Ten-Minute Diwali Glow Secrets

 

Diwali is the festival of light, abundance and new beginnings. As we decorate our homes, light diyas and prepare our pooja thalis with rice, haldi, milk, honey, fruits and other auspicious offerings, why not borrow a little from these age-old traditions for our beauty rituals?

Our grandmothers understood the magic of kitchen ingredients long before elaborate skincare routines became fashionable. Rice, turmeric, milk, ghee, almonds and seasonal fruits were treasured additions to traditional beauty rituals. This Diwali, turn your kitchen into a mini beauty sanctuary with these ten-minute skin and hair indulgences.

Rice Water Skin Refresher

Rice, an auspicious offering in every pooja, can also be used in your beauty routine. Soak two tablespoons of washed rice in half a cup of water for 20 minutes. Strain and use the water as a refreshing face rinse. It leaves the skin feeling soft and refreshed.

Haldi and Honey Golden Ubtan

Mix a pinch of turmeric, one teaspoon of honey and a teaspoon of besan with a little rose water. Apply a thin layer for five minutes and rinse gently. This traditional combination helps cleanse and soften the skin. Avoid excessive turmeric, which can stain and irritate.

Almond and Milk Nourishing Mask

Soak four almonds overnight, peel and grind them into a smooth paste with a teaspoon of milk. Apply for five minutes and rinse. Almonds provide nourishing oils while milk lends a creamy touch, making this a lovely ritual for dry, tired skin.

Ghee for Beautiful Lips

A little pure ghee is an old-fashioned beauty secret worth rediscovering. Dab a tiny amount onto dry lips, elbows and heels. Leave it for a few minutes to soften rough, dehydrated areas. Simple, inexpensive and wonderfully indulgent!

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Banana and Honey Hair Mask

Mash half a ripe banana with a teaspoon of honey and a few drops of almond oil. Blend until completely smooth and apply to hair lengths for ten minutes before shampooing. This conditioning combination helps soften dry, dull hair and adds a healthy-looking sheen.

Pomegranate: Beauty from Within

Those gorgeous ruby-red seeds are more than a festive offering. Pomegranate contains antioxidants that help protect cells from oxidative stress. Add a small bowl of fresh pomegranate to your breakfast for a delicious nutritional boost.

Apple and Honey Freshness Mask

Grate two tablespoons of fresh apple and mix with half a teaspoon of honey. Apply for five minutes and rinse. This refreshing fruit mask leaves skin feeling soft. Always patch-test first, as fruit acids can irritate sensitive skin.

Nothing to launch its first AI-native product next month, says CEO Carl Pei

 

Consumer technology company Nothing will launch its first artificial intelligence (AI)-native product next month, CEO Carl Pei has announced, while arguing that the future of AI lies in productivity tools rather than standalone consumer gadgets.

In an article titled 'Toolmakers', published on Thursday, Pei said the upcoming product would have no new screen and could not have been developed as an app. He did not disclose its name, features or pricing.

Pei said the technology industry was currently looking for the next big AI device, such as smart glasses, wearable pins, pendants or AI companions. However, he believes the search for an AI equivalent of Apple's iPhone is premature.

According to him, AI is still at an early-stage of development and its biggest opportunity lies in helping people perform everyday tasks more efficiently.

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Drawing a comparison with the evolution of personal computers and mobile phones, Pei said new technologies first gain acceptance through workplace applications before becoming widely adopted by consumers.

He argued that AI would follow a similar path, with productivity applications driving its adoption before the emergence of a major consumer device.

Pei also identified the lack of context as one of the biggest limitations of existing AI tools. While AI models and agents have become increasingly capable, they still lack sufficient information about users' daily activities, conversations and work.

Users often have to connect their emails, calendars and workplace communication platforms or manually provide background information to get useful responses from AI systems.

He believes that bringing this context closer to AI could make the technology more useful and allow AI agents to handle routine tasks proactively, giving people more time for creative and strategic work.

Pei also stressed the importance of design in workplace technology, arguing that productivity tools should be functional as well as attractive.

