Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Beloved Bollywood singer Lata Mangeshkar dies at 92

Beloved Bollywood singer Lata Mangeshkar dies at 92

BOLLYWOOD superstar singer Lata Mangeshkar, known to millions as the "nightingale of India" and a regular fixture of the country's airwaves for decades, died Sunday (6) at the age of 92.

She passed away in a Mumbai hospital after being admitted to its intensive care unit on January 11 with Covid-19 symptoms.

"I am anguished beyond words," prime minister Narendra Modi wrote on Twitter.

"The kind and caring Lata Didi has left us. She leaves a void in our nation that cannot be filled."

Mangeshkar was born September 28, 1929 in the central Indian city of Indore and started her career at the age of 13, when her father died and she had to look after her mother and four siblings.

Five years later, she got her first break singing songs for the film "Aapki Sewa Mein" ("For Your Service").

In a prolific career, she became the Indian film industry's top vocalist and sang in more than 1,000 movies.

Her songs are played at the nation's official Republic Day celebrations every year.

Her younger sister Asha Bhosle is also a renowned singer who, like Mangeshkar, learned her craft from their father Deenanath.

"Coming generations will remember her as a stalwart of Indian culture, whose melodious voice had an unparalleled ability to mesmerise people," Modi wrote of Mangeshkar.

She never married.

(AFP)

More For You

british-muslims-iStock

The study noted that this identification was not due to any doctrinal obligation but was influenced by the perception that many Muslims do not feel fully accepted as British. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Majority of British Muslims identify by faith first, study finds

A STUDY by the Institute for the Impact of Faith in Life (IIFL) has found that most British Muslims identify primarily with their religion rather than their nationality.

The research, based on a survey of 815 British Muslim adults by Whitestone Insight, revealed that 71 per cent of respondents identified as Muslim first, while 27 per cent identified as British, English, or Scottish first.

Keep ReadingShow less
Car Tax Changes: EV Owners Now Required to Pay for the First Time

Owners of electric vehicles registered on or after 1 April 2025 will pay £10 for the first year, followed by the standard VED rate of £195 from the second year. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Car tax changes take effect: EV owners to pay for first time

FROM today, 1 April 2025, electric cars, vans, and motorcycles in the UK will be subject to Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) for the first time.

The change, introduced in the 2022 Autumn Statement by former Conservative Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, aims to make motoring taxation fairer.

Keep ReadingShow less
scotland-minimum-wages-iStock

Full-time workers on the National Living Wage will receive an annual pay increase of £1,400 in real terms. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Wage increase takes effect for thousands of workers in Scotland

HUNDREDS of thousands of workers in Scotland will see a pay increase as new National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage rates take effect from Tuesday.

The changes will benefit approximately 220,000 people, according to STV News.

Keep ReadingShow less
uk-energy-bill-iStock

Water bills, energy prices, and council tax are rising, while the minimum wage has also increased (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

April bill increases put financial strain on single parents

A RANGE of essential household bills are increasing from April, with Citizens Advice warning that single parents will be among the hardest hit.

Water bills, energy prices, and council tax are rising, while the minimum wage has also increased, BBC reported.

Keep ReadingShow less
Netflix drama Adolescence to be screened in UK schools
Stephen Graham and Owen Cooper in 'Adolescence'
Netflix

Netflix drama Adolescence to be screened in UK schools

THE NETFLIX drama Adolescence will be shown in UK secondary schools as part of efforts to address harmful online influences on young boys, officials announced on Monday.

The show has sparked debate over the impact of toxic and misogynistic content on the internet. Prime minister Keir Starmer met the show's creators, charities, and young people at Downing Street, calling the initiative an important step in starting discussions about the content teenagers are exposed to online.

Keep ReadingShow less