hi INDiA | May 5, 2023 | The Community First

US drug regulator approves world’s first RSV vaccine

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) - an illness that kills thousands of Americans each year

Biologics Evaluation and Research at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Biden to dispatch 1,500 troops to Mexico border

The vaccine still needs approval from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention before it can be rolled out to the public. Officials say the vaccine, named Arexvy by the manufacturer GSK, is a major breakthrough that will save many lives.

It could be available to people over 60 within months, officials say.

“Today’s approval of the first RSV vaccine is an important public health achievement to prevent a disease which can be life-threatening,” said Dr Peter Marks, who leads the Center for

Fed raises US interest rates to highest in 16 years

RSV is a respiratory illness that typically results in coldlike symptoms for adults, but can be dangerous for young children, the elderly, and those with underlying health conditions. On average, it kills 100-300 children under the age of 5 in the US every year, according to the CDC. It also kills about 6,000 to 10,000 adults over 65 annually, and causes between 60,000 to 120,000 hospital admissions. In severe cases it can cause bronchiolitis, which includes a build-up of inflammation in the lungs and trouble in breathing. The drug was over 60 years in the making, and is the first to win approval to prevent RSV anywhere in the world. A study by GSK, a UK-based firm, which was published in February found a vaccine efficacy of 82.6%. Side effects were mostly “mild or moderate” and ended within two days. The most common are pain around the injection site or fatigue.

US strike targets Qaida figure in Syria

Anticipating a potential surge in illegal immigration when COVID-19 border restrictions lift later this month, President Joe Biden’s administration will temporarily send 1,500 additional troops to help secure the U.S.Mexico border, the Pentagon said on Tuesday. This deployment of active-duty troops will supplement the work of the US Border Patrol, but they will not carry out law enforcement duties, only groundbased monitoring, data entry, and warehouse support, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed.

US: 100,000 Russians killed in 5 months

The US central bank has raised interest rates to the highest level in 16 years as it battles to stabilise prices. The Federal Reserve increased its key interest rate by 0.25 percentage points - its 10th hike in 14 months. The Fed signalled that Wednesday’s rise may be its last one for now. The moves have pushed its benchmark rate to between 5% and 5.25% - up from near zero in March 2022. Higher rates have sharply raised borrowing costs across the world’s largest economy, spurring a slowdown in sectors such as housing and playing a role in the recent failures of three US banks.

The US carried out a strike on northwest Syria on Wednesday targeting an unnamed al Qaida leader, the Central Command said in a written statement.

“At 11:42am local time on May 3rd, US Central Command forces conducted a unilateral strike in Northwest Syria targeting a senior al Qaida leader,” it said, without giving a name or specifying

whether the leader had been killed. The strike comes just days after Turkey announced that its forces had killed the Islamic State group’s head in the same zone in northwest Syria, where Turkishbacked rebels hold sway.

Residents of the area, which mostly consists of hilly plains dotted with shrubbery and boulders, told Reuters that they heard three loud blasts that sounded like air strikes.

India does not adhere to IPCA protocols, says US report

India is among the 14 countries that do not adhere to any protocols concerning international parental child abduction (IPCA), according to a United States report.

The Department of State’s 2023 annual report on IPCA that was submitted to the US Congress on Tuesday was referring to a pattern of noncompliance.

“India does not adhere to any protocols with respect to international

parental child abduction. In 2022, India continued to demonstrate a pattern of noncompliance. Specifically, the competent authorities in India persistently failed to work with the Department of State to resolve abduction cases,” it said.

“As a result of this failure, 65 per cent of requests for the return of abducted children remained unresolved for more than 12 months,” the report added.

At least 100,000 Russian fighters have been killed or wounded in Ukraine in just the past five months, the White House said on Monday, offering the latest estimate of the vast human toll of President Vladimir V. Putin’s invasion. John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said the figure included 20,000 Russian fighters who had been killed in action. About half of those were mercenaries for the Wagner group, the paramilitary force founded by Yevgeny V. Prigozhin that recruited heavily from Russian prisons to bolster its ranks and carry out a brutal campaign around the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. The claims could not be independently verified. In November, General Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reported that 100,000 fighters on each side had been killed or wounded since the war began in February 2022. US officials believe the losses have grown for Russia as it has sent waves of poorly trained recruits and convicts to the front lines in Ukraine’s east, where months of fighting have engulfed the area around Bakhmut.

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Covid: China tourism rebounds above pre-pandemic levels

That was almost 20% higher than in 2019, before the outbreak of Covid-19 triggered lockdowns across the country. Official figures also show that tourists spent $21bn (£16.7bn) during the period, more than twice the amount seen the same time last year.

“This can be seen as a turning point of China’s tourism sector. The market performance has truly returned to its 2019 level,” Dai Bin, president of the China Tourism Academy told the official state news agency Xinhua.

The May Day break, which ended on Wednesday, is one of China’s most important national holidays.

Travel and spending during the period was closely watched for indicators of the strength, or otherwise, of the post-pandemic recovery of the world’s second largest economy.

Pakistan FM heads to India for SCO meeting in Goa

China’s domestic tourism rebounded above pre-pandemic levels during the five-day May Day break.

Tourists made 274m trips within the country during the holiday period, China’s Ministry of Tourism says.

Former Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro’s house raided

Officials are looking for signs that people have started spending again after the country’s tight Covid restrictions were lifted. Outside of China, the country’s tourists could help support the recovery of the global travel industry.

Elon Musk threatened to reassign Twitter account, says US Public Radio

Musk, in an email to an NPR reporter, asks about its engagement with Twitter, public broadcaster says

“So is NPR going to start posting on Twitter again, or should we reassign @ NPR to another company?” NPR quoted Musk as saying.

Pakistan’s foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari left for India on Thursday to attend a key multilateral meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation scheduled to take place in Goa on May 4 and 5, according to a media report. Bhutto Zardari, who would be the first foreign minister to visit India since 2011, is leading the Pakistan delegation to the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of the Beijingbased Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

Russia: Kyiv bid to kill Putin foiled

Brazilian police on Wednesday raided former President Jair Bolsonaro’s home and arrested two personal aides as part of an investigation into falsified COVID-19 vaccination records, two sources familiar with the matter said. The investigation may answer questions about how Bolsonaro, a strident coronavirus skeptic who vowed never to get the COVID vaccine, was registered as vaccinated in health records made public in February. The vaccine probe is one of many putting the former farright leader under pressure, including investigations into alleged voter suppression, attacks on the legitimacy of Brazilian elections.

Twitter chief Elon Musk has “threatened” to reassign National Public Radio’s Twitter account to another company, the U.S.-based broadcaster said on Tuesday. Musk suggested that he would reassign the network’s main account, under the @NPR handle, to another organization or person, NPR said.

NPR stopped posting content to its 52 official Twitter feeds last month in protest against a Twitter designation that implied government involvement in its editorial content.

Musk, in an email to an NPR reporter, asked about its engagement with Twitter, the public broadcaster said.

“Our policy is to recycle handles that are definitively dormant,” he said in another email. “Same policy applies to all accounts. No special treatment for NPR.”

NPR and Twitter did not immediately respond to a request from Reuters for comment. According to Twitter’s policy, users should log in to their account at least once every 30 days to avoid permanent removal due to prolonged inactivity. PBS and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation followed NPR and stopped posting on Twitter following similar labeling. Twitter later dropped the labels but the outlets that were targeted have not resumed activity, their profiles showed on Tuesday.

Russia accused Ukraine on Wednesday of a failed attempt to assassinate President Vladimir Putin in a drone attack on the Kremlin citadel in Moscow, and threatened to retaliate. Kyiv denied any role in the reported incident, with a senior aide to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy calling it a sign the Kremlin was planning a major new attack on Ukraine. Shortly after the Kremlin announcement, Ukraine reported alerts for air strikes over Kyiv and other cities.

What are the seven essential things to know about King Charles III’s upcoming coronation ceremony?

• The coronation ceremony will take place on May 6, which marks several royal family milestones, including the birthday of Charles’ grandchild Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, the eldest son of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who was born in 2019.

• The coronation will take place at Westminster Abbey, which has been the traditional location for British coronations since 1066.

• Charles will wear St. Edward’s Crown, the oldest of the British royal crowns and the centerpiece of the so-called Crown Jewels.

• Camilla, currently Queen Consort, will become Queen Camilla, and will be wearing the crown made for the 1911 coronation ceremony of Queen Mary, consort of King George V.

• A series of collectible gifts are available for fans of the royal family to commemorate the coronation of King Charles III.

• The “Coronation Big Lunch” is also to take place on coronation weekend, where communities, clubs, friends, families, and neighbors are invited to meet for self-organized “Big Lunches” to celebrate the coronation of their king.

• King Charles III and Queen Camilla have provided their recipe suggestions for the “Big Lunches,” and the “Coronation Quiche” was selected as a convenient dish that is inexpensive to make and can be served both cold and hot.

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FIR filed against three agents for illegal immigration racket in Gujarat

More than a month after four members of a family from Gujarat’s Mehsana district died while trying to cross into the US from Canada, the Mehsana police have lodged an FIR against three agents allegedly involved in the illegal immigration racket, an official said on Thursday. As per the FIR, the three agents allegedly took Rs 60 lakh from the kin of the deceased here and compelled the four victims to take a boat ride to cross the St Lawrence river on the US-Canada border amid turbulent weather, which ended in a tragedy as the boat eventually capsized, Mehsana’s Vasai police station inspector J S Rabari said. The deceased - Pravinbhai Chaudhary (50), his wife Daksha (45), their son Meet (20) and daughter Vidhi (24) - were natives of Manekpura-Dabhal village in Vijapur taluka of Mehsana where Chaudhary used to do farming, as per the FIR.

UP Gangster Anil Dujana Killed In Encounter

SC closes proceedings on women wrestlers’ plea against WFI chief

It granted liberty to the petitioner to move the high court or the jurisdictional magistrate for further relief

and seven complainants have been provided adequate security. A bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud refused to entertain an oral plea by the counsel representing the wrestlers that the ongoing probe be monitored by a retired or a serving high court judge. “You came here with specific prayers for registration of FIR and security for the complainants. Now both of your prayers have been addressed. If you have any further grievances, you can very well approach the high court or the jurisdictional magistrate,” the bench, also comprising Justices P S Narasimha and J B Pardiwala, said, adding that it is closing the proceedings for now. It granted liberty to the petitioner to move the high court or the jurisdictional magistrate for further relief. At the outset, the bench was informed by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who was representing the Delhi Police, that as per the apex court’s April 28 order, assessment of threat perception to the complainants was carried out by the police.

Army deployed in violence-hit Manipur, 9,000 people shifted to safer places

Final decision in 1-2 days’: Sharad Pawar

Several coloumns of the Army and Assam Rifles had to be hurridely deployed overnight to contain largescale rioting that broke out across Manipur between tribals and the majority Meitei community, displacing

over 9,000 people. Clashes broke out on Wednesday which intensified overnight with counter-attacks being mounted by rival communities in retaliation to earlier attacks, after Naga and Kuki tribals organised a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’. So far, 9,000 people were rescued by the forces from the violence-hit areas, and given shelter, a defence spokesperson said on Thursday, adding that more people are being shifted to safer places. The spokesperson said that some 5,000 people have been shifted to safe homes in Churachandpur, another 2,000 people were shifted in Imphal valley, and 2,000 people in the border town of Moreh in Tenugopal district.

Russia accuses US of plotting drone attack on Kremlin to kill Putin

Meerut: The Uttar Pradesh police’s special task force has shot dead another gangster in an encounter.

Anil Dujana, who was known to terrorise people in Noida, Ghaziabad and other areas in Delhi-National Capital Region, was killed in the encounter with the UP Police’s special task force (STF) in Meerut. He faced over 60 criminal cases.

Dujana was released from jail just a week ago after getting bail in a murder case. Immediately after that, he started threatening one of the key witnesses in the murder case filed against him, sources said.

Dujana had decided to kill the witness, they said.

Russia accused the United States on Thursday of being behind what it says was a drone attack on the Kremlin intended to kill President Vladimir Putin.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made the allegation in a briefing to reporters, saying Washington should be aware that Russia knew it was selecting the targets and Ukraine was merely implementing U.S. plans. He did not provide any evidence to support the claim of U.S. involvement.

Ukraine has denied involvement in the incident in the early hours of Wednesday when video footage showed two flying objects approaching the Kremlin and one exploding with a bright flash.

