFundMe campaign was launched, helping him purchase professional haircutting tools

Man does 10,001 pull-ups in 24 hours to reclaim world

record

An American man reclaimed the Guinness World Record for the most pull-ups in 24 hours after previously holding the record for less than one day Truett Hanes previously attempted the record about two years ago and successfully beat it with 8,100 pull-ups in the allotted time period, but his number was beaten less than a day later by Australian man Gary Lloyd, who did 8,600 additional pull-ups in 24 hours Hanes has now recaptured the title with 10,001 pull-ups in 24 hours "What I learned about myself is: I won't give up I wasn't blessed with unique ability or super strength and things have never really come easily to me, but I have been gifted the ability to not give up on my goals," he said "Even if it takes years, I'll see it through until it's completed," he told Guinness World Records

2.5mn lottery ticket left in pocket of jacket donated to charity

A Pennsylvania woman is desperately searching for a jacket she donated to charity after realizing she left a $2 5 million lottery ticket in the pocket Mildred Simoneriluto, 76, said she purchased a ticket for a Pennsylvania Cash 5 drawing at the Shop 'n Save store in Murrysville in May 2024, and two weeks later she was surprised to learn she had matched all five numbers: 14-22-33-35-38 Simoneriluto attempted to locate the ticket, but soon came to a startling realization: she had left it in the pocket of a jacket she donated to Vietnam Veterans of America "I was stupefied; there are no words for it, there's no expression How can I get it back," Simoneriluto told WTAE-TV She attempted to track down the jacket, but soon learned the charity sends its donations out across the country - and even overseas - and had no way to track the item The Pennsylvania Lottery told Simoneriluto there was no way to claim the prize without the physical ticket in hand The ticket expires May 8 "What else can I do?" Simoneriluto said Cry out loud and hope that something will happen positive on my end?

Take charge of your health and your time with NHS services

Dr Ebad Chowdhury, GP

Spring has arrived and we all want to get out there doing the things we love When life gets busy, we might feel we have less time to look after ourselves

In fact, a recent NHS survey found that 6 in 10 (60%) South Asians said their busy lifestyle makes it challenging to manage their health and stay healthy More than a third (36%) also said that not having enough time to make an appointment would stop them from seeking urgent medical help or advice for a health concern

The NHS’s latest campaign helps explain its various services and what each offers There’s also a new film that shows how and when you can use NHS111, your local pharmacy, and the NHS App

While I’m always happy to see my patients if they’re worried about something, I also want to make sure they’re spending their precious time wisely and using the service that is best for their particular health need

For example, if you think you need urgent medical help but it’s not a life-threatening situation, NHS 111 will assess and direct you to the right place for you – it might be that you get a call back from a GP or a nurse, or they may refer you to an urgent treatment centre

Last year, Anurag had a stomach ache that started one morning and was still there by the evening It wasn’t getting better, and he began to worry that he wouldn’t be able to get any advice until the next day

“Luckily, I was speaking to a friend who mentioned that NHS 111 is available 24/7 I called 111 from my mobile and was taken through a set of questions to find out more about what the problem could be They helped reassure me about what to do and by the morning I felt much better ”

Community pharmacists are highly trained healthcare professionals, who can provide treatment or some prescription medicine for seven common conditions, without you seeing a GP – for earache (for those aged 1 to 17 years); impetigo; infected insect bites; shingles; sinusitis; a sore throat; and urinary tract infection for women aged 16 to 64 They can also provide oral contraceptives

The thing to remember is that if you have a medical concern, the NHS is here for you

For more information on the services your community pharmacist can offer, visit www n hs uk/think phar macyfirst To access NHS 111 you can call, go online or use the NHS App Find out more at www n hs uk/111

Download the NHS App at www nh s uk/nhsapp

Lonely Gen Z fuel UK gym boom

A record num ber of Britons are h itting th e g ym , d riv en by Gen Z’s preference fo r socialising while staying fit over d rinking in pubs, according to a new report by U KActiv e Gym membership in the UK has surged to 11 5 million, an increase of 1 6 million since 2022, with one in six adults now signed up The boom is particularly pronounced among Gen Z (born 1997–2012), often regarded as the healthiest generation

The report highlights a broader societal trend toward prioritising health, with younger generations viewing gym memberships as essential Despite this shift, older adults remain less inclined to join gyms, often believing they don’t need to

The UK health and fitness market has grown to £5 7bn, with 5,607 clubs hosting 616 million visits Motivations for joining include improving fitness (83%), mental well-being (76%), confidence (75%), and sleep (68%)

You can overhydrate

Overhydration, or drinking too much water, can dilute the sodium in your blood, leading to a condition called hyponatremia. This imbalance affects nerve and muscle function and can cause symptoms like nausea, confusion, and in severe cases, seizures or coma It’s important to hydrate mindfully, especially during intense physical activity

Beware! Overuse of vitamin supplements can harm your health

Every day, advertisements bombard us with questions like, "Are you getting enough vitamins and minerals from your diet?" The same ads then claim that no matter how careful you are, your diet is always lacking, and you must take their vitamin supplements to stay healthy.

