Harris to deliver pivotal speech as she accepts Democratic nomination
Vice-president to share personal story and vision amid historic turnaround in 2024 race
By Eastern EyeAug 22, 2024
KAMALA HARRIS is set to deliver the most critical speech of her political career on Thursday (22) as she accepts the Democratic presidential nomination in Chicago, marking a historic moment in the 2024 White House race.
The 59-year-old US vice-president will focus on a message of optimism, following a remarkable surge in her campaign after president Joe Biden withdrew from the race.
Harris has invigorated her party in just one month, and she will use her address at the Democratic National Convention to share her personal journey with the American people, positioning her hopeful vision against the more somber tone of her Republican rival, Donald Trump.
"When Kamala gets on stage we're not going to stop. It's going to blow the roof off," said Amanda Taylor, a 47-year-old delegate from Missouri.
While Democrats are buoyed by Harris’s rise in the polls, they are aware that the path to victory remains challenging.
Despite the excitement surrounding her candidacy, senior Democrats like Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, and Bill Clinton have cautioned that Harris faces a tough battle against 78-year-old Trump.
The sheer speed of her astonishing rise to the top of the ticket also means Harris remains an unknown quantity to many US voters.
A trailblazer as the first woman, black and south Asian vice-president in US history – and now bidding to become its first woman president – her role has largely kept her in the background the last four years.
Harris against 'Trump's dark, conservative ideas for a second term in the Oval Office'
Harris will seek to remedy that in her speech. She will talk about how she was raised by a working mother and knows the challenges facing families hit by inflation, a campaign official said on condition of anonymity.
She will then contrast her optimistic vision for America's future against what her campaign calls Trump's dark, conservative ideas for a second term in the Oval Office, the official said.
Speaker after speaker has focused on the idea of freedom during the Democratic convention, as the party targets what it says are Republican plans to further limit abortion and clamp down on democratic institutions.
On Wednesday (21), Harris's energetic running mate Tim Walz formally accepted the party's nomination saying that "Kamala Harris is going to stand up and fight for your freedom to live the life that you want to lead."
But Harris has been short on policy announcements since taking over as Democratic standard-bearer, particularly when it comes to the economy, a key issue in the election.
Harris had to take advantage of her first major speech in a presidential setting as "you don't get a second chance to make a first impression," political analyst Larry Sabato told AFP.
'Voters already have the Kamala vibes'
"Voters already have the Kamala vibes. Now they need the Kamala agenda," said Sabato, a professor at the University of Virginia. A lack of economic policy "can defeat her faster than the border," he added.
But when it comes to vibes, the Democrats were in full on celebration mode.
Under Harris, the Democrats are unrecognisable from the party that was steeped in despair after 81-year-old Biden's a catastrophic debate performance against Trump.
Former president Barack Obama and his wife Michelle raised the roof in Chicago on Tuesday (20), with the ex-first lady declaring that under Harris "hope is making a comeback."
On Wednesday, former president Bill Clinton, television personality Oprah Winfrey and musicians Stevie Wonder and John Legend were the warm-up acts for Walz.
Biden's farewell address on Monday, when Harris made a surprise appearance on stage to give him a hug, already seems like a distant memory.
If the transition has been head-spinning for Biden and the Democrats, it has completely unsettled Trump.
In a rollercoaster summer he has survived an assassination attempt, and then seen what he thought was certain victory turned on its head by a new and far younger appearance.
Trump will be in Arizona on the Mexican border on Thursday to push Harris's weak spot on the issue of illegal immigration. (AFP)
Chandrakasan was selected from a group of internal candidates, MIT president Sally Kornbluth said in a statement announcing the appointment. (Photo credit: MIT)
PROF ANANTHA CHANDRAKASAN has been appointed as the new provost of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), becoming the first Indian-American to take on the role. Currently serving as MIT’s chief innovation and strategy officer and dean of engineering, Chandrakasan will assume his new position on July 1.
Chandrakasan was selected from a group of internal candidates, MIT president Sally Kornbluth said in a statement announcing the appointment. She said he brings an exceptional record of innovation and leadership to the position.
The provost is MIT’s chief academic and budget officer, responsible for overseeing the educational enterprise, faculty affairs, and strategic planning across the institute.