“Attempts to disown this, both in Kyiv and in Washington, are, of course, absolutely ridiculous. We know very well that decisions about such actions, about such terrorist attacks, are made not in Kyiv but in Washington,” Peskov said.

Mumbai, May 4 (IANS) Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar - who decided to step down from his post on May 2 - on Thursday said that he will take his final decision in “one or two” days. Coming down specially to meet the protesting NCP activists outside the Y.B. Chavan Memorial Auditorium, he said that he has the highest regards for the sentiments of his party workers.

Farmers coming to Jantar Mantar stopped at Singhu border

A group of farmers coming to Delhi to express solidarity with wrestlers protesting at Jantar Mantar was stopped by the Delhi at the Singhu border, with officials saying 24 of them have been detained. The farmers were headed to the protest site in the national capital to join the agitating wrestlers who alleged last night that they were manhandled by Delhi Police personnel at Jantar Mantar, and appealed to people to arrive there for support.

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The Supreme Court on Thursday closed the proceedings on a plea by three women wrestlers, who have levelled sexual harassment allegations against the Wrestling Federation of India chief, after noting that FIRs have been registered

Distracted driver kills Sikh couple on way to pick up kids in US

Indian-origin Ajay Banga confirmed as next World Bank president

the toughest development challenges facing developing countries,” the bank statement added.

Goldy Brar in Canada list

New York: (IANS) A Sikh couple on their way to pick up their kids from a school bus stop died on the spot after being hit by a distracted driver in Kent, a suburb of Washington city, authorities said. Parminder Singh Bajwa and wife Harpreet Kaur died on the scene last week when their car was hit head-on by a distracted driver apparently reaching for his cell phone, the Washington State Patrol said.

The distracted driver, who had suddenly crossed into oncoming traffic, was airlifted to hospital with life-threatening injuries.

The funeral service of the couple is scheduled for Friday in Kent, and all the expenses will be taken care of by the Sikh Riders Motorcycle Group of Washington. “Those who knew Parminder remember him as a good man, always cheerful and loving towards others. Our hearts break for their young children, who now face a future without their loving parents,” the group said on a fundraiser page. The group will be setting up a trust fund to ensure that the children -- aged five and eight -- have “access to the resources they need to thrive, including educational opportunities that will help them achieve their dreams and build a better future for themselves”.

Indian Uber driver attacked in Canada, suspect arrested

Ajay Banga was on Wednesday appointed as the next President of the World Bank, becoming the first-ever IndianAmerican to head the global financial institution which said it looks forward to working with him at a time when it’s tackling the toughest development challenges facing developing countries.

“The Executive Directors of the World Bank today selected Ajay Banga as President of the World Bank for a fiveyear term beginning June 2, 2023,” the bank said in a press statement.

In February, President Joe Biden announced that the US would be nominating Banga, 63, to lead the World Bank because he is “well equipped” to lead the global institution at “this critical moment in history.” The Board looks forward to working with Mr. Banga on the World Bank Group Evolution process, as discussed at the April 2023 Spring Meetings, and on all the World Bank Group’s ambitions and efforts aimed at tackling

Banga, who was awarded the Padma Shri in 2016, most recently served as Vice Chairman at General Atlantic. Previously, he was President and CEO of Mastercard, a global organisation with nearly 24,000 employees.

He is the first-ever Indian-American and Sikh-American to head either of the two top international financial institutions: the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. The World Bank Executive Directors followed the selection process agreed by shareholders in 2011. The process included an open, merit-based, and transparent nomination where any national of the Bank’s membership could be proposed by any Executive Director or Governor through an Executive Director, the statement said. This was then followed by thorough due diligence and a comprehensive interview of Banga by the Executive Directors, it added.

The President of the World Bank Group is also the Chair of the Board of the Executive Directors of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The President is also ex officio chair of the Board of Directors of the International Development Association, International Finance Corporation, the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, and of the Administrative Council of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes.

Indo-Canadian Sikh’s book among most banned in US schools

A Canadian-Sikh poet, whose Twitter account was withheld in India last month over the Khalistan issue, now has her debut work among the 11 most banned books in the US classrooms for the first half of the 202223 school year

The Canadian government on Tuesday named Satinder Singh Brar, nicknamed Goldy Brar, the alleged mastermind in the killing of famous singer-politician Sidhu Moosewala, among the country’s top 25 wanted criminals.

The Punjab-origin affiliate of Lawrence Bishnoi’s gang is wanted by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police after India obtained an Interpol Red Notice for Brar in June 2022, the Canadian High Commission in New Delhi said in a statement.

Ukraine sorry for Goddess Kali tweet

Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzhaparova, who recently visited India, on Tuesday expressed “regrets” over the depiction of Goddess Kali in a “distorted manner” by the defence ministry and apologised for the act, saying her country and its people respect “unique Indian culture”. Dzhaparova visited India on April 9, the first official visit from the eastern European country since the Russian invasion began in February last year.

Sudan: India temporarily relocates embassy

Toronto: (IANS) Police have arrested a suspect after an Indian driver was verbally abused and attacked for taking a wrong turn in Canada, sparking renewed calls for protection of gig and app-based workers in the country. Aman Sood, who came to Canada in 2019, was injured and extremely shaken due to the suspect’s violent actions, the Abbotsford Police said. On April 18 at 6:47 a.m. (local time), patrol officers responded to an assault on an Uber driver on McCallum Road, the police said, adding that the suspect fled the scene on foot prior to their arrival. The assault captured on a dashcam video shows the passenger verbally abusing Sood after he took a wrong turn. According to Daily Hive, Sood offered to switch routes, but the passenger said it was too late and that he didn’t want to talk to a “f****** Uber driver.”

Kaur

Toronto: (IANS) A Canadian-Sikh poet, whose Twitter account was withheld in India last month over the Khalistan issue, now has her debut work among the 11 most banned books in the US classrooms for the first half of the 202223 school year.

Rupi Kaur’s ‘Milk and Honey’, which released in 2014, was banned for exploring issues of sexual assault and violence, according to data provided by non-profit PEN America.

The book, banned in multiple districts in Missouri this year, tied in ninth place

with Toni Morrison’s ‘The Bluest Eye’, according to the report. Both books were reportedly banned in 10 districts in the first half of this school year alone.

“It deeply concerns me that there is a group of people hell bent on taking away literature that students find refuge in,” Punjab-born Kaur wrote in an Instagram post last week. Apart from violene, the rest of the titles in the list discussed race and racism, LGBTQ+ characters, grief or death, student health and well-being, and teen pregnancy, abortion or sexual assault.

“Parents want to ban books to protect their kids but teachers and librarians say that students are old enough to be aware of the topics discussed in these books. Many actually seek these books out because they’re going through those experiences themselves,” she wrote.

India has decided to temporarily relocate its embassy from the violencehit Sudanese capital city of Khartoum to Port Sudan in view of the prevailing security situation in the African country.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said this on Tuesday.

“In view of the prevailing security situation in Sudan, including attacks in Khartoum city, it has been decided that the Indian Embassy in Khartoum will be temporarily relocated to Port Sudan,” it said.

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Rupi

Ajay Banga

PM Modi Meets Padma Shri Awardees Tulsi Gowda, Sukri Bommagowda In Karnataka

Uttara Kannada: On a fresh visit to poll-bound Karnataka, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today met Padma Shri recipients Tulsi Gowda and Sukri Bommagowda in Ankola.

PM Modi met the Padma recipients before a public meeting at Ankola in Uttara Kannada district and sought their blessings.

Tulsi Gowda, an environmentalist, was conferred with the Padma Shri award in 2021. Gowda, who is from Honnali village in Karnataka, had planted more than 30,000 saplings and takes care of the nurseries of the forest department. She belongs to Halakki Tribal in Karnataka and is also known as the Encyclopedia of Forest due to her vast knowledge of diverse species of plants and herbs.

Sukri Bommagowda, popularly called the nightingale of the Halakki Vokkaliga tribes, won the Padma Shri, the thirdhighest civilian honour in the country,

Man murdered in broad daylight near Telangana High Court

Hyderabad: (IANS) A man was murdered in broad daylight near Telangana High Court here on Thursday. An unidentified man attacked the victim with a knife near Gate Number 6 of the High Court building. The assailant stabbed the victim on the road, sending panic among passersby. The deceased, said to be a worker in the Sulabh complex, died on the spot. The assailant escaped after committing the crime. Alerted by the locals, police rushed in and shifted the body for autopsy. Police registered a case and took up investigation. A dispute over payment of Rs 10,000 between the accused and the victim is suspected to have led to the murder.

Cyclone likely in Bay of Bengal around May 9: IMD

A summer cyclone is likely to take place in the Bay of Bengal around May 9 though details of its path and intensification was not assessed as yet, the IMD said on Wednesday.

PM Modi met the Padma recipients before a public meeting at Ankola in Uttara Kannada district and sought their blessings.

Earlier, on Tuesday, Prime Minister Modi

held a mega roadshow in Kalaburagi. During the roadshow, people queued up on both sides of the road through which Prime Minister Modi’s cavalcade passed and cheered him on. They also showered petals on him. Riding on the top of a truck, PM Modi was seen waving at people lining both sides of the street. for folk singing in 2017.

Protesters who fought Coca-Cola, now up in arms against Vijayan govt

IMD Director General Mrutunjay Mohapatra said the guidance of numerical models indicate formation of a cyclonic storm around May 9, but its movement and intensification may be determined after the low pressure area forms on May 7. However, there is no forecast so far regarding landfall over the country’s coast. But fishermen are advised against venturing into the sea from May 7, he said.

Thiruvananthapuram, : (IANS)

The Plachimada Struggle Solidarity Committee which ensured closure of the Coca-Cola factory in Kerala’s Palakkad district in 2004, is now demanding that the multi-American beverages giant and the Pinarayi Vijayan government grant them compensation to the tune of Rs 216 crore that was assessed.

According to the committee, the Chief

Minister and local Minister from Palakkad district, K. Krishnankutty are now hand in glove with the multinational and are trying to help them exit by taking over around 34 acres of land which houses about 35,000 sq ft building. The company will hand over the building to the cash-strapped Kerala government for free, it alleged. Vijayan government, it says, is now planning to convert this place into a unit for the good of the local farming committee by setting up the basic facilities, which the local’s state is of no good to them. Despite their best efforts to get the compensation, nothing has materialised and they have decided to stage a protest before the office of the local Minister Krishnankutty on May 23

‘The Kerala Story’ Controversy Explained

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New Delhi: ‘The Kerala Story’, which puts spotlight on forced conversion & radicalisation of women in the state, has sparked a row. Amid protests, petitions challenging the film’s release reached Supreme Court. The court has refused to intervene in the matter.

Directed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, ‘The Kerala Story’ stars Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Sonia Balani and Siddhi Idnani, and is set to release on May 5.

The film centres around forced religious conversion and reportedly claims that approximately 32,000 women in Kerala were converted to Islam and many were taken to ISIS-ruled Syria when the terror group was at the peak of its power. Following the release of the film’s trailer, a petition was filed at the Supreme Court seeking a stay on its release on grounds of “worst kind of hate speech”

and “audio-visual propaganda”. The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to entertain the request, with the bench saying, “There are varieties of hate speeches. This film has got certification and has been cleared by the board.”

“It’s not like a person getting on the podium and starts giving uncontrolled speech. If you want to challenge the release of the movie, you should challenge the certification and through appropriate forum,” the bench added.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan slammed the makers of the film, terming it as “propaganda” by “the Sangh parivar”. Following criticism, the film’s teaser on YouTube which initially read as “heartbreaking and gut-wrenching stories of 32,000 females in Kerala...” was toned down to “true stories of three young girls from Kerala.”

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor accused the film’s makers of indulging in “gross exaggeration” and “distortion” of the state’s reality. Mr Tharoor on Monday put out a tweet offering ₹ 1 crore to anyone who can prove that 32,000 women in Kerala were allegedly forced to convert to Islam.

Director of the film Sudipto Sen and producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah insist that ‘The Kerala Story’ is based on true events. “If we look at the issue, the number of 32,000 is what we have stated and we are staying by it,” Mr Shah said as quoted by news agency PTI.

Kalaburagi: (IANS) Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said on Wednesday that if the people of Karnataka do not vote for the party, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanaths bulldozer will come to haunt the southern state as well. Addressing a huge public rally in Aland in Kalaburagi district, Kharge stated that these days the UP CM is coming to Karnataka frequently. Giving the appearance of a saint, wearing saintly clothes, instead of showing the good path of humanity he instigates clashes between the people. CM Yogi says jo hamare baat nahi manenge, use bulldozer lagake nikal denge. Is desh mein nahin rah sakte. (whoever doesn’t listen to us, we will get rid of them through the bulldozer, they can’t live in this country), said Kharge. “I think those who are foreigners should be asked to leave the country, not us who are the natives of this country. So I want to tell you, if you won’t give the vote to the Congress party then Yogi’s bulldozer will come here also,” Kharge stated.

