AV 26th August 2026

P M Modi in South Africa to attend B R I C S meet, likely to meet Chinese President

SEE PAGE - 22

Experience the glory and grandeur of Durga Puja in Bengal this October

SEE PAGE - 26

NOT THE END OF THE WORLD

With what is being termed as the ‘biggest fall in a decade’ in A-level results, experts and the prime minister urge students to not lose heart and take the route to apprenticeship.

Blending Western and Indian cultures of music to create a third culture

Ramaswamy tied with DeSantis at second spot in Republican primary field FULL STORY ON PAGE 21

The A-level results are out and it is being contemplated whether exam grades are lower this year or is it really the ‘biggest fall in a decade’. There is inevitable anxiety over those who couldn’t make it to the college of their choice, especially in the South Asian communities where top-quality education is not just a priority but a tradition. Amid that pressure, and rise in cost of living, despite likely lower grades, universities have adjusted entry demands and offers accordingly

Continued on page 16

Countdown begins for India's Moon landing FULL STORY ON PAGE

Vivek Ramaswamy

Shefali Saxena

with

Keith Vaz R A M E SH H I R A N I

Ramesh Hirani left school at early at the age of 14 without any formal qualif ications His f irst job was as a delivery boy for Pizza Hut where he worked his way up through the ranks, eventually becoming the restaurant manager He then moved to Texaco oil to work in their training department

At the age of 21 he left employment as he had a strong desire to become self-employed Ramesh then trained as a driving instructor and started his own driving school, which was so successful it enabled him to have enough time and f inance to start a new business in property development This business continued to grow and was ultimately expanded to Nairobi, Kenya At the age of 31 Ramesh moved to Kenya and lived there for 7 years to build the property development business and Property Fund Investment business Ramesh moved back to UK in 2013 as his children were starting high school, but he continues to run the business in Kenya remotely and through frequent trips

In 2013 Ramesh was diagnosed with diabetes, which he describes as a real knock However instead of taking the normal route of medication he decided to tackle his diabetes head on Ramesh is now completely fascinated by the power of whole plant-based nutrition and spends a lot of his time in the UK and around the world organising and conducting talks and seminars on the benef its of this lifestyle Now with an online portal,' www resetfromdiabetes com' his programmes reach a much wider audience

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

Madhapar, located in the Indian stat of Gujrat, is where I feel most at home But London has been my home for almost my entire life, 48 years Initially North West London and now SW In leafy Surry I love everything London has to offer from its diverse culture, arts, to amazing international cuisine, but nothing beats a 'Dabeli' from back home in Madhapar

2) What are your proudest achievements?

I am very proud of the f irst gated community development we built in Nairobi

There is something very satisfying about building homes from scratch that people eventually live in and call their home I’m also very proud that we have had over 4,000 participants complete one of our reversing diabetes programmes with many coming of medication altogether We have had many people report back to saying they have better sleep, more energy and feel a whole lot younger and vital

3) What inspires you?

In the arena of reversing Diabetes, I get inspired by all the brave individuals who really want to take their diseases head on and make the changes, take responsibility for themselves and away from the doctors and NHS, and get well My Mum and Dad are people who are so inspirational My dad, a diabetic for nearly 30 years, who was on many tablets and over 40 units of insulin injections has taken it on and is so dedicated He had dropped all his medication and reduced his insulin down to just 4 units a day after just 8 weeks He managed to reduce this to zero 12 weeks later I also get inspired by people with real vision that have a global impact, for example, Greata Thumberg the Swedish activist, is highly driven by the environmental challenges we face today

4) What has been biggest obstacle in your career?

In the f ield of disease reversal, I want to reach a wider audience Although the reversal process via nutrition is medically proven through research, it doesn't always reach the doctors Many doctors remain sceptical and instead stick to traditional medication which only addresses the effects of diabetes not the

Over 900 migrants denied treatment due to "inhumane" NHS fees

Over the past two years, hund red s o f m ig rants h ave refused NHS treatment due to upfront charges, raising concerns about the persistence of the g overnment's "hostile environment" immigration approach

Based on data obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, the Observer reveals that since

January 2021, 3,545 patients across 68 hospital trusts in England were informed they needed to pay upfront charges totalling £7 1 million

Among them, 905 patients across 58 trusts opted out of receiving treatment

Since October 2017, NHS trusts in England have been mandated to request advance payment before

offering elective care to specif ic migrants This policy applies to overseas visitors and migrants ineligible for free healthcare, including failed asylum seekers and overstayed visa holders It is meant to exclude urgent or "immediately necessar y " treatment, although instances of incorrect denial of treatment have occurred

GPs exceed the 'safe' threshold with an average of 37 patients per day

cause We need the doctors support to help reverse the trend and instil conf idence in diabetics to make diet/ lifestyle changes to make them well I see every obstacle as an opportunity to learn more and overcome

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

In disease reversal, my biggest influencers have been Dr Neal Bernard, Dr John McDougal and Prof T Colin Campbell They have taught me how to reverse my own diabetes through simple and natural nutritional changes In business, its Richard Brandson, he is a true entrepreneur I have read a lot of his books and draw a lot of inspiration from them I hope to meet him someday

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

Being able to impart this knowledge to others who are also eager to get off medication and get well I enjoy giving talks as I can see in the participants when the penny drops and the get it They understand why they got sick and how they can get themselves out of it

7) And the worst?

I have had some bad experience where some doctors have been extremely obstructive without having done the research But this was when I started my journey to reverse diabetes, now it’s much more mainstream that diet and lifestyle changes have a huge impact on your overall metabolic health

8) What are your long term goals?

I would like to run seminars all across the UK and reach as many people as possible Eventually getting NHS approval so all new diabetics are sent on a course with us via NHS as the f irst protocol to a step toward much better health

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

I would task a team to overhaul the healthcare system to change the way we run it from the current system of managing symptoms to addressing the causes of illness

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

Leonardo di Vinci Why? He mastered way too many things during his lifetime from sculpture to painting, architecture to music, mathematics to anatomy, and engineering among others He was without a doubt the most diversely talented men of his time and many historians believe that a mind and personality like his comes only once every thousand years Because of the multiple interests that spurred him to pursue various f ields of knowledge, da Vinci is widely considered the archetype of the term genius and the greatest inventor who ever lived Can you imagine what could be learnt from this man?

A recent poll indicates that ne ar ly hal f of G en era l Practitioners (GPs) limit the number of patients they see each day due to concerns about excessive demand level s, as re vea led by Pulse magazine

According to the survey, GPs attend to an average of 37 patients on a full-time day, surpassing the British Medical Association's recommended safe level of 25

patients However, NHS England has contested the union's suggested workload cap, dismissing it as "arbitrary "

Pulse magazine's inquiry inquired whether doctors impose a daily limit on the number of patient interactions or consultations at their practices

Approximately 40 percent conf irmed that they do, though many indicated that

any such limit is subject to flexible adjustments based on clinical assessment

As part of a new contract for General Practitioners (GPs) this year, there is a requirement that they must provide patients with either an assessment or guidance to a suitable service during their initial contact This means that GPs cannot ask patients to call back at a later time

Afghan gangs dominate small-boat crossings

Afghan gangs have emerged as newfound competitors to the once-dominant Kurdish people smugglers who overs ee s mall bo at Ch annel crossings Their ascendance i n thes e ro utes is largely attri bute d to Afgh ans bec om ing the pri mar y nati onali ty em barki ng on this journey, as indicated by s ou rces acqu ainted w ith i nves tigati ons i nto p eop le s mu ggli ng ac tivi ties in northern France

In the initial seven months of this year, 2,891 Afghans have arrived via small boats, with the trend

gaining momentum 683 made the crossing in July alone Notably, all six migrants who tragically lost their lives in a boat capsize on Saturday hailed from Afghanistan

Formerly, Albanians were the leading nationality involved in these crossings However, in 2023, their numbers have dwindled signif icantly, with only 428 arrivals in the f irst seven months,

compared to 12,301 arrivals last year

Kurdish gangs have predominantly held sway over the small-boat crossings for the past two years and continue to exert influence over the camps in northern France where migrants often await their turn to secure a spot on a boat

The emergence of Afghan smugglers has heightened tensions and violence in Calais and Dunkirk, with Kurds aiming to suppress this new competition, as reported by a source closely monitoring the camps

Jewellery theft reported at British Museum

A signif icant security breach has occurred at the British Museum, believed to be the most signif icant in a decade, resulting in the theft of artif acts includin g gol d jewel le r y an d sem i-precious ge ms The museum has ta ken discipl in ar y action against a staff member, dismissin g the m f rom t heir position, and has initiated a re view a ft er d iscover ing missing, stolen, or damaged items from a storeroom

The British Museum has

indicated that it will pursue legal action against the individual responsible, while the Metropolitan Police's economic and crime command has commenced an investigation The exact number,

"Plan working," says PM as pay sees fastest growth in 22 years

Rishi Sunak expressed optimism, stating that there is a "light at the end of the tunne l," as re ce nt f igures demonstrated that British workers ex per ie nced t he most rapid growth in basic pay since 2001 during the second quarter of the year

Off icial data unveiled a 7 8 percent increase in average weekly pay (excluding bonuses) in the three months leading up to June, raising expectations that July's earnings pace would

surpass inflation for the f irst time in a year

Regarding whether the wage surge might prompt the Bank of England to raise interest rates further to combat inflation, the prime minister remarked that such decisions were within the Bank's domain He reiterated, however, that the government is making strides in lowering inflation and assured that individuals will

soon begin to witness the benef its as wages outpace

value, or seniority of the stolen items have not been conf irmed by the museum, but reports suggest the thefts have occurred over a considerable period of time

The stolen artifacts, dating from the 15th century BC to the 19th century AD, were primarily kept for academic and research purposes and were not recently on public display The majority of these items are described as small pieces, as stated in the museum s press release

price increases

According to the Off ice for National Statistics, weekly earnings, including bonuses, surged by 8 2 percent, a f igure influenced by the government's issuance of a one-time bonus to NHS employees in the same period

Rishi Sunak

Understanding Britain’s forever changing identity debate

In an article in The National, Senior reporter Judith Duffy wrote that the British identity has been in jeopardy since the death of Queen Elizabeth II and Brexit Dr Nick Whittaker, who specialises in international relations and geopolitics at the University of Sussex, said that historians and scholars suggested that the Empire was a “glue” that held the UK together

He reportedly said the country already has a “fragile” identity following the collapse of British rule and has become even more so in the wake of Brexit and the death of Queen Elizabeth II

According to a report, The Times teamed up with Public First, a policy and opinion consultancy, to seek the views of three groups of recent immigrants from Italy, Romania and Hong Kong who either have or intend to apply for British citizenship Main reasons to choose Britain over other nations were friendliness, welcoming, better and far more advanced healthcare, better primary and higher school education, safer transport system, but everyone acknowledged the high cost of living in the UK c o m p a r e d t o o t h e r c o u n t r i e s , t h o u g h a p p l a u d e d t h e nation’s business friendly attitude

Yet Britain’s ruling party remains tough on immigration – a decision that is entirely political with no reflection of citizens actually feel about migration The bigger question remains, despite facing so much of hostility, why do these migrants still choose to come to Britain?

The concept of identity among Britons has evolved since the 1960s On Tuesday 15 August, PM Rishi Sunak visited Morari Bapu’s Katha at Cambridge The Katha was organised by Lord Dolar Popat’s family and Mr Sunak told the audience that he was visiting in his capacity as a Hindu and not as the Prime Minister of the country He also talked about his faith as a source of strength to do his very difficult job, which captured national headlines

Mr Sunak like many Asians in the UK grew up at a difficult time where immigrants faced far more discriminations than they do now But as the Prime Minister he acknowledges that he stands for much more than his own faith or Britain’s minority identity tokenism Speaking to Asian Voice, in an exclusive interview, PM Sunak told us, “Ultimately, I'm delivering for the whole country I set out a set of priorities that will benefit everyone, no matter what their background is My vision and the type of country that I'm trying to build is one, where regardless of your background, regardless of where you grew up, or what your parents do, you've got every opportunity to succeed and build a fulfilling, purposeful, prosperous life for you and your family and that's what I'm striving to achieve in the job ”

Britain’s society is growing at an exponential speed It is important to understand how it is changing despite all that call for disunity and migrant bashing from governing party, giving the identity debate a completely different spin

BRICS: An evolving relationship in a complex world?

India and Russia have a historically strong and multifaceted relationship Diplomatic ties date back to the Cold War era, when India was a non-aligned nation The partnership has encompassed defence, trade, energy, and cultural exchanges Both countries have collaborated closely in defence, with Russia being a major supplier of arms to India In the early 1990s, the USSR represented about 70% of Indian Army weapons, 80% of its Air Force systems, and 85% of its Navy platforms The Indian Air Force now uses more than 410 Soviet and Russian fighters, a mixture of platforms that were importe d a n d p l a t f o r m s t h a t w e r e c o n s t r u c t e d u n d e r l i c e n s e

Submarines, tanks, helicopters, frigates, submarines, and missiles are among the other military hardware manufactured in Russia that India has on hand Despite evolving global dynamics, India and Russia maintain a strategic partnership based on shared interests and historical bonds

However, relations have taken a steep downfall over the past few years, especially in the post-Covid scenario One of the biggest causes of this is Russia’s close relations with China and Pakistan, which have caused many geopolitical issues in the past few years India has been diversifying its defence purchases and decreasing its reliance on Russian weapons, purchasing more from nations like the United States, Israel, France, and Italy But according to experts, it might take 20 years for it to stop depending on Russia

The United States and European nations established a ceiling of $60 per barrel for Russian oil after Moscow invaded Ukraine to restrain Moscow's expanding earnings Despite the sanctions, India has increased its purchases of Russian oil significantly Indian officials have defended importing oil from Russia by claiming that Indian consumers benefit from the

Thought for the week

Political Sketchbook

Alpesh Patel

AI, the Prime Minister and the UK

PM S unak w as in California last w eek – the hom e to Silico n Valley He wants the UK to be an A I lead er In the heart of London, amidst the historic buildings and the ev er-bu stling streets, a quiet rev olution is taking p lace It's not one of protests or po litical u pheav als, but of artificial intelligence (AI) reshap ing the business landscape And at the forefront of this transformation is fintech, and I w ould like to think m y insig nificant peon self seamlessly integ rating AI into my business op erations, set ti ng a precedent for the entire United Kingdom

cheaper price Russian oil now accounts for nearly 20% of India’s annual crude imports, up from just 2% in 2021, according to Indian media reports

The BRICS group of major emerging economies Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa will hold its 15th heads of state and government summit in Johannesburg Many officials are expected to attend the summit However, Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend in person due to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes in Ukraine Putin will participate in the summit virtually and will be represented in Johannesburg by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Of the five, China and Russia are the keenest to expand the BRICS membership to challenge America’s dominance India and Brazil, however, want to ensure it does not become merely a west-knocking bloc or mouthpiece for Beijing

This BRICS summit is very significant for India Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping will meet in person for the first time at a summit since the military stalemate with China along the Line of Actual Control started in 2020 Although they met briefly at the G20 summit in Bali last year and attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand, they will be part of a relatively small group of four at the BRICS summit and will have numerous possibilities for bilateral discussions Ahead of the summit, the 19th round of the India-China Corps Commander Level Meeting resulted in a joint statement last weekend, seen as a positive sign ahead of a possible Modi-Xi engagement Just over two weeks after the BRICS summit, India will host the G20 summit, and Prime Minister Modi will want to ensure full attendance by the leaders which include all BRICS members

India’s gradual shift towards a progressive democracy

India stands out as the world's largest democracy, firmly rooted in the principles of consent, liberty, justice, equality, and fraternity The fundamental rights preserved in its Constitution act as guardians of individual rights for every citizen, irrespective of factors such as caste, creed, sex, or place of birth

With a diverse multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, and multi-religious society coexisting harmoniously, the subcontinent's extensive and varied history has contributed to a distinct and eclectic culture, often intertwined with spirituality Post-independence, India has rekindled its progressive ideologies such as democracy, secularism, the rule of law, human rights and advancements in Science and Technology These principles are gradually but consistently making their way into the collective modern Indian consciousness

As a testimony of the same, India has emerged as a credible nuclear and space power, employing these capabilities for globa l b e t t e r m e n t I S R O ' s a c h i e v e m e n t s i n c l u d e l a u n c h i n g Chandrayaan-1 in 2008, the first probe to confirm the presence of water on the Moon, and the Mars Orbiter Mission in 2013, the first Asian spacecraft to enter Mars' orbit on its maiden attempt This feat established India as the first nation to succeed in such an endeavour Furthermore, the GSLV rocket solidified India's position as the sixth nation with comprehensive launch capabilities

The most recent progress in India's lunar mission is Chandrayaan-3, a pivotal phase within the Chandrayaan program Scheduled for August 23rd, the Vikram lander's anticipated touchdown marks a significant step forward The Indian space agency embarked on this mission on July 14th, launching from Andhra Pradesh

Achieving a successful moon landing would signify India's ascension as a space power, a significant milestone coinciding

with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's efforts to foster investment in private space travel

Another testament to India’s shift towards a progressive democracy is the pursuit of achieving equal rights for all The Supreme Court of India has taken a significant stride by issuing guidelines to tackle detrimental gender stereotypes that perpetuate inequalities

Through the release of the Handbook on Combating Gender Stereotypes, the court has established a set of do's and don'ts for judicial decision-making and writing This handbook aids judges in recognizing language that upholds outdated and erroneous notions, particularly about women, and provides alternative expressions and terminology Additionally, the use of certain derogatory words in relation to an individual’s sexual orientation has been forbidden

The handbook points out that stereotypes can lead to exclusion and discrimination by spreading incorrect ideas It identifies common assumptions about how sexual harassment, assault, rape, and violent crimes are seen, which often unfairly target women

The Court urges courts to consider challenges women face For many of India's women, possibilities and life choices remain limited due to the patriarchal society While changes are underway, progress is slow Achieving gender equality necessitates substantial changes to eliminate all stereotypes The handbook could potentially spark that change at the societal level

As the world's largest democracy, India is inevitably confronted with challenges both in the present and the future However, the nation must confront these challenges head-on, triumph over them, and ultimately ensure the success of Indian democracy

The recent article in Business Insider detailing my innovative use of AI for stock predictions is a testament to the transformative power of this technology But beyond the impressive financial gains and predictive accuracy lies a deeper narrative: the UK's potential to lead in the global AI arena, leveraging it for economic growth, job creation, and international competitiveness

For decades, the UK has been a hub of innovation, from the steam engine to the World Wide Web Today, AI represents the next frontier The nation's businesses, b o t h b i g a n d s m a l l , s t a n d a t a p i v o t a l j u n c t u r e Embracing AI can propel them into a future of unparalleled growth Ignoring it risks obsolescence in an increasingly digital global economy

Our success stories serve as a beacon for other UK businesses By harnessing the power of AI, we have not only enhanced his business s efficiency but has also demonstrated the vast potential of AI-driven decisionmaking My approach, which combines human intuition with machine precision, exemplifies the symbiotic relationship that can exist between man and machine

But the implications extend beyond the business world Politically, the UK is at a crossroads As it navigates post-Brexit waters and seeks to establish its identity on the global stage, AI offers a unique opportunity By investing in AI research, education, and infrastructure, the UK government can position the nation as a global leader in this burgeoning field

Furthermore, the government's role isn't just about investment It's about creating a regulatory environment that fosters innovation while ensuring ethical AI use It's about ensuring that the benefits of AI, as seen through my successes in using it, are accessible to all businesses, from startups in Leeds to financial giants in Canary Wharf

The UK's rich history of innovation, combined with its robust academic and research institutions, provides a fertile ground for AI development But stories like mine remind us that innovation isn t just about technology; it's about those who move fast and who dare to use it, the entrepreneurs who see its potential, and the leaders who understand its transformative power

In conclusion, let this be a clarion call for the UK to recognize and harness the power of AI As the nation charts its course in the 21st century, AI will undoubtedly play a pivotal role And with pioneers leading the way, the future looks not just bright, but revolutionary

Asian Voice is published by Asian Business Publications Ltd

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ness

Camera vandalism strikes London's Ulez expansion

N umer ous ca mer as situated on London's r oads, int en ded to e nf orce a cle an -a ir z one with a daily cha rge for ce rta in d river s, hav e b een v and alised in r esponse to its impe ndin g e xpa nsion, as repor ted by t he police

The upcoming August 29 expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez) has been endorsed by Mayor Sadiq Khan as crucial to reducing air pollution-related deaths and addressing climate change However, critics argue that the £12 50 ($16) daily charge for highly polluting vehicle owners is unjust during an ongoing cost-of-living crisis and will

London "slum landlord" prohibited from letting houses for five years

lead to economic repercussions

The Metropolitan Police have documented numerous offenses linked to Ulez cameras, including 164 thefts and 185 incidents of cable damage as of August 1 An operation was initiated in April following reports of camera theft and damage Videos purportedly showcasing the acts of vandalism have also emerged on social media platforms

Rishi Sunak asserts himself as the "ideal leader" to steer the UK through changes

Rishi Sunak, the prime minister, asserts that he is the suitable candidate for the highest leadership role in the UK, especially in a time characterised by rapid technological advancements and significant economic challenges

In an interview with 'The Times' on Wednesday (16), the 43-year-old British Indian leader pointed to recent official statistics indicating a decrease in inflation from 7 9 percent to 6 8 percent as evidence of positive economic progress during his tenure at 10 Downing Street

Approaching his first year in office after his sudden elevation to the position of prime minister in October of the previous year following the departure of predecessor Liz Truss amid financial turmoil, Sunak emphasised that he inherited the role in challenging circumstances Nevertheless, he believes he is the right choice for leadership in the upcoming general

RISHI SUNAK FACES BACKLASH OVER LIONESS TRIBUTE

A London "slum landlord" has been prohibited from letting houses in England for five years after being convicted of various offenses, including overcrowding tenants in a home Jaydipkumar Rameshchandra Valand, 48, has also been banned by Brent Council from engaging in any property management work in the country during this period

In 2018, Valand was one of four individuals found guilty by Harrow Crown Court of making £360,000 by accommodating up to 40 tenants in a four-bedroom semi-detached home in Napier Road, Wembley One tenant was even living in a makeshift shack without lighting or heating

Despite a £5,000 confiscation order, Valand, residing in Wembley Central, continued to exploit vulnerable tenants In 2022, he was found to have violated housing regulations at a house of multiple occupancy on

Wembley Hill Road Fire safety violations, unsanitary conditions, and disrepairs were noted under his management He collected £1,400 monthly from tenants living in hazardous conditions without tenancy agreements Willesden Magistrates Court imposed a £30,000 fine on Valand and directed him to pay £3,347 in costs He was also ordered to pay £6,190 for falsely claiming he had no business ownership in the UK

'Good son' caught with gun and body armour kept criminal life secret from mother

Rishi Sunak

election anticipated next year

When questioned about whether individuals grappling with a cost-of-living crisis will experience an improvement in their financial situation within a year, he replied that it's his responsibility to ensure that people can indeed perceive such progress is quite obviously now pitching its tent to start wooing the electorate

With a general election anticipated in mid-2024, it s evident that the Conservative Party government, led by him, is strategically positioning itself to appeal to the voters

Man charged following stabbing at Southall community event

A man has been charged by t he pol ice in conn ection with the st abbing of two individuals at a community event in Southall

The incident occurred around 10:00 PM on August 15 during an Indian Independence Day street event on The Broadway in Southall Police were alerted to an altercation by a member of the public Two men in their 30s were found with knife wounds and were taken to the hospital Their injuries were determined to be non-life-threatening, and they were subsequently discharged

Gurpreet Singh, aged 25, with an address on Belmont Road in Ilford, appeared in Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court on August 17 He faced one count of attempted GBH with intent, two counts of GBH with intent, one count of affray, one count of threats with a bladed article and two counts of possession of a bladed article Singh was remanded in custody and is scheduled to appear at Isleworth Crown Court on September 14, 2023 The other man in his 20s, has been released on police bail as further inquiries are conducted

A father who was discovered in possession of a gun, ammunition, and body armor has been sentenced to jail Ahmad Sharifi had a dual nature, concealing his criminal side from his mother, who believed him to be a "good son and father," as stated during the proceedings at Birmingham Crown Court

The 24-year-old was apprehended at his residence on Cotterils Lane in Saltley earlier this year Law enforcement discovered a Glock selfloading pistol equipped with a laser sight in a bag inside a Volkswagen Polo parked nearby

Sharifi confessed to the authorities, admitting, "The thing you found in the car, the gun, that's down to me " He later asserted that he had been coerced into holding the gun due to his inability to repay a £2,000

debt However, Judge Sarah Buckingham questioned this explanation, given the discovery of balaclavas, a mask, gloves, and body armor during various searches of his property Sharifi pleaded guilty to possessing a prohibited firearm and possessing ammunition without a firearms certificate On August 14, he was sentenced to five years in prison

Mayor's unique free school meals funding benefits children

New dat a r ele ased by City H al l prov id es insights into how children in all 33 boroughs of London will b en ef it from Mayor of London Sadiq Kha n s groun dbre ak in g £135 mill ion funding for free school meals in the upcoming school year

Sadiq Khan, who himself received free school meals as a child, has allocated emergency funding to aid around 287,000 primary school children across London in accessing meals at state-funded schools during the next academic year

Recent polling conducted by YouGov Plc reveals that nearly half (48%) of parents or guardians with children aged five to eleven are reducing their food and essential purchases due to financial constraints

The one-time funding initiative by the Mayor aims to assist families grappling with the rising cost of living, potentially saving households

Rishi Sunak faces backlash over Lionesses message as one word ignites fury The Prime Minister sent a message to the Lionesses following their defeat by Spain in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup final in Australia However Sunak's congratulatory message drew criticism for his use of the word "nothing " which sparked controversy “You left absolutely nothing out there @Lionesses It wasn’t to be but you’ve already secured your legacy as game changers We are all incredibly proud of you he wrote

FIVE MEN CONVICTED FOR SEXUALLY EXPLOITING TWO GIRLS

Five individuals from Rochdale including two brothers have been found guilty of sexually exploiting two girls aged 12 and 13, based on recent official statistics The Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court revealed that the defendants treated the girls as objects, subjecting them to abuse and degradation before discarding them, as reported by The Guardian The trial centred on 80 charges dating back to 2002 and 2006, with the victims, both now 33 years old, disclosing their abuse in 2015 The survivors were adolescents when subjected to horrifying mistreatment Among the convicted are Mohammed Ghani (38), Insar Hussain (38), Jahn Shahid Ghani, and Ali Razza Hussain Kasmi (36), all from Rochdale Additionally Martin Rhodes (39) from Blackpool pleaded guilty to four counts of penetrative sex with a child as confirmed by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) Three others from Rochdale namely Ikhlaq Yousef (38) Aftar Khan (34) and Mohammed Iqbal (67) were acquitted of any wrongdoing This case, the most extensive child sexual exploitation trial in Rochdale since 2012, featured the testimony of the victims They are anticipated to provide evidence in upcoming trials in 2024 and 2025

AMIDST A PAY DISPUTE, UNION DECLARES STRIKE BY TRAIN DRIVERS

over £440 per child over the year

The Mayor is resolute in his commitment to support Londoners impacted by the cost-of-living crisis City Hall extended funding to every borough in London to provide free school meals to students in Years 3 to 6 of state-funded schools for the entirety of the upcoming academic year starting this September

Previously, children in these school years only qualified for free school meals if they lived in households receiving universal credit with an annual income below £7,400 posttax and excluding benefits, regardless of the family's size

The free school meals funding is the latest initiative by the Mayor to alleviate the financial pressures faced by Londoners due to the cost-of-living crisis

Thousands of train drivers are set to stage a one-day strike next month, as announced by their trade union on Friday (18) This strike, prompted by a year-long pay dispute, will impact passengers across the country during the busy summer season Throughout the past year, workers from various sectors in Britain have engaged in industrial action due to inadequate wage increases amidst soaring inflation and a cost-of-living crisis The Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) union disclosed that 13 000 drivers from 16 train companies including Avanti West Coast London North Eastern Railway (LNER), and West Midlands Trains, will initiate the strike on September 1, followed by an overtime ban the next day Having commenced last June the dispute has led the workers to undertake 11 days of strikes so far The Rail Delivery Group (RDG), a representative body for train operators, has asserted that the union leadership has declined to present its fair and reasonable offer" to the workers According to RDG, this offer would elevate the average base salary for a four-day workweek without overtime to approximately £65 000 ($82 609) from £60,000 ASLEF rejected the previous proposal of an 8% pay increase over two years in April of this year The union, noting that most drivers haven t experienced a pay raise in four years, had criticised the offer as "risible" at that time

Jaydipkumar Rameshchandra Valand

Ahmad Sharifi

Sadiq Khan

British Indian doctor aids in capturing 'killer nurse' Lucy Letby

Nurse Lucy Letby, deemed the most prolific child serial k ille r in conte mpora ry

B ritish history , is se t to spend her life in prison due to a whole life order pronounced during a hearing she chose not to attend

Judge Mr Justice Goss administered the unusual sentence of life imprisonment with no chance of release at Manchester Crown Court on Monday, asserting, "You will spend the rest of your life in prison "

Following her conviction on Friday for murdering seven infants and attempting to murder six others during her tenure in the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016, the 33-year-old was found to have intentionally injected newborns with air, force-fed them milk, or poisoned them with insulin

Meanwhile, an autonomous investigation will delve into the circumstances that enabled Lucy Letby to commit the murders of seven infants under her care, amid concerns from the police that she might have targeted additional newborns over the course of her career

Dr Ravi Jayaram

Having commenced her baby-killing spree during the summer of 2015, Lucy Letby managed to retain her job on the ward for a whole year It wasn't until July 2017 that hospital authorities initiated a police investigation, even though Letby had already claimed the lives of seven infants and attempted to murder six more

Paediatrician whistleblowers, Stephen Brearey and Ravi Jayaram, contended that lives could have been spared had the hospital acted promptly They condemned the trust's response as a cover-up Instead of removing Letby from direct patient care, the trust directed the two doctors to issue an apology letter to the nurse for the alleged "stress and upset" caused by their formal bullying complaint

Dr Ravi Jayaram asserted that the lives of several infants might have been preserved had his apprehensions about former nurse colleague

Lucy Letby been taken seriously and prompt police intervention initiated Following the verdict, Dr Jayaram conveyed to ITV News in a televised interview that he sincerely believes there are four or five children who could be attending school today had timely action been taken

Despite her guilt, Letby communicated to her legal team the previous week that she would abstain from participating in the hearing The judge clarified that the court lacked authority to mandate a defendant's presence at a sentencing

Sar a Shar if , a 10-yea r-old girl was discovered deceased at her residence in Woking She ha d bee n pre viousl y k nown to a uthorities, as stat ed b y Surre y Count y Council Following her tragic demise on August 10th, a post-mort em ex amina tion disclosed that she had experienced "multiple and extensive injurie s," bel ieve d to have been inflicted over a prolonged period

In the UK, the authorities have identified Urfan Sharif, Sara's father, his partner Beinash Batool, and Sharif's brother Faisal Shahzad Malik as individu-

Sara Sharif

als they wish to interview in connection with a murder investigation

Surrey County Council confirmed on Sunday that Sara had been on the radar of the authority before her unfortunate passing The council stated that it is putting forth tireless efforts in collaboration with safe-

guarding partners to swiftly comprehend the situation in its entirety

This development follows the announcement by police in eastern Pakistan about their intention to apprehend Mr Sharif in relation to Sara's demise According to reports, Mr Sharif, accompanied by Ms Batool and Mr Malik, journeyed to Islamabad, Pakistan's capital, on August 9th, the day prior to the discovery of Sara's body

The Sharif family's residence is situated in Jhelum, Punjab, approximately 84 miles away from the capital

Man wielding a sword attacks sports contest, leaving three individuals wounded

During a sports contest, a m an wieldi ng a sw ord attacked three individuals, leaving them injured This in ciden t oc curred on Monday (21) around 4 PM at the Derby Kabaddi grounds in Alva ston , Derbyshire An eyewitness recounted that a man was shot and s ub sequently assaulted with a sword

Video clips circulating on Twitter apparently capture crowds dispersing as what seem to be gunshots are heard Pictures from the scene display armed police presence Certain witnesses suggest that two groups were responsible

for the outbreak of violence

Attendees were advised to vacate the area, although some had to abandon their vehicles due to roadblocks Three individuals have sustained injuries, with one of them being in a serious condition

Surinder Manak from England Kabaddi Federation (UK) said in a statement: “EKF condemns the incident that took place yesterday at Derby Kabaddi Tournament in strongest terms possible

“While it was a horrific and terrifying incident, no bystander (player, official

or spectator) was in any way attacked or involved

Initial unconfirmed enquiries indicate that it was a pre-arranged fight between rival gangs based in Midlands EKF wishes to emphasise that the gangs in question do not have any links or connections with any EKF-affiliated club or its members The Derby Kabaddi tournament appears to have been chosen by these gangs purely at random

“The police declared the whole area a crime scene as a result of which EKF was forced to abandon the tournament ”

Major high street chain closing a store by the end of the month

The WH Smith store in Crown Walk, Bicester, is set to perm ane nt ly cl ose its doors on August 30 This closure is a result of the site' s la ndl ord securing a new tenant for the unit As a conseq uence , the st af f members from this location will be reassigned to "nearby stores," according to Oxford Mail

a shift in focus away from opening more high street branches

WHSmith operates a network of 600 high street stores and over 800 travel stores located in various settings like airports, train stations, hospitals, workplaces, and motorway services A spokesperson confirmed the closure, stating, "The WHSmith store in Bicester will be closing at the end of this month The landlord has agreed a new letting of the unit and unfortunately as a result we will be closing our store on August 30

Lucy Letby

Sara Sharif, ten, found dead in Woking

Ram Katha teaches us the real value of humanity: Pujya Morari Bapu

Mahesh

Liloriya

The nine days Ram Katha by Pujya Morari Bapu which was organised in campus of one of the oldest and most prestigious Jesus College, Cambridge University, concluded on Sunday 20 August 2023 During the final day of the Katha, Morari Bapu said, “Ramkatha teaches us the real values of humanity

Remembering Ram is truth, reciting the name of Ram is love and listening

Lord Popat: Ram Katha at Jesus College

and appreciation across faiths

“The de cision to host a Hind u Even t at Jesus Coll ege demon st rat es the institution’s dedication to embracing diverse cultural and religious backgrounds

It’s a powerful symbol of inclusivity and acceptance, showca sing the coll ege ’ s

and proud to be Hindu This openness reflects the multicultural nature of the UK and its recognition of the value that various faiths bring to its society ”

