AV 02nd October 2021

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PM Modi's US visit SEE PAGE - 16 - 17

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Let noble thoughts come to us from every side Does Britain understand the difference between curry and Indian food?

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2 - 8 OCTOBER 2021 - VOL 50 ISSUE 22

‘Home’ is the people you share love and respect with

Biden reiterates US support for India's entry into UNSC, nuclear group NSG

SEE PAGE - 28

SEE PAGE - 26

SEE PAGE - 15

While fear looms over women’s safety in the UK, Assistant Commissioner of Met Police tells Asian Voice in an exclusive interview, that all men are not abusers but they should not be bystanders.

Shefali Saxena On 17 September, 28-year-old primary school teacher Sabina Nessa was supposed to make her way to The Depot bar in Kidbrooke Village but never arrived. She was found dead in Cator Park in Kidbrooke, a few minutes’ walk from her home, on Saturday 18 September. In a Twitter handle called @countindeadwomen, one can find more such names of women who never returned safely, or some weren’t safe at home. As the community stands in solidarity with Sabina and her bereaved family, Asian Voice spoke to Met Police Assistant Commissioner, Mayor Sadiq Khan and women members of the parliament to find possible solutions to keep our women and girls safe.

Continued on page 14

Assistant Commissioner of Met Police Louisa Rolfe

Editorial credit: Tony Skerl / Shutterstock.com

REACHED HOME SAFELY?

Fuel crisis or ‘fuelled’ crisis?

Bexhill-Sussex-UK-September 25,2021 :Petrol pumps have ‘sorry out of use’ signs due to fuel shortage crisis

Life came to a standstill early this week when England faced a fuel crisis amid already looming food shortages and a lack of drivers.

Children stood in long queues at bus stops for school, many people walked long distances because buses couldn’t meet the demand and frequency due to petrol shortages.

The Mirror reported a brawl has broke out at a London petrol station after a driver reportedly tried to jump the queue. Footage taken at BP Haverstock Hill, Camden, yesterday showed the heated fight in front of shocked motorists.

Continued on page 9

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2 - 8 October 2021

with Keith Vaz

PM Johnson confirms he has six children and seventh is on the way

Jags Chauhan Co- Founder Director, Solar Security Jags Chauhan was born and raised in Leicester.

His father originally came from India in the sixties and his mother followed a few years after. He went to Rushey Mead secondary school and then to college where he obtained a diploma in Business Studies. During his time at College Jags worked for the cooperative accounts department where he realised this was not for him. After college he decided to work for a local security company where he picked up some of the trade skills, then moved on to a Birmingham based security company.

After a few years he decided to move onto working for a national company where Jags worked in prisons, banks, and other various high security establishments.

It came to a point in his life when he realised that he could achieve so much more and decided to work for himself. During his time at ADT, he progressed to a grade 5 engineer.

In 2006 his wife and Jags started up a company called Solar Security which has now grown rapidly having over 300 clients such as Costa Coffee, O2 and other well know establishments.

1. Which place, or city or country do you most feel at home in?

My best and most favourite place would be Leicester as I find it is very multicultural and I Know a lot of people having lived here all my life a lot of my business comes from word of mouth and not advertisements or social media.

2. What are your proudest achievements?

My proudest achievement was when I won a trip to Dubai where I received a trophy for being the best service engineer of the year. I also received a trophy at the House of Commons for being entrepreneur of the year this is another great achievement.

3. What inspires you?

I am inspired every day by my wife and daughter they both keep me going by their support with the business which can be very busy and sometimes stressful. I also have a brilliant engineering team who help me through with the running of the business. If it wasn’t for them Solar Security wouldn’t be where it is now.

4. What has been biggest obstacle in your career?

My biggest establishment within my career has been Solar Security which I have worked long and hard for over the last 16 years. I feel very honoured that all my clients have trusted me with the security needs. Working with high profile clients has given me a great boost in my success to my business.

5. Who has been the biggest influence on your career to date?

My best influence on my success is my wife Who inspired me to set up the company when others had negative thoughts. My wife Rupal has been very patient with me whilst working long hours and coming home late.

6. What is the best aspect about your current role?

My best aspect of the business is the maintenance and the monitoring of the intruder alarm systems where I feel service is a great priority to every system.

The Servicing side of this business needs to be hundred percent as in this day and age crime rate is higher than ever.

7. And the worst?

The worst side of the business is when I receive a call in the middle of the night when there’s been a burglary.

Seeing people hopeless in their own homes and feeling vulnerable. This is when I need to assure them that this is just a one off and everything will be okay.

With my years’ experience I can give them a little bit of security by installing them and intruder alarm 8. What are your long-term goals?

My future plans are to carry on growing the business by having more clients, keeping more homes and businesses safe.

9. If you were Prime Minister, what one aspect would you change?

If I was a Prime Minister, I would write to every single unemployed person out there and ask them to give me a reason in writing why they are not working and why they are living on benefits if they are fit enough to work. At this present time there are a lot of staff shortages within all industries due to either the virus or Brexit. Gas and electric are rising, and people will start finding it difficult paying bills and people will start asking the government for help. Britain is a very small island and now we are not part of the European Union I feel that there are people out there claiming benefits and are fit to work should work and help each other and make this country successful. If all of us worked there would be not much need for us to ask other countries for help. These refugees should be given jobs by the government and not benefits.

10. If you were marooned on a desert island, which historical figure would you like to spend your time with and why?

If I was stuck on a desert island, I would like to be there with Nostradamus the great predictor. So, I could pick his brains and find out what’s in store for the future.

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After years of speculation, UK Prime Minister Ben Johnson has finally confirmed in public that he has six children and he changes lots of nappies.

After previously refusing to be drawn on the subject in the 2019 election, the Prime Minister has replied with ‘Yes’ when asked by

NBC, on a trip to New York, if he has six children.

Johnson’s six children include four children Lara, Milo, Cassia and Theodore with ex-wife Marina; Stephanie after an affair in 2009. While Wilfred is his sixth child from his new wife Carrie with whom their seventh one is on the way.

Leaked Whatsapp message of Equalities minister may drive black supporters away Equalities minister Kemi Badenochis came under fire after her WhatsApp message was revealed this week and posted on a group chat called Conservative friends of Nigeria.

Kemi’s brief was recently expanded to include a junior ministerial position in the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. She reportedly wrote in her message

that ‘I don’t care about colonialism because [I] know what we were doing before colonialism got there. They came in and just made a different bunch of winners and losers.’

Rise in NI to become a terrible financial toll NHS and care workers will have to shell out an additional £900m in taxes after the national insurance hike announced by Prime Minister Johnson.

On an average a nurse or midwife will pay £310 more in taxes, care home workers will have to pay at least GBP140 more and ambulance staff will be

hit by an increase of £420.

This means that 1.4 million NHS staff will each have to pay GBP315 more in a year

according to the Commons library report.

Liberal Democrats MP Munira Wilson has said that these nurses, ambulance drivers and care workers worked day in and day out to save lives in a pandemic. At a time when incomes are already squeezed, this hike would be terrible for them.

Passenger delays due to disruptions with e-gates at UK airports resolved Across the UK, Heathrow, Manchester and Edinburgh airports have reported delays in passengers arriving at airports due to Border force’s IT failure disrupting self-service passport gates.

Passengers with biometrics are able to pass through

border control via the gates with manual inspection.

Edinburgh Airport has said that all available UKBF staff are in arrival halls to carry out necessary checks and allow passengers to pass through the border as quickly as possi-

ble.

Finally, the home office spokesperson has issued a statement that the technical issue in the afternoon affected eGates at a number of ports. The issue was quickly identified and has now been resolved.

UN Refugee Agency says Priti Patel’s new asylum plan is against international law According to UNHCR the UK Nationality and Borders Bill, introduced by the government will create a lower class of status for the majority of refugees who arrive in the country spontaneously.

The bill is introduced in order to deter people from

attempting illegal entry into the UK. UNHCR’s UK representative Rossella Pagliuchi has said that there is no evidence the bill would achieve its aim. In fact, it would undermine the government’s stated goal of

Goddess Lakshmi on Royal Mint’s gold bar The UK Royal Mint has launched the first ever gold bullion bar to mark the Hindu festival of Diwali. It is a long standing tradition among Hindus to buy gold on Dhanteras every year.

The bar is designed by Emma Noble in collaboration with the Shree Swaminarayan Temple in Cardiff to make sure it embodies the cultural heritage of Hindus. The Royal Mint’s gold bar is engraved with the image of goddess Lakshmi and a lotus flower. It reportedly contains 20g of 999.9 fine gold.

The bar costing £1,080 went on sale on Tuesday on the Royal Mint’s website.

improving protection for those at risk of persecution.

According to the Home Office, the new immigration plan provides the only long term solution to fix the broken system. It fully complies with all international obligations.

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COMMENTS 3

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

2 - 8 October 2021

Are we the victims of a failed leadership?

Amidst the petrol and healthcare crisis, the nation has been up in arms about the disappearance of their favourite fast food menu item or even the traditional turkey. Industry insiders are now warning that clothes and bedding, amongst other cotton products, are set to be in shortage as the textiles industry is also facing a crisis this Christmas.

Mark Green, Head of Procurement at Happy Linen Company, said how the pandemic, 40% increase in value of cotton, and ongoing supply issues is putting the textiles industry at risk of shortages and extreme price hikes this Christmas.

The founders of British-made pollution mask Airhead are encouraging commuters to swap cars and public transport and “get on your bikes” wherever possible.

London Passenger data is showing more and more city commuters are jumping on the tube and trains in response to the petrol crisis, Airhead founders Harry Young, Elliot Denvir, and Alex Smith, are keen to get people outside and cycling or walking to work but donning their UK designed and manufactured pollution mask.

But Prime Minister Boris Johnson like forever lives in denial. As petrol crisis soars, he refuses to allow frontline staff to get petrol first, because he believes solution is around the corner.

First, one cannot deny Brexit created the petrol shortage, may how much ever he want to argue against it. The Referendum was fought on many lies. One of them was British jobs for British people. Sometimes, immigration is a job

requirement. If not, the lorry driver crisis that led to petrol shortage would never have happened.

The ultimate rescuer has been Her Majesty’s Army, that will now be driving trucks across the borders, while terrorism fear intensifies in the country as Afghan crisis deepens.

Second, Covid situation showed that our healthcare system needs immigrant workforce and money- both denied by the government. Boris Johnson had promised £350mn per week to NHS, if Brexit happened. But that money never saw the light of the day.

Covid created millions of patient backlog that need addressing to immediately, with chronically ill patients now sent to A&E as the normal system fails to cope with the pressure. Yet the existing institutional racism will not allow admitting to the problem of staff shortage. We are the only nation that did not acknowledge contributions of immigrant healthcare professionals separately not did we reward them for their sacrifices.

This brings us to another failed promise. Boris Johnson had promised families who lost loved ones to coronavirus that a chair of the public inquiry will be appointed by Christmas, as he was accused of adding "insult to injury" by delaying meeting them for more than a year.

This country is living on failed promises. The wealth, jobs, care, equality, safety and a better British society once promisednothing has ever been delivered. So one wonders if Sir Keir Starmer’s dream of a Labour government is actually not too far?

Ending the femicide endemic When Nirbhaya happened, the world turned on India calling it one of the most dangerous countries for women’s safety.

Reports state, in India, 84 million people still live in situations of extreme poverty (around 6% of India’s population), with twothird of the total population still unable to read or write.

According to the National Crimes Records Bureau (NCRB), the country recorded 88 rape cases every day in 2019. NCRB report highlights that rape vulnerability of a girl or woman has increased up to 44% in the last 10 years.

In a country with so much illiteracy, lack of infrastructure and awareness, especially a failing judicial system with constant delayed justice, it is difficult to teach its people about women’s safety or dignity. It is not an excuse- it is a sad reality.

But when a developed nation, that is meant to be the mother of all democracies can’t save its women on its streets, questions arise, why women are still being objectified and why is the “woke” society still failing its women?

In the year to March 2020, according to Femicide Census, 207 women were killed in Britain, according to the BBC. This means about one in four killings were of women.

During the pandemic, Covid has unleashed beasts of patriarchy, with a world full of women stuck at homes with abusive partners, with nowhere to run. Domestic violence, gaslighting and psychological abuses have torn apart families and confidence in women, leaving hundreds dead or missing.

For example, official figures reported by Al Jazeera show, 606 girls and 309 women went missing in Peru between 16 March and 30 June 2020. The Guardian reported, the US Rape Abuse and Incest National Network said its helpline for survivors of sexual assault has never been in such demand in its 26year history, as children were locked in with abusers with no ability to alert their teachers or friends.

To add insult to injury, this is the period many governments

have reduced funds to women’s shelter or disaster managements. In the UK, Human Rights Watch has noted the Covid-19 crisis has aggravated lack of access to services for migrant and BAME women. In fact, last year, a polling of 16-24-year-olds by Hope Not Hate, an anti-fascist organisation, found a widespread belief that feminism holds men back making it an ideology that inconveniences men. Sexual violence is also reportedly increasingly being promoted by the British far right, to steer individuals towards adopting racist and antisemitic views.

The recent killing of Sarah Everard or Sabina Nessa rightly begs the question, who is killing our daughters on the streets? Is it racially or sexually motivated? Are police failing us? What is the solution to this epidemic of ‘femicide’?

BBC published research from the Femicide Census, an organisation which collects information on men's violence against women across the UK. It found that 1,425 women were killed by men in the 10 years to 2018 – i.e. about one killing every three days. While more than nine out of 10 killers were men, about 57% of female victims were killed by someone they knew, most commonly a partner or ex-partner compared to 39% of men.

It is about time we realise with a dwindling population of women; this world will not sustain evolution. While police in every country, show regular inconsistencies in how they tackle the issues, there needs to be more investment to bring offenders to justice. Governments should also wake up, implement recommendations, and ensure there is a strategy for national violence against women and girls. It is time for radical actions, not just in the UK but worldwide. It is time to treat violence against women as terrorism and not brush it under the carpet as “domestic affair”. It is time to bring about the changes that we have promised for generations.

PM Modi's game changing visit to US Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the United States comes from a position of strength at a time when the Indian economy has gained momentum. India under PM Modi has emerged as a strong economic power in the world. Companies are looking at India as an investment destination. India’s economy is starting to boom. It’s a far cry from what it was two years ago. India’s economic strength is now coming into shape and it is going to be a golden decade for entrepreneurship in India.

PM Modi undertook the three -day visit for bilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden and to attend the historic Quad summit. He also met the American corporate sector. PM Modi has invited businessmen to invest in India and offered all facilities to make Covid vaccine in India. Both USA and India have a mutual interest and dependency to advance strategic bilateral ties for their own national security and growth in trade and commerce and work together on an ambitious agenda on the Indo-Pacific with the Chinese challenge being one of the shared concerns.

President Biden has been a strong supporter of India from the beginning. For any relationship to flourish, there should be a give and take from both sides. The US should see India as an equal partner in the development of a new world order. Economic cooperation is another field where both can gain. US businesses can depend on India to manufacture goods and provide services.

India can be also a big market for their products.

The need for a free and open Indo-Pacific where international rules based order is followed was a common theme in all the conversations. There was no direct mention of China, or tough language seen in Quad meetings in 2019- indicating the Biden administration is taking a more diplomatic tack. Cooperation on countering Covid and the post Covid economic recovery was an

important subject, and PM Modi was thanked for the decision to start exporting vaccines from next month. In particular the Quad vaccine initiative, which will see one billion Johnson and Johnson vaccines manufactured in India, funded by the US, distributed in South East Asia by Japan and Australia was discussed and leaders said it was on track.

The language on Afghanistan was probably the strongest part of both joint statements and it was discussed by all the leaders in various meetings. In particular, they spoke of cooperating to implement the UNSCR 2593, ensuring Afghanistan territory is not used to shelter or train terrorists, or to plan or to finance terrorist acts, use of terrorist proxies, or cross-border attacks.

Democracy is a common bond and both Biden and Harris made repeated mention about the need to respect democratic values.

Harris ended her press statement by addressing PM Modi directly on “defending democratic principles and institutions within our respective countries”.

Both in the bilaterals and in the Quad, it seemed global issues like climate change, Covid cooperation, technology, supply chains took precedence over the kind of tough language seen in the past on security. Some of this could be given these were first meetings for all concerned, and time was spent on laying the ground for future talks. Also, significant was the storm over the announcement of AUKUS just a week before, and the time spent trying to assuage France’s unhappiness over plans for US and UK to develop nuclear submarines for Australia. Prime Minister Modi's address to the General Assembly marks the culmination of a very successful and very comprehensive tour of the United States. Let us hope that Modi's visit will help people to people cooperation between Indians and Americans.

Live as if you were to die tomorrow.

Learn as if you were to live forever.

- Mahatma Gandhi

Alpesh Patel

The Mahatma’s Birthday It will be my singular honour as the President of the India League to lay flowers and give a short speech at the Statue of Mahatma Gandhi, this Saturday, on Gandhiji’s birthday, at the invitation of the High Commission of the Republic of India.

In one sense it is ironic India should celebrate Independence Day a couple of months ago in August.

It is after all a civilization older than its former Imperial masters. A country born not 70-odd years ago but a nation 5000 years old. To celebrate a blip in its recent history seems to put it in the same category as all those ordinary new nations.

More to be celebrated is the exceptional manner in which India gained Independence. And in this struggle whilst the world rightly knows Gandhiji, too often forgotten is Sardar Patel.

Let us not forget that the Sardar was elected to be India’s first Prime Minister – he was the people’s choice. As Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister he was charged with forming the Union of India by ensuring that all 565 Princely States within the territory acceded to India – rather than sought accession to Pakistan or seek to be Independent nations. Remember Hyderabad in the centre of India sought to secede to Pakistan. Patel made the Prince an offer he could not refuse.

He earned the reputation as the iron man of India for precisely his firmness in ensuring the shape of modern India, and whilst he focused on the Hyderabad succession issue Nehru dealt with Kashmir. The rest as they say is history and to this day many say that under Patel, the Kashmir dispute would never have occurred. In any event, it is a dispute no more.

But as Gandhiji represented peaceful revolution, the likes of which mankind had not seen since Christ walked in Jerusalem, so Patel was a man of his times.

To understand him we have to understand from where he hails.

If you visit the Sardar’s former home in the tiny village of Karamsad in Gujarat, one of a million villages in India, a home in a non-descript alley, there you will find a living room the floor of which is made of cow pats. The British Empire they say was formed on the playing fields of Eton. The end of the British Empire was formulated on this cow pat floor in Karamsad, in a small village in what to the greatest Empire known to man must have seemed the middle of nowhere.

These men who constructed the most populous democracy in the history of the world and precipitated the end of the age of empires. More than the modern Americans or the ancient Greeks – they brought more people under the umbrella of democracy than any other individual ever to have lived. Not Lincoln, not Washington, not the American Revolution, not the French revolution, can claim that success as these men.

As the Mahatma and Patel knew, freedom is not free at all, it comes with the highest of costs. The cost of blood.

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2 - 8 October 2021

Virendra Sharma MP supports Organ Donation Week

Danish - UK Association to host virtual women's entrepreneurship event Danish -UK Association (DKUK) will partner with LID Publishing to host a virtual event to celebrate female entrepreneurship and gender diversity through innovation. The event will be held on 3rd October and will consist of a leading panel who will be sharing their knowledge and encouraging entrepreneurial growth for women throughout the UK and the Nordics.

Gunnar Larsen, Managing Director Danish UK Association said, "Ultimately, the event is to inform, inspire and share knowledge and everyone is welcome to attend."

Moderator of the event and author & founder of Serendipity PR & Media Sangeeta Waldron said, "Being a

Gunnar Larsen, Managing Director, Danish UK Association

woman in business can be challenging, more so during this global pandemic, which is why this event is both timely and relevant, as support for women entrepreneurs can go a long way."

The event will be held from 10 am to 11 am.

You can register to attend the event at https://dkuk.org/events/female-innovation-andentrepreneurship/

Maggie Keenan, the first person in the world to receive a Covid-19 jab gets the first booster Margaret Keenan, the first person in the world to receive a Covid-19 jab outside of a clinical trial, received a booster shot last week in the next phase of the NHS vaccination programme.

The 91-year-old grandmother of four, who is known as Maggie, returned to University Hospital, Coventry to receive the topup vaccination.

May Parsons, who administered Maggie’s initial jab ten months ago also received her booster, as the pair were reunited.

The NHS in England made history when Maggie received the first approved vaccination in Coventry on

8 December and has since delivered more than 78 million jabs.

Maggie, a former jewellery shop assistant who only retired five years ago and has two children and four grandchildren, said she was “delighted” to get the extra dose before the winter, and encouraged others to do

the same.

On getting her booster 91-year-old grandmother, Maggie Keenan, said: “It was a real privilege to be the first person vaccinated against Covid-19 in December and to be able to receive my booster alongside May was hilarious. May is great fun – we have done the double-act

today, Maggie May. “I feel good, I feel really good. I don’t really know what stops people from having it, maybe they are frightened of the needle, but it is nothing to be frightened of.

“It has protected me in my mind as well, and I feel quite confident now going out to places, I feel so happy now that I have got this done.

On why people should come forward for their vaccine. Maggie added: “It’s saving their lives, their family’s lives, and it is helping the NHS, so what more can I say – go for it, go and have it done, you will feel much better for it, it is going to help you, and help others.”

People aged 16 and 17 urged to get lifesaving Covid vaccine as NHS bookings open People aged 16 and 17 are able to book their Covid-19 jabs through the National Booking Service as the NHS vaccination programme pulls out all the stops to protect people ahead of winter.

Almost three-quarters of a million young people in England – around 60% – have already received their vaccine thanks to the NHS “Grab a Jab” campaign, where the NHS online site finder helps people find their nearest walk-in vac-

cine clinic.

The online booking service now offers an additional way for people aged 16 and 17 to get a single shot of Pfizer in line with JCVI advice.

Thousands of texts will be sent to eligible teenagers in the coming days.

Messages appear as an alert from ‘NHSvaccine’ and include a web link to the NHS website to make a booking.

It is the latest phase of the NHS Covid vaccination

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programme, the biggest and most successful in health service history.

NHS staff have already been vaccinating young people at hundreds of convenient sites including Reading and Leeds Festival, night clubs and Thorpe Park.

More than 78 million vaccinations have been delivered and nearly 9 in 10 adults have had their

first dose since the NHS in England made history when Margaret Keenan received the first jab outside of a clinical trial in Coventry, in December 2020.

Dr Nikki Kanani, GP and Deputy Lead for the NHS vaccination programme, encouraged people to get the jab if they had not yet had the single dose.

Pandemic backlog of cancer patients may only end by 2033 According to the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPS) think tank and the CF health consultancy, delays in cancer treatment caused by the pandemic will continue for more than a decade.

The backlog of Cancer patients could take as long as 2033 for hospitals to treat. The report suggests that an estimated 19,500 people with cancer in England have not been diagnosed due to missed referrals. Delayed diagnosis means the backlogs in chemotherapy and radiotherapy could take until

2028 and 2033 to clear, the study predicts.

The report also mentions that the pandemic has led to a 37 per cent drop in endoscopies, a 25 per cent drop in MRI scans and a 10 per cent drop in CT scans.

“Behind these statistics are thousands of people for whom it will now be too late to cure their cancer.

We estimate that the number of cancers diagnosed while they are still highly curable (stage one and two) fell from 44 per cent before the pandemic to 41 per cent last year,” the report says.

Virendra Sharma MP supports Organ Donation Week and encourages constituents to talk about organ donation with their loved ones.

Although the law around organ donation has changed to an opt-out system in many parts of the UK, families will still be consulted if organ donation is a possibility.

Each year, hundreds of opportunities for transplants are missed because families aren't sure what to do. Families will always be consulted about whether their loved ones wanted to be organ donors or not, and clinicians will never proceed with organ donation if the family or loved ones object. Ealing Southall MP urges his constituents to have an open conversation to discuss family member’s preferences and concerns.

On average British Asian patients wait up to six months longer than white patients for a kidney transplant. Patients from the African Caribbean and African communities wait up to twelve months longer than white patients for a kidney transplant. Although people can receive a transplant from someone of any ethnicity, the best transplants come from donors of the same ethnicity.

Virendra Sharma MP said: “Many of my constituents are of BAME origin and those from BAME backgrounds are more likely to develop conditions that result in the need for organ transplants and those requiring bone marrow

donations are more likely to find a match with someone from a similar ethnic background. Although there has been a fantastic increase in the number of donors overall in the past ten years, the number of BAME organ and tissue donors has only increased by a small fraction of the community and this translates directly into more deaths in our community.”

He addressed the sensitivity around this issue and said that when the wishes of the deceased are unclear, and emotions are cloudy immediately after their death, it can be difficult to make the decision to donate at that time. He said, “discussing your wishes with family well in advance can mean that you will save a life. Further education on organ donation and debunking myths about religious exclusion from the practice is necessary to save more lives, as is a discussion with family members prior to death regarding organ donation. Awareness must be raised within our schools and communities here in the UK if we wish to save lives and increase the quality of life for countless individuals.”

Fluoride to be added to drinking water in England British Chief Medical officers have said that to prevent tooth decay, millions of people will have to add fluoride to their drinking water.

H e a l t h Secretary Sajid Javid is said to be keen on pressing this matter in England at the parliament. England’s Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty is supporting this move. He went on record to say that there is no evidence that fluoride causes cancer and he condemned “exaggerated and unevidenced” claims about health risks.

The Times reported, “The first water fluoridation in Britain began in Birmingham in 1964.

Ministers want to act after finding that 10 per cent of the population have it added to their supplies nearly 60 years later.”

“Widespread fluoridation schemes could be approved from later next year, although the timescale depends on the progress of the health bill. Taxpayers will pick up the costs, expected at between 16p and 30p per head of population a year, suggesting a nationwide annual bill in the region of £10 million.

Public Health England estimates that for every pound spent more than £12 is saved over five years in avoiding treatment for tooth decay, it added.

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2 - 8 October 2021

It’s a friendly face thing.

Some conversations are just better when they’re done face to face.

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2 - 8 October 2021

Up to 5,500 poultry workers to help deliver Christmas dinners The number of temporary poultry workers permitted to travel to and work in the UK will increase in time for Christmas, the government has announced today (Sunday 26 September).

Up to 5,500 poultry workers will be able to work in the UK ahead of Christmas 2021.

This will be delivered through the Temporary Workers route.

This comes as the Department for Transport announced that up to 5,000 drivers will be able to come to the UK to transport food and fuel in the run-up to Christmas.

The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain that has coped well in responding to unprecedented challenges. The decision will ensure that farmers and food producers have access to the necessary workforce to mitigate

any potential risks to the Christmas food supply.

Recruitment for additional short-term HGV drivers and poultry workers will begin in October and this route will be valid until 24 December 2021. UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), working with the Department for Transport and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, will process applications, once made, in a timely manner.

Sex abuse charity MP Saqib Bhatti takes up a new role helpline doesn’t help? supporting Health Secretary Former Chamber president and current MP for Meriden, Saqib Bhatti, has been handed a new role supporting Health Secretary Sajid Javid. Mr Bhatti stepped down as Chamber president in 2019 to stand in the general election.

He has been named Parliamentary Private Secretary within the Department for Health and Social Care. He will assist Mr Javid alongside

fellow PPS, Dover and Deal MP Natalie Elphicke. Announcing his appointment on Twitter, Mr Bhatti said: “I am so pleased to be joining the fantastic team at @DHSCgovuk as PPS to @sajidjavid. “There is lots of important work ahead and I am looking forward to getting stuck in with my fellow PPS and colleague @NatalieElphicke.”

Old vs new graduates compete for the same job New and old graduates are now competing for the same jobs due to the drop off rates, fierce competition and lack of jobs amid the pandemic. 2022 is going to be one fiercely competitive year for job seekers. Many fear that they will have no choice but to take up whichever job they are offered.

The number of graduates securing a suitable job fell by a third this year amid competition with last year’s university leavers, research for The Times showed.

“Businesses cut their university-level recruitment by almost a sixth last year and most of these posts were not restored this summer. It means that graduates have battled for fewer positions while competing against tens of thousands of last year’s leavers who have not yet secured graduate jobs,” a report said.

Martin Birchall, the editor of The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers, said: “The pan-

demic has brought very significant disruption and heralded some of the most dramatic changes in The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers since it was first produced in 1999.

Final-year students will be frustrated that as well as having another year of largely online lectures, many employers’ recruitment promotions and events are likely to remain online too, with few opportunities to meet prospective employers in person before applying for a graduate job.”

Banned academic returns to Cambridge Controversial academic name, Jordan Peterson, who was banned from the University of Cambridge, is making a come back.

Peterson announced on Twitter that he will visit the institution in November.

“Stephen Toope’s Cambridge has become a

preposterous place.” he wrote. He fell into a controversy during his visiting fellowship after he was photographed with a man wearing an Islamophobic T-shirt.

Media reports suggest that Peterson has been invited to Cambridge by Dr James Orr, from the faculty of 24 hour helpline e

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divinity, who said Peterson intended to spend ten days to two weeks at the university, attending a variety of engagements and seminars.

According to an investigation carried out by The Times, more than hundreds of thousands of calls to a Home Office-funded hotline set up to help victims of sexual abuse have been going unanswered. The investigation states that the National Association for People Abused in Childhood (Napac) answered only 8.5 per cent of the calls over the past four years.

Some victims have tried calling as many as 53 times out of desperation but the charity didn’t get back to her.

“Since 2015 the charity has received £1.6 million from the Home Office and about the same amount from other sources, including private donations,” The Times reported.

The publication’s investigation was backed by testimonies from former employees who substantiated the glitches.

The National Association for People Abused in Childhood said that the proportion of victims that successfully received assistance was closer to 50 per cent. The Home Office said: “Our funding has helped the Napac deliver year-on-year increases to the number of victims receiving [support]. But we will continue to work closely with them so they support more victims and survivors.”

in brief in brief NURSE STRUCK OFF FOR SUPPLYING ABORTION PILL TO A FRIEND Robinraj Christy, 30, gave misoprostol tablets to a university friend, Kasam Rahman. Mr Rahman then supplied them to father-to-be-, Isaac Lyndsay, who forced his partner to take them, causing her to have an abortion.

The baby was born nine weeks premature and was critically ill. At 24 weeks old, it was past the UK cut-off point for taking the abortion pill to terminate a pregnancy. In December 2019, Mr Christy was jailed for three years for conspiring to administer poison, whilst working at Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust. In spite of this, he denied all involvement in the crime. Now the 30-year-old has been struck off by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) for his behaviour.

ALDI, LIDL, TESCO AND SAINSBURY RECALL FEW PRODUCTS The main supermarkets of UK have issued urgent warnings urging customers not to consume some of the food items purchased from stores like Aldi, Lidl, Tesco and Sainsbury.

The main reason behind the product recalling is food allergies and incorrect packaging.

