INDIA's Lok Sabha (lower house of parliament) speaker Om Birla visited the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden, London, on 11 January during his official visit to the UK.
The visit followed an invitation from Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the UK House of Commons.
Birla was welcomed by the swamis of the Mandir and toured the temple, observing its spiritual and cultural traditions. Discussions included BAPS’s activities in India, and Europe, and the construction of a new temple in Paris.
Birla had previously led a delegation to the BAPS Hindu Mandir site in Abu Dhabi in 2022 and met Mahant Swami Maharaj in New Delhi later that year.
Sanjay Kara, a trustee for BAPS in the UK, expressed gratitude for the visit, noting its importance in strengthening ties between the UK and India.
Former British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful says “anti-woke” rhetoric is influencing fashion.
He warns the industry is reverting to European and super-thin beauty standards.
Enninful has launched a new inclusive media venture, EE72, with Julia Roberts on its debut cover.
He dismisses rumours of a fallout with Anna Wintour, saying she supported his departure from Vogue.
He also commented on recent advertising controversies, including Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle campaign.
Fashion industry ‘in flux’
Edward Enninful, the former editor-in-chief of British Vogue, has warned that fashion risks going backwards on diversity, with super-thin and European looks once again dominating as the beauty norm.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Radical with Amol Rajan during London Fashion Week, he said that “anti-woke” and anti-diversity sentiment was “having a moment.”
“I think we’re potentially going back to an industry that’s just sort of, ‘one type is the norm, being European is the norm, being super-thin is the norm’,” he said.
Launch of EE72
Enninful, who left British Vogue in 2023, has launched a new media platform called EE72, describing it as “inclusive.” Its first quarterly print edition highlights the beauty of women over 50 and features Julia Roberts, 57, on the cover.
The title takes its name from Enninful’s year of birth, 1972. He said he felt it was “the perfect time” to return to the industry, which he described as “in flux” and still facing “a lot of work to be done.”
Champion of diversity
Born in Ghana, Enninful came to London as an asylum seeker. He became fashion director of i-D magazine at 18 before being appointed as the first Black editor-in-chief of British Vogue. He used the role to champion broader representation, saying he wanted to reflect “the world we live in today.”
Asked if he believed an “anti-woke moment” was taking place, he agreed, saying: “Woke is a dirty word. We see what’s happening in the world politically. So anything that’s not deemed as normal or the norm is seen as wrong.”
Departure from Vogue
Enninful also addressed speculation about his relationship with Dame Anna Wintour, who is stepping down as editor-in-chief of American Vogue after 37 years.
He dismissed claims of a falling out, explaining: “When I took the job, I gave myself five years and I did six. Anna asked me to give them a year’s notice so they could find my replacement, who turned out to be Chioma Nnadi. So it was my decision to leave.”
He said Wintour had been “very supportive,” adding: “Anna and I, we text each other all the time. You’re going to see us together.”
Advertising controversy
Enninful also gave his view on a recent American Eagle campaign featuring actress Sydney Sweeney, where the strapline “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans” drew criticism.
Some suggested the wordplay implied a racially exclusive beauty standard, while others said the outrage was exaggerated. Enninful commented: “I thought people really read into it probably deeper than I would have… But then on the other hand, I guess if you have a blonde woman sitting there talking about her jeans, it will trigger some people.”
He concluded that the reaction reflected how “the population is quite divided.”
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From scandal to satire Aryan Khan’s The Ba**ds of Bollywood* takes Bollywood by surprise
Early reviews praise the series as an entertaining and spoofy take on the film industry.
The show features a host of major celebrity cameos, including Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan.
A subtle dig at the Wankhede case has become an immediate talking point for fans.
The series is now streaming globally on Netflix.
Aryan Khan has officially arrived as a director, and the buzz is impossible to ignore. His new Netflix series, The Ba**ds of Bollywood*, premiered to a star-studded audience in Mumbai before its global launch and the first reactions are flooding in. The project, a self-aware show, offers a cheeky look behind the curtain of the Hindi film industry. This bold directorial debut is already being called a game-changer for the star kid, presenting his unique vision and creative chops.