Lord Popat further went on to say, “Such events strengthen international

to the Ram Katha is compassion The Ram Katha is for people and it’s the inner desire expressed by people This is the aspiration for our existence ”

Pujya Bapu while spreading the essence of the Ram Katha said, good people and pure thoughts can unite the entire world “Ramcharit Manas is my world In the last 41 days, I spoke for 31 days and travelled around 52,000 kilometres This is my world; I wander within it and this world is also a universal university "

Whe n b e l i e f i s a s h i g h a s t h e Himalayas, it can transform one's entire life

Bapu said, “The significance of fortune and its influence can often surpass the effort invested when undertaking any task Faith is the key to achieve success When belief is as high as the Himalayas, it can transform one's entire life In this world, the association with saints is essential to eradicate any disease When one follows the path of virtue, even animals and birds come along, but if one walks on the path of unrighteousness, even their own companions abandon them ”

Han u m a n j i a l w a y s r e m a i n s a s t h e shield of happiness

Pujya Morari Bapu emphasised during his recital that whatever is lost

will be found For example, peace Peace resides within us, but we look for it in the outer world Sorrow is like a costume, not meant to be worn permanently, just like festive attire While Ravan had gold, he did not have love, thus his intellect and character deteriorated During our happy days, Hanumanji consistently remains with us Similarly, in times of difficulties and life-threatening situations, Hanumanji comes forward to protect us The meaning of "Setu" is to unite everyone, and the meaning of "Sangam" is the welfare of the world

Con v o c a t i o n C e r e m o n y : R e c i t e s 2 7

sutras, remembers CB Patel

“It’s the convocation ceremony of Manas Vishwavidhyalaya, on this concluding day of the Ram Katha Today, everyone will receive these two degrees from Manas Vishwavidhyalaya: 'Tears' and 'Shelter' Dakshina represents the domain of bestowing knowledge And it is written in the Bhagavad Gita that knowledge is meant to be shared with all,” said Morari Bapu, who then recited the 27 sutras

During the Katha, Morari Bapu also remembered CB Patel fondly In his own distinctive style, he mentioned about Mother Mary, Mahatma Gandhi, Zaverchand Meghani, Chandrakant

Bakshi, Umashankar Joshi, and even mentioned about Asha Parekh He praised the "My Soil, My Country (Meri Mitthi, Mera Desh)" campaign and Chandrayaan project which is a source of pride for India

Alogo with the symbol of Gir lion and cow, was accepted

Bapu added that “When Dolarbhai became a Lord, Paavan told me that, they have the freedom to have their own logo I made a logo with a Gir Lion on one side and a Gir cow on the other In the centre, I placed Chitrakoot Hanumanji and below added ‘Truth, Love, and Compassion’ (Satya, Prem, Karuna) This logo was accepted Including CB, many elders are sitting here I have visited Britain many times Everyone tells me, Bapu, you come and give a lecture in the Parliament I reply to them I don’t want to come, just see my logo ”

This Ramkatha event was organised by the Lord Dolar Popat family and under the leadership of Paavan Popat along with the support of the youngster in Britain

Gujarat Hindu Society Preston to celebrate the 23rd Patotsav on 27 August

Gujarat Hindu Society

Preston will celebrate the 23rd Patotsav of the new purpose-built centre on Sunday 27 August 2023 at the Preston Mandir from 10:30 am to 4:30 pm

Sharing more information about the celebration President of GHS

Ishwer Bhai Tailor, MBE said, “Pujya Swami Keshavanandaji from Sanatan Seva Mandal (Dwarka, India) will specially bless the celebration CB Patel Publisher and Editor In Chief of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar and Surendrabhai Patel (Patron) will be the special guests Pujya Swamiji will give his blessings in the temple at 12pm ”

of 108 Mataji Stuti

Team India shines at IBSA

World Games in Birmingham

The Uni vers i ty of Birmingham is extending a warm welcome to visually impaired athletes from various countr ies , in cludi ng India, who are converging on its UK campus for the 2 023 I nte rnational Bli nd Sports Fede ration (IBSA)

World Games With participation from over 70 nations, approximately 1,150 athletes are partaking in this championship, commencing on August 18 and concluding on August 27

Among the attendees is the Indian Blind Football Federation (IBFF), accompanied by the Indian Women’s Blind Football Team (depicted), having earned their place in the games through qualification

com mit men t to foste ring open discussions across faiths Where the highe st se at of l ea rning come s toget her w it h spirit ual thinking In a world where religious and cultural diversity is pa ramoun t, e vent s like the Ram Katha at Jesus College play a pivotal role in foste ring mutua l respect and a ppre ciat ion across faiths ”

The above views were expressed by Lord Dolar Popat during his exclusive conversation with Asian Voice on the final day of Ram Katha Lord Dolar Popat and family were the hosts (Manorathi) of the 9 days Ram Katha at Jesus College, University of Cambridge

He added, “This event underscores the essence of a global learning environment where students and attendees can engage with different perspectives The UK’s welcoming attitude towards hosting events like the Ram Katha highlighted its respect for religious freedom This is why I always say- I am proud to be British

ties and promote the spirit of harmony and understanding among different religious communities Bapu’s Katha is centred around universal values of peace, truth, love and compassion He draws parallels from various religious teachings, showing how different faiths share common themes of morality and humanity Bapu’s approach of inviting people from all faiths to attend the discourses speaks volumes about his commitment to fostering interfaith dialogue ”

Talking about the impact of the event, he said, “The event will undoubtedly raise awareness about Hindu culture and philosophy among a diverse audience

Participants will have the opportunity to discover shared values among religions and engage in meaningful cross-faith conversations The event’s impact will extend beyond its duration, inspiring future events that promote interfaith dialogue and understanding ”

Gujarati businessman embarks on a journey from India to the UK

Da man Thak ore , aged 50, along with his 75 -ye ar-old fa ther , 21-ye ar-old daught er, a nd a cl ose gr oup of friends and family, is cur ren tly on a journey to England They b ega n the ir journey from Gujarat last week to commemorate 76 yea rs of In dia s Independence

The businessman from Ahmedabad has a plan to travel approximately 12,000 kilometers through 16 countries Their goal is to take a 1950 MG YT car back to its birthplace at the MG factory in Abingdon, southeast England Affectionately named Lal Pari, this red 1950 MG YT has been a cherished

possession within the family for generations and now proudly displays a special monogram of the Sardar Patel Statue of Unity, reflecting its Gujarati connection Mangal Prabhat Lodha, the Minister of Skills, Employment, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation in the government of Maharashtra, symbolically kicked off the expedition in Mumbai

will play a pivotal role in fostering mutual respect

Lord Dolar Popat and Oliver Scheidt, Parliamentary Assistant, Office of The Lord Popat of Harrow

Swami Keshavanandji

by Aashishbhai Gour,

Lord Popat with Pothi

Manas Vishvavidyalaya: The Katha Hall full of devotees

Paavan Popat showing the Logo to Morari Bapu The Logo of Lord Popat of Harrow, which was created by Morari Bapu This logo includesThe Lion and Cow of Gir Hanumanji with the message of Truth, Love and Compassion

Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha, interacts with the family in Mumbai

The rise of British Asians in the world of startups

A lmost 800,000 ne w b usin e s se s w e r e r e g is t e r e d i n 2022 (up 4 5% in 2021) That’s posit iv e It’s a strong measure of economic a ctivity and a sign that entr epreneurs a re doing well in the UK

Covid brought rapid change There was a surge of new companies as we all entered the Covid era in 2020, which was maintained in 2021 and 2022 as rapid changes in the economy led to new businesses being formed – a pattern also seen in other countries, including the US, France, and Singapore 2022 was almost 16% up on 2019 and well above the pre-pandemic trend

Startups play a pivotal role in driving innovation, economic growth, and job creation in the United Kingdom Their importance in the UK economy cannot be overstated, as they bring fresh ideas, novel technologies, and disruptive business models to the forefront These young enterprises contribute significantly to fostering a competitive environment that spurs established companies to adapt and evolve

On several occasions, the newsweekly has spoken to young entrepreneurs who have established start-ups in the UK Le arning made easy without guilt or shame of fee dback

“How will you build a company being a mother of two young kids?” a VC investor asked Rajeshwari Iyer, Co-Founder & CEO, MPhil from Cambridge and PhD from Imperial, when she and her co-founder Kavitha Ravindran were raising money for their Ed-Tech start-up,sAInaptic Iyer and Ravindran who met in Cambridge while studying, started sAInaptic, an AIbased learning web-app that automatically marks descriptive student responses to open-ended questions to give instant, personalised teacher-like feedback, while drastically reducing the marking workload for teachers It is commercialised as a web-app and sold to students

as a monthly subscription for independent, feedback-driven revision and to schools as annual subscriptions, for auto-marked homework and tests sAInaptic is entering a global billion-dollar tutoring & assessments market, starting with schools, with a bold vision to integrate with any online course using an API sAInaptic has over 15k+ users from over 1000 schools and 19 countries; more than 40 schools have used the app, including top grammar schools in the country

First re usab le per iod underwe ar product in the UK

Ruby Raut is the founder and CEO of Wake Up Kick Ass (WUKA), a female-led start-up, making the UK’s first reusable and leak-proof period wear This coincides with WUKA’s new ad campaign, launching this month, which aims to ignite powerful conversations and resonate with millions of women, especially in the South Asian community Speaking to Asian Voice, Ruby, who hails from Nepal, said, “Inspired by using my mother’s old sari rags for pads as a child, I created a modern-day, sustainable alternative- WUKA period pants To date, WUKA has prevented a staggering 1 2 billion tampons and pads from ending up in landfills This environmentally conscious approach has had a positive influence on the lives of over half a million women and girls in the UK and around the world, providing them with a more comfortable and eco-friendly menstrual experience ”

WUKA stands for Wake Up Kick Ass and was the first

reusable period underwear product in the UK We are now an award-winning, inclusive and sustainable brand stocked in retailers nationwide with over 500,000+ customers worldwide UK's first AI personal tra in er a nnounce d a £2 million investment

MAGIC AI (https://magic fit), the UK's first AI Personal Trainer, announced a £2 million investment led by the billiondollar Venture Capital (VC) fund Fasanara Capital, alongside London’s SFC Capital to expand the company's innovative technology across the UK

MAGIC is the UK's first AI personal trainer, using cutting-edge holographic technology to offer an immersive fitness experience Celebrity athletes and sports stars appear as a hologram inside MAGIC’s AI wall mirror They coach users via a series of programmes, giving what feels like 1:1 personal training in strength, dance, boxing, yoga, and sports techniques

CEO and Co-founder, Varun Bhanot, said “I went through my own personal health journey losing 25% of my body fat, but in the process realised how old-fashioned and expensive personal training was I thought there must be a way to automate this experience at scale using AI and data-driven hardware

“I faced imposter syndrome and had no clue how to build a hardware company, but I didn't let that stop me During the Covid-19 pandemic, I sold treadmills

US woman's wedding mix-up in Scotland goes viral

A woman wh o trav elled ov er 3 , 0 0 0 m i les f ro m Wash ing ton DC to Glasgow for her friend's wedd ing has b ec o m e a v i ral s en s ati o n a ft er sh ari ng a v i d eo reco unting h ow she end ed u p at the wrong reception

Arti Mala posted a TikTok video explaining the incident, in which she found herself outside a church in Glasgow with the wrong wedding party She had miscalculated the time between the ceremony and the reception

After attending her friend's ceremony, Mala planned to return to her

Arti Mala

nearby Airbnb for a quick change and rest before the reception However, her plans went awry due to rain and transportation issues, causing her to miss the intended reception

In her initial video,

online, raising £50k to develop our first prototype from my parents’ basement After countless rejections, I leveraged that prototype to secure this round Now, we are democratising personal training, aiming to tackle the UK's alarming inactivity levels and the £6B/year NHS spending on obesity-related ill-health”

Interface (UPI), a cornerstone of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision for India's digital expansion, is crucial for building the nation's online infrastructure

Launched in 2016, UPI has spurred digital transactions, with around 350 million users now utilisng it for instant money transfers and payments July saw nearly 10 billion transactions, over 50% higher than last year However, UPI's progress in rural areas is hindered by limited internet access and lower literacy rates outside urban regions

Modi's government promotes cashless payments

elements of India's payment system into their own frameworks

1 2 Fl a g s a i m s t o g u i d e e n t r e pr e n e u r s be y on d t h e st art up phase

which gained over 430,000 views, Mala introduced herself to the bride and groom of the wedding she had accidentally entered The couple found humour in the situation and shared a laugh before Mala took an Uber to the correct venue

Unfortunately, she arrived at the intended wedding so late that she missed the speeches In a subsequent video, Mala explained that she was supposed to be the couple's "unofficial videographer, but due to the mix-up, she missed capturing several important moments

Nurturing and supporting this dynamic sector is crucial for ensuring sustained economic development and global competitiveness

U PI , co r n e r st o n e of P M Modi’ s vision for India

Back in India, the Universal Payments

through the India Stack, a suite of digital infrastructure to formalise India's cashbased economy UPI has also attracted foreign investment interest, with Google and Walmart's PhonePe creating popular payment apps Other nations like Singapore and the UAE have integrated

Rakesh Kapoor, the former Reckitt Benckiser CEO, has initiated a $100 million (£80 million) fund named 12 Flags to back Indian consumer-focused startups The fund, situated in Mayfair, has garnered investments from institutional and university endowment funds Its focus lies on identifying promising Indian brands catering to domestic consumers, rather than replicating Western counterparts Kapoor's extensive experience in brand-building for the long term will shape the fund's philosophy, gradually shifting towards fewer but larger investments With 37 years at Reckitt, including 8 as CEO, Kapoor drove the company's expansion in health and nutrition, highlighted by the $16 7 billion acquisition of US nutrition firm Mead Johnson Kapoor, now a non-executive at NHS England, retired in 2019 12 Flags aims to guide entrepreneurs beyond the startup phase by leveraging Kapoor's brand expertise and industry contacts, with plans to deploy the $100 million investment over the next three years

Rajeshwari and Kavitha sAInaptic

Ruby Raut, WUKA Varun Bhanot, MAGIC

High Commission of India organises screening of Gadar 2 in London to celebrate Independence Day

Rupanjana Dutta

T h e re w ere lo u d P u nj ab i d h o l ( d ru m ) b ea ts i n L o nd o n' s i co n i c L ei c es ter S q u ar e, as I nd i a n p e o p le g ath e red i n fro n t o f V u e Westend to welcom e actor and Indian M P S unny Deol to the theatre for a special screening of Gadar 2 org ani s ed b y t h e H ig h C o m m i s si o n o f In d i a and Zee S tud ios Mr Deo l joined t h e fe st iv it i es b y a d d i ng som e Bh angra steps as fans ran to take selfies with him

Screen 5 at the film theatre was packed with Indian a u d i e n c e , m u n c h i n g o n t o complimentary sweet popcorn, waiting in anticipation for the hero to arrive Anuj Radia played the role of the compere for the evening, followed by a speech by the H i g h C o m m i s s i o n e r H E

Vikram Doraiswami who was joined by his wife Sangeeta Film maker Shekhar Kapoor and author and Director of N e h r u C e n t r e A m i s h Tripathi were also present among the audience

Calling this screening as

a part of High Commission’s o n g o i n g c e l e b r a t i o n o f I n d i a n I n d e p e n d e n c e D a y , t h e H i g h C o m m i s s i o n e r described how he received a mail from the hero of the film himself, requesting to host a special screening for the community in the UK

Mr Doraiswami went on to explain how quickly and e f f i c i e n t l y e v e r y t h i n g w a s organised at a short notice b y h i s c o l l e a g u e s D e p u t y High Commissioner of India to the UK, Sujit Ghosh and A m i s h T r i p a t h i , a n d h o w thrilled he was to have been able to host this event at the

heart of Leicester Square

S u n n y D e o l w e a r i n g a yellow pagdi (turban) in a greyish green kurta, looking e x a c t l y l i k e t h e c h a r a c t e r 'Tara Singh' he plays in the film, addressed the audience with a big smile He said, “It’s an honour to be here Gadar which was made in 2001, connected with everybody I was afraid to do the part 2, because Gadar was such an iconic film It had everything in it and how to make a film to match up with that But during Covid time everybody was struggling, people had so much

High Commission of India XI triumphs against FICCI XI in annual cricket match

In a spirited show o f ath letici sm, camaraderie and teamwork, the H igh Commission o f India XI won th e mu chanticipated Annual Cricket Match against FICCI XI T he W e s t He rt s C ri c k et C lu b yesterday ho sted th e event whic h s howcased bo th the sp irit of friendship and unity as well as the excep tional cricketing abiliti es F amilies, CEOs of leading bu sinesses and su ppo rters who came in great numbers to ch eer on the teams also enjoyed a day o f fun activiti es

The High Commission o f I n d i a X I l e d b y S u j i t G h o s h , D e p u t y H i g h Commissioner of India in the UK, showed their skill on the field and secured a hardfought win against a FICCI XI Both teams fought with p a s s i o n a n d t e a m w o r k , demonstrating the spirit of sportsmanship

The thrilling contest was n o t o n l y e n t e r t a i n i n g f o r spectators, but it also highl i g h t e d t h e i m p o r t a n c e o f b u i l d i n g c o n n e c t i o n s w i t h

Indian diaspora The sundrenched cricket field was a witness to some outstanding performances It was clear that the friendship and cooperation between the High Commission of India (HCI) and FICCI were reflected in the performance

Mr Ghosh, Deputy High Commissioner of India, said, " F I C C I d e s e r v e s a l l t h e p r a i s e f o r o r g a n i z i n g t h i s annual cricket match which brings Indian and UK busin e s s e s t o g e t h e r H i g h

Let's not jump to a conclusion

Rohit Vadhwana

Jump ing to a conclusion, prem aturely, is a mistake w e all make Without listening to th e fu ll conv ersation, or knowing all facts, we arriv e at a conclusion This may lead to misunderstanding

It can create disharm ony in co rd ial relationships Perh aps it can break the confidence of the o ther person o r it m ay prev ent you from gaining a g ood friend

While having a conversation with a friend, a family member or a colleague, not making any presumption is very difficult It's our tendency that while listening, we make our own judgments Unfortunately, these judgements are without sufficient facts When the other person has not provided all the details, it is our brain which fills the gaps, based on our own beliefs and understanding Why do we need to supplant those unsaid facts?

time That was the time the d i r e c t o r A n i l S h a r m a a n d writer Shaktimaan came up w i t h t h i s i d e a , i t c l i c k e d immediately And here we are with the film that the world is celebrating, and I can’t begin to tell you how beautiful it is ”

He concluded by enacti n g h i s p o p u l a r d i a l o g u e from Gadar with his famous hand gesture (fist pump in the air): “Hindustan zindabad tha, zindabad hain aur z i n d a b a d r a h e g a ” - o n demand from the audience who joined him with cheers and applauds

Making a conclusion about certain certitudes or persons also makes us have an opinion about it This opinion works as glasses over our eyes The next time when we meet the person, we see him/her through that coloured vision This is damaging to any relationship If someone says about his partner that she is giving him lots of trouble, it would be premature to decide that his partner is a bad person Trouble might be about not allowing him to drink excessively, or pestering him to quit smoking That can come out only when we know the entirety and do not jump to a conclusion without knowing them It might or might not be possible for us to be aware of all relevant aspects through one conversation The other person may not like to discuss with us details In the absence of those facts, avoiding any conclusion is not easy, but we have to learn it Having presumptions and biases about anyone is a strong reason for spoiling good connections

It has to be a conscious effort to not arrive at a conclusion in the absence of all relevant details Unless we train our brain to do so, it can lead us to this dangerous slippery path, resulting in damage to our social, family and professional relationships

(Expressed opinions are personal)

MPs and High Commission of India

C o m m i s s i o n o f I n d i a i s delighted to be part of this a n n u a l e v e n t W h i l e t h e Cricket on field is extremely competitive, as it should be, what is important is the off t h e f i e l d b o n h o m i e a n d camaraderie that it generates It is also a useful mediu m o f u n d e r l i n i n g t h e importance of wellbeing and good health in our lives The m a t c h h a s o n c e a g a i n demonstrated the power of sports in bringing the Indian diaspora and local businesses together, fostering goodwill, and celebrating shared values " B a r o n e s s P r a s h a r ,

C h a i r p e r s o n ,

F I C C I U K

Council while congratulating the High Commission team said, "Congratulations t o t h e H i g h C o m m i s s i o n t e a m l e a d b y t h e D e p u t y High Commissioner for the comprehensive win As we look back on an exhilarating day of cricket, I am proud of t h e a c h i e v e m e n t s a n d t h e spirit shown by both teams in the Annual Cricket Match b e t w e e n t h e H i g h Commission of India XI and FICCI XI The dedication, teamwork, and sportsmans h i p e x h i b i t e d s e r v e a s a reminder of our shared com-

mitment to excellence and collaboration ” S h a i l e s h P a t h a k , S e c r e t a r y G e n e r a l , F I C C I said, “Congratulations to the High Commission of India team for the win We are thrilled to reflect on the success of the Annual Cricket M a t c h b e t w e e n t h e t w o teams The spirit of healthy competition and unity displayed on the field resonates deeply with the values we hold dear Beyond the final score, this event stands as a testament to the strength of our partnership and the joy of coming together " The post-match celebrations were a perfect blend of e l a t i o n a n d c a m a r a d e r i e , with players and spectators alike relishing the momentous occasion The Annual Cricket Match once again served as a reminder that sports have the unique ability to transcend boundaries and create lasting memories

H e ri ta ge B en ga l G l o b al (HBG) , a no n-profit organis ati o n p ro m o tin g Ben gal ’ s h e ri t ag e a nd c u lt u re i n Britain is organising a cricket tou rnament to celebrate India’ s independence day on S u n d ay 2 7 Au g u s t a t t h e Hatch E nd P laying Gro und

Mathew Goodwin Freeman who is leading the support

f r o m t h e H a r r o w C o u n c i l s a i d , “ W e h a v e o r g a n i s e d this cricket tournament to bring communities together C o u n c i l l o r s , M e m b e r o f

P a r l i a m e n t B o b B l a c k m a n CBE, the Mayor of Harrow

“We appeal to the Indian diaspora in UK to support us We are also looking forward for the HBG Cricket D a y i n H a r r o w o n 2 7 t h August- would request the L o n d o n e r s t o b e t h e r e t o encourage us and watch a d e m o m a t c h h o w B l i n d

T he HBG Cricket Day is supp orted by Harrow Council a nd G B S , a glo ba l h i gh er educ ati on pro vi der T eams wi ll i nc lu de MP s , H arro w Councillors, members o f the High Co mmissio n of India u n de r th e le ad er s h i p o f Depu ty High Co mmissio ner S ujit Ghosh and members of the local co mmunity

T h e I n d i a n M e n a n d Women's Divyang (visually i m p a i r e d ) C r i c k e t T e a m s who are in the UK for the I B S A W o r l d G a m e s a t Birmingham, will be felicitated at the HBG Cricket Day

and local volunteers, will all come together to take on the Indian High Commission of India and Heritage Bengal G l o b a l W e a r e b r i n g i n g communities, cultures, and countries together, for a fun day of cricket - what more could you want!

"It will be a great occasion to felicitate the Indian M e n a n d W o m e n B l i n d Cricket team on the day and watch a demo match They are all inspiration to us, and we feel honoured to have them on the day ”

John David, Coach of the I n d i a n M e n ’ s D i v y a n g (Blind) Cricket Team said,

Cricket is played D i r e c t o r o f H B G , A n i r b a n M u k h o p a d h y a y said, “Continuing with our healthy living initiative and after a very successful football tournament, our cricket day also poised for a very s u c c e s s f u l o n e W e a r e thankful to GBS and Harrow council for their support ” GBS which is a private higher education provider is committed to changing lives t h r o u g h e d u c a t i o n T h e g r o u p i s w o r k i n g c l o s e l y w i t h t h e H a r r o w C o u n c i l and HBG, to bring commun i t i e s c l o s e r t o g e t h e r through sports

Sunny Deol, hero of the film Gadar 2, addressing the audience

Actor and MP Sunny Deol, Indian High Commissioner HE Vikram Doraiswami with wife Sangeeta

Teams FICCI XI and the High Commission of India XI along with match officials and commentator Sujit Ghosh, Deputy High Commissioner running out FICCI XI batsman

HBG Cricket Day with community, members of Harrow Council,

HBG Team with Indian Men’s Divyang (Blind) Cricket Team and Coach John David

A patriotic week at Indian High Commission in London

On Mo nd ay, Aug ust 14th the Indian Hig h C omm ission in L ond on m arked Partition Horro rs Remembrance Day A so lemn d ay to rem em ber that our ind epend ence w as no t easily won A d ay to rem em ber the plig ht and p ain of m illions w ho suffered the calamitous event, and to remind us of th e story of th e largest d isplacem ent o f the h uman po pulation and forced migration in the last century,

On Tuesday, August 15th the High Commission held a grand celebration of India's 77th Independence Day at India House High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswami greeted hundreds of diaspora

Heritage Bengal Global to pay tribute to Indian President

H eritage Bengal Glob al is parti cipating in the Indian Independence Day celebration f or th e s e c on d c o ns e c ut i v e y ea r o n Saturday, A ugust 26 Bui lding upon the achievements of the previ ous year, the H BG team, led by Vice President Mahua Bej, will set up a stall to showcase Jhulan D uring this demons tration, they will highlight their highly succes sful Thames Durga Parade, s c h ed ul e d f o r i t s s e c on d i te r a ti on o n

O ctober 28th this year

The HBG cultural team, consisting of Tamalika Basu, Sreya Sarkar, Reshma Lashkar, Madhumitali Rajkhowa, Arati Das, and Arpita Nath, will present a folk dance performance as a tribute to the President of India Simultaneously, the children's team, comprised of Aditri Sarkar, Roma Das, Saanchi Roy, and Srinjoyee Das, will also perform a dance routine

Official ceremony marked Indian Independence Day in Cardiff

A multitu de o f attendees gath ered at Cardiff Castle for a midday flag raising ce re m o ny c o m me mo ra ti ng t h e 7 7 th ann i ver sa ry o f I ndi an i n dep e nde nc e Th e castle's su rrou ndings were adorned wi th n u m er o u s sa f fr o n , wh i te , a nd green Indi an natio nal flags

Indian Honorary Consul Raj Aggarwal orchestrated the event, which saw the presence of notable figures including Welsh Assembly Minister Jane Hutt, Cardiff Deputy Lord Mayor Jane Henshaw, as well as distinguished personnel from the armed forces, police, and community leadership The British Army Band Tidworth performed for the guests and also played the national anthems

A substantial crowd gathered at Cardiff Castle to witness the flag raising ceremony and listen to speeches by Raj Aggarwal and Cardiff's Deputy Lord Mayor Jane Henshaw

A packed audience joined the official Indian government ceremony marking Indian Independence Day's anniversary

This event served as the official Indian government's celebration in Wales to honour the anniversary of Indian Independence

on August 15th, 1947 The Indian Tiranga flag was proudly flown over Cardiff Castle for the duration of the day

members and shared President Droupadi Murmu's Address to the Nation He felicitated the Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI) and greeted each member of the cricket team, who are currently on a UK tour Other special guests included the NCC cadets who are also visiting as part of the India UK Youth Exchange Programme A surprise attraction was the team of motorcyclists from MotoGP Bharat led by HC Doraiswami himself This was a curtain raiser to the first-ever MotoGP event being held

in Uttar Pradesh next month

On Monday 21st August, High Commission organised a special screening of the period action drama Gadar 2 at Vue Cinema, Leicester Square

An event will be held on Saturday, August 26th in the form of a huge community celebration with cultural programs, food stalls and performances at the Navnat Centre in Hayes, supported by the High Commission and Indian organisations in the UK

Ricky Kej and UK's largest orchestra rendition of Indian National Anthem

The

of "Jana Gana Mana" showcases a 100-piece British orchestra from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The recording took place a few days prior in preparation for India's Independence Day on Tuesday Ricky Kej and the Indian High Commission in London encouraged members of the diaspora to spread the one-minute video as they celebrate this significant occasion

“Ricky Kej, three-time Grammy Award winner, always innovative, always at the cutting edge of doing something new in the world of music This year, we congratulate

and thank Ricky for putting together a unique project –celebrating India on its Independence Day with a recording and a performance of India’s National Anthem with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London; the largest-ever orchestra to record the Indian National Anthem and put out as a tribute to India,” said Vikram Doraiswami, the Indian High Commissioner to the UK

Before the collaboration, Kej reflected on how times have changed, considering he is now leading the British orchestra after a history of British rule over India He mentioned that conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra to perform "Jana Gana Mana" was a unique experience

At 42 years old, Kej revealed that "Jana Gana Mana" was the first musical piece he learned as a child The rendition was a product of three months of meticulous planning

Ricky Kej

77th Independence Day of India was celebrated at High Commission in London on 15th August

HC Vikram Doraiswami hoisted the flag and read excerpts from Rashtrapati Bhawan s address to the nation on the eve of Independence Day

Photo exhibition and ceremony to mark Partition Horrors Remembrance Day

Christians who have fought for India’s Independence

Indian Christians have played an important role in the early phase of the Indian National Congress, especially at the third session of the Congress in the year 1887, where, out of 607 participants, there were fifteen Indian Christian delegates who actively participated in the deliberation

Some of the outstanding Indian Christian delegates were Madhu Sunder Das of Odisha who addressed the Congress on the question of expansion of legislative councils and N Subramanian, who proposed and pleaded for a complete separation of judicial and executive functions by the government officials

The Indian Christian delegates continued their contributions in the four subsequent sessions of the Congress Special mention should be made of Pandita Ramabai Saraswati and Kali Chandran Banerji too

Pandita Ramabai Saraswati (1858-1922) was an outstanding Indian Christian woman In the 1889 Congress session, there were 10 Christian delegates of which Pandita Ramabai Saraswati was one She was one of the first Indians who championed the right of women to participate in national politics, eloquently articulating the pitiable history of Indian womanhood Ramabai also played an important role in the third session of the National Social Conference in 1889 at which she supported a resolution condemning the practice of disfiguring the Hindu widows

Kali Chandran Banerji is considered one of the great leaders and founders of ‘The Movement for Emancipation’ A writer of the third session of the Congress in 1887 had this to say: “Perhaps, the finest orator in the whole assembly was Babu Kali Chandran Banerji, who is a Bengali Christian ”

In the 1889 session, Babu Kali Chandran Banerji was responsible for a resolution demanding improvement in the educational systems particularly university education He was also instrumental in 1889 in protesting against the prohibition imposed by the government on teachers participating in the political movements In 1896, he again presented a resolution demanding improvement in the educational system, especially the university education in the country

Brahmabandhab Upadhyay (George Thomas), the Hindu Catholic sadhu and theologian was a leading player in the Swadeshi Movement, and he was prosecuted on a charge of sedition in 1907

C Kumarappa (original name, John Jesudason Cornelius, 1892-1960) was a veteran Congress leader On May 9, 1929, he met Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (Mahatma Gandhi) at the Sabarmati Ashram in Gujarat and that resulted in their becoming close associates He was a strong supporter of Satyagraha and encouraged Christian participation in the national movement

Paul Ramasamy (born in 1906) was another important Christian who took part in the Indian freedom movement In the year 1930, he joined the freedom movement during the Salt Satyagraha days He picketed the Bishop Herber College, Tiruchirappalli He was arrested and sentenced to six months of imprisonment and was kept at Tiruchirappalli and Allipuram jails in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka respectively

In the freedom and pro-democracy movement in Travancore in the 1930s and 1940s, prominent Christian leaders like T M Varghese, A J John, Anne Mascarenhas and Akkamma Cherian were pioneering forces Philoppose Elanjikkal John (1903-1955) was another prominent member of the Travancore State Congress Joachim Alva (1907-1979) was another outstanding personality in the history of the freedom struggle

Then was Kaka Joseph Baptista (1864-1930) too who was a close associate of Lokmanya Tilak He belonged to the East-Indian Catholic community of Mumbai He was also elected as the Mayor of Bombay in the year, 1925 It was Kaka Joseph Baptista who coined the slogan ‘Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it’ and not Lokmanya Tilak as we have learnt in school

Jubel D'Cruz

Independence day celebration in Ontario

On 15 August morning rain was predicted in Markham and other parts of Ontario But many patriots went to India’s flag hoisting ceremony at Sanatan Mandir and Culture centre First, the talented priests of the temple performed a ‘Puja’ of India’s flag which was placed on a thali, by chanting Vedic mantras in Sanskrit as per Hindu religion and flowers, rice and kum kum were spread on the flag A tilak was drawn on the forehead of each devotee and ‘Nada Chadi’ was tied on the right hand of every devotee who offered prayer for safety and peace of India

Then from temple processions of attendees went outside by beating drums and singing patriotic songs to show their love and respect towards Mother India At Vallbh Chowk in front of the temple, India’s flag was hoisted by singing national anthem

Vallabh Chowk named after the life size statue of Sardar Patel was unveiled on 1 May 2022 on Gujarat Day in front of the temple

S uresh and Bhavna P atel

Duty-free scams

Air travel is now so common that practically every one of us take a trip overseas, so often to the exotic destinations like Thailand, Bali, Singapore, Nepal, Shri Lanka and Hong Kong, a few amongst many Far East hot spots that attracts adventurous Britons seeking cheap thrills

But with decline in moral standard and honesty, such travels pose problems most of us would never comprehend At one time we were worried about hygiene and our health But now it is the custom officials, the police and even staffs of duty free shops who are eager to trap and robe the unsuspected Western tourists

A friend of mine recently bought some cigarettes, drinks and perfume bottles at Bangkok airport While paying at the counter, he was handed an extra pack of 200 cigarettes, telling him that it was under offer, buy one and get one free

He innocently accepted it without a second thought; as such offers are so common all over the world Few minutes later, away from the shop, he was stopped by a policewoman and his duty free purchase checked

He was charged for shop lifting, as he had two packs of cigarettes while the till receipt showed only one pack paid for Needless to say, he was in a panic, afraid to miss his flight and above all the notorious Thai jail where only the young and the though survive In the end an illegal fine of $300 which went into the pocket of the police and their accomplice in the duty-free shop let him board the flight He was so shaken that he even dumped the duty free shopping he had paid for

We have made a point never to buy from a duty-free shop, not even in Dubai, a favourite shopping destination for most of us, a stopping point while flying to India during our normal winter breaks But it is safe to buy on the plane and always pay by a credit card and check So be aware The world is changing fast and honesty is a rare commodity

