India News - April 16-30, 2024

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BJP’s election manifesto is the mirror of future India, says PM Modi

Mysuru (Karnataka), April 14 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that the election manifesto of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) released earlier is the mirror of

the identity of the future India.

Addressing a massive rally in Mysuru, PM Modi said: "The election manifesto is Modi's guarantee that to give shelter to every poor person, three crore new houses will be built. This is Modi's guarantee that for the next five years, all underprivileged people will continue to get free ration. This is also Modi's guarantee that those above the age of 70 years will get free medical treatment. It will be

Modi's guarantee that three crore women will be made 'lakhpati didis'. These guarantees will make the life of every person and every poor person in the state better." PM Modi, addressing the people, said the country has marched ahead in the last 10 years.

"The Digital India mission has changed life swiftly. Initially, Bharat was identified with 'pukka roads'. Today, expressways are the

Amir Tanba - inmate who killed Sarabjit Singh in Lahore jail, shot dead

Lahore, April 14 (IANS) In what's being considered as an incident of targeted killing, unidentified

gunmen on Sunday killed Amir Tanba, a key figure behind the killing of Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat Jail in 2013.

Amir Tanba was outside his residence at Islampura in Lahore when at least two unidentified motorcycle-borne gunmen opened fire, injuring him critically.

The latest killing of Sarabjit Singh's killer Amir Tanba is being seen as a "revenge killing" done by hired killers.

According to local residents, Amir was critically injured by the gunshots and succumbed to his injuries even before he could be taken to hospital.

The locals also claimed that Amir had been receiving death threats for the last few days.

Amir, along with his fellow inmate Mudasir Munir, were accused of assaulting Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh in April 2013.

It was reported that both inmates tortured Sarabjit Singh to death in

J&K will soon have Assembly elections & statehood will be restored: PM Modi

that the people have their elected representatives.

Addressing a huge election rally in Udhampur, PM Modi vehemently campaigned for the BJP candidates Dr Jitendra Singh and Jugal Kishore Sharma who are fighting the Lok Sabha elections from Kathua-Udhampur and Jammu-Reasi constituencies respectively.

PM Modi said that J&K would soon have Assembly elections and its statehood would be restored so that the people elect their representatives and ministers.

He strongly criticised the Congress, National Conference, Peoples Democratic Party and other such parties saying that these are dynastic parties who

Neetu Bhagotia, newly appointed first Consul General, arrives in Brisbane, boosting Australia-India ties

Brisbane, April 13 (Australia India News Newsdesk)

The Indian government has announced the appointment of Neetu Bhagotia as the inaugural Consul General of India in

Brisbane, Australia, marking a significant milestone in bilateral relations between the two nations. This strategic move underscores India's commitment to enhancing services for the Indian diaspora and fostering deeper engagement with Australia.

Neetu Bhagotia's appointment comes as India's fourth Consul General in Australia, joining counterparts in Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth. With her extensive experience and expertise, Bhagotia is poised to

EU, G7 leaders urge preventing escalation in Mideast

Brussels/Rome, April 15 (IANS)

European Union (EU) and Group of Seven (G7) leaders have called for preventing a further escalation of the situation in the Middle East

following Iran's retaliatory strikes on Israel.

"Everything must be done to prevent further regional escalation. More bloodshed must be avoided. We will continue to follow the situation closely with our partners," said European Council President Charles Michel on social media on Sunday.

"All actors must now refrain from

Bengaluru cafe blast case: NIA arrests bomber, his accomplice from West Bengal

Bengaluru, April 12 (IANS) The National Investigation Agency

(NIA) has arrested bomber Mussavir Hussain Shazib and his accomplice Abdul Matheen Taha from a hideout in West Bengal in connection with the Bengaluru cafe blast case.

After gathering inputs about their movements in Assam and West Bengal, the NIA arrested the accused, carrying Rs 10 lakh cash

Udhampur (J&K), April 12 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that the Assembly elections will be held soon in J&K and statehood will be restored so

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Peaceful retreat in nature

Allu Arjun wields an axe and stares chillingly in new ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’ poster

The Third Eye: Geopolitics is impacted by faith-based

Australia appoints special advisor to examine Israeli airstrike investigation T20 is changing the face of cricket

BJP’s election manifesto is the mirror of future India, says PM Modi

Continued from Page 1

identity of India. In the future, Bharat will be known in the world for expressways, waterways and airways. The country will become the world's hub of research and development," PM Modi said. PM Modi said that the fund of Rs 1 lakh crore for scientific research will play a key role.

"Karnataka is the IT and tech hub of the country and the local youth will get more benefits from it," he said.

"Ten years ago, India looked up to other countries for technology. Today, Bharat has successfully taken up the Chandrayaan mission. Semiconductors are being built. Bharat will become

the largest innovation hub in the world. It will be known for manufacturing cheap medicine, technology, and vehicles," PM Modi said.

JD-S president and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, senior BJP leader and ex-Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa were also present at the rally along with PM Modi.

PM Modi further emphasised that "the BJP's manifesto will promote local languages".

"Kannada is a rich language of India. The Kannada language is going to be promoted, and it will also get a big identity. Karnataka's heritage cities like Mysuru, Hampi and Badami will be put on

the map of the world. By doing that, tourism and employment opportunities will open up in Karnataka.

"To realise all this, it is necessary for the BJP to come to power. The NDA delivers on its promises. Let it be Article 370, triple talaq, building Ram Mandir, the BJP's conviction is Modi's guarantee. Your one vote gives strength to Modi's guarantees, your single vote strengthens Modi's capacity.

Your one vote will light up Modi's spirit," PM Modi said while addressing the people.

PM Modi further said the land of Karnataka has made a lot of sacrifices for the sovereignty and integrity of the country.

Amir Tanba - inmate who killed Sarabjit Singh in Lahore jail, shot dead

Continued from Page 1

the Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore. But on December 15, 2013, a court acquitted both Amir and Munir after all the witnesses of the murder retracted their statements, leading to the release of the accused.

Inmates of the Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore, Amir and Munir attacked and tortured Sarabjit to death. Sarabjit suffered severe head injuries from the torture done by

blunt objects and bricks.

He was brought to Lahore's Jinnah Hospital and kept in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for at least five days.

Later, Sarabjit Singh was declared as 'dead' by the medical board of senior neurosurgeons.

Other reports also indicated that Sarabjit Singh died on the route from the jail to the hospital on the first day of his torture by inmates and that the matter was dragged

further to cover-up on the actual incident.

Sarabjit Singh was convicted of terrorism and spying by the Supreme Court of Pakistan for his involvement in a series of bombings in Lahore and Faisalabad during the 1990s.

EU, G7 leaders urge preventing escalation in Mideast

Continued from Page 1

further escalation and work to restore stability in the region," said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on social media.

While calling on "all parties to exercise utmost restraint", Josep Borrell, EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said on social media that "this is an unprecedented escalation."

Borrell said that he has called an extraordinary meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers on April 16 "to contribute to de-escalation and security of the region".

After gathering in a virtual meeting on Sunday, the G7 leaders called for de-escalation and restraint on all parties, Xinhua news agency reported.

In a joint statement, the G7 leaders emphasized "the need to avoid further escalation, calling on the parties to refrain from actions aimed at exacerbating

tension in the region."

"To this end, the G7 called for an end to the crisis in Gaza through a cessation of hostilities and for the release of (Israeli) hostages by Hamas. The G7 leaders also pledged to continue providing humanitarian aid to the Palestinian population," said the statement.

The G7 comprises Canada, the US, France, Germany, Italy, the UK and Japan, plus the top representatives of the European Union.

Iran and allied armed groups launched coordinated drone and missile strikes on Israel late Saturday night.

Iran's Permanent Mission to the United Nations has said the country's military action against Israel was based on Article 51 of the UN Charter regarding the legitimate right to self-defence and "in response to the deadly Israeli attack against the Iranian consulate in Syria on April 1".

Continued from Page 1

Bengaluru cafe blast case: NIA arrests bomber, his accomplice from West Bengal award.

Mussavir Hussain Shazib a.k.a. Shazeb, 30, is a resident of Thirthahalli town in Karnataka's Shivamogga district.

J&K will soon have Assembly elections & statehood will be restored: PM Modi

Continued from Page 1

have done tremendous damage to J&K in the past.

“Their politics is based on the principles of government of the family, for the family and by the family. They want to drag J&K back to old dark times... To continue their grip on the people, these parties created a demon saying that if Article 370 is removed, J&K would burn and it would break away from the country. They had created such a huge wall of Article 370 that

nobody from outside could see inside and nobody from inside could look outside. With your blessings, Modi has demolished that wall and buried the debris of Article 370 deep under the ground."

“I challenge any political party in the country to speak of restoring Article 370. If they do that, the people will not even tolerate to see their faces”, he said.

He said after the abrogation of 370 the youth of J&K have shown the mirror to these political parties so

The Lahore High Court first sentenced him to death while an appeal in the apex court was later rejected and the death sentence was retained in 1991. that their real faces come to light.

“Now these parties have started a new policy. They are going outside J&K and asking different states what benefit the people there get by abrogation of 370. The benefit of the removal of 370 has been that mothers and sisters have got their rights back, Dalits, Gadi Brahmins, Paharis, Valmikis, west Pakistan refugees and others have got their rights that were denied to them for 70 years, " the PM said.

Neetu Bhagotia, newly appointed first Consul General, arrives in Brisbane, boosting Australia-India ties

Continued from Page 1

play a pivotal role in bolstering diplomatic ties and advancing cultural, economic, and peopleto-people exchanges between Australia and India.

The establishment of the new Consulate General in Brisbane reflects the growing cooperation and partnership across various sectors between India and Australia. As the consulate prepares to commence operations, Bhagotia will lead efforts to provide vital support

and assistance to the Indian community in Queensland and surrounding regions.

Moreover, Bhagotia's appointment underscores India's recognition of Brisbane as a key hub for Australia-India engagement. With both countries seeking to deepen their strategic partnership and explore new avenues for collaboration, the presence of a dedicated Consul General in Brisbane will facilitate closer cooperation and promote mutual understanding and friendship.

In addition to serving the Indian diaspora, the Consulate General of India in Brisbane will play a crucial role in promoting trade, investment, and cultural exchanges between India and Queensland. Given India's robust economy and Queensland's diverse economic sectors, there exists significant potential for expanding bilateral trade and investment ties, thereby creating new avenues for growth and development.

His other accomplices are Mohammand Junai Hussain and Mohammed Juned Sayed.

The NIA took over the case on March 3 and identified the main accused, Mussavir, who had carried out the blast.

Another conspirator, Abdul Matheen Taahaa a.k.a. Matheen a.k.a. Taha a.k.a. Vignesh. D a.k.a. Sumit., is also wanted in other cases.

Shazib has been using the forged driving license in the name of Mohammed Juned Sayed or other similar forged ID documents to

conceal his identity. The accused has been using Hindu identity documents, forged Aadhaar in the name of Vignesh, or other similar forged ID documents to conceal identity.

Earlier, the NIA had announced the arrest of Muzamil Shareef, a key conspirator in the cafe blast case.

The probe has revealed that Shareef extended logistic support to the other two identified accused in the case, involved in an IED explosion in the cafe located at ITPL Road, Brookfield in Bengaluru on March 1. Several staff members were injured, some of them grievously, in the blast, which also caused extensive damage to the cafe's property.

‘Sound & stable’ India-China ties serve interests of both countries: Chinese FM spokesperson

Beijing, April 12 (IANS) Sound and stable India-China relations serve the interests of both countries and are conducive to peace and development in the region and beyond, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson

Mao Ning said on Thursday.

Mao made the remarks at a daily press briefing when asked to comment on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent remarks about the bilateral relations between the two countries, Xinhua news agency reported.

In an interview, Prime Minister Modi said that for India, the

relationship with China is important and significant, and the two sides need to urgently address the prolonged situation on the borders so that the abnormality in the bilateral interactions can be put behind.

He added that stable and peaceful relations between India and China are important for not just the two countries, but the entire region, as he expressed hope and belief that through positive and constructive bilateral engagement at the diplomatic and military levels, the two countries will be able to restore and sustain peace and tranquility on the borders.

India okays export of essential goods to help Maldives despite soured ties

New Delhi, April 5 (IANS) India on Friday allowed limited exports of essential goods including sugar, wheat, rice, onions and eggs to the Maldives as a goodwill gesture amid soured ties with the neighbouring country which has suddenly shown a marked tilt towards China under its new government.

India had imposed restrictions on the export of these food products

in order to control domestic inflation. However, it has kept a window open for limited exports of these goods to help friendly countries in dire need.

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) notification provides for the export of 124,218 metric tons of rice, 109,162 tons of wheat flour, 64,494 tons of sugar, 21,513 metric tons of potatoes, 35,749 tons of onions, and 427.5 million eggs to the Maldives.

Apart from it, India has also allowed exports of 1 million tons each of stone aggregate and river sand used as construction material.

The notification says that the

export of these items to Maldives will be exempted from any existing or future restriction or prohibition during 2024-25.

The Maldives, which has had close diplomatic relations with India over the years, has been trying to distance itself from India and moving closer to China after President Mohamed Muizzu came to power in October.

However, the Muizzu government has recently also tried to seek concessions on loan repayments from India, which reflects the Indian Ocean archipelago’s dependence on its larger neighbour.

1984 anti-Sikh riots: Wound not over but victims grateful to Modi govt for mitigating their woes

New Delhi, April 7 (IANS) While the 1984-anti Sikh riots and massacre will continue to remain a blot for the country, it is also a grim reminder of the highly anguished moment and painful times that the Sikh community went through, post former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination on October 31, 1984. Even after 40 years of massacre, many riot victims vividly recall the horror tales of the massacre, allegedly sponsored by the then Congress regime. However, many of them are thankful to the Modi government for bringing ‘justice’ to their endless fight and also healing their decades-old wounds.

The first sense of closure for them came in 2022 when the SIT team, formed in 2019, arrested 44 accused after three years of investigations.

The deadly riots broke after former Congress PM Indira Gandhi was brutally killed by her two Sikh bodyguards. Thousands of Sikhs were killed in the riots and Delhi was worst hit, followed by Kanpur.

A couple of Kanpur residents on Sunday narrated the 1984 horror and also explained how the Modi government nursed their wounds in recent years.

Harjit Singh, a resident of Ashok Nagar, Kanpur

Harjit Singh, a victim of the 1984 anti- sikh riots, says that he lost his father and uncle in the bloodshed and also accused Congress of trying to save its leaders despite their direct involvement in the 1984 riots.

Harjit Singh, a resident of Ashok Nagar, Kanpur, who was just 14 years old during the riots, says, “My uncle’s (father’s younger

brother) marriage was about to be fixed. My father was coming back from his shop when a peace protest march was being carried out by Sikhs of Kanpur against the riots. The mob attacked with stone pelting on the Sikh protest march at Bhadoyia Chauraha. My father was hurt during the stone pelting and when my uncle tried to help my father, someone from the mob fired bullets at him and then finally both my father & uncle were burnt alive along with the tractor”.

While putting the entire blame on Congress, Harjit Singh said, “At night, the mob came to burn our house but a Hindu family who were our tenants saved us”.

He further said, “My grandfather took care of the family and I had to leave my education and join our family business as the economic condition of the family was not good. I lost my mother due to a brain haemorrhage in 1989 as she couldn’t bear the loss of my father in riots. Congress never tried to give us any justice, rather they only saved their leaders who were involved in the riots”.

Thanking Modi government, he said, “We had lost all hope for getting justice but when PM Modi came in 2014, things moved quite fast. Many cases of Kanpur riots have been solved as the culprits have been put behind bars and the victims have received Rs 5 lakh compensation.”

Manjit Singh Chawla, another victim of anti-sikh riots in Kanpur Manjit Singh Chawla, another victim of anti-sikh riots in Kanpur, says that highly irresponsible statements by top leaders of Congress triggered riots, resulting in the killing of innocent Sikhs.

Manjit Singh Chawla, recalling the horror, says, “When the word of Indira Gandhi's death spread, the next morning itself our neighbours accompanied by hordes of mob started ransacking

New IVI mobile eye unit brings clear vision for underprivileged in Chennai

Chennai, April 9: A vision screening campaign, launched today at Valluvar Nagar, Thiruvanmiyur, in Chennai, promises to bring hope and clear vision to underprivileged residents in several locations in Chennai.

Led by a fully equipped mobile eye unit with state-of-the-art vision screening and diagnostic facilities, the campaign will significantly enhance and strengthen IVI’s capabilities to expand coverage.

the event and launching the campaign, Mr. Daniel said, “The mobile van will augment IVI’s outreach to the community, particularly the underprivileged, providing them not only with access to vision screening but also diagnosing other ocular health conditions. It will open up new vistas of opportunity for communities, ensuring everyone can see a brighter future.”

“At the launch, around 100 members of the community, including gypsies and subsistence-level workers, received corrective glasses.

shops, assaulting people and looting houses. Hundreds of Sikhs were killed by the rioting mob. The mob went on a killing spree due to the protection of police officers, administration and leaders of the Congress government; though miscreant elements from all different sections of society were involved in the massacre.”

“The entire bloodshed took place under the political protection by leaders of Congress government and local administration to the goons. There were clear instructions not to leave anyone behind and kill all sardars. The people living in our neighbourhood changed all of a sudden and started attacking us. This was the utter failure of the Congress government at the time as no help was provided to rehabilitate the victims of antiSikh riots; we all have to struggle a lot to stand on our feet again and make a living for ourselves again. The government of the time clearly had a hand in the massacre and irresponsible statements by top leaders of the Congress government triggered riots when a mob went on a rampage. These wounds have been etched on our souls for this lifetime and cannot be healed ever again,” Chawla said.

1984 riots were plotted by the Congress govt, says Gurinder Singh Vasu Gurinder Singh Vasu Prince, the General Secretary of Shri Guru Singh Sabha Kanpur and a social worker says that he was in Class X at the time of the anti-Sikh riots of 1984.

Pinning the blame on the then Congress government, he said, "On the day of the incident, I was alone at home with my five sisters and mother when a mob of thousands of people attacked our house. Our entire family was inside the house, still, it was burnt by the rioters.

The mobile eye unit was inaugurated by the Australian Consul General Silai Zaki in the presence of IVI’s CEO Vinod Daniel and Sivaramakrishnan L, Manager, CSR, Five-Star Business Finance Ltd. The campaign is supported by Five-Star Business Finance Limited.

Thanking Ms. Zaki for attending

IVI thanks Five-Star Business Finance for their support,” he added.

Ms Zaki said “IVI’s work in providing clear vision to disadvantaged communities is commendable. It is a privilege to witness and support the great work done by Australians in India.”

Kanhaiya Kumar among 3 Congress candidates in Delhi

New Delhi, April 14 (IANS) Congress on Sunday released another list of 10 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, including Kanhaiya Kumar who will be contesting from the Northeast Delhi seat.

Congress has announced candidates for three remaining Lok Sabha seats in Delhi where they will contest in alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

Under the INDIA bloc alliance, out of seven seats in Delhi, AAP is contesting four seats while Congress will contest three seats. The Congress had fielded J.P. Agarwal from Chandni Chowk against BJP’s Praveen Khandelwal, a businessman. Agarwal, who secured victory in the 2009 Lok Sabha election representing North East Delhi, faced defeat against Manoj Tiwari in 2014.

In 2019, he shifted his focus to Chandni Chowk, a constituency that had previously elected him to the Lok Sabha in 1984, 1989, and 1996, but was unsuccessful against BJP’s Harsh Vardhan.

Against BJP’s Manoj Tiwari, Congress had fielded Kanhaiya Kumar from northeast Delhi. North East Delhi constituency holds a significant population of Purvanchalis (individuals from eastern UP and Bihar) and Muslims.

Being a Purvanchali himself, Kumar had previously contested the 2019 election from Begusarai in Bihar under CPI but was unsuccessful.

From Northwest Delhi, Udit Raj will be contesting against BJP’s Yogendra Chandolia, a former Mayor in the trifurcated municipal corporations.

Udit Raj, a former Indian Revenue Services officer, emerged victorious in the 2014 Lok Sabha election as a BJP candidate from North West Delhi, defeating AAP’s Rakhi Birla. Disappointed by BJP's decision not to nominate him for another term, he joined Congress in 2019.

Meanwhile, the Central Election Committee (CEC) of the Congress has also selected six candidates from Punjab including Gurjeet Singh Aujla from Amritsar, Charanjit Singh Channi from Jalandhar, Amar Singh from Fatehgarh Sahib, Jeet Mohinder Singh Sidhu from Bathinda, Sukhpal Singh Khaira from Sangrur, and Dharamvir Gandhi from Patiala.

Tamil superstar Vishal to float new political party, to contest 2026 Assembly polls

Chennai, April 14 (IANS) Tamil superstar Vishal, who has several hit movies to his credit, on Sunday, announced that he is all set to enter politics and would float a new political party to contest the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.

Interacting with media persons on the sidelines of an event at Vadapalani here, he said that he would enter politics and is preparing for it.

To a query on whether his party would enter into any electoral alliances, Vishal said that he was

not thinking about this issue yet. He said that he would prove the strength of his party in the 2026 Assembly elections and based on that, would consider any alliances.

Tamil Nadu politics has seen several film stars and writers.

C.N. Annadurai, the first Chief Minister of the state from a Dravidian party, was a scriptwriter and so was his protegee and successor M. Karunanidhi.

M.G. Ramachandran (MGR) and Jayalalithaa were superstars of the Tamil movie world.