Some of the products include Jack’s 50% Reduced Fat Salad Cream and Tesco 50% Less Fat Salad Cream, the Original SFC Bargain Box. Aldi is recalling Crestwood 2 Puff Pastry Cheese and Onion Slices as it contains barley (gluten) and mustard which are not mentioned on the label. Lidl recalled My Street Food Patatas Bravas with Aioli Dip. Sainsbury’s is recalling On the Go Spicy Chicken Pasta as some packs might have cheese and tomato pasta rather than spicy chicken pasta as mentioned on the label.

One of the popular range of vegetarian products, Quorn Foods, recalled Quorn Vegetarian Turkey and Stuffing Slices because it contains wheat (gluten).

£350k spent on 2022 LONDON MARATHON Instagram NPCC SWITCHED TO OCTOBER The cost of running an Instagram account ‘Yourpolice.uk’ which is run by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and backed by the Home Office is over £350,000 annually.

Police have faced public criticism over this expenditure.

An officer told The Daily Telegraph: “Should NPCC be spending £350k a year to run an account which promotes such things as rainbow cars and calls it ‘youth engagement’? Wouldn’t such money be better used to help intervene in the mass youth violence?”

The account has 19,400 followers and has posted 732 times. The NPCC is seeking a digital engagement officer with a salary of £33,628 per annum.

Was it racial discrimination?

British Boxer Amir Khan has cited racial discrimination as the prime reason why he was escorted off a plane in the United States. He says it was the colour of his skin that may have led to the humiliation he underwent in the US. The American Airlines even banned him from travelling via the airline while he was flying to Colorado for a training camp via New York on 18 September.

Khan shared this incident on social media and said that he was “disgusted” and that the airline staff complained that his mask wasn’t “high enough” to board the plane.

A spokesperson for American Airlines said: "Prior to take off on September 18, American Airlines Flight 700, with service from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), returned to the gate to deplane two customers who reportedly refused to comply with repeated crew member requests.

"To stow luggage, place cell phones in aeroplane mode and adhere to federal face-covering requirements.

"Our customer relations team has reached out to Mr Khan to learn more about his experience."

The London Marathon will be held in early October in 2022 instead of its traditional date in April for the third straight year, due to the pandemic. The 2021 edition is scheduled for October 3, while the 2022 race will be held on October 2. Almost 50,000 runners will participate in the traditional course from Greenwich to The Mall while another 50,000 participants are set to complete the 26.2 miles on the course of their choice anywhere in the world over the day. "We think that by postponing the 2022 event to October we give ourselves the best chances of welcoming the world to the streets of London, enabling tens of millions to be raised for good causes. For the past 39 years, the London Marathon has been a spring event and we will return to our old slot in 2023 as the TCS London Marathon will take place on Sunday 23 April,” said Hugh Brasher, event director, London Marathon Events.

DEPORTED WIFE-KILLER BANNED FROM VISITING MOTHER’S FUNERAL Convicted wife-killer Shangara Singh, 59, from Edgbaston, was deported to India after serving his murder sentence - has slammed the government for barring him from visiting his mother, Bhajan Kaur’s funeral.

Bhajan Kaur, from Handsworth, passed away on September 17 and her funeral is on October 2, in West Bromwich. According to the reports in Birmingham Mail, Shangara Singh’s legal firm has now approached the Home Secretary to show compassion. The firm’s Jagdeesh Singh said Shangara was sent to India after serving 15 years in UK prisons for murder her wife, Harpvinder Kaur Uppal. Currently, he runs a seed farm business in India.

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2 - 8 October 2021

Covid-19: NHS backlog, vulnerable school kids, smokers and diabetics According to the latest NHS data, a record 5.6 million people in England are waiting for treatment.

Ministers in the UK have ordered a major relaxation of coronavirus infection control measures in England’s hospitals in an effort to make it easier to tackle the backlog.

Meanwhile, scientists suggest that the fourth wave of Covid-19 may have started to gain momentum as cases spillover from school kids to their parents.

Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) published on Friday showed rates have increased for those aged from two to school Year 11 in England.

Around one in 35 people in Years, 7 to 11 are estimated to have had Covid-19 in the week to September 18 - the highest positivity rate for any age group.

The percentage testing positive decreased in all other age groups except for those aged 50 to 69, where the trend was uncertain. The most recent Department of Health data aligns with this and shows that in 40-44-year-olds there are 361.2 cases per 100,000 in the week ending September 21.

This is up from 318.1 the previous week.

In those aged 45-49 there were 300.9 cases per 100,000 across the same time range - that's up from 264.4 the previous week.

In the younger adult cohort - where immunity may not yet be waning, in those 35-39, the infection rate was up slightly going from 267.6 to 276.2.

Don’t be complacent about infections in school kids Microbiologist at Reading University, Dr Simon Clarke said ministers can't be complacent about the rise in infections in schoolage kids.

"It is likely they [Covid cases] have gone from children. Parents have protection from the vaccine, but we know the protection is not complete", he told MailOnline.

Smokers still at risk A study led by Oxford University, is the first of its kind to look at both observational and genetic data on smoking and coronavirus. It was based on primary care records, Covid test results, hospital admissions data and death certificates.

The research concluded: 421,469 people were included in the research and among them, 1,649 tested positive for Covid, 968

Children who deny Covid vaccine may get infected sooner or later There are school children who refuse to get vaccinated due to one or the other reason. Chris Witty has said that these children may get infected at some point.

Boys and girls in the 1215 age group will be offered a vaccine after Professor Whitty and his colleagues said last week that children would benefit from reduced disruption to their educa-

tion.

However, he has said that those school children who refuse to get vaccinated should not be stigmatized or excluded from classroom activities.

Health officials have said that the doses to children would be largely administered within schools and children considered competent will be given the

were admitted to hospital related to the virus and 444 people died with Covid-19. The results showed that, compared with neversmokers, current smokers had an 80% higher risk of hospital admission with Covid-19.

They were twice as likely to die if they smoked one to nine cigarettes a day, while those smoking 10 to 19 cigarettes a day were almost six times more likely to die. Among heavier smokers, people who smoked more than 20 a day, were over six times more likely to die compared to people who had never

smoked.The UK Health Security Agency has flagged that it is in fact aware some schools had received campaign letters and emails with misinformation about the vaccine programme.

Diabetics have suffered According to media reports, estimates show that 2.4 million diagnostic diabetes tests were missed or delayed between the end of March and the end of September last year – including 213,000 missed pre-diabetes and 68,500 missed diabetes diagnoses.

No link found between Covid vaccine and periods?

Scientists say that a British study that intended to find whether Covid vaccines can disrupt a woman’s periods, may not be able to find a link between the two after all.

While Imperial College researchers continue to monitor over 250 women’s menstrual cycles, before and after vaccination, lead researcher Dr Victoria Male believes that a tiny number of participants means the

study won't pick up a potential link unless it is 'really common' — affecting more than one in ten women.

Period issues affect approximately one in ten women every year, therefore, thorough investigations are needed to spot whether the jab may really be to blame.

“Nearly 36,000 women have reported experiencing period issues after receiving the Covid vaccine. But

experts fear this is only the tip of the iceberg because many women who experienced the changes likely did not report them. Period issues reported after getting the Covid vaccine include heavy bleeding, missing periods, and periods being earlier or later than usual.

Some postmenopausal women have also said they experienced vaginal bleeding after being vaccinated,” Daily Mail reported.

Experts say the worst is over for Covid

final say on whether they want to get vaccinated.

Oxford University professor of medicine John Bell says Covid-19 could resemble the common cold by spring next year, there is no need to panic.

Bell has said that vaccines and exposure has boosted the

immunity to vaccines and the worst is over for the country as far as Covid-19 is concerned and things should be fine once winter has passed.

Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert has said viruses tend to become weaker as they

spread around.

Sir John has said that it’s pretty important that we don’t panic about where we are now and that the number of severe infections and deaths from Covid remains very low.

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2 - 8 October 2021

Prince Harry and Meghan extend support to UN’s sustainable development goals Ahead of their scheduled appearances at the Global Citizen concert in Central Park, Prince Harry and Meghan met UN deputy secretary-general Amina Mohammed and discussed how to engage on issues like vaccine equity, climate action, the economic

empowerment of women, youth engagement and well being.

Tens of thousands of people are likely to attend and millions likely to tune in to the broadcast of the starstudded 24 hour concert aiming to encourage climate action and urge weather

countries to share one billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines with other nations.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex who stepped down from royal duties last year are due to speak at the event in New York as part of their first major public trip since quitting as royals.

Labour conference indicates appropriate tax rises and a focus on environment While Sir Keir Stammer assured that if Labour wins power the tax rise will not unfairly hit working families, shadow councillor Rache Reeves said she did not have any plans to

increase the rates of income tax.

Sir Keir also promised children in England an education fit for the future which will be paid from the taxes on private

schools.

However, the main focus on the conference floor was on the environment. Ed Miliband, shadow business and energy secretary pledged a 10-year

investment to ‘green’ the UK’s steel industry. He also described the current gas prices crisis as a disaster made in Downing Street because of inaction from the government.

Toy shortages would mean increased prices and reduced qualities in the run to Christmas Worldwide shipping container crises have triggered a shortage of toys.

Dolls’ pram specialist Andrew Coplestone has said that the shortages would be most apparent in the toy industry with increasing shipping costs impacting every corner of the global

toy community. The sky-

rocketing costs for imports will result in narrower product ranges, less seasonal discounting, low stock levels and higher retail prices for potentially lower quality products.

Calling it the most challenging Christmas in his last 30 years he warned that a hike in price for Christmas toys certainly does not mean an increase in quality. He has asked shoppers to plan ahead for the drastically different Christmas 2021 landscape.

Keir Starmer rewrites Name change of The Labour leadership rules Black Boy pub after 200 years has nothing to do with race

The 14000 word document entitled ‘The Road Ahead’

by Starmer has set Labour on a decisive course toward the centre ground that emphasizes the values of hard work, contributing to society and partnership with the private sector.

In this pamphlet for the Fabian Society, designed to defy critics who have bemoaned his lack of ideology, Starmer pledges to repair the public finances.

It is said that it’s the first time people have believed in a Labour leader in a decade.

Now it’s about showing them why he should become

Prime Minister.

The pamphlet also includes a blunt message of Starmer for his party of becoming a party squabbling over its own past, rather than one focused on the future of the country.

PM Boris Johnson taken aback by anger on submarine deal France's reaction to losing out on a major submarine contract to Australia due to the AUKUS pact has admittedly taken Boris Johnson aback.

He has told French President Emmanuel Macron to "prenez un grip" and give him a break. He has also shown the intention to reach out to Paris and try to sort something out.

After talks with US President Joe Biden he has said that "everyone has been a bit taken aback by the strength of French reaction and we all want to reach out."

Nearly 600 years old building in Kidderminster Road, Wribbenhall which has been known as The Black Boy since the 19th century, is now renamed as The Bewdley Inn. The leaseholders believed that the owners of Stonegate Pubs changed it because of ‘Black Lives Matter’.

The Solihull based owners of the pub have denied it saying that the reason for the name change is that the pub now also offered accommodation.

The second Black Boy pub in Bewdley – at the top of Wyre Hill has not been

renamed.

Historians believe that the name originates from the nickname given to King Charles II by his mother.

There is also a belief that the name refers to the black

colour little boys turned after they became covered in soot when they were sent up chimneys.

Vaz case open to review after IEP publishes report However, he appeared to rule out allowing France to join the three-country pact in order to calm the row. But, as he said, there may be scope to extend cooperation beyond the submarines.

The Independent Expert Panel has published a 16page document titled ‘The Conduct of Mr Keith Vaz’ on 23 September 2021.

But according to the report, the Parliamentary Commissioner, Kathryn Stone, gave the complainant the right of appeal but failed to offer Mr Vaz the same

right which is a fundamental breach of the process leaving the decision open to judicial review, The Daily Telegraph reported.

The Complainant was Jenny McCullough, a former Clerk in the House of Commons Service, who has agreed to be identified in this report.

Rationalising subscriptions

Rohit Vadhwana Monthly subscription has become a new way for buying many services and products nowadays. Earlier we used to buy things one-off and go for another shopping when required. Services like gym, newspaper, magazine, telephone etc were different, of course. But in the present time, even things like coffee, shirts, shaving kits etc are available on a subscription basis. You add payment information once in the website and a certain amount gets deducted every month or at any other pre-decided interval. You get what you have subscribed for at regular intervals. Admittedly, it is very convenient in the fast lifestyle, isn't it? There are different arguments on the financial prudence of subscribing to such deliveries. Even for gym subscriptions, less than 10 out of 100 people use the service regularly. There are food subscriptions delivering stuff weekly or monthly.

Some people argue that such subscriptions are taking out money regularly from the pocket, while others counter-argue that what we need is anyway going to cost us, so what is wrong with paying as a subscription?

And both the arguments have some truth behind them.

What is the actual use of the product we have subscribed for? Many people get newspapers delivered at home but do not read. Sometimes food and shaving kits delivered are piled in the storeroom without use.

So, what is the solution? Is it better to buy only when we need the product/service or does a subscription still make sense? In my personal case, I have paid for a gym subscription (without using it regularly!). So is the case for a TV subscription as I hardly watch it.

Sadly, I would confess it is a real waste of money.

But, is there a choice of unsubscribing from TV and Gym? I doubt. However, my subscriptions for movies, magazines and coffee have been really useful. Although I don't utilise 100% of what is available under the offer, still it makes financial sense to me, by saving costs and efforts. Even if I had bought them by paying separately, I would have ended up paying either a similar or more amount. So it makes perfect sense to me because subscriptions come with some discount.

What is your situation? Would you even like to check how much money is being auto-debited from your bank accounts, debit cards and credit cards? Now the first thing you will realise is that you have multiple accounts from where different subscriptions and autodebits are being paid for. It is difficult to make a list, right? Anyway, if you still decide to prepare a list, you will find out that a few of the subscriptions are just passive money robbers but still you can't stop them, some are really useful while remaining may be an unnecessary waste of your hard-earned money, and you would like to immediately stop them - unless bound by a contract!

By the way, this was about rationalising subscriptions from a financial point of view. If we think what is the real purpose of these subscriptions, like TV for remaining updated and entertained, phone for calling friends and family, gym for exercise, some websites for learning new skills - and we decide to commit ourselves to these goals, perhaps everything will be better utilised. Simply, subscriptions are not to make services available at doorsteps without effort, but for the result that we would desire out of them. If we are committed to those results and subscribe ourselves to the end goal, perhaps the outcome would be the best. So let's consider that our subscription is to devote some time for physical exercise (gym), being educated and informed (newspaper, magazine), getting entertained (TV, movies) and then we commit to these goals, perhaps it will be a more logical way of achieving desired results.

All the best.

(Expressed opinions are personal)

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AsianVoiceNewsweekly

2 - 8 October 2021

Care home crisis about to get costly Care homes in the UK are reportedly seeing a 100 per cent rise in their electricity bills.

According to Daily Mail, care homeowners may have to shut down their setup if this continues this winter. The article suggests that Care home with 50 residents spends around £50K a year on gas and electricity, but an energy broker stated that the price hikes could lead to them paying double that amount. Melanie Weatherby, the co-chair of the Care Association Alliance, was quoted by the Mail, saying that the soaring price of wholesale gas could be the 'straw that breaks the camel's back'. Seven firms have pulled the plug so far amid a warning from the gov-

ernment to prepare for the worst, a report said.

This is when care home workers also need to comply with the mandate to get vaccinated should they continue to work at a

care home in the UK to prevent the rise in Covid infections among the elderly.

Meanwhile, it is imperative to note that the UK currently needs nearly two million workers and relaxation in immigration rules to avert this looming crisis of an array of shortages. The Mail reported figures as follows: Active job posts reveal bosses are crying out for 55,019 care staff, 36, 471 chefs, 32,615 sales assistants - amid urgent calls to relax immigration rules to ease crisis Job market data from September 13 to September 19 shows firms in the UK posted 220,000 new job roles. The figure, from September 13 to September 19, brings the

total number of active jobs to more than a 1.9million. Job advert figures also show more than 7,500 job adverts have been posted for HGV drivers in the UK last week. The Road Haulage Association estimate the UK to be short 100,000 HGV drivers, amid driver shortage chaos.

Asian Voice reached out to several care homes to understand the situation but did not receive a response.

If you are an Asian and running a care home or are a care home worker who would like to share their story, Asian Voice will be happy to publish it. Please write to us at shefali.saxena@abplgroup.com.

Fraud in the UK: What groups are most at risk?

Fraud related crime rates have risen by 52% over the past year according to new research, with 10.2% of those questioned in 2021 stating that they had been a victim of fraud.

A new analysis of Crime Survey for England and Wales carried out by personal data and protection experts VPN Overview found that over the past three years fraud accounted for 69.3% of all personal crime reported through the Crime Survey.

The study found that the most targeted age group was those from 45 to 54 years of age, with 9.9% of those interviewed in the age group reporting to have been victims of fraud. The least affected group was found to be those over the age of 75, with only 5% of participants in the age group reporting fraud-related crimes in the past three years.

Data collected through the most recent survey (March 2020 to March 2021) showed that 45 to 54-year-olds again reported the highest amount of fraudrelated crimes out of those interviewed, with 11.8% of participants in this age group reporting fraud. The fewest reports of

fraud was in the 75+ age group, with only 5.9% of those interviewed reporting to have been victims of fraud.

ONS data collected from police records on criminal activity found that London reported the highest total number of fraudulent crimes in the UK, 87,246.

However, when population size is factored in, 0.97% of the total population reported crimes, a lower rate than other areas.

The analysis of police force reports found that 1.95% of all Cleveland residents had been victims of fraud in the past year, suggesting that this is the most targeted area per capita in the UK. Northumbria was the lowest recorded area for fraud in the UK, with only 0.49% of the 1,400,000+ residents reporting a fraud-related crime in the past year. Interestingly, both of these police force areas are based in the North East.

In the South West, Avon and Somerset were ranked most at risk, with the highest number of recorded fraudrelated criminal offences, 1.87% of the population. This also ranks Avon and Somerset the second most at-risk area in

Fuel crisis or ‘fuelled’ crisis?

Continued from page 1 Sohail Anjum, a Long Covid survivor who is still recovering from the aftermath of Covid the said that the “petrol queues messed up the bus turnaround times.” Speaking to the newsweekly, he said, “Buses arriving were packed to the brim.

Being a Long Covid survivor, I'm still hesitant about getting onto a packed bus where passengers don't bother wearing masks. The next bus was 21 minutes away, which means I would have missed my train. So had no choice but to walk to the station, which is a 20-minute walk.”

Dipul Miah, who provides taxi services, told Asian Voice, “What I am seeing is just a repeat of the whole toilet tissue & pasta hoarding that happened during the 1st lockdown. Society seems to be a bunch of sheep's as they don't understand the reality as there isn't actually a fuel shortage but just that one company has fewer drivers that are delivering the fuel. Lastly, the government & the media are to blame for this situation as they have again made a mountain out of a molehill.”

Dr Chaand Nagpaul, the BMA council chair, said: “Emergency and essential workers rely on fuel both to travel to work and for their work itself – whether this is to get to hospitals, practices and other healthcare settings, or for ambulances to reach people in urgent need of care and GPs to visit very ill patients at home.”

Meanwhile, a woman sparked online outrage after she posted an ad on the Marple, Romiley and Bredbury Community Facebook page on Monday. The caption read: “10L e10 petrol. Collection from Romiley. £50 Ono. Cans not included but can fill up on collection.” The post, which included a photo of two green petrol cans, attracted fury from others online.

“'EU truckers will NOT help Britain out of the s**t they created themselves', European HGV drivers' union chief lashed the hopes of 'short-term visa' fix - while British driver says red-tape and abuse forced them out of the industry,” the Mail reported.

A media report also said that long queues of vehicles snaked their way to gas stations in Britain on Saturday where an acute shortage of truck drivers has led to fuel rationing and some pumps running dry and prompted the government to consider issuing temporary work visas.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has kept the army on standby to deal with UK’s fuel crisis. “No 10 said army drivers would be ready to help deliver petrol and diesel on a short-term basis, but stopped short of an immediate deployment, even though some essential workers have not been able to carry out their jobs without fuel,” Guardian reported.

Sir Keir Starmer criticised Johnson and said, “The consequences of Boris Johnson’s failure to prepare or plan are being felt across our country. The government must now bring together businesses and trade unions to develop a proper plan, both for the immediate crisis, as well as to tackle the long-term issues that have led us here.”

the UK. Gloucestershire was found to be the safest for fraud-related crimes in the South West, with 0.67% of the population reporting fraud to the local authorities.

The most at-risk area in the East is Cambridgeshire, where 0.9% of the population had reported the fraud to the

local authorities in the past year. Suffolk had the fewest reports of fraud in the East, with 0.57% of residents reporting to have been victims of fraud.

The analysis was conducted by VPN Overview, cybersecurity experts dedicated to helping internet users feel safer and protected online.

Costs of raising children a concern for UK adults, says CISI The day-to-day costs of raising children have emerged as a concern for 75% of UK adults who stated personal finances have played a part in deciding whether or not to have (additional) children according to the not-for-profit professional body the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI).

The survey was undertaken for CISI Financial Planning Week 11 October, #FPWUK led by Certified Financial

PlannerTM professionals, a pro bono campaign offering consumers UK-wide free, one to one sessions with a qualified financial planner. Of those surveyed, 21% said they took personal finances into account when thinking about having children – half of these respondents said childcare costs were a factor (49%), while a third of these UK adults expressed concern about maternity / paternity leave pay (33%).

10 UK 2 - 8 October 2021

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READERS' VOICE

NHS should invite people once every year to have a blood test NHS launches the world’s largest trial of cancer blood test (AV 18-24 Sept 2021) is really very welcome news. Even though there are problems like having limited funds, staff and other resources, this is a timely and proactive step to detect cancer at an early stage.

There is a compulsory MOT every year for a motor vehicle but there is no such thing for our human body, one of the most precious things we have. If there is a kind of “preventive maintenance” of our body, we can avoid some of the diseases easily or can be detected and cured at the right time, which will ultimately save resources for other priority areas.

I think NHS should invite people once every year to have a blood test, to measure BP, weight etc and suggest appropriate actions in terms of diet and exercise.

Blood collection and admin work can be done by junior staff which will also save the time of doctors in the long run.

Still, there is a stigma in some Asian communities to go to the NHS and get the body checked up unless they are really sick. From an early age, we have been taught that “prevention is better than cure”. This is true even today especially due to the changing lifestyle, eating too much unhealthy, sugary food. Child obesity can also be controlled if appropriate preventive actions are taken.

Hitesh Hingu London

Whilst we should all be looking ahead optimistically towards our economic recovery from the pandemic, I am extremely concerned about the perfect storm of the cut to Universal Credit, the end of the furlough scheme and the rise in inflation.

This will all have a significant impact on those already struggling on the lowest incomes in our communities.

To add to this, it has recently emerged that energy bills are set to increase by an average of £139 a year in October.

For too many households and families in our capital, there is often a stark dilemma to be made between putting enough food on the table and putting the heating on.

The latest Government figures show that 15% of London’s households live in fuel poverty. Tragically, living in a cold home is a major contributing factor in thousands of Excess Winter Deaths across the country each year.

We simply cannot allow this to be the case in one of the richest countries in the world. This is why, as a starting point, the Government must urgently reverse the cut to the £20 weekly uplift in Universal Credit payments, heavily invest in retrofitting schemes and increase the Warm Homes Discount and Winter Fuel Payment.

Krupesh Hirani AM London Assembly Member for Brent and Harrow

Letters page could be even better if…

I think this newspaper’s excellent letters page could be even better if we readers restricted our views to under 80 words, as some do. This would allow many more readers to express their views. Also, we should comment on Asian Voice’s contents. What do we like or dislike in the paper?

Rudy Otter

10 women give birth inside their cell or on the way to hospital*, and in the last two years, two babies born inside prison have died.

Even if the worst doesn't happen, prison causes toxic stress and trauma to both mother and child. Short sentences can have a longlasting, lifelong negative impact. The government

can and must put an end to imprisoning pregnant women and new mothers by changing sentencing laws. Right now, there is no statutory duty for judges to take pregnancy or parenthood into consideration when sentencing. This has to change. The law needs to be strengthened so that judges legally have to con-

sider the health of pregnant women and their babies, and avoid sending them to prison at all costs “The majority of women enter prison for sentences of six months or less – which is enough time to lose your home, job and be totally cut off from your family and support networks,” it added.

Investigation into underpayment of State Pension The Department for Work & Pensions (the Department) estimates that it underpaid 134,000 pensioners over £1 billion in State Pension.

This was due to repeated human errors over many years, some level of which was almost inevitable given the complex rules and high degree of manual review necessary when assessing claims, according to the National Audit Office

(NAO).

The errors affect pensioners who first claimed State Pension before April 2016, do not have a full national insurance record, and should have received certain increases in their basic State Pension.

The errors were brought to the Department’s attention by individual pensioners, concerned experts and the media. The Department

started exploring the ‘potential for error’ from April 2020 and confirmed that there was a significant issue in August 2020. It started to review cases from January 2021 and will contact pensioners if it finds that they have been underpaid.

The Department estimates that it will need to pay the affected pensioners it can trace a total of £1,053 million, representing an

average of £8,900 per pensioner affected.

The Department has not assessed the demographics of pensioners likely to be affected, but most are likely to be women.

The Department’s estimates are highly uncertain and the true value of the underpayments will only become clear once it has completed its review of all affected cases.

Female-founded companies receive less than 1% of European VC investment Research by Yoppie, the pioneers of personalised menstrual wellness and period care, reveals that European companies with female-only founders receive less than 1% of all VC capital investment despite the number of female-led companies

almost doubling over the past decade.

Gender balance in the world of business and venture capital investment has been historically poor with male founders accounting for the vast majority of companies in both Europe and the US, as well as

receiving the lion’s share of VC investment. To try and understand how or if this balance has been corrected over the past ten years, Yoppie has analysed comprehensive investment data between 2011 and 2021.

Despite this disappointing insight, the amount of

FOREIGN SECRETARY MEETING WITH THE FOREIGN MINISTER OF PAKISTAN Foreign Secretary Liz Truss met Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on 28 September. An FCDO Spokesperson said: “The Foreign Secretary met Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on his visit to London this morning (28 September). The pair spoke about their commitment to strengthening bilateral ties between the two countries, including deepening economic links. The Pakistan Foreign Minister and the Foreign Secretary discussed the ongoing situation in Afghanistan, and the need for the international community to work together to ensure a coordinated approach. They reaffirmed their commitment to preventing Afghanistan from becoming a safe haven for terror and providing vital humanitarian assistance for ordinary Afghans. The foreign ministers also discussed the need for action to cut carbon emissions and protect biodiversity. They agreed to work together to achieve ambitious climate change objectives at November’s COP26 summit in Glasgow.”

money invested in femalefounded and male-female co-founded European companies has, at least, increased from € 0.44 billion in 2011 to € 7.70 billion in 2021 - with the average deal size rising from around €1.4 million in 2011 to €7.7 million in 2021.

FAR-RIGHT GROUP BRITAIN FIRST REGISTERED AS A POLITICAL PARTY After approval by the Electoral Commission, the far-right group Britain First has registered as a political party. The party was deregistered in 2017 after it failed to renew its registration on time, but this time its application met the legal criteria. Party leader Paul Golding believes in "building the electoral arm of our party". BBC reported that the group has developed a strong online following, attracting attention when one of its anti-Islamic videos was retweeted by the then-US President Donald Trump.

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KHICHADI Kapil’s

Rise in energy bills

Petition: stop sending pregnant women to prison In a letter to Dominic Raab under the We Level Up UK campaign, women have stated that in the last two years, two pregnant women have given birth inside UK prisons and their babies have died. According to them, the prison will never be a safe place for pregnant women and new mothers.

The petition read: 1 in

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Hindus for Labour: Really?

Kapil Dudakia News coming to me suggests that ‘Hindus for Labour’, a new entity led by Dr Neeraj Patil are planning to hold a gathering on 29th September during the Labour Party Annual Conference in Brighton. The aim it seems is to inform the hierarchy about how to engage purposefully with our community.

Had I been invited to talk, then the following is what I would have said to the audience.

Amongst many Hindus and Indians, Labour is now seen as an anti-Hindu and an anti-India party. It has lost the trust and confidence of our community. Mainly because of: a. The anti-Modi rhetoric. b. The anti-India rhetoric. c. The anti-Hindu rhetoric. d. Labour MPs and Councillors proactively supporting the Pakistani extremist actions against Indians. e. Conference motion on Kashmir in 2019 that was orchestrated lies by Labour members.

If Labour wants to be taken seriously, then: a. Stop appeasing the Pakistani community. b. Accept that Kashmir is integral to India. c. Stop appeasing the extremists from the Middle East. d. Stop antisemitism (and racism) in all its forms. e. Stop the anti-India, anti–Israel, anti-Hindu rhetoric championed by Labour members and politicians. f. Stop supporting Khalistani extremists. g. Stop playing identity politics. h. Kick out Labour politicians and members who transgress.

Labour politicians have gone out of their way to meddle in the politics of India. Constantly agitating and undermining developments, often leading to inciting hatred and discord in India, as well as here.

Labour has been embroiled in anti-Jewish activities that even the EHRC has denounced. This trend of attacking and undermining certain communities appears to have become a trademark for Labour. We Hindus feel that we are being persecuted by the party along similar lines.

If Labour wants to truly engage with the Hindu community, then it is for Labour to do the running.

Hindus do not owe Labour anything. We don’t need bigoted rhetoric and platitudes. Today we want to see concrete and sustained action before we place any trust in Labour again.

So, the message to ‘Hindus for Labour’ is clear, do your dharmic duty. Note, it was only last week that Labour MPs attacked India with their lies in Parliament.

Keir should have denounced all of them, however, the silence of the shadow front bench tells its own story.

Kier, if you are really serious then in your keynote speech, I’d like to see you include the following statement: ‘Kashmir is integral to India and a matter for India alone. Any Labour member who incites hatred towards India or Hindus are not welcome. I denounce the motion on Kashmir passed in 2019 and the one put forward this year. Labour values the contribution India makes towards global peace under the leadership of PM Modi. As leader of the Labour Party, I look forward to working with PM Modi and fostering good positive relations with India.’

Hindu Organisations will not engage until and unless Labour learns to respect our community. Labour is willing to roll out the red carpet for other communities, yet rather reluctant when it comes to Hindus.

Why? Kier, are you the man to save Labour from extremism? Or will your legacy be of appeasement and failure?

There you have it, short and to the point. I am available to the Labour leadership should they really wish to engage and learn the hard truths of why Hindus like me no longer trust them. Keir, if your Kinnock moment has arrived then call me, you’ll get the unadulterated truth, even if it is hard to swallow.

We are grateful to all letter writers for more and more versatile letters well within word limit.

Please keep contributing as always. If you are new, then write to Rupanjana at rupanjana.dutta@abplgroup.com

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2 - 8 October 2021

Women in Diplomacy single digits until 2011. Since then, the number of young Indian women joining the foreign service has been in double digits every year! The latest Batch of 2020 has a total intake of 24 officers, of which 10 are women officers, amounting roughly to an impressive 42 per cent. Of the 830 officers comprising the Cadre of IFS (persons in position), nearly 25 per cent are women officers.