Bhupendra M G andhi

Freedom of expression

News regarding regulating “freedom of expression” by the Supreme Court (AV dated 19 08 2023) is timely and long overdue This has been widely misused to gain unnecessary free publicity by providing inflammatory material without checking the facts or by putting the claim of one community against another by adding “spices” to make it more sensational Freedom of any kind is to be used judicially and responsibly to make sure that it is not harming individuals, society, the government or the country There are plenty of neighbouring countries to India where they are not allowed to express their opinions freely

This is very harmful to the fabric of society especially when the Lok Sabha election is due in the next few months A fine of just 1lac Indian rupees (100 thousand rupees) is not at all enough It should be a minimum of 10% of the gross yearly revenue of the company or forcing the channel off for a few days Monetary fines will not deter the media people at all because they plenty of money from the advertisers to get more viewers

Inflammatory news will create disturbances in society and at times people may take to the streets and may damage public property or kill innocent people

There should be stern and quick actions on the channels that are not responsible and just create a nuisance in society There should be fast-track courts to take decisions about whether the channel has violated the rules and impose fines quickly Businesses can also support good governance by not giving advertisements to those who are not responsible for reporting the facts and doing a bit more research Freedom of expression is a very valuable right but has to be used judiciously

A salute to Sulabh Man

Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, Dr Bindeshwar Pathak chose to uplift and empower manual scavengers mostly women He was a visionary who championed the cause of sanitation starting Sulabh International, building 10,000 low cost toilets in 50 years His Hygiene education and awareness campaigns have changed people’s behaviour to use public toilets instead of relieving in public places A toilet is as important as home

TS K arthik

We are grateful to all letter writers for more and more versatile letters well within word limit Please keep contributing as always

If you are new, then write to Shefali at shefali saxena@abplgroup com

Kapil Dudakia

Ethnocide in the name of God

H o w m any o f yo u h a v e h ear d o f th e ‘ D o ct ri ne o f Discov ery ’ ? Without being too presump tuou s, I susp ect the answer w ill be very few In fact, astonish ing ly, this one c o n ce p t of g en o ci d e a nd et h no c i d e co m m i tte d b y C hristians has gone unreported for centuries There is a conspiracy to keep it out of head lines and to hide it from h istory All efforts are mad e to stop the truth of th is d esp icable cu rse o n hum anity from com ing out Even ordinary C hristians h av e no id ea of this, nor of its impact on hund reds of millions of people right across the world

So let me explain the basics and why in my opinion, Christians are responsible for genocide and ethnocide of millions over many centuries This will be uncomfortable reading, especially for those of you who wish to appease to theperpetrators of these crimes against humanity

The ‘Doctrine of Discovery’ was first put into writing in 1452 as one of the papal ‘bulls’(but its unethical thought process stemmed from many centuries before) by the then Pope In a nutshell, the doctrine legitimised for colonial nations such as Spain and Portugal (but its effect and impact was much wider, and many other European/Christian nations followed the same doctrine) to seize lands and subjugate people,as long as they were not Christians That’s right, you see they did not believe that anyone else was worthy to be considered a human being unless they were Christians

The Doctrine of Discovery provided a framework for Christian explorers in the name of their King or Queen, to lay claim to lands uninhabited by Christians If the lands were vacant of Christians, then they could be defined as “discovered” and ‘sovereignty’was claimed

‘Terra nullius’ is a Latin expression meaning "nobody's land" Meaning, if a Christian steps on any land, anywhere on this planet, and if in their opinion that land is, ‘terra nullis’, then by the power invested by the doctrine of discovery, they can lay claim over all those lands To give you a few examples, America, Canada, South America, Africa, India, Australia, New Zealand, and so on You get the point

Lest you still doubt the authenticity of the above, this is from the Romanis Pontifex by Pope Nicholas V to King Afonso V of Portugal, 1455:

"To invade, search out, capture, vanquish, and subdue all Saracens and pagans whatsoever, and other enemies of Christ wheresoever placed, and the kingdoms, dukedoms, principalities, dominions, possessions, and all movable and immovable goods whatsoever held and possessed by them and to reduce their persons to perpetual slavery "

Even the Permanent Forum (UN) had to note recently that, while such frameworks of domination and “ conquest” were promoted as authority for land acquisition, they also encouraged despicable assumptions: that indigenous peoples were “savages,barbarians, inferior and uncivilized”,and this was used by the colonisers to justify their subjugation, domination and exploitation of lands, territories, and its indigenous peoples

Whole cultures andcivilisations were wiped out, or almost destroyed, or contaminated because of this wholesale policy of exploitation and enslavement The white man (and woman) with their Christian zeal systematically destroyed cultures and its people i e Ethnocide And where they found it difficult to commit ethnocide, genocide or subjugation was the preferred option All done in the name of their one God

It is therefore surprising that in so many of these nations that now claim to be free at last, still have millions of indigenous people who have taken to the faith of their oppressor Their very bloodline has been so contaminated with the evil perpetrated on them over centuries, that today even in their so called ‘freedom’, they continue the tradition of the oppressors Ethnocide is complete on them; the sacrifice of their bloodline remains in ruins The devil incarnate has truly captured the souls of these heathens

So if you are a Hindu, a Sikh, a Buddhist, a Jain, thank your lucky stars that your bloodline did not bow down to the inhumanity of this one God In this world there are two faiths that thrive on ethnocide and genocide, Christianity and Islam Both borne of the same parent, yet these two siblings of a destructive ideology continue their infantile rivalries on the world stage even today

One would need to create a library of books to record the atrocities committed under the guise of the ‘doctrine of discovery’ Suffice to say, it was and continues to live in the minds and habitual behaviour of those who still foster such sentiments Open your eyes and see the world for what it is, that it remains the playground for those who wish to systematically destroy cultures that challenge their superiority

The India Club set to close next month

The India Club , situa ted in L on don, with its early origins intert wined with the In dian in depe nd ence move men t as a focal point for nationalists, is set to close next month after an e xt end ed str ug gle aga in st cl osure , re vea led on M onda y The h istor ical gathering spot and eatery, which successfully defended it s prem ise s in London 's cen tr al Stra nd ar ea fr om demolition a few years ago, received a notice from landl ords to ma ke wa y for a more modernized hotel

Yadgar Marker and his daughter Phiroza, the proprietors, launched a camp a i g n t i t l e d " S a v e I n d i a Club" as they battled to sustain its operations, but have n o w c o n f i r m e d i t s i m m inent shutdown "It is with d e e p r e g r e t t h a t w e a n n o u n c e t h e i m p e n d i n g closure of the India Club, with our final day of public o p e r a t i o n s c h e d u l e d f o r S e p t e m b e r 1 7 , " t h e y expressed

The India Club's origins t r a c e b a c k t o t h e I n d i a League, a group advocating for Indian independence in B r i t a i n , w h o s e f o u n d i n g members included Krishna M e n o n - l a t e r t h e f i r s t Indian High Commissioner to the UK Beyond housing one of the UK's early Indian restaurants, the Club swiftly evolved into a hub for the b u r g e o n i n g B r i t i s h S o u t h Asian community following I n d i a n i n d e p e n d e n c e a n d Partition

Phiroza, who has supported her father at the Club since her youth, stated, "For over 70 years since its incept i o n , t h e I n d i a C l u b h a s s e r v e d a s a h o m e - a w a yfrom-home for first-generation immigrants from the Indian subcontinent and a communal space for IndoB r i t i s h a s s o c i a t i o n s "

Over a third of South Asian communities in the UK are on track for a comfortable retirement

Shefali Saxena

Scottish Widows’ l at est Retirement Report reveals that over a third of South Asian communities in the UK are on track for a comfortable retirement

Parvathi Raman, Founding C h a i r o f t h e C e n t r e f o r M i g r a t i o n a n d D i a s p o r a S t u d i e s a t t h e S c h o o l o f Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) underlined Menon's vision for the India Club as a n a f f o r d a b l e v e n u e f o r young Indian professionals to dine, engage in political d i s c o u r s e , a n d p l a n t h e i r aspirations This insight was shared during the 'A Home Away from Away: The India C l u b ' e x h i b i t i o n i n 2 0 1 9 , curated by the UK's conserv a t i o n c h a r i t y N a t i o n a l Trust Operational as an Indian restaurant near the Indian H i g h C o m m i s s i o n o n t h e Strand since 1946, the Club occupies the first floor of t h e 2 6 - r o o m S t r a n d C o n t i n e n t a l H o t e l T h e b u i l d i n g ' s f r e e h o l d e r , M a r s t o n P r o p e r t i e s , h a d p r e v i o u s l y s u b m i t t e d a n application to Westminster City Council for a partial demolition to make way for a new hotel The Council u n a n i m o u s l y r e j e c t e d t h e application in August 2018, citing the venue's cultural s i g n i f i c a n c e i n L o n d o n ' s heart S e n i o r C o n g r e s s M P S h a s h i T h a r o o r e x p r e s s e d his disappointment at the announcement of closure, c o n s i d e r i n g h i s j o u r n a l i s t father Chandran Tharoor's affiliation with the historic establishment "As the son o f o n e o f i t s f o u n d e r s , I mourn the loss of an institution that served countless I n d i a n s ( a n d n o t j u s t Indians) for nearly seventyf i v e y e a r s , " h e s h a r e d o n s o c i a l m e d i a p l a t f o r m X ( f o r m e r l y k n o w n a s T w i t t e r ) T h i s s e n t i m e n t triggered an outpouring of responses from individuals expressing their sorrow at the departure of a fragment of British Indian history in London

A s t h e U K c e l e b r a t e s S o u t h A s i a n H e r i t a g e Month (running from 18th July – 17th August), the late s t f i g u r e s f r o m S c o t t i s h Widows' annual study of the nation’s retirement preparations provide some cause for o p t i m i s m , p a r t i c u l a r l y f o r Indian communities

H o w e v e r , d e s p i t e t h i s , the report uncovers disparities in retirement planning across South Asian communities Only 35% of respondents in the Pakistani community and 39% of those in o t h e r A s i a n c o m m u n i t i e s are currently on track for a c o m f o r t a b l e r e t i r e m e n t lifestyle These figures are b r o a d l y c o n s i s t e n t w i t h those of White British (36%), W h i t e n o n - B r i t i s h ( 3 0 % ) , and Black (35%) communities

The Indian community has a positive outlook on r e t i r e m e n t w h i c h c a n b e attributed to several factors, i n c l u d i n g h i g h e r l e v e l s o f n o n - p e n s i o n s a v i n g s , a greater likelihood of being married or in a civil partnership, an expectation of partner contributions to retirem e n t i n c o m e s , a n d l o w e r levels of debt compared to o t h e r u n d e r r e p r e s e n t e d communities R a n i l a R a v i - B u r s l e m , I n t e r m e d i a r y D i s t r i b u t i o n D i r e c t o r a t S c o t t i s h Widows, spoke exclusively to Asian Voice about this 1 What is the importance of positive outcomes in the South Asian community amid ongoing debates on racism and less inclusion?

Positive outcomes in the South Asian community are important for several reasons First, they can help to c h a l l e n g e t h e s t e r e o t y p e s and prejudices that those in the community face from racism and discrimination Second, they can empower t h o s e w i t h i n t h e S o u t h Asian community to over-

Axiom Ince calls upon external experts to conduct an investigation

Ax iom In ce (for mer ly A xiom DWFM), the firm from which three directors were removed by t he Sol icitor s Reg ulat ion Authority, has initiated an external audit to investigate the situation while maintaining its ongoing operations

The SRA's intervention led to t h e s u s p e n s i o n o f p a r t n e r s P r a g n e s h M o d h w a d i a , I d n a n Liaqat, and Shyam Mistry from practicing as solicitors The regulator cited suspected dishonesty and rule breaches in its actions against the directors Despite the regulatory intervention, Axiom

Ince has been allowed to continue its regular business activities “ A l o n g w i t h o u r i n t e r n a l inquiries, we have retained the services of the leading account a n c y p r a c t i c e B D O , w h i c h i s conducting a thorough and comp r e h e n s i v e i n v e s t i g a t i o n a n d r e v i e w , " a s p o k e s p e r s o n c o m -

mented Over the past five months, Axiom has acquired Plexus Legal and the Ince Group via pre-pack administration agreements, preserving numerous job positions in the process

come the barriers and challenges they face in accessing e d u c a t i o n , e m p l o y m e n t , health care and other opportunities Also, the positive outcomes can highlight the c o n t r i b u t i o n s t h a t t h e S o u t h A s i a n c o m m u n i t y make to wider society and t h e e c o n o m y i n v a r i o u s fields and sectors By celebrating and promoting positive outcomes in the South Asian community, we can foster a more inclusive and diverse society 2 What can be done to improve outcomes in the Bangladeshi and Pakistani communities?

To increase incomes for Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities, there needs to b e m o r e i n v e s t m e n t a n d intervention in tackling the systemic barriers and root causes of inequality, such as w o r k p l a c e d i s c r i m i n a t i o n , racism and classism

The data from the Office of National Statistics reveals the disparities in earnings of t h o s e w i t h i n t h e Bangladeshi and Pakistani communities, earning 16 9% and 20 2% less than their w h i t e c o u n t e r p a r t s T h i s h i g h l i g h t s t h e n e e d f o r employers to report on ethn i c i t y p a y g a p s a n d t a k e action to address any barriers or biases in the workplace that affect access to employment, quality training, and career progression

A d d i t i o n a l l y , s u p p o r t i n g South Asian community-led initiatives and organisations that promote social cohesion, civic engagement and cultural awareness, and celebrating the achievements a n d c o n t r i b u t i o n s o f Bangladeshi and Pakistani i n d i v i d u a l s a n d g r o u p s i n v a r i o u s f i e l d s a r e a l s o

important steps to improve outcomes

3 Why do you think Indians fare better?

The Indian community has a positive outlook on r e t i r e m e n t w h i c h c a n b e attributed to several factors These include higher levels of non-pension savings, a greater likelihood of being married or in a civil partnership, an expectation of partner contributions to retirem e n t i n c o m e s ( 8 5 % c o mpared to 50% for those in the White British community), a n d l o w e r l e v e l s o f d e b t compared to the national average Educational attainment Is a very important f a c t o r t o o M o s t p e o p l e f r o m I n d i a n c o m m u n i t i e s are university educated and t h e r e f o r e a r e I n h i g h e rearning jobs leading to better financial resilience and the ability to save more for retirement

4 How can there be more parity within the South Asian community, when it comes to retirement planning?

To achieve parity within the South Asian community, when it comes to retirement well-being, there needs to be more awareness and education about the benefits and options of pensions There also needs to be more grassr o o t s w o r k w i t h i n S o u t h Asian communities to support and guide those who struggle to access or contribute to pension schemes, such as low-income earners, self-employed workers, carers and women, who often face barriers and challenges, such as lower pay, higher unemployment, discrimination, caring responsibilities and cultural norms

Exhibit highlights the significant role of Indian Army in World War I

A coll ab orat ion b etwe en the Na tiona l A rmy Museum a nd United Service Institution of India, "British Indian Army: Soldiers of the First World War is a temporary exhibit that sheds light on the signif ican t role play ed b y the India n Arm y durin g the First World War across the globe

T h e I n d i a n A r m y ' s i n v o l v ement was pivotal throughout the war, from the initial deployment of the 3 r d L a h o r e D i v i s i o n i n F r a n c e i n September 1914 to the ultimate efforts in pursuing Ottoman forces out of Palestine in 1918

The exhibit underscores their vital contribution in major campaigns such as the Western Front, Gallipoli, East

Research has shown that w o m e n b o r n i n P a k i s t a n i and other South Asian communities were more likely to work in involuntary parttime jobs because they could not find full-time positions compared to women born in the UK This may be due to various reasons such as discrimination, language barriers or family responsibilities

In addition, employers and policymakers need to continue to do their part in making sure workplace pens i o n s c h e m e s a n d a u t oenrolment is accessible for all, which can help to secure a c o m f o r t a b l e r e t i r e m e n t F o r e x a m p l e , t h e N H S , which employs a large prop o r t i o n o f S o u t h A s i a n workers, has recently introd u c e d a n e w p e n s i o n s c h e m e t h a t o f f e r s m o r e f l e x i b i l i t y a n d c h o i c e f o r s t a f f a l l o w i n g t h e m t o c h o o s e t h e i r c o n t r i b u t i o n rate, opt for a lump sum or an income at retirement and access their pension benefits earlier or later than the normal pension age Also, MPs have backed a private members’ bill that would reduce t h e p e n s i o n s a u t o - e n r o lment age from 22 to 18 and abolish the lower earnings limit, which the government has said would encourage employees to start saving for their retirement earlier in their careers

5 Do you think in today s world, people need to have a post-retirement plan that safeguards them monetarily and emotionally?

Definitely, I think peop l e n e e d t o h a v e a p o s tretirement plan When we think about the cost of livi n g a n d i n f l a t i o n c o u p l e d with the lack of wealth in underrepresented commun i t i e s , t h i s w i l l h a v e a n i m p a c t o n t h e a b i l i t y t o afford basic needs or desired c o m f o r t s A l s o , a s l i f e e x p e c t a n c y , m e d i c i n e a n d h e a l t h c a r e a d v a n c e , w e n e e d t o s a v e m o r e f o r a longer retirement period

For example, in my case, I will be looking to move to a warmer climate due to my arthritis, so I will take steps to ensure that this is possible Emotionally, it’s likely y o u ’ l l w a n t t o b e w i t h friends and family and this may require moving or travelling often Therefore, havi n g a p l a n w i l l s u p p o r t ensuring a comfortable and fulfilling retirement

Ranila Ravi

Members of the Indian Journalists Association with Dr Shashi Tharoor at India Club in 2014

A special zoom event on revolutionary landmarks of Gujarat

Badal lakhlani

Gu jar at Samachar and Asian Vo ice o rganised a Zo om event on "Revo lu tionary landmarks of Gujarat" on Au gu st 1 2, 2023 Not ed jo ur nalist, writer, po et , col um nist, and histo rian, Padma Shri Vishnu Pandya, was the keyno te speaker at the event

At the beginning of the programme, Editor and Publisher of ABPL Group CB Patel, said that "India gained independence on August 15 when Mahatama Gandhi took up the 'Quit India' movement Today, India has completed 75 years of independence, and it is undergoing a wonderful transformation "

He added, "I remember, then Chief Minister Narendra Modi and Moraribapu were present at the launch of Vishnubhai's book "

" (Revolutionary landmarks of Gujarat) in Ahmedabad

These two notables talked a lot about Vishnubhai at that time Gujarat has always been a crucial part of India Gandhiji was not the first martyr from Gujarat to sacrifice and dedicate his life to the cause of independence

Without any regard to caste or religion, people fought against British control, including tribals Vishnubhai and his wife late Artiben Pandya researched the work of literature on the revolutionaries of Gujarat "

The consulting editor of Gujarat Samachar, Jyotsnaben Shah thanked everyone present at the event and said, "The month of revolution is August Vishnubhai has made significant contributions to literature for 40 years and has a wonderful personality. He also writes a column for Gujarat Samachar He and his late wife wrote a book that has a dignified saga of several heroes and places He has also graced the chairmanship of the Gujarat Sahitya Akademi

More recently, he has elaborated in his articles about the glory of BhaktiShakti, and the month of Shravan and Krantiveera " There ar e 101 revolu tionaries in Gu jarat, each with its own st ory and docum ent s, says Vishnubhai

Talking about his life experiences and events in his book, Vishnubhai said, “CB Patel is known in many ways and he encourages others As soon as my book was published, I got a call from him saying, 'Let's do

a programme ' However, I was apprehensive about it because I am not an organisation man CB himself arranged everything and Moraribapu and the then Chief Minister Narendra Modi came to the event and also gave a speech ”

“Today I want to talk about my book Gujarat has 101 revolutionaries, each with their own biography and supporting documentation - a culture of self-sacrifice Months have passed since the occurrences were discussed After finding 101 revolutionaries, there were many places in Gujarat which where ignited after hearing their heroic deeds Some of the revolutionaries were hanged, some were put in the Andaman jail, some joined the satyagraha and some others had fallen to the bullet of the policemen I am not exaggerating at all,” he added

“A young man named Chhagan Kheraj Verma went to San Francisco and published a Gujarati newspaper 'Gadar' In that, he wrote that the change of society takes place only through the mother tongue In 1857, this man went to Singapore to stage another mutiny in the Indian army and was hanged there The first and last journalist to be hanged was a revolutionary Gujarati journalist,” he said

He emphasised, “There was a small-scale uprising in 1857 among kings, feudal lords, landlords, and troops It was fought by Patels, Brahmins, Bhils, and Kshatriyas as well as regular men Okha, Sandhis, and Pathans were all warriors as well They were all common individuals who had not yet engaged in combat According to data, 10,000 people were sacrificed in Gujarat during 1857 This was an unusual revolution for ordinary people ”

“Arti and I have been able to narrate some of these stories At that time, there were no smartphones, so in a small car, we travelled to 101 places in Gujarat, about 8 years and went there to

take pictures, meet people, and get documents It was the land of satyagraha, armed revolution, and sacrifices,” he added

Talking about women empowerment during the freedom struggle, he said, “After 1857 in Dwarka, an Englishman named General Donavan came ashore with a navy and fired cannonballs from a ship at the temple of Dwarkadhish At that time, the Vaghera people had pistols, and they thought about how to implement the idea Many Vaghera caste women gathered in the Dwarka temple and took out their wet mattresses and quilts to dodge the cannon ball However, we do not have the names of those unknown women or how many died ”

He stated, “In 1857, Nanasaheb Peshwa's brother Rao Saheb went to Dwarka, made an agreement there, and sided with the Vaghera, who fought from 1820 to 1865 The two veteran heroes who stood with him in that support were Jodha Manek and Bholo Manek Jodha Manek was a philosopher and warrior who died fighting in the forest of Gir ”

“Moulu Manek was caught, kept in Vadodara jail, and escaped There were five people with him Zawerchand Meghani called them five Pandavas All these five Pandavas were resting in the hut of the exhausted, hungry, and thirsty Dalits of the Padar village of Pachhoda near Porbandar Someone there got to know, and the whole police convoy came from Porbandar and surrounded them from all sides Moulu Manek then said to one of his shepherd companions, 'If there is a bounty on my head, you go and tell them that Moulu Manek is here, and if you catch him, you will get the bounty ' At this time, the cops set fire to the hut, prompting the group to emerge and fight back, displaying gallantry even if they died or lived together Today, if you visit the padar in the village of Pachhoda, all five of the pillars are there as a tribute to the warriors,” he added

Talking about the people from the UK who made contributions during the freedom struggle, he said, “Some Londoners have ancestors from Kutch and Saurashtra Pandit Shyamjikrishna Varma from Mandvi travelled to London and became the first graduate, while Barrister Rana from Kantharia in Surendranagar went to Paris and started the India House and Indian Sociology newspapers after visiting India and returning ”

“This newspaper ran from 1905 to 1923 Savarkar, Lala Hardayal, Virendranath Chattopadhyay, and Madanlal Dhingra were in India House at that time What achievements occurred in 1905! Some of those locations still exist,

while others do not On the left side of Mashvel Hill Road, he used to live There was an archway bridge right there Once, CB Patel and I were walking over that bridge I understood that Pandit Shyamjikrishna Varma and other revolutionaries would be going here for an evening stroll A beautiful and neat threestoried building on Mashvel Hill was the residence of Pandit Shyamjikrishna Varma, “ he added

He said, “Another structure, known as India House, is comparable Bharat Mata Ki Jai and Vande Mataram are inscribed on a flag that has two other pointers circled Hemant Padhya, a dedicated Londoner, works on this project to maintain it as a legacy ”

“In London in 1905, an Indian restaurant on Shaftesbury Avenue hosted a celebration honouring the halfcentury anniversary of the freedom movement in 1857. Pentonville Prison is another location that is seen as you travel down London's Caledonian Road This is not simply a prison; it is also an execution shrine to Madanlal Dhingra and

Sardar Udham Singh, two of our greatest sons, ” he added

He stated, “The history of Victoria Station is also present After being detained, Vinayakarao Damodar Savarkar, who had travelled from Paris to London through the Victoria railway station, jumped from the port of Marseilles before being apprehended, caught, and given a two-life sentence in the Andaman Islands ”

“The defendant, Zawerchand Kalidas Meghani, was presented in the commercial court in 1930 It was said that he organised a seditious gathering in Barwala to stir up support for Gandhiji's Salt March

When the charge sheet was filed, Meghani said, 'On the day and time you made the charge, I was sleeping in my house, but you can do anything you want to ' Under which Justice Ishani sentenced him to 2 years People said, 'Sir, this is our beloved poet; let him sing poetry.' Under which the judge said yes Meghani stood in the cage and chanted his last prayer, ” he added

The vote of thanks was given by Shrijit

Rajan, operations manager

Global Head of Chinmaya Mission to visit London

– t o L on d o n f fr o m t he 6 t h t o t h e 1 9 t h S Se ptember

During his visit, Pujya Swamiji will be leading Krishna Janmashtami celebrations at CMUK’s recently renovated Chinmaya Kirti centre in Hendon (North London), guiding young minds (ages 18-35) during the everpopular weekend youth retreats and conducting a series of free evening talks open to all entitled “Beyond Moods” – covering Chapter 14 of the Bhagavad Gita in Wembley.

Pujya Swamiji has been visiting the UK for many years and has touched many lives. Devotee and entrepreneur Milan Samanicites Pujya Swamiji’s positive influence over his career, family life and his own spiritual growth: “Swamiji taught us that a fulfilling career is one where you have the courage to use your aptitudes and natural skillsets for a lofty and inspiring cause”.

Chinmaya Mission was established in India in 1953 by devotees of the world-renowned Vedanta teacher, His Holiness Swami Chinmayananda.

In 1984 Swami Swaroopananda left his family’s thriving business in Hong Kong to undergo intensive training under Swami Chinmayananda and he was initiated into

the monastic order in 1992. Since then, he has touched thousands of lives across the world, and his tremendous work in bringing out the essential wisdom and underlying unity of all religions has garnered him a place among the vanguards of self-development philosophy.

Under the guidance of Pujya Swamiji, Chinmaya Mission has grown considerably in recent years.

A new university - Chinmaya Vishwa Vidyapeeth (CVV) – was established in 2016 in Kerala, south India, as a torchbearer for the preservation of India’s cultural heritage and knowledge traditions through higher education.

At the same time, the Mission remains true to the core of its founding vision with the 19th edition of its Vedanta course due to begin in 2024 – a two-year intensive residential course at its Mumbai ashram where young spiritual seekers can study the Hindu scriptures in depth under worldrenowned experts.

CMUK welcomes all to join in the celebrations during Pujya Swamiji’s visit. For more information on any of the topics in this article and for details of the events, please refer to www c hinmayauk o rg

CB Patel Jyotsnaben Shah Vishnu Pandya

A sustainable approach to healthy living

Prapti Dutt is a mother of two boys, who has fought her way t h rou gh 2 C-sectio ns, p ostpartum depression & diastasis recti to reach where she is now

H er jou rney coming d ow n from size 16 gave her a lot of l earnings abo ut w hat reall y works, especially when the goal is not just weight loss, but to g et str ong er and not feel exhausted all the time,

After trying extensive exercise and equipment, she realised her ways weren't sustainable and won’t lead to results That’s when she moved to her own training of core workouts that she now offers through CoreSculpt App

In an interview with Asian Voice, she shares more about her upcoming app CoreSculpt and her fitness journey

What are some exercise regimens available on the app that can help people in various walks of life?

CoreSculpt App, as the name suggests, is all about building your core strength through homebased bodyweight workouts There is a misconception that the core is only the Ab muscles, when it refers to the group of muscles that stabilize your spine, back, pelvis and abdominals, leading to a great range of mobility, flexibility, functional strength, and posture improvements CoreSculpt will give your muscles the much-needed resilience that is essential for every single person to counter the age-related loss of muscle mass

How will your app cater to clients who have specific fitness goals?

CoreSculpt offers an exceptional collection of over 500 unique follow-along workouts

This expansive variety ensures that every individual, regardless of their fitness goal, can find tailored routines that propel them towards success With such a diverse range of workouts at your fingertips, achieving your fitness goals becomes easier- be it increasing your stamina, agility, endurance, balancing, flexibility, explosive strength, or body re-composition

As a qualified nutritionist, wit-

Running a menstrual health startup

is full of plus-size members loving their newly evolved strong toned bodies Health comes in all shapes and forms through diverse role models Scales or sizes should not define a person ’ s identity

Among the various fitness apps out there, how will CoreSculpt stand out?

nessing the positive shifts in my clients bodies and lives fuels my passion for crafting personalized nutrition plans that unlock their full potential

Howdo you adapt your coaching style and communication to cater to clients with varying levels of fitness experience and knowledge, especially through an app?

Having earned accolades as an award-winning mentor, fitness trainer & nutritionist since 2020, mentoring and coaching along with fitness and nutrition plans, is the essence of all my programs including CoreSculpt App By joining my program, you get access to my private WhatsApp groups to get the right support from women who are been through similar journeys

Moreover, I am not just your fitness trainer but also your workout buddy who is just a chat away sharing my tips and tricks

Amidgrowing discussions about plus-size bodies and body positivity, how do fitness apps, including CoreSculpt, play a role in this conversation?

With CoreSculpt and all my programs, the goal isn’t to get Skinny but Strong! By committing to our fitness journey, we're not just building muscles; we're cultivating resilience, determination, and mental fortitude Every push-up, every squat, and every mile run are a testament to our inner strength, reminding us that we're capable of overcoming challenges, be it workout or life It's not about restriction or counting calories; it's about honouring our body and giving it the sustenance, it deserves My fitness community

CoreSculpt App brings you a plethora of options with Circuit training, Bodyweight strength, Yoga, Pilates, Callisthenics, Resistance & strength training along with nutrition and habit coaching services into one comprehensive platform It isn’t easy to find such a synergy and an unmatched fusion that transforms your fitness journey into an inspiring adventure! CoreSculpt isn’t just another Fitness App, it is a culmination of years of dedication, passion, expertise, experience & knowledge and is an ever-evolving network of strong women This is what helps it to stand out With the announcement of Alevel results, there's a lot of students who are facing stress regarding their results and the looming future What are some exercises and dietary suggestions would you pass on to them?

I understand the stress of Alevel, but I would rather fix the cause than give a treatment Lack of mental health and positivity is the root cause of unhealthy eating The young rockstars don’t need to know ‘what is right for them today’, they need to hear ‘things will turn right for them one day’! Life has a way of getting you the best of you, not every milestone will be your choice, but it will lead to your destination eventually Readers can reach Prapti directly through her website: https://keepwellmantras com/ or through Instagram (www instag r a m c o m / k e e p w e l l m a n t r a s )

Readers can meet Prapti at the Rangeelu Gujarat cultural fest event happening on 1st-3rd September, joining in for a 30 min of fun fitness session on 1st September afternoon

Neelam Gill’s challenges with self-image and the pressures of colourism

In a re ce nt int erv iew, IndianBritish fashion model Neelam Gill discussed her beauty journey

Talking about the pressures of colourism, she told Vogue, “Although I grew up idolising Bollywood actresses, I didn’t see myself in them, which may be funny to people in the West, because they think, “Oh, they’re Indian, and you ’ re Indian,” but

there was a big movement in India, especially when I was growing up, that saw beauty equated with being fair All the Bollywood actresses would endorse skinlightening products

“Whenever I’d go on holiday and get a tan, there would be certain people random extended family members, who would make a comment on my skin tone I

Ruby Raut is the founder and CEO of Wake Up Kick Ass (WUKA), a female-led start up, making the UK’s first reusable and leak-proof period wear This coincides with WUKA’s new ad campaign, launching this month, which aims to ignite powerful conversations and resonate with millions of women, especially in the South Asian community Ruby, an Environmental Scientist, had a taboo-fuelled and difficult start to her period while growing up in Nepal She was given old sari rags to use for her bleeding, which happened to be reusable and eco-friendly, but not hygienic, she was sent to a relatives house and banished to a room away from everyone As an immigrant in the UK, Ruby found similar taboos around the topic within many communities, and although period products are more visible, there is still a taboo to be dealt with This is what inspired her to found WUKA, to break the taboos and to make sure everyone has access to healthy and sustainable period products Ruby was named Great British Entrepreneur of the Year in 2022 Here’s her exclusive interview with Asian Voice

1Whatinspired the idea of your startup?

My personal upbringing in a Nepal where I was banished for bleeding during my first period under the rules of a now illegal ritual called “chaupadi” was a transformative experience and is one of the early catalysts that led me to want to make a difference in my career- challenging societal norms and promoting female empowerment

Upon relocating to the UK, I studied an Environmental Science Degree during which time I discovered that 200,000+ tonnes of tampon/pads were sent to UK landfills every year, contributing to the mounting tide of plastic pollution I knew something had to change about the way we handle menstruation and the idea for WUKA was born

Inspired by using my mother’s old sari rags for pads as a child, I created a modern day, sustainable alternative- WUKA period pants

Since then, the brand has grown exponentially and without any outside investment We have worked tirelessly to grow awareness of the brand and to teach millions of people about the benefits of switching to reusable period products

As an entirely bootstrapped business, all profits are reinvested back into the business into the areas required to grow- often these are marketing, people and stock Being a boot-strapped startup has required us to be lean and meticulous when it comes to budgeting Our team is used to flexing their muscles and learning new skills to meet the needs of the business - no-one is above doing anything at WUKA We all chip in and roll our sleeves up to make it work!

3What are the challenges of running such a brand?

As a woman, an immigrant and a founder of a menstrual health brand, I have faced many challenges along the way but I believe with the right “kick ass ” attitude combined with passion, perseverance and a collective approach, you can build a successful business that is not only profitable but positively impactful too

could never understand why people in our community wanted to be fairer I was like, “We have brown skin!”

When questioned about her self-image struggles, she expressed that during her upbringing, she didn't feel beautiful at all Gill's grandparents hail from India and are part of the Sikh community in the Indian state of Punjab

Meera Syal’s "Mrs. Sidhu Investigates," premiere date announced

Meera Syal is reprising her role as crime-solv in g Ind ia n chef Mr s Sidhu in the new comedy crime drama "Mrs Sidhu Investigates" for Acorn TV Syal, known for her roles in successful shows like "Goodness Gracious Me" and "The Kumars at No 42, previously portrayed the title role in two series of the Radio 4 comedy produced by Absolutely between 2017 and 2019

The radio series, originally conceived by "The Kumars" writer Suk Pannu alongside Syal, consisted of two series, each comprising four half-hour installments titled "Murder with Masala" and "Mrs Sidhu’s Dangerous Highland Game "

The TV adaptation, also led by Pannu and Syal, will consist of four feature-length episodes, each presenting a standalone mystery,

including scenarios like death at a health club, murder at a cosplay convention, tech company troubles, and a boxing-related mystery

"Mrs Sidhu Investigates"

Season 1 is set to premiere on Monday, September 18, with one episode releasing each week until October 9, 2023 Joining Syal in the cast are Craig Parkinson, Gurjeet Singh, and Naana Agyei-Ampadu, all in significant roles

To date, WUKA has prevented a staggering 1 2 billion tampons and pads from ending up in landfills This environmentally conscious approach has had a positive influence on the lives of over half a million women and girls in the UK and around the world, providing them with a more comfortable and eco-friendly menstrual experience

WUKA stands for Wake Up Kick Ass and was the first reusable period underwear product in the UK We are now an award-winning, inclusive and sustainable brand stocked in retailers nationwide with over 500,000+ customers worldwide

2What kind of monetary support and sustainable support do you have as a female founder to keep the brand afloat?

