Hyundai Motor Group said on Friday that it will raise its stake in Motional, the group’s autonomous driving joint venture in the United States, through a paid-in capital increase, as well as invest in the local venture partner Aptiv.

Hyundai Motor Group said the decision for the paid-in capital increase and the acquisition of an 11 per cent stake in the U.S. mobility startup Aptiv was reached to secure stable management authority in Motional to actively develop autonomous driving technology and internalise core technologies.

The South Korean automaker group’s capital increase in Motional will be worth 663 billion won, reports Yonhap news agency.

Together with the acquisition of the 11 per cent stake in Aptiv, Hyundai Motor Group’s stake in the joint venture will increase from the existing 50 per cent to 55.8 per cent.

Hyundai Motor Group said it aims to accelerate autonomous driving technology development through its participation in the capital increase while also pursuing stable revenue generation strategies.

“By establishing the direction of Motional’s technology development, we expect to enhance our technological competitiveness and lay the groundwork for expanding synergies between autonomous driving divisions within the group,” a group official said.

Savour the sun-kissed moments of summer with our handpicked selection of sensational cocktail recipes. Whether you’re lounging by the poolside with your beloved or hosting a lively gathering with cherished friends, each sip is designed to evoke the essence of the season and create unforgettable memories.

From Refreshing mixes to tropical delights, Diageo India’s cocktails promise a journey to paradise and a burst of flavour, let the following cocktails be the highlight of your summer soirées. Here’s to endless days of sunshine, laughter, and the perfect pour!

Malt & Malta

Ingredients:

60 ml Johnnie Walker Blonde

20 ml Malta orange Marmalade

20 ml Fresh lime juice

Few mint leaves

Garnish: Orange peel on the rim of the glass with the spring of mint interested in it

Method: Shake all the ingredients well

Glassware: Nick & Nora

Iced Tea My Way!

Ingredients:

50ml Johnnie Walker Black Label

150 ml Carbonated Peach tea brew

Garnish: Fresh Orange Wedge

Method: In a high ball, build up all the ingredients over a few ice cubes

Salter Melon Spiritz

Ingredients:

60 ml Black & White

20ml Melon Syrup

15ml Fresh Lime Juice

2gm Salt

120ml Soda Water

Garnish: Muskmelon Slice

Method: In a high ball, build up all the ingredients over a few ice cubes

Glassware: Wine Glass

Oak Upwing

Ingredients:

50ml Black Dog

30ml Cold brew coffee

10 ml Vanilla syrup

Garnish: Vanilla Wafer

Method: Shake all the ingredients well

Glassware: Coup

Berry Ginger Dash

Ingredients:

8 pieces Fresh Mulberry

15ml Fresh lime juice

25ml Honey Syrup

10ml Fresh Ginger juice

60ml Soda water

60 ml Gingerale

Garnish: Mint springs, fresh mulberries

Method: Add mulberries to the glass and muddle them. Then add the rest of the ingredients and ice cubes and then add crushed ice to build the cocktail

Glassware: Mule Mug

Beat The Heat

Ingredients:

50 ml Gordons

150 ml Italian Lemonade

Garnish: Italian Lemon Wedges

Method: In a high ball, build up all the ingredients over a few ice cubes.

Canadian police have arrested three Indian nationals in connection with the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

According to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the arrested members were part of the alleged hit squad that was tasked to assassinate Nijjar in June last year.

“Today (Friday, May 3) the Integrated Homicide Investigative Team (IHIT) and the Federal Policing Program Pacific Region announced the arrests of three individuals for their alleged involvement in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar on June 18, 2023,” the RCMP said in a statement.

The arrested Indian nationals have allegedly played different roles as shooters, drivers and spotters on the day Nijjar was killed at the parking lot of Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia.

The Canadian media identified the arrested persons as Kamalpreet Singh, Karanpreet Singh and Karan Brar.

The police have charged them with first-degree murder and conspiracy in the Nijjar case but the charges have not been tested in the court.

The three arrested Indians were reportedly living as non-permanent residents in Alberta for three to five years and the police have also released their photographs.