The latest entry to the Tamil political scenario is superstar Thalapathy Vijay who has floated the TVK and has announced that he was aiming for 2026 Assembly polls.

Superstar Kamal Haasan had also floated his political outfit, the MNM. Aligned with the INDIA bloc, he is extensively campaigning for the candidates from the bloc for the ensuing Lok Sabha elections. Leading female star Khushboo Sundar joined the BJP after a stint with the Congress and the DMK and is now a member of the National Commission for Women. Tamil star Raadhika Sarathkumar is now contesting from the Virudhunagar Lok Sabha seat as a BJP candidate against Vijaya Prabhakaran, son of late Tamil superstar and DMDK founder Vijayakanth, who was once the Leader of Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Assembly. With the entry of Vishal, Tamil Nadu politics will have one more star testing the waters and it remains to be seen how he fares.

Firing at Salman Khan’s Mumbai residence: Delhi Police launch probe

New Delhi, April 15 (IANS) A team from Delhi Police’s Special Cell has begun probing the incident of firing outside Bollywood actor Salman Khan’s residence in Mumbai, sources told IANS on Monday.

One of the shooters identified as Vishal a.k.a Rahul, a resident of Gurugram, has over six criminal cases, including murder, registered against him in Haryana and Delhi.

“We have mounted technical and physical surveillance to get the clue regarding the accused,” a source in the Special Cell said.

As per sources, Vishal was recently involved in the killing of a bookie in Rohtak under the instructions of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.

Additionally, sources indicate Vishal's involvement in another murder at a roadside restaurant in Rohtak on February 29 this year.

In the early hours of Sunday, at least three to four bullets were fired at the actor’s Bandra West home in Mumbai.

The chilling act was committed by at least two unidentified persons sporting helmets who came speeding on a motorcycle

and fired at least four shots in the direction of Galaxy Apartment, before zooming off on the dark and deserted road.

For the past several years, Salman Khan and his family have been facing death threats from certain Punjab-based mafia groups like the Bishnoi gang.

Salman Khan and his father Salim Khan have been issued death threats in different ways, including dropping a letter to the family.

In 2022, while on a morning stroll near his home, Salim Khan found a note saying “Salim Khan…

Salman Khan… bahut jald aapka

Moose Wala hoga” -- a reference to Sidhu Moose Wala, a Punjabi rapper, who was brutally shot dead near his home on May 29, 2022, shaking the entertainment industry.

Congress leaders Kharge, Rahul, Priyanka extend Navrati, Gudi Padwa greetings

New Delhi, April 9 (IANS)

Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Priyanka Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday extended greetings to the nation on the auspicious occasion of traditional new year, wishing people happiness, prosperity, and good health.

Taking to X, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge posted, "On the joyous occasion of Chaitra Sukladi, Gudi Padwa, Chetti Chand, Navreh and Sajibu Cheiraoba, we extend our warmest greetings to all celebrating these vibrant springtime festivals in different parts of the country. May the festivities

herald new beginnings, and promote the feeling of fraternity and happiness."

On the social media platform, party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said: "Heartiest greetings on the holy festival of worship of Maa Durga, the mother of the universe, the embodiment of all weapons, scriptures and mantras. May the Mother, who brings welfare to the entire world, infuse happiness, prosperity, and peace in your lives. Jai Mata Di."

"Heartiest greetings to all of you on Chaitra Shukla Pratipada Navsanvatsar. This day is celebrated in many places across the country with various symbols, food, and colourful waysWishing you a very Happy Ugadi, Gudi Padwa, Sajibu Cheiraoba.

I pray to God that this New Year

Jagan imported drugs to Andhra Pradesh, alleges Naidu

Visakhapatnam, April 15 (IANS)

Telugu Desam Party (TDP)

President N. Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday launched a scathing attack on Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, accusing him of importing ganja and other drugs from abroad.

Addressing a public meeting at Payakaraopeta in the Anakapalli district during his Praja Galam, he said that while he, as Chief Minister, invited investments to the state from various foreign countries, Jagan Mohan Reddy, after becoming the Chief Minister, has successfully brought in ganja and other drugs from abroad.

The TDP chief alleged that Jagan Mohan Reddy totally swept away north Andhra and encroached upon all the hilly areas. He stated that while the TDP promoted the port city of Visakhapatnam as IT and economic capital, Jagan Mohan Reddy turned it into a centre for settlements and land encroachments.

Chandrababu Naidu said that Jagan started feeling shaky after the TDP, the Jana Sena and the BJP came together and promised to develop the state with a doubleengine government. He expressed confidence that there is a change

in the mood of the people and the tremendous response from the Dalit community here is a clear indication of this.

"If the soul of Dr Sudhakar, a medical doctor who was killed branding him as mad, is to be peaceful, the YSRCP should be completely routed in these elections," he said and added that the Constitution framed by Dr BR Ambedkar is certainly a fantastic document but Jagan Mohan Reddy, who is in the position to implement it in the state, is the most unfit person.

"Did Mr Jagan provide employment even to a single person," he asked, saying that this Chief Minister did not fulfil even a single promise made to the people, including the youth like issuing job calendars and Mega DSC. "If the youth want to get jobs, Babu should be back and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) should come to power," he said.

Stating that he will personally take the responsibility to provide jobs to the youth, the TDP supremo called upon the people to elect the Jana Sena and the BJP candidates besides the TDP candidates for the progress of the state. The alliance will take every measure to construct houses for the poor besides supplying sand free of cost, he said.

Chandrababu Naidu also promised to promote local leaders for the development of this area and also put an end to the sand, land and mining mafia. The Super-Six schemes coupled with the welfare programmes announced by the Centre will certainly help the people to prosper, he added.

Lindy Cameron ‘immensely proud’ of her appointment as British High Commissioner

brings happiness, prosperity and new energy in the life of all of you," she said.

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi said, "New year, new enthusiasm, new joy. Hearty congratulations and best wishes to all the countrymen on the occasion of Gudi Padwa, Chaitra Navratri, Ugadi, Cheiraoba, Cheti Chand and Sajibu festivals. May the New Year bring happiness, peace, and prosperity in the life of all of you."

Marking the onset of spring, Gudi Padwa - also known as the Marathi New Year, brings with it an unmissable festive cheer.

Navratri, a significant festival among Hindus, derives its name from the Sanskrit term meaning 'time of nine nights'. During these ten days and nine nights, devotees worship Shakti/Devi.

New Delhi, April 11 (IANS)

Lindy Cameron, who has been appointed British High Commissioner to India in succession to Alex Ellis, has said she is immensely proud of the new role and cannot wait to get started.

Cameron will take up her appointment this month, the UK government said on Thursday.

Allex Ellis will be transferring to another diplomatic service

appointment.

Responding to her new assignment, she said she is immensely proud to be appointed the next British High Commissioner to India. "Huge thanks to @AlexWEllis for leaving such a great legacy. So looking forward to working with the amazing @UKinIndia team. I can’t wait to get started!" she wrote on X.

From 2020 to 2024, she was Chief Executive of the National Cyber Security Centre.

She has also served as Director General of the Northern Ireland Office in the UK.

Deputy High Commissioner Christina Scott wrote on X, "Congratulations to @Lindy_ Cameron for being announced as next High Commissioner to India. Looking forward to welcoming you to Delhi soon and working with you!”

Dynasty politics: MahaYuti, MVA partners bet big on nominees with family links

Mumbai, April 8 (IANS) Amid raging dynasty politics debate, the MahaYuti comprising BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP and the Maha Vikas Aghadi consisting of Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP) and Congress have given nominations to the relatives of the established leaders from the respective parties.

Interestingly, BJP, which is targeting opposition over dynasty politics, tops the list among its candidates so far declared in Maharashtra followed by the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Congress party. They are betting big on their nominees with family links.

The list of BJP nominees included Pankaja Munde, who is the daughter of veteran party leader and former Union minister Gopinath Munde and is contesting the Lok Sabha election for the first time from Beed constituency which is represented by her real sister Pritam Munde since 2014 and by her father till his early death in June 2014. The party nominee from Dindori and Union minister Bharati Pawar

is the daughter of former state minister AT Pawar while Heena Gavit, who has been renominated from the tribal-dominated Nandurbar is the daughter of the minister Vijaykumar Gavit; Navneet Rana, who has been party’s nominee from Amravati, is the wife of an independent legislator Ravi Rana; Union minister and party nominee Piyush Goyal who has been fielded from North Mumbai is the son of former Union minister Ved Prakash Goyal and party legislator Chandrakanta Goyal; and Raksha Khadse, the daughter-in-law of former minister Eknath Khadse, is a candidate from Raver seat. Incidentally, Khadse is set to rejoin BJP in a fortnight leaving the NCP faction led by Sharad Pawar.

Further, party nominee from Akola, Anup Dhotre is the son of sitting MP and former Union minister Sanjay Dhotre; Sujay Vikhe-Patil, who is the son of state revenue minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and the grandson of cooperative baron and former minister Balasaheb Vikhe-Patil, has been renominated from Ahmednagar constituency and Smita Wagh, who is the wife of BJP’s former Jalgaon district unit chief late Uday Wagh, is party’s nominee from Jalgaon seat.

In the case of Congress, Chhatrapati Shrimant Shahu Maharaj, who has been nominated from the Kolhapur seat, is a descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj; Praniti Shinde, who is the daughter of former Union minister and veteran party leader Sushilkumar Shinde, is party’s

candidate from Solapur seat; Prashant Padole, who is the son of former legislator late Yadavrao Padole, has been nominated from Bhandara-Gondiya constituency and sitting legislator Pratibha Dhanorkar, who is party’s nominee from Chandrapur seat, is the wife of former MP late Balu Dhanorkar.

As far as Shiv Sena is concerned, the party nominee from Yavatmal-Washim, Rajashree Patil is the wife of the party MP from Hingoli Hemant Patil who has been dropped. The party nominee from Hatkanangale, Dhairyashil Mane is the son of former MP Nivedita Mane; the party nominee from Kolhapur, Sanjay Mandlik is the son of former MP Sadashiv Mandlik and the party candidate from Kalyan seat, Shrikant Shinde is the son of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

The NCP led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has nominated Archana Patil from the Dharashiv seat who is the wife of BJP legislator Rana Jagjit Singh Patil while the party nominee from Baramati, Sunetra Pawar is the wife of Ajit Pawar. The NCP (SP) has renominated the sitting MP Supriya Sule from Baramati who is the daughter of party chief Sharad Pawar.

The Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi founder Prakash Ambedkar, who is contesting from the Akola seat, is the grandson of Bharat Ratna B. R. Ambedkar.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) has nominated Amol Kirtikar from North West Mumbai who is the son of sitting MP Gajanan Kirtikar who is now in the Shinde faction.

India has made up its mind, it’s going to be Modiji again after polls: Yogi Adityanath

Nagpur, April 8 (IANS) Launching his maiden campaign in Maharashtra for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Monday that the people of India have resolved to re-elect Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister for a third straight term.

“For the first time since Independence, the people of the country know who will be the next PM. They have already made up their minds that it’s going to be Modiji again… This is what I have witnessed in all corners of the country,” Yogi Adityanath said while addressing back-to-back rallies in Wardha, Bhandara-Gondiya, and Nagpur LS constituencies.

Clad in his trademark saffron robes with a red ‘tilak’ on his forehead, Yogi Adityanath canvassed for BJP nominees and sitting MPs – Union Minister Nitin Gadkari (Nagpur), Ramdas Tadas (Wardha), both aiming for hat-trick, and Sunil Mendhe (Bhandara-Gondiya), who's hoping to repeat his 2019 feat.

In near-identical speeches, the Uttar Pradesh CM highlighted the growth, progress, and global respect earned under PM Modi’s 10-year rule, saying the country is now poised to become a developed economy in the next three years.

“Crores of people were given subsidised gas cylinders, crores of youths got jobs, tap water supply has been provided to crores at home, while four crore families have been allotted houses under the PM Awas Yojana.

"The next stage is to make India a fully developed country, with the fruits of progress reaching every village, and the nation becoming a global economic powerhouse

Stars lose their sheen as campaigners in Lok Sabha polls

Lucknow, April 8 (IANS) Till the turn of the Millennium; film stars guaranteed crowds and votes in politics.

Political parties across the country wooed them ardently and top stars of the time, including Rajesh Khanna, Vinod Khanna, Shatrughan Sinha, Dharmendra, Hema Malini, Jaya Prada, Govinda, Raj Babbar and Jaya Bachchan braved the heat and dust to campaign for their political parties.

Some of the stars contested the elections and managed an easy win. Amitabh Bachchan contested his first election in 1984 from Allahabad and defeated a doyen like Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna. Amitabh Bachchan quit politics midway after the Bofors controversy, but he returned to Uttar Pradesh briefly in 2007 to campaign for Samajwadi Party. The superstar held a number of programmes with his friend Amar Singh in which he coined the slogan “UP mein hai dum, kyonki jurm yahan hai kam.”

Some like Dharmendra and Govinda could not understand the complexities of politics and called it a day after one term. However, an actor from the same era as Dharmendra, Vinod Khanna was a four-time MP who was very dedicated to his constituency Gurdaspur and remained in politics till his demise in 2017.

Others like Raj Babbar, Shatrughan Sinha, Hema Malini and Jaya Bachchan continue to stand their ground till date.

Jaya Bachchan has been sent to Rajya Sabha five times by the Samajwadi Party and she campaigns for the party in every election. She has never contested Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh.

Actor Govinda recently joined the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, marking his re-entry into politics after a 14 year hiatus. His last stint in politics, which ended on a sour note in 2009, coincided with his films flopping. Now he hopes to kickstart his political career again at the age of 60.

However, if various political parties are to be believed, the stardust is losing its glitter and film stars can no longer guarantee a win on the seats they campaign for.

A clear indication of this is the fact that the demand for actors as campaigners is almost missing in these elections.

A BJP candidate said, "There is no use getting film stars to campaign because they cannot give speeches and do not leave any impact on voters. Moreover, our biggest crowd puller and star is Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”

According to senior journalist RK Singh, "The stars are losing their credibility because they lack conviction in what they say. People know that in most cases stars take money to campaign and this erodes their sincerity. Some stars have changed more parties than they have delivered hits."

RJD names 22 candidates for Lok Sabha elections in Bihar

in the next term of Modiji,” Yogi Adityanath said.

Referring to the Ram Temple inaugurated in Ayodhya in January, he said for the first time in 500 years, the people of the country witnessed with pride how Ram Lalla played holi and was smeared with colours last month.

“People from all over the country are visiting the Ram Temple… UP has become a changed state free of any curfews or riots that occurred earlier.

People are living happily there… After the elections, I would like to invite you all for Ram Lalla’s darshan,” the BJP leader said.

Crediting the Prime Minister for the various policy initiatives, he said that Narendra Modi achieved what no government could since 1952, including the revocation of Article 370 from Jammu & Kashmir, besides instilling a sense of fear in the minds of terrorists all over.

Patna April 9 (IANS) The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Tuesday evening announced the names of 22 candidates for the Lok Sabha elections in Bihar, to be held in seven phases from April 19 to June 1. The party, which is contesting 23 out of the 40 Lok Sabha seats in the state this time, is yet to name its nominee for Siwan.

As per the list issued on Tuesday, RJD has fielded Kumar Sharvjeet (Gaya, reserved), Shrawan Kushwaha (Nawada), Rohini Acharya (Saran), Archana Ravidas (Jamui, reserved), Jayprakash Narayan Yadav (Banka), Bima Bharti (Purnea), Lalit Yadav (Darbhanga), Sudhakar Singh (Buxar), Chandahas Chaupal (Supaul), Misa Bharti (Patliputra),

Vijay Kumar Shukla alias Munna Shukla (Vaishali), Abhay Kumar Kushwaha (Aurangabad), Shivchandra Ram (Hajipur, reserved), Shahnawaz Alam (Araria), Surendra Prasad (Jahanabad), Anita Devi Mahto (Munger), Alok Kumar Mehta (Ujiarpur), Arjun Rai (Sitamarhi), Mohammad Ali Ashraf Fatmi (Madhubani), Dipak Yadav (Valmiki Nagar), Ritu Jaiswal (Sheohar), and Kumar Chandradeep (Madhepura).

Sources said the RJD may give the Siwan ticket to Hina Shahab, the wife of late Mohammad Shahabuddin.

The RJD has given a ticket to Vijay Kumar Shukla alias Munna Shukla, considered a strongman in the Vaishali and Lalganj areas. Shukla will challenge Veena Devi of the LJPR.

Also, Anita Devi Mahto, the wife of Bahubali leader Ashok Mahto, has been fielded against former JD-U National President Lalan Singh from the Munger Lok Sabha seat.

FairPoint: Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Khatakhat’ genie won’t snap votes

New Delhi, April 14 (IANS) The pressure of staying relevant in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls seems to be forcing Congress to promise the moon and the sun to people. A manifestation of this is the slew of promises made by Rahul Gandhi just ahead of the polls.

During his election speech in Rajasthan last week, he had said: "The Congress government will transfer Rs one lakh to the bank account of a woman from every poor family in the country... khatakhat khatakhat aata rahega aur ek jhatke se hum Hindustan se gareebi ko mita denge (it will come instantly and, we will remove poverty from Hindustan)." The best jiffy moment has always been Aladdin’s magic lamp but Rahul Gandhi's "khatakhat khatakhat" claim could well be the new one. The closest translation of Khatakhat, a Hindi word, could be jiffy or in one stroke or instant. And, instant for most of the present-day generation is always noodles, a Chinese-origin food item.

As all political parties are making promises to woo the electorate, the perpetual youth leader of his party offered the ultimate

'Khatakhat' solution to address poverty in the nick of 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The solution is a sharp contrast to the statement that Rahul Gandhi made 11 years ago in Uttar Pradesh when he said that “poverty is a state of mind.”

In August 2013, the Congress leader was participating in a discussion in Uttar Pradesh when he said: "Poverty is just a state of mind. It does not mean the scarcity of food, money or material things. If one possesses self-confidence, then one can overcome poverty." To prove his point, he even cited the example of a poor woman from Amethi, who got hold of her life by taking help from Rajiv Gandhi Mahila Vikas Pariyojana.

If, in 2013, Rahul believed that providing the right atmosphere to earn and sustain can help tackle poverty, then why the U-turn in 2024? A decade of sitting in the opposition has made the Congress scion believe that promising doles is the only way to impress people. And the khatakhat system of transferring money in accounts is the easiest way to the hearts of people. Had it been so easy then Karnataka and Telangana economies would not have been struggling with fulfilling the pre-election promises on guarantees. Various development activities have almost stopped and legislators, even from the Congress, are unhappy as fund flow is slow. Overlooking the ground realities,

Rahul also made another equally startling promise which is to do a wealth survey, very much a Communist idea that actually originates from Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels’ Communist Manifesto. Rahul Gandhi said that if voted to power, his government would conduct a caste census to know the exact population and status of backward communities, SCs, STs and minorities.

After that, the financial and institutional survey will be done and finally, the “historic assignment to distribute the wealth of India, jobs and other welfare schemes to these sections based on their population" will be done.

History has examples of several countries under the influence of Communism going for this concept, but after suffering the ill effects, decided to change again. China tried the same in the 1960s but failed and finally reworked its policies. Today, China’s economy is huge with a rise in wealth, private properties and income gaps. But, in India, the Congress scion is seeking the 1848 idea for developing the country where youths constitute 66 per cent of the population.

By talking about wealth distribution, he also appears to be taking an about-turn from the liberal economic model of 1991. It was Manmohan Singh, the then Finance Minister in P. V. Narasimha Rao’s government, who presented a landmark budget, ushering in a new dawn for the country’s economy. Since then, India has not looked back.

Elections cast shadow over official Ugadi celebrations in Telugu states

Hyderabad/Amaravati, April 9

(IANS) Telangana Chief Minister, A Revanth Reddy and his Andhra Pradesh counterpart, YS Jagan

Mohan Reddy on Tuesday stayed away from official celebrations of Ugadi, the Telugu New Year, in view of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) for next month’s Lok Sabha elections. This was the first Ugadi for Revanth Reddy as the chief minister but he had to skip the official celebrations held every year at Ravindra Bharathi in Hyderabad. The low-key celebrations were attended by Minister for Tourism and Culture, Jupally Krishna Rao and Chief Secretary S Kumari. The minister greeted Telangana people on the occasion of the Telugu New Year and wished it would bring happiness and prosperity to everyone.

He said 'Ugadi Pachadi' teaches one to accept life’s ups and downs gracefully and with equanimity. ‘Ugadi Pachadi’ is a mixture of neem buds, raw mango, tamarind juice, pepper, jaggery and salt and it forms part of the Ugadi dishes.

Named as ‘Krodhi Nama’ this year, Ugadi was celebrated with gaiety and traditional enthusiasm in both the Telugu states.

People offered special prayers, decorated the entrances of their homes and shops with strings of mango leaves, tasted the traditional festival food and heard 'panchangnam' (almanac) to usher in the New Year.

Literary discussions, poetry recitations, recognition of authors through awards and cultural programmes marked the day.

At the main official celebration organised by the Telangana government, Bachampalli Santosh Kumar Shastry read the 'panchangnam' or the forecast of the coming year.