Over time, this messaging has created a belief that once you turn 40, you must take multivitamins, or that gym-goers must take pro-

even think that combining slimming shakes with vitamins is a risk-free way to lose weight This mindset has made vitamin supplement companies incredibly wealthy

However, the reality is that artificial vitamin supplements can sometimes do

without knowing the risks,

plements are Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, Calcium, and

Iron Taking these in excess can lead to serious health

harmful ”

Let’s break down what happens when these vitamins and minerals exceed the body’s needs:

blood cells If you don’t get

Fortunately, it is naturally

s t o r e d i n t h e b o d y f r o m birth and is easily available in dairy products like milk, cheese, and paneer Despite this, many people take B12

t a b l e t s u n n e c e s s a r i l y

Excess B12 can cause diarrhoea, skin rashes, mouth

u l c e r s , d i z z i n e s s , h e a d a c h e s , b l o o d c l o t s ,

b l o a t i n g , a n d e v e n l u n g swelling

Vitamin D: Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium and phosphorus, keeping bones strong The best s o u r c e ? S u n l i g h t B u t instead of spending time outdoors, many people rely o n s u p p l e m e n t s , s o m e -

t i m e s w i t h o u t n e e d i n g them Too much Vitamin D

c

babies if taken in excess during pregnancy

Iron: Iron carries oxyg

found in green leafy vegetables, dry fruits (dates, figs), whole grains, and fruits like pomegranates and apples A lack of iron causes weakness and fatigue, but excess iron is just as dangerous It can damage the intestines, c

d

o p blood pressure, speed up heart rate, lead to breathing p

skin greyish In young children, too much iron can be fatal C

essential for strong bones, muscles, and the nervous system It is naturally present in milk, yogurt, green v

fish, and seeds While a calc

a k e n s bones, excess calcium can block iron and zinc absorption, increase the risk of

problems

If you eat a balanced diet, you rarely need extra vitamins Unnecessary supplementation can lead to serious health risks Always consult a doctor before taki n g s u p p l

y o u r body might already be gett i n g e v e r y t

from food!

UKHSA calls for evidence to address rising TB cases

launch ed a call fo r evid ence to inform th e d ev elopm ent of England’ s next fiv e-year Tubercu losis ( TB) Natio nal Action Plan (2026–203 1) This initiative comes in

rise in TB cases, with recent data indicating an upward

progress toward WHO elim-

, England saw an 11% increase i n T B

s t

i g h e s t annual rise since enhanced surveillance began in 2000

P r o v i s i

a l trends, where TB incidence

h a s s u r g e d f o l l o w i n g t h e pandemic

Despite being classified as a low-incidence country, England’s growing TB rates mean it is now approaching the WHO threshold of 10 cases per 100,000 people

strategies to reverse the current trajectory D

ventable and curable, yet it remains a significant public health concern in England

This call for evidence will help us develop an action p

most effective interventions and addresses the needs of those most affected

U K H S A i s s e e k i n g i n p u t from academics, healthcare p r o f e s s i o n a l s ,

l society representatives, and individuals with lived experience of TB Their insights w

T h e n e w N a t i o n a l A c t i o n Plan aims to strengthen TB prevention, detection, and control by focusing on highr i s k p o p u l a t i o n s , e f f e c t i v e i n t e r v e n t i o n s , a n d h e a l t h i n e q u a l i t i e s T o e n s u

The survey for submitt

April 2025 and closes on 2

Antibiotic use in newborns may weaken vaccine response

New b o rn s tr eat ed w i th ant ib i o ti cs

weaker

mm une respo nses to v accines later in infancy, likely due to d isruptions in their gut m icrobiome, a new study sugg ests

y , published in Nature, tracked 1

e c e i v e d

w

t i c s within the first few weeks of life had significantly lower antibody levels against multiple vaccines at seven and 15 months Among the particip a n t s , 1 1 1 n e w

either directly (32 babies) or i n d i

c t l y t h r o u g h

h e i r mothers during labour (49 babies) or the first six weeks

postpartum (30 babies) Researchers assessed the i n f a n t s ’ g u t m i c r o b i o m e s around their six-week vaccin a t i o n p e r i o d a n d f o u n d that babies directly treated with antibiotics at birth had r e d u c e d l e v e l s o f Bifidobacterium, a benefic i a l g u t b a c t e r i a T h i s decline was linked to weaker immune responses to several components of the pneu-

m o c o c c a l v a c c i n e a n d

H a e m o p h i l u s i n f l u e n z a e type b vaccine at both seven and 15 months

