Latest news with #BritishCouncil
The Hindu
2 days ago
- The Hindu
Five student life hacks for a smooth start in the U.K.
The United Kingdom is one of the leading destinations for higher education. Studying in the U.K. offers more than just a degree—it's a transformative experience shaped by innovation, diversity, and global perspectives. Each campus is a hub of ideas and cultures, where students worldwide come together to learn, grow, and connect. Here, ambition meets opportunity, and your journey defines your career and shapes who you become. This is where your future begins. From navigating daily life to settling into your studies, the British Council shares five essential life hacks to ensure a smooth start in the UK: 1. Become a budgeting pro: Spend smart, live well Studying in the U.K. is an exciting journey, and with smart financial planning, it can become even more fulfilling and stress-free. Master the art of managing your finances by tapping into student discounts, choosing affordable housing, and shopping wisely for groceries. With student visas allowing part-time work, this provides a helpful boost to your income while also gaining valuable experience. 2. Attend the British Council's Study U.K. Pre-Departure Briefing Prepare for U.K. student life with the British Council's virtual Study U.K. Pre-Departure Briefing. Tailored for Indian students who have received offers from higher education institutions in the U.K., this session offers expert advice on visas, accommodation, budgeting, healthcare, visa processes, and more. Hear from alumni and university representatives and get your queries answered. Register for the Study U.K. Pre-Departure Briefing via the British Council's website, and receive essential tips to ensure a smooth transition into your higher education journey. 3. Discover a world beyond the classroom In the U.K., learning doesn't end when lectures do – it begins the moment you step outside. Trace Shakespeare's footsteps in Stratford-upon-Avon, discuss politics while wandering past Westminster, or decode ancient stories carved into the stones of centuries-old cathedrals. Let your weekends become chapters of discovery – kayak through the Lake District, join poetry readings in hidden book cafés, or hunt for inspiration in the rugged charm of Cornwall's coast. Pack light and hop across to Europe for a spontaneous cultural detour – breakfast in London, dinner in Brussels. In the U.K., every journey tells a story, and you're the author. 4. Tap into a world of support: You are not alone U.K. universities foster inclusive, supportive environments, offering everything from academic assistance and wellbeing services to vibrant international student networks. These communities not only ease your transition but also enrich your student life, so don't hesitate to reach out and make the most of what's on offer. Much like finding the best places to eat, making friends, or joining societies, discovering the support services at your university is an essential part of making the most of your time in the U.K. Students can visit the British Council's Study U.K. student guide website to know more. 5. Stock up on affordable essentials Setting up your new home doesn't have to break the bank. Shop at budget-friendly stores like Primark, Wilko, or Poundland for affordable bedding, kitchenware, and stationery. Second-hand platforms like Vinted or eBay are also goldmines for quality preloved furniture and other essentials. Don't forget to make the most of your student status - many retailers, restaurants, and transport services across the U.K. offer student discounts. Platforms like UNiDAYS and TOTUM can help you access deals on everything from local travel and shopping to entertainment and tech. With these tips and hacks, you are well-equipped to kick off your U.K. education adventure. For more tips and resources, visit the British Council's Study U.K. website, and start your student life in the U.K. with a smile!
