AV 16th September 2023

Krishna Janmashtami celebrations in the U K by the community

SEE PAGE - 08

Hidden airline fees may face regulatory action

SE E PAGE - 13

Now, India plans Samudrayaan mission to explore ocean wealth

The most striking and viral image of the B r i t i s h P r i m e M i n i s t e r R i s h i S u n a k d u r i n g h i s G 2 0 v i s i t i s n o t f r o m a n official engagement. But, him holding a red umbrella, walking barefoot in the rain at the Akshardham Temple in New D e l h i w i t h h i s w i f e A k s h a t a M u r t y w e a r i n g a y e l l o w a n d r e d s a l w a rk a m e e z M a n y i n t e r e s t i n g p h o t o c a p t i o n s e m e r g e d , s o m e p o i n t e d a t calling it a couple's goal, the others said, “an Indian and her husband”. The Prime M i n i s t e r w i t h h i s w i f e p r a y e d a t t h e temple, as Sunak openly took pride in his faith, drawing strength from it

Continued on page 16

A f t e r t h e s u c c e s s f u l v o y a g e t o t h e m o o n , I n d i a n s c i e n t i s t s a r e g e t t i n g r e a d y t o s e n d three people 6,000 metres under the sea in a h o m e - b u i l t s u b m e r s i b l e t o s e a r c h f o r r a r e m i n e r a l s a n d p r e c i o u s m e t a l s l i k e c o b a l t , n i c k e l , a n d m a n g a n e s e . T h i s e x p e d i t i o n i s called Project Samudrayaan.

The Matsya 6000 submersible, which has been in development for almost two years, will conduct its initial sea trials in the Bay of Bengal off the coast of Chennai After the Titan sank in June 2023 while transporting tourists to the T i t a n i c d e b r i s i n t h e N o r t h A t l a n t i c O c e a n , e n g i n e e r s a r e l o o k i n g m o r e c l o s e l y a t t h e ship s design

N a t i o n a l I n s t i t u t e o f O c e a n T e c h n o l o g y (NIOT) scientists, who are developing Matsya 6000, reviewed the design, materials, testing, c e r t i f i c a t i o n , r e d u n d a n c y , a n d s t a n d a r d operating procedures

Continued on page 25

PM Rishi Sunak visits India, creating history and stronger ties for the ‘Living Bridge’ during the G20 Summit

Shefali Saxena

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak with wife Akshata Murthy during their visit to the Akshardham temple

India's Samudrayaan mission

with Keith

Vaz AV TA R PA N E SA R

Av tar Panesar is a veteran w ith rare exp erience of helm ing international, f ilm development, mov ies, mu sic, ho me v ideo as w ell as sy nd ic at io n bu s i nes s v er ti ca ls for In d i an C in em a A s V ic e President fo r Ind ia's prem ier Film Stud ios - Yash Raj Films, Avtar was th e driv ing force behind the Stud io's international growth since 1997

Setting up international off ices, distribution teams and partnerships has ensured that YRF's f ilms reached ever y international market and were managed by the best in the business

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

I was born in Jalandhar, Punjab and was brought in Southall (England) from the age of 10 So, for me I have 2 mothers, one that gave me birth (India) and the mother that raised me (England) and I am so proud of both my heritages and feel at home in both

2) What are your proudest achievements?

On the professional front would have to be when I was made Sales Manager at HMV / EMI India at the age of 20, making me the youngest Exec in a company with 2000 workforce and them being head hunted by India's premier studio - Yash Raj Film to set up and head their international business

3) What inspires you?

Oh, that's a tough one, I guess ever yone that has been able to keep the balance of life intact and still achieve their own goals without compromising on all the other aspects of life

4) What has been biggest obstacle in your career?

I truly believe I have been blessed to have had the career I have, being a kid from Southall with , no f ilm connections, just the passion for the movies, I landed up working for and with some of the biggest names like Yash Chopra, Aditya Chopra, Karan Johar, Raju Hirani, Rakesh Roshan, A m i t a b h B a c h c h a n , S h a h R u k h K h a n , Hrithik Roshan, Aamir Khan, Ranveer Singh to name a few Obstacles are just opportunities in disguise

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

My biggest professional influence has been my mentor - Mr Sanjeev Kohli my Boss (son of the illustrious music composer Madan Mohan) I learnt ever ything from him, even today, if I get stuck with something, I don’t need to go to him, I just ask myself, "How would Sanjeev handle this" 9 times out of 10 I know the answer

Sunak and Starmer draw battle lines

Labour lead er Sir Keir Starm er conv eyed to his ne w s h a d o w c ab i net that the p arty needed to d em onstrate its read ine s s fo r g o v e rn m ent du ring a meeting held at C h u rc h Ho u s e i n central Lo nd on

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

Today, I work freelance and am excited about the project-based work I do as it allows me to spend more time with my wife as I owe her this after 3 decades of complete devotion to my job So, my own time is the best thing as I held my own company, Navish Media

7) And the worst?

I don’t think in those terms, I feel ever ything happens for the best albeit we might not know it or believe it at that time

8) What are your long-term goals?

Live life to the fullest, spend more time with people I love and retain my lifework balance so that it's a more content life not just for me but my loved ones All the while I carr y on living the dream

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

Ha, ha - wow, never been asked that one I guess if I was the PM here, 1) I would plug the hole in the NHS and make it into an institution it could have been Make drastic changes in how it's run, bring in accountability and as sense of responsibility for the Fat Cats I know how hard the people at the bottom work while the wastage at the top is baffling 2) Stop f ighting other people’s wars 3) Get our own house in order and following the US like a little lamb for their misadventures

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

My i m m e d i a t e a n s w e r w o u l d b e Mr Modi but since you want an historical f igure - I guess this may not be an exciting one for the youth of today but it would be Netaji, Subhash Chandra Bose the real reason why India won its independence He was such a rare mix of valour, intelligence, political prowess as well as a militar y strategist Just to spend some speaking with him would enrich my soul

Imperial named top university in the UK

I m pe r i al C ol le g e Lo n d on ha s cla imed the top spot in a new UK uni vers ity ran ki n g T he i n s t i tu t i o n h a s a lso b een hon oure d as the Un ivers ity of th e Ye ar in t h i s l e a g u e t a b l e , w h i c h

w as publis hed by the Daily Mai l

Imperial is commended for its "sustained excellence in all areas" and its comm i t m e n t t o s o c i a l i n c l usion, including providing

While Starmer caut i o n e d h i s c o l l e a g u e s against becoming complacent by reminding them that "not a single vote has been cast," shadow ministers noted a perceptible shift in t h e p a r t y 's m i n d s e t f r o m opposition to a posture of

Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer

readiness for power

On the other side of the p o l i t i c a l s p e c t r u m , i n

D o w n i n g St r e e t , R i s h i

Su n a k i s fo r m u l a t i n g t h e p o l i t i c a l s t r a t e g y fo r t h e upcoming season, anticipat-

i n g a s e r i e s o f Conser vative party conferences, parliamentar y b y - e l e c t i o n s , a n d s i gn i f i c a n t We s t m i n s t e r events in the autumn The contours of the fo r t h c o m i n g p o l i t i c a l contest became clearer with the government's a n n o u n c e m e n t o f a challenging by-election in the once-secure seat of Mid Bedfordshire, formerly h e l d b y To r y m i n i s t e r Na d i n e D o r r i e s T h i s b yelection is scheduled to take place on October 19

TUC to report G overnment's new strikes law to UN workers' rights watchdog

Th e Trades Union Congress ( T U C ) h a s an no u nc e d it s in te nt io n t o l o d ge a c o mp l a in t a ga in s t t h e Government with th e United N at io ns w o rker s ' ri gh t s watch dog o ver the controversial new s trike law

G e n e r a l S e c r e t a r y Pa u l Nowak stated that the case w i l l b e p r e s e n t e d t o t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l L a b o u r

Organisation (ILO) because the legislation, which aims to ensure minimum ser vice levels during strikes, "falls signif icantly short" of internat i o n a l l e g a l s t a n d a r d s Sp e a k i n g a t t h e T U C C o n g r e s s i n L i v e r p o o l , Mr Nowak described the new law as extremely problematic

Unions will voice their opposition to the legislation

in a debate on Monday, argui n g t h a t i t i s u n n e c e s s a r y, u n w o r k a b l e , a n d w i l l n o t contribute to resolving disp u t e s T h e G o v e r n m e n t i n t r o d u c e d t h i s l e g i s l a t i o n after a year of unprecedented i n d u s t r i a l a c t i o n i n v o l v i n g h u n d r e d s o f t h o u s a n d s o f w o r ke r s , i n c l u d i n g n u r s e s , teachers, civil ser vants, and railway staff

MP Tan Dhesi appointed as Shadow Treasury Minister

Labour M P Tan Dhesi has b een a p p o in ted as t h e S h a d o w Exc h equ e r S ec retary to th e Treasu ry, m a rki n g a s ig ni f ic a nt advancement in his political career This announcem ent w a s m ad e a s p ar t o f t h e p arty's Frontbench reshuffle Dhesi, with his wealth of knowledge and experience, d i s c u s s e d t h e c h a l l e n g e s a h e a d i n h i s n e w r o l e

“Given that the Tories are the biggest risk to our economic prosperity, there’s a lot to do to f ix the mess the Tories have left our public f inances in and build back our economy, ” he stated Dhesi also reflected on h i s p r e v i o u s r o l e a s t h e Shadow Railways Minister, a position he held for more than three years

He p o s s e s s e s a n E c o n o m i c s A-L e v e l , a

M a t h e m a t i c s d e g r e e , a

M a s t e r s i n A p p l i e d Statistics, and a background in running his own business

Keir Starmer's illegal migration crackdown aims to win over Tory voters

Sir Keir Starmer is set to l au nc h a n in i ti ati v e t h is week po sitioning L abour as th e p ar ty co m m it ted to addressing illeg al im migratio n

Eu r o p o l o f f i c i a l s i n T h e Hague on Wednesday to disc u s s L a b o u r 's s t r a t e g y against smuggling networks

s u b s t a n t i a l b u r s a r y s u pp o r t T h i s a c h i e v e m e n t adds to a series of accolades for the university, including its recognition as one of the world's top universities, r a n k i n g s i x t h i n t h e Q S World University Rankings for 2024

Imperial has also consistently ranked among the world s top 10 universities i n T h e T i m e s H i g h e r E d u c a t i o n Wo r l d University Rankings 2023 and was named University of the Year by the Guardian Un i v e r s i t y Gu i d e 2 0 2 3 Furthermore, the universit y r e c e n t l y a c h i e v e d i t s b e s t - e v e r r e s u l t s i n t h e UK's Research Excellence Fr a m e w o r k ( R E F ) a n d received high marks in the Na t io n a l St u d e nt Su r v e y, w h e r e i t r a n ke d s e c o n d among all Russell Group institutions for teaching

The Labour leader will p r e s e n t p l a n s t o c o m b a t criminal gangs involved in smuggling individuals into the UK and to enhance border control He is scheduled to meet with EU law agency

Furthermore, on Friday, he will attend a conference o f c e n t r e - l e f t l e a d e r s i n Montreal, aiming to assert t h a t r i g h t - w i n g p a r t i e s s h o u l d n o t d o m i n a t e t h e immigration discourse His g o a l i s t o s i g n a l t o t h e

Conser vatives that, as Rishi

Sunak's "stop the boats" plan faces challenges, Labour is prepared to tackle the issue of illegal immigration T h e p l a n s c o m e i n re s p o n s e t o R i s h i Su n a k s efforts during the G20 summit in India, where Sunak s o u g h t Eu r o p e a n s u p p o r t fo r p o l i c i e s r e s e m b l i n g Rw a n d a- s t yle d e p o r t a t io n s as a means to address illegal migration

Yousaf aims to rejuvenate the SNP with a £1 billion boost

Sco tland's f irst m inister is aiming to revitalise the cris i s- h i t S co tt i sh Nati o na l Party (S NP) with a leg islativ e agend a c entred on a substantial £ 1 billion boost in welfare spending

During the unveiling of t h e g o v e r n m e n t 's a n n u a l p r o g r a m , Hu m z a Yo u s a f a n n o u n c e d p l a n s t o a u gm e n t t h e s o c i a l s e c u r i t y budget by nearly one-f ifth, r e a c h i n g £ 6 3 b i l l i o n b y 2

T h i s i n c r e a s e includes an additional £400 million allocated for child

welfare payments to support

l o w -i n c o m e f a m i l i e s

Currently, these families are entitled to £25 per child per week

In light of the f inancial scandal that has overshadowed the SNP during his six

m o n t h s i n o f f i c e , Yo u s a f also outlined his intention to eliminate income thresholds for a program designed to assist pregnant women and families with children up to the age of three in purchasing healthy food

T h e f i r s t m i n i s t e r h a s

i n i t i a t e d a c o n s u l t a t i o n regarding the potential prohibition of single-use vape products, marking the latest effort to curb a product that has been implicated in exacerbating nicotine addiction among young individuals

Humza Yousaf

Finding faith in middle ground

On his recent visit to India during the G20 Summit PM Rishi Sunak said that he is “ a proud Hindu” and that his faith is important to him, where he draws strength from But on multiple occasions, he has made it clear that Britain is a multicultural society, and he is a British citizen after all But his ties and the growing popularity in the Indian, especially the Hindu community across the UK might just be the jackpot that the Tories need to fund their party before elections

The Labour-run government rejected the Chief Minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi’s visa on the pretext of Godhra violence allegations It was finally Conservative leader PM David Cameron who invited Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India into the UK, turning the tide and allegiance of Indians and Hindus – especially the British Gujaratis, who make the largest diaspora in the UK This was a driving force behind the shift in voting patterns

Jeremy Corbyn as the leader of the Labour Party, continued to oppose the UK’s friendship with Mr Modi, including initiating an EDM in the parliament to block his visit to the UK in 2015, which saw around 60,000 members of the diaspora welcoming PM Modi at the Wembley Stadium with a roar

In the present day, Labour Party leader, Sir Keir Starmer is taking a different and intelligent approach towards alluring this vote bank, especially the “rich” Indians When asked if it's fair to say that the relationship between the Labour Party in India has been challenging, maybe even prickly, Sir Starmer said, “There are lots of issues in the Labour Party where over the last two years, we have openly taken the decision to change our party to look out to the world in a different way And to recognise when it comes to India well to what an incredibly powerful country in the areas of authenticity going forward, and to ensure that we have the right relationship forward And that's why I want to be open about the (free) trade deal, which I hope we can negotiate “In our strategic partnership, it goes way beyond just the trade ”

While Conservatives have had their share of islamophobia allegations, it is perhaps now safe to say that, that bridge has perhaps been crossed Even PM Sunak’s love for his faith is independent of any other religion Britons are one unit, not divided or classified by what faith they practice We have Sajid Javid , Baroness Warsi , Tariq Mahmood Ahmad, Baron Ahmad of Wimbledon in key positions in the Conservative party Yet, in the light of anti-Hindu sentiment brewing in

t h e U K , r e c e n t l y , N a v e n d u M i s h r a , t h e M e m b e r o f Parliament for Stockport, has pushed the Government - and specifically, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities - to reveal what the latest trends are in levels of reported Hinduphobia Except for Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi and Preet Kaur Gill, it is worth questioning why the Labour Party hasn’t given Ministerial roles in the Cabinet r e s h u f f l e t o o t h e r I n d i a n M P s l i k e N a v e n d u M i s h r a , Virendra Sharma or Seema Malhotra? Labour have demoted Lisa Nandi

There have been so many attacks and protests around the Indian Mission in the UK by Khalistani forces, some allegedly provoked By Lord Nazir Ahmed, a former Labour peer, and a staunch supporter of Azad Kashmir and proudly anti-India, leading to a growing and justified resentment towards the Opposition leader’s ability to control its own party’s fractional tendencies, especially among their politicians

At the same time, in the home front, PM Sunak has many challenges for his party Cost of living especially as winter arrives is a major reason of worry among many 44% of retailers confirmed a decline in sales in August In 2022, there were 17,145 retail store closures – the highest in 5 years Whoever comes to power next year, or even the ruling party as well as the opposition right now, must come up with clear solutions to make sure everyone has food, shelter and heating this winter, not just as an election gimmick, but for the larger good of the economy that continues to fight inflation

Latest reports from the Office for National Statistics reveal that the pay growth has caught up with rising prices for the first time in nearly two years State pensions are set to rise by 8 5%, which would result in a weekly increase of £13 30 and an annual increase of £691 60 on the basic state pension The Chancellor might reasonably decide to suspend this, as it will otherwise reduce his room for manoeuvre in November This would, however, mean a lot of flak from opposition parties, lobbyists and many within his own ranks – not to mention twelve and a half million pensioners

G20 has shown the world what India is capable of UK Party conferences are around the corner and will pave the way for their manifestos Maintaining a relationship with India will be crucial before the 2024 general elections It’s up to the parties to find a middle ground which is beyond faith and most importantly, moved on from the past

How G20 shaped “Bharat” as a global phenomenon

India’s remarkable success as a G20 president, the foremost organisation for international economic cooperation, is evidence of the country s rising prominence on the world arena India has continually been a key player in influencing talks and policies on significant economic and geopolitical concerns since joining the group in 1999

For days India has been abuzz with rumours that official usage of the country's English name would be dropped PM Modi gave the biggest signal yet of a potential change in his opening address to the summit, seated behind a country nameplate labelled "Bharat" India and Bharat are both official names for the country under its constitution PM Modi himself typically refers to the nation as "Bharat", a word steeped in our age old tradition and dating back to ancient scriptures

India’s G20 Presidency has created a paradigm shift in global politics, and there is no denial to the fact that the Modi-led government has successfully articulated this opportunity to present its capacity as the bridge to the Global South It has achieved the impossible with the New Delhi declaration, the exclusive economic corridor to rival China, bio-fuel alliance and African Union India is being looked up to now by the entire world to combat terrorism, security threats, and economic recession and to promote diplomatic engagements, energy partnerships, climate change dialogues, and a more just global order

The Delhi Declaration is a positive step forward and a testament of the G20's and the world's citizens' shared commitment to cooperation in geopolitics, technology, innovation, business, investment, infrastructure, artificial intelligence (AI), environment, ecology, economy, poverty alleviation, and other areas The realisation of the goals of the Declaration will depend on several factors, including the political and moral will of the G20 member countries, the role of civil society, the availability of resources, and the continuous partnership at various platforms

The Corridor Initiative represents a visionary project that embodies India's strategic engagement on the global stage, particularly in the realm of economic cooperation and infrastructure development

By taking advantage of its role as G20 president, India hopes to usher in a new era of economic growth and connectivity that will not only benefit its own people but also the stability and prosperity of the wider region and beyond An India-Middle East-Europe economic corridor, including shipping and railway links, will be launched soon The first-of-its-kind economic corridor will be a historic initiative on cooper-

Thought for the week

Political Sketchbook

Alpesh Patel

Bharat’s Diplomacy at the G20

The G20 is about diplomacy The chief diplomat of the world's most populous nation, the 5th largest economy, and largest democracy, Jais hankar was asked who he considered the greates t diplomat of all time

His answer was Shree Krishna I write shortly after Janmasthami

I shall do as Oppenheimer did with his colleagues working in Government, and send my colleagues working in FCDO a copy of the Gita, central to understanding Krishna, and diplomacy

Some would say the greatest diplomat was Kissinger, or maybe Gandhiji Maybe Chanakya

Combining the principles of Gandhi (non-violence and truth), Kissinger (realpolitik and pragmatism), and Chanakya (statecraft and strategy), here are the top 10 lessons of diplomacy from Shree Krishna:

Princi ple of D harma: Krishna emphasized the importance of performing one s duty without attachment to the results In the realm of diplomacy, this means acting in the best interests of one's nation without being swayed by personal gains or losses

St ra te g i c R ea l i s m : L i k e K i s s i n g e r ' s r e a l p o l i t i k , Krishna believed in understanding the ground realities and acting accordingly He advised the Pandavas to form alliances and use strategy when direct confrontation was not in their favor

Art of Negotiation: Krishna's attempt to prevent the Kurukshetra war by negotiating with the Kauravas is a testament to his belief in dialogue and compromise, much like Chanakya's diplomatic tactics

N on-Violenc e as Strength: Drawing from Gandhi's principle of Ahimsa, Krishna taught that true strength lies not in physical might but in moral integrity and the ability to choose non-violence when possible

ation, connectivity, and infrastructure involving India, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, the EU, France, Italy, Germany, and the US

The G20 summit provided a forum for diplomatic activity and the development of relationships between the main economies In a series of bilateral talks, Prime Minister Narendra Modi strengthened diplomatic connections and discussed important areas of collaboration These meetings demonstrated India's dedication to creating solid international alliances in a range of fields, including clean energy, trade, and culture

During the customary trip-end news conference in Hanoi, US President Joe Biden raised the "importance of respecting human rights the vital role (of) civil society and a free press" in his bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi US officials have said they have not hesitated to raise these issues with their Indian counterparts, but not in the manner of one country lecturing the other but as a shared challenge India expressed "strong concerns" during a bilateral meeting with PM Justin Trudeau of Canada on the activities of proKhalistan radicals in inciting violence, while Canada discussed "foreign interference" during the meeting Earlier t h i s y e a r , C a n a d a ’ s N a t i o n a l S e c u r i t y A d v i s e r , J o d y Thomas, said that India was one of the top sources of foreign interference, a designation that the Canadian government had previously limited to authoritarian states like Iran, China, and Russia All these are part political

PM Trudeau belatedly left India after an aircraft breakdown forced a two-day extension A mechanical fault detected during pre-flight checks resulted in the grounding of his plane by the Canadian Armed Forces and he was stranded along with his entire delegation Sources revealed that the centre offered the services of Air India One However, Canada declined the offer and responded to the Indian government approximately six hours after the proposal was made, expressing their preference to wait for their own plane The G20 summit was a big moment on the world stage, giving the country an opportunity to work on global issues

India is confronted with a confluence of chances and problems, but because of its leadership skills and extraordinary global backing, there is a fresh optimism that the entire world will view us favourably The new India is the centre of attention at the moment, and we play a crucial role as the "Bharat: Mother of Democracy" and as the voice of the Global South

Pragmatic Approach: Krishna's advice to Arjuna to fight against his own kin, when necessary, mirrors Kissinger's belief in making tough decisions based on national interest

I ntellectual Diplomacy: Chanakya emphasised the power of knowledge in statecraft Similarly, Krishna used his wisdom to influence friends and foes alike, showcasing the importance of intellectual diplomacy

Moral Leadership: Krishna believed in leading by example His life, filled with acts of kindness, justice, and wisdom, serves as a guide for leaders to act with moral authority

B alance of Power: Just as Kissinger believed in maintaining a balance of power to ensure peace, Krishna advised the Pandavas to keep their allies close and maintain a balance in their relationships to prevent large-scale conflicts

S tr a te g i c A l li a n c e s : D r a w i n g f r o m C h a n a k y a ' s e m p h a s i s o n f o r m i n g a l l i a n c e s f o r m u t u a l b e n e f i t , Krishna's friendships with powerful kings and leaders showcase the importance of strategic partnerships in diplomacy

Uni versal B rotherhood: Much like Gandhi's vision of a world united in peace, Krishna believed in the interconnectedness of all beings and the importance of harmony and cooperation

Congratulations Bharat on a successful G20 Jai H ind

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“When you know better, you do better ” Maya Angelou.

Leicester's sari business closing after nearly 60 years

A family- owned business, Milans, w hich has been s elling traditional A s ia n dr e s s e s f o r n ea r l y s ix de cades , is s et to c lo s e as t he o wner p lans to retire

M i l a n s i n i t i a l l y o p e n e d i t s doors in the Highfields area of Leicester in 1964, aiming to meet t h e n e e d s o f n e w c o m e r s f r o m India and Pakistan Subsequently, i t r e l o c a t e d t o B e l g r a v e R o a d , now known as the Golden Mile, and became a popular destination for individuals seeking traditional Indian garments like saris

T h e s h o p ' s o w n e r , K i s h o r Chauhan, has decided it's time for him to "take it easy " Over the years, Milans has

served numerous families, includi n g m i g r a n t s f r o m K e n y a a n d Uganda, providing them with the a t t i r e t h e y n e e d e d

Mr Chauhan noted that many customers came with very little, and the shop met their requirements

I n 2 0 1 4 , t h e G o l d e n M i l e t e m p o r a r i l y c l o s e d t o a l l o w around 2,000 people to pay their respects to Mr Chauhan's son, Rakesh, an intelligence officer who tragically lost his life in an R A F h e l i c o p t e r c r a s h i n

Afghanistan

Even today, customers travel f r o m p l a c e s l i k e B i r m i n g h a m and Coventry to shop at Milans

Bin depot manager wins employment tribunal

A Birmingham bins depot mana ger who confronted a binman r efusing to compl y wit h a council policy has successfully won his e m p l oy me n t t r i b u n a l c a se a g a i n st t he ci t y co un c il Th e judge overseeing the ca se criticise d the actions of two senior coun cil office rs involv ed The incident stemmed from M a z a r D a d ' s a c t i o n s i n c o nfronting an insubordinate binman who repeatedly refused to comply with orders to sign for protective gear, as mandated by council policy Initially supported by his city council superiors in a d d r e s s i n g t h e w o r k e r ' s behaviour, the situation took a turn against Mr Dad when the

Ex-Metropolitan Police officers convicted of circulating racist slurs

F ive form er Metropolitan Police

o fficers have been convicted of sh aring "g rossly offensive racist m es sag es, " i nclu d ing m o cki ng

P rim e M inister Rishi S unak and o ther British Asian politicians

T he indiv iduals, Peter Booth , 66,

R o be rt L ew i s , 62 , A nth o n y Elsom , 67, A lan Hall, 65, and

T revor Lewton, 65, retired from

t h e U K s l arg es t p ol i ce f o rc e between 2001 and 2015, serving i n t h e P arl i am e nta ry an d

D i p lo m ati c P ro t ec ti o n

C omm and These officers shared offensive messages on a WhatsApp

g r o u p c a l l e d " O l d B o y s B e e r

Meet" between 2020 and 2022

The messages targeted various racial and ethnic groups, includi n g b l a c k p e o p l e , R o m a n i a n s ,

INSOLVENCY FIRMS MAY FACE CRACKDOWN

Priti Patel, and former Health S e c r e t a r y S a j i d J a v i d u n d e r a mocked-up street sign reading "Browning Street " B o o t h a d m i t t e d t o f o u r offenses, which included sharing a picture depicting the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip with a golliwog doll and making a joke about Pakistani flood victims Elsom shared an image on WhatsApp with mock s p e e c h b u b b l e s i m p l y i n g t h a t P r i n c e s s C a t h e r i n e h a d m a d e monkey noises at black children, a s r e p o r t e d b y t h e E v e n i n g Standard

Insolvency firms may soon face formal regulation for the first time, according to forthcoming reforms set to be unveiled next week However, these reforms will not fully fulfil the earlier commitment to establish a new watchdog Sources reveal that the Insolvency Service a division of the Department for Business and Trade will present proposals that would enable both firms and individuals to be penalised for misconduct Insiders suggest that an official statement could be issued as early as Monday This announcement from Whitehall follows almost two years since the initiation of a consultation aimed at laying the groundwork for an independent regulator to be integrated into the Insolvency Service

b i n m a n ' s r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s f r o m t h e U n i t e u n i o n t h r e a t e n e d action over the matter

J u d g e M a x w e l l h a s d e t e rmined that the council wronged Mr Dad, and the treatment he endured constituted harassment on racial grounds, direct racial d i s c r i m i n a t i o n , a n d u n l a w f u l deduction of his pay However, two additional claims of victimis a t i o n a n d h e a l t h a n d s a f e t y detriment were not substantiated Mr Dad, who had been a dedi c a t e d c o u n c i l e m p l o y e e f o r more than 30 years, was suspended for a duration of 18 months and endured depression and psychological trauma as a result

Officers accused of racist remarks against Malala

A form er detectiv e inspector has accused West Mid lands police p rotection officers, responsible f o r th e s af et y o f P ak is ta ni h u m an ri g h ts a ct iv i st M al al a Yo usafzai, of using dero gatory lang uag e towards her, as reported by the MailOnline

Rebecca Kalam alleges that t h e s e o f f i c e r s r e p e a t e d l y r e f e r r e d t o M a l a l a a s ' T i k k a Masala,' a highly offensive term

This troubling revelation is part of a series of allegations made by Kalam against the police force, i n c l u d i n g c l a i m s o f r a c i s m , m i s o g y n y , a n d a t o x i c w o r k environment K a l a m r e c e n t l y w o n a n

Malala Yousafzai

employment case against West Midlands Police and has now disclosed details of the distressing incidents she witnessed during her tenure In line to receive a record settlement for this type of case, she revealed that the police force has acknowledged a total of 75 allegations related to misconduct

Lawyer denies cover-up plot in fatal crash involving young boys

The b rother of a reckles s driver who ca us ed the de aths of tw o y oung b oys vehemen tly denied i nvolvem ent in a s inis ter coveru p s c h e m e a f te r t h e tr a g i c c rash

Mohammed Adil Khan, a lawyer, refuted any claims that h e p l a y e d a p i v o t a l r o l e i n

devising a plan to shield his brother, Mohammed Sullaiman Khan, from legal consequences following the fatal collision

M o h a m m e d S u l l a i m a n Khan, behind the wheel of an Audi A3, was alleged to have b e e n d r i v i n g a t d a n g e r o u s l y h i g h s p e e d s b e f o r e c o l l i d i n g with a BMW, resulting in the

t r a g i c d e a t h s o f 1 0 - y e a r - o l d

Sanjay Singh and 23-month-old

Pawanveer Singh Prosecutors argue that family and friends devised a strategy to conceal Mohammed Sullaiman Khan's involvement following the incid e n t o n B i r m i n g h a m N e w

Road in Wolverhampton

W h i l e t e s t i f y i n g , M o h a m m e d A d i l K h a n a c k n o w l e d g e d f e e l i n g o v e r -

w h e l m e d o n t h e d a y o f t h e crash due to both professional a n d f a m i l i a l p r e s s u r e s However, he firmly denied any participation in a conspiracy to s h i e l d h i s b r o t h e r f r o m

accountability

C h i n e s e i n d i v i d u a l s , a n d

Muslims Robert Lewis posted these messages, with a message

f e a t u r i n g a p h o t o o f R i s h i Sunak, former Home Secretary

T h e s e n t e n c i n g f o r t h e s e individuals is set for November 6, and they have been released until then Another individual, Michael Chadwell, 62, appeared i n W e s t m i n s t e r M a g i s t r a t e s ' C o u r t , p l e a d e d n o t g u i l t y t o sending offensive messages, and is also expected to stand trial on the same date

Tributes to pilot who selflessly saved children from Welsh waterfall

T ributes have poured in for a p i lot w h o m ad e the ulti m ate sacrifice to rescue two ch ild ren from a Welsh w aterfall Mohananeethan Muruganantharaja, 27, tragically lost his life last week while saving his two young nieces from the dang e r o u s c u r r e n t s o f S g w d Y Pannwr falls at Ystradfellte, as reported by The Telegraph

The heart-wrenching incident unfolded on a Friday afternoon when Muruganantharaja, upon spotting his nieces in distress, selflessly leaped into the water without hesitation to rescue them

His niece recounted the harr o w i n g m o m e n t , s a y i n g , " M y uncle came in to pull us out one by one " While he successfully

MENTAL HEALTH DETERIORATES AMID CREDIT CRUNCH

Researchers discovered that nearly half of individuals aged 25 to 34 reported a decline in their mental health, coinciding with a sharp increase in rental prices, the highest since 2016 According to the Office for National Statistics the average rental prices in the UK surged by 5 3 percent in the year leading up to July A majority of renters 65 percent belong to the 16 to 34 age group Creditspring emphasised the urgent requirement for more extensive financial assistance and mental health resources to tackle this escalating crisis, especially among younger generations Their research also revealed that 36 percent of individuals aged 25 to 34 reported that their mental health had reached its lowest point due to financial concerns

CARIBBEAN NATIONS TO DEMAND SLAVERY REPARATIONS FROM

r e s c u e d h i s n i e c e s f r o m t h e swiftly moving river, he, unfort u n a t e l y , g o t c a u g h t i n t h e r e l e n t l e s s c u r r e n t h i m s e l f Tragically, the pilot, originally from Sri Lanka, was unable to reach the safety of the riverbank a n d d i s a p p e a r e d f r o m s i g h t , leaving his family and onlookers in shock and anguish

Terrorism suspect faces charges for escaping from prison

D an i el K h al if e ap p ea red i n W es tm i n st er M ag i s tra tes ’

C ourt, where h e faced charg es r el ate d to h is e sc ap e f ro m p rison, leading to his remand in custody

K h a l i f e r e p o r t e d l y u s e d a

m a t e r i a l t h a t m a y h a v e b e e n sourced from "bed sheets" to secure himself beneath a van when he made his prison escape last week, as revealed in court T h e s u s p e c t e d t e r r o r i s t ' s

c a p t u r e o c c u r r e d o n a w e s t

London canal towpath at 10:41 AM on Saturday when a plainclothes counter-terrorism officer pulled him off a bicycle His apprehension marked the end of a 75-hour nationwide land and air manhunt following his disappearance from the prison on Wednesday

Prior to his alleged escape,

ROYAL FAMILY

Caribbean nations are in the process of drafting official letters requesting an apology and reparations from the British royal family for their involvement in slavery National reparations commissions within the region are also preparing to approach Lloyd s of London and the Church of England seeking financial restitution and reparative measures for their historical roles in the slave trade These commissions are currently finalising their letters and intend to dispatch them to the respective institutions by the close of this year Earlier in the year, it was revealed that the direct ancestor of King Charles III and the royal family had purchased and exploited enslaved individuals on tobacco plantations in Virginia

RANGOLI RADIO’S NEW STUDIO IN LEEDS

Khalife had been on remand at H M P W a n d s w o r t h , f a c i n g c h a r g e s r e l a t e d t o t e r r o r i s m offenses dating back to January H i s p r i s o n b r e a k h a s d r a w n attention to deficiencies in the facility, with the chief inspector of prisons advocating for its closure

Rangoli Radio a community radio service based in Leeds is dedicated to serving the diaspora and fostering community unity With over 700 diverse shows and a team of 38 trained presenters, the station reaches more than eight thousand listeners in 158 countries worldwide Taking another significant stride towards success, the radio, initially launched as an online station during the pandemic, recently unveiled its inaugural studio at White Rose Park in Leeds The studio's grand opening attracted over 100 attendees, including radio hosts, community leaders, and notable figures like Consul General of India, Birmingham, Dr Shashank Vikram, who participated remotely

Mohananeethan Muruganantharaja

Daniel Khalife

Back to school

Shefali Saxena

S chools will alw ays be d ear to So uth Asians It’s not just about education, school is a n exp eri enc e and a li fech anging place for children S o u t h A s i ans o f te n m o r e f o nd ly s p ea k a bo u t t h ei r scho oling th an their h igher e d u c ati o n i n st it u ti o ns Which scho ol you went to is a more sensitiv e and priv ate topi c of d ebate than anything else

Our culture and personality are a product of what we learn at school - which goes beyond just textbooks As children start school in the UK, Asian Voice reached o u t t o p a r e n t s t o t e l l u s about their thought process of sending their children to school, some of them more fondly are sending kids to the school they themselves went to Speaking to Asian Voice, Solicitor and Founder

WYN Legal Pranav Bhanot

MBE said, “My son (Veer) s t a r t e d s c h o o l l a s t w e e k which was the same school I attended 31 years ago and the same school my siblings a t t e n d e d S c h o o l f o r m s a pivotal part of the development of young children and t h e r e f o r e f o r m e i t w a s important my wife and I felt comfortable with where our son, Veer, was going to go I w a s l o o k i n g f o r a s c h o o l w h i c h b e l i e v e d i n s t r o n g academics but also building well-rounded children with a variety of interests and

An insight in the UK concrete crisis

Many studen ts in the Un ited Kingdom have not experienced a typic al "bac k to school " this

September

hobbies It was an emotional time when we had to say goodbye to our child at the school gate to drop him off I sometimes think it is more d i f f i c u l t f o r t h e p a r e n t s compared to the children ” “ H o w e v e r w e l i k e t h e school and the other children seem friendly We have organised a class mixer next w e e k w h e r e t h e c h i l d r e n a n d t h e i r p a r e n t s c a n a l l m e e t W e h o p e t h i s g o e s well I think South Asians have inherited a hardworking culture from earlier gene r a t i o n s J u s t o u r p a r e n t s worked hard to give us the best possible start in life, the N e w g e n e r a t i o n o f S o u t h Asian parents want to do the same, ” he added B h a n o t a l s o s a i d ,

“Therefore a decent schooling education is fundamental in giving our children the best start I am happy for my child to choose any career path that suits them, but I would like to know that we have done what we can to give our child the opportunity to choose ”

Axiom Ince owner admits to using £64m of client’s money

Axiom Inc e s f orm er m anagin g pa r t n e r a c k n owl ed g e d that the £64 mill ion taken from the cl ie nt acc ount had already ess entially vanished

In response to a lawsuit m a d e a g a i n s t h i m b y t h e c o m p a n y t h i s m o n t h , P r a g n e s h M o d h w a d i a s u bm i t t e d a n a f f i d a v i t s t a t i n g that client funds were used to purchase Ince and Plexus

L a w e a r l y t h i s y e a r

Additionally, six properties were bought with the money, a n d s e v e n m o r e h a d c o nstruction expenses covered

He informed the court that his current assets now total tens of thousands of pounds Mr Justice Michael Green increased the freezing order against Modhwadia to £64m

Trio's cocaine enterprise crumbled

T hree men who fo ught when a vehicle carrying c o c a i ne w o rt h £2 mil lio n o u t o f S h r o p s h i r e was intercepted o n th e M 6 received a co mbined 28 years in prison '

Doting parent' Tayyab I q b a l u s e d a f a k e f r o z e n food company as a 'cover' to s m u g g l e c l a s s - A n a r c o t i c s into a Bridgnorth industrial facility Accomplices when t h e y w e r e a p p r e h e n d e d ,

Andrew Worby and Onasis

Depass were transporting 25 b l o c k s o f c o m p r e s s e d cocaine powder from Iqbal's lair to their intended loca-

Due to the installation of a concrete type that could unexpectedly collapse, more than 150 schools across the country have been forced to close entirely or partially Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, or RAAC, is a lightweight building material that was utilised in the UK and other countries from the 1950s to the mid-