In a statement released by MIT, Chandrakasan said, “I am deeply honoured to take on the role of provost.” He added, “Looking ahead, I see myself as a key facilitator, enabling faculty, students, postdocs, and staff to continue making extraordinary contributions to the nation and the world.”
Navigating challenges, driving innovation
Kornbluth noted that Chandrakasan takes on the role at a time when some of MIT’s core operating assumptions are facing uncertainty, including sustained federal support and the ability to attract global talent.
“In a time of such intense pressure and potentially historic change, I am particularly grateful that we will be able to draw on Anantha’s depth and breadth of experience; his nimbleness, entrepreneurial spirit and boundless energy; his remarkable record in raising funds from outside sources for important ideas; and his profound commitment to MIT’s mission,” she said.
The Consulate General of India in New York congratulated Chandrakasan on his appointment, noting that he is the first Indian-American to hold the position. “A distinguished academic and leader, Prof Chandrakasan has remained a strong advocate of India-USA technological & R&D collaboration; has been working with various Indian government and private sector stakeholders towards this objective. We wish him all success in this important responsibility,” the Consulate said.
Kornbluth added, “In short, the job truly could not be more central to MIT’s present and future vitality.”
Role and future priorities
The provost also oversees affiliated institutes and units and leads a team of vice provosts managing arts, campus planning, faculty matters, international activities, and Open Learning.
Chandrakasan has served as the dean of MIT’s School of Engineering since 2017 and became the institute’s inaugural chief innovation and strategy officer in 2024. Before that, he led MIT’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) – its largest academic department – for six years.
Explaining why she selected him for the chief innovation and strategy officer role, Kornbluth said it was because of his “can-do attitude, creativity, enthusiasm, strategic insight, fluency across a wide range of subject areas, and gift for engaging industry allies and donors.”
Chandrakasan succeeds Cynthia Barnhart, who announced her decision to step down from the role in February.
As provost, Chandrakasan will focus on three key areas: assessing institutional needs and financial planning, attracting and retaining top talent, and supporting interdisciplinary research, education, and entrepreneurship, according to the MIT statement.
“Recognising that each school and other academic units operate within a unique context, I plan to engage deeply with their leaders to understand their challenges and aspirations. This will help me refine and set the priorities for the Office of the Provost,” he said.
He also plans to form a provost faculty advisory group and establish advisory groups for students and postdocs, as well as an external provost advisory council. His goal, he said, is to support continued excellence across all levels at MIT.
“There is a tremendous opportunity for MIT to be at the centre of the innovations in areas where the United States wants to lead. It’s about AI. It’s about semiconductors. It’s about quantum, biosecurity and biomanufacturing space — but not only that,” Chandrakasan said.
“We need students who can do more than just code or design or build. We really need students who understand the human perspective and human insights. This is why collaborations between STEM fields and the humanities, arts and social sciences, such as through the new MIT Human Insights Collaborative, are so important,” he added.
Chandrakasan earned his BS, MS, and PhD in electrical engineering and computer sciences from the University of California at Berkeley. After joining MIT, he directed the Microsystems Technology Laboratories (MTL) from 2006 until becoming head of EECS in 2011.
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The flight was scheduled to depart on Tuesday afternoon. (Photo: Air India)
AIR INDIA’s flight from Ahmedabad to London, operating under a new code following the June 12 crash, was cancelled on Tuesday (17) due to the unavailability of an aircraft. The airline cited airspace restrictions and precautionary checks as the cause.
The service, now listed as flight AI-159, replaced the earlier AI-171 flight which crashed shortly after take-off last Thursday (12), killing 270 people, including 29 on the ground. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner had 242 passengers and crew on board, with only one survivor.
An Air India spokesperson denied reports of a technical issue and confirmed the cancellation was due to extended turnaround times caused by airspace restrictions. Iran’s closure of its airspace amid its war with Israel has affected flight routes to Europe.
“Flight AI-159 from Ahmedabad to Gatwick (London) has been cancelled on Tuesday due to the unavailability of the aircraft, resulting from airspace restrictions and additional precautionary checks, leading to longer than usual aircraft turnaround — not due to any technical snag as claimed,” the spokesperson said.
“We regret the inconvenience caused and have made alternative arrangements for passengers, including hotel accommodation, full refunds, or complimentary rescheduling.”
