AV 05th June 2021

FIRST & FOREMOST ASIAN WEEKLY IN EUROPE The message in a bottle SEE PAGE - 7

India sends jet with Choksy papers to Dominica; deportation uncertain SEE PAGE - 25

Post Office continues to use gagging clauses?

SEE PAGE - 15

Baba Ramdev gets £100 mn defamation notice for remarks on allopathy SEE PAGE - 26

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inside:

Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

5 - 11 JUNE 2021 - VOL 50 ISSUE 5

New scams and frauds continue to make headlines

Practicing safe behaviour as lockdown eases

We’re on right track in 7 years of government, says PM Modi

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SEE PAGE - 16-17

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DOES BRITAIN HAVE A PLAN? Long press conferences or Long Covid - we need to pick our battles.

Shefali Saxena The British government’s faulty roadmap to combat the first wave of Coronavirus in the UK, whose efficacy was only realised when Britain was grappling with the second wave, not only led to the loss of innocent lives that could have been saved but also impacted people who are now suffering from Long Covid and living a half-awake life.

If there was a concrete plan to mitigate the spread in the first place back in 2020, the UK wouldn’t have been reporting cases of the Delta (formerly known as the Indian variant), South African and other variants by the minute as many continue to be infected (especially the ethnic minority community in the north-west).

Continued on page 6

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AsianVoiceNewsweekly

AsianVoiceNews

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5 - 11 June 2021

with Keith Vaz

The secret wedding

Dr Pratit Samdani Professor of Medicine and Critical Care Dr Samdani is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Critical Care at Mumbai’s Breach Candy, Bhatia, Saifee and Reliance H.N.Hospitals. He has received more than 53 awards, delivered over 400 lectures globally and has several publications and trials. He is an eminent Physician, who has worked for the last 25 years to provide healthcare to the underprivileged, strengthened the Medical community, and joined the fight against emerging diseases.

He has been accorded with one of the highest state honours in 2020, The Master Deenanath Mangeshkar Jeevan Gaurav Puraskar for exemplary services in the medical field. He has been in the frontline along with his wife Dr Ruchi G Samdani in the fight against Covid-19 in India.

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

Born and brought up in Mumbai where I continue to live and practice, is where my home is. After all, Home is where love resides, memories are created, friends always belong, service always honoured, and laughter never ends. This is truly ‘Mumbai Meri Jaan (life)’.

What are your proudest achievements?

The Break Dengue consortium in 2015, wherein I collaborated with a global team to strategise an approach to fight Dengue in India and globally.

Was also instrumental in orchestrating the formation of the World's First and Largest Biosafety environment, the BIO BUBBLE, during the ongoing Covid pandemic.

What inspires you?

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It's Truly my patients that keeps me on. The zest to cure the sick keeps me kicking! The power of passing a smile to the entire family is priceless.

What has been the biggest obstacle in your career?

As a Doctor in India, the biggest obstacle has been the access, availability and affordability of world class healthcare to the needy and underprivileged. In my endeavour to overcome this, I served in rural India and at the State Police Camp to drive Awareness, Prevention, and Treatment of diseases.

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

Shri. A.P.J Abdul Kalam, an aerospace scientist and former President of India has been one of the biggest influences in my career. His famous words “To succeed in your mission, you must have single-minded devotion to your goal” has been my driving force and echo every single day to me.

What is the best aspect of your current role?

The Covid pandemic has transformed the world and ‘DOCTORS’

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into Warriors. Being able to provide medical care, treatment, empathy, trust and care to patients not only nationally but also globally is very rewarding and fulfilling. For, we are the world, and we are the people for each other.

And the worst?

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In a resource reserved country like India, where treating patients becomes a challenge, especially during COVID times, the rising cases, increasing mortality and many at times helplessness at being unable to provide healthcare due to non-availability of resources is very trying and mentally exhausting.

What are your long-term goals?

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My aim is to live in a Healthy Disease free India, where good, affordable, equitable and competitive healthcare along with access to world class health facilities is available to every citizen - the rich, poor and underprivileged in every corner of my country because ‘Health is Wealth.'

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

If I was the Prime Minister of India, I would continue to invest a lot in Healthcare! I would change the landscape of the health infrastructure.

Increase the government supported and aided healthcare facilities, introduce compulsory medical insurance for everyone, increase medical personnel and ensure standardised medical care is available to every Indian as a right rather than a privilege.

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

I would like to spend time with Mother Teresa who unconditionally took care of the neglected, needy and downtrodden. During my visits to Kolkata, I learnt the virtues of sympathy, and empathy from her actions and deeds. She was, till the end, true to herself and unchanged by fame.

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“Thirty guests piled into the Downing Street garden for a folky singalong to celebrate Boris Johnson tying the knot with Carrie,” The Sun reported. The couple will celebrate again with a huge bash for all their friends and family in July 2022.

The Sun revealed that: “The PM’s eco-friendly bride rented her glorious frock, worth £2,800 new, for just £45 from MyWardrobeHQ and it will be returned tomorrow; Boris picked close brother Leo to be his best man and moral support throughout his big day. To the shock of No10 aides the long-awaited day had been in the diary for months, with all attendees sworn to secrecy.” No Tory MPs or cabinet ministers were thought to have made the guest list for the bash.

France bars holiday trips for Britons Britons are barred from holidaying in France from Monday under restrictions imposed to curb the import of the Indian variant of the coronavirus spreading in the UK. The French government has yet to announce the details of the rules, which will disrupt the holiday plans of thousands of people expecting to cross the Channel for summer breaks, but officials have given outlines.

Seven days of isolation will be imposed on Britons arriving in the country, but only people with imperative reasons will be allowed to enter from the UK which excludes holidaymakers,

many of whom had booked to travel on June 9 when France is due to open its borders for tourists.

Officials said compliance

with the compulsory seven-day isolation would not be subject to random police checks with fines of €1,000 for people who breach the rules.

Public inquiry into Covid toll Dominic Cummings’ long list of accusations sparked a strong reaction from MPs and fresh calls for a public inquiry into the government’s handling of the pandemic.

Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, said the claim from the prime minister’s former adviser that thousands died needlessly was a “devastating admission”. He

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FINANCIAL A SERVICES MORTGAGES Residential Buy to Let Remortgages

May 29 brought two big news stories for Britons. As Chelsea won, social media was instantly flooded with the news of Boris Johnson’s secret weekend wedding.

Donning a crisp white shirt and suit with a Tory blue tie, UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson (56), exchanged his wedding vows with fiance Carrie Symonds (33), in a topsecret ceremony on Saturday at Westminster Cathedral.

The couple have also been said to have taken a “two-day ‘mini-moon’ by the seaside.

said: “Very serious allegations have been made against Johnson and his handling of Covid. A public inquiry needs to start this summer.”

Johnson has promised an inquiry but it is unlikely to start before next spring.

Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow health secretary, described Cummings’ testimony as shocking, saying that the “grave charges”

against Matt Hancock, the health secretary, appeared to be “well-founded”. Hancock said he had not watched the whole of Cummings’ “performance”.

Angela Rayner, the deputy Labour leader, said that Cummings’ claims went “to the heart of the prime minister’s direct and personal responsibility for the UK’s shocking death toll”.

£50k bursaries at Cambridge St John’s College, Cambridge, is offering 40 undergraduate students from lower income backgrounds bursaries of £50,000 as it tries to halt the exit of bright teenagers to Ivy League institutions.

It already has £14 million of the £25 million it needs. Its

Death of BBC presenter due to clots An award-winning BBC radio presenter who received the OxfordAstraZeneca vaccine died in hospital after suffering blood clots, her family has said. Lisa Shaw, who worked for BBC Newcastle, developed “severe” headaches a week after having the jab and fell seriously ill a few days later.

Shaw, 44, died at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne, on Friday afternoon having

been treated in intensive care for blood clots and bleeding. People under 40 in the UK are being offered an alternative to the AstraZeneca vaccine after reports of extremely rare blood clots on the brain coupled with a low blood platelet count.

finances are dwarfed by leading US universities, which are luring talented British applicants from underprivileged backgrounds. Harvard has an endowment of about £28 billion and even families with incomes of £150,000 can qualify for scholarships, while less affluent students receive packages that cover flights, books, rent and tuition fees.

Heather Hancock, the master of St John’s, said: “If you’re a talented 18-year-old from a low-income family in the UK and you win an undergraduate place at, say, Harvard or Yale — topflight Ivy League universi-

ties in the USA — those institutions will offer you a full, non-repayable bursary so you can take up the place. St John’s wants to offer these UK students that same debt-free opportunity.”

Those who qualify must come from families whose household income is less than £16,200 a year.

Eligible students can access more than £17,000 of financial support for every academic year at Cambridge.

Each qualifying student will receive about £51,000 of support in total, based on an undergraduate enrolled on a three-year degree course.

Mosque dismissed imam A cleric was sacked by Wembley Central Masjid mosque in London after he invited extremist preachers to speak, including one who claimed the Bible told Christians to “throw homo-

sexuals off mountains”, an employment tribunal in Watford was said Abdul Sattar sued for unfair dismissal but his claim was dis- missed by the tribunal judge.

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5 - 11 June 2021

No time to be myopic Prime Minister Boris Johnson has got married over the weekend to his girlfriend Carrie Symonds. Last week, UK media speculated that Boris and Carrie will marry in a huge ceremony in July 2022, with save the date cards in circulation. But on Saturday, in a secret ceremony they tied their knot. What led to this quick and secret ceremony and is it Carrie’s final triumph over Dominic Cummings?

Friends of the bride said the wedding marked a victory against Mr Cummings and the inner circle of Mr Johnson’s former chief adviser. In a hearing before MPs last week, The Times reported that Mr Cummings claimed that Mr Johnson had been distracted by his engagement and Ms Symonds’s pregnancy during pandemic preparations in February last year. He also accused Ms Symonds of making “completely unethical and clearly illegal” moves to install her friends in No 10 jobs and seeking to drive him out.

Allegations are many, but what’s really at stake here? Last year when the pandemic first hit Britain, Boris Johnson took a few weeks to really understand the gravity of the situation. It led to mayhem. This was the same time when Mr Cummings broke lockdown rules himself, galivanting around to check his eyesight with family but the Prime Minister stood by him.

The second half of the year, in presence of Mr Cummings, the UK government led by Mr Johnson repeated the same mistakes that led to uncontrollable spread of the Kent variant and hundreds and thousands died.

Question remains why did it take the Prime Minister’s girlfriend and now wife’s ‘conduct’ to force Mr Cummings ask the questions that he is asking today? Will he also be scrutinising his

own behaviour in the past one year?

As we write this, the variant predominantly found in India (delta variant) is now wreaking a havoc in the UK. There is no guarantee that the country would open up on 21 June, after months of awaiting and vaccination spree. Minister Nadhim Zahawi has assured a decision will be taken on 14 June. Is the G7 meeting from 11-13 June a hindrance to an immediate action? No one can say.

The country needs to remember its history. Wars devastate a nation and its people. Economically, socially and in many other ways. But in every such distressful situation is a notion of agreement against a common enemy- patriotism or even nationalism that drives people towards a united front. The blame lies on the perpetrator, the one who attacks and the right to defend or retaliate - the sense of justice. Unfortunately, coronavirus is a faceless enemy and therefore feelings towards it is more complex. Who do you blame here, really? Is it the rules or thereof the lack of it?

Is it the people, scientists or the Prime Minister?

This year has been a challenge for even the strongest. The Monarch who has always been a symbol of hope and strength, lost her closest confidant and husband. Her grandchildren Harry and Meghan turned their back on her, and the controversy of Martin Bashir with Princess Diana has caused further pain.

The turmoil is real. Various variants are disrupting lives and livelihood- with so many unemployed. Whose money is this review commission spending? Is this the appropriate time to raise hell? The worst is not over yet. Accountability has no expiry date.

So, all squabbles can surely be settled later- especially the ones that stroke huge egos.

Perils of the vanishing innovators China has decided to let people have a third child. According to state-run news agency Xinhua, the change in policy was approved during a politburo meeting chaired by President Xi Jinping, The Sky News reported. For decades, China stuck to one-child policy to halt a rapid expansion of the country’s population, scrapped in 2015 to have two children. But that has obviously not led to sustained childbirth, with couples being deterred by the rising costs for raising children.

So, Monday's change to a three-child policy comes after data from China's once-in-a-decade census showed the country's working-age population shrank over the past decade, while the number of people older than 65 has increased.

The Financial Times reported that birth rates, which were already falling, have dropped further over the past year. In England and Wales, we are down to 1.6 per woman. The rest of the world is headed in the same direction. In the US, the fertility rate fell last year to 1.6. That represented the sixth consecutive annual decline. Japan, Italy, Taiwan, Greece and Portugal are all under 1.5.

Only in sub-Saharan Africa are average fertility rates still what we would consider high (over 4).

The census reportedly revealed China's population grew at its slowest rate during the last decade since the 1950s - to 1.41 billion.

It also showed a fertility rate of just 1.3 children per woman for 2020 alone, on a par with ageing societies like Japan and Italy.

As coronavirus wipes away 171mn people from the world, the UK Parliament spoke about the challenges of an ageing population. Age structure of the UK population in 2015, 2020 and 2030, by single year of age to 89 and bands thereafter, ONS 2012-based principal projections, thousands.

But a rise in the elderly population, particularly if not matched by health improvements, will place ever-greater pressure on the

public finances, as a relatively smaller working-age population supports growing spending on health, social care and pensions.

Something that we witnessed during this pandemic.

The need of helping hands or innovative mind has never been more crucial. In a post-Covid world, the need of imaginative and resourceful minds in unquestionable. William Reville, an emeritus professor of biochemistry at UCC said, while David Attenborough thinks humans are perhaps ‘environmental pests’, world fertility rate is now 2.4 and falling. Demographers predict fertility rates will soon drop below 2.1 for the first time in history, falling below 1.7 by 2100. Remarkably, it appears that the end of humanity will more likely come from collapsed birth rates than from climate change. The world population decline will not be reversed easily and if numbers continue to decrease so will the production of innovative ideas, resulting in stagnation of knowledge and living standards for a gradually vanishing population.

What’s more worrisome for some countries now is that lower fertility will be hard to reverse in line with other economic healing. A recent paper inspired by Charles Jones, an economist at Stanford University, argues that over the long run any positive economic effects that come from a shrinking population may be cancelled out by the reduction in humankind’s creative capacity.

In the absence of new ideas, according to The Economist, growth will eventually grind to a halt. The adding of labour or resources or capital to an economy can boost income, but with diminishing returns; in the absence of technological progress, it becomes harder and costlier to mine or there are ever fewer valuable tasks to be done by an extra worker or industrial robot. A decline in the absolute number of brains might thus place a serious threat on innovation, Mr Jones writes, and thus on prospects for continued growth in world incomes.

Understanding the origins of coronavirus is vital Since the early weeks of the pandemic, there were speculations that the coronavirus might have escaped from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which Beijing insists was not the source of the virus. For the past 16 months, British, American and western intelligence agencies think that Wuhan institute has a role in the pandemic. President Joe Biden recently ordered US intelligence to investigate whether the Covid-19 emerged from human contact with an infected animal or from a laboratory accident. It would be better for China to allow the unfettered access to international investigators to hunt for the answer. Determining the truth is not about apportioning blame. It is vital to understand the origin of a disease that has killed at least 3.5 million people and if we are to prevent similar outbreaks in future. If zoonotic spill over was the cause, knowing the mechanisms could determine where changes are needed in animal handling and interaction with humans, and help in designing a global early warning system of future risks. If the virus came from a lab - and was somehow altered there - lessons can be drawn on the transparency and safety of bioresearch globally.

The world needs a full scientific investigation carried out by credible experts chosen by a multilateral body, and given access to all the data, people and locations it needs. For all its difficulties during the pandemic, the best body to handle this is the World Health Organization. Indeed, the lab escape hypothesis has reemerged in large part because of an inconclusive WHO probe that was hampered by China’s lack of full co-operation. The WHO’s March report concluded transfer from a bat, via an intermediate host, was “likely to very likely”, and a laboratory incident “extremely unlikely”.

The Covid has not only caused loss to innumerable human lives, but it has also ruined the economy of most of the countries.

In India, since most of the states declared lockdown, ordinary people had to face so much hardship and most of them lost their

employment opportunities. The second wave has claimed more lives than the first one. Many families lost their only breadwinners. Many children became orphans. Experts now warned against a third wave. We must be very careful and well prepared to face it. There cannot be any laxity in our vigilance. During the second wave, India faced many hardships - shortage of medicine, hospital beds and oxygen supply. Now that a semblance of normalcy has reached, we must be on the guard against the third wave. Vaccination is the only weapon to fight the virus. In America and Britain at least 50 per cent of the population have been vaccinated. India has a long way to reach that level. The country is now facing a shortage of vaccines. The Modi government has promised to procure vaccines from the US and to increase production in India itself to meet the shortage. The government has promised that by the end of the year most of the Indians will be vaccinated. Then there were many people who spread fear among people about vaccination. The government should educate the public against such rumours. Some individuals or institutions are coming out with unsubstantiated claims regarding virus remedies. Recently yoga guru Baba Ramdev has created a big controversy by his remarks against allopathy doctors and medicines. The Indian Medical Association has sought an apology from Ramdev. The doctors’ body has said Ramdev spread confusion and fear regarding side-effects of Covid vaccines in the minds of the people by releasing advertisements that the adverse effects of the vaccine can be countered by his Coronil kits. The central government should act against such individuals spreading rumours and fear among the people. The government should allow more companies to produce vaccines, so that India can help poor countries to vaccinate its population. The US has agreed to supply Covid vaccine and raw material to produce vaccine in India. Let us hope that soon we will be able to overcome Covid and emerge victorious.

We generate fears while we sit.

We overcome them by action.

– Dr Henry Link

Alpesh Patel

India’s Role on the World Stage Now As India focuses on Covid, we must look beyond the crisis to what can India look forward to?

What is the potential for India politically on the world stage? From its allies to the United Nations what is the outlook for India?

India has a vibrant democracy unlike any other.

The democratic process of India operates through an unwavering electoral system that ensures that any and all Indians can be elected to office.

India is also home to a majority of the world's poor, making it the perfect platform for influence among developing nations.

In addition, India is currently one of the largest exporter and importer partners in Asia, so its economic power will only continue to grow as it takes a larger role on the world stage.

India has a large number of allies in the United Nations as a result of its vast population and its democratic system.

India's participation in the United Nations is a vital part of its international influence. The country has been a member since 1947, making it one of the most historic members in the UN. The U.N.'s role in protecting human rights and maintaining peace among nations is crucial, as well as giving India an opportunity to be on the leading edge of humanitarian issues that are either underdeveloped or underfunded around the world.

India's role on the world stage will continue to grow and nurture itself through these efforts. The country's potential on the world stage is huge.

India's national security is also an important factor in its future global influence. The nation has refused to sign a nuclear weapons agreement with the United States and maintains that nuclear technology should not be used for first use military applications, but instead should only be utilized for civilian purposes.

India's security policy is to maintain stability in the region, creating diplomatic relationships across the world and creating a sense of equality with its allies. It maintains good relationships with Russia.

India has been working on keeping a positive relationship with Russia since the Cold War, but since 2009 relations have become extremely close, leading to an agreement for cooperation on civilian nuclear energy.

India has also enjoyed a close relationship with China since 1950, but their relations have begun to deteriorate in recent years over border issues – and today probably at a low point since the 1960s. This however coincides with the deterioration of relations with most democracies and China since Covid.

India's economy is also one of the largest in the world. The country has a large population and a strong middle class, but it has also developed strong leadership. The Indian government is sure to continue to develop as it continues its role on the world stage.

India has not only benefited from its inclusion in the World Trade Organization, but it has also experienced great economic growth as a result of this inclusion.

The World Trade Organization is designed to promote global commerce and ensure that all international trade is efficient and fair. This includes encouraging transparency and access between countries for business interests, which raises demand for goods, which in turn raises standards of living across the board.

Trade brings soft power and again potential influence for India. One day, Covid will be long behind us, and India’s trajectory upwards resume.

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in brief New scams and frauds continue to make headlines in brief Shefali Saxena Between April 2020 and March 2021, Action Fraud received over 500 investment fraud reports which made reference to a bogus celebrity endorsement, with losses reaching over £10m.

Fraudsters have been using social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook (FB) to scam investors, particularly those interested in cryptocurrency, who have ended up losing £63m ($89m) in the past 12 months.

More than 5,000 reports of investment fraud to Action Fraud, the national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime, referenced a social media platform. Instagram was the most referenced one, with 35.2% of complaints. 27.5% of all social media investment fraud victims were aged 19 to 25, and 61% were men.

Recently, an Instagram trader Gurvin Singh, 22 was accused of misleading hundreds( out of 170,000 followers) into losing £4 million in an offshore investment scheme. Singh admitted to signing a marketing agreement with the Bahamian company but ‘thought nothing of it’ as he insisted he dealt with Infinox UK staff. He denied acting dishonestly or handling any of the missing millions. Some 1,250 people are believed to have lost sums from £500 to £88,000 when the seemingly successful scheme collapsed in a 48-hour period over Christmas 2019.

Asian Voice reached out to MishiPay founder and CEO Mustafa Khanwala to get a sense

Mustafa Khanwala

of how tech frauds have gained momentum during the pandemic. Were they the same before Covid? Khanwala said, “The frauds themselves have not changed or become more sophisticated, yet the pandemic saw an increase in the number of people utilising the web, along with an increase in the amount of time spent online; which resulted in the success of fraudsters rising proportionally.

“Online fraud has a much wider scale as you can program bots to automate millions of messages to millions of people, so even if you have a very low hit rate, you end up scamming far more people than you would on the street.

“Another factor to take into consideration is that overall we were a lot more vulnerable during the pandemic, looking for help in many ways wherever we could find it, and unfortunately that makes people more susceptible to such attacks.

But what leads to tech frauds?

The MishiPay founder said, “As with all crime, it’s a combination of means, motive and opportunity. For many criminals, the risk of getting caught (or worse) is significantly lower taking part in tech frauds compared to more traditional heists. On the other

Foreign criminals to be tagged The government is planning to tag foreign criminals to keep them from fleeing. Priti Patel announced that more than the UK has deported over 900 foreign criminals since the start of the year.

“The #New Plan For Immigration I’m introducing will make it easier to deport these appalling criminals from our country — protecting the British public,” she reported.

The Home Secretary is going to make electronic ankle tags a condition of their release from jail. “She has ordered

enough GPS kits for 4,500 offenders by the end of next year. Britain can kick out foreign citizens who have been jailed, with 7,985 removed since January 2019,” The Sun reported.

According to reports, more than 250 criminals have been issued with GPS devices. Patel said, “It will help to deter foreign criminals who callously seek to abuse the system, breach bail conditions, and commit further crimes, putting the lives and safety of the public at risk.”

Captain Sir Tom Moore leaves £73,000 to family will In an interesting yet surprising turn of events, Captain Sir Tom Moore, who raised £38.9m for the NHS, has left £73,000 to his family in his will.

The war veteran passed away in February aged 100. He left his final wishes in a six-page document in June 2020. In April, his relatives marked the anniversary of Captain Sir Tom’s legendary fundraiser when he walked 100 laps of his

garden. He was knighted in May 2020 and passed away at Bedford Hospital, having tested positive for Covid.

“Official probate papers showed his estate was split equally between his daughters Lucy, 52, and Hannah, 50,” Evening Standard reported.

Furthermore, according to Sun Online, Sir Tom donated his body to medical research or organ transplants.

Neha Mehta

hand, tech services such as online banking are still fairly new to most people. If you had to visit your bank to move money you might think twice, today you can move it from your armchair instantly - and criminals play on that with urgency and fear.”

Who can help in bringing down the rate of these frauds?

Khanwala said there are three key sources that could help decrease the rate of fraudsters: 1) The Government - by imposing an increase in stringent laws and further repercussions for those fraudsters that get caught.

2) Regulators - by raising standards of security across the ecosystem and providing better corporate governance rules in private corporations, to keep people's data safer.

3) Educators - by generating further awareness amongst the public of how to stay safe and secure online.

What do we need to prepare for in advance to avoid Tech glitches and frauds?

Khanwala believes we need to improve technical literacy, provide people with heightened access to safety and security tools, and think about the next utility after the access of the internet, which will be access to

security - to use the web more safely.

“Preventive measures need to be taken such as the work being done in PSD 2 and other areas, resulting in strong customer authentication on payments, better ID validation on both sides of marketplaces and other such protocols. Yet on top of this, further work is needed on internet fraud insurance. We need to take into account the fact that such fraud is only likely to increase in the near future and that people should have the chance to bounce back after they have been defrauded,” he added.

Speaking to Asian Voice about tech frauds, Neha Mehta, Founder and CEO, FemTech Partner explained that, “2020 was a difficult year for many of us. "Lockdowns" and "social distancing" became a norm. Over the past months, the pandemic has caused many people to get retrenched or involuntarily jobless. However, there have been cases of people taking advantage of the pandemic. There is an increase in cases of tech fraud where unsuspecting users donate money on fake portals. It has been reported that people have lost millions in such donations. According to recent research, it has been reported that more than 80% of the scams have something to do with the pandemic. New scams and frauds will continue to make headlines with new inventions in technology. Therefore, a quick background check or research before donating money is always preferable.”

25,000 sign a petition demanding Prince Harry to give up royal titles 25,000 people have signed a petition started by royal expert Lady Colin Campbell demanding that Prince Harry give up all royal titles.

According to The Independent, “The purpose of the Change.org appeal is to invite Prince Harry to “voluntarily” ask the Queen to put his ‘royal style, titles and rank into abeyance.’”

The petition reads: “As a purely private citizen, with no royal rank, style or title, he (Harry) will be able to indulge his personal beliefs, as is the right of all private citizens, without the consequential possibility of damaging the institution of the Monarchy or relations between Friendly Powers, and will be free to articulate beliefs, no matter how objectionable, without the fallout that is otherwise inevitable as long as he possesses royal status.”

Campbell feels that this is the “right thing to do” and "It is the best solution because it frees Harry to be able to indulge himself without consequence and without doing damage to the institution of the monarchy of the British nation, the British people and himself.”

It was reported earlier this month that senior aides at Buckingham Palace have demanded “the royal couple to give up their titles” following Prince Harry’s interview with Oprah Winfrey.

VISA OVERSTAYERS AIMED IN DATA PLAN Plans to introduce digital visas for all foreign travellers to Britain will enable the government to share real-time data on their immigration status with other government departments, the health service and employers.

A Home Office document says the move will enable benefits to be switched off for those who overstay. At present information on immigration status is not automatically shared across Whitehall.

While some sharing agreements exist, information is exchanged at a much slower pace and often requires departments such as the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to request the status of people case by case.

Overstayers would also be denied routine NHS treatment or access to a GP as their status would be automatically flagged, although government sources insist they would always get access to the NHS in emergencies.

Government sources said the plans would better target 1.2 million illegal migrants in Britain. Critics said that the plans would cause a “hostile environment”.

The database would hold all visa information from 2025. The Home Office said: “We are digitizing the border so we can now count who is coming in and out of the country, and whether they have permission to be here.”

LONDON BRIDGE ATTACK: SASKIA AND MERRITT WERE UNLAWFULLY KILLED Saskia Jones and Jack Merritt were stabbed to death by convicted terrorist Usman Khan at Fishmongers' Hall in London. "Unacceptable management" of London Bridge terrorist Usman Khan contributed to the deaths of his two victims, an inquest has concluded.

Khan stabbed the two victims before he was chased on to nearby London Bridge by members of the public, who were carrying a fire extinguisher and narwhal tusk to try to disarm him.

Khan, who was wearing a fake suicide vest, was then shot dead by police.

Evidence heard during the six-week inquest hearing repeatedly suggested the decision to allow Khan to attend the event in the capital, 11 months after his release from jail, was made with little scrutiny. Concerns had been raised about Khan's increasing isolation and his frustration at being unable to find a job.

There were also warnings during his eight years in prison that he may not comply with conditions upon release to slip under the radar of authorities.

Merritt's father David agreed that Khan's supervision after release was not fit for purpose.

Morrisons in firing line over Covid bonus for CEO Morrison Supermarkets is the latest blue-chip company to find itself in the firing line over bosses' pandemic payouts after removing the £290m cost of dealing with Covid-19 before calculating executive bonuses. UK's third-biggest grocer by market value is facing a big protest vote at its annual meeting next month over a multimillion-pound award to David Potts, the company's chief executive.

Several proxy advisers, including Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), have urged investors to vote against Morrison's remuneration report because its boardroom committee used discretion to

override the exceptional costs incurred by the Coronavirus crisis. Sources said, however, that a number of leading shareholders would support the supermarket chain's board because of the "competent" job that Mr Potts and his colleagues had done managing the business through the "unprecedented" period. Mr Potts received an immediate cash bonus of £850,000 alongside a deferred award of the same size. He was also handed restricted stock worth almost £1.4m, 20% of which was calculated using an earnings-per-share metric that would not have otherwise paid out.

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DOES BRITAIN HAVE A PLAN? Continued from page 1 Boris Johnson’s former chief advisor Dominic Cummings sits scrutinising in a day-long virtual revelation about the Prime Minister’s shortcomings and wrongdoings that led to a terrible wave of infection, rereminding people of the losses and sacrifices they have made, mainly due to the serious lack of integrity in an in-fighting group of so-called leaders.

Professor Ravi Gupta, a member of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag) group reportedly said, “Of course the numbers of cases are relatively low at the moment – all waves start with low numbers of cases that grumble in the background and then become explosive, so the key here is that what we are seeing here is the signs of an early wave.”

