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Epoch Times
4 days ago
- Health
- Epoch Times
Public Backs Tough Rules on Sugary Drinks to Fight Obesity
With obesity now Australia's top preventable health burden, a new national survey reveals strong public support for decisive action—starting with sugar-laden drinks. Published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, the survey of over 2,800 adults found that 83 percent of Australians back clearer labelling for added sugars in beverages. Another 73 percent want marketing of sugary drinks to children banned, while 56 percent support a health levy on soft drinks. But the concern goes beyond regular sodas. The majority of Australians also support tighter controls and clearer labels for 'diet' and 'zero' soft drinks, as well as 100 percent fruit juice—products often perceived as healthier, but still high in sugar. Lead author Professor Caroline Miller, director of the Health Policy Centre at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute and president of the Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA), said the message to policymakers is clear. 'Sugary drinks are a significant driver of obesity, which has recently overtaken tobacco as Australia's biggest cause of preventable disease burden,' she said. She urged the government to prioritise public health over corporate profits and introduce 'cost-effective steps that would help Australians make informed decisions.' Public Health Experts: Don't Rely on Education Alone Health advocates say the findings underscore strong community demand for government intervention—not just consumer education. 'There's genuine concern about unhealthy drinks and a clear expectation that the Australian Government will show leadership,' said PHAA CEO Adjunct Professor Terry Slevin. Miller warned that misconceptions around no-sugar drinks, so-called 'healthier' alternatives, remain widespread. 'There's work to be done to help Australians understand that non-sugar sweetened beverages and 100 percent fruit juice shouldn't be consumed regularly or in high quantities,' she said. 'Improved labelling is an important first step.' Slevin added that a health levy could also push beverage makers to rethink their products. 'It would encourage manufacturers to reformulate drinks and reduce sugar content,' he said. In March, just before the budget, the Australian Medical Association's 'Sickly Sweet' pre-budget submission also called for a sugar tax.
India Today
14-05-2025
- India Today
Drew solace from Gita, says Indian-American in jail for 47 days in false kidnapping case
Mahendra Patel, a 57-year-old Indian-origin engineer, who was accused in a false kidnapping case, said he found comfort in the teachings of the Bhagvad Gita during his 47 days in the Cobb County Jail in Georgia. He said even a white inmate sought a copy of the Hindu who said he was shocked by his arrest, was released on a USD 10,000 bond after spending 47 days in Indian-American was accused by 26-year-old Caroline Miller of trying to abduct her two-year-old child at a Walmart store on March 18. He walked out of jail on a bond on May 6. Talking to reporters outside the courthouse, the 57-year-old said, "It feels great. Finally, I am out.""I am so happy to be back with my family — my daughters, my circle," Atlanta-based news portal, NRI Pulse, quoted Patel as MAN SOUGHT A COPY OF GITA, SAYS PATELWhile in jail, Patel said he relied on faith and inner strength to persevere. He spent time reading the Bhagavad Gita, the sacred Hindu scripture, NRI Pulse moment that stood out to him was when a white inmate saw him reading the book and asked if he could have a copy, according to the told him, Of course. We'll send you 10 if you want. It felt like a bigger, deeper message," Patel credited his daughter, Elena, for leading efforts to organise legal aid and raise public awareness while he was incarcerated. He also expressed gratitude to her and his attorney, Ashley Merchant, for their relentless support.A petition urging his release collected more than 47,000 signatures and attracted widespread support from across the his gratitude to the people who extended their support to him, Patel said he was deeply moved by the show of solidarity."I am overwhelmed. I don't know how I will ever repay the support I have received," he being asked about the accusations and statements made by Caroline Miller, Patel chose not to respond directly, most likely because the case was he said, "We take everything in life positively. Whatever comes, it's her karma. We go on with our life."HE IS ENTITLED TO A BOND: JUDGEAccording to the police complaint, Patel was accused of trying to grab the toddler from Miller, riding a motorised cart with her two Patel has maintained his innocence, saying he only reached out to ensure the child didn't fall off the cart after Miller helped direct him to the Tylenol section for his mother's denied bond, Patel's legal team presented surveillance footage from the store, which they say shows no signs of force or an attempt to flee the scene. The footage, although partially obscured, was enough for Cobb County Superior Court Judge A Gregory Poole to grant Patel's release, stating, "I'm going to grant this man a bond. He's entitled to a bond."