The murder of the the Khalistani terrorist had become a major flashpoint in the diplomatic relations between India and Canada last year after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused Indian government’s hand in it.

Trudeau told the country’s Parliament that Ottawa has “credible allegations” of the involvement of Indian government agents in Nijjar’s killing.

New Delhi vehemently rejected his allegations, terming them “absurd” and “politically motivated”. India also demanded evidence from Canada to back Trudeau’s claim, but they failed to provide none.

India also raised the issue of disparity in the Canadian diplomats’ strength in India and the alleged violence against Hindus in Canada.

India also accused Canada of being a safe haven for Khalistani extremists and demanded action against them.

Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, hailed from Indian state of Punjab. He was declared a terrorist by New Delhi and was wanted in the country on various terror charges. Canada, however, considered him a “Sikh activist”.

A court here on Saturday sent Arun Reddy, an accused in the Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s doctored video case, to three-day police custody.

On Friday, Delhi Police arrested Arun Reddy, who manages the Telangana Congress’ X account — ‘Spirit of Congress’.

Sources said that Reddy was arrested from Delhi. Meanwhile, Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police arrested five persons, identified as Pendyala Vamshi Krishna, Satish Manne, Pettam Naveen, Asma Tasleem and Koya Geetha — all residents of Hyderabad, who were circulating the doctored video of the Home Minister.

According to police, Home Minister Shah delivered a speech during a public meeting in Telangana’s Medak on April 23.

“Pendyala Vamshi Krishna received a morphed video of the speech on Whatsapp. He then uploaded the morphed video on the ‘INCTelangana’ (X) handle and shared it in various WhatsApp groups,” said the Hyderabad Police in a statement issued on Friday.

Delhi Police registered an FIR after receiving complaints from the BJP and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). The case has been registered under Sections 153, 153A, 465, 469, and 171G of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 66C of the Information Technology (IT) Act.

The investigators are yet to receive any response from social media giants X and Meta in connection with the doctored video, a Delhi Police source told IANS.

Earlier, the Delhi Police had also summoned Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy for questioning in connection with the case.

Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) during their 134th meeting approved athletes Jyothi Yarraji and Shaili Singh’s proposals for multiple competitions as the two aim to Qualify for the upcoming Paris Olympic Games.

The Indian track and field athletes have sent in their request for financial assistance towards various competitions across Europe for the coming month, where they will try to either breach the qualification mark or gather crucial ranking points for the Olympics.
While Jyothi has proposed to compete in six international events in Europe, Shaili aims to compete in 4 events in the month of May and June.

MOC under their Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) funding will cover their airfare, visa costs, accommodation charges, local transport costs, medical insurance, physio charges, massage costs and OPA among other expenditures.

MOC also approved proposals of Badminton players Kiran George, Ayush Shetty and Rakshitha Sree. Kiran has proposed to participate in the Malaysia Masters (BWF 500) while Ayush has requested financial assistance to participate in a Thailand Open along with Malaysia Masters. Meanwhile, Rakshitha will head to Denmark to participate in State Denmark Challenge followed by the Slovenia Open in Ljubljana.

TOPS will fund their airfare, accommodation costs, Insurance coverage and Visa costs among other expenditures.

MOC also approved proposals of Table Tennis players Manav Thakkar and Archana Kamath, both Manav and Archana plan to compete in WTT Contender Rio De Janeiro, Brazil and WTT Contender Mendoza, Argentina with TOPS covering their Airfare, Hospitality package cost and Visa fees.
Besides foreign competitions, MOC also approved the proposal of Skeet shooter Anantjeet Singh Naruka’s plan to train in Italy with personal coach Ennio Falco before the World Cup, Baku and World Cup, Lonato. The total training period for Anantjeet will be 20 days under coach Ennio Falco with TOPS covering his coaching fees, boarding/lodging cost, local transportation cost and expenditure for Ammunition and Clay targets.
During the meeting, MOC also inducted Indian Badminton player Ashwani Ponnappa, Indian shooter Maheshwari Chauhan and rower Balraj Panwar to the TOPS Core group, with Ashwani’s doubles partner Tanisha Crasto also being promoted from Development to Core group for Paris Olympics.

