AV 02nd September 2023

After Chandrayaan-3 success, India sets its eye on the sun

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India, Greece

elevate bilateral ties to a strategic partnership

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"For far too long when India was referred to, it was spoken of as a third-world country and I hated it. Today I am proud to say India is the first world in more ways than one." the megastar Amitabh Bachchan wrote on the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3, and spoke for all Indian hearts beating across the globe, swelling with pride over the moon Marking the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the moon's south pole, the Indian Union cabinet on Tuesday announced August 23 will be celebrated as 'National Space Day'

Continued on page 16

Pro-Khalistanis deface Delhi metro stations with antiIndia slogans

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Saudi Arabia, U A E among six new countries invited to join B R I C S

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“The plan is just to keep doing stand-up”

India set to welcome world leaders for G20 summit

The national capital of India is gearing up for the high-profile G20 Summit early next month Apart from strict security that will be put in place in Delhi, the arrangements also include h o t e l b o o k i n g s f o r t h e d e l e g a t e s O v e r 3 0 hotels will host the delegates in the course of the event

P r i m e M i n i s t e r R i s h i S u n a k i s a l l s e t t o a t t e n d t h e G 2 0 s u m m i t i n I n d i a f r o m September 9 to 10

FULL STORY ON PAGE 25

A cricket tournament to celebrate India’s Independence Day, with a message of support for the visually impaired people

Former Mrs England is promoting diversity and celebrating culture

Shefali Saxena

Subhasini Naicker

Chandrayaan-3 celebration at the High Commission of India, London

with Keith Vaz

T E R RY SI NG H

Terr y Singh, is a professional Football coach, community youth worker and truly a ‘local hero from Leicester’, who has contributed to spreading football in South Asia Included in the Top 100 Movers and Shakers in Football by Goal Magazine, Terr y today is a UEFA-B Qualif ied Coach and an FA Community Champion for his constant efforts in encouraging football in South Asia

Selected for the prestigious Leicester City Football Community Scheme in 1992 (exact name to be verif ied), Terr y became the f irst foreign coach in China to work on the grassroots with young students at the Beijing Sports University After his commendable work in China as a gatekeeper for the sport, who opened up doors and spearheaded footballing opportunities for the Asian community, Terr y today is a community worker, professional coach and talent scout, who is working to ensure representation in this great sport

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

I was born and raised Leicester my home city is famous for its diversity, mult i c u l t u r a l a n d m u l t i f a i t h c r e a t i n g a unique destination

2) What are your proudest achievements?

There are so many being invited to China on a pioneering football program and being the f irst foreigner soccer coach to teach in middle school

3) What inspires you?

Desire to f ind out how good I am How far I become Through my work I have travelled the world you never stop learning.

4) What has been biggest obstacle in your career?

Having an identity, do I belong here will I be accepted in the early years, there were many barriers through time and experience I become more conf ident with myself

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

My foundations in football started 30 years ago I still remember My coach's w o r d s i f y o u w a n t t o c h a n g e t h e Narrative do it with actions

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

Having a sense of purpose making a difference being able to make a change in

Home Office vows to clear 'legacy backlog' of asylum cases by December

The Hom e O f f ic e re m ain s s teadfas t in its ass ertion t hat it is on a st eady cours e to fulf il P r im e M i n is t e r R is h i Sunak's 2022 pl edge of cl earing t he bac klog of unres ol ve d a s y l um a ppl i c a t ion s f r om previous years by the conclus ion of this current year T h i s o p t i m i s m p e r s i s t s even as the number of new cases has reached an all-time high

People's life through education and sports and forge links with communities

7) And the worst?

I have many setbacks and challenges start of my journey not being appreciated broke a few glass ceilings Through r e s i l i e n c e a n d d e t e r m i n a t i o n s t a y e d focused even in the face of adversity

8) What are your long-term goals?

Write a book about my experiences t r a v e l l i n g a n d t e a c h i n g a r o u n d t h e world learning from cultures Be part of leadership board that Directs equality diversity and inclusion

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

More funding in education and crea t e m o r e y o u t h c e n t r e s fo r y o u n g People I believe education is for life educ a t i o n i s t h e f u n d a m e n t a l r i g h t fo r ever yone it is essential for personal growth social development and economic prospects I believe investing in education we can build future generations will have knowledge and skills to succeed in life

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

M a r t i n L u t h e r K i n g Ci v i l R i g h t s Leader Noble price winner He was an activist

S a d i q K h a n h as c ri ti ci s ed R i sh i S u nak fo r un d o i ng "d ec ad e s o f p ro g res s o n c le an ai r" a nd p o te nti al ly h a rm i n g th e re sp i ra to r y h ealth of Lo nd on's children d ue to his lack of end orsem ent fo r ex p and in g th e c i ty 's ul tra- lo w em i s s io n s zone A s t h e c o m p r e h e n s i v e clean air program is set to extend to all boroughs in L o n d o n o n Tu e s d a y, t h e c i t y 's m a y o r d e l i v e r e d a

s t r o n g c a u t i o n t o Su n a k , warning that he could be remembered as the Prime Minister who "missed the opportunity to save lives " A c c u s i n g t h e g o v e r nment of politicising air pollution and climate change for electoral gain, Khan has c a l l e d o n m i n i s t e r s t o extend f inancial backing to his policy, along with the associated scrappage initiative, similar to the support o f fe r e d t o c e r t a i n o t h e r

English cities

B i r m i n g h a m , B r i s t o l , a n d Po r t s m o u t h h a v e received f inancial aid from t h e g o v e r n m e n t fo r t h e i r c l e a n a i r z o n e s , w h i l e L o n d o n's p r o p o s a l h a s n' t gained support due to the argument that transport and a i r q u a l i t y d e c i s i o n s a r e under the capital s authority

As per the RAC's f indings, close to 700,000 car owners in Greater London c o u l d b e s u b j e c t t o t h e £ 1 2 5 0 d a i l y U l e z c h a r g e starting Tuesday, as it gets extended to all roads across the city This move has faced criticism for potentially burd e n i n g a l r e a d y s t r u g g l i n g h o u s e h ol d s w i t h f i n a n c i a l pressure Over 500,000 residents of London live with asthma, rendering them more susc e p t i b l e t o t h e e f fe c t s o f h a r m f u l a i r q u a l i t y Su r p r i s i n g l y, o v e r 5 0 % o f t h e m r e s i d e i n t h e o u t e r boroughs of London, each of which surpasses the World Health Organization's suggested limits for NO2 and PM2 5 pollutants

R e c e n t s t a t i s t i c s , unveiled yesterday, unveil a total of 78,768 asylum applic a t i o n s r e c o r d e d o v e r t h e span of a year, concluding in Ju n e T h i s f i g u r e m a r k s a s u b s t a n t i a l 19 % r i s e c o mpared to the preceding 12month period According to the commentar y provided by t h e O f f i c e fo r Na t i o n a l Statistics, this latest count signif ies "the most applica-

t i o n s r e c e i v e d i n t w o decades "

The count of individuals awaiting their initial asylum a p p l i c a t i o n d e c i s i o n s a l s o surged to a new peak, reaching 175,457 by the end of Ju n e , a n o t a b l e i n c r e a s e from the prior year's tally of 122,213 It is worth noting that a single asylum application can involve more than one person

British Museum in chaos as Director resigns due to stolen treasures

Th e British Museum f inds itself in a state o f turm oil after its director s resignatio n and th e d ecision by his d eputy to step back from th eir res po nsi bili ties Th is tu r m o i l st em s fro m t h ei r i na bi li ty to u n co v er t h e theft of over 1,500 artifacts, despite h av ing been w arned by whistleblowers ov er the course of sev eral years

H a r t w i g F i s c h e r, w h o ser ved as the director for seven years, announced his r e s i g n a t i o n d u e t o t h e m u s e u m's i n a d e q u a t e response to a collection of evidence presented in 2021 He acknowledged that the

i n s t i t u t i o n's r e a c t i o n w a s not as it should have been

Shortly thereafter, Jonathan

Williams, the deputy direct o r, a l s o m a d e t h e a n n o u n c e m e n t t h a t h e would voluntarily step back from his regular duties until an independent review into t h e t h e f t s , i n i t i a t e d b y George Osborne, the chairman of the British Museum, was completed Dr Fischer expressed his sincere regret for attempting to shift blame onto one of the whistleblowers, Ittai Gradel, a Danish antiquities expert, by implying that he had withheld crucial information He admitted that his remarks were misguided and retracted them

Disgraced Scottish GP loses MBE following sexual abuse of 47 patients

A d i sg r ac ed S co t ti sh GP, conv icted of sexu ally abusi ng a m i ni m u m o f 4 7 patients, has had his M BE revo ked Krish na Singh , who w a s h o no u red w i th t h e

Most Excellent Ord er of th e British Empire by the late Queen in 20 13 for his contributions to healthcare, h as had the h ono ur rescind ed Ho w e v e r, t h e 7 3 - y e a ro l d w a s s u b s e q u e n t l y r e v e a l e d t o b e a s e x u a l p r e d a t o r w h o p r e y e d o n numerous women and children under his care Hailing f r o m No r t h L a n a r k s h i r e , Si n g h e n g a g e d i n a c t i o n s

Dr Krishna Singh

that included kissing, groping, conducting inappropriate examinations, and making lewd remarks to his vict i m s o v e r t h e s p a n o f 3 5

years Among his victims were a woman who had previous-

ly experienced rape, as well as teenagers and a pregnant patient Following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow, h e w a s c o n v i c t e d o f 5 4 c h a r g e s a n d s u b s e q u e n t l y s e n t e n c e d t o 1 2 y e a r s i n p r i s o n i n M a y 2 0 2 2 T h e Me d i c a l P r a c t i t i o n e r s Tribunal Ser vice revoked his medical license

The Cabinet Off ice has o f f i c i a l l y v e r i f i e d t h e removal of Singh's honours title An inquir y into Singh's actions was initiated after NHS Lanarkshire received a c o m p l a i n t a b o u t h i m i n

UK PM Sunak inadvertently breached Parliamentary Code: Watchdog

The UK's Prime Mini ster, Ris hi Sunak , inadvertently failed to accurately declare his wi fe's shareholdi ng in a c h i ld c a re c om p an y th a t c o ul d h av e g a i ne d f rom n e w go ve r nm e n t pol i c y Thi s information was c onveyed by parliament's stand ar ds a ut hor i t y on Wednesday T h e i n v e s t i g a t i o n b y

Parliament's Commissioner for Standards began in April w h e n o p p o s i t i o n p a r t i e s r a i s e d c o n c e r n s a b o u t r e p o r t s s u g g e s t i n g t h a t

Su n a k 's w i fe , A k s h a t a Murthy, held shares in a company that could potentially benef it from governm e n t a s s i s t a n c e fo r t h e

Rishi Sunak

childcare sector

In his released f indings,

c o m m i s s i o n e r, D a n i e l

G r e e n b e r g s t a t e d t h a t Su n a k s h o u l d h a v e d i sc l o s e d t h e s h a r e h o l d i n g w h e n q u e r i e d a b o u t t h e policy by a committee of s e n i o r l a w m a ke r s

However, Greenberg indicated that he believed the Prime Minister had mistake n l y c o n f l a t e d t h e r u l e s r e g a rd i n g r e g i s t e r i n g a n d declaring interests I n s t e a d o f r e fe r r i n g Sunak to a committee with the authority to suspend or e x p e l l a w m a ke r s fo r r u l e breaches, Greenberg decided to conclude the inquir y using a rectif ication procedure

In a letter addressed to Greenberg, published by the c o m m i s s i o n e r 's o f f i c e , Sunak expressed his apologies for any confusion stemm i n g f r o m t h e l a n g u a g e related to registration and declaration

Hartwig Fischer

No 10's Ulez stance undoes decades of clean air progress: Sadiq Khan

Laying the foundation for global peacekeeping

Under India's G20 Presidency, the G20 Culture Ministers' Meeting occurred in Varanasi Ministers of Culture from G20 nations and invitees, along with international organisation representatives, gathered Led by India's Ministry of Culture, the G20 Culture Working Group (CWG) pursued actionable outcomes for India s four priority areas via meetings, sessions, and webinars The Culture Ministers' Meeting culminated these efforts PM Narendra Modi emphasised heritage's importance for balanced growth

The 18th G20 Heads of State and Government Summit in New Delhi on 9-10 September will be a culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials, and civil societies A G20 Leaders’ Declaration will be adopted at the conclusion of the New Delhi Summit, stating Leaders’ commitment towards the priorities discussed and agreed upon during the respective ministerial and working group meetings

UK's Secretary of State for Trade, Kemi Badenoch, and Indian Commerce and Industry Minister, Piyush Goyal, have restated their dedication to a mutually advantageous UK-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) Both sides have agreed to prolong negotiations until the end of this month, followed by a comprehensive assessment at a higher level After the G20 Trade and Investment Ministers

Meeting in Jaipur, the ministers reviewed progress, showing contentment with 12 rounds of negotiations and finalised chapters They expressed optimism for another successful negotiation round, with Chief Negotiators updating Cabinet ministers on current progress, unresolved issues, and ongoing collaborative efforts for resolution

It is important to note that world leaders like US President Joe Biden and UK PM Rishi Sunak (the son-inlaw of India, married to Narayan Murthy and Sudha Murthy’s daughter Akshata) will be visiting India for the first time in capacity of a world leader It is also imperative to note that India is keen on knowing what the FTA holds for the nation, therefore a visit from either of the prime ministers to UK or India (Sunak or Modi) seems due, should the FTA come through by the end of the year

While Putin has pulled out of the G-20 summit, and will not be attending, US President Joe Biden will discuss various issues at the G20 Summit, including the social effects of the Russia-Ukraine war, climate change, and poverty fight

Therefore, this is not just a summit, but a chance to lay the foundation of future peacekeeping for the globe with mighty resolutions by G-20 countries

BRICS to gain economic muscle with its expansion

BRICS – a group of countries consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, and China – was formed in the 1990s to encourage investment in rising economies South Africa was the first non-original member to join the organisation; therefore, it is appropriate that an African country chair a summit aimed at expanding the organisation With tensions between China and Russia and the US and its allies at an all-time high, this summit has gained prominence, amid predictions that the alliance may welcome new members During the summit, the South African president announced that the BRICS decided by consensus to include six more countries into the group: Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE Interestingly, four of these countries are from the West Asian region

The selection of four powerful West Asian countries as its primary members adds the required economic muscle and political weight to the group These four members may serve as the nucleus for future expansion of the group to include more regional members, elevating BRICS plus West Asia as a prominent subset of BRICS in the future With their strategic location, economic strength, and critical fossil energy reserves, the West Asian nations are an important addition and present an opportunity for a strategic realignment for the BRICS

In its current form, BRICS represents almost 42 per cent of the world's population, 16 per cent of global trade, and almost 32 per cent of the world’s GDP (on a PPP basis) With t h e e x p a n d e d m e m b e r s h i p c o m i n g i n t o f o r c e f r o m 1 January 2024, onwards, the share of global GDP is expected

to jump from 32 per cent to 37 per cent Most of this jump comes from the countries in the West Asian region, primarily Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, and Iran When compared against the share of global GDP of G7 countries at 30 per cent, this 37 per cent share in BRICS is very significant

Three of the six new members are all from West Asia: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Iran All three are among the top 10 oil exporters in the world This group gets even more robust and powerful when we include Russia, which is a member of OPEC Plus and one of the top three oil exporters in the world The group has the potential to significantly impact the future of oil trading due to the i n c l u s i o n o f C h i n a a n d I n d i a , t h e t o p t w o c r u d e o i l importers in the world Global oil trade comprises around 4 5 per cent of total global trade, and it is here that the power of alternate trade currencies can pose a threat to the dollar

The new members also boost India's international reach and are a welcome addition Within the West Asian region, India has strategic partnerships with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Egypt, while Iran is a critically important partner in its regional outlook India receives more than 70% of its crude oil from this region, and a significant portion of its foreign exchange is extracted in US dollars India might significantly save money if the block adopted local currencies In addition, India is looking at a close security partnership with the region, including arms sales The addition of countries from the West Asian region is thus a boost to India’s regional strategy and growing global outlook

Chandrayaan-3 celebrates India's diverse community and women in STEM

Chandrayaan-3 has achieved a historic milestone by accomplishing the feat of being the first country soft landing on the previously unexplored lunar south pole India's achievement now aligns it with a select group including the United States, Russia, and China, as one of the nations to triumphantly land on the Moon

Prime Minister Narendra Modi very rightly said that this achievement heralds India’s scientific power in infinite space Highlighting this unprecedented achievement, the Prime Minister said “This is today’s India that is fearless and relentless This is an India that thinks new and in a novel way, the one that goes to the dark zone and spreads light in the world This India will provide solutions to the big problems of the world in the 21st century ”

The successful lunar landing of Chandrayaan-3 yields valuable insights on the Moon's composition, potential life, and more As India's significance grows, distinguished by its democratic values and cooperative ethos, this success also serves as a reminder of India's diverse yet interconnected community and the significant role of women in STEM

Around 120 women scientists from ISRO were actively involved in the Chandrayaan-3 project and the Prime Minister praised 'Nari Shakti' for its key role in advancing India's lunar exploration In the same spirit, the spot where Chandrayaan-3's lander Vikram touched the moon is called Shiv Shakti, symbolising the essential contributions of both male and female scientists to India's lunar mission

Prominent women at ISRO, such as V Brinda, who heads Chandrayaan-3's Integrated Product Assurance Board, K K a l p a n a , a s s o c i a t e p r o j e c t d i r e c t o r , M V a n i t h a , C h a n d r a y a a n - 2 p r o j e c t d i r e c t o r , a n d R i t u K a r i d h a l , Chandrayaan-2 mission director, have achieved widespread acclaim Vanitha and Ritu broke new ground as India s first female leaders of a space mission

Political Sketchbook

Alpesh Patel

India, Space and UK Aid

As In dia proved her space pr owess, some took t o social media to compl ain about UK aid to India, they then r evel led in the ire it ca used among India ns You see , the trick is not to b e irked He re is my respon se – a very B ritish response

Titl e: "The Aid Affair"

[ Scene : A posh room in the British Prime Minister’s residence, 10 Downing Street A Goddess Lakshmi picture hangs next to one of Margaret Thatcher Sir Humphrey Appleby, the Cabinet Secretary, stands to the side The British Prime Minister (PM) sits confidently behind the desk Entering the room is the Indian High Commissioner (IHC), looking visibly irritated ]

IHC: Prime Minister, I must address the constant aid you ’ ve been sending to India

PM: Ah! Commissioner, always a pleasure And about the aid – it's our duty to help Besides, it does wonders for our global image

IHC: That’s precisely the problem! We don’t need it! In fact, the administrative burden of dealing with your "aid" is draining our resources

S i r H um ph r e y ( mu si n g l y ) : A h , t h e i r o n y , P r i m e Minister Giving aid and draining resources Almost poetic, wouldn’t you say?

PM: Nonsense, Commissioner We’ve been giving aid for decades It’s our tradition Besides, it's only a few million pounds

IHC: And we appreciate the sentiment, truly But you see, India's economy is growing We've a space program, thriving industries We're not the same country you remember from decades ago

Sir H umphrey : The tradition of aid a symbol of longstanding friendship Can t just let go of such traditions, can we?

IHC: But, Sir Humphrey, it's like offering a ladder to someone in a bungalow

PM: I must say, we give aid to many countries, and you ’ re the first to complain

I H C : W e a r e n ’ t c o m p l a i n i n g , w e a r e d e c l i n i n g Politely Besides, your taxpayers would surely appreciate their money being spent more judiciously?

Sir Humphrey: The taxpayers, Commissioner, are more concerned with their daily soap operas than where their tax money goes

IHC (frust rate d): But why continue this farce? What's the real reason?

Chandrayaan-3 also acts as a representation of India's unity in diversity, exemplified through its collaborative and inclusive methodology Just as India boasts a rich blend of languages, cultures and traditions, the Chandrayaan-3 mission engages various scientific institutions, experts, and specialists from distinct regions within the country The global support and enthusiasm from the Indian diaspora worldwide also serve as a testament to this unity

As the nation rejoiced in this remarkable accomplishment, jubilant cheers, fireworks, and sweets filled the air C o n g r a t u l a t o r y m e s s a g e s f r o m c o u n t r i e s l i k e R u s s i a , Pakistan and the US poured in and the Indian Diaspora as well as Indian-origin MPs and Peers in the UK came together to celebrate the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the Moon's south pole, emphasising the significance of this achievement and its potential to inspire the younger generation towards space exploration The High Commission of India’s Independence Day event at London's Navnat Centre (see p9) drew a substantial crowd of participants who celebrated the success of Chandrayaan-3, along with a speech from the High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswami himself (see more on p1)

As we celebrate India's scientific progress, it's crucial to highlight the role of Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime M i n i s t e r , i n s h a p i n g t h e n a t i

Recognising science and technology's vital role in India's development, he laid the groundwork for the country's space program Nehru's vision of a self-reliant, scientifically advanced India led to forming the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) in 1962, which later became the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) He supported Dr Vikram Sarabhai and Homi Bhabha in launching India's space exploration endeavours

PM: It’s simple We give, and then we can talk about how we ’ re helping It keeps our global image polished You understand, don’t you?

Sir H umphrey: Moreover, discontinuing aid might send a message that we no longer care Or even worse, that we acknowledge India's superpower status

IHC: And what’s wrong with that?

PM: It’s politics It’s complicated

IHC: So, what if we send aid to the UK? Turn the tables?

Sir Humphre y (chuckl in g): Oh, Commissioner, imagine t h e h e a d l i n e s ! " F o r m e r C o l o n y A i d s t h e E m p i r e ! " Delightfully scandalous

PM: Look, Commissioner, we ’ ve been giving aid for decades We can't suddenly stop What would people say?

IHC (pa using, thinking): Alright What if India accepts the aid, but immediately donates it back to the UK for let’s say the preservation of British historical sites?

Sir Humphre y: A financial merry-go-round Delightful!

PM: That’s unorthodox But if it maintains appearances and satisfies your concerns, I think that’s a splendid idea!

IHC: It’s a deal then The Taj Mahal helps preserve the Tower of London Who would've thought?

Sir Humphr ey: The wonders of diplomacy!

Email:

“Books are a uniquely portable magic.”

Stephen King

Woman sentenced for aiding offender

A woman , Sha zia Asif, a ged

4 6 , r e si d in g o n S he r a t o n Driv e in Hig h Wy combe, ha s bee n se nt ence d for aidin g an offend er after dr ug s worth n ea rly £ 99,0 00 we re confisca ted dur in g a house r aid T he o ffen d e r, M oh am me d

A sif, a tte mpte d to flee the count ry

Shazia Asif was handed a suspended two-year imprisonment sentence along with 2 0 r e h a b i l i t a t i o n a c t i v i t y r e q u i r e m e n t d a y s b y R e a d i n g C r o w n C o u r t o n August 18 She had previously pleaded guilty to assisting an offender during a June 27 hearing at the same court

The incident transpired

during a house raid on June 1 4 , 2 0 2 1 , f o l l o w i n g w h i c h officers discovered substant i a l q u a n t i t i e s o f d r u g s including herbal cannabis, heroin, cocaine, and crack cocaine, collectively valued at approximately £98,600

The man who fled the s c e n e w a s i d e n t i f i e d a s

Mohammed Asif, aged 23, living on Sheraton Drive in High Wycombe On June 17, 2021, Mohammed Asif was apprehended at Heathrow Airport while attempting to travel to Pakistan He was found to have flight-related documents indicating that his mother, Shazia Asif, had booked his flight

Tributes pour in for DPD driver Aurman Singh

Trib ute s have b een offered f or a D PD d e l iv er y dr i ve r who lost his life in an incide nt where he was reporte dl y a m b us he d b y a g a n g Aurman Singh, hail ing from t he Bla ck Countr y, tra gical ly passed away during an atta ck while conduct in g a del iv ery in Shrewsbury

Despite efforts to save h i m , S i n g h s u s t a i n e d l i f et h r e a t e n i n g i n j u r i e s T h e local community was deeply affected by the incident, and witnesses reported that the gang involved was carrying p o t e n t i a l l y d a n g e r o u s weapons, adding to the distress of the situation

A D P D r e p r e s e n t a t i v e had previously verified that Mr Singh was a member of a t w o - p e r s o n d e l i v e r y t e a m and was assaulted during his p a r c e l d e l i v e r y d u t i e s

More than 100 MPs received free items worth £180,000 this summer

Over the summer, mor e than 100 MPs ha ve enjoyed compliment ary acce ss t o concerts and spor ts e vents, tota lling ove r £180,000 in va lue These ticke ts we r e p r ov i de d b y e n t it i e s suc h a s bank s, oil companies, the gambling sector, and media cor pora tion s Prominent figures like Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden, and Labour leader Keir Starmer have participated in this growing trend of politicians accepting such offerings

Critics have raised concerns that these complimentary tickets might

POST OFFICE CEO RETURNING BONUS TIED TO HORIZON SCANDAL INQUIRY

render MPs susceptible to influence from the corporations providing the perks They've also questioned the appropriateness of accepting thousands of pounds' worth of hospitality in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, which regular members of the public do not have access to Various ministers have benefited from the generosity of companies Last summer, a Mirror investigation revealed that MPs had received tickets t o c o n c e r t s a n d s p o r t i n g e v e n t s exceeding £82,000 in value within a span of two months

Kenya launches inquiry into alleged British soldier abuse at training unit

The Ke nyan government has initiated an inv estiga tion int o a ll ega tions of misconduct b y the British army, a situa tion that Memb ers of Par liament b e l ie ve co ul d im p a ct t he fu t ur e in v o l v e me n t o f U K t r oo p s i n t he nation

T h i s i n q u i r y w i l l f o c u s o n t h e actions of the British Army Training Unit Kenya (Batuk), whose soldiers have been accused of murder, sexual abuse, and environmental damage in proximity to their base in Nanyuki, s i t u a t e d a b o u t 1 2 5 m i l e s ( 2 0 0 k m ) north of the capital, Nairobi

Aurman Singh

However, investigators are inclined to believe that parcel delivery was not the prim a r y m o t i v e b e h i n d t h e attackers' actions P o l i c e h a v e i n d i c a t e d t h a t t h o s e r e s p o n s i b l e f o r Mr Singh's tragic death were acquainted with him In the wake of this revelation, Mr Singh's family has honoured the memory of the 23-yearold from Smethwick

Rishi Sunak breaks tradition: First UK PM in decade to skip UN summit

R i s h i Su na k i s b reaking a decadelong tradition as the f i r s t U K P ri m e M ini ster to forego a t te n da n c e a t t he U N G en e ra l A s s e m b ly , de s p i te appeals from nongovernmental organ i s - a t i on s f or h i s presence to bols ter s u s ta i n a b le de v el op m en t efforts

L e a d i n g t h e B r i t i s h contingent at the annual convening of global leaders i n N e w Y o r k t h i s September will be Deputy P r i m e M i n i s t e r O l i v e r D o w d e n a n d F o r e i g n Secretary James Cleverly, as c o n f i r m e d b y D o w n i n g Street

A spokesperson from 10 Downing Street cited the P r i m e M i n i s t e r ' s p a c k e d a u t u m n s c h e d u l e a s t h e r e a s o n f o r h i s a b s e n c e S p e c i f i c a l l y , h e w i l l b e

Rishi Sunak

engaged in meetings with c o u n t e r p a r t s a t t h e G 2 0 leaders' summit scheduled for September 9 and 10 in New Delhi, as well as the Cop28 UN climate summit set to take place in Dubai come November

The decision marks a departure from the norm, as it's atypical for a contemp o r a r y B r i t i s h P r i m e Minister to miss the UN's high-level general debate The last instance of a UK l e a d e r b e i n g a b s e n t w a s

Described as a noteworthy develo p m e n t b y K e n y a n l a w y e r K e l v i n Kubai, this inquiry marks the first instance of a review into British army

Guilty

activities in this manner since Kenya gained independence from the UK in 1963 K e n y a ' s p a r l i a m e n t a r y d e f e n c e committee, which is leading the investigation, will soon call for the public to submit any allegations of crimes or wrongdoing by the army The investigative process is set to commence in October The committee will request Batuk's response to these claims and is anticipated to present its findings to the parliament by the year's end

The resulting report will likely contain recommendations that could i n f l u e n c e t h e d e f e n c e a g r e e m e n t between Kenya and the UK, permitting British troops to conduct training activities within Kenya

verdict

for duo

in death of 16-year-old girl hit by car

Two me n h ave been found guilty of ca usin g de ath by dan ger ous d riving following the t rag ic inciden t wher e a tee na ge gir l, A lisha G oup, lost he r life after bein g hit by a car as sh e walk ed to colle ge

Alisha, aged 16, was fatally struck by a car traveling at 66mph in a 30mph z o n e s h o r t l y b e f o r e t h e c o l l i s i o n occurred on Rochdale Road, Oldham, Greater Manchester, in February The vehicle involved, a BMW car, was driven by 22-year-old Omar Choudhury He had mounted the pavement while attempting to overtake a car on the

wrong side of the road In the process, he clipped another vehicle and lost control of his car L e a d i n g u p t o t h e c o l l i s i o n ,

Choudhury had been chased by 24year-old Hamidur Rahman, a member of his extended family, who was driving another BMW B o t h C h o u d h u r y a n d R a h m a n w e r e d e c l a r e d g u i l t y a t M i n s h u l l Street Crown Court in Manchester on Monday for causing death by dangerous driving While they admitted to d r i v i n g d a n g e r o u s l y , t h e y d e n i e d being responsible for Alisha's death

The CEO of the Post Office has announced his intention to refund a bonus payment tied to the inquiry into the Horizon scandal which resulted in the wrongful conviction of numerous postmasters Nick Read expressed regret for the firm s errors in connecting substantial bonus payments to efforts related to the investigation into the miscarriage of justice The flawed Horizon IT system at the Post Office led to around 700 postal workers being unjustly found guilty of theft and false accounting between 2000 and 2014 The fallout from the scandal included wrongful imprisonment and tragically four suicides The matter is currently under investigation led by retired high court judge Sir Wyn Williams, which gained statutory status in 2021 Following the scandal revelations emerged that executives received approximately £1 6 million in bonus payments Progress in the Horizon inquiry was among the four criteria used to determine these bonuses Read announced on Wednesday his voluntary decision to return the portion of his £455 000 bonus for the 2021-22 fiscal year linked to this controversy This segment of the bonus is estimated at £54,400, which includes around £13,000 he had previously committed to returning

NHS CONSULTANTS IN ENGLAND TO STRIKE FOR THREE DAYS IN OCTOBER

The NHS is poised for another challenging winter ahead as senior doctors declare their lengthiest-ever strike for October The British Medical Association (BMA) revealed that for the first instance consultants are planning a three-day strike from October 2 to October 4 as part of their ongoing pay dispute These new dates were announced as thousands of consultants embarked on a 48-hour strike, with another two days of industrial action scheduled for September 19-20 Similar to previous strikes, the upcoming and subsequent strikes will ensure provision for "Christmas Day" coverage, guaranteeing the continued presence of all emergency services as confirmed by the BMA In June, senior NHS doctors voted in favour of striking and initiated a two-day industrial action in July NHS England predicts that the total number of cancelled or postponed appointments and operations resulting from industrial action across the NHS since December will soon exceed 1 million Nearly 890 000 appointments have already been deferred leading to an estimated cost of around £1 billion for the health service

In July Rishi Sunak announced the conclusion of pay negotiations, leading to a 6% pay raise for consultants

Tory concerns rise as cabinet ministers set to lose seats at next election

Unle ss there 's a si gni ficant shif t i n the polls, i t a ppe ars th a t a m i n i m u m of f i v e C a b i n e t m i n i s t e r s a n d n u me r o u s o t h e r p r om inen t Con serva tive MPs are facing the prospe ct of losi n g t h e i r s e a t s i n t h e upcomin g e le ct ion , b as ed on my f indi ngs

According to a recent BMG survey, Labour holds a 15-percentage-point lead over the Tories This outc o m e p o s i t i o n s S i r K e i r Starmer for a sweeping victory akin to Tony Blair's landslide triumph in 1997

Should this substantial s w i n g b e t w e e n t h e t w o major parties be replicated n a t i o n w i d e , k e y C o n s e r v a t i v e f i g u r e s i n c l u d i n g G r a n t S h a p p s , P e n n y M o r d a u n t , a n d Mark Harper would find themselves removed from the House of Commons Conservative Members o f P a r l i a m e n t h a v e b e e n c a u t i o n e d a b o u t t h e " s o b e r i n g " r e v e l a t i o n s o f the survey Conducted by BMG last week, the poll unveiled that 44 percent of the public would support

Labour in a general elect i o n , w h i l e 2 9 p e r c e n t w o u l d l e a n t o w a r d s t h e Conservatives, and 10 perc e n t w o u l d c h o o s e t h e Liberal Democrats

The results are in line with many recent surveys and propose a substantial victory for Sir Keir Starmer According to a computer m o d e l c o n s t r u c t e d b y E l e c t o r a l C a l c u l u s , t h i s outcome could result in the defeat of five Cabinet ministers if the swing from the Conservative Party to the other two major parties is

u n i f o r m a c r o s s a l l c o n -

stituencies Under this scenario, Transport Secretary M r H a r p e r , C o m m o n s

L e a d e r M s M o r d a u n t ,

E n e r g y S e c r e t a r y M r Shapps, and Conservative

P a r t y C h a i r m a n G r e g Hands would all face defeat b y t h e L a b o u r P a r t y

A d d i t i o n a l l y , J u s t i c e Secretary Alex Chalk would lose his seat to the Liberal Democrats These project i o n s a r e b a s e d o n t h e forthcoming constituency boundaries, which will be implemented next year

UK air traffic control glitch: A harrowing experience

Shefali Saxena

A casc ade of f light can cellations con ti nues to e nsue on Tues day i n the afterm ath of the air tra ffic control dis ruption that rocked the U K on M on day

Ai rlines are grappling with the af te rmath of a fourhour mai n ai r traffic control sys tem f ailure, which c aus ed a consi derable upheaval durin g the recen t ba nk holiday Thi s outage, attrib uted to Nats , the na ti onal ai r traffic provider, led to approxim ately 1,2 00 flights to and from the UK b eing c anc elled as pla nes a nd fli ght c rews w ere left di slocated

As the day began, nearly 200,000 individuals found themselves in unintended locations due to this chaos, and the trend of cancellations persisted

Notably, easyJet, the largest budget airline in Britain, has been compelled to ground more than 80 flights on Tuesday Among these cancellations, three dozen flights originating from Gatwick Airport are affected, notably impacting routes to favoured vacation destinations such as Athens and Venice The impact was felt across multiple routes, including Athens, Ibiza, and Pisa, and even extending to transatlantic journeys, evident in the cancellations of the HeathrowNashville and GatwickTampa flights

Although National Air Traffic Services (Nats) declared on Monday, at 3:15 pm, that the technical glitch had been identified and rectified, a lingering disruption was anticipated, possibly extending throughout the week Nats pledged a thorough investigation into the incident to uncover the root causes of the failure

Thousands of travellers remained stranded on the floors of airports for more than 12 hours, some of them eagerly waiting to rush back home because schools were about to reopen as UK air traffic woes took a toll Travellers queued for accommodation and waited with baited breaths to see some respite Asian Voice has learned from those travelling amid this crisis that a woman travelling with an infant was given two different seats, which meant she had to stay apart from her child which is just one unfortunate incident amid many

Hotels were already booked due to the bank holiday and could only accommodate a limited amount of travellers who were returning after their flights were cancelled

Some were given options to take the next day’s flight and one night stay at a hotel, but many had to face the wrath of irrational allocation of hotels, where couples were given separate hotel rooms to stay in This led to them cancelling their allotted booking and going ahead with arranging their own accommodation, a rather costly affair with a loss of money Some travellers had to witness puzzling scenarios where in their allotted accommodation was suddenly full and their wait for settling back in hotels further became tiresome

“There is going to be some knock-on impact today and I suspect for another few days as airlines get their planes and get their services back to normal,” Harper told the BBC on Tuesday Hotels n ot equipped to

ment for the second day, which I was not told before my flight was booked for 2 days later!

