Barcelona secured a 2-1 victory over Alaves in La Liga, thanks to Robert Lewandowski’s brace. The striker ended his goal drought with a brilliant header and a decisive penalty, rescuing the team from a precarious situation. Barcelona had faced an early setback when Alaves took the lead within the first minute.
The immediate threat of chaos in London’s streets has subsided, but that may only provide a brief respite for Rishi Sunak as he enters one of his most consequential weeks as Britain’s prime minister.
Chief among the Rishi Sunak’s challenges is whether to fire Home Secretary Suella Braverman after her criticism of police tactics toward pro-Palestinian protesters was blamed for drawing out far-right groups that clashed with officers during mass demonstrations in the capital Saturday. On Sunday, a Downing Street official declined to say if Braverman would still be in her job in a week, while Defense Secretary Grant Shapps responded to the same question only by noting that “a week is a long time in politics.”
Rishi Sunak has come under pressure to punish Braverman for criticizing the Metropolitan Police in a newspaper commentary hours after he had appeared to resolve disputes with the force’s commissioner about protests overlapping with annual events to commemorate Britain’s war dead. Two Cabinet members on Sunday described the challenge to the prime minister’s authority as untenable, despite Braverman’s strong popularity among the Conservative Party’s right wing.
If Sunak keeps Braverman, he’ll feed efforts by Labour leader Keir Starmer to paint him as weak ahead of an expected general election next year, one Tory lawmaker said. Ousting her may prompt theright to revolt, leaving the Conservatives even more divided, another said, calling it a lose-lose situation.
More than 300,000 pro-Palestine demonstrators turned out Saturday for the largest march in London since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict more than a month ago. Some protest leaders credited Braverman – who had branded participants as “hate marchers,” in reference to reports that past events had included chants of “jihad” – with increasing public support.
The Met has also blamed the political drama for making their efforts to maintain public order more difficult. The conflict in Gaza, the Armistice Day holiday and the intense debate about protest and policing “all combined to increase community tensions,” Assistant Police Commissioner Matt Twist said late Saturday.
Shapps, who was representing the government on the Sunday political talk shows, deflected questions about Braverman’s responsibility, telling Sky News: “These marches were already going to happen. These counter-protests were already going to happen.” When asked about her future, he said the makeup of the government was a matter for the prime minister.
Police made some 145 arrests during the demonstrations Saturday, including scores of counter-protesters whom police prevented from intercepting the largely peaceful pro-Palestine march. The Met said Sunday that seven men had been charged with a variety of offenses, including assault on an emergency worker, criminal damage and possession of an offensive weapon.
“This can’t go on,” Braverman said on the social media platform X on Sunday, thanking police and calling the injuries suffered by some officers “an outrage.” While she mentioned “violence and aggression” by members of both camps, she focused her criticism on the pro-Palestine marchers.
“Antisemitism and other forms of racism together with the valorising of terrorism on such a scale is deeply troubling,” Braverman said on the platform formerly known as Twitter. Police have posted photographs on social media of people they are looking to identify over possible anti-Semitic hate crimes and supporting Hamas, which the UK has designated as a terrorist organization.
Braverman, who oversees immigration policy, is closely linked to another looming milestone for Sunak: a UK Supreme Court ruling due Wednesday on the legality of the government’s plan to deport asylum-seekers to Rwanda. The timing complicates the prime minister’s decision on Braverman because waiting until after the judgment is handed down risks making it look like the two events were related.
The government isn’t confident it will win the Rwanda case, the Downing Street official said.
Some Conservative officials were bracing for a Cabinet shake-up, which they believed could come as soon as Monday, when Sunak’s public schedule is clear other than a foreign policy speech in the evening. Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden held meetings last week to discuss a potential reshuffle, Bloomberg reported last week.
Several Tory lawmakers have privately urged Sunak to sack Braverman, echoing public demands for her exit by the opposition Labour Party.
“She inflamed tension, she also attacked the police, undermined respect for the police at a really important time – that was highly irresponsible,” Yvette Cooper, Labour’s shadow home secretary, told the BBC on Sunday. “It is just not the way any home secretary would do that job other than Suella Braverman, and Rishi Sunak is being so weak that he is allowing her to do that. It is very damaging.”
The festival of Diwali is a five-day extravaganza that begins with Dhanteras, followed by Chhoti Diwali, Diwali, Govardhan Puja, and ends with Bhai Dooj. Govardhan puja which falls on the fourth day of the festivities is celebrated with immense fervour in Hindu households, especially the followers of Lord Krishna who is also known as Govardhan Dhari. It is also referred to as the Annakut Puja by the devotees.
It is celebrated a day after Diwali or Lakshmi Puja and falls on November 13, Monday, this year. However, in certain years, depending on the Pratipada tithi as per the Hindu calendar, Govardhan Puja is observed on the second day after Diwali.
The Pratipada Tithi will begin at 2:56 PM on November 13 and end at 2:36 PM on November 14. The auspicious timings for Goverdhan Puja in the morning are between 06:43 AM and 08:52 AM, and 2:56 pm to 4:59 pm in the evening.
Govardhan Puja is performed to commemorate the victory of Lord Krishna over Lord Indra. According to Hindu mythology, Lord Krishna had lifted Govardhan parvat (hill) with his little finger to provide shelter to the people of Vrindavan to protect them from heavy rainfall. Lord Indra was angry because the people of Vrindavan had stopped worshipping him.
He stood there lifting the hill without moving for seven days until Lord Indra had to bow to the might of Lord Krishna and stop the rain.
Govardhan puja also stresses the importance of the fundamental aspects of human life. This is also thought to be a good way to express gratitude to Mother Nature. On this occasion, devotees perform Annakut Puja. They prepare chappan bhog (56 delicious food items) and offer them to Lord Krishna.
It is said that Lord Krishna held the mountain on his little finger for seven days and did not move or had any food. When the rains stopped, the villagers made up for it by cooking a lavish meal with 56 items called the “chhappan bhog”. Devotees literally make a mountain of food to offer Lord Krishna, called Annakoot and that’s why the day is also celebrated as Annakut Puja.
Some of the common items found in the Chappan Bhog are Makhan Misri, kheer, rasgulla, jeera ladoo, jalebi, rabri, mathri, malpua, Mohan Bhog, chutney, murabba, saag, dahi, rice, dal, kadhi, ghewar, chila, papad, Moong Dal ka Halwa, pakoda, khichadi etc.