President Donald Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic has been "an absolute chaotic disaster" for America, Barack Obama has said, the starkest assessment yet from the former president about his successor's "anemic and spotty" response to the global health crisis.
Obama slammed Trump during a private call on Friday night with people who worked for him in the White House and across his administration, according to US media reports.
In a 30-minute conversation with members of the Obama Alumni Association, the former president, a Democrat, said the poor response to the coronavirus outbreak served as a critical reminder for why strong government leadership is needed during a global crisis.
During the call, Obama said his Republican successor's approach to government was partly to blame for the US response to coronavirus.
Over 78,000 people have now died in the US and the country has 1.2 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 - both by far the highest in the world.
Trump's approach to the coronavirus pandemic has oscillated. In February he dismissed it, saying it would disappear, but by mid-March he acknowledged its severity.
"It would have been bad even with the best of government," Obama was quoted as saying in the call.
"It has been an absolute chaotic disaster when that mindset of ''what's in it for me'' and ''to heck with everybody else'', when that mindset is operationalised in our government," Obama, who was US president for two consecutive terms from 2009 to 2017, said.
The call was intended to encourage former Obama staffers to become more engaged in ex-vice president Joe Biden's White House bid against Trump in the November presidential elections, CNN reported.
"This election that's coming up -- on every level -- is so important because what we're going to be battling is not just a particular individual or a political party," Obama, who endorsed Biden officially last month, said.
"What we're fighting against is these long-term trends in which being selfish, being tribal, being divided, and seeing others as an enemy -- that has become a stronger impulse in American life."
Obama used the strongest words for the Trump administration's handling of the coronavirus crisis and its worldview, CNN noted.
"It's part of the reason why the response to this global crisis has been so anemic and spotty," Obama commented.
The comments were first reported by Yahoo News, which obtained an audio recording of the call.
Obama communications director Katie Hill confirmed the call to CBS News, and said that its purpose was to "to touch base during this time, and to talk about the importance of helping elect Biden and Democrats up and down the ballot this fall."
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany responded to Obama's criticism in a statement, saying President Trump's "coronavirus response has been unprecedented and saved American lives," CBS News reported.
Some 3,000 Obama administration alumni took part in Friday's discussion, as part of a regular series of gatherings of the tight-knit network, NBC News reported.
Obama shared that his two daughters, Malia and Sasha, have shown him viral TikTok videos intended to discourage voters from supporting Biden in the elections.
"I'm a 58-year-old guy, I don't have the answers here,” Obama said. But he said finding solutions to counter that and address it was “long-term mission" for his former staff.
Obama repeatedly voiced support for Biden, his vice president, on the call, but said it was not just enough to support him in the presidential race, but to ensure Democrats held the House and won back control of the Senate as well.
"I'm going to be spending as much time is necessary and campaigning as far as I can for Joe Biden. We all know Joe," Obama was quoted as saying by the NBC News report.
Obama also strongly criticised the decision to drop criminal charges against former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.
Flynn was among the former aides to president Trump convicted during the special counsel''s investigation into the alleged Russian election interference in the 2016 US elections.
He had pleaded guilty in 2017 to lying to the FBI about contacts with Russia''s ambassador to the US.
Hotter days linked to greater intake of sugary drinks and frozen desserts
Lower-income households most affected, research finds
Climate change could worsen health risks linked to sugar consumption
Study based on 15 years of US household food purchasing data
Sugary consumption rising with heat
People are more likely to consume sugary drinks and ice cream on warmer days, particularly in lower-income households, according to new research. The study warns that climate change could intensify this trend, adding to health risks as global temperatures continue to rise.
Sugar consumption is a major contributor to obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, and has surged worldwide in recent decades. The findings, published in Nature Climate Change, suggest that rising heat could be nudging more people towards high-sugar products such as soda, juice and ice cream.
Climate link to diet
Researchers from the UK and US analysed data from American households between 2004 and 2019 and compared purchases with local weather conditions. They found that for every additional degree Celsius within the range of 12–30°C, people consumed an extra 0.7 grams of sugar per day on average.
Those with lower incomes or less education were the most affected, according to the study. Under worst-case climate scenarios, disadvantaged groups could be consuming up to five additional grams of sugar daily by the end of the century, lead author Pan He of Cardiff University told AFP.
Beyond recommended limits
The American Heart Association recommends a maximum daily intake of 36 grams of added sugar for men and 24 grams for women. However, most Americans already consume two to three times these amounts. A single can of soda contains about 40 grams of sugar.