P r o f e s s o r D a v i d L y n n , co-lead of the study from the South Australian Health a n d M e d i c a l R e s e a r c h

I n s t i t u t e , e x p l a i n e d t h a t Bifidobacterium plays a cru-

cial role in early immun i t y “ T h e s e b a c t e r i a a r e w e l l a d a p t e d t o breaking down human

m i l k o l i

found in breast milk which helps establish a healthy microbiome in breastfed infants,” he said The presence of Bifidobacterium appears to prime the immune system, enhancing vaccine responses F

given a probiotic containing the bacteria

Interestingly, the study

germ-free mice reinforced these findings, showing that antibody responses to the p

depended on the presence of B

improved when mice were

mothers received antibiotics during labour did not show

exposure in newborns has

more lasting impact on the gut microbiome

Zeenat Aman recalls shooting with Amitabh Bachchan post’Coolie’ accident

Veteran actress Zeenat Aman recently took fans down memory lane with a candid recollection of filming the iconic song Samundar Mein Naha Ke with Amitabh Bachchan. She shared behind-the-scenes details, including wearing a “titillating” white outfit while Big B “pranced” around her The shoot was especially memorable as it marked Bachchan’s first after recovering from his near-fatal Coolie accident in 1982

Zeenat Aman, in her signature candid style, shared a nostalgic post prompted by the summer heat “the weather,” she joked, “though Mr Bachchan and I romancing to those salty lyrics were pretty sizzling too ” She recalled shooting ‘Samundar Mein Naha Ke’ for Ramesh Behl’s ‘Pukar’ in a quiet, idyllic Goa of the early ’80s “It was an easy-breezy shoot for me no lip-syncing or choreography,” she wrote The brief was simple: “look pretty,” she added, describing her white outfit and Bachchan “prancing like an ardent bird-of-paradise ”

Zeenat Aman revealed that despite her confident appearance in ‘Samundar Mein Naha Ke’, she couldn’t swim-making the beach shoot quite the challenge “I had to swallow nerves (and seawater) while writhing in the surf,” she wrote, adding with humour that she still pulled off a convincing ‘jal pari’ (mermaid)

She encouraged fans to share the post with anyone in need of a beachside escape this summer Zeenat also shared a touching trivia: it was Amitabh Bachchan’s first shoot after his near-fatal ‘Coolie’ accident in 1982, making the set’s atmosphere especially joyful She'll be seen in ‘The Royals’ and ‘Bun Tikki’

Javed Akhtar

on

Zoya’s marriage:

“She’s happy, that’s enough”

Lyricist-screenwriter

Javed Akhtar recently shared that when his children, Zoya and Farhan, turned 19 and 17, he told them that finding a life partner was entirely their responsibility He said he’d support their education or any other

marriage as a parental duty Javed recalled telling them, “If you don’t know who to marry, you shouldn’t be getting married ” He added that Farhan took his words to heart so much that he only informed Javed

introduced Adhuna, his first wife, just two days before the ceremony

choosing a life partner should be an individual’s decision-even if it turns out to be a mistake He told his children they were free to marry anyone, regardless of caste, creed, or ethnicity, as long as it was their own choice Farhan took that advice seriously, informing Javed just a month before his wedding to Adhuna Bhabani in 2000, around the time he was starting his directorial debut ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ Javed met Adhuna only two days before the wedding but said, “What difference does it make? It’s his life ”

decision not to marry, saying, “She told me she won’t marry unless someone changes her mind and she hasn’t found that person yet But she’s happy, doing great work, and has a lovely life ”

Sikander Kher reflects on life

With two dads

Sikander

Kher, son of Kirron Kher, opened up about growing up with two fathers his biological father Gautam Berry and his “father for life,” Anupam Kher

Recently, Sikander shared that while neither was deeply present in his life, Anupam, who married Kirron in 1985, has always been his constant Recalling those early years, he noted that Anupam was then a rising actor and often busy with work Their love language, he said, is “giving each other space ” Sikander Kher reflected on his relationship with his two fathers, sharing that both were often absent due to their careers “I had two, but not much in my life because they were busy,” he said After his parents’ divorce, he lived with his mother and Anupam Kher, whom he calls his “father for life ” At the time, Anupam was building his career and often away “Fathers and sons are hectic Simple,” Sikander added

He credited Anupam with teaching him key life lessons, especially about failure: “Don’t be afraid of failure you have nothing to lose ” One phrase that stayed with him was, *“Bheega hua aadmi barish se nahi darta ”

Asked about their bond, Sikander said their “love language” is giving each other space: “It’s just, ‘Kher saab, how’s it going?’ ‘Nothing ’ ‘Okay, bye ’ That’s it And that works for us ”

