Neasden Temple shows a wonderful way to connect, collaborate and celebrate as one Hindu Community
The untold story of the IndoCaribbean community on display
UK loses six billionaires as battle against cost-of-living crisis continues
Hinduja Brothers
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L-R: Joe Biden, Anthony Albanese, Fumio Kishida and Narendra Modi
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Reece Lad wa is 24 years old He was bo rn and rais ed in th e Leicestersh ire area and has lived there all of his life
He studied locally at Kestrels Field Primar y School, Rushey Mead Secondar y School, Gateway College and De Montfort University He loves going to the gym and he enjoys watching his local team Leicester City which he has supported all of my life
In 2019, he stood to become Leicester City Councillor for the Conser vative Party, at the age of 20 Making him one of the youngest candidates not just across the whole of Leicester but also the whole countr y
1) Which place, or city or country do you most feel at home in?
Being born and bred in Leicester, I feel as if Leicester is the place that I have always called home and felt the most comfortable at I have been abroad to many different destinations, but I think that it is fair to say, none of them are like home
2) What are your proudest achievements?
I've had a few proud achievements, but the proudest have to be receiving student of the year at Gateway College and to receive two scholarships, at the same time This was due to my outstanding academic portfolio
3) What inspires you?
I am inspired by ambition and hard work I feel as if working hard always benef its you, and that’s what inspires me to work hard My grandad worked ver y hard when he came to this countr y, and he has made a life for himself and left future generations his legacy My grandfather is someone who has truly inspired me to go the extra mile in ever y challenge
4) What has been biggest obstacle in your career?
Biggest obstacle I overcame was the resistance and challenge I was up against at school and college This was because I was ver y for ward about my political aff iliation, and I was heavily criticised by my peers and teachers However, I stood up hard against it and still stood up for what I believed in
5) Who has been the biggest influence on your career to date?
If it is someone I personally know, I would say my Parents have influenced and pushed me to achieve better things in my career They have always believed in me and backed me all the way
6) What is the best aspect about your current role?
The best aspect about my current role is engagement with my customers and I am ver y passionate about giving a good
A m an st ol e m o r e th a n £340 k from his em plo yer to fund a lavish lifestyle
ser vice As a result, the customer has had a ver y nice dining experience It’s building that relationship with the customer during their visit is what I enjoy most about my role It helps me to understand my customer better
7) And the worst?
I wouldn’t say that it is something bad, but it is a challenge which we face? With the cost-of-living crisis, people haven’t got the disposable income to go out for a nice meal It’s a ver y turbulent time in hospitality at the moment, and the sector as a whole is in gradual decline Unless the cost-of-living eases on families, the hospitality sector itself is going to struggle massively Especially small to medium size chains
8) What are your long term goals?
My long-term goal is to pursue my career in Politics It is something which I want to peruse at a local level as I am a great believer in the importance of local government Whether it is in the front line or an advisor y role, it is something I will continue to pursue
9) If you were Prime Minister, what one aspect would you change?
C o m p l e t e l y t r a n s fo r m Un i v e r s a l Credit and make the support more targeted , ensuring the families that need it most, are getting it f irst On the current system, there are many households who simply do not need it And many individuals are using Universal Credit to fund a l a v i s h l i fe s t y l e fo r t h e m s e l v e s , a t t h e expense of their children
10) If you were marooned on a desert island, which historical figure would you like to spend your time with and why?
The historical f igure which is wanting to be stuck on an island with is probably R e v Je s s e Ja c k s o n It w a s a b s o l u t e l y admirable what he did as a civil rights activist He championed many causes And I feel as if I could gain some great knowledge and wisdom from him
Men operating a large- scale g ro o m i ng o p era ti o n i n R o ch d ale , h a ve be en
c h ar g ed w it h 74 s ex u al offences ag ainst tw o teenage g irls, one of th em mino r
H a r m i n d e r G i l l o f H a w k s w o o d D r i v e , Wednesbur y has been jailed for four and half years foll o w i n g h i s s e n t e n c i n g o n Wednesday, 17th May Gill w o r ke d i n t h e p a y r o l l department at a company where he siphoned money after discovering a glitch in t h e s y s t e m He u s e d t h e funds on luxur y getaways, e xe c u t i v e c a r s a n d l a v i s h hotel suites “M r G i l l c o m m i t t e d a
s e r i o u s o f fe n c e w h e n h e t o o k a d v a n t a g e o f h i s employer, causing a loss of more than £340,000 to fund his luxurious lifestyle His offending continued for a period of two years and his actions show that he deliberately diverted transactions
t o h i s o w n a c c o u n t s a n d those of his family members without their knowledge or consent
“A s t o d a y ’ s s e n t e n c i n g s h o w s , t h e Cr o w n
Prosecution Ser vice will not t o l e r a t e t h o s e w h o a b u s e their positions of trust to make a gain for themselves Mr Gill has now received a s e nt e n c e t h a t re f le c t s t h e seriousness of his offending”, Tejinder Sandhu of the CPS said
G i l l w a s j a i l e d a t War wick Crown Court after pleading guilty to fraud
Mouhssi n I smail, executive pri nci pal of Star a cad emi es an d foun din g hea d tea cher o f Ne w h a m C ol l e g i a t e Sixth Form Cen tre in East Ham, voiced hi s opi nion on t h e SATs r e a d i n g p a p e r af ter i t wa s rele ased by the govern ment He i s ha iled as Bri tain’s most in spiri ng hea dteacher
A c c o r d i n g t o I s m a i l : “Exams are meant to assess a full range of abilities, so b e i n g t o u g h fo r s o m e i s a b s o l u t e l y r i g h t ” “ S o m e pupils complain and rather than use it as an opportunity to develop their mental resilience and teach them
that f inding things tough is part of the learning process, we aff irm this negat i v e b e h a v i o u r ” , h e w a s reported as saying by The Telegraph W h i l e t h e Na t i o n a l
Education Union claimed that the test was a “punishing experience” for the stud e n t s a n d t h e s t a f f , t h e g o v e r n m e nt i s d e fe n d i n g the test, claiming that the tests were rigorously trialled twice Te a c h e r s c o m p l a i n e d that the tests, to be taken b y 1 0 - a n d 1 1 -y e a r- o l d s , were diff icult enough to make pupil cr y The stud e n t s h a d t o a n s w e r 3 8 questions from three SAT texts , including The Rise o f Wo l v e s , w h i c h w a s s h o r t l i s t e d fo r t h e 2 0 19 S c o t t i s h Te e n a g e B o o k Prize
Arsl an Farooq, 2 5, of Gipsy L a ne , B ir mi ng h am , ha s pleaded guil ty today to c ausi ng t he de a t h of a n ot he r motorist, 51-year-old Simon West, in a road rage inc ident Fa r oo k pl e a d e d g uil t y t o mansla ught er, at a preliminar y hear ing at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday He al so admitt ed driving dangerously
On 10 December 2022, Farooq dangerously tailgated We s t w h i l e d r i v i n g o n Causeway Green Road and
t h e Wo l v e r h a m p t o n R o a d , A4123 Then, in and aggress i v e m a n o e u v r e , h e d r o v e from his own lane towards Mr West’s van in the parallel lane before pulling across the front of Mr West’s van As the pair got out of their respective vehicles, he approached and punched West, causing West to lose consciousness West passed away four days later after having surger y for a head injur y Emily Clewer of the CPS said: “Arslan Farooq behaved
highly aggressively and dangerously and there is no justif i c a t i o n fo r h i s b e h av i o u r His actions have devastated M r We s t ’ s f a m i l y a n d o u r thoughts are with them at this time I hope this case ser ves as a reminder of the dangers of road rage and how those who behave in ways t h a t e n d a n g e r o t h e r s c a n expect to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law ” He will be sentenced on 21 July 2023 at Birmingham Crown Court
The defendants include
A m j a d M a h m o o d , 5 0 , S h e r a z Hu s s a i n , 3 9 , a n d Mo h a m m e d Z a h e d , 3 6 Shakeel Ahmed, 40, Khalid M a h m o o d , 3 9 , I r f a n Q u r b a n , 4 3 , A r s h a d Mo h a m m e d , 5 3 , Na v e e d
A n w a r, 3 8 a n d Gu l n a w a z Khan, 40, were also charged Mahmood was charged with 22 offences, including seven charges of rape of an underage girl Hussain is charged with 12 offences, including six charges of penetrative sexual activity with a child and Zahed faces six charges of penetrative sexual activity with an under-age girl
A l l e xc e p t A r s h a d Mohammed, were granted conditional bail and are due t o a p p e a r a t M a n c h e s t e r crown court on June 23
The Vi shwa H indu Parishad ( UK) has issued a s tatement wi th re gard to e x- pri es t Awa d he s h T i wa r i un s ucc e ss f ull y tr y i n g to re ga in employment in an employmen t trib un al The statement has been released follo wi ng t he c onc lus i on of both the High Court and Employment Tri bunal proceedings
In March 2021, Tewari brought claims against the Tr u s t e e s o f V H P, i n t h e Employment Tribunal for unfair dismissal, wrongful d i s m i s s a l , a n d b r e a c h o f contract, unlawful deduct i o n o f w a g e s , b r e a c h o f statutor y duty and breach of the Data Protection Act
2 0 1 8 Te w a r i’s d i s m i s s a l came after he had breached
various Covid-19 health & safety regulations put into place during the lockdowns, a s p e r t h e G o v e r n m e n t
Guidelines
Despite already bringi n g a c l a i m i n t h e
E m p l o y m e n t Tr i b u n a l , Tewari brought claims for defamation, breach of contract and misuse of private information and data protection in the High Court in November 2021 The case was f iled against 24 individu a l s , i n c l u d i n g Te w a r i’s o w n b r o t h e r, Av i n a s h
Tiwari
Following a hearing in the High Court on 30 June
2 0 2 2 , Te w a r i’s c l a i m w a s struck-out Justice Collins
R i c e i n h i s j u d g e m e n t , found the following: “Free
and frank communication within the community was t h e w h o l e p o i n t o f t h e newsletter; it provided relevant news and information, and kept the community up to date on matters of common concern So, it was the obvious channel for informing and explaining about Mr Tewari’s departure from off ice “
“It was entirely necess a r y fo r t h e c h a r i t y t o explain the removal of an e m p l o y e e a n d s p i r i t u a l leader – it was their right and duty to do so, and it was the proper entitlement of the readership to receive it Subscribers had a ‘right to know’ what was going on The publication was not in the least ‘gratuitous’;
The Suella Braverman ‘controversies’ are not just ready to fade away Last week, she visited the High Commission of India for a wide-ranging discussion on shared security concerns, mobility and migration, and safety of the High Commission of India and other key elements of the UK-India relationship
The Indian community has had a very long and crucial relationship with Britain, as forced subjects and then equals In India During World War II there were 200,000 Indian soldiers in the British army In World War I that number was more than 74,000 These men sacrificed their lives for a country they hadn’t even stepped their foot on The Brighton Chhatri, or the Chhatri at the Memorial Gates or the one at Bristol with the tomb of Raja Rammohun Roy, is a reminder of the relationship that was!
In that Britain, Suella Braverman has become the third Asian Home Secretary, second Indian-origin to hold the post And naturally one thing that any refugee or immigrant would expect of their “ own ” (by roots) is compassion
But with every mistake she makes, her stand on immigration, disallowing foreign nationals to come to Britain with family as students and various other issues definitely makes look like what she possibly isn’t
While her speeding fine issue has been blown out of proportion, the BBC reported that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is still considering whether to order an investigation into Suella Braverman's conduct, the No 10 has said
The PM s official spokesman said he was still looking at all the requisite information"
Opposition parties accused him of "dithering and delay"
The home secretary is reportedly facing claims she asked civil servants to arrange a one-to-one speed awareness course for her, after being caught speeding in 2022
M r S u n a k h a s s p o k e n t o h i s e t h i c s a d v i s e r a n d M r s Braverman about the issue but is still deciding whether to order an investigation into whether she broke the ministerial code,
At the same time, the Labour party is looking for a chance to win the elections in 2024 They have promised the NHS and junior doctor a better future, while BMA said that the focus on prevention is a big positive, and it is good to see a commitment to reverse the worrying trend of deaths from suicides, heart disease, strokes and cancers in this country
They told us, “Labour’s focus on shifting care from sickness to prevention could help to turn things around, particularly in its plan to increase access to mental health services, and Sir Keir c o r r e c t l y h i g h l i g h t e d t h a t t h i s w o u l d o n l y b e a c h i e v a b l e through interventions that deal with poverty and inequalities to accessing health and social care It was refreshing to hear Sir Keir acknowledge this and set out plans to strengthen regulation on junk food marketing to children – something the present Government has rowed back on
“But Labour needs to go further in at least three key areas if they are to have a lasting impact on the nation’s health: Tightening regulations of the smoking, alcohol and gambling industries, alongside junk food; Restoring funding for public health services, which have been cut by 25% since 2015; and establish a cross-departmental goal to improve health and tackling health inequalities, extending beyond the NHS alone, alongside a strategy for action - the last time Labour did this, it made a difference For suicide prevention for example, this extends far beyond the provision of mental health care services
which we know are severely lacking – to addressing the root causes of people’s mental health struggles, including the shameful levels of poverty in this country ”
This country holds NHS – the free healthcare as its asset It also treats its education, diversity, inclusion, race and immigration policies as top notch and above other countries If we lose perspective now, whoever wins the election next year, the very ethos of Britishness cannot be preserved It is time to wake up and smell the coffee
India is a regular guest at the annual G7 summit of the world’s wealthiest democracies At this year ’ s gathering in Hiroshima, the focus was on Russia and China, both nations with whom New Delhi shares complex ties Prime Minister Narendra Modi has played a balancing act once again The G7 nations are well aware of the rising might of other newly advanced economies like Australia and South Korea and emerging markets like India
They want to keep them close India has been a regular at the summit and has snagged an invite yet again this year Japan prime minister Fumio Kishida has invited PM Modi because India is among the influential countries in this unofficial group PM Modi said that his presence in the G7 summit was particularly meaningful as India holds the G20 Presidency this year He said that the summit gave him an opportunity to exchange views with the G7 countries and other invited partners on challenges that the world faces and the need to collectively address them
One of the key discussions at the summit was Russia and imposing more sanctions and export controls on the nation over the war in Ukraine But India has maintained neutrality in the conflict because of its longstanding ties with Moscow India expressed its concern that the US and its allies are exacerbating the global economic crisis by imposing more sanctions on Moscow And it is not alone The rising costs because of the Ukraine war have hit emerging and developing economies China’s rising aggression also dominated the agenda at the G7 summit Japan being the only Asian G7 member sees this as a
As Pa kistan se lf-destr uct s the re a re te lling ta les re lev an t for the UK
Imran Khan, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, has recently accused the country's military, specifically the army chief General Syed Asim Munir, of orchestrating his arrest on corruption charges
Khan believes this act was personal and does not align with the national interest The animosity between Khan and Munir stems back to when Khan was prime minister and Munir was the head of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Pakistan's spy agency
Khan reportedly shortened Munir's stint as the ISI head, leading to a perceived bias against Khan's party, PTI The ISI has been subject to international scrutiny, particularly regarding its alleged knowledge or involvement in harbouring Osama Bin Laden, an enemy of multiple states In the aftermath of the U S raid that led to Bin Laden's death in Pakistan in 2011, Pakistani intelligence officials claimed they were unaware of his presence until the operation was underway
chance to respond to Beijing’s show of strength around Taiwan India is part of the Quad group of four Indo-Pacific nations, including the US, Japan and Australia With the Quad summit in Sydney cancelled, G7 gave a chance for the Quad leaders to have an informal dialogue in Hiroshima on how to counter China’s growing threats in the region Meanwhile, India has countered Chinese objections in holding the G20 meeting at Srinagar in Kashmir by saying it is free to hold meetings in any part of its territory It said peace and tranquility on its border is essential for normal ties with China The 3rd G20 Tourism Working Group meeting was held in Srinagar amid heightened security in the region This is the first major international event in Jammu and Kashmir since its special status was scrapped in 2019 and it was bifurcated into two union territories Around 60 delegates from G20 countries were invited to attend the meeting, but China and Turkey did not attend the meeting Officials say the G20 event in Srinagar is to showcase Kashmir's tourism potential and also send a message to the world that it is an integral part of the country The participation of member countries of the world's most powerful club is seen as an endorsement of India's stand China's decision to boycott the Srinagar meet is likely to be derived from the objections of Pakistan, its close ally, which claimed that the G20 meetings are aimed at perpetuating India's “illegal occupation" of Jammu and Kashmir India has constantly rejected the statements from Beijing and Islamabad on Jammu & Kashmir
The Indian diaspora is expanding and its impact on world politics, economics, and society is set to rise Their benefit is clear in "diaspora diplomacy", whereby they act as "bridge builders" between their home and adopted countries The Indian diaspora is a fully transferable political vote bank in addition to being a component of India's soft power The political influence of Indians at multilateral organisations like the United Nations is also increased by the large number of people of Indian descent who hold political posts in many different nations
The external affairs minister said Indian students are studying in more than 240 different nations After the announcement of the Graduate Route visa by the British government in 2019, international students can stay in the UK for at least two years after completing their degree According to reports, there is a huge positive net impact on the economy of the United Kingdom because of the immigration of students, including Indians International students contribute significantly to the UK; occasionally, they work part-time jobs ranging from low- to high-paying positions They also become a part of the UK's multi-cultural experiences as well as the society, which has clubs, communities, and they sometimes lead initiatives that boost the local economy According to data, India's economic gains from international students increased by 34% between the academic years 2018-19 and 2021-22, rising from £31 3 billion to £41 9 billion Furthermore, each group of 11 non-EU students contributes an incredible £1 million to the UK economy As per the reports, "The financial benefits of hosting international students far outweigh the
costs, generating a net benefit to the UK economy of £37 4 billion "
However, there is a political discussion going on right now about possible visa limits for dependents of overseas students as well as possible reductions in their post-study work v i s a r i g h t s A c c o r d i n g t o s o u r c e s i n U K m e d i a , H o m e Secretary Suella Braverman is looking to crack down on overseas students bringing in dependents as it is seen as adding to growing migration figures According to the data from the Home Office, the UK issued 485,758 study visas to students last year, and they brought an additional 135,788 dependents with them It means that more than a fifth (22 per cent) of all study-related visas issued last year were to dependants This compares with 16,047 dependants who came with 135,788 students in 2019, making up only 6 per cent Indian nationals had the second highest number of dependents, increasing from 3,135 to 38,990 In 2022, there were almost 120,000 dependent visas granted to the top 5 nationalities (Nigeria, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka)
People coming from India are one of the biggest groups in the UK They have given the UK a sizable portion of their income in the form of taxes Recently, the Sunday Times Rich List 2023 was released to announce the top 350 richest people in the UK A total of 22 people of Indian descent make it on the rich list The Hinduja family of the Indian conglomerate Hinduja Group has topped the list for the second year in a row with a wealth of £35 billion Their fortune jumped by more than £6 billion, marking the largest fortune ever recorded by the Rich List in 35 editions
They also argued against the idea that Bin Laden would have chosen to hide in an urban area like Abbottabad, given his known preference for staying in rural communities near the Afghan border The officials suggested that if the ISI had been harbouring Bin Laden, he would have been kept in a more discreet and protected safe house They also proposed that the U S must have had an inside informant in the compound where Bin Laden was found
Pakistani ISI spies operating in the UK are well documented The Telegraph reported “Pakistani spies have been operating a front organisation in London to exert political p r e s s u r e o n t h e g o v e r n m e n t ” T h e G u a r d i a n n o t e d “Dissident Pakistani exiles in UK ‘ on hit list’; Critics of country’s military told by Met police of plots against them as security forces fear there may be an attack in Britain ”
In the same article, the Guardian noted, “Lyall Grant, also the UK’s former national security adviser, added that any evidence that officers from Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the security arm of the military, were intimidating people in the UK would not be ignored “
And we know the ISI do not have friendly relations with the UK David Cameron as PM upset the ISI that their top man cancelled a planned UK trip, as reported by the Wall Street Journal
The Scottish Herald reported more UK-ISI problems when it noted a story about a disgraced British defence attaché in Islamabad “ army officer has been sent home from Islamabad in disgrace after being caught by MI6 in an "inappropriate relationship" with a Pakistani female intelligence agent ”
The honeytrap to catfish military men is not used by ISI on British alone This past month the story came out of how they used the same trick on an Indian DRDO scientist (not the first time)
As the UK Government’s Prevent Strategy report notes, “Recent open source research provides insight into the background of people convicted of Islamist terrorism-related offences over the past ten years The data indicates that most offences have been committed by men under the age of 30 Most were British Almost 25% had links to Pakistan ”
ISI’s connection to terrorism are well known President Bush stated so in 2008 when specifically naming the ISI in helping Taliban bomb the Indian Embassy in Kabul
I mentioned these factors because when the issue of Leicester riots comes up or Khalistanis supported by Jihadis outside the Indian High Commission, there is a connection ISI is not just an enemy of the State (and People) of Pakistan, but also of the United Kingdom More recently ISI spies were arrested in the United States
One would be naïve to think ISI spies do not operate in the UK without disclosing their official designation Given the above track record it would also be naïve to think they are not involved in setting traps with British Indians to sow communal disharmony such as through Khalistanis and in Leicester
British Indians and India itself mustn’t fall into the trap of taking the bait ISI wants to disrupt UK India relations and clip the influence of British Indians in the UK Provoking communal dischord is one way Entrap Indian officials will always remain their modus operandi
And for British Indians, the best way to avoid this trap remain harmonious even in the face of provocation, knowing what the bigger picture is
You can be everything You can be the infinite amount of things that people are. Kesha
I n d i an ri c e ty co o n K a ran
C hanana, a leading T ory d onor w h o h as g i v en m o r e th an £ 220 , 00 0 to th e C onserv ati ve
P arty is being inv estigated, ov er allegations of fraud and money l au n d eri n g , b y th e I nd i an
F inance Ministry
K a r a n C h a n a n a i s b e i n g investigated in India over claims that tens of millions of pounds of bank loans were unlawfully d i v e r t e d i n t o s h e l l e n t i t i e s Chanana, head of the global rice brand Amira, has not responded to the claims The Conservatives face calls to freeze the money donated by Chanana as the allegations come at a time when the UK government faces mounting pressure to improve diligence checks, tightening up rules on foreign donations
Nearly £100,000 in Indian currency was seized after the e n f o r c e m e n t d i r e c t o r a t e i n India conducted search operations on 2 May at 21 locations in I n d i a c o n n e c t e d t o C h a n a n a , the Indian company Amira Pure
Karan Chanana
Foods and other parties
The search was conducted u n d e r I n d i a ’ s P r e v e n t i o n o f Money Laundering Act, said the d i r e c t o r a t e N o c h a r g e s h a v e been filed to date According to a report in The Guardian, the enforcement directorate, in a s t a t e m e n t , r e v e a l e d t h a t
Chanana had been donating to a p o l i t i c a l p a r t y o f t h e U n i t e d Kingdom since 2019, while the accused entity had itself defaulted on repayment of loans
Chanana, 50, has been credited with transforming a family business into a global conglomerate
A special e ven t was or gan ise d a t t he House of C ommons in hono u r o f S r il a Pr a bh u pa d a , t h e F o un d e r - A ch a r y a o f I SK C O N , a ls o p op u la r ly k n o w n a s t h e Har e Krishn a move men t This pr ogra mme wa s a part of t he se ries of e ven ts of t he UK Tour o f t h e be s t - se lli n g bi og r a p h y Sin g, Da nce and Pr ay ba sed on his re mar kable life story
ISKCON Bangalore is celebrating the 125th birth annivers a r y o f S r i l a P r a b h u p a d a , a n important milestone in the cultural history of India, through various projects in his remembrance The biographical work and the book promotional tour are initiatives undertaken to create awareness in the contemporary audience about his life, message and contributions
The book describes the wellresearched life sketch of Srila P r a b h u p a d a , I n d i a ’ s g r e a t e s t s p i r i t u a l a n d c u l t u r a l a m b a ssador to the world It was the first time in history that a spiritual leader, thinker and reformer from India carried the message of peace and goodwill to the W e s t a n d b r o u g h t a b o u t a n enduring spiritual revolution to make the world happy It is a tribute to his extraordinary story of absolute determination and profound compassion
In this regard, a thoughtp r o v o k i n g d i s c u s s i o n t i t l e d
‘Untold Story of an Incredible Spiritual Revolution’ was held t o d a y a t t h e H o u s e o f C o m m o n s E m i n e n t s p e a k e r s p r o v i d e d i n s i g h t s o n S r i l a Prabhupada’s matchless gift of a pioneering cultural renaissance t h a t t r a n s f o r m e d t h e l i v e s o f m i l l i o n s o f p e o p l e a c r o s s t h e world
The event was attended by Virendra Sharma, Member of the
F ol l ow in g S i r Ki e r St a r me r ’ s inte rview about want ing to ope n a “discussion” a bout making it ea sier to build on gree n b elt lan d, Rishi Suna k has vowed t o pr ot ect the green pockets in the country Drawing a dividing line with Sir Starmer on housing, Sunak said that he wanted to “ move away from a system of nationally imposed top-down housing targets on local areas ” Starmer, in his interview, accused the conservatives of killing the aspirations of home- owning for the coming generation S u n a k ’ s h o u s i n g s e c r e t a r y , M i c h a e l G o v e , o n t h e o t h e r
hand, wrote to Starmer about his new policies, asking why not ask p e o p l e t o f o l l o w a f t e r a c t i o n rather than words? His question s t e m m e d f r o m t h e f a c t t h a t Starmer’s own shadow cabinet colleagues with constituencies i n E n g l a n d r e g u l a r l y o p p o s e development, including in their own areas At least three quarters of them are blockers, not builders Sunak dropped the mandatory targets on housebuilding in D e c e m b e r a n d i n t r o d u c e d a number of planning restrictions, including better protection of the country’s green belt
A study commissioned by Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI), Universities UK International (UUKi) and Kaplan International Pathways provides new insights into the economic value overseas students bring to the UK
P a r l i a m e n t o f t h e U n i t e d K i n g d o m a n d o t h e r d i s t i ng u i s h e d g u e s t s S h r i M a d h u
Pandit Dasa, President, ISKCON
Bangalore and Chairman, The Akshaya Patra Foundation, Shri C h a n c h a l a p a t h i D a s a , S e n i o r V i c e P r e s i d e n t , I S K C O N
Bangalore and Vice Chairman, The Akshaya Patra Foundation, Dr Hindol Sengupta, the author o f t h e b o o k , h i s t o r i a n a n d C h e v e n i n g s c h o l a r w e r e a l s o present D r H i n d o l S e n g u p t a s a i d ,
“Srila Prabhupada found initial success in building his Krishna c o n s c i o u s n e s s m o v e m e n t i n America, but it is in England where some of the biggest outreach of ISKCON was possible a f t e r t h e a s s o c i a t i o n o f Prabhupada with the Beatles and when George Harrison became his disciple England was where P r a b h u p a d a c o n v e r t e d t h e
maha-mantra into a best-selling record England thus was special to Prabhupada, who considered it the greatest city in the world Therefore it is a great honour for m e t o b e d o i n g t h i s e x c i t i n g book tour across the UK, going t o m u l t i p l e c i t i e s a p a r t f r o m
London, including Oxford and Cambridge It has been a dream come true I have given lectures on Hinduism and history before at the House of Commons - but this one has been the most special ”
T h e b i o g r a p h y h a s b e e n released at various prominent locations like the Nehru Centre, O x f o r d U n i v e r s i t y a n d S h r e e Swaminarayan Temple as part of t h e o n g o i n g U K t o u r Distinguished guests, professors, philosophers, influencers, students, book enthusiasts and othe r s p a r t i c i p a t e d i n t h e p r ogrammes
A Queens’ sch ool in Bu sh y had to face ang ered parents after it s cr ap p ed i ts Y ear 1 1 l eav ers ’ assembly citing bad behaviour Head teach er Jo nathan M orrell said that, a day before the cancellation, the stud ents enjoyed a sports ev ent w ith all year 11 stud en ts ei th e r p art ic i p at in g o r observing A Year 11 pupil’s father told t h e W a t f o r d O b s e r v e r : “ T h e sporting event was a football match and all the children who were black, Asian or of eastern European heritage were put in o n e t e a m c a l l e d ‘ T h e Immigrants’, and all of the boys who were judged to be white and British were put in a side
called ‘The EDL’ T h e k i d s h a d p r e v i o u s l y p l a y e d t h i s m a t c h b y t h e ms e l v e s , b u t o n T u e s d a y , t h e school decided to host the event officially and one of the assist a n t t e a c h e r s o f f i c i a t e d t h e match
EDL stands for the English Defence League and is a farright organisation renowned for I s l a m o p h o b i a a n d f o o t b a l l hooliganism
Home secretary S uella Braverman was caugh t in a 5 0 m p h zo ne las t summ er when sh e w as th e att o rne y g e ner al Br av e rm a n i s s ai d to have breach ed m inisterial co de by asking civil servants to h elp her to ar ran g e a on e- to - o ne c o ur se to a v o i d th e em barrassm ent of being re co g n i se d by f el lo w p a rti c ipants
It has also been alleged that when civil servants denied her r e q u e s t , a p o l i t i c a l a d v i s o r stepped in and suggested that s h e a t t e n d t h e c l a s s o n l i n e , anonymously Braverman ultimately ended up paying the fine Sources close to her have rejected this account of events and made the claim that she was s i m p l y s e e k i n g a d v i c e a b o u t
According to the ministerial code, “ministers must ensure t h a t n o c o n f l i c t a r i s e s , o r appears to arise, between their public duties and their private interests” By asking civil servants to get involved in her personal matter, Braverman is said to have broken the code
She was given the option of accepting a fine and points on her licence or attending a speed awareness course
The analysis demonstrates how despite concerns about immigration these students have a significant monetary influence on UK universities Indian students emerge as one of the top donors to the British economy, according to the study Based on 2020-21 data the report anticipates a £96,000 economic impact per non-European Union student This includes students from India, one of the largest international contingents The data pointed out that the total economic gains from international students increased by 34% between the academic years 2018-19 and 2021-22, rising from £31 3 billion to £41 9 billion According to the experts international students contribute a ten- fold of what they consume, to the economy This helps local and national financial health and universities are able to maintain their teaching and research standards
Tory MP Paul Scully is the latest face entering the race for a job at the city hall The minister has said that he will pause his ministerial duties as he runs for London s mayor If he is selected as a candidate, he will step down from his current job altogether
Tory members will vote for their preferred choice in July and the result is due to come out on 19th July London’s current mayor, Sadik Khan will also stand for a third term re- election His latest step to extend the Ultra Low Emission Zone citywide is said to be a difficult but imperative step to combat air pollution in London This decision, however, has drawn criticism from various quarters Scully was minister for tech and the digital economy on 7 February 2023 and minister for London having been appointed on 13 February 2020
Dav ind er Dh illon OBE , DL , Chair Ch attri Memo rial Group on behalf of the Chattri Memorial Group, is i nv i t in g th e c o m m u n i ty to t h e Annual Ch attri Memorial Serv ice, in remembrance of th e Indian Soldiers wh o were crem ated in Brig hton d uri ng th e F i rs t Wo rl d War S om e
12,0 00 troops from U nd ivided Ind ia w er e b ro u g h t o v er f ro m t h e Western F ront and h ospitalised in B ri g h to n to re co v e r f ro m t h ei r wo und s T he memo rial is uniqu e
and th e co mmemo ration is the only one of its kind in Britain
The Service will take place on Sunday 11th June 2023 at 2 30 pm at the Chattri, Patcham, Standen Lane, Brighton, BN1 8ZB Prayers and the laying of the wreaths should last for approximately half an hour Cars are able to drive right up to the Chattri o n t h i s d a y P l e a s e n o t e t h e Memorial is situated on farmland and therefore the ground will be uneven There are no facilities or
shelter available at the site and seating is limited Please bring your own foldable chairs if required F o l l o w i n g t h e C e r e m o n y , r e f r e s h m e n t s w i l l b e s e r v e d a t
Patcham High School, Ladies’ Miles Road, Brighton BN1 8PB An exhibition which traces the role of the soldiers from India to the Western F r o n t w i l l b e o n d i s p l a y a t t h e school Parking is limited at the school but there is off-road parking nearby
Shefali Saxena
P rofe ssor Sid dar tha Kha st gir is the Hea d of Ver ificat ion & Va lida tion f o r C o n n e ct e d & A ut on om o u s Ve hicles (CAV) a t WMG, U nive rsity of Wa rwick He lead s se ver al coll a bo r a t iv e R &D p r o j e c t s w it h in dustr ial an d acad emic pa rtn er s n at ion ally a nd inte rn ation ally His r e se a r c h fo c u se s on g e n e r a t i n g sa fe ty ev iden ce a nd ar gumen ts, test s ce n a r i o g e n e r a t i on , s im ula t i o nbase d t esting , and t he sa fe ty of A I s y s t e m s Le v e r a g i n g t h e c r os sd omain na ture of safet y, he is also in volved in safety re se arch in aviat ion, ma rine and healthcar e He ha s bee n appoin ted a s a member of the D e p a r t m e n t fo r T r a n s p or t ’ s S cie nce Adv isory Council
In an exclusive interview with A s i a n V o i c e , S i d d h a r t h a s p o k e about the importance of self-driving cars and climate change P lea se t ell us about your mission to cr eat e safe self-dr iving car s Globally over 1 5 million people die due to on-road accidents every year To put things into perspective, according to WHO, approximately 7 million people have died
due to Covid-19 in the past three years This (the pandemic) brought the world to a standstill and prev e n t i n g i t b e c a m e t h e f o c u s o f every country But somehow, we have managed to normalise ourselves with 1 5 million deaths per year due to road accidents This defies logic and as a society, we need to do more to make our roads safer Ho w c li m a t e fr i e n d l y a r e t h e s e car s?