India has 16 women ambassadors/ high commissioners and 6 consuls general, including Ruchi Ghanashyam the current Indian HC to UK, Gaitri Issar Kumar. Women regularly reach the seniorMrs. Ruchi Ghanashyam is the former High most levels of the service and have flown the Commissioner of India to the UK. With a Indian flag in all corners of the world, servcareer in Indian Foreign Service for over 38 ing in the most powerful countries to counyears, she has been posted in many tries in conflict. These achievements are on countries including South Africa, Ghana, merit alone. before arriving in the UK. She was only the Traditionally, diplomacy was seen as a second woman High Commissioner to the male domain. In the past, diplomats would UK since India’s independence and during be sent as envoys from the court of one king her tenure, she witnessed a number of to another, including during times of war. significant developments in the UK-India The means of travel were not easy, involving relations. days and weeks on the road in often unsafe environments. Times have now changed. @RuchiGhanashyam Women are much more a part of the work environment everywhere and continue to After a long time in this week's elections, break new glass ceilings. There’s hardly a Germans did not have the option to choose field that women haven’t conquered, from Angela Merkel, Germany’s first female piloting airplanes to fighting alongside male Chancellor, who served four continuous soldiers, from climbing the tallest mounterms since 2005. tains to journeying into space. In this day In an unrelated development, a young and age, every arena is equally available to woman, a First Secretary at India’s women.

Permanent Mission to the United Nations, Women can bring empathy to diplomaexercised the right of cy. Women’s strong reply to Pakistan PM motherly instincts can be Imran Khan’s unacceptan asset in dealing with able remarks in his statepeople. In India, this was ment at the UN General personified by the late Assembly. The Indian Sushma Swaraj, who as statement referred to External Affairs Minister, Pakistan, as a country added a new dimension to ‘where terrorists enjoy India’s foreign policy by free pass’, which is an making it people-centric. "arsonist" disguising itself Late. Mrs Sushma Swaraj Women tend to be creas a "fire-fighter". ative and bring ‘out of the Earlier this month, I box’ thinking. Women do participated in the not prefer conflict and Valedictory Session of a wars; it’s their spouses two-week-long event and children that go to comprising a series of disbattle. It is said that wars cussions that culminated begin when diplomacy in the session on ‘Women fails. A woman is likely to in Diplomacy: Sneha Dubey make every effort to find Perspectives from India diplomatic solutions. and Republic of Korea’, The life of a woman in organised by India’s diplomacy can be fairly dynamic Ambassador to challenging. In conservathe ROK, Sripriya tive societies, women are Ranganathan. She was often judged unfairly if well-positioned to talk they go out for a beer or about the Indian perspecwhiskey with male comtive on the subject, as I High Commissioner HE Gaitri Issar Kumar panions or slap them on brought in experiences the back with familiarity. from the thirty-eight It is harder for women to years I spent in diplomadevelop close friendships cy! Two excellent South with their male counterKorean women diplomats parts. As a young single provided the ROK perfirst-time Ambassador in spective: Amb Hyo-eun Accra, I found it a difficult (Jenny) Kim, Ambassador challenge to navigate as for Climate Change, and my husband was posted Amb Miyon Lee, DG far away in Angola.

Economic Diplomacy Managing work and famifrom the ROK Foreign ly life is equally hard for a Christian Lagarde, Office. Dr Song Kyungwoman in diplomacy as in Editorial credit: Alexandros Michailidis jin, Chair Innovative other professions. In my Shutterstock.com Economy Forum, as younger days, I too had to Moderator, was able to teach my children over weave a rich tapestry, the phone, when they had through her intelligent to prepare for a test while questions.

I was travelling, and recall Women in both coundictating my monthly tries took their time to report while sponging my accept diplomacy as a son who had a high fever career choice. But in both from typhoid. countries, in recent times, Yet, women continue women are coming forAngela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany to face subtle bias, even ward to embrace this Editorial credit: Alexandros Michailidis / where the gender bias is career.

Shutterstock.com not overt. Perhaps the Looking at the picture biggest challenge that women face is that of for India, the first woman joined the Indian being taken seriously. Despite having perForeign Service, way back in 1949. CB formed the most challenging of jobs, women Muthamma, India’s first woman diplomat, around the world are often stereotyped as and woman Ambassador was my distinbeing more suitable for soft jobs! guished predecessor as High Commissioner We celebrated International Daughters to Ghana. From 1949 onwards there was, off Day on 26 September. Let us wholeheartedly and on, a single woman in the batches that welcome the achievements of our daughters joined the Indian Foreign Service, a number in whichever field they choose. that slowly picked up, but still remained in

AAD praises Brentford FC antiracism initiative Brentford Football Club’s “Sukkah-In-The-Stadium” event, held at the Brentford Community Stadium on 23 September, 2021, has drawn praise from Jonathan Metliss, the Chairman of anti-racism charity Action Against Discrimination (AAD), who was in attendance.

The event marked the Festival of Sukkot, a holiday in the Jewish New Year. (In the Jewish tradition, a “Sukkah” is a booth commemorating the passage of the Israelites in the desert after the departure from Egypt.)

Brentford’s initiative brought together a number of anti-racism groups and included representatives of Chelsea Football Club and the Metropolitan Police.

Also in attendance was Rabbi Jonathan Hughes of

cussion followed.

Jonathan Metliss, whose AAD organisation campaigns against all forms of racism in sport, says: “I applaud this initiative from Brentford who have come out strongly against all forms of racism – including antiJonathan Metliss at the Sukkah event Semitism – which will not Radlett United Synagogue be tolerated at the of which Cliff Crown, Brentford Community Brentford Chairman, is a Stadium. I look forward to member. other clubs following this Those attending were most worthwhile effort to met by Cliff Crown and improve community relaprayers with Rabbi Alex tions and address the conGoldberg and a group distinuing racism in football.”

Back in power in 18 months time?

Shadow Foreign Secretary Lisa Nandy recently said at a Labour party conference that they could be back "in power in 18 months time" and that it must go out with "confidence and courage of our convictions".

At the conference, Nandy also revealed that

she plans to visit Israel and Palestine in her first official overseas trip as Shadow Foreign Secretary.

Appreciating the work done to rehabilitate Afghans by local councils, she said, "Never let them tell us that we're powerless.

Never let them tell us that it can't be done. Look at

what's happened in Germany. Look how quickly things change and things move. We think there is going to be a general election, possibly in 2023. So we could be in power in 18 months time and that is the lesson that I take from what happened 18 months ago [the 2019 election]."

12

MEDIA WATCH

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SCRUTATOR’S Woman books entire Air India business class cabin for pet The owner of a dog has booked an entire business class cabin of an Air India flight from Mumbai to Chennai for her pet dog.

The woman from Mumbai boarded the flight with her pet named "Bela" and her servant. The woman reportedly spent around Rs 250,000 on the travel of her pet. As per the report, the fare for a business class seat on Air India Mumbai to Chennai flight is around Rs 20,000. A Chennai Airport official said that Bela, a Maltese dog travelled in business class from Mumbai to Chennai and added that the passenger had booked all the business class seats for the pet. The Air India flight has 12 seats in the business class. According to the airline rules, Air India permits a maximum of two pets for domestic sectors. (Agency) Bihar man told to wash clothes of women for bail

A man accused of attempted rape has been given bail on condition that he wash and iron the clothes of all women in his village for six months. Lalan Kumar, 20, will have to buy detergent and other items needed to provide six months of free laundry services to about 2,000 women in the village of Majhor in Bihar, under the ruling. Kumar, who washes clothes for a living, was arrested in April on charges, including attempted rape, Santosh Kumar Singh, a police officer in Madhubani district, said. No date has been set for his trial. "All the women in the village are happy with the court decision," Nasima Khatoon, the head of the village council, said. "It is historic. It will boost respect for women and help to protect dignity," added Khatoon, one of the village dignitaries who will monitor Kumar. Women in the village said the order had made a positive impact by making crime against women a subject of discussion in their community.

"This is a remarkable step and a different kind of punishment that sends a message to society," said Anjum Perween. (Agency)

get a pair of trousers for her to change into, an invigilator made her wrap a curtain around her waist like a skirt and then permitted her to write the exam.

Jublee Tamuli and her father Babul Tamuli had travelled 70 km to reach Tezpur. She had been to Tezpur a few days before to appear in NEET, where she had also worn shorts but did not face such a situation. “I had all the credentials and documents, including my Aadhaar and admit cards, but the invigilator asked me to stand aside. When I asked why, they said people wearing short dresses is not allowed inside the examination hall, despite the fact that there was no dress code mentioned in the admit,” said Jublee.

“I asked my father to get me a pair of trousers. As it was taking time for him to return and the exam was about to start, a woman invigilator gave me a curtain to warp around and sit for the test,” Jublee said, adding that the incident affected her deeply. Her father said Jublee was almost in tears when she called him. “It was nothing short of torture for my daughter.

She has never faced such humiliation before,” Babul said. (Agency) Leopard enters house, preys on 3-month-old baby

and villagers started looking for it. Later, they found some clothes and other remains of the child in the forest and approached officials. Parmar said that no other incidents of attacks on humans by leopards have been reported in the area in the recent past. (The Times of India) Thanks to a monkey, it rained Rs 100,000 from sky A monkey had snatched a bag containing Rs 200,000 from one Vinod Kumar Sharma, who was going to purchase stamp papers for a land registry in Rampur’s Shahabad town in Uttar Pradesh. As a crowd of curious people gathered, hooted and clapped, the monkey threw the bag down but not before taking out Rs 100,000. After another round of cajoling, the monkey started throwing the notes in the air. Now it was Sharma’s turn to plead before the cheering crowd, which was trying to pocket the money. After a lot of convincing, people collected the money and gave it to Sharma, who was nervous and sweating by then. After over 30 minutes of high-drama, the advocate was able to collect 95,000. There was no trace of the remaining 5,000, but Sharma was “happy”. (Agency) Gadkari gets Rs 400,000 royalty for lecture videos

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said he gets Rs 400,000 every month as royalty from You-Tube, as viewership of his lecture videos posted on the platform has increased during the pandemic period.

While reviewing the progress of the DelhiMumbai Expressway (DME) in Bharuch, Gadkari further said his ministry has started rating road construction contractors and consultants. During Covid-19 times, the road transport and highways minister said, he did two things.

“I became a chef and started cooking at home and giving lectures through video conference. I delivered more than 950 lectures online, including lectures to foreign universities students, which were uploaded on YouTube. “Viewership of my You-Tube channel increased and YouTube now pays me Rs 400,000 per month as royalty,” he said. Gadkari, who is known for his frank views, said that in India, those who do good work, don't get appreciation. The minister also emphasised on the importance of network of modern and high-quality roads for economic development and creating employment opportunities. (Agency) 11-year-old becomes collector for a day

Girl in shorts made to wrap curtain to appear in exam

A 19-year-old girl, who appeared in the entrance test for admission into the Assam Agricultural University (AAU) in Jorhat, was kept waiting outside for wearing a pair of shorts. As her father scrambled to

A three-month-old baby was killed by a leopard in the Timba village in Dahod district of Gujarat. The incident took place at the residence of Ramesh Tadvi in the village located in Limkheda taluka. Tadvi was not home and his wife was doing household chores when the baby boy Jayesh was on a cot in their house. The house did not have a door. “The leopard may have entered the house to look for other animals that are kept inside the house. The child was on a cot near the place where the animals were kept and the leopard may have taken it away,” said deputy conservator of forests R M Parmar.

When the child went missing, the family

Flora Asodiya is 11 years old and is battling brain tumour. She had an ambition to become a collector. Her dream was fulfilled recently when she held the position of the Ahmedabad district collector for a day. Flora rode from her house at Sargasan on the outskirts of Gandhinagar to the collectorate in the official car of the district collector. She

was given the ceremonial guard of honour at the entrance. She was taken to the collector’s chamber, where district collector Sandip Sagale himself made her sit in the chair of power. Assuming the role of the district collector, Flora distributed certificates to beneficiaries under ‘Vhaali Dikri’ and ‘Vidhva Sahay’ schemes. For her contribution to the bureaucracy, she was gifted a doll set and a tablet. Earlier, all the collectorate employees had got together to cut a cake to celebrate her arrival. “My daughter studies in Class 7 and has always dreamt of becoming a collector,” said her mother Sonal Asodiya. Apurva Asodiya, Flora’s father, said: “We had become very distressed after discovering her ailment.

We thank the collectorate for helping her fulfill her aspiration.” Sagale got to know of Flora through Make a Wish Foundation. (The Times of India) Now, Bihar farmer turns ‘crorepati’ Millions of rupees keep pouring into individual bank accounts of people in Bihar these days. The latest incident is from Singari village in Muzaffarpur district. Ram Bahadur Shah, an elderly farmer has received £5.2 million in his bank account. The incident came to light when Shah went to the CSP outlet in Katra to inquire whether the pension was credited to his account or not. The operator of CSP, logged-in his account and was shocked to see £5.2 million in the available balance ledger. The news spread like wild fire in the area. “We are poor villagers dependent on farming. We urge the state government to give me some amount so that the rest of my life becomes easy and smooth,” Shah said. “I don’t know how this money is credited in my father’s account but the bank should give the interest to my father from the day the money was credited in his account”, Sujit Shah, the farmer's son said. This is not the first case in Bihar. In fact, two school students of Class 6 of Katihar became millionaires earlier. Katihar DM Udayan Mishra, however, claimed that it was a technical error. (Agency) Jab team travels 25km to vaccinate 33

Setting an example for aggressive vaccination against Covid, the Surendrangar district administration reached remote pilgrim centre in the Little Rann of Kutch (LRK) to administer the first dose of Covid vaccines. The Vaccharaj Beyt is around 25 km from the last village Zinzuvada in Patdi taluka. The place houses the Vachhraj Dada temple, a popular pilgrim centre. The temple also runs a gaushala that has around 6,000 cows. Out of a staff of 54 people, 33 are stationed at the centre throughout the year for maintaining the cowshed. Ruturaj Jadhav, prant officer of Patdi, said that the vaccination staff reached the pilgrim centre with the help of the villagers. “These 33 people were left out of the vaccination drive, so we contacted them. We went there with the support of villagers. The staff used a tractor to reach the pilgrim centre,” Jadhav said. The tractor took two and half hours to complete the 25 km journey.

Devotees visit the temple throughout the year except the monsoon when the area turns into an island. Even the salt pan workers leave the place for around six months as the adjoining areas get submerged in rains. (The Times of India)

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The India Connection!

Nitin Mehta During prime minister Modi's recent visit to the United States, the American president Biden mentioned his India connection. He said that his great, great, great, great, great, grandfather had settled in India and had married an Indian. President Biden is one of the many politicians in different parts of the world who claim their Indian roots. This is the legacy of the massive migrations of Indians to different parts of the world over the centuries. From indentured labourers to the Caribbean countries to the present day highly skilled professionals settling in many parts of the world, the Indian diaspora numbers 32 million. An additional 2.5 million migrate from India every year. .

The island of Fiji has an Indian population of almost 38%; they are descendants of indentured labourers brought by the British to work on the sugar plantations. Today there are many Fijians of Indian descent in politics and Mahendra Chaudhry was the first Indo-Fijian Prime Minister between 1999-2000. The Caribbean island of Guyana has an Indian population of almost 40% and Cheddi Jagan and Bharat Jagdeo have been prime ministers. Sridarth Ramphal, former Commonwealth Secretary was also a Guyanese of Indian origin, Trinidad and Tibago have an Indian origin population of 37%. Kamla Persad Bissessar was the Prime Minister of the country from 2010 to 2015. Suriname, a small country in South America, has an Indian population of over 27% and it is the largest ethnic group in the country. Preeaap Radhakishun was a former Prime Minister and Ramsewak Shankar was a former president between 1988 and 1990.

Chan Santokhi is the present president of the country. Indians also have a big presence in Jamaica. Kamala Jean Gopie is a Jamaican of Indian descent who is a well known political activist in Canada.

Kamala Harris the vice president of the United States has a Jamaican father and an Indian mother. Mauritius the Indian Ocean island has an Indian origin population of almost 60%. It has had several Indian prime ministers and presidents. Sookdeo Bisindoyal was one of the founding fathers of Mauritius. Another Indian Ocean Island Reunion is a French overseas territory. It has a population of 800,000 of which 200,000 are of Indian origin, mainly Tamil. The Indian Ocean island of Seychelles also has a substantial Indian origin population and the current president Wavel Ramkalwan has traced his origins to the Indian state of Bihar. With countries like Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and South Korea, India has strong religious and cultural links going back thousands of years. In all these countries the Hindu epic of Ramayana remains very popular.

Malaysia also has a huge number of politicians of Indian origin.

Singapore too has had several Indian origin presidents.

The East African countries of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania have a substantial Indian origin population and they play a huge role in the economic development of these countries. People of Indian origin also played a crucial role in the freedom movement of these countries. The Constitution of Kenya Review Commission was headed by Yashpal Ghai whose parents had migrated from India during British colonial rule. The review was presented to the country in 2010 and it was accepted by the majority of Kenyans. The new constitution has strengthened democracy in Kenya, promoted gender equality and safeguarded minority rights. South Africa has around 1,3 million people of Indian origin and none other than Mahatma Gandhi had settled in the country. He influenced many freedom fighters and helped change the course of human history. Nigeria and Ghana also have substantial populations of Indian origin.

In the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, there are a huge number of Indian origin politicians.

Kamala Harris the vice president of the United States, Rishi Sunak the Chancellor of Exchequer and Priti Patel the Home secretary of the UK hold some of the most powerful positions. The last Irish Taoiseach or prime minister of Ireland was Leo Vardkar whose father hails from the Indian state of Maharashtra. The current Prime Minister of Portugal Antonio Costa is also of Indian origin. His fathers family hails from Goa. Netherlands or Holland has around 240,000 people of Indian origin, many of them from the former Dutch colony of Suriname. There is a huge interest in Hinduism and Indian culture in Russia and East European countries like Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic and Croatia. In the coming years, they will also have very strong links with India. There is a growing presence of India in Latin American countries of Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and Panama. , Around 90,000 Jews of Indian origin live in Israel. Their love for India is undiminished. In the United Arab Emirates, there are 3,429,000 people of Indian origin which is around 38% of the total population.

Apart from the top politicians, there are a huge number of people of Indian origin in the countries mentioned who serve as Ministers, Ambassadors and in many other fields.

Conclusion As India becomes a global power the Indian diaspora is and will be the country's ambassadors. Unlike China, this partnership between India and the diaspora will not be at the expense of the countries in which the diaspora live. The ethos on which Indians will operate will be based on the saying, 'Vasudev Kutumbakam'-the world is a family. Prime minister Modi's government has gone a long way to forge a strong friendship with the diaspora community and the diaspora has responded in equal measure. The remittance sent by the Indian diaspora to India every year is around $78.6 billion. We need a bold vision to shape History and its time has come. Perhaps the term NRI needs to be dropped and changed to Vishwa Bharatiya.

95% fewer visits to and from the UK by air between Jan and Mar 2021 This World Tourism Day (September 27), the Office of National Statistics looked at the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on travel.

Their figures suggest that there were 95% fewer visits to and from the UK by air between Jan and Mar 2021 compared with the same period in 2020, which is attributable to

Covid-19. There were 195,000 visits to the UK by air between Jan and Mar 2021 and 774,000 visits

abroad by UK residents. In comparison, the first quarter of 2020 saw over 17.4 million visits to the UK by air. UK residents spent £817 million on visits abroad in the first quarter of 2021. This was 90% less than in Quarter 1 2020. Overseas residents spent £248 million abroad in the first quarter of 2021, a 94% decrease from 2020.

Two new prisons in Essex Newly appointed prisons minister Victoria Atkins has said that land next to Wethersfield airbase would be a good location for two new prisons as part of the prison estates strategy holding 3,430 inmates in Essex.

Atkins said, "Our plans, if successful, would bring many benefits to the local community, such as

hundreds of jobs during construction, careers within the prison sector and an increased spend in local businesses."

The government expects there will be an "increase in demand for prison places as the activity of our courts system continues to ramp up to full operating capacity following the national restrictions

due to the COVID-19 pandemic", she said.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has reportedly published proposals for the new jails at Wethersfield airbase in Braintree. Documents suggest that the site will hold category B and category C adult male prisoners in two prisons that each have a total capacity of 1,715.

Six months of free broadband for job seekers in the UK The Department for Work and Pensions in collaboration with telecom company TalkTalk is offering six months of free broadband internet access to job seekers in the UK amid the unemployment wave. The scheme aims to tackle digital exclusion gives no-contract

uncapped usage.

According to a report published in the Guardian, the contract otherwise normally costs £23 a month. “Users will get wifi connectivity via a home router, though they are unable to add optional extras such as TV services, and

voice calls are not part of the package.”

At the end of the six months, customers can choose to sign a contract with TalkTalk or cancel it.

Cancellation will be followed by returning all equipment via the prepaid returns service.

72% of UK grandparents provide weekly childcare New research has revealed what a pivotal role the nation’s grandparents are playing in their grandkids’ day to day lives and development.

A survey of 1,010 parents and grandparents from dolls’ pram expert Play Like Mum, has revealed the importance of grandparents in family life, finding the vast majority (72%) of UK grandparents provide weekly care for their grandchildren, for an average of one day a week.

Highlighting the importance of this quality time together, 31% say caring for their grandchildren is the highlight of their week as they reap the benefits of playing, socialising and interacting together.

The research further revealed that the average grandparent, of those surveyed shells out £1,129 a year caring for their grandchildren.

And while the childcare benefits to the parents is clear, the find-

ings also show the huge benefits grandparents reap from spending this time with little ones, with 40% saying they feel closer to their grandchildren when they look after them, and more than 1 in 3 (37%) are happy to spend any amount of money and time on their grandkids when they are in their care.

Helping grandparents to recapture their youth, 34% say looking after their grandkids helps

them to feel ‘young at heart’, while 1 in 3 credit their grandkids for keeping them healthy as caring for them keeps them fit and active.

Playtime is top of the to-do list for grandparents as, when asked how they spend time with little ones, it was revealed as their favourite pastime (72%), with those polled spending 36% of their time together, playing.

In addition, going for a walk (68%), reading (67%) and colouring (62%) were the go-to activities that grandparents like to keep their grandchildren entertained with while they are in their care.

Roleplay games (38%), which is a great way to aid children’s personal development, also appeared on the list.

Coventry University Group to open School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health in London Coventry University Group is aiming to help address staff shortages in the NHS by opening a new School of Nursing Midwifery and Health in London in collaboration with Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and other partners.

The Royal College of Nursing estimates that the NHS faces a shortage of 50,000 nurses and Coventry University Group currently has 4,705 students in

Coventry, Scarborough, London and online who will ultimately join the NHS and other care providers.

That number will expand when the new school opens in Vauxhall, London, this Autumn to offer courses for professional registered health qualifications.

The School of Nursing Midwifery and Health will initially offer the following in-person courses - a Foundation Degree Nursing Associate apprenticeship,

Foundation Degree Nursing Associate direct entry, MSc Occupational Therapy Apprenticeship, BSc Occupational Therapy Apprenticeship, BSc Physiotherapy Appren-ticeship, BSc Public Health Practitioner apprenticeships and a blended online BSc/MSc Adult Nursing course that will see clinical skills taught face-to-face at the Hudson Building, with more courses anticipated in the future.

14 WOMEN’S VOICE

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REACHED HOME SAFELY? Continued from page 1 In an exclusive interview with Asian Voice last Saturday, Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service, Louisa Rolfe told us that the alleged murder of Sabina Nessa (28) was in the “very early days of the investigation” and that Met Police were still working out all of the circumstances of what she termed as a “really awful and tragic case”.

By Monday evening, Met Police announced that 36-year-old Koci Selamaj had been charged with the murder of Sabina Nessa, who was killed as she walked to meet a friend in southeast London. He was arrested in Eastbourne, East Sussex, on Sunday.

Mr Selamaj, of Terminus Road in the town, will appear at Willesden Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, the Metropolitan Police added.

The Assistant Commissioner also told the newsweekly that it was too early to say what's the motive of the murder might have been or why it happened. “However, each case causes huge fear in the community and real concern for women, but also all members. We are working to ensure that people feel safe, and we are working with the community to understand what they see,” Rolfe told Asian Voice.

When asked what the Met police observed in terms of crime rates in London, and in the UK, she explained, “I'm the National Police Lead for Violence and Public Protection, and also domestic abuse. We've been working with a number of academics to actually look at the impacts of lockdown in the pandemic, on things like domestic abuse, and in particular domestic homicide.

“Domestic homicide hasn't increased during the lockdown. But still, there are women who are nearly dying at the hands of a partner or another family member. And that is far too much. The murder rate is obviously closely monitored nationally.

Thankfully, murders are still very, very rare.

And to understand whether there's a trend of something increasing or decreasing, you need to look at a longer period, normally a five-year period to be confident you've got a statistically significant sample, but in terms of violence against women and girls, we work with a lot of charities who provide help and support to victims and survivors of abuse,” the Assistant Commissioner of Met Police said.

Levels of abuse have not gone up dramatically She further added, “And what they've been telling us is that some of them have felt that perpetrators of abuse or circumstances have looked down to perpetuate more abuse.

What our data is telling us is that levels of abuse have not gone up dramatically. What we have seen is that when lockdown restrictions ease, there are some increased tensions, and we've seen some more abuse.

What we did find is that abuse from ex-partners or partners actually reduced during the lockdown, because people had less opportunity to get in contact or go around or visit an ex-partner and harass them or abuse them.

“So, this work has been validated by academics as well. It's not just police data, what we did use. So, what we found is that other crimes, like robbery and burglary, reduced during the lockdown. So, all police forces used that additional time and capacity to really focus on violence against women and girls and offensive the violence and why does that have vulnerability.

“We increased our arrest rates; we ran some specific initiatives to arrest prolific and persistent offenders. But we also did a lot of work to reach out to victims that we felt might be particularly isolated during the pandemic.”

Is a woman's safety, a woman’s responsibility?

Sharing her thoughts on this question, AC Lousia Rolfe told Asian Voice, “No, I think it's society's responsibility. I think every woman and girl should feel safe to go about their business and not fear abuse. But

sadly, this is something we see and it's not a new problem. I think we've become increasingly aware of it. Modern media enables people to understand and hear more about what's happening. Thankfully, we're becoming less tolerant of it.

“But there's more noise about what's going on. I think if this is a problem that can't be fixed by policing alone. We can't just arrest our way out of it. We absolutely have a job to do to arrest defenders to protect victims as a secure justice for victims. But you know that that only provides part of the solution. We've got to address this with a proper joined-up public health approach, education, social care health. The government has got to be involved in making us less tolerant of this abuse at every level and working together effectively to ensure that the justice system is trauma-informed that we provide the right support to victims. But fundamentally, we prevent this from happening at all.”

Is there enough data around Asians and the BAME community?

Ms Rolfe said that the police have some challenges around collecting data effectively and explained that the recent inspection report by Her Majesty's Inspectorate Constabulary identified that we're not connecting enough information about protected characteristics.

“Lots of forces now are looking at how they collect that information to build a bigger picture. But a couple of things that come out of our research, which I think are important for us. One thing is, we do more detailed research on domestic homicide within the cases of women of black and minority ethnic heritage, who have been sadly and tragically killed by a partner.

“There is often less than reporting to the police, which we're accepting as they're less confident to come forward and tell us about what's going on. So, we've got to address that. And we're working with several charities and certainly in my national group of stakeholders, where charity comes along and working with specific charities, who support black and minority women to really understand and get beneath the barriers to reporting and telling police going on so that we can effectively support them.

“I think, also, that there's a real challenge to the government and to other agencies here to make sure that there are sufficient support services that absolutely understand the specific needs, and fears and concerns of black and minority women.

“There's been some brilliant academic research looking at this nationally, that suggests that some women from minority communities are fearful of how the police will deal with the perpetrator. And we know that many victims of abuse, if they're in an abusive relationship, while they want the abuse to stop and they want to be protected, they have real reservations about pursuing a justice outcome.

“So, lots of work for us to do in terms of prevalence,” Louisa said.

She added that the Office of National Statistics does look at the breakdown of ethnicity around victims and they do identify more prevalence in what they describe as hard-pressed communities. “So, where you have multiple vulnerabilities that's deprivation, or unemployment, that can have an impact on the prevalence of abuse and, and the lack of support services and intervention available for victims as well,” Louisa further added.

Please don't be passive bystanders Assistant Commissioner Rolfe ensured our readers by saying, “On the whole, the UK is a very safe place. The police are determined to work with victims and communities to ensure that our response to violence against women and girls is really robust. We have made huge progress, as the HMIC report said, but there's still a lot more to do about the consistency of our response and ensuring that every victim gets the right sup-

port in terms of Asian men and women.

“I would say, particularly men, please don't be passive bystanders to this, please think about how your behaviour might affect women. And I'm not suggesting men are all abusers, but just think about how women might be fearful. So, when you see women, be respectful, ensure that you think about how your presence might affect them, but also challenged the behaviour of other men.

Because most men are horrified by this.

“And absolutely, this causes men to fear as well. They worry about their wives, girlfriends, moms, daughters, and we all want to work together to deal with domestic abuse and violence against women and girls. So, let's not tolerate this. Let's work together.

Let's challenge all the agencies involved because it's there aren't simple solutions here. And the first step to addressing this is a society just doesn't tolerate it.”

Every parent’s nightmare and every woman’s worst fear In a statement shared with Asian Voice, the Mayor of London and a father of two daughters, Sadiq Khan, said, “I am devastated by the death of Sabina Nessa. Her family, friends and colleagues have shared powerful tributes to her life. It’s clear Sadiq Khan that she was a bright, kind and caring young woman, who had a hugely positive impact on those around her. My thoughts and prayers are with her family, friends and the whole community during this time of unimaginable grief.

“What happened to Sabina is every parent’s nightmare and every woman’s worst fear. Her death is a tragedy and I stand with the community in Kidbrooke and with Londoners across our city, united in grief, and united in our determination that justice is done.

“Women and girls in London deserve to feel safe at all times, in every part of our city and as Mayor, I remain committed to making our city safer for them.”

Commenting on the safety of women, Barrister and Executive Director of Karma Nirvana, Natasha Rattu told the newsweekly, “Unacceptably, women and girls have been living with male violence for far too long. Violence against women and girls is not inevitable. We need to do Natasha Rattu much more to tackle the root causes if we truly want to prevent and end violence against women and girls. It is also critical that specialist services are prioritised and sustained in order to respond to the different and specific needs of ALL women. It is only through doing this can we ensure that ALL victims received equal support and attention.”

A national emergency LibDem Cllr Rabina Khan said, “When I attended Sabina Nessa’s vigil on Friday evening there was an outpouring of grief, a community in pain and a family in anguish. Sabina Nessa, a brilliant teacher, a young woman senselessly and Rabina Khan violently murdered in a public space, yet here we are again only a few months after Sarah Everard’s death, another brilliant young woman whose life was cut short.

“If the UK Government wants to take violence against girls and women and what is now becoming a national emergency, then it needs to allocate funds and legislate further.