The flight was scheduled to depart at 3pm after an earlier rescheduling from 1.10pm. According to the airline’s website, the first post-crash flight under the new code took off at 4.10pm on Monday (16), after a three-hour delay, and landed in London at 9.45pm.
Airport sources confirmed that the AI-171 service was suspended following the fatal crash and resumed operations on Monday under the new code. The return flight AI-160 landed in Ahmedabad as scheduled on Tuesday afternoon.
Due to Tuesday's cancellation, Air India also cancelled the return service, AI-170, from London (Gatwick) to Amritsar.
(PTI)
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Conference at Westminster Highlights Religious Persecution in Bangladesh and Baluchistan
A high-profile conference on religious freedom in Bangladesh and Baluchistan was held at Portcullis House, Westminster, organised by the Dharmic Ideas & Policy Foundation (DIPF), hosted by Bob Blackman MP (Harrow East), and supported by APPG leaders on Freedom of Religion and Belief (FoRB), including Richard James Shannon MP and Julie Jones on 9 June 2025.
Chairing the conference, Mr Blackman condemned the ongoing persecution of minorities in both regions, describing the situation as dire and deteriorating.
The keynote speaker, Mr Tathagata Roy—former Governor of Meghalaya and Tripura and author of My People Uprooted—outlined the historical roots of the crisis, tracing anti-Hindu violence from the 1943 Bengal famine and Noakhali riots through the genocides of 1950, 1962, and 1971. He highlighted the dramatic decline of Bangladesh’s Hindu population from 29% in 1947 to just 8% today, labelling the ongoing violence and displacement a "Hindu Holocaust".
Testimonies from Bangladeshi minorities Samir Das and his daughter Sudipta Das, as well as a lawyer recently arrived from Bangladesh, provided first-hand accounts of abductions, rape, and intimidation. All speakers pointed to the worsening conditions since the 2024 regime change.
Conference at Westminster Highlights Religious Persecution in Bangladesh and Baluchistan
Investigative journalist Francesca Marino, author of Baluchistan: Bruised, Battered and Bloodied, detailed Pakistan’s systemic oppression of the Baluchi people, including enforced disappearances, torture, and the use of rape as a weapon of control.
Dr Gautam Sen, formerly of the London School of Economics, concluded the session by underlining the civilisational assault on traditional cultures in both regions and the gendered violence used to dismantle them.
The conference closed with urgent policy recommendations:
UK and allied democracies to apply diplomatic pressure and sanctions on Pakistan and Bangladesh for human rights violations.
Support for Baluchi self-determination.
Economic and hydrological leverage by India, and implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) to aid displaced minorities.
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Protesters hold up placards during a march through central London on June 17, 2023, to call for decriminalisation of abortion. (Photo: Getty Images)
MPs are expected to vote on Tuesday on a proposed change to abortion laws in England and Wales that would prevent women from being prosecuted for ending their own pregnancies.
Under current law, women can face criminal charges for terminating a pregnancy beyond 24 weeks or without the approval of two doctors. The law still carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Recent court cases have drawn public attention to the issue. In one case, a woman was acquitted by a jury. In another, a woman was released from prison after an appeal.
Labour MP proposes amendment
Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi has put forward an amendment to change the law. Her proposal seeks to ensure that no woman would be committing a criminal offence by ending her own pregnancy at any stage.
"Women are currently being arrested from hospital bed to police cell and facing criminal investigations on suspicion of ending their own pregnancy," Antoniazzi told AFP.
"My amendment would put a stop to this," she said, calling it "the right amendment at the right time".
Current law and its limits
Abortion remains a criminal offence under the Offences Against the Person Act, a law dating back to 1861. The Abortion Act 1967 allows terminations under certain conditions, including up to 23 weeks and six days if done by an authorised provider.
Abortions beyond that limit are allowed only in limited situations, such as if the mother's life is at risk or the baby is likely to be born with a serious disability.
A temporary update during the Covid-19 pandemic allowed women to take abortion pills at home for up to 10 weeks into a pregnancy.
In May, Nicola Packer was acquitted after taking prescribed abortion medicine when she was around 26 weeks pregnant. Her case followed a four-year police investigation. Packer told jurors she did not realise how far along her pregnancy was.
"It was horrendous giving evidence, absolutely awful," she told The Guardian last month.
Opposition to the proposal
The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children has criticised the amendment, calling it "the greatest threat to unborn babies in decades".
