A NUMBER of distinguished guests came together at the Parmarth Niketan Ashram in Rishikesh in the northern Indian state if Uttarakhand on Tuesday (7) – the fifth day of the week-long celebrations that are underway in the honour of the 70th birth anniversary of His Holiness (HH) Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswati and the 50th birth anniversary of Pujya Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati where they took a special pledge to protect and promote women's rights.
The celebrations on Day 5 of the Seva celebrations were dedicated to gender equality, women’s rights and ending violence against women and child marriage.
Among the guests who were present on the occasion were Arif Mohammad Khan, the governor of the southern Indian state of Kerala; Giani Ranjit Singh, head granthi (priest) of Gurdwara Bangla Sahib, New Delhi; Sant Murlidhar, kathakar; Devi Chitralekha, Bhagawat Kathakar; Sivamani, percussionist; his wife Runa Rizvi Sivamani, also a Sufi singer; among others.
HH Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswati with an award with Arif Mohammad Khan, the governor of the southern Indian state of Kerala (left) and Giani Ranjit Singh, head granthi (priest) of Gurdwara Bangla Sahib, New Delhi, on the fifth day of the seven-day Seva celebrations at the Parmarth Niketan Ashram in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India, on Tuesday, June 7, 2022. (Photo: Parmarth Niketan Ashram)
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The guests joined HH Pujya Swamiji and Pujya Sadhviji on the stage and gave speeches. Thereafter, they took a pledge to end all violence against women and guarantee their human rights of safety and reproductive health. They also encouraged the audience to do the same.
After the pledge, a special roundtable was held in which the leaders of faith were joined by religious scholars to work out a toolkit – a partnership between Global Interfaith WASH Alliance (GIWA), Divine Shakti Foundation (DSF), Parmarth Niketan and UNFPA (the United Nations Population Fund) -- to end gender violence in India.
HH Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswati (third from left) and Pujya Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati (extreme left) take pledge against gender violence and for women’s rights along with Arif Mohammad Khan, the governor of the southern state of Kerala (second from left) and Giani Ranjit Singh, head granthi (priest) of Gurdwara Bangla Sahib, New Delhi, and others on the fifth day of the seven-day Seva celebrations at the Parmarth Niketan Ashram in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India, on Tuesday, June 7, 2022. (Photo: Parmarth Niketan Ashram)
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HH Puja Swamiji and governor Khan gave Special Ganga Awards to the faith leaders and Sivamani for their work on sharing and spreading peace and uplifting human rights in society.
Speaking on the occasion, Khan said, “Problems are a part of our life, but to deal with problems, we should take lessons from our cultural heritage, knowledge and past experiences. India is a country where knowledge is worshiped as Saraswati, wealth is worshiped as Lakshmi and energy is worshiped as Shakti and all these are feminine but we have tragically misinterpreted our culture.”
He also said that puja (worship) is not merely what we do in our temples but rather when we apply the divine teachings and the divine example of God in our lives and make our actions.
HH Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswati and Pujya Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati seek blessing for a green earth along with other dignitaries on the fifth day of the seven-day Seva celebrations at the Parmarth Niketan Ashram in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India, on Tuesday, June 7, 2022. (Photo: Parmarth Niketan Ashram)
He added that a child’s first teacher is its mother and the mother’s lap is its first school. He gave the example of Mahatma Gandhiji who got the idea of Satyagraha from his wife -- Kasturba Gandhi -- Baa, which eventually led to a historic movement for India’s Independence.
He emphasised that no country could truly progress without women in leadership and that the need of the hour is to bring more women in leadership roles in all sectors of society and this is what the Government of India, under the leadership of the honourable prime minister, is committed to.
HH Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswati and Pujya Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati with other dignitaries on the fifth day of the seven-day Seva celebrations at the Parmarth Niketan Ashram in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India, on Tuesday, June 7, 2022. (Photo: Parmarth Niketan Ashram)
HH Pujya Swamiji emphasized that the philosophy of India’s culture of worshiping and celebrating women can be found even in the Rama Katha, as we are now seeing Janaki Kathas as well. He said there should be Janaki kathas along with Shri Rama Kathas across the country. He also explained that our 'nari shakti' (women power) are the foundation of our culture. They are the ones providing true nourishment of 'sanskaras' (culture) in our homes, families and societies.
