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Wates Residential regional development director Leigh Johnson has been appointed managing director of Barking Riverside Limited (BRL), ahead of a major phase of delivery at the 20,000-home east London scheme. She will join BRL in November 2025, taking over from Matthew Carpen, who led the organisation for 12 years and will become chief executive of the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation later this autumn. Johnson previously held senior roles at four of the UK’s five largest housebuilders, focusing on large, complex, and multi-phase housing projects. She also spent three years at Homes England, where she oversaw master developer functions and was responsible for maintaining delivery pace and improving design standards across national projects. Her appointment comes as BRL prepares for the next major planning and infrastructure phase of the scheme. A new outline planning application, submitted in 2024 and due for determination in 2026, covers the delivery of up to 20,000 homes and was the largest residential planning application submitted in England last year. BRL is currently progressing enabling works backed by £124m in infrastructure funding from Homes England. Over the next 12 months, works will include construction of a new Thames-side pedestrian promenade, upgraded flood defences, and public realm; delivery of a large park with play and sports facilities; the opening of new health and retail amenities; and a series of strategic land sales that will support delivery of more than 3,000 homes. Johnson said she was “proud” to take on the role, describing Barking Riverside as “a nationally significant project and a career-defining opportunity”. She added: “Having previously sat on both sides of the table, I feel uniquely positioned to reinforce BRL’s role as a true master developer, working collaboratively to deliver homes at the pace and quality that London requires.” The scheme is being delivered in partnership with the Greater London Authority and housing association L&Q. The design team for the current phase has not been named. Source: Barking Riverside announcement Read More

Cherwell District Council has approved plans for the UK’s first all-electric football stadium, giving Oxford United Football Club a permanent 16,000-capacity home. The stadium will be built on a five-hectare site known as the Triangle, to the east of Frieze Way and south of the A34, between Oxford Parkway station and Kidlington roundabout. The land is currently open grass with mature trees and lies within the Oxford Green Belt. The location was selected following an assessment of more than 60 alternatives, with the Triangle identified as the only viable option meeting operational needs, transport access requirements and environmental criteria without posing flood or heritage risks. Designed by AFL Architects, the venue will take the form of a steeply raked bowl enclosed on all sides. https://cdn.ca.emap.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/08/OUFC-New-Stadium-Development-Animation-_-no-music-2-APPROVED-1.mp4 The tallest stands will be on the west and north, accommodating hospitality, conferencing and a 180-bed hotel, while the roofline will taper down to the south-east to limit visual impact on nearby woodland and residential areas. Materials will include a lightweight timber roof structure and lean steel frames to reduce embodied carbon. Large glazed openings and landscaped terraces are planned to connect the public areas with surrounding green space. The scheme will operate entirely on renewable energy, with 3,500 square metres of roof-mounted photovoltaic panels, an air-source heat pump and an energy-efficient building fabric. These measures are projected to reduce annual CO₂ emissions by 80 per cent compared with a gas-fired equivalent. The stadium is also designed to achieve a 20 per cent net gain in biodiversity through new tree planting, wildflower meadows, ponds, green roofs and rain gardens. Ridge and Partners acted as project manager, design consultant and BREEAM adviser, also leading the site selection process, sustainability strategy and transport modelling. The consultancy worked alongside Mott MacDonald on engineering services and Fabrik on landscape design. The development will be supported by new transport infrastructure to encourage sustainable travel. Nearly 450 cycle spaces will be provided, and the scheme includes dedicated fan shuttles from nearby Park and Ride facilities. Pedestrian and cycle links will connect to neighbouring communities and public transport nodes, with enhanced bus and rail services planned. The club forecasts that 90 per cent of match-day journeys could be made by sustainable modes. The wider project will deliver a public plaza, wellness gardens, a 1,000-capacity conference centre, health services, hospitality and events space. These facilities are intended to operate on non-match days, generating additional revenue and providing community amenities. The council’s report noted that the development could unlock more than £130m of investment in the local economy and create substantial employment during construction and operation. In recommending approval, planning officers acknowledged that the stadium’s construction in the Green Belt would constitute inappropriate development under national policy. However, they concluded that the “very special circumstances” presented — including the club’s need for a permanent home, the site’s accessibility, the sustainable design, significant economic investment and community benefits — outweighed the identified harm. The report also noted that the stadium’s form and landscaping would mitigate its visual impact and maintain openness where possible. The committee agreed with the officer’s assessment, citing the scheme’s ability to secure Oxford United’s long-term future, its alignment with local transport and climate strategies, and its provision of new facilities for wider community use as decisive factors in granting consent. The final committee vote was passed with 14 councillors in favour, three abstentions and one vote against approval, according to the BBC. Source: Ridge & Partners press release and Cherwell District Council committee report Read More

