Asian Voice

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FIRST & FOREMOST ASIAN WEEKLY IN EUROPE

Rising in Stardom an inspirational story See Page - 11

BollyCat Big B used to call me ‘Maa’: Vidya See Page -21

VOICE

Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

VOL 38. ISSUE 33

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Merlyn Vaz Centre lights up Leicester See Page -7

Christmas Special Significance of

Christmas tree See Page - 18

19th December to 25th December 2009

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Andhra plunges in political chaos

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Millionaire jailed for fighting off knife-wielding burglar

The decision of formation of a separate Telangana state has led to perhaps more trouble for the Congress, the main opposition in Andhra Pradesh – the TDP and the state and the central governments in India. The agitation for the Telangana formation ended, but even a stronger movement opposing the

After pro, its now anti-Telangana wave Congress legislators from Andhra Pradesh shout slogans during a demonstration in front of the state secretariat building in Hyderabad on Tuesday

announcement of Telangana has said it is prepared to wait till 2014 for the formation of the separate state that they have aspired for.

The Congress is facing the trickiest situation, as one of its MP has openly revolted and even threatened to launch a fast unto death, forcing the government to arrest him. There was also widespread vio-

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division of Andhra Pradesh has quickly picked up. The Congress government in Andhra Pradesh was forced to adjourn the state assembly and the council sine die on Monday, as 139 MLAs opposing the formation of Telangana have resigned from the assembly. Many MPs from the state have also forwarded their resignations to the Loksabha speaker.

Meanwhile, TRS, the party that won the

Munir Hussain, right, with his brother Tokeer, left, outside Reading Crown Court

lence in Hyderabad, the state capital and other parts of the state, as the regions observed a bandh for a unified Andhra Pradesh.

Even TDP, the main opposition party is facing a vertical split amongst its rank and file, as though the party supported Telangana, a large number of party MLAs and MPs have joined the anti Telangana

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bandwagon in submitting their resignation.

Jagan Mohan Reddy, son of late YSR, the former chief minister created a huge flutter as he attended a meeting of the TDP that was held to oppose Telangana. He has gone to the extent of demanding action against Congress MPs from the Telangana region.

Continued on page 24

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A millionaire businessman who fought back against a knife-wielding burglar was jailed for two-and-a-half years on last Monday. But his attacker has been spared prison.

Munir Hussain, 53, and his family were allegedly tied up and told to lie on the floor by an alleged career criminal Waled Salem, who burst into his home with two other masked men.

Mr Hussain escaped and attacked Salem with

a metal pole and a cricket bat. But on last Monday it was the businessman who was starting a prison sentence for his ‘very violent revenge’.

Jailing him, Judge John Reddihough said some members of the public would think that 56-year-old Salem ‘deserved what happened to him’ and that Mr Hussain ‘should not have been prosecuted’.

Continued on page 6

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Asian Voice - Saturday 19th December 2009

ONE ON ONE

them anything can be achieved, if the hard work and effort is put in.

5) What has been the biggest obstacle in your career?

Keith Vaz MP with

I don’t believe in obstacles, I believe with the teamwork and digging in hard to achieve; I have a strong team, Frank Shinfileds Maloney, Boxing Gym and Creative-i Ltd. We are a strong unit and anything can be achieved and overcome with the right and team preparation.

Rendall ‘2TONE’ Munroe

European and Commonwealth Super Bantamweight Champion ranked No.1 in the WBC / No.1 Britain Rendall Monroe is a UK (Leicester) born superbantamweight boxer. He currently holds the Super-bantamweight European and Commonwealth title. His day job as a bin man inspired the nickname of Bin Man. The 29 year old from Leicester had his first pro fight in Sept 2003 when he stopped journeyman Joel Viney in the 3rd round at the Harvey Hadden Leisure Centre in Nottingham. After 10 wins he challenged Andy Morris for the British featherweight title and lost a 12 round decision in Edinburgh. Munroe's first title win came 3 fights later when he beat Marc Callaghan for the vacant English super bantamweight title.

1) What inspired you to follow a career in boxing?

My main influence in my boxing career was my father, an aspiring boxer who gave all up to support me and my brother.

I want to achieve all that he could have achieved.

Watching stars like Mike Tyson and Marvin

6) Who has been the biggest influence on your career to date?

Hagler was also a great inspiration.

2) What are your proudest achievements?

Without a doubt, my proudest achievement to date is becoming the European Champion & recently WBC World No.1 3) You are something of

a local hero in your hometown, Leicester. What is the best thing about the city?

and what I do.

I don’t think I see myself as a local hero - I’m just me, Rendall Munroe! But the best thing about the City is definitely the people. They show me such great respect for who I am

Become a world champion, which could be a dream come true in May 2010 – fingers crossed. I would also truly like to be a positive role model to young people – to show

4) What are your long term goals?

Have you had an accident in the last 3 years?

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Passenger / driver in a Road traffic accident Accident at work Slipping / tripping Criminal Injuries Injuries to children

9) If you were Prime Minister, what one thing would you change?

That’s a hard question, one thing…. The one thing that I would change would be to ensure that everyone is equal regardless of age, race, skin colour, financial status or family background.

10) If you were marooned on a desert island, who would you like to spend your time with and why?

My Father, as he always knows the right things to do. He talks and talk but to be fair to him, he has always got something positive to say - he’s my Wiseman.

Dawn Butler MP

Harriet Harman

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People who don’t like what I’ve achieved; those ‘haters’, but then I put that down to jealousy

! Dawn Butler MP for Brent South made history by becoming the first black woman to speak from the front bench during Cabinet Office Ministers Questions this week. She is the new Minister for Youth. ! Conservative hopeful Mimi Harker was the centre of attention at the Minister for Women’s Christmas Party last week. She is currently serving on Harriet Harman’s Taskforce for BAME Women. Maybe one day she will be the Minister for Women herself. ! Iphone or Blackberry - this is the choice for members of Club Asia the 50 somethings who are looking for new toys.

Mimi Harker George Jatania was to off to India with his blackberry and Ramesh Kansagra swears by his iphone. Can we have one that combines both these great gadgets? ! It’s that time of year again folks when the readers of Asian Voice nominate people for the 2010 Political and Public Life Awards. Last year saw MPs Rob Marris, Adam Holloway, Harriet Harman and others win this prestigious award.

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As a Bin Man and someone who has achieved World Status - young people looking up at to me – showing that all is achievable with correct attitude and believes.

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Million face twelve days of misery as BA strike looms Almost one million air passengers face travel chaos over Christmas after British Airways cabin crew voted for a 12-day strike starting on December 22.

The dispute, which

will cost the loss-making BA hundreds of millions of pounds, threatens to intensify, with unions planning more mass walkouts.

Unite won overwhelming support for the

strike over changes it says have been imposed, including the reduction of one crew member on all flights.

Thousands of air stewards and stewardesses gathered at

Sandown Park racecourse, in Surrey, on last Monday for the verdict.

Union leaders said that of the 12,700 cabin crew balloted — more than 80 per cent of BA’s total — 92 per cent backed a

walkout. No BA flights would leave British airports during the strike period, Unite chiefs claimed.

Willie Walsh, the BA chief executive, said: “They have no justifica-

tion for threatening such extreme action. It is very sad they are seeking to use the Christmas holiday plans and family reunions of hundreds of thousands of people to try to pursue their case.”

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th December 2009

COMMENT

Positive end to Indo-Russian Summit On the eve of his departure for the yearly IndoRussian summit, his sixth such visit to the Russian capital, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in a robust statement, underpinned India's strategic partnership with Russia as one built on the “solid foundation” of deep mutual trust and the strong mutual convergence of national interests. “We seek to strengthen these ties further,” he said. His hopes were realised as President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Ministser Vladirmir Putin in separate talks with the visiting Indian Premier took the IndoRussian relationship to a new high. India and Russia signed an umbrella agreement for expanding civil nuclear cooperation that will give New Delhi the right to reprocess spent fuel, thereby taking the pact “far beyond the 123 agreement inked with the US,”remarked a top Indian official. Under the agreement four new nuclear plants are to be set up in Kundakulam in Tamil Nadu, while a fifth is to be constructed at Haripur in West Bengal. More Russian-built nuclear reactors are likely to come up – some 20 eventually, said Sergei Kirienko, Russia's nuclear energy chief, who went on to say; “We will build a total of six reactors at Kundakulam, another four to six at Haripur, and may well get a third site to build still more reactors.” .

President Medvedev made it clear that Russia would not accept any foreign-imposed restriction on its nuclear cooperation with India Dr Manmohan Singh, at the joint press conference with President Medvedev, said: “Today we have signed an agreement that broadens the reach of of our cooperation beyond the supply of nuclear reactors to areas of research and development and a whole range of areas of nuclear energy.”

India and Russia have resolved their differences over the price of the aircraft carrier, Admiral Gorshkov, [renamed Vikramaditya]

now undergoing major refurbishment at a Russian shipyard. The Indo-Russian Defence Cooperation on weapons systems and co-production has been renewed for another ten years until 2020. In addition to this, India has decided to augment its contracted fleet of 190 Sukhoi 30MMKI aircraft with the acquisition of another 50 of these formidable warplanes. India plans to purchase MiG 29 aircraft for its aircraft carriers.

The Joint Declaration issued at the end of the Indo-Russian summit stated that the Strategic Partnership between the two countries was “the culmination of the long and multifaceted bilateral relations” and “a key foreign policy priority for both Sides.” However, “This deepening partnership is not impacted in any way by the engagement of the two countries with the rest of the world.”

It was a time-tested and enduring friendship which was mutually beneficial and which had emerged as a factor of peace and stability in the region and the world, the Declaration concluded.

India and Russia also agreed to step up their joint fight against terrorism. They discussed the situation in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran. These subjects were reviewed at some length between Prime Minister Singh and President Medvedev and in separate parleys between Mr Singh and Prime Minister Putin. Indo-Russian cooperation on hydrocarbons received due attention.

If a touch of complacency and drift had entered Indo-Russian relations, President Pratibha Patil's state visit to Moscow in September, followed by high profile follow-up vists from Industry Minister Anand Sharma, Defence Minister A.K.Antony and External Affair Minister S.M.Krishna signalled a creative renewal of these ties. The Moscow summit has clearly vindicated the wisdom of this diplomatic There should how be no looking back, as the Year of India in Russia draws to a close.

NCGO chalks out inclusive future The National Congress of Gujarati Organisations (NCGO) last Sunday held a convention at the Khadwa Patidar Samaj Centre in Harrow. About 500 people from all walks of life attended. While mostly Gujarati, the audience included non-Gujaratis as well. The three mainstream British political parties - Labour, Conservative and Lib Dem were well represented.There was a galaxy of distinguished speakers, among them were Lord Professor Bhikhu Parekh, Lord Navnit Dholakia, Rt Hon Keith Vaz, Cllr Anjana Patel, Yogesh Mehta, a well known businessman and philanthropist.

Krihnakant Vakharia, Vishnubhai Pandya and Savjibhai Vekaria of the Vishwa Gujarati Samaj travelled from India to attend the function.

Puja Thakkar addressed the gathering on matters pertaining to youth and community, outlining problems but also confident that these could be surmounted with good will abd common sense and the will to work together.

Trupti Patel made an impassioned speech on women's issues, highlighting the need for greater empowerment and gender equality. Words were fine, she said, but real action on the ground was surely better; it would be clinching evidence of intent. So act now, she said. The sooner the better, for the time for pieties was surely over.

The themes for the occasion were- youth, business, women and politics. Youth embodied

the comminity's and the nation's future. Their education and moral training were paramount parts of their upbringing. The spectacle of feral gangs of teenagers (sometimes even younger) terrorising the community at large in inner city areas and beyond is exceedingly worrying and depressing.

Business and the professions, to take two examples, is where society learns to train itself in the merchanisms of the ethic, without which no people or nation can prosper and progress to greater things.

Finally, the role of women, it was agreed, was critical to a balanced and stable future. Women are the axis of family life, but they do also have a major role in the workplace. Those socities that pride themselves on their enlightenment are the ones most able to provide opportunities for their women in which ever field they choose for themselves. The choice in end must be theirs alone.

One of the principle aim of this conference was to remember and salute the Britain based Gujaratis and other Indians together with their English friends who waged campaigns for the freedom of India over 100 years ago.

The NCGO remained committed to this charter of rights and responsibilities. It was an inspirational occasion from which we can all learn.

EU delegation gives thumbs up to Kashmir A five-member European Union (EU) delegation created a stir in Islamic separatist circles by pronouncing that Kashmir was an integral part of India.

The delegation, led by Swedish Ambassador to India, Lars Olof Lindgren, included Belgian Ambassador Jean Deboutte, Spanish Ambassador Ion de la Reva, the head of the European Commission Daniel Smajda and the Second Secretary (Political) at the Swedish Embassy, Oscar Schlyter, paid a two-day visit to the Kashmir Valley.

They met Commander of the Indian Army's Srinagar-based 15 Corp Lt General Bikram Singh, Chairman of the Hurriyant Conference Mirwaz

Umar Farooq; JKLF leader Yasin Malik; members of the Jammu and Kashmir Coalition Society, and former chief minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed.

The EU diplomats told a press conference in Srinagar that, in their view, Kashmir was an integral part of India. “That is the opinion of the European Union and we don't need to discuss it here. That is our opinion and that is the starting point of the discussions,” Mr Lindgren told reporters.

Majority EU members have clearly decided that sitting on the fence on Kashmir is neither wise nor realistic. It is surely time, for the same reasons, for the US and UK to do likewise.

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Thought for the Week

We are what we repeatedly do.

Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit - Aristotle

David Cameron MP Member of Parliament for Whitney, Conservative Party Leader of the Opposition, Shadow Cabinet Minister

This was the week Labour lost the right to govern

Gordon Brown

Alistair Darling

Their Pre-Budget Report on Wednesday was an opportunity to finally confront the biggest budget deficit in Britain’s peacetime history. Instead, they put their own political fortunes ahead of what is right for our country.

Not only did they decide to carry on their irresponsible spending, but they’re actually increasing it next year.

Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling just don’t seem to care about the risks they are running. It’s as if they’re a couple of joy-riders in a car smashing up the neighbourhood, not caring about what is going to happen and not caring about anyone who might have to take over the mess they have created.

It’s clear that all they care about now is politics.

Just look at the reports about Brown

personally overruling the Treasury’s advice on the PBR so that he could stick to his wretched political dividing lines.

And look at the speech Darling gave in Parliament. He said he would increase benefits for some of the most vulnerable people in our country, like the disabled - but he didn’t mention his plans to cut those same benefits the year after the election. Then he said that he would protect the NHS, but didn’t mention the fact that his national insurance increases - a tax on jobs that hits everyone earning over £20,000 will cost the NHS almost £450 million.

If anyone needed one more reason to believe it’s time to get rid of the Labour politicians running our country, this week’s behaviour gave every reason that could possibly be needed.

ASIAN VOICE is published by Asian Business Publications Ltd Karma Yoga House, 12 Hoxton Market, (Off Coronet Street) London N1 6HW. Tel: 020 7749 4080 Fax: 020 7749 4081 Email: aveditorial@abplgroup.com www: abplgroup.com © Asian Business Publications

YOUR VOICE

4

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th December 2009

Weekend closures

Thanks for support

False red friends

Do not divide India

Many readers will be as concerned as I am about the continuing weekend closures of the Jubilee Line for work that should already be completed. Brent’s Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Teather recently persuaded the Mayor’s adviser to let Metropolitan Line trains stop at Willesden Green to help local people get about at weekends. The service was used by over 10,000 people in the first weekend.

At a recent meeting with councillors, the Jubilee Line’s general manager Kevin Bootle said that despite works originally being due to be complete by October 2009 they would not now finish until sometime next year. Following our discussion he agreed to explore the possibility of stopping Metropolitan Line trains at Neasden, as well as Willesden Green, when the Jubilee Line is not running.

I have requested an urgent update, as I now understand that the line closures for works that should have been completed may continue until next autumn. If any of your readers have had trouble getting about as a result of problems on the Jubilee Line, I would welcome them emailing me at Cllr.Daniel.Brown@brent.gov.uk so I can pass on their concerns to Transport for London and the Mayor.

St Luke’s Hospice was honoured to have been selected as the charity for the 9th Asian Achievers’ Awards on 3 December.

It was a memorable occasion and on behalf of St Luke’s, I offer my hearty congratulations to those who were nominated for, and to those who won the awards.

Throughout the evening, there was an ubiquitous sense of community and as the Hospice that provides services to the communities in Harrow & Brent, I and all my colleagues who attended the event, felt very much at home. May I, through the columns of this paper, thank most sincerely all those who gave so generously in support of St Luke’s. We had hoped to raise sufficient on the night to support two specialist nurses and I am delighted to say that we have achieved that target.

It is this tangible support that helps to reinforce the concept of community cohesion and we are proud to be part of such a vibrant and vital community.

I refer to Rt Hon Steven Pound’s article titled “false blue friends” (AV 12/12/09, Pg 3) and his comments on David Cameron’s interview in Asian Voice. One particular reference stand out “Labour certainly has the best record for the endorsement and election of INDIAN origin Councillors and MPs”. Labour currently has 26 Hindu/Gujarati councillors which is great, but the Tories have 67 Hindu/Gujarati councillors and likely to have 8 Hindu/Gujarati MP’s in the Parliament. I suggest the Labour party for years and still are false red friends!

In 1995, a confidential document by CIA was leaked. The document actually was commenting on the geo political state of the world and also mentioned India as a rising superpower.

Nobody believed it at that time and it would not be surprising if even the then American government might have shelved the report. Yet we see the emergence of India as a superpower now.

Similarly in 1997, one more report was leaked stating that India will disintegrate. Everyone especially Indians rubbished the report and strong voices of patriotism were sounding from the parliament and every corner of the country.

Ironically if we take a look, our beloved fellow countrymen are doing the same thing by demanding the creation of new states. Telangana, Gorkhland, and demand of 3 states by Shri Mayawati Devi is a clear sign that the disintegration process has started.

In the name of better governance and to fuel the need for power, our corrupt politicians are the ones who are bringing India down.

I just want to beg my fellow Indians not to fall into the trap of selfish motives by these politicians. Lets create a united India rather than a divided piece of land mass.Jai Hind!

Councillor Daniel Brown Lead Member for Highways and Transportation, Brent (Liberal Democrat)

Vegan and Vegeterianism

Whether cheese, which has additive of rennet – is suitable for vegetarians is a valid question, there cannot be perfect vegetarianism, but has to have certain compromise. If egg is not suitable for veggies, then cow’s milk and its bi-products must be considered as not suitable. Jelly made from animal origin-gelatine and white sugar polished with bones must be considered as not suitable for vegetarians.

Varakh(silver foil) on our sweets and fruits is made by pressing silver blocks between guts of dead oxen. Yet we eat such sweets on Diwali and religious days.

Vegetarians eat fruits and vegetables fed with inorganic fertiliser, with additives of animal origin. Mince pies which are glazed with suet are made from animal fat. For vegetarian, best way will be to avoid animal products and additives openly. But if ingested innocently apologise to God. Therefore ideal way is to be vegan, and to carry your own tiffin.

Ramesh Jhalla Via Email

Correspondents wanted If you live in Leeds, Manchester, Bradford or Edinburgh and are interested to be the Asian Voice 'Community News Correspondent’, please send your CV to Rupanjana at rupanjana@abplgroup.com.

M R Coward Chief Executive

PM playing Robin Hood with public purse While the country is reeling under debt mountain of £800 billion, PM Brown plays Russian roulette with public finances, pledging £1.5 billion to beat global warning, at the EU summit, the money he has to beg, borrow or confiscate from the British tax payers.

Even much richer countries like France and especially Germany, the richest nation in EU with monthly trade surplus of some 40 billion Euros, has shy away from matching Britain’s contribution.

While British people are taxed to the brink of despair, with NI, VAT and even council tax going up by 4% when the inflation is negative, Mr. Brown is willing to play Robin Hood with tax payers’ money, in order to advance his personal standing on the international stage.

I wonder why there is no one with backbone in the Cabinet to stand up against this madness and tell Mr. Brown that Charity begins at home, that he should first put his house in order before galloping on the international stage, pledging money he did not have.

I hope the opposition leaders, in particular David Cameroon, who all have so far failed to provide effective opposition, will show the courage and wisdom and promise the voters that if they are elected at the next election, they will put the need of our citizens above that of the rest of the world.

Bhupendra M Gandhi Via Email

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A Christmas Message

Don’t get me wrong. I am all for peace on earth and goodwill for all, and merry making at the time of the festive season. But does Christmas invariably mean the slaughter of all those turkeys? I do not know how the tradition of roast turkey on the plate for Christmas dinner has started and what its significance is.

I do know that the Jain religion is totally opposed to cruelty to animals of any kind. Be they turkeys, cows or the tiniest, microscopic insects. Killing them to eat is completely out of the question. We have all those roast potatoes, Brussel sprouts, the bread and brandy puddings, not to forget the booze and the plonk. Why couldn’t we do without turkeys?

I do not wish to be branded a spoil sport at a time when people are looking forward to Christmas parties and are generally in jovial moods. Nor do I wish to impinge on others’ beliefs. But if I can persuade a few people not to eat turkeys this Christmas, I would have made a small contribution in spreading Lord Mahavira’s message of kindness and “ahimsa” – non violence to the tiniest living beings.

Dinesh Sheth Newbury Park, Ilford

Caste Watch recognises problems

I read your article about the charitable organisation called Caste Watch (UK) in AV (pg 11, issue 12/12/09). Quite insightful, informative and 100% agreeable. There is a lot of caste discrimination amongst Indians to such a larger extent that many a time people from 2 different castes don’t want to work together. Developing such organisations will bring about education, knowledge and help to those who need it.

At the same time we should also note, the caste menace is deeply rooted just as racism is still existent. No matter we have created laws and adhere to it stringently, nevertheless we all experience racism in our daily lives.

People become politically correct when laws are imposed on them, the problem still exists but never eradicated. And problems like caste discrimination, racism can only be eliminated through education as mostly these stem out of ignorance and lack of cultural awareness.

I hope Caste Watch recognises these problems and take credible steps as well. I’ve joined as a member and going to advise my friends to do so too.

UK EUROPE WORLD 1 Year £25 £55 £70 2 Years £45 £100 £125 £225 £300 *5 Years £110 £450 £550 *10 Years £200

Vikram Sharma London

Formation of Telangana state Lord Desai in one of his interviews to NDTV suggested that break up of Pakistan may create more problem for India in keeping unity among different racial groups. It is already happening in India. Under the re-organisation of states on the basis of languages spoken, Andhra Pradesh was created in 1953 after Potti Seeramulu, on a hunger strike over the issue died on December, 1952.

It is the fault of the Congress party to promise Telangana Rashtria Samithi ( TRS) a separate state in 2004 general election and hence TRS was a part UPA alliance which enabled the Congress party to come to power. The people of Telangana were cheated by the UPA government under the Congress rule.

The government plans for Telangana have sparked of other demands for statehood in India. There are demands for the creation of separate states for Vidharba in Maharashtra state, Gorkhaland in West Bengal and so on. The Indian government has no policy in creating new states and due to political compulsion several small states were created such as Goa, Puduchari, Mizoram, Nagaland and so on. In Goa people speak Marathi and still it was not merged with Maharashtra.Similarly in Puduchari people speak Tamil and still it is not part of Tamilnadu.

The way in which new states are created may lead to political balkanisation and disintegration of India and whatever efforts the ‘iron man of India’ Sardar Patel did to unify India is totally wasted.

Harish Patel London

Arun Vaidyanathan Via Email

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'(#)*&"+,-. /##.012.%3$ ‘Smile Pinky’ too gets the Oscar

Boyle says Mumbai dwarfed the statuette

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Cricket crazy Indians for the first time was seen so euphoric on Monday morning, as they expected a couple of Oscars. British Indians in the UK, Dharavi slums, the shanty township of Mumbai, a village in Uttar Pradesh and almost the entire Bollywood waited in expectation, glued to their TV sets. They burst into celebrations as one by one, their heroes, the actors of the British Indian film and the music maestro, A R Rahman bagged the top awards in the world of entertainment.

British actress Kate Winslett also won the Oscar after having missed it almost five times earlier.

‘Smile Pinki’, a short documentary on a cleft-lipped Indian girl in Uttar Pradesh directed

by American director Megan Mylan, won the Oscar for the Best Documentary (Short).

London N1 6HW

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Asian Voice - Saturday 19th December 2009

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UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th December 2009

Kapil’s

Girl, two, sent back from hospital dies of suspected swine flu A girl of two died of suspected swine flu the day after hospital doctors allegedly told her parents she had no illness and sent her home.

Michelle Fernando, two, began showing symptoms a week after her mother was diagnosed with the virus in November.

Her worried father took her to hospital but said medics sent them home, telling him to give the little girl Calpol and water.

The next day Michelle stopped breathing and died.

In a tragic twist of fate, it was the day ministers announced that under-fives would be vaccinated against swine flu.

Her mother Uthpala, 27, who lives with husband Rashid and their son Marlon, four, in Bristol, told a national daily, ‘Michelle would still be alive if she had not been sent home.’

by Kapil Dudakia - email: kapil@abplgroup.com ‘Dub bai!’

Michelle

‘We trusted the doctors but we don’t any more,’ she said. ‘When Rashid took her to hospital, the doctors told him she had no illness.

‘Even when my husband explained I had swine flu, they didn’t take it seriously.’

Michelle was taken to Bristol Children’s Hospital after she stopped eating and was very weak. Her parents allegedly claim doctors did

Uthpala

not carry out a blood test or X-ray before sending her home, where her condition worsened. Her parents were due to receive a report last week, which will reveal if swine flu killed her.

Daily Mail reports, they have made an official complaint. Health chiefs in Bristol has said that an inquiry has started.

Peaceful Harrow mosque protests

Both anti-Islam and antifascist campaigners have declared victory after last Sunday’s protests outside Harrow Central Mosque.

Stop the Islamisation of Europe (SIOE) have posted a message on its website hailing the “success” of their demonstration “against the big mosque in Harrow”, as reported by Harrow Times.

The group had told

police before Sunday that it was expecting around 1,500 supporters to descent on Wealdstone for its demonstration, but in the end less than 40 turned up.

The SIOE protest, which was supported by members of the English Defence League (EDL), was countered by more than 200 people under the banner of Unite Against Fascism (UAF).

UAF’s website declared: “Victory in Harrow as humiliated anti-Muslim racists vow never to return.”

The group allegedly called SIOE’s protest as a “flop” because of the low number of people who attended, and picked on SIOE leader Stephen Gash’s pledge to not hold another protest outside the mosque, in Station Road.

Millionaire jailed for fighting off knife wielding burglar

Continued from page 1 But had he spared Mr Hussain jail, the judge said, the ‘rule of law’ would collapse.

Salem, who has previous convictions, has already been given a noncustodial sentence despite carrying out what the judge called a ‘serious and wicked’ attack.