He was last seen in the action-packed ‘Monkey Man’, directed by Dev Patel, and in ‘Citadel: Honey Bunny’ on Prime Video

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MON 14 APR - FRI 18 APR 2025

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SATURDAY 19 APR 2025

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18:00 BALIKA VADHU SEASON 1

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20:30 Udaariyan

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23:00 Ramachari

SATURDAY 19 APR 2025

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21:30 Rangai Jaane Rangma

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SUNDAY 20 APR 2025

09:00 Deshi Beats

10:30 Best Of Rasoi Show

11:30 Vaahlam Jaao Ne

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Madhavan’s extreme makeover won him role in ‘Aayitha Ezhuthu’

Some of actor-filmmaker Madhavan’s most memorable roles have been in films by his mentor, acclaimed director Mani Ratnam

Ratnam launched Madhavan as a lead in ‘Alaipayuthey’ (2000), cementing his image as a romantic hero Though Madhavan later explored action films like ‘Run’, it was Ratnam’s ‘Aayitha Ezhuthu’ that helped steer his career once again Madhavan revealed that Ratnam initially wanted him to play the romantic role essayed by Siddharth, but he insisted on playing Inba instead, calling it “the best role in the story ” Though Ratnam was initially offended, Madhavan’s conviction won out Madhavan shared that he took a month to convince Mani Ratnam to cast him as Inba, the role Abhishek Bachchan played in ‘Yuva’ “I shaved my head, tanned myself, and looked unrecognisable Even the security didn’t let me in at first,” he recalled When Ratnam finally saw him, he asked, “Do you really want to play Inba?” and described the character as a tough man with a troubled past, “almost like an animal ” To prepare, Madhavan drew inspiration from a National Geographic scene of lions hunting “There was no anger, just calm That’s when I understood what Mani sir wanted,” he said Having also worked together on ‘Kannathil Muththamittaal’ and ‘Guru’, Madhavan added, “Our synergy pushed me as an actor After ‘Guru’, we took a break so I could find my own path ”

Mahesh BabuRajamouli’s ‘SSMB 29’ to follow ‘RRR’, not ‘Baahubali’ route

Though sequels and franchise films have long been a staple in Indian cinema, SS

Rajamouli’s Baahubali series set a new benchmark, inspir wave of two- and threepart films-including Mohanlal and Prithviraj Sukumaran’s Lucifer franchise

Interestingly, Rajamouli hasn’t returned to multi-part storytelling since.

His follow-up, RRR was a standalone globa blockbuster starring Ra Charan and Jr NTR While speculation surrounds his upcoming project with Mahesh Babu, tentatively titled SSMB 29, new reports suggest it may not follow the Baahubali model after all

Rajamouli, critical of how two-part films are now often used for profit rather than storytelling, is restructuring the nplay to fit a standalone mat

With RRR running over three hours, SSMB 29 is set to surpass it, reportedly clocking in at over 200 minutes This extended runtime aligns with recent box office hits like Animal and Pushpa 2: The Rule

Though the makers have ained tight-lipped about and key details, leaked set photos have confirmed the presence of Prithviraj and Priyanka Chopra-Jonas As speculation builds, reports suggest Rajamouli’s team may soon release a two-minute video offering a first glimpse into the film’s world

Nani teams up with Chiranjeevi and Srikanth for next big film

Actor-filmmaker

According to reports, Rajamouli's upcoming film-slated for a 2027 releasewill be a single-part globe-trotting adventure starring Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra-Jonas, and Prithviraj Sukumaran It’s expected to be his longest film yet A source revealed that

Aiming to surpass RRR in scale and global appeal, SSMB 29 is being made to international standards with a global team Backed by KL Narayana, the film features cinematography by PS Vinod and music by Oscar-winner MM Keeravani

Vijay Deverakonda

says Hindi cinema will rise with fresh talent

Vijay

Nani has always been vocal about his admiration for Megastar Chiranjeevi, often crediting his films for shaping his love for cinema So when it was announced that Nani would be presenting Srikanth Odela’s next film starring Chiranjeevi, it felt like a fullcircle moment Recently, when asked if Chiranjeevi’s larger-than-life persona would influence the project, Nani replied, “I don’t want to have that idea at all.”

