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Indian Diaspora
Joginder Sanger, a leading British Indian hotelier, has passed away in London, family sources said. He was 82. Sanger is said to have died surrounded by family on Friday night after being hospitalised due to a stroke. The Jalandhar-born entrepreneur began his journey in the UK with a travel agency and exclusive Air India contract before going on to set up a range of popular London hotels, including the Washington Mayfair Hotel, Courthouse Hotels in Soho and Shoreditch, and the luxury boutique hotel Bentley in Kensington. These hotels have been frequented by prominent Indian celebrities and politicians over the years, including former prime ministers, ministers and Bollywood stars. He was a dear friend of mine since the 1950s; I will miss him terribly, said NRI industrialist Lord Swraj Paul, 94. Like me, Joginder was also born in Jalandhar, and we shared so many experiences together. He will be missed by the Indian community in Britain, to which he has made immense contributions, he
A majority of Indians feel the return of Donald Trump as US President will be a "good thing" for peace in the world and US-India relations, according to a global poll by a European think-tank released on Wednesday. The European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), in cooperation with Oxford University's Europe in a Changing World project, found that people in many countries around the world are upbeat about the second Trump presidency. It identified India within the "Trump Welcomers" category, which reflects a view that Trump 2.0 would be good for India and the world. "In countries from India and China to Turkey and Brazil, more respondents think Trump will be good for America, for their country and for peace in the world than think he will be bad for them, reads the study entitled 'Alone in a Trumpian World: The EU and Global Public Opinion after the US Elections'. We identified five tendencies' for how people view Trump's return. The first are the Trump Welcomers. They view Trump
External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Friday described the three-day 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas being held here as highly successful. Speaking about the event, Jaishankar, who arrived here on January 8 to oversee preparations, said, "The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is going very well. Shortly, President Droupadi Murmu will arrive for the valedictory session. I believe this has been a highly successful event." The minister appreciated the cultural programmes held during the event, saying Thursday's performance beautifully highlighted the connection between India and its diaspora. "Everyone must have seen Thursday's cultural programme, which beautifully showcased the bond between India and its diaspora," he added. Jaishankar also met students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University during the event. In a post on X, he wrote, "Pleased to meet young scholars from Harvard and MIT on an India familiarization tour today on the sidelines of ...
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday stressed on the importance of the diaspora as India strives to build a "global workforce". Addressing the Indian diaspora at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention here, Jaishankar said that in times of difficulty abroad, they can be confident that the Narendra Modi government "has got your back". "We are proud of the achievements of our Indian diaspora," he said. "In a globalised era, the diaspora has become more important with each passing year, whether it is technology, best practices or resources, be it tourism, trade or investment, the two-way flow is invaluable as we strive to build a global workforce," Jaishankar said. The minister said the role of the diaspora is immense as they act as the bridge between India and the countries where they live. He said the people-centric changes that the Modi government is promoting are also benefitting the diaspora. "This could enhance the ease of doing business, promote ease of living a
The 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention will kick off in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday with the Odisha government leaving no stone unturned to showcase the state's rich culture and heritage in front of the NRIs who are coming here from 50 countries. The convention will begin with the Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas event being organised by the Odisha government in partnership with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, officials said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take part in the inaugural session on Thursday, while President Droupadi Murmu will preside over the valedictory session on Friday, they said. Murmu will also confer the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman upon members of the Indian diaspora to recognise their achievements in various fields. Trinidad and Tobago President Christine Carla Kangaloo is the chief guest of this edition, which is being held on the theme 'Diaspora's Contribution to a Viksit Bharat'. She will address the convention virtually. Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja
A number of Indian diaspora groups in the UK have strongly objected to the use of the generic term Asian with reference to a historic child sexual abuse scandal across different parts of England, largely involving gangs of men of Pakistani heritage. Defending his record, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday that he had reopened such cases and brought the first prosecution of an Asian grooming gang in Rochdale, north-west England, during his time as the head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) between 2008 and 2013. The Network of Sikh Organisations (NSO) reacted to Starmer's statement to highlight that the charity had first complained about the use of vague terminology referencing the country's wider South Asian community in connection with the crime back in 2012. This use of the vague reference to Asian' grooming gangs is extremely disappointing from the Prime Minister, NSO said in a statement. Part of the problem with this issue has been a fear of not speaking ..