For the Liberal Democrats, the challenge to the Government is to legislate to make misogyny a hate crime and much more to make sure that all girls and women are safe.

Make sure that those occupying positions of trust are people we really can trust.

Candlelight tribute to Sabina Nessa

“So much of the talk is about women taking responsibility but where is the debate of education boys and young men? Men need to step up, they need to be active allies.

Changing men's behaviour changes that debate.”

Misogyny should also be made a hate crime Sharing her perspective with the newsweekly, Munira Wilson MP said: “Violence by men against women and girls is far too prevalent in our society.

Our criminal justice system is failing women and Munira Wilson too many women feel unsafe walking down their own streets. Our society is letting women down, with survivors not being taken seriously and criminals getting let off the hook. Everything has to change. We must all work together to make women feel safer. The Government must do more to prevent violence against women, as well as to support survivors. This is why the Government must ratify the Istanbul Convention and uphold internationally agreed standards for preventing violence against women and supporting survivors. Misogyny should also be made a hate crime, so it is treated as severely as crimes motivated by racial or religious hatred, to help stamp out the abuse women face.

Women from BAME communities can be more vulnerable to these kinds of attacks.

More has to be done by the police, our legal system and this Conservative Government to take victims seriously, especially BAME women” 4,800 women were turned away from a refuge due Preet Kaur Gill, MP for Edgbaston in Birmingham told us, "Sabina's murder is tragically part of the pandemic of violence that we've seen against women. Last year, 2.3 million experienced domestic abuse. It is an Preet Kaur Gill issue that has continually come under the spotlight, yet, even after the outrage and anger voiced after the killing of Sarah Everard, the Government has failed to act. It isn't good enough just to talk about violence against women and the need for more support. Real action is needed.

"Cases continue to be reported, yet perpetrators are getting away with their crimes as cases are not going to court. It is communities and charities that are stepping up to support women. However, they too are so underfunded that they simply can't cope.

Last year 4,800 women were turned away from a refuge due to lack of space. How many more women need to die before the Government will do something? It's not just a little more street lighting that's needed.

We need proper violence against women strategy backed up by real cash. We need violence against women to be classified a ‘serious crime’ so that police forces locally spend more time and resources tracking down perpetrators and bringing them to justice."

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2 - 8 October 2021

Does beauty finally lie in the eyes of the beholder?

ANJULA DEVI Shefali Saxena Leading ingredients experts, Eurostar Commodities has teamed up with author, chef, and master of Indian cookery, Anjula Devi to show people how easy and healthy it is to cook with gluten-free flour. With a series of delicious, high-quality recipes Anjula is asking people to make the switch to gluten-free during National Curry Week (4th – 10th October 2021).

Anjula will be creating a series of recipes for people to create delicious gluten-free foods at home and running an Instagram Live cooking tutorial on Wednesday 6th October 2021 working with Eurostar Commodities Gluten Free flours to produce; Gluten Free Roti (chapati), and gluten-free paratha. Additional recipes available for all to use will include Gluten Free Paratha Aloo, Gluten-Free Nan Bread and Gluten-Free plain paratha.

Anjula Devi has written two cookery books including best-selling, Spice for Life. She is most famous for her passion for nutritious and healthy Indian food. She has taught at cookery schools and events all over the world and her demonstrations showcase the best techniques, equipment, hints and tips to perfect your Indian cooking skills.

Anjula will showcase Eurostar Commodities Gluten-Free Clean Label Chapati Flours. A great alternative to traditional flour, this flour produces a workable dough that makes high quality, tasty chapati, still with softness and flexibility, giving great results. High in Fibre. Gluten-Free, Coeliac and Vegan friendly.

Anjula will also work with GlutenFree Self-Raising Flour. This is a fine, white flour blended from naturally gluten-free ingredients, combined with quality gluten-free raising agents.

Ideal for light sponges, scones, biscuits and homemade cakes. All products are 100% gluten and allergen-free, packed in gluten and allergen-free factory.

In an exclusive interview with Asian Voice, Anjula spoke about Asian food culture and her gluten-free initiative.

How would you describe historic Asian food culture and what according to you is the paradigm shift in good habits especially during the pandemic in Asian houses?

Core elements of Asian food culture have always been hospitality, family and an incredible choice of humble dishes. With more people working from home during the last 18 months, the shift has been towards cooking from scratch more often.

People are now becoming more aware of healthy eating, have experimented with a broader range of ingredients and are gradually growing in confidence.

While there is increased dialogue around gluten-free food items, could you please simplify it for our

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readers? What is gluten and how does it impact our body?

Jason Bull, Eurostar Commodities, who developed the flour, says: “We saw many people talking about problems that they had with gluten, and with being coeliac. Gluten is a family of proteins found in grains, including wheat, rye, spelt, and barley. When you mix traditional wheat with water the gluten proteins form a sticky gluelike consistency. This glue-like property makes dough elastic and provides the ability to rise during baking. For the person eating, it gives a satisfying, chewy texture.

However, a small number of people react sensitively to gluten. This might show up as digestive problems like bloating, tiredness, stomach pains and diarrhoea. At the most severe end of the reaction is a coeliac disease which is an autoimmune disease where the

onto direct heat using a pair of tongs; they then take the shape of a ball due to the steam within the dough. A roti is an Indian flatbread, made from wholewheat flour, known as atta. In everyday language the terms roti and chapati are interchangeable.

Do you think Britain now understands the difference between curry and Indian food?

Traditional food is not known as 'curry' in the Indian culture and there are still huge misconceptions about Indian food throughout the UK. Traditional Indian cooking always uses fresh ingredients and involves making dishes from scratch. This means fewer preservatives and healthier food. This is not always the case in Indian takeaways where people are led to believe the food is typically unhealthy and high in fat. I have always loved creating healthy Indian dishes by keeping the art of Indian cooking alive but evolving with new and healthier techniques. My father used to say that "you've not eaten Indian food until you've eaten in an Indian home". The best Indian food is made from humble and simple ingredients.

If you were to educate a non-Asian about Indian food, what would a quintessential Indian platter look like?

Fresh vegetables (aloo gobi) and pulses (maa ki daal), with an array of pickles, some natural unsweetened yoghurt to clear the palette is also a must. Meat is generally eaten on the weekends. Rice and bread depending on what part of India you like to cook from. Most Punjabis would say an Indian meal is not complete without rotis or chapatis!

What according to you constitutes a good curry?

The two key essentials are fresh ingredients and the right combination of spices. I personally love to use whole spices and pound them in a pestle & mortar. A masala dabba is a must (a stainless steel spice box containing 7 smaller round pots, a lid and a spice spoon.) One of the most important things is to understand and gain a good knowledge of the spices you use, as fundamentally it’s all about the blending of those aromatic spices.

Creating a great rich sauce, by reducing down onions and tomatoes, is also essential. Fresh ingredients like garlic, ginger and green chillies are great, but you can cook without them.

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immune system attacks gluten as a foreign invader and attacks the lining of the gut. This can affect the body’s ability to digest foods and may cause nutrient deficiencies, anaemia, and digestive problems. If you are concerned the Coeliac Society has lots of information.”

Eliminating gluten may not be the easiest task in our food culture.

Why and how can we do this?

With companies like Eurostar developing gluten-free flours in a safe environment, it will become more achievable. Rotis are probably the item that is most often missed when you have to follow a gluten-free diet, with samosas featuring high up on the list too. Using Eurostar atta for rotis means people can still enjoy them. I often make samosas using their gluten-free plain flour.

Also, what is the difference between a roti, phulka and chapati? Or are they all the same?

There are differences. Chapattis are cooked on a tava, by repeatedly flipping them over, until ready. Phulkas are usually cooked initially on a tava on one side, then the other side is placed

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My father used to say that "you've not eaten Indian food until you've eaten in an Indian home". The best Indian food is made from humble and simple ingredients.

Various media reports suggest that the beauty sector was among the largest hit during the Covid-19 pandemic. Chancellor Rishi Sunak has expressed that the beauty industry is largely driven by female entrepreneurs and there’s nothing that is not appealing to the eye. “The beauty industry provides something that is quite hard to be measured in a financial spreadsheet,” Sunak said in an interview with Telegraph.

Yet, TOYL (Time of Your Life), has published a recent survey finding that 82% of midlife women do not feel represented by beauty industry product ranges or marketing strategies.

Sunak further said that he recognises and wants to support this “fast-growing industry”.

“Our products are get-

ting exported around the world, we have a really strong reputation in the field and I’m very confident, optimistic and excited about the industry’s future success. That should give you a sense of the importance that we place on the industry,” he told Telegraph.

According to Retail Gazette, the UK's beauty industry is worth £27 billion as of 2020 and ranks as the seventh-largest cosmetics market in the world.

According to comparison platform Finder though, the UK's beauty industry is worth a whopping £27 billion as of 2020.

Keeping Tibetan culture alive in Edinburgh 39-year-old Reka Gawa who opened the Himalaya Cafe in Edinburgh has received support and encouragement from the Dalai Lama because she kept her promise of promoting Tibetan culture in Scotland 20 years ago when she met the then Dalai Lama.

According to BBC, she met him at the Scottish parliament in the year 2004.

“The landlord is now selling the café but Reka, who currently rents it, hopes to buy it to avoid closure. A spokesman for the Dalai Lama told BBC Scotland he knew about the cafe's work and hoped it would be able to continue,” BBC reported.

Reka belongs to

Mussorie in India and worked at the Scottish Parliament at the age of 22 where she served coffee to Presiding Officer George Reid.

Sonam Tsering Frasi, representative of the Dalai Lama in northern Europe, Baltic states and Poland, told the BBC that the spiritual leader knew of the café and Rekha's work to promote Tibetan culture. Reka wants to keep her promise made to the Holiness.

Number of Britons celebrating their 100th birthday hit a record high The Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates that there are more people aged 100 and over living in Britain than ever before, many of whom live in Wales. The findings of the report claim that the overall elderly population has reached a record high and the number of adults aged 100 has risen by 52 per cent in a year. While women outlive men aged 90, the figures suggest that improvements in healthcare and quality of life have also resulted in people living longer.

According to the data, the number of UK adults aged 100 and above reached the highest level yet last year, rising to 15,120, an increase of almost a fifth on 2019. This 18 per cent rise was driven by a surge in the number of 100-year-olds, which increased by 52 per cent from 4,980 in 2019 to

7,590 last year. Wales had the highest proportion of both male and female centenarians, with 25 people aged 100 and over per 100,000 of the population, compared with 23 per 100,000 in England and 18 per 100,000 in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

However, the coronavirus pandemic led to a far greater number of deaths in total and a higher rate of death in 2020 compared with recent years. It affected male mortality more than female mortality, which is why life expectancy estimates for females are unchanged from 2015 to 2017, at 82.9 years, but estimates for males have fallen back to levels reported for 2012-14, at 79 years. This is the first time we have seen a decline when comparing non-overlapping time periods since the series began in the early 1980s.

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PM Modi and Kamala Harris discuss Pak support for terror In her first meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, level delegation accompanied the PM signifies the imporUS Vice-President Kamala Harris on Friday suo motu tance the Indian establishment gave to the meeting with the referred to terrorist groups operating in Pakistan and asked first Indian-origin Vice President. Such high-level accompaIndia’s neighbour to ensure that these groups do not impact nying delegations are usually reserved for presidents and the security of the US and India, said Foreign Secretary prime ministers.

Harsh Vardhan Shringla.

Before the meeting started, Modi told Harris, “You are the source of inspiration for so many people across the The Foreign Secretary, who was part of the talks world. I am completely confident that our bilateral relationbetween Modi and Harris, said she also agreed with the ship will touch new heights under President Biden and your Prime Minister on the “need to rein in and closely monitor leadership.”

Pakistan’s support for… terrorist groups”.

“Both President Biden and you assumed office at a time This is the first time since the Taliban takeover of when our planet faced very tough challenges. In a short Afghanistan that a top US government leader has conveyed time, you have had many achievements to your credit, be it to the top Indian leadership their perception of Pakistan’s Covid-19, climate change or the Quad,” Modi said. role in terrorism. Earlier this month, US Secretary of State The US Vice-President - known for her views on democAntony Blinken had told the US Congress that Pakistan has racy and human rights - told Modi that it is incumbent on a “multiplicity of interests, some that are in conflict with the two nations to protect democours”, and that the US will be racies in the best interests of peolooking at its relationship ple of the two countries. with Pakistan in the coming “As democracies around the weeks to decide what role world are under threat, it is imperWashington would want it to ative that we defend democratic play in the future of principles and institutions within Afghanistan. our respective countries and But Harris’s words, as around the world. And that we articulated by the Foreign maintain what we must do to Secretary, are much stronger strengthen democracies at home in tone and tenor. and it is incumbent on our nations Responding to questions on to of course protect democracies the nature of discussions at in the best interests of people of the meeting, Shringla said, PM Modi with Kamala Harris our countries,” she said. “…when the issue of terror“I know from personal experiism came up, the Vice ence, and from my family, of the commitment of the Indian President suo motu referred to Pakistan’s role in that people to democracy,” she said, “and the work that needs to regard. She said that there were terror groups that were be done [so that] we can begin to imagine, and then actually working there. She asked Pakistan to take action, so that achieve, our vision for democratic principles and instituthese groups do not impact US security and that of India. tions.”

Shringla said Harris agreed with the Prime Minister’s Harris described India as a “very important partner” to briefing on the issue of cross-border terrorism and the fact the US and welcomed New Delhi’s announcement that it that India has been a victim of terrorism for several decades. will soon resume vaccine export.

This was Modi’s first meeting with Harris, in her official The two leaders discussed the Covid situation in their capacity as the Vice-President of the country. The one-oncountries, including ongoing efforts to contain the panone meeting was followed by delegation-level talks which demic through expedited vaccination efforts, and ensuring had the top brass - NSA Ajit Doval, External Affairs Minister supply of critical medicines, therapeutics and healthcare S Jaishankar, Shringla and India’s ambassador to US equipment, an official statement said.

Taranjit Singh Sandhu, among others. That such a high-

PM MODI'S US V PM Modi greets Indian diaspora outside his hotel in New York Prime Minister Narendra Modi was greeted by a cheering crowd of members of the Indian diaspora in New York outside the hotel as the PM was leaving for the JFK airport on Saturday, concluding his three-day visit to the US while being surrounded by members of his security detail.

The PM was greeted with chants of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ and ‘Vande Mataram’ alongside chants of ‘Modi, Modi’, as a video shows. The crowd gathered to meet Modi, who was returning from the United Nations headquarters after delivering his address at the 76th UN general assembly meeting, earlier in the evening. Also, one person could also be heard saying “Thank you Modi ji” to the PM and many others were waving the Indian tricolour.

Earlier in the day too, several members of the Indian diaspora were seen gathered outside his hotel in New York, before he departed for the UNHQ. Reflecting on his trip, the PM expressed confidence that the ties between India and the US will grow even stronger in the future. He also called the many meetings he had with leaders and CEOs “productive.” “Over the last few days, have had productive bilateral and multilateral engagements, interaction with CEOs and the UN address. I am confident the India-USA relationship will grow even stronger in the years to come. Our rich people-topeople linkages are among our strongest assets,” Modi tweeted.

Modi also held bilateral meetings with US President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris and also held multilateral meetings with the leaders of Japan and Australia in the first inperson Quad leaders summit hosted by Biden.

India, US ask Taliban to adhere to commitments India and the US have called on the Taliban to adhere to its commitments and respect the human rights of all Afghans, including women, children and minority groups, and asked the new rulers in Kabul to make sure that the war-torn country's territory is never again used to threaten or attack any country or to shelter or train terrorists.

In a US-India Joint Leaders' Statement issued after the first in-person bilateral meeting between US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House on Friday last, the two leaders underscored the importance of combating terrorism in Afghanistan.

The two leaders resolved that the Taliban must abide by UNSC Resolution 2593 (2021) which demands that Afghan territory must never again be used to threaten or attack any country or to shelter or train terrorists, or to plan or finance terrorist attacks, and underscored the importance of combating terrorism in Afghanistan, according to the joint statement.

The UN Security Council resolution 2593 on Afghanistan, adopted under India's Presidency of the 15-nation Council in August, had demanded that Afghan territory not be used to threaten or attack any country or to shelter or train terrorists, or to plan or to finance terrorist acts, and reiterated the importance of combating terrorism in Afghanistan, including those individuals and entities designated pursuant to resolution 1267 (1999), and noted the Taliban's relevant commitments.

"President Biden and Prime Minister Modi called on the Taliban to adhere to these and all other commitments, including regarding the safe, secure, and orderly departure from Afghanistan of Afghans and all foreign nationals and to respect the human rights of all Afghans, including women, children, and members of minority groups," the statement said.

The Taliban, which took control of Kabul on August 15, have put in place a

hardline interim 33-member Cabinet that has no women and includes UN-designated terrorists. The Taliban last ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001.

"The two leaders also emphasised on the importance of efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and called on the Taliban to allow full, safe, direct and unhindered access for the UN, its specialised agencies and implementing partners, and all humanitarian actors engaged in humanitarian relief activity, including with respect to internally displaced persons," it said.

Reflecting their long-term commitment to promoting development and economic opportunity for the Afghan people, they determined to continue to closely coordinate and to work jointly with partners toward an inclusive and peaceful future for all Afghans, the statement added.

The UN Security Council resolution had condemned in the strongest terms the deplorable attacks of August 26 near Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, which were claimed by the Islamic State in Khorasan Province, an entity affiliated with the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Da'esh). The resolution took note of the Taliban's condemnation of this attack.

Earlier, India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told the G20 nations that the Taliban's commitment not to allow the use of Afghanistan's soil for terrorism in any manner should be implemented and the world expects a broad-based, inclusive process that involves representation from all sections of the Afghan society.

Jaishankar, in his address at the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting on Afghanistan which was held on the sidelines of the high-level 76th session of the UN General Assembly, had said that the international community must come together in response to humanitarian needs. Assistance providers must be accorded unimpeded, unrestricted and direct access.

The Taliban swept across Afghanistan last month, seizing control of almost all key towns and cities in the backdrop of withdrawal of the US forces that began on May 1. On August 15, the capital city of Kabul fell to the insurgents.

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SPECIAL

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2 - 8 October 2021

VISIT SPECIAL PM Modi meets leading American CEOs, highlights investment opportunities in India Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday last met leading American CEOs from five different key sectors, marking the onset of his engagements on the three-day US visit. He held one-on-one meetings with CEOs of Qualcomm, Adobe, First Solar, General Atomics and Blackstone to highlight the economic opportunities in India. Two of them are Indian-Americans - Shantanu Narayen from Adobe and Vivek Lall from General Atomics.

Three others are Cristiano E Amon from Qualcomm, Mark Widmar from First Solar, and Stephen A Schwarzman from Blackstone.

Highlights of meeting After speaking with PM Modi, Widmar of First Solar said: “Clearly with his leadership

Significance of meeting Narayen reflects the IT and digital priority that the Indian government is pushing for.

However, Modi’s meeting with Lall is significant as General Atomics is not only the pioneer in military drone technologies but also the world’s top manufacturer of state-of-the-art military drones, which the US shares only with its key allies and partners.

India is in the process of procuring a significant number of drones for the three branches of its armed forces. It has also leased a few drones from General Atomics.

Jakarta-born Lall, now based out of California, for over a decade has been instrumental in major bilateral defence deals worth

Indian Americans protest against Modi’s visit Dozens of Indian Americans have gathered at Lafayette Square, the park in front of the White House, to protest against the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the United States. Chanting slogans and holding placards that read “Save India from fascism”, the protesters castigated Modi over human rights violations, persecution of Muslims and other minorities, new farm laws, and the crackdown in Indian-administered Kashmir.

Since his election as India’s prime minister in 2014, Modi has been accused of presiding over an unprecedented religious polarisation in his country, with several laws discriminating against minority

groups, mainly its 200 million Muslims.

Victor Begg, a 74-year-old community leader and activist, said he travelled all the way from Florida state to register his protest against Biden’s meeting with the Hindu nationalist leader. “What Modi represents is totally against American values. By allowing him into the United States and hosting him in the White House compromises our democracy as well,” Begg said.

The activists raised the recent surge in the attacks and killings of religious minorities, especially Muslims and Christians, by the members of Hindu right-wing groups in various parts of India.

Make vax in India, PM Modi invites global vaccine makers Prime Minister Narendra Modi put India on the front-line of the global fight against Covid-19, by inviting global vaccine manufacturers to “come and make vaccines in India”. “I want to give this information to UNGA that India has developed the world's first DNA vaccine, which can be administered to all people above 12 years of age. Another mRNA vaccine is in its last phase of development. India’s scientists are also engaged in the development of a nasal vaccine for Corona,” Modi said.

The invitation comes at a time when inadequate supplies and inequitable distribution of vaccines have raised the fear that

the twin issues might delay global recovery from the pandemic and may appear to be a move to transform India's image as a cause of concern that it looked after the country was ravaged by the "second wave", into an emergency responder and part of the solution. India earned considerable goodwill when the Modi government launched "Vaccine Maitri" initiative to reach vaccines to the under-resourced capitals at a time when developed countries stubbornly refused to look beyond their shores. The second wave, however, derailed the vaccine initiative as New Delhi decided to first look after its own.

US, India to push ahead with defence ties PM Modi meets American CEOs and what he has done to create a really strong balance between industrial policy as well as trade policy, it makes it an ideal opportunity for companies like First Solar to establish manufacturing in India." “His (PM Modi) commitment to ensuring domestic capabilities and ensuring long-term climate goals with a focus on energy independence and security, the alignment of what he is trying to achieve couldn't be better for companies looking to manufacture in India," he added. Widmar further applauded India's steps to tackle the climate crisis and said that if the country could emulate the measures, achieving the long-term climate goal objectives would not be an issue.

Further, Amon also expressed enthusiasm to work with India on ambitious digital transformation programmes including in 5G, PM WANI and others. He expressed interest in partnering with India to work in the field of semiconductors.

As per reports, the Qualcomm CEO spoke about the incredible opportunities in India and added that India is a big market but "we also see India as a big export market". He said that it's the right time for India to not only manufacture for the Indian market but also plan to serve the needs of other countries.

Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayan appreciated the efforts of India in fighting Covid-19 and particularly in the rapid vaccination. He expressed interest to contribute to India's 75th anniversary of independence. He also expressed a desire to bring video, animation to every child in India.

around USD18 billion, as India and the US take steps to forge a new relationship in which defence trade is a key pillar.

The meeting with chip giant Cristiano Amon assumes significance, given India’s push for the 5G technology to be safe and secure.

The San Diego-based company creates semiconductors, software, and services related to wireless technology. A world leader in 3G, 4G, and next-generation wireless technology innovations for more than 30 years, Qualcomm is now pioneering its way to 5G with a new era of intelligent products that are revolutionising industries, including automotive, computing, and Internet of Things (IoT).

As India is taking gigantic steps in the use of solar power to meet its energy needs, the meeting with Mark Widmar is important as First Solar is a leading global provider of comprehensive photovoltaic (“PV") solar solutions, which use its advanced module and system technology. Early this summer, the Arizonabased company announced to add 3.3 GW of capacity in a new facility in India at an estimated cost of USD 684 million.

Stephen A. Schwarzman is Chairman, CEO and Co-Founder of Blackstone, one of the world’s leading investment firms investing capital on behalf of pension funds, large institutions and individuals.

In March this year, Blackstone announced that funds managed by Blackstone Real Estate have acquired Embassy Industrial Parks from Warburg Pincus and Embassy Group, in one of India’s largest logistics transactions.

Despite not being military allies by way of a treaty or pact, the United States and India pushed ahead with strengthening defence ties in talks between President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, describing their broad-based relationship as a "partnership for global good."

Unmistakable signs that defence cooperation between the two countries is being upgraded notwithstanding traditional US disquiet over New Delhi's broad array of military hardware acquisition from other countries came in a statement in which President Biden pledged "unwavering commitment to India as a Major Defense Partner" including strengthening cooperation in advanced military technologies.

The statement specifically noted the recent project to co-develop air-launched unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or Drones) under the Defense Technology and Trade Initiative, and encouraged more such joint efforts. It called upon government and private stakeholders to use the existing ecosystems of innovation and entrepreneurship in defence industries for co-development, co-production and expanding mutual defence trade, a mechanism that would not only enable India to circumvent outright purchase, but also get around US legislative hurdles that are subject to domestic politics.

Officials who briefed journalists on the talks said President Biden, a self-confessed votary of the relationship who forecast in 2006 that US and India would share the world's closest ties by 2020, that he said it would need two days of talks with Modi,

PM Modi with Joe Biden rather than the 90 minutes they took, to cover the full gamut of shared interests.

Following up on the talks and his invitation to vice-president Kamala Harris to visit India, Modi also extended an invitation to the US President to visit India.

Subject to the pandemic waning, both visits are expected to take place within months.

Not that the talks were without wrinkles, mostly relating to trade. Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla said the prime minister raised the issue of H-1b visas and the continuing impasse over a totalisation agreement, resolving which would enable India to recover billions of dollars that Indian professionals are forced to contribute and give up in taxes even when they don't don't intent to immigrate.

The two countries also strove to be on the same page in terrorism despite differing bilateral priorities with Pakistan, whose help the US still needs to extract its people and assets from Afghanistan.

Although the statement did not explicitly name Pakistan, the inference was obvious: it said the leaders reaffirmed their stand together in a shared fight against global terrorism and pledged to take concerted action against all terrorist groups.

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AsianVoiceNews

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2 - 8 October 2021

Where can you get better returns for your SIPP/ISA – large companies or smaller ones? Many Asian Voice readers have asked me exactly this question.

Alpesh Patel A year on from the US lockDear Financial down, the economic recovery is well on its way. Vaccine rollout has been Voice Reader, a success, and government stimulus packages have held up the economy. For a long time, this recovery was slightly uneven and favoured large-cap stocks. However, this has begun to change.

Let's look at how small-cap and large-cap stocks are performing and figure out which size company offers the best value for the future.

Small-Cap Optimism Thanks to a return to more typical economic conditions, there is a lot of optimism in the air among investors and business owners. Small-cap firms, in particular, will welcome the recovery. Typically, they are more sensitive to economic conditions.

Small-cap growth stocks shot up 16.5% during the first half of 2021. Additionally, small-cap value stocks have risen 30.6% in the same period. On top of this, the S&P SmallCap 600 index has grown by 23.6%. These returns have outpaced the mid-and largecap indices — S&P MidCap 400 (17.6%), and S&P 500 (15.3%) These represent fantastic performance for the type of investor who has the grit (and the patience) to endure the shortterm volatility and risk inherent in small-cap stocks. Indeed, for those who can wait, there is considerable potential for solid longterm gains.

Will Market Leadership Shift?

Over the last three or so months, the ongoing narrative has favoured large-caps stocks. Indeed, the current risk-adjusted rankings for US-style indexes (based on Canterbury's VolatilityWeighted-Relative-Strength) has supported large-cap firms. The performance hierarchy has been: Large-cap, mid-cap, small-cap.

This pattern has repeated itself across the S&P 500, with the biggest securities outperforming the overall market. For example, the S&P 500 is up 8% overall. However, in the same period, the Tech sector has grown 16.5%, while Communications, Discretionary, and Healthcare are around 10%. These sectors are responsible for roughly two-thirds of market growth.

Aside from Real Estate, none of the other seven sectors has grown more than 5% over the last three months. It's clear that smaller sectors are beating the market.

But in recent weeks, a different picture is emerging. Utilities, Financials, and Consumer staples have started to outperform, suggesting that there could be some shift in market leadership.

As August began, Utilities and Consumer staples were the 10th and 6th best-performing sectors. However, Utilities have shot up to #4, while Consumer stapes are at #3. Could this herald greater participation of different types of securities in the market as the economy bounces back?

What Small-Cap Stocks Looking Strong?

If small-cap stocks are on the rise, which represents the best options?

According to their relative number of hedge fund owners, three stocks are looking promising: Hostess Brands, Inc, a leading American packaged food company, Turning Point Brands, Inc. an American tobacco manufacture Bloomin’ Brands, Inc. American restaurant holding company Another area full of potential is to be found in the Alternative Investment Markets (AIM). Investors Chronicle recently published its recommendations and found 30 AIM stocks that passed its screening methods. They've highlighted Boohoo and Asos as two fashion stocks that performed well on their rating.

How Will Large-Cap Stocks Perform?

Large-cap stocks S&P 500 performance has been primarily driven by tech stocks. Overall, large-caps have outperformed other stocks, but if the FAANGs slow down, what would the picture look like?

If you take out Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, Google, and also Microsoft, the S&P 500 looks a little less rosy. In fact, the equal-weight S&P 500 has been drifting sideways for the last few months. A distinct picture is emerging: Cap-weighted S&P 500 is being driven by tech stocks, with Healthcare and Real Estate also performing well.

What Mutual Funds are Worth Looking At? Of course, despite the optimism around small caps, large caps still have a place in any investor's portfolio. There are some exciting options to consider for anyone looking to enter the market via mutual funds focused on mid or large-cap firms.

Large-cap mutual fund Canara Robeco Bluechip Equity Fund has posted 5-year returns of 17.98%. The Axis Bluechip Fund (18.27%) and the Mirae Asset Large Cap Fund (16.92%) are other strong performers.

Mid-cap mutuals could be an option for investors looking for slightly higher returns (with slightly higher risk). PGIM India Midcap Opportunities Fund has returned 22% over five years, while Axis Midcap Fund (21%) and Quant Mid Cap Fund (20.96%) aren't far behind.

Personally, in this market which is a bit expensive I want the safety of large cap, high cash flow generating profitable companies – that means tech stocks I’m afraid.

For a free copy of my book – see www.investingchampions.com

Central bank chief warns rise in interest rates more likely next year The Bank of England’s chief Andrew Bailey predicts a rise in interest rates next year. Speaking to the Society of Professional Economists in London, Bailey said there were signs that inflation could be sustained and the central bank’s monetary policy committee (MPC) may need to increase borrowing costs in 2022. He said with inflation at 3.2 per cent and heading above four per cent, inflationary pressures appeared to be worsening rather than improving.

Bailey said, “All of us believe that there will need to be some modest tightening of policy to be consistent with meeting the inflation target sustainably over the medium term.

Recent evidence appears to have strengthened that case but there remain substantial uncertainties and we are monitoring the situation closely.”

He said a major challenge for the BoE would be to distinguish between

Andrew Bailey

one-off increases in price levels and factors that could cause a longer-term increase in the annual rate of inflation. “Monetary policy should not respond to supply shocks which do not become generalised through their impact on inflation expectations,” he said. The MPC voted to keep interest rates at 0.25 per cent and its £875bn stimulus programme in place last week after concerns that a rebound in economic growth since the early part of the year was beginning to pan out.

The committee said it was concerned that there were more people

on the government furlough programme than the Bank predicted in its August health check on the economy. Bailey played down the prospects for a return to previously high levels of growth. He said, “I, and other MPC members, have used the analogy of a bridge to describe the role of economic policy in the age of Covid, the bridge to the other side of Covid. We are still on that bridge. The rate of recovery has slowed over recent months, and that slowing is continuing. Relative to the fourth quarter of 2019, on the latest data to July, the level of GDP was 3.5% lower.”