From scandal to satire Aryan Khan’s The Ba**ds of Bollywood* takes Bollywood by surprise Instagram/redchilliesent
What is The Ba**ds of Bollywood actually about?
Forget a straight-laced drama because this is a satirical romp. The narrative centres on a group of outsiders and their frenzied attempts to carve a space for themselves in the cutthroat world of Bollywood. It’s packed with meta-humour, insider jokes and a tone that doesn’t take itself too seriously. The series uses its seven-episode run to explore the absurdities and sacrifices behind the glamour, all while delivering plenty of drama and unexpected twists to keep viewers hooked.
How have critics and celebrities reacted to the show?
The initial reviews are overwhelmingly positive, tipping the scales away from mere nepotism chatter. Filmmaker Rahul Dholakia took to X, writing, “Not Star but ***’s are born!! What an entertaining and spoofy, goofy first episode... Bhai Binge Karna padega!!!” He congratulated the entire team, mentioning the years of hard work that went into the project.
— (@)
Producer Sunita Gowariker called it an “amazing, entertaining, funny series,” while Farah Khan applauded Aryan as the “kindest, sweetest, talented n most hardworking director.” The consensus is clear: Aryan Khan hasn’t just entered the arena but has made a strong statement.
— (@)
Did Aryan Khan take a dig at the Wankhede case?
It appears so, and fans have latched on to it. The reference is a bold move, given Aryan’s own arrest in October 2021 by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in a high-profile cruise ship drug case. The investigation, led by then zonal director Sameer Wankhede, saw Aryan spend weeks in jail before being granted bail. The NCB eventually cleared him of all charges due to a “lack of evidence.” In the show, a scene features a stern-looking cop frustrated by drug abuse in the industry.
Drugs-On-Cruise Case: Shah Rukh Khan heaves a sigh of relief as son Aryan Khan gets clean chit by NCB AFP via Getty Images
Viewers were quick to connect this to Wankhede. Social media exploded with comments, one user noting, “Bhai sahab... #aryankhan took a zabardast dig... Very gutsy.” This bold, unsubtle reference has become one of the most discussed elements of the show.
— (@)
Where can you watch The Ba**ds of Bollywood ?
The entire series is available to stream right now on Netflix. The global release means subscribers everywhere can dive into the chaos. With a reported budget running into millions of pounds, the production values are as glossy as you’d expect from a Red Chillies Entertainment production. So, if your schedule allows, clear it. As one fan aptly posted, they were officially on a “binge-watching break” for this one. It’s time to see what all the fuss is about.
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Oakley Meta Vanguard glasses and updated Ray-Ban Meta glasses also revealed
Meta launches new AI-enabled smart glasses in partnership with Ray-Ban and Oakley.
Devices include the Meta Ray-Ban Display with a full-colour lens and a neural wristband for gesture control.
Oakley Meta Vanguard glasses and updated Ray-Ban Meta glasses also revealed.
Prices range from £280 to £586, with sales starting this month.
Announcement comes amid scrutiny over Meta’s safety practices and its heavy investment in AI infrastructure.
Meta launches latest AI-driven wearables
Meta has unveiled its latest range of smart glasses powered by artificial intelligence at its annual Meta Connect conference. Chief executive Mark Zuckerberg introduced the devices, developed in collaboration with Ray-Ban and Oakley, describing the technology as a “huge scientific breakthrough.”
The flagship product, the Meta Ray-Ban Display, features a high-resolution screen in one lens, a 12-megapixel camera, and the ability to make video calls and display messages. A new neural wristband allows users to perform tasks such as sending messages using small hand gestures.
Expanded line-up of smart glasses
Alongside the Display, Meta announced the Oakley Meta Vanguard glasses, targeted at sports enthusiasts and priced at $499 (£366), as well as the second generation of the Ray-Ban Meta glasses, costing $379 (£280). The Display will sell for $799 (£586), making it significantly more expensive than Meta’s existing models.
Since entering the market in 2023, Meta is understood to have sold around two million pairs of smart glasses, although the company does not release official sales figures.