He said there was no need to be worried about the year being named ‘Sri Krodhi Nama’ and added that society will have both

Will win all 28 LS seats in K’taka, present as gift to PM Modi: Yediyurappa

Bengaluru, April 9 (IANS) "We will win all 28 Lok Sabha seats in the state and dedicate it to Prime Minister Modi," former Karnataka chief minister and BJP Parliamentary Board Committee member B.S. Yediyurappa said on Tuesday

Speaking to reporters, Yediyurappa stated, the top leadership has set a target of winning more than 400 seats. “I have assured them that I will get all 28 candidates elected from the state and send them to New Delhi. I am confident of it. I have told the same to Prime Minister Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. This time surely, we will

win all seats here and present it as a gift to Prime Minister Modi,” Yediyurappa reiterated.

“Everything is in our favour. We will reach our goal. Prime Minister Modi is considering campaigning in the coastal city of Mangaluru and the capital city of Bengaluru on April 14. The programme has to be finalised,” he explained.

The rebellion and dissidence which cropped up during the allotment of tickets in BJP has been managed and everything is all right now. “I invited everyone home, held a discussion and asked them to go unitedly. Now, there are no differences,” he stated.

“The Congress has questioned our claim of winning all 28 seats. The party is calling it a dream. But, what can one expect from that party? They will have to come up with that statement and they are doing it,” Yediyurappa added.

Andhra Pradesh polls: Naidu promises to double honorarium of volunteers

good and bad and advised people to deal with the issues calmly without getting angry.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, along with his wife YS Bharathi Reddy participated in the Ugadi celebrations in Palnadu District.

The Chief Minister, who is currently on ‘Memantha Siddham’ yatra for the elections, participated in the celebrations at the yatra camp at Gantavaripalem. The couple received blessings along with prasad from Vedic scholars.

Also present at the event were YSRCP Narasaraopet MP candidate Anil Kumar Yadav, Vinukonda MLA Bolla Brahma Naidu, and MLC Talasila Raghuram and YSRCP General Secretary Lella Appireddy.

Political parties in both the states organised Ugadi celebrations at their respective offices.

Simultaneous elections for the 175-member Andhra Pradesh Assembly and all 25 Lok Sabha seats in that state are scheduled on May 13. The same day all 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana will go to polls.

Amaravati, April 9 (IANS)

Amid the political heat over the volunteer system in Andhra Pradesh, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) President N. Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday promised that if voted to power TDP will not only continue the system but will also double their honorarium. The former Chief Minister promised that volunteers would be paid Rs10,000 per month against the Rs 5,000 they are receiving currently. He made the promise amid a continued war of words between the ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) and TDP over the volunteer system which was introduced by YSRCP after coming to power in 2019. About 2.60 lakh village and ward (in urban areas) volunteers were appointed by the Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government to extend citizen services at the doorsteps of the beneficiaries.

Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy during the campaign for

next month’s elections has been claiming that if voted to power TDP would scrap the volunteer system and discontinue pensions and other welfare schemes his government is implementing.

The ruling party blamed TDP for the delay in the disbursal of social security pensions as the opposition party had petitioned the Election Commission that the pension disbursal should not be allowed through village and ward volunteers. Every month the volunteers pay pensions to the beneficiaries at their doorsteps. However, Chandrababu Naidu has now made it clear that if TDP-JSP-BJP is voted to power volunteer system will continue to extend citizen services. He assured that volunteers will not be removed from service but made it clear that volunteers should be cautious and not work for the YSRCP in the coming polls.

On Ugadi, the Telugu New Year, Naidu promised to double the honorarium of volunteers. "As a part of the TDP-JSP-BJP Alliance, I promise that we will continue the volunteer system in Andhra Pradesh. This is our message for all the volunteers on Ugadi. We will also increase the pay amount from Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000,” he said at Ugadi celebrations organised by his party. Earlier, Naidu had alleged that village and ward volunteers were working as ruling party activists. He also warned that they will not spare those working to serve the interests of a political party once TDP returns to power.

Queensland celebrates Youth Week 2024

• Queensland Youth Weekcelebrating the achievements of young Queenslanders - runs until Saturday 13 April.

• Youth Week launched at a community celebration in Brisbane by Communities Minister Leeanne Enoch

• Scores of Youth Week events by local councils and community organisations are on around Queensland.

Queensland Youth Week 2024 was launched by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, Communities and Arts Minister Leeanne Enoch at a community event in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley, part of a seven-day celebration of young Queenslanders aged 12 to 25 years.

The Miles Government’s Youth Week 2024 Digital Art Competition is also open at: https://www.qld.gov.au/youth/ get-involved/qyw-2024-digitalart-competition

This year’s Digital Art Competition winner receives an Apple iPad and Apple Pencil pack, worth $1000, and the kudos of having their artwork feature in the official launch of Queensland Youth Week 2025.

Whether it’s drumbeats in Bloomfield, Three on Three Basketball, Surf Therapy, a Taylor Swift listening party, learning stand-up comedy, or Corroboree performance and storytelling, Queensland Youth Week 2024 has something for all young Queenslanders.

The Queensland Youth Indigenous Leadership Program’s 2023 graduates have also organised Youth Week events in their communities with funding support from the Miles Government.

Youth Week 2024 culminates on Saturday night, 13 April, with the 29th YMCA Queensland Youth Parliament at Parliament House, Brisbane.

A state-wide calendar of Queensland Youth Week events is available at des.qld.gov.au

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, Communities and Arts Minister Leeanne Enoch said: “Youth Week highlights the amazing achievements, contribution and potential of the more than 910,000 young Queenslanders,

Scores of Queensland Youth Week music, art, sport and cultural events - supported by local councils and community organisations - celebrating the achievements and potential of young Queenslanders are rolling out around the state.

aged 12 to 25 years, who call our great state home.

“There’s plenty to celebrate at Youth Week 2024 with many local councils and community-based organisations supporting events, competitions and workshops from science, sport and comedy to traditional performance art.

“Almost 1 in 5 Queenslanders is a young person and potentially a future leader of their community and Queensland’s job-generating industries of tomorrow.

“That’s why Youth Week 2024 is part of the Miles Labor Government’s commitment to securing Queensland’s economic, social, environmental and cultural success for current and future generations of young Queenslanders.

“The Miles Government is supporting more than double the number of Queensland Youth Week events around the state than the LNP did when they were last in Government.

“It’s time the LNP came clean on the cuts they’re planning to the youth services budget, such as the $4 million they axed from training which cruelly savaged work opportunities for hundreds of vulnerable young Queenslanders who were left to fend for themselves.”

PM welcomes US Prez’s consideration of dropping prosecution of WikiLeaks founder

Canberra, April 11 (IANS)

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Thursday welcomed news that US President Joe Biden is considering a request to drop the prosecution of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Albanese expressed encouragement after Biden's remark in Washington that the US is mulling over Australia's

request to drop the charges against Assange for the release of confidential records in 2010, Xinhua news agency reported.

"I believe this must be brought to a conclusion and that Mr. Assange has already paid a significant price and enough is enough," Albanese told state media Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) television.

"There's nothing to be gained by Mr. Assange's continued incarceration, in my very strong view."

An Australian citizen who founded WikiLeaks in Australia in 2006, Assange is currently trying to appeal his extradition from the UK to the US to face trial for the 2010 leaks.

The UK High Court in March asked the US for assurances that Assange would have a fair trial and not face the death penalty if convicted before making a final decision in May on whether he can appeal the extradition order.

Albanese in February supported a motion raised in the federal parliament by independent MP Andrew Wilkie calling for Assange's return to Australia. Wilkie was among a delegation of MPs who in September traveled to Washington where they urged politicians and officials to abandon extradition efforts for Assange.

On Thursday, Wilkie told ABC radio that Biden's comment was very encouraging.

Ex-Cricket Australia chairman Jack Clarke, who oversaw BBL’s launch, dies at 70

Melbourne, April 10 (IANS)

Former Cricket Australia (CA) chairman Jack Clarke has passed away at the age of 70 in Adelaide, said the governing body on Wednesday. Clarke joined the CA Board as a director in 1999 and served as its Chairman from 2008 to 2011.

He also spent 21 years as a director at the South Australia Cricket Association (SACA) and was made an Honorary

Life Member of the SACA in 2012. As CA Chairman, Clarke was instrumental in many important initiatives, including commissioning reports into governance and high performance that helped shape and modernise Cricket Australia’s practices in these areas and the launch of the Big Bash League.

"Jack was an outstanding contributor to Australian, South Australian and international

Indian, Australian navies share commonalities on maritime security in Indo-Pacific: MoD

New Delhi, April 3 (IANS)

Ministry of Defence on Wednesday said that India and Australia share commonalities on several contemporary maritime security issues in the Indo-Pacific region.

The ministry said that to boost ties between the nations, the Chief of the Royal Australian Navy VAdm Mark Hammond is on an official visit to India with a focus on operational engagements and information sharing for maritime security.

It said that the Australian Navy Chief interacted with Adm R Hari Kumar, Chief of the Naval Staff in Delhi on Wednesday to discuss focused on avenues to strengthen bilateral maritime cooperation, including increased operational engagements, training exchanges, and information sharing.

“The two nations have been

working together closely in several bilateral and multilateral fora such as the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS), Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), Western Pacific Naval Symposium (WPNS) and ASEAN Defence Minister’s Meeting Plus (ADMM Plus) and QUAD,” the ministry said.

VAdm Mark Hammond also laid a ceremonial wreath at the National War Memorial and was thereafter welcomed with the customary Guard of Honour presented by the Indian Navy at the South Block, New Delhi.

He is also scheduled to call on the Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of the Air Staff and Defence Secretary at New Delhi.

VAdm Mark Hammond will also visit the Southern Naval Command (at Kochi) and Western Naval Command (at Mumbai) wherein he will interact with the respective Commandersin-Chief, visit INS Vikrant, Integrated Simulator Complex, Naval Dockyard (Mumbai) and M/s MDL.

Minister Ed Husic accuses

Israel of systematic failure to abide by laws of war

Canberra, April 7 (IANS)

Australian government minister

Ed Husic on Sunday accused Israel of a systematic failure to adhere to the laws of war in Gaza. Husic, the minister for industry and science and a member of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's cabinet, said the deaths of nearly 200 humanitarian workers in Gaza reflect a failure by Israel to distinguish between combatants and civilians, Xinhua news agency reported.

"I believe this reflects a systematic failure within the Israeli government to genuinely commit to the observance of international humanitarian law," he told Sky News Australia.

"That's why you've seen 33,000 Palestinians killed, 14,500 of which are children, and 77,000 injured - and then on top of that, 200 aid workers and 100 journalists."

cricket in his major roles with Cricket Australia and the SACA, and much-loved by all who knew him across the game. leadership in vital areas including governance and high performance was particularly important during a time when Australian cricket faced some significant challenges. Jack’s passion for the game was immediately apparent to anyone who enjoyed a day at the cricket with him.

Australian citizen Lalzawmi 'Zomi' Frankcom was killed along with six colleagues from the World Central Kitchen (WCK), an aid

organization, in Israeli airstrikes in central Gaza on Monday local time.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Friday published a summary of an initial investigation into the incident, concluding that the strike on WCK aid vehicles was a grave mistake stemming from a mistaken identification.

Richard Marles, Australia's deputy prime minister and minister for defence, and Foreign Minister Penny Wong on Friday announced Australia would appoint an independent special adviser to scrutinize the official investigation into the strikes.

Husic on Sunday said the decision to appoint the adviser was a big step that would ensure a thorough investigation.

Marles and Wong said on Friday that Israel's response to the incident had not satisfied Australia's expectations and asked that all evidence surrounding the strikes be preserved.

"On behalf of Cricket Australia, I would like to offer my deepest condolences to Jack’s wife Sue, his daughters Georgie and Lucy, his extended family and many friends, all those fortunate to have known him," said Mike Baird, CA Chairman. Born in Renmark in 1954, Clarke played for Glenelg Cricket Club in the South Australian Premier cricket competition, followed by embarking on a career as a solicitor.

Five killed in knife attack in shopping centre

Sydney, April 13 (IANS)

Five people were stabbed to death at a shopping centre in Australia's Sydney on Saturday, and the assailant has been shot dead by police, local media reported. Witnesses said a man was chasing and slashing people with a knife before Westfield Bondi Junction

was evacuated and locked down, according to a report by dailytelegraph.com.au.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was briefed by the Australian Federal Police in Canberra, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

The police are probing the terror links.

Details are awaited.

In a post on X, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, "Our hearts go out to those injured and we offer our thanks to those caring for them as well as our brave police and first responders."

Australia appoints special advisor to examine Israeli airstrike investigation

Canberra, April 8 (IANS) A former head of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) has been appointed as the country's special advisor on Israel's response to strikes that killed aid workers in Gaza.

Penny Wong, Australian minister for foreign affairs, on Monday announced that retired Air Chief Marshal (ACM) Mark Binskin will oversee official investigations into the strikes that killed seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) staff in Gaza, Xinhua news agency

reported.

Australian citizen Zomi Frankcom was among the WCK humanitarian workers who were killed when the convoy they were travelling in was hit by an Israel Defense Force (IDF) airstrike in central Gaza on April 1 local time. Wong said on Monday that Binskin was eminently qualified to advise the government on the sufficiency and appropriateness of the steps taken by Israel and on any further actions that could be taken to hold those responsible to account.

ACM Binskin will engage with Israel and the Israel Defense Forces on the response to the attack which killed Zomi and her colleagues. Australia has made clear to the Israeli government our expectation and trust that this engagement will be facilitated," she said in a statement.

Youth curfew in NT extended till April 16

Canberra, April 9 (IANS) Eva Lawler, the chief minister of the Australia's Northern Territory (NT), on Tuesday announced that the curfew for people under the age of 18 in Alice Springs has been extended until April 16.

The announcement was made one day before the curfew, which was imposed on March 27 in response to a series of violent incidents in the town, was set to expire, Xinhua news agency reported.

Under the curfew, anyone under the age of 18 is banned from being out of their home in the central business district (CBD) of Alice Springs between the hours of 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.

Addressing a press conference, Lawler said that the curfew was a necessary measure to address unrest and crime in the town and that people have felt much safer since it was introduced.

"We've seen very encouraging results with the introduction of the youth curfew," she said.

"It is important that we don't lose the momentum that we have established."

She said that the police, Department of Education, Department of Territory Families and health and service providers would work together much closer after the end of the curfew than they had been previously.

An additional 58 police officers were deployed to Alice Springs - the largest town in central Australia - to help enforce the curfew.

NT Police Commissioner Michael Murphy said he has received overwhelmingly positive feedback from officers about the curfew.

"From the introduction of the curfew, we saw a noticeable decrease in crime in and around the CBD," he said.

The extension of the curfew will take it past the end of the school holiday period in the NT on Monday, April 15.

China clandestinely, deceptively interfered in our elections: Canadian spy agency

New Delhi, April 9 (IANS)

Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) has said that China has clandestinely and deceptively interfered in the two Canadian elections, media reports said.

“We know that the Peoples' Republic of China (PRC) clandestinely and deceptively interfered in both the 2019 and 2021 elections,” CSIS said during a

briefing to the commission set up by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after the opposition legislators asked him to probe into China's possible role in the rigging.

Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party won both elections, held in 2019 and 2021.

CSIS said that in both cases, Foreign Interference (FI) activities were pragmatic in nature and focused primarily on supporting those viewed to be either 'proPRC' or 'neutral' on issues of interest to the PRC government.

"State actors are able to conduct foreign interference successfully in Canada because there are few legal or political consequences. FI is therefore low-risk and highreward," CSIS said.

The Conservatives lead campaigner, during the 2021 election, Erin O'Toole, estimated Chinese interference cost his party up to nine seats.

As per the Canadian 2021 census, Canada is home to around 1.7 million people of Chinese descent, just under 5 per cent of the total population.

N.Korea’s Kim Jong-un vows to deal ‘deathblow’ to enemy in event of confrontation

Seoul, April 11 (IANS) North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has vowed to mobilise all means to deal a "death-blow" to the country's enemy without hesitation should it opt for military confrontation with North Korea, state media said on Thursday. Kim made the remark during

his visit to the Kim Jong-il University of Military and Politics on Wednesday, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said as quoted by Yonhap news agency report.

"He said that now is the time to be more thoroughly prepared for a war than ever before and that North Korea should be more firmly and perfectly prepared for a war, which should be won without fail, not just for a possible war," the KCNA added. Kim was also quoted as instructing the university to nurture new military talents who are absolutely loyal to the party central committee and

are capable of overwhelming the enemy with "ideological, mental, militant, moral and tactical superiority," it said. North Korea has been ramping up weapons tests this year, including launches of cruise missiles from both sea and land and firing drills involving super-large multiple rocket launchers. Last week, it claimed to have successfully test-fired a new intermediaterange ballistic missile tipped with a hypersonic warhead, saying that all missiles the country has developed are solid-fuel, nuclear capable with warhead control capability.

At polarised UNSC meet on Iran attack, only consensus is Middle East tensions shouldn’t escalate

United Nations, April 15 (IANS)

After hearing a warning at the polarised Security Council’s emergency meeting from Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that the “Middle East was on the brink”, the only consensus was that there should be no further escalation of tensions there.

“The message around the Council table was very, very clear that there should be no further escalation. Everybody was of the same opinion on this,” Council President Vanessa Frazier told reporters after the meeting on Iran’s thwarted massive attack on Israel.

At the meeting convened hastily at Israel’s request within 24 hours of Saturday's attack using barrages of missiles and fleets of drones, Israel and Iran traded charges, the US and Britain strongly condemned Iran, and Russia mounted a defence of Tehran.

The Council immobilised by its divisions did not take any action and the meeting was only an

occasion for venting.

The opinions, however, coalesced around Guterres’ call “to step back from the brink”.

“It is vital to avoid any action that could lead to major military confrontations on multiple fronts in the Middle East,” he said briefing the Council on Iran's attack.

“The people of the region are confronting a real danger of a devastating full-scale conflict.

Now is the time to defuse and de-escalate. Now is the time for maximum restraint,” he said.

The capture of the Israeli-owned ship, Aries, by Iran, came up during the meeting with several countries calling for the release of the crew, including Indians.

Israel’s Permanent Representative Gilad Erdan asked the Council to not only condemn the attack but also to impose the strongest sanctions on Iran for going ahead with its nuclear programme.

He said that almost all of the missiles and drones were destroyed by Israel and its allies before they could hit their targets, but the failure of the attack should not mean that Tehran is not punished for the attack.

Holding up a video on his tablet, Erdan said it showed Israel neutralising missiles and drones over Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa

Missing Hyderabad student found dead in US

Hyderabad, April 9 (IANS)

A 25-year-old student from Hyderabad who had been missing since last month was found dead in the US city of Cleveland.

Mohammed Abdul Arfath, hailing from Nacharam near Hyderabad, was pursuing a master's degree in Information Technology at Cleveland University, Ohio. He was not in touch with the family since March 7 and his family here had received a ransom call.

“Anguished to learn that Mr. Mohammed Abdul Arfath, for whom search operation was underway, was found dead in Cleveland, Ohio. Our deepest condolences to Mr Mohammed Arfath’s family,” the Consulate General of India in New York said in a post on ‘X’ on Tuesday. The Consulate is in touch with local agencies to ensure a thorough investigation into Mohammed Abdul Arfath’s death.

“We are extending all possible assistance to the bereaved family to transport his mortal remains to India,” it added.

Mosque, one of the holiest Muslim shrines and said that Tehran was targeting Islam’s holy places in its quest for Shia domination.

Iran’s Permanent Representative Amir Saed Iravani said that Tehran was using its right to selfdefence under the UN Charter to attack Israel after it had struck its diplomatic mission in Syria and killed its personnel. His country decided to attack Israel only because the Council did not act against it.

US Deputy Representative Robert Wood said his country “is not seeking escalation”, but it “also supports Israel’s exercise of its inherent right to defend itself in the face of this attack”.

He said that a strong condemnation by the Council of Iran and its proxies is the surest way to prevent an escalation of tensions in the Middle East.

Wood countered Iran’s claims of self-defence listing several actions by it across the region and said, “These and other reckless Iranian actions, are not inherently defensive actions”.

Russia’s Permanent Representative Vassily Nebenzia accused the US and its allies of following a double standard when it came to Iran because they would consider an attack on a diplomatic mission a justification for war under international law.

posted that it was in touch with Arfath’s family and authorities in the US and was working with local law enforcement agencies to find him at the earliest.

Arfath’s family residing in Malkajgiri district near Hyderabad had received a call from an unidentified person, who claimed that Arfath had been kidnapped allegedly by a gang selling drugs and demanded USD 1,200 to release him.

Arfath’s father Mohammed Saleem said he received the call on March 17. The caller threatened to sell Arfath’s kidneys if the ransom wasn’t paid.

Arfath went to the US in May 2023 to pursue a Masters in IT from Cleveland University. His family claims he had not spoken to them since March 7.

After Saleem received the ransom call, he informed his relatives in the US, who filed a missing complaint with the Cleveland police. The police had issued a watch order. According to the order, Abdul was wearing a white T-shirt, a red jacket and blue jeans.

The family wrote to the Indian Consulate in Chicago on March 18 to help trace Arfath.

Saleem had also appealed to Minister for External Affairs S. Jaishankar for help in locating his son.

Arfath had reportedly left his home at Reserve Square on March 5 and had not returned.