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If you won’t vote for Cong, Yogi’s bulldozer will come to haunt K’taka: Kharge

AI ‘godfather’ Geoffrey Hinton warns of dangers as he quits Google

A man widely seen as the godfather of artificial intelligence (AI) has quit his job, warning about the growing dangers from developments in the field.

Geoffrey Hinton, 75, announced his resignation from Google in a statement to the New York Times, saying he now regretted his work. He told the BBC some of the dangers

‘Responsible approach’

has paved the way for current AI systems like ChatGPT. In artificial intelligence, neural networks are systems that are similar to the human brain in the way they learn and process information. They enable AIs to learn from experience, as a person would. This is called deep learning. The British-Canadian cognitive psychologist and computer scientist told the BBC the chatbot could soon overtake the level of information that a human brain holds.

“Right now, what we’re seeing is things like GPT-4 eclipses a person in the amount of general knowledge

Dr Hinton stressed that he did not want to criticise Google and that the tech giant had been “very responsible”. “I actually want to say some good things about Google. And they’re more credible if I don’t work for Google.” In a statement, Google’s chief scientist Jeff Dean said: “We remain committed to a responsible approach to AI. We’re continually learning to understand emerging risks while also innovating boldly.”

of AI chatbots were “quite scary”. “Right now, they’re not more intelligent than us, as far as I can tell. But I think they soon may be.”

Dr Hinton also accepted that his age had played into his decision to leave the tech giant, telling the BBC: “I’m 75, so it’s time to retire.”

Dr Hinton’s pioneering research on neural networks and deep learning

it has and it eclipses them by a long way. In terms of reasoning, it’s not as good, but it does already do simple reasoning,” he said.

“And given the rate of progress, we expect things to get better quite fast. So we need to worry about that.”

In the New York Times article, Dr Hinton referred to “bad actors” who would try to use AI for “bad things”. When asked by the BBC to elaborate

on this, he replied: “This is just a kind of worst-case scenario, kind of a nightmare scenario.

“You can imagine, for example, some bad actor like [Russian President Vladimir] Putin decided to give robots the ability to create their own subgoals.” The scientist warned that this eventually might “create sub-goals like ‘I need to get more power’”. He added: “I’ve come to the conclusion that the kind of intelligence we’re developing is very different from the intelligence we have.

“We’re biological systems and these are digital systems. And the big difference is that with digital systems, you have many copies of the same set of weights, the same model of the world. “And all these copies can learn separately but share their knowledge instantly. So it’s as if you had 10,000 people and whenever one person learnt something, everybody automatically knew it. And that’s how these chatbots can know so much more than any one person.”

Matt Clifford, the chairman of the UK’s Advanced Research and Invention Agency, speaking in a personal capacity, told the BBC that Dr Hinton’s announcement “underlines the rate at which AI capabilities are accelerating”.

“There’s an enormous upside from this technology, but it’s essential that the world invests heavily and urgently in AI safety and control,” he said.

AI Expertise in High Demand as Businesses Adapt to Challenges

Fiverr’s seventh Business Trends Index reveals a rising demand for AI expertise as businesses struggle to find and keep tech talent. The report shows an 835% increase in ‘Accounting and Finance’ services on Fiverr’s platform in the past six months, highlighting the demand for AI and machine learning technologies to optimize business operations. AI art searches in the UK have also risen by 6,223% in the same period, indicating growing interest in AI for creative industries.

Despite the pandemic’s economic challenges, Fiverr’s data shows a significant increase in Business Naming services (+51%) and Website Development (+92%) over the past six months, suggesting UK businesses are adapting and staying confident. The growing demand for AI services demonstrates the benefits these technologies can provide, such as automating tasks and improving decision-making processes.

To address the skills gap, organizations should invest in creating a skilled workforce, while employees should prioritize learning and development to become valuable assets. Embracing AI and emerging technologies will likely position businesses for success in the future.

‘Racist’ Der Spiegel cartoon on India’s population raises hackles: ‘Elite, colonial mindset’

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A cartoon published in the German newspaper Der Spiegel about India overtaking China as the world’s most populous country has angered Indians who have dubbed it “racist”. Earlier this month, the UN had estimated that India will overtake China to become the world’s most populous country by the middle of the year.

On Monday, the multilateral agency said India’s population will eclipse an ageing China by the end of this month.

Der Spiegel’s cartoon depicts an overcrowded Indian Railways train with passengers hanging on from the sides and atop it, overtaking a sleek Chinese train running on a parallel track. Trains across India are usually overcrowded as they are a cheap mode of transport available for millions who wish to transit throughout the country. Many Indians criticised the outlet and claimed it reeked of racism and was a “crass” attempt at “peddling old stereotypes” about the country.

“Notwithstanding your attempt at mocking India, it’s not smart to bet against India under PM [Narendra Modi]. In a few years, India’s economy

will be bigger than Germany’s,” tweeted federal minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar.

Kanchan Gupta, a senior adviser with the Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, lashed out at the German outlet and claimed the purpose [of the cartoon] was to show

Tata Steel UK’s future hinges on aid

“India down and suck up to China”.

“[Germany] this is outrageously racist. [Der Spiegel] caricaturing India in this manner has no resemblance to reality,” he tweeted. He added that “this is as bad if not worse than the racist cartoon in [New York Times] lampooning India’s

Several Indians criticise ‘Der Spiegel’ for publishing cartoon ‘peddling old stereotypes’

successful Mars mission”.

The reference was to a 2014 cartoon that The New York Times published after India launched its Mars Mission. Indians claimed the cartoon mocked India. The paper had later issued an apology after reader complaints.

“A [cartoon] by German magazine [Der Spiegel] about [India’s] population overtaking [China’s] with typical elite, superior & colonial mindset depicting India as back-ward & less-evolved nation, is highly condemnable. West is jealous of India’s growth & prosperity,” wrote one observer. “In German, the name of the influential magazine Der Spiegel means The Mirror. But going by this derogatory, racist cartoon, it should change its name to Rassistischer Troll [racist troll],” tweeted Baijayant Jay Panda, national vice president of the ruling, Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.

PIL opposes Adani group probe extension

Tata Steel may consider closing down a significant part of the UK operations if it fails to secure adequate funding from the British government in the next 12-24 months.

The company said the upstream units — the primary steel making operations — will reach the end of life and it may not be viable to operate them safely. The chronically struggling part of Tata Steel’s European business does not generate enough cash flow to make fresh investment in the end-of-life assets or transition to green steel operation, it added.

“The downstream assets are fine, it is the upstream assets which are reaching end of life in the next 12-24 months. Whenever we feel it is unsafe to run the operations, in discussion with other stakeholders, we have to take the call assuming nothing comes out of the discussions with the British government,” T.V. Narendran, managing director & CEO of Tata Steel, told a group of financial analysts on Wednesday. The company has been in discussions with the British government for the last few years. The Rishi Sunak administration reportedly offered £300 million aid which Tata Steel found to be inadequate. The impact of the potential end-of-life closure of the upstream UK operations will, however, not rock the boat for Tata Steel India, the parent company which had acquired the business as part of Corus buyout in 2007.

One of the PIL petitioners has moved the Supreme Court opposing Sebi’s plea seeking a six-month extension to complete the probe into allegations of stock price manipulation by the Adani group and lapses in regulatory disclosure, saying the market regulator has already got sufficient time to inspect, examine, collect and seize relevant documents. The Sebi recently moved an application in the top court seeking six more months for ascertaining possible violations related to misrepresentation of financials, circumvention of regulations and/or fraudulent nature of transactions, and completing the exercise.

The top court had on March 2 asked Sebi to probe the matter within two months and also set up a panel to look into the protection of Indian investors after a damning report by a US short seller wiped out more than $140 billion of the conglomerate’s market value.

PIL petitioner and lawyer Vishal Tiwari Tuesday filed an application before a bench headed by Chief Justice D.Y.

Chandrachud opposing the Sebi’s plea, saying it will prolong the probe and cause inordinate delay.

“That the application filed by the respondent (Sebi) may prolong the matter and cause inordinate delay. The ...delay may allow the various corporate entities which are under the umbrella of investigation to manipulate the important data and figures and may cause tampering of evidence present in different shapes and modes,” Tiwari said in his reply. Edible oil major Adani Wilmar on Wednesday reported a 60 per cent decline in consolidated net profit at Rs 93.61 crore in the fourth quarter against Rs 234.29 crore a year ago. Total income. Total income fell to Rs 13,945.02 crore from Rs 14,979.83 crore.

Icahn attack: Carl Icahn, the wellknown corporate raider, saw his net worth crashing by $10 billion after Hindenburg Research accused him of a ``ponzi-like’’ structure at his company using money taken in from new investors to pay out dividends to old investors.

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Cartoon in German ‘Der Spiegel’ riles up Indians who dub it ‘racist’

Alia Bhatt’s dreamy white gown at MET Gala debut

Actress Alia Bhatt made her MET Gala debut on Tuesday (IST) in a dreamy white gown designed by Nepalese-American fashion designer Prabal Gurung. The exhibit event, themed ‘Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty’ to celebrate the legacy of the iconic Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld, was held in New York.

Adnan Sami announces UK tour

Saiee Manjrekar gained cultural immersion by working

across various industries

Actress Saiee Manjrekar is a busy bee. The actress, who has teamed up with Telugu star Ram Pothineni for her next film, has two films lined up for the release, ‘Kuch Khattaa Ho Jaay’ in which she will share the screen with Punjabi music star Guru Randhawa, and ‘Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha’ which is helmed by Neeraj Pandey of ‘Special 26’ fame. Talking about what appealed to her about ‘Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha’, the actress told IANS: “The world of ‘Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha’ is something which is completely different to what I have seen in a while, both in the real world and on screen. It’s so beautifully showcased in the movie. What appealed the most to the actor in me about the project was the fact that Neeraj Pandey sir was at the helm of affairs. It has been quite an enriching experience while working on this film.” Saiee, who is the daughter of veteran actor-director Mahesh Manjrekar, has worked across different film industries in India. She made her debut as a child artiste with the Marathi film ‘Kaksparsh’, worked with Bollywood superstar Salman Khan in the multilingual film ‘Dabangg 3’ and her 2022 film ‘Major’ was a trilingual release starring Telugu actor Adivi Sesh.

Talking about how working in different industries shapes the actor in her, she shared with IANS: “Working in different film industries across India has been very culturally immersive both as a person

Sara Ali Khan shares BTS

pics from ‘Murder Mubarak’, ‘Ae Watan Mere Watan’

and as an artiste. To explore so many cultures and to work in them expands your horizons as an artiste and you can use small nuances of one culture in the other.” She also shared that she is in a happy place being a busy actor and dabbling in many projects. “I’m so happy to do this much work in my life and career. I hope this continues and I get more busy and meatier roles. A lot of hard work and effort went into making a film from actors to every single person. I hope it all pays off and the audience loves and relates more to the work that I do,” she signed off. Saiee was last seen in the biographical actiondrama film ‘Major’ along with Adivi Shesh, directed by Shashi Kiran Tikka. She also has ‘Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha’ and ‘Kuch Khattaa Ho Jaay’ in the pipeline.

Aryan Khan to make directorial debut with web series titled ‘Stardom’

Ever since the audience got to hear about Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan stepping into writing and direction, everyone is eagerly looking forward to hearing more about the same. Bringing you a fresh update, Aryan Khan’s directorial will be titled ‘Stardom’ and is going to be a 6 episodic series.

Adnan Sami, the renowned musician, composer, and singer, is all set to embark on a ‘Big Arena’ UK tour, starting on the August 11, 2023 in Leeds, followed by a performance in his hometown of London on the August 12 and concluding in Birmingham on the August 13. All his past tours in the UK have been sell outs with record crowds including a ‘Limca World Record’ for being the first Asian Artist to sell out at Wembley Arena two nights in a row for three consecutive tours!

Bollywood actor Sara Ali Khan, who has been busy with the shoot of her upcoming film ‘Ae Watan Mere Watan’, recently shared a few BTS pictures from the sets of her upcoming films ‘Murder Mubarak’ and ‘Ae Watan Mere Watan’. On Monday, the actor took to the story section of her Instagram to share the pictures with her fans. She shared a set of three pictures in which she can be seen posing for the camera with the films’ clapper boards in her hand which detail the shot taking process.