Self-driving cars can be either electric or driven by a conventional internal combustion engine (ICE)
H o w e v e r , m o s t s e l f - d r i v i n g c a r s being trialled and tested currently in different parts of the world are primarily electric But self-driving cars will have a much higher energy
demand due to the high amounts of computation required for the real-time processing of the world
T h i s w o u l d i m p a c t t h e b a t t e r y capacity in electric versions or the efficiency in ICE versions
How do you t hin k the automobile industr y n ee ds to in nova te in or der to support clima te ch ang e a wareness?
To drive climate awareness, the automobile industry needs to innovate parallelly in three areas:
Technology: From a technology perspective, more efficient vehicles, greener vehicles and moving away from automobile solutions to creating mobility solutions
P e o p l e l e v e l : M a k i n g s h a r e d and active transport (car sharing, public transport, cycling, micromobility) seamless and time efficient Innovation is needed to help society to get to a point where people don’t need to own vehicles but end up purchasing journeys
P o l i c y l e v e l : C r e a t i n g p o l i c y and regulatory frameworks which enables and incentivises climatefriendly behaviour This includes enabling infrastructure for shared a n d a
J asim Ah med was born in 19 44 and was the eldes t son of Rah ima Kh atun and Jamir Uddin Ah med He was rai sed near Sylhet, a metrop olitan city i n Bangladesh, famou s for tea plantati on H e had to take o ver his fami ly’s p ublic transp ort business and the care o f h is mo th er and six siblings at th e age of 1 6, after th e death o f his fath er
Taking up major responsibilities at an early age gave him an early exposure to business operations and ethics that reflected in his work, throughout his life At the age of 18, he moved away to study civil engineering a t t h e E a s t P a k i s t a n U n i v e r s i t y o f E n g i n e e r i n g a n d T e c h n o l o g y i n D h a k a
After graduating from college four years later, he joined the East Pakistan Water P o l l u t i o n C o n t r o l B o a r d , s p e c i a l i s i n g i n hydrological engineering This was during the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, w h i c h l e d t o t h e i n d e p e n d e n c e o f Bangladesh
J a s i m m a r r i e d T a r e f a C h o u d h u r y i n
1970 She was a history student whose famil y h a d b e e n t r a g i c a l l y a f f e c t e d b y t h e Liberation War Jasim won a scholarship to the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, a country adept at building bridge sand dams The birth of the couple’s first of three children, Adnan, coincided with Jasim’s master’s Tarefa and Adnan stayed behind in Bangladesh while Jasim left t o s t u d y i n t h e N e t h e r l a n d s T h e r e h e focused his expertise in hydrological engineering while based in the Hague
A year later he moved to London and the family followed He worked for the Halcrow Group, a multinational engineering consultancy that dealt with transportation, water, m a r i t i m e a n d p r o p e r t y H e w a s l a r g e l y
assigned with the construction of bridges and dams spread across the world The company recognised his drive and he quickly rose up the ranks In the late 1970s, he moved with his family to Indonesia and subsequently returned to Bangladesh in 1981 He did so to expand his firm in the region by exploring new opportunities
In 1987, he was promoted to managing d i r e c t o r a n d c h i e f e x e c u t i v e o f f i c e r o f Halcrow’s Asia- Pacific region For the next two decades, he was was involved in expanding the business in Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, India and other South Asian countries The company ’ s projects in the region coincided with, and contributed to, the industrialisation of countries that would come to be known as the Asian tigers
One of the projects under Jasim’s remit was the construction of the Bangabandhu Bridge, which would serve as a long- awaited solution to getting across the six-mile-wide Jamuna River in Bangladesh Until then passengers and freight relied on ferry services The project took four years at a cost of more than $1 billion and when it opened in 1998, the bridge stretched for more than three miles, and was the 11th longest in the world Jasim was appointed OBE for services to British commercial interests in Asia four years later, in 2002
In the later stages of his career, Jasim assumed a series of directorships with engineering companies in India while simultaneously running his own consultancy He was aware of the importance of staying fit and despite long working hours, Jasim was a committed runner, and enjoyed playing badminton and cricket, among other sports He liked to entertain and, along with his wife, threw lively parties from Dhaka to London
He was a family man, who supported his mother and siblings in Bangladesh till the e n d o f h i s l i f e H e t h o r o u g h l y e n j o y e d watching football and Star Wars with his sons and six grandchildren What attracted Jasim’s interest the most, however, was current affairs, politics and history He had, after all, lived through momentous events of the 20th century, including Indian independence from British rule and the Liberation War
He was a progressive thinker, warm, thoughtful and deliberate, who rarely spoke, preferring to allow others to take the floor before making one of his own, typically perspicacious, comments
charging stations for electric vehicles
Is the re en oug h help or resources
t o in nova te a cr oss th e globe?
Globally, there is a huge intellectual capital working tirelessly to innovate on these aspects It is important to appreciate that the solutions may vary for different countries and regions For example, in the Netherlands, cycling is a norm; in London, the underground is the lifeline Both solutions focus on moving people away from car journeys When it comes to selfd r i v i n g v e h i c l e s , w h i l e S i l i c o n Valley is focussing on robo-taxi solutions (e g , Waymo and Cruise), some of the UK-based start-ups are l o o k i n g a t l o g i s t i c s s u p p l y ( e g , W a y v e ) o r p u b l i c t r a n s p o r t (CAVForth in Scotland)
However, one aspect in which t h e s e l f - d r i v i n g c a r e c o s y s t e m c o u l d i m p r o v e i s t o f u r t h e r e n h a n c e o u r c o l l a b o r a t i o n t o realise a safer, greener and more inclusive transport The safety of self-driving cars needs to be precompetitive No organisation or country should compete on the s a f e t y o f t h i s t e c h n o l o g y A n y
unfortunate accident will have a detrimental effect on societal trust and acceptance of the technology
Therefore, the industry needs to pool its resources to come up with common approaches and tools to prove safety of the self-driving cars
To enable this, at WMG, we have created the Safety PoolTM Scenario Database, which is the w o r l d ’ s l a r g e s t p u b l i c s c e n a r i o database to enable sharing of test scenarios between organisations, with over 250,000 edge case scenarios
Whe re do you thin k na tions are going wrong in cr ea ting bet te r an d eco-fr ien dly a utomobiles?
In a world where venture capitalists, investors and shareholders demand performance, returns and early deployment of self-driving cars, we need to ensure that we don’t end up competing on safety Governments and regulators have a huge role here to check and prevent the introduction of unsafe technology, be it self-driving cars or electric vehicles
Only by collaborating together, we can create a better future for ourselves and future generations
I nd ian Work ers A s so ci atio n ( GB) h eld a protest at the Town Hall in Leicester in so lidarity with the Indian sport, Olym pians and Olymp ic m ed allists who are o ut on the street protesting against p oor g overnance, financ i al ir reg ul ar it ie s , an d al le g ed se xu al exploitatio n by MP Brij Bhush an Sharan Singh
The IWA (GB) have already sent a letter to PM Modi and the British Prime Minster to intervene to safeguard the rights and safety of women
Jasim
the world, one bridge at a time
Evening brings together over 40 diverse Hindu communities from around the UK to celebrate the wide array of their contributions
I n t h e s ac re d p res e nc e o f H H
M ah ant Swami Maharaj, an inspiring event was held at the iconic Neasden Tem ple on 19 M ay 2023
T h e eve nt p r o vi d ed a u ni qu e o pportunity to celebrate the rich h eritage and valu able achievements o f Hindu co mmunities around the UK along with vibrant live perform a nce s an d i nsi g h tfu l pre sen tations by esteemed speakers It was a w ond erful way to co nnect, collaborate and celebrate as o ne com munity T his brou ght together over 4 0 d iverse Hind u commu nities from aro und th e UK to celebrate the w ide array of contributions from British Hind us
The event was organised to coll e c t i v e l y c e l e b r a t e t h e u n i f y i n g p r i n c i p l e s o f S a n t a n a H i n d u D h a r m a a n d w a s i n s p i r e d b y Mahant Swami Maharaj’s vision, “ I n t h e s p i r i t o f V a s u d h a i v a Kutumbakam, let’s reach out and expand the circle of global harmon y ” I n k e e p i n g w i t h t h i s n o b l e vision, the programme of insightful p r e s e n t a t i o n s f r o m e s t e e m e d speakers, devotional singing and l i v e c u l t u r a l p e r f o r m a n c e s w e r e d e l i v e r e d b y r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s o f numerous different Hindu organis a t i o n s , i n c l u d i n g C h i n m a y Mission, ISKCON and the Telugu Association of London More than 1,600 guests attended the event in person, many more watched the live stream online
The contributions were themed a r o u n d f i v e d e f i n i n g a r e a s : 1 ) Charity & Social Work; 2) Children & Youth Development; 3) Public Service; 4) Faith & Worship; and 5) Arts & Culture These were portrayed through pictorial highlights and addresses from distinguished members of the Hindu community
In his address, Mahant Swami Maharaj encouraged the congregation to elevate peace and unity He also drew upon the life motto of H i s H o l i n e s s P r a m u k h S w a m i Maharaj – “In the joy of others lies our own ” – as a guiding force to contribute not only to this country but across the world
In his keynote address, the High Commissioner of India to the UK His Excellency Vikram Doraiswami shared, “Today, in the presence of Pujya Mahant Swami Maharaj, we are commemorating the role and services of the British Hindu community among a number of community leaders across various parts of our faith groups here in the United Kingdom – I think that in itself is a remarkable contribution that BAPS has provided
“Let us find our inner unity –that golden thread – that connects each and every one of us If we celebrate that and get that right, we serve the larger purpose of our civilization and all of humankind In that lies our true essence of what we can provide the world ”
L o r d J i t e s h G a d h i a s a i d ,
“Looking around the Haveli, this evening’s gathering has turned into nothing short of a dharmik sammelan This is a welcome show of unity and inclusiveness When the form e r P r i m e M i n i s t e r D a v i d C a m e r o n s p o k e f r o m t h i s v e r y p o d i u m d u r i n g h i s v i s i t s t o t h e Neasden Mandir, he always made a point of highlighting ‘inspirational Hindu values and our role as model citizens By bringing us all together
T h e M a y o r o f L o n do n , S a di q
K ha n , v i s i t e d B A P S S h ri
Swa mi na raya n M andi r, Lond on on Sunday 2 1 May 2 023
The Mayor was welcomed by
Y o g v i v e k d a s S w a m i – H e a d Swami for BAPS in the UK and Europe – as well as trustees of the Temple During his visit, he met
H i s H o l i n e s s M a h a n t S w a m i
M a h a r a j , a g l o b a l l y r e s p e c t e d Hindu spiritual leader who is currently visiting the UK to inspire faith, service and global harmony
The highlight of the Mayor’s visit was a personal meeting with
today, and for his visionary pursuit of the mission to expand the circle of unity, we owe a huge debt of gratitude to Pujya Mahant Swami Maharaj Thank you to BAPS for bringing us all together ”
Delivering the welcome speech, the Head Swami of the Neasden Temple Sadhu Yogvivekdas Swami said, “Today’s event is an event for all Hindus across the country It is a medium to celebrate our collective contributions, to learn from one another, to be inspired and to make meaningful connections with one another This is the HH Mahant S w a m i M a h a r a j ’ s v i s i o n f o r o u r gathering today ”
P r o f e s s o r M a n o j L a d w a , Chairman and Chief Executive of the India Inc Group said, “There is always an opportunity to serve and most importantly there is always time There can be no greater act of public service than an individual’s willingness, an individual’s willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice for the Nation We need to be heard louder and respected There can be no better honour and fulfilment than to serve one ’ s constituency, one ’ s patients, Students and indeed this great Nation we all call home This is the Hindu way The way of seva has inspired us for thousands of years The best is yet to come ”
A m i s h T r i p a t h i M i n i s t e r o f Culture and Education at the High Commission of India (and Director of the Nehru Centre, London) said, “ C u l t u r e a l w a y s h a s a p u r p o s e , something that drives us At the heart of our art and culture what drives us is only one word- Dharma Dharma is actually beyond religion What British Hindus do in art and c u l t u r e i s i n s p i r e d b y D h a r m a
D h a r m a p r e a c h e s t h a t e v e r y o n e should come together ”
N i l e s h S o l a n k i F o u n d e r & Leader of the PwC Hindu Network and Assistant General Secretary at Sewa UK said, “The essence of seva h o l d s a s i g n i f i c a n t p l a c e i n o u r
Dharma, Culture and Values Seva is derived from Sanskrit meaning to Serve Through the active seva indi-
viduals can nurture the spirit o f h u m a n i t y , c o m p a s s i o n a n d s e l f l e s s n e s s a s t h e y engage in active service without any expectations ” Bhavya Shah, President o f t h e N a t i o n a l H i n d u S t u d e n t s F o r u m U K s a i d , “ O n e s i d e w e m u s t p a y respect and seek inspiration f r o m o u r P u n y a b h o o m iBharat We must understand that our Dharma and Values come from that land On the other hand, we must actively contribute to our Karmabhumi- the UK The British Hindu youth is dynamic they know to balance We must make Britain more Dharmik ” M a h a m a h o p a d h y a y B h a d r eshdas Swami, author of the groundb r e a k i n g a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y a c c l a i m e d S w a m i n a r a y a nB h a s h y a m a n d S w a m i n a r a y a nSiddhanta-Sudha, and widely considered as one of the world’s leading scholars of Hindu philosophy today, had also travelled to the UK for this occasion He spoke to the guests, reinforcing Mahant Swami Maharaj’s guidance and vision of working together as one community S a d h u P a r a m t a t t v a d a s a n d Kaushal Patel took the audience on an immersive and interactive journ e y t o t h e c o n t r i b u t i o n o f t h e British Hindus in the UK
Deepan Lakhani, one of the volunteers involved in organising the event, also explained: “This was an event for every Hindu community to not only deepen relationships but serve as an inauguration for regular celebrations of this kind in the future ”
CB Patel Chairman and Editori n - C h i e f o f A s i a n V o i c e - G u j a r a t S a m a c h a r , V i s a k h a D e v i D a s i President of Bhaktivedanta Manor, W a t f o r d , A n u t t a m a D a s C o m m u n i c a t i o n s M i n i s t e r a t
S K C O
, V i n o d N a k a r j a f r
m
n o o p a m M i s s i o n U K , V r a j Pankhania Chairman Westcombe Group along with the dignitaries of Jain, Sikh and Buddhist communities were also present at the event
An inspiring video on the contribution of British Hindu women successful in all sectors of life was shown including the message from Mausam Mistri, Sapana Patel, Dr Lakshmi Vyas, Sheetal Patel, Hetal P a t e l , D r K r i s h n a P u j a r a , H i n a l Patel, Cllr Anjana Patel, Nimisha Gosrani OBE, Kailash Parekh OBE and Shushma Patel
H i s H o l i n e s s M a h a n t S w a m i Maharaj This exchange involved fruitful discussions during which the Mayor thanked His Holiness for the contributions made by Neasden Temple and asked for his blessings
A d d r e s s i n g t h e e v e n i n g assembly, the Mayor said, “I am here to show my respects to His Holiness, but to also ask for his blessings on the capital city of our great country
“His Holiness and I met earlier, and I was explaining the massive contribution you [Neasden
T e m p l e a n d i t s c o n g r e g a t i o n ] make to our City – whether it is in business, public service or charity
I explained to His Holiness that the ripples of good you do are felt by everybody – Hindus, Muslims, S i k h s , J e w s , C h r i s t i a n s , Buddhists, those members of an organised faith and those that aren’t “ P l e a s e c o n t i n u e t o b e a n
example to the teachings of His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj
Please continue to be a source of inspiration We’ve had an awful two or three years because of the [Covid-19] pandemic and during those dark times, you and your community were the light Me and my family, you and your family, our city, our country needs the teachings and the blessings of His Holiness ”
Before departing, the Mayor added, “I came here to ask for his [ H i s H o l i n e s s M a h a n t S w a m i Maharaj’s] blessings I hope the next time he comes isn’t so far away and he comes again, and again and again – sooner rather than later ”
Dr Mayank Shah, a trustee at t h e M a n d i r , a l s o s h a r e d , “ W e extend our gratitude to the Mayor for his visit to our Temple, his generous words and his enriching e x c h a n g e w i t h H i s H o l i n e s s Mahant Swami Maharaj ”
Rupal Kantaria
Stress, anxiety, dep ression are at record h igh levels across society
So many of those thing s that are d e si g n ed t o h elp u s , w e h ave s o m eh o w lo s t c o nt ro l o f
T e ch n o lo g y , au to m ati o n, convenience I see it in the yo ung p e o p le o f to d a y, i n m y w o rk
c o ll eag u es , i n el d er s - a nd i n
m yself Many of us lo ng for some stillness, peace and inner calm We a ll w ant to ex p er ie nc e l as ti ng satisfaction and perfection, but is it really possible?
B a l a n c i n g f a m i l y responsibilities, especially as an Indian woman, not only for the immediate but also the extended f a m i l y a n d c o m m u n i t y , w o r k , spiritual life – and all the rest, is challenging! The bedrock of my life is Self-Realization Fellowship
It is a ‘how to live’ spiritual path which unites East and West, and teaches scientific techniques of m e d i t a t i o n , f o u n d e d b y P a r a m a h a n s a Y o g a n a n d a , m y Guru It focuses on the inner path, through meditation, and the outer p a t h , v i a r i g h t b e h a v i o u r a n d s e r v i c e I l o v e i t b e c a u s e i t ’ s practical, it’s based on science and because it unites East and West which reflects my own outlook as a British Indian who loves so many aspects of each culture Topics are relevant to all and have included for example “ are we letting life’s circumstances control us?” “how
to balance spiritual and material life” “the law of success ”
People always ask me about meditation, how to do it, how they struggle – we all do! So I’m excited t h a t w e a r e w e l c o m i n g m o n k s f r o m t h e S e l f R e a l i z a t i o n Fellowship Path to London on 2 June They will give a free, public l e c t u r e e n t i t l e d “ M e d i t a t i o n : Finding Inner Peace and Joy” Part o f t h e e v e n i n g w i l l i n c l u d e a guided meditation for attendees to experience simple yet profound techniques for themselves
Admission is free and all are welcome The public lecture will b e h e l d i n L o n d o n a t F r i e n d s House located at 173 -177 Euston Road, London, NW1 2BJ For more i n f o r m a t i o n , p l e a s e w r i t e t o monksvisit@srf-london org uk or v i s i t h t t p s : / / w w w s r flondon org uk/
Neasden Temple shows a wonderful way to connect, collaborate and celebrate as one Hindu Community
Ourplanning system is broken The current system and processing of planning applications is not fit for purpose
It is attempting to operate based on legislation originating over 50 years ago It is overly cumbersome, frustratingly slow and excessively bureaucratic All of these issues combine to produce unacceptable delays in the decision-making process, with the end result of preventing economic growth and placing developers in serious financial difficulty.
I have been growing the Westcombe Group for almost 50 years now, developing and restoring listed buildings and b u i l d i n g [ t h o u s a n d s ] o f h o u s e s s i n c e 1975, and the current situation is the worst I can remember
You can see the effects of the current r e g i m e a c r o s s t h e i n d u s t r y T h e Westcombe Group alone is currently involved with numerous multi-million pound developments which have been delayed due to the operation of the current planning system There are several factors at play here
We are seeing a lack of continuity in planning personnel, where applications often appear to be passed between officers who are not fully briefed on the contents of the application, resulting in a lack of understanding and continuity and meaning we essentially need to start again
There is also often a feeling in the industry that many planning officers are looking for reasons as to why an application should not proceed, as opposed to looking for solutions as to how it can All these factors add uncertainty, inefficiency and a complete lack of continuity to many applications
T h i s h a s t h e i n e v i t a b l e r e s u l t o f d e l a y i n g a n d d e f e r r i n g m a n y l a r g e r d e v e l o p m e n t s c h e m e s a n d a d v e r s e l y affecting the profitability of businesses, to say nothing of restricting the housing supply which we know our society so desperately needs And in the current economic climate of higher interest rates
and exponentially increasing construction costs, many developers are either going out of business or not commencing development in the first place
A p l a n n i n g s y s t e m w h i c h e x a c e rbates, rather than eases, these burdens is simply not sustainable We can and must improve our regulations There may be r e s i s t a n c e t o d o i n g s o i n t h e C i v i l Service, but the costs for business and c o m m u n i t i e s a r e c l e a r F o r e x a m p l e , Iceland has recently scrapped plans to open a new Londonderry store specifically citing planning process delays as the reason
This is by no means a new problem
When I raised the matter some time ago with Theresa May when she was Prime Minister, she agreed that the system needed change And Michael Gove is on the record consistently over the last few years calling for a systemic overhaul But t o d a t e n o t h i n g h a s h a p p e n e d T h i s uncertainty about potential change is further delaying developers’ decisions and preventing the construction of thousands of properties when there exists a huge need for affordable homes We need clear, decisive action, rather than the delay and confusion which has characterised the sclerotic planning system of recent years
The final nail in the coffin is that the Help to Buy scheme has now ended This was one area where government support enabled developers to proceed and help first-time buyers buy their own homes
The scheme ensured that the construction industry kept moving, but this has now been completely withdrawn
All of this does not bode well for the future of our industry, at a time when t h e d i r e c t a n d i n d i r e c t c o n t r i b u t i o n from the construction and housebuilding sector which has traditionally been at the forefront of growth in the economy is needed more than ever We all know we need more housing It’s time for the government to help, not hinder, those of us building them
The latest phas e of a s tatutory public inqui ry into the Post Of fice IT sca ndal has unve iled eviden ce exposin g the methods employed b y the Pos t Off ice and s upplie r Fuj itsu to conc eal softw are errors
They shifted blame and financial burdens onto desperate users in Post Office branches, resulting in devastating consequences for their lives
D u r i n g t h e c l o s i n g statement of phase three of the public inquiry into the Horizon IT scandal, a legal representative representing f o r m e r s u b p o s t m a s t e r s likened the government's handling of the Post Office o v e r t h e y e a r s t o a d o g owner standing by as their v i c i o u s p e t " m a u l e d a defenceless child "
In his concluding statement, Edward Henry, the
A new exh ibit at th e M useum of Lo ndo n Docklands, h as pu t on d i s p la y, th e u nd e rre p res en ted h i s to ry o f I n d i ans w h o w ere i nd e nt ur ed i nt o p l an tat io n la bo u r b y th e B ri ti sh i n th e
Caribbean Follow ing the end of African slavery, the British started recruiting workers fro m India as a source of cheap labour
The first undertaking ship set sail in 1838 and, since then, around 450,000 Indians took this very difficult journey between then and its end in 1917 The difficult journey took five months a n d , i n i t s c o u r s e , f o r g e d b e t w e e n t h e migrants as they braved the Kala Pani The conditions on board didn’t help either The workers were recruited for three to five years in return of transport, a minimal wage and few other basic provisions
While the Indo- Caribbean community is well- versed with this tale of slavery, a large number of Britons are unaware of the country’s history Speaking to Asian Voice, Dr Saurabh Mishra, academic partner and advisor for the exhibition, explained the reason behind this part of history being known to just a few- “The primary reason, I think, is an unwillingness to come to terms with the problems with the British Empire ”
Dr Mishra is a professor at University of Sheffield and asks a new batch of students if they have had any prior exposure to history of imperialism every year “I’m invariably told that most of them didn’t have it as part of their school curricula To me it is surprising that such a large part of British history is swept under the carpet To a certain extent this is also caused by a rise of nationalism in Britain, which has led to an excessive focus o n t h e ‘ g r e a t i s l a n d s t o r y ’ ” , h e s a i d According to him, “It is important to teach
these histories for two reasons: to give Britain’s diasporic community a sense of self-worth; and to inform the British public at large that Britain was not an isolated island built by Britons alone ”
Asked about other stories of diaspora that need to be heard, Dr Mishra re- emphasised the importance of learning the stor i e s o f t h e I n d i a n - C a r i b b e a n community, as it is “is one of the most tragic ones ” “It involves deceiving people who were in dire circumstances, and convincing them to embark on a journey to faraway lands where they were met with hard labour slavery-like conditions”, he told Asian Voice
Dr Saurabh Mishra is of the opinion that, “there is an urgent need for such stories to come out, as we need to acknowledge the ‘sins’ of Empire before we can begin the task of rectifying them ” He feels that the best way the unheard diaspora stories can be represented is through exhibitions and displays
He said- “Exhibitions and museum displays (such as the one currently on at the Museum of London), present visual images that stay with people for a long time“ He made the point of reiterating the importance of inclusion of such themes in school curriculum to promote awareness from a young age
The display features letters to the government from planter Sir John Gladstone, contracts, shipping company records, postcards and papers from the Parliamentary Archives These documents give insights into the realities of life under indenture
The display has been put up in time for the 75th anniversary of Windrush and draws on photos, jewellery, film and artwork to uncover personal stories and family memories from London’s Indo-Caribbean community
legal representative for form e r s u b p o s t m a s t e r s , e m p h a s i z e d t h a t i t w a s undeniable that the Post Office and Fujitsu had been aware of serious issues with the Horizon system since 2010 He highlighted that subpostmasters across the country were overwhelmed and bewildered by the IT system from the very beginning
O n e n o t a b l e c a s e i n v o l v e d S e e m a M i s r a , a f o r m e r s u b p o s t m a s t e r i n West Byfleet, Surrey, who was wrongfully convicted of theft in 2012 when unexplained accounting shortf a l l s e m e r g e d i n h e r b r a n c h D e s p i t e b e i n g pregnant with her second c h i l d , s h e w a s s e n t t o prison In April 2021, her w r o n g f u l c o n v i c t i o n w a s overturned after evidence e m e r g e d t h a t t h e P o s t
O f f i c e ' s b r a n c h s o f t w a r e contained errors that could result in phantom shortfalls
Following Misra's conviction, an internal email f r o m t h e f o r m e r P o s t O f f i c e s e n i o r c r i m i n a l lawyer Jarnail Singh copied to several executives, was uncovered In the email, S i n g h b o a s t e d a b o u t t h e successful prosecution of a s u b p o s t m a s t e r f o r t h e f t , even though there was evidence that could have cast d o u b t o n t h e c a s e T h e email also indicated that the legal victory would discourage other subpostmast e r s f r o m c r i t i c i s i n g t h e Horizon system when they experienced shortfalls
To date, 86 former subpostmasters have had their criminal convictions overturned, with more expected to follow suit
A blissful, gr aceful an d hist oric g round -bre akin g ce rem on y wa s he ld for SKLPC’ s
In dia G arde ns proje ct on 17
M ay 2023 at Nor tholt which se t a sign ifican t mile st one in t he upliftmen t of the comm un ity The Ind ia G ar den s is a self-fun de d pr oject of £ 20 million for spor ts a nd commun it y cen tre
T h e F o u n d a t i o n S t o n e L a y i n g C e r e m o n y , a l s o k n o w n a s t h e S h i l a n y a s
Ceremony or Khat Muhurat, is a sacred Hindu ritual preceding any building work
The Pujan Vidhi was performed by Acharya Dinesh S h u k l a a n d J i t u M a h a r a j
After performing the rituals, the blessed bricks were carr i e d o n t h e h e a d b y t h e d o n o r s a n d g u e s t s t o t h e foundation place under the g u i d a n c e o f S a n t o s f r o m
Bhuj Swaminarayan Mandir
