Lucknow's Jagriti Yadav becomes UK high commissioner for a day
New Delhi, Oct 10: Jagriti Yadav, a 20-year-old woman from Lucknow, became the top boss at the British High Commission in India for a day after winning a competition that was aimed at empowering the next generation of women as trail-blazers.
Jagriti is the sixth winner of the India edition of the 'High Commissioner for a Day' competition organised annually since 2017, the British embassy here said.
"Twenty-year-old Jagriti Yadav from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, spent a day as the UK's top diplomat in India after winning the sixth edition of the 'High Commissioner for a Day' competition," it said.
Jagriti experienced a broad range of diplomatic activities that included leading meetings with diverse stakeholders, chairing discussions and attending several events during the day.
She met the Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture Meenakshi Lekhi, the Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin, and the Executive Chairman of Wipro Rishad Premji, the High Commission said in a statement.
Other highlights included interacting with project leads working on the Gender Advancement for Transforming Institutions (GATI) project at the British Council and beneficiaries of the Chevening-funded SheLeads project -- a women leadership programme that helps aspiring female political leaders.
Alongside Professor Ajay Kumar Sood, the Principal Scientific Adviser to the government of India, she also launched a book honouring 75 Indian Women in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics).
"It was an intellectually inspiring experience to serve as the British High Commissioner for a day," Jagriti said.
"My day was full of opportunities -- discussions with established business leaders, a meeting with the Mayor of West Yorkshire and interacting with a leading female politician of India about significant obstacles to women's professional advancement and the value of women as leaders," she said.
Jagriti said meeting the SheLeads project beneficiaries and female STEAM role models was motivating.
"I learned about STEAM engagement between the UK and India and the UK's efforts to advance gender equality. The day gave me the opportunity to learn from a diverse perspective and, as a young woman, it gave me the confidence to be more determined and considerate towards the role of women in society," she said.
Alex Ellis, Deputy High Commissioner for the Day (on other days, High Commissioner to India), said: "The High Commissioner for a Day is an event I look forward to every year. Jagriti is articulate and focused and shows the talent across India. As women rise, we all rise."
"The UK and India do a lot together to promote gender equality, including on research and education. I'm delighted that 50 per cent of the Chevening scholarships for India this year were awarded to women," he said.
The envoy said the UK is a world leader at incorporating gender equality in universities and India is a top country for girls studying STEAM-subjects.
"I wish Jagriti the best for the future and hope she enjoyed being High Commissioner for the day," he said.
The High Commission organises 'High Commissioner for a Day' competition annually to celebrate the International Day of the Girl Child (October 11). More than 270 young girls from all around India applied for this year's competition.
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Israel launches first airstrike on Lebanon since ceasefire, accusing Hezbollah of breaching truce
Beirut, Nov 28: The Israeli military on Thursday said its warplanes fired on southern Lebanon after detecting Hezbollah activity at a rocket storage facility, the first Israeli airstrike a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold.
There was no immediate word on casualties from Israel's aerial attack, which came hours after the Israeli military said it fired on people trying to return to certain areas in southern Lebanon. Israel said they were violating the ceasefire agreement, without providing details. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said two people were wounded.
The back-to-back incidents stirred unease about the agreement, brokered by the United States and France, which includes an initial two-month ceasefire in which Hezbollah members are to withdraw north of the Litani River and Israeli forces are to return to their side of the border. The buffer zone would be patrolled by Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers.
On Thursday, the second day of a ceasefire after more than a year of bloody conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon's state news agency reported that Israeli fire targeted civilians in Markaba, close to the border, without providing further details. Israel said it fired artillery in three other locations near the border. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
An Associated Press reporter in northern Israel near the border heard Israeli drones buzzing overhead and the sound of artillery strikes from the Lebanese side.
The Israeli military said in a statement that “several suspects were identified arriving with vehicles to a number of areas in southern Lebanon, breaching the conditions of the ceasefire.” It said troops “opened fire toward them” and would “actively enforce violations of the ceasefire agreement.”
Israeli officials have said forces will be withdrawn gradually as it ensures that the agreement is being enforced. Israel has warned people not to return to areas where troops are deployed, and says it reserves the right to strike Hezbollah if it violates the terms of the truce.
A Lebanese military official said Lebanese troops would gradually deploy in the south as Israeli troops withdraw. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.
The ceasefire agreement announced late Tuesday ended 14 months of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that began a day after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack out of Gaza, when the Lebanese Hezbollah group began firing rockets, drones and missiles in solidarity.
Israel retaliated with airstrikes, and the conflict steadily intensified for nearly a year before boiling over into all-out war in mid-September. The war in Gaza is still raging with no end in sight.
More than 3,760 people were killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon during the conflict, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The fighting killed more than 70 people in Israel — over half of them civilians — as well as dozens of Israeli soldiers fighting in southern Lebanon.
Some 1.2 million people were displaced in Lebanon, and thousands began streaming back to their homes on Wednesday despite warnings from the Lebanese military and the Israeli army to stay out of certain areas. Some 50,000 people were displaced on the Israeli side, but few have returned and the communities near the northern border are still largely deserted.
In Menara, an Israeli community on the border with views into Lebanon, around three quarters of homes are damaged, some with collapsed roofs and burnt-out interiors. A few residents could be seen gathering their belongings on Thursday before leaving again.