Deverakonda recently shared his thoughts on the struggles of Hindi cinema and the success of South Indian films. Calling it a natural cycle, he said, “The South industry is having a dream run. There was a time when no one knew us, and Hindi cinema was making waves globally. Now, the spotlight is on the South In five or ten years, things will shift again it’s all part of a cycle ” Vijay Deverakonda predicted a creative revival for Hindi cinema, driven by a new wave of storytellers “Out of this vacuum, a fresh breed of filmmakers will emerge-people who want to fix things,” he said “Hindi cinema will soon see big directors and new voices, likely from outside Mumbai, from the heartland and other Hindispeaking regions They’ll bring a new style of filmmaking, possibly very different from both traditional Bollywood and South cinema ” Citing ‘Baahubali’ as a turning point, Vijay Deverakonda praised SS Rajamouli’s bold vision that put Telugu cinema on the global map “Rajamouli took a huge risk by casting actors unfamiliar to the Hindi audience and investing years into one project If it had failed, it could’ve ended careers and financially hurt many But they fought for their space, their audience, and their place in cinema,” he said, adding that the Hindi film industry too will find its way-it’s all part of the journey

Nani elaborated that placing too much pressure on himself or Chiranjeevi doesn’t help the project “When people start thinking that way, we forget what made Chiranjeevi garu so relatable to generations,” he said Recalling his childhood, Nani shared how Chiranjeevi could transform completely on screen making audiences laugh, cry, and cheer, all while remaining deeply relatable Known as the “Natural Star,” Nani has built his career on playing relatable, everyman roles Reflecting on the evolving movie experience, he said, “We used to watch films in awenow we ’ re distracted We’ve forgotten why we loved Chiru garu-he felt like family ” Presenting Srikanth Odela’s next film with Chiranjeevi under his banner Wall Poster Cinema, Nani called it a proud moment and a big responsibility He previously launched Srikanth with ‘Dasara’ and is reuniting with him for ‘The Paradise’

Prajakta Koli turns author, wants Henry Cavill in film version

Prajakta Koli, known for her relatable YouTube sketches and acting roles, recently made her literary debut with the romance novel Too Good To Be True, now also released as an audiobook.

She opened up about her writing journey and narrating her own story for Audible Prajakta shared that the idea came during the pandemic: “I’d always loved writing, especially romance During the lockdown, I started developing longform content ideas This one began as an eight-part series I had the characters and arc in mind but wasn’t sure how to execute it as a book ”

Despite initial uncertainty, Prajakta said the writing process came naturally “The story was close to my heart, so I skipped the writers’ room and began writing excerpts My team said, ‘This sounds like chapters’ and that’s how it took shape.”

Prajakta Koli’s debut novel follows Aman and Avni characters she says are fictional, though she sees glimpses of herself in Avni A fan of audiobooks, Prajakta always envisioned hers in that format and made small tweaks while recording to make it sound natural

“It was fun reading words I’d lived with for months,” she shared Her family’s reactions were mixed “Mumma loved it, Baba’s still reading, and my husband is waiting for the audiobook!”

What meant the most were readers saying it helped them out of a reading slump or was their first book As for a film adaptation? “I’m definitely Avni For Aman, maybe Henry Cavill if he’s free!”

Dia Mirza defends star kids amid ‘Nadaaniyan’ criticism

Ibrahim Ali Khan and Khushi Kapoor faced criticism for their performances in the Karan Johar-backed romantic comedy ‘Nadaaniyan’. Responding to the social media backlash, Dia Mirza who played Ibrahim's mother in the film-defended the young actors and condemned the growing ‘eat the privileged’ culture online

Dia Mirza defended Ibrahim Ali Khan and Khushi Kapoor against the backlash over ‘Nadaaniyan’, urging people to avoid personal attacks that affect mental health She said, “Everyone is free to have an opinion, but it shouldn’t come at the cost of someone ’ s well-being,” adding that the “eat the privileged” culture is unfair as everyone has their own struggles

Earlier, co-star Jugal Hansraj also called the online trolling “silly and petty ” At the trailer launch of ‘Akaal’, producer Karan Johar echoed similar sentiments, quoting, “Kuch toh log kahenge chhodo bekar ki baaton mein kahin beet na jaye raina ”

‘Nadaaniyan’ marked the Bollywood debut of Ibrahim Ali Khan and was Khushi Kapoor’s third outing after ‘The Archies’ and ‘Loveyapa’ Both faced criticism for their performances and dialogue delivery The Netflix film, directed by Shauna Gautam, follows a privileged Delhi schoolgirl who hires a fake boyfriend to get back at her family and peers

While Khushi hasn’t revealed her next project, Ibrahim will appear next in ‘Sarzameen’, directed by Kayoze Irani and co-starring Kajol, Prithviraj Sukumaran, and Mihir Ahuja The release date is yet to be announced

Terence Lewis praises Katrina’s incredible dance transformation

Katrina

Ali Fazal on Val Kilmer’s praise:

“My first big compliment”

Actor

Val

is mourning

who passed away at the age of 65 on April 1

Ali Fazal took to social media to pay tribute to *Top Gun* star Val Kilmer, sharing a heartfelt memory along with a photo of the late actor Recalling a special moment, Ali wrote that Kilmer was the first major Hollywood star to compliment his work in *Victoria & Abdul*, where he portrayed a real-life character

Kaif is now celebrated as one of Bollywood’s top dancers, with chartbusters like ‘Chikni Chameli’, ‘Sheila Ki Jawani’, and ‘Afghan Jalebi’ to her name. But she wasn’t always this way. In a recent interview, choreographer Terence Lewis revealed that when Katrina debuted in 2003, she lacked rhythm but he praised her remarkable transformation over the years.