Mr Hussain’s nightmare began on September 3rd last year when he, his wife, 18-year-old daughter and two sons aged 18 and 15 returned from their mosque during Ramadan to find three intruders in their home in High W y c o m b e , Buckinghamshire.

They were allegedly

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KHICHADI

Some two years ago I was advising some of my clients with respect to real estate investments and I remember when I told them not to touch Dubai, they looked at me with shock and horror.

Most followed the advice but a few who did not called me this week and said, ‘Kapilbhai hum kya karey ab?’ There really is no good answer to such a question after the horse has bolted.

Abu Dhabi its neighbour has offered $10 Billion to cover the immediate shortfall, however, by doing so it is also now entwined in the same sticky financial web as Dubai – any more hits on Dubai and the repercussions could spread even wider.

What people may not know is that Pakistan is actually the largest recipient of UAE investments including the colossal $40 Billion project in Karachi. They have put on a brave face but Pakistan is a country in crisis. Internal strife, home grown terrorists, divided communities, unsavoury characters coming in from Afghanistan and, well the list can continue to the despair of the Pakistanis. If the impact of the ‘Dubai ripple’ hurts Pakistan, then the net impact could well begin to destabilise it even further.

The Americans and Brits have got their work cut out if they are to cover the short fall and keep this, their ship with holes, floating. Ironic that in Gujarati one could read ‘dub bai’ to loosely translate to mean drowning!

A Deserved Break?

Munir Hassan's house at High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire

tied up and told to get on the floor if they did not want to be killed. One of Mr Hussain’s sons managed to escape and alerted Mr Hussain’s younger brother Tokeer, 35, who lived a few doors away.

Mr Hussain made a break for freedom by throwing a coffee table at his attackers. He and Tokeer chased the gang and brought Salem to the ground in a front garden.

Reading Crown Court heard how Mr Hussain and his brother then beat Salem while he lay on the ground, using a cricket bat, a pole and a hockey stick - leaving him with a fractured skull and brain damage following the ‘sus-

tained’ attack.

Salem’s condition meant he was unable to enter a plea to false imprisonment. He was given a non-custodial sentence-in October.

Salem, of B o r e h a m w o o d , Hertfordshire, did not give evidence at Mr Hussain’s trial.

Michael Wolkind, QC, representing Mr Hussain, who runs a soundproofing company, said his client’s actions were ‘taken in the agony of the moment’ and that his ‘calm judgment was not available’.

The court also heard from psychiatrist Dr Phillip Joseph who said Mr Hussain was a calm

Wednesday saw our MP’s close shop for the Christmas break till they return on 5th January 2010. As far as I can tell, all the MP’s are totally person who kept himself in control, but that his body had chosen the ‘fight rather than flight’ option.

The court heard that Mr Hussain’s wife Shahwen has had a mini stroke since the attack.

Judge Reddihough sentenced Munir Hussain to 30 months in jail for grievous bodily harm with intent. Tokeer was given 39 months because the judge said he had not faced as much provocation as his brother.

shattered.

They look exhausted, beaten into submission on their expenses, their credibility in tatters and in certain knowledge that the New Year may well bring a surge of activity should the Prime Minister call an early election.

Lobbyist from all parties are doing over time, you will not believe how many have been sharing information with me over the past few days. The margin in the polls still fluctuates wildly with the Tory ranging from 8% up to around 15%. The norm is for parties to come closer as one approaches the date for voting – therefore if this margin were to reduce further and is less than 8%, then we will have a humdinger of a parliamentary session next time round.

You will see attacks from the Tories such as how many Labour MP’s are sending their children to private schools whilst hood winking the masses with their educational policy.

You will see Labour hit back and say that the ‘Etonian’ brigade are gathering at the watering hole, ready to pounce and take over the country and bring back the ‘Thatcher’ era.

Liberals will jump inbetween only to be kicked out of this duel between the arch enemies who don’t want to share the prize of power.

On the side lines will be UKIP – shoring its defences, waiting until the moment is right and then they will hurl the European card into the arena. Tories will flinch knowing that some 30% of their MP’s really want nothing to do with Europe. Labour will look at the economic figures and pray that the next series of data coming out will vindicate their faith in the ‘silver bullet’, yes I refer of course to Chancellor Darling.

You know, if we all take part in this election, get registered and become proactive – there The judge added: ‘The prosecution rightly made it plain that there was no allegation against you, Munir Hussain, in respect of the force you used against Salem in defending your own home and family or of the force used by either of you in apprehending Salem.

‘However, the attack which then occurred was totally unnecessary and amounted to a very violent revenge attack on a defenceless man.

is a lot of fun to be had.

In addition, it would add great value to the democratic process which has seen better days decades ago. It seems that many wish to claim their Britishness, yet the one day in five years when we can exhibit that Britishness, unfortunately so many of us fail to vote. Have you registered?

Vote for Cowell?

Sadly such is the state of affairs in our modern society, Simon Cowell can command an audience of 20 million viewers with some 10 million actually paying to vote for their favourite artist.

Let us just examine that – people take time out to make a phone call which costs more than it would normally, they do so not just once, but many times and over a period of several weeks. Yet when it comes to getting off one’s backside to vote for the Government of the day, and that only once every five years, somehow every excuse under the sun is used to avoid putting a cross on the ballot paper.

Of course it is their democratic right to ignore the election and not vote, however, from that point onwards, don’t they also loose the right to complain? I would not be surprised to learn that the people who complain the most, are probably the same ones who don’t vote when it matters. Britain is becoming a nation of whingers, if we can’t complain about the weather, we damn well will find something else.

At this rate we might as well hand over the management of the General Election to Simon Cowell, no doubt he will bring a twist to it and we can then find out if any of the candidates has got the ‘P’ factor. I leave it to you to decide what the ‘P’ should stand for!

‘It may be that some members of the public or media commentators will assert that Salem deserved what happened to him, and that you should not have been prosecuted and need not be punished. The courts must make it clear that such conduct is criminal and unacceptable.’

Razi Shah, Mr Hussain’s solicitor, said his family were devastated but hoped the conviction could be overturned at appeal.

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Asian Voice - Saturday 19th December 2009

Leicester Voice Merlyn Vaz Centre lights up Leicester

Anjali Vaz, the Lord Mayor of Leicester, the Lady Mayoress of Leicester and Luke Vaz at the official lighting of the Merlyn Vaz Christmas lights in Leicester

It’s that time of year again! Leicester East MP Keith Vaz has attended this year’s official Christmas lights switch on at the Merlyn Vaz Centre where the Lord Mayor of Leicester, Councillor Roger Blackmore flicked the switch.

The big switch on was also be attended by UK Super bantamweight champion Rendall

Munroe. The Leicesterborn boxing star is the current super bantamweight title-holder in England and the Commonwealth.

The Merlyn Vaz tree is lit every year in memory of Merlyn Vaz, Leicester’s first female Asian Councillor and mother of Keith Vaz. The light switch on took place at the Merlyn Vaz Centre, 1 Spinney Hill Road, Leicester, LE5 3GH

on Friday December 4th.

Rt Hon Keith Vaz said: “I am delighted that the Lord Mayor switching on this year’s lights on. It makes it even better that Rendall Munroe, who is such a local hero, will share the celebrations. I look forward to this occasion every year. I would like to take this opportunity to wish the whole of Leicester a very merry Christmas!”

leicester@abplgroup.com

Leicester post office lucky dip customer wins £2.6m on lottery One lucky punter's dreams have come true after winning more than £2.6m on the lottery.

The winner wants to remain anonymous, but it is understood the winning lucky dip ticket was bought at the Post Office, in Fullhurst Avenue, Braunstone, on Saturday, December 5.

The lucky winner walked away with a bumper Christmas bonus of £2,625,000 after matching all six numbers, 8, 20, 36, 43, 45 and 49, in the draw.

Postmaster Mr V Joshi said relatives of the winner had been into his shop since the draw was made, but the winner himself has not yet called in.

He said: "The man bought a lucky dip ticket from us last Saturday and it turned out to be the winning ticket. I cannot say how much he has won or who he is but his ticket matched all six numbers and he shared the jackpot."

Camelot, which runs The National Lottery, could not confirm any details of that day's winners as they had not wished for publicity.

Post office customer Kevin Hapwell, 37, of Wolverton Road, off Narborough Road, said: "I play the lottery every week and get my tickets here.

But I pick my own numbers. If I had done the lucky dip last week I could

be in the Caribbean now getting a sun tan, rather than spending Christmas in the cold. What a lucky bloke. Stuff like that never happens to me. He must be looking forward to handing in his notice, I bet."

Clive Burns, 52, from Rowley Fields, said: "That's unbelievable. He's probably going to have the best Christmas he's ever had. Just imagine what you could do with all that money."

Joy Rotherham, 44, from Braunstone Town, said: "I can't imagine what that would look like if you piled it up in front of you.

I'd like to give spending it all a go, though. That would be a lot of fun."

Man grabbed Muslim woman's veil

Safety Partnership, Councillor David Snartt, said: "At this time of the year, people are busy gearing up for Christmas and the New Year and they often forget basic safety advice, so this campaign is designed to give them a gentle reminder.

"Christmas can be a thief's paradise and the

gifts that we all buy are a major attraction, along with the vouchers and money that we carry around."

Loughborough police commander Inspector Tim McCabe said: "Adopting a few simple crime prevention measures can make a big difference at this time of year."

A man who tore a Muslim woman's veil from her face as he passed her in the street has been ordered by a court to pay her £1,000 in compensation.

Stephen Ard, 29, of Gypsy Lane, Leicester, also received a jail term of 16 weeks, suspended for a year, and 150 hours of community service.

Leicester Magistrates' Court heard victim Rehana Sidat felt "invaded and scared to walk down the street alone".

Ard pleaded guilty to religiously aggravated assault.

Ms Sidat, who runs a drop-in centre for people with learning difficulties in Leicester, said: "He pulled my veil off and said 'get that off', he was really quite angry, it was shocking I felt frightened."

She added she has chosen to wear the niqab, which covers most of her face, for the past 15 years.

approaching the numbers we helped last year, so we are expecting to top that this year."

Each year the charity, supported by local councils and the Leicester Mercury, distributes toys to hundreds of families via social services in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

The appeal started 27 years ago and despite a short break in 2004 has continued to go from strength to strength.

Yesterday, staff from John Lewis, in Highcross, Leicester brought a vanload of toys to the secret city centre workshop where the toys are sorted.

Staff from the store stayed on to help with the

wrapping.

Fiona Humphreys, a John Lewis sales assistant, said: "We are proud to be involved with the appeal.

We have exceeded our expectations. There was a really positive response from all the staff. It is a really good cause and a local charity which we are pleased to support."

Mr Watts said that having the support of organisations such as John Lewis made a "big difference".

He said: "It means a lot to have their support. We have got the Royal Mail on board this year as well which is fantastic. The support we have had from across the county is very encouraging and it helps

us keep going."

Mr Watts said the appeal was short of presents for children under two years old.

Donors are asked not to wrap gifts as volunteers need to see them to be able to sort them.

Toys can be dropped off at a series of collection points throughout the county, including: County Hall, Braunstone Town Council offices, Harborough District Council offices, Charnwood Borough Council, Leicester Mercury news shops, the Harborough Mail office, BBC Radio Leicester offices and Dominoes Toys, in High Street, Leicester.

'Gentle reminder' on safe shopping A campaign has been launched to try and prevent a predicted rise in crime this Christmas.

Police in Loughborough say they are expecting more reports of burglaries, with thieves looking for valuable Christmas presents and pickpockets targeting shoppers in the town centre.

Free property-marking pens, purse alarms for pensioners and crime prevention advice have been offered to shoppers at the town's market.

A Safer Christmas Campaign stall will be set up on Thursday, in Market Place, between 10am and 3pm.

The chairman of the Charnwood Community

Do you have any comments, news or photographs about Leicester? If you do, please send them to Leicester Voice at

The court heard Ard was "ashamed and embarrassed" about his actions.

He was drunk at the time of the incident, which happened on Melbourne Road, Highfields, according to defence lawyers.

Magistrates told Ard he had caused significant emotional and psychological injury, and he would have been sent straight to jail if he had not entered an early guilty plea.

After the court case, Ms Sidat said: "I was born in this country, I love this country and I've lived in Leicester most of my life.

Rehana Sidat

"I just want to be treated like everyone else and have the same rights as everyone else. We should be able to wear what we want and go about our lives."

Top 10

Christmas toy appeal set for a bumper year Organisers of Leicestershire's biggest charity toy collection say they are on course for a record year.

The team behind the Toys on the Table appeal have so far received more than 3,000 toys and are urging people to keep giving in the run-up to Christmas.

Last year the charity handed out more than 5,000 brand-new presents to 2,800 needy children who might otherwise have gone without.

Chairman of trustees Terry Watts said he was pleased with the way the appeal was going, but said there was still a long way to go.

He said: "We are

Name: Mohinder Singh Sangha Age: 60 Occupation: Bus driver Lives: Rushey Mead, Leicester 1. Favourite colour: Brown 2. Favourite food: Panjabi 3. Favourite film: Upkar 4. Favourite holiday destination: California 5. Favourite artist: Rabindranath Tagore 6. Favourite movie star: Amitabh Bachchan 7. Favourite part of Leicester: Rushey Mead and Evington 8. Lucky number: 15 9. Favourite TV programme: Coronation Street 10. Who is the person you admire the most: PM

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Dee Katwa

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th December 2009

Midland Voice Contact: Dhiren on 07970 911 386 or dee@abplgroup.com

Should the welfare state be remodelled?

A new report challenges the Conservative idea, promoted by David Cameron, that British society is "broken" and that many social ills are caused or exacerbated by dependency on the welfare state.

The report, titled Sinking and Swimming: Understanding Britain's Unmet Needs, argues that the welfare state has evolved to meet physical and material needs such as providing enough to eat, places to live and cures for illness. But despite material abundance, society's ability to meet psychological and psychosocial needs "appears to have declined".

Rushanara Ali, pictured, is an associate director at the Young Foundation, the organisation which earlier this month published the 294page report, backed by 13 major charitable foundations. Rushanara, who is also the report's coauthor, said: "Psychological needs are as pressing as material ones." The welfare state should be remodelled "through the lense of wellbeing".

The Young Foundation's report

argues that unemployed teenagers and refugees should be given a mobile phone and internet access as part of their benefits package because these are vital modern necessities that enable them to engage in society, not luxuries.

This week I spoke to ten Midlanders, all from a cross-section of society, and asked them for their views on the proposed remodelling of the welfare state. Seven gave the nod almost instantly, three said they weren't bothered.

One respondent, a 29-year-old British Asian, a friend of mine, told me how his greetings card business has just collapsed. Next month, he'll lose the home he's been buying for the past six years. Imagine the shock and, yes, grief, he will feel at his last Christmas in what he thought was his shelter for life. He, fortunately is being fully supported by his parents. But

New CBI Midlands boss

Associate Director of the Young Foundation, Rushanara Ali

what about the less fortunate?

To us, his friends, this chap, who asked not to be named, is a 'coconut', an unofficial term given to a coloured person who is generally anti-their own kind. In the past we've joked with him over what we've told him are his British National Party tendencies but he is, in fact, too reasonable to dally with that rabble.

But how do I justify to him the recent story of the Somalian family in London, whose £1,600 weekly rent of an eightbedroom house is paid for by the local council?

The mother and seven children live in luxury.

Her husband, who does not work, lives with another child in another council-subsidised house. Just down the road, there's the Afghan family of single mother Toorpakai Saindi and her seven children, luxuriating in a £1.2 million pad that cost her council £12,000 a month. These are extreme cases but successive governments have allowed such practises to flourish. Yet ministerial hypocrites continue to register surprise that the BNP gathers support from British citizens, who, rightly or wrongly, feel dispossessed. These abuses must cease, not merely because they bleed the benefits system dry but because they cause bitterness among homebred, law-abiding Britons.

So, could the recommendations in the Young Foundation’s report be the answer to making the benefits system fairer; if at all it should exist, specifically for nontaxpayers?

Think Global, Act Local

Gold theft increase

Benefit cheat jailed A Birmingham postman has been exposed as a scheming benefit cheat after claiming he couldn’t leave his house without the aid of crutches. Amran Abu, 29, from Handsworth, claimed incapacity benefit and disability allowance worth £8,000 on the basis he was unable to work, and had no other source of income. An investigation by Department for Work and Pensions fraud investigators found that Abu was actually working at Royal Mail’s Birmingham Mail Centre. Abu was sentenced last week to an 18-month community order, to include 200 hours unpaid work and £120 costs.

New bar India’s first permanent ice bar, 21 Farenheit, has just opened in Mumbai. The bar is kept at a temperature of minus six degrees Celsius all year round.

Secret tyre stash, man fined A Wolverhampton man who buried tyres in floor voids under a Stoke-on-Trent factory has been fined £2,515. In court, Kosar Mohammed Khan, 37, pleaded guilty to the illegal disposal of tyres. The charge was brought by the Environment Agency. Clive Massey from the EA said: “This type of offence can be dangerous to both the environment and human health.”

Eid dinner Human rights lawyer Yasmin Qureshi was keynote speaker at an Eid reception in Manchester last Friday. Yasmin, pictured, a prospective Labour parliamentary candidate for Bolton South East, began her career with the Crown Prosecution Service. She then went on to work for the United Nations Mission in Kosovo to help rebuild their judicial system. The event was hosted by the North West Muslim Professional Network, a nonprofit organisation run by a committee of volunteers, led by Zeeshan Ashraf.

Sponsored silence A Solihull college was unusually quiet for a day when one of its chattiest students successfully completed a 24-hour sponsored silence. Haroon Qureshi, 18, from Sparkhill, Birmingham, who is known for his outgoing and friendly personality, amazed everyone by getting through the challenge. He raised £131 for Kidney Research UK.

Ashley loses appeal Jailed TV presenter Ashley Blake, pictured, has lost an appeal against his sentence for attacking a teenager. The former BBC Midlands Today presenter had his challenge to his twoyear prison sentence rejected by the Court of Appeal.

Blake, 40, was jailed in September after being found guilty of hitting teenager Greg Jones in the face with a large wooden pole.

John Russell has been appointed new chairman of the West Midlands CBI, the UK’s top business lobby organisation. The 59-year-old is a veteran of the automotive industry. Once upon a time he was interim chief executive of Bombay Dyeing, an Indian textile manufacturer.

Gold thefts have increased by 25 per cent across the West Midlands as its value soars. The rising value of gold is thought to be encouraging opportunist crooks to carry out street robberies and burglaries. The worst-hit areas in the region are Handsworth, Ladywood and Sparkbrook in Birmingham.

News in Brief

Two youths on a mission to demonstrate the power and effectiveness of faiths working together to combat poverty and disease will be sharing their experiences at an event in Birmingham. Pritpal Kaur, 26, from Leeds and 21-year-old Sean Rose, from London, pictured, both local ambassadors for the Tony Blair Faith Foundation are currently working as volunteers at the Nishkam Centre in Handsworth. Pritpal and Sean will be speaking at the Nishkam Centre (B21 9BH) between 1pm and 3pm this Saturday (19 Dec). Free event, all welcome. To find out more visit www.faithsactfellows.org/pritpalkaur

Gammon flu Unsurprisingly, it is now estimated that the swine-flu call centres staffed by untrained volunteers have misdiagnosed tens of thousands of cases. It gets worse. A reader last week reported how he has now been diagnosed with gammon flu. It had started as swine flu. So far, 32 people have died from swine flu in the Midlands, and more than 41,000 patients have been treated for the potentially fatal virus. The West Midlands has the second highest infection rate in the country for swine flu, with an estimated rate of just under one in 100 people catching the bug.

Fashion student scoops award Congratulations to Anisa Petkar who has been crowned Young Designer of the Year at the Clothes Show Live in Birmingham. Anisa, 18, who is studying for an HNC at Walsall College – which boasts one of a handful of Asian principals in the country - scooped the £2,000 prize and an industry placement. Anisa was one of ten finalists picked nationally to compete in the event.

Contender for top job Birmingham City Council chief executive Stephen Hughes, pictured, is emerging as a possible contender for the role of chief executive of the Audit Commission. The prestige post, at the head of the powerful public services watchdog, will become vacant early next year. The current boss is Steve Bundred. Mr Hughes has been chief executive at Birmingham, Britain’s largest local authority, for almost four years.

His predecessor, Lin Homer, is currently chief executive of the UK Border Agency.

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th December 2009

Baroness Vadera: G20 made “huge progress” but there still a lot of work to be done The former Government minister and one of the architects of the British efforts to rescue the financial system, told a highlevel business conference in Sussex: “I don’t think we are through it yet… an IMF study showed at the middle of this year that banks had only declared half their losses on their books: we have a long way to go.”, as reported by a daily media.

She added: “I don’t think all banks - not actually the UK banks – have come clean yet… some of the continental European banks still have issues.”

Baroness Vadera admitted that the apex of

the financial crisis last autumn was “frightening.” She added: “I still have nightmares about it.”

Baroness Vadera, who is preparing to advise the next G20 chair South Korea, said the group of nations may need to act quickly again if growth does not resume at that point, but high levels of government borrowing may put constraints on what

Baroness Shriti Vadera

Councillor facing sack for claiming £3,000 expenses while living in India A councillor is allegedly facing a Christmas Day sacking after spending the past four months in India despite being paid by the taxpayer.

Yusuf Sidat has allegedly only attended two meetings since May, the last in one in June. In that time he has received £3,000 in allowances - the equivalent of £1,500 per meeting, as reported by the Daily Mail.

Last year Mr Sidat was welcomed back into the Liberal Democrat fold in Darwen Council in Lancashire after his alleged jetting off to India for three months - with worried residents unable

to contact him for help or advice. He has now been reportedly expelled from the Lib Dem group and will be replaced if he has not attended a meeting

by December 25th, so reported.

As reported by the mentioned daily, disappointed Lib Dem group leader David Foster said: ‘...Cllr Sidat, due to his absence, has failed to live up to these expectations and to provide the standard of service to his constituents that Liberal Democrats demand from councillors.

‘Therefore we have had no option but to expel him from the group.’

Yusuf Sidat

9

Bomb plot leader’s friends convicted of terror offences

can be done. She said: “where the issue of national sovereignty is at stake, it is not something you give up easily.”

Baroness Vadera said the G20 had made “huge progress” in agreeing principles but there was still a lot of work to be done.

She also said that while there was general agreement that banks need more capital and liquidity, different countries had different views on the levels.

“There is a perception that France and Germany are tougher than everyone else but they are actually a lot easier on leverage and liquidity issues than the US and UK, “ she added.

Three friends of the leader of the airline bomb plot were convicted last week of terrorist offences connected to the plan to commit mass murder in the skies.

Adam Khatib, 22, was found guilty of conspiring with Abdulla Ahmed Ali to detonate suicide bombs on board transatlantic airliners flying from London to the US and Canada.

A jury at Woolwich Crown Court also found Nabeel Hussain, 25, guilty of acts preparatory to terrorism and convicted Mohammed Shamin Uddin, 39, of possessing a document likely to be useful to terrorists.

After the capture in

Pakistan of a key link man between al-Qaeda leaders and Ali’s group in East London, police moved swiftly to arrest the group.

The discovery of their plan to use bottle bombs to bring down aircraft led to a security clampdown that temporarily paralysed global air travel and prompted continuing restrictions on carrying liquids on board airliners.

Ali was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 40 years in September. Sarwar, 29, was jailed for at least 36 years and Tanvir Hussain, 28, another of the cell’s “inner circle”, was sentenced to a minimum of 32 years.

Sisters lose stomachs to beat death Two sisters have had their stomachs removed because they had an 80 per cent chance of having inherited a rare cancer. Meeta and Ravindra Singh are expected to lead almost normal lives, but can eat only small amounts at a time.

The sisters inherited a defective gene from their father, Baldave, who died of stomach cancer four days before Christmas 1995. Two uncles, their grandmother and a cousin aged 20 have also died of the condition, as reported

by The Times.

Ravindra, 29, a recruit-

Ravindra Singh, left, with her sister Meeta

ment consultant, decided to have her stomach removed as a precaution in June. A biopsy then found that she had had early stages of the cancer. Meeta, 25, had surgery on last Monday, although cancer

had not been detected.

The stomach is not essential for digestion, but the sisters cannot eat more than ten spoonfuls at a time and are expected to lose 20 per cent of their weight.

Mr Sidat was first elected in 2004 and retained his seat in 2007 by just five votes.

Future Generations

Sai School Harrow

by Ranu Mehta-Radia, Founder Member

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Christmas is just as important as Diwali!

Sai School celebrates Christmas every year with as much fervour and passion as other festivals in our School calendar including Shivratri, Rama Navami, Navratri and Diwali. As soon as Diwali and Sai Baba’s birthday celebrations are complete, most classes in Lower School start preparing for our Christmas Concert.

We host traditional Christmas concerts with a fully fledged nativity play working in partnership with our local church to bring children and youths of both faiths together.

More than 150 Hindu children and their parents celebrate Christmas at Sai School in partnership with Stanmore Baptist Church & members of the Global Village who come to train our school choir to sing festive songs and carols. Sai youths decorate the stage with the traditional manger and oil lamps taking us back 2000 years. This year, Naveen Nanthakumar, a

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F",:">A&CGHG; Children enjoying the Nativity.

Photo Credit: Lucy Baker

Sai youth who auditioned for the X Factor has chosen to sing Michael Jacksons’s Heal the World and Westliffe’s You Raise Me Up. What children wait for is the appearance of Santa at the end of the concert where we select 1 parent to make an entry with sacks full of goodies for children to take away.

It is sad to see Schools losing the true meaning of Christmas in fear of offending non-Christians,

on the contrary, there is no hesitation from Hindu parents for their children to participate in the magic and wonder of the Christmas story. Nikhil Patel, aged 7 says “Christmas reminds me of Jesus’ love going round and round the world”. It is important to stand up to the pc brigades who are intent on destroying the Christian heritage and cancel nativity plays in mainstream schools.

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10

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th December 2009

Spriha’s

Corner

Rights

and Wrongs

By Spriha Srivastava

Food and gupshup at Southall Last weekend I made a special visit into the hustling bustling streets of Southall, London’s mini India. It’s absolutely amazing how just a simple craving for paani puri can make you travel miles. But the moment you hold the plate in your hand with eyes fixated on each paani puri as it makes your way to the plate, you feel the bliss. Ahh, even the thought is simply amazing. Imagine how interesting my entire day at Southall turned out to be.

This was my third visit to Southall but the place looked as new and as fresh as ever. The time you step out of the station, you see a Gurudwara right in front of you. It makes you believe that you are in your own land, or maybe somewhere close by. As you keep walking small little things catch your attention. The atmosphere not only looks familiar but makes you feel at home instantly.

One can easily spot the colourful drapes displayed in the shops apart from the accessories and jazzy sandals displayed almost in every nook and corner.

