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For more than three decades, the beat of the dhak has announced Durga Puja in Manchester. This year, it is joined by something new: WhatsApp messages, AI tools and short-form videos, as one of Northern England's longest-established Bengali organisations looks for new ways to keep its community connected. The Greater Manchester Bengali Hindu Cultural Association (GMBHCA) will celebrate Durga Puja from Friday 16 October to Tuesday 20 October 2026 at Gandhi Hall, Withington. Founded in 1993 by a ha

A COURT in London has settled a five-year succession dispute of a Hindu faith organisation which has a strong presence in the UK, US, India, Canada and Australia. The Yogi Divine Society (YDS), which has its UK headquarters in Harrow, north London, was established by His Holiness Hariprasad Swamiji, who died in July 2021, without publicly naming who would succeed him. Two saints sought claim to lead the organisation Pujya Prem Swaroop Swami, 80, (known as Member A in court documents) and Pujya

A 13-VOLUME biography of His Holiness Param Pujya Pramukh Swami Maharaj, running to 8,848 pages and 2,146,447 words, has been recognised by Guinness World Records as the longest biography by a single author. It was announced in London last Sunday (4) during celebrations marking the 93rd birth anniversary of HH Pujya Mahant Swami Maharaj, the spiritual head of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha. The Guinness World Records certificate was presented to HH Pujya Mahant Swami Maharaj at OVO Arena Wembley in f

PHARMACYS best were celebrated for their crucial contribution to healthcare at the 26th annual Pharmacy Business Awards in London last Friday (2). More than 680 guests attended the event, which pays tribute to the exceptional dedication of pharmacists who safeguard the health and wellbeing of local communities, as well as the industry that supports them. Pharmacy teams, leading products, wholesalers and manufacturers were recognised on the night. Rajan Shah and Sanjay Patel of West Ealing Pharma

Highlights The FA has sanctioned Tonda Eckert with a six-week ban from all football, suspended until the end of the 2027/28 season, plus a 28,000 fine and a reprimand Eckert admitted three breaches of FA Rule E3.1 for directing or authorising the observation of Oxford United, Ipswich Town and Middlesbrough training sessions He can lead Southampton into Sunday's south coast derby against Portsmouth (12:00 BST, live on ITV and Sky Sports) The club were already expelled from last season's Champions

Highlights The Social Reckoning revisits the world of Facebook 16 years after The Social Network Aaron Sorkin turns his attention to misinformation, extremism and the consequences of Facebooks algorithms Mikey Madison and Jeremy Allen White lead the film as whistleblower Frances Haugen and journalist Jeff Horwitz Jeremy Strong plays Mark Zuckerberg in a deliberately unusual performance The film makes a strong case against Facebook while sometimes leaning into Sorkins trademark self-righteous dia

Badenoch warns separatist ghettos are eroding integration She says migrants must join the country and respect British norms Tory leader admits past failure on immigration strategy Conservatives third in latest YouGov poll on 19 per cent CONSERVATIVE leader Kemi Badenoch has warned that separatist communities are undermining the integration of migrants, saying people moving to the UK must join the country. Speaking at the start of her party's annual conference on Sunday, she said too many arrival

Highlights Daniel Craig's grey Tom Ford suit from the Skyfall Istanbul chase has a pre-sale estimate of 20,000 to 40,000 in Propstore's online Bond auction The sale has about 400 lots and closes on October 27, with a No Time to Die dress and 14 Ian Fleming first editions among the top items A clapperboard from Octopussy , the first Bond film partly shot in India, is also on offer Amazon MGM has not announced who will play the next 007 The suit Most Bond fans can picture the moment. After riding

Trump says US withdrew all B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford He says threats were linked to Iran; Tehran denies involvement Downing Street insists the base is safe Six people arrested over incident released on bail US PRESIDENT Donald Trump said on Monday that the United States had withdrawn all its B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford because of threats he believed were linked to Iran, as the UK government insisted the base was safe. The Pentagon confirmed on Sunday that the bombers had left the base in s

BT has acquired TalkTalk and PlatformX Communications out of administration. The deal is intended to protect services for 2.5 million customers and around 900 employees. The CMA will examine the competition implications before the government considers wider public-interest concerns. BT has agreed to buy TalkTalk out of administration in a 400m rescue deal designed to prevent the collapse of the broadband provider and protect services for around 2.5 million customers across the UK. The deal gives