The Guardian has reported, “Uncertainty surrounds England’s 21 June lockdown lifting date with Delta variant now making up 75% of cases.” It is worth pondering whether the government has learnt a lesson from the delay and ignorance that took place in mitigation last year, which has not only impacted human health but has had horrid repercussions for businesses, safety and wellbeing and overall mental health of Britons, not to forget the frontline workers - who were immensely overwhelmed with this orchestrated chaos in managing the pandemic.

Survivors share their struggle Dr Deb Ghosh (54), Consultant Gastroenterologist at the NHS, ran a

overcoming any kind of physical or mental battle. If he can do it, so can you.

Anirban Covid-survivor Mukhopadhyay said, “Covid dis-

Anirban Mukhopadhyay

turbs one’s body, strength and mind-affecting the personal finances. The lockdown and the economic gloom affect one's ability to find work adding to the already present mental stress. Bereavement in the family adds further to the despondency. Having gone through all these, the most effective way to bounce back is to consciously try to live stress-free. Do not think of the future- just live for today.

“Peculiar things will happen to you post-Covid. For me, short term memory is a problem. I often don’t remember where I have kept my car keys, mobile or glasses. It is important you find your own solutions to the problems and accept that life will be a bit more interesting than earlier.”

Over the last 15 months, Photographer Sohail Anjum has

and the fact that new variant cases are rising it’s not possible to operate practices like 2019 due to lack of space. We are trying our utmost to give the best possible care to our patients but the system really needs to help us deliver that. Instead of bureaucracy and chasing targets, it should let us get on with clinical work and help look after our patients.”

Dr Ramesh Mehta, Founder and President of BAPIO said, “NHS doc-

Dr Ramesh Mehta

tors have been working flat out since the beginning of the pandemic. Their welfare is crucial to avoid a terrible shortage soon due to ill health. Ensuring the availability of proper rest and effective PPEs is crucial. Financial rewards will help.

There is no doubt that many lives could have been saved with proper planning at the beginning of the first and second wave. BAPIO had constantly prompted the Government throughout the pandemic, but it has been slow to act.

“The NHS has wisely started clinics for the sufferers of Long Covid. Healthy lifestyle and control of comorbid conditions like Diabetes and Asthma are crucial.”

Speaking to Asian Voice, Dr Krishna Kasaraneni, BMA GP committee executive team member,

Sohail Anjum

Dr Deb Ghosh

10km charity run on 11 April for Sinclair Hospice and British Liver Trust. He also shaved his head because his patients said they’ll give more money.

11 April was no regular day for Dr Ghosh. Last year, the same day he came back home after winning a difficult battle against Covid Pneumonia. He was born with one lung, which perhaps was the main reason why he was extremely vulnerable to the virus.

Laying in the hospital bed, he learned about the death of a few of his colleagues and friends abroad.

“For the first time it flashed to my mind that this might be it,” he said as he tried to inform his wife about his bank details and passwords while he was having a mental haze.

She was also unwell. “This my life, now, is my life’s version two,” he said. Next year, Dr Ghosh celebrates his 30th year of being a doctor. He credited the ancient culture of India and its marriage with modern state of art medicine which focuses on healing people via nutrition through food and pranayam (yoga). He emphasised that while firefighting ill-health, we’ve not had the time to promote good health and these practices can have long term repercussions which can also affect an entire family altogether. Obesity, back pain, cancer, chronic illness, lifestyle choices, everything counts, including financial health.

He believes that no number of infirmities can stop anyone from

been dealing with post-Covid symptoms of breathlessness, erratic heart rate, fatigue and muscular aches and pains. “Thankfully I have had the help of the NHS to help me overcome some of these ailments. I am now taking beta-blockers to help with the erratic heart rate, which has somewhat helped reduce the breathlessness,” he told the newsweekly.

“If proper lockdown measures had been put in place properly last year along with an effective test and trace system, we would have been in a different situation than the one we are in now and tens of thousands of deaths could have been prevented.

“The UK is now in the early stages of a third wave due to the variant from the Indian subcontinent, because of the late lockdown of flights, which again is due to government negligence,” he added.

Is the NHS truly overwhelmed?

Doctors speak up Dr Preeti Shukla, GP chair BIDA UK told Asian Voice, “We are over-

Dr Preeti Shukla

whelmed and overstretched like every surgery in England. In my career I have never seen such high demand, we are on our knees. There is a lack of resources and a workforce to address the backlog of work.

A lot of patients are awaiting hospital appointments and operations which have created huge pressure on primary care as we are left holding these patients with no support.

With social distancing still in place

Dr Krishna Kasaraneni

said: “Speak to any GP and they will tell you the same thing – that they and their colleagues are busier and working harder than ever before. In March, practices dealt with almost 5 million more appointments than the previous month and almost 3 million more than they did in March two years ago, long before the onset of the pandemic.

“On top of continuing to lead the vaccination campaign, which will be so vital in eventually allowing a cautious return to some sort of normality, practices are being hit with a surge in demand from patients with wider healthcare needs. Much like the backlog in hospitals, there is the ‘hidden’ backlog of patients now needing to be seen and have their conditions managed in practices.

“This surge in workload for practices can have a devastating impact on morale and wellbeing – and ultimately lead to staff asking how much more they can take.

“Policymakers and the government have a duty to protect and care for those who are caring for themselves. This means an end to attacks on practices and staff who are doing their best to meet their patients’ needs and being realistic with the public about what they can expect from different parts of the health service.

“GPs and other practise staff are doing utmost to see their patients and provide them with the care they need – whether this is over the phone, via video or the large propor-

tion seen face to face. They should be commended for their efforts, not condemned.

“With Covid cases rising, and people beginning to mix more, it’s crucial that practices can protect patients – many of whom will be ill with other conditions - and staff alike, by following infection control processes, while ensuring those who need to be seen face-to-face can continue to do so. This will require investment in practice buildings themselves to improve waiting areas while giving practices the flexibility to decide how best to manage appointments based on the specific needs of their local community.”

Asian Voice wrote to Dr Nikita Kanani MBE, Medical Director of Primary Care for NHS England and NHS Improvement for a comment.

In response to the request, an NHS spokesperson said: “GPs have worked hard to offer appointments to those who needed them throughout the pandemic with more than 28 million delivered in March this year, in line with pre-pandemic levels, at the same time as rolling out the biggest and fastest vaccination programme in NHS history – providing vital protection to millions of people.

“NHS staff have gone to great lengths to ensure cancer treatment and checks could also continue safely, with almost 300,000 people starting treatment and more than 2.2 million referred for cancer checks throughout the last year and the NHS is now going further and faster to ensure patients receive timely, expert care with more people receiving potentially life-saving cancer checks in March than ever before.

“We also launched a number of schemes to help support and sustain the profession: New to Partnership Payment Scheme, General Practice Fellowship programme and guidance, Supporting Mentors Scheme.

The supporting general practice letter of 9 November 2020 referenced support for flexible pools to aid the process of recruiting and deploying GPs.” Other party members break the silence Reacting to the PM's former aide’s revelations and ongoing crisis as we head towards a third wave, Labour MP Virendra Sharma told

Virendra Sharma

Asian Voice, “The Government has failed doctors, nurses and all healthcare professionals from the start of the Covid-19 crisis. At every turn, healthcare workers have gone above and beyond to save lives and protect the NHS but have been denied basic PPE and a proper pay rise. Those are the two things people in care homes, GP surgeries and hospitals need, fair pay and to be safe at work.

“Reportedly Boris Johnson missed multiple national security meetings about Covid-19 to carry on writing his book about Shakespeare – that tells you everything you need to know. The PM is more bothered about getting paid for his book than planning anything. The Prime Minister is responsible for the terrible death toll this country has faced and every death was a tragedy, many

of which could have been avoided.

He waited weeks and months before closing down international travel, he delayed lockdowns to carry on playing the popular fool and it has made everything worse.”

Lib Dem’s Rabina Khan MP thinks that it was impossible to pre-

Rabina Khan

dict how this situation would play out.

She went on to say, “Cummings’ revelations are also just one man’s story, which some might regard as sour grapes. It also seems rather hypocritical when Cummings himself flouted the rules. The Government was facing the challenge of balancing the health of the nation with the economy – and it would have been the same dilemma, regardless of which party was in power.

“During the first lockdown, the Government issued stay-at-home guidelines and rules for social distancing, but unfortunately not everyone adhered to these. It was the responsibility of the general public to help prevent the spread of the virus, but not everyone listened.

There were the anti-lockdown protesters in the same way that there are now the anti-vaxxer brigade. The Government cannot be held entirely responsible for the subsequent waves of the pandemic, as any rules they try to enforce will be ignored by some. People spread the virus, not the Government.

Between April 2020 and April 2021, Coronavirus cost the UK around £355bn, with £100bn of that was spent on the job support. In addition, furloughed workers paid less income tax and businesses paid less tax if their profits were lower.

All of this meant more borrowing, yet if there had been no lockdown the country would be in chaos. The NHS would not be able to cope, and businesses would still suffer due to the loss of some of their workforces from Covid.

“It’s difficult to plan for a situation you’ve never encountered before, but now that we have experienced this once, it may enable us to better prepare for similar scenarios in the future.

“One of the problems is that the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 can partly be explained by the fact that there is a prevalence of some ethnic minority groups working on the frontline and who also live in multi-generational households, regardless of their status within the NHS. “In addition, around 40% of the UK’s ethnic minority population live in London, the busiest and most populated city in the UK, meaning that the risk of transmitting the virus is far greater than in other areas of the UK. “The Government, therefore, needs to offer assurance to BAME medical staff that they can report their concerns without fear of repercussions, and that any bullying or harassment from co-workers or hierarchy will not be tolerated and will be dealt with appropriately without risking the job of the employee making the report,” Rabina added.

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Shefali Saxena According to ONS data, the UK witnessed an almost 20% increase in alcohol-specific deaths in 2020.

The reasons for this aren’t fully understood but most of these deaths are from alcoholic liver disease, which typically takes many years to develop.

One in four adults have drinking concerns One in four adults having concerns about their own drinking habits, an independent poll conducted on 2,000 UK adults revealed. It also found that, as restrictions ease, 1 in 10 [5.6 million people] are worried about the drinking behaviour of a partner, friend or family member.

Researchers from the UK Dementia Research Institute have found that even low levels of regular alcohol consumption are associated with potentially harmful changes to multiple organs including the brain.

BAME members more likely to drink alcohol than white people Speaking to Asian Voice, Dr Richard Piper, CEO of Alcohol Change UK, said: "Lockdown has created conditions for more people to drink more heavily and more often than usual, leaving many people struggling to cope.

"Figures from our research carried out for Dry January found that close to one in three (29%) people who drink alcohol said they have drunk more in 2020 than in 2019.

One in five (22%) had felt concerned about the amount they have been drinking since Covid-19 restrictions began in March 2020. A similar proportion have found

The message in a bottle themselves drinking earlier in the day (26%), drinking more often (31%), and drinking ‘to try and cope’ (23%).

"The data also showed that people from BAME backgrounds were more likely to have been drinking more than white people.

"If the UK is to recover from the pandemic, the Government must act. We need to have a comprehensive, strategic set of policies from the government to tackle alcohol harm, including minimum unit pricing for alcohol, better regulation of alcohol marketing, and sustainable funding for alcohol treatment services."

He further added, “We have also seen many more people coming to us for help. From 23 March 2020 - 22 March, 2021 page views of the 'Get help now' section of our website were up 130% compared to the previous year. For the website as a whole, the number of users is up 70% to 1.5 million. The figures are the strongest for the first month of lockdown: page views of the 'Get help now' section were up 410% compared to the same period in 2019.”

Unavailability of data specific to ethnic minorities Over 8.9 million adults are currently drinking above ‘safe’ levels each week with more than one in seven saying the easing of lockdown restrictions will lead them to drink even more alcohol at pubs.

Dr Sadie Boniface, Head of Research - Institute of Alcohol Studies told Asian Voice, “Pubs may have been closed for many months

but this means drinking has moved behind closed doors. National data show more people are now drinking at higher risk levels, posing a risk of a rise in health problems down the line. The Office for National Statistics also found that 2020 was the worst year on record for alcohol-specific deaths, a 20%

rise on the previous year. Alcohol also plays a role in mental health problems and in domestic violence, both of which have been of increased concern during the pandemic.”

When asked if there are specific data on ethnic minorities on alcoholism, she said, “Unfortunately little of the national data is readily available broken down by ethnicity.

For example, if you look at the Wider Impacts of Covid-19 tool, most of the alcohol indicators are not available by ethnic group. I should say that ethnicity is almost always collected in these surveys –

so the data do exist – but sadly not always featured in reports and key indicators.

“Much more generally, surveys tend to show people from ethnic minority groups drink less and are more likely to abstain from alcohol.

However, there are relatively high rates of higher risk drinking among certain groups, and one I am aware of is men belonging to the Sikh religion (covered in an IAS briefing). I can’t recall seeing anything about Sikh men’s drinking during the pandemic though I’m afraid.”

Alcoholism triggers divorce rates Kanti Nagda MBE shared his two cents on alcoholism and said, "Drink driving during Covid-19 has not been a big problem as people are under lockdown but the problem of mental and physical violence against the partner has increased.

This has led to matrimonial problems and increased rates of divorces."

IHWO receives the Queen’s award The Indian Hindu Welfare Organisation (IHWO) in Northampton has won The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2021; the highest award is given to voluntary sector organisations in the UK. The organisation’s volunteers have been recognised for over 25 years of hard work.

The award has been given to IHWO in recognition of their outstanding efforts ‘to enrich the lives of Hindus and wider communities by meeting their social, cultural, educational and wellbeing needs’. Representatives of

IHWO will receive the award crystal and certificate from Mr James Saunders Watson, LordLieutenant of Northamptonshire later this summer. Two volunteers from IHWO will also attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace in May 2022.

Neelam Aggarwal-Singh MBE DL JP, Chairperson of IHWO said: “We are absolutely delighted that the hard work of our fantastic team has been recognised. This is a huge honour and we as an organisation are so excited. This is an award that is given to volunteers who are truly exceptional in

their impact and I can proudly say that our team is sincerely dedicated to serving the needs of the community. Acknowledgement of that commitment always feels great.”

IHWO is a thriving, dynamic voluntary organisation that enriches the lives of the local community. They are well-known for lighting up Northampton town with their annual Diwali celebrations and their pinnacle project is a multi-million-pound initiative to build a Hindu Temple and Community Centre in Northampton.

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Seven-year-old Anya Patel takes a 24-hour Tour chief warns about travelling abroad vow of silence in a fundraiser for India Shefali Saxena Anya Patel, aged 7, recently took a sponsored 24-hour vow of silence to raise funds to help with the crisis in India.

She lives with her parents in Preston. With the help of her doting grandfather Dr Kadaba Vasudev, Asian Voice managed to get a glimpse into this little wonder’s mind about her initiative at such a tender age. Below are a few excerpts from the interview: Q - What led you to raise funds for India? Have you been to India before?

When I heard about the terrible Covid situation in India with lots of people getting ill and dying, I really wanted to help. My grandparents come from

Bengaluru in India and I have been there once to visit my relatives. I really liked India. I thought of doing either a 24-hour silence or running a mile every day for two weeks and my mum said I should do the silence.

Q - As a seven-year-old, what have you understood and learnt about the pandemic?

My grandfather, father and uncle are all doctors and have told me all about

the pandemic. We have also learnt about it from our teacher at school. My great, great grandmother died in the pandemic that occurred 100 years ago.

Q - How much money have you raised so far? What all did you to do popularise this effort?

I recorded a little message explaining what I was going to do and asking if people would sponsor me and my parents sent it out to friends and family.

Within a few hours, I had raised quite a lot of money which was amazing. In total, I raised £1855 which I think will help lots of people.

Q - Please tell us about the 24-hour silence you took up. How difficult was it for you at such a tender age?

I started my silence at 9 pm on a Sunday and finished at 9 pm on Monday.

My little brother really helped me get through the 24 hours by not bothering me and also by being kind to me. I had to communicate with my parents through messages written on paper. I am normally very talkative, and it was very difficult to remain silent for such a long time!

My mum read me all the messages of support people were sending and also told me the latest total and that helped me to keep going with my silence. I did find it very difficult because I had never done a silence before, but I still didn’t talk. I think my mum and dad were happy to get some peace and quiet for a day!

Oxygen for India climbing Mount Snowden While the UK is being compassionate towards India as it reels under the yoke of the second and tragic wave of Covid-19, Rohit and Neeta Kotecha are raising funds for ‘Oxygen for India’ in association with the British Asian Trust.

Speaking to Asian Voice, Rohit said, “So like many Indians we would like to do something to aid Indian citizens in these very difficult times and initially, I started a petition to ask the UK government to send Oxygen to India and it gained a few thousand signatures very quickly, soon afterwards aid

was sent the by the UK and also the international community which is great to see.

“However, the situation in India is on a massive scale

and I believe they can do with all the help possible therefore we started the just-giving fundraiser on behalf of The British Asia Trust which is an international development agency that delivers quality programmes in South Asia founded by HRH Prince Charles 12 years ago.”

So far, Kotechas have collected £785.00 with the help of friends and family.

However, Rohit said, “We would like to raise more and with that in mind, I and my wife Neeta have decided to climb Mount Snowdon in Wales, we do not have a

fixed date yet as it will depend on the weather and hotel availability in the area, but we will definitely be doing the climb in the next 4 weeks.

“We would appreciate some sponsorship towards the climb either by pledges or direct donations to the just-giving fundraising where the money goes directly to The British Asia Trust who then use their partners in India and distribute the aid.”

Here’s the link to just-giving fundraise page: https://www.justgiving.com /fundraising/rohit-kotecha

Sikh boy traumatised after child cuts his hair A pupil is scared to go back to school after a classmate cut his hair with school scissors. The incident took place at the Alexandra McLeod Primary School in Abbey Wood, South East London. A 5-year-old boy had never had his hair cut prior to the incident due to religious reasons and is now terrified to go back to school.

Speaking on social media, the parents said: "I am posting this because we as parents are deeply hurt by this incident which hap-

pened with my son in Alexandra McLeod School Abbey Wood."My son is only five years old, a Sikh boy and I never cut his hairs but someone in school today cut his hairs with scissors and my boy is really upset and saying 'I am not going to school now. "I don't understand where a reception student can get scissors and it is shameful. It is bullying that should not be accepted. We are really scared to send him to school. We do not know what to do to secure him in

future."

People were shocked and the Sikh Federation UK replied: "Totally unacceptable and devastating to hear about the bullying and assault on a five-year-old boy."For a Sikh boy to have his sacred unshorn hair cut by another pupil while in school is one of the worst possible #Antisikhhate crimes."

The organisation asked for an urgent meeting with the Secretary of State for Education, Gavin

Belmont Community Hall saved Kenton Ward Councillor, Ajay Maru has been working hard with local residents and campaigners to safeguard the future of Belmont Community Hall.

Under Maru’s guidance, Harrow Council has decided to retain the Belmont Community Hall and the adjoining Car Park site. This came after the views of the local residents and members of the ‘Save the Belmont Hall Campaign’ were taken into consideration. This means the future of Belmont Hall is no longer under discussion. The Hall and the car park will stay as they are.

Speaking on this landmark decision, Cllr Ajay Maru said, “I have actively lobbied the Council on behalf of the residents of Kenton and campaigners to ensure that our views on the future of Belmont Community Hall are heard. I am delighted that the Council has listened to the local resident campaigners, stakeholders and decided to

keep this community resource which provides amazing services to our community. I will continue to work with local residents to maintain this resource centre and heritage to serve the community across the borough. I want to pay a tribute to the commitment of the volunteers behind ‘Save the Belmont Hall Campaign.”

Williamson, to discuss the shocking case and other recent "anti-Sikh hate" bullying in UK schools, says reports.

The school said it was aware of the incident and will be meeting with the boy's parents. A statement read: "In response to messages received: An incident was reported last Friday afternoon after the children and most staff had left.

Please trust that the matter will be investigated thoroughly and fairly."

Abhishek Varma, chief executive of European Tours Ltd, recently landed in London after travelling from India. He was made to stay in Arora Gatwick hotel where he was paying £175 per day for ten days, which included all meals and lodging charges.

According to a report

Abhishek Varma

published by Kilburn Times, Varma complained of the amenities and the cost with which they came at the hotel. He mentioned that the money wasn’t worth the stay. The TV set was old and WiFi was feeble, therefore his only way of coping in quarantine was to stick to his smartphone. Varma has vlogged his stay on YouTube and is suggesting people to not travel abroad after quarantining for ten days at the said hotel.

Earlier last month, Asian Voice had spoken to Shovon Ray, who had also travelled to London from India. Ray also stayed at Arora Gatwick and has sim-

ilar claims like Varma. Ray had told us that he was quarantined at Arora Gatwick. “Don’t really know why they sent me this far because I live in London. It would have been easier for me to be a bit closer,” he had said.

He had further mentioned, “Food could have

Shovon Ray

been better. And the lunch/dinner timings could have been a bit more flexible. Though it doesn’t matter because I’d rate the food 3/10...But for the price they are charging, staying is not that great.”

Meanwhile, a dedicated terminal for UK arrivals from countries with a high coronavirus risk has opened at Heathrow. Travellers arriving on direct flights from “red list” nations will now pass through the airport’s Terminal Three. It comes as a scientist advising the UK government warned of signs the country is in the early stages of a third wave of coronavirus infections.

Delta variant engulfs Britain As of early this week, cases of the B.1.617.2 variant (now called Delta) crossed almost 8,000 cases in England, just over 1,000 in Scotland, 82 in Wales and 19 in Northern Ireland and others include Bolton, Blackburn, and Sefton in North-West England and Bedford, Chelmsford and Canterbury in the South-East - it is causing the majority of infections. In London it makes up the lion's share of cases in Croydon, Hounslow and Hillingdon.

A surge in Glasgow may also be driven by the variant.

Public Health England figures showed, in the worst-hit areas there were

1,354 cases identified in Bolton, 366 in Bedford, 361 in Blackburn and 197 in Leicester On May 31, The Guardian reported that Blackburn with Darwen overtook Bolton to top the UK list of most new Covid cases. North-west region’s highest seven-day rate since February boosted by a large number of 17 to 18-yearolds.

Amid fear of an impending third wave, it is interesting to note that UK vaccine passport plans are allegedly going to be scrapped. There will be no legal requirement to show Covid jab status at large events, as ministers go cool on proposals.

HRH The Prince of Wales meets local fundraisers in Coventry HRH The Prince of Wales, Royal Founding Patron of the British Asian Trust, met local members of the Indian community last week as part of a series of engagements in Coventry. HRH The Prince of Wales attended the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum and met community members who are fundraising to support those impacted by the Covid-19 crisis in India.

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No room for discrimination within the Conservative Party Cllr Ameet Jogia, Co-Chair, Conservative Friends of India I am a Conservative because I firmly believe in the Party’s values of aspiration, a belief in enterprise; a dedication to education; the importance of faith, family, philanthropy and community; and, perhaps most crucial of all, the importance of integrating into wider society. These are the values we proudly stand for and for which we have been successfully elected on in recent elections. It was therefore deeply upsetting to know that anyone should feel unable to realise the true potential of our Party’s values, particularly on the ground of race.

That is why my Conservative colleagues and I welcomed last week’s release of Professor Swaran Singh’s independent investigation on alleged discrimination within the Conservative Party. First called for by former Chancellor Sajid Javid MP back in 2019, the report took evidence from Hindu, Muslim and Sikh communities seeking their experience of engaging with the Party. Our Party Chairman, Amanda Milling MP subsequently made it her mission to address any form of discrimination within the Party and ensure a credible complaints process is in place.

Whilst the report did make uncomfortable reading at times, the investigation did not find any evidence of systematic discrimination against any particular group. With regards to Islamophobia specially, there was no indication that antiMuslim sentiment in the party is in any way institutional. The report also found that there was no political interference in the Party’s complaints process.

This is reflective in our Party’s historic ethos. We were the first Party to have a Jewish Prime Minister in Benjamin Disraeli. We were the first Party to have a female Prime Minister in Margaret

Thatcher (recently followed by Theresa May!). And we were the first Party to have not just one – but four – British Indian Cabinet Ministers – with Rishi Sunak and Priti Patel holding the two highest offices in the country. Baroness Sayeeda Warsi was also our first Muslim Party Chairman and female Muslim Minister in the Lords.

This demonstrates the importance of eliminating any barriers to our Party’s commitment to break glass ceilings.

But of course, we can always do better, and that is why the Prime Minister and the Conservative Party immediately accepted all the recommendations set up

by Professor Singh’s investigation. The Conservative Party is a broad church of ideas and personalities and we want more people to come forward to add to our rich heritage. Our diversity makes us stronger and I hope that this investigation encourages more people, particularly from BAME background to come forward to engage with the Party at a local and national level.

The troubled times around us are a reminder that any incident of discrimination is wrong, and we must stamp out discrimination of any kind. But to do that requires courage and the confidence to know that complaints will be taken seriously. This is addressed by the Party’s plans to issue a new complaints framework, to ensure they are dealt with in a timely and professional manner.

I would not want anyone to be prevented from realising the true potential of our Party’s values. Conservatives believe in the fair access of opportunity and race or discrimination should never be a barrier to accessing the Party. I therefore welcome Professor Singh’s investigation. It is a clear sign of Party’s zero tolerance on discrimination, which I hope will reflect that the Conservative Party remains one of the most progressive political parties in history.

Metropolitan Police's largest-ever single seizure: £5mn in cash in London flat The Met Police has cracked its largest-ever single seizure of cash in a Fulham apartment, where three men have been sentenced. “The police discovered more than £5mn in cash in a London flat after a criminal gang reportedly "didn't know what to do with it",” BBC reported.

The seized cash will be used to fund Met and Home Office operations to tackle violent crime, the Evening Standard reported.

Russlan Shamsutdinov was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison.

Sergejs Auzins was sentenced to three years

and four months in prison. Serwan Ahmadi received a suspended prison sentence.

Detective Superintendent Jason Prins said: "This is the largest ever single cash seizure by the Met and I believe one of the largest ever nationally. Organised crime is motivated by money and is one of the biggest causes of violence on our streets. Tackling this violence is our main priority. This seizure, and the conviction of these men for laundering that money, will have a major impact on the ability of a number of crime groups to carry on with their activities."

Relocation plans in place for Afghans who worked for British military and UK government Relocation plans for hundreds of Afghans who worked for the British military and UK government, mostly as interpreters, have been announced. This will include 3,000 Afghans who are about to join 1,300 who have already been rehabilitated.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has said that it is "only right" to accelerate plans in order to also save those who can "be at risk of reprisals" from the Taliban.

The BBC reported, “Under new government policy, any current or former locally employed staff who are assessed to be under serious threat to life will be offered priority relocation to the UK - regardless of their employment status, rank or role or length of

time served.”

The government said: "Following the decision to begin the withdrawal of military forces from Afghanistan, the prime minister has agreed with the Ministry of Defence, Home Office and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to rapidly accelerate applications through the policy."

Priti Patel said: "It's our moral obligation to recognise the risks they faced in the fight against terrorism and reward their efforts. I'm pleased that we are meeting this fully, by providing them and their families the opportunity to build a new life in this country."

15 hours of free tuition fee for School children in England According to a story published in The Times, “School children in England will now be offered 15 hours of free tuition to help them catch up after months of lost learning during the pandemic.”

This plan may in turn help teachers to earn more by working longer hours. “Under the £1.5 billion scheme, almost all pupils aged 5-16 will be offered extra lessons in groups of up to three. The courses, which will be introduced this summer, will include after school and holiday clubs.

Disadvantaged pupils will be given priority,”

Graduates repaid £23mn more on student loans Graduates have been repaying more than “£23 million too much on their student loans in the past tax year”, purely because they had changed addresses without telling the authorities.

A story in The Times reported that the average overpayment was £424 and 54,516 graduates had money deducted even though they had already paid off their debt. The report explained that overpayments occur because of a difference in the time that payment details are received by the Student Loans Company (SLC), which administers repayments, and HM Revenue & Customs.

The SLC writes a year before the final payment is due, urging graduates to start a direct debit, and follows up with emails and texts.

But only one in five graduates signs up.

Secure English Language Tests (SELTs) approved by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) the report said.

This scheme includes more than 500,000 training courses A senior government source described the tutoring scheme as a “marathon, not a sprint”, adding: “We are committed to ensuring no child loses out on their education because of the necessary steps taken to control the pandemic.”

800,000 worried about being evicted The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has suggested that “400,000 families had already been served with an eviction notice or told that they may be evicted.”

A survey of more than 10,000 households showed “clear warning signs'' of a rise in evictions and home less ness as the ban ends. In addition to the 400,000 further 450,000 households are in rental arrears, the foundation said.

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10 READERS' VOICE

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5 - 11 June 2021

Our topsy-turvy weather

Healthy countryside walks

Although British people are prone to discussing wine, weather, and women, it seems now weather is at the top of the agenda. It is universal problem affecting the world in different ways. Although world’s oceans are warming, Arctic and Antarctic ice melting at supersonic speed which is raising sea water level and causing tidal floods in low lying areas of countries like Bangladesh, Japan, even affecting this country; homes on the edge of the cliffs are disappearing in the ocean. But the government is unable or unwilling to strengthen the defences against the rising tides!

Although this is an established fact, many people are indeed confused, as our winters are also getting colder, countries like Greece, Turkey, and many parts of America, like Texas and New Mexico have slow fall unheard of in the past. We also just had the coldest May since the record began!

There is a solution, at least against the rising sea level.

Inland seas like Dead Sea on Israel Jordan border, Caspian Sea and Lake Chad in Africa, a few among many lakes that have dried up or on the verge of disappearing. These lakes, as well as vast areas of Saudi Arabia, Sahara Desert and interior of Australia are crying for fresh water.

We have technology to turn sea water into fresh water and replenish these dying lakes. But it would need heavy investment and proper planning under UN that would turn many dried-up areas into Garden of Eve and Adam!