He added, “That’s around one percentage point below the level consistent with the August monetary policy report. It is inevitable in a bounceback that the growth rate will slow as the recovery nears its end point. It is not, though, inevitable – or desirable – that the previous level is not regained.”

Al Gore's firm buys stake in Octopus energy group A clean energy investment fund run by former US vice-president Al Gore has bought a 13% stake in British energy company Octopus in a deal worth £438m. It means the supplier is now valued at £3.36bn, which is more than the owner of British Gas, Centrica, at £3.28bn.

The agreement comes after several UK energy suppliers have gone bust due to soaring wholesale prices making price promises to customers undeliverable. Octopus is to use the cash injection to boost its green energy production.

Gore's firm, Generation Investment Management, will initially make an investment of £219m, followed by a further £219m by June next year, subject to certain conditions, Octopus said. The founder and chief executive of Octopus, Greg Jackson, said that he believed Gore was looking to invest in the "changes that we need to see in the energy system globally".

"After all, if we had more renewables here in the UK prior to the recent fossil fuel price crisis, we wouldn't be seeing such high prices for energy," he said. Recent rises in wholesale gas prices have hit the UK energy market

hard, with the country now having around 30 suppliers, compared to more than 70 in 2018. Seven smaller firms have collapsed since the start of August alone.

Over the weekend, Octopus, the UK's fifth largest energy supplier, announced it was taking on 580,000 customers from collapsed supplier Arvo Energy, after it was appointed by the regulator Ofgem. However, senior executives in the industry said the reg-

Aldi set to create 2,000 jobs, open 100 stores German discounter Aldi is all set to create 2,000 jobs, and open 100 stores across the UK over the next two years as part of a £1.3bn plan to take over the British grocery market. Giles Hurley, Aldi’s UK and Ireland chief executive said the chain is not expecting disruption for customers in the run-up to Christmas. The chain said that alongside new stores and jobs, the fresh investment in its UK business would be used to expand its distribution centres, including a new 1.3m sq ft warehouse in Leicestershire, and give a trial to a new checkout-free store in Greenwich in London, where it will use cameras, sensors, and artifi-

Issa Brothers now Europe’s biggest KFC operator Billionaire Asda owners have bought 52 branches of KFC in the South and South-West, making them the biggest operators in Europe. Brothers Mohsin and Zuber Issa own the EG Group, which bought the fast food outlets from Amsric Group. The 52 branches employ over 1,600 staff, and include traditional KFC sit-down restaurants and drive-through outlets. The deal means the Issa Brothers now control more than 220 of the fried chicken restaurants.

They released a joint statement saying, “We have seen a marked upward trend in the performance of our existing KFC network and this has given us confidence to consider and invest in more assets. The network we have acquired is a strong portfolio of assets and we are looking forward to working with the Amsric management team and KFC to ensure a smooth transition for the teams and an effectively managed transfer of operations and assets.”

Amsric Group managing director Ragin Patel said, “As a family-man-

ulator knew full well that many smaller suppliers would not be resilient in the face of price rises that should have been part of the regulator's stress testing of the sector.

Jackson said taking on customers from failed companies was "definitely not as financially attractive as growing customers in the normal way", but said it was an "incredibly important" move to make in the current crisis to restore confidence in the energy market.

Issa Brothers

aged business, we take a people-first approach and wanted to ensure our KFC network went to a new owner who is committed to investing in the network and allowing our employees to realise opportunities for professional growth.” Mohsin, and Zuber started out in a garage bought by their father. They went on to branch out on their own, first renting a petrol station for two years, then in 2001 buying their first forecourt, a derelict freehold site in Bury, and formed Euro Garages (EG). The company now has almost 6,000 sites across 10 countries, from the UK to the US and Australia, runs outlets for Greggs, Starbucks, and KFC, and employs 44,000 people.

cial intelligence to scan items and charge shoppers.

Hurley said, “It’s a clear sign of our mission, and the demand that exists for Aldi to be in more locations across Great Britain, from Aberystwyth to Aberdeen.” The investment plans were announced alongside Aldi’s annual results which showed a 10.2 per cent rise in sales in the UK, and Ireland. Hurley said he could not rule out price inflation in the lead-up to Christmas, especially after the Bank of England warned consumer price inflation could exceed four per cent by the end of the year because of higher energy bills.

Govt furlough scheme ends this week, what to expect With the government furlough scheme coming to a close by the end of this week, there lies a lot of uncertainty among as many as 1.6 million people who remain signed up to the support programme. Also known as the job retention scheme, it is a government support system for businesses, and allowed firms to get up to 80 per cent of staff wages to help them stay afloat during the pandemic.

The programme has been slowly wound down from July, with the level of support from the government slowly trickling down from that date. The government used to contribute 80 per cent of pay, up to a cap of £2,500 a month. It fell to 70 per cent, up to £2,187.50, from July 1. The government support later dropped again on August 1, to its current level of 60 per cent, capped at £1,875. So far, the government has ruled out any prospects of extending the support, taking it as only a temporary measure. With the programme coming to an end, companies have three options.

Employees could either be brought back to work on their agreed terms and conditions, or their employment could be terminated, or terms and conditions could be negotiated.

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FINANCE & REAL ESTATE

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2 - 8 Octobar 2021

India seals historic Airbus military aircraft deal The Defence Ministry inked a nearly £2 billion deal with Airbus Defence and Space of Spain to procure 56 'C-295' medium transport aircraft which will replace the ageing Avro-748 planes of the Indian Air Force. It is the first project of its kind under which military aircraft will be manufactured in India by a private company, officials said.

Under the deal, 16 aircraft will be delivered in a flyaway condition by the Airbus Defence and Space of Spain within 48 months of signing the contract. The remaining 40 planes will be manufactured in India by a consortium of the Airbus Defence and Space and Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) within 10 years of signing the contract, officials said.

The Chairman of Tata

Trusts, Ratan Tata, congratulated the Airbus Defence, Tata Advanced Systems Limited and the Defence Ministry on the inking of the historic contract. In a signed statement posted on Twitter, Tata said the clearance of the joint project between Airbus Defence and Tata Advanced Systems to build the aircraft is a "great step" forward in the opening

up of the aviation and avionics projects in India.

"It will create a domestic supply chain capability to international standards, which has never been undertaken before. The Tata Group congratulates Airbus and the Indian Defence Ministry for this bold step in fully building this state-of-the-art multirole aircraft in India in support of the Make-in-

India thrust to bolster the country''s equity framework," Ratan Tata said.

The contract was signed two weeks after it was cleared by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Cabinet Committee on Security. Airbus C-295 MW aircraft is a transport plane of 5-10 tonne capacity. "All 56 aircraft will be installed with indigenous electronic warfare suite," the ministry had said on September 8 after the procurement was cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Security. The in-principle approval for the Avro replacement programme was accorded around nine years ago. A large number of detail parts, sub-assemblies and major component assemblies of aerostructure are scheduled to be manufactured in India.

Adani unveils $20bn green energy plan Gautam Adani, India’s second-richest man who heads the Ahmedabad-based edible oils, infrastructure and energy conglomerate, threw a gauntlet at the country’s wealthiest person Mukesh Ambani by announcing a $20-billion renewable energy play, with the promise to produce the world’s cheapest “green electron”.

At the current exchange rate, the investment amounts to £15 billion and

will be spent on building capacities for renewable energy generation and component manufacturing as well as transmission and distribution, Adani told the JPMorgan India Investor Summit. Adani’s outlay is double that of the $10billion green energy foray Ambani had recently announced for his Reliance Industries, with the promise to produce green hydrogen seen as the fuel of the future - for less than $1 per kg in a

decade’s time.

Adani also hinted at getting into the green hydrogen space by saying his group’s “integrated value chain, scale and experience” places it well to become the “producer of the leastexpensive green electron anywhere in the world”.

“Our actions clearly indicate that we are putting our money where our

Gautam Adani

mouth is: Over 75% of our planned capex until 2025 will be in green technologies. Today, of our ebitda from utilities, 43% is already from the green business,” he added.

India needs 4-5 banks like SBI, says Sitharaman India's finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman called for expansion of banking services in the country, stating that there are still many districts without any bank branches. At the same time, she said that there was a need for four to five banks the size of State Bank of India (SBI), given the size of the Indian economy and growth of corporates.

“There are very many districts in which not even one banking institution is physically present. Even with optimum use of digital, there are still areas that need your presence,” said Sitharaman, addressing the 74th annual general meeting of the Indian Banks’

Nirmala Sitharaman

Association (IBA) in Mumbai.

Sitharaman urged the IBA to conduct a digital mapping of bank branches by district and identify those that do not have any branch.

She said that she has been approached by a member of Parliament who highlighted an area of high economic activity but where the public had to travel long distances

to get to a bank branch.

The FM said even before the pandemic, the need for several large banks the size of SBI was felt and this was the driving force behind the amalgamation of public sector banks (PSBs). She appreciated the efforts of PSBs for the smooth conduct of the amalgamation exercise and regular banking activities during the Covid period without inconveniencing the public.

Sitharaman, who had earlier asked banks to embark on a credit outreach programme from October

2021, said that the same can now be done digitally using the account aggregator platform. She added that banks must collaborate with fintechs to gain further advancement in digitalisation.

IBA chairman & Union Bank CEO Rajkiran Rai said that FY21 had seen muted growth due to the pandemic. However, all key economic indicators have started showing improvement. “Performance improvement is visible across banks. In terms of asset quality, gross NPA has come down from 8.4% in FY20 to 7.5% in FY21 and net NPA from 2.9% to 2.4% in the same period,” he said.

US court halts suit, allowing Cairn to settle row with India A New York court has paused Cairn Energy’s pursuit of US assets of Air India for the recovery of a $1.2-billion arbitral award, so as to allow the British firm to reach a settlement with the Indian government on the long drawn dispute.

The New York district court delayed the tax suit to November 18, according to court documents. This follows Cairn Energy and Air India jointly asking the court to stay further proceedings in view of the government enacting a fresh law to scrap retrospective taxation in the country.

The new law will result in

withdrawal of the £1.02 billion tax demand that the government had sought from Cairn. Sources with direct knowledge of the matter said the finance ministry is framing rules that will lead to withdrawal of the retrospective tax demand on Cairn and 16 other companies, including Vodafone Group of UK. These rules require the companies to withdraw all litigations against the government in return for being refunded any money that was collected to force the retrospective tax demand.

A format for the undertaking that

the companies will have to furnish committing to withdraw litigations is under finalisation and should be released in coming days, they said.

Companies will have to use that format to give an undertaking, after which the money will be refunded.

In all, the government has to return about £810 million, of which £790 million is due only to Cairn.

Cairn has indicated that the refund, without interest and penalty, was acceptable to it - opening an avenue to settle the seven-year-old dispute with Indian authorities.

Choosing The Ruler Suresh Vagjiani, Sow & Reap Properties Ltd

There are many ways to invest in property; everyone has their own levels of comfort, strategies and whatever else. I have had some clients who only invest when the Muhurat is right, others who only buy certain numbered property and avoid others.

There are, however, more fundamental measures of analysing property deals, such as, return on investment, return on cash, internal rate of return, cost of capital etc.

We have sourced numerous deals where the focus was purely on short term capital return. Trading deals sometimes within 3 days from exchange, meaning properties were exchanged and sold on prior to completion, undoubtedly these attracted a lot of interest when the market was in a growth phase, and nowhere was this more aggressive than in Central London. When we calculated the numbers for a fund manager, the numbers were actually too high, to the point where they seemed ludicrous, though they were actually correct. The calculation used was based on the cash, and return on this cash. As these were very short time periods, where the return was often double or treble or even higher, the annual rate of return was driven extremely high; so, we had to use another statistic just to dumb the numbers down.

Nearly all went well, a couple went south. However, this is not a strategy to follow in this market, neither does it give freedom to allow the property to work for you, which is what property does best. In fact, the wheels have to turn pretty fast in order to facilitate these kinds of transactions.

Our strategy has evolved, and the formula used now to measure a deal is different. The ruler we now use to assess a deal is based on when the investor will get their seed funds back – or at least most of them, whilst keeping the asset long term, whilst generating a solid cash flow. At the point the money is returned to the investor, the return on cash invested is infinity, as there is no money left in the deal and you are getting a return month on month.

So, when analysing a deal, we have two parameters, one is when are we expecting the seed funds to be returned to the investor, and the second is what will be the positive cash flow once this has been achieved.

The first aim can only be achieved if one is able to add enough value to the asset in order to be able to extract the initial investment in a short space of time. There are usually two ways to achieve this, One is to add more space, the other is to change the usage class of a property. The latter can have the effect of turning lead into gold.

In practise one would use a combination of the two depending on how best to maximise the asset. The order in which strategies are implemented is important too. Doing things in the wrong sequence can invalidate planning.

The above information is by no means conclusive, it only serves to get you to start thinking about how you want your return by investing in property; this will be unique to you, where you are in life and what’s important to you.

Tatas lead wealth creation among India’s biz houses India's conglomerates have not only gained heft in the market but have also created wealth for shareholders big time. Thanks to the sizzling rally in group companies’ share prices and speedy recovery in their earnings after the first Covid wave, market capitalisations of India’s fabled business houses surged, adding to shareholders’ kitty.

Not surprisingly, India’s largest group by revenue, the House of Tatas, is the largest wealth-creator for shareholders. Its 28 listed entities together added more than £60 billion wealth for investors since January this year - a return of over 40%. Next is Reliance Industries (RIL) Group, controlled by Mukesh Ambani. Its nine listed firms cumulatively added close to £40 billion wealth for investors, a return of 28%. Bajaj is the third-largest wealth creator for investors followed by Adani, while Aditya Birla and L&T are neck and neck in the fifth spot.

“The highest wealth creation has come from the Tata Group and rightly so. Not only is the quantum of its contribution the highest but, more importantly, it is the most diversified group and also has the largest shareholder base (85,00,000) thus providing a larger slice of the pie to public shareholders,” said RippleWave Equity Advisors partner Mehul Savla.

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Taliban include non-Pashtuns in cabinet, but still no woman ISLAMABAD: The Taliban expanded its interim cabinet last week by including new members, all men and several of them from non-Pashtun ethnic groups, in an attempt to satisfy the global community which has been insisting that their government should be inclusive.

However, not a single woman has been included in the cabinet so far. After including 17 new members - which included representatives from the Hazara, Tajik and Uzbek ethnic groups the strength of the Afghan caretaker government reached 50. In the first phase, Taliban had announced names of 33 ministers on September 7.

Announcing the cabinet expansion at a press conference, Zabihullah Mujahid, deputy minister for information and culture, said he was hopeful that the international community would recognise their government in the near future. Two veteran battlefield commanders from the Taliban movement’s southern heartlands were also appointed as deputies in important ministries. Mujahid said Mullah Abdul Qayyum Zakir will be deputy defence minister, while Sadr Ibrahim was named deputy minister for the interior.

The two were identified in UN reports as being among battlefield commanders loyal to the former Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour who were pressing the leadership to step up the war against the Westernbacked government.

The appointments add to the roster of hardliners in the main group of ministers, which included fig-

ures like Sirajuddin Haqqani, head of the militant Haqqani network.

On women’s affairs ministry and girls’ education, Mujahid simply said that the government was working to address women’s demands for work and education. He also hinted that women might be added to the cabinet later.

Taliban hang bodies at Herat city squares The Taliban hung the bodies of four kidnappers from cranes after killing them during a shootout in Afghanistan’s western city of Herat last week, a senior official said. Herat province’s deputy governor Mawlawi Shir Ahmad Muhajir said the men’s corpses were displayed in various public areas on the same day as the killings to teach a “lesson” that kidnapping will not be tolerated.

Wazir Ahmad Seddiqi, who runs a pharmacy in Herat, said that four bodies were brought to the main square and three bodies were moved to other parts of the city for public display.

Seddiqi said the Taliban announced that the four were caught taking part in a kidnapping and were killed by police.

Graphic images posted to social media showed bloody bodies on the back of a pick-up truck while a crane hoisted one man up. A crowd of people looked on as armed Taliban fighters gathered around the vehicle. Another video showed a man suspended from a crane at a major roundabout in Herat with a sign on his chest reading: “Abductors will be punished like this”.

Taliban nominate UN envoy The Taliban have nominated an ambassador to represent Afghanistan at the United Nations, UN officials said, injecting a new twist into what was already a delicate diplomatic quandary in the global organisation. The nomination, submitted to secretary-general Antonio Guterres, sets up a showdown with the envoy of Afghanistan’s toppled government, Ghulam Isaczai, who has so far retained his post.

The showdown may not be resolved soon. But it raised the startling prospect that the Taliban - the violent, extremist Islamic movement that retook power last month as the USbacked government collapsed would occupy an ambassador’s seat at the UN. Stephane Dujarric, a spokesperson for Guterres, confirmed that the secretary-general had been notified of the Taliban request in a letter signed

by Amir Khan Muttaqi, identified as the movement’s foreign minister. The letter stated that the Taliban’s choice of UN ambassador was Suhail Shaheen, the movement’s spokesperson based in Doha, Qatar. The letter further stated that Muttaqi wanted to speak at the General Assembly, which began last week.

Executions and amputations to return One of the founders of the Taliban and the chief enforcer of

its harsh interpretation of Islamic law when they last ruled Afghanistan said the hard-line movement will once again carry out executions and amputations of hands, though perhaps not in public. In an interview, Mullah Nooruddin Turabi dismissed outrage over the Taliban’s executions in the past, which sometimes took place in front of crowds at a stadium, and he warned the world against interfering with Afghanistan’s new rulers. “Everyone criticised us for the punishments in the stadium, but we have never said anything about their laws and their punishments,” Turabi said.

“No one will tell us what our laws should be. We will follow Islam and we will make our laws on the Quran.” Since the Taliban overran Kabul on August 15 and seized control of the country, Afghans and the world have been watching to see whether they will recreate their harsh rule of the late 1990s.

Turabi’s comments pointed to how the group’s leaders remain entrenched in a deeply conservative, hard-line worldview, even if they are embracing technological changes, like video and mobile phones.

Form inclusive govt, or face civil war, Imran warns Taliban ISLAMABAD: Pakistan PM Imran Khan has called on the Taliban to form an inclusive government and warned that failure to do so could see the country descend into civil war.

“If they do not include all the factions, sooner or later they will have a civil war,” Imran said in an interview.

Imran said Pakistan was primarily concerned about the possibility of a humanitarian and refugee crisis if a civil war breaks out, as well as the possibility of Afghan soil being used by armed groups that are fighting the Pakistani government.

“That would mean an unstable, chaotic Afghanistan,” Khan said. “That (Afghanistan) is an ideal place for terrorists, if there

Imran Khan

is no control or if there is fighting going on. And this is our worry. So terrorism from Afghan soil, and secondly, if there is a humanitarian crisis or a civil war, a refugee issue for us,” Khan said.

The Pakistan PM laid out three conditions to formally recognise the new Taliban gov-

ernment: the new leadership should be inclusive, it must respect human rights, and Afghanistan should not be used to house terrorists who could threaten Pakistan’s security.

When asked if the Taliban accepted the conditions, would Pakistan formally recognise the Taliban government, Imran replied that Pakistan would take a decision to formally recognise the Taliban government together with neighbouring countries. “All neighbours will get together and see how they progress,” he said, adding whether to recognise them or

not will be a collective decision.

Pakistan, however, was a key ally of the previous Taliban government in Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001.

Imran described the act of preventing girls from attending school as un-Islamic. Last week, the Taliban excluded girls from secondary schools, with only boys and male teachers allowed back. But Pakistan PM said he believed girls would soon be able to attend. “It’s just too early to say anything,” he continued, adding that he expected Afghan women would eventually “assert their rights”. The PM also urged the international community to be patient with the latest change on the Afghan landscape.

Pak PM Imran's UN leader's deriding video goes viral ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has sent Shehryar Khan Afridi, the chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir, to the United States to take part in the United Nations General Assembly. Reports said that he has been sent to the UNGA to 'raise awareness' about what is happening in Jammu and Kashmir. But Imran Khan's 'Kashmir' man has already gone viral on social media for a vlog that he shot from the street of Manhattan.

Shooting the video of women roaming around the street, Afridi, clad in a casual tshirt, said women in Pakistan have a far better condition than those countries who preach to the world. Accompanied by a few men, Afridi is seen taking a stroll and saying, "Whatever the ethnicity is - Baloch, Sindhi, Punjabi, Pashtun, Kashmiri - we give respect to women. See here, these are America's daughters.

Recognise the values that we have. This is not a political slogan. This is the reality. See the

condition of those who give us lectures, who tell us 'I am the king'".

The video surfaced a few days ago and has now gone viral with several social media users pointing out the condition of women in Pakistan. "Once again PM Imran Khan is going to address UNGA as an ambassador of Kashmir. World has to listen to the tale of the barbarism of fascist Indian regime," Afridi tweeted.

This is, however, not the first controversy of Afridi during

the trip as he was reportedly stopped at JFK airport for screening.

The Pakistan Embassy in Washington said that it was a routine screening as Afridi is a first-time visitor. “As noted by the Embassy of Pakistan in Washington, as a first-time visitor, Afridi had secondary screening briefly and was cleared in routine without any guarantees being sought or given by anyone from the Embassy or the Consulate,” a statement from the embassy said.

in brief JINNAH STATUE RAZED IN BALOCHISTAN BLAST A statue of Pakistan’s founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah has been destroyed in a bomb attack by the Baloch militants disguised as tourists in the coastal city of Gwadar in Balochistan province. The statue, which was installed in June at Marine Drive - considered a safe zone - was blown up by explosives placed beneath the statue. Babgar Baloch, a spokesman for the banned militant organisation Baloch Republican Army, claimed responsibility for the blast. The matter was being investigated at the highest level, Gwadar deputy commissioner Major (retd) Abdul Kabir Khan was quoted as saying. According to him, no arrest has been made so far but the investigation will be completed in a day or two. “The demolition of Quaid-e-Azam’s statue in #Gwadar is an attack on Ideology of Pakistan. I request authorities to punish the perpetrators...,” Balochistan Senator Sarfraz Bugti tweeted.

4 PAK SOLDIERS KILLED IN BLAST At least four security personnel were killed and two others injured in a blast targeting Pakistan’s paramilitary forces in the country’s restive Balochistan province, an official said. The outlawed Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the attack. A vehicle of the Frontier Corps (FC) was attacked in the Khosat area of Harnai district on Saturday, according to Dawn newspaper.

The FC soldiers were patrolling when their vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device, resulting in the death of four soldiers and injuries to two officers. The injured were rushed to nearby hospitals. Balochistan has been witnessing a spate of low-level violence for years. On Friday, two security personnel were killed in an attack in Awaran district.

NY PLANNING TO REPLACE UNVACCINATED HEALTH STAFF New York Governor Kathy Hochul is considering employing the National Guard and out-of -state medical workers to fill hospital staffing shortages with tens of thousands of workers unlikely to meet a deadline for mandated Covid-19 vaccination.

The plan, outlined in a statement from Hochul on Saturday, would allow her to declare a state of emergency to increase the supply of healthcare workers to include licensed professionals from other states and countries as well as retired nurses. Hochul said the state was also looking at using National Guard officers with medical training to keep hospitals and other medical facilities adequately staffed. Some 16% of the state’s 450,000 hospital staff, or roughly 70,000 workers, have not been fully vaccinated, the governor’s office said.

CHINA DECLARES ALL CRYPTO TRANSACTIONS ILLEGAL China’s most powerful regulators intensified the country’s crackdown on cryptocurrency with a blanket ban on all crypto transactions and mining, hitting bitcoin and other major coins and pressuring crypto and blockchain related stocks. Ten agencies, including the central bank as well as banking, securities and foreign exchange regulators, vowed to work together to root out “illegal” cryptocurrency activity, the first time the Beijing-based agencies have joined forces to explicitly ban all cryptocurrency related activity. China in May banned financial institutions and payment companies from providing services related to cryptocurrency transactions, and issued similar bans in 2013 and 2017.

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in brief HUAWEI EXEC RETURNS AS CHINA RELEASES 2 CANADIANS Huawei chief financial officer (CFO) Meng Wanzhou arrived in China after more than 1,000 days under house arrest in Canada following a deal with US prosecutors to end a fraud case against her. Two Canadians detained by Chinese authorities days after Meng’s arrest have also been released and they arrived in Calgary, where Canadian PM Justin Trudeau received them, local media reported. Meng, the daughter of Huawei Technologies founder Ren Zhengfei, was allowed to go home after reaching the deal to end the fraud case. That resulted in the scrapping of her US extradition hearing in a Vancouver court the same day. The years-long extradition drama has been a central source of discord between Beijing and Washington, with Chinese officials signalling that the case needed to be dropped to help to end a diplomatic stalemate. Chinese state media welcomed Meng back to the “motherland.”

STARS UNITE FOR GLOBAL CLIMATE, VAX GIGS Some of the biggest names in pop are uniting for a round- the- world event to raise awareness on climate change, vaccine equality and famine. Concerts taking place in London, Lagos, Rio, Sydney, Mumbai and more will be broadcast globally for the event, scheduled to coincide with the UNGA this week. The starstudded line-up will also push for action at the G20 next month and COP26 climate meeting in November. Eilish, Coldplay and Jennifer Lopez will perform in New York City. Stevie Wonder will play in Los Angeles, while Ed Sheeran will headline in Paris alongside Elton John. And there will be pre-recorded performances from BTS in South Korea and Andrea Bocelli in Tuscany. NGO Global Citizen said it wants one billion trees planted, one billion vaccines delivered to the poorest countries and meals for 41 million people on the brink of famine.

12-YEAR-OLD WINS CASE AGAINST HIS DAD A Dutch court has ruled that a12-year-old boy had the right to get a Covid jab to visit his dying grandmother despite his vaccine-sceptic dad’s objections. In one of the first cases of its kind in the Netherlands, the unnamed boy in the city of Groningen argued that getting the vaccine would reduce his chances of passing on an infection to her. Children aged 12 to 17 in the Netherlands can choose to be vaccinated but need permission from both parents. In this case, the boy’s parents are divorced and his mother agreed. District court Judge Bart Tromp granted permission for the boy to be vaccinated due to the “interests involved in vaccination, in particular the interest of this minor”. He ordered that the boy be given the shot “shortly” because his interests were more important than any possible appeal by the father’s lawyers. Court papers said the boy’s dad, who does not believe in vaccines or testing for Covid, refused to allow him to get a jab.

BRAZIL PRESIDENT EATS PIZZA ON NYC STREETS Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was spotted eating pizza on the streets of New York city.

He ate it on the sidewalk as he was not permitted inside the restaurant because he has not been vaccinated yet. After a long period of lockdown, restaurants and eateries are opening up in the post-Covid era. However, dining out is not the same as there are many more restrictions and guidelines for customers as well as the restaurant staff. In the US, for instance, some eateries are demanding some proof of at least one dose of the vaccine and prohibiting entry for unvaccinated. Brazil President and his ministers were recently in New York City, and they became one of the prominent visitors to be denied entry to a local restaurant.

South Africa resumes Zuma’s arms deal trial PRETORIA: South Africa’s former President Jacob Zuma has failed to appear in court to respond to corruption charges over a $2.5bn arms deal. The trial, which has dragged out for years, resumed last week after a 10-day delay to allow state-appointed doctors to assess evidence of his condition alongside his own medical team.

Two months into a 15-month prison sentence for contempt of court, Zuma, 79, was released last month on medical parole to undergo unspecified surgery.

While details of Zuma’s medical condition have been kept confidential, prosecutors argued ill health did not justify his absence.

“Attendance in court is not

optional,” state advocate Wim Trengove said as the trial kicked off at the Pietermaritzburg High Court in the southeastern KwaZulu-Natal province. He contested an instruction from Zuma to “carry on with his case without him” and noted a “difference of opinion” between doctors, with state medics finding Zuma “fit to stand trial”.

A top court had ruled against his demand to rescind its decision to sentence him to 15 months in prison for refusing to answer questions in a corruption investigation. Zuma responded by saying that South Africa was becoming a “constitutional dictatorship”.

The trial started in May after

numerous postponements as Zuma’s legal team battled to have the charges dropped. It has been repeatedly stalled by legal arguments, including Zuma’s request to replace lead prosecutor Billy Downer, whom he accuses of bias.

Charges against Zuma were dropped in 2009 by former National Prosecuting Authority head Mokotedi Mpshe weeks before he was elected president.

They were, however, reinstated in 2018, marking one of the longest-running legal battles in the country.

Jacob Zuma

The former president is jointly accused with French arms firm Thales and is facing 18 charges, including corruption, money laundering, and tax evasion racketeering linked to the arms deal in the late 1990s. Zuma has denied the charges and regards the criminal trial against him as politically motivated.

Lanka arrests Tamil MP for commemorating separatist rebel COLOMBO: Sri Lankan police have arrested a Tamil member of parliament for commemorating a separatist rebel who died campaigning for the minority community, hours after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa called for reconciliation between ethnic groups.

Opposition legislator Selvarajah Kajendran was bundled into a police vehicle in the northern Jaffna Peninsula, the heartland of the Tamils, despite protests from onlookers at a memorial for Tiger rebel Thileepan.

Video footage shared on social media showed Kajendran, 46, resisting arrest and eventually being forced into the car along with two of his aides at Nallur, 360km north of Colombo. Nallur police confirmed the Tamil National People’s Front MP had been

detained at the memorial, which was held near a temple where Thileepan died in 1987 after staging a hunger strike.

There was no immediate comment from his party, but Sri Lanka’s main Tamil party, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), condemned the police actions.

“I condemn the arrest of Selvarajah Kajendran while exercising his right to #memo-

rialisation,” TNA spokesman Abraham Sumanthiran said on Twitter.

The arrest came hours after Rajapaksa pledged at the UN General Assembly in New York to address the root causes that led to a three-decade Tamil separatist war that ended in 2009. Rajapaksa was the top defence official at the time and played a key role in crushing the Tamil Tigers, who at the height of their power controlled one-third of the island.

Commemorating the rebels is banned by the government, despite the UN Human Rights Council repeatedly urging Colombo to allow Tamils to

Bankruptcy-hit South African Airways resumes flights JOHANNESBURG: Once Africa’s second largest airline after Ethiopian Airlines, SAA had survived for decades on government bailouts and was shedding routes even before the Covid-19 pandemic struck. The government agreed in June to sell a 51 per cent stake to a group of investors called the Takatso Consortium, opening the way to a potential injection of $200m. Even after a state bailout of more than $500m and a restructuring of its debt, the airline only emerged from bankruptcy after slashing hundreds of jobs.

In addition to the domestic route that began last week, SAA plans to begin regional services next week to Accra, Kinshasa, Lusaka, Harare and Maputo. Chief Finance Officer Fikile Mhlontlo said that the airline’s fleet is down to six planes, from a previous 46. SAA low-cost subsidiary Mango remains grounded and in bankruptcy proceedings.