He said Nothing was well positioned to develop such products as it designs both hardware and software and already has tens of millions of devices in consumers' pockets and ears.

The upcoming launch marks the company's move towards AI-native products, although Pei did not reveal further details about the device.

Paneer butter masala

 

Step 1

Put the onions, tomatoes, bay leaves, cashews, cardamom and cloves into a large saucepan. Cover the mixture with warm water and cook over a medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring halfway.

Step 2

Remove from the heat and top up with enough water to cover the ingredients. Set aside to cool, then remove the cloves from the tomato mixture and discard them.

Step 3

Heat the sunflower oil in a large saucepan over a low heat, then add the cinnamon sticks and leave for 10 seconds. Slowly start adding the other spices, 10 seconds at a time: dried fenugreek leaves, cumin seeds, then the ginger paste and garlic paste. Keep stirring to avoid the spices sticking together.

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Step 4

After a minute, remove from the heat and add the Kashmiri chilli powder, coriander powder and cumin powder and mix very well. Next, add the tomato paste and stir so everything is well combined. Set aside to cool.

Step 5

Use a stick blender to blitz the cashew and tomato mixture until smooth. If you don’t have a stick blender, use a stand blender and work in batches.

Step 6

Take a strainer (or a sieve) and place it over the saucepan containing all of the tempered ingredients. Sieve the cashew and tomato base through the strainer so the tempered ingredients and base are now in the same pan. Discard everything that’s left in the strainer.

Step 7

Check the consistency. You’re looking for a medium, pourable consistency. Neither too thin nor very thick. If too thin keep on the heat for longer until more liquid has evaporated. If too thick add a splash more water, and place the pan over a low heat. Cook slowly for a further 10 minutes, then add the salted butter and single cream and stir. Add the salt and cook for a little longer. Finally, stir in the honey and set aside to cool.

Step 8

For the paneer, half-fill a large saucepan with water and bring it to the boil. Add the paneer, turn the heat to low and cook for 1 minute.

Step 9

Transfer the paneer to a plate lined with kitchen paper. Pat the paneer to absorb any excess water, then add it to the sauce, gently stirring to coat the paneer pieces in the sauce.

Step 10

To serve, add a swirl of cream and a knob of butter to the top.

'Crying Kids, Screaming Adults’: Last-Minute Cancellation Triggers Chaos Among SpiceJet Passengers

 

Last-Minute Cancellation Triggers Chaos Among SpiceJet Passengers. Image Source: vijaylakshmimallya3/ Instagram

Crying toddlers, screaming adults, chaotic queues, panic and confusion–is all that took over a flight full of passengers after it was cancelled just before its scheduled take-off! A video has gone viral on social media, showing a SpiceJet passenger- Vijay Lakshmi Mallya- capturing the panic that ensued after the flight's crew and pilot allegedly “left after making the announcement” about the cancellation.

SpiceJet flight SG553, scheduled to operate from Mumbai to Gorakhpur, was cancelled on Sunday, November 01.

“All the crew members and the pilot left after announcing. The passengers are getting panicked, this is the condition. This is SpiceJet 335. This is insane and something against which a case should be filed,” the passenger said in her viral video.

As the video gained traction online, SpiceJet soon issued a statement clarifying that the cancellation was due to “watch hour restrictions at Gorakhpur”.

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SpiceJet's Statement:

“On November 01, 2026, SpiceJet flight SG553 scheduled to operate from Mumbai to Gorakhpur was cancelled due to watch hour restrictions at Gorakhpur.

As Gorakhpur is a defence airport, the watch hour extension was not possible beyond 9:00 pm.

An additional commercial flight is scheduled today for the stranded passengers.

Inconvenience caused to the passengers is deeply regretted.”

Coming back to the clip, it showed passengers panicking as they began to deboard from the aircraft. Soon after the video went viral, netizens began sharing their reactions. While many criticised the airline staff for their “poor handling” of the situation, others raised questions about compensation for the affected passengers.