The ceremonies will continue on Monday 29 May 2023 where the whole SKLPC will come together to perform Shilanyas Pooja and every member attending will have t h e o p p o r t u n i t y t o l a y a brick in the foundation of the new complex
The senior Sant of Bhuj S w a m i n a r a y a n M a n d i r P u r a n i M a h a p u r u s h d a s j i
Swami, Dr Satyaprasaddasji
Swami gave their blessings in the Pujan aarti ceremony S w a m i M a h a p u r u s h d a s j i s a i d , “ T h i s i n i t i a t i v e w i l l make the future of Kutchis brighter, more sustainable I urge all Leva Patels to join hands together for this historic project ”
L e v a P a t e l E d u c a t i o n and Medical Trust President G o p a l b h a i M a v j i b h a i Gorasia said, “India Gardens i s t h e b r i d g e b e t w e e n Kutchis of India and the UK SKLPC is doing a tremendous job in uniting the community Now it is the equal responsibility of all community members everywhere in the world to support this p r o j e c t B h u j L e v a P a t e l Matrusanstha will also help in this project”
The donors Devshibhai B h u d i a , P a n k a j G o r a s i a ,
d e s i g n e d t o i n s p i r e t h e y o u t h a n d n u r t u r e t h e i r sporting abilities The community already boasts a wellestablished cricket club with seven teams participating in county leagues and over 125 colts in the training academy SKLPC (UK) also hosts t h e l a r g e s t A s i a n 5 - a - s i d e f o o t b a l l t o u r n a m e n t e a c h year, engaging more than 50 t e a m s f r o m j u n i o r s t o s e n i o r s T h e i r b a d m i n t o n league and volleyball tourna-
J i t u b h a i H a l a i , S a m j i b h a i D a b a s i a , M i t e s h b h a i
Vekaria, Sureshbhai Rabadia, Jayeshbhai Hirani along with t h e U K S a m a j P r e s i d e n t V e l j i b h a i V e k a r i a , S e n i o r J o u r n a l i s t f r o m K u t c h V a s a n t P a t e l , E d u c a t i o n T r u s t P r e s i d e n t D e v e n d r a b h a i V a g h j i a n i welcomed the guests
L o c a l M P s B o b
Blackman, Gareth Thomas, Krupesh Hirani AM, Mayor R a m j i C h a u h a n , M a y o r H i t e s h T a i l o r , C o u n c i l l o r A n j a n a P a t e l , A s i a n V o i c e a n d G u j a r a t S a m a c h a r P u b l i s h e r a n d E d i t o r - i n -
C h i e f C B P a t e l , M i n i s t e r C o o r d i n a t i o n H i g h Commission of India Dipak C h a u d h a r y a l o n g w i t h Councillors and other community members were present
M a v j i D h a n j i J a d v a
Vekaria, President of SKLPC (UK), said, "India Gardens represents a culmination of o u r c o m m u n i t y ' s g r o w t h a n d a s p i r a t i o n s W e a r e immensely grateful for the support and dedication of our members, whose generosity has made this project possible India Gardens will serve as a beacon of unity, o f f e r i n g a w i d e r a n g e o f o p p o r t u n i t i e s , c o v e r i n g sports and education to cult u r a l a c t i v i t i e s , b e n e f i t i n g our members and the wider community "
R a v i D h a n j i V a r s a n i , General Secretary of SKLPC (UK), said, "The ceremony of I n d i a G a r d e n s s i g n i f i e s a new chapter in our community s journey This centre will truly be a testament to
the values and spirit of our community " Ind ia Ga rden to ta ke t hree y ea rs to be con st ructed
The SKLPC (UK)- Shree Kutch Leva Patel Committee UK was established in the U n i t e d K i n g d o m 5 0 y e a r s a g o a s a n i n d e p e n d e n t l y financed charitable organisation, aiming to enrich the lives of its members through education, sports, and culture With a current membership of over 25,000 individuals, the SKLPC (UK) has become an integral part of British society, making valua b l e c o n t r i b u t i o n s i n t h e r e a l m s o f b u s i n e s s , e n t e rprise, community, and politics
T o f u r t h e r s t r e n g t h e n their commitment to unity a n d e n h a n c e t h e l i v e s o f their members and the local c o m m u n i t y , t h e y h a v e embarked on an ambitious project: the construction of the India Gardens complex, a central hub for sports and community events
I n d i a G a r d e n s , w h i c h w i l l t a k e a p p r o x i m a t e l y three years to construct, will f e a t u r e m o d e r n f a c i l i t i e s
ment will also be enriched with enhanced facilities and i n c r e a s e d y o u t h t r a i n i n g opportunities The commun i t y a l s o h o s t t h e l a r g e s t
Navratri festival in Europe with over 3,000 attendees daily India Gardens will cater t o t h e n e e d s o f a l l a g e g r o u p s , p r o m o t i n g h e a l t h , mental well-being, and cult u r a l p r e s e r v a t i o n T h e elderly members of the community will have the opportunity to enjoy social activities that celebrate their heritage, while young families will benefit from a childfriendly environment complete with a playground and a café
T h e c e n t r e h a s b e e n m e t i c u l o u s l y d e s i g n e d t o s e a m l e s s l y b l e n d i n t o t h e p i c t u r e s q u e 1 8 - a c r e g r e e n belt site The head of planning at the London Borough o f E a l i n g e x p r e s s e d g r e a t enthusiasm for the project, anticipating an award-winning centre that will become a local landmark and a place where the wider community can come together and enjoy its exceptional facilities
C llr Ra m j i C h a uh a n, p ictured, was swo rn in as the new M ayor of Harrow at a sp ecial Mayor-m aking cerem ony and the annual full c o u nc i l m ee ti ng o n T h urs d ay 1 8 Ma y 20 23 at Harrow Arts C entre He is Harrow’s first East A frican M ayo r w h o w as bo rn in U gand a C l l r R a m j i w i l l b e Harrow’s First Citizen for t h e y e a r 2 0 2 3 - 2 4 R a m j i a n n o u n c e d t h e a p p o i n tment of Sadhu Yogvivekdas S w a m i a s t h e M a y o r ’ s C h a p l a i n S a d h u Yogvivekdas is the Head of B A P S S h r i S w a m i n a r a y a n Mandir in Neasden
Ramji was handed the c h a i n a n d r o b e , o f f i c i a l l y m a r k i n g t h e s t a r t o f h i s
Mayoralty – taking over the r e i g n f r o m t h e o u t g o i n g
Mayor Cllr Janet Mote The occasion was made special as Cllr Chauhan did his own p e r s o n a l p r a y e r , g i v i n g respect to past mayors who have passed away and those lost to coronavirus around the world
B o r n i n U g a n d a a n d evacuated to Britain during the expulsion of Asians from the country in the 70s when he was a young boy, Cllr
Ramji Chauhan, 58, has lived in Harrow for more than 30 y e a r s H i s l i f e i n p o l i t i c s
started in 2010 when he was elected as Cllr for Harrow Weald after taking a close interest in the ward – in part i c u l a r , p r o t e c t i n g t h e greenbelt and standing up for local residents He has s e r v e d a s c o u n c i l l o r f o r more than a decade and also sits on a number of commit-
A mega clean-up drive w as org anised at Brighton Beach by the Hig h C omm issio n of Ind ia on 21 May 2023 A s a part of Ind ia’s G20 Presidency, a coord inated beach cleaning activity “G20 Mega Beach C lean Up” was org anised across G20 cou ntries
Indian High Commissioner to the UK, HE Vikram Doraiswami and the Mayor of Brighton and Hove City Council addressed the gathering to clean the shore The event saw encouraging participation from the local community
The ‘Jinj a Reunion 20 23 ’ is organised at the Rad isson Red Ho t el, H ea th r ow on S u nd a y 2 8 M a y 2 0 2 3 betw een 10 :00 am and 6:0 0 pm
It will be open to all prev i o u s J i n j a r e s i d e n t s a n d their spouses
Giving information on behalf of the Jinja Reunion committee, Bharat Ghelani s a i d , “ A l l t h e s t u d e n t s i n Jinja who either commuted f r o m n e a r b y v i l l a g e s o r small towns to study in Jinja a n d a l l t h o s e w h o s t a y e d with relatives to study in Jinja or were residents of Boarding Houses who did their Schooling in Jinja are invited “ I n t h e l a s t 5 0 y e a r s
s i n c e l e a v i n g J i n j a s o m e members of our community h a v e a c h i e v e d r e m a r k a b l e a c h i e v e m e n t s i n v a r i o u s fields all over the world and we wish to honour the top ten people with the ‘Jinja Ratna Awards’ It is the initiative of Jagdish Bulsara, u n d e r h i s g u i d a n c e a n d efforts supported by committee members ”
Newham Heritage month is all s et to ki ck o ff in th e m o nt h o f J u ne a nd w i ll em phasise on th e voices of
In d i an , P ak is ta ni an d Banglad esh i d ias po ra T h e ev e nt i s c al led H ear M y
V o ic e' - S t o ri es F r o m T h e South A sian Diasp ora and is set to take place on June 2
Farzana Iqbal
programme will bring to life
tees and panels at the council He represents the council in local environmental and conservation organisations Away from politics, he’s a dedicated family man and works in the fine pharmaceutical industry, he has two sons, and his wife works in Northwick Park Hospital
T h e n e w M a y o r o f Harrow, Cllr Chauhan said, “It is an honour to be sworn in as the new Mayor and first citizen of Harrow My theme this year is Unity and Diversity – I hope to continue to unite everyone together, celebrate our differences and embrace cultural diversity ”
The event will embark upon the experiences of the diaspora from the first time they arrived in Newham and h o w t h e y c h o s e a r t s a s medium to keep the connection with their culture alive A film documenting research and findings about the diaspora called ‘Hear My Voice’ - Stories From The South Asian Diaspora will a l s o b e p r e m i e r e d
H i s t o r i c a l i m a g e s a n d quotes will be on display
A n o t h e r e v e n t , C u l t u r a l
N e w h a m : C e l e b r a t i n g
South Asian Dance & Music, will feature Bharatnatyam dance and ethnic music of the diaspora
This year ’ s month-long
N e w h a m ’ s e x t r a o r d i n a r y c r e a t i v e h e r i t a g e t h r o u g h live events, film screenings, e x h i b i t i o n s , w o r k s h o p s , t a l k s a n d t o u r s I t w i l l encompass everything from Stratford’s famous stand-up comedy scene and the borough’s stunningly successful Bharatanatyam dance sens a t i o n - t h e p r e s s r e l e a s e f r o m N e w h a m H e r i t a g e
The event is being organized by Farzana Iqbal, the author of ‘The Silence of a Deep River’ She and other South Asian residents will share their story of how they have played a huge role in Newham life, arts and entertainment since the1960s
Continued from page 1
The Hinduja family of the Indian conglomerate Hinduja Group have topped the list for second year in row with a wealth of £35 billion Their fortune jumped by more than £6 billion, marking the largest fortune ever recorded by the Rich List in 35 editions
However, this achievement comes at the heel of a great personal loss The patriarch of the family, Shrichand Parmanand Hinduja, passed away on Wednesday (17) in London
home country, India "
compared to the 19 in previous year ’ s list
aged 87 His three brothers, Gopichand, P r a k a s h a n d A s h o k , i s s u e d a s t a t e m e n t expressing the family’s grief that said- “He was a visionary and mentor to the family, bestowing the founding principles and values of our late father, P D Hinduja He played a very important role alongside his brothers in building a strong relationship between his host country, the UK and his
On the other hand, while 20 South Asians made it to the list, majority of them saw a fall in their wealth British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murthy lost £201 million bringing their estimated wealth to £529 million This has led to them plummeting down the list to 275th position from their debut position at 222nd position with £690 million The couple has lost more than half a million pounds per day in the past year due to Infosys’ shares plummeting due to lower revenues from its banking, tech and other clients The shares in Infosys is the most valuable asset Sunak and Murthy hold
Many new faces made their debut in this year ’ s list and many previous rank holders made it back Sunder Genomal, MD of Page Industries made his debut at the 78th position Other new entries on the list include:
This year’s list of 35 richest people under 35 is filled with self- made multimillionaires 33 of 38 people on the list did not inherit their wealth At least half were state educated and a third didn’t go on to further education Three South Asians also made the listVishal Karia (17), Ayman Rahman and Fateha Begum (29)
Fragrances and has made it at 19th position on the list with £98 million The company was founded in 2016 and seven years later he has built a business of about £100 million, selling fragrances and other cosmetics As a teenager with ADHD, he was expelled from school and now he calls the condition his superpower Affinity Fragrances distributes products made by Hugo Boss, Gucci, Giorgio Armani, Aramis and other top brands
Ayman Rahman and Fateha BegumAyman Rahman and Fateha Begum cofounded the energy trading specialist, Dare International The company quickly took over the industry’s demand and became a leading player in the industry The company, worth £54 million, is all owned by Rahman
1 (1) Gopi Hinduja and family £35bn£6.528bn
Industry and finance: Hinduja Group
2 (27)Sir Jim Ratcliffe£29.688bn£23.613bnChemicals: Ineos
3 (4)Sir Leonard Blavatnik£28.625bn£8.625bn
4 (3) David and Simon Reuben and family £24.399bn£2.134bn
5 (2)
6 (6)
7 (7)
8 (9)
This year ’ s Rich List is the very first one to be announced in the queen ’ s absence She topped the inaugural rich list with a wealth of £5 billion, including state assets King Charles III has surpassed his mother with his personal worth on £600 million at the 263rd position in this year ’ s list
The South Asians in the 2023 Rich List have increased by six, with 25 people of South Asian descent making it on the list as
The decrease in the wealth is not being seen as a crash even as household names like Sunak and Laxmi Mittal have lost vast sums over the past year
For the past two years, the wealth of the super- rich showed unsettling boom despite Brexit and the pandemic Even though the number of billionaires has decreased and not everyone on the list saw a rise in the wealth in the past year, UK’s rich are getting richer
Investment, music and media: Access Industries
Property and internet: Reuben Brothers
Sir James Dyson and family £23bnNo change Technology: Dyson Group
Lakshmi Mittal and family £16bn£1bnSteel: ArcelorMittal
Guy, George, Alannah and Galen Weston and family £14.5bn£1bnRetail: Primark
Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken and Michel de Carvalho £13.122bn£1.701bn
9 (8) Kirsten and Jorn Rausing £12bnNo change
Inheritance, brewing and banking: Heineken
Inheritance and investment: Tetra Laval
10 (10=)Michael Platt£11.5bn£1.5bn Hedge fund: BlueCrest Capital
Hedge Fund: Quadrature Capital
121 (NEW) Sanjeev and Arani Soosaipillai £1.505bnNew entryOil: Prax Group
130= (140=) Sunil Vaswani and family £1.333bn £83m
Transport and food: Stallion Group
135 (138) Surinder Arora and family £1.305bn £50m Hotels: Arora Group
141 (NEW) Lord Choudrey and family £1.25bnRe-entry
142 (140=) Raj, Tony and Harpal Matharu and family £1.234bn £16m
198 (149=) Geeta Gupta-Fisker and Henrik Fisker £860m £340m
240= (NEW) Herman Narula£700mNew entry
247 (NEW) Ranjit and Baljinder Boparan family £684mRe-entry
249 (225) Mahmud Kamani and family £675m £45m
252 (247=)The Jatania brothers£650mNo change
263= (NEW) Tej Lalvani and family£600mRe-entry
271 (NEW) Bhupendra Kansagra and family £579mRe-entry
275 (222=) Rishi Sunak and Akshata Murty £529m £201m
Cash and carry: Bestway
Property and hotels: Grange
Electric Vehicles: Fisker
Technology: Improbable Worlds
Food and restaurants: 2 Sisters Food Group
Internet retailing: Boohoo
Toiletries, property and fashion: Jatania Group
Health supplements: Vitabiotics
Fuel, chemicals and shipping: Solai Holdings
Technology and hedge fund: Infosys
Gurkhas like Hari Bahadur Bura Magar and others have indeed sacrificed the major part of their lives for the vested interest of the "British Empire"
For the past two centuries, but the Gurkhas are still facing, dehumanisation, alienation, exploitation, ignorance and great betrayal by the UK government And continue violation of the Tripartite Agreement of 1947 by the UK government It has indeed failed to treat the Gurkhas equally as the British Army
UK government has used the Gurkhas as a diplomacy currency internationally and collected a huge revenue from the respected, Malaysian, Singapore, Hong Kong and now from the oil rich state of Brunei
Also collected millions of pounds from the rich nation across the globe, showing the hardship pictures of the Gurkhas and their families in the name of the Gurkha welfare trust (GWT), when the second world war veteran Mandhoj Thapa, was taking shelter in the temple in the capital, Kathmandu, Nepal, and other veterans taking shelter in cowshed in the remote, village of Nepal
They introduced different terms and conditions socalled, Brigade of Gurkhas Standing Instructions (BGSI) regarding pay, pension, promotion, welfare and other benefits, compare to our British counterparts when station in Far east like Hong Kong etc?
Only two years of accompanied tour in 15 years of the Brigade of Gurkhas Standing Instructions (BGSI) rule set for the Gurkhas and their families
My son was born on my second leave I couldn't take my family back to Hong Kong, like our British counterparts And when I went to my third Nepal leave after 3 years, my eldest son did not recognise me It was the hardest and saddest part of the Gurkhas family separation problems Because of the Gurkha recruitment in the British Empire army, we Gurkhas especially the martial race from Nepal, had a very negative impact, demographically, religiously, culturally, and linguistically
Gurkhas were from different orthodox background But when the Gurkhas were enlisted in the British Empire army, they were stamped as "Hindu Gurkhas"
The preaching of “Hinduism" is still in practice in the British and Indian army Still facing family separation and deportation and division are the pre vs July 97 British Gurkhas and the pre and post March 1982 Gurkha children, born in last British administration, Hong Kong
Pre July 97 British Gurkha pensions are still paid according to the Indian pay code, when most of the British Gurkhas now reside in the UK
UK government can find million of pounds for refugees and others, but been penny pinching on the plight of the Gurkha soldiers
Gurkhas were forced to stage two hunger strike and the UK government is still ignoring to end the 200 years of historical injustice against the British Gurkha soldiers in the British Army
We Gurkhas are still struggling to find our ‘status
Please Google the greater map of Nepal Illegal occupation of 66 thousands hectare land from East to West of Nepal, during the British Raj in India
A n d t h e y c o n t i n u e v i o l a t i o n o f t h e T r i p a r t i t e Agreement of 1947 by the UK government and failed and ignored to treat the Gurkhas in equal footing as the other units in the parent army
Yam Gu rung (rtd )
As the saying goes, water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink This is the reality here where practically every river is polluted It is hard to believe that sewage is discharged eight hundred times a day in England alone Perhaps we may have the most polluted rivers in Europe, in the Western world
The reason is starring right in our face but no one wants to admit it Now we are talking about punishing bosses of water companies who draw fat remuneration and billions are paid in dividends Well, that is the main reason f o r p r i v a t e e n t e r p r i s e ; t h a t i s t o l o o k a f t e r t h e i r shareholders at the expense of consumers, the public at large
M o s t c i v i l i z e d , w e l l g o v e r n e d n a t i o n s k e e p t h e i r utilities, including water, gas and electricity, even railways, in public hands, not to privatise our most necessary, profit making utilities So why not hold politicians, along with b o s s e s , w h o r e c k l e s s l y p r i v a t i z e d t h e s e u t i l i t i e s , a t a giveaway price, to become popular and win elections, a cheap gimmick that is costing the nation and the public at large This is one of the shortfalls of Capitalism where the strongest survive, so often at the expense of gullible public
The public should demand that main political parties s h o u l d i n c l u d e r e n a t i o n a l i s a t i o n o f u t i l i t i e s i n t h e r e manifesto, as election is looming on the horizon But I do not believe this may happen, unless it is included in their manifesto and given wide publicity!
The lau nch o f the mo vie ‘Th e Kerala S tory’ has put th e cat amongst the pig eons not only in Ind ia, but right acro ss th e globe
The movie follows the story of three young girls from different parts of Kerala and their life experience of being converted to Islam The primary focus is on Shalini, who is abducted and subsequently converted to Islam She is then radicalized and compelled to join ISIS as a terrorist
The movie exposes how Islamists use various techniques to lure vulnerable girls and young women into their network of conversion And whilst this movie reflects the experiences of girls from India, this phenomenon is a lot more widespread across the world than many people might have realised
T h e d i r e c t o r h a s s h o w n t h e d e p r a v a t i o n o f t h e s e Islamists who use violence and sexual abuse as a tool for exploitation and control Nothing is beyond them, and in their own words, it is for their faith
Of course, one of the most famous cases for the UK was Shamima Begum who with her two friends travelled to Syria to join ISIS They became known as the Bethnal Green trio In this case, she was a Muslim who was groomed and radicalised
At this point any sane person would have thought that such a movie was a must see It exposes the methods Islamists use in grooming, forcing conversion, and how sexual exploitation and violence is used for control and to radicalise The issue arises right across the world and therefore one would have thought that protecting vulnerable girls and young women would be one of the highest priorities for everyone However, this is not necessarily true What we have witnessed is the inhumanity of some people, some politicians and even censor boards in wanting to appease to the Islamists, rather than protecting our girls
Take for instance the stand of CM of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, who had banned the movie We ended up with the fiasco that in some states in India one could watch the movie that was made in India, but not in other states Local politicians played the politics of appeasement to ban the movie Fortunately, the Supreme Court had a bit more sense and lifted the ban
In the UK we ended up with a delay before the movie was given an 18 certification It created a huge outcry, but in my view the error rests partially with the distributor Logic tells me that if I was going to show it on the 12th of May, then at least the certification process should have started a few weeks prior Sufficient time had not been allocated for this and inevitably it led to a lot of confusion The British Board of Film Certification might have been playing for time, but in the end, they did give it a certification and as far as I know, without any cuts One of the very few places in the world where you can see the full movie as it was made by its director
The movie will be shown in more than 30 locations throughout the UK Unfortunately, in Birmingham the well-known extremist and Islamist sympathiser Shakeel Afsar screamed all sorts of accusations at the peaceful audience This is the same chap who was found to be on the streets of Leicester when Hindus suffered attacks from Islamists Again, as far as I know the police have taken no action against this miscreant who disturbed public peace and order, and terrorised the audience with his hateful outburst
The world is now at the crossroads of its own humanity Nation after nation has fallen foul of Islamists who commit the crime, and then hide behind the rhetoric of being victims of Islamophobia We have now reached the stage where extremists and Islamists are objecting to the voice of victims from coming out And we have got mainstream politicians across the globe pandering to their wishes
We have lost sight of the victims, be they of Pakistani grooming gangs, the Yazidi survivors of genocide and sexual enslavement, the persecution of the Hazara community, the genocide of the true Kashmiris, the violation of girls by Boko Haram, and the list goes on The world is decaying into a cesspit of its own cowardice to stand up for truth and justice
I guess the silver lining being the movie is making huge profits right across the world The Islamists and their appeasers in their attempt to ban the movie, have given it the best publicity possible I can’t wait for the next movie, the Bengal Files Wonder who will want to see it banned!
In this world of E-mails, E-ticket, E-paper, E-recharge, E-transfer and E-governance, never forget E-shwar (God) who makes e-verything e-asy for e-veryone e-veryday
"E" is the most eminent letter of the English alphabet
Men and women don't exist without an "E" in them
House or home cannot be made without an "E" in it
Bread and butter cannot be found without an "E" in them "E" is the beginning of "existence" and the end of "trouble"
It is not in "war" but it is twice in "peace"
It is once in "hell" but twice in "heaven"
"E" represents "emotions" Hence, all emotional relations like father, mother, brother, sister, wife and friends have an "e" in them
"E" also represents "effort" and "energy" Hence, to be "better" from "good", both "e's" are added
Without "e", we would have no love, life, wife, friends or hope and see, hear, smell or taste, as eye, ear, nose and tongue are incomplete without an e Hence, go with "E" but without having an "E-go"
W o r l d M i g r a t o r y B i r d s Day was on May 11 and a c a m p a i g n t h a t r a i s e s a w a r e n e s s o f m i g r a t o r y b i r d s , t h e i r e c o l o g i c a l importance and need to conserve them and their h a b i t a t s D u r i n g t h e i r long journey they need places to rest feed and breed Sadly these places are destroyed by humans for profit Birds inspired Dr Kalam to study aeronautical engineering and a l s o t h e d e s i g n o f B - 2
b o m b e r , J a p a n ' s b u l l e t train and wind turbine Swami Sivananda kept w a t e r f o r b i r d s ( 2 0 2 3 WMBD theme) and said by serving them you are closer to God
Mrs Ruchi Ghanashyam is the former High Commissioner of India to the UK With a career in Indian Foreign Service for over 38 years, she has been posted in many countries including South Africa, Ghana, before arriving in the UK She was only the second woman High Commissioner to the UK since India’s independence and during her tenure, she witnessed a number of significant developments in the UKIndia relations
@RuchiGhanashyam
L ast year, w hile returning fro m Bang alore, I felt so inspired by the w ide varieties of delicious breakfasts available in the city that I d evoted a colum n to that very subject From the food p erspective, Bangalore is really a paradise for vegetarians, thoug h it offers a lot to meat-eaters too
Given the even temperatures in Bangalore throughout the year and much lower pollution levels than Delhi and other cities in north India, Bangalore is the best place to retreat to especially during winter months It was my intention to write about the new discoveries I made this year during this winter in Bangalore Other issues and developments managed to edge Bangalore out Until now!
According to our friend Rajaram, who lives in Bangalore, Dosas and traffic are the two most written about subjects on Bangalore While Bangalore’s dosas are to die for, the city’s traffic might kill you before you can reach your destination At least that’s the much touted wisdom I found Bangalore traffic cumbersome at times, but travelling by car in central London can be fairly exasperating as well! The state of Bangalore’s roads is another matter altogether!
Though Rajaram advised me to refrain from writing about Dosas, I’m hoping that the readers of this column in the UK and Europe, may not be so familiar with the subject and may enjoy a little diversion
There are three main schools of loyal dosa fans in Bangalore There are the devoted followers of Mavalli Tiffin Room, better known as MTR, the iconic restaurant which is more familiar to people outside Karnataka for its packaged ready to cook packs and South Indian spices like sambhar, rasam and puliyogare powders amongst others Then there is Vidyavathi Bhavan in Gandhi Bazar, which too enjoys a diehard following When we went to eat there, we found a large crowd of people from different parts of Bangalore who had come just for breakfast and were waiting outside patiently with their token numbers The third brand with its own devoted fan-following is CTR Shri Sagar in Malleshwaram (an old and traditional kannadiga locality of Bangalore)
Our visit to CTR Shri Sagar was meticulously planned by our friends Prabhu and Rajaram Their wives, Subha and Padmini joined the excursion We reached CTR in the morning, soon after the place opened but just before crowds came in With the entire first floor available to us, we chose the best seats and ordered in comfort That one visit confirmed my vote to CTR I have never eaten a dosa that’s golden crisp from the outside but gently soft on the inside, except at CTR Their Kesari Bath (Karnataka’s luxurious version of our humble Sooji Halwa), and filter coffee were equally good, as were the items ordered by our friends
The visit to Vidyarthi Bhavan, the other renowned Dosa place, was totally impromptu We were in the neighbourhood one morning and decided to find the famous eatery The market area was in a mess as a flyover was under construction in front of the eatery Vidyarthi Bhavan itself was also in turmoil as an expansion project was underway It would have taken us more than an hour to get seated inside Ghanashyam remembered our friend Navin Kumar and called him Navin called his friend inside and Voila! We got two chairs on a table for four A couple of youngsters were on the other two chairs Both had come a long distance Every single chair was occupied The crowd was unbelievable It spoke of the depth of affection enjoyed by the brand! Perhaps due to the crowds and the cramped seating arrangement, I did not enjoy my dosa as much as I did at CTR I promised myself a better planned visit next time!
I had eaten earlier a few times at MTR The ready to cook Rava dosa and idli packs have been the answers for our sudden cravings for South Indian food But when it comes to dosas, m y v o t e a s o f n o w s t a n d s w i t h C T R S h r i S a g a r o f
Malleshwaram
I hope that at least some of the readers of this column visit Bangalore and travel to the many splendours of Karnataka thereafter For food lovers, the visit would be incomplete without trying all the three dosa places I would eagerly await feedback from readers on which one they found the best!