Teaching myself how to sew on YouTube, me and my husband Dave created the first prototype and launched WUKA on Kickstarter in December 2017, securing the necessary funding for production

Some of the challenges include people suggesting our business would do well in developing countries such as India and Africa People - especially those who don’t have periods- often mistake the issue of period poverty as being something that doesn’t exist in the UK It’s at this point that I remind them that UK period poverty has risen from 12% to 21% in the last year alone We must do more to make period products more accessible to all women and girls

Access to resources and investment as a female founder

There are 30% fewer female entrepreneurs in the UK compared to the US, and only 3% of funded British businesses are female founded The fact is if women started businesses at the same rate as in other developed countries that would add an extra £200 billion to our economy If this doesn’t highlight how uneven the playing field is I don’t know what does!

The impact of this is that 81% of 11-18-year olds are unable to name one single female entrepreneur and that has to change WUKA is proud to be a member of the Buy Women Built community which champions amazing brands built by women so that we can together unleash the powerful contribution these businesses can make to our economy, our future, and our communities

Ruby Rout

Blending Western and Indian cultures of music to create a third culture

Anusha Singh

The “Third Cul ture Collective” is a unique initiative that unites musicians from both South Asian and Western cultures Their collaborative efforts result in new and innovative music, while also providing a platform to exchange their dist inct music-ma king approaches

Celebrating the diverse communities of Brent with Kathak

The Collective’s Founder and Director Kavi Pau was responsible for putting together the Cambridge University choir that performed “Shree Raam Jaya Raam” at the Ram Katha by Morari Bapu He also composed the musical piece

Speaking to Asian Voice, Kavi discusses the “Third Culture Collective”, Indian and Classical music, and the Ram Katha choir Third Culture Collective: a fusion of Western and Indian culture

The story behind the “Third Culture Collective” is quite a personal story for Kavi Trained in both Indian and Western classical music, he was learning the harmonium and Gujarati Bhajans at the same time as he was learning the Western piano “Slowly my focus shifted to Western classical music and I studied just that Later, I taught at the University of Cambridge After I graduated, I realized that my musical identity wasn't reflective of my embodied identity I was performing this old Western classical music with lots of Western people, but there was this other side of me that I had to hide”, says Kavi

It was during Lockdown that Kavi thought about bring people like him, this fusion of Western and Indian culture, together creating a third culture to make new music That’s how the “Third Culture Collective” was born The group comes together as a full orchestra

and as a choir, and it seems to have really resonated with people

The Collective has worked with AR Rahman, performed at the House of Parliament twice, once recently during the South Asian Heritage Month and have collaborated with BBC Prom

The process behind “Shree Raam Jaya Raam”

Talking about the process behind the mesmerizing performance of “Shree Raam Jaya Raam” at the Ram Katha, Kavi said: “Usually we have long timelines and there's no particular deadline, but with this one, I was in touch with the organizer and asked them if I could sing Bhajans for Morari Bapu While there was nospace for bhajans in the programme, they were looking for a Cambridge choir to perform I volunteered to put the act together This was twelve days before the event and I took up the challenge of writing a new piece, getting eight singers together, rehearsing it and performing it

“It was a short time span and the piece needed to be simple For that reason, we only use the words Shree Raam, Jaya Raam, something that the singers could pick up It also needed to be a piece of music that the crowd would recognise and I used the main melody from Ramanand Sagar’s, Ramayana People recognised the tunes when the choir started singing and started clapping in the middle of the performance ”

The merging of Indian and Western styles

Indian and Western music have been experimented within a pop setting and not a lot of people are doing it with Western classical and Indian classical

According to Kavi, this is because, “ the two worlds are so far apart ”

He further adds, “What we try and do is we find the similarities between the two Sometimes it's as simple as putting the music from one culture onto the instruments of another We've taken music by famous German composer Bach, which was meant to be for the oboe, a Western instrument, and rewritten that part for the bansuri So that's one way of how we do things We've also taken traditional Hindi bhajans and rearranged it for jazz

“We're looking at ways that Western instruments can be played like an Indian instrument and the other way around We've taken old Bollywood songs, orchestrating them in the style of a Western composer For instance, we have visualised how would someone like Mozart approach, with his orchestra, a song like Chaya Chaya and what would that sound like?” Finding a personal voice as a musician

Ask Kavi if he has any advice for those willing to follow his path, he says, “It always comes down to your personal voice as a musician, in a way I don't feel qualified to tell anyone else how they should do it, because all I'm doing is trying to express my own identity through music

“Someone else might have more Indian influence than British, and their music might be a bit different I think that the hardest thing for any young composer is finding their own compositional voice For me, my British Indian identity has been such a big part of that, so I'd encourage them to stay true to themselves Don't chase fame If you want to become commercially successful, the number one thing you need is a strong identity and being true to that first ”

Nina Wadia to star in ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’

Actress Nina Wadia, recogn ize d f or her rol es in a ccl aimed shows l ike EastEnde rs and G oodness Gracious Me, is set to bring he r st ar qua lity to York Theatre Royal's Christmas pantomime Nina, who has also acted alongside figures l ike W il l Smith in Hollywood, will be portraying Fairy Sugarsnap in this y ear 's f amily pant omime "Ja ck an d t he B ean stal k,"

A f ree e ven t on Sunda y, Sept emb er 3rd, will commemorate the diverse communities of Brent The celebration will feature performa nces b y t he Sujat a Banerjee Dance Company, the R oyal Philha rmon ic O rchestra , Ma hogan y Carnival Arts, St Michael & All Angels Steel Orchestra, W or d Up, r egg ae a rtist Trevor Brown, and dancer Keira Martin Additionally, conte mpora ry compose r Dani Howard will present brand-new music The event will take place at Wembley Park

Three dynamic performances featuring music, dance, poetry, and carnival arts are set to unfold in distinctive urban settings, including a spacious coach park within the vibrant Wembley Park, one of London s most thrilling new districts

Established in 1985 by the esteemed Kathak artist Sujata Banerjee, the Sujata Banerjee Dance Company stands as a prominent advocate and cultivator of South Asian dance in the United Kingdom and worldwide Under the leadership of Sujata Banerjee, a respected figure in the field, the company has played a pivotal role in advancing and nurturing the realm of South Asian dance

Asian Voice spoke to Sujata Banerjee about the Company’s upcoming performance and the art of Kathak

What type of performance is your company presenting? How does it commemorate the diverse communities of Brent through its act?

Okay, so basically how it started In the beginning of 2022, the Royal Philharmonic, they put out notification like open call to propose a piece that could be danced And the overall theme was Journey on the name of Journey Just propose whatever you wanted to do So I made this propos-

al I actually

My piece is about migrating birds I actually did a trip around the World in 2004 and was fascinated by Ganette birds These birds travel from Australia to New Zealand across the Pacific Ocean and gather on a big rock in Auckland, New Zealand, to lay eggs Before their journey, they dance with their partners The birds recognise their mates through the dance This is fascinating, as Ganette birds have one lifelong partner

The performance, a collaboration with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, tends to tell a story through Kathak The story focuses on the question: “why do we migrate?” We call the performance, “Seasonal Flight”, because birds are always migrating in a particular season

Given your focus on promoting South Asian dance culture in the UK, what progress we've made in this endeavor over the years?

UK has had some very dynamic personalities who have promoted dance from the early eighties or late seventies Ram Gopal came in the fifties and showcased Indian dance Udai Shankar first showed his dance in the year ‘ 52 in this country So people had exposure and on top of that, very strong dancers moved here and established themselves

In present times, the UK's dance South Asian dance scene is very strong And we have second and third generations of people who are now doing Indian

classical dances and South Asian dance is very visible, very strong, very respected, and we have a voice and a place Even in BBC Young Dancer Competition, only four styles were chosen: South Asian Kathak and Bharatnathyam being two of them This shows the place we have

Of course in anything you do, there is more you should be doing

Do you think Kathak enjoys much deserved respect in its home country, India?

Yeah, definitely In India, however, classical dance always has a smaller audience But I very strongly believe that doesn t matter whether classical or nonclassical, it is an education that opens minds and develops a personality It's not just dancing for the sake of it, you are educating

Respect-wise, in India, I hope people will support their children to take dance as a profession if that is something they want to do

“Tongues and Bellies” challenges

Asian stereotypes

The Whole Kahani, a collective of eight authors, recentl y un veile d t heir t hird an thol ogy “Ton gues an d Bellies”in London

who pick it up

Co- founder Reshma

scheduled from December 8 to January 7

She will be joining the previously announced cast, including Robin Simpson returning as the Dame and Scottish actor James Mackenzie, known as the presenter of CBBC's fantasy adventure game show Raven, portraying the villainous Luke Backinanger

The book follows “May We Borrow Your Country (2018) and Love Across a Broken Map (2016) The stories in this anthology have food as a central theme: Food as a source of nourishment, love, longing and betrayal

Published by Linen Press in 2021, the anthology is described as a collection of "sensual and surprising stories [that] play a tantalising game of hide and seek with

lies and truth

It lives up to this promise and is sure to be a delightful read for those

Ruia said, “These stories play with lies and truth Chameleon-like characters clutch at worlds that remain just out of reach An old recipe, a robot, a key – these are clues to the people they once were or hope to be Appetite and eating are often central in this collection as characters remember childhood meals, a mother’s cooking, meals with lovers and meals that turn out not as expected Their appetite for food, as for life, is by turns bitter and sweet but never predictable ”

The choir at Morari Bapu's Ram Katha

Kavi Pau

Sujata Banerjee Dance Company's "Seasonal Flight"

Sujata Banerjee Dance Company s "Seasonal Flight"

Nina Wadia

Neel Shah: On DJing

Sunetra Senior

Neel works fulltime as a developme nt che f, has run his own premium food delivery service during the time of lockdown, and is now breaking through on the DJing scene, locally in London as the collective desire to enjoy freedom continues to pulse He embodies the very idea of going with the flow, adapting to the changing con tem porar y env ironme nt an d exploring the innovative options available to hone inherently intuitive craft “I didn’t do my first DJ set until I had the correct upto-date equipment,” he shared “I wanted to make sure I was giving the crowd an entertaining prime experience ” ***

There is a definite creative overlap between Neel’s main vocation of cookery and his aptitude for energizingly assorting tunes, summed up by the dexterous dynamo himself as conceptual “fusion at the heart The cooking is centred on Asian fusion, experi-

emphasised “You’ve got to be able to perform according to the tone of the evening Sometimes it’s more chilled as opposed to lively and vice versa, and you ’ ve got to be able to tease people through the transition from one track to the next You can therefore play a good set in any venue!” Similarly to successful dining then atmosphere is just as important as serving people quality: DJing seriously since April, Neel has been authentically booking gigs this way, buoyed by enthusiastic word-of-mouth “Social media is important but you ’ ve got to use it in moderation Mostly, I concentrate on what I do and how well I’m doing it! For me, being the best is being able to read the crowd and playing the right songs at the right time with a little Desi flavour ”

BBS UK family picnic 2023: A triumph of unity, culture, and health advocacy

Bimal R Patel

I n th e h eart of th e UK 's vibrant Indian community, Bhadran Bandhu Samaj UK (BBS UK), a charitable trust wi th ro ots dating bac k to 1982, orchestrated a grand celebration that left over 400 attendees fi lled w ith j oy, camaraderie, and an essential health message

The BBS UK Family

Picnic was not just a testament to their unwavering commitment to preserving culture and values, but also to their tireless dedication to advancing the well-being of the Gujarati community residing in the United Kingdom, the picnic was held at the Kingsbury High School on their vast grounds and amenities

A Gathering of Distinction

menting with South Asian and alternative cuisines and it is the same with my interests beyond ” Indeed, expanding into music seems a consummate celebration of this Neel’s signature sound is a mix of British, Punjabi and Bollywood music that results in uniquely joyful sets that also carry a down-to-earth, mellow mood “I’m happiest when I can make people feel good

Seamlessly merging lifestyle and professionalism, Neel reassuringly shows us how being simply straightforward can pave the winning way: focusing purely on your passion means working hard without overcomplication

What is one misconception about DJs that simply isn’t true?

That we just stand there and press play: you must be intentional throughout You’ve got to understand the crowd and deal with many requests which could disrupt your set for example: you must navigate mixing genres and not get two different demographics confused DJs have got this bad reputation of being lazy but we do work so hard to please our guests and make sure the night goes well Do you have a favourite musical artist?

The picnic was a vibrant tapestry of individuals, representing the spectrum of the Gujarati community Among the attendees were esteemed signatories, generous sponsors, dedicated supporters, Volunteers and numerous committee members hailing from various Chha Gams It was a testimony to the unity and shared purpose that lie at the very core of Bhadran Bandhu Samaj UK and its team of hardworking key office bearers and executive committee members

Championing Diabetes Awareness

This year's picnic stood out for its resolute commitment to promoting Diabetes Awareness, in association with Lions Club of Sudbury presided by Dharmeshbhai Desai The event featured on-site doctors and nursing staff who provided blood tests and invaluable guidance on diabetes prevention and management

Culinary Extravaganza

No Indian gathering is complete without a culinary journey that tantalises the taste buds and celebrates the rich tapestry of flavours The BBS UK Family Picnic is delivered on this front with a sumptuous array of Indian vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes From fragrant curries to mouth-watering starters, Pizzas and chips, and ice cream, the culinary offerings were a vivid testament to the rich gastronomic heritage of the Indian community

Honouring Generosity

The success of the BBS UK Family Picnic was made possible through the unwavering support of sponsors and donors who have been the backbone of community initiatives:

Asian Voice and Gujarat

Samachar: These esteemed publications not only sponsored the event but also played a pivotal role in its promotion Their presence underscored their commitment to championing community causes

Farsan: A special acknowledgement goes to Mr Naineshbhai Patel, Chairman of Farsan, who generously contributed most of the delectable starters His philanthropic spirit extended further as he made a substantial contribution toward the development of Bhadran

Gaam in India under the BBS UK banner

Uneek Freight

Forwarders: The presence of directors Avinashbhai, Rajubhai, and Prakashbhai, with their families from this global freight company, highlighted their unwavering support for BBS UK events

Mr and Mrs Mukeshbhai

K Patel of KMP Group: Their enduring support for BBS UK was evident, and their presence was greatly appreciated

Dipak Kumar A Patel, P K Patel, Tanu Patel, Devendrabhai R Patel, Jagrutbhai J Patel and Anita Patel and Aarti Patel, all committee and family members for their generous donations and services

Veer Catering: Our sincere thanks to our caterer who provided us with the most delicious food during the whole event

Celebrating C B Patel, a visionary C B Patel, a founding member of Bhadran Bandhu Samaj UK and a native of Bhadran Gaam, graced the event with his presence His legacy and philosophy have been instrumental in the growth and success of the organisation His attendance underscored his enduring commitment to family values and community welfare

Grand opening of 'Gateway from India' in Cambridge

whether it’s through movement or food: it’s about skilfully appealing to a diverse palate that the most amount of people can enjoy ”

Indeed, Neel tends to play soulful, slick and upbeat tracks where his “anthem was Master KG’s, Jerusalema, feat Burna Boy for quite some time It was played to everyone: at parties and to friends and family as well as myself as part of my own playlist!” Neel’s personal laidback attitude complements the functional but sensory nature of his work which can be seen in his approach to the decks: “balancing EQs (Equalisation) has been fun You can play in so many different venues and the speakers and sound systems are always different It’s important to have every musical component perfectly in sync ” This even checks the age-old assumption that a strong bass is superior!

“What is important is the vibe,” Neel

DJ Simz who you can find on TikTok I had the pleasure of playing before her one night and that was amazing Music in general seems a very feeling domain It doesn’t seem sensible to be overly technical about it?

Yes, that’s mostly true I’ve definitely always had music in my ears and that’s shaped who I am and what I then play

Would you want to play bigger venues and internationally?

Yes I’d love to be able to DJ in Australia!

Finally, what has been a highlight moment?

Playing before DJ Simz came on and recently when I played my first wedding I’ve been booked consistently since and find that my schedule is promisingly booked up Insta:@dj neel24

The Grand opening of the much-awa it ed 'G ate way from India' will be hosted on 1 Se ptem ber 2023, 10:30am at Ditchburn Place in Cambridge This grand occasion is dedicated to celebrating the cross-cultural vibrancy of the Mill Road community The Gateway is se t to be a fusion of diverse traditions and the unity that our great community has This will now become the first Gateway from India in the UK

The priceless cultural piece was originally commissioned and carved in Rajasthan for the Indian community centre on Mill Road When the building became untenable, the Traders Association saved the unique artwork with the support of County and City

Councillors, ARU and Cambridge Universities

The archway will be constructed from decorative carvings salvaged from the former Bharat Bhavan Hindu temple on Mill Road inside the Old Library building, which was being reno-

vated by Cambridgeshire County Council The stonework was saved by Piero D’Angelico, on behalf of Mill Road Traders Association, when he heard that the council planned to dump the stones in a skip when it carried out renovation work on the building

Former Chair of the Cambridge Hindu Association Thak Patel said, “There’s no secret that these carvings were part of a Hindu shrine, which is just down the road, which is sadly no longer However, we as a community are pleased that the carvings now have a new home with a new association, namely having cultural significance to add to this history of Cambridge, for all to enjoy ”

“I’m happiest when I can make people feel good whether it’s through movement or food: it’s about skilfully appealing to a diverse palate that the most amount of people can enjoy”

NEEL SHAH

L-R: Jayrajbhai Prashantbhai Devandrabhai Sejalben Nirupaben Jyotiben, Pravinbhai, Premilaben, Jagrutbhai, Snehlataben, Nitinchandra, Sanjaybhai, Nilaben, Kinnariben, Bimal, Kimaya, Kirtibhai, Kiranbhai, Narendrabhai, Devikaben and Gargiben

Experts and academicians insist that is important to remember that grades are not the end of the world and there are more opportunities like apprenticeship at hand for those who would like to explore more options

Kavitha Ravindran, secondary science teacher and C o-founder of sA Inaptic told Asian Voice, “A-levels or GCSEs are just part of your learning adventure Your success down the road will depend on more than just these exams –things like your passions, how determined you are, and your willingness to learn from both your successes and challenges But here's the deal: it's smart to be ready for different possibilities Having a backup plan can really help lower stress and those uncertain feelings This way, you'll be better equipped to handle unexpected emotions if they pop up Good luck to all students!”

Taking this opportunity to attack the government, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has stated that he wouldn't be able to pursue higher education if he were a school leaver today due to the current financial challenges This declaration has raised the possibility of Labour introducing measures to alleviate the escalating cost of living for students

Blaise Heywood, a promising psychologist-tobe, is driven to utilize her personal mental health journey to aid others, following her impressive accomplishment of securing three A* grades Blaise's experience with Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services during her youth, as well as her ongoing involvement with adult mental health services, has ignited her passion to effect positive change The University of York is her next destination for studying psychology, a prospect that excites her due to the contrast with Bolton's environment

Grades not the end of the world, says PM Broadcaster Jeremy Clarkson in a tweet post the declaration of A-level results said, “It’s not the end of the world if your Alevel results aren ’t what you’d hoped for I got a C and 2 Us and here I am today with my own brewery ”

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak who backed Clarkson’s tweet, was heavily criticised for supporting the former broadcaster who has criticised Meghan Markle Sunak said, “Jeremy has made a career of being the exception, not the rule but he does have a good point here: Results

NOT THE END OF THE WORLD

firm but safe offer from London - she decided the night before that she would take a gap year That really surprised us as parents -as we had always reassured her that it was important to pursue studies in the subject of her choice rather than the University That was the safer option, psychologically speaking

day is important, but not necessarily a deal-breaker Whatever results you got

there were much higher grades awarded and as a consequence, there were

today, there are lots of options available to you If you ’ re ready to get straight into work, there are hundreds of apprenticeship courses available This is a brilliant way into a whole range of careers and means you can learn and earn on the job

“If you ’ re looking to study for a qualification that leads to a great job, but prefer classroom-based learning, look at HTQs They equip you with skills across a huge variety of sectors, from software development to engineering And if you are looking for a university course and haven’t met your offer, there are hundreds of great courses at great universities across the UK, all within your reach through Clearing If you haven’t got the results you wanted, don’t panic – talk to your college or school about your options or a National Careers Service adviser if you need extra support ”

Girls outperform boys

While girls slightly outperformed boys in top Alevel grades, the gap has lessened since exams resumed

Dr Indra nil Chakravarty MBE’s daughter Aria has got into Oxford University Speaking to us, he said, “This year the Alevel results are for students who were mostly taking their GCSEs in 2021, in the immediate post-pandemic year Due to the pandemic disruption to education and the inability to hold board examinations, a formula for marking and grades done by schools was used As often seen in such circumstances

many Universities who found themselves in a position of over-subscription

There were many students who were then asked to defer their university places by a year at a significant cost to the education department As parents, we were anxious about the outcome of board examinations and national grading this year As professionals who were receiving students in University, we were also anxious about how the offers and grades would match up We were aware of the Department of Education's plans to stage a reduction in top grades to match the prepandemic levels of top grades awarded

“On the day before the A-level results were out, we did not sleep We (as parents) were thinking of many strategies to contain the distress and disappointment of our children if the grade- predictions and grade requirements were missed

Fundamentally, we knew that much of this was outside of our control My father's philosophy has always been, 'you can only do the best you can and one should leave the rest to external factors' Many who are more spiritual and religious spend a lot of time and resources praying to superior beings for luck We as scientists have to rely on faith in our own abilities However, as a parent, it is not unusual if I quietly said a little prayer to someone above, that our child was not disappointed It was interesting that although our daughter had offers from 5 Universities including Oxford and a

“We spent the night torn between hope and how we would manage any disappointment We even managed to argue about missing the deadline of 8:30 am, when the school would release the results, as it clashed with an important meeting that my wife was not able to miss In my state of anxiety, I could not fathom why someone would agree to a meeting at this critical hour It was an unreasonable request, as the hour had nothing to do with the results My daughter was happy for us to accompany her to school, where I was aware some others refused to allow their parents to come anywhere near the school gates When she got the resultsan A*AAA we were relieved, happy that her place at the University of her choice/ dreams (Oxford) had been secured and then came to the sense of a huge weight being lifted off our shoulders We would not have to console the child We could relax That sense of relief slowly converted to one of happiness and then finally elation We went out to celebrate and then let our family and friends share in our happiness

“We know that examinations have their flaws and are not the best and most sensitive way to assess the future of students However, they have stood the test of time as being reliable and reproducible There is research that suggests that there is a loose correlation between exam scores and success in examinations at University The link between examination results and success in life or at work is rather tenuous So if anyone has not managed to secure the grades that they were expecting-my advice would be not to despair Your desire to learn and gain knowledge is far more important than any grades and if you follow your passion - you can be anyone and succeed in any field that you have the aptitude for Grades or no grades ”

Prof Bhaskar Vira, ProVi ce- Cha nce llor for Education, at Cambridge University tweeted, “You should be proud of what you ’ ve achieved For all those who met their expected offers, we look

forward to welcoming you to Cambridge when you start with us at the academic year If you happen to have missed your offers, don’t be disappointed I can understand that you have a number of options available to you Think about what’s available through clearing, think about your insurance offer, the world is very open and you will have many opportunities to pursue your academic paths You’ve worked hard to arrive at this point, you should all feel proud of what you ’ ve achieved ” Now is the right time to look at different paths for your future

Dr Nick Smith, course d ire cto r a nd f ounder of

Kavitha Ravindran

As results day approaches, the mixture of anticipation and anxiety is understandable This moment marks a sign if ica nt mile st one in your educational journey, and b eing pr epa red can help you face the outcomes wit h con fide nce an d resilience Here's a guide to help you navigate this crucial day:

1 Mindset Magic: When results day arrives, approach it with a positive and open mind Remember, your grades don t define you – no matter what they are This day is a stepping stone in your growth and learning, no matter what the numbers say

2 Give Yourself Credit: Take a moment to pat yourself on the back You've worked hard and poured your efforts into your studies Think about all the cool stuff you've learned and the skills you've picked up along the journey Your hard work matters, regardless of the grades

3 Be Ready for Anything:

While you might be aiming high, it's important to be ready for different outcomes Imagine a few scenarios and think about how you'll handle them This can help you deal with any surprise feelings that pop up

4 Lean on Your Squad:

Talk to your friends, family, and mentors They're there to support you emotionally They can give you advice, cheer you on, and just be a listening ear when you need to talk

5 Take Care of You:

In the days leading up to results day, make sure you're looking after yourself Whether it's exercising, meditating, or hanging out with loved ones, do things that help you feel

Th e Ox for d Op en Learning Trust, said: “We know it can be a stressful time, so the first thing to do is look at the UCAS clearing systems, as this will show you which institutions have places available Many institutions will still be accepting students, so have a look on the UCAS website or give them a quick call to check if your course is on offer elsewhere

“If you feel like the grades you ’ ve received are lower than expected, you are allowed to appeal them by contacting your school, who will pass this on to the examining board Once the evidence has been examined, the board will decide whether changes to your results are needed ”

good Your mental and emotional health matter a lot

6 Put It All in Perspective: Remember, results day is important, but it's not the end-all, be-all Your future success is shaped by lots of things – like how much you care, how determined you are, and what you learn from both wins and losses

7 Have a Plan B: Think about other paths or options if things don't turn out as expected Whether it's rethinking your educational choices or exploring different careers, having a Plan B can take away some of the stress

8 Celebrate YOU: No matter what the results say, take a moment to celebrate what you've achieved Whether it's top marks or personal growth, recognising your wins boosts your confidence

9 Keep the Learning Vibe Going:

Remember, learning is a lifelong adventure Whatever the results, keep growing and developing Every experience – good or tough – adds to your journey

10 Eyes on the Horizon: Once results day is done, focus on what's next Set new goals, plan out your future steps, and keep your determination to succeed burning bright Your journey doesn't stop here!

As you gear up for results day, hold onto this: your potential is huge Your value isn't just in the grades you get Stay positive, embrace the journey, and keep your sights set on the path ahead You've absolutely got this!

Kavitha Ravindran is a Secondary science teacher, Co-founder of sAInaptic, an artificial intelligence learning platform for students

Dear Students, take a moment to celebrate

Subarna Chakravarty Aria and Dr Indranil Chakravarty MBE Dr Nick Smith

John Lyon pupils show incredible results despite a huge decline in the national picture

Lyonians will once again be making their way around the country to the UK’s top universities after they picked up their superb A-Level results I t i s enc ouraging to learn that whilst the national picture has seen a large decline in the proportion of higher grades awarded, John Lyon is c elebrati ng i ts s tronges t externally marked results in five years

T h e S c h o o l c e l e b r a t e s a c h i e v e m e n t s o u t s i d e o f lessons – the results prove that busy students are successful students Pupils will b e s t u d y i n g s o u g h t - a f t e r courses, such as medicine, d e n t i s t r y , p h a r m a c y , e n g in e e r i n g , a r c h i t e c t u r e , l a w and politics, as well as niche o p t i o n s s u c h a s c o m p u t e r gameplay design and production, fine art and, film and television

They will be heading to t h e l i k e s o f C a m b r i d g e , Bristol, Edinburgh, Imperial, L o n d o n S c h o o l o f Economics, Queen Mary and K i n g ’ s C o l l e g e L o n d o n t o n a m e b u t a f e w J o s h Holloway achieved a straight A* A* A* A* and an additional A* in the EPQ (Extended Project Qualification)

Varun Valentine scored straight A* A* A* with an additional A* in EPQ With

his four A*s, Varun will be heading into central London to study medicine at Imperial College London At School, he is a member of the Head Boy Team as a communication monitor As part of this role, he has worked with the School’s marketing and communications department to p r o d u c e t h e s i x t h f o r m newsletter, a largely studentrun publication Varun is a sixth-form academic scholar and music scholar and has

p e r f o r m e d o n t h e B o y d C a m p b e l l H a l l s t a g e o n a number of occasions as both a musician and in debating He also created and ran the j u n i o r b i o m e d i c a l s o c i e t y Varun said: “I am speechless – it’s been a rollercoaster and I have been blessed with an amazing family, friends and t e a c h e r s T h e S c h o o l h a s b e e n e x t r e m e l y s u p p o r t i v e and I am really excited for the future The best part is that John Lyon School has

helped me fulfil my dream of becoming a doctor!”

Sahit Sahni received an A* A A A and an additional A* in EPQ He will be studying electrical and electronic engineering at the University of Manchester Sahit recently joined John Lyon at 16+ in the Lower Sixth (Year 12) as a n a c a d e m i c s c h o l a r a n d b e c a m e a n E x c e l l e n c e Monitor as part of the Head Boy Team He also kept busy r u n n i n g t h e S c h o o l ’ s Academic Society Sahit said: “I am extremely thrilled with my results! It’s been a really enjoyable couple of years in the sixth form and I am very thankful to my family and t e a c h e r s f o r a l l o f t h e i r encouragement If you are c o n s i d e r i n g j o i n i n g J o h n Lyon at 16+ for sixth-form s t u d i e s , I w o u l d c e r t a i n l y recommend it The School has enabled me to achieve these terrific results ”

Rafi Smith received an A* A A and will be going on to study politics and internat i o n a l s t u d i e s a t t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f W a r w i c k , a top-10 UK institution Rafi is a drama scholar and, it will therefore come as no surprise, a strong actor and perf o r m e r H e i s p a r t o f t h e Head Boy Team as an events monitor and is involved with charitable initiatives He is also a keen footballer and

represented the School team Rafi said: “I am absolutely e l a t e d ! T h e l a s t f e w d a y s l e a d i n g u p t o t o d a y h a v e b e e n s t r e s s f u l b u t w h e n I finally opened the envelope, standing together with my mum and dad, all the pressure was alleviated I am so grateful to everyone who has helped me during my time at John Lyon!”

Ri sh i Patel r e c e i v e d a straight A A A with an additional A in the EPQ and will

Students from the community shine in A-level results

read industrial economics at t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f N o t t i n g h a m A s a n e v e n t p r e f e c t , R i s h i h a s b e e n i n v o l v e d i n a n u m b e r o f c h a r i t y i n i t i a t i v e s a t t h e S c h o o l R i s h i s a i d : “ I a m o v e r j o y e d w i t h m y r e s u l t s and am very proud of myself for achieving them A huge thanks must go to my teachers for helping me ” Ani sh Ardhanari sw ara a c h i e v e d A * A A w i t h a n additional A in t h e E P Q a n d w i l l h e a d across the capi t a l t o s t u d y d e n t i s t r y a t King’s College L o n d o n A s well as being a s i x t h - f o r m academic pref e c t a n d s c ience prefect, Anish is an alla r o u n d s p o r t s p e r s o n a n d r e p r e s e n t e d t h e S c h o o l i n f i r s t - X I h o c k e y f i x t u r e s

Anish said: “I am so relieved, having opened the envelope a n d s e e n m y r e s u l t s I w o r k e d c o n s i s t e n t l y h a r d a n d a m t h a n k f u l t o m y teachers and my family for t h e i r t r e m e n d o u s s u p p o r t The teachers helped me so m u c h w i t h i n t e r v i e w p r e p and I would not be where I am now without them ”

Parents and well-wishers of students from the community who have fared well in the A-level results share their success stories and celebratory sentiments with Asian Voice.