Shah Rukh-Aryan launch D’YAVOL X

Actor Shah Rukh Khan and his son Aryan Khan launched the latter’s luxury clothing brand, D’YAVOL X, on Sunday.

Shah Rukh had been roped in to become the face of D’YAVOL X and featured in the Aryan-directed advertisement for the brand, dropped on April 25.

The luxury streetwear brand caught the attention of several celebrities including Alia Bhatt, Shanaya Kapoor and Ananya Panday, who posted stories of D’YAVOL X on their Instagram ahead of the launch.

Gauri Khan also extended her good wishes to her entrepreneur son a day before the launch.

To be made under the production of Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment, Aryan Khan’s directorial project will be named ‘Stardom’ which will be set against the backdrop of the film industry. The series is currently in its production stage and is expected to go on floors in 2023.

In December last year, Aryan took to his Instagram handle to announce that he has completed the writing of his web series. He took to social media and posted a photo of the script. He captioned it as “Wrapped with the writing…can’t wait to say action’. Replying to that post, Shah Rukh Khan wrote, “Wow….thinking…believing….dreaming done, now onto dare….wish u the best for the first one. It’s always special….” Apart from this, Aryan Khan has recently shot an ad film where he got to direct his father Shah Rukh Khan. The ad was for his luxury streetwear brand ‘D’Yavol X’. The brand was launched on Saturday with the introduction of limited Signature hoodies signed by Shah Rukh Khan himself. Within hours, all 30 of the Signature hoodies were sold out.

Throwback! Sharmila Tagore: Satyajit Ray never made us memorise dialogues

I started working at 13 and he never overinstructed us. I was given the script but (was) never made to memorise the dialogues. He would come very close to you in your ear and whisper to you what you have to do and in no time, we were in awe of him. we were never nervous with him,” said the actress. “He would give very clear instructions. It was very easy to follow him. He would never treat a child like a child,” she added. The Padma Bhushan recipient said the conditions in which he made his films were “unimaginable”.

Ali Fazal: Studying Satyajit

As a then-aspiring actor, Ali Fazal remembers taking delight in the beauty of Satyajit Ray’s works as he watched Pather Panchali (1955), Charulata (1964) and Ghare Baire (1984), among others. Little did he know then that some day, he will pay a cinematic tribute to India’s greatest filmmaker. The actor is part of Ray, Netflix’s anthology of four stories inspired by the auteur’s work. While the team is tight-lipped about the project, it is known that Fazal shot for his short film in Aurangabad in January under the watchful eyes of director Srijit Mukherjee.

Fazal, who holds the project close to his heart, says, “Satyajit Ray’s world-class cinema has been admired by countless people.

On same-sex marriage

It is a matter of the heart

On her recent visit to Haridwar, actress Kangana Ranaut shared that a marriage is between two hearts and if two individuals have bonded, then their sexual preference should not matter.

On her recent visit to Haridwar, actress Kangana Ranaut shared that a marriage is between two hearts and if two individuals have bonded, then their sexual preference should not matter.

After the Supreme Court heard pleas for legal sanction for same-sex marriages in India, Kangana was questioned about it.

Kangana said “Jo shaadi hoti hai, woh dil ke rishte hote hai, ye sab hi jante hai. Jab logo ke dil mil gaye hai, baaki kuch

logo ki jo preference hai, usme hum kya bol sakte hai (Marriage is a matter of the heart. Everyone knows it. When hearts have met, what can we say about people’s preferences)?”

Kangana had earlier expressed her views on the ongoing same-sex marriage issue in the Supreme Court on Twitter.

She had written: “Whether you are a man/woman/ anything else your gender is of no consequence to anyone but you, please understand. In modern world we don’t even use words like actresses or female directors we call them actors and directors. What you do in the world is your identity, not what you do in bed.”

She added: “Whatever your sexual preferences are they must remain in your bed only. Don’t make them your identity card or medals and flaunt everywhere. Most importantly don’t roam around with a knife to cut every throat who don’t agree with your gender.”

“I am again saying your gender is not your identity don’t make it that way. I am a woman from rural area life gave me no concession I had to make my own place in the world of actors, film makers, producers and writers.”

My love stories will go with me to the grave ‘unlucky in love’ Salman

Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has admitted that he has been “unlucky in love”, probably because of his own faults. Asked on the chat show ‘Aap ki Adalat’, whether he intended to write an autobiography on his love affairs, he replied: “My love stories will go with me to the grave.”

When he intends to marry, he replied: “Jab aisa koi aayegi, toh ho jayega, Sir (when somebody will come, it will happen). Actually, sabhi achhe hain (all my previous girl friends were good), the fault lies in me. When the first one left, it could have been her fault, when the second one and then the third one left, there could be faults with them, but with the fourth one, doubt creeps in whether fault lies with them or me.”

“In the fifth case, it could have been 60:40. But when more was left, it was then confirmed that it was my fault. None of them had any fault. It is only my fault. Probably a kind of fear in their mind that I may not be able to give them happiness in life. I am sure they are all happy wherever they are.”

The host asked again: “The whole world wants to know when you will marry.”

Salman replied: “Jab Ooper Walah chahega, Sir (When God Almighty wills so). Two individuals are needed for marriage. In the first case, marriage did not happen. When I said yes, somebody said, no. When somebody said yes, I said no. Now there is ‘no’ from both sides. When both sides say ‘yes’, the marriage will take place. There’s still time. I am 57. I want this time to be the first and last. Matlab ek biwi honi chahiye.”

Box Office Report: PS-2 Makes Over Rs. 72 Crore In Weekend 1

Ponniyin Selvan 2, the conclusion of Mani Ratnam’s two-part magnum opus on the Cholas, clocked earnings of over ₹ 72 crore nett at the domestic box office after its first weekend, reports trade tracker Box Office India. PS-2 as the film’s title is commonly shortened opened last Friday and has been in screens three days now. Per Box Office India, Sunday’s collections were the highest so far at ₹ 26.50 crore. On Friday and Saturday, PS-2 made ₹ 22.50 crore and ₹ 23.50 crore adding up to ₹ 72.25 crore (all these are nett).

Dance is the most liberating way of expressing yourself. Every year on April 29, International Dance Day is celebrated to highlight its value and reveal to the universe the art of dance.

As April 29 is recognized as International Dance Day, actress Aishwarya Sakhuja has shared a special note about how she is inclined to dance. As a passionate dancer, Aishwarya says, “ Dance has always been an integral part of my life since my childhood. As a child, I always thought that I was a good dancer, and many people told me so; even when I went for the prestigious Miss India pageant, in the talent round, I showcased my dancing skills.”

Aishwarya further shared how she faced difficulties in her early dance days. The actress says, “One of my early projects required

me to dance. Since I was a newcomer, I was not treated well. There were no workshops held, we were expected to learn and perform on the spot on the stage. That really did not happen well, I was morally put down, and my confidence in dancing was shaken.”

When asked about her experience in Nach Baliye, Aishwarya shared, “Participating in Nach Baliye with Rohit was a turning point in my life. I rediscovered my love for dance which also boosted my confidence. The show also helped Rohit and me to strengthen our bond as a couple and we had a great time working together as a team. Overall participating in Nach Baliye was a positive experience”.

I was morally put down, and my confidence in dance was shaken

Breif

US reports over 10,000 weekly child Covid cases

PT Usha Meets Protesting Wrestlers Days After Her “Indiscipline” Remark

New Delhi: Days after critisising the #MeToo protest against the federation chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, Indian Olympic Association (IOA) chief PT Usha today met the wrestlers at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.

PT Usha had criticised the wrestlers for not waiting for the report of a committee that has been tasked to look into their allegations before deciding to sit on a public protest.

“The protest amounts to indiscipline,” she had said.

Washington, May 3 (IANS) More than 10,000 child Covid-19 cases were reported in the US in the week ending on April 27, according to the latest report by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Children’s Hospital Association. Almost 15.6 million children have been reported to have tested positive for the virus since the onset of the pandemic in early 2020, Xinhua news agency quoted the report as saying.

Over the past seven months, weekly reported child cases have plateaued at an average of about 27,000 cases, while in the past four weeks the average reported weekly cases have dropped further to about 10,000, according to the report.

Musk settles defamation suit brought by IndianAmerican Sikh

“The players should not have protested on the streets. They should have at least waited for the report of the committee. What they have done is not good for the game and the country. It is a negative approach,” Ms Usha said.

The wrestlers had reacted strongly to Ms

Usha’s statement, saying they were hurt by her comments as they were looking up to her for support.

“We feel hurt by PT Usha’s comment. She is not supporting us despite being a woman herself. What indiscipline have we done? We are sitting here peacefully. If we had got justice, we would not

Wrestler Vinesh Phogat’s Charge Against Anurag Thakur Amid #MeToo Protest

Addressing the media, Olympian Vinesh Phogat said, “It is very difficult to stand against a person who is misusing his power and position for so long.”

Wrestlers protest: PT Usha had criticised the wrestlers for not waiting for the report of a committee that is tasked to lookinto their allegations before deciding to sit on a public protest.

have done this,” wrestler Sakshi Malik had said.’

Wrestler Vinesh Phogat alleged she dialled Ms Usha to discuss their matter, but she did not answer his call. “... We don’t know whether she is under some kinds of pressure,” Ms Phogat said.

Top Indian wrestlers have been protesting at Jantar Mantar in the national capital against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh over allegations of sexual harassment.

‘The Kerala Story’: SC refuses to entertain pleas

New York, May 3 (IANS) Tesla CEO Elon Musk has agreed to pay $10,000 to settle a defamation case brought against him by Indian-American Sikh critic and independent researcher, Randeep Hothi.

Hothi, a doctoral student in Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Michigan, had filed a defamation case against Musk in 2020, alleging that the billionaire businessman falsely accused him of actively harassing and “almost killing” Tesla employees.

Following a lengthy and hard-fought litigation, in March 2023, Musk asked Hothi to settle the case.

New Delhi: India’s ace wrestler Vinesh Phogat, who has been protesting at Jantar Mantar with other top grapplers against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, has said it is tough to stand against a powerful person who is misusing his power and position for a very long time. The wrestlers are protesting over sexual harassment charges against the WFI chief and demanding his arrest.

Addressing the media, Olympian Vinesh Phogat said yesterday, “It is very

difficult to stand against a person who is misusing his power and position for so long.” She revealed that the wrestlers had met an official before they started their protest in Jantar Mantar, for the first time. But, no action was taken.

“Three-four months before we sat at Jantar Mantar, we had met an official, we had told him everything that how women athletes are sexually harassed and mentally tortured when no action was taken, then we sat on Dharna,” Vinesh added.Vinesh Phogat also slammed Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur for not taking any action and suppressing the matter by forming a committee.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to entertain pleas related to the movie “The Kerala Story”, and asked the petitioners to approach the jurisdictional high court. The film is scheduled to be release on May 5. The pleas, including the one which sought that a disclaimer should be added to the title of the film that it is a work of fiction, was mentioned for urgent listing before a bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice P S Narasimha.The bench observed, “Seasoned judges are manning the high court. They are aware of local circumstances.

Court finds Indian-American not guilty in labour market conspiracy case

New York, May 3 (IANS) An Indianorigin executive of an aerospace engineering company in the US, and several other officials were found not guilty of conspiring to limit workers’ mobility and career prospects, media reports said.

US District Judge Victor Bolden said the Department of Justice (DOJ) failed to prove that former Pratt & Whitney executive Mahesh Patel and five others restrained trade by forging an eightyear “no-poach” agreement to refrain from recruiting and hiring one another’s employees, the Hartford Courant reported. Bolden said that the evidence

shows the companies hired so many of one another’s employees under agreed upon exceptions to the no-poach deal that it was effectively meaningless. “Under these circumstances, the alleged

agreement itself had so many exceptions that it could not be said to meaningfully allocate the labor market of engineers from the supplier companies working on Pratt and Whitney projects,” Bolden wrote. “Indeed, many engineers or other skilled labourers were hired between and among the supplier companies during the relevant time period.”

A federal grand jury in Connecticut indicted Patel, a Pratt & Whitney employee for 26 years, in 2021 along with with Harpreet Wasan, Steven Houghtaling and Tom Edwards, all of Connecticut; and Robert Harvey of South Carolina and Gary Prus, of Florida -- executives of Pratt suppliers.

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Randeep Hothi

Shree Jalaram Mandir Hosts Successful Inaugural Health Fair In 2023

HOFFMAN ESTATES, IL- Shree Jalaram Mandir in Hoffman Estates, IL organized its Annual Health Fair on Sunday, April 23, 2023 with the goal of providing medical assistance to community members and devotees who were in need and unable to pay for medical services. The event was a great success, with over 215 people taking advantage of the various medical services offered, including physician consultations, dental exams, eye exams, physical therapy, chiropractic consultations, diet and nutrition consultations, Ayurvedic consultations, and EKG interpretations

DHS Proposes To Expand Healthcare To Dreamers

by cardiologists. In addition to these consultations, each participant underwent a series of tests, including blood pressure and sugar tests, multiple laboratory tests, urine tests, EKGs, and bone density tests. The Health Fair was supported by the Lohana Association of Greater Chicago, local vendors, and the Federation of Indian Association, and the Shree Jalaram Mandir committee worked hard to ensure the smooth

Indian-American Founder Pleads Guilty to Securities Fraud

Indian-American tech start-up founder pleads guilty to securities fraudApril 29, 2023New York, April 29 (IANS) A 47-year-old IndianAmerican has pleaded guilty to wire and securities fraud charges in connection with his scheme to dupe potential investors into supporting the technology start-up he founded and led.Manish Lachwani, who founded Silicon Valley-based HeadSpin in 2015 and served as its CEO until May 2020, was arrested and charged in 2021 with defrauding investors by overstating the startup’s revenue and other key financial metrics.

flow of participants and their safety. The Mandir Kitchen team provided tea, coffee, and a light breakfast to all attendees. The success of the event was largely due to the hard work and dedication of both healthcare and nonhealthcare volunteers, who took time out of their busy schedules to provide their services. The event was staffed by five physicians, two cardiologists, two dentists, two eye specialists, and

approximately 75-80 non-healthcare volunteers. Coordinators Jayantibhai Thakkar and Bakul Thakkar expressed their gratitude to the community members and devotees who attended the Health Fair and took advantage of the much-needed services. They also gave a special thanks to the Health Fair committee for their hard work in putting together the event and securing the necessary resources to make it a success.

A new rule proposed by the US Department of Health and Human Services (DHS) seeks to expand government-subsidized health insurance programs to nearly 600,000 Dreamers.

If finalized, the rule would allow Dreamers (undocumented immigrants brought to the US illegally as children) to get health insurance through Medicaid and Affordable Care Act exchanges. “DACA recipients, like all Dreamers, are Americans, plain and simple. The United States is their home, and they should enjoy the same access to health care as their fellow Americans,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. The proposed rule, if finalized, would remove the current exclusion that treats DACA recipients differently from other individuals with deferred action who would otherwise be eligible for coverage under select CMS programs.

US Immigration Services Condemn H1B Lottery System For Enabling Abuse And Fraud

WASHINGTON, DC- The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued a statement on Friday highlighting the abuse and fraudulent activities related to the computerized drawing of lots used to select successful H-1B applicants. The USCIS has conducted extensive fraud investigations and denied and revoked petitions based on evidence from the Financial Year 2023 and Financial Year 2024 H-1B cap seasons.

The agency is also in the process of

initiating law enforcement referrals for criminal prosecution. The USCIS emphasized that the H-1B program is vital to the US economy and that it is committed to implementing the law and helping to meet the ever-changing needs

of the US labour market. The USCIS is currently working on an upcoming H-1B modernization rule that aims to improve the H-1B registration process and reduce the possibility of misuse and fraud in the H-1B registration system. During the registration period for the FY 2024 H-1B cap, the USCIS witnessed a significant increase in the number of registrations submitted compared to prior years. This year, there were 780,884 applications for H-1B visas, as opposed to 483,927 in 2023, 301,447 in 2022, and 274,237 in 2021.

Scammers Impersonating Police Officers Using Fake Law Enforcement Phone Numbers To Dupe Victims

ATLANTA, GA—FBI Atlanta is warning the public about a phone scam where individuals are posing as university or college law enforcement officials by calling potential victims regarding outstanding warrants or fines against their children and asking them for payment. The scammers are using spoofed law enforcement phone numbers, along with the names, positions, and addresses of officers. The scam is largely targeting parents or guardians of students at Georgia

universities.

The following is a list of suspicious activity to look out for related to this scam.

• Calls from local law enforcement stating an individual has fines for outstanding warrants.

• Calls from local law enforcement stating the court is holding the individual in contempt for failure to appear for jury duty.

• Calls from local law enforcement stating an individual has been placed under a “gag order” and is not allowed

to speak with anyone else regarding the matter.

• Calls from local law enforcement demanding you remain on the line until the “bond” is paid.

• Requests for monetary gift cards (visa/green dot etc.) bank deposits, and voucher purchases to clear court fines or avoid jail time.

• Requests for videos or pictures of individuals conducting a personal strip search of themselves to clear court fines or avoid jail time.

If you receive a voice-mail from law

enforcement demanding a call back, do not respond. Instead, call your local police department’s general phone number or go in person to verify the call. Please remember, law enforcement will never call you if you have an arrest warrant for missing jury duty, nor will they ask you to send money for any reason.

If you believe you have been a victim of this scam or other fraud activity, please contact FBI Atlanta at 770-216-3000 and file a complaint with the FBI at www.IC3.gov.

Group of all Doctors & volunteers (Photos by Jayanti Oza)

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CBP Thwarts Illegal Border Crossing at Buffalo’s Railroad Bridge

Haley & Ramaswamy: Too Close Yet Too Far From Presidential Dream

“I wish I could answer YES with lots of confidence,” quipped California state Assembly candidate Darshana Patel on being asked whether the US is ready for an Indian-American President in 2024.

Ramaswamy, spoke of restoring American values and the need to “put America first”, reminiscent of the third GOP candidate and former President Donald Trump.

Ideologically, both represent America First, and they understand -- like their predecessor and former Louisiana Governor Piyush Bobby Jindal -- that their ethnic background alone cannot win them an election.

BUFFALO, NY – U.S. Border Patrol agents caught three Mexican males who attempted to enter the U.S. on a freight train coming into the United States from Canada.

Last night, through integrated operations, an aircrew from U.S. Customs and Border Protections (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO) working with U.S. Border Patrol Agents in the Niagara River area noticed suspicious activity on the International Railroad Bridge. After a joint search effort, the U.S. Border Patrol Buffalo Sector agents identified subjects that matched a description provided by AMO. These collaborative efforts and subsequent field investigation confirmed these subjects had crossed illegally.

“Protecting our borders requires the whole of government approach, and close integration amongst all law enforcement partners, said Marc Sledge, Director, Air and Marine Operations, Great Lakes Air and Marine Branch. In this example, Air and Marine Operations assets were critical in providing real time information to the Border Patrol to do what they do best, preventing illegal entry into the United States between the ports of entry.” The subjects were taken to the Buffalo Border Patrol station and processed. During processing, Border Patrol agents revealed the three males subject were from Mexico and upon completion of all processing, returned to Canada.

“This is a great example of how our Border Patrol Agents work tirelessly to protect the Western New York area, said Chief Patrol Agent Thomas A. Martin, U.S. Border Patrol Buffalo Sector. Agents have apprehended 24 non-citizens in the last 60 days attempting to cross in the vicinity of Buffalo, NY. This incident highlights one of the treacherous and dangerous pathways used to illegally enter the United States. Just recently, a family of non-citizen migrants, including an infant, traversed the International Railroad Bridge without regard for their safety.”

New Delhi: (IANS) “I wish I could answer YES with lots of confidence,” quipped California state Assembly candidate Darshana Patel on being asked whether the US is ready for an Indian-American President in 2024.

“I think that there are persisting, misguided fears of divided loyalty from Indians and even all Asian Americans,” Patel told IANS, hoping that the upcoming election cycle will perhaps break these barriers.

A reason enough to stay optimistic though is the rapid rise of the community in a country that has successfully elected Indian-American local officials, judges, governors, and several Congressional representatives.

Now, two out of the three candidates tossing their hats for the Republican Presidential nomination are Indian-Americans.

While two-time former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley announced her 2024 run by playing up on her Indian roots, her Republican rival and anti-woke crusader, Vivek

If political observers are to be believed, both Haley and Ramaswamy will at best be marginal campaigns for it is difficult to clinch a presidential nomination in a party that is largely dominated by whites.

Just after Haley announced her presidential bid in February, prominent Pakistani-origin writer Wajahat Ali said that she is the “perfect Manchurian candidate” for white supremacists and bigots. Ali also reacted to racially-charged comments by Conservative pundit and author Ann Coulter, who called Haley a ‘bimbo’ and asked her to “go back to her own country”.

“The reason I feel sad is because no matter what she does, it will never be enough. They will never love her. And if you don’t believe me, what did Ann Coulter tell proud American Nikki Haley two days ago? ‘Go back to your country’. Nikki, they’ll never love you. It ain’t worth it,” Ali had said.

While Haley faces a real challenge from her former boss Trump, history suggests that it is difficult for someone like Ramaswamy with no political experience to run for the White House.

US Border Officials Announce New Plans Ahead of Title 42 Expiration

US Plans to Set Up Migrant Processing Centers in Central and South America

WASHINGTON, DC- The Biden administration has announced new measures to manage the flow of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border as the end of the pandemic-era policy known as Title 42 approaches.

The measures include the opening of immigration processing centers in Latin America to provide migrants easier access to legal pathways to the U.S., including the refugee resettlement program and pre-screening for other programs such as family reunification, parole, or existing labor pathways.

The first centers will be located in Colombia and Guatemala, with others expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

The main goal of these measures is to slow and reduce migration to the southern border, specifically once Title 42 is lifted on May 11. Other efforts to slow migration at the border include access

to the CBP One mobile application and new family reunification parole processes for people from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Colombia. The administration estimates that starting in May, migrant arrivals could increase to 10,000 to 13,000 a day from the current 5,000 to 8,000 along the entire U.S.-Mexico border.

The U.S. immigration officials also said that all migrants who make the journey to the U.S.-Mexico border will be processed under the Title 8 immigration authority after May 11. The officials emphasized that the new measures are expected to make migration safer, more orderly, and more humane, and called on Congress to pass immigration reform and provide the necessary resources to manage the regional migration challenge.

WASHINGTON, DC- The Biden administration is opening processing centers in Central and South American countries to provide legal pathways for migrants to come to the U.S. The first processing centers will be operated by international organizations partnering with the U.S. and opened in Guatemala and Colombia in the coming weeks. Migrants will be screened and referred for refugee resettlement or other lawful pathways such as parole programs, family reunification, or existing labor pathways. The centers may also provide migrants with social services or pathways to resettle in Canada, Spain, or a country in their region. The administration aims to expand the number of legal pathways to the U.S. while making it harder for migrants to claim asylum at the U.S. border. The plan to work with other countries to stem irregular migration throughout the Western Hemisphere will be announced by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in a press conference on Thursday.

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The International Railroad Bridge crosses over the Niagara River between Buffalo, N.Y. and Ontario, Canada

Nikki Haley Ramaswamy

Michigan Introduces Bills to Declare Diwali and Eid as Official Holidays

Hindu community urges Boston Ballet to remove ‘La Bayadère’ ballet

New York, April 28 (IANS) Three legislators, including an Indian-American, in the Michigan State House have introduced a set of bills to establish festivals like Diwali and Eid as official state-recognised holidays.Led by Majority Floor Leader in the House, Abraham Aiyash, and state representatives Ranjeev Puri and Sharon MacDonell, introduced the legislation to make Diwali, Vaisakhi, Eid alFitr, Eid al-Adha and Lunar New Year as official holidays in Michigan. House Bills 4446 and 4449, introduced by Puri, establish Diwali and Vaisakhi as state holidays.”Celebrating our cultural diversity is a cornerstone of a vibrant and inclusive society. By recognising these holidays, we are not only showing our respect and appreciation for the traditions and beliefs of our fellow Michiganders, but we are also sending a powerful message of inclusion and unity,” Puri said. A Hindu religious festival, Diwali celebrates the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance, and Vaisakhi is a spring harvest festival celebrated by both Hindus and Sikhs, a statement released

El Paso Border Patrol Raises Awareness on Risks of Unauthorized Crossings

by Michigan House Democrats read. “These bills embrace the diverse fabric of our state by recognising various religious and cultural holidays,” Aiyash said, introducing Bill 4447, which calls for Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr as state holidays. “Making these holidays official state holidays will let Michigan’s many communities know that they have a place in our great state and deserve to celebrate their joyous occasions like everyone else.”At present, Michigan has 12 officially recognised holidays, including Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year, Juneteenth, and Martin Luther King Jr Day among the notable ones.Close to 900,000 Asian Americans live in Michigan, with Indian-Americans making up the largest subgroup, according to Indian American Impact. Most South Asians reside in Detroit and the surrounding area, in places like Troy, Novi, and Farmington Hills.Recently, Pennsylvania declared Diwali as a national holiday after senators, Greg Rothman and Nikil Saval introduced a legislation in February this year.

Chicago Mayor urges Texas Governor to stop transfer of more migrants

RENO, NV- It is important for organizations to be sensitive and respectful towards different cultures and traditions. In this case, it appears that Hindu statesman Rajan Zed feels that the Boston Ballet’s upcoming performance of “The Kingdom of the Shades” from the ballet “La Bayadère” trivializes Eastern religious and cultural traditions.

Zed has called for the ballet to be withdrawn and for the Boston Ballet to apologize for such an inappropriate offering. He has also suggested that the artistic director and staff undergo cultural sensitivity training to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future. Ballet is considered a revered art form, but it is important to ensure that it is presented in a way that is sensitive and respectful to all cultures.

Roof collapse near Ohio State University injures 14

Finding a Compassionate and Sustainable Solution to the Border Crisis: Avoiding Ad hoc Relocation of Migrants to Unprepared Cities

EL PASO, TX – U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector highlights the dangers and consequences faced by migrants who attempt to cross the border illegally with the help of transnational criminal organizations.

The sector has recorded 149 migrant rescues and 29 migrant deaths so far in FY2023. The criminal organizations often exploit vulnerable individuals, putting their lives in danger, and forcing them into debt bondage or even sex trafficking. Juvenile drivers are also recruited and exploited, leading to dangerous and sometimes deadly situations on the roads.

The El Paso Sector has taken steps to counter these ruthless actions by installing rescue beacons and providing medical care to migrants in need. The sector also welcomes assistance from the community and encourages citizens to report suspicious activity.

CHICAGO, IL- Mayor Lori Lightfoot of Chicago is raising concerns about a new wave of migrants expected to be sent to cities across the country, including Chicago, by Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s administration. In a letter to Abbott, Lightfoot calls his actions inhumane and dangerous and urges him to halt the plan, which is set to start as early as Monday. The city of Chicago has already taken in over 8,000 migrants since August, which has depleted its resources, making it impossible to accommodate any more migrants. Lightfoot is offering to work with Abbott to find a solution to the crisis and is calling for humanity to be restored in the midst of the political sparring. She acknowledges the overwhelming situation at the borders but believes that simply sending migrants to cities without any resources or plan in place is not the solution. The mayor has not

The migrant crisis has put a strain on city agencies and local volunteer organizations, with housing being a top issue for many migrants.

received a response from Governor Abbott after sending the letter and does not expect to hear from him. The migrant crisis has put a strain on city agencies and local volunteer organizations, with housing being a top issue for many migrants. Overcrowded shelters have led families to seek refuge at police stations, further exacerbating the situation. The situation could spiral out of control nationwide as the pandemic era policy, Title 42, which allows border officials to expel migrants without considering their asylum claims, is set to expire.

COLUMBUS, OH- At a house party near Ohio State University, a roof collapse caused multiple injuries to those in attendance. According to Battalion Chief Rick Artrip of the Columbus Division of Fire, around 13 people were initially sent to hospitals, with an additional 20 receiving treatment at the scene for injuries that were not believed to be lifethreatening.

The cause of the collapse was reported to be due to the fact that many of the partygoers, who were college students, were standing on the roof. One partygoer, Gavin Levine, mentioned that he believed standing on the roof was safe because it was a common practice, but the situation showed that the structure was not safe for such activity.nOhio State University has issued a statement acknowledging the incident and expressing their support for those affected. The university is also reportedly assisting first responders in handling the situation.

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Chicago Resiliency Fund 2.0 Makes Major Impact With Initial $1.2M In Relief Payments

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CHICAGO , IL – Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot and Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS) Commissioner Brandie Knazze announced the distribution of $1.2 million to over 2,400 eligible households through the Chicago Resiliency Fund 2.0. The fund provides $500 relief payments to populations that had difficulties accessing federal relief payments, including households with dependents, undocumented residents, and domestic workers. The initial application, for households with dependents, opened in October 2021 and closed in March 2022. Over 6,000 applications were received, and 2,284

$640K worth of cocaine found adrift in Florida Keys by boater

FLORIDA- The U.S. Border Patrol in the Florida Keys announced the seizure of a large bundle of cocaine worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. The bundle was found floating near Islamorada by a boater, who promptly notified authorities. Upon inspection, the bundle was found to contain 16 bricks of cocaine, weighing approximately 41 pounds. The estimated street value of the cocaine is $640,000

eligible households were approved to receive a $500 payment. The fund is still accepting applications from eligible undocumented residents and domestic workers, with the goal of awarding up to 7,000 domestic workers and 10,000 undocumented residents with a $500 relief payment. Eligible applicants must be a domestic worker or undocumented resident, live in Chicago, be 18 or older, and have a

household income at or below 300% of the Federal Poverty Level. The fund is open to all eligible Chicago residents, regardless of legal immigration status, and no questions regarding citizenship or immigration status will be asked in the application or verification process.

DFSS has distributed over $143 million in rental and financial assistance to residents since 2020 and the Resiliency Fund 2.0 will help further strengthen the social safety net as the city emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic. Applications can be submitted at www. chicash.org and customer support is available in Spanish, Polish, Chinese, and Arabic. Outreach materials can

Alternate Path Paves Way For Quicker Travel Visa Appointments

WASHINGTON, DC- The announcement from the US Embassy in India regarding the option for Indians to schedule B-1/B-2 travel visa appointments at embassies and consulates in different countries is a positive step in reducing the wait times for visa appointments.

The US Embassy in Bangkok has been cited as a possible “third country” for Indian applicants, where the wait time

for a first-time travel visa appointment is around 30 days compared to over a year in some consulates in India. However, it is important to note that applying for a B-1/B-2 visa from a “third country” comes with a certain degree of risk, as travel visa denial rates are typically higher for those applying from third countries. To increase the chances of success, it is advisable to read up on the process and familiarize yourself with the requirements and procedures.

also be downloaded for community organizations, and information and assistance events are available (virtual and in-person).

The Chicago Resiliency Fund 2.0 is part of the $1.9 billion Chicago Recovery Plan and represents the City of Chicago’s continued commitment to center households in the economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The fund is modeled after the 2020 Chicago Resiliency Fund, which was a public partnership between the city, The Resurrection Project, and Open Society Foundation that provided cash assistance to residents excluded from the first federal stimulus payments

Ohio Gaming Commission Bans Bets on University of Alabama

OHIO- Ohio’s top gambling regulator has issued an emergency order that prohibits licensed sportsbooks in the state from accepting bets on University of Alabama baseball games. The order was issued by Matthew Schuler, the executive director of the Ohio Casino Control Commission, after a report of suspicious gambling activity was received from one of the state’s “certified independent integrity monitors”.

Brief Update On Latest Developments In Immigration

ICE to Test New Smart Watch Device to Monitor Migrants

ICE has introduced a smartwatch-like device to track migrants released from federal immigration custody.

The wrist device uses GPS technology to keep track of migrants enrolled in the Biden administration’s Alternatives to Detention program, which monitors migrants who don’t pose a safety or national security risk.

Delayed Visa Processing Endangers Immigrant Crime Victims

A massive backlog of U visa applications has left many immigrant crime victims in an uncertain and precarious situation. U visas are designed to provide protection and support to immigrants who have been victims of crime and are willing to assist U.S. law enforcement in the investigation or prosecution of those crimes. However, the current processing time for U visas can take several years, leaving applicants in a state of uncertainty and without access to essential services like healthcare and employment. This delay is causing significant hardship for some of the most vulnerable members of society.

GOP Unveils Ambitious New Plan for Immigration Reform

The proposed immigration bill by House Republicans has sparked controversy and criticism, with many advocacy groups and lawmakers opposing the measures outlined in the bill. The tightening of restrictions on asylum seekers, expansion of family detention, and increased penalties for visa overstays have been deemed as inhumane and contrary to the values of the country.

Critics argue that the bill goes against the long-standing tradition of offering refuge to those fleeing persecution and violence in their home countries. The expansion of family detention is also seen as a step backwards, as it has been widely criticized for its negative impact on the mental and physical well-being of children and families. Additionally, the increased penalties for visa overstays are viewed as a heavy-handed approach that fails to address the root causes of why people overstay their visas, such as lack of legal avenues for immigration and lack of job opportunities in their home countries.

Given the Democratic control of the Senate, the likelihood of the bill passing in its current form is low. However, the release of the bill highlights the ongoing debate and division over immigration policy in the United States.

Advocacy Groups Issue Travel Warnings For Florida

Two advocacy groups issued travel advisories warning LGBTQ people and

immigrants about the risks of traveling to Florida in light of recent “hateful laws” targeting these groups.

The Florida Immigration Coalition said on Wednesday that travel to the state should be taken with “extreme caution as it can be unsafe for people of color, individuals who speak with an accent, and international travelers.”

ICE Collects Information from Abortion Providers and Educational Institutions

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been using 1509 custom summonses in a manner that experts believe may be illegal, as reported by WIRED. The agency has issued these subpoenas more than 170,000 times between 2016 and mid-2022, primarily to investigate customs violations. However, the WIRED investigation found that ICE has also used these subpoenas to obtain information that is not related to customs fraud. This includes information from a youth soccer league, a major abortion provider, and an elementary school.

USCIS Creates First-Ever Virtual Service Center

USCIS has opened a virtual service center to process requests for humanitarian immigration relief, including visas for victims of domestic violence and crimes, in an effort to reduce backlogs and improve processing times.

The new center is USCIS’ sixth service center and its first all-virtual one. In an interview, the agency’s director, Ur Jaddou, called it an “important milestone.”

DHS Implements Policy Allowing Use of Self-Identified Gender on Immigration Forms

US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a policy update on Friday, allowing immigrant visa applicants to self-identify their gender on forms, regardless of any discrepancy with their supporting documents. The agency stated that proof of gender identity will not be required unless the applicant is submitting Form N-565, which is used to apply for a replacement naturalization certificate or citizenship document.

USCIS Lifts 60-Day Restriction on Medical Exam Form Submission

The 60-day rule is no longer applicable for physician signatures on Form I-693, the immigration medical exam results form, for green card applicants who file after March 31, 2023. Applicants can now submit the form up to two years after the civil surgeon signs it.

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Sharad Pawar Quits As NCP Chief

Appeasing terror and terrorists, PM Modi slams Congress

Indian-origin man caught in YouTube sting operation

New Delhi: Senior Maharashtra politician Sharad Pawar today announced that he has stepped down as president of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), but isn’t retiring from politics yet. There has been no announcement yet on who will succeed him as party boss.

The four-time Maharashtra chief minister made the surprise announcement, with nephew Ajit Pawar by his side, at a book launch event of his autobiography in Mumbai. His decision was met with protests by NCP workers and leaders, many of whom could be seen in tears.

Mr Pawar also announced a panel of senior party leaders to draw a future course of action.

US to start student visa application process from mid-May

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday alleged that the Congress’s history is about “appeasing terror and terrorists”, and the party had allegedly questioned the country’s defence forces, when the surgical strikes and air strikes had been carried out. Also accusing the Congress and JD(S) of “encouraging terror”, the Prime

Minister said they could never increase investment in Karnataka or create new opportunities for youth in the state. “People of Karnataka should never forget Congress’s history and thinking. Congress’s history is about appeasing terror and terrorists. When the Batla House encounter happened in Delhi, there were tears in the eyes of Congress’s top most leader, hearing about the death of terrorists,” Modi claimed. Addressing a public meeting here, he said, “When surgical strikes happened, when air strikes happened, Congress raised questions on the capability of the country’s defence forces.” “In Karnataka, you have seen how Congress is encouraging terrorism.

Sudan crisis: 231 Indians reach Ahmedabad from Jeddah

As many as 231 Indians, including 208 Gujarat residents, who were evacuated

from strife-torn African nation Sudan under the Centre’s ‘Operation Kaveri’, landed at Ahmedabad airport on Tuesday, said a state government official. Gujarat Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi, who handles NonResident Gujarati (NRG) division of the state government, welcomed these Indians at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport upon their arrival here from Jeddah in Saudi Arabia on a special flight, said the official.

US: Multiple dead after dust storm causes highway pileup

Monday.

The incident involved around 40 to 60 passenger cars and several big-rig trucks on Interstate 55 (I-55) near Springfield. More than 30 people were taken to hospital with injuries.

New York, May 2 (IANS) An Indianorigin man allegedly caught in a sting operation on YouTube has been charged by a US federal prosecutor with attempting to entice a minor for sex through a dating app.

“Anand Singh allegedly attempted to entice an individual, who he believed to be a 14-year-old, to meet for sexual purposes, via dating and text apps”, Damian Williams, the federal prosecutor for Southern New York, said on Monday. “Today’s arrest is a reminder of the inherent danger the internet could potentially pose to our youth and the critical importance to protect them from online predators,” he said. From the court document, it appears that the sting operation was organised by non-officials, who recorded the interaction and uploaded it on YouTube alerting the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

India beats China in sending students to US in 2022

New Delhi, May 2 (IANS) The US will begin processing student visa applications for the Fall Session with the first batch of appointments available from mid-May.

“Attention students! In mid-May, the US Mission to India will open the first batch of appointments for the upcoming student visa season,” the US Consulate General in Hyderabad announced via a tweet.

“Additional appointments will be released later in the season. Prepare for your appointments and stay tuned for more student visa related announcements,” it said.

The US consulates processed nearly 1.25 lakh visa applications of students in India last year.

The country intends to increase visa interview appointments for Indian students by 30 per cent this summer. In a much needed breather for students, the State Department announced in February that the ‘F’ and ‘M’ categories of student visas can now be issued up to a year in advance.

At least six people have died and dozens more have been injured after a dust storm caused a large pileup on a highway in Illinois, police said late on

“The cause of the crashes is due to excessive winds blowing dirt from farm fields across the highway, leading to zero visibility,” Illinois State Police Maj. Ryan Starrick said at a news conference. Farmers are currently busy planting fields across Illinois and the Midwest, and wild winds have been known to blow topsoil away in the past.

US commission seeks sanctions on Indian agencies

the issue of religious freedom during US-India bilateral meetings, and hold hearings on it.

In its annual report on religious freedom, the USCIRF asked the US State Department to designate India as a “country of particular concern” on the status of religious freedom along with several other nations.

New York: (IANS) International student enrollment in the US last year showed a substantial increase with India sending more students compared to China in 2022, says a US immigration report. According to the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s annual report, the number of students from China and India made Asia the most popular continent of origin.

A federal US commission has urged the Biden administration to impose targeted sanctions on Indian government agencies and officials responsible for “severe violations” of religious freedom in the country by freezing their assets. The US Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) also recommended to the Congress to raise

The USCIRF has been making similar recommendations to the State Department since 2020, which have not been accepted so far.

The recommendations of USCIRF are not mandatory for the State Department. In its India section of the report, USCIRF alleged that in 2022, religious freedom conditions in India continued to worsen.

“Comparable to the drop from calendar year 2020 to 2021, China sent fewer students in 2022 compared to 2021 (-24,796), while India sent more students (+64,300),” the report said. In 2022, California hosted 225,173 international students -- the largest percentage of international students (16.5 per cent) of any US state, the report said, adding that all four regions in the country saw an increase in international student records from 2021 to 2022, with respective increases ranging from 8 to 11 per cent, the report said. There were 276,723 active exchange visitors in the country in 2022, compared to 240,479 active exchange visitors in 2021 -- a 15 per

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India overtake Australia to become No. 1 Test side ahead of WTC final

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Dubai: (IANS) India pipped Australia to become the No.1 team in Men’s Test Rankings following the annual update, that drops results from the 2019-20 season and reflects all series completed since May 2020, released by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday.

Australia’s reign at the top of the Men’s Test Rankings comes to an end after 15 months with India going past the Aussies ahead of next month’s ICC World Test Championship Final.

India currently sits at the top of the ladder with 121 points, with Australia in the second spot with 116 points.

Prior to the annual rankings update, Australia were at the top with 122 points with India trailing them by three points (119). England remain in third position but the gap between them and the second placed side is reduced from 13 to two rating points owing to some consistent performances in recent months as well as reduced weightage of their 4-0 Ashes defeat and a 1-0 defeat in the West Indies. The annual rankings consider all series

Promise of support comes from Usha

India pipped Australia to become the No.1 team in Men’s Test Rankings following the annual update, that drops results from the 2019-20 season and reflects all series completed since May 2020, released by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday.

completed since May 2020, with series completed before May 2022 weighted at 50 percent and all subsequent series weighted at 100 percent, according to the ICC release.

India’s rating points have moved up

Steve excited to play alongside Pujara during IPL

from 119 to 121 as their 2-0 defeat to New Zealand in March 2020 no longer figures in the rankings, which assesses series completed prior to May 2022 at 50 per cent and subsequent series at 100 per cent.

Nadal the man to beat at French Open: Alcaraz

Former Australian captain Steve Smith is excited about making his County debut and “learning more about” Cheteshwar Pujara as they turn up for the same side ahead of the WTC final next month.

Smith is expected to play three games for Sussex against Worcestershire (May 4-7), Leicestershire (May 11-14) and a home tie against Glamorgan (May 18-22) as a part of his preparation for the WTC final from June 7 and the marquee Ashes battle against England starting June 16.

IOA president PT Usha, after facing criticism from all quarters for being insensitive towards the protesting wrestlers, on Wednesday met the grapplers at the protest site and assured them of her support, saying she was first an athlete and then an administrator.

Former sprinter Usha had come down heavily on the wrestlers for resuming their protest instead of approaching the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) for their issues.

She had said that the wrestlers should have shown some discipline and that they had tarnished the country’s image by hitting the streets, a comment for which she and the IOA faced criticism.

Usha left without speaking to the media on Wednesday but Bajrang Punia said she has assured them of help.

“Initially when she said that, we felt very bad but then she said that her comments were misinterpreted. She said that she is first an athlete and then an administrator,” said Bajrang, the Tokyo Games bronze medallist.

Carlos Alcaraz expects Rafael Nadal to perform at a “spectacular level” at the French Open if the 14-times champion can overcome his injury issues ahead of the year’s second grand slam.

Nadal skipped the ongoing Madrid Open after a setback in his recovery from a hip injury sustained at the Australian Open in January. The 22-

time major champion also missed tournaments at Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo and Barcelona. Alcaraz has emerged as the favourite for Roland Garros after victories on clay at Buenos Aires and Barcelona but the world number two said Nadal cannot be written off and hopes his fellow Spaniard will return next week in Rome. “Hopefully he will be in Rome and then at Roland Garros, where he will be a rival to beat,” Alcaraz told reporters after beating Alexander Zverev 6-1, 6-2 on Tuesday to reach the Madrid quarter finals. “Although he hasn’t played since Australia, a man who has won a tournament 14 times will always be difficult to beat in that tournament, even if he comes without match rhythm.

Smith said the IPL has helped him get used to playing alongside rival international players and he is eager to play alongside Pujara, who has been leading Sussex this season. “The day I don’t want to keep getting better and learning is the day I would probably call it quits. I am keen to play with Puj (Pujara) as well. I have played against him a lot, seen him score lot of runs against me. Hopefully we can spend a bit of time together in the middle and learn more about each other.”

How would it be playing with Pujara and then against him in a space of days?

“You are playing for the same team, have seen that for years playing the IPL. While you are playing with each other you try as hard as you can to achieve success as a team...” Smith said.

Smith will also be up against teammate and friend Marnus Labuschagne when Sussex take on Glamorgan and both have had a laugh about it.

My state Manipur is burning: Mary Kom appeals for help amid violence

Boxing great MC Mary Kom on Thursday urged the Centre to help control the violence that broke out in Manipur.

The Army and Assam Rifles were deployed to control the situation in the northeastern state where violence broke out during a tribal agitation on Wednesday.

“My state Manipur is burning, kindly help,” the veteran boxer tweeted in the early hours, sharing photos of the violence, and tagging Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

The Army and Assam Rifles were deployed in the night, and along with the state police, the forces were able to arrest the violence by the morning, a defence spokesperson said.

So far, 4,000 people have been rescued by the forces from the violence-hit areas, and given shelter, he said, adding that more people are being shifted to safer places.

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PT Usha (extreme left) with the protesting wrestlers atJantar Mantar in New Delhi

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This election is not about you: Rahul Gandhi hits out at PM

Supreme Court’s Huge Order On 6-Month Waiting Period For Divorce

The bench has also laid out how to balance out equities, specifically with regard to maintenance, alimony, and the rights of the children

Over 3,000 Guns Exchanged For Gift Cards In New York Buyback Programme

Asking the prime minister to speak about BJP govt’s work and future programmes for Karnataka, instead of talking about himself, Rahul took a dig at Modi’s statement about verbal abuses hurled at him

Hitting out at the Prime Minister over his charge that he was “abused 91 times”, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday said Narendra Modi should understand that the Karnataka election was not about him. Asking the Prime Minister to speak about the BJP government’s work and future programmes for Karnataka, instead of talking about himself, the former AICC president took a dig at Modi’s statement about verbal abuses hurled at him. “You (Modi) come to campaign in Karnataka for elections, but don’t speak about Karnataka. You speak about yourself. You have to say what you did in Karnataka for the past three years. You also have to speak in your speeches about what you will be doing in the next five years, what will do for youth, education, health and to fight corruption,” Gandhi said.

Jack Ma turns up as Japan college professor

Jack Ma, a cofounder of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, will be a visiting professor at Tokyo College, a research institute run by the prestigious University of Tokyo, the university said on Monday.

Ma will carry out research in sustainable agriculture and food production, it said in a statement. It said that Ma, who also heads his own Jack Ma Foundation, a philanthropic organisation, will “share his rich experience and pioneering knowledge on entrepreneurship, corporate management and innovation”, with students and faculty.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court today held that it can dissolve marriages on the ground of “irretrievable breakdown of marriage” invoking powers under Article 142. It further held that the mandatory waiting period of six months for divorce through mutual consent can be done away with, subject to conditions. “We have also laid down factors which can determine when there will be an irretrievable breakdown of marriage,” a Constitution Bench comprising Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Sanjiv Khanna, AS Oka, Vikram Nath, and JK Maheshwari, said. The bench has also laid out how to

balance out equities, specifically with regard to maintenance, alimony, and the rights of the children. The original issue referred to the Constitution Bench was whether the mandatory waiting period for divorce by mutual consent, as prescribed under Section 13B of the Hindu Marriage Act, could be waived by the Supreme Court, exercising its vast powers under Article 142, in order to dissolve broken-down marriages between consenting couples without referring them to family courts for protracted judicial proceedings to get the decree of separation. However, during the hearing, the Constitution Bench decided to consider the issue of whether marriages could be dissolved on the ground of irretrievable breakdown.

Indian-origin man convicted of murder in California teen prank gone awry

Thousands of guns were surrendered across New York on Saturday after the state launched a buyback programme. Gun owners who gave up the dangerous weapons were given gift cards worth $500 in exchange, The Guardian said. The buyback programme was organised by the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James, who said that more than 3,000 guns were given up. These included assault-style rifles and ghost guns, which are built from parts of firearms sold unassembled, the outlet further said in its report. “We recovered 3,076 guns today, including 185 assault weapons. Every single one of these guns represents a potential tragedy averted,” Ms James said on Twitter.

Sidhu lends support to wrestlers

An Indian-origin man has been convicted of murder for ramming his car into a vehicle resulting in the deaths of three teens who were fleeing after one of them allegedly exposed himself at his house as a prank, according to media reports.

Anurag Chandra, 45, was found guilty in a Riverside court in California on Friday

on three charges of murder in the deaths of three teens and attempted murder for the three teens who survived after their car was hit by his. On a Sunday evening in January 2020, the group of teens were playing a prank and picked Chandra’s home as they thought teens lived there, the newspaper said. One of them rang the doorbell of the house and pulled down his pants to expose his backside, the newspaper reported. Chandra testified in court that he thought that the teen was sex offender and feared for his 16-year-old daughter and his wife, it reported. He said that he followed the teen, who got into a car with the five others, and chased them to “express my anger” but not hurt them, the newspaper said. According to authorities and the teen driver Sergio Campusano interviewed by NBC, Chandra’s car hit their car from the back and it hurtled off the road and hit a tree in Temescal Valley, about 100 km from Los Angeles.

Former India cricketer and political leader Navjot Singh Sidhu on Monday lent his support to the protesting wrestlers demanding criminal action against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, saying why wasn’t he being arrested despite a case being registered against him under the “non-bailable POCSO Act”.

“To know what is right and not to do it is the worst cowardice. Why was the FIR delayed? Not making the FIR public reflects that the FIR is mild and not corroborative to the complainant’s complaint,” said Sidhu in his tweet.

US Regulators Seize Troubled First Republic Bank, JPMorgan To Acquire It

First Republic Bank was taken over by regulators and will be acquired by JPMorgan Chase & Co. after rescue efforts failed to undo the damage from wrong-way investments and depositor runs that have roiled regional lenders. JPMorgan will “assume all deposits, including all uninsured deposits, and substantially all assets” of First Republic, the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation said in a statement.

The California regulator appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. as receiver of the San Francisco-based bank. “Deposits are federally insured by

JPMorgan will “assume all deposits, including all uninsured deposits, and substantially all assets” of First Republic, the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation said in a statement.

the FDIC subject to applicable limits,” the DFPI said in its statement. The transaction makes JPMorgan, the nation’s largest bank, even more massive - an outcome government officials have taken pains to avoid in the past.

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Anurag Chandra, 45

Productivity Improvement Tips That Will Help You Clear Your To-Do List

Nothing beats the satisfaction of crossing a task off my to-do list (except maybe Taylor Swift tickets). Now multiply that feeling by ten on the days I cross every item off my to-do list, and I can confidently say I had a productive day. But unfortunately, productive work days aren’t always the norm. There are a lot of things that can influence our productivity, like last-minute requests, distractions, life events, and so much more. So if we know being productive and experiencing that sense of accomplishment feels good, boosts morale, and helps us reach our goals, how can we ensure we have more productive days? I’m sharing nine effective productivity improvement tips to help you get sh*t done and relish in the feeling of a completed to-do list!

Streamline Your Workspace

Having a productive workday begins before you even open your laptop. To improve your productivity, start by streamlining your workplace. This means making the area you’re working in the best it can possibly be to set you up for success. Ensure your desktop is clear of clutter. Have everything you need for the day within arm’s reach, so you’re not constantly getting up to find things. This includes anything you might need for the day, like a computer charger, headphones, and a notebook and pen. If you’re at home, find a quiet space that limits distractions. By creating an efficient workspace, you can spend your time focusing on your to-list and not the clutter or items you need.

Limit Distractions

Limiting distractions at work can be easier said than done. Our biggest distractions at work can be the exact thing we need to complete tasks. I’m talking about the Internet and our phones. These distractions make it so easy to waste time. You know how it goes. You hang up from a phone call, and while your phone is right there, you decide to check social media, and then 15 minutes later, you forget what you were supposed to be working on. One of the best productivity hacks to limit distractions is self-awareness to know what your biggest distractions are. Is it your phone? Great, put it out of reach when you don’t need it during the workday. Is it getting up to talk to coworkers? Set aside a specific time each day to chat to manage your time more effectively. Whatever you find your distractions are (and be honest with yourself!), make a plan to mitigate them.

Focus on One Task at a Time

Multitasking is a myth. It’s not possible to focus on more than one task at the same time. The only way to power through your to-do list is to focus on one task at a time. At the start of each day, it helps to identify your top three priorities. So at the very minimum, identify the three tasks you need to accomplish to feel like you’re making progress on your goals. It might not feel like it’ll boost your productivity, but I promise taking it slow and steady is the way to go. By focusing on one task at a time and fully completing three tasks, you’ll be much more effective than bouncing from one task to another and only completing half of six tasks.

Do the Hardest Task First

You know that one task you always put off because you’re dreading taking the time to do it? Do that task first. Yes, I know it sucks. But if you want to increase your productivity at work, do the hardest task on your list first. You’ll feel so accomplished once it’s done and out of the way. If you’re struggling to get started, set a timer for 15 minutes. Tell yourself that you’ll work on it for 15 minutes, and if you’re still not feeling it or catching your flow, you’ll move on to something else. But I bet once you get started, the task will be easier than you thought, or you’ll be in such a good groove you’ll just want to continue and knock it out.

Set Small Goals

We all have those projects on our to-do list that feel insurmountable. The projects that feel impossible and like there’s so much to do that you just want to do nothing. But the thing is, we have to do them, and the best way to do that is by setting small goals and accomplishing small tasks. The next time you don’t feel like tackling a big project head-on, stop and make a list of the first three things you need to do to start making progress. Stay focused on the one next step you can take to help move the project forward,

Aries

Author Bio:

Celebrity Astrologer Chirag Daruwalla is the son of famous astrologer Bejan Daruwalla. He is known for his detailed astrological predictions on career, health, love, finance, and business. You can visit their website bejandaruwalla.com for guidance on problems related to your life and solve your problem with the help of expert astrologer Chirag Daruwalla. For guidance on problems related to your life you can talk to Astrologer Chirag Daruwalla on Call/Whatsapp: +91 9825470377 or also mail on: info@bejandaruwalla.com

5th May to 12th May 2023

Ganesha says thathe people of Aries may have to run unnecessarily in connection with work this week. Be very careful in money transactions at the beginning of the week, otherwise, there may be a financial loss.

Taurus

Ganesha says that this week is going to be full of ups and downs for the people of Taurus. At the beginning of the week where there will be desired profit in the business and money stuck in the market will come out unexpectedly.

Gemini

Ganesha says thatinstead of being misled by others this week, the people of Gemini need to take decisions and work with their conscience. At the beginning of the week, disputes related to landbuilding or ancestral property will be a major cause of your concern.

Cancer

Ganesha says that this week can prove to be very important in terms of career and business for the Cancerians. The people who were wandering for livelihood for a long time, their wishes can be fulfilled this week.

Leo

Ganesha says that the people of the Leo zodiac sign need to pay special attention to both their health and relationships this week. In the midst of busy work, you have to avoid ignoring these two things, otherwise, the relationship made over the years may break or crack..

Virgo

Ganesha says that this week is very auspicious for career and business for the people of Virgo, but it is going to bring some problems for the family and personal relations. There will be unexpected profit in a business at the beginning of the week. Travels made in connection with business will prove to be auspicious and beneficial.

Libra

Ganesha says that this week is auspicious for career and business for the people of the Libra zodiac, while it is going to bring some problems in terms of health and

relationships. At the beginning of the week, employed people can be blessed by their boss.

Scorpio

Ganesha says thatthe people of Scorpio can manage their time and energy this week and be successful in completing the planned work. The journey undertaken in connection with the business at the beginning of the week will prove to be very auspicious and beneficial.

Sagittarius

Ganesha says that this week is auspicious and successful for the people of Sagittarius. This week, energy and confidence will remain within you if your planned tasks are completed on time. At the beginning of the week, you will get opportunities to advance your career and business.

Capricorn

Ganesha says that for the people of Capricorn, this week will prove to be a relief from mental worries by removing all kinds of problems related to life. At the beginning of the week, with the help of a female friend, some of your major confusions will be resolved.

Aquarius

Ganesha says that this week is going to be mixed for the people of Aquarius. At the beginning of the week, when taking any major decision, you will be upset because of not getting the support of your family members. There is a possibility of a dispute between the younger brother and sister regarding something.

Pisces

Ganesha says that the people of Pisces need to have a lot of control over their speech and behavior this week. This week, things will be made and spoiled only by your speech. In such a situation, avoid behaving rudely with anyone. Do not be proud in any case, otherwise, later this pride of yours can become the reason for your humiliation. If you are thinking of changing your job, then take a decision after thinking about it. Do not do this at all in anger or passion.

The saying that “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” can be (wrongfully) applied to humans, and with said application comes a lot of damaging—not to mention false—presumptions.

Researchers like Rachel Wu et al., who recently published findings of two studies from the peer-reviewed journal Aging and Mental Health, challenge this stereotype with data. According to the research conducted in each of these studies, learning new things as you age is great for your health—especially when it comes to your brain.

The studies conducted with adults over the age of 55 found that those who engaged in learning multiple skills simultaneously, such as learning a new language, photography, and how to use an iPad, showed significant improvement in cognitive functioning. (The approach was to select activities that cater to diverse interests and hold practical value in daily life, such as language learning, art, and music composition.)

As mentioned in the study’s discussion, “[These] findings are atypical compared to prior research, although they were predicted based on our lifespan theoretical framework.” Meaning the results of much of the prior research on cognitive functioning over time tells a different story, generally emphasizing the ways in which a person’s brain health stays the same or diminishes the same or decline over time.

How learning impacts brain health as you age

“Neuroplasticity, the capacity of the human brain to adapt and learn new skills, remains an essential factor in promoting cognitive resilience and maintaining overall cognitive well-being throughout one’s life,” says Elisabeth Bahr, OTD, MS, OTR, a doctor of occupational therapy. Learning new skills simultaneously creates new neural pathways in the brain, so it makes sense that it would engage more parts of your brain than going about life as usual. According to Dr. Bahr, when you think about learning multiple things at once, you also have to use parts of your brain that structure your time, remember items that you need, plan where and when you need to be, organize your memory of each subject, and build upon that knowledge. “The study focused on executive function, which encompasses working memory and cognitive control,

You Can Improve Your Brain Health As You Age: Promising Research Tells Us How

The studies conducted with adults over the age of 55 found that those who engaged in learning multiple skills simultaneously (such as learning a new language, photography, and how to use an iPad) showed significant improvement in cognitive functioning.

and verbal episodic memory, both of which can be impacted by the natural aging process,” she says. The fact that older adults scored cognitively similarly to undergraduate students is promising, especially when considering the cognitive challenges older folks can face with age.

Dr. Bahr adds that there are a lot of encouraging details about this (albeit small) study, and that those interested in optimizing their brain functioning as they age by engaging in new activities might considering seeking guidance from an occupational therapist. “They’re professionals in

helping people participate, regain, or strategize accommodations they might need to incorporate into their lifestyle after an injury or to cope with an existing disability,” she says.

What to know before diving ‘head first’

Some folks may need to proceed with caution when it comes to pursuing rehabilitative activities or cognitively engaging activities. “Namely, it’s important to have clearance from a care provider if you or a loved one is thinking about engaging in something similar and there is any injury, traumatic brain injury, cognitive condition, or other extenuating circumstance that could worsen as a result of increased exertion of mind or body,” says Dr. Bahr. It can also be emotionally challenging to embark on a journey of learning new things—and frustration can get in the way of committing to a practice long-term. Getting a good night’s sleep after an intensive learning experience can help the brain commit the lesson or experience to memory better than without quality sleep. “It’s important to prioritize shuteye following intensive learning sessions, as this enhances memory retention and the consolidation of new information,” says Dr. Bahr. Sometimes it can feel silly to get super into a new hobby, or a few—but this research suggests there’s merit to retaining curiosity and a desire to learn new things. This is your sign to consider taking that extra trip to the art supply store or finally trying out water aerobics...a healthy brain loves having fun, after all.

You’ll Never Lose Weight if You’re Still Eating These 11 Things

Losing weight is not a one-size-fits-all process, and what works for you may not work for someone else. We all have unique genetic makeup that plays a role in how we are able to lose weight, and our individual lifestyles affect weight loss, too. How much you eat, the types of foods you choose, frequency and type of exercise, stress levels, and sleep patterns are just some of the lifestyle factors that may play roles in your ability to lose weight. When it comes to food choices, not all calories are created equally. That’s why we’re here today with 11 of the worst weight loss foods you should avoid at all costs.

One of the more common methods for weight loss is to count calories. While this equation of calories-in versus calories-out

can encourage weight loss, you may be surprised to know the types of calories you consume can influence your progress as well. Protein, carbohydrates, and fat are calorie-containing nutrients, and are each processed and utilized differently in your body. For example, protein and fat both have high satiety values and can leave you feeling fuller after a meal, while carbs have the lowest satiety value.

If weight loss is your goal, you should be paying attention to the foods you are eating. Tracking calories and grams of nutrients may be helpful as well, but cutting certain foods from your diet may be enough to make progress toward your goals. All weight loss plans should contain a variety of food choices to maximize nutrient intake and

avoid deficiencies. Focusing on lean protein, fiber-rich grains, fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, and dairy and dairy alternatives is a great place to start. To further your progress, avoid the below foods that could slow your weight loss.

(1) White Bread

(2) Potato Chips

(3) Fruit Snacks

(4) Breakfast Pastries

(5) Candy

(6) Ice Cream

(7) Sugary Cereal

(8) Fast Food

(9) Cookies

(10) Hot Dogs

(11) Solid Fats

“Namely, it’s important to have clearance from a care provider if you or a loved one is thinking about engaging in something similar and there is any injury, traumatic brain injury, cognitive condition, or other extenuating circumstance that could worsen as a result of increased exertion of mind or body,” says Dr. Bahr

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