For me, Southall is all about food. Maybe because that is what I miss the most about India in UK or maybe because I still prefer to go back home in case I want to buy saris. But when we talk of food, Southall tops the list among other areas in London where Indian community is settled. I have had amazing Gujarati food in Wembley and delicious dosas in East Ham. But the variety that I see in Southall seems to be missing in all these places. Not only can you spot street food like paani puri, bhel puri, samosas, jalebis but also kebab houses and

yummy South Indian food. You just need to know what you want to eat and it probably would be there. Add to this the bhangra music in the air, and the hustle and bustle of a vibrant local economy, all of which makes a visit to Southall unforgettable.

The high point of my trip to Southall was when I spot a small little stall right outside one of the biggest super markets there. The stall called as “Jagu’s Pani Puri and Bhel Puri” reminded me of the many stalls that we see in Delhi and Mumbai.

Decorated in the very same fashion but just a bit modern with its accessories and the seller speaking in fluent English, Jagu’s stall seemed to attract many customers throughout the day. I also went inside one of the oldest Kebab houses in Southall. Known as “Kebabish,” the kebab house served different items of chicken and lamb along with sweet lassi. One step into Kebabish made you feel like going back into time.

I remembered my visit to one of Delhi’s oldest Kebab corners called Karims that is located behind the Jama Masjid in Old Delhi. The owner of the restaurant had put on play some of the classic old songs of Indian cinema. And for me that was one of the biggest reasons to sit there and have a glass of sweet lassi.

The other very inter-

esting thing about Southall was the supermarket. As I stepped inside a particular supermarket called “Gulab” which to me seemed like one of the largest supermarkets, I got last at the first instance. I then decided to spend some time in just going through the kind of good that are displayed on the shelves. From jiggery to soan papdi, from different kinds of to different kinds of pickle, it seemed like everything I have ever learnt throughout my childhood was present there. You could even get cold drinks like Limca, Fanta and Thumbs up. And in case you were not happy with the washing powder in UK, you can go and pick up your favourite 555 soap bar.

It is amazing how the present day globalised world has made it so easy for us to be connected with any part of the world in just any way we want to. There is definitely a good side to it. It keeps us so close to our homeland. Apart from increasing the export figures of India, it also brings India closer to the diasporic community living here for many years.

But I also tend to look at the negative side of things sometimes. If everything is brought here so close to us then what would be the charm to go back to your own land?

Well I am sure that is a very heavy debate in itself. But for now and for all future good times, Southall will remain as one of my own favourite places to visit everytime I feel the craving to dig paani puris and some other terrific Indian food. It is absolutely commendable how much of an effort each and every businessman in Southall makes in order to bring our country closer to us. It’s totally worth each of those efforts. Hats off to them!!

Let us know what you think.

Email Spriha at spriha@abplgroup.com

By Dr Raj Joshi

So this is Christmas?

When I was growing up, apart from playing one of the wise men from the east in a primary school where I was the only Indian, Christmas had very little meaning for me. My dad was at home and we ate extra daal, bhaat, sakh with some sweets and in order to get into the swing of things my mum would deliver “strange” tasting food to the neighbours to literally curry favour and flavour.

As far as the streets were concerned, you saw a lot more decorations but still saw the “wogs out” graffiti and “no blacks wanted signs” where rooms were for rent. The spirit of Christmas was reserved for the television specials which showed “The Black and White Minstrels Spectacular” which consisted of white men and women dressed up and blacked up singing and dancing.

Of course time has moved on considerably and all we get in the runup to Christmas is the BNP’s messages and clashes in certain of our streets between extreme right supporters and usually white anti-racists. I say this not to dampen the spirit of Christmas but because it has become so difficult to see what Christmas is meant to be about. In strict terms it is about the birth of The Son of God sent to save humankind but who ended up being sacrificed for the good of humankind. It is meant to be about peace and goodwill. As I write this, there are countless wars going on and countless people suffering the misery of human existence questioning why they were ever born.

Giving at Christmas Over 25 years ago, as a result of an idea by Junior Lincoln (a black man), Shirley Huang (an American-Chinese) and myself, I ended up coordinating a concert at the Royal Albert Hall called Dinner at Alberts which at the time reestablished the Albert Hall as a venue for rock, pop and variety and raised over £100,000 for Live Aid and the Save the Children fund’s efforts in

Ethiopia.

The idea behind the dinner was that you bought the ticket and that bought the dinner for somebody who was starving. Though I doubt Sir Bob Geldof remembers, after an amazing finish of all the stars singing “Feed the World” onstage, Bob and I spoke about doing something bigger and better later and even told me that he would call me. I think he did do something bigger though I didn’t get that call. No matter, I maintain that individuals and what they can do is what the real spirit of Christmas can achieve.

Now, charities are a huge business and some scammers are also involved, from knocking on your door to leaving plastic bags asking for your clothes. Here’s the criminal lawyer telling you do not answer your door and don’t give money or anything until you’ve checked the identity of the person or organisation. Read the small print: a number of these scammers asking you to leave your clothes in a bag will not send them further than the nearest warehouse where they will make money and hardly any of the profit will go as a contribution to a registered bona fide charity. Keep your money, keep your clothes. Send them yourself to that relative in India that you lost touch with or set up your own group to help your brothers sisters, uncles aunts, third cousins twiceremoved or whatever. At least if your money gets wasted you’ve wasted it rather than some crook!

The Spirit of Christmas There are two songs that give me goose-bumps: one is Silent Night” and the other is Greg Lake’s “I believe in Father Christmas”, which is one of the most cynical songs about Christmas but with a fantastic production and the classic line “the Christmas we get is the Christmas we deserve”.

It is always up to each one of us to attach as much or as little significance to the things that happen in our lives and

make happen in our lives.

The problem is that we hardly spend a moment’s reflection on what is important and what matters. How can it be right that so many will give up their lives for the temporary sensory gratification of so few?

A second thought is not given to the millions of animals killed for the dinner table, or who will think of the carnage involved?

Alcohol will be consumed to excess, rows will break out and turn into fights at home and in bars and drunken drivers will maim and kill.

Thoughtful contemplation, moderation and selfsacrifice will be in short supply. The true spirit of Christmas will be of the alcoholic kind rather than a fullness of heart and sharing of love.

At this time, a lot of people get dewy-eyed and decide to start buying overly-priced gifts to show how much they love someone and how much they care. Now I don’t deprecate any love and affection being shown or presents being thrown around and if they come my way, I will make a point of hugging you. My only gripe is why now?

Why didn’t you pick up the phone, send that email or write that letter earlier telling that person or group or object of your affection how much they or it meant to you?

Know this: Love is best expressed here and now.

You can wait; you can plan but then always remember the fragility of life, of our existence on this planet. Do what is right, tell the person why you’ve been a nasty, uncaring, unfeeling, unthinking seven letter expression beginning with B and ending with D. Make amends, value each precious moment for every second of every minute of every hour of every day throughout the year. Do what you can here and now rather than always nearly getting round to it. And why do I offer this advice?

Because it was in December that I lost my mother and my father.

So, offer your love, take time to cherish and I wish you peace, calm and caring.

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th December 2009

11

Rising in Stardom - an inspirational story

BY LEENA PATEL I was a simple Gujarati girl living on the outskirts of Birmingham. I had a regular upbringing; going to school, playing with friends, fighting with my brother, helping mum to make the chappati’s, visiting India every now and then to see my family in Navsari. Then my parents realised that I had an interest in dancing and so they sent me to classical dance lessons; Bharatanatyam and Kathak. This gave me a chance to incorporate my culture with my interest. I gradually built up my talent and was beginning to perform all over the place.

Ten years later and I had completed my Arangetram, travelled to Vancouver, and completed several national tours. I was beginning to develop my own style when the time came for me to move out of my little town. I was headed for university in the big city, London.

I left Birmingham at the top of my league, a great classical dancer with a boundary breaking nature. I then came to London and met Flex FX in September 2006; these dancers seemed to be in a league of their own. I was mesmerised by the dancers and the vision of the choreographer.

I

immediately realised that this company was at the top of an international league and would suit my needs, so I auditioned.

I had to work very hard to keep up with the other dancers; I sweated through my clothes, my hair was sticking to my face, my muscles were worn out before the end of the class. I promised myself that I would be noticed by the second session. I returned home and throughout the week I worked on the routines that were taught by Naz Choudhury. I returned to the second session and within minutes the heads turned towards me…aim accomplished. I continued to work harder and harder, pushing myself beyond my limit. I could feel myself toning up; my body learning new ways to move and my brain working faster than ever before.

Soon we were performing and I was leading the routines; my hard work really did pay off. Then a turning point came into my life. Naz asked me to choreograph for the company. I was torn, absolutely torn between focusing on studying and working for the greatest choreographer that I had come across. My heart and my mind fought with each other; dancing was too precious to me and this

opportunity would never come around again, but so much commitment would surely have an impact on my academic potential? I spoke to Naz and he told me ‘If you really want to do something in your life, you will find any way to do it’, these words motivated me and up until this day I find comfort in those words. I decided to take up the post, and ever since I can honestly say that I have lived my life to the best I can.

It has been a real battle

balancing studies with dancing, but I have managed to pull through to my fourth year and I am still standing on both feet with my head up high.

Opportunities were rolling in through the window, I was becoming more and more recognised, my own dance vocabularly was broadening each week; I had found the perfect company for me, the perfect style and the perfect developing platform. I worked very closely with Naz Choudhury, the

Artistic Director. He helped me fuse my style f r o m Kathak/Bharatanatyam to a more varied form of street, Bollywood and Latin dance. I soon took over as Head of Dance and I have been balancing handling the company with Naz as well as studying Medicine. I have seen a vast development in not only my dancing ability, but also my acting, organisation, coordination and leadership skills.

Flex FX has opened a window of opportunities for me; I have been able to take part in some of the most amazing events and met several Bollywood celebrities. We have completed three of our own Bollywood musical productions, performed exclusively at prestigious awards ceremonies, performed in the finest venues, travelled to Norway for a collaborative project and we even had a special awards ceremony of our own. However the highlight for me has been finding a company that fits in with me. Flex FX is now very close to my heart and I couldn’t imagine my life without it. I have not only developed as a dancer but also found myself as a person, and this is the biggest challenge in life.

My parents have constantly supported and

believed in me and this has helped me to achieve the position that I have.

The respect, honesty and culture that I have been brought up with have helped me to become the person that I am and to fight for a life that I want to live.

My words to others would be not to give up on their dream. You know yourself more than anybody else, and if you believe that you can achieve something, then you should do everything in your power to achieve that.

Naz Choudhury said “Leena is one of the most passionate and hard working dancers I have ever come across in my dance career in such as short time she has taken Flex FX Productions by storm.

Flex FX is a very competitive dance company and with so many artists involved you have to be an exceptional talent to really take the lead. She is wonderful to work with and a true inspiration for me and for Flex FX Productions.

Watch out for Leena’s latest projects in 2010. She will be working with the Rich Mix in East London creating dance classes, development projects and spectacular productions, for more information visit www.flexfxpd

The absolutely essential health and safety toolkit

Rhaynukaa Soni Outreach Executive

The following summaries provide you with an essential checklist of some of the hazards most commonly found on construction sites. The questions will help you decide whether your site is a safe and healthy.

This is not a full list.

Access on site ‘...are holes protected with clearly marked and fixed covers to prevent falls?’

! Can everyone get to their place of work safely – and work there safely? ! Are access routes in good condition and clearly signposted? ! Are edges which people could fall from provided with double guard rails or other suitable edge protection? ! Are holes protected with clearly marked and fixed covers to prevent falls?

A steel fixer was killed when he fell through an unsupported decking sheet.

A number of decking sheets had been used as temporary covering for the lift core of an existing building. ! Is the site tidy, and are materials stored safely? ! Is lighting good enough?

Welfare ‘...are there wash basins, hot and cold (or warm) running water, soap and towels?’

! Are toilets readily available and are they kept clean and properly lit? ! Are there washbasins, hot and cold (or warm) running water, soap and towels? ! Are the washbasins large enough to wash up to the elbow and are they kept clean? ! Is there somewhere to change, dry and store clothing? ! Are drinking water and cups provided? ! Is there a place where workers can sit, make hot drinks and prepare food? ! Can everyone who needs to use them get to the welfare facilities easily and safely? ! Are welfare facilities kept warm and well ventilated?

Working at height ‘…will the weather conditions threaten the health and safety of those carrying out the work?’

! Have you planned the work

properly and identified suitable precautions to make sure work can be carried out safely? ! Have you thought about whether you can avoid working at height by using different equipment or a different work method? ! Can you use equipment that will prevent a fall from happening, such as scaffolding or a mobile elevating work platform? ! Can you put in place measures to reduce the distance and consequences of a fall should one happen, such as nets, soft landing systems or safety decks? ! Will the weather conditions threaten the health and safety of those carrying out the work? ! Have you thought about all the options and are you certain that you are gaining access to height using the safest means possible?

Scaffolds ‘...are there effective barriers or warning notices in place to stop people using an incomplete scaffold?’

! Are scaffolds erected, altered and dismantled by competent people? ! Are all uprights provided with base plates (and, where necessary, timber sole plates)? ! Are all uprights, ledgers, braces and struts in position? ! Is the scaffold secured to the building or structure in enough places to prevent collapse? ! Are there double guard rails and toe boards, or other suitable protection, at every edge to prevent falling? ! A self-employed painter was killed when he fell from the first lift of a scaffold as he was painting a bedroom window. There was no intermediate guard rail or toe board where he fell. ! Are additional brick

Helpline: 0207 556 2181 e-mail: desi@hse.gsi.gov.uk Website: www.hse.gov.uk/construction/gujarati

guards provided to prevent materials falling from scaffolds? ! Are the working platforms fully boarded, and are the boards arranged to avoid tipping or tripping? ! Are there effective barriers or warning notices in place to stop people using an incomplete scaffold, e.g. where working platforms are not fully boarded?

Scaffolds ‘...have the wheels of tower scaffolds been locked when in use and are the platforms empty when they are moved?’ ! Is the scaffold strong enough to carry the weight of materials stored on it and are these evenly distributed? ! Are scaffolds being properly maintained? ! Does a competent person inspect the scaffold or proprietary tower scaffold regularly, eg at least once a week; and always after it has been altered, damaged and following bad weather?

12

MEDIA WATCH

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th December 2009

Scrutator’s Delhi-based reporter Amy Kazmin returned to the vexed subject of the Indo-Pakistan relationship with an informed analysis in the Financial Times of its stresses and strains (November 29). She turned the spotlight on the activities of the Pakistani-American terrorist David .C.Headley now under arrest in the US by the FBI. Her opening paragraph set the scene. “David C.Headley cut a dash whenever he passed through India on business.

The 49-year-old son of a Pakistani diplomat and and American socialite patronised elite establishments and mingled in high society during his nine visits [to India] in the past three years, ostensibly while working as an immigrant consultant. But now Indian Indian security agencies are investigating whether sociable 49-year-old – arrested.... for plotting a terror attack in Copenhagen – was actually a sophisticated operative carrying out reconnaissance for the audacious terrorist attack on Mumbai a year ago.”

While India had been spared further such attacks in the year since “Mr Headley's arrest – and the intelligence disclosed by the authorities – is a reminder of the threat India still faces from sophisticated Pakistani militant groups. LeT's global network, for example, belies Islamabad's claim to have thwarted their operational capabilities.”

An unnamed 'Western diplomat' had said: “It points up an anxiety which has been in the minds of Indian security for some, about LeT sympathisers who might be travelling on third-country passports.'

The capture and interrogation of Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, one of the terrorists involved in the Mumbai assault, had revealed a wealth of information on terrorist funding and training camps in Pakistan. The arrests of LeT operatives in Pakistan were mostly fakes, according to B.Raman, a former head of the counter-terrorist wing of the Research and Analysis, India's intelligence agency, and other Indian intelligence experts like Ajay Sahni, of the Delhi-based Institute of Conflict Management, who said: “There has been no shutdown of these [terrorist] camps at all.”

However, Pakistani analysts such as Hasan-Askari Rizvi countered: “Realistically, you can't expect Pakistan to be publicly bowing to India's pressure. The right-wing will go for a backlash if there is much firmer action.”

Military response Kazmin writes that Prime Minister Manmohan won Western plaudits for not going down the military road following the Mumbai carnage, but another attack was likely to arouse Indian public opinion to fever pitch and make a military response inevitable.

Apparently, this message had been conveyed to Islamabad by the US: “We have managed to keep the Indians from reacting but don't count on us the next time.”

Returning to David Headley, she referred to his links with CanadianPakistani terrorist mastermind Tahawwur Hussain Rana, also arrested in the US. The pair had “discussed a possible attack on Delhi's National Defence College. Ms Kazmin made mention of pre-Mumbai terrorist bombings in Hyderbad, Jaipur and Delhi. At the time, she mocked Indian anxieties as misplaced, arising from something akin to Islamophobia. Did Mr Headley and his accomplices have a hand in them ? What lies behind this welcome change of mind, one wonders?

Indian intelligence sleuths were scouring ashrams, five star hotels, bars and much else in a bid to pick up the Headly

Barack Obama and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Washington during the latter's recent state visit to the United States.

There were other agreements on education,private sector cooperation on agriculture, science and technology, human resource development, clean energy research and the environment.

The parties expressed their strong concern “about the threat posed by terrorism and violent extremists emanating from India's neighbourhood, whose impact is felt beyond the region.” Both sides agreed that “resolute and credible steps must be taken to eliminate safe havens and sanctuaries that provide shelter to terrorists and their activities.”

Terrorist attack on Mumbai a year ago

the induction of the first women combatants to join the Indian Navy's air arm.

With the coveted 'wings' conferred on them at a passing-out ceremony in Kochi (Kerala), SubLieutenant Ambica Hooda and Seema Rani Sharma, both aged 22, became the Navy's role first women airborne piots lauded of the Navy, which has taken the lad in according A PTI report from London equal opportunities irretold of the appreciation spective of gender. expressed by the world's “Having commendably maritime controlling completed their training, agency on the role of the the officers will now be Indian navy in combating posted to the Dornier marpirate attacks in the Gulf reconnaissance itime of Aden. A special squadrons as Electronic 'Certificate of Senior Warfare Officers.

Commendation' was preAnd, on a maritime patrol sented to Commodore P.K. aircraft observers carry Banerjee, Naval Advisser out radar operation, electronic sensor systems, electronic warfare systems, anti-submarine warfare systems, Maritime air operations for independent search and tracking, co.-ordinated with the Air Force and the like,” said Commander P.V.G.K Nambiar, officer-in-Charge of the Observer School in INS Garuda, who oversaw the 27-week flying training course taken by the women officers, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Russian Premier Vladimir part of a batch of (See Comment page 3) four.

“Their training trail and and the man's to the Indian High on the avionics fitted on possible contacts in the Commission, by EE. the Dorniers will stand country, including sleeper Metropoulos, IMG them in good stead when .It will be another month Secretary General at a certhey get converted to the or so before their investiemony.

Il-38 and TU-142 at a later gations are complete, Ms Commodore Banerjee stage, when they will be Kazmmin opined. was the commanding offirequired to carry out tactiEventually, India will cer of one of the twelve cal operations of have to do what a man has warships operating off the weapons,” said to do. coast of Somalia till July Commander Sridhar 2009.

Warrior, Chief Instructor Indo-US accords The Indian High of the Observer School. on terrorism Commissioner to the UK, Nalin Suri, Georg Hypersonic The Indian Express B o o m g a a r d e n missiles (November 25) reported Ambassador of the Federal that India and the US had Republic of Germany and The Economic Times signed an Memorandum dignitaries of the in a Bangalore datelined of Understanding (MoU) International Maritime report (November 2) tells on counter-terrorism and Organisation were preshow “scientists at the five other agreements, as ent.

Indian Institute of Science part of the endeavor to (IISc), along with Indian build a seminal Indo-US Navy's women defence agencies, are partnership for the 21st developing technologies century. These accords A Hindu newspaper report for recoverable hypersonic were signed by President (November 18) described

missiles – which will be half the size of the current missiles. These missiles will have the potential to destroy targets over a distance of 5,000 kilometres at more than five times the speed of sound (Mach 5) and can also be used for the launch of low-cost satellites.

No time-frame has as yet been announced on when the work of the hypersonic missile will be completed. However, the work is of special significance as America's NASA and similar other institutions are experimenting with unmanned projects, where they hope to use hypersonic flights for space exploration.

Aerospace SEZ in place A Hindustan Times report (November 14) told of the launch of India's first aerospace Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Karnataka for the development and

would have gone unnoticed. The offset clause of defence and civilian aircraft purchases had also helped foreign majors to at us,” he said.

Minister Patel lauded the role played by Karnataka in promoting the aerospace industry, pointing out that “Indian companies based in Bangalore and Mysore [had] taken up major projects for leading international companies.”

Dubai crisis The Independent's veteran Middle East correspondent Robert Fisk (November 27) - “India may hold whip hand in this power game' – writes apropos of the Dubai financial crisis: “There are, however, two basic truths about Dubai which, predictably have not found their way into market speculation or media analysis. The first is that Dubai may soon find itself

Wipro in Bangalore

manufacture of aerospace precision engineering products.

Inaugurating the SEZ, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said India was set to emerge as a major destination in aerospace engineering after showcasing its strength in the IT and engineering. The SEZ has come up on a 300 acre site with an initial investment Rs 15 million.

“Had India not notched up a faster growth in the aviation sector and acquired a large number of aircraft, its capability in in aviation engineering

a satellite not of its Abu Dhabi capital but of India.

The biggest merchants in Dubai are Indian – they run the gold market, even the bookshops in Sheikh Mohammed's playpen – and west India is only two hours' flying time away. In fact, until 1962....the Indian rupee was the currency for most of the Gulf, including even Kuwait...rather than worrying about London and Tokyo, perhaps we should be watching the Indian stock market.”

Why ever not. Should be good fun.

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th December 2009

www.abplgroup.com

13

Alpesh Patel Consultant Editor Financial Voice Dear Financial Voice Reader, In the last few weeks we have explored the relative merits of UK investments, stocks, bonds and touching briefly on Gold. With investments in Gold being quoted in the US Dollar assuming that you are not someone who ordinarily holds US Dollars, you need to ask yourself, with the currency trading around USD 1.60 per £ does the current global economic favour a weakening of £ against the US Dollar?

Having spent many hours analysing the historic currency trading patterns of £/USD I have concluded that the recent attempts by £ to strengthen have been capped at USD 1.70. At the same time I observe that there has been a reasonable consolidation, I therefore conclude that there should not be any large swings in £’s value against the US Dollar and therefore a long term forecast, 1 to 2 year, is neutral to slightly stronger.

In contrast the Indian Rupee forecast against both the US Dollar and £ is significantly stronger, establishing a positive currency forecast is consistent with macroeconomic fundamentals for a stronger export driven growth, and increased foreign direct investment in 2010-11 I forecast an appreciation of the rupee against £ to the low 70’s to mid 60’s from its current 75 Rupee per £ rate.

While there may be some concern that inflation has increased to a ten-month high and therefore dilutes the value of the currency, I believe that the RBI will react delivering a tighter monetary policy therefore preserving the integrity and value of the Rupee.

While it is true that inflation has soared due to higher food prices although an interesting development has been that the Finance minister has sought parliament’s approval to spend an extra 34.58 billion rupees ($741.7 million) to subsidise the cost of some food items and fertilisers for the poor.

I therefore conclude that Inflation of 4.78% is not enough to deter investors from the rupee since there have been positive macro developments which outweigh the short term negative influence of food price inflation, which has been brought about by the weakest monsoon since 1972 damaging crop production.

I also note that the recent announcement, where industrial production was reported to have expanded at less than forecast the reaction while difficult to take on its own outside the global arena has taken some of the steam out of the stock markets rapid rise, permitting stocks to fall back, thus giving investors a second bite at the cherry.

There are some who may suggest the central bank may wait for stronger signs of economic recovery before raising interest rates. I have looked through the lower than expected factory output, up 10.3%, as this can be attributed to fewer working days in October due to festive holidays and should not be read as a demand slowdown.

I take comfort that India’s $1.2 trillion economy is currently recording acceleration in growth, with Gross domestic product increasing to 7.9% in the third quarter from 6.1% as I have taken into account the recent announcements by several large multi-national companies that they plan to expand their operations in India. The rationale behind their expansion is both domestic and international growth. It is these domestic growth opportunities that we find so attractive, the New Year will create additional foreign investment, both direct and indirect.

With Foreign direct investment creating new wealth we forecast increased consumption; as a result we expect an increase in reported company earnings and therefore forecast a break of the previous high 6,357 recorded in January 08, i.e. growth in excess of 20% for 2010.

In summary, I see enormous opportunities investing in India and the rupee for 2010 and 2011. Expecting currency appreciation and a rally in stocks supported by strong domestic consumption, something the developed markets, FTSE and Dow Jones are not in the position to offer due to the size of their budget deficits, and the tighter fiscal policies needed to repair global confidence in these developed markets.

TAX DISCLOSURE DEADLINE EXTENDED

Anand Unalkat Tax Investigations Senior Individuals who have held bank accounts abroad during the last 20 years may need to make a tax disclosure to H M Revenue & Customs (“HMRC”).

Whether they need to or not may depend on their tax residence and domicile status.

Earlier this year, HMRC approached 308 banks to obtain lists of individuals with an address in the UK, and who hold or have held an offshore or overseas bank account.

The New Disclosure Opportunity is a facility currently offered

by HMRC to individuals to help them make a voluntary tax disclosure of any undeclared income from offshore bank accounts and face a very favourable 10% fixed penalty of the unpaid taxes. The deadline to register an intention to make a disclosure was 30 November 2009. This deadline has now been

extended to 4 January 2010.

Mr Parekh (name changed to protect his from West identity) London had lived in the UK for over 30 years. He sold his business in 1995 and he invested the proceeds from the sale into a bank account in India. He did not declare the bank interest from this account to the UK tax authorities as he was told by his bank manager when he opened the account that only monies brought or ‘remitted’ into the UK were subject to UK tax.

To seek confirmation of this, he telephoned Horwath Clark Whitehill for a free consultation. He was put through to a specialist tax adviser who asked Mr Parekh a series of questions, mainly to establish his domicile status. It was clear, considering factors such as the assets that he held in India, the ties he had with India and the future intentions of Mr Parekh, that he was UK resident but nonUK domiciled. Therefore, as he did not remit any monies to the UK, the income from the bank interest which had accumulated since the account was opened was not subject to UK tax.

Mr Parekh was discussing this matter with his neighbour Mr Verma (name changed to protect his identity). For the past

20 years, Mr Verma had been running a successful news agent in London. He was extracting cash from the business and he deposited some of this into a Non-Resident Indian (NRI) bank account which he opened in 1990 whilst on a trip to India.

Mr Verma spoke with a tax adviser from Horwath Clark Whitehill and it was determined that his circumstances were different to Mr Parekh’s. Mr Verma decided to have a free initial meeting with one of Horwath Clark Whitehill’s tax investigations advisers. At the meeting it was agreed that he did need to make a disclosure not only because of the undeclared cash takings but also the overseas bank interest since his circumstances pointed to him being UK tax domiciled.