The world spends not billions but trillions on arms, armies, and armaments they never use or likely to use in future. Countries like Japan and Germany, who are not allowed to have huge, well equipped army, divert their savings on armament into economic development. No wonder these are the richest countries enjoying living standard we can only dream about! While Britain who allegedly won the WW2 is struggling to raise living standard of our citizens! It seems, our Oxbridge educated politicians live in their ivory towers with the bridge raised!

Perhaps I am fortunate enough residing not far from fields, woods and beautiful parks for access to our normal regular walks. But I feel and count myself lucky to been in that job position as Highways Officer which gave me a great opportunity to visit our Northants County remote villages and countryside for my work. This gave me added English countryside discovery compared to our rural life in Kenya. This in turn led us here exploring more and wider of our county and other beautiful National countryside’s. Britain has most beautiful scenery to offer and provides challenging delightful walks for all levels. Over the years we have explored Britain by many modes of transport including walking. But countryside walks radiate better during the year of lockdown. We have found this pleasure of walking in countryside always elevating and a wonderful social experience where we meet lots of likeminded people and see the beauty of nature.

A journey of self-discovery, sense of belonging, staying in tune with nature, brings sparkle to drab days. This is something we would suggest or encourage who is fit, mobile to give a try, develop or get involved. There are lots of groups, organisations one can join and participate in this sort of walks if you don’t wish to walk on your own. Best part it is not costly, need a good pair of comfortable walking shoes, right weather-related clothing and your water bottle, healthy sustenance etc. Plan, investigate locations, routes, explore, have some time out in coming warmer days. It will make you feel a very different person.

Once out in the countryside, walking through woods, fields, riverbanks, climbing hills and appreciating the beauty of this peaceful environment makes one positive. The benefits for our general health both physical and mental are well known. This green exercise is one sure way of connecting back to nature. You’ll never look back and the health benefits will become apparent along with that wonderful night’s sleep. For some of these reasons I recommend that try venturing out for walk-through suitable countryside. What I love about walking is that anyone can do it at any age and any fitness level, subject to any medical conditions. Plus, it is good for your heart, your head and your wallet.

Jatish S Shah Northampton

Bhupendra M. Gandhi London

A new house for Modi as India’s pandemic rages Early last week the BBC thundered with the above-mentioned headline in their news. They also quoted “Nero fiddling while Rome is burning”. They implied that Shri Modi is not attending to the pandemic, but he is devoting his attention to a new house being built for himself. What they refer here is the construction of the Central Vista Redevelopment Project (CVRP) in New Delhi which includes a new residence for the PM. Back in 1990s a comprehensive study concluded that the colonial era built old and scattered state facilities in the capital cannot fulfil the needs of a modern state with largely expanded duties. Hence the CVRP was then proposed. For more than two decades nothing happened but the present government to its credit picked up the project and started work in 2019 after lengthy competitive contract awarding procedure.

The project is scheduled to be completed in 2024. It seems that the BBC News team is totally ignorant of the background of the badly needed project. Anyway, the prime minister’s residence is a very small part of the mega redevelopment project which also includes among other structures a new parliament building. It is not Shri Modi’s house being built. Obviously, it is a blatant attempt of character assassination.

The pandemic management in India with limited resources is quite satisfactory. The hard data shows that it ranks 27th in pandemic occurrence and at 79th in death numbers among 155 most populous countries. Remember, India is an underdeveloped country due to brutal invasions and colonisation.

Will the BBC ever be honest in their news reporting?

Narsibhai Patel New Malden

Is fact-based journalism in trouble?

“Is fact-based journalism in trouble?” is really eye-opener but not surprising (AV 29 May to 4th June 2021). Recent revelation about Martin Bashir using false documents to get an interview with Princess Diana has really put the BBC in the limelight. The height is, it took so many years for the BBC to realise and to accept that it had happened.

The media have a moral responsibility to adhere to the code of conduct and make sure that fact-based, unbiased reporting is done. Of course, there will be some personal judgment and interpretation involved but it should not be just one-sided to create a bad image intentionally to harm or protect the interests of a specific group of people.

In the era of competition to remain on the top, sensational news stories are always sought after especially if the person is a celebrity. Sometimes journalists use unethical means to get personal information which can give a better readership figures temporarily but is more harmful to society and readers in the long run.

If the royal family has faced this unprecedented situation, it is difficult to imagine what can happen to ordinary people. Even while reporting about rising cases of Covid-19 in India, the BBC and other mainline print media of the UK tried to give grim situation about India without properly giving a holistic picture. In addition to the support from the government, there are plenty of volunteer organisations, doctors who worked round the clock sometimes free of charge, free food was provided to people by neighbours who were self-quarantined to prevent the spread of the disease, were rarely highlighted It is time for the mainstream media to be more responsible and provide fact-based, honest, and unbiased picture to the readers and viewers.

Hitesh Hingu London

Calling on public to help spot signs of child exploitation Across the country, thousands of children and young people are subjected to horrific exploitation and abuse every year.

They are groomed by predators with offers of friendship, gifts, cash and status then coerced using terrifying threats and violence into crimes like trafficking drugs in ‘county lines’ operations. Children are also exploited for sex and some are forced to work in premises like car washes and nail bars.

In Greater London in 2019/20, gangs were identified as a risk 4,100 times in assessments of children referred to social services, while trafficking was deemed to be a factor on 690 occasions, both indicators of child criminal exploitation.

Risks of child sexual exploitation were highlighted in 2,880 assessments and in 3,160 instances, children going missing, also a sign of exploitation, was pinpointed as a factor.

However, many children are too scared to tell adults what is happening. That’s why we need your help. From 17 May The Children’s Society ran a ‘Look Closer’ Awareness Week with the National County Lines Coordination Centre and police forces across the country including British

Transport Police. Our ongoing #LookCloser campaign urges everyone – from commuters and delivery drivers to hotel and shop staff – to look out for signs of child exploitation in public spaces and their neighbourhood and report any concerns.

Signs could include children carrying large amounts of cash, appearing under the control of others, looking lost, or travelling alone at night. Trauma may lead to children appearing angry or aggressive rather than vulnerable or upset as people might expect – so look beyond the obvious.

Anyone worried about a child can call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111. If there is an immediate risk to a child dial 999. If you are on a train text British Transport Police on 61016 You may not be sure about your concerns but trust your instincts. Your phone call could be a crucial first step in helping a child escape a situation of terrible abuse and unimaginable trauma.

Mark Russell Chief Executive, The Children’s Society

KHICHADI Kapil’s

Follow me on Twitter: @kk_OEG

Moments Make History Kapil Dudakia One month, many moments in history that changed the world as we know it today. The month of June has seen many devastating moments in history also.

A potential paradise but for the madness of ideology, Iran stands today, a nation that is a fraction of its former glory. On 3rd June 32 years ago, Ayatollah Khomeini, leader of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, died. He had been in exile for 15 years and then made a triumphant return to overthrow Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, also known as Mohammad Reza Shah: aka, the Shah of Iran. Iran at that time was a cosmopolitan and fast developing nation. It had its rich history and culture, and it had embraced modernity. Women walked freely in their miniskirts, no harassment and secure in the knowledge of their safety.

The moment Iran adopted the fundamentalist ideology, its fate changed. 32 years on, the nation has gone backward. It is one of the greatest modern-day tragedy to visit a nation with so much talent, incredible geniuses, and a millennium of rich culture to end up on its knees.

Take Pakistan, in 1947 after a bloody separation, at least we can say that there was an aspiration for Pakistan to be a forward looking and a diverse cosmopolitan nation. Instead, within months it surrendered to its insane desires and attacked India for Kashmir. Today it is nothing more than a terrorist state.

June 4, 1989, the Chinese government ordered its troops to open fire on unarmed protesters in Tiananmen Square in Beijing. On that day China declared to the world it cares not for human rights of anyone. That it will do whatever it takes to its own citizens to keep them under its dictatorship. It has grown in influence immeasurably since then. Not because the world respects China, but because China has systematically used its power, might and money to buy leading politicians around the world. With all of this might and power, the ordinary Chinese citizen is but a slave to the nation. When a nation can systematically ethnically destroy the Uighurs, what has the world learnt from WWII? June 5, 1968 - Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated while leaving the Hotel Ambassador in Los Angeles. The course of American history changed forever. 53 years later, the only question that comes to mind is what happened to America? A nation still divided, full of hate, anarchy preferred to civilised governance and politicians who have sold themselves to foreign nations. The founding fathers would emigrate out of America if they were alive today!

June 6, 1944, known as D-Day. The events that brought about the freedom of France and the rest of Europe led by the British, Americans and Canadians. Had it not been for that moment (and the sacrifices of the colonies) the whole of Europe would have been under a German dictatorship now.

In 2014 one man, Modi, made a difference to a nation of more than 800 million voters. A moment in time, and now he is writing a new chapter for Bharat Varsh.

I choose to write about these few events to remind us that in history, one event on one day can make an impact way beyond its initial objective. You and I might be a small butterfly, but even as we aspire to fly and flap those wings – the currents we generate may well change the course of history.

A small body of determined spirits, fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission, can alter the course of history. Mahatma Gandhi Let’s make history, good history, together for the world.

Memorial Day in United States Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for honouring and mourning military personnel who have died on duty while serving at the US Armed Forces. Usually, this holiday is observed on the last Monday of May (this year on 31 May 2021). We must salute those at the Armed Forces, who lost their lives to safeguard freedom and democracy as a peace keeping force around the world in different countries.

Also, since beginning of last year almost most of the countries are caught by Covid-19 pandemic and some of them slowly winning war but still it’s long way to go. And there are many fighting this war - doctors, nurses, paramedics, health care workers, ambulance drivers-front line workers from top to bottom including volunteers, police, fire fighters, factory workers lost precious their lives.

So, this is the time to pay our homage and sincere tribute to all of them and offer our prayers for their family members, relatives, loved ones and friends to give them courage to bear the unexpected and untimely losses.

Suresh and Bhavna Patel Markham, Canada

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5 - 11 June 2021

F

or a year, I have been living in a small, leafy colony in south Delhi, somewhat ambitiously called Mayfair Gardens. It’s a tiny residential neighbourhood with a beautiful and intriguing architectural monument, consisting of a mosque adjoining a Dargah of a not very well known saint, Hazrat Makhdum Sabzwari. It is ascribed by some to the Lodhi period, dating back to the 15th century and by others to the late Tughlaq period towards the end of the 14th century or early 15th century.

blackberry) that offer their rich fare to birds and squirrels. It is common at this time of the year to find crushed wild figs on the streets.

There are a couple of giant ‘Bael’ trees that are overladen with fruit. The delicious cold sherbet made from Bael is believed to both cool and heal in the north Indian heat. Bael is native to the Indian subcontinent and is

Putting Mayfair Gardens on the Map

the rodent population hiding in the crevices of its ancient walls. Mongoose run across the streets towards the monument as the old dried up wells on the compound are thought to be home to snakes and rodents! These days, it is a joy to walk in the cool morning breeze with the call of the Koel and the chirping and trilling of birds happily feasting on the generous bounty of the trees!

This weekend, however, a different activity stirred the neighbourhood. The Resident Welfare Association organised a vaccination camp with the help of a small private hospital.

Well over 200 people were vaccinated against

were given slots. A google registration form was devised and a number of youngsters volunteered to help those unable or unfamiliar with filling online forms. Other volunteers used their IT skills to prepare a time chart.

This avoided crowding at the camp. People were reminded of the documents to bring and to remember their hats and umbrellas to cope with the hot sun! The entire exercise was conducted with military efficiency. Three doctors living in the colony, including the former RWA President, volunteered to remain on call for the duration of the camp. The local MLA visited the camp twice.

Most importantly, residents got their staff vaccinated along with families living onpremises. One resident offered to pay for the vaccination of all the RWA staff, including security staff and gardeners, while another even pulled in the fruit vendor who comes in to sell fruits on his hand-pushed cart.

A few days ago, the Gurudwara (Sikh temple) inside the colony had organised free RT

Mayfair Gardens

Some writers and bloggers quote from Metcalfe’s Dehlie Diary from the Online Gallery of British Library, which explains that “Durgah (‘Shrine’) Mukhdoom (‘literally a Servant’) Subzwaree (‘title taken from the place of birth’) Saheb” indicates that he was a native of the town of Subz in the Province of Kish, whence he proceeded to Shiraz and Bokhara, where he pursued studies in medicine and other branches of service and literature before coming to India during the reign of Sultan Alauddin Khilji, who reigned AD 1296-1316. Hazrat Saheb died around AD 1325; the Dargah and mosque are said to have been erected by his children. It is from one such blogger that I learnt that the old name of Mayfair Gardens was, probably, ‘Khurd Purd Dharnor!

The tree-lined streets of Mayfair Gardens offer a rich variety of fruits and flowers.

Golden Laburnum or Amaltas flowers carpet the streets, along with figs or jamun (Indian

Ruchi Ghanashyam Vaccination Camp

Mrs. Ruchi Ghanashyam is the former High Commissioner of India to the UK. With a career in Indian Foreign Service for over 38 years, she has been posted in many countries including South Africa, Ghana, before arriving in the UK. She was only the second woman High Commissioner to the UK since India’s independence and during her tenure, she witnessed a number of significant developments in the UK-India relations. known by several names including Bengal quince or wood apple.

With so many fruit trees, plants and flowers, the colony is a veritable nature park.

Some residents are kind enough to put out water and bird food. I often notice new species of birds, butterflies or bees during my walks. There are some species of hawks living around the monument, feasting, no doubt, on

Beach safety campaign launched as 30mn plan to visit the coast this summer Shefali Saxena The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and Her Majesty’s (HM) Coastguard have launched a joint beach safety campaign as a new study reveals around 30mn people plan to visit the UK coast this summer.

In a survey, commissioned by the RNLI, 75% of those questioned - aged 16-64 - expect to visit a UK beach or the coast between April and September, with around half of that number likely to do so three or more times. A significantly higher proportion of the public (36%) also said they plan to visit the coast more than usual this year, compared to 2020 (24%). Last summer, RNLI lifeguards recorded more than 15M visitors on the beaches the lifesaving charity was patrolling on.

It was the last Friday in July 2020, a week into the school summer holidays. Ravi Saini and his family had travelled from Leeds to Scarborough for a trip to the seaside. Ravi – who was 10 at the time but is now 11 - and his dad Nathu Ram walked down to the water’s edge at South Bay and started to paddle but didn’t realise how deep the water had become. As Ravi tried to get back into shallow water he got separated from his dad. He was in the water on his own for nearly an hour before Scarborough’s RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew found him and took him back to shore and his grateful family. He hummed to himself to keep himself distracted.

Ravi said: ‘As soon as I tried to get back to the shallow part a rip current took me away from my dad. I realised I could no longer touch the bottom. I shouted help, help help!

‘My dad can’t swim. He just had to go to the shore and raise the alarm. I was really scared and petrified. I thought that was the

Ravi Saini, Credits: RNLI

end of my life. I used the RNLI technique called Float to live, where you lie on your back like a starfish. I couldn’t see anything, only the sky and it was really cold.

‘As I was floating on my back, I was getting calmer.

‘I didn’t see the lifeboat, I heard it. I started shouting and then I was like I’m going to get a second chance to live.’

Nathu said: ‘The water was round my neck. Slowly Ravi was going too far out.

Once or twice we saw his face. After that we didn’t see him.’

RNLI Water Safety Manager Ross MacLeod said: ‘The final thing is if you see anyone else in trouble in the water the first thing you should do is either tell a lifeguard or dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard.

Please try not to enter the water yourself as you may then get into trouble yourself.

‘The RNLI would say enjoy the open air at the coast but just be aware of some of the risks such as the water temperature, which can be dangerously cold at this time of year despite the air temperature warming up.

‘Ravi is far from alone and a lot of people do get caught out by the conditions. That’s why it’s so important to think for a moment before going into the water so you and your family can stay as safe as possible.’

For further information on the beach safety campaign visit: RNLI.org/BeachUK2021

COVID19. Discussions for a camp were held over weeks. Residents came forward with ideas. The President of the RWA contacted several potential partners before one hospital finally agreed to carry out the massive daylong exercise. Earlier, in April, the RWA had facilitated vaccines at a small hospital, helping elderly residents with appointments and transportation.

The vaccination camp helped older residents get their second shots while younger residents got their first. One generous resident made her vacant house available, while others provided furniture, pedestal fans, coolers, portable air conditioners and even some food and drinks for health workers. A welcoming display of rangoli added festive touch, inviting even the most nervous of residents!

For smooth conduct of the camp, residents

Makhdoom Sabzwari Mosque

PCR tests for 178 residents with the help of local authorities. Langar or cooked food, often also sponsored by residents, has been served six days a week since 8 April last year, feeding 125-180 people a day.

Efforts like this are replicated elsewhere in India, though many more need to come forward. This massive pandemic requires all hands on deck!

12 MEDIA WATCH

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5 - 11 June 2021

SCRUTATOR’S Man flies alone in 360-seater plane from Mumbai to Dubai When Bhavesh Javeri, the 40-year old, bought the Rs 18,000 ticket for the Mumbai-Dubai Emirates flight, he could not imagine that he was the only one passenger in the 360-seater Boeing 777 aircraft for the two-and-a-half hour flight. “I stepped into the aircraft and the air hostesses all clapped to welcome me aboard,” said Javeri, CEO of Stargems Group, a Dubai-based firm. “I have flown so much, but this is the best flight ever,” he told the air hostesses as he walked in. The commander waved at him from the cockpit. An air hostess quipped: “I thought you would be scared to travel alone”. The commander then came over from the cockpit to join in the conversation. The novelty didn’t wear off after he buckled into seat 18A. It kept on coming through the flight in the form of the familiar in-flight public address, delivered with a personal touch.

“Mr Javeri, please fasten your seat belt”... “Mr Javeri, we are preparing to land”. “After we landed, I walked out leisurely and picked up my bag,” said Javeri, a Dubai resident for the past 20 years. Under the current travel restrictions, only UAE nationals, holders of Golden visa and members of diplomatic mission can fly from India to UAE and Javeri is a Golden visa holder. (The Times of India) Pulwama hero's wife earns army uniform

A little over two years ago, Nitika Kaul blew a painful farewell kiss at her 'simple and sweet' love story. Standing besides a Tricolour-covered coffin in Dehradun one February day in 2019, she kept asking mourners to stay strong rather. Inside it lay her husband Major Vibhuti Shankar Dhoundiyal. Today, 25 months later, Lt Gen Y K Joshi, chief of the Indian Army's Northern Command, pipped the stars on Lieutenant Nitika Kaul's uniform as she passed out of the Officer's Training Academy, Chennai. Lt Kaul was among the 31 Short Service Commission woman cadets who graduated from the institution. As the brass band played at the Parmeshwaran Drill Square as she stood rock like, answering some queries from Lt Gen Joshi and receiving his heartfelt compliment: "...I'm really proud of you."

His words echoed her own from two years ago when she had told her dead husband, "I am really proud. We all love you. The way you love everyone is entirely different because you sacrificed your life for the people who you may have never met, but still you decided to give your life for them.

You are such a brave man. I am very honoured to have you as my husband. I'll love you till my last breath. I owe my life to you." (Agency) Big cat boom in MP's Bandhavgarh reserve Madhya Pradesh's Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve has witnessed a big cat boom, as forest officials have spotted around 41 tiger cubs, from newborns to one year olds, at the sanctuary, a senior forest official said. Forest officials have collected the information from camera traps and based on actual sightings of cubs in the reserve. As per the data, four eight to 10month-old cubs were spotted in Kallavah beat, while 12 in the same age group were seen in Pator. Similarly, five cubs of a tigress identified as T-17 were seen in Tala beat, four six-month-old cubs were spotted in Dhamakhor, while Panpatha core and buffer areas have two threemonth-old big cats each, it was stated.

Apart from these, Bhanpur has two newborns, five cubs aged 10 to 12 months old were seen in Maghdi beat and four in the age group of eight to 12 months old in Khitouli, the official said, adding that two cubs were spotted in a cave in Badkheda beat. (Agency)

Eat only khichdi and bathe once in four days, villagers told Mota Samadhiyala village near Una in Gujarat was ravaged after cyclone Tauktae hit the Saurashtra coast. Now, the village sarpanch Lakhman Korat has asked the 500 odd villagers to consume only khichdi as most people don’t have enough wheat or bajra flour at home and mills are not running due to lack of electricity. Korat also asked people to bathe only once in four days. Vashram Sarvaiya, a resident, said their house was damaged and they have been living in darkness since May 17.

Gir-Gadhada taluka development officer Amrut Parmar said it may take 15 days more to restore power as all electric poles have been damaged. The situation is no different in other villages of coastal Saurashtra, where basic amenities like water continues to be a daily drudgery for thousands in the worst-affected districts of Gir-Somnath and Amreli. The destruction to power infrastructure is so enormous that restoring electricity seems a distant dream. Villagers of Khambha, Rajula and Jafrabad are still living in the dark. (The Times of India) UP villagers get mixed Covid shots

Milk of compassion overflows for newborn

The recent birth of a premature baby seconds before his Covid-positive mother died of a cardiac arrest at a hospital in Nagpur is seen as a miracle in more ways than one. The birth was a medical feat as doctors performed an emergency special perimortem caesarean section on the mother to save the baby. This was followed by a wave of compassion from lactating women who reached out to offer their breast milk as the baby is allergic to infant formula. The father, Thane resident Chetan Vernekar (32), said “my family and I are filled with immense gratitude for the new mothers who contacted us in Nagpur after they learned of the death of my wife.

Since our baby is allergic to formula milk, the ladies regularly supplied us with their own breast milk. It is only because of this humane act that our child survived and has now been discharged from hospital.”

After the baby was brought to Thane, a Facebook group called Breastfeeding Support for Indian Women came forward to help the child. (The Times of India)

members took the oath. But a few minutes before noon, the ceremony was stopped abruptly. After the “inauspicious” time passed, the remaining MLAs took the oath. (Agency) BJP MLA holds havans to check Covid Amid strict lockdown norms, BJP MLA from Belagavi (also known as Belgaum) Abhay Patil is holding havans in the city, saying they will sanitise the environment and help check the spread of Covid-19.

Patil began the event with havans being held simultaneously in 50 places, and said the rituals would continue till June 15.

Several people from various youth and women’s organisations, donning masks and shields, assembled on streets in Hosur where the havans were held. They also participated in the rituals, offering ghee, neem, rice and other ingredients. “In Sanatana Hindu dharma, people were performing havans in the belief that such practices cleanse the surroundings,” Patil said. In the coming days, more such events will be held, he said. (Agency) Follow 'Mumbai model: Anand Mahindra

‘Rahu Kalam’ forces 90-minute break in oath-taking A group of villagers in Siddharthnagar in Uttar Pradesh was given mixed doses of vaccines at a government hospital.

Around 20 villagers in Siddharthnagar district near the border with Nepal were given both Covaxin and Covishield.

Officials claim no one has faced any adverse health effects and those responsible will be punished. The shocker took place at a Primary Health Centre in the largely rural district. The villagers were injected with Covishield in the first week of April and then given Covaxin as their second dose on May 14. "This is definitely an oversight. There are no instructions from the government to administer a cocktail of vaccines. So it is an oversight. We had ordered an inquiry. I have asked for an explanation from those who are guilty. We will take whatever action is possible," said Sandeep Chaudhary, Chief Medical Officer of Siddharthnagar. While the effectiveness or impact of mixing vaccines is still a subject of global research, the official claimed none of the villagers had suffered any adverse effects from the oversight.

(Agency)

The interplay of superstition and politics is nothing unusual with even the most rational politicians known to succumb to superstitions. So it came as no surprise when ‘Rahu Kalam’ (the inauspicious time span according to Hindu astrology) forced a 90-minute break in the swearing-in ceremony of newly-elected and nominated members of the Puducherry legislative assembly. Most of the politicians cutting across party lines preferred not to swear in during the inauspicious ‘Rahu Kalam’ between noon and 1.30 pm. Pro-tem speaker K Lakshminarayanan began administering the oath of office at 10 am. All India NR Congress, Congress, DMK, five independent and three nominated

As Japan battles a fresh wave of coronavirus infections, industrialist Anand Mahindra has urged authorities there to follow the “Mumbai model”, saying everyone must understand that the virus can only be defeated if we mount a collective effort to “heal the world together.” The Chairman of Mahindra Group also asked people to stop “India-bashing.” A number of people lauded Mahindra for speaking out against those only criticising and not giving any constructive suggestions. But there were many who disagreed with the tycoon and said criticising a government should not be equated with criticising the nation. Learning from the first wave last year, authorities in Mumbai made several improvements to their approach to tackle the second wave. They went for centralised bed allotment, including some private hospitals, and anticipated oxygen shortage, and arranged storage facilities. They created a dashboard for regularly monitoring the situation and followed that up with patients and those who recovered via their “war rooms”.

This refined approach to manage Covid spread has been lauded by many people.

(Agency)

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From Shantilal to Narayanswarupdas at the age of 18 Nitin and Kamu Palan Last month, we read that Shantilal arrived in Ambli Vali Pol in Ahmedabad, exhausted and not well.

Shastriji Maharaj was pleased to see him and blessed him with good health.

Within one day, he had fully recovered, and he received hisinitiation as a parshad. Three months later in Gondal on 10 January 1940, he received his bhagvatidiksha and was initiated asNarayanswarupdas Swami. We will now refer to him as Swamishri.

Earlyyears–Engaging in Seva and Sanskrit studies Swamishri immersed himself into seva straight awaystarting to help with the construction work in Bochasan, Gondaland Atladra.

During the course of his seva he sustained injuries at various times.

Once his fingers were injured and another time while helping to prepare limestone during the Atladra construction in the middle of the hot summer, blisters eruptedon his entire body. When Shastriji Maharaj heard about this, he immediately asked young Narayanswarupdas to come to him. As soon as Shastriji Maharaj saw him, he embracedSwamishri and very gently rubbed his hands on his face, hands and legs and blessed him that the blisters woulddisappear. Within seven days, all the blisters did disappear except for one on his nose– which still remained until his later years.

He studied at a number of places includingGondal, Bhadran, Khambhat and Ahmedabad.Shastriji Maharaj would ensure that he received tutorage from the right teacher. For food, he learnt to ask for alms which was the traditional way for sadhus – it helped to sculpt him.

Education also came in the form of lessons of sadhuta (virtues of a saintly sadhu). Among many lessons he learnt fromShastriji Maharaj, one was to always have folded hands, a sign of humility, attentiveness towards agna and following the same, how to engage in a dialogue and help resolve disputes by listening carefully and compassionately. Shastriji Maharaj was also instilling the art of management in his young disciple.

Despite working so hard Swamishri mastered the art of oratory and would deliver exceptional discourses in a loud and confident, but very sweet voice that would engage the minds of the listeners.

Head of Sarangpur – at the age of 25 years Shastriji Maharaj was very impressed with Swamishri andsoon appointed him as the head of the mandir in Sarangpur in 1946.

Despite Swamishri’s veryyoung age, he becamewell respected.

During this period, the organisation faced serious financial difficulties. Swamishri was left in a very difficult and precarious situation.

He decided to travel to the sanctified places of Gondal, Dwarka and Bhadra to pray for the alleviation of such a dire situation. Upon hearing of the situation, Shastriji Maharaj gave courage to Swamishri.

Appointment as the administrative head of BAPS – at the age of 28 In the meantime,Shastriji Maharaj continued to suffer from ill health. He decided that it was now time to appoint Swamishri as the administrative head of the organisation, as its President (Pramukh).

Swamishriwas not at all agreeable to this. However, after receiving three letters and a number of messages from senior devotees, he accepted the position.

Theceremony took place on 21May 1950, again at Ambli Vali Pol in Ahmedabad, where he had received his parshad diksha ten years previously.

Around 70 to 100 devotees had gathered on this occasion.After eating, their used utensilswere spotted by Swamishri. He immediately proceeded to wash all those utensils. And thus was written the first page of his glorious chapter as the new President – who had no problem in being an exemplarysevak. From that day, he was known as‘Pramukh Swami’.

Shastriji Maharaj departs for Akshardham During his illness,Shastriji Maharajhad told Yogiji Maharaj:“Now Maharaj will call me to Dham. Therefore, I am handing over the responsibility of this Narayanswarupdas to you. Look after him.”

While resting in Sarangpur, Shastriji Maharajexpressed his final wish to visit Gadhpur. On reaching hewas overjoyed at the work that Swamishrihad done. He performed the entire pratishtha rituals to the murtis that were to be installed. He then uttered: “The pratishtha is complete. My rituals are now complete. Jogi Maharaj will come and perform the arti.”

A few days later in Sarangpur, Shastriji Maharajwas seated with Yogiji Maharaj and Swamishri along with other sadhus and devotees.

Addressing Swamishri, Shastriji Maharaj said: “The most senior in this Satsang is this Yogi Maharaj.Everyone should act according to his agna.That will please me.”

Shastriji Maharajdeparted for Akshardham soon after on 10 May 1951. His divine body was brought to the banks of the River Falgu and River Utavali to the location where Bhagwan Swaminarayan had performed countless liberating pastimes.

Swamishri watched the final rites of Shastriji Maharaj, filled with tears and sadness. However, with the Akshar-Purushottam philosophy fully ingrained in him, he was fully aware that: ‘Shastriji Maharaj has not left; he remains present in Yogiji Maharaj.’

The clear message isthat this was exactly the same individual whohad “merged from a young boy from a very small village who literally overnight became the head of a vast organisation.”It was as if this was the reason he was born. His incrediblyrapid progress was indeed a testament of his natural ability or perhaps even his divine purpose.

Scottish Independence – why it should not be supported Dr Prem Sharma OBE, Chairman, The Magna Carta Foundation On Sunday, May 9, after the Scottish election results and the SNP victory, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was interviewed on BBC Andrew Marr show. It seems that Scotland is once again set for a referendum on independence.