Italy’s unemployment rate decreased to the lowest level in more than 15 years in March after rising slightly in the previous month, the statistical office ISTAT reported on Friday.

The jobless rate dropped to 7.2 per cent in March from 7.4 per cent in February. Meanwhile, economists had expected the index to rise to 7.5 per cent. In the corresponding month last year, the rate was 7.9 per cent.

Further, the latest jobless rate was the lowest since January 2009, when it was also the same 7.2 per cent.

At the same time, the employment rate edged up to 62.1 per cent in March from 61.9 per cent in the previous month.

The youth unemployment rate dropped to 20.1 per cent in March from 22.4 per cent a month ago, data showed.

The Election Commission on Saturday said 75 international visitors from election management bodies of 23 countries arrived in the country to watch the world’s largest election (Lok Sabha polls) unfold.

“As a beacon of electoral integrity and transparency, the ECI exemplifies its commitment to conduct general elections of the highest standards, offering a golden bridge for global Election Management Bodies (EMBs) to witness democratic excellence first-hand. The ECI continues fostering international cooperation by organising the Election Visitors’ Programme (IEVP) during the ongoing Lok Sabha Elections,’” the poll panel said.

The ECI said the event will be a first in terms of the scale and magnitude of participation.

“Seventy-five delegates representing various EMBs and organisations from 23 countries namely – Bhutan, Mongolia, Australia, Madagascar, Fiji, Kyrgyz Republic, Russia, Moldova, Tunisia, Seychelles, Cambodia, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Chile, Uzbekistan, Maldives, Papua New Guinea and Namibia will take part in the event,” it said.

The poll panel said members from the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), and media teams from Bhutan and Israel will also participate.

Beginning on 4th May, the program seeks to familiarise foreign EMBs with the nuances of India’s electoral system as well as the best practices used by the largest democracy in the world, it said.

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu will address the delegates on the 5th May. Then the delegates will embark on visits to six states–Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh in small groups to observe polls and related preparedness in various constituencies. The programme will end on the 9th May.

The general elections are being held in seven phases between 19th April and 1st June. The first phase of polling was held on 19th April and second phase on 26th April. The results will be declared on 4th June.

A UN spokesperson has declined to react to an assertion by US President Joe Biden that India was “stalling so badly economically” because it was “xenophobic” and not taking in immigrants.

“I wouldn’t comment on what he said,” Farhan Haq, the Deputy Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said on Friday when he was asked by a Chinese TV reporter about Biden’s comment that also covered China, Russia, and Japan.

Asked by the reporter about the UN’s definition of “xenophobia”, Haq said that it “is simply the dictionary definition”.

Biden had said on Wednesday, “You know, one of the reasons why our economy is growing is because of you and many others. Why? Because we welcome immigrants. We look to — the reason — look, think about it. Why is China stalling so badly economically? Why is Japan having trouble? Why is Russia? Why is India? Because they’re xenophobic. They don’t want immigrants.”

However, reports by several international organisations and multinationals tell a different story from that of Biden, who has a record of making fact-challenged statements.

According to the International Monetary Fund, the US economy grew by 2.5 per cent last year and is expected to grow this year by 2.7 per cent, while India, according to Biden, has a “stalling” economy grew three times faster than the US at 7.8 per cent last year and is projected for a two-and-a-half time faster growth at 6.8 per cent this year.

China’s economy grew by 5.2 per cent last year with a projection of 4.8 per cent this year.

White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre tried to play down Biden’s assertion, saying that “he was making a more broad comment, speaking about this country and speaking about how important it is to be a country of immigrants”.

“Obviously, we have a strong relationship with — with — with India, with — with Japan. And the President, if you just look at the last three years, has certainly — certainly has focused on that diplomatic — those diplomatic relationships,” she added.

Haq, in his response to Biden’s comment, added, “But certainly, we believe that all of our member states should continue to uphold all of the basic standards in the UN Human Rights covenants, including those that involve treating all races, all nationalities with respect. And we believe that all of the member states of the UN work towards that end.”