Mr Verma was also informed that there was an opportunity for him legitimately to “come clean” and only have to pay back taxes for 10 years rather than 20 years. Horwath Clark Whitehill could help him make the disclosure under a parallel but less well known disclosure route with the same benefits.

If Mr Verma decided not to disclose, the chances are that HMRC would have received details about his overseas bank account and would

Sean Wakeman

Tax Investigations Partner have acted on this by making formal enquiries into his tax affairs. This would have been a very costly and time-consuming process and the penalty levied could have been up to 100% of his tax liability, as opposed to the 10% fixed penalty on offer for disclosing under the NDO. Managing tax disclosures of this kind is a very specialised area and Horwath Clark Whitehill LLP is one of a small number of firms who have 100% dedicated expertise in this area. If you require any assistance in making a tax disclosure to HMRC or you wish to make a disclosure to HMRC under the current New Disclosure Opportunity, you may wish to telephone Sean Wakeman on 020 7842 7285 or Anand Unalkat 020 7842 7143 for a free initial consultation.

Alternatively, you can call the Disclosure Helpline on 020 7842 7200.

UK banks to pay 50% super tax on hefty bonuses Darling announced the levy to discourage banks from liberal pay outs

Chancellor of exchequer Alistair Darling last week announced a super tax on banks and building societies that pay very high salaries to their executives, aiming to dissuade them and rather use the extra cash to build adequate capital base. France has supported the move whole heartedly, even signaling that Paris would bring in such a tax, while Germany has though supported the tax, but is not likely impose any bonus tax. USA is also not

expected to move in that direction, though organisations there are very cautious about the public fall out of any extravagant pay outs.

Analysts see the UK move as one aimed at next years elections, while banking groups have warned that such measures, viewed as penalising high earners will lead to an exodus of talent from the financial services sector.

The original announcement by Alistair Darling includes all bank

executives, there are executives of related fields such as asset management - though working with the banks, who feel that they have to be kept out of the bonus tax as they are not doing any banking business.

The bonus tax Darling said banks would be charged a 50 percent tax rate on bonuses they pay to their staff above £25,000 until April 5, 2010, a powerful disincentive for big payouts in this year’s Christmas

bonus round. The new tax would apply to all banks, building societies and branches of foreign banks operating in Britain. There are also reports that banks may announce bonuses and absorb the tax themselves.

European Central Bank Governing Council member Axel Weber has said that a windfall tax on bankers' bonuses would not be effective in encouraging less risky behaviour among banks in the long term.

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14

FINANCIAL VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th December 2009

Pre-Budget Report On 9 December 2009, the Chancellor, Alistair Darling, delivered what is likely to be his last PreBudget Report before the impending election. In doing so, he focused on the nations long term challenges. He faced the difficulty of balancing the need for growth, coupled with the need to reduce public spending and manage the economic deficit, mainly through taxation. As was expected in a pre-election PBR, there were no significant changes to the announcements made in the previous Budget Report.

However, the salient points are summarised below:

NATIONAL INSURANCE CONTRIBUTIONS A number of changes have been announced that will affect employers, employees and the selfemployed: Tax year 2010/11 NIC rates and thresholds will actually remain unchanged from those for 2009/10 except for an increase in the weekly lower earnings threshold from £95 to £97 per week.

Increases in 2011/12 From 6 April 2011: Employees The main rate of NIC will be 12% (currently 11%).

The additional NIC rate on earnings over upper earnings limit will be 2% (currently 1%).

Employers Class 1, 1A and 1B NICs will increase from 12.8% to 13.8% from 6 April 2011.

Self-employed The main rate of NIC will be 9% (currently 8%).

The additional NIC rate on profits over the upper profits limit will be 2% (currently 1%).

There will be a small increase in the NIC ‘allowances’ to compensate the lower paid.

Comment: Raising NIC is an easy way to raise revenue for the Chancellor as most people in work pay them, and they are easy to administer and collect.

However the rises will increase the costs of employing staff for businesses that are already hard-pressed.

These changes are effective from 6 April 2011 and supersede the 0.5% increases announced in the 2008 Pre-Budget Report. The forecasts are for the economy to be recovering from recession by April 2011.

Businesses will need to include the additional staff costs in their budgets.

This may lead to a need for further cost reduction measures. Employees and the self-employed will notice a greater ‘take’ from their earnings and profits.

(R&D) tax relief for small and medium sized businesses.

Electric vans New electric vans bought after 1 April 2010 will attract 100% first year allowances

COMPANY CARS AND FUEL Comment: The idea behind all of these measures affecting company cars and vans, and fuel benefits is to give drivers and employers incentives to choose lower-emission cars.

Employers should review their company car policy to take these changes into consideration. Directors and employees who have company cars and possibly fuel for private motoring should consider the costs of their current arrangements

Electric cars & vans changes 2010/11 The benefit-in-kind charge on electric cars and vans will be reduced to 0% with effect from 6 April 2010 for a period of five years.

Comment: This measure, (as long as enough suitable cars are available) may prove popular. Electric cars qualify for 100% first year capital allowances, so are immediately given tax relief in the business, and the car will be a tax free benefitin-kind, with no NIC cost for the employer.

Employers should give consideration to including electric cars as part of their company car policy.

Company car and van fuel benefit changes 2010/11 Company car and van fuel benefit charges will increase.

Comment: Employers who provide private fuel as a benefit should review their policy, as even with the recent fuel price increases, you need to use a lot of fuel for private motoring to make having your employer pay for private fuel worthwhile.

Director and employees who receive fuel for private motoring should look closely at whether this makes financial sense.

Car benefit percentages 2012/13 Company car benefitsin-kind are calculated by reference to a specified percentage (based on the level of CO2 emissions the car produces) multiplied by the list price of the car when new.

From 6 April 2012 the percentage levels will be

Capital allowances – antiavoidance

Kiran Patel reorganised, to encourage lower-emission cars.

Employees who keep their current company cars could face an increase in the applicable percentage and therefore the tax and NIC payable.

PERSONAL TAX RATES AND ALLOWANCES Tax year 2010/11 Tax rates and thresholds will actually remain unchanged from those for 2009/10.

Increases in 2011/12 The 20% basic rate and 40% higher rate will also remain unchanged in 2011/12, and the 50% additional rate will continue to apply to income over £150,000.

There have also been announcements of 2012/13 rates, in that all rates will be frozen at the 2001/12 levels. However, the personal allowance will increase and the basic rate limit will decrease by the same amount.

OTHER BUSINESS AND CORPORATE MEASURES Corporation tax The Small Companies’ Rate from 1 April 2010 will remain at 21% and will not be increased to 22% as had previously been announced.

The Large Companies’ Rate remains at 28%.

Bank payroll tax This is a tax of 50% levied on bonuses paid to bank employees which exceed £25,000.

It is payable by the bank.

The tax is payable on 31 August 2010 and is not taken into account in calculating the bank’s profits or loss for corporation tax purposes.

R&D tax relief There is to be some more relaxation of research and development

There will be measures to prevent tax avoidance through sales of entitlement to capital allowances.

Patent Income There will be a reduced rate of corporation tax of 10% on patent income arising after April 2013 on post 2011 patents.

Foreign branch profits HMRC will give consideration to exemption of profits of foreign branches.

Comment: If implemented this should benefit companies with overseas branches paying tax at lower than UK rates. However, it would also mean the loss of the ability to set losses of branches against the company’s other profits.

Enterprise Investment Schemes (EIS) Previously, EIS companies had to trade “wholly or mainly in the UK”.

This is to be replaced with a requirement that they have a permanent establishment in the UK. There will also be changes to require that an EIS company is not in financial difficulties when the investment is made.

Comment: This relaxation of the rules relating to trading in UK will open up a lot more opportunities for EIS investment in cross border companies.

As this change is also made to EMI schemes, it will enable more companies to offer tax-efficient share options.

However the requirement that the company should not be in financial difficulties will not be helpful.

VAT Rates The standard rate of VAT will revert to 17.5% with effect from 1 January 2010.

Flat rate scheme The percentages applied to turnover to cal-

culate VAT due under the flat rate scheme for small businesses are to be increased with effect from 1 January 2010. Some percentages are higher than they were when the standard rate was previously 17.5%.

Comment: Businesses should review the relevant new flat rate percentage to see if it is appropriate for them.

FUEL DUTIES The main rates of fuel duty will increase in real terms by a further 1p per litre from April 2010 and by a further 1p per litre each year to 2013.

From 1 April 2010, a scheme will be introduced to allow producers of fuels from waste cooking oil to obtain duty reduction for two years.

There will however no longer be any incentive to produce or use biofuels.

TELEPHONE DUTY A new duty of 50p a month will be introduced from 1 October 2010, on all land telephone lines.

HMRC ADMINISTRATION New Disclosure Opportunity (NDO) The NDO notification deadline had already been extended until 4 January 2010. This is relevant to UK tax payers with offshore bank accounts that they have not previously disclosed to HMRC. New penalty framework for offshore noncompliance HMRC is proposing that persons involved in offshore tax evasion will be subject to tax-geared penalties. The maximum penalty will be 100% where the person makes no disclosure and conceals the income/gains It is proposed that the new penalties will apply from 1 April 2011.

Requirement to notify HMRC of offshore bank accounts HMRC proposes that all new offshore bank accounts opened in certain jurisdictions will need to be disclosed.

There will also be a requirement to disclose other offshore financial structures Comment: American and French taxpayers are already required to file an annual return of offshore bank accounts so this is perhaps no surprise. HMRC can be expected to police this, as they now have so much more information about offshore bank accounts

INHERITANCE TAX Nil Rate Band The Nil Rate Band will remain at its current level of £325,000 for 2010/11.

It had been due to rise to £350,000.

Anti-avoidance The Government has published draft legislation to block two avoidance schemes designed to avoid inheritance tax in relation to trusts.

PROPERTY TAXES Stamp duty land tax: exemption on residential property Exemption from SDLT where consideration is less than £175,000 will end on 31 December 2009. From 1 January 2010 the SDLT threshold for residential property reverts to £125,000.

Empty property relief For 2010/11, empty commercial properties with rateable values up to £18,000 will be exempt from business rates.

Comment: This is a welcome extension. However, the Government says that 30% of property owners exceed the exemption threshold, and this gives no relief to them.

PENSIONS Measures will further restrict pensions tax relief for high-income individuals from 2011. There will also be measures redefining income, and reinforcing the impact of the new rules, which now affect those with incomes of £130,000 or more.

CONCLUSION The above is a brief outline of the major points announced in the Chancellors Pre Budget Report on 9 December 2009.

The above should not be relied upon on its own for detailed tax planning for individuals and businesses. There are many matters that require detailed careful consideration and research by you and your professional adviser which could pay handsome dividends prior to taking action.

Kiran D. Patel FCA is a partner of Weston Kay Chartered Accountants.

For specific advice, please contact Kiran D. Patel on 020 7636 7493 or email him at k.patel@westonkay.com.

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th December 2009

15

16

FINANCIAL VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th December 2009

Dubai gets $10 bn lifeline from Abu Dhabi Gulf and global markets cheered at the sudden announcement that neighbour Abu Dhabi has extended a bailout fund worth US$ 10 bn to the troubled economy of Dubai. This bailout is expected to help Nakheel repay its $4.1 bn Islamic bond maturity that has become already due.

Nakheel is the property development unit of Dubai World, the gulf nation’s corporate arm.

The cost of insuring Dubai's debt against default fell sharply on the news and the stock market in the glitzy emirate rose 10.4 percent, its biggest one-day gain in 14 months. Shares in Abu Dhabi and Qatar also recovered on relief that an

immediate crisis had been averted.

Dubai had also announced it would implement immediately an insolvency law modeled on U.S. and British practices in the event that Dubai World needs to seek protection from its creditors.

A government statement said this was necessary because Dubai World's existing structure did not allow it to seek protection from creditors.

Analysts though are of the opinion that the troubles of Dubai were far from over, and they questioned a statement by a Dubai government source that there were no conditions on the loan beyond the debt standstill.

Abu Dhabi, the largest member of the United Arab Emirates and with most of the oil resources, had long been seen as a white knight for its heavily leveraged neighbour, Dubai.

Dubai World said it would continue to work with creditors to negotiate a standstill in an orderly way.

Dubai's creditors include London-listed Standard Chartered, HSBC, Lloyds and Royal Bank of Scotland, along with United Arab Emirates lenders Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank and Emirates NBD, effectively have until Dec 28 to agree to the standstill, when the Nakheel bond's grace period ends.

Belgium seeks partnership from Gujarat for pharma industry Gujarat and Belgium are strong partners in the diamond trade for many decades now. In fact, Gujarati traders control 80% of the diamond trade in Antwerp. With a large Gujarati presence, the government of Belgium knows the community and the culture well. Hence, when Belgium decided to seek investments and particularly have pharma industry, it decided to woo Gujarat’s pharma industry first.

Recently, a group of Belgium industrialists and financial experts visited

Ahmedabad, to organise a three-day ‘Belgium Road Show’ targeting the Gujarat’s pharma industry.

The delegation was hopeful that the Gujarati pharma sector that is increasingly looking at foreign markets would invest in the country and use it as a gateway to Europe, a growing market for the pharma industry.

Consulate general of Belgium’s trade & investment commissioner Tom Vermeulen chose Ahmedabad over Mumbai and Hyderabad to tap the

3,200-unit strong Gujarat pharma industry for inviting them to Belgium.

Gujarat exports pharma products to over 200 countries.

According to Vermeulen: “The traditional diamond business that exists between Gujarat and Belgium worked as catalyst. A commoner in Belgium is familiar with the Gujarati community, its culture, tradition and even cuisine.

Interestingly, the business mentality of the Gujaratis matches with that of an average Belgian”.

Cardiff council strikes a deal with TCS The Cardiff County Council has entered into a 15-year partnership with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) on a project aimed at making it easier for residents of the Welsh town to access council services.

As part of the commercial deal, the council's IT department will collaborate with TCS to integrate and rationalise its back office IT systems.

Another objective is to create a single service to centrally manage HR and payroll operations.

TCS will begin with a 12-week project to assess the council's IT systems and to deliver proposals to upgrade and develop them.

The projects will be delivered by the council's own IT staff, TCS or a combination of both. The

council will assess the business case for each project before deciding which to implement.

TCS has also become a member of the Cardiff Business Partnership (CBP), which was launched last month.

There are currently 12 Indian inward investment projects in Wales, employing 6,000 people.

West Bengal losses another project to Gujarat Paharpur Cooling Tower (PCT), a Kolkata - based company engaged in cooling towers business, has decided to shift its pro-

posed new plant to Gujarat, as the company was facing problems in West Bengal. The company has already been allot-

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ted land by GIDC in a very short span of less than 10 days.

The company is facing labour trouble even its existing plant at Bhasa in South 24 Paraganas district for almost a year now.

Being unable to make headway on resolving the problem even after attempts by the state government, the Paharpur Group has issued a notice on suspension of work at the plant six months ago.

After Tata’s Nano and Bharat Forge’s power project equipment, this is the third loss for West Bengal.

Alpesh Patel’s Political Sketchbook:

Awards: from the Noble to Nobel I was at two Awards ceremonies recently – both attending by Noble Lords and Ladies from the House of Lords: the Asian Achievers Awards and the Asian Who’s Who International. But of course the most significant awards ceremony this past week has been that held by the Nobel Committee.

What purpose do Awards serve? President Obama in receiving the Peace Prize was controversial because he did not fit the profile of what we think of when we think of Awards – past achievements, a proven role model for success in the field and beacon to others to highlight past unsung work. For their abilities. Obama fits none of these in the field of peace – yet. He has not proven any abilities yet.

But of course he was given the Award for none of the conventional reasons listed above. He was given it for the scale of his ambition in peace.

For potential. For what might be. For his ‘will’.

Politics and politicians are of course so powerful and able to change the world for good or evil because they stand at the pinnacle of all other disciplines and are ‘able’ to use immense resources – it’s Truman the politician using the innovations in physics who declares the bomb to be dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima in World War 2; it’s Reagan the politicians using innovations in economics to

unleash capitalist expansion to overwhelm the adversaries of the Cold War; it’s Gandhiji the politician using thoughts from philosophy and theology to commence the largest largely peaceful ‘war’ in human history.

And so Obama was a justified winner of the Peace Prize because it was not an Award of recognition of past achievements but because he has chosen a path different at the start of his journey to many politicians. He is willing to project aspirations and visions and scale heights.

You see when an American President seeks such lofty ideals – they have the ability to achieve them with the might of their political resources. The Award therefore reflects the desire to have the political ‘will’ and not just a recognition of political ability. It’s a different type of award – suitable only for politicians – because they do not lack the ability and resources like the rest of us – they often just lack the will.

When they are Awarded for their will, they are almost publicly blackmailed into avoiding the pathetic compromises that so often dilutes political first class will in favour of political third class achievement.

To this extent, one of the most lacking of Awards in my estimation is that of the work of Parliamentarians – whether in Britain, US, India. Yes, corruption

whether in the form of money in bags videod by Tehelka in India, cashfor-questions in the UK, or fraudulent use of campaign funds in the US, is rife and rightly reported.

But if we do not also shine a light on the positive work done by our public servants, then we remove from them the motivating force of recognition.

The philosopher Emmanuel Kant argued that even if charitable works were done for selfish motivations of personal adulation, credit must nevertheless be given to the person undertaking the work.

How often in the past year I have heard persons sneer at tireless individuals who have organised huge charitable occasions – arguing that these individuals do it to raise their own profiles and serve their own interests – but surely better that they do it, for whatever motives, than that they are one of the miserable sneerers on the sidelines full only of bile and venom – lacking will even if more than able. They shall be awarded their own special awards in hell surely.

The columnist is hails from Karamsad, a former Visiting Fellow at Corpus Christi College, Oxford.

He read Philosophy, Politics, Economics at St Anne’s College, Oxford when he also interned in the US Congress and read Law at King’s College, London, qualifying as a barrister.

Kiri Dyes acquires German co DyStar Ahmedabad – based co poised to become world’s leading dyes and chemical manufacturer Kiri Dyes and Chemicals Ltd (KDCL) last week acquired Germany’s DyStar group and is poised to become one of world’s largest dyes and chemical manufacturer.

The Ahmedabad-based company has finalised the agreement through a special purpose vehicle, Kiri Holding Singapore Private Ltd for acquiring DyStar and its selective assets.

Though Manish Kiri, managing director of the company, refused to divulge details, sources close to the development said that the Indian company would shell out close to £145 mn, which would also include taking over of

liabilities of the German firm.

KDCL currently operates three plants, including one in Ahmedabad and two in Vadodara. The company, in association with China’s Zhejiang Lonsen group, has also set up India’s largest dye and dyestuff manufacturing facility in Padra near Vadodara.

The German acquisition will help KDCL garner 21% market share in the $23-billion global dye and intermediates business.

The acquisition, apart from adding to the Indian firm’s product basket, is likely to help KDCL get a

global footprint through 18 plants in Germany, Portugal, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan and China.

KDCL got in a consortium of Exim Bank, State Bank of India, Bank of India and Corporation Bank for evaluation of the deal and has given them the acquisition financing proposal. Kiri Group has already raised £19.78 mn through qualified institutional placements.

Kiri Dyes has also drawn up a restructuring plan for DyStar group which includes shifting the headquarter from Germany to Singapore, the sources said.

FINANCIAL VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th December 2009

17

Suresh Vagjiani is the Managing Director of Sow & Reap, a Property Investment & Financing company.

Third Time Lucky ...

Last week I met a client who has £200k to invest.

After having tried twice to invest in UK property through an agent, after having lost money in legal and valuation fees and then being gazumped, and having been messed around by the agent he has put things on hold.

Although he would still like to put his money to work in UK property, knowing the current environment is likely to be the best time to purchase.

He is a sweet shop owner, with himself and his wife running the business for at least a couple of decades. He has worked hard and saved a good sum of money, which sat in the bank is not really working for him.

He has the funds and he has the desire to invest. He doesn’t have the time or necessary know how to source the property and what type of property investment he should be going for to suit his investment strategy.

This where Sow & Reap can come in and help. As each one of us is an individual so we all have different aims and comfort levels, we try and make sure each one is catered too as far as possible.

As with many Asians this shop owner liked the idea of having a freehold property, they seem to think this is important as then the value of the property does not diminish with the lease and secondly the property will stay in their family tree for generations to come.

Even when the property has a humongous lease term of 999 years, they simply do not like this concept. Even if each generation lives for 100 years and the property will be in their family for 10 generations this is not acceptable.

I explained the aim of investing is to generate the most amount of income in the shortest possible time. The best areas to purchase property is in central areas as

they will experience the biggest uplift and be the most insulated in terms of rentability and future capital growth. To get freeholds in Central London area you would need to spend around ¾ of a million pounds – though a share of freehold is possible in certain flats but a rarity.

On a leasehold property you will generally need to pay a ground rent to the freeholder and a service charge to the managing agent. The ground rent is paid to the person who owns the piece of land your flat occupies, in effect you are renting this from him. And the service charge is paid to the managing agent who looks after any communal parts e.g. the roof, common gardens, building insurance.

The service charges need to be studied properly.

The solicitor will normally send you a report of previous charges and what future charges are due. There are managing agents which are known as rip off agents in the industry and one must be weary of them. This can severely dampen the rental yield of a property.

It is the nature of the beast in property that not all deals will go through, and money can be lost.

All we can do is to ensure the deal is done in the most water tight way as possible. One contract we try to always get done is to get our investors a peri-

od of exclusivity prior to exchange, this prevents other people coming in and offering higher amounts and destroying the sale prior to exchange.

This investor wanted to purchase the property in his two daughters’ names, one working the other one not. A once small issue has now become a sticking point for Buy to Let lenders.

Previously a BTL lender would issue a mortgage

based on the rentability of the property. As long as the rental is 125% of the monthly mortgage amount, the offer would be banged out, literally. I remember a time when we had a mortgage offer issued in 1 ½ days, and we were not even in a rush. The lender simply carried out an automated valuation and issued the offer. Whether the bor-

Mortgages Commercial Finance Gujarat Properties - Sale & Resale Property Sourcing

rower lives or dies the mortgage will continue to be paid as long as the property is rented, the rentability of the property is verified by the valuer.

However now lenders are asking for wage slips and even bank statements for potential borrowers.

Anyhow we have already sourced a potential property, this property much to the delight of the client is both a freehold and is very centrally located in Camden. This is a five bedroom property excouncil and off market.

The owner was initially asking for £375,000 for this property, we have agreed the deal at £330,000. The first thing we will be doing is locking the vendor down with a pre exchange contract.

This property will be bought in the two daughters’ names and will be a gift from their father to ease them through life.

Square peg in a round hole

Currently we have what we initially thought was a simple mortgage case on the surface. It is always dangerous to make assumptions and so what appeared to be simple and straight forward has proved to be not so. The clients where a husband and wife couple who wanted to purchase a property.

With 25% deposit on a purchase

price of £305,000 and earning in the region of £40,000 this didn’t appear to be an issue – so we thought. The first application with Woolwich, which was offering the best rates of 2.77%, was declined, hence we will simply moved to the next lender.

This lender required an accountants certificate, the clients assured us there would be no problem in providing this. So we commenced the application with the assurance of the certificate being provided.

However when we got the reference the accountant refused to put the income figures from September 08 till September 09 but instead was only happy to put March 08 to March 09 which severely reduced the amount which could be borrowed. After speaking to the manager at the lender and the accountant, it came to light that this case was not going forward. And hence we again had to resource this case. We found a lender

which does not look at past figures but will instead take a projection, on further analysis the multiple again was a little short.

We managed to find another lender to take this case, so again we commenced the application. However this time when we started the application it was rejected due to adverse credit.

When this happens we look at the credit file to see what exactly the issue is. A credit report is a diagnosis. It is vital this is checked first to see exactly what the problem is before proceeding any further. On inspection it revealed in the last couple of months the Mr of the couple had missed a few payments and therefore now had adverse credit, now he would only be looking at adverse lenders. And there are very few on the market and the rates are excessive, not something to enter into lightly. Having got to know the clients a little, we suggested they purchase the property in the name of the father and then do a trust agreement to confirm the property actually belongs to them.

This trust agreement may also save them the stamp duty when they buy the property back. So again we are currently in the process of closing the case on a different basis to when we started. The above illustrates the need of using a competent broker.

Property Finance has become a full time business. An IFA who claims to specialise in all investments, mortgages and protection realistically cannot be on top of the game in all areas. Every 24 hrs things are changing and the market is evolving, it is important to keep abreast of market changes as well as maintain close relationships with lenders. The benefit of using Sow & Reap is you will have one dedicated point of contact to advise you, and we only do property nothing else. We don’t like the idea of being jack of all trades and master of none. So you can be sure you will get up to date advice. And if we do not know something you can be sure we will know someone who does.

Sow & Reap Call On: 0207 706 0187 Email at: info@sowandreap.co.uk

Sow & Reap Properties Limited is trading as Sow & Reap.

Registered in England No. 05083823 Registered Office Address: 31 Southwick Street, Paddington, W2 1JQ

18

Christmas Special

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th December 2009

Significance of

Christmas tree History The Egyptians were part of a long line of cultures that treasured and worshipped evergreens. When the winter solstice arrived, they brought green date palm leaves into their homes to symbolise life's triumph over death.

The Romans celebrated the winter solstice with a fest called Saturnalia in honour of Saturnus, the god of agriculture. They decorated their houses with greens and lights and exchanged gifts. They gave coins for prosperity, pastries for happiness, and lamps to light one's journey through life.

Centuries ago in Great Britain, woods priests called Druids used evergreens during mysterious winter solstice rituals. The Druids used holly and mistletoe as symbols of eternal life, and place evergreen branches over doors to keep away evil spirits.

Late in the Middle Ages, Germans and Scandinavians placed evergreen trees inside their homes or just outside their doors to show their hope in the forthcoming spring. Our modern Christmas tree evolved from these early traditions.

Legend has it that Martin Luther began the tradition of decorating trees to celebrate Christmas. One crisp Christmas Eve, about the year 1500, he was walking through snowcovered woods and was struck by the beauty of a group of small evergreens. Their branches, dusted with snow, shimmered in the moonlight.

When he got home, he set up a little fir tree indoors so he could share this story with his children. He decorated it with candles, which he lighted in honour of Christ's birth.

RUPANJANA DUTTA

children, and the tradition of decorating a tree became fashionable.

In 1880, Woolworths first sold manufactured Christmas tree ornaments which proved to be very popular.

The most famous Christmas Tree in Britain In London, near the statue of Lord Nelson in Trafalgar Square, a giant Christmas tree is set up and decorated with great ceremony each year. The tree is a thank you gift from the people of Oslo, Norway. During the Second World War, King Haakon of Norway was forced into exile in England when t h e Germans occupied his c o u n t r y.