“So left without a choice we just went and booked our own hotel and

don’t know if we will get any money back for that We were offered vouchers and taxi drop and pick up service The taxi never came and we had to make our own arrangements yet again to reach the hotel We were pretty much left on our own to fend for ourselves ”

A harrowin g experien ce Bharat Vasw ani, another traveller from Britain told the newsweekly, “We were at the boarding gate for our flight to London when the ATU glitch happened The flight was initially announced as delayed then within an hour cancelled It has been quite a harrowing experi-

ence

“The airline staff were not prepared and behaved like it was a huge inconvenience for them and were not at all empathetic to the passenger's situationwe've had to reschedule meetings, deliveries and all other things planned We were given a basic hotel and have been booked to

London via Aberdeen the next day We were at the airport for over 6 hours sorting this

“We land at a different airport to where our car is parked so will have to now spend over 3 hours to collect our car During our face-to-face interaction with the airline and subsequent calls to their customer services, we were told that there were no seats on the direct flights to London This morning while checking in for our flight we were told that the direct morning flight took off with 7 empty seats! Airlines should train their staff better and be prepared for such situations ”

de al with c haos Rupanj ana Dutta, M anagi ng Editor, Asian Voice who was slated to travel back to London from Riga, Latvia said, “We were meant to return from Latvia on Monday After waiting at the airport for 2 hours we were told the flight was cancelled We were on the way to the business lounge, escorted when we were left with the flight office staff to rebook We were put on the flight for Wednesday but I was offered a single room in one hotel for one night and my husband in another hotel, as our ticket bookings were made separately On top of that, I was offered only one night of accommodation though I needed to wait for 2 days to fly back I was asked to make my own arrange-

Rupanjana with her husband Vivekanand at Riga, Latvia

Bharat with wife Thanu

UK-India trade deal faces uncertainty over disputes on drug patents

T h e U K ' s i n si s te nc e o n s tr i ct er r eg u l ati o n s fo r a ff o rd a bl e g e ne ri c m ed icines is causing uncertainty in the U K-Ind ia trade d eal , a cc o rd in g t o T h e T eleg raph I n d i a ' s n e g o t i a t o r s oppose the UK's proposal to extend drug patents before a l l o w i n g c h e a p e r a l t e r n atives, which aims to protect pharmaceutical giants from g e n e r i c c o m p e t i t i o n Alongside patent disagreements, India's push for more v i s a s f o r n u r s e s a n d c a r e workers has added uncertainty to a potential trade

Rishi Sunak with Narendra Modi

deal announcement

A t t h e h e a r t o f t h e p a t e n t d i s p u t e i s I n d i a s thriving generic drug indust r y , c o n t r a s t i n g w i t h t h e U K ' s p h a r m a c e u t i c a l strength, leading to innovat i o n s l i k e C o v i d v a c c i n e s Reports suggest a compreh e n s i v e f r e e - t r a d e a g r e e -

Home Secretary urges police to investigate every theft

ment might not be reached by year-end Prime Minister Rishi Sunak plans to visit India for talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi

T h e U K s e e k s I n d i a ' s a c c e p t a n c e o f T R I P S - p l u s arrangements, which extend d r u g p a t e n t p r o t e c t i o n beyond typical international a g r e e m e n t s T h i s d e t a i l emerged from a draft of the free trade agreement

An official from India's commerce ministry firmly expressed that the Indian government is against the request for extended patent terms on drugs

Nadine Dorries resigns criticising Rishi Sunak

T o r y p arl i am en ta ri an Nadine Dorries has issued a s c ath in g cr i ti qu e o f h er p arty's leader, Rish i Su nak, i n h er o ffi ci al resi g natio n l et ter In th e l ett er, s h e accuses the prime m inister o f presid ing over a "zombie p arliam ent" and lac king a clear p olitical vision

Dorries, a close ally of f o r m e r l e a d e r B o r i s J o h n s o n , h a d i n i t i a l l y announced her intention to step down in June However, s h e f a c e d m o u n t i n g c r i t ic i s m f o r n o t f o l l o w i n g through, which led to the postponement of the elec-

tion to replace her, alongside three other local votes last month

L a t e o n S a t u r d a y , D o r r i e s o f f i c i a l l y r e s i g n e d and her resignation letter, which was lengthy, strongly criticised Sunak “Since you took office a year ago, the country is run by a zombie parliament where nothing meaningful has happened What exactly has been done or have you achieved?,” said Dorries

The by-election to fill her vacant seat is expected to occur in the autumn, prov i d i n g t h e C o n s e r v a t i v e

Nadine Dorries

Party with another test of their popularity as they currently trail the opposition L a b o u r P a r t y i n o p i n i o n polls

Labour MP calls for inquiry into "horrifying" chapati study on South Asian women

A call for an inquiry into a d isturbing study involving c h ap a ti s an d s o u th A s ia n w o m e n i n C o v e ntr y h as been m ad e by a Labo ur M P

In 1969, chapatis containing a radioactive subs t a n c e w e r e g i v e n t o 2 0 s o u t h A s i a n w o m e n t o investigate iron absorption

obtained

T h e h o m e s ec reta ry, S u el la B rav erm a n, h a s called for thoroug h inv estigatio ns into every th eft, urg ing the p olice to follow all reasonable lead s i n ap p r eh e nd i ng offenders

PAKISTANI POLICE INTENSIFY HUNT FOR BRITISH FATHER AFTER DAUGHTER'S TRAGIC DEATH

S h e d e e m s i t " c o m p l e t e l y u n a cceptable" that crimi n a l s o f t e n o p e r a t e w i t h i m p u n i t y w h e n breaking certain laws Braverman proposes the utilisation of evidence from smart doorbells and dashcams to aid in solving lowerlevel crimes

Suella Braverman

H o w e v e r , t h e P o l i c e F e d e r a t i o n o f England and Wales has voiced concerns, highlighting the extreme strain that forces are already under There's apprehension that this approach might divert resources from more serious crimes, such as rape and sexual assault

Data indicates that only 4 4% of theft offences resulted in charges in the year up to March

Local authorities spent over £2.5 million on sexual harassment allegations

A n investigatio n by the Observer has unveiled that local autho rities in Eng land and Wales have expend ed a minim um of £2 5 million ov er the last five years on exp enses linked to alleg ations o f sexual harassm ent

A c c o r d i n g t o i n f o r m a t i o n a c q u i r e d through Freedom of Information (FoI) regulat i o n s , 6 2 c o u n c i l s h a v e a l l o c a t e d o v e r

£1,728,900 to cover the salaries of suspended staff following accusations of sexual harassment since 2018 The allegations encompass a range of behaviours, from indecent exposure, upskirting, inappropriate remarks, and sexual assault to stalking and abuse of power

In addition, six councils disbursed an extra £800,000 for sexual harassment claims, which included legal expenses, claimant costs, and compensation for victims

Efforts to locate and arrest Urfan Sharif a British father who fled the UK following his 10-year-old daughter s tragic death have been escalated by Pakistani police, as reported by MailOnline Urfan Sharif, 41 fled along with his wife Beinash Batool, 29, and his brother Faisal Malik, 28, a day prior to the discovery of their daughter Sara Sharif s lifeless body at their Woking residence earlier this month Surrey Police have initiated a global manhunt for this trio, wanted for questioning in connection with Sara's murder While the investigation spans across continents, Pakistani authorities are concentrating their efforts on the family's hometown of Jhelum They are narrowing down their pursuit as they track a mobile phone SIM card owned by Sharif, which has been recently used in Jhelum located around 70 miles from Islamabad There are suspicions that the fugitives are receiving refuge from relatives and assistance in evading capture

UK PM RISHI SUNAK TO LEAD FIRST AI SAFETY SUMMIT AT BLETCHLEY PARK

While the aim was to study iron absorption and anemia in the population, concerns h a v e b e e n r a i s e d a b o u t w h e t h e r t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s were adequately informed a b o u t t h e f o o d ' s c o n t e n t and if proper consent was

Taiwo Owatemi

Taiwo Owatemi, the MP for Coventry North West, expressed her dismay that a community was subjected to t h e r e s e a r c h w i t h o u t informed consent She ment i o n e d t h a t a r e s e a r c h e r f r o m t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f Warwick is working to ident i f y t h e w o m e n i n v o l v e d Owatemi also criticised the lack of a follow-up study to e x a m i n e a n y l o n g - t e r m medical effects on the participants

Priti Patel apologises to King for leaked email on Prince Andrew's security

F o rm e r H o m e S ec re tar y

P riti Patel h as of fered an apology to King C harles following the leak of an email to his chief aide in wh ich sh e re p o rte d ly ex p res s ed su pport fo r reinstating security p ro t ec ti o n f or P ri nc e A nd rew In her communication with

Priti

detail, which was estimated

to cost £3 million per year, after relinquishing his HRH title in the wake of settling a sexual abuse case brought by Virginia Giuffre in the US Prince Andrew's reputat i o n w a s m a r r e d w h e n Giuffre, 38, alleged that she had a sexual encounter with him when she was 17, foll o w i n g h e r i n t r o d u c t i o n through the late financier Jeffrey Epstein To avoid a t r i a l , A n d r e w r e p o r t e d l y paid around £12 million to settle Giuffre's claim out of court

The final figure is likely higher, given that 103 councils either declined to furnish data or did not respond to the FoI request

Braverman's ‘deathtrap’ asylum housing plan faces legal hurdle

Suell a Bra verman's st all ed proposal to accommodate asyl um seeke rs on a la rge bar ge is en countering a significant l egal ob st acl e as firefight ers are thre atening the gove rnment wit h a potent ia l judicia l review

T h e f i r e f i g h t e r s c l a i m t h a t t h e v e s s e l , known as the Bibby Stockholm, poses a "potential deathtrap due to serious fire and operational safety concerns The Fire Brigades Union has sent a formal letter to the home secretary outlining their worries about the 220-bedroom barge

Earlier this month, the Home Office had to evacuate the initial group of 39 asylum seekers from the barge shortly after their arrival due to the discovery of potentially lethal legionella bacteria onboard The Fire Brigades Union has set a deadline of Thursday for a response to their legal letter and is insisting that no asylum seekers be placed on the barge until their concerns are addressed The government's plan involves accommodating 506 single men on the three-story vessel while their asylum applications are processed The government has chartered the barge for a period of 18 months, and it arrived at Portland in July

The UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, is set to host the inaugural global AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire on November 1 and 2 This iconic site from World War II, known for its code-breaking history will welcome representatives from international governments including India along with prominent AI experts The summit aims to delve into the secure advancement and application of cutting-edge AI technology Sunak said: The UK has long been home to the transformative technologies of the future, so there is no better place to host the first ever global AI safety summit than at Bletchley Park this November “To fully embrace the extraordinary opportunities of artificial intelligence, we must grip and tackle the risks to ensure it develops safely in the years ahead With the combined strength of our international partners, thriving AI industry and expert academic community we can secure the rapid international action we need for the safe and responsible development of AI around the world ”

INDIAN-ORIGIN MAN IMPRISONED FOR SMUGGLING BANNED DRUGS INTO THE UK

Two individuals, including a former West Midlands Police community support worker, have been sentenced to 12 years in prison for their involvement in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine and amphetamines Sundeep Singh Rai, 37, residing on Okehampton Drive, West Bromwich, and Billy Hayre, 42, from Hathersage Road in Old Oscott were apprehended following the discovery of over 31 kilos of cocaine and 30 kilos of amphetamine at Heathrow Airport These narcotics had arrived via a cargo plane from Mexico City in May of the previous year After a surveillance operation the pair were apprehended during an operation in West Bromwich During their sentencing at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Friday Judge Jonathan Gosling emphasised the significant roles that the defendants played in the operation, characterising their actions as "despicable " Rai and Hayre had previously pleaded guilty to charges of conspiring to supply class-A drugs They are expected to serve half of their prison sentences before being released on license

NHS accommodation partner Gravity co helps overseas medical staff settle in UK

T he NHS is helping m edical staff from ov erseas relocate to the UK by team ing u p with flexible-living accomm odation provid ers w ho p lay a key role in helping them settle in

Flexible-living brand Gravity Co is home to several members of NHS staff who have travelled from abroad to work for the NHS

Skilled overseas workers play a vital role in filling NHS staff shortages The British Medical Association calculates that there were 112,498 vacancies in secondary care in England in March this year

In response, the NHS is actively recruiting doctors, nurses and other medical professionals from overseas NHS Trusts are working with accommodation partners to smooth the path of successful recruits - some of whom have never been to the UK before - by helping them find a comfortable and welcoming place to live

One such partner is Gravity Co, which provides self-contained studio apartments to new NHS staff Many of these workers use Gravity Co as a short-term accommodation solution when they first arrive in the UK

Uche Japhet, a physiotherapist, has moved to London from Nigeria and has enjoyed his stay at Gravity Co so much that he is considering extending the contract

He said: “When I was offered the job, the NHS asked me what

my greatest challenge would be I said finding accommodation

They said they would help sort that out and found Gravity for me It is a lovely place to live, with good facilities

“The people here are really friendly and always ready to support you It is a good environment with a good atmosphere ”

Richa Roy is an occupational therapist who moved to the UK from India in June to take up her first job in the NHS She will be joining her husband in a permanent home later this summer, but Gravity Co has played a big role in helping her settle in

She said: “The UK is my dream country to work in and we really wanted to settle here

“Staying at Gravity has been great, as we have so many facili-

ties Some of my NHS colleagues also live here, and this has helped me get to know them on a personal level and make some firm friends It is only five minutes away from work, so I can easily come back for a break and to have lunch ”

Gravity Co is a flexible living and PRS brand focused on community, wellbeing and professional growth

Riccard o Tessaro , Co-Fo und er & CEO of Grav ity Co, said, “It’s great to be able to support the NHS in providing some of their recruits with a welcoming and fun place to live while they settle into their new life in London ”

“Moving home can be a stressful experience, but even more so when you ’ re relocating from a different country

“At Gravity Co, our goal is to provide a flexible accommodation option to support corporate relocation from one to 12 months, not just to the NHS, but to organisations everywhere

“We include utility bills in monthly rents, offer communal spaces for residents who work from home and host weekly member social events that help those who are new to the city to create a real social network ”

“With plans already in motion to launch Gravity Co in mainland Europe in 2024, we’ll be able to further support our corporate partners outside of London in key European cities such as Madrid, Barcelona, Milan and Paris ”

10,600 Birmingham council staff invited to resign for cost-cutting

This cost-cutting endeavor is considered crucial for the council's recovery from its economic challenges, including a substantial equal pay bill potentially exceeding a billion pounds, a £100 million expense for a malfunctioning computer and f i n a n c e s y s t e m , a n d e s c a l a t i n g expenditures for services like homelessness, adult care, and children's services

The council has yet to provide s p e c i f i c s r e g a r d i n g i t s g o a l s , t h e number of staff expected to participate, and the contingency plan if too few employees take up the offer

NHS launches lifesaving campaign to help people spot a heart attack

The NHS is i ntroducing a life-saving campaign to prompt i ndi vi duals to dial 99 9 upon experiencing early signs of a heart attack, especially as heart attack admissions have return ed to pre -pan demi c levels

This campaign aims to educ a t e t h e p u b l i c a b o u t t h e f r equently disregarded or overlooked indicators of a heart attack

t attack-related hospital admissions in England during 2021/22, mark-

i n g a n i n c r e a s e o f m o r e t h a n 7,000 compared to the prior year w h e n f e w e r i n d i v i d u a l s s o u g h t care due to the pandemic Seeking medical assistance at the onset of a h e a r t a t t a c k s i g n i f i c a n t l y enhances the likelihood of survival

C o m m e n c i n g t h i s w e e k , a n NHS advertisement will promote dialing 999 as soon as symptoms of a heart attack arise, such as chest tightness, sweating, and a s e n s e o f u n e a s e T h i s m e a s u r e maximizes the chances of survival

Richa Roy outside Gravity Co building

A cricket tournament to celebrate India’s Independence Day, with a message of support for the visually impaired people

U K ba s ed n o t f o r p ro fi t B e ng al i o r ga ni s a ti o n H e ri t ag e Be n gal G l o b al ( HB G ) , c el e br at ed Independence Day sup porte d b y H ar ro w c o u nc i l o f London and the edu catio nal i nstitute GBS and o rganised a day o f cricket on S unday 27 August

T h e h i g h l i g h t o f t h e event was the visit and felici t a t i o n o f t h e I n d i a n Women’s and Men’s Visually I m p a i r e d C r i c k e t T e a m s , w h o a l s o p l a y e d a s h o r t demo game They were felici t a t e d b y t h e M a y o r o f H a r r o w , C o u n c i l l o r R a m j i C h a u h a n , B o b B l a c k m a n MP, sponsor GBS represent a t i v e , H B G D i r e c t o r Anirban Mukhopadhyay and other dignitaries who were present there

The competitive regular part of the cricket day was played for the GBS Trophy w h i c h w a s w o n b y t h e I n d i a n H i g h C o m m i s s i o n team led by its official Ankit T i w a r i D e p u t y H i g h

Commissioner Sujit Ghosh was the highest run scorer, while British MP Padmasree Bob Blackman, playing for the Mayor of Harrow- HBG c o m b i n e d t e a m , w o n t h e highest wicket taker award

The man of the match was was won by 15-year old boy from Ruislip - Aryan

The final was a keenly contested match where the I n d i a n H i g h C o m m i s s i o n

b e a t t h e H a r r o w M a y o r -

HBG team by just 2 runs

In the demo game the Indian Women’s and Men’s V i s u a l l y I m p a i r e d C r i c k e t Teams clearly showed why they are the top teams in the w o r l d h i t t i n g b o u n d a r i e s a n d t a k i n g w i c k e t s T h e y also explained the rules of the game to the gathered c r o w d w h o w e r e h i g h l y enthusiastic in their support

The head coach of the team John David, expressed gratitude for being invited and appealed to the community for a greater support from the diaspora

M a h u a B e j , V i c e President of HBG said, “Our aim is to create awareness f o r t h e v i s u a l l y i m p a i r e d people, the challenges they face in their sports and see how we can facilitate their funding, which is always a challenge ”

The GBS representative present said, “The opportunity to felicitate the Indian

Men and Women Visually Impaired Cricket Teams at the Ground, are making GBS proud and excited, as a give back to the society ”

GBS is a private higher e d u c a t i o n p r o v i d e r a n d committed to changing lives through education H a r r o w C o u n c i l l o r Mathew Goodwin-Freeman, who was one of the main pillars behind the success of the d a y t h a n k e d e v e r y o n e f o r their enthusiastic participation and support

Bob Blackman MP in his s p e e c h s p o k e a b o u t t h e

Families sue over Covid care home deaths

Thirty families are suing the go vernment for their relativ es' Cov id-19 fatalities that occurred in nursing homes at th e start o f the pand em ic In ad dition to care facilities and h osp itals, the fam ilies are su ing th e s ecretary o f state for health and social care for wro ng ful death and em otional suffering

The lawsuit relies on the March 2020 decision to discharge hospital patients into nursing homes without testing or isolating them

T h e H i g h C o u r t c o ncluded in 2022 that the strategy was illegal because it did not take into account the possibility of asymptomatic transmission to old and vuln e r a b l e r e s i d e n t s o f c a r e facilities

T h e f a m i l i e s c o n t e n d t h a t t h e E u r o p e a n C o n v e n t i o n o n H u m a n Rights was violated, including a failure to defend the rights to life and equality of their departed family members

Labour's Sadiq Khan faces road charging block

importance of cricket in the Indo British relationship and thanked the hosts for organising such a wonderful day

The Indian Deputy High Commissioner Sujit Ghosh thanked the organisers and said the High Commission will always be in support of s u c h c o m m u n i t y a c t i v i t i e s leading to diaspora connect F o r H e r i t a g e B e n g a l G l o b a l v o l u n t e e r s S o u r a v

Paul, Anuran Sarkar, Manas Chatterjee the day was a culmination of weeks of planning and hectic activities till the last day

Onam: The celebration of Oneness

Onam is celebrated in the M a la yal am m o n th o f C h i n g am ( A u g u s tSeptem ber) to welcome the s p i ri t o f K i ng M ah abe li Legend has it, that in K erala d u r in g th e re ig n o f K i ng M ahabeli, all h umans were equ al and pro sperous There was no th eft , d e c ei t o r hu ng er

People lived in peace and in harmony with nature W h e t h e r y o u believe the legend or not, regardless o f t h e i r r e l i g i o u s o r s o c i a l b a c k g r o u n d ,

Malayalees celebrate Onam as a cultural festival to mark the joy and prosperity of the harvest and have taken this tradition with them when they migrated to different parts of the world

O n a m c e l e b r a t i o n h a s been a much-revered occasion in the MAUK annual c a l e n d a r s i n c e t h e m i d1970s It is the largest Onam gathering in the UK and is w i d e l y s u p p o r t e d b y t h e community and local businesses

OnaSadhya will be held on Saturday 9 September at T r i n i t y C e n t r e i n M a n o r

Park, East London

T h i s y e a r ’ s c e l e b r a t

D A Y , 1 7 S E P T E M B E R A T R E DBRIDGE TOWN HALL in Ilford from 14:00 onwards

This year ’ s festival hopes to raise money for The Gowri

L abo u r l ead e r S ad iq Kh an's co nsid erati on o f p a y- as - yo u - d ri v e charg es faces p otential obstruction d ue to g o v er nm e nt p ro p o sals Concerned about th e i m p ac t o f ro ad ch ar g in g o n d r iv ers , es p ec i all y w i th th e impend ing expansion of the costly ultra-lo w em ission zone, ministers are planning to alter existing laws

This move comes a f t e r L o n d o n o f f i c i a l s r e v e a l e d l a s t m o n t h t h a t t h e y w e r e e x p l o r i n g t h e logistical aspects of implem e n t i n g r o a d c h a r g i n g i n the future

Additionally, Mr Harper criticised the Labour leader for the Ulez scheme, which entails a £12 50 charge for vehicles not meeting emissions standards He also sugg e s t s t h a t S i r K e i r c o u l d exert pressure on Mr Khan

to reverse the extension of t h e U l e z z o n e i n a l a s tminute decision

In addition, Mr Harper criticised the Labour leader for the Ulez scheme, which imposes a £12 50 charge on drivers whose vehicles fail to m e e t e m i s s i o n s s t a n d a r d s He further proposed that Sir Keir could potentially exert influence on Mr Khan to perform a last-minute reversal and prevent the expansion of the Ulez zone

Project T h e M a l a y a l e e A s s o c i a t i o n o f t h e U K (MAUK) is a charity organisation based at 671 Romford R o a d , L o n d o n E 1 2 5 A D

F r o m s u p p l e m e n t a r y a n d cultural classes to elders day centre and lunch club, and currently provides a diverse range of services and activities for the local community T h e y h a v e a p e d i g r e e d record of serving communit i e s i n N e w h a m a n d s u rr o u n d i n g a r e a s s i n c e 1 9 7 4 and have been functioning f r o m K e r a l a H o u s e , t h e i r c e n t r e i n R o m f o r d R o a d since 1987

ABPL Group published a special issue dedicated to Pujya Shri Mahant Swami Maharaj the present guru and president of the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan (BAPS) Sanstha a major branch of the Swaminarayan Sampradaya a Hindu denomination Pictured our roving reporter Dhiren Katwa presents a copy to Pujya Shri Tyagratna Swami at the BAPS temple in Birmingham Also pictured, Pujya Tyagratna Swami with veteran volunteer Shri Madhubhai Joshee ABPL Group would like to convey our heartiest greetings to Pujya Shri Mahant Swami Maharaj ahead of his 90th birthday next month

Winners with Deputy High Commissioner Sujit Ghosh, Mayor of Harrow, Bob Blackman MP and HBG

Men’s Visually Impaired Cricket Team with Mayor of Harrow and Bob Blackman MP

Janamashtami Mela at Navnat Centre

Na v na t C ent re is o r g an is i ng it s an nu al Janm ashtam i Mela this year on S und ay 3 Sep tem ber T he ev ent wi ll take p lace at Nav nat Centre, (P rinting House L ane, Hayes UB3 1 AR) from 1 2:0 0 PM to 7:00 P M A sian Voice and Gujarat Sam achar are the media partners for this event

This Mela will feature various activities such as bhajans, beauty sessions, art & craft,

Celebrating Indian Heritage

dance, yoga, fashion, kids zone, travel and tourism stalls, food stalls and much more Additionally, in the evening, there will be p r o g r a m m e s c e l e b r a t i n g t h e e s s e n c e o f J a n m a s h t a m i , i n c l u d i n g K r i s h n a J a n m a , Matki Phod, and Raas Leela There is no entry fee or parking charge for this event For more details about the event, please visit the website www navnat com or see Pg 11

Grand celebration of India's Independence Day at Anoopam Mission

OnTuesday, August 15, the 77th anniversary of India s independence was commemorated in grandeur at Anoopam Mission in England, in the presence of Param Pujya Sahibji, saints, as well as several dignitaries and followers The entire campus was decked out with various posters and flags Dignitaries and saints donned Gandhi caps and tricolour badges, with miniature tricolour flags to carry

English national anthem and a salute Mr Hiteshbhai Taylor, Mr Ramji Chauhan, and CB Patel unfurled the Indian

cussed the inception of the 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign by the Government of India's inspiration, fostering a

A grand India Day celebration was held in London last week to celebrate India s 77th Independence Day as well as the historic success of the Chandrayaan-3 moon mission The event was held at the Navnat Centre in London and the people of the Indian diaspora took part in the celebration in huge numbers Indian High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswami and several prominent members of the Indian diaspora attended the event Speaking to media persons Indian High Commissioner Doraiswami said there is so much to be proud of in 76 years of India’s history and particularly the last decade in which so much has been achieved He added the role of Diaspora is central to India's success globally ABPL Editor-In-Chief CB Patel was also a part of the celebrations Heritage Bengal Global reportedly presented a film on the cultural heritage of Bengal during the programme

Amongst the dignitaries were Councillor Steve Tuckwell (MP of Uxbridge and South Ruislip), Bob Blackman MP, Simon Ovens, Deputy Lieutenant HM, Mayor of Ealing, Mr Hiteshbhai Taylor, Mayor of Harrow, Cllr Ramji Chauhan, Mr CB Patel (Gujarat Samachar, UK) and Shri Chandrakant Sharma

They were honoured with bouquets, sashes and mementos s

Steve Tuckwell MP, Bob Blackman MP, and Simon Ovens raised the Union Jack (the UK's national flag) in unison, accompanied by the

National Flag, saluting as the Indian national anthem played Bhavishaben introduced key dignitaries during the event and skillfully managed the entire festival

The dignitaries shared their heartfelt reflections on their Anoopam Mission experiences, highlighting temple darshan: witnessing the devoted service of saints and devotees and their commitment to preserving and promoting India's rich cultural heritage

Param Pujya Saheb ji extended his blessings to all attendees and dis-

spirit of nationalism among everyone He also shared insights about the Dandi Yatra, where Brahmaswarup Shastriji Maharaj congratulated Gandhiji on the triumph of the freedom movement Saheb ji also recounted a moment when Yogiji Maharaj was requested to sing for India's independence

Mr Satishbhai Chatwani concluded with a vote of thanks

Amitbhai Thakkar, Diptiben Desai, Dyutiben Buch, Kalpeshbhai, Chetanbhai, Bihagbhai, and Netiben of the Vyas Brothers family, journeyed from India under Sahebji's guidance and performed some amazing patriotic songs, contributing to a delightful atmosphere

Additionally, children, teenagers, and young women from England showcased a charming cultural performance The festival attendees collectively shared in the joy of India's celebration

Cultural activities on the occasion of Independence Day

Vinodbhai Nakarja Virendra Sharma MP Satishbhai Chatwani Simon Owens (Dept Lieutenant HM) Cllr Steve Tuckwell (MP Uxbridge and South Ruislip) Bob Blackman MP Pujya Sahabji, Harrow's Mayor Ramji Chauhan, CB Patel, Mayor Hiteshbhai Taylor, Chandrakant Sharma (Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh), Himat Swami

Vinodbhai Nakarja and Himat Swami honoured CB Patel

Pack your bags for an unforgettable holiday

There was a time when the Moon was considered untouchable, out of bounds for all but there are few inquisitive human beings for whom nothing is unachievable This applies particularly to people of Indian origin, who never take no for an answer But they were kept, more or less, in a cage by invaders from Central Asia as well as Europe, attracted by riches to loot and plunder Mother Earth!

The first landing on the South Pole is of immense importance, as it is assumed to have frozen water and other raw material needed to build a base for scientific research, as well as a base to explore the universe

PM Modi proudly announced the successful landing of Vikram, the Chandrayaan-3 rocket and named the spot “Shiv Shakti” This landing has served two purposes, first, it is now possible to soft-land a rocket on the moon surface and second, it can be explored by “Moon Rovers”, a special vehicle controlled from the earth

Unlike America who landed astronauts some fifty years ago, then put the programme on ice, PM Modi assured the world that under the leadership of BJP and PM Modi, India will build a permanent scientific settlement on the moon to explore the last unexplored frontier, the Universe! The ultimate goal is to land on Mars where there is water, air and other ingredients vital for human settlement

Yes, it may sound like a fairy tale but for a united, democratic, progressive and peaceful India, nothing is impossible nor out-of-bounds It is a question of when, not if! Don’t forget India is a historic land with an enviable past not matched by any other nation!

Bhu pendra M Gandh i

New vision for India

After Chandrayaan-3’s successful moon landing, some might question why a developing country like India is so keen on sending missions to the moon, given its many political and socio-economic problems I would argue it is because initiatives like these help articulate a vision that emphasises technological progress and futuristic thinking, helping spur growth and innovation States without a progressive vision tend to fall into decay There are many opportunities for us to shift away from our reliance on agricultural commodities and geostrategic rent-seeking but we rarely make use of them We need to invest more in science and technology if we want to compete and remain relevant in this fast-changing world

Jubel D'Cruz

No cash!

Be aware when out shopping as an increasing number of places have stopped taking cash Shaking their heads, shopkeepers say “Sorry, only card payments can now be accepted” I would advise these “card only” shops to put prominent notices at their entrances warning everyone “No cash Card only” to avoid angry exchanges with cardless customers

On the other hand, shops happy to continue with cash transactions should display big notices declaring “Cash payments welcome”

Ash Gupta

Chandrayaan 3 - Pride of India

Mission to moon reminds us of Tamil poet Auvyar's lines written at the entrance of NASA - "Katrathu Kai Mann Alavu, Kallathathu Ulagalavu", meaning “what one knows is only a handful, whereas the unknown is the size of the world” Space science is like a gold mine where mining has just begun The movement of a dot on the computer screen of scientists monitoring the mission, is nothing but a triumph of the human spirit!