It was my intention to write a little about the beautiful heritage sites, forests, waterfalls and wildlife to be found in Karnataka But that will have to wait for another time
Srichand Hind uja, an influential figure in the business wo rld, spearheaded a rem arkable business em pire th at orig inated as a mo dest trad ing venture in India and Iran during the mid20 th century Over time, th is enterprise exp anded into a vast global network, encom passing di verse sectors such as autom obile manufacturing, information techno log y, and oil
D e s p i t e h i s s i g n i f i c a n t a c c o mp l i s h m e n t s i n t h e b u s i n e s s r e a l m , H i n d u j a ' s n a m e i n t h e U K o f t e n brings to mind a passport controversy involving Peter Mandelson, a key figure in the New Labour movement, who resigned from Tony Blair's cabinet due to the incident However, Hinduja, who passed away at the age of 87, was more than just a business m a g n a t e A s t h e e l d e s t o f t h e renowned "fab four" brothers from India, he possessed an exceptional ability to forge connections, hosting extravagant gatherings for influential individuals and establishing contacts ranging from George Bush to Michael Jackson Notably, he was also a deeply religious man, abstaining from alcohol and meat, and prior to his battle with dementia, he would diligently offer prayers at a Hindu temple at least once a day
Born in 1935 in the Sindh province, w h i c h i s n o w p a r t o f P a k i s t a n , Hinduja's family eventually settled in T e h r a n , I r a n , w h e r e h i s f a t h e r , Parmanand, had established a business in the dried goods trade The H i n d u j a b r o t h e r s e x p a n d e d t h e i r interests in Iran, distributing Indian films dubbed in Farsi and supplying uniforms to the armed forces They developed a close relationship with the Shah and profited from the surge in oil prices during the 1974 oil crisis Shortly before the 1979 Revolution, they left the country, with Hinduja m o v i n g t o L o n d o n a l o n g s i d e h i s b r o t h e r G o p i c h a n d , w h i l e P r a k a s h relocated to Geneva and Ashok to Mumbai
From their business headquarters in New Zealand House on London's Haymarket, Hinduja, often referred to as SP, diversified the family's assets beyond traditional commodity trading In 1987, they made their first significant investment in a public company by acquiring a majority stake in the automotive manufacturer Ashok Leyland This marked the beginning of a series of investments spanning various sectors, including telecommunications and power According to The Sunday Times Rich List (see P9), as of last year, the Hindujas were
Britain's wealthiest family, with a fortune of £28 billion Their holdings included interests in companies such as Hinduja Global Solutions, IndusInd Bank, and Gulf Oil International The H i n d u j a G r o u p e m p l o y e d a p p r o x im a t e l y 2 0 0 , 0 0 0 i n d i v i d u a l s w o r l dwide, and the family also owned a residence near Buckingham Palace in London
As the head of one of Britain's most prominent business dynasties, Hinduja cultivated relationships with i n f l u e n t i a l f i g u r e s f r o m b o t h t h e Conservative and New Labour parties He gained the favour of Conservative h e a v y w e i g h t s l i k e f o r m e r P r i m e Ministers Margaret Thatcher, Edward H e a t h , a n d J o h n M a j o r , a n d l a t e r developed close ties with New Labour E n c o u r a g e d b y M a n d e l s o n , w h o served as the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland at the time, Hinduja provided financial support to salvage t h e g o v e r n m e n t ' s s t r u g g l i n g Millennium Dome project However, Mandelson faced accusations of aiding Hinduja in obtaining British citizenship, leading to his resignation in
2 0 0 1 S u b s e q u e n t i n v e s t i g a t i o n s cleared Mandelson of any wrongdoing
For decades, the Hinduja brothers were renowned for their close bond, often appearing together in public, even dressed in similar attire In a
1 9 9 4 i n t e r v i e w w i t h t h e F i n a n c i a l
Times, Srichand expressed the family s belief in collective ownership, stating that they did not adhere to the concept of wills "All the children belong to everyone Everyone works out of duty " Hinduja faced personal tragedy when his son Dharam tragically passed away in 1992 due to severe burns
“Today we lost the Chairman of t h e H i n d u j a G r o u p , M r S r i c h a n d Hinduja on the left A huge loss to the f a m i l y , c o m m u n i t y , I n d i a a n d t h e United Kingdom A giant amongst the
giants Worked hard to bring the UK and India closer to one another May he rest in peace in heaven,” Lord Rami Ranger tweeted
S p ea ki ng to A s ia n Vo i c e, L o rd Dolar Popat said , “As a community, we mourn the loss of a visionary titan, S r i c h a n d H i n d u j a H i s r e m a r k a b l e achievements and unwavering dedication to business have left a mark on the world As the patriarch of the H i n d u j a G r o u p c o n g l o m e r a t e , h i s leadership propelled industries like banking, oil, and healthcare to new h e i g h t s S r i c h a n d w a s a t r u e r o l e model, inspiring countless individuals, particularly in the business community Beyond his business endeavours, Srichand's humility, dignity, and commitment to philanthropy set him apart He understood the importance of giving back and tirelessly promoted India's rich culture globally His contributions touched many lives and will b e r e m e m b e r e d w i t h g r a t i t u d e During this time of grief, our hearts go out to the entire Hinduja family May they find comfort in the many memories they shared In this difficult time, we remember that the soul embarks on a journey to a higher world May Srichand's soul rest in eternal peace ”
Lord Rami Rang er CBE told us, “ It is the end of an era with the passing of an Indian icon Shri SP Hinduja
He has left a permanent legacy to inspire millions He was the richest Indian in the UK and yet the most humble
He always had an infectious smile and humility that won the hearts of everyone he came across
As the Chairman of the Hinduja Group, his role was crucial in bringing the UK and India closer together
The Hinduja Group's investment i n t h e U K h a s b r o u g h t e n o r m o u s pride to the Indian diaspora worldwide
The UK, India, family and friends have lost an irreplaceable gem
He will always be remembered with the utmost love and respect ”
The Prim e M inisters have signed an agreem ent to bu ild closer d efence, security and cyber ties Th e agreement co mes amid g row ing C hinese agg ressio n S unak is the first Prime M inister to visit Hiroshim a, w here h e joined his Jap anese counterp art, Kishida, for dinner at his favourite restaurant
A f t e r s i g n i n g t h e H i r o s h i m a Accord, the Prime Ministers sat down for dinner and discussed the possibility of further cooperation on military t r a i n i n g H e a l s o c o m m i t t e d t o deploying a naval fleet in the IndoPacific to reduce reliance on Beijing and doubling UK troops in joint exercises He first hosted a reception for Japanese businesses in Tokyo, bringing nearly £18 billion of new investment in the UK
allies to discuss support for Ukraine, against the Russian invasion The threat of m i l i t a r y a g g r e s s i o n a n d e c o n o m i c
coercion on Taiwan, from Chin’s end was also discussed The British Prime
Minister also discussed important bilateral matters with Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi The two leaders reported discussed a range of subjects including the India-UK free trade agreement and a comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries
While in Hiroshima, Sunak also tried out savoury Japanese pancakes ‘okonomiyaki’ He made some himself and particularly enjoyed the taste Post G7 summit, the possibility of snap elections in Japan, within the n e x t f e w w e e k s , h a s i n c r e a s e d J a p a n e s e P r i m e M i n i s t e r F u m i o Kishida is increasingly certain of his position as domestic support post G7 surges
Continued on page 25
As B ri ti s h A si a ns , w e nee d to r ec la im o u r heritage, by gardening Yes, gardening is an excellent way to connect w ith o ur cu l tu ral r o o ts W e c an d o th i s b y incorporating traditio nal plants, herbs, and vegetables from our countries of origin Add itional designs and aesthetic features, su c h a s f o u nta in s, p o n d s, s ta tu es , sculptures, o r o ther decorative features that dep ict sym bols o f cultural sig nificance can be a f ant as ti c w ay to s h o w ca s e o ne s heritage Mo st Asian g arden designs are ch aracterised by symmetry, sim plicity, and a lot of vegetatio n
You can start hosting home parties, events, or celebrations in the garden using some of the homegrown herbs, fruits, and vegetables for making traditional dishes or h o l d i n g r e l i g i o u s c e r e m o n i e s T h i s c a n bring the community and family together to celebrate our culture
Gardening is not only beneficial for the environment, it can also have beneficial effects on physical, mental, and emotional w e l l - b e i n g S o m e o f t h e b e n e f i t s c a n i n c l u d e p h y s i c a l e x e r c i s e , i m p r o v e d a i r quality, relaxation, and mindfulness, which in turn can improve mood and reduce the r i s k o f d e p r e s s i o n , n o t t o m e n t i o n e x p r e s s i n g y o u r f u n a n d c r e a t i v e s i d e
Incorporating these elements can make it feel like a space that reflects the gardener's heritage while also being an enjoyable space for all to enjoy
When we think of crops and vegetables we tend to think of those we are used to seeing in the supermarkets such as carrots, cabbages, potatoes, peas, sweetcorn, and cucumbers But there is so much more we could grow relatively easily that is used in Asian cooking Traditional crops such as okra, bitter melon, eggplant, and Indian mustard are easy to grow are not widely available in British supermarkets, and can serve as a source of fresh produce
Growing crops in a home garden can
provide access to fresh produce that is culturally significant Gardening can grant individuals access to fresh, healthy produce which can improve overall nutrition, in t u r n l e a d i n g t o b e t t e r p h y s i c a l h e a l t h outcomes Here are a couple of crops that are relatively easy to grow in the UK climate and are commonly used in traditional Asian cooking:
l Cereals: Rice is a staple in Asian cuisine and can be grown in the UK, although it r e q u i r e s a l o t o f w a t e r a n d w a r m temperatures However, other cereals like sorghum and millet can be more easily grown in the UK
l Leaf crops: Coriander, mint, basil, and c u r r y l e a v e s a r e c o m m o n l y u s e d i n Asian cooking and can be grown in containers or in the ground Spinach, kale, and other leafy greens are also popular choices
l Stem crops: Lemongrass is commonly used in Asian cooking and is a hardy plant that can be grown in the UK
Ginger and turmeric are also stem crops used in Asian cooking
l Roots and tubers: Garlic, onion, and shallots are commonly used in Asian cooking and can be grown in the UK Taros, sweet potatoes, and yams are root crops that are used in many Asian cultures
l Fruits: Mangoes, guavas, and papayas are popular fruits in Asian cuisine but may not grow well in the UK climate H o w e v e r , s t r a w b e r r i e s , r a s p b e r r i e s , blackberries, and blueberries are fruits that can be easily grown in the UK and are commonly used in desserts
l Leguminous crops: Mung beans and soybeans are commonly used in Asian cuisine and can be grown in the UK
Peas, lentils, and chickpeas are also legumes used in Asian cooking
l Gardening can be a meditative and relaxing activity, and for British Asians
Taking these steps allows us British Asians to feel connected to our roots, while also keeping the heritage alive for future generations to appreciate
P r i nc e H ar ry a nd M eg h a n M arkle have alleged th at they w ere invo lved in a harrowing i nc i d ent in New Yo rk C i ty, d es cr i bi ng i t a s a " ne ar c at as tro p h ic c ar c h as e" o r ch e s tra ted b y ag g res s i ve p aparazzi that lasted fo r over t w o h o u rs T h e D u ke a nd D u c h es s o f S u s se x, a cc o m p a ni ed b y M eg h a n' s m oth er Doria Ragland , claim t h ey w er e p u r su e d b y p h o t o g rap h e rs following a charity award s cerem ony as they m ad e their way to a private residence
According to a spokesperson for the royal couple, this relentless pursuit led to numerous close calls with other drivers, pedestrians, and even police officers on the r o a d T h e s t a t e m e n t e v o k e d c h i l l i n g memories of the tragic 1997 car chase in Paris that resulted in the death of Harry s mother, Princess Diana
A taxi driver, Sukhcharn Singh, claimed that he would not characterise the incident as a chase, stating that it did not resemble a c a r c h a s e f r o m a m o v i e H o w e v e r , a u t h o r i t i e s h a v e p r e s e n t e d a d i f f e r e n t account of the events The New York Police Department, which assisted the couple's private security, stated that the journey was challenging but did not involve any reported collisions, injuries, arrests, or summonses
The incident reportedly involved several cars with tinted windows driving recklessly, endangering the lives of the couple and Ms Ragland on Tuesday night, as claimed by their spokesperson The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who are based in California, decided against returning to their private residence out of concern for their host's safety
Karamsad Samaj UK (Asian
A s s o c i a t i o n ) i s a n o np r o f i t o r g a n i s a t i o n m a n a g e d b y t h e c o m m u n i t y i n Karamsad, a small village in G u j a r a t . T h e v i l l a g e i s t h e b i r t h p l a c e o f V a l l a b h b h a i Zaverbhai Patel, also known as Sardar Patel or the Iron Man of India
The Karamsad Samaj UK, was one of the first ‘Chh Gham Charotar Samaj’ organisations in the UK, and was a m o n g t h e f i r s t t o u n d e r s t a n d t h e importance of cultural and community a c t i v i t i e s i n t h e n e i g h b o u r h o o d Currently, 1300 households in the UK are members of this organisation
T h e o r g a n i s a t i o n p u t s t o g e t h e r a number of events such as garba, family p i c n i c s , b a n q u e t s a n d d a n c i n g e v e n t s throughout the year Funds raised are donated to various charities in the UK and overseas, including Cancer Research, Mencap, Gosh, Sight Savers, the British Heart Foundation In the past few years, the organisation was unable to host any f u n d r a i s i n g e v e n t s b e c a u s e o f C o v i d r e s t r i c t i o n s T a k i n g c o n t r o l o f t h i s s h o r t c o m i n g , c o m m i t t e e m e m b e r s planned and organised a fundraiser for NHS charities' ‘Together Urgent Covid-
19 Appeal’ The organisation looked out f o r i t s v a l u e d m e m b e r s d u r i n g t h e difficult time and encouraged them to make donations for those who had it harder than the rest They set an initial goal of £3,000, followed by a goal of £ 5 , 0 0 0 a n d e v e n t u a l l y £ 1 0 , 0 0 0 w a s raised, after the previous goals were met P r e s i d e n t o f t h e o r g a n i s a t i o n , Mahendrabhai Santokbhai Patel said, It is great to see an organisation like ours come forward and help whenever the n e e d a r i s e s W e a r e p r o u d o f t h e members and friends of Karamsad Samaj UK for responding so well to this appeal for help We were able to raise a total of £ 2 0 0 1 f o r t h e B A P S I n d i a C o v i d Emergency Appeal "
On Monday, April 23, 2023, Karamsad Samaj UK held its 52nd Annual General Meeting (AGM)
Aso l em n tri b u te w a s p ai d to S h r i
Jy o ti nd ra A p ab h ai P ate l at th e Karamsad UK Annual General M eeting His son, Shri Dw ijeshbhai P atel, who was present at the meeting , thanked th e Samaj and said, I exp ress my g ratitude to the Karamsad S amaj for th e lovely tribute paid to my father, Jyotindra Apabhai Patel I met many people here wh o knew my late father, m oth er and g rand fath er
Thanks to the community volunteers for the beautiful planning Apart from the beautiful tribute to my father, the food, music and car facilities are also great ”
I m a g e s t h a t h a v e s u r f a c e d o n s o c i a l m e d i a d e p i c t H a r r y , M e g h a n , a n d h e r m o t h e r i n s i d e a N e w Y o r k t a x i T h e s p o k e s p e r s o n s t a t e d t h a t t h e s e i m a g e s p r o v i d e a g l i m p s e i n t o t h e d e f e n s i v e measures and decoys required to combat harassment
Meanwhile, Royal fans have expressed their outrage over a remark made by a f i c t i o n a l c h a r a c t e r i n P r i y a n k a C h o p r a ' s Amazon Prime show, Citadel In episode t h r e e o f t h e s p y s e r i e s , a c h a r a c t e r s comment about the Duchess of Cambridge has sparked controversy The comment has received backlash, with royal expert Richard F i t z s i m m o n s d r a w i n g a t t e n t i o n t o Priyanka's friendship with Meghan Markle S p e a k i n g t o T h e S u n , h e e x p r e s s e d h i s disbelief at the use of obscene remarks and called for Amazon to address the inclusion of s u c h c o n t e n t i n v o l v i n g r e a l p e o p l e a n d m e m b e r s o f t h e r o y a l f a m i l y i n t h e i r
p r o d u c t i o n W h i l e P r i y a n k a ' s f r i e n d s h i p w i t h M e g h a n h a s b e e n m e n t i o n e d i n connection to this incident, it is important to note that it appears unrelated to the controversy Furthermore, this is not the first time Priyanka has faced accusations of targeting Kate Middleton
He said, “My father was a kind, strong and good-hearted person He was also a lover of good food and music He founded Audiorec, a music company that produces Indian music My father was always proud o f K a r a m s a d v i l l a g e a n d S a r d a r Vallabhbhai Patel We are very grateful to K a r a m s a d S a m a j f o r g i v i n g u s t h e opportunity to organise his remembrance at the AGM event
"400 people gladly attended the event so they could socialise with their relatives and friends The association operates on donations to pay for the attendees' meals, beverages, and entertainment By doing so, they are also delivering outcomes for t h e m s e l v e s b y a d h e r i n g t o c u l t u r a l c o n t i n u i t y a n d r e m e m b e r i n g t h e i r predecessors When volunteers support others, the results are multiplied, which is an important part of the social benefits of v o l u n t e e r i n g t o g e t h e r , " n o t e d
Dwijeshbhai
He also highlighted Samaj’s hardwork during the Covid- 19 pandemic and added t h a t , " D u r i n g t h e C o v i d l o c k d o w n s , volunteers and committee members of Karamsad Samaj also helped with cooking food, donations, and raising funds to help with charities, hospitals and shopping,
and were one of the leading lights in the pandemic response in Inverclyde ” D w i j e s h b h a i f o n d l y r e m e m b e r e d attending Samaj events with his parents as a child and after university "When my father passed away, I remembered all this and felt that I am a part of the community and I should do something to bring joy to my father's soul and make him feel proud about the community I felt I was given an opportunity to speak about my father's childhood and background, and there was no better place to do so than in the community I genuinely thought I had the opportunity to speak publicly about my f a t h e r ' s u p b r i n g i n g a n d h i s t o r y T h e l e s s o n f o r t o d a y i s t h a t i n o r d e r t o continue, we both need to encourage one another to continue Samaj in the UK, which needs communities, and to keep w o r k i n g t h r o u g h v o l u n t e e r i n g , w h i c h requires charities and donations By doing s o , i t m a y c o n t i n u e o n i t s p a t h t o becoming a fantastic community resource that members of the community can be proud of," Dwijeshbhai shared
“My gratitude to the Karamsad Samaj for the tribute paid to my father”, says Dwijeshbhai
How British Asians can use their gardens to reclaim their heritageDignitaries of Karamsad Samaj on stage Members of the Karamsad Samaj present at the function Dwijesh Patel, Gargi Patel MBE and Priya Patel
T he K ing and Queen C onso rt h osted a g arden party at Bu ckingham
P a la ce o n We d ne s d ay 3 M ay , attend ed by m em bers of the comm unity The King and Queen h av e b ee n o u t a nd a bo u t at t h e
Westminster A bbey for rehearsals
T hey also surprised fans with a surp r i se w alk ab o u t o u ts id e Bucking ham Palace with William and Kate Faith communities in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland also led volunteers into action as part of t h e B i g H e l p O u t I n t e r f a i t h
Scotland partnered with Trees for Life to plant trees in the World Interfaith Harmony Grove in the S c o t t i s h H i g h l a n d s w h i l e t h e Archbishop of Wales Andrew John led a beach clean in Dinas Dinlle in N o r t h W a l e s I n S o u t h B e l f a s t , Northern Ireland Interfaith Forum worked with local volunteers as well as those who have recently arrived in Belfast from Ukraine and Russia to completely rebuild the Windsor Community Garden
In a previous interview with Asian Voice, Prashant Kunwar said, “It was a great experience to be invited to the coronation garden party It was with huge honour and pleasure to be part of the regal event I was fortunate to have an audience with King Charles III and Queen consort Camilla I congratulated the King and wished for a
glorious reign I also reminded the king that 70 years ago when the Q u e e n w a s c o r o n a t e d t h a t w a s when Mt Everest was ascended and it’s a coincidence that while we are celebrating King Charles III's coronation and platinum jubilee of Mt
E v e r e s t 7 0 y e a r s a f t e r T h e M t
E v e r e s t a n d G u r k h a s h o l d a n important space in the royal family and larger British people
The UK and Nepal hold a special relationship which dates back more than 200 years The event was blessed with good weather and a fantastic atmosphere, and it was great to blend with so many distinguished guests from all walks of life ”
Sukhbir Singh, Founder of Feed
My C ity (S ikh comm unity charity), said :
“ F e e d m y c i t y a s p a r t o f t h e
#The Big Help Out Coronation celebrations of our King Charles, h a v e p r o v i d e d h u n d r e d s o f h o t m e a l s t o F a i t h o r g a n i s a t i o n s ,
C o m m u n i t y g r o u p s , H o m e l e s s S h e l t e r s a n d s t r e e t p a r t i e s i n Greater Manchester! We are proud of our inspirational, amazing volunteers who work so hard and joining in the festivities to celebrate the Coronation ” Gurpreet Singh Anand , Chair of t h e C en tra l Gu rd w ara ( K h al s a Jath a) L ond on ( Sikh Tem ple), said:
“The Khalsa Jatha British Isles is delighted to be participating in The Big Help Out today, a campaign championing faith groups and volunteering to make a real difference in our communities We prepared 150 hot meals for the homeless to be distributed by our partners SWAT ” Zaki Co oper, who led the mobilisation o f faith com munities for th e Big Help Out, said :
“The UK’s range of faith communities did amazing volunteering today as part of The Big Help Out
T h e y d o n a t e d a n d d i s t r i b u t e d food, collected old clothes as well as organised tree planting, litter picks and even a beach clean-up in Wales Inspired by their religious obligations to do good and build a better society, they volunteered in very high numbers They were also moved to be active in tribute to the King, who has been so passionate about cultivating strong relationships with all of Britain’s different faith communities They helped to make the Big Help Out even bigger and better and to enhance community spirit By focusing on what we have in common rather than what divides us, we are so much stronger
as a nation ”
Across the nation, the volunt e e r s a t H i n d u S w a y a m s e v a k Sangh UK (HSS UK) were enthusiastically participating in activities as part of the BIG HELP OUT
Nine HSS shakhas, 132 participants engaged in 11 different community projects Clearing community gard e n s , p l a n t i n g f l o w e r s , s e r v i n g t e a s , c l e a n i n g b e n c h e s , c l e a r i n g charity shop clutter, litter picking, visiting care homes, cooking and serving meals, and taking calls on helplines were just some of the activities that were well received with much gratitude and lovely words of gratitude by the elderly and the infirm, community groups, temples and charity shops
T he British painter and sculptor L incoln Seligman (born 1952 h as a lifelong devotion to India, and celebrates i ts lands cape and ci ti es, ch aracter, culture and spirituality in all his work
He cherishes family connections with some of the great names in Indian history From Mahatma Gandhi and Rudyard Kipling to the shepherd boy Chandragupta, first Emperor of the Indian Mauryan dynasty, 300 BC, bronze sculpture by Lincoln’s paternal grandmother, Hilda Seligman The boy now sits in majesty on a plinth in front of the Delhi Parliament
In an exclusive interview with A s i a n V o i c e , L i n c o l n S e l i g m a n spoke about his work, his relationship with India and shared his two cents on the King’s coronation and its relevance for Indians
Lincoln said, “I think India has always been clever about cherrypicking the ‘ good bits ‘ of the Raj And King Charles seems clever at w o r k i n g o u t w h i c h b i t s o f t h e monarchy he should strive to preserve Like India he’s pragmatic and he appears determined to be a force for good Under his mother’s tutelage he’s also learned that, Raj or no Raj, Britain’s relationship with India can be mutually advantageous Indeed to treat it with anything less than respect and sensitivity would be a big mistake
“In terms of super power status our roles have been largely reconfigured, if not actually reversed And there have been areas of friction I think our interests are still aligned and King Charles is enough
of a historian to know
t h a t a n y o t h e r p a t h would be a sad waste of our shared past “ A s f o r t h e R a j b e i n g p a r t o f I n d i a n culture - it may be true to say that , since the e n d o f B r i t i s h r u l e , India has reclaimed her own culture And that, w i t h t h a t a d d e d f i r e power the country can continue to surge forward”
Wh ere do your passion and d evotio n to India stem from? How did it all start?
I’m fortunate in that India was always in my life I was brought up on stories of India and its people But my real love affair with the c o u n t r y b e g a n i n m y t w e n t i e s when my work as a shipping lawyer took me frequently to the Far East And using the air fare to stop off in India on my return journeys was irresistible Not least because I had a good school friend still living in Jaipur with whom I was able to r e c o n n e c t A n d t h e s t o p o f f s became longer each time I was hooked Your family cherish es connections with som e o f the g reatest names in Ind ian histo ry Wh at is your takeaw ay and learning from their experiences with the greats?
My family connections with India were twofold My maternal grandmother Hilda McDowell was sent to India as a girl ,to dissuade her from marrying my grandfather That didn’t work and they were married for sixty years She was a painter , sculptor and energetic
philanthropist , particularly adept at getting the top echelons to dig deep into their pockets
And a social lioness who used her powerful connections to benefit those in need of help
H e r w o r k i n I n d i a
b r o u g h t h e r t o t h e
a t t e n t i o n o f G a n d h i , whom she got to know well and who energeti-
c a l l y s u p p o r t e d h e r project to provide medical vans to tour the areas of the c o u n t r y w h e r e h e a l t h c a r e w a s unobtainable
She did not restrict her energies to India - I remember , aged five , having tea with her while I sat on the lap of Haile Selasse , anothe r f r i e n d T h e L i o n o f J u d a h seemed a little intimidated by the Lioness of Wimbledon
H e r b r o n z e s c u l p t u r e o f Chandragupta still occupies the central courtyard at the heart of the Parliament buildings in Delhi I went to see it earlier this year through the good offices of the Maharaja of Dungarpur and the Deputy Speaker It was quite moving to touch it I’d not seen it since I was a child
On the other side of my family m y m o t h e r ’ s g o d f a t h e r w a s Rudyard Kipling My mother was fairly matter of fact about his role in her childhood My uncle , now a sprightly ninety eight , was a small boy in 1930, and remembers many adventures with Kipling who had lost his own son Kipling was a close friend of my family and a near neighbour in Sussex This year
I visited the house on the lake at Bundi where Kipling used to stay
N e e d l e s s t o s a y h i s w r i t i n g s loomed large in our childhood It seems nowadays that he still has as many admirers as detractors, divid-
i n g o p i n i o n a c r o s s t h e b o a r d
Either way his unique interpretation of life in India was for me an inspiration and a rich legacy
Please tell us abo ut your exhibition and wh at it too k to curate and zero dow n on th e final assets
The exhibition is at Osborne Studio Gallery, Motcomb Street SW1 It runs til 10th June There are 50 paintings representing a year ’ s work and several trips to India , ending with our stay at Udai
B i l a s , D u n g a r p u r i n F e b r u a r ywhere I had time to paint many of the images that my travels had produced I do a lot of photography and at the end of each day I paint
s m a l l w a t e r c o l o u r s t o r e m i n d myself of what I’ve seen ,and why I thought the image would make a good painting on canvas There are also paintings of Morocco , Venice and Croatia
Wh at d o y ou th i nk i s th e li nk between South Asian h eritage and Britain that keeps th e two countries relevant to each other’s culture?
Our shared heritage , to say the least , does not redound to the credit of Britain That such a small
B r i t i s h c o n t i n g e n t w a s a b l e t o i m p o s e s u c h a n o m n i p r e s e n t British culture on India remains a conundrum William Dalrymple’s excellent book The Anarchy paints a disturbing picture The depredations of the East India Company l o o k t o a m o d e r n e y e l i k e t h e
unashamed plundering of a whole continent to enrich speculators in a country thousands of miles away P e r h a p s r e m i n d i n g t h e y o u n g e r generation of this history is both necessary and uncomfortable But equally it may also serve to highlight what can be achieved by robb e r b a r o n s m a s q u e r a d i n g a s a national trading venture
This was followed in time by the dissolution of the Raj , postwar internecine strife and violent d i s r u p t i o n a c r o s s t h e c o u n t r y Significant Indian immigration to Britain followed and was not without its own repercussions Against this backdrop it is a splendid irony ( pointed out to me gleefully several times on my recent trip) that ministerial scandals and upheavals in the U K parliament have needed a Prime Minister of Indian origin to sort out the mess And India itself , as a superpower, is now central to the precarious balancing act in which the other world powers are indulging Relevance is not in doubt , now or for the foreseeable future
I n t h e U K t h e f a r r e a c h i n g influence of India is evident in the a r e a s o f , a m o n g s t o t h e r s , m e d i c i n e , t e c h n o l o g y , f a s h i o n , f i l m , e d u c a t i o n , b r e w i n g a n d m a n u f a c t u r i n g T o e n d o n a l i g h t e r n o t e i t ’ s s a i d t h a t t h e English National dish has for many years been chicken tikka Indian cuisine in all its glory feeds large swathes of the UK population If the way to the heart is through the stomach then Indian gastronomy has secured a firm hold on British psyche What could be more powerful?
Lo c a t e d a t 3 3 B a l h a m H i g h R d , Balham, London SW12 9AL, South London is Radha Krishna Temple and Shreenathji Haveli celebrated King Charles III coronation on 6th May 2023
T h e d a y w a s c e l e b r a t e d w i t h P a l n a utsav
The Radha Krishna Temple was founded by Her Holiness Maa Shyama Devi in 1 9 7 7 , i n 2 0 0 2 S h r e e n a t h j i H a v e l i w a s e s t a b l i s h e d I n 2 0 1 7 V a l l a b h Y o u t h Organization South London was formed
Bhakti Shyama Care Centre
Address: 1 Balham New Road, Balham London SW12 9PH
Telephone: 0208 772 1499
Fax: 0208 675 1255
Email:
under the guidance of our spiritual benef a c t o r g u r u P u j y a G o s w a m i 1 0 8 S h r i V r a j r a j k u m a r j i M a h o d a y s h r i U n d e r h i s g u i d a n c e t h e t e m p l e c u r r e n t l y r u n s
Hinduism classes Gujarati classes as well as Hindi classes
Bhakti Shyama Care Centre which is located on 1 Balham New Road, Balham, SW12 9PH was built by Abbey Total Care group in 2011 The Abbey Total Care Group has 11 other care homes across London On 2nd December 2011, Bhakti Shyama Care Centre was inaugurated in the presence of local MP’s, Councilor as well as the Managing Director of Abbey T o t
The care home offers care for elders with dementia short term care for patients discharged from hospitals end of life care with 24hrs support as well as day care services Abbey Total Care Group Ltd is a family run business whose provision is based upon personalized care over the last 30 years
r e
r o u p M r J a y e s h b h a i Mohanbhai Patel
Over the years Bhakti Shyama Care Centre have been celebrating Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Christmas as well as Diwali The residents of the Centre were excited to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III on 6th May Special party was
ar c h v i si t ed the new Whittle Labo ratory a t th e Un i ve rs i ty o f Cambridge
Soon after thousands of s p e c i a l l y - i n v i t e d g u e s t s f r o m a l l w a l k s o f l i f e i n Britain had tucked into tiny f i n g e r s a n d w i c h e s , m i n i cakes and cups of tea, the royal couple appeared at the top of the steps at the back of the palace
They were joined at the event by Prince Edward and S o p h i e , t h e D u k e a n d Duchess of Edinburgh, and Princess Anne and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester
The Princess of Wales recycled a cornflower blue dress with sheer sleeves by Elie Saab and a matching P h i l i p T r e a c y h a t w i t h a flower detail that she previously wore to Royal Ascot in 2019 She accessorized with the Lola Blue topaz and diamond hoop earrings by Kiki
M c D o n o u g h M e a n w h i l e , Prince William coordinated
with his wife in a blue tie and completed his ensemble with a top hat! The heir to the throne also carried an umbrella after all, Queen Elizabeth once said that the weather can be a bit of a worry when it comes to garden parties
A s i s c u s t o m a r y , t h e p a r t y s t a r t e d w i t h t h e n a t i o n a l a n t h e m b e i n g
p l a y e d a s t h e r o y a l s a n d their guests stood to attention The rendition of "God Save the King" had an added r e s o n a n c e s o s o o n a f t e r K i n g C h a r l e s ' s p e c t a c u l a r coronation at Westminster Abbey on May 6 Prince William, 40, and P r i n c e s s K a t e , 4 1 , t h e n s t e p p e d d o w n o n t o t h e lawns, which on Saturday h o s t e d t h e b a n d s o f t h e B r i t i s h A r m y t h a t p l a y e d their tribute to the newlycrowned King and Queen
The garden party came t w o d a y s a f t e r P r i n c e William led the UK 's trib-
utes to his "Pa" at the Coronation Concert at W i n d s o r C a s t l e T h e P r i n c e o f W a l e s p r a i s e d h i s f a t h e r ' s campaigning on behalf o f t h e e n v i r o n m e n t and giving a leg up to y o u n g p e o p l e f r o m d i s a d v a n t a g e d b a c kgrounds
"Take the natural world
He warned us of the risks to o u r p l a n e t ' s h e a l t h l o n g before it was an everyday issue," William said, pointing to his father's lifelong p a s s i o n f o r c o n s e r v a t i o n and the environment
"Or the Prince's Trust
It has supported over a mill i o n y o u n g p e o p l e , m a n y from disadvantaged backg r o u n d s , t o r e a l i z e t h e i r ambitions," he continued, referencing Charles' namesake charity, established in 1976
" A n d , p e r h a p s m o s t i m p o r t a n t l y o f a l l , m y f a t h e r h a s a l w a y s u n d e rs t o o d t h a t p e o p l e o f a l l faiths, all backgrounds and all communities, deserve to be celebrated and supporte d , " t h e P r i n c e o f W a l e s a d d e d , e m p h a s i z i n g h i s father's interest in and dedication to interfaith relat i o n s " P a , w e a r e a l l s o proud of you "
Voice Reader Alpesh Patel OBE
As you kno w I spend my time doing two things One, my cam paig n to teach a m illion peop le to be better at investing (Campaignforamillio n co m) with free tools, free books
Sort of Martin Lewis of Investing, you kno w “Money Making Expert”!
The second is teaching mentees 1-2-1 how to improve their investing for their pension
So w hich are th e top 5 Stocks for Maxim um Value and Growth?
Introd uction:
Investing in the stock market can be a lucrative way to grow wealth, but selecting the right stocks can be challenging In this article, we present the top 5 stocks that offer maximum value and growth potential Our recommendations are backed by extensive research, market analysis, and industry forecasts Whether you're a seasoned investor or just starting out, these stocks can help you make informed decisions aligned with your financial goals (Disclosure: The author owns these stocks For more information, visit www campaignforamillion com)
Alphabet Inc (GOOGL):
Alphabet Inc , the parent company of Google, is a topperforming stock with consistent growth and a strong market share With its dominance in the search engine industry and investments in various tech segments, such as cloud computing, Alphabet shows promising potential for future growth It has delivered strong financial performance, increasing revenue, and earnings per share over the years Don’t forget their increased focus on AI That’s the clincher
Am azon com Inc (A MZN):
Amazon com is a leading e-commerce giant that continues to exhibit impressive performance and sustained growth With consistently strong earnings growth and a dominant market share in online retail, Amazon remains a compelling investment option Additionally, its expansion into new industries, such as healthcare and entertainment, further enhances its growth prospects
Micro soft Corporation (MSFT ):
As one of the most valuable companies globally, Microsoft has demonstrated remarkable performance, tripling its share price in the past five years With diversified business segments, strong fundamentals, and consistent dividend payments, Microsoft offers stability and long-term growth potential Its solid balance sheet and significant cash flow enable investments in new ventures and shareholder returns Again, AI is their focus and a money making pursuit
NVIDIA C orporatio n (NVDA):
NVIDIA, a leading technology company specializing in g r a p h i c s p r o c e s s i n g u n i t s , h a s c o n s i s t e n t l y d e l i v e r e d robust returns to investors With a focus on innovation in the graphics processing industry, NVIDIA presents an attractive opportunity for those seeking growth stocks Its solid business strategy and dedication to dominating the industry position it for continued success Watch however for Chinese sanctions on it’s competitors and it’s already given me a 100% return, so this one is for more than a one year hold
Visa Inc (V):
Visa, a prominent payment technology company, operates globally and maintains a strong market position Over the years, Visa's stock has shown consistent growth in price and performance, making it an appealing investment opportunity As consumer spending shifts toward digital payments, Visa's business model remains well-positioned to capitalize on this trend Its innovative solutions for online payments and mobile wallets contribute to its growth
Factors to Consider When Buying S tocks:
To make informed investment decisions, consider the following factors:
F i nanc i al P er fo rm anc e: E v a l u a t e r e v e n u e g r o w t h , earnings per share (EPS), return on equity (ROE), and debt-to-equity ratio to gauge a company's financial health and stability
Industry Trends: Stay informed about industry trends, t e c h n o l o g i c a l a d v a n c e m e n t s , r e g u l a t o r y c h a n g e s , a n d shifts in consumer behavior that may impact the company's growth potential
C omp any Lead ership: Assess the leadership qualities of executives and board members, considering their experience in managing similar companies or projects
Conclu sio n:
Investing in the stock market requires careful evaluation of various factors The top 5 stocks for maximum v a l u e a n d g r o w t h A l p h a b e t I n c , A m a z o n c o m I n c , Microsoft Corporation, NVIDIA Corporation, and Visa Inc have demonstrated consistent performance, strong b u s i n e s s s t r a t e g i e s , a n d p r o m i s i n g o u t l o o k s i n t h e i r respective industries By considering factors such as financ i a l p e r f o r m a n c e , i n d u s t r y t r e n d s , a n d l e a d e r s h i p , investors can make informed decisions that align with their risk tolerance and long-term investment goals
Three globa l carma ke rs a re recogn isin g the thr eat of the Bre xit rules on t he fut ure of the aut omotive in dust ry in the UK Th e t ra nsit ion to ele ctric is a t t he r isk of being kn ock e d off cour se un le ss the UK and EU delay str ict er “rule s of origin ” bein g intr oduce d ne xt y ear Ford, Jaguar Land Rover a n d S t e l l a n t i s ( o w n e r o f V a u x h a l l , P e u g e o t a n d C i t r o ë n ) s a i d t h e c u r r e n t p o s t - B r e x i t r u l e s r e q u i r e 40% of an electric vehicle’s parts, by value, to be sourced in the UK or EU if it is to be sold on the other side of the Channel without a 10% trade
tariff This requirement is due
t o r i s e t o 4 5 % n e x t y e a r
Considering that most elect r i c v e h i c l e b a t t e r i e s a r e i m p o r t e d f r o m A s i a , a n d make up a large part of the
M ak in g t im ely b il ls a nd cr ed i t c o m m i tm e nts is a stru ggle for a large num ber of p eople - o ne in five Th is nu m b er w as re co r d ed i n January 2023, acco rding to the city regu lator January usually bring s along strug gle fo r m o st p eo p l e a s t h e Christmas bills pile up A c c o r d i n g t o t h e F i n a n c i a l C o n d u c t Authority (FCA), the number of those struggling has j u m p e d f r o m a r o u n d 7 8 million in May last year to 10 9 million in January 2023, i n c r e a s i n g b y 3 1 m i l l i o n s i n c e M a y 2 0 2 2 A n d t h e number of UK adults who h a v e m i s s e d b i l l s o r l o a n payments in at least three of the previous six months has also increased from 4 2 million (8%) in May 2022 to 5 6 m i l l i o n ( 1 1 % ) i n J a n u a r y 2023, estimated by the regulator to have increased by 1 4 million
Researchers also found that 29% of mortgage holders and 34% of renters have e x p e r i e n c e d p a y m e n t increases in the six months up to January this year On the other hand, there is an estimated 7% people who have reduced their level of cover – leaving them vulnera b l e i f s o m e t h i n g g o e s wrong, while there are signs o f s o m e p e o p l e r e d u c i n g their insurance cover to save money Eight per cent of people have cancelled one or more policies The FCA a l s o f o u n d t h e o b v i o u s impact of cost of living on people’s mental well-being
The FCA is suggesting borrowers to ask for help from their lenders if they are struggling to keep up with payments It has also forecasted that 356,000 people will have missed a mortgage payment by the end of June 2024
Teleco m giant, BT is expected to sh ed u p to 55,000 jobs by th e end o f the decade in an att em pt o f c o s t cu t tin g A fif th of these jo bs are expected to be from c usto mer servi c e a n d t a ke n o ve r b y Artificial Intell igenc e
This reduction will take from a headcount of 130,000, including staff and contractors, leading to a much smaller workforce by the end of the 2020s BT is UK’s largest b r o a d b a n d a n d m o b i l e p r o v i d e r a n d i s c u r r e n t l y upgrading from copper wires to optical fibre and will need less staff for maintenance of t h e n e t w o r k A d d i t i o n a l l y , w i t h t h e p r o g r e s s A I h a s made, not much staff will be needed to serve customers in t h e f u t u r e T h e f i r m h a s around 80,000 employees in the UK and this is where the bulk of cuts are expected to
cost of building a car, vehicles made in the UK and the EU are likely to not make up to the 45% rule
A s p o k e s p e r s o n f r o m Ford said: “Tariffs will hit b o t h U K - a n d E U - b a s e d
manufacturers, so it is vital that the UK and EU come to the table to agree a solution ” Stellantis, on the other hand, m i g h t b e f o r c e d t o s h u t some of its operations in the UK, putting around 80,000 jobs at risk Jaguar has also described the current timing as “unrealistic and counterproductive”, and called on the UK and EU to “quickly agree a better implementation solution to avoid destabilising the industry’s transition to clean mobility”
This is the first time that c a r m a k e r s h a v e e x p l i c i t l y urged for the renegotiation of terms
Accordin g to a think- tank, the ris ing cost of food is s et to overtake the hi gh c ost of energy, to become the drivi n g f o r c e b e hi n d t he a lr e a d y r i s i n g i n f l a ti o n , over the summ er The food c os t w i l l ha v e a ha r d e r e f fe c t o n p oo r er h o us eholds
A c c o r d i n g t o t h e R e s o l u t i o n F o u n d a t i o n , grocery bills have rocketed by almost 20% during the past year which will continue to increase and replace e n e r g y p r i c e s t h a t a r e expected to begin falling over the next few months
Official figures predicted to show a fall in the annual rate of inflation in April by about two percent-
age points from the 10 1% for March For households and businesses that have come under intense financ i a l p r e s s u r e f r o m r i s i n g prices, a drop to single digits will be a relief However, t h e p a c e o f d e c l i n e i s e x p e c t e d t o s l o w a s t h e price of food push up
The Bank of England, when it increased interest r a t e s t o 4 5 % l a s t w e e k , w a r n e d t h a t i t w a s c o ncerned about inflation, as measured by the consumer prices index (CPI), falling more slowly this year than it previously expected The inflation forecast for the fourth quarter of 2023, was also increased from 3 25% to more than 5%
Ac cording to data that highlights the gove rnment’s c ha llenge to “l evel up ” the country , London’s economy has re cor ded the fastest expansion and smal lest impact f rom coronavirus In the sec ond and third quar ters of previous year, the output in the UK’s capit al rose 0 9 per cent outstripping the 0 1 per cent national contract ion The data was made public b y Off ic e for Na tional during the same pe riod Growth was f lat in Northern Irel and and England, and London per formed best
c o m e f r o m S o m e o f t h e
2 0 , 0 0 0 e m p l o y e e s a n d
3 0 , 0 0 0 c o n t r a c t o r s a b r o a d will also be affected This m o v e c o m e s s h o r t l y a f t e r
Vodafone announced that it was planning to axe a tenth of its staff, equating to 11,000 jobs in the next three years
The firm reported a 12% drop in profits of £1 7bn for the year to April
The expansion in the capital contrasted with a 1 6 per cent contraction in the worst- performing English region, the East Midlands London also turned out to be the best performing as compared to the pre- pandemic levels while output across the UK is yet to regain the level it achieved in 2019 The output was more than 2 per cent below its pre-pandemic levels in the midlands and East of England
According to data shown by the Office of National Statistics, London’s economy was boosted by strong growth, comparative to the pre- pandemic levels, in terms of information, communication and financial services This accounts for a larger share of output in the capital than in other regions Output in sectors including construction, real estate and manufacturing, was still below pre-pandemic levels
U K co nf idence has been o n a rise since the pas t f our months , rising to its high est l evel in May, since Russ ia’s ful l- scal e invasion of U kraine Acco rding to research grou p Gf K, its c ons umer co nfidence inde x ro se by t hree points to minus 27, sh owing gradu al improvement since it hit a lo w of minu s 45 in January
The latest reading is the highest recorded since February 2022, just before the Russian
my and their personal finances rose sharply by four and five points respectively, from last month
The outlook for the UK economy over the next 12 months is improving, according to most economists Official data for April is due to come out soon and is expected to show a sharp drop in inflation as energy prices continue to fall from their peak Meanwhile, the labour market remains strong, helping to support household incomes
T he Reserve Bank o f Ind ia ( R BI ) a nno u n ce d t h e w ithd rawal of the Rs 2,0 00 banknote fro m circulatio n w it h th e p u b li c be in g “ u r g ed ” to d e p o si t o r exch ange th e notes at bank b ra nc h es u n ti l S ep te m be r 30, 2023 Th e central bank further insisted that these no tes w ill c ontinu e to be a cc e p ted a s l eg a l te nd e r after Septem ber 30
T h e a c t i o n w a s t a k e n more than six years after the introduction of the Rs 2,000 notes into the system and the demonetization of the Rs 1,000 and the previous Rs 500 notes in November 2016 t o m e e t t h e u r g e n t
requirement at the time
T h e r a t i o n a l e f o r withdrawal was attributed to the banknotes' low usage and the fact that they were n e a r i n g t h e e n d o f t h e i r four- to five-year lifespan “ I n a c c o r d a n c e w i t h t h e RBI’s ‘Clean note policy’, the decision to withdraw the Rs 2,000 banknotes has been m a d e , ” R B I s a i d i n a
statement
T h o s e h o l d i n g
₹ 2,000 notes can deposit them into b a n k a c c o u n t s , following the usual p r o c e d u r e s a n d s u b j e c t t o a p p l i c a b l e r u l e s Those wanting to exchange them can only do so up to a limit of ₹ 20,000 at a time, starting from May 23, 2023, at any bank branch People should not panic a n d r u s h t o r e t u r n o r e x c h a n g e t h e i r ₹ 2 , 0 0 0 c u r r e n c y n o t e s , R B I g o v e r n o r S h a k t i k a n t a D a s s a i d , a d a y b e f o r e b a n k s a c r o s s I n d i a s t a r t t h e
process of taking back the high-value notes Even after S e p t e m b e r 3 0 , t h e n o t e s would continue to be legal, he asserted Under Section 24(1) of The RBI Act, 1934, the Rs 2000 note was established w i t h t h e p r i m a r y g o a l o f q u i c k l y a d d r e s s i n g t h e economy's need for money w h e n t h e R s 5 0 0 a n d R s 1000 notes lost their legal t e n d e r v a l i d i t y W i t h t h e fulfilment of that objective, a n d o n c e n o t e s o f o t h e r d e n o m i n a t i o n s w e r e a v a i l a b l e i n a d e q u a t e quantities, the printing of Rs 2000 notes was stopped in 2018-19
S ta te B an k o f I nd i a h as become the first lender of India to declare a net p ro fit o f mo re than £5 billion Th e p ublic secto r bank h as also s u r p a s se d H D F C B a nk , whi ch for a whi le was th e m os t s u cc ess fu l lender i n India
SBI reported a net profit o f £ 1 6 7 b i l l i o n f o r t h e March quarter, an increase of 83% over £911 4 million in t h e y e a r - a g o p e r i o d T h e
bank’s net profit for FY23 stood at £5 02 billion, a rise o f 5 9 % o v e r £ 3 1 6 b i l l i o n r e c o r d e d i n t h e p r e v i o u s y e a r H D F C B a n k h a d r e p o r t e d a n e t p r o f i t o f
£4 41 billion for FY23, an increase of 19% over £3 69
T he g overnm ent is set to e nh a nc e th e s u bs i d y f o r electric tw o-wheelers under F A M E I I b y 75 % to £ 35 0
m illion by reallocating part o f the fu nd s available fo r th ree-w h eelers, w h ere th e d em and has been far lower than the bud geted level
In contrast, there is high demand for electric buses a n d e l e c t r i c t w o - w h e e l e r s under the £1 billion scheme whose five-year tenure is to e n d i n M a r c h n e x t y e a r W h i l e c o n s u l t a t i o n s w i t h the seven registered entities w i l l b e u n d e r t a k e n t o enhance the allocation for e l e c t r i c b u s e s b e y o n d t h e c u r r e n t l e v e l o f £ 3 5 4 5 m i l l i o n , d i s c u s s i o n s w i t h t h e e l e c t r i c t w o w h e e l e r
o r i g i n a l e q u i p m e n t manufacturers have already been completed as the £200 million allocation has been exhausted S e n i o r g o v e r n m e n t official said the industry has agreed to a proposal under which the demand incentive is likely to be retained at £1 billion per Kwh of battery capacity, along with a cap of 1 5 % o f e x - f a c t o r y p r i c e Currently, the ceiling on exfactory price is pegged at 4 0 % O f f i c i a l s a i d , “ T h e o p t i o n w a s t o e i t h e r completely end the subsidy or agree to extend it but with a lower payout The industry wants subsidies for a longer period even if it is lower ”
billion in FY22
A s b o t h t h e l o a n
b o o k a n d a v e r a g e interest rates on loans increased concurrently in the fourth quarter, the profit margin widened to 3 84% Since the bank c o n t i n u e d t o h a v e e x c e s s liquidity on its books, there was less of a need for it to solicit deposits
S B I h a s d e c l a r e d a dividend of Rs 11 3 per share
A re yo u ru nni ng you r busi ness, o r is yo ur bu sines s running you?