He also emphasized that it is due to women giving physical birth and also spiritual inspiration that we have saints like Swami Vivekananda ji, Adi Guru Shankaracharya ji, Swami Nimbarkacharya ji and others.
Giani Ranjit Singh shared a historical story in the context of Raj Mata who was a foeticide survivor and later gave birth to Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who established the Sikh State and became the greatest ruler in the history of Punjab. He shared a quote from Gurugranth Sahib ji “So kyon manda aakhiye jit jamme rajan” (Why call her a curse? From her Kings are born).
He said a woman has four forms: loving daughter, loving sister, devoted wife, and mother who nurtures motherhood, and that we must appreciate women in all of her forms and all of her roles.
HH Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswati and Pujya Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati take pledge against gender violence and for women’s rights along with the guests on the fifth day of the seven-day Seva celebrations at the Parmarth Niketan Ashram in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India, on Tuesday, June 7, 2022. (Photo: Parmarth Niketan Ashram)
Pujya Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati ji, said Indian culture is a culture dedicated to worship of the 'Divine Feminine'.
“When we refer to the divine, we always put the name of Shakti first. We say - Sita-Ram, Lakshmi-Narayan, Radha Krishna. We also always pray to the Goddess - we say “Ganga Maiya ki jai! Gau Mata ki jai! Bharat Mata ki jai!” So we worship the feminine but tragically that respect is not extended into our own societies and our own homes. Tragically, almost one out of three women i.e., 30 per cent of women are victims of violence in their own home and far too many young girls are getting married off when they are still children. This is also violence,” she said.
She shared about the work of GIWA and DSF with the UNFPA to create a toolkit to end this violence and discrimination.
INDIA’s Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has approved the initiation of procurement for arms and equipment worth $12.31 billion (£9.05 billion), the defence ministry said on Thursday.
The council is headed by India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
The approvals are part of a push to strengthen the armed forces through the purchase of various systems and platforms. The ministry said the proposals include armoured recovery vehicles, electronic warfare systems for the three services, and surface-to-air missiles.
“These procurements will provide higher mobility, effective air defence, better supply chain management and augment the operational preparedness of the armed forces,” the ministry said in an official statement.
Naval systems and battlefield upgrades
The DAC has also cleared the procurement of mine countermeasure vessels (MCMVs), super rapid gun mounts (SRGMs), and submersible autonomous vessels for the Indian Navy. According to the ministry, “these procurements will enable mitigation of potential risks posed to the naval and merchant vessels.”
Among the other projects approved are the acquisition of an integrated common mobility card for the armed forces, high-power radar, air defence tactical control radar, advanced radio systems, and electronic warfare systems. The procurement of these items will help in improving situational awareness, enhancing battlefield transparency, and reducing the sensor-to-shooter loop.
The DAC also gave approval for the procurement of an integrated common inventory management system for the tri-services. The ministry said this would help in efficient management of ordnance stores and streamline inventory monitoring, strengthening the supply chain network.
All procurements from Indian vendors
The entire value of the approved proposals is to be procured from domestic sources. The ministry said, “All these procurements will be made from Indian vendors under Buy (Indian-Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured) and Buy (Indian) categories, giving a boost to the Indian defence industry.”
According to the statement, this move is in line with the government’s goal of achieving self-reliance in defence production and promoting the Indian industry under the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative.
The procurement will also involve the acquisition of guided extended range rockets and area denial munition type I for the Indian Army. The ministry said these will enhance the combat capabilities of the artillery forces.
The Defence Acquisition Council is the highest decision-making body in the Ministry of Defence for capital acquisition proposals.
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Forecasts indicate that the weekend will be unsettled
UK's second heatwave of 2025 ends with cooler temperatures setting in.
Tuesday recorded the year’s highest temperature at 34.7°C in London.
No return to heatwave conditions forecast for early July.
Showers expected in parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland, with drier weather ahead.
UK heatwave fades as cooler weather returns
Following a stretch of record-breaking heat, the UK has now entered a cooler phase, with no heatwave conditions forecast for the first half of July. This change comes after Tuesday became the hottest day of the year so far, with 34.7°C recorded in London’s St James’s Park.
However, the high temperatures that marked the start of July have now given way to more comfortable conditions. In many parts of the country, temperatures have dropped by more than 10°C, bringing relief from the extreme heat.