S i n c e 1 9 4 7 , Norway has expressed its thanks for the help of the British people by continuing to send a huge Norwegian spruce to be shared by all.

Popularity The Christmas tree became popular in England in 1841 when Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, brought a Christmas tree over from Germany and put it in Windsor Castle. The Royal couple were illustrated in a newspaper standing around the Christmas tree with their

A Christmas Tree story There was once a monk named St Boniface who chopped down a huge oak tree. As it fell to the earth the oak tree split into four pieces and from its centre sprung up a young fir tree.

“This little tree shall be your Holy Tree tonight. It is the tree of peace for your houses are built of the fir. It is the sign of endless life

5 top gifts for her ● Make up gifts- MAC foundation: While MAC

focussed on fairer and Caucasian skins only, now it aims darker skin and browns like Indians. Ideal as a Christmas gift for your loved one.

MAC lips and cheeks treatment. Superb colour with a touch of sex-o-shine! Combination of lip pencils and blush duos. The lipsticks include Spring shades as pink, mauve, yellow brown and frosted light coral, golden pink, bright pink orange and frosted berry red. ● Clutch bag: Try Accessorize store, Fiorelli or Primark for a cheap one ● Earrings/bracelets- Try Wallis

● Scarves & gloves- Try Tie rack, H&M,

for its leaves are evergreen. See how it points toward the heavens?

Let this be called the tree of the Christ Child. Gather about it, not in the wilderness, but in your homes. There it will be surrounded by loving gifts and rites of kindness.”

To this day, that is why the fir tree is a symbol of Christmas.

Home made

Mince pies Ingredients Pastry for 2 pies 2 cups of chopped apples ! cup of raisins 16 x chopped pecan halves 3 tablespoons of rum flavouring Fruit mincemeat.

Top Shop, Gap and Zara

Procedure:

You may get a cheap deal on sale.

Prepare pastry crusts and line the bottom of an 8 inch pie dish.

In a large bowl, mix the fruit mincemeat, raisins, apples, and pecans.

Stir in flavouring slowly until well mixed.

Spoon into the crust.

Roll out top pastry crust and place over the filling.

Flute the crust edge.

Bake 30 minutes or until until golden brown at 350 degree Farenheit

● Perfumes- Try Oxford Street.

5 Top gifts for him ● ● ● ● ●

What is your style this Christmas?

Tie- Try TM Lewin, Tie Rack Wallet- Try Highdesign, Aldo Cufflink- Try TM Lewin or M&S, Reiss, Perfumes- Oxford Street Personalised pens- Harrods

While the first generation Asians treat Christmas as a foreign festival they have adopted on migration, we, the second and third generations in this country feel it is an important thread to our growing up, a very crucial part of our amalgamated culture and a very integral aspect of being 'British'!

That means endless parties, luncheons, dinners, drinks and get togethers with family and friends over the Christmas and New Year.

So how do we plan to dress this Christmas?

Different stylists have different suggestions. One of Britain's famous stylists suggests, for lunch with the family a satin pussy bow blouse worn with slouchy trousers and flat shoes would look ideal.

For Christmas drinks with friends, a sequin shift dress worn over a black polo neck could be perfect. You can try a patent leather belt to give this outfit a contemporary edge, though you may need to loosen this if you're eating.

For a night on the town, a strict, structured look with heels is always hard to carry off if you want to let your hair down. So go for a statement dress that is loosely fitted and allows for a bit of movement.

During the day, wear a statement piece of knitwear - maybe something with a metallic thread running through it - has that touchy feely 'at home' quality. After all, you will be eating, drinking and socialising.

Choose colour for the evening. There is something about bright colour, a rich claret, deep purple or sapphire blue that makes a statement in itself. Avoid cleavage and Lurex during the day are never a good idea.

Another stylist suggests, for lunch with the family wear an expandable waistband! Dressing in fabrics that don't crease too much because you'll be spending most of the time sitting down. Reds are always good for Christmas.

For drinks with friends rub on some fake tan - the tan's faded by December and pasty skin often just doesn't work with the glamorous outfits.

For a night on the town, the military look's in at the moment and it's all about the tailored jacket. The tuxedo-style jacket's also very big.

Wear statement jewellery, so go a bit bling, but make sure not to go too over the top. If you're going for big earrings, make them the focus, it's all about balance.

I personally do not like too many sequins. I feel too much of it can end up looking like you belong on a Christmas tree. But sequinned high heeled shoes, or on bags or belts can look fabulous. Tights with open toed sandals, are a complete no no.

As a Fashionista, on a family lunch, I would like to wear a white polo neck with a silk skirt that has enough spread and pleats to hide the growing Christmas tummy. The skirt could be light pink or moss green or even pale maroon. I will pair it up with flats. As accessories, I would add a touch of gold or pearl.

For drink with friends, I would choose electric blue or hot pink/magenta top with skinny jeans or a tight mono skirt and heels.

For party night out, black and red should do the magic with knee length boots. Clutch and danglers should add to my accessories.

It is not necessary, that you must dress as we suggest. The bottom-line is look homely on Christmas lunch, for drinks- look chic, for a night out make sure you look elegant but not boring.

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th December 2009

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Shah Rukh Khan wanted to be a ‘Porn Star’ When it comes to candid talks no one can beat SRK. In Delhi, the Badshah Khan, at his witty best shared his “aspiration” of becoming a porn star with the press.

The actor was in Delhi to launch management guru Arindam Chaudhuri's new book when he revealed his desire.

"I always wanted to be porn star. I am going to work with all the positivity and clarity to be a porn star, " Shah Rukh said much to the amusement of the packed audience.

And where did this inspiration arise from? "I have always been a huge fan of Sylvester Stallone

who was a porn star before becoming Hollywood superstar, " the actor said.

Shah Rukh, famous for his outrageously funny remarks did tickle the funny bone of the audience who was in for a laugh riot while listening to the actor.

And it was the icing on the cake when the

actor said, "I will take my flag and put it up in America after becoming the biggest porn star of the world."

The whole joke started when Chaudhuri, while reading excerpts from his book gave example of Stallone's determination and his journey from a porn star to becoming one of the

Hollywood's icons.

He also referred how Akio Morita, founder of Sony, Japanese electronics giant, started the company with a dream to have his country's flag flutter high on the soils of US. "You see that is what happens with students like me who take all the wrong things from best of the examples given to them," Shah Rukh jested.

Recalling his childhood, Khan said, 'My mother used to say that our thoughts get translated into reality and the world is a result of whatever we think. So, we must spread positive thoughts around.'

Aamir moving in disguise for ‘3 Idiots’ promo In an innovative marketing strategy to promote his upcoming film '3 Idiots', actor-filmmaker Aamir Khan has virtually disappeared and is on the run.

Last year around the same time, Aamir had set up a barber shop on the streets of Delhi to promote his last film ‘Ghajini’ which became a roaring success.

And this time, for the next two weeks before the release of ‘3 Idiots’, the actor will be on an adventure trip throughout the country. The film is releasing on December 25.

Nobody will know his whereabouts till he wishes to reveal it himself. Aamir has challenged his fans that he will be in their midst and they will not know about it for the next

fortnight.

"I don't like to lose. If the participant wins seven

victory points, I will concede defeat," the actor said in video message played at a press conference which was attended by other members of the cast, producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra and director Raj Kumar Hirani.

The "challenge" is part of Aamir's marketing plan to promote the film through Alternate Reality Gaming (ARG).

ARG will be played across media platforms and is an interactive game played in the real world. In the game, the main character (Aamir) will reveal himself periodically and leave clues of his whereabouts.

The first clue will be announced by cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar after watching a trial show

Asian Film Foundation felicitates ‘Big B’ Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan was conferred the Asian Film Cultural Award for completing 40 years in the entertainment industry.

Receiving the award from Bollywood director Ramesh Sippy, Bachchan thanked Kiran Shantaram, chairman, Asian Film Foundation for selecting him for the award.

“I am most grateful to Kiran Shantaram, who has an old association with me for many, many years, has given me the opportunity to receive this award and the love and affection of the people present here,” Bachchan said.

Bachchan started his career in 1969 with director Khwaja Ahmad Abbas’ film “Saat

Hindustani”.

“I have looked upon my career of 40 years in this wonderful industry as a great opportunity to be able to represent my creativity and my art, but more importantly to project our cinema to the other parts of the world. I feel very honoured to be here at an organisation that conducts this activity so that the rest of the world come to learn more about our culture, our films,” he said.

Bachchan said that Indian cinema has been

the one unifying force between the people from diverse castes, creeds, cultures, religions and languages.

of the movie. The riddle which will be read out by Tendulkar will contain the name of the city where Aamir is stationed presently.

The participants will have to log on to idiotsacademy.com and the winner will get to spend the new year eve with Aamir.

19

Karan Johar lost his sleep over ‘My Name is Khan’ Karan Johar recently spent sleepless nights, and quite literally too.

On the brink of ‘My Name Is Khan’s theatrical trailer’s release, he worked and worked to ensure that it turns out perfect enough to create a good impact on audiences. As a result, he hardly got about an hour of sleep starting from Saturday morning to Monday morning.

As ‘My Name Is Khan’ is Karan’s most different film so far, he really wants to do his best to make it appeal to masses. He was to go to LA but he cancelled his trip to finalize the first look.

He started work early on Saturday morning and continued up to 7 am Monday morning. At the most, he might have slept for just an hour between the two days. On Saturday night, Shah Rukh Khan, who stars in the film, met up with Karan to discuss promotion techniques for the film.

After SRK saw the first promo, he left the office on Sunday morning. Karan still kept working until Monday morning and left for home only after he was completely satisfied with the way the first look had turned out.

20

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Asian Voice - Saturday 19th December 2009

She was a winner, now a judge Priyanka Chopra goes to Miss World again

Vasu to direct Charmi South India’s veteran actor-writer-director P Vasu of Chandramukhi fame has roped in Tollywood’s charming beauty Charmi to play the lead role in a heroine-centric Tamil film to be produced by BBS Studio.

Giving details of the film, producer Murarisetti Lakshman said, “The entire story of this untitled film runs in the backdrop of a college in Malaysia.

Moreover, the film gives a good message that girls should be sent to college with affection and trust, not with suspicion. The film will have all kinds of commercial elements and we are sure it would attract all classes of audiences.”

Music is by Vidyasagar, action is

by Peter Haynes, while story, screenplay and direction are by P. Vasu. The other details of the film, including the title and hero will be announced soon.

Charmi is currently busy with two Malayalam films: director Kamal’s upcoming Aagathan opposite Dileep and superstar Mammootty’s Shaji Kailas directed Drona 2010.

’! y th a p la a ‘D s n r tu y Vija in The latest buzz t Kollywood is abou ’s jay Vi of e titl the 51st film. The actor titled this movie as !

D a l a p a t h y , r e b m e m R e Dalapathy was the the of title Rajinikanth ck blo tty oo Mamm in buster released the year 1991, as e Diwali special. Th opr vie mo i Rajin s duced by G.V.Film ic ss cla lt cu a was ni directed by Ma ll sti is d an m Ratna e remembered as on of the best ever Tamil. movie produced in similarity Sources say that the e Mani’s hil W e. titl the ends with ndship frie film dealt with the new the rs, ste ng ga o between tw ner tai ter en ily movie will be a fam ector dir e Th n. tio ac with lots of as to play the has finalised Asin

lead ankar Raja as lady and Yuvan Sh aining technicomposer. The rem cted soon. pe ex be ll cians list wi hearing this er Meanwhile, aft s of Rajini fan t en ard news, the planning are d are totally upset an damage the nt ve pre to what to do ic. ss cla for their Thalaivar’s

Life had come a full circle for former Miss World Priyanka Chopra. Nine years after she picked up her own crown, PC was on the beauty pageant podium in Johannesburg as a judge for the final round of this year’s Miss World contest.

“When Julia Morley, who was in charge of the beauty pageant, invited me to be a judge, I was ecstatic. There I was a teenager all those years ago, nervous on the same platform. Now I went in a totally different capacity,” said Priyanka. The actress was happy she could work her busy shooting schedules around to accommodate this contest, which she considered a very prestigious one.

Back home, too, Priyanka is in a very happy place. Kareena Kapoor, Katrina Kaif and she are the top three Bollywood beauties who wield a certain power over

with Bollywood supremo Shah Rukh Khan for Farhan Akhtar’s Don-2.

“Besides these films, I’m scheduled to do a film with my Kaminey director Vishal Bharadwaj,” said the dusky beauty.

The low point of 2009 was when she cried herself to sleep after Ashutosh Gowarikar’s “What’s Your Rashee” came Third place finisher Miss South unstuck at the box Africa Tatum Keshwar (R) is office. “When you put handed flowers by Priyanka blood, sweat and tears the box office. Naturally, into a project and it doesn’t the best projects are dividfetch you the kind of box ed between them. “This office you hoped for, it was a good year,” said the hurts,” Priyanka admitted. actress, “and hopefully But she did not rise to the 2010 will be as good if not bait when asked what she better.” feels about co-star and ‘ex’ She happily started the Harman Baweja making year with “Pyaar his feelings public for her Impossible” in January long after they had split. while also shooting with Guess when things are hotshot Ranbir Kapoor for looking up for her the way Sajid Nadiadwala’s they are right now, she has “Anjaana Anjaani” and every reason to be gracious.

Farah Khan wows with circusthemed lingerie fashion show Farah Khan choreographed a circus-themed lingerie fashion show for the brand Triumph and wowed the celebs who called it a 'fabulous' event.

'It was a fabulous show. It was as fabulous as everything Farah does,' Vivek Oberoi told reporters after the show in Mumbai.

Katrina Kaif said: 'It was a grand night. It was lot of fun. It's not that easy to pull off a show like this in India. You have to do it in a way that every one is happy and comfortable and that's exactly what Farah did.'

Akshay Kumar,

Twinkle Khanna, Riteish Deshmukh, Namrata Shirodkar, Aftab Shivdasani, Chunkey Pandey, Madhoo, Raveena Tandon, Anil Kapoor, Simi Garewal and tennis play-

ers Sania Mirza and Leander Paes too attended the show.

This is the second year when Farah choreographed the lingerie fashion show which is organised by Triumph, the global leader in lingerie.

'The theme is circus so it is a good mixture of entertainment and fashion. It is almost 20 minutes of musical spectacular. The stage has been designed as a circus where you would see fire-eaters, clowns and every other thing that you see in a circus along with the models in lingerie,' Farah told reporters before the show.

Neha goes topless to fight warming

Padmapriya on cloud nine Padmapriya is said to be on cloud nine because eight films in five languages featuring her have been released this year. While speaking about this she said,” The Tamil film Pokkisham and Malayalam film Pazhassi Raja have earned me very good name.

Kannada actor Shiva Raj Kumar saw

my performance in Pokkisham for three times and enjoyed it. After seeing my performance he has signed me to pair with him in the film Thammasu.

Agni Sridhar is directing this film.

Earlier I received lot of offers to act in Kannada films.

Either I wouldn’t have call sheet or the story wouldn’t have been good.

Because of this I was not able to act in Kannada films. Now the time and good story has come.

Shiv Raj Kumar is donning the role of a police officer. I am donning the role of a person who is against violence. Because of this I am not wearing kurtha. I am wearing modern dresses in this film. This year 8 films have been released in five languages.

Former Miss India and Bollywood babe Neha Dhupia is the face of the ‘Go Green' campaign. The exclusive ‘Go Green' calendar features Neha blending in nature.

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th December 2009

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21

BollyKats

World Cupp 2011

A flick that is a blend of Cricket, crime and drama exposes the unholy nexus between the underworld and cricketers in India.

Produceed under the banner of S. A. Gems Pvt Ltd., the film is directed by Ravi Kapoor who also plays the lead role in the film. He shares the credits for the story and dialogues. It has two real cricketers – Saba Karim and Nikhil Copra also playing roles.

‘World Cupp 2011’ is a film is about nexus between the underworld and the cricketers.

Debutant Ravi Kapoor essays Indian cricket team captain Ravi Indulkar, who tanks a match with the help of his 4 teams mates against arch rivals Pakistan in 2007 World Cup However he is exposed by reporter Balakrishanan and all the players are banned for 4 years. As a consequence Ravi’s life gets shattered, his girl friend Soha (Manisha Chatterjee) dumps him and he loses his dad as well. Cut to 2011, Ravi is given one more chance to prove his patriotism by coach played by Suresh Oberoi, But like any other drama the sting is always in the tail, Ravi is again approached by bookie Shobhan (Zakir Hussain) to repeat the same performance once again but this time, he turns the offer down. An angry Shobhan then kidnaps Soha who incidentally is the Indian cricket team's physiotherapist. Ravi then turns to Home Minister who appoints an encounter specialist (Ehsan Khan) to rescue Soha at the risk of his life. In the midst of this personal trauma Ravi is also struggling to win the World Cup 2011 trophy as well.

The lead cast of the film consists of Ravi Kapoor, Suresh Oberoi, Zakir Hussain, Ehsan Khan, Manisha Chatterjee, Smita Jaykar, Aadesh Shrivastav and Kashmira Shah.

The film has lyrics by Sameer, while Aadesh Shrivastav has scored the music.

New Hindi movie releasing this week 1. Bolo Raam 2. Raat Gayi Baat Gayi 3. World Cupp 2011

Top 5 Bollywood movies for the week No. Film

No. Last Week

Total weeks

1

Paa

New

1

2

De Dana Dan

1

2

3

Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani

2

6

4

Radio

--

--

5

Kurbaan

3

3

Big B used to call me ‘Maa’: Vidya After receiving flak from critics, Vidya Balan has now managed to impress them with her performance in "Paa". The actress is now looking forward to "Ishqiya" and "Chenaab Gandhi" to strengthen her position and says she won't do roles she doesn't identify with.

"Isn't that amazing?

It's taken a lot of getting used to. But I feel blessed.

I'm done with trying to be someone I'm not," Vidya, who was seen as Amitabh Bachchan's daughter in "Chenaab Gandhi", said.

"I went through a period of tremendous turmoil when I was struggling to

do roles that didn't come naturally to me. But now in hindsight I think that confusion helped me pick 'Paa', 'Ishqiya' and 'Chenaab Gandhi'. It's gratifying to know today directors think of me for specific roles and not just as one of many choices."

Vidya became an overnight sensation after her debut film "Parineeta" (2005), but later earned flak for her clothes in "Heyy Babyy" and for doing a film like "Kismat Konnection".

Thanks to director R. Balakrishnan's "Paa", in which she plays a single mother whose son suffers

from progeria, a disease that accelerates the ageing process, she has regained past glory.

Though she played a perfect mother in "Heyy Babyy" and "Paa", Vidya can't get along with kids in

real life.

"If I hold a baby for a while I get stressed. In 'Heyy Babyy', the baby would bawl every time I had to carry it. In 'Paa', I had to mother a man who was far older. It took a lot of getting used to. The fact that Mr Bachchan kept referring to me as 'Maa' as soon he entered the sets, sure helped," she said.

"All thanks to Sabyasachi Mukherjee, I think he understood my body language and my personality perfectly. And he dressed me up beautifully without overstepping the parameters of my character."

Kat says no to a Hrithik film

Showing her allegiance to Karan Kohar, Katrina Kaif has refused to be part of “Krrish 2.” She will be doing the “Dostana” sequel instead, hence the project has been offered to Deepika Padukone.

According to sources, Rakesh Roshan came up with the idea of pairing Hrithik opposite Kat but she wasn't too sure if she could commit so she declined the offer politely.

We also hear that

Ranbir tattoo is now a problem for deepika

Love may or may not be blind, but sometimes it can be valid proof for stupidity. Why else would you get a tattoo on your nape with your lover's initials, especially when tattoos, like diamonds, last forever? It's only relationships in Bollywood that don't have a long shelf life.

Since Deepika Padukone broke up with Ranbir Kapoor two months ago after having dated for nearly two years, she hasn't really spoken about the relationship publicly. So at a skin care product launch, reporters seized the chance to question her about her ex.

The first question thrown at her was: What are you going to do about the RK tattoo on your back?

The question was met with stony silence and was followed up by a cheeky zinger: is the brand coming out with a cream that will erase your tattoo?

Rakesh Om Prakash Mehra will not be direct-

ing the sequel and papa Roshan will take over from him.

Talking about Mehra being sacked, a source said, “Hrithik is more comfortable working with his father. He is also helping him with the script.

They want it to attain Hollywood standards and are doing everything to make it work. Though, senior Roshan was convinced of Mehra’s directorial credentials, Hrithik

was skeptical.”

Confirming the news, Rakesh Roshan said, “I am directing Krrish sequel.’ I am still in the scripting process and there is still time for the movie to go on the floors.” When asked about Rakesh Mehra’s earlier involvement, he says, “We had spoken to Mehra, but he got busy with ‘Delhi 6’ and we were busy with ‘Kites,’ so nothing was finalised.”

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INDIA

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th December 2009

Gujarat has potential to attract 40 million tourists by 2015 A report by CII and PWC says tourism sector needs support from the govt Gujarat state has the potential to increase the tourist inflow by about three times in the next five years.

A report jointly released

by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) projects that Gujarat can attract more than 40 million tourists by the year 2015, if the tourism sector has proper backing from the government.

According to estimates, 15.8 million tourists visited Gujarat in 2008-09. The report titled as 'Gujarat Tourism in 2015' sets the target for Gujarat tourism sector.

"Gujarat will become one of the top 5 states in India with both domestic and international tourists visiting. About 1 million international and 41 million domestic tourists will visit Gujarat by the year 2015," says the report.

This inflow of tourist is expected to generate direct and indirect

employment over 12 million in the travel and tourism sector, according to the report.

Elaborating on the assumptions behind the proposed target, a PWC official said, "We have assumed a conservative

growth rate of 25% for international tourists and 15% for domestic tourists over the period of 201015. The total tourism output multiplier has been taken at 2.1 based on the study by NCAER for the ministry of tourism in 2006".

Sector watchers are also upbeat about the projections. "Gujarat has all the resources to be the most sought after tourist

destination. It just needs a positive push from the government," says Ashwin Gandhi, convener of CII's tourism panel. Kutch is the second largest district in India and can be marketed as one of the best tourism place in Asia with white Rann (Desert), flamingo colony, rat colony, and oldest ship breaking yard Jhakhau. Gujarat enjoys the advantage of 238 beach days and has the longest coastline in the country which can be converted as top tourist destination, adds Gandhi. It is worth mentioning that Gujarat has 25% of India's coastline.

The target for Gujarat tourism in 2015 indicates that religious tourism, business tourists and NRIs along with international tourists from the traditional source markets will still remain as the main contributors, says the reports.

First Gujarati encyclopaedia released Twenty-five volumes, 23,000 articles, 1,700 expert writers and sheer determination of 25 years have resulted in the first extensive encyclopaedia in Gujarati language. This is believed to be the best encyclopaedia in any regional Indian language.

Chief editor of this encyclopaedia is eminent Gujarati writer Dhirubhai Thaker, the project's pioneer. Age is no barrier for 91-year-old Dhirubhai, who took on the challenge of completing the Gujarati Vishwakosh. "The series is over and it has been a fulfilling experience for us.

But this is not a full stop.

This work will go on, as updating the data will con-

tinue to take place," says the tireless editor who was just 66 years old when he began on this endeavour.

Though Gujarat was formed in 1960 on linguistic basis, it was after Thaker started lobbying hard that in 1985 the Gujarati Vishwakosh Trust was set up, comprising learned scholars and people from various other walks of life.

Social worker Sakarchand Patel was among the first donors.

Many others were to follow with liberal donations in funding this mammoth academic exercise which has finally cost pound 3.30 lakh.

"This was a noble task

and a lot of hard work and dedication went into this enormous effort with support from hundreds of people. This is a 50th birthday gift to Gujarat," said Kumarpal Desai, managing trustee.

Initially, 20 volumes were planned but five more volumes were added as the subjects kept on increasing. Altogether 170 subjects have been covered and volume number 25 was released earlier this month.

"The encyclopaedia challenges the wrong notion that Gujaratis are only good at business.

This was a literary effort of the finest kind," says Desai.

Global award for Ahmedabad documentary maker An Ahmedabad-based documentary maker, Sandeep Damre, 37, has won an international award for his effort ‘Circle of Light’. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change chose this film as the second best video documentary on the success of Changing Lives 2008 through sustainable project.

Shot in Bhali Kui, a village in Gujarat, the film reveals the tradition of collecting castor oil to light lamps during festival of lights, Diwali. “The documentary was selected from hundreds of entries received from across the globe. It is a proud recog-

nition of the sustainable project of Gujarat on an international platform.

The other two winners are from China,” said Damre.

He added that the story revolves around the age-old tradition of children celebrating Diwali, going from home to home, collecting oil to light lamps.

The oil traditionally used in these lamps comes from castor.

Damre’s documentary is based on the project of abatement of Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GGE) through Biomass residuebased cogeneration at Ahmedabad- based Claris Lifesciences Limited unit.

A spokesperson of

Claris said, “Prior to this breakthrough innovation, castor residue was being used either as manure or disposed off. Through this process, the company has successfully established a new model for revenue generation and sustainable development for the rural community of Gujarat.” Damre added that these castor oil cakes are used for generating 20 per cent of electricity consumed in the unit.

According to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, portal company will reduce 68,295 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per annum in 10 years.

In divine light

BY RAJEN VAKIL

Bhishma – the ego manifest Kurukshetra means the field of doing.

The doer within us is our ego. Bhishma and Arjuna are two very important warriors in the Mahabharata; Bhishma symbolising the ego within us, and Arjuna depicting the disciple within us working to dissolve the ego.

The ninth day of the Mahabharata war is characterised

by Bhishma devastating the Pandava army. Even the mighty Arjuna has fought and lost many duels with him. Here, Sri Krishna warns Yudhisthira that unless the Pandavas defeat Bhishma, defeat in the battle was a surety. The perplexing question for Yudhisthira was “How does one kill someone who has the boon of voluntary death (ichcha mrityu)?” Sri Krishna advises Yudhisthira to return to Bhishma the blessing of victory that Bhishma bestowed before the war began.

When Yudhisthira goes to him, Bhishma concedes that if a woman comes in front of him, he will be forced to drop his weapons (owing to his pratigya). Yudhisthira is left in a dilemma, as by rule, a woman cannot fight.

Later that day, Sri Krishna narrates to the Pandavas the story of Shikhandi who was born a woman but raised as a man. Hence, on the tenth day, Arjuna asks Shikhandi to be alongside him on his chariot during the battle. On seeing Shikhandi, Bhishma lays down his weapons. This allows Arjuna to shoot arrows that penetrate an unarmed Bhishma’s armour, felling him on a bed of arrows. If we can unravel this beautiful symbology, then we will have unlocked some of the most guarded secrets of our spiritual journey.