Environment Secretary, George Eustice said that the UK Parliament is the 'only body that can grant a referendum' on Scottish independence and that now is "not the time for constitutional tinkering and another divisive referendum".

When pressed by Andrew Marr, Nicola Sturgeon admitted that her party is yet to calculate the financial impact of an independent Scotland. The First Minister also said an economic assessment would need to be completed closer to the time for it to be accurate and they will keep the UK currency, overseen by the Bank of England for the foreseeable future after independence. Nicola Sturgeon should be forced to disclose the true cost of Scottish independence.

Scotland is the second-largest country in the United Kingdom and accounted for 8.3% of the population in 2019. The Kingdom of Scotland emerged as an independent sovereign state in the Early Middle Ages and continued to exist until 1707. Scotland is one of Europe's oldest nations. Following the integration of the Parliament of England and Wales and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707, Scotland remained a nation within the new Union state. In the last referendum, the question was, "Should Scotland be an independent country?", which voters answered with "Yes" or "No". The "No" side won with 55.3%voting against independence and 44.7% voting in favour.

Here we look at some of the ways that the No campaign will convince people to vote to stay in the United Kingdom if there is a second referendum: 1. Economy: Sustainability of independent Scotland In the year 2001/12, Scotland’s North Sea Oil was doing so well that the tax revenues were worth more than £9 billion to the economy. By the year 2019/20, the last time that the figures were assessed, revenue had been virtually wiped out by the global fall in the price of oil. We need to ask the tough question of independent Scotland’s economy and its financial sustainability. The Scottish Lib Dems summarised the reaction to these figures late last year when they said the revenue plunge showed independence was a “huge gamble”.

2. Scotland gets more than a fair share from the UK One of the fundamental reasons, economically, for Scotland to remain a part of the 300-year-old Union is simple. Even though Scotland’s block grant has been cut by Westminster, it still remains a fact (and a bugbear of some English MPs) that Scotland gets more per head in public services spending than England.£10,536 is spent each year on people in Scotland, is £1,460 per person more than the UK average of £9,076. As Kezia Dugdale powerfully concluded on the publication of these figures, “People were misled by the SNP in the run-up to the referendum and that is unforgivable.”

3. Scotland is not that different politically from the UK It is a myth of modern nationalism that Scotland is in some way more egalitarian than the rest of our neighbours on the British Isles. It has become a popular refrain that after Brexit, and successive Tory Governments, that Scotland is fundamentally divergent politically from the rest of Britain. A study by Ailsa Henderson on political attitudes in the UK found that “in no case are there significant differences between Scotland and England.”

4. Scotland is safer in the UK The Foreign Office made a detailed if controversial, intervention at the height of the 2014 campaign on Britain after separation. They noted that enemies

of Britain would use “uncertainty and distraction” in the wake of a Yes vote to manipulate the situation for their own ends. We are also protected from threats as broad as ISIS and domestic terror incidents by Britain’s world-renowned intelligence services. Sir John Scarlett, former Mi6 chief, said of the SNP’s intelligence proposals in 2014 that “in my view, the Scottish government proposals will not offer the level of protection and support currently provided.”

5. UK and EU Brexit is already in a delicate negotiation and constitutional situation, and Scotland re-joining the EU will raise even more uncertainty. Scotland without the UK is in a weaker position to re-negotiate with the EU. Ruth Davidson described the “independence because of Brexit” option as the political equivalent of “amputating your foot because you’ve stubbed your toe.”

6. British identity As uncomfortable as it might be for Scottish Nationalists, most people in the country still feel an emotional connection to Britain. English and Scottish speak the same language, share so much history, and there is something about Britain as a concept that just appeals to people, even those who believe Scotland is a country.

In fact, the amount of Scottish people who feel British has increased since the 2014 vote: the numbers of those describing themselves as “more British than Scottish” and “equally Scottish and British” have both risen.

7. Residency and Passport Nearly half a million English people were resident in Scotland at the time of the last referendum – would we really want them to have to produce passports to visit their family back home? Alistair Darling summed this up in 2013 when he said: “We’ve got friends and relations north and south of the border and we don’t want to make each other foreigners.”

8. The UK’s achievements in sport Scotland contributes to great UK sporting achievements like those of Chris Hoy and Andy Murray, with the sporting stars of the future gaining access to relatively generous funding. Scotland also shares in the glory of British athletes when they do well for everyone in the UK – would Scotland deprive themselves of being represented by legends like Mo Farah? That is before we even mention the many cultural achievements of Britain, which Scotland has had more than a hand in contributing to. Hoy himself even said in 2013 that a separate Scotland Olympic team would make it “harder for the Scottish athletes”.

9. The UK’s clout on the global stage Britain in global terms is a relatively small country with a relatively small population – but is still reaping the rewards of being a world power. Britain is a member of the G8 and G20, representing one of the biggest economies in the world, even after the COVID pandemic. Scotland’s interests are also represented at the UN, as one of only five permanent members of the UN Security Council. David Cameron, in one of his speeches, said that we were “stronger together, and we have more clout as a result of our seat on the Security Council.” And thus Scotland is punching above its weight. This year’s COP summit’s Presidency is an example of the UK's leadership on the global stage.

10. UK and Commonwealth As a leading nation in the Commonwealth, the UK is in a unique and privileged position. As Americans are learning to their cost, building walls is not the right way either to rebuild an economy or to revitalize a nation. A border between Scotland and England would only serve to isolate Scotland from its dearest friends and closest allies, a physical embodiment of the divisions that a Yes vote represents.

Youngest MP opens up on her mental health Nadia Whittome, 24, the Labour MP for Nottingham East, said she was finding it difficult to deal with her condition while working fulltime. She added that she was making her PTSD diagnosis public because she wanted to encourage other people suffering from mental ill-health to be open too.

“One in four people will experience mental health problems each year but there is still a great deal of shame and stigma sur-

Darlington, his politrounding it”. “Through ical director, for supbeing open about my porting her decision. own mental health Starmer said: “I wish struggle, I hope that othNadia all the best and ers will also feel able to hope she gets well talk about theirs and that soon.

I respect I can play a small role in Nadia’s bravery in creating greater accepspeaking openly tance and facilitating about her mental healthier discussions.” Nadia Whittome health and I look forWhittome thanked Sir ward to welcoming her back to Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, parliament.” and Baroness Chapman of

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Women should have the courage to abandon a project Shefali Saxena Jahnavi Phalkey’s first stay in the United Kingdom was to read for a masters degree at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. She returned a few years later as Junior Research Fellow to Imperial College London, following which she secured a lectureship at King’s College London. Jahnavi Phalkey was appointed Founding Director of Science Gallery Bengaluru in November 2018.

Speaking exclusively to Asian Voice, Jahnavi said, “While at King’s, I was briefly an external curator to the Science Museum London. As one can tell, I have spent some time in different roles in the United Kingdom that have been important, even foundational, to the way in which my career has developed.

Specifically, my work for the Science Museum London gave me the opportunity to think about public spaces for science and how one might reimagine their role and mandate. The Cultural Institute at King’s supported my work tremendously with grants that allowed me to travel, meet people and learn

more about curating.

Cumulatively, the learning and experience contribute to my ability to lead the establishment of Science Gallery Bengaluru today.”

On 11 March, WHO characterised Covid-19 as a pandemic.

At the time, Science Gallery Bengaluru had three ideas on the table for an exhibition season and one of them was ‘Contagion’.

Phalkey said, “My team and I decided within a week that we must go ahead with the idea, and wrote our Open Call. CONTAGION, as it opened on 30 April 2021, shares a multiplicity of voices and perspectives – contemporary and historic, artistic and scientific, individual and collective – to support a better understanding of what we are all living through.”

She further explained that

the goal was to illuminate a phenomenon: that of transmission of ideas, behaviours and disease to equip our audience with the diversity of knowledge and perspectives available already.

“Our end goal is to enable the public at large to find their own path to exploring the phenomenon, and to ask better questions of the terrifying situation we find ourselves in. CONTAGION, the exhibition is freely available online at www.nowtransmitting.com till 13 June 2021,” she added.

As a woman in a leadership role for something as imperative as a Science Gallery in such times, what does Jahnavi do differently?

“Like pretty much every woman in the workforce globally, I bring with me the experiences of not having been taken seriously at times, of having been undermined on occasion, and of having the grit to survive and thrive. A robust public conversation on science is, as you very rightly say, imperative in our times and to push that possibility, it is going to take perseverance and determination in addition to the moral commitment which many men and women

already bring to our profession.

Most women come to the table not necessarily expecting to be understood or accepted right away and that might, sometimes, help in realising this mandate,” Jahnavi told the newsweekly.

When asked how young women can take up roles like Jahnavi’s, she said, “Young women should pursue their own interests. They should have the courage to abandon a project or a job or a field if they find that they are now interested deeply and seriously in something new.

They should commit themselves to the best standards in whatever they do and they should be ready to occasionally fail. Leadership roles are often given to people who show determination, grit, and ambition - they are called upon when people need a job done - and this is usually true no matter what field you are in.”

Why should women pursue Science and how can they make a difference?

Jahanvi said, “Women should pursue whatever field they feel drawn to.

Women can make a difference when they are audacious but only when that audacity is accompanied by the perseverance to realise the proposition.”

More than a fifth of women having IVF in the UK are now over 40 According to the latest ‘Annual Fertility Trends Report’ by HFEA (Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority), more than a fifth of women having IVF in the UK are now over 40 years old.

The proportion of all IVF cycles to patients 40+ was 21 per cent in 2019. For comparison, this proportion was just 10 per cent back in 1991. Figures also show an increase in single women and those in same-sex relationships undergoing IVF. More single women, those in same-sex relationships and those aged 40 and over are undergoing IVF, new figures show. The proportion of all IVF

cycles to patients aged 40-plus has more than doubled from 10 per cent (689 cycles) in 1991 to 21 per cent (14,761 cycles) in 2019, according to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA).

The average age of women undergoing IVF was 35.7 years in 2019, while those needing donor insemination were typically aged

34.5 years. Both of these figures are older than the average age (30.7) of women having children nationally. The latest data also showed there were 2,435 IVF cycles (four per cent of the total) involving women in same-sex relationships in 2019 – a four-fold increase compared with 489 cycles in 2009 (one per cent).

Among women with no partner, there were 1,470 cycles (two per cent) in 2019, up from 565 in 2009 (one per cent). It came as the number of IVF cycles carried out since 1991 in the UK reached more than 1.3 million. There have also been more than 260,000 donor insemination

Ministers across government urge women to shape women’s health strategy To mark the International Day of Action for Women’s Health, ministers across government are touring the country to urge women to make their voices heard and help shape the firstever government-led Women’s Health Strategy. The Women’s Health Strategy is designed to increase the health and wellbeing outcomes of women in England, and ministers and the government are determined that women get to shape the policies that will drive up equality in our health system.

To ensure the strategy works for women, the government issued a call for evidence, which closes on 13 June. There has already been a staggering response with over 80,000 women, organisations, clinicians

and carers responding so far.

With just over two weeks until the call for evidence closes, the government is calling on women of all ages and backgrounds to share their experiences, insights

and priorities.

Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said: “There is unmistakable evidence, in the data and in people’s health outcomes, that there is a gender gap in our health system and it is this gap that we want to eradicate with the first ever government-led Women’s Health Strategy.

“This strategy has to be one that reflects the views and experiences of women across the country, from Hartlepool to Cornwall, and the response so far has been overwhelming. Whether you work in the health and care profession or are somebody who uses it, we want to hear from you.”

(DI) cycles and, taken together, the treatments have led to the birth of 390,000 babies. The HFEA said birth rates for all patients under 43 have got better year on year.

Innovation Minister Lord Bethell said: “I urge all women, especially those from black or ethnic minority backgrounds, the Midlands and East of England, who have experienced fertility treatment to share their experience with us through our call for evidence so we can create the first Government-led Women's Health Strategy built on your voices, to improve the health and wellbeing of all women across England.'

in brief MUSLIM WOMEN'S NETWORK UK WINS CHARITY GOVERNANCE AWARD The UK Muslim Women’s Network has won the Charity Governance Award 2021, the third time in a row. The official Twitter handle wrote: “IT'S A HAT-TRICK! We are delighted to share that we have, for the third time, had the honour of winning the .@charitygovaward, this year in the category of ‘transforming with digital’ Thank you SO much for this recognition! A huge thank you to the judges, @charitygovaward team and partners @NPCthinks @prospect_us @ReachVolunteer & @ClothworkersCo for this incredible honour! Thank you also to our trustees, staff, volunteers & funders - it’s all been a team effort!”

WORLD MENSTRUAL HYGIENE DAY World Menstrual Hygiene Day is observed on May 28. The main idea behind marking this day is to change the social stigma associated with menstruation.The theme for this year is: “Action and Investment in Menstrual Hygiene and Health.” In a tweet the United nation wrote that “Menstrual health is a human right.

Yet, menstruation can result in discrimination, stigma & exclusion against women & girls."

LOVE SHOULD NOT HURT An estimated 1.6 million women in England and Wales have experienced domestic abuse in the year ending March 2020 with young women aged 16-24 years continuing to be the age group at most risk (ONS 2020). In a moving portrayal of the devastating impacts of both physical violence and coercive control, including spying, isolation from friends and family and denying access to money, Women’s Aid has released a video titled ‘Love Should Not Hurt’. “Our powerful new music video is inspired by the real-life stories of survivors,” the official website read. The video is made in collaboration with classical composer Fabio D’Andrea, featuring Women’s Aid patron Melanie Brown.

Government urged to say sorry to mothers for forced adoptions According to The Guardian, many of the women were unmarried teenagers when they became pregnant, and gave birth in church-run “mother and baby homes” in the UK. The UK government has been urged by hundreds of women to give a formal apology for forced adoptions from the 1950s to the 1970s. It is imperative to note that in 2017, the government rejected a demand for a public inquiry, saying there was “insufficient justification”.

According to The Guardian, many of the women were unmarried teenagers when they became pregnant, and gave birth in church-run “mother and baby homes” in the UK. During those decades, reports

suggest that “an estimated quarter of a million women were coerced into having babies adopted during the period. In recent years, some have said they were made to feel shame and guilt.”

Sue Armstrong Brown, the chief executive of Adoption UK told the publication, “What happened to these women is heartbreaking and indefensible.

Apologising to them is the right thing for the government to do. Today, adoption is only used when it is not safe for a child to stay with their birth family because of abuse, violence or neglect. But we owe it to these women and their children to face up to the wrong that was done to them in different times.”

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Britain's fight against Coronavirus Nitin Mehta Over the last two months, the British media led by the BBC has continuously reported on the Covid deaths in India.

Images of burning funeral pyres and grieving relatives were shown again and again.

India they said was ill-prepared to fight the virus, there were smug politicians who were out of their depths they claimed.

Vincent Cable Liberal leader called the scenes of public cremations as lighting up the sky like a recreation of Bosch's hell.

Bosch was a Dutch 16th-century painter whose description of hell was as a place of torture, monstrous creatures and neverending suffering. In this collective fetish to report on the misfortunes of India, the almost 150,000 deaths in the UK from Covid were forgotten. The 150,000 and more relatives of the dead would have to wait for an inquiry on the deaths which would take years. However, an individual called Dominic Cummings chief advisor to prime minister Boris Johnson between July 2019 and November 2020 has caused a sensation. In a House of Commons inquiry into the Covid, the former aide to the government has claimed that the government inaction and lack of strategy to fight Covid have resulted in, 'tens of thousands of deaths that could have been avoided. He said the government under Boris Johnson had no sense of urgency or direction. At the outset of the pandemic in December 2019 and January 2020 it was not taken seriously.

Up until mid-March 2020, the plan was to pursue 'herd immunity'. Cabinet secretary Sir Mark Sedwell suggested that Boris Johnson should address the nation and say that the herd immunity would be like Chicken Pox parties. A lockdown at this stage could have saved tens of thousands of lives and avoided the suffering of more than a million people living with long Covid.

NHS lists the following ailments from which long Covid individuals suffer; extreme tiredness (fatigue), shortness of breath, chest pain or tightness, problems with memory and concentration ("brain fog") difficulty sleeping (insomnia), heart palpitations dizziness, pins and needles, joint pain, depression and anxiety, tinnitus, earaches, feeling sick, diarrhoea, stomach aches, loss of appetite, a high temperature, cough, headaches, sore throat, changes to sense of smell or taste, rashes.

Explaining the decision not to order a lockdown in September Johnson was alleged to have said it was, 'only killing 80year-olds'.

Cummings claimed that the health secretary Matt Hancock had lied continuously during the pandemic. The

Health Secretary had claimed that Covid tests were carried out on elderly patients going back to care homes from hospitals.

This was only partially done. Around 25,000 patients were transferred to care homes without Covid checks so as to free up bed space in hospitals. Of the 48,213 Covid deaths registered between mid-March and mid-June 2020, 40% were caring home residents. The toll could be even higher as there were around 35,000 extra deaths in care homes than normal. Up to 8,700 people died after catching Covid in hospitals.

These poor people must have gone to the hospital for other health issues and died of Covid. According to the British Medical Journal, 850 health care workers died between March and December 2020.

Around 52.000 NHS staff had to take sick leave due to Covid. On the question of imposing a lockdown in October 2020, Johnson is alleged to have said that he would rather let bodies pile up high than impose another lockdown. Between March and April 2020 9,96 million people were in transit from British airports when most countries had closed their borders. The way lucrative contracts were handed out to individuals and companies will also have to be investigated at some time. There is also the question of the Nightingale hospital built in ExCel for Covid patients. It was hardly used at all. While the British media was busy reporting on India the debacle we had here in the UK was diverted from the public's consciousness. The only people who were searching for the answers were the relatives of those who died. Almost all of the media never visited them, never expressed their grief, Most of the British media actually tacitly supported the government's version of events instead of questioning the cause of Europe's highest death toll from Covid 19.

Just like in India the UK faced the challenge of coping with the burials or cremations of a huge number of people and mass graves had been dug up in London to cope with the emergency. In his article on India Liberal Leader Vince Cable celebrated the fact that Britain is cheerfully looking forward to opening up while India remains mired in the pandemic. However, even with partial opening, the number of Covid cases are rising and GPs are reporting on a tsunami of patients as the country emerges from the pandemic. This virus is a tough nut to crack and some humility from political leaders and the press would not be out of place. The BBC urgently needs a complete overhaul and an independent body to keep a watch over it and the paper media needs to be biasfree and ethical in its reporting if it is to be taken seriously.

Supreme Court to offer paid trainings The UK’s highest court will offer eight paid internships to aspiring barristers from “underrepresented communities” as part of its recently launched “judicial diversity and inclusion strategy”.

The five-day programme will run during the court’s Michaelmas term and is billed by

officials as being a challenging, intellectually stimulating and rewarding week”. The court added that participants would be given “unprecedented insight into the workings of the UK’s highest court”. They will observe cases and discuss legal arguments with judges.

Induce women between 41 and 42 weeks to reduce risk At present women are offered induction on the NHS between 41 and 42 weeks, but recent evidence shows that babies are more likely to die if the pregnancy goes to 42 weeks or beyond.

As a result, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) has published new draft guidelines saying

that women should be induced as soon as possible when they hit 41 weeks.

Those who choose not to be induced can continue with twice-weekly monitoring but should be informed that there is no evidence that this can prevent poor outcomes for the mother or baby.

Post Office continues to use gagging clauses?

According to a lawyer, Post Office bosses 'could face charges for possible criminal offences' in handling an IT scandal that saw postmasters hounded, bullied and wrongly prosecuted for fraud.

It is public knowledge that more than 700 branch managers were prosecuted of crimes including fraud and the Post Office had wronged hundreds of innocent people while bullying them into pleading guilty.

Only about 39 postmasters had convictions quashed following a decade-long fight in what is touted as the “biggest miscarriage of justice” in the history of Britain.

In the latest news, it has been reported by The Times that “the Post Office used gagging clauses as recently as this year to silence sub-postmasters who were given com - pensation after being wrongly accused over supposedly missing money.”

Speaking to Asian Voice, Sandip Patel QC, Managing Partner Aliant Law said, “A former Post Officer lawyer has hinted anonymously in the media that former senior executives should be very worried about facing possible prosecution for criminal wrongdoing. Whether that is an accurate statement

remains to be seen but there should be no doubt that the Crown Prosecution Service who, on behalf of society and in the public interest, ensure the application of the law and hold to account anyone who breaks the law, and that therefore a forensic microscope should be placed over everyone who had an indispensable role in the prosecution of innocent people including Post Office lawyers and investigators.”

Lord Arbuthnot, a former Conservative MP who is also an avid campaigner for sub-postmasters, has criticised the culture of “secrecy” and “mendacity”. In a report published in The Times, he was quoted: “When a public organisation has behaved as atrociously as the Post Office has, it is a thoroughly bad thing for that organisa-

tion to try to stop the people it has wronged from talking about it.” Kevan Jones, a Labour MP, said: “This is more damning evidence of the Post Office's deliberate attempt to cover up what was going on. They should now publish all these settlements in full.” In some cases, postmasters were made to sign the Official Secrets Act. However, the Post Office said: “It is very important that a comprehensive picture of what went wrong at the Post Office is established and that postmasters give their stories. Whereas sure postmasters we are not a barrier to them speaking out about their experiences and will not use past confidentiality agreements to stand in the way of them doing so.”

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PRACTICING SAFE BEHAVIO Rupanjana Dutta s we ease out of lockdown and restrictions start to become more manageable, it is important that we continue to abide by the guidelines and practice covid-safe behaviour.

Around 1 in 3 people who have Covid-19 have no symptoms and are spreading it without knowing.

From 17 May, restrictions have changed for people in England.

People can resume close contact with friends and family, including hugging. But when meeting family and friends, you should keep in mind the risk of catching or passing on Covid-19. The virus spreads mainly among people who are in close contact (within 2 metres), which includes hugging.

The further away you can keep from other people, the less likely you are to catch Covid-19 and pass it on.

To minimise the risk of spreading the virus indoors make sure to follow hands, face, space, and fresh air guidelines. This includes making sure you wash your hands more often using soap and water for 20 seconds, wearing a face covering in public areas and in places where you are close to people you do not live with. Social distancing is still recommended so please consider keeping your distance in public spaces and in homes while visiting friends or family. To ensure a safer indoor setting it is also recommended to open the windows to let in fresh air.

This will be an emotional time for all but please remember to take precaution by following the UK Government guidelines, to keep each other safe.

A

What is new in England as the lockdown lifts?

Indoor entertainment and other attractions, and indoor hospitality have reopened. Hotels, hostels and B&Bs have reopened and overnight stays within England is allowed for groups of up to six people or two households.

Organised indoor adult group sport and exercise classes have resumed. Events such as weddings receptions and christenings can now take place with up to 30 attendees in outdoor or Covidsecure indoor settings.

Some large events, including conferences, theatre, concert performances and sports can resume with a limit on capacity.

For indoor events, up to 1000 attendees are allowed or 50% of the venue’s capacity, whichever is lower. For outdoor events, up to 4,000 attendees are allowed, or 50% of the venue’s capacity,

whichever is lower. At large outdoor seated events up to 10,000 attendees are allowed or 25% of the venue’s capacity, whichever is lower.

Care home residents can have up to five regular visitors, with up to two visitors at one time or in a single day (in addition to their essential care giver). Residents leaving the home for a low-risk visit, such as a walk in the park, will no longer have to self-isolate for 14 days when they return.

and space between tables so that they are Covid safe.

“If your GP surgery calls or if you get a text message, it is important that you attend your vaccination as asked. And, if you haven’t had any vaccinations at all and have already been invited, I would urge you to contact your surgery and ensure that you get fully vaccinated at the earliest available opportunity.”

Firdaus Nagree, Founder/ Board Chairman, Cavendish Banqueting told this newsweekly,

Health professionals and business owners emphasise on the benefits of following guidelines Speaking to Asian Voice Dr Rupa Joshi, a GP and Managing Partner at Woodley Centre Surgery in Berkshire, said, “There is still one-

Firdaus Nagree

Rupa Joshi

third of the adult population who are unvaccinated in this country.

And as we have a contagious variant which is spreading in the population at present, it’s important that we closely follow the UK Government guidelines of hand, face, space and fresh air.

“Washing your hands at regular intervals is vitally important because the germs can be on your hands. Washing for 20 seconds makes sure that you’ve got the best chance of removing any germs.

“We do have evidence that wearing a face mask reduces the transmissibility of Covid-19. The large particles that come out of the mouth, especially if you cough or sneeze fall onto the floor. So, there’s less chance of them travelling. But the smaller particles remain suspended in the air for longer. So, being two metres away from anyone, makes it less likely to breathe in these particles. Moreover, being out in the fresh air, you have relatively less chance of catching Covid-19 because the particles dispel into the air.

“Restaurants are adhering to the UK Government guidelines, and they’re keeping up with the sanitation procedures, ventilation

“We have started cautiously at the Cavendish Banqueting.

Though we haven’t yet booked big events, we are all set in terms of safety measures such as sanitiser stations, distinct distance markings on the floor etc. We have completely reconditioned our ventilation and air conditioning systems, so that they’re all up to scratch and we’ve installed some further ventilation systems in the main hall, bar and the ladies’ toilets.

“We are promoting cold catering at our events for health and safety reasons. At Asian weddings food is a big deal. But cold catering option reduces the chances of transmitting Covid-19 greatly as there are less people involved. There is no kitchen staff involved, there are is no one doing the actual cooking, food is prepackaged, it comes to the kitchen, gets unwrapped and served. That also reduces the number of people handling or touching the food.

“We’ve also got a standard email template encouraging guests to do a home test two days before they attend the event or wedding.

“Up to one-third of people who are carriers of Covid-19 don’t even have any symptoms. So, this call is especially for people who might not be immunised or may be at greater risk. We are also planning to check people’s temperature as they come in and ask for a complete guest list with email addresses and contact details prior to the event. We’re asking for permission from the host to send emails to guests on their behalf, explaining the

necessary precautions that they need to take.

“We are heavily recommending people to do outdoor events and are catering for it. We are obviously observing distancing rules in terms of table spacing etc.

“From a business point of view, the advantage of having outdoor events is that we can do multiple events in one day. So, we’re offering a special pricing to encourage people to take up outdoor options.”

Mandira’s Kitchen is a

women-led and women-staffed food business in Surrey Hills.

Director, Mandira Moitra Sarkar said, “In some ways we were very lucky to remain open throughout lockdown since we were marked as essential service due to our freezer meals. We did a Covid risk assessment according to the UK Government guidelines.

“We have put new working shifts to make sure that there are fewer people in the kitchen at any given time, especially when we are packing our freezer meals.

Staff stand side by side and not

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5 - 11 June 2021

WITH UK GOVERNMENT

OUR AS LOCKDOWN EASES rapid test kit at home or come in 30 mins prior, so that they can be tested before allowed being in.

“We have got hand sanitisers on the counters and put a sign outside which says, ‘one customer at a time and please wear a mask’. We’ve got the NHS track and trace app in place and people need to scan it before entering. They need to wait on the circles on the floor to keep adequate

who go in store and check to ensure that our guidelines are being adhered to. Each site must conduct a covid risk assessment to ensure they are complying with the rules that are in place.

“All our stores have been closed for eat-ins since March 2020 and we have been operating as deliveryonly stores since then. Since we officially opened our restaurants for eat-ins on 17

Hands, Face, Space, Fresh Air Hands • Wash your hands more often using soap and water for 20 seconds and dry them thoroughly.

• Where available, use sanitiser outside your home, especially as you enter a building and after you have had contact with surfaces.

• Avoid touching your face.

Face • Wear a face covering in enclosed public spaces where social distancing is difficult and there are people you do not normally meet.

• You are required by law to wear a face covering on public transport, in shops, pubs, gyms and certain other settings, but some people may be exempt.

To minimise the risk of spreading the virus indoors make sure to follow hands, face, space and fresh air guidelines.

facing each other. We have put circles on the floor so that nobody is in each other’s space. Being a food company, we already had hand sanitisers and sinks in place to wash hands.

“The staff have their masks on all the time, and we have made sure that our extractor is always on. We have divided our staff into Team A and Team B and have hired private transport to take them to and fro from work.

“We have installed protective screens and let in one customer at a time and have made wearing a mask mandatory. We have made everything as contactless as possible encouraging people to use the digital menu or the click and collect service.

“Since 17 May, we’ve restarted our cookery lessons and events, though we had to reduce the size. We’ve signed up with the UK Government employee testing scheme and every member of the staff tests on Mondays and Thursdays. For people who come in for cookery lessons, we ask them to either use

Sunny and Baz Kooner

space between each other.

“We have a small café and we have put four tables outside in the patio to allow a maximum of 6 people per table. These tables can be booked in advance. We also have made our deliveries entirely contact free.”

Sunny Kooner, operates a dessert parlour chain Delightful Desserts with her husband Baz and also has their own vodka brand, Jatt Life.

Sunny told us, “Our head office is in the Midlands, but we have 24 stores across the country.

Our staff prepare most of our desserts on-site in front of customers. So, we have put lots of systems in place to protect our customers and employees. We have social distancing in place, regular staff breaks, and staff testing and have fewer people on shifts. We have rapid testing kits readily available for our employees to use. The health of our employees and customers is paramount to us.

“We have area managers

May we have seen a rise in sales.

“We did have a few of our restaurants opening for outdoor dining prior to that, but with the not-so-great British weather, it still wasn’t as busy as indoor dining. We also had a limited number of outdoor seats.

“Our menu has pretty much remained the same throughout the lockdown period, but there are more options of ice creams when you eat in. We made our dessert parlours a safe and friendly space for people to come and relax.