Investigation into corruption at SAA has shown that at least $30m in recent years had been misappropri-

ated, including through links to irregular contracts.

“So the issues around SAA is one of many examples around stateowned enterprises in South Africa, where widespread corruption has been problematic,” Miller said. She also said that some have criticised the relaunch of the airline as an unnecessary “prestige project”.

“There are many airlines in South Africa – in fact, low-cost airlines that are cheaper to fly with,” she said.

“South African Airlines has been bleeding public funds for a long time and many in this country would say it’s an airline that is not needed … and so many are interested to see if it’s able to get off the ground and it’s sustainable”.

mourn their war dead. Sri Lanka has also resisted international calls to investigate allegations that government troops killed at least 40,000 Tamil civilians in the final months of the war.

However, Rajapaksa told the UN assembly that he wanted to work towards ethnic reconciliation.

“Fostering greater accountability, restorative justice, and meaningful reconciliation through domestic institutions is essential to achieve lasting peace,” he said. “It is my government’s firm intention to build a prosperous, stable and secure future for all Sri Lankans, regardless of ethnicity, religion, or gender.”

Dozens of people waving Tamil Tiger flags demonstrated outside the UN building as Rajapaksa spoke.

Kenya to ban export of domestic workers to Saudi Arabia NAIROBI: Kenya's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has recommended a temporary ban of recruitment and export of domestic workers to Saudi Arabia until adequate protection measures are put in place. Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Macharia Kamau told MPs that it had written to the Labour Ministry in July to impose a temporary blockade. “As additional measures to protect the rights and welfare of migrant workers are put in place, the ministry recommends for temporary ban of recruitment and export of domestic workers to Saudi Arabia,” Kamau said.

Kamau said since a parliamentary committee visit in 2019 to Saudi Arabia, the situation had drastically worsened with increased death and distress cases. He said in 2019, three deaths were reported to the Kenyan embassy rising to 48 in 2020, and 41 so far this year.

Distress cases rose from 88 in 2019/20 and 1,025 in 2020/21.

“The data indicate the dire reality that we face. It warrants bold and decisive action to curb further suffering of Kenyan domestic workers in Saudi Arabia,” he said. Kamau added that Kenyans should not be seen to be condoning such high number of deaths and distress to its citizens, majority of whom are young and vulnerable women.”

He said the Labour Ministry and the National Employment Authority have mandate to ensure protection of Kenyan workers abroad. Macharia told the National Assembly’s Labour committee that the Foreign Ministry plays no role in labour migration and foreign employment of Kenyans.

“Indeed, the ministry only learns about the plight of Kenyan migrant workers when they die or are in distress abroad,” he told the team chaired Kabinga Wachira.

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Gurdwara in Washington vandalised in possible hate crime WASHINGTON: Police in Washington state are searching for a man they say vandalized a Sikh gurdwara south of Seattle, Washington, in what is being investigated as a possible hate crime. Ported. Several portable electronic devices were stolen during the Sept. 17 break-in at the Khalsa Gurmat Center in Federal Way. building houses The religious, educational and social services for local Sikh residents.

The suspect was seen on surveillance video damaging the center’s main hall and prayer area, KOMO-TV reported. No one from the center was present at the time.

Investigators were trying to determine if the incident was a hate crime, Federal Way Police Department Cmdr. Kurt Schwan said. According to a statement from the Sikh Coalition, upon finding the damage, community leaders immediately called the

Federal Way Police Department to begin a thorough forensic investigation. According to community members who spoke with officers at the time, authorities are investigating all possible motives - including the possibility that bias could have been a factor in this incident.

“We are deeply saddened that someone would harm our place of worship and a place of learning for our children,” said Dr. Jasmit Singh, a Washington Sikh community leader. “The Sikh community has been an

integral part of Washington’s culture and economy for generations, and our gurdwaras are where we come together as a community. We thank local law enforcement for their prompt attention to this disturbing case including understanding why it is so important to explore the possibility that bias might be involved.”

The Khalsa Gurmat Center has retained the Sikh Coalition to provide free legal assistance and liaise with all relevant law enforcement agencies and elected officials as the investigation moves forward, the release noted. Accordingly, the Coalition is in touch with the FBI and has reached out to the Federal Way Police Department to confirm that all potential

factors, including bias, are being considered in this case. Its team has also reached out to elected officials in Washington to ensure that they are aware of the investigation, and connected sangat members with several media outlets in an effort to share information that could identify a suspect.

“Based on video surveillance, it is clear that the suspect willfully and maliciously vandalized this place of importance to the local Sikh community,” said Amrith Kaur Aakre, Sikh Coalition legal director. “We are glad to hear that the Federal Way Police Department is exploring this case from every angle, and we will continue communicating with Khalsa Gurmat Center leaders, local and federal law enforcement, and elected officials in order to ensure this investigation keeps moving forward.”

17 Indian-origin leaders win parliamentary polls in Canada OTTAWA: With Liberal Party leader and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau returning to power in Canada, 17 Indo-Canadians, including NDP leader Jagmeet Singh and Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, won the parliamentary elections last week. Although Trudeau's Liberal Party emerged victorious in the parliamentary elections, the 49-year-old failed to win a majority of seats and nearly mirrored the result of two years ago.

All three Indo-Canadian ministers - Harjit Sajjan, Anita Anand and Bardish Chagger - in the dissolved cabinet emerged victorious as did 42-year-old New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Jagmeet Singh from Burnaby South. “I want to say that Canadians know that you can count on the New Democrats to continue fighting for you. As we’ve fought for you in the pandemic when times are difficult when people were struggling when people were worried about their future. We were there for you,” Jagmeet said in his concession speech.

Jagmeet won by nearly 40% vote share. He created history by

becoming the first non-white leader of a federal party in Canada in 2017. Recently, he picked up the endorsement of a fellow left-of-centre politician, US Senator and former presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders. Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan was re-elected from Vancouver-South, with nearly 49% of the vote share. Sajjan was re-elected despite the cloud of misconduct allegations hanging over the Canadian Forces and the government’s handling of the situation in Afghanistan, the report added.

“My community knows me,” he said. “When we talk about things that happened 10, 15, 20, 30 years ago - obviously we’re going to take action. And now that more women are coming forward, having the confidence to come forward, yes we’re taking action.” The Liberals’ Anita Anand was declared the winner in Oakville with a nearly 46% vote share; a significant development for Canada’s vaccine minister.

Anita Anand, 54, was a rookie MP after winning in 2019 when she was appointed. She quickly became in charge of the country’s

efforts to secure Covid-19 vaccines and was often on the campaign trail with Justin Trudeau.

Thanking the volunteers who had worked “extremely hard as a team for five weeks straight,” she said, "I’m just ecstatic.” In her role as former Minister of Public Services and Procurement, Anand played a very public role in the Liberal response to the health crisis.

Liberal incumbent Chagger was declared the winner of Waterloo with a 44.8% vote share. “This is a tremendous community to be able to represent,” 41-year-old Chagger was quoted as saying by the CTV News. “This election was really about a mandate. Where do Canadians want to go? Does the environment matter? Do social programmes matter?

Do infrastructure investments matter? And clearly, they do,” Chagger said.

Among other winners from the Liberal Party are Kamal Khera from Brampton West (55%), Ruby Sahota from Brampton North (54%), Sonia Sidhu from Brampton South (50%), Maninder Sidhu from Brampton East (55%),

Sukh Dhaliwal from SurreyNewton (54%).

George Chahal from Calgary Skyview in Alberta (42%), Arif Virani from Parkdale-High Park (42%), Randeep Sarai from Surrey Centre (44%), Anju Dhillon from Dorval-Lachine-LaSalle (52%), Chandra Arya from Nepean (44%), and First-time candidate Iqwinder Gaheer from Mississauga-Malton (53%).

Meanwhile, among the Conservative Party, Tim Uppal from Edmonton Mill Woods (38%) and Jasraj Singh Hallan from Calgary Forest Lawn seat (44%) have retained their seats.

Canada hosts one of the largest Indian diasporas in the world, numbering 1.6 million people, which accounts for more than three per cent of its total population. The diaspora, whose main concentration is in the Greater Toronto Area, the Greater Vancouver area, Montreal (Quebec), Calgary (Alberta), Ottawa (Ontario) and Winnipeg (Manitoba) has done commendably well in every sector in Canada, according to the information on the website of the Indian High Commission in Canada.

Social Democrats narrowly beat Angela Merkel’s party BERLIN: Germany is embarking on a potentially lengthy search for its next government after the center-left Social Democrats narrowly beat outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel’s center-right bloc in an election that failed to set a clear direction for Europe’s biggest economy under a new leader.

Leaders of the parties in the newly elected parliament were meeting to digest a result that saw Merkel’s Union bloc slump to its worst-ever result in a national election, and appeared to put the keys to power in the hands of two opposition parties.

Both Social Democrat Olaf Scholz, who pulled his party out of a years-long slump, and Armin Laschet, the candidate of Merkel’s party who saw his

party’s fortunes decline in a troubled campaign, laid a claim to leading the next government.

Scholz is the outgoing vice chancellor and finance minister and Laschet is the governor of Germany’s most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia.

Whichever of them becomes chancellor will do so with his party having won a smaller share of the vote than any of his

predecessors.

Who gets the job looks likely to depend on the decision of the prospective junior partners, the environmentalist Greens and the business-friendly Free Democrats - parties that traditionally belong to rival ideological camps.

“Voters have spoken very clearly,” Scholz said. “They strengthened three parties - the Social Democrats, the Greens and the Free Democrats - so this is the visible mandate the citizens of this country have given: these three parties should lead the next government.”

The only other option that

would have a parliamentary majority is a repeat of the “grand coalition” of the Union and Social Democrats. That is the grouping that has run Germany for 12 years of Merkel’s 16-year tenure and has often been marred by squabbling, but this time it would be under Scholz’s leadership with Merkel’s bloc as junior partner. There is little appetite for that, however.

Scholz said the Union “received the message from citizens that they should no longer be in government, but go into opposition.” Merkel’s outgoing government will remain in office until a successor is sworn in, a process that can take weeks or months. Merkel announced in 2018 that she wouldn’t seek a fifth term.

in brief EL SALVADOR PREZ CALLS HIMSELF A ‘DICTATOR’ El Salvador’s bitcoin-pushing president apparently changed his Twitter profile description to “dictator,” in what might be an ironic comment on last week’s protests against him. The office of President Nayib Bukele did not respond to requests for comment on the change, but there was no clear sign the president’s account had been hacked. The price and potential of the cryptocurrency appears to fascinate Bukele, and he made bitcoin legal tender in El Salvador, the first country to do so. Not everyone was charmed by the tactic. “He is trying to ridicule the feelings of the public or the opposition,” said lawyer Eduardo Escobar, of Citizen’s Action, a civic group devoted to government accountability. Last week, thousands marched against Bukele, who protesters say has concentrated too much power.

US SPECIAL ENVOY TO HAITI QUITS OVER MIGRANT ISSUE The US special envoy to Haiti dramatically resigned over deportations of hundreds of migrants to the crisis-engulfed nation from a camp on the US-Mexican border in recent days. Daniel Foote, a career diplomat, said conditions in Haiti were so bad that US officials were confined to secure compounds.

He said the “collapsed state” was unable to support the infusion of returning migrants. “I will not be associated with the US’ inhumane, counterproductive decision to deport thousands of Haitian refugees and illegal immigrants,” Foote said in a letter addressed to secretary of state Antony Blinken. The US has returned 1,401 migrants from the camp to Haiti and taken another 3,206 people into custody, the department of homeland security has said. Haiti has gone through profound instability in recent weeks, including a presidential assassination, gang violence and an earthquake. Filippo Grandi, the head of the UN refugee agency, warned that US expulsions to Haiti might violate international law.

RUSSIAN HACKING BID AHEAD OF GERMAN VOTE FLAYED The European Union condemned alleged Russian cyber attacks that have targeted Germany in the run up to this weekend’s election for Chancellor Angela Merkel’s successor. “Some EU Member States have observed malicious cyber activities, collectively designated as ‘Ghostwriter’, and associated these with the Russian state,” foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said. “Such activities are unacceptable as they seek to threaten our integrity and security, democratic values and principles and the core functioning of our democracies.” Borrell’s statement said the EU and its member states “strongly denounce these malicious cyber activities, which all involved must put to an end immediately”.

PHONES OF FRENCH MINISTERS INFECTED BY PEGASUS The mobile phones of at least five French ministers and a diplomatic advisor to President Emmanuel Macron were infected by the Israeli-made Pegasus spyware, sources said, confirming a report by the Mediapart investigative website. French security services detected the makware while inspecting the phones, with the intrusions believed to have taken place in 2019 and 2020, according to the report from Mediapart.

Pegasus, made by the Israeli firm NSO Group, can switch on a phone’s camera or mic and harvest its data, and was at the centre of a storm in July after a list of about 50,000 potential surveillance targets worldwide was leaked to media.

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15 year-old Maharashtra girl gang-raped by 33 men A 15-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped on several occasions by up to 33 men in the latest shocking sex attack case in India. The attacks took place at various locations in the Thane district of Maharashtra state over the last eight months, a senior official said.

Police have arrested 24 people and detained two minors in connection with the case so far, Dattatray Karale, additional commissioner of police (East region), said. The girl is said to be in a stable condition undergoing treatment at a government hospital.

According to reports, an angry crowd had gathered outside the police station where the men were being held, drawing a heavy police presence.

Police in the city of Dombivli registered a case against 33 people accused of crimes including rape, repeated rape, gang-rape and rape of a minor, Karale

said. He added that the alleged offences were said to have happened between January 29 and September 22 of this year.

'It all started when the lover of the girl raped her in January and made a video of the incident. He started blackmailing her on the basis of that video. 'Later on, his friends and acquaintances gang-raped her at least on four to five occasions at different places, including Dombivli, Badlapur, Murbad and Rabale in the district,' Karale was quoted as saying.

A special investigative team has been formed to

probe the case.

'The victim has named 33 persons.

Out of them, 24 persons have been arrested and two minors detained in this connection.

The girl's condition is said to be stable,' Karale said. Police are searching for the other suspects, while those already arrested will be remanded in custody until September 29.

India's rape laws were overhauled after a 2012 gang rape in New Delhi but the number of offences remains high, with more than 28,000 rapes reported in 2020. The actual number is likely to be much higher as many cases go unreported due to social stigma and lack of faith in authorities.

Police have long been accused of not doing enough to prevent violent crime and failing to bring sexual assault cases to court.

UK accepts Covishield but Indians to quarantine The UK has included AstraZeneca Covishield in its list of accepted vaccines, but even fully vaccinated travellers from India will have to quarantine for 10 days under the relaxed rules that come into force there from October 4.

This is because the UK has not recognised India’s Covid vaccination certification process yet. “We are engaging with the government of India to explore how we could expand UK recognition of vaccine certification to people vaccinated by a relevant public health body in India,” a spokesperson for the British High Commission in Delhi said. India has warned of taking reciprocal action as the UK examines how it can recognise certification to people vaccinated in India.

British high commissioner to India Alex Ellis said: “We’re clear Covishield is not a problem. The UK is open to travel and we’re

Sidhu quits as Punjab Cong chief Navjot Singh Sidhu on Tuesday resigned as Punjab Congress chief, delivering a big shock to the Gandhis, who may have hoped that changing Chief Ministers would help end the turmoil in the state before elections early next year. The cricketer-turned-politician tweeted a resignation letter that hinted at his unhappiness at the ongoing changes to the Punjab cabinet.

"The collapse of a man's character stems

Ahead of polls, Yogi inducts 7 others into his cabinet Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath inducted Jitin Prasada and six others into his council of ministers, attempting to balance caste and regional aspirations ahead of the assembly polls early next year. Prasada, who crossed over to BJP from Congress in June, was administered oath as cabinet minister, while six others were sworn in as ministers of state.

Uttar Pradesh governor Anandiben Patel administered oath to the new ministers at the Gandhi Auditorium in the Raj Bhawan in the presence of the chief minister.

Those inducted as ministers of state are Paltu Ram, Chhatrapal Singh Gangwar, Sangeeta Balwant, Dharamveer Singh, Sanjeev Kumar and Dinesh Khatik.

Among new ministers, Prasada is the lone Brahmin face, while Dinesh Khatik

and Paltu Ram are scheduled castes and Sanjeev Kumar is scheduled tribe.

Chhatrapal Singh Gangwar (Kurmi), Sangeeta Balwant (Bind) and Dharamveer Singh (Prajapati) are from backward castes.

With this, the constitutional limit of having a maximum of 60 ministers in the state has been reached.

It is believed that Prasada's induction was part of the party's efforts to woo Brahmin community, which accounts for around 13 per cent of the state's population. Son of veteran Congress leader Jitendra Prasada who had unsuccessfully contested against Sonia Gandhi for the post of Congress president, Jitin Prasada is the second prominent close associate of Rahul Gandhi to say goodbye to the party.

Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia had

OBITUARY

AMINA ADAM TANKARVI DOB: 29/12/1939 - 05/09/2021 It is extremely difficult to forget Aminaben’s mortal presence and is it also a painful process to accept the fact that she is no longer with us. ‘together we can triumph over the mountain’ ‘we can build a monument of life, brick by brick’ In her 62 years of married life she proved herself a genuine soulmate. A mother of five children consisting of three daughters and two sons.

Aminaben had a quite liberal upbringing. Her father Adam Mustafabadi was a well known name is South Africa. He had written articles in English and was editing a magazine called ‘karavan.’ In short, Aminaben was well versed right from her childhood.

Adambhai, her husband says ‘Amina means ‘one who brings peace and prosperity; today I feel an immense void with her absence. She was the backbone of my life and I am lost without her.’ He further explains that we too have to cut the journey of testing time with smiling faces. But when your soulmate is no longer here things can feel stagnant.

Adambhai has always been in the Academic field. After his initial start in India he continued his profession in the UK and was always occupied in his educational and literary activities. Aminaben was a warm and welcoming host to visitors who were visiting Adambhai. She wouldn’t allow the students to study with an empty stomach; showing great care for not only Adambhai but also the students.

In simple words, Aminaben held the art of leaving quite a lasting impression when first meeting her and being an excellent cook, feeding her guests with genuine kindness. When people would praise her, she would respond ‘if you add the spices of love and care,your recipe will turn out mouth watering.’

You can say that Aminaben poured nectar into the ocean of life and made it ever so sweet. Gujarati language and literature will always be indebted to Aminaben as she has helped to keep the track of Adambhai’s progress shinning and blooming with abundance.

Aminaben ,you were with us in our sight and now you dwell in our hearts and memories.

Our most sincere prayers are with you and may your soul rest in peace. To Adambhai and the family members, you are not alone in this testing time.We are also with you.

Bharti Pankaj Vora

already seeing a lot of people going from India to the UK, be it tourists, business people or students. Over 62,500 student visas have been issued in the year ending June 2021, which is an increase of almost 30% as compared to the previous year. We want to make the process of travelling as easy as possible.

“We have been having detailed technical discussions regarding certification, with the builders of the CoWIN app and the NHS app, about both apps. They’re happening at a rapid pace, to ensure that both countries mutually recognise the vaccine certificates issued by each other,” Ellis said.

So, travellers from India must take a predeparture test, and a Covid-19 test on or before Day 2 and on or after Day 8, and selfisolate for 10 days. CoWin vax certificate foolproof, has all details, say govt officials.

earlier switched over to the BJP from the Congress.

BJP had recently announced an alliance with NISHAD party in the presence of UP poll in charge Dharmendra Pradhan. Since then, speculations were rife that Sanjay Nishad would be nominated as member of legislative council. The nomination of Gurjar and Bhurji is being seen as BJP’s bid to woo caste votes.

Chaudhary Virendra Singh Gurjar, who hails from Kairana in Shamli, is a strong Gurjar leader from west UP region.

from the compromise corner. I can never compromise on Punjab's future and the agenda for the welfare of Punjab. Therefore, I hereby resign as the President of Navjot Singh Sidhu Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee. I will continue to serve the Congress," Sidhu, 57, wrote in his letter to Sonia Gandhi, which he posted on social media. He had taken charge of the party in Punjab in July. Sources say Sidhu was upset about the cabinet changes made by new Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, who was seen to be close to him. Though Sidhu was widely seen to act as "Super Chief Minister" when it came to some decisions, he was reportedly ignored in recent appointments seen as controversial. He was also angry about key posts given to officials linked to the "sacrilege" case. Sidhu, say sources, was also unhappy about his rival SS Randhawa being assigned a key ministry.

OBITUARY

Vinod H. Patel He was born in Nairobi, Kenya, on 13 January 1938. He began his career with Barclays Bank in 1957 and joined East African Airways as a reservations agent in 1958. In 1972, he was transferred to London as Reservations Manager.

He left the airline in 1989 to start his own travel business, which he ran very successfully before retiring in July 2002.

During his airline career, he had an opportunity to facilitate the travel arrangements for Brahmaswarup Yogiji Maharaj of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha during his spiritual tour of East Africa and the UK in 1970. He also had the privilege of escorting and personally assisting Brahmaswarup Pramukh Swami Maharaj on many flights until the 1980s.

VH Patel was born into the devout family of Shri Harmanbhai Patel of Gana, who was one of the main pioneers of BAPS Satsang in East Africa, dating back to the 1920s. In his childhood, Vinodbhai was initiated in the Swaminarayan Sampraday by Brahmaswarup Shastriji Maharaj, the founder of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha.

After moving to the UK in the early 1970s, Vinodbhai himself played a leading role in setting up BAPS activities in London and other parts of the UK. He was appointed as General Secretary of BAPS UK by Pramukh Swami Maharaj in 1974. He served in that role for many years and was instrumental in organising numerous events, including the UK/Europe vicharan of Pramukh Swami Maharaj, the All World Religions Conference at Wembley Conference Centre in 1980, Cultural Festival of India in 1985, Suvarna Tula Mahotsav in 1985 and London Mandir Mahotsav to mark the opening of the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden, London, the first traditional Hindu temple in Europe.

Following the opening of BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden, Vinodbhai was appointed as a trustee of BAPS UK by Pramukh Swami Maharaj, a post in which he served sincerely and diligently until 2017. During this time, his work took him around the UK and parts of continental Europe, where he helped to establish satsang centres and mandirs for the benefit of local communities.

Vinodbhai also had the privilege of receiving many guests at the Neasden Mandir, including royal and senior political figures. He was an accomplished orator, and often served as master of ceremonies for important religious assemblies.

Even after his retirement as a trustee in 2017, Vinodbhai continued to serve the BAPS Satsang fellowship and its devotees until his last days with the blessings of Pragat Brahmaswarup Mahant Swami Maharaj.

Vinodbhai passed away on 26 September 2021 at the age of 83. He leaves behind his wife of 60 years, 2 sons, 4 grandchildren and 1 great-grandchild.

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SOUTH INDIA

BJP celebrates first Rajya Sabha MP from Puducherry NEW DELHI: The BJP on Monday celebrated the election of its first Rajya Sabha MP from Puducherry, a milestone for the party that has long struggled to make inroads in the country's South.

S Selvaganapathy was declared elected to the lone seat in Rajya Sabha from Puducherry without contest.

Secretary to the Territorial Assembly R Mounisamy, in a release, said press Selvaganapathy was declared elected uncontested to the seat which falls vacant on October 6.

This is the first time the BJP is getting representation from Puducherry in the Upper House.

BJP chief JP Nadda hailed the

occasion: Monday was the last day to nominations. withdraw Selvaganapathy's nomination alone was found in order during scrutiny of papers while

nominations of five other candidates (Independents) were rejected as they did not have the required number of proposers.

Selvaganapathy is the 10th member from Puducherry to the

Rajya Sabha since 1962. He filed the nomination with the support of the NR Congress heading the coalition government in Puducherry of which BJP is a part.

The NR Congress and BJP won a majority in the elections held in April, winning 10 and six seats, respectively, in the 33member Assembly. They also have the support of three nominated members. The DMK, which allied with the ruling Congress to sweep to power in Tamil Nadu, also won six seats.

The Congress won just two seats - a massive drop of 15 from its tally in 2016. The remaining six seats were claimed by independent candidates.

PUNJAB

15-member Channi cabinet take oath amid drama in Punjab CHANDIGARH: A last-minute replacement, an abortive campaign to dislodge another from the shortlist and a public outburst by two disgruntled exministers marked the swearing-in of new Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi’s 15member cabinet on Sunday, mirroring the drama of his own selection a week ago.

Just as the ceremony was to begin, the Congress leadership decided to induct four-time Amloh MLA Randeep Singh Nabha in place of PCC chief Navjot Singh Sidhu’s loyalist Kuljit Singh Nagra, who had been part of the original shortlist. While that came as a surprise, the party chose to ignore mounting opposition from a group of MLAs from the Doaba region to the inclusion of Rana Gurjit Singh.

Besides Nabha and Rana Gurjit, the new faces in the

cabinet are Raj Kumar Verka, Sangat Singh Gilzian, Pargat Singh, Amrinder Singh Raja Warring and Gurkirat Singh Kotli. At 43, Warring is the youngest of the ministers.

Among the seven, only Rana Gurjit has been a minister before.

Sources said Rahul Gandhi's intervention on

Saturday night led to Nagra making way for Nabha. Since Nagra is believed to be close to the leadership, he was a picture of compliance. "I have decided not to be part of the cabinet, as I had earlier submitted my resignation on the farmers' issue. I stand with the farmers' agitation," Nagra, who is one of the four PCC working

presidents, tweeted.

After the swearing-in, he said, "It was my personal decision to resign (from the assembly) for the sake of the farmers, and then I could not have become a minister."

Congress decided to reinduct two loyalists of former CM Amarinder Singh into the new ministry - Brahm Mohindra and Vijay Inder Singla.

The other former ministers who retained their cabinet berths include Manpreet Singh Badal, Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Aruna Chaudhary, Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria, Razia Sultana and Bharat Bhushan Ashu. Among the former ministers who didn't make the cut, Balbir Singh Sidhu and Gurpreet Singh Kangar made their displeasure known by questioning the rationale behind their omission from the list.

WEST BENGAL

Calcutta HC reserves order on by-poll seat to be contested by Mamata Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court reserved judgment on a PIL questioning the Election Commission's contention of a "constitutional exigency" for holding by-election to Bhabanipur assembly seat in Kolkata. A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal and Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj concluded hearing in the matter and reserved judgment on it.

Election to Bhabanipur seat, where West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is a contestant, is scheduled on September 30. The petitioner claimed that the EC had said in a press note that it decided to hold by-election to Bhabanipur constituency "considering the constitutional exigency and special request from State of West Bengal".

He pleaded the commission cannot be doing so, and as such the court should interfere into the issue. The EC, on its part, said the petitioner is attempting to mischaracterise the meaning of the term constitutional exigency, maintaining that there can be no possibility of the same being construed as an influence on voters.

Claiming that the state has no role in the decision to hold the by-poll in Bhabanipur and that it is the sole preserve of the EC, the West Bengal government had on September 13 submitted before the court that the chief secretary had only written to EC requesting that the by-election be held and that the commission had accepted the request.

By-poll to Bhabanipur seat, earlier represented by Mamata

in brief CHAIRS THROWN AT CONG MEET OVER LOCAL POLLS IN TN A meeting of the Congress party in Tamil Nadu's Sivaganga district descended into chaos after people started fighting inside a room where party workers and leaders had gathered to discuss plans for a local body election. Congress MP Karti Chidambaram, son of former Union Minister P Chidambaram, was present at the meeting.

Sivaganga is also the Lok Sabha constituency of Karti Chidambaram. In visuals, two men are seen hurling plastic chairs at some people near the door of the hall and chasing them away. The fight happened between two factions of the local Congress unit adding the police has taken control of the situation and cleared the room. Reports say some of the Congress workers want to replace local functionaries and leaders to strengthen the party in the area.

DALIT MAN MADE TO SPEND RS 11,000 FOR ENTERING TEMPLE Close on the heels of a Dalit family being penalised Rs 25,000 over their two-year-old son entering a temple in Kustagi, a Dalit man was forced to arrange a feast spending Rs 11,000 for entering a Lakshmi Devi temple in a village at Karatagi, a police officer said. “Yes, it is true that the man spent Rs 11,000 to arrange feast for entering the temple. Our officers are investigating the matter," superintendent of Police T Sreedhara said. According to him, the incident came to light on Friday and since then the temple management led by the priest raised an alarm and forced the man to organise the feast. Sreedhara said a few months ago, a theft had taken place in the village and it was decided that no one should enter the temple except the priest.

AMARINDER TO PIT STRONG CANDIDATE AGAINST SIDHU In a virtual revolt against the Congress leadership's decision to prop up Punjab PCC chief Navjot Singh Sidhu as the face of the party in the 2022 election, former CM Captain Amarinder Singh declared he would pit a strong candidate against his bête noire to "ensure his defeat" in the polls.

Amarinder, who had stepped down as CM citing repeated humiliation by the party, reiterated that he was keeping his “options open" about his political future. He said his objective was to prevent Sidhu from becoming CM at the cost of his own career, including “any sacrifice to save the country from such a dangerous man". “I was ready to leave after a victory, but never after a loss," Amarinder said.

CASE AGAINST BENGAL BJP CHIEF

Mamata Banerjee

in 2011 and 2016, was necessitated following the resignation of TMC MLA Sovandeb Chattopadhyay to facilitate Mamata's election to the assembly.

Mamata lost to BJP's Suvendu Adhikari in Nandigram

in the March-April Assembly polls, EC results have shown.

She has, however, moved the court challenging the result.

According to the Constitution, a person has to get elected to the legislature within six months of taking oath as a minister.

Hours after top BJP leaders held a protest demonstration near Mamata Banerjee's home at Kalighat with a dead body in a hearse, Kolkata police filed a case against the new Bengal BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar and three other BJP leaders including two BJP MPs Arjun Singh and Jyotirmoy Mahato as well as the BJP candidate for Bhabanipur Priyanka Tibrewal. One of the sections in the case is non-bailable: Section 353, for obstructing public servants from discharging their duty. Sukanta dismissed the case, calling it the handiwork of a partial, politically motivated police, and said the police "misbehaviour" with sitting MPs could be grounds to move a privilege motion against the officer in Lok Sabha. The "misbehaviour" with the Bhabanipur candidate, he said, was equivalent to "sexual harassment".

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India gives a fiery response to Modi to bring home 157 artefacts given by US Pak PM Imran's tirade at UN India’s diplomat Sneha Dubey delivered a fiery rebuttal to Pakistan PM Imran Khan raking up the Jammu & Kashmir issue in his UNGA address, saying Pakistan has nurtured terrorists for long and is an “arsonist disguising itself as a firefighter.”

Imran’s comments seeking to paint his country as a victim of terrorism, saw young Indian diplomat and first secretary Sneha Dubey responding, “Our region, and in fact the entire world, has suffered because of their policies. On the other hand, they are trying to cover up sectarian violence in their country as acts of terror”.

Dubey, an IFS officer of 2012 batch, was exercising India’s right of reply, and added that Pakistan held the ignoble record of hosting the largest number of terrorists proscribed by the UN Security Council. In his nearly 25-minute virtual address, Imran had spoken about the Indian government’s decision to revoke the special status of the erstwhile J&K state and also the death of pro-Pakistan separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani.