The study showed that the increase in sugar consumption levelled off once temperatures rose above 30°C. Co-author Duo Chan of the University of Southampton suggested this may be because people had already altered their diets by that point. He warned this could be “even worse news”, as it showed dietary changes were occurring even at lower, not extreme, temperatures.
Substituting frozen treats
The research also indicated a drop in purchases of baked goods on hotter days, likely because consumers were substituting them with ice cream or other frozen desserts.
Health concerns
Unhealthy diets are among the four main risk factors for diseases that account for more than 70 per cent of deaths worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. The authors concluded that climate change, by shaping dietary choices, could further worsen public health outcomes.
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RESTAURATEUR and writer Camellia Panjabi puts the spotlight on vegetables in her new book, as she said they were never given the status of a “hero” in the way fish, chicken or prawns are.
Panjabi’s Vegetables: The Indian Way features more than 120 recipes, with notes on nutrition, Ayurvedic insights and cooking methods that support digestion.
She told Eastern Eye, “Most families and chefs regularly cook only 15 to 20 types of dishes. Many vegetables in shops are ignored, because people don’t know how to cook them.
“This book gives readers confidence by providing recipes, explanations, and photographs for 30 vegetables. It also shows how they can be prepared in different ways and with different cuisines — not just Indian.”
Panjabi is part of the family that runs Amaya, Chutney Mary’s, Veerswamy and Masala Zone restaurants. She is also the best-selling author of 50 Great Curries, which sold more than two million copies.
She previously worked for Taj Hotels in India, where she was involved in creating menus for various restaurants among other projects. These menus featured Indian, Chinese, Thai, Italian and French cuisines.
When she eventually moved on after three decades, Panjabi realised that vegetables were almost always relegated to the end of a menu as side dishes.
In every cuisine the pattern was the same: starters and mains were prioritised ahead of sides — potatoes, cauliflower, or something similar.
“Yet, on the plate, two-thirds of the food is usually vegetables, while on the menu they only make up about five per cent,” Panjabi said.
Vegetarian meals often relied on mixing several items together — such as in a thali, stir-fries, or paneer combined with three or four vegetables.
A single vegetable was rarely celebrated on its own.
Panjabi listed around 30 varieties used in Indian food, including raw fruits such as banana and jackfruit.This sparked the idea for a book in which each vegetable would have its own section. “If someone has a cabbage, they should be able to look up different ways to cook it so that it becomes the main dish rather than just a side,” she said.
The recipes could be colourful, classical, traditional or inspired by street food.
With Indian dishes, people across the country are now, for the first time, experiencing cuisines from other regions, she said. Her book has 30 chapters on 30 vegetables, each with its own story, origin, and details of fibre content, calories, vitamins and whether it is acidic or alkaline.
Mumbai-born Panjabi, a Cambridge educated economist, is widely credited with shaping Indian fine dining on the global stage. She played a key role in launching Bombay Brasserie in London and later oversaw renowned restaurants including Veeraswamy and Chutney Mary. She was the first female board director of a public company in India, while serving as marketing director of the Taj Group. Now in her eighties, Panjabi said, “In most Indian restaurants in the UK, the vegetarian options are limited to dishes like gobi aloo, saag paneer, chole, and baingan bharta. There is so much more to discover.
“Western readers will see for the first time that they can cook vegetables the Indian way without necessarily making an Indian meal. They could have grilled fish or roast chicken alongside Indianstyle vegetables. That is the breakthrough — it is not limited to cuisine.
Panjabi said writing the book took two decades. “I thought it would take three or four years, but the process of discovery was so enjoyable that it kept extending,” she said. Only when Covid forced her to stay at home did she put it all together.
The result is a 350-page hardback with more than 120 colour photographs. Half the book is devoted to cooking fats, while the rest covers vegetables, lentils and millets. She described it as “almost like a food encyclopaedia,” weaving Ayurvedic wisdom with modern nutritional science.
“Much more research still needs to be done on the nutrition of vegetables,” she said, pointing out that the subject remains under-researched.
Everyday ingredients also find space in the book. She tackles myths aro-und protein deficiency in vegetarian diets, noting that Indians solved this long ago. Rice and dal, when eaten together, provide all nine essential amino acids needed for complete protein. “Dal-chawal has sustained Indian health for centuries,” she said.
Her experience in restaurants influenced her writing. Panjabi travelled across India, visiting research institutions including the National Institute of Nutrition in Hyderabad, and consulted scientists studying oils and vegetables.
She said, “When I was young, I felt that Indian food had not received its due recognition globally. My mother always explained the health reasons behind what she cooked, and I realised there must be a huge body of knowledge worth documenting.