Amidst row of deserved and undeserved appointees, the SSC chairman Siddahrtha Majumdar today claimed that it would be feasible for the Commission to disseminate deserved and undeserved appointees thus making a complete volte-face to his earlier stand, where he repeatedly ruled out that possibility.

Mr Majumdar, earlier had said it would be difficult to differentiate the deserving and undeserving candidates. But today in a U-turn, he told newspersons that it was feasible.

“It is feasible for the Commission to identify the deserving and undeserving from the list of job losers,” said Mr Majumdar today.

He further said that a list of undeserving appointees had been submitted to the special Bench of Calcutta High Court and a list of the “contentious’ appointees would be submitted before the Supreme Court, where the case is pending. The SSC would, of course, be with those genuine aspirants.

Earlier, the SSC chairman had said that the SSC had submitted the list of alleged 5,250 undeserved appointees through an affidavit to High Court thrice and claimed that it was highly impossible to identify a list of deserved candidates.

The West Bengal Board of Secondary Education and the state government had moved the apex court challenging the Calcutta High Court order.

The Bench of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court had in an observation made some caustic comments to state government counsels on the High Court’s ruling on termination of jobs of 25,753 appointees observing that High could take such a big decision if it had been forced to but issued an interim stay on the high court order on any coercive action by the CBI against the state cabinet members till Monday, when the case would come up for further hearing.

Kolkata Police (KP) is exploring legal opinion from prominent lawyers and constitutional experts seeking to know about what steps should be taken against the governor C V Ananda Bose.

A temporary woman employee at Raj Bhavan on Thursday, lodged a molestation complaint against Mr Bose, the constitutional head in the state, with Hare Street police station alleging he ‘sexually assaulted her twice’. The incident has rocked the state prompting the ruling Trinamul Congress to come down heavily on Mr Bose amidst the ongoing seven-phase Lok Sabha elections in the state.

Mr Bose dismissed the allegation and said that he would not be cowed down by the “engineered narratives’.

On Thursday evening, soon after the complaint was lodged with police station, Indira Mukhopadhyay, deputy commissioner (DC) of police (central division), told media that they are in touch with lawyers and constitutional experts in the city seeking to know their opinions about the investigation process, particularly what should be legal steps when a constitutional head faces allegations of molestation.

Senior police officials held a meeting today at Lalbazar to discuss the issue, it has been learnt.

“No criminal cases can be framed against the President and Governors of states in our country. The complainant will land in deep trouble if the allegations brought against the Governor are not proved true,” said Tathagata Roy, former Governor of Tripura and Meghalaya.

Prominent lawyers in the city felt that no criminal procedures can be initiated against the President of India and Governors of states as per the Section 361 of the Constitution. But civil cases can be filed against Governors in connection property related disputes, they said.

“The Supreme Court in its verdict has clearly stated that any organized crime against women must be investigated with extreme importance. But in the case of the President of India and Governors, only complaints can be lodged against them. They can’t be arrested till they belong to the coveted posts,” one prominent lawyer said.

On Thursday night, Mr Bose through a statement banned the entry of the minister Chandrima Bhattacharya into the Raj Bhavan premises in Kolkata, Darjeeling and Barrackpore for making “defamation and anti-constitutional media statements” and also barred the police from conducting any investigation against him in the alleged molestation case.

In the statement, the Governor said, “Truth shall triumph. I refuse to be cowed down by engineered narratives. If anybody wants some election benefits by maligning me, God bless them. But they cannot stop my fight against corruption and violence in Bengal.”

Mr Bose left for Kochi to attend a pre-scheduled programme there after the Prime Minister left Raj Bhavan today.

In what comes as good news to the examinees, the total pass percentage of High Madrasah, Alim and Fazil exams this year has seen an increase in the results declared by the West Bengal Board of Madrasah Education (WBBME) today.