The central government is set to table the Jan Vishwas 2.0 bill in front of the Lok Sabha on Monday, 18 August 2025, as the nation is looking to amend several laws and bring in the new concept of decriminalisation by introducing an ‘improvement notice’ instead of a penalty for an offence, reported the news portal Indian Express on Saturday, 16 August 2025.  Earlier this week, the Union Cabinet of India cleared the Jan Vishwas 2.0 bill which is aiming to decriminalise and rationalise the punishment of offences based on a trust basis governance for the ease of doing business. “In our country, there are such laws that can put people in jail for very small things — you would be shocked. No one has really paid attention to them. I have been pursuing this, because these unnecessary laws that put our country’s citizens behind bars should be abolished. We had introduced a Bill in Parliament earlier, and we have brought it again this time,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his 79th Independence Day speech.  Here are five things to look out for 1. Improvement notice — In the Jan Vishwas 2.0 bill, the centre has proposed to introduce a concept of an ‘improvement notice’ instead of a penalty for a first time offender. In the Budget 2025 announcement, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that the government will bring the Jan Vishwas 2.0 this year, though which the Centre aims to decriminalise more than 180 legal provisions. “In the Jan Vishwas Act 2023, more than 180 legal provisions were decriminalised. Our government will now bring up the Jan Vishwas Bill 2.0 to decriminalise more than 100 provisions in various laws,” said Sitharaman in the Budget speech.  2. Shift of approach — The proposed bill bring forth a shift of approach of the central government moving from a “penalise on first detection” approach of the Jan Vishwas 1.0 which was imposed as a law in 2023, into a “inform–correct–penalise” approach soon to be mandated as the law. Through this move, the government aims to promote the ease of doing business and trust-based regulation while maintaining deterrence for repeated violations, a person aware of the development told the news portal. 3. No penalty on first offence — According to the proposed bill, the first time offenders will not be charged any penalty for their offence and will be served an opportunity to rectify their non-compliance withing a pre-set period. 4. Increasing subsequent fines — In case an entity becomes a repeat offender, the penalties will start to be applicable from the second offence onwards.  According to the news portal’s report, the penalty which will be applicable will be the same as it was for the first offence in Jan Vishwas 1.0. The proposal also mandates that the fines charged will increase for the subsequent offences subject to a maximum cap depending on the sections. 5. Changes via Jan Vishwas 1.0 — According to the Jan Vishwas Act of 2023, in efforts to decriminalise several offences under various laws, the Indian government removed the Section 41 of the Food Corporations Act, 1964 which punished imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months, or a fine of ₹1,000, or both in case of a using FCI’s name in any prospectus or advertisement without its consent in writing. Another case was when the Jan Vishwas Act removed the 6-month imprisonment penalty for tree felling or damage caused by cattle in protected forests; they have however, kept ₹500 as a fine for the same in efforts to decriminalise. Read More

New York City’s Summer Streets initiative is back for another weekend. Activities are planned from 7 am to 3 pm local time. A route from the Brooklyn Bridge will be closed completely to vehicles up to Dyckman Street, CBS reported. The Summer Streets initiative allows people to walk, run, bike and enjoy more entertainment in the streets on the weekend. In total, 22 miles of roads will be closed for the event. This is the third straight weekend of Summer Streets in Manhattan. The 2025 edition started in Staten Island and Queens in July. The event will be in addition to the city’s Open Streets initiative throughout the year. The NYC Summer Streets event wraps up next weekend in Brooklyn and the Bronx. NYC Summer Streets: Road closures in Manhattan Here is the full list of road closures in Manhattan on August 16, according to CBS. Centre Street/Federal Plaza between the Brooklyn Bridge Exit and Worth Street 4th Avenue between East 9th Street and East 14th Street Park Avenue South between East 17th Street and East 32nd Street Park Avenue between East 32nd Street and East 110th Street (Including the viaduct between East 40th Street and East 46th Street) Cleveland Place between Kenmare Street and Lafayette Street/Spring Street Duke Ellington/Frawley Circle Union Square East between East 14th Street and East 17th Street Lafayette Street between Worth Street and 4th Avenue/East 9th Street 110th Street/Tito Puente Way/Central Park North/Cathedral Parkway between Duke Ellington/Frawley Circle and Broadway Broadway between West 110th Street and Dyckman Street Kenmare Street between Lafayette Street and Cleveland Place Federick Douglass Circle NYC Summer Streets: Brooklyn Bridge access As per the official website, NYCDOT, vehicles going to Manhattan will be diverted from the Centre Street Exit to either the Park Row South Exits or FDR Drive. For motorists going to Brooklyn, all entrances to the Brooklyn Bridge will be accessible. This includes FDR Drive, Park Row North, Pearl Street and Chambers Street. “The usual traffic noise and honking horns will be replaced by open streets teeming with walkers, bikers, runners, and performers. Discover a wealth of free cultural programs, performances, fitness classes, interactive art, giveaways, and much more as you experience the city in a whole new way,” the website reads. Buses will be rerouted along the Summer Streets route and parking will be restricted along the route, starting at 5 pm the night before each event to 4 pm the day of the event. FAQs Will Subways be impacted by NYC Summer Streets? No, the subway system will operate as usual. When does the NYC Summer Streets event end? The initiative will end on August 23. How long do the street closures last? The streets will be closed from 7 am to 3 pm local time. Read More