1990s

It has recently been determined to be susceptible to collapsing and is found not only in schools but also in hospitals, airports, apartment buildings, theaters, and other public structures

The British government has come under

intense criticism for how they have handled the crisis, and ministers in Scotland and England have been charged with months-long evidence-covering

Gillian Keegan, the UK's education secretary, was compelled to apologise earlier this week after making "offthe-cuff" comments on television while venting her exasperation about the situation of cracking concrete in schools

The National Audit Office (NAO), the UK's spending watchdog, had

already highlighted the expense and complexity required in solving the issue before the RAAC controversy and the much-maligned government's response came to the fore

The government has since pledged to entirely reconstruct seven "structurally unsound" hospitals constructed with RAAC, but after the response from parliament, both parents and political opponents are incensed, with some claiming it was "too slow" and "doesn't go far enough "

tion in Yorkshire The carel e s s d r u g d e a l e r s h a d n o idea that National Crime Agency (NCA) agents were w a t c h i n g t h e m a s t h e y moved the expensive narcotics I q b a l , a B i r m i n g h a m resident, received a 16-year sentence today Worby and D e p a s s , b o t h o f S h i p l e y , West Yorkshire, received six years apiece in prison

Pranav, his wife Shefali and their son Veer

Gillian Keegan

From L to R: Andrew Worby, Tayyab Iqbal, Onasis Depass

Labours receive over £6 million from private donors

T he largest indiv idual contribution to th e main opposition party in the last quarter am ounted to £3 million, c o u rt es y o f L o rd Da v i d S ai ns bu ry, as rep o rted b y the Electo ral Co mm ission T h i s g e ne ro u s d o na ti o n bring s Sainsbury's to tal contributions to the p arty to £ 5 m illion in the p ast year Sainsbury, who had prev i o u s l y b e e n a s i g n i f i c a n t d o n o r t o L a b o u r d u r i n g their last tenure in power and served as a minister in T o n y B l a i r s g o v e r n m e n t f r o m 1 9 9 8 t o 2 0 0 6 , d i st a n c e d h i m s e l f f r o m t h e party after their defeat in the 2010 election and their shift towards the left

Labour is currently leading the Conservatives by 18 points in opinion polls in anticipation of an upcoming general election, likely to be held next year

Labour's leader, Sir Keir Starmer, has actively sought t o r e b a l a n c e t h e p a r t y ' s financial support away from trade unions, traditionally their primary backers, who c o n t r i b u t e d a t o t a l o f

Rishi Sunak to oppose ban on children changing gender

Lord David Sainsbury

£ 8 9 6 , 0 0 0 i n t h e s e c o n d quarter The party's other significant source of income i s t h e f e e s p a i d b y i t s

400,000 members

In total, Labour raised £10 5 million in the second quarter, which included a boost of £2 9 million from o p p o s i t i o n p a r t y t a x p a y e r grants

L a b o u r a l s o r e c e i v e d £ 2 2 m i l l i o n d u r i n g t h i s t i m e f r a m e f r o m G a r y Lubner, the former head of car windscreen repair comp a n y A u t o g l a s s , w h i c h helped surpass the party's total income from individua l s d u r i n g t h e p e r i o d , e x c e e d i n g t h e £ 6 m i l l i o n raised in 2022

Burglar threatens Smethwick homeowner with 'gun' for cash and bank cards

A mard eep Rana, a burglar, entered a family's hom e in S methw ick and threatened the homeowner with what h e claim ed to be a firearm d u ri ng a n ea rly m o rn in g intrusion O n M a r c h 2 4 o f t h i s year, the 34-year-old stole bank cards and cash during the break-in However, he was swiftly apprehended by the police, who were able to identify him through CCTV f o o t a g e a n d f i n g e r p r i n t s f o u n d a t t h e s c e n e S u b s e q u e n t i n v e s t i g a t i o n s r e v e a l e d t h a t t h e s t o l e n bank cards were used at two n e a r b y c a s h m a c h i n e s o n the same day Upon a swift review of CCTV footage, it b e c a m e e v i d e n t t h a t Amardeep Rana, residing on S h o w e l l G r e e n L a n e ,

Rishi Sunak is anticipated to op pose pro posed legal meas u re s th at w o u ld p re v en t sc ho olchi ldren from altering their gend er id entity, a m ov e th at h as sp a rke d w a rn in g s t h at t h e C onserv ative P arty m ay find itself on th e "wrong side of h istory "

The draft guidance proposed that children should have the option to socially transition with the consent o f t h e i r p a r e n t s , a l l o w i n g them to select a different pronoun or name and wear a t t i r e a s s o c i a t e d w i t h t h e opposite gender

M i n i s t e r s s o u g h t l e g a l counsel on the feasibility of imposing an outright ban on social transitioning within s c h o o l s A t t o r n e y - G e n e r a l Victoria Prentis concluded that such an action would b e i n v i o l a t i o n o f t h e Equalities Act

T h e g o v e r n m e n t h a s been deliberating whether to include a bill in the King's Speech to empower ministers to strengthen the guidance and implement a total b a n H o w e v e r , c o n c e r n s persist that the legislation m a y u n d e r g o s i g n i f i c a n t amendments as it progresses through parliament, with input from MPs and peers representing various positions in the debate

The guidance has been a c o n t e n t i o u s t o p i c w i t h i n the government, with Home Secretary Suella Braverman and Women and Equalities

M i n i s t e r K e m i B a d e n o c h advocating for a more string e n t a p p r o a c h M i n i s t e r s have expressed worries that this approach might provide schools with the grounds to discipline teachers who do not adhere to a child's chosen gender identity

Solicitors aiding an unregistered barrister in client theft face strike-off

Tw o so li c it o r s , Pr in ce Fo m ba G o ba a n d W a qa s Ha s sa n , w h o a ss is t e d a n un r e g i st e r e d b a r r i st e r i n d e fr a ud i n g c li e n t s o f £ 17 2 , 0 0 0 , h a v e h a d t h e i r license s r evok ed O p e r a t i n g u n d e r P G Solicitors trading as Edward Marshall, Goba and Hassan allowed a total of £172,320 to b e t r a n s f e r r e d t o a b a n k account controlled by Yawar Ali Shah without the requisite authorisation from the c l i e n t s i n v o l v e d T h e s e

u n a u t h o r i s e d p a y m e n t s were carried out in 14 transa c t i o n s s p a n n i n g f r o m S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 9 t o A p r i l 2021, as revealed during the S o l i c i t o r s D i s c i p l i n a r y Tribunal proceedings Yawar Ali Shah, who was called to the bar in 2006 but did not undergo pupillage, had prev i o u s l y b e e n c o n v i c t e d i n July 2013 at St Albans Crown Court on two counts of cons p i r a c y t o d e f r a u d H e received an 18-month prison sentence for his offenses

Moseley, was the individual captured on camera during b o t h i n c i d e n t s C o n s e q u e n t l y , h e w a s arrested within days During this period, the police also o b t a i n e d f i n g e r p r i n t e v idence from a notepad found a t t h e b u r g l e d r e s i d e n c e

Subsequently, Rana admitted guilt to charges of aggravated burglary and fraud

Public spending watchdog to probe setbacks in multimillionpound pensions project

T he Natio nal Aud it Office

( NA O) w ill investigate th e s u b st ant ia l d ela ys i n t h e g o v er nm e nt' s P en si o ns Dashboard project, now set to be introduced seven years beh ind sch ed ule and at a sig nificant cost to taxpayers Responding to a request f r o m L a b o u r M P N i c k Smith, the NAO confirmed its intention to initiate a " r e s p o n s i v e i n v e s t i g a t i o n " by year-end, as revealed in a l e t t e r o b t a i n e d b y

PoliticsHome The Pensions Dashboard Programme was o r i g i n a l l y p r o p o s e d b y D a v i d C a m e r o n ' s

Janmashtami celebrations in Manchester

'K ris hna Janmas htami,' ce lebrating Lord Krishna's birth, is a highl y anticipat ed f estival at M anchester's Gita Bhavan Hi n du t e m p l e O ve r 40 0 attendees rec ently gather ed f or th is e v en t , w hi c h ha s b ee n a t r a di t io n a t G it a Bh a va n f or n e a rl y t wo dec ades

an initial plan for a functional prototype by Spring 2017 and an industry deadline set for 2019 Despite s e v e r a l p e n s i o n s c h e m e s claiming readiness to contribute data by 2020, the program's delivery was postponed to 2023 and then furt h e r d e l a y e d t o O c t o b e r

2 0 2 6 T h e M o n e y a n d Pensions Service (MaPS) has been allocated £91 1 million f o r p r o g r a m d e l i v e r y b e t w e e n t h e f i s c a l y e a r s 2019/20 and 2024/25, with £ 4 5 3 m i l l i o n a l r e a d y expended Faced with these persistent setbacks, Smith urged the NAO to conduct an investigation

Led by community member Amita Tandon, the cele-

bration has engaged generat i o n s o f c h i l d r e n i n s k i t s , dances, singing, and other performances Planning for this grand occasion begins months in advance, involving program design, local artist collaboration, and child part i c i p a t i o n R e h e a r s i n g dances, songs, and outfit dist r i b u t i o n a r e c r u c i a l s t e p s leading up to the main event

Pakistan police detain Sara Sharif's father's relatives

Police in Pakis tan are interro ga ti n g e x te n d ed fa m i l y memb ers of Sara Sharif, a 10-year-old girl who tragically passed away S a r a ' s f a t h e r , U r f a n Sharif, aged 41, and his partner, Beinash Batool, aged 29, absconded from the UK t o P a k i s t a n j u s t o n e d a y before Sara was discovered deceased and unattended in their residence in Woking,

Surrey, in August In Jehlum, located 108 miles northwest of Lahore, a u t h o r i t i e s h a v e a p p r ehended Muhammad Sharif, Urfan's father, along with U r f a n ' s s i b l i n g s a n d c o u s i n s A p o l i c e s p o k e s p e r s o n c o n f i r m e d the detention of ten close r e l a t i v e s f o r q u e s t i o n i n g and ongoing investigation purposes

Ketan Dattani

The Pathway to a Sustainable Business: For a Greener Future

ManySouth Asian cultures maintain traditional practices in harmony with the environment, inspiring us to prioritise long-term ecological balance and the interconnectedness between humans and the natural world

But how can we integrate sustainability into business strategy and operations?

In an era marked by consequential environmental concerns and climate change, the concept of sustainable business has gained significant traction Businesses worldwide are realising the imperative to shift their practices towards sustainability to mitigate environmental impacts and also to ensure long-term success in a changing global landscape It is imperative to highlight key strategies that companies can adopt to drive positive environmental, social, and economic outcomes

Sustainable business, often referred to as "green business" or "eco-friendly business," is a multifaceted approach that seeks to balance economic growth with environmental protection and social responsibility The goal is to minimise negative environmental impacts, conserve resources, promote social equity, and maintain financial viability over the long term It involves integrating sustainable practices across all aspects of a business, from operations and supply c h a i n m a n a g e m e n t t o p r o d u c t d e s i g n a n d c u s t o m e r engagement

One of the core tenets of sustainable business is minimising environmental impact This can involve reducing carbon emissions, conserving energy and water, minimising waste generation and adopting sustainable sourcing practices By implementing renewable energy sources, optimising supply chain logistics to reduce transportation emissions and embracing circular economy principles are all solutions businesses can contribute to a healthier planet The importance of social equity and inclusivity is also a factor From fair labour practices and community engagem e n t t o d i v e r s i t y a n d i n c l u s i o n i n i t i a t i v e s T r e a t i n g employees ethically by ensuring fair wages, fostering a safe and inclusive work environment, businesses can enhance their reputation and contribute to a more equitable society

Sustainable business must consider maintaining economic viability This requires careful financial planning, risk management, and innovation Investing in sustainable technologies and practices can lead to cost savings in the long run, while opening up new markets and revenue streams

At the heart of sustainable business lies the concept of the triple bottom line, which emphasises three interconnected pillars: people, planet, and profit These pillars guide businesses in making smart and sustainable decisions After considering these dimensions, companies can create value for stakeholders beyond just financial returns

Strategies must be created in order to become a sustainable business Innovation is fundamental for companies, they should continuously seek out opportunities to develop eco-friendly products, services, and processes Embracing sustainable design principles, such as using recyclable or biodegradable materials, can lead to reduced environmental impacts and increased customer appeal

Resource efficiency is a key driver of sustainability Businesses can adopt strategies such as energy-efficient manufacturing processes, waste reduction techniques and water conservation measures Implementing these practices can be beneficial in cutting operational costs

Collaboration with suppliers and organisations is crucial for sustainable success Companies must start selecting environmentally responsible suppliers, organisations in the public and private sectors, then working closely with them to improve their sustainability practices This will lead to a positive influence with a wider network of stakeholders

Openly communicating about sustainability efforts and progress is essential Transparent and honest reporting on environmental, social and governance (ESG) metrics can build trust among customers, investors, and the public Independent certifications and labels can also validate a company's commitment to sustainability

Even your employees can play a vital role in driving sustainable practices within an organisation Businesses can develop a culture of sustainability by providing training, encouraging employee involvement in sustainability initiat i v e s a n d r e c o g n i s i n g a n d r e w a r d i n g e c o - f r i e n d l y behaviour Reducing water consumption and minimising the use of single plastic packaging can be a great start

The shift towards sustainable business practices is not just a trend; it's a necessity for the well-being of our planet and future generations By embracing the triple bottom line approach and implementing strategies for environmental, social, and economic sustainability, businesses can position themselves as leaders in a rapidly changing world Through innovation and collaboration, sustainable businesses have the power to create lasting positive impacts while securing their own long-term success

Amardeep Rana

PRODUCED IN ASSOCIATION WITH HM GOVERNMENT

NHS IS RECRUITING THE NEXT GENERATION OF ITS INSPIRATIONAL STAFF

Join the NHS to begin a meaningful career with excellent benefits and be the difference you want

Rupanjana Dutta

The NHS offers amazing opportunities to be a part of its inspiring team and kick start an illustrious career. With more than 350 varied and rewarding roles to choose from, the UK Government’s investment in better pay, and one of the UK’s best pension plans, the NHS offers you an opportunity to make a real difference to people’s lives every day. The NHS is currently recruiting for entry level healthcare support workers, degree level nursing, allied health professionals and many such job openings across England. To find your ideal role, visit the NHS ‘Health Careers’ website and sign up to receive more information.

The NHS is Britain’s single biggest employer, offering more than 350 exciting, varied, valued, and rewarding roles. Whatever your skill, potential, qualification or interest, there is an opportunity for you in the NHS. You could work directly with patients, in hospitals, ambulance trusts or in the community, develop skills, become an expert or be a part of a unique multi-disciplinary team.

Working with NHS has its perks. Besides the feeling of making a true difference to someone’s life, it offers competitive salaries, opportunity of career progression as well as wellbeing support, if needed.

For example, as a newly qualified nurse, you will earn a minimum of £28,407 at band 5. And you can apply for up to £8,000 a year to help fund your studies. Since September 2020 a new, non-repayable training grant has been available. This is at least £5,000 per academic year for nursing and midwifery courses and further funding of up to £3,000 per academic year for eligible students. Healthcare support workers earn a starting salary of £22,383. There may also be opportunities to earn additional payments for working on-call, overtime, or unsocial hours.

You will also enjoy one of the best pension schemes in the UK with your employer contributing the equivalent of an extra 20.6% of your salary to help meet the costs of your pension benefit.

Nina is the eldest of four siblings, and her sister is following in her footsteps and is training to be a doctor.

Growing up in Coventry, Nina looked after her ageing grandparents, which made her realise that she could choose nursing as a career option. “When I finished my A-levels, I first didn’t know what I wanted to do. But our dad had instilled the importance of education, hard work, and perseverance in us, so I thought that nursing could be a beneficial and rewarding career for me. I did a BSc in Adult Nursing at the University of Stirling before I moved back home and started a job as a cardiac nurse in Coventry,” she said. “I worked clinically as a nurse for eight years, and I worked my way up the ranks. I used to work in the cardiology wards, coronary care unit and in the Cath Lab. Then I

did further training and worked for two years as a Cardiac Nurse Practitioner, including in the A&E.”

Talking about opportunities in the NHS and job satisfaction she added, “There are so many different avenues that nursing offers. It’s not just all clinical. You can go into leadership roles, management, improvement, patient safety - there are so many possibilities.

“Delivering care to patients is an absolute privilege. The teamwork is second to none and there is no day that are the same. As a cardiac nurse, I loved spending time with patients and delivering excellent care. It was so

rewarding to witness their recovery, and it usually happens so quickly, right in front of your eyes. It’s also about being a role model, delivering day-to-day care and training other junior members of staff – all of which are so important along the way. My new role is also about inspiring staff and empowering them to want to make a bigger difference!”

In her current role Nina works with the whole multidisciplinary team in the organisation, both clinical and nonclinical. “I’ve done quality improvement projects within my nursing career, and I also did a secondment with NHS Horizon,” she said. “I worked at national level for six months, looking at large-scale changes and how they were implemented, and how policies were created and delivered to local organisations. I really enjoyed that. And I also did six months to coordinate with the Kaizen Promotion office team, which was about care improvement. But this was locally led and all about empowering the people that worked on the wards to deliver care. It

was amazing to have both opportunities at the same time, to really seek how we could deliver better services for patients and how I could personally do more to empower other staff that I worked alongside.”

When asked what she loved about her job, Nina added with a smile, “Being able to facilitate and change people’s thinking. It is quite difficult to change things that have always been done in a certain way. We’re working with human behaviour here and that can be challenging at times, but it’s very rewarding when you bring people together and deliver better care for patients.”

Besides her current role in the NHS, Nina is also actively involved in the community and is trying to raise awareness about cardiac health within the Asian community. She explained, “My role as a cardiac nurse involved being on call for patients that had heart attacks. And I found that there were a lot of younger patients, between 30 to 45 years, and they were of Asian descent. So, I reached out to British Sikh Nurses, teamed up with

other member nurses and organised cardiovascular health education and CPR training for the community to ‘restart their heart’. We go to local Gurdwaras (Sikh temples) and deliver CPR workshops and cardiovascular health education programmes and we’ve probably so far delivered this training to around 100 people.”

Encouraging others to join the NHS, she concluded by saying, “Take the opportunity and remember no question is a silly question. If there are things that you don’t know, there are professional courses and conferences that you can attend. There are always people around you who have been through similar situations.

“No matter what level you are in, you are always going to face challenges. But the most important thing is to persevere, because it’s only through challenges that you will receive bigger rewards.”

30-year-old Nina Jaspal is a Kaizen Promotion Office Specialist and a former Cardiac Nurse Practitioner at the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust.

to see.

“Only through challenges, you receive bigger rewards”

KRISHNA JANMASHTAMI CELEBRATIONS AT NEASDEN TEMPLE

T he birth celebrations of Shri Krishna B hag w an w ere d ev ou tly o bserv ed at

B A P S S h r i S w am i n ara yan M a nd i r,

L ond on (popu larly known as ‘Neasden

T em ple’)

Changing or Leaving Your Job

Rohit Vadhwana

Shri Krishna Bhagwan – a popular deity for Hindus around the world –manifested on Earth on the Hindu calendrical day of Shravan Vad 8 The festival marking his birth this year fell on Thursday 7 September and was celebrated with a host of devotional festivities

Devotees and visitors arrived at the Mandir throughout the day to offer their prayers and respects as well as gently swing the image of Shri Krishna Bhagwan that is ceremoniously placed on a birth cradle on this day As per trad i t i o n , a g r a n d o f f e r i n g o f f o o d

( ‘ a n n a k u t ’ ) w a s a r r a n g e d b e f o r e t h e

shrines in the upper sanctum

During the festive assembly mark-

i n g t h e a u s p i c i o u s o c c a s i o n o f S h r i

K r i s h n a J a n m a s h t a m i , Y o g v i v e k d a s

Swami, head swami at Neasden Temple, addressed the congregation, speaking about the timeless teachings of Shri Krishna Bhagwan from the Shrimad

CB Patel, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Asian Voice-Gujarat Samachar visited the Neasden Temple on Krishna Janmashtami celebrations along with guests Deepakbhai Panchal and Kunjan Head of Neasden Temple YogvivekdasJi Swami Sadhu Prabuddhamunidasji gifted books to CB and the team explaining the values and morals attached to them

Bhagavad Gita He particularly drew upon the relationship between Arjuna and Shri Krishna Bhagwan and how the Gita’s wisdom can be applied to everyday living for greater purpose and spiritual fulfilment

C h i l d r e n , y o u t h s a n d s w a m i s marked the divine birth of Shri Krishna Bhagwan with the arti followed by the joyous swinging of the cradle accompanied with vibrant devotional singing to bring the festivities to a close

Janmashtami Mela at Navnat showcased the best of culture and cuisine

On a h ot and su nny Sunday, Nav nat Vanik A sso ciatio n had a su ccessfu l and entertaining Janmashtami Mela It w as open and free to all and was attended by over 1, 200 people around the day Th ere were o ver 50 stalls covering trav el, education, Indian fo od and fashion, jewellery, beauty prod ucts, Indian street food, drinks, ice go las and ice cream

The kids’ zone had games, candy floss, face-painting and two bouncy castles for children A marquee allowed our guests to sit comfortably and enjoy the variety show on the big stage

T h e e v e n t w a s a t t e n d e d b y t h e M a y o r o f H i l l i n g d o n C l l r S h e h r y a r A h m a d - W a l l a n a a n d t h e M a y o r o f

Harrow Cllr Ramji Chauhan, Publisher and Editor-in- Chief of Asian Voice and G u j a r a t S a m a c h a r C B P a t e l , B o b

B l a c k m a n M P a n d M i n i s t e r

C o o r d i n a t i o n H i g h C o m m i s s i o n o f

India Deepak Chaudhary

Janmashtami was celebrated in the evening and included Krishana Janam, Nandbhao and Raas Leela Matki Fod ritual, which was enjoyed by many people, especially the children, who broke the sweets-filled colourful clay pots and

L-R: Dilipbhai Mithani President Navnat Vanik Association, David Holden, Mamta Tolia, Ketan Adani, Mayor of Harrow Cllr Ramji Chauhan MP Bob Blackman, Mayor of Hillingdon Cllr Shehryar Ahmad-Wallana CB Patel Rameshbhai Shah Jashwantbhai Doshi, Mahesh Liloriya and Nitinbhai Parekh

then enjoyed the fruits of their labour!

Haresh Sanghavi, Shirish Mithani and Rameshbhai Shah were Janmashtami

Mela Coordinators Garba and Zumba d a n c e s w e r e c h o r e o g r a p h e d b y Kalpanaben Vote of thanks was given by Navnat President Dilipbhai Mithani

Anumbe r of surve ys and a dv ertising e mails end up in your ma ilbox, a dv ising you to quit your job a nd d o wh at you lov e The y cry at a h ig h p i t ch f o r yo u t o r e a l ise h o w unhap py you ar e in th e jo b, and why you ne ed t o take yo ur f ut ur e into you r own ha nd s No t com ple t el y wr ong More and mor e pe ople are rep orting to be unhap py at the ir jobs Dissat isfa ction in a ca ree r is also a signif icant rea so n for unha ppiness in p ersonal lif e It is a pr eva le nt scena rio a nd th e situ ation is wo rsening Wha t a bo ut you? Ar e you also f acing su ch questions about ha ppine ss in your job?

The first wisdom that anyone should be aware of is that a job is only a part of their life, not the life Changing a job is not like changing your parents Leaving a company is not like abandoning your family Therefore, if you ever feel to change or leave your job, it does not need to be a moral dilemma for you However, why are you changing the job is an important aspect which needs more consideration than only a nudge through marketing emails The feeling of being bored, or not having anything new to do in your job - cannot be valid reasons since it can happen in any job, and if you give it encouragement, it can happen rather more frequently

Job needs to be taken as a job Changing it or being in it should be more pragmatic than a sentimental decision The purpose of being in any profession is to earn money, improve the lifestyle, and get good social status that comes with the work It can also provide a sense of 'work satisfaction' and 'service to the society or nation' It is nothing more It is not your life It should not become your identity If your job is lacking in any of them, you might need to reconsider it It should not interfere with your life, in terms of time or energy

A f e w p e r t i n e n t q u e s t i o n s t h a t p e o p l e s h o u l d answer while thinking about the change of job are: Is it paying you enough? Does it permit you to maintain a reasonable work-life balance? Is the company/boss too intrusive in your way of doing the job? Is it respectful of your social status? Is it giving you an opportunity to grow? Are you feeling emotionally secure in your current job? Is the company culture troubling you? These questions might help in having a pragmatic analysis of your current job viability for your future Your career plan should play a major role in professional decisions Emotional aspects should be reduced to a reasonable level since you don't need to attach yourself emotionally to your job

Making any rash decision to change/leave your job is as counterproductive as being timid in not moving away from a non-profitable profession

(Expressed opinions are personal)

Historic Janmashtami celebrations at Dhamecha Lohana Centre

T he sp ir it u al , devo tio n al and musical Janmashtami o n 6 September 2023 witnessed a hist oric cel ebr at io n at Dhamecha Lohana

C e n t r e Th e ev en t w as hosted by Diti and Ketan

Ramniklal Kotecha family for 29 consecu tive year s

Rameshbhai Oza Pujya B h a i s h r i , P a r a m P u j y a S a h e b j i o f A n o o p a m

Mission and Pujya Mahant

Shri Devprasadji Bapu of S h r e e A n a n d a b a w a S e v a

Sanstha Jamnagar graced occasion with their presence W e l l - k n o w n I n d i a n s i n g e r M a y a b e n D e e p a k

CHANGE OF NAME

We Mrs. Shashi Bala and Mr. Keshu Maini, residing at 197, Lavender Place, Ilford, Essex, U.K IG12BQ and the parents of Miss Medha (D.O.B 09/12/2009); hereby give notice of our intention to change the name of beloved minor daughter 'Medha' to 'Medha Maini', So relinquished to the intent that she may here after be called/ known and identified by her new full name MEDHA MAINI

c a p t i v a t i n g t h e a u d i e n c e with her melodious voice

Her songs were dedicated to various aspects of worshipping Lord Krishna

After the tilak and garl a n d c e r e m o n y , P u j y a

S a h e b j i s a i d , “ T h e w a y

K e t a n a n d D i t i b e n h a v e b e e n o r g a n i s i n g

Janmashtami for the last 29 years, they deserve big c o m p l i m e n t s T h i s i s a true effort to strengthen our culture and values ”

Pujya Bapu ji said, “It seems that Bhaktibhav is

n o w t r a n s f e r r i n g f r o m East to West God is ready to give you, but the question is, what are you offering him ” B h a i S h r e e s a i d , “ K r i s h n a i s t h e e t e r n a l p o w e r O u r s o u l i s t h e source of light ”

Yajman of the celebration, Ketan Kotecha said, “This celebration is witnessing Triveni Sangam as t h r e e p r o m i n e n t s a n t s -

Pujya Sahebji, Pujya Bapuji a n d P u j y a B h a i s h r e e graced this event ” Jeevan, son of Chandni and Sachin and grandson o f K e t a n a n d D i t i w a s dressed as ‘Kanudo’ and R u h i , l i t t l e d a u g h t e r o f Ridhi and Dharam put up a n i m p r e s s i v e p e r f o rmance

L o h a n a C o m m u n i t y N o r t h L o n d o n ( L C N L )

P r e s i d e n t M e e n a J a s a n i p r e s e n t e d t h e v o t e o f t h a n k s a n d S a n j a y R u g h a n i c o n d u c t e d t h e event

Swamijis and devotees sing bhajans of Shri Krishna Bhagwan

Yogvivekdas Swami addressing the evening assembly

Krishna-Sudama Milan: From Left to Right: Kiritbhai Maniyar, Kalpanaben Doshi, Jaswant Doshi, Bachoobhai Mehta, Jayshreeben Rawal

Devotees offering prayers to Shri Krishna Bhagwan on a decorated swing

Mayaben Deepak sang beautiful prayers and bhajans related to Lord Krishna

Jeevan son of Chandni and Sachin and grandson of Ketan and Diti was dressed as ‘Kanudo Pujya Bhaishri and Pujya Bapuji blessed him

CB Patel greeted Pujya Bhaishri, Pujya Sahebji and Pujya Bapuji

MP who drunkenly groped a civil servant announces resignation

F orm er C onserv ativ e P arty d ep u ty c h ie f w h ip C h ri s to p h er P i nc h er h a s anno u nced h is resig natio n as an MP follo wing a repo rt from parliam ent's standard s com missioner The report found that he had sexually assaulted two men at an exclusive club, including a civil servant and a House of Lords staff memb e r T h e c o m m i s s i o n e r ' s report, released in July of t h i s y e a r , c h a r a c t e r i s e d P i n c h e r ' s b e h a v i o r a s " e n t i r e l y i n a p p r o p r i a t e , severely detrimental to the individuals involved, and an abuse of authority "

In response to the report, t h e S t a n d a r d s C o m m i t t e e r e c o m m e n d e d a n e i g h t -

Exceptional young people receive prestigious awards

A celebration of the achievements of inspiring you ng p eop le liv ing in Enfield took place last week This year ’ s cerem ony, held at Cinew orld in Southbury ward, was h osted by Enfield Young Lead ers Edith Arthu r and Chaquelle Boothe

Christopher Pincher

week suspension from parliament for Pincher, which would trigger a recall vote in his Tamworth constituency Although Pincher contested t h i s p r o p o s e d p e n a l t y , a n i n d e p e n d e n t p a n e l d i smissed his appeal earlier this week He did not contest the commissioner's determination that he had violated the code of conduct

Stockport MP pushes Government to tackle Hinduphobia

N av e nd u M i s h ra , th e M ember of P arliament for S tockp ort, h as p ush ed the Gov ernment - and specific al ly , t h e De p art m en t fo r L ev elling U p, Housing and C o m m u ni ti e s - t o r ev e al w hat th e latest trend s are in l ev e ls o f rep o r ted

Hindup hobia Hindup hobia, a s et o f an tag o ni s ti c, d estru ctiv e and d ero gatory a tti tu d es t o w ard s Hi n d u s and Hind uism, has risen in r ec en t y ea rs , w i th th e re being 161 reported incidents in th e year 2021 -20 22

I n a W r i t t e n

Parliamentary Question to t h e S e c r e t a r y o f S t a t e f o r

Levelling Up, Housing and C o m m u n i t i e s , t h e P a r l i a m e n t a r y U n d e rSecretary of State for Local G o v e r n m e n t a n d B u i l d i n g S a f e t y d e s c r i b e d Hinduphobia as “abhorrent” and as having “ no place in o u r c o m m u n i t i e s ” M r M i s h r a ’ s q u e r y f o l l o w s a n u m b e r o f o t h e r w r i t t e n questions tabled by him in the House of Commons in recent years, including aski n g l a s t O c t o b e r w h e t h e r there had been discussions in the Home Office about tackling this specific form of discrimination At the time,

Navendu Mishra

t h e - t h e n j u n i o r H o m e O f f i c e M i n i s t e r r e s p o n d e d that “There is no place in our country for hatred towards Hindus and we will seek to s t a m p i t o u t w h e r e v e r i t occurs ”

Commenting on the rise o f H i n d u p h o b i a , N a v e n d u M i s h r a M P s a i d :

“Hinduphobia is abhorrent and governments, political p a r t i e s a n d c i v i l s o c i e t y o r g a n i s a t i o n s m u s t d o a l l they can to stamp it out ”

He added: “All forms of d i s c r i m i n a t i o n a r e a b o minable and one Hinduphobic incident is one too many I will continue to put pressure on the British government to ensure there is more education around this specific type of discrimination ”

GANESH CHATURTHI POOJA AT THE BHAVAN

MON 18 SEPT 2023 - 7PM ONWARDS

We are delighted to invite you all to this year's Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations

Please join us for pooja and prasad on Monday September 18th, from 7pm onwards

Sponsored by Shanker Nair and Parvati Nair

Five awards were presented by the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services at Enfield Council, Cllr Abdul Abdullahi; Darren Paul, the borough’s Young Mayor; and Council officers

19-year-old Harshi

Gudhka won the “Inspiring Sunshine” award She attends the SEND Youth Centre every week and is always happy and smiling and ensures young people are OK and makes new members feel welcome Other awardees included 17-year-old Jessica Botchway who won the Inspiring Young Volunteer, 14-year-old Jorja Starling who won the 360 Award and 15-year-old Pawal Markowski who won Sporting Achievement Caleb Brown, Keyana Degale, Emmanuel Papoola, Michael Harper, Kimor-Cartier Harper and

Reuben Fakokunde from Freshsteps Independent School in Enfield won Inspiring Young Performers

Cllr Abdul Abdullahi, said: “It was a real privilege to be invited to the awards ceremony to meet so many amazing and committed young local people, each with their own personal story to tell

“I was delighted to present the Inspiring Sunshine Award to Harshi Gudhka who attends the Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Youth Centre every week She is

an inspiration, as she is always happy and smiling, and ensures young people and new members to the centre are made to feel welcome ”

The Ignite Awards was created by 17 Inspiring Young Leaders (age 14 to 19) to recognise the achievements of young people who live or go to school or college in the borough The annual ceremony, organised by Enfield Council, highlights the success of young people and their continued commitment to the community in and around Enfield

Thank you to ABPL

I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude for the Zoom meeting and e-launch of my book, "Whispers of My Heart," on 27th May 2023 It was a wonderful opportunity to share my debut poem book on a platform with esteemed women g u e s t s r e p r e s e n t i n g w o m e n ' s e m p o w e r m e n t , a c h i e v ements, friends, and numerous well-wishers

My association with the ABPL group has been long and invaluable as a reader I have always admired the Asian publications by the ABPL team, especially the astute leadership of Editor-in-Chief CB Patel, whose constant motivation and readiness to explore new ventures and creations through their publications have been truly inspiring

CB took a keen interest in my book right from the start and organised its release in London through a Zoom event His tireless efforts for the promotion of the well-being of the Asian community are commendable I want to express my gratitude to Gujarat Samachar’s Contributing Editor Jyotsnaben Shah too Furthermore, on behalf of 'Positive S i g h t , ' a U K - b a s e d c h a r i t y , a n d B P A - B l i n d P e o p l e Association, an NGO in Gujarat, we are thankful for the opportunity to enhance the philanthropic cause for the cure of blindness in rural India through this event

The proceeds from the book will be utilised to treat patients suffering from blindness If anyone wishes to purchase this book, please feel free to contact:

D r J a y a s h r e e a n d D r R a j n i S h a h a t Jayashreeshah4@gmail com or the office of ABPL

Once again, thank you for your support and participation in making this book launch a memorable and impactful event

Dr J ayashree Shah

Dear Readers, we really appreciate this heartfelt letter from Dr Jayashreeben Shah expressing her gratitude

Dr Shah Your kind words and appreciation mean a lot to us, and they serve as a reminder of our commitment towards our community at large Encouragement from our readers and supporters like you fuels our passion to continually strive for excellence in everything we do Thank you once again for all your love and support )

Regards, CB Patel Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

India, originally known as “Bharat” has suffered a t t h e h a n d s o f p r a c t i c a l l y e v e r y a m b i t i o u s , adventurous and cruel rulers, from Central Asia, E u r o p e a n d f a r b e y o n d ; b e g i n n i n g w i t h Alexander the Great and ending with the surrender of British Raj Even Alexander could not have succeeded without the help of traitor Hindu kings, as his soldiers had never seen elephants, let alone meet them as opponents on the battlefield

The roots of surrender, subjugation, humiliation and lack of pride in our own culture, faith and religion has played a major part in Bharat’s downfall, living under foreign rule, no better than second class citizens in our own rich and fertile land The worse punishment was that Bharat was ruled by invaders who were no better than warring tribes without culture, principle or civility

Even now we are reluctant to admit how our own short-sighted kings like Bharmal, Jaichand and few more served in Moghul army I wonder why Gujarat government do not change the name of its major city Ahmedabad; the name given in honour of Sultan Ahmed Shah who ruled at the time Its original name was Ashaval, also known as Karnavati

Today India is one of the top five industrialized nation, with biggest population and most efficient industry and its agricultural sector is booming, in sharp contrast to neighbouring and African countries, most of whom have to depend on hand-out from UN

This progress achieved since BJP came to power and especially when PM Modi took the reign I hope this acquisition of self-belief and pride will help our younger generation to climb the ladder and sit on the podium for the good of our community and especially for the nation who welcomed us with open door, putting faith in our ability to climb the ladder better than anyone else

Bhup endra M Gandh i

India is Bharat and Bharat is India

In an unprecedented twist, the name ‘India’ has been swapped out for ‘Bharat’ on the Government of India’s official exclusive dinner invitations

The name 'India', evokes a lot of respect globally and has an indelible “brand value” in the comity of nations As far as Indians are concerned, India is Bharat and Bharat is India

If we start changing names, there will be no end to it Like the English language, the word 'India' has taken deep roots in Indian society and culture Every Indian identifies with it If we start cancelling everything with foreign roots, we will have to stop drinking tea and eating potatoes and chillies

Can Indians live without tea, potatoes and chillies? In the same way, Indians can’t live without “India” We have a 76-year-long history of internalising the word 'India' as a free, independent, diverse, multilingual nation

The word ‘India’ is as foreign as the word ‘Hindu’ Both were coined by outsiders Both are etymologically said to refer to the river Indus, or Sindhu, now mostly in Pakistan What can be so bad about being named after a river, especially one that today Indians have a mythical, emotional attachment?

If we had only one name India, there could even be an argument about changing it But we already have both names It is a tribute to our ability to live with multiple identities, even if they are sometimes in conflict

Jubel D'C ruz

Aarish Mehta

K A P I L’ S K H I C H A D I

Kapil Dudakia

Labour: Reshuffling Hate?