On March 21, the Indian consulate

‘Unstoppable, Inevitable’: Western media swings to the other side in appraisals of PM Modi

New Delhi, April 10 (IANS) It was just a few years ago that a large section of Western media was unstinting in its criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but most are now changing their tone to engage with him more and showcase his role in India's transformation and its increasing global influence. The Newsweek interview, conducted by the prominent magazine's global editor-in-chief Nancy Cooper, CEO Dev Pragad, and Editorial Director (Asia) Danish Manzoor Bhat, is a case in point, with the cover photo of the magazine featuring PM Modi - only the

second Indian Prime Minister to figure on the cover - and the caption reading: "UNSTOPPABLE" and "How NARENDRA MODI is CHANGING INDIA and THE WORLD". A companion piece to the interview seems a balanced, critical, and complimentary account of the Prime Minister and his political course, which freely acknowledges the transformation of India's economy, technical sector, infrastructure, and diplomacy under him as indisputable. Even citing critiques such as by Bhaskar Chakravorti, Dean of Global Business at the Fletcher School of Tufts University, in a Harvard Business Review article, the account tempers their sole demographic focus with the list of achievements accomplished in PM Modi's India. It also quotes Foreign Policy magazine's Editorin-Chief Ravi Agrawal's view of how the PM's launch of a new nation-building initiative, by "projecting an image of a more powerful, muscular, prideful" country is increasingly gaining traction among increasing ranks of receptive Indians.

China tried to interfere but Canadians decided the polls in 2019, 2021: Justin Trudeau

ottawa, April 11 (IANS) Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said China tried to meddle in the election process in his country twice --2019 and 2021, but asserted that it was fair.

The elections were decided by Candians, Trudeau said on Wednesday in his testimony

before a commission probing alleged foreign interference in the polls.

The commission was set up last year after media reports about China's interference in the polls.

However, the Chinese Embassy in Canada denied any interference in Canadian affairs.

The commission is set to complete its initial report by May 3 and final report by 2024 end, The Guardian reported.

Earlier, India was accused of meddling in the polls and later the allegation was ruled out by Canada.

Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) on Monday said that China has "clandestinely and deceptively" interfered in the Canadian elections.

"We know that the Peoples' Republic of China (PRC) clandestinely and deceptively interfered in both the 2019 and 2021 elections," CSIS said during a briefing to the commission.

Trudeau's Liberal Party had won both the elections. The Conservatives lead campaigner, during the 2021 election, Erin O'Toole, estimated Chinese "interference" cost his party up to nine seats.

Iran will attack Israel ‘sooner than later’: Biden

Washington, April 13 (IANS)

US President Joe Biden has told reporters at the White House that he expects Iran will attack Israel "sooner than later," media reports said.

"I don't want to get into secure information but my expectation is sooner than later," Biden said to reporters on Friday when asked how imminent an Iranian attack on Israel would be, CNN reported. Asked what his message to Iran is right now, the President said, "Don't."

In response to more shouted questions from reporters in the room, asking if American troops were at risk -- Biden returned to the podium and said that the US is "devoted" to the defence of Israel.

"We are devoted to the defence of Israel. We will support Israel, we will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed," Biden said. The US has been on high alert for a significant Iranian retaliatory attack on Israel in recent days as fears grow of a wider regional war, CNN reported.

There remains a "real," "credible" and "viable" threat of Iran launching strikes, the White House said on Friday, following Israel's attack on an Iranian diplomatic compound in Syria last week that killed three Iranian generals.

Biden, who warned this week that Iran was threatening a "significant attack" on Israel, has been receiving constant updates on the situation from his national security team.

The US and several other countries, including Britain and France, issued new travel guidelines for government employees in Israel as the Iranian threat loomed.

"We're watching this very, very closely," said John Kirby, the National Security Council

spokesman, who declined to provide information about the expected timing of the threat.

The US will attempt to intercept any weapons launched at Israel if it's feasible to do so, two US officials told CNN, an indication of the level of ongoing cooperation between the two militaries.

US Navy forces in the Red Sea have previously intercepted longrange missiles launched from the Houthis in Yemen towards Israel. US forces in Iraq and Syria could also potentially intercept drones and rockets targeting northern Israel, depending on the location from which they're launched, CNN reported.

The Defence Department is also moving additional assets to the Middle East region "to bolster regional deterrence efforts and increase force protection for US forces," a US Defence official told CNN, as Israel and the US brace for a potential Iranian attack. The Pentagon has been working specifically to bolster air defences for the US troops stationed in Iraq and Syria who came under attack by Iran-backed proxy forces over 100 times between October and February. In January, three US service members were killed when a drone got through US air defences at the Tower 22 base in Jordan.

The US is not anticipating that Iran or its proxies will attack US forces as part of its retaliation but is moving the assets just in case.

"It would be imprudent if we didn't take a look at our own posture in the region to make sure that we're properly prepared," Kirby added.

CNN reported last week that the US was on high alert and actively preparing for an attack by Iran targeting Israeli or American assets in the region. Officials said such an attack could come within the week.

CNN reported earlier this week that an Iranian attack on Israel would likely be carried out by Iranian proxy forces in the region rather than by Iran directly, according to two people familiar with US intelligence on the matter.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh’s three sons killed in Israeli air strike

Tehran is wary of a dramatic escalation in the fighting, the sources said, and does not want to give the US or its allies an excuse to attack Iran directly.

The sources said Iran and its proxy militia groups do not appear poised to attack US troops or other assets in the region, but they noted that Iran does not have perfect command and control over all its proxy forces, so the possibility of an attack on US assets cannot be completely ruled out, CNN reported.

The sources told CNN that US intelligence assesses that Iran has urged several of its proxy militia groups to simultaneously launch a large-scale attack against Israel, using drones and missiles, and that they could attack as soon as this week.

"The threat is very clear and credible," said one of the sources. "They have put the pieces in place to conduct the attack now. Just waiting for the right time."

Biden spoke with his Israeli counterpart, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, about the threat of an Iranian attack during a telephone call last week.

A direct strike on Israel by Iran is one of the worst-case scenarios the Biden administration is bracing for, as it would guarantee rapid escalation of an already tumultuous situation in the Middle East. Such a strike could lead to the Israel-Hamas war broadening into a wider, regional conflict -- something Biden has long sought to avoid, CNN reported.

Biden is receiving briefings multiple times a day on the situation, Kirby said. He added on Friday that US officials were in "constant communication" with their Israeli counterparts about the matter and that steps were underway to ensure Israel is able to defend itself.

"We are certainly mindful of a very public and what we consider to be a very credible threat made by Iran in terms of potential attacks on Israel," Kirby said on Friday.

Chennai, April 10 (IANS) Three sons of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh were killed in an Israel air strike in Gaza on Wednesday. Palestinian media outlets have reported that the grandchildren

of Haniyeh were also killed in the attack.

Haniyeh, according to Hebrew media has confirmed the killings and in a statement said, “All of Gaza‘s citizens paid a price with the blood of their children including mine.”

Arabic and Hebrew media have reported that they were killed in a vehicle at the Al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza city.

It may be recalled that Haniyeh‘s 14 close family members including his brother and family were killed in an Israeli air strike in October 2023.

Palestinian media had earlier reported that Haniyeh’s granddaughter Roaa Haniyeh, a doctor was also killed as was his son Hazem Haniyeh in February 2024.

OJ Simpson passes away aged 76

New Delhi, April 11 (IANS)

Orenthal James Simpson, a glorified NFL star, has died of cancer, his family announced Thursday on X. He was 76.

Simpson’s handle on X (formerly Twitter) carried a simple message from his family.

“On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with

cancer. He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren. During this time of transition, his family asks that you please respect their wishes for privacy and grace,” the statement read. In a case that captured the attention of the nation and the world, Simpson was found not guilty of the deaths of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. This marked the beginning of a trend in the media that has blended fame with crime ever since. Three years following his criminal conviction, Simpson was found liable in a civil suit brought by the relatives of the victims, despite the not guilty judgement. Simpson was born in San Francisco and became one of the most famous and well-liked NFL players of his day. He captured the Heisman Trophy while at USC, then played successfully for the San Francisco 49ers and the Buffalo Bills.

US not seeking war with Iran: National Security spokesman

Washington, April 15 (IANS) The US does not want to go to war with Iran, a White House national security spokesman has said.

Appearing on CNN's State of the Union news program one day after Iran launched attacks against Israel, US National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby on Sunday was asked by host Jake Tapper if the Biden administration supports an Israeli retaliatory operation directly aimed at targets inside Iran.

"As the President has said many times, we don't seek a wider war in the region. We don't seek a war with Iran. And I think I'll leave it at that," he said.

Kirby seemed to be showing more restraint in his remarks, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to US media reports citing White House officials, President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the phone on Saturday night that the US would neither participate in nor support any offensive operations by Israel against Iran.

Iran and allied armed groups launched coordinated drone and missile strikes on Israel late Saturday night in retaliation for a strike on the Iranian consulate in Syria two weeks ago.

From the editor’s desk

India’s imperative: Why Narendra Modi should continue as India’s Prime Minister

As India stands on the cusp of another pivotal general election, the nation's future leadership comes under scrutiny. In the dynamic arena of global politics, the attributes of stability, vision, and decisive leadership are indispensable. The reelection of Narendra Modi as Prime Minister emerges not merely as an option but as a compelling necessity for India's sustained advancement and global stature. Foremost, Modi's stewardship over the past decade has been marked by an unwavering commitment to development and modernization. Under his tenure, India has witnessed unparalleled growth in infrastructure, economic reforms, and a renewed focus on innovation and entrepreneurship. Initiatives such as Make in India, Digital India, and Skill India have laid the groundwork for India's evolution into a global economic powerhouse.

Furthermore, Modi's dedication to inclusive development has been evident in his efforts to uplift marginalized segments of society. Schemes such as Jan Dhan Yojana, Ujjwala Yojana, and Ayushman Bharat have directly impacted millions, offering financial inclusion, clean cooking fuel, and accessible healthcare to those most in need. His emphasis on empowering women through initiatives like Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao, and the Maternity Benefit Program has also garnered acclaim.

Beyond domestic policies, Modi's diplomatic prowess has significantly elevated India's standing on the world stage. His proactive engagement with global leaders, strategic alliances, and adept foreign policy maneuvers have bolstered India's position as a key player in international affairs. From strengthening ties with traditional allies to forging new partnerships in emerging regions, Modi's diplomatic endeavours have expanded India's influence and safeguarded its interests globally.

Moreover, Modi's leadership during challenging times, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, has showcased his resilience and crisis management skills. Despite facing an unprecedented health crisis, his government swiftly implemented measures to contain the virus's spread, enhance healthcare infrastructure, and mitigate economic repercussions. The

successful rollout of one of the world's largest vaccination drives under his guidance underscores his adept handling of adversity.

Looking ahead, a third term for Modi promises the continuity and consolidation of reforms initiated during his two tenures. With the groundwork laid for transformative change, a renewed mandate would enable him to expedite development and propel India towards its rightful place as a global leader in the 21st century.

Detractors may argue that a change in leadership would bring fresh perspectives and ideas. While diversity of thought is invaluable, it must be balanced against the need for stability and consistency, particularly in a diverse and complex nation like India. In Modi, India has a leader who combines experience with vision, pragmatism with determination, and a proven track record of delivering results.

Furthermore, the global community stands to benefit from a mature and committed leader like Modi at India's helm. As a rising power with a burgeoning economy, India's stability and prosperity hold global significance. Modi's leadership ensures that India remains a responsible stakeholder in the international arena, contributing to global peace, security, and development.

Under Modi's leadership, India has become a symbol of democracy and resilience amid global volatility. His commitment to inclusive growth and harmony, encapsulated in the slogan 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' (development for all), extends not only within India but also to the international community. In an era marked by growing populism and polarization, Modi's emphasis on unity and progress offers inspiration for nations striving to overcome divisions and challenges.

India stands at a pivotal juncture in its journey towards becoming a leading global power. The choice of leadership in the upcoming general elections will shape the nation's trajectory for years to come. In Narendra Modi, India has a leader who embodies the aspirations and hopes of millions, possessing the vision, experience, and determination to lead India to greater heights.

A third term for Modi as Prime Minister is not merely a choice but a compelling necessity for India's continued progress and prosperity and for a world that values stability and effective leadership.

India’s general elections: A testament to its vibrant democracy

By Rabindra Mukherjee

India, the world's largest democracy, is renowned for its vibrant electoral process, which serves as a beacon of democratic values and principles. Every five years, millions of Indian citizens exercise their fundamental right to vote in general elections, marking a celebration of democracy unparalleled in scale and diversity. These elections are not merely bureaucratic exercises but a vibrant showcase of India's commitment to democratic ideals, inclusivity, and the power of the electorate.

Central to India's democratic foundation is the principle of universal suffrage, guaranteeing the participation of every eligible citizen in the electoral process, irrespective of caste, creed, religion, or socio-economic status. This commitment to inclusivity mirrors the diversity inherent in Indian society, where differences are embraced and valued. Whether in bustling urban centers or remote rural areas, from the majestic Himalayas to the serene shores of the Indian Ocean, the democratic fervour resonates across every corner of the nation during election periods.

The scale of India's general elections is staggering, with over 900 million eligible voters making it the largest democratic exercise in the world. The sheer magnitude of organizing such an event is a testament to India's administrative prowess and logistical capabilities. From setting up polling booths in the most remote areas to deploying millions of election officials and security personnel, the Election Commission of India orchestrates a monumental feat of organization and coordination.

Moreover, India's electoral system is praised for its transparency and integrity, crucial elements for ensuring the fairness of elections. Strict measures have been implemented to prevent electoral misconduct, including the introduction of electronic voting machines (EVMs), voter identification cards,

and a comprehensive system for monitoring and ensuring accountability.

India's general elections are not merely about choosing political representatives but also about shaping the nation's destiny. Political parties and candidates vie for power, presenting their visions, policies, and promises to the electorate. Campaigns are conducted across the length and breadth of the country, with candidates engaging in spirited debates, rallies, and outreach efforts to garner support from voters. Issues ranging from economic development to social justice, from national security to environmental conservation, dominate the discourse, reflecting the diverse aspirations and concerns of the electorate.

The diversity of India's electorate is mirrored in the multiplicity of political parties and ideologies that contest the elections. From national parties with panIndia appeal to regional parties championing local interests, India's political landscape is a kaleidoscope of ideologies and affiliations. This diversity ensures that no single party or ideology can monopolize power, fostering a vibrant democracy where different voices and viewpoints are heard and represented.

Crucially, India's electoral process is characterized by its peaceful transfer of power, a hallmark of a mature democracy. Regardless of the election outcome, political parties and candidates accept the verdict of the electorate with grace and dignity, demonstrating their commitment to democratic norms and institutions. This peaceful transition of power strengthens India's democratic fabric and reinforces the trust and confidence of the electorate in the democratic process. The participation of marginalized and underprivileged sections of society in India's general elections is a testament to the transformative power of democracy. Women, Dalits, tribal communities, and other marginalized groups, who were

historically disenfranchised, now actively participate in the electoral process, asserting their rights and demanding accountability from their elected representatives. Political empowerment through the ballot box has become a potent tool for social and economic empowerment, driving positive change at the grassroots level. Furthermore, India's general elections serve as a platform for democratic innovation and experimentation. The use of technology, social media, and data analytics has revolutionized election campaigning, enabling political parties to reach out to voters more effectively and efficiently. Voter awareness initiatives, such as voter education programs and voter registration drives, have empowered citizens with knowledge and information, enhancing their participation in the electoral process.

India's vibrant democracy is not without its challenges and shortcomings. Issues such as money power, electoral violence, and political polarization pose significant threats to the integrity and fairness of the electoral process. However, it is the resilience and determination of India's democratic institutions, civil society, and electorate that serve as bulwarks against such challenges, ensuring that the democratic spirit continues to thrive and flourish.

India's general elections are a testament to the vibrancy, resilience, and inclusivity of its democracy. From the sheer scale of voter participation to the diversity of political ideologies, from the peaceful transfer of power to the empowerment of marginalized communities, India's electoral process exemplifies the essence of democracy in action. As India continues on its democratic journey, its general elections serve as a reaffirmation of the principles and values that underpin its vibrant democracy, inspiring nations around the world and reaffirming India's status as the world's largest and most dynamic democracy.

Paying attention to Prashant Kishor’s ‘prophetic’ words: A call for BJP and Congress to take heed

Political strategist Prashant Kishor's recent predictions regarding the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) potential surge in

eastern and southern states carry significant weight and merit attention from both the BJP and the Congress party. Kishor's insights provide valuable foresight into the evolving political landscape and underscore the importance of strategic planning and adaptability in the run-up to the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Kishor's positive forecast for the BJP's electoral prospects in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Odisha, and other states signals a potential shift in

traditional political dynamics. His assessment of the BJP's growing influence in these regions, historically considered strongholds of opposition parties, serves as a wake-up call for both the ruling party and its challengers.

In his recent interview with news agency PTI, Kishor's projections of the BJP's performance in Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and West Bengal highlight the party's expanding footprint beyond

The Third Eye: Geopolitics is impacted by faith-based conflicts

D.C. Pathak

New Delhi, April 7 (IANS) The world is in the midst of major developments - political, ideological and combative, attributable to the projection of religion in international politics. The rise of Islamic radical forces symbolised by Taliban, Al Qaeda, ISIS, Boko Haram and Palestinian Islamic Jehad, the fall out of the Israel-Hamas confrontation and the coming together of Iran, China and Russia in political opposition to the US, are setting the global trend of a constant shift towards geopolitics driven by faith-based conflicts.

To the extent this was linked to certain historical legacies, the trend could aggravate matters for the future by strengthening forces of ‘revivalism’.

The need of the hour is to consolidate the democratic world order that shuns identity politics, practices the inherently secular mandate of ‘one man one vote’ and encourages human rights, universal values and economic advancement of all.

The hostility of Islamic radicals towards the US-led West, the intensification of ShiaSunni conflict with the rise of fundamentalism in both these segments of the faith and the impact of internal divides in the Islamic world, on the emerging Cold War between the US on one side and the China-Russia axis on the other, are the major points of study and strategic analysis for making a long term assessment of India’s national security as also this country’s potential for contributing to global peace and world economy in the current scenario.

India has already been exposed for a long to cross-border terrorism in which Pakistan had used Islamic militant outfits under its control such as Hizbul Mujahideen, Lashkar-e- Toiba and Jaishe Mohammad, in Kashmir in particular but in other parts of India as well.

There is no gainsaying the fact that the US-led ‘war on terror’ launched in the wake of 9/11 - first in Afghanistan and then in Iraq,

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its traditional strongholds in northern and western India. His observation that the BJP could emerge as the top party in these states underscores the need for comprehensive strategies and concerted efforts by all political players to adapt to changing electoral dynamics.

Moreover, Kishor's critique of the opposition, particularly the Congress party, sheds light

proved to be a protracted combat in a proxy mode during which Islamic radical forces managed to survive and spread their hold in the Muslim world. They have also derived an advantage from the alignments they were able to forge in the face of political and ideological divides that were cropping up between the US and its opponents at the global level.

While the Taliban-Al Qaeda combined ruling Afghanistan concentrated on the AfghanPakistan region, a powerful off-shoot of the former emerged as Islamic State in the IraqSyria belt (ISIS) - on a note of competitive militancy. The latterwith its known animosity towards Shiism - is now becoming instrumental in pushing Iran ruled by Ayatollahs, towards the Russia-China axis that supported the regime of Syrian President, Bashar Al Assad-an Alawite.

In the ‘war on terror’, the US focused on eliminating the leaders of Islamic radicals like Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and ISIS’s first leader Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi in 2011 and 2006 respectively but could not disrupt the process of induction of new militants through ‘radicalisation’ that exploited the social media in full measure.

By 2015, ISIS under the leadership of Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi, had captured large parts of Iraq and Syria and declared a Caliphate. A powerful regional wing of ISIS called ISIS-K has since been operating covering Afghanistan, Iran and Turkmenistan- the area historically known as Khorasan. ISIS is in violent opposition to Shia Muslims - more strongly than Al Qaeda would be - and the two Sunni streams of Islamic radicals carry the historical legacy of the anti-West Wahhabi ‘revolt’ witnessed in the middle of the 19th century in Algeria, Arabia and India under the leadership of prominent Ulema like Al Tijani, Abdul Wahab and Shah Waliullah whose contention was that the political decline of Islam - after a thousand years of constant risewas attributable to the deflection of the rulers from the path of pure Islam as it existed in the times of the ‘Pious Caliphs’. The ‘revivalist’ call of going back to that golden period also put focus on the episode of Kharijites rejecting Ali on the ground that the Fourth Caliph and his partisans - the Shias - had started propagating that the Caliph -now

on the strategic missteps and challenges facing the opposition camp. His remarks regarding Rahul Gandhi's campaigning strategy and reluctance to contest from traditional strongholds like Amethi highlight the importance of strategic focus and grassroots mobilization in key battleground states.

Kishor's assessment serves as a reminder that electoral success is contingent upon effective

called Imam - had inherited elements of ‘divinity’ and could even create new Hadis. Kharijites were the precursor of Sunnis who looked upon Shias as the practitioners of the worst form of ‘Shirk’.

The puritanical stream of Salafis in Islam derives its name from Salaf or the Companions of the Prophet. Wahhabis however, are Salafis with a difference in as much as they consider the USled West as their prime enemy and are represented by Islamic radicals of Taliban, Al Qaeda and ISIS. On the other hand, Saudi Arabia practices Salafism but is a close strategic ally of the US. ISIS rooted in the Iraq-Syria region is far more ruthless in opposing the Shias in comparison to Al Qaeda. Osama bin Laden considered the Shiites as heretics but seldom targeted them for killing whereas beheading of Shiite religious persons became the hallmark of Al Zarqawi’s leadership of ISIS.