The Election Commission (EC), on Saturday, responded to the criticism over alleged voter list irregularities in Bihar, stressing that political parties are involved in every stage of the electoral roll process but failed to raise objections in time. “It seems that some political parties and their Booth Level Agents (BLAs) did not examine the electoral rolls at the appropriate time and did not point out errors, if any…,” said the poll body, reported PTI. Ahead of its scheduled press conference in Delhi over the Bihar SIR, the Election Commission said that both physical and digital copies of draft rolls are shared with all parties and uploaded on its website for public access. Parties and citizens then get a full month to file claims and objections. Once the final list is published, it is again shared with recognised parties, along with a two-tier appeals system, explained the poll body. ‘Vote Chori’ Row The Election Commission’s comments come amid the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of voter lists in poll-bound Bihar, and Rahul Gandhi’s “Vote Chori” (vote theft) allegations. In an August 7 press conference, the Leader of Opposition in Lok sabha presented Congress’ research on voting in the Mahadevapura Assembly in Karnataka to claim the theft of 1,00,250 votes. Earlier in the day, the EC had announced that it will “explain” the Special Intensive Revision exercise ongoing in Bihar on Sunday, August 17, as LoP Rahul Gandhi begins his ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’. The poll body will hold a press conference at National Media Centre, Raisina Road, New Delhi, tomorrow. The EC, on Saturday, also said it continues to welcome a scrutiny of the electoral rolls by political parties and any elector. “It will help EROs to remove the errors and purify the electoral rolls which has always been the objective of EC,” it said. The poll authority also underlined that the system for parliamentary and Assembly elections is a multi-layered decentralised construct as envisaged by law. Read More

Heavy rainfall in Mumbai disrupted flight operations on Saturday, causing over 350 delays and two diversions. In a separate incident, an IndiGo aircraft experienced a tail strike during a low-altitude go-around but managed to land safely. Mumbai: Heavy rain in Mumbai causes 350 flight delays, 2 diversions at city airport(PTI) Heavy rainfall and unfavorable weather conditions in Mumbai on Saturday, led to a major disruption of flight operations at the city’s airport. Over 350 flights were delayed, two were diverted, and over a dozen aircrafts executed go-arounds in the early hours of the day, Hindustan Times reported. Flight delays, diversions and go-arounds According to the data compiled from Flightradar, a total of 360 flights were affected. It showed that 283 departing flights from the Mumbai Airport were delayed, while 77 inbound flights were running behind schedule. According to Hindustan Times’ sources in Mumbai Airport, 15 aircraft bound for the city had to execute go-arounds on Saturday morning, aborting their initial landing attempt. While two flights were diverted to Nagpur and Ahmedabad. All the diversions and go-arounds were made between 12 am and 6 am on Saturday. Indigo aircraft suffers tail strike In a separate incident, an IndiGo Airbus A321 experienced a tail strike at Mumbai Airport while attempting a low-altitude go-around. A senior DGCA official confirmed that the incident was due to unfavorable weather. The aircraft subsequently landed safely on a second attempt, with no injuries reported among the passengers or the crew, PTI reported. A statement from the Indigo Spokesperson said, “On August 16, 2025, an IndiGo Airbus A321 aircraft tail touched the runway while executing a low-altitude go-around due to unfavorable weather conditions in Mumbai. Thereafter, the aircraft carried out another approach and landed safely.” The airline said that the aircraft will go through necessary checks, repairs and regulatory clearance before resuming operations, the news agency said. Citywide downpour These disruptions in flight operations happened after Mumbai witnessed heavy rainfall in the early hours of Saturday. The downpour, which began around 1 a.m., persisted through the day, with some parts of the city recording over 200 mm of rain, the news report said. The IMD reported that several areas of Mumbai received over 200 mm of rainfall between 8:30 a.m. on Friday and 5:30 a.m. on Saturday. Vikhroli in the eastern suburbs recorded the highest at 248.5 mm, followed by Santacruz with 232.5 mm, Sion with 221 mm, and Juhu with 208 mm. Read More