Choreographer Terence Lewis recalled Katrina Kaif’s early struggles with dance when she first came to his studio after ‘Boom’ had released “She was doing a diamond jewellery show and was very new to India unsure and struggling with the steps Rhythm wasn’t there,” he said

However, years later, when Terence saw her in ‘Zara Zara Touch Me’ from ‘Race’ (2008), he was stunned “I called Bosco (Martis) and asked, ‘Is this the same girl?’ She wasn’t trained, didn’t have that dancer’s figure back then But the way she transformed her body, her dancing it’s commendable She’s one of the most hardworking actors I’ve seen ”

When asked about the best dancers in Bollywood, Terence Lewis named several stars but singled out Deepi Bachc elegan

“RIP Mr Val Kilmer I write this note because you were the first big-ticket compliment I ever got from an actor of your calibre for my attempt to portray a real person in ‘Victoria & Abdul’,” Ali shared

The actor continued, “Hell, I dare say, I know I’ve got miles to go But this from someone whose performance changed the way I saw acting, at a time when I was soaking in the Brandos and Pacinos of the world meant everything You made a better Jim Morrison than Morrison that day for me Live on, 'cause this doesn’t end we ’ re privileged to work in mediums that linger longer than the time we ’ re given ” Ali starred opposite Judi Dench in ‘Victoria & Abdul’, the 2017 film directed by British filmmaker Stephen Frears and adapted from Shrabani Basu’s book of the same name He played Abdul Karim, a young clerk from Agra who became a close confidant to Queen Victoria during the final years of her reign Val Kilmer, celebrated for roles in ‘Top Gun’ and ‘Batman Forever’, died of pneumonia on April 1 in Los Angeles at the age of 65

Ali Fazal

the loss of Hollywood icon

Kilmer,

IPL: Bengaluru pip Mumbai by 12 runs

Ro yal C h alleng ers Beng alu ru s urv

s ca re fr o m M

Wankh ed e Stadium with a 1 2-run v ictory in th e Indian Prem ier Leag ue on Monday Set a daunting targ et of 222, Mu mbai Indians staged a stunning late recovery to tu rn th e tables on th eir op p onents but th e tas k proved too difficult in the end for th e ho sts, wh o have not lo st a g am e h ere ag ainst RCB since 2015

Mumbai Indians were reeling at 99 for four with their pursuit falling apart with the dismissal of Suryakumar Yadav (28), but skipper Hardik Pandya (42 off 15 balls) and Tilak Varma (56 off 29 balls) launched a stunning onslaught to bring them back into t h e c o n t e s t H a r d i k w e n t h a m m e r a n d tongs while hitting three fours and four sixes, while Tilak also fought his way back into form, but the target proved far too much for Mumbai Indians who were again ordinary with the bat for a large part in their chase Earlier, RCB rode on fifties from Virat Kohli (67) and skipper Rajat Patidar (64) to post 221 for five

Jofra Archer has roared back into form

Not long after bowling the costliestever spell in the IPL - 0-76 in Rajasthan Royals’s season-opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad – the lanky England pacer Jofra Archer hit top form, shaking off the rust after recovery from recurring back and e l b o w i n j u r i e s A g a i n s t C h e n n a i S u p e r Kings (CSK), though Archer delivered a spell o f 3 - 0 - 1 3 - 1 , i n c l u d i n g t h e s e a s

maiden over, dismissing the in-form Rachin Ravindra for a duck This set the tone for RR’s defence of 182, restricting CSK to 1766 and securing a six-run victory His pace, consistently above 144 kph, and precision in t h e p o w e r p l a y d i s r u p t e d C S K ’ s b a t t i n g plans, allowing RR’s spinners to capitalise later Archer’s resurgence peaked in the fourth game against Punjab Kings (PBKS) Gill, Sundar and Siraj fashion GT win

S u n r i s e r s H

fourth straight loss, going down to Gujarat Titans by seven wickets on Sunday Coming up against a disciplined Titans bowling led by Mohammed Siraj (4/17), the hosts posted a below-par 152/8 The visitors then rode on captain Shubman Gill unbeaten 61 and his match-winning 56-ball 90-run stand with Washington Sundar (49) to cruise home

straight win Siraj recorded his best bowling figures in the T20s and also joined the club of 100 IPL wickets (102) during the match that earned him back-to-back Player of the match awards Titans lost in-form batters