According to the data shared by the board today, around 88.09 per cent of students had passed the High Madrasah exams last year. The percentage has gone up to 89.97 this year. The examinees of the Alim and Fazil exams have also performed better this year. The pass percentage of Alim which was 90.69 per cent last year increased to 92.17 in the results declared today. Likewise, the percentage of students clearing the Fazil exam in 2023 stood at 91. 15 and has gone up to 92.89 this year, according to the board data.

Notably, the number of students appearing for the High Madrasah exams also witnessed a considerable rise this year. Unlike last year, when a total of 38,445 examinees had written their exams, this year more than 45,000 students appeared for the High Madrasah exams.

The High Madrasah, Alim and Fazil exams were held from 1 to 24 February. According to the board, the results were announced in 53 working days after the completion of the exams.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee congratulated the students passing the WBBME exams. Taking to her social media account, the CM wrote, “My best wishes and congratulations to all the students who have passed the High Madrasa, Alim and Fazil exams. Congratulations to your parents and teachers also. I pray that your coming days will be prosperous.”

Most of the students, who had appeared in Madhyamik Pariksha from Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandira Eklavya Model Residential School, Jhargram, scored first division.

There was not a single unsuccessful student. This school is meant for only SC and ST students and majority of them are first-generation learners.

Twenty one boys had appeared for the Madhyamik examination this year. Of the students, 12 had passed in first division (Grade A), eight secured second division (Grade B+) while one student got star marks. Dhannanjay Kisku got 84.43% marks.

Twenty six girls sat for the examination. Of them, 14 got first division and 11 got second division. Gurubari Murmu secured 72.43 % marks.

Most of the students are first-generation learners and come from economically challenged families. Following the request of chief minister Mamata Banerjee, Ramakrishna Mission took over the school. The students are given the best education. There is a science lab, computer lab and language lab.

Narendrapur Ramakrishna Mission School did well in Madhyamik with five students getting rank (from 1 to 10). Two students from RKM school Kamarpukur and Baranagar have got berths in the merit list.

With an aim to give students a holistic knowledge and develop them into good human beings, a school in Nadia has decided to start scouting activities in school.

Bishnupur High School in Nadia district has tied up with Bharat Scouts and Guides (BSG). The school started giving training to the children from last year. There are presently 24 students, who have enrolled for the voluntary service.

The school is the first in the district to start such activity, said people with the knowledge on the developments.

Talking about the school’s tie-up with BSG, Sushitava Bhattacharjee, headmaster Bishnupur High School, said, “We sent give of our teachers to train with Bharat Scouts and Guides at Kurseong in 2022. They are now training our students.”

The headmaster says he wants to inculcate human values in the students from a very young age. Mr Bhattacharjee believes in the motto, ‘once a scout, always a scout’, and wants should students serve mankind through selfless service.

The school, which completed 75 years, this year, held a series of meetings with the parents to convince them to send their children for the training. The numbers of new joinings are increasing fast, said the headmaster.

The headmaster thinks this training is also an opportunity for the teachers to upgrade their skill sets.

Rover scout leader Rupendra Mohan Sarkar, said, “The teachers from Bishnupur High School underwent a week-long residential training. These teachers in effect are now teaching their students, who are in Pravesh, a 3-month introductory programme.” Once the students successfully complete this period they are given a badge through an investiture ceremony.”

As a practice, the scouts qualify for the next stage and become a member of BSG.

In West Bengal, scouting was very prevalent in the ’70s as it was was under the education department, which put emphasis on such activities. Later, it was transferred to the youth service department, said the scout leader.

“Schools from Howrah, Hooghly, Kolkata, Burdwan districts have more participation in scouting programme, whereas schools from Birbhum, Bankura, Nadia, Murshidabad, Cooch Behar etc are lagging somewhat. But we are also pushing from more schools to join us,” said the Rover scout leader, adding that there are around 40,000 students under BSG in the state.

Milton Gharami, Sanskrit teacher at the Bishnupur school, who underwent training and is now training the students, said, “Scouting is a movement. Scouts are supposed to serve the society selflessly. The Bishnupur High School Scout Group has 24 members from classes V, VI, VII. We started with just seven students in 2023. There is something unique of scouts. They greet (handshake) each other with their left hand and salute with their right hand.”