“SPICEJET, THIS IS ABSOLUTELY DISGRACEFUL! Flight SG 553 (Gorakhpur–Mumbai) was originally scheduled for 5:55 PM. You changed the timing multiple times, made passengers board the aircraft, completed the entire safety briefing, kept us seated inside for almost an hour, and THEN announced that the flight was cancelled because of an alleged 8 PM landing restriction! WHAT A JOKE!” the passenger’s post read.

“If you already knew about the operational restrictions, WHY THE HELL DID YOU ALLOW PASSENGERS TO BOARD? Do you have absolutely no respect for passengers’ time, money or commitments? No accountability, no proper explanation, no responsibility — just a casual apology and an instruction to go home! THIS IS NOT AN INCONVENIENCE. THIS IS COMPLETE PROFESSIONAL NEGLIGENCE!”

“Passengers are not your puppets. Stop treating paying customers like they don’t matter. We demand answers and accountability! NEWS MEDIA & AVIATION AUTHORITIES — TAKE ACTION AND QUESTION THIS AIRLINE!” the post concluded.

Vadodara: Rs 1 lakh reward for missing parrot; want my ‘child’ back, says bird parent

 

year-old has posted appeals on social media, hoping that someone who spots the bird recognises it and alerts the family. (Express photo)

The Rs 1 lakh reward she has announced for her missing parrot may lead to plenty of phone calls, but Jessica Parekh knows that not everyone understands what or who she is really looking for. She is fielding offers to get another bird, but her answer to callers is unwavering: she only wants her “child” back.

Jessica’s Laddu, a six-month-old Congo African grey parrot, slipped out of its cage and flew out of the main door of the family’s home in Vadodara’s Sevasi on Saturday evening. Since then, the family has had no clear idea of Laddu’s whereabouts.

Jessica, a former schoolteacher, said she was feeding Laddu when the doorbell rang. “It was around 7.24 pm when a delivery person arrived. I was feeding Laddu through the cage and stepped out briefly to collect the parcel. Laddu was in his cage, but he knew how to open its latch. He did that and flew straight out of the main door before I could react,” she said.

The 35-year-old has reached out to her neighbours, the forest department and other rescue services. She has also posted appeals on social media, hoping that someone who spots the bird recognises it and alerts the family. “I’ve reached out to the forest department, rescue groups… finally, I took to social media as it is the fourth day… I got calls from other enthusiasts and bird parents, who consoled me by saying that their parrots had returned even after eight or ten days. The forest department has said they will help catch him if I can spot him. So far, there has been no luck.”

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Jessica takes solace in the fact that being a young bird, Laddu could not have flown more than 15 kilometers. “There was one possible lead—a farmhouse near our home. But I could not trace him even after that sighting… However, I know that he could not have covered more than 15 kilometers as exotic birds do not fly too far. Knowing him, he must be hiding in isolation and feeling lost. He does not like company or noise. Even at home, he was only close to me—his mumma. When guests came home, he would turn into a statue. I am worried that with Diwali firecrackers going up, he must be so anxious.”

The poster announcing the award carries a photograph of the bird with grey plumage, a black beak and a striking red tail. It describes him as the “only child” and “a precious member of the family”, with an appeal to “help bring him home”. The Rs 1 lakh reward has widened the circle of people responding to the appeal, but not all the calls have brought reassurance. Jessica said some callers claimed to have information about Laddu, while others offered to sell her parrots at prices lower than the reward she has announced.

“Some people have shared pictures of a gray parrot with a QR code to receive the reward. But I told them to send me a video. I am a licensed pet owner, and my parrot has a ring. I will be able to identify him… Some callers are offering similar birds for a bargain…”

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“I am not looking for a deal; I am looking for my child…” she said, adding that she got Laddu from Mumbai earlier this year.

She said she went around all the places she could think of to find Laddu—including pockets inhabited by parrots around the city. “Our search now depends on someone spotting Laddu, recognising him from the photographs and contacting the family… We didn’t cage him all the time. At home, he was allowed to be free even if he broke a few things or dirtied the house.”