In light o f the recent sh adow cabinet resh uffle condu cted by K eir Starmer, if I was leading any Indian, Hindu, Jain, o r Sikh organisation, I wou ld probably write a letter to K eir S tarmer as fo llows: Dear Mr Starmer,

Re: Labour Party policy on Bharat

I note the recent shadow cabinet reshuffle you carried out on 4th September Incredibly, your new team now also includes the following members:

Shaba na Ma hmood: Shadow Secretary of State for Justice

Lisa Na ndy: Shadow Cabinet Minister for International Development

Seema Malhotra: hadow Minister for Small Business, Consumers & Labour Markets

Imran Hussain: Shadow Minister for Work

Thangam Deb bonaire: Shadow Secretary of State for DCMS

Rosena Allin-Kh an: Shadow Cabinet Minister for Mental Health

Naz Shah: Shadow Minister for Crime Reduction

Gar eth Thomas: Shadow Minister for Trade Policy

Lord (Wajid) Khan: Shadow Spokesperson

Afzal Khan: Shadow Minister for Legal Aid

Tanmanjee t Dhesi: Shadow Rail Minister

Tulip Siddiq: Shadow Economic Secretary

Yasmin Q uresh i: Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities

You seem to have appointed people who are either overtly antiIndia orhave exhibited behaviour that suggests that they are antiIndia I am not sure if you have done this by design, or if it’s to appease to any particular community, or if this just happens to be the outcome of ignorance on your part? I leave this question for you to mull over, one hopestruth will guide you

Lest there are any doubts, let me cite a few examples that give weight to my concerns that the Labour Party is now increasingly being projectedand seen as anti-India

Shabana Mahmood on her website describes Kashmir,which is of course an integral part of India, as ‘Indian-occupied Kashmir’ Do I take it that this is now the official Labour party policy? I assume those on your Shadow Cabinet speak for you, the Labour Party, and its policies It would be helpful to secure clarification on this as a matter of urgency

You may recall there was an emergency motion passed at the

b e r ) w h i c h stated:‘Accept that Kashmir is a disputed territory, and the people of Kashmir should be given the right of self-determination in accordance with UN resolutions ’Chaired by the then Labour hero: Claudia Webbe MP During this conference, and from the podium, labour members lied about India, they showed contempt for Indians and the atmosphere generated was hostile and prejudiced against Indians, and in particular, Hindus To date I have NOT seen or heard you or any senior member of the Labour Party apologise for this grotesque show of hatred, and what many have called unbridled racism

Cycling for charity The benefits of Katha

Hello, my name is Aarish I am 12 y e a r s o l d , a c t u a l l y , i t w a s m y birthday not too long ago: the 15th of July I go to Haberdashers’ Boys school, more commonly known as just ‘Habs’

I was born in New Delhi, India- my premature baby-self came t o t h e U K a f t e r 3 - 4 months Although my m u m a n d d a d , H i n a and Alkesh, were born in separate places My m o t h e r w a s b o r n i n E d g w a r e i n t h e U K , a n d h e r s i d e o f t h e f a m i l y w a s b o r n i n Kenya, Uganda, and India But my father was born in Africa- he lived in a small village called Gilgil in Kenya His side of the family was similarly from Kenya and India M y p a t e r n a l g r a n d m o t h e r , who I call Baa (with two “ a”), came from Gilgil in Kenya She is living h e r b e s t l i f e , h a v i n g m e t t h e

Queen, living through WW2, and especially, her storytelling skills in Gujarati! Only recently, my Baa

h a d b e e n d i a g n o s e d w i t h t h e unfortunate disease, that affects m i l l i o n s w o r l d w i d e t o d a y : Alzheimer’s Disease

T h o u g h i t w a s o n l y i n t h e early stages of the disease, the h e a r t s o f o u r f a m i l y m e m b e r s w e r e s h a t t e r e d , b u t guess what was shattered? My Baa She dismissed the news and still lives her life to the fullest, her auspicious and joyful life So what did I do? I decided to cycle 89 miles and raise

£ 8 9 0 f o r A l z h e i m e r ’ s

Research UK

The reason behind the number 89, is that she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at 89 years old Her 90th birthday was soon approaching so I decided to give her something she wanted my Baa only believes in charity, and so that is why I did this for her birthday present Now, here I amhaving raised roughly £1,625 for charity and cycled 89 miles

Am I happy with my self? Yes

Is Baa happy? Yes

Kush Ganatra

Good Afternoon a n d J a i S h r e e Krishna, It was v e r y n i c e t o m e e t y o u i n Cambridge with m y f a t h e r , H i t e n G a n a t r a H e r e a r e t h e r e a s o n s w h y I e n j o y g o i n g t o Katha

I enjoy going to Katha because it i s p e a c e f u l , s p i r i t u a l a n d educational; even for children like me who don’t understand Hindi It u n i t e s o u r f a m i l y a n d k e e p s u s happy In our Katha in Madhya P r a d e s h , I w r o t e a p o e m t h a t described Morari Bapu’s specialised effect on our family I wrote that Bapu is our religious sun and he gives us great laughs and fun I like the Dhun’s he sings and Bhajans They stick in my head and make me feel blessed

Furthermore, to my knowledge this motion has never officially been rejected on the floor of any subsequent Labour Party conference Which begs the question, what does the Labour Party stand for? We have you saying one thing to Labour Friends of India on one day, only then to go back on it when the Muslim Council of Britain approaches you a few days later We have Labour MPs marching on the High Commission of India causing serious mischief And then we have your frontbencher, Shabana Mahmood clearly stating that Kashmir is part of Pakistan I am sure even you will recognise that such madness on such an important international policy front should have certainty and clarity

One is left wondering, should you become the Prime Minister of Britain, what would be your government’sposition on India?I am sure you must have followed the incredible G20 summit held in Bharat recently Its incredible success shows that Bharat is on the right side of history The Labour Party has invested so heavily with the Pakistani community and Pakistan, one wonders if this road to ruin needs a course correction

Let’s carry on, Imran Hussain MPsaid that ‘the only solution is self-determination for the sons and daughters of Kashmir, and he pledged to ensure that the UK Parliament does not ignore Kashmir’ Is ‘self-determination’in Kashmir now the policy of the labour Party?

On 8th August 2019, many Labour MPs were signatories to a letter to the United Nations asking for intervention in Kashmir Amongst others, the letter was signed by MPs Faisal Rashid, Lord Qurban Hussein,Mohammed Yasin, Khalid Mahmood, Afzal Khan, Yasmin Qureshi, Stephen Kinnock, Shabana Mahmood, Rushanara Ali, Naz Shah, lmran Hussein and many others I am sure you recognise many of the names since they are in your shadow cabinet

The Labour Party is now known as anti-Israel and antisemitic The evidence of the past decade suggests that it has become antiIndia and Hinduphobic also Let me assure you, visiting our Mandirs and taking photos with our spiritual leaders might fool a few people, but the vast majority see through such a charade We believe in Karma, and Karma does not sway with the wind It delivers its judgement based on truth and justice I end by asking you to make one comprehensive statement on India Make it clear where your party stands andensure that every shadow minister acceptsit and abides by it publicly You should also make it clear that any member of the Labour party who exhibits Hinduphobic tendencies will be thrown out There are hundreds that you can start with immediately, maybe have a look at Leicester,and the video of that Labour Party conference to get the ball rolling!

It is time to erase colonial heritage

Police called after yoga class mistaken for mass killing scene

A yo ga c l as s w a s ab ru p t l y i nterrupted when the poli ce w ere s ummo ned by a conc erned i nd ivid ual who, mist a ke nl y, be l i e ved th a t t h e tranqui l p arti cipants were victi ms o f a mass murder

T h e i n c i d e n t o c c u r r e d during a session led by Millie Laws, 22, of Unity Yoga, at the

N o r t h S e a O b s e r v a t o r y i n C h a p e l S t L e o n a r d s , Lincolnshire The person who contacted the authorities had glanced through the windows and misinterpreted the peaceful scene inside, where participants were lying down in a candlelit room, engaging in a meditation session accompa-

nied by shamanic drumming while Ms Laws walked among them S h e n o t e d t h a t s o m e onlookers had peered into the windows, as two of the room's four walls were made of glass, and she hadn't thought much o f i t d u e t o t h e b u i l d i n g ' s scenic location

Neerav Patel has been named the new British Ambassador to the State of Qatar, succeeding Jonathan Wilks CMG, who will be retiring from the Diplomatic Service Mr Patel is scheduled to assume his role in February 2024

He previously held the position of Director at the Cabinet Office, Joint Intelligence Organisation. He has also served as Chargé d’ Affaires for Tel Aviv in 2021 and the Deputy Head of Mission in Cairo from 2017 to 2021

Man assaulted, Range Rover stolen in Leicester

A ma n was br ut ally a tt acke d in Le ice st er , resulting in a f r a ct ur e d j a w a n d a n k le , along with t he t heft of his Ra nge R over Sport The incide nt occur re d on Sa turd ay , Sep tember 2, a round 11 AM , in Berr idge La ne , Belgr ave

A c c o r d i n g t o L e i c e s t e r s h i r e P o l i c e , a n

Asian man, approximately 5ft 7ins tall with a beard, e n g a g e d i n a v e r b a l exchange with the 54-yearold victim before assaulting h i m w i t h a p u n c h

Subsequently, the assailant fled in the victim's Range Rover, while another individual, suspected to be an

GP's medical license revoked after conviction for child rape

A GP who tra vell ed 100 mil es to commit the heinous act of raping a 10-year -old girl has ha d hi s me d i ca l l ic e n se revoke d

Rupesh Seth, who was sentenced to over three years in prison in March, had his b e h a v i o r d e e m e d " f u n d a -

mentally incompatible with being a doctor" by a medical

t r i b u n a l p a n e l T h e p a n e l characterised Seth's actions as "deplorable," concluding that barring him from practicing medicine was the only way to adequately safeguard the public's health, safety,

and well-being, while also upholding public confidence in the medical profession Additionally, subsequent s e a r c h e s o f h i s p h o n e s r e v e a l e d t h e p r e s e n c e o f child sexual abuse imagery, a c c o r d i n g t o l a w e n f o r c ement officials

NHS issues 72-hour warning over the Covid Pirola variant

A s t h e n e w v a r ia t io n sp rea ds, t he NHS will sta rt offer ing the autumn Covid v a c ci n e s t h e n e x t we e k S ci e n t i s t s a r e c o n ce r n e d a bo u t t h e P i r o la v a r i e t y be ca u se o f t h e si gn i fi ca n t n u m be r o f m ut a t i on s i t be ars

A f t e r m o v i n g u p t h e date, the NHS will begin its autumn run of Covid vaccinations the following week

Beginning on September 11,

r e s i d e n t s o f c a r e f a c i l i t i e s and those who are housebound will be provided with Covid vaccinations

The next week, vaccination requests for seniors and o t h e r v u l n e r a b l e p o p u l at i o n s a r e e x p e c t e d F r o m

September 18, the NHS will extend invitations to more eligible groups

“Thanks to the success of our vaccine programme, we have built strong, broad

i m m u n e d e f e n c e s a g a i n s t new variants throughout the p o p u l a t i o n , ” s a i d J e n n y Harries, the chief executive of the UKHSA

“However, some people remain more vulnerable to severe illness from Covid-19 This precautionary measure to bring forward the autumn p r o g r a m m e w i l l e n s u r e these people have protection against any potential wave this winter”, he added

Study indicates big surge in under-50 cancer cases

A study published in B MJ

accomplice, drove away in a black BMW X5 T h e i n j u r e d v i c t i m required hospital treatment, and his car was subsequently discovered in Bath Lane, Leicester Law enforcement has now issued a plea for any potential witnesses to step forward

Tories accept huge donations from vape company

Desp ite a government crackd o w n o n t h e i t em s , t h e C o ns e rv at i v e P a rt y h as acc ep ted a s ix- f igu re d onati o n f ro m a c o mp any c onnected to vibrant vapes Supreme 8 Ltd donated £350,000 to the Conservatives

in May, making it their thirdlargest donation so far this year Sandeep Chadha, comm o n l y k n o w n a s S a n d y , i s identified as the company's d i r e c t o r a n d t h e C E O o f S u p r e m e P l c , w h i c h h a s g a i n e d m i l l i o n s o f d o l l a r s

through e-cigarettes

T h e b r i g h t l y c o l o u r e d packaging and flavours that seem to be marketed toward children are what have caused R i s hi S u n a k to e x pr e s s h is concern that his two daughters may attempt vaping

Harrow men sentenced as pharmaceutical lab in Acton busted

T hree men have been s entenced to prison fo r manufacturing and selling count er f ei t p h a rm ac e u ti c al drugs, raking in £2 millio n Ro shan Valentine, h is fath er Allen Valentine, and th ei r c h il dh o o d f ri e nd K ru n al P atel were involved in the p rodu ctio n and distribution o f Benzodiazepines, Xanax, and diazep am throu gh the dark web

The investigation began a f t e r t h e U S D r u g

Enforcement Admin-istrat i o n ( D E A ) a l e r t e d t h e Metropolitan Police about their online pharmaceutical drug sales Met detectives

discovered that the trio was using a warehouse unit at Acton Business Centre for drug production, packaging, and distribution

Each of the men would visit the unit daily, and Patel was frequently seen leaving w i t h l a r g e b a g s , o n l y t o return minutes later witho u t t h e m T h e y o p e r a t e d under the guise of a company named Puzzle Logistics L i m i t e d , e s t a b l i s h e d i n 2016

Medical students intend to leave NHS within two years after graduation

Appr ox imat ely one in thr ee med ica l st uden ts int en d t o le ave t he NHS within t wo ye ar s of g ra duat ing, eit her by p r a c t i ci n g a b r oa d o r a ba n d o n in g t h e ir me d ic a l care er e ntir ely , according t o the la rge st surve y of its k ind

Key factors driving this decision include poor pay, work-life balance, and worki n g c o n d i t i o n s w i t h i n t h

These issues have prompted medical students to consider c o n t i n u i n g t h e i r c a r e e r s overseas

The same concerns were also cited by those planning to exit the medical field altogether, with almost 82% of them attributing burnout as an important or very important factor in their decision

The findings, based on a s u r v e y o f 1 0 , 4 8 6 s t u d e n t s

across 44 medical schools in t h e U K a n d p u b l i s h e d i n BMJ Open, have raised concerns about a potential exod u s o f m e d i c a l g r a d u a t e s from the NHS This comes in the wake of an announcement of the first joint strike by junior and senior doctors i n t h e N H S , e x p e c t e d t o c a u s e w i d e s p r e a d d i s r u pt i o n s i n S e p t e m b e r a n d October

O n c o l og y s u gg e s t s a noti ceable inc rease i n c ancer cases among i ndividuals under 5 0 worldwi de over the past three decades In 2019, there w ere 3 26 million c ases , re presen ting a 79% inc re ase c om pared to 1990 However, experts have a d v i s e d c a u t i o n i n i n t e rpreting these findings The

study didn't account for a 40% rise in the total global p o p u l a t i o n d u r i n g t h i s p e r i o d , a n d i m p r o v e d r e p o r t i n g p r a c t i c e s m a y h a v e c o n t r i b u t e d t o t h e increase in reported cases

The international team o f e x p e r t s , i n c l u d i n g researchers from the US, China, and the UK, emphasised that no definitive conc l u s i o n s c o u l d b e d r a w n

f r o m t h i s r e s e a r c h N e v e r t h e l e s s , t h e y e x p r e s s e d c o n c e r n s t h a t l i f e s t y l e f a c t o r s s u c h a s excess weight, diets rich in r e d m e a t a n d s a l t , a n d physical inactivity might be contributing to the rise in cancer cases among indiv i d u a l s a g e d 1 4 t o 4 9 Genetic factors could also be playing a role in this trend

King Charles III thanks the public for their love and support

On the first anniversary of h i s mo th e r Q u ee n Elizabeth 's passing and h is a s ce n si o n t o th e th ro n e, K ing Charles th anked the p u b li c f o r t h ei r lo ve a nd s u p p o rt o n F ri da y wh i le reiterati ng h er wo rds and p ro mising to be of service to all

A f t e r a 7 0 - y e a r r e i g n , Elizabeth, Britain's longestr e i g n i n g m o n a r c h , p a s s e d a w a y o n S e p t e m b e r 8 a t B a l m o r a l C a s t l e , h e r Scottish vacation residence, at the age of 96

A t B a l m o r a l C a s t l e , where he spent the day in " q u i e t r e f l e c t i o n " w i t h Queen Camilla and other f a m i l y m e m b e r s , C h a r l e s made a brief statement in which he expressed his love f o r h i s m o t h e r H e a l s o made available one of his favourite images of her, a

1 9 6 8 p o r t r a i t b y C e c i l

Beaton

The King said: “In marking the first anniversary of Her late Majesty’s death and m y A c c e s s i o n , w e r e c a l l w i t h g r e a t a f f e c t i o n h e r l o n g l i f e , d e v o t e d s e r v i c e a n d a l l s h e m e a n t t o s o many of us I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been s h o w n t o m y w i f e a n d myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all

King Chales III and Queen Camilla

Elizabeth's death anniversary was observed by the

King and Queen in a church c l o s e t o B a l m o r a l C a s t l e

The Prince and Princess of Wales paid a special cathedral service at St Davids, P e m b r o k e s h i r e , b e f o r e a d d r e s s i n g t o l o c a l s w h o have met Queen Elizabeth T h e D u k e o f S u s s e x , w h o i s a p a t r o n o f t h e

WellChild charity, was also moved last night when he paid tribute to his grandmother during the charity a w a r d s c e r e m o n y i n London

Allen Valentine, Roshan Valentine, Patel Krunel

My visit to the historic Magna Carta memorial

Kunajn Panchal

Recently, I had a chance to visi t th e h i st o ri c Ma gn a C a rta memorial Me and my p arents are o n a vi s i t t o t h e UK a nd a re currently residing at Egham On the 8th of S ep tember, 2023, we decided to visit the Magna Carta memorial wh ich is abou t 2 1 miles fro m E gh am

In the morning, we walked to the Middle Hill bus station and caught bus no 8 The bus driver w a s h e l p f u l a n d g u i d e d u s regarding where to drop off to visit Magna Carta On the way, we saw t h e b e a u t i f u l R o y a l H o l l o w a y

After a few stops, we dropped off at the Bells of Ouzeley bus stop

After walking for a few minutes, we reached Runnymede, where we saw captivating natural scenery

We saw the River Thames flowing serenely There were many private y a c h t s , e a c h h a v i n g t h e i r o w n unique design, sailing across the river and people onboard enjoying their cruise A couple of ducks were enjoying their swim in the river An old lady whom we met there was living in her yacht since 1 year! It had 2 bedrooms, kitchen and beautiful plants on the top She guided us on the way to the

M a g n a C a r t a m e m o r i a l W e started walking in the direction shown by her On the way, we also s a w a y a c h t r e p a i r i n g c e n t r e S p e c i a l c r u i s e t o u r s w e r e a l s o

b e i n g o p e r a t e d t h e r e b y a company called French Brothers Soon, as we kept walking, we saw two stones on either side of the road which marked the entry point for Magna Carta memorial

F u r t h e r a h e a d , w e s a w 1 2 intricately carved bronze chairs

They had been unveiled to mark 800 years of the sealing of Magna Carta Each chair had different artwork in different languages It

w a s a c e n t r e o f a t t r a c t i o n f o r

m a n y p e o p l e J u s t r i g h t f r o m there, we walked uphill to behold t h e M a g n a C a r t a m e m o r i a l A seemingly simple memorial, white in colour, however symbolises a h i s t o r i c m o m e n t i n E n g l i s h history It has 8 pillars and a 3layered top The current Magna

Carta memorial has been installed by the American Bar Association

A b r i e f h i s t o r y o f M a g n a C a r t a : M a g n a C a r t a , m e a n i n g ‘ G r e a t C h a r t e r ’ w a s a c h a r t e r sealed by King John of England on 1 5 t h J u n e , 1 2 1 5 a t R u n n y m e d e M e a d o w s I t w a s s i g n e d u n d e r pressure by rebellious barons who h a d t h e i r g r i e v a n c e s w i t h t h e f e u d a l s y s t e m T h i s c h a r t e r granted liberties to the common man The government was limited by the law of the land Other provisions included providing for a free church, protection from i l l e g a l i m p r i s o n m e n t , l i m i t s o n t a x a t i o n , w i d o w r i g h t s a n d reforming law and justice

A f t e r g o i n g a r o u n d t h e m e m o r i a l a n d o b s e r v i n g i t f o r some time, we relaxed a bit at the n e a r b y w o o d e n b e n c h I t o o k s o m e t i m e t o v i s u a l i s e a n d imagine the events that would h a v e t a k e n p l a c e a t t h a t s a m e point The scene from up there w a s b e a u t i f u l a n d t h e g r e e n m e a d o w s w e r e t h e h i g h l i g h t Soon, we departed for home on the same route back It was a lot of w a l k i n g f o r a d a y ( w e I n d i a n s generally don’t walk a lot) but I guess it paid off

Manchester mum takes 66 friends on fundraising walk after cardiac arrest

A Gr e at e r Ma nch es te r wom a n whose husba nd save d her life by p e r f or mi n g C P R w h e n s h e collapsed a t home wen t on to ra ise more t han £8,000 for th e Br itish He ar t Found ation (BHF) by ta kin g 66 frien ds an d family member s on a walk P r i y a S i d a n a , 5 3 , w a s watching Love Island when she h a d w h a t s h e d e s c r i b e d a s a “massive cardiac arrest” in July last year Luckily husband Ajay, 56, jumped into action and performed CPR on her for 25 minutes with the assistance of daughter Shweta, 26 until the ambulance arrived and paramedics took over Priya, who lives in Bowden near Altrincham, was in hospital for 10 days and had a stent fitted following her collapse She is still r e c o v e r i n g a n d h a s n ’ t y e t

As I See It

CB Patel

N e w s p a p e r s , m e d i a o u t l e t s and their audience in Britain have debated for a long time,if this country should still be referred as a Christian nation or not, given t h e g r o w i n g d i v e r s i t y a n d ulticulturalism For the last 100 years, Britain h a s b e e n s e e n a s a C h r i s t i a n n a t i o n b u t w i t h t i m e , o t h e r religions have also been granted t h e f r e e d o m t o p r a c t i s e t h e i r beliefs in peace Over the years, several churches (be it Catholic, P r o t e s t a n t , M e t h o d i s t o r a n y other groups) have closed and mosques or temples have taken t h o s e p r e m i s e s t o u s e T h e c h u r c h ' s c u r r e n t c o n d i t i o n i s attributed to the fact that fewer Christians are attending services on an annual basis It can only m e a n t h a t t h e i n f l u e n c e o f

C h r i s t i a n s o n r e l i g i o n i s decreasing But is this true? In this context, we need to understand first what it means to b e a C h r i s t i a n A l t h o u g h i t i s considered essential for a devout C h r i s t i a n t o a t t e n d c h u r c h o r e n g a g e i n S u n d a y p r a y e r r e g u l a r l y , 2 0 p e r c e n t o f

Christians in Britain choose not t o Y e t , a l l o f t h e m h a v e t h e i n f l u e n c e a n d v a l u e s o f Christianity Even though many H i n d u s , J a i n s , B u d d h i s t s a n d Sikhs do not visit their places of w o r s h i p r e g u l a r l y t h e y s t i l l uphold the values of that culture and religion

Testament is more considerate to non-Christians in terms of peace and kindness

I n I n d i a , e v e r y o n e h a s t h e freedom to follow their chosen f a i t h T h e r e s h o u l d n ' t b e a n y hostility or hatred towards other religions As far as the current s i t u a t i o n i s c o n c e r n e d , t h e persecution of minority religions is published in newspapers every few days Of course, I think the m a j o r i t y o f t h e s e c l a i m s a r e erroneous or overblown It is true t h a t D a l i t s a r e d i s c r i m i n a t e d against by members of the socalled upper caste But what else can we do besides feel sorry for these people I firmly believe that the law must intervene in such situations and social awareness a n d p e r s o n a l e t h i c s a r e m o r e essential H i n d u t e m p l e s w e r e ruthlessly destroyed by Muslim i n v a d e r s , e s p e c i a l l y A u r a n g z e b , according to historical records T h e r e m a i n s t h a t h a v e b e e n d i s c o v e r e d i n M u s l i m s h r i n e basements nowadays also hint in t h i s d i r e c t i o n E v e n i n I s l a m ’ s m o s t r e v e r e d h o l y t e x t , t h e Quran, makes it quite plain that no temple belonging to another f a i t h m a y b e d e s t r o y e d t o construct a mosque!

returned to her job as a Customer S e r v i c e s A d v i s o r f o r N a t W e s t Bank

However, she wanted to pay back for the life-saving care she r e c e i v e d i n h o s p i t a l s o s h e o r g a n i s e d a 5 k m w a l k w i t h friends and family around a local N a t i o n a l T r u s t p a r k B e t w e e n them, the group has already raised a n a m a z i n g £ 8 , 4 0 0 w i t h t h e

donations still coming in P r i y a i s a l s o s u p p o r t i n g BHF’s new campaign Spotlight

O n , w h i c h a i m s t o s h i n e a s p o t l i g h t o n t h e n u m b e r o f people living with hidden heart c o n d i t i o n s i n G r e a t e r Manchester and beyond

H e a r t a n d c i r c u l a t o r y diseases affect over 7 6 million p e o p l e a c r o s s t h e U K , w i t h around 320,000 of those living in the Greater Manchester area alone However, people in the UK severely underestimate the scale a n d s e r i o u s n e s s o f h e a r t a n d circulatory diseases, according to a new survey by the BHF

To find out more about the Spotlight On campaign and how you can support BHF however you c a n , p l e a s e v i s i t https://spotlighton bhf org uk/

Bradford College ESOL lecturer receives royal invite to meet King

A n outstanding Brad ford Colleg e m em ber of staff rubbed shoulders w ith royalty after she was given th e ch ance to meet K ing C harles

Esther Wilkey, a lecturer based i n t h e B r a d f o r d C o l l e g e E S O L ( E n g l i s h f o r S p e a k e r s o f O t h e r L a n g u a g e s ) d e p a r t m e n t , w a s invited to Windsor Castle for a day c e l e b r a t i n g t h e l e g a c y a n d c o n t r i b u t i o n s o f W i l l i a m

Shakespeare to UK culture

Both King Charles and Queen Camilla were in attendance on the day, as well as various other royals

The event consisted of a 45-minute performance followed by a drinks r e c e p t i o n i n o n e o f W i n d s o r

Castle’s Great Halls

Esther received an invite due to her day-to-day teaching efforts to keep the legacy alive of the world’s most famous playwright, William

Shakespeare The College’s ESOL department works with The Royal Shakespeare Company (The RSC) t o u t i l i s e S h a k e s p e a r i a n t e x t s within the curriculum (from Entry Level 1 through to Level 1) for students who do not speak English as a first language E s t h e r s a i d : “ I t w a s j u s t a n amazing time I spoke to the King He talked about how much he loved doing Shakespeare when he was younger and we also spoke

about what we [Bradford College] do with our students; he was really i n t e r e s t e d , f r i e n d l y , a n d v e r y chatty ”

“I think a lot of students who come to the UK know something a b o u t S h a k e s p e a r e a n d t h e r e ’ s kudos in knowing about him We l o o k a t w a y s o f u n p i c k i n g a n d s i m p l i f y i n g h i s t e x t s , m e t h o d s which the students can go on to use down the line for things like t h e i r G C S E E n g l i s h , ” E s t h e r

continued

“It’s all about cultural capital Students can engage and really feel part of British culture; that can be so exciting ”

A s w e l l a s m e e t i n g r o y a l t y , Esther also got to mix with a range of celebrities including Dame Judi Dench and Helena Bonham Carter

P e o p l e t o d a y a r e l e a n i n g more and more towards science, a n d t h i s p r o x i m i t y i n s o m e manner widens the gap between science and religion Like this, some people also disagree with the necessity of a specific religion This does not mean that they are atheists, because they need faith in some supreme element and the Indian Vedas classify this as a high form of faith Dharma is the Sanskrit word for faith or belief, be it in the direction of any divine s u b s t a n c e , d e i t y , o r i d e a Although my faith and yours may be different, the central point is the supreme element Right? It is a m atter of personal choice I think religion is something v e r y p e r s o n a l t o o n e W h a t I c o n s i d e r a s r e l i g i o n , y o u m a y view it as atheism and what is agnostic in your eyes might be faith-based for me Religion is s o m e t h i n g y o u c u l t i v a t e , n o t something you run from In that sense, centuries ago, the state religion of Britain was Catholic Protestantism has been the state r e l i g i o n h e r e s i n c e t h e 1 5 t h century and the Old Testament and the New Testament are the main scriptures in Christianity I don't have a deep knowledge of t h e s e s c r i p t u r e s , b u t I h a v e superficial information Violence a n d h o s t i l i t y t o w a r d s o t h e r r e l i g i o n s w e r e p a r t i c u l a r l y prevalent in the Old Testament B e f o r e t h e P r o t e s t a n t Reformation in Germany, Roman Catholicism was the dominant r e l i g i o n a m o n g t h e v a r i o u s

b r a n c h e s o f C h r i s t i a n i t y I t s headquarters were in Rome, and t h e P o p e , w h o s e r v e d a s t h e C h u r c h ' s s u p r e m e l e a d e r , maintained a significant position I don't want to get too involved in religious arguments, but to the best of my knowledge, the New

A small number of extremist M u s l i m s o n c e r e s t r i c t e d t h e i r activities to demolishing Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist sites in India Additionally, during the Mughal e r a , t h e o p p r e s s i o n o f t h e heathens was severe

But to exact revenge decades l a t e r b y b r i n g i n g u p a g e o l d resentments is just wrong Britain’ s new identity?

This topic is so delicate that I feel the need to make it clear that it is not a matter of supporting one religion or class over another o r o p p o s i n g o r c o n d e m n i n g a c e r t a i n g r o u p o f p e o p l e Continually move forward It was n e c e s s a r y t o p r e v e n t h o s t i l i t y motivated by religion

Even though Christianity is dominant in Britain, are other religions respected as well? Each person follows their own religion Although we don't need to dig out the old crusts, it is also unfair to stir up a debate by ignoring the undeniable fact that emerges as proof

There are many debates about whether Britain will retain its identity as a Christian nation or not And I firmly believe that this r e p u t a t i o n s h o u l d c o n t i n u e Kindness, tolerance, sensitivity, compassion, etc are valued in contemporary Christianity This a w a r e n e s s i s v e r y w e l c o m e A l t h o u g h C h r i s t i a n i t y i s t h e o f f i c i a l r e l i g i o n o f t h e U n i t e d Kingdom, leaders of other faiths, including Hindu, Jain, Muslim, Sikh, and Jewish leaders, were invited as distinguished guests to a magnificent event held on the day of King Charles' coronation Equality of all religions this is t h e n e w i d e n t i t y o f B r i t a i n , despite being a Christian country D e s p i t e b e i n g a H i n d u majority nation, I am convinced that India will prove to be the best place for non-Hindus to live in harmony, peace, and dignity However, one must remember one hand cannot clap or it takes two to tango!

Priya Sidana supporting campaign to shine spotlight on hidden heart conditions

King Charles with Bradford College ESOL tutor

It takes two to tango

10-year-old poet making waves

A ish warya Gupta, a 10-yearold bu rgeoning poet hailing f ro m L o nd o n, h as b ee n m aking waves in th e w orld of art and literature This year, she clinched the top spot in the Kensington and C helsea Art Week competiti o n w i th h e r ca p ti v at i ng p o em ' Bre ath e, ' c u rre ntl y ad orni ng th e walls of th e es t eem e d L ei g h t o n M u s eu m A d d in g to h e r ac c o la d es , h er nar rat iv e 'Sammy, Th e Cat' emerged v ictorious, earning her the p re s ti g i o u s S cr een Y o u r Story award for 20 23 T h i s m u l t i - t a l e n t e d y o u n g s c h o o l g i r l d o e s n t

s t o p a t p o e t r y ; s h e ' s a l s o d e e p l y p a s s i o n a t e a b o u t music and Indian classical d a n c e A i s h w a r y a b o a s t s impressive credentials as a Grade 7 pianist, a Grade 5 vocalist, and a skilled clari n e t t i s t H e r p r o w e s s e x t e n d s t o t h e w o r l d o f dance, where she's graced illustrious stages such as the Q u e e n ’ s P l a t i n u m J u b i l e e c e l e b r a t i o n s , W e s t m i n s t e r A b b e y , t h e v i b r a n t B l o o m s b u r y F e s t i v a l , a n d the renowned International Kuchipudi Festival

Adding another feather t o h e r c a p , A i s h w a r y a recently published her col-

lection of poems, titled 'The World Through My Eyes '

T h i s c o m p i l a t i o n o f f e r s a unique perspective on her i m a g i n a t i v e w o r l d , w h e r e words dance to convey emot i o n s , d r e a m s , a n d k e e n observations

Her winning poems of the Friday Afternoons Song

Lyric Challenge would be c o m p o s e d a n d s u n g a t a w o r l d p r e m i e r e i n S n a p e Maltings, Suffolk My poem

I Am Small was selected to be composed by the most i n c r e d i b l e m u s i c i a n ,

YolanDa Brown Gupta is the youngest winner of the challenge

Hidden airline fees may face regulatory action

The gove rnment plans to e n ha n c e o nl i n e s h op pi n g transparency by potentially r e gul a ti n g hi d de n a i rl i n e fees A public consultation a i m s t o c ur b c om pa n i es from addi ng extra c harges at checkout Airlines UK argues they a l r e a d y o f f e r g r e a t v a l u e

R e c e n t g o v e r n m e n t research reveals this practice is common across various industries, costing cons u m e r s £ 1 6 b n a n n u a l l y

T h e D e p a r t m e n t f o r B u s i n e s s a n d T r a d e w i l l launch the six-week consultation on Monday Airlines now offer numerous addons during booking, such as s p e e d y b o a r d i n g , b a g g a g e check, and seat selection, often with additional costs

manner ” Vas said that the commuters, on their part, can avoid exorbitant charges by paying attention to small d e t a i l s F o r e x a m p l e , t h e most common last-minute charges that travellers may e n c o u n t e r w h e n b o o k i n g flights is that of overweight or extra bags

F o r m er h ea lth s ec ret ary S ajid Jav id has expressed his d eep regret for not reaching o u t to h is o l d er br o th er T ariq m ore and inqu iring about his well-being before T ariq's tragic suicide in J uly 20 18 at the age of 51

During an interview on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, the former cabinet m i n i s t e r e m p h a s i s e d t h e importance of the government addressing suicide as it does other significant causes of death

He said, "It is almost five y e a r s s i n c e w e l o s t m y brother to suicide

"We did see it coming as

a family But there is not a day goes by t h a t I h a v e n o t t h o u g h t w h a t I c o u l d h a v e d o n e , what I could have s a i d , t h a t c o u l d have made a difference ” Mr Javid is now urging the government to take stronger meas u r e s t o p r e v e n t s u i c i d e , which is the leading cause of d e a t h a m o n g i n d i v i d u a l s under 35 in the UK "Suicide is the biggest killer of people under 35 and of men under 50 We should b e t r e a t i n g t h i s l i k e a n y

other major killer

T h e c h a r i t i e s a r e m a s s i v e l y p r e ss u r e d w i t h resources and help

T h e C h a n c e l l o r a n n o u n c e d t h i s y e a r h e w i l l g i v e them more funding but much more needs to be done , he said

D u r i n g h i s t e n u r e a s health secretary, Mr Javid dedicated the government to a decade-long national suicide prevention initiative, stressing that every government department has a role to fulfil in this effort

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T h e g o v e r n m e n t h a s i d e n t i f i e d " d r i p p r i c i n g , " where the checkout price exceeds the original advertised cost due to necessary but undisclosed fees, as a p r o b l e m a c r o s s v a r i o u s industries, including transp o r t a t i o n ( 7 3 % o f p r o v i d e r s ) , e n t e r t a i n m e n t (54% of providers), and hospitality (56% of providers)

In addition to addressing hidden fees, new cons u l t a t i o n s l a u n c h e d o n Monday also focus on comb a t i n g f a k e r e v i e w s a n d clarifying confusing product labels

While the consultation works on s u b s t i t u t i n g s o m e rules, travel consultant Vas Jesani from Crystal Blue Travels f e e l s t h a t a i r l i n e s should take ethical

c o n s i d e r a t i o n s l i k e m a i n t a i n i n g t r a n sparency and a clear line of communication when it comes t o d i s c l o s i n g a n d adding last-minute c h a r g e s t o f l i g h t bookings

S h e s a i d t h a t , “ A i r l i n e s m u s t m a i n t a i n transparency by openly disc l o s i n g a l l p o t e n t i a l charges, ensuring they are reasonable and not excessively high All fees should be clearly presented during the booking process to prevent unexpected costs and any alterations to fee structures should be communic a t e d t o c u s t o m e r s i n a timely and straightforward

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"Suicide is the biggest killer of people under 35 and of men under 50”

Vas Jesani

Bringing the forgotten history of Indian Army soldiers to light

Anusha Singh

An e w e xh ib i t ion at Ha m pt on Court Pal ace, s et to open from Septem ber 15, will shed light on t he f orgotten his tory of Indian Army s oldiers who cam ped on the palac e grounds in the earl y 2 0th cent ury

This exhibit will delve into the soldiers' experiences during their encampments, public and press reactions, and t h e i r v i s i t s t o c o m m e m o r a t e Coronations It will also acknowledge t h e I n d i a n A r m y ' s c o n t r i b u t i o n t o wartime efforts and showcase personal items contributed by the public and local community groups connected to the Indian Army

helped us to select some of the objects on display, contributed to the object labels and shared their reflections on the items and history being explored

Our aim throughout has been to mark and remember the contribution these soldiers made, and to present part of Hampton Court’s history that’s less well known to visitors today Along with the objects and accompanying labels, we also have a short film in the exhibition, where direct descendants of the Indian soldiers reflect on their stories

The Royal Court Theatre announces cast for Blue Mist

The Royal Co urt

Theatre

anno unced Salman A khtar, Om ar Bynon and Arian Nik as the cast for Mohamed-Zain

The display results from an appeal made by Historic Royal Palaces earlier in the year to gather objects related to the S o u t h A s i a n r o l e i n t h e s e h i s t o r i c a l events The exhibition will recount the stories of Indian soldiers who resided at Hampton Court for the Coronations of King Edward VII in 1902, King George V in 1911, George VI in 1937, and the First World War Victory Parade in London

The Indian Army at the Palace exhibition will feature a diverse array of prev i o u s l y u n s e e n i t e m s , e n c o m p a s s i n g photographs, maps, postcards, and even a well-preserved military uniform

S p e a k i n g t o A s i a n V o i c e , Z a k i r a B e g u m f r o m H i s t o r i c R o y a l P a l a c e s explains what the exhibition is all about Can you provide an overview of the exhibition and its main objectives?

W h a t k i n d o f r e s e a r c h a n d h i s t o r i c a l sources did you rely on?