“The thought of going into another lockdown is an extremely scary one. Our advice is to do everything you can to comply with all regulations and be conscious as a business owner to protect all employees and customers.

It is our duty to provide a safe place for customers to relax in and rest assured that they are well looked after.”

For more information on how to stay safe, visit Gov.uk/coronavirus

Space • Close contact with family and friends is a personal risk, consider keeping your distance, caution should always be exercised.

• Social distancing is still recommended in formal public and structured environments.

Fresh Air • Fresh air helps blow virus particles away.

• When you let friends in, let the fresh air in too.

You’re much safer indoors if you keep windows open, as fresh air blows Covid particles away.

To minimise the risk of spreading the virus indoors make sure to follow the hands, face, space fresh air guidelines. This includes making sure you wash your hands more often using soap and water for 20 seconds, wearing a face covering in public areas and in places where you are close to people you do not live with.

Social distancing is still recommended so please consider keeping your distance in public spaces and in homes while visiting friends or family. To allow a safer indoor setting it is also recommended to open the windows to blow the covid particles away, when you let your friends in, let in the fresh air too.

For more information on how to stay safe, visit Gov.uk/coronavirus

18 UK - FINANCE

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5 - 11 June 2021

Dear Financial Voice Reader, Alpesh Patel

Will Your Investments Beat Inflation?

This is a question people are increasingly worried about as they save their hard-earned money US inflation rates are their highest in 12 years. For May 2021, rates rose to a staggering 4.2%. While not as high, UK interest rates rose sharply in the last month, travelling from 0.6% to 1.5%.

Fears that inflation is on the rise have spooked investors in the Tech Sector due to its reliance on future earnings.

However, for savers with an ISA or a SIPP, an inflationary increase could also be terrible news.

SIPPs and ISAs are often known for their slow yet steady growth. However, if the cost of living rises, their meagre returns could soon prove inadequate.

The stock market may be the best place of refuge for cash during inflationary times. So, we’ll look at a few stocks that might be worth investing in in the current climate — and a few that might not. #1. PayPal PayPal holdings could work as a hedge against inflation and a decent investment. Firstly, it just posted its strongest ever quarter. Secondly, because it’s a payment processor that takes a piece out of each transaction, inflation could increase the businesses topline. #2. Value Stocks Everyone loves value stocks during inflation. Housing and rentals generally benefit from higher prices, so the recovering S&P 500 Real Estate Sector Index might still have some bargains.

Other value stocks worth considering are Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Pioneer Natural Resources Co. (PXD), and Incyte Corp. (INCY). Each one comes with a “buy” rating from Bank of America and some higher target prices. #3. Strong Inflation Sectors Brain Belski, BMO Capital Markets chief investment strategist, recently took a rigorous look at how relative sectors have fared during similar inflationary periods.

His findings were interesting and confirm many preconceptions about which sectors are best set to weather inflation.

Energy and Industrials come out in front; consumer discretionary and consumer staples and communication lag behind. #4. Pharmaceuticals UBS recently ran the numbers for stocks with strong pricing power and expanded profit margins. Three of the top five were in pharma, while the other was in cosmetics.

Here are their top 5.

1. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN) 2. Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) 3. Comcast (CMCSA) 4. Jazz Pharmaceuticals (JAZZ) 5. Estee Lauder (EL) Stocks to Be Wary Of #1. Long-Term Bonds or Certificates of Deposits If inflation rates rise, the Federal Reserve may act by increasing interest rates. If anything, this will cause long-term bonds to seem like a safe place for money, but they will come with low-interest rates. These investments are better to make when they are offering higher fixed returns. #2. Growth Stocks Growth stocks are expected to make their money some years down the line. If inflation goes up, the future profits baked into their prices become more remote: hence, the recent Tech sell-off. Of course, this needs to be considered on a case by case basis. Some growth stocks will manage to defy expectations and have great years.

To learn about investing, I have my free campaign to teach a million people – see www.campaignforamillion.com

Domino's seeks 5,000 workers as staff return to old roles Domino's Pizza is hiring 5,000 cooks and delivery drivers, as staff who joined during the pandemic head back to former roles. The fast-food chain said it had recruited thousands of workers in the last year to keep up with demand. Recruits included event managers, taxi drivers and hairdressers, unable to carry out their work due to lockdowns. However, as Covid restrictions have eased, many employees are returning to their old jobs. It comes days after reports that hospitality venues are now struggling to fill thousands of vacancies.

Domino's operations director Nicola Frampton said the group was “overwhelmed” by the response of applicants last year. In March 2020, the chain created 6,000 additional roles due to an increased need for delivery drivers during the first Covid lockdown. “I am proud we were able to play a part by offering people the opportunity to continue working and earning when times were tough. But as people start to reunite, customer demand is showing no signs of slowing and so we are now looking for 5,000 new recruits,” she said.

Cameron's plea for economic support dealt with 'on merit': Sunak David Cameron's involvement with finance firm Greensill Capital "was not relevant", Rishi Sunak has said, as he told MPs all requests from businesses for economic support were dealt with "on merit". The chancellor said the identity of someone who presented a request for financial assistance during the pandemic had no impact on the "attention and proper due diligence" it got amid the ongoing Greensill lobbying row.

Speaking at a Treasury select committee hearing, Sunak added that it was "entirely right" that officials should have considered any proposal, including those from the former prime minister, to help businesses given the scale of the impact of Covid-19. Earlier this month, the Treasury released two text messages sent by Sunak to Cameron.

The messages, sent by

Rishi Sunak

Cameron to the chancellor's private phone in 2020, show the ex-PM asking for help for finance firm Greensill Capital where he worked as an adviser. In the texts, Sunak told Cameron - who got a job for the company upon leaving office - his request for access to government-backed loans was being examined. Greensill Capital, which filed for insolvency in March, was run by Lex Greensill - a former adviser to Cameron during his time in Number 10.

Cameron, who was in Number 10 from 2010 to 2016, said he broke "no codes of conduct and no government rules". But, in a written statement, did acknowledge "communications with the government need to be done through only the most formal of channels, so there can be no room for misinterpretation". Pressed on how allocations of support were made at the Treasury Committee, the chancellor said: "We look at the issue and I look at the issue on the merits of it.

"And so the identity of the person talking about it was not relevant to the amount of attention and proper due diligence got and required." Regarding his correspondences with Cameron, Sunak said: "Actually everything that…

my interaction with David Cameron has been disclosed through the various FOIs (Freedom of Information requests) and other things."

Sunak told MPs that the total of his interaction with the former prime minister "is in the public domain". He said it was "a surprise" to receive a message from the former Conservative leader, adding: "I don't know David Cameron very well at all."

Asked by Conservative Anthony Browne whether he agrees with Cameron that lessons should be learned, the chancellor said: "No I don't.

"As I said, I stand very firmly behind the approach we took. I think it was entirely right that we considered the proposals on their merits given the context at the time and I stand by the decision we made not to take the proposals forward."

Johnson urged to let Britons 'retire early' to reduce Covid unemployment Boris Johnson, is in charge of implementing varying policies, and has spearheaded Government support throughout the pandemic.

However, the Prime Minister is being urged to take further action to support both older and younger people in a petition on the official Parliament website.

The petition is entitled: “Temporarily allow early retirement to reduce unemployment cause by Covid.” It has argued that people close to retirement age should be allowed to retire early due to the Covid crisis.

The petition assets individuals should be allowed to receive the state pension earlier in these circumstances. This, it states, would be a temporary measure as a result of the pandemic. It reads: “Some people close to

retirement age would like to retire early. Some may already be receiving state benefits from the furlough scheme or unemployment benefit. Some may be eligible for private pensions before state retirement age but cannot afford to retire without a state pension.”

The petition also highlighted how Covid has affected other groups. It continued: “The proposal may be cost neutral or relatively cheap because of savings in various benefits received by unemployed people with families and will have huge social benefits.

“The retired may contribute to the economy in the form of part-time work, income tax, or the purchase of services such as home improvements using capital released from pension funds.”

At present, the petition has garnered 133 signatures, so it has a way to go until reaching the 10,000 trigger point. At 10,000 signatures, the Government is required to respond formally and petition will be considered for a debate in Parliament. However, the deadline is looming. Having been on the official Government website for a few months, it is set to come to a close on July 6, 2021.

With regards to personal and workplace pensions, these can be accessed after the age of 55 under pension freedoms rules. But Britons should be aware their pot could be smaller when retiring early, as it has had less

Boris Johnson

time to build up and increase in value.

The amount of money a person receives from certain income-related benefits such as Pension Credit, Universal Credit or Income Support could be affected if someone takes their pension early. However, those retiring early because of ill health may be entitled to receive additional support.

Help is offered to Britons via services such as Pension Wise, Citizens Advice and the Money Advice Service.

Bank of England monitors UK housing boom as it weighs inflation risk The Bank of England is carefully monitoring Britain’s booming housing market as it weighs up the possibility that a rapid recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic will lead to a sustained period of inflation, one of its deputy governors has said. Sir Dave Ramsden said the Bank expected price pressures to be temporary but he and his colleagues on Threadneedle Street’s monetary policy committee were aware of the risks.

Ramsden, the deputy governor responsible for markets and banking, said: “There is a risk that demand gets ahead of supply and that will lead to a more generalised pick- up in inflationary pressure. That’s something

we are absolutely going to guard against. We are looking carefully at the housing market and a raft of real-term indicators.”

Inflation, as measured by the UK’s consumer prices index, is at 1.5% and is expected to rise above its 2% target for a short period over the coming months. The average UK house price climbed 10.2% in the year to March, the highest annual growth rate since August 2007, with the stamp duty holiday pushing up demand. Ramsden said the Bank would not be complacent about inflation. “If it is not temporary we know what to do about that. We can push bank rate up from its historically low level (0.1%) and we know what that will

do to demand.”

He said that while he was increasingly optimistic about the recovery, there was also a possibility that inflationary pressure may prove to be lower than anticipated if the economy slowed after an initial burst of post-lockdown activity. “That could happen if new variants emerge or we get psychological scarring, where some of the behaviour of the past 15 months becomes habitual. There is a risk that people will continue to be cautious.” He added: “The uncertainties are less than they were but they haven’t gone away. Covid-19 is still with us and we are seeing that with the variants.

The link seems to be on its way to being broken between

Dave Ramsden

cases and hospitalisations, and worse, but we can’t say for sure yet. We can’t rule out more variants and we have to bear that in mind.” He added that Threadneedle Street was seeking to use its £20bn holdings of corporate bonds to help the government achieve a net zero economy by 2050.

The Bank wants to encourage firms to decarbonise but reserves the right to disinvest bonds to incentivise that transition.

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Tata Group acquires majority stake in BigBasket Tata Group has acquired a majority stake in online grocery seller BigBasket for an undisclosed sum of money, pitting it against the likes of billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance and Amazon. The stake was bought by Tata Digital Ltd, a unit of Tata Sons, a joint statement by the two firms said. It neither disclosed the quantum of stake bought nor the deal size.

In March, Competition Commission of India (CCI) had approved the acquisition of up to a 54.3 per cent stake in BigBasket

by Tata Digital.It was previously reported that Tatas was in talks to buy close to an 80 per cent stake in the online grocery seller, that is backed by Alibaba Group, for $1.3-1.6 billion.

The deal will pit the salt-tosoftware conglomerate against Ambani’s JioMart, Amazon and Walmart’s Flipkart for a pie of the online grocery business that has grown exponentially

during the pandemic.

About half of India’s $1 market trillion-retail comprises grocery sales. The online grocery market is expected to reach $4.3 billion in 2021 from $2.9 billion in the previous year.

“Grocery is one of the largest components of an individual’s consumption basket in India, and BigBasket as India’s largest e-grocery player, fits in perfectly with our vision of creating a large consumer digital ecosystem,” Pratik Pal, CEO of Tata Digital, said. E-grocery has been one of the fastest-growing segments in the consumer ecommerce space and its growth has been propelled further with India’s rising digital penetration.

The current pandemic has further accelerated ecommerce adoption as consumers seek the convenience of ordering quality groceries delivered safely at their doorsteps.

“We are extremely excited

about our future as a part of Tata Group. As a part of the Tata ecosystem we would be able to build stronger c o n s u m e r connect and accelerate our journey,” Hari Menon, CEO of BigBasket, said. Tata Digital set up its operations in August 2019 to build consumer-centric digital businesses for deep consumer engagement and their needs across multiple verticals - retail, travel and financial services. BigBasket was founded in 2011 in Bangalore and has expanded its presence to more than 25 cities. It competes with SoftBank-backed Grofers as well as Amazon India and Flipkart.

Announcing the results for Q4 and FY21, Reliance Industries had said that JioMart - its online grocery platform - has scaled up. In

August last year, Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd had acquired a majority equity stake in e-pharmacy player, Netmeds for a cash consideration of around £62 million. The joint statement said that Tata Group is building a digital consumer ecosystem addressing consumer needs across categories in a unified manner, and online food and grocery is an important part of this ecosystem.

Accordingly, this acquisition presents an attractive opportunity for Tata Group in its overall vision of creating a digital ecosystem, it added.

Indian billionaires load up war chest as telecom battle enters final stretch Companies owned by billionaires Mukesh Ambani and Sunil Bharti Mittal may raise as much as 365 billion rupees selling bonds as the telecom titans build a war chest in what investors hope will be the home stretch in India’s bruising tariff war.

Mittal-controlled Bharti Airtel, which sold its firstever rupee bond of 30bn rupees last month, has approval to raise 165bn rupees, according to a March 12 filing. Reliance Jio Infocomm announced days later that it plans to sell as much as 200bn rupees of notes, marking the disruptive upstart’s return to the onshore bond market after 20 months.

The fundraising amount - about 78 per cent of the

telecom battle could be in its last stretch,” said Raj Kothari, head of trading at Jay Capital in London.

“It’s down to the Mukesh Ambani and Sunil Bharti Mittal big boys and they are piling up funds total outstanding bonds of for that.” Bharti said in the India’s top four telecom filing that the money would firms - signal that the largest be be used for treasury carrier and its rival Jio are activities, including gearing up to roll out nextrefinancing, and for paying generation services and off spectrum dues. Jio hasn’t manage about 320bn rupees specified end use, though it of debt due in the next five has significant repayments years. Jio stormed into the due in the next few years, mobile-phone market in data compiled by Bloomberg 2016 with free services that show. set off a tariff war and forced The total debt at four smaller players to merge or publicly traded wireless exit. operators - Bharti, Idea “After four years of Cellular, Reliance intense price pain, the India Communications and Tata

Teleservices Maharashtra has jumped 55 per cent since the end of March 2016 to $34.81bn, data compiled by Bloomberg show. Jio, being a new player, needs to spend aggressively to grab market share, while Bharti is investing more to retain its lead, said Mehul Sukkawala, senior director for corporate ratings at S&P Global Ratings. “This competition could move to the fibre-tohome business in the future and the related bundling of services with fibre.”

Jio secured AAA rating for 150bn rupees of debentures from Crisil which cited the “irrevocable and unconditional” support from parent Reliance Industries Ltd. Crisil rates Bharti’s rupee notes at AA+.

Running in Parallel

Suresh Vagjiani, Sow & Reap Properties Ltd

Currently, we are toying with whether we should go with a bridging lender or a conventional lender for a particular deal. The rates between the two we are looking at are surprisingly close.

Conventional lenders have a habit of asking you for all the details regarding your project, where you got your money to do the project from, your shoe size, and then declining the deal after several months of anticipation.

The market for bridging has grown massively in the UK, which has led to high competition and therefore keener rates.

For the deal we are looking to place we have received an opening offer of 0.65% per month. This translates to 7.8% per annum; which isn’t too bad, considering bridging used to be 1.5-2% per month.

There are less questions, and its faster. The only condition really is you should be able to see the exit for the project and ensure you’re progressing to this point – fast.

The project consists of three phases of planning. In short, some permitted development which involves conversion of the ground floor into commercial, and pushing the building backwards, and upwards. That’s pretty much all you can do with a shop and uppers.

Originally, the idea was to get the easy permission downstairs to do the work, and then apply for the planning for the uppers.

However, if the uppers were to happen, and there’s always an uncertainty when it comes to planning, we would require more concrete bases, columns and steels to hold up the extra weight. The cost in doing this is pretty substantial, upwards of £50K. It makes more sense to get all the planning in place and hit the project in one clean and holistic manner, rather than in a piecemeal fashion.

The build cost should hopefully be cheaper as well, as the contract sum will be higher.

The financing would be on a pure development loan. We would be looking to start the refinance of the project about the same time as when we go for the bridging, so that by the time we complete the works we have a sensible long term mortgage to switch to.

Hopefully, by this time the lender would have done all their due diligence.

To ensure further safety, I would prefer to run with two lenders on the refinance, just in case they either do a U turn or they reduce the amount of the loan. It also gives us the option of playing one lender against the other. So, instead of putting you in the position of need, it puts you in the position of strength where you could potentially look to negotiate a better deal than you would have got in the first place.

Commercial lenders tend to have more room to manoeuvre than residential lenders. One reason could be because residential lenders tend to securitise their loans more. What this means is they package the loan books up and sell them on, in pieces.

A bridge is an instrument which can work very well for you, if the plan and exit is well defined, and on time.

Or it can end up destroying the project. It needs to be used carefully, with a lot of planning and anticipation of what could go wrong.

Paytm targets £21.8 bn listing, Govt yet to decide on stimulus package: Sitharaman India’s biggest Paytm, India’s leading digital payments provider, is aiming to raise about £21.8 billion in an initial public offering (IPO) late this year, according to a person familiar with the deal, in what could be India's largest debut ever. The startup, backed by investors including Berkshire Hathaway, SoftBank Group and Ant Group, plans to list in India around November and its offering could coincide with the Diwali festival season, said the person familiar with the development.

Paytm, formally called One97 Communications, is targeting a valuation of around $25 billion to $30 billion. The One97 board plans to meet to formally approve the IPO, said the person.

If successful, Paytm’s initial share sale would surpass Coal India’s offering, which raised more than £1.5 billion in 2010 in India's largest IPO so far. Banks shortlisted to run the Paytm offering include Morgan

Stanley, Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase & Co, with Morgan Stanley the leading contender, the person said.

The process is expected to get rolling in late June or early July. JPMorgan and Citigroup declined to comment; Morgan Stanley didn’t respond to requests for comment.

The public market debut will include a mix of new and existing shares to meet regulatory obligations in India. India's regulations require that 10% of shares are floated within two years and 25% within five years. Karan Sharma, co-head of the digital and technology investment banking practice at Mumbai-based Avendus Capital, said there is strong demand for tech IPOs. While giants like Apple and Amazon have proven the potential for lucrative returns, there are few options for investors looking to get a foothold in India’s burgeoning digital economy.

The government said consultations were underway with the states and industry to assess the impact of the second wave and the lockdown imposed by several states but it was yet to decide on a stimulus package.

“The process of consulting states and industry is going on. We have not made any final call on this,” finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman told reporters after the GST Council meeting, where certain tax exemptions were announced, including on a medicine used to treat black fungus.

Additionally, the panel decided to borrow £15.8 billion in order to ensure that states have sufficient resources since the lockdown has deprived them of revenue.

Meanwhile, the GST Council deferred a decision on cutting rates for a number of products related to combating Covid-19, while exempting a medicine used for treatment of black fungus and relief material such as medical oxygen and concentrators,

even if imported on payment basis, from payment of integrated GST. The exemption, which will be available up to August, comes with the caveat that it will be available for donation to the government or on the recommendations of a state authority to any relief body. So far, this was only available goods meant for free distribution.

While Opposition-ruled states and the Centre were divided on the issue of paring rates, they agreed to stick to the compensation formula to provide for less than 14% growth in states’ GST kitty. With the compensation cess - which consumers pay to provide assured returns to states - due to expire in June 2022, itharaman said the issue will be discussed later. Revenue secretary Tarun Bajaj said the state-wise details will be worked out and the Centre will borrow £15.8 billion, which will be passed to states on a back-to-back basis.

20 WORLD

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Pak Hindu lawmaker wants minorities to be termed as 'non-Muslims' ISLAMABAD: A Hindu lawmaker in Pakistan has submitted a bill in the lower house of Parliament seeking that religious minorities in the country be constitutionally referred to as 'non-Muslims' to end the discrimination and establish equality and justice for every citizen.

Keeso Mal Kheeal Das, a member of the National Assembly from the Opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party, approached the National Assembly with a private member bill under rule 118 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 2007. Called as the Constitution Amendment Act, 2021, the bill aims to end discrimination against Pakistani non-Muslims who have been also referred in the constitution as minorities.

Keeso Mal Kheeal Das

He suggested that the bill should be adopted and brought into effect immediately. The government has not opposed the bill so far and the matter has been referred to the relevant standing committee. After it is vetted by a bipartisan committee of the house, it will be presented for voting.

Das is of the view that the inaccurate reference as minorities gives the impression of

being second-class citizens. “It is against the spirit of the Constitution, 1973, to discriminate against a large number of population by declaring them a minority, when the sacrifices of that population are remarkable in every sphere of life for the prosperity, growth and bright future of the country,” Das said in the bill.

“The word ‘Minority’ is used four times (in the constitution) while the word ‘non-Muslims’ is used 15 times, which reflects the intent of the makers of the Constitution. Therefore, the anomaly shall be omitted by substituting the word minority with the word non-Muslims,” he said. He said that the constitutional amendment will be a constructive effort to establish

equality and justice for every citizen to build Pakistan as a home for everyone.

Pakistan is a predominantly a Muslim country but nonMuslims make more than 3.5 per cent of its about 220 million population. Hindus form the biggest minority community in Pakistan. According to official estimates, 75,00,000 Hindus live in Pakistan. However, according to the community, over 90,00,000 Hindus are living in the country.

The majority of Pakistan's Hindu population is settled in Sindh province where they share culture, traditions and language with Muslim residents. They often complain of harassment by the extremists. Other minority communities include Christians, Ahmadis, Baha'is, Sikhs, Parsis and Buddhists.

Pak TV bans host of talk show after he criticises army ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani television station took a prominent journalist off air, removing him as host of a popular talk show after he criticised the country's powerful military, the journalist and rights groups said. The development comes just days after the journalist, Hamid Mir, made a fiery speech at a rally in support of a fellow reporter, Asad Ali Toor, who was beaten up by three unidentified men in his apartment in Islamabad.

Geo News TV did not comment on the changes regarding its 'Capital Talk', a five-days-aweek programme during which Mir would invite guests to debate current events in the country. Journalists and press freedom advocates often accuse Pakistan's military and its agencies of harassing and attacking journalists. The government

insists it supports freedom of speech.

In a statement on Twitter, Amnesty International denounced the ban on Mir and asked Pakistani authorities to protect free speech. "Censorship, harassment, and physical violence must not be the price journalists pay to do their jobs," it said.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan denounced Geo News for taking Mir off air. It said the action against him comes after he spoke against the escalation of curbs on freedom of expression in the country. Local journalists' groups, which document attacks or violations against journalists in Pakistan, say the period from May 2020 to April 2021 saw 148 such attacks. Mir tweeted that it was nothing new for him. "I was

Hamid Mir

banned twice in the past," said Mir, who had also in the past been fired by Geo News.

Mir was attacked in 2014 in Karachi, when a gunman critically wounded him. His family at the time blamed the country's intelligence service for orchestrating the attack. The perpetrator was never publicly known.

Geo News' move drew swift condemnation by journalists, politicians, and members of civil society groups. The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists asked the TV station to explain whether the step was taken under government pressure.

The station's owner, Mir Shakilur Rehman, was arrested

last year in a decades-old case related to allegations of tax evasion in a real estate purchase. He was freed months later on a court order.

Toor, the journalist beaten in his apartment, works for the Aaj News Pakistani TV. He later told police his attackers claimed they were from the Inter-Services Intelligence. However, the spy agency days later distanced itself from the attack. Mir along with dozens of Pakistani journalists attended a rally in Islamabad to condemn the attack on Toor. So far, authorities have not arrested anyone in connection with the attack and police say they are still investigating.

Taliban warns US security assistance to Pak remains nations against suspended: Pentagon hosting US military KABUL/PESHAWAR: The Afghan Taliban warned nearby nations against allowing the US to use their territory for operations in the country after they withdraw from Afghanistan. As foreign forces withdraw troops by President Joe Biden’s announced deadline of September 11, experts and diplomats have speculated that Washington’s future role in the region could include bases in nearby countries, especially Pakistan. “If such a step is taken, then the responsibility for all the misfortunes and difficulties lies upon those who commit such mistakes,” the insurgent group said in a statement, without specifying a country.

US officials have privately said that they are exploring potential basing options in countries near Afghanistan, like Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. In recent days, there has been a spate of talks between senior Pakistani and US officials, including a meeting between Biden’s NSA Jake Sullivan and his Pakistani counterpart.

WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden has continued his predecessor Donald Trump's policy on suspending security assistance to Pakistan and there is no clarity if the administration will change its stance in the future, the Pentagon has said. Former US president Trump suspended all security assistance to Pakistan in January 2018, arguing that he was not satisfied with Islamabad's cooperation and role in the fight against terrorism.

"At this time, the US security assistance to Pakistan is still suspended. I will not get into speculating one way or another about if or whether that will change going forward," Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby told reporters at a news conference. He was responding to a question on if the new Biden administration has reviewed the policy of the previous Trump administration and if there are any changes in it or if this issue was on the table during talks with the Pakistani leadership.

Earlier in the day, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa to discuss shared regional interests and objectives, Kirby said.

"During the call, the secretary reiterated his

appreciation for Pakistan's support to the Afghanistan peace negotiations and expressed his desire to continue to build on the United States-Pakistan bilateral relationship," he said.

"I reiterated my appreciation for the USPakistan relationship and my desire to continue to work together to further regional security and stability," Austin said in a tweet.

A day earlier, US National Security Advisor Jek Sullivan met his Pakistani counterpart Moeed Yusuf in Geneva. "Both sides discussed a range of bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest, and ways to advance practical cooperation.

They agreed to continue with the conversation," a spokesperson of the National Security Council Emily Horne said. In a first in-person high-level meeting, the Pakistani and US national security advisers held wideranging talks on bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest. "Both sides had a positive conversation on a range of bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest and agreed to advance practical cooperation on these issues," a joint statement issued by Yusuf's office said in Islamabad.

in brief BIDEN NOMINATES INDIAN-AMERICAN TO KEY POST US President Joe Biden nominated IndianAmerican Arun Venkataraman for the director-general of the US and foreign commercial service and the assistant secretary for global markets in the department of commerce. According to a White House readout, Venkataraman has over 20 years of experience advising companies, international organisations and the US government on international trade issues. He is currently the counsellor to the secretary of commerce, advising the department on trade and other international economic matters. Arun was also a senior director at Visa, a leading global government engagement strategy on a range of international policy issues including digital economy, trade, tax and sanctions.

LA MAYOR LIKELY TO BE BIDEN’S PICK FOR INDIA ENVOY President Joe Biden is expected to nominate Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, a trusted political ally, as America’s next ambassador to India, according to media reports.

Garcetti, 50, who served as the co-chair of Biden’s presidential campaign, was initially considered for the Cabinet. Garcetti is the 42nd Mayor of Los Angeles, the secondlargest city in the United States, after New York City. The important position of US envoy to India has been lying vacant since January 20. In the absence of a full-time ambassador, Daniel Smith, the director of the Foreign Service Institute, who recently served as acting Secretary of State and Acting Deputy Secretary of State, has been sent to New Delhi to serve as Charge d’Affaires, ad interim.

SOUROBH GHOSH AMONG WYSS AWARD WINNERS The Harvard Business School Doctoral Programs announced three recipients of the 2020-2021 Wyss Award for Excellence in Doctoral Research and one winner of the Martin Award for Excellence in Business Economics, which included Indian American Sourobh Ghosh. The prizes are presented each year based on excellence in innovative dissertation research. Ghosh studies how firms use digital experimentation to drive product innovation and strategy. In one study, he shows that as the cost of experimentation has declined, firms are running more experiments but on lower value opportunities. Ghosh’s research illustrates that it is important to measure and manage the experimentation process to ensure that it is delivering results that are consistent with the long-run strategic objectives of the firm.

TWO-YEAR-OLD BECOMES AMERICAN MENSA MEMBER Kashe Quest, a two-year-old toddler from Los Angeles has become youngest member of American Mensa after scoring a 146 on the IQ test. According to the two-year-old’s mother, Sukhjit Athwal, Kashe’s impressive memory was the first indicator that something was differen. “We started to notice her memory was really great. She just picked up things really fast and she was really interested in learning.” And by the time Kashe was 17 or 18 months old, her mother said she had “recognised all the alphabet, numbers, colours, and shapes.” Now, at just two years old, the genius toddler is able to identify all 50 states by shape and location on a map, knows 50 signs in sign language, can count to 100 and can identify elements on the periodic table by their symbols.

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in brief AFGHAN BOMB KILLS 4, WOUNDS 11 A roadside bomb struck a minivan full of university lecturers and students in Afghanistan’s Kapisa province, killing at least 4 and wounding 11 others, Afghan officials said. Interior ministry spokesman Tariq Arian said the minivan was targeted while travelling to bring the group to Alberoni University. Provincial police spokesman Shayeq Shoresh said the bomb was set off by remote control. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

OLI CALLS FOR ALL-PARTY GOVT, FRESH ELECTIONS Embattled Nepal PM K P Sharma Oli urged all political parties to form an all-party government and hold fresh elections, as he tried to justify the dissolution of the House of Representatives twice by President Bidya Devi Bhandari, saying a “functionless” parliament turned out to be the main source of instability in the country. “Going for an election can never be a regressive act,” Oli said in a televised address to the nation. He blamed the opposition parties and dissident faction of the ruling CPN-UML for the dissolution of parliament. “I made my last ditch effort to form an alternative government after being assured of support from the Janata Samajbadi Party. However, opposition parties forced the president to dismiss their claim for a new government,” he said.