Temperature outlook across the UK
On Wednesday, temperatures ranged between 16°C and 26°C from north to south, with cooler, fresher nights expected. Over the next week, Scotland and Northern Ireland will see daytime highs in the mid to high teens, while England and Wales can expect low to mid-20s.
Friday is likely to be the warmest day in the near forecast, with 27°C or 28°C predicted in the far south-east. Despite this brief warm spell, meteorologists have confirmed that there is no indication of another heatwave during the first two weeks of July.
Rainfall expected after dry spell
After one of the driest springs on record and a similarly dry start to summer, some rainfall is forecast over the next five days, particularly in north-western parts of the British Isles.
Areas already affected by drought, including Yorkshire and North-west England, are under close monitoring. The Environment Agency reports that two-thirds of England’s rivers currently have flow levels classified as below normal or lower for this time of year.
Regions such as eastern Scotland and parts of Wales are also experiencing low water levels. Showers are expected to arrive on Thursday and Friday, mainly across Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Unsettled weekend ahead
Forecasts indicate that the weekend will be unsettled, with unpredictable showers across the UK. However, early signs suggest that higher pressure may build again during the second week of July, reducing the chances of rain and bringing more stable conditions.
Recap of 2025’s second heatwave
This week’s hot spell marked the second official heatwave in the UK for 2025. It lasted six days in Yorkshire and the Humber, and five days in central and eastern England.
An official heatwave is recorded when a region meets specific temperature thresholds for three consecutive days, which range from 25°C to 28°C depending on location.
The recent high temperatures were driven by a large area of high pressure stalled over Europe, sometimes referred to as a “heat dome.” Scientists continue to warn that climate change is making UK heatwaves more frequent and more intense, with such events expected to become increasingly common in future years.
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Matt Hancock arrives ahead of his latest appearance before the Covid-19 Inquiry on July 02, 2025 in London, England.(Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)
BEREAVED families have condemned former health secretary Matt Hancock as "insulting" and "full of excuses" after he defended the controversial policy of moving untested hospital patients into care homes during the early days of the Covid pandemic.
Speaking at the Covid-19 inquiry on Wednesday (2), Hancock described the decision to discharge patients into care homes as "the least-worst decision" available at the time, despite the devastating death toll that followed.
Nicola Brook, a solicitor representing more than 7,000 families from Covid Bereaved Families for Justice UK, said Hancock's claims were "an insult to the memory of each and every person who died."
A spokesperson for the bereaved families group said: "We've waited years for this moment, hoping for truth. What we got was finger-pointing and evasion. Our loved ones were left to die without PPE, without testing or protection. Other countries protected their care homes. Ours were abandoned."
When the pandemic struck in early 2020, hospital patients were rapidly moved into care homes to free up beds and prevent the NHS from becoming overwhelmed. However, there was no policy requiring patients to be tested for Covid before admission until mid-April, despite growing awareness that people without symptoms could spread the virus.
Hancock told the inquiry: "Nobody has yet provided me with an alternative that was available at the time that would have saved more lives. I still can't see a decision that would have been less bad. None of the options were good."
The policy was later ruled unlawful by the High Court in 2022, which found it was "irrational" not to advise that patients should isolate from existing residents for 14 days after admission. Hancock faced sharp criticism over his previous claim that a "protective ring" had been placed around care homes. When challenged about this statement at a Downing Street press conference in May 2020, he admitted it was "rhetoric."
"I would stress in that piece of rhetoric, what I said is that we had 'tried' – it was not possible to protect as much as I would have wanted," he said.
The inquiry heard anonymous evidence from care home workers who said Hancock had "blatantly lied about the situation" and that they felt like "the sacrifice, a cull of older people who could no longer contribute to the society."
Sharon Cook, who lost both her parents during the pandemic, described the "lot of confusion" about guidance at the time. Her mother tested positive for Covid and died three days later.
A week after that, her father died, with care home staff showing her a Do Not Attempt Resuscitation form they claimed had been agreed in consultation with her.
"If they'd been using the proper form, a more up-to-date form, I would have had to countersign," she said. "If I'd been let in, would my dad still be with me? I don't know."
The inquiry has heard that more than 43,000 deaths involving Covid occurred in care homes across the UK between March 2020 and July 2022. A civil servant earlier this week described the figure as a "generational slaughter within care homes."