Dishan Patel

Dishan Patel completed his A-level last academic year, 20 22-23 , an d w il l b e co nt in uin g h is a cad em ic journey studying Medicine

Dishan said, “I achieved A * s i n B i o l o g y a n d C h e m i s t r y a n d a n A i n Latin – A-Level, although enjoyable, did come with its fair share of challenges, for example, the content i t s e l f a n d s t r e s s a m o n g o t h e r f a c t o r s I t w a s i m p o r t a n t f o r m e t o u n d e r t a k e e x t r a c u r r i c u l a r a c t i v i t i e s i n o r d e r t o b e c o m e a w e l l - r o u n d e d individual, so I participated in my school’s stocks and shares virtual investment competition “ T h i s w a s a t e a m c o m p e t i t i o n , a n d d e s p i t e our slow start, we ended up

Mann Patel

Through consistent and d e d i c a t e d e f f o r t s , M a n n Rushabh Patel, a brilliant student of Northolt High S c h o o l , h a s a c h i e v e d e x c e p t i o n a l r e s u l t s i n A

Level He has excelled in s u b j e c t s l i k e C h e m i s t r y , Mathematics, and Physics, showcasing his outstanding p e r f o r m a n c e H i s h a r d work has truly unlocked a bright future ahead It’s a m a t t e r o f p r i d e f o r t h e

and the family

making the most profit and winning I also completed t h e 2 0 2 3 C h e m i s t r y O l y m p i a d , i n w h i c h I achieved the bronze award Furthermore, I won various academic awards at school, such as the ‘Classics Prize’ a n d t h e ‘ O v e r a l l S c i e n c e P r i z e ’ ; l a r g e l y d o w n t o u n w a v e r i n g d e d i c a t i o n I began and reignited many n e w h o b b i e s d u r i n g m y latter years at school I was heavily informed about the

importance of maintaining a w o r k - l i f e b a l a n c e a n d a c t i v i t i e s l i k e s w i m m i n g and reading Volunteering a t a c a r e h o m e i s a cherished experience I had d e e p , m e a n i n g f u l c o n v e r s a t i o n s w i t h t h o s e from different walks of life a n d l e a r n t m a n y l e s s o n s f r o m t h e i r e x p e r i e n c e s M o r e o v e r , t h e f u l f i l m e n t from caring for and helping o t h e r s p u s h e d m e e v e n further to pursue a career in Medicine

“Throughout the two a r d u o u s y e a r s a q u o t e from Nietzsche resounded with me, “He who has a why to live for can bear a l m o s t a n y h o w ” ; m y “why” was the relentless desire to study Medicine and be the best version of myself I can be The advice

Parin Shah

I would give to those who are about to start a new journey in their life would be to have their own “why” nailed down For academic w o r k , w o r k s m a r t a n d hard, try to make studying f u n a n d a l t h o u g h , a t a g i v e n m o m e n t , s t u d y i n g m i g h t f e e l l i k e t h e l a s t thing you want to do, the s a t i s f a c t i o n , p r i d e , a n d c o n f i d e n c e y o u r e c e i v e w h e n y o u a c h i e v e w h a t y o u w a n t i s i n v a l u a b l e The feelings I got when I o p e n e d t h e b r o w n envelope with my results w e r e a r e l i e f b e c a u s e I knew then I had certainly fulfilled the conditions for m y u n i v e r s i t y o f f e r ; e l a t i o n , b e c a u s e a l l m y effort paid off, and belief that I can overcome the obstacles ”

Parin Shah attended Tiffin School in Kingston and achieved A*A*A in History, Economics and Maths Parin is also a keen sportsman, having represented the school in cricket and table tennis He has interests in finance and economics and wishes to go into that field in the future Parin Shah

Yax Raval

Y a x R a v a l o f

C l a r e m o n t H i g h S c h o o l

A c a d e m y , r e c e n t l y c o mpleted Year 13 by achieving the grades A* A* A in his

A - l e v e l E x a m i - n a t i o n s w i t h i n t h e s u b j e c t s

M a t h e m a t i c s , E c o n o m i c s and Physics He states that hard work and determinat i o n a l w a y s p a y o f f a n d that the sacrifice he made for his revision over the c o u r s e o f t h e p a s t f e w m o n t h s w a s D e f i n i t e l y worth it Whilst placing in the Top 3 Rankings in his school, he was also interv i e w e d b y t h e B r e n t

C o u n c i l o n h i s a c h i e v em e n t s n o t o n l y i n h i s examinations but also in his extracurriculars From having partaken in multiple School plays to having

Yax Raval

a c h i e v e d h i s D u k e o f E d i n b u r g h A w a r d , Y a x a s p i r e s t o c o m p l e t e h i s

Economics Undergraduate Degree at the University of W a r w i c k s t a r t i n g t h i s September with the aim to embark upon a successful c a r e e r i n t h e U K ’ s I n v e s t m e n t B a n k i n g Industry

“We are absolutely delighted and proud parents that Sakshi, our eldest daughter achieved the A-level grades needed to secure her first choice place at Nottingham Trent University to read Psychology Sakshi is excited to start her next chapter Onwards and upwards”

- Jason and Mamta Patel

Sakshi Patel

Varun and family

Rohan and Rafi Sahit Inesh

Alpesh Patel OBE

Within mere days of its unveiling, it set an unprecedented record, becoming the most rapidly adopted consumer software in the annals of history

This phenomenon ignited a fierce competition, an "AI supremacy battle" if you will, among corporate giants such as Microsoft, Alphabet, Meta, and Amazon

From its current valuation at $100 billion, projections indicate that AI could burgeon into a staggering $1 6 trillion sector by the end of this decade

A recent revelation from the University of Florida has further fueled this excitement Their research demonstrated that an investment strategy, underpinned by ChatGPT, could have yielded a whopping 512% return over a challenging 15-month period in 2022 This is in stark contrast to the S&P 500, which suffered a 12% decline during the same timeframe

The burning question on every investor's mind now is: How can ChatGPT be leveraged to pinpoint lucrative stock opportunities?

Today, Iwill delve into this very topic

In the realm of AI-driven investments, my insights and analyses have been sought after by many Esteemed platforms like The Financial Times, Yahoo Finance, and the BBC have often invited me to shed light on the latest AI trends and their implications for the investment world Business Insider also highlighted my perspective on the groundbreaking study by the University of Florida

This recognition stems from my early adoption and innovative use of ChatGPT in the investment landscape

As early as January, I employed ChatGPT to curate a watchlist, which subsequently showcased remarkable performance over the subsequent six months To name a few standout performers:

• Nvidia, with a meteoric rise of 189%

• Meta, surging by 138%

• Axcelis Technologies, appreciating by 131%

• Builders FirstSource, leaping by 109%

And believe me, this is merely scratching the surface My comprehensive list, comprising 69 stocks, has demonstrated exceptional prowess in the market

Yet, my exploration didn't end there I delved deeper, and the findings were nothing short of astonishing

Today, I am thrilled to say I will in the pages of Asian Voice in the coming weeks share with you my findings

More importantly, I will guide you on how to tap into the immense potential of AI, paving the way for unparalleled financial growth

Unexpected wage growth might lead to state pension rise

Hunt responds to ONS July inflation statistics while Sunak wins no credit

In response to the recent in fl ation f igures b y O NS, Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt stated that the concerted efforts to address inflation are yielding positive results, with the rate currently at its lowest since February of the prior year Despite this progress, Hunt emphasises the need to stay committed to the goal of halving inflation this year and working towards the 2% target Major forecasters are increasingly supportive of the plan to halve the inflation rate, asserting that it remains on track Hunt attributes this achievement to bolstering the Bank of England and the 2% inflation objective while resisting calls for reckless spending that could exacerbate inflation He's introducing ambitious initiatives to facilitate job reintegration, invest in

sustainable domestic energy, and encourage financial institutions and supermarkets to aid families in managing living costs

According to the Bank of England Monetary Policy Report, inflation is projected to drop below 3% within a year Notably, food inflation is also slowing, with recent ONS statistics indicating a decrease to 14 9% from 17 4% in the previous month

Monetary policy

UK investors have directed £50 bn into global funds

Since 2015 , U K re tail investors have injected £50 bil lion in to gl oba l e quity funds, simultaneously withdra wing sub stan tial amounts from funds exclusively focused on the UK This trend has exacerbated the exodus of institutional capital f rom the L on don stock market

The data, sourced from funds network Calastone, underscores investors' discontent with the comparatively lacklustre performance of UK stocks Instead, they are entrusting global managers to navigate towards more promising growth sectors, such as large-cap technology stocks in the US While not exhaustive, Calastone's figures are regarded as a valuable snapshot of investment fund movement

Since around mid-2021, this trend has rapidly intensified, particularly to the detriment of region-specific funds Global funds have experienced an influx of £19 billion, while investors have withdrawn a net total of £21 billion from regional funds, including a substantial £16 billion from UK-focused funds

Over the period from 2015, regional funds have only seen an addition of £900 million Experts in the industry also highlight that, numerous global funds while providing enhanced diversification, are heavily tilted towards the US

The US economy has expanded at roughly twice the pace of the UK's economy since 2008, partly due to technology giants like Alphabet and Microsoft

remains under the jurisdiction of the independent Bank of England, and the government maintains its unwavering support for the bank's autonomy and the 2% inflation target Notably, the government's assistance to households dealing with increased expenses in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 periods amounts to £94 billion, averaging £3,300 per household

In a recent statement, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak

expressed confidence in the progress made toward meeting the inflation reduction pledge However, the reduction in inflation did not translate into increased voter approval In an exclusive interview with Asian Voice, Prime Minister Sunak discussed the significance of the "living bridge" concept for the upcoming 2024 UK General Elections Sunak highlighted the importance of representing diverse voices and acknowledged the crucial support from the British Asian and British Hindu communities He reflected on his journey, drawing strength from his faith and community support, underscoring his commitment to fostering an inclusive and prosperous society where opportunities are available to all, regardless of background

Issa brothers offload stores to cut EG Group debts

The billionaire Issa brothers have s uc cess fully offloaded numerous convenien ce s tores in the United States as part of their on goi ng efforts to reduce their debts Their retail and petrol forecourt empire, EG Group, recently announced that it has sold 63 locations in Kentucky and Tennessee The deal was s truck w ith C asey's General Stores, a company listed on the US stock exchan ge The spec ific details of the transaction were not made public

Subsequent to a prior agreement in March, where EG Group divested 415 store assets in the US to Realty Income, a real estate company, in a $1 5 billion deal, EG Group has now sold a further set of convenience stores This recent

transaction involved the sale of 63 sites in Kentucky and Tennessee to Casey s General Stores

Notably, EG Group will lease back the assets it sold to Realty Income at an annual rental fee of $103 million This move was part of EG Group's strategy to reduce its overall net leverage through a combination of debt reduction and generating free cash flow

In May, the Issa brothers achieved a significant milestone by finalising their plan to merge EG Group's UK petrol forecourt operations with Asda in a deal worth £2 3 billion EG Group anticipates that this merger will substantially decrease their total net debt from $9 801 billion in March 2023 to $5 4 billion post-merger

The state pension might experience a rise of 8% or more due to an unexpected surge in wage growth, as suggested by experts The state pension's increase is determined by the "triple lock" mechanism, which guarantees that it rises annually by the highest of three factors: inflation, earnings growth, or 2 5%

Inflation, which is used as a reference for the triple lock, is projected to be approximately 7% for the year up to September and will be officially published in October This means that the state pension was already on track for a substantial increase regardless of earnings data

However, recently released data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveals that total wages, including bonuses, have grown by 8 2% over the past year If this wage growth trend persists and influences the next dataset used for determining the state pension level, pensioners could see their weekly pension rise to around £220 from the current £203 85 Former pensions minister Sir Steve Webb cautioned that such a substantial increase would necessitate the Treasury to allocate an additional £2 billion in funding next year compared to previous estimates

Despite calls from some economists to reconsider the policy due to its impact on pensioners experiencing stronger income growth than workers in recent years, both the Government and Labour remain committed to the triple lock's future

Banks to be fined for violating three-mile cash access regulation

Major banks in UK could face fines for no t ensu ring free c ash w ith d raw al access within a threemile radius for consumers and businesses The Treasury will so on rel ease guid elines outlining expect atio ns for banks' cash deposit and withdrawal services

City minister Andrew Griffith is expected to elaborate on a prior government announcement, with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) gaining the authority to penalise banks failing to provide free cash access The rules will prevent hidden fees for cash

ArcelorMittal could join US Steel bidding contest

withdrawals by personal current account-holders

Despite the rise of digital payments, many still rely on cash, and branch closures have raised concerns about access, especially for vulnerable groups

Several pilot programmes have attempted to offer shared banking hubs for customers of various banks

ArcelorMitta l, the world' s second-largest steel maker, is reportedly contemplating making a bid for US Steel, according to sources familiar with the matter This potential move would mark a reversal of ArcelorMittal's withdra wal fr om t he US steel production sector, as it divested most of its operations to Cleveland-Cliffs in 2020 for $1 4 billion, focusing on markets like India and Brazil

Although the company is in discussions with its investment bankers about a possible offer, there's no certainty that the company will proceed Such a bid could intensify an ongoing bidding competition for US Steel, which has already seen offers from ClevelandCliffs and Esmark Inc sur-

passing $7 billion Neither ArcelorMittal nor US Steel representatives have provided comments on the matter

Despite US Steel's rejection of the "unreasonable" offer from Cleveland-Cliffs, the United Steel Workers (USW) union, representing US Steel workers, has expressed support for the deal ArcelorMittal's consideration comes after US Steel announced its initiative to explore interest from potential buyers following periods of declining revenue and profits

Rishi Sunak & Jeremy Hunt

India to expand digital payment systems

The growth of the Universal Payments Interface (UPI), a digital payments system, is an important part of Prime Minis ter N arend ra M od i’s am bitio ns to bui ld Ind ia’s di gi tal infrastruc ture and bri ng the w orld ’ s m ost populous country online

Since UPI was launched in 2016, digital transactions have taken off: about 350mn people now use UPI to pay for goods and services or to transfer money instantly

The system recorded almost 10 billion transactions in July, more than 50 per cent higher than the same month last year But its penetration into India’s poorer rural areas has been hampered by sparse internet access and lower levels of literacy outside

urban areas

To address this gap, the Reserve Bank of India announced a plan for “ conversational” payments UPI users will be able to make verbal transfer instructions on their phones which will be processed using AI-based speech recognition to initiate transactions

The service, which will use open source AI language tools developed by the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, will initially be

available in English and Hindi before being broadened to other languages

Users will also be able to make transactions without the internet by using “ near field communication” technology, a system widespread in contactless card transactions, that uses a connection between two close-by phones This will “ enable retail digital payments in situations where internet [or] telecom connectivity is weak or not available”, the RBI said Dilip Asbe, head of the National Payments Corporation of India said the measures would facilitate

digital payments outside India’s largest cities

Modi’s government has promoted cashless payments as part of a digital infrastructure suite, known as the India Stack, designed to bring the country’s vast and unregulated cash based economy into the formal financial system

The UPI system has also been central to Modi’s pitch to attract foreign investment, with companies including Google and Walmart-owned PhonePe building popular payment apps Countries such as Singapore and the United Arab Emirates have also integrated elements of India’s payments infrastructure with their own

Moody’s affirms India’s sovereign rating at Baa3

G lob al ra tings age ncy

Moody’s Investors Service

a ffirmed Ind ia’s sove reign rating at Baa3 and retained the outlook as stable, citing the country’s strong growth and strengthening financial sector The agency said that the Baa3 rating and stable outlook take into account a curtailment of civil society a nd polit ical d issen t, compoun ded by risin g domestic political risk

“The affirmation and stable outlook are driven by

The case for cash

Suresh Vagjiani, Sow & Reap Properties Ltd

It is said the bank base rate will rise to a peak of 5 75% and then start to decrease Maybe, maybe not I’m doubtful if any of these experts know what the game plan is There is the news on the mainstream media, and then there’s what is actually going on

The case for purchasing property is a compelling one, it’s a real asset, which tends to rise given a long enough timeline It also produces a stable monthly income

I used to think buying property without getting funding was inefficient, as you can purchase three for example, with the help of funding And there’s the acronym OPM banded about, meaning Other People’s Money, using the banks money to make money

While there was a case for this in the past, I think there is a strong case for not taking any borrowing and purchasing deals in cash This obviously means you’ll be able to do less, but more safely

Moody’s view that India’s economy is likely to continue to grow rapidly by international standards, although potential growth has come down in the past 7-10 years, ” the agency said The Baa3 is the lowest

Foxconn starts making iPhone 15 in Tamil Nadu

Apple ’ s nex t-ge nerat ion

iPhone 15 is being produced in Tamil Nadu, in an effort to further narrow the gap between its India operations and the main manufacturing base in China Only a few we eks af ter they begin s hipping f rom Chines e factories, the newest gadgets will be ready for delivery at a Foxc on n f ac il ity in Sriperumbudur as the company works to quickly expand the number of new iPhones coming from India, a cc or din g to peopl e with knowledge of the situation

The California-based firm is on a multi-year project to diversify its manufacturing away from China, de-risking the supply chain for its most important products as tensions between Washington and Beijing make trade less predictable India has

sought to build closer ties with the US and make itself a manufacturing hub Before the iPhone 14, Apple had only a sliver of its iPhone assembly in India, which lagged China output by six to nine months That delay was reduced last year, and Apple produced 7% of its iPhones in India by March The goal this year is to move closer to parity on shipment timing, though suppliers are not certain they’ll achieve it, people, asking not to be named, said The scale of the iPhone 15's production in India will rely on the ease with which Foxconn's factory outside of Chennai can ramp up its production lines and the ready availability of parts

On September 12, the newest iPhone is most likely to be unveiled

investment grade rating S&P and Fitch also have a similar rating for India with a stable outlook The action by ratings agencies will help add to positive sentiment and reduce the cost of borrowing for firms

“High GDP growth will contribute to gradually rising income levels and overall economic resilience In turn, this will support gradual fiscal consolidation and government debt

stabilisation, albeit at high levels,” said Moody’s It said it expects India’s economic growth to outpace all other G20 economies through at least the next two years, driven by domestic demand Moody’s said the government’s ongoing emphasis on infrastructure development has led to tangible improvements in logistics performance and the quality of trade and transportrelated infrastructure

Adani family sells 8% stake in power firm for £870 mn

Through se con dar y tra nsactions, the Ad ani fam il y sold A dan i Powe r shares worth more than £ 870 million GQG Partners, a US-based company that has invested approximately £3 5 billion in several Adani compa nies sin ce e arl y March, bought about half of the equities GQG also holds shares of Ambuja Cements but unlike the five stocks, which it largely acquired from the promoter family, it had picked up the building materials company ’ s shares from the market

Bulk deal disclosures on the two bourses showed Worldwide Emerging Market Holding sold 1 2% in Adani Power for £130 million while Afro Asia Trade and Investments offloaded its entire 6 9% shares for £740 million

The stock was sold at a price similar to its closing price of Rs 279 on the BSE After the transaction, Worldwide Emerging holds 3 8% of Adani Power, the country’s largest coal-fired electricity generator

Additionally, disclosures revealed that for £424 million, GQG and an affiliate fund purchased 152 million shares of Adani Power, or around 4% of the company's equity Even though it's GQG's first investment in Adani Power, this is a small fraction of their overall wager on the Adani Group

Infosys bags $1.6 bn contract from telecom major Liberty

With an initial five-year term and a p otential eight-year extension, the arrangement between Infosys and Liberty Gl obal w ill be wo rth 1 5 b ill io n euro s (a bou t $1 6 billion) and 2 3 billion euros, respectively According to a j o int s tatem ent fro m th e firms, the agreement enables Li berty Global to ach ieve ru n-ra te s avings o f mo re th an 100 m ill io n euro s annu ally, inc ludi ng oth er s avings and tech nol ogi cal

investments

Liberty Global, which has its offices across London, Amsterdam and Denver (US), delivers next-generation products through advanced fibre and 5G networks, and currently provides over 85 million connections across Europe and the UK As part of this increased contract, more than 400 Liberty Global employees will transition to Infosys Liberty Global's product, technology

development service delivery group, network & shared operations, and security groups' senior executives and technical teams will migrate to Infosys

Infosys CEO & MD Salil Parekh said it would bring transformative AI-first capabilities to complement the cloud-first digital foundation it previously laid for Liberty Global Liberty Global CEO Mike Fries said, “Strengthening

Over the years, we have had a few deals go sideways The biggest pressure doesn’t come from the issue, it comes from the lenders They will do what needs to be done to recover their position, the first charge on the asset and the loan agreement gives them pretty much full control

I have come across a few investors, who refuse point blank to engage with any banks or lending institutions Some from previous bad experience, and some because their Islamic faith forbids not borrowing but the payment of interest This commandment is given with good reason Going back in history those who engaged in money lending, or the old name ‘ usury ’ were frowned upon Indeed, as I understand, it was the only time Jesus got violent, when the money lenders were conducting their business in a place of worship

Now it is normalised, a given If you wish to buy a property you will need to take a mortgage for the majority of the purchase price This is in large part to the disparity between what the average person earns in comparison to the value of a house The margin between these two has widened over time, increasing the need for borrowing to the point it becomes inevitable

In this environment, with instability on many levels, there is a strong case for doing less deals, but in cash And if and when rates come down to very low levels, a low LTV loan could be taken, with the aim of clearing it, or being in a position to clear it at short notice

This is a far more stable position to operate from in the current environment Allowing one to focus on the speed bumps which inevitably will come without the pressure of lenders breathing down your neck

JSW eyes stake in Canadian company Teck’s coal business

J SW Steel is consi dering fo rming a partners hi p to compete with commodities g iant Glencore's $8 billion offer for the majority of Teck Resources' steelmaking coal business, according to some sources

and expanding our collaboration with Infosys gives our best-in-class solutions new scale with the ability to reach many more markets and bring positive experiences to more customers And while it produces substantial central cost savings over time, it also provides excellent opportunities for our talent to grow their specialist skills and nurture impactful careers with Infosys ”

Mumbai-based JSW is seeking partners for an offer to acquire a 75% interest in the asset, known as Elk Valley Resources, sources said That is a marked shift in its approach from July, when Bloomberg reported JSW was interested in up to 20% of Teck’s coal business

According to sources, JSW has been talking to banks about funding for a potential offer, and the deal might be worth more than $8 billion for the coal industry Sources said that discussions were still in progress and that it was uncertain whether an agreement would be achieved

Any JSW consortium could yet face competition for the coal asset from

Glencore, which in June proposed to buy the business for about $8 billion as an alternative to a full takeover of Vancouver-based Teck Around that time, Teck said it had received indications of interest in its coal operations without naming the interested parties Japan s Nippon Steel Corp had agreed to take a stake in a spun-off Elk Valley Resources in February before Teck dropped the plan to split its coal and metals businesses after failing to muster shareholder support Teck, under the direction of CEO Jonathan Price, is still under pressure to come up with a strategy that can defeat both its failed split proposal and a prospective Glencore full takeover Glencore hinted earlier this month that it was interested in working with Teck by reserving $2 billion for the possible purchase of the Canadian miner s coal business

Indian origin among 3 qualified to run for Singapore presidential polls

S I N G A P O RE : S ingap ore-born

Indi an- orig i n Th arm an Shanmu garatnam and tw o

Chinese-origin former executives of government-linked companies have qualified to run for the citystate's presidential election on September 1, it was announced

The Presidential Elections

C o m m i t t e e ( P E C ) r e c e i v e d a total of six applications for the C e r t i f i c a t e o f E l i g i b i l i t y b y T h u r s d a y ' s d e a d l i n e , t h e E l e c t i o n s D e p a r t m e n t ( E L D ) said Singapore had earlier said it would hold the presidential election on September 1 if more than one person qualifies for t h e p r e s i d e n t i a l r u n

Incumbent President Halimah Yacob's six-year term will end on September 13

The two Chinese origin who have qualified as candidates for t h e p r e s i d e n t i a l e l e c t i o n a r e

Chief Investment Officer Ng Kok Song and former NTUC Income

Chief Executive Tan Kin Lian

The department noted that

T h a r m a n s u b m i t t e d h i s b i d under the public sector service track while Ng applied under the public sector deliberative track, and Tan under the private sector

deliberative track

Tharman who launched his bid for the presidency on July 26 met the public sector service requirements, having held office as a minister for at least three y e a r s T h a r m a n , 6 6 , r e s i g n e d from public and political posts last month to run for the presid e n c y T h a r m a n w a s a n e c o n o m i s t a n d c i v i l s e r v a n t , m a i n l y a t t h e M o n e t a r y Authority of Singapore, before joining politics in 2001

He served as Minister for Education and Finance and was D e p u t y P r i m e M i n i s t e r f r o m 2011 to 2019

The next step for Ng, Tan and Tharman is to be nominated as candidates They must deliver their nomination papers - along

EX-INDIAN ORIGIN MAYOR PLEADS GUILTY IN CORRUPTION CASE

w i t h t h e C e r t i f i c a t e o f E l i g i b i l i t y , c o m m u n i t y c e r t i f icate and political donation certificate - on Nomination Day

Although the ELD has not n a m e d t h e c a n d i d a t e s w h o could not qualify to run for the Presidency, media reports said businessman George Goh, who had been campaigning for the past month, was among those who did not meet the qualification requirements

The six-member PEC, heade d b y P u b l i c S e r v i c e Commission chairman Lee Tzu Y a n g a n d i n c l u d i n g t w o Supreme Court judges, was satisfied that Ng, Tan and Tharman w e r e m e n o f " i n t e g r i t y , g o o d character and reputation", said ELD

135 arrested for attacks on churches in Pakistan

LAHORE: Pakistani authorities have arrested 135 people in connection with the unprecedented mob attack on 21 churches in P unjab pro vince even as t he g ov ernment o rd ered a h ighlevel probe into the riots and pr omised to “ restore” all the damaged churches and homes of the minority Christian community

An enraged mob ransacked and torched 21 churches and several houses of Christians last week over blasphemy allegat i o n s i n J a r a n w a l a t o w n o f Faisalabad district, 130 km from P u n j a b ’ s p r o v i n c i a l c a p i t a l

Lahore A Christian cemetery and the office of the local assist a n t c o m m i s s i o n e r w e r e a l s o vandalised “A case has been regi s t e r e d a g a i n s t 6 0 0 s u s p e c t s under terrorism and blasphemy

c h a r g e s , ” P u n j a b c a r e t a k e r information minister Amir Mir said A Punjab police spokesman s a i d m e m b e r s o f t h e r a d i c a l g r o u p T e h r e e k - i - L a b b a i k Pakistan were among the 135 m i s c r e a n t s a r r e s t e d f o r t h e attacks

M i r s a i d p e a c e h a s b e e n restored in the area and a heavy contingent of 3,000 police and rangers has been deployed outside churches and homes of the minority Christian community

Burj Khalifa illuminated in colours of Indian flag on I-Day

DU BA I : Th e B urj K hal ifa i n Du bai w as illum inated i n th e c ol ou rs o f th e I ndi an fl ag (Tiranga) in celebration of the nation as it celebrated its 77th I ndependenc e Day T h e skyscraper, which is recognised as the tallest structure i n th e world, frequently flies the flags o f fri endly natio ns o n th ei r nati onal h oli days o r independence days

In a video shared by the news agency, which is being widely circ u l a t e d o n s o c i a l m e d i a , t h e building displayed the Indian flag as the Indian national anthem ‘Jana Gana Mana’ played in the background

As the video proceeded, the b u i l d i n g d i s p l a y e d M a h a t m a Gandhi's picture and a text scroll t h a t s a i d : “ H a p p y 7 7 t h I n d e p e n d e n c e D a y t o M o t h e r

India Long live India and UAE friendship Har Ghar Tiranga Jai Hind ”

M e a n w h i l e , t h e R u l e r o f

Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum extended his g r e e t i n g s t o I n d i a o n Independence Day “As India celebrates its 77th Independence Day, I extend my congratulations to the leadership and the people of this great nation On this joyous occasion, the UAE reaffirms its commitment to building a

future of shared prosperity and growth, elevating our partnership to new heights, and exploring new horizons of political, economic, and cultural relations

H a p p y I n d e p e n d e n c e D a y , Swatantrata Diwas!,” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter

T h e I n d i a n t r i c o l o u r d i splayed on the Burj Khalifa exactly one month ago on July 15 duri n g P r i m e M i n i s t e r N a r e n d r a Modi's visit to Abu Dhabi

H e s a i d p o l i c e f o i l e d many attempts aimed at damaging various buildings “The chief minister has ordered a high-level i n v e s t i g a t i o n i n t o t h e m a t t e r a n d t h o s e involved in this heinous crime will not escape justice,” he said P u n j a b ’ s c a r e t a k e r C M M o h s i n N a q v i p r o m i s e d t o “restore” within three to four days all the churches and the homes of the minority Christian community torched by the mob He said the mob attack was a “planned conspiracy” to “light a fire in the country and sabotage its peace ” He vowed to prevent a n y s u c h “ c o n s p i r a c y ” i n t h e future The district administration has imposed section 144 for seven days, prohibiting all kinds

of assembly, except for events organised by the government in Jaranwala All educational institutions, markets and business establishments remained closed i n J a r a n w a l a T h e i n c i d e n t sparked outrage from political parties, civil society, the media, and outside Pakistan

Two arrested for blasphemy

Meanwhile, police arrested two Christian brothers accused of blasphemy, a spokesperson said blaming the two men for desecrating the Quran Pages of t h e Q u r a n w e r e f o u n d i n a s t r e e t w i t h d e r o g a t o r y c o mments written on them in red, police said One attached extra p a g e a l s o c a r r i e d t h e n a m e s , addresses and national identity card numbers of the accused, provincial police chief Usman Anwar said

Yasin Malik’s wife appointed special adviser to Pak interim PM

IS LA M AB AD : Pak ista n president Arif Alvi swore in a caretaker cabinet of 16 federal ministers, three advisers to the interim prime minister Anwaar-ul Haq Kakar equivalent to minist er an d jun ior ministe r, and jailed Kashmir separatist Yasin Malik’s wife, Mushaal Hussein Mullick, as one of four special advisers to the PM with rank equivalent to a junior minister Mullick is to advise the care-

Many hurt as Bangladesh cops clash with oppn activists

D HAKA: Police in northeastern Bangladesh used batons and tear gas to disperse opposition activists amid a political dispute over who would oversee the next election, which is expected to be held in January, police and activists said

Around 300 people were injured in the clash on Saturday evening, including some with bullets, the country’s leading Bengali newspaper ‘Prothom Alo’ reported, adding that police had opened fire on supporters of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, which is led by former PM Khaleda Zia The United News of Bangladesh agency said as many as 150 people, including police officers, were hurt in the clashes, which occurred in Habiganj town

G K Gaus, a local leader in Zia’s party, said chaos broke out after thousands of party supporters began marching through the streets Police confronted them and ordered them to stop Police official Palash Ranjan Dey said police were forced to take action after opposition activists suddenly attacked them while trying to break a police barricade

Zia’s party has been demanding the resignation of PM Sheikh Hasina and the transfer of power to a non-party caretaker government until the next general election Zia’s party and its allies accuse Hasina

The former Indian-American mayor of a city in California has agreed to plead guilty to multiple felony charges including obstruction of justice, wire fraud, and making false statements to the FBI Harish ‘Harry’ Sidhu, the first Sikh to be elected as the mayor of Anaheim in 2018, admitted to obstructing an FBI probe into a failed stadium sale, lying to FBI agents, and expecting $1 million for leaking confidential information the US Attorney s Office said According to court documents, Sidhu 66, admitted to cheating California tax authorities and making false statements to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in relation to his purchase of a helicopter

INDIAN AMERICAN FAMILY FOUND DEAD

An Indian couple and their six-year-old child have been found dead in the US state of Maryland in a suspected case of double suicidemurder police said The three people from Karnataka were found dead from gunshot wounds in their Baltimore County home when police responded to a welfare check around noon police said The deceased were identified as Yogesh H Nagarajappa (37) Prathiba Y Amarnath (37) and Yash Honnal (6) Based on the initial investigation, the incident is believed to be a double murder-suicide that Nagarajappa committed, Baltimore County Police spokesperson Anthony Shelton was quoted as saying “Each appeared to suffer from an apparent gunshot wound, Shelton added

LAB OWNER SENTENCED TO 27 YEARS IN PRISON

A person of Indian origin, who owned a laboratory in the US state of Georgia, has been handed a 27-year prison sentence for orchestrating a fraudulent genetic testing scheme that swindled Medicare out of approximately $463 million over a span of three years Minal Patel, the owner of LabSolutions LLC, received a formal sentencing of 27 years in prison for his pivotal involvement in deceiving Medicare The scheme involved submitting over $463 million worth of genetic and various other laboratory tests to Medicare, which were neither necessary nor requested by the patients

taker PM on human rights and women ’ s empowerment Yasin Malik was convicted by an NIA court in a terror funding case and is serving a life sentence in Tihar Jail He last appeared in the Delhi high court via a video link on August 9 in connection w i t h t h e N I A s e e k i n g d e a t h penalty for him

The poll panel, meanwhile, said it would release the final publication of delimitation of hundreds of federal and provinc i a l c o n s t i t u e n c i e s o n December 14 this year Under Pakistan’s constitution, a neutral caretaker government has to be appointed after dissolution of the National Assembly to hold general elections within 90 days, which in this case meant early November Political analysts say the delay in conducting elections on time would allow t h e m i l i t a r y , w h i c h a l r e a d y enjoys an enormous role in politics, to consolidate its grip on matters related to civilians The c u r r e n t i n t e r i m s e t u p h a s a s s u m e d g r e a t e r i m p o r t a n c e after the decision not to hold elections this year Kakar’s government will also have extra powers to make policy decisions o n e c o n o m i c m a t t e r s a f t e r changes to election laws by the outgoing government

NO CONSENSUS AMONG PML-N LEADERS ON SHARIF’S RETURN

The Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) leaders have failed to reach a consensus on the return of party supremo and former PM Nawaz Sharif from London to Pakistan ahead of the general elections, a media report said Nawaz Sharif, 73, has been living in self-imposed exile in the UK since November 2019 He was convicted in the Al-Azizia Mills and Avenfield corruption cases in 2018 A meeting of PML-N leaders presided over by party president Shehbaz Sharif was held to discuss the country's political situation, upcoming general elections and Nawaz's return home Some of the leaders suggested that Nawaz should return by September, while others proposed that the party supremo should return by October, a media report said

3 TONNES OF COCAINE SEIZED IN MEXICO

Mexico s Navy said that its personnel seized an open boat carrying three tonnes of cocaine, about 200 nautical miles (360 km) off the Pacific coast The Navy said three suspects were detained aboard the craft The boast was carrying 80 sacks that contained 6,130 pounds (2,800 kgs) of cocaine The suspects had two outboard motors and a tank with about 40 gallons (150 liters) of gasoline The bust was made southeast of the Pacific coast resort of Acapulco in Guerrero state The Navy also found a sack with about 55 pounds (25 kg) of cocaine floating in the Caribbean just off the beach at the resort of Akumal, in the state of Quintana Roo

Tharman Shanmugaratnam

PAK EX-FOREIGN MINISTER ARRESTED FOR LEAK OF DIPLOMATIC CABLE

Pakistan s former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi a close aide of jailed former PM Imran Khan, has been arrested from his house under the Official Secrets Act in connection with the leakage of a confidential diplomatic cable Qureshi, 67, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party s vice chairman, was arrested and taken to the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) headquarters soon after he demanded that a level playing field be provided to the embattled party during the upcoming general elections

Qureshi was arrested under the Official Secrets Act for violating the secrecy of the official cable sent by the Pakistani embassy in the US to the foreign office when he was the foreign minister

CHINA ASSURES HELP TO LANKA IN ADDRESSING DEBT CHALLENGES

Sri Lanka’s largest bilateral creditor China has assured the nation its help in effectively addressing the debt challenges as it has to finalise the external and domestic debt restructuring of $41 billion by September before the IMF s first review The IMF is set to conduct its first review of the $2 9 billion bailout granted to Sri Lanka this year from September 11-19

A release from the PM’s office said Wang Yi, the Chinese foreign minister, who met Lanka PM Dinesh Gunawardena on the sidelines of the ChinaSouth Asian Expo assured that it will help in addressing the debt challenges “China is always Sri Lanka’s reliable strategic partner and appreciates that Sri Lanka has always been friendly to China and has stood by China ” , Wang was quoted as saying

RESCUERS RECOVER 33 BODIES FROM A LANDSLIDE AT MYANMAR

Rescuers have recovered the bodies of 33 people from a landslide at a jade mine in northern Myanmar and are searching for three people believed to be missing In the landslide in Hpakant, the center of the world s largest jade mining district, earth and debris from several mines slid about 300 meters (1,000 feet) down a cliff into a lake below, carrying more than 35 miners with it A rescue leader says about 150 people using small boats recovered the bodies from the muddy lake in Kachin state Human rights activists say jade mining is an important source of revenue for Myanmar’s militaryinstalled government Opponents of army rule advocate sanctions and boycotts to reduce jade sales

IRAN FOREIGN MINISTER VISITS RIYADH IN FIRST TRIP IN YEARS

Iran’s foreign minister travelled to Saudi Arabia, marking the first trip to the kingdom by Tehran’s top diplomat in years after the two nations reached a détente with Chinese mediation The visit by Hossein Amirabdollahian comes as both Saudi Arabia and Iran try to ease tensions between their nations which long have viewed each other as arch rivals for influence across the wider West Asia Amirabdollahian s trip to Riyadh comes as the two nations are reopening diplomatic missions in each others countries He was accompanied by Iran's new ambassador to the kingdom The last Iran foreign minister to visit Saudi Arabia was in 2015 The kingdom broke ties with Iran in 2016 after protesters invaded Saudi diplomatic posts there Saudi Arabia had executed a prominent Shia cleric days earlier

Ramaswamy tied with DeSantis at second spot in Republican primary field

WASHINGTON: In a twist in the US presidential race, a new poll showed that Florida governor Ron DeSantis and IndianAmerican entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy were tied at the second place in the Republican primary field, Hill reported

According to an Emerson College poll, DeSantis and Ramaswamy shared the second spot with 10% support each They both were trailing far behind former president Donald Trump, who leads them with 56% of registered Republicans in his corner

For DeSantis, it is a huge fall from his position in June

when he ranked second with 21% support On the other hand, political novice Ramaswamy has seen a mercurial rise from garnering just 2% then Pollsters also found a somewhat less solid backing among DeSantis supporters compared to those of Ramaswamy Almost half of

Congressman Ro Khanna wins Democracy Award for best workplace environment

WA S HI N GT O N: Th e Congress io nal M anagem ent Foundation (CMF) has awarded Indian American Congressman Ro Khanna with a Democracy Award for excellent achievement in the field of "Life in Congress"Workplace Environment

According to a news release from his office, the "Life in Congress" Workplace Environment category honours offices that have implemented formal policies and informal cultures that improve the work-life balance and professional growth of their workers Khanna, who represents the Silicon Valleybased 17th District of California, has received two Democracy Awards The "Constituent Service category of the 2019 Democracy Award was won by his office

“It’s an honour to receive this award for best workplace environment in Congress I want to

congratulate my incredible staff for working alongside me to create a positive and inclusive work environment,” said Khanna

“As a strong supporter of workers’ rights, it’s important to me to live my values and ensure that all employees in my office have fair wages and benefits and are treated with dignity and respect I’m very proud of our team’s work over the years to make our office a top workplace on Capitol Hill Each office is like a mini startup,”said Geo Saba, chief of staff in Rep Khanna’s office “There’s no centralised HR This has given us the ability to be creative and reinvent what it means to work on the Hill ”

“This award is the result of the work and efforts of every single member on the team who contributed to reimagining our office policies and creating a healthy work environment,” Saba added

Ramaswamy backers said they will definitely vote for him, while only a third of DeSantis supporters said the same, according to the Hill report Meanwhile, more than 80% of Trump supporters said they will definitely vote for him

The poll’s release comes as a leaked memo from the super political action committee (PAC) supporting DeSantis’ candidacy, ‘Never Back Down’, makes clear that Ramaswamy is viewed as a threat and urged the Florida governor to “take a sledgehammer” to the Indian American, the Hill reported Other pollings have shown

Ramaswamy closing in on DeSantis for second place, and the memo appears to acknowledge that a few other candidates too are gaining momentum behind the Florida governor

The polling comes ahead of the first Republican primary debate, which Trump is reportedly planning to skip More than 80% of Republican primary voters said they plan to watch the debate The poll was conducted on August 16-17 among 1,000 registered voters, including 465 who said they plan to vote in their state’s Republican primary or caucus

Tina Ghataore appointed to a top post in Aerospacelab's N America branch

S A N FR A N C I S C O : Ti na Gh atao re, an experienced aerospace and satcom executive based in San Francisco, has been appointed as gro up chi ef strateg y and revenue officer and CEO of Aerospacelab s new branch in North America, according to company sources

Tina Ghataore was chief commercial officer of Mynaric and president of Mynaric USA before joining Aerospacelab In these roles, she oversaw the company's efforts to establish Mynaric as the go-to laser communication supplier for aerospace applications in both the government and commercial markets In 2022, Tina s contribution to the aerospace industry was recognised by both the public and industry peers alike when she was voted "Satellite

Executive of the Year" CEO and founder of Aerospacelab, Benoit Deper, stated that "with Tina, it just seems like a natural fit We share a vision and direction for this ever-growing satellite market In order to power and support Aerospacelab’s growth and ongoing expansion, it was essential to find the right leader who possessed the knowledge, skills and experience required for the position Today, we are confident that with Tina’s expertise and experience, we will be able to make our ambitious plans a reality She will be an invaluable asset as we continue to grow and position ourselves in the industry We are all so excited to have her on board!"