Sai Sudharshan (5) and Jos Buttler (0) early

B

Singh for 20 runs with two boundaries and two sixes in the sixth over, which shifted the momentum in favour of the visitors, who were 48/2 in six overs Lucknow win thrilling game

Suryakumar Yadav’s half-century was in vain as Lucknow Super Giants defeated Mumbai Indians by 12 runs in a thrilling game at Lucknow on Friday Batting first, LSG, riding on half-centuries from openers Mitchell Marsh (60) and Aiden Markram (53), scored 203/8 despite MI skipper Hardik Pandya (5/36) taking his maiden five-wicket haul in T20 cricket In reply, MI were restricted to 191/5 in spite of Suryakumar scoring a 43-ball 67 Shardul Thakur, Akash Deep, Avesh Khan and Digvesh Rathi took a w i c k e t e

d intelligently and took the crucial wicket of Naman Dhir (46 off 24 balls) while Shardul bowled tight in the crucial penultimate

o v e r T h i s i s L S

matches against MI, and Former MI skipper Rohit Sharma, incidentally, sat out of the contest after being hit on the knee in the nets LSG were 107/3 in 10 4 overs when Pant was out Markram, who had been ordinary so far, stood up for his team and held one end together till he was out in the 18th over Kolkata crush Hyderabad F

Knight Riders to a strong 200/6 before a

Sunrisers Hyderabad by 80 runs at the Eden Gardens on Thursday KKR lost openers

India plans to develop 10 Olympic training centres

T a k i n g i n sp ir a t io n f r om p r o mi n e n t A si a n sp or t in g powerhouses such a s China and

J a p a n , t he In d i a n g ov t ha s de cided to estab lish 10 st ate-oft he-a rt Ol ympic tr ainin g ce ntre s a cross the na tion whe re future e lite a thlet es will be gr oomed with the ob je ctive of enhan cing t he count ry ’ s medal ta lly at the Summer Games

T h e h i g h - p e r f o r m a n c e t r a i n i n g f a c i l i t i e s w i l l b e e s t a b l i s h e d i n m a j o r I n d i a n cities and will operate under a public-private partnership (PPP) f r a m e w o r k E a c h s p e c i a l i s e d centre will be dedicated to one

s p e c i f i c s p o r t f r o m t h e 1 0

s e l e c t e d d i s c i p l i n e s w h e r e a maximum of 150 sports persons

w i l l b e a c c o m m o d a t e d t o prepare for the Olympic Games and other multisport events

The athletes will be chosen from the Khelo India Youth and University Games – KIYG and KIUG – and the National Games

o r g a n i s e d b y t h e I n d i a n Olympic Association (IOA) The

Sunil Narine and Quinton de Kock early in succession before captain Ajinkya Rahane and Raghuvanshi set up the recovery with a firm partnership However, it was not until Iyer hit the overdrive after a tepid start alongside Rinku that KKR found the real momentum in the game Led by a superb seam-bowling burst from Vaibhav Arora a

menacing SRH top-order within three overs

Sharma and Ishan Kishan were silenced cheaply Punjab hammer Lucknow Punjab Kings delivered a commanding p

Giants by eight wickets, chasing down a target of 172 in just 16 2 overs Prabhsimran Singh and Shreyas Iyer both struck fluent

victory with 22 balls to spare After winning the toss, Punjab Kings controlled the early stages of the game as Arshdeep Singh led the attack with figures of 3/31 Lucknow Super Giants lost key wickets early, with M i t c h

dismissed cheaply by Arshdeep and Lockie

F e r g u s o n , r e s p e c t i v e l y C a p t a i n R i s h a b h

Pant fell for a low score once again, but Nicholas Pooran (44) and Ayush Badoni (41) provided resistance, helping LSG post 171/7

P u n j a b K i n g s m a d e a s t a t e m e n t i n t h e chase, racing to 62/1 in the powerplay

P r a b h s i m r a n S i n g h p l a y e d a n e x p l o s i v e knock of 69 off 34 balls, laying a strong f o u n d a t i o n S h r e y a s I y e r c o n t i n u e d h i s excellent form, remaining unbeaten with his second consecutive half-century

INDIA'S RIFLE SHOOTER RUDRANKKSH CLINCHES WORLD CUP GOLD

A year ago this time Rudrankksh Patil was facing the acute disappointment and stress of losing his Olympic shooting quota for Paris 2024 Today the former world champion clinched gold at the Buenos Aires World Cup on Sunday In the 10m air rifle final, Patil scored 252 9 in the final to top the podium Paris Games participant Arjun Babuta had also qualified for the final, but couldn t make the podium after being eliminated at the seventh position with a score of 144 9 Maharashtra shooter Patil, 21, who had clinched a quota place for the Paris Games, had to miss out on the Olympic participation after losing out to Sandeep Singh in the trials Babuta was the top qualifier after scoring 634 5 in the qualification round while Patil shot 633 7 for second spot