ISIS' violent disposition towards Shiite Muslims is further aggravated by the fact that political rulers of Syria and Iraq were not only Baathists believing in secularism and socialism but they were also Alwaitesrepresenting a sect of Shiism. They were thus doubly vulnerable as the targets of Islamic radicals. ISIS-K received a fillip from the stand of ISIS that Al Qaeda had become too engrossed in the struggle against the NATO forces in Afghanistan to give due attention to the Jehad movements in the Central Asian region.

ISIS-K was therefore meant also to counterbalance the threat of anti-Islamic influences wielded by Russia in the former Soviet states in Central Asia.

Incidentally in May 2019, ISIS declared that Balochistan and Kashmir were being included as new branches in the regional set-up of ISIS-K. ISIS has carried out multiple attacks on Shias in Afghanistan and Pakistan and after the Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2021 stepped up violence against Hazaras and other religious minorities there. It may be mentioned that in 2016, the leader of ISIS-K - Wali Hafiz Sayeed Khan - reportedly described how Wilayat Khorasan was important in terms of its history of having conquered Secularists, Rafida (Shias), Murtads (Apostates), cow-

outreach, mobilization, and engagement with voters in critical constituencies. His critique of Rahul Gandhi's campaign approach underscores the need for the opposition to prioritize key battleground states and tailor their strategies to resonate with local concerns and aspirations.

Furthermore, Kishor's cautionary note regarding the BJP's ambitious seat projection of over 400 seats in the Lok Sabha

worshipping Hindus and the atheist Chinese.

The current Israel-Hamas conflict unravels the linkages of the US, Iran and the Russia-China axis in the Middle East and the play of faith-based politics there. The most objective stand on this development can be credited to India which maintained that the October 7 attack of Hamas on Israel last year was an act of terrorism, called for a ceasefire and talks and upheld the right of Palestinians to have a homeland under the 2-state solution.

Hamas is a product of the 1987 Palestinian uprising whose roots were in the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. It is a Sunni Muslim organisation which significantly stated in 2017 that its struggle was against Zionists not Jews and that its chief ‘cause’ for conflict with Israel was the latter’s atrocities in Gaza and the attack on the Al Aqsa mosque in East Jerusalem - the third holiest centre for Sunnis after Mecca and Medina.

It may be recalled that the Muslim Brotherhood established in Egypt and Syria in 1928 was against the secular, nationalist and prosocialist regimes there and was appreciated by the US then.

Hamas as its offspring in Palestine however became radicalised with the passage of time with the result that the US got it declared a terrorist outfit in 1997.

In the wake of the Israel-Hamas conflict, Saudi Arabia - a friend of the US - does not approve of Hamas but has taken a stand much on the line of India’s response that both sides should abstain from killing civilians. Saudi Arabia is not opposed to the Abrahamic accord reached by UAE and Bahrain with Israel on the mediation of the US. What is even more important, the Israel-Hamas confrontation has seen Iran and Syria coming in support of Hamas in spite of the fact that Hamas is now like a Sunni radical organisation. The political alignment of these two countries against the US-Israel combine apparently outweighs other considerations. The deadly attack by ISIS terrorists on March 22 night on a largely attended concert on the Moscow outskirts - barely 20 kilometres from the Kremlin - has exposed the world to the tentacles of faith-based terror and revealed

highlights the importance of realism and pragmatism in electoral forecasting. His assertion that the BJP is unlikely to secure more than 370 seats underscores the inherent uncertainties and complexities of electoral politics.

Prashant Kishor's ‘prophetic’ words offer valuable insights into the evolving political landscape and underscore the imperative for strategic recalibration and

the contours of political divides coinciding with religious conflicts to produce a new era of proxy wars.

A group of five gunmen in army fatigues entered the venue with automatic rifles and used incendiary bombs and grenades apart from resorting to indiscriminate firing, to leave 143 dead and more than 250 injured. Newly re-elected President Vladimir Putin underplayed the intelligence failure of Russia and tried to be dismissive of the reports released by the US that it had shared advance Intelligence of the attack with Moscow. The US would have certainly put in its best efforts to infiltrate Al Qaeda and ISIS - its worst enemies.

Since 2022, ISIS-K is known to have attacked diplomats of China, Russia and Pakistan in Afghanistan- notwithstanding the fact that these countries had developed good relations with the Taliban.

ISIS has presently become the front-line leader of radicalised Islamic forces. It disapproves of Pakistan trying to become an ally of the US and resents the policy of China and Russia to support the Assad regime in Syria.

A major reason for ISIS to direct its hostility on Russia is that Moscow helped Bashir Al-Assad regain the territory he had earlier lost to ISIS. Russia’s slaughter of Chechen Muslims in its war in Chechnya in 2000 has not been forgotten too.

For ISIS, the US and Israel are the prime political adversaries while Iran is an enemy because of the historical Shia-Sunni religious animosity.

The Moscow attack by ISIS puts Russia and India together in opposing and combating terrorism in all its forms and also denouncing cross-border terrorism instigated by Pakistan against India in Kashmir and elsewhere.

In a nutshell, geopolitical conflicts today are driven substantially by motivations of religion and this is a warning signal for the democratic world to do something to avoid its own future being put at risk on that count.

(The writer is former Director of the Intelligence Bureau. Views are personal)

adaptation by both the BJP and the Congress party. His observations serve as a timely reminder of the need for astute leadership, strategic planning, and grassroots mobilization in navigating the complexities of India's electoral arena. By heeding Kishor's insights and embracing a forward-thinking approach, political parties can better position themselves to meet the evolving aspirations and expectations of the electorate.

Australian envoy to India discusses future collaborations with Gautam Adani

New Delhi, April 5 (IANS)

Australia's High Commissioner to India, Philip Green, on Friday said he met Adani Group's Founder and Chairman, Gautam Adani, and had a detailed discussion that not only focused on existing

investments but also future collaborations in various fields like renewable energy and critical minerals, among others.

In a post on X, the Australian envoy said he had an "extended meeting" with the Adani Group Chairman.

"I had an extended meeting with Chairman Gautam Adani today, covering his existing investments in Australia and future collaboration on #renewables, critical minerals and rooftop solar," Green wrote on the social media platform.

Adani Australia owns and operates Abbot Point Terminal which has been exporting Queensland coal responsibly for more than 35 years. The port is a modern, high volume, fast turnaround port complex with natural deep water, and is a multi-user port facility that currently has the capacity to throughput up to 50 MTPA

(million tonnes per annum), according to the company’s website.

Adani Renewables Australia's first solar farm Rugby Run near Moranbah was officially opened in October 2019, supplying 65MW of renewable energy powering about 23,000 Queensland homes. More than 247,000 solar panels have been installed, which generates 185,000 MWh of power each year, according to the company.

Adani Mining Private Ltd is an Australian mining company that operates out of regional Queensland. Adani Mining’s flagship development is the Carmichael mine and rail Project. The Carmichael Project is a thermal coal mine and rail project, which will transport coal from the Galilee Basin to countries in Asia, including India, delivering thousands of jobs for Queenslanders in the process.

EV sales in India to grow 66 pc this year riding on consumer interest, govt initiatives

New Delhi, April 5 (IANS) Driven by rising consumer interest, government initiatives and infrastructure development, India’s EV sales nearly doubled in 2023 and are likely to grow 66 per cent this year, a report showed on Friday.

Overall, India’s passenger vehicle (PV) sales grew 10 per cent (yearon-year) to surpass 4 million units, its EV sales nearly doubled,

rising 97 per cent YoY to account for 2 per cent of the overall PV sales.

By 2030, EVs are expected to represent nearly one-third of India’s PV market, signaling a robust long-term growth trajectory in the country’s automotive sector, according to Counterpoint Research.

“As the infrastructure and consumer traction develops, we will see the entry of newer players such as Tesla and fast-growing Chinese brands like Xiaomi, which will catalyse innovation and competition in the world’s fourth-largest PV market,” said Research Vice President, Neil Shah.

“We will see players in the broader value chain prioritising India’s market not only to target domestic consumption but also for technology R&D and export opportunities,” he added.

With a strong portfolio and strategic tie-up with Uber, Tata Motors held more than two-thirds of the country’s EV market last year. However, it lost a significant share to Mahindra & Mahindra and BYD.

Recording a 2,476 per cent increase with just one model in its portfolio, Mahindra & Mahindra was the fastest-growing brand in 2023, followed by BYD and MG Motor, said the report.

“EV sales in India are expected to increase by 66 per cent in 2024 to constitute 4 per cent of total PV sales,” the report mentioned.

Maruti Suzuki’s entry into the EV market is expected to shake up Tata’s dominance.

“Moreover, VinFast’s move to build a factory in India’s Tamil Nadu state highlights the growing interest and investment in EV manufacturing in the country,” the report noted.

Gold price continues to rise amid growing geopolitical tensions

New Delhi, April 8 (IANS) Gold rose on the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) on Monday as prices of the precious metal shot up to a record high in the international market amid rising geopolitical tensions in Central Asia.

Gold futures, maturing on June 5, 2024, stood at Rs 70,981 per 10 grams on the MCX, after recording an increase of Rs 345 or 0.49 per cent over the previous close of Rs 70,636.

In the international market spot gold was up 0.6 per cent at

$2,343.89 per ounce after hitting a record high of $2,353.79 earlier in the session.

Gold prices have risen by 12 per cent so far this year with central banks buying the yellow metal in large quantities and the increases safe-haven demand for the precious metal amid escalating tensions due to the Israel-Hamas conflict and no end in sight to the Russia-Ukraine war.

The reduction in interest rates signalled by the US Fed also leads to an increase in gold buying as investors see lower returns on the financial assets.

The price of 24-carat gold in Delhi on Monday was hovering around Rs 71,430 per 10 gms while in Mumbai it was around Rs 71,280 per 10 gms. The price in Chennai was higher at Rs 72,150 per 10 gms.

MakeMyTrip now accessible globally, expands its reach to over 150 countries

New Delhi, April 8 (IANS) Adding another significant milestone in its over two-decade-long journey, online travel company MakeMyTrip on Monday said that it is now accessible globally. Previously operational in India, the US, and the UAE, the company has expanded its reach to over 150 countries, including major travel markets like the UK, Germany, Japan, Italy, France, and many others, to benefit from its services.

"Our decision to make MakeMyTrip accessible globally is a result of this very goal -- testing our processes against rigorous protocols across the world to enable our travellers to book or

modify their travel purchases on the platform without any roadblocks wherever they are geographically," said Rajesh Magow, Co-founder & Group CEO of MakeMyTrip, said in a statement.

To achieve this feat, the company has adhered to multiple international compliances, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).

Magow also mentioned that this global accessibility will help the company reach the vast Indian diaspora.

"Importantly, this expansion will enable us to cater to a broader audience, fostering increased inbound travel to India. Our extensive coverage, offering accommodations in more than 2,000 cities, will assist international tourists in discovering the hidden gems of India," he added.

300 pc rise in market cap to Rs 400 lakh crore in last 10 years driven by strong economic fundamentals

growing in the world, is being amply reflected in the stock markets with the BSE clocking a 300 per cent growth in market cap to a phenomenal Rs 400 lakh crore and the Sensex soaring from 25,000 points to 75,000 points in the last 10 years of the Narendra Modi government.

According to SEBI chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch, the record valuation of Indian stocks is "an emphatic vote of confidence by foreign portfolio investors (FPI) in India's growth prospects."

She pointed out that this was the reason for them continuing to invest in Indian stocks even though the price-to-earnings multiple is higher compared with various other nations.

The Government's economic reforms and focus on ease of doing business is seeing investments pour into the economy both as FDI for setting up new industry and foreign portfolio investments in the stock markets.

The big-ticket government investments in large infrastructure projects such as highways, ports and seaports have accelerated GDP growth, making India a bright spot amid the global slowdown with a 8.4 per cent growth rate in the Oct-Dec quarter. Both the IMF and World Bank have raised their growth forecast for India and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman expects the economy

to post an 8 per cent growth rate.

The country has in the last 10 years made the leap from the lowly ranks of the fragile five economies to the fifth largest economy in the world and is now well on its way to become the third largest.

Inflation has now come down to around 5 per cent and is expected to fall further which is paving the way for stable economic growth ahead.

The macroeconomic fundamentals of the economy have turned stronger with the fiscal deficit well in control following robust tax collections. The lower fiscal deficit will help control inflation as well as leave more money in the banking

system for corporates to take loans for investments as the government needs to borrow less.

Economic indicators for the Jan-March quarter have also been encouraging with exports growing at a decent pace despite the disruption in ship movement due to the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea region. This has led to a decline in the current account deficit reflecting a stronger external balance of payments position.

India's foreign exchange reserves rose for a sixth consecutive week to hit a historic high of $645.58 billion for the week ended March 29, according to RBI data released on Friday.

New Delhi April 10 (IANS) The strength of the Indian economy, which has emerged as the fastest

Unity in Diversity: One and All Harmony Festival

Springfield Lakes, March 23: Laughter, camaraderie, and a vibrant celebration of multiculturalism marked the One and All Harmony Day Festival, hosted by the Vedanta Centre in Springfield Lakes on Saturday, March 23rd. On a tropical Saturday afternoon, families and friends gathered for an evening of free entertainment and cultural exchange. The festival, dedicated to commemorating Australian multiculturalism and the successful integration of migrants into the community, was a

resounding success, drawing in about 450 attendees. From lively jumping castle, market stalls from local businesses, delectable cuisine and groovy beats of live music and mesmerizing dance, the event offered something for everyone.

This years festival featured pperformances by Uncle Glenn Barry (Welcome to Country), Ashwini Nandkumar (Bharatanatyam dancer), Singers from Philippines, Sargam Music Academy, African Drumming group Balaki Balaka, PanAlchemy featuring Tsoof Baras and Darshil

Shah on handpans and bansuri flute.

Reflecting on the event, organizers expressed their joy at witnessing the diverse community coming together in the spirit of friendship and unity.

"I think it’s a real strength to have diversity," said one participant. "How lucky we are to have all these incredible cultures living within a few kilometers of each other, being able to share their incredible culture with each other."

The sentiment was echoed by Swami Atmeshananda, resident

monk and head of Vedanta Centre Brisbane,"In a world that is increasingly less tolerant of difference, the message of Vedanta is extremely important. Vedanta teaches that we are part of a larger, interconnected whole and we must not just tolerate others, but accept people as they are. The One and All Harmony Festival is a small effort towards this goal and small efforts ultimately lead to great results.”

Harmony Day, celebrated annually on March 21st, is a testament to inclusiveness, respect, and belonging for

all Australians, irrespective of their cultural or linguistic backgrounds. "Events like today are really important because we live in a society that is so diverse," noted Menaka Thomas, volunteer production manager. "Australia is the land that welcomes and integrates people from all around the world, and they call Australia home." The One and All Harmony Day Festival serves as a reminder of the richness that diversity brings to our communities and the importance of fostering an inclusive society where everyone feels valued and respected.

Association of Indian Muslims Queensland hosts Eid Milap Dinner in Brisbane

Brisbane, April 14 (Australia India News Newsdesk)

The Association of Indian Muslims Queensland organized a vibrant Eid Milap Dinner on April 13th, held at the Australian International Islamic College. The event, attended by members of the Federation of Indian Communities of Queensland and other guests, served as a joyous occasion for the community to come together and celebrate the spirit of Eid.

The Eid Milap Dinner was marked by an atmosphere of camaraderie and festivity as attendees shared in the joy of the occasion. It provided a platform for fostering bonds of friendship and unity among members of the Indian Muslim community in Queensland.

One of the highlights of the event was the recognition of high achievers within the community, acknowledging their contributions and accomplishments. The celebration of these individuals not only

honored their achievements but also served as an inspiration to others, encouraging continued excellence and dedication. The gathering served as a testament to the rich cultural

diversity and inclusivity of the Australian Indian Muslim community, showcasing the importance of coming together to celebrate shared traditions and values.

High Commission of India fosters unity and collaboration at Canberra Iftar celebration

Canberra, April 8 (Australia India News Newsdesk)

In a celebration of unity and tradition, the High Commission of India warmly welcomed guests from diverse backgrounds

to its recent Iftar gathering. Held in Canberra, the event brought together members of the diplomatic corps, the Indian diaspora, and various multicultural organizations.

The gathering served as a platform for dialogue and collaboration, as invitees from the Indian diaspora expressed their eagerness to collaborate with the High Commission. Their shared

goal is to further strengthen the bonds between Australia and India while also advancing the welfare of the Indian-origin community in Australia. Against the backdrop of shared values and a commitment to mutual progress, the Iftar event exemplified the spirit of cooperation and harmony that continues to characterize the relationship between Australia and India.

Indian-origin scientist Dr Sonia Shah receives Australian Academy of Science award

Canberra, April 7 (Australia India News Newsdesk)

Dr Sonia Shah, of Indian origin, has been celebrated as one of the distinguished recipients of the Australian Academy of Science's prestigious honorific awards.

Her groundbreaking research has significantly contributed to advancing our understanding of heart failure biology and the intricate relationship between genetics and the risk of heart disease.

Dr Shah's exceptional contributions have earned her the esteemed 2024 Australian Academy of Science Ruth Stephens Gani medal for human genetics research. In a humble yet proud statement shared on LinkedIn, Dr Sonia expressed her gratitude, stating, “Incredibly honored to be awarded the 2024 Australian Academy of Science Ruth Stephens Gani medal for human genetics research.” Her research has not only shed light on the complexities of heart disease but has also paved the way for potential breakthroughs

in treatment and prevention strategies.

Dr Sonia Shah's dedication and innovative approach to scientific inquiry serve as an inspiration to aspiring researchers and underscore the invaluable contributions of individuals from diverse backgrounds to the scientific community.

The recognition of Dr Shah's achievements by the Australian Academy of Science highlights the importance of international collaboration and the global impact of scientific endeavors. As she continues to push the boundaries of knowledge in her field, Dr Sonia Shah stands as a beacon of excellence and a testament to the power of scientific inquiry in addressing some of society's most pressing challenges.

High Commission of India and IWN celebrate women in innovation, science and technology

Canberra, April 8 (Australia India News Newsdesk)

The High Commission of India, in collaboration with the Integrated Women’s Network (IWN), hosted an event in Canberra to commemorate International Women’s Day 2024. The event, centered around the theme “Women in Innovation, Science & Technology,” featured insightful remarks from esteemed speakers who shared their expertise and experiences in the field.

Head Strategic Partnership at CSIRO Cybercowarrior, Prerana

Mehta, Lead Civil Engineer at ANSTO Bharathi Rengarajan, and President of the ACT Chapter at AIBC, Tony Fraser, delivered special addresses, captivating the audience with their unique perspectives. Their speeches not

only celebrated the achievements of women in science and innovation but also shed light on the existing gender disparities and challenges that require urgent attention.

A key focus of the discussions was the importance of implementing measures to promote diversity and inclusion within the sector. Participants emphasized the significance of mentorship programs as effective tools for encouraging greater participation of women at all levels of the science and technology landscape. The event proved to be immensely productive and thoughtprovoking, inspiring attendees to continue advocating for gender equality and empowerment in the fields of innovation, science, and technology. As the world progresses towards a more inclusive future, initiatives such as these serve as vital catalysts for change, paving the way for a more equitable and prosperous society.

Indian shipyards delegation explores industry collaboration in Perth

Perth, April 12 (Australia India News Newsdesk)

A high-level delegation from Indian shipyards, led by Chairman and Managing Director of GRSE - Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd, Cmdr PR Hari, recently visited Perth to explore opportunities for industry collaboration. The delegation, comprising senior officials from key shipbuilding companies including Hindustan

Shipyard Ltd (HSL), Goa Shipyard Ltd (GSL), and Mazagaon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL), was accompanied by Defence Attaché, Captain Akhilesh Menon, from the High Commission of India.

During their visit, the delegation engaged in productive discussions with Consul General (CG) Amarjeet Singh Takhi, exploring avenues for building closer ties and fostering collaboration between Indian and Australian

shipbuilding industries. The meeting provided a platform for exchanging insights and exploring potential partnerships in the maritime sector.

Discussions centered on leveraging the respective strengths and expertise of Indian and Australian shipyards to enhance cooperation in areas such as naval construction, technology transfer, and joint ventures. The delegation

expressed keen interest in exploring strategic alliances and investment opportunities in Western Australia's vibrant maritime industry.

The visit underscored the growing importance of bilateral cooperation in the defense and maritime sectors between India and Australia. As both countries seek to strengthen their defense capabilities and bolster maritime security in the Indo-Pacific

region, collaborations between shipbuilding companies play a crucial role in achieving these shared objectives.

Moving forward, the Consulate General of India in Perth and the Indian shipyards delegation remain committed to furthering dialogue and collaboration, laying the groundwork for mutually beneficial partnerships that will contribute to the prosperity and security of both nations.

Consulate General of India in Sydney brings consular services to Blacktown residents

Sydney, April 8 (Australia India News Newsdesk)

The Consulate General of India (CGI) in Sydney extended its outreach efforts by organizing a Consular Camp in Blacktown on April 6, 2024. The initiative, aimed at delivering essential consular services directly to the Indian community, reflects the Consulate's commitment to ensuring accessibility and convenience for its constituents.

The Consular Camp provided residents of Blacktown and surrounding areas with the opportunity to avail themselves of a range of consular services, including passport renewal, visa assistance, and other documentation requirements. By bringing these services to the doorstep of the community, the Consulate aimed to streamline the process and alleviate the burden of traveling long distances

for consular assistance. The event received positive feedback from attendees, who appreciated the convenience and efficiency of having access to consular services within their local area. The Consulate's proactive approach in reaching out to the Indian diaspora underscores its dedication to serving the needs of its citizens and fostering stronger ties with the community.