T h e I n d i a n A r m y a t t h e P a l a c e uncovers the history of the encampments of Indian soldiers that took place in the grounds of Hampton Court Palace i n t h e e a r l y t w e n t i e t h c e n t u r y I t explores the story of these encampments in detail for the first time, including the soldiers’ experiences in camp, as well as press and public reactions to their stay It will cover their visits to various Coronations and the First World War peace parades in 1919

We have been researching this area of the Palace’s history for a number of years now, and we ’ re really pleased to be displaying some newly acquired items from our collection for the first time in this exhibition

The exhibition likely touches on themes o f c o l o n i a l i s m , i d e n t i t y , a n d multiculturalism How are these themes explored and presented?

To give context to the encampment at Hampton Court Palace and the role the Indian Army, we touch on various themes including empire and coloniali s m , a s t h e I n d i a n s o l d i e r s a t t h e encampment fought because India was part of the British empire during WW1 and WW2

W e ’ v e w o r k e d c l o s e l y w i t h l o c a l S o u t h A s i a n c o m m u n i t y g r o u p s throughout the exhibition process, supporting them to share their stories and o b j e c t s a s p a r t o f t h e d i s p l a y Representatives from these groups have helped us to expand the Palace’s history to include these stories and we have l e a r n e d a l o t f r o m w o r k i n g c l o s e l y t o g e t h e r C o m m u n i t y g r o u p s a l s o

We have taken great care to design a display that allows visitors to explore this important piece of history in a safe and supportive space, including highlighting what themes and content will be included, and signposting to addit i o n a l r e s o u r c e s s h o u l d t h e s e b e required

Interms of artifacts and exhibits, can you highlight some of the most compelling elements visitors can expect to see in the exhibition?

We’re really excited to bring together a range of never-before-seen objects including many from Historic Royal Palaces’ own collection - which go on display for the first time – such as an official plan from one of the camps, press cuttings depicting the soldiers’ arrival at Hampton Court station, and various photographs of the army in and around the Palace grounds In addition to this, objects submitted by the South Asian community as part of a public call-out will feature, including a 32nd Sikh Pioneers Indian Army Officer's tunic, medals and photos belonging to soldiers from the 1902 and 1911 conting e n t s , o r i g i n a l p h o t o g r a p h s o f t h e Gurkha regiment in the 1919 parade and print news articles depicting the visits What efforts were made to ensure that the voices and perspectives of t h e I n d i a n A r m y s o l d i e r s a n d t h e i r families are accurately represented in the exhibition?

This has been an important part of the project and has underpinned our w o r k a s w e d e v e l o p e d t h e d i s p l a y Historic Royal Palaces (the charity that cares for Hampton Court Palace) has worked closely with local South Asian c o m m u n i t y g r o u p s t h r o u g h o u t t h e exhibition process, supporting them to share their stories and objects as part of the display As I have mentioned above, these groups have helped to select some of the objects on display, as well as contributing to the object labels and sharing their reflections on the items and history being explored We have selecte d p h o t o g r a p h s a n d p e r s o n a l i t e m s relating to the soldiers’ and their experiences within the camp to be part of the display, in order to ensure their stories are fully represented Finally, as I mentioned, we also have a short film in the exhibition, where direct descendants of the Indian soldiers reflect on their stories Were there any personal stories or a c c o u n t s t h a t p a r t i c u l a r l y resonated with you? Could you share one that left a lasting impact?

All the stories submitted were really powerful and interesting but the one that did stand out for me was

Singh Ralmill’s story of his GG grandfather, who was part of the Indian Army and camped at Hampton Court He explained to us that the soldiers were so unprepared for cold weather while serving in WW1 that the ink in their pens froze up while writing letters home and had to resort to using pencils only It was also really sobering to hear of the r a c i a l d i s c r i m i n a t i o n s o l d i e r s f a c e d w h i l e s e r v i n g i n t h e B r i t i s h I n d i a n Army How do you hope the exhibition will contribute to the broader discourse o n h i s t o r y , d i v e r s i t y , a n d c u l t u r a l heritage?

The sites that we at Historic Royal Palaces look after – such as Hampton Court Palace – are well-known for the m o n a r c h s t h a t h a v e l i v e d t h e r e throughout the centuries, so it’s been really exciting to share a part of the P a l a c e ’ s h i s t o r y t h a t i s m u c h l e s sknown by our visitors It’s been fascin a t i n g t o a d d a n o t h e r l a y e r t o t h e Palace’s history, working closely with our community partners and including their personal reflections in the display W e h o p e t h a t o u r s m a l l e x h i b i t i o n allows visitors to reflect on the stories which feature and encourages them to find out more about the contribution made by the Indian army to WW1 and WW2

Dada’s debut play Blue M ist, directed by Royal Co urt Associate Director M illi Bh atia

Set in the shisha lounges of North West London, Blue Mist follows a journalist who sells out his own community, in a candid riposte to the portrayal of South Asian Muslim men in the media It runs in the Royal Court Jerwood Theatre Upstairs from

Thursday 5 October to Saturday 18 November

2023

The play is designed by Tomás Palmer, with lighting design by Elliot Griggs, sound design by Elena Peña and movement direction by Theophilus O Bailey Blue Mist is a story about South Asian Muslim Men navigating a system that isn’t built for them

RSC’s "The Empress" moves to the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre

Th i s au t um n th e R o y a l Sh a k e s p ea r e C o m pa n y brings thei r ac claim ed play “The E mpr es s ” b y L yri c Ha m m e r s m i t h T he a t re

A rt i s t i c A s s oc i a te T an i ka

Gupta to the Lyri c for four w ee k s o n l y f r om 4

October

T r a n s f e r r i n g d i r e c t l y from the Swan Theatre in S t r a t f o r d - u p o n - A v o n a n d d i r e c t e d b y P o o j a G h a i , A r t i s t i c D i r e c t o r

of Tamasha, this new prod u c t i o n o f T h e E m p r e s s takes you from the rugged gangways of Tilbury docks to the grandeur of Queen V i c t o r i a ’ s P a l a c e , w h i l s t u n v e i l i n g t h e l o n g a n d e m b e d d e d c u l t u r e o f British Asian history

The Empress was written by Tanika Gupta The production is directed by Pooja Ghai with design by Rosa Maggiora

Modern-day retelling of Mahabharata at Barbican

Barbican p resents the U K premiere of innov ative Canadian company Why No t Th eatre ’ s Mahabharata A Barbican coco m m i ss io n, th is co nt em p orary ad ap tatio n o f the fou rth o u s an d - yea r- o ld S an sk ri t ep i c e xp l o res a d ev as tat i ng fam ily feud and how surviv ors rebuild after m ass extinction T h e l a r g e - s c a l e s p e c t a c l e retelling is led by an ensemble cast and live band from the S o u t h A s i a n d i a s p o r a , u s i n g both ancient and modern storytelling techniques Mahabharata is a contem-

p o r a r y a d a p t a t i o n o f t h e Sanskrit epic poem, that follows a devastating family feud and explores profound philosophical and spiritual ideas Its s t o r i e s a r e m o r e t h a n f o u r thousand years old and foundational to Indian culture The

n e w , l a r g e - s c a l e r e t e l l i n g i s p r e s e n t e d i n t w o p a r t s a n d takes audiences on a journey through the past in order to write a thrilling new future

Almost 40 years since Peter Brook’s legendary production, Why Not Theatre’s adaptation is the first major international a d a p t a t i o n o f t h e a n c i e n t Indian stories to be led by a company from the South Asian diaspora They continue to resonate powerfully today, against a backdrop of territorial war, human rights violations and climate change

India’s ancient Buddhist cave art digitally restored

A r t h i s t o r i a n and photographer Benoy K Behl capt u r e d t h e b e a u t y and luminosity of these works using l o n g e x p o s u r e s a n d o n l y n a t u r a l l i g h t , p r e s e n t i n g t h e m s e n s i t i v e l y

restored in a new paperback edition o f T h e A j a n t a Caves

Publishing on 12 October, this book provides expert commentaries and a first time view of some of the masterpieces of Ajanta closer to their original

glory than ever before

This new edition provides for the first time a view of some of the masterpieces of Ajanta painstakingly digitally restored by Behl Sensitively c a r r i e d o u t , t h e r e s t o r a t i o n m a k e s t h e p a i n t i n g s c l e a r e r without interfering with their o r i g i n a l g r a c e a n d n u a n c e , leading to a deeper appreciat i o n o f t h e i r a r t i s t r y

Accompanied by expert commentaries to fully immerse the reader in the cultural context of themurals, this book will help preserve the legacy of the glorious art of Ajanta for years to come

Group of stereoview photographs depicting the Indian Army Camps at Hampton Court Palace

Postcard depicting Officers of the Indian Contingent

Postcard depicting the camp of the Indian contingent in Home Park, Hampton Court

Salman Akhtar (Robert Harper), Omar Bynon (Clare Park), Arian Nik (Harry Livingston)

Anish Chauhan: An Alternative Approach to Weight-Loss

Sunetra Senior

Anish Chauhan Coaching which evolved from AC Fitness is as refreshing a wellness concept as it sounds. Founder and friendly personal trainer, Anish, combines life coaching with physical fitness to boost one’s lifestyle via the specific lynchpin of measurable weight-loss His franchise goes beyond counting the calories to help you intentionally find yourself This means that “the program is one of personal development,” Anish shared, “wherein losing weight is often simply the desired byproduct People who solely focus on physical fitness are far less likely to be able to maintain the long-term goals set around it By contrast, those who make weight loss part of their bigger personal vision are more likely to succeed.” ***

your complex confines You may want to get fit and evolve as a human being but having a demanding 9-5 job which ends up being a 7-7 may not easily allow room for that You may not be able to rigorously watch your meals or do 10,000 steps a day We will design

Pilot's heartbreaking last message from Leicester City helicopter crash

The pilot of the h elicopter inv olved in th e fatal crash th at c la i m ed th e l if e o f

L ei c es ter C i ty Fo o t ba ll

C lu b 's o w ne r rem ark ed ,

"I've no idea wh at's go ing on," as th e aircraft spiraled out o f control

T h i s r e v e l a t i o n c a m e from a report by the Air

A c c i d e n t s I n v e s t i g a t i o n Branch (AAIB) regarding the incident outside the club's

K i n g P o w e r S t a d i u m o n

October 27, 2018

Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha

Combining proactivity, the power of perception and authentic interpersonal support, Anish emerges an epitome o f t h e c o n t e m p o r a r y l i f e c o a c h Indeed, operating the business largely online through social media, one of his success stories lost 18 Kg over the course of 6 and a half months without once setting foot in the gym! “She simply walked more and better watched her diet The self-discipline came from increased confidence in personal life: she was setting boundaries with people in a way that she had never, standing up for herself etc ”

Indeed, people often lose track of fitness when they lose faith in themselves If one is truly content, they do not need to over-compensate, by, for example, binge-eating, overly control, by slimming dangerously, or even selfn e g l e c t “ M a n y o f m y c l i e n t s a r e incredible at their jobs: they are top earners financially and loved by many I t ’ s t h e i n n e r e m o t i o n a l s i d e t h a t n e e d s s o m e e x e r c i s e a n d m i n d f u l w o r k ” A n i s h C h a u h a n C o a c h i n g shows us that the ultimate motivator is feeling your fundamental worth

T r a g i c a l l y , t h e c r a s h r e s u l t e d i n t h e l o s s o f Leicester City owner Vichai

S r i v a d d h a n a p r a b h a , e m p l -

o y e e s N u r s a r a S u k n a m a i a n d K a v e p o r n P u n p a r e ,

pilot Eric Swaffer, and his p a r t n e r I z a b e l a R o z a Lechowicz, who was also a professional pilot The helicopter, a Leonardo AW169, r e a c h e d a n a l t i t u d e o f approximately 430ft before c r a s h i n g t o t h e g r o u n d I n v e s t i g a t o r s d e t e r m i n e d that the pilot's pedals had become disconnected from the tail rotor

Home Secretary challenges PM on granting India more student visas

Ho m e S ec ret ary S u ell a Braverman questio ned the PM on his intentions to provide Ind ia thou sands of student visas

She expressed her disp l e a s u r e a t i n v i t i n g a d d itional migrants after the 1 2 million who arrived in the UK last year to Rishi Sunak

The logic certainly checks out If one embarks on a superficial journey, the results will be just so However, discover the meaning behind what you ’ re chasing and the change can also be profound Anish is there to facilitate this deeply healthy process of unique self-discovery: “people do tend to lose a few pounds with the standard fitness training programs but those who throw themselves entirely emotionally in can lose a few Kgs!” Anish Chauhan Coaching then helps one identify significant life goals, anchoring them in physical workouts, productive organisation, nutrition and beyond Perhaps you want a better job, a s t r o n g r o m a n t i c r e l a t i o n s h i p o r more time with family and friends? Often an initial consultation will be centred on teasing these individual underlying dreams out The weightloss organically follows as the result of such complete commitment to selfcare

“Generally, clients want to be a better version of themselves I will ask people to visualise what losing weight looks like to them: what kind of life the ‘ new them’ will manifest From wanting to be some kind of influential r o l e m o d e l t o i n s e c u r i t i e s a r o u n d hereditarily informed health and what this could adversely affect, every person has that hidden higher purpose ” For this reason, Anish’s programs are further tailored to suit the respective client’ s needs, providing synergetic bespoke schedules and helpful selfdevelopment videos as well as a sympathetic ear to lean on along the way

“It is about what you can do within

doable fitness steps across a general 12-step plan so that reaching your goals is realistic for you You may gently regulate the times you eat or get out to the park at lunchtime more often You’ll have the chance to checkin on progress through regular one-toone sessions with me too ”

In this way, Anish helps to imbue his clients with a sense of agency one small yet cumulative step at a time

What is a recurring theme in the fitness visualisations?

It is dependent on age Younger clients, say those in their early thirties, wish to do well at a job interviews or clinch the desired career Older clients want to maximise time with partners a n d c h i l d r e n a n d a c h i e v e a b e t t e r work/life balance

What are some helpful mottos that you have lived by?

If you say you are going to do something: do it! If you make a decision, stand by it Everything starts off with a thought which leads to a feeling of some kind and the result is your choice around that If someone wants to lose 10kg over 12 weeks, for example, but they do not stick to the organisation that represents this on a daily basis, they shouldn’t be surprised that it does not manifest 50% of the physical transformation happens through meditated conviction

Can you share another success story?

Yes I had a client who was the CEO of a tech business: he could never understand why he couldn’t lose weight By having an open dialogue with himself, he said it helped him tap into the part of his brain that sometimes falls asleep He lost 15kg in 12 weeks!

L inkedIn: www LinkedIn con/in/AnishChauhan Coaching

F aceboo k:

HT TPS://m Facebook com/Anish Cha uhan 92

T:@ACFitnessuk<https://twitter com /ACFitnessuk>

Prior to a significant trade agreement with India, The Sun reported last week that the PM was preparing to approve plans for thousands more student and business v i s a s I t a l s o r e p o r t e d o n their Cabinet's divide

H o w e v e r , M r S u n a k assured Ms Braverman on Tuesday that he will continue to work toward "benefit-

ing the UK for decades to come" as he formulates the l a r g e s t t r a d e a g r e e m e n t since Brexit According to insiders, he "nodded along" while carefully listening to the Home Secretary's worries Robert Jenrick, the mini s t e r o f i m m i g r a t i o n , i s r e p o r t e d l y s i m i l a r l y c o ncerned about a rise in the population

Robert Jenrick criticised as attorneys for migrants risk receiving life sentence

Ro b ert J e nri c k h as c o m e u nd e r f i re f o r id eas t h at could result in law yers who are d is c o v er ed " c o ac h i ng migrants" receiv ing term s of up to life in jail

The immigration minist e r i n f o r m e d m e m b e r s o f Parliament in a statement to t h e H o u s e o f C o m m o n s that the government would step up enforcement actions against attorneys and legal r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s w h o a i d "migrants abuse the immigrations system "

This means that attorneys accused of "assisting u n l a w f u l i m m i g r a t i o n t o the UK" may receive sentences on par with or even longer than those who have been found guilty of fraud, reckless driving that results in death, or sexual assault of a child under 13

This comes after a Daily Mail investigation that said many solicitors had agreed to submit a fake application on behalf of an undercover

journalist acting as an econ o m i c i m m i g r a n t i n exchange for thousands of pounds T h e P r o f e s s i o n a l E n a b l e r s T a s k f o r c e w a s established in August by the Ministry of Justice and the Home Office to take action against "crooked" immigration attorneys who "coach illegal migrants to lie "

The Taskforce, however, w a s r e b u k e d b y t h e L a w Society, which claimed that it was an attempt by the g o v e r n m e n t t o d e f l e c t a t t e n t i o n f r o m t h e e n o r -

m o u s b a c k l o g i n a s y l u m petitions

“Generally, clients want to be a better version of themselves. I will ask people to visualise what losing weight looks like to them: what kind of life the ‘new them’ will manifest. From wanting to be some kind of influential role model to insecurities around hereditarily informed health and what this could adversely affect, every person has that hidden higher purpose"

ANISH CHAUHAN

Rishi Sunak and Suella Braverman

Robert Jenrick

" I a m h u g e l y p r o u d o f m y Indian roots and my connections to I n d i a b e i n g a p r o u d H i n d u means I will always have a connection to India and the people of India, Sunak said “Two nations, one ambition An ambition rooted in our shared values, the connection between our people and – of course – our passion for cricket,” he added R epr esent ing t he livin g br id ge

Amid all the chaos and murmurs around the slipping hopes of c o m p l e t i o n o f t h e F r e e T r a d e Agreement between India and the UK, Mr Sunak landed in India last week for the G20 World Leaders’ Summit and received a grand welcome from his relatives in New Delhi This visit marks a historic m o m e n t f o r t h e ” l i v i n g b r i d g e ” wherein, he became the first British PM of Indian origin to visit his homeland as a global leader All eyes were on every step he took and every hand he shook, the prayers he said and the gestures he made during this trip with his wife - the daughter of Indian tycoon N R N a r a y a n a M u r t h y a n d p h i l a n -

thropist Sudha Murthy

Speaking to Asian Voice at an EXCLUSIVE interview in August 2023, Mr Sunak said that he was looking forward to visiting India as a representation of the UK’s 1 7 million ‘living bridge’ “I am always excited to visit India, particularly in

'PROUD OF MY INDIAN ROOTS'

Regarding the UK-India FTA, he also added, “In our strategic partnership, it goes way beyond just the trade ” Sunak, who visited the BAPS

S w a m i n a r a y a n A k s h a r d h a m Temple in Delhi, was then greeted by swamis, as well as senior leaders

f r o m A k s h a r d h a m M a n d i r , w h o relayed a special message on behalf

o f H i s H o l i n e s s M a h a n t S w a m i

Maharaj, spiritual leader of BAPS

His Holiness had extended his personal wishes and prayers for him and the other delegates He wrote, “ I n t h e s p i r i t o f V a s u d h a i v a Kutumbakam, we pray for you and all the attendees: May the summit be a resounding success in collect i v e l y h e l p i n g t h e w h o l e w o r l d

addressed at the earl i e s t s o t h a t a b a lanced, mutually beneficial and forwardl o o k i n g F r e e T r a d e A g r e e m e n t i s c o ncluded soon, ” an offic i a l s t a t e m e n t a f t e r the talks said

O n t h e F T A , Sunak’s office said in a s t a t e m e n t t h a t Sunak reiterated the U K ’ s a m b i t i o n t o “ d e l i v e r a l a n d m a r k trade deal which bene f i t s b u s i n e s s e s a n d w o r k e r s i n both countries and grows our trade in both goods and services”

The statement also said that

nations,” Rishi Sunak said S unak to make two trips to India?

M e a n w h i l e , R i s h i S u n a k i s reportedly set to make two trips to I n d i a W h i l e h o p e s f o r a p o s tBrexit trade deal with India before t h e s u m m i t h a v e d i m m e d , progress has been made, and officials are increasingly optimistic about reaching an agreement by year-end Sunak, a cricket enthusiast, is considering a second visit to India in late October or early November to potentially finalise the trade d e a l d u r i n g t h e C r i c k e t W o r l d Cup England is scheduled to play India on October 29, and plans for this second visit are tentatively being made

The outcome depends on the p r o g r e s s i n S e p t e m b e r s t r a d e negotiations and whether Sunak a n d I n d i a n P r i m e M i n i s t e r

towards peace, righteous prosperit y , a n d g l o b a l

h a r m o n y ” B r a h m a v i h a r i S w a m i , the senior swami of the sanstha, added: “It was an honour to welc o m e t h e P r i m e M i n i s t e r t o S w a m i n a r a y a n A k s h a r d h a m a n d share His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj’s message of peace, unity and public service The UK’s rela-

S u n a k c o n g r a t u l a t e d M o d i o n India’s “consummate” Presidency of the G-20 this year, which has demonstrated India’s “vital global leadership and influence”

“The leaders reflected on the close and growing ties between the U K and India, exemplified in the ‘living bridge’ between our people They agreed it was important to

Narendra Modi can find common ground at the G20 summit Sunak emphasised that he would only agree to a trade deal that benefits the entire UK during a Cabinet meeting

While UK-India relations are generally positive, India views the U K ' s s o f t e n e d s t a n c e t o w a r d

Gautam Dev Sood, a maternal uncle of Prime Minister Sunak of Punjabi heritage, r e v e a l e d t h a t a l l r e l a t i v e s were invited to the Indian capital to mark his visit

Subhash Berry, Sunak's paternal uncle, mentioned that although exact details were not disclosed, a plan was in place to welcome the Prime Minister The celebration featured lively beats of t r a d i t i o n a l P u n j a b i m u s i c , w i t h s o m e E n g l i s h t u n e s thrown in for good measure However, due to an intense work schedule for the G20 summit and bilateral talks, Sunak himself was unlikely to attend the event Despite having extended famil y i n n o r t h e r n I n d i a , m o s t o f Murty's relatives live in Karnataka S u n a k h u m o r o u s l y m e n t i o n e d that his family's political discuss i o n s t y p i c a l l y r e v o l v e a r o u n d cricket, where he agreed that his d a u g h t e r s c o u l d s u p p o r t t h e Indian cricket team in exchange for their support for England in football

In an email interview leading up to his visit to New Delhi for the G20 summit, Sunak expressed his pride in his Indian heritage and Hindu identity, emphasising his lasting connection to India and its people He spoke of maintaining a separation between politics and family when discussing Indian politics, technology, or governance issues with his in-laws However, he acknowledged the influence of his wife, daughters, parents, and in-laws in shaping his values

He expressed immense pride i n h i s p a r e n t s - i n - l a w ' s j o u r n e y from humble beginnings to building one of the world's largest and most respected companies, aiming to create opportunities for success in both India and the UK

Th e release of Jagtar S ingh J ohal

this the way that you describe (first British Indian PM of the UK) will be special,” said the PM “And I'm a representation of a living bridge between our two countries So, it will be a particularly memorable m o m e n t a n d m e a n i n g f u l t o m e personally ”

While Sunak may not be elected by British citizens, history will remain kind to him for the attempt to restore the economy and forge g l o b a l a l l i a n c e s , e s p e c i a l l y w i t h India, which will be instrumental in the next general elections for the Conservative Party His unapologetic stance of how he believes in his faith - Hinduism and yet he’s a British man who lives in a country p o p u l a t e d p r e d o m i n a n t l y b y Christians; he paints his picture as a person who doesn’t use faith in the garb of a vote bank

O n t h e o t h e r h a n d , t h i s approach has seemingly won more supporters for the Conservatives, which might shift the donation banks from the Labour Party to the C o n s e r v a t i v e s D e s p i t e t h i s momentous opportunity, Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer is also leaving no stone unturned to project that India is a solid ally of Britain Talking about the working relationship between the UK and India should he become the next PM of Britain, Sir Starmer said during the UK-India week, “I think t h a t r e l a t i o n s h i p s h o u l d b e a respectful, open relationship, that’s based on the future, not the past ”

tionship with India is built on a bond of friendship and fostered by c u l t u r a l e x c h a n g e s a s w e l l a s a vibrant Indian diaspora in the UK

We were delighted to strengthen this relationship through this visit ”

FTA - The elepha nt in t he room

R e v i e w i n g p r o g r e s s o n t h e India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in the works, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rishi Sunak agreed that ministers and negotiating teams would continue “to work at pace ” towards an agreement “We discussed ways to deepen trade linkages and boost investment India and the UK will keep working for a prosperous and sust a i n a b l e p l a n e t , ” M o d i s a i d o n social media after a bilateral meeting with PM Sunak on the sidelines of the ongoing G-20 summit

“Two nations, one ambition An ambition rooted in our shared values, the connection between our people and, of course, our passion for cricket,” Sunak said in turn

“Both leaders also reviewed the progress of Free Trade Agreement negotiations and expressed hope that the remaining issues could be

build on the past and focus on the future, cementing a modern partn e r s h i p i n c u t t i n g - e d g e d e f e n c e technology, trade and innovation

They also discussed a number of consular issues,” it added

Modi has invited Sunak for a bilateral visit at an early, mutually c o n v e n i e n t d a t e f o r a m o r e d e t a i l e d d i s c u s s i o n , a n d S u n a k accepted the invitation

"For the record, let me declare that as is a matter of public record, I and my family are of Indian origin My wife and her family are I n d i a n c i t i z e n s w i t h f i n a n c i a l interests in India,” Rishi Sunak said about Akshata Murty’s shares in Infosys Rishi Sunak also highlighted his three key aims of the India visit, which included increasing d i p l o m a t i c p r e s s u r e o n R u s s i a n President Vladimir Putin, climate action and strengthening ties with India

I held warm and productive discussions with Prime Minister Modi on strengthening our relationship in defence, technology and a free trade deal between our

China with suspicion, adding a diplomatic challenge for Sunak in balancing relationships with these two rising powers City o f London Corp oratio n resp onds to new UK- India

E conomic and Fi nancial D ialogue

T h e C i t y o f L o n d o n Corporation participated in the I n d i a - U K F i n a n c i a l P a r t n e r s h i p (IUKFP) and supported economic and financial commitments with India This includes a new infrastructure initiative, the UK-India

I n f r a s t r u c t u r e F i n a n c i n g B r i d g e ( U K I I F B ) , a i m e d a t l e v e r a g i n g

London s expertise for sustainable

i n v e s t m e n t i n I n d i a C h r i s Hayward, Policy Chairman at City of London Corporation, highlighted the strength of the UK-India partnership in financial and professional services

Ho mecoming

The Daily Telegraph recently r e p o r t e d t h a t B r i t i s h P r i m e Minister Rishi Sunak's relatives in India hosted a grand celebration in his honour, complete with a feast, f

n c i n g t o P u n j a b i m u s i c D r

O v e r 7 0 M e m b e r s o f Parliament have called on British P r i m e M i n i s t e r R i s h i S u n a k t o advocate for the release of Jagtar S i n g h J o h a l , a S c o t t i s h S i k h imprisoned in India for nearly six years Johal was arrested in 2017 while attending his wedding in Punjab, allegedly taken away in an u n m a r k e d c a r T h e S i k h Federation revealed that MPs from different parties have written to Sunak, urging him to seek Johal's immediate release during his visit to India, where trade negotiations are ongoing

S N P M P M a r t i n D o c h e r t yHughes argued that Johal's arbitrary detention should challenge the basis of any trade deal, emphasising transparency, the rule of law, and Johal s rights Dabinderjit Singh, from the Sikh Federation, called on Sunak to stand up for Johal, warning against appeasing India while discriminating against him based on his Sikh activism

Amnesty International called on Sunak to address India s human rights record at the G20 Summit in New Delhi They expressed concern over alleged harassment, arbitrary arrests, and restrictions on critics and journalists under Prime Minister Modi's leadership, along w i t h h a t e s p e e c h a n d v i o l e n c e against minority groups, particularly Muslims Sacha Deshmukh, Amnesty International UK’s Chief Executive, urged Sunak not to let trade deal talks silence these concerns

Swamijis from Akshardham temple, and senior leaders from London’s Neasden Temple, including Trustee Sanjay Kara and BAPS General Secretary Ritesh Gadhia greet UK PM Rishi Sunak

PM Rishi Sunak holds a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi at the G20 Summit

Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty arrive at Delhi Airport for the G20 meeting

Rishi Sunak with US President Joe Biden paying tribute to Mahatma Gandhi with other G20 leaders at Raj Ghat

Rishi Sunak with wife Akshata praying at the Akshardham temple in Delhi

G 20 S U M M I T

India last we ek scripte d hist ory and st amped it s a uthorit y on the globa l sta ge, securin g a con se nsus on more t han 10 0 issues on the age nda , includin g the most cont ent ious one , the Russia -Ukra ine wa r, a s G 20 le ade rs a dopte d the N ew Delh i Lead ers ’ Decla ra tion

“United in consensus and spirit, we pledge to work collaboratively for a better, more prosperous and harmonious future My gratitude to all fellow G20 members for their support and cooperation,” PM Narendra Modi said in a social media post after the 34-page declaration was adopted following what India’s sherpa Amitabh Kant said were “ruthless negotiations” that lasted over 200 hours

The breakthrough was facilitated by India’s success in enlisting the support of the emerging economies of Brazil, South Africa and Indonesia, and after it invoked the name of PM Modi to bluntly put across the message that there was no more time to be wasted “Eventually, we had to tell them that our leader wants it, and it has to be delivered,” Kant said

The significance of the New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration stretched far beyond getting the opposite sides to agree to a compromise formulation over Ukraine It attested to India’s growing geopolitical heft, with the participating nations embracing the priorities flagged by Modi

Modi wants to use the summit to advance both his nation as a significant global force and himself as a world leader Both Russia's President Vladimir Putin and China's President Xi Jinping skipped the summit ‘ New spice route ’ to coun te r China’ s OBOR

India, the US, the EU, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE reached an agreement to establish the IndiaMiddle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEE EC), which is seen as a counter to China's One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative and will offer a faster and more affordable rail and sea transit option to West Asia and Europe

US President Joe Biden called it a "game-changing" regional investment

Announcing the "historic partnership", for which a memorandum of understanding was signed on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, PM Modi said that in the times to come, this would become an "effective medium for economic integration of India,

separate agreements with the EU, the UK, and the Gulf Cooperation Council, which comprises Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and other nations in the region

The Partnership for Global Infrastructure Investment (PGII), a joint initiative of the G7 countries to finance infrastructure projects in lowand middle-income countries, includes the rail and shipping corridors PGII is seen as the bloc's response to the OBOR,

were labelled with different rivers in the country They included Krishna, Yamuna, Brahmaputra, and Ganga

Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel, Rajasthan's Ashok Gehlot, Odisha's Naveen Patnaik and Delhi's Arvind Kejriwal were among the leaders from opposition parties who gave the event a miss Business leaders, including Mukesh Ambani, Gautam Adani, Tata Sons chairman N

example of the United Nations Security Council "When the UN was established, the world at that time was completely different from today At that time, there were 51 founding members of the UN Today, the number of countries included in the UN is around 200 Despite this, the permanent members of the UNSC are still the same," he said

India has many ideas to share with the world, says Modi

Chandrasekaran, Aditya Birla group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla and Bharti Airtel founder chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal were invited Modi ca lls for globa l instit utiona l r eforms

During his address on the second day of the summit, PM Modi reaffirmed his call for global institutional reforms, including the expansion of the United Nations Security Council He emphasised numerous ideas

Globa l lead ers pra ise In dia pre sid ency

Diplomats from around the world praised India s successful chairmanship of the G20, which not only helped the heavily divided bloc reach a consensus but also created the foundation for closer future cooperation

Under Indian leadership, the G20 saw a paradigm shift when the African Union joined the group, paving the way for additional reforms in international multilateral organisations The theme for India’s G20 presidency was "Vasudhaiva KutambakamOne Earth, One Family, One Future"

A joint declaration from G20 members condemned "human suffering and adverse repercussions of the conflict in Ukraine on global food and energy security , without directly criticising Russia Prior to a general election scheduled for the spring of 2024, Prime Minister

west Asia, and Europe"

"This is a real big deal I want to thank the PM (Modi) One Earth, One Family, One Futurethat's the focus of this G20 Summit And in many ways, it’s also the focus of this partnership that we ’ re talking about today," US President Joe Biden said Building sustainable, resilient infrastructure, making quality infrastructure investments, and creating a better future - as we work to address infrastructure gaps across low- and middleincome countries, we need to maximise the intensity of our investments," Biden said The project will comprise two corridors: East-West, connecting India to west Asia, and the northern corridor, connecting west Asia to Europe The idea is to link IMEE EC to southeast Asia, and leverage some of the building blocks of trade India already has a trade agreement with Asean and the UAE, but it is looking into

which has placed a hefty financial load on nations ranging from Kenya and Zambia to Mongolia and Pakistan

A taste of Ind ia n millet s for world le ade rs

At the G20 Summit's venue, the Bharat Mandapam, President Droupadi Murmu hosted a lavish dinner for the attendees The menu featured dishes made from millets and Kashmiri Kahwa

The G20 dinner was attended by chief ministers of several states and world leaders, including President Biden, UK PM Rishi Sunak, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, Japanese PM Fumio Kishida, French President Emmanuel Macron, Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina and others Bihar's Nitish Kumar, Jharkhand's Hemant Soren, and West Bengal's Mamata Banerjee were among the state leaders from opposition parties who attended the event The round dinner tables at the event

and initiatives being advanced during India's G20 presidency, such as the development of digital public infrastructure and the formation of the Startup 20 engagement group Additionally, he urged the nations to cooperate on a framework to address pressing concerns, including cryptocurrency, cybersecurity, and responsible human-centric AI governance

Addressing the session, PM Modi said, "Yesterday, we had extensive discussions in the One Earth and One Family sessions I am satisfied that today the G-20 has become a platform for optimistic efforts regarding the vision of One Earth, One Family, One Future I have continuously drawn your attention to Human Centric Vision instead of GDP Centric Approach"

PM Modi reiterated his stance on making global systems in accordance with the "realities of the present" and took the

PM Modi stated that India has so many ideas that it has a lot to share with the whole world Today, many countries like India have so much that we are sharing with the whole world India has talked about sharing the data of the Chandrayaan Mission with everyone in the interest of humanity This is also proof of our commitment to Human Centric Growth India has harnessed technology to foster inclusive development and facilitate last-mile delivery Even in our most remote villages the small-scale traders are using digital payments," PM Modi said Modi also raised the unprecedented scale and speed of new-generation technologies, including artificial intelligence and proposed a framework for responsible human-centric AI governance Today, our world is also facing some other burning problems which are affecting both the present and future of all our countries We are familiar with the challenges of cyber security and crypto-currency The field of crypto-currency has emerged as a new topic for everyone, i e , social order, monetary stability and financial stability Therefore, we have to develop global standards to regulate cryptocurrencies We have the Basel standards on bank regulation in front of us as a model," the Prime Minister said Before the conclusion of the summit, PM Modi suggested holding a virtual G20 meeting in November to discuss the recommendations and proposals made at the main platform for global economic cooperation He added "I propose that at the end of November we hold a virtual session of the G20 We can review the topics decided at this summit in that virtual session I hope you all will connect during the virtual session With this, I declare the conclusion of the G20 Summit, he added

PM at the launch of ‘Global Biofuels Alliance’ with world leaders

PM’s remarks at G20 Summit on ‘One Earth’ at Bharat Mandapam

PM Modi with the PM of the Netherlands Mr Mark Rutte

PM Modi with the President of Nigeria, Mr Bola Ahmed Tinubu

PM Modi hands over the G20 Presidency to the President of Brazil, Mr Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva

PM Modi with the Chairperson of the African Union Mr Azali Assoumani

Dear Financial Voice Reader,

Alpesh Patel OBE

Wh en I picked nV idia in January, I did n ’ t know A I would drive it up ov er 250% Wh ilst th at’ s g reat for my pension, had I kno wn, I wou ld only have picked that stock! It’s im po rtant yo u u nd erstand w hat’ s g oi ng o n w ith AI stocks

In the bustling world of finance, the term 'Artificial Intelligence' or AI has become more than just a buzzword It's the driving force behind a new era of technological advancements, reshaping industries and the stock market landscape For the discerning investor, understanding the nuances of AI and the companies leading the charge is paramount

1 M achine Learning ( ML): At the heart of AI lies Machine Learning, a subset that allows computers to learn from data Instead of being explicitly programmed, these systems improve over time, refining their algorithms based on the data they process

K ey Players:

• Alphabet Inc (Google's parent company) has been a pioneer with its TensorFlow platform

• NVIDIA, known for its graphics processing units (GPUs), has become indispensable in the ML world, powering complex computations

2 Natural Lang uag e Processing (NLP): NLP focuses on the interaction between computers and humans It's the technology behind chatbots, voice assistants, and translation services

K ey Players:

• IBM with its Watson platform has made significant strides in this domain

• OpenAI, a research organization, has developed GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) models that have revolutionized text generation

3 Neural Netwo rks and Deep Learning: Mimicking the human brain's structure, neural networks consist of interconnected nodes Deep learning, a subset of ML, uses these networks to analyze various data forms, from images to sound

K ey Players:

• Facebook AI Research (FAIR) has been at the forefront, especially in image and video recognition

• DeepMind, acquired by Google, is renowned for its work in deep reinforcement learning

4 Robotics Pro cess A utom ation (RPA): RPA is about automating repetitive tasks From data extraction to customer service, RPA bots can handle a range of functions, enhancing efficiency

K ey Players:

• UiPath and Blue Prism are leading the RPA market, offering solutions that transform business operations

5 Com puter Vision: This field enables machines to interpret and make decisions based on visual data It's the tech behind facial recognition and autonomous vehicles

K ey Players:

• Amazon with its Go stores uses computer vision for cashier-less checkouts

• Tesla relies heavily on this technology for its

Autopilot feature

As the AI sector diversifies, so does the investment l a n d s c a p e T r a d i t i o n a l t e c h g i a n t s l i k e A p p l e a n d Microsoft are heavily invested in AI, while startups like Palantir and Snowflake offer niche solutions

The intertwining of AI and finance is evident From algorithmic trading to fraud detection, AI's imprint on the financial world is indelible For investors, this presents both opportunities and challenges The AI-driven companies mentioned above are just the tip of the iceberg As with any investment, due diligence is crucial But one thing is clear: AI is not just the future; it's the present And understanding its intricacies could be the key to unlocking significant investment potential

If you want to keep up to date, join my free YouTube channel and my Telegram – see www alpeshpatel com/links

Home Office stands to lose £3.6 bn on illegal migration bill

A ccord ing to a report, th e Hom e Office's elig ibility for official funding is at risk d ue to th e implementation of the Illeg al M igration bill The Independent Com mission for Aid Im pact (IC AI), an ind ep endent watchd og assessing g overnm ent spend ing o n dom estic and foreig n aid, conducted this analysis