Highlights Mark Chapman and Kelly Cates are reportedly dating after growing close as Match of the Day co-hosts Chapman is said to have split from his girlfriend Clere Collier in April after three years together A report claims Chapman told Collier there was no overlap between the two relationships Chapman and Cates appeared together on Celebrity Gogglebox in July Cates previously opened up about her worries about dating again Match of the Day presenters Mark Chapman and Kelly Cates are reportedl

A YouGov projection puts the Tories second on 130 seats, ahead of Reform on 123. Reform's support slips amid a police investigation and a sleaze probe over a 5 million gift to Farage. Analysts call it a very small revival driven by Reform's fall rather than Tory gains. A split right-wing vote could help Labour, now led by Andy Burnham, hold key seats. THE CONSERVATIVES have overtaken Reform UK in a new seat projection, reversing a year in which Nigel Farage's party appeared on course to replace

A BRITISH ASIAN businessman and his former wife are fighting extradition to the US, where they are accused of defrauding American health programmes of millions of dollars by supplying cancer drugs that had not been approved by US regulators. Sukhi Ghuman and Kiranjit Ghuman, both 48 and now living in the UK, appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London last week for an extradition hearing. The pair, who have divorced since the charges were brought, deny the allegations. They are also wan

POLICE in New Delhi detained several people on Saturday as they broke up a second day of protests against changes to India's voter rolls, led by the Gen Z-backed Cockroach Janta Party and other opposition groups. Protesters say the changes benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi's governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and are demanding the resignation of the chief election commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar. About 100 demonstrators removed security barricades and chanted vote thief, leave the post and G

G7 countries will coordinate the release of 100 million barrels over four months. A substantial amount of diesel will be released within the first 20 days. UK diesel prices have climbed above 2 a litre amid a global supply squeeze. The G7 has agreed to release 100 million barrels of oil and petroleum products in an effort to ease a global supply squeeze that has sent diesel and other fuel prices sharply higher. The coordinated release by the US, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan will

More than $77,000 has been traded on a Polymarket market covering major bank failures. HSBC and Lloyds are among the lenders included in the contracts. UK and European regulators are examining wider risks around prediction markets. UK authorities are facing calls to intervene after online prediction market Polymarket allowed users to place thousands of dollars in positions on whether major banks including HSBC and Lloyds will fail by the end of 2026. The market had generated about $77,500 in tra

Highlights Novak Djokovic, 39, has returned to the China Open for the first time in 11 years, still holding a perfect career record in Beijing He's shown visible physical struggles in both his opening matches, repeatedly glancing at his box as if searching for answers He battled from the brink of defeat to beat Chinese wildcard Bu Yunchaokete, after also needing a tiebreak to see off Nuno Borges Despite his own struggles, Djokovic has spoken warmly about the rise of Chinese tennis, including the

The NHS winter flu and Covid vaccination programme is under way. Eligibility differs between the free flu and Covid jabs. Older people, pregnant women and those with weakened immune systems are among those urged to get protected. The flu covid vaccine programme is under way in England, with the NHS urging eligible people to book their free jabs before winter. The latest campaign is particularly focused on protecting people most at risk from serious illness, including older adults, pregnant women

UK new-car registrations rose 12.1 per cent to 350,518 in September. Battery-electric car sales jumped 36 per cent to a record 99,199. The Jaecoo 7 topped the monthly sales chart ahead of the Tesla Model 3. The UK new-car market had its strongest September in almost a decade as record demand for electric vehicles helped push registrations up 12.1 per cent year on year. Some 350,518 new cars were registered in September, the highest figure for the month since 2017, according to the Society of Mot

Highlights Nicolas Cage has compared the Marvel Cinematic Universe to a well-funded and glorified WWE The actor criticised the franchises focus on large-scale action over character-driven storytelling His comments come days after his Marvel series Spider-Noir was cancelled after one season Nicolas Cage has criticised the direction of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, comparing the superhero franchise to a well-funded and glorified WWE. The Oscar-winning actor made the comments during an appearance