As part of its ongoing efforts to enhance service delivery, the Consulate General of India in Sydney remains committed to exploring innovative ways to engage with and support the Indian community across New South Wales. Initiatives like the Consular Camp in Blacktown exemplify the Consulate's proactive stance in addressing the needs of its constituents and ensuring their well-being and satisfaction.

Consulate General of India in Melbourne hosts interactive session on holistic health through Ayurveda

Melbourne, April 9 (Australia India News Newsdesk)

The Consulate General of India (CGI) in Melbourne, in collaboration with the Vital Veda Community, recently organized an engaging and insightful session focused on holistic health through Ayurveda. The interactive event featured renowned Indian

Vaidyas, Dr. Harsha Raju and Dr. Pavani Raju, who shared their expertise and wisdom on the ancient healing tradition of Ayurveda.

Attended by approximately 50 participants, the session provided a platform for individuals to learn about the principles of Ayurveda and its holistic approach to

well-being. Participants had the opportunity to engage with the Vaidyas, asking questions and gaining valuable insights into how Ayurvedic practices can promote overall health and vitality.

In addition to the interactive session, Consul General Dr. Sushil Kumar graced the event with his presence, emphasizing the importance of traditional Indian healing practices in promoting health and wellness within the

community.

The event also featured stalls showcasing Ayurvedic medicines and organic food, organized by the AYUSH cell, Australia. This provided attendees with the opportunity to explore and learn more about Ayurvedic products and dietary choices that align with the principles of holistic health.

Through initiatives such as this

interactive session, the CGI Melbourne continues to serve as a bridge between Indian culture and the Australian community, promoting awareness and understanding of ancient healing traditions like Ayurveda. As interest in holistic health and well-being continues to grow, events like these play a crucial role in empowering individuals to take charge of their health through time-tested practices.

Cultural splendour shines at Brisbane’s Ugadi celebrations

Brisbane, April 13 (Australia India News Newsdesk)

The vibrant spirit of Ugadi illuminated the Kannada Sangha Queensland as members of the community gathered to

celebrate New Year's Day on April 13. Hosted by the Kannada Sangha Queensland, the event welcomed guests, including the team of the Federation of Indian Communities of Queensland and

other dignitaries. Among the notable attendees was Shadow Assistant Minister for Multicultural Engagement, Senator Paul Scarr. The festivities were an opportunity to showcase

the rich cultural heritage and exceptional talent within the community.

Ugadi holds significance in the Hindu calendar, marking the New Year for Telugus and Kannadigas.

As melodies of traditional music filled the air and vibrant colours adorned the venue, attendees embraced the spirit of renewal and togetherness.

Australian business leaders and AIBC discuss ‘Make in India’ Initiative

Perth, April 3 (Australia India News Newsdesk)

Australian business leaders, along with representatives of the local chapter of the Australia India Business Council (AIBC), convened for a strategic roundtable discussion focused on the 'Make in India' initiative.

Facilitated by the Consulate, the event provided a platform for insightful dialogue and collaboration aimed at exploring opportunities within India's

burgeoning manufacturing sector.

Consul General Amarjeet Singh Takhi spearheaded the discussion by briefing participants on India's remarkable growth story and various initiatives, including Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes, designed to bolster and incentivize manufacturing in the country. His informative presentation highlighted the potential for Australian businesses to tap into India's dynamic market and contribute to

its economic expansion.

Local businesspersons in attendance seized the opportunity to share their experiences and collaborations with Indian companies, offering firsthand insights into the challenges and opportunities present in the Indian market. Through engaging discussions and knowledge sharing, participants explored avenues for enhancing bilateral trade and investment between Australia and India, particularly

in the manufacturing sector. The roundtable discussion underscored the importance of fostering closer ties between Australian and Indian businesses, leveraging mutual expertise and resources to drive innovation, productivity, and economic growth. By aligning with India's ambitious 'Make in India' initiative, Australian businesses have the opportunity to contribute to India's industrialization efforts while

accessing a vast and dynamic consumer market.

As the dialogue continues, the Consulate and the Australia India Business Council remain committed to facilitating meaningful partnerships and collaborations that will benefit both nations, fostering greater prosperity and economic resilience in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.

Overseas Friends of BJP vows support for BJP at party’s sthapana divas

Canberra, April 7 (Australia India News Newsdesk)

Overseas Friends of BJP celebrated sthapana divas (foundation day) of BJP recently with huge fanfare across Australia in Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and Canberra. The gathering raised slogans of ‘Abki baar Modi Sarkar’, ‘Abki baar charso paar’,

as a reminder that the BJP and its coalition partners, the NDA will be endeavouring to win 400 plus seats to consolidate its position in the Lok Sabha in the coming general elections in India.

Speakers addressed the gathering recounting how the Modi government brought tremendous development and progress in

India. They also talked about BJP’s ideology and the contribution of its founders like Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, who used to talk about the fact that one nation, cannot have two separate symbols, two separate governments, and two separate systems. The speakers were alluding to Article 370 and why its abrogation was important.

The gathering was also exhorted to call their relatives in India and ask them to vote for the party in the ensuing general elections in India.

Meanwhile, Melbourne based Jashan Singh Dhillon from Rampur ,Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Ram Anumanth from Coimbatore , Tamil Nadu are two young

dynamic volunteers leading the Modi for 2024 campaign and have tremendous faith in Narendra Modi’s government and its policies.

Jashan also wants Yogi Adityanath to continue developing UP, and Ram Anumanth sees the future of Tamil Nadu only under K Annamalai’s leadership.

HCI, Canberra celebrates Dr Ambedkar birth anniversary

Observing the birth anniversary of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, floral tributes were paid by the High

Commissioner Gopal Baglay, followed by other members of the High Commission.

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T20 is changing the face of cricket

The Indian Premier League has all the cricket-loving followers glued to it every evening. This cricket entertainment has captured the hearts of the public. The close-finish matches have the ingredients that make it even more interesting. The T20 cricket extravaganza is not scripted and therefore it brings in the excitement of unravelling a mystery.

Each of the 10 franchise-based teams have a professional look to them, not only on the field but off it as well. The sides are so equally matched that to predict a winner at this stage of the IPL tournament is a very difficult ask. Teams are still experimenting through permutations and combinations as to what would be the most effective side for them to field. One has to understand that the IPL has players from all over the world and from every corner of India as well. To get them to play as a unit and gel together, taking into account their different cultures, habits, languages and food preferences, is a huge task. It gets even more difficult for players to deal with the professional support staff, most of whom are themselves in the process of understanding their scope of work and delivery. The cultural aspect of marrying it all together and getting players to showcase their skills and perform to finish as winners makes the IPL such an interesting tournament. The two teams that have shown far more consistency than the rest are Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI). Both of them seem to have a structure that brings out the element of success even when they seem down and out. The aura that seems to emanate from them, one feels, is their powerful owners and the positive force and interest that they put

behind their squad. Furthermore, Mumbai and Chennai have been very important centers of Indian cricket and therefore, they have an aura to live up to.

Unfortunately, the hard work and preparations by the franchise all go awry, when the major mega auctioning of players comes about every 3 years. Although, each IPL side does have the option of retaining 4 of their star players, dissolving the squad of 20 other players is quite unsettling for the franchise owners. In the three years, humungous effort is put in by the coach, and support staff and to rework on a new set of players is frustrating. It disrupts the system that has taken many moons to put into place. It also affects the loyalty and empathy that one would have derived from a long possible association between the players and the franchisees.

This disruption has a cascading effect on every aspect of the franchise operations. A new set of advertising and marketing material needs to be produced involving the new crop of players. Commercial sponsorship and signage are reworked upon. The process is a complete transformation of getting a new side in place on the park as well as in all the activities off it.

At the end of the year 2024, the mega auction will be held for the new 3-year cycle of the IPL. One gathers that the meeting to discuss the details is being held next week. All the franchise owners have been invited along with the core group of the BCCI Governing council involved with the IPL.

This is just the stage to take a more mature approach towards the retention of players by the franchise owners. The auction may be a glamorous television and media event to capture eyeballs, however, the system gets flawed because the buying of players makes it more like a fish market. One is, at times, amused to see franchise owners celebrate their purchase along with their astute think tank, for an unimaginable price. The

celebration, one feels, is more on winning the bid rather than the player.

The BCCI have to come forth with a more tangible solution by which a franchise that has put in such a lot of effort in the formation of their squad should be able to retain the majority of their players. The retention regulations should also allow the owners to have the 1st option to purchase any of their International and domestic players.

The most confusing part of the IPL at present for a layman is to remember the players and the franchise they play for. The chopping and changing that has taken place in the last 17 editions of the tournament has made it impossible for one to name the squad. Fortunately, the loyalty to a franchise team for a die-hard follower has continued and apart from a few star players, they are more concerned with following the fortune of the team rather than the individual players. One realizes that the team and franchise-based ownership that prevails in Football, Basketball, Rugby, Baseball and other sports around the world is far more progressive than the IPL. However, the gradual move towards it is what will benefit and make it into a world-followed property.

A cricketer will then be able to truly access his market value, similar to Messi and Ronaldo in football.

The BCCI at present may be able to control and protect themselves from outside forces who are interested in exploring the growing popularity of T20 cricket. However, in the end, “Money Talks” and once the big corporate giants of the world come into play, T20 cricket could become a huge money spinner in the making.

The T20 World Cup’24 and the T20 Cricket in the 2028 Olympics will be just the precursor to it.

(Yajurvindra Singh is a former India cricketer. The views expressed are personal.)

Gaurav Gill puts on commendable performance in Rally of Otago

New Delhi, April 14 (IANS) JK

Tyre's Gaurav Gill showcased a strong performance in the Rally of Otago, securing a top 3 finish on day 1. He maintained his third position consistently until stage 10.

However, an unexpected challenge in stage 11 forced him to withdraw from the race.

Gaurav Gill and his New Zealandbased co-driver, Jared Hudson, were piloting a Hyundai i20 N Rally2 car when, at the 7.2km mark in Special Stage 11 (SS11),

the car hit a pothole, causing a suspension issue.

Despite their attempts to fix the car, the duo was forced to withdraw from the race. Apart from this technical setback, Gill demonstrated strong performance throughout the rally, showcasing his dedication to the sport.

The Otago Rally is amongst the most historic rally events in the world and has been held every year since 1976. This year, the rally has drawn a field of 117 cars, the largest in four years.

A customary mix of challenging sections comprise the 16 special stages that make up the rally. The stages consist of fast, flowing open public roads, blind brows as well as gravel strewn sections which offers a unique challenge.

Tsitsipas beats Ruud for third Monte-Carlo title

Monte-Carlo, April 15 (IANS)

Stefanos Tsitsipas dispatched Casper Ruud 6-1, 6-4 to win his third Monte-Carlo title in four years.

With his one-hour, 37-minute win, Tsitsipas became the fifth player to win three or more Monte-Carlo titles, joining Rafael Nadal (11), Bjorn Borg (3), Thomas Muster (3) and Ilie Nastase (3).

"It has been very difficult, so to be back on the podiums, winning tournaments just feels amazing. The third time is even more special than the first or second time. This is an unbelievable

win for me. Capturing that win today was nerve-wracking. I really wanted this trinity. I am extremely happy today," said Tsitsipas.

After taking the first set on his second set point, the 12th seed, Tsitsipas saved one break point in his opening service game of the second set.

Ruud struggled to find the court with consistency on his forehand in the first set, frequently overhitting. While he improved in the second set, he was unable to find the required level to hurt the Greek.

In a tense 13-minute seventh game, Tsitipas fended off three break points before holding. He then gained a decisive break himself to seal victory, ATP reports.

The Greek, who has won 11 tourlevel trophies, including three Masters 1000 titles, will return to the Top 10 for the first time since February on Monday when he climbs to No. 7.

Scottie Scheffler wins second Masters in 3 years; Bhatia finishes T-35, Theegala T-45

Augusta, April 15 (IANS) World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler lived up to his billing with a four-shot victory at the Masters Tournament to win a second Green Jacket in three years at Augusta National Golf Club.

Scheffler, who started as a big favourite, opened the week with a 66 and had rounds of 72 and 71 in the windy conditions. He entered the final day with a one-shot

advantage.

Scheffler pulled away to sign for a 68 and finish at 11 under, while Swede Ludvig Aberg carded 69 to be the nearest challenger at seven under on his Major Championship debut.

Aberg was three shots clear of Ryder Cup team-mate Tommy Fleetwood and American duo Max Homa and Collin Morikawa.

Indian Americans, Akshay Bhatia (73) and Sahith Theegala (75), finished T-35 and T-45, respectively. Bhatia was making his debut, while Theegala was playing for the second time, after being in the Top-10 last year.

Bhatia, who has had a whirlwind fortnight including a win and a spot into the Masters, said, "I haven't truly understood what's happened the last couple weeks. Everything about it is amazing. Volunteers, all the green jackets, they were so kind, so welcoming, so congratulating.

"I think being my first Masters, it's pretty cool kind of being the last person in. All in all, it was an awesome week. Had a lot of family out there, and it was a special week for a lot of us."

Theegala said, "I was just so happy last year with how I played. I played great all week last year. My game feels better than it did last

year. I just made so many mental mistakes. Just got a little antsy and tried to push things, and my short game was off. I putted probably four or five three-putts today."

Korea's Byeong Hun An posted his best Masters Tournament finish with a tied-16 but was left ruing a cold putter which saw him miss out on an automatic return to Augusta National by a single stroke.

The 32-year-old signed off on his fifth appearance at the year’s opening major with a 3-over 75 where his scorecard included a mix of five birdies, six bogeys and a double bogey. The top-12 finishers and ties earn invitations

back to next year’s Masters. Tom Kim fired the day’s lowest of 66, highlighted by eight birdies, to share 30th place with amongst others, compatriot Si Woo Kim, who signed off with a 70 in what was his eighth successive Masters appearance. Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama, the lone Asian to win the Masters in 2021, closed with a 74 for tied 38th.

For some time, Scheffler did have to share the lead. Yet, a hattrick of birdies from the eighth steadied him and there was no scare after that, He survived Amen Corner in level par while his challengers faced a lot of problems.

Yajurvindra Singh

EV sales in India to grow 66 pc this year riding on consumer interest, govt initiatives

New Delhi, April 5 (IANS) Driven by rising consumer interest, government initiatives and infrastructure development, India’s EV sales nearly doubled in 2023 and are likely to grow 66 per cent this year, a report showed on Friday.

Overall, India’s passenger vehicle (PV) sales grew 10 per cent (yearon-year) to surpass 4 million units, its EV sales nearly doubled,

rising 97 per cent YoY to account for 2 per cent of the overall PV sales.

By 2030, EVs are expected to represent nearly one-third of India’s PV market, signaling a robust long-term growth trajectory in the country’s automotive sector, according to Counterpoint Research.

“As the infrastructure and consumer traction develops, we will see the entry of newer players such as Tesla and fast-growing Chinese brands like Xiaomi, which will catalyse innovation and competition in the world’s fourth-largest PV market,” said Research Vice President, Neil Shah.

“We will see players in the broader value chain prioritising India’s market not only to target domestic consumption but also for technology R&D and export opportunities,” he added.

With a strong portfolio and strategic tie-up with Uber, Tata Motors held more than two-thirds of the country’s EV market last year. However, it lost a significant share to Mahindra & Mahindra and BYD.

Recording a 2,476 per cent increase with just one model in its portfolio, Mahindra & Mahindra was the fastest-growing brand in 2023, followed by BYD and MG Motor, said the report.

“EV sales in India are expected to increase by 66 per cent in 2024 to constitute 4 per cent of total PV sales,” the report mentioned. Maruti Suzuki’s entry into the EV market is expected to shake up Tata’s dominance.

“Moreover, VinFast’s move to build a factory in India’s Tamil Nadu state highlights the growing interest and investment in EV manufacturing in the country,” the report noted.

EU, India join hands to nurture startups in EV battery recycling field

New Delhi, April 9 (IANS)

In a fillip to the country’s electric vehicle (EV) goals, the European Union (EU) and India on Tuesday joined hands to promote startups working in the area of battery recycling technologies for EVs. The collaboration aims to boost the cooperation between European and Indian Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and startups in the clean and green technologies sector. The latest initiative took place under the India-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC)

announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, at their meeting in New Delhi in April 2022.

“The match-making event is a step ahead to unlock innovative possibilities leading to a green and circular economy. We encourage innovators from the EU to seize this opportunity and explore potential collaborations with their Indian counterparts,” said Marc Lemaitre, DirectorGeneral for Research and Innovation at the European Commission.

As part of the initiative, 12 startups -- six each from India and the EU -- will be selected and get a pitching opportunity during the ‘Matchmaking Event’, scheduled in June.

Six finalists (three from the EU and three from India) will be selected following their presentations and awarded the possibility to visit India and the EU, respectively.

“We are dedicated to fostering a collaborative environment where sustainability and innovation form the cornerstone of a flourishing circular economy,” said Professor Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the government.

The deadline for submitting Expressions of Interest (EoI) for the startups is April 30.

The TTC will help boost EUIndia bilateral trade, which is at historical highs, with 120 billion euros worth of goods traded in 2022. In 2022, 17 billion euros worth of digital products and services were traded.

Welcome to India, say netizens to Elon Musk

New Delhi, April 11 (IANS) Even

“Looking forward to meeting with Prime Minister @NarendraModi in India!” the SpaceX CEO shared on X (formerly Twitter). The post has, so far, garnered more than 38 million views on the platform.

Soon after the announcement, several users took to the platform to welcome the billionaire to the country.

“Welcome to India, Elon,” wrote several users, while one added “Namaste India”.

“Welcome to India, Elon Musk, hoping for a long-term partnership between your companies and India,” wrote

OpenAI used over a million hours of YouTube videos to train its AI model: Report

New Delhi, April 7 (IANS) Sam Altman-run OpenAI transcribed more than a million hours of YouTube videos to train its AI model called GPT-4, a report has claimed.

The New York Times reported that OpenAI knew this was not legal but “believed it to be fair use”.

“OpenAI president Greg Brockman was personally involved in collecting videos that were used,” according to the report.

An OpenAI spokesperson told The Verge that the company uses “numerous sources including

publicly available data and partnerships for non-public data,” to maintain its global research competitiveness.

Google, which owns YouTube, said it has “seen unconfirmed reports” of OpenAI’s activity.

“Both our robots.txt files and Terms of Service prohibit unauthorised scraping or downloading of YouTube content,” the tech giant maintained.Last year, The Information reported for the first time that OpenAI, which is now backed by Microsoft, trained its AI models on Googleowned YouTube by scrapping its data.

OpenAI "secretly used data from the site (YouTube) to train some of its artificial intelligence models". YouTube is the single biggest and richest source of imagery, audio and text transcripts on the web.

Tesla’s entry in India a natural progression: Elon Musk

New Delhi, April 9 (IANS) The entry of Tesla in India, as the company scouts for factory land, will be a natural progression, its CEO Elon Musk has said, as the country gears up for mobility transformation.

another user.

“Yes! Excited to have you here finally. Hope to see Tesla India up and running soon and reservation holders getting their Tesla's,” said another.

The tech billionaire is reportedly slated to meet PM Modi "in the week of April 22 in New Delhi".

Musk is also likely to announce his investment plans and setting up of a potential $2-3 billion manufacturing plant in the country.

As per reports, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu are on top of Tesla's agenda to start EV manufacturing and export the vehicles as well.

In a ‘Spaces’ meeting on his X social media platform with Nicolai Tangen who is CEO of Norges Bank Investment Management, the billionaire said that “it's a natural progression to provide Tesla electric vehicles in India.”

“All vehicles will go electric and it is just a matter of time,” he added. India, like other nations which have adopted EVs, should also have more and more electric cars going forward, according to the X owner. Reports surfaced last week that the electric car company is sending a team of experts to search for a location to set up a $2-$3 billion EV plant in India. Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu are reportedly on top of the company’s agenda to start EV manufacturing and export those as well.

Meta lies about ad metrics, X better platform for advertisers: Musk

New Delhi, April 12 (IANS)

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, on Friday, said that Mark Zuckerberg-led Meta does not share actual advertisement metrics while his X platform gives better returns than the Facebook owner.

When a follower posted that X has better returns than Meta by far, and that Meta lies about their ad metrics, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO replied: “True."

“Our advertising relevance has greatly improved,” said the tech billionaire.

Another X user commented that the trend of increasing ad costs and decreasing ROAS (Return On Advertisement Spend) on Meta has been noticeable for

a while and seems to only be “worsening.”

“Leaving advertisers with no control over ad relevance and reach on Meta. No surprise we are onboarding so many new advertisers on X now,” he added.

In response, Musk wrote: “Advertise on X.”

In February this year, the Muskrun social media platform allowed advertisers to run ads next to certain content creators on the platform via the 'Creator Targeting’ programme.

The decision allowed advertisers to prevent their ads from appearing next to controversial or offensive content.

as Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed his visit to India, netizens eagerly welcomed the billionaire to the country.

How Ayushman Bharat Health Accounts are helping millions get quality healthcare

New Delhi, April 4 (IANS) The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Thursday shared an explainer on how Ayushman Bharat Health Accounts (ABHA) are facilitating cashless transactions and managing financial aspects related to healthcare services under the ‘Ayushman Bharat’ scheme.