New Straits Times
4 days ago
- Business
- New Straits Times
Boosting AI literacy for professional communication
THE British Council is strengthening its corporate training strategy across the Asia-Pacific region to address the growing impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on workplace communication. According to David Neufeld, Corporate English Solutions (CES) Sales Head for the region, professionals are increasingly relying on AI-generated writing without adequate review, which can result in issues with clarity, relevance and factual accuracy. "We are not training people how to use AI. Rather, we are trying to help them with what AI outputs, to be better business communicators," said Neufeld. He noted that many corporate clients, particularly in the banking, financial services and insurance sectors, now have internal AI tools. However, employees often forward AI-generated content without editing, even when it contains grammatical errors or irrelevant details. This overreliance, Neufeld warned, creates a risk of miscommunication in high-stakes situations. The British Council, he explained, trains professionals to assess, refine and apply AI-generated content using structured frameworks designed for the workplace. These frameworks provide support in areas such as business writing, interpersonal communication, influencing, and trust-building techniques. "We want participants to think critically about what AI produces. Is it accurate? Is it appropriate for the audience? Can it stand up to scrutiny?" Neufeld added. He emphasised that professionals must also learn to navigate AI's limitations, including outdated data, hallucinations and factual inaccuracies—particularly when handling sensitive or time-critical communication. At the British Council's Lunch and Learn 2025 session held on 10 July, participants were introduced to three targeted training modules aimed at building communication confidence in AI-assisted environments. The first session taught participants how to use the Point, Reason, Example, Point (PREP) structure to organise AI-generated text into persuasive messages. The second focused on negotiation skills, using frameworks such as Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement (BATNA), Bottom Line, and Most Desirable Outcome, with AI used to simulate role plays. The final session applied the British Council's six Cs—clear, correct, concise, coherent, complete and courteous—to improve clarity and tone in AI-written content. Neufeld said these frameworks help participants keep human judgement at the centre of communication. "AI is useful for drafting and simulating ideas, but humans must still decide what to say, how to say it, and whether it's appropriate," he said. British Council CES operates on a business-to-organisation model and delivers training to clients in the corporate, government and education sectors. Malaysia and Singapore are currently two of its largest markets in Southeast Asia, although demand in Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia is on the rise. Neufeld, who has lived in Malaysia since 2010, began his tenure with the British Council as a corporate trainer and now leads CES across the Asia-Pacific region. He said demand for AI-related training has grown steadily over the past two years, as organisations race to integrate generative tools into their operations. The British Council's observations align with broader trends among learning and development (L&D) teams in the region. AI is increasingly being used to create personalised assessments, enhance learner engagement, automate feedback, and deliver training at scale across multiple locations. However, the British Council cautions that challenges remain. Neufeld said the absence of clear organisational policies, ethical concerns, and a loss of the human touch in communication are among the top risks raised by clients. "Some worry AI might replace certain roles; others are concerned about bias, or using inaccurate data that goes unchallenged," he said. To adapt, the British Council is placing greater emphasis on developing communication fundamentals and soft skills with its corporate clients. According to Neufeld, these include active listening, clarity in messaging, critical thinking, emotional intelligence, and the ability to adapt tone to suit the audience and situation. The British Council has also identified creativity, time management and conflict resolution as vital skills for navigating increasingly complex and fast-changing workplaces. These areas are integrated into CES training programmes, alongside language competency and task-based communication models. Looking ahead, the British Council anticipates broader workplace transformation over the next five to ten years, with AI serving as a central driver. Shifts in job roles, workforce composition, economic uncertainty, and rising expectations around employee well-being are all contributing to a new approach to learning. Neufeld said the British Council's corporate clients are also becoming more conscious of the reputational risks posed by poor communication. "A bad message can hurt trust. Whether written by a person or a machine, it still reflects your brand," he said. In response, British Council Malaysia has incorporated more digital tools into its delivery model while maintaining interactive and context-based learning. Clients are increasingly requesting hybrid solutions that combine face-to-face workshops with online modules and follow-up coaching. The British Council has stated that its role is not to replace corporate L&D teams, but to support them in ensuring communication remains a core skill in the age of automation. "Even with AI doing the heavy lifting in some areas, we still need people who can lead with empathy, explain ideas clearly, and respond in real time," said Neufeld. The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities, providing services in English language education, examinations, arts and cultural exchange. Founded in 1934 and present in over 100 countries, the British Council builds lasting trust and cooperation through language, culture and global partnerships. Now in its 90th year, the organisation continues to evolve, helping individuals and institutions around the world connect, learn and collaborate with the UK to foster peace, prosperity and shared progress.