The school plans to hold a camp with the scouts after the summers for the in the hills.

Surya Sen Mahavidyalaya Anti-Ragging Committee organized a students’ awareness programme on ragging, human trafficking, and other social issues in its campus in Siliguri today.

The objective of the programme was to make students aware of these two inhuman practices and to do away with the culture and also to adopt extra measures to ensure students’ safety, in and around the campus.

Dr Tirthankar Chakraborty, convener of the anti-ragging committee of the college conducted the programme, in association with the ICC, women’s cell and IQAC of the college in collaboration with the enforcement branch of Siliguri Police Commissionerate.

Assistant commissioner of police Farouque Md Chowdhury was the chief speaker, who discussed the evils of ragging, human-trafficking and also about their legal consequences.

He also interacted with all the students present in the event and encouraged them to open up and participate in the dialogue spontaneously.

Dr PK Mishra, principal of the college in his inaugural speech elaborated on the basic concepts of ragging and trafficking and talked about various safety measures adopted by the college to prevent ragging and such abusive practices.

Convener of ICC and women’s cell of the college Prof Sutapa Saha emphasised the point that ragging is not always an act of fun but nonetheless an act of violence. While talking about human trafficking she also referred to the often used term ‘Land of Missing Children’.

Among the other speakers were Biswajit Majumder, inspector-in-charge (police enforcement branch, Deeptina Gazmer and Sachin Mishra also from police enforcement branch.

Congress candidate Mostaque Alam has lodged a complaint with chief election commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar and requested him to conduct a free and fair poll by deploying central forces properly. Mr Alam has forwarded its copy to the district magistrate and police observer Chiruvolu Srikant.

Mr Alam has requested the CEC to deploy central forces and even additional forces to maintain law and order in all 368 sensitive booths out of 1,812, including auxiliary booths in Maldah Uttar parliamentary constituency.

In a letter to the CEC, Mr Alam said: “Deployment of central forces more pertinently in the sensitive areas for route march in all rural areas and maintain a sharp vigil in order to avoid rigging and law and order problems. Trinamul Congress candidate is more popular as a former superintendent of police in Malda district and he is influencing the machineries responsible for maintaining law and order.”

Mr Alam has also alleged that goons backed by the TMC have started Intimidating both the Congress and Left workers and even the voters, disrupting the democratic process.

According to Mr Alam, the already deployed central forces are either being kept idle in police stations or being taken for rounds superficially.

Notably, chief minister Mamata Banerjee has campaigned for her party candidate Prasun Banerjee, a former IPS officer, in different locations before and after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s poll campaigning in Malda for his two party candidates Khagen Murmu and Sreerupa Mitra Chowdhury, who are contesting from Maldah Uttar and Maldah Dakshin respectively.

Even TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee has campaigned in different spots in Malda district for his two party candidates.

On the other hand, the Congress candidates in Malda and his team members are campaigning in association with the Left Front leaders and workers. Though Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi was scheduled to campaign in Malda, her programme has been postponed.

Sources said Mallikarjun Kharge may campaign for two Congress candidates Mostaque Alam and Isha Khan Choudhury, who are contesting from Maldah Uttar and Maldah Dakshin respectively, on 5 May.

As a result, according to political observers, the TMC leadership is trying hard to take on both the BJP candidates in Malda despite division of anti-BJP vote bank.

Interestingly, both the BJP candidates are trying hard to retain their vote bank when voters are apparently polarised on the issue of Hindutva in Malda district.

In 2019, the BJP bagged Maldah Uttar and Congress won Maldah Dakshin. Congress had won two seats in 2009 and 2014. TMC Rajya Sabha member Mousam Noor was elected twice from Malda Uttar as a Congress candidate. In 2019, Ms Noor contested LS polls from Maldah Uttar on a TMC ticket.

An Indian couple and their grandchild were among four people who lost their lives in a multi-vehicle collision on Highway 401 in Whitby on Monday.
The Consulate General of India, Toronto, expressed profound condolences for the tragic loss of Manivannan, Mahalakshmi, and their infant grandchild, who were involved in the fatal accident on Highway 401 in Whitby.