The word Bhishma comes from the root ‘bhi’, meaning to frighten. Even though our soul is immortal, we live in the fear of death. Our attention is hypnotised by our bodily existence and the indulgences of the five senses. That which frightens the soul into forgetting its immortality and getting bound in sentient existence is Bhishma or the

Ego. He rules our psychic nature forcing our soul, the real ruler, into a hypnotic trance. Here lies the seed of human suffering. The scriptures depict this as the pratigya or vow of celibacy that Bhishma took to satisfy the lust of his father. This very pratigya became the root cause of the Mahabharata war.

The whole aim of spirituality is to dissolve the ego and awaken the sleeping soul to its true divine nature.

Our bodies may be male or female but psychologically we are both male energy and female energy. Energies that ‘do’ are male and energies that ‘receive’ are female. Even Yudhisthira was left wondering as to how to obtain the female energy on the field of doing. Our egos are the epitome of male energy.

The only time the ego manifests as female energy is when the ego itself decides that it has had enough and wants to consciously dissolve.

This is called as surrender or ichcha mrityu.

Shikhandi symbolizes the female energy in a male form. Bhishma’s whole life has been a play of male energy. For the first time on the battlefield, when he sees Shikhandi, he realises the time of surrender has come and that the ego is now tired.

Here, Bhishma is referred to as ‘kuruvriddh’ or the one who is tired of doing.

To surrender is the essence of our spiritual journey. A point in time comes when our egos decide that they have had enough of doing and want to surrender.

Initially, we look for an external teacher and surrender to him (or her), but this is only the beginning of a long process of surrendering in normal life. In every event of life, we must be

able to recognise the Bhishma within us. This becomes apparent whenever we are aggressive or obstinate. This obstinacy or aggressiveness manifests in the way we relate with our wives, children, and friends. If we sense this, we can shift away from the male energy of aggressiveness towards the female energy of surrender. This is the point where Bhishma is unarmed, allowing (the inner) Arjuna to shoot an arrow wounding the mighty ego. This is a long process over a lifetime. At some point in time, we will experience the ego dissolving, and will witness flashes of freedom and joy, which have been obscured by the ego for so long. Once we have felt the joy beyond the ego, the pleasures that we have sought till now become insignificant and vain.

Bhishma’s death is depicted very beautifully in the Mahabharata. The war has ended and the time has come for the final dissolution of the ego. The inner soul has awakened and this consciousness is symbolised

by Sri Krishna. Till now our only feeling of ‘I’ was the ego, now the real ‘I’ has awakened and the false ‘I’ or ego passes through its final dissolution in his presence. This is the greatest moment of grace in the disciple’s journey and is shown by Sri Krishna applying the soil of the ‘field of doing’ on Bhishma’s forehead. The disciple is now free of all bondage and his consciousness soars as high as the eagle flies.

(Next week, we will unravel the mystery of the birth of Bhishma).

(Edited by Anuj Sharma. Illustrations by Siddhartha Ramanuj) The author can be reached on 3srb@live.com

INDIA

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th December 2009

Somnath temple, Bollywood and Shiv Sena leaders on LeT hit list FBI sounds warning after Headley – Rana interrogation In a new disclosure, the US agency FBI has said that the famous Somnath temple in Gujarat, Bollywood stars and Shiv Sena leaders in Mumbai were also the targets of Lashkar-e-Taiba, which was planning to carry out strikes with the help of two Chicago-based residents of Pakistani origin.

These three possible LeT targets were revealed for the first time by the FBI in a footnote to the fresh evidence and chargesheet submitted by

it against PakistaniCanadian Tahawwur Rana, the terror suspect whose bail plea hearing is scheduled for Tuesday in a Chicago court.

Earlier, the Federal Bureau of Investigation had said that the National

Defence College in New Delhi was on the hit list of LeT. The Somnath temple, located on the western coast of Gujarat, is the most sacred of the twelve Jyotirlings (lingas of light) of the God Shiva and is a revered pilgrimage center. The FBI said in his September seven conversation with Headley, Rana discussed the National Defense College in India as a "target".

"Headley added this target to their list of previ-

ously discussed targets, saying 'sorry not four, five,' and identified the 'defence college'. Rana responded, 'right, this is it, I knew already'," the investigating agency said.

"Rana said he 'thought it is the target' using the English word 'target'.

Headley explained that he would ask LeT Member A to 'do that first' (attack the Defence College). Rana responded affirmatively, 'in this matter, do the defence," the FBI said in the affidavit.

Vibrant Gujarat summit 2011 in Gandhinagar The state’s flagship business event gets a permanent address The Vibrant Gujarat summit just got a permanent address. The next edition of the biennial investors’ meet, touted as ‘Davos in action’, will be held at a convention centre being constructed in sector 11 in Gandhinagar.

Starting 2003, all four summits were held at Science City in Ahmedabad.

Infrastructure giant Larsen & Toubro has been assigned the job of building the Rs 1.35 billion convention centre which will

come up near the railway station of the state capital.

Earlier it was planned as a public-private-partnership project, but now the state government will invest the full amount. “The centre would be ready before the next Vibrant Gujarat summit slated for January 2011,” said a senior official in the state industries and mines department, which is the co-ordinating agency.

While finer details are still being worked out, the

main convention hall would have a capacity to accommodate 5,000 people. During the summit in 2009, the make-shift airconditioned hall at Science City too had the same capacity. The proposed complex would also have an exhibition hall to be built over 10,000 sq ft area. It will also have conference halls for sector specific sessions and meeting rooms.

“It will be the biggest convention centre in

UK’s DFID on a mission of poverty reduction in India West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Orissa to benefit With India’s as its largest country programme, Department for I n t e r n a t i o n a l Development (DFID) of UK launched its biggest civil society project in New Delhi on Thursday, 10th December to mark World Human Rights Day, aimed at poverty reduction in 120 districts of five Indian states of West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Orissa.

Announcing the two new projects in the Indian capital, DFID Director General for Country Programmes Mark Lowcock said, “These projects will make rights

and entitlements a reality for millions of marginalized families in the targeted districts of the five states. The Poorest Areas Civil Society Programme and the International NGO Partnerships Agreement Programme is worth £45 mn (Rs 3.60 bn). The amount is to be spent across a period of five years. I hope both projects become beacons in the fight to end inequality and discrimination in India and elsewhere around the world,” he added.

Michale Anderson, head of DFID India, speaking on the occasion said, “The NGO partners

leading these two projects share DFID’s commitment to measuring and delivering real results for poor people.”

DFID is the biggest bilateral grant donor in India. In 2008, DFID unveiled a seven-year plan to reduce poverty in India and will provide £825 mn to India between 20082011, £500 mn of which will be devoted to health and education, a press release from the organisation said. The programmes are focused on promoting equitable growth among the poor and improving access for them to better quality services.

Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar. Once built, the infrastructure would be used for other government programmes as well,” he said.

The previous summit, which saw investment promises worth $240 billion, was held in a temporary structure. Apart from Indian corporate giants, companies from over 40 countries, including US, UK, Japan, Korea, Kenya and Arab League, participated in the event.

SC tells govt to legalise prostitution if it can’t be curbed The Supreme Court of India last week asked the government whether it could legalize prostitution if it wasn't possible to curb it. "When you say it is the world's oldest profession and when you are not able to curb it by laws, why don't you legalize it? You can then monitor the trade, rehabilitate and provide medical aid to those involved," Justices Dalveer Bhandari and AK Patnaik told Solicitor-General Gopal Subramaniam.

The court said legalizing sex trade would be a better option to avoid trafficking of women and pointed out that nowhere in the world was prostitution curbed by punitive measures.

Viswamitri croc park project excites UK team A three-member team of Cardiff City Council from UK visited the Viswamitri riverfront site last week.

The team visited the key locations of the river and took details of the work process of the riverfront project. The team members, comprising Simon Powell, Tom Morgan and Rodney Burman, were especially excited to see the proposed crocodile park.

They arrived in Vadodara as part of an exchange programme. The Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) officials had already visited the Cardiff city under the programme.

On the second day of the visit, the VMC officials took the team to various locations of the Vishwamitri River. The visit started from Sama bridge and concluded at the Narhari bridge, covering the Zoo and planetarium. It took about four

hours to see the riverfront work, which is in progress at these locations.

The VMC officials also showed them the proposed site for the crocodile park which is to be made under the riverfront project. The members were excited to see the site for the crocodile park, and were thrilled when they spotted some crocodiles on the site.

During primary discussions with the VMC officials, they expressed their satisfaction in terms of the plan and progress of the work which is being carried out for the riverfront project. Senior VMC offi-

cial and coordinator of the visit, Shailesh Nayak said, "The Cardiff city has developed a riverfront project on the river Ilai, which passes through the city. When they saw the work at the Viswamitri River, they shared their views and said that the system of path formation near the river is the same as they have in their city."

The team was also shown the place from where the drainage water is discharged into the river.

The members said they had a similar system in Cardiff, but they also have a filtration plant to clean the water.

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Rahul Gandhi is CNN-IBN’s Politician of the Year India’s news channel CNN-IBN has chosen Rahul Gandhi as the politician of the year 2009.

He has become a symbol of new thrust and represented the generation next of Indian leaders.

“Rahul Gandhi has been chosen CNN-IBN politician of the year over many of his more experienced colleagues and rivals because no one toured India the way he has in the past 60 months.

Nobody has enunciated a vision of new India the way he has and none has understood the immediate need to bridge the citycountry divide the way Rahul Gandhi has. His efforts show that hard

Rahul Gandhi

work pays even in the uncertain world of politics,” says CNN-IBN Editor-in-chief Rajdeep Sardesai.

The year 2009 was a watershed year for Indian politics and politicians as it bid farewell to a generation of great politicians and ushered in new and promising faces.

Kalam, SRK among world’s most influential Muslims Former Indian president A P J Abdul Kalam, Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan and music maestro A R Rahman were among the world’s 500 most influential Muslims leaders.

The list prepared by the Georgetown university has the surprise choice of an Urdu professor at Aligarh Muslim University for his propagation of moderate Sufi views in a region being blighted by jihadi terror.

Professor Sayid Ameen Mian Qaudri, ranked 44 on the list, is a "leader of a South Asian Sufi movement based in a volatile region where religion has been used as a platform for violence", the editors said in their comment.

Another interesting selection is that of Maulana Mahmood

Madani, leader of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind and MP, who has campaigned against Islamic terror.

Noted Islamic scholar Asghar Ali Engineer, leader of the progressive Dawoodi Bohra movement, finds space for his "take on Islam and contemporary issues".

Another choice for the ‘scholarly’ category is spiritual leader Wahiduddin Khan, hailed by the volume as "Islam's spiritual ambassador to the world".

His approach, it is pointed out, is “popular among Indians, both Muslim and non-Muslim”.

Interestingly, the list, which features Osama bin Laden, Maulana Masood Azhar and Hafiz Mohammad Saeed among the 'radicals', has focused on the moderate faces of Islam from India.

CJI warns of people’s revolt against delay in justice Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan on Saturday warned that long periods of delay in disposing of cases would lead people to "revolt" and the legal system to crumble, as he made a strong pitch for doubling the number of subordinate courts to 35,000.

"We cannot have a backlog for long periods of time... people will revolt... system will crumble," Balakrishnan said at a conference on "Alternative Dispute ResolutionConciliation and Mediation" in Bangalore.

He expressed the view that though people have confidence in the judiciary as they "feel they will get justice today or tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, how long they can wait?"

"We cannot have this much of delay at any cost.

It should be reduced," Justice Balakrishnan said.

The CJI blamed fewer number of courts and a significant number of

vacancies of Judges as the reasons responsible for pendency of large number of cases.

The number of courts in the country is not adequate at all, he argued.

While there are posts of 16,000 judges in subordinate courts, the vacancies number 2,000. He said the number of subordinate courts should be increased from the present 16,000 to at least 35,000. "Under any circumstances, Indian judiciary cannot work forward unless we have 35,000 subordinate courts in India".

"State Governments are not coming forward with (establishing) large number of courts," Balakrishnan said and regretted that there is no progress on the move to set up 4,000 village courts.

While India has developed in "all other areas", courts are still taking "too much time" in disposing of cases.

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INDIA

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th December 2009

Families of deceased kar sevaks slam RSS, Advani The families of kar sevaks killed during the Babri Mosque demolition in Ayodhya, today slammed the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L K Advani for deserting them.

Ayodhya was the epicenter of a movement, where the Ram temple was to be built at the site of Babri Mosque.

The families of the kar sevaks criticised the leaders and the organistation for not living up to their promises.

"I lost my husband (in the Ayodhya movement) I am facing lots of problems. This small shop is

not enough to earn my livelihood. Sangh had promised of giving job to one of my children and a house. Forget about those promises. Now, they do not come to visit us," said wife of Vasudev Gupta, a deceased kar sevak.

Expressing similar sentiments, a father of a kar sevak said BJP leader Advani even refused to meet them.

"I and wife went to meet Advaniji and told him that my son was martyred in the Ayodhya movement.

I reminded him to fulfill the promise, of giving job to one of my children and a house, he made to us.

Advani said we would help your family.

Amritsar loses heritage status on population count The government of India drew flak in the Lok Sabha for denying heritage city status to Amritsar on grounds that its population was less than one million, the cut off for classifying a city as mission.

The government also said there was no provision in the Urban Development Ministry to call a city heritage.

Amritsar houses 10.03 lakh people (2001 census), 3,000 more than the technical requirement for shifting it from Category B to C, the category which lists 28 cities on the basis of their religious, historical and tourist importance. These cities get greater financial contribution to develop their infrastructure.

But the government steered clear of BJP member Navjot Sidhu’s persistent and emotional appeals to not bury the significant issue under the debris of technicalities, and instead spare a thought for the legacy of Amritsar.

Calling the attention of the government to the urgent need to grant “heritage city status” to Amritsar, and classify it as Category C under Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), Sidhu recounted the pride of place which Harmandar Sahib enjoyed in the world, with top international leaders making time to offer prayers there, including Queen Elizabeth and the Canadian PM.

WWII-era truck ferrying garbage in posh area of Kolkata An apology for a truck that should have been condemned and scrapped decades ago, continues to ply in Salt Lake, bringing disgrace to the posh satellite township and its highprofile IT hub. The vehicle of World War II vintage design that was manufactured by the defence ministry's Vehicle Factory Jabalpur sometime in the latter half of the 20th century, has its robust but polluting engine intact.

But the truck's body is in tatters with large chunks corroded and missing.

Though documents on when the vehicle was manufactured is difficult to trace, sources in the

B i d h a n n a g a r Municipality, which owns the vehicle, said it had served the army for at least two decades before being scrapped in the 1980s. The vehicle had since been lying in scrapyard at Panagarh, Burdwan, before it was purchased by the municipality in 1996. The truck was then registered at Barasat regional transport authority (registration no.

WB 25B 2752) as Salt Lake's first garbage disposal truck.

"Around the time, three trucks were purchased at one go. Two of them were of Tata make and the third was Shaktiman.”

Andhra plunges in political chaos Continued from page 1 The Congress was immediately pushed on the back foot, as the party held a series of meetings and assured people and party leaders that any fur-

ther action on Telangana formation will be taken only after a consensus.

But all assurances were of no avail, as the MPs and the MLAs have continued defiance and tendered their resignations.

Sethusamudram report after 18 more months

Government of India seeks more time in SC for alternative alignment on the ‘Ram Setu’ issue Aware of its potential to cause unrest, the government of India on Monday wanted to push the controversial Sethusamudram project to the backburner by telling the Supreme Court that R K Pachauriheaded expert committee could take another 18 months to give its report.

This information by additional solicitor general Harin Raval led a Bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justices R V Raveendran and J M Panchal to wonder about the judgment, which it had reserved more than 16 months back on the question of legality of the pound 316.50 million project. Referring to the report of National

Institute of Oceanography which was termed as a negative report against the existing alignment by one of the petitioners, Subramanian Swamy, Raval said it was only an input for the expert committee.

He said NIO has to collect all weather data spanning 365 days and

analyse the same in addition to conducting a fresh environmental impact assessment for alternative alignments before submitting its report to the Pachauri committee.

But the Bench was not amused by the turn of events. It said, “We reserved the verdict on the bunch of petition on July 30, 2008. We kept pending the judgment awaiting the report of the expert committee.

How long can we wait? You should say how long the court should wait - 3 months, 6 months - for the case to be called again.

We cannot wait indefinitely.” Raval said he would

get back to the department concerned and give a definite answer to the court’s query in two months and the Bench posted the matter for hearing on February 23, 2010.

Raval denied Swamy’s charge that NIO had given a final report damning the Sethusamudram project as environmentally hazardous. He said the NIO report was a preliminary finding which would be taken into consideration by the Pachauri committee.

Swamy had alleged that NIO had submitted a “devastating report” to the government, red lighting the Sethusamudram project, and that the Centre was “deliberately” keeping it under wraps.

India maps first Human Genome Sequence Scientists at the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB) in Delhi have successfully mapped the Human Genome Sequence for the first time in India by using as little as 10 millilitres of blood from a “healthy 52year-old man.”

The breakthrough paves the way for predictive healthcare and the possibility of identifying why certain people (with particular gene sequences) do not respond to certain medications, and what diseases a particular gene carrier, or a population, is likely to develop.

Pravin Mahajan slips into coma, critical The condition of Pravin Mahajan, who was admitted to a private hospital here after suffering a brain haemorrhage is "very critical" and he has been put on a life support system, doctors attending on him said.

Pravin, 50, serving a life term for the murder of his brother and BJP leader Pramod Mahajan was admitted to the Jupiter Hospital after he complained of fatigue and severe headache at home, family sources said.

While the actual genome sequencing was completed in 45 days, the project took two years of background work - setting up a supercomputer facility, procuring software and standardizing protocols.

The team that achieved the feat was led by Dr S Sridhar and IGIB PhD student Vinod Scaria, both in their mid-thirties.

The world’s first Human Genome Sequence was a result of the International Human Genome Project comprising scientists from the US, UK, France, Germany, Japan and China. The

Project began in 1990, and the sequencing was completed in 2003.

“The human genome sequence is like a map of the human body. Through this map, we can tell what leads to what. We can use this map to predict mutations in the gene, like predicting how a certain person may get a certain disease. We can predict for instance, who will get the common bipolar disease or single nuclear polymorphism,” IGIB director Dr Rajesh Gokhale said.

“Through the same tool, we can predict the chances of a particular dis-

ease affecting a population. We can also explore aspects like why certain drugs don’t affect certain people,” he added.

Despite the high cost of sequencing, scientists at IGIB predict that it may soon become a fairly popular procedure. “While genome sequencing is certainly expensive now, in about five years, we can look forward to making it a common diagnostic tool.

A cancer patient for instance should be able to avail this facility, and the sequencing can predict what drugs will be useful for him,” Dr Gokhale said.

Maya calls for carving two states out of UP While the Centre is grappling with the fallout of its decision to set into motion the process of according statehood to Telangana, UP Chief Minister Mayawati on Friday shot off a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, demanding that the Centre also give its consent to the creation of separate states for Bundelkhand and western UP. "The Centre has asked the Andhra Pradesh government to get a resolu-

tion passed in the Assembly for the creation of Telangana state. We demand that the Centre should give a similar consent to us for the creation of new states out of Bundelkhand and western UP," Mayawati said at a press conference here.

"I had written a similar letter to the Prime Minister on March 15, 2008, pleading the case for the division of UP into smaller states. I had urged the Prime Minister to ini-

tiate the constitutional process for tangible progress in the direction of creation of new states by dividing UP," she added.

However, she cautioned those demanding statehood for the two regions not to take the law into their hands "at the instigation of some political party or person, but place their demand before the Centre in a disciplined manner without posing any threat to peace and public order".

76 MPs seek Dinakaran’s impeachment In a significant step, 76 members of the Rajya Sabha, belonging to different Opposition parties, have submitted a petition to Chairman Hamid Ansari seeking impeachment of Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court PD Dinakaran while citing serious allegations of corruption, land grabbing and misuse of position against him.

The voluminous document was jointly submitted to the Chairman by Leader of the Opposition, Arun Jaitley (BJP), Sitaram Yechury and

Brinda Karat (CPM), D Raja (CPI), Shivanand Tiwari (JD-U), Amar Singh (Samajwadi Party) and Naresh Gujral, among others. Significantly, the petition was also signed by Malaiswamy of the AIADMK, a party which had so far refrained from taking a stand on the Dianakaran issue. The Telugu Desam, Akali Dal, Asom Gana Parishad and the Biju Janata Dal are among the other parties which have associated themselves with the move.

The Congress party or any of the constituent of the

UPA has not signed the petition.

A statement from the Rajya Sabha Secretariat said a notice of the motion, signed by 75 members under the Judges (Enquiry) Act, 1968, for removal of Justice Dinakaran was presented to the Chairman. The matter was being examined as per the provisions of the Act and the rules framed under it, the statement added.

As per the constitutional provision, the Chairman is now required to constitute a committee

of three eminent persons - a sitting Supreme Court judge, a high court chief justice and a jurist -- to inquire into the charges levelled against Justice Dinakaran and submit a report to the House.

Meanwhile, the Congress, hiding behind legalities, tried to discreetly stay out of the Dinakaran controversy.

The ruling party refused to make any commitment on the move to impeach the Karnataka High Court Chief Justice and, in fact, sounded almost disapproving of the move.

WORLD

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th December 2009

Lanka Army killed surrendering LTTE militants, claims Fonseka Colombo: Sri Lankan forces eliminated surrendering Tiger leaders on the orders of the defence secretary who had instructed that "all LTTE leaders must be killed", ex-army chief Gen Sarath Fonseka has claimed, prompting the government to describe it as a "great betrayal".

In an explosive interview to ‘The Sunday Leader,’ Gen Fonseka, opposition Presidential candidate, said no information was communicated to him in the final days of the war that three key LTTE leaders, Nadesan, Pulidevan and Ramesh, had opted to surrender.

Fonseka said that communications were instead confined between the LTTE leaders, Norway, various foreign parties, Basil Rajapaksa, Member

Shavendra Silva, Commander of the Army's 58th Division, giving orders not to accommodate any LTTE leaders attempting surrender and that 'they must all be killed'," he said. Fonseka's remark drew sharp reaction from the government which described it as a "great betrayal."

Disaster Management and Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe, who addressed an urgently called media briefing, said Fonseka owes an explanation on his charges as it would tantamount to speaking against the army which had a clean record.

Fonseka, who resigned last month accusing the government of sidelining him, said it was President's advisor Basil

Rajapaksa together with Gothabaya Rajapaksa who through foreign intermediaries conveyed a message to the LTTE leaders who wished to surrender to walk out carrying a piece of white cloth.

"It was their idea," he said, adding sometime between midnight on May 17 and the early hours of the next morning, the three men and their family members were shot dead.

The government later claimed that troops found bodies of three key LTTE leaders identified as Balasingham Nadesan, political head of LTTE, Seevaratnam Pulidevan, head of LTTE peace secretariat, and senior LTTE commander Ramesh during the mop-up operations on the morning of May 18, the paper said.

No Copenhagen breakthrough, now heads of state to strike deal

Indian’s murder triggers violence in Nepal town

Copenhagen: With just a few hours left before heads of state from around the world start addressing the climate summit, there was still no sign of a Copenhagen Agreement on Tuesday. The best that over 100 environment ministers assembled in Copenhagen have achieved is to avert a collapse of the UN conference. A collapse looked a strong possibility during intense closed-door negotiating sessions between government delegates overnight, with rich nations sticking to their point that they would not do anything more to avert climate change unless emerging economies agreed to international inspections of their own actions.

This was rejected once

Sarath Fonseka

of Parliament and the powerful senior adviser to the President and such information was never conveyed to him as he supervised the final stages of the war.

"Later, I learnt that Basil had conveyed this information to Defence Secretary Gothabaya Rajapaksa, who in turn spoke with Brigadier

more by China, India and South Africa, according to a delegate who was at some of the meetings. To add to that, the group of African countries and the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) wanted to walk out of the negotiations once more, because their concerns were not being addressed.

Then the emerging economies "saved the day", India's Minister for Environment and Forests, Jairam Ramesh said.

Delegates said Ramesh and environment ministers from China, Brazil and South Africa held separate meetings with other developing country groups and persuaded them to stay on and participate in the negotiations.

But the negotiations kept going backwards, with six new draft treaties presented overnight. Months of meetings will follow if all of them are to be considered. Of them, the "BASIC draft" prepared last month in Beijing by Brazil, South Africa, India and China, the so-called BASIC countries, now has the maximum chance of getting into any Copenhagen Agreement.

"This is not going to get us anywhere," a senior member of the Indian delegation said, speaking on condition of anonymity as he is not authorised to speak to the media.

"Now the Copenhagen Declaration will have to come from the top, from the heads of state. We negotiators have failed."

Kathmandu: Enraged transporters went on rampage on Friday in Nepal's biggest industrial town Birgunj, bordering India, vandalising vehicles and calling an indefinite strike after an Indian transport employee was gunned down by an unidentified group. Rajeshwar Dubey from Bihar's Motihari district, who worked as a cashier at the Pashupati Transport Co in Birgunj, was shot in broad daylight on Thursday. He later died in a hospital.

Birgunj remains one of Nepal's most crime-prone towns, with traders living with daily extortion threats, abductions and killings. Police say it is difficult to control the spiralling crimes due to the open border between India and Nepal.

Pak army officers working with jihadis, Headley tells FBI New Delhi: The FBI interrogation of David Coleman Headley alias Daood Gilani has, for the first time, confirmed what India has always known: A "section of serving Pakistan army officers" are working in collaboration with India-specific jihadi groups like LeT and JeM. Sources said this was revealed by Headley to his FBI interrogators in what is the first confirmation by an independent probe agency of the involvement of Pakistani army officers in planning and executing terrorist operations against India. This, sources said, had been conveyed to the Indian side by the FBI team which visited India to share information on Headley’s questioning.

While Pakistan has explained away the

instances of the involvement of army officials calling them “aberrations”, this has exposed the jihadi infiltration of the Pakistani army and their collaboration with terrorist outfits in anti-India operations.

Sources said the officials identified by Headley were working with Lashkar on ‘Karachi project’ as part of a larger campaign against India. This project involves using jihadi fugitives from India sheltered in Pakistan to draw in vulnerable Indian Muslim youth.

The FBI interrogation of David Coleman Headley has revealed a Lashkar training project involving jihadi fugitives from India.

The youth, after they are trained by Pakistani army officials, are sent back to India as part of the game-

David Coleman Headley

plan to conceal the Pakistani involvement and pass off the terror in India as a home-grown phenomenon.

During their discussions with FBI, the Indian side told them about their strong suspicion that Headley was present in the Karachi control room from which the Lashkar leadership choreographed the 26/11 terror attacks.

The FBI team said this was not borne out by the evidence in their possession but the Indian side has asked the US agency to check a few facts which they have promised to do.

The details of the Karachi project, revealed

by FBI, corroborates India’s own findings.

Agencies here have established that a number of absconding terrorists Aamir Raza Khan, Mufti Sufi Patangiya and Rasool Parti and the remnants of Shahid Bilal gang from Hyderabad - have been luring Muslim youth to be trained as jihadis before being sent to India.

The launch of Indian Mujahideen, which tormented India with a wave of bombings, was part of the plan to erase Pakistan’s fingerprints.

25

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US Army accepts a second turbaned Sikh Washington: The US Army has agreed to accept a second Sikh, Captain Tejdeep Singh Rattan, with his Sikh identity intact after an eight month long campaign by a Sikh advocacy group.

Rattan, a military dentist, had refused to remove his 'dastaar' (turban) or shave his hair as a condition of joining the military, the Sikh Coalition announced on Friday. The group had launched a campaign calling on the Army to accept all Sikhs after two Sikhs, Captain Kamaljeet Singh Kalsi and Rattan were refused entry into the military unless they removed their turbans and shaved their beards. The Army agreed to accept Kalsi in October. The US Army's acceptance of Kalsi and Rattan marks the first time in 23 years that the Army will accept Sikh recruits who maintain their articles of faith, the group noted.

While whole heartedly applauding the Army's action, the Sikh Coalition said it remains concerned that Kalsi and Rattan received individual accommodations to Army policy and there has been no change in the overall policy excluding Sikhs from service.

But individual accommodations for Kalsi and Rattan have significant implications for Sikh employees, the group said noting the Army is America's largest and most prominent employer.

Italian Premier Berlusconi punched in the face Rome: Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi was punched in the face at the end of a rally in Milan on Sunday, new reports said.

The attack occurred as 73-year-old Berlusconi was signing autographs near his car, state TV said.

Television footage showed the stunned leader with blood under his nose and on his mouth as he was lifted to his feet by aides. Berlusconi was hustled into the back of a car by the aides, but he immediately got out, apparently in an effort to show he was not badly injured. After looking out into the crowd, the aides pulled the leader back into the vehicle.

According to news reports, Berlusconi was taken to a Milan hospital to be treated.

Reports said a man, in his 30s or early 40s, was immediately detained as the suspected assailant and taken to police headquarters.

Witnesses told reporters the assailant appeared to have punched Berlusconi while holding a metal object in his fist.

6-year-old Malaysian Indian boy pulls Mercedes car Kuala Lumpur: A six-year-old Malaysian Indian boy is set to enter the country's book of records after pulling a 1.67-tonne Mercedes Benz for 120 metres with just a simple harness tied around his waist.

T. Santhosperumal dragged the Mercedes Benz 240E with four adults on Friday on a cement tarmac at his father's workplace, to the applause of thousands who gathered to watch the spectacle at Kampung Jawa in Klang.

The pre-school boy is all of six and likes to be called 'Santhos 10' after his favourite cartoon character Ben 10. Having pulled a car, Santhosperumal now aims to haul an aircraft. The chubby boy hopes AirAsia, Malaysia's budget airline, will oblige, The Star newspaper said on Saturday.

His father N. Thiagu, 42, said the Malaysian Book of Records would include his son as the youngest Malaysian to pull a car.

26

WORLD

Africa Focus Canada recalls spitting diplomat from Tanzania Dar-e-Salaam: A Canadian junior envoy who caused a diplomatic spat by spitting at a Tanzanian policeman and journalist has been recalled.

Canada's High Commissioner Robert Orr was summoned by the Tanzanian foreign ministry over the incident last week.

"In the best interest of all involved parties, the Canadian official will be leaving Tanzania at the earliest possible time," Mr Orr said.

However, the journalist concerned says he still wants to take legal action.

"Justice must be done. Repatriating him is only one stage, but it doesn't mean that it's over. I will go to the police, to make sure that they hold his passport," Jerry Muro, from the Tanzanian Broadcasting Corporation (TBC) told the local HabariLeo newspaper. He says he was spat on at the police station where the diplomat was taken last week.

Uganda bans female circumcision Kampala: The Ugandan parliament unanimously passed a bill banning female genital mutilation, a traditional rite that has sparked an international outcry and is practiced in some African and Asian communities.

The practice, which involves cutting off a girl's clitoris, is also called female circumcision. In some communities in eastern Uganda, it is practiced in girls up to age 15. Convicted offenders face 10 years in prison, but if the girl dies during the act, those involved will get a life sentence, according to officials in the east African country. "A majority of Ugandans felt it is a disgusting act, but you have to remember that this is a cultural belief that has been practiced for generations," said Fred Opolot, the government spokesman.

"That's what took the bill so long to pass."

Human rights activists have decried the practice, which they say poses major health risks for girls and may lead to death. It also causes complications during sex and child birth, activists say.

Uganda mulling death penalty for gays Kampala: Uganda is proposing a legislation that would impose the death penalty for some gays and their family and friends could face up to seven years in jail if they fail to report them to authorities. Even landlords could be imprisoned for renting to homosexuals. Gay rights activists say the bill, which has prompted growing international opposition, promotes hatred and could set back efforts to combat HIV/AIDS. They believe the bill is part of a continent wide backlash because Africa's gay community is becoming more vocal.

"It's a question of visibility," said David Cato, who became an activist after he was beaten up four times, arrested twice, fired from his teaching job and ousted in the press because he is gay. "When we come out and ask for our rights, they pass laws against us," he said.

Succession battle threatens Mugabe’s party Harare: A battle over who will eventually succeed 85year-old President Robert Mugabe as party leader threatens the future of his long-ruling ZANU-PF but analysts say an immediate split is unlikely at a congress this week.

By balancing competing factions and through a political patronage system, Mugabe has kept a tight grip on ZANU-PF since becoming party leader in the mid 1970s and spearheaded a guerilla war against white minority rule. But as Mugabe heads into the twilight of a political career spanning over half a century, his lieutenants have stepped up an internal fight for prime positions to take over the party when Mugabe retires.

He has not given a date. Rival factions have been jostling for posts in ZANU-PF's "presidium" leadership before a five-yearly party congress opening in Harare, widening cracks within ranks already torn over personalities, ethnic and regional issues.

"These fights are going to go on until Mugabe goes, and when he goes ZANU-PF is in danger of disintegration," said Eldred Masunungure, a leading political analyst. "There is no consensus candidate on who should succeed Mugabe, and Mugabe himself has apparently created that crisis to remain in power," Masunungure said.

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th December 2009

Death for 6 Chinese traders faking ‘Made in India’ tags Beijing: Six Chinese traders who exported fake anti-malaria drugs to Nigeria under the "Made in India" label have been sentenced to death, the ministry of commerce in Beijing has said. But the ministry gave no further details about the identity of the traders.

The issue became a major controversy last June when Nigeria's National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control said it had seized a large consignment of spurious anti-malaria drugs worth $210,000.

The drugs came from China and were distributed in Nigeria tagged "Made in India".

The Chinese government apologized to Nigeria and promised a thorough investigation and punishment of those involved. But Chinese officials insisted India should share responsibility, as some Indians have also been found exporting fake drugs to Nigeria.

Officials of the Indian Commerce Ministry said they had had received complaints about Chinese firms offloading counter-

16 Afghan policemen killed in attacks

Indian doctor Kotnis in China’s top 10 foreigners list

Kabul: At least 16 policemen were killed in two attacks by insurgents in Afghanistan on Monday, officials said.

The first attack took place in Baghlan Markazi district of the northern province of Baghlan early Monday, when a group of insurgents began "firing at the checkpost from all sides", Mohammad Akbar Barekzai, the provincial governor, said. Eight other policemen were killed when Taliban militants attacked their security post in Panjau area of Lashkargah, the capital of the southern province of Helmand Monday morning. Afghan police have borne the brunt of eightyear Taliban-led insurgency. The poorly trained and equipped forces are more vulnerable than the country's army or international troops because they are thinly stretched across the country and are present in remote areas.

Beijing: The Indian doctor, Dwarkanath Kotnis, who treated Chinese soldiers during the Sino-Japanese war of 1938 and won the heart of Mao Zedong with his selfless service, has been chosen in a nationwide poll in China as one of 10 foreigners who made exceptional contributions to the country in the past 100 years. The Internet poll organized by China Radio International (CRI) has the stamp of official approval as Jia Qinglin, chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference National Committee, took a direct interest in it.

“China can’t develop without the support of foreign friends from various countries. Neither can the world prosper in the absence of China,’’ Jia told the official media after the poll results were announced.

feit drugs as Indian products in South Africa, Ghana, Ivory Coast and other African countries.

Media reports quoted Paul Orhii, DirectorGeneral of Nigeria’s National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control, describing the action as a case of “tremendous progress” in the campaign against fake and counterfeit drugs.

"Those people in China are facing death penalty.

The India parliament also passed a law for manufacturing of counterfeit drugs. It will be difficult

for Nigerian drug traffickers to go to India. In China, it is even worst the counterfeiter will be facing death penalty,” he was quoted as saying at a conference in his country.

Between 2001 and 2007, the Nigerian government banned about 30 Indian and Chinese pharmaceutical companies for exporting fake drugs. But sections of the Indian industry claimed they have suffered loss of reputation because of malpractices of Chinese exporters using the “Made in India” label to cover up their misdeeds.

CRI recently poll include feted two sisters N o r m a n of Kotnis, Bethune, a Vatsala (82) and Canadian docManorama tor who died Kotnis (88), saving Chinese who came from soldiers during Mumbai. CRI the antialso honoured Japanese war in the relatives of the 1930s; John nine others choRabe, a German sen in the who rescued Dr Dwarkanath Kotnis thousands Internet poll. of Kotnis died at 32 after Chinese people during the spending four years in Nanjing massacre by China. On his death, Mao Japanese soldiers; Juan Zedong said, “The army Antonio Samaranch has lost a helping hand, Toriello, who, as honorary the nation has lost a president of the friend. Let’s always bear International Olympic in mind his internationalCommittee, supported ist spirit.’’

China’s bid for the 2008 CRI said a total of 56 Olympics; Edgar Snow, an million eligible votes were American journalist who collected in the poll wrote the classic, ‘Red Star between August 31 and over China’ in the 1930s; October 10 as part of the Dr Joseph Needham, a celebrations for the 60th British scientist, who anniversary of the Chinese spent some 50 years writrepublic. ing a milestone, ‘Science Others chosen in the and Civilization in China’.

A brave Pooja Chopra wins plaudits at contest Gibraltar’s Kaiane Aldorino named Miss World 2009 Johannesburg: Gibraltar’s Kaiane Aldorino was crowned Miss World 2009 in a glittering gala event here, but it was Miss India Pooja Chopra who got some of the loudest applause for bravely taking on the contest despite a broken ankle.

Miss Mexico Perla Beltran finished second, and South Africa’s Tatum Keshwar, buoyed by strong support from the home crowd won the third place in the ceremony late on Saturday.

Ms. Chopra also got applause for a video clip showing her efforts to educate girls in India, supporting the save-thegirl child initiative.

Ms. Aldorino, an HR clerk by profession, defeated 111 contestants from across the world to bring her country the Miss World title for the first time.

Miss India Pooja Chopra walks onto the stage during the Miss World pageant in Johannesburg on Saturday

Earlier, after winning the Beauty with a Purpose round for her project for the girl child, Ms. Chopra automatically qualified to be in the 17 semi-finalists.

She explained in the video how she had invested a third of the funds she

had raised during her reign to give more than 600 girls in India a better education.

“I’m speechless! Thank you, Miss [Julia] Morley [Chairman of the Miss World Pageant],” was all a tearful Chopra said after she beat Miss Barbados and Miss Guatemala in that category.

Later the host of the show asked Ms. Chopra to show to television viewers the splint support she had on her leg to prove how brave she had been to get onto the ramp.

However, Ms. Chopra failed to make it to the final seven. The former Miss World and Bollywood star, Priyanka Chopra, was one of the judges. “I’m a lot more nervous than the girls,” she said when asked how she felt about helping decide how the life of one young woman would change forever.

“[Watching them] I remembered every moment when I was up there myself [in 2000],” said the former Miss World. The last time India won the title was in 2000 when Ms. Priyanka Chopra brought home the crown. India has produced five Miss Worlds with Reita Faria winning the title in 1966, followed

by Aishwarya Rai in 1994, Diana Hayden in 1997 and Yukta Mookhey 1999, apart from Ms. Chopra.

Venezuela and India have produced the maximum number of Miss Worlds — five each.

Held in Johannesburg for a second consecutive year, the pageant opened with African drummers and traditional dancers as the 112 contestants were introduced on stage with children carrying flags representing all the representing nations.

PAKISTAN

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th December 2009

Musharraf to face ex-parte prosecution in Benazir murder case Rawalpindi: A Pakistani court has ordered ex-parte proceedings against former President Pervez Musharraf and three others in connection with a petition seeking registration of a case against them for alleged involvement in the killing of ex-premier Benazir Bhutto.

Justice Khwaja Imtiaz Ahmad of the Rawalpindi bench of Lahore High Court issued the order against Musharraf, former Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi, ex-Interior Minister Hamid Nawaz Khan and former Interior Ministry official Javed Iqbal Cheema.

The court’s move came in response to a petition

filed by Chaudhry Mohammad Aslam, Bhutto’s former protocol officer who was injured when she was assassinated by a suicide bomber in December 2007.

Aslam has asked the court to direct authorities to register an FIR against Musharraf and some of his close aides for their alleged involvement in the killing.

The court order came after Musharraf and the three other persons did not file representations in the court despite repeated notices issued to them.

During the last hearing, the court had also warned that it would go ahead with ex-parte pro-

Pervez Musharraf

ceedings against three more persons named in Aslam’s petition Parliamentary Affairs Minister Babar Awan, former Intelligence Bureau chief Ijaz Shah and former Rawalpindi district administration chief Irfan Elahi.

Mush NRO let Zardari off the hook Islamabad: Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari allegedly gained financial benefits worth billions of dollars when graft cases against him were dropped under a law that has now expired, according to documents submitted by Pakistan's anti-corruption watchdog to the Supreme Court last week.

The documents provided by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) showed that Zardari had been accused of illegally amassing assets worth USD 1.5 billion and Rs 22 billion, mainly during the period when his slain wife Benazir Bhutto was the Premier in the 1990s.

Zardari was charged with amassing assets beyond his means of income and these cases

were dropped under the controversial National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO), issued by former military ruler Pervez Musharraf two years ago.

NAB submitted the documents in the apex court after a 17-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry sought details of all beneficiaries of the NRO, which expired on November 28 after the government failed to get it endorsed by Parliament

within a deadline set by the apex court.

The bench began hearing challenges to the expired law and the amnesty granted under it to over 8,000 people, including Zardari and several of his close aides.

The documents provided by NAB further stated that several corruption cases were registered against Zardari for allegedly causing losses to the public exchequer by misusing his authority during his tenure as a minister in his late wife's Cabinet. The cases included the alleged misuse of authority to grant concessions to shipping companies and a gold importing firm and to purchase tractors for a government-run scheme, according to the documents.

ing," though he said it was not a martyrdom video of the kind sometimes made by extremists planning suicide attacks.

The five young men were detained at a house in Sargodha in Punjab province that was occupied by Khalid Farooq, the father of one of the young men, Umer Farooq, according to an official familiar with the case. The elder Farooq is believed to have ties to Jaish-eMuhammad, a banned Pakistani militant group, the official said. Pakistani press reports also said security officials had linked the house to the

militant group.

The men, ranging in age from the late teens to early 20s, were not accused of any crime; their intent remained mysterious, and both American and Pakistani officials emphasized that they were still gathering facts. One of the men, Ramy Zamzam, 22, is a dental student at Howard University, where he received an undergraduate degree this year with a major in biology and chemistry, according to his Facebook page.

But their disappearance and resurfacing in Pakistan came amid broad

Asif Ali Zardari

The court, in its order, also asked the Rawalpindi police chief to submit fresh comments on why he had not registered an FIR against the respondents after Aslam filed an application with him.

During the last hearing, Interior Minister Rehman Malik, also a respondent in the case, had filed his representation through his lawyer.

Aslam had alleged that some leaders of the ruling Pakistan People’s Party, including two ministers -Rehman Malik and Babar Awan, were also involved in Bhutto’s killing as they escaped unhurt in the attack on the former premier in Rawalpindi.

Zardari forces Gilani to delay cabinet reshuffle Islamabad: Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari has forced prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to drop his idea of reshuffling and reducing the size of the cabinet.

According to sources, certain influential ministers together with Zardari, earlier this week, convinced Gilani to cancel his decision of trimming the cabinet at the last moment.

Gilani had held separate meetings with Zardari, who is also the co-chairman of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), to discuss his plans of reducing the size of the much-criticised cabinet.

Five Americans held in Pak for militant links Washington: Five young Muslim American men from the Washington suburbs who disappeared late last month were detained in Pakistan on Wednesday in a police raid on a house linked to a militant group, American and Pakistani officials said.

One of the men had left behind an 11-minute video calling for the defense of Muslims in conflicts with the West and suggesting that "young Muslims have to do something," said one person who had seen the video, describing it as a farewell of sorts. Another official who viewed it called the video "disturb-

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concern in the United States about a rash of terrorism cases that appeared to be homegrown.

Court halts deportation of Americans A Pakistani court on Monday blocked the repatriation of five American Muslims arrested on suspicion of plotting terrorist attacks last week, a lawyer said. The high court in the eastern city of Lahore asked the interior ministry and other relevant authorities to submit a report on the detentions on Dec 17, said attorney Khalid Khwaja, a rights activist who filed a petition on his own initiative.

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Schools blasted by Taliban in Khyber district Peshawar (Pakistan): Taliban militants last week dynamited two boys' schools in Pakistan's Khyber district, where troops are pressing an offensive against Islamist insurgents, an official said.

The attacks took place in Bara town, about 20 km (13 miles) south of the regional capital Peshawar, with most of the buildings reduced to rubble but no one injured in the blasts in

the early hours of the morning. Pakistan is currently in the grip of a fierce Taliban insurgency, with 68 people killed in bombs across the country in the past three days alone as militants avenge multiple operations against them in the lawless northwest. "Both main school buildings were completely destroyed," said Shafeerullah Wazir, the top administrative official of Khyber district

PAF gets AWACS from Sweden Islamabad: Pakistan has acquired the first of four airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft from Sweden, an air force spokesman said last week, in a move to match the capabilities of its main rival, India.

The Saab-2000 AWACS aircraft was handed over to the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) on Tuesday last.

"The aircraft landed at one of the PAF's main operating bases, marking the achievement of a major milestone in the

overall modernisation of PAF," the plan spokesman said in a statement.

The air force gave no details of the cost of the deal nor did it say when the three remaining aircraft would be delivered.

The AWACS aircraft can detect high- and medium-altitude aircraft, lowlevel flying objects over land and sea and can pick up surface targets over the sea, the force said.

India acquired the first of three AWACS aircraft from Israel in May.

Colonel, two others face court-martial for spying Islamabad: Pakistani military is set to launch the court-martial of a colonel and two ex-armed forces personnel on charges of spying, including leaking secrets of the Shamsi Air Force base to those planning to attack it, and inciting fellow soldiers to commit acts of terrorism.

The court-martial of Col Shahid Bashir, Nadeem Ahmad Shah, a former air force pilot who is now an advocate, and

Awais Ali Khan, an engineer who resigned from military two years ago, will get underway in Pakistanoccupied Kashmir (PoK).

The three men were arrested by the military intelligence in Rawalpindi in May. Their families said they had been informed that the three men will face court martial proceedings for spying. The three men are currently in army's custody in Kotli district of PoK.

FBI nails Pak Major for Mumbai attacks Washington: Pakistan’s bid to cover up its role in terror incidents was once again proved untenable when the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) named a Lahore-based retired Major as a key link between 26/11-suspect David Coleman Headley and his Pakistani handlers.

Major (Retd) Abdur Rehman Hashim Syed, also known as Pasha, has been charged by the FBI in a Chicago court for

planning terror attacks in association with Headley and two other Pakistanbased terrorists.

Syed coordinated with HuJI leader Ilyas Kashmiri, regarded as the most-dangerous militant operating in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), and a Lashkar-eToiba (LeT) operative to commit terrorist acts of murder and maiming outside the US, the FBI said in its 42-page chargesheet.

Coming Events

28

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th December 2009

This week CB Patel, Publisher/Editor of the newsweeklies Gujarat Samachar and Asian Voice will be back in CB Live after his short break.

Stay tuned to see and know more on this Thursday.

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Week commences 19th December 2009 ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20

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Thursday 7pm to 8pm

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7. Shree Jalaram Mandir Greenford, Middsx UB6 9LB, Contact: 020 8578 8088 ! Sunday 20th December 2009, 2pm-5pm ! Thursday 24th December 2009, 8pm-11pm ! New Year's Eve Bhajans 31st December 2009, 6:3011:45pm ! New Years-108 Hanuman Chalisa from11am5:30pm 8. Golden Night of 2009 New Year's Eve Party Premier House Banqueting and VVSC proudly presents Dinner and dance with Tony Pati and DJ band Thursday 31st December 7:30pm till late contact: Nyla Parmar, 0208 427 4237 9. Jalaram Jayanti and Annual General Meeting, Saturday 19th December at 6:30pm Croft Hall, Tolworth Recreation Centre, Surrey KT6 7LQ. Contact: 020 8395 4164 10. Gujarati Arts and drama proudly presents Lata and Asha Night with Melody Express 24th December at Masfield Suite, Harrow Leisure Centre, Middsex HA3 5BD, Time:7pm.

Contact: Naren Shah 020 8427 5851 11. Sadlers Wells Spring 2010, Rosebery Avenue, London EC1R 4TN Saturday 23 and Sunday 24th January: Playing Ensemble Again and Again Saturday 30 and Sunday 31st January: Sadlers Wells Sampled

4. Image Ltd presents Orchestra Polytunes ! Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve at Sapphire Lounge, North Parade, Mollison Way, Edgeware, Middsx HA8 5QH Contact: 020 8952 2154 ! New Year's Eve at Club 2000 Contact: Rayners Lane 020 8868 2500, Wembley (banqueting hall) 07940 255 713 5. Blue Ginger- 383 Kenton Road, Harrow HA3 0XS. Contact: 020 8909 0100 ! Christmas party 1pm-10:30pm ! New Year party 8pm till late 6. Blue Zenzer: Playgolf Northwick park Christams party booking- 280 Watford Road, Harrow HA1 3TZ Contact: 020 8864 2922

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Although all kinds of opportunities are coming your way, there are many obstacles between you and the fulfilment of any of these.

As you clear your path you will get closer to achieving your dreams.

Relationships and romance are both under scrutiny by the presence of Saturn in your 7th house - this will teach you to be patient and re-assess your position.

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21

The opening up of a more diverse social life is a pointer in favour of romantic attachments, if this is what you most desire.

The domestic scene may prove to be active and harmonious as long as you use tact and diplomacy. This is also a time when you will develop fresh insights into other people and a better understanding of your own unconscious GEMINI May 22 - June 22 motives.

Saturn continues its journey through the sign Libra, lending its support for you to redefine your sense of self, in a way that will give you a greater understanding of yourself. You’re likely to find yourself doing a lot of thinking about both new and existing partnerships, and maybe toing and froing in one relationship in particular.

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22 Don't be afraid to act forcefully if your instinct tells you it's time for change. If you know your ground and are not afraid to stick your neck out, you can create your own opportunities. This week the focus is your house of family and home. Besides spending more time tending to domestic affairs, the focus can be on cultivating and nourishing your inner foundations, so to speak.

LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23

You will feel energetic and confident as the week begins. Your thinking is inspired, so listen to your thoughts. This may be a time of expansion and improved opportunity and it would be unwise to let yourself become complacent. A good time for restructuring and rethinking your aims and interests. Affairs of the heart are likely to flourish.

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23

It’s an exciting, expansive time, when you should find it easier to be who you are and do what you want : you may be surprised by just how far you can go. This is a tremendously exciting time for you, in which you can embrace changes you might not even consider at other times. You’re likely to find yourself weighing practical considerations with long–term goals.

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23

A tremendous amount of planetary activity in your chart signals a time of mixed emotions as well as personal issues to be dealt with. Take time out to sort out emotional differences and proffer the olive branch to anyone who may have caused you pain in recent months. The decisions you make now will be important for the path you take. You should adopt a new health regime too.

SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22 There is an element of disruption or stress which may be hard to avoid, but it appears that there is a strong sense of purpose in the background. A certain amount of sheer hard graft will be necessary for a short while, but the final result will be extremely pleasing. An exchange of opinions ought to prove very enlivening at this time.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21 There’s a sparkle to your social life and much enjoyment is to be had simply from being in touch with other people. You’re likely to receive insights into where everything is going and these may shape your life for months to come. Venus, the planet of love and romance throws a pleasing light on affairs of the heart. Existing emotional differences can be easily sorted out now.

The need to push ahead with personal interests and to assert yourself with added force will take precedence over everything else for some time to come. Mentally you will be in top form, perhaps feeling quite passionate about expressing your ideas and views. Indeed, for many aspiring Capricornians there is much to suggest that a goal you have been striving towards will at last be reached.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20

Love is liable to blow hot and cold rather unpredictably.

If so, then it might be a good idea to check your own behaviour and motives for it could be that you are already taking too much for granted. Intense focus is what is needed now so do not let yourself be distracted by non-essentials. The underlying trend seems to be pulling you into a much wider social circle now.

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20

As social life will tend to draw you into a wider circle, the chances of meeting someone attractive are greatly increased. The general pattern of things continues on a progressive and buoyant theme. Your thinking is inspired, so listen to your thoughts. This may be a time of expansion and improved opportunity and it would be unwise to let yourself become complacent.

TIME

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th December 2009

C R O S S W O R D - 67 1

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Across 1 Actress Tyler 4 In flames 9 Standing by the plate 14 Palindromic constellation 15 Bandanna worn on the head 16 Capital of Tibet 17 D.C. lobbying grp.

18 1979 Broncos’ nickname 20 times and Herald, e.g.

Stevedore, at times Samovars Jose’s houses Words of woe Cooking smell Web page file letters ‘50s dance Snatch Sealy rival Hold it, sailor!

Have a bawl Large shrimp Four-sided figs.

SCRAMBLE - 45

Rearrange the letters in the four word jumbles, one letter to each square/circle, to make four ordinary words SCRAG

How to play

Now arrange the letters in the circles to form the answer to the riddle or to fill in the missing word as indicated

DEVIO CEHNUU EGINRC

It is ____ that physical courage shoule be so common in the world and moral courage so rare. - Mark Twain (7)

Solution of Scramble - 44

11 12 13 19 21 24 25 26 27 29 31 32 33 35 36 38 43 46 47 49 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 59 60

42 Drink heartily 44 Rival of 1-800FLOWERS 45 Actress Sommer 46 More precious 47 Rubs out 48 Jimmies 50 Needle case 52 Be contiguous 55 Conveyance 58 Steady date 61 Fla. city 62 Stan’s sidekick 63 Identical socks 64 Paris pal 65 Bagpipers’ wear 66 Stockpile 67 Ran into Down 1 Swimmer’s practice 2 Baghdad’s land 3 Seal our air 4 Decorate 5 Anticipated 6 Tax-sheltered $$ 7 Made tracks 8 Omelet base 9 Aluminium company 10 Atlanta pro

One bit per second Africal fox Asian mountain goat Designer Schiaparelli Exist Lousy excuses One-celled organisms Midway alternative Shanty Slightly blue Gridlock School calendar letters Comes down to earth Rel. figures Sunscreen letters Get a move on!