Hancock, who resigned from government in 2021 after admitting to breaking social distancing rules by having an affair with a colleague, said the discharge policy was "formally a government decision" signed off by the prime minister but "driven" by then-NHS chief executive Simon Stevens.
Throughout his evidence, Hancock offered no apology for the policy's consequences. He told the inquiry: "We were trying to do everything that we possibly could, we were in bleak circumstances."
The care sector module of the inquiry is expected to run until the end of July, with bereaved families continuing to demand accountability from those who made key decisions during the pandemic's early stages.
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Starmer has said the NHS must 'reform or die' and promised changes that would control the rising costs of caring for an ageing population without increasing taxes. (Photo: Getty Images)
PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer will on Thursday launch a 10-year strategy aimed at fixing the National Health Service (NHS), which he said was in crisis. The plan seeks to ease the pressure on overstretched hospitals and shift care closer to people’s homes.
The NHS, which is publicly funded and state-run, has faced difficulties recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic. It continues to experience annual winter pressures, repeated waves of industrial action, and a long backlog for elective treatments.
Starmer has said the NHS must “reform or die” and promised changes that would control the rising costs of caring for an ageing population without increasing taxes.
In a statement, Starmer said his Labour Party had inherited a health system in crisis when it took office a year ago, but that the new plan would “fundamentally rewire and future-proof” the service.
New health centres and waiting list cuts
The strategy includes the creation of new health centres that will offer a wider range of services in a single location. According to the government, this move is intended to reduce pressure on hospitals, help bring down waiting lists and end “perpetual firefighting” in the system.
After a first year in office marked by unpopular spending cuts and some costly U-turns, healthcare is one of the areas where Starmer’s government says it has made progress.
The government has delivered 4 million extra appointments – double the target set for the first year – and brought waiting lists to a two-year low. Starmer said the NHS would not be fixed overnight but added, “we are already turning the tide on years of decline”.
Talks with pharma sector and life sciences strategy pending
However, the government remains in a deadlock with the pharmaceutical industry over drug pricing. It also faces potential further strikes from healthcare workers and has yet to release its promised plan to accelerate development in the UK’s life sciences sector.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Starmer and Reeves during a visit to Horiba Mira in Nuneaton, to mark the launch of the Government's Industrial Strategy on June 23, 2025 in Nuneaton. (Photo: Getty Images)
PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer on Wednesday said that Chancellor Rachel Reeves would remain in her role for “a very long time to come”, after she appeared visibly upset in parliament as questions were raised about her future.
Reeves was seen with tears rolling down her face during Prime Minister’s Questions, after Starmer did not confirm whether she would remain chancellor until the next general election, expected in 2029.
The moment came after the Labour government reversed its position on key welfare spending cuts, removing a multibillion-pound saving from the public finances and prompting speculation about Reeves’s position in the cabinet.
Following the incident, the pound dropped by more than one per cent against the dollar, and the London stock market also declined.
'The Chancellor is going nowhere'
A spokeswoman for Starmer told reporters later that Reeves had the Prime Minister’s “full backing”. A spokesman for Reeves said she had been upset due to a “personal matter”.
“The Chancellor is going nowhere. She has the Prime Minister’s full backing,” said Starmer’s press secretary.
When asked why Starmer had not voiced support for Reeves in the Commons, the spokeswoman said: “He has done so repeatedly.”
She added: “The Chancellor and the Prime Minister are focused entirely on delivering for working people.”
In a later interview with the BBC, Starmer said Reeves had done “an excellent job as chancellor” and would stay in the role “for a very long time to come”.
He said the tears had “nothing to do with politics” and described suggestions to the contrary as “absolutely wrong”.
Reeves to continue work from Downing Street
Asked about why Reeves was upset, her spokesman said: “It’s a personal matter, which, as you would expect, we are not going to get into.”
He added: “The Chancellor will be working out of Downing Street this afternoon.”
Starmer reversed the government’s welfare spending plan on Tuesday following a rebellion from Labour MPs, in what has been seen as a significant blow to his authority.
The decision to drop the cuts has left a gap of nearly £5 billion in Reeves’s fiscal plans, raising the prospect that she may have to increase taxes on “working people”—something she has said she would not do.
She has also ruled out changing her position that day-to-day spending must be funded by tax receipts rather than borrowing.