ABHA, a key component of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), is an account/number used to link all the health records of a person. According to the health ministry, ABHA reduces out-of-pocket expenses for beneficiaries and improves access to quality healthcare.

By enabling cashless transactions and electronic health records,

ABHA minimises administrative hassles and delays, allowing healthcare providers to focus on patient care.

In addition, ABHA generates valuable data insights that can be used for evidence-based decision-making and policy formulation, which helps in addressing healthcare challenges effectively and improving the overall quality of care.

"ABHA intends to create a digital health ecosystem and aims to promote digitisation of healthcare. Any individual can enroll in Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) to generate a Health ID or ABHA, free of cost," the health ministry noted.

With the ABHA mobile application, individuals can effortlessly access and share their health records digitally. It allows patients to seamlessly receive digital lab reports, prescriptions, and diagnoses from various healthcare providers, including doctors, labs, hospitals, and wellness centres.

The ministry also addressed some of the myths that people may encounter with ABHA.

Answering one of such myths, 'Is it possible for the government or any other entity to do surveillance of the health status', the ministry stated: “No. The health records are created and stored at the place of their creation by respective healthcare providers (which is the case even now).”

"The government will not have access to such data. No additional means of accessing such data is being created or envisaged in the current ecosystem.”

Responding to another myth, the health ministry said that only individuals can share their own records with other doctors or hospitals using different digital health systems after giving their consent.

Through technology and datadriven approaches, ABHA aims to improve access to quality healthcare and relieve financial burdens on vulnerable sections of society.

President Droupadi Murmu unveils 1st ‘Indiamade’ affordable gene therapy for cancer

New Delhi, April 4 (IANS) In a ray of hope for millions suffering from cancer, President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday unveiled the country’s first indigenously-made and affordable gene therapy for the deadly disease.

Launching the gene therapy treatment called “CAR-T cell therapy” at IIT Bombay, President Murmu said that it will be successful in giving new lives to countless patients.

This cell therapy has been available in developed nations for some time but is extremely costly and beyond the reach of most patients globally, including

in India.

President Murmu said it is an example of the ‘Make in India’ initiative which is a shining example of the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’.

The ‘CAR-T cell therapy’ has been developed via collaboration between the IIT Bombay and Tata Memorial Hospital, in association with industry partner ImmunoACT, which is “a praiseworthy example of academia-industry partnership.”

President Murmu said that with the knowledge base and skills of the faculty and students of IIT Bombay and other similar institutions, India “would benefit greatly from the technological revolution underway.”

CAR-T cell therapy or chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy is a form of immunotherapy and gene therapy. It requires complex genetic engineering to modify the

patient's immune cells, especially T cells, and make them fight cancer.

“The development of this therapy in India over the past decade and its approval in October 2023 speaks volumes about the skills of Indian scientists and physicians,” said President Murmu.

Cancer has claimed a large number of lives around the world. In India, 14.6 lakh people succumbed to it in 2022, and the number is likely to rise to 15.7 lakh by 2025.

“The therapy being launched today is a major step -- in fact, a new milestone in the journey of healthcare innovation in India. It puts us on the global map of advanced medical care as well as on the elite list of countries, which have access to this most innovative technology platform,” President Murmu emphasised.

Ayushman Bharat extended quality healthcare for underprivileged: Top cardiologist

New Delhi, April 6 (IANS)

Ayushman Bharat, India's flagship healthcare initiative, has enabled people from underprivileged backgrounds to get access to quality healthcare, said top cardiologist Dr. Devi Shetty on Saturday.

According to the Health Ministry, the programme's Health and Wellness Centers (HWCs) help people from the economically weaker section to access preventive, primitive and some curative healthcare services with standardised quality.

In addition, with its Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), people can avail of health insurance coverage for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation.

“Ayushman Bharat had a massive positive impact on the health care of underprivileged poor people,” Dr. Shetty, Founder and Chairman of Narayana Health, told IANS.

“Because this covers predominantly major surgeries, including heart operation, most of these people can never dream

Prostate cancer cases to double, deaths to rise by 85 pc by 2040: Lancet

New Delhi, April 5 (IANS) By 2040, cases of prostate cancer are likely to double worldwide to 2.9 million per year, from 1.4 million per year in 2020, according to a new analysis published in the Lancet Commission.

Over the same period, annual deaths are projected to rise by 85 per cent -- from 375,000 deaths in 2020 to almost 700,000 deaths by 2040.

The analysis to be presented at the upcoming European Association of Urology Congress stated that low- and middleincome countries (LMICs), including India will see the highest increases in cases and death rates.

Importantly, “the true numbers will likely be much higher than the recorded figures due to under-diagnosis and missed opportunities for data collection in LMICs,” the report stated. Prostate cancer, which accounts for 15 per cent of all male cancers, is already a major cause of death and disability. It is the most common form of male cancer in more than half of the world’s countries.

“Ageing populations and increasing life expectancy will lead to higher numbers of older men in coming years. As the main risk factors for prostate cancer -- such as being aged 50 or older and having a family history of the

disease -- are unavoidable, it will not be possible to prevent the upcoming surge in cases through lifestyle changes or public health interventions,” the researchers said.

“As more and more men around the world live to middle and old age, there will be an inevitable rise in the number of prostate cancer cases. We know this surge in cases is coming, so we need to start planning and take action now,” said Professor Nick James, lead author of the Commission, from The Institute of Cancer Research, London.

“Evidence-based interventions, such as improved early detection and education programmes, will help save lives and prevent ill health from prostate cancer in the years to come. This is especially true for low- and middle-income countries which will bear the overwhelming brunt of future cases,” he added.

The currently available prostate cancer screening is the PSA test -- a blood test that measures protein levels called prostatespecific antigen (PSA). While this is common in high-income countries, it may lead to over-testing and unnecessary treatment in older men, and under-testing in high-risk younger men, the researchers argued.

Instead, the researchers called for early-detection programmes for those at high risk; programmes to raise awareness on prostate cancer, and improvements in early diagnosis and treatment in LMICs – where most men present with late-stage disease.

Study claims spike in e-cigarette users quitting traditional cigarettes

New York, April 3 (IANS)

There has been an increase in the number of people switching to electronic cigarettes while quitting regular tobacco smoking, claims a study.

Previously, using electronic cigarettes did not lead to smoking cessation.

of getting all these expensive surgeries,” he added.

Further, the Ayushman Bharat Health Accounts (ABHA), helps reduce out-of-pocket expenses for beneficiaries and improves access to quality healthcare, as per the health ministry.

It says that ABHA, a key component of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), is an account/ number used to link all the health records of a person.

The new study led by a team from Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in New York, US, examined differences in realworld trends in population-level cigarette discontinuation rates from 2013 to 2021 in American adults.

Their findings, published in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research, found that quit rates changed between 2018 and 2021 than earlier years.

During this period, 30.9 per cent of adult smokers who used e-cigarettes quit tobacco

cigarettes. On the other hand, only 20 per cent of smokers who did not use e-cigarettes quit smoking.

In contrast, between 2013 and 2016, smoking rates were statistically indistinguishable between people who used e-cigarettes (15.5 per cent) and those who did not (15.6 per cent).

“Our findings here suggest that the times have changed when it comes to vaping and smoking cessation for adults in the US,” said first author Karin Kasza, Assistant Professor of oncology in the Department of Health Behaviour at Roswell Park.

“While our study doesn’t give the answers as to why vaping is associated with cigarette quitting in the population today when it wasn’t associated with quitting years ago, design changes leading to e-cigarettes that deliver nicotine more effectively should be investigated. This work underscores the importance of using the most recent data to inform public health decisions,” Kasza added.

Cities & forests merge into a dreamscape in Poonam Bhatnagar’s solo exhibition

Subtle yet tantalising, the paintings of Shiva, Saraswati playing the veena, a glimpse of Venice, and yesteryear's actor Madhubala with her bewitching smile -- artist Poonam Bhatnagar's solo exhibition in the national capital will encompass all that and more. Brushed with a delicate mix of colours, Bhatnagar’s 24 paintings under the title ‘Between Dreams’ will be exhibited at the Bikaner House from April 12 to 17.

A trained textile designer, she brings a peculiar style into her work using minute strokes and a delicate palette of colours.

“I call this ‘web cast’ -- inspired by a spider’s web," says Bhatnagar. Preferring to work on large

canvases, the artist feels she has much to say and show.

“That is why most of my works are huge,” she adds.

Preparing for this exhibition for the past two years, her painting of Saraswati is a 6x4 feet canvas showing the goddess playing the veena, while ‘Shiva Shakti’, done on a 4.5x4 feet canvas, has a three-dimensional effect, as the vertical and horizontal geometric lines merge with the squares and waves.

While she has participated in several group shows before, this is her first solo wherein through the series ‘Cityscapes’, she encapsulates her experiences of the sights of London, Venice, Zurich, and Ladakh, among other

places.

In ‘Vriksha’, the artist has merged her web design style with normal brush strokes.

Bhatnagar’s ‘Pensive Portrait’ series includes portraits of yesteryear's actors -- Madhubala, Meena Kumari, Suchitra Sen, and Madhabi Mukherjee, done mostly in black and white.

Talking about the web-like design style, the artist points out, “Initially, the lines used to be thicker but now they have become finer, intricate, and ‘closer’. The style has evolved.”

Bhatnagar says the painting ‘Ladakh’ is “completely covered with webcast”, with the fine lines raised, giving it a threedimensional effect. “You can feel it. Photos do not really do justice to my paintings,” she adds. Talking about the artist’s unique style, curator Uma Nair says, “Not texture, but illusion would be the right word to describe her work. Looking at her paintings in the ‘Mythos’ and ‘Cityscapes’ sections from a distance, the multiple layers create a peculiar visual experience.”

The exhibition presented by Masha Art will be inaugurated by noted filmmaker Muzaffar Ali.

Shrine Empire gallery to present Chris Basumatary’s debut solo exhibition from April 12

exhibition of Chris Basumatary titled ‘I have so much poetry inside me, but it is in the wrong language’ from April 12 to May 11. Basumatary, who grew up next to a rivulet (Chota Rangeet) near Darjeeling in West Bengal, has developed an intimate

relationship with water. For Basumatary, art is a channel to speak about the intricacies of trans-identity through the concepts of water, stone, and flesh.

The exhibition will present a glimpse of the memories, desires, and fears of the artist.

India-adaption of Caryl Churchill’s play to take center stage

The National Centre for the Performing Arts, Mumbai present the first-ever professional production of Love and Information, in collaboration with award-winning director – Mohit Takalkar. Written in 2012 by celebrated British playwright Caryl Churchill, Love & Information is a creative and experimental presentation that delves into the contemporary lives of the present society through an unconventional yet immersive theatrical experience. The play is set to invite the audience to the Experimental Theatre from April 25 - 29. Written as a series of over 50 disparate scenes divided into seven sections, the play is an exercise in reimagining the medium. The disruptive format of the script provides no stage directions, no character attributions and no notes for performance. Additionally, the play follows a non- linear narrative and is devoid of central characters, emphasizing the cumulative impact of diverse, brief scenes ranging from seconds to minutes. The scenes are of varying lengths and the structure allows for the viewer to narrow in on a world oversaturated with information. The vignettes mirror the rapid pace of channel-hopping or scrolling through social media, highlighting potential implications for relationships in an era dominated by instant

gratification and short attention spans.

The play doesn’t limit itself to its technical uniqueness but also promises to challenge the audience by addressing a wide range of subjects covered from mental illness to privacy erosion to memory atrophy that cloud the modern-day lifestyles.

Speaking about the first-ever professional production of Love and Information, Mr. Bruce Guthrie, Head, Theatre and Films, NCPA, expressed, “The NCPA is delighted to welcome Mohit Takalkar to direct Love & Information by Carol Churchill. She is a true trailblazing playwright in every sense of the word and is known as something of a disruptor of English theatre. She rarely, if ever, talks about her work, where the inspiration comes from and why she does what she does. She constantly reinvents her style as a playwright and explores what more theatre can be.

It is a matter of pride and joy to pull off this combination of two extraordinary artistes – writer and director to realise this quite extraordinary play. We hope that the audience will come with a curious mind and an open heart as we continue to create theatre that challenges and inspires.”

The ensemble cast comprises of Ashish Mehta, Dusha Madhav, Kashish Saluja, Lovleen Misra, Mahesh Saini, Mallika Singh

Hanspal, Mrinmayee Godbole, Prajesh Kashyap, Rachel D’souza, Rytasha Rathore, Siddhesh Dhuri, who will be performing around 50 scenes in rotation. Love and Information most definitely promises to be a must-attend theatrical show this summer.

Stop cribbing all the time, filmmaker Sudhir Mishra tells ‘airy’ independent filmmakers

With almost a smooth furious glance, he says that it is high time that independent filmmakers stop cribbing about the fact that their films do not get theatrical releases or accepted by OTT platforms anymore. Stressing that for decades everyone has given preference to big budgets and well-known stars, National Award-winning filmmaker Sudhir Mishra asserts that like life, filmmaking is also about negotiating spaces perpetually

With almost a smooth furious glance, he says that it is high time that independent filmmakers stop cribbing about the fact that their films do not get theatrical releases or accepted by OTT platforms anymore. Stressing that for decades everyone has given preference to big budgets and well-known stars, National Award-winning filmmaker Sudhir Mishra asserts that like life, filmmaking is also about negotiating spaces perpetually. "It costs a lot of money to make films and release them. Anyways, these so-called independent filmmakers are too airy. But the

moment Karan Johar invites them for lunch, everybody will stand in a queue. Boss, it is a practical industry, and learn to live with that fact. Like life, there are no perfect situations or ideals around here.

"A poet also has to feed his children, and he realises that and works towards it. Stop cribbing all the time -- I am so intelligent, such a nice guy, still my films don't get distributed. The world owes you nothing,” laments Mishra.

"These independent guys need to realise that they are against the big boys. It is not easy to fight them. Sure, some crumbs may be thrown once in a while.

After three outings at Cannes, filmmaker Murli Nair had to stop making films. Where is he now?

It is a tough world out there," says

the filmmaker best known for his films like 'Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi', 'Dharavi', 'Chameli', 'Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin' and 'Khoya Khoya Chand.

Making his directorial debut with the film, 'Yeh Woh Manzil To Nahin' in 1987 which won him a National Film Award, Mishra, talking about his cult classic 'Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi', says he did not have to do any research while writing the film as he had grown up in the time when naxalism was at its peak and knew many of them.

"I come from Lucknow and to a large extent my world-view is Ghalib. Naxalism was in the air and I was very influenced by playwright Badal Sircar with whom I visited every area of Bengal where people were influenced by that ideology.

Besides, I come from a Nehruvian family, and we were close to the Congress. I bet I know more about the Congress of that time than any journalist even. I have seen the emergence of fixers, observed machinations up close, and student politics of that era."

Mishra says he is the 'Geeta' (female lead) in the film. "Because I am neither a Naxalite nor a fixer. Like her, I am the centre, and I have touched my feminine side often. Yes, I knew many Geetas.."

All his films have a strong sociopolitical base, something which he says comes naturally to him. "It is extremely important that my cinema is socio-political because that is my being. I do not have to ‘try’ to do that. That is how I think, that is who I am. A person comes before the filmmaker. Education, background,

influences and ideological factors shape him. While making a movie certain aspects of the maker seep in naturally while others make a quiet exit," he says.

Upbeat about several new OTT platforms entering the digital space, he says the more the merrier. "Everything may not be perfect about them. But that holds for everything in life, no?" says the filmmaker who was at the recently concluded CineVesture International Film Festival (CIFF) held in Chandigarh.

Mishra, who is currently working on his next titled 'Summer of 77' which is about the Emergency and mainstream people bubbling with a certain kind of radicalism and confronting the state, asserts, "No one is a fixer or a Naxalite in this movie. It is about a more mainstream rebellion. There are multiple layers to the film," he concludes.

The Shrine Empire Gallery here will present the debut solo

Peaceful retreat in nature

Are you looking forward to the upcoming long weekend during the Holi and Good Friday long weekend? India, with its diverse landscapes and cultural richness, offers several exciting options for delightful getaways. Whether you're looking for a peaceful retreat in nature or an adventure-filled trip, there's something for everyone. Here are some great travel destinations to consider for a memorable holiday in March.

South: Coorg

Nestled in the lush green Western Ghats of Karnataka, Coorg

is a haven for nature lovers, offering breathtaking views and a serene environment. From hiking through dense forests to exploring historical monuments, Coorg offers an array of experiences. It is one of the most popular and easily accessible hill stations in South India.

North: Corbett

With its mystic beauty, scenic landscapes, and interesting history, Corbett is the perfect wild and exotic getaway. Resort Condominium International (RCI) affiliated resorts offer the most beautiful and relaxing stay

without worrying about the scenic surroundings. One can take in the true jungle atmosphere created by the perfect natural surroundings and varied flora and fauna. This is the place to enjoy the pristine beauty and enchanting wilderness of nature.

East: Gangtok

Gangtok is home to several breathtaking viewpoints that offer panoramic views of the city, surrounding hills, and snow-capped mountains of the Kanchenjunga range. These serene locations provide a peaceful retreat and a chance to connect with nature.

West: Goa

It's never a bad decision when it's Goa. A perfect place that leaves you with memories to cherish forever. RCI offers a perfect stay, catering to your room to food desires. Whether you are looking for a relaxing sunbathing spot or want to indulge in water sports the beaches of Goa have something for everyone.

Exploring UNESCO Heritage Sites in Turkiye

Atreasure located in one of the world's most essential geographies, where the history of civilisation was written and shaped, Turkiye is an open-air museum of ancient sites. The country offers a rich wealth of history with 21 World Heritage Sites listed under the UNESCO

Treasure of the Inner Aegean: Aizanoi

Aizanoi, on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List, is a remarkable ancient site in Kütahya, in the Inner Aegean. As the principal settlement centre of the Aizanitis living in ancient Phrygia, Aizanoi became

World Heritage Convention, and 79 on the Tentative List.

Let's look at some of Türkiye’s lesser-known archaeological treasures to inspire your next adventure!

a wealthy and prominent city during the Roman period due to grain cultivation and wine and wool production. Aizanoi is home to the world’s first trade exchange building, the Macellum, and Anatolia’s best-preserved Temple

Discover Shimla’s 19th Century Royal Summer House Boutique Retreat

The Shimla home of HH

Princess Kusum of Bharatpur has an illustrious history that dates back to the late 19th century. A witness to the heydays of the Raj, Independence and the birth of Himachal Pradesh, the home has welcomed nobility and royalty and, it is said that even a Vicereine once dropped by for a chat.

experience home-cooked meals from jealously guarded family recipes. Savour caringly prepared dishes that use only the finest locally sourced ingredients. A delightful and extensive breakfast to start your day, and Jungle House’s signature afternoon tea to welcome you home from your adventures.

of Zeus.

Don't miss: In Kütahya, a part of the Phrygian Valley, there are numerous open-air temples and altars dedicated to the mother goddess Cybele, as well as rockcarved tombs. Visit these fantastic structures while you're in the region.

Kaunos and its rock tombs Kaunos, an important port city of the ancient world, is among Turkiye’s most exciting ruins, with its rock tombs. On the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List, Kaunos lost its port as silt filled the sea over time. Like Stratonikeia, Kaunos is in the Muğla province and accessible via a 10-minute boat ride from Dalyan. The Kaunos rock tombs, which can also be seen from Dalyan, were produced in the fourth century BC and used during the Roman period.

Don't miss: Tour boats can bring you to İztuzu Beach, a true natural wonder where you can observe the Caretta caretta sea turtles. During the incubation and spawning periods of the Caretta carettas, human visitors are prohibited from the beach from evening to morning, as the beaches are reserved exclusively for sea turtles during this critical time.

Kibyra, with water flowing from an Ancient Fountain

Located in Burdur, the geography of ancient civilisations, Kibyra is among the region’s most important ancient cities, along with Sagalassos. Since 2016, the structures in Kibyra, on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List, have been planned symmetrically to offer unobstructed views.

Perched on a sunlit spur at over 7,700 ft on Jakhu Hill, Jungle House commands sweeping views of the Middle Himalayas. Nestled in ancient woods a mere 700 meters from Jakhu Temple, with a motorable approach, and a picturesque three-kilometre walk from The Mall. The 19th-century royal summer house's unique location offers unsurpassed levels of privacy and solitude while ensuring easy access to all areas of tourist interest.

Unsurpassed levels of privacy, luxury and highly personalised service

The estate offers two exquisite suites in a standalone stone cottage that effortlessly combines contemporary style with colonial hill architectural design. The cottage has been meticulously renovated to preserve its original features while providing exceptional levels of modern comforts and luxury.

With teak floors, high ceilings, sumptuous furnishings, elegant spacious bathrooms, thoughtfully selected amenities, original artworks and breathtaking views, each generously proportioned suite – Chelsea and Holly – has been thoughtfully designed to help you unwind and enjoy the finer things in life. Luxuriate in a tub as you watch snowflakes drift by or snuggle up in a king-size bed with a book. Each room has been designed to pamper you while reflecting the home’s unique heritage and a strong sense of place.

Set amidst lovingly-tended gardens, the rooms offer unparalleled privacy and intimacy. Exquisitely manicured lawns, fragrant nooks and a fire pit provide the perfect setting for a brisk game of croquet, a quiet read or a romantic evening under the stars.

Dining at Jungle House

Friendly and informal, dining at Jungle House represents the relaxed elegance of dining at a gracious country house. Feel more at home than in a hotel, and

Aperitivo Hour by the firepit, and as the finalé, indulge yourself in a delectable dinner followed by scrumptious pudding.