Heavy rains in Mumbai on Saturday left the city streets waterlogged, affecting traffic in several areas. Filmmaker Farah Khan, who had stepped out of her home on a rainy day, also encountered a traffic snag on an inundated street. However, Farah, with her sense of humour, shared a short clip of a waterlogged street on her Instagram story, and sarcastically wrote: “Anyone for a morning swim?” In the Instagram story, filmed from inside her car, Farah noticed a waterlogged stretch where the road was completely submerged by rainwater. The sight of a line of autos waiting by the roadside made the street look more like a stream than a busy Mumbai lane. Farah Khan also gave a nostalgic twist to her Instagram story with an evergreen Kishore Kumar track – Nadiya Se Dariya. Check out Farah Khan’s story here: Farah Khan’s IG story Red alert in Mumbai The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert for Mumbai and its surrounding areas on Saturday. The IMD predicted thunderstorms and lightning with gusty winds of up to 40 kmph and said heavy rains (more than 15 mm per hour) were very likely over the Mumbai Suburban area. A red alert was also issued for Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Aurangabad, Jalna, Beed, Nanded, Parbhani, and Hingoli districts in Maharashtra. The rainfall is likely to continue tomorrow as the IMD predicted Mumbai rains till August 19, issuing an orange alert. Taking note of the incessant rains, the BMC appealed to citizens to avoid stepping out of their homes. “Special attention is being given to critical services such as the rainwater drainage system, sewage system, and pumping stations, with necessary measures being promptly implemented to ensure there are no disruptions in the drainage of rainwater,” it added. The downpour began around 1 am on Saturday and continued into the early hours of the day, causing waterlogging in low-lying areas of the western and eastern suburbs, including Vikhroli, Ghatkopar, Bhandup, Chunabhatti, Aarey, Andheri, Kings Circle, Malad, and Goregaon, among others. Read More

HomeSports NewsWill provide all support to BCCI to set up cricket academy in Tripura: CM Manik Saha The CM said the TCA must look into expanding cricketing facilities in the subdivisions. Saha said the international cricket stadium being built in West Tripura will be ready in the next six months. By CNBCTV18August 16, 2025, 10:13:20 PM IST (Published) Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Saturday said his government would provide all possible support to the BCCI to set up a cricket academy in the state. Addressing the annual award function of the Tripura Cricket Academy (TCA), Saha emphasised providing the best facilities to budding cricketers of the state. “To become a successful cricketer, one needs to be physically and mentally fit. He or she needs to get proper training, and this will be possible only when a cricket academy is available,” he said. Saha said he visited the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru and saw the facilities available there. “The state government is ready to provide all possible help to BCCI to set up a modern cricket academy in the state. If we receive a land requisition from the BCCI, the government will look into it seriously. The money in TCA’s bank account is meant for providing the best possible facilities to the player,” he said. The CM said the TCA must look into expanding cricketing facilities in the subdivisions. “I told the TCA to create facilities at the subdivision level so that players could practice there during the monsoon, as the state’s climate doesn’t allow them to play more than four months,” he said. Saha said the international cricket stadium being built in West Tripura will be ready in the next six months. Read More

HomeSports NewsGlenn Maxwell’s unbeaten half century guides Australia to series clinching win over South Africa Chasing 173, Australia needed four runs off the final two balls when Maxwell reverse swiped Lungi Ngidi to third man, sealing victory with 62 not out off 36 balls. Australia finished at 173-8, denying South Africa its first T20 series win on Australian soil. By CNBCTV18August 16, 2025, 10:05:53 PM IST (Published) Glenn Maxwell produced a match-winning, unbeaten half-century as Australia edged South Africa by two wickets in a thriller to clinch the T20 series 2-1 on Saturday. Chasing 173, Australia needed four runs off the final two balls when Maxwell reverse swiped Lungi Ngidi to third man, sealing victory with 62 not out off 36 balls. Australia finished at 173-8, denying South Africa its first T20 series win on Australian soil. Earlier, South Africa’s 21-year-old batting prodigy Dewald Brevis struck a blazing 53 off 26 deliveries, including four sixes in one over off Aaron Hardie, before Australia’s bowlers restricted the Proteas to 172-7. GLENN MAXWELL WINS IT ON THE SECOND LAST BALL!#AUSvSA pic.twitter.com/gvrzvyHnGc — cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) August 16, 2025 Australia’s chase was set up by captain Mitchell Marsh, who scored 54 after electing to bat second. Alongside Travis Head, he powered Australia to 66-1 in eight overs before South Africa fought back with four wickets in quick succession. Head, who was dropped by skipper Aiden Markram earlier, soon fell cheaply to short fine leg. Both teams observed a minute’s silence before play in tribute to Bob Simpson, the former Australia captain and coach who passed away at 89. Josh Inglis recovered from illness after missing out the last game but was clean bowled by Corbin Bosch off the first ball he faced. But Kwena Maphaka dealt a twin blow when both Marsh and Cameron Green couldn’t clear the fielders in the outfield as Australia slipped to 88-4 in the 11th over. Experienced fast bowler Kagiso Rabada then removed Tim David and Hardie in one over as Australia further slipped to 122-6 before Maxwell farmed the strike and shielded Ben Dwarshuis from the South African pacers. Dwarshuis contributed just 1 off six balls in a partnership of 41 with Maxwell as the power-hitter didn’t let the asking rate shoot up. With 12 needed off the last two overs, Bosch once again turned the game around with the wickets of Dwarshuis and Nathan Ellis off successive balls before Maxwell sealed the game by smashing two boundaries. Glenn Maxwell seals a cracking finish in Cairns as Australia clinch the T20I series against South Africa ????#AUSvSA ????: https://t.co/FxKwm8AlLb pic.twitter.com/LmnxY6RBtr — ICC (@ICC) August 16, 2025 “It was a little bit nerve wracking,” Maxwell said after hitting eight fours and two sixes in his player-of-the-match knock. “When we lost a couple of wickets in a row, Corbin Bosch bowled a brilliant over to sort of keep the run rate near 9 or 10 … and I probably had to do the majority of the striking, but it was it was nice to get a couple out of the middle (of the bat) right near the end.” Earlier, Brevis’ dismissal in the 12th over proved crucial for South Africa when Maxwell plucked a stunning diving catch at wide mid-on to end another blistering knock from a 22-year-old batter as the Proteas could add further 62 off the final 50 balls. Brevis hit six sixes and raised his half-century off just 22 balls when he smacked Hardie for four consecutive sixes before he was undone by Ellis’ short ball and Maxwell took a blinder. Ellis picked up 3-31 while Adam Zampa (2-24) also squeezed the runs in the middle overs and Josh Hazlewood chipping away with 2-30. (With AP inputs) Read More

HomeIndia NewsIndia welcomes Putin-Trump summit on Ukraine conflict; pitches for early return of peace It was the first US-Russia summit since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. By PTI August 16, 2025, 8:54:16 PM IST (Published) The world wants to see an early end to the conflict in Ukraine, India said on Saturday, welcoming the summit talks between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in Alaska that ended without a ceasefire deal. After an almost-three-hour meeting with the Russian president, Trump said “some great progress” has been made, but did not provide any details. It was the first US-Russia summit since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. “There’s no deal until there’s a deal,” Trump said after the summit. As leading world capitals analysed the Putin-Trump summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, thanking Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for his Independence-Day greetings to India, wished “our friends in Ukraine a future marked by peace, progress and prosperity”. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) welcomed the summit in Alaska and commended Putin and Trump for the initiative to bring peace to Ukraine. “India welcomes the Summit meeting in Alaska between US President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin of Russia,” the MEA said in a statement. “Their leadership in the pursuit of peace is highly commendable,” it added. The MEA said India appreciates the progress made in the summit. “The way forward can only be through dialogue and diplomacy. The world wants to see an early end to the conflict in Ukraine,” it said. In a related development, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar spoke to his British counterpart, David Lammy, and discussed various aspects of the Ukraine conflict. After the summit, Trump held a phone conversation with Zelenskyy. The Ukrainian president later said he will meet Trump in Washington DC on Monday. In his message to Zelenskyy, Modi said: “I deeply value the joint commitment to forging even closer ties between India and Ukraine. We earnestly wish our friends in Ukraine a future marked by peace, progress and prosperity.” India has been consistently calling for ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict through dialogue and diplomacy. In July last year, Modi travelled to Moscow and told Putin that a solution to the Ukraine conflict is not possible on the battlefield and peace efforts do not succeed in the midst of bombs and bullets. The next month, the prime minister visited the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv and conveyed to Zelenskyy that both Ukraine and Russia should sit together, without wasting time, to end the war. The prime minister had said India was on the side of peace since the beginning of the conflict. Read More