Cold storage Flaubert’s five Yes to Yves Greets the day Nearby things In a frenzy Limp watch painter Jack’s partner in rhyme Presidential turndown Feeble Depart Sounds of indecision Wolf Down

Solution of Crossword-66 S

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Words: Eagle, viral, dancer, fibula.

Answer: Life is no brief candle to me. It is sort of a splendid torch.

Handing it on to future generations. - G B Shaw

WHATZIT? - 67

LOOP THE LOOP - 45

MINDBENDER - 67 Late afternoons I often bathe. I’ll soak in water piping hot. My essence goes through my see through clothes.

Used up am I; I’ve gone to pot.

Solution of 66 : Tug of war

Sudoku-67

Today’s Ratings: 05-average | 07-good | 08-outstanding

R T

R T A

9

How many words of four or more letters can you make from the letters shown in today’s puzzle? In making a word, each letter may be used once only. Each word must contain the central letter. There should be at least one seven-letter word. Plurals, foreign words and proper names are not allowed. British English Dictionary is used as reference.

E E

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Topless Beach

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Solution of sudoku-66 7

20

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Solution of KAKURO - 66 16

7 4

The numbers in the pink squares refer to the sums of the digits that you must fill into the empty spaces directly below or to the right of the pink square containing the number. For instance, in the given example, the 2 boxes below 12 must contain 2 digits that add upto 12, whereas for 20, the 3 boxes places horizontally next to it must add upto 20.

No zeroes are used here, only the digits one through nine.

Example

6

3

KAKURO - 67

12

4 2

2

solution of - 66:

Solution of Spellathon - 66

20

6 2

amyl, army, malt, mart, mast, slam, smart, SMARTLY, tram

29

Rules Connect adjacent dots with vertical or horizontal lines, creating a single loop.

(Fig A).

Crossovers or branches are not allowed 1 (As shown by dotted lines in Fig B).

2 2 1 2 Numbers in the puzzle indicate the 1 3 2 number of lines that should 3 2 2 surround it, while empty cells may 1 3 2 be surrounded by any number of 2 2 2 3 0 2 lines.

You can’t draw lines arround 3 3 1 2 zeroes.

Each puzzle has just one unique solution.

How to begin: Example (Fig A) - Begin with the zero next to 3. Since no lines can be drawn around zero, mark crosses around it, as shown. Now there is a cross in one space around 3. So we know the three lines of 3 can only be drawn in the remaining three spaces. Next these lines can only be extended in one direction each. Continue, using the same Solution of LTL No. 44 logic. x x Hints: Keep elimi3 3 2 x x nating possibilix x x x ties by marking x 1 x 2 x 2 x crosses in x x spaces between x 2 x x x 1 x 2 x dots where a line x x isn’t possible, x 1 x 3 x 2 x 3 2 i.e., if you have x x x already completx 2 x 2 3 x 0 x ed required lines x x x x or where a line x 3 x 2 2 3 2 extension may x x x x create a branch x 1 x x x 2 2 or cause a deadx end (Fig B)

Find the familiar phrase, saying or name in this arrangement of letters.

SPELLATHON - 67

PASS

11

1

3

4

8

A digit cannot appear more than once in any particular digit combination. For instance in the example, we cannot have the combination of 8+4+8 for 20.

HOW TO PLAY Each row, column and square 3x3 box is a subgrid of 9 cells. Fill in the grid so that each sub-grid contains the digits 1 to 9.

Every puzzle has one solution.

4

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UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th December 2009

Gujaratis need to preserve their culture, pride and language National Gujarati Conference concludes in London Lord Bhikhu Parekh exhorts the community to get involved in public life – politics in a big way More meets for specific issues to be held in February – March, 2010 From lauding the community for its trail blazing success in the field of business, trade and industry to professional success and even being among the front ranking group as far as education of the generation next, issues of Gujaratis not being active enough in public – political arena as well as the involvement, rather lack of enough involvement of the younger generation on cultural matters to preserving their heritage and keeping themselves connected to their roots were highlighted very effectively by speakers from various walks of life at the one day event on Sunday, 6th December, 2009. The event was the National Conference of Gujarati Organisations, held under the aegis of NCGO, organised at the

Trupti Patel

Kadva Patidar Centre in Harrow. Almost 500 people, including some guests from abroad – most notably Gujarat in India were also present and made the NCGO meet a purposeful, effective event.

It was also decided that to deliberate on issues confronting the community’s future in UK - issues of youth, women, elderly and senior citizens, cultural matters as well as the challenges that the trade, business and education - more meetings of the target groups will be held in February – March, 2010 with a view to evolve a common approach as also to make a strong presentation on the same to all the three major political parties of UK, just ahead of the elections.

Leaders of the Labour, the Tory and the Lib Dams were on the dais, among those present and participated in the deliberations at the National Congress.

Among those present were Lord Bhikhu Parekh, Lord Navnit Dholakia, MPs Keith Vaz and Virendra Sharma, President of Vishwa Gujarati Samaj (Ahmedabad) Krishnakant Vakharia, General Secretary and a senior Journalist Vishnu Pandya, Joint General Secretary and Industrialist Savjibhai Vekaria, UK businessman Yogesh Mehta.

The conference was formally inaugurated with lighting of the traditional lamp by

the British politics at the grass roots about 45 years ago encouraged young and old to be involved in public life, especially politics. “Join whichever party you believe in. But don't remain a mere spectator. Remember what happened in Fiji and Uganda.

Gujaratis and Indians helped to develop the countries and contributed in various walks of life. Somehow we remain aloof with power structure and politics.

Lord Bhikhu Parekh and CB Patel Rt Hon Keith Vaz, MP Lord Dholakia Ultimately with the expulsion not only the countries becoming a pressure group. new path. that Gujaratis should get Mr. Vakharia, Mr. Pandya and suffered but we lost more or Leicester East MP Keith (2) To encourage the involved more and more with Mr. Vekaria, Minister at the less everything prior to our Vaz in his brief yet incisive spread, to create an underpolitical life, parents should Indian High Commission in arrival in the UK.” address said that Gujaratis standing about the ‘Gujarati also encourage their children London Mr. Jitendra Kumar Leading Gujarati scholar, and Asian immigrants need to Pride’ (3) To devise ways and to enter into politics just like as well as NCGO Chairman journalist and VGS general contribute much more in the means that ensure passing on they guide them for best proCB Patel. Two special Gujarati secretary Mr. Vishnu Pandya, the legacy of our culture and public life here, as there is still fessions. songs – “Jyan Jyan Vase Ek in his address quoted a few pride to the generation next. a perception among the Southall MP Virendra Gujarati” (Whereever resides lines from poet Iqbal, which meant that “There is something that makes us immortal”. Rolling out the anecdotes of Gujaratis who had a lion’s share in the freedom movement of India, he said, a transformation can only be brought through the mother tongue. Today, having attended and witnessed the spirit here, Yogesh Mehta Krishnakant Vakharia Virendra Sharma, MP Puja Thakrar we carry a new confiJitendra Kumar dence, vibes back Sharma also exhorted the one Gujarati) and “Swarna home; feeling assured that our (4) To develop and strengthen British people that Asians are community to join politics.

He Akshare Lakhase Kavio, dream of a Golden Gujarat our ties with Gujarat and not going to stay here for long. recollected his early days in Yashgatha Gujaratni” (Poets will sure become a reality.

Hence, we need to ensure that India. public life. When he joined will write in the golden letters, A leading Gujarati busiour roots go deeper.

He said, the NCGO has politics 40 years ago, he used the success story of Gujaratis” nessman and philanthropist President of Vishwa succeeded to an extent in to move among the people in - were recited by young now settled in UK, Mr. Yogesh achieving the objectives, but Gujarati Samaj, Krishnakant company of C B Patel and singers and musicians Mr. Mehta said Gujaratis are Vakharia invited all British the destination is still far Kantibhai Nagda all over UK, Arpan Patel and Mrs Mittal enjoying position of promiGujaratis to attend the forthaway. “I would not like to go urging Asians to actively parPatel. nence wherever they have setcoming World Gujarati into the ups and the downs of ticipate in politics and social Mr. C B Patel welcomed tled – be it UK, the USA or Conference, going to be held the NCGO; that happens with service. all the participants as well as elsewhere, because of their almost every organisation. on 22, 23 and 24 January, VGS joint general secrethe special invitees. He entrepreneurial spirit, hard But I definitely would tary and a leading referred to those valiant work. They are also leading in like to pose a question industrialist from Gujaratis and Indians who the field of philanthropy.

- Have we ever Surat, Mr. Savjibhai came to Britain in the 1890s A souvenir with well thought of the direcVekaria detailed on a and early 20th Century to researched articles on Britain tion in which we are revolutionary concept wage campaigns for the freebased Gujaratis and Indians proceeding? It is a in water conservation, dom of India. who waged campaign for freereflection of the matublood donation and Inviting Lord Prof Bhikhu dom of India from late 18th rity of the Gujarati other social issues, Parekh to address the gatherCentury to early 20th Century community that there that took place in ing, CB made another imporwas released to commemorate wasn’t too much of a Gujarat on his initiatant point to dispel the notion the historic conference. reaction of the tive. that Gujaratis excel only in Two elderly Gujarati genGodhra riots amongst A representative Business, Trade and Industry. tlemen – both freedom fightthe Gujaratis here. of the younger generHe described Lord Parekh as a ers for India were felicitated at Yet, a lot many hap- Ranjanbalaben garlanding Vishnubhai Pandya ation, Ms. Pooja devotee who has worshipped the meeting. Mr. Ramanbhai penings in Gujarat do Thakrar lamented the Goddess Saraswati (the godK. Amin an energetic man of have an ‘echo’ effect here.”

2010 in Ahmedabad, India. poor attendance of youth in dess of knowledge, learning) 92 years has settled in the UK, Lord Parekh added, “The He lauded the Gujarati organthe meeting. She said it was a while Gujaratis are known to while Mr. H. P. Joshi, in his House of Lords here has 16 isations of UK, as he said the really sorry state of affairs that be devotees of Goddess early 80s was on a social visit Indian members, and Gujarati activities carried out here among the younger generation Lakshmi (the goddess of here. representation is as much as 9 encompass many more sphere of British Gujaratis, there are wealth).

There was a question – of them. I have written that of life as compared to the USA a few who have understood In his address, Lord answer session handled by now on, if any new Gujarati Gujarati Organisations. He the Gujarati culture but are Parekh raised pointed quesNCGO Advisory Council Vice makes it as a member of the also said VGS intends to start not interested, while there are tions on the direction that the Chair Kantibhai Nagda and House, He/She might well be a youth exchange programme a few who have simply not NCGO was marching ahead.

General Secretary Ms. Anita taking the oath in Gujarati. At with UK. understood it. Then, there are He said, the NCGO was Ruparelia. the house of Lord’s, Gujarati Mr. Jitendra Kumar, a those who do not care about founded 25 years ago (in Former general secretary is the ranked as the no. 3 lanminister at the Indian High the culture.

1985-86) with four broader and advisor to the NCGO, Mr. guage that is spoken most.

Commission in London laudTruptiben Patel talked objectives in mind. They are: C J Rabheru concluded the But in cases of professions ed the Gujarati community about struggle of Gujarati (1) To fulfill the need of a event giving an outline of the like barristers or civil services, and their activities here. He women in the UK after forum where all organisations future programs, which fields like English literature or also said the progress, develmigrating from East Africa, could come together, to identiinclude a youth conference. A Journalism, Gujarati commuopment of Gujarat is due to women’s emancipation, equal fy the problems facing the small cultural presentation nity is hard to be found there.

Gujarati culture. opportunity for Gujarati and Gujarati community and work enthralled the audience in the Our second generation seems Tory councillor of Harrow, Indian women in the UK. in tandem at national level by second session. to have failed in charting a Ms. Anjana Patel emphasised Lord Dholakia who joined

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th December 2009

Sport in Action SA agree to play two test matches in India tour BCCI finally managed to avoid a huge embarrassment, as Cricket South Africa and the players have given their nod to squeeze in two test matches in their tour to India, reducing the no. of ODIs by two.

India, having just scaled the no. 1 ranking in

Test Matches, faced severe criticism of playing just two test matches in the whole year of 2010, which would have made defending their top slot very difficult. They had the Proteas visiting and playing just ODIs and T20s.

As BCCI woke up, even the South African

cricketers felt that they need to play some more test matches and had agreed to play the longer version of the game as per India’s request.

Senior Indian players, including skipper M S Dhoni, Tendulkar and Sehwag too echoed the feeling that team India

Lalit Modi’s innings at IPL in peril After Jagmohan Dalamiya, Lalit Modi is considered to have the best money making brains in the Indian Cricket Administrators’ arena.

Yet, like Dalamiya, Modi’s innings as the head of the lucrative Indian Premier League is in Peril. Modi recently lost the elections for the top job of Rajasthan Cricket Association to C P Joshi, state congress president.

Now, with Sharad Pawar no more on the BCCI horizon, BCCI secretary Srinivasan wants

Lalit Modi

Modi out of the body, as he is an aspirant for the Presidentship of BCCI and he feels Modi could pose him a formidable

challenge.

A group of administrators have questioned the wisdom of having an independent commissioner for the IPL, a tournament run by the BCCI and propose that it, like any other tournament, should be conducted with the board president and secretary as ex-officio members.

If this happened, Srinivasan would become more powerful as he is the frontrunner for the president’s post once Shashank Manohar’s term comes to an end in 2011.

Tejaswini is a star athlete, yet no govt. support The ace powerlifter has scores of records, yet has to seek support from strangers Her talent is golden, her records are even more shining. Tejaswini is the no. 1 woman powerlifter in Asia, no. 4 in the world. She has 38 national records and 6 Asian records to her credit.

But, all this is no good for her. She has chosen a sport that is not among the Olympic sports, hence she gets no help from the government.

Everytime she has to compete in a major tournament, Tejaswini is forced to seek support of strangers because she is not capable enough

financially to meet the costs. And to an extent, she is happy as every time, she gets help.

Recently, just before the Commonwealth P o w e r l i f t i n g Championships in Pune, Tejaswini contacted NDTV, a prominent TV news channel for help. A blog on Tejaswini on ndtv.com saw offers of help pouring in from all over the world. And she thanked her generous supporters by winning the Gold.

"She is a star...very talented and hard-working. And totally dedicat-

ed to the game," says Peter Fiore, President, Commonwealth Powerlifting Federation.

Tejaswini wants to compete at the next Asian Championships in 2010, but money is the same, old problem. She will need 0.5 million rupees to meet the expenses including entry fees, kit and preparations.

A fighter since childhood, she lost her father at the age of just 11.

Since then she's worked her way up, not just in life, but in a sport that she says completes her.

needs to play more test matches.

Though, atleast for the South Africa tour of India, it was not BCCI that was entirely at fault. Even CSA had requested not to include test matches in the series. The tour will begin on February 5 and will go on till March 2.

Logo, slogan for Euro 2012 unveiled

Two tulips and a football make the logo, while the slogan is “Creating History Together”.

Yes, the new logo and the slogan, unveiled at Keiv, the Ukrainian capital on Monday are for Euro 2012. They were unveiled by Michel Platini, the president of the UEFA. The two tulips in the logo are of different colours - one red and one white that feature the Polish and Ukrainian flags and a football, and the slogan is “Creating History Together.”

Platini said: “These are two flowers which bloom, I hope that Poland and Ukraine will grow like them.”

Euro 2012 is the first major football tournament to be awarded to Eastern Europe.

Platini also had the company of Ukraine President Viktor Yushchenko and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko at the unveiling ceremony.

Pakistan now want a ‘home’ series in India PCB played one in New Zealand, is to play England in OZ

After playing a home series in New Zealand, Pakistan is now hoping to make India agree for a home series in India. A cricket series between Pakistan and India is always a very absorbing encounter cricket wise and very lucrative commercially. With Pakistan Cricket Board very much in dire straits financially, they are keen to play a series with India in India, provided the BCCI and

the government of India agree for the same.

Chairman of the PCB, Ijaz Butt has said Pakistan won’t mind playing a series in India in place of the Indian tour of Pakistan that was cancelled after the 26/11 incident.

“If India is willing, it is something we would like to discuss with them.

We just need to find a window next year for such a series which

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would I am sure be a big draw,” Butt added BCCI on the other hand, has said their engagements for 2010 are pretty packed. Yet, provided the government of India gives a green signal, they can have a look at the issue late next year.

Pakistan has already reached an agreement with the ECB to play a two-Test series against Australia in England next summer.

"We are definitely keen on playing a bilateral series with India as soon as possible and it is something we have been discussing at all levels with our government, with their board officials and with the ICC," Butt said.

The PCB has been hit by several pull-outs over the last couple of years, due to security fears and the unstable political climate.

India, Pakistan, England in the same pool for WC hockey India, Pakistan and England have been clubbed in the same pool – pool B for the World Cup Hockey to be played in New Delhi in March, 2010.

In this 12 nation tournament, the draws for which were held at New Delhi on Tuesday, other teams in the pool B include South Africa, Australia and Spain. India are eight time Olympic champions, while their arch rivals Pakistan have won the crown four times.

In the second pool – pool A, defending champions Germany has the company of the Netherlands, Canada, Argentina, South Korea and New Zealand. After the 1978 World Cup, played in Mumbai, India will be hosting the tournament for the first time in 32 years.

Kiwis win Champions Challenge hockey, India third In a stunning defeat in the Champions Challenge hockey finals, Pakistan ended runners up as the New Zealanders beat them 4 – 2 to lift the title and make it to the elite Champions Trophy hockey, scheduled to be played in Germany July – August next.

Colin Gibson appointed ICC’s Media head Colin Gibson, the head of England and Wales Cricket Board’s Head of Corporate Communications has been appointed as the Head of Media and Communications by the ICC. Gibson, a journalist turned sports administrator will take up his position on February 1 next year. He has previously worked as Director of Communications at the Football Association in England.

Commenting on his appointment, Gibson said, "I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with the ECB. I am now looking forward to working with some extremely talented people at the ICC as we take on the exciting challenges that lie ahead.

Symonds doesn’t want a comeback in OZ team Troubled OZ cricketer Andrew Symonds says he is content with the money he makes from Indian Premier League, doesn’t want to be tied down by rules and regulations again. He meant he doesn’t want to make a comeback in the Australian team.

“It’s the most content life I’ve been since the last couple of years of my international career. There were some tricky and sticky moments in Andrew Symonds those last couple of years and now I’ve got no-one to directly answer to and not have to worry about rules and regulations.

The 34 year all rounder plays for his state side Queensland off and on. “I feel really free and am just enjoying life and being with the people I want to be with and doing the things I’ve wanted to do for long,” he was quoted as saying by ‘The Daily Telegraph’.

“I’ve been at home and enjoying being at home, fishing, crabbing, seeing my mates, sleeping in my own bed,” he said.

“I’ll retire when I’ve had enough, whether that’s after this next IPL or whether that’s a couple of years down the track. I’ve no real idea yet how I’ll feel towards retirement,” he added.

Symonds said he would be glad to share his experience with the younger generation of cricketers.

English Premier League Matches Saturday 19 December Arsenal v/s Hull Aston Villa v/s Stoke Blackburn v/s Tottenham Fulham v/s Man Utd Man City v/s Sunderland Portsmouth v/s Liverpool Sunday 20 December Everton v/s Birmingham West Ham v/s Chelsea Wolverhampton v/s Burnley Monday 21 December Wigan v/s Bolton

Emirates Stadium Villa Park Ewood Park Craven Cottage City of Mcr Stadium Fratton Park

17:30 15:00 15:00 15:00 15:00 12:45

Goodison Park Boleyn Ground Molineux

15:00 16:00 13:30

D W Stadium

20:00

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"#$% !"#$%&!

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th December 2009

!!!"#$%&'()*%"+),

India scamper home at Rajkot Lanka’s valiant fight to chase 415 fall short by 3 runs

In the end, it was a matter of nerves. And surprisingly, Ashish Nehra managed to hold, while the Sri Lankans failed to reach home, having fallen short by just a stroke – 4 runs to say it plain.

Kumar Sangakkara, the Sri Lankan skipper belted runs at will, scoring at a rate of almost 200, which made the contest live after India posted the highest ever total for themselves.

414 is the highest any team has scored against the Lankans.

Had the visitors b e e n vic-

torious, it would have been

another record – of the highest run chase. But a couple of wickets at crucial junctures made the difference between a win and a loss. It was almost a similar situation that India also had faced, when they lost a few wickets, slowing down the momentum of the scoring, which at one stage had even gone past 9 runs an over.

Sangakkara was let off by Zaheer when he had just 16, a difficult r e t u r n catch, and after that India were on a leather hunt.

Raina was heaved for two sixes over midwicket and one down the ground, and when Dilshan scooped Zaheer over fine leg for six, the two had taken just 28 balls to add 50. With 164 needed from 20 overs, Sangakkara then smacked Harbhajan over long-off to reach his half-century from 24 balls.

Harbhajan then put down a straightforward chance at midwicket when Sangakkara had 58, and by the time the batting Powerplay was taken, Sri

India hold their nerve in the final stages at Rajkot on tuesday

Lanka needed 124 from 15 overs. But as India had, Sri Lanka too lost the plot somewhat with the fielding restrictions in place.

Sangakkara miscued one from Praveen Kumar to deep square leg, and after Dilshan had swung over over midwicket to reach 150, Harbhajan returned to have Sanath Jayasuriya stumped. When Dilshan was bowled going for a big heave off the first ball of his next over, the game was once again in the balance, and it swung India's way when Mahela Jayawardene was run out

by Kohli's throw from

square leg.

Thilina Kandamby and Angelo Mathews batted with calm, got within range with singles and the odd shot that breached the field, but with Zaheer and Nehra started to get appreciable reverse swing, knocking off the runs was no formality. Finally, Sri Lanka needed 11 from the last over.

Mathews got that down to six from three before swinging Nehra to Tendulkar's right at midwicket. Unlike some of his younger teammates, he held on without a problem, and as Mathews

Rain robs NZ of an exciting win 3rd test, series with Pakistan drawn

Watling hit a sparkling half century, chasing a 200 plus target on the final day of the third and last test match at Napier on Tuesday. New Zealand were looking to bag the match and the series, but rains played the spoil sport as the entire last session of the game was washed out.

An absorbing series ended in a 1 – 1 draw.

New Zealand just needed 118 runs from the last session with a minimum of 23 overs, a target that looked very much achievable, considering the fact that with a New Zealand were chasing 208 runs, to be scored in more than a session, and they had already notched up 90 runs at the tea break.

Watling started the chase in a spirited manner, creating a scare in the Pakistani camp. With the sky overcast in Napier, the Pakistani fielders continually looked at the clouds and perhaps even prayed the rain gods to save them.

Daniel Vettori and Mohammad Yousuf with the trophy after the series was drawn 1-1

Watling was destructive in the second innings.

There wasn't a single shot that was out of the book and he took few risks, yet runs came at a brisk pace.

Gul tried to intimidate with two bouncers but Watling played him well.

Pakistan attacked with spin from Danish Kaneria but Watling refused to be contained. He counterattacked with a stunning slog-swept flat six and a

delicate paddle-swept four. With McIntosh rotating the strike adeptly, Pakistan were beginning to run out of ideas when rain came to their rescue.

Earlier, during Pakistan second innings, their batsmen were playing safe. Misbah’s failing was greater as he was not only more experienced but also someone who can, in theory, play the patient game. However New

Zealand suffocated him with their relentless discipline. The brain freeze eventually came when Misbah faced up to Daniel Vettori for the first time in the day. He went for an almighty heave, missed it completely, and was quickly stumped by Brendon McCullum.

Umar, unlike on the fourth day, was more sedate on the last morning. Iain O'Brien and the close-in fielders teased him to have a go but he continued batting defensively. Ultimately, when he came up against the new ball, when he feathered an edge off an attempted cut shot to McCullum. And after the lunch break, it was all over for Pakistan. {Brief scores: Pak 223 (Farhat 117*, O'Brien 435, Tuffey 4-52) and 455 (Yousuf 89, Umar 77) drew with NZ 471 (Vettori 134, McCullum 89, Kaneria 7-168) and 90 for 0 (Watling 60*, McIntosh 23*).

trudged off disconsolate, he took Sri Lanka's hopes with him.

The Lankan bowlers were being hit all over the place, with Tendulkar timing the ball magnificently in the V and Sehwag moving into six-hitting mode.

Mathews was introduced, and Sehwag immediately went downtown, thumping one behind the sightscreen and then over cover as the six balls cost 18. Fernando claimed Tendulkar to give the Lankans some breathing space, with a beautiful incoming delivery sending him back for 69.

Sehwag, though, doesn't like pauses. He had his 12th century, from just 66 balls. On such a great surface for batting, Dhoni wasn’t going to stand and watch the fun. After Sehwag and Dhoni, India also faltered, with Gambhir, Raina and Harbhajan perished soon, but attractive cameos from Kohli and Jadeja ensured that the last few overs were utilized fully to break records.

T20 levelled with huge scores Earlier, the two T20 games were also a run feast, with India losing the first one and winning the second one to level with the visitors.

At Mohali in the second game, India created a record, successfully chasing a 200 plus target after Sri Lanka scored 206 runs.

India went on to win by 6 wickets with 5 balls to spare, as they replied with 211. In the first match at Nagpur, India chasing 216, ended up with just 186 runs, losing by 29 runs. {Brief scores: 1st ODI - India 414 for 7 (Sehwag 146, Dhoni 72, Tendulkar 69) beat Sri Lanka 411for 8 (Dilshan 160, Sangakkara 90, Tharanga 67) by 3 runs.}

Broad, Anderson not to play in IPL season III They preferr to preserve their best for England duties Keeping in mind the busy calendar that ECB has charted out for 2010, England speedsters Stuart Broad and James Anderson have announced of not playing the lucrative IPL to preserve their best for the national duties. James Anderson Stuart Broad Broad did not play in ment of a “boyhood the IPL season II also. dream” and that the chance In a statement, Broad to tour Australia and retain stressed on the priority of the Ashes would be a staying fit to represent his “great honour”. “There’s a country.

“Whilst the brilliant atmosphere and chance to play in the IPL team spirit within the is potentially a great England dressing room, opportunity, my number and I want to be an imporone priority is, and always tant member of a winning will be, to represent my England team over the next country,'” he said. “The few years,” he said.

IPL is a tournament I Anderson also said no would like to play in at to IPL cash on similar some stage in the future grounds. “I am proud to but my international be playing cricket for career is my sole focus at England and my internathis stage.” tional career is more Broad termed his interimportant than anything national career as fulfillelse,'’ he said.