T S Karthik

British students advised to get meningitis jab for protection

As s tudents prepare to em bark on their university journeys , heal th experts have is sued a warning, urging them to ens ur e t hey a re vacc inated agains t four potentially fatal strains of m eningitis This c om es as s tatistics reveal a concerning numb er of young individuals rem ain unpr otec ted

The MenACWY vaccination guards against four distinct groups of meningococcal bacteria, which typically inhabit the throat of about one in every ten people without causing harm

However, these bacteria have the potential to cause severe ailments such as meningitis and septicaemia, leading to devastating outcomes like amputations, brain damage, and even death

The MenACWY vaccine is commonly administered alongside the 3-in-1 teenage booster during secondary school, usually in year 9 or 10 (ages 13 to 15) Despite this, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) reports that approximately one in eight individuals who are now of college or university age have not received the jab

In the academic year 2021-22, only 80% of students had been vaccinated by the end of year 10, which is a slight decline from 81% the previous year and a notable drop from 87% in 2019-20

Horniman brews up a new exhibition – 茶, चाय, Tea

Un ve i li n g o n O c to b er 7 , 20 2 3, t h e H o rn i ma n Mu s e u m an d G ar de ns i n south Lo ndon will ho st an exhi bi t titled "茶 , चाय, Tea (Ch á, Ch ai , T ea), " delvi ng into the multifaceted tales of Britain's iconic beverage Th e exhibit promp ts contemplation abou t the actual contents of our tea cup s

This exhibit will delve i n t o t h e i n t r i c a t e h i s t o r y and diverse interpretations

Stoneware teapot Credit Horniman Museumand Gardens

of tea It will explore its journey from being popularized and globalized, inter-

Metropolitan Police on high alert following security breach

The Metr opol ita n Police are on high al ert f ol lowing a signi f i c a nt s ec ur it y b r e a c h where detail s of of ficers and staf f were c om promis ed

A l l 4 7 , 0 0 0 p e r s o n n e l have been cautioned about t h e p o t e n t i a l e x p o s u r e o f t h e i r p h o t o s , n a m e s , a n d ranks due to a cyberattack that targeted the IT systems of a contractor responsible f o r p r i n t i n g w a r r a n t c a r d s and staff passes The stolen information also encompasses vetting leve l s a n d I D n u m b e r s T o address these concerns, the N a t i o n a l C r i m e A g e n c y (NCA) has been called in by the Met to conduct an investigation There is a prevailing fear that terrorists or organ i z e d c r i m i n a l n e t w o r k s m i g h t e x p l o i t t h e s t o l e n passes

Anxiety over safety has escalated as it was revealed that not only junior staff, but a l s o h i g h - r a n k i n g o f f i c i a l s and officers involved in classified operations have been i m p a c t e d b y t h e b r e a c h Senior members of the Met's management team, including C o m m i s s i o n e r S i r M a r k R o w l e y a n d D e p u t y Commissioner Dame Lynne Owens, will be among those affected

Additionally, the breach has exposed counter-terrorism officers and personnel responsible for guarding the Royal Family

New research spotlights

H um a n A p p e a l , a r a p id l y gr owing NGO in t he U K, has r eleased n ew re se arch sheddin g light on t he sign ifican t c o n t r i bu t i on s of BA M E (Bla ck , Asian, a nd Minorit y E t hn i c) in d iv i d ua ls t o t h e v olunt eer community in t he count ry

The research highlights the adverse effects of the c o s t - o f - l i v i n g c r i s i s o n

BAME volunteers, with 38% of them having to reduce their volunteer hours in the past year due to rising costs This trend isn't limited to the BAME community, as one-third (33%) of all volunteers in the UK have had to d e c r e a s e t h e i r c h a r i t a b l e activities

T h e s t u d y f o u n d t h a t BAME volunteers exhibit a higher commitment to supporting a diverse range of c a u s e s c o m p a r e d t o t h e a v e r a g e U K v o l u n t e e r Furthermore, BAME volunteers are three times more l i k e l y t o c o n t r i b u t e t h e i r t i m e t o w o r k i n g w i t h r e f u g e e s ( 1 5 % ) t h a n t h o s e n o t i d e n t i f y i n g a s B A M E (5%) They are also twice as likely to participate in climate change initiatives (12%

twined with narratives

o f i m p e r i a l i s m a n d colonial actions, to its role in inspiring artistic creativity, cultural prac-

t i c e s , a n d n a t i o n a l identities The essence

o f t e a i s b o t h d e e p l y intimate and inherently political

T h e s t o r i e s s h o wcased in the exhibit span ages and unite global communities The exhibit's title,

"茶 , चाय, Tea," mirrors the worldwide influence of this i m m e n s e l y p o p u l a r d r i n k , second only to water, cherished by billions across the globe

Furthermore, the exhibit will also delve into the founding narrative of the H o r n i m a n M u s e u m a n d Gardens itself, which benefitted from the wealth generated by the Horniman's Tea business

No. 10 takes action against racism, Minister warns against n-word slurs

A Conservat iv e cabinet ministe r has issue d a stern war nin g t o W h it e h a l l d e p a r tme nts, asserting a ze ro-t oleran ce stance against ra cism

This response follows a

r e v e l a t i o n b y T h e

I n d e p e n d e n t t h a t t h e nword and other derogatory t e r m s w e r e d i s c o v e r e d i n v a r i o u s g o v e r n m e n t d o c um e n t s , i n c l u d i n g Department for Work and P e n s i o n ( D W P ) g u i d a n c e , immigration tribunal decisions, and on the websites of both the Foreign Office and the government The use of such language has sparked o u t r a g e a m o n g M P s a n d activists

In direct response to The Independent's investigation, C a b i n e t O f f i c e m i n i s t e r

J e r e m y Q u i n i s c u r r e n t l y composing letters to the perm a n e n t s e c r e t a r i e s o f a l l g o v e r n m e n t d e p a r t m e n t s , reminding them that "racist, homophobic, sexist, or any similarly unacceptable language" will not be accepted

The minister is also instructing civil service leaders to e n s u r e t h a t g o v e r n m e n t guidance on discussing ethnicity is easily accessible to all staff and affiliated organizations

T h i s g o v e r n m e n t a l action was prompted by a letter from Labour MP Kim J o h n s o n , w h o d e c r i e d t h e use of racist language in offic i a l d o c u m e n t s a s " c o mp l e t e l y u n a c c e p t a b l e " a n d d e m a n d e d a t h o r o u g h review

Majority anticipates Starmer as Prime Minister, poll finds

A majority of the p ublic anticipates Sir Kei r Starmer becoming the p rime mi ni ster, accord ing to a rec ent po ll

Regrettably, nearly half (47%) of the surveyed BAME participants had to curtail their volunteer work to prioritize paid employment due t o c o n c e r n s a b o u t l o s i n g wages and financial strain c a u s e d b y t h e e s c a l a t i n g c o s t - o f - l i v i n g c h a l l e n g e s T h i s p r e d i c a m e n t e x t e n d s across the entire UK volunteer landscape, with 40% of a l l v o l u n t e e r s h a v i n g t o reduce charity involvement to focus on paid work

T h e p o l l , c o n d u c t e d b y Ipsos UK and involving 1,038 British adults between August 11 and 13, found that 56% of respondents considered it "likely" for the Labour leader to succeed Rishi Sunak as prime minister, while only 28% expressed that they thought it was unlikely

This percentage matches Sir Keir's previous high point recorded in October 2022, a period marked by turmoil in the bond market and the collapse of Liz Truss's government The poll results portrayed a highly favourable outlook for the Labour party and a less promising one for the Conservatives

Alongside the widespread anticipation of Sir Keir's ascension to prime minister, he maintained a lead over Mr Sunak in favourability, with a margin of 30 points to 27 Additionally, Sir Keir outperformed his opponent in most of the 12 key traits assessed by Ipsos

Labour MPs accuse Susan Hall of racial bias

Con se rva tive London mayo r al ca n di d a te S u sa n Ha ll ha s been accuse d by a group of La bour MPs of holding a belie f in the inhe ren t cr imin alit y of Black in dividua ls, a s sta ted in a le tte r the y sen t M s H a l l ' s c a m p a i g n team responded, denouncing the letter as "baseless a c c u s a t i o n s a n d a d i s t o rt i o n " o f h e r p r e v i o u s r e m a r k s T h e l e t t e r , authored by Brent Central M P D a w n B u t l e r a n d e n d o r s e d b y n i n e o t h e r London-based Labour MPs, w a s a d d r e s s e d t o G r e g Hands, the chairman of the Conservative Party It centres on Ms Hall s statements

over the years concerning the Notting Hill Carnival

These comments, critic i s e d r e c e n t l y b y s h a d o w F o r e i g n S e c r e t a r y D a v i d

L a m m y , i n c l u d e M s H a l l l a b e l l i n g t h e c a r n i v a l a s " d a n g e r o u s " a n d a s s e r t i n g that it subjects local residents to a distressing experience A s a T o r y a s s e m b l y member and former Harrow council leader, she has consistently advocated for moving the event from its longstanding Notting Hill location, where it has been held since 1966

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

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

BAME's key role in UK volunteering amid cost-of-living crisis

Sir Keir Starmer

GHS Preston celebrated 23rd Patotsav by hoisting Sanatan

Dharma Dhwaja and devotional festivities

Patotsav also marked the recognition Golden Jubilee of Gujarat Samachar, Asian Voice and CB Patel Publisher for tireless efforts to strengthen the community and culture

Mahesh Liloriya

The 23r d Patot sa v of the n ew p u r p o se -b ui lt ce n t r e of

G uj a r a t H in d u S o c ie t y P reston wa s celebra ted on 27

A ugust 20 23 , Sunda y Pujy a S wami Ke shava nan daji from S a n a t a n S e v a M a n d a l ( D w a r k a , I n d i a ) s pe ci a ll y ble sse d the ce lebra tion

T h e P a t o t s a v a l s o marked the recognition of t h e G o l d e n J u b i l e e o f Gujarat Samachar and hono u r i n g C B P a t e l

Publisher and Editor In

C h i e f o f G u j a r a t Samachar, Asian Voice f o r t i r e l e s s e f f o r t s t o strengthen the community and culture Patron

Surendrabhai Patel was a l s o h o n o u r e d f o r h i s d e d i c a t i o n a n d a l lr o u n d e f f o r t s f o r

Sanatan Dharma

The anniversary celebration started on 26th

A u g u s t T o m a r k t h i s moment, devotees recite d 1 0 8 H a n u m a n Chalisa and Mataji Stuti a c r o s s t h e t w o d a y s

G u e s t s w e r e i n v i t e d from other mandirs to attend the celebration, alongside the Hindu Council of the North UK and devotees from VHP Veda Mandir,

Bolton

P u j y a S w a m i j i graced us with his presence at 12 pm and provided a detailed meaning of the Patotsav celeb r a t i o n a n d r i t u a l s which was well received

He said, "Patotsav is a w a y t o e x c h a n g e t h e r a d i a n c e b e t w e e n G o d and Devotees Patotsav is a re-consecration cere m o n y , r e - i n v o k i n g Paramatma The human body is itself a temple a n d c o n s c i o u s n e s s i s d e v e l o p e d b y s a t s a n g and darshan Our presence is not necessary for God but it is necessary to raise our own consciousn e s s " S w a m i j i s a i d , " C B

NHS world-first rollout of cancer jab

C e rta i n N H S ca n ce r p atients will wi tness a significant reduction in their drug treatment du ration, up to 75%, thanks to a s wift a n ti - c an c er i n j e ct i o n requiring as little as seven minutes for admini stratio n

With approval from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency ( M H R A ) , t h e N H S i n England is poised to become the world's pioneer in introd u c i n g t h e s e v e n - m i n u t e i n j e c t i o n f o r n u m e r o u s patients annually P r e s e n t l y , p a t i e n t s receive the immunotherapy d r u g a t e z o l i z u m a b

( T e n c e n t r i q ® ) t h r o u g h intravenous infusion at hospitals This process generally consumes about 30 minutes, but it can extend to an hour for some patients due t o v e i n a c c e s s i b i l i t y c h a llenges

In the near future, hund r e d s o f e l i g i b l e a t ez o l i z u m a b r e c i p i e n t s w i l l experience an upgrade by transitioning to the quicker and more comfortable subcutaneous injection, saving precious time for NHS cancer teams A t e z o l i z u m a b i s a n i m m u n o t h e r a p y t h a t e m p o w e r s t h e p a t i e n t ' s

immune system to locate and eliminate cancer cells T h i s t r e a t m e n t , i n v o l v i n g transfusion, is provided to NHS patients with diverse c a n c e r t y p e s l i k e l u n g , b r e a s t , l i v e r , a n d b l a d d e r cancers

The change to the timeefficient injection is expected to benefit the majority of a p p r o x i m a t e l y 3 , 6 0 0 English patients who begin a t e z o l i z u m a b t r e a t m e n t e a c h y e a r H o w e v e r , patients undergoing intravenous chemotherapy along w i t h a t e z o l i z u m a b m i g h t continue with the transfusion method

New exhibition at Hampton Court Palace reveals Indian Army's legacy

A long-forgotten chap ter of h i s to r y res u rf ac es as an u pcoming exhibition, set to o pen in S eptember, u ncovers the story of Indian Army s o l d i ers w h o o nc e encamp ed on th e g rou nd s of Ham pton Co urt Palace in the early 20 th century

N a m e d T h e I n d i a n A r m y a t t h e P a l a c e , t h i s e x h i b i t i o n w i l l i n t r i c a t e l y d e l v e i n t o t h e s e e n c a m pments, shedding light on the s o l d i e r s ' d a i l y l i f e e x p e r i -

e n c e s d u r i n g t h e i r s t a y Additionally, it will explore the reactions from the press and the public towards their presence

T h e i n i t i a t i v e s t e m s from an appeal by Historic R o y a l P a l a c e s ( H R P ) , t h e organisation responsible for preserving Hampton Court Palace, to the South Asian community and those with South Asian heritage They s o u g h t o b j e c t s t h a t c o u l d illuminate the role of South

Patel is doing noble work to raise the consciousness of Sanatan Dharma CB is not just a person, he is an institution, working continuously for the community for the last 50 years " CB Patel said, “If I recall,

on 7 October 1976, I first came here at the time of Tulsi Vivah At that time, I m e t w i t h S o m b h a i ,

G o v i n d b h a i , C h h o t u b h a i a n d K u s u m b e n W e d i sc u s s e d h o w t o s t r e n g t h e n the culture Whenever I visit Preston, I feel like I am in my native place It is my pleasure that I was able to serve m y P r e s t o n B y j o i n i n g a c t i v e l y w i t h G u j a r a t Samachar and Asian Voice, t h e P r e s t o n C o m m u n i t y played a vital role in saving

Bhaktivedanta Manor- Hare Krishna Temple, Watford

P r e s i d e n t I s h w e r b h a i T a i l o r a n d V i c e P r e s i d e n t Dharatbhai Nayee welcomed a l l g u e s t s a n d g a r l a n d e d

Pujya Swamiji and CB Patel

T h e c o n t r i b u t i o n s w e r e explained and CB Patel was given a certificate from the G H S I n a d d i t i o n , H C N Secretary Kantibhai Mistry also congratulated CB Patel a n d a w a r d e d a c e r t i f i c a t e f r o m H C N T h e s e c e r t i f icates explained the contributions made by CB Patel a n d h o w t h e n e w s p a p e r s have uplifted and promoted Hindu unity CB Patel was also awarded a shawl by the GHS to mark his contribut i o n s I n a d d i t i o n , Surendrabhai Patel, a patron of the GHS also attended the c e r e m o n y w h e r e h e w a s awarded and recognised for h i s c o n t r i b u t i o n s G u e s t s were welcomed with shawls b y K a m a l k a n t b h a i , K a n t i b h a i a n d Chandrakantbhai

F o l l o w i n g t h e d h w a j a c e l e b r a t i o n , m a n y o f o u r devotees proceeded to play Garba as the dhwaja fle w high Rituals were executed under the guidance of Pujari Hemantbhai Pandya Freshly made prasad was served to all devotees followed by a s p e c i a l c e r e m o n y t o m a r k the 50th anniversary of the Gujarat Samachar

Asians in historical events r e l a t e d t o t h e p a l a c e , stretching back to the 16th century during the colonial era

C o l l a b o r a t i n g o n t h i s s i g n i f i c a n t e x h i b i t i o n , D r

Tejpal Singh Ralmill, a military specialist at "A Little H i s t o r y o f t h e S i k h s , a n e n t i t y f o c u s e d o n S i k h , Anglo-Sikh, and Punjabi history tours and lectures, has played a pivotal role in conjunction with HRP

Standing from L To R: Kantibhai Mistry, Shashikantbhai Merchant, Kantibhai Mistry, Surendrabhai Patel, CB Patel, Swamiji, Dasharathbai Nayee, Ishwerbhai Mistry, Ashokbhai Chudasama, Ishwerbhai Tailor, Chandrakantbhai Limbachia Seating from L to R: Induben Patel, Harshaben Shukla, Rukxmaniben Patel and Jayabharti Chudasama, All Members of the Hindu Council of North

Dasharathbai Nayee, Kantibhai Mistry, Surendrabhai Patel, CB Patel, Swamiji, Ishwerbhai Tailor

that cuts treatment time by up to 75%

Brad Pitt's dining spot, an Indian restaurant, prosecuted for food poisoning

A Bag sh o t -b as ed In d i an e ate ry , ren o w ne d fo r it s H o ll yw o o d cl i ent el e, h a s i n cu r red su b st an ti al fi ne s following a significant food p o i s o ni ng o ut br eak las t y ea r M o g u l Re st au ra nt faced leg al action resu lting i n a p aym ent exc ee d i ng £ 41, 000

T h e r e s t a u r a n t h a s a t t r a c t e d A - l i s t s t a r s l i k e

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, w h o d i n e d t h e r e i n 2 0 1 2

Will Smith, famed for his role in "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," also patronised the e s t a b l i s h m e n t i n 2 0 1 7 S i m i l a r l y , R u s s e l l C r o w e m a d e a v i s i t d u r i n g t h e filming of "Robin Hood" in 2 0 0 9 T h e r e s t a u r a n t h a s

a l s o w e l c o m e d n o t a b l e f i g u r e s l i k e M a r t i n e M c C u t c h e o n f r o m

E a s t E n d e r s , s i n g e r O l l y Murs, and James Corden I n N o v e m b e r 2 0 2 2 , M o g u l R e s t a u r a n t f a c e d c l o s u r e b y S u r r e y H e a t h B o r o u g h C o u n c i l a n d t h e UK Health Security Agency

NHS blood pressure checks at the barbers to prevent killer conditions

due to health risks identified in its kitchen Following this intervention, the restaurant r e s u m e d o p e r a t i o n s i n December after undergoing an extensive process of deep cleaning and disinfection

A f t e r r e s u m i n g o p e r a t i o n s , t h e r e s t a u r a n t has faced legal action from t h e c o u n c i l d u e t o i t s f a i l u r e s i n e n s u r i n g f o o d s a f e t y T h e e s t a b l i s h m e n t has been issued a substantial penalty, being directed to p a y a f i n e a m o u n t i n g t o £25,000, along with a victim s u r c h a r g e o f £ 2 , 0 0 0 A d d i t i o n a l l y , t h e c o u n c i l ' s e x p e n s e s t o t a l l i n g £ 1 4 , 1 1 6 have been imposed on the restaurant as well

Vehicle emission initiatives raises a total of £418 million

A c c or d i n g t o a r e c e n t f r e e d o m o f i n f or ma t i on ( F O I ) i n q ui r y b y P e ug e ot , v eh icle emission init iat ive s in En gland have gen era ted o v e r £ 4 00 m illio n in fe e s a nd pen alt ies Sin ce Ma rch 2 0 21 , c o n t r i bu t i on s f r o m low emission a nd cle an air z o n e s a mo u n t t o £ 4 1 8 m illion , with Lond on's ultralow emission zone (ULEZ)

a ccount ing for £320 million of this sum T h e s t u d y b y t h e c a r manufacturer precedes the u p c o m i n g e x p a n s i o n o f London's ULEZ next week Notable contributions from o t h e r a r e a s i n c l u d e Birmingham's clean air zone (CAZ) generating more than £ 7 9 m i l l i o n , a n d B a t h ' s s c h e m e c o n t r i b u t i n g £ 1 0

million

From September 2022 to June 2023, Bradford's CAZ y i e l d e d £ 7 m i l l i o n , w h i l e P o r t s m o u t h ' s z o n e g e n e r a t e d £ 1 m i l l i o n between December 2021 and May 2023

Legally mandated, these earnings must be invested by local authorities into local transportation initiatives

Sanctions impede job search, say benefit claimants

R ec en t res ea rc h h a s u ncov ered that a sig nificant p o r ti o n o f in d i v i d u al s m and ate d t o v i s it j o b c ent res fo r b enef it acc es s

f eel th at fa ci ng sa nct io n s w h e n th e y m i s s a p po i nt m ent s u n d erm i ne s their pro sp ects of securing quality employment

A survey conducted by Survation on behalf of the New Economics Foundation ( N E F ) , e x c l u s i v e l y s h a r e d with PoliticsHome, focused on those unemployed and r e c e i v i n g u n i v e r s a l c r e d i t , who are obligated to attend r e g u l a r a p p o i n t m e n t s a t J o b c e n t r e s T h e f i n d i n g s r e v e a l t h a t c l a i m a n t s perceive a prioritisation of rules over support, leaving them disheartened

Among those surveyed,

The N HS is bro adening its re a c h f o r b l o o d p r e s s u r e ch e ck s ac ro s s va rio u s l o ca l s et t in gs , in c l u di ng ba rb e rs h o p s , m o s qu e s , a nd even a do minoes club Th is ex p a ns io n i s a s i gn if i c an t en de a vo u r ai m ed a t preventing strokes and heart attac ks Drawing from the lessons of the NHS Covid vaccination i n i t i a t i v e , l o c a l h e a l t h c a r e

t e a m s a r e p r o a c t i v e l y

e n g a g i n g w i t h t h e i r

c o m m u n i t i e s t o i d e n t i f y potential health issues before they escalate These efforts

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

t h a t o f f e r t h e g r e a t e s t convenience for the public

In addition to this lifes a v i n g i n i t i a t i v e , r e c e n t statistics highlight that high s t r e e t p h a r m a c i e s a d m i n i s t e r e d a t o t a l o f

149,865 blood pressure checks to individuals over the age of 40 in May 2023 This number i s m o r e t h a n d o u b l e t h e count from the previous year, which stood at 58,345 in May 2022 This proactive approach c o u l d p o t e n t i a l l y p r e v e n t over 1,300 heart attacks and strokes this year, underlining the impact of the high street checks

British Museum aims to retrieve 2,000 stolen items

A p p ro x im ate ly 2 , 0 0 0 art if ac ts , in c lu d i ng va luabl e g old jew ellery and precious gems were reported sto len from the British M useum over an ext end ed p eri o d T h e m u se u m 's c h ai rm an, Geo r g e Os bo r ne, announced th at efforts were already u nd erway to reco ver the stolen items on Saturd ay

The British Museum, a highly popular attraction in L o n d o n r e n o w n e d f o r i t s v a s t c o l l e c t i o n , i n c l u d i n g t r e a s u r e s l i k e t h e R o s e t t a Stone a priceless ancient

Egyptian artifact inscribed w i t h h i e r o g l y p h s a n d t e x t s r e v e a l e d l a s t w e e k t h a t a s t a f f m e m b e r h a d been dismissed due to the theft of items ranging from the 15th century BC to the 1 9 t h c e n t u r y A D f r o m a s t o r e r o o m F o l l o w i n g t h i s

i n c i d e n t , M u s e u m D i r e c t o r H a r t w i g F i s c h e r a n n o u n c e d h i s r e s i g n a t i o n o n F r i d a y , a c k n o w l e d g i n g s h o r tc o m i n g s i n t h e i n v e s t i g a t i o n i n t o t h e theft G e o r g e O s b o r n e , a f o r m e r B r i t i s h f i n a n c e m i n i s t e r , s h a r e d o n B B C radio that not all items in t h e m u s e u m ' s c o l l e c t i o n were adequately cataloged or registered This situation, he noted, is not uncommon a m o n g l a r g e i n s t i t u t i o n s w i t h c o l l e c t i o n s a m a s s e d over centuries

6 1 p e r c e n t i n d i c a t e d t h a t t h e t h r e a t o f s a n c t i o n s h i n d e r e d t h e i r a b i l i t y t o e s t a b l i s h a t r u s t i n g r e l a t i o n s h i p w i t h s u p p o r t services This concern was e v e n m o r e p r o n o u n c e d a m o n g i n d i v i d u a l s w i t h d i s a b i l i t i e s , r i s i n g t o 6 9 percent

Regarding the influence of sanctions on claimants' m e n t a l w e l l - b e i n g , 6 3 percent reported a negative i m p a c t o n t h e i r m e n t a l h e a l t h T h i s p e r c e n t a g e increased to 73 percent for r e s p o n d e n t s w i t h disabilities or other health conditions

BBC commissions crime drama "Virdee" based on AA Dhand's bestsellers

The BBC h as giv en th e g reen li g h t t o V i rd ee , a fre s h d ete c ti v e s er i es ad a p ted from A A Dhand ’ s acclaim ed crime nov els The show w ill star Sacha Dhawan ( known fo r ro les i n D oc to r Wh o, The Great, and Wolf) and w il l b e p ro d u c ed b y th e new ly es tabli sh ed M ag i cal S o ci et y p ro d u c ti o n co m p a ny , l ed by P au l T ri j bi ts ( r ec o g ni s ed fo r works like Jane Eyre, The Letter F or T h e Ki ng, and The C asu al Vacancy) L i n d s a y S a l t , B B C

Students urge Rishi Sunak to maintain single-sex school toilets

F iv e t een ag e g i rl s h av e penned an open letter to th e P ri m e M i ni s ter , urg ing him to maintain si n g le -s ex r es tro o m s i n sc h o o ls t o ens u re th e sa fe ty and d i g ni t y o f fe m al e s tu d e nts T h e se stud ents, aged 1 3 to 1 5, h av e im p lo re d Ri s h i S u nak t o a d d re s s th i s iss ue d irectly w h en the g o v er nm e nt rel ea se s it s lo ng -a w ai te d t ran s g end er guid elines fo r schools I n t h e i r l e t t e r , t h e g i r l s i d e n t i f i e d b y t h e i r f i r s t n a m e s C y n t h i a ,

Marilyn, Sonja, Olivia, and E l l i e u n d e r s c o r e d t h a t single-sex facilities are an i n d i s p e n s a b l e a s p e c t o f s a f e g u a r d i n g w i t h i n e d u c a t i o n a l i n s t i t u t i o n s

They cautioned against the

u n c o n s u l t e d i n t r o -

duction of mixed toilets

t o s a t i s f y t r a n s g e n d e r

a n d l e f t - w i n g a c t i v i s t s , stressing that many girls find such arrangements

" i n t i m i - d a t i n g , h u m i l i -

a t i n g , a n d d o w n r i g h t

dangerous

A s f a t h e r s o f t w o daughters, the girls have called upon Mr Sunak to p r o t e c t t h e i r r i g h t s ,

a s s e r t i n g t h a t t h e r e ' s n o v a l i d r a t i o n a l e f o r i n t r o d u c i n g s p a c e s t h a t

c o m p r o m i s e s a f e t y a n d comfort in schools

Drama's Director, unveiled the new six-episode drama for both BBC One and BBC i P l a y e r d u r i n g t h e E d i n b u r g h T V F e s t i v a l ’ s S p o t l i g h t o n t h e B B C s e s s i o n T h e s e r i e s introduces Detective Harry Virdee, portrayed by Sacha Dhawan, a police officer in B r a d f o r d w h o f a c e d estrangement from his Sikh family due to his marriage to Saima, a Muslim Struggling w i t h t h i s d i s c o n n e c t i o n , Harry persistently strives to reconcile with his family

Amid personal turmoil, h e b e c o m e s t a s k e d w i t h a p p r e h e n d i n g a k i l l e r t a r g e t i n g t h e A s i a n community

Review of hundreds of Valium prescriptions underway

A n O m b u d sm an investig ation h as pro mpted a review of cases co ncerning n u m er o u s v u l ner ab le i nd iv id u als g rapp ling w i th d ru g a nd alc o h o l d ep endencies and who have been prescribed Valium The i n v es ti g a ti o n f o u nd t h at

C h ang e Grow Li ve ( CGL ), o p e ra ti ng o n be h al f o f

C am b ri d g e sh i r e C o u n ty

C o u nc il , h as be en

p r es c ri bi ng b en zo d ia -

z ep ines, includ ing Valiu m, in contradiction to national g uidelines

Benzodiazepines, which e n c o m p a s s d r u g s l i k e d i a z e p a m ( V a l i u m ) , c a n

a l l e v i a t e s y m p t o m s o f a n x i e t y H o w e v e r , t h e i r prolonged use can lead to a d d i c t i o n T h e O m b u d s m a n ' s i n q u i r y uncovered that CGL, which o v e r s e e s 3 4 3 c l i e n t s w i t h l o n g - t e r m p r e s c r i p t i o n s , h a d e i t h e r i n a d e q u a t e l y c o n d u c t e d r e g u l a r p r e s c r i p t i o n r e v i e w s o r f a i l e d t o m a i n t a i n p r o p e r d o c u m e n t a t i o n o f t h e s e assessments A s a r e s u l t , t h e o r g a n i z a t i o n h a s i n i t i a t e d a n a u d i t t o a d d r e s s b e n z o d i a z e p i n e p r e s c r i -

Aspiring lawyer who claimed free school meals, bound for Oxford

A n aspiring h uman righ ts lawyer, Janhav i Gupta, 18, has expressed the "surreal" sensation of head ing to Oxford U niv ersity after achievi n g to p m ark s in h er A - le v el s

Raised in a single-parent househ old since the ag e of th ree, she is the first in her fam ily to attend u niv ersity

Hailing from Reading, Janhavi aims to work for organisations like Amnesty International after completing her law degree She secured three A* grades in her A-levels at Kendrick School, a girl's grammar s c h o o l , e x c e e d i n g h e r r e q u i r e d AAA grades to secure her place

One of Janhavi's early childhood memories is accompanying her mother to the Jobcentre, and her upbringing stands in stark contrast to the conventional image often associated with the path to Oxbridge

R e c a l l i n g t h e h e a r t w a r m i n g moment she unveiled her results, Janhavi expressed: “It felt amazing I worked really hard over the past two years to get those grades It w a s r e a l l y m o t i v a t i n g f o r t h e

Former Mrs England is promoting diversity and celebrating culture

Shefali

Saxena

Aryana Neo is competing in Mrs Galaxy International i n O rlando After placing top 4 last year, she is aiming to go bac k b etter than ever this year

She is a radio and television presenter, a PQ trade mark attorney a keynote speaker and also Mrs Galaxy UK 2022 She has been raising money for Southampton Hospital charity and working with them on events Her platform is about promoting diversity and culture,

Janhavi Gupta

future

‘It was great to see all the hard work pay off, I still find it so surreal to be able to say that I have a place at Oxford ’ Janhavi, hailing from a British Asian background, was raised in an area with limited opportunities, where university enrolment rates have historically been low Her ultimate goal was to make her mother proud and express gratit u d e f o r t h e s a c r i f i c e s s h e h a d made to provide her daughter with an education

On-screen diversity must go beyond "window dressing"

Me er a Sy al empha sised t hat ons cr e e n d i v e r si t y se r v e s a s m e r e " window dr essing" unl ess there ar e substant ia l shifts in the un derl ying power dynamics Speaking during he r Alte rnat ive Ma cTagga rt session a t the Edinb urgh TV Fe st iva l on F r i da y ( A ug u st 25 ) , t h e s t a r of " Goodne ss Gracious Me " share d he r insights as a British Asian woma n within the film and TV r ealm

In her discussion with the festival's executive chair, Fatima Salaria, the actor and writer revealed that she turned to writing due to the limited roles offered to her typically involving characters linked to arranged marriages, such as victims, sisters, or mothers of victims

S y a l a s s e r t e d t h a t t h e r e ' s a n e x c e s s o f i n d i v i d u a l s e m e r g i n g from entry-level training programs within the TV industry, but they often find themselves trapped in a significant bottleneck that hinders their advancement up the hierarchy

Syal further noted that she has

Meera Syal

been fortunate to have received "blessed" opportunities in recent t i m e s , e n c o u n t e r i n g " e n g a g i n g " roles She acknowledged that ons c r e e n r e p r e s e n t a t i o n h a s p r ogressed positively “I think in the casting things really are changing and that’s fantastic for all of us but I’m worried t h a t i t ’ s w i n d o w d r e s s i n g w h e n things aren’t changing fundamentally in the power structures,” she said

Rising long-term sickness causes surge in women absent from work

A si gn i fi ca nt ri se i n lon g- ter m s ick ness has resulted in a notable i ncreas e i n the number of w om en unab le to work across a ll regi on s

A detailed analysis conducted by the Labour Party has indicated that 94,000 women between the ages of 16 and 24 in England are presently on extended leave from work, marking a rise of 34,000 since the onset of the pandemic

The South East region witnessed a n e a r l y t h r e e f o l d s u r g e f r o m

7,000 to 20,000 women in this situation, while the East Midlands saw its number double to 11,000

T h e O f f i c e f o r N a t i o n a l Statistics, earlier this month, disclosed that the count of individuals on long-term sick leave had reached an all-time high, affecting almost 2 6 million people due t o h e a l t h - r e l a t e d r e a s o n s I n response, Mel Stride, the Work and Pensions Secretary, asserted that he would not accept criticism from the Labour Party regarding employment matters H e h i g h l i g h t e d t h a t d u r i n g t h e p r e v i o u s L a b o u r g o v e r nment's tenure, youth unemployment had surged by 44 percent

through communication and leadership She is a female empowerment advocate and helps South Asian girls and women across the UK with their confidence and communication skills, through my media and presenting techniques

Aryana is a British Asian, Hindu Punjabi, and was the 1st British Asian to win Mrs Galaxy UK 2022, and represented England as she is returning this year

How was your experience in winning Mrs Galaxy England 2023?

Well, I won Mrs Galaxy UK 2021, and due to placing so highly last year at internationals and in the top 4, I was able to go back this year So I was recrowned as Mrs Galaxy England, so the new winners could go as the UK team So we are one large team out in the USA It felt incredible to be recrowned as I had Indian Dhol drummers come out at the end of my speech, answering the crowd loved it! It was a burst of my culture on a UK stage and that’s never been done before in pageantry It has been coined iconic! And I am so grateful to be able to recompete at internationals again

What does it feel like to make it to another international pageant and compete against women worldwide?

It feels like such a privilege and I am so grateful to be back at the international pageant! I am actually here right now in Orlando Florida as I write this!

This is so important to me and has become such a huge part of my life I couldn’t imagine not being a part of this incredible sisterhood and pageant community Being a galaxy girl is really like no other And I have made friends from all across the world! Australia, USA, India, Portugal and Canada There are so many great people here, and I am proud to get to know each and every one of

them

What kind of support do you have from your family to win?

My support network has been amazing! My family are behind me all the way, and my husband especially is routing for me He knows how hard I have worked this year and during my time as a national Galaxy title holder The message I am trying to get across through promoting diversity and celebrating culture, and the amount of charity funds I have raised, which have now surpassed 21,000 pounds!

I am partnered with an incredible charity Southampton Hospital charity and an ambassador for their connected hospital Charity, Ronald McDonald House Charities, It has taken me 4 years of consistent work and dedication to prove that I am a good partner for them to entrust as an ambassador and partner My family and friends are so proud of everything I have achieved, and I feel their love and support unconditionally I would just love to make them even prouder and take home the international title and be the first British Asian to win the Mrs Galaxy title

What does it take to prepare yourself for such competitions?

It takes a lot of dedication and commitment Your work should be consistent and have an impact, as well as taking your pageant sisters and community along with you That’s hugely important because if you win, you want people to be happy for you and feel they have been a part of your win And I am proud that I have taken my pageant community along with me They have supported me in my charity events, I hold an annual Bollywood beautiful event so I can bring my culture to them and pageantry to my hometown We raised £1182 for Southampton Hospital charities in 4 hours! Everyone loves the

Bollywood theme and gets involved, and my dhol drummers always go down well at the event and create a party atmosphere

It’s also about being ready mentally, emotionally and physically Galaxy pageants don’t have a height or weight restriction, so it s about feeling confident on stage for me, I am a shapely woman with curves that I am proud of, and my husband and I have been working out most days for the past year, to really make me feel my best on stage

There is also getting prepared for your interview round, where the judges get to know the real you So making appearances and really understanding your platform is key, so you can get that across to them

Plus, the outfits are good to prepare as well This year I have made my own swimsuit, which has been a labour of love and depicts the national bird of India, the peacock My fashion wear is elegant and shows my culture off, and my evening gown is truly special, as it is one from my wedding day Why should more South Asian women participate in such pageants?

More South Asian women should compete in pageantry because it’s important for the younger generations to see their representation of themselves on national and international stages I am proud to have won as the first British Asian in the UK, and I am hoping to do that on an international scale

I personally have helped many young South Asian girls get into pageantry, and I have influenced a lot of others too I know this as they contact me, ask my advice and I always say to try one, because they will never look back! Pageantry is like a beautiful adventure and you see girls transform into beautiful butterflies and more confident in their own skin

I inspired so many, and I want those to continue to inspire many as well

South Asian women are incredibly talented, and I feel as though our backgrounds and cultures really shine in pageantry, and so they should We should celebrate everyone ’ s accomplishments and cultures

So anyone please do message me! I would be happy to speak to you about Galaxy, and entering pageants Ins tagrams - @mrsgalaxyengland and my presenter Instagram is @aryanapresenter

Meera Syal:

Aryana Neo

Diverse children's story highlights shared experiences across different backgrounds

Za nib Mia n, a r enown ed childre n ’ s author is all set t o relea se her n ew book , " Mee t the Ma lik s - Twin Det ective s" on August 31, 2023 Ove rflowing wit h in fe ctious humour a nd th e a uthor 's sig nat ure wa rmth, t his upcoming book is a fr esh se ries by Za nib Mia n

Centred around Maysa and Musa Malik, the story introduces a pair of twins who couldn't be more different from each other However, when they join forces, they become an unbeatable team, particularly when it comes to unravelling mysteries!

Maysa Malik finds it challenging to be as wellbehaved as her twin sibling, Musa In a bid to change her parents' minds after being barred from a school excursion, Maysa participates in a cookie competition hosted at the mosque

But when the cookies are unexpectedly ruined, Maysa, Musa, and their neighbour Norman must collaborate to crack the case As they put on their detective hats, they ll need to apprehend the culprit and restore Maysa's reputation

Mian is best known for her books Planet Omar and Tom Gates and her books have garnered attention on prestigious platforms like BBC's CBeebies Bedtime Stories and The Guardian, recognised for their valuable contribution to enhancing diversity in children's literature

Observing the underrepresentation of diverse characters from various minorities and backgrounds in literature for young readers, she established Sweet Apple Publishers This initiative stems from her resolute commitment to produce inclusive books, many of which she has authored herself

Speaking to Asian Voice, she talks about her new book and exploring diverse topics for children

Can you describe the inspiration behind “Meet the Maliks”? What sparked the concept?

I wanted to share a story set in Ramadan, in a mosque, where there was something chaotic going on I also wanted to write a girl character, and thought twins would be great fun

From there, I imagined what tumultuous thing could happen to them in

Creating understanding of different cultures is very important Before this series, I’m not sure what a reader’s understanding of an Imam would be, but it will get a lot clearer through the series!

What is the importance of being inclusive and representing diverse backgrounds and experiences in books, especially those for children?

The importance is two-fold

Firstly, children from other backgrounds get to learn about different cultures and the practices within those cultures

"The For eign er s' Pant o" is a p o li t i ca l mu s i ca l c o m e d y t h a t fo ll ow s a t r o u p e o f immigr an ts en dea vourin g to sta ge th eir own re ndit ion of a cla ssic British pa ntom im e It seam le ssly blend s hea rtw a rm in g fa r cic a l ele m e n t s with incisive satir e, offer ing a unique p erspe ct ive on t he lives of immigr an ts in t he UK

Crafted by Shani Erez, a t h e a t r e a r t i s t f r o m t h e Middle East, the play draws f r o m h e r o w n r e a l - l i f e encounter with the threat of deportation from the UK "The Foreigners’ Panto" not o n l y e n t e r t a i n s b u t a l s o serves as a poignant narrative reflecting the challenges f a c e d b y i m m i grants in the coun try

Also we've got an amazi n g c a s t a n d I ' m e x c i t e d about, working with wond e r f u l p l a y e r s w h o ' v e h a d amazing experiences in theatre We've got people like S u z y K a h a n e , F a b r i z i o Martini, Gabriel Paul, Aliya R o b e r t s a n d A m a n d a

Cons ideri ng the incorporati on o f i m m i g ra t i on an d d ep or ta t i on t he m es i n a c om e di c c on te x t, d o yo u w or ry ab o ut p ot e nt i a ll y off en di ng the audienc e?

W h i l e I h o p e t h a t n o b o d y i s o f f e n d e d , i t ' s important to recognise that regardless of the story or s u b j e c t m a t t e r , t h e r e ' s a possibility of unintentionally offending someone, all with well-meaning intentions What we have in our favour with the Panto is that all the cast are either first or second-generation immigrants The Director herself has been through a s i m i l a r o r d e a l w h e r e s h e faced potential deportation

Ramadan The charity cookies being destroyed, leading to a whodunnit idea sprang to mind

Can you provide a brief overview of the main characters and their personalities? How will young readers connect with them?

Maysa is a sassy but warm-hearted girl, prone to melodrama and speaking before she thinks Her twin brother Musa is the exact opposite He’s the voice of reason, keeping Maysa grounded He’s the kid that breezes through life – the instantly likable one And then there’s Norman, the next inquisitive and simple-minded next-door neighbour with a knack for mystery-solving I can’t wait for readers to meet them all!

What themes or messages do you aim to convey through your book? Why are these themes important to you?

The book is set in a madrassah classroom, attached to a mosque I wanted to open a window into a busy mosque For people to meet an Imam and a Muslim community Naturally, when a story is set in a mosque, the reader learns about Muslim life, which is wonderful

Education creates empathy and builds bridges These stories also highlight how much people of different backgrounds have in common, which is a lot more than things we do differently And secondly, when a child picks up a book with a main character from their culture, they enjoy that reading experience because of how much they can relate It makes them feel proud that others are reading about their culture and it makes them confident to be themselves because maybe if it's in books, then people understand them

Can you describe your writing process? How do you maintain a childlike perspective while crafting your story?

My writing process is very intuitive I let the story lead me This means I have very little plotted out when I begin to write!

A child-like perspective is maintained by being very much in tune with my inner child I can be a big kid sometimes I love kids and pick up lots from the children in my family Raising two boys meant that I knew exactly how a young boy might think or speak, which was fantastic for writing Planet Omar And now, I spend a lot of time with my nieces and am learning how different they are!

What do you think makes your story unique?

I think uniqueness comes from the characters most distinctly Other than that, I don’t think I’ve read a whodunnit mystery set in a mosque yet!

T h e p r o d u c t i o n r e c e n t l y announced its cas a n d A s i a n V o i c e s p o k e t o V i k a s h B h a i , w h o p l a y t h e a n t a g o n i s t about the play and what can the audi ence look forward to Ca n you giv e us a br ie f ov e r v ie w o t he p lay a nd you c h a r a c t e r i n t h e play ?

The foreigner panto is a politica m u s i c a l c o m e d y about a group o i m m i g r a n t s w h o really are trying to put on their own version of a tradi tional British pan tomime

I play Lord Villain and h e , e s s e n t i a l l y , i s t h e b a d guy he's the antagonist He's the one who's trying to put the spanner in the works for Dame Foreign's endeavours He's quite a fun character, you know, He's got all the pitfalls of any kind of panto v i l l a i n W h a t ' s e x c i t i n g about playing Lord Villain is f i n d i n g t h o s e e l e m e n t s o f comedy and blending them w i t h s e r i o u s s a t i r e i n t h e realms of migration

There is some elements of truth in this character and so it's finding the balance between comedy and realism

W h a t fa ct o r s i n f lu e n c e d y our de cision t o be a pa rt of t his play ?

What drew me to the play is the play itself It's new writing that is refreshing It’s an interesting take on the British panto, something I've never done so that's really exciting I'm also excited to w o r k w i t h S h a n i I ' v e worked with Shani in a different aspect on the screen before and I did a very small project with BOLD

As for the character, I've never played the villain and I’ve always played the nice guy So I'm super nervous but I'm in good hands I s a t h r e e - w e e k r e h e a r s a l pe riod ad equate for st agin g a pr od uct ion?

With my experience on stage to date, three weeks is usually the sort of minimum a m o u n t o f t i m e t h a t y o u h a v e w i t h s o m e t h i n g W e also have the week of prev i e w s w h e r e o n c e e v e r ything's rehearsed, we put all the pieces in place The week of previews is really where we're finding out the bits t h a t w o r k , t h e b i t s t h a t don't, what needs tightening, what needs changing, if anything It's and it's usually that week that you start to get a real sense of the show that you have, so the three weeks leading up to it are usually quite intense

T h e n s o m e t i m e s i f t h i n g s d o g o w r o n g , t h e beauty of theatre is that you just carry on And because it's a panto, there's a lot of room for error and audience participation

During the rehearsal process we'll be able o see if any of us a r e o f f e n d e d i n anyway and make a m e n d s a c c o r dngly Y o u h a v e t o use a bit of levity o be able to talk a b o u t a s u b j e c t m a t t e r l i k e t h i s When you're tryng to use art to e l l a s t o r y , y o u have to be brave a n d h o p e t h a t people realise that h e s t o r y t h a t y o u ' r e t r y i n g t o ell has got good ntentions

Ar e n a rr a ti v e s r om t he Sou th As i a n d i a s po ra adequately represented?

Simply put, I d o n ' t k n o w W e have got a plethora of wonderful actors and compan i e s t h a t a r e p u t t i n g o n a m a z i n g p r o d u c t i o n s a n d there are stories that are being brought to both theatre and television through the South Asian lens All of this is great progress compared to the early 90s when I was coming up through theatre Now we're looking at a landscape where there are many names who have d o n e i n c r e d i b l y w e l l f o r South Asian theatre, stories a n d a s p i r i n g y o u n g c r eatives

I d o n ' t t h i n k e v e r i s enough for anybody of any d i a s p o r a o r a n y k i n d o f background to want to tell a story about their culture or t h e i r h i s t o r y T h e r e c a n always be more space, but it's going in the right direction I’m hopeful and I feel very optimistic about the way that we're moving forward

T h e p r e v i e w s f o r “ F o r e i g n e r ’ s P a n t o ” s t a r t s on October 3rd and then it p l a y s e v e r y T h u r s d a y , Friday, and Saturday until the 28th of October

“When you ' re trying to use art to tell a story, you have to be brave”

Anusha Singh

Vilanova

Vikash Bhai

Zanib Mian

Ketan Dattani

Interplay of Climate Change and Increasing Forest Fires in Europe

Mi llions of us travel to Europe every y ear Howeve r, m any European c oun tri es have been fac ing largesc ale forest f ires tha t affec t not only the en vironmen t but also the safety of loc al res idents and vacatione rs

This year, the intensity and prevalence of forest fires in Europe increased, causing a negative impact on natural ecosystems, the climate, and, of course, the tourism industry

Blistering temperatures, drought, and high winds have turned much of Europe into a tinderbox this summer, leading many of us to speculate that the climate and tourism have reached a turning point with many family holidays being cancelled

Localised wildfires are a regular summer occurrence in mainland Europe, and indeed they have historically been an essential natural method of regeneration for forests and macchia alike However the recent fires across the continent have something in common: they were more likely to happen, and to burn more destructively, because of human-caused climate change

At the root of climate change is the phenomenon known as the greenhouse effect, the term scientists use to describe the way that atmospheric gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide “trap” heat that would otherwise radiate upward, from the planet’s surface, into outer space On the one hand, we have the greenhouse effect to thank for the presence of life on Earth; without it, our planet would be cold and unlivable

But beginning in the late-19th century, human activity began pushing the greenhouse effect to new levels The result? A planet that’s warmer right now than at any other point in human history, and getting ever warmer This global warming has, in turn, dramatically altered natural cycles and weather patterns, with impacts that include forest fires, protracted drought, increased flooding, more intense storms, and rising sea levels

And it’s important to note that while climate change affects everyone in some way, it doesn’t do so equally: Minorities and those living in economically disadvantaged or politically marginalised communities bear a much larger burden, despite the fact that these communities play a much smaller role in warming the planet

The decisions we make every day as individuals which products we purchase, how much electricity we consume, how we get around, what we eat (and what we don’t 810% of total man-made greenhouse gas are a direct result of food waste) add up to our single, unique carbon footprints Combined you end up with humanity’s collective carbon footprint

The first step in reducing it is for us to acknowledge the uneven distribution of climate change’s causes and effects, and for those who bear the greatest responsibility for global greenhouse gas emissions to slash them without bringing further harm to those who are least responsible

The big, climate-affecting decisions made by utilities, industries, and governments are shaped, in the end, by us: our needs, our demands, our priorities Winning the fight against climate change will require us to rethink those needs, ramp up those demands, and reset those priorities

With climate warming firmly on the public agenda and travel consistently under the microscope, sustainability-savvy travellers are demanding more from hotels and travel operators The time to make concrete changes and measurable commitments has long passed: if you are not green, you are way behind the curve

Eco-friendly travel doesn’t have to be expensive or difficult it can simply be a matter of being mindful of your impact and making small changes to your travel habits

Anusha Singh

An Indian com edian has won the prestig io us co m ed y new co m er aw ard at th e Edinburg h Fringe Festiv al for the first time in its 4 0-year history U rooj Ashfaq's show "Oh No!" earned her the Best Newcom er title, a recognition that has launched the ca re ers o f w el l- kn o w n c o m ed ia ns li ke Edd ie Izzard and Natalie Palamid es on a global scale Urooj, a 28-year-old stand-up comedian from Mumbai, made her UK debut and was shortlisted for the award Her show addresses sensitive topics, discussing cultural differences, therapy experiences, and her parents' divorce in a relatable manner Soho Theatre and OML collaborated to produce her show

This achievement is significant as she is the first India-based comedian to win this award Additionally, she is the first comedian of South Asian heritage to win since 1997

In a conversation with Asian Voice, Urooj talks about her experience performing in the UK, the art of comedy and her latest achievement

How has it been performing in the UK and at the Fringe?

It's really fun to perform at a festival because you perform every day It's just a good experience and your art gets better But performing in the UK, because the audience here is from a lot of different countries, you just have to make sure everybody understands your material You have to give them content And I have to translate a few punch lines, not a lot, and it's a new experience Shifting from a Hindi-speaking audience to an English-speaking one, how has the process of translating the humour been?

I f e e l l i k e e v e r y l a n g u a g e h a s a rhythm in which you perform, so the rhythm changes when translating, but that's why it takes a couple of tries I think you just have to try a couple of times until it just fits smoothly You have to find the same beat and then you can do it

Isincorporating personal experiences into comedy an easy task?

I'm not quite sure if it’s a “ one way or the other” answer Sometimes it just happens when something happens and you can see the humour in it immediately and sometimes you go back to it and you're like, “Oh no, that was actually funny!” So then it takes some time and then later you're like “I can use this material”, but usually it takes a lot of polishing

Have you encountered heckling in the UK? If so, how did you handle it?

I didn't face any major heckling here actually The few times I did it was from Indian students Otherwise they don't really heckle

They didn’t heckle me at least They

probably thought, “Apne desh ki hai, rehne dete hai” The thing is that when they did heckle, it made for good moments in the show I didn't mind it at all because then you can really go after them and they know where you're coming from They were also laughing did not get offended It doesn't mess with the mood of the room What was it like when you met Phoebe Waller Bridge?

It was just gr w a s f l a t t e r i n g that she came to m y s h o w S h e ' s such a great artist a n d a l s o j u s t a very nice person I was very happy that she came to watch and I wa done with every thing after that was like, I want t go back to Indi now, no more per f o r m i n g I ' v achieved greatnes now

T h e m a i thing is that she gave me her time Could you share a particularly embarrassing moment from your standup career?

I t h i n k t h e m o s t e m b a r r a s s i n g moment has to be when I tried to do some random opening act at a lineup show I thought I'll open with a dance move and that really confused the audiences I had just thought of it before walking on the stage and I started doing the dance move and the audience was like, “what are you doing?” It was really embarrassing because after that I performed to silence for 15 minutes, and rightly so It was very misplaced to do the dance move, and the audience's reaction was very understandable But I had obviously misjudged

What are your plans upon returning home to India?

I'm performing actually I'm doing a show in Delhi and it's a slightly bigger show, audience wise, and that’s really good After that, I just go around different cities in India and that's the plan And then in October I come back to the UK and might go around to a couple of cities here and that's it The plan is just to keep o i n g s t a n d - u p herever I can go do

What was it like going from ominee to winning est Comedy Newcomer?

I was very happy when I was nomin a t e d a n d I w a s actually hoping to be nominated The festival sends a lot o f r e v i e w e r s a n d p a n e l l i s t s t o y o u r s h o w a n d w h e n they started comg and over again, I wanted to be nominated and I was I think after that I was just chilling because the nomination was enough I was not expecting the win at all and so when they asked me to give an acceptance speech, I gave a lame one because I was not prepared I wish I could change that

Which city in India is your favorite to perform in?

E v e n i f y o u s a i d w o r l d , t h e c i t y would be in India itself because I’ve performed there only (Laughs) I think I'm going to have to say Mumbai because that's where I build all my materials, there's a lot of Mumbai connection obviously

The

“The plan is just to keep doing stand-up”

Urooj Ashfaq

DIASPORA OVER THE MOON

Continued from page 1

Chandrayaan-3, the third lunar exploration mission by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), has been highly anticipated by the global scientific community and space enthusiasts In a display of unity and support for India's ambitious space mission, the Indian Diaspora in the United Kingdom (IDUK Group) came together to organise a Havan ceremony to pray for the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 The event, held on 23 August, saw over 50+ diaspora members gathered to offer their heartfelt prayers and witness the live broadcast of this historic event

The Havan ceremony, a traditional Hindu ritual of offering prayers and sacrifices to the divine, was conducted with deep reverence and devotion at the Slough (London) in the UK Participants included members of the Indian diaspora in the UK, space enthusiasts, and individuals who share a strong connection to India's remarkable achievements in space exploration The event commenced with the lighting of the sacred fire, followed by Vedic chants and offerings to invoke the blessings of the divine for a safe and successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 The atmosphere was filled with a sense of hope, pride, and anticipation as attendees watched the live broadcast of the mission

Speakers at the event expressed their admiration for the dedication and scientific prowess of ISRO and its commitment to advancing space exploration They also highlighted the importance of such missions in inspiring future generations and fostering international cooperation in the field of space exploration The IDUK Group, the organisers of the Havan ceremony, stated, "Chandrayaan-3 is a testament to India's growing capabilities in space technology We are proud to come together as a community to offer our prayers for its successful landing and to celebrate India's achievements in space exploration "

The event served as a platform for prayer and reflection and an opportunity for the Indian diaspora in the UK to strengthen their bonds and celebrate their shared cultural heritage It showcased the power of unity and solidarity among communities with roots in India

As Chandrayaan-3's journey continues, the Indian Diaspora in the UK remains hopeful and optimistic about its success The event served as a reminder that science and spirituality can come together to inspire and unite people from diverse backgrounds

Reacting to the success of Chandrayaan-3, Kemi Badenoch, Secretary of State for Business and Trade, said, “This is exciting news, not just for India, but also for the whole world All of these things are steps for all mankind and we in the UK, we ’ re very pleased and

wish India every success in the world on this phenomenal achievement ”

A matter of unparall eled and unden iab le pride for India

Lord Raj Loomba CBE told the newsweekly, “I am pro-

advancements in space exploration, boost national prestige, and foster international collaboration Additionally, they inspire the younger generation to pursue careers in science and engineering and can lead to innovations with applications beyond space exploration.

“The Indian space program is helping poorer countries to put their weather and communication satellites in orbit Thus bringing benefits to those who would have been left behind, because of the enormous cost associated with such a mission by the countries like America, Russia and China

foundly happy to congratulate ISRO, the Indian Government and the 140 crore people of India on the occasion of the landing of Chandrayaan 3 on the South Pole of the Moon It’s indeed a matter of unparalleled and undeniable pride for India as no other country has succeeded in landing on the South Pole of the Moon so far I, being a person of Indian roots, am immensely proud as well ” India join s Worl d Elite Club

Lord Rami Ran ger CBE, Chairman, Sard ar Patel Memorial Society UK tol d Asian Voice, “India became the

“Finally, the most important fact about Indian missions is that they cost a fraction of the cost that is normally associated with such missions In fact, India’s mission has cost less than the Hollywood movie ‘Interstellar’ Indians are now literally over the moon Jai Hind ”

Potential of India in shapin g the twenty-first c entury

Lord D ol ar Popat, Prime M in ister’s Trad e Envoy to Uganda, Rwan da an d D emoc ratic Republ ic of Congo

that India’s festive season had been ‘preponed’ by the celebration worldwide of India’s amazing and pioneering achievement of successfully landing Chandrayaan-3 on the South Pole of the moon “This remarkable achievement was all the more incredible achieving it at the amazingly low cost of just $75 million As a Zoroastrian Parsi, it gives me great pride that the famous Cambridge-educated scientist Dr Homi Bhabha, known as the father of India’s nuclear programme, played an important role in the birth of India’s space programme Many congratulations to India on this amazing feat, something that creates aspiration and pride for every Indian in India and around the world, and a milestone which reaffirms India’s path as an emerging superpower The Indian Express has left the station, India is the fastest growing major economy in the world and I predict that by 2060, India will be the largest economy in the world ”

Lord Paul remembers Dr A bdul Kal am Lord Swraj Paul said, “Chandrayaan-3’s historic

country to land a spacecraft near the moon ’ s south pole and the fourth nation to successfully land a spacecraft on the moon after the United States, China and Russia ” He recalled, “I must remember my great friend former President of India APJ Abdul Kalam, a very distinguished world-renowned scientist who made an immense contribution to India All of us Indians are very proud of the achievements for which he was responsible I had the pleasure of presenting him with an honorary doctorate from the University of Wolverhampton in 2007 ”

Lord Paul also recalled the time in 2004 when Kalam gave a reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi to celebrate his son's marriage He said, “May God look after him Due to his great efforts, India is on the way to becoming the superpower of space ” H igh Commission of In dia in Lon don c elebrates

Chandrayaan-3

A grand 'India Day' celebration was held in London to celebrate India’s 77th Independence Day as well as the historic success of the Chandrayaan-3 moon mission The event was held at the Navnat Centre in London and the people of the Indian diaspora took part in the celebration in huge numbers

first country to land on the south pole of the moon and in the process, made history India has also made a special place in the world by joining the elite club of just four nations that have reached the moon India's Moon missions, such as Chandrayaan-1 and Chandrayaan-2, now Chandrayaan-3 offer huge benefits to the world, especially developing countries

“These missions have advanced our understanding of the Moon's geology, mineral composition, and surface characteristics These missions also contribute to technological

told us, “The landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the South Pole of the Moon was a historic moment for India - and the British Indian diaspora at large It reflected the tremendous progress that India has made on the global stage as a world superpower In the run-up to the G20, the landing demonstrates the sheer potential that India has in shaping the twenty-first century, particularly in science, research and innovation This is just the first step in a line of other significant milestones ”

T he In dian Express has left the station

Lord Karan Bilimoria CBE D L said, “I was privileged to speak and participate at the B20 in Delhi this month In his excellent speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said

moon landing is a proud moment for India, I am very proud of this achievement that India has become the first

Indian High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswami and several prominent members of the Indian diaspora attended the event Speaking to media persons, Indian High Commissioner Doraiswami said there is so much to be proud of in 76 years of India’s history, and particularly the last decade, in which so much has been achieved He added the role of the Diaspora is central to India's success globally Team High Commission in London joined 1 4 billion Indians in witnessing the historic moment The successful soft landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the moon HC Vikram Doraiswami tweeted, “ISRO scripts history: #VikramLander touches down near the Moon's South Pole! What a moment! Sare Jahan Se Achcha so proud of #India and our scientists @isro Truly women and men in 1 billion And a nice moment to have this famous first name!”

India’s Skyroot Aerospace is planning to double its rocket launches

S kyroo t Aerosp ace, which made h isto ry by lau nc hing India's fi rst p rivate rocket in 2022, is planning to do uble its sch eduled lau nches starting next year Th is expansion is expected to receive a significant boo st from the success of India's C h a nd ra ya an - 3 mo o n mi s s i o n, which is likely to contribute to t h e gro wth o f th e c o u n tr y ' s emerging private space secto r The Hyderabad-based compan y , s u p p o r t e d b y S i n g a p o r e ' s sovereign wealth fund, GIC, is

also aiming to secure additional funding by the end of the coming year Pawan Kumar Chandana, t h e c o - f o u n d e r , s h a r e d i n a n interview with Reuters Skyroot A e r o s p a c e ' s i n a u g u r a l p r i v a t e rocket launch aimed to decrease satellite launch expenses, espec i a l l y i n a s w i f t l y d e v e l o p i n g industry where numerous companies are establishing networks to provide broadband services, driving the demand for small satellite launches

Lord Raj Loomba CBE

Lord Rami Ranger CBE

Lord Dolar Popat

Lord Karan Bilimoria CBE

Lord Swraj Paul

Indian Diaspora in the United Kingdom (IDUK Group) came together to organise a Havan ceremony to pray for the successful landing of Chandrayaan 3

A F T E R C H A N D R A Y A A N -3 S U C C E S S ,

I N D I A S E T S I T S E Y E O N T H E S U N

India has established itself as a powerful force in the field of space exploration and as a diversified and culturally rich nation Under the leadership of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) India has made outstanding progress in this difficult and fascinating area Innovative missions, technological advancements and substantial contributions to scientific research have all been hallmarks of India s venture into space

A f t e r s u c c e s s f u l l y l a n d i n g a s p a c e c r a f t n e a r t h e u n e x p l o r e d south pole of the moon on August 23, 2023, India became the fourth nation (after the United States, the S o v i e t U n i o n , a n d C h i n a ) t o achieve a controlled lunar landing India's next cosmic quest is the sun ISRO has announced that its first solar mission, Aditya-L1, will be launched on September 2 at 11:50 am IST from the Sriharikota space centre

Lagrange Points, named after Joseph-Louis Lagrange, a French mathematician who first studied t h e m i n t h e 1 8 t h c e n t u r y , a r e l o c a t i o n s i n s p a c e w h e r e t h e gravitational pulls of two massive bodies, such as the Sun and the Earth, balance out, creating an area of equilibrium that a spacecraft can use to save fuel

A satellite placed in the halo orbit around the L1 point has the major advantage of continuously v i e w i n g t h e s u n w i t h o u t a n y occultation or eclipse " This will p r o v i d e a g r e a t e r a d v a n t a g e i n observing solar activities and their effect on space weather in realt i m e , " s a y s I S R O I n d i a ' s f i r s t space-based observatory to study the sun, the Aditya-L1 spacecraft, will be launched using the PSLVC57 rocket Chandrayaan-3's Vikram lander records 70 degrees Celsius on moon surface

ISRO released a graph of the temperature variation on the lunar surface, and a senior scientist of t h e s p a c e a g e n c y e x p r e s s e d surprise over the high temperature recorded on the moon The space agency released an update stating t h a t t h e V i k r a m l a n d e r o n C h a n d r a y a a n - 3 s C h a n d r a s S u r f a c e T h e r m o p h y s i c a l E x p e r i m e n t ( C h a S T E ) m i s s i o n recorded the temperature profile of the lunar topsoil around the pole to comprehend the thermal behaviour of the moon's surface

While speaking to the news a g e n c y , I S R O s c i e n t i s t B H M Darukesha said, "We all believed t h a t t h e t e m p e r a t u r e c o u l d b e somewhere around 20 to 30 degree centigrade on the surface, but it is 7 0 d e g r e e s c e n t i g r a d e T h i s i s surprisingly higher than what we had expected "

Behind every successful mission are 100+ women

K K a l p a n a , t h e a s s o c i a t e project director of Chandrayaan-3, graced the dais as the sole woman during the post-touchdown event at Isro However, she’s far from alone Over 100 women have made d i r e c t a n d s i g n i f i c a n t

contributions to the prestigious m i s s i o n , u l t i m a t e l y e n a b l i n g Vikram’s soft landing on the lunar South Pole

M Vanitha, the project director of Chandrayaan-2, played a pivotal role in the Chandrayaan-3 team, while Ritu Kadhidal, the mission director of the previous venture, was actively involved in project reviews, Isro chairman S Somanath said

Women's involvement extends beyond the obvious Women have b e e n a t t h e v a n g u a r d o f Chandrayaan-3, according to Isro, making significant contributions

t o s p a c e c r a f t c o n f i g u r a t i o n , r e a l i s a t i o n , a n d t e a m m a n a g e m e n t F r o m t h e i n i t i a l stages of conception and design to testing and implementation, more than 100 women played significant roles in the mission S o m a n a t h u n d e r s c o r e d t h e collective nature of this triumph: Each space programme has been a s t e a d f a s t n a t i o n a l m i s s i o n , involving a select few directly but thousands indirectly or remotely Every contributor plays a crucial r o l e " W i t h C h a n d r a y a a n - 3 , t h e participation expanded to include numerous academics, industries, a n d p u b l i c s e c t o r u n d e r t a k i n g s (PSUs), showcasing a united effort

"They played a key role in the assembly, integration, and testing o f t h e s p a c e c r a f t , t h e e s t a b l i s h m e n t a n d e x e c u t i o n o f g r o u n d s e g m e n t s f o r m i s s i o n o p e r a t i o n s , a n d c a r r y i n g o u t o u t l a n d e r n a v i g a t i o n , g u i d a n c e , and control simulations to assure the capability of the lander for an a u t o n o m o u s , s a f e , a n d s o f t l a n d i n g , ' ' I s r o s a i d T h e i r c o n t r i b u t i o n s e x t e n d t o t h e development and delivery of vital sensors such as the laser altimetre, laser doppler velocity metre, and lander horizontal velocity camera, crucial for navigation during the lander’s critical descent phase

Chandrayaan-3 project cost £60 mn

Union Science and Technology

Minister Dr Jitendra Singh said that the Chandrayaan-3 project s estimated cost of £60 million is less t h a n t h e b u d g e t f o r s e v e r a l Hollywood productions with lunar and space themes He added that t h e c o u n t r y ' s p l a n i s " q u i t e

3 near the moon's south pole This is a success for all of humanity!

O p e n i n g n e w a v e n u e s f o r n e w areas of exploration, the Maldives foreign minister tweeted Administrator of the National

A e r o n a u t i c s a n d S p a c e

A d m i n i s t r a t i o n ( N A S A ) , B i l l

Nelson, congratulated India and ISRO for the smooth landing of C h a n d r a y a a n - 3 A d d i t i o n a l l y , h e a p p l a u d e d t h e I n d i a - U S p a r t n e r s h i p o n t h e A r t e m i s Accords, which strives to create a s h a r e d v i s i o n t h r o u g h a u s e f u l collection of principles, rules, and best practices

P a k i s t a n ' s F a w a d C h a u d h r y , t h e e x - M i n i s t e r o f I n f o r m a t i o n a n d B r o a d c a s t i n g i n t h e I m r a n Khan government, congratulated

and India South Africa's President

C y r i l R a m a p h o s a c o n g r a t u l a t e d India, "This, for us, as the BRICS family, is a momentous occasion, and we rejoice with you We join y o u i n t h e j o y o f t h i s g r e a t achievement "

Space collaboration with other countries

After Chandraayan-3's success, m a n y c o u n t r i e s a r e l o o k i n g forward to collaborating with India on space missions The ISRO has one more lunar mission on the c a r d s i n c o l l a b o r a t i o n w i t h t h e Japanese space agency, JAXA This mission, called LUPEX, or Lunar P o l a r E x p l o r a t i o n , i s s l a t e d f o r 2024–25 LUPEX will explore the permanently shaded polar region of the moon, adding another layer of complexity to the operation It will seek to study the region for the possibility of locating a long-term s t a t i o n i n t h e a r e a , l i k e t h e International Space Station but on the Moon

The strategic framework for cooperative human spaceflight is established when India and the US s i g n t h e A r t e m i s A c c o r d s T h e s i g n i n g o f t h e A c c o r d s i s s i g n i f i c a n t f o r t h e c o o p e r a t i v e c o l l a b o r a t i o n o n c u t t i n g - e d g e space programmes and technology transfer, such as NASA's Artemis missions and ISRO's Gaganyaan

s c i e n t i f i c s t u d y r e l a t e d t o t h e p r o j e c t t o d e t e r m i n e w h e t h e r hydrogen and oxygen are available on the moon's surface

“The cost of Chandrayaan-3 is m e r e l y £ 6 0 m i l l i o n , w h e r e a s a Hollywood film on space and the moon costs more than £60 million I don't see movies often nowadays, but I was told by someone that one or two big actors now charge £10 million per film (in Bollywood), much above the Rs 5 to 600,000 a star like Dilip Kumar charged for Devdas," he said The experiments on Chandrayaan-3 started on the surface of the moon and will last for 14 days, the Union minister added World leaders congratulate India

T h e s u c c e s s f u l l a n d i n g o f

C h a n d r a y a a n - 3 l a n d e r s p a r k e d

jubilant reactions from India and around the world Social media is flooded with wishes from leaders around the world Nepal expressed happiness at the success of India in t h e l a t e s t s p a c e e x p l o r a t i o n , extended congratulations, and also wished to work in collaboration with India to share the benefits

The Foreign Minister of the M a l d i v e s , A b d u l l a S h a h i d , c o n g r a t u l a t e d P M M o d i o n t h e success of ISRO's Chandrayaan-3 mission As a South Asian nation and neighbour, we are proud of the successful landing of Chandrayaan

I S R O o n X J o s e f A s c h b a c h e r ,

Director General of the European Space Agency, congratulated ISRO

Three countries - Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and Singapore - have a p p r o a c h e d I n d i a f o r p o s s i b l e space collaborations Commerce a n d I n d u s t r y M i n i s t e r P i y u s h G o y a l c o n f i r m e d t h a t a f e w countries have approached India but refused to comment further T h e l a n d i n g w i l l u n l o c k n e w a v e n u e s o f s c i e n t i f i c d i s c o v e r y , s h a p i n g t h e f u t u r e o f l u n a r r e s e a r c h , a n d I n d i a w i l l n o w c o n t r i b u t e i n a b i g w a y t o t h e world’s space community," Goyal said

PM Modi names Vikram's touchdown site as ‘Shiv Shakti’

PM Narendra Modi named two more places on the lunar surface during a visit to the Isro Telemetry Tracking and Command Network (Istrac) in Bengaluru marking the fifteenth anniversary of India naming a location on the moon

The location where Chandrayaan-3 s Vikram successfully landed was given the name "Shiv Shakti," signifying the union of will and power for the b e n e f i t o f h u m a n i t y A n o t h e r p o i n t t h a t w a s i n f l u e n c e d b y t h e C h a n d r a y a a n - 2 l a n d e r w a s t h e n a m e " T i r a n g a , " w h i c h s y m b o l i s e s inspiration for India s space exploration and a message that failure isn t s y n o n y m o u s w i t h s e t b a c k s O n N o v e m b e r 1 4 , 2 0 0 8 t h e s i t e w h e r e Chandrayaan-1’s lunar probe (MIP) had impacted was named Jawahar Point" or "Jawahar Sthal", as notified to the International Astronomical Union (IAU) PM Modi also announced that August 23 the day Vikram landed on the lunar South Pole, will be celebrated as National Space Day

In ‘Shiv there s resolution for humanity s welfare and ‘Shakti gives us strength to fulfil those resolutions This ‘Shiv Shakti Point’ of the Moon also gives a sense of connection from the Himalayas to Kanyakumari said Modi, who landed in the city straight from Greece, en route to New Delhi, after attending the Brics summit in Johannesburg

Terming the "touchdown moment" one of the most inspiring of this century Modi said the entire world was witnessing and accepting the strength of India’s scientific spirit, technology, and temperament

Modi emphasised the monumental achievement of Chandrayaan-3 celebrating the journey from being considered a third-world country to attaining the status of the fifth-largest economy and a first-world nation.

"India is on the Moon! We have our national pride placed on the moon, he said. Institutions like Isro have played a huge role in this journey [taking the country] from the third row’ to the first row Our lander has firmly set its foot on the moon like Angad (from the Ramayana) On one side is Vikram’s valour, and on the other is Pragyan’s bravery

PM Modi and ISRO chairman S Somanath at ISRO Telemetry Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC)

PM witnessing successful landing of Chandrayaan 3

The market fell in August – so doe s that mean cherry pic king opportunitie s now and a chanc e to boos t our pens ion pots ?

The stock market, like many other phenomena, is influenced by seasonal patterns One of the most wellknown adages in finance is "Sell in May and go away " But what does this mean, and is it based on any factual data?

The "Sell in May and Go Away " Phenomen on "Sell in May and go away" is a saying rooted in the historical underperformance of stocks during the sixmonth period from May to October This pattern was popularized by the Stock Trader's Almanac, which discovered that investing in stocks, as represented by the Dow Jones Industrial Average, from November to April and then switching to fixed income for the other six months would have produced reliable returns with reduced risk since 1950

In recent years, the divergence has remained pronounced The S&P 500 index gained an average of about 2% from May to October since 1990, compared to an average of approximately 7% from November to April, according to Fidelity Investments This seasonal divergence trend is not just limited to the U S An academic paper found the same pattern in stock markets outside the U S , calling it remarkably robust

Theorie s

Behi nd the Seasonal Divergence

Historically, financial markets were influenced by seasonal patterns tied to agriculture However, with the reduced economic weight of farming, these influences have likely faded Seasonality in investment flows might still persist due to year-end financial industry and business bonuses, and the mid-April U S income tax filing deadline could also play a role The historical pattern is further accentuated by the October stock-market collapses in 1987 and 2008

Why Not "Sell i n May and Go Aw ay"?

While the historical pattern is evident, its predictive power is questionable For instance, the pattern did not hold in 2020 The influence of seasonality can be overshadowed by other, often more pressing considerations For example, selling in May would not have been beneficial in 2020, as the S&P 500 slumped 34% over five weeks in February and March due to the COVID-19 pandemic but returned 12 4% from May to October

Alternatives to the Adage

Instead of taking the saying literally, investors believing in the pattern could rotate from higher-risk market sectors to those that tend to outperform during market weakness For instance, a strategy of rotating between healthcare and consumer staples stocks from May to October and more economically sensitive sectors from November to April would have significantly outperformed the S&P 500 between 1990 and 2021

For me, I can see September being a poor month for the markets, so whilst I do my twice weekly updates on my YouTube channel, I will probably not make big investment purchases in September

Govt's largest payment to Bank of England for bond losses

L as t m o n th , th e g o v e rnm ent transferred a recordbreaking £1 4 3 billion to th e Bank of England, d riv en by r i si ng in ter es t ra tes th a t burdened th e Treasu ry w ith sig nificant losses stemming f ro m qu an ti tat i v e e as in g ( QE) The Treasury's sizeable transfer to the Bank marked the largest state contribut i o n e v e r m a d e i n J u l y , a i m e d a t o f f s e t t i n g t h e deficit incurred by the monetary stimulus initiative initiated after the global financ i a l c r i s i s T h e B a n k o f England's QE efforts have resulted in nearly £30 billion in taxpayer losses within the past 11 months, as the Office f o r N a t i o n a l S t a t i s t i c s r e p o r t e d T h e J u l y f i g u r e s u r p a s s e d t h e O f f i c e f o r B u d g e t R e s p o n s i b i l i t y ' s

March estimate by £5 4 billion

This data casts doubt on the prospects of tax reduc-

Hunt downplays tax cut plans amid lower borrowing

Ch ancellor Jeremy Hu nt h as d ownplayed the likelihood o f pre-election tax redu ctions d espite recent data indicating th at the state of public finances is less dire than initially p rojected by the gov ernm ent's fiscal w atchdog in the spring budg et

The UK's budget deficit for last month was £4 3 billion, marking the fifth-highest figure for a July since records began in 1993 However, this was

billion below the

s attributed to stronger tax receipts from an economy that has managed to steer clear of recession

In the first four months of the 2023-24 fiscal year, the government borrowed £56 6 billion to bridge the

Although this total was £13 7 billion higher than the corresponding period in 2022-23, it was significantly lower than the OBR's forecast of £68 billion

Anti-fraud unit saved 'significant' taxpayer money: ministers

Jeremy Hunt

implementing a giveaway package that some Conservative MPs have called for Hunt emphasised the importance of maintaining a responsible approach to public finances, especially with the rising cost of servicing the government's debt due to increasing interest rates Analysts are sceptical about the fiscal outlook, with increasing debt interest payments posing challenges for the government's ability to meet its fiscal rules, including the target of decreasing debt as a percentage of national output (gross domestic product) within five years The OBR had indicated at the spring budget that the debt rule would be barely met by a margin of £6 5 billion

Dishoom eyes more openings, pays £3.7mn dividend after 2022 profits triple

Disho om, the Indian restaurant ch ain, expe rienc ed a th reefo ld i ncreas e i n pro fits during 2022 as its establishments rebound ed fro m the pand em ic's impact The company also ind icated its plans for fu rther restaurant openings

According to reports submitted to Companies House, Dishoom reported a revenue of £95 million, nearly double the amount from 2021 This surge in revenue reflects the recovery from pandemic-related closures that affected much of the previous year This performance led to a profit increase of £4 7 million, a notable rise from the £1 5 million recorded in the previous year

Despite profit margins remaining below pre-pandemic levels, the chain remains optimistic about the impact of inflation on the hospitality sector and anticipates achieving profit margins comparable to those seen in 2019

With this growth in profits, the restaurant renowned for its lengthy queues and signature dishes like black dal and bacon naan was able to distribute a dividend of £3 7 million to its parent company, Braunstone Limited T h i s p a r e n t c o m p a n y a l s o o w n s Touchnote, an online gift card business Notably, the dividend amount was roughly on par with Dishoom's post-tax profits

Ofgem's energy price cap dips below £2,000 amidst high bills

t i o n s i n t h e u p c o m i n g Budget year, even though s e p a r a t e f i g u r e s i n d i c a t e that public sector borrowing was £11 3 billion less than i n i t i a l l y p r o j e c t e d i n t h e t h r e e m o n t h s l e a d i n g t o

July

Q u a n t i t a t i v e e a s i n g ' s impact on public finances is rooted in the Bank's purc h a s e o f U K g o v e r n m e n t b o n d s u s i n g £ 8 7 5 b i l l i o n created between 2009 and 2021 Although this program i n i t i a l l y s a v e d t h e Government approximately £120 billion from 2009 to 2022, the dynamic changed a f t e r i n t e r e s t r a t e s s u r -

passed 1 75%

The Bank s own projections indicate that taxpayers will need to transfer around £220 billion to the Bank in the next seven years up to 2030 The lifespan of QE is anticipated to result in a net cost of approximately £150 billion to the state

The energy pri ce cap has di pped below £2, 000 annually for the first time in a year and a half However, consumer advocacy groups caution that househol d s w on ' t ex p er i e nc e s i gn i f i c a nt relief from elevated energy expenses during the upcoming winter months

Among the 29 million households across England, Wales, and Scotland, the projected average payment will be around £1,923 per year starting from October This reduction comes after the energy regulatory authority lowered the price cap from the previous quarter's value of £2,074

Despite this adjustment, the avera g e h o u s e h o l d w i l l s t i l l b e p a y i n g almost twice the rate for their gas and e l e c t r i c i t y c o m p a r e d t o t h e p e r i o d before the global energy crisis caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine It's worth noting that many won't witness a notable change in their bills due to the absence of the £400 government assistance provided to all households last winter

T h i s w ee k m ar ks th e o ne -y ea r anniversary of the launch of the Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA ), an initi ativ e aimed at assisting Whitehall departments in combating fraud and erro rs, wh ile also enhancing the public sector's understand ing of anti-frau d measures

T h e g o v e r n m e n t ' s a s s e s s m e n t reveals that public sector fraud incurs a cost of at least £33 billion annually for taxpayers A report by the House of C o m m o n s P u b l i c A c c o u n t s C o m m i t t e e i n 2 0 2 1 e s t i m a t e d t h e expense to the public purse to range from £29 3 billion to £51 8 billion each year Common instances of public sector fraud encompass the misuse of Blue Badges and travel cards to attain financial benefits that are not rightfully theirs, according to insights from the Cabinet Office

A n n o u n c e d b y P r i m e M i n i s t e r R i s h i S u n a k i n M a r c h 2 0 2 2 , t h e A u t h o r i t y i s s t a f f e d b y e x p e r t s i n counter-fraud and data analysis Their mandate is to enhance fraud response within government departments and p u b l i c e n t i t i e s I n t h e u p c o m i n g weeks, the department is slated to publish the inaugural annual report detailing PSFA's effectiveness in combatting fraud during its first operational year Government sources anticipate this report will highlight "significant" savings for taxpayers

E a r l i e r t h i s y e a r , t h e C a b i n e t Office revealed a contract worth £4 million with technology consultancy Quantexa This agreement enables the Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA) t o h a r n e s s t h e p o w e r o f A r t i f i c i a l Intelligence as part of its efforts to combat fraud within the public sector

Initially, the Authority was set a goal of achieving savings amounting to £180 million within its first year, as outlined during its announcement

Consumer confidence remains positive despite economic challenges

Recent figures f rom resea rch group GfK in dicate that con sumer demand ha s held s trong de spite the impact of ri si ng pr ice s and highe r b orr ow in g costs Although the cons umer con fide nce i nde x e xperie nced a drop in Jul y, coi nci di n g w it h a de cl in e in re tail sale s due to re cord rai nfall, this s etba ck f ollow ed a peri od of five cons ecuti ve months of gr ow th and a 17month high i n June

have surged from an average of £186 per year in October 2021 to slightly above £300

Ofgem, the energy regulator, has s c a l e d d o w n t h e p r i c e c a p , w h i c h establishes the maximum rate per unit that suppliers can impose and undergoes revision every three months This adjustment was prompted by a recent decline in gas and electricity market prices The revised cap will be effective f r o m O c t o b e r t h r o u g h D e c e m b e r , with a subsequent reassessment in January

The cap doesn't place a ceiling on the total amount customers pay; those who consume more energy will consequently incur higher costs

Despite inflation and increased food prices straining budgets, the outlook for the economy remains positive

The index tracking changes in personal finances over the past year has improved by 10 points compared to August 2022, and the forecast for personal finances over the next year is also up by 28 points from last year and four points from July

Expectations regarding the general economic situation have also i m p r o v e d , w i t h a t h r e e - p o i n t increase in the index since the previous month and a 30-point improvement compared to a year ago Major purchase intentions saw an eightpoint rise, while the savings index increased by one point, reflecting h i g h e r i n t e r e s t r a t

PM Modi calls for rebuilding confidence in global trade

P r i m e M in is te r N are nd r a

M odi called for rebuilding co nfid ence in global trad e an d inv es tm ent p roc ess es, a m i d t u rbu l enc e i n t h e g lo b al ec o no m y an d g eo political uncertainty

Additionally, he offered a " g e n e r i c f r a m e w o r k f o r m a p p i n g g l o b a l v a l u e chains" The PM stated in his speech to the G20 trade a n d i n v e s t m e n t m i n i s t e r s that "this framework aims to a s s e s s v u l n e r a b i l i t i e s , minimise risks, and enhance resilience "

M o d i r e i t e r a t e d t h e necessity of creating robust global value chains that can withstand future shocks at a time when many nations are e x p e r i e n c i n g s h o r t a g e s o f and restricted access to a number of essential inputs C o u n t r i e s a l l t h r o u g h o u t the world have put up trade barriers recently, including limitations on imports and exports

The PM also underlined the need to focus on small b u s i n e s s e s a n d g i v e t h e m e q u a l o p p o r t u n i t i e s t o

India set to ban sugar exports for first time in 7 years

India is anticipated to forbid m ills from expo rting sug ar s ta rti n g i n t h e u p c o m i ng season in October, stop ping sh ipments for the first time in seven years, as a lack of r ai n h as cu t c an e y i eld s, g o v er nm e nt s o u rc es s ai d India's exclusion from the g lo b al m a rke t w o u ld p r o ba bl y p u s h up bench mark prices in New Yo rk and London, which are currently trad ing at m ultiyear h ighs, raising concerns abo ut fu ture fo od m arket inflatio n

"Our primary focus is to f u l f i l l o c a l s u g a r requirements and produce e t h a n o l f r o m s u r p l u s s u g a r c a n e , " s a i d a government source "For the upcoming season, we will not have enough sugar to allocate for export quotas " India allowed mills to

e x p o r t o n l y 6 1 m i l l i o n tonnes of sugar during the current season to Sept 30, a f t e r l e t t i n g t h e m s e l l a record 11 1 million tonnes last season In 2016, India imposed a 20% tax on sugar e x p o r t s t o c u r b o v e r s e a s sales

A c c o r d i n g t o w e a t h e r department data, monsoon rainfall in the leading caneg r o w i n g r e g i o n s o f Maharashtra and Karnataka, w h i c h t o g e t h e r p r o d u c e more than half of all the s u g a r p r o d u c e d i n I n d i a , have been up to 50% below average so far this year

c o m p e t e , i n c l u d i n g i n e c o m m e r c e “ F o r u s ,

M S M E m e a n s M a x i m u m

Support to Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises,” s a i d M o d i , w h i l e elaborating on how India has integrated MSMEs into public procurement through online platforms, such as,

G e M ( G o v e r n m e n t em a r k e t p l a c e ) a n d O p e n

N e t w o r k f o r D i g i t a l Commerce (ONDC)

S p e a k i n g a b o u t t h e proposed Jaipur Initiative to f o s t e r s e a m l e s s f l o w o f

i n f o r m a t i o n t o M S M E s , Modi said this will address the challenge of inadequate access to market, and lack of i n f o r m a t i o n f a c e d b y

M S M E s H e a d d e d t h a t upgrading the global trade h e l p d e s k w i l l i n c r e a s e participation of MSMEs in international trade

Qatar Investment Authority to invest

£827.8 mn in Reliance Retail

Re l i a nc e Re t a il V e n tu r es Limited (RRVL) s tated that t he Q a t a r In v e s t m e n t Authority (QIA) wil l inves t £8 2 7 8 m n in R RV L, a s ub s i di a r y of R el ia n c e Industries Limited, through a wholl y-owned subs idiary With t his investm ent, RRVL is valued at £82 78 b il lion in pre-money eq uity On a f ul ly di l ut e d b a s is , QI A's inves tment wil l r esult in a 0 9 9 % m in or i ty e q ui t y position in RRV L T h e l a t e s t r o u n d o f funding for RRVL in 2020 totaled £4 72 billion from a v a r i e t y o f i n t e r n a t i o n a l investors, with a pre-money equity value of £42 1 billion I s h a A m b a n i , D i r e c t o r , R e l i a n c e R e t a i l V e n t u r e s L i m i t e d , s a i d , “ W e a r e delighted to welcome QIA as an investor in RRVL We look forward to benefitting from

QIA’s global experience and strong track record of value c r e a t i o n a s w e f u r t h e r develop RRVL into a world c l a s s i n s t i t u t i o n , d r i v i n g transformation of the Indian retail sector The investment b y Q I A i s a s t r o n g e n d o r s e m e n t o f a p o s i t i v e o u t l o o k t o w a r d s I n d i a n e c o n o m y a n d R e l i a n c e ’ s r e t a i l b u s i n e s s m o d e l , s t r a t e g y a n d e x e c u t i o n capabilities " M a n s o o r E b r a h i m A lMahmoud, CEO, QIA, said, “ Q I A i s c o m m i t t e d t o s u p p o r t i n g i n n o v a t i v e companies with high-growth p o t e n t i a l i n I n d i a ’ s f a s t growing retail market We are looking forward to RRVL, with its strong vision and impressive growth trajectory, j o i n i n g o u r g r o w i n g a n d d i v e r s e p o r t f o l i o o f investments in India "

Sebi concludes probe into Adani group’s 13 related party deal

M arket regu lator S ebi told the S upreme Court that it h a s c o nc lu d ed i ts i n v es ti g a ti o ns i nt o t h e 1 3 instances o f Ad ani Gro up ’ s a lleg ed fai lu re to d i sc lo se related party transactions

S u b m i t t i n g i t s f i n a l status report to the court on the 24 investigations it had c a r r i e d o u t f o l l o w i n g U S s h o r t - s e l l e r H i n d e n b u r g ’ s report that led to meltdown of Adani Group shares, Sebi s a i d t h e r e l a t e d p a r t y transactions include those b e t w e e n A d a n i g r o u p c o m p a n i e s w i t h A d a n i Infrastructure Management

S e r v i c e s ; b e t w e e n K r u n a l and Sunbourne in 2008-09 and subsequent transaction b e t w e e n S u n b o u r n e a n d

Adani Enterprises; between B a r d e n i a T r a d e a n d Investment with Adani Infra a n d l o a n t r a n s a c t i o n b e t w e e n A d a n i I n f r a a n d Adani Enterprises and Adani P o w e r M u n d r a ( A P M L ) ;

R e h v a r I n f r a s t r u c t u r e a n d M i l e s t o n e Tradelinks and Adani I n f r a a s w e l l a s l o a n t r a n s a c t i o n b e t w e e n

A d a n i I n f r a , A d a n i Enterprises and APML “Transactions with r e g a r d t o P M C P r o j e c t s ; b e t w e e n A d a n i Power and Growmore Trade a n d I n v e s t m e n t ; l o a n t r a n s a c t i o n b e t w e e n E m e r g i n g M a r k e t I n v e s t m e n t D M C C a n d A d a n i P o w e r ; b e t w e e n C a r m i c h a e l R a i l a n d P o r t S i n g a p o r e H o l d i n g s a n d A d a n i M i n i n g a n d A d a n i

G l o b a l i n 2 0 1 3 - 1 4 - 1 5 ; between Adani group and N Q X T ; a w a r d i n g o f c o a l s u p p l y c o n t r a c t t o a n opaque Singaporean entity controlled by former Adani g r o u p c o m p a n y d i r e c t o r ( P a n A s i a ) a n d o v e r i nv o i c i n g ; b e t w e e n V a k o d e r I n v e s t m e n t s a n d A d a n i E s t a t e s ; a n d , a u d i t q u a l i f i c a t i o n s i n A d a n i Power for FY 2020-21 ” M a r k e t n o r m s r e q u i r e disclosure of related party t r a n s a c t i o n s s i n c e t h e y could influence the profit or loss and financial position of an entity

Shell Energy to set up renewable energy plant in Gujarat

She l l E n e rg y In di a Pr i va t e Lim it e d a nd t h e G uja r a t governm ent s igned an M oU f or t he c o ns t ru c t io n o f a re n e wa b l e e n er g y pl an t , el e c tr i c v e hi c l e c h ar g in g s t a ti on s a nd a n L NG

regasification ter minal

At a cost of £220 million, a renewable energy facility would be built on 1,200 acres in the Banaskantha district in north Gujarat The factory, which is anticipated to start operations by 2026, would

generate close to 1,000 direct and indirect jobs

In addition, the company will invest £80 million to set u p f u e l r e t a i l a n d e l e c t r i c v e h i c l e c h a r g i n g s t a t i o n s

t o b e c o m e o p e r a t i o n a l b y

2 0 2 7 a n d c r e a t e a r o u n d

2 , 0 0 0 j o b s , a n o f f i c i a l statement said

Shell India will also set u p a n L N G r e g a s i f i c a t i o n terminal at the cost of £50 million, which will employ 3 7 5 p e o p l e C o m m e r c i a l production at the terminal w i l l c o m m e n c e i n 2 0 2 7

A c c o r d i n g t o t h e o f f i c i a l release, 14 MoUs have already been signed as part of the pre-Vibrant Gujarat Global

Summit MoU signing series, with a total investment of £ 3 8 7 4 m i l l i o n g u a r a n t e e d T h e t e x t i l e , e n g i n e e r i n g , p h a r m a c e u t i c a l , c h e m i c a l , e n e r g y , a n d r e n e w a b l e energy sectors have all signed these MoUs

The release quoted chief minister Bhupendra Patel as s a y i n g t h a t G u j a r a t ’ s p r o a c t i v e g o v e r n a n c e a n d friendly policies have made it one of the top investment destinations in India

Vagjiani, Sow & Reap Properties Ltd

There is an intrinsic resistance to purchasing a leasehold property by many investors, in particular Indians There is a s e n s e o f i n c o m p l e t e o w n e r s h i p A t t a c h e d t o t h e investment is also a service charge, for which they have no control over It is something they simply have to pay It doesn’t feel like you fully own the property A leasehold property is simply a long rental contract for which you pay in one lump sum upfront, when it expires or is close to expiry you have to pay another lump sum to have it extended The freehold ground which this flat sits upon does not belong to the leaseholder, therefore there is an annual ground rent charge payable as well as the service charge for renting the ground This amount however is defined upfront in a lease agreement, so you at least know what you ’ re getting into

However, if you are fixated on this point it will be near impossible to invest in Central London, or most flats

The question arises is are you fixated on purchasing a freehold, or do you wish to maximise your return?

There are of course many blocks where the managing agents simply manipulate the system to milk the service charges as much as they can There is one notorious freeholder in Central London whose legal bills mount up to a few million a year; who knows the system, and therefore how to manipulate it better than the average leaseholder

We manage flats on both ends of the scale, where the service charge is in the region of £20K per year, and conversely some flats where the charge is a modest £1,500 per year, which also includes building insurance

Even a simple conversion flat which is one of two, can have issues We have had one situation recently were the bottom leaseholder, was refusing to acknowledge he is responsible for the roof repair!

The company who owned the freehold, was an absent f r e e h o l d e r a n d w a s n o t m a n a g i n g t h e p r o p e r t y I t therefore fell to the two leaseholders to sort the issue out However, the rental agent of one of the flats was a small firm in Harrow, and the leaseholder was abroad They took this as an opportunity to make money for themselves, despite this being a common problem for leaseholders, which is a frustrating situation to say the least

A common issue which occurs when a company or an individual decides to buy the freehold of a small building is that they then haven’t got a clue on how to manage the building There are a couple of buildings in prime London which we manage for our clients, one where there is an absent freeholder The other where they use the service charge to simply earn money for themselves The latter one is a very prime building where the values have been decimated by the lack of management of the freehold block Every so often they request service charge from all the leaseholders Presumably, the overseas landlords pay, our client hasn’t paid for over a decade, as they cannot answer the same questions asked every time they make a demand on the service charges

So, the summary is don’t let the tail wag the dog The o b j e c t i v e i s t o e a r n t h e m a x i m u m r e t u r n o n y o u r investment, not to buy a freehold However, this doesn’t mean you should go in blind The management pack when purchasing should be looked into carefully, both the service charge, and the ground rent

This aspect of investing must of course be considered, but this should not be the decisive factor

India's bu dg et airl ine Sp iceJet told a co urt th at it was "str ugg ling t o st ay af loat", as it was or dered to make a p ayment to its f orm er owner o ver money owed S piceJet was f orced to p ay $70 mil lio n p lus interest aft er lo sing an arbit ratio n action in 2018 inv olv ing sh ar e t ransfers f rom th e com pany's for mer management to Kalanith i Maran in 201 5 Later , Maran sued SpiceJet , al leg ing th at he was yet to get $48 mil lio n

In a Delhi HC hearing on Maran's case demanding the dues, SpiceJet said it was struggling financially "We are struggling to stay afloat," the airline's lawyer Amit Sibal told the judge

SpiceJet offered to deposit 750 million rupees within 10 days, but the judge ordered the airline to pay $12 million by Sept 10 and warned it could consider seizing the company s assets to recover the dues, if it fails to comply

SpiceJet said in a statement it would honour the court order and "make the specified payment within the prescribed time frame "

The directive was issued a few days after the Supreme Court ordered SpiceJet's managing director, Ajay Singh, to appear in court to defend Credit Suisse's assertions that the cpmpany owed some outstanding dues Both the Delhi High Court case and the Supreme Court case will next be heard on Sept 11

Suresh

SpiceJet tells Delhi HC that it is 'struggling to stay afloat'

Narendra Modi

Pak doctor in US gets 18-year jail term for attempting to support ISIS

W ASH I NG TO N : For attempti ng to give material assis tance to ISIS, a Paki stani doctor who w a s r e s i di n g i n t he U S wa s given an 18-year pri son term

O n A u g u s t 2 5 , 2 0 2 3 ,

M u h a m m a d M a s o o d , a Pakistani physician and former Mayo Clinic research coordinator who wanted to fight in Syria with the Islamic State terrorist organisation, was given an 18year prison sentence

A s t a t e m e n t b y t h e U S

J u s t i c e D e p a r t m e n t r e a d , " A Rochester man was sentenced today to 216 months in prison, equivalent to 18 years, followed

b y f i v e y e a r s o f s u p e r v i s e d release for attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organisation "

China research ship requests Lanka port call, sparks India concerns

CO LO MB O: Aft er a space cra ft-tr ack in g vessel 's visit to Sri Lan ka's capit al cit y last yea r r aise d security wor ries fr om India's neighb o ur , Ch in a ha s a sk e d p e r mis sio n fo r a r esearch ship to la nd t here

Beijing requested permission for the Shi Yan 6 to dock, but no date had been established and the request was being processed, according to Priyanga Wickramasinghe, a spokesperson for the Sri Lankan foreign m i n i s t r y S h i Y a n 6 i s d e s c r i b e d b y t h e Chinese broadcaster as an oceanography, marine geology, and ecological research vessel

Last year, India raised concerns over a Sri Lanka port call in Hambantota by Chinese vessel Yuan Wang 5, which specialises in spacecraft tracking and which New Delhi described as a spy ship India is suspicious of China’s increasing presence in the Indian Ocean and its influence in Sri Lanka

Colombo made an effort to allay India's worries last year by requesting that China refrain from conducting any research while in Sri Lankan waters

Japan's N-plant wastewater released; China bans Japanese seafood

T OK YO : Chi na announced an i ns tant bl anket ban on al l aquatic items from Jap an after Japan started to release treated radio acti ve water from the destroyed F ukus hima nuclear po wer plant into the Pacif ic O cean Thi s di visi ve acti on caused i nternational ou trage Chi na ’ s customs bureau said it i s “h ighly concerned abou t th e ri sk o f rad ioacti ve contami natio n brou gh t by Japan’s f oo d and agri cul tural produ cts ”

The plan was approved by the Japanese government two years ago, and the UN nuclear watchdog IAEA last month gave it the goahead The Fukushima Daiichi reactor is being decommissioned after a 2011 tsunami devastated it, and the discharge is an important step in that process Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), the plant's operator, stated that the release started and that no anomalies had been found

Japan exported about $600 million worth of aquatic products to China in 2022, making it the biggest market for Japanese exports, with Hong Kong second Sales to China and Hong Kong accounted for 42% of the exports in 2022 Hong Kong and Macau have declared their own ban, which began last week and includes imports of Japanese seafood from ten locations, independent of China According to South Korea, import restrictions on food and fishery from Fukushima will continue until public anxiety subsides

A c c o r d i n g t o t h e J u s t i c e Department, the Pakistani doctor, identified as Muhammad

M a s o o d ( 3 1 ) , t r a v e l l e d f r o m

R o c h e s t e r t o M i n n e a p o l i s - S t

P a u l I n t e r n a t i o n a l A i r p o r t

(MSP) to board a flight bound f o r L o s A n g e l e s , C a l i f o r n i a

Upon arrival at MSP, Masood checked in for his flight and was s u b s e q u e n t l y a r r e s t e d b y t h e F B I ’ s J o i n t T e r r o r i s m T a s k

Force According to court records, Masood was formerly working as a research coordinator at a m e d i c a l c e n t r e i n R o c h e s t e r , Minnesota, while on an H-1B

SHARIF LIKELY TO RETURN TO PAK ON OCT 15

visa Masood is a licensed physician in Pakistan

"Between January 2020 and March 2020, Masood used an encrypted messaging application to facilitate his travel overseas to join a terrorist organizat i o n M a s o o d m a d e m u l t i p l e statements about his desire to join the Islamic State of Iraq a n d A l - S h a m ( I S I S ) , a n d h e pledged his allegiance to the designated terrorist organization and its leader Masood also expressed his desire to conduct “lone wolf” terrorist attacks in the United States," the statement read

Imran questioned in cypher case; admits losing diplomatic cable

I S L A M A B A D : P a ki s ta n ’ s i n c ar c er at ed f o r me r P M Imran Kh an has admitted to misp lacing th e cip her that h e h ad p revio usly blamed f o r an al le ged c o ns p i rac y agai nst his go vernment by t h e U S T h e ad mi s s i o n came during an interrogat i o n b y th e F ed er al I nvestigation Agency (F IA) i n Atto ck jail, wh ere K han is s e rv i ng a th r ee - ye ar s entence fo r a graft case related t o th e f ai l u re to r ep o rt d et ai l s o f gi f ts f r o m t h e s t at e t re as u r e h o u s e i n annual asset declarations to th e nation’s electio n commissio n

FIA had registered a case on August 15 against Khan and his PTI party’s vice chief S h a h M a h m o o d Q u r e s h i under the Official Secrets

Act, 1923 The case stemmed f r o m a r e p o r t b y t h e U S media outlet “the Intercept”, which revealed contents of a diplomatic cipher that was a l l e g e d l y m i s s i n g f r o m Khan’s possession D u r i n g t h e i n t e r r o g at i o n , K h a n r e p o r t e d l y admitted: “I cannot recall where I kept it (cipher) ” He cooperated with the FIA’s team during the hour-long

questioning, stating that the paper he gestured to at a public gathering last year w a s n o t t h e c i p h e r b u t rather cabinet meeting minutes He claimed that it was his right as the PM to have the document, but couldn’t explain why he presented it as the cipher in public

This is the second time Khan has been interrogated by the agency in Attock jail in the past month Sources s a i d t h i s s e s s i o n l i k e l y marked the conclusion of the investigation into the cipher issue, with the invest i g a t i o n e x p e c t e d t o b e f i n a l i s e d i n t h e c o m i n g week The cipher controvers y e m e r g e d j u s t b e f o r e Khan’s removal from office t h r o u g h a n o - c o n f i d e n c e vote in April 2022

Zimbabwe’s president wins second term, oppn rejects result

H AR A RE: Zimbabwe’ s Pre sident Emmer son Mnangagwa has won a se cond and fina l term in office in a n outcome r ejected by the opposition and questioned by observe rs

Analysts claimed the election was heavily skewed in favour of the ZANU-PF party, which has ruled the nation since independence and the end of white minority rule in 1980 Mnangagwa, who succeeded longtime leader Robert Mugabe after a 2017 army coup, was widely expected to win re-election

Mnangagwa won 52 6 per cent of the vote c o m p a r e d w i t h 4 4 p e r c e n t f o r N e l s o n Chamisa, his main challenger, according to official results announced by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) late last week

“Mnangagwa Emmerson Dambudzo of ZANU-PF party is declared duly elected president of the Republic of Zimbabwe,” ZEC chairwoman Justice Chigumba told journal-

ists

The elections were marred by delays that fuelled opposition accusations of rigging and voter suppression but a small group of ruling party supporters celebrated the outcome

But Promise Mkwananzi, a spokesman f o r t h e C h a m i s a ’ s C i t i z e n s C o a l i t i o n f o r Change (CCC) said the party had not signed the final tally, which he described as “false”

“We cannot accept the results,” he told the news agency, adding the party would soon announce its next move

Southern Africa viewed the poll as a test o f s u p p o r t f o r M n a n g a g w a ' s Z A N U - P F , whose 43-year rule has been weakened by its c a t a s t r o p h i c e c o n o m i c m a n a g e m e n t a n d accusations of dictatorship

Foreign poll monitors said that the elections had failed to meet regional and international standards

Eight people stuck in Pakistan cable car rescued

P E SH A WA R: Eigh t peo ple, includ ing six schoo lchildren, were rescu ed by military aircraft and zipline exp erts after being stuck for hou rs in a broken cable car hig h above a rem ote Pakistani v alley A fter nearly 12 hou rs in th e air as d aylig ht dwindled, a helico pter took two youngsters to safety in the d aring rescue, but it was forced to return to base in the dark

Then rescuers used the cable keeping the gondola from plunging into the valley as a zipline to rescue the rest of those stranded late

"The rescue operation has been completed The two adults were the last to be rescued," Bilal Faizi, from the Pakistan emergency service Rescue 1122, said The military confirmed the rescue efforts had successfully concluded Rescuers set up a temporary camp on a mountaintop and were providing first aid, Faizi said The six children had been on their way to school when the chairlift broke down midway through its journey, hanging above the lush green Allai valley

Hundreds of people gathered on both sides of the valley, hours away from any significant town, while residents used mosque loudspeakers to notify neighbourhood officials of the emergency

Former PM and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif is likely to return to Pakistan from London on October 15, media reports said Since November 2019, 73-year-old Nawaz Sharif has lived in selfimposed exile in the UK In 2018, he was found guilty in the Al-Azizia Mills and Avenfield corruption cases Prior to his 2019 release on "medical grounds," he had been imprisoned for seven years in the Al-Azizia Mills case in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat jail The sources claim that members of the immediate family chose the date Shehbaz Sharif stated earlier this month that his brother would return in September and direct the party's general election campaign The Election Commission of Pakistan revised the plan after deciding to defer the elections and undertake a new delineation of constituencies based on the latest census

TALIBAN BAN WOMEN FROM NATIONAL PARK OVER HIJAB

The Taliban will use security forces to stop women from visiting one of Afghanistan s most popular national parks according to information shared by a spokesman for the vice and virtue ministry The ministry alleges that women have not been observing the proper way to wear the hijab, or Islamic headscarf, when going to Band-eAmir in the central Bamiyan province This comes a week after the minister, Mohammad Khalid Hanafi visited the province and told officials and religious clerics that women haven’t been adhering to the correct way of wearing the hijab, asking security personnel to stop women from visiting the tourist hotspot “Going sightseeing is not a must for women, Hanafi said at the time

SAUDI STORM BRINGS CHAOS TO MECCA

Fierce storms shut schools in Saudi Arabia’s Mecca region which was lashed by heavy rains and wind overnight A bolt of lightning struck the iconic Fairmont Makkah Clock Royal Tower hotel illuminating the night sky The storm brought gale force winds exceeding 80 kmph, Hussein al-Qahtani, spokesman for the National Centre for Meteorology said The conditions were similar to a 2015 storm that felled a crane at the Grand Mosque killing over 100 people and injuring hundreds more, he said No casualties were reported in the storm Footage by Mecca residents showed pilgrims outside the Grand Mosque getting toppled over by the wind which also sent crowd barriers sliding across the rain-slicked floor

TRUMP MOCKS KAMALA'S ACCENT

Taking a dig at US vice-president Kamala Harris’ accent former president Donald Trump mocked her saying she talks in “rhyme” In a video posted on X Trump speaking to former Fox News presenter Tucker Carlson is seen saying She speaks in rhyme It s weird Well the way she talks: The bus will go here and then the bus will go there! Because that s what busses do! On being asked about the probability of Indian-African-American Harris becoming the candidate for Democrats in the next presidential election, Trump said: “This is not a president of the United States future

SRETTHA THAVISIN

ELECTED THAI PM

Thai property mogul Srettha Thavisin was elected prime minister after a decisive win in a parliamentary vote last week as his party s fugitive figure head Thaksin Shinawatra made a historic homecoming after years in exile and was taken straight to jail The victory by 60-year-old Srettha paves the way for a new coalition government, ending weeks of uncertainty and stalemate in parliament after an election 100 days ago that threatened to weaken the political clout of the nation’s powerful military Srettha who was thrust into the spotlight just a few months ago by the populist heavyweight Pheu Thai, won the support from two thirds of parliament in a vote that followed hours of hysteria over the long awaited return of Thaksin from self-imposed exile

Muhammad Masood

Imran Khan

3 US MARINES DIE IN AIRCRAFT CRASH DURING DRILL

Three US Marines died during military exercises in northern Australia on Sunday the US military said in an aircraft crash that PM Anthony Albanese called tragic Five others were transported to Royal Darwin Hospital in serious condition , Marine Rotation Force Darwin said It said they were among 23 Marines on the tilt-rotor MV-22B Osprey aircraft during routine training exercises and that the cause of the crash was being investigated The crash occurred on the remote Tiwi Islands, said Northern Territory police commissioner Michael Murphy Australian personnel were not involved in the crash, Albanese said “Our focus is to make sure that every support and assistance is given at this difficult time,” the PM said

TORNADO UPROOTS TREES, INJURES 6 IN PENNSYLVANIA

An EF-2 tornado brought down trees and damaged homes as well as a resort and campground in southwestern Pennsylvania injuring at least six people authorities said A storm survey just southeast of Connellsville found that the tornado snapped or uprooted trees across Yogi Bear s Jellystone Park resort and campground in Mill Run, where several hundred campers were present Trees fell on RVs, cabins, and other structures and three tents were destroyed Officials said three people were injured by falling trees “There were large, large trees on vehicles, cabins and campers that people had taken there,” Susan Griffith, public information officer for the Fayette County Emergency Management Agency, said

GENETIC TESTING CONFIRMS PRIGOZHIN DEATH: RUSSIA

Russian authorities have officially confirmed the death of the Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin with investigators saying that genetic testing showed that the victims of a plane crash last week matched all the names on the jet s manifest The announcement put an end to several days of speculation over the fate of the mercenary chief, who was presumed to have died in the plane crash, just two months after he launched a failed mutiny against Russia s military leadership US and Western officials believe the crash was the result of an explosion on board and several have said they think that Russian President Putin may have had Prigozhin killed in retaliation for his mutiny – a suggestion the Kremlin dismissed as an “absolute lie”

HUNDREDS JOIN LARGEST LOCH NESS MONSTER HUNT

Hundreds of hopeful volunteers joined a twoday hunt for Scotland s fabled Loch Ness monster on Saturday and Sunday, in what organisers described as the biggest search for the elusive “Nessie” in more than 50 years The Loch Ness Centre, which partnered with voluntary research team Loch Ness Exploration to organise “The Quest”, said they would be using surveying equipment that had not previously been tried at the loch, including thermal drones Volunteers from around the world were allocated locations around the 23-mile (37km) long lake from which to monitor for any signs of Nessie, while others took to boats A hydrophone was also used to detect acoustic signals under the water

Ramaswamy calls for stronger US-India ties to get over China dependence

D E S M O I N E S : Ba t ti n g fo r de e pe n i n g r e la t i on s hi p wi t h

I n di a , I n di a n - A m er i c a n Republican presidential hopeful Vi vek Ramaswamy said i n an interview that a “ stronger relationship with India would help the US declare its i ndependence from China”

He even backed a military relationship with New Delhi in the Andaman Sea Ramaswamy - a multimillionaire biotech entrepreneur-turned-politician - i s c u r r e n t l y o n a t w o - d a y swing to the crucial state of I o w a O n J a n u a r y 1 5 , I o w a w o u l d k i c k o f f t h e 2 0 2 4

Republican presidential primary season

In his first interaction with the Indian media, Ramaswamy appeared to be a strong supporter of the growing India-US

Trump gets a mugshot, spends 20 minutes in Georgia prison

A T L A N T A : Do n al d Trump h as had hi s pi cture taken innu merable times over th e d ecad es, from hi s early days as a real estate magnate to h is turn as a reali ty TV star an d t h ro u gh o u t h i s tumultuous four years i n the Whi te House But th e mug shot released by Georgi a autho rities las t week, s howing a sco wling Trump ju st mi nu tes after he was booked on more than a do zen felony counts at an Atlanta jail, may become the most f amous of all, sh ared aro und the world by both d etractors and supp orters

Trump, who is running for president in the 2024 election, had already made history as the first former US president to face criminal charges - not once but four times This, however, was the first time he had to pose for a booking photo

Unlike the other authorities,

who gave him a pass, Georgia opted to proc e s s h i m l i k e a n y other criminal defendant, including fingerprints and a mug shot, in a case stemming from Trump's e f f o r t s t o o v e r t u r n his 2020 election loss in the state I n t h e p h o t o , a n u n s m i l i n g Trump, 77, glares into the camera, h i s b r o w f u r r o w e d , h i s j a w clenched and his red tie knotted tightly Trump wasted little time using the mug shot to his advantage, posting it on his social media platform, Truth Social, with a link to his campaign website, where the photograph was prominently displayed with a solicitation for donations

Today, at the notoriously viol e n t j a i l i n F u l t o n C o u n t y , Georgia, I was arrested despite having committed no crime," he wrote on his campaign site

relationship “I think

h e ( P M N a r e n d r a Modi) has been a good leader for India, and I look forward to work-

i n g w i t h h i m o n building the US-India relationship further,”

R a m a s w a m y s a i d i n

r e s p o n s e t o a q u e s -

tion He added, “The US should also have a stronger strategic relationship

w i t h I n d i a , i n c l u d i n g e v e n a

m i l i t a r y r e l a t i o n s h i p i n t h e

A n d a m a n S e a K n o w i n g t h a t India, if necessary, could block the Malacca Strait where actu-

a l l y C h i n a g e t s m o s t o f i t s Middle Eastern oil supplies So, these are areas for real improvement in the US-India relationship I think that would be good for the US and that’s exactly why I would lead accordingly ” Ramaswamy’s polling numb e r s h a v e g o n e u p a f t e r t h e maiden presidential debate in M i l w a u k e e o n A u g u s t 2 3 During the debate, his fellow I n d i a n - A m e r i c a n c h a l l e n g e r Nikki Haley told him that he had no foreign policy experie n c e B u t R a m a s w a m y h a s d e v e l o p e d h i s o w n v i s i o n o f America’s foreign policy

Canada mulls cap on overseas students amid housing crisis

O T T A W A : O n e o f t h e k e y ob j ect i ve s of Pr ime Mi n i s te r Jus tin Trud eau's n ew ca bin et is to hand le the es ca latin g housin g cris is , thus the C anad ian govern men t is thi nki ng ab out putting a limit on the numbe r of over seas s tudents

According to government s t a t i s t i c s , t h e n a t i o n h o s t e d m o r e t h a n 8 , 0 0 , 0 0 0 f o r e i g n s t u d e n t s i n 2 0 1 8 O f t h e

5,49,570 study licences issued i n 2 0 2 2 , 2 , 2 6 , 0 0 0 w o u l d b e issued to Indian citizens On b e i n g a s k e d w h e t h e r a c a p could be imposed on internat i o n a l s t u d e n t s , H o u s i n g , I n f r a s t r u c t u r e a n d C o m m u n i t i e s M i n i s t e r S e a n Fraser said: "I think that's one of the options that we ought to consider The government has not yet made a decision I think we need to do some serious thinking here, Fraser told reporters

Fraser, who once served as the nation's minister of immigration, also targeted organisations for allegedly abusing students and escalating the housi n g p r o b l e m , a c c o r d i n g t o News "When you see some of t h e s e i n s t i t u t i o n s t h a t h a v e five, six times as many students enrolled as they have spaces for them in the building, you've g o t t o s t a r t t o a s k y o u r s e l f some pretty tough questions," the minister said " T h e r e a r e g o o d p r i v a t e institutions out there and sepa r a t i n g t h e w h e a t f r o m t h e chaff is going to be a big focus of the work that I tried to do w i t h M i l l e r ( I m m i g r a t i o n M i n i s t e r M a r c M i l l e r ) " According to media, Fraser said he plans to sit down with some of these institutions to find out ways to make it easier to find living space for those students in a tight rental market

Three killed in racially motivated shooting at a Florida store

W A S H I N G T O N : A m a s k ed white man carrying at leas t one w e ap o n b e a ri n g a s w as ti k a fatally shot three B lack people i n s i d e a F lo ri d a s t or e i n a n attack with a c lear motive of racial hatred, offic ials s aid

The shooting in a Dollar

G e n e r a l s t o r e i n a p r e d o m in a t e l y B l a c k n e i g h b o u r h o o d left two men and one woman dead and was “racially motivate d ” , J a c k s o n v i l l e s h e r i f f T K

Waters said In addition to carrying a firearm with a painted symbol of the genocidal Nazi regime of Germany of the 1930s and 1940s, the shooter issued r a c i s t s t a t e m e n t s b e f o r e t h e shooting He killed himself at the scene “He hated Black people,” the sheriff said The shooting came on the s a m e d a y t h o u s a n d s v i s i t e d Washington, DC, to attend the R e v A l S h a r p t o n ’ s 6 0 t h

anniversary commemoration of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where the Rev Martin Luther King Jr delivered his famous “I Have A Dream” speech The gunman, who was in his 20s, wore a bullet-resistant vest and used a Glock handgun and an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle He acted alone and there was no evidence he was part of a g r o u p , W a t e r s s a i d T h e

A rare baby giraffe born without spots

T E N N ESSE E : At a zoo in Tennes see, a brand-new im macul ate su pers tar has emerged Altho ugh s he doesn' t yet have a name, th e giraff e withou t patch es has already caus ed quite a stir among h er h erd

The 6-foot wonder was born sans spots on July 31 at Bright’s Zoo, a p r i v a t e l y o w n e d f a c i l i t y i n Limestone, and made her public debut this month The calf is a reticulated giraffe, one of four giraffe species

The zoo said she might be the “only solidcolored reticulated giraffe living anywhere on the planet ” (The last spotless giraffe in captivity was likely a calf born at Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo in 1972, media reported )

According to the Denver Zoo, the giraffe's network of polygonal brown dots, divided by veins of creamy off-white, is referred to as "reticulated" They dwell and graze in the

northern Kenya savannas, where the markings mostly serve as camouflage A n d b e h i n d e a c h s p o t i s a sophisticated system of blood vess e l s , " a c c o r d i n g t o t h e G i r a f f e Conservation Foundation, a nonprofit organisation dedicated to preserving and expanding the wild g i r a f f e p o p u l a t i o n t h r o u g h o u t

Africa The world's tallest land animal relies on a vast network of veins and 25-pound hearts to keep it balanced Zoo founder Tony Bright said that the weeks-old calf is casting a “much-needed spotlight” on giraffe conservation Around 16,000 reticulated giraffes remain in the wild, according to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, a 50% decline in the last threeand-a-half decades from when there were around 36,000 wild reticulated giraffes living on the continent

s h o o t e r s e n t w r i t t e n s t a t ements to federal law enforcement and at least one media outlet shortly before the attack with evidence suggesting the attack was intended to mark t h e f i f t h a n n i v e r s a r y o f t h e murder of two people during a v i d e o g a m e t o u r n a m e n t i n J a c k s o n v i l l e b y a s h o o t e r O f f i c i a l s d i d n o t r e l e a s e t h e names of the victims or the gunman

Scorched Europe battles deadly fires, Turkiye shuts shipping lane

A T H E N S / IS T A N B U L : A f ir e i n T ur k e y forced the cl os ing of a shipping pas sage, whil e winds fanned t he fl ames in Greec e, where 2 0 peopl e have al ready died, fueling wildfires and causing heal th advisories across E urope

To enable helicopters and planes to drop water on a nearby forest fire, Turkish officials briefly closed the Dardanelles Strait to shipping, causing a line-up of roughly 100 cargo ships A significant shipping route for goods like wheat and oil is the strait that connects the Aegean Sea to the Black Sea In Greece, firefighters were battling a blaze for a second day close to Athens and officials warned that heat and winds risked fuelling more wildfires, a day after 18 bodies, probably migrants, were found in a charred northern forest There have been up to 355 wildfires, of which 209 have been started in the previous night

Vivek Ramaswamy

Donald Trump

India, Greece elevate bilateral ties to a strategic partnership

P r i m e M i n is te r Na re nd ra

M odi’ s visit to Greece, the first by an Indian PM in 4 0 years, saw the two countries u pgrad ing their relationship t o a s trat eg i c p a rtner sh i p w it h fo c u s o n exp a nd i n g p o l i ti ca l, d ef en ce an d s e cu ri t y c o o p er ati o n T h e v is i t a ls o h ad th e G ree ce P r es i d en t K a ter in a N S akellarop oulou conferring t h e G ran d C ro ss o f th e Order of Honou r on Mod i M o d i is th e fi rs t f o rei g n h e ad o f g o v e rnm ent to receive th e honour

Speaking at a joint press event with his counterpart, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Modi s a i d t h i s w a s a n a t i o n a l r e u n i o n b e t w e e n t w o a n c i e n t c i v i l i s a t i o n s a n d that the two countries had

agreed to give a boost to d e f e n c e i n d u s t r i e s , a l o n g with military ties "Today we also discussed the topics of terrorism and c y b e r s e c u r i t y , " h e s a i d , announcing an institutional platform for dialogue at the l e v e l o f n a t i o n a l s e c u r i t y a d v i s e r s M o d i s a i d b o t h s i d e s a l s o s e t a t a r g e t o f doubling bilateral trade by 2030 and decided to firm up a m i g r a t i o n a n d m o b i l i t y

p a r t n e r s h i p p a c t s o o n t o f a c i l i t a t e s k i l l e d m i g r a t i o n b e t w e e n t h e t w o countries

The two leaders strongly condemned t e r r o r i s m i n a l l i t s f o r m s a n d m a n i f e s t a t i o n s whenever, wherever, and by whomsoever committed and the use of terrorist proxies for cross-border terrorism

The two countries, in a j o i n t s t a t e m e n t , b a c k e d their vision of a free, open a n d r u l e s - b a s e d I n d oP a c i f i c , a n d a l s o t h e M e d i t e r r a n e a n S e a w h e r e G r e e c e i s i n v o l v e d i n t h e Aegean dispute with Turkey, in accordance with the law of the sea and freedom of

China includes Arunachal, Aksai Chin in new map

navigation to the benefit of international peace, stability and security “Today , we have excellent coordination

o n g e o p o l i t i c a l , international and regional topics - whether in the IndoP a c i f i c o r i n t h e M e d i t e r r a n e a n , " h e s a i d “ G r e e c e a n d I n d i a a r e a natural match between two ancient civilisations of the world, between two ancient democratic ideologies and between two ancient trade a n d c u l t u r a l r e l a t i o n s , Modi added

On his part, Mitsotakis said both sides are ready to move forward to deal with v a r i o u s c h a l l e n g e s , " e s p e c i a l l y i n a p e r i o d o f u p h e a v a l a n d w a r i n Ukraine"

Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar calls

Narasimha Rao 'first BJP PM'

Congress l ead er and former Uni on minister Mani Sh ankar A i ya r al l e ged th a t f o rm er prime mi ni ster PV Narasimha R ao w as "c o m mu na l " an d described him as the "th e first BJP P M" of th e country

T h e f o r m e r d i p l o m a t , w h o s e a u t o b i o g r a p h y "Memoirs of a Maverick - The First Fifty Years (1941-1991)" hit the stands last week, also b a t t e d f o r r e s u m p t i o n o f dialogue with Pakistan, saying that when it comes to that country, "we have the courage to carry out surgical strikes against them, but we don t have the guts to sit across the table and talk to a Pakistani"

The book, published by J u g g e r n a u t B o o k s , t r a c e s Aiyar's journey from Welham preparatory school to Doon s c h o o l a n d t h e n o n t o S t

S t e p h e n ' s C o l l e g e a n d C a m b r i d g e U n i v e r s i t y , a n d from being a top diplomat h a n d l i n g s e n s i t i v e a s s i g n m e n t s t o t h e n p r i m e minister Rajiv Gandhi's key a i d e w h o w a s d u b b e d h i s 'Mani Friday' Aiyar was part of Rajiv Gandhi's PMO from 1985-1989 I n a f r e e - w h e e l i n g c o n v e r s a t i o n , A i y a r t a l k e d about a host of issues - from his relationship with former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi to his stint as consul general

Armed assailants kill Torrent Pharma executive in Mexico

K etan Sh ah, a 3 8- year-o ld e xe cu t iv e o f A h m e d ab adbased Torrent Pharm ac euticals L im it ed , w a s k i lle d i n M exi c o C i ty b y arm ed r o bb ers a ft er th e y s to l e $1 0,0 00 from him Sh ah was t h e fi na nc e d i re ct o r a t L aboratorios Torrent SA d e C V, a subsidiary of To rrent P h arm a T h e i nc i d en t o ccurred o n Sim on Bolivar S treet in Mexico C ity

A c c o r d i n g t o s o u r c e s , Shah showed no signs of life despite the prompt arrival of local emergency personnel Shah's father, who was also there and was hurt in the incident, is doing well right now S h a h h a d b e e n a s s o c i a t e d w i t h T o r r e n t Pharma for seven years and had been on assignment in Mexico City since May 2019 He leaves behind his wife a n d t w o c h i l d r e n S o u r c e p r i v y t o t h e d e v e l o p m e n t said: “Shah had withdrawn

$ 1 0 , 0 0 0 f r o m a n a i r p o r t foreign exchange centre and was on his way home when a r m e d a s s a i l a n t s f o l l o w e d h i m o n t w o m o t o r c y c l e s T h e y f i r e d a t S h a h ’ s c a r seven times, leading to this unfortunate incident ”

M e x i c a n a u t h o r i t i e s have initiated a probe while Torrent Group officials are working to ensure the safe return of Shah’s family to I n d i a W h i k e c o n d o l i n g S h a h ' s d e a t h , t h e I n d i a n embassy here said that it was in touch with the law e n f o r c e m e n t a g e n c i e s t o a p p r e h e n d t h e c u l p r i t s a t the earliest

in Karachi from December 1978 to January 1982 Sonia Gandhi was present among the audience

During the question and answer session when asked about his criticism of Rajiv Gandhi in handling the Babri Masjid issue, Aiyar said, "It s h o w s t h a t I a m e v e nhanded I think the Shilanyas was wrong " " I t h i n k t h e b i g g e s t mistake that Rajiv Gandhi made was to bring in awful R K D h a w a n i n t o t h e P M O w h i c h i m m e d i a t e l y politicised an office that was otherwise, for the previous four years, a purely technical o f f i c e a n d w a s g i v i n g t h e right advice without getting into politics," the 82-year-old leader said

I n h i s r e m a r k s a t t h e

book launch, Aiyar said he discovered "how communal and how Hindu-oriented" P V Narasimha Rao was Aiyar w e n t o n t o n a r r a t e a c o n v e r s a t i o n h e h a d w i t h Rao at a time when he was c a r r y i n g o u t ' R a m - R a h i m ' yatra "Narasimha Rao told me that he had no objection to my yatra, but he disagreed w i t h m y d e f i n i t i o n o f s e c u l a r i s m I s a i d w h a t i s wrong with my definition of secularism He said Mani you d o n ' t s e e m t o u n d e r s t a n d that this is a Hindu country I sat up in my chair and said that is exactly what the BJP says," Aiyar recounted T h e f i r s t B J P p r i m e minister was not Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the "first BJP PM" was Rao, he said

Sachin Tendulkar made Election Commission’s voter awareness ambassador

Form er Ind ian cricketer Sachi n Tendu lkar w ill bec o m e a “ n ati o n al ic o n ” o f th e El ec ti o n C o m m i s si o n ( E C ) and sp read aw arenes s reg a rd i n g th e ne ed fo r g r eat er v o t er p art ic i p at io n i n th e electoral p rocess

T h e p o l l b o d y s i g n e d a n M o U w i t h Sachin for the purpose It w i l l b e a t h r e e - y e a r agreement as part of which the cricketing legend will s p r e a d v o t e r a w a r e n e s s This collaboration will mark a significant step towards l e v e r a g i n g S a c h i n ' s u n p a r a l l e l e d i m p a c t w i t h t h e y o u t h f o r i n c r e a s i n g voters’ participation in the f o r t h c o m i n g e l e c t i o n s , e s p e c i a l l y i n G e n e r a l Elections 2024, the EC said in a statement

T h r o u g h t h i s partnership, the EC aims to

C h in a o n M o n d ay re l e a s ed th e 2 0 2 3 edition of its "standard ma p " , i n c o rp or at i n g

A ru n a c h al P ra d e s h, the A ksai Chin region, T ai w a n a n d t h e disputed South C hin a Se a i n i t I n d i a maintains that Arunachal Pradesh has " al ways been" and will " al ways be" an integral part of the country

" T h e 2 0 2 3 e d i t i o n o f C h i n a ' s s t a n d a r d m a p w a s o f f i c i a l l y r e l e a s e d o n M o n d a y a n d l a u n c h e d o n t h e w e b s i t e o f t h e s t a n d a r d m a p s e r v i c e h o s t e d b y t h e Ministry of Natural Resources," state-run Global Times said in a post on X (formerly Twitter)

The map displayed by the Global Times showed Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims as South Tibet, and Aksai Chin, occupied by it in the 1962 war, as part of China

I n d i a h a s r e p e a t e d l y t o l d C h i n a t h a t " A r u n a c h a l Pradesh was, is and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India"

The map also incorporates as Chinese territory the island of Taiwan and a large part of the South China Sea, both of which China has laid claim to

China claims Taiwan as part of its mainland and its integration with the mainland is part of a vowed objective of Chinese President Xi Jinping

V i e t n a m , t h e P h i l i p p i n e s , M a l a y s i a , B r u n e i a n d Taiwan have counterclaims over the South China Sea areas

23 killed as partially built rail bridge collapses in Mizoram

At least 23 co nstruction wo r ke rs w er e k i ll ed wh en th e gantry o f a 1 00 - me te r- ta ll r ai l bridge which was bei ng bu il t i n Mi z o r am collap sed at a site 2 1 km fro m th e state cap ital Ai z aw l Al l t h e c o ns t ru c t io n w o rk er s wer e fro m W es t B en gal 's Ma ld a, i n c lu d i ng si x members o f a family T hree other wo rkers were injured and an unspecified number of workers were rep o rte d miss ing from the site, state dis as ter man agem ent an d re h ab i l it at i o n mi n i st er Lalchamliana said

Two members of a local q u i c k - r e a c t i o n t e a m d e p l o y e d b y t h e s t a t e g o v e r n m e n t r e s c u e d a n injured engineer stuck atop one of the piers over the Kurung river, officials said The accident site is close to Sairang, the final railhead in the northeastern hill state It is a part of a 51 3 km track that begins at Bairabi on the

Assam-Mizoram border and is an extension of a national e f f o r t t o c o n n e c t t h e c a p i t a l s o f e i g h t northeastern states by rail N o r t h e a s t F r o n t i e r Railway’s CPRO Sabyasachi De said, “We are probing if t h e r e w e r e l a p s e s o n t h e part of the contractors or t h o s e o v e r s e e i n g w o r k a t t h e s i t e ” T h i s w a s t h e second tragedy to strike a railway construction site in t h e N o r t h e a s t s i n c e 5 0 p e o p l e w e r e k i l l e d i n a l a n d s l i d e t h a t b u r i e d t h e u n d e r - c o n s t r u c t i o n T u p u l r a i l w a y y a r d a n d a T e r r i t o r i a l A r m y p o s t i n Manipur’s Noney district on June 30 last year

b r i d g e t h e g a p b e t w e e n c i t i z e n s , e s p e c i a l l y y o u t h and urban populations, and t h e e l e c t o r a l p r o c e s s thereby, trying to address the challenges of urban and youth apathy, it said

T h e C o m m i s s i o n h a d last year recognised actor Pankaj Tripathi as a national i c o n E a r l i e r , d u r i n g t h e 2019 Lok Sabha elections, c r i c k e t e r M a h e n d r a S i n g h

D h o n i , a c t o r A a m i r K h a n and boxer Mary Kom had been the poll body’s national icons

Narendra Modi and Kyriakos Mitsotakis

Mani Shankar Aiyar

Indian president Droupadi Murmu released a postage stamp in memory of Dadi Prakashmani, former chief of Brahma Kumaris, at Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre

Sachin Tendulkar

Pro-Khalistanis deface Delhi metro stations with anti-India slogans

D a y s a he a d of t he G 2 0

S u m m i t , s e v er a l De l hi m et r o s ta t i o n s i n t h e n a t i o n a l c a p i t a l w e r e def aced with pro-Khalistan graff iti allegedly by people as socia ted wi th pros crib ed S ik hs For J us ti c e ( SFJ ) , a f r o n t f or th e s e pa r a ti s t Khalis tan G roup The antiI ndia slogans were s een on the walls of Shivaj i Park, U dy o g N a g ar , Pa s c hi m Vihar, Nan gloi and Punjabi B a gh T he s lo g a n s r e a d “ I n d i a B an e g a Kh a l i s t an ( I n d i a w i l l b e c om e K hal i st an ) a n d “Kha li s tan Z i n d a b a d ( L on g L i v e Khalis tan) ”

In a video, Delhi police p e r s o n n e l w e r e s e e n r e m o v i n g t h e P r oKhalistan slogans written

o n t h e w a l l o f M a h a r a j a S u r a j m a l S t a d i u m M e t r o Station

“In more than 5 metro stations somebody has written ‘Delhi Banega Khalistan a n d K h a l i s t a n Z i n d a b a d ’ Delhi Police is taking legal a c t i o n a g a i n s t t h i s , ” t h e Delhi Police said

The incident has raised security concerns ahead of the G20 Summit scheduled to be held on September 9 a n d 1 0 i n D e l h i u n d e r

J&K constitution can’t override India’s: SC

I n d i a ’ s p r e s i d e n c y T h e

G 2 0 S u m m i t w i l l b e attended by several top

l e a d e r s o f t h e w o r l d ,

i n c l u d i n g U S P r e s i d e n t

J o e B i d e n , C h i n e s e

P r e m i e r X i J i n p i n g ,

Canadian Prime Minister

J u s t i n T r u d e a u , a n d

F r e n c h P r e s i d e n t Emmanuel Macron

It has also come at a time when the national capital is playing host to the B 2 0 S u m m i t I n d i a , 2 0 2 3

T h e t h r e e - d a y s u m m i t started on August 25 and ended on Sunday Around 1 , 5 0 0 d e l e g a t e s f r o m 5 5 countries attended the summit Given the latest defacement incident, the security a r o u n d m e t r o s t a t i o n s i s likely to be increased

No Manipuri expert among names mooted by SC panel

T we lve exper ts in th e f ie lds o f me d i c i ne , h e a l t h ca r e , socia l work and law h ave b e e n a p p o i nt e d b y t h e S upreme Court-app ointed J ust i ce Gi t a Mi tt a l co mmi ttee to help i t provi de f or th e basic need s of the t h ou s a n d s o f v i ct i m s o f v i ol e n ce i n t h e c on f l i ctt o r n s t a t e o f M a ni p u r H owe ver , no Ma ni puri was i nc l u d e d i n t h e l i s t o f e xp erts because t he comm i t te e f e a r e d i t m i g h t r esult in parti sa n a ccusat i o ns f r o m r i v a l e t h n i c g roups

Speaking to the media, Justice Mittal, former chief j u s t i c e o f J & K H C , s a i d , “The first priority of the committee is to ensure that t h e s t a t e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n

and machinery reaches out to the victims of violence, with focus on the vulnerable and weak, with basic needs and compensation ”

'Meiteilon' is the main language of Manipur (a TibetoB u r m a n l a n g u a g e s p o k e n by 54% of population), foll o w e d b y T h a d o u / K u k i (7 8%), Tangkhul (6 4%) and Mao (3 1%) “ T h e C o m m i t t e e w i l l be involving local speciali s t s a s a n d w h e n t h e a p p o i n t e d e x p e r t s c o mmence their work We will be visiting the state shortly to take firsthand knowledge of the extent of destabilisation of lives due to t h e v i o l e n c e a n d e n l i s t assistance from all comm u n i t i e s i n t h e s t a t e ,

which is essential, meani n g f u l a n d p r o d u c t i v e , ” Justice Mittal said The committee's meeting on August 16 focused on to the expeditious paym e n t o f c o m p e n s a t i o n , and it established the following broad themes for that purpose: work identifying the families of those who lost their lives in the ethnic clashes by Manipur L e g a l S e r v i c e s A u t h o r i t y for payment of compensat i o n w i t h i n s i x w e e k s ; Direction to Manipur government to settle compensation for violence caused damages to moveable and i m m o v e a b l e p r o p e r t i e s ; M o n i t o r i n g m e a s u r e s t o protect witnesses and payment of compensation

Ambani’s children inducted into Reliance board

R eliance Industri es has ap poi nted chairman and managing di rector Mukesh Ambani’s three c hild ren - Is ha, A kash and A nant - to th e board, an i ndic ati on that th ey will eventually hel m the o i l - to - t el e c o m c o ng l o me ra t e A mb a ni w i l l remain ch ai rman for five mo re years whi le hi s wi fe, Ni ta, h as stepped down from th e board to f ocus on phi lanthrop ic acti vi ties

Ambani has been laying out succession plans for several businesses under RIL in recent years Reliance Jio Infocomm's chairman is Akash (31) while Isha (31) oversees the retail division and is on the board of Jio Financial Services, RIL's newest subsidiary Anant (28) works with the energy division According to RIL, their appointment as nonexecutive directors will become effective on the day they begin serving as directors following shareholder approval

When RIL went public in 1977, Ambani,

then 20 years old, joined the board After his father, the company's founder Dhirubhai Ambani, passed away in July 2002, Ambani took over as CMD of RIL After his present term expires in April 2024, the 66-year-old CMD has a term until 2029 locked in Jio Fin to foray in to insura nce biz

After announcing an entry into the asset management business with BlackRock, Jio Financial Services (JFS) is gearing up to foray into the insurance segment JFS will partner with a global player to offer life, general and health insurance products, said Ambani at the AGM It will use “predictive data analytics to co- create contextual products” with its partners, he added Financial services is Ambani’s latest consumer-focusing business bet as RIL opts for g e o g r a p h i c a l c o n c e n t r a t i o n a n d s e c t o r a l diversification

Tejas aircraft successfully launches air-to-air missile

T ejas, Light C ombat Aircraft ( LCA ) L SP-7 successfully fired th e AST RA indig enous Beyond V isu al Range ( BVR) air-to-air missile off th e coast of Goa on Aug ust 23, 2023 At a height o f aro und 20, 000 feet, th e m issile launch from the aircraft w as accomplished successfully It was a flawless text book launch and all test objectives were satisfied

The Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), and officials from the Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC) and Directorate General of Aeronautical Quality Assurance (DG-AQA) all participated in the test launch observation A Chase Tejas twin-seater aircraft was also keeping watch over the aircraft ASTRA, a state-of-the-art BVR air-to-air missile to engage and destroy highly maneuveri n g s u p e r s o n i c a e r i a l t a r g e t s , i s d e s i g n e d a n d d e v e l o p e d b y D e f e n c e R e s e a r c h a n d Development Laboratory (DRDL), Research Centre Imarat (RCI) and other laboratories of DRDO The indigenous Astra BVR firing from home grown Tejas fighters is a major step towards ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’

In Augu st 2019, the Suprem e C ourt rejected the argum ent made by those o pposing the ap p li c ati o n o f A rti cl e 3 7 0 that Jam mu and Kashm ir, unlike other s tates, had a u ni q u e r ela ti o ns h i p w i th India th at had g row n over time to be an unchangeable and fund am ental aspect o f the Indian C onstitution

S e n i o r l a w y e r G o p a l S h a n k a r a n a r a y a n a n w a s tasked with concluding the nine-day challengers' arguments when he said, "It is provided in Article 370 of the Indian Constitution that t h i s p r o v i s i o n c a n n o t b e a b r o g a t e d w i t h o u t t h e express consent and recomm e n d a t i o n o f t h e J & K Constituent Assembly "

“ T h a t i s b e c a u s e t h e state of J&K, unlike other princely states, had inked a special relationship marked

by pure federal characteristics This was honoured by the Constituent Assembly of India and endorsed by the J&K Constituent Assembly, w h i c h f r a m e d a s e p a r a t e constitution for the state B o t h p r o m i s e d a s p e c i a l r e l a t i o n s h i p g u a r a n t e e i n g internal autonomy to J&K, which cannot be arbitrarily repudiated as was done on August 5, 2019, ” he argued

The CJI-led bench did not agree with the reasoning “Does that mean anyt h i n g s a i d b y t h e J & K C o n s t i t u e n t A s s e m b l y w o u l d b i n d t h e I n d i a n

nation, its executive and

P a r l i a m e n t ? P o s t - 1 9 5 7 ( w h e n J & K a d o p t e d i t s constitution), it (the special relationship) had to be e m b o d i e d i n a b i n d i n g arrangement reflected in o u r C o n s t i t u t i o n , w h i c h was never done Everyone w e n t o n w i t h a w o r k i n g a r r a n g e m e n t c h a r a c t e r i s e d by issuance of Constitution

(Application to J&K) Orders from time to time The idea was to gradually bring J&K to the mainstream,” it said

“Though the J&K constitution outlined the state’s r e l a t i o n s h i p w i t h I n d i a , unless the contours of that relationship were embodied in the Constitution of India, how will it bind the dominion of India or successive Parliaments and executives of India?” CJI Chandrachud asked

Seven killed in landslide as rains batter Himachal again

Seven peo ple lost their liv es and nearly 400 road s were blo cked in Himachal Pradesh as a result of h eavy rain A utho rities issued a red alert for parts of Kangra, Kullu, M andi, and Sh imla as a result of the nonstop rain The warning for a mod erate-to-hig h dang er of flash floo ding has been expanded to include the d istricts of Sh imla, Sirm au r, K ang ra, C ham ba, Mand i, Ham irpur, Solan, Bilaspur, and K ullu M andi, S himla, S olan, and Kullu were amo ng th e hardest-h it d istricts, with Bilaspur receiving the h ighest rain -180 mm - in a 24-ho ur period

T r a g e d y s t r u c k w i t h t w o d e a t h s i n Shimla and five in Mandi Flash floods devastated the cantonment town of Subathu in

Solan, leading to considerable destruction

The monsoon this year brought Himachal significant flooding and landslides, taking a devastating toll Over 80 individuals have already killed this month from rain-related incidents, bringing the total number of fatalities since the monsoon began on June 24 to 238 Forty individuals are still missing, too

In Shimla, the rain led to the uprooting of large number of deodar trees, while houses were damaged and vehicles crushed under landslides and fallen trees The city’s roads were blocked throughout the morning Certain thoroughfares teetered on the edge of collapse Shimla’s essential utilities faced disruption, with electricity and water supply faltering

SC refuses to pass order on TN govt's plea for Cauvery water

N EW DE LH I: T he Sup reme Court h as refused to pass any o r de r o n th e T am i l Na du go ve rn me nt 's p le a s ee k i ng release o f 24,000 cu secs o f C au v er y w at er da i ly b y Karnataka for i rrigating the standing crop s A t h r e e - j u d g e b e n c h headed by Justice BR Gavai s o u g h t a r e p o r t f r o m t h e Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) on the amount of w a t e r r e l e a s e d b y K a r n a t a k a , a f t e r

Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya B h a t i i n f o r m e d t h e c o u r t t h a t a meeting of the authority is scheduled

soon

"We do not possess any expertise on the matter The ASG informs that a u t h o r i t y i s m e e t i n g t o d e c i d e discharge of water for next fortnight " "We find that it will be appropriate t h a t C W M A s u b m i t s i t s r e p o r t o n w h e t h e r t h e d i r e c t i o n s i s s u e d f o r discharge of water have been complied or not," the bench said S e n i o r a d v o c a t e S h y a m D i v a n , r e p r e s e n t i n g K a r n a t a k a , s a i d i t h a s been a distressing year for the state, and since it received scanty rainfall, a shortfall in releasing water to Tamil Nadu is inevitable

He said the water earmarked by

10 killed, 20 injured as train coach catches fire in Madurai

M A DU R A I: Ten p ilg rims from U ttar Pradesh were killed and 20 others injured when a private train coach caug ht fire about 1km from M ad urai junction in Tamil Nadu last week Railway au thorities said the fire is suspected to h av e originated from a g as cylinder, smug gled into the coach for cooking m eals

R a i l w a y o f f i c i a l s s a i d B h a s i n T r a v e l s , a t r a v e l

a g e n c y i n U P ’ s S i t a p u r , h a d b o o k e d t h e c o a c h

C o m m e n c i n g t h e i r j o u r n e y o n A u g u s t 1 7 f r o m

in brief

KARNATAKA GOVT TO SET UP ITS OWN FACT-CHECK UNIT

CWMA has already been discharged but it takes three days for it to travel to Tamil Nadu

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Tamil Nadu, said water has not been made available to the l o w e r r i p a r i a n s t a t e d e s p i t e o r d e r s from CWMA The matter will now be t a k e n u p f o r c o n s i d e r a t i o n o n September 1

T h e K a r n a t a k a g o v e r n m e n t h a s d e s c r i b e d a s " w h o l l y m i s c o n c e i v e d "

Tamil Nadu's plea seeking a direction from the top court that it be asked to release 24,000 cusecs (cubic foot per second) of Cauvery water daily for standing crops

The Karnataka government, in an affidavit filed in the top court, has said Tamil Nadu's plea was based on an incorrect assumption that "the current water year is a normal water year and not a distressed water year"

L u c k n o w , a g r o u p o f 6 4 p a s s e n g e r s , a l o n g w i t h

attendants from the travel agency, embarked on a tour

t h a t i n c l u d e d d e s t i n a t i o n s s u c h a s V i j a y a w a d a ,

R e n i g u n t a , M y s o r e , B e n g a l u r u a n d

Thiruvananthapuram, primarily focusing on temples

T h e c o a c h w a s a t t a c h e d t o T r a i n N o 1 6 7 3 0

Punalur–Madurai Express, arriving in Madurai at 3 17am after departing from Nagercoil the previous night The fire started after the coach was parked in the yard near the Bodi Line area around 5 15 am and rapidly engulfed the entire coach Reports suggest that some passengers, possibly attendants assigned by the travel agency, were making tea Most occupants managed to escape, but those who were asleep when the fire broke out were caught in the blaze Some of the attendants fled the scene Due to the difficult road accessibility of the track where the coach was parked, fire and rescue teams reached the scene around 5 45 am Nearby railway coaches were cleared to facilitate firefighting efforts The deceased were transported to Government Rajaji Hospital for a u t o p s i e s , w h i l e t h e i n j u r e d w e r e t r a n s f e r r e d t o medical facilities

Police foil Jalabhishek Yatra in Nuh, key organisers held Governor conspiring to seize power, says Punjab CM Mann

N U H / G U R GA O N : H ea vy p o l ic e p re s en c e, intens e s ecurity ch ecks and an u ndeclared c urfew turned Nuh into a f ortress and ensu red p eace w as no t dis rup ted on M onday, when right- wing ou tfits backed by the VHP h ad p ledged to res ume th e Brij Mandal Jalabhishek Y atra after the p revious one o n Jul y 31 was disrup ted because of a comm unal c lash

No yatra was allowed on the usual route from Rajiv Chowk in Gurgaon to the Radha Krishna temple in Nuh Police pickets were set up there and all markets were shut Roads in the district were deserted as the security bandobast shut out all outsiders Some of the m a i n o r g a n i s e r s w e r e p u t u n d e r “ h o u s e arrest ” Police, however, permitted a few Nuh residents, a group of seers and the VHP i n t e r n a t i o n a l p r e s i d e n t t o p e r f o r m jalabhishek at the Nalhar temple on the last Monday of the Shravan month

The latest call for the yatra had renewed tension in south Haryana, especially after violence that started with the July 31 riots in Nuh and spread to Gurgaon and other nearby districts over the next few days The Nuh administration denied permission for the yatra that was called on Monday, suspended

i n t e r n e t a n d S M S s e r v i c e s a n d e n f o r c e d prohibitory orders under Section 144 Duty magistrates were assigned the responsibility of managing security in certain pockets

Chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar had also urged residents not to participate in the yatra and instead offer holy water at temples

In Gurgaon and Palwal, key members of outfits who had pledged to bring out the yatra s a i d t h e y w e r e p u t u n d e r h o u s e a r r e s t

through Sunday and Monday

Among them were Anurag Kulshresth, the media coordinator for VHP in Haryana “I wasn’t allowed to leave my house in New Palam Vihar since Sunday evening Some members were also called for questioning at Bajghera police station

s pi r i ng t o s e i ze pow e r b y i s s ui n g threats to oust the elec ted government”, a response to the governor ’ s threat to apprise t he P re s i d en t o f th e “ f a i lu re o f constitutional machinery” in the state and consequent action Mann also said “Punjab has suffered the most from the misus e of Article 356 i n the country ”

Mann said the state’s law and order situation is well managed and that his government has launched a crusade against drugs, and that the governor ’ s remarks have shown disrespect to the sentiments of 350 million Punjabis

The relationship between the governor and the CM has deteriorated further in recent months The governor has been accusing the CM of not responding to his l e t t e r s h i g h l i g h t i n g s t a t e - r e l a t e d i s s u e s , while Mann has alleged the governor is i n t e r f e r i n g i n t h e f u n c t i o n i n g o f t h e government

Abhishek’s links with firm tied to laundering unearthed: ED

N E W D E L H I : T h e

En forc ement Directorate said s earc hes c onduc ted las t week in Kolk ata found al leged link s of Trin amool Congre ss M P A b h i s h e k Ba n e rj e e , CM

M ama ta Bane rjee’s n eph ew, with a compan y involved in l a un d er in g th e p roc e ed s of c ri m e i n t h e te a c h e r s ’ recruitment scam “ D u r i n g t h e s e a r c h o p e r a t i o n s , v a r i o u s incriminating documents and d i g i t a l e v i d e n c e w e r e s e i z e d O n e o f t h e a c c u s e d , S u j a y Krishna Bhadra, was the chief operating officer of Leaps and

B o u n d s P v t L t d , a c o m p a n y u s e d f o r m a k i n g d u b i o u s t r a n s a c t i o n s r u n n i n g i n t o millions of rupees, ” the ED said

Further, the agency said its i n v e s t i g a t i o n f o u n d t h a t

A b h i s h e k w a s t h e c h i e f executive officer of Leaps and Bounds Pvt Ltd and was also a director in the company from April 2012 to January 2014

The ED arrested Bhadra on May 30 and a chargesheet was filed against him with details of t h e a l l e g e d c o n s p i r a c y a n d involvement of TMC leaders A b h i s h e k f a i l e d t o g e t a n y

C o u r t a g a i n s t t h e E D p r o b e when he appealed for stalling the investigation The agency has so far arrested seven people i n t h e t e a c h e r s ’ r e c r u i t m e n t s c a m , i n c l u d i n g f o r m e r e d u c a t i o n m i n i s t e r P a r t h a Chatterjee, Arpita Mukherjee, M a n i k B h a t t a c h a r y a , T M C MLA and ex-president of West B e n g a l B o a r d o f P r i m a r y E d u c a t i o n K u n t a l G h o s h ,

Santanu Banerjee and Ayan Sil

The ED conducted searches at three premises in Kolkata linked to Bhadra last week He w a s t h e C O O o f L e a p s a n d

With Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah authorising a fact-check unit in Karnataka, the IT-BT department has already begun the process of drawing up SOP to identify and label posts and reports on social and conventional media as fake Officials say the SOP will involve fact checkers with the IT-BT department identifying fake news and alerting both social media firms and the government-set up panel which will look into details The government panel will also include legal personnel who will vet news as fake and provide input on whether it will attract provisions of the IPC and the IT policy State IT and BT minister Priyank Kharge said his department was in the process of empanelling fact-checkers It will also provide technological support to the home department, which will lead in curbing fake news The government will keep a close eye on a syndicate of fake news circulators which Congress believes is backed by BJP s IT cell

MADRAS HC TO REVIEW DISCHARGE OF 2 MORE DMK MINISTERS

In a yet another extraordinary stroke the Madras high court has decided to conduct a suo motu revision of the discharge of two more DMK ministers - Thangam Thennarasu and KKSSR Ramachandran -from disproportionate assets cases against them On August 10, Justice N Anand Venkatesh initiated suo motu revision proceedings against the acquittal of DMK minister K Ponmudy Justice Venkatesh issued similar instructions to list cases against two more ministers While Thangam Thennarasu was discharged from the case on December 13, 2022, Ramachandran was discharged from a similar case on December 20, 2022 CrPC Section 397 empowers the HC/judge to call for and examine the record of any proceeding before any subordinate criminal court within its/his jurisdiction for satisfying itself/himself as to the correctness, legality or propriety of any finding, sentence or order passed by that subordinate court

HARYANA TO RESERVE 20% QUOTA FOR SCS IN PROMOTIONS

The Haryana government will reserve 20 per cent quota for SC employees in all promotions in groups A and B across state government departments CM Manohar Lal Khattar said in the state assembly The decision is part of a strategy aimed at enhancing promotion opportunities for all reserved categories in the higher echelons of government, sources said The government will create a roster to implement the new reservation policy in promotions after notifying it within a week Earlier this month a delegation led by Rajya Sabha MP Krishan Lal Panwar received an assurance from the CM that the BJP-JJP government would give the reserved categories fair representation in the hierarchy of various departments In 2022 Haryana brought a law seeking to reserve 75% of private sector jobs paying less than Rs 30,000 a month for people domiciled in the state

ILLEGAL FIRECRACKER UNIT BLAST KILLS 7 IN BENGAL

2 0 1 2 a n d M a r c h 2 0 1 6 , c o i n c i d i n g w i t h t h e t e r m o f

Abhishek Banerjee as CEO and director till 2014

The agency has filed four chargesheets in the teachers’ r e c r u i t m e n t s c a m c a s e , including one against Bhadra o n J u l y 2 8 A s p e c i a l P M L A court has also taken cognisance o f t h e s u p p l e m e n t a r y c h a r g e s h e e t a f t e r f i n d i n g a p r i m a f a c i e c a s e a g a i n s t t h e accused, the agency said The ED has attached assets worth over £12 6 million in the case belonging to the accused and their aides

A powerful blast at an illegal firecracker factorynestled in congested Duttapukur in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal - ripped through more than a dozen houses killing seven people and injuring at least a dozen others, as the explosion turned some of the houses into heaps of rubble and blew away doors walls roofs and furniture of some others The intensity of the blast was such that it left body parts strewn across a radius of 500 metres from the site While all the victims are yet to be identified, several are suspected to be workers at the unit The factory was spread across 10 bighas and 60-70 people worked inside It had chemicals stored in a laboratory-like set-up which are suspected to have been used in the crackers The unit used to be a brick kiln, which was shut down by the owners, who then converted it into a firecracker manufacturing unit that churned out thousands of banned crackers

Saudi Arabia, UAE among six new countries invited to join BRICS

S ix m ore nations hav e been asked to join the BRICS group o f co untries, which h as pro mised to supp ort the " Glo bal S outh " A t th e t h ree - d ay m eet in g i n J o h a nne s bu rg , th e d i s cu s s i o n about the growth o f BRICS - Brazil, Ru ssia, Ind ia, C h ina, and So uth

A fr ic a - to o k c e ntr e s tag e

A lthoug h all BRICS nations h av e o penly stated their supp ort for th e f i v e- n ati o n blo c ' s e xp a ns i on , reports have su gg ested d isagreem ents am ong the presid ents over h ow quickly and by how much

South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa, the current chair of t h e B R I C S g r o u p i n g , s a i d t h a t Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and UAE have been invited to join the BRICS as part of the first phase of expansion

The new membership will be effective from January 1, 2024

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

congratulated Ramaphosa for the successful summit and said India h a s a l w a y s f u l l y s u p p o r t e d t h e expansion of BRICS membership Brics will break barriers, revitalise economies: P M

India fully supports the expansion of the BRICS membership and w e l c o m e s m o v i n g f o r w a r d w i t h

c o n s e n s u s i n t h i s , ” s a i d P M

Narendra Modi, adding that BRICS will be breaking barriers, revitalising economies, inspiring innovation, creating opportunities, and shaping the future South Africa said after the second day of the summit, the leaders agreed to a document which “set out guide-

India, China agree not to build new posts along LAC

M ed ia reports stated that some of the topics c o v er ed i n th e M a jo r G en er al - l ev e l t al ks between I ndia an d Chin a at Daulat Beg Oldi e (DB O) an d Chushul in cluded mutually agreein g that n o new posts are bui lt i n close proximity to the Li ne of Actual Control (L AC) in eastern L a d akh a n d s p ec i f yi n g s p ec i f i c l i mi ts o f p atrolling

The discussions also included not increasing troops by both countries along the LAC Sources said that both the countries have agreed to refrain from violating any airspace by d r o n e s , d e f i n i n g ' b o u n d a r i e s ' o f p a t r o l l i n g , e x c h a n g i n g p r i o r i n f o r m a t i o n a b o u t e a c h other's patrols, strictly following border protocols and where troops from both sides have been reduced since maintaining the integrity of such buffer zones

The Chushul-Moldo border crossing on the Indian side of the LAC was the location of the meeting between India and China The military of both nations have left the northern and

southern flanks of the Pangong Tso, Gogra, and Hot Springs region since the border standoff began in May 2020, but tensions still exist in the Depsang plains and Demchok region

In regards to Depsang and Demchok, neither party has made any notable advancements The Indian side is trying to find a solut i o n t o t h e b o u n d a r y d i s p u t e s a t C N N Junction and Depsang Point

The talks were held to resolve the standoff in eastern Ladakh, in which India was represented by Major General PK Mishra and Major General Hariharan The talks were h e l d t o r e s o l v e t h e o n g o i n g d e a d l o c k i n Ladakh's Depsang ground and Demchok area

T h e r e s o l u t i o n o f l i n g e r i n g c o n c e r n s along the LAC in the Western Sector was the subject of lengthy, fruitful, and amicable conv e r s a t i o n s b e t w e e n t h e t w o p a r t i e s T h e Chinese and Indian armies conducted an open and forward-thinking exchange of ideas under the leadership's direction

India set to welcome world leaders for G20 summit

Continued from page 1

According to sources, Sunak will meet separately with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to talk about the UK-India trade negotiations during his visit Since taking office a year ago, this will be the Sunak's first trip to Delhi

With this visit, Sunak opens the door for the first face-to-face meeting with President Xi at the G20 summit as diplomatic relations thaw between the UK and China Although Xi s attendance at the G20 has not yet been c o n f i r m e d , p l a n s a r e b e i n g m a d e i n Whitehall for a bilateral meeting in the highly likely scenario that he does

UK Business and Trade Secretary Kemi B a d e n o c h l a u n c h e d a n e w " A l i v e w i t h Opportunity" campaign to help double trade with India by 2030 with a series of targeted trade missions for UK firms in high-growth sectors The cabinet minister said she hoped to advance the ongoing free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations, which are currently in their twelfth round of negotiations She arrived in India on a three-day visit to attend the G20 Trade and Investment Ministerial Meeting in Jaipur and hold bilateral talks w i t h C o m m e r c e a n d I n d u s t r y M i n i s t e r

Piyush Goyal in New Delhi

A d d i t i o n a l l y , t h e n e w £ 1 5 m i l l i o n "GREAT" marketing campaign aims to promote similar cultural interests such as football and cricket, as well as gastronomy and movies, in addition to the strong bilateral commercial and trade linkages

"The UK and India have a thriving relationship, and we both share an ambition to deepen our cultural and trading ties India is

the UK's second-biggest source of investment projects, and I m confident this new campaign will help boost interest in and demand for UK goods and services even further," she added

More than 25 world leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Türkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will convene at the G20 Summit Russian President Vladimir Putin has told Narendra Modi that he will not attend the G20 Summit Putin r a n g M o d i a n d t o l d h i m t h a t F o r e i g n Minister Sergei Lavrov would attend the summit on his behalf Biden will emphasise on cooperation at G20

White House stated that the President Joe Biden will discuss a variety of topics, i n c l u d i n g t h e s o c i a l r e p e r c u s s i o n s o f Russia's war in Ukraine, and "reaffirm US commitment to the G20 as the foremost venue for international economic cooperation

The White House announced that Biden will visit India for four days from September 7 to attend the G20 Leaders' Summit in New Delhi, where he will discuss cooperative efforts to address global issues like climate change and the Ukraine war with member countries

It stated that Biden and G20 partners would also talk about the transition to clean energy and addressing climate change while boosting the ability of multilateral development banks On September 9 and 10, India will host the G20 summit In June, Modi t r a v e l l e d t o t h e U S , w h e r e B i d e n h a d expressed excitement for the upcoming G20 summit in New Delhi

lines and principles, processes for considering countries that wish to become members of BRICS”

In a time of enormous global u n c e r t a i n t y , m a n y d e v e l o p i n g nations are looking to BRICS with newfound optimism Twenty three countries have formally applied to join the organisation President Xi said in his speech that hastening the process of membership expansion will result in more just and equitable global governance India, however, insisted that BRICS first agree the standards and principles for expanding membership, which was the summit's main topic

M odi, X i ag ree on speed y de-escalation in Ladakh

Because of the unresolved military standoff in eastern Ladakh, Sino-Indian relations remain in a deep freeze In a "conversation" with President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Brics summit and

before the G20 leaders' meeting, PM Modi stressed the importance of maintaining peace and tranquilly in border areas and respect for the LAC Foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra did not call it a bilateral meeting but said the conversation, w h i c h t o o k p l a c e , c a p t u r e d t h e sense of the relationship as the PM highlighted India’s concerns over the “unresolved issues” along the LAC and both leaders agreed to work towards early disengagement and deescalation

Last year's Bali G20 conference also featured speeches from Modi and Xi, who last met in person in November 2019 However, while they had concurred in Bali that it was critical to strengthen ties, the PM Modi went a step further on this occasion and repeated India's position that for relations to return to normal, there must be peace at the border

No more chances to Ajit to correct his wrongs: Pawar

NCP lea der Sha rad Pawar made a U-turn , te lling media in Satar a, Ma ha rashtra, that Ajit Pawar would not b e given a nother chance to "cor re ct his mista ke of goin g a gain st th e part y's pol icies" b y all ying with the BJP This was in shar p con trast to his remar ks in t he morning in Bara ma ti, where he had de nied an y spl it in the party and had acknowledg ed that his n ephe w was a l eade r of the pa rty

Ajit took the oath of office as deputy chief m i n i s t e r u n d e r t h e s h o r t - l i v e d D e v e n d r a

Fadnavis administration in November 2019, only to resign a few days later Sharad Pawar was asked at Satara if he would accept Ajit if he rejoined the parent party

E l a b o r a t i n g o n t h e e a r l y m o r n i n g swearing-in episode in November 2019, he said when Ajit “accepted his mistake and

assured he will not take such a step again”, the party gave him one chance to correct the mistake “Nobody should ask for multiple chances to correct mistakes and no multiple chances should be given for repetitive mistakes We have taken a stand that no more chances would be given (to Ajit),” he added

Earlier, when asked about his daughter Supriya Sule’s remark that there was no split in the party and Ajit was still a leader of NCP, Sharad Pawar said, “It is true There is no dispute about it ”

The speaker of the legislative assembly, Rahul Narwekar also reaffirmed that there had been no division within the NCP and that the 53 legislators who make up the party constituted one cohesive body

Skiing destinations across Europe gear up for the Christmas cheer

Skiing in Europe offers a diverse and thrilling experience for winter sports enthusiasts

With a range of world-class ski resorts scattered across the continent, Europe is a popular destination for both beginners and seasoned skiers alike The Alps, stretching across multiple countries including France, Switzerland, Austria, and Italy, are renowned for their stunning landscapes and excellent skiing conditions. The Pyrenees, located between France and Spain, also offer fantastic ski opportunities.

European ski resorts provide well-groomed slopes, modern ski infrastructure, and a variety of trails catering to different skill levels From gentle slopes for beginners to c h a l l e n g i n g r u n s f o r e x p e r t s , t h e r e s something for everyone

The après-ski culture in Europe is an integral part of the experience, where skiers can unwind and socialise in cozy alpine lodges, enjoy local cuisine, and immerse themselves in the vibrant après-ski scene

Luxurious skiing experience in France

VIP SKI is a boutique chalet brand, that was founded on the principle that luxury should be affordable, It has grown steadily over 30 years to feature more than 40 luxury chalets, CLUB Chalets and luxury ski hotels spread over five ski resorts in France

Two of the upgraded chalets, Kakisa ( f e a t u r i n g a n e w i n d o o r p o o l a n d sauna/hammam) and Kobuk (with a new sauna/hammam) are located on the piste, offering stunning views across Les Portes du Soleil; and the other three, Ipaka (new indoor pool, and sauna/hammam), Kipnuk (new indoor hot tub), and Sakami (new outdoor hot tub) are situated in the village c e n t r e , w h e r e t h e r e a r e m a n y s u n n y terraces to sit back and enjoy the lively atmosphere and watch the horse-drawn sleighs go past

The best month to travel for the best price is in January or to take a short break versus one week Until the 31 October, VIP SKI offers £100 off for early bookings

It has 18 chalets to choose from in Val d'Isere and the prices for seven nights start from £2,767 per person based on 2 sharing,

p a s s a g e t o i c e c a v e s a n d g l a c i e r s T h i s u n i q u e e x p e r i e n c e o p e r a t e s s e a m l e s s l y t h r o u g h o u t t h e y e a r , s p a n n i n g b o t h summer and winter seasons

Tourists can ski at one of the most historic skiing areas in the world, where some of the first alpine ski races were held over 100 years ago Today, the longest downhill race in the men ’ s World Cup, the f a m o u s L a u b e r h o r n , t a k e s p l a c e e v e r y winter in January There is skiing here for

Book Review “Sita” by Devdutt Pattanaik

The b o o k s t a n d s a s a r e m a r k a b l e testament to the enduring power of mythology to captivate and illuminate the human experience Pattanaik embarks on a transformative exploration of one of Hindu m y t h o l o g y ' s m o s t i c o n i c a n d e n i g m a t i c characters, Sita Through a careful blend of narrative finesse, historical insight, and p s y c h o l o g i c a l a c u m e n , h e r e s h a p e s o u r understanding of Sita's narrative, offering a c o m p e l l i n g r e i n t e r p r e t a t i o n t h a t resonates with contemporary sensibilities. P a t t a n a i k ' s w r i t i n g e x h i b i t s a s e a m l e s s f u s i o n o f s c h o l a r l y d e p t h a n d r e a d e r - f r i e n d l i n e s s , m a k i n g " S i t a " a c c e s s i b l e t o a w i d e r a n g e o f a u d i e n c e s H o w e v e r , w h a t t r u l y sets this book apart is its structure Rather than a conventional retelling o the Ramayana, Pattanaik o p t s f o r a t h e m a t i approach He dissects ke m o m e n t s i n S i t a ' s l i f f r o m h e r b i r t h a n c h i l d h o o d t o h s w a y a m v a r a ( s e l f - c h o i c e r e m o n y ) , h e r l i f e i n Ayodhya, her exile, and her eventual return This distinctive method allows readers to appreciate Sita's journey h o l i s t i c a l l y , f a c i l i t a t i n g a d e e p e r c o n n e c t i o n w i t h h e r e v o l u t i o n a s a character

An ancient narrative that bridges gap between past and present

the Ramayana By showcasing the diverse ways in which Sita's story has been told across cultures and centuries, Pattanaik underscores the fluidity of mythology and its adaptability to different social contexts This approach adds layers of complexity to Sita's character, elevating her from a twod i m e n s i o n a l f i g u r e t o a m u l t i - f a c e t e d i n d i v i d u a l w i t h h e r o w n d e s i r e s , aspirations, and struggles

The exploration doesn't stop at Sita alone; Pattanaik delves into the intricate d y n a m i c s b e t w e e n h e r a n d R a m a B y weaving together different a r r a t i v e s , h e c r a f t s a p o r t r a y a l o f t h e i r r e l a t i o n s h i p t h a t g o e s b e y o n d t h e t r a d i t i o n a l f r a m e w o r k o f d e v o t i o n a n d d u t y P a t t a n a i k ' s p o r t r a y a l o f R a m a a n d Sita's emotions, doubts, and dilemmas humanises t h e s e r e v e r e d f i g u r e s , i n v i t i n g r e a d e r s t o c o n t e m p l a t e t h e i n t r i c a t e i n t e r p l a y b e t w e e n l o v e , l o y a l t y , and personal integrity

The art of storytelling enhances the reading e x p e r i e n c e , t r a n s p o r t i n g r e a d e r s d e e p e r i n t o t h e w o r l d o f t h e Ramayana and its characters

all levels, from beginner to expert

Rob Stewart, UK representative for the Jungfrau Railway Company highlights that, “the region has one of the most famous mountains in the Alps, the Eiger and E u r o p e ’ s h i g h e s t r a i l w a y s t a t i o n a t Jungfraujoch Top of Europe This railway was built over 100 years ago and is totally unique It cuts through the Eiger Mountain and at the top, the views are incredible

from the 20 - 27 December 2023 Included are return flights from London Gatwick, coach transfers, accommodation, catered chalet board of breakfast, afternoon tea, three-course evening meal on six nights followed by cheese board and coffee and mints, wine, wake-up drinks and canapés on the first and last evening

The chalet brand told us: “VIP SKI is perfect for couples and families as well as

“It’s possible to see across Switzerland into Germany and over to Italy in the other d i r e c t i o n A l s o , t h e r e ’ s i c e c a v e s a n d E u r o p e ’ s l a r g e s t g l a c i e r , t h e A l e t s c h Glacier, to visit All of this sits at 3,454 altitude –an Indian restaurant also being t h e r e T h i s a t t r a c t i o n m a k e s t h e a r e a totally unique ”

The area is a well-equipped and is a popular skiing destination for families There is also plenty to do off the slopes that is attractive to non-skiing family members These include the train to Jungfraujoch, t h e h i s t o r i c t r a i n s t a t i o n o n K l e i n e S c h e i d e g g , w i n t e r h i k i n g t r a i l s w i t h spectacular views, adventure activities such as the First Glider (zip line, summer and winter), the world’s longest toboggan run, the great city of Interlaken and the views from Harder Kulm It is also possible to visit the Swiss capital of Bern by train

For solo travellers there are numerous a c c o m m o d a t i o n o p t i o n s w i t h a w i d e choice of hotels in Interlaken, Grindelwald and Wengen

One of the most striking aspects of 'Sita' is its exploration of feminism and empowerment By closely examining Sita’s choices and actions, Pattanaik portrays her as a symbol of strength and resilience rather than a mere victim of circumstances Through this lens, he not only revitalises the ancient narrative but also bridges the gap between past and present, fostering c o n v e r s a t i o n s a b o u t g e n d e r r o l e s a n d empowerment that are relevant to today's world

T h i s r e i n t e r p r e t a t i o n o f S i t a i s g r o u n d e d i n e x t e n s i v e r e s e a r c h a n d a meticulous analysis of various versions of

I n c o n c l u s i o n , " S i t a " b y D e v d u t t Pattanaik is a testament to the timeliness and relevance of mythology Through his skillful retelling, Pattanaik transforms a w e l l - k n o w n e p i c i n t o a v e h i c l e f o r introspection, empowerment, and cultural understanding By reimagining Sita as a beacon of strength and agency, he bridges the gap between ancient narratives and c o n t e m p o r a r y d i s c u s s i o n s o n f e m i n i s m and empowerment The book serves not only as a scholarly endeavour but also as an invitation to readers to reevaluate their perceptions of myth, gender dynamics, and t h e p o w e r o f s t o r y t e l l i n g W i t h i t s meticulous research, engaging prose, and t h o u g h t - p r o v o k i n g i n s i g h t s , " S i t a " i s a must-read for anyone seeking to embark on a profound journey of self-discovery t h r o u g h t h e t a p e s t r y o f m y t h a n d storytelling

Experience a journey on a 1938 Art Deco tube train

T h i s S ep t em b er , yo u h av e th e o p p o rt u ni ty t o f u lf i l yo u r d r eam o f j o u rn eyi n g b ac k in t im e to h i s to ri c L ond on, em barking o n a weekend of nostalg ic rid es aboard a 1938 tube train that will transport you to the bygone era

T h i s v i n t a g e t r a i n , b o a s t i n g a n exquisite art deco design, comprises four carriages adorned with elegant woodenframed windows, stylish light fixtures, and luxurious red and green cut and loop w o o l m o q u e t t e s e a t i n g O n b o t h

S o u r c e L o n d o n T r a n s p o r t M u s e u m

groups of friends The holidays can be personalised to individual tastes by the addition of services such as childcare and private transfers ” F o r f u r t h e r i n f o r m a t i o n p l e a s e v i s i t

www vip-chalets com

Enjoy unique experiences throughout

Interlaken and Grindelwald

The Interlaken and Grindelwald region holds significant popularity among Asian travellers, particularly those from India and other Asian nations Notably, Jungfraujoch, the "Top of Europe," stands as Europe's highest railway station, providing a secure

C h r i s t m a s a n d N e w Y e a r a r e p e a k times for winter sports and bookings are often made one year in advance From the UK, it’s possible to book holidays through tour operators such as Inghams, but hotels d o g e t b o o k e d u p m o n t h s b e f o r e F o r families and groups, it is important to book early for the peak season weeks These also include the February holiday weeks

While there is no discount for early b i r d s , p r e - b o o k i n g s a r e e s p e c i a l l y important for accommodation at Jungfrau i n o r d e r t o s e c u r e t h e b e s t p o s s i b l e mountain experience Also, trains fill up pretty quickly and so it’s important to reserve seats in advance One-day adult ski pass cost CHF 75 and six-day adult ski pass costs CHF 385

S a t u r d a y , S e p t e m b e r 9 , a n d S u n d a y , September 10, 2023, the train will cover v a r i o u s r o u t e s b e t w e e n A m e r s h a m a n d

W a t f o r d , a s w e l l a s Amersham and Harrow-onthe-Hill

A total of 1,100 of these

1 9 3 8 v e h i c l e s w e r e

m a n u f a c t u r e d , a n d a portion of them remained operational in London until 1 9 8 8 A s m a l l n u m b e r o f these trains found a new p u r p o s e o n t h e I s l e o f

W i g h t ' s I s l a n d L i n e , although in 2020, they were substituted with 'modern' (dating back to the 1980s)

S o u r c e L o n d o n T r a n s p o r t M u s e u m

London Underground trains

While these classic cars can now be o b s e r v e d w i t h i n m u s e u m s a n d d e p o t s , opportunities to actually travel a b o a r d t h e s e b e a u t i e s h a v e become exceedingly scarce in present times

T i c k e t s f o r t h e h e r i t a g e rides scheduled for September a r e c u r r e n t l y a v a i l a b l e f o r purchase Adult return tickets a r e p r i c e d a t £ 2 8 5 0 , w h i l e concessions can enjoy a rate of £20, and children's tickets are priced at £15 There's also the option to book a single ticket, w h i c h c o m e s a t a m o r e affordable cost

People who live alone are at risk of cognitive decline

Making certain lifestyle changes can significantly impact cholesterol levels and promote heart health Here are some effective strategies to help control cholesterol levels:

Bal anced di et: Opt for a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats like those found in nuts, seeds, and avocados Limit saturated and trans fats found in fried foods, processed snacks and fatty cuts of meat

R ed uce sugar: High sugar consumption can lead to obesity and high triglyceride levels, negatively affecting cholesterol

Minimize sugary beverages, candies, and pastries in your diet

Increas e fiber i ntake: Foods high in soluble fiber like oats, beans, lentils, and fruits like apples and pears can help lower LDL cholesterol by binding to it and aiding its elimination

R egular exerci se: Engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity every week Exercise can raise HDL cholesterol and improve overall cardiovascular health

Maintai ni ng h ealth wei gh t: Losing excess weight can lead to improved cholesterol levels Combined with a balanced diet and regular exercise, weight management plays a pivotal role in reducing cholesterol

Laughter may be the best medicine for heart disease research has indicated after scientists in Brazil carried out the first clinical trial to examine whether laughter therapy cuts the risk of heart attack and stroke Watching comedy and having a giggle were found to be good for the heart, reducing signs of inflammation and increasing its capacity to pump oxygen around the body

Doctors at a conference in the Netherlands said all heart d i s e a s e p a t i e n t s s h o u l d b e e n c o u r a g e d t o “ h a v e a g o o d laugh” at least twice a week, and t h e N H S c o u l d o f f e r l a u g h t e r t h e r a p y o r c o m e d y n i g h t s t o some of the 7 6 million Britons with the disease

The study involved 26 adults with an average age of 64 who had had a diagnosis of coronary artery disease, caused by fatty substances building up on the wall of the blood vessels that supply the heart Half were asked to w a t c h t w o h o u r l o n g c o m e d y

Natural remedies to fix bloating by balancing gut bacteria

Researchers at the Penn State University US followed 15 healthy men for 11 days who had five nights of sleep deprivation They discovered that even a brief period of sleep deprivation, which was then made up for with two nights of adequate and restful sleep, was unable to lower the increased blood pressure and heart rate brought on by staying up late

“Though the study is of a limited number of healthy men and of a shorter duration, its results show that even a short duration of sleep deprivation for five days is sufficient to adversely affect cardiovascular health,” says Prof (Dr) Rajesh Vijayvergiya, Department of Cardiology, Advanced Cardiac Center, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) Chandigarh

So why can’t we undo the damage caused by daily sleep deficit?

Explains Dr Virendar Sarwal, Director, Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, IVY Hospital, Mohali, “The logic is simple This eight-hour sleep at night is required to heal the body from the inflammation it experienced during the day It helps both heart and brain health and aids in recovering the wear and tear the body suffers during the 16 hours in a day Lack of sleep leads to burnout and causes heart issues as we are witnessing these days ” Resting over the weekend, he continues, is ineffective since daily healing has not taken place, and the heart keeps suffering until it eventually gives out

Bl o a t i n g h a pp e n s to a l mo s t e v e r y on e o cc as i o n a l l y I t i s t y p i ca l l y brought on b y in gesti ng particular meals a nd be verage s a s well a s swa llowi n g a i r wh i le e a ti n g I n addi tion, there are othe r, graver reas ons of b loatin g, s u ch a s c on s t i p a t i o n , a food i ntolera nce, and irrit a b l e b o w e l s y n d r o me Bloa ti ng may occa sion ally b e a s y m p t om o f gu t i mb a l a n ce O u r gu t requi res certai n bacteria to help d i g e s t f i b e r , s i n ce i t c a n n o t dige st it on its ow n Bloati ng ca n occu r i f y ou do n 't h av e enough or the proper k ind of bacteri a i n your gut, whi ch can res ult i n gas producti on Here are s ome n atural trea tmen ts to b o o s t y o ur g u t h e a l t h a n d reduce f req uent b loati ng d iscomfort F e r m e n t e d f o o d s : B e n e f i c i a l m i c r o b e s a r e p r omoted by fermentation while bad ones are suppressed By preventing the fermented foods from spoiling, this also aids in p r o m o t i n g h e a l t h y d i g e s t i o n Some fermented foods are also high in yeasts which work symbiotically with the bacteria You

c a n c o n s u m e k i m c h i , l i v e yogurt, tempeh and kombucha B e r r i e s : B e r r i e s , s u c h a s b l u e b e r r i e s a n d r a s p b e r r i e s , contain phytochemicals such as polyphenols Polyphenols can have beneficial effects on the gut wall and composition of the g u t m i c r o b i o m e C o m b i n i n g berries with yogurt will make a healthy digestive snack

Activated charcoal: Reduce b l o a t i n g b y t a k i n g a c t i v a t e d charcoal with food Activated charcoal has tiny air pockets t h a t a b s o r b e x c e s s g a s G a s buildup may be avoided as a r e s u l t B u t b e f o r e i n g e s t i n g this, especially if you are taking any drugs, it is advisable that you speak with your doctor

p r o g r a m m e s e a c h w e e k T h e other half watched two serious documentaries every week

Over the 12-week study the comedy group recorded a 10 per cent improvement in their VO2 m a x , a m e a s u r e m e n t o f h o w m u c h o x y g e n t h e h e a r t c a n pump A measure of how well a r t e r i e s c a n e x p a n d a l s o improved

The group also took blood tests to measure biomarkers that indicate how clogged arteries are The laughter group had significant reductions, reducing their risk of heart attack or stroke

Professor Marco Saffi, of the H o s p i t a l d e C l í n i c a s d e P o r t o Alegre in Brazil, the report’s lead author, said: “Laughter therapy increased the functional capacity of the cardiovascular system It r e d u c e s t h e t h i c k e n i n g o f t h e arteries

Four vegetables you should never consume raw and why?

Raw v eg e tab le s r eta i n th ei r n u tri e nts an d enzym es, eating them that way is frequently recommend ed as a hea lthy al terna tiv e Nev er t hel es s , no t all v eg etables can be eaten raw S ome vegetables contai n o rg ani c s u bs ta nc es th at, if i m p ro p erly p repared, m ight be d angerous A yu rv ed a exp ert Dr Dim ple J angda said som e veg etables are “h ome to parasites and bacteria like E coli o r ev en tapeworms and tapeworm eggs ” Here are a few v eg etables that yo u s h o u ld n ev e r c o nsume raw:

C olocasia leav es: Dr Jangda r e c o m m e n d s b l a n c h i n g t h e m before consumption “The same rule applies to spinach and kale

B l a n c h e t h e m i n h o t w a t e r because they’re linked to high o x a l a t e l e v e l s , w h i c h r e d u c e s when you blanch it,” she said They also contain oxalate compounds which can cause severe irritation in the throat, among other harmful effects

Cabba ge: She said, “Some of these tapeworms have survived some of the harshest insecticides and pesticides, so your vegetable

washes are too mild for them ”She advises blanching cabbage in hot water before cooking it well

Capsic um : While capsicum or bell peppers can be consumed raw, it is suggested to remove the crown, deseed and run it under water The seeds can be home to t a p e w o r m e g g s w h i c h s u r v i v e inside the fruit

Aubergine: It has a substance called solasonine, which is bitter and can be dangerous if ingested i n e x c e s s i v e q u a n t i t i e s Solasonine is broken down during cooking to make foods safe for ingestion

Intermittent fasting could prevent signs of Alzheimer’s disease

For ma ny y ear s, on e of t he m os t w e ll -l ik e d li fe st y l e options ha s be en inte rmitt ent fastin g ( IF) For man y people a ll over the wor ld, it has shown t o b e a n e x t r e m e ly e f fe c t i v e we ig ht-loss met hod

Adding to its fame, a recent study suggested that this timerestricted eating schedule might a l s o s t r e n g t h e n m e m o r y a n d reduce the buildup of amyloid proteins in the brain, which is a major risk factor for Alzheimer s disease

Alzheimer's disease is a brain disorder that slowly and gradually destroys memory and thinking skills and, eventually, the ability to carry out the simplest tasks The first symptoms of this

e d e c l i n e

There are also medications for

this illness that focus on this part i c u l a r c o m p o n e n t H o w e v e r , time-restricted feeding, or IF, has been proven to be effective in correcting the circadian rhythm l i n k e d t o A l z h e i m e r ' s d i s e a s e

confirmed in mice by researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine

The study found that when a group of mice were fed on a t i m e - r e s t r i c t e d s c h e d u l e i t showed improvements in memory and reduced accumulation of amyloid proteins in their brains "For many years, we assumed t h a t t h e c i r c a d i a n d i s r u p t i o n s seen in people with Alzheimer’s are a result of neuro degeneration, but we ’ re now learning it may be the other way around Circadian disruption may be one o f t h e m a i n d r i v e r s o f A l z h e i m e r ’ s p a t h o l o g y , ” s a i d s e n i o r s t u d y a u t h o r P a u l a D e s p l a t s , p r o f e s s o r i n t h e

of Neurosciences

Study finds that six hours of sleep may not be enough

Laughter is good for the heart as well as the soul

Allu Arjun, Alia & Kriti get best acting awards; 'Rocketry' is best film

Allu Arjun won the Best Actor award for his role in "Pushpa," while Alia Bhatt and Kriti Sanon jointly secured the Best Actress award for their performances in "Gangubai Kathiawadi" and "Mimi," respectively.

The accolades continued with "Rocketry: The Nambi Effect" securing the title of Best F e a t u r e F i l m , a n d " T h e K a s h m i r F i l e s " earning the prestigious Nargis Dutt Award for Best Film on National Integration

S a n j a y L e e l a B h a n s a l i ' s p r o w e s s w a s celebrated as he received the Best Editor Award for directing "Gangubai Kathiawadi," w h i c h a l s o b a g g e d t h e a w a r d f o r B e s t Adapted Screenplay, shared by Bhansali and U t k a r s h i n i V a s h i s h t h a U t k a r s h i n i V a s h i s h t h a a n d P r a k a s h K a p a d i a w e r e a d d i t i o n a l l y h o n o r e d a s t h e D i a l o g u e Writers for the same film

Furthermore, the enthralling epic "RRR," h e l m e d b y S S R a j a m o u l i , t r i u m p h e d i n multiple categories, securing awards for Best Action Direction, Choreography, and Special Effects

The celebration of talent extended to the screenplay domain as well, with Shahi Kabir w i n n i n g t h e a w a r d f o r B e s t O r i g i n a l S c r e e n p l a y f o r t h e M a l a y a l a m f i l m

"Nayattu "

Best Supporting actor went to Pankaj Tripathi for 'Mimi', who dedicated the award to his father, who passed away earlier this week Best Supporting Actress was won by Pallavi Joshi for The Kashmir Files

Vicky Kaushal deserved the Best Actor award: Shoojit Sircar

Shoojit Sircar’s ‘Sardar Udham’ clinched five awards at the recently announced 69th National Film Awards In a recent interview, Sircar spoke about actor Vicky Kaushal not winning the Best Actor awrd, adding that he “undoubtedly deserved it ”

Ananya Panday stalks Zeenat Aman on Instagram

He said, the way he transformed into ‘Sardar Udham’ is commendable We started with the Jallianwala Bagh sequence The first s h o t w a s o f U d h a m p i c k i n g u p b o d i e s , feeling the weight and pain The set was witnessing that nightmare That set the tone of the film Vicky couldn’t sleep for nights and carried that image throughout other parts of the movie ”

At the 69th National Film Awards, the m o v i e w o n B e s t H i n d i f i l m , B e s t Cinematography, Best Costume Designer, B e s t P r o d u c t i o n D e s i g n , a n d B e s t A u d i o g r a p h y : R e - R e c o r d i n g c a t e g o r i e s

Sircar dedicated all the awards to late actor Irrfan khan He said, “All the awards that we have won for the film are shared by the team We as a team, from producer Ronnie Lahiri to actor Vicky Kaushal, have decided to dedicate this award to Irrfan Khan ” Irrfan, the initial choice for the movie, passed away in 2020, and Vicky stepped in to play the titular character of the freedom fighter in the film

Ananya Panday calls herself an Instagram stalker and has now revealed that the person she stalks the most is veteran actor Zeenat Aman

Actress

Speaking in an interview, she shared that she needs to know everything about everyone

S h e s a i d , “ I h a v e a l l t h e qualities of a stalker I need k n o w e v e r y t h i n g a b o u t e v e r y o n e

This quality of my personality helps me in acting as well I went to Mathura for Dream Girl 2 shoot and I paid a lot of attention to the people around and their style of speaking I used it all in my character Zeenat Aman is the person I stalk the most I find all her posts and writing very interesting If she shares throwback pictures from the set of a

film, I make sure to wa m ”

Ananya’s ‘Dream

2 ’ h i t t h e a t r e s August 25 She jo Ayushmann Khurra for the sequel to

2 0 1 9 h i t f i l m

S h a a n d i l y a a d i r e c t e r o d u c e d b y E k t a a obha Kapoor ‘Dream

f e a t u r e s A b h i s h e k B a n Singh, Paresh Rawal, R Asrani, Manoj Joshi, Vij Seema Pahwa The first was also directed by Raaj to be a big hit at the bo also featured Nushratt B

Madhavan calls Vivek Agnihotri ‘master storyteller'

R Madhavan has heaped praises on director Vivek Agnihotri after watching his upcoming film 'The Vaccine War'. Madhavan called Vivek Agnihotri a 'master storyteller who makes you cheer, applaud, weep, and euphoric, all at the same time'.

Actor

H e c a p t i o n e d t h e p o s t , " J u s t s a w T h e Vaccine War and totally blown out of my mind by the spectacular sacrifices and achievements of the Indian scientific community, which made India’s very first vaccine and kept the nation safe during the most challenging period, told by a Master Storyteller who makes you

cheer, applaud, weep, and euphoric, all at the same time "

He added, “Stellar performances by the entire cast, so beautifully depict the sacrifices and the sheer grit of our Indian scientists ( ladies) aptly and impact-fully Take a huge bow team #TheVaccineWar the Indian scientific community owes your debt of gratitude as we t o t h e m ( n a t i o n a l f l a g a n d f o l d e d h a n d s emojis) go see the film in the theatres and make sure to buy a ticket for your superwoman h e l p e d y o u s u r v i v e t h e l o c k d o w n T h e domestic helps and the lovely women (folded

hands, thumbs up, red heart and hug face emojis) @vivekagnihotri@AnupamPKher ”

Recently, Vivek held a special screening of the film in the US Helmed by Vivek, the film stars Nana Patekar, Anupam Kher, Raima Sen and Pallavi Joshi in the lead roles The film is all set to hit the theatres on September 28 The Vaccine War is likely to open certain chapters about Indian bio-scientists and indigenous vaccines' The film also pays tribute to the d e d i c a t i o n o f t h e m e d i c a l f r a t e r n i t y a n d scientists during the uncertain times of the Covid-19 pandemic

'Oh My God 2' going strong at box office collection

Akshay Kumar starrer 'Oh My God 2' has crossed the £13 million mark in India after 16 days in cinemas As per a report by Sacnilk com, the film registered an increase in its domestic box office collection on Saturday, earning more than £300,000 'OMG 2', which is a sequel to Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal's 2012 film 'OMG - Oh My God', had released on August 10 It features Akshay, Pankaj Tripathi and Yami Gautam in lead roles

OMG 2 is directed by Amit Rai and produced by Viacom 18 Studios, Wakaoo Films and Cape Of Good Films Akshay Kumar, who is riding high on the success of OMG 2, arrived in Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh to shoot for his next film

The actor was spotted arriving via helicopter and was seen waving to his fans Reportedly his upcoming film has been titled 'Sky Force' However, an official announcement of the film is still awaited

Apart from this, Akshay also has the yet-to-be-titled Hindi remake of 'Soorarai Pottru', which is all set to hit the theatres in February 2024 The film also stars Radhika Madan and Paresh Rawal in pivotal roles

Akshay will also be seen in the action film 'Bade Miyan Chote Miyan' alongside Tiger Shroff, which is set to be released around Eid 2024 Akshay will also be reuniting with Riteish Deshmukh for the fifth instalment of his hit comedy franchise 'Housefull '

feels 'complete' in herself

Sushmita Sen is currently basking in the positive reception for her latest web series ‘Taali ’ In a recent interview with the Instagram account Humans of Bombay, the actress opened up about her idea of love and how it's not about projecting but to “love another is to love yourself ” Sushmita also talked about how she considers her freedom to be a very important aspect of her life overall.

Janhvi Kapoor opens up about first 'serious' boyfriend

When asked whether she tends to seek validation like so many women out there, she said, “So the idea that I have been able to find happiness in this space is because I am also built that way I believe in nothing in life is more important than my freedom very important to me My freedom to be who I am, to choose the voice I want to speak with I was 18 once and the world was all about ‘somebody will complete me ’ kind of scenario I am complete in myself If someone can help enhance that feeling of completion, that would be lovely I don t need that for completion When you need validation you must have the courage to stand in front of the mirror That's the only validation you need ”

In the same interview, Sush also talked about how she defines love and said, “Oh its everything Its what I am made of, that's how closely I associate with that word It is not that love that you project or feel but the l o v e y o u a r e T h a t t o m e i s l o v e , t h a t everything you do in your life with that ‘who you are ’ feeling So to even love another is to love yourself There is that self love that I speak of is on a cellular level ”

Sushmita plays the role of Shreegauri Sawant in the web series ‘Taali,’ which is b a s e d o n t h e l i f e a n d s t r u g g l e s o f a transgender activist

Janhvi Kapoor recently opened up about her “first-ever serious boyfriend.” In the latest episode of ‘Swipe Ride,’ she revealed that it was her parents who did not approve of the boy, and her relationship ended soon afterwards

Actress

She said, “My first ever serious boyfriend was that same chup chup ke milenge (meet in hiding), jhooth bol bol ke (we will lie about each other), all of that and but unfortunately that relationship ended because I had to lie so much and mom and dad were like 'No you will never have a boyfriend' very conservative And that's when I realised having your parents approval and having transparency with them makes everything so easy It makes you feel so much more confident about your decisions ”

In the same episode, Janhvi also admitted that Bollywood has influenced her expectations on love a lot “There’s a lot of fun in staring out of the window watching the rain drops fall ” The ‘Bawaal’ actress is rumoured to be dating Shikhar Pahariya An entrepreneur, he is the grandson of former Maharashtra chief minister Sushil Kumar Shinde

On the work front, Janhvi will now be seen in ‘Mr and Mrs Mahi’ with Rajkummar Rao She was last seen in Nitesh Tiwari’s ‘Bawaal’ which was released on Prime Video last month

Sunny Deol reacts to ‘Gadar 2’ being called 'anti-Pakistan'

Deol’s ‘Gadar 2’ has emerged as a blockbuster since its release in early August. The sequel sees the original cast of Sunny Deol and Ameesha Patel along with Utkarsh Sharma, reprise their roles of Tara Singh, Sakeena and Charanjeet Singh, respectively. Set in 1971, the film follows Tara as he crosses the border to rescue his son, who has been held captive in Pakistan

Shah Rukh confirms working with Amitabh on a new project

Shah Rukh Khan is preparing for the release of his new film, 'Jawan', and the actor is charming his fans and followers with interactive Twitter sessions Recently, Shah Rukh held another 'Ask SRK' session with his fans, and in one of his tweets, he confirmed rumours of a reunion with Amitabh Bachchan

According to multiple reports, both of these iconic actors are set to reunite on screen for a very special project An image has also been circulating on the internet Today, he was asked to say a few lines about Big B, and Shah Rukh shared this image with

the caption, "It was soooooooo much fun to work with @SrBachchan after so many years Came back from the shoot inspired and blessed And just to let u know he beat me in the run!!!!"

Now that SRK has confirmed the news, fans are eager to see what this project entails and learn more about it Because so far, little is known Fans, however, hope that it is a full-fledged film rather than a commercial

Meanwhile, Shah Rukh Khan's 'Jawan' will be released on September 7 He will then be seen in Rajkumar Hirani's 'Dunki'

Hema Malini is open to do kiss scene if it is necessary

In a recent interview, Sunny was asked his opinion on the criticism that the movie is an “anti-Pakistan” film He called the claims a “political thing” and asked viewers not to take ‘Gadar 2 ’ too seriously

He said, “See, it's basically a political thing mostly It's not actually the people, genuine people, because at end of the day, it's all humanity there Whether it's here or there (Pakistan), everyone's together And even you'll see that throughout the film (Gadar 2), I never run anybody down, because I don't believe in running people down or anything and Tara Singh (his character in Gadar 2) is not that kind of a person ”

Hema

Malini stated in an interview that she would consider kissing on screen if it was necessary for the script She also mentioned that she would be open to doing a kiss scene similar to her husband Dharmendra and Shabana Azmi in the film 'Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani' Hema Malini added that she is willing to be a sport about it

During an interview with a leading news portal, when Hema was asked if she'd be c o m f o r t a b l e k i s s i n g o n s c r e e n l i k e D h a r m e n d r a a n d S h a b a n a A z m i , H e m a replied, "Kyun nahi karenge, bilkul karenge If it is nice, if it is relatable and gels with the film, maybe I can " She also revealed she has still not watched the Karan Johar directorial R e c e n t l y , H e m a a l s o r e a c t e d t o h e r husband's on screen kiss and said, "I am sure

people have loved the film I am so happy for Dharam ji, because he loves to be in front of the camera all the time He loves it "

When asked about the release of the film during a “politically tense climate,” S u n n y s a i d , “ W e a l l w a n t p e a c e , y o u know, and nobody wants all this thing to happen But it's high time the politicians started seeing the world not from [the point of view of votes] because everybody does it for the sake of votes Don't take this film so seriously cinema comes in for entertainment It's not coming from a n y o t h e r p o i n t o f v i e w A n d t h e n o b v i o u s l y , t h e r e ' s a n e x a g g e r a t i o n i n cinema because that's how you want the c h a r a c t e r s t o b e I f t h e y ' r e n o t exaggerated, you don't enjoy it Because if a person is bad, you want to say no, he is bad If a person is good, you want to see the person good And that's a certain sector of cinema ”

Sushmita opens up about finding love,

Superstar Rajinikanth

trekking to Babaji cave goes viral

Superstar

Rajinikanth's latest film 'Jailer' directed by Nelson Dilipkumar and produced by Sun Pictures has gone on to become the highest grosser in Kollywood history with figures of £55 million and counting. A day ahead of the film's release on August 10th, Rajinikanth embarked on a spiritual journey to the Himalayas and the photos of the same have gone viral on the internet

Nayanthara and Vignesh Shivan celebrate Onam with sons Uyir and Ulagam

Filmmaker

A video of him trekking up the mountain to reach the Babaji's cave in the Himalayas has now taken the internet by storm The clip shows the 72 year old and his friends are climbing the mountain with a pole in one hand and a security officer guiding them. The video also includes scenes of Rajinikanth meditating in Babaji's cave and viewing photos there

Rajinikanth next film 'Lal Salaam' directed by his daughter Aishwarya Rajinikanth's is in post-production and is gearing up for release in a few months

He has also completed a pooja of his new movie 'Thalaivar 170' directed by T J Gnanavel and produced by Lyca Productions which will go on floors soon

Vignesh

Shivan has shared super adorable pictures from his and his actor wife

Nayanthara’s first Onam celebration with sons Uyir and Ulagam over the weekend All of them decked up in traditional white ensembles as they sat for the traditional meal Vignesh also shared two romantic pictures with Nayanthara on the occasion

Sharing pictures of them feeding the twins with the food served on banana leaves placed on the floor, Vignesh wrote, “First Nam with my Uyir & Ulagam #GodBless As the festival starts early here! Wishing everyone in advance a very happy ONAM ” Fans swooned over the two little ones in white mundus as they sat together for the Onam platter

Vijay Deverakonda opens up about his stand on marriage

Reacting to such lovely photos, a fan wrote, “How c

“Happy Onam Happy that Uyir and Ulag grow up learning and accepting both culture and ethnicity ” A fan also called them “Cute babies and parents”

Nayanthara and Vignesh married in an intimate ceremony in Chennai on June 9 last year Four months later, the couple welcomed their sons Uyir and Ulagam via surrogacy

On the work front, Nayanthara is now gearing up for the release of the Atlee film, ‘Jawan ’ She will be seen opposite Shah Rukh Khan in the film, which also stars Deepika Padukone, Vijay Sethupathi, Priyamani, and Sanya Malhotra, among others It will be released in theatres on September 7

Allu Arjun is the first Telugu actor to win a National Award

Allu Arjun created history as he won the National Award for Best Actor for his blockbuster ‘Pushpa: The Rise.’ Soon after the announcement, a video of the actor celebrating the moment with team ‘Pushpa’ surfaced online The video shows an emotionally charged Allu sharing a long and warm hug with director Sukumar

The rest of the film team was seen cheering and celebrating for the actor ‘Pushpa’ is the first movie in the franchise, directed by Sukumar Released on December 17, 2021, the film starred Allu Arjun as Pushparaj, aka Pushpa, a truck driver who smuggles red sandalwood for a living Rashmika Mandanna plays the female lead, Srivalli, while Fahadh Faasil is introduced as the main antagonist

The official Twitter or X handle of the movie celebrated the milestone, “After ruling the box office, it is PUSHPA RAJ'S RULE at the #NationalAwards Icon Star @alluarjun BECOMES THE FIRST ACTOR FROM TFI to win the BEST ACTOR at the National Awards #AlluArjun Wins the Best Actor at the 69th National Awards for #Pushpa ” Meanwhile, Jr NTR tweeted for Allu Arjun, “Congratulations @alluarjun bava You deserve all the success and awards you get for #Pushpa ” Replying to him, the actor commented, “Thank you so much for your genuine wishes bava Touched Humbled ”

Chiranjeevi Konidela wrote on the micro-blogging site, “Heartiest

Congratulations to All The Award Winners of 69th National Film Awards

Vijay

Deverakonda recently opened up about his stand on marriage, sharing that he will tie the knot soon. He said that his parents are pressuring him to get married, adding that he has some conditions regarding marriage

The actor recently attended the popular Telugu reality show, ‘Neethone Dance,’ as a chief guest to promote his upcoming movie ‘Kushi ’ A short promo video of the episode has been shared on social media, where he was asked about his chances of getting married Vijay said, “My family members have been urging me to marry My mom and dad are eager for grandchildren But I am not interested That’s why I jokingly suggested to them that they should get married again ”

Earlier, during the ‘Kushi’ trailer launch, Vijay had revealed that he is ready for marriage He said, “I have been finding partners for a while I have not been ready for marriage I think now, maybe in a couple of years Let’s see ”

Vijay and Samantha Ruth Prabhu’s ‘Kushi’ is slated for a pan-India release The romantic comedy revolves around the unconventional love story of Viplav and Aaradhya The movie also features Jayaram, Sachin Khedekar, Murali Sharma, Vennela Kishore, Lakshmi, Rohini, Ali, Rahul Ramakrishna, and others in supporting roles

2021 !!! Also Proud Moment for Telugu Cinema Heartiest Congratulations to especially my dearest Bunny @AlluArjun for the coveted National Best Actor Award !!!!! Absolutely Proud of you!!! 6 National Awards for #RRR @mmkeeravaani garu #PremRakshith @kaalabhairava7 #SrinivasMohan #KingSoloman @DVVEntertainment #DVVDanaiah And most of all the Visionary SS Rajamouli @ssr for Leading the Way!!!! 2 National Awards for #Pushpa @alluarjun

@ThisIsDSP 1 National Award for #Kondapolam @boselyricist & Regional Best Film for #Uppena #BuchhibabuSana @VaishnavTejoffi #Kritishetty

@MythriMovieMakers Best Film Critic #Purushottamacharyulu And Each and Every Award Winner ”

PM Modi praises Greek family’s rendition of hit Mohammed Rafi song

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently took to the microblogging platform X, formerly called Twitter, to sh of a Greek family s Mohammed Rafi song in perfect harmony. Expressing his appreciation, he wrote, “Shabash! (well done).”

The video shows

Konstantinos Kalaitzis and his family singing a rendition of ‘Madhuban Mein Radhika Nache R by Mohammed Ra Modi can also be seen holding a ros and thoroughly enjoying their performance in the video He generously praised the family towards the end of the clip

Modi captioned the video, “Konstantinos Kalaitzis loves India, particularly Indian i d lt Thi

People have been sharing their reactions in the comments section Many were rwhelmed by video and sed the ily’s utiful ging, while ers simply pressed their miration rough heart moticons

passion is also shared by his family This small video gives a glimpse of it ” The video has gone viral, amassing over 2 1 million views and counting

One social edia user id, “That’s onderful! ’ s great to ee such nthusiasm or Indian music and orders Thanks for sharing the video, sir It’s definitely a delight to witness their love for India!” Another added, “Very beautiful and sweetly sung ”

AR Rahman opens up on getting pigeonholed in Hollywood after Oscar win

Oscar-winning music composer AR Rahman is all set to make his directorial debut with ‘Le Musk ’ In a recent interview with Forbes’ Taarini Kaur Dang, he says he often finds himself pigeonholed, which leads to few opportunities for him to explore and experiment truly

He said, “As an Indian composer, winning an Oscar and all that stuff, there is a pigeonhole you are put into ‘Oh Indian stuff, let’s go to AR!’ Even though I have done 127 Hours, Pele and other stuff but still the urge There’s nothing bad with that I am doing a lot of Indian movies I love doing Indian movies I am proud But I also love to do something that is completely unrelated to India, as a creative expression To get those is very difficult in Hollywood, all the places are already taken ”

Rahman’s ‘Le Musk’ premiered at the 75th Cannes Film Festival He says the VR film was born when he was jamming with his wife, and the couple came up with the story He said, “There were many things on my mind, like, why can’t we do it in English, why can’t that go from India to the world There was some risk involved, but not that much because we funded it mostly ourselves and had kind funding from others Luckily, we got fantastic feedback when we premiered it at the Cannes festival ”

Billed as a 37-minute “cinematic sensory experience,” the movie is about an orphaned heiress and musician, Juliet Merdinian (Nora Arnezedar), on the trail of three mysterious men with distinct scents

Richard Gere’s ‘KWK’ episode was the most boring: Karan Johar

Hollywood’s Richard Gere became the first international celebrity to grace Karan Johar’s famous show ‘Koffee With Karan’ in 2007. In a recent rapidfire round, the filmmaker revealed his episode was the “most boring” out of all the ‘KWK’ episodes, right from the first season in 2004.

In a recent event, actor Ananya P a n d a y a s k e d K J o d u r i n g t h e i r chat, “What was the most boring ‘Koffee With Karan’ episode and you can’t say mine because you are o n l y t a k i n g s h o t s a t m e ” I n response, Karan Johar said, "Oh dear! It was so it was Richard G e r e I s w e a r , a t o n e p o i n t I thought I was going to pass out it got very intense It was the first Hollywood celebrity we had, and I hope I never meet him and he never sees this, but it was deathly boring ”

Radhika Madan becomes jury member at Emmy Awards 2023

ActressRadhika Madan is on cloud nine, as she has become a part of the jury panel at the International Emmy Awards 2023 Radhika took to Instagram and shared her excitement with fans She also gave them a glimpse into the semi-final round of the judging session In the video, Radhika can be seen enjoying the experience of being a jury member at the Emmys

Along with the video, she wrote, “So overwhelmed and grateful that I got to be a part of this year ’ s jury for the International Emmy Awards I always dreamt of being nominated but to be on the other side was even more fulfilling Every day I get up and get to do what I love the most, a joy I wouldn’t trade for anything Thank you universe ”

Soon, her fans and industry friends flooded the comments’ section Actress Sanya Malhotra wrote, “Wooohooooo ” TV actress Smriti Khanna commented, “Proud of you ”

Meanwhile, on the film front, Radhika was recently seen in 'Kacchey Limbu' She will next be seen in 'Sanaa', which follows the story of a headstrong and ambitious girl (Radhika), waging an internal battle that is rooted in unhealed trauma She also has a Hindi remake of the Tamil film 'Soorarai Pottru' in her kitty It will mark her first-ever collaboration with Akshay Kumar

When asked whom Karan would cast in Dharmendra and Shabana Azmi’s roles if he were to remake his latest film 'Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’ 35 years from now, Karan replied, “Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol ”

O v e r t h e l a s t a l m o s t t w o decades, ‘Koffee With Karan’ has seen the filmmaker interview top Indian celebrities and get all kinds of honest and hilarious answers from his guests During Gere’s interview, the two discussed his experiences in I n d i a , A I D S a w a r e n e s s , a s t h e humanitarian work done by various Hollywood and Bollywood celebs

‘ K o f f e e W i t h K a r a n ’ s e a s o n s e v e n p r e m i e r e d o n D i s n e y +

Hotstar last year and had Kareena Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, and Sara Ali Khan, among many other celebrities as guests

Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra now becomes world champ

Neeraj Chopra, in a historic m oment f or Indian athlet ic s, c linched the gol d medal in t he men's javel in thr ow event a t t h e Wor l d A t hl e t ic s C ha m p io n s hi ps he l d in B u da p es t , H un ga r y T he ' go l de n b oy o f In d ia n a thl etic s' etc hed his name in h is t or y b y b e c o m in g t he f ir st -eve r In dian at hle te t o s ecure a gol d medal at this pres tigious c ham pionship

N e e r a j ' s r e m a r k a b l e achievement unfolded in the early hours of August 28 as he w e n t h e a d - t o - h e a d w i t h competitors from around the w o r l d D i s p l a y i n g e x c e p t i o n a l p r o w e s s , h e recorded a stellar throw of 8 8 1 7 m e t e r s d u r i n g h i s second attempt, solidifying h i s d o m i n a n c e t h r o u g h o u t the event

T h i s o u t s t a n d i n g

p e r f o r m a n c e n o t o n l y secured the gold medal for Neeraj but also established him as a trailblazer for Indian sports on the global stage

P a k i s t a n ' s A r s h a d

Nadeem, another formidable c o n t e n d e r , c l o s e l y t r a i l e d

Neeraj's achievement with a

silver medal Nadeem, who has previously shone on the C o m m o n w e a l t h G a m e s s t a g e , m a n a g e d a commendable throw of 87 82 meters

T h e t h i r d s p o t w a s secured by Jakub Vadlejch of t h e C z e c h R e p u b l i c , w h o

showcased his prowess with a best throw of 86 67 meters

N e e r a j ' s f a t h e r S a t i s h Kumar, visibly proud of his s o n ' s a c h i e v e m e n t s a i d ,

"

India finish with 14 medals at world shooting championship

T h i s i s a v e r y p r o u d moment for our country as we got a gold medal in the W o r l d C h a m p i o n s h i p a s well We will celebrate once Neeraj comes back to India " As the news of Neeraj's h i s t o r i c v i c t o r y s p r e a d , c o n g r a t u l a t o r y m e s s a g e s poured in from all corners A m o n g t h o s e c e l e b r a t i n g w a s I n d i a ' s M i n i s t e r o f Y o u t h A f f a i r s a n d S p o r t s , Anurag Thakur, who hailed Neeraj's feat as a watershed moment in Indian sporting history He took to social media to express his pride a n d a p p r e c i a t i o n f o r t h e a t h l e t e ' s r e m a r k a b l e achievement

India win series against Ireland after 3rd T20 called off

W ith o ut bo wling a s ingle ball, the third and final T2 0 Internatio nal between India and Ireland was called o ff With a victory in th e seco nd T 2 0I , I n di a h a d a lr ea dy wrap ped up the series 2-0 T h e s eri es op e ne r, wh i c h India wo n by two ru ns via D L S m e th o d , was al s o marred by rain Rain forced a pos tp onement of th e last game's to ss, and three h ours after the match s scheduled s t ar t ti m e, t h e u m p i r es called it off

T h e p a c e r s J a s p r i t B u m r a h a n d P r a s i d h K r i s h n a m a d e g r e a t r e c o v e r i e s f r o m b a c k

operations throughout the s e r i e s , a n d t h e O D I A s i a Cup, which starts on August 31, will be a more difficult test for them

B u m r a h l e d t h e t e a m f u l l o f y o u n g s t e r s i n t h e a b s e n c e o f s e n i o r p l a y e r s w i t h f o c u s b e i n g o n t h e

Laxman, Kanitkar to be head coaches for Asian Games

Batting great and National Cricket Academy chairman VVS Laxman will be th e head coach of the Indian men ’ s cricket team, while former India allrounder Hrishikesh Kanitkar will be the interim head coach of th e Ind ian wo men ’ s cricket team for the A s i an Gam es , w h i c h w i ll be h el d i n Hangzhou i from Sept 23 to Oct 8

Laxman is currently overseeing a highp e r f o r m a n c e c a m p o f I n d i a ’ s e m e r g i n g players at Alur near Bangalore Apart from Laxman, the support staff of the Indian men ’ s team for Asiad will include ex-India leg-spinner Sairaj Bahutule as the bowling c o a c h , a n d M u n i s h B a l i a s t h e f i e l d i n g coach

In the case of the women ’ s team, the appointment of the new head coach and the support staff seems to have been deferred till the start of the new international home season in December Kanitkar, who played 2 Tests and 34 ODIs, was in charge of the Indian women ’ s team for the Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa in February Apart from Kanitkar, Rajib Dutta (bowling c o a c h ) a n d S u b h a d e e p G h o s h ( f i e l d i n g coach) will be the other members of the support staff for the women ’ s side

ODI format ahead of the W o r l d C u p a t h o m e i n October-November

For the young blood, the series served as a warm-up f o r t h e A s i a n G a m e s i n China, which will be held next month and feature a second-string Indian team

d u e t o t h e s e n i o r s i d e ' s commitment to World Cup preparations

Ruturaj Gaikwad, who will lead the team in China, got to bat in back-to-back matches after sitting out for the majority of the West Indies tour He scored a fine half-century in the 33-run win Sanju Samson, who is seen as a back-up to K L Rahul in the ODI format, made a brisk 40 though he h a s a s l i m c h a n c e o f securing a World Cup berth Shivam Dube, who made a comeback after a stellar IPL, contributed with both bat and ball in the series

Wrestling body suspends India for poll delay

The national anth em will no t be played and the tric olour will not go up insid e t h e a r ena wh e n an I nd i a n wr es t le r finish es on th e pod ium at the Wo rld C ha m p i o nsh i p s i n S er b ia I nd i an wr e st le r s wi ll p a r t ic i p a t e t h e re as ‘ ne ut r a l a th l et e s ’ be c au se t h e UW W suspended WFI for its failure t o ho ld el ec t i o ns i n t h e w ak e o f s ex u al harassment allegat ions against ou tgo ing chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh

After its two earlier warnings to conduct elections to the WFI’s new executive council (EC) weren’t paid h e e d t o b y t h e I n d i a n s p o r t s authorities, the UWW says it was left with no other choice but to suspend the WFI, leaving the future of Indian w r e s t l e r s i n t h e d a r k T h e W o r l d championship is a qualifying event for t h e 2 0 0 4 P a r i s O l y m p i c s T h e development came on the eve of the s e l e c t i o n t r i a l s f o r t h e W o r l d s ,

scheduled to be held in Patiala on August 25 and 26 According to sources, the trials will go ahead as planned and the Indian wrestling contingent for the W o r l d s w i l l b e n a m e d i n a l l t h r e e c a t e g o r i e s – m e n ’ s a n d w o m e n ’ s freestyle and greco-roman W h i l e t h e I n d i a n O l y m p i c Association’s (IOA) two-member adhoc committee – formed to run the

day-to-day affairs of WFI – delayed h o l d i n g t h e e l e c t i o n s f o l l o w i n g l i t i g a t i o n s f i l e d b y d i s g r u n t l e d member state units of the WFI, the UWW finally acted tough as the adhoc panel had failed to honour its 45day deadline

Ind ia’s shooting conting ent finished its camp aign at the ISSF World C hampionship 20 2 3 i n Baku , A zer bai j an, with 14 medals - six gold and eig h t bro nze T h e reg u lar sh oo t i ng e v en ts f o r b o th Olympic and no n-Olymp ic d i sc i p li n es c o nc lu d e d l as t week However, the running targ et ev ents w ill continue till Aug ust 3 1st but th ere is no Ind ian representation in these

C u r r e n t l y , t h e I n d i a n shooting team is second in t h e o v e r a l l m e d a l s t a l l y b e h i n d t h e P e o p l e ’ s R e p u b l i c o f C h i n a , w h o clinched 15 gold, seven silver and six bronze medals The U S A , w i t h f i v e g o l d , t w o s i l v e r s a n d a b r o n z e , a r e third The Indian shooters also obtained four quotas for the Paris 2024 Olympics at the Baku meet R a j e s h w a r i K u m a r i ( w o m e n ’ s t r a p ) , S i f t K a u r Samra (women’s 50m rifle 3 p o s i t i o n s ) , A k h i l S h e o r a n (men’s 50m rifle 3 positions)

a n d M e h u l i G h o s h ( w o m e n ’ s 1 0 m a i r r i f l e ) s e c u r e d t h e O l y m p i c q u o t a s T h e 5 0 m p i s t o l women's team comprising Tiyana, Sakshi Suryavanshi and Kirandeep Kaur capped off India’s campaign with a gold medal finish Amanpreet Singh won a gold medal in the men ’ s 25m standard pistol while Shiva N a r w a l a n d E s h a S i n g h bagged gold medal in the mixed 10m air pistol team event The Indian women ’ s trio of Rhythm Sangwan, E s h a S i n g h a n d M a n u B h a k e r a l s o c l i n c h e d t h e gold medal in the women's 25m standard pistol event T h e 5 0 m r i f l e 3 p o s i t i o n s m e n ’ s t e a m o f A i s h w a r y P r a t a p S i n g h T o m a r , N i r a j K u m a r a n d Akhil Sheoran and Mehuli Ghosh, Tilottama Sen and R a m i t a , w h o t o p p e d t h e p o d i u m i n t h e w o m e n ’ s 10m air rifle team event, accounted for India’s other gold medals in Baku

India to play against England, Dutch in World Cup warmups

Prior t o their O DI Wor ld C up ope ne r aga inst Austr alia , India will play two san ctione d ex hibition ga mes ag ainst England an d the Net her lan ds, th e ICC a nnoun ce d The two-time champions Ind ia will pla y a gainst the r eign ing champion Englan d on Sept ember 30 a t the Ba rsapar a Cricke t St adium in G u w a h a t i T h e n , o n O ct ob e r 3 , t h e y wi ll t r a v e l t o Thiruva nan tha puram t o t ak e on the Net herlan ds

The official warm-up games for all 10 countries will take p l a c e a t t h r e e d i f f e r e n t l o c a t i o n s - G u w a h a t i , Thiruvananthapuram, and Hyderabad - before the World Cup opening between New Zealand and England on October 5 in Ahmedabad “The 10 teams will each play two official 50over contests during the week leading up to the start of the World Cup on October 5, with matches to be held in three different cities across India,” the ICC said in a release

“The matches will be held in Guwahati, Hyderabad and Thiruvananthapuram between 29 September and 3 October

Many athletes dropped from India's Asian Games squad

The Ind ian m en's weig htlifting team , w hich i nc lu d e d Bi r m i ng h a m C WG g o ld m ed a li s t Achinta Sheuli and N A jith , th e wom en's fencing team , wh ich inclu ded C A Bhavani Devi, and a nu m b er o f s p o rts , i n cl u d i ng m o d er n p entathlo n, triath lo n, and taekw ond o , w ere remov ed from the Indian d elegation for th e upcom ing Asian Games in Hangzho u T hey all failed to fullfil the spo rts m inistry’s selectio n criteria wh ich state that athletes’ perform ance in ind ivid ual events during th e last 12 m onths “should not fall below the perform ance achieved by th e eighth position ho ld er in the 201 8 Asian Games”

Similarly, several other athletes have missed out on Asiad participation, notably in tennis, basketball and handball events In weightlifting, only the women ’ s team of Saikhom Mirabai Chanu (49kg) and Bindiyarani Devi (55kg) has been cleared for the Games Rejecting the men ’ s team’s participation, the ministry noted: “Sheuli (73kg) lifted 305kg in Asian Championships held in May 2023 and N Ajith (73kg) lifted 307kg Also, in selection trials held on June 30 2023, Sheuli lifted a lesser weight (305kg) than Ajith (310kg) in the same weight category Hence, Sheuli may n o t b e r e c o m m e n d e d c o n s i d e r i n g r e c e n t performances ”

Neeraj Chopra Brij Bhushan