Over a decade ago, I wrote about a visit to a client at 8am on a Saturday morning; before he opened up his pharmacy At the time of writing, he had been working hard in the same location for nearly two decades The reason for my visit during that time was that he was a man whom you can never have a proper conversation with during working hours Why? Because he was serving customers from morning to evening The level of service he delivered was impeccable He had built his business on top class service The issue is if you removed him from the business it would slide down
This was a six day a week man who had been working hard since the age of 11, it was in his blood; true of many an Indian Also true is his family helped him run the business, so this obviously reduced staff costs and there w a s n o i s s u e o f l a c k o f t r u s t , g e n e r a l l y a n y w a y Consequently he had a thriving business, but very little time to himself let alone time to assess where to invest and how best to structure and to strategise on how best to go forward
This was and still is our typical client; cash/asset rich but time poor
u p f r o m R s 7 1 i n t h e previous year SBI chairman Dinesh Khara said that the b a n k h a d t o m a k e l e s s e r p r o v i s i o n s b e c a u s e o f improved asset quality This was reflected in the drop in non-performing assets to 2 78% - the lowest in over a decade Khara said the bank w a s t a k i n g a l l s t e p s t o ensure that it maintains the quality of its loan book in a sustainable way
In t h e M a r c h q ua r t e r , In diGo de clar ed a profit of £91 9 m illion a s opposed to a loss of £1 68 2 million in the prior quart er Compa red to a lo ss o f £ 6 1 6 2 m i ll io n i n 20 2 1 –2 0 22 , t h e la r g e st airline in India posted a loss of £30 6 million in 2022–203
I n d i G o o p e r a t e s o v e r 300 aircraft and the airline’s CEO Pieter Elbers says it will double its fleet by 2030 E l b e r s s a i d , “ W i t h a c o m b i n a t i o n o f r o b u s t market demand and focused execution of our strategy, t h i s w a s t h e s e c o n d consecutive quarter wherein w e p r o d u c e d s t r o n g o p e r a t i o n a l a n d f i n a n c i a l results, as we reported the highest-ever fourth quarter
net profit ” IndiGo had returned to black after Covid with its highest-ever quarterly profit a n d r e v e n u e i n O c t o b e r -
D e c e m b e r 2 0 2 2 a t £ 1 4 2 3 m i l l i o n a n d £ 1 5 4 b i l l i o n , respectively In Q2 and Q1, its losses were £158 3 million a n d £ 1 0 6 4 m i l l i o n , respectively The profits of t h e t h i r d a n d t h e f o u r t h q u a r t e r s l a r g e l y compensated for the losses incurred in the first and the second quarters
S h a r e s o f Li f e In su r a n c e C o r p o r a t io n ( L I C ) h a v e fa llen 35% from the listing d ay an d n ear ly 40% from the IPO pr ice of R s 949 The £24 bi lli on loss in m ar k e t c ap since its list in g on May 17, 20 22 br ack et s LIC’s list ing a mong t he worst fir st-ye ar p e r fo r m a n c e s by a p ub li c se ct or stock
C o n s i d e r i n g t h a t L I C was the biggest in terms of a s s e t s u n d e r c o n t r o l f o r years, it was assumed to be the most valuable financial organisation in India The c o m p a n y w a s o n e o f t h e most recognisable names in the financial industry and had more policyholders than
there were people in Brazil T h e g o v e r n m e n t h a d valued LIC at less than many p r i v a t e s e c t o r e n t e r p r i s e s , according to its upper band pricing, when it was revealed exactly one year ago during i t s i n i t i a l p u b l i c o f f e r i n g
(IPO) A year after listing, the corporation’s mcap has dipped to £36 billion - less than that of private sector companies like Bajaj Finance and Kotak Mahindra Bank, and 13th in terms of the most valuable companies in the country “LIC is more sensitive to e q u i t y m o v e m e n t s a s compared to listed peers A
1 0 % d e c l i n e i n i t s e q u i t y
portfolio will lead to a 6 5% fall in embedded value (and a 2 7% fall in the value of the new business) as compared
to a dip of 1 5-2% (0 2-0 6%) for major listed peers, ” said B o B C a p s i n a r e s e a r c h report
A n es ti mated $1 5 billion w orth o f busi ness has been aw a rd e d to In fo s ys b y t h e m u l ti na ti o na l e ner g y corporatio n BP (formerly British Petroleum) The main applicatio n services collaborator for BP will be Infosys T he deal is spread over five years
Infosys and BP did not comment on the value and the tenure of the deal The two have had a two-decade relationship, during which the annual contract value was o v e r $ 1 0 0 m i l l i o n I n f o s y s c o - f o u n d e r a n d c h a i r m a n
Nandan Nilekani and LeighAnn Russell, EVP, innovation & engineering at BP, signed the MoU on May 10 The deal is Infosys’s biggest since the estimated $3 2 -billion contract it won from Daimler three years ago
Unfortunately many business owners think they are running their business, however, often the business is running them; sometimes right into the grave, or in our case the crematorium
The business is centred around them, through hard work and high level of service, the business thrives but becomes dependent upon them
So the business is them
This means if you remove them the business ceases to exist in the same form
The danger with this model is the owners cannot remove themselves from the business to enjoy their hard earned wealth It is a common mistake which many self employed people make
Property has some interesting attributes which serve to balance and rectify the above
One is you are not required to work or even be awake for the property to rise in value or be rented The right property will generate income passively
The price of something is determined by supply and demand The supply of land is finite but the demand is increasing due to various reasons such as migration, a mobile work force, the family nucleus breaking down, increasing the number of single person households and so on
S o a b o v e a n d b e y o n d a n y t e m p o r a r y p e a k s a n d troughs certain pockets of the property market may go through, property is always destined to rise because of fundamentals
If you are time poor or just can’t be bothered with all the hassle of buying property, and the games agents play, do get in touch see how we can help you
India in cr ea se d the incen tive sc h e m e fo r p r o d u c in g se rv ers an d la ptops in the co u n t r y by 1 3 1 %, t o £ 1 7 bi lli o n G lo b a l bu s in e ss e s, includin g top ven dor Apple, wer e sa id to be inte rest ed
The government claims t h a t a f t e r g r o w i n g w i t h iPhones, Apple is "seriously e v a l u a t i n g p r o d u c i n g MacBooks in India As the government pressures Apple to produce more products in India, emulating the success w i t h i P h o n e s , I T & electronics minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said talks with the b u s i n e s s h a v e b e e n c o n s t r u c t i v e “ T h e y a r e s e r i o u s l y e v a l u a t i n g , ”
V a i s h n a w t o l d t h e m e d i a While refusing to get into specifics of discussions with v a r i o u s c o m p a n i e s ,
V a i s h n a w s a i d t o p m a s s
l a p t o p c o m p a n i e s s u c h a s Dell, HP, Acer, and Asus are a m o n g t h o s e , w h o a r e looking at India favourably now that the scheme has been made comprehensive in terms of the incentives
T h e C a b i n e t g a v e i t s approval to the decision to increase the rewards under t h e p r o d u c t i o n - l i n k e d incentive (PLI) plan for IT h a r d w a r e s u c h l a p t o p s , t a b l e t s , a l l - i n - o n e P C s , servers, and ultra tiny form f a c t o r d e v i c e s W h i l e t h e e a r l i e r s c h e m e h a d e a r m a r k e d £ 7 3 5 m i l l i o n towards PLI incentives, the government had to increase t h e a l l o c a t i o n s a f t e r industry’s feedback that the earlier plan did not cover financial disabilities arising out of making in India, as against imports
L A H O R E : An a n ti - te rr or i sm court las t week approved prearre st bail ti ll J une 2 to Im ra n Khan in three terrorism cases filed against Pakis tan's form er pri me mi nister in the wake of viole nce that erupted after his arre st on May 9
Khan, 70, appeared at the Lahore Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) amid tight security after he received permission for his v e h i c l e t o e n t e r t h e c o u r t premises According to a court official, the ATC granted prea r r e s t b a i l t o t h e P a k i s t a n Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief till June 2 in three terrorism cases, i n c l u d i n g t h e h i g h - p r o f i l e J i n n a h H o u s e a t t a c k , a n d directed him to join the police investigation
K h a n a s s u r e d t h e c o u r t
that he would join the investigation, the official said Earlier,
K h a n s a i d e v e r y o n e i s c o ndemning the attack on army installations and demanded a probe into it When asked why he had not yet issued a statement condemning the attack on the top military officer's house in Lahore, he replied: “I have already done so who is not condemning the attack on the Jinnah House Lahore? Tell me one person in Pakistan who is not doing it ” Court orders release of I mran supporters
M e a n w h i l e , a P a k i s t a n i court ordered the release of over 120 supporters of Imran Khan who were taken into custody in Punjab province foll o w i n g v i o l e n t p r o t e s t s t h a t
erupted after the former prime minister's arrest on May 9 The Lahore high court (LHC) directed the government to release 123 workers of Khan's Pakistan
T e h r e e k - e - I n s a f ( P T I ) p a r t y without delay The orders were issued by Justice Anwarul Haq of the LHC during the hearing of a petition filed by PTI leader Farrukh Habib who sought the release of the detained party activists
Mi litary trial process ini ti ated B r u s h i n g a s i d e t h e c o ncerns of human rights groups, Pakistan army chief General
A s i m M u n i r h a s s a i d t h a t a u t h o r i t i e s h a v e i n i t i a t e d a“legal process of trial” under stringent military laws against those involved in recent attacks
W ASH I NG TO N : Over 65 Members
o f th e U n i t ed St a te s C on gr e s s expressed conc erns about the current s ituation in Pakis tan and urged State Secretary Anthony Blinken to pressuri se the Pakistani government to improve the human rights si tuation in the country
The US Congressmen sent a letter to the State Secretary where it stated, “As proponents of a strong USPakistan relationship, we write to express our concerns about the current situation in Pakistan and urge you to use all diplomatic t o o l s a t y o u r d i s p o s a l t o p r e s s u r e t h e Government of Pakistan towards a greater commitment to democracy, human rights, and the rule of law ”
“This should include a commitment to investigate any infringement upon freedom o f s p e e c h a n d f r e e d o m o f a s s e m b l y i n Pakistan,” the letter further read
Imran Khan, who was deposed as prime minister through a no-confidence move in April last year, was arrested on May 9, the day when the country witnessed deadly protests He was detained in the Al-Qadir Trust corruption case, but a court later declared his arrest against the law and granted him bail, The News International
on military installations following the arrest of Imran Khan Gen Munir made the disclosure during his visit to the P u n j a b p r o v i n c e c a p i t a l Lahore, the worst hit city by the violent protests He said t h e “ l e g a l p r o c e s s o f t r i a l against planners, instigators, a b e t t o r s a n d p e r p e t r a t o r s involved in the May 9 tragedy h a s c o m m e n c e d u n d e r t h e P a k i s t a n A r m y A c t a n d t h e Official Secret Act as per existing and established legal procedures derived from the constitution”
At least 145 people were killed and 800,000 need emergency food and other assistance after Cyclone Mocha slammed into the conflicttorn country of Myanmar earlier this week the United Nations said "The cyclone left a trail of devastation across Myanmar s Rakhine State with houses flattened roads cut off by uprooted trees hospitals and schools destroyed, and telecommunications and power lines severely disrupted, Anthea Webb, the UN World Food Programme's deputy regional director for Asia and the Pacific, told reporters in Geneva
reported T h e d e a d l y p r o t e s t s took the lives of at least 10 people and injured several others, with the authorities not only arresting the p a r t y l e a d e r s b u t t h o usands of PTI workers as w e l l , a c c o r d i n g t o T h e News International
T h e l e t t e r , c o a u t h o r e d b y C o n g r e s s w o m a n E l i s s a S l o t k i n a n d Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, was signed by 65 other lawmakers It stated that over t h e p a s t f e w m o n t h s , t h e s i t u a t i o n i n Pakistan has become increasingly concerning with the blanket bans on demonstrations and deaths of several prominent critics of the government
“We ask for your help pressuring the G o v e r n m e n t o f P a k i s t a n t o e n s u r e protestors can assert their demands in a peaceful and non-violent way, free from h a r a s s m e n t , i n t i m i d a t i o n , a n d a r b i t r a r y d e t e n t i o n A s b o t h D e m o c r a t s a n d Republicans who care about the bilateral relationship, we are concerned that violence and increased political tension could spiral into a deteriorating security situation in Pakistan,” the letter read
DHAKA : Bangladesh
h as w it h dr a wn t h e “extra secu rity esco rt” p rov ided to top diplom at s o f I n dia a n d t hree ot her co untries, w i t h f o r ei g n m i ni st e r A K
Abdul Mo men saying Dh aka will not pro vide th is serv ice with taxp ayers ’ money
Following the 2016 Islamist m i l i t a n t a t t a c k i n a D h a k a restaurant, police officers in riot gear were used to escort t h e v e h i c l e s c a r r y i n g t h e ambassadors of India, the US, the UK, and Saudi Arabia as they moved throughout the c i t y A h e i g h t e n e d s e c u r i t y vigil was also maintained for them
A c c o r d i n g t o a D h a k a M e t r o p o l i t a n P o l i c e o f f i c i a l , the guards at the diplomats' homes and chancery buildings will continue to be there, as will the police shooters who
K A T HM AN DU : A Ne pa l i s h e rp a s c a l ed Mo unt Everest fo r a record 27th tim e last w eek, beating h is o wn reco rd, a go vernment o fficial and his h iking co mpany said Kami Rita Sherpa, 53, scaled the 8,849 metre (29,032f oot) mou ntain early in th e mo rning alo ng the traditional sou theast ridge route, gu iding a f oreign c limber
"Yes, Kami Rita climbed Sagarmatha for the 27th time," said Department of Tourism official Bigyan Koirala, referring to the mountain by its Nepali name Ishwari Paudel of the H i m a l a y a n G u i d e s c o m p a n y s a i d B r i t i s h climber Kenton Cool, 49, made his 17th ascent of the mountain, the most by any foreign climber Cool is now descending after guiding his own private client," Paudel said Thaneswar Guragai, general manager of the Seven Summit Treks, for which Kami Rita works, said he got to the summit along with t h e f o r e i g n c l i m b e r " W e ' r e t r y i n g t o g e t
details For now it's 100% confirmed that Kami Rita scaled for the 27th time,” Guragai said Kami Rita, who refers to himself by his first names, scaled Everest for the first time in 1994 and has climbed it almost every year since then, except in 2014, 2015 and 2020, when climbing was halted for various reasons
have been accomp a n y i n g t h e envoys
M o m e n s a i d t h e e x i s t i n g l a w a n d o r d e r n o l o n g e r r e q u i r e d a d d i t i o n a l security measures for a few envoys and the decision was t a k e n a s s e v e r a l e m b a s s i e s o t h e r t h a n t h e f o u r w e r e
demanding identical security rituals He said if any country felt the need, they might hire t h e s e r v i c e s H e s a i d m a n y countries were now asking for a similar protocol “but we will not give it to anyone, because it is discriminatory (and) no one gives such benefits to our ambassadors abroad”
The public diplomacy section of the US embassy here said: “The safety and security of our diplomatic personnel and facilities are of the utmost importance”
TEH R AN : The judiciary of Iran r epor ted that thr ee men were put to death who the count ry cla imed were r esponsible for the de aths of three secur it y pe rsonn e l d ur i n g p r ot e s t s l a st y e a r
M a j id K a ze m i, S a l e h Mirhashemi and Saee d Yaghoubi wer e executed in t he cen tral city of Isfahan, said the judicia ry on Twitte r, ad din g that t hey had “mart yred” t wo membe rs of the B asij pa ramil it ary force a nd a l a w e n for c e me n t of fi ce r o n N o v e mb e r 1 6 A mn e s t y
I n t e r n a t i on a l sa i d t h e m e n ’ s fast-tracked t rial was fl awed and u se d “ t or t u r e -t a in t e d ‘ co n fe ssions’” Ir an de nies that confessions are ext racted unde r t ort ur e
T h e n u m b e r o f p r o t e s t e r s who have hung since the start of the widespread demonstrations t h a t s t a r t e d l a s t a u t u m n a n d evolved into one of the greatest threats to the religious leader-
ship since the 1979 revolution increased to at least seven after last week's executions
T h e y w e r e i g n i t e d b y t h e d e a t h o f 2 2 - y e a r - o l d I r a n i a n
Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini while in the custody of Iran's morality police on September 16
In anticipation of their imminent execution, the three men appealed in a handwritten note f o r p u b l i c s u p p o r t , s a y i n g , “Don’t let them kill us ”
“We need your help,” said the note, drawing appeals to halt t h e e x e c u t i o n s F a m i l i e s a n d supporters held night vigils outs i d e t h e D a s t g e r d p r i s o n i n
Isfahan in support of the three men who were being held inside The men were granted one last meeting with their family State media reran videos of the defend a n t s ' p u r p o r t e d c o n f e s s i o n s , w h i c h A m n e s t y I n t e r n a t i o n a l claimed were coerced, shortly after their execution
Executions worldwide increased by 53% in 2022 from a year earlier, with a significant rise in Iran and Saudi Arabia, Amnesty International said in an annual report that also criticised Indonesia as having one of the highest numbers of new death sentences in Asia Amnesty said 70% of the executions in West Asia and North Africa were carried out in Iran, where their numbers rose by 83% from 314 in 2021 to 576 in 2022 The number of executions in Saudi Arabia tripled from 65 in 2021 to 196 in 2022 Increases compared to 2021 were also recorded in Kuwait, Myanmar the Palestinian territories, Singapore and US In all, 20 countries executed 883 people compared to 579 in 18 countries in 2021
Twelve people were killed and 90 others injured in a stampede at a soccer stadium in El Salvador, authorities said, turning a highly anticipated match into a chaotic scene as fans rushed to save people suffocating under a mass of bodies Videos circulating on Twitter showed dozens of people clad in white appearing to rush toward an exit at the stadium with some lying on the ground as more pile on top It was not immediately clear what prompted the rush at Cuscatlan Stadium in San Salvador, where the first league soccer teams, Alianza Futbol Club and Club Deportivo FAS, were playing the second leg of a quarterfinal
Three Russian academics who have worked on hypersonic missile technology face “very serious accusations”, the Kremlin said, in a treason investigation that has spread alarm through Russia s scientific community Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he was aware of an open letter from Siberian scientists in defence of the men but that the case was a matter for the security services In the letter colleagues of Anatoly Maslov, Alexander Shiplyuk and Valery Zvegintsev protested their innocence and said the prosecutions threatened to inflict grave damage on Russian science We know each of them as a patriot and a decent person who is not capable of doing what the investigating authorities suspect them of ” they said
An 18-year-old armed with at least three guns roamed through a northwestern New Mexico community firing randomly at cars and houses killing three people and injuring six others including two police officers before he was killed authorities said The shootings occurred in Farmington, a city of about 50,000 people Officers responding to reports of shots being fired encountered the attacker within minutes and killed him with at least one shot, Farmington police chief Steve Hebbe said in a video He said the gunman fired at least three weapons including an “AR-style rifle” The identities of the gunman and the victims weren’t released
An unrepentant and defiant Islamic extremist received 10 life sentences and another 260 years in prison for killing eight people with a truck on a bike path in Manhattan on Halloween in 2017 as US Judge Vernon Broderick decried his “callous” crimes and announced a sentence, he said, was designed to underscore the severity of the terror attack Sayfullo Saipov claimed he carried out on behalf of the IS group Broderick cited the defiance of Saipov who given a chance to speak said the tears of victims and family members in the courtroom over a six-month period would fill a single tissue while the tears and blood of the Islamic population worldwide would fill the courtroom
Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy lost his appeal against a 2021 conviction for corruption and influence peddling at the Paris court of appeals, prompting his legal team to promise a challenge at France’s highest court The court upheld a three-year prison sentence In line with the initial ruling, it said two of those years were suspended and that Sarkozy would wear an electronic bracelet instead of going to jail for the remaining year “Sarkozy is innocent of the charges,” his lawyer said “We won’t give up this fight ” Prosecutors had recommended a softening of the punishment to a three-year suspended sentence But the court stuck with the initial penalty
A fire ripped through a hostel in New Zealand’s capital killing at least six people and forcing others to flee the four-story building in their pajamas in what a fire chief called his “worst nightmare ” Six bodies were found but not all areas of the building had been searched yet because the roof on the top floor had collapsed bringing down debris and making the area unsafe said Bruce Stubbs, the incident controller for Fire and Emergency New Zealand Officials said that 52 people had made it out of the building alive but they were still trying to account for others Police said the cause of the fire was not known yet but they didn’t believe it had been deliberately lit
Singapore hanged another citizen for trafficking cannabis, the second in three weeks, as it clung firmly to the death penalty despite growing calls for the city-state to halt drug-related executions The 37-year-old man was executed after his last-ditch bid to reopen his case was dismissed by the court without a hearing said activist Kokila Annamalai of the Transformative Justice Collective which advocates for abolishing death penalty The man who wasn t named had been imprisoned for seven years and convicted in 2019 for trafficking 1 5kg of cannabis
NE W Y ORK : An Indian-origin police officer, C ap tain Pratima Bh ullar Mald onado has beco me the high est-ranking So uth A sian wom an in the New York Po lice De p art m en t, af te r h e r re ce nt pro motion
M e d i a r e p o r t e d t h a t M a l d o n a d o r u n s t h e 1 0 2 n d P o l i c e P r e c i n c t i n S o u t h Richmond Hill, Queens She was promoted to the rank of Captain last month The mother of four was born in Punjab and lived t h e r e u n t i l s h e w a s 9 b e f o r e moving to Queens in New York
"It feels like coming home I spent more than 25 years of my life in this precinct when I was growing up," Maldonado said
South Richmond Hill is home to one of the largest Sikh communities in the country " G o i n g t o t h e s a m e Gurdwara that I did as a child,
O T TA W A : Two y oun g in ter na tio na l st uden ts fr om In dia have bee n iden tified as the victims of a tr affic collision tha t happen ed la st week close t o t he Ca nad ia n capita l of Ott awa The mishap took place on M ay 12 in a single car cr ash, accordin g to the Ont ar io Provin cia l Police
The victims were identified by the network Prime Asia as 21-year-old Balwinder Singh and 22-year-old Sachin Chugh, both from Punjab, based on information from fellow students and members of the IndoCanadian community They were both resid e n t s o f t h e t o w n o f B r a m p t o n i n t h e Greater Toronto Area or GTA and were traveling to Ottawa when the tragic accident on Highway 417 claimed their lives
C h u g h w a s a s t u d e n t a t C a n a d o r e College, while Singh was at Alpha College
T h e i r f u n e r a l s w i l l t a k e p l a c e i n Brampton, and their remains will likely be flown back to India A family friend set up an online fundraiser for Chugh for returning the remains to India
According to a media report on the day of the mishap, Ottawa Fire Services said the vehicle the young students were travelling in was found upended about 120 metres away from the road on a neighbouring field
The two occupants trapped in the vehicle were extricated by fire department personnel but were subsequently declared dead at the spot by paramedics attending at the scene
This isn’t the first accident in Canada to claim multiple lives of students from India
In March last year, a fatal accident in southern Ontario claimed the lives of five international students from India
B E I J I N G : S ev era l s h i p s a nd ai rc ra ft searched for 39 people rep orted missi ng after a Chinese fish ing boat cap sized in the mid dle of th e Indian Ocean A ccord ing to a Chinese state broadcaster CC TV, the accident happened around 3am (local time) last week Th e rep ort said the crew includ es 1 7 from C hina, 17 from Ind onesia and five from the Philippines
Chinese leader Xi Jinping and PM Li Q i a n g h a v e o r d e r e d C h i n e s e d i p l o m a t s
abroad, as well as the agriculture and transportation ministries, to assist in the search for survivors “All-out efforts” must be made in the rescue operation, Xi was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua news agency Li ordered unspecified measures to “reduce casualties and strengthen safety management of fishing vessels at sea to ensure safe m a r i t i m e t r a n s p o r t a n d p r o d u c t i o n
Xinhua said Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines have also expressed their will-
and now as a captain, I love it," Maldonado said as she visited the gurdwara "There are language barriers, people who can't speak the language, English is a second
language I've seen that firsthand growing up here," she said
" G e t t i n g o u t t h e r e a n d working, and protecting people that are cursing you out sometimes and not appreciating what you re doing, but you still got to d o w h a t y o u g o t t o d o , Maldonado said
"It's a big responsibility I want to set a better and positive example, not only for my community, for other females, kids that see us every day Because that would change their perspective of how they view law enforcement," she added
According to the NYPD, of the department's 33,787 members, 10 5 per cent are Asian
NE W YORK : The Metropolitan Mu seum of
A rt in New York, US said th at 16 o f the Indian works in its co llections, w hich were linked to jailed smug gler S ubh ash Kap oor, have been returned to India
Max Hollein, the museum director, had earlier this month announced that 16 pieces, including the Celestial Dancer sculpture, were returned to India due to new evidence of their provenance “Last month, in light of new provenance information, we returned 16 works to India, including the Celestial Dancer, a sculpture that enraptured visitors for decades," Hollein was saying The "celestial dancer" is a reference to the 11th-century sandstone sculpture of an 'Apsara' from Madhya Pradesh
Sculpture is worth more than $1 million According to reports, the sculpture was a
part of the Met collection that has been connected to Kapoor, who is presently serving a 10-year prison sentence in Tamil Nadu after being found guilty of smuggling antiquities According to sources, repatriated antiquities are normally transferred to Indian officials abroad, who subsequently notify the ASI, the curator of such artefacts
A team sent by the ASI verifies and documents the objects, following which a decision is taken about their physical return to India In its statement, the Met announced that it would conduct an "intensive review" of its collection and the process of acquiring w o r k s a n d a r t e f a c t s T h e m u s e u m h a s formed a committee to review the process of acquiring works and artefacts They would also hire a manager of provenance research to investigate the origin of its assets
WA S H INGT ON: A US court has ap p ro ved th e ext rad it i o n o f C h i c ag o bu s in es s m an Tahawwur Rana to Ind ia where he is wanted for his ro le in the 200 8 terror attack in M umbai Rana was convicted in 2011 of supp orting an Islamic m ilitant group blam ed for th e attack on Ind ia's financial capital th at killed 164 people
But he was cleared of the more serious charge of helping plot the attack The businessman was arrested after an extradition request by India in 2020 Rana, who denied all the charges against him, had challenged India's extradition request which was also supported by the US government
But a court recently consented his extradition The court said that Rana had been charged in India with criminal conspiracy, committing terrorist acts and murder - all of which are extraditable offences as per the treaty between US and India
It, however, added that Rana will remain in US custody till the Secretary of State takes
a f i n a l d e c i s i o n o n h i s extradition More than 160 p e o p l e w e r e k i l l e d i n N o v e m b e r 2 0 0 8 w h e n a group of 10 men stormed a train station, hotels and cafes and a Jewish centre, shooting and throwing bombs
I n d i a n a u t h o r i t i e s a c c u s e d R a n a , a Pakistani-born Canadian, of conspiring with h i s c h i l d h o o d f r i e n d D a v i d C o l e m a n Headley to assist Pakistani militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), which was blamed for the attack Prosecutors in the case said that in 2006, Rana allowed Headley to open an office of his Chicago-based immigration services firm in Mumbai, which Headley then used as cover to scout sites for the 2008 attack
R a n a w a s a l s o a c c u s e d o f a l l o w i n g Headley to pose as a representative of his firm in order to gain access to newspaper offices by feigning interest in purchasing advertising space Headley, who is serving a 35-year jail term in the US for his role in the attacks, testified against Rana in 2011
Rana's defence team at the time said he was manipulated and mislead by Headley, an old friend from their days in a Pakistani military school In 2011, jurors at the federal court in Chicago convicted Rana of providing support to LeT and for his role in an aborted plot against a Danish newspaper But he was cleared of charges of direct involvement in the Mumbai attacks
ingness to join in the search Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency stated that capsizing occurred about 4,600 km northwest of Australia Several ships and an Australian defense force P-8A Poseidon aircraft have been searching the area
In 2013, he was sentenced to 14 years in prison In 2020, Rana was released from jail in the US on compassionate grounds after testing positive for the Covid-19 He was arrested again after the extradition request by India
P r i m e M i n is t e r N a r e n d r a
M od i r eplaced Kire n Rijiju wit h A rjun Ra m Me ghwal a s u n i o n la w a n d j us t i ce m in ist er , shifting t he for mer t o the light weight min ist ry of ea rth sciences
The standalone change w a s w i d e l y c o n s i d e r e d a d o w n g r a d e f o r R i j i j u w h o would often forcefully take issue with the judiciary in public and sparked a buzz about the possible reason for the drastic move
Rijiju s public claims that the government has a stake in the selection of Supreme C o u r t a n d h i g h c o u r t justices have worsened the p e r c e p t i o n o f a c o n f l i c t between the judiciary and executive branch
Rijiju received a public
r e s p o n s e f r o m C J I D Y C h a n d r a c h u d , a l t h o u g h m a n y p e o p l e q u e s t i o n e d whether or not this was the main cause of the move Law a n d j u s t i c e h a v e b e e n a s s i g n e d t o M e g h w a l , a j u n i o r m i n i s t e r w i t h i n d e p e n d e n t c h a r g e o f parliamentary affairs P o l i t i c a l c i r c l e s a r e
u n a n i m o u s t h a t R i j i j u , a n MP from Arunachal Pradesh, has been brought down a notch and, that too, in an unambiguous manner, but were at a loss to divine the reason for the sudden strike I n t e r e s t i n g l y , i n h i s f i r s t tweet after the change, Rijiju thanked, besides the PM, CJI and judges of the SC
T wo motorbike riders were i s s u ed ch a ll ans b y th e M u m ba i tr af fi c p o l i ce i n separate incidents after they w ere recently p hotograph ed r i d i ng w i th o u t h el m et s w hile being accompanied by B o ll yw o o d ce le bri t ie s A m i tab h Bac h c h an a nd A nu s h ka S h ar m a T h e a ct o rs to o h ad n o t w o rn h elmets Th e action c am e after T witter users p osted p i c tu re s an d vi d eo s o f A m i tab h and A nush ka o n b ikes and tag ged th e c ity traffic po lice in the po sts S o n u S h a i k h , a n associate of Anushka with whom she was on the bike, got a challan for Rs 10,500 f o r m u l t i p l e v i o l a t i o n s , i n c l u d i n g t h e h e l m e t l e s s ride with the actress Their video, which was claimed to