The report reveals that the Home Office may potentially l o s e u p t o £ 3 6 b i l l i o n i n f u n d i n g f r o m t h e F o r e i g n ,

Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) This potential loss of funding stems from how specific categories of aid are classified

As the ICAI report outlines, a portion of the Home Office's expenditures on refugees and asylum seekers is categorised as Official Development Assistance (ODA) ODA typically covers expenses such as the initial year s housing and food costs for refugees and is primarily funded by the FCDO rather than the Home Office's own budget

BoE governor anticipates significant decline in inflation

Ban k of England govern or Andrew B ailey antic ipates a si g n i fi c a n t d e c re a se i n i n f l a ti on th i s y e a r T h i s r a i s e s do u b ts a b o ut th e nec essi ty of im plem enting another interest rate hike w h en po l i c y m a k e r s c o nvene later this month

In a reassuring message to Members of Parliament, Bailey noted that inflation was following a downward t r a j e c t o r y H e a t t r i b u t e d t h i s t r e n d t o d e c l i n i n g energy prices and a weakening job market, suggesting that the cycle of intere s t r a t e h i k e s w a s

Andrew Bailey

a p p r o a c h i n g i t s c o n c l usion I n r e s p o n s e t o t h i s a n n o u n c e m e n t , c u r r e n c y traders reacted by selling t h e p o u n d , c a u s i n g t h e B r i t i s h c u r r e n c y t o d i p b e l o w $ 1 2 5 f o r t h e f i r s t

Birmingham experiences economic boom amidst city council's financial woes

Bi rmingh am, the UK's se cond-lar gest city , has e xp e r i e n ce d a r a p i d e co n o m i c r e co v e r y f r o m t h e p a nd e mi c, a t t r a c t i ng s i g n i f i ca n t investment and r evi talising it s ce ntra l busine ss d istrict

However, this econ o m i c b o o m s h a r p l y contrasts with the severe f i n a n c i a l d i f f i c u l t i e s i t f a c e d b y i t s L a b o u r - r u n local authority Recently, Birmingham City Council issued a section 114 notice, effectively declaring insolv e n c y , a s i t w o u l d b e unable to balance its books t h i s y e a r a s l e g a l l y required

The council's crisis primarily stems from a surge i n p o t e n t i a l l i a b i l i t i e s , reaching up to £760 million, resulting from equal pay claims by thousands of p r e d o m i n a n t l y f e m a l e e m p l o y e e s T h i s a m o u n t e x c e e d s t h e c o u n c i l ' s

annual budget for services

L o c a l g o v e r n m e n t experts also highlight the broader national context, with local authority fundi n g s i g n i f i c a n t l y r e d u c e d b y C o n s e r v a t i v e g o v e r nments in the decade leading up to 2020 This reduction has disproportionatel y a f f e c t e d l a r g e u r b a n areas like Birmingham

The city, facing a budget shortfall of £87 5 mill i o n t h i s y e a r , h a s b e e n compelled to make over £1 b i l l i o n i n s a v i n g s s i n c e 2010, translating to a 60% reduction in its budgets, according to the council

L’Oreal veteran Manashi Guha to lead UK and Ireland division

L’ O r e a l, t h e Fr e n ch be a u t y co m p a n y , h a s a p po i n t e d Ma n a s hi G u h a a s t h e M a n a g in g Dir ec to r of t he C on sum e r Pr od uct s Di vi sion (CPD) in the UK & Ir eland , with her t enur e beg inning on O ct obe r 1

This appointment underscores the increasing presence of global leadership talent emerging from the SAPMENA (South Asia-Pacific, Middle East & North Africa) region This region, housing 40% of the world's population, is a vital talent hub and one of L’Oreal's fastest-growing areas worldwide

Guha previously served as a founding member of the SAPMENA zone management committee, a new zone established in 2021 as a strategic growth region for L’Oreal Groupe During her time on the committee, she developed the strategic mission for CPD in this new zone, recognising the immense market potential where 50% of the world's new consumers are expected to originate

Her leadership experience in emerging and rapidly evolving markets, notably in India and Indonesia, will equip her well for her new role

L ’ O r e a l e x p e c t s M a n a s h i G u h a t o b r i n g a n e n t r e p r e n e u r i a l m i n d s e t , c o n s u m e r - c e n t r i c approach, agility, a passion for innovation, and a commitment to excellence to her new assignment

t i m e i n t h r e e m o n t h s Bailey expressed his belief that "we are much closer to reaching the peak of this c y c l e , " h i g h l i g h t i n g h o w w a g e i n c r e a s e s w e r e diminishing and the economy was slowing down in response to 14 consecutive i n t e r e s t r a t e h i k e s s i n c e December 2021

Despite these developm e n t s , f i n a n c i a l m a r k e t s still anticipate the central b a n k ' s M o n e t a r y P o l i c y Committee (MPC) to raise interest rates by 0 25 percentage points to 5 5% duri n g i t s m e e t i n g o n

September 21 They have assigned an 82 5% probabili t y t o t h i s q u a r t e r - p o i n t i n c r e a s e , s l i g h t l y d o w n from 85% earlier in the day, effectively pricing in the highest interest rate level since December 2007

D u r i n g h i s t e s t i m o n y before the Treasury committee, Bailey pointed out that several economic indic a t o r s w e r e s i g n a l l i n g a continued decline in inflation throughout the year I n J u l y , t h e C o n s u m e r Prices Index (CPI) dropped to 6 8%, down from 7 9% in June

TCS strengthens partnership with JLR in £800 mn deal

In di a ' s T a ta Consultan cy Services (TCS) an d the UK's Jaguar Land Rover ( JL R ) h av e an n ou n c e d th e expan sion of their partn ership, which is valued at more than 800 million poun ds ov e r a f iv e - ye a r p er io d , ac cor din g to s tatem en ts from the tw o Tata Group companies

Within the framework of this extended partnership, TCS, India's leading IT services exporter, will provide a wide range of s e r v i c e s t o t h e v e h i c l e manufacturer These serv i c e s w i l l e n c o m p a s s application development and maintenance, cloud migration, cybersecurity, and data services

JLR and TCS have a h i s t o r y o f c o l l a b o r a t i o n dating back to 2012, and their partnership continues to evolve

I n r e c e n t m o n t h s , TCS has secured several significant deals and contract renewals worth millions and billions of doll a r s T h e s e s u c c e s s e s come at a time when concerns about client spending cuts in crucial markets like the United States a n d E u r o p e h a v e b e e n looming

Notably, TCS inked a $1 1 billion contract with t h e B r i t i s h p e n s i o n s c h e m e N e s t i n J u n e M e a n w h i l e , r i v a l s l i k e Infosys sealed three deals between June and August, a n d H C L T e c h n o l o g i e s secured a $2 1 billion deal w i t h t h e U S t e l e c o m major Verizon last month

Living standards of UK workers may remain stagnant in 2024

A p r o mi n en t th in k ta n k, th e Resolution F oundatio n, h as projected th at the li ving standards of UK wo rkers will remain stagnant next year This fo recast imp li es that by the time o f the exp ected election in 2024, individuals will be ap proximately 4% worse off than th ey were in 201 9

Several factors are contributing to this grim outlook, including higher mortgage rates, subs t a n t i a l t a x i n c r e a s e s , a n d a n economy that has shown signs of s t a g n a t i o n T h e R e s o l u t i o n F o u n d a t i o n s u g g e s t s t h a t U K workers are on track to face the m o s t s u b s t a n t i a l d e c l i n e i n income over a five-year period since the 1950s Adam Corlett, the principal e c o n o m i s t a t t h e o r g a n i s a t i o n ,

a c k n o w l e d g e d t h a t s t a b l e incomes next year may provide some relief to many households However, he emphasised that the overall outlook for living standards remains bleak, with expectations of continued stagnation

and further income reductions, p a r t i c u l a r l y f o r l e s s a f f l u e n t households

Additionally, a separate study highlights that economic stagnation in the coming year will be compounded by a slowdown in exports to Europe and the rest of the world due to a decline in global trade and unique trade barriers resulting from Brexit-related red tape The British Chambers of C o m m e r c e ( B C C ) s t a t e d i n i t s quarterly economic forecast that although the UK avoided a recession this year, several economic indicators are now indicating "red flags," and the next two years are likely to bring consistently low growth

India to be ‘new manufacturing centre’: Foxconn chief

After m eeting w ith Prime Minister Narendra Mod i in Gu j ar at a li tt le o v er a m o nt h ag o , Ho n Ha i T ec h no l o g y Gr o up (Foxconn) chairman & CEO

Yo ung Li u backed Ind ia's production standard s once more and declared that the natio n is poised to become th e " n ew m a nu f ac tu ri ng centre in the w orld, " with th e s u p p l ie r ec o s ys tem li ke ly to d e v el o p m o re quickly than it did in C hina

Liu said that Foxconn will expand its operations in India as business grows

o n h i g h e r c o n s u m e r p u r c h a s e s “ F o x c o n n c o n t i n u e s t o e x p a n d i t s p r e s e n c e i n I n d i a i n r e s p o n s e t o c u s t o m e r needs,” the chairman said in a statement in Taiwan as he o u t l i n e d t h e c o m p a n y ’ s

India's forex reserves jump by $4 billion

plans for growth in India

Liu predicted that India will "become a

n e w m a n u f a c t u r i n g centre" for the world if there aren't enough reforms made there

In addition, he stated

t h a t I n d i a ' s s u p p l y

c h a i n e c o s y s t e m , which took more than 30 years to develop in China, is e x p e c t e d t o d o s o m u c h more quickly now that the c o u n t r y ' s e l e c t r o n i c s i n d u s t r y i s s e e i n g s u c h rapid growth

Personal loans log record 32% growth after

T he personal loan segment i n th e banking secto r po sted a record increase of nearly 3 2 % y ea r o n- y ea r i n J u l y 2 023 - mainly due to th e m e rge r o f H D F C wi th H DFC Bank

T h e m e r g e r i n c r e a s e d t h e b a n k ' s p o r t f o l i o o f house loans by more than £ 4 3 b i l l i o n , d r i v i n g u p overall bank credit growth to 19 7% According to RBI data, the merger increased b a n k c r e d i t b y f i v e p e r c e n t a g e p o i n t s T h e a n n u a l g a i n w o u l d h a v e b e e n 1 4 7 % w i t h o u t t h e merger Bank credit stood at £1,480 billion as of July 28

Banks' housing finance

HDFC merger

p o r t f o l i o , w h i c h i n c l u d e s personal loans, increased by 37 4% at the end of July to reach £243 billion Without the merger, it would have b e e n £ 2 0 0 b i l l i o n T h e d e c r e a s e i n b a n k c r e d i t g i v e n t o h o u s i n g f i n a n c e c o m p a n i e s w a s a n o t h e r effect of the merger

Rel Retail buys 51% in Alia Bhatt’s clothing label

F o r a n u nk no w n s u m , R el ia nc e R eta il V ent u res w ill purch ase a 51 % share in A lia Bhatt's children's and m ate rni ty c lo t h in g c o m p a ny, E d -A - M am m a T h e tw o co m p a ni es a nn o u nc ed i n a j o in t s ta tem en t th a t th e bra nd intends to expand into new m arke ts su c h as p er so na l c ar e, ba by f u rni s h i ng s , c hi ld ren's s torybo ok s, and an animated series A l i f o u n d e d E d - AM a m m a i n 2 0 2 0 a s a clothing brand for 2-12 yearolds It debuted as an online

b r a n d b e f o r e h a v i n g a n o f f l i n e p r e s e n c e i n department stores Isha Ambani, director at R e l i a n c e R e t a i l V e n t u r e s , s a i d , “ A l i a ’ s d a u g h t e r a n d m y t w i n s a r e t w o w e e k s apart and we pretty much w e n t t h r o u g h o u r p r e g n a n c i e s a t t h e s a m e time, coincidentally wearing E d - A - M a m m a m a t e r n i t y , a n d n o w d r e s s i n g o u r c h i l d r e n i n E d - A - M a m m a kidswear So, this is special the product, the brand a n d t h e p a r t n e r s h i p a r e especially close to my heart ”

A d d i t i o n a l l y , there was a 12 3% y e a r - o n y e a r increase in bank c r e d i t t o t h e c o m m e r c i a l r e a l e s t a t e s e c t o r , r e a c h i n g £ 4 0 b i l l i o n , w h i c h would have been £ 3 3 b i l l i o n without the merger Advances to the services s e c t o r , w h i c h a r e m o s t l y c o n s u m e d b y n o n - b a n k finance companies (NBFCs), are the key drivers of loan g r o w t h g i v e n t h a t c r e d i t g r o w t h t o t h e i n d u s t r y s e c t o r i s s t i l l i n t h e l o w single digits

India's foreign exch ange or fo re x res erv e s j u m p ed by $4 03 9 bi lli on to $598 8 97 billion for the week ended Septem ber 1, data from the Reserv e Bank o f India ( RBI) s h o w ed W i th th i s, f o rex reserv es halted a two-week l os i ng s tr eak a nd an i nc re as e o f $ 4 0 4 b i ll io n f ro m th e p r ev i o u s w e ek , recorded the bigg est g ain in nearly two m onths

I n t h e p r e v i o u s reporting week, the overall reserves had dropped by $30 million to $594 858 billion

Notably in October 2021, the country's forex kitty had reached an all-time high of $645 billion

The reserves took a hit a s t h e c e n t r a l b a n k deployed the kitty to defend the rupee amid pressures c a u s e d m a j o r l y b y g l o b a l d e v e l o p m e n t s s i n c e l a s t year For the week ended S e p t e m b e r 1 , t h e f o r e i g n c u r r e n c y a s s e t s , a m a j o r component of the reserves, increased by $3 442 billion t o $ 5 3 0 6 9 1 b i l l i o n , a c c o r d i n g t o t h e W e e k l y S t a t i s t i c a l S u p p l e m e n t released by the RBI

E x p r e s s e d i n d o l l a r terms, the foreign currency assets include the effect of a p p r e c i a t i o n o r d e p r e c i a t i o n o f n o n - U S units like the euro, pound and yen held in the foreign exchange reserves

Airbus plans to hire 2,000 Indian techies in 2 years

In the next two years, the ma j o r gl ob a l a i r c ra f t com pany Air bus pl ans to hire 2, 000 engineers from I nd i a , br i n gi n g t he t ot a l number of I ndi an engineers it already employs to 5, 000 The b usiness views India as a "talent hub" and not only as a market, accordi ng to Rémi Mai llard, presi dent of Ai r b us I n d i a a nd MD of South Asia I n t h e p r e s e n c e o f r a i l w a y s m i n i s t e r A s h w i n i V a i s h n a w , A i r b u s a n d t h e G a t i S h a k t i Vishwavidyalaya, Vadodara,

India needs to grow at 8-9% for 20 years to become developed country: Deloitte

P r i m e M i ni s ter N are nd r a M odi stated that the g oal of h av ing a developed country by 2047 , India must grow at an annual rate o f 8 to 9% for the next 20 years “To grow at that pace is not easy Very few countries in the w orld h av e been able to grow at a p ace o f 8-9% year-on -year, ” D el o i tte S o u th A s i a C eo Rom al Shetty said

He claimed that India could profit from China plus one strategy since no other n a t i o n c o u l d p r o v i d e t h e scope and size of operations t h a t a r e p o s s i b l e h e r e R e f e r r i n g t o t h e s p a c e

s e c t o r , S h e t t y s a i d I n d i a already has 200 startups and can attract investments of $100 billion by 2040 India is c u r r e n t l y t h e f i f t h l a r g e s t economy in the world, after the US, China, Japan and

G e r m a n y I n d i a ' s economy was predicted to grow by two times to $6 7 trillion by 2031 from its present $3 4 trillion in an S&P Global analysis released last month

Shetty also said India c a n l o o k f o r

o p p o r t u n i t i e s i n t h e

a g r i c u l t u r e , s p a c e s e c t o r s , a n d o t h e r s u n r i s e a r e a s l i k e semiconductor and EVs He further said the country is building roads at a frantic pace of 16,000 to 18,000 km a year, which in turn boosts development and trade

inked an MoU, clearing the w a y f o r t h e i n t r o d u c t i o n o f a n e w e n g i n e e r i n g p r o g r a m m e f o r t h e a e r o s p a c e i n d u s t r y T h e y u n d e r s t a n d t h a t m a k i n g i n v e s t m e n t s i n t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f h u m a n capital is their obligation, according to Maillard

Suresh Vagjiani, Sow & Reap Properties Ltd

Back in t he day during t he pr e credit cr unch er a, one could (if done in t he right manner) pur chase a pr operty with no money down; using t he discount as the deposit

The way this would work is instead of a mortgage o f f e r f o r a p u r c h a s e y o u w o u l d a p p l y f o r a remortgage at the market level, not the purchase price For example, if you were buying a property for £70K and it was worth £100K, you would apply for a remortgage at 85% on the £100K Assuming the valuation was confirmed by the surveyor, you would get a mortgage offer at £85K With this you can get a day bridge, which is a bridge for one day The lawyer would undertake the bridge will be paid back from the mortgage proceeds within 24 hrs This would normally cost 1% They would lend £70K, the full purchase price for the property And you then get the surplus £15K back to you, minus expenses of course

I guess the above was partially why credit was ‘crunched’; well, at least it wasn’t squashed into oblivion

One cannot do the above in this environment The same structure can be followed but not in the same time span You can potentially do this, but stretched over a six month period

The day one remortgage, which was what it was known as doesn’t exist anymore, not at the market value, but it is possible to remortgage within six months at the purchase price

If you wish to extract the full market value, you would need to wait six months

We have a case currently which was purchased at 30% below market value Due to it being an auction purchase, and other issues, it was purchased on a bridging loan The client is now understandably anxious to come out of the bridge Several lenders have been approached to remortgage within the six month period Due to the client’s profile of being highly geared, a couple of lenders said yes initially and then withdrew

One lender however is on track to issue the offer which is expected to come out shortly This will be at the lower amount, the purchase price Due to the length of time this process has taken, the client is nearly over the 6 month timeline Therefore, when the mentioned offer comes through, we may not necessarily pull down upon it It might be worth waiting a couple of months in order to remortgage at the higher value, and thereby not leave too much cash in the deal

Contrasting the two scenarios, the only thing which has changed is the time period One can still remortgage at the higher amount but the time has to be stretched to six months This of course has a cost, about 8-10% This, however, has the net effect of reducing how much cash is left in the deal Instead of about a third, it will be around 10%, which is still a good position to be in

India okays £376 mn support for battery storage projects

Th e government ap proved £3 7 6 mi l li o n s u p p o rt f o r 4, 0 00 MW h ( me ga wa tt h o u r ) ba tt er y s t o ra ge c ap a c i ty p r o p o s ed to be built by 2030-31 with a view to making tariffs affordable

G r i d - s c a l e b a t t e r y storage has been a focal area as the government wants to supply 50% of the nation's electricity from non-fossil sources by 2030 Similar to m a s s i v e p o w e r b a n k s , b a t t e r y s t o r a g e s e n s u r e continuous access to green e n e r g y b y c h a r g i n g w i t h solar or wind energy during t h e d a y a n d s u p p l y i n g electricity at night or when there is no wind

D u e t o e x p e n s i v e b a t t e r i e s a n d a l a c k o f

markets, storage charges are now unprofitable To make stored renewable energy a w o r k a b l e o p t i o n f o r r e g u l a t i n g p e a k d e m a n d , the government is aiming for a levelized storage cost

o f R s 5 5 0 – 6 6 0 p e r kilowatt-hour Viability gap

f i n a n c e , o r V G F , w i l l provide the support, which can cover up to 40% of the

proposed capacity's capital c o s t , a n d w i l l b e m a d e available in five instalments

A minimum of 85% of the battery storage capacity will be made available to p o w e r d i s t r i b u t i o n companies (discoms) so that t h e b e n e f i t s r e a c h consumers, the government said A competitive bidding p r o c e s s w i l l b e u s e d t o choose project promoters, e n s u r i n g a n e v e n p l a y i n g field for both public and private sector organisations India now has 71 gigawatts (GW) of solar capacity, up from 2 6 GW in 2014 Wind e n e r g y c a p a c i t y h a s i n c r e a s e d f r o m 2 1 G W t o

4 0 G W d u r i n g t h e s a m e period

Romal Shetty

Anurag Singh

Hindus in Pak’s Sindh caned over protest against abductions

K A R A C H I : Th e p ol ic e in S i n dh p r ov i n ce b a t o ncharge d pr ot est ers hol din g a sit-in a gainst the risin g numb er of kidna ppings of Hindu t rader s a nd other memb ers of minority communities for r ansom, injur ing severa l of t hem The prot este rs were a lso wounded by other faiths a nd other communities The m e m b e r s of t h e m in o r it y communities have been st agi n g t h e p r ot e s t s in ce Se pt ember 1 ove r t he ab duct ions b y ba ndits in riverine a reas in Sindh’s Kashmor e T h e p o l i c e b a t o ncharged and injured some of them after they refused to end the protest despite the intervention of an influential

Myanmar not allowed to chair 2026 Asean meet

l e a d e r o f t h e P a k i s t a n Peoples Party that has governed the Sindh province for over a decade One of the protest organisers, Dr Chand M a h a r , c l a i m e d t h a t f i v e Hindus in all, including a nine-year-old youngster, had recently been abducted by

dacoits A Hindu girl, aged 7, was also kidnapped recently from a neighbourhood close to Sanghar He claimed that t h e r e c e n t i n c i d e n t s h a d caused the neighbourhood to become fearful, making p a r e n t s r e l u c t a n t t o s e n d their kids to school

Lanka president orders probe into 2019 Easter blast claims

C O L O M B O : S r i L a n k a ’ s p r e s id e n t a n n ou n ce d a n inv est iga tion in to a ll egations made by a B ritish TV documen tary that his current spy chief was complicit in the c ou n t r y ’ s w or s t a t t a ck a g a i n st c iv i l ia n s R a n il Wickremesinghe said he was n a ming a r et ir ed Supr eme Court judge to probe accusat ions that Suresh Sal lay , t he he ad of the Sta te Int ell ige nce S e r v i ce ( S IS ), o r ch e st r a t e d t h e 20 1 9 E a st e r S u n da y a ttacks

The documentary aired this week featured a political insider who accused Sallay of complicity in the bombings b y I s l a m i s t e x t r e m i s t s a t t h r e e c h u r c h e s a n d t h r e e hotels, which killed 279 people including 45 foreigners “As the nation grapples with

Ranil Wickremesinghe

t h e l e g a c y o f t h i s t r a g i c e v e n t , P r e s i d e n t W i c k r e m e s i n g h e ’ s a c t i o n s r e p r e s e n t a d e t e r m i n e d effort to uncover the truth and ensure accountability in the face of grave allegations,” his office said It said the findings of the new inquiry would be referred to a parliamentary panel for action

M e d i a i n t e r v i e w e d a man who said he arranged a m e e t i n g b e t w e e n a l o c a l Islamic State-inspired group,

National Thowheed Jamath, and a top state intelligence official to hatch a plot to create insecurity in Sri Lanka a n d h e l p t h e p r e s i d e n t i a l election later that year

A group of Sri Lankans inspired by the Islamic State group carried out the suicide bombings on April 21, 2 0 1 9 F e a r s o v e r n a t i o n a l security enabled Gotabaya Rajapaksa to sweep to power until he was forced to resign i n m i d - 2 0 2 2 a f t e r m a s s protests over the country’s w o r s t e c o n o m i c c r i s i s M a u l a n a t o l d C h a n n e l 4 that he himself did not participate in the meeting, but that the intelligence officer told him later that creating insecurity was the only way to return the Rajapaksa family to power

Chinese envoy draws flak over his remarks on Nepal-India relations

K A T H M A N D U : C h in es e Am b as s ad o r t o N e pa l Ch e n So ng ’ s r ema rks r egar din g th e trade o f el ectric ity and o ther go ods betw een N e pa l and I ndia a s we ll a s th e ec on om ic gro wth of Nepal ’ s s outh ern neighbou r h ave ignited a controversy

Addressing a discussion titled ‘China in global economy and its impact in Nepal’, organised in Kathmandu by the Foundation for Trans-Himalayan Research and Studies and Friends of Silk Road Club Nepal, the Chinese ambassador said: “Unfortunately, you have a neighbour like India, but fortunately you have a neighbour like India, because India is a huge market with huge potential you can tap in to ”

He added: “But at the same time, India's policy towards Nepal and other neighbours is not so friendly and not so beneficial to Nepal So we call that policy of constraints ”

4 PAK YOUTHS FACE DEATH FOR ONLINE BLASPHEMY

Sources at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the Indian Embassy has taken up the matter with the ministry, but top officials are clueless about how to respond There are calls t o p r o t e s t t h e s t a t e m e n t b y t h e C h i n e s e a m b a s s a d o r a g a i n s t a n o t h e r n e i g h b o u r i n g country of Nepal

Foreign Minister NP Saud said that the ministry has taken the Chinese envoy ’ s statement into notice “When the Nepal government formulates your economic policies, you have to take your decisions under those circumstances,” the ambassador said

“It’s not because of the opening of the door of China that China’s economy is booming It’s because we have a very solid foundation, because almost at the same time, India also opened its door, but we did not see any economic boom in India Only in recent years, we see that India’s economy is starting to soar ”

Pak protests against energy prices turn violent

IS L A M A BA D: Protests ag ainst rising electricity and petro l prices h av e rocked P akistan over the past week, w ith thousand s taking to city streets and setting their electricity bills alight T he co st of electricity has d oubled in the last three months to abo ut 50 rupees ( 12p) a kilowatt P etrol prices have sh ot up from 262 rupees a litre in June to 30 5 rupees this month

With a record inflation rate of 36 4% and the ouster of Imran Khan as prime minister in April of last year following a vote of no confidence, Pakistan is currently experiencing both political and economic unrest Last year, floods decimated the nation and submerged a large portion of it

Protests turned violent in Karachi last week when a worker from the utility company KElectric (KE), which generates and distributes power to the city, was attacked by an enraged mob In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the energy department requested police protection for its staff and installations after threats of attacks by protesters, according to VoA

J A K A RT A : Asian dip lomats and a leader indicated that S outh east Asian lead ers are determined that Myanmar w on t assum e the rotational leadership o f their regio nal blo c in 2026 as planned T his decision is the latest setback to th e asp irations of M yanm ar's ruling generals to obtain international legitimacy follo wing their v iolent takeov er of pow er in 2021

The Philippines agreed to take over the regional bloc’s chairmanship in 2026 at an A s e a n s u m m i t h o s t e d b y I n d o n e s i a , Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said

M a r c o s o m i t t e d t o e x p l a i n w h y M y a n m a r l o s t t h e p r e s t i g i o u s o n e - y e a r c h a i r m a n s h i p o f A s e a n , b u t t w o A s e a n diplomats told the media that the reason was due to the civil unrest in the nation and concerns that the bloc s ties with the US and the European Union, among others, might be harmed because they do not recognise the military government in Myanmar

UN ‘concerned’ over harassment of rights defenders in Bangladesh

D H A K A : T h e U N r i gh t s c o u nc i l h a s vo iced its disp leasure o ver th e o ngoing p e rs ec u t i o n a n d de te n ti o n o f h u ma n

ri gh ts advocates in Bangladesh , inclu ding Nobel laureate Mo hammad Yunus and th e directo rs o f th e well-known righ ts group Odh ikar

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk called on authorities in the South Asian country to create a “ s a f e a n d e n a b l i n g e n v i r o n m e n t ” f o r activists and civil society leaders “We are very concerned by the continued intimidation and harassment of human rights advocates and civil society leaders through legal proceedings in Bangladesh, including N o b e l l a u r e a t e M o h a m m a d Y u n u s , ” Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the U N H i g h C o m m i s s i o n e r f o r H u m a n Rights, said in a statement

“The legal harassment of civil society leaders, human rights defenders and other dissenting voices is a worrying sign for civic and democratic space in Bangladesh,” Shamsadani said Adilur Rahman Khan and Nasiruddin Elan from Odhikar have been slapped with criminal cases for a f a c t - f i n d i n g r e p o r t a b o u t e x t r a j u d i c i a l killings 10 years ago

Extrajudicial killings

Since Hasina took office in 2008, security personnel are said to have committed hundreds of extrajudicial executions, targeting political opponents and human rights advocates The US slapped sanctions on the elite paramilitary force, the R a p i d A c t i o n B a t t a l i o n ( R A B ) , i n

December 2021 over its alleged involvement in extrajudicial killings

Furthermore, Washington has threatened to restrict visas for Bangladeshis who interfere in upcoming elections Because Bangladesh's government has criticised the country's human rights record, Hasina has charged that the US is trying to topple the Bangladeshi government

A Pakistani court has handed down death sentences to four youths for committing blasphemy on social media the country’s top investigating agency said Additional district sessions judge (Rawalpindi) Ahsan Mahmood Malik sentenced the four to death for posting blasphemous material on Facebook Each of them has also been handed a 28-year jail term for committing blasphemy against the Quran as well the FIA said However a fifth suspect Usman Liaqat, was handed seven years of imprisonment “Muhammad Amin, Wazir Gul, Faizan Razaak and Muhammad Rizwan, who are in their 20s, were handed death sentences by the additional district sessions judge for posting blasphemous material against the Prophet on Facebook the FIA said

HK RECEIVES HEAVIEST RAINFALL IN AT LEAST 140 YEARS

Torrential rain deluged Hong Kong last week leading to widespread flooding across the densely packed city, submerging streets, shopping malls and metro stations, as authorities shut schools and asked workers to stay at home The Chinese special administrative region saw the highest hourly rainfall since records began 140 years ago Cascades of water tumbled down the city’s mountainous terrain as authorities issued landslide risk warnings Streets turned into torrents, videos circulating on social media showed while one clip showed metro workers wading waist-deep in a station as they tried to stem the water flow gushing down from road level

UGANDAN CHURCH BREAKS GUINNESS RECORD FOR CLAPPING

A church in Uganda has achieved a notable feat by setting a new Guinness World Record for the longest applause The members of Phaneroo Ministries church in Uganda's capital Kampala gathered for an event called "Clap For Jesus" to celebrate the church s ninth anniversary The congregation clapped for a total of 3 hours 16 minutes maintaining an average sound level of 88 5 dB For the attempt to be valid, they had to remain above 80 dB for the entire duration During this event, 926 participants clapped continuously for three hours and 16 minutes Grace Lubega, the leader of the church, explained that the purpose of "Clap For Jesus" was to bring people together in a spirit of thanksgiving and celebration

JAPAN LAUNCHES LUNAR EXPLORATION SPACECRAFT

Japan is attempting to become the fifth nation in history to set foot on the Moon by launching a rocket carrying a lunar exploration spacecraft The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said the homegrown H-IIA rocket took off from Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan and successfully released the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) Dubbed the Moon Sniper” JAXA aims to land SLIM within 100 metres (328 feet) of its target site on the lunar surface That is much less than the usual range of several kms “By creating the SLIM lander, humans will make a qualitative shift towards being able to land where we want and not just where it is easy to land, JAXA said before the launch

JAPANESE MINISTER, BIZ TEAM TRAVEL TO KYIV

Japanese foreign minister Yoshimasa Hayashi met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during his visit in Kyiv, promising Tokyo’s backing and agreeing to start negotiations on security cooperation between the two countries Hayashi, who had been on a tour of the Middle East and Poland earlier this week made an unannounced visit to Ukraine and visited Bucha, one of the hardest-hit towns near Kyiv He is accompanied by Japanese business representatives on his visit Hayashi told Zelensky that Japan was ready to start negotiations on security cooperation based on an agreement between the G7 and Ukraine made during the July NATO summit

OVER 2,000 FEARED DEAD IN LIBYA FLOOD

Mediterranean storm Daniel caused devastating floods in Libya that swept away entire neighbourhoods and wrecked homes in multiple coastal towns As many as 2,000 people were feared dead, one of the country's leaders said The destruction appeared greatest in Derna, a city formerly held by Islamic extremists Libya remains divided between two rival administrations one in the east and one in the west each backed by militias and foreign governments The confirmed death toll from the weekend flooding stood at 61 But the tally did not include Derna, which had become inaccessible and many of the thousands missing were believed carried away by waters

CHINESE BATTERY MAKER TO INVEST $2BN IN ILLINOIS

A Chinese battery maker picked Illinois for a $2 billion gigafactory that’s set to start production next year Gotion High-tech Co’s facility will create 2,600 jobs and is the “most significant new manufacturing investment in Illinois in decades, Governor J B Pritzker said in a statement The plant focusing on lithium-ion battery cell battery pack production and energy storage systems, received state incentives valued at $536 million Illinois has been trying to position itself as a hub for new technologies from quantum computing to life sciences and electric vehicle manufacturing The state has recently created a task force known as Innovate Illinois aimed at luring federal dollars including from the Inflation Reduction Act

DRONE STRIKE KILLS 40 IN SUDAN CAPITAL

A drone attack on an open market south of Sudan's capital, Khartoum killed at least 40 people, activists and medical workers said, as the military and a powerful paramilitary group battle for control of the country At least three dozen others were injured in the attack in Khartoum’s May neighborhood, where paramilitary forces battling the military were heavily deployed according to an activist group known as the Resistance Committees and two health care workers at the Bashair University Hospital where the casualties were treated

The activist group which helps organise humanitarian assistance, posted footage on social media showing bodies wrapped in white sheets in an open yard at the hospital

HUNTER BIDEN TO BE INDICTED ON GUN CHARGE

The acrimonious collapse of a plea agreement in July spurred David Weiss, the special counsel looking into Hunter Biden to announce his intention to indict US President Joe Biden's son on a firearms charge before the end of the month Weiss outlined preparations to pursue charges relating to Hunter's purchase of a gun in 2018, when prosecutors claim he lied on a federal form by indicating that he was not using narcotics at the time in a three-page update filed in federal court in Wilmington, Delaware Hunter had previously agreed to participate in a two year diversion programme for non-violent gun offenders as part of the plea deal which unravelled dramatically at the last minute this summer

SCHOOLS IN FRANCE SEND HOME 67 MUSLIM GIRLS

Schools in France have sent dozens” of Muslim girls home for wearing a traditional robe banned in educational settings last week According to the French minister of education, about 300 students showed up to class wearing abayas, a long, baggy over-garment that extends from the shoulders to the feet Official figures reflect that 298 girls mostly aged 15 and over wore the garment to school in spite of the ban, most of whom agreed to change their clothes after being reprimanded by teachers However, 67 girls were sent home for defying the regulations They are currently the subject of further conversations between their families and schools; if they fail to comply they risk exclusion

Haley only Republican who can defeat Biden: Poll

WA S H I NG T ON : N ik ki H al ey h as em erg e d a s t h e o n ly Rep ublican presid ential candidate wh o can beat Presid ent Joe Bid en in the 20 24 U S elections, a new poll has revealed Haley, the o nly wo m an ru nni ng f o r th e Republican nom ination, had a six p ercentage-point lead ov er Bid en in a C NN/S SRS poll, with the P resident trailing Haley 4 9 per cent to 43 per cent in a h ypothetical m atch between the tw o “ H y p o t h e t i c a l m a t c h u p s suggest there would be no clear leader should Biden face one of the other major Republican contenders, with one notable exception: Biden runs behind former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley,” CNN reported

T h e H a l e y c a m p a i g n w e lcomed the polls saying: “This p o l l c o n f i r m s w h a t m a n y Democrats and Republicans are saying: Democrats are terrified of running against Nikki Haley ”

“ N i k k i H a l e y i s o u r b e s t hope in taking back the White House We only have one shot It’s time to play to win,” Ken

F a r n a s o , H a l e y ’ s P r e s s Secretary, said responding to the CNN poll Fresh out of the first Republican primary debate late last month, Haley told CBS News that she, and not Trump, is going to be the p a r t y ’ s 2 0 2 4 p r e s i d e n t i a l nominee

A c c o r d i n g t o t h e C N N polls, the other Republican candidates polled neck-andneck with Biden with former president Donald Trump, who is widely ahead in the party primary, drawing 47 per cent against Biden’s 46 per cent O n a p o t e n t i a l r e m a t c h between Trump and Biden, 47 per cent of those polled said they w o u l d c h o o s e t h e f o r m e r

President and 46 per cent said they would choose the latter In contrast, 44 per cent said that any Democratic nominee would be better than Trump, while 38 p e r c e n t s a i d t h e f o r m e r P r e s i d e n t i s b e t t e r t h a n a n y Democratic pick

Former Vice President Mike Pence and Senator Tim Scott both drew 46 per cent to Biden’s 4 4 p e r c e n t , a n d N e w J e r s e y G o v e r n o r C h r i s C h r i s t i e received 44 per cent to Biden’s 42 per cent

F l o r i d a G o v e r n o r R o n DeSantis tied with Biden at 47 per cent, while Indian-American entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy trailed at 45 per cent against Biden’s 46 per cent

Japan joins India and others in rejecting new China map

T O K YO : In a prot est aga inst Ch ina ove r it s new "sta nd ard map t hat i nclud es the di sp uted Se nkaku Islands in the Ea st Ch ina S ea as pa rt of its te rri tory, Japa n has jo ined India , the Phi lip pines, Mala ysia, V iet na m and Tai wa n

Japan’s chief cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told the media in Tokyo that Japan has lodged a strong protest to C h i n a t h r o u g h d i p l o m a t i c

channels over the new map released by Beijing last month

A c c o r d i n g t o M a t s u n o , Tokyo pushed Beijing to withdraw the map because it contains a description based on China's unilateral claims to the S e n k a k u I s l a n d s , w h i c h a r e l o c a t e d i n t h e O k i n a w a Prefecture of southern Japan The Senkaku Islands, also known as the Diaoyu Islands in C h i n e s e , a r e s h o w n o n t h e

Part of California highway named after cop Ronil Singh who was killed on duty

SAN FRANCISCO : A sec tion of a r oa d wa y i n Ca l i f or ni a h as been dedicated in honour of a 33- year-old police officer who wa s s h ot a nd ki l le d i n 2 0 18 while conducting a traffic stop Th e " C or por a l R o ni l Si n g h Memorial H ighway", which is situated at the inters ec ti on of Highway 33 and Stuhr Road and is dedi cated to Ronil Singh of th e N e w m an Po li c e Department, was dedicated on September 2 at a c eremony

“ L o v e y o u p a p a , ” S i n g h ’ s son Arnav, who was just five months old when his father was killed, wrote on the back of the s i g n b o a r d H e w a s p r e s e n t along with his mother Anamika and other family members and was joined by Singh’s Newman Police Department colleagues and officials, including county S u p e r v i s o r C h a n n c e C o n d i t , state Senator Marie AlvaradoG i l , U S R e p r e s e n t a t i v e J o h n Duarte, and Assemblyman Juan Alanis