What the amendment would change
Antoniazzi's amendment does not seek to alter existing regulations around abortion services or time limits. It also does not change the law for anyone assisting a woman with an abortion outside legal provisions, such as medical practitioners, who would still face prosecution.
Around 50 organisations, including abortion providers, medical colleges and women's rights groups, have expressed support for the amendment.
They have pointed out that six women have appeared in court in England in the last three years, charged with ending or attempting to end their own pregnancies outside abortion law.
Carla Foster was jailed in 2023 after obtaining abortion tablets when she was 32 to 34 weeks pregnant. Her sentence was later suspended by the Court of Appeal.
Support from MPs across parties
Some 140 MPs in the 650-member parliament have publicly supported the proposed change.
It "has widespread support from MPs across the political spectrum and I am optimistic the Commons will support it," said Antoniazzi.
The vote will be a free vote, allowing MPs to vote based on personal views rather than party instructions.
Abortion was decriminalised in Northern Ireland in 2019. Scotland is currently reviewing its abortion laws.
(With inputs from agencies)
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The spike in temperature is due to a period of high pressure currently centred over the UK
Britons are set to enjoy a burst of summer sunshine as forecasters predict a heatwave over the weekend, with temperatures expected to rise higher than those in parts of southern Europe. The Met Office anticipates that the UK could experience its hottest days of the year so far, with the south-east likely to be the warmest region.
Temperatures to reach 32°C in parts of the UK
According to the latest weather forecast heatwave predictions, temperatures could peak at 32°C on Saturday, 21 June, and Sunday, 22 June in areas including London and Kent. These highs would surpass conditions in traditional holiday destinations such as Portugal and southern France.
Elsewhere, cities such as Manchester and Newcastle are expected to see temperatures in the high twenties, while Cardiff and Birmingham may also see weather reaching into the upper 20s. The spike in temperature is due to a period of high pressure currently centred over the UK, drawing in warm air from the south.
What qualifies as a heatwave in the UK?
The Met Office defines a heatwave as a period of at least three consecutive days where daily maximum temperatures meet or exceed a particular threshold. This threshold varies by region, ranging from 25°C in parts of the north and west to 28°C in London and the Home Counties.
Deputy Chief Meteorologist Tony Wisson explained: “By the beginning of the weekend, we could very well be meeting heatwave thresholds in places. While the warmest temperatures are likely across London and the east of England, by Saturday heatwave thresholds could be reached across much of the Midlands, low-lying areas bordering the Peak District and even parts of east Wales.”
How long will the warm spell last?
The hot weather is expected to peak over the weekend before gradually easing next week. According to the Met Office, high pressure is forecast to shift away from the UK, resulting in slightly cooler conditions.
While some weather models suggest that temperatures could reach the mid-30s by Monday 23 June, this is currently seen as an unlikely scenario. However, it will still remain warm across most of the UK, with London forecast to stay in the mid-20s and Glasgow expected to reach around 22°C despite some potential showers.
Outlook for Glastonbury and late June
Looking ahead to Glastonbury Festival, which begins at Worthy Farm on Tuesday 24 June, temperatures are expected to stay above average. While generally dry conditions are forecast, there is a chance of light rain on Friday 25 June. Festival-goers are advised to check updates regularly as the weather forecast heatwave shifts.
Heatwave safety guidance and warnings
As temperatures rise, the Met Office is urging people to take precautions, especially during peak UV hours from 11 am to 3 pm. This includes staying hydrated, avoiding prolonged sun exposure, and wearing protective clothing.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has not issued any heat-health alerts so far. These alerts are typically released when high temperatures pose increased health risks, particularly to older adults, infants, and those with pre-existing health conditions.
Meanwhile, the London Fire Brigade has issued a warning over the risk of wildfires, especially in areas with dried vegetation following one of the driest springs on record. Charlie Pugsley, deputy commissioner for operational policy, prevention and protection, warned: “Extended periods of hot and dry weather can greatly increase the risk of a grass fire. When that grass is tinder dry, the spread of fire can be rapid. We have seen examples of this in London, and more recently worldwide, such as in California and South Korea.”
What to expect next
Although the current weather forecast heatwave may subside slightly after the weekend, the summer outlook remains promising. Forecasters advise staying up to date with official bulletins from the Met Office and UKHSA, especially if travelling or attending outdoor events.