Tackling period poverty for 50,000 Ugandan girls and women

N AM AKW A (U GA N DA ): A major initiative to help combat period poverty in Uganda was launc he d rec ent ly, wi th t he open in g of a man uf ac turin g plant for sanitary pads that will significantly improve the lives of up to 50,000 Ugandan girls and women each year Significant grant funding from the Randal Charitable Foundation enabled this landmark social enterprise project in Namakwa, Mukono district of Uganda, working in partners hip wi th the Uganda Red Cross Society The plant will manufacture 200,000 reusable sanitary pads annually –directly helping to tackle missed educ ational opportuniti es f or girls, who may miss 18% of the academic year, because of poor sanitary protection during their period It will also create locally bas ed, s ki lle d employment opportunities f or vulner able girls and women who will be trained to make and market the pads and ensure the long-term sustainability of the facility

The Keep a Girl In School (KAGIS) Manufacturing Plant was officially opened on 11 August 2023 by Secretary

General of the Uganda Red Cross Society, Robert Kwesiga, and Dr Nik Kotecha OBE DL, Founder and Chairman of the Randal Charitable Foundation, together with the Director, Basic and Secondary Education at the Ministry of Education and Sports in Uganda Speaking after the launch ceremony, Dr Kotecha, who was born in Uganda before emigrating as a refugee to the United Kingdom as a child in 1972, said: “For many women and girls, poor access to high quality sanitary pads, as well as to toilets and washrooms, is a huge barrier to attending school and can result

in seriously limiting future career choices

“This ground-breaking partnership with the Uganda Red Cross Society will help secure a future free from “period poverty” for tens of thousands of women and girls each year It’s truly humbling to meet women and girls who will benefit from the wide-ranging outcomes from our manufacturing enterprise here today, from locally based jobs, to training and of course, high quality sanitary protection ”

Rachael McCormack, Chief Operating Officer for the Randal Foundation, said: “This

facility is especially close to our hearts because of our unwavering vision to directly save lives, and significantly improve the quality of life for those in need in the UK and around the world Period poverty is a global problem We hope our project will ensure more women can complete their education and be able to make life choices which mean they can fulfil their true potential ”

Robert Kwesiga, Secretary General of Uganda Red Cross Society, said: “Keep A Girl in School is a Menstrual Health Management initiative spearheaded by the Ministry of Education and Sports and launched in 2019, which highlights that girls are missing school because of lack of sanitary pads to use during their monthly cycle We would like to thank the Randal Charitable Foundation for their significant support towards the setting up of a manufacturing plant in Uganda which is aimed at keeping more girls in school through manufacturing and provision of re-usable pads ”

DR Nik Kotechs OBE DL (3rd from right) with Robert Kwesiga, Secretary General URCS

Vivek Ramaswamy

Tina Ghataore

PM Modi in South Africa to attend BRICS meet, likely to meet Chinese President

P r i m e M i ni s ter N ar end ra M o d i land ed in South A frica to take part i n th e three-d ay BRICS sum m it th at begi ns on Wednesday Th e v isit coincides with rum ours of a p o tential b ilateral m eeti ng w ith C hinese President X i Jinping on t h e f ri ng e s o f t h e s u m m i t, as I n d i an a nd C h i n es e tro o p s continue to engage in com bat in s o m e a rea s o f ea s ter n L ad a kh d esp ite diseng ag ing in others after sig nificant d iplomatic and m ilitary d iscussio ns

National Security Advisor Ajit

Doval stressed the significance of continuing efforts to thoroughly address the situation and restore

calm in the border areas when he visited Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi last month outside of a BRICS meeting in Johannesburg

A s P M M o d i l e f t f o r t h e s u m m i t , h e s a i d h e h o p e d t h e meeting would provide a useful opportunity for all members to ' i d e n t i f y f u t u r e a r e a s o f c o o p e r a t i o n ' " B R I C S h a s become a platform for discussing a n d d e l i b e r a t i n g o n i s s u e s o f concern for the Global South " Indian comm unity w elcomes PM Mod i

P M M o d i w a s g r e e t e d b y members of the Indian community on his arrival in South Africa for

t h e s u m m i t A s k e d a t a m e d i a b r i e f i n g w h e t h e r M o d i a n d Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold talks on the sidelines of the BRICS summit, Foreign Secretary

V i n a y K w a t r a s a i d t h a t t h e s c h e d u l e o f p r i m e m i n i s t e r ’ s b i l a t e r a l m e e t i n g s i s b e i n g finalised Beijing pushes for Brics expansio n China, meanwhile, will push t h e B R I C S b l o c o f e m e r g i n g markets to become a full scale rival to the G7 as leaders from across the developing world South Africa’s p r e s i d e n t C y r i l R a m a p h o s a h a s invited more than 60 heads of state and government to a summit in

A collective penance by 450 monks during Chaturmas period

D u r i n g t h e C h a tu r m a s p e r i o d (f ou r months of rai ny s eason ), around 15,000 Ja in d evo tee s ga the red at an ev en t f or m e d i t a t i o n i n V a d o d a r a a n d t h e con cl udin g cer emony wa s w itn es se d b y a round 17,000 people Es teemed A cha rya R a j r a t n a Su r i s h va rj i M a h a r a j a n d R a s h mi r a t n a M a h a r a j s h r i u n d e r t o o k i nten se me ditati on a nd s piri tual practices

I n t h e h i s t o r i c a l e v e n t , 4 5 0 m o n k s undertook a 30 day fasting During the fast, they consumed only lukewarm water, at sunrise and sunset This event signifies a unique historical boundary of devotion

P r o m i n e n t d i g n i t a r i e s , r e n o w n e d leaders of various organisations, cancer patients, blood pressure patients and even school children joined this massive event H i m m a t l a l b h a i , P r e s i d e n t o f A l k a p u r i S a n g h , t r u s t e e P r a s h a n t b h a i S h a h ,

Divyeshbhai Desai, trustee of Lalbaug Jain Sangh- along with his wife, Gautambhai, Ketan Shah, Deepak Shah and many others set an example by observing the 30-day fast

On 10th August a grand procession with musical bands, elephants, horses, and camels, started from the Navlakhi ground, resonating a vibrant festive atmosphere and ended at Dharma Suryoday Vatika This procession was flagged off by state home minister Harsh Sanghavi Vadodara mayor, deputy mayor, BJP leaders, MLAs, political figures, and a large number of others participanted in the procession

Speaking to Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar, the leader of Lalbag Sangh, Prakashbhai Shah, said, in the history of Vadodara, there never have an instance of

450 monks participating in the penance in the past " A c h a r y a s h r i R a j r a t n a S u r i s h v a r j i M a h a r a j d e d i c a t e d h i s r e v e r e n c e b y reciting 1,008 Atthai Tap, during which 250 names were registered on the spot for t h e u p c o m i n g P a r y u s h a n P a r v a G a c h h a d h i p a t i K a l a p r a b h s a g a r S u r i j i conveyed blessings to the devotees and p r e s e n t e d A c h a r y a R a j r a t n a s u r i s h v a r j i Maharaj with the title of 'Makshsaman S a m r a t ' a n d h o n o r e d h i m w i t h a c e r t i f i c a t e H e s a i d t h a t t h i s accomplishment was attainable due to the grace of the Lord and Guru Dev After the discourse by Jain acharya Rajratna Maharaj Saheb, each monk was offered gram water by Maharaj Saheb with a spoon, and by doing so attained Supatra daan to the revered Guru

BJP comes out with first list of candidates for Chhattisgarh, MP assembly poll

I n a n e f f o rt t o g a in a n a dvanta ge over Congress , the B JP has fielded heavyweight M P Vijay Baghel f rom Durg a g a in s t C hh at t i s g ar h CM

B hupes h Baghel f rom Pata n

The two are c om peting for 2 1 s eats in the stat e and 39 of t he s eats in Madhya Pradesh t hat have b een s hortlis ted

The Durg MP had polled 54 4% of the votes in Patan segment of his Lok Sabha c o n s t i t u e n c y a n d t h e leadership obviously expects him to complicate matters for CM Baghel on the latter’s h o m e t u r f T h e p a r t y h a s come out with the first list of its candidates for the two states months ahead of the

elections, in a break from its usual practice

The lists made public for both Chhattisgarh and MP include assembly seats that t h e p a r t y v i e w s a s competitive The purpose of a n n o u n c i n g c a n d i d a t e s s o early is to give them time to better prepare and to express t h e i r w i l l t o m a k e n o concessions

T h e l i s t s n a m e f i v e

women each in the two states and contain a large n u m b e r o f S C , S T r e s e r v e d c o n s t i t u e n c i e s where the saffron party h a d s u f f e r e d s e r i o u s reverses in the 2018 polls BJP has named its national SC Morcha chief Lal Singh Arya as the candidate from Gohad in Madhya Pradesh

The candidates were decided a t B J P ’ s C e n t r a l E l e c t i o n Committee meeting, which was chaired by party chief J P N a d d a a n d a t t e n d e d b y P r i m e M i n i s t e r N a r e n d r a M o d i a s w e l l a s U n i o n ministers Rajnath Singh and A m i t S h a h a m o n g o t h e r senior leaders

Johannesburg which could see several new countries invited to join the bloc of Brazil, Russia, India, China

a n d S o u t h A f r i c a , s a i d officials familiar with talks

B u t i n t h e r u n - u p t o t h e s u m m i t N e w D e l h i h a s c l a s h e d with Beijing over the expansion, w i t h t e n s i o n s m o u n t i n g o v e r w h e t h e r B R I C S s h o u l d b e a nonaligned club for the economic interests of developing countries,

o r a p o l i t i c a l f o r c e t h a t o p e n l y challenges the west, said people b r i e f e d o n I n d i a a n d C h i n a ’ s positions South African officials said 23 countries were interested in

joining the bloc

A

r g e n t i n a , S a u d i A r a b i a a n d Indonesia are vying to be the first new members since South Africa w a s i n v i t e d i n t o t h e o r i g i n a l grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, a n d C h i n a i n 2 0 1 0 R u s s i a n president Vladimir Putin will not be there after the International Criminal Court indicted him over the war in Ukraine, but he is likely to attend by video link

Can’t test wisdom behind decision to scrap Article 370: SC

The petitioners critic ised in t he S upr e m e C our t government's decision to end J&K's special stat us in August 2 019 as a majorit arian action disguis ed as a l egis lative and exec utive ac tion to overturn a constitut ionall y ma ndate d arrangem ent D u s h y a n t D a v e , t h e l a w y e r f o r p e t i t i o n e r R i f a t Ara Butt, claimed that the r e m o v a l o f J & K s s p e c i a l s t a t u s w a s t h e r e s u l t o f a " m a j o r i t a r i a n " N D A g o v e r n m e n t ' s s e c r e t p l a n carried out through a nonpolitical move disguising as a n e x e c u t i v e - l e g i s l a t i v e action, which is destructive o f t h e f e d e r a l r e l a t i o n s h i p between India and J&K based on respect for one another and the grant of autonomy in

internal affairs to people of the state

A bench of Chief Justice

D Y C h a n d r a c h u d a n d J u s t i c e s S a n j a y K K a u l , Sanjiv Khanna, B R Gavai and Surya Kant said, “Are you inviting the court to examine the wisdom of the g o v e r n m e n t ’ s d e c i s i o n t o abrogate special status for J&K by arguing that judicial review should reassess the political desirability of the government’s decision that continuance of Article 370 w a s n o t i n t h e n a t i o n a l interest?”

“But judicial review will b e c o n f i n e d t o c o n s t i t u t i o n a l v i o l a t i o n s No doubt that this court h a s t h e j u r i s d i c t i o n t o a d j u d i c a t e a n y t h i n g t h a t

i n v o l v e s c o n s t i t u t i o n a l violation but we surely are not equipped to deal with the wisdom underlying the decision,” the bench said Dave, supported by lawyer P r a s h a n t B h u s h a n , s a i d that the judgement was made a r b i t r a r i l y w i t h o u t a n y s u p p o r t i n g e v i d e n c e , c o n s t i t u t i n g a f l a g r a n t violation of the Constitution

“The Union government w i t h a m a j o r i t a r i a n a p p r o a c h c a n n o t r e w r i t e e i t h e r i t s p o l i t i c a l o r c o n s t i t u t i o n a l h i s t o r y Because BJP promised in its 2019 election manifesto to abrogate special status for J&K, it did so to please those who voted for it But that does not make the decision constitutional,” Dave said

Cong president reconstitutes CWC with focus on backward class, minorities

N earl y s ix mo nth s after the Raip ur p lenary confirmed his election, Congress pres ident M al l ika rj un K h ar ge p ut a p ers onal stamp on th e p arty o r g an is a t io n by reco nstituting th e C ongress Wo rking C omm ittee (C WC ) w i th a f o c u s o n u nd err e p r es e n te d g ro u p s an d m in o r it ie s , a nd in c r ea s e d p a r t ic ip at io n f ro m y o u n g p e o p l e a n d w o m e n T h is created a diverse body that a im s t o de ve l o p f u t u re l e a de rs a n d s u p p o r t t h e immediate task in s tates that a r e a p p r o a c h in g e l ec t io n seas on

Importantly, Kerala MP Shashi Tharoor, who fought the presidential poll against Kharge, has been given a seat at the main table - a matter of s p e c u l a t i o n f o r m o n t h s R a j a s t h a n l e a d e r S a c h i n P i l o t ’ s n o m i n a t i o n a l s o s t a n d s o u t a s p a r t o f t h e f o r m u l a t o a c c o m m o d a t e him following his factional war with CM Ashok Gehlot Team Kharge comprises six OBC faces as against just one in the last body, while it h a s n i n e S C s a n d a “promising” tribal leader in R a j a s t h a n m i n i s t e r

Mahendrajeet Malviya A top

f u n c t i o n a r y s a i d , “ T h e

committee is a determined projection of pro poor, probackward classes leadership, b e s i d e s b e i n g a m i x o f experienced heads and the GenNext ”

What is sure to attract a t t e n t i o n i s t h a t f o r m e r deputy leader in Rajya Sabha

A n a n d S h a r m a , a l e a d i n g light of the dissident group G23, has been retained in the committee, while Punjab MP a n d G 2 3 m e m b e r M a n i s h

Tewari is a fresh inclusion Crucially, the CWC forms a core of regional satraps in A s h o k C h a v a n o f Maharashtra, Pratibha Singh o f H i m a c h a l P r a d e s h , A j a y

Maken of Delhi, former CM Charanjit Channi of Punjab, M i z o r a m f a c e L a l Thanhawala, Jagdish Thakor

o f G u j a r a t , R a m e s h C h e n n i t h a l a o f K e r a l a , Ghulam Ahmed Mir of J&K, G a n e s h G o d i y a l o f U t t a r a k h a n d a n d B e n g a l ’ s Deepa Dasmunsi T h e p a r t y m a d e t h e d e c i s i o n t o e n h a n c e t h e s t r e n g t h t o a l s o a c c o m m o d a t e t h e p o l i c y resolution that 50% of the m e m b e r s o n t h e p a n e l s should be under 50 years old a n d f r o m S C / S T / O B C / W o m e n / M i n o r i t i e s T h e r e are nine special invitees, 14 AICC state-in charges, and 18 p e r m a n e n t i n v i t e e s I n a d d i t i o n , f o u r e x - o f f i c i o

members are Youth Congress President Srinivas B V , NSUI P r e s i d e n t N e e r a j K u n d a n , M a h i l a C o n g r e s s P r e s i d e n t

Netta D'souza, and Sevadal Chief Organiser Lalji Desai

Mallikarjun Kharge

Narendra Modi

Cabinet clears £1.3 bn plan to train artisans

A day after Prime Minister M odi announced from the Red F ort abo ut his g overnm ent's plan to launch the c en tr all y f u nd e d p rog ramm e aimed at benefiting 3 0 ,0 0, 0 00 fam ilies, mo stly from the OBC comm unity, the U nio n Cabinet ap pro ved t h e £ 1 3 b i ll io n " Vi s h w ak ar m a Y o j na" t o boost livelih ood opportunities for craftsmen pursuing traditional skills

U n d e r t h e f i v e - y e a r s c h e m e , t o b e f o r m a l l y announced on Vishwakarma Jayanti on September 17, one person each from the eligible families will get collateral-free subsidised loans of

up to Rs 200,000 in two tranches at a concessional interest rate of 5%

“Embracing our nation’s skills and cultural diversity, the Vishwakarma initiative will celebrate our traditional a r t i s a n s a n d c r a f t s p e o p l e , both from rural and urban India,” Modi said on X, formerly Twitter “Honouring the timeless Guru-Shishya t r a d i t i o n , i t w i l l a u g m e n t t h e e f f o r t s o f o u r V i s h w a k a r m a s , c o n n e c t i n g t h e m t o m o d e r n v a l u e chains and preserving their invaluable skills ” Scheme to be ful ly fun ded by Centr e The programme would

p r o v i d e b a s i c a n d a d v a n c e d t r a i n i n g , n e w tools, and market access, according to union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw For business growth and market penetration, it will also o f f e r l o w - i n t e r e s t l o a n s u p p o r t I t i s m o s t l y OBCs, Hindus as well as their Muslim counterparts known as Pasmandas, who pursue traditional skillsbased craft “This scheme will be fully funded by the central government,” the minister said

According to him, the government will carry out b a s i c a n d a d v a n c e d s k i l l i n g p r o g r a m m e s i n

the first tranche, providing individuals identified d u r i n g t r a i n i n g w i t h a stipend of Rs 500 per day According to sources, even though the plan aims to cover 30 lakh craftspeople, t h e g o v e r n m e n t m a y expand the basic and higher skill training classes to more of them if more people register For basic skill training, the government w i l l p r o v i d e s t i p e n d f o r five days and for advanced skilling, the training period will be 15 days The C e n t r e w i l l p r o v i d e R s 1 5 , 0 0 0 s u p p o r t t o e a c h b e n e f i c i a r y f o r b u y i n g modern tools

India's digital infrastructure offers solutions for global concerns: PM Modi

P r i m e M in i st er N ar end ra M o d i s a id f o r re ac h i ng agreement on the G-20 high level principles fo r a secure, tru sted , and resilient dig ital e co n o m y a nd s ai d t h at India's d igital public infrast ru c tu re o ff ers s c ala bl e, secure, and inclusiv e solutions for global concerns

“ A s o l u t i o n t h a t s u cceeds in India, can be easily a p p l i e d a n y w h e r e i n t h e world India is ready to share i t s e x p e r i e n c e s w i t h t h e w o r l d W e o f f e r e d o u r CoWIN platform for global good during the Covid pandemic We have now created a n o n l i n e G l o b a l P u b l i c D i g i t a l G o o d s R e p o s i t o r y , the India Stack This is to ensure that no one is left b e h i n d E s p e c i a l l y o u r b r o t h e r s a n d s i s t e r s f r o m

the global south,” Modi said in his video message at the G20 digital economy ministers’ meet in Bengaluru

He said it is home to every religion and innumerable cultural practices from a r o u n d t h e w o r l d “ F r o m ancient traditions to the latest technologies, India has s o m e t h i n g f o r e v e r y o n e , ” the PM asserted and added t h a t w i t h s u c h d i v e r s i t y , India is an ideal testing lab for solutions

Modi brought up India's 850 million internet users, who benefit from some of the lowest data costs in the world, to highlight the size, s p e e d , a n d s c o p e o f t h i s t r a n s i t i o n M o d i s p o k e about using technology to c h a n g e g o v e r n a n c e a n d m a k e i t m o r e e f f e c t i v e , inclusive, quick, and transp a r e n t , u s i n g A a d h a a r I n d i a ' s d i s t i n c t i v e d i g i t a l identity programme, which serves more than 1 3 billion people, as an example

He mentioned the JAM t r i n i t y J a n D h a n b a n k a c c o u n t s , A a d h a a r a n d Mobile - that revolutionised financial inclusion and the UPI payment system where n e a r l y 1 0 b i l l i o n t r a n s a ctions take place every month while 45% of the global real

India, China continue talks to resolve issues in Eastern Ladakh

India and C hina are continu ing with their M ajo r G en era l- le v el m i l it ary talks at tw o locations to red uce tensions along the f ro n ti er in ea st ern L ad akh, ahead of possible m eet in g s be tw e en P M N are nd r a M o d i an d P resident Xi Jinping during the Brics sum mit in South A frica and the G20 summit i n New De lh i e arl y n ext m onth

time payments happen in India

“ T e c h n o l o g y h a s c o nnected us like never before I t h o l d s t h e p r o m i s e f o r i n c l u s i v e a n d s u s t a i n a b l e development for all We, in G20, have a unique opportunity to lay the foundations for an inclusive, prosperous a n d s e c u r e g l o b a l d i g i t a l f u t u r e W e c a n a d v a n c e financial inclusion and prod u c t i v i t y t h r o u g h d i g i t a l p u b l i c i n f r a s t r u c t u r e W e can promote the use of digital technology by farmers a n d s m a l l b u s i n e s s e s W e can establish the framework t o b u i l d a g l o b a l d i g i t a l health ecosystem We can also develop a framework for safe and responsible use o f A r t i f i c i a l I n t e l l i g e n c e , ” said the PM

Innovative Rakhi with Hanuman Chalisa attracting huge attention

Nischal Sanghavi

A Gujarat based lady Hinal Ramanu j has come up with a no vel idea of creating a Ra kh i w i th t h e e n ti re

‘Hanuman Ch alish a ’ o n it For th ose who are not mo re in f o rm ed , H an u m an Ch alisa i s a Hindu devotio nal h ymn in p rais e o f H in du G o d H an u m an ma de u p o f 40 ve rs e s Recitatio n or Chanting of Hanu man Chali sa is a frequ ent activity fo r quite a lot of Hindu s Hinal who is passionate a b o u t a r t a n d c r a f t s a y s that, “Since a long time she w a s t h i n k i n g t o p u t Hanuman Chalisa, that is one of the best known text of renowned poet Tulsidas, into a Rakhi as Hanuman is considered to be a saviour in Hindu mythology and Raksha Bandhan is a festival where sister ties Rakhi to brother praying for his safety and protection ”

However, she says, “the b i g g e s t c h a l l e n g e w a s t o make it of very small size as people will not wear big size Rakhi, and at the same t i m e t o m a k e H a n u m a n

Chalisa, the prayer for this a r d e n t d e v o t e e o f L o r d Rama, easily readable Once the idea was in place, it took 3 months to create the prototype One of the other objectives is though Rakhi is a precious article, people have to ultimately throw it off In this case, the Rakhi will later find a place in the temple or a suitable corner from where it could help in reciting Hanuman Chalisa

The Rakhi is very reasonably priced as the main purpose is, not much to earn, but to make more people recite Hanuman Chalisa in this digital world ”

The rakhi has been created using soft cardboard and lamination The size of the rakhi is only as small as a phalange of a finger

A c c o r d i n g t o c o l l e g e student Meeta Kothari, “I was sincerely looking for an innovative Rakhi which is different from the conventional one to tie it to my brothers The non-conventional ones available in the market are either too childish or too expensive When I came to know about this R a k h i , I i m m e d i a t e l y bought it for my brothers I am sure they are going to remember this Rakhi for a long time ”

Hinal is whole heartedly supported by her husband Jignesh in her passion It is Hina’s passion to create things for daily use that are non-conventional and have a e s t h e t i c v a l u e , w i t h o u t profit objective Team of six people is involved in creat-

The talks are being held a t D a u l a t B e g O l d i e a n d Chushul, headed by Major G e n e r a l s P K M i s h r a ( 3 Infantry Division command e r ) a n d H a r i h a r a n ( U n i f o r m F o r c e c o m m a nder) from the Indian side, from Friday onwards with some breaks, sources said

The CBMs under discussion are for the major faceoff sites at Depsang and the Charding Ninglung Nallah ( C N N ) t r a c k j u n c t i o n i n Demchok, the buffer zones e s t a b l i s h e d e a r l i e r a f t e r troop disengagements, and the overall Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the region

The CBMs range from not increasing troop levels along t h e L A C , a v o i d i n g a n y a i r s p a c e v i o l a t i o n s b y d r o n e s a n d d e f i n i n g t h e

‘ l i m i t s ’ o f p a t r o l l i n g a n d exchanging prior informat i o n a b o u t e a c h o t h e r ’ s patrols to strictly adhering t o b o r d e r p r o t o c o l s a n d maintaining the sanctity of t h e b u f f e r z o n e s w h e r e t r o o p d i s e n g a g e m e n t h a s taken place

These talks follow the top level military dialogue held between the rival corps c o m m a n d e r s , l e d b y 1 4 C o r p s c o m m a n d e r L tGeneral Rashim Bali and the S o u t h X i n j i a n g M i l i t a r y District chief, which took p l a c e o v e r t w o d a y s o n August 13-14

There is as yet no official word on the talks, which h a v e r a i s e d s p e c u l a t i o n whether there is a push to s h o w “ t a n g i b l e f o r w a r d movement” in defusing the m i l i t a r y c o n f r o n t a t i o n i n e a s t e r n L a d a k h , w h i c h i s into its fourth year now, in the run-up to the G20 summit on September 9-10

SC issues handbook against use of archic terms for women

i n g t h e s e R a k h i s T h e Hanuman Chalisa Rakhi is g e t t i n g h u g e a t t e n t i o n from sisters in Gujarat and Gujaratis abroad who are eager to tie this piece of divine art on the wrists of their dearest brothers

Hinal’s team is already b u s y d e l i v e r i n g R a k h i parcels to outbound cities At least over a couple of t h o u s a n d R a k h i s o f H a n u m a n C h a l i s a a r e expected to be sold as they are much in demand But, Hinal, whose main objective is not profit, says that she has got immense satisfaction that thousands of p e o p l e w i l l n o t h a v e t o t h r o w a w a y t h e i r R a k h i t h i s y e a r , a s i t w i l l a l s o serve a meaningful purpose later

Judge s will fina lly n eed to w a t c h t h e i r wo r d s a r o u n d wo m e n T h e highe st court has rule d t ha t p a tr i a rc ha l st e r e ot y p e s li k e "c ha s te w o ma n , " " se d u c t r e s s, " a n d "wa nton woma n, " which hav e bee n use d by jud ges f or d e ca d e s, a r e un a ccept able T h e S u p r e m e C o u r t released a handbook meant to be used by the judges as a g u i d e t o g e n d e r j u s t l a nguage Instead of "spinster," j u d g e s w i l l n o w r e f e r t o " u n m a r r i e d w o m e n , " m i st r e s s w i l l b e r e p l a c e d b y ‘ woman with whom a man has had romantic or sexual r e l a t i o n s o u t s i d e o f m a rriage’; and the word ‘prostitute’ will be replaced with ‘ sex worker’ The handbook tells judges to use ‘street sexual harassment’ instead of ‘ eve teasing’

Releasing the handbook, CJI D Y Chandrachud said, “It is vital that judges not only avoid relying on stereotypes in their decision maki n g a n d w r i t i n g , b u t a l s o actively challenge and dispel h a r m f u l s t e r e o t y p e s I f h a r m f u l s t e r e o t y p e s a r e relied upon by judges, it can l e a d t o d i s t o r t i o n o f t h e o b j e c t i v e a n d i m p a r t i a l application of the law This will perpetuate discriminat i o n a n d e x c l u s i o n ” T h e guidebook, whose draft was

D Y Chandrachud

created by Professor Jhuma Sen, Justices Pratibha Singh of the Delhi High Court, and Moushumi Bhattacharya of t h e C a l c u t t a H i g h C o u r t , also tackles the more recent problem of gender fluidity and incorporates terminolog y s u p p o r t e d b y t h e LGBTQIA+ community

Under the sub-chapter ‘ U n d e r s t a n d i n g g e n d e r stereotypes’, the handbook e x p l a i n s t h a t w h i l e ‘ s e x ’ r e f e r s t o t h e b i o l o g i c a l a t t r i b u t e s o f i n d i v i d u a l s , ‘ g e n d e r ’ r e f e r s t o s o c i a l l y c o n s t r u c t e d r o l e s ,

behaviours, expressions and identities of girls, women, b o y s , m e n a n d g e n d e r diverse individuals

“Gender identity is not l i m i t e d t o a b i n a r y (girl/woman and boy/man) but rather exists on a spectrum and can evolve over time Further, gender is a s o c i a l c o n s t r u c t a n d includes norms, behaviours and roles associated with a particular gender identity,” the handbook notes

Hinal Ramanuj

H Y D E R A B A D : T h e r u li ng

KCR's party names nominees for 115 of 119 Telangana seats Karnataka govt orders probe into '40% commission scam'

Bharat Rash tra Samithi ( BRS) an no u nc e d th e f i rs t l is t o f ca nd id ate s, m o nth s ah ead o f th e assembly po lls in Telang ana later th is year There have been just seven chang es, and most s it ti ng M L A s h av e be en re tai n ed A cc o rd in g to th e announcement, 11 5 of the total 11 9 cand idates were anno unced Nam es for Narsapur, Nam pally, Go s h a m ah a l, a nd J ang ao n assembly co nstituencies are yet to be anno unced "We are confident of winning 95 to 105 seats," K Chandrashekar Rao, who is looking to score a hat-trick in the southern state, said while releasing the names for 119 constituencies The Chief Minister, who represents the Gajwel constituency in the state assembly, will contest from one more seat this time - Kamareddy Gampa

Govardhan of the BRS has won the election from Kamareddy for four consecutive terms - 2009, 2011, 2014 and 2018

Congress, the main opposition party in the state, has just begun the exercise of candidate selection The

party has invited applications from August 18 to 25

KCR is banking on a big push to social welfare schemes His party has attacked the Congress, saying, if voted to power, they would withdraw the scheme which provides free power to farmers

In the last elections, four opposition parties who were arch rivals - Congress, Telangana Jana Samithi, Telugu Desam Party, and CPI - formed 'Maha Kootami' (Grand Alliance) to defeat incumbent Telangana Rashtra Samithi (now BRS) but failed to get majority

Punjab, Haryana youths trapped in Libya return home after 6 months

N E W D E L H I : Tr a pp ed in Libya for months aft er t heir dream s f or a be tter job and l if e we r e s ha t t e r e d a t t he hands of uns crupulous t ravel a gent s, 17 yout hs , mostl y f rom Punjab and Haryana , landed b ack home on Sunday night

The youths had left India for Ital y in February this year after b e i ng a s s ur e d j ob s b y t ra v e l a gent s from Punjab and Del hi