Daily Mail
10-05-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Shocking outburst of motorized scooter mom who 'lied' about Walmart child abduction and got man jailed
A Georgia mom who allegedly lied about a beloved father trying to abduct her child at Walmart has claimed she is the real victim in the situation. Caroline Miller, 26, claimed 57-year-old Mahendra Patel attempted to kidnap her two-year-old son at a Walmart in Acworth, Georgia, as she was rolling around on a motorized scooter despite not being disabled. But, after spending a terrifying two months in jail, Patel was released on bail this week after a judge watched bombshell footage that appears to expose Miller as a liar. Miller, a mother of two, broke cover on Wednesday, appearing stressed as she went to a Publix grocery store in fitness gear. She strutted around a parking lot pushing a shopping cart confidently and without the need for a mobility scooter like the type she was suing when the Patel incident erupted. Speaking exclusively Miller said she 'tried to tell her story but it was "twisted" and [she] does not want to be part of the "narrative." Miller's demeanor and unwillingness to elaborate was in marked contrast to the media tour she undertook while accusing Patel of the horrific crime. She alleged that Patel attempted to take her son after he stopped to ask her where the Tylenol was, leading to what she described as a 'tug of war' over the child in the aisles. However, t he release of surveillance footage has led many to cast doubt over Miller's claims, as Patel was seen merely conversing with the mother as she pointed him toward the medication. Patel insisted that he grabbed the boy as he saw him falling off Miller's motorized shopping cart and attempted to save him, and in court this week, Patel's attorney Ashleigh Merchant said he 'acted like a father' when he reached out to stop the child from falling. Cameras show Miller apparently unbothered by the interaction in the immediate aftermath. She was seen smiling and chatting with a man, while Patel went about his business. Her claims that Patel fled the store have also been disproven by footage showing him paying for his goods and leaving in a calm, unhurried manner. The father of two remained in custody since he was arrested three days after his interaction with Miller, and Merchant said he spent his 57th birthday behind bars two weeks before his bond hearing. Patel has received an outpouring of support from those who feel he was unjustly accused, and a cheer rang out from his family and supporters as he was given bail on Tuesday. As a judge released Patel, he set a $10,000 bond and remarked on the 'significant' amount of media and social media attention the case has received. In footage of their interaction in Walmart, Patel was seen walking up to Miller as she drove her motorized shopping cart with her son and four-year-old daughter. It is unclear why Miller was using the cart, as she is able to walk. Patel insists he's been wrongfully accused as his loved ones say they instantly knew there was 'some kind of mistake' when he was arrested After pointing him toward the Tylenol, Miller then spoke with another shopper and was seen smiling and laughing with them, moments after she alleged that she fought to save her child from a kidnapping. The other patron also helped Miller's children as they fell from her mobility scooter - which she mother was using despite not being disabled - just as Patel said he had done. The footage showed no such struggle that Miller had described, and even showed Patel walking back past her and appearing to show her the Tylenol that he eventually found as he left the store. Miller reported Patel to a Walmart employee five minutes after the alleged snatching attempt, but did not call the police until later. In court on Tuesday, Marchant said a Walmart staffer found it strange that Miller did not scream or call for help during the alleged kidnapping attempt, and initially appeared reluctant to call police. A prosecutor claimed that a Walmart employee told police Patel had tried to touch them and said 'something like he loved them.' The prosecutor added that Patel had been arrested for a DUI in the past, to which Merchant stood up and countered that while Patel was never convicted of a DUI, she alleged that Miller had been. After it was brought up that Patel served six months in federal prison for a 2006 arrest for a 'white collar crime' related to a contracts scam, Merchant said he cooperated with investigators to convict another perpetrator and paid back all ill-gotten gains. Patel had gone to the Walmart to buy drugs for his elderly mother, and was seen calmly paying for his items and leaving after the alleged 'kidnapping' attempt Patel has remained in the county jail ever since he was arrested three days later, with a family friend previously telling that the father has been struggling behind bars. They said they 'automatically' knew there 'had to have been a mistake' when they saw the news of his arrest, and said he has been maligned through no fault of his own. 