Whether you desire Continental favourites like Chicken Kiev, Himachali and Indian cuisine, breakfast staples like Eggs Benedict and fluffy, melt-in-themouth pancakes with homemade jams and preserves or delightful desserts like lemon tarts and chocolate cake, each meal at Jungle House is an experience in itself.

Specially crafted experiences

Uniquely located in the middle Himalayas, the “Queen of Hill Stations” and the former summer capital of the Raj, Shimla is the repository of legends and some of the best-kept secrets of India. There is an experience crafted for every season and mood to create memories and add to your stay at Royal Summer House.

Idyllically nestled in an ancient forest, Jungle House presents itself as the perfect location for celebrating the outdoors, no matter the weather forecast. Shinrin–yoku or forest bathing is all about connecting with nature, and taking time to slow down and appreciate the outdoors. We all know how good being in nature can make us feel. It offers the sanctuary of mindfulness and release.

For those in the mood for something a little more energetic, there’s always a walk through the magnificent Shimla Catchment Sanctuary or hiking through the Himalayan countryside accompanied by an experienced guide. Weather permitting, you could also experience ice skating at an open-air skating rink.

For the spiritually minded, Jakhu Mandir, the ancient temple dedicated to Hanuman sits atop Jakhu Hill, an exhilarating 500m trek up from Jungle House.

According to the Ramayana, Hanuman stopped to rest at the location while searching for Sanjeevni Booti to revive Lakshmana.

Chic code: Decoding the next-gen fusion of AI and fashion fabulosity

In recent years, the fashion industry has undergone a significant transformation, where technology is making waves and stealing the spotlight, with artificial intelligence (AI) at the epicenter of this transformation. This dynamic duo of fashion and AI is not just tweaking design processes and redefining our shopping experiences; it's also prompting some big questions about sustainability and ethics in the fashion industry.

Think about predicting fashion trends, and you have AI. Take IBM's Watson Trend App, for example. This intelligently designed tool analyzes heaps of online data to predict what styles are going to be trendy. So, instead of designers relying solely on gut feelings, they can use AI insights to create collections that match what people are buzzing about. AI's impact on fashion design is nothing short of revolutionary. McKinsey's analysis suggests that within the next three to five years, generative AI has the potential to significantly boost operating profits in the apparel, fashion, and luxury sectors. Conservatively estimated, this could mean an addition of $150 billion, with the possibility of reaching up to $275 billion. Furthermore, AI stepping into design processes has put creativity on autopilot. Whether it's crafting design twists or

playing with patterns and textures, AI is stretching the limits. The upshot? Speedier, more efficient design workflows, enabling fashion houses to stay nimble in keeping up with changing tastes.

Revolutionizing the Shopping Experience

AI is on the verge of revolutionizing industries, already making a significant impact across all sectors. According to Statista, global artificial intelligence in the fashion market amounted to 270 million U.S. dollars in 2018 and is expected to reach 4.4 billion U.S. dollars by 2027.

In the realm of online shopping, AI is revolutionizing personalization. It tailors your shopping journey based on preferences and behaviour, offering recommendations that boost engagement. Moreover, AIdriven virtual try-on experiences bridge the gap between online and in-store shopping, allowing real-time product visualization. But AI goes even beyond personalization; acting as your digital stylist, analyzing past purchases and trends to curate outfits tailored to your taste. Platforms like Heuritech leverage AI to analyze social media images, helping brands like Louis Vuitton and Dior anticipate trends and align production.

AI's Impact on Influencer

Marketing

Influencer marketing has emerged as a cornerstone of marketing strategies for brands across all industries. With the rise of social media, consumers are increasingly turning to influencers for product recommendations and lifestyle inspiration. These digital tastemakers, with their large and engaged followings, have the power to sway consumer behaviour and shape purchasing decisions. In the fashion sector, where trends change rapidly and consumer tastes are diverse, AI is playing a crucial role in optimizing influencer collaborations. By analyzing vast amounts of data, AI identifies the most relevant influencers for brands, based on audience demographics, engagement rates, and content preferences. This targeted approach ensures that brands collaborate with influencers who resonate with their target audience, maximizing the impact of their marketing efforts. Additionally, AI-powered tools help track and measure the effectiveness of influencer campaigns, providing valuable insights for future strategies.

Sustainability and Ethical Considerations

The fashion industry ranks as the second most polluting sector, responsible for 8% of global carbon emissions and 20% of global wastewater, according to MDPI. In response to growing environmental worries, AI is becoming a crucial partner in promoting sustainability within the industry. AI algorithms can optimize supply chains, reduce waste, and aid in the creation of eco-friendly materials. By predicting demand more accurately, fashion brands can minimize overproduction and contribute to a more sustainable industry.

Bloom this summer with corsets

Staying in vogue is essential whether embracing the summer heat or the brisk winter air. One trend that has become a universal favourite is the corset. A corset is an extremely stylish item of clothing that works well

for all seasons. It can be styled in multiple ways in the summer season and you can add a lot of fun to your regular outfits.

Suman Bharti, Founder, of Bunny Corset says, "Adding corsets to your workwear collection can

Red hot style

Summer has come knocking on our doors and its time to swap the earthy tones for bright and hip hues. Everyone's closet should

Sparkle in style

Kiara's stylish, customized ensembles often establish new fashion trends. For the ideal statement, she paired a coat with a simple makeup look and a red mini-sequence cut-out dress.

Old world glamour

give your look a refined and fashionable touch. Picking a short-sleeved corset top in a pastel colour is an easy way to incorporate it into your work attire. You can pair the corset with a long pencil skirt, cigarette pants, or flared trousers. Select a look that won't feel restrictive all day long and make moving around easy."

"Layer your summer outfit with a lace corset to create an edgy look. You can layer the lace corset with a blazer or a printed shirt. For an elegant look, wear a sleek black blazer; alternatively, try wearing bright or pastel colours to give your ensemble a breath of fresh air. For formal and semi-formal settings like evening parties or business meetings, it can be an ideal option," adds Suman.

If its a red carpet or an occasion, Janhvi's body hugging red gown is a head turner.

with a copy pair of sneakers for a day in the mall.

have a timeless classic in red. Red is a colour that never goes out of style—dress, top, or saree. Here's how you can incorporate it into your daily routine.

Add some drama

Pooja Hedge looks stunning and self-assured in a red gown with a high slit that you may wear with ease and grace.

Glamour in style

Kriti's red strapless dress with personalised makes for a great option when it comes to dates or parties.

Style Soiree

A floral red dress and an oversized jacket with a pair of heels is a perfect fashion statement.

Youthful and feminine

Ananya's millennial chic slip dress ticks all the right boxes. Dress it up with a pair of heels or down

Dharma

Maryada

Voters wait in line to cast ballots at a polling station in central Seoul on April 6, 2024, the second and final day of early voting for the parliamentary elections on April 10.

New Delhi : National Security Advisor Ajit Doval with Vivekanand International Foundation Director Arvind Gupta and Charman S Gurumurthy releases a 11-volume book series ‘History of Ancient India’, at the Vivekanand International Foundation in New Delhi on Tuesday, April 09, 2024.

Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan with Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff (HNDGS), Greece General Dimitrios Choupis during a meeting, in New Delhi, Monday, April 8, 2024.

Dhampur: BJP national President JP Nadda during a public meeting ahead of Lok Sabha Elections, in Dhampur,Monday, April 08, 2024.

Lucknow : Players of Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants at the end of the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket match at Ekana Cricket Stadium, in Lucknow, Saturday, March 30, 2024.

Haridwar:Devotees gather to take a holy dip in the river Ganga on the occasion of Somvati Amavasya in Haridwar on Monday April 08,2024.

Nagpur: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath with Union Minister and BJP candidate Nitin Gadkari during a public meeting ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, in Nagpur, Monday, April 8, 2024

Bengaluru: Indian Premier League Cricket Match Between Royal Challengers Bengaluru And Kolkata Knight Riders

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and BJP candidate Ashish Dubey during a road show ahead of Lok Sabha elections, in Jabalpur, Sunday, April 7, 2024.

Moradabad: Devotees wait in queues to offer prayers at a Kali Mata temple on the first day of the ‘Chaitra Navratri’ festival in Moradabad on Tuesday, April 9, 2024

New Delhi: Gathering at the INDIA bloc’s Loktantra Bachao rally at Ramleela Maidan, in New Delhi, Sunday, March 31, 2024.

Chandrapur: Prime Minister Narendra Modi being presented a memento during a public rally ahead of Lok Sabha Elections, in Chandrapur, Monday, April 08, 2024. Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis also seen.

Chennai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a roadshow ahead of the Lok Sabha election, in Chennai on Tuesday, April 9, 2024.

ROSE ROSY TE GULAB

RELEASE DATE: 24 May 2024

LANGUAGE: Punjabi (With English Subtitles)

PRODUCER: Aashu Munish Sahni and Gurnam Bhullar

DIRECTOR: Manvir Brar

CAST: Gurnam Bhullar, Maahi Sharma and Pranjal Dahiya

NI MAIN SASS KUTTNI 2

RELEASE DATE: 7 June 2024

LANGUAGE: Punjabi (With English Subtitles)

PRODUCER: Yoodle Films

DIRECTOR: Mohit Banwait

CAST: Gurpreet Ghuggi, Karamjit Anmol, Nirmal Rishi, Anita Devgn, Tanvi Nagi, Mehtab Virk

SHAYAR

RELEASE DATE: 19 April 2024

LANGUAGE: Punjabi (With English Subtitles)

PRODUCER: Neeru Bajwa Entertainment

DIRECTOR: Uday Pratap Singh

CAST: Neeru Bajwa, Satinder Sartaaj, Yograj Singh

TEHRAN

RELEASE DATE: 26 April 2024

LANGUAGE: Hindi (With English Subtitles)

PRODUCER: Bake My Cake Films, Maddock Films

DIRECTOR: Arun Gopalan

CAST: John Abraham, Manushi Chhillar, Hadi Khanjanpour

Gangu Ramsay of horror film specialists Ramsay Brothers passes on at 83

Veteran cinematographerfilmmaker-producer Gangu Ramsay passed away on Sunday at the age of 83.

The filmmaker-producer, who was the second-eldest son of F.U. Ramsay, departed for his heavenly abode after battling health issues for the past month.

He was admitted to Kokilaben Hospital in Mumbai.

The news of his demise was officially confirmed by his family on Sunday.

Gangu Ramsay's career spanned decades as he worked on over 50 iconic films under the Ramsay Brothers banner, including classics like ‘Veerana’, ‘Purana Mandir’, and ‘Bandh Darwaza’, ‘Do Gaz Zameen Ke Neeche’, ‘Saamri’, ‘Tahkhana’, ‘Purani Haveli’, and ‘Khoj’ with Rishi Kapoor.

He worked with Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan on his debut film ‘Aashik Aawara’, and also collaborated with Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar on the ‘Khiladi’ series like ‘Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi’, ‘Sabse Bada Khiladi’ and ‘Pandav’.

He also worked in the medium of television with the ‘Horror Show’, ‘Naagin’, and ‘Zimbo’. His legacy extends beyond borders, having worked with renowned actors like Vishnu Vardhan in the southern film industry.

A couple of years back, Kumar Ramsay of the Ramsay Brothers died at the age of 85 after suffering a cardiac arrest. He had written the scripts for many films, including ‘Purana Mandir’, ‘Saaya’ featuring Shatrughan Sinha, and ‘Khoj’.

Allu Arjun wields an axe and stares chillingly in new ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’ poster

The stage is set, the release date is locked for the upcoming Allu Arjun-starrer ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’ and with the anticipation building high for the sequel, a new poster from the film was unveiled on Sunday.

The new poster shows Allu Arjun’s titular character of Pushparaj sitting on a chair with an axe in his hand as he stares at the camera in full-swag.

The teaser for the film is set to drop on Monday at 11:07 AM on the occasion of Allu Arjun’s birthday.

Taking to social media, the makers shared the poster. They wrote in the caption: "He has risen above all the odds. And

now, he is coming to RULE . #Pushpa2TheRuleTeaser out tomorrow at 11:07 am.

#PushpaMassJaathara

#HappyBirthdayAlluArjun

#Pushpa2TheRule Grand Release Worldwide on 15th AUG 2024.”

Allu Arjun took to his social media and shared the poster, writing: “#Pushpa2TheRuleTeaser tomorrow at 11:07 AM.”

‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’ is directed by Sukumar and also stars Allu Arjun, Rashmika Mandanna, and Fahadh Faasil. Produced by Mythri Movie Makers and Muttamsetty Media.

‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’ will be released on August 15, 2024.

Elizabeth Hurley reveals a ‘mummy rule’ she follows that isn’t very popular

British actress Elizabeth Hurley shares that she still has a "very annoying mummy rule," which she makes her 22-year-old son Damian stick to even now, and is about television.

The 58-year-old actress shares her son Damian with late former partner Steve Bing.

"I've always had what you say is a very annoying mommy rule in the house. We're never allowed to put the TV on until 6 p.m. That included lockdown! We've always stuck to that. So we try to work all day, but at 6, we'll go into the TV room," Hurley told People magazine.

Akshara Singh flaunts bold ‘womaniya’ look: ‘Hado mein rahoge to lihaaz dekhoge’

Bhojpuri actress Akshara Singh flaunted her bold and powerful 'womaniya' look of the day and said 'hado me rahoge to lihaaz dekhoge, paar kar li to mizaaj dekhoge'.

Akshara was recently seen in the new music video titled 'Defender', alongside Punjabi singer Mankirt Aulakh. The song is sung by Mankirt, Renuka Panwar, and Shevv.

The lyrics of the track are given by Raees, and music is by Shevv. The video is directed by Shera.

The 'Maa Tujhe Salaam' fame actress, who is an ardent social media user, took to Instagram on

‘Not

Despite having the TV rule, the pair have "had some amazing times watching television together,” reports femalefirst. co.uk. The actress said: "We really started over lockdown, and I wanted to show Damian a lot of the films that had been part of my growing up. So '80s and '90s films and '70s too in some cases."

Despite bonding over old shows and movies, Elizabeth and Damian - who has directed his mother in her latest movie 'Strictly Confidential', which he also wrote - love nothing more than doing "work" together.

Damian said: "We don't have a conversation that isn't about work or filming or making a movie in some aspect." Talking about moving out of his London apartment during the pandemic to be with his mother, he added: “I never really left.

Sunday and posted a cool picture of herself, sitting on a bullet bike. She is wearing a black top, paired with a dark brown jacket, and beige-coloured pants.

For the makeup, she opted for pink lips and blushed cheeks. The post has the music of the track 'O Womaniya' by Khusboo Raj and Rekha Jha.

It is captioned in Hindi: "Hado me rahoge to lihaaz dekhoge, paar kar li to mizaaj dekhoge."

Akshara is known for her participation in 'Bigg Boss OTT'. She has also featured in projects like 'Porus', 'Satya', 'Tabadala', and 'Dhadkan'.

joining any party or contesting elections’: Sanjay Dutt puts rumours to rest

Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, who will be seen in the upcoming Kannada film ‘KD - The Devil’, has cleared the air about reports of him joining politics. The actor took to his X handle on Monday to share that as of now, he has no intention of stepping into the arena of politics. He

also requested his followers not to believe in such rumours, saying that if there’s any political development in his career, he will be the first to announce it.

“I would like to put all the rumours about me joining politics to rest. I am not joining any party or contesting elections.

If I do decide to step into the political arena, I will be the first one to announce it.

Please refrain from believing what is being circulated in the news about me as of now," Dutt tweeted.

On the work front, the actor also has a tentpole in the form of ‘Welcome to Jungle’ in the pipeline.

The film features an ensemble cast and is a standalone sequel to ‘Welcome’ and ‘Welcome Back’.

Diljit, Parineeti get into ‘Chamkila’ mood; Sunil taunts Kapil: ‘I’m not who I was 6 yrs ago’

The makers of ‘The Great Indian Kapil Show’, on Monday, shared a new promo of the show, welcoming the cast of the upcoming movie ‘Amar Singh Chamkila’.

The show is hosted by stand-up comedian Kapil Sharma and will air on Netflix on Saturday at 8 a.m.

The video shared on social media, featuring Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra, along with director Imtiaz Ali, begins with Kapil saying: "Give a big round of applause for Diljit, Parineeti and Imtiaz Ali."

Referring to Parineeti's husband and Aam Aadmi Party MP Raghav Chadha, Kapil said: "Raghav

rajneeti karte karte, Parineeti Parineeti kabse karne lag gaye?" (When did Raghav start doing Parineeti, Parineeti?)

The video also featured Diljit singing a song and there is a glimpse of whisper challenge between the guests. In addition to this, Imitiaz is seen saying: "Punjabis usually are in the mood in the evenings.” To which Diljit replied: "Usually people are in the mood in the evenings." Kapil added to it: "Punjabi got offended, and now look at him defending." Sunil Grover is seen entering the stage dressed in a saree and singing. To which Kapil said: "Must be difficult being a girl and singing in a man's voice."

Referring to the fight between him and Kapil six years ago, Sunil replied: "Now I am not the one I was six years ago. Now I know how to retaliate, okay?" Diljit, however, appreciated Sunil's singing, and said: "The tune is definitely a hit."

Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar relishes Ramadan lunch with Salman’s family

the Lok Sabha election season 2024 is underway.

Shelar, Bandra west MLA called on the Khans on Sunday afternoon for a hearty meal as the holy month of Ramadan draws to a close this week, punctuated by scores of VVIPs hosting lateevening iftaar parties in the past four weeks.

“Pleased to meet Salim Khan ji, Helen ji and family over lunch…” gushed Shelar after the luncheon and posted his picture with the famous father-son duo.

He added that over lunch, he discussed their social work in areas of healthcare and assisting the needy, the initiative launched by Salim Khan and pursued for two decades with utmost sincerity. The family runs ‘Being Human – The Salman Khan Foundation’ since 2007, which is engaged in a variety of socialcultural-health initiatives in various schools, NGOs, hospitals, drought relief and other activities.

Salman Khan to star in A.R. Murugadoss’ ‘Sikandar’; release set for Eid 2025

On the occasion of Eid on Thursday, Bollywood

Murugadoss.

The actor also announced the movie's release date, confirming that it will hit theaters on Eid 2025. Taking to Twitter, Salman shared a glimpse, which had “Salman Khan in and as Sikandar”. The film is presented by Sajid Nadiadwala.Salman captioned the announcement: “Iss Eid 'Bade Miyan Chote Miyan' aur 'Maidaan' ko dekho aur agli Eid Sikandar se aa kar milo... Wish you all Eid Mubarak! #SajidNadiadwala Presents #Sikandar Directed by @ARMurugadoss @ NGEMovies @WardaNadiadwala

Raveena on patriarchy: Still a challenge for women, both at work and home

Bollywood actress Raveena Tandon, who is receiving lots of positive response for her work in the streaming movie ‘Patna Shuklla’, feels that despite progressive laws and the improved thought process of society, patriarchy is still very much prevalent in the current times.

The actress also said that women still face the challenges thrown by patriarchy in both their personal and professional circles. Elaborating on the same, Raveena, who plays lawyer Tanvi Shukla in ‘Patna Shuklla’, said, “Patriarchy is something that every woman has faced and is still facing, be it at work or at home.

‘Patna Shuklla’ is a journey of a

woman commanded by patriarchy and one who breaks away from it."

“Tanvi doesn't see patriarchy as a challenge, she chases justice and breaks the glass ceiling of patriarchy along the way. I want the audience to take in Tanvi's courage, warmth, and determination because no challenge will sustain for long then," she added.

The film dives into the education scam of fake roll numbers that affects the lives of thousands of earnest students in India.

Produced by Arbaaz Khan Productions and directed by Vivek Budakoti, the courtroom drama is currently streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.

Kishori Shahane’s favourite Gudi Padwa memory: ‘Mom’s beautiful rangoli designs’

#SikandarEid2025” This is not the first time Salman is working with A.R. Murugadoss.

The two have previously worked together in ‘Jai Ho’, where he was the writer. Murugadoss has worked on films such as 'Kaththi', 'Dheena' and 'Stalin', among many others. His first Bollywood film was the 2008 Aamir Khan-starrer 'Ghajini', a Hindi remake of his Tamil film of the same name. He directed the action thriller 'Thuppaki' starring Vijay.

Actress Kishori Shahane has opened up about the spring festival Gudi Padwa, revealing her favourite memories of the traditions.

Gudi Padwa marks the start of the

new year for Hindus, those of the Marathi and Konkani heritage. It will be celebrated on April 9. Kishori, who essays the role of Babita in 'Kaise Mujhe Tum Mil Gaye' said: "Gudi Padwa holds a special place in my heart, it is a day filled with nostalgia and heartfelt traditions that resonate through generations. From adorning our homes with vibrant Gudis to relishing the rich flavours of traditional delicacies with loved ones, every moment is very special."

"Every year I wait to eat Puran Poli on this day, and I can eat them all day, every day. I feel there is something special about eating the dish on occasion. One of my favourite memories is seeing my mom's beautiful rangoli designs and feeling the warmth of togetherness," she shared. The show airs on Zee TV.

President of Mumbai Bharatiya Janata Party Ashish Shelar visited the home of Bollywood

mega-star Salman Khan in what is being described as a "lunch diplomacy" in political circles, as

superstar Salman Khan has announced his new film 'Sikandar' directed by A.R.

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