LSG BOWLER DIGVESH FINED FOR ‘NOTEBOOK’ SEND-OFF

Lucknow Super Giants spinner Digvesh Singh Rathi was fined 25% of his match fees and handed a demerit point for his unusual ‘notebook’ celebration after dismissing Punjab Kings batter Priyansh Arya The BCCI has penalised Rathi for “breaching the IPL code of conduct” during LSG’s match against PBKS at the Ekana Stadium last week “Digvesh Singh admitted to the Level 1 offence under Article 2 5 and accepted the match referee’s sanction ” an IPL media advisory stated For Level 1 breaches of the Code of Conduct the match referee’s decision is final and binding The controversial celebration took place on the penultimate ball of the third over during PBKS chase of 172 The umpires took note of the gesture and had a word with the bowler The send-off immediately drew comparisons with West Indies pacer Kesrick Williams, who popularised the notebook celebration and had a famous spat with Virat Kohli during a 2019 bilateral series Sunil Gavaskar and Mohammed Kaif, commenting on air did not appreciate Digvesh’s antics

BROOK NAMED ENGLAND WHITE-BALL CAPTAIN

Indian origin girl in Australian shooting squad

establishment of these training centres is part of the govt’s long-

t e r m s t r a t e g y o f p r o d u c i n g m e d a l - w i n n i n g a t h l e t e s , w h o can bring glory to the country at the Olympics, with the focus on India’s ambitious bid to host the Games in 2036

The govt, it's been learnt, is not happy with the country’s u n d e r w h e l m i n g s h o w a t t h e Paris Games last year where the contingent won only six medals

The authorities desire a robust

double-digit medal finish

“Apart from the traditional s p o r t s w h e

endeavour will be to cultivate other disciplines where a bagful of medals are up for contest Accordingly, 10 such sports will be identified, each having its d e d i c a t e d t r a

support staff and sports science specialists will be engaged to train our athletes,” an official explained

Bhak

chie vements The 15 -ye ar-old

across

e championships (564 points out

o f 6 0 0 ) , Q u e e n s l a n d s t a t e

c h a m p i o n s h i p s ( 5 5 9 p t s ) a n d junior Nationals (560 pts) She claimed gold medals in all three

e v e n t s a n d i s c u r r e n t l y

Australia’s No 1 junior shooter in 10m air pistol

“ M y s h o o t i n g j o u r n e y i n

Australia commenced in 2023 when my family relocated to Sydney from India, following o u r p r e v i o u s d e p a r t u r e f r o m

Australian shores in 2015 I was b o r n i n A u s t r a l i a d u r i n g m y f a t h e r ’ s e a r l i e r p o s t i n g M y f a t h e r ( H a r v e e r L a t h w a l ) registered me at the Genesis p i s t o l s h o o t i n g c l u b , a s Australian regulations mandate

c l u b m e m b e r s h i p f o r a l l shooters As a competitor, one m u s t p a r t i c i p a t e i n s p e c i f i e d t o u r n a m e n t s a n d a c h i e v e minimum qualification scores, ” Tanvi, currently ranked third in t h e ‘ O p e n ’ c a t e g o r y ( n o a g e limitation), said

“This will be the first time

a n I n d i a n - o r i g i n g i r l w i l l b e r e p r e s e n t i n g t h e A u s t r a l i a n shooting team, an achievement I c h e r i s h I h a v e s t r o n g confidence regarding my World C u p p r o s p e c t s , ” s a i d T a n v i , w h o s e f a m i l y h a i l s f r o m

Sonepat’s Chidana village and s t u d i e s i n c l a s s 1 0 t h a t t h e Arthur Phillip High School

Harry Brook has been appointed as England s new white-ball captain leading both the one-day international and Twenty20 teams, the England and Wales Cricket Board announced The 26year-old Yorkshire batsman was the favourite to succeed Jos Buttler, who stood down in February after a woeful Champions Trophy campaign in Pakistan ended with England failing to reach the semi-finals England failed to retain either their T20 or 50-over World Cup titles under Buttler s captaincy Brook was already Buttler’s deputy and stood in as skipper during an ODI series against Australia in Sep

GUJARAT CHESS PRODIGY CROWNED CHAMPION

Darpan Inani a blind chess prodigy from Gujarat, was crowned the champion at the 18th National Chess Championship for the blind in Bhubaneswar He won against multiple time champion Kisan Gangolli following a tiebreaker round as both players had scored 7 5 points the officials said Inani trains with several other players in Ahmedabad at venues such as the Blind People s Association (BPA) The competition, organised by the All-India Chess

for the

(AICFB) in collaboration with the Odisha Chess Association for the Visually Challenged (OCAVC), featured 54 skilled players (52 men and two women) from 15 states and Union territories including

and others