PAK SCRIBE ATTACKED IN HIS APARTMENT A journalist who is critical of Pakistan’s military and intelligence agencies was severely beaten by three unidentified men in an attack at his apartment in Islamabad, the journalist and his colleagues said. Asad Ali Toor, who works for the Aaj News Pakistani TV channel, told police in a statement the attackers claimed they were intelligence agents. He said they tied his hands and feet with cloth and one of them hit him with a pistol. Toor said the assailants forced him to chant slogans in favour of the army. Last month, Toor claimed he received threats over his journalistic work. There was no immediate response from the military. However, Pakistan’s minister for human rights condemned the attack.

VIRUS FAILS TO DETER CLIMBERS ON MOUNT EVEREST A year after Mt Everest was closed to climbers as the pandemic swept across the globe, hundreds are making the final push to the summit with only a few more days left in the season, saying they are undeterred by a Covid outbreak in base camp. Three expedition teams to Everest cancelled their climb this month following reports of people getting sick.

But the remaining 41teams decided to continue with hundreds of climbers and their guides scaling the 8,849-metre top in the season that ends in May, before bad weather sets in. “Covid has not made any huge effect like what is being believed,” said Mingma Sherpa of Seven Summit Treks, an expedition operator. “No one has fallen seriously sick because of Covid or died.” With 122 clients from 10 teams, the company led the biggest group but there were no serious illnesses among them, he said.

AUSTRALIA TO SHUT EMBASSY IN KABUL Australia is shutting its embassy in the Afghan capital, citing security concerns ahead of the final withdrawal of US and Nato troops.

Australia announced the temporary closure. A number of other embassies in Kabul, including the US, have sent home non-essential personnel, warned their nationals against travelling to Afghanistan and urged those already there to consider leaving. The last of the 2,500 to 3,500 US troops and 7,000 Nato allied troops will be gone by September 11. The Afghan foreign ministry said it was committed to providing embassies with security, but there is concern about its ability.

Finally, corruption trial against Zuma begins after 25 years PRETORIA: The corruption trial of former South African President Jacob Zuma began last week, more than 25 years after some of his alleged offenses.

Zuma, who was president from 2009 until he was forced out in 2018 amid multiple graft scandals, pleaded not guilty to corruption, racketeering, fraud, tax evasion, and money laundering at Pietermaritzburg High Court.

Among the charges, Zuma is accused of taking bribes from French company Thales to ensure that South Africa signed a multi-billion dollar arms deal with the company in 1999.

Zuma was deputy president of South Africa from 1999 until 2005 when he was fired from that role amid allegations of

Jacob Zuma

corruption.

Thales, also accused in the trial, pleaded not guilty to racketeering and money laundering. Zuma was first implicated in corruption by prosecutors in 2005 but charges against him have been dropped and rein-

stated several times over the years amid allegations of political interference. Most recently they were reinstated in 2018.

Some of the charges against the 79-year-old Zuma date back to the mid1990s. Prosecutors allege between 1995 and 2001 Zuma and Thales were involved in an organized criminal enterprise. They also accuse Zuma of taking bribes from a former financial advisor as far back as 1995 in exchange for using his political power to advance the advisor's business interests.

That corrupt relationship lasted

for 10 years, prosecutors said.

Zuma could be jailed for 25 years if convicted. Meanwhile, Zuma's lawyer filed papers calling for the removal of the chief prosecutor in the case, claiming he was biased and Zuma's right to a fair trial was threatened.

The judge said he would consider the application. Zuma is also facing allegations of corruption while he was president at a separate and ongoing state inquiry into widespread government graft. Zuma has been ordered to appear and testify but has refused to do so, leading the judge overseeing the inquiry to ask South Africa's highest court to jail Zuma for two years for contempt of court.

18 Bobi supporters released on bail after spending 5 months on remand KAMPALA: After spending close to five months on remand, at least 18 out of 30 supporters of former presidential candidate, Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine, were released on bail by the General Court Martial in Makindye, Kampala. While releasing the 18 on their third attempt to apply for bail, the chairman of the court, Lt Gen Andrew Gutti, said he had found merit in their application after the State prosecutor did not object to their bail.

“After listening to submissions for both counsel, this court has deliberated on the application and finds as follows; the applicants have the right to apply for bail, offense is billable, the sick mentioned need treat-

ment outside prison and the sureties presented were substantial,” Gen Gutti said.

He added: “In the result, this court finds merit in the application of the 14 applicants not objected by the respondent (State), plus the four applicants that need treatment; are hereby granted bail…”chairman Gutti ruled. Each of the suspect was bonded Shs20m not cash while each of their sureties, mainly top officials of the National Unity Platform (NUP) presented, was bound to Shs50m, also not cash.

Lt Gen. Gutti further warned that should the suspects breach any of the conditions set by court their bail will automatically be cancelled and thus

Bobi Wine

returned to jail. Gen Gutti, however, said the other suspects who include Edward Ssebufu aka Eddie Mutwe, Bobi’s personal body guard and Bukeni Ali aka Nubian Li, Bobi’s singing partner, should be returned to court on June 8 for the State to

reply to their bail application.

Those freed were part of the initial 49 Bobi Wine supporters who were arrested by security on December 30, 2020 in Kalangala District while their principal was on his presidential campaign trail.

Lanka lifts travel ban but Zimbabwean chief wants restrictions on those who've Mugabe’s remains exhumed been to India remain COLOMBO: Sri Lanka announced the lifting of its temporary travel ban on inbound travellers from June 1, except for passengers who spent time in India during the last 14 days. All incoming flights, however, will be limited to a maximum of 75 passengers and they will be subjected to a 14 day quarantine period.

"Any passenger with a travel history to India, including transit, in the past 14 days will not be permitted to arrive," the civil aviation office said in a statement. Foreign nationals, seafarers, businessmen, investors and others are required to obtain approval from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to enter the island along with the entry visa.

A negative PCR test must be taken by all categories of travellers before departure point of origin as per airline or country requirements. And all passengers must adhere to the paid quarantine procedure. The Colombo airport was acting as a transit hub for Indians travelling to West Asia, but the facility was withdrawn in early May due to the current surge in the pandemic.

Before the current wave, Sri Lanka and India were making arrangements for a tourism travel bubble. India remained Sri Lanka's top inbound travel market before the onset of the pandemic. Sri Lanka has reported 170,000 Covid-19 cases so far with 1,269 deaths.

First flight with 53 passengers landed After the re-opening of airports, the first flight from Doha touched down at the Katunayake International Airport with 53 passengers, the airport duty manager said. He said the airport was closed since May 21 midnight to curb the spreading of Covid-19 virus in the country.

Accordingly, the first flight, a Qatar Airways aircraft landed with 53 passengers. Later, another aircraft, a Srilankan airlines also touched down with 116 passengers, the duty manager said.

Those local and foreign passengers have been directed to undergo the mandatory 14-day quarantine period and two PCR tests.

Passengers who are diagnosed and found negative during those tests would be allowed to socialize in Sri Lanka, while others will be referred for further medical treatment.

HARARE: A Zimbabwean traditional chief has ordered for the remains of former late ruler Robert Mugabe to be exhumed from his rural home and be buried in the national cemetery.

A copy of the ruling in the local Shona language stated, “I give powers to those who are permitted by law to exhume the late Robert Mugabe’s remains from Kutama and rebury them at the National Heroes Acre in Harare.”

Mugabe, who died in 2019, had refused to be buried at the National Heroes Acres in Harare over fears that some individuals, especially his political opponents, might steal his remains and use them in traditional rituals. Recently, the former leader’s widow, Grace Mugabe was ordered by a traditional court to give away five cows and two goats for having buried her husband in a manner deemed inappropriate.

She is accused of having buried her husband, who died in 2019 at the age of 95, in the courtyard of her birthplace in Kutama, 90 km west of the capital Harare. Journalists could not attend the hearing, as the

Robert Mugabe

entourage of the traditional chief said that he wanted "some privacy". Chief Zvimba, born Stanley Mhondoro, claimed that Robert Mugabe was supposed to be buried in a location chosen by his mother or the family he was born with.

Chief Zvimba who is in charge of Mugabe’s rural area, Kutama, said he had received numerous complains from the clan members about the manner in which Mugabe was buried.

Mugabe’s family through their spokesperson, Leo Mugabe, rejected the ruling claiming that chief Zvimba lacks jurisdiction over Kutama and more so on the matter. Local reports allege the traditional chiefs do have the final saying on many local matters but this is the first time a chief has given a judgment on burial rights.

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Sikh man among 8 killed in latest US shooting LOS ANGELES: A 36-year-old Indian-origin Sikh man was among eight people killed in the horrific rail yard shooting in San Jose in the US state of California, according to media reports.

Taptejdeep Singh, born in India and raised in Union City, California, has left behind his wife, three-year-old son, oneyear-old daughter, and a grieving Sikh community in the San Francisco Bay Area, which described him as a “helpful and caring” man, The Mercury News reported. The death of Singh, who moved to the US from India in 2005, marks the second time in two months that members of the country’s Sikh community mourned after a mass shooting.

In April, four Sikhs were among

the eight people killed in a shooting at a FedEx warehouse in Indianapolis.

Family members said county officials told them that Taptejdeep Singh acted heroically when he detected danger during the attack, calling out to his co-workers that shots were being fired and quickly ushering one woman into a secure room. “I think he’s the one who tried to save the people, as many as he could,” said Bagga Singh, who also spoke out against gun violence: “Nobody should have a gun.”

Samuel Cassidy, 57, a maintenance worker of the VTA, San Jose, gunned down eight of his co-workers and critically injured another in a one of the

deadliest shootings in California this year. As police arrive, the killer died of a self-inflicted gunshot.

Singh was a light rail operator at the VTA for nine years now. He worked at a separate building from where most of the other victims were found, giving the impression that Cassidy had selected his victims.

Singh was fatally shot in the stairwell of a VTA building, the report said.

Singh’s brother-in-law, P J Bath, another light rail operator at the VTA, confirmed that the shooter and Singh were in different buildings initially but said nothing on the victims being pre-decided by the killer. “He just happened to be in the way, I

Taptejdeep Singh

guess. He was always helpful to everyone and caring,” Bath said.

The other victims of the shooting were identified as Paul Delacruz Megia (42), Adrian Balleza (29), Jose Dejesus Hernandez (35), Timothy Michael Romo (49), Michael Joseph Rudometkin (40), Abdolvahab Alaghmandan (63), and Lars Kepler Lane (63). The motive behind the shooting is not yet clear.

Gujarati family in US returns $1mn lottery ticket to winner NEW YORK: A Gujarati family that owns a store in Massachusetts is being praised for their honesty for returning a $1 million lottery ticket to the woman who had bought it. The woman had accidentally tossed away the ticket in the store where she bought it. “I was a millionaire for a night,” the owner’s son Abhi Shah, who discovered the winning ticket, joked as he recounted his brief Midas touch.

Although he had thought of buying a Tesla car, he decided to return the ticket to Leas Rose Fiega, who had bought the ticket from his mother Aruna Shah. “Who does that? They’re

Lea Rose Fiega

great people. I am beyond blessed,” Fiega said. Maunish Shah, who owns the Lucky Spot store in Springfield, Massachusetts, said that after the ticket was found, “we didn’t sleep two nights”. But they decided to consult his parents in

Indian origin driver stops train, saves Asian pushed on tracks NEW YORK: An alert Indian-origin driver in New York City stopped his train and saved an Asian man who was pushed onto the tracks in an apparent hate crime incident, according to reports. Tobin Madathil, 29, noticed a commotion as he was pulling into a station and immediately took action. The quick-thinking subway operator was able to stop the train about 30ft from the man. “Right when I was coming into the station people were waving at me, and that’s when I immediately placed the train into emergency mode,” Madathil said. “I’m glad I was able to stop on time and didn’t hit the guy, thank God!” he said.

Moments earlier, a crazed suspect had shoved the Asian male onto the tracks - the latest in a spate of attacks in the city’s subway system - the report said. Madathil, who has been a train operator for two years, said he “exited the train” and went to the bleeding victim before calling the control centre for medical attention. The victim was treated for a cut on his forehead at Mount Sinai Medical Centre, and police are investigating the incident for possible bias.

“I just try to stay focused at all times when I operate, just watch the tracks and platform, just be alert,” Madathil explained how he always tries to be ready for the unexpected. The suspected attacker remains on the loose. During the attack, he said something to the victim, who did not understand him, the report quoted the police as saying. New York City has seen an uptick in hate crime against Asians.

India.

Abhi Shah said: “My grandmother said, ‘let’s not keep the ticket. It’s not right.

Just give it back to them. If it’s in your luck, you’ll get it anyhow’.” So, he went to locate her. “He came to my office and said, ‘my mom and dad would like to see you’. I said, ‘I’m working’, and he said, ‘no you have to come over’. So, I went over there and that’s when they told me. I was in total disbelief. I cried, I hugged them,” Fiega said. Maunish Shah said: “I handed her the $1

million ticket and she freaked out and cried like a baby. She sat down on the floor right here.”

The Massachusetts State Lottery’s Diamond Millions tickets have to be scratched off so they reveal the numbers that could be the winning combination. But Fiega had not scratched the squares properly.

“I was in a hurry and just scratched it real quick, and looked at it, and it didn’t look like a winner, so I handed it over to them to throw away,” Fiega said. The family is now fielding interview requests from across US. “If I had kept that million, I wouldn’t have been famous. I’m glad I gave it back,” Abhi said.

Sikh American prisoner whose beard was forcibly shaved seeks probe PHOENIX (US): Lawyers are seeking a federal civil rights investigation of the policies that let Arizona corrections workers forcibly shave off the beard of an Indian prisoner who is Sikh and told the employees that his religion forbids shaving.

Attorneys representing Surjit Singh alleged his religious freedoms were infringed when prison employees restrained him and cut off his beard before taking his photo as he was entering the state's prison system. A complaint filed with the US Justice Department's civil rights division said Singh's faith requires him to keep a beard and that uncut hair is historically a central feature of the Sikh identity.

His lawyers said Singh suffered shame and depression as a result of having his beard cut off for the first time in his life. The complaint said Singh became distraught and asked a medical staff member to “cut my throat, but don't cut my beard!'' Corrections officers “eventually handcuffed and surrounded Singh, who began to cry and moved his head to avoid having his beard cut and shaved,'' Singh's lawyers wrote.

Singh alleged prison staff tried to shave him again. when he was transferred to the Douglas prison, because his beard had grown beyond the one inch that's allowed under prison policy. Prison employees relented after a lawyer intervened on the prisoner's behalf. His lawyers said prison officials had attributed the encounter to a miscommunication between corrections staff members and a chaplain.

Singh, a native of India who has limited English proficiency, also accused the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry of denying him access to a Punjabi interpreter, saying he struggled to communicate with prison staff during the forced shaving encounter and that the only language assistance he received at that time came from a staff member who spoke Hindi.

In a statement, the corrections department said it has since resolved the issues raised by Singh and expressed regret in apology letters sent to the Sikh Coalition in New York. The agency said Singh's experience arose from an honest but unfortunate miscommunication between people working at the prison facility.

“There was no ill will, merely a miscommunication, for which the department apologized in writing, twice,'' the agency said, adding Singh can now grow his beard and have a turban. The Justice Department didn't immediately return a message seeking comment on the complaint.

Singh, who worked as a commercial truck driver, was sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted of reckless manslaughter in a vehicle wreck that killed a person in December 2017 in Yuma County.

Prosecutors said Singh drove a commercial tractor-trailer rig through a stop sign and claimed his brakes didn't work, but prosecutors said there was no evidence of a brake failure.

in brief MILITARY FREES MALI’S PM, PRESIDENT Mali’s interim president and premier have been released, a military official said, three days after they were detained and then stripped of their powers in what appeared to be the country’s second coup in nine months. Their release met a key demand of the international community, but fell far short of other calls for an immediate return to civilian government. Family members confirmed that President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane had been freed. The two men have returned to their homes in the capital Bamako. The transitional leaders were tasked with steering the return to civilian rule after a coup last August toppled Mali’s president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita over alleged corruption and jihadist insurgency.

MAN KILLED AFTER ATTACKING THREE COPS IN FRANCE A man with severe schizophrenia who had been on a watch list for Islamic radicalism stabbed a police officer at her station in western France and shot two other officers before police killed him, authorities said. The slain suspect was a Frenchman in his 40s who had been on a watch list for Islamic radicalism because of his “rigorous” religious practices, interior minister Gerald Darmanin said. The assailant had recently been released from prison and was under monitoring by psychiatric services, he said. The three officers were wounded but none is in life-threatening condition, the minister said. The motive for the violence in the Nantes suburb of La Chapelle-sur-Erdre was unclear, but Darmanin told reporters at the scene that the man “clearly wanted to attack police”.

BODIES OF 215 KIDS FOUND AT CANADA INDIGENOUS SCHOOL The remains of 215 children, some as young as 3 years old, have been found buried on the site of what was once Canada’s largest Indigenous residential school - one of the institutions that held kids taken from families across the nation.

Chief Rosanne Casimir of the Tkemlups te Secwepemc First Nation said in a news release that the remains were confirmed with the help of ground-penetrating radar. More bodies may be found because there are more areas to search on the school grounds, Casimir said. In an earlier release, she called the discovery an “unthinkable loss that was spoken about but never documented at the Kamloops Indian Residential School”. It was once the site of Canada’s largest residential school.

CANADA MP EXPOSES ON CAM FOR 2ND TIME For the second time in just over a month, a member of Canada’s parliament has apologised for exposing himself during a virtual legislative session. Will Amos, who is a member of PM Trudeau’s Liberal Party, tweeted that during the session the night before, he had “urinated without realising that I was on camera”. In April, Amos apologised for stripping down on camera after a run, an act that also appeared on an internal parliamentary Zoom call. Last week, Amos said he was stepping down as parliamentary secretary to the minister of innovation, as well as from committee posts “so I can seek assistance.” He gave no further details.

3 GUNMEN FIRE AT CROWD IN FLORIDA, KILL 2, INJURE 25 Two people died and an estimated 20 to 25 people were injured in a shooting outside a banquet hall in Florida, police said. The gunfire erupted at the El Mula Banquet Hall in MiamiDade County, police told news outlets. The hall had been rented out for a concert. Three people got out of an SUV and opened fire into a crowd outside with assault rifles and handguns, police director Alfredo “Freddy” Ramirez III said.

Authorities believe the shooting was targeted.

“These are cold blooded murderers that shot indiscriminately. We’ll seek justice.” Two people died at the scene, cops said. As many as 25 people went to hospitals. No arrests were immediately announced.

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Bid to ease citizenship The last king of Kutch dies after process for Afghan, Pak and battle with Covid-19 Bangladesh minorities India's home ministry expanded the list of states and districts where the respective home secretaries and collectors can exercise delegated powers of the central government to grant citizenship to immigrants belonging to six minority communities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

With the addition of 13 more districts across five states as well as Punjab and Haryana to the list, Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Parsis, Buddhists and Jains from three neighbouring countries, who reside in 29 districts and nine states of India, will face fewer hassles in acquiring Indian citizenship and can apply online.

Ministry sources clarified the expansion of locations has no link to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

The applicants will have to fulfil residency criteria, requiring them to be ordinarily resident in India for 11 of the 14 years preceding the 12 months prior to applying, and uninterrupted residen-

cy in the last 12 months. The applicant can’t be an illegal immigrant. In a notification, the ministry said collectors of Morbi, Rajkot, Patan and Vadodara in Gujarat; Durg and Balodabazar in Chhattisgarh; Jalore, Udaipur, Pali, Barmer and Sirohi in Rajasthan; Faridabad in Haryana and Jalandhar in Punjab would have powers exercisable by the Centre for registration as a citizen of India under Section 5, or for grant of certificate of naturalisation under Section 6 of the Citizenship Act, 1955 in respect of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladeshi applicants of religious minorities there.

The home secretaries of Punjab and Haryana were also delegated these powers.

Since 2018, similar powers stand delegated to the collectors of Raipur in Chhattisgarh; Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and Kutch in Gujarat; Bhopal and Indore in MP; Nagpur, Mumbai, Pune and Thane in Maharashtra; Jodhpur,

Jaisalmer and Jaipur in Rajasthan; Lucknow in UP; and West Delhi and South Delhi in Delhi; apart from home secretaries of these seven states/UTs. As per the notification, the verification of application for citizenship shall be done simultaneously by the collector or the secretary and the application and the reports thereon shall be made accessible simultaneously to the central government on online portal.

The collector or the secretary, on being satisfied with the suitability of the applicant, shall grant him the citizenship of India by registration or naturalisation and issue a certificate of registration or naturalisation. The collector and the secretary shall maintain an online as well as physical register containing the details of the person so registered or naturalised as a citizen of India and furnish a copy to the central government within seven days of registration or naturalisation.

PM Cares to pay for education and well-being of Covid orphans All children who lost both parents or a surviving parent, legal guardian or adoptive parents due to Covid-19 will be supported by a scheme under PM Cares to create a corpus of Rs10,00,000 in the form of a fixed deposit. This corpus will be used for providing a monthly stipend for five years when the children turn 18 years of age. This stipend is expected to take care of their personal requirements during the period of higher education.

At 23 years, each child will get the corpus amount as one lump-sum for personal and professional use.

This measure makes way for long-term assistance to enable the child to have the necessary financial support when s/he moves out of school and is an adult who can take decisions with regards to their future course. It is learned that for children under 18 years, state-specific schemes may be dove-tailed. Also, if there are no guardians, children would be legally placed in child care institutions.

Admissions to KVs, pvt schools for kids The education expenses of younger children will be supported by the scheme by way of admission to Kendriya Vidyalayas and private schools up to higher secondary level. Another decision approved by the PM pertains to health insurance. All children will be enrolled as beneficiaries

Nipun Prabhakar

The king of Kutch, Maharao Pragmulji III, passed away due to Covid-19 related complications on May 28, aged 85. India’s largest district, Kutch has seen a surge in Covid cases over the past couple of months, sparing neither subject nor sovereign. The last of a long line of kings, Pragmulji was a part of Kutch’s rich history and legacy – which now recedes into history.

While the country struggled through the lockdown last year, Kutch was one of the first districts to open up, having been listed as a “green zone.” Made resilient through everyday hardships, the Kutchi people had managed to avoid the worst of the first wave. As this year’s second wave blazes through

India’s last villages in Kutch, it is this resilience that is being tested.

Draped in Kutch’s state emblem, the last king was sent off with state honours and cremated as per Covid guidelines. Kutch remained a princely state until 1948 when it acceded to India. It was incorporated first into Bombay in 1956 and then Gujarat in 1960. Having been a strategic vantage point, Kutch was at the cusp of transcontinental movements towards west Asia and Africa. The Maharao and Maharani had no children. The king left his estate to various trusts.

Even today, some of India’s largest ports are in Kutch, and serve as essential conduits for receiving cru-

cial emergency medical aid coming from various parts of the world. Pragmulji saw Kutch through the devastating earthquake of 2001 as well as its rise, like a phoenix, to one of India’s most industrialised and profitable districts.

One of his notable contributions was the restoration of Prag Mahal and Aaina Mahal in Bhuj at his own expense post the earthquake of 2001. Kutch has been home to several cultures with people from various trades, communities and religions. It is this deep sense of syncretism and cosmopolitanism that Pragmulji was known to be committed to preserving, just as his forefathers had done.

Ready to thwart any China activity on LAC: Army chief Narendra Modi

under the Ayushman Bharat Scheme (PM-JAY) with a health insurance cover of Rs 500,000. The premium amount for these children till the age of 18 will be paid

by PM Cares.

Several other decisions were taken at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi where steps to support children who have lost their parents due to Covid-19 were discussed.

Announcing these measures, PM Modi said, “In such trying times it is our duty, as a society, to care for our children and instil hope for a bright future”.

The PM also added that the measures being announced have only been possible due to the generous contributions to the PM Cares Fund which will support India’s fight against Covid-19. For children under 10 years, it has been decided that the child will be given admission in the nearest Kendriya Vidyalaya or in a private school as a day scholar. If the child is admitted in a private school, the fees as per RTE norms

will be given from PM Cares.

Expenditure on uniform, textbooks and notebooks will also be borne under the scheme.

In case of children between 11 and 18 years, it has been decided that the child will be given admission in any central government residential school such as Sainik School and Navodaya Vidyalaya.

The Army is maintaining high operational readiness to thwart any “unusual activity” by China all along the northern borders, General M M Naravane said, while rejecting concerns that India had squandered its leverage by vacating the Kailash range heights without extracting any concession on Depsang Plains in eastern Ladakh.

The Army chief said the Rezang LaRechin La heights in the Kailash range were vacated as part of the troop disengagement plan on both sides of Pangong Tso in February after “analysing all military implications and the ground situation. There is no question of India having come under any pressure or having compromised,” Gen Naravane said. Diplomatic and military nego-

Bat found in US-bound Air India flight, plane returns to Delhi In a bizarre incident, a US-bound Air India flight reported the presence of a bat in the business class area last week. The Air India flight which had taken off from Delhi airport had to return after the pilot reported the presence of a mammal to Air Traffic Control (ATC).

The bat was spotted after the plane to Newark left Delhi`s IGI Airport was in the air for about 30 minutes. The plane was then taken back to Delhi. "AI-105 DEL-EWR returned back to base (Delhi) after departure due to this local standby emergency was declared. On arrival, it was learnt that a bat was seen inside the cabin by crew members.

Wildlife staff were called to catch and remove the bat from cabin. The aircraft landed safely at around 3:55 am. Later flight was declared Aircraft on Grounded (AoG)," officials of Air India were quoted as saying.

While, the DGCA officials informed that fumigation was carried out and the carcass was retrieved from the aircraft. The matter was reported to the airline`s flight safety department for a detailed probe. The airline has asked the engineering team for a detailed report on the incident.

Passengers were shifted to another plane and Air India flight AI-105 landed in Newark.

M M Naravane

tiations are in progress for resolution of faceoffs at sites like Hot Springs, Gogra and the strategically-located Depsang Plains.

“Negotiations are being conducted for resolution of other friction points in a firm but non-escalatory manner. Negotiations do take time. We will resolve them by and by,” he said. India has made its position very clear to China that “both sides should restore the status quo ante as prevailing on or before April 2020”, he added.

With the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) digging in its heels to even complete the stalled disengagement at patrolling points (PPs) 15, 17 and 17A in the Hot Springs-GograKongka La area, Gen Naravane acknowledged troop de-induction and the consequent deescalation along the frontier would take some time. The PLA also continues to block Indian patrols from going to their traditional PPs-10, 11, 11A, 12, and 13 in Depsang, which are well short of India’s perception of the Line of Actual Control in the region.

“Depsang Bulge is a legacy issue where the differing perception and obstruction to patrolling has been there for some time. The issue needs to be amicably resolved at the earliest,” Gen Naravane said. The Army is maintaining a force level of around 50,00060,000 soldiers in forward areas to take care of all contingencies.

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Yediyurappa to complete term as CM: Karnataka BJP chief BENGALURU: Ruling out a change in leadership, Karnataka BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel asserted that Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa is a "unanimous leader" and will complete the term, as he instructed party MLAs not to indulge in any activities other than Covid-19 management. He also ruled out any immediate possibility of holding a legislature party meeting, due to Covid and said an explanation will be sought from Tourism Minister CP Yogeeshwara about his open expression of disgruntlement.

"There is no change, Yediyurappa ji is our unanimous leader. The centre (central leadership) has already made it clear that there is no change, there is no such discussion.... it is not the subject of discussion in the party," Kateel said. Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, he said, speculation about leadership change started ever since the 78-year-old Lingayat

leader took charge as the Chief Minister, and reiterated that "Yediyurappa has completed two years and will complete the remaining term too."

"There is no change. Covid is the management responsibility of every legislator, public representative and party worker. The Chief Minister is involved in it, all our leaders too are involved," he said.

There have been reports of speculations that efforts were on within the ruling BJP to exert for unseating pressure Yediyurappa. Recent activities such as visit by Yogeeshwara and Hubballi-Dharwad West MLA Arvind Bellad to Delhi, reportedly with an intention to meet the high command and express the feeling of some legislators against Yediyurappa's style of functioning and request them to rein in the Chief Minister, has given credibility to such speculation, reported to a report.

Also, citing certain decisions

taken by the government, its handling of Covid crisis, and alleged instances of corruption, a few MLAs are said to be pushing convening a for legislature party meeting after June 7, the last day of the lockdown. Ruling out any legislature party meeting immediately, Kateel said, "until Covid ends, party will not call any meeting...."

He said that all legislators have been given clear instructions to focus only on Covid and nothing else. "I'm giving clear instructions that no legislator should be involved in any kind of activities other than Covid management. The only responsibility of every legislator is he should be in his constituency, serve people and take control measures," he added. Earlier too there have been intense speculation in

Nalin Kumar Kateel

some quarters that the BJP high command is mulling leadership change in Karnataka in the days to come considering Yediyurappa's age. Though the BJP had officially rejected outright such speculation in the past, it refuses to die down, with some within the party like senior MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal giving credence to it with his statements, setting repeated deadlines for Yediyurappa's exit.

Responding to a question about comments by Yogeeshwara, the BJP state chief and MP said "I will seek an explanation on what he has said and why."

PUNJAB

May becomes the worst month for Covid in Punjab CHANDIGARH: Even as the Covid cases and deaths are on the decline, May has proved to be the worst month so far as the state reported over 35 per cent of the total Covid cases and 40 per cent of the total deaths in just past 30 days. In the last one month, the state reported around 200,000 cases and around 5,500 deaths.

The second wave has hit the state badly. In the last two weeks, the state witnessed a decline in the cases as well as deaths. The first case of Covid and death in the state was reported last year in March.