“The journey was never completed and a nightmare of a detour took us to Libya where we were kept in Zuwara City in subhuman conditions, without food and water,” says Anmol Singh, who, along with 16 others, reached New Delhi

The rescue operation was planned and funded by Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab

Vikramjit Singh Sahney, who followed up with the Indian and Libyan authorities to repatriate the youths Sahney had learnt of the youths taking a donkey

DALIT WOMAN STRIPPED, BEATEN UP IN ANDHRA

route to reach Italy in February and having landed in Libya instead

“We were taken to Dubai from India with a promise to be sent to Italy but eventually we were taken via sea route to Egypt and finally Libya where we were sold off to a local mafia that made us do unpaid work at construction sites,” said Dharambir, another youth among those who returned to a warm welcome by their kith and kin at the Delhi airport

In Libya, the youths ended up in the illegal immigrant list and were put behind the bars after they escaped the mafia

B

EN GA LU RU

: The Ka rnata ka gover nment has order ed a judicial in quir y into the a lle gations of deman d for '40 per cen t commission' for public projects during t he previous BJP-led dispen sat ion in the st ate

Three months after coming to power, the ruling Congress passed an order setting up the inquiry panel led by retired High Court judge Justice Nagamohan Das, fulfilling one of its key promises made in the runup to assembly polls

According to the order, the commission will inquire into the activities of the departments where large-scale public works are taken up The Karnataka State Contractors' Association had written to the Prime Minister as well as the then Chief Minister about 40 per cent commission being charged on all public projects

Even before the commencement of work, 25 to 30 per cent commission is paid to the public representatives while the remaining is paid after completion of work, the order explained

"However, no action was taken on these serious allegations at the government level The new government wants to bring transparency in the administration at the initial level itself," it said

The probe panel will also ascertain whether the estimates were in accordance with the prevailing schedule of rates and necessity to revise estimates in the event of cost escalation During the inquiry, the departments concerned will have to submit their files to the panel, it said

Punjab farm leaders arrested ahead of their protest against non-payment of relief

CHA NDI GAR H: Far mer leaders o f 1 6 un io n s l e d b y K i s a n M azdoor Sanghars h Comm ittee (K MSC) have been arres ted in diff erent parts of Punjab s inc e M on da y m orn ing M ea nwhil e , three farm ers and Suna m SHO w er e in ju r ed i n a c l as h i n Sangrur

Farmers were on their way to block road at Badbar toll plaza when they were stopped by police, leading to the clash They started protest at Longowal after that They have been demanding financial aid to flood-affected farmers Those who have been arrested are Sarvan Singh Pandher, state president of KMSC; Baldeep Singh, press secretary, BKU (Krantikari); Kanwardilip Singh, state press secretary, KMSC; Chamkaur Singh and Borh Singh, both leaders of BKU (Behramke)

The reason for the arrests was the impending protest by these farmer unions in

Chandigarh from August 22 against the non-payment of compensation to the floodaffected farmers These unions are not a part of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), though some of the SKM members have condemned the preventive arrests of these union leaders

Till Sunday night, negotiations were on between senior officers of Chandigarh and Punjab Police with the leaders led by Sarvan Singh Pandher, which reportedly failed The official team was led by Chandigarh DGP Praveer Ranjan and Punjab Police ADGP Arpit Shukla Two officers from Haryana Police were also present at the meeting

Later, the union leaders reportedly also met Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit He assured them that he would ask the officers of both Punjab and Haryana to hear their grievances

SC rejects Bengal’s plea against HC order for probe into recruitment case

N E W D E L H I : T h e S u p re me

Cou rt has refused to entertain an app eal of the West Bengal g o ve rn m en t c h al l en gi n g th e J une 1 5 o rder of the Calcutta

H igh Cou rt asking the CBI and E D to p r o be a ll e ged irregulari ties in th e recru itment o f s taf f in va ri o us mu ni ci p al bo dies

A bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and justices J B Pardiwala, and Justice Manoj

Misra, while junking the appeal of the state government, said prima facie the alleged municipality recruitment scam

appeared to be linked to the teachers recruitment case which is being probed by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate

The bench also did not agree with the contention of senior

lawyer Kapil Sibal, appearing for the state government, that let it be said that the order of the Calcutta High Court asking the CBI and ED to probe this case also will not be treated as a “precedent”

The senior lawyer referred to several judgements to highlight the point that the state government’s power to deal with such cases will be diminished if probe by central agencies is allowed in this manner Sibal

A 28-year-old Dalit woman was attacked with knives stripped and subjected to casteist slurs after being abducted by a couple near a village in Andhra Pradesh’s Prakasam district The couple also attempted to kill the woman but police’s timely intervention saved her Cops said the victim s brother had eloped with the accused s daughter in March this year, which led to the assault The woman s mother, who was also attacked, managed to escape and alerted the police, who reached the spot just when the victim was about to be set ablaze by the accused Gangireddy Brahma Reddy (52) and Pullamma (48) The duo was arrested The victim and her mother were filling water from a municipal water tap, when the accused couple suddenly threw chilli powder in their eyes and started thrashing them Brahma Reddy sat on the victim’s chest and attempted to stab her in the neck, and later dragged her to their home, about 500m away from the spot The victim was tied with ropes doused with kerosene and asked to reveal the whereabouts of their daughter

WOMAN FLYER REFUSES TO BE FRISKED, ATTACKS CISF CONSTABLE

A 31-year-old woman allegedly refused to be frisked and assaulted a CISF constable at Bengaluru international airport Neha Gupta from Siliguri in West Bengal, who was scheduled to fly to Bagdogra from Bengaluru, was handed over to the airport police Sources said Neha arrived to board an AirAsia flight scheduled to take off for Bagdogra at 12 10 pm “At 10 50 am, the woman came for predeparture checks at the CISF bay A woman constable, Sushila Kumar, asked her to come into the enclosure for a patdown but she refused to be checked for reasons unknown She soon got into a heated argument with the constable who informed her that she must be frisked, failing which she won’t be allowed to board her flight ” said a CISF officer Following the argument Neha allegedly assaulted the constable Soon other CISF personnel rushed in and intercepted her

BAJRANG DAL MEMBER ARRESTED FOR NUH RIOTING

Bittu Bajrangi the Bajrang Dal member and cow vigilante out on bail for a provocative video posted ahead of the communal clash on July 31 has been arrested again this time by Nuh police for alleged involvement in rioting and carrying arms on the day of the violence Bittu whose name is Raj Kumar was arrested from his house in Faridabad Police filed the case themselves based on their investigations Bittu and around 15-20 of his supporters allegedly came to the temple carrying swords and tridents When police intercepted them and tried to seize the weapons, the group became “aggressive” and started shouting slogans against police, the ASP said in the complaint

SCHOOL JOBS SCAM: CBI STARTS QUESTIONING TEACHERS

said the high court had erred in its decision of transferring the matter to the central agencies as there was no material to prove that the state could not investigate the alleged scam

He said the ED had no jurisdiction and it was just "targeting" officers at this point "Which other states is this happening in? There is no jurisdiction of ED here,” Sibal said The bench, however, rejected the contention of the state government, saying there was a prima facie link between the two cases

The CBI on Monday began interrogation of primary teachers in connection with its investigation into the school jobs scam in West Bengal, a senior official said Out of the 344 teachers who have been summoned by the CBI around 30 of them from Hooghly are being questioned at the probe agency s office in Nizam Palace he said "Today, we started questioning the teachers We will summon and quiz them in batches ” the official said Sleuths of the CBI may also question district officials of the school education department, he said Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday conducted searches at multiple places in Calcutta and its neighbourhood in connection with the probe into irregularities in the recruitment for school jobs, officials said

17

K Chandrashekhar Rao

Countdown begins for India's Moon landing

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to make history, when its third Moon miss ion, Chan drayaa n- 3 ’ s, Lan der Module attempts to land on the lunar surface at approximately 6 04 pm on Wednesday It all comes down to the final 15 minutes, when the lander carries out a critical technical manoeuvre, transferring its high-speed horizontal position to a vertical one - in order to facilitate a gentle descent on to the surface

ISRO on Tuesday said everything was going as per plan and the “mission is on schedule” Ahead of its landing, the lander m o d u l e e s t a b l i s h e d c o n t a c t w i t h t h e Chandrayaan-2 lunar orbiter on Monday, opening up another line of communication with Earth ISRO said the orbiter greeted the lander with the message “welcome, buddy” ISRO also posted images of the far side of the Moon captured by the lander

If the mission is successfully completed, India will become the fourth country to master the technology of soft-landing on the lunar surface after the US, China and the

e r s t w h i l e S o v i e t U n i o n I n d i a w i l l a l s o become the first country to reach the unexplored larger south pole of the Moon

I S R O ’ s T e l e m e t r y T r a c k i n g a n d Command Centre (ISTRAC) in Bengaluru will issue a command at 5 47 pm that will signal the spacecraft to begin the descent From a velocity of about 6,000 km/hour in the orbit, the spacecraft will have to slow down to near zero as it makes a touchdown It is

US Congress delegation visits Akshardham temple in New Delhi

A US Congress delegation l ed by Cong ressman Ro

Khanna and Michael Waltz, co-chairs of the bipartisan C ongr ession al Ca ucus on India and Indian Americans, visited India last week As part of their visit, the deleg ation v isite d the Swaminarayan Akshardham complex in New Delhi on August 15

The delegation leaders a n d C o n g r e s s w o m e n D e b o r a h R o s s a n d K a t

Cammack were traditionally welcomed and greeted The d e l e g a t i o n p a i d t h e i r respects at the temple and admired its art and architecture They gained insights into the significance of the t e m p l e ’ s d e s i g n e l e m e n t s and spiritual philosophy

The US delegation also p e r f o r m e d a b h i s h e k , a s a c r e d H i n d u t r a d i t i o n involving pouring sanctified water as a call for peace and best wishes, acknowledging their respect for Indian cust o m s a n d t r a d i t i o n s

E x p e r i e n c i n g t h e c u l t u r a l boat ride through thousands of years of Indian history left a lasting impression of India's rich heritage

C o n g r e s s m a n R o

Khanna expressed his gratitude, stating, "We are honored to have been graciously w e l c o m e d b y t h e A k s h a r d h a m c o m m u n i t y This visit has strengthened o u r n a t i o n s ' f r i e n d s h i p bonds and highlighted the s i g n i f i c a n c e o f c u l t u r a l exchange

C o n g r e s s m a n M i c h a e l Waltz remarked, "Our visit t o S w a m i n a r a y a n t e m p l e has been an incredible exper i e n c e t h a t d e e p e n e d o u r u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f I n d i a ' s cultural and spiritual roots

The warm reception and the opportunity to partake in s a c r e d r i t u a l s h a v e l e f t a lasting impression on our d e l e g a t i o n " T h e t e m p l e serves as a beacon of Indian art, culture, and spirituality, drawing millions of visitors from around the world

Seven pilgrims from Bhavnagar killed in Uttarkashi bus accident

At least seven people were killed and 27 others injured when a bus carrying 35 pilg rims from B havn agar p lung ed i nto a c an yo n in U ttarkashi The bus was returning from Gangotri to Uttarkashi when the accident occurred at Gangnani C h i e f m i n i s t e r B h u p e n d r a P a t e l c o n d o l e d the death of seven pilgrims and wished for the speedy recovery of the injured The CM said on a microblogging site X, “I am saddened by the tragic accident in which pilgrims from Gujarat lost their lives after their bus fell into a g o r g e i n U t t a r a k h a n d M y heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased ”

He added, “The Gujarat g o v e r n m e n t i s i n c o n s t a n t touch with the Uttarakhand government to get details of the accident Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured

citizens ” A statement issued by state relief commissioner Alok Pandey said that the state g o v e r n m e n t i s i n c o n s t a n t touch with the relief commissioner of Uttarakhand A n o f f i c i a l s t a t e m e n t quoted by the relief commiss i o n e r , s a i d , “ U t t a r a k h a n d S D R F t e a m s a r e m a k i n g a r r a n g e m e n t s t o s h i f t t h e i n j u r e d p e r s o n s t o

Rishikesh ” He added that a b o u t 3 3 p i l g r i m s f r o m B h a v n a g a r h a d r e a c h e d Uttarakhand in a private bus from where they had hired another private bus for the onward journey One of the survivors, Ketan Rajyaguru (59), spoke to the media from hospital He said, “The accident occurred when we were returning from Gangotri to Uttarkashi All of a sudden, the bus started rolling down the gorge around 4 pm I lost consciousness When I woke

The final approach will be a heady cocktail of anxiety, nervousness and anticipation It was in these last moments that Chandrayaan-2 developed problems and fell on the Moon’s surface Four missions, including Luna-25 of Russia two days ago, have met a similar fate in the last four years

T o e n s u r e t h e s u c c e s s o f t h e Chandrayaan-3 mission, ISRO has made a n u m b e r o f a d j u s t m e n t s i n c l u d i n g

month, ISRO Chairman S Somanath said that even if all sensors fail while attempting to make the soft landing on the lunar surface, the lander would still be able to land provided that the propulsion system works

He added that this time they have made a l l t h e s y s t e m s m o r e r o b u s t a n d h a v e changed the guidance design and introduced newer algorithms The rover would be deployed a short time after ISRO suc

Stretch of Badrinath highway caves in, sinks by 3ft in 24 hours

Con side rab le sub side nce that had be gun on a 70me ter section of t he Badrinath highway between Pursari and Maithana intensified last week Parts of the roa d, a ccordin g to l ocals, have sunk by as much as 3 feet in the last 24 hours The affected stretch is around 50 km away from Joshimath, which is also facing substantial subsidence

E v e n w h e n w o r k e r s from the National Highways a n d I n f r a s t r u c t u r e D e v e l o p m e n t C o r p o r a t i o n

Limited (NHIDCL) began to repair the damaged section

of the road, traffic continued to flow on the right side of the road (the hillside)

S h a i l e n d r a K u m a r , DGM, NHIDCL, said, “This spot on the highway has a h i s t o r y o f s u b s i d e n c e A s part of the treatment work, a retaining wall was made beneath the road on the valley side five years ago That wall seems to have weakened due to a rise in the w a t e r l e v e l o f A l a k n a n d a R i v e r t h i s r a i n y s e a s o n , causing the present sinking of the highway ” He added that traffic is being allowed to move through ‘ a stable

part of the highway’ but if t h e s i t u a t i o n w o r s e n s , NHIDCL will write to the administration to close the highway for traffic movem e n t “ T e m p o r a r y r e p a i r work is being carried out to make the road safe for vehicles This spot needs proper treatment that will be done subsequently,” he said T r a f f i c i n s p e c t o r o f C h a m o l i , P r a v e e n A l o k , added, “We will review the situation and if found dang e r o u s , t r a f f i c w o u l d b e diverted through an altern a t e r o u t e C h a m o l iNandprayag Bypass road ”

US court rejects Mumbai attack suspect Rana’s anti-extradition plea

A US court has rejected the " writ of habeas corpus" filed by Tahawwur Rana, a suspect in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, challenging his extradition to India Despite declining to comment specifically on the Rana case, the US State Department stated that it was still committed to fighting terrorism and bringing those responsible for the Mumbai attacks to justice

outline the specific steps that are required in an extradition matter,” said a spokesperson

u p , I w a s i n a h o s p i t a l ” R a j y a g u r u r e c e i v e d s e v e r a l stitches

The state department said that Rana’s extradition was a pending matter “And so, given the fact that it is pending, I don’t have any specific comment to offer I’m just not going to comment on a pending extradition matter I’m sure the department of justice can

Swami Brahmaviharidas meets PM Modi

Swami Brahmaviharidas of BAP S con ve ye d t o P rime M in ist er Narendra Modi special b l essing s fr om HH

Mahant Swami Maharaj

With frie ndliness, creativity and spirituality, he shared the updates of the ongoing 'Festival of In spira tion s' a t t he S wam ina ra y an Ak shar dh am , Robb insville, USA a s well as the upcom ing ' Festival of Harmony' for the inauguration of the BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi on 14 February 2024

While appreciating the universal social, cultural and spiritual work for global good by BAPS saints and volunteers, the PM Modi passed on his prayers and good wishes A beautiful 3D printed model of the historic and iconic mandir destined to become a beacon of love, peace and harmony was presented to PM Modi

“What I can say is that we are committed to confronting terrorism across the world and we continue to call for those involved in the 2008 Mumbai attacks to be brought to justice,” he added A US judge authorised Rana's extradition to India in May, marking a significant success for India in its campaign to bring the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks to justice

R a n a , w h o i s b e i n g h e l d a t t h e M e t r o p o l i t a n D e t e n t i o n C e n t r e i n L o s Angeles, filed a “writ of habeas corpus ” in June of this year contesting the court order

OBITUARY

Remembering Praful R C Patel

Mr Praful R C Patel was born in Uganda and settled in the UK since late 1950 ’ s He possessed extensive knowledge of immigration laws In the 60’s and early 70 ’ s, he became very prominent in the matters related to East African Asians Sadly, h e w a s e n g r o s s e d i n s e v e r a l controversies For the last two d e c a d e s , h e m a i n l y l i v e d i n Mumbai, India An exceptionally talented and hardworking person who could have made substantial contribution Regrettably, that was not to be He passed away peacefully in Mumbai on 16 August 2023 in presence of his relatives and friends after a long illness He was cremated in Mumbai on 17 August 2023 We convey our condolences

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti

(R to L- Ro Khanna, Michael Waltz, Deborah Ross and Kat Cammack)

Swami Brahmaviharidas & Narendra Modi

Experience the glory and grandeur of Durga Puja in Bengal this October

Durga Puja is one of the most prominent and eagerly awaited festivals in the Indian state of West Bengal This annual celebration, rooted in Hindu mythology, honours Goddess Durga, who symbolises female power and divine strength The festival typically spans several days, during which intricate idols of the goddess are crafted and adorned, elaborate rituals are performed, and vibrant processions and cultural events take place

For tourists looking forward to experiencing the festival in all its glory round the clock, various hotels and heritage properties in Kolkata celebrate Durga Pujawith great enthusiasm and grandeur While the extent of celebrations can vary from one hotel to another, pandals, puja rituals, cultural performances, and festive menus are the highlight

In 2021 December Durga Puja was awarded the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage tag

Mahamaya-Durga Puja celebration at Bari Kothi

Within the historic confines of Bari Kothi, where the legacy of Jain heritage is cherished and safeguarded, the highspirited celebrations of Durga Puja have been taking place for the past few years

Bari Kothi Heritage Hotel is East India s first Grand Heritage Hotel, promoting unity among various beliefs Here, a Jain

Book Review The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Hosseini is a masterful narrator who, w i t h “ T h e K i t e R u n n e r ” , d r a w s r e a d e r s i n t o a w o r l d o f c o m p l e x c h a r a c t e r s a n d i n t e n s e e m o t i o n s against the backdrop of Afghanistan's t u r b u l e n t h i s t o r y T h e n o v e l i s a n emotionally charged masterwork that c r o s s e s g e o g r a p h i c a l a n d e m o t i o n a l borders It weaves a compelling story about friendship, guilt, atonement, and the lingering effects of one's past.

family leads Durga Puja celebrations, warmly welcoming Christian and Muslim devotees to honour Maa Durga

The Heritage Hotel is presenting an exclusive Mahamaya-Durga Puja celebration from October 20th to 24th, 2023 The key highlights of this year's event include traditional rituals, luxurious suites, delectable royal meals, cultural extravaganza and guided tours exploring the property's heritage and history

Guests are invited to partake in all significant Pujo rituals and functions, such as Kola BouSnan, Morning Anjali, Sondhi Puja, Bisarjan, SindoorKhela, and many

BangaliBhog and unique Sheherwali and Pan Indian Cuisine The hotel will also host a cultural evening where the guests can enjoy an enchanting cultural evening featuring soulful folk singers, enhancing the authenticity of the celebrations

With pre-booking now available, Bari Kothi Heritage Hotel warmly invites everyone to join in this grand celebration

The Shola Durga of Taj Bengal

Taj Bengal stands as a distinguished luxury hotel situated in the heart of downtown Kolkata, enjoying a central position in Kolkata's Alipore

At the heart of the story lies the bond between Amir and Hassan, two young boys from vastly different backgrounds yet inseparable in their affection for each other Their shared passion for kite flying also adds to this bond However, the foundation of their friendship is tested by a tragic incident that awakens Amir's guilt propelling him to make decision that will haun him for years to come A Afghanistan experienc political upheaval, wa and eventual exile, Am embarks on a sou searching journey, seeki redemption a forgiveness

Central to the novel's brilliance is Hosseini’s masterful portrayal of redemption, not as a straightforward path to absolution, but as a gruelling process of selfconfrontation and atonement Amir's internal struggles and his quest for redemption are depicted with raw authenticity, drawing readers into the complexities of his emotional landscape His evolution from a tormented soul to an individual actively seeking to heal the wounds he inflicted adds depth to the narrative, emphasising the novel's core message of growth and healing through

more Bengali culture with activities like Dhunuchi Naach, Alta Experience, Sonkho Dhwani, and captivating Dhak performances

The guests can indulge in a specially curated 5-course Durga Puja royal meal plan that offers a delightful fusion of

neighbourhood that offers convenient walking access to significant landmarks

The Shola Durga art installation graces the lobby's centre of the hotel Throughout the five days of the puja, the hotel offers exclusive turn-down service in rooms daily

At 5 PM each evening, a special ritual featuring a Dhaak performance takes place, accompanied by the lighting of lamps and the distribution of sweets in the lobby

During the festive period between 17th and 25th August, the hotel offers celebratory in-room amenities The "Chai Adda" event takes place in the evening at Palm Lounge, followed by the Evening Rituals

Notably, special Durga Puja evening rituals featuring Dhaki performances are scheduled from October 20th to 24th, 2022 K I D S C O R N E R

Raksha Bandhan, a Hindu festival, honors the beautiful bond shared b e t w e e n s i b l i n g s , p a r t i c u l a r l y t h e unbreakable connection of love and p r o t e c t i o n b e t w e e n b r o t h e r s a n d sisters

As gifting holds immense significance during this occasion, you'll find a plethora of delightful options

The gift you select becomes a heartfelt expression of your emotions, encapsulating the deep-rooted affection and care you have for your sibling Here are a few ideas:-

• C ust omise d ke epsak es: Consider gifting something with a personal touch, like custom mugs adorned with cherished photos or heartwarming messages Photo frames with shared memories can evoke nostalgia and bring joy to your sibling

• Spa & Relaxation kit: Pamper your sibling with a spa-themed gift basket containing scented candles, bath salts, essential oils, and a cozy bathrobe for ultimate relaxation

• Tech gadgets: If your sibling is techsavvy, consider gifting them a gadget they've been eyeing, or opt for tech accessories like wireless earbuds, phone cases, or smartwatch bands

• Books or stationery: If your sibling loves reading or has a penchant for creativity, books by their favorite author or a set of high-quality stationery can be wonderful gifts

acknowledgement and action

Likewise, Hassan's steadfast loyalty and unwavering courage in the face of adversity resonate as a testament to the strength of the human spirit

In the midst of Afghanistan s altering socio-political scene, the characters' personal shifts mirror the country's shift from a tranquil monarchy to war and Taliban control and symbolises the universal longing for a sense of identity and the effort to restore what has been lost This interplay between personal narratives and historical context enriches the story

In the context of resent-day Britain, here the global refugee risis has thrust mmigration policies and human rights into the spotlight, "The Kite Runner" has added significance The book's themes of displacement and seeking refuge find resonance with the ongoing plight of Afghan refugees seeking safety in the UK Britain's decision to offer shelter to Afghan refugees amid the Taliban's resurgence provides a poignant backdrop to the novel's exploration of identity, displacement, and the transformative power of second chances

In summary, Khaled Hosseini's "The Kite Runner" is a tour de force that transcends cultural boundaries to speak to the human experience The story becomes a timeless narrative of redemption and resilience with its carefully woven characters, lively cultural portrayal, and exploration of profound emotions The story remains an enduring testament to the power of literature to evoke catharsis and provoke thought

Cherishing sibling bonds: Unique Raksha Bandhan gifting ideas

• Adventure experience or fitness gear: Create lasting memories by gifting an adventure experience like hot air ballooning, indoor skydiving, or a scenic nature hike for an adrenaline rush Encourage a healthy lifestyle by gifting fitness gear such as yoga mats, resistance bands, or a fitness tracker to support their workout routine

• Gift vouchers or cards: Sometimes, the best gift is the one your sibling gets to choose themselves Gift vouchers from their favorite stores or online platforms give them the freedom to select something they truly desire

• Plant lover's paradise: A potted plant or a small indoor garden set is a thoughtful gift for nature enthusiasts, bringing a touch of greenery into their space

• Art ist ic e xpre ssion: Nurture your sibling's creative side with art supplies, a painting kit, or a workshop to explore their artistic talents

The Durga art work

Festivities at Bari Kothi

Festivities at Bari Kothi

Durga Puja special thali

Heart attacks are at a record high – here are the symptoms you can’t ignore

N ew dat a for En gla nd shows t ha t mo r e t h a n 8 4 , 0 0 0 p a t ie nt s w e re a d mi tt e d to h ospit als because of a hea rt a t t a c k i n 2 02 1 - 22 , a n in cr ea se of more tha n 7,000 in a ye ar

It follows warnings that heart attack deaths have risen by more than 500 a week since the first lockdown, with a fall in the number of people prescribed vital medication amid struggles to access GP care

Health officials will launch a campaign urging those with symptoms to seek help, with fears that too many cases are being detected too late An NHS advert will encourage people to call 999 as soon as they experience symptoms of a heart attack, such as squeezing across the chest, sweating and a feeling of uneasiness, so people have the best chance of survival

Professor Nick Linker, a cardiologist and NHS national clinical director for heart disease, said: “Cardiovascular disease causes one in four deaths

across the country, so it is vital that people are aware of the early signs of a heart attack

“Every moment that passes during a heart attack increases heart muscle damage, and nearly all of the damage takes place within the first few hours, so if you experience symptoms such as a sensation of squeezing or tightness across the chest alongside sweating, nausea, or a sense of unease, please call 999 so you have the best chance of a full recovery ” Government data recorded almost 100,000 extra deaths among those with heart disease between spring 2020 and spring of this year In 2019-20, before

the pandemic, 82,000 people were hospitalised with heart attacks

It follows research that found almost half a million people missed out on drugs to prevent heart attacks and strokes during the pandemic Heart charities have warned that “extreme disruption to the NHS” in the aftermath, including record ambulance delays, may have worsened death rates and increased the number of people suffering from heart attacks that might have been avoided with the right help more quickly

The chance of surviving a heart attack is far higher for those who seek care ear-

lier, with around seven in 10 people surviving a heart attack, increasing to more than nine in 10 for those who reach hospital early to receive treatment

The new campaign will also seek to raise awareness of heart attack symptoms in women, whose risk of a heart attack increases after the menopause

The chief executive at the British Heart Foundation, Dr Charmaine Griffiths said: “Even if the symptoms don’t seem severe, call 999 immediately A heart attack is a medical emergency, and immediate action could save your life ”

The health minister Lord Markham said: “Cardiovascular disease is the second biggest killer in England, and this campaign builds on the work we ’ re doing to cut NHS waiting lists by tackling this condition early – including by rolling out a new digital NHS health check which could prevent hundreds more strokes and heart attack ”

Mouthwash can detect early cardiovascular disease: Study

A s tu d y p ub li s h ed in th e F rontiers in Oral Health has d iscovered that period ontitis, which is connected to c ard iov ascu lar risk, results f ro m g um in fl am m ati o n T h e te am te st ed w h e th er w hite blood cell counts, an i nd ication o f gu m inflamm ati o n, i n th e sa li v a o f h ealthy persons m ay be connected to card io vascu lar disease w arning signs using a s tr ai g h tf o rw a rd m o u t h rinse

They discovered elevated levels were associated with impaired flow-mediated dilation, a precursor to vascular disease Dr Trevor King of Mount Royal University, corresponding author of the study published in Frontiers in Oral Health, said, “Even in young healthy adults, low levels of oral inflammatory load may have an impact on cardiovascular health - one of the leading causes of death in North America ”

Periodontitis is a common infection of the gums which has previously been linked to the development of cardiovascular disease

Scientists suspect that inflammatory factors may enter the bloodstream through the gums and damage the vascular system The first author of the study, Ker-Yung Hong, said, “We are starting to see more relationships between oral health and risk of cardiovascular disease If we are seeing that oral health may have an impact on the risk of developing cardiovascular disease even in young, healthy individuals, this holistic approach can be implemented earlier on ”

The team chose pulse-

Blue light glasses may not relieve screen-induced visual discomfort

An analysis o f 17 rando m i s ed c o nt ro ll ed s tu d ie s de du c e s th at blu e ligh t- blocking eyewear has no effect on c o mp u te r- re l ate d ey e strain or sleep quality T h e i nc l u de d s t u di e s did not analyse this o utco me Hen ce th e analysi s did not u ncover any proo f th a t bl u e - li gh t- f i lte ri n g lenses shield agai nst h arm to th e retina, th e light-sensitive tissu e at th e back o f th e eye

Researchers from the University of Melbourne, along with associates from City, the University of London, and Monash University, led the new review, which was published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews The team’s goal was to evaluate the benefits of blue-light-blocking lenses to non-blue-light-blocking glasses for enhancing visual performance, shielding the retina, and enhancing sleep quality

could be drawn about any potential effects on retinal health in the longer term People should be aware of these findings when deciding whether to purchase these spectacles ” She, however, added the quality and duration of the studies also need to be considered “We performed the systematic review to Cochrane methodological standards to ensure the findings are robust However, our certainty in the reported findings should be interpreted in the context of the quality of the available evidence The short follow-up period also affected our ability to consider potential longer-term outcomes,” Downie said

wave velocity, which can measure the stiffness of arteries, and flow-mediated dilation, a measure of how well arteries can dilate to allow for higher blood flow, as key indicators of cardiovascular risk These measure arterial health directly: stiff and poorly functioning arteries raise patients’ risk of cardiovascular disease

The scientists recruited 28 non-smokers between 18 and 30, with no comorbidities or medications that could affect cardiovascular risk and no reported history of periodontal disease They were asked to fast for six hours, except for drinking water, prior to visiting the lab At the lab, participants rinsed their mouths with water before rinsing them with saline, which was collected for analysis Participants then lay down for 10 minutes for an electrocardiogram and stayed lying down for another 10 minutes so that the scientists could take their blood pressure, flow-mediated dilation, and pulse-wave velocity

“The mouth rinse test could be used at your annual checkup at the family doctor or the dentist,” said Dr Michael Glogauer of the University of Toronto, a co-

author of the study “It is easy to implement as an oral inflammation measuring tool in any clinic ”

The scientists found that high white blood cells in saliva had a significant relationship to poor flowmediated dilation, suggesting these people may be at elevated risk of cardiovascu-

lar disease However, there was no relationship between white blood cells and pulse wave velocity, so longerterm impacts on the health of the arteries had not yet taken place

“Optimal oral hygiene is always recommended in addition to regular visits to the dentist, especially in light of this evidence But this study was a pilot study We are hoping to increase the study population and explore those results We are also hoping to include more individuals with gingivitis and more advanced periodontitis to more deeply understand the impact of different levels of gingival inflammation on cardiovascular measures, ” King said

They analysed data from every randomised controlled trial they could uncover and discovered 17 experiments from six different nations Participant counts in various experiments ranged from five to 156, and the length of time used to evaluate the lenses was somewhere between a few hours to five weeks

Senior author of the review, Associate Professor Laura Downie, said, “We found there may be no short-term advantages with using blue-light filtering spectacle lenses to reduce visual fatigue associated with computer use, compared to non-blue-light filtering lenses It is also currently unclear whether these lenses affect vision quality or sleep-related outcomes, and no conclusions

The first author of the review, Dr Sumeer Singh, said “High-quality, large clinical research studies with longer follow-up in more diverse populations are still required to ascertain more clearly the potential effects of blue-light filtering spectacle lenses on visual performance, sleep and eye health They should examine whether efficacy and safety outcomes vary between different groups of people and using different types of lenses ”

The review did not find any consistent reports of adverse side effects from using blue-light filtering lenses Any effects tended to be mild, infrequent, and temporary They included discomfort wearing the spectacles, headaches and lower mood

People who live alone are at risk of cognitive decline

One in every four o ld er Am ericans w i th d em e nti a o r m il d co g n i ti v e impairm ent liv es alone, putting th em at a higher risk In a study published in JAM A Netw ork Open, researchers led by UC San Francisco conclud ed that the U nited States h ealth sys tem i s poorly equipped to serve patients living solo with co gnitive decline, w hose num bers are predicted to swell as the population ag es

First author Elena Portacolone said for these patients, living alone is a social determinant of health with an impact as profound as poverty, racism and low education Researchers interviewed 76 health care providers, including physicians, nurses, social workers, case workers, home care aides and others They raised concerns about patients missing medical appointments, failing to respond to follow-up phone calls from the doctor’s office and forgetting why appointments were made, leaving them vulnerable to falling off the radar

Portacolone said these findings are

an indictment of our healthcare system, which fails to provide subsidised home care aides for all but the lowestincome patients She said, “In the United States, an estimated 79 per cent of people with cognitive decline have an income that is not low enough to make them eligible for Medicaid subsidised home care aides in longterm care ”

While Medicaid is available to adults over 65, subsidised aides are generally only provided after acute episodes, like hospitalizations, for fixed hours and for limited durations, Portacolone said “Most patients need to pay out-of-pocket, and since cognitive impairment can last for decades, it is unsustainable for most people Aides available via Medicaid are very poorly paid and usually receive limited training in caring for older adults with cognitive impairment,” she added Subsidised hom e care aid es plentiful in Europe, Japan, C anad a In contrast, subsidised home care aides are generally available to a significantly larger percentage of their

counterparts living in parts of Europe, Japan and Canada, said Portacolone, citing a 2021 review of 13 countries, of which she was the senior author

The study’s findings illustrate substantial deficiencies in how our health system provides for people with dementia, said senior author Kenneth E Covinsky, MD, MPH, of the UCSF Division of Geriatrics “In an era when Medicare is going to spend millions of dollars for newly approved drugs with very marginal benefits, we need to remember that Medicare and other payers refuse to pay far less money to provide necessary supports for vulnerable people with dementia ”

The researchers advocate for a system in which robust supports are made available by funding from expanded Medicare and Medicaid This will become increasingly critical, said Portacolone, “because effective treatments to reverse the course of cognitive impairment are unavailable, childlessness and divorce are common, and older adults are projected to live longer and often alone ”

Amitabh

Bachchan has once again praised his son and actor Abhishek Bachchan’s work - this time for his latest film ‘Ghoomer.’ Directed by R Balki, the movie features Abhishek Bachchan as a former cricketer turned coach and Saiyami Kher as a passionate cricketer