Ryanair cancelled more than 1,000 flights in September, according to the airline. Two NATS incidents occurred within a fortnight, disrupting flights across Britainand Ireland. Ryanair carried 20.1 million passengers last month, up 4 per cent year on year. Ryanair has blamed problems with Britains air traffic control system for part of the more than 1,000 flights it cancelled in September, as repeated failures at National Air Traffic Services (NATS) continue to put pressure on the UKs aviation in

Highlights Sir Alex Ferguson has said he was errified about returning to Old Trafford after suffering a brain haemorrhage in May 2018 He made that emotional return less than four months later, watching Manchester United draw 1-1 with Wolves from the directors' box The comments came in a new BBC Breakfast interview promoting his upcoming book, Games of My Life Ferguson's wife, Lady Cathy, was by his side for that 2018 return; she died in October 2023, aged 84 Sir Alex Ferguson built his reputati

Highlights: Paris-based Museum Studio is designing 23 museums at Sabarmati Ashram. The redevelopment project spans nearly 50 acres along the Sabarmati River. Research on Gandhi's 19171930 years at the ashram began in January. The proposed displays include digital exhibits, murals, sculptures and audiovisual content. The project aims to introduce Gandhi's principles to a new generation. For decades, Sabarmati Ashram has stood as a reminder of Mahatma Gandhis simple lifestyle and his role in India

Gemini 4 Argon can generate up to one million tokens in a single output. Google says the model is already being used internally for coding, research and large-scale engineering work. The AI is initially being tested by trusted cyber defenders before wider access. Google has unveiled Gemini 4 Argon, a new frontier AI model that can generate up to one million tokens in a single output, a sharp increase from the previous 64,000-token limit. In simple terms, the bigger limit is designed to let the G

Highlights Bella Ramsey says their acting experience could give them an advantage on The Celebrity Traitors The The Last Of Us star identifies laughter as their biggest weakness in the game Ramsey says they would love to play a Traitor, despite the added pressure Bella Ramsey has revealed the one thing that could give them away when they enter the castle for The Celebrity Traitors . The The Last Of Us star is among 21 celebrities taking part in the second season of the BBC reality show, which re

Highlights Amitabh Bachchan was seen seated during the opening monologue of Kaun Banega Crorepati 18 The actor revealed that he slipped and injured his knee during the previous days shoot Bachchan said he had some difficulty standing but assured viewers that he would recover soon Amitabh Bachchan s usual Kaun Banega Crorepati routine took an unexpected turn this week after the actor suffered a knee injury during the shoot of the quiz show. The 83-year-old actor, who generally delivers his openin

FIVE people have been jailed for more than 80 years after being convicted of offences including rape, trafficking and the sexual exploitation of three teenage girls in north Wales. Four men and a woman were sentenced at Caernarfon Crown Court last Friday (25), following a three-month trial. The offences took place in Rhyl and elsewhere in Denbighshire between April 2022 and March 2024. The girls were aged between 14 and 16. Mustafa Iqbal North Wales Police Sarah Gray North Wales Police Mustafa I

Trump brought leading AI and technology executives to the White House. The companies agreed to voluntary safety controls and external audits. Trump also directed federal agencies to use Super Intelligence instead of AI. Why were Sundar Pichai, Jensen Huang, Greg Brockman and Satya Nadella all in the same room with US President Donald Trump? The answer goes beyond a meeting of technology executives. The White House gathering brought together leaders from different parts of the artificial intellig

Highlights Dakota Johnson opened up about filming intimate scenes with Anne Hathaway for Verity . Johnson said: I would kiss Annie for the rest of my life. Every day. The actors improvised one of the films intimate scenes with director Michael Showalter. Josh Hartnett described the casts chemistry as coming from mutual respect and understanding. Dakota Johnson has opened up about filming intimate scenes with Anne Hathaway in Verity , the upcoming adaptation of Colleen Hoovers bestselling novel.

Greggs plans to close four factories. About 740 jobs are at risk. Sales rose 7.7 per cent in the latest quarter. Greggs is planning to close four factories and put around 740 jobs at risk as the bakery chain restructures its manufacturing operations. The closures will affect manufacturing sites in Enfield in Greater London, North Lakes near Penrith in Cumbria, Pettigrews in Kelso, Scotland, and Seaham in County Durham. Greggs will continue to operate its distribution operations from the Enfield

Highlights BBC Director-General Matt Brittin said he watched a 50-minute AI-generated episode of Doctor Who Brittin described the episode as pretty good while discussing the future of artificial intelligence His comments have sparked angry reactions from Doctor Who fans online The BBC is currently looking for a new production company to take the long-running sci-fi series forward Doctor Who fans have reacted angrily after BBC Director-General Matt Brittin revealed that he had watched a 50-minute

Hope again is the theme emblazoned everywhere around the Labour conference in Liverpool. Andy Burnham was on home soil to address his first conference as the party leader and prime minister. Yet the novelty factor is somewhat dimmed by this being the fourth year out of five to see a different prime minister make their first autumn keynote address. After Liz Truss in 2022, Rishi Sunak in 2023, Keir Starmer in 2024 was the only one of that trio to get a second go, but not a third. Can Burnham brea

Highlights Riz Ahmed stars alongside Tom Cruise in Alejandro G Inarritus Digger Vir Das and Fahadh Faasil had both auditioned for Rizs role in the film Ahmed was asked what message he would give the two Indian actors His response was simply: Sorry. Thank you for your incredible work, and I hope we get to work together Riz Ahmed is set to star alongside Tom Cruise in Alejandro G Inarritus Digger , but the role of Ganesh was also auditioned for by Indian actors Vir Das and Fahadh Faasil. With the

Anthropic devoted about 80 pages of its IPO filing to risk factors. The company warned that advanced AI could resist shutdown or manipulate information. Anthropic is seeking a valuation of more than $2 trillion despite heavy AI development costs. Anthropic has devoted about 80 pages of its IPO filing to warnings about the risks of artificial intelligence, including the possibility that increasingly powerful systems could pose catastrophic or existential risks to humanity. The developer of Claude

For some British Asian couples, the decision to travel to India for IVF involves more than the cost of treatment. Access to care, waiting times, donor availability, family connections, and cultural comfort can all shape where they seek treatment, says Dr Rohit Gutgutia, a fertility and IVF specialist. Speaking to Eastern Eye, Gutgutia discusses why some British Asian couples are looking beyond the UK for fertility treatment, from NHS waiting times and private costs to donor availability, family

Highlights Courtney Meppen-Walter, a former Manchester City academy player and England youth international, has died aged 32 His former club Bury confirmed the news in a statement on Tuesday morning; no cause of death has been given He spent his career mostly in non-league football after leaving Manchester City, most recently with Bury and on loan at Stalybridge Celtic He was convicted in 2013, at age 18, of causing the deaths of two people in a car crash, and served 16 months in prison Courtney

Highlights Arun Govil, who famously played Lord Rama in Ramanand Sagars Ramayan , has praised Ranbir Kapoors casting in Ramayana Govil said Kapoor was the closest among current young stars to his idea of Lord Rama Kapoor plays Lord Rama in Nitesh Tiwaris two-part adaptation of the epic Sai Pallavi, who plays Sita, also spoke about seeing Kapoor in character for the first time Ranbir Kapoors portrayal of Lord Rama in Nitesh Tiwaris upcoming Ramayana has received a major endorsement from Arun Govi

Highlights Aishwarya Rai and Bridgerton star Simone Ashley reunited at Paris Fashion Week The pair shared a warm greeting and were later seen holding hands at the event Fans praised their friendship, with some calling their interaction sisterly The two stars also shared a sweet moment at Paris Fashion Week last year Aishwarya Rai returned to Paris Fashion Week as a LOral Paris ambassador , but her reunion with Bridgerton star Simone Ashley quickly became another talking point. The pair were spot

Highlights Former England captain Lawrence Dallaglio is auctioning his 2003 Rugby World Cup winner's medal, expected to fetch between 50,000 and 80,000 The sale follows a divorce and subsequent bankruptcy, which Dallaglio has discussed candidly, including seeking therapy for what he called self-pity His full memorabilia collection at Budd's auction house, including Lions and Sevens World Cup items, is valued at around 180,000 in total The auction takes place on October 13 in Northamptonshire The

Shabana Mahmood has reopened the UK Resettlement Scheme for new refugee referrals. Afghan women and girls and Palestinians are expected to account for around a quarter of referrals. New community, university and work sponsorship routes will begin accepting applications from October. Shabana Mahmood has reopened the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), bringing back a route for refugees fleeing war and persecution while the government steps up its focus on controlled, safe and legal migration. The Home

Highlights Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, have made no public comments about Harry and Meghans return to the UK A royal expert says the couples actions are speaking louder than words William and Catherine have continued their royal duties without publicly addressing the family tensions Their approach has been compared with the Royal Familys long-standing Keep Calm and Carry On attitude Prince Harry and Meghan Markles return to the UK has raised questions about how Prince Willia

UK diesel prices have reached a record 199.18p a litre. Filling an average family car with diesel now costs almost 110. Fuel duty is already being increased in stages through March 2027. Diesel prices in the UK have reached a record 199.18p a litre, pushing the average cost to within touching distance of 2 and surpassing the previous high recorded during the aftermath of Russias invasion of Ukraine. The RAC said the latest average price was 0.09p above the previous record of 199.09p a litre, rec

Newcastle University has responded to the criticism of the professorship conferred on Anant Ambani in the Guardian and other newspapers by making it clear that billionaire businessman Mukesh Ambanis 31-year-old son did not pay for the honour. This new declaration appears to neutralise much of the criticism levelled against Anant. It perhaps also closes the door to money changing hands in the future. Most UK universities are financially in dire straits and are looking to India as part of the solu

Highlights Bruce Campbell says he was kicked out of the lead role in his first studio film The Evil Dead star says the experience left him with a very sour taste towards Hollywood studios Campbell wrote, directed, produced and stars in independent film Ernie & Emma The film was made in Oregon with his wife and longtime partner, Ida Gearon Campbell says creative freedom was a major reason for making the project independently Bruce Campbell has opened up about an early Hollywood experience that le

238,396 suspected mule accounts were closed in 2025. People aged 40 to 49 recorded the sharpest rise in account closures. Criminals often move fraudulent funds through two to five mule accounts before cashing out. Nearly 240,000 suspected money mule accounts were closed by financial firms in the UK last year as banks stepped up efforts to disrupt the movement of criminal funds. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) recorded 238,396 reported account closures linked to suspected money mule activit

Earl Spencer described media coverage of Harry and Meghan as a cancerous influence in their life. He said their treatment had echoes of what happened to Diana. He said Diana was really brought low by all that criticism. Harry and Meghan have previously criticised their treatment by the British press. EARL SPENCER has described media coverage of Prince Harry and Meghan as a cancerous influence in their life, saying their treatment has echoes of what happened to his sister Diana, Princess of Wales

OLeary apologised sincerely and unreservedly after more than a week of criticism. He had previously said there was no need to apologise and rejected an offer of training from the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre. The centre welcomed his change of position and said it could help highlight the impact of language on survivors. Michael OLeary is not exactly known for backing down. The Ryanair chief executive has built much of his public image around provocative comments, sharp attacks on competitors and a

Gemini accessed three real companies during a cybersecurity test in May. The model reportedly guessed passwords in one case and found credentials in public repositories in two others. Google said Gemini stopped in all three cases after realising it had accessed actual companies. Google has confirmed that its Gemini AI model accessed the systems of three real companies during a cybersecurity evaluation conducted by independent testing firm Irregular in May. The test was designed to assess Geminis

British Steel is costing taxpayers about 1.3 million a day, according to the Public Accounts Committee. The government had provided 555 million in funding by June, while spending was expected to reach 642 million by the end of June. MPs say there is still no credible plan for the companys long-term business model, decarbonisation or finances. Britains decision to rescue British Steel was meant to buy time. More than a year later, MPs are asking what that time has actually bought. The Public Acco

Highlights Ranveer Singh has pledged to support the education of 1,000 girls Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt are reportedly backing the refurbishment of 20 schools The Bollywood stars are among film personalities supporting the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan Ganesh Chaturthi is often a time for prayers, celebrations and seeking blessings from Lord Ganesha. For Ranveer Singh , Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt , this year's festivities have also become an opportunity to give back. Ranveer visited Mumbai's iconic L