Since then, the state has reported 523,000 cases and over 14,300 deaths.

However, the last two months have proved worst.

Putting together the cases and deaths reported in April and May, the state reported 325,000 cases and over 7,500 deaths. It means in the last two months around 58 per cent of the total

cases and 53 per cent of the deaths were witnessed. Earlier, April proved the worst month ever with 131,000 cases and over 2,100 deaths. Significantly, the first wave’s peak came in September when 60,000 cases and 1,954 deaths were reported.

Haryana COVID-19 lockdown extended till June 7, check details here Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday (May 30, 2021) announced that the lockdown in the state has been extended by one week till June 7

in view of the COVID-19 situation in the state.

Lockdown extended in Haryana The Haryana government said that the lockdown has been extended by one week till June 7 in view of the Covid-19 situation in the state. State Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced that the new Covid19 guidelines direct the shops in the state to operate as per the odd-even formula. “We have decided to extend lockdown till June 7. Shops can now operate from 9 am to 3 pm. Shopkeepers must follow odd-even formula.

Educational institutions will remain closed till June 15. Night curfew will continue from 10 pm to 5 am,” said Khattar.

WEST BENGAL

Tough questions force CBI to withdraw Narada plea from SC NEW DELHI: Even as the Supreme Court posed tough questions to the CBI, forcing the agency to withdraw its plea challenging the Calcutta HC’s decision to put four Narada scam chargesheeted TMC leaders under house-arrest, the bench questioned the “partial approach” of the bureau in arresting a set of persons named in the FIR while sparing another set of TMC leaders who have now defected to BJP. At the same time, the court dampened the joy for TMC by strongly disapproving the dharnas by CM Mamata Banerjee, her law minister and others to protest the arrests on May17. On the CBI’s selective approach, the bench of Justices Vineet Saran and B R Gavai asked, “Tell us, who is in a better position to influence the witnesses - those chargesheeted or those who are not? There are two sets of accused. One set

chargesheeted, while the other is not. Which set is more likely to influence witnesses or tamper with evidence?”

Solicitor general Tushar Mehta strived hard to paint a grim picture of the law and order situation in Kolkata by narrating how the CM-led mob laid siege of the CBI office on May 17, dared them to arrest her and after six hours went out threatening the CBI officers of arrest, a threat which has been implemented by police by registering FIRs. Arguing before the bench, the SG said when the CM was laying siege to the CBI office, that the trial court was gheraoed by the law minister and TMC supporters which prevented the public prosecutor from reaching the court. “The PP had to argue through video conferencing and the magistrate had to grant bail as cabinet ministers of the state with nearly 3,000 supporters virtually

laid siege to the trial court,” Mehta said.

The bench put a preliminary objection to the CBI’s plea.

“When a five-judge bench of the Calcutta HC is adjudicating the CBI's plea against the grant of bail by trial court to the four chargesheeted persons, why should the Supreme Court interfere. It will be better for the Supreme Court to examine the issue, if necessary, after the HC renders a decision,” it said.

Justices Saran and Gavai were also critical that once the chargesheeted TMC leaders Firhad Hakim, Subrata Mukherjee, Madan Mitra and Sovan Chatterjee - were granted bail by the trial court, could the HC have cancelled their bail without issuing them notice. On the CBI plea, a two-judge bench of the HC had taken up the issue but returned a split verdict - one

enlarging them on bail and the other preferring house-arrest.

Thereafter, the acting CJ of the HC referred the matter to a fivejudge bench. SG said that it is a case meriting transfer outside the state for free and fair investigation and trial. But, the bench said, “The HC had acted in an extraordinary manner.

When the trial court was sieged of the matter, a special bench of the HC was assigned the appeal filed by the CBI and it took away the liberty of the accused persons even without issuing them notice,” it said, The SG said extraordinary circumstances prevailed at that point with the rule of law being breached by the actions of the CM and the law minister.

in brief BAR ON 10 TELANGANA HOSPITALS TO TREAT COVID PATIENTS Complaints over excessive billing and mismanagement have led to the cancellation of 10 Telangana hospitals' licences to treat Covid19 patients. The authorities also issued notices to 79 hospitals after it received 115 complaints over the issue. The Telangana government has capped rates to be charged by hospitals for Covid treatment. However, hospitals appear to be violating the same. Virinchi Hospitals lost its licence to treat Covid patients for the second time, on this occasion over a complaint of medical negligence. Relatives of a patient recently barged into the hospital and allegedly attacked the doctor who had treated the 35year-old Covid patient who died. "Why did they give strong steroids, wrong medicines to my brother when he only had a mild disease? Why did they offer to refund our money?'' sister of the deceased patient asked.

SASIKALA HINTS AT POLITICAL RETURN VK Sasikala, eased out from the AIADMK years ago, has hinted at the resumption of efforts to regain control of the party by telling her supporters that there would soon be a "good decision." After announcing ahead of the April 6 Assembly polls, that she would stay away from politics, VK Sasikala said she could not see the party getting ruined due to "infighting."

Her reference to the fued, though has no direct mention of the AIADMK or its leadership, is seen as a pointer to alleged differences between top two leaders, K Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam. Sasikala's brief conversation with two of her loyalists over phone has surfaced and this has dropped hints about her rethinking. Sasikala said she would meet supporters after the second wave of coronavirus faded. The party could be brought back to a good shape and there was no need to worry.

MISSING SIKH MAN IN PAK FOUND AFTER 3 MONTHS A Sikh man in Pakistan, who was missing since February after being abducted from his home, has been found by the police in a village in the country’s northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Avinash Singh, in his 20s, went missing from the Gulberg area of Peshawar Cantonment on February 28. According to police, Singh was found from a village near Laachi Tehsil of district Kohat. He has been admitted to a hospital in Peshawar as he was severely tortured by the abductors, they said.

Four accused, including a woman, who were named in the case filed by Singh’s father have been arrested. The family members of Singh said he was tortured by the abductors during his captivity. The Sikh community earlier protested against missing youth and asked the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial government to find him.

HC GRANTS BAIL TO 4 TMC NETAS HELD IN NARADA CASE The Calcutta high court has granted interim bail to four Bengal politicians arrested by CBI in the Narada case on May 17. All four cabinet ministers Firhad Hakim and Subrata Mukherjee, Trinamool MLA Madan Mitra and former Kolkata mayor Sovan Chatterjee - were under house arrest from May 21. A five-judge bench gave the four bail on a personal bond of Rs 200,000 each and sureties. The court directed them not to speak to the media or make public comments in connection with the case and not to “tamper with evidence or attempt to intimidate or influence the witness”. “The factual and legal issues... (raised by the counsel for the CBI and the politicians) may require some time for final determination,” the bench said, adding that interim bail was “fit and proper considering all circumstances”. The five-judge bench will hear the matter again.

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Mamata meets PM Modi for 15 minutes over cyclone, then leaves early Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a 15-minute meeting with Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at Kalaikunda Air Base in Bengal's West Midnapore district on Friday. The two leaders were to hold a review meeting to assess damage caused by Cyclone Yaas, which tore through Bengal and Odisha last week.

Mamata, however, skipped that meet, only staying to give the Prime Minister a report on damages.

"Prime Minister called the meeting... we (her office) didn't know. I had a meeting in Digha (but) I went to Kalaikunda and gave the report asking for £2 billion. I told him you (state officials) wanted to meet me. I took his permission and left," she was quoted as saying. The 15-minute meeting was their first since the April-May

Assembly election that Mamata's Trinamool won, despite the opposition mounting a high-profile campaign to capture power.

The last time they were faceto-face was on January 23 at Kolkata's Victoria Memorial to mark the 125th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. On that evening a furious Mamata walked off-stage in a huff after her speech was interrupted with chants of "Jai Shri Ram".

Home minister Amit Shah criticised the CM and said, “Mamata Didi’s conduct today is an unfortunate low. Cyclone Yaas has affected several common citizens and the need of the hour is to assist those affected. Sadly, Didi has put arrogance above public welfare and today’s petty behaviour reflects that.” Bengal gover-

nor Jagdeep Dhankhar, who has a running feud with Mamata, and leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari were at the meeting. Dhankhar later took a swipe at Mamata over her skipping the meeting, saying it was "not in sync with constitutionalism or rule of law".

"It would have served interests of state and its people for CM and officials to attend review meet by PM. Confrontational stance ill serves interests of State or democracy. Non-participation by CM and officials not in sync with constitutionalism or rule of law," he tweeted.

The Prime Minister also took aerial surveys of regions affected by Yaas, which caused havoc across South and North 24 Paraganas, Digha, East

Medinipur and Nandigram districts of the state. He later announced £100 million for relief measures.

Pound 50 million to be given immediately to Odisha, with equal sums for Bengal and Jharkhand. These will be released on the basis of damage. He also announced Rs 200,000 each for the families of each of those who died in cyclone-related incidents. A sum of Rs 50,000 would be paid to those injured in such incidents.

Mamata said she would undertake her own surveys.

She has pegged the damage to her state at £1.5 billlion including the destruction of 300,000 houses and 134 embankments - and has already announced a rescue package of £100 million.

Cyclone Yaas tore through Bengal and Odisha last week, causing damage

worth billions. The Prime Minister has already met Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik; the two met in Bhubaneswar in the morning, after which he conducted an aerial survey in that state.

Patnaik thanked the Prime Minister for visiting the state and said he had informed him of the "largescale devastation" caused by Cyclone Yaas.

PM Modi issued a statement after his meeting with Patnaik, in which he noted the effective role of central and states agencies in responding to the challenge posed by Yaas. He advised all

agencies to ensure the restoration of normal life in the affected areas as soon as possible and asked that relief material is disbursed to all persons affected by the cyclone.

Yaas made landfall on the north Odisha coast about 20 km south of Balasore - on Wednesday last with 130-140 km per hour winds and 150 km per hour gusts. At least three people died as Yaas hit Odisha. A fourth person died in Bengal's Digha town.

Over 100 NDRF teams have been deployed across both states to help in rescue and relief efforts.

Bengal CS retires, made Mamata’s chief adviser

India sends jet with Choksy papers to Dominica; deportation uncertain

Bengal chief secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay on Monday opted for superannuation instead of reporting to Delhi’s North Block as directed by central government order. His decision was followed by an announcement from Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee appointing him as the "chief advisor to the CM" for a period of three years.

The Union ministry of personnel issued Bandyopadhyay a show-cause notice on Monday for not reporting to the department of personnel and training (DoPT) in Delhi’s North Block. According to sources in the Centre, a chargesheet may be issued against the retired chief secretary followed by disciplinary action. The show-cause notice is said to have asked why disciplinary proceedings should not be initiated against him for having defied the Centre's directions in alleged violation of service rules.

Other grounds for the likely disciplinary action will include Bandyopadhyay's failure to attend PM Modi’s review meeting on the damage to West Bengal due to Cyclone Yaas despite being on the same premises where the meeting was scheduled. Government sources in Delhi said the chief secretary was scheduled to give a presentation but left the meeting venue along with CM Banerjee without citing any reason.

The sources said Bandyopadhyay was summoned to Delhi on central deputation for the same lapse, as skipping the PM's

Uncertainty shrouds the fate of absconding diamond dealer Mehul Choksi despite the Indian government having sent officials with legal documents and a special aircraft to Dominica for his deportation directly to India. While the arrival of the long-range business jet, a Bombardier Global 5000, at Dominica’s Doughlas-Charles airport signalled the India's keenness to get Choksi, the challenge for Delhi is to prevent his return to Antigua and Barbuda where, according to the Caribbean nation’s PM Gaston Browne, Choksi enjoys legal and constitutional rights despite his government working to revoke the diamond dealer’s citizenship.

While maintaining that Dominica needed to send Choksi directly to India, instead of repatriating him to Antigua, Browne confirmed that Indian authorities had indeed sent an aircraft on May 28 to Dominica where Choksi is in the custody of law enforcement agencies. The Caribbean leader, who is keen to send the alleged fraudster back to India, on Sunday refuted the claim of Choksi's lawyers that he had been abducted and spirited away to Dominica. According to Browne, Choksi had travelled to Dominica with his girlfriend.

Delhi wary of stance of courts in Caribbean Sources in Delhi believe authorities in Dominica are ready to cooperate. However, they are wary of the stand of courts in both

meeting was seen as a violation of service Mamata Banerjee rules.

Bandyopadhyay can face disciplinary action Sources indicated that Bandyopadhyay could always explain why he failed to report to New Delhi at the appointed hour on Monday by citing the Bengal government's refusal to let him travel to Delhi. “This would be a completely valid and acceptable explanation,” former secretary, personnel, S K Sarkar said. He added that since the Bengal government was Bandyopadhyay's cadre controlling agency, its approval was mandatory for him to travel to New Delhi to report to the DoPT. Central government sources indicated that disciplinary proceedings may still be initiated against the retired chief secretary and a chargesheet served to him, and that he might find himself to be on a weaker wicket so far as his failure to attend the PM's review meeting is concerned. The aggrieved officer can always escalate the matter to the Central Administrative Tribunal or the high court.

Disciplinary action will have to follow due process, including giving the officer a proper hearing and, if cleared, may involve a minor or major penalty. For an officer who has already retired, it may impact his postretirement pension and other benefits.

Google, FB & WA agree to appoint officers, Twitter refuses to comply Engaged in a bitter battle with global social media companies over its new rules for IT intermediaries, the government had some respite with top companies such as Google, Facebook, and WhatsApp agreeing to appoint statutory officers in line with the guidelines. Twitter, which so far steadfastly refused to comply with the rules, proposed the name of an outside consultant, though this was summarily rejected by the government as they were not in consonance with the guidelines.

The fresh move comes amidst raging debate over the new IT rules that has also seen WhatsApp move the Delhi high court over its denial to track the origins of "unlawful" messages, and Twitter accuse the government of "dangerous overreach inconsistent with open, democratic principles".

Friday saw a change as majority of companies came forward and expressed willing-

ness to start complying with a section of the provisions. LinkedIn (owned by Microsoft), Telegram, Google, Facebook and WhatsApp shared details of their chief compliance officer, nodal contact person and grievance officer with the IT ministry. Having these officers is a mandate under the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 which were

announced on February 25 this year. Even Indian companies such as Koo (local rival to Twitter) and Sharechat have made the appointments.

However, Twitter remains the only global player that is still playing hardball.

The Jack Dorsey-co-founded company, which has been in the middle of a raging regulatory storm in India over a variety of issues, did respond to the government, sharing details of a lawyer working in a law firm in India as their nodal contact person and grievance officer, the sources said. However, the government rejected its choice. "The rules require that these designated officers of the significant social media companies (those having more than 50,00,000 users) must be the employees of the company and a resident in India," the sources said, while explaining why Twitter’s nomination was rejected.

Dominica and Antigua and Barbuda, with Choksi engaging expensive lawyers. Besides, his team has also enlisted, as Browne said, the support of opposition parties in Antigua and Barbuda. The government Mehul Choksi settled on a Bombardier Global 5000, chartered from Qatar Executive, the charter subsidiary of Qatar Airways, because of the small size of the airport in Dominica. It can handle only small planes capable of doing around 500 miles without having to be refuelled. The Bombardier, in contrast, can fly long distances at a stretch. It flew from Delhi on Thursday afternoon to reach Dominica after 12 hours, with just a refuelling stop in Madrid.

Sources said authorities in Delhi wanted to avoid too many stopovers in case they succeeded in getting hold of Choksi. Choksi’s lawyer has pleaded before the court, which put his repatriation on hold and will hear the matter again, that he can’t be sent back to India as he ceased to be an Indian citizen after having acquired Antiguan citizenship.

Significantly for India, Browne also said the issue of Choksi’s Antiguan citizenship remained unsettled.

Political football over Choksi Meanwhile, Mehul Choksi has become a major political hot potato in the Caribbean with the region's opposition parties and leaders alleging complicity of the Dominica and Antigua and Barbuda governments in the fugitive’s alleged abduction. However, Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne has dismissed suggestions of his government's involvement in the kidnapping.

“The presence of Choksi in Dominica following allegations that he was kidnapped in Antigua, beaten, ferried to Dominica and taken into the country against his will, highlights once again the extent to which departments of government are involved in organized crime under the influence and/or direction of the regime of Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit,” Lennox Linton, the leader of the opposition in the Dominica’s House of Assembly said a statement. He demanded a probe into the violations of the law by the police, immigration and customs officials “who openly allowed to 1) facilitate the operators of the St Lucia based schooner; and 2) detain Choksi on allegations of illegal entry.”

He further demanded that the role of the ministers (of Dominica) in the unlawful transfer of Choksi to Dominica be probed.

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We’re on right track in 7 years of govt, says PM Modi Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday highlighted his government’s achievements in the seven years in which it has been in power, saying that India was on the “right track” and that it did not work as per the “thoughts and pressures” of other nations, but according to its own “resolve”. In his monthly radio broadcast Mann Ki Baat, which coincided with the seventh anniversary of the Modi government at the Centre, the Prime Minister said India has made strides in several areas from water and electricity connections in rural households to digital transactions.

“All this was possible because in these 7 years, more than as the Government or as the people, we worked together as one country.

We worked as a team. We worked as Team India,” he said, adding that his government has worked

Narendra Modi

on the principle of “sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas”.

The Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government was re-elected to power at the Centre in May 2019 with a clear majority of 303 seats, improving its 2014 performance of 282 in the Lok Sabha. The BJP decided to tone down celebrations on the completion of the NDA government’s seven years on Sunday, but asked party leaders to

reach out to people in their local areas amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Together, we have experienced many moments of national pride in these years.

When we observe that now India moves ahead not with the thought and pressure of other countries but with her own conviction, then we all feel proud. When we witness that now India gives a befitting reply to those who conspire against us, then our confidence soars. When India does not compromise on the issues of national security, when the strength of our armed forces increases, we feel that yes, we are on the right path,” he said.

He said the government has been successful in resolving ageold conflicts. “In these 7 years,

many old contestations of the country have also been resolved with complete peace and harmony.

A new confidence of peace and development has arisen, from the Northeast to Kashmir.” Modi conceded that along with successes, there were also “trials” and that the country has “overcome many difficult tests”.

Speaking of contributions made by people in the trying times of a pandemic raging in the country, the PM said the first wave of Covid-19 infections was a “war” that was fought with “total courage”.

“This time too (2nd wave) India will be victorious in the fight against Covid-19… In these 7 years, together we have seen many tough times together but each time we all came out stronger,” he said, adding that the pandemic was a challenge that has gripped the entire world,

including big countries.

In recent weeks, opposition parties across the country have lashed out at the central government for its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, which saw a resurgence of cases from March onwards, propelled by a complete re-opening of activities, lack of adherence to social distancing norms and more transmissible virus variants. Political parties and state governments have also criticised the government for what they allege is a mismanaged nationwide inoculation drive, with several regions now reporting a shortage of vaccine doses.

“You need the right intention, policy and determination to fight Corona (Covid-19) and not just a pointless talk once in a month,” senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi on Sunday.

Baba Ramdev gets £100 mn defamation Active Covid cases in India down by 50% notice for remarks on allopathy The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has slapped yoga guru Swami Ramdev with a £100 million defamation notice for his controversial remarks about allopathy, scientific medicine and their use in treating Covid-19. The defamation notice has been issued by the Uttarakhand chapter of the IMA – the apex body of Indian doctors.

The IMA notice states that if Ramdev doesn't post a video countering the statements given by him and tender a written apology within the next 15 days, then a sum of £100 million will be demanded from him. The IMA had earlier raised strong objections to Baba Ramdev's controversial remarks and demanded strict action against him. IMA state unit, President Dr Ajay Khanna said that a letter has been sent to the Chief Minister and Chief Secretary in this regard.

"In the letter, it is written that there is a lot of resentment among the IMA doctors against the statement of Baba Ramdev. The Union Health Minister has also sent a notice to Ramdev on the same stating that the statement is considered incorrect", Dr Khanna said. He added that the state government should take strict action against Ramdev immediately. A defamation notice is also being sent to Ramdev on behalf of the IMA, informed Dr Khanna.

"In addition to a defamation

Baba Ramdev

case that will be filed soon, an FIR will also be lodged, if the government did not take concrete action on the same", he said. After courting the controversy, Baba Ramdev has withdrawn his statements on allopathic medicine.

He has also received a strongworded letter from Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan who called his remarks "inappropriate".

"We do not oppose modern medical science and allopathy. We believe that allopathy has shown immense progress in surgery and the lifesaving system and served humanity. My statement has been quoted as part of a WhatsApp message that I was reading during a meeting of volunteers. I am sorry if it has hurt anyone`s sentiment," Ramdev mentioned in his letter to the Union Health Minister in Hindi.

The IMA had sent a legal notice

to yoga guru Ramdev over his alleged statements against allopathy and "defaming" scientific medicine. However, the Patanjali Yogpeeth Trust has denied allegations by the IMA that Ramdev has misled people by making "unlearned" statements against allopathy and defamed scientific medicine.

"IMA brings to the notice of our Health Minister, a video circulating in social media portraying, the celebrated Yoga Guruji saying that ‘modern allopathy ek aisi stupid aur diwaliya science hai’ (modern allopathy is a stupid and failed science)," the association said in its statement. In Ramdev's defence, the Haridwar-based Patanjali Yogpeeth Trust said, Yoga Guru was reading out a WhatsApp forwarded message in the video that has gone viral on social media.

Karnataka on Tuesday recorded 14,304 new cases, 464 deaths, and 29,271 recoveries. Among the fresh infections, 3,418 were from Bengaluru. The positivity rate has dropped to 12.30%. Meanwhile, the number of fresh infections in the last 24 hours are 623 in Delhi, 831 in Mumbai, 1,032 in Kolkata and 2,467 in Chennai. The Union Health Ministry said the mixing of Covid vaccines is not the protocol till further updates.

“The same vaccines (Covishield and Covaxin) will be administered for both doses. There’s international research underway on the mixing of vaccines as the possibility of a positive effect is also plausible but a harmful reaction cannot be ruled out either. It is an unresolved scientific question, science will settle it,” it said. Earlier, it was reported that India might soon begin testing the feasibility of a regimen that mixes two different Covid-19 vaccines to see if it helps boost immune response to the virus.

Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Union Health Ministry, said, “Active cases are down by 50%, there is a 130,000 decrease in active cases in a day. In 30 states/UTs, cases have been consistently declining for one week. This is a positive trend.” He added, “A total of 1,27,000 cases have been reported in the last 24 hours. Since May 28, the country is reporting less than 200,000 cases. There is a decline of infection in the country.”

With 120 mn doses, Covid fight to get a shot in arm in June Nearly 120 million doses of Covid vaccines will be available in June for the national Covid-19 vaccination programme, up from 79 million supplied in May, the government said while providing an advance estimate on vaccine stocks to states and UTs to enable them to plan vaccination schedules and slots accordingly.

The Centre will provide 60 million doses to states and UTs in June for inoculating those above 45 along with health and frontline workers, whereas an additional 58 million doses will be available for direct procurement by states and private hospitals for the 18-44 age group, the health ministry said.

Meanwhile, Serum Institute of India (SII) informed the government that it will be able to manufacture and supply 9-100 million doses of Covishield in June, according to letter from the company to home minister Amit Shah. The company had earlier indicated a capacity of 65 million

doses in June.

Earlier, estimates drawn by the government had suggested around 100 million doses for June which included 65 million doses of Covishield, 25 million shots of Covaxin and 10 million of Sputnik.

However, the Centre is likely to have revised the earlier estimates about availability of vaccine doses in June after taking into account the supplies indicated by SII in its letter to the home ministry.

Though the government has not specified the quantity of particular vaccines while indicating120 million doses for June, it has earlier said that there is usually a time lag between

production and supplies to reach the respective states and vaccination centres. “The delivery schedule for this allocation will be shared in advance,” the health ministry said.

“Allocation of supplies to states/UTs is decided on the consumption pattern, population and vaccine wastage. Visibility for availability of vaccines for the entire month of June has been provided well in advance to states/UTs by the Union government as communicated to states and UTs vide letters of health ministry dated May17, May 27 and May 29,” the ministry added.

Earlier on Tuesday, a consignment, comprising as many as three million doses of Russia’s Covid-19 vaccine Sputnik V, the biggest tranche so far, landed at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad. Dr Reddy’s Laboratories is in a pact with Russian Direct Investment Fund to sell the first 125 million people doses (250 million vials) of Sputnik V in India. It has received approval from the Indian drug regulator for restricted emergency use of Sputnik V. Deaths begin to dip Meanwhile, the high death count in the second wave of the pandemic is finally coming down.

In the week ended Sunday, nationwide fatalities dipped by 17%, the first decline in 12 weeks, even as the daily death toll dropped below 3,000 after 34 days. The second wave is now receding across all states/Union territories except a few in the northeast and in Ladakh.

While fresh cases of the virus fell for the third week running, this week's numbers showed the most comprehensive decline yet as infections had started to fall in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Assam - states that had shown arising trend till last week.

With 12,950,000 new infections recorded in May 24-30, the weekly case count registered a drop of 27% over the previous week, the steepest yet in the second wave.

Just as significant was fall in deaths. India recorded 24,372 fatalities in May 24-30, a drop of almost 5,000 from the previous week's toll of 29,331. These included previous deaths added to the toll in Maharashtra and Uttarakhand during this period. With vaccine supplies likely to increase in next few months, the Centre has asked states to draw up plans in advance to ensure smooth vaccination across all districts, mainly covering the priority population groups of 45 years and above along with enhanced coverage of health and frontline workers. “Going forward, vaccination will have to be the focus, and as economic activities open up people will have to maintain Covid-appropriate behavior because vaccines can only protect from severe disease,” an official said.

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HEALTH

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27

5 - 11 June 2021

The right breakfasts for early birds and night owls We all know the best way to start the day is a decent breakfast full of the right nutrients – and eating well first thing has been linked to higher energy levels, and better cholesterol, to name but a few benefits. But did you know there are different foods you can eat in the morning that’ll benefit you, depending on whether you’re an early bird or a night owl? Yeah, us neither.

Mornings affect everything about our day, says senior nutritionist Alex Glover and the food we eat in particular impacts how our bodies regulate energy. “In order to best regulate our energy cycles, we need to listen to our personal circadian rhythms, and make sure we’re matching our mornings to these,” he says. Dr. Simon Steenson, nutrition scientist at the British Nutrition Foundation, says breakfast, in general, is your best opportunity to get the nutrients you need for good health.

On average, most people fall short of eating our recommended intake of fiber, he says, so choices like whole grain breakfast cereals and fruit (bananas and berries) or whole wheat toast with nut butter are good sources of fibre. Steenson says there’s been a lot of interest in recent years about the role of not just

what we eat, but when we eat.

Studies have suggested the timing of our meals might be a factor in weight gain, and have pointed to circadian rhythms in our metabolism as a possible explanation, he says.

However, there’s no conclusive evidence that points to the best time to eat – and people need to find what works best for them. If you wake up early and wanna crack on with breakfast straight away, that works!

If you’re a later riser and therefore have breakfast later on in the morning, that works too.

“Focusing on the overall balance and variety of foods that we eat is key,” says Steenson. “This would typically include plenty of fruit and vegetables, whole grains and higher fibre starchy foods, as well as some lower-fat dairy foods like milk and yogurt (or dairy alternatives).”

Glover says early birds should start their mornings with a hearty breakfast, packed with protein and fibre to keep them feeling fuller for longer – with the break between breakfast and lunch up to seven hours if rising around 6 am. Foods like oats are perfect thanks to their high content of soluble fiber, he says, and mixing in a high-quality flavored protein is a good addition.

“An early bird lifestyle can leave them prone to feeling lethargic in the afternoon, which often results in turning to caffeine for an afternoon boost,” he says. “But this can be counter-intuitive, in that the caffeine hit can then have a negative impact on our sleep cycle, as it can stay in our system for up to eight hours.

“If you’re an early bird and often feel the 3 pm slump, instead of turning to caffeine, try a natural energy booster such as a daily vitamin B12 which contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.”

“Some night owls may find it difficult to eat breakfast and may wish to postpone it a short while, as long as this isn’t affecting eating patterns or quality of food throughout the day, then it’s fine.”

While skipping breakfast is not itself an unhealthy choice, some research has shown it can lead to worse food choices later in the day.

“If by lunchtime you’re craving anything in sight, you may be more likely to go for a less nutrient dense option to satisfy those hunger pangs, so try having a breakfast high in fibre, protein and fruits and vegetables and don’t forget to stay hydrated,” he says.

The benefits of raw onion Onion is a common part of the Indian kitchen. It is used in the preparation of curries, sandwiches, soups, pickles and what not. In India raw onion is often consumed as a salad with meals with a dash of lemon. Eating raw onion is encouraged during the summer season as it can keep you cool and offer a host of health benefits to the body. Adding raw onion is one of the simplest ways to make your meals tasty yet nutritious.

Recently, nutritionist and lifestyle coach, Luke Coutinho took to Instagram to enlighten his followers about the benefits of eating raw onions. Let's find out more about the goodness of having raw onions.

Health benefits Onions are a rich source of quercetin which is a natural pigment present in certain foods. According to Coutinho, onions contain quercetin

that can help in boosting immunity. Quercetin is known to reduce inflammation, ease allergy symptoms, control blood pressure and can offer many other health benefits. Boost your immunity with this simple age-old habit of eating raw onion with meals, he writes. Other than quercetin, onions contain vitamin C, B vitamins and potassium. The presence of potassium makes onion beneficial for those trying to lower blood pressure. High antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties also make onions a heartfriendly root vegetable. Onions can also offer you anti-bacterial properties.

According to studies, onions may help control blood sugar that can be helpful for those with diabetes and pre-

diabetes. If you have severe acidity or GERD, onion may not suit you and in that case, it's recommended you cook the onions," Coutinho adds.

This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information.