Amitabh revealed the performances, and the movie touched him and he cried He took to his blog last week and wrote his appreciation for the film hours ahead of its theatrical release Shabana Azmi plays Saiyyami’s onscreen grandma, while Angad Bedi plays the role of her lover in the film that hit the theatres on August 18

Amitabh wrote in his blog, "It is beyond all doubt that Ghoomer is a very superior film I say this as a father yes, but also as a long-standing member of this fantastic fraternity At this young age, Abhishek, and in the duration of the time (that) you have been in the Industry, you have played the most complex characters with immense conviction, diversity, and aplomb Each one (has been) difficult and different, and each (one) successful My pride has no bounds It has been tough to be in reserve

Deepika declines paparazzi's attempts to photograph her at the event

on compliments and s But no more has been spoken and shall be spoken ever My love ”

‘Ghoomer’ also features Amitabh achchan in a t role He plays a special commentator in the film, but Abhishek and Amitabh do not share any frame in the film In his earlier blog for the film, Amitabh wrote that he watched the film twice on the same day and called it “simply incredible ” He added that he cried watching the film, more so because of Abhishek's performance He also praised Balki's narration of the story

In the film, Abhishek plays a man frustrated with his life and one who often blames the system and the world around him to deal with his failure After a certain turn of events, he makes it his life's mission to train Saiyyami and enable her to get into the Indian cricket team

Deepika

Padukone attended Manish Malhotra's grand bridal couture show in Mumbai recently, in which her husband Ranveer Singh turned showstopper with Alia Bhatt The fashion show was also attended by Ranveer's mother Now, a video making rounds on the internet shows Deepika, who is well known for her poise and calm nature, losing her cool backstage after paparazzi tried to click the actress with her mother-inlaw. The video, which was shared by one of Deepika's Instagram fan pages, showed the actress standing alongside her mother-in-law. As soon as the 'Pathaan' actress witnessed the flash and cameras going clicketyclick, she lost her calm at the shutterbugs and said, “Aaplog yahaan allowed nahin hain Yeh backstage hai, please (You all are not allowed here This is backstage please )”

While sharing the clip, the fan page wrote in the caption, “Deepika Padukone is the best one to undermine the media people and come off looking good Media and papz always cross the line, better call them off every now and then ”

Fans are going gaga over Deepika's way of asking the paparazzi to leave Many fans, in the comments section, lauded the actress for schooling the shutterbugs in the “most graceful way ”

A comment read, “Don't know why people keep forgetting that there is a limit to everything Why do the media think they can do whatever they want just because they are in a profession like journalism they are so disrespectful of the rules and feelings of others ”

Dulquer Salmaan reveals his 'Om Shanti Om' moment with Deepika

Actor Dulquer Salmaan claims he has always admired Deepika Padukone and even experienced a “Om Shanti Om” moment when he saw the actress for the first time in Dubai In keeping with his next Netflix film, “Guns & Gulaabs,” Dulquer was had to choose between giving a Gulaab (rose) or a Gun to a certain actor during a chat session

When asked what he would offer Deepika, he replied, “Gulaab because to me she is like a Gulaab

Hrithik accorded warm welcome by fans in Jammu

Hundreds of enthusiastic fans, mostly youngsters, waited for hours in the scorching heat to catch a glimpse of Bollywood superstar Hrithik Roshan, who reached Jammu, the city of temples to inaugurate a showroom of a leading jewellery brand there

The actor also grooved to his popular song “Ek Pal Ka Jeena” from his 2000 debut film Kaho Na… Pyaar Hai, at the event held at Channi in the outskirts of the city where police had a tough time keeping the surging crowds at a safe distance from him

Amid the chants of ‘Welcome to Jammu’, the 49-year-old star thanked the local people for their “love and support” over the years “Thank you Jammu for your love and support I am very happy and thankful to my lord I will continue my hard work to be loved by you, ” Hrithik, known for films such as 'War', 'Kaabil' and 'Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara', said

“This was my first public engagement for the jewellery brand and that also in Jammu, which is the best place that it could have been because of its world-class hospitality,” he said

“It is a matter of pride for me to represent this iconic brand that is built on the core pillars of trust, transparency and customer centricity,” he added Several people stood on top of buildings around the venue to catch sight of the actor, who will next be seen in 'Fighter', billed as India’s first aerial action film

(rose) ” Since “Om Shanti Om ” I been a tremendo epika, and I reca he visited Dubai w

I was working t in the past to att the premiere “Karthik Call Karthik” (2010)

“I was stan on the edges o red carpet when aw her since naged to secure e premiere For m it was a “Om Shanti Om” moment

Dulquer handed a Gulaab to celebri including Shah Rukh K Salman Khan, Ami Bachchan, and Allu A while he spoke abou love for Deepika, an gave a gun to Rajnikant

When questioned a insane fan moments the live event, he replied all my fans, but I alwa nervous when I get follo by young fans on th bikes They are in dang and it’s quite frightenin

While thes revelations may have caught your attention, Dulquer also performed starinspired hook steps during the live show on the platform, including those from Rashmika Mandanna, Ram Charan, and Katrina Kaif He also spoke about remakes, following trends, and several other fascinating revelations

The gripping story of “firsts” in Guns & Gulaabs is set in the uncertain and perilous town of Gulaabganj in the early 1990s The show is a tribute to Bollywood in the 1990s, bringing back its allure

Amitabh is proud of Abhishek’s performance in ‘Ghoomer’

Sonakshi: I have not relied on reviews or awards for a while now

Ridingon the success of her OTT debut 'Dahaad' and looking forward to her next, filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s 'Heeramandi', actor Sonakshi Sinha has seen enough highs and lows to take everything with a pinch of salt

The 36-year-old explains, “For me, over the years, I have become the person neither do things excite me to a level where I am losing my mind, nor in the good or the bad If I do my work and people like it, very good Let’s move on and concentrate on the next thing I try to give my best shot And if it is bad, then I know I tried something and it didn’t work out but it doesn’t mean I am going to stop trying I’ve reached that zone ”

Does she rely on reviews and awards for validation? “I haven’t for a while, actually,” she says, adding that indicators of critical and commercial success often leave her “confused” “Some films I was a part of and which did amazingly well at the box office got the worst reviews I feel certain views don’t represent what the audience feels about a film I don’t want to go by that and form an opinion I don’t look at it (reviews) that much,” she signs off

Given that 'Dahaad' was her first OTT project, gauging whether the show is a hit or not must have been a novel experience for her There were no day one figures waiting the next day The actor says, “Honestly, I don’t let myself be bothered when I had theatrical releases, box office was not something of my concern I need to be able to enjoy the work I do, learn something new from people I work with There was no different feeling this time too, just the general butterflies in the stomach ”

Solid show by 'OMG 2' at box office collection

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh said , 'OMG 2' has put up a “solid show” in the “weekend 2” box office collection The Amit Rai film has collected £11 36 million The trade analyst has shared a poster featuring Akshay Kumar and Pankaj Tripathi and said, “Critical acclaim is important... But audience validation is the ultimate reward…OMG 2 puts up a solid show in Weekend 2.” He added, “To withstand a Goliath like 'Gadar 2' is a humongous achievement 'Gadar 2' and 'OMG 2' were released in theatres on August 11 The Sunny Deol starrer has surpassed the lifetime

earnings of blockbuster movies like 'War' and 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan' The film has collected £37 51 million at the box office

Salman wows fans as he sports new bald look

Ina video shared by a paparazzo on Instagram, Salman Khan was seen arriving at the restaurant in his car with a bald look. The actor wore a black shirt and matching pants. At the venue, he was greeted by a person. The actor shook hands with him and stepped inside the restaurant.

After OMG 2 entered the 100-crore club, director Amit Rai said, “We are happy people have loved the film The intent of the film was pure Nobody wanted to titillate the audience, hence they liked it We have dealt with it (the story) in a way that doesn't sound vulgar We talk about the reality but in a sweet and humorous way ” OMG 2 also stars Yami Gautam in a pivotal role

Meanwhile, Akshay Kumar will be next seen in 'Bade Miyan Chote Miyan' The film, directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, also stars Tiger Shroff

Vijay Varma uncomfortable with spotlight on his

relationship

with Tamannaah

Reacting to Salman's new look, a fan wrote, "Only Salman can pull out the crowd with this look " A comment read, "It’s his personality and swag that we love My man i s s l a y i n g i n b a l d l o o k , " c o m m e n t e d a person "Tere Naam 2 or Sultan 2?" asked another fan "He's giving full dedication towards his next film Amazing," said an Instagram user

This isn't the first time that Salman has opted for this hairdo He had sported bald looks in 'Tere Naam' and 'Sultan' In 2021, on 'Sa Re Ga Ma Pa', Salman had spoken about going bald

Hhe had said, “Not many people know but there’s a very interesting story behind m y l o o k i n T e r e N a a m I w a s a c t u a l l y s h o o t i n g f o r a n o t h e r f i l m w h e n t h e producer of Tere Naam and a very dear friend of mine – Sunil Manchanda came up to me and said that I’ll have to go bald to get into my character I was not really sure because I was already doing a film at that time ”

“I still remember I was down with fever this one day, and the director of the other film was pestering me to attend the shoot I i m p u l s i v e l y w e n t t o t h e w a s h r o o m a n d shaved my hair out of irritation The next day, I called up Sunil ji and said that I had shaved my hair and am willing to sign up for Tere Naam," he had said

Vijay

Varma has said he is not “particularly comfortable” with the attention that his relationship with Tamannaah Bhatia has received recently. The actors were recently seen together for the first time onscreen in Netflix’s ‘Lust Stories 2.’ They featured in Sujoy Ghosh’s short in the Netflix Anthology

i t a l l b e g a n w h e n t h e y s t a r t e d w o r k i n g together on ‘Lust Stories 2 ’ A video showing them kissing during a New Year party in Goa had surfaced in January

After impressing the audience and critics with his work in Prime Video's original web series ‘Dahaad,’ Vijay was most recently seen in ‘Kaalkoot ’ Streaming on JioCinema, the web series featured Shweta Tripathi Sharma, Yashpal Sharma, Gopal Datt, and Seema

Biswas Directed by Sumit Saxena, the series features Vijay in a positive role after a long time

Vijay also has a thriller lined up for release Directed by Sujoy Ghosh, it is based on the book ‘The Devotion of Suspect X’ and also features Jaideep Ahlawat and Kareena Kapoor Khan Vijay will also be seen in an important role in Homi Adjania's ‘Murder Mubarak ’

Currently, Salman is awaiting the release of his film 'Tiger 3' Fans will see Katrina Kaif alongside him in the film 'Tiger 3', the third part of the Tiger franchise, is being directed by Maneesh Sharma The film will release in H i n d i , T a m i l a n d T e l u g u t h i s D i w a l i Reportedly, Shah Rukh Khan has a cameo in t h e f i l m T h e o f f i c i a l a n n o u n c e m e n t i s awaited Tiger 3 is part of the Yash Raj Films Spy Universe

Su shmita says she wa s called a 'ba d influence' in the 90s f or spea ki ng her m ind

Vijay said, “First of all, it’s news to me that we are one of the most sought-after couples It’s very humbling and very nice, but I wasn’t used to it when it first happened I was very used to roaming around on my own We go out together and we tend to get a lot of attention I am not particularly comfortable but I am just trying to get used to it ”

Tamannaah confirmed her relationship with Vijay earlier this year, after months of speculation about their bond They were o f t e n s p o t t e d t o g e t h e r , l e a d i n g t o relationship rumours She had revealed that

In a recent interview, actress Sushmita Sen said she always spoke her mind, even back in the 90s, but was labelled a “bad influence” at the time When asked if she faced any repercussions of being a badass in the industry, Sush opened up about her early days.

Sush said, “There were (repercussions) in the '90s because back then, it was a much more closeted society So for you to speak your mind and to say anything that you believed in was like, ‘Phew! She is a bad influence, don’t get her in front of our kids and everyone else ’” The actor also said that b e c a u s e o f h e r q u o t e s , m a g a z i n e s w e r e asked to steer clear of putting her on their cover page She added that she does not blame them as she was ‘ very loud and clear ’

"I thought ‘if you take away my freedom to express myself, what freedom do I really

have?’ So am I going to scare away from speaking my mind or am I just going to learn it how to say it better, say it nicer? Which I did learn because I think I didn’t have that tact before Having said that, social media and the world today everyone has a voice and the world is far m o r e a c c e p t i n g T h e r e i s s t i l l t h a t ‘haww’ element,' but it is not as bad as the '90s," she added

Sushmita is currently riding high on t h e c r i t i c a l a c c l a i m t h a t h e r l a t e s t r e l e a s e , ‘ T a a l i ’ h a s g a r n e r e d S h e features in the lead role of Shreegauri Sawant in the web series, which is based o n t h e l i f e a n d s t r u g g l e s o f a t r a n s g e n d e r a c t i v i s t D i r e c t e d b y National Award-winning director Ravi J a d h a v , ‘ T a a l i ’ h i s c r e a t e d b y A r j u n

Dhanush announces new movie with 'Captain Miller' director Arun Matheswaran

Rana Daggubati apologises to Sonam Kapoor for his negative comments

Dhanush's next movie

'Captain Miller'

directed by Arun Matheswaran is releasing worldwide on December

15th with sky high expectations The teaser released a few weeks back has garnered over 30 million views with fans floored by the authentic war sequences and Dhanush's mass screen presence

Dhanush's home banner Wunderbar films has signed Arun Matheswaran for a new movie and the official announcement has been made a while ago The banner has produced several blockbusters including '3', 'Ethir Neechal', 'Velaiilla Pattadhari', 'Kaaki Sattai', 'Kaaka Muttai', 'Maari', 'Naanum Rowdy Dhaan', 'Visaranai', 'Kaala' and 'Vada Chennai'

There was a hiatus after 'Maari 2' released in 2018 However, Wunderbar is back now with the 15th project already announced to be directed by Mari Selvaraj and starring Dhanush The Dhanush-Arun Matheswaran film will be the 16th from the busy hero's home banner

'Captain Miller' produced by Sathya Jyothi Films has music by G V Prakash Kumar and stars Dhanush in the title role with Shiva Rajkumar, Sundeep Kishan, Priyanka Arul Mohan, John Kokken, Nivedhithaa Sathish, Vinoth Kishan, Nassar, Elango Kumaravel, Viji Chandrasekhar, "Merku Thodarchi Malai" Antony, Bala Saravanan and Edward Sonnenblick

Simbu and A R Rahman reunite for the sixth time in mega project

WheneverSimbu and A R Rahman combine for a movie it is bound to be a memorable one for fans So far they have united for five chartbusters 'Vinnai Thandi Varuvaya' 'Achcham Enbadhu Madamaiyada' 'Chekka Chivanda Vaanam' 'Vendhu Thaninthathu Kaadu' and 'Pathu Thala'.

During the promotions of 'Pathu Thala' Rahman even

mentioned that Simbu is like an younger brother to him and they have a very strong bonding Similarly Simbu too adores the music maestro and has shared the same in several interviews

Now the hot news is that Simbu and ARR are reuniting for the sixth time in the upcoming 'STR 48' produced by Kamal Haasan The Desingh Periyasamy directorial period action film will have Simbu in dual roles as hero and villain and is costliest in the latter's career The shooting is expected to begin in a few weeks time on grand sets that are under construction and the rest of the cast and crew details will be out at that time

Rana Daggubati has expressed regrets over the negativity that has come Sonam Kapoor’s way over his recent comments At an event in Hyderabad, Rana spoke about a “Bollywood heroine” who wasted actor Dulquer Salman’s time on sets of their film While he didn’t name Sonam, put two and two together as Sonam and Dulquer have worked together on ‘The Zoya Factor.’

Actor

Now, in a fresh tweet, Rana clarified his comments and even apolog i s e d t o S o n a m a n d Dulquer “I am genuinely troubled by the negativity t h a t h a s b e e n a i m e d a Sonam due to my commen that are totally untrue and m e a n t e n t i r e l y i n a l i g h t - h e a r t e d manner As friends, we often exchange playful banter, and I deeply regret that my words have been misinterpreted,” he said He added, "I take this opportunity to express my heartfelt apologies to Sonam and Dulquer, both of whom I hold in great esteem I hope this clarification puts an end to any speculation and misunderstanding Thank you for your understanding "

At a pre-release event for ‘King of Kotha,’ Rana had said, “Dulquer was my junior at acting

school We became friends th polite person He’s doing a Hin producers are my friends The pening near my house I wen Dulquer ” He continued, “While he th rner with the spo oine who was d as engrossed in a versation about in London with band Her lack a f f e c t e d t h e q u a l i t y , f r u s those on set D t h e d i s r u caused by the t i o n , D u emained patient derstanding, defu n and maintain harmonious environment ” Rana was too upset and confro the film's producers about the s

a ’ with Dulquer

Rajinikanth touches CM Yogi Adityanath’s feet, fans unhappy

Superstar

Rajinikanth met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at his Lucknow residence last week. A video of the actor touching the CM’s feet after greeting him has gone viral, with a section of the internet calling the interaction “shocking” and “cringeworthy ”

a b o u t t h a t i n c ident But he is the face of south India

ActorVijay Deverakonda revealed that when Samantha Ruth Prabhu was diagnosed with myositis, she was fighting many battles and stopped talking and meeting the people close to her Speaking at a promotional event for his upcoming Telugu film ‘Kushi,’ he said he got to know about Sam’s health in July while promoting a different film

He added that he tried to explain to her that they were actors and storytellers Vijay said, “I told Sam that we are actors and that we are storytellers I felt we did not have to talk about our struggles in the open After a point, Samantha felt it was her responsibility to talk about her health She stopped talking to us and she stopped seeing all of us She was extremely unwell She fought so many battles At that point, she decided to share it with everyone, just to tell people that there's hope ”

He added that he wanted to see Sam smile, adding that she had struggled a lot for ‘Kushi ’ Vijay said, “We started this film in April 2022 with a smile on our faces We had completed 60 per cent Only 30-35 per cent shooting was pending By July, Sam's health condition deteriorated She said that her health wasn't good Shiva and I were like ‘You look beautiful What problem do you have?' We took it lightly Later, we understood her plight ”

Samantha was diagnosed with the auto-immune condition myositis in 2022 Written and directed by Shiva Nirvana and produced by Mythri Movie Makers, ‘Kushi’ is all set to hit the theatres on September 1 in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam

Samantha completed her work on ‘Kushi,’ and her international project - the Indian chapter of Prime Video's ‘Citadel' earlier this year After completing all her pending projects, Samantha is now on a break for at least a year She is expected to get her treatment in the USA

Rajinikanth arrived in the city last week for the screening of his film ‘Jailer,’ which was attended by UP deputy chief m i n i s t e r K e s h a v P r a s a d Maurya Photos and videos of Rajinikanth's interaction with Y o g i A d i t y a n a t h w e r e b e i n g widely shared on various social m e d i a p l a t f o r m s T h e a c t o r , after getting off his car and greeting the UP CM and touching his feet, gave him a flower bouquet, and they both posed for photographers

The biggest facepalm and cringefest video of the month," w r o t e a T w i t t e r o r X u s e r Another one wrote, "This man ( R a j i n i k a n t h ) i s a s h a m e t o T a m i l N a d u S p i r i t u a l i t y h a s never been about losing self r e s p e c t ! " A t w e e t a l s o r e a d , " W h a t a f a l l ! ! 7 2 - y e a r - o l d Rajinikanth touching the feet o f 5 1 - y e a r - o l d Y o g i A d i t y a n a t h " A p e r s o n a l s o wrote, "This is shocking!”

A p e r s o n r e a c t e d t o a Reddit post about their interaction, “If he (Rajinikanth) was just an actor like other heroes, I w o u l d n ' t h a v e c a r e d m u c h

One of the very few celebrities that they c a n i d e n t i f y f r o m u s E s p e c i a l l y i n D e l h i , w h e n I i n t r o d u c e d myself as Tamilan, they said we l o v e R a j i n i k a n t h , w a t c h h i s Tamil films in Hindi etc Many people don't even know there is a state named Tamil Nadu, but t h e y k n o w R a j i n i k a n t h H e s h o u l d ' v e m a i n t a i n e d t h a t r e s p e c t E v e n t h o u g h p e o p l e from north aren t going to find any fault in this It's us, who are deeply disappointed ”

D e f e n d i n g R a j i n i k a n t h , a person wrote on Twitter or X, "Don't understand the hue and cry over superstar @rajinikanth touching the feet of @myogiadityanath Apart from being a politician and chief minister of UP, Yogi ji is also an elevated Nath Yogi and the head of illustrious Gorakhnath Math You bow to the lineage he represents!”

A d a y a f t e r a ' c o u r t e s y

meeting' with Yogi, Rajinikanth also met Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav at the latt e r s r e s i d e n c e i n L u c k n o w Rajinikanth, who is basking in the success of his latest film ‘Jailer,’ said he was happy to r e c o n n e c t w i t h ‘ f r i e n d ’

Akhilesh after almost a decade

Vijay Devarakonda recalls the time Samantha was extremely unwell and 'stopped talking'

AP Dhillon recalls hotel denial over lack of credit card

Zoya

Akhtar, Reema

Kagti deny ‘Made

in Heaven’ connection to Salman, Katrina’s life

Amazon Prime Video series

‘Made in Heaven’ season two has been in the headlines since its release on August 10 Recently, the show’s creators, Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti, addressed some speculation surrounding the fourth episode of the new season The episode is set around the wedding of top actors Sarafaraz Khan (Pulkit Samrat) and Leila (Elnaaz Norouzi) Leila hails from Iran but has established herself in the Hindi film industry In the episode, Sarfaraz, who is about to announce a new movie with Leila, tries to convince the film’s director to replace her and cast a younger actor opposite him instead

As the audience watched the episode, some drew parallels to the lives of Bollywood actors Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif, who were rumoured to be dating in 2003 Reacting to this, Zoya, who co-directed the

episode with Reema, said in an interview, “Pulkit is really fun He’s a really good actor and he’s great fun to work with I directed the episode in Season 1 with him, and I had a blast People really liked him in the show For a lot of shows, there are recurring characters So, when we were writing, we thought we should get him back and get him married We weren’t really thinking of Salman and Katrina But you are, and I guess that’s how art works ”

Reema added that the audience is free to “interpret it” the way they like Besides Zoya and Reema, the episodes of 'Made in Heaven 2 ’ are directed by Alankrita Shrivastava, Neeraj Ghaywan and Nitya Mehra The show stars Arjun Mathur, Sobhita Dhulipala, Jim Sarbh, Kalki Koechlin, Shashank Arora, Shivani Raghuvanshi, Mona Singh, Trinetra Haldar, Ishwak Singh and Vijay Raaz

Indian Matchmaking’s Pradhyuman Maloo reportedly faces allegations of domestic violence

Netflixlaunched the first season of ‘Indian Matchmaking’ in 2020, which followed Mumbai-based matchmaker Sima Taparia and her clients One of her clients, entrepreneur

Pradhyuman Maloo rose to internet fame for rejecting 150 marriage proposals and having high expectations about the girl he would marry He reappeared on the second season after finding a partner off-screen, in actormodel Ashima Chauhaan, in 2022.

The two tied the knot in a lavish wedding in Udaipur in February 2022 Now, in a new media report, it is now alleged that Ashima has registered an FIR against Maloo for allegations of domestic violence

According to reports, Ashima left their home in September 2022 and claims to have endured physical and emotional abuse by her husband and his family She also alleged that her family was subjected to blackmail and harassment

The report quoted Chauhaan’s advocate Anmol Bartaria as saying, “The allegations with FIR lodged are grave and concerning with domestic violence and constant mental, physical abuse at its core

The matter is in the investigative stage and

should be carried in full swing Ashima is in the process of taking appropriate legal proceedings against the accused in accordance with law ” Bartaria said Chauhaan bears trauma and currently remains with her family in Bengaluru

The report also quoted Maloo as saying, “I don’t know about it To the best of my knowledge we are in settlement talks with lawyers to resolve our martial issues amicably ”

At 30, Canadian vocalist AP Dhillon rose to prominence in the Punjabi music sphere in 2020 However, his journey was not without challenges In an interview, AP shared a memory from his past when he migrated to Canada on a student visa and was denied accommodation for not having a credit card. “It was a long night. When I reached there, I just could not get a place and I could not find anybody to help me I tried my best to get a room in a hotel and nobody gave me the room,” AP said

He added, “I had two suitcases I put them on the ground and tried to sleep on them There was this brown girl, she came to me and said, ‘ yo, you don’t look like a homeless person? Why are you sleeping like this?’ I told her the story Then she went to her boyfriend or fiancé I don’t remember, and said, ‘ yo, give this guy your credit card ’ And I remember that guy telling me, ‘Bro, please don’t steal anything, break anything’ There are good people out there At the end of the episode, I thought if we don't bring each other up, then who will?

A new four-part docuseries, directed by Jay Ahmed, called ‘AP Dhillon: First of a Kind,’ is now streaming on Prime Video India AP was in India for the premiere of the docuseries that took place recently in Mumbai Celebrities like Salman Khan, Ranveer Singh and Badshah, among others, attended the premiere and extended support to the singer The singer was seen arriving and partying with girlfriend Banita Sandhu at the premiere and the after party The couple made their relationship official also

Nick Jonas expresses love for paneer and dosa

Singer and actor Nick Jonas recently opened up about the Indian dishes he likes to eat Currently touring North America and performing at Jonas Brothers concerts, Nick was recently in Toronto, where content creator Rebecca Tandon interviewed him

In a clip she posted on Instagram, Rebecca asked him "I

caption, “Had to ask an important question as an Indian and a FAN girl of @nickjonas ”

Instagram users lauded the answer

One commented on the reel, “If I were him, I would answer ‘ my wife’ Priyanka Chopra ” Another person wrote, “He knows dosa y ’all As a south Indian I’m py for the recognition ” A third person mented, “If it’s not butter chicken, I atisfied with the answer But this e said dosa, and now I’m impressed ” A ment also read, “Nick Jonas: Desi oved ”

Earlier this year, after Nick's song an Meri Jaan’ with singer and rapper was released, many praised him for ering his voice in Hindi in the track Priyanka and Nick married in sthan in December 2018 They omed daughter Malti Marie Chopra nas via surrogacy in January last year

India's Praggnanandhaa beats Caruana; enters chess World Cup final

India’s 18-year old Grandmaster (GM) R Pra gg na na n dha a on Mon d ay en te re d t he FIDE World Cup final after defeating world No 3 by rating, American GM Fabiano Caruana (2,782), in the semifinal tie-break games played at Baku, Azerbaijan

The final score stood at 3 52 5 in favour of the Chennai youngster After drawing the first two tie-break games, the Indian slayed Caruana in the third game and drew the next one The match went into tiebreaker after the players drew their two classical games earlier

In the tie-breaker, the first two games had ended in draw The young Indian then won the

third game Praggnanandhaa will now cross swords with world No 1 and former world champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway in the final With this win, Praggnanandhaa also qualified to play in the Candidates Tournament, the winner of

which will be the challenger to Chinese GM Liren Ding, the reigning world champion

A per the International Chess Federation or FIDE’s rules, the top three players in the World Cup qualify for the Candidates Tournament For Praggnanandhaa, giant slaying

is not new in this tournament

He had earlier defeated far more higher-rated players, including US GM Hikaru Nakamura, world No 2 by rating India has never performed so well in the World Cup Open Category, though former world champion GM Viswanathan Anand had won the tournament earlier when it was held under a different format The first game of FIDE World Cup final between India's Praggnanandhaa and World No 1 Magnus Carlsen ended in draw after 35 moves

Both players will return for Game 2 of the final on Wednesday

India beat Ireland in second T20; win series

Ind ian b att er s an d b owl er s cam e up wit h im pr essive performances to give their team a 33-run win in the second T20I and a 2-0 lead in the threematch series over Irel and on Sunday Once India made 185 for 5 after being asked to bat first, Ireland felt the heat while chasing and they were restricted to 152 for 8 despite a 51-ball-72 by Andrew Balbirnie India had earlier won the rain marred first T20I by two runs under the DLS method

Fine hands by Gaikwad (58), Sanju Samson (40) and Rinku Singh (38) moulded India’s charge with the bat But on a true pitch, Indian bowlers had to back their batsmen and they

Punjabi

produced a superb collective spell under captain Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna and Ravi Bishnoi, who grabbed six wickets between them

Prasidh continued his impressive return to top of the shelf cricket as the pacer packed off Irish captain Paul Stirling and Lorcan Tucker in his first over to reduce the hosts to 19 for 2

Leg-spinner Bishnoi castled Harry Tector with a googly, restricting Ireland to 31 for 3 in the Powerplay segment

Ireland’s progress was made all the more difficult by the everclimbing asking rate that often hovered around 12 and above But they fought bravely and

wonderkid

Balbirnie was at the front of that mini fightback, making a strident 50 (71), before perishing to Arshdeep Singh His dismissal ended Ireland’s faint hopes for a win and Mark Adair’s 15-ball 23 providing a mere artificial excitement However, before the bowlers took over, India ruled the field through their batsmen They started the innings briskly through opener Yashasvi Jaiswal who made an 18 off 11 balls with a couple of fours and a six But the innings failed to build on the promise as Jaiswal’s attempt to pull Craig Young ended in the hands of Curtis Campher at deep Tilak Varma failed to make

joins former

Premier League champions Leicester after leaving Aston Villa

FA Youth Cup winner and former Aston Villa midfielder

Arjan Raik hy has j oin ed

Leicester Arjan's father Rav

Raikhy told Sky Sports News:

"We're all so proud to see Arjan sign for Leicester, who are of course former Premier League champions

It's been a wonderful journey with Aston Villa, and as a family we're grateful to everyone at the club and the amazing Villa fans for all of the support Now, it's time for the next chapter It's a really exciting move for Arjan and it gives kids the chance to dare to dream The journey continues "

Raikhy shot to prominence after a wonder goal against Chelsea for Villa's U18s back in November 2020 The midfielder made his senior first-team debut just two months later in an FA Cup third-round tie against Liverpool, a moment described by supporters' group Punjabi Villans as "incredible"

Raikhy ended a

Rahul, Shreyas make it to Asia Cup squad

Indian selectors choose KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Jasprit Bumrah, and Prasidh Krishna among the 17 players for the Asia Cup In addition to these four players who are returning from lengthy injury layoffs, the young left-hander Tilak Verma has been recruited to the group, which is seen as the core for the World Cup to be played in O ct ober-November Ch ief select or Ajit Agarkar made it clear that the World Cup team will be picked from this lot

Arjan Raikhy

memorable season by setting up Ben Chrisene's opener in a 2-1 victory against Liverpool as Villa's U18s lifted the FA Youth Cup The midfielder enjoyed another productive campaign the following season as he earned the distinction of helping two teamsStockport County and Grimsby Town - get promoted back to the Football League during two separate loan spells Raikhy is former Thomas Telford pupil, which is the same school that was attended by Punjabi Wolves defender Kam Kandola, who recently featured in a first-of-its-kind children s activity book, focused on players and practitioners from South Asian backgrounds Raikhy

and fellow Sikh-Punjabi professional footballer Mal Benning appeared at an event earlier during South Asian Heritage month to celebrate South Asians in The Game, held ahead of Sporting Khalsa's pre-season friendly against Punjab United

an impression in the second straight game, this time a mistimed pull off Barry McCarthy was snaffled by George Dockrell close to the ropes

At 35 for 2, India needed some solidity and momentum The visitors gained that through Samson and Gaikwad for the third wicket They milked 71 runs between them to carry India past the 100-run mark in the 12th over At 105 for 3 in the 13th over, India had a good launchpad to get to a sizable total Rinku and Shivam Dube showed their power-hitting prowess with the penultimate over fetching 22 runs and final over producing 20 runs

However, regardless of having all the resources at its disposal, the team still looks far from being settled, the first rider being Rahul being picked without being fully fit “It is not the original injury (hamstring injury) That is why Sanju (Samson) is travelling (to Sri Lanka) We are expecting Rahul to be fit if not at the start of the Asia cup then may be by the second or the third game Shreyas is fully fit,” Agarkar said in his first media briefing while refusing to divulge what the niggle is “The BCCI will update you on that,” was all Agarkar said

The apprehension around the returning players was obvious in Rohit’s response: “I will only be happy if on match day the team sheet says all are fit and available Injuries are not just happening in India but around the world When you have injuries you can’t really do too much and hope other guys can fit in the role,” Rohit said

Squad: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya (VC), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd Shami, Mohd Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

Traveling stand-by player: Sanju Samson

TNT Sports secures rights to Asia Cup 2023 in UK and Ireland

TNT Sports has reached an agreement with Disney Sta r, th e glo ba l r ig hts ho lde r o f ACC, to broadcast Asia Cup 2023 live and exclusively across the UK and Ireland

The 2023 Asia Cup will be broadcast on TNT Sports from August 30 to September 17, bringing cricket fans in the UK

closer to the action Six qualifying nations will be split into two groups of three teams each for the ODI event, which Pakistan and Sri Lanka will jointly host The format is 50 overs

“This is an exciting development for cricket fans in the UK and Ireland India-Pakistan is

the most eagerly anticipated and highest rated match on the global cricket calendar We’re thrilled to associate with TNT Sports in the UK and Ireland,” said Harry Griffith, Head of Acquisition & Syndication, Sports, Disney Star

“The addition of more top-flight cricket featuring superstars from the world of Asian cricket is great news for cricket fans and TNT Sports subscribers in the UK and Ireland,” said Trojan Paillot, SVP Rights and Acquisitions, WBD Sports Europe The first of the six group stage matches will take place on August 30 in Multan, with Pakistan hosting Nepal This will be followed by the eagerly awaited India vs Pakistan game, which will be held in Kandy, Sri Lanka, on September 2nd Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and the reigning champions Sri Lanka are additional teams competing in the Asia Cup

Fabiano Caruana

R Praggnanandhaa

Caption: The organising team: Top left to right: Sandip Shah, (Chairman), Tariq Iqbal (Vice-chairman), Zahid Rajan (Hon secretary) Subhash Modi (Hon Coordinator/PRO) Ketul Gutka (Hon treasurer)

Bottom left to right: Jasbir Singh (Fundraising convenor) Rajab Ali (Immediate past chairman) Bharat Ghelani (Overseas liaison officer) and Edward Tito (Member) Kenya Past Cricketers' Reunion is all set to host its third edition on 26th August 2023 at the Golden Tulip Hotel, Westlands, Nairobi Event to be graced by dignitaries, guests, sporting personalities, officials, cricketers, umpires, scorers and well-wishers of the game The first edition of the reunion was held in 2018 and the second last year