“Today, a promise that was made has finally been brought to life The Newman community honored the late Corporal Singh for his dedication and commitment to putting his life on the line for the safety of othe r s , ” S e n a t o r A l v a r a d o - G i l wrote in a Facebook post, saying that Singh will always be a hero Fiji-born Singh started his law enforcement career as a v o l u n t e e r w i t h t h e M o d e s t o P o l i c e D e p a r t m e n t a n d t h e n served as a cadet and animal service officer with the Turlock Police Department He was gunned down by a suspected drunk driver when he w a s w o r k i n g o v e r t i m e o n Christmas night on December 26, 2018 Singh, who was discovered at the scene with guns h o t w o u n d s , r e c e i v e d a s s i stance from a number of organisations He was taken to a nearb y h o s p i t a l , w h e r e d o c t o r s declared him dead

map Beijing asserts ownership of the East China Sea islands t h a t a r e u n d e r J a p a n e s e administration The islands are “indisputably an inherent part of Japanese territory, both hist o r i c a l l y a n d u n d e r i n t e r n at i o n a l l a w , ” M a t s u n o s a i d Japan “responds in a calm and resolute way, based on its policy to stand firm in protecting people’s lives and properties, as well as the country’s land, seas

and airspace,” he said

Reacting to Japan’s protest, C h i n e s e f o r e i g n m i n i s t r y spokesperson Mao Ning rejecte d T o k y o ’ s c l a i m D i a o y u I s l a n d s a n d n e i g h b o u r i n g islands are part of China’s terr i t o r i e s , M a o t o l d a m e d i a briefing “It is reasonable for China to include them in our s t a n d a r d m a p s W e d o n o t a c c e p t r e l e v a n t s t a t e m e n t s , ” she said

Rescuers race to find survivors as Morocco quake toll nears 2,700

I M G D A L : R es c u e rs ra c e d against ti me to find survivors in the rubb le more than 48 hours after Morocc o ’ s deadliest earthquake in over si x decades, with almost 2 ,700 killed in a disaster that devastated villages in the Hi gh Atlas Mountains Search teams from Spain, Britain and Qatar are joining eff orts to find survivors of the 6 8 magnitude q ua k e th a t s tr uc k l a te o n Fr i d ay , 7 2 k m s o ut hw es t o f Marrakech France denied that Morocco was refusi ng its help b ec a us e o f f ro s ty d i pl om at i c ties, and s ai d it was up to the Moroccan authori ti es to decide the timing and nature of any foreign aid

M a n y s u r v i v o r s s p e n t a third night outside, their homes destroyed or rendered unsafe b y M o r o c c o ’ s m o s t p o w e r f u l earthquake since at least 1900 The death toll has climbed to 2,681 with 2,501 people injured, the state news agency reported

on Monday With much of the q u a k e z o n e i n h a r d - t o - r e a c h areas, the full impact has yet to emerge The authorities have not issued any estimates for the number of people still missing In some villages, where homes a r e m a d e o f m u d b r i c k s , a s many as half of the houses were flattened People have been salv a g i n g p o s s e s s i o n s f r o m t h e r u i n s o f t h e i r h o m e s a n d describing desperate scenes as they dug with their bare hands to find relatives

Many survivors were still without power and phone service, fuelling criticism on social media about the government r e s p o n s e M o r o c c o h a s deployed the army as part of response and has said it is reinf o r c i n g s e a r c h - a n d - r e s c u e teams, providing water and distributing food, tents, blankets I t i s t h e n a t i o n ’ s d e a d l i e s t q u a k e s i n c e 1 9 6 0 w h e n a tremor claimed 12,000 lives

Kamala Harris painted as shirker

WA S HI NGT ON: Kamala Harris is t o be co m e th e f ac e o f Dem ocratic attemp ts to reach young v oters, d espite claims in a new bo ok that sh e ducked toug h as si g n m en ts a nd is t h i nskinned, with “ rabbit ears for criticism ”

The vice-president is hoping t o r e s h a p e h e r i m a g e a f t e r Indonesia visit to meet Asian leaders, and a plan unveiled by her office to hold a series of rall i e s a t u n i v e r s i t i e s i n m a i n l y swing states The urgency of her campus mission has been underlined by polling this week suggesting two thirds of younger voters believe President Biden,

8 0 , d o e s n o t “ i n s p i r e c o n f idence” and does not have “the stamina and sharpness to serve effectively” for a second term

Kam ala fares no better in th e polls

K a m a l a i s r e e l i n g f r o m unflattering revelations in The Last Politician, by Franklin Foer, a study of the first two years of the Biden administration Foer claims that she simply gave up trying to tackle illegal immigration from Central America, one of the main tasks given to her by Biden

“Kamala possessed what one of her colleagues described as ‘rabbit ears ’ , ” writes Foer, a jour-

nalist with The Atlantic, who said he conducted nearly 300 i n t e r v i e w s f o r t h e b o o k

“Whenever there was a hint of criticism of her, she seemed instantly aware of it Rather than brushing it aside, she w a n t e d t o k n o w w h o w a s speaking ill of her and what they were saying ” Foer wrote that she “froze out” an aide she suspected of co-operating with reporters

“ S h e l e t t h e c r i t i c i s m guide her Instead of diligentl y s t i c k i n g t o t h e C e n t r a l A m e r i c a a s s i g n m e n t , s h e seemed to accept the conventional wisdom about it It was a

futile gig, so she let it fall to the side, missing an opportunity to grind her way to a meaningful achievement ”

Nikki Haley

Kamala Harris

India, S Arabia to deepen cooperation in energy, trade, defence and security

P r i m e M i n is t e r N a r e n d r a M odi info rm ed th e cr own pr ince a nd pr ime ministe r of S a u d i A r a bi a , M o ha m me d b in S a lm a n , w h o w a s in t own, tha t the par tne rship b e t w e e n t h e t w o fa s t e s tg r ow i n g e c o n o m ie s w a s cr ucia l for st a bi lit y in the r egion an d the world, a s we ll a s fo r t h e w e l fa r e a n d pr osperit y of pe ople

After participating in the G 2 0 s u m m i t , t h e S a u d i leader had stayed back for a state visit that saw focus on d e e p e n i n g c o o p e r a t i o n i n energy, trade, defence and s e c u r i t y T h e S a u d i g o v e r n m e n t h a d p l e d g e d i n v e s t m e n t s w o r t h $ 1 0 0 million into India in 2019, of which half is intended for a

f u t u r e r e f i n e r y i n M a h a r a s h t r a t h a t i s supported by Saudi oil firm Aramco The two sides inked eight agreements and also announced the creation of a task force to channel those investments into India

As PM Modi and MbS c h a i r e d t h e f i r s t l e a d e r s ’ m e e t i n g o f t h e S t r a t e g i c

Partnership Council, which w a s i n s t i t u t e d d u r i n g h i s visit to Riyadh in 2019, Modi s a i d t h e “ h i s t o r i c ” I n d i aWest Asia-Europe economic corridor announced on the margins of the G20 summit w o u l d e n h a n c e e c o n o m i c and energy cooperation and a l s o i m p r o v e d i g i t a l connectivity

The project would have r a i l r o a d s g o i n g t o I n d i a , according to MEA secretary for foreign Indian relations Ausaf Sayeed, however it is u n c l e a r h o w t h e e f f o r t , which is being promoted as a counter to China's BRI, will be funded MbS supported the idea and stated that it w o u l d r e q u i r e e v e r y o n e ' s participation and hard work “Today, we are working on f u t u r e o p p o r t u n i t i e s I c o n g r a t u l a t e y o u o n t h e m a n a g e m e n t o f t h e G 2 0 summit and the objectives a c h i e v e d , i n c l u d i n g t h e e c o n o m i c c o r r i d o r l i n k i n g the Middle East, India and Europe, which requires that we work diligently to make it a reality,” he said

G20 declaration sent out positive signal: China

C hina ha s fina lly br oke n its s ilen ce on th e Ne w De lhi G 20 Summit say in g t hat the d ecla rat ion a dopte d by the m ember na tions ha s sen t a “ p o si t i v e si g n a l” t ha t t he i n f lu e n t i a l g r o up i n g i s “ wor king tog ethe r ” t o ta ckle g l o ba l ch a l le n g e s a n d p r o m o t e wo r l d e c o n o mi c r ecove ry I n d i a p u l l e d o f f a b i g diplomatic win after the G20 s u m m i t h e l d u n d e r i t s p r e s i d e n c y a d o p t e d a

c o n s e n s u s d e c l a r a t i o n o v e r c o m i n g m a j o r differences on the RussiaU k r a i n e w a r , a s P r i m e M i n i s t e r N a r e n d r a M o d i called for ending the “global trust deficit”

In its first comment on the outcome of the summit, C h i n e s e f o r e i g n m i n i s t r y s p o k e s p e r s o n M a o N i n g said, “The summit adopted a leaders’ declaration, which reflects China’s proposition a n d s t a t e s t h a t t h e G 2 0

would act in concrete ways t h r o u g h p a r t n e r s h i p s , sending a positive signal of the G20 working together to tackle global challenges and p r o m o t e w o r l d e c o n o m i c r e c o v e r y a n d g l o b a l development ”

Asked for her comment o n t h e s u m m i t o u t c o m e , Mao said, “In the process of p r e p a r i n g f o r t h i s N e w Delhi summit, China played a c o n s t r u c t i v e r o l e a n d a l w a y s s u p p o r t e d t h e

Khalistani extremism will not help ties, PM Modi tells Trudeau

The widening divide between India and Canada over the un r e s t r a in e d K h a l is ta n i

fa natic is m in North Ame ric a threatens to c aus e the two

c o un t ri e s ' re l a t i on s t o coll aps e This was made cl ear on Su nd a y whe n Pr im e

M i n is t e r N a r en d r a M od i i nf o r m e d hi s c o un t e rp a r t Jus tin Trudeau that mutual r e s p ec t a nd t r us t we r e e s s e n t ia l f or im p r ov in g rel ations between India and Canada

s u m m i t i n a t t a c h i n g importance to the concerns of developing countries and reaching fruitful outcomes i n s u p p o r t o f c o m m o n development ”

A s k e d w h e t h e r C h i n a s u p p o r t e d t h e a b s e n c e o f direct criticism of Russia in t h e G 2 0 s t a t e m e n t a n d w h e t h e r s o f t e r l a n g u a g e would help end the conflict in Ukraine, Mao said China’s stance on the Ukraine issue was consistent and clear

Modi, Macron want to expedite defence manufacturing roadmap

P M N a r e n d r a M o d i a n d

Fr en ch Pre sid ent Emmanue l M acron ur ged for a n e arly con clusion of t he Defe nce In dustria l R oadm ap, which is now un der conside rat ion, t o fa c i li t a t e d e si g n a n d m anufactur ing of a dva nced d e fe n ce t e c h n o lo g ie s a n d e xpa nd cooper ation in not o n ly In d i a bu t a ls o o t h e r

In do-Pacific count ries The t wo le ade rs met over lun ch s h o r t ly a ft e r t he G 20 summit concluded O n e o f I n d i a s m o s t r e l i a b l e d e f e n c e p a r t n e r s , F r a n c e r e g a r d s i t s e l f a s a pioneer in the technology t r a n s f e r t o I n d i a

A d d i t i o n a l l y , i t w a n t s t o work with India to jointly develop the newest defence t e c h n o l o g y I n t h e I n d oPacific, where France is a

r e s i d e n t p o w e r , t h e t w o nations view one another as essential allies

A c c o r d i n g t o a j o i n t s t a t e m e n t , M o d i t h a n k e d

M a c r o n f o r F r a n c e ’ s continued support to India’s G20 presidency, which had “ a d v a n c e d i n c l u s i v e n e s s , u n i t y a n d c o h e s i o n ’ ’ i n i n t e r n a t i o n a l e f f o r t s t o a d d r e s s g l o b a l c h a l l e n g e s

Modi in July this year became only the second Indian PM to participate in the Bastille Day celebrations as chief guest

L a t e r , M a c r o n a c k n o w l e d g e d h i s a p p r e c i a t i o n f o r I n d i a ' s efforts to help the G20 find an agreement on the Ukraine c r i s i s a n d p r e v e n t t h e c o n f l i c t f r o m t a k i n g attention away from issues

facing the Global South He a d v i s e d a g a i n s t t h e G 2 0 becoming mired in political debates

The two leaders stressed t h a t t h e I n d i a - F r a n c e r e l a t i o n s h i p i s b a s e d o n s o v e r e i g n t y a n d s t r a t e g i c autonomy, a commitment to i n t e r n a t i o n a l l a w a n d principles enshrined in the UN Charter, an abiding faith i n m u l t i l a t e r a l i s m a n d “ a mutual pursuit of a stable m u l t i - p o l a r w o r l d ’ ’ B o t h leaders emphasised the need to expand their collaboration t o a d d r e s s r e g i o n a l a n d global challenges They also discussed partnering in the I n d o - P a c i f i c r e g i o n a n d A f r i c a i n i n f r a s t r u c t u r e , c o n n e c t i v i t y , e n e r g y , b i o d i v e r s i t y , s u s t a i n a b i l i t y and industrial projects

PM Modi cautions against 'unilateralism and isolationism'

P M N a r en dr a M od i c ritici sed the "mi ght is ri ght c ulture an d underlin ed the i m po r ta n c e of s h a re d p r os pe r i t y an d o p ti m a l r e s o ur c e ut i l i s a t i on a s p r e re q u i s i t e s f o r g l ob a l advan cemen t P M M o d i a l s o c a u t i o n e d a g a i n s t s u p p l y chain disruptions brought o n b y u n i l a t e r a l i s m a n d i s o l a t i o n i s m " i n a m e d i a i n t e r v i e w “ T o d a y , t h e p r e s s u r e o n n a t u r a l r e s o u r c e s a n d

t h a t t h e w o r l d s t r o n g l y stands against the ‘might is r i g h t ’ c u l t u r e S h a r e d p r o s p e r i t y t h r o u g h o p t i m u m u t i l i s a t i o n o f resources is the only way ahead,” the PM said Some saw the remark to b e c r i t i c a l o f C h i n a ' s militaristic tendencies, use o f d e b t a s a f o r m o f coercion, and expansionist g o a l s “ G e o p o l i t i c s a n d related factors can have a s i g n i f i c a n t i m p a c t o n d e c i s i o n - m a k i n g i n i n t e r n a t i o n a l t r a d e Instances of unilateralism

and isolationism driven by such factors can contribute to supply chain disruptions a n d i m p a c t l i v e l i h o o d s , especially in critical sectors T h i s i s w h y , t o d a y , i n v e s t m e n t i n c r e a t i n g reliable global value chains is gaining importance,” he said, adding that countries also need to offer stable p o l i c i e s t h a t e n c o u r a g e businesses and innovation The US, Japan, Australia, a n d o t h e r n a t i o n s h a v e expressed concern about t h e n e e d t o d e v e l o p a r esili ent and d epe ndable

s u p p l y c h a i n i n r e c e n t months, according to the PM T h e c o m m e n t o n resources came days after he had cautioned against t h e “ n e w m o d e l o f colonialism” if countries that were sitting on a pile o f c r i t i c a l m i n e r a l s d i d not share it with others While maintaining that the new world order was m u l t i p o l a r , t h e P M underlined the need to c o n t i n u o u s l y c r e a t e a c o n s e n s u s o n c o m m o n goals

H o w e v e r , w h i l e M o d i s o u g h t c o o p e r a t i o n f r o m Trudeau in reining in proK h a l i s t a n e l e m e n t s , t h e C a n a d i a n P M s a i d t h a t Canada would always defend f r e e d o m o f e x p r e s s i o n , freedom of conscience and freedom of peaceful protest, while acting against hatred, and that he raised the issue of “ f o r e i g n i n t e r f e r e n c e ” w i t h Modi According to his office, T r u d e a u r a i s e d t h e importance of respecting the r u l e o f l a w , d e m o c r a t i c p r i n c i p l e s a n d n a t i o n a l sovereignty in the meeting with Modi

T h e T r u d e a u a d m i n i s t r a t i o n h a s a l r e a d y accused India of meddling in m a t t e r s p e r t a i n i n g t o t h e sizable Sikh minority there, e v e n d r a w i n g a n a l o g i e s t o China and Russia Trudeau, who was visiting India for the f i r s t t i m e s i n c e 2 0 1 8 , h a d r e p o r t e d l y r e q u e s t e d a bilateral meeting, but it is understood that India would only have accepted a pullaside

C a n a d a r e c e n t l y a l s o suspended negotiations for a f r e e t r a d e a g r e e m e n t w i t h India Modi used the meeting t o c o n v e y I n d i a ’ s s t r o n g c o n c e r n s o v e r c o n t i n u i n g a n t i - I n d i a a c t i v i t i e s o f e x t r e m i s t e l e m e n t s i n C a n a d a , t h e I n d i a n g o v e r n m e n t s a i d i n a statement “ T h e y a r e p r o m o t i n g s e c e s s i o n i s m a n d i n c i t i n g v i o l e n c e a g a i n s t I n d i a n d i p l o m a t s , d a m a g i n g d i p l o m a t i c p r e m i s e s , a n d t h r e a t e n i n g t h e I n d i a n community in Canada and their places of worship,” it added

Trudeau stuck in India

Canadian Prime Minister J u s t i n T r u d e a u a n d h i s d e l e g a t i o n h a d t o e x t e n d their stay in New Delhi by an extra day due to a mechanical i s s u e w i t h h i s a i r c r a f t Trudeau arrived in India for the meeting of G20 and was d u e t o r e t u r n h o m e a f t e r laying a wreath at a memorial of Mahatma Gandhi, but a mechanical fault kept him in I n d i a o v e r n i g h t T h e Canadian High Commission in New Delhi referred to a s t a t e m e n t f r o m T r u d e a u ’ s o f f i c e s a y i n g t h a t t h e C a n a d i a n a i r f o r c e , w h i c h o p e r a t e s t h e p l a n e , h a d informed the delegation it “ was experiencing technical difficulties and these issues a r e n o t f i x a b l e o v e r n i g h t O u r d e l e g a t i o n w i l l b e s t a y i n g i n I n d i a u n t i l alternative arrangements are made,” it added

Verdict on Kejriwal’s petition likely on September 14

A n A h m ed ab ad s es s io n s court reserv ed its verd ict for September 1 4 after finish ing h ea ri ng th e ap p li c at io n s filed by Delhi chief m inister

A r v i nd K ej ri w al a nd A am

A ad mi Party ’ s ( AA P) Rajya Sabh a member Sanjay Singh c h al len g i ng th e m e tro p o l it an co u rt ’ s decision to take cog nizance and issue sum mons to them o v e r G u ja ra t U n i v er si ty ’ s defam ation p laint

G U s u e d t h e p o l i t i c a l l e a d e r s i n A p r i l , a l l e g i n g d e f a m a t i o n b y d e r o g a t o r y a n d s a r c a s t i c r e m a r k s against the university over P r i m e M i n i s t e r N a r e n d r a Modi’s degree T h e u n i v e r s i t y ’ s a d v o c a t e A m i t N a i r r e s p o n d e d t o t h e a c c u s e d persons ’ contention that the university is a state under provisions of Article 12 of the Constitution and hence does not fall in the category o f a g g r i e v e d p e r s o n s a n d c a n n o t a l l e g e d e f a m a t i o n Justifying the trial court’ s decision to take cognizance of GU’s plaint, he submitted t h a t t h e u n i v e r s i t y i s a n autonomous body and is not under pervasive control of the government It has an

elected senate, which forms a n e x e c u t i v e c o u n c i l t h a t takes decisions

The university also runs s e l f - f i n a n c e d c o l l e g e s a n d c a n b u y , s e l l o r l e a s e i t s p r o p e r t i e s w i t h o u t government permission

T h e l a w y e r c i t e d a judgment of the Supreme Court’s constitutional bench t o s u b s t a n t i a t e h i s argument He also rebutted arguments by Kejriwal and Singh that GU’s complaint did not contain transcripts of statements He submitted t h e G U r e g i s t r a r w a s a u t h o r i z e d t o f i l e t h e c o m p l a i n t , a n d t h e t r i a l court followed due process before issuing summons

The sessions court heard t h e c a s e a f t e r t h e H C directed that proceedings on Kejriwal’s revision plea be completed within 10 days

Narendra Modi and Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud

Arvind Kejriwal

Emmanuel Macron and Narendra Modi

Former Andhra CM Naidu sent to jail for 2 weeks in skill scam

For mer And hra Prad esh CM a n d T DP p r e s id e n t N C h a n d r a ba bu N a i d u w a s r ema nde d in 14 day judicia l cu stod y by a spe cia l a n ticorr uption bure au court on Sun day night , followin g his a r r e s t t h e d a y b e fo r e i n c o n n e c t i on wi t h a s k il l d eve lopme nt scam case Naidu was sent to Rajahmundry Central Prison and the court directed that he should b e a l l o w e d h o m e c o o k e d f o o d a n d m e d i c a t i o n A l s o , t h e c o u r t d i r e c t e d p r o v i s i o n o f s p e c i a l r o o m f a c i l i t i e s a n d special security in view of a possible threat to h i s l i f e T h e a r r e s t u n f o l d e d a m i d h i g h drama, with Naidu being taken into custody i n a p r e - d a w n s w o o p a t N a n d y a l C I D s u b s e q u e n t l y p r o d u c e d h i m b e f o r e a magistrate early Sunday The remand order followed an eight hour legal argument in court

Following the judgment, Naidu’s legal team filed two applications The first sought h o u s e a r r e s t a s a n a l t e r n a t i v e t o j u d i c i a l r e m a n d , w h i l e t h e s e c o n d r e q u e s t e d permission for him to receive homecooked food and medicine Naidu’s legal team is expected to approach the AP high court with a lunch motion petition seeking bail The ACB

Need an Indo-Pacific where international law is equally applicable to all: PM Modi

c o u r t p r o c e e d i n g s p r i m a r i l y r e v o l v e d around three legal issues:

p r o c e d u r e a d o p t e d b y

C I D t o a r r e s t N a i d u , a p p l i c a b i l i t y o f S e c t i o n

4 0 9 o f I P C ( d i s h o n e s t m i s a p p r o p r i a t i o n ) a n d S e c t i o n 1 7 ( a ) ( p r i o r a p p r o v a l o f g o v e r n o r ) i n P r e v e n t i o n o f Corruption Act

Naidu was arrested for an alleged scam of £37 1 million in the AP Skill Development Corporation

T DP MLAs unde r h ouse ar rest

The state has placed all 19 TDP MLAs in A n d h r a P r a d e s h u n d e r h o u s e a r r e s t s i n c e Saturday Police arrived at the houses of all MLAs and other senior TDP leaders in the early hours of Saturday, soon after the arrest of Naidu in Nandyal

E v e n w h e n N a i d u w a s b r o u g h t f r o m Nandyal and produced in court on Sunday, his MLAs and other leaders were not allowed to leave their houses The situation continued on Monday as TDP had called a statewide bandh i n p r o t e s t a g a i n s t N a i d u ’ s a r r e s t a n d h i s s u b s e q u e n t 1 4 - d a y j u d i c i a l r e m a n d T h e preventive measures and detention of key leaders helped as the bandh on Monday was largely ineffective in most parts of the state

New health campaign ‘Ayushman Bhav’ to mark PM Modi’s birthday

On Sep tember 17, th e day of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday, the health mini s t ry wi ll l au n c h t h e " Ay u s h ma n Bh av " national campaign

According to officials, the campaign's goal is to connect with those who are supposed to benefit from government programmes carried out under the auspices of Ayushman Bharat It will run for a fortnight President Droupadi Murmu will reportedly open the campaign on September 13, but g r o u n d o p e r a t i o n s w o n ' t b e g i n u n t i l September 17 “Several activities have been planned to enhance healthcare accessibility and awareness during the fortnight ending on October 2, ” health minister Mansukh Mandaviya said

The campaign will consist of three main components: "Ayushman Apke Dwar" to create and distribute Ayushman cards to all remaining eligible beneficiaries; "Ayushman Mela" at the level of health and wellness centres and community health centres; and "Ayushman Sabha" to raise awareness of var-

ious healthcare programmes and services at the village/ward level

A l l f i e l d - l e v e l h e a l t h s t a f f a l o n g w i t h

Aanganwadi workers have been roped in to spread awareness about the campaign and m o b i l i s e p e o p l e A y u s h m a n B h a r a t w a s l a u n c h e d , a s r e c o m m e n d e d b y N a t i o n a l Health Policy 2017, to achieve the vision of U n i v e r s a l H e a l t h C o v e r a g e ( U H C ) T h e Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been addressed by this project, according to the National Health Authority, which has been tasked with carrying out the programme nationally Under the scheme, the government has announced creation of 150,000 Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs) by transforming the existing sub centres and primary health centres Another important undertaking is to provide health cover of Rs 500,000 per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation to over 120 million poor and vulnerable families (approximately 550 million beneficiaries)

SC reserves verdict on Art 370 after 16 days of arguments

T h e S up r e m e C o u r t h a s r e se r v e d j u d g m e n t o n a n umbe r of pet itions, includi n g t w o br o u g h t b y t h e N a t i on a l C on fe r e n ce a n d t he P e o p le s De mo c r a t i c Pa rt y, which question ed the leg alit y of t he Ce nt re's 2019 d e ci si o n s t o r e v o k e J& K' s n e a r l y 70 - y e a r -o ld s p e ci a l st atus unde r Ar ticle 3 70 and s p li t t he st a t e in t o t w o U nion te rr it ories

T h e c o u r t r o o m d e b a t e over the issue, which commenced on August 2, lasted 16 days over a 35-day period

A f t e r t h e J & K

Constituent Assembly was d i s s o l v e d i n 1 9 5 7 , i t w a s impossible to change Article 370, according to the challengers to the Centre's decision, who spent ten and a h a l f d a y s o u t l i n i n g t h e i r arguments

A f i v e - j u d g e S u p r e m e

C o u r t b e n c h c o m p r i s i n g C h i e f J u s t i c e D Y C h a n d r a c h u d a n d J u s t i c e s

Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Sanjiv Khanna, B R Gavai and Surya Kant ordered the conclusion of arguments on scrapping Article 370 and bifurcating J&K into two UTs after hearing rejoinders from petitione r s ’ c o u n s e l K a p i l S i b a l ,

Gopal Subramaniam, Rajeev Dhawan, Zaffar Mohd Shah and Dushyant Dave

T h e C e n t r e a n d s u pporters of the decision in many intervenors through

A t the E ast A sia S um m it, P ri m e M i ni s ter N are nd r a Mo di emphasised th e need for an Ind o-P aci fic regio n w h e re in ter na ti o nal l aw , includ ing the UNCL OS (U N C onv entio n o n the Law o f the Sea), was equally ap plicable to all countries, wh ere there was freed om of navig a ti o n a nd o v erf li g h t , as w e ll a s w h ere th er e w as unrestricted legal comm erce for the benefit of all This was in respo nse to Ch inese claims in th e South C hina Sea

“India believes that the Code of Conduct for South China Sea should be effective and in accordance with UNCLOS,” he said

I n d i a h a d j o i n e d t h e P h i l i p p i n e s i n p u b l i c l y requesting China to abide by a 2016 legally binding ruling t h a t s t r o n g l y r e f u t e d Beijing's expansion claims in its dispute with the southeast Asian nation over South China Sea (SCS) waters in June, reinforcing the call for a free, open, and inclusive

Indo-Pacific

T h e P h i l i p p i n e s , a l o n g with Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia, has also protested China’s map displaying its disputed claims

With the Myanmar crisis dominating the agenda of Asean, which has strongly condemned the “one-sided’’ violence perpetrated by the

junta, Modi said India’s policy in Myanmar took into account Asean’s views At the same time, he added, as a n e i g h b o u r i n g c o u n t r y , ensuring peace and security on the borders and enhancing India-Asean connectivit y w a s a l s o I n d i a ’ s f o c u s “Peace, security and prosp e r i t y i n t h e I n d o - P a c i f i c region are in the interest of us all,” Modi said Modi also said there was unison in the vision of India a n d A s e a n f o r t h e I n d oPacific and that Asean held a central position in the vision of Quad “The positive agend a o f Q u a d c o m p l e m e n t s w i t h t h e v a r i o u s m e c h anisms of Asean,” he said

INDIA bloc wins four seats, BJP 3 in by-election

INDIA bloc has won four se ats and the BJ P w on thre e seats in by -ele ctions, the results of which w ere an nounce d last we ek A Tri pura doublew in fortified BJ P’s maj ority in the north-e astern state a chie ve d in this February’s assem bly polls In Utta ra khan d, it re ta ine d the Ba gheshwa r se at a s the hill state’s gove rni ng pa rty

For the INDIA alliance, Kerala’s late CM Oommen Chandy’s son retained his father’s f o r t r e s s , P u t h u p p a l l y , f o r C o n g r e s s A Trinamool triumph in Bengal’s Dhupguri, a Samajwadi victory in UP’s Ghosi and JMM’s retention of Jharkhand’s Dumri completed INDIA’S march The by-polls were held on September 5, mostly necessitated by the deaths or resignations of previous lawmakers

In Tripura, the governing BJP snatched Boxanagar from CPM and retained Dhanpur, increasing its tally in the 60-member house to 33 Its ally, IPFT, has one MLA The wins in both Muslim-dominated constituencies, bordering Bangladesh, was seen as a wider message about minorities standing with the saffron party

Boxanagar had been a stronghold of CPM, barring three elections when Congress won in 1972, 1988 and 1998 Former CM Manik Sarkar of the CPM was able to win Dhanpur in 2018 even during a high anti-incumbency wave that first brought BJP to office in the state The saffron party won the seat in the polls held earlier this year

In Uttarakhand, BJP retained Bageshwar

but did so by a slender margin as Parvati Das defeated her Congress rival Basant Kumar by only 2,405 votes in spite of intensive campaigns by the governing party In the 2022 polls, BJP had won the seat by over 12,000 votes Parvati is the wife of late former minist e r C h a n d a n R a m D a s I n K e r a l a ’ s Puthuppally, Congress’s Chandy Oommen w o n b y 3 7 , 7 1 9 v o t e s , s u r p a s s i n g h i s l a t e father’s 2011 record margin of 33,255 in his 53 year s as MLA Runner-up and governing Left candidate Jaick C Thomas could rustle up only 4 2 , 4 2 5 v o t e s a g a i n s t C h a n d y O o m m e n ’ s 80,144 BJP finished third, getting 6,558 votes Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee had much to smile about in Dhupguri as her Trinamool wrested the seat from BJP in a breathtaking roller-coaster of fortunes Trinamool’s Nirmal Chandra Roy defeated BJP’s Tapasi Roy by 4,309 votes The Dhupguri victory signals TMC’s deepening influence in BJP-dominated pockets of North Bengal

In Uttar Pradesh, the opposition Samajwadi Party retained Ghosi against the run of play in which the governing BJP has been notching up p o l l t r i u m p h s s i n c e C M Y o g i A d i t y a n a t h r e t u r n e d t o o f f i c e i n M a r c h 2 0 2 2 w i t h a resounding majority In Ghosi, SP’s Sudhakar Singh defeated turncoat BJP nominee Dara Singh Chauhan by nearly 43,000 votes in a highvoltage bipolar contest Congress, RLD and the Left did not contest and backed the SP candidate BSP stayed out, too

Sonia’s letter to Modi raises prospects of stormy session

a t t o r n e y g e n e r a l R Venkataramani, solicitor g e n e r a l T u s h a r M e h t a , senior advocates Harish Salve, Rakesh Dwivedi, V Giri, Mahesh Jethmalani a n d G u r u K r i s h n a Kumar and others took just five and a half days to elaborate the validly exercised power to skeletonise Article 370 to make J&K’s integration with India complete and its bifurcation t o p r e s e r v e t e r r i t o r i a l integrity

In response to a question from the bench, the Union g o v e r n m e n t i n f o r m e d t h e court that it was prepared to hold assembly elections for J&K UT and provided details on how the process would begin by first installing people's representatives at the d e m o c r a t i c i n s t i t u t i o n s a t

C o n g r e s s le a d e r S o n i a G and hi se nt a let ter to Prime Ministe r Modi in which she e xpre sse d surpr ise ove r the special session of Parliame nt h a d be e n ca lle d w it ho u t consult ing with othe r part ie s an d without an a gend a, a nd she dema nde d tha t time be se t a side for d iscussion on n i n e is su e s, i n clu d in g t h e A da n i re v ela t ion s, C hin e se a ggre ssion, r isin g communa l t e n s i on , t he c a s t e ce n s u s, a nd th e har m be in g don e to Ce ntr e-sta te r ela tions

T h e o p p o s i t i o n I N D I A bloc met to develop a shared a p p r o a c h f o r t h e f i v e - d a y session, which was followed by Sonia's letter The leader of the Congress' parliamentary party expressed surprise that the administration had b e e n g i v e n p e r m i s s i o n t o conduct business on all five days

At the same time, raising prospects of a confrontation far from the possible government expectations of a peaceful special session, Congress told the governm e n t t h a t t h e o p p o s i t i o n wants to participate in the proceedings, but discussion on the nine issues of public concern is a must

C o n g r e s s s p o k e s m a n Jairam Ramesh assured the Centre that the opposition will listen to the government and not walk away after havi n g i t s s a y H e , h o w e v e r , a d d e d t h a t “ a l l f i v e d a y s

reserved for government business is not a c c e p t a b l e t o u s This is not possible It is against all conv e n t i o n s W h a t e v e r your agenda is, invite us and hold consult a t i o n s t h e r e should be around two hours reserved every day of the session for discussion on issues of public concern as outlined by Sonia Gandhi,” he told the media Sonia requested in her letter that a joint parliamentary committee be discussed in order to look into the a c t i v i t i e s o f t h e A d a n i G r o u p i n l i g h t o f r e c e n t findings, the ongoing unrest i n M a n i p u r , t h e M S P promise to farmers, the curr e n t e c o n o m i c c l i m a t e o f r i s i n g p r i c e s a n d r i s i n g unemployment

Narendra Modi & Sonia Gandhi

Balaji as minister doesn’t augur well for good governance: Madras HC

C HE NN AI: While holding that having a m i n is t e r w it ho ut a po r t f ol i o is a ‘ c ons t it ution a l t ra ve s ty , ’ M ad ra s h igh c ou rt de c l i ne d t o in t er f e r e wi t h th e s tatus of Ta mil Nadu m inis ter V Senthil Bal aji, s aying his continuation in the s tate cab inet is better left to the wis dom of Tam il Nadu c hief m inis ter M K St alin Bala ji has been in judicial custody s inc e June 14 f oll owing his arre st in the cas hfor-job cas e “ T h e c h i e f m i n i s t e r m a y b e w e l l advised to take a decision about the c o n t i n u a n c e o f B a l a j i a s a m i n i s t e r w i t h o u t p o r t f o l i o , w h i c h s e r v e s n o purpose and which does not augur well w i t h t h e p r i n c i p l e s o f c o n s t i t u t i o n a l ethos on goodness, good governance and purity in administration,” said the first bench of Chief Justice Sanjay Vijaykumar G a n g a p u r w a l a a n d J u s t i c e P D

A u d i k e s a v a l u T h e c o u r t p a s s e d t h e order and made the observations while disposing of a batch of public interest w r i t p e t i t i o n s c h a l l e n g i n g B a l a j i ’ s continuance in the Tamil Nadu cabinet as a minister without portfolio “ I n t h e a b s e n c e o f a n y s t a t u t o r y

Deve Gowda puts seal on BJP pact, rumblings in JD(S)

B E NG A L U R U : P M N are nd r a M o d i and fo r m er Karnataka C M H D Ku marasw am y will d ecid e how best BJ P and JD (S ) can lev erage each other’ s strengths for th e Lok Sabha battle against C ong ress in Karnataka next year, former PM HD Deve Gow da said wh ile putting th e seal on sp eculation about his party playing th e saffron hand

The JD (S) national president’s confirmation of the tie-up came two days after after former Karnataka CM

ANOTHER TN MINISTER’S ACQUITTAL UNDER HC REVIEW

d i s q u a l i f i c a t i o n , i t w o u l d n o t b e permissible for the court to issue certain directions to the governor to take a decision in a particular manner, ” the court said As to the contention of the petitioners that a person who cannot discharge his duties as a minister should not be allowed to continue at the cost of e x c h e q u e r , t h e c o u r t s a i d , “ H e i s a m i n i s t e r w i t h o u t p o r t f o l i o , m e a n i n g thereby, no work is allotted to him ”

“He is a minister for the name sake In other words, a minister without any work S u c h a p e r s o n c e r t a i n l y w i l l n o t b e entitled for any allowances because he will not be officiating any work, nor any work is allotted to him Certainly, no purpose is served by just ceremonially retaining him as a minister,” the judges noted

B S Yediyurappa talked about a prepoll understanding

b e f o r e t h e t w o s i d e s c o u l d m a k e a f o r m a l

announcement

Deve Gowda told reporters that BJP and JD(S) were starting out on “ an equal footing” in the state “A final meeting between HDK (Deve Gowda’s son) and Modi will decide the seats we will contest,” he said

“BJP has a vote base in Mysuru, Mandya and Ramanagara Do not discount JD(S) strength as well

The former PM said he had already “made this clear” in my meetings with the BJP leadership, including Modi

A whiff of resentment among a section of JD(S) legislators soon after Deve Gowda’s announcement threatened to queer the pitch for a seat-sharing deal JD(S)’s Gurmitkal MLA Sharanagouda Kandakur said the tie up doesn’t bode well for the future of the regional party Some BJP functionaries too reacted cautiously “BJP will weigh the pros and cons before taking a final call,” former BJP national general secretary C T Ravi said

Punjab Cong leaders threaten to quit over tie-up with AAP

C HA ND IGA RH : T wo days after

P unjab finance minister Harp al S ing h C heem a said Aam Aadm i P arty w ould contest 2024 Lok S abha elections in the state in an alliance with C ong ress, a large num ber of Pradesh C ong ress C o m m i tte e le ad e rs h av e o p p o s e d any s uc h ti e -u p , d eli v e ri ng a bl o w to I ND IA bloc’s show of unity

In a series of meetings that PCC chief Amrinder Raja Singh Warring held with district party presidents, MLAs and an MP to take their feedback on Cheema’s r e m a r k , C o n g r e s s m e m b e r s warned against any tie-up with AAP, with two former ministers even threatening to leave the

party on this issue

A l l s e v e n C o n g r e s s M P s from Punjab were invited for the m e e t i n g , b u t o n l y o n e ,