Analysts remain cautious
Industry experts suggest the new products may face an uphill challenge compared with previous launches. “Unlike VR headsets, glasses are an everyday, non-cumbersome form factor,” said Forrester research director Mike Proulx. “The onus is on Meta to convince the majority of people who don’t own AI glasses that the benefits outweigh the cost.”
Leo Gebbie of CCS Insight added that the Ray-Ban glasses have been popular due to being “easy to use, inconspicuous and relatively affordable,” but expressed scepticism over whether the more advanced Display model would achieve the same success.
Heavy investment in AI
The launch comes as Meta continues to expand its artificial intelligence operations. In July, Mr Zuckerberg said the company would spend hundreds of billions of dollars on AI infrastructure, including vast data centres in the United States, one of which is expected to span an area almost the size of Manhattan.
The company is also competing to recruit top AI talent as it develops what it calls “superintelligence,” technology designed to out-think humans.
Protests and safety concerns
The announcements coincided with protests outside Meta’s New York headquarters. Parents and activists demanded stronger safeguards for children on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, highlighting concerns over online harms.
Two former Meta safety researchers also testified before the US Senate last week, alleging the company discouraged studies that could show evidence of risks to children from its virtual reality products. Meta rejected the claims, describing them as “nonsense.”
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US resident Donald Trump and King Charles interact at the state banquet for the US president and First Lady Melania Trump at Windsor Castle, Berkshire, on day one of their second state visit to the UK, Wednesday September 17, 2025. Yui Mok/Pool via REUTERS
US PRESIDENT Donald Trump on Wednesday (17) hailed the special relationship between his country and Britain as he paid a gushing tribute to King Charles during his historic second state visit, calling it one of the highest honours of his life.
It was a day of unprecedented pomp for a foreign leader. Trump and his wife Melania were treated to the full array of British pageantry. Then, the president sang the praises of his nation's close ally.
"The bond of kinship and identity between America and the United Kingdom is priceless and eternal. It's irreplaceable and unbreakable," Trump said in a speech during a lavish banquet at Windsor Castle, family home to British monarchs for almost 1,000 years.
Referring to the so-called special relationship between the two nations, Trump said: "Seen from American eyes, the word special does not begin to do it justice."
Trump's speech will be music to the ears of British priime minister Keir Starmer. He proffered a state visit to win favour with Trump the well-known anglophile and overt royal fan, shortly after the US president returned to office in January.
Starmer hopes the trip will aid his governmentas it seeks to deepen economic ties, secure billions of dollars of investment, ease tariffs and allow him to press the president on Ukraine and Israel.
Britain rolled out the royal red carpet, giving Trump the largest military ceremonial welcome for a state visit in living memory. Trump made little secret of his delight at being not just the first US leader, but the first elected politician to be invited for two state visits.
"This is truly one of the highest honours of my life," he said.
Over the course of the visit, Britain is hoping to convert Trump's affection for Britain - his mother came from Scotland - and admiration for the royals into concrete actions.
King Charles III and US president Donald Trump followed by Queen Camilla and First Lady Melania Trump, walk at the state banquet at Windsor Castle, Berkshire. Aaron Chown/Pool via REUTERS
Companies including Microsoft, Nvidia, Google and OpenAI have already pledged £31 billion ($42bn) in British investments over the next few years, in AI, quantum computing and civil nuclear energy.
Starmer also wants further progress on trade, after Britain secured the first deal with Trump to lower some tariffs. Talks may touch on remaining levies on steel, whisky and salmon.
"The United Kingdom was your partner in the first trade deal of your administration, Mr President, bringing jobs and growth to both our countries," the king said in his speech. "And no doubt we can go even further as we build this new era of our partnership."
But while Starmer is banking on the royals to help cajole the president, pitfalls remain.
Polls show Trump is widely unpopular in Britain and Starmer, faced with plummeting poll ratings of his own and economic woes, will need to show his royal trump card can reap benefits.
While there were many Trump supporters in crowds at Windsor in London, several thousand people marched to protest against the state visit.
"I quite simply dislike everything that Trump and his administration represent around the globe," retiree Bryan Murray said.
Awkward questions about late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein might also come to the fore.
Last week, Starmer sacked Peter Mandelson as Britain's ambassador to Washington over his ties to Epstein. This could lead to questions for both the premier and Trump, whose own relationship with the financier has come under scrutiny.