New approach promises better anaemia detection A new way to detect anaemia that relies on optical light absorbance to measure haemoglobin levels using whole blood in a microfluidic device is claimed by researchers to be a vast improvement over existing tests that require hemolysis (rupturing) of blood samples and lab facilities.

“The most exciting aspect to this analyser is that it uses whole blood (blood components intact) and doesn’t require additional steps and reagents to prepare a sample,” says Nathan Sniadecki, professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Washington, Seattle, and an author of the report on the novel approach.

Anaemia, a disease caused by low concentration of haemoglobin in red blood cells, results primarily from a lack of iron in the diet but can co-occur with other conditions, such as malaria or

genetic disorders. The World Health Organisation (WHO) considers it as a global health problem affecting over a quarter of the global population, a vast number of which are women and children in resource-poor countries.

Nikita Taparia, a doctoral candidate at Sniadecki’s laboratory, says the microfluid channel technique they developed is ideal for use in the field.

“All that is needed are a few drops of blood to be put into the microfluid channel.” Microfluidics deals with the behaviour and control of fluids in a constrained, typically sub-millimetre space.

“The analyser takes advantage of the optical properties of blood, such as absorption and scattering of light, to measure haemoglobin concentration.

Anaemic blood transmits more light compared to normal blood, so the

severity of anaemia can be measured as a ratio of transmitted to original light intensity,” emphasises Taparia.

Jose Lopez, professor at the University of Washington’s school of medicine and a member of the Bloodworks Research Institute NW in Seattle, says the new approach “can be useful to diagnose infectious disorders associated with anaemia (such as malaria) and to screen for genetic anaemias such as thalassemia and sickle cell disease.”

J.P. Peña-Rosas, who coordinates the Evidence and Programme Guidance, department of nutrition for health and development at WHO, Geneva, says that the global body will convene a technical consultation to discuss the interpretation of haemoglobin concentrations for assessing anaemia status in individuals and populations.

Simple things you can do to make a difference to your inner self Psychologist Mamta Saha Dear Readers, today we are exploring what exactly a digital detox is and why we absolutely need one.

Almost everything is digitalised in today’s world, from eBooks, online classes, shopping to weekly meetings. We often do not realize how plugged in we are because of our work and if we are not mindful about the time, we could end up living in front of the screens. On an average a person spends about 6 hours a day using the internet. As of April 2020, 59% of the global population of approximately 4.57 billion people were active internet users. In terms of penetration, 58.7% of the global population has internet access.

Digital technology has swept across every aspect of our lives, further blurring the lines between healthy and unhealthy use of the internet. Internet addiction can be best explained as an emotional attachment to their online activities on websites or apps. Internet addiction is common among all age groups and its prevalence is as follows: 13-17 (73%), 18-24 (71%), 25-34 (59%), 35-44 (54%), 45-54 (40%), 55-64 (39%), and 64+ (44). Evidence also suggests that heavy device use, particularly prior to bedtime, can interfere with sleep quality and quantity. Another study found that children who use digital devices at bedtime had significantly worse and less sleep. As the evidence is clear, heavy usage of digital devices and social media is harmful for mental health. A digital detox should be considered as an important self-care strategy. Therefore, it is important to engage in a regular digital detox to ensure our well-being and prevent a burnout.

Detaching from your screens and devices can benefit your mental well-being as well as overall well-being but doing a digital detox does not have to involve a complete detachment rather it is a process which is more about being mindful about the usage in a way that benefits your emotional and mental health and setting boundaries from your phone and other devices. For a lot of us completely removing all devices or social forms of digital communications can seem overwhelming, which is why it is important to be realistic and start small so you can gradually build your way up.

You can start by limiting your phone usage or turning off push notifications when you are out with friends or family for dinner. Studies have found that the mere presence of a mobile device, even if you are not actively using it, lowers empathy levels and decreased conversation quality when interacting with other people. Limiting your mobile phone or iPad usage immediately before you go to sleep may also be helpful.

In addition, a digital detox provides time to experience nature, get physical exercise, and practice mindfulness.

Unplugging on a regular basis helps us maintain a healthy balance between real life activities and the digital world.

Ultimately, a digital detox is a way to disconnect to reconnect. Love this article, want more? Give a follow on IG: Saha_mamta, FB Sama Mindset Circle and listen to my podcats: Saha Mindset on Spotify, Apple podcasts and google.

Oh, and grab your free eBook from www.mamtasaha.com.

Friendly bacteria enlisted in war against malnutrition Friendly gut bacteria have emerged as an invaluable ally in the war against malnutrition after a research study in Bangladesh showed that bacteria-targeting food supplements were more effective than standard nutritional supplements in improving the health of undernourished children. The supplement – made from ingredients such as chickpeas, soy, bananas, and peanuts and developed to boost normal gut microbes – helped Bangladeshi children with malnutrition gain more weight than those receiving a standard nutritional supplement, the study found.

Published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the study showed that the supplement also increased certain protein levels in the blood which are linked with the health of bone, cartilage and brain. Last year, 144 million children were too short for their age due to malnutrition, while 47 million were too light for their height, according to the World Health Organization. The friendly bacteria study showed that children with malnutrition have defects in the development of their gut microbiota – the bacteria, virus and fungi that are normally found in the digestive system. According to the study, the effects of the current therapies for childhood malnutrition showed “limited efficacy” in taking care of the longterm consequences of inadequate nutrition and in repairing the gut microbiota.

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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5 - 11 June 2021

Shefali Saxena Vishal Sahni is an orthopaedic surgeon and author based in the Manchester area. In 2017 he won the best innovation in health care award for developing and performing the first-ever Robot-assisted keyhole surgery on the shoulder joint. He was born and raised in Nagpur, India, known as the tiger capital of the world.

Vishal Sahni is anguished by loneliness amongst the elderly and organises regular tea parties at his residence for them to share stories and sing songs from the 1950s like Que Sera Sera. So far he has resisted their calls to dress as Doris Day though! He lives with his wife and little daughter in a charming seaside village in the North West of England.

In an exclusive chat with Asian Voice he spoke about his book, ‘Duty Of The Gods’. "I wanted the title to evoke a strong reaction especially since the story is set amidst the devastation wreaked by a "once in a century pandemic" and to me, the story demanded a juxtaposition of science and God," Sahni said.

The book is a ruthless organization is determined to profit from the Covid19 pandemic at the expense of millions of lives,

Duty Of The Gods

but two doctors refuse to let them. Dr Rebecca Hartley-Jones, an expert epidemiologist of the GHO, is used to

dealing with unknowns. But when her professor sends her to Wuhan, China, she is stunned by what she finds and even more troubled by what it could mean for millions of innocent people around the globe. Her hunt for answers takes her to Iran, where she is thrown behind bars and subjected to spine chilling torture. Dr Raj Kumar, an Indian virologist, joins her in the mission that will take them across the globe, and ultimately, place them in harm’s way and have long-lasting effects on everyone from every nation. Will their quest to find a cure and root out the truth lead to disaster, or will they find the answers they seek and find love?

Doctors are no less than Gods right now.

But who do they turn toward while saving the world? Vishal said, "Doctors look up to science to deliver and the supreme job satisfaction keeps them going. The thought that their hard work can save a life and return a loving father or mother, from the jaws of death to their family keeps them going.

However, doctors are humans and fallible too. While performing their duty, which is sacrosanct to them, many suffered from severe depression and exhaustion working flat out and some lost their lives. RIP."

Natya Rasa and Koodiyattam captivate audiences Natya Rasa, an online webinar that highlighted the ancient 2000-year Indian theatre art form of Koodiyattam was organised recently by Sanskruti Centre for Cultural Excellence.

A first of its kind webinar on the subject, the captivating session augmented the awareness and understanding of India’s only surviving Sanskrit theatre art for those in Britain and beyond. It also holds the distinction of being the second event organised by Sanskruti Centre in the series of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav in the UK. Eminent Guru Painkulam Narayana Chakyar has joined from Kerala to speak on

the occasion. He has outlined and demonstrated various aspects of Koodiyattam in terms of gestures used,

LIFF to feature conversations with Pam Cullen, Gurinder Chadha, Karan Johar and more The 12th annual Bagri Foundation London Indian Film Festival has announced the lineup of events for its 2021 edition. With films from festival favourites like A'hr from Sanal Kumar Sasidharan, current darlings like Pebbles from V.S. Vinothraj, and even genre offerings like Autohead's Rohit Mittal's new film Pop City, there's something for everyone.

Janhvi Kapoor

Karan Johar

with Flight. The lineup includes a rare encounter with the veteran Pam Cullen, who at 97 boasts of an incredible career spanning over fifty years in the Indian film industry. Pam talks to author and producer Nasreen Munni Kabir about her unique life and work. It starts in the 1940s, rebelling against her conservative English parents to join the ‘Free India’

Asif Kapadia

movement and becoming involved with the nascent Indian High Commission and then the early National Film Development Corporation of India.

Pam recounts her Pam Cullen with Nasreen Gurinder Chadha career experiences with Munni Kabir the Indian independence leader V.K.Krishna Besides a curated lineup of Menon, setting up the UK’s first documentaries, shorts, and the Indian film screening after WW2. festival will witness conversations She later worked with Prime with actors and filmmakers like Minister Indira Gandhi and Gurinder Chadha, Asif Kapadia, befriended the shy young Satyajit Karan Johar, Shruti Haasan, in this Ray on his early visits to London, month-long celebration of Indian rubbing shoulders with such cinema taking place from 17th June luminaries as Charlie Chaplin and - 4th July. managing Raj Kapoor’s press The London Indian Film schedule in the golden age of Festival opens with WOMB cinema at LoveLIFFAtHome.com (Women of My Billion) and closes

costume, makeup, characterisation and enactment with the help of PowerPoint and video clips. Some specific characters such as Brihannala, Soorpanakha and Jatayu were shown. The Navarasas (nine emotions in dance) were demonstrated beautifully by Guru Chakyar and an explanation was provided by Salini. In the end, there was a Q and A where Cllr Sharad Jha of the UK and few others from abroad have sought clarification on different aspects of Koodiyattam. Vote of Thanks was presented

by Ragasudha Vinjamuri and the work and credentials of the Guru were presented by Manju Sunil.

UK's arts and cultural venues at risk A new study from the University of Sheffield, University of Kent, and the Chartered Institute of Fundraising has shown that “Over half of the UK's arts and cultural venues and organisations believe they are at risk due to the decline in income during the pandemic.”

A new study from the University of Sheffield, University of Kent, and the Chartered Institute of Fundraising has shown that “Over half of the UK's arts and cultural venues and organisations believe they are at risk due to the decline in income during the pandemic.”

The study is titled, 'Dealing with the crisis: Creativity and resilience of arts and cultural fundraisers during Covid-19' (28 May 2021).

It is a compilation of gathered information about how arts and cultural fundraisers were impacted by and managed the Covid-19 pandemic during 2020.

Almost two-thirds of fundraisers (62 per cent) surveyed in the study, expected their organisation's income to fall during the pandemic, with nearly half (47 per cent) reporting the social

restrictions during the pandemic meant many of their revenue-generating programmes had been

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in brief in brief THE LOUVRE APPOINTS ITS FIRST FEMALE PRESIDENT IN 228 YEARS Art historian Laurence des Cars, who specialises in 19th and early 20thcentury art, and is a driving force behind the restitution of art looted by the Nazis during World War II, has become the firstever female president of The Louvre in 228 years of history. Des Cars will now be the head of the world’s most visited museum, founded in 1793. Des Cars, president of the Musée d’Orsay and L’Orangerie in Paris, both of which she has run since 2017, will take over the prestigious post in September.

BRITISH PARTICIPATION AT THE CANNES FILM FESTIVAL IS UNDER THREAT According to an online report, following the new quarantine regulations put into place by the French government as the country seeks to successfully exit lockdown, British participation at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival could be under threat.

“After delays caused by Covid, the festival confirmed it would take place in early July, but France has announced a seven-day isolation period for visitors from the UK in response to rising concerns over the Covid variant B.1.617.2, first detected in India. The move is likely to affect thousands, both among the press corps and industry delegates, and large numbers of unregistered attendees,” The Guardian reported. A French government spokesperson said: “There is a new situation with the progression of the so-called Indian variant in the United Kingdom. [France] will set up compulsory isolation for people coming from the United Kingdom.” In a statement to the Guardian, a spokesperson for the festival said they were attempting to find a way to accommodate participants. “We are currently in a day-to-day conversation with the relevant government authorities to find the best option for the festival. At this time we cannot give any details about the measures that will be in place in July, but we are confident that we will be able to communicate about this early in June.”

AMAZON BRINGS THE ARTS TO UK SUBS postponed.

Some key findings of the report included: - 79 per cent of respondents said that their fundraising activity overall has decreased - 66 per cent of organisations said they had postponed planned arts and cultural projects and programmes - 64 per cent said financial support in 2021 and beyond was very important to the survival of the sector - 89 per cent said supporting organisations unable to access emergency funding was important Reports of increased workload and stress also highlighted the concern that if staff welfare issues are not addressed, there will be a real risk of a significant loss of talent from the sector in the future.

Amazon Prime Video has partnered with the UK’s National Theatre to bring four productions filmed by the art institution to the streamer in the UK and Ireland. The productions, all of which will be made available on June 11, include Frankenstein, directed by Danny Boyle and written by Nick Dear, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller; a performance of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, also starring Cumberbatch; Ian McKellen On Stage.

Indie distributor TVF International has closed a raft of sales for factual content with broadcasters and platforms across Asia.

Discovery Asia has meanwhile closed a package for south-east Asia including 4K aerial show UAE From Above (1 x 60-minutes) from Navigation Films and Frontier Sumatra (1 x 60minutes), a one-off from Beach House Pictures that showcases the work of conservationists saving one of the last great peat forests in SouthEast Asia. National Geographic in Asia secured two underwater series for National Geographic WILD – the Russell Crowe narrated series Great Barrier Reef: A Living Treasure (4 x 45-minutes) from RJ Media and TVFTokyovision co-production Ocean Wild (4 x 50minutes). “The National Theatre has brought us some of the most memorable theatrical productions of the past decade, and we are delighted to give our customers across the UK and Ireland an opportunity to experience them,” commented Martin Backlund, head of content, UK, Ireland and Nordics at Prime Video.

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BOLLYWOOD 29 5 - 11 June 2021

Fatima Shaikh reveals how she handled eve-teasing Popular actress Fatima Sana Shaikh of 'Dangal' fame recently recalled a horrific eve-teasing incident and revealed how her family supported her big time. Opening up on her strong family system, Fatima narrated how her father chased the man who misbehaved with the actress. In an interview, Fatima recalled the unpleasant experience of how once she was eve-teased on road. "Main raste mein jaa rahi thi gym ke baad. Ek ladka aaya aur wo ghoor raha tha. Toh maine bola, 'Kya ghoor raha hai?'

The guy said. 'Ghoorunga, meri marzi.' Maine kaha 'Maar khaana hai?' The guy said, 'Maar'.

"I slapped him, he punched me. I blacked out. Of course, I called my father first and informed him about the incident.

He came with two-three other men. You know how fathers are. That man ran into a street. My father, my brother, and their friends went all, 'kaun tha jo meri beti ko haath lagaya? Fatima opened up on how her father has been a strong support system to the actress.

Fatima made her full-fledged Bollywood debut with Aamir Khan's sports biopic 'Dangal'. Her latest films are 'Bhoot Police' directed by Pavan Kirpalani and the release date is 10 Sep 2021 and 'Life In A Metro Sequel' directed by Anurag Basu to be released on 13 Dec 2021.

Shah Rukh, Deepika to resume shooting for 'Pathan' soon After the hiatus of a few years, Shah Rukh Khan returned to the sets as he started shooting for 'Pathan'. Cameras started rolling for this film helmed by Siddharth Anand earlier this year. Post the completion of its first schedule, SRK and team took a break for sometime. Amidst this, lockdown-like restrictions were imposed in Maharashtra due to coronavirus. Now, if the latest reports are anything to go by, the team is expected to resume the shoot soon.

An insider has revealed that the makers of 'Pathan' are expecting that the Maharashtra Government would give green signal to shooting of films post June 15. Currently, the lockdownlike restrictions have been extended till June 15, thus, no shooting can be carried out. Meanwhile, the production house, YRF is doing it all to get the team of 'Pathan' vaccinated before the shooting goes on floors once again.

The insider says, "Some

members of Pathan crew have received their jabs, the majority will be vaccinated over the next week. Buzz in the industry is that the government will give a green signal to shoots after June 15. That way, the team will be ready to begin filming in a bio-bubble. The production house is treading carefully, given the impact of the second wave, and will film the portions entirely inside the Yash Raj studio in Andheri."

Apart from Shah Rukh, 'Pathan' also stars John Abraham and Deepika Padukone in pivotal roles. The release date of the film has not been announced as yet. Shah Rukh's fans are super excited for this film and cannot keep calm! He was last seen in 'Zero' along with Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma. He played the role of a dwarf in the film but sadly it tanked at the box office.

Sanjay Dutt receives golden visa for the UAE Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt took to Twitter and revealed that he has received the golden visa for the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Sharing a picture with the passport in his hand, Sanjay was seen posing with major general Mohammed Al Marri, director general of General Directorate Of Residency and

Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA) Dubai.

According to Gulf News, the golden visa is a 10-year-long residency permit. It was first announced for investors and businessmen in 2019 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin

Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president, Prime Minister and ruler of Dubai.

In 2020, the eligibility broadened to cover those with specialised degrees, doctors, scientists and othersLast week .

Last week, Sanjay had congratulated Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, crown prince of Dubai and chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, after he welcomed twins.

"Congratulations to His Royal Highness Sheikh @HamdanMohammed on welcoming the twins. I wish them all the love, luck and happiness in the world," he tweeted.

Sanjay is among the many Bollywood stars who frequently visit Dubai. Last year, he was seen headed to Dubai in September 2020 with his wife Maanayata in tow. Maanayata had shared pictures from their trip to Dubai on social media. The actor has been in the news for his projects as well. He was last seen in 'Sadak 2'. He has a few projects in the pipeline. This includes 'Shamshera' with Ranbir Kapoor and 'K.G.F Chapter 2.'

Kangana visits Golden Temple for first time, says she's 'speechless, stunned' Kangana Ranaut visited the Sri Harmandir Sahib, popularly known as the Golden Temple, in Amritsar, for the first time. The actor took to Instagram and shared pictures from her maiden visit. She was accompanied by her family members, including nephew Prithviraj and sister Rangoli Chandel.

In the pictures, Kangana was seen wearing a light blue ensemble as she paid her respects. In one of the pictures, she was seen carrying Prithviraj in her arms. In another, she and Rangoli were seen offering prayers.

Sharing the pictures, Kangana wrote, "Today I visited Sri Harmandir Sahib Golden temple, even

though I grew up in north and almost everyone in my family has already visited the temple many times only for me it was first time .... speechless and stunned with Golden temple’s beauty and divinity..."

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Vidya Balan is woman on a mission in 'Newton' director's next Amazon Prime Video has released the first teaser of their upcoming drama, 'Sherni'.

Starring Vidya Balan in the lead, the film is directed by Amit Masurkar of 'Newton' fame. In the teaser, Vidya is seen as a forest officer flanked by policemen as they walk through a forest area. A close up shows her looking earnestly at the forest, as if searching for something important. "Jungle kitna bhi ghana kyu na ho, sherni apna rasta dhund hi leti hai (No matter how dense the forest may be, the lioness finds her way)," Vidya is heard saying in the teaser. The movie is produced by T-Series and Abundantia Entertainment. It also stars Sharad Saxena, Mukul Chaddha, Vijay Raaz, Ila Arun, Brijendra Kala and Neeraj Kabi.

The trailer will be out on June 2.

Amit Masurkar's second film, criticallyacclaimed 'Netwon', starred Rajkummar

Rao and Pankaj Tripathi was India's official entry for the 90th Academy Awards. It was about a government employees who is posted in a Naxal-controlled town in Chattisgarh on election duty.

Speaking about his choice of films and how Bollywood has been criticised for not thinking outside the box too often, Amit said, “A lot of our films aren’t doing well these days because we aren’t doing anything daring. And then, when someone goes out of their way to do something interesting, people have a problem with it. They also look forward to the film not doing well, so that they can criticise the maker for making it."

Vidya was last seen in 'Shakuntala Devi' with Sanya Malhotra. She played the mathematics genius who was famous for her 'computer brain'.

Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday and Adarsh Gourav to star in Zoya Akhtar’s next

Amitabh completes 52 years in Bollywood Amitabh Bachchan has completed 52 years in Bollywood. Yes! The megastar has been working for more than half a century now. Amitabh Bachchan has posted a collage made by a fan on his social media expressing his amazement on the journey so far. After a not-so successful debut, he went on to establish himself as the biggest superstar the industry has ever seen.

Despite some huge setbacks, he rose again like the proverbial Phoenix. Amitabh Bachchan has some great films in his kitty, and we will soon see him in the upcoming season of Kaun Banega Crorepati.

The actor has often said that he is grateful to have such a long innings in Bollywood. In his life, he has given people many life lessons. One of them is to keep moving despite the failures. The megastar works as hard as anyone on the sets of a film. In fact, his energy and discipline are revered by his young co-stars. Throughout the lockdown, he has been sharing some memorable throwback pics from his career much to the delight of his fans.

On the professional front, he has a big film 'Brahmastra' lined up for release. The actor's 'Jhund' directed by Nagraj Manjule might get a release on an OTT platform. He has the remake of 'The Intern' with Deepika Padukone. They have worked together in 'Piku', which was a huge hit. He is also doing a film with Rashmika Mandanna. Plus, there is 'MayDay' with Ajay Devgn and Rakul Preet Singh. Well, the showman does not know to stop!

Akshay's 'Prithviraj' gets warning from Karni Sena After making threats against multiple Hindi films, the Karni Sena is now targeting Akshay Kumar's upcoming film, 'Prithviraj'. The outfit is demanding a title change for the film. Speaking to a leading daily, Surjeet Singh Rathore, president of the youth wing of the sena, said, “How can they keep the title of the film as just Prithviraj when the film is based on the great Prithviraj Chauhan? We want the title to be changed to his full name and give respect to him.”

It seems that Zoya Akhtar has finalised the cast for her next production. A few months ago, it was reported that Ananya Panday was roped in to star in Akhtar's next venture.

While not much is known about the genre or the characters, the filmmaker has found her male leads in 'Gully Boy' star Siddhant Chaturvedi and

'The White Tiger' fame Adarsh Gourav.

Both the actors have been breakout stars in their respective movies.

While Chaturvedi has worked with Zoya in 'Gully Boy', Ananya and Adarsh will work for the first time.

According to a tabloid, the actors have agreed to star in the film and the

makers are currently working out the paperwork. While they plan to take the film on floors this year itself, it all depends on the Covid-19 situation.

Meanwhile, Siddhant Chaturvedi and Ananya Panday are also starring in Shakun Batra's next alongside Deepika Padukone. It is being bankrolled by Dharma Productions.

Kartik Aaryan in the eye of a storm, loses another film Kartik Aaryan has been in the eye of the storm, it seems. The actor most recently lost 'Dostana 2' due to reasons unknown, and that created a lot of stir. Later, news broke that the actor had to bid adieu to one more film, which was Red Chillies Entertainment’s 'Freddie' reportedly due to creative differences. And it seems like the streak continues, and the actor has lost his third film and this time with Aanand L Rai's gangster drama.

Now if reports are to be believed, Aanand L Rai and Kartik were in advanced talks for a film. It was supposed to be directed by Rai’s assistant. But before he could sign on the dotted line, things fell apart.” No one knows the reason why the two had to part ways. But the source added, “The fact that Karan dropped Kartik seems to have influenced others. So, this could be the third instance where Kartik may be losing out on getting to work with an established filmmaker like Aanand.”

The source now says that after Kartik’s exit, Aanand is considering Ayushmann Khurrana for the part. “Aanand is now considering Ayushmann Khurrana for this film with whom he had earlier collaborated on 'Shubh Mangal Saavdhan' (2017) and 'Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan' (2020), so it’s not a surprise if he may have readily come on board,” the source reveals.

When a portal tried reaching Aanand, he revealed nothing was formalised with Kartik and said, “As a production house, we work on several scripts and pitch it to actors - that’s the process. Actors keep meeting you, you keep telling them what you are working on, they express their desire to collaborate. And then, depending upon the subject, you decide if you should approach them. But that doesn’t mean you have signed them.”

He added, “I have a story, which we would soon make with Ayushmann.”

Singh added that the film's team will face treatment similar to what was faced by filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali during the filming of 'Padmaavat', if their demands are not met. “If they don’t listen to our advice they will have to face the consequences. What happened to Sanjay Leela Bhansali during 'Padmaavat', the makers of this film will have to be prepared for it, too,” he said.

In 2016, while 'Padmaavat' was still being shot in Rajasthan, members of the outfit destroyed the sets and costumes, and even physically assaulted Sanjay. Karni Sena claimed that the film has a romantic sequence between Deepika Padukone’s Rani Padmini and Ranveer Singh’s Alauddin Khilji. Despite the filmmaker’s denial that no such scene exists, the protests continued in many states across India and came to a head around film’s release. Padukone and Bhansali also faced death threats. The film ultimately got a title change from Padmavati to Padmaavat and Karni Sena later accepted that the film honoured Rajput valour and ended their protest against it.

Prithviraj also stars Manushi Chhillar and will be based on the epic poem Prithviraj Raso by Chand Bardai. Revealing details about the movie, director Chandraprakash Dwivedi said in an interview, "Prithviraj is also based mainly on medieval literature, an epic called Prithviraj Raso by the great poet Chand Bardai. Apart from a couple of versions of Raso, there are many other literary works on Prithviraj, his life, and times. In addition to these, there are commentaries on Raso."

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Amazon Prime Video issues gag order to Samantha Akkineni A couple of days ago there were reports that Samantha Akkineni would be playing a suicide bomber in the second season of the Amazon Prime Video show 'The Family Man 2'. Following this report, a number of protests began calling for a ban on the show since it hurt the sentiments of the Eelam Tamils and also the people of Tamil Nadu. In fact, the Tamil Nadu had even written to Union minister for Information and Broadcasting to immediately ban or stop the screening of the OTT show.

While the protests continue, it is learnt that Amazon Prime Video has issued a gag order to Samantha barring her from speaking about the show. “There are always protests to certain characters or portrayals in films or series, this comes since the audience are only exposed to a small part of what to expect, which could look a certain way. In the case with Samantha’s character in 'The Family Man 2', people have taken an objection to her character, but they have not really seen the full range of what she portrays”, says a trade source commenting on the issue. Talking about the gag order, “Amazon Prime Video said that they would like to avoid controversies prior to the release of their venture.

Interestingly, Samantha in an interview had expressed her elation to being part of show. “I am just lucky to be here and be a part of the show because that is the only thing anyone is asking me back home. ‘When is the family man releasing?’ I am truly honoured to be a part of this team and be a part of this show and in a dream role”, the actress had sated. On the other hand the directors of the show had stated that when developing the script, they were very cognisant of the sentiments of the Tamil people and Tamil culture. In fact, the duo even requested people to watch the show when it releases before making assumption on characters in it.

Darsha Gupta's timely help to the poor wins hearts The 'Cooku With Comali 2' reality show that was recently aired on Vijay TV was so successful that many of the contestants who participated have attained unprecedented fame and are getting big breaks on television, OTT and movies as well.

Actress Darsha Gupta is also one of the talents from the show who have made a big impression in the minds of the audiences.

The strict lockdown due to the second wave of Covid- 19 has completely disrupted normal life in Tamil Nadu and the plight of those dwelling on the road is worst affected. Darsha has joined hands with the social service group Pasumai Iyakkam to help the needy.

Photos of Darsha wearing mask and personally handing over food items to the roadside dwellers and beggars has won hearts. She also gladly posed with sanitary workers who are the frontline Covid warriors. Darsha has captioned the pics in Tamil "My day has ended joyfully after spending time with these people. Let our service to them continue each day". She also appealed to fans to come forward to help the needy.

Darsha is currently playing the lead heroine in the new movie 'Rudhra Thandavam' directed by Mohan G and costarring Richard Rishi and Gautham Vasudev Menon which is getting ready for release soon.

'Please Help' - Vijay film actress' emotional video Sunaina, who has acted in several Tamil films including Vijay's 'Theri', has recently posted a video on her social media page requesting funds for the lung transplant of Avinash Salandra, a movie producer who works predominantly in Telugu film industry.

The video is currently going viral and in that video Sunaina stated: "Usually I don’t post video asking anyone for help. But this is an emergency. Avinash, whom I know, is currently suffering from corona and has been admitted to hospital. He has been hospitalized for more than a month and is currently in need of financial assistance. Please help by giving him the funds he needs for further treatment. I know its painful because I myself have suffered and recovered from corona".

She went on to add, "I ask you to help me save him by giving him the funds he needs, whether it is a

TV Listing

* Schedule is subject to change

MON 7 JUN FRI 11 JUN 2021 14.300 KASAM 16.00 THE GREAT INDIAN GLOBAL KITCHEN 19.00 UDAARIYAAN 19.30 CHOTI SARDAARNI 20.00 SHAKTI 20.30 MOLKKI 21.00 PINJARA KHUBSOORTI KA 21.30 RAMAYAN 22.30 NAMAK ISSK KA 23.00 BAWARA DIL SATURDAY 5 JUN 16.00 THE GREAT INDIAN GLOBAL KITCHEN 19.00 UDAARIYAAN 19.30 CHOTI SARDAARNI 20.00 SHAKTI 20.30 RAMAYAN 21.30 DANCE DEEWANE 3 SUNDAY 6 JUN 16.00 THE GREAT INDIAN GLOBAL KITCHEN 18.00 CHOTI SARDARNI 20.30 RAMAYAN 21.30 DