India News - April 16-30, 2023

Humans will soon upload consciousness in computers: Indian-origin scientist

claims an Indian-origin computer scientist.

Dr Pratik Desai has asked people to start recording their loved ones' voices, which will "live" even after their death.

New Delhi, April 11 (IANS)

Humans will be able to upload consciousness and sensibility in computers by the end of 2023,

In other words, users can create a computerised avatar that resembles their loved one before their death, which can live forever on their screens.

"Start regularly recording your parents, elders and loved ones," Desai recently wrote on Twitter. "With enough transcript data, new voice synthesis and video models, there is a 100 per cent chance that they will live with you forever after leaving physical body. "This should be even possible by end of the year," he noted.

Sitharaman lists progress on key G20 issues during India’s presidency

its latest global outlook report, downgrading global growth forecast to 2.8 percent for 2023, Chalmers said Australia will not be immune from global headwinds, reports Xinhua news agency.

Washington, April 14 (IANS)

Finance Minister Nirmala

Sitharaman on Thursday expressed satisfaction with the

progress on multiple subjects that were discussed at the second meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bankers that took place here under the presidency of India, including the vexatious issue of sovereign debt servicing. Sitharaman said that at a roundtable discussion on debt servicing on Wednesday was "absolutely positive" with all stakeholders, including China,

"positively engaged".

The first meeting of the G20 finance ministers and central bankers had taken place in Bengaluru in February and because of the lack of unanimity among the members over the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the group failed to issue a joint statement and had gone instead

Women’s FIFA World Cup 2023

The excitement of the women’s FIFA world cup is spreading all over Brisbane. Less than 100 days to go until the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 which kicks off in Australia and New Zealand. It is a spectacular event with 64 matches featuring 32 nations to be played across 9 Host Cities and the

Matildas will be opening the game against the Republic of Ireland at Sydney Stadium Australia on 20 July.

At the King George Square in Brisbane, many had a try at the game and showed their support

Canberra, April 12 (IANS)

Australia's Treasurer Jim Chalmers on Wednesday said the country will avoid a recession but warned the economy will slow significantly.

Speaking after the International Monetary Fund (IMF) released

Australia's gross domestic product grew by about 2.7 per cent in 2022, and the IMF expects growth to fall to 1.6 percent in 2023 and 1.7 per cent in 2024. The forecast is in line with projections from the Treasury, which has predicted a 1.5 per cent growth in 2023 and 2024.

Albanese makes it to Times’ most influential people list

has featured in Times magazine’s list of most influential people, for which he got called “a symbol of hope and inspiration” by Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as reported by Sky News Host Erin Molan.

“It is quite bizarre, because some of the things he has said he wants to do, if he pulls them off will be quite incredible … but you got to do it, there’s also some things he said he’ll do and do by now that he doesn’t,” Ms Molan said. “I think it’s a little early maybe.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

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Sitharaman lists progress on key G20 issues during India’s presidency

Continued from Page 1

with a "Chair's statement", which is India's statement summarising the discussions.

The second meeting took place here in Washington D.C. on the sidelines of the annual World Bank Group's Spring Meetings this week. And the bar was set decidedly low to perhaps prevent a repeat of Bengaluru.

"We were very clear that we are not talking about communique or chair's statement," Sitharaman said.

A Co-Chairs Press Statement issued by the three hosts of the roundtable -- India as the G20 chair and the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank -- said that among other things members vowed to "urgently improve information sharing including on macroeconomic projections and debt sustainability assessments at an early stage of the process".

Global debt -- money owed by both countries and nongovernment entities -- stood at $235 trillion in 2022, according to IMF's debt database.

Though not as listed by the fund, worst cases of sovereign debt -- money owed by countries -are Lebanon, Russia, Sri Lanka, Suriname and Zambia, which are officially in default; and Argentina, Ghana, Pakistan, and El Salvador may be on the brink.

The IMF estimates that 15 per cent of low-income countries are in debt distress and negotiations to help them resolve their obligations through restructured repayment plans are in a standoff between Western-backed multilateral lenders like the Fund and China, which is a top bilateral lender to developing countries. Beijing wants these institutions to take losses, "haircuts", to bail out nations in distress.

The second meeting of G20 finance minister and bank chiefs gave a renewed push to the efforts to end the standoff. And despite an absent joint statement, all participants, including China, were "positively engaged", as the Minister said.

Sitharaman also expressed satisfaction with progress on five other issues that India is prioritising since it took over the G20 presidency. Reforming multilateral development banks was second. It's an issue that India chose to focus on during its presidency.

The Minister said it's been "very well received" and cited as proof the acceptance of an expert committee that has been set up to lay out the path forward -comprising Lawrence Summers, an American economist who served as Treasury Secretary, and N.K. Singh, an Indian bureaucrat and economist. Their report is expected by July.

Australia will avoid recession but economy to slow

Climate finance was Sitharaman's third. "This discussion on climate finance is also moving in a very positive direction, not just the current flow, but also the quantum that is required for meeting current climate challenges. And also looking at transitional costs, the technology that is required."

India has been critical of advanced economies who have failed to fulfill their commitments to a green fund set up to help less developed economies -and therefore, less polluting historically -- meet their selfdetermined goals to mitigate emission of greenhouse gases. The fourth, the Minister said, was the Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion -- a 2010 G20 initiative on financial inclusion. "We've had discussions in Bengaluru and we are having the discussions here as well. Leveraging DPI -- that is Digital Public Infrastructure -- for achieving global financial inclusion, is a subject which every country has taken keen interest in, and people are looking at how best they can catch up with bringing inclusion through the use of technology." The fifth, Sitharaman said, is the issue of international taxation. It's about how to tax e-companies such as Amazon that are based in one geographical location but have businesses around the world.

Aritjit Singh Concert enthralls around 6500 fans in Brisbane

Bollywood sensation Arijit Singh performed in Brisbane at the Brisbane Entertainment Center in front of a jam packed auditorium filled with around 6500 fans. It was one of his very rare concerts which entertained the audience to the fullest, keeping them on their feet and

enthralling the entire audience. What amazed all the Arijit fans was his energy along with his band and crew who tirelessly and non stop performed for four hours which is rare to witness when singers come to perform in Austrailia. This is commendable for Bollywood Aritists when they

significantly:

Continued from Page 1

"The situation in the world has become more complex and more challenging even over the course of the last few months, and so we won't be completely immune from that," Chalmers told the local media on Wednesday ahead of flying to Washington for meetings with his G20 counterparts.

"The Treasury does expect our own economy to slow considerably later this year because of that combination of a slowing global economy and the impact of higher interest rates

Treasurer

here at home as well."

Chalmers in May will hand down his second federal budget since taking office in 2022.

He said the government had to thread the needle on providing cost-of-living relief for Australians without adding to inflation.

"We need to lay the foundations for future growth in our economy, at the same time as we try and make ourselves more resilient to these sorts of international shocks," he said.

Women’s FIFA World Cup 2023

Continued from Page 1

for FIFA to unfold in Brisbane. It was a good way not only to make people aware of the games but also motivate young women to try and take up the sport. It was also amazing to see young girls

enjoy the sport in the small pitch constructed in the King George Square arena.

It definitely will be an exciting time in July when women's teams from the 32 nations will compete for the World Cup.

Humans will soon upload consciousness in computers: Indian-origin scientist

Continued from Page 1

Desai is not the only one who has claimed this.

are here in Australia. In the past, many of the singers from Bollywood, or South Asia when they have performed, have only performed for a couple of hours but none had ever performed for over four hours non-stop. The attraction in this concert

Continued on Page 5

Previously, metaverse company Somnium Space offered an AIbased "live forever" mode. It aims to allow individuals to talk with their loved ones in the metaverse. In an interview with Motherboard, the company's founder and CEO Artur Sychov said his project will allow people to store the way they talk, move, and sound until after they die, when they can come back from the dead as an online avatar to speak with their relatives.

"Literally, if I die -- and I have this data collected -- people can come

or my kids, they can come in, and they can have a conversation with my avatar, with my movements, with my voice," Sychov was quoted as saying to Vice. "You will meet the person. And you would maybe for the first 10 minutes while talking to that person, you would not know that it's actually AI. That's the goal," he added. Another US-based company Deepbrain has also developed a programme called "Re;memory" which allows users the opportunity to walk down a memorial hall dedicated to a late loved one and even interact with the person "through an actual conversation".

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New research shows healthy black-throated finch populations at the Carmichael mine

World-first research into the Black-throated finch has found populations of the bird are thriving at Bravus Mining and Resources’ Carmichael mine. Bravus Mining and Resources has used the latest findings from three years of expert on-the-ground science to update its Black-throated Finch Management Plan, which is one of many State and Commonwealth regulatory documents that form the operation’s rigorous environmental approvals.

The number of habitat condition monitoring sites has more than doubled to 40 under the revised Management Plan, and the research ecologists will add motion-sensing cameras at water troughs and at small water bodies to the cutting-edge bioacoustics and automated radio telemetry tech already in use. The time researchers spend watching water sources have also been amended to 9am-midday after results showed that was when the vast majority of birds were coming to drink. The team will now use the earlier hours of the day – when the birds are foraging for grass seed – to gather

extra behavioural data that is used to inform land management activities.

The updates to the Management Plan were made in consultation with the Queensland Department of Environment and Science, and with feedback from the Blackthroated Finch Recovery Team.

In all, the amendments build on the thousands of hours Bravus Mining and Resources has spent monitoring the species within the non-mined areas of the company’s leases and 33,000-hectare conservation area over a total of 12 years.

Bravus Mining and Resources

Chief Operating Officer Mick Crowe said the data collected to date from 449 individual birds fitted with a radio transmitter or uniquely identifiable coloured band showed the populations of finches local to the mine were doing well.

“The Carmichael mine has some of the strictest environmental conditions of any resources project in Australia’s history,” Mr Crowe said.

“As part of those conditions we developed a targeted

Management Plan to protect local Black-throated finches and their habitat, and the research we’ve done over many years now shows those plans are working and the finches are thriving.

“Importantly, the work we’re doing is also unlocking new scientific understanding about the species that the Queensland Government and others can use to improve management of finch populations elsewhere in the State.

“One example is that cultural fire burning practices, which we conduct in partnership with First Nations business Woongal Environmental Services, improve finch habitat by encouraging the regeneration of important finch food species.

“As we better understand the ecology of this fascinating native bird, it’s only appropriate that we use that knowledge to update the Management Plan to ensure it continues to be world’s best practice, and that’s what we’ve done here.

“Queenslanders can be confident we are mining in a way that is responsible and protects the environment so we can continue to create local jobs and business opportunities for generations.”

Bravus Mining & Resources’ approvals and the Black-throated Finch Management Plan

• The Black-throated Finch is a small native bird known for a distinctive black mark beneath its beak. The finch is found in the Townsville region and in the Brigalow Belt and Desert Uplands bioregions.

• The finch is also found near Bravus Mining and Resources’ Carmichael mine.

• Carmichael has some of the strictest environmental conditions ever imposed on a

mining project in Australia.

• And as part of the comprehensive State and Commonwealth approvals processes for the mine, Bravus developed a targeted Management Plan to monitor, understand, and ultimately protect the population of local Black-throated Finches and their habitat.

• That Plan was based on seven years of expert ecological studies and includes both

practical actions such as weed management, fire management, grazing management and enhancing water source locations as well as a five-year-long research component led by world experts.

• Bravus Mining and Resources’ Black-throated Finch research program started in 2020 and is unlocking new scientific insights into this fascinating native bird. The program is to run for five years.

• The Carmichael mine is producing high quality coal for export to nations around the world that want to lift their people out of energy poverty.

• The mine continues to safely and efficiently ramp up to its constructed level of production which is in the order of 10 million tonnes per annum.

• Townsville and Rockhampton remain the primary employment hubs for the Carmichael mine and

we continue to recruit workers who can drive to site from the Isaac Region.

• More than 2,600 people were employed and more than A$1 billion paid to regional Queensland contractors and businesses since construction

began on the Carmichael project in 2019.

• Although the primary construction phase is finished, Carmichael still has more than 750 people on site at any time while another third are on days off.

• Carmichael coal is high quality with low sulphur, low trace elements and low ash which meets the import requirements of many international markets, including those in the AsiaPacific region.

New research shows healthy black-throated finch populations at the Carmichael mine

New research shows healthy black-throated finch populations at the Carmichael mine

Black-throated Finches on Bravus Mining and Resources’ Carmichael Mining Lease.

The Carmichael mine

Director-General Neil Scales OBE delivers leadership briefing in Springfield

Neil Scales OBE, Director-General of Queensland’s Department of Transport and Main Roads, joined Mr Maha Sinnathamby, Springfield City Group, for a leadership briefing on April 5 in Springfield.

Neil delivered on a strong vision for a single integrated transport network accessible to all and also spoke on authentic leadership in times of radical uncertainty.

Aritjit Singh Concert enthralls around 6500 fans in Brisbane

Continued from Page

was underpinned by Arijit Singh’s appeal not only amongst the young generation of fans but also elderly and young adults and parents who all as diehard fans of Arijit Singh’s songs. This concert was unique because he not only played and

sang his own Bollywood songs but also of his co-singers and legendary singers like Kishore Kumar, Shailendra Singh, Lata Mangeshkar , Mukesh weaving it into a melodious and engaging medley. It will be a fair assessment to say that Arijit Singh

captured the hearts of those fans who descended upon the Brisbane Entertainment Center to listen to his magical voice.

After the concert there were a few lucky fans who met with Arijit Singh. One of the key sponsors of the event was Mahindra

Automotive lead by Mr. Ankit Taneja, the country head for the Mahindra Automotive in Australia. Amongst the audience present were some of the key Indian community members including Dr. Ashutosh Misra, Shweta Misra, Pinky Singh, Seema

Chauhan, Varun Gupta, Namrata Gupta , Arindram Chatterjee, Samita Chatterjee, Su Basu , Manu Kala and Karthik Pratap Singh. Indian honorary consul general Mrs. Archana Singh was also present amongst the key guests at the concert.

Cryptocurrencies important part of a discussion under India’s G20 presidency: Sitharaman

New Delhi, April 11 (IANS) Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said that cryptocurrencies are a very important part of the discussion under India's G20 presidency.

"Given so many collapses and shocks in cryptocurrencies. We seek to develop a common framework for all countries to deal with this matter," she said in Washington while participating in a roundtable meeting on the theme 'Investment opportunities for the long term: India on the Rise' with business leaders and investors.

It was hosted by industry body CII, US India Business Council and US Chamber.

The roundtable was attended by a diverse set of investors, including

senior executives, private sector business leaders, venture capitalists, institutional investors, and representatives of pension and endowment funds.

Sitharaman apprised the group of the journey of India's conscious policy choices and structural and governance reforms that laid the foundation for the Indian economy to support growth at its full potential.

"Free trade agreements are being signed in a much faster way nowadays. We've just concluded one with Australia. Earlier we concluded with UAE, Mauritius and with ASEAN. We have extended the quota-free and tariff-free regime to least developed countries," she said.

The finance minister also

highlighted India's robust digital public infrastructure such as Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) and Account Aggregator platform, which have enabled small entrepreneurs to access credit and other digital services.

In a world full of post-pandemic challenges, she said that India offers policy certainty, skilled manpower, high digital tech adaption rate resulting in a host of opportunities for investment. Sitharaman exhorted the participants to become part of India's exciting transformational journey towards greater prosperity, better standards of living for its citizens and higher returns for investors.

Kerala HC refuses to expunge suggestions to Google

The court passed the right to be forgotten judgment on December 22, 2022, which dealt with the manner in which the right applies to publication of court judgments and proceedings, in the absence of any specific legislation.

K’taka BJP faces rebellion after announcement of 1st list, Cong ready to poach

Kochi, April 12 (IANS) A division bench of the Kerala High Court has refused to expunge an observation in its 2022 judgment on the right to be forgotten in which it had suggested that Google can use Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to identify and remove private information from court documents and judgments.

The bench also disposed of the petition filed by Google seeking to review the said judgment.

The search engine platform was upset by another observation in it which said that Google cannot claim to be a mere content blind intermediary and shirk all responsibility when it comes to

right to privacy.

"The above rule also requires Google to remove contents based on a court order. In light of the above, it is clear that our observations do not run contrary to the statutory scheme," said the bench.

Regarding the court's observation in the said judgment that "Google can deploy AI (Artificial Intelligence) tools to identify and locate data", the court said that it can be construed as only a suggestion and not a demand.

"These are all matters which will have to be decided in future in the absence of any legislation, inappropriate litigation," clarified the bench.

The judgment was delivered on a bunch of pleas moved by litigants seeking the erasure of their personal details that were appearing on Google search and on the legal resource website Indian Kanoon, despite their acquittal in those cases.

Some of the petitioners in the batch of pleas were involved in matrimonial and custody disputes.

"We cannot hold that Google is content blind to the publications made online; can they allow any prohibited nature of content to appear online? For example, paedophilic content," pointed out the court.

Moreover, it opined that in the era of Artificial Intelligence (AI), it is quite possible for Google to identify the nature of the content and remove the same.

Himachal to provide grants to widows for house construction

Shimla, April 12 (IANS) The Himachal Pradesh government will soon launch a new scheme, Mukhyamantri Vidhwa Evam Ekal Nari Awas Yojna, to provide financial assistance to widows and single women for the construction of houses.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu on Wednesday said the government would provide Rs 1.5 lakh financial assistance to nearly 7,000 women in this fiscal. To avail benefits, the eligible women must have an annual

income of less than Rs 2 lakh. The Women and Child Development Department is finalizing modalities of the scheme.

The Chief Minister said the initiative will provide muchneeded support to the women who often face difficulties in accessing housing due to financial constraints. With the financial assistance under this scheme, the women will now be able to construct their own homes, which will not only provide them with a safe and secure living space

but also a sense of ownership and empowerment of women, he added.Moreover, the houses constructed under this scheme will be equipped with basic facilities such as electricity, water, and other necessary amenities, which would ensure that the women have access to essential resources that are required for their daily lives.

The scheme is a step towards improving the living conditions of widows and single women and providing them with the support they need to lead a dignified life, an official statement quoting the Chief Minister said.

Bengaluru, April 12 (IANS) Even as the BJP is facing rebellion from some senior leaders, who have not been given the tickets to contest the Assembly poll, the Congress is ready to poach disgruntled leaders, sources have said.

BJP MLC and former Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi has announced that he will resign, and former CM Jagadish Shettar has also stated that he will contest elections no matter what. The rebellious move of both the leaders is expected to cause serious damage to the party in north Karnataka and Kittur Karnataka region. Both leaders hail from the Lingayat community and have been with the BJP party for decades.

On the other hand, the Congress party is all set to poach BJP sitting MLAs, who are not given tickets. The party had already approached Savadi and was also in touch with other senior leaders, sources said.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai commenting on the developments, stated on Wednesday that he is hopeful of retaining both the leaders in the

party. Reacting to Savadi's threat to resign, Bommai said that he has spoken to him.

"I have conveyed not to make hasty decisions. I have confidence that Laxman Savadi, who has had an emotional bond with the BJP party for a long time, has a good future in the party. The party has never abandoned him. The decision had been taken to keep the word which was given at the time of the BJP party assuming power in 2019," CM Bommai explained.

Shettar is visiting New Delhi after he was denied a ticket from Hubballi-Dharwad constituency. "The high command will speak with him and everything will be alright," the CM stated.

CM Bommai clarified that he never wanted to join the Congress and the discussion in this regard is irrelevant. He maintained that after the announcement of the first list, the confidence among party workers and people has only increased. "We will get a majority and also win 10-15 seats more than what is required to attain a majority in the state," he said.

Don’t use interim order to mislead consumers on service charge: Delhi HC

manner to mislead the consumer that the service charge has been approved by this court," Justice Singh said.

New Delhi, April 12 (IANS) The Delhi High Court on Wednesday said its interim order staying the guidelines of Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), that prohibit the hotels and restaurants from levying service charges "automatically or by default" on bills, shall not be shown on the menu cards or display boards in a manner to mislead the consumers that the service charge has been approved by the court.

Justice Prathiba M. Singh was hearing the petitions filed by Federation of Hotels and Restaurant Associations of India and National Restaurant Association of India challenging the CCPA's rules released on July 4 last year, which the high court stayed later that month.

A co-ordinate bench stayed the guidelines while specifying that the service charge and obligation of the customer to pay it must be "duly and prominently displayed on the menu or other places".

"It is clarified that the interim order shall not be shown in the display board or menu card in a

During the hearing, Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma submitted that various restaurants are "misinterpreting the interim order" by using it to give legitimacy to levy of the service charge.

Both Associations were ordered by Justice Singh to produce an affidavit stating the proportion of their members who are requiring the service charge as a requirement on meal bills.

The court further stated that the response must state whether the members would object if the term "service charge" were to be replaced with another term, such as "staff welfare fund, staff welfare contribution, or staff charges", in order to prevent consumers from assuming that the fee is being levied by the government.

"The affidavit shall also indicate the percentage of members who are willing to inform the consumers that the service charge is not mandatory and they can contribute voluntarily."

The judge then listed he matter for the next hearing on July 24.

"For a long time, most of us thought that the service charge is being taken by the government. That is where the problem is because people think service charge is like a service tax. A consumer doesn't know the

difference between service tax, GST etc. because people think it is being taken by the government. I have come across a lot of people who think like that," the court said.

The Centre had earlier argued that the recommendations were released in the best interests of consumers and urged the court to take the matter into consideration, including its plea for the vacation of the stay order. It had further apprised the court that certain restaurants were currently relying on the interim order to create the image that they are permitted to impose service charges.

Justice Singh had said that without hearing the parties, the interim order cannot be modified and added that the application for a vacation of stay shall be taken into consideration if the main case cannot be heard on the next date.

Counsel appearing for the petitioners had said the service charge, which has been in existence for the last several years, is a "traditional charge" and is distributed among those who "are not before the customers", and restaurants are seeking it after displaying due notice of the same on their menu cards and in their premises.

The petitioners had further claimed that the CCPA's order is arbitrary, untenable and ought to be quashed.

PM flags off poll-bound Rajasthan’s first Vande Bharat train

This is the sixth Vande Bharat train in the last two months to have been flagged off by the Prime Minister.

Incidentally, all the three trains --Ajmer-Delhi Cantonment Vande Bharat express, Rani Kamlapati-Hazrat Nizammuddin Vande Bharat express and Secunderabad-Tirupati Vande Bharat express -- cater to the needs of three poll-bound states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana respectively.

Lucknow, April 12 (IANS) Always known to lag behind other parties in declaring candidates for elections, the Congress in Uttar Pradesh has taken a lead this time by announcing candidates for 15 wards of Lucknow.

Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) president Brijlal Khabri said, "Yes, we have shortlisted candidates for all the seats in 17 municipal corporations, 199 municipal boards (Nagar Palika Parishad) and 544 town areas (Nagar Panchayats) of the state. Though a list of the party's organisational teams is yet to be released, we have informed the new office-

bearers about the work allocation through phone."

The Congress is making a desperate bid to improve its performance and make the party an important player in the urban local bodies polls, scheduled on May 4 and 11 in Uttar Pradesh.

At present, poor organisational structure at different levels poses a big challenge for the party as it is still in the process of constituting teams at state, zonal and district levels for the urban local body elections.

Meanwhile, a scrutiny of performance of different political parties indicates that the Congress had put up a poor show in 2017 urban local body elections. The Congress had failed to win any seat of Mayor in the state with 17 municipal corporations.

The UP Congress has also opened a 'war room' on the premises of its headquarters in Lucknow to organise and monitor the ongoing month-long 'Jai Bharat Satyagraha' campaign in the state. The initiative is a part of the panIndia drive launched by the party on March 29.

New Delhi, April 12 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off poll-bound Rajasthan's first Vande Bharat express on Wednesday.

While launching the train between Ajmer and Delhi Cantonment through video conferencing, the Prime Minister lamented that "an important and basic need of the citizens like railways was turned into an arena of politics for a long time".

PM Modi said, "India inherited a fairly big railway network at the time of Independence, but political interest dominated the need for modernisation in the years after independence".

"Politics was evident in the

selection of railway minister, announcement of trains and even in recruitments. Land acquisition was done under the false pretense of railway jobs and many unmanned crossings continued for a very long time and cleanliness and safety took a back seat," he said while alluding to the land for job scam, in which former railway minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family members are being probed.

"The situation took a turn for the better after 2014 when people elected a stable government with full majority, when the pressure of political give and take receded, railway heaved a sigh of relief and sprinted to new heights," Modi said.

All the three states are scheduled to witness Assembly elections later this year.

Meanwhile, Modi remarked that the railway budget for Rajasthan has been increased 14 times since 2014, from Rs 700 crore in 2014 to more than Rs 9,500 crore this year.

Addressing the gathering, Modi congratulated the land of valour Rajasthan for getting its first Vande Bharat Train, which he said, will not only ease the travel between Jaipur Delhi but will also give a push to the tourism industry of Rajasthan, as it will facilitate faster access to places of faith like Theerthraj Pushkar and Ajmer Sharif.

Mumbai, April 12 (IANS)

Renowned industrialist Keshub

Mahindra, the Chairman

Emeritus of the industrial conglomerate Mahindra Group, passed away here on Wednesday morning, an official said. He was 99 and breathed his last peacefully at his home. He is survived by nephew and industrialist Anand Mahindra and other relatives.

A well-known philanthropist, Mahindra had served as the non-executive Chairman of the Union Carbide India Ltd. when the massive Bhopal gas leak had occurred in December 1984.

Ranked as the world's worst industrial disaster, Mahindra and others were later convicted by a court for two years' jail term in 2010, and later enlarged on bail.

Born on October 9, 1923 in Shimla, Mahindra pursued his higher education in the Wharton School of University of Pennsylvania.

Subsequently, he joined the Mahindra & Mahindra Group in 1947, and rose up to become its Chairman in 1963.

Over the years, the Mahindra Group became a leading conglomerate with interests comprising automobiles, starting with its popular Willys jeeps that ruled the roads once, engineering, farm equipment, education, aerospace, IT, housing, realty, finances, etc.

Keshub Mahindra worked on various high-level government committees and panels with various governments, and was on the PM's Council on Trade and Industry from 2004-2010. He was decorated with several national and international honours, served with several industry organisations and associations like ASSOCHAM, HUDCO, and also on the boards of top companies like Tatas, SAIL, IFC, ICICI, HDFC, EFI, AIMA, Bombay Dyeing, Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation, et al.

Delhi NGO KHUSHII to celebrate its 20th anniversary UN commission explores threats to global education

objet d'art.

New Delhi, April 12 (IANSlife) A Delhi-based non-governmental organisation 'KHUSHII' is all set to celebrate its 20th anniversary of keeping children in school and advocating for gender equality on April 12.

The organisation which was conceptualised by Kapil Dev, Harveen Kapoor, and Vandana Luthra amongst four others in 2003, began its journey with 1,200 beneficiaries and is at 93,000 today.

KHUSHII which has about 93 thousand children under its care is aiming to reach 2.5 lakh by the end of 2025. A step towards this goal, and to build brighter futures for the less privileged children, the evening aims to honour the milestone and raise funds for the same.

The evening will have an exquisite exhibition of specially curated art and a limited-piece auction of exclusive sports memorabilia and

To mark the evening, Minu Bakshi, a long-standing patron of KHUSHII, will be giving a short musical performance representing the Kiran Nadar, the visionary behind the iconic Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in Delhi, will be delivering a special talk on Philanthropy and Art, post which Rani Kohenur will address the audience with the important cause of KHUSHII's Gender Equality along with a short couplet to celebrate the cause. The highlight for the evening is the 'Walk for KHUSHII', for which Bollywood actress Karisma Kapoor will be gracing the ramp and closing the show in a Varun Bahl Couture outfit.

Looking forward to the occasion, Karisma Kapoor said, "I have always been attached to philanthropic work and the cause of children and education is one that is close to my heart. When KHUSHII reached out to me for their 20th Anniversary gratitude evening, the decision came to me very naturally. I am grateful for the NGO to be making a change and nurturing and envisioning a brighter future for the children. I

am also so pleased to be walking for Couturier Varun Bahl for the 'Walk of KHUSHII'. Looking forward to the evening and a change, one day at a time."

The walk will also see an esteemed set of ambassadors of charity who will be dressed by Iconic Couturier Varun Bahl, and Designers Gauri and Nainika.

"The unending generosity and continued warmth that our patrons and corporates have been extending to Khushii over all these is in itself a huge sign of encouragement to all of us who are associated with the NGO. It speaks strongly of their belief in our cause and drives us to do more because in our country, there is truly so much we can do!" says Harveen Kapoor, Founder of KHUSHII.

Expressing his gratitude on this momentous occasion, "We want to reach out to every person we can, every child we can, to bring alive the joys in their lives - because we strive and live to build a better tomorrow, every day, every moment, and transform society through Education and Holistic Development of communities," says Kapil Dev, Chairperson of KHUSHII.

Teachers’ scam: Kuntal Ghosh files complaint alleging pressure from central agencies

the matter.

Ghosh on Wednesday forwarded the complaint to the Hasting Police Station through the superintendent of Presidency Central Correctional Home in Kolkata, where he is currently under judicial custody.

Last week, he had written a similar letter making allegations to the judge of a special court in Kolkata.

United Nations, April 11 (IANS) The UN's Commission on Population and Development (CPD) has started examining the various threats to the achievement of the global educational goal, stressing the importance of quality and inclusive education for women and girls.

UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed warned that the goal of achieving quality education for all by 2030 is "seriously off track", with 263 million children and young people out of school, reports Xinhua news agency.

Mohammed made the statement at the latest CPD session, held at the UN headquarters in New York, where the issue is under scrutiny this week. The current session, its 56th, will conclude on Friday.

Mohammed highlighted the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan, who have been banned from high school and university, calling it "one of the gravest educational challenges of our time".

Kanem highlighted the significance of safeguarding education for everyone, including comprehensive sexuality education (CSE), which equips young people with information and skills to develop healthy and positive relationships.

CSE empowers girls to avoid unintended pregnancies and encourages both genders to stay in school, among other benefits.

She emphasized that providing people with knowledge and power to manage their own reproductive rights and choices leads to improved development outcomes.

A pre-recorded message from UN Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) head Li Junhua outlined how population dynamics affect education, citing millions not in school and low math and reading proficiency as examples.

There are some parts of the world, where public financing capacity is limited, where a rapidly growing school-aged population makes achieving education goals more difficult, he said.

Meanwhile, other places have experienced relative declines in this sector of the population, resulting in less pressure on education budgets, which has opened up opportunities to boost investments geared toward young people and adults alike.

Kolkata, April 12 (IANS) Kuntal Ghosh, the expelled youth Trinamool Congress who has been arrested in connection with the multi-crore teachers' recruitment scam in West Bengal, filed a complaint alleging pressure by central agencies to name senior party leaders, including national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, in

Ghosh started making such allegations after Abhishek Banerjee, while addressing a rally of the youth and the student wings of Trinamool Congress, alleged that during the investigation of Saradha chit fund scam, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) sleuths had put pressure on party leaders like Madan Mitra to name him.

However, questions have been raised on why Ghosh or his counsel had not raised this allegation within the court during the course of hearings for so many days.

The day Ghosh had sent the letter to a judge of the special court, the CBI counsel submitted in the same court details of the different rate charts charged by expelled leader and his associates in increasing the marks in the written examinations for the teachers' eligibility test (TET) for the recruitment of primary teachers.

The CBI also handed over the case diary to the court and claimed that all the details on this count were mentioned in it.

The next date of hearing in the case is April 20.

She stressed the need "to transform the education system" to equip current and future generations with the skills they need to thrive in a fast-changing world.

She also called for initiatives to make all learners "climate-ready" and connected to the internet and digital innovation, especially for girls and women from the Global South who are the most excluded. The importance of inclusive education for women and girls in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics was also emphasized by Mohammed and Natalia Kanem, executive director of the UN Population Fund. They noted that education is a "door opener" and "life changer" for vulnerable women and girls, reducing the risk of harmful practices and increasing health, income, and participation in the formal labour market.

The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed weaknesses in education systems, resulting in large cuts in public spending on education in low and lower-income countries, leading to deprived access to learning, particularly for children and young people.

Li called for investing in digital literacy and closing the digital divide, along with increasing access to the internet and digital technologies for education. The pandemic, together with conflict, climate change and rising food insecurity, have further deepened inequalities, said Qu Xing, deputy directorgeneral of the Unesco.

This situation has led to a dual crisis affecting learning and wellbeing, he noted, again citing the staggering out-of-school figures and factors mentioned previously, such as unintended pregnancies, he noted.

Develop model for menstrual hygiene for girls in schools for all states, SC to Centre

a model for all state and Union Territories (UTs) in connection with menstrual hygiene for girls studying in schools.

A bench of Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and comprising Justices P.S. Narasimha and J.B.

a national policy.

New Delhi, April 10 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Central government to formulate standard operating procedures (SOPs) and develop

Pardiwala appointed the Union Health and Family Welfare Secretary as the nodal officer to coordinate with all the states and UTs. The bench said the nodal officer will collect data to develop

During the hearing in the matter, the bench said the issue is of immense importance and the government should engage with all stakeholders for menstrual hygiene in schools, including government and governmentaided schools, and also give leeway to states and UTs to modify the scheme as per their local needs.

The top court directed all states

and UTs to bring on record their menstrual hygiene management strategies and plans and also noted that Ministries of Health and Family Welfare, Education, and Jal Shakti have schemes for menstrual hygiene.

The top court directed the Centre to file an updated status report by the end of July.

Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, representing the Centre, said different ministries

have guidelines and schemes dedicated to improve access to menstrual hygiene for young and adolescent girls. She stressed that the responsibility of providing health care services lies with state governments as public health is a state subject. In an affidavit, the Health Ministry has said that public health is a state subject and the responsibility of providing healthcare services is that of respective state governments.

MAKE IN INDIA

As world economies restart their engines in a bid to regain lost ground due to the Covid-19 pandemic, India too shows signs of economic buoyancy and promise. India’s Make in India initiative holds a key to the global economic revival, something that should interest Australian government ministries, corporate sector, entrepreneurs, institutions seeking R&D collaborations and Australia Inc in general, among others. India assumes greater importance as several major world economies including American, Japanese, German, British and South Korean look to move out and diversify their businesses from China. India has jumped to 63rd rank in the World Bank’s Ease of Development 2020 report, and has also been ranked as the 9th largest recipient of Foreign Direct Investment destinations in 2019 by the World Investment Report 2020 of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

ISRO’s reusable rocket mission boosts indigenous tech

'SonaSPEED' team knew no bounds that its 25kW quadruplex 'Brushless DC' motor was used in the helicopter hoist for lifting RLV LEX to 4.5 km altitude and releasing for autonomous landing at the Aeronautical Test Range (ATR), Chitradurga, Karnataka in the early hours on April 2.

Bengaluru, April 4 (IANS) As India moved a step ahead in getting its own reusable launch vehicle or reusable rocket with the country's space agency successfully completing the Reusable Launch Vehicle Autonomous Landing Mission (RLV LEX), the entire country rejoiced at this unique milestone with several firsts. Barely 320 km away in Salem, Tamil Nadu, the joy of

"The team at Sona College of Technology's electrical and electronics engineering department recommits to developing and delivering indigenous technology products for mission critical applications,"

Professor N Kannan, Head, SonaSPEED, Sona College of Technology, told IANS on Tuesday. In a first in the world, a winged

Apple contribution to ‘Make in India’ smartphone reaches 25% in value terms

body has been carried to an altitude of 4.5 km by a helicopter and released for carrying out an autonomous landing on a runway. SonaSPEED motors have been part of many key missions of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

"Successful deployment of SonaSPEED brushless DC motors in ISRO's indigenous landing gear marks the arrival of 'Make in India' mission," said Chocko Valliappa, Founder and CEO, Technology and IT firm, Vee Technologies.

"Access to this homegrown technology spurs Vee Technologies' motor division to participate in India's defence sector with greater confidence," he added.

HP Inc to further boost its local manufacturing footprint in India: CEO

multiple PC products, including laptops in India, as part of the government's 'Make in India' initiative.

The company manufactures multiple models of laptops, desktop towers, mini desktops at the Flex facility in Sriperumbudur near Chennai, Tamil Nadu. HP is also manufacturing display monitors in the country.

New Delhi, March 29 (IANS) 'Make in India' shipments from Apple grew 65 per cent (on-year) by volume and 162 per cent by value, taking the brand's value share to 25 per cent in 2022, up from 12 per cent in 2021, a new report has shown. The contribution of exports in 'Make in India' smartphone shipments reached the highest ever in 2022 both in volume (20 per cent) and value terms (30 per cent), according to Counterpoint Research.

Overall, 'Make in India' smartphone shipments declined 3 per cent YoY in 2022 (JanuaryDecember) to reach 188 million units.

The major factor behind this decline was the softening of consumer demand due to macroeconomic headwinds, especially in the second half of the year.

"Apple's EMS (electronics manufacturing services) partners Foxconn Hon Hai and Wistron were the fastest growing manufacturers among the top 10 in Q4 2022. The growth was also fuelled by increasing exports from Apple," said senior research analyst Prachir Singh.

In Q4 2022, Samsung emerged as the top smartphone manufacturer, ahead of OPPO whose manufacturing shipments declined 31 per cent YoY due to inventory issues in the entry-tier segment. "Apple's EMS partners Foxconn Hon Hai, Wistron and Pegatron were among the top 10 EMS players in India in 2022 in terms of volume. In terms of value, Foxconn Hon Hai and Wistron led the EMS landscape," said Singh.

Both of these manufacturers also received the PLI incentive in the recent disbursements.

Chicago, March 30 (IANS) As supply chain disruptions continue to haunt tech companies globally, PC and printer major, HP Inc is bullish on manufacturing its next-gen range of products locally in India, to address the domestic market in a much better and efficient way, the company's CEO Enrique Lores has emphasised.

Lores told IANS that India is a key market for HP where growth continues to happen and the company continues to see more opportunities going forward.

"We will increase our manufacturing footprint in India to cater well to the domestic demand. Eventually, we see India manufacturing to help us better serve the rest of the world,"

Lores said during the company's flagship 'HP Amplify Partner Conference 2023' here. HP Inc is already manufacturing

The company led the Indian PC (excluding tablets) market with more than 30 per cent market share in both Q4 and full-year 2022, according to latest data from global market research firm Canalys.

The company is currently manufacturing a wide range of laptops in India, with products such as HP EliteBooks, HP ProBooks and HP G8 series notebooks.

It has also expanded its locallymanufactured commercial desktops by adding various models of desktop mini towers (MT), mini desktops (DM), small form factor (SFF) desktops and a range of All-in-One PCs. These products have both Intel and AMD processor options and cater to a wide range of customer segments.

HP partnered with supply chain and manufacturing solutions provider Flex to manufacture

commercial desktops in the country from August 2020. According to Lores, India offers a massive opportunity for the company.

"We will continue to invest in India which has always been one of the primary markets for us globally," the HP CEO told IANS. The PC and printer major is expanding its portfolio in manufacturing across multiple products within India in order to make sure that it plays a meaningful role in building the country as a global manufacturing hub.

The company has been working with the central and state governments in the mission to empower the lives of millions of citizens and enhance the community's quality of life. According to Lores, as large enterprises and small and medium businesses (SMBs) in India and elsewhere hit the refresh button in the post-pandemic times, digital transformation has entered top gear.

(Nishant Arora can be reached at nishant.a@ians.in)

New Delhi, March 22 (IANS)

Buoyed by attractive government incentives towards local manufacturing, India is all set to reach a remarkable $10 billion (over Rs 82,000 crore) worth smartphone exports in the fiscal year ending March 31, industry data showed on Wednesday.

According to the India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA), Apple's 'Make in India' smartphone now constitute 50 per cent of total exports.

Samsung is second with 40 per cent mobile exports while other smartphone players constitute 10 per cent export share.

Smartphone exports from India have doubled from a corresponding period from last fiscal year, driven by production-

linked incentive (PLI) schemes. The top five global destinations India currently exports mobile phones to are the UAE, the US, the Netherlands, the UK and Italy, according to the ICEA data.

"Efficacy and maturity of an industry is only judged with robust exports. Mobile phones policy and outreach initiatives have been relentless and the results are in front of us," Pankaj Mohindroo, Chairman of ICEA, told IANS.

"The mobile phone industry will cross $40 billion manufacturing output and 25 per cent exports at $10 billion is a stellar performance," he added. Reports surfaced earlier this year that Tim Cook-led Apple will quickly shift some of its China manufacturing to India and Vietnam in the next 2-3 years.

India is likely to produce 45-50 per cent of Apple's iPhones by 2027, at par with China, where 80-85 per cent of iPhones were produced in 2022.

India to cross $10 bn worth mobile exports in FY22-23, Apple leads at 50%

Thousands attend consecration ceremony at Hindu temple in Australia

Melbourne, April 12 (IANS)

Thousands of devotees from world-over gathered to attend the consecration ceremony at Sri Venkateswara Temple in Helensburgh, about 55 kilometres south of Sydney.

Held once every two decades, the Maha Kumbhabhishekam, marking the renovation and expansion of the temple, was witnessed by more than 20,000 Hindus, including 15 priests and visitors from Singapore, Malaysia

and Mauritius, the ABC News reported.

Sacred fires were lit during the event, which concluded on April 10, and priests climbed to the roof of the temple to pour holy water into golden pots.

"The significance of that is purifying not only the temple and deities but also the devotees who are watching the ceremony," temple director Subra Iyer told ABC News.

The AUS$3 million renovations

on the temple, built on top of a hilly area 400 feet above sea level, started in June last year. According to the news report, ten masons and painters were brought from India to construct and repair stone deities that inhabit the temple. The temple has been functioning since 1985 and has been a sacred place for Hindus living in Australia.

Aus state sees 7,741 traffic offences during Easter weekend

caught drunk and drug driving on this day alone.

Canberra, April 12 (IANS)

Australian Defence Force (ADF) chief Angus Campbell has declined to give details about how many soldiers could face criminal prosecution over alleged war crimes in Afghanistan, but warned of "uncomfortable days".

In a speech to a think tank, the Chief of the Defence Force said that the investigations continue, and the ADF needed to confront its failures, reports Xinhua news agency.

The Office of the Special Investigator (OSI), established in the wake of the report, has said it is investigating more than 40 alleged offenses.

"The OSI, which is working independently, has seen a first arrest and charging of a former soldier. You won't see me trying to gloss over these things, and I think that there could be some very uncomfortable days coming forward," Campbell added.

The 2020 inquiry report blamed the murders of "prisoners, farmers or civilians" in 2009-13 on an unchecked "warrior culture" among some soldiers.

Melbourne, April 12 (IANS) Police in the Australian state of Victoria said they detected 7,741 traffic offences, adding that two people

were killed on the roads over the long Easter weekend.

A five-day road policing operation was carried out from April 6-10, after this year saw a "shocking start" with 89 lives lost across the state, up 25 per cent on the five-year average, reports Xinhua news agency.

According to the police, Good Friday accounted for almost a quarter of all detections over the Easter period, with 101 motorists

More than a third of all offences detected were for speeding, with almost 80 per cent of motorists detected between 10km/h and 25km/h over the speed limit.

Mobile phone offences rose by 31 per cent from last year's Easter road policing operation with 343 motorists caught using their phones while driving. Meanwhile, 529 unauthorised drivers were removed from roads, including suspended, disqualified and unlicensed drivers.

Population of iconic Australian marsupial species doubles in 12 months

"But now we've had a bit of rain and there's things growing and stuff to eat, so those bilbies are doing a lot better which is great to see."

Last week, the federal government launched a new national strategy to protect the greater bilby from extinction.

Once with a natural habitat range covering two thirds of Australia, the bilby, a rabbit-like mammal that can grow up to 55 cm long, is now found in only 15 per cent of the country as a result of predation, land clearing and bushfires.

In 2020, Campbell released a four-year inquiry by Court of Appeal Justice Paul Brereton. Credible evidence was found that soldiers from the Australian special forces committed up to 39 murders while serving in the wartorn nation.

Altogether 19 soldiers were referred for criminal investigation.

It said 25 special forces soldiers had taken part in unlawful killings directly or as "accessories", across 23 separate incidents.

It recommended that 36 incidents in total be investigated by federal police.

Before Kabul's fall to the Taliban in August 2021, Australia maintained an operation of around 400 soldiers in Afghanistan.

Australia’s consumer confidence rises as rate hikes on hold

Canberra, April 11 (IANS) The population of the threatened greater bilby -- an iconic Australian marsupial species -- in protected areas across the nation has more than doubled in 12 months, a national census has found.

The annual census, which was undertaken by the Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC), counted 3,315 greater bilbies in six

protected areas, up from 1,480 in the previous year, reports Xinhua news agency.

Aly Ross, an ecologist from AWC, attributed the rise to increased conservation efforts for the iconic marsupial and favourable weather conditions.

"The drought in 2018 and 2019 really knocked a lot of our populations around," she told the local media on Tuesday.

Bilbies are major ecosystem engineers, with their digging for food helping water penetrate soil, meaning their loss has wideranging implications.

"So, when we lose species like the bilby that actually changes the habitat," Ross said.

"It changes the kind of environmental structure, so it makes it harder for other species to live in there as well."

Canberra, April 11 (IANS) Australia's consumer sentiment has seen an increase of 9.4 per cent, jumping from 78.4 in March to 85.8 in April, according to a new report released on Tuesday. "This strong recovery in the Index can be largely attributed to the decision by the Board of the Reserve Bank to break the sequence of 10 consecutive meetings when the cash rate was increased by deciding to pause at the April meeting," said Bill Evens, chief economist at the Westpac Group which issued the report. The survey was conducted between April 3-6, which covered the board meeting of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) on April 4. After delivering 10 straight hikes since May last year, the central bank left the cash rate target unchanged at 3.60 per cent.

The report by Westpac pointed out that confidence is now at its highest level since June last year, although 10.4 per cent below April last year, the month before the

RBA began lifting the case rate. Confidence amongst mortgage borrowers rose sharply by 12.2 per cent, but it was 14.5 per cent below its level before the tightening cycle began.

Sub indexes released "some very strong messages" as well.

Sentiment towards "Family Finances over the Next 12 Months" surged by 12.0 per cent, while confidence about "Economic Outlook over the Next 12 Months" was up 16.5 per cent.

But the report also noted that respondents remain cautious, as 34.11 per cent expect rates to jump by more than 1 per cent over the year.

"Despite this lift in April, we still characterise Consumer Sentiment as weak and consistent with Westpac's view that consumer spending through 2023 and at least the first half of 2024 will be lacklustre," said Evens.

Aus army chief warns of ‘uncomfortable days’ in Afghan war crimes probe

Online liquor sales and delivery consultation begins Queensland tourism continues to break records

relation to online liquor sales for delivery.

The Department is seeking the views of key industry, community, and government stakeholders on the potential benefits, costs, risks, issues and general impacts associated with the proposed regulatory framework.

ordering liquor online and having it delivered, and we want to address the high risks associated with these sales, including the potential supply of liquor to minors and unduly intoxicated people.

• Queensland remains Australia’s favourite holiday destination

The Department of Justice and Attorney-General is seeking stakeholder comment on a new draft regulatory framework for online liquor sales and delivery in Queensland.

Queensland’s current legislation for liquor, the Liquor Act 1992, and Wine Industry Act 1994, focuses on ‘bricks and mortar’ licensed premises, and does not provide explicit authorisations or harm-minimisation obligations in

Cafes,

Brisbane, 12 April: This initial phase of consultation will be open until 10 May 2023 and will inform further policy development and recommendations on the new regulatory framework. The consultation process, which delivers on a 2020 election commitment, will also be opened up to the public in the near future so Queenslanders can have their say on the regulation of online liquor sales and delivery.

Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Shannon Fentiman said:

“Research shows the dangers of

“We know ordering liquor online and having it delivered offers customers greater convenience and provides commercial benefits for liquor retailers and delivery businesses, but we must ensure appropriate safeguards exist to ensure potential harm and violence is minimised.

“We have already seen New South Wales and Victoria implement new legislation to regulate the online sale and delivery of liquor and this issue requires our attention too.

“I encourage the liquor industry and community stakeholders to read the consultation paper and have their say, their views are valued and will contribute to ensuring we get this important reform right.

restaurants to give plastics the punt

• The free Plastic Free Places program helping cafes and restaurants phase out singleuse plastics will expand to south east Queensland as well as hotels and tourism venues

• Since its launch in regional Queensland, the program has eliminated more than 8.2 million pieces of single-use plastic

• The program will also be expanded to the Wide Bay and Mackay/Isaac/ Whitsunday regions

• It builds on the Palaszczuk Government’s five-year roadmap to phase out a number of single-use plastics, and recent bans on single-use plastic straws and bags

Brisbane, 4 April: A free program that has helped cafes and restaurants in regional Queensland eliminate more than 8.2 million pieces of single-use plastics will now expand to the south-east corner as well as hotels and tourism venues.

Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon today joined the Boomerang Alliance to announce the rollout of Plastic Free Places to hospitality sites in Brisbane, Logan, Ipswich, the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Moreton Bay and the Redlands and accommodation providers in the regions the program is in place.

The program run in partnership by the government and the alliance helps businesses phase out single-use plastics, which currently account for more than 75 per cent of rubbish removed from Australian beaches. It does this by helping businesses engage environmentally-friendly suppliers, providing on-the-

ground support, data collection and breaking down barriers that business owners might face.

With more than 600 regional Queensland businesses successfully taking part in the program, the Minister also announced the program would expand this year to the Wide Bay and Mackay/Isaac/Whitsunday regions.

Additionally, the $1.6 million Plastic Free Places program will also reach out to hotel and tourism providers to help them come up with ways to get rid off single-use plastics in their venues, including shampoo and conditioner bottles.

It builds on the Palaszczuk Government’s five-year roadmap to phase out a number of singleuse plastics across the state, recent bans on single-use plastic straws and bags as well as its $1.1 billion Recycling and Jobs Fund to drive recycling and remanufacturing in the sunshine state.

Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon said: “More than 600 Queensland businesses across Noosa, Central Queensland, Townsville and the Far North have proven that eliminating singleuse plastics can be done.

“We know the harm these types of plastic can cause – we’ve seen plastic bags in Sunshine Coast waterways 30-40-years-old.

“Some businesses might already have measures in place, some might not. This free program is about helping business owners either get started or take it to the next level.

“The majority of Queenslanders [7 out of 10] are already taking steps to cut out single-use plastics, and together with many business owners they want to see it cut out

• Domestic visitors spend a record $27.8 billion in the year to December 2022, up 42.8 percent on pre-Covid

• Queensland welcomed 26.5 million overnight visitors in 2022 who spent a record $30 billion – eclipsing pre-COVID levels.

Brisbane, 5 April: The Queensland tourism industry’s record recovery continues with the latest data from Tourism Research Australia (TRA) for the year to December 2022 showing a 26.5 million overnight visitors spent a record $30 billion.

Queensland recorded the highest amount of domestic overnight visitor expenditure among all states and territories at $27.8 billion, the State’s sixth consecutive record and highest ever total domestic spend.

The State’s domestic spend was up 42.8 per cent on the previous 2019 pre-Covid high.

We’re seeing destinations across the state breaking records for overnight visitors spending to deliver the sixth consecutive record.

The number of business visitors continues to recover with the Palaszczuk Government’s $7 million incentive package encouraging businesses to pull the plug on video conferencing and return to face-to-face networking.

It’s terrific to see Southern Queensland Country, the Gold Coast and the Southern Great Barrier Reef visitors staying longer and enjoying even more of Queensland’s great lifestyle and holiday experiences.

The TRA data shows there’s more work to do on rebuilding international tourism, although the $200m aviation war chest is opening up more travel options for visitors to Queensland.

from the places they dine, shop and stay at too.”

Boomerang Alliance Campaign Manager Toby Hutcheon said:

“In the past four years the Plastic Free Project has proved that establishing good working relationships with café businesses and their suppliers, and providing helpful advice on packaging, they can eliminate problem plastics from use.

“Our data proves the point. We have engaged with 600 cafes in Noosa, Cairns, Townsville, and Central QLD and helped them eliminate or replace over 8 million single use plastic items.

“This expansion means that the project can be active across South-East Queensland and help local businesses in the way that we have achieved in other regions of the state.

“A new innovation will be a focus on reusable food ware and BYO coffee cups. Hotels and cafes can play a big part in helping Queenslanders make the switch away from disposable packaging.

“The Plastic Free Places program started in Queensland and is now active in every State across Australia.”

Fast facts:

About 300 million tonnes of plastic waste is produced every year, almost equivalent to the weight of the entire human population.

Around 800 species worldwide, including 77 Australian species, are impacted by marine debris.

Over 75% of rubbish that is removed from Australian beaches is made of plastic.

Half of all plastic produced is designed to be used only once— and then thrown away.

For overnight visitor expenditure, nine Queensland tourism regions achieved records including Brisbane, Gold Coast, Tropical North Queensland, Sunshine Coast, Southern Great Barrier Reef, Southern Queensland Country, Townsville, Fraser Coast and Mackay.

Tropical North Queensland, the Sunshine Coast and the Outback achieved highs for holiday visitors.

Statewide holiday visits hit a record 11 million trips, an increase of 10 per cent on 2019.

Queensland’s international visitor industry is recovering off the back of the Palaszczuk Government’s $200 million international aviation war chest with spending climbing to $2.3 billion from 916,000 overseas visitors.

Business travel to Queensland reached $3.5 billion, up 7.4 per cent on pre-Covid spend with 5.2 million business visitors during 2022 and outperforming the national average during the December quarter.

Tourism Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said: “Queensland tourism operators are working hard and achieving record results.

The State’s 11 million holiday trips confirm Queensland as the nation’s leading getaway destination and demonstrates our Towards Tourism 2032 roadmap is on track.

We’re leading the nation for recovery of New Zealand visitors reuniting with family and friends and seeing encouraging results from the UK, US, India and Singapore.”

Patricia O’Callaghan Chief Executive Officer, Tourism and Events Queensland said: “Queensland has enjoyed a nation-leading position, but we are up against strong headwinds as we enter a competitive global market.

“Tourism and Events Queensland is ensuring Queensland stays top of mind for travellers with campaigns currently live across the world.

“In Australia and New Zealand, the ‘Queensland is Calling’ campaign aims to give consumers a new ‘why’ for travelling to Queensland, unearthing experiences and destinations the typical traveller to Queensland may not have experienced.

“Globally our campaign ‘A beautiful way to be’ shows international travellers that a trip to Queensland is more than a holiday, it’s an experience that will change your outlook, through deeper, more meaningful connections.

“Our trade partnership activity continues with more than 30 campaigns currently live, and we continue to build on our $750 million It’s Live in Queensland events calendar to help pave the green and gold runway to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

WORLD THIS WEEK

In collaboration with National Institute for Advanced Studies, Bengaluru Authored by Harini Madhusudan, Rashmi Ramesh, Akriti Sharma, Ankit Singh, Padmashree

Anandhan, Anu Maria Joseph, Femy Francis and Avishka Ashok

France and China: The Macron-Xi meeting

What happened?

On 5 April, French President Emmanuel Macron, along with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, arrived in China for a three days visit to meet with President Xi Jinping. The visit was aimed at garnering peace amid growing tensions. Macron told President Xi during the visit: "I know I can count on you to bring Russia back to reason and everybody to the negotiation table." He also said: "We do not simply want an end to the conflict, but respect for Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity, which is the only condition for lasting peace." Whereas Xi Jinping said France and China "have the ability

and responsibility to transcend differences and constraints" and that "China is willing to call on the international community, along with France, to maintain rationality and restraint, and avoid taking actions that will further escalate the crisis or make it out of control," ChinaFrance bilateral trade has grown in the past few years and amid new tensions, France hopes to continue the development of "balanced and mutually beneficial" economic and technology cooperation with China. What does it mean?

First, China is unlikely to side with the European cause for Ukraine. Macron's visit is less likely to change China's stance.

Second, China is the only country

with credible access and influence on Russia. Beijing has urged to refrain from using nuclear weapons and to opt for a peace plan. As Russia remains isolated and shunned by the world, Beijing is the only gateway to reach Moscow. Third, China's economic advantages cannot be ignored. China is a big market and vital for France's trade development, and therefore Europe wants to reignite economic relationships benefiting both. While talking about the Ukraine issue, the meeting also focused on mending their bilateral ties with China, de-stressing the hostilities towards Chinese trade and development, which was furthered in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Taiwan: President Tsai meets with US Speaker, despite the Chinese threats McCarthy

What happened?

On 5 April, the US Speaker of the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, met with the Taiwanese President Tsai Ingwen in South California. Tsai said: "The unwavering support reassures the people of Taiwan that we are not isolated, we are not alone. To preserve peace, we must be strong." The meeting is part of Tsai's 10-day visit to Central America.

Before the meeting, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued multiple warnings urging the US to cancel the meeting and threatened to take retaliatory measures. On 6 April, the Foreign Ministry accused Tsai and McCarthy of promoting the notion of Taiwanese Independence. The statement read: "In response to the seriously wrong acts of collusion between the United States and Taiwan, China will take resolute and effective measures to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity."

On the same day, China's aircraft carrier Shandong conducted a drill 200 nautical miles from Taiwan's East Coast. Before the meeting, other Chinese navy vessels also passed through the Bashi Channel and entered the Pacific. China also sent a largescale patrol and rescue vessel for a three-day joint patrol and inspection operation in the central and northern Taiwan Strait.

What does it mean?

First, looking beyond relations with the US. Tsai's trip to Central America and the US is seen as an attempt to shore up and maintain relations with its remaining allies in light of Honduras' decision to sever ties. For the Taiwanese administration, this is a crucial moment to broad base its support for itself against China. The meeting with McCarthy also signifies the US support and defiance against China.

However, the change in venue for the meeting is also seen as

threats to the regime. Pastor Hkalam Samson, over the years, has expressed outrage against the religious persecution. He faced charges for three years of terrorism. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners estimated that 20,000 people had been arrested against political charges since the coup.

India: King of Bhutan visits New Delhi

from this, the UNHRC voted on extending the investigation of war crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine.

Europe: NATO declares the membership of Finland

China: CDC urges WHO to follow scientific impartiality for Covid origin tracing

On 8 April, the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) urged the World Health Organisation to follow scientific impartiality when tracing the origins of Covid-19. They reiterated to refrain from politicizing the source of the virus and that it should not be used as a tool. CDC director Shen Hongbing said: "Some forces and figures who instigated and participated in politicizing the origin-tracing issue and attempting to smear

the US attempt to pacify China by not holding the political meet-up in Taipei or the US capital city. Even though the US Speaker and other lawmakers participate in meetings with the Taiwanese administration, the country does not recognize Taiwan as a sovereign country. However, the US deems it necessary to display its defiance towards China by continuing its engagements with Taiwan.

Lastly, China's Taiwan Conundrum. China is expected to react aggressively in the Taiwan Strait as the increase in political conferences makes the CPC wary of promoting the idea of two separate Chinese sovereign territories. Despite its stringent requirement to adhere to the one-China principle to pursue relations with the PRC, foreign delegates meeting the Taiwanese executives threatens its standing as the People's Republic of China. However, the military drills are as far as China can go to establish its discontent with the meetings.

China should not think that the eyes of the scientific community around the world will be fooled by their clumsy manipulation."

Myanmar: Christian pastor detained over terrorism and illegal assembly charges

On 7 April, the Junta detained a high-profile Christian pastor for six years. He was charged with terrorism and illegal assembly. Since the military coup, they have detained those considered

On 4 April, the King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, met Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi as a part of a two-day visit to India. Both leaders discussed developmental reforms of Bhutan, rail connectivity, shared national interests, and investments.

Minister of External Affairs, S Jaishankar tweeted: "Honoured to welcome His Majesty the King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, on his arrival in India. His visit will further strengthen the close and unique India-Bhutan partnership." Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said: "India and Bhutan remain in close touch and close coordination relating to our shared national interests, including security interests."

Iran and Saudi Arabia: Iran's new ambassador to UAE; Foreign Ministers hold talks in Beijing

On 4 April, Iran appointed Reza Ameri as the new ambassador to the UAE after seven years. UAE had downgraded its relationship after Saudi Arabia's downfall of diplomatic relations with Tehran. On 6 April, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Hossein Amirabdollahain, the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Iran, respectively, met in Beijing for the first formal talks since China brokered an agreement. The joint statement spelt that the "technical teams will continue coordination to examine the ways of expanding cooperation including resumption of flights and bilateral visits… and granting of visas." Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning reiterated China's support to improve relations between the regional rivals and called on the international community to help resolve differences in the Middle East.

Ukraine: UNHRC resolution demands information on missing children

On 04 April, the UNHRC issued a resolution asking for access the information on the missing children and civilians who were reported to be transferred into the Russian-occupied territory. In the resolution, Russia was demanded to: "cease the unlawful forced transfer and deportation of civilians and other protected persons within Ukraine or to the Russian Federation." Apart

On 04 April, NATO announced the joining of Finland as its 31st member. Finland and Sweden applied for NATO membership in May 2022, stepping out from the military non-alignment stance. Upon membership, the Finnish flag will be raised at NATO headquarters in Brussels. According to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, the move assures security in Finland, Nordic and overall, NATO. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said in response to Finland's accession that Moscow would strengthen its military capacity.

The US: Biden cautions safe adaptation of AI-related technologies

On 4 April, US President Joe Biden, at the start of a meeting with science and technology advisers, said: "Tech companies have a responsibility, in my view, to make sure their products are safe before making them public." There is a growing debate in the US over the risks of AI to mental health risks to individuals without attending to safeguards. Last month, several tech leaders, including Tesla founder Elon Musk and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak called for a pause on the rollout of AI.

About the Authors Harini Madhusudan, Rashmi Ramesh, Akriti Sharma and Ankit Singh are PhD scholars in the School of Conflict and Security Studies at the National Institute of Advanced Studies. Padmashree Anandhan, Anu Maria Joseph, and Femy Francis are Research Associates at NIAS. Avishka Ashok is an independent scholar from Mumbai.

The report has been modified due to space considerations.

‘Not for India...go away’; couple denied free Ramzan treats in Singapore

(sic)", The Straits Times reported. Nadya, 35, is a Malaysian-Indian and runs her own healthcare company, while her 36-year-old husband is an Indian who works in the technology sector.

Share layoff data, extend 60day grace period for H-1B holders: Lawmakers to USCIS

accountable" to their children, who are of mixed-race.

"I have encountered such things before, but this time I had to explain to my son what had happened," Shalih told The Straits Times.

Singapore, April 11 (IANS) A supermarket chain in Singapore has apologized after an Indian Muslim couple was turned away from one of its booths offering free refreshments to those breaking fast during Ramzan.

Farah Nadya and her husband Jahabar Shalih had gone to the FairPrice outlet at Our Tampines Hub on April 9 at around 7 p.m. for grocery shopping when an employee allegedly told them that the freebies were "not for India

Shalih told The Straits Times that he was standing at the booth reading about free refreshments when a FairPrice employee approached him and said: "Not for India, not for India. Further, the employee told the couple not to take anything from the stand, and 'go away'."

Sharing her ordeal in a Facebook post, Nadya said that they did not intend to take the free items, and had stopped by the stand "to applaud such an inclusive initiative".

The couple said they shared the experience on social media to "be

"I don't think it's the fault of the staff. I just feel that such things (can) happen, this is purely a lack of awareness."

Apologizing for the incident, a FairPrice spokesman said "we take this matter seriously", adding that the employee in question has been "counselled".

The initiative by FairPrice Group, launched at the end of March and running till April 21, sees 60 FairPrice outlets giving away free drinks, snacks and dates to those breaking fast during Ramzan.

Inflation forces Greeks to cut back on coffee

"Coffee consumption in Greece today is one of the most deeply ingrained habits ... At least eight out of ten of those surveyed said that they drink coffee daily," Benopoulos said.

New York, April 13 (IANS) Amid the massive ongoing layoffs in the tech sector, a group of lawmakers from Silicon Valley has written to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) enquiring about the federal agency's efforts to ensure highlyskilled H-1B visa holders can remain in the country after losing their jobs.

release data detailing the impact of the layoffs on affected immigrants, and inquires about whether the agency has issued guidance to adjudicators in response to the layoffs.

Athens, April 13 (IANS) Meeting over a cup of coffee has long been an integral part of Greek culture. However, the inflationary pressure of the past year has forced 54 per cent of people to cut back on their caffeine habit, a recent survey has revealed.

Nevertheless, coffee consumption remains high, Ioannis Benopoulos, president of the Hellenic Coffee Association, told Xinhua news agency.

On an average, Greeks consume 4 kg of coffee -- traditional Greek coffee, instant coffee or espresso -- per capita annually, Benopoulos said.

Greeks are among the world's 20 biggest coffee drinkers, according to the International Coffee Organization (ICO).

Seven out of ten coffee lovers drink more than two cups per day and would not replace coffee with any other drink, according to a survey carried out by Kapa Research.

In Greece, people drink coffee in practically all social settings. It is an excuse for getting together with relatives, co-workers or friends.

"Going out for coffee, that we are quite used to doing in our country. This special habit is inextricably linked to our culture. It is no coincidence that four out of ten respondents said that cutting back on coffee consumption would equal limiting social interactions," Benopoulos said.

However, faced with soaring inflation amidst the energy crisis

and the Russia-Ukraine war, many Greeks started ditching the idea of sitting in coffee shops or restaurants over a cup of coffee, the survey showed. Some respondents opted for the more economical solution of takeaway or making coffee at home.

The year-on-year rate of inflation in the country hit a 30-year record high of 12-plus per cent last June, the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) said.

The rate was 9.3 per cent for the whole year, according to the Bank of Greece's latest estimates.

"The increase in raw material and energy prices has also affected the price of coffee sold in coffee shops," coffee shop owner Giorgos Karamanidis told Xinhua.

Data for August 2022 showed that the price of coffee in the European Union (EU) was on average 16.9 per cent higher than in August 2021, according to Eurostat, the bloc's statistical office.

With a bevy of employees laid off across tech giants including Microsoft, Google, Meta, in the past couple of months, the H-1B visa holders have been left in a limbo with a mere 60-day grace period to find another job, or leave the country.

"This group of immigrants possesses skills that are highly valuable in today's knowledgebased economy and forcing them to leave the US is harmful to our nation's long-term economic competitiveness," the lawmakers wrote.

"This issue is of great importance to our constituents because layoffs in the tech sector have accelerated in recent months. The number of tech jobs lost since the beginning of 2023 has already surpassed the total number of layoffs in 2022," they said.

The lawmakers urged the USCIS to extend the 60-day grace period for laid-off H-1B holders to secure a new job before losing their legal status.

They also requested that USCIS

Somalia hosts over 35,000 refugees, asylum-seekers: UNHCR

Mogadishu, April 13 (IANS) Somalia is currently hosting 35,381 refugees and asylum-seekers, 69 per cent of them women and children, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said.

According to the UNHCR, 18,932, or 54 per cent, of them are asylum-seekers while 16,449, or 46 per cent, are refugees, reports Xinhua news agency.

The majority of refugees and asylum-seekers, 23,660, or 66.9 per cent, are from Ethiopia, followed by Yemen, 10,141, or 28.7 per cent, and Syria, 1,278, or 3.6 per cent, according to figures released by the UN agency on Wednesday in its latest update on Somalia.

It added that 75 per cent of refugees and asylum-seekers

reside in urban or peri-urban settings across Woqooyi Galbeed and Bari regions, in northern Somalia.

The UNHCR said that it has started relocation of newly arrived Somali refugees in Ethiopia who fled recurring clashes in Las Anod in northern Somalia.

It said 1,036 of the most vulnerable people have been transferred from border areas to a new settlement over the past few days.

The UN agency said that Somalia continues to face multiple challenges, including political insecurity, conflict, natural disasters such as drought, flooding, and cyclones, as well as the impact of Covid-19.

The USCIS had earlier stated that extending the grace period would require a lengthy rulemaking process that would take too long to benefit immigrants who are currently at risk of losing their legal status.

"While we understand that such a change may take time, we nonetheless urge USCIS to pursue an extension of the grace period, either as a standalone regulatory change or as part of a broader effort to reform the H-1B program," the letter read.

The lawmakers said that extending the grace period will strengthen the country's ability to retain immigrant talent in the future.

The USCIS recently said that the sacked H-1B workers have multiple options to stay in the country, and it is wrong to assume that they have no option but to leave within 60 days.

The number of tech jobs lost since the beginning of 2023 has already surpassed the total number of layoffs in 2022.

With the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank causing further disruptions in the tech sector, the lawmakers said they feared that the trend would continue.

Led by Representative Anna G. Eshoo, the letter was signed by Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna, Zoe Lofgren, former Chair of the House Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship, and Representatives Jimmy Panetta and Kevin Mullin.

It sent a list of five questions to the immigration agency requesting it to respond by May 5. The H-1B is a non-immigrant visa that permits US companies to hire foreign workers in speciality occupations, which require theoretical or technical expertise. It is the most sought-after work visa among foreign professionals, including Indians.

We can build our own AI models to address issues facing

the Indian education space: Flipick Founder

similar to GMAT. This allows a much better method of evaluation of the student performance.

Question banks -- MCQ and essay-type can be generated by AI which also has the ability to grade essay type questions. Future would see integration with AR/VR and also dynamic content generation based on student needs.

healthcare content. With 300+ hospital groups and hundreds of facilities, they needed a platform that could be multi-tenanted. Segments of content can be common, yet some parts may need to be customised for specific hospitals. With 50,000 users, they are one of our largest platform deployments.

experienced as a result of running on AWS?

New Delhi, April 14 (IANS) As the online learning space goes through a definitive churning in a hybrid mode in the ChatGPT era, Flipick has doubled down on offering artificial intelligence (AI)-driven immersive learning experience to its customers.

The company has industryleading SaaS-based Learning Management System (LMS) for higher education and corporate training in the US, the UK and India.

The LMS is a multi-tenant, enterprise-grade platform that provides adaptive learning and assessments, ensuring the best possible learning experience for all users.

Moreover, CourseBOT, an AIassisted course builder with SME collaboration and DocuBOT are helping thousands of students get conversational chats with the content to have a better learner perspective.

Ravi Dugal, Flipick's Founder and CEO, told IANS that AI-powered tools can help institutions streamline administrative tasks and optimize resource allocation. Here are excerpts from an interview:

Q: What is Flipick's vision? What is your USP which differentiates you from peers in your industry?

A: Flipick has a vision of delivering an immersive learning experience with a fully-integrated Learning Management System and interactive courses. What sets us apart from our peers in the industry is our unique value proposition, which includes:

Multi-tenant LMS: Flipick allows for hundreds of client portals to operate within the same instance. Publishers like Pearson have 100+ institutes, or Clarivate USA, have 300+ hospital groups. This approach allows for a shared infrastructure and custom content for all clients.

Adaptive Learning: Our platform leverages adaptive learning to provide a tailored experience for each student.

LTI Compliance: Flipick is both an LTI-compliant server and consumer, which means it integrates seamlessly with other LTI-compliant systems.

AI-powered Course Creation: We use AI and CourseBOT to collaborate with SMEs in building courses that are automated,

personalized and engaging.

AI Empowered Analytics: Our platform uses AI to analyze a student's learning patterns and personalize content to their area of weakness, creating a dynamic learning experience.

Predictive Analysis: Flipick offers predictive analysis of a student's learning journey, helping them stay on track and achieve their goals.

GMAT Style Assessments: Our platform offers GMAT style adaptive assessments, which are known for their accuracy and relevance.

Overall, Flipick is committed to providing a differentiated, engaging, and personalized learning experience that sets us apart from our peers in the industry.

Q: How do you see AI revolutionizing the education landscape in India over the long term?

A: AI goes far beyond ChatGPT. We can build our own AI models to address issues facing the Indian education space.

AI has the potential to revolutionise education in India by providing personalised and adaptive learning experiences to students, as well as enabling institutions to improve operational efficiency and reduce costs.

AI can help analyze student data and learning patterns, allowing for customized content delivery and targeted interventions to address areas of weakness. It can also assist in grading and feedback, freeing up time for educators to focus on more personalised interactions with students. In addition, AI-powered tools can help institutions streamline administrative tasks and optimize resource allocation.

We are building CourseBOT, an AI-assisted course builder with SME collaboration. Another revolutionary companion product is DocuBOT.

This uses a custom AI model to index education content in all formats -- SCORM, video, PDF, PPT, Word, audio and interactive HTML. A student can have conversational chats with the content to have a better learner perspective

The biggest impact can be in providing adaptive assessments

Q: Tell us more about CourseBOT -- the AI-assisted automation tool that makes creating and modifying course content easier?

A: CourseBOT is an AI-assisted automation tool that simplifies and accelerates the process of creating and modifying course content. It uses natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning algorithms to automate repetitive tasks such as formatting, tagging, and indexing. CourseBOT can also generate quizzes, tests, and assessments based on the content of the course.

This helps educators save time and focus on higher-level tasks such as course design and pedagogy. In addition, CourseBOT can help ensure consistency and quality across courses and improve accessibility by generating alternative formats such as audio and video.

CourseBOT can generate original content but is designed to work with a subject matter expert (SME).

CourseBOT written content is moderated and updated by SME. It writes content based on the curriculum provided by SME. This can further be moderated and updated by SME.

CourseBOT can enhance content written by SME and can build interactive eLearning content sourced from a text book which can be moderated and updated by a SME.

Q: Can you tell us about some of your customer success stories (top 2-3) of your publishing partners and clients because of leveraging your product offerings?

A: Clarivate, USA is one of the top level training providers for

Pragmatic Institute, USA are leading providers for training related to product management and data sciences. Training courses, learning and events management are effectively handled by the Flipick LMS platform.

Pearson are the world's known educational publishers. MePro is a learning product aimed at teaching English to adults. Mapped to the Global Scale of English and CEFR, MePro has been deployed by hundreds of institutes in India for adaptive learning.

The Indian Institute of Banking and Finance is the premier Institute for developing and nurturing competent professionals in banking and finance. Every week an online exam is conducted for up to 5,000 candidates on Flipick assessment platform.

Q: What has cloud technology and AWS enabled you to do better?

A: Cloud technology and AWS have enabled us to offer a scalable, secure, and costeffective platform for delivering educational content and services. AWS provides us with a flexible and reliable infrastructure that can handle fluctuations in traffic and demand.

We can also quickly deploy and manage resources, reducing the time to market for new features and services. AWS also offers a range of security and compliance features that ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of our platform and our customers' data.

Running on AWS has allowed us to achieve a number of business outcomes and benefits.

Q: In terms of business outcomes, what benefits have you

A: We have been able to streamline our workflows and automate many routine tasks, resulting in increased efficiency and productivity. We have customers who have a handful of users to others who have 50,000 users. AWS features of load balance and elastic computing have been very useful to scaling the platform on demand.

By leveraging AWS's pay-as-yougo model and optimizing our resource usage, we have been able to reduce our infrastructure and operational costs. For example, IIBF online exams are conducted only on Tuesday. The AWS servers are switched on just for the duration of the exams resulting in a huge saving on costs

AWS's agility and flexibility have allowed us to quickly prototype and deploy new features and services, reducing the time to market for our offerings. A wellconfigured server infrastructure of development, staging and production helps to manage the process of releasing new features in a well-tested production environment

AWS's resource management tools have helped us optimize our resource allocation and utilization, ensuring that we have the right resources at the right time.

By using AWS's global network of data centers and content delivery networks (CDNs), we have been able to reduce latency and improve the performance of our platform. For video based courses, we have also enabled adaptive bitrate streaming that allows the streaming speed to be managed as per the consumer's bandwidth and device capabilities.

AWS's high availability and disaster recovery features have helped us ensure that our platform is always available and resilient to disruptions. For mission control applications, we have employed servers at two locations with automated synchronisation.

Investment and speculative demand take silver prices higher

expected to continue, said an analyst.

Chennai, April 14 (IANS) Increased investment and speculative demand are the reasons for silver's price increase and it is

"Silver has outperformed gold in the last three weeks. Higher investment and speculative demand are the reasons for the price increase," Saumil Gandhi, Senior Analyst - Commodities, HDFC Securities told IANS. He said the May futures price at MCX India was Rs 77,010/kg.

"Silver is giving better returns than gold and hence investors are

putting their money on this metal. Though 70 per cent of silver is used in industrial production, still the returns are good," Jayantilal Challani, President, Madras Jewellers and Diamond Merchants Association and a partner in Challani Jewellry Mart told IANS. Challani said the silver price was Rs 77 per gram on Thursday and Rs 79 on Friday.

The retail price will be about Rs 83/gram.

World has reached ‘beginning of the end of fossil age’: Study

generation may have already peaked, the report found, CNN reported.

in 2022, up from 10 per cent the previous year.

London, April 13 (IANS) A boom in wind and solar has pushed the amount of electricity produced by renewable energy to record levels last year, according to a new analysis, a media report said.

The use of coal, oil and gas to produce electricity is expected to fall in 2023, according to the report, published by energy think tank Ember. This would mark the first year to see a decline in the use of fossil fuels to generate electricity, outside of a global recession or pandemic, CNN reported.

Levels of planet-heating pollution from fossil fuel electricity

The findings show the world has reached the "beginning of the end of the fossil age," the lead author of the research, Malgorzata Wiatros-Motyka, said in a statement. "We are entering the clean power era," she added, CNN reported.

Ember analysed data from 78 countries representing 93 per cent of global demand for electricity, for the fourth edition of its annual Global Electricity Review.

Nearly 40 per cent of global electricity is now powered by renewables and nuclear energy, marking a new record high, according to the report, CNN reported.

Wind and solar made up 12 per cent of global energy generation

Solar energy was the fastestgrowing source of electricity in 2022 for the 18th year in a row, rising by 24 per cent compared to the previous year. Wind generation increased by 17 per cent.

Ember forecasts that in 2023, clean energy will be able to meet the total growth in electricity demand, CNN reported.

Fossil fuels do still dominate, however, coal power remained the single largest source of electricity across the globe, accounting for 36 per cent of global electricity production in 2022. This is because overall demand for electricity rose, and not all of it was met from renewable sources, according to Wiatros-Motyka.

Coal Ministry to meet dry fuel reserves allottees, hold talks on enhancing production

to make the coal sector more appealing.

New Delhi, April 12 (IANS) The Coal Ministry will take all steps to further expedite domestic coal production and evacuation process, an official said on Wednesday.

the Coal Ministry is in the process of developing a portal for timely monitoring and resolution of issues in this regard.

New Delhi, April 10 (IANS) Coal Ministry will hold an interactive session with allottees of dry fuel reserves on April 12, which would be aimed at ensuring continuous supply to various stakeholders, especially for the power sector. The session, to be chaired by coal secretary Amritlal Meena, will highlight the significant reforms implemented by the ministry

The ministry officials will interact with allottees of coal blocks, which have been given away in the recent rounds of auctions for commercial mining. It will also solicit feedback and suggestions from all the stakeholders in order to expand the domestic coal production, lower the need for imported coal, and facilitate ease of doing business in the country. The ministry will also review the actual coal production for the fiscal 2022-23 as well as the production targets for the year 2023-24, official sources said.

Coal Ministry has achieved 115.77 million tonnes of coal production from the captive and commercial coal mines in 2022-23.

Government had launched the first ever tranche of commercial auctions of 38 coal mines on June 18, 2020 under CM(SP) Act, 2015 and MMDR Act, 1957.

Till now, six tranches of commercial coal mines auction have been completed and a total of 87 coal mines have been successfully auctioned having cumulative peak rated capacity (PRC) of 220.52 million tonnes per annum with annual revenue generation estimated at Rs 33,231 crore, considering production at aggregated PRC.

ArcelorMittal to buy Siemens Gamesas’s wind turbines for its Andhra project

it has signed the deal to supply 46 SG 3.6-145 wind turbines to AM Green Energy Private Ltd (AMGEPL), a joint venture of ArcelorMittal S.A. and ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India Ltd (AM/NS India).

Addressing an interactive session with coal block allottees of captive and commercial coal blocks here, Coal Secretary Amritlal Meena said that timely availability of land and other clearances are of paramount importance in ensuring early production of coal from newly allocated blocks. In his keynote address, he said that the nominated authority in

The Coal Secretary underlined the need of increasing energy consumption to satisfy the requirements of our rapidly developing economy, as well as reducing reliance on coal imports.

Industry leaders from NTPC Ltd, Vedanta Ltd, JSW Steel Ltd, NMDC Ltd, Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Ltd, Singareni Collieries Company Ltd and many others participated in the event.

Chennai, April 12 (IANS) Global steel major ArcelorMittal's Indian subsidiary had inked an agreement with wind turbine major Siemens Gamesa to source wind turbines for its 166 MW project in Andhra Pradesh. The clean electricity produced will be used by one of ArcelorMittal's steel plants in India, providing a muchneeded boost to the industry's decarbonisation efforts in the country.

According to Siemens Gamesa,

The wind project will form part of a 989-MW wind-solar hybrid renewable energy project by AMGEPL in Kurnool district of Andhra, said Siemens Gamesa.

Large-scale renewable energy investments by the powerintensive steel industry will help reduce carbon emissions and drive a cleaner future.

The total power generated from the Kurnool wind farm will be used by the AM/NS India steel plant located at Hazira, in Gujarat, and will enable AM/NS India to meet 20 per cent of its electricity needs from renewable resources,

while helping to reduce its carbon emissions by 1.5 million tons each year.

"This partnership with the world's second largest steel producer opens up a huge opportunity for the wind industry in India, especially for the powerintensive steel industry which is fast-tracking its efforts to meet carbon emissions goals. We are confident in delivering this landmark project that will help give fresh renewable momentum to the state of Andhra Pradesh," said Navin Dewaji, CEO of the Asia Pacific region for Siemens Gamesa's onshore business.

"Large amounts of clean energy are required to accelerate to net zero goals of corporations and countries, and we are happy to have embarked on this journey emphatically in India.

New Delhi, April 12 (IANS) India's industrial output, which is measured by the index of industrial production (IIP), rose by 5.6 per cent in February, according to data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation on Wednesday.

Between April 2022 and February 2023, industrial output registered a growth of 5.5 per cent. The January IIP growth was revised to 5.2 per cent.

The official data showed that manufacturing sector's output rose by 5.3 per cent in February 2023, while mining output rose 4.6 per cent, and power generation 8.2 per cent during the month under review.

During April 2022 and February 2023, manufacturing sector's output rose by 4.9 per cent on year on year basis, while mining surged by 5.7 per cent and electricity 10 per cent

Govt says steps will be taken to expedite domestic coal production

India’s industrial output rose by 5.6% in February 2023

From the editor’s desk Progressing British Muslims

Multicultural India

Nirmala Sitharaman, the Indian Finance Minister’s recent rebuttal in the United States to journalists questioning her on the deteriorating state of minorities in India, is worth a listen. She unequivocally echoed the ground reality in India. Here are three pieces evidence substantiating her sentiments.

First, India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval in 2022 met with Syed Salman Nadvi, Umar Ahmed Ilyasi, and Kalbe Jawad in a meeting hosted by the All India Sufi Sajjadanashin Council (AISSC) in India, a secular country’s capital in order to show solidarity with Muslims, India’s largest minority. Dialogue, formal condemnation of radical bodies and mutual respect for the faith of one another formed part of the progressive agenda of the meet. Doval was only following in the footsteps of Modi, and reiterating the Indian Government’s commitment to Indian Muslims and Islam. It is ironic to note that the same Sufi sect of the wider Muslim community has been perpetually persecuted and barbarically bombed in Pakistan, an Islamic Republic. The latest deadly attacks on the community in 2017 and 2019 are testimonies to the fear that grips the minorities in Pakistan.

Second, there were around 35 million Muslims in India in 1951 and there are around 213 million Muslims in India now. 15% of present-day Pakistan’s population comprised of Hindus in 1931 and 1.6% of present-day Pakistan’s population comprised of Hindus in 1998. The current population of Hindus in Pakistan is an abysmal 2.2 million. Systemic statesponsored neglect, economic violence, societal pressures, unfathomable racism, want for an escape route from bonded labour, sexual violence against Hindu women and the threat of violence force Hindus to convert to Islam. The entitlement to economic well-being is tied to faith which is why Hindus are forced to accept Islam

and abjure Hinduism. It is appalling to note that one of the recent conversions took place during the peak of the coronavirus pandemic when people all over the world were in the most desperate of their times, under the aegis of a faith that touts itself as a helpful and merciful faith.

And third, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Jains and Parsis are some of the other minority communities that adorn the myriad milieu of India. Talking of the minorities, Dr Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India (2004 to 2014), Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission (2004 to 2014), Kushwant Singh, Indian Journalist and Novelist, Captain Amarinder Singh, Indian Politician and Indian Army Veteran and Milkha Singh, Indian Sportsman among Sikhs, Verghese Kurien, Father of the White Revolution in India, George Fernandes, Indian Defence Minister (1998 to 2004), A.K. Antony, Indian Defence Minister (2006 to 2014), Roger Binny, Indian Cricketer and Mary Kom, Indian Boxer among Christians, Ayushmann Khurrana, Indian Actor, Danny Denzongpa, Indian Actor, B.R. Ambedkar, Father of Indian Constitution, Kiran Bedi, First Woman Indian Police Services Officer and Nandita Das, Indian Actress and Director among Buddhism followers, Gautam Adani, Indian Businessman, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Director and Producer, Vijay Rupani, Chief Minister of the Indian State of Gujarat (2016 to 2021), Taarak Mehta, Writer, Homie Jehangir Bhabha, Father of the Indian Nuclear Programme, Ratan Tata, Indian Industrialist among Jains and Parsis respectively, are some of the countless members of the Indian minority communities who could not only flourish but make it big in India.

By ASAD MIRZA

Superficial concerns have been raised both within and outside the UK about the status of the Muslim population, though the census statistics convey something positive.

UK's Office of National Statistics (ONS), last week released the latest Census data, which apparently shows that unemployment level amongst Muslims was as high as 1 in 20, for people aged between 16-64 years. As per the figures about 2.6 million Muslims live in areas where unemployment rates are high and which face housing shortage.

Figures from the ONS also revealed that Muslims in England and Wales reported the highest unemployment rates among religious groups, at 6.7 percent. Only 26 percent of Christians live in areas with the highest unemployment levels, but for Muslim communities the figure stood at 68 percent.

Figures also reveal that Sikhs (77.7 per cent) are most likely to own their own homes, while among Muslims, 45.6 per cent lived in households that owned their home.

A quarter of Muslims live in socially rented housing - the highest for any religious group. As per figures, Muslims are more likely to live in overcrowded homes - their bedroom occupancy being the highest for any group, followed by Hindus and Sikhs. In contrast, those who identified themselves as having 'no religion', Christians and Jews live in the least crowded homes.

According to the figures based on self-declaration, Hindus have the highest percentage of ‘level 4 or above' qualification at 54.8 per cent, compared with 33.8 per cent for the overall population. However, just 31.6 per cent of Christians reported they have a similar level of education.

Jews and Hindus have the highest proportion of ‘managers, directors or senior officials' and ‘professional occupations', whereas Buddhists and Muslims have the highest percentages of people working in elementary occupations.

In response to the census findings in a press statement, the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) has said that the inter-generational cycles

of poverty impacting British Muslim communities can result in young people being forced to leave education in pursuit of work so they can help support their families. Those that are able to break into the job market, pursuing chosen careers, can face Islamophobic prejudice and discrimination in the workplace. It further asked for creating a level playing field, so that the dynamism and sheer potential of young British Muslims could prove itself to be a strategic national asset.

Indeed these are statistical figures and can be interpreted as per the desire of the reader. If we take a deeper analytical look, what exactly The Guardian has done, shows that the age trends amongst Muslims, as compared to other groups, may be a contributing factor to the statistics, with younger Muslims more likely to be studying than other youth in the general population. Of those who identified as Muslim in the census, the percentage of students in the group was almost twice the rate seen in the overall population. But the fact is that they were studying, so you can't describe them as unemployed, leading to despair. Also the

A quarter of Muslims live in socially rented housing - the highest for any religious group. As per figures, Muslims are more likely to live in overcrowded homes - their bedroom occupancy being the highest for any group, followed by Hindus and Sikhs. In contrast, those who identified themselves as having 'no religion', Christians and Jews live in the least crowded homes.

unemployment rate is reported along with the areas having the highest unemployment rate, and since mostly Muslims inhabit these areas the unemployment rate is reported high, though the reality might be different. Further, the data has led to campaigners urging the government to focus on Muslim youth as part of its plan to "level up" Britain's economy. As more

than two-thirds of Muslims live in local authorities that report the highest levels of unemployment. Instead, once the figures were released publicly it would have given an opportunity to Muslim leaders and organisations to introspect about the status of Muslims in the UK and elsewhere, too. But as usual they tried to shift the blame to the government policies and access to facilities. But in this calculus they coolly try to ignore the role, which could be played by the community leaders, both religious and political. Instead of sensitising the Muslim population about its own duties and how to make best of the opportunities offered in UK, which perhaps offers an individual the most level playing field, they continued with their old tune.

This is happening with Muslims not just in the UK, but elsewhere too. Instead of becoming part of the mainstream and striving to access educational and job opportunities based on merit and competition, they want to be spoon fed by the governments. If we take the case of the UK, then perhaps it is amongst the leading countries that provide a level playing field to its citizens. This is evident by the success of the Muslim community in any field whether be it business, finance or politics. We have a recent winner in Hamza Yousuf, the newly elected First Minister of Scotland and leader of the Scottish Nationalist Party. Similarly, we have London's Mayor Sadiq Khan, former Chancellor Sajid Javed, and former co-chair of the Conservative Party Saeeda Warsi. A record number of Muslims were elected to the House of Commons in the UK's last parliamentary elections in 2017. Nineteen Muslim candidates, including 10 women won the elections. The mayors of London, Birmingham, Leeds, Blackburn, Sheffield, Oxford, Luton, Oldham, and Rochdale are Muslims. An estimated 443 Muslim councillors were elected in the local elections in held in 2022. Out of the 11 members in the House of Lords, there are 5 Baronesses and 6 Lords.

This leads one to surmise that instead of bemoaning about the facilities extended by the governments, Muslims should get better organised at the community level, focussing more on educational gains leading to better employment and financial opportunities, and as is evident from the numbers shown above, they could perform much better politically if they turn out to be more educated but in addition we should try to ensure that once elected then they should work more towards community's progress in social, educational, financial and employment fields and contribute positively to its growth.

Intelligence for solution finding

dimensions of the operations of adversaries particularly the PakChina combination have assumed serious dimensions requiring a far greater Intelligence generation across many new areas of security concern.

Pakistan is trying to accentuate the communal divide in India by announcing that it had a right to take interest in the Muslim minority here since the latter was part of Ummah spread across the world and alleging that Muslims were feeling unprotected in the Modi regime.

By D.C. PATHAK

In the emerging geo-political security scenario and India's internal security situationmarked by the rise of 'covert' attacks of the adversary not so much the fear of an open military offensive - we need Intelligence that embraces a much wider ground not confined to just reporting on the specifics of any one particular threat to national security. Intelligence is now expected to indicate what would be the best possible response to the security spectrum as a whole. Correspondingly, the outreach of Intelligence agencies also had to extend to areas hitherto not in the reckoning such as the use of the instrumentalities of social media and cyberspace by the adversary to launch an 'information warfare', efforts to induct civil society forums to build antiIndia narratives, plans of the enemy to inflict damage to the economy, newer ways invented by the enemy for recruitment of terrorists and clandestine transfer of arms and narcotics to the targeted country.

India's Intelligence set-up has rapidly risen to meet the new challenges but its organizational expansion, manpower deployment strategy, and above all the assimilation by the Agencies of what was earlier called Technical Intelligence in a generic sense, have now received new-found importance. This transformation should be considered a work in progress. In essence, Intelligence is going to be involved far more than before, in the government's search for solutions and policy responses in any given situation.

Foreign policy is a product of national security and economic concerns and international relations being caught in a web of open and secretive bilateral or multilateral bonds, determination of friends and adversaries itself has to rest on comprehensive Intelligence.

Diplomacy now is more of an effective implementor of intelligence-based decisions though it still remains a major source of inputs for the framing of foreign policy itself. Liaison at the level of National Security Advisors is at present the most authentic substratum for bilateral and even multi-

lateral friendships because security concerns often override other matters like economic development and trade and cooperation on the environment. In the post-Cold War era, the world has evidently switched over to proxy wars and covert trans-border operations - India happens to be a prime example of a country that was at the receiving end of both.

Incidentally, Russia started a military operation in eastern parts of Ukraine in February last year - without declaring 'war' - and significantly the US-led West also intervened by way of supporting Ukraine with arms and ammunition in a proxy mode. The result is a war of attrition in which no side is a winner at the end of a year of armed conflict. This has produced global repercussions and the most serious of these is the likelihood of the revival of a new Cold War between the US on one hand and the Russia-China axis, on the other.

India has the distinction of having emerged as possibly the only acceptable mediator - thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's unbiased approach to this conflict and the call he made upfront for cessation of hostilities - but this is also the moment for India to have a comprehensive Intelligence assessment of the thinking of other major powers on the Ukraine-Russia conflict and a host of other international problems.

The Ukraine-Russia military confrontation had a local setting - ongoing grievances between the two neighbors erupted after a period of unresolved bilateral problems- and the world should have called for peaceful coexistence between them untainted by whatever had happened during the Cold War. India caught global attention precisely because it raised a sane voice. China has tried to strengthen its geopolitical standing by offering to take up the question of the UkraineRussia conflict with the warring sides. Intelligence is needed to track international opinion and monitor the domestic politics on India's stand on Russia's handling of the conflict with Ukraine.

It so happens that in the Indian context, the proxy war

radicalization is a threat to the entire democratic world - the geopolitical scene on the other hand is encouraging countries to seek their own interests regardless of the different systems of governance followed by them.

Both Pakistan and China were instigating anti-India lobbies working within the country and outside, particularly in Kashmir, and alleging that human rights and freedom of expression were being curbed under the 'authoritarian' rule of Prime Minister Modi.

Pak ISI's hand in the current campaign to revive the Khalistan movement in Punjab is quite clear. The sources behind the propaganda offensive against India have to be unearthed by Intelligence so that they could be countered through operational, diplomatic, and legal means.

The ascendancy of the phenomenon of civil society and intellectual forums indulging in 'politics by proxy' is a new development requiring newer methods of Intelligence gathering but with a stricter demand for the reliability of the information.

The proxy offensives of the adversaries make it important that Intelligence agencies had very close coordination with the Narcotics Control Bureau, NIA, and investigators of economic offenses - since these latter entities could run into information that might have a direct bearing on national security.

The role of Intelligence in helping the government to formulate comprehensive action, embracing more than one area of governance, has become far more pronounced because of the diffused nature of threats owing to the clandestine working of the adversary in various spheres. There is a demand for the gap between information and action to be further reduced and it is therefore expected that Intelligence would be as comprehensive as possible to enable the government to decipher where all it had to show a quick response to deal with the problem.

It may be mentioned that the hallmark of good Intelligence always was that the course of action suggested itself to the authority receiving it.

The exchange of information between friendly countries is today as important as the production of Intelligence by our own agencies. At one level the rise of global terror and

The all-weather friendship of China with Pakistan, the tussle between the Saudi-led fundamentalist regimes and the protagonists of radical Islam, and the advocacy of Brexit by Donald Trump, the then-Republican President of the US, illustrate this. India rightly favors multi-polarity in the world to minimize among other things, the prospect of another Cold War cramping the economic development of countries that chose to remain non-aligned towards either block. We have to be wellinformed about the moves of both adversaries and friends to adopt the correct strategy of national security and this has to happen in an ongoing manner since world players might not be sticking to a policy at all times. National interests are permanent not the policies and in a situation of change - geopolitical and world economy relatedcourse correction determined by Intelligence would not be infrequent. This adds to the demand on Intelligence agencies. The latter would also need to use an organizational perch that could be secured beyond the agencies.

It is said that after Warren Christopher, President Bill Clinton's Secretary of State, propounded in 1993 that ' national security was inseparable from economic security' corporate America was given the benefit of access to the 'country reports' drawn up for the administration by CIA, for enhancing the former's knowledge of various geographies.

In turn, the American corporate entities reportedly helped the Agency to extend its outreach outside of the US. The quantum of information of interest required by a nation has multiplied and so has the importance of competent analysis of all the available facts for garnering Intelligence out of the same.

Today's Intelligence Officer is a professional of many partshe can track international relations, make good use of open interactions and perform equally well on the desk as well as in operations.

If the Intelligence agencies are facing a new situation it is also clear that the recruitment, staffing pattern, and placement policy would also have to be innovative and dynamic. Subject and area expertise, technology professionalism, and the trait of being information savvy are the basic requirements of an Intelligence organization.

The old scheme of a special selection of IPS officers for longterm deputation needs to be revived and so should the practice of inter-agency exchange of experienced officers between IB and R&AW, particularly because in the Indian context external and internal threats to security often have a 'cause and effect' link. The traditional tradecraft of recruiting human sources will always be important but the research and analysis function is becoming increasingly important to track the ways and modus operandi of the unseen adversary. A determined follow-up by an agency that first noticed signs of suspicion about an individual or activity is necessary even after it had passed on the information to another organization directly concerned with that matter. This new discipline of the pursuit of information by an agency originally receiving it was crucial to the overall success of Intelligence. There have been cases of an agency that received information that pertained to another agency subject-wise, merely passing that on to the latter without following it up with the original source and in the process failing to collect fuller details on its own to the detriment of larger national interest.

Finally, it is important that all members of an Intelligence agency must be willing to choose anonymity of working, must be imbued with the pride of devotion to a national cause, and must remember that 'information does not find you, you have to find information'. The training regimen has to be expanded to include knowledge of what real operations produced for learning so that the new officers remained updated on tradecraft. In-house discussions on the security scenario within the bounds of 'need to know', will help since two heads are better than one. Similarly, on top of the shelf, today is the threat of cyber attacks and the Intelligence set up therefore has to deploy all its resources - including a combination of human analysis and technological expertise - to deal with the same. Hacking is something detected only after the event but the Intelligence effort certainly can zero - in on possible points of vulnerability and work out technological solutions for strengthening cyber security.

The National Cyber Security Policy of India rightly emphasizes the importance of Public Private Partnerships for cyber research through Centres of Excellence. This signifies the universal trend that Intelligence set up was having to explore newer channels for enhancing its outreach. (The writer is a former Director of the Intelligence Bureau. Views expressed are personal)

Time-restricted fasting may raise fertility problems

The findings, published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, showed that time-restricted fasting affects reproduction differently in male and female zebrafish.

London, April 12 (IANS) Following a time-restricted fasting -- a type of intermittent fasting -- diet plan may lead to fertility problems in both males and females, according to new research conducted in fish.

While intermittent fasting includes all intentional fasting patterns and doesn't distinguish between fasting during day or night, time-restricted eating calls for eating within a limited number of hours during daylight.

To understand the effects of timerestricted fasting, researchers at the University of East Anglia in the UK, studied zebrafish (Danio rerio).

Once the fish returned to their normal feeding schedule, females increased the number of offspring they produced at the cost of egg quality resulting in reduced quality of offspring.

The quality of male sperm also decreased.

The research team said that while the study was conducted in fish, their findings highlight the importance of considering not just the effect of fasting on weight and health, but also on fertility.

"Time-restricted fasting is an eating pattern where people limit their food consumption to certain hours of the day. It's a popular health and fitness trend and

people are doing it to lose weight and improve their health," said Prof Alexei Maklakov, from UEA's School of Biological Sciences. "But the way organisms respond to food shortages can affect the quality of eggs and sperm, and such effects could potentially continue after the end of the fasting period," Maklakov said. To find out what happens when individuals are exposed to food during and after a period of fasting, the team measured how males and females allocate resources to body maintenance versus production and maintenance of sperm and eggs, and the quality of the resulting offspring.

How Omicron sub-variants escape our body’s immune system

"More research is needed to understand how long it takes for sperm and egg quality to return back to normal after the period of fasting," said Dr Edward IvimeyCook, from UEA's School of Biological Sciences. New York, April 12 (IANS)

Non-life insurers to punish fraudulent hospitals

Chennai, April 11 (IANS) The General Insurance Council has decided to take on the hospitals that are overcharging the health insurance policy holders and indulging in frauds through a series of actions, said a senior industry official.

Speaking to the media, S. Prakash, Managing Director, Star Health and Allied Insurance Company Ltd, and Executive Committee member, General Insurance Council, said the industry/council will take a unified approach against frauds.

Stating that the industry will identify the pattern and take

action, Prakash said "We want to send a strong signal to the hospitals. The action against the hospitals could be - issuance of a warning letter, suspension of cashless facility and even exclude (blacklist) the hospital as a service provider except in the case of an emergency."

Majority of the business of the hospitals in major cities come from patients holding health insurance policies, he said.

According to Prakash, the Council will also have an appellate mechanism where the affected hospital can make its appeal.

Prakash said the topline of the non-life insurers contribute to the bottomline of the hospitals.

Several decades ago, the public sector non-life insurance companies tried to blacklist hospitals that gave false bills and

other papers so that the health insurance policyholders can make prefer fraudulent claims. But the insurers scrapped the move soon after.

That apart, the General Insurance Council plans to have a common information technology platform to empanel hospitals, he said. It is said that the Council will seek using the Insurance Information Bureau's Rohini portal for this purpose.

In addition, the non-life insurance industry is also looking at working with the National Health Authority to have a common portal for intimating the case details by the hospitals in case the patient is a health insurance policyholder and prefers cashless settlement of the hospital bills, i.e., the insurance company pays the hospital directly.

Researchers have identified why Omicron sub-variants are better, than previous Covid-19 variants, at escaping detection by the human body's immune cells. In addition to antibodies produced either by vaccines or exposure to earlier versions of the virus, these viral variants must also avoid 'killer' T cells, to sicken people.

T cells are immune cells that are unleashed when the immune system detects foreign pathogens. To understand how Omicron breaks all these barriers, a team from the Yale University in the US, measured activity of MHC (major histocompatibility complex) molecules that present fragments of viruses for recognition by appropriate T cells.

These MHC molecules alert the T cells of foreign pathogens that then become targets for the T cells.

The researchers found that the activity of these MHC molecules was substantially lower in cells

exposed to five Omicron subvariants of SARS-CoV-2 as well as earlier versions of the virus. But the Omicron variants, the researchers found, were particularly adept at shutting down the activity of MHC compared with earlier versions of the Covid-19 virus. Meanwhile, cells infected by a flu virus were found to have much greater MHC activity.

Reduced activity in these MHC molecules, researchers say, may make T cells less likely to locate Covid viral targets.

"The findings will help guide researchers as they investigate possible ways to overcome MHC suppression by viral infections and may help in the development of vaccines that mobilise T cells as well as antibody response against viruses," said Miyu Moriyama, a postdoctoral fellow at Yale School of Medicine.

Spanish scientists discover technique that detects cancer ‘within 3 hours’

London, April 13 (IANS) In a breakthrough, scientists in Spain have developed cheap and easy mobile testing kits that can detect cancer within three hours.

The technique developed by a team from Barcelona's Centre for Genomic Regulation uses nanotechnology to analyse ribonucleic acid (RNA) present in blood samples.

Published in the journal Nature Biotechnology, the technique combined with artificial intelligence tools, detects abnormalities in a non-invasive manner and indicates the existence of certain cancers.

"Our aim is to further develop

this technology and combine it with artificial intelligence tools to determine the malignancy of a biological sample in less than three hours, and at a cost of no more than 50 euros per sample," said Dr Eva Novoa, senior author of the study and researcher at the Centre in a statement.

The new technique involves passing RNA molecules through tiny pores in a membrane causing measurable alterations in an electrical current, and it could lead to important advances in diagnosing illnesses in the developing world due to its simplicity, The Telegraph reported.

The nanopore sequencing machines required for the technique are small, lightweight and can be powered by a laptop or portable battery, making them easy to transport to remote locations and enabling their use in the field or clinic.

"This is very affordable technology and so it brings opportunities to take sequencing to the field," Dr Novoa was quoted as saying to The Telegraph.

Dr Novoa noted that, in the case of cancer, it is possible not only to detect its presence, but also how advanced the disease is without a biopsy requiring a laboratory test.

California rolls back caste-bias case partially, right-wing Hindus claim victory

of the company who had alleged caste-based discrimination against him by two of his supervisors - also of Indiadescent - and alleged retaliation when he complained.

The suit was filed against the company - Cisco Systems Inc; and the two supervisors - Sundar Iyer and Ramana Kompella.

Americans simply because of their religion or ethnicity," she added.

is covered by existing laws that outlaw all kinds of bias and discrimination and there is no need for a new ban.

Washington, April 11 (IANS)

California state has dropped its allegations of caste-based bias by two Indian-descent employees of IT giant Cisco but will continue the larger case against the company.

California's Department of Fair Employment and Housing had filed this case in 2020 based on a complaint from an unidentified employee of the company making it the first case of caste-based discrimination reported in the US.

This case went on to be seen as a confirmation of the existence of a typically South Asian form of discrimination in the US and it was subsequently cited in support of moves to add this practice to the list of banned grounds for bias

elsewhere in the country such as in Seattle.

The California civil rights department (CRD) filed its request for "partial dismissal" in the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara on Monday. "Only the two individual defendants are being dismissed," said the department's press office in response to a request for clarification. "CRD's case against Cisco remains ongoing. We will continue to vigorously litigate the matter on behalf of the people of California."

The lawsuit by California's Department of Fair Employment and Housing was filed against Cisco System Inc in 2020 on the basis of a complaint from a Indian-descent Dalit employee

The department of civil rights has dropped the allegations against the two supervisors, but said its larger case against the company will continue.

"Two Indian Americans endured a nearly three year nightmare of unending investigations, a brutal online witch hunt, and a presumption of guilt in the media after the CRD sullied their reputation alleging that they engaged in discrimination based on caste," said Suhag Shukla, Executive Director of Hindu American Foundation (HAF), which has opposed the listing of caste among banned ground for discrimination.

"We are thrilled that Iyer and Kompella have been vindicated along with our position that the state has no right to attribute wrongdoing to Hindu and Indian

Indian-American C.R. Rao was awarded International Prize in Statistics

the eighth child born in a family of six brothers and four sisters. He secured an MSc in Mathematics at Andhra University in 1941, an M.A. in statistics from Calcutta University in 1943 and a PhD degree at King's College in Cambridge University in 1948. Cambridge University awarded him the prestigious Sc.D. degree in 1965, and he has received 31 Honorary Doctoral degrees from universities in 18 countries.

In India, under the direction of P.C. Mahalanobis, Rao worked to set up statistical bureaus in different states and developed a network of statistical agencies at the district level for collecting data.

HAF was among a group of organizations of Hindu Americans who tried to stop Seattle city from adding caste to the banned list of kinds of bias and it is also now part of an effort to stop California from adopting a legislation banning caste-based discrimination, the first American state to do so, when, and if, that legislation becomes law.

A debate is raging in the Indian American community, joined by other South Asian communities, on the question of adding caste to the list of many kinds of bias banned in the US, with history/ origin, religion, color and ethnicity.

HAF, Vishwa Hindu Parishad America and other rightwing Hindu Americans argue that caste-based discrimination is reprehensible, any law banning it here in the US puts a target on the backs of the entire South Asian community, specially Hindus, by portraying them all as purveyors of this practice.

They also argue that discrimination based on caste

Their third, and final argument, is that caste bias in the US is rare and not as rampant as it has been made out to be. They have questioned data cited by supporters of the ban.

Others argue that caste-based discrimination is widely practiced among American communities of people of South Asian descentfrom India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal - and that it needs to be banned. No one community is being targeted and if HAF and other such organizations agree and acknowledge that caste is a reprehensible practice, they should not oppose its ban.

California state senator Aisha Wahab is among the supporters of the ban and she has introduced a legislation to make the state the first to put caste on the ban list. Kshama Sawant, the Indian American council woman who made Seattle the first city to ban caste, is the most vocal proponent of the movement pushing America to outlaw caste.

Expelled Rep uses racial slur against Indian-American lawmaker

New York, April 10 (IANS) An Indian-American lawmaker serving in the Tennessee House of Representatives has said that a recently-expelled Democrat hurled a racial slur at him, calling him the "brown face of Indian supremacy".

Sabi Kumar, 75, told Fox News that during a debate in the statehouse, Democrat Justin Jones, 27, shoved his finger in his face and said: "Kumar, they will never accept you."

President Joe Biden criticised the move in a tweet, saying: "Three kids and three officials gunned down in yet another mass shooting. And what are GOP officials focused on? Punishing lawmakers who joined thousands of peaceful protesters calling for action. It's shocking, undemocratic, and without precedent."

Responding to Jones' charge during the debate, Kumar said having lived in the country for 53 years, he never faced a racial slur. "I live a good life, yet you, on tape, called me a brown face," Kumar told Jones.

New York, April 10 (IANS) Noted

Indian-American mathematician and statistician Calyampudi

Radhakrishna Rao has been awarded the 2023 International Prize in Statistics for his work more than 75 years back, which continues to exert a profound influence on science.

Rao, 102, will receive the prize, which comes with a $80,000 award, this July at the biennial International Statistical Institute World Statistics Congress in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

"In awarding this prize, we celebrate the monumental work by C.R. Rao that not only revolutionized statistical thinking in its time but also continues to exert enormous influence on human understanding of

science across a wide spectrum of disciplines," said Guy Nason, Chair of the International Prize in Statistics Foundation, in a statement.

Rao demonstrated three fundamental results that paved the way for the modern field of statistics and provided statistical tools heavily used in science today in his 1945 paper published in the Bulletin of the Calcutta Mathematical Society. Combined, these results help scientists more efficiently extract information from data.

Rao is currently a professor emeritus at Pennsylvania State University and Research Professor at the University at Buffalo.

Born in 1920 in Karnataka, he was

India honoured Rao with a Padma Bhushan in 1968 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2001. It has also instituted a biennial national award in Statistics known as the 'The Professor C.R. Rao' award. In his honour, the Pennsylvania State University has established a C.R. and Bhargavi Rao Prize in Statistics.

The first International Prize in Statistics was awarded in 2017 to David R. Cox for the development of the Cox proportional hazards model, which allows researchers to investigate patient survival rates in complex studies.

Awarded biennially at the ISI World Statistics Congress, the International Prize in Statistics aims to enhance public understanding of the depth and scope of statistics.

The remarks against Kumar came just before the Tennessee House of Representatives voted to expel Reps Jones and Justin Pearson from the Legislature for their role in a protest calling for gun control after a shooting at a private school in Nashville that killed six people.

"I have been here for 53 years, and I have practice surgery. I have lived in Tennessee for 46 years, and people have been extremely kind to me. I was really surprised, and that these things should not happen, especially in a place where people are constantly guarding the values in such a way that discrimination and racism does not occur," Kumar said at the 'Tucker Carlson' show. Fox News reported that Jones was sanctioned for using a bullhorn when he joined with protesters, which State House leaders called

"You shove your finger in my face and said Kumar they will never accept you. You said it twice... You have insulted your colleagues. You have insulted the House of Representatives... You have insulted our speaker you have personally insulted me."

He finished his statement by calling Jones "a talented young man" who has "a lot to offer". "...it's sad what you just stated to me, and that's what this is really about. He said 'You see everything under the lens of race, when you join this body, you should just become one of us. Just assimilate", Jones said in response to Kumar. Kumar, the only non-white member of the Republican caucus, immigrated to the US from India in 1970, working as a surgeon in Miami from 1971 to 1977 after which he moved to Springfield.

"disorderly behaviour".

6 Indian-Americans win 2023 Guggenheim Fellowships

Mysuru-born Animashree

Anandkumar is the Bren Professor of Computing at California Institute of Technology. Her research interests are in the areas of large-scale machine learning, non-convex optimization and highdimensional statistics.

She received her BTech from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, and her PhD from Cornell University. She did her postdoctoral research at MIT and an assistant professorship at the University of California Irvine.

Abraham Verghese is Professor and Linda R. Meier and Joan F. Lane Provostial Professor, and Vice Chair for the Theory and Practice of Medicine at the School of Medicine at Stanford University. He received the Heinz Award in 2014 and was awarded the National Humanities Medal, presented by former President Barack Obama in 2015.

states in nature. She is also a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion in science and serves on several committees dedicated to promoting these values.

New York, April 11 (IANS) Six Indian-Americans are among a diverse group of 171 scientists, writers, scholars, and artists across 48 fields who have been chosen out of almost 2,500 applicants for the 2023 Guggenheim Fellowships.

Scholars Animashree

Anandkumar, Venkatesan

Guruswami, Abraham Verghese, Projit Bihari Mukharji, Prineha

Narang and Leela Prasad (South & Southeast Asian Studies) were selected on the basis of prior achievement and exceptional promise.

"The new class of Fellows has followed their calling to enhance all of our lives, to provide greater human knowledge and deeper understanding. We're lucky to look to them to bring us into the future."

Venkatesan Guruswami is a Chancellor's Professor in the Department of EECS, Senior Scientist at the Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing, and Professor of Mathematics at UC Berkeley. His research interests span many areas of theoretical computer science and related mathematics, including error-correction, approximate optimisation, randomness in computing, and computational complexity.

Local health board in UK to recruit 900 overseas nurses, mostly Indians: Report

Projit Bihari Mukharji is a professor in the Department of History and Sociology of Science at the University of Pennsylvania. He is interested in issues of marginality and marginalisation, both within and through science. People and knowledges who are disempowered are the main subject of his studies.

Currently, he is working on a history of human difference and race in 20th century South Asia.

Prineha Narang is Professor and Howard Reiss Chair in Physical Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles. Her research aims to better understand the dynamics of non-equilibrium

Leela Prasad is a Professor of Religious Studies, and Gender, Sexuality and Feminist Studies at Duke University. Her primary interests are the anthropology of ethics, with a focus on South Asia, gender, narrative, colonialism & decoloniality, prison pedagogy & Gandhi, and religion & modernity.

This year's class of Fellows range in age from 31 to 85.

Close to 50 Fellows have no current full-time college or university affiliation, the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation stated in a press release.

Many Fellows' projects directly respond to issues like the lasting effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, democracy and policing, scientific innovation, climate change, and identity.

London, April 6 (IANS) A local health board in the UK could be recruiting as many as 900 nurses, mostly from Kerala, in the next four years to address workforce shortages, which is as high as 40 percent in acute care and surgery.

The Swansea Bay University Health Board will hire 350 nurses from overseas in the current financial year, subject to approval by chief executive Mark Hackett, the BBC reported.

A board meeting heard that efforts were being made by the health board and the Welsh government to train and retain more homegrown staff. The health board employs nearly 4,200 nurses and midwives, with the report saying it had "1,322 nurses and midwives currently over the age of 51 that could retire very soon or over the next few years".

According to the BBC report, the health board, which is responsible for NHS services in Swansea and Neath Port Talbot, said it recruited from the Philippines, Africa and the Caribbean, as well as India.

It would cost about 4.7 million

pounds to employ 350 overseas nurses in 2023-24, but this would save 1.5 million pounds in agency and nursing bank costs, the report said.

The report said overseas nurses were offered a Band 5 contract, with a starting salary of 27,055 pounds, but initially received a Band 4 wage until they completed their UK registration.

Band 5 roles are normally filled by newly-qualified nurses, who want to further their experience and skills in nursing.

The Band 4 team is required to support the surgical team.

The health board representatives recently went to Kochi, which led to the employment of 107 nurses, some with 15 years of experience, to help fill the void of Band 5 -filled by newly qualified nurses -- within Swansea Bay.

The new recruits -- a mixture of medical, surgical and theatre nurses -- will start their new roles this month, according to a release by Swansea Bay University Health Board.

Following compliance checks and obtaining a visa, these nurses will face a four-week OSCE (Objective

Structured Clinical Examination) training programme in the health board's Nurse Education Training Suite based in Baglan HQ before sitting an exam to attain their Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) registration.

The decision to recruit specifically from India was based on the country's high number of quality nurses.

"In countries such as India there is a surplus of trained nurses. Ethically, we can recruit from these countries as they are not being left short of quality nurses. Often, the nurses we interview have only been given 12-month contracts in their home countries, so they are also looking at more long-term commitments, which we can offer," said Lynne Jones, Head of Nursing Education and Recruitment.

The Swansea Bay University Health Board covers a population of approximately 500,000 people and has a budget of 1.3 billion pounds.

The Health Board says it employs approximately 16,000 members of staff, 70 per cent of whom are involved in direct patient care.

New Delhi, April 3 (IANS) A parliamentary panel on External Affairs has asked the government to create an authentic data on Indian diaspora, which would help to effectively implement welfare schemes for Indians living abroad.

In its report presented in Parliament on Monday, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on external affairs expressed surprise that authentic data of the Indian diaspora is not available in the External Affairs Ministry, as the government has said that registration by diaspora being voluntary, the entire community does not register with Indian embassies and missions abroad, and also the data varies due to their mobility.

The panel headed by BJP MP P.P. Chaudhary felt that the government may not be able to implement welfare schemes for

the overseas community and address its challenges in the absence of a comprehensive and up-to-date database. Therefore the committee has recommended in its report that embassies and missions abroad should play a more proactive role, and encourage the diaspora to register themselves with the embassies and missions in coordination with the various diaspora associations, cultural organisations and student bodies, so that authentic database is maintained.

The panel further recommended to the government that as the composition of the Indian diaspora is diverse, consisting of labourers, workers, traders, professionals as well as students, therefore it should develop a module for migrant workers and overseas students within a specified time-frame.

Parliamentary panel asks govt to prepare database on Indian diaspora for better outreach

A glorious bequeathment to humanity - 125 years of the ramakrishna organisation

The Vedanta Centre in Springfield Lakes, Qld celebrates 125 glorious years of the establishment of its parent organisation – the Ramakrishna Mission (https:// belurmath.org/). Established in India on 1st May 1897 by the illustrious Swami Vivekananda, the organisation has been a beacon light to many people throughout the years. ‘Swami’ (Hindu monk) Vivekananda lived a short life of 39 years, yet laid down the spiritual and legal infrastructure for the organisation which, he said, will last for at least 1000 years!

The Ramakrishna Mission Movement was founded in the name of Sri Ramakrishna (SRK), the 19th-century mystic and spiritual guru of Swami Vivekananda, 11 years after his demise. Sri Ramakrishna practiced in his own life, various religious paths and came to the conclusion that ‘paths may vary, but the goal is the same, namely, realization of perfection in life’ (cf. Be ye, therefore perfect, even as your father in heaven is perfect – Matthew 5.48).

The role played by Sri Sarada Devi (SD, 1853-1920), the wife of Sri Ramakrishna, is pivotal in the first two decades of this organization, especially after the demise of its founder, Swami Vivekananda. She was not only the the spiritual mother of the monks and the followers, but her talents in organizational management, interpersonal skills, and unwavering moral support to the monks of the organization were phenomenal. She did not receive any formal education, yet she was the very personification of discipline and keen commonsense guiding the organisation.

Ramakrishna Mission was founded on a radical idea: the monks would not be confined to the monastery but participate in activities for the welfare of society while remaining detached from

all benefits/recognition that may accrue from this involvement. The traditional monastic orders saw this as a complete abandonment of their basic goal of a totally contemplative life. At the same time, many social organizations and common citizens ridiculed the idea of a religious organization trying to provide social services, something that could be delivered much better by professional NGOs and governmental agencies. But it was the genius of Swami Vivekananda that was encapsulated the motto of the organizations mission- ‘For the salvation of our individual selves and for the welfare of all beings’.

The service aspect is guided by the Bengali axiom that Swami Vivekananda was fond of - Śiva jñāne jīva sevā (serve all beings with the realization that they are manifestations of the divine). The Vedanta Centre in Springfield Lakes follows the above principles and serves the community through various activities: food to the needy, free grocery hampers, relief in times of calamities like the recent COVID pandemic, giving financial assistance to individuals when possible, providing spiritual counseling and guidance, conducting character-building workshops for children and youth, scriptural classes and multicultural events to benefit the community. More activities will be included in the future.

The Vedanta Centre in Springfield Lakes is an intercultural faith and community hub engaged in benevolent activities like food assistance, educational workshops, activities for children and youth, classes on Vedanta and volunteer opportunities. The Centre has a Café, Soup Kitchen, community garden and reading library. All are welcome. www.facebook.com/ vedantaspringfield

Compiled by Swami Atmeshananda.

Sound of Silence: Fusion of music and meditation

Art Of Living Brisbane and Indian Council of Australia, Queensland Inc. (ICAQ) are hosting a program "Sound of Silence", presenting a fusion of music and meditation for mental peace, performed by an internationally renowned artist.

The ‘Sound of Silence’ program, due to be held on 26th May, will help the audience experience how music, meditation and chants can help promote mental peace. The event will take place from 7pm to 9:30pm on Friday, 26th May at CoorparooSecondary College.

Visit this link for booking –https://www.trybooking.com/

CHDFI

History of Bhujia: The journey of nostalgic snacking

New Delhi, April 7 (IANSlife) The modest bhujia has long been a ridiculously well-liked food option in India.

The delicious bhujia has been a constant in our eating habits and daily routines, whether it is for breakfast in the morning when combined with tea or any other beverage, for a quick break from work in the afternoon, or for night-time snacks.

That bhujia is frequently used as a crucial garnishing for foods and preparations in our everyday eating customs and culture.

Invented under the patronage of the Bikaneri royalty

However, few people are aware that the humble bhujia did not actually have low beginnings. Instead, it is thought to have royal origins according to the majority of accounts, including popular history.

According to legend, in 1877, Maharaja Dungar Singh of the then-princely state of Bikaner was the one who first had this delicious savoury made for his guests. The Maharaja and his guests were served the snack, and to everyone's pleasure, they couldn't help but keep asking for more and more of the item they

had just tried for the first time in their lives. The besan or gramflour-based snack, which was light or golden yellow in colour and spiced with a variety of herbs and seasonings, had never before delighted the royal palates of Bikaner and Rajasthan. Became a mass product in course of time

But that was only the start. The freshly created savoury, which was crispy, crunchy, and utterly irresistible, quickly made its way from the royal kitchen and nobility's homes to the homes of commoners and families, becoming a culinary craze in Bikaner and elsewhere. The raging popularity of this savoury quickly attracted small businesses, food adventurers, and entrepreneurs - even before the word "entrepreneur" became fashionable in India - who turned this obsession into formal business outlets.

In due course, bhujia came to be one of the most constant and staple offerings of countless street food vendors, snack stall owners, and food and snack business operators who started to serve bhujia to their customers not only as an independent offering but also by combining it with other food items and tidbits to satisfy the need and demand of the ever-increasing patrons of this snack. Bhujia became a constant presence everywhere, whether it was on pushcarts, bicycle carts,

on-head vendors, or established stores and stalls.

Family businesses took the lead, later joined by multinationals By the turn of the century, a significant number of small localised players had appeared in Bikaner and even further afield in Rajasthan as a part of the socalled cottage industry, advancing bhujia as a core product as a part of their larger basket of offerings. Around the middle of the 20th century, a few famous familyowned ethnic food companies were established, using bhujia and its variations as their main product to capitalise on the snack's enduring and unwavering popularity. These family-owned companies and their numerous offshoots have developed into prominent ethnic food brands with a presence both domestically and abroad.

In an effort to join the trend, several multinational corporations have developed their own versions of bhujia and related savouries over the past few decades in an effort to catch up with the family-owned Indian ethnic food and savoury businesses.

Modern packaging has increased shelf life while reinforcing their identity. Unlike the open and loose forms of bhujias that were previously distributed, the introduction of contemporary and

Continued on Page 26

to contemporary blues and jazz, Vikram's concerts seamlessly meld diverse styles into an organic whole.

Vikram Hazra is known internationally for his unique style of music, fusing ancient Sanskrit Chants and secular wisdom with the sounds of the electric guitar to create a genre that transcends boundaries, uplifts the spirit and scintillates the audience. He has performed with the very best of the music industry. He has also accompanied Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (founder of the Art of Living Foundation) on delegations to countries as diverse as Singapore and Mongolia, and has been a delegate at various international fora including the United Nations Millennium WorldPeace Summit. From the simplest of Indian folk songs to ancient Sanskrit hymns, from Buddhists chants,African and African-American spirituals,

The Indian Council of Australia, Queensland (ICAQ) is an amalgam of many small and big associations and groups that live in Queensland. The ICAQ acknowledges the diversity of multicultural Queensland, and the presence of several community organizations that represent the cultural and linguistic diversity within the nation. ICAQ, aspires, expects,and commends its large membership of the Indian diaspora to contribute to a robust nation building, through all their endeavors in social development, providing education,present view and voice of the Indian Community at various forums and networks of strategic importance to the Indian diaspora in the State of Queensland.

Art of Living Foundation has positively touched the lives of over 20 million people across 165 countries globally. Our volunteers are working globally towards the betterment of society, even in war-torn countries like Iraq and Afghanistan. In the year 2015, the founder of the organization Gurudev Sri Sri Ravishankar was awarded Columbia’s highest civilian award for helping bring an end to a 50 year old civil war.In serving the Australian community, Art of Living Australia represents the best of health and wellness offerings for our vibrant and pluralist society.

Community Cultural Meals for the Homeless

100 Delicious Indonesian Meals were donated by members of Seharum Nusantara to the Homeless members in Labrador.

If you wish to donate meals to the Homeless & Needy members on the Gold Coast, please contact Hussain Baba.

Sports along with the Culture was the experience at the 35th Australian Sikh Games 2023

From the News Desk, Australia

India News: The 35th Australian Sikh Games in Brisbane during the easter weekend 2023 held in the City of Gold Coast Council was a successful event with 4700 athletes participating in various sports especially traditional Punjabi sports as well as Australian sports. Sports such as cricket, soccer, netball along with the Sikh Games featuring India's national sport, hockey, and the culturally rooted, extremely

popular and physical sport of Kabbadi were the highlight sports played in these Sikh Games.

The City of Gold Coast community supported the massive event by attending the games and encouraging the players. There were about 200000 spectators who attended the event over the three days. Dignitaries who attended the event were Stirling Hinchliffe MP, Mayor Tom Tait, James Martin MP, Cr Cameron Caldwell, Sam O'Connor

MP present at the opening ceremony at 35th Australian Sikh Games Brisbane 2023.

The highlights of the games was the girls team winning the Netball event. PCAQ (Brisbane) were Netball Opens Winners 2023 at the event. These girls remained undefeated throughout the entire competition.

The gist of these games was educating the next generation, the Australian values as well as staying close to their roots, their

language and the culture of their kins.

Apart from the games there were cultural programs arranged by the organisers. Cultural Coordinator for the games Mrs. Jyoti-Amarjyot Bains Goraya says, “ I have been a netball player in the past Brisbane games but this year I organised the cultural program. The cultural stage not only catered to the live singers and dancers but also held theatrical short comedy plays.

Children were also felicitated for academic excellence at this event.”

All three days langar (community kitchen serving free food) was served to all who attended the event. A Punjabi culture of serving free food to all attending the gurudwara regardless of the religion.

Overall the event was a complete culture plus sports excellence event bringing the Indian diaspora as well as the Australians living in Brisbane together.

Tamil New Year celebrated at Sri Selva Vinayagar temple

Tamil New Year and Chariot Festival (Rathotsavam Thaer Thiruvizha) were celebrated as part of Brisbane Mahotsava festival at Sri Selva Vinayakar Koyil temple in South Maclean,

Brisbane.

Cr Natalie Willcocks also attended the event, which went on for 11 days, from Thursday 6th April to Sunday 16th April.

On first day, April 6, Kodiyetram-

Hoisting of Flag took place, followed by Regular Thiruvizha on 7-10 April. On 6th day, April 11, Mambalam Thiruvizha took place, on 7th day, April 12, the Vettai Thiruvizha, on 8th day, April 13,

the Chapparam Thiruvizha, on 9th day, April 14, The Thiruvizha – Chariot Festival, 10th day, and on April 15 Theertham Thiruvizha - Water Cutting took place.

Then on 11th day, April 16, the

Poongavanam Thiruvizha was supposed to take place, followed by Vairavar Madai on April 17th.

History of Bhujia: The journey of nostalgic snacking

Continued from Page 24

Different types and variations of bhujia have developed over time based on the primary ingredients used to make them.

popularity.

their branded equivalents in tier II and III markets.

designer packaging has increased their shelf life while also giving bhujias their own unique identity.

Because of the need to preserve the purity and freshness of the product, packaging has become an essential component of the entire process as production of this savoury has progressively scaled up as part of the expanding savoury snack companies due to their continuously rising

For the packaging of these bhujias, the use of contemporary packaging materials like laminated low-density polyethylene and polypropylene pouches has been especially noteworthy.It is not surprising that ethnic bhujia now accounts for over 15 per cent of the Indian savoury industry. At the same time, branded and locally produced bhujias coexist with

Therefore, the humble bhujia has gone a long way since then. The government's decision to give it the Geographical Indication label in 2020 attests to both its enduring fame and the distinctiveness and exclusivity in terms of appeal and reputation that this modest savoury from the Bikaner region has established for itself. It should

come as no surprise that bhujia and its variations, including more recent spinoffs like aloo bhujia, paneer bhujia, and maggibhujia, will continue to dominate snack lovers' hearts and minds both in India and around the world.

Photo courtesy - VinoRaa Photography

Australia India Business Council Special Meeting with Abhinav Bhatia TIQ commissioner Highlight on ECTA

From News Desk Australia

India News: A very informative and thought provoking forum organized by the Australia India Business Council in Queensland brought community leaders and heads of various businesses together to discuss the current position of India and Australia bilateral relation.

Trade & Investment Queensland (TIQ) partnered with AIBC for a series of three regional roadshows from 27-29 March to promote opportunities from

ECTA for businesses in Cairns, Townsville and the Gold Coast.

AIBC Queensland Chapter President, Nik Senapati, traveled along with panellists, Abhinav Bhatia, TIQ’s Senior Trade and Investment Commissioner, South Asia and Frances Lisson, Chief Negotiator AI-ECTA, DFAT to all three roadshows. A special session was hosted in Brisbane for the members of the business community in Brisbane which happened on 3 April 2023.

At the special session in

Brisbane, Abhinav Bhatia of TIQ highlighted several success stories facilitated by TIQ in the Australia-India corridor across industries such as mining and related services, IT, skincare, health and sportstech. Trade and Investment Queensland Commissioner Abhinav Bhatia presented the current position of India related to ECTA agreement. He highlighted that India has largest younger population and that is the advantage India has for foreign investments and markets. He highlighted thst mobile

phones industries are thriving on this factor.

He also said that India’s individual states alone in terms of market growth either overtakes or is similar to various south Asian countries. He referred to the India map created which showed Maharashtra similar to Singapore in terms of market growth. He also Highlighted that the current ECTA agreement highlights few product that have no restrictions while others are reduced tariff and yet others will be further

included in the future. Wine is one of them that is in the list, Wine has reduction of 150% tariff over 9 years for bottles over import prices of US$5 and US$15 and guaranteed best market access by India in any future FTA. Fruit and vegetables, will undergo elimination of tariffs over 6 years specifically for avocados, onions, cherries and berries. Reduction of tariffs over 6 years for apricots and strawberries. For oranges, mandarins and pears, immediate 50% tariff reduction for in-quota exports.

Contact Centre helps more than four million residents in five years

From LordMayor office: Council’s award-winning Contact Centre remains the one-stop-shop for all Brisbane related queries, as it marks the four millionth call over five years.

What started as 40 council team members answering 1,200 calls a day almost 30 years ago has become a workforce 114 strong that averages 92 calls taken every hour.

Chair of Community, Arts and Nighttime Economy Vicki Howard said the Contact Centre, which operates 24 hours seven days a week, provides expert insights to Brisbane residents for thousands of different enquiry types, from the sensible to the slightly unconventional.

“When the Contact Centre opened, one of the first calls was from an elderly lady who was panicking because her souffle wasn’t rising in the oven and she needed urgent advice,” Cr Howard said.

“After talking to a colleague, the consultant advised the caller that her oven wasn’t hot enough and she needed to turn it right up. To this day, it’s a mystery if the grateful callers souffle was successful or not, but we assume it was delicious!

“These days Council continue to field unique requests from time to time, but the top concerns include property searched, illegally parked vehicles and animal permits.”

The Contact Centre becomes particularly important in times of crisis, with council team members experiencing a 37 per cent increase in enquiries during the first five days of the 2022 flood event.

“Some of the greatest support our team members deliver is during times of enormous challenge, and I am proud of how the Contact Centre supported so many people through the 2022 floods,” Cr Howard said.

“The high degree of empathy, support and expert assistance shown by our team members helped many of our residents in their time of need, and even allowed others to make a difference in their own communities.”

Cr Schrinner said all Contact Centre team members received extensive training upon joining Council and were some of the city’s most knowledgeable residents when it comes to the ins and outs of Brisbane.

“Our team members use specialist information systems that assist them to answer the many thousands of enquiry types that come by phone, email and social media,” she said. “No matter how you choose to contact our highly skilled team, they are available to help and guide callers to get the best out of Brisbane.”

Asian Wrestling C’ships: Aman Sehrawat wins first gold medal for India; Deepak bags bronze

9-4 in the 57kg freestyle final to bag a gold medal in his maiden appearance in the competition, Sehrawat opened his campaign with a 7-1 win over Japan's Rikuto Arai in the quarterfinals. In the semifinal bout, he got the better of China's Zou Wanhao by a 7-4 scoreline.

Sehrawat is the current U-23 World Champion in his weight category and also a TOPS athlete.

IPL 2023: Rinku Singh’s five sixes help Kolkata pull off an unimaginable heist against Gujarat

the fourth year running. Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Ravi Kumar Dahiya won the category in 2020, 2021 and 2022. Sehrawat was included in the Indian team as Ravi Dahiya pull out with an injury.

Astana (Kazakhstan), April 13

(IANS) Aman Sehrawat bagged the first gold of the Asian Wrestling Championship, while Deepak Mirca won the bronze medal on a productive day for India in the competition on Thursday.

Aman Sehrawat defeated Kyrgyzstan's Almaz Smanbekov

He has so far won the lone gold for India in the 36th edition of the Asian Wrestling Championships of combined events, which started on April 9 and will end on Friday (April 14), according to information reaching here.

Sehrawat's victory in Astana ensured the men's freestyle 57kg gold medal stayed with India for

Deepak Mirka defeated Tajikistan's Shuhrat Bozorov 12-1 in the 79kg freestyle bronze medal bout by Technical Superiority. The two medals took India's tally in this tournament to 13 medals -- one gold, three silver and nine bronze medals.

Rupin Gahlawat (men's 55kg Greco-Roman), Antim Panghal (Women's 53kg freestyle) and Nisha Dahiya (Women's 68 kg freestyle) won the three silver medals for India in this competition so far.

Official chant launched to mark 100-day countdown to FIFA Women’s World Cup

Days to Go until the tournament kicks off, we are thrilled to be unveiling the Unity Beat, a sound that we believe will become synonymous with the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023."

Ahmedabad, April 9 (IANS) With five balls left in the final over, Kolkata Knight Riders needed 28 runs, with a victory for Gujarat Titans looking imminent, especially after stand-in captain Rashid Khan took a hat-trick. But Rinku Singh smashed five successive sixes on the last five balls off Yash Dayal to complete an improbable heist in the history of IPL and give Kolkata a memorable three-wicket victory at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

Fifties from B Sai Sudharsan and Vijay Shankar, including him smashing Lockie Ferguson and Shardul Thakur for five sixes and two fours in the 19th and 20 overs, yielding 45 runs overall, took Gujarat to 204/4 in 20 overs.

the last three overs of power-play. After the field restrictions were lifted, Iyer pulled Dayal for a four and six in the seventh over. In the next over, Rana pulled and cut off Alzarri Joseph for two sixes. Rashid brought himself on in the ninth over, but Iyer slog-swept him for six, followed by Rana pulling for four more in the 11th over. In the next over, Iyer reached his fifty in 26 balls by flicking Dayal past short fine leg for four, followed by hitting a brace of sixes over square leg and long-off. Boundaries continued to flow as Rana brought out the sweep and reverse-sweep against Rashid. But Joseph broke the century-partnership in the 16th over as Rana chipped straight to mid-off.

Geneva (Switzerland), April 11 (IANS) The official chant "Unity Beat" was released on Tuesday to mark the 100 days countdown to the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023, while the tournament's LastMinute Sales Phase opened. The world's biggest women's football event will take place from

July 20 to August 20, with the opening match to feature hosts New Zealand against Norway at Eden Park, Auckland. The final match will be held at Stadium Australia in Sydney, a Xinhua report said.

FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura was quoted as saying in a press release: "With just 100

"When the Unity Beat plays in each of the tournament's nine welcoming host cities, fans from all over the world will know that it's time to join in and create a truly unforgettable atmosphere. From the streets to the stadiums, the Unity Beat will be a call to action for supporters to unite and remember the one thing that has brought them all togetherfootball," Samoura added.

Fans need to register for a FIFA Ticketing Account to buy tickets on the official website FIFA.com.

Ukraine bans its national teams from competing with Russia and Belarus in all sporting events

Centre for Physical Culture and Sports for the Disabled (Invasport) shall ensure the withdrawal of official delegations from their trips if athletes from the Russian Federation and/ or the Republic of Belarus are participating in the respective competitions," it added.

In reply, Venkatesh Iyer smashed 83 off 40 balls and shared a 100-run partnership off 55 balls with captain Nitish Rana to take Kolkata to victory. But 'ashid's hat-trick in the 17th overturned the game in G'jarat's favour before Rinku brought in another twist through his unbeaten 48 in a jawdropping display of strokeplay to seal a Kolkata win. Rahmanullah Gurbaz fell to a short ball from Mohammed Shami in the third over, with short leg holding on to the catch and avoiding a collision with substitute keeper KS Bharat. Josh Little sent back N Jagadeesan in the fourth over by having him pull straight to deep square leg. Iyer, coming in as an impact player for Suyash Sharma, got off the mark with an upper cut over the third man for six. Every shot coming from his bat was finely middled - like the punch off Shami, executing a deft shot off Alzarri Joseph and pulling off Dayal to hit a boundary each in

Iyer continued to keep Kolkata in the hunt, hitting Little for two fours in the 15th over, before ending the over with a clean swing over long-off for six. His blistering knock came to an end in the next over when he holed out to long-on off Joseph. The crowd suddenly found its noise back and that got louder in the 17th over when Rashid had Andre Russell caught behind off an inside edge, Sunil Narine caught at deep mid-wicket and trapped Shardul Thakur lbw with a googly to complete a sensational hat-trick.

Brief scores: Gujarat Titans 204/4 in 20 overs (B Sai Sudharsan 53, Vijay Shankar 63 not out; Sunil Narine 3-33, Suyash Sharma 1-35) lost to Kolkata Knight Riders 207/7 in 20 overs (Venkatesh Iyer 83, Rinku Singh 48 not out; Rashid Khan 3-37, Alzarri Joseph 2-27) by three wickets

Kyiv (Ukraine), April 14 (IANS)

Ukraine's Sports Ministry has forbidden its national teams from competing in Olympic, nonOlympic, and Paralympic events where Russian and Belarusian athletes will be participating.

The sports ministry published a decree, signed by the country's deputy sports minister Matvii Bidnyi, on its website on Friday.

"To prohibit official delegations of national teams of Ukraine to participate in international sports competitions in which athletes from the Russian Federation and/or Belarus participate," the ministry's decree read.

"The Departments of Olympic Sports, Physical Culture and NonOlympic Sports, the Ukrainian

The decree recommends that "all-Ukrainian sports federations monitor possible participation of athletes from the Russian Federation and/or the Republic of Belarus in international sports competitions and promptly inform the Ministry of Youth and Sports in the event of such facts taking place."

It also provides for recalling the delegations of Ukrainian athletes from tournaments if Russian and Belarusian athletes participate.

The ministry said that in case of the violation of a decree, the sports federations of Ukraine will be deprived of their national status.

5 properties for your perfect summer getaway

Summer 2023 seems like the ideal moment to treat yourself to the opulent vacation of your dreams

By IANSlife

March 31, 2023 (IANSlife) The travel industry, especially the luxury segment, is continuing to bounce back with renewed energy in the wake of the pandemic, states a recent report by YouGov. The report highlights that global consumers are spending more on travel, booking longer trips, taking more vacations than

before, and travelling with wider groups. With two years of halt in travel due to the pandemic, the summer of 2023 feels like the perfect time to indulge in a luxurious getaway that you have been dreaming about.

Here are a few accommodations that will enable you to cross more places off your travel wish list, relax, and indulge in opulence:

Baglioni Resort Maldives

The Maldives are the ideal location if you want to take a short, relaxing vacation before the summer season really heats up. Discover yourself again while luxuriating under a palm tree after losing yourself in the immensity of the Indian Ocean. You can expect a variety of interesting encounters when you stay at the Baglioni Resort Maldives. This exceptional retreat, which is dreamily

resplendent on the island of Maagau in the Dhaalu Atoll, is awash in tropical natural beauty.

Luxury villas are located at the Baglioni Resort in the Maldives, which is encircled by tropical vegetation, azure water, and velvety-smooth white sand. Using materials and design strategies for maximum sustainability while maximizing the natural setting and its all-encompassing beauty, accommodations have been made with the attention to detail that is characteristic of Italian

architecture.

In the Maldives, the Baglioni Resort, nothing is left to chance. An all-day, every-day multilingual staff, a freshwater pool, butler and cleaning services, and a beach service with loungers are all included in the vacation experience. A boutique and a kids' club are also available for the enjoyment of smaller visitors aged 3 to 15. All in the name of a memorable vacation full of sporting, leisurely, and culinary delights.

Six Senses Rome

Rome is the most appealing location you must visit this summer because of its unique combination of history, legacy, art, custom, and culinary treasures, as well as its favorable climate, relaxed attitude, authenticity, artisanal mastery, and zest for life.

Six Senses Rome, a tranquil retreat tucked away in the center of the Eternal City, debuted on March 16 in the storied Palazzo Salviati Cesi Mellini. Each one is rooted in Italian heritage and Roman customs and celebrates epicurean discovery, culture, wellness, and spirituality. They are the ideal base for experiencing meaningful encounters because of their serene vibe.

The 96 guest rooms and suites at the hotel all pay homage to Roman customs, from Cocciopesto on the walls to the abundant use of local Travertine stone. Some even have terraces with recognizable

Triclinium-style marble seating.

In addition to the groundbreaking slumber With Six Senses standards of bespoke handmade and organic mattresses, cotton bedding, pillows, and additional amenities to encourage a good night's slumber, cutting-edge in-room technology is subtly incorporated. The feeling of calm and tranquility is still everpresent and welcome after a busy day taking in the sights, despite the prime location in the middle of the city.

The old Roman art of bathing is modernized at Six Senses Rome by incorporating the most cutting-edge biohacking technology for recuperation and restoration in the center of this vibrant and busy city. By incorporating biophilic elements, locally sourced, organic spa products, and mosaics of Daphne's laurel tree, Six Senses Spa also reinterprets the themes of classicism and interaction with nature.

Six Senses Bhutan

Bhutan is a great place to travel all year long closer to home. While May to August feature lush environments with blooming flowers and vegetation, March to April provide comfortable conditions for hiking and trekking.

Your visit to Six Senses Bhutan will cause you to reflect. The gross national happiness principle guides daily life in this vibrant Himalayan Kingdom. Traveling through Bhutan's western and central valleys, it's impossible to avoid encountering inspiring and elevating moments at every turn. Because of this, the visitor suites at Six Senses Bhutan are spread out among five cozy lodges: Thimphu, Punakha, Gangtey, Bumthang, and Paro. Every one of them embraces our Six Senses governing principles, which include a Six Senses Spa and Wellness Center, mindful eating, sleep, and self-discovery, and each has its own distinct personality. Immerse yourself in Bhutan's spirituality, history, and hospitality by visiting one or a combination of them.

Kimpton Fitzroy London, an IHG hotel

The moment has come if you have been considering visiting the famous city of London. Typically, May and June are the best months to travel to London because the weather is still pleasant and there are fewer visitors.

The Kimpton Fitzroy London Hotel is where the grandeur of the 19th century and modern London collide. The iconic structure, which takes up an entire block on the eastern side of Russell Square in Bloomsbury, appears every bit the grande matron from the outside. Thoughtful travelers are invited to settle in and remain a while inside, with a Negroni (or two) in hand. Your stay will be adorned with breathtaking destination eateries and bars, including Fitz's, a glitzy bar where the cocktails flow, Burr & Co., a casually cool coffee shop, the light-filled Palm Court, and the Michelin-starred Galvin Bar & Grill, a contemporary British restaurant run by Chris and Jeff Galvin.

Regent Berlin, an IHG hotel Berlin is the ideal location for a romantic summer getaway because it is full of fun outdoor activities designed for the season. The Regent Berlin, an IHG hotel, that Conde' Nast Traveler named one of the "best places to stay in the world," takes pleasure in providing first-rate amenities and impeccable service in the center of one of Europe's most captivating cities. The IHG hotel Regent Berlin, located in the country's historic center, is decorated with marble floors and walls that sparkle in the light from crystal chandeliers. Visitors loiter below, settling onto fringed ottomans while having their likenesses captured in gilded mirrors.

Gendarmenmarkt Square outside recalls a different, more romantic time. The nearby Konzerthaus concert hall is surrounded by eighteenth-century German and French cathedrals, with their domes reaching aloft in reverence. Hear the vibrato of violins fill the air as tempos rise and fall there.

Hariharan: The legend who mesmerised the Melbourne crowd

Melbourne, April 9 (India News Newsdesk): If anyone can truly be called the ‘voice of the soul’, you should have listened to the man singing in Melbourne recently, if you didn’t do it. He is, of course, no stranger to the world of Indian music, which is now being widely recognised for its variety and melody. And add soul to it, the moment you say that, all you remember is one man who is revered widely in India and abroad as Hariharan. Truly, the maestro’s singing has celestial touch to it. He has an uncanny knack to touch the heart and soul with his mellifluous voice. Hariharan, 68, has sung in many languages since 1978. His versatility as a singer has added to the magic he weaves around his listeners with his singing.

All these characteristics of this legendry singer were on display at the Palais Theatre, in St. Kilda, on April 8. The crowd, representing the diversity that the Indian community is known for, cheered and rejoiced while attending the event. The maestro’s singing overwhelmed those who were in attendance. Once on the stage, Hariharan sang to the joy of the crowd, giving his voice to a variety of popular songs in Tamil and Hindi. Hariharan is known to have sung about 8,000 songs so far. Much to the cheer of the audience, he kicked off the Melbourne concert with the song ‘Roja Jaaneman’ from the movie Bombay.

As a singer, who is a legend now, Hariharan was initiated into the world of Tamil movies in 1992 by the then debutant music director A R Rahaman, and he shot to fame with the patriotic song “Thamizha Thamizha” in Maniratnam’s Roja.

The best part about Hariharan’s singing, which was seen once again in the Melbourne event, was that everyone enjoyed all his songs, whether one was a nonHindi speaker or one who knew Hindi only. He sang Tamil songs as well, which equally enthralled the audience. Language does not become a barrier when Hariharan sings.

Another part of Hariharan’s singing has been the interactive nature of it. He does not just sing, he makes his listeners sing as well. This was seen during his concert at the Palais Theatre, on April 8. He mesmerized his fans, unleashing many of his award-winning songs, one after another. The high-voltage concert saw the audience dance at times as Hariharan left them spell bound singing from a colourful stage, and accompanied by an outstanding team of musicians. The audience included Consul General, Melbourne, Dr Sushil Kumar and his family, community leaders and influencers.

The concert left an indelible musical experience on the minds of those who attended it, and a message was also loud and clear that music is the power that transcends any linguistic boundaries and speaks a common language of peace, harmony and vibrancy, and at the same time entertaining those who connect with it. Hariharan’s concert in Melbourne, by the Star Promotions and India News from Brisbane, showcased once again the richness of Indian music. Moreover, the concert has highlighted the multicultural ethos of India and Australia.

Most stylish celebs at Dior fall/winter 2023 show in Mumbai

Sonam Kapoor, Karisma Kappor, Deva Cassel, Rekha, Liza Koshy, Anushka Sharma, Virat Kohli, and a long roster of others are at the forefront and on the radar

April 01, 2023 (IANSlife) The house of Dior presents its fall/winter

2023 collection on March 31, 2023 while all eyes are on the famous Gateway of India. The city's chaos and Dior's legacy's zen are what weave together the creative strands.

Sonam Kapoor, Karisma Kappor, Deva Cassel, Rekha, Liza Koshy,

Anushka Sharma, Virat Kohli, and a long roster of others are at the forefront and on the radar. But the Lady Dior is our choice for the year's most desirable purse. Here, we've compiled a list of Mumbai's Dior Fall/Winter 2023 show's most stylish celebs.

Karisma Kapoor

Dior Pre Fall 2023 grey cotton and silk dress worn by Karisma Kapoor. She also had heels and a bag from Dior.

Liza Koshy

Liza Koshy looked cute in a Dior Spring-Summer 2023 floral white printed cotton coord.

Rekha Bollywood veteran actress Rekha was seen wearing a classic lavender and gold Kanjeevaram silk saree, looking as chic and refined as ever.

Karlie Kloss

Karlie Kloss wore a Dior Cruise 2023 black embroidered wool jacket, black silk shirt and a black wool skirt. She also sported a Dior bag and shoes.

Ananya Panday

Ananya Panday also opted for a hot pink outfit for the Dior Fall 2023 presentation at the Gateway of India, which included a halfsleeve cropped top and a minilength skirt.

Star-studded launch of NMACC in Mumbai

The musical theatre production

Civilization to Nation: The Journey of Our Nation added unique touches to the evening

By Olivia Sarkar

April 02, 2023 (IANSlife) The Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) was inaugurated

with a grand opening on March 31, 2023. The musical theatre production Civilization to Nation: The Journey of Our Nation added unique touches to the evening. This theatrical production features over 700 performers as well as artistic forms like dance,

music, and puppetry. The inauguration saw many celebrities, including Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Sidharth Malhotra, Kiara Advani, Gigi Hadid and many more.

Mukesh Ambani and Nita Ambani

Mukesh Ambani wore a black bandhgala and Nita looked stunning in blue banarasi saree for the grand opening of Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC).

Deva

wore a Dior SpringSummer 2023 green silk dress with a Dior bag and shoes.

Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli

Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli looked elegant in a French luxury fashion house ensemble, with Virat complementing Anushka's yolk yellow sleeveless dress with a double-breasted grey blazer, trousers, and a white round-neck shirt.

Gigi Hadid

American supermodel Gigi Hadid grabs attention with her colourful attire designed by Rahul Mishra.

By Olivia Sarkar

Deva Cassel

Cassel

Get the perfect winged eyeliner look

A flawless winged eyeliner look need not be difficult to achieve

Next, trace a thin line along your upper lash line with waterproof black eyeliner. Start at the inner corner of your eye and extend the line outward.

Nail trends to catch

Rest your elbow on a surface while applying eyeliner. This will help steady your hand.

April 11, 2023 (IANSlife) Have you ever had trouble mastering the traditional cat eyeliner look? Or perhaps you're just starting out and want to learn how to do it correctly from the beginning. Fortunately, there are a few helpful hints and techniques that can make applying winged eyeliner much simpler!

A celebrity makeup artist Priya Gulati shares some helpful tips to achieve the perfect winged eyeliner look:

First, use light eyeshadow to cover your entire lid. This will help create a smooth base for your liner.

7 skincare

Then, use the liner to draw a small triangle at the outer corner of your eye. Fill in this triangle with a liner.

To create the winged shape, extend the liner past your outermost lashes and upwards towards your brow bone. Make sure the line is thin at the innermost corner and gradually gets thicker as it extends outward. Lastly, apply mascara to both your upper and lower lashes for a finishing touch.

Tips for achieving a bold wing line:

Use an eyeliner brush or pencil that has a fine tip. This will help you get a more precise line.

Begin by drawing small lines in the inner corner of your eye, and then gradually make the lines thicker as you move outward. This will help prevent any mistakes. Lift your eyes by drawing the wing slightly upwards at the outer corner.

Lastly, use a brush or Q-tip to perfect the shape of your wing. Practice, practice, practice! The more you do it, the better you'll get at it.

A flawless winged eyeliner look need not be difficult to achieve. You may quickly get the desired look if you simply adhere to these basic recommendations and techniques. With this information, you may raise your beauty game by designing classic wing liner looks for any situation.

trends to dominate 2023

Taking a look at the skin’s future and reading the experts’ roundup

the goodness of fermented ingredients to create skinboosting barriers and a healthy microbiome system. This process improves the efficacy of active ingredients blended together in a formula. While the process of fermentation is quite old, it’s hitting the streets of mainstream skincare with ultimate benefits and more potent fermented ingredients.

Indulge In Antioxidant-Rich Skincare

April 08, 2023 (IANSlife) Nails have become a crucial part of beauty and fashion. This season calls for blossoms and pop floral colours.

"This year, neon and glittery hues have replaced traditional neutral shades. The neons aren't going anywhere, becoming a part of every beauty enthusiast. From bright neon short nails to major embellishments, 2023 manicure styles have something in store for everyone," says Utkarsha Chaudhary, Beauty, and Training expert, at Boddess Beauty. Here are some inspirations from Boddess' manicure mood board that are growing in popularity and have caught our eye on the runways of spring/summer.

Floral Blossoms Nail Designs:

Talk about summers and florals becoming a mandate. Who says short nails have to be boring?

Everyone has fallen in love with the charming, vintage-inspired floral art patterns on short nails. This floral pattern is eccentric and attractive. We love how these designs give a simplistic yet vibrant approach to your regular nails. It is proof that one can opt for dainty nail art on their natural nails without the hassle of nail extensions.

Pop Micro French Tips: A simple French manicure never fades away, so why not choose an enhanced version with a little twist? This adds an elegant ultrathin pop colour across the tip of your nails on any size or shape of your nails.

By IANSlife

March 31, 2023 (IANSlife) We are all getting ready to witness a new spurt of skincare trends in this new year, though, as consistent innovation and meeting consumer demands are ruling the skincare sector.

While continuing the legacy of the "Skinification" of beauty, 2023 will introduce a new skincare approach with more diverse knowledge and dynamic trends in beauty and skincare.

Get prepped for the top skincare trends of 2023 by taking a look at the skin's future and reading the experts' roundup from SUGAR Cosmetics and Quench Botanics.

Microbiome Skincare

The skincare world’s focus on advocating a healthy skin microbiome continues this year too. But what is microbiome skincare, the new skincare trend of 2023? Microbiomes are basically a group of microorganisms that are already present in the skin working for the skin.

Biome-based skincare helps in flourishing the good bacteria and preventing bad bacteria from taking over. Microbiome skincare consists of probiotics, prebiotics and postbiotics that support your

skin’s immunity to perform at its best ability. This year skin will focus more on rewilding with pH-balancing formulas, bacteriaboosting ingredients and skincare products that create a barrier to protect the skin against harmful radicals.

A “Skin Kindness” Approach

The biggest skincare industry trend that has always been in the spotlight and will be in the future is—skin kindness. Raise your hands if you’ve tried triple cleansing with exfoliating scrubs, and peeloff masks to tackle common gripes of hyperpigmentation but end up with breakouts and some irritation. The upcoming skincare trend of 2023 is all about using less aggressive and more nurturing skincare products and ingredients and aligning more towards skin barrier health. This year, reduce the complexity of your skincare routine and avoid using heavy products that may be feckless at times. Instead, show your skin some kindness.

Fermented Skincare

Although fermented skincare products aren’t new in the beauty industry, no doubt they'll be the biggest Korean skincare trend of 2023. A number of brands are focusing on products that harness

You’ve probably heard of freeradicals – the bad guys. They are little particles that can wreak havoc on your skin. They break down collagen and elastin, making skin sag and wrinkle. With rising awareness about these repercussions of free-radicals and sun damage, vitamin C and E have become popular antioxidant skincare ingredients – and here to stay! SUGAR Cosmetics’Citrus Got Real Skincare range is power packed with the antioxidant properties of vitamin C, that works wonders to even out skin tone and brighten your overall complexion, leaving you with a vibrant glow. Moreover, apart from being touted as the best anti-aging ingredient, vitamin C boosts collagen production, prevents premature aging and protects against environmental stressors.

Micro-treatments

Microdosing was a huge skincare trend in 2022, which basically, consisted of using small amounts of actives to prevent irritation and redness. Similarly, this year, micro-treatments will take up the headlines with their mini facials and quick-fix tips. The 2023 moto is definitely ‘Use less but the best’. Incorporating budgetfriendly skincare treatments,

3D Embellishments Nail Art: If you are someone who wants to stand out in the crowd then throw a party to your nails and opt for larger-than-life 3D details. These artistic nail designs add extra drama and are seriously eyecatching. One can play around

with different embellishments like gemstones or beads added to your elongated nail with the 3D effect. The patterns are cool, trendy, and creative. 'It's the futuristic trend' says the celebrity nail artists. The bigger, the better it gets.

Glazed Donut Nails: Glazed and dewy nail look is having a moment currently inspired by Hayley Bieber’s ultra-trend shiny manicure. The glazed donut nails are still the talk of the town from last year and continue to hold onto this season as well. This nail pattern is all over the

place striking the right code between minimalism and adding the x-factor to your nails. It’s no surprise that not just celebs but beauty enthusiasts like us are drawn towards this pattern as it exudes class and subtly. Try a milky shade topped with chrome for a glazed effect.

If you are one of those trendy nail enthusiasts, then you should give it a try

your eye this season

Hajipur (Bihar), April 9 (IANS) Bihar's 'Khajuraho', an example of Nepali architecture, is a picture of neglect today. With its glorious history, it is looking for people who can save and preserve its historical art.

While some play cards here on lazy afternoons, the homeless ones sleep on its campus in the night.

This Nepali temple located at Kaunhara Ghat in Bihar's Hajipur is called Mini Khajuraho. Today, it is in a dilapidated condition due to lack of maintenance.

Earlier, a large numbers of tourists used to come from far-off places to visit the temple. Some tourists still visit the temple but most of them usually return disappointed.

This temple of Lord Shiva is built on Kaunhara ghat at the confluence of Ganga-Gandak in Hajipur.

The temple displays beautiful workmanship of wooden art,

which depicts different postures of Kamkala, which is also why it is known as Bihar's 'Khajuraho'.

The entrance to this pagoda-style temple is also made of wood, which has square-patterned nets on it.

There is a Shivling inside and 16 rectangular wooden panels. The lower part of the panels depict men and women in different postures of Kamkala.

It is believed that the temple was built around 500 years ago.

Today, its interior walls are seen collapsing.

Youngsters have scribbled their and their lovers' names on the walls of this historical monument, while some have written messages for their beloved to find.

The priceless panels have now become food for wood termites.

B.K. Pandey, a retired professor, apprised that the historical temple was built by the commander of the Nepalese army in the 18th century, Commander

Matbar Singh Thapa.

Since the temple was built by a Nepalese commander, locals also refer to it as a 'Nepali cantonment'.

Pandey said that its preservation could not be done properly and that it is priceless.

He said the temple comes in the category of "protected monument".

Mahant Arjun Das of Kabir Math, located at Butan Das Ghat nearby, said that there are artistic wooden pillars on the four sides of the temple's centre. Iron pillars, bricks, rocks, and an abundance of wooden strips were used to construct the temple.

Das said that the Shivling is installed in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. He added that some idols were stolen in 2008.

He stated that Kamashastra is depicted through different postures in the panels and the temple is of real importance and

has doors in all four directions. The temple's caretaker, Vijay Shah, said that he has been looking after the temple but has not received a salary for years, which is why he is forced to sell 'chana' (gram) on the streets.

Shah added that they explain the situation to the officials and leaders whenever they visit Hajipur but to no avail as they do not seem interested in saving the historical heritage site.

Locals say that if the Nitish Kumar-led government in the state, that makes claims of preserving history, saved this temple, it could increase tourism and prove to be very advantageous.

The locals still hope that the government will someday take action in the matter and preserve the monument.

They also fear that the whole monument will just be confined to pages in history books if not revived soon.

Every artist has personal dialogue with art form: Dancer Rama Vaidyanathan

ventures will have its India preview on April 21 at India Habitat Centre in the national capital as part of Madhvi Festival.

One of the directors of Ganesha Natyalaya, the dancer says it has been an exciting journey discovering her dance form, celebrating it, and adapting it to her body, mind, and intellect.

New Delhi, April 12 (IANS) For several years now, she has been venturing into new avenues of Bharatanatyam with respect to vocabulary, poetry, and treatment. Choreographing multiple dance compositions that can become a part of the traditional repertoire, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award-winning dancer Rama Vaidyanathan's latest 'New Dimensions to Margam' born out of these

"Every artist has her personal dialogue with her art form, and it is this phenomenon that helps the art form to evolve. In my case as well, I was able to harness the vocabulary that I learned from my gurus and search for a fresh impetus and different approach which then became my own individual statement," she tells IANS.

For someone who started creating her own pieces quite early in life,

there was never any apprehension about what the purists would think. "Well, I was too busy having fun with my dance, and doing that, you seldom stop to think of its repercussions. The madness of exploring, deciphering, and reconstructing had engulfed me so strongly that all I could do was to throw myself wholeheartedly into creating new compositions," she recalls.

Anyone who has witnessed Vaidyanathan on stage can effortlessly gauge that her performances go beyond grammar and conventions. She says it is imperative to go beyond the form because the same is the basic medium of communication and its essence and beauty will be enhanced only if there is a soulful liberation in its execution. "It is a tool that we need to utilize with

aesthetics and sensitivity. It is a path need to walk on to discover new spaces and embark on exciting journeys."

Managing to maintain a fine balance between tradition and innovation, the dancer says it is impossible for her body to move in a 'un - Bharatanatyam' manner. "My technique has always been grounded," she adds.

Staying in Delhi, Vaidyanathan has always been exposed to multiple art forms and follows sculpture, painting, literature, music, and genres of dance as well. "This has helped me open several doors in my mind and has widened my perspectives. Particularly with regards to poetry in different languages that find a lot of space in my repertoire."

Pleased with the many performance courses that have been introduced by different private universities, she feels dance is serious, and needs to be studied just as other disciplines of learning are done. Along with the actual practical stream of dancing, such courses teach about the treatises on dance, its history, social connotations, and areas of research. "This gives the dancer a very holistic approach to dance and at the end of the course, it throws open many more vistas of exploring for the student. Performance is just one aspect of dance, there are many other areas, especially scholarship that we actually need many more youngsters to adopt."

(Sukant Deepak can be reached at sukant.d@ians.in)

Bihar’s ‘Khajuraho’, an example of Nepali architecture, is a picture of neglect

Ambedkar: A feminist both at home and in public life

life stoically, starved to keep her family fed, borne the burdens of the years when the family could barely make ends meet, and mourned the loss of three sons and a daughter.

"She did not flinch from carrying basketfuls of cow dung on her head during periods of financial distress," Ambedkar had written in a revealing article in 'Bahishkrit Bharat' in 1928. "And this writer could not find even half an hour in 24 hours for this extremely affectionate, amiable and venerable wife."

and worries which fell to our lot."

In an unusual instance, Ramabai had wholeheartedly participated in Ambedkar's idiosyncratic shraddha ceremony for his deceased father. Instead of offering a meal and sweets to Brahmins after the ceremony as the ritual normally requires, Ambedkar offered a meal of meat and fish to 40 students from his community.

Ambedkar was shattered by the death of his beloved Ramu (the diminutive by which he called her). She had suffered much for him, endured his neglect and his preoccupation with public

Ambedkar ensured his wife was cremated according to traditional Hindu rituals, though wearing her favourite white sari rather than the green one tradition required. He then retired to his room and wept all night.

Five years later, when he published his book 'Pakistan or the Partition of India', Ambedkar dedicated it to Ramabai: Inscribed to the memory of Ramu.

"As a token of my appreciation of her goodness of heart, her nobility of mind and her purity of character and also for the cool fortitude and readiness to suffer along with me which she showed in those friendless days of want

Ambedkar was an early feminist. His relationship with his first wife, Ramabai, founded upon friendship and debate despite disagreement, in many ways is an accurate representation of one of the most powerful feminist slogans of the twentieth century, 'The Personal Is Political'. Ambedkar's feminism within the home was certainly unusual for an Indian and practically unknown at the time for an Indian male. He spoke extensively on the role of women in Indian society; he did not exclude women from his emphasis on equality, placing equal emphasis upon both caste and gender-based discrimination.

Ambedkar had argued in his pioneering 1916 Columbia lecture on 'Castes in India' that endogamous marriage -- marriage exclusively within the same caste and community -- was the primary reason for the perpetuation of caste. His challenge to privilege and hierarchy extended to questioning the norms that extended these notions within the home. He elaborated further on the thought in a talk to a female audience at the All-India

Srinath Perur to head jury for Rs 25lakh JCB Prize for Literature 2023

mediums of expression between them, the jury brings a set of diverse points of view to the task of selecting the best of fiction from India for the year.

Depressed Classes Women's Conference (1942): "Give education to your children. Instil ambitions in them... Don't be in a hurry to marry: marriage is a liability. You should not impose it upon children unless financially they are able to meet the liabilities arising from them... Above all let each girl who marries stand up to her husband, claim to be her husband's friend and equal, and refuse to be his slave."

His courageous undermining of the sanctity of marriage in a society where great importance is given to the marital status of a woman, and his demand for women to stand as equals with men within marriage, constituted an unparalleled and audacious assertion of dignity for Indian women within their own families. In this he was a rare and pioneering male voice in a tradition of Dalit feminism ranging from Muktabai Salve in the mid-nineteenth century to Jaibai Chaudhari in the early twentieth.

Ambedkar would go on to declare in 1938 to the Bombay Legislative Assembly, "If men had to bear the pangs which women have to undergo during childbirth none

of them would even consent to bear more than a single child in his life."

In his work in the Assembly, Ambedkar also highlighted women's limited recourse to medical assistance, and loss of lives due to inadequate affordable healthcare, an issue that is still largely unresolved.

Instead of having children in rapid succession, and subsequently opting for risky abortions, Ambedkar boldly recommended birth control in the interests of the woman's health and well-being. Ambedkar sought to pass a resolution in support of government-funded birth control in the Bombay Legislative Assembly in 1938, but his resolution was defeated with 11 members voting in favor of the Bill and 52 members opposing it (on the grounds that it would spread immorality and cause a breakdown of the Indian family unit). His reaction can only be imagined.

(Excerpted from 'Ambedkar A Life' by Shashi Tharoor with the permission of the publisher, Aleph)

NLF fellowships for children’s book creators announced

in Indianness."

New Delhi, April 11 (IANS) As it enters its sixth year, the JCB Prize for Literature, one of India's most coveted and richest literary awards at Rs 25 lakh, on Tuesday named author and translator Srinath Perur as the head of its jury.

Its other members are Mahesh Dattani, playwright and stage director; Somak Ghoshal, author, critic and learning designer; Kavery Nambisan, author and surgeon; and Swati Thiyagarajan, conservation journalist and filmmaker.

The jury will announce the longlist of 10 titles in September (subject to change), followed by the shortlist of five titles in October (subject to change).

The winner of the prize will be announced in November 2023. If the winning work is a translation, the translator will be awarded an additional Rs 10 lakh. Each of the five shortlisted authors will receive Rs 1 lakh; if a shortlisted work is a translation, the translator will receive Rs 50,000. Representing a range of backgrounds, languages and

The JCB Prize for Literature is funded by India's leading manufacturer of earthmoving and construction equipment, JCB India Ltd, and administered by the JCB Literature Foundation. Commenting on this year's jury, Mita Kapur, Literary Director of the JCB Prize for Literature, said: "Last year has truly been a milestone year for us. For the first time, our jury put forth a shortlist that were all translations. India speaks and reads in so many languages, and the books that are submitted for the JCB Prize are a true representation of the many Indias that reside within one.

The 2022 JCB Prize for Literature was awarded to 'The Paradise of Food' by Khalid Jawed, translated from the Urdu by Baran Farooqi, and published by Juggernaut. The book is a brutal and mesmerising account of the contemporary body, home and nation told through the food and kitchen. In a world consumed by hyperconsumerism, the book provides a bracing counter-narrative making it an important piece of work.

With an aim to increase inclusivity in readership, the book along with the other four shortlisted novels of 2022 was also made available by the JCB Literature Foundation in a digitally accessible format for

anyone in the visually impaired spectrum.

"I am happy to be part of the jury for the JCB Prize for Literature 2023. It represents an opportunity to celebrate books that speak to our times, and bring to notice books that may have been unfairly overlooked. In this regard, I particularly appreciate the Prize's efforts at encouraging publishers to send in translations," Srinath Perur said.

About the Jury

Srinath Perur is the author of the travelog 'If It's Monday It Must Be Madurai'. He has translated the Kannada novel 'Ghachar Ghochar' (by Vivek Shanbhag) and the memoir 'This Life at Play' (by Girish Karnad). He writes on a variety of subjects including science, travel and books.

Somak Ghoshal has worked in publishing and media with major Indian organizations for over 15 years, especially as a critic and book publisher. His work has appeared in Mint, HuffPost, The Telegraph, Open, The Hindu, The Voice of Fashion, Mekong Review, Index on Censorship, CNN Style, and other Indian and international publications.

Mahesh Dattani is a playwright, stage director, and mentor. His works as a playwright have been translated and performed in many languages across India and abroad. For his anthology Final Solutions and Other Plays, Dattani received the Sahitya Akademi Award.

Bengaluru, April 8 (IANS) The Neev Literature Festival (NLF) has announced the first-of-itskind fellowships for children's book creators (writers and illustrators) to facilitate highquality, richly detailed children's books that mirror Indian lives and experiences.

Proposals have been invited to produce a book in any genre that has the power to connect with young readers universally. Selected book creators will be supported with a grant of Rs six lakh each for a period of one year for researching and writing their books.

Kavita Gupta Sabharwal, CoFounder, Neev Literature Festival, "In a fragmented market that is swamped with international children's literature and a publishing ecosystem that has traditionally under-invested in Children's literature from India, the NLF Fellowships aim to fill a gap that will hopefully encourage Indian writers to embark on imaginative, ambitious and research-driven literature for Indian audiences that are rooted

Apart from the financial support, the NLF Fellowships will provide mentorship and editorial support, ensure greater visibility, and appreciation for well-crafted books and explore realistic routes to take these books globally. There is no restriction with regard to the genre - it could be a picture book, a graphic novel, a work of fiction, or non-fiction. The Fellowship is open to Indian citizens and residents who are persons of Indian origin.

The Jury for the Fellowship currently includes Neev Trust Founder Kavita Gupta Sabharwal, Ameen Haque, Founder, Storywallahs, as well as the NLF Director Karthika Gopalakrishnan.

The Fellows are expected to author original books. Though the Fellowships are not restricted in terms of genre, theme or ideology, the NLF expects proposed works to contribute to a fuller understanding of India.

Members of the NLF Fellowships Jury shall assess the proposals and prepare a shortlist of eligible candidates. The shortlisted candidates will be subject to a thorough interview process with a panel consisting of the NLF Fellowships Jury Members, as well as other eminent persons from the world of children's writing and scholarship. The last date to apply is June 30, 2023.

Indonesian hackers attacking Indian govt websites major concern: Experts

Ministry of Home Affairs.

According to the notice, the Indonesian cyber attack group is purportedly targeting 1,200 government websites in the country.

Google’s latest Chrome update boosts speed on Mac, Android

blogpost.

New Delhi, April 14 (IANS)

Cyber-security researchers on Friday expressed concerns after the Ministry of Home Affairs issued a cybersecurity alert that an Indonesian hacker group is planning to target hundreds of state and central government portals.

"There have been reports that state and federal government websites may be targeted" by an Indonesian "hacktivista organisation, according to a cybersecurity notice issued by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), a division of the

Ashish Tandon, Founder and CEO, Indusface, said that the massive wave of attacks launched by Indonesian hackers is a major cause of concern for the central and state governments.

"While we are rapidly advancing down the path of digital transformation, there is still a major lack of attention given to cybersecurity aspects. DoS and DDoS attacks are among the largest attack types as they are easy to mount and can be crippling in effect," Tandon said in a statement.

On-premises tools and website hosting, as is the case with most

government departments, are inadequate to counter these threats. "While these might have worked a decade or two back, today, even hackers are using advanced cloud-based AI tech to launch attacks. It is time that the government focuses on shifting its digital infrastructure to the cloud," he advised.

According to the I4C alert, the Indonesian hacktivist organisation has also issued a list of government websites that it claims to be targeting.

In 2022, the Indian government registered 19 ransomware attacks on various government websites.

Last year, a massive ransomware attack disrupted the systems at the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), crippling its centralised records and other hospital services.

WhatsApp’s new security feature to double check if it’s really you

a new device -- using the 'Account Protect' feature.

San Francisco, April 14 (IANS)

Google has announced that its Chrome web browser is getting a speed boost in the latest release due to several under-the-hood performance improvements, resulting in a significant new performance milestone across Mac and Android.

"The faster the browser, the more enjoyable your browsing experience will be. With the latest release of Chrome, we went deep under the hood of Chrome's engine to look for every opportunity to increase the speed and efficiency, from improved caching to better memory management," Google said in a

Over the course of three months, a series of tweaks gave Chrome a 10 per cent boost on Apple's Speedometer 2.1 browser benchmark, according to Google. The changes include everything from improved caching to better memory management.

Moreover, the company said that Chrome on Android has always been optimised for a small footprint, but the Android ecosystem is diverse and contains devices with varying levels of capabilities.

To improve Chrome's performance on high-end devices, Google is now targeting them with a version of Chrome that uses compiler flags optimised for speed rather than binary size. For capable devices, these versions of Chrome run the Speedometer 2.1 benchmark 30 per cent faster.

Just 11.3% women use payment apps on smartphones in India: Report

San Francisco, April 14 (IANS)

Meta-owned WhatsApp has announced new security features to the platform, including -- Account Protect, Device Verification, and Automatic Security Codes, which the company will be adding in the coming months.

Now, the company will doublecheck that it's really you when you switch your WhatsApp account to

"From now on, we may ask you on your old device to verify that you want to take this step as an extra security check. This feature can help alert you to an unauthorised attempt to move your account to another device," WhatsApp said in a blogpost.

To counter the growing menace of mobile device malware and its implications for personal privacy and security, the company has introduced a new feature called 'Device Verification'.

This feature will add checks to help authenticate your account -with no action needed from you

-- and better protect you if your device is compromised, which will let you continue using WhatsApp uninterrupted.

Under 'Automatic Security Codes', the company is rolling out a security feature based on a process called "Key Transparency" that allows you to automatically verify that you have a secure connection, meaning you are chatting with the intended recipient.

When you click on the Encryption tab under a contact's info, you'll be able to verify right away that your personal conversation is secured.

Even mild Covid infection can cause sudden hearing loss: Study

clinical background in neonatal intensive care, developed acute hearing loss in one ear, along with vertigo and tinnitus five weeks after experiencing a mild Covid infection in 2022.

New Delhi, April 14 (IANS)

Despite a 50 per cent rise in the Indian users' time spent over smartphones in the last year and the participation of women in the workforce rising consistently, only 11.3 per cent of Indian women are using smartphones to access payment applications, according to a report on Friday.

The report by Artificial Intelligence innovation start-up Bobble AI showed that hardly 6.1 per cent women are active on gaming applications.

Indian consumers.

As per the report, the aggregate time spent on smartphones has been increasing consistently from January 2022 to January 2023.

The data reveals that the average phone usage has increased from 30 per cent of the month in 2022 to 46 per cent of the month in 2023.

Sydney, April 14 (IANS) People who suffer from mild Covid-19 infection could be at risk of sudden deafness and hearing loss, according to a study.

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) -- also known as sudden deafness -- is a little known and poorly understood side effect of Covid-19 that is not even listed as a common symptom by doctors, said Kim Gibson, a fully vaccinated nursing lecturer at the University of South Australia.

Gibson, a registered nurse with a

Her experience is published in the British Medical Journal Case Reports.

"My experience shows that even people who have a minor Covid-19 infection could be at risk of potentially permanent and debilitating long-term effects. High quality, person-centred care is so critical."

Previous studies have linked SSNHL with Covid-19, as well as a potential side effect of Covid vaccination, but the evidence is still limited, Gibson said. Gibson said that despite working in health education, she was not aware of Covid-19 causing

hearing loss.

"This was a shocking experience for me that had a significant impact on my quality of life for several months as I had never had any problems with hearing before; not even an ear infection.

"I was unable to drive a car while experiencing severe vertigo. I needed to reduce my workload, negotiate flexible working hours with my employers and take a leave of absence from study. This was all due to a mild Covid-19 infection.

"I was worried that the hearing loss would be permanent and that I would need a hearing aid. I now feel very nervous about a second Covid-19 infection. What if I experience this again, or even worse?"

Interestingly, the report also showed a higher proportion of women using food apps (23.5 per cent).

In addition, women's participation in the usage of communication apps (23.3 per cent) and video apps (21.7 per cent) were also comparatively higher than payment apps and games.

The findings are based on Bobble AI's study to understand the trends around cell phone usage and the subsequent interaction of the users with the market and different platforms.

The research was done using first-party data covering the company's vast base of more than 85 million android smartphones. The report looks at the data from the months of 2022 and 2023 to analyse mobile usage trends and the evolving mindshare of the

Subsequently, the data also found that, on average, the users spend more than half an hour on their mobile keyboard every day. The overall data also found that the users spent 50 per cent more time on their smartphones in the early months of 2023 as compared with 2022.

The report claims that India spends the majority of their time on communication apps, social media apps and video apps (a total of 76.68 per cent), the rest of the apps get just a little more than 23 per cent of the total time pie that the users spend on their smartphones.

Among the other apps, lifestyle apps emerged as the most engaging with users spending more than 9 per cent of their time on this category of apps. Apart from these categories, finance, gaming, music and entertainment apps saw an engagement of more than 1 per cent concerning the time spent, the report said.

AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND UDEEKAN TERIYAN

RELEASE DATE: 14 April 2023

LANGUAGE: Punjabi (With English Subtitles)

PRODUCER: Sagi A Agnihotri, Mukesh Sharma

AUSTRALIA

AUGUST 16, 1947

RELEASE DATE: 14 April 2023

DIRECTOR: Raj Sinha

CAST: Jaswinder Bhalla, Amar Noorie, Vindhu Dara Singh, Seema Kaushal

HESH PATA (LAST PAGE)

RELEASE DATE: 14th April 2023

LANGUAGE: Bengali (With English Subtitles)

PRODUCER: Firdausul Hasan, Prabal Halder

DIRECTOR: Atanu Ghosh

CAST: Prosenjit Chatterjee, Vikram Chatterjee, Gargi Roy Chowdhury

SYNOPSIS: Balmiki, an arrogant non-conformist writer of fiction. Explores the very basic concept of debt and idea of freedom attached to the word.

LANGUAGE: Tamil (With English Subtitles)

PRODUCER: Om Prakash Bhatt, Narsiram Choudhary, Vakil Khan, A.R. Murugadoss, Aditya Joshi

DIRECTOR: N.S Ponkumar

JAWAN

RELEASE DATE: 2 June 2023

LANGUAGE: Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada (With English Subtitles)

DIRECTOR: Atlee Kumar

CAST: Shah Rukh Khan, Nayanthara, Sanya Malhotra, Priyamani, Yogi Babu

Madhuri shares BTS pics from photoshoot, Anil Kapoor calls her ‘classic’

in a bun.

She captioned the post: "'Elegance is the only beauty that never fades' - Audrey Hepburn."

Reacting to the post, Raveena Tandon commented: "Beauty."

Anil Kapoor called her "Beautiful classic."

Salman

white coloured hand towel on his head.

He captioned the image: "21st APRIL #KBKJ"

However, fans could not stop commenting on his picture, where they re-imagined several versions of the same picture.

Bollywood star Anil Kapoor has heaped praise on actress Madhuri Dixit Nene, whom he called "beautiful" as she shared some behind-the-scene pictures

from her photoshoot.

Taking to Instagram, Madhuri posted a video, where she is seen in a pink and gold saree, gold jewellery and her hair neatly tied

Madhuri was last seen in 'Maja Ma', directed by Anand Tiwari. Apart from Madhuri, the film also starred Gajraj Rao, Ritwik Bhowmik, Barkha Singh, Srishti Shrivastava, Rajit Kapur, Sheeba Chaddha, Simone Singh, Malhar Thakar and Ninad Kamat.

Anil Kapoor will next be seen in 'Fighter' alongside Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone.

Shahid, Kriti wrap up their next untitled film about ‘an impossible love story’

The upcoming yet-to-be titled film, which stars Shahid Kapoor and Kriti Sanon, was wrapped up recently. The makers also released a snapshot from the movie to mark the occasion.

The picture sees fresh new pair Shahid Kapoor and Kriti Sanon exuding sizzling chemistry while sitting on a bike against the backdrop of a setting sun on the shore. The two actors have worked together for the first time in the film and this translates to the novelty on the screen as well. The picture also reveals that the untitled film will hit cinemas sometime in October. The tagline 'An impossible love story' amps up the curiosity of the viewers. The film has been produced by Jio Studios and Maddock Films.

Mumbai, April 8 (IANS) Bollywood superstar Salman Khan's picture from the gym has gone viral on social media and the comments are hilarious.

In the image, Salman is seen flaunting his quads dressed in black shorts, fitted T-shirt and a

A fan commented: "Who Said Brother Teresa."

"Bhai is Teresa noww," said another.

"Salman Teresa Khan," a user wrote.

One said: "Bhai 57 hogaye lekin but ajj bhi 30 se ziyada ke nhi lagte."

A meme page even drew parallel between Salman's 'Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan' to the Nun from the 'Conjuring' universe.

As they called it: "Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Nun.'

The trailer of the upcoming Salman Khan-starrer film 'Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan' was unveiled recently. While Salman Khan fans are in a state of ecstasy as they will get to see their favourite superstar on the silver screen after a gap of almost four years, a section of people on the Internet

are not pleased with the trailer and have trolled it heavily calling the scenes and sequences nonsensical, over the top, cringe and unbearable.

The trailer, which is over three minutes in length, features many sequences that serve as a reminiscent of older Salman

Khan hits like 'Wanted', 'Jai Ho' 'Dabangg' and several others.

The trailer is being criticised for loose narration, poor editing, Salman's look in the film and action sequences that have no regard for reality.

One user commented, "Another kachra reloading." Another wrote, "Salman Khan's hair has more volume than his acting. PATHETIC."

Another user commented, "This film is still stuck in early 2000s, it seems".

'Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan, directed by Farhad Samji, features an ensemble cast of Pooja Hegde, Venkatesh Daggubati, Palak Tiwari, Siddharth Nigam and Shehnaaz Gill.

The film will bow in theatres on April 21 on the occasion of Eid.

Allu Arjun is seen dressed in a saree and wearing gold jewellery in the first-look poster of 'Pushpa: The Rule', the muchawaited sequel of the hit movie.

The actor shared the poster of 'Pushpa: The Rule' on Twitter.

The makers released the poster along with a teaser video -'Where is Pushpa?' -- on the eve of Allu Arjun's birthday.

Director Sukumar has raised the expectations of the audience with the three-minute special video introducing Pushpa and his world.

After the huge success of 'Pushpa: The Rise', expectations are big from the sequel.

The video begins with the news that Pushpa has escaped from Tirupati jail with gunshot wounds.

The police deploy a special unit to hunt down Pushpa in the forests. Pushpa's supporters take to the streets and resort to violence following rumours of his death or his escape to some other country. The chaotic situation pauses for a moment with the breaking news on a channel that Pushpa has been spotted in a jungle. The hidden camera footage from a nature reserve shows a tiger stepping away as Pushpa enters with his characteristic swagger. And he declares: "When an animal in a forest steps back, then you should know a tiger has come, but when tiger itself steps away, then it's Pushpa who has come." The video ends with the punchline: 'Rule Pushpa Ka'.

‘Kisi Ka Bhai ...’ trailer brutally trolled over cringe sequences, over-the-top action

Khan’s gym picture sparks meme fest, fans call him ‘Brother Teresa’

Allu Arjun dresses in saree, laden with jewellery in ‘Pushpa 2’ poster

Actress Raveena Tandon was treated with a heartwarming message from her daughter Rasha Thadani on Friday after the former's Padma award win. The actress was recently feted with the fourth highest civilian honour of India - Padma Shri in Delhi for her achievements and contribution to cinema.

Beaming with joy and pride, Rasha had accompanied her mother to the event.

Taking to her Instagram, Rasha

mom

Janhvi, rumoured beau Shikhar Pahariya visit Tirupati Balaji temple

celebrated her mother's big win through a special message.

Sharing the two pictures from the event, she penned a lengthy note for her mother as she wrote in the caption: "The Padma Shree award, one of the most prestigious awards of the Republic of India. What a year this has been for you. You keep saying it's Nana's doing, that he's helping you achieve what you're achieving, and I don't doubt that, but it's also all your hard work. You deserve all the success, love and respect you're

receiving (sic)."

She further mentioned in her note: "I couldn't be a prouder daughter, watching you and your work getting honoured in front of the most respected people of our community. This is a victory for you mama. Your humility, grace and kindness inspires Ranbir and me to work harder and to be our best selves. The sky is your limit, can't wait to see what you do next."

Priyanka explains why she spoke up on Bollywood after so long

Avideo of actress Janhvi Kapoor visiting the Tirupati Balaji temple in Tirumala along with her rumoured boyfriend Shikhar Pahariya is doing the rounds on social media.

In the video, Janhvi is seen dressed in a pink and light green lehenga, while Shikhar sported in a white dhoti and pink scarf. The two were seen offering prayers at the temple and were also accompanied by Khushi Kapoor.

Over the weekend, Shikhar, grandson of the former Chief Minister of Maharashtra Sushilkumar Shinde, was spotted posing with Janhvi's fatherproducer Boney Kapoor at the launch of NMACC.

On the work front, Janhvi is gearing up for the release of 'Bawaal' starring Varun Dhawan. Janhvi is all set to mark her Tollywood debut with Jr NTR's film 'NTR30'.

Ayan Mukerji to direct Hrithik Roshan-starrer ‘War 2’

Priyanka Chopra Jonas, who recently stirred a controversy with her statement on how she was cornered in Bollywood by a certain set of influential people, has explained why she decided to speak up about the incident at this juncture.

Priyanka was speaking to the media on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific press conference for the upcoming sci-fi spy thriller series "Citadel", where she plays the lead role opposite Richard Madden.

Sharing the reason for speaking up after such a long time, she

said: "First, I spoke during the podcast about my journey across my childhood, teenage years, the initial phase of my career and eventually the incident that changed a few things for me."

She added: "I have had tumultuous times back then, but today, I feel

confident to speak about it in the hope that people at large would take notice of it, empathise (with me) and understand where I'm coming from. I felt it was a safe space for me to open up about the rocky patch in my professional journey."

Filmmaker Ayan Mukerji has been roped in by Yash Raj Films's head honcho Aditya Chopra to direct the second installment of the blockbuster film 'War' starring Hrithik Roshan.

A source on condition of anonymity said, "Aditya Chopra is choosing the captain of the ship for each YRF Spy Universe film strategically. Ayan has delivered big hits which appeals to all audience segments and has the pulse of Indian audiences. He has shown that he knows how to mount a film with a huge scale, which is essential for someone to direct War 2.

"Plus, he is a young film-maker who can bring a different kind of newness to the Spy Universe. Ayan will have his unique take on how to make an epic action spectacle with War 2. Aditya Chopra trusts him to take the franchise forward. Ayan directing 'War 2' is probably the most exciting announcements of recent times. All eyes on him to make the franchise and the YRF Spy Universe bigger."

Speculations that Ayan is directing 'War 2' started when the director uploaded a note this morning and hinted at directing a very special movie!'

After Raveena gets Padma Shri, her daughter pens heartwarming note for