Dubey said it was regrettable

that this was not the first time that the leader of Pakistan had misused platforms provided by the UN to propagate false and malicious propaganda against India, and sought in vain to divert the world’s attention from “the sad state of his country where terrorists enjoy free pass while the lives of ordinary people, especially those belonging to the minority communities, are turned upside down.” In the past too, junior Indian diplomats, usually women, have countered such statements by Pakistan.

“We exercise our right of reply to one more attempt by the leader of Pakistan to tarnish the image of this August forum by bringing in matters internal to my country, and going so far as to

spew falsehoods on the world stage,” said Dubey, the third Indian woman diplomat at the UN to rebut Pakistan’s claims on J&K. Another blistering response was delivered by 2005batch IFS officer Eenam Gambhir in 2016. This was followed by a similar right of reply

by Vidisha Mishra in 2019. A post-graduate from JNU, Dubey was schooled in Goa and later graduated from a college in Pune.

Emphasising India’s position, Dubey said the government desired normal relations with all our neighbours, including Pakistan.”However, it is for Islamabad to work sincerely towards creating a conducive atmosphere, including by taking credible, verifiable and irreversible actions to not allow any territory under its control to be used for cross-border terrorism against India,’’ she said.

With the international community marking this month the 20th anniversary of the “dastardly” 9/11 terror attacks, Dubey said the world has not forgotten that the “mastermind behind that dastardly event, Osama bin Laden, got shelter in Pakistan."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will bring home 157 artefacts and antiquities from the US, which were handed over to him during his visit. Modi and US President Joe Biden committed to strengthen their efforts to combat theft, illicit trade and trafficking of cultural objects.

The list of 157 artefacts includes a diverse set of items ranging from the one-and-a half metre bas relief panel of Revanta in sandstone of the 10th CE to the 8.5cm-tall bronze Nataraja from the 12th CE. “This continues the efforts by the Modi government to bring back our antiquities artefacts from across the world,” an official said.

The items largely belong to the 11th CE to 14th CE period as well as historic antiquities such as the copper anthropomorphic object of 2000 BC or the terracotta vase from the 2nd CE. Some 45 antiquities belong to the Before Common Era. While half of the artifacts (71) are cultural, the other half consists of figurines which relate to Hinduism (60), Buddhism (16) and Jainism (9).

The make of these items spreads across metal, stone and terracotta.

The bronze collection primarily contains ornate figurines of the well-

known postures of Lakshmi Narayana, Buddha, Vishnu, Siva Parvathi and the 24 Jain Tirthankaras and the less common Kankalamurti, Brahmi and Nandikesa besides other unnamed deities and divine figures.

The motifs include religious sculptures from Hinduism (Three headed Brahma, Chariot Driving Surya, Vishnu and his Consorts, Siva as Dakshinamurti, Dancing Ganesha etc), Buddhism (Standing Buddha, Boddhisattva Majushri, Tara) and Jainism (Jain Tirthankara, Padmasana Tirthankara, Jaina Choubisi) as well as secular motifs (Amorphous couple in Samabhanga, Chowri Bearer, Female playing drum etc). There are 56 terracotta pieces (Vase 2nd CE, Pair of Deer 12th CE, Bust of Female 14th CE) and an 18th CE sword with sheath with inscription mentioning Guru Hargovind Singh in Persian).

Shootout in Delhi court, gangster among three killed In a brazen strike inside a courtroom in the Rohini district court complex in New Delhi, gangster Jitender Gogi was gunned down by two shooters alleged hired by his rival. The two assailants, dressed as lawyers, were killed on the spot in a calibrated response by men of Delhi Police’s special cell, who were with Gogi.

There was panic and chaos at the complex although timely action by the cops averted more casualties. People scrambled for cover and ran out of the courtroom as gunshots were exchanged between the cops

and the criminals. A total of 12-15 bullets were fired from both sides. Gogi had been on the top of the police’s most wanted list till his dramatic arrest last year.

Shooters came in full ‘advocate attire’

According to police, his arch-rival, Sunil Tajpuria alias Tillu, had orchestrated the hit, with assistance from another gangster, Naveen Bali. The plot was hatched in Mandoli jail where Tajpuria is lodged at present, sources

OBITUARY

SRI KISHOR DEVANI We are extremely saddened to learn that our Vice-Chairman and former Hon. Treasurer Sri Kishor Devani passed away last Thursday, 23rd September at the age of eighty-five.

Sri Devani has been a very active Executive Committee member from early 70’s at The Bhavan and his family has helped by way of donation also. When his father-in-law, Late Sri Nanjibhai made a generous donation to The Bhavan, our then international Chairman of Bhavan, Late Sri Jaisukhlal Hathi refused to accept the money unless Nanjibhai’s son-inlaw joined The Bhavan as our treasurer and took care of our finances. That is how he became our Hon. Treasurer and not only served with integrity and dedication for over three decades but also guided our present and previous Hon. Treasurers, Sri Kaushik Nathwani and Sri Indra Sethia who are doing such a good job at The Bhavan.

During his time, he brought many new methods of reporting which has helped our treasury team in maintaining and taking care of Bhavan’s financial matters. He served under our Late Sri Maneck Dalalji and later under Sri Joginder Sanger and helped Bhavan grow.

For many years he would visit The Bhavan at least once a week thus taking a lot of interest in all its activities. He considered our former Executive Director, Sri Mathoorji as his guru. When he visited us last Saturday, as we both were drinking tea prepared by Parvathi, little did we know that this would be his last visit to our Bhavan which he always considered his temple.

Our Chairman, Sri Joginder Sanger and the entire committee send their deepest condolences to Devaniji’s family. We all join the family in their prayers for Sri Kishor Devani.

said. The two shooters were identified as Rahul Fafunda, a contract killer with a reward of Rs 50,000 on him, and Jagdeep Jagga.

The incident took place around 1.15 pm, just when additional sessions judge Gagandeep Singh arrived to begin hearing in room number 207. The two shooters had come to the court around 12 pm in full “advocate attire”, complete with black collar bands, blazers and shoes. They were seated in the courtroom.

Gogi arrived with a heavy escort team. As he had been categorised as a very high-risk undertrial, two teams from the special cell were present in the room besides cops from Delhi Armed Police, which escorts inmates to courts from jail.

The cops were on an escalated alert because a henchman of the Tillu gang, Sunil, was also to be brought there for the hearing. As soon as Gogi entered the courtroom, the two shooters stood up, whipped out 7.65mm pistols

and fired at Gogi. The cops reacted almost immediately and shot back, with the shooters falling on the floor along with Gogi. The shooting lasted for less than 30 seconds, an eyewitness said.

It was to the police’s advantage that Gogi was accompanied by the special cell sleuths as part of the new security apparatus for high-risk inmates which involves men from the arresting unit to be present when they are being produced in court.

Heavy rains, lightning kill 13 in Maharashtra Maharashtra witnessed heavy rains and floods under the impact of Cyclone Gulab on Tuesday. The state disaster management control said that a total of 13 persons and 206 livestock lost their lives in the rains and the subsequent floods. Eight districts including six of Marathwada were affected by the cyclone. Two NDRF teams have been deployed in Latur and Osmanabad while one SDRF team has been deployed in Jalgaon.

Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that extremely heavy rains are expected at a few places in Marathwada as well as Mumbai and other parts of the coastal Konkan region of Maharashtra in the next 24 hours. The forecast came even as Mumbai received heavy showers during the day. Meanwhile, four persons are missing after a Maharashtra state transport bus was swept away by strong currents from an overflowing nullah about 3 km from Umarkhed town in Maharashtra’s Yavatmal district. Two of the six occupants in the bus have been rescued. In a viral video, one of the passengers is heard telling the authorities that the driver and conductor were stuck inside.

3 killed in coastal Andhra Three people were reportedly killed in Andhra Pradesh

as Cyclone Gulab barrelled through the state after making landfall on Sunday near Kalingapatnam, leaving in its wake a trail of destruction across the two worst-hit districts of Srikakulam and Vizianagaram.

Neighbouring Odisha was spared the worst of the cyclone, barring a tapering storm that caused subsidence in parts of the state along with power supply and telecom disruptions.

In AP, the damage was widespread, with the fury of the cyclone throwing power supply and communication networks haywire and flattening crops spread across thousands of acres. A 37-year-old woman identified as D Bhavani was killed at Pendurthi in Vizag when the wall of her house collapsed during the cyclone. In West Godavari, a road transport corporation employee, P Nageswara Rao, was swept away in a flash flood caused by heavy rain. The third cyclone casualty was reported in Srikakulam district.

26 INDIA

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Biden reiterates US support for India's entry into UNSC, nuclear group NSG US President Joe Biden has reiterated America's support for India's permanent membership on a reformed United Nations Security Council and its entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group during his first in-person bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House.

President Biden, in his talks with Prime Minister Modi, applauded India's "strong leadership" during its UN Security Council Presidency in August 2021, according to the US-India Joint Leaders' Statement issued after their meeting in the White House on Friday last.

Biden's support provides a big boost to New Delhi's push for the reform of the powerful UN organ as India has been at the forefront of efforts at the United Nations to push for an urgent long-pending reform of the Security Council, emphasising that it rightly deserves

Narendra Modi And Joe Biden

a place at the UN high table as a permanent member.

India in June asserted that the Inter-Governmental Negotiations (IGN) on UN Security Council reforms can no longer be used as a smokescreen, as the General Assembly decided to roll over the

IGN work to the next UN General Assembly session and agreed to include an amendment proposed by the G4 nations of Brazil, Germany, India and Japan.

During his meeting with Prime Minister Modi, President Biden also reaffirmed US support for

India's entry to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), the joint statement said. The Nuclear Suppliers Group or NSG is a 48member grouping which regulates global nuclear commerce.

Ever since India applied for the membership of the NSG in May 2016, China has been insisting that only those countries which have signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) should be allowed to enter the organisation. India and Pakistan are not signatories of the NPT. After India's application, Pakistan too has applied for the NSG membership in 2016.

Talked about Covid, climate change Both the leaders pledged to launch a new chapter in the already deep ties between the US and India, promising to take them to greater heights in the face of some of the toughest challenges facing them. They also resorted to familiar warm and fuzzy

formulations to talk up bilateral ties, avoiding any mention of third while identifying countries challenges such as the pandemic, climate change and ensuring stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

In a lighter moment, the US President repeated a story about having ancestral ties in India, where he had heard there were five Bidens in Mumbai, before remarking, “all kidding aside relations between India and the US... is destined to be stronger and closer. Today, we are launching a new chapter and taking on some of the toughest challenge we face in our time starting with the pandemic”.

PM Modi said he had indeed followed up the story of Biden’s personal ties with India - arising from an ancestor named George Biden who worked for the East India Company - and he had brought with him some documents for the US President to peruse.

Quad leaders promise ‘free and open’ Indo-Pacific region The Quad leaders vowed to ensure a “free and open” Indo-Pacific, which is also “inclusive and resilient” at a time when China’s assertiveness is growing in the region. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australian PM Scott Morrison, Japanese PM Yoshihide Suga and US President Joe Biden, after their first in-person Quad summit, described it as an opportunity to refocus themselves and the world on the Indo-Pacific and on the vision for what they hope to achieve.

“Together, we recommit to promoting the free, open, rulesbased order, rooted in international law and undaunted by coercion, to bolster security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and beyond,” the Quad leaders said in a joint statement.

“We stand for the rule of law, freedom of navigation and overflight, peaceful resolution of disputes, democratic values and territorial integrity of states. We commit to work together and with a range of partners,” the joint statement said. “On this historic occasion, we recommit to our partnership and to a region that is a bedrock of our shared security and prosperity - a free and open Indo-Pacific, which is also inclusive and resilient,” the Quad leaders said.

They also denounced the use of “terrorist proxies” in South Asia, in a veiled reference to Pakistan, as they emphasised the importance of denying any support to terrorist groups which could be used to launch or plan terror attacks, including cross-border attacks.

“We denounce the use of terrorist proxies and emphasised the importance of denying any logistical, financial or military support to terrorist groups which could be used to launch or plan terror attacks, including crossborder attacks,” the joint statement said.

The joint statement also said they will closely coordinate their diplomatic, economic and human rights policies towards Afghanistan and deepen their counter-

PM Modi meets PMs of Japan, Australia ahead of Quad meet

terrorism and humanitarian cooperation in South Asia. The Quad leaders reaffirmed that the Afghan territory should not be used to threaten or attack any country or to shelter or train terrorists or to plan or to finance terrorist acts. They also reiterated the importance of combating terrorism in Afghanistan.

“We stand together in support of Afghan nationals and call on the Taliban to provide safe passage to any person wishing to leave Afghanistan and to ensure that the human rights of all Afghans, including women, children, and minorities are respected,” the joint statement said.

The Quad leaders noted that since March, the Covid-19 pandemic has caused continued global suffering; the climate crisis has accelerated and regional security has become ever-more complex, “testing all of our countries individually and together.

Our cooperation, however, remains unflinching.”

In their joint statement, the Quad leaders said with the Quad Vaccine Partnership’s financing of increased manufacturing capacity at the Hyderabad-based Biological E LTD, additional production in India will come on line later this year.

“In line with our March announcement, and recognising the continuing global supply gap, we will ensure this expanded manufacturing is exported for the Indo-Pacific and the world and we will coordinate with key multilateral initiatives, such as the

COVAX facility, to procure proven safe, effective and quality-assured Covid-19 vaccines for low- and middle-income countries. We also recognise the importance of open and secure supply chains for vaccine production,” they said.

The Quad leaders said they have accomplished much to date despite months of pandemic hardship throughout the region and world. They welcomed Biological E LTD’s production, including through the Quad investments, of at least one billion safe and effective Covid-19 vaccines by the end of 2022.

“Today, we are proud to announce an initial step towards that supply that will immediately help the Indo-Pacific and the world to end the pandemic. The Quad also welcomes India’s announcement to resume exports

PM Modi held meeting his counterparts from Australia and Japan for bilateral meetings on Thursday last ahead of the first ever in-person Quad summit. Book-ending his first ever in-person exchanges with US vice-president Kamala Harris, Modi’s engagement with Australia’s PM Scott Morrison and Japan’s Yoshihide Suga is evidently aimed at advancing bilateral matters outside of the Quad agenda, all exchanges implicitly seeking to counter aggressive Chinese expansionism both in the economic and geographic sphere.

India’s ties with Australia in particular have advanced rapidly in recent months even as Canberra appears to have overcome its awe of China to align itself more firmly with the US and UK. Not being part of the newly formed AUKUS, primarily an Anglo-centric security alliance, India is engaging Australia bilaterally in a trade and commerce driven partnership, suggesting that it will not be constrained by Quad. of safe and effective Covid-19 vaccines, including to COVAX, beginning in October 2021,” they said.

One of the key takeaways of the first Quad leaders’ summit in March was the formation of the Quad Vaccine Initiative, a vaccine supply chain to manufacture Covid-19 vaccines for India, the US, Japan and Australia. Biological E Limited was chosen for this role of producing a billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines.

The joint statement said Japan will continue to help regional partners purchase vaccines through USD 3.3 billion of Covid19 Crisis Response Emergency

Support Loan. Australia will deliver USD 212 million in grant aid to purchase vaccines for Southeast Asia and the Pacific. In addition, Australia will allocate USD 219 million to support lastmile vaccine roll-out and lead in coordinating the Quad’s last-mile delivery efforts in those regions.

Building upon each of their regional infrastructure efforts, separately and together, Quad countries are launching a new Quad infrastructure partnership.

The Quad leaders supported the G7’s infrastructure efforts, and look forward to cooperating with like-minded partners, including with the EU.

Nimaben Acharya becomes first woman Speaker of Gujarat Veteran legislator Nimaben Acharya was on Monday unanimously elected the first woman Speaker of the Gujarat Assembly, which met for the two-day monsoon session. A three-time BJP MLA and a twotime Congress MLA, Nimaben is one of the seniormost MLAs in the State.

The name of the MLA from Bhuj, Kutch, was proposed by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and the Opposition Congress supported her nomination.

“For the first time after the formation of Gujarat in 1960, the Assembly has a woman Speaker. I congratulate her on behalf of the entire House,” Patel said.

The election has been necessitated after Rajendra Trivedi resigned and joined the Cabinet which took

over earlier this month when Vijay Rupani and his entire Cabinet had resigned. “I assure the House that I will fulfil Nimaben Acharya the new responsibility to the best of my ability,” she said after taking over as the Speaker.

A veteran in Gujarat politics, Nimaben joined the BJP in 2007 and since then has been winning consecutively. Earlier, she was a Congress lawmaker from Kutch district. BJP legislator Jetha Bharwad has been elected Deputy Speaker while Pankaj Desai has been appointed as the Chief Whip. Bharuch BJP MLA Dushyant Patel has been made deputy Whip.

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2 - 8 Octobar 2021

Mothers can pass Covid antibodies onto their babies through breastmilk New mothers who survive Covid19 can pass on their antibodies to their babies through their breastmilk for up to 10 months. An American study saw researchers collect milk donated by 75 women who had recovered from the virus and screened them for the virusfighting proteins. They found 88 per cent of them tested positive for an antibody that blocks the virus from causing infection in the respiratory tract.

Further lab results showed that the majority of Covid-positive milk samples neutralised the virus, suggesting breastfed children could at least get partial protec-

tion. Scientists from New York’s Mount Sinai Hospital said further work is being done to see if immunity can be passed on via breast milk after vaccination.

Researchers in the latest study found mothers produced a Covid antibody called immunoglobin A, consistently over time. They compared milk samples taken from 28 women, one at four to six weeks after Covid infection and the other at four to 10 months after. The study found women demonstrated “significant” levels of the antibodies over this period.

Immunoglobin A is a special type of antibody found in human

secretions, such as breast milk, and offers protection primarily through the linings of the airways and digestive system. It differs from the immunoglobulin G, a type of antibody found mainly in blood and triggered by an infection or vaccination.

Dr Rebecca Powell presented the research findings at the Global Breastfeeding and Lactation Symposium on 21 September. She said, “It could be an incredible therapy, because secretory IgA is meant to be in these mucosal areas, such as the lining of the respiratory tract, and it survives and functions very well there. You

Early weight loss protects fertility of obese people: Study According to new research, the reproductive function in obese boys can be improved through weight loss in their earlier adulthood. Presented at the 59th Annual European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology Meeting suggests that even after short-term weight loss, alterations in reproductive function could be partially reversed in young boys with obesity.

Childhood obesity can have some profound effects on future health in adulthood, including a greater risk of cancer, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. Obesity has also been linked to fertility problems in both men and women. Leydig cells in the testis become active in puberty to produce the main male hormone, testosterone. Meanwhile Sertoli cells are critical for the production of healthy sperm and produce several reproductive hormones, essential for sperm maturation.

In the study, Dr Solene Rerat and colleagues at Angers University Hospital in France investigated how a 12 week educational weight loss programme in 34 boys,

aged 10 to 18 years, affected markers of Leydig and Sertoli cell function, as well as metabolism. The boys had a healthy, balanced diet, undertook physical activity for at least one hour per day, according to international recommendations, and had weekly individual sessions with a dietician.

Before and after the programme, levels of reproductive hormones, body fat composition and blood glucose were measured for comparison. Over the 12 weeks, the boys significantly lost weight and had improved insulin levels, as well as increased testosterone levels.

Dr Rerat states, “These

findings underline the need to consider childhood obesity as a factor in future fertility issues. We strongly recommend that early management of childhood obesity is necessary to reverse these impairments, and to help prevent future reproductive problems, as well as lowering the risks of other debilitating diseases.”

However, they cautioned, "Our study only evaluated the effects in a small number of obese boys after a twelve-week therapeutic educational program.

Further studies with longer follow up are needed to help us fully study the effect of weight reduction on reproductive function."

could imagine if it was used in a nebuliser-type treatment, it might be very effective during that window where the person has gotten quite sick, but they’re not yet at the point of [being admitted to intensive care].”

Dr Ashley Roman, an obstetrician at NYU and one of the lead authors said, “If babies could be born with antibodies, it may protect them in the first months of their lives, when they are most vulnerable.”

Foods to fight onset of Alzheimer’s disease Alzheimer’s disease is a serious disease. It begins with what is generally mistaken as a simple forgetfulness, only to create serious havoc as the condition advances.

It compromises speech, comprehension, and coordination, and causes restlessness and dramatic mood swings.

According to a recent study, the right kind of diet may help delay the onset of the disease or lower the risk by as much as 40 per cent.

Certain foods that may help mitigate the onset of early Alzheimer’s disease.

The MediterraneanDASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay Diet (MIND) diet will delay the neurodegenerative disease and hence slow cognitive decline. The diet includes whole grains, dark green leafy vegetables, nuts, beans, poultry, seafood, and olive oil.

Omega-3 fatty acids: Since high levels of DHA are needed for normal

brain development, it is recommended to have fatty fish. Also, omega-3 fatty acids of all types, like walnuts, flaxseed, and olive oil counter inflammation.

Vitamins C and E: Eating plenty of food items rich in vitamin C (like oranges, broccoli, and strawberries) and vitamin E like olive oil and almonds may help to reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer.

Flavonoids: Apples, blueberries, cranberries, and grapefruit are mainly the flavonoid-rich fruits.

Vegetables which boast

flavonoids include Brussels sprouts, cabbage, garlic, kidney beans, onions, peas, and spinach.

Folate: Deficiency of certain B vitamins, particularly folate can make it difficult to perform some cognitive tasks. This amino acid impairs brain function and can drastically increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease (as well as cardiac disease) in a person.

Turmeric: Curcumin, nutrient found in turmeric, has been associated with improvement in cognitive function in some smaller studies.

Pandemic kicked-off series of mental health problems The Covid-19 pandemic appears to have created a series of public health problems by exacerbating mental health challenges, and making physical activity difficult to maintain for people. A study revealed that lower-income households struggled more with both mental health challenges, and maintaining physical activity levels.

Findings of the study were written in the paper 'Examining the relationship between physical activity and mental health during the Covid-19 pandemic across five US states', and have been published in the journal Preventive Medicine Reports. Co-author of the study, Lindsey HaynesMaslow said, “We know that physical activity is important for helping people maintain their mental health, but this study reveals the unforgiving cycle that the pan-

demic has imposed on many people.”

"The pandemic has increased psychological distress, which makes it more difficult for people to maintain their physical activity levels. This, in turn, further hurts their mental health, which makes them less likely to be active, and so on. Once you get on this roller coaster ride, it's hard to get off.

And all of this is exacerbated by the pandemic making it harder for people to find safe spaces in which to exercise,” she added.

The study researchers focused on two questions: How is the pandemic influencing physical activity and mental health status? And how, if at all, do physical activity and mental health status relate to each other? The researchers conducted an in-depth, online survey of 4,026 adults in Louisiana, Montana, North Carolina, Oregon

and West Virginia.

The researchers found that the more physically active people were, the better their mental health status. That held true even when accounting for an individual's race/ethnicity, household income and other socioeconomic demographic variables. They also found that the higher an individual's household income, the more likely they were to be able to maintain pre-pandemic physical activity levels. Specifically, people in households that earned less

than USD 50,000 per year were 1.46 times less likely to maintain their pre-pandemic levels of physical activity as compared to people in households that earned more than USD 50,000 per year.

“This rural/urban finding was somewhat surprising, because normally - when we're not in a pandemic - people in rural areas tend to report more mental health challenges than their urban counterparts,” Haynes-Maslow said.

Shelly Maras, co-author of the paper, said, “Fortunately, the survey was designed to help understand each study participant’s mental health and physical activity levels before and during the pandemic. The survey also included open-ended questions that

allowed us to analyze rich, qualitative data related to respondents’ mental health and physical activity.”

“We need structural changes in communities to ensure people have equitable access to safe spaces where they can be active.

That will require policy changes and funding to create the necessary infrastructure: sidewalks, streetlights, green spaces. This will require significant investment, and it will take time, so we need to begin acting on this now.

It is much less expensive to invest now than it is to pay for the longterm consequences of poor physical and mental health,” HaynesMaslow concluded.

To Our Readers

We are publishing these reports in good faith. Before you try any of these remedies, please consult the doctor. We are not responsible for any adverse effects.- Editor

28

ART & CULTURE

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2 - 8 October 2021

‘Home’ is the people you share love and respect with

born and raised in Algeria) met my father (half-Indian, half-English) in London in the ’70s. I, myself, met my (Black Jamaican) husband when I was doing volunteer work in Jamaica in the ‘00s; we now live in London with our two children who are real ‘global citizens’.

- As per your knowledge of your family history, how did your ancestors cope with grief and bereavement back then? What is it that we can learn from them today?

Everyone copes with bereavement differently. In Say, I write about how we need to talk more about grief and bereavement, especially with children. There is a belief, particularly among older generations, that children should be shielded from discussions of bereavement and grief, but, in my experience, excluding children from these discussions actually hinders their ability to healthily process grief.

- In your latest collection, you talk about "exploring the limits of language". Could you please elaborate on that?

Languages develop so that we can communicate with others the things we see and experience; an attempt to ‘name’ the world and our experiences in it. But language is always behind, always attempting to name the unnameable. There are countless things we see, think, and feel every day that we have no language for. Grief is one of those things; it is so complex and ever-changing – from person to person and from moment to moment.

My book, Say, grapples with personal grief and intergenerational grief, and also seeks to connect with people around the world since we are all now going through a time of communal grief as a result of the continued losses we are experiencing as a result of Coronavirus.

I am trying to forge a language with which we can begin to talk about these things so that we can share our grief so that we can begin to heal.

Say also explores intergenerational trauma, such as trauma that has been passed down as a result of brutal events like the partition of the South Asian subcontinent. For so long, survivors of Partition didn’t speak about the traumas they had experienced; it was too painful to talk about, but there was also a feeling that language couldn’t adequately convey what they had experienced. This is what I mean when I talk about ‘exploring the limits of language’ in my book.

- When people from different cultures come together to spend a lifetime and also end up migrating, where do they actually belong? Is home a place or do you find it in people?

For me, home isn’t a place; it’s definitely in people. First of all, it is in yourself – the love and respect you give to yourself, your selfcare – and then ‘home’ is the people you share love and respect with, and who share their love and respect with you, too. Home is caring for yourself and others, and feeling cared for.

- What according to you are the biggest challenges and possibilities of cross-cultural and interracial relationships, and mixed-race identity? What role does colonialism play here?

There are endless possibilities for developing new ways of thinking, being, and connecting in cross-cultural and interracial relationships, and in mixed-race identities. Some of the biggest challenges to cross-cultural and interracial relationships, and mixed-race identities are fixed and exclusive (or purist) notions of nationhood, culture, and race, along with white supremacy, antiBlackness, and colourism, which are a direct result of European colonialism.

Q

Q

Sarala Estruch by: Shefali Saxena A Ledbury Critic as well as writer, poet and editor, Sarala Estruch’s family history is filled with stories of migration, war, and cross-cultural and interracial love, marriage, and conflict.

Her paternal grandfather (a Sikh who was born and brought up in India) travelled to Bristol in the 1940s to study, where he met her grandmother (a Christian who was born and brought up in Bristol). They fell in love, got married in Bristol in 1952 and moved back to India, where they lived for the rest of their lives.

Her maternal grandfather fled the tyranny of Francisco Franco’s dictatorship in his native Catalonia to settle in the French colony of Algeria in the 1940s, where he met her grandmother (a second-generation migrant from Naples). To Sarala, uncovering untold histories – whether personal, familial, or national – is important, and a vital part of the poet’s work.

In an interview with Asian Voice, she spoke about her family, interracial relationships, migration and her work.

Q - How different is it to grow up in a family environment that has vivid memories of migration and, most importantly, boasts of interracial love at a time when the world could really do with some ounce of tolerance towards all cultures?

I can’t quite say how “different” it is because it is all I have known; I don’t know what it is to not grow up in a family that has vivid memories of migration and interracial love. This has formed my outlook of the world and has shaped my belief that tolerance of and respect for all cultures is crucial.

- Could you share an anecdote about migration and interracial love that has always stayed with you?

I have three such stories that have created who I am today: my paternal grandfather (brown Indian) met my maternal grandmother (white English) in Bristol in the 1940s; they fell in love, married, and settled in India. My mother (descended from white Europeans but

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Say by Sarala Estruch is out from flipped eye on 21st October.

Riz Ahmed calls for more diversity in the creative industries On 23rd September, Adobe announced the launch of the Adobe UK Creative Council to support its vision to enable Creativity for All, which seeks to give everyone, irrespective of their background or anything else that makes us who we are, the opportunity to express and share their creativity.

The Creative Council is made up of four inspiring founder members from different creative backgrounds and will be led by Oscar-nominated and internationally renowned actor, Riz Ahmed.

The Council members will partner with Adobe UK on the development of new campaigns and engagement programmes being created for a diverse customer base made up of Creative Professionals, nextgeneration and aspiring creators, and anyone who has a passion to share their creativity.

They will also provide insights on how Adobe can give greater access to the resources, tools, platforms, and communities needed for everyone to share their story.

The Adobe UK Creative Council members include Riz Ahmed: Oscarnominated, internationally celebrated actor, musician, writer, producer, activist, and role model, Riz is an inspirational voice who connects with audiences as few can.

Charlene Prempeh: - Creative Agency Founder, Tech activist and Contributing Editor, Financial Times How to Spend it.

Derin Adetosoye: YouTuber and presenter for the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, the world’s leading all-electric motorsport championship.

Konstantin: filmmaker and editor of the YouTube collective, Sidemen, Kon has created a name for himself as a stand-out videographer, for fashion films, music videos and commercials alike.

Commenting on joining the Adobe UK Creative Council, Riz Ahmed said: “The creative industry is dynamic and

influences most of our lives on a daily basis. Although we’ve seen positive progress in areas such as representation, we still have a long way to go as creativity as a skill and industry is not yet accessible to everyone. Adobe’s mission to enable Creativity for All aligns with my own passion to support creators from all backgrounds and abilities to pursue their creative dreams but there is a myriad of barriers that stand in so many peoples’ way. By teaming up with Adobe, I hope to further support aspiring and experienced creators and communities in the areas of education and inspiration.”

in brief NEW FILM WITH LOVE ISLAND CONTESTANT ENCOURAGES VACCINE UPTAKE IN YOUNGSTERS A new film with Love Island contestant and medical student Priya Gopaldas and TV doctor Dr Emeka Okorocha aims to encourage uptake of the life-saving Covid-19 vaccine in youngsters. In the video Q&A, the pair take questions from students and underline that Covid-19 jabs are the best way of preventing serious illness. The latest statistics show more than 123,000 lives have been saved, and 24 million infections and 230,000 hospitalisations have been prevented thanks to the vaccines. In the video, Dr Emeka addresses concerns around vaccine safety and side effects following new polling which suggests that these are the biggest drivers of vaccine hesitancy among this age group. The research - from a survey of more than 2,000 16-17-year-olds released today showed almost half (47%) of 16-17-year-olds surveyed agree that the main reason for getting the vaccine is to help protect their friends and family members. Almost 4 in 5 (79%) of those who have had, booked or intend to book their vaccine also feel positive about it. Dr Emeka, an emergency medicine physician, also highlights how Covid-19 can affect anyone, regardless of their age.