'There's just like absolutely no way like he would ever do something like that,' they said. They blasted Miller, who has gone on a media tour to accuse him of child-snatching. 'How many interviews can this person do? She is just making so many assumptions on the person he is just based on her one interaction,' they said. Patel was looking for a specific kind of Tylenol for his ailing 86-year-old mother. She takes Tylenol twice a day, 'and that's probably why he was frantically looking for it.' They added that Patel's wife is 'distraught' not speaking to anyone since her husband's humiliating arrest. Patel, meanwhile, was struggling behind bars. 'He's not doing well. It's awful. He's being threatened. I mean, you can imagine, he's in here for child kidnapping. People in jail aren't treated well if they're accused of harming a child,' attorney Ashleigh Merchant tells Daily Mail. Despite the video footage and his claims, the Acworth Police Department is standing by the arrest, saying the 'video released by the attorney does not show the entire incident.' 'It seems to have been edited... it's not the video we have,' the department said, but declined to share their footage with 'I have no idea if they showed the video or not [to the grand jury]. But if you see the entire video, it's very clear what's happening. I mean, there's really no mistaking it,' Patel's lawyer Merchant said. When asked why Miller would make up such horrific claims against an innocent name, Patel's lawyer pointed out that Miller has previously been involved in litigation against companies. In 2021 she filed a lawsuit against Lyft saying she had been raped by a driver. The lawsuit is ongoing. Meanwhile, a petition is shining a light on Patel's version of events, and people are leaving comments expressing support for the father. One comment read: 'I have left my kids with him many times. He is exactly opposite of what he is accused of and video evidence clearly shows that he was helping the kid who almost fell down.' Another added: 'This is a horrible case of discrimination. Video shows a humble man who is trying to help. Now people will hesitate to help someone who really needs help.' A third said: 'The video clearly shows he was not trying to "kidnap" the kid and was not "fleeing" the scene.
Daily Mail
07-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Publicity-hungry mom who got stranger jailed over child abduction 'lie' suddenly changes her tune
A Georgia mother who went on camera to detail a Walmart shopper's alleged abduction of her child has now fallen silent as doubts grow over her story. Caroline Miller, 26, went on a media tour last month after alleging 57-year-old Mahendra Patel tried to kidnap her infant child in the aisles of a Walmart store in Acworth, Georgia in March. Patel then spent months in jail after he was arrested for the alleged child abduction. He was freed Tuesday as a judge set his bond at $10,000 but still faces charges including assault and battery and attempt to commit kidnapping. In previous media appearances, Miller claimed that she and Patel were in a 'tug of war' over her two-year-old child in the Walmart. However, footage released by Patel's attorneys disputed this claim as they insisted it shows Patel calmly asking Miller where the Tylenol was, before reaching down to stop her child falling from a motorized shopping cart she was on. Patel's attorneys maintain that he was only trying to stop the child falling, with the footage also appearing to show another man reached down to help the infant. In his first remarks since being released, Patel told reporters on the courthouse steps that he was overjoyed to finally be out of custody after almost two months behind bars. 'I'm a positive guy, so you got to take it one day at a time. Lot of ups and downs,' he said. 'But I knew we had a team outside helping me. One day we'll see the light, and then we see today.' But while Patel was elated to speak with the media, Miller has since gone silent after her previous appearances, and refused to attend his hearing on Tuesday as a family member told CNN she is declining to comment further. When he left the courthouse on Tuesday, Patel said he was excited to get back to his family despite still facing serious criminal charges. He said he was not focused on that, and was instead looking forward to having a home cooked meal with his loved ones. 'I'm picky about food, but I told my daughter and wife, I said, 'I don't care. Better than what I got over there,' he said. In his bond hearing, Patel's attorney Ashleigh Merchant told a judge that when he reached out to grab Miller's child, he was 'acting like a father.' She pointed to a litany of supporters Patel had in the courtroom who attested to his character, and a loud cheer was heard as the judge ruled that the father would be released on bond. A family friend previously told that they 'automatically' knew there 'had to have been a mistake' when they saw the news of his arrest, and said he has been maligned through no fault of his own. 