Amongst the guests at Wednesday's banquet was Rupert Murdoch, whose Wall Street Journal publication the president is currently suing in a $10bn defamation case over an article linking the president with Epstein.
While there was a massive security operation in place in Windsor, police said four people had been arrested on Tuesday (16) after images of Trump alongside Epstein were projected onto one of the castle's towers. Trump was not there at the time.
The Times newspaper has also reported that Britain would announce it was recognising a Palestinian state after Trump had departed. The US opposes that move, which could prove a thorny issue in their talks.
While the focus on Thursday (18) will turn to geopolitics and trade when Starmer hosts Trump at his Chequers country residence, Wednesday was all about ceremony.
Trump and Melania joined Charles, his wife Queen Camilla and other royals and dignitaries for a carriage procession, with the route lined by 1,300 British service personnel.
Later, the Trumps viewed historical items from the Royal Collection relating to the U.S., and then visited St George's Chapel, the final resting place of Queen Elizabeth, who hosted Trump for his first state visit in 2019, to lay a wreath on her tomb. She died in September 2022.
There was a further military parade and a flypast by Britain's Red Arrows aerobatics team, but poor weather meant British and US F-35 military jets - a symbol of bilateral defence collaboration - could not join.
The Trumps also found time for a private meeting with the king's elder son Prince William and the heir's wife Kate, which was described by the prince's spokesperson as "warm and friendly". Trump later praised "beautiful" Kate and said William was "going to have unbelievable success in the future".
As for Charles, the 76-year-old monarch, he was a "very, very special man", the president said.
MICROSOFT CEO Satya Nadella on Wednesday (17) said the American tech giant is “doubling down” on its investments in Britain as US president Donald Trump began his state visit with the launch of a US-UK Tech Prosperity Deal.
The agreement focuses on advancing fast-growing technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, and nuclear innovation.
Trump spent the night at the US ambassador’s residence, Winfield House in central London, before receiving a royal welcome at Windsor Castle. He also spoke by phone with prime minister Keir Starmer ahead of their formal talks on Thursday (18).
The visit opened with a series of investment pledges described as a “generational step change”, committing joint resources and expertise into emerging technologies across both nations.
“We’re committed to creating new opportunity for people and businesses on both sides of the Atlantic, and to ensuring America remains a trusted and reliable tech partner for the UK,” Nadella, the Indian American Microsoft chief, said in a statement.
“That is why we are doubling down on our investment in the UK, investing more than $30 billion over four years, including building the country’s largest supercomputer,” he added.
Alongside Microsoft, NVIDIA, Google, OpenAI, and CoreWeave are among the US technology companies pledging a combined £31bn to strengthen the UK’s AI infrastructure, including data centres and computer chips.
Starmer welcomed the deal, saying: “This Tech Prosperity Deal marks a generational step change in our relationship with the US, shaping the futures of millions of people on both sides of the Atlantic, and delivering growth, security and opportunity up and down the country.
“By teaming up with world-class companies from both the UK and US, we’re laying the foundations for a future where together we are world leaders in the technology of tomorrow, creating highly skilled jobs, putting more money in people’s pockets and ensuring this partnership benefits every corner of the UK.”
The deal will support new AI models for breakthroughs in medicine, including cancer and rare disease treatment, as well as shared priorities such as fusion energy.
UK technology secretary Liz Kendall described the pact as “a vote of confidence in Britain’s booming AI sector – building on British success stories such as Arm, Wayve and Google DeepMind – that will boost growth and deliver tens of thousands of skilled jobs.”
As part of the agreement, a new AI Growth Zone will host early deployment of OpenAI’s Stargate UK project at Cobalt Park.
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, said: “The UK has been a longstanding pioneer of AI, and is now home to world-class researchers, millions of ChatGPT users, and a government that quickly recognised the potential of this technology. Stargate UK builds on this foundation to help accelerate scientific breakthroughs, improve productivity, and drive economic growth.”
The Tech Prosperity Deal set the stage for Trump’s state welcome at Windsor Castle, featuring a gilded carriage procession, guard of honour, and a State Banquet hosted by King Charles.