Muhammad Sadiq, attended it

Sadiq expressed his sentiments against such an alliance, sources said Punjab leader of opposition Partap Singh Bajwa will relay the

Bengal govt eyeing legal action against governor over appointments of VCs

KO LK A T A : Th e Mama ta Bane rjee -led

We st Ben gal gove rnmen t is explor ing opti ons to ini tiate legal action agai nst g ov ernor CV An anda Bose, whom the T rina mool C on gres s (TMC) has a ccused of pre ss ur ing s tate uni versi ties to s kip a meeti ng called by the educati on mini ster tw o day s b ack , reports sai d

The long-running tussle between the state government and the Raj Bhavan has escalated in the past few weeks after Bose, in his capacity as the chancellor of a l l 3 1 s t a t e - r u n u n i v e r s i t i e s , r e c e n t l y appointed interim vice-chancellors for 14 varsities, including the prestigious P r e s i d e n c y U n i v e r s i t y , w i t h o u t c o n s u l t i n g t h e g o v e r n m e n t T h e positions were lying vacant since May 31 when the tenure of the former V-Cs ended T h e c h i e f m i n i s t e r h a s s e v e r e l y criticised the move, calling it a bid to i n t e r f e r e w i t h t h e r u n n i n g o f s t a t ea d m i n i s t e r e d u n i v e r s i t i e s S h e e v e n t h r e a t e n e d t o b l o c k f u n d s f o r u n i v e r s i t i e s i f t h e y f o l l o w e d t h e g o v e r n o r ’ s o r d e r s “ I f y o u [ g o v e r n o r ] interfere in the affairs of any university or, if any university takes orders from you, I will create an economic blockade

Let me see how you pay the salaries of

the university staff ” she had said at an event

T h e l a t e s t s t a n d o f f c a m e a f t e r registrars of several universities skipped a meeting called by state’s education minister Bratya Basu at his office to discuss allocation of funds and financial matters

“We have found some documents which suggest that some of the acting VC s a s k e d t h e r e g i s t r a r s o f t h o s e universities not to attend the meeting,” a senior officer from the higher education department said “The government is consulting lawyers to explore possible legal action against the Raj Bhavan ”

feedback from the state unit to the party high command during t h e C o n g r e s s W o r k i n g C o m m i t t e e m e e t i n g i n Hyderabad on September 15-16 W h i l e i n t e r a c t i n g w i t h m e d i a a f t e r t h e m e e t i n g , Warring said they have been told t o m a k e p r e p a r a t i o n s f o r contesting the elections on all 13 Lok Sabha seats in the state P a r t y s o u r c e s r e v e a l e d t h a t during the meetings, the PCC l e a d e r s h i p w a s r e m i n d e d o f AAP’s actions after forming the government in Punjab, which included a “witch hunt” against C o n g r e s s m e m b e r s a n d attempts to portray the party as corrupt in the state

ED calls Trinamool leader Abhishek for questioning

K O L K A T A : E n f o rc e m e n t Di r e c t or a t e s um m o n e d T r i n a m oo l g e n e ra l s ec re t a r y A bhishek B anerjee for q ues tioning i n the cas hf o r - j o b s c a s e a t i t s S a lt L a k e o f f i c e o n Septembe r 13, the day he was s cheduled to attend a meetin g of the INDIA bloc in Delhi Slamming the ED action as an example of Centre’s fear of the opposition bloc, the TMC member posted on X: “FIRST meet of INDIA’s coordination committee is on 13th September i n D e l h i , w h e r e I a m a m e m b e r B u t , Enforcement Directorate conveniently served me a notice just now to appear before them on the very same day! One can’t help but marvel at the timidity and vacuousness of the 5 6 - i n c h c h e s t m o d e l # F e a r o f I N D I A ” , h e posted on X

Abhishek had earlier moved Calcutta HC, seeking to quash an ED complaint linking him with the cash-for-jobs scam, following which the agency had verbally informed the court that it would not take any coercive step against him He was scheduled to attend the first 14-party coordination committee meeting of the INDIA b l

Incumbent Tamil Nadu minister from DMK I Periyasamy and AIADMK former minister B Valarmathi joined a growing list of politicians facing the Madras high court s suo motu revision proceedings against their acquittal or discharge in disproportionate assets (DA) cases Justice N Anand Venkatesh listed suo motu revision proceedings against the two In March, the additional special court for cases against MPs and MLAs in Chennai had acquitted Periyasamy of charges of illegal allotment of a Tamil Nadu Housing Board plot to a deputy SP who served as the personal security officer (PSO) of former chief minister M Karunanidhi in 2008 Valarmathi, social welfare minister in the AIADMK government from 2001 to 2006, was acquitted in 2021 in a different DA case Three DMK ministers - K Ponmudy Thangam Thennarasu and KKSSR Ramachandran - are facing suo motu proceedings along with former AIADMK CM O Panneerselvam

SC STAYS ORDER DECLARING KCR PARTY

MLA'S ELECTION AS VOID

The Supreme Court stayed the Telangana High Court order declaring the election of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLA Bandla Krishna Mohan Reddy from Gadwal constituency as void A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Dipankar Datta issued notice to BJP leader DK Aruna, who the high court declared as elected after annulling Reddy's election, and sought her response within four weeks The high court had on August 24, while declaring Reddy's election as void, also imposed a fine of Rs 250 000 on him for filing a false affidavit with his nomination form about his assets It had declared Aruna as elected with retrospective effect from December 2018 besides directing Reddy to pay her Rs 50 000 towards litigation costs Aruna had contested the 2018 assembly election as a Congress candidate and was defeated After Reddy won the poll Aruna filed an election petition against him She later switched over to the BJP and is currently its national vice president

3 FORMER PUNJAB COPS CONVICTED IN FAKE ENCOUNTER CASE

A special CBI court in Mohali convicted three former Punjab Police officers for the murder of a young trio in a fake encounter dating back 31 years The quantum of punishment against former police inspector Dharam Singh and ASIs Surinder Singh and Gurdev Singh will be pronounced on September 14 Nine cops had been charged in the case One of them, absconding ex-ASI Bhupinder Singh was declared a proclaimed offender while five died during the course of the trial The CBI which probed the case cited 55 witnesses But due to the delay in the start of the trial statements of only 27 witnesses could be recorded Many witnesses died over the years

MAMATA RESHUFFLES CABINET AHEAD OF FOREIGN VISIT

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has made some changes in her Cabinet while shifting Babul Supriyo from the tourism department to information technology & electronics and the department of non-conventional and renewable energy The Cabinet reshuffle has come ahead of her 12-day foreign tour to Dubai and Spain to attract foreign investment to the state Replacing Supriyo, another singer-politician Indranil Sen, who was the minister of state for technical education, training, and skill development department, will now head the tourism department State forest minister Jyotipriya Mallick was given the additional charge of industrial reconstruction and department of public enterprise Meanwhile Pradip Mazumdar state panchayat minister was given additional responsibility for the cooperative department

V Senthil Balaji

Ananda Bose

Aditya-L1 completes third

Earth-bound manoeuvre

A d i t y a -L 1 , I n d ia ' s fi r st s ol a r sp a ce o b se r va t or y m i ssi o n l a un ch e d on Se pt ember 2, is current ly in it s t hird Ear th-b ound m a n o e uv r e , w hi ch w a s carr ie d out by scie ntists from the Isro Telemet ry, T r a ck i n g a n d C om ma n d Ne twor k (Istra c)

The spacecraft is now in an orbit of 296km x 71,767km a n d t h e n e x t E a r t h - b o u n d manoeuvre is scheduled on

September 15

Stating that last week’s manoeuvre took place at 2 30 am, Isro said: “Ground stat i o n s a t M a u r i t i u s , B e n g a l u r u , S D S C - S H A R (Sriharikota) and Port Blair tracked the satellite during this operation ”

A f t e r S e p t e m b e r 1 5 manoeuvre, it will have one more Earth-bound manoeuvre, being carried out for the spacecraft to gain the necessary velocity for its journey to reach L1, which is about 1 5 million km from earth

Aditya-L1 will perform a Trans-Lagrangian1 Insertion (TLI) manoeuvre on the 16th d a y f o l l o w i n g t h e l a u n c h date once the Earth-bound

India, US to further deepen, diversify defence cooperation

m a n o e u v r e s a r e f i n i s h e d , starting the start of its 110day journey to L1 Aditya -L1 tak es selfie, pics of Ea rth & Moon

A d i t y a - L 1 h a s s e n t a “ s e l f i e a n d i m a g e s o f t h e Earth and the Moon”, marki n g t h e f i r s t p h o t o g r a p h s captured by the spacecraft s i n c e i t s l a u n c h o n September 2 Isro shared the images which were taken on September 4

T h e V i s i b l e E m i s s i o n L i n e C o r o n a g r a p h ( V E L C ) f o r C o r o n a i m a g i n g a n d spectroscopy investigations a n d t h e S o l a r U l t r a v i o l e t I m a g i n g T e l e s c o p e ( S U I T ) for narrow band and broadband photosphere and chromosphere imaging are both visible in the selfie Another image captured by the spacecraft s internal camera shows Earth from a close-up perspective with the Moon in the distance

Central team rushed to Kerala after two Nipah deaths confirmed

The Union health m inis try has rushed a c entral team of experts t o Keral a to t ake s toc k of the s it uation and as sis t the s tate gove rnment in Nipah virus dis ease m anagement after t wo such deat hs were confirmed in K ozhikode dis trict on Tues da y

U n i o n h e a l t h a n d f a m i l y w e l f a r e m i n i s t e r M a n s u k h

Mandaviya, in a press briefing in Delhi, also said that four more Nipah cases are suspected in the state and are being closely monitored

“I have spoken to the health minister of Kerala There have been reports of this virus several times this season Cases are coming up This virus is spread by bats A guideline has been prepared by the health ministry regarding this so that we can take precautions,” said Mandaviya The two cases have been confirmed by India’s apex virology laboratory - the Indian Council of Medical Research’s National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune The state government had sent five samples to NIV for confirmation after two “unnatural deaths” were reported from Kozhikode district on Monday The samples included that of one of the deceased and four of his kin

“Kerala has a well-oiled machinery as far as disease surveillance is concerned which is why the presence of viral diseases is detected in time Also, because of timely detection, the state is also able to check the spread,” said a senior official from the National Centre for Disease Control

Now, India plans Samudrayaan mission to explore ocean wealth

Continued from page 1

T he Samudrayaan mission is u nderway as p art of th e Deep O cean Mission We will be co nducting sea trials at 500 metres depth in th e first quarter o f 2024," said M Ravic handran, secretary, Ministry o f E arth Sciences Th e mission is expected to be realised by 2026 O nly th e U S, Russ ia, Jap an, France and Ch ina h ave develo ped m anned su bmersibles

Matsya 6000 will examine the chemosynthetic biodiversity in hydrothermal vents and low-temperature methane seeps in the ocean in addition to hunting for nickel, cobalt, manganese, hydrothermal sulphides and gas hydrates

NIOT director G A Ramadass said they have designed and developed a 2 1-metre-diametre sphere for Matsya 6000 to carry three people The sphere will be made of 80-mm-thick titanium alloy to withstand 600 bar pressure (600 times greater than the pressure at sea level) at 6,000 metres depth The vehicle is designed to operate for 12 to 16 hours at a stretch, but the oxygen supply will be available for 96 hours

"Except for the sphere, we have redundancy for everything Sometimes double, sometimes triple redundancy An official sea trial will be certified, and we have gone with DNV- GL for certification We will also follow standard operating procedure such as deploying the submersible from a ship, which will remain on the surface right above the submersible for easy communication with the underwater vehicle," the NIOT director said

I nd ia and the US reaffirmed thei r c ommi tment to deepen and di versif y their already substanti al "major d ef ence partne rsh i p" thr ou gh ac cel erate d def encei nd ustri al c oop eratio n, whi ch i nc lud es j o i nt p r o d u c ti o n o f j et e ngi nes and expanded coo peratio n i n new and emergi ng domains such as sp ace and arti fic ial i ntelli gence (AI) The completion o f the U S Congress ' notifi cati on procedure and t h e s t ar t o f c o mm e rc i a l ne go t i a ti o n s between GE Aerospace and Hindu stan

A ero nautics to jointly p ro duce GE-4 14 jet engi nes i n Indi a - with an 8 0% tech nology transfer - for the homegrown Tejas Mark-2 fighters were both welcomed in th e joi nt statement f ollowi ng the Mo diBi den meeting

The two leaders "recommitted to work collaboratively and expeditiously to s u p p o r t t h e a d v a n c e m e n t o f t h i s unprecedented co-production and technology transfer proposal", it said

T h e s t a t e m e n t a l s o c o n f i r m e d a media report that the Indian defence ministry had written the Biden administration a formal letter of request (LoR)

for the massive purchase of 31 MQ-9B "hunter-killer" drones from the US New Delhi was eager to sign the contract this fiscal year While the final cost is still to be fixed for the 31 drones, along with their weapon packages and associated equipment, the deal is estimated to be around $3 billion

"The leaders also welcomed further commitments from US industry to invest more in India’s maintenance, repair, and overhaul capabilities and facilities for aircraft," it said The two leaders also c o m m e n d e d t h e I n d i a - U S D e f e n c e Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) team for establishing a robust collaboration agenda to harness the innovative work of

the defence sectors in the two countries "to address shared security challenges"

Biden backs India for a p ermanent U NSC seat

M e a n w h i l e , B i d e n r e i t e r a t e d America's support for India's bid for a p e r m a n e n t s e a t a t t h e U N S e c u r i t y Council and praised India's presidency of the G20 "Continuing to share the view that global governance must be more inclusive and representative, Biden reaffirmed his support for a reformed UN Security Council with India as a permanent member," the two sides said in a joint statement, which also mentioned the US s backing for India s return to the UNSC as a non-permanent member in 2028–29

Biden also praised India's chairmanship of the group for further illustrating how the G20 as a forum is generating "important outcomes" on a day when r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s o f t h e t w o c o u n t r i e s were working diligently to overcome p r o f o u n d d i s a g r e e m e n t s o v e r t h e Ukraine war to iron out a consensus declaration

28 killed as heavy rains lash Uttar Pradesh

Nine more peop le have died as heavy rains lashed Uttar Prad es h f or the third d ay takin g the deat h c ount to 28, w hile a red alert w as s ounded in s ix dist ric ts in clud in g the w orst-hit Barabanki an d Gonda

A senior official said that in the past 48 hours, more than 100 mm of rainfall was recorded in seven districts of the state and 10 other districts recorded 50 mm of rain Certain parts of Bahraich and

Barabanki have received over 250 mm of rainfall in the past 24 hours These deaths included three in Mirzapur, two each in Prayagraj and Sitapur and one each in Sultanpur and Budaun, it said

On Monday, 19 deaths were reported in rain-related incidents Four were from Hardoi, three from Barabanki, two each from Pratapgarh and Kannauj, and one e a c h f r o m A m e t h i , D e o r i a , J a l a u n ,

Kanpur, Unnao, Sambhal, Rampur and Muzaffarnagar districts

A red alert has been sounded in six districts - Lakhimpur Kheri, Bahraich, Shrawasti, Sitapur, Barabanki and Gonda, while there is an orange alert in four dist r i c t s - H a r d o i , B a s t i , L u c k n o w a n d Siddharthnagar - for the day, the senior o f f i c i a l o f t h e R e l i e f C o m m i s s i o n e r s office said

Joe Biden and Narendra Modi

The best beaches to escape the heatwave

Omio, Europe's premier travel booking platform for train, bus, and flight journeys, has unveiled a list of the top beaches to beat the summer heat This comprehensive study evaluates factors such as ice cream prices, bottled water costs, beer expenses, weather conditions, and public ratings for 75 of the most sought-after beaches

Among the featured beaches in the United Kingdom are Woolacombe Beach in Woolacombe, Gorleston-on-Sea Beach in Great Yarmouth, Barmouth Beach in Snowdonia, Ayr Beach in Ayr, Fistral Beach in Newquay, West Sands Beach in St Andrews, Weymouth Beach in Weymouth, and Bournemouth Beach in Bournemouth

This year's summer is projected to be hotter than the previous year, and enduring temperatures exceeding 30 C i n c i t i e s c a n b e q u i t e u n c o m f o r t a b l e W h i l e a i r conditioning is a welcome home appliance, planning a beach getaway is a wise idea Cool beverages and ice cream are essential for a day at the beach

Cleopatra Beach in Alanya, Turkey, is the best beach this summer

Alanya, situated on the Turkish Riviera, has long been a beloved seaside destination known for its expansive sandy beaches Notably, it ranks at the top of the list of the best beach getaways to beat the summer heat, thanks to its remarkably affordable offerings

C l e o p a t r a B e a c h , i n p a r t i c u l a r , stands out for its incredibly low ice cream prices, with servings priced at j u s t £ 0 1 0 e a c h T h i s a f f o r d a b i l i t y allows visitors to indulge in a variety of ice cream flavors without straining their wallets Additionally, a bottle of water averages at a mere £0 32, and beachside beers are priced at just £1 41 These exceptional deals make coping with the summer heat a breeze

Other Turkish destinations, like Side and Bodrum, also excel in this study For example, a scoop of ice cream costs less than £1 in these areas These favorable findings collectively establish Turkey as one of the most budgetfriendly choices for a beach vacation at present

U l c i n j ' s L o n g B e a c h i n M o n t e n e g r o s e c u r e s t h e second position in the ranking, outperforming globally renowned beaches such as Playa de Palma in Mallorca or Plage de Pampelonne in St Tropez Montenegro's high standing is primarily due to its cost-effective pricing and positive online public ratings A large bottle of water at the beach is priced at approximately £0 66, while beer is even more economical, at around £0 61

Woolacombe Beach is the best beach in the United Kingdom

The top-ranking beach in the UK is Woolacombe

Book Review

Beach, located on the northern coast of Devon This expansive, sandy beach boasts an impressive visitor rating of 4 8 out of 5 stars and holds the distinction of being the most popular among all the beaches examined in the country

Woolacombe Beach also stands out for offering the most budget-friendly options, with beer priced at approximately £1 58 per b o t t l e a n d i c e c r e a m a v e r a g i n g £1 81 Beach destinations in the UK a r e a n e x c e l l e n t c h o i c e f o r escaping the summer heat, as m a n y o f t h e m e n j o y c o o l e r t e m p e r a t u r e s V i s i t o r s c a n expect an average temperature of a r o u n d 1 6 d e g r e e s C e l s i u s a t Gorleston-on-Sea Beach in Great Yarmouth, Fistral B e a c h i n N e w q u a y , a n d B o u r n e m o u t h B e a c h i n Bournemouth Scottish beaches, such as West Sands Beach in St A n d r e w s a n d A y r B e a c h i n A y r , o f f e r e v e n c o o l e r conditions, with an average temperature of around 13 degrees Celsius during the summer

Top 10 dog-friendly beaches in the UK

These and many other intriguing questions have been examined in a brilliant historical novel written by debut Gujarati author Nitin Nanji

The publication of ‘Lalji’s Nairobi,’ releasing on 30th August on Amazon Books is an inspiring account of the life and times of Lalji, a nineteen-yearold who migrates from Gujarat to British East Africa to build a new life A life away from the droughts and high taxes of the Raj

Leading a group of four young men from his village, three Hindu and one Muslim, Lalji sets sail by Arab vaan (dhow) to reach Mombasa and then Nairobi by the newly completed Uganda Railway Facing entrenched barriers and racism, Lalji uses his commercial acumen to work within the system and p r o g r e s s r a p i d l y t o a c h i e v e h i s ambitions and those of his friends Poor b u s i n e s s o p p o r t u n i t i e s , w a r w i t h

German East Africa, and displacements of the local Africans by white settlers added to the uncertainty of the times

Nitin Nanji

How l o n g h a s t h e r e b e e n a connection between Gujarat and t h e S w a h i l i C o a s t o f E a s t A f r i c a ?

Were there trade and cultural links that might explain the presence of A f r i c a n ( S i d d h i ) c o m m u n i t i e s i n Gujarat and the many Gujarati words i n S w a h i l i ? W e r e t h e E u r o p e a n s looking for a route around Africa to India the first ones to discover the monsoon connection?

The novel is full of information a n d c h a l l e n g e s m a n y h i s t o r i c a l c l i c h e s a n d a s s u m p t i o n s E q u a l l y e n j o y a b l e i s t h e s t o r y a n d t h e

intriguing characters brought to life by Nitin who was born in Kenya while it was a British colony and who has lived and worked in England all his life

The story of success from rags-tor i c h e s i s n o t u n f a m i l i a r t o t h e d i a s p o r a o f G u j a r a t i ’ s f r o m E a s t Africa Lalji’s business successes, his m a r r i a g e t o h i s c h i l d h o o d f i a n c é

Janki, and their management of a busy household evoke lively images of the times His authentic depiction of European and African characters also adds a welcome addition, completing t h e p i c t u r e o f a n e n e r g e t i c a n d dynamic society

N i t i n d e a l s s e n s i t i v e l y w i t h theexcesses of white privilege and domination of Indians and Africans in the new colony He also illustrates t h e h u m a n i t y a n d f a i r n e s s o f i n d i v i d u a l s s u c h a s L a l j i ’ s E n g l i s h bank manager, who notices Lalji’s business strengths early and takes him under his wing Lalji’s character makes interesting reading His discerning nature leads him to turn down an opportunity to get involved in politics but he accepts t a c i t l y t h a t h i s p a r t n e r B h a s k e r provides essential assistance to an African political movement secretly F r o m u n c e r t a i n b e g i n n i n g s i n Gujarat to seeking out success in a s t r a n g e n e w w o r l d , N i t i n ’ s w o r d s captivate the reader and take them on an enjoyable journey of early 20th century colonial India and Africa

The meteoric success of Lalji, and his ability to circumvent a serious c h a l l e n g e f r o m a n u n e x p e c t e d quarter at his time of weakness, add an exciting episode at the end of this entertaining novel A commendable read from all aspects

On sale from Amazon Books from 30th August, paperback and eBook editions www ni ti nnanj i com

While the UK may have experienced its last heatwave of the year, searches for "dog-friendly beaches near me" continue to be popular. Dogs enjoy running on the sandy shores and playing in the sea, so where are the best places to go?

The top-ranked beach, with a score of 8 85 out of 10, is Durdle Door beach in Dorset This beach, famous for its limestone arch, provides an ideal setting for playing fetch with your canine companion Man O’War beach and Three Cliffs Bay share second place with a score of 8 30 out of 10 Man O’War, also known as East Durdle Door, features a pebble beach with calm waters, perfect for a refreshing swim with your dog On the other hand, Three Cliffs Bay is the first sandy beach on the list, offering ample space to explore with your furry friend, along with scenic sand dunes

In fourth place, with a score of 8 20 out of 10, is Marloes Sands in Pembrokeshire This picturesque beach boasts g o l d e n s a n d s , d r a m a t i c c l i f f s , a n d c r y s t a l - b l u e w a t e r s , providing an ideal backdrop for capturing moments with your pup

Rounding out the top five is Cuckmere Haven Beach in East Sussex, with a score of 8 06 out of 10 Situated near the iconic white chalk cliffs of the Seven Sisters, this quiet pebble beach offers stunning views and is a perfect place for quality time with your dog

‘Lalji’s Nairobi,’

Woolacombe Beach

Gorleston-on-Sea Beach

Barmouth Beach

Durdle Door Beach

Inflammation may affect the outcome of weight loss surgery: Study

Higher levels of inflammation in the blood of obese patients undergoing bariatric surgery predict worse weight reduction six months later, according to a study supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)

Published in Psychological Medicine and led by researchers from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London, this is the first study to investigate the links between depression and inflammation in patients with obesity before and after bariatric surgery The data revealed a sign i f i c a n t l i n k b e t w e e n d e p r e s s i o n a n d inflammation in obese patients before and after surgery, and it suggested that e l e v a t e d i n f l a m m a t i o n , r a t h e r t h a n melancholy, was responsible for inadequate weight reduction

Lead author and Clinical Professor of P s y c h o n e u r o i m m u n o l o g y a t I o P P N , King s College London, Valeria Mondelli, said, Our study has important clinical implications as it identifies specific targets for future personalised interventions which could improve physical and mental health outcomes after bariatric surgery F o r e x a m p l e , o u r d a t a s h o w i n g t h a t increased inflammation predicts lower weight-loss after bariatric surgery suggests that personalised treatments involving approaches that lower inflammation c o u l d e n a b l e b e t t e r o u t c o m e s a f t e r surgery ” The study investigated the differences in proteins released in the body d u r i n g i n f l a m m a t i o n b e t w e e n o b e s e patients with and without depression undergoing surgery

Growing pains in children are linked to migraines: Study

According to recent research that was p u b l i s h e d i n t h e j o u r n a l H e a d a c h e , discomfort in the lower limbs, which is s o m e t i m e s r e f e r r e d t o a s " g r o w i n g pains" by medical professionals and is occasionally linked to rapid growth, may indicate the existence or risk of migraines in kids and teenagers.

In the study, 100 kids and teens with g r o w i n g p a i n s w h o w e r e b o r n t o migraine-prone mothers and who had been visited at a headache clinic were included “In families of children with growing pains, there is an increased prevalence of other pain syndromes, especially migraine among parents,” the authors wrote “On the other hand, children with migraine have a higher prevalence of growing pains, suggesting a common pathogenesis; therefore, we hypothesised that growing pains in children are a precursor or comorbidity with migraine ”

A f t e r 5 y e a r s o f f o l l o w - u p , 7 8 patients completed the study, of which 42 were from the group that experienced growing pains

Detecting liver disease early is crucial for treatment

Our health depends on the liver, which carries out a number of v i t a l t a s k s , i n c l u d i n g r e m o v i n g toxins from the blood, promoting d i g e s t i o n , a n d m e t a b o l i s i n g n u t r i e n t s D e t e c t i n g l i v e r d i s e a s e e a r l y i s c r u c i a l f o r s u c c e s s f u l t r e a t m e n t a n d p r e v e n t i o n o f f u r t h e r c o m p l i c a t i o n s H e r e w e explore some early signs of liver disease and ways to combat them Fatigue: Unexplained and persistent fatigue can be an early warning sign of liver disease Yellowing of the skin and eyes: It is a common symptom of liver disease, abdominal pain It may be accompanied by bloating or a feeling of fullness U n e x pl ai n e d w e i gh t lo s s :

Taking a holistic approach to PCOS management

M illions of w omen world wide are affected by the com plex h o rm on al d is ease kno w n as p o l yc ys ti c o v ar y s yn d ro m e (P COS) While th ere is no cure for it, a h olistic approach can sig nificantly im prov e the quality of life for those affected Ovarian cysts, excessive androg en h orm ones and irregu lar period s are symp tom s of PCOS It can l ead to v ar i ou s h eal th i s s u es , includ ing infertility, insulin resistance, w eig ht gain, and moo d disturbances

Healthy d iet: A healthy diet is essential for managing PCOS To assist regulate blood sugar levels, p l a c e a n e m p h a s i s o n w h o l e meals, high-fibre foods, and lean meats Reducing the consumption of refined carbohydrates and sugar can aid in managing insulin resistance Additionally, incorporating anti-inflammatory foods like fatty fish, turmeric, and leafy greens can help reduce inflammation associated with PCOS

E xe rc is e : R e g u l a r p h y s i c a l a c t i v i t y i s e s s e n t i a l f o r P C O S management Exercise helps with w e i g h t m a n a g e m e n t , i m p r o v e s insulin sensitivity, and can reduce s t r e s s , w h i c h c a n e x a c e r b a t e

PCOS symptoms Aim for a mix of cardio and strength training exercises

Stress management: Incorporating stress-reduction techniques such as mindfulness meditation, yoga, or deep breathing exercises into your daily routine can positively impact your hormonal balance and overall well-being

M ed i c al i nt erv ent io n s : Consulting a healthcare provider is crucial for a holistic approach to PCOS management They can prescribe medications to regulate menstrual cycles, manage insulin resistance, and address other specific symptoms

E m o t i o nal s u p p o rt: P C O S can take a toll on mental health S e e k s u p p o r t f r o m f r i e n d s , f a m i l y , o r a t h e r a p i s t w h o u n d e r s t a n d s t h e e m o t i o n a l challenges often accompanying this condition

Taking an aspirin a day could keep diabetes away

N ew res earch revealed that taki ng an as pi rin e v e ry d a y c an r e d uc e the ri sk of developing d i a b e t e s i n la t e r l i f e

Ac cording to a survey of 1 6 ,2 0 9 he a l t hy a d ul t s aged 65 a nd over from A u s t ra l i a a n d t he U S p a r ti c i pa t e d i n t he s tudy, half of them were given a modest dose of 10 0m g d ai ly , wh il e th e ot her half rec eived a plac ebo

Over a follow-up period of f i v e y e a r s , t h e a s p i r i n g r o u p were 15 per cent less likely to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and their average blood sugar levels were lower Aspirin has been shown to reduce the risk of some cancers as well as preventing recurrent strokes and heart attacks

Sudden and unexplained weight loss can indicate your liver is m a l f u n c t i o n i n g C h a n g e s i n u r i n e a n d s t o o l , s w e l l i n g i n abdomen or legs, are some other signs of liver disease

Pr e ve nt i on str a te g i es: A bala n c e d d i e t l o w i n s a t u r a t e d f a t s , s u g a r s , a n d p r o c e s s e d foods can help protect your liver Limit alcohol consumption, exercise regularly, get vaccinated and regular check-ups are some other steps you have to follow to prevent the disease

How to manage anxiety and calm your body for a restful sleep

E v e ry bo dy h a s e xp e ri e n c e d t h o s e s l e e p le s s e v e n i ng s

w h e n a n x i e t y a p p e a r s t o c o ns u m e t h e m a nd ma ke s i t n e a r l y h ar d t o en te r th e

e l u s i v e w o r ld o f s l e e p A v i ci o u s cy cle tha t can h arm

o u r p h y s i c a l a nd emotiona l h ea lth is typi ca lly create d whe n s tre ss and lack of slee p co exi st Here a r e s e v e r a l e f f e ct i v e t e c hniques th at can he lp Create a so othing bedtime r o u t i n e : C r e a t e a s o o t h i n g pre-sleep routine to tell your body it's time to relax This could be taking a warm bath, reading, or light stretching In the hour before night, stay away from stimulating activities like watching intensive TV shows or using the computer P r ac t i ce de ep br e at h in g : Slow breathing can help calm your nervous system Try the 47-8 technique: inhale for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 7 seconds, and then exhale for 8

s e c o n d s R e p e a t t h i s p r o c e s s until you feel more relaxed M i nd f u l n es s m e di t at i o n : M i n d f u l n e s s m e d i t a t i o n i s a p o w e r f u l t o o l f o r m a n a g i n g anxiety Spend a few minutes in quiet meditation, focusing on your breath or a calming image T h i s p r a c t i c e c a n h e l p c l e a r your mind of racing thoughts

Lim it caf f ein e and su g ar : R e d u c e c a f f e i n e a n d s u g a r intake, especially in the afternoon and evening

Creat e a com for table sl eep en vir o nm ent : Make sure the space where you sleep is relaxing Maintain a dark, chilly, and silent bedroom Invest in a supportive mattress and comfortable pillows

Tips to manage blood sugar levels this festive season

The holid ay se ason is coming a nd with it joy, celebra tion, a nd g lut-

t ony Dur ing t his period, swee ts an d he art y

f o od s w i t h l ot s o f

You

However, because of dangerous side effects like brain bleeding and stomach ulcers, the antiinflammatory drug is not freq u e n t l y u s e d a s a p r e v e n t i v e t h e r a p y i n o t h e r w i s e h e a l t h y a d u l t s T h e e v i d e n c e a r o u n d

aspirin and diabetes had previously been uncertain but experts

said that the new study now shows it “has the potential to prevent type 2 diabetes” Nearly five million people in the UK have type 2 diabetes, which is caused by poor diet and obesity

Professor Sophia Zoungas, the study’s lead author, from M o n a s h U n i v e r s i t y i n M e l b o u r n e s a i d : “ G i v e n t h e increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes among older adults, the potential for anti-inflammatory agents like aspirin to prevent type 2 diabetes or improve glucose levels needs further study ”

“Although these new findings are of interest, they do not change the clinical advice about aspirin use in older people at this time ”

f la v o u r t a k e ce n t r e sta ge Alt hough maint a in in g t h e i r d is e a s e m ig h t be d i ffic ult a t t h i s t i m e fo r t ho s e who hav e d iabe te s or a re at r isk of hav ing high blood sugar le vels W it h a f e w s ma r t s t r a t e g ie s, y ou c a n e njoy the festiv it ies while kee ping y our blood sug ar leve ls in check C h o o s e w i s e ly : M a k e t h o u g h t f u l d e c i s i o n s w h e n faced with a variety of sweets and cuisines Choose grilled or roasted snacks, salads, and lean proteins as healthier alterna-

tives

Portion control: Enjoy fest i v e f o o d s i n m o d e r a t i o n

Smaller portion sizes can help prevent spikes in your blood sugar Use smaller plates and avoid going back for seconds

S t a y h y d r a t e d : D r i n k i n g

water is crucial for managing blood sugar levels Stay wellhydrated throughout the day to

a i d d i g e s t i o n a n d p r e v e n t overeating

Be acti ve: Include exercise in your everyday regimen, especially when there are celebrations After eating, taking a little stroll can help control blood sugar levels

C h o os e s u g a r s ub s t i t u t e s : C o n s i d e r u s i n g s u g a r s u b s t itutes like stevia or erythritol when preparing sweets These can provide sweetness without causing a rapid spike in blood sugar Stress ma nagemen t: Festive s e a s o n s c a n b e s t r e s s f u l Practice stress-reduction techniques such as meditation, deep breathing, or yoga to help keep your blood sugar levels stable

Akshay visits Mahakaleshwar temple with Shikhar Dhawan on birthday

Janhvi wraps up 'Ulajh' shoot, says it 'intertwined' with her life

ActressJanhvi Kapoor has wrapped up the shoot of her upcoming film 'Ulajh ' S shared a long post about her experience working on the film, the title of which not shared in the post, along with a few pictures from the sets Janhvi said the film story "coincidentally intertwined with things happening" in her life

Sharing the behind-the-scene pictures, Janhvi wrote on Instagram, "It's a wrap (heart emoji) still having dreams of the world we tried to create Each film has been a lesson, and it's story deeply and coincidentally intertwined with things happening in my life And through Suhana's journey, and the journey of making this film- my biggest learning has been to allow yourself to love what you do, to identify if you're doing it for the right reasons, to let go of baggage and external pressures and opinions To get off a hamster wheel that leads to nowhere and let yourself walk to your own pace, as long as you believe in where you're going "

Penning a note for the movie director Sudhanshu Saria, she added, "@iamsuds you have made me believe in myself in a way that I didn't even know I needed You made me feel heard, and seen and made me want to fight battles that I never knew I had a right to even be a part of To see you smile in the face of each obstacle and embrace each challenge with enthusiasm is beyond inspiring "

Janhvi further added for other team members, "@shredevdube I am so grateful that I was baring my soul to a lense that was being held by you, I felt protected, inspired and sooo much love You made each moment feel intimate and bigger than any of us at the same time Everything about this journey has been so healing, and that's only because of our amazing team!! I hope you guys feel as passionately as we did, about what we've tried so h a r d t o c r e a t e @ j u n g l e e p i c t u r e s @ u z m a k h a n i m a n @ i s h w e r t h a k u r

@rivieralynn @hrishidoeshair @roshan matthew @gulshandevaiah78 "

On the work front, Janhvi has 'Mr and Mrs Mahi' with Rajkummar Ra and 'Devara' with Jr NTR in the works She was last seen in 'Bawaa opposite Varun Dhawan

Actor Akshay Kumar celebrated his 56th birthday over the weekend with a visit to the Mahakaleshwar temple in Maharashtra with cricketer Shikhar Dhawan and his son Aarav Khanna. The actor also added to his fans' delight by sharing a teaser of his upcoming film 'Mission Raniganj: The Great Bharat Rescue '

Madhuri Dixit dances happily at Beyonce's Renaissance concert

Sharing it on Instagram, he wrote, "In 1 9 8 9 , o n e m a n s h o w e d c o u r a g e a n d c o n v i c t i o n t h a t s a v e d l i v e s ! #MissionRaniganjTeaser out now Watch t h e s t o r y o f B h a r a t ' s t r u e h e r o w i t h # M i s s i o n R a n i g a n j i n c i n e m a s o n 6 t h October " The movie is based on the true life event of the late Jaswant Singh Gill, who led India's first successful coal mine rescue mission It is helmed by Tiny Suresh Desai and produced by Vashu Bhagnani, Jackky Bhagnani, Deepshikha Deshmukh and Ajay Kapoor

Akshay received several birthday wishes online, including one from Ajay Devgn, who shared a candid birthday post for him on I n s t a g r a m S h a r i n g a s t i l l f r o m 'Sooryavanshi' in which Ajay had a cameo, the latter wrote on his Instagram Stories, "Kabhi helicopter se latak ke, kabhi coal m i n e m e i n g h u s k e ( h a n g i n g f r o m a helicopter or inside a coal mine) if you are in need of rescue, contact @akshaykumar (Wink emoji) Wishing success for all your missions this year brother, happy birthday!"

On the work front, Kumar is currently basking in the success of 'OMG 2', which has collected more than £14 8 million at the domestic box office He has 'Bade Miyan Chote Miyan,' 'Housefull 5,' 'Soorarai Pottru' remake, 'Vedat Marathe Veer Daudle Saat,' 'Hera Pheri 3,' and a few more movies in the pipeline

Shah

Rukh Khan's 'Jawan' took off on a high last week, becoming the biggest Hindi opener ever Helmed by Atlee, the movie earned £7.5 million in India on its first day for all languages. In three days, the film amassed £35 million gross at the worldwide box office.

Madhuri Dixit recently attended singer Beyonce's concert, which is a part of her Renaissance tour. She was accompanied by her husband, Dr Shriram Nene and a friend as she danced her heart out to the live performance Madhuri posted glimpses of her experience and called Beyonce "queen " L a s t w e e k , M a d h u r i d r o p p e d a s e l f i e w i t h h e r h u s b a n d f r o m t h e stadium in California and wrote, "Who rules t h e w o r l d ? G i r l s "

A high-octane thriller, 'Jawan' outlines the story of a man who sets out to correct the wrongs of society It touches upon social issues like corruption, farmer suicide, government apathy, faulty army weapons and dangerous factories operating near residential areas Presented by Red Chillies Entertainment, it is produced by Gauri Khan and co-produced by Gaurav Verma

Apart from Shah, the film also stars Vijay Sethupathi as arms dealer villain Kalee and Nayanthara as an honest cop Narmada Jawan also stars Deepika Padukone in an extended cameo Other actors in supporting roles include Priyamani, Sanya Malhotra, Girija Oak, Sanjeeta Bhattacharya, Lehar Khan, and Aaliyah Qureshi

Google celebrates 'Jawan

Google India celebrated 'Jawan's release Taking to X, Google wrote, "Bekarar karke humein, Yun na jaaiye, aapko humari kasam Google par Jawan search kar aaiye (search Jawan on Google) " It further guided followers on the steps: "Step 1: Search for Jawan or SRK (Shah Rukh Khan), Step 2: Click on the walkietalkie (sound on), Step 3: Keep tapping to unwrap a surprise, Step 4: Show us what your screen looks like " When a person types and searches the movie or SRK on the Google search bar, a red walkie-talkie appears on screen, and Shah Rukh's voice says, "ready " As one clicks the icon, bandage rolls continue covering the screen

Q u e e n B e y w a s a highlight of our trip Thanks @beyonce for sharing your magic with us Thanks @anjaliraval for making it possible " She also added a super-zoomed photo of the singer on stage

A video also showed Madhuri and her friend happily grooving to Beyonce's tracks as the singer performed for thousands of fans

It was seemingly recorded by Nene The actress looked casual, refreshing in a white top and a black jacket while her hair was tied into a bun

As Madhuri and Shriram shared the joint post, a fan wrote in the comment section, "It's so funny that people in that stadium had no idea that you're a bigger star than Beyonce in India " "OMG yes! Two icons in one stadium" added another one Someone also said, "Mother seeing mother " Last month, Madhuri had shared the news of her sons leaving home for their higher studies Madhuri and Shriram have two sons-- Arin and Rayn While Arin was already in university, Ryan recently joined college

Later, she visited the engineering university where her sons have enrolled She shared a post, "Wanted to thank #DeanYortsos

@USCViterbi for an outstanding day and touring the department of engineering I know the boys will be in great hands as USC reaches to infinite and beyond in engineering! Was great having the grandparents #AnuNene #MadhavNene join us; how proud they were of their grand babies "

'Jawan' creates history, is the biggest Hindi opener of all time

Shilpa Shetty reveals husband Raj Kundra 'forced' her to sign 'Sukhee'

Shilpa Shetty is currently gearing up for the release of her upcoming movie 'Sukhee.' Speaking at the film's trailer launch event last week, she revealed that she had initially turned down the role until her husband Raj Kundra insisted she reconsider Shilpa said, "Something had happened because of which I had decided that I won't be able to do the film I wasn't in that state of m i n d S o I t o l d t h e m t h a t perhaps right now, I'm not in that mind space so they should c a s t s o m e o n e e l s e I e v e n suggested two-three names of other actors who could be cast I w o n ' t n a m e t h e m o f c o u r s e Vikram (Malhotra, producer) called me and said that whenever I was ready, they would t a k e t h e f i l m o n f l o o r s H e a d j u s t e d everything and waited for eight months " She added that her husband Raj Kundra forced her to reconsider her opinion and said,

Meeting

"Raj read the script when I wasn't home I had told him that it's a beautiful film, but I'm not ready for it When I returned, he told me, 'Are you crazy? You have to do this film! He convinced me to take up the film He forced m e t o d o i t a n d t o l d m e there's a 'Sukhee' in all of us If a man can think that way for a woman-oriented film " Sukhee revolves around t h e t i t u l a r c h a r a c t e r , a disgruntled homemaker She is caught up in her mundane r o u t i n e o f c a r i n g f o r h e r working husband, attending to his sick father, and staying present for her school-going son Things change when she attends her school reunion and relives her 17year-old self in one week

Directed by Sonal Joshi, 'Sukhee' also stars Chaitanya Chaudhary, Kiran Kumar and Kusha Kapila It is set to release on September 22

Parineeti for the first time was 'magical': Raghav Chadha

Among widespread speculation over their upcoming wedding celebrations, Aam Aadmi Party member Raghav Chadha opened up about meeting his fiancée and actor Parineeti Chopra. In an interview with YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia, he called their first meeting "magical "

Responding to a question about how they met, Raghav s a i d , " H u m j a i s e b h i m i l e (However we met), it was very magical and a very organic way of meeting It is something that I thank god every day for, for giving me Parineeti in my life Bahut badi blessing hai (It's a h u g e b l e s s i n g ) a n d I a m extremely happy that I have her as my partner As I said, I thank god every single day for giving her to me

Recently, an invite from their upcoming wedding reception went

Jackie Shroff responds to India-Bharat controversy

ActorJackie Shroff has pitched in on the ongoing controversy regarding India's name change to Bharat At an event in Delhi last week, he was asked for his opinion on the issue, to which he said, "Naam badlenge, hum thodi badlenge? (The name can change, but we won't )"

viral online It reveals that couple will host a reception w e e k a f t e r t h e i r w e e k - l o n c e l e b r a t i o n i n U d a i p u r o

September 30 in Chandigar

The invite reads, "Alka an S u n i l C h a d h a , p a r e n t s o Raghav Chadha invite you fo the Reception lunch of the s o n ' R a g h a v a n d P a r i n e e daughter of Reena & Pawa Chopra on 30th Septembe 2023 at Taj Chandigarh " O n t h e w o r k f r o n Parineeti will be next seen ' M i s s i o n R a n i g a n j ' o p p o s

A k s h a y K u m a r , s l a t e d r e l e a s e i n c i n e m a s o n October 6 The teaser of the f i l m w a s s h a r e d o n

T h u r s d a y S h e a l s o h a s

I m t i a z A l i ' s m u s i c a l ' C h a m k i l a ' o p p o s i t e D i l j i t D o s a n j h i n t h e pipeline

Sunny Deol overwhelmed by the audience's heartwarming welcome

Actor Sunny Deol is riding the high of his superhit movie 'Gadar 2,' which has roughly collected £51 million net in India since its rele August 11 Last week, Sunny share the promo for his upcoming 'Aap K Adalat' interview In one of the clips he posted on Instagram, the actor appears visually overwhelmed when talking about people's responses to him after his recent movie.

When asked by host Rajat Sharma why he was crying, the actor replied, "Jis tarah se ye lo khush ho rahe hai jo maine k hai to yakeen nahi ho raha ki iske layak hoon ya nahi (The way people are being happy, to what I have done in Gadar 2, I don't know if I truly deserve this) " The video showed the studio audience cheering, whistling and loudly clapping for Sunny as he entered the set The 65-year-old also responds to accusations against him by the people of Pakistan in one of the clips One of them had said, "Bais saal pehle pump ukhada tha toh humare yahaan pani band ho gaya tha, ab khamba ukhada toh bijli aani band ho gay

hai (22 years ago you took out the hand pump, which led to water shortage and now you have d an electric pole causing power age here) " To which Sunny said, b Tara Singh (his character in Gadar 2) aata hai apne pariwar ke liye toh usse koi rok nahi sakta (When Tara Singh comes for his family, no one can stop him) ”

A n o t h e r p e r s o n f r o m Pakistan had asked Sunny to f o r g e t a b o u t t h e a r m y , h e would show Sunny how strong is arms were Sunny responded, a i n e k a c t o r h o o n , j o e k cter play karta hai Usse personal na lein toh bahut acha hai Aur jab ye baat aa gayi hai, aur kisi ne mujhse panga lena hai, toh aa jaye (I am an actor, who plays a character So people should not take it personally But now that someone wishes to fight me, he can do so) "

'Gadar 2' is the sequel to the 2001 cult classic Gadar: Ek Prem Katha It also features Ameesha Patel and Utkarsh Sharma in prominent roles The movie is set in 1971 and follows Tara Singh's journey to Pakistan to rescue his son Jeete from the Pakistani army

Jackie said, "Bharat bolna koi buri baat toh nahi hai India hai toh India hai, Bharat hai toh Bharat hai Mera naam Jackie hai, mujhe koi Jockey bolta hai, koi Jaykee bolta hai Mere naam ko itna todd dete hain par main nahi badluga Hum kaise badalege? Naam badlenge hum thodi badlege (There is nothing bad in calling it Bharat India is India, Bharat is Bharat My name is Jackie but some people call me Jockey of Jaykee They mess up my name but I won't change who I am inside Names could change but we won't) "

Controversy erupted when invitations extended by President Draupadi Murmu to h e a d s o f s t a t e , g o v e r n m e n t , a n d c h i e f ministers of states for an official banquet d u r i n g t h e G 2 0 S u m m i t i n N e w D e l h i mentioned Bharat instead of India This triggered speculation within political circles, p a r t i c u l a r l y a m o n g m e m b e r s o f t h e Opposition INDIA alliance

Before Jackie, actor Amitabh Bachchan seemingly supported the name change as he took to X to tweet, Bharat Mata ki Jai Actress Kangana Ranaut, too, celebrated the name change by saying she was happy the c o u n t r y w a s f i n a l l y g i v i n g u p i t s " s l a v e name "

When Norway's postal department issued special stamp to honour Zeenat Aman

ZeenatAman's latest Instagram post has received love from actress Archana Puran Singh, Chitrangda Singh, and 'Badhaai Ho' star

Gajraj Rao While her sweet, hilarious anecdotes are always a winner on social media, Zeenat Aman often recalls the grand gestures that made her feel on top of the world Her recent Instagram entry was no different The veteran star shared how Norway's postal department issued a special stamp in her honour at a film festival in Oslo in 2016. Zeenat Aman was also presented with a giant replica along with 60 stamps for her personal use. S h e w r o t e , “ I n 2 0 1 6 , w h i l e attending a film festival in Oslo, I r e c e i v e d a w o n d e r f u l s u r p r i s e o n stage I was being felicitated for my

c o n t r i b u t i o n t o I n d i a n c i n e m a , w h e n N o r w a y ' s Postal Department i s s u e d a s p e c i a l s t a m p i n m y honour I was also p r e s e n t e d w i t h a g i a n t r e p l i c a o f i t and 60 stamps for my own use ” Z e e n a t A m a n was “thrilled” with the “novel gesture o f a p p r e c i a t i o n ” b u t w a s n ' t s u r e whether the stamps would actually work or not The actress continued: “I was thrilled by this novel gesture of appreciation but wasn't sure whether the stamps would actually work So the very next morning, I bought a ream of postcards, wrote out messages to my friends, slapped a ‘Zeenat Aman' stamp onto each, crossed my fingers, and dropped the cards into a postbox Some weeks later, when I was back in Bombay, I began to receive texts and calls from my friends All of whom were exclaiming with delight, having received my postcards in the mail!”

Actor-filmmaker Marimuthu passes away, Tamil industry mourns loss

Actor-filmmaker

G Marimuthu, who was last seen in Rajinikanth's 'Jailer' passed away last week following a heart attack The news was announced by trade analyst and industry insider Ramesh Bala on X

Several Tamil celebrities paid tribute to the actor, including Rajinikanth, who expressed his shock after the sudden demise

Rajinikanth expressed his condolences to the late actor's family and wrote in Tamil, "Marimuth is a wonderful person His death shocked me My heartfelt condolences to his bereaved family " Sun Pictures, which produced 'Jailer,' also shared a post on X to mourn the actor's demise The caption read, "Condolences! Your work has been impeccable and irreplaceable Rest in peace #Marimuthu"

Meanwhile, actor Prasanna, who starred i n b o t h o f M a r i m u t h u ' s d i r e c t o r i a l s , ' K a n n u m K a n n u m ' a n d ' P u l i v a a l , ' a l s o expressed his shock at the news and went on to pay his condolences "Deeply shattered to k n o w t h e p a s s i n g a w a y o f d i r e c t o r G Marimuthu We did #KannumKannum and

#Pulivaal together We had a brothike bond We agreed to disree on many His life wasn't easy at all As an actor finally he was doing very well He shud've been there for a while longer Sad Rip," he said

A c t o r K a r t h i w r o t e , "I've met #Marimuthu sir when he was an assistant D i r e c t o r i n N e r u k k u N e r e was a seasoned actor and a nning performer who could present every character realistically He was well read and a passionate cinema afficianado His sudden passing away is a huge shock Deepest Condolences to his family, friends and fans (sic)"

Actor Radikaa Sarathkumar also paid tribute to Marimuthu and wrote, "So sad and shocked to hear of his passing of Marimuthu have worked with him a man with talent, gone so soon Condolences to his family "

G Marimuthu was 57 He reportedly felt uneasy while dubbing for a Tamil TV serial and was rushed to a hospital, where he was declared dead He was praised for his role in the Tamil television series 'Ethirneechal ' Some of his most noted film performances i n c l u d e ' V a a l i , ' ' J e e v a , ' a n d ' P a r i y e r u m Perumal

Anushka She reveals why s took

a break a 'Baahubali'

Anushka Shetty garnered much attention with her characterisation of Devasena in SS Rajamouli's 'Baahubali ' In a recent interview, she opened up about why she consciously did not do more pan-India films and chose to stick with Tamil and Telugu projects. She saw the release of her Telugu film 'Bhaagamathie' in 2018 and the OTT bilingual release 'Nishabdham' in 2020.

A n u s h k a s a i d , " O n c e I f i n i s h e d

B a a h u b a l i , I h a d m y c o m m i t m e n t w i t h Bhaagamathie, and then I wanted to take some time off It was by choice It was something I needed the most at that time Back then, I felt like doing that so I would be more present for my future projects I know it's totally unheard of It's not what is expected of people I don't have a concrete answer for it, but I really wanted some time off I didn't listen to any script, but after that I have been listening So surely if something exciting comes by, I will do it Be it any language across the country "

Anushka finally marked her return to the screen with her Telugu release 'Miss Shetty Mr Polishetty ' Directed by Mahesh Babu, the romantic drama also stars Naveen Polishetty The movie has received positive response, including from superstar Chiranjeevi

Sun Group chairman

Kalanidhi Maran presented music composer and singer Anirudh Ravichander with a cheque following the success of the recent film 'Jailer.' The producer had previously gifted the film lead Rajinikanth wwith a luxury car, after which social media users pointed out that Anirudh also deserves an appreciation token

Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, f i l m t r a d e i n s i d e r M a n o b a l a V i j a y a b a l a n shared a photo of Anirudh being presented w i t h a c h e q u e f r o m K a l a n i d h i M a r a n

However, the amount is not mentioned anywhere His post read, "BREAKING: Music Director #Anirudh gets a whopping cheque for the historic #Jailer success " This happened after 'Jailer' crossed £60 million at the global box office

Days ago, Maran had offered Rajinikanth the choice of picking either BMW x7 worth £124,000 or BMW i7 worth £195,000 as the producer reached his house with both cars However, he opted for the less expensive car

After the event, people on R e d d i t w r o t e , " H o w i s Anirudh not even getting a T h a n k Y o u f r o m S u n Pictures for Jailer's success " " I n m y p e r s o n a l o p i n i o n , Anirudh is a second protagonist of Jailer His presence is not there visually but his music s presence is up there with Rajnikanth s Anirudh did a phenomenonal job in Jailer Every single scene is electrifying as it is due to his music But when celebrating Jailer's success, it's just Rajnikanth and Nelson getting rained with kudos, Cheques and Cars," also read an excerpt from the post

A n i r u d h c o m p o s e d t h e m u s i c f o r Rajinikanth's 169th film 'Jailer,' directed by Nelson However, it isn't his first collaborat i o n w i t h t h e s u p e r s t a r T h e t w o h a v e worked together in the movies, 'Petta' and 'Darbar ' In fact, 'Jailer' is Anirudh's fourth w i t h N e l s o n a f t e r ' K o l a m a a v u K o k i l a , ' 'Doctor' and 'Beast ' ' J a i l e r ' a l s o s t a r s V i n a y a k a n , R a m y a Krishnan, Vasanth Ravi, Tamannaah Bhatia, Shiva Rajkumar, Mohanlal and Jackie Shroff in pivotal roles It was released on August 10

Karthi shares photo with John Cena ahead of 'WWE Spectacle' launch

Tamil actor Karthi caught up with John Cena in his hometown, Hyderabad Actor and WWE superstar John Cena was in India, his first visit in 17 years He shared a picture with John and welcomed him to India Karthi took to his Instagram account to post a picture of the two While John wore a white T-shirt and a black cap, Karthi sported a black T-shirt and a matching WWE jersey

Karthi captioned it, "A great pleasure meeting you @johncena Thank you for being so kind and warm It s wonderful how you could make everyone feel special in those few minutes Hustle Loyalty Respectfelt all of that (smile emoji) " He also promoted WWE Spectacle Hyderabad with a hashtag and tagged WWE India and Sony Sports Network

Several fans of both superstars took to

the comment section and shared the same j o k e O n e w r o t e , " I c a n ' t s e e h i m b r o W h o ' s w i t h y o u ? "

Another commented, "Why is karthi standi n g a l o n g w i t h h i s hand in air!" A third user wrote, "Why is Karthi Shaking His Hands with No one (eyeroll emoji)" Another comment read, "Bro you look so handsome (emojis) but why are you standing alone " Another wrote, "Nice joke ur literally standing alone " The fans were referring to John Cena's signature WWE move You Can t See Me!

John Cena was in the news last month when he shared a picture of the Indian national flag on his Instagram without any caption Since his post coincided with the landing of Chandrayaan-3, many users wondered if he was paying tribute to India's historic achievement

MON 18 SEP - FRI 22 SEP 2023

9:00 JAI SHRI KRISHNA

9:30 DESHI BEATS

16:30 SURI

17:00 BHAKT GORA KUMBHAR

17:30 RASOI SHOW 18:30 SORATHNI MRS SINGHAM 19:00 MANYATA 19:30 MARU MAN MOHI GAYU 20:00 RASHI RIKSHAWALI 20:30 MOTI BAA NI NANI VAHU 22:00 GEETA

SATURDAY 23 SEP 2023

9:00 JAI SHRI KRISHNA

9:30 DESHI BEATS

16:30 SURI

17:00 BHAKT GORA KUMBHAR

17:30 RASOI SHOW

18:30 HU TU ANE HU TU TU TU 19:00 MANYATA

19:30 MARU MAN MOHI GAYU

20:00 RASHI RIKSHAWALI

20:30 MOTI BAA NI NANI VAHU 21:00 SORATHNI MRS SINGHAM 21:30 GEETA

SUNDAY 17 JUN 2023

6:00 MANE LAI DE NE NAVRANG CHUNDADI

11:30 DHOLI

14:30 PARDESHI MANIYARO

17:30 HU TU ANE HU TU TU TU

19:30 SORATHNI MRS SINGHAM

21:30 Maru man mohi gayu

SATURDAY 17 SEP 2023

16:30 RASOI SHOW-DESI FLAVOURS

17:30 KUMKUM NA PAGLA PADYA

18:00 BALIKA VADHU SEASON 1

19:00 AJNABI BANE HUMSAFAR

19:30 Nima Denzonpga

20:00 Bani - Ishq Da Kalma

MON 18 SEP - FRI 22 SEP 2023

16:30 RASOI SHOW DESI FLAVOURS

17:30 KUMKUM NA PAGLA PADYA

18:00 BALIKA VADHU SEASON 1

19:00 AJNABI BANE HUMSAFAR

19:30 Nima Denzonpga

20:00 Bani - Ishq Da Kalma

20:30 Bahu Begum

21:30 BALIKA VADHU SEASON 1

22:30 Sanskaar - Dharohar Apnon Ki

20:30 Bahu Begum

21:30 Bhagam bhaag

SUNDAY 22 JUN 2023

16:30 RASOI SHOW-DESI FLAVOURS

17:30 KUMKUM NA PAGLA PADYA

18:00 BALIKA VADHU SEASON 1

19:00 AJNABI BANE HUMSAFAR

19:30 Nima Denzonpga

20:00 Bani - Ishq Da Kalma

20:30 Bahu Begum

21:30 Swades

'Jailer' producer hands out a cheque as appreciation token to Anirudh

Brazil President

Luiz

says 'RRR' had him 'enchanted'

KJo, Guneet Monga's 'Kill' hailed at

TIFF 2023

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva recently praised filmmaker SS Rajamouli's hit film 'RRR ' Lula, who was in New Delhi recently to attend the G20 Summit, said he was enchanted by the movie in a media interaction

Brazil

Luiz said, "'RRR' is a threehour feature film and it has really funny scenes with beautiful dance in the film There is a deep critique of British control over India and Indians I sincerely believe this f i l m s h o u l d h a v e b e e n a blockbuster all around the world because everybody that talks to me, the first thing that I say is, have you watched the three-hour f i l m R e v o l t R e b e l l i o n a n d Revolution? So, I congratulate the director and artists of the film because it enchanted me " R e a c t i n g t o h i s p r a i s e , S S Rajamouli wrote back on X, "Sir @LulaOficial Thank you so much f o r y o u r k i n d w o r d s I t ' s heartwarming to learn that you m e n t i o n e d I n d i a n C i n e m a a n d e n j o y e d R R R ! ! O u r t e a m i s ecstatic Hope you are having a great time in our country "

'RRR' is a Telugu film dubbed and released in Hindi, Kannada, Tamil and Malayalam It starred Ram Charan, Jr NTR, Alia Bhatt, Ajay Devgn and others The film's song 'Naatu Naatu,' composed by MM Keeravani, fetched India its m a i d e n G o l d e n G l o b e a n d A c a d e m y A w a r d i n t h e B e s t

Original Song category

A s e q u e l t o t h e m o v i e i s r e p o r t e d l y o n t h e t a b l e R a j a m o u l i ' s f a t h e r a n d ' R R R ' s c r e e n w r i t e r V i j a y e n d r a P r a s a d confirmed that the second part will again star Ram Charan and Jr N T R H o w e v e r , R a j a m o u l i m a y not return as the director

Fan tells Priyanka she wanted to marry Nick Jonas

Actress Priyanka Chopra attended yet another Jonas Brothers' concert at Dodgers Stadium in LA, but this time, she was seen with her brother-in-law, Frankie Jonas While several videos and pictures have surfaced from the night, one has caught much attention in which Priyanka interacts with a few fans One of them confessed to being jealous of her for marrying Nick Jonas.

A video captured the interesting interaction when a female fan told PC, "I wanted to say that I really thought I was going to marry Nick Jonas But I am glad you did," added the fan while her words left Priyanka in splits The actor replied, "I'm glad that I did too " Social media users found the conversation interesting, with one fan commenting, Haha but destiny was meant for our girl, Nick found the lost

shoe that was for our queen love the fan's humor and honesty " "My favorite couple is Nick and Priyanka Please let them stay happy and married," added another One more said, She was the sweetest

After dating for some time, Priyanka and Nick tied the knot in Rajasthan in December 2018 They had a white wedding, followed by a lavish Hindu wedding They welcomed their daughter Malti Marie Chopra Jonas, whom they had via surrogacy in January last year

On the work front, the actress was last seen in the romantic drama Love Again, and the Prime Video series 'Citadel ' She is also filming for her upcoming Heads of State In Bollywood, Pri will be seen in Farhan Akhtar's directorial comeback 'Jee Le Zaraa,' alongside Alia Bhatt and Katrina Kaif

Ranbir Kapoor photobombs

Madelyn Cline at US Open

Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt are currently holidaying in New York Their pictures of meeting friends and posing for selfies with fans have been circulating on social media Over the weekend, a few photos emerged online as the pair attended the 2023 US Open in the city

Actors

Taking to Instagram, a fan account shared photos of Alia and Ranbir posing with fans The actors leaned and smiled in a picture as their fans clicked a selfie I shot, Alia conversed with R smiled, looking away For t Alia wore a black jacket an Ranbir was seen in a blue s and a beret

The actors were sat nex Madelyn Cline In a clip, R seen photobombing the 'O Banks' actress as the camer focused on her for the big screen while she drank and laughed Ranbir quickly leaned towards her, smiled and flashed the peace sign

Recently, Ranbir's cousin and actor Karisma Kapoor dropped a few pictures on Instagram as she joined them on their vacation Her first picture

he couple, posing for a arisma on her head as the e camera She captioned rk Night Out " front, Ranbir will be next Sandeep Reddy Vanga's film 'Animal' alongside Rashmika Mandanna y Deol The film is all set e theatres on December 1 hile, Alia will be seen in Akhtar's 'Jee Le Zaraa' with Katrina Kaif and Priyanka Chopra She recently won the Best Actor award (Female) at the 69th National Film Awards for her performance in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Gangubai Kathiawadi '

Action-thriller

'Kill' saw its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) 2023 Directed by Nikhil Nagesh Bhatt, it stars Lakshya in his debut role, Raghav Juyal and Tanya Maniktala It received some rave reviews from international publications.

R e v i e w s h e a p e d p r a i s e s o n Lakshya and co-star Raghav 'Kill' i s a j o i n t p r o d u c t i o n b e t w e e n Karan Johar's Dharma Production a n d G u n e e t M a n g a ' s S i k h y a E n t e r t a i n m e n t D h a r m a ' s I n s t a g r a m h a n d l e p o s t e d a compilation of reviews by critics from their social media accounts It also posted pictures from the p r e m i e r e , f e a t u r i n g K a r a n a n d D h a r m a P r o d u c t i o n s C E O

Apoorva Mehta, Guneet and Achin

Jain of Sikhya Entertainment, and lead actors Lakshya and Raghav

Leading lady Tanya was absent in the pictures

Lakshya was initially supposed to make his Bollywood debut with C o l l i n D ' C u n h a ' s r o m a n t i c c o m e d y ' D o s t a n a 2 , ' a l o n g s i d e Kartik Aaryan and Janhvi Kapoor

However, that movie was put on t h e b a c k b u r n e r M e a n w h i l e ,

Raghav was last seen as Salman Khan's brother in Farhad Samji's comedy 'Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan ' Tanya was last seen as the titular c h a r a c t e r i n P r a t i m D G u p t a ' s

Netflix India vampire show 'Tooth Pari: When Love Bites

India beat Lanka, qualify for Asia Cup final

Riding on captain Roh it Sh arma and S hubman Gill’s 8 0-run stand a nd a fi e ry s p e ll f ro m J a sp ri t Bu mrah and Mo hammed S iraj up front, India broke Sri Lanka’ s 13m at c h u n be a te n s t re ak wi t h a co nvincing 41-run win Th e win meant it had one foo t in Sunday’ s Asia Cup final, with two games remaining in th e Su per Fou r stage

With a dry surface in offing, adjacent to the one used for India’s clash versus Pakistan that turned out to be a two-day affair, both the teams had packed their line-ups with spinners Shardul Thakur was thus replaced with Axar Patel in India’s team Axar did help India c r o s s t h e 2 0 0 - r u n m a r k w i t h sensible batting towards the end but had it not been for Rohit’s c h a r g e i n t h e P o w e r p l a y , I n d i a c o u l d h a v e s t r u g g l e d t o g e t a n y w h e r e n e a r t h e t o t a l i t

received India thrash Pakistan India cruised to a record 228run win over rival Pakistan on M o n d a y a n d c o l l e c t e d c r u c i a l points in the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup Having set a target of 357, India bowled out Pakistan for 128 runs, its third-lowest total

against India It was India’s biggest margin of victory - by runs - over its neighbour

After bad weather halted play on Sunday, the game extended to the reserve day and threatened to end in no result after several more r a i n i n t e r r u p t i o n s b u t I n d i a ’ s bowlers did well to bowl out the

Snubbed Chahal to play for Kent

D ro p p e d by th e n at io n al selectors from th e 15-man s q u ad f o r th e u p c o m i ng O D I W o rld C u p , legs pinner Yuzv endra C hahal w ill join Kent instead T his w ill be his maiden stint in cou nty cricket “ T h e K e n t c o u n t y cricket club will make an o f f i c i a l a n n o u n c e m e n t regarding this development soon Chahal will play three four-day games for them

The BCCI has granted NoC f o r h i m t o p l a y c o u n t y cricket S h o u l d h e b e a requirement for the India team, Chahal will join the n a t i o n a l s q u a d immediately,” sources in the BCCI said Chahal has only played 2 ODIs in 2023 and has picked up 3 wickets The 3 3 - y e a r - o l d h a s t a k e n 1 2 1

wickets in 72 ODIs and 96 scalps in 80 T20Is Chahal said he hoped it wouldn’t be too long before he earns a recall in the Indian team “ N a t u r a l l y , i t i s v e r y disappointing to miss out any selection for India As a c r i c k e t e r w e m u s t a c c e p t t h a t s o m e t h i n g s d o n ’ t always go our way I must continue to try my best and hopefully my performances will justify selection again

Decision on cricket’s inclusion in 2028 LA Olympics delayed

Cric ket’s wait to take the f irst giant step t owards the Olym pics has been del ayed An e xecutive boar d meeting of t he Internat ional Ol ympic Com mittee (IOC), supposed to be held in Laus anne, Swit zerland to rec om mend t he incl us ion of cricket and eight other spor ts in the Los Angeles Olympics Gam es in 2028, has now been put off for another day, the IOC s aid in a s tateme nt

“Due to ongoing discussions between the I O C a n d t h e ( L A 2 0 2 8 ) O r g a n i s i n g C o m m i t t e e , t h e O l y m p i c P r o g r a m m e Commission has not yet had the opportunity t o h o l d i t s m e e t i n g t o p r e p a r e i t s f i n a l r e c o m m e n d a t i o n f o r t h e I O C e x e c u t i v e b o a r d A s a c o n s e q u e n c e , t h e s p o r t s programme for the Olympic Games LA28 w i l l b e d i s c u s s e d d u r i n g a l a t e r I O C executive board meeting, to take place at a date to be decided,” the IOC stated A 15member executive board, consisting of IOC p r e s i d e n t T h o m a s B a c h , f o u r v i c ep r e s i d e n t s , a n d 1 0 o t h e r m e m b e r s w a s s u p p o s e d t o c o n s i d e r a f i n a l recommendation from the LA 2028 Games organizing committee about including new sports The nine sports seeking inclusion at L A 2 8 a r e c r i c k e t , f l a g f o o t b a l l , k a r a t e , k i c k b o x i n g , b a s e b a l l - s o f t b a l l , l a c r o s s e , breakdancing, squash and motorsport

for India,” Chahal said Wom en ’ s Prem ier Leagu e-2

The second edition of t h e W o m e n ’ s P r e m i e r League (WPL) is likely to be played in a home-and-away format in February-March n e x t y e a r T h e W P L ’ s inaugural edition was held from March 4-26 in Mumbai a t t w o v e n u e s - t h e Brabourne and the DY Patil Stadium

In April, BCCI secretary Jay Shah had told reporters t h a t t h e b o a r d w a s c o n s i d e r i n g s w i t c h i n g t h e WPL to a home-and-away f o r m a t i n t h e D i w a l i window However, with all t h e A u s s i e a n d o t h e r t o p p l a y e r s b u s y w i t h t h e Women’s Big Bash League around that time, it’s near impossible to hold the WPL in that window

Struggling Sindhu turns to Padukone for help

Racked by poor form and a wretched run on the international circuit this year, PV Si ndhu has turned to badminton legend Prakash Padukone for help ahead of the Hangzhou Asian Games After she lost to Japan’ s Nozomi O kuhara i n the sec on d round of the BWF W orld Championshi ps in Copenhagen last month, Si ndhu, 28, pulled out of the China O pen and di scus sed with Padukon e the prospect of traini ng under his mentorship at his academy in Bengaluru

T h e t w o - t i m e O l y m p i c m e d a l l i s t landed in Bengaluru with her full team, including her Malaysian coach Muhammad Hafiz Hashim

W i t h P a d u k o n e m o n i t o r i n g h e r sessions, including high-intensity training, the shuttler spent almost 6-7 hours every day at the facility during the week, sources said “Sindhu and Padukone were seen interacting regularly during the sessions She also sparred with some of the PPBA players,” the sources said

The PPBA stint is likely to end this w e e k e n d a n d t h e H o n g K o n g O p e n , s t a r t i n g S e p t e m b e r 1 2 , c o u l d p r o v i d e Sindhu an opportunity to test herself She is s c h e d u l e d t o m e e t I n d o n e s i a ’ s P u t r i

opposition in 32 overs

Kuldeep Yadav finished with a

f i v e - w i c k e t h a u l a s P a k i s t a n

s t r u g g l e d a g a i n s t t h e l e f t - a r m

wrist spinner As well as taking five wickets, his eight overs cost only 25 runs Virat Kohli and K L Rahul put on an unbroken 233 for the third wicket off 194 balls, India’s highest partnership for any wicket in the Asia Cup

Lanka overcome Bangladesh by 21 runs

A s p a r k l i n g 9 3 b y S a d e e r a Samarawickrama that preceded a spirited bowling effort helped Sri Lanka overcome Bangladesh by 21 runs in their Asia Cup Super-4

m a t c h o n S a t u r d a y L a n k a n

c a p t a i n D a s u n S h a n a k a ( 3 / 2 8 ) ,

s p i n n e r M a h e e s h T h e e k s h a n a (3/69) and Matheesha Pathirana (3/58) helped the country to bundle o u t B a n g l a d e s h f o r 2 3 6 , a f t e r

posting 257/9 The visitors offered a h a r d f i g h t t h r o u g h T o w h i d Hridoy (82 off 97 balls) but it was not sufficient to overcome Lanka total

P ak sco re over Bangladesh

P a k i s t a n s c o r e d a 7 - w i c k e t v i c t o r y o v e r B a n g l a d e s h i n t h e Super Four clash of the Asia Cup on Wednesday at Lahore as Haris Rauf bowled a couple of hostile spells while Imam-ul-Haq struck a silken 78 Rauf (6-0-19-4) proved to be too quick for the Bangladeshi batters, who were also troubled relentlessly by pacer Naseem Shah (5 4-0-34-3) after Shakib-AlHasan opted to bat

B a n g l a d e s h w e r e e v e n t u a l l y bundled out for a paltry 193 in just 38 4 overs, despite a 100-run stand and twin half-centuries by Shakib (53 off 57 balls) and former captain Mushfiqur Rahim (64 off 87 balls)

A stellar show by Indian teenage rider Nida Anjum

Followin g R P raggn an an dhaa, Ni d a A n j u m C h e lat h as becom e another prominent y ou n g re p re se nta ti v e o f India's growing presence in g l o ba l s p o rt s Wi th h e r recent victory, the teenag e rider Nida Anjum p rop elled India into th e long-distance horse racing scene Nida 21, who is the only female rider in India with a 3-star rating, made history b y b e c o m i n g t h e f i r s t Indian to finish the 120 km E n d u r a n c e C h a m p i o n s h i p f o r Y o u n g R i d e r s A n a c h i e v e m e n t t h a t i s p r a c t i c a l l y c o m p a r a b l e t o t h e o u t s t a n d i n g c h e s s performance of 18-year-old Praggnanandhaa N i d a a n d h e r exceptional horse "Epsilonn S a l o u " s h o w c a s e d t h e i r u n p a r a l l e l e d p r o w e s s a s they competed against 70 c o m p e t i t o r s f r o m 2 5 c o u n t r i e s i n t h e championship race, which f e a t u r e d f o u r d e m a n d i n g

s t a g e s w i t h v a r y i n g d i s t a n c e s a n d r i g o r o u s terrain After each stage, 33 h o r s e s w e r e e l i m i n a t e d after veterinarians assessed the horses' health Nida and h e r h o r s e c o m p l e t e d a l l four stages and finished the race in just 7 29 hours

"I am now embarking o n f u r t h e r t r a i n i n g f o r u p c o m i n g c h a m p i o n s h i p s and will continue to strive for more achievements for m y c o u n t r y N e x t , I a m a i m i n g f o r t h e F E I E n d u r a n c e W o r l d

Championship for Seniors, and 'Mongol Derby' is my long-term goal", Nida said N i d a ' s p a s s i o n f o r h o r s e s b e g a n d u r i n g h e r childhood in Dubai, where s h e r e s i d e s w i t h h e r parents She competed in a n u m b e r o f t o u g h c o m p e t i t i o n s t o e a r n h e r s p o t i n t h e W o r l d C h a m p i o n s h i p s , w i n n i n g the Abu Dhabi Endurance Championship while still in the 12th grade She was t r a i n e d b y T a k h a t S i n g h Rao, under the guidance of renowned endurance rider Ali Al Muhairi

Nida holds a Bachelor s Degree in Social Work from t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f Birmingham, UK and an IB D i p l o m a f r o m R a f f l e s World Academy, Dubai She is the daughter of Dr Anvar A m e e n C h e l a t , M a n a g i n g D i r e c t o r o f t h e R e g e n c y Group, and Minnath Anvar A m e e n H e r s i s t e r i s D r

Fida Anjum Chelat

Williamson, Southee in New Zealand World Cup squad

Kane William son and Tim Sou thee were included on Mo nd ay in an experienced New Zealand squ ad for next m o n th ’ s 5 0 - o v er s Wo rl d C u p in In d ia Wil liam s o n will captain the Black C aps despite still working his way b ac k t o f i tne ss a ft er a s eri o u s kn ee in j u ry l as t A pril

The 33-year-old led New Zealand in their nail-biting d e f e a t b y E n g l a n d i n t h e 2019 World Cup final and w a s n a m e d p l a y e r o f t h e t o u r n a m e n t W i l l i a m s o n ’ s r e t u r n t o t h e c r e a s e w i l l boost the Black Caps as he has scored more than 6,500 r u n s i n O n e - d a y International cricket

N e w Z e a l a n d c o a c h Gary Stead said it is unclear

whether Williamson will be r e a d y i n t i m e f o r t h e i r opening World Cup game against England on October 5 i n A h m e d a b a d “ W e h a v e n ’ t p u t a d a t e o n whether he will be available for that first game or not,” Stead said “That’s still three or four weeks away and time will tell a little bit closer, but he is doing everything in his p o w e r s t o m a k e t h a t happen ”

Southee, New Zealand’s Test match captain, leads a

p o w e r f u l b o w l i n g l i n e - u p alongside Trent Boult All r o u n d e r J a m e s N e e s h a m , who came within a whisker of glory for New Zealand when the 2019 World Cup final was settled by a Super Over, also makes it to the 15man side Only six of the squad will be playing at their first ODI World Cup, while this will be their fourth for b o t h S o u t h e e a n d Williamson

Squ ad : Kane Williamson ( c a p t ) , T r e n t B o u l t , M a r k Chapman, Devon Conway, L o c k i e F e r g u s o n , M a t t Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, G l e n n P h i l l i p s , R a c h i n Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Will Young

Yuzvendra Chahal

Nida Anjum Chelat