BRENT COUNCIL CREATING A BOROUGH OF OPPORTUNITIES Cllr Muhammed Butt has announced that that the Brent council is making a significant investment in its high streets, as part of its £17million recovery fund, in two trial schemes, starting with Church Road and Wembley High Road. “From new lighting and greenery to a youth hub and café, public art work and a whole host of projects that will provide opportunities to come together and celebrate culture. This is all about creating a borough of opportunities for everyone who lives or works here. The improvements we are making aim to create more vibrant, attractive, and inclusive places – places that make people feel good about their local area and where you can’t help wanting to spend more time exploring,” he said.

ACE RECOGNISE CITY'S ARTS AND CULTURE POTENTIAL The opportunities and potential of Wolverhampton’s arts and culture sector have been recognised by Arts Council England. The city has been named as a Priority Place as part of Arts Council England’s three-year Delivery Plan for 2021-2024. It sets out a detailed roadmap to implement the vision of their strategy Let's Create: by 2030 England will be a country in which the creativity of each individual is valued and given the chance to flourish, and where everyone has access to a remarkable range of high-quality cultural experiences. The Delivery Plan highlights where there are opportunities for investment, collaboration and progress.

Ananya Birla announces her debut album ‘Bombay Basement’ Fresh off the success of her recent release alongside AR Rahman, official Cheer4India song of the Indian contingent for the Tokyo Olympics, ‘Hindustani Way’, singer-songwriter Ananya Birla is preparing for the launch of her new album.

Titled ‘Bombay Basement’, the 6-track immersive compilation will be released on her YouTube channel and across all major streaming platforms in October 2021.

The entire album which was conjured up during the pandemic hints at themes such as self-love, racial discrimination and toxic relationships in a nonconformist manner. Weaving in influences of breakbeat, pop, jazz, blues and R&B, the catalogue of radio-ready jams showcases

the popstars sonic evolution whilst attempting to break free from the confines of language and genre.

Ahead of the full release, she shared the music video of the lead track from the album 'When I’m Alone' today which marks her maiden innings as a music video director!

The relatable video aesthetically captures personal vignettes from Ananya’s life from her childhood besties to her first date and other defining life moments that made her who she is today.

Influenced by personal anecdotes from Ananya’s life, each of the tracks will have listeners gripped over the course of the next five weeks with a new release scheduled to drop every week!

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Priyanka is a vision in blue at the Global Citizen Live event in Paris International icon Priyanka Chopra Jonas marked her presence at the Global Citizen Live event in Paris over the weekend. Quite the vision in blue, she posted pictures and videos from the event all over her social media, giving fans a glimpse of her “Evening in Paris”.

She shared a photo of herself posing with the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower at the event. Styled by Law Roach, her Earththemed dress has been fashioned by New York-based Prabal Gurung. Her photo received much love from her fans, including her adoring husband Nick Jonas, who commented “Wow!” Priyanka seems to have had a lot of fun, evident from her posts. She posted a video of Elton John performing on stage.

She wrote, “Over the next 24 hours, we are going to see the world of politics, music and activism come together with two urgent goals: to defend the planet and defeat poverty.”

Sharing a glimpse of the event, she wrote, “We all showed up here because now together, we can make a difference.” The Global Citizen live is an around-the-world event to raise awareness on climate change, vaccine equality and famine.

The concerts are staged in New York, Paris, Lagos, Rio, Sydney, Mumbai and more will be broadcast globally for the event, expected to coincide with the UN General Assembly.

On the work front, Priyanka is busy with her show ‘Citadel’, and her film ‘The Matrix: Resurrections’ will release on December 22, this year.

Saif’s message to his three sons: Make mistakes, but learn from those around you Basking in the success of his latest film ‘Bhoot Police’, actor Saif Ali Khan spoke about his movie career, and reinventing himself after over 30 years in the industry. He admitted that if there is one advice he would like to give his younger self, it would be to be more centred. He said, “I’d advise my younger self to just find your centre and stay there. Play each role to its maximum entertainment quotient and keep your mind clear. That’s what makes us human, to be all over the place at a certain age, to make a bit of a mess. The only time you know what it means to be clear, is when you’re unclear. I’d say enjoy the ride, it’s going to be fun.”

On the personal front, Saif has two children, Sara Ali Khan and Ibrahim Ali Khan from his first marriage to Amrita Singh. He

Akshay responds to IPS officer who points out error in ‘Sooryavanshi’ picture Actor Akshay Kumar responded to a comment made by an IPS officer on a behindthe-scenes picture from his upcoming ‘Sooryavanshi’. In the picture, Akshay, Ajay, and Rohit stood next to each other while Ranveer sat on a desk placed in between them. Given Ranveer’s ‘Simmba’ character is below in designation as compared to Ajay’s ‘Singham’ and Akshay’s ‘Sooryavanshi’, IPS officer RK Vij said an inspector wouldn’t sit like that in front of his seniors in the real world.

“The Inspector Saheb sitting while the SP stands, it doesn't happen like this, sir,” Vij said in Hindi, retweeting Akshay's post. Responding to his tweet in Hindi, Akshay said, “Sir, this behind-the-scenes photo. For us actors, the moment the cameras turn on, the protocol is followed. Regards forever to our great police forces. Hope you like the film when you watch it.” “Thank you for your response and respect you showed for the forces @akshaykumar My comment was also in a lighter vein Will definitely watch the film,” Vij replied.

Akshay had shared the picture to thank Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray as he declared the reopening of theatres in the state.

also has sons Taimur Ali Khan and Jehangir Ali Khan with wife Kareena Kapoor Khan.

When asked if Saif has any suggestions for his sons, if they ever plan to become actors, Saif said, “There are so many people around you, big stars and great actors, learn from all of them.”

He added, “Try to do good things.

It’s easier said than done. Make mistakes, for sure. But the bottomline is, you have to contribute something to the world we live in, and we’ve chosen to contribute entertainment. So make sure it’s entertaining. I’d say just be actors. Enjoy acting and playing roles.”

Taapsee takes on trolls for calling her 'masculine' in movie trailer Trailer of Taapsee Pannu’s upcoming film ‘Rashmi Rocket’ is out, and the actress is beaming with gratitude for the love her fans have showered on her. The movie features Pannu essaying the role of a village girl who is also a noteworthy sprinter. However, in her race to become a national athlete, she undergoes gender testing that leaves her emotionally broken. She even gets banned when her body frame does not fit in the conventional definition of feminine. What follows is a fight against the athletics association to regain her lost respect and confidence.

Taapsee took to her Twitter account and shared a video featuring screenshots of various comments by haters mocking her look in the film.

She captioned it, “Heartfelt thank you.

From yours Truly. But there are many women who actually hear this daily for no fault of theirs. An ode to all the athletes who give their sweat and blood to the sport and their nation and still get to hear this. #RashmiRocket #AbUdneKaTimeAaGayaHai4”.

Directed by Akarsh Khurana, ‘Rashmi Rocket’ also stars Priyanshu Painyuli as an army man who’s in love with Rashmi, and Abhishek Banerjee who portrays a lawyer fighting her case of human rights violation.

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Kareena thanks Prabhas for 'insane meal' It appears Kareena Kapoor Khan had quite the royal Sunday feast courtesy of southern actor Prabhas. She took to Instagram and shared a picture of her scrumptious meal which included biryani, among other delicacies. She captioned it, “When Bahubali sends you biryani it’s gotta be the best. Thank you Prabhas for this insane meal.”

Kareena’s husband Saif Ali Khan is currently working with Prabhas in ‘Adipurush’, an adaptation of Hindu epic Ramayana. The movie features Prabhas playing Lord Ram, Kriti Sanon as Sita, and Sunny Singh as Laxman. Saif plays the antagonist Lankesh - the movie adaptation of demon king Ravana. Talking about his experience working with Saif, Prabhas has recently said, “I am excited about working with a talented actor like Saif Ali Khan. To be featuring alongside such a great actor on the big screen is a matter of pride for me.”

Directed by Om Raut, the movie is expected to be a multi-starrer. Release date of the movie is yet to be announced.

Amitabh’s post for daughter Shweta will warm your heart Veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan took to instagram on the occasion of Daughter’s Day, to leave a heartwarming post for his daughter Shweta Bachchan Nanda, along with a beautiful picture of the two.

He wrote, “Happy Daughter’s Day, betiyan na hoti, samaj, sanskriti, sab ke sab nadarit,” with a laughing emoticon and a heart. The post garnered much love and adoration from fans who showered it with virtual love. Bachchan opened up about how he regrets not being there for his children when they were growing up.

Speaking in one of the most recent episodes of his show ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’, Bachchan said, “Woh humko humesha ek dukh raha hai ki subah jab jaa rahe hote kaam pe toh woh so rahe hote, wapas aate toh phir so rahe hote,

kyunki der raat wapas aate the. Toh woh thoda sa kasht hua lekin ab sab samajdaar ho gaye hai (I have always regretted it because when I would leave for work in the morning, they would be sleeping and they would sleep off by the time I returned because it would be late in the night.

I would feel a little bad but everyone is understanding now),” he said.

In the entirety of the Bachchan clan, Shweta is the only one who preferred to stay away from films. Her daughter Navya Naveli too has steered clear of the showbiz industry and has founded her own company Ara Health. She also recently launched Project Naveli, an organization dedicated to building gender equality in India. She will also be joining the family business.

Vicky Kaushal-starrer ‘Sardar Udham’ set to premiere on Amazon Prime in Oct

The much-awaited Shoojit Sircar directorial ‘Sardar Udham’ is all set to premiere digitally on Amazon Prime Video in October. A heart wrenching story of retribution, the movie will feature the journey of a gallant man who made sure the world does not forget the brutality of the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre. The titular role will be played by Vicky Kaushal.

Sharing news of the release on Instagram, Kaushal wrote, “My heart is filled with love as we bring to you the story of a revolutionary. This October, watch #SardarUdhamOnPrime.” Vijay Subraaniam, director and head, content, Amazon Prime Video released a statement over the weekend. He said, “Continuing a great partnership with Rising Sun Films, we are proud to present Sardar Udham, a stirring story of courage, fortitude and fearlessness, from the buried treasures of our history and culture.

The untold heroic story of Udham Singh needed to be narrated to the world and we are certain that our viewers across the spectrum will be inspired by this film that honours the life of one of the greatest martyrs in Indian history, whose profound and heart wrenching sacrifice avenged the death of many innocents.”

Producer Ronnie Lahiri said, “It has been exhilarating to create this film that showcases and acknowledges Udham Singh’s patriotism and deep-rooted, selfless love for his motherland. Two decades worth of research and understanding has been put by the team to present this untold story. Vicky has worked tirelessly to bring out the real essence of Udham Singh’s myriad emotions throughout his life’s journey. We are glad to continue our prolific collaboration with Amazon Prime Video and are thrilled to share this historical epic story with a global audience.

Netflix’s ‘Bridgerton’ clip introduces new Indian character

Shilpa lashes out at questions about her husband Shilpa Shetty and her businessman husband Raj Kundra ruled the headlines for the last few months as Kundra got arrested for his connecting in an alleged pornography case. It was only after two months that he got released on bail. Over the period, Shilpa distanced herself from the controversy by saying that she had no idea about Kundra's business ventures.

As per reports, Shilpa hit back at the press when asked about Kundra. Refusing to answer about Kundra and his case, Shilpa said, "Main Raj Kundra hoon? Main uske jaisi lagti hoon? Nahi nahi, main kaun hoon (Am I Raj Kundra? Do I look like him? Who am I)?" She then shared her life's philosophy. "I really believe as a celebrity you should never complain and you should never explain.Yeh meri zindagi ki philosophy rahi hai (This is my life's philosophy)," she said.

After Kundra was granted bail, Shilpa had made a motivating post on social media talking about walking through difficult times. She had penned, "We’ve all heard that suffering makes us stronger that we learn from our difficulties. This may be true, but not in the simple way we might think.

Difficult times don’t make us better; working through difficult times does. Suffering can force us to draw on strengths we never knew we had. Discovering these hidden strengths can then help us cope should difficult times come again. I hate bad times as much as anyone does, but I know I’m strong enough to get through them and recover from them."

Netflix released the first look clip for Season 2 of the much-loved ‘Bridgerton’ series, at their global fan event, Tudum. The short but impactful clip offered fans of the show a first look at British actress Simone Ashley as Kate Sharma - a brand new addition to the ton. Born to Tamil parents, Ashley has starred in several TV shows including ‘Sex Education’, and ‘The Sister’.

Season 2, which is currently in production, is set in Regency-era London and the focus is said to shift from Daphne and Simon to her brother Anthony Bridgerton played by Jonathan Bailey and his interest Kate. The clip features Anthony chasing Kate as she storms out of a ball and gets quite the earful. In the novel, Simone’s character is named Kate Sheffield, however, creators of the show decided her family would be of Indian descent.

The role of Kate’s younger sister - Edwina, will be played by British-Indian actor Charithra Chandran, and she will be seen as the latest diamond of the first water.

Last season’s diamond Daphne Bridgerton, played by Phoebe Denver will return but without the Duke who was played by Rege Jean-Page. He had announced his exit from the forthcoming parts of the series earlier this year.

Since it’s release, ’Bridgerton’ became the mostwatched series on Netflix and reached No. 1 in 76 countries.

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Mahesh Babu all praises for Naga Chaitanya, Sai Pallavi’s ‘Love Story’ Actor Mahesh Babu is all praise for Naga Chaitanya and Sai Pallavi’s latest release ‘Love Story’. Directed by Sekhar Kammula, the movie released across theatres on September 24.

Mahesh Babu took to Twitter to share his review of the film. In a series of tweets, he mentioned how Kammula has delivered a “knockout film”, and how the movie will be a game changer for Naga Chaitanya. “#LoveStory @sekharkammula pulls all the right strings… delivers a knockout film! @chay_akkineni comes of age as an actor, a game-changer for him… What a performance!”

Mahesh wrote.

“Sai Pallavi – Sensational as always… does the lady have any bones??? Haven’t seen anyone

Mamta Mohandas buys dream car, flaunts it on the internet decade for you my sunshine Proud to present to you the newest baby in my family..

Porsche 911 Carrera S in Racing Yellow.”

On the work front, Mamta is busy shooting for her upcoming film ‘Bhramam’. The movie is an official remake of ‘Andhadhun’ and features Prithviraj and Raashi Khanna in the lead roles. She will be playing the role originally played by Tabu.

‘Brahmam’ will be released directly on Amazon Prime Video in India, and will be released in theatres in international markets.

Actor Mamta Mohandas has finally purchased her dream car, a Porsche 911 Carrera S. She said she was yet to come with the terms that she now owns the car. Taking to Instagram, she shared a picture along with a caption that said, “Has it sunken in yet I wonder … I can keep wondering but the only thing I’m sure of is that all the early mornings and late nights do pay off after all. And I will keep dreaming on…”

She wrote, “A Dream turns into Reality today. I have waited for over a

Vijay set to collaborate with Telugu producer Dil Raju for ‘Thalapathy 66’ Tamil superstar Vijay is all set to begin work on his 66th film, and will be collaborating with Telugu producer Dil Raju for his upcoming, tentatively titled ‘Thalapathy 66’. The movie will be directed by Vamshi Paidipally. Dil Raju’s production house Sri Venkateswara Creation announced the collaboration via a press release. They informed that “many noted actors and a top notch technical team” will be associated with the project.

The statement read, “With immense pleasure and happiness we at Sri Venkateswara Creations announce our first ever Tamil film with Thalapathy Vijay. We are extremely excited about this much anticipated project and could not have asked for a better beginning than being associated with Thalapathy Vijay. This will for sure be a proudest project for us. Tentatively titled as

#Thalapathy66, this film will be directed by Vamshi Paidipally and produced by Dil Raju and Shirish.”

On the work front, Vijay is currently busy with his next titled ‘Beast’.

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dance like this ever on screen!!! Moves like a dream,” he continued. Mahesh also showered praise on music composer Pawan and said AR Rahman will be proud of him. “You’ll be hearing a lot more of him… what a music score… Just sensational! Heard he’s a disciple of @arrahman.. Rahman sir, you’ll be proud of him,” the tweet read. And finally, Mahesh congratulated the producers for “delivering a much needed blockbuster in these testing times.”

The movie has garnered positive response, and is being received well at the theatres. It is a realistic love drama, and it revolves around a lower caste boy who comes to a city from a village.

Nagarjuna and family host Aamir, Samantha missing from picture

Actor Nagarjuna Akkineni and his family hosted Bollywood actor Aamir Khan at dinner earlier this week, and a picture from the evening seems to have made its way to the internet. Aamir was in Hyderabad to render support to Naga Chaitanya’s latest release ‘Love Story’. The photo shows Nagarjuna, his wife Amala, sons Chaitanya and Akhil, and ‘Love Story’ director Sekhar Kammula, all cutting a cake with Aamir at their Hyderabad home.

Eagle-eyed fans, however, noticed that Chaitanya’s wife, actor Samantha Akkineni was missing from the frame. If rumours are to be believed, there seems to be a rift in their marriage. In a recent interview, Chaitanya said he chooses to focus on his work amid it all.

“Initially, yes, it was a little painful. I was like ‘why is entertainment heading this way?’ But after that, what I've learned is that in today's age, news replaces news. Today there's one news, tomorrow there's another news, today's news is forgotten. But in my grandfather's time, there were magazines, and magazines used to come once in a month. And that news sustained till you got the next piece of news. But today you're getting the next piece of news, the next second or the next minute. It doesn't stay in people's minds for too long. The actual news, the news that matters, will stay. But the superficial news, the news that is used to create TRPs, is forgotten. Once I made this observation, it stopped affecting me,” he said.

Samantha was asked about the rumours recently when she visited the Tirumala temple, she rebuked the reporter saying, “I have come to a temple, don’t you have any sense?”

Saajan Vina Suno Sansaar

13.00 Narsinh Mehta (Re-run) 14.00 RASOI SHOW

18.30 ABHILASHA - EK ASTITVANI 19.00 BHAKT GORA KUMBHAR

* Schedule is subject to change

MON 27 SEP FRI 1 OCT 2021 6.00

Maa Tara Haiya Na Het

13.00 Narsinh Mehta (Re-run) 14.00 RASOI SHOW

18.30 ABHILASHA - EK ASTITVANI 19.00 BHAKT GORA KUMBHAR

19.30 MARU MAN MOHI GAYU

20.00 RASHI RIKSHAWALI 21.00 PREM NI BHAVAI

21.30 BOLO KETLA TAKA

SUNDAY 26 SEP

12.00 Aa Chhe Aapni Dosti Unlimited Yaar

15.00 Fodi Laishu Yaar

19.30 MARU MAN MOHI GAYU

18.00 PREM NI BHAVAI

21.00 PREM NI BHAVAI

19.30 ABHILASHA - EK ASTITVANI

20.00 RASHI RIKSHAWALI

21.30 BOLO KETLA TAKA

19.00 SHU CHALE CHE

22.00 SHU CHALE CHE

* Schedule is subject to change

MON 27 SEP FRI 1 OCT 2021 8.30 BHARADWAJ BAHUEIN 16.30 RASOI SHOW-DESI FLAVOURS 17.30 CHHUTA CHHEDA 18.00 TUM KAUN PIYA 18.30 19.00 19.30 20.00 20.30 21.00 21.30

DIL KA RISHTA BHAGYA KA LIKHA EK SHRINGAAR SWABHIMAAN DIL SE DIL TAK BARRISTER BABU BALIKA VADHU 2 SASURAL SIMAR KA 2

SATURDAY 25 SEP 16.30 RASOI SHOW-DESI FLAVOURS 17.30 DESI BEAT (SEASON 3) 18.00 KHATRA KHATRA KHATRA 19.00 BHAGYA KA LIKHA 19.30 EK SHRINGAAR SWABHIMAAN 20.00 DIL SE DIL TAK 20.30 DESI BEAT RESET 21.00 FEET UP WITH THE STARS (SEASON 2) 21.30 SASURAL SIMAR KA 2 SUNDAY 26 SEP 14.00 BIGG BOSS 15 (WEEKEND KA VAAR) 18.00 KHATRA KHATRA KHATRA 19.00 BHAGYA KA LIKHA 19.30 EK SHRINGAAR SWABHIMAAN 20.00 DIL SE DIL TAK 20.30 DESI BEAT RESET 21.00 FEET UP WITH THE STARS (SEASON 2) 21.30 DESI BEAT RESET

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Finally some cheer for Sunrisers Opener Jason Roy and skipper Kane Williamson struck confident half-centuries to shape Sunrisers Hyderbad’s comfortable sevenwicket win over Rajasthan Royals as IPL Play-offs calculations got a bit more complicated. Opting to bat, the Royals scored 164 for six on the back of a well calculated 82-run knock by skipper Sanju Samson on a sticky wicket where stroke-making was difficult.

However, the score proved insufficient as Roy (60 off 42) and Williamson (51 not out) led the team to their only second win of the season. The loss has dented the Royals’ playoff chances as they remained at the sixth spot with eight points while Sunrisers, who have been ruled out for the playoffs, remained at the bottom of the table.

Now four teams - Kolkata Knight Riders, Punjab Kings, Royals and Mumbai Indians - are tied on eight points each and all are alive in the play-offs race in which CSK and Delhi Capitals are firm favourites for the top two places with 16 points each.

Jadeja takes CSK across finishing line Ravindra Jadeja on Sunday showed that he aspires to be MS Dhoni’s successor at Chennai Super Kings. He did what Dhoni used to do for years – rising at the death – as CSK notched up a last-

ball win to go back on top of the IPL table. With 26 to get off the last two, the ‘finisher’ smashed an 8-ball 22 that took CSK home.

Jadeja was dismissed off the fifth ball of the last over, and with one to get off the last ball, Deepak Chahar did the needful with the bat. While Jadeja was brilliant in the 19th over, he was presented a chance to be so by KKR captain Eoin Morgan. The Knights captain strangely asked young pacer Prasidh Krishna to bowl the 19th over instead of Narine on a pitch where the ball wasn’t coming on to the bat. Jadeja was ready to pounce on the gift and fed off the inexperience of the Karnataka paceman to take 22 in that over.

Harshal does it for RCB, again Harshal Patel is fast turning out to be Mumbai Indians’ nemisis. He’s a bowler Mumbai won’t forget in a hurry. For the second time this season, the seamer (4/17) turned out to be the game changer for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Mumbai. In the first leg of the competition in India, Harshal had returned 5/27 against the defending champions. On Sunday night at the Dubai International Stadium, the 30-year-old from Haryana turned up the heat with an awe-inspiring hat-trick, the third by an RCB bowler, to propel

his team to a comprehensive 54run win. Chasing RCB’s 165/6, Mumbai Indians were bowled out for a paltry 111 in 18.1 overs.

Skipper Virat Kohli would be a pleased man with his bowling unit, which put the team back on track and dealt a telling blow to Mumbai’s march into the playoffs.

Bowlers script victory for Delhi Capitals Delhi Capitals bowlers made up for the team’s underwhelming display with the bat to hand Rajasthan Royals a 33-run defeat in their IPL match on Saturday.

The Capitals bowling unit restricted the Royals to 121 for six after the team put on board 154 for six on the back of Shreyas Iyer’s 43 and a late flourish provided by Shimron Hetmyer, who scored 28 runs off 16 balls. Rajasthan skipper Sanju Samson looked in sublime touch, scoring an unbeaten 70, but with wickets tumbling at regular intervals from the other end, the Royals innings failed to get the momentum it needed.

South African pacer Anrich Nortje (2/18) led the Delhi bowlers who performed as a cohesive unit.

Avesh Khan (1/29), Kagiso Rabada (1/26), Axar Patel (1/27), Ravichandran Ashwin (1/20) snapped a wicket each. With the win the Capitals returned to the top of the table while the Royals moved down to the sixth spot.

Indian women hold nerve to script record chase In the space of 48 hours, Jhulan being a part of the first-ever pink-ball Goswami found redemption, as Test,” she added. Giving away just 37 India pulled off their highest-ever runs in 10 overs which included two chase in an ODI and finally ended maidens - the experienced pacer Australia’s 26-match winning dismissed the dangerous Rachel streak - which lasted for almost Haynes (13, caught at mid-off), four years -in the 50-over Aussie skipper Meg Lanning (0, format in thrilling fashion. caught behind off a ‘jaffa’ outside Ironically, Australia’s amazing offstump) and Annabel Sutherland (0, streak had started against India caught at mid-wicket). Later, walking (in India back in Match 2018) out with India delicately placed at 259 and ended against India too. for eight in the 49th over, the On Friday night, ‘Chakdaha Express’ danced down struggling with dew, the track to left-arm spinner Goswami had let her Sophie Molineux, smashing Jhulan Goswami team down when she the bowler over her head to conceded 13 in a poor final over which had help the visitors eke out a thrilling twotwo full tosses - the second being a wicket win in the dead rubber. controversial no ball - leading to a five-wicket While Jhulan provided the perfect defeat in a humdinger in the second ODI at finishing touch, the foundation of the tall the Great Barrier Arena in Mackay. chase was set by opener Shafali Verma (56), On Sunday, against the same opponents, the new No 3 Yastika Bhatia (64), and all at the same ground, the 38-year-old came rounders Deepti Sharma (31) and Sneh Rana back with a vengeance, taking three wickets (30). India looked set to lose the series 3-0 with her incisive bowling and then smashing when skipper Mithali Raj (16 off 28 balls) was a four in the final over when India needed out in the 41st over, but Sharma and Rana three off four balls to chase down 265 added 33 off 34 balls for the seventh wicket in something they’d never done before. Putting a fighting partnership to keep India alive. in an all-round performance of the highest Both Shafali and Yastika, who looked a quality, Jhulan showed why she would be a very good prospect for the future, scored their key player for India going into the ODI World maiden ODI half-centuries, adding 101 for Cup in New Zealand next year - set to be her the second wicket off 114 balls. Before that, swansong event.

Shafali, who shed her natural attacking “We were just trying to stay there and approach to play a more patient innings, had finish the game. On Friday, it was difficult for added 59 off 63 balls with Smriti Mandhana bowlers and today as the senior bowler I (22) to get India off the blocks quickly. wanted to stand up and use the new ball well.

Coasting at 160 for one in the 30th over, India I knew that I could get the breakthroughs. lost five wickets for 48 runs, before Sharma That was what I did. It’s important to give and Rana brought them back into the match. your best in the field, take positives and that’s Brief Scores: Australia 264-9 in 50 overs what I want to do as a senior,” an elated (Ashleigh Gardner 67, Beth Mooney 52; Jhulan said later.

Jhulan Goswami 3-37, Pooja Vastrakar 3-46) “(There’s) lots of soreness in my body lost to India 266-8 in 49.3 overs (Yastika Batia having played back-to-back games. I need 64, Shafali Verma 55; Annabel Sutherland 3time to recover, but we’re looking forward to 30) by two wickets.

Kolkata beat Mumbai to enter the first two overs bowled by top four Trent Boult and Adam Milne going for 15 runs each. Gill flicked Rookie Venkatesh Iyer left Boult for a delightful six while many in awe of his talent as Iyer pulled the New Zealand pace Kolkata Knight Riders produced a spearhead to set the tone for the clinical performance for the rest of the innings. While Jasprit second successive game since Bumrah found Gill’s stumps in IPL’s resumption to tame the the third over, Iyer went on to mighty Mumbai Indians by seven play a memorable knock wickets and enter the top-four in comprising four boundaries and the points table on Thursday. Iyer three sixes. Iyer and Tripathi (53 off 30), playing his second IPL shared an 88-run stand for the game, displayed the wide range of second wicket which completely his strokes alongside Rahul shut the door on MI, who Tripathi (74 not out off 42) to suffered their second loss since enable KKR to chase MI’s modest IPL’s resumption. total of 155 for six with as many as 29 balls to spare. Quinton IPL points table de Kock struck an entertaining 55 for MI Team M W L NRR Pts before KKR bowlers 1 CSK 10 8 2 +1.069 16 bounced back in the last 10 overs, conceding 75 2 DC 10 8 2 +0.711 16 runs and taking five 3 RCB 10 6 4 -0.359 12 wickets. Shubman Gill 4 KKR 10 4 6 +0.322 8 and Iyer gave KKR another flying start with 5 PBKS 10 4 6 -0.271 8

Kohli becomes first Indian batsman to reach 10,000 runs in T20 cricket Virat Kohli, on Sunday, reached a huge milestone in T20 cricket during the Indian Premier League (IPL 2021) match between his team Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians in Dubai. Kohli became the first Indian, and the fifth batsman overall, to reach the 10,000-run mark in all forms of T20 cricket (international, domestic and franchise). The Indian captain breached the 10,000-run mark as he pulled Mumbai Indians' Japrit Bumrah for a six in the fourth over of the match. Kohli scored 51 runs to help his team post a total of 165/6. Kohli has now scored a half-century in consecutive matches for his team.

The 32-year-old had played 298 innings before Sunday's match and had scored runs at an average of 41.61 with the help of five hundreds and 73 fifties.

Kohli is not only the highest run-getter

in the history of the Indian Premier League, he also leads the run charts in international T20 cricket.

Kohli has scored 3,159 runs in 84 innings in the Indian jersey while playing the shortest format. What is Virat Kohli incredible is his consistency in the format while playing for India. Kohli averages a whopping 52.65 in T20Is with 28 half-centuries under his belt.

His form with the bat will be crucial for the Indian team in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup. West Indies legend Chris Gayle holds the record for most runs in T20 cricket, having scored more than 14,000 runs in the format. Apart from Kohli and Gayle, Windies white-ball captain Kieron Polard, Pakistan's Shoaib Malik and Australian David Warner are the other members of the 10,000-run club in T20 cricket.

Moeen Ali announces retirement from Test cricket England's spin bowling allrounder Moeen Ali on Monday announced retirement from Test cricket to prolong his career in white-ball formats, saying he is "content" despite the widespread belief that he could have achieved a lot more. Moeen Ali The 34-year-old leaves the Test arena with 2,914 runs in 64 matches at an average of 28.29.

Besides his five centuries with the bat, Ali has taken 195 wickets with his off-spin bowling at an average of 36.66 since his Test debut in 2014. "I'm 34 now and I want to play for as long as I can and I just want to enjoy my cricket," Ali said.

"Test cricket is amazing, when you're having a good day it's better than any other format by far, it's more rewarding and you feel

like you've really earned it." Ali had already informed his England captain Joe Root and head coach Chris Silverwood of his decision.

"I will miss just walking out there with the lads, playing against best in the world with that feeling of nerves but also from a bowling point of view, knowing with my best ball I could get anyone out. "I've enjoyed Test cricket but that intensity can be too much sometimes and I feel like I've done enough of it and I'm happy and content with how I've done." Ali, who has not played a lot of Test cricket since the 2019 Ashes, was recalled for the recent home series against India. He was apparently not comfortable with the thought of staying away from family for extended periods.