Fashion Value Chain
5 days ago
- Business
- Fashion Value Chain
Elan Circular Design Challenge 2025 Announces Winners
The R|Elan Circular Design Challenge (RCDC), India's premier sustainability-focused fashion award, has revealed its 2025 global finalists. Hosted by Reliance Industries Limited's R|Elan in partnership with the United Nations in India and Lakmē Fashion Week, this year's edition attracted over 190 applications from across 10+ countries, with support from global partners including the British Council, Redress, Fondazione Sozzani, and Fashion Revolution. Indian Finalists: Varshne B (CRCLE): Uses materials like Weganool, banana leather, stainless steel scraps, and post-consumer textiles in a zero-waste, circular design model. Radhesh Agrahari (Golden Feathers): Innovates with chicken feather waste, producing wool-like textiles via a patented, chemical-free, zero-waste process. Rishabh Kumar (Farak): Works with rural artisans, using handspun organic cotton, natural dyes, and traditional block printing—all without electricity or plastic. Global Finalists: UK Winner: Maximilian Raynor repurposes deadstock luxury textiles and vegan leather into zero-waste garments, focusing on rental and reuse. EU Winner: Martina Boero (Cavia) blends Italian craftsmanship with circular practices by upcycling vintage and deadstock materials. APAC & Beyond Winner: Jesica Pullo (BIOTICO) creates couture using post-consumer plastic and industrial waste, while advancing social inclusion through partnerships with disability institutions. Rakesh Bali, Senior VP – Marketing, Reliance Industries, said, 'This platform, born in India and now global in its reach, reflects our deep commitment at Reliance to nurturing a new generation of changemakers—designers who are not only creative but also conscious.' Jaspreet Chandok, Group VP, Reliance Brands Ltd, added, 'CDC is now shaping global conversations on circularity by fostering inclusive and collaborative innovation.' Jury panels across regions included leaders from Vogue India, British Council, Fondazione Sozzani, UNEP, Redress, and sustainability champions like Dia Mirza and Sara Sozzani Maino. What's Next: Finalists will converge at Lakmē Fashion Week x FDCI in October for the Grand Finale. The winner will receive: INR 15 Lakhs seed fund Stand-alone showcase at LFW in March 2026 6-month mentorship with Orsola De Castro & Estethica The runner-up will receive INR 5 Lakhs and mentorship. R|Elan CDC continues to be a powerful global platform driving innovation in circular fashion and sustainability.
New Straits Times
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New Straits Times
#SHOWBIZ: Rythm In Bronze's 'Alunan Dengung' showcases tradition, innovation and environmental storytelling
KUALA LUMPUR: Popular Malaysian gamelan orchestra, Rhythm In Bronze (RIB), is collaborating with UK-based artists Adrian Lee, Sunetra Fernando, and Simon Limbrick on a new project called 'Alunan Dengung'. Led by artistic director Jillian Ooi and executive producer Sharmini Ratnasingam, this initiative is supported by the British Council's Connections Through Culture grant programme. 'Alunan Dengung' aims to fuse traditional Malay gamelan with innovative electro-acoustic soundscapes and authentic seagrass field recordings. The project will feature a creative residency and workshop in July 2025, culminating in an exclusive showcase that expertly blends tradition, innovation, and environmental storytelling through sound. The inspiration behind 'Alunan Dengung' comes from RIB's 2023 eco-performance, 'Seruan Setu', which highlighted Malaysia's vital seagrass meadows. That production marked a significant step for the ensemble, as it was their first venture into combining gamelan with environmental themes through sound. For 'Alunan Dengung', three UK artists and four Malaysian artists will co-create original music during the creative residency in Kuala Lumpur. The project will incorporate genuine seagrass field recordings, transforming natural marine soundscapes into immersive electro-acoustic compositions. Composer Adrian Lee brings a wealth of experience in gamelan-theatre and electro-acoustic innovation to the project. His recent research into how gamelan can be re-imagined through improvisation, processing, and inclusive creative practice aligns perfectly with the aims of 'Alunan Dengung'. Rooted in both soundscape ecology and traditional rhythm, 'Alunan Dengung' invites audiences to experience the ocean in an entirely new way. It intricately weaves together field recordings, electronic manipulation, and the deep, resonant sounds of gamelan into a compelling form of musical storytelling. This exciting project continues Rhythm In Bronze's established legacy of experimentation and cultural innovation. The workshop residency will take place from July 19 to 23 at the Hands Percussion Academy in Sungai Buloh, Selangor. The performance developed during the residency will be staged at 8pm on July 23, by invitation only.