“Heartfelt condolences on tragic loss of Indian nationals Mr. Manivannan, Mrs. Mahalakshmi & their grandchild in the Highway 401 collision. CG met the bereaved family at the hospital & assured all possible assistance. We are in touch with Canadian authorities,” said Consulate General of India, Toronto, in a post on X.

According to Ontario’s special investigations unit, the collision, which occurred on Monday night, claimed the lives of four individuals, including the three-month-old infant. The victims, visiting from India, were traveling in a Nissan Sentra when the accident took place. Alongside the couple, their grandson tragically perished at the scene.
The grieving parents of the infant, residents of Ajax, survived the crash but sustained injuries. The 33-year-old father and 27-year-old mother were both hospitalised, with the mother undergoing treatment for serious injuries.

The cargo van involved in the collision also suffered casualties. The 21-year-old male driver of the van was pronounced deceased at the scene, while his 38-year-old male passenger was hospitalised with serious injuries.
The authorities have launched a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the tragic incident. The Special Investigations Unit of the province continues probing the details of the collision, with a team of investigators and reconstructionists dedicated to unraveling the sequence of events.
In the wake of the heart-wrenching loss, the Consulate General of India in Toronto has assured the bereaved family of all possible assistance and remains in close contact with Canadian authorities.

The pleasure of eating a mango is so moreish and exquisite that even Hanuman, from the texts of the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana by Maharishi Valmiki, mistook the sun for a giant mango and leapt up to eat it.

We need no proof of how the world is obsessed with mangoes, and when it comes to Bengalis, their love affair with mangoes is almost an open secret. There are few pleasures in life that match the satisfaction of eating a perfect mango—sweet, juicy, firm but tender. Although this aromatic fruit is soured and green in colour when it is raw, it is abundant in markets just before the arrival of the mango season.

Raw mango always deserves special attention and is the star fruit of spring. Its tangy flavour complements the weather beautifully and is packed with vitamins A, B6, C, and K, as well as minerals like potassium, magnesium, calcium and iron, which help to replenish the electrolytes that get lost due to excessive sweating in summer.

Raw mangoes are rich in vitamin A and vitamin E. They can improve the hormonal system while preventing dehydration, as they can replenish the reserves of sodium chloride. In addition to quenching thirst, vitamin C helps to cure stomach disorders like constipation, bloating, indigestion, and diarrhoea, along with the absorption of iron. Therefore, raw mangoes are often recommended for those suffering from anaemia. Not only this, consuming raw mangoes can help detoxify the liver, boost cardiovascular health, and flush out toxins. Healthy cholesterol levels lower the risk of chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and heart attacks.

Raw mangoes have a pungent smell and a firm texture and are not as sweet-smelling and juicy as the ripe ones. Also termed ‘kacha aam’ by the Bengalis, this fruit is even more versatile when it comes to cooking. They can be grated and pickled, added to curries, or simply made into a chutney. It can also be dried and powdered into ‘amchoor’, which is sprinkled on fruits and used in regional Indian dishes to lend a summery, sour flavour.

Unexpected heatwaves, unseasonal rain, and extreme weather changes delayed the arrival of mangoes in West Bengal. Yet, that does not vanquish mangoes from being the king of fruits and rule Bengali kitchens during these gruelling summer months. A bong mom will immediately rustle up a fish curry, dal, or chutney using unripe raw mangoes as soon as they are brought in. A simple, everyday tempering of raw mangoes elevates the taste of a Bengali thali.

Aam porar shorbot (aam panna), aamer tok dal, aam makha, tok macher jhol (fish with green mangoes), kacha aamer chutney, kacha aam diye mangsho (mutton with green mangoes), and kacha aamer tel (raw mango pickle) are a few prominent Bengali delicacies that have consistently captivated the hearts, minds, and taste buds of Bengali people.

Other pan-Indian Dishes Include raw mango pachadi, raw mango rice, raw mango jam, raw mango rasam, raw mango salad, aamras, and many more.