Author: Aakash Prabhu

Raksha Bandhan is a popular Hindu festival that celebrates the bond between brothers and sisters. It happens every year at the end of August – this year it’s on the 30th. Hindus in India and around the world celebrate Raksha Bandhan in lots of different ways. Usually it involves the sister tying a bracelet around her brother’s wrist. History of Raksha Bandhan Raksha Bandhan is celebrated to remember an ancient story from a Hindu scripture called The Mahabharata. Hinduism has many different gods and Raksha Bandhan is dedicated to a story about the god Krishna. Krishna had a very strong bond…

Israel continued to provide social and medical assistance to refugees from Ukraine. The program will run at least until the end of 2023. It is reported by RBC-Ukraine with reference to the statement of the adviser to the office of the Prime Minister of Israel Dmitry Gendelman. At the initiative of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrych, a meeting was held on permanent assistance to Ukrainian refugees. At the meeting, it was decided to extend social and medical assistance to refugees from Ukraine until the end of the year. According to representatives of Israel, we are talking about 14,213 citizens of…

India’s parliament is debating a no-confidence motion that opposition parties have brought against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. Congress party lawmaker Gaurav Gogoi, who brought the motion on 26 July, initiated the debate. Lawmakers will vote on the motion on Thursday after the debate ends. Mr Modi’s government won’t lose the vote as his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies have a majority in parliament. But opposition leaders say the debate will force Mr Modi to speak on ongoing ethnic clashes in Manipur state. More than 150 people have died and tens of thousands have been displaced in Manipur since early…

India’s Supreme Court has questioned the federal government on “systemic” and “unabated” violence in the north-eastern state of Manipur while hearing a petition filed by two women who were seen in a video that sparked outrage. The viral video showed the women being paraded naked and molested by a mob. They were assaulted in early May, when violence began in Manipur, but it only made headlines this month. Their petition asks for a fair trial and protection of their identities. The court is also hearing a petition from the federal government, which has asked the Supreme Court to move the trial…

Russia’s losses in the war in Ukraine on Monday morning, July 17, amounted to 620 invaders, the total number of losses of the Russian army since the beginning of the invasion is 238,300 soldiers. In addition, the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed 23 artillery systems and 8 drones. It is reported by RBC-Ukraine with reference to the data of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The total combat losses of the enemy from February 24, 22 to July 17, 23 were approximately: The situation at the front Russia is concentrating its main efforts on the Kupyansky, Limansky, Bakhmutsky, Avdeevsky and Maryinsky directions. The…

Ethnic violence has plunged Manipur, India’s scenic state bordering Myanmar, into turmoil. Persistent clashes between the Meiteis and Kukis for over two months have left both feeling besieged. The neighbouring villages of these communities appear to be particularly susceptible to attacks. In the second of a two-part series on Manipur, the BBC’s Soutik Biswas visited a scenic valley where Meitei villages have come under attack. Under the cover of darkness in early May, the men emerged from the hills above. They were shouting slogans that pierced the stillness of the night and firing gunshots that punctuated the balmy air. Some…

Because of Covid, inflation and war: Brussels wants a supplementary budget worth billions from the member states The EU Commission has asked the member states to make an additional contribution of several billion euros, 50 billion for Ukraine alone, to increase the EU budget for the next four years. The additional money is needed to fill gaps created by unforeseen crises such as Covid, inflation and war, EU Budget Commissioner Johannes Hahn said in Brussels on Tuesday. Speaking to reporters, Hahn said his move came after consultation with member states. “My message to the prime ministers and finance ministers was…

Hundreds of people have paraded through a town centre as part of a Hindu festival. Rath Yatra – or Chariot Festival – attracts millions in India and has been celebrated in Swindon, Wiltshire, for the first time. The festival procession started from the Swindon Hindu Centre. It featured a colourful chariot, a flag flown in from a temple in India and some special offerings, chanting and dancing. Amala Manjari Devi Dasi travelled from Reading for the event. She said: “Rath mean’s ‘chariot’ and Yatra means ‘procession’. This is a chariot festival where the Lord of the Universe Jagannath is coming.…

India’s opposition leader Rahul Gandhi is set to visit the north-eastern state of Manipur which has been wracked by ethnic violence. On Thursday and Friday, Mr Gandhi will visit relief camps for people displaced by the violence and meet leaders of civil society groups. For the past two months, Manipur has been convulsed by clashes between the majority Meitei and Kuki communities. More than 100 people have died and over 400 have been wounded so far. On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with top government officials to review the situation in Manipur. However, Congress leaders have criticised him for…

China has been operating military and intelligence facilities in Cuba since at least 2019 and is continuing to expand its intelligence gathering capabilities around the world, a Biden administration official and two other sources told CNN Saturday. The administration official said China “conducted an upgrade of its intelligence collection facilities in Cuba in 2019” under the Trump administration and described the challenge as “inherited.” “This is well-documented in the intelligence record,” the official said. The sources acknowledged that China has been spying on the US from various sites based in Cuba for years after the White House denied reports earlier this week…