IOL News
15-07-2025
- General
- IOL News
The memories of diaspora: a South African family story
Vilashini Cooppan with her mother dressed in a sari Image: Supplied Professor Vilashini Cooppan is the granddaughter of Dr Somasundaram Cooppan, who was among the first three students to matriculate from Sastri College in 1930. He was a British Council Scholar at the University of London's Institute of Education and completed a PhD in Education at UCT in 1949. Somasundaram taught at Sastri College, Springfield Training College, the Presidency College in Triplicane, Madras, and Macquarie University in Australia. He subsequently joined the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and was based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. His son Ramachandra, Professor Vilashini Cooppan's father, also matriculated from Sastri College and studied medicine at the University of Natal, before doing a Fellowship in Diabetes in the United States and joining the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, and being appointed Clinical Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Below is an extract of a lecture delivered by Professor Vilashini Cooppan at the 1860 Heritage Centre last Sunday. WE IN SOUTH Africa are the descendants and inheritors of the Indian diaspora. To inherit is to be given a gift, indeed many gifts: the riches of culture, history, tradition, memory, family, community, love. To be inheritors is also to be time-travellers, to live simultaneously in the present (here and now); in the past (the places and people we came from), and in the future (the unfolding of what we are becoming, people both old and new). Diasporic becoming happens over and over again. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ First, leaving the homeland, and second, creating new homes, new ways, new lives, that bind a community in multiple ways, within itself, to its new land and that land's people and histories, and also to the memory of the homeland. We here are Indian by ethnicity, like one and a half billion people on the planet. We are South Africans, part of this country's ethnic and racial mix, sharing the land and the nation, our rights and our futures with black Africans, with so-called coloureds, with whites, both English and Afrikaner, and with new migrants from elsewhere in Africa and Asia. And finally, we are South African Indians, a thin, unique piece, torn from the Indian diaspora's round roti. Professor Vilashini Cooppan Image: Supplied The word "diaspora" means the scattering of peoples like seeds, roots, airborne, and falling to the earth to germinate in new soils. Here in South Africa, we are situated at the continent's tip, where at Cape Point the Atlantic Ocean meets the Indian Ocean, those two great world-systems of centuries, for the Indian Ocean world, millennia, of trade. Well before Western imperialism, the Indian Ocean World was a zone of circulation. Noun. 1. Movement to and fro or around something, especially that of fluid in a closed system … similar: flow, motion, movement, course, passage. The noun circulation invites verbs: flowing in a closed circle or circuit, like blood in the body or sap through a sugar cane plant or goods in an economy built on them; encircling, as a border might if the unity it contained was also porosity; pouring, as in something that exceeds the containers that would catch it, like holds that spill forth and things that come in waves - ships, slaves and indentured labourers, migrants, cultures, histories, memories. Stacks and sacks of pearls, cowrie shells, cloves, cinnamon, sugar, tea, opium, rice, cloth; bulk goods and luxury objects, the stuff of the Indian Ocean world, the material history of so many peoples, including our South African Indians of the diaspora. Dr Somasundaram Cooppan Image: Supplied In our house in Wellesley sits a round brass pot. It has been there for as long as I can remember. It belonged to Amma and Amma's mother before her, and maybe even to Pati's Amma. At some point, perhaps 150 years ago, that pot crossed the Kala Pani, the black waters off the eastern coast of India, along with the other goods, the chappals, the saris and dhotis, the small bags of spices, the rice and okra and eggplant seeds, the brass velkas or prayer lamps