“I feel I have only touched the tip of the iceberg (with this book). My hope is that this book will inspire other practitioners and people with influence in Indian food to join this journey.”
Vegetables: The Indian Way was published by Penguin Books
How noticing the changes in my father taught me the importance of early action, patience, and love
I don’t understand people who don’t talk or see their parents often. Unless they have done something to ruin your lives or you had a traumatic childhood, there is no reason you shouldn’t be checking in with them at least every few days if you don’t live with them.
Earlier this year, I had the privilege of looking after my parents – they lived with me while their old house was being sold, and their new house was being renovated.
Within this time, I noticed things happening to my dad (Chamanlal Mulji), an 81-year-old retired joiner. Dad was known as Simba when he lived in Zanzibar, East Africa because he was like a lion. A man in fairly good health, despite being an ex-smoker, he’d only had heart surgery back in 2017. In the last few years, he was having some health issues, but certain things, like his walking and driving becoming slow, and his memory failing, we just put down to old age. Now, my dad was older than my friend’s dad. Many of whom in their 70’s, dad, at 81 was an older dad, not common back in the seventies when he married my mum.
It was only when I spent extended time around my parents that I started noticing that certain things weren’t just due to old age. Some physical symptoms were more serious, but certain things like forgetting that the front door wasn’t the bathroom door, and talking about old memories thinking that they had recently happened rang alarm bells for me and I suspected that he might have dementia.
Dementia generally happens in old age when the brain starts to shrink. Someone described it to me as a person’s brain being like a bookshelf. The books at the top of the shelf are the new memories and the books at the bottom are the new memories. The books at the top have fallen off, leaving only the old memories being remembered. People with dementia are also highly likely to suffer from strokes.
Sadly, my dad was one of the few that suffered a stroke and passed away on 28th June 2025. If you have a parent, family member or anyone you know and you suspect that they might have dementia, please talk to your GP straight away. Waiting lists within the NHS are extremely LONG so the quicker people with dementia are treated, the better. Sadly, the illness cannot be reversed but medication can help it from getting worse.
One thing I would also advise is to have patience. Those suffering with dementia can be agitated and often become aggressive, but that’s only because they’re frustrated that they cannot do things the way they used to.
The disease might hide the person underneath, but there’s still a person in there who needs your love and attention.” - Jamie Calandriello
The holy town of Ambaji witnessed a spiritually significant day on Sunday as His Holiness Siri Rajrajeshwar Guruji, head of the International Siddhashram Shakti Centre, London, performed the Dhwaja ritual at the historic Ambaji Temple in Gujarat, one of the most revered Shakti Peeths of India.
Guruji, who travelled especially from London to be part of the festivities, offered prayers to Goddess Amba and hoisted the sacred flag, a symbol of divine strength, victory, and eternal devotion. Speaking about the ritual, he reminded devotees that the dhwaja inspires courage, faith, and a constant remembrance of the divine in everyday life.
Adding to the spiritual significance of the day, Guruji also personally served Bhandara (community meal) to devotees gathered at the temple premises.
The International Siddhashram Shakti Centre in Harrow witnessed an inspiring and environmentally responsible celebration of Ganesh Utsav 2025, which concluded on Saturday, 6 September, with the Ganesh Visarjan ritual performed on the sacred occasion of Anant Chaturdashi.
What made this year’s celebration exceptional was the decision to conduct the Visarjan in a custom-built artificial water pool at the temple premises. After the ceremonial parikrama, the idol of Lord Ganesh was immersed with devotion, ensuring that the environment and public water bodies remained protected. The move also underlined compliance with local regulations, offering a model of how cultural traditions can be maintained with modern responsibility.
HH Siri Rajrajeshwar Guruji reminded devotees that true devotion also lies in mindful practice: “Our faith must go hand in hand with respect for the environment and the laws of the land. By celebrating responsibly, we honour our deities and set a positive example for other communities.”
The ten-day festival at Siddhashram was filled with devotional activities, including Ganesh Mantra Sadhana and the chanting of Hanuman Chalisa on 30 August, followed by the vibrant Annakut Darshan of Lord Ganesh on 2 September, which drew large numbers of devotees.
With soulful bhajans, prayers, and rituals held daily, the festival reaffirmed Siddhashram’s role as a centre of spiritual growth and cultural preservation in London. The eco-conscious Visarjan, in particular, stood out as a symbol of blending tradition with responsibility, inspiring worshippers to celebrate with both devotion and awareness.