T h e t h i r d G 20 t o ur i s m w o r k i n g g r ou p m e e t i n g ki ck ed off in Sri nag ar and t h e u b i q u i t o us , Os ca rw i n n i n g ‘ Na a t u Na a t u ’ made an appeara nce with t h e mo v i e ’ s st a r R a m
C h a r a n a n d K o r e a n amba ssador C han g Jae-bok sh a k i n g a l e g t o t h e ir resi stib le number T o the plea sure of in tern et users, t h e K o r e a n e mb a ssy i n
D e l h i e a r li e r t h i s y e a r sh a r e d a v i d e o sh o w i n g
C h a n g a n d e mb a s sy personn el dan ci ng to the son g T he Cen tre asserted tha t the me eti ng had an
" o ve rw he l m i n g r e sp o n se " from member n ation s and speci al inv itees, the hi ghest of an y G20 summi t to date
O f f i c i a l d e l e g a t i o n s from Turkey, Saudi Arabia,
a n d E g y p t w e r e a l s o
c o n s p i c u o u s l y a b s e n t
C h i n a s t a y e d a w a y a f t e r
o b j e c t i n g t o h o s t i n g a n y G20 meetings on "disputed territory" and warning that " u n i l a t e r a l a c t i o n s " l i k e h o s t i n g s u c h m e e t i n g s could worsen the situation
T h e C e n t r e m a d e i t clear that all nations -aside f r o m C h i n a - w e r e represented by their own t r a v e l a g e n c i e s a n d t o u r companies “The tourism working group meeting in K a s h m i r h a s h a d a n o v e r w h e l m i n g r e s p o n s e T r a v e l a n d t o u r i s m i s t o t a l l y a p r i v a t e s e c t o r a c t i v i t y M a n y c o u n t r i e s w a n t e d t o j o i n v i r t u a l l y , b u t w e w a n t e d p h y s i c a l p a r t i c i p a t i o n T h e o t h e r c o u n t r i e s a r e b e i n g
represented by their tour
o p e r a t o r s a n d t r a v e l a g e n t s , ” G 2 0 s h e r p a Amitabh Kant said
NI A arre sts Je M te rrorist
Just ahead of the G20 m e e t , t h e N a t i o n a l Investigation Agency (NIA) d e t a i n e d a J a i s h - eM u h a m m e d ( J e M ) o p e r a t i v e w h o a l l e g e d l y passed on sensitive security information, especially on m o v e m e n t o f s e c u r i t y f o r c e s i n J & K , t o h i s P a k i s t a n - b a s e d h a n d l e r s I n c r i m i n a t i n g d o c u m e n t s seized from Mohd Ubaid M a l i k o f K u p w a r a reinforced his involvement i n t e r r o r a c t i v i t i e s w h i l e b e i n g i n c o n s t a n t t o u c h with a JeM commander in P a k i s t a n , a n N I A spokesman said
be a clip from Juhu, was tweeted on May 15
In Amitabh’s case, the rider got a challan for Rs 1 , 0 0 0 I n c i d e n t a l l y , t h e i m a g e o f t h e r i d e w a s o r i g i n a l l y s h a r e d b y t h e s u p e r s t a r h i m s e l f o n I n s t a g r a m o n M a y 1 4 , t h a n k i n g t h e “ u n k n o w n ” rider
Posting a picture of his ride on Instagram, superstar Amitabh had said, “Thank y o u f o r t h e r i d e b u d d y
Don’t know you but you
obliged and got m e o n t i m e t o t h e l o c a t i o n o f work faster and in order to avoid t h e u n s o l v a b l e t r a f f i c j a m s ” S u b s e q u e n t l y , another Twitter user posted the image and t a g g e d p o l i c e d e m a n d i n g a c t i o n T h e p o l i c e a c t i o n came after the tweet
The image was taken on location during a film shoot o n t h e s t r e e t s , a c t o r Amitabh wrote in his blog on May 16 in response to c o m m e n t s f r o m h i s admirers on his Instagram post By hopping on a crew member's bike, he wrote in his blog that he was just having fun and not actually going anywhere
A s he arrived in Hiroshim a fo r the G7 s um m it, Pri me Mi nister Narend ra M odi declared th at India is o n the sid e of peace and will stay firm ly there He also claimed that he will raise the i ssues o f the d evelop ing cou ntries at the conference
I n a n i n t e r v i e w , M o d i , w h i l e talking about relations with China, a l s o s a i d I n d i a r e m a i n e d f u l l y prepared and committed to protect its sovereignty and dignity and that p e a c e a n d t r a n q u i l i t y a l o n g t h e border was essential for normalising relations
Modi said India is committed to supporting those who face challenges in meeting their basic needs, especially in the f a c e o f r i s i n g c o s t s o f f o o d , f u e l , a n d fertilisers
“We maintain communication with both Russia and Ukraine,” he said in an interview to Nikkei Asia, adding that cooperation and collaboration “should define our times, not conflict " Modi will have bilateral meetings with the leaders of Japan, Vietnam, France and Ukraine and also participate in the Quad summit India and the US are discussing the possibility of a meeting between Modi and President Joe Biden
When asked about relations with China,
Narendra Modi
M o d i e m p h a s i s e d I n d i a ' s r e s p e c t f o r sovereignty, the rule of law, and peaceful conflict resolution while stating that India is fully prepared and dedicated to protecting its own dignity “Peace and tranquility in the b o r d e r a r e a s a r e e s s e n t i a l f o r n o r m a l bilateral ties with China,” Modi said “The f u t u r e d e v e l o p m e n t o f I n d i a - C h i n a relationship can only be based on mutual r e s p e c t , m u t u a l s e n s i t i v i t y a n d m u t u a l i n t e r e s t s , ” M o d i s a i d , n o t i n g t h a t “normalising” the ties would benefit the wider region and the world The PM also touched upon relations with Pakistan saying I n d i a s e e k s “ n o r m a l a n d n e i g h b o r l y relations”
The CBI has fi led a charge s h ee t a g ai n s t C on g re s s leader J agdish Tytler in the Pul Ban gash cas e for the 1984 anti-Sikh riots killi ng o f t hr ee pe op l e a n d t or c hi n g o f a g ur dw a ra , officials said T y t l e r " i n c i t e d , instigated and provoked the m o b a s s e m b l e d a t P u l Bangash Gurudwara Azad M a r k e t " o n N o v e m b e r 1 , 1 9 8 4 t h a t r e s u l t e d i n b u r n i n g d o w n o f t h e g u r u d w a r a a n d k i l l i n g o f three Sikhs -Thakur Singh, Badal Singh and Gurcharan Singh - the CBI alleged in its charge sheet filed before a special court The agency has invoked charges under IPC sections 1 4 7 ( r i o t i n g ) , 1 4 8 , 1 4 9 ( u n l a w f u l a s s e m b l y ) , 1 5 3 A
( p r o v o c a t i o n ) , 1 0 9 (abetment) read with 302 (murder), 295 (defiling of r e l i g i o u s p l a c e s ) a m o n g others
On June 2, they claimed, t h e c o u r t w i l l t a k e cognizance of the charges Tytler, a former minister, w a s c h a r g e d w i t h encouraging the mob that k i l l e d t h e v i c t i m s T h e s p e c i a l c o u r t , h o w e v e r , d i s m i s s e d t h r e e c l o s u r e r e p o r t s t h a t t h e C B I submitted Tytler, who was mentioned in the Nanavati C o m m i s s i o n r e p o r t t h a t l o o k e d i n t o t h e d i s t u r b a n c e s , h a d v o i c e samples recently obtained by the agency
The case pertains to the r i o t s i n n o r t h D e l h i o n N o v e m b e r 1 , 1 9 8 4 , a d a y
after the assassination of then prime minister Indira G a n d h i b y h e r S i k h bodyguards at her official r e s i d e n c e A r m s d e a l e r A b h i s h e k V e r m a , w h o i s f a c i n g a C B I p r o b e i n a n u m b e r o f c a s e s , h a d c l a i m e d t h a t T y t l e r h a d paid money to one of the witnesses of the riots and settled his son in Canada
The court had ordered t h e C B I t o c o n d u c t additional research into the case in December 2015 and stated that it would oversee the investigation every two months to make sure no d e t a i l w a s o v e r l o o k e d M a n j i t S i n g h G K , w h o c l a i m e d t o h a v e r e c e i v e d the sting films by mail from a b u s i n e s s m a n i n D e l h i , revealed them in 2018
Dr Manoj S oni took th e oath of o ff i ce and se cre cy as c h ai rm an, Union Public Service Co mmission
o n 1 6 M ay 20 2 3 T h e o ath w as ad m i ni s ter ed b y S m t S m i ta Na g ar aj , s en io r m em b er o f th e com mission Since Ap ril 2022 Dr Soni had been acting as the chairman He became a mem ber of the UPS C in June 2017
Dr Manoj Soni
He served a total of three terms as ViceChancellor, MS University of Baroda for one term and Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University, Gujarat for two terms He was I n d i a ' s y o u n g e s t V i c e C h a n c e l l o r i n t h e c o u n t r y ' s h i s t o r y o f I n d i a N u m e r o u s a c c o l a d e s a n d p r i z e s , a s w e l l a s m a j o r publications, have been bestowed to Dr Soni
Prior to his appointment as Vice-Chancellor, he was teaching a t t h e S V P a t e l U n i v e r s i t y i n Vallabh Vidhyanagar, Gujarat Dr S o n i i s a s c h o l a r o f p o l i t i c a l science with a specialisation in international relations He earned h i s d o c t o r a t e o n “ P o s t - C o l d W a r international systemic transition and IndoUS relations” from Sardar Patel University Nish kam Karm ayogi
Dr Soni is a monk of the Anoopam m i s s i o n , a b r a n c h o f t h e S w a m i n a r a y a n movement He joined the Anoopam Mission in Gujarat in 2020 and later converted to Buddhism, becoming a monk or nishkam karmayogi (selfless worker)
Nea rly 1,500 Gujara tis a re waiting to e nter US from Mexico as the pa ndemic-era border pol icy imposed by the Trump administ ration ha s come to an end recentl y The Titl e 42, which e nded re cen tly, al lowed the US to promptl y deport ille gal immigran ts wit hout a sy lum hearings, be cause of Covid-19
Numerous residents of the north Gujarat region are reportedly housed in tents at the USMexico border with residents of other nations in an effort to enter the US illegally and seek asylum, according to sources “A majority of the Indians wanting asylum in the US are from north Gujarat and Charotar region of central Gujarat They are mostly from Gandhinagar and Mehsana while some of them are from Kheda,” said a Gujarat police officer
On May 10, the day before the pandemic-related asylum limits expired, the US Border Patrol had 28,717 persons in detention, which was twice the number from the previous two weeks Videos of Gujaratis in makeshift encampments on the Mexico border have gone viral now, and some people in these videos can be heard saying that more than 5,000 people from Gujarat are likely to queue up on the southern border of America to try their luck One piece of footage shows people put up in thatched tents propped up by the ‘Trump wall’
The I AF has grounded its entire fleet of around 60 old M iG-21 ‘ Bison’ fighters for c omprehensive engi ne and other technical checks after one of the si ngle engine jets c rashed into a vi llage and ki lled three women on the g r oun d i n th e H an u ma n g ar h di s t r i c t o f R aj asthan
D e f e n c e o f f i c i a l s s a i d t h a t t h e t h r e e M i G - 2 1 s q u a d r o n s s t a t i o n e d a t R a j a s t h a n ' s U t t a r l a i , Suratgarh, and Nal air bases on the western front won't be allowed to go to the skies until the ongoing technical inspections by the IAF and H i n d u s t a n A e r o n a u t i c s
(HAL) are over
The preliminary probe i n t o t h e a c c i d e n t , w h i c h i n c l u d e d a n a l y s i s o f t h e f l i g h t d a t a r e c o r d e r , h a s pointed out that the pilot had no option but to eject after the MiG-21 developed
“ s o m e e n g i n e p r o b l e m ” during an operational sortie from the Suratgarh air base on May 8 “The pilot first tried to recover the jet after t h e o n b o a r d e m e r g e n c y But he failed and had to eject As a routine precau-
tion, flying operations of the MiG-21s have been susp e n d e d f o r t e c h n i c a l checks,” he added
A p p r o x i m a t e l y 5 5 s o ldiers died in over 50 distinct a i r c r a f t a n d h e l i c o p t e r mishaps in the IAF, Army, and Navy in just the previous five years alone, according to media accounts, in addition to people on the ground
“ A s p e r t h e s t a n d a r d procedure, one-time checks are going on for which the fleet was grounded after the crash Aircraft are back in t h e a i r a s t h e c h e c k s progress, ” an Air Force official said
The CBI has ar re st ed Delhib a s e d fr e e la n ce jo u r n a li st Vive k R aghuva nshi an d form e r n a v y c o m ma n d e r A shish Pa thak in conn ection wit h a llege d leak of sen sitive i n f o r m a t i on r e l a t e d t o d efence procureme nt t o fore i g n in t e lli g e n ce a g e n ci e s R a g huv a n shi ha d be e n on t he r ada r of probe a gen cie s s in ce la st S e pt e mbe r T he a r r e s t s c a m e a ft e r C B I s le ut h s , w h o c a r r i e d ou t s e a r ch e s a t m or e t h a n 1 5 location s in Delhi-NCR a nd Ja ipur, stumble d upon fore ign remit tan ce s to t he t une o f £ 3 0 0 , 0 00 i n t h e b a n k a cc ou n t s o f R a g h u v a n s h i a n d hi s f a m i ly m e m be r s, source s said Raghuvanshi is learnt to h a v e c l a i m e d t h e m o n e y r e c e i v e d w a s p a y m e n t f o r
the articles he wrote, but the a g e n c y w a s n o t s a t i s f i e d w i t h h i s a n s w e r s , t h e s o u r c e s s a i d C B I i s n o w probing if there are others i n v o l v e d i n t h e c a s e R a g h u v a n s h i a n d P a t h a k have been booked under the Officials Secrets Act, besides IPC section 120-B (criminal c o n s p i r a c y ) T h e d u o w a s p r o d u c e d i n c o u r t a n d remanded in CBI custody D u r i n g t h e r a i d s , t h e agency seized 48 electronic devices, including laptops, tablets, mobile phones, hard disks and pen drives, belongi n g t o t h e t w o a c c u s e d , besides “incriminating docum e n t s ” p e r t a i n i n g t o t h e country’s defence establishments “The data stored in c l o u d - b a s e d a c c o u n t s , em a i l s a n d s o c i a l m e d i a
accounts belonging to the a c c u s e d a n d o t h e r s h a v e b e e n r e c o v e r e d b y d i g i t a l forensic experts of CBI,” said a n a g e n c y s p o k e s p e r s o n T h e s c r u t i n y o f d a t a revealed that Raghuvanshi, who worked for a web portal named Defence News, was c o l l e c t i n g c o n f i d e n t i a l i n f o r m a t i o n r e l a t e d t o defence procurement from d i f f e r e n t s o u r c e s a n d h a d e n t e r e d i n t o a g r e e m e n t s with several foreign entities for sharing the information
F o l l o w i n g h i s a r r e s t , R a g h u v a n s h i r e v e a l e d t h e a l l e g e d r o l e o f P a t h a k i n s u p p l y i n g t h e c l a s s i f i e d i n f o r m a t i o n t o h i m T h e agency has stumbled upon incriminating communicat i o n b e t w e e n t h e t w o accused
T h e s l e u t h s a r e a l s o looking into some cryptic t w e e t s m a d e f r o m Raghuvanshi’s account and will probe if they were some sort of password to open the leaked documents Sources said Raghuvanshi had been under Delhi Police’s surveillance since last September, when its special cell had registered an FIR for espionage Considering the “gravity and sensitivity” of the case, the m i n i s t r y o f h o m e a f f a i r s subsequently transferred the probe to CBI in December, which then filed a fresh case
It further stated that this w a s a n i n t e r n a t i o n a l n e twork, in which some Indian j o u r n a l i s t s “ a r e s u p p l y i n g strategic and secret information to intelligence agencies of enemy countries”
In th e m idst of a verbal exchang e between the C hhattisg arh go vernment's counsel and ED in front of the Suprem e C ourt, th e state accused the ag ency of h arassing its officials w hile looking into an alleged liqu or scam; the ED denied the claim The apex court subsequently ord ered the central agency to not create an atmosphere of fear as it could m ake ev en a leg itimate inv estigation ap pear susp ect
The SC was hearing a plea of Karishma Dhebar and her husband Anwar Dhebar, brother of Congress leader and Raipur mayor Aijaz Dhebar, who approached the court challenging the constitutional validity of Section 50 and Section 63 of the Prevention Of Money Laundering Act, 2002 The provisions empower ED officials to summon any person without giving any reason to record his statement and which provides punishment for giving false information or failure to give information
T h e b e n c h o f J u s t i c e s S a n j a y K i s h a n K a u l a n d Ahsanuddin Amanullah only awarded Anwar's wife temporary protection because Anwar had already been detained by the ED Other suspects who are being investigated by the ED have previously received similar protection from the bench Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal and lawyer Summer Sodhi, appearing for the state, questioned ED's probe in this case and said it was politically motivated and meant to destabilise the state government Sibal told the bench that the 51 officers of the excise department have given complaint in writing alleging mental and physical torture by ED officers during the course of investigation and that the agency is pressuring them to name the chief minister in order to implicate him in the case
Ad dressing the fifth “Rozgar Mela”, w here arou nd 71 ,00 0 ap pointment letters were handed over to new recruits in th e gov ernm ent, P M Narendra Mod i said that global giants from Walmart to A pple, C isco , NX P and F oxconn are looking to step up inv estment in the country, creating m ore jo b oppo rtunities in the p rivate sector The mov e, h e said , ties in with th e gov ernm ent’ s focus on increasing em ploym ent and h e hopes to double d own on it du ring his v isit to the U S next month , when h e will meet m ore CEOs
Recalling his recent meeting with Walmart CEO Doug McMillon, the PM spoke about the executive’s confidence in India in exporting up to £8 billion worth of goods from the country “This is big news for our youths employed in logistics and supply chain sectors The CEO of CISCO (Chuck Robbins) told me that they have set the goal for exporting products worth £800 million more from India,” Modi said
T h e o n se t o f m o n so o n o ver Kerala is likely to be sligh tly delayed this year w ith the IM D pred icting its arriv al on June 4, three d ays after the normal date ( June 1)
H o w e v e r , t h e m o nsoon's delayed arrival on t h e I n d i a n s u b c o n t i n e n t h a s l i t t l e t o d o w i t h i t s future development or its q u a n t i t a t i v e / s p a t i a l d i s t r i -
bution Although the monsoon arrived in Kerala seven days later than usual in 2019, the year saw "above normal" rainfall
Despite growing El Nino c o n d i t i o n s ( e x t r a o r d i n a r y w a r m i n g o f t h e s u r f a c e waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean), which is typically associated with weak mons o o n r a i n s , t h e I M D h a d a n t i c i p a t e d q u a n t i t a t i v e l y normal monsoon precipitation this year on April 11
Making its onset forecast for this year, the weather office said, “This year, the southwest (summer) mon-
soon onset over Kerala is likely to be slightly delayed than the normal date The monsoon onset over Kerala is likely to be on June 4 with a model error of ± 4 days ” June 1 is considered the normal date with a standard deviation of about 7 days It m a r k s t h e a r r i v a l o f t h e f o u r - m o n t h r a i n y s e a s o n ( J u n e - S e p t e m b e r ) i n I n d i a e v e n a s i t a r r i v e s o v e r Andaman & Nicobar Islands m u c h e a r l i e r “ S o u t h w e s t monsoon is very likely to advance into some parts of South Bay of Bengal, South Andaman Sea and Nicobar islands during the next 2-3 days,” said senior IMD scientist R K Jenamani
T h e S up r e m e C o ur t h a s p os tp on e d th e s c i e n t i f i c i n v es t i ga ti o n t o e s ta b l is h t h e a g e o f t h e a l l e ge d " Sh i v l i n g" d i s c ov e r ed a t V a ra n a s i ' s G y a n va p i mosq ue while noting that "we need to tread ca ref ully in this m atter "
The top court was hearing a plea challenging the M a y 1 2 A l l a h a b a d H i g h Court order of conducting a "scientific survey", including carbon dating, to determine the age of the structure
"Since the implications o f t h e i m p u g n e d o r d e r merit closer scrutiny, the i m p l e m e n t a t i o n o f t h e directions concerned in the order shall stand deferred till the next date," said the b e n c h h e a d e d b y C h i e f Justice DY Chandrachud
The bench also issued notices to the Centre, the Uttar Pradesh government and the Hindu petitioners on the mosque panel's plea a g a i n s t t h e h i g h c o u r t
order for the scientific survey and carbon dating of 'Shivling'
T h e C e n t r e a n d t h e Uttar Pradesh government h a v e b o t h a g r e e d f o r a d j o u r n i n g t h e p r o p o s e d s c i e n t i f i c s u r v e y o f ' S h i v l i n g ' f o r t h e t i m e being
The 'Shivling' was disc o v e r e d e a r l i e r t h i s y e a r during a video survey cond u c t e d i n t h e G y a n v a p i mosque complex under the d i r e c t i v e s o f a l o w e r
Varanasi court The management of the mosque has o b j e c t e d t o a s c i e n t i f i c examination, claiming that the supposed Shivling is a c t u a l l y a " f o u n t a i n " f o r ceremonial washings
T h e m o s q u e , l o c a t e d n e x t t o t h e i c o n i c K a s h i V i s h w a n a t h T e m p l e , h a s been one of the three temple-mosque rows - besides A y o d h y a a n d M a t h u r awhich the BJP raised in the
1 9 8 0 s a n d 9 0 s , g a i n i n g national prominence
He also referred to his meeting with Apple CEO Tim Cook who, he said, is bullish on manufacturing mobiles in India and said that the top executives of the semiconductor major NXP is also upbeat on India’s capacity to create a semiconductor ecosystem Modi said, “Foxconn too has started investments worth millions I will be meeting the CEOs of the world’s leading companies next week They are full of enthusiasm to invest in India All this highlights how the new employment opportunities are being created in different sectors in India ”
The Supre me C ourt r efuse d t o co n ve r t t he c ou rt p r oce edin gs in to a r oving in vestigat ion, includin g inquiries into t he a llege d role of t he LIC, which h ad inv este d a sizea ble sum in A dan i compa n i e s, a n d a sk e d m a r k e t reg ulat or S ebi to subm it by August 14 t he sta tus of t he pr ob e i n t o a ll e g a t i o n s of st o c k p r i ce m a n i p u la t i o n mad e a ga inst Ad an i gr oup co m p a n i e s by sh o r t - s e lle r Hind enburg
A bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, Justices P S N a r a s i m h a a n d J B
Pardiwala said, “We are dealing right now with the fallo u t o f t h e H i n d e n b u r g report The purpose of these proceedings is not for us or any public interest petitione r t o c o n d u c t a r o v i n g inquiry We will deal with whatever is directly related to the Hindenburg report, which the Solicitor General said the Sebi will be filing an affidavit ” One of the PIL petitioners added that LIC had made significant investments in Adani group comp a n i e s a n d t h a t i t s r o l e should also be looked into
Monsoon likely to hit Kerala coast 3 days late, on June 4
Don’t create atmosphere of fear, SC tells ED in Chhattisgarh liquor case
SC defers 'scientific survey' of 'shivling' at Gyanvapi mosque
B E N G A L U R U : S id d ara m aiah beg an his second inning s as chief minister of Karnataka last week in the presence of m o re th an a d o z en t o p no n- B JP politicians from across the country and a full house of Co ng ress stalwarts His 61ye ar- o l d d ep u t y an d Co ng ress ’ s state unit ch ief DK Shiv akumar were sw orn in w ith eight m inisters - all senior MLA s, including G Parameshwara, a former deputy CM and state C ongress h ead in 20 13 wh o recently threw h is hat into the ring for th e C M’s post
T h e 7 5 - y e a r - o l d S i d d a r a m a i a h took oath in the name of “God”, unlike his first swearing-in as CM in 2013 when he took the vow for“truth” He holds the distinction of being only the t h i r d C M o f K a r n a t a k a ( a f t e r S Nijalingappa and D Devaraj Urs) to complete a full term (2013-18)
Although the original plan was to administer oaths to 28 ministers to e n s u r e a f u l l - f l e d g e d c a b i n e t , o n l y eight took the oath
While Siddaramaiah batted for KJ George, MB Patil, Satish Jarkiholi, and BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan, Shivakumar p i t c h e d f o r G P a r a m e s h w a r a , K H M u n i y a p p a , R a m a l i n g a R e d d y , a n d Priyank Kharge, son of AICC chief
Mallikarjuna Kharge The oath was a d m i n i s t e r e d b y g o v e r n o r
T h a a w a r c h a n d
G e h l o t a t a g r a n d ceremony attended by 60,000 people a t t h e K a n t e e r a v a S p o r t s S t a d i u m i n Bengaluru UPA chief Sonia G a n d h i d i d n o t a t t e n d t h e e v e n t r e p o r t e d l y d u e t o h e a l t h r e a s o n s S h e said in a personalised video address: “I would like to reassure the people of K a r n a t a k a t h a t t h e C o n g r e s s government which has been sworn in today will stand by its commitment to i m p l e m e n t t h e p r o m i s e s m a d e t o them I am proud that the first Cabinet m e e t i n g h a s a l r e a d y a p p r o v e d t h e immediate implementation of our five guarantees ”
R a h u l G a n d h i a n d P r i y a n k a
Gandhi Vadra shared the dais with a host of prominent faces from non-BJP parties, in cluding Bihar CM Nitish
Kumar of JD(U), NCP supremo Sharad
Pawar, Tamil Nadu CM and DMK h e a d M K S t a l i n , B i h a r d e p u t y C M
Tejashwi Yadav of RJD, Jharkhand CM
Hemant Soren of JMM, former Jammu and Kashmir CMs Farooq Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti, and actor-politician
Kamal Hassan, among others
N E W D E L H I : T h e S u pr e m e C ou r t u ph e l d t h e cons tituti ona l validi ty of s tate laws f ram ed to allow bull-tami ng sport jalli kattu in Tam il N adu, rac e of male buffaloes known as kam bala i n Ka rn ataka a nd bullock cart race in Maharas htra, s aying that there are suffi cien t provi sions to prevent c ruelty to anim als i n these an cien t sports
A five-judge constitution bench of Justices K M Joseph, Ajay Rastogi, Aniruddha Bose, Hrishikesh Roy and C T Ravikumar said there was no flaw in the Acts framed by Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra It s a i d t h e c o u r t ’ s j u r i s d i c t i o n d o e s n o t e x t e n d t o providing absolute protection to animals from any manner of infliction of pain and suffering but to e n s u r e t h a t t h e a n i m a l s a r e p r o t e c t e d f r o m unnecessary pain and suffering, and these laws fulfil the test
The law was framed after the SC in 2014 banned jallikattu and bullock cart race for causing cruelty to animals To override the order, the Centre issued a notification that bulls might be continued to be t r a i n e d a s p e r f o r m i n g a n i m a l s a t e v e n t s s u c h a s j a l l i k a t t u a n d b u l l o c k c a r t r a c e s i n M a h a r a s h t r a , Karnataka, Punjab, Haryana, Kerala and Gujarat for being part of the states’ culture, and three state governments thereafter brought amendments in the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act
Upholding the amendments, the SC refused to accept the plea that the amendment Acts were void because they sought to override its 2014 judgment in the A Nagaraja case It said such arguments cannot be sustained as the basis of that judgment with regard to t h e n a t u r e a n d m a n n e r i n w h i c h t h e o f f e n d i n g activities were carried on has been altered
C HA ND IGA RH : With the Aam
A ad mi Party (A AP) g unning for t h e to p l ead ers h i p o f t h e S hirom ani Akali Dal in Punjab, a p olitical slugfest has broken o ut w it h t h e o p p o s it io n p art y ac cusi ng the Bh ag want M ann g overnment of a “witch hu nt" to cov er up its “ failures" on the law and order front
T h e w a r o f w o r d s w a s triggered after a senior minister in the Mann cabinet, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, threatened that there would be action against Sukhvilas Spa Resort owned by SAD chief Sukhbir Badal under the ongoing anti-encroachment drive
“We will take action against the owners as the resort has b e e n b u i l t v i o l a t i n g n o r m s , "
Dhaliwal said
The state government hasn’t s t o p p e d a t t h a t I t h a s r e c o n s t i t u t e d t h e S p e c i a l Investigation Team (SIT) that is inquiring into the drugs case against former Akali minister B i k r a m S i n g h M a j i t h i a T h e
M a n n g o v e r n m e n t h a d b e e n facing flak over no headway in the case I G P ( P a t i a l a r a n g e ) M S Chhina will now head the SIT
instead of DIG-cum-Vigilance Bureau Director Rahul S The orders in this regard were issued by the Director of the Bureau of I n v e s t i g a t i o n o f t h e P u n j a b Police
The other members of the SIT will, however, remain the same They include AIG-rank o f f i c e r R a n j i t S i n g h D h i l l o n , R a g h b i r S i n g h ( D S P , S T F , R u p n a g a r ) , a n d A m a r p r e e t S i n g h ( D S P , K h a r a r - 2 ) I G Gursharan Singh Sandhu will c o n t i n u e t o s u p e r v i s e t h e p r o g r e s s m a d e b y t h e p r o b e team
This is the second time the SIT probing Majithia’s alleged role in helping drug smugglers has been reconstituted Majithia was booked during the Congress
NEW D EL HI : The Suprem e C ourt stayed the West Bengal g overnm ent s order banning the public screening of mov ie ‘ The Kerala Story’ Th e court said the May 8 o rd er suffers from “ ov erbreadth” and is not b as ed o n an y m at eri a l p rod uced before Court
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud also directed the Tamil Nadu government to ensure all security arrangements be made to ensure the film's screening and the safety of moviegoers
The petitions seeking the ban on the film have been posted in July The court indicated that it might have to watch the film as the Madras high court has already dismissed a petition challenging the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) certification
T h e p r o d u c e r s s a i d t h e y w i l l a d d additional disclaimers saying: There is no authentic data to back up the suggestion that the figure of converted people is 32,000 or any other figure; and the film represents a
fictionalised version of the subject matter
The bench said it is the duty of the state government to maintain law and order as the film has been granted certification by the CBFC “ T h e l e g a l p r o v i s i o n cannot be used to put a premium on public intolerance Otherwise, all films will find themselves in this spot,” the bench, also comprising justices PS Narasimha and JB Pardiwala, said during the hearing
The states cannot sit in appeal over the grant of certification to the movie, said senior advocate Harish Salve appearing for t h e p r o d u c e r o f t h e m o v i e T h e b e n c h indicated that it may stay the West Bengal government order banning the film
Salve said nobody has filed any statutory appeal against the grant of certification to the film and referred judgments to buttress his submissions that it was held that the Supreme Court cannot sit in appeal over the CBFC certification
regime in December 2021 The f i r s t S I T w a s h e a d e d b y A I G B a l r a j S i n g h A f t e r t h e A A P government took over in the state, it replaced AIG Balraj with IG Rahul S However, the SIT failed to submit a challan against Majithia
Earlier, Majithia had claimed innocence saying the police had no proof against him due to which it could not submit any challan The SAD has accused t h e M a n n g o v e r n m e n t o f p l a y i n g p o l i t i c s b y n e i t h e r s u b m i t t i n g a c h a l l a n n o r cancelling the case “There was n o t h i n g n e w a s t h e A A P government was forcing officers to toe its line It is part of a p o l i t i c a l v e n d e t t a , " a l l e g e d senior Akali Dal leader
K OL K A TA : The C alcutta high court has stayed an order terminating jobs of aro und 3 2, 0 0 0 prim ary s ch oo l teach ers i n West Beng al g ov ernm ent-sp o nsored and ai ded primary scho ols until the end of Sep tember or until further orders The cou rt h ad earlier c an ce lle d th e ap p o i n tm e nts o f th es e teachers in alleg ed violation of norms
On May 12, a single bench of justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay had cancelled the a p p o i n t m e n t s o f 3 6 , 0 0 0 p r i m a r y s c h o o l teachers who were recruited in 2016 in alleged violation of norms Five days later, the same bench corrected its order and revised the figure to 32,000 L a t e r , a d i v i s i o n b e n c h o f j u s t i c e s S u b r a t a T a l u k d a r a n d S u p r a t i m
Bhattacharya stayed the order “There shall be an interim stay on termination of jobs till the end of September 2023, or until further orders, whichever is earlier,” it said
The death of a 31-year-old man after he fell into a gushing stormwater drain in Bengaluru took the number of rain-related fatalities to five in Karnataka s Bengaluru and Mysuru districts that have been battered by rainstorm and lightning over the weekend, officials said Earlier in the day a 23-year-old employee of Infosys drowned after her cab got stuck in neck-deep water at KR Circle underpass near the Karnataka assembly Five others of her family and the driver were rescued but she couldn t be saved Two farmers died of lightning in Mysuru district and a teenager was electrocuted while tending the fields The torrential rain also caused extensive damage to private housing, public properties and power cables The devastation wrought by the thunderstorm brought back memories of last September’s flash flooding from heavy, backto-back overnight rain that submerged swathes of Bengaluru, including some of its poshest localities