and the flash of a bangle's gold carrying all the family wealth. There is memory in objects, a dense layering of time so that the dust of the past and the solidity of the present share a single plane. Today, the gold around my neck is my Amma's pendant, bought in Mombasa on a long-ago visit, and my mother's wedding jewellery chain. I also wear my Amma's sari, which she inherited from her own mother. I wore it the day I graduated from Yale with a bachelor's degree. My father ironed it the morning before my Ph.D. graduation from Stanford. And a month ago I wore it again, for my son Rohan's BA and MA graduation from the University of Chicago. In this sari, I carry the memories of our family's history, the paths of culture and education that led our grandfather's father's father to the work of teaching in the sugar cane days, and our grandfather, Papa, to study in Cape Town, then in England, to become the first non-white person in South Africa to earn a Ph.D. Someday, I will wear this sari when my nephews and niece graduate from college, if I live long enough, and when my own grandchildren graduate from college. I have worn this sari one other time, in 2015, to give a lecture in Thirunvanathapuram at a conference at the Kerala Women's College on the senses and the emotions. I remember landing in the monsoon-wet morning at Trivandrum airport, checking into the hotel, crossing the room's cold white marble tiles aglow with moonlight to open the tall dark cupboards with their slight smell of wet wood into which air heavy with rain has seeped. Showering off the 24 hours of travel and, without really thinking, rubbing in the hotel's neem body lotion and then dusting my body with the hotel's sandalwood talcum powder. And then it hit me. This is Amma's smell rising from her lace blouses, sweetly lingering in the munthani of her sari. We would smell it when she cuddled us as babies, children and girls, and adults. I entered the conference room still thinking of Amma, the Mysore talc's white glow on the brown of my skin (did it really, as I'd read somewhere, contain stray bits of ground glass?). Diamonds on skin, moonlight on marble tiles, hints of gold thread lighting up the saris I hung in the cupboards. I have no saris that are not a little bit fancy. In my diasporic Indianness, saris are for graduations and weddings and births and deaths, for prayers and rituals and ceremonies and parties. And whenever I wear a sari, I remember how much I loved to watch two women tie them, my mother and her sister, both of them so graceful as they moved, wearing the sari as effortlessly as a second skin. I love especially an old sari, one whose pleats fall with the luscious heft of fine old silk, its wearing a recompense for long languishing in a kist or cupboard. I remember the never-worn-ness of so many of the saris that my mother carried in her steel trousseau trunk from South Africa to Australia to Canada to the United States. The saris I would unfold and admire as a young girl in the afternoon quiet preceding a teatime without visitors, the saris that, in her diasporic loneliness far from home, my mother slowly gave away. Aunties, please don't get rid of those old saris; they are our history, our memory, ourselves and our ancestors, and our future generations. That day in Thiruvananthapuram was the first time I wore a sari to give a paper. Today is the second. Then and now, I wonder what happens when I use a sari for thinking. What Salman Rushdie once called 'the migrant's eye view' is, for all its many tragedies, for all the desperate losses and deprivations and dangers that cause people to leave their homelands, in the end still also a hopeful eye. Because the migrant's story tells us that in the end, no wall is strong enough to stop cultures from changing, from absorbing differences, from reinventing themselves, from becoming bigger. We are the children of the movements of many diasporas, of slavery and colonialism and indenture and apartheid, so many histories run in our veins, mix in our blood, along with those new families and cultures we have added. Vilashini Cooppan is Professor of Literature and Critical Race and Ethnic Studies at the University of California at Santa Cruz. ** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media. THE POST