Twelve Indian nationals were found dead at a restaurant in Georgia's mountain resort of Gudauri, according to the Indian mission here. Georgia's Ministry of Internal Affairs said in a statement that no signs of injuries or signs of violence were detected in an initial inspection. All victims died from carbon monoxide poisoning, local media reported, citing police. The Indian mission in Tbilisi said that all 12 victims were Indian nationals. However, Georgia's internal affairs ministry statement said 11 were foreigners while one victim was its citizen. It added that the bodies of all victims, employees in the same Indian restaurant, were found in bedrooms on the second floor of the facility. "Mission has just learned about the death of 12 Indian nationals in Gudauri, Georgia. Deepest condolences to the bereaved families. Mission is in touch with the local authorities to get details of the Indian nationals who lost their lives. All possible assistance will be given," the Indian missi
The Reserve Bank on Friday announced a raise in the interest rate caps on the diaspora's foreign currency deposits, in a move aimed at attracting more capital flows amid pressures on the rupee. Announcing the fifth bi-monthly monetary policy for the current financial year, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das said it has been decided to increase the interest rate ceilings on Foreign Currency Non-Resident Bank deposits or FCNR (B) deposits as per tenors. It can be noted that the move comes at a time when rupee has been hitting lifetime lows against the dollar, and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) seems to be deploying forex reserves to contain the volatilities, as seen in the sharp fall in the kitty over the last few weeks. Starting from Friday, banks have been now permitted to raise fresh FCNR (B) deposits of 1 year to less than 3 years maturity at rates not exceeding Overnight Alternative Reference Rate (ARR) plus 400 basis points, as against 250 basis points earlier. Similarly, deposits w
Jan Suraaj leader Prashant Kishor has said Bihar is "literally a failed state" which is in "deep shit" and tremendous efforts are required for its all-round development. In a virtual interaction with the Bihari diaspora community after the launch of the US chapter of the Jan Suraaj, the former poll strategist exuded confidence that his party would win the 2025 Bihar Assembly polls and said that he would lift the ban on alcohol and use the revenue to improve school education. "We have to realise that this (Bihar) is a state which is in deep shit. If Bihar were a country, it would be the 11th largest country in terms of population in the world. We have just overtaken Japan in terms of population," Kishor told the gathering. He said the biggest challenge is that society has become "hopeless" about improving the situation of Bihar. "When you become hopeless, the immediate survival needs become so overpowering that nothing (else) matters," he said. However, Kishor said, not all is ...
Britain's National Health Service (NHS) owes so much to the Indian diaspora and it is the partnership with India which will help the UK meet the challenges of modernising the country's healthcare system for the future, Health Secretary Wes Streeting has said. As a keynote speaker at India Global Forum's (IGF) annual Diwali celebration in London on Wednesday evening, Streeting drew upon the spirit of the Festival of Lights to express optimism towards the enormous reform agenda ahead for his department. If I think about the way in which the NHS has been shaped in the last 76 years, we owe so much to the Indian diaspora here in Britain, said Streeting. It was the generation that helped to build the NHS in 1948 and today we see the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren shaping its future. When we see such enormous challenges in our health and care service, when we look out to a very fragile and unstable world, it is very easy to feel overwhelmed by the challenge and beaten by
Emphasising India's goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047, President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday acknowledged the crucial role of the Indian diaspora in achieving this vision while addressing the community members in the Mauritanian capital. The president arrived here earlier in the day on the second leg of her three-nation visit to Africa. It is the first visit to Mauritania by an Indian leader at the highest level since the African nation won independence in 1960. "We are rapidly moving towards our goal of making India a Developed India' by the year 2047, and our diaspora family is a very important factor in this process," Murmu said at a community reception organised here. Expressing gratitude to the host nation, she said, "I express my gratitude to the government and people of Mauritania for always supporting the Indian community." Highlighting the potential for India-Mauritania cooperation, President Murmu noted that India could contribute to Mauritania's development in
Love, respect and humility are missing in Indian politics, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has said in his address to the Indian American community in Texas, where he also criticised the RSS for believing that India is "one idea". Gandhi made the remarks on Sunday in Dallas during his first interaction with the Indian diaspora after becoming Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha this summer. "RSS believes that India is one idea. We believe that India is a multiplicity of ideas," he said. "Very much like the United States, we believe everybody should be allowed to participate. We believe that everybody should be allowed to dream, (and) everybody should be given space, regardless of their caste, language, religion, tradition, history, he said. This is the fight. The fight crystallised in the election when millions of people in India clearly understood that the Prime Minister of India was attacking the Constitution of India. Because what I am saying to you is the union of states, respect
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said he was looking forward to strong ties with Brunei, as he arrived here on the first leg of his two-nation trip meant to strengthen cooperation in sectors like defence, trade and investment, energy as well as people-to-people exchanges. Modi, the first Indian Prime Minister to travel to Brunei on a bilateral visit, said he was looking forward to his meetings with Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and other members of the royal family to take the historical relationship to new heights. As a special gesture, Modi was received by Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah at the airport. From Brunei, Modi will travel to Singapore on Wednesday. Modi visited the iconic Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque in Brunei, which was built by the current Sultan's father. He also inaugurated the new chancery premises of the High Commission of India. At both places, he interacted with the Indian diaspora. He was received by Minister of Religious Affairs Pehin Dato Ustaz Awang Badarudd