The Jewish community of Kerala celebrated a traditional wedding after a gap of 15 years capturing the essence of Jewish customs The ceremony, which was held at a private resort in Kochi was attended by the family, friends, and community members and officiated by a rabbi who reached the state from Israel Rachel Malakhai, a data scientist in the US and daughter of the former crime branch SP Benoy Malakhai got married to Richard Zachary Rowe an American citizen and a NASA engineer Family sources said this was the first wedding in Kerala that happened outside a synagogue The event assumed significance due to the rare nature of such weddings in Kerala The last Jewish wedding to take place in the state was in 2008 after a gap of nearly two decades at the Thekkumbhagam synagogue,
Mattancherry
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) expressed surprise at the repeated assertions by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that it would not ally with the former SAD spokesman Maheshinder Singh Grewal said: The SAD has an alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in Punjab The alliance is doing well, and there is no proposal to extend any alliance with any other party, including the BJP The SAD has never spoken about any future alliance with the BJP, and the latter should stop speculating on this issue on an everyday basis ” Grewal also reminded the BJP that the SAD had broken its alliance with the saffron party on a matter of principle when the former betrayed the farmers by forcing through the three farm laws without any discussion with its alliance partner or the stakeholders
The Supreme Court agreed to hear on May 26 a plea by TMC member Abhishek Banerjee against his questioning by the CBI in the school jobs scam case Abhishek who was on May 20 questioned for over nine hours by CBI in connection with the probe into the case, has sought the SC’s direction that no coercive steps be taken against him by the agency Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for him, listed the matter for urgent listing before a vacation bench of Justices Aniruddha Bose and Sanjay Karol The bench said the plea would be heard on May 26 Abhishek’s name cropped up in a complaint filed by Kuntal Ghosh a businessman and an accused in the school jobs scam, where he alleged that central investigating agencies were pressuring him to name Abhishek in the case
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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his counterparts from different nations during the summit As the elections are around the corner in many countries, world leaders are trying to gain popularity to win
India's growing global impact and reliance force the G7 to consider its viewpoint India's participation in the G7 demonstrates that it is a democratic big power that is responsible and non-authoritarian India stands third in the world when it comes to defence expenditure India's GDP is similar to the UK, and higher than France, Italy, and Canada Therefore, G7 invites India every year and wants to communicate Modi unveiled the bust of Mahatma Gandhi at Hiroshima Peace Park in Japan The bust was gifted by India to Hiroshima as a symbol of friendship and goodwill between India and Japan
In their second face-to-face meeting since the G20 Summit in Indonesia last November, Modi and Sunak reportedly discussed innovat i o n , r e s e a r c h , a n d t h e C o m p r e h e n s i v e Strategic Partnership Sharing details of the meeting, Modi tweeted a series of images of his interaction with the British PM He wrote, “ P r o d u c t i v e d i s c u s s i o n w i t h U K P M
@ R i s h i S u n a k o n t h e s i d e l i n e s o f t h e Hiroshima G-7 Summit ”
The official Twitter account of the British High Commission in India retweeted the post adding more pictures of the leaders sharing a hug with the caption,“Ek mazboot dosti (a strong friendship) ”
Notably, after Sunak's first ever meeting with Modi in 2022, he posted a photo of them hand-in-hand with the same caption saying, “United by friendship ”
An official statement by the Ministry of E x t e r n a l A f f a i r s r e a d , “ L e a d e r s a g r e e d t o deepen cooperation across a wide range of areas, such as trade & investment, science & technology, higher education, and people-topeople relationships ”
D o w n i n g S t r e e t a l s o s t a t e d t h a t t h e
British Indian leader's first trip to India is anticipated to be for the G20 Summit in New Delhi later this year due to India's G20 presidency The PM expressed enthusiasm over welcoming Sunak in September
Modi, Sunak's commitment t o FTA
PM Modi and Sunak reaffirmed their commitment to an ambitious and advantageous agreement while reviewing the IndiaUK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and the status of the ongoing FTA discussions
The two leaders decided to expand their cooperation in a variety of fields, including trade and investment, science and technolog y , h i g h e r e d u c a t i o n , a n d i n t e r c u l t u r a l exchanges, according to a readout “They discussed progress on a UK-India Free Trade Agreement The leaders agreed that their teams would continue to work at pace to finalise an ambitious and mutually beneficial deal,” a Downing Street spokesperson was quoted as saying
“The leaders discussed the wider objectives of the G7 Summit and Sunak committed his strong support for India’s G20 presidency, which comes at a crucial time for global security and prosperity He looked forward to working closely with PM Modi ahead of a successful summit later this year, ” the spokesperson added
With PM Sunak, his wife Akshata Murthy also joined in their first official visit to G7 Summit in Japan He paid a visit to the Hiroshima atomic blast site before beginning his tour with a speech about the Hiroshima Accord, a global strategic alliance between the UK and Japan The historic agreement is thought to be essential to Britain's IndoPacific strategy and to counter China's sway in the area
Many top leaders such as Zelensky, Biden, Albanese praised Modi for his demonstrating the democracies in every matter His actions have made a huge impact on the Indo-pacific region such as climate change, food security etc
Your popular it y is a pr ob lem for me: Biden to Modi
President Biden said, “I have run out of tickets” for a dinner scheduled in Washington in honour of the former during his state visit to the US in June “I should take your autograph You are causing me a real problem Everyone wants to come (to the dinner), from movie stars to relatives I’ve run out of tickets,” Biden told Modi He also praised PM Modi for “making a significant impact on everything, including what we are doing in the Quad” Biden said, “You made a fundamental shift in climate change You have influence in the Indo-Pacific You are making a difference”
The whole world is watching India as it is sitting at the high Biden told Modi that he is demonstrating that democracies matter, he has influence in the Indo-Pacific region and he made a significant impact on everything
A u s t r a l i a n P r i m e M i n i s t e r A n t h o n y Albanese said he too was getting similar r e q u e s t s f o r t h e e v e n t A c c o r d i n g t o t h e media, Albanese recalled the occasion when 90,000 spectators gathered to cheer him on during the victory lap at the Narendra Modi stadium Hearing this, Biden told Modi in a lighter vein that he should take his autograph!
Modi a t G7: The Mill ion-Buck Handshake
India's position on the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has generated considerable controversy India has often said that it opposes war and has justified and clarified its p o s i t i o n I n d i a h a s m a i n t a i n e d a n e u t r a l stance in the UN, while the Ukrainian equivalent has vigorously contested this position
I n t h e i r f i r s t b i l a t e r a l m e e t i n g s i n c e R u s s i a ' s i n v a s i o n o f U k r a i n e , P M M o d i a s s u r e d U k r a i n i a n P r e s i d e n t V o l o d y m y r Zelensky that India would do everything in its power to put an end to the conflict via negotiations and diplomacy and to lessen the suffering of the Ukrainian people
PM Modi, Alb ane se rena me Sy dney suburb as ‘Li ttle In dia’
During the event at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney Olympic Park, PM Modi and h i s A u s t r a l i a n c o u n t e r p a r t
said those
"our confidants, it was found that they did not stand by us in the time of need
India respects your priorities We are proud to be your development partner - be it humanitarian aid or your development, you can see India as a reliable partner Our approach is based on human values," Modi, the first Indian prime minister to visit the country, said
In his opening remarks, Modi also discussed the negative effects of the Covid-19 and other global changes on supplies of food, gasoline, fertiliser, and pharmaceutical products at the summit attended by top leaders of 14 Pacific Island Nations in this capital city of Papua New Guinea
"I am glad that India stood shoulder to shoulder with its Pacific Island friends in this challenging time Whether it is a vaccine made in India or essential medicines; be it wheat or sugar, India continued to help all fellow countries according to its capabilities," he said
Anthony Albanese renamed the Sydney district as "Little India " Speaking at the event, Modi announced that India will open a new consulate in Brisbane soon During his address, he asserted India’s position in the world as the “force of global good India is always ready to help others whenever there is a disaster,” he said H e a l s o h a i l e d I n d i a a s t h e “ m o t h e r o f
democracy,” as well as a “bright spot” in the global economy
PM Modi informed the local media that he wants closer bilateral defence and security cooperation as China's influence in the IndoPacific region expands Ahead of Modi’s arrival, Prime Minister Albanese said in a statement, “I am honoured to host Prime M i n i s t e r M o d i f o r a n o f f i c i a l v i s i t t o Australia, after receiving an extremely warm welcome in India earlier this year ”
Prim e M inister Narend ra Mod i w ill officially inaugurate th e new Parliam ent bu ild ing on M ay 28, accord ing to a statement from the Lok Sabha S ecretariat L ok S abha speaker Om Birla has inv ited M odi to inaugurate the new parliament building
“Construction of the New Parliament Building is complete now and the new building symbolises the spirit of self-reliant India (Atmanirbhar Bharat),” the Lok Sabha statement said Construction of the existing Parliament was completed in 1927 and there
was “lack of space ” as per the current needs, it said “In both the Houses, there was also lack of convenient arrangements for the sitting of the MPs which was affecting efficiency of work of the members Considering the above, both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha passed resolutions urging the government to construct a new building for the Parliament,” the statement said The new structure, which is located next to the current Parliament House, would have a capacity for 888 Lok Sabha members
and 300 Rajya Sabha members, respectively, as opposed to the current capabilities of 543 and 250 After the PM laid the foundation stone of the new building on December 10, 2020, construction began in January 2021 and was supposed to be done by November 2022 Tata Projects Ltd built the structure, which was planned by Ahmedabad-based HCP Design, Planning and Management, t
consultant for the wider Central Vista redevelopment project
A British man completed an amazing accomplishment by visiting all s e v
accepted the task of breaking the current Guinness World Record It took him just six days, 16 hours, and 14 minutes to see the Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal in India, Petra in Jordan, the Colosseum in Rome, Christ the Redeemer in Brazil, Machu Picchu in Peru, and ChichenItza
continents, landed in nine countries, flew on 13 flights, and rode in 16 taxis, nine buses, four trains and one toboggan to cover about 22,856 miles. The Great Wall of China was McDonald's first stop. After that, he visited Jordan's ancient city of Petra, made famous by Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and the Taj Mahal. (Agency)
A recent video demonstrates that a mother's love knows no bounds The video captures a heartwarming moment when an elderly woman pays a visit to her daughter, who is battling cancer A poignant text overlay on the video reads, “POV: You’re 88 years old Travel 6 hours, just to tell your 64-year-old baby, who’s fighting cancer, it’s going to be ok ” The video has touched people's hearts all over the world, and many have left heartfelt comments Some people even said they could relate to the close bond between a mother and child The video was s h a r e d o n I n s t a g r a m b y G o o d N e w s C o r r e s p o n d e n t w i t h t h e c a p t i o n , “ A M o t h e r ' s L o v e : 8 8 - y e a r - o l d mother travels to the hospital to be with her 64-year-old daughter during her cancer treatments ” (Agency)
Thief returns stolen temple ornaments
Nine years after he had stolen silver o r n a m e n t s f r o m a t e m p l e o u t s i d e o f
Bhubaneswar, a man returned all of the silver and asked for forgiveness in writing, a c c o r d i n g t o a u t h o r i t i e s I n M a y 2 0 1 4 , several silver ornaments of Radha-Krishna t e m p l e a t G o p i n a t h p u r v i l l a g e i n B h u b a n e s w a r w e r e s t o l e n T h e b a g o f jewellery, which was deposited outside the home close to the temple from which the burglar had taken it and had an apologetic n o t e , a c c o r d i n g t o C h i t t a r a n j a n R o u t , inspector-in-charge of the Dhauli police station Temple priest Kailash Panda said the recovery of the stolen ornaments is nothing short of a miracle “We did not expect the ornaments to reappear like this We had purchased new ornaments for the deities after the incident This is nothing but divine intervention ” (Agency)
Bijnor voters elect dead woman
A s h i y a B i ( 2 5 ) w a s a n i n d e p e n d e n t candidate in the recently held UP civic poll She wanted to “bring happiness” to the p e o p l e o f H a s a n p u r , A m r o h a , U t t a r Pradesh But before the voting her health deteriorated and died on May 20 due to acute lung and abdominal infection When the time came for voting, her admirers cared so little that it didn't matter if she p a s s e d a w a y b e f o r e t h e e l e c t i o n T h e y continued to vote for her When votes were c o u n t e d , A s h i y a h a d w o n M o h a m m a d Zakir, a resident, said, “Ashiya made friends easily and people didn’t want to break the promise of support they gave her and hence the result ” Ashiya filed her nomination on April 16 for the post of ward member (17) in H a s a n p u r m u n i c i p a l i t y w h i c h h a s o v e r
2,000 votes (Agency)
19 monkeys found dead, poisoning suspected
In the Hapur area of UP, more t h a n a d o z e n m o n k e y s w e r e f o u n d d e a d i n m y s t e r i o u s circumstances, along with several others w h o w e r e c o m a t o s e T h e e v e n t w a s discovered after several locals reported an o f f e n s i v e o d o u r t o t h e p o l i c e , w h o r e s p o n d e d a n d n o t i f i e d t h e f o r e s t department According to officials, prima facie it appears to be a case of "animal abuse" “Nineteen carcasses were recovered from the bushes in the Garhmukteshwar a r e a I t s e e m s t h a t t h e a n i m a l s w e r e poisoned Frothy nasal discharge, bleeding from mouth and congested organs are some o f t h e s y m p t o m s r e v e a l e d d u r i n g a postmortem examination," said Dr Ranjan S i n g h , d e p u t y c h i e f v e t e r i n a r y o f f i c e r (Agency)
MP woman engineer found with £700,000 assets
T h e M a d h y a P r a d e s h L o k a y u k t a ' s special police establishment (SPE) searched the home of a female assistant engineer employed by the Madhya Pradesh Police Housing Corporation (MPPHC) and seized d o c u m e n t s r e g a r d i n g a s s e t s w o r t h
£500,000 to 700,000 from her possession
T h e e n g i n e e r , H e m a M e e n a , i s b e i n g i n v e s t i g a t e d f o r a l l e g e d l y a c c u m u l a t i n g a s s e t s t h a t a r e d i s p r o p o r t i o n a t e t o h e r known source of income According to o f f i c i a l s , M e e n a , w h o e a r n s a m o n t h l y salary of about Rs 30,000, has properties that are almost 232% disproportionate to h e r i n c o m e I t i s b e l i e v e d t h a t t h e s e p r o p e r t i e s h a v e l i n k s w i t h a ‘ s e n i o r e n g i n e e r ’ w h o h a d b e e n p o s t e d i n t h e MPPHC for a long period Investigations r e v e a l e d t h a t M e e n a h a d p u r c h a s e d 20,000sqft of land in Bilkhiriya, Bhopal, in the name of her father and had constructed a building worth about £100,000 on it
(Agency)
AI bans flyer for 2 years over ‘crew assault’
crew to use restraining devices to keep him seated till then The Dreamliner had taken off at 6 35 am that day with almost 240 people on board and returned over three hours later at 9 42 am Jaskirat was handed over to Delhi police later and an FIR filed against him by AI “Jaskirat’s unruly and disruptive behaviour had also endangered the safety of aircraft and persons on board The internal committee is unanimously of the view that (he) does not deserve any lenient view Hence, (he) is banned from flying/taking flights to/from/ within India for a period of two years, ” an AI official said (Agency)
To encourage self-reliance, the defence m i n i s t r y h a s a p p r o v e d a n e w l i s t t h a t gradually outlaws the import of 928 subsystems, components, spare parts, and 'line replacement units' of military hardware and p l a t f o r m s b y d e f e n c e P S U s T h e n e w “positive indigenisation list” for the defence PSUs is in continuation of the first three such lists, which contained a total of 1,238 items, announced in December 2021, March 2022 and August 2022 “The 928 items in the fourth list, with import substitution value of £71 5 million, will be procured from I n d i a n i n d u s t r y a f t e r t h e t i m e l i n e s indicated in the list that range between December 2024 and December 2028 Of the 1 , 2 3 8 e a r l i e r i t e m s , 3 1 0 h a v e b e e n indigenised so far,” an official said Over 450 of the items in the fourth list are various types of "magazine fire-fighting systems components, 260 are related to gas turbine generators, and 147 are related to shafting The list also covers a number of components related to the HTT-40 training aircraft, such as multi-function displays and the main and nose wheel tyres (Agency)
People donate generously for animal welfare
be Rs 1,600, or 60% more (The Times of India)
Bobi, the world’s oldest dog
B o b i , a 3 1 - y e a r - o l d P o r t u g u e s e d o g , broke the record for the oldest dog in the Guinness World Records, which had been held for a century by an Australian cattledog Bobi is still healthy and strong Bobi is a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo, a breed that is known for being livestock guardians If you looked at other dogs you’d notice how most of them usually don’t live beyond 12 to 14 years of age Bobi, however, has lived double of that and a bit longer After Bobi’s 3 0 t h b i r t h d a y l a s t y e a r , h i s o w n e r submitted an application to the Guinness World Records for the title of the oldest dog living, and in February 2023, at over 30 years of age, Bobi was officially confirmed as the oldest dog ever recorded by Guinness World Records He surpassed Bluey, an Australian cattle dog who had held this record for over a century when he passed away in 1939 at the age of 29 (Agency)
A passenger who allegedly attempted to unlock a door mid-flight and assaulted two flight attendants who prevented him on a Delhi-London flight last month has been banned from Air India (AI) for two years AI has requested DGCA to put Jaskirat Singh Padda (25) on its no-fly list, too, over the April 10 “life-threatening behaviour” that forced the plane to return to Delhi and the
For sincere animal lovers, both dogs a n d c o w s a r e p r e c i o u s , b u t t i m e s a r e changing In a study on online contribution t r e n d s , t h e I n d i a n I n s t i t u t e o f Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A) found that while dogs receive more money in donations, cows receive more love from their supporters So, while there is a large b a s e o f n e t i z e n s w h o d o n a t e d f i x e d amounts for the upkeep of cows, a small but dedicated group of individuals donates 2-2 5 times higher amount towards canine c a r e P r o f S o u r a v B o r a h , a n a s s i s t a n t professor of marketing at IIM-A, along with his doctoral student Sai Siddharth V K, carried out a first-of-its-kind research on online donations in the Indian context The researchers observed that although dog donations were more concentrated in u r b a n a r e a s , d o n a t i o n s f o r c o w s w e r e s h o w n t o b e a p a n - I n d i a n o c c u r r e n c e Overall, people were found to be giving significantly to causes that support animal r i g h t s o r w e l f a r e W h i l e t h e a v e r a g e individual donation was at Rs 1,000, the average donation for animals was found to
During a skydiving exercise at the Paratroopers Training School (PTS), a 28y e a r - o l d p a r a t r o o p e r f r o m t h e I n d i a n N a v y s e l i t e M A R C O S ( M a r i n e Commandos) force perished in Agra after falling from a height after his parachute became tangled in high-voltage power lines The commando, Leading Seaman Ankush Sharma, was posted in J&K He had jumped from a height of about 8,000 f t f r o m a n A N - 3 2 - a R u s s i a n - b u i l t frontline transport/cargo aircraft of the I n d i a n A i r F o r c e w h e n h i s p a r a c h u t e purportedly deviated due to strong winds towards a nearby village, leading to the a c c i d e n t , p o l i c e s a i d M a l p u r a S H O T e j v e e r S i n g h s a i d , “ W e r e c e i v e d information about the parachute crash at night ” (Agency)
T h e Wo rl d H eal th Organisation’s (WHO) latest g u id eli n es w arn ag ai ns t u sing non-sug ar sw eeteners ( N S S ) to lo s e w e ig h t o r red uce the risk of non-comm unicable diseases It adds that long-term u se is linked to d iseases like typ e 2 d iabetes and cardio vascular dise as es , am o n g o t h ers , i n adu lts Com mon non-sugar sw eeteners includ e acesu lfame K, aspartame, ad vantam e, cyclamates, neotame, sacch arin, s ucralose, stevia and stevia derivatives
A r t i f i c i a l s w e e t e n e r refers to a substance that is made chemically to mimic sugar They have zero calories and sometimes are even s w e e t e r t h a n t a b l e s u g a r A s p a r t a m e , s a c c h a r i n a n d
sucralose are some examples o f a r t i f i c i a l s w e e t e n e r s H o n e y , a g a v e n e c t a r , a n d maple syrup are some examples of natural sugar, but many of them undergo processing As for stevia, while it is made with the extracts of leaves of the stevia plant, it is highly processed, and people may not reap its full benefits
Here are three important points to understand from WHO guidelines regarding
the use of non-sugar sweeteners:
1 NSS d o not really h elp with weight loss
T h e g u i d e l i n e s said that while people feel having nonsugar sweeteners can help with weight loss, it's not the case, and they should be consuming natur a l l y o c c u r r i n g s u g a r i n fruits "Replacing free sugars with NSS does not help with weight control in the long term People need to consider other ways to reduce free sugars intake, such as consuming food with naturally occurring sugars, like fruit, or unsweetened food and beverages,” says Francesco Branca, WHO Director for Nutrition and Food Safety
2 Do not hav e an y n utrit ion al v alue
T h e g u i d e l i n e s a d d e d that NSS are not essential dietary factors and have no n u t r i t i o n a l v a l u e " P e o p l e should reduce the sweetness of the diet altogether, starting early in life, to improve their health," said Branca
3 N o t he lp fu l fo r p e op l e with dia be tes
T h e r e c o m m e n d a t i o n applies to all people except individuals with pre-existing diabetes It includes all synthetic and naturally occurring or modified non-nutritive sweeteners that are not classified as sugars found in m a n u f a c t u r e d f o o d s a n d beverages or sold on their own to be added to foods and beverages by consumers
New research being p resented at the European Congress o n Obesity (ECO) in Dublin, Ireland , revealed that o bese teenagers w ho claim their h ung er is p reventing them from lo sing weight h ave a m ore negative percep tion o f t h ei r w e ig h t an d w o rr y about it more th an kids who d o not see h ung er as a barrier
The international study also discovered that hungerbarrier ALwO is more likely t o b e f e m a l e a n d m o r e inclined to claim that being b u l l i e d b e c a u s e o f t h e i r weight makes them unhapp y A d d i t i o n a l l y , t h e y a r e more inclined to actively try to lose weight
Dr Bassam Bin-Abbas, o f t h e D e p a r t m e n t o f P a e d i a t r i c s , K i n g F a i s a l S p e c i a l i s t H o s p i t a l a n d R e s e a r c h C e n t e r , R i y a d h , Saudi Arabia, and colleagues carried out a sub-analysis of data from ACTION Teens, a
Scientists have d eveloped a co n ce p tu al ap p ro a ch to p red i ct w h eth er a p er so n w it h ty p e 2 d i ab ete s w i ll develop kid ney d isease The stud y was publish ed in the j ou r nal Nat u re C o m m u n ic at i o ns T h e app roach can h elp do ctors prevent or better m anag e ki d ne y d i s eas e i n p e op le with type 2 d iabetes
Co-senior author Kevin
global study of the experiences, care and treatment of adolescents living with obesity (ALwO), their caregivers a n d t h e i r h e a l t h c a r e providers
The survey-based study, conducted in ten countries, aims to improve awareness of management, treatment and support for ALwO It found that hunger-barrier ALwO were more likely to be female (47 per cent vs 42 per cent), to be in the oldest age group (16-17 years), have obesity class II (27 per cent
vs 18 per cent) and have a direct relative who’s overweight However, hungerbarrier ALwO were less likely to have obesity class I (60% vs 68%) and class III (12% vs 14%)
T h e s u r v e y r e s p o n s e s a l s o r e v e a l e d t h a t t h e hunger-barrier ALwO were more likely to actively try to lose weight A greater prop o r t i o n o f h u n g e r - b a r r i e r ALwO had attempted to lose weight in the past year (70 p e r c e n t v s 5 1 p e r c e n t ) , improved their eating habits
(51 per cent vs 35 per cent), b e c o m e m o r e p h y s i c a l l y active (37 per cent vs 32 per c e n t ) , r e c o r d e d t h e f o o d s they ate (23 per cent vs 14 per cent), seen a nutritionist/dietitian (21 per cent vs 1 3 p e r c e n t ) o r a n obesity/weight management doctor (20 per cent vs 9 per cent) than non-hunger-barrier ALwO “ M a n y p e o p l e l i v i n g w i t h o b e s i t y h a v e w e a k e r a p p e t i t e r e g u l a t i o n , w i t h food having less impact on the systems that inhibit eating behaviour," says Dr BinA b b a s “ C o n s e q u e n t l y h u n g e r i s n o t d a m p e n e d T h i s l e a d s t o t h e f e e l i n g food is controlling you and this makes it very difficult to resist cues to eat This may mean that hunger is associated with more unsuccessful w e i g h t l o s s a t t e m p t s a n d w e i g h t r e g a i n s a n d s o g r e a t e r f e e l i n g s o f f a i l u r e and lack of self-worth ”
It is common t o fe el e xhauste d or on edge in t his fastpa ced worl d It usual ly happ e n s b e c a us e t h e n e r v ou s system is not b eing regulate d To feel calm a nd at peace, one ne eds to down-regul ate t he nervous system first In a r ece nt Instag ram post , an xie ty coach Anna Pa pa ioan nou a d dr e ss ed do wn -r e gu l a ti on a nd why practise it
She wrote, “Down-regulation is consciously practising supporting your nervous system to shift from sympathetic to a parasympathetic ( s o c i a l e n g a g e m e n t ) s t a t e While it may seem compli-
cated down-regulation practices can easily slip into your day-to-day life in just 5 minutes ” Anna also noted ways to down-regulate the nervous system to feel calmer She w r o t e , “ G i v e y o u r s e l f t h e s p a c e t o e x p e r i m e n t w i t h d i f f e r e n t p r a c t i c e s t o f i n d what feels best for you, it m a y t a k e s o m e t i m e , b u t y o u r n e r v o u s s y s t e m w i l l love you for it ” To down -re gul ate y our b ody , you can try these few t ricks:
Orie nt to your b od y: It is i m p o r t a n t t o n o t i c e h o w
y o u r b o d y r e s p o n d s t o exhaustion or when you are on alert Tune the heart rate, and notice the neck and posture tension In such situations, resort to something that gives you a sense of safety, such as a photograph or a scent Ps y ch ol o g ic a l s ig h : I n h a l e t h r o u g h t h e n o s e , t a k e a pause and then inhale some m o r e t h r o u g h t h e n o s e again Then, exhale the air slowly through the mouth f o r a b o u t 6 - 8 s e c o n d s R e p e a t t h i s p r o c e s s a b o u t
two to three times
Glimme rs: Glimmers are the
things that give us a sense of safety and happiness They are the opposite of triggers When we need to down-regulate the nervous system, we should seek glimmers Social e n g a g e m e n t : H u m a n s a r e social beings and are wired to r e q u i r e t h e p r e s e n c e o f another In times of distress, connect with people you love and care Cold ex posure: Exposure to c o l d h e l p s i n i n c r e a s i n g p a r a s y m p a t h e t i c a c t i v i t y Taking a cold shower or subm e r g i n g t h e f a c e i n c o l d water helps down-regulate the nervous system
Y i p , P h D , p r o f e s s o r a n d director of Bioinformatics at S a n f o r d B u r n h a m P r e b y s , said, “This study provides a glimpse into the powerful f u t u r e o f p r e d i c t i v e diagnostics Our team has d e m o n s t r a t e d t h a t b y combining clinical data with cutting-edge technology, it’s p o s s i b l e t o d e v e l o p c o m p u t a t i o n a l m o d e l s t o help clinicians optimize the treatment of type 2 diabetes to prevent kidney disease ” " T h e r e h a s b e e n s i g n i f i c a n t p r o g r e s s d e v e l o p i n g t r e a t m e n t s f o r k i d n e y d i s e a s e i n p e o p l e w i t h d i a b e t e s , s a y s c os e n i o r a u t h o r R o n a l d M a , MB BChir, FRCP, a professor i n t h e D e p a r t m e n t o f Medicine and Therapeutics at the Chinese University of H o n g K o n g " H o w e v e r , i t can be difficult to assess an individual patient's risk for d e v e l o p i n g k i d n e y d i s e a s e b a s e d o n c l i n i c a l f a c t o r s alone, so determining who is at greatest risk of developing diabetic kidney disease is an important clinical need ”
T h e n e w a l g o r i t h m depends on measurements of DNA methylation, which occurs when subtle changes a c c u m u l a t e i n o u r D N A D N A m e t h y l a t i o n c a n e n c o d e i m p o r t a n t i n f o r m a t i o n a b o u t w h i c h genes are being turned on and off and can be easily m e a s u r e d t h r o u g h b l o o d tests " O u r c o m p u t a t i o n a l model can use methylation markers from a blood sample t o p r e d i c t b o t h c u r r e n t kidney function and how the kidneys will function years in the future, which means it could be easily implemented alongside current methods for evaluating a patient's risk for kidney disease," says Yip
T h e r e s e a r c h e r s developed their model using d e t a i l e d d a t a f r o m m o r e than 1,200 patients with type 2 diabetes in the Hong Kong Diabetes Register They also t e s t e d t h e i r m o d e l o n a separate group of 326 Native A m e r i c a n s w i t h t y p e 2 d i a b e t e s , w h i c h h e l p e d ensure that their approach could predict kidney disease in different populations
T h e r e s e a r c h e r s a r e currently working to further refine their model They are a l s o e x p a n d i n g t h e application of their approach to looking at other questions a b o u t h u m a n h e a l t h a n d disease--such as determining w h y s o m e p e o p l e w i t h cancer don't respond well to certain treatments
Accord ing to findings presented at Heart Failu re 2023, a scientific congress of the E ur o p ea n S o ci et y o f C ar d i o lo g y ( E S C ) , p e op le with powerful legs are less likely to develo p heart failure following a heart attack
Around 6-9% of heart a t t a c k p a t i e n t s g o o n t o develop heart failure, maki n g m y o c a r d i a l i n f a r c t i o n the most common cause of the ailment Strong quadriceps has been linked to a l o w e r r i s k o f d e a t h i n p a t i e n t s w i t h c o r o n a r y artery disease, according to
earlier study
This study looked at the notion that having strong legs may reduce the likelih o o d o f d e v e l o p i n g h e a r t failure following an acute myocardial infarction Nine h u n d r e d a n d t h i r t y t w o i n d i v i d u a l s w i t h a c u t e myocardial infarction who were hospitalised from 2007 to 2020 who did not have heart failure at the time of t h e i r a d m i s s i o n o r h a v e c o m p l i c a t i o n s f r o m h e a r t failure did not have heart failure at the time of the study
The wife of actor Shahid Kapoor, Mira Kapoor, was at an event in Mumbai over the weekend where she was surrounded by the paps In a video shared by a paparazzo account on Instagram, the mother of two was seen walking towards the venue's exit when she asked the paparazzi to let her go She wore a black and white body con dress and tied her hair back in a ponytail. She completed her look with a pair of heels and earrings.
As is the norm every year, Aishwarya Rai stunned as she walked the red carpet for the first time at this year’s Cannes Film Festival She sat down for an interview ahead of her red carpet appearance, during which she spoke about her last release ‘Ponniyin Selvan: II,’ her characters in the film, and the ‘silent question’ everyone keeps asking about her career
In her interview, Aish was asked, “Why aren’t we, as in the Hindi cinema, offering you roles with such complexities, such depth? Look at what you brought out and what you did with it ” She responded, “Well that’s a silent question I think everybody normally ends up asking We are all creative people, when something turns out so good and feels so right, creatively for the people working on it, as well as for the audience, that’s the response it evokes I think one of the most beautiful and most rewarding moments is when questions like this arise for the actors, the leading ladies ”
She added, “There’s a reason we salute Mani Ratnam and directors like him, who do create work like this, and that’s why it is such a pleasure for us as artists to work with them, and to come away with results like this and movies like this, where we are proud of the work we have done We feel immensely satisfied and Ponniyin Selvan has definitely been immensely satisfying for all of us ” ‘ P S 2 ’ i s t h e s e c o n d i n s t a l m e n
Krishnamurthy’s popular historical novel Ponniyin Selvan The cast includes Vikram, Trisha, Karthi, Jayam Ravi, Sobhita Dhulipala and Aishwarya Lekshmi The movie was released in theatres on April 28
Vicky Kaushal recently spoke about missing wife-actor Katrina Kaif at an event in Mumbai A paparazzo shared videos of Vicky attending a promotional event for his upcoming film
‘Zara Hatke Zara Bachke ’ He was asked at the event if he was missing his co-star Sara
Ali Khan
Vicky replied, “Sara ko t o h b o h u t m i s s k a r r a h a h o o n ( I ’ m m i s s i n g S a r a a l o t ) ” W h e n f a n s s h o u t i n g
Kat’s name, he smiled and responded, “Katrina ko toh sabse zada karta hoon (I miss Katrina the most) ” In another clip from the event, a fan said, “Pehle yeh kaha ki Katrina inki jaan hai But Vicky Kaushal mere jaan hai (he said that Katrina is his life But Vicky Kaushal is my life) " The fan also said, "Is janam mein Katrina inki hogi par agle har janam mein Vicky Kaushal sirf mere honge (In this life, Katrina will be
The daughter of filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, Aaliyah, has announced her engagement with boyfriend Shane Gregoire She shared pictures from the proposal, showing off her massive diamond ring She also penned a note
h i s b u t a l l o t h e r l i f e t i m e s Vicky Kaushal will only be mine) ”
Vicky bowed, smiled and folded his hands in reaction to the fan’s remarks He also responded with “I love you too” when the fan expressed her love for him and hugged her as she was overwhelmed by his presence
Vicky and Kat tied the knot at the Six Senses Fort B a r w a r a o n D e c e m b e r 9 , 2 0 2 1 F r o m s a n g e e t , a n d mehendi to haldi, the duo’s w e d d i n g h a p p e n e d according to proper Punjabi rituals Kat even paid tribute to Vicky’s Punjabi roots by adding red chooda and kaleeras to her bridal look
O n t h e w o r k f r o n t , V i c k y i s b u s y promoting his film ‘Zara Hatke Zara Bachke’ with Sara Ali Khan The movie has been helmed by Laxman Utekar and bankrolled by Dinesh Vijan It is set to release on June 2
T h e s h o r t c l i p a l s o c a p t u r e s M i r a cracking a joke as she urged the media to let her go She laughed as she said, “Mere bachche kal subah school jayenge toh aap mujhe jaane dijiye (My children need to go school tomorrow, so please let me go) ” The paparazzi immediately agreed and she bid goodbye as she took an elevator
The video was shared with the caption, Mira excuses herself as she wants to make s u r e h e r k i d s g o t o s c h o o l t o m o r r o w morning on time Such a self-disciplined and hands-on mamma " Reacting to the post, actor Rashami Desai dropped a red heart emoji
Mira and Shahid Kapoor tied the knot in 2015 and have two beautiful children –d a u g h t e r M i s h a K a p o o r a n d s o n Z a i n Kapoor Mira is an influencer on social media The family shifted to their new l u x u r i o u s d u p l e x a p a r t m e n t i n W o r l i , M u m b a i , l a s t y e a r A c c o r d i n g t o m e d i a reports, the house came at a whopping cost of Rs 58 Crore It reportedly comes with six parking slots and a spacious 500 sq feet balcony
S h a r i n g t h e p i c t u r e s , A a l i y a h w r o t e , “Soooooo THIS HAPPENED!!!!! To my best friend, my partner, my soulmate and now my FIANCE! You are the love of my life Thank you for showing me what real & unconditional love feels like Saying yes to you was the easiest thing I’ve ever done & I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you, my love I love you forever & always, Fiance (still can’t believe I get to call you that AAHHHH) ”
A YouTuber with a huge fan following, A a l i y a h o f t e n s h a r e s g l i m p s e s o f h e r personal life on her channel She has been dating Shane for quite some time They had met on a dating app In an endorsement for a dating app in February, she had written, “When we ’ re single, trusting the dating process can be a challenge We’ve all been hurt before and opening up to a stranger may not be easy I took a leap of faith with Shane and today I’m so glad that I did!”
H e r e n g a g e m e n t a n n o u n c e m e n t garnered a lot of positive attention Anurag reacted to her post with “Congratulations ” Her close friend and actor Janhvi Kapoor also reacted, “What!!!”
Ayushmann Khurrana and Aparshakti Khurana performed the rites of their father, astrologer P Khurana who passed away last week in Mohali, Punjab A photo from the funeral has surfaced online and features the brothers giving a shoulder to their father’s bier They looked sombre and were seen wearing black sunglasses
P K h u r a n a w a s a p o p u l a r a s t r o l o g e r i n North India Aparshakti’s s p o k e s p e r s o n c o n f i r m e d
h i s d e a t h b y s h a r i n g a family statement earlier in the day
It read, "It’s with our deep sadness to i n f o r m t h a t A y u s h m a n n a n d A p a r s h a k t i
K h u r a n a ’ s f a t h e r , A s t r o l o g e r P K h u r a n a passed away this morning at 10:30am in Mohali, owing to a prolonged incurable ailment We are indebted for all your prayers and support during this time of personal loss ”
Media reports suggest the actor’s father was battling heart problems for some time However, the cause of his death is still u n k n o w n S e v e r a l c e l e b r i t i e s f r o m
Bollywood paid their respects to the late astrologer Many also extended condolences
to the actors and their family Ajay
D e v g n w r o t e o n T w i t t e r , “ M y
t h o u g h t s a n d p r a y e r s t o @ a y u s h m a n n k a n d f a m i l y
W i s h i n g s t r e n g t h a n d s o l a c e during this difficult time (Om emoji) Shanti ”
Kajol added on the micro-blogging site, "Deepest condolences to @ayushmannk for his loss (folded hands emoji) Parents are parents and their loss is always felt on the deepest level Suniel Shetty added, May God give you the strength to overcome this huge loss Heartfelt condolences from all of us at home @ayushmannk @Aparshakti ”
Neil Nitin Mukesh tweeted, "My deepest c o n d o l e n c e s t o y o u m y d e a r b r o t h e r s @ayushmannk @Aparshakti and the entire family Extremely upset on hearing the sad news May God give you all the strength (folded hands emojis) OM SHANTI ”
Shah Rukh Khan’s alleged chats with former zonal director of Mumbai Narcotics Control Bureau Sameer Wankhede was recently submitted in court in the latter’s defence. The superstar appears to “beg” the officer to go easy on his son Aryan Khan during the 2021 drugson-cruise case.
Sara Ali Khan recently confirmed her brother Ibrahim Ali Khan’s Bollywood debut as an actor He was last seen assisting filmmaker Karan Johar on the sets of ‘Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani.’ While he has not officially announced his speculated entry into the industry, his sister Sara shared a career update and said he has now wrapped up filming his first film.
Sara and Ibrahim are Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh’s children The couple parted ways in 2004 Sara made her Bollywood debut with the 2018 film ‘Kedarnath ’ In an interview, she confirmed that Ibrahim will make his big Bollywood debut She said he has “just finished showing his first film” as an actor
Sara said, “I think we are both emotional beings and I think I see that most when I see Ibrahim come home You know, he just finished shooting his first film as an actor, which I can’t believe Yes, he has and whenever he comes home, whether it’s from school or from shoot, we both have this extremely loving and like, this attitude towards him and that is when I realised, I do have the heart of my mother Because we do treat Ibrahim very similarly ”
S c r e e n s h o t s f r o m t h e c h a t s w e r e l e a k e d t o t h e m e d i a f e a t u r i n g S h a h ’ s r e p e a t e d u n a n s w e r e d m e s s a g e s t o Wankhede A message sent by the actor reads, “Sameer sahib may I speak with you for a minute please Regards shah rukh k h a n I k n o w t h i s i s o f f i c i a l l y inappropriate and maybe outright wrong but once as a father if I can speak with you please Love srk ”
“Can't thank you enough for all the thoughts and personal insights you gave to me about my own I will make sure that he turns out to be someone that you and I are both proud of This incident will prove to be a turning point in his life I promise, in a good way This country needs honest and hardworking young people to take it forward You and I have d o n e o u r P A R T S T H E N E X T GENERATION HAS TO FOLLOW and it's in our hands to mould them for the future Thank you once again for your kindness and support Love SRK,” Shah Rukh added
When Shah Rukh asked Wankhede to be kind on Aryan, he said, “Of course don't worry ” Shah Rukh also promised Wankhede that Aryan will turn out to be a good man in the future “I am going by what you said I hope you feel my son has had the lesson you felt he should have had and henceforth he is able to build his life to be an upright hardworking young man towards a bright future Thanks for all your kindness and care ( sorry it's a late night message and I hope I am not d i s t u r b i n g y o u b u t I w a s awake naturally as a father ) Love srk Sameer also said, “Shahrukh he has been a good kid all the while and hope that he will for sure now be reformed a so enough counselled by me Hard days will be over soon ”
Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan, w h o w a s a r r e s t e d a n d s p e n t a b o u t a month in jail, has been exonerated from this case by the Narcotics Control Bureau ( N C B ) l a s t y e a r a f t e r a s p e c i a l investigation team (SIT) of the agency probed the raids afresh and said there was no evidence of wrongdoing against him
The SIT, in its report submitted to the central administrative tribunal (CAT) last year, found irregularities against the 44y e a r - o l d W a n k h e d e a n d h i s t e a m o n mainly two counts -- alleged irregularities in the conduct of the drugs-on-cruise raids and violations under the Central Civil Services (CCS) Rules The CBI also c l a i m s t h a t t h e M u m b a i N C B t e a m wanted to extort 25 crore from Shah Rukh Khan to not book his son in the case
W a n k h e d e h a s d e n i e d t h e s e allegations and had approached the CAT and, recently the Bombay High Court to quash the CBI FIR against him
There are reports of Ibrahim making his acting debut with a KJo film previously However, nothing has been announced yet
Meanwhile, Sara recently returned to India from Cannes She is now promoting her upcoming film ‘Zara Hatke Zara Bachke’ with co-star Vicky Kaushal
Afterreleasing his recent movie ‘Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan,’ Salman Khan seems to have turned his attention to his next film ‘Tiger 3.’ The actor posted an update on Twitter, sharing that he had a minor shoulder injury. Fans flocked in to send their well wishes
Salman wrote on T w i t t e r , “ W e n u think u r carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders, he says duniya ko chodo p a a n c h k i l o k a d u m b b e l l u t h a k e
dikhao (Forget all the problems of the world, try lifting a five-kilo dumbbell) Tiger Zakhmi Hai #Tiger3 " He also posted a photograph of himself shirtless and standing outdoors, with his back to the c a m e r a H i s l e f t s h o u l d e r h a d a l a r g e
Kinesiology Tape, marking an ‘ x ’ down his back
The actor reprised his role of Tiger earlier this year in Siddharth Anand’s ‘Pathaan ’ In his upcoming movie, Shah Rukh Khan is set to h a v e a c a m e o a s P a t h a a n D i r e c t e d b y Maneesh Sharma, the movie also stars Katrina Kaif and Emraan Hashmi
Salman first appeared as Tiger in Kabir Khan's ‘Ek Tha Tiger' (2015) and returned once more for ‘Tiger Zinda Hai’ (2017) directed by A l i A b b a s Z a f a r P a t h a a n a n d t h e T i g e r franchise are part of the Yash Raj Films Spy Universe and Hrithik Roshan-starrer ‘War’ (2019) It is rumoured that the next film in the f r a n c h i s e a f t e r ' W a r 2 ’ w i l l b e ' T i g e r V s Pathaan ’
MON 23 MAY - FRI 2 JUN 2023
15:30 Sukhi Mansacha Sadra
16:00 Assa Sassar Surekh Bai
16:30 RASOI SHOW DESI FLAVOURS
17:30 KUMKUM NA PAGLA PADYA
18:00 BALIKA VADHU SEASON 1
19:00 AJNABI BANE HUMSAFAR
19:30 Sanskaar - Dharohar Apnon Ki
20:30 Bhagyalaxmi - Rishton Ki Gatha
21:00 KHATRA KHATRA KHATRA
LADKI RE
SUNDAY 4 JUN 2023
6:00 AANGANIYA SAJAVO RAAJ
11:30 PARDESI MANIYARO
14:30 SHANKAR PARVATI
17:30 COLORS KALAKAAR
18:30 HU TU ANE HU TU TU TU
19:00 RADHA RAGHAV
19:30 MARU MAN MOHI GAYU
20:00 RASHI RIKSHAWALI
20:30 MOTI BAA NI NANI VAHU
21:00 SORATHNI MRS SINGHAM
21:30 COLORS KALAKAAR
SATURDAY 3 JUN 2023
16:30 RASOI SHOW-DESI FLAVOURS
17:30 KUMKUM NA PAGLA PADYA
18:00 BALIKA VADHU SEASON 1
19:00 AJNABI BANE HUMSAFAR
19:30 Nima Denzonpga
20:00 NRI HAADSA SEASON 4
21:00 KHATRA KHATRA KHATRA
22:00 AANKHEN
SUNDAY 4 JUN 2023
16:30 RASOI SHOW-DESI FLAVOURS
17:30 KUMKUM NA PAGLA PADYA
18:00 BALIKA VADHU SEASON 1
19:00 AJNABI BANE HUMSAFAR
19:30 Nima Denzonpga
20:00 NRI HAADSA SEASON 4
21:00 KHATRA KHATRA KHATRA
22:00 DAMINI
Thefirst look at actor Jr NTR’s character in his next film has been revealed Tentatively titled ‘NTR 30,’ the name has been announced as ‘Devara’ and presents the actor with a fierce warrior look.
The announcement was revealed on the eve of Jr NTR’s birthday, as promised by the film’s production team The first look shows him standing on rocks next to the ocean with a spear in his hand, soaked in blood It was revealed on the actor’s official Twitter handle with the caption, ‘Devara
poster which showcased various types
released
swords The caption on the poster read, “The sea is full of his stories written in
marks the Telugu debut of Bollywood actor
Kapoor, who will be
Actor
Aishwarya Rajesh, recently seen in Tamil coming-of-age thriller ‘Farhana,’ said she would have been better than Rashmika Mandanna as Srivalli in Allu Arjun’s ‘Pushpa ’ She added that had she been offered the opportunity to play the character, she would have jumped at it
In a promotional interview, Aishwarya spoke about her brief stint in Telugu cinema She said, “I like the Telugu industry but I want to do a good Telugu film like a comeback, which will make my family proud because of my roots I starred in World Famous Lover opposite Vijay Deverakonda but it didn’t work out as expected ”
She also added that if she had the opportunity to work in a film like ‘Pushpa,’ she
would’ve better suited Rashmika’s character Srivalli She said, “In case I were given the opportunity, I would have jumped at it Rashmika played Srivalli well but I feel and believe I would suit the character better ”
Aishwarya rose to fame after she worked in the award-winning Tamil film ‘Kaaka Muttai ’ She went on to work in several Tamil movies such as ‘Boomika,’ ‘Driver Jamuna,’ ‘The Great Indian Kitchen,’ and ‘Run Baby Run ’ She also worked in the Hindi film ‘Daddy,’ alongside Arjun Rampal She plays the titular role in her upcoming movie ‘Farhana,’ a girl who has to take up a call centre job as her family struggles to make ends meet The film also stars Jithan R a m e s h , A i s h w a r y a D u t t a a n d Selvaraghavan in key roles
pictures of Jr NTR and Saif together and w r o t e , “ T e a m # N T R 3 0 w e l c o m e s # S a i f A l i K h a n o n b o a r d T h e N a t i o n a l Award-winning actor joined the shoot of the high voltage action drama ”
Akkineni shared a heartfelt note on the box office failure of his latest Telugu release ‘Agent ’ The movie failed to hit the mark, and the actor admitted the team could not deliver a good film for the audience despite trying their best. In his note, Akhil also wrote that he would come back stronger.
Akhil's statement read, “To my dearest fans and all my well-wishers I want to sincerely thank the cast and crew of Agent who dedicated their lives to see our film come to life While we tried our level best, the film unfortunately didn't translate the way we wished it would on the screen and we could not deliver a good film for you ”
He further added, "A special thanks to my producer Anil garu who was my biggest support system Thank you to all the distributors who believed in our film and also the media who supported us immensely The love and energy you all give me is the reason I work and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for that I will come back stronger for all those who believe in
me Yours faithfully Akhil Akkineni ”
A day after the film’s release, Akhil’s m o t h e r A m a l a A k k i n e n i t o o k t o h e r I n s t a g r a m a n d r e a c t e d t o p e o p l e w h o rejected her son ’ s film She wrote, “I understand that trolling comes from a deeper insecurity and need for achievement I w a t c h e d A g e n t y e s t e r d a y a n d h o n e s t l y enjoyed the film While it has its flaws, if you watch it with an open mind, you will be amazed The hall I watched it at was packed, half of the audience were ladies, mothers and grandmothers along with their husbands and sons! There were screams when the action happened And I am sure the next one will be bigger and better ”
Directed by Surender Reddy, ‘Agent’ is a spy thriller which also starred Malayalam actor Mammootty and Dino Morea in key r o l e s T h e f i l m o p e n e d t o d i s a s t r o u s reports on release day Globally, it collecte d j u s t R s 7 c r o r e o n t h e f i r s t d a y
Recently, the film’s producer Anil Sunkara took to Twitter to share a note on the film's failure
Superstar Rajinikanth is all set to share the screen space with former Indian cricketer Kapil Dev in his upcoming movie ‘Lal Salaam ’ The actor took to social media to announce along with a photo of himself with the former Indian skipper Thalaivar wrote in the caption, “It is my h o n o u r a n d p r i v i l e g e w o r k i n g w i t h t h e Legendary, most respected and wonderful human being Kapildevji , who made India p r o u d w i n n i n g f o r t h e f i r s t t i m e ever Cricket World Cup!!! #lalsalaam #therealkapildev ” The photo seems to be from the set of the movie Kapil is dressed in grey t r a c k p a n t s a n d a w h i t e t - s h i r t , w h i l e
Rajinikanth is decked up in a white achkan and brown shoes
Rajinikanth plays Moideen Bhai in ‘Lal Salaam’ directed by his daughter Aishwarya The film stars Vishnu Vishal and Vikranth in the lead roles The music was composed by AR Rahman
The actor was last seen in the 2021 Diwali release ‘Annaatthe ’ He will be next s e e n i n ‘ J a i l e r , ’ d i r e c t e d b y N e l s o n D i l i p k u m a r W i t h m u s i c c o m p o s e d b y
Anirudh Ravichander, ‘Jailer’ is scheduled to release on August 10, 2023 Meanwhile, 'Lal Salaam’ aims to release theatrically later this year
Aishwarya Rajesh says she’d have played Rashmika’s Srivalli better in ‘Pushpa’
The76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival kicked off on May 16 at the French Riviera One of the year's biggest entertainment and fashion events, the festival is renowned for celebrating outstanding cinema while delivering some of the grandest red carpet-looks. Some of the most anticipated movies have premiered or are set to premiere at the film festival this year, Including ‘Jeanne du Barry,’ Wes Anderson’s ‘Asteroid City,’ and Martin Scorcese’s new Apple-backed film ‘Killers of the Flower Moon ’
Every year, Indian stars present their f a s h i o n a b l e b e s t o n t h e r e d c a r p e t Bollywood actors Sara Ali Khan, Manushi C h h i l l a r , a n d E s h a G u p t a m a d e t h e i r Cannes debut in glamorous appearances
Esha donned a pastel pink gown designed by Nicolas Jebran Couture and looked chic, Sara chose to go traditional with an ivory and beige Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla lehenga Meanwhile, the former Miss World Chhillar representing Walker’s Co , stunned in a white tulle gown by fashion designer house Fovari
A n o t h e r C a n n e s d e b u t a n t , a c t o r
Urvashi Rautela appeared in a bright orange ruffled dress with a jewelled bodice on day two She had flaunted a pink gown at the opening ceremony The festival's third day featured the most-anticipated appearance of Cannes veteran Aishwarya Rai Bachchan S h e a r
Madhur Bhandarkar, actors Vijay Varma and Sara Ali Khan
The celebrities spoke about the Indian Film industry and its progress on global platforms
T h e I n d i a n P a v i l i o n e d u c a t e s t h e world on India's rich culture, heritage, and burgeoning creative economy Indian Ambassador to France, Jawed Ashraf, was present on the occasion
S a d h u e x p r e s s e d h i s j o y a b o u t displaying Indian culinary traditions at the Cannes Film Festival in an Instagram post He wrote, “Honoured to be repping India and host the inaugural dinner for The Honourable Minister at the Cannes Film Festival Excited to showcase my language f o r I n d i a n f o o d w i t h t h i s m e n u a n d c o l l a b o r a t e w i t h D i a g e o I n d i a a n d @ g o d a w a n s i n g l e m a l t M o r e o n w h a t ’ s cooking later ”
The inaugural dinner shared the story of the chef’s travels across India It included six to seven courses emphasising regional specialties and flavours from around India
It is reported that Sadhu brought with him 80 kg of Indian spices and pickles Titled ‘The Journey Menu,’ it commemorated the I n t e r n a t i o n a l Y e a r o f M i l l e t s a n d showcased India’s culinary diversity The menu was divided into regional delicacies It included Tungrymbai, Putharo, Prawn I s h t u , V a t t a y a p p a m , w h i t e a s p a r a g u s pepper fry, smoked lamb, Koshimbir salad, M a l v a n i - s t y l e d f i s h , a c h a r g r a n i t a , strawberry pickle, aam papad, Kalakand ice cream and Kashmiri badam mithai
Shark Tank India judge Aman Gupta achieved a historic feat as he walked the ed carpet alongside his wife, Priya Dagar. ne of the most popular Indian ntrepreneurs, he is the co-founder and CMO f boAt. He took to his social media to xpress his excitement about participating in he event
Sharing photos and videos from the vent, he wrote, “THIS IS IT Proud to be he first Entrepreneur from India to walk he red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival ometimes you dream and they come true ometimes you don’t even know what God as in store for you I didn’t dream about his one But now that I'm living it the eeling is surreal Thank you God Thank ou Life Had always seen Aishwarya Rai or ther celebs here at the Red Carpet But ever knew I would get this opportunity oo If I CAN, so CAN you ”
Thisyear's festival presented a major opportunity for Indian celebrities besides actors. Several social media influencers and divas debuted on the coveted red carpet, turning heads with their looks.
U A E - b a s e d I n d i a n i n f l u e n c e r a n d entrepreneur Masoom Minawala dazzled in a statement gown by Marmar Halim Styled by Anaita Shroff Adajania, her black velvet silhouette with ruffled white detailing was paired with matching gloves and jewellery Dolly Singh chose an Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla outfit Inspired by Zeenat Aman’s look from the 1978 film ‘Satyam Shiva Sundaram’ her outfit included an elegant conical blouse embellished with pearls and an ivory sarong skirt
Minister of State in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting L Murugan inaugurated the Indian Pavilion at Cannes this year Among those present included Oscar-winning producer Guneet Monga, filmmaker
Indian food had its moment of glory at the festival this year Renowned Indian chef Prateek Sadhu was invited to the festival to curate an exceptional dining experience in collaboration with Godawan Single Malt for the inaugural dinner hosted by Dr L Murugan
Michael Douglas, who received the honorary Palme d’Or at the festival, was also felicitated at the India Pavilion. He attended a session with Murugan, where he received an invitation to the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa, which will be held in November
Douglas said he has been to India with his wife, actress Catherine Zeta-Jones He added that she loves the country and is a “pretty good Bollywood dancer ” Michael also said that wants to visit south of India on his next trip He wants to cover the area from “Hyderabad to Goa ”
“I have been to India now three times I a l w a y s h a d a w o n d e r f u l , w o n d e r f u l experience I have been very impressed with the energy, the imagination, and the creativity As somebody, who watches the news and current events, India is hot India i s r o c k i n g Y o u c a n s e e i t ' s m o v i n g Actually my wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones) will be sad as she is not here (at India Pavilion) because she loves India and she is a pretty good Bollywood dancer, too We have not been down south So, we want to go to south from Hyderabad to Goa, to go around that area on our next trip,” Michael said at the event
C hennai Super Kings became the first team to qualify for the IPL final by defeating Gujarat T itans (GT ) by 15 ru ns CS K w ere able to s u b d u e T i ta ns w i th t h ei r p r ec is e bo w l in g p erfo rm ance Gu jarat Titans cap tain Hard ik P andya won the toss and elected to bowl first C SK sco red 172 runs in th eir allotted 20 overs Q ual if ier 1 of th e I PL 20 23 to ok pl ace at
C hennai s M A C hidambaram S tadium , pitting t h e f o u r- ti m e ch am p i o n C S K ag ai ns t t h e reig ning champion GT Now, C SK's op ponent i n th e f i na l w i ll be th e w i nne r o f 2n d eliminator
CSK opener Ruturaj Gaikwad got a big let off early on when he was caught at midwicket i n t h e s e c o n d o v e r a n d t h e d e l i v e r y w a s declared a no ball He capitalised on that lifeline, scoring 60 off 44 deliveries CSK's opening pair stayed unbeaten in the first 10 overs, but GT then clawed their way back It was some lusty shows from Ajinkya Rahane, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja and Moeen Ali that pushed CSK to 172/7
In response, GT hardly got any momentum at any stage of their chase All their big guns fell
In a majo r career milestone, O l ym p i c g o ld m ed al i st Neeraj Cho pra on Monday claimed world nu mber o ne ranking in men's javelin for the first time ever
without making much of a dent while the biggest of them all, Shubman Gill, was kept silent by the GT bowlers He ended up falling f o r 4 2 o f f 3 8 b a l l s G T ' s r u n c h a s e l o s t momentum when ace finisher Rahul Tewatia fell but Rashid Khan smashed 30 off 16 balls to give his side a glimmer of hope But finally they fell short by 15 runs GT will get another chance to book their final berth but they will have to wait for the winner of Eliminator match between Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Mumbai Indians, to play in the Qualifier 2
T he B oa r d of Con t r ol f or
C r ic ke t in In di a (B C CI) s e c r e ta r y J a y Sh a h r e v e al ed t hat Adidas has been signed as t he new kit sponsor for t he I n di a n c r i c k et t e a m Ad id a s w il l re p l a c e c l o t hin g b r a nd K e wa l Kir a n Cl ot hi n g L t d, maker of Killer Jeans, whic h c ame in as an interim sponsor a fter the then-sponsor Mobile Premier League Sports (M PL Sport s) pull ed out of the deal
midway (its contract was set to expire in 2 023)
MPL was paying the Indian board Rs 65 00 000 per match and £900,000 as royalty for a three-year deal The current sponsor, Killer Jeans’ contract
will expire on May 31, post which the Adidas deal will take effect In fact, Rohit Sharma & Co are likely to be wearing the new kits a s soon as the World T e s t C h a m p i o n s h i p f i n a l against Australia at The Oval from June 8-11 While Shah didn’t reveal the duration or a m o u n t o f t h e d e a l w i t h Adidas, according to sources, the BCCI’s deal with the sports brand is for five years
W i t h a t o t a l o f 1 , 4 5 5 points, Neeraj became the new No 1 javelin thrower, surpassing the reigning world champion from Grenada, Anderson Peters, who h e l d t h e s e c o n d p o s i t i o n w i t h 1 , 4 3 3 points
T o k y o O l y m p i c s s i l v e r m e d a l l i s t Jakub Vadlejch of Czech Republic was third with 1,416 points
T h e 2 5 - y e a r - o l d N e e r a j r o s e t o w o r l d number two on August 30 l a s t y e a r b u t w a s s t u c k behind Peters since then In September last year, N e e r a j C h o p r a w o n t h e
D i a m o n d L e a g u e 2 0 2 2 finals in Zurich, becoming the first Indian to win the prestigious trophy He won the title at the seasonopening Doha Diamond League on May 5 w i t h a t h r o w o f 8 8 6 7 m H e w i l l n e x t compete at the FBK Games on June 4 in the Netherlands, followed by the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, Finland, on June 13
Yo ung sters came to th e fore as India finished with three medals - tw o go ld and one bronze- at the A rchery World Cup Stag e II in Sh anghai Earlier, Ind ia grabbed fou r m ed als at Stage I of the event at A ntalya
Indian archery got its newest hero in Prathamesh Jawkar as the teenager matched world No 1 Mike Schloesser of the Netherlands arrow to arrow to win a thrilling final encounter 149-148 to grab the gold medal in the men ’ s individual compound event
It was actually the compound archers who saved the day for India after a disappointing show from their recurve counterpart Jawkar showed nerves of steel against Schloesser, who is better known as ‘Mr Perfect’ in the circuit The 19-year-old hit a 10 in his last arrow taking full advantage after Schloesser faltered to hit a 9 to seal the tie
“There was a lot of pressure; I haven’t played a match with so much pressure, ” he said “But I just focused on my shooting process only and wasn’t thinking much about my opponent My teammates were also cheering for me, so I was motivated,” he said
It was a dream run for the Maharashtra boy in his second World Cup, eliminating top seed Kim Jongho of Korea 149-147 in the elimination round
India’s hero at Antalya, Jyothi Surekha Vennam, made up for missing out on a podium finish in the individual compound category by opening the account for India winning the mixed team event Pairing up with Ojas Deotale, the duo beat the topseeded Korean team 156-155 to record back-to-back gold in the World Cup