'There's just like absolutely no way like he would ever do something like that,' they said. The friend also blasted Miller for the media tour she went on after accusing Patel, questioning: 'How many interviews can this person do?' Patel had remained behind bars for months following his arrest before he was released this week, and told reporters that he was looking forward to a home cooked meal with his family It comes as Patel's attorneys showed footage of his interaction with Miller in court on Tuesday, which showed Patel walking up to Miller as she drove her motorized shopping cart with her son and four-year-old daughter. It is unclear why Miller was using the cart, as she is able to walk. After pointing him toward the Tylenol, Miller then spoke with another shopper and was seen smiling and laughing with them, moments after she alleged that she fought to save her child from a kidnapping. The other patron also helped Miller's children as they fell from her mobility scooter - which she mother was using despite not being disabled - just as Patel said he had done. The footage showed no such struggle that Miller had described, and even showed Patel walking back past her and appearing to show her the Tylenol that he eventually found as he left the store. Miller reported Patel to a Walmart employee five minutes after the alleged snatching attempt, but did not call the police until later. In court on Tuesday, Marchant said a Walmart staffer found it strange that Miller did not scream or call for help during the alleged kidnapping attempt, and initially appeared reluctant to call police. Despite the video footage and his claims, the Acworth Police Department told before Patel was released that it was standing by the arrest, saying the 'video released by the attorney does not show the entire incident.' 'It seems to have been edited... it's not the video we have,' the department said, but declined to share their footage. 'I have no idea if they showed the video or not [to the grand jury]. But if you see the entire video, it's very clear what's happening. I mean, there's really no mistaking it,' Patel's lawyer Merchant said. When asked why Miller would make up such horrific claims against an innocent name, Patel's lawyer pointed out that Miller has previously been involved in litigation against companies. In 2021 she filed a lawsuit against Lyft saying she had been raped by a driver. The lawsuit is ongoing.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Yahoo
Man accused of kidnapping toddler at Georgia Walmart released on bond
MARIETTA, Ga. — Mahendra Patel, a 57-year-old Georgia man facing charges of attempted kidnapping at an Atlanta-area Walmart, has been released on bond after spending six weeks in jail. A superior court judge of the Cobb County Judicial Circuit set the bond at $10,000 Tuesday morning. Patel was accused in March of ripping a 2-year-old away from his mother, 26-year-old Caroline Miller. He was charged with criminal attempt to commit kidnapping, assault and battery, according to court documents. Miller told local television station WSB-TV Atlanta that she and Patel were 'tug of warring' with the child. However, surveillance footage released in April contradicts Miller's account, Patel's attorney Ashleigh Merchant said. Patel told reporters outside the detention center that he was elated to be out of law enforcement custody. 'I'm a positive guy, so you got to take it one day at a time. Lot of ups and downs,' Patel said. 'But I knew we had a team outside helping me. One day we'll see the light, and then we see today.' According to the arrest warrant, Miller's 2-year-old had been sitting in her lap while they were in a shopping cart for people with disabilities. Patel had allegedly grabbed and pulled the child away from Miller. Miller was able to regain control of her child by 'wrestling' him back from Patel, the warrant said. 'This act placed the mother in fear for her and her child's safety,' the warrant said. Surveillance footage of the interaction shows Patel speaking to Miller while she's in the scooter. Miller, who is not disabled, has said that her children enjoy riding in the scooter. At one point, the 2-year-old slips from Miller's lap. Patel told law enforcement that he had asked Miller where Tylenol could be found, and attempted to help stabilize the toddler. 'Mr. Patel offered to hold the baby while she got up to show him where the Tylenol was,' Merchant said during the hearing. 'He believes fully that she's handicapped and she's got two young children.' Patel appears to have a second interaction with Miller, during which he shows her the bottle of Tylenol that he had found. 'Mr. Patel went, got the Tylenol, and the video couldn't be clearer,' Merchant said during the hearing. 'Mr. Patel did not try to kidnap this child.' Since Patel's arrest, he's drawn support from across the internet. A petition for his release has gotten more than 47,200 signatures as of Tuesday. Patel is still fighting the case but, for now, he said he is excited to have a home cooked meal. A trial date has not yet been scheduled. 'I'm picky about food, but I told my daughter and wife, I said, 'I don't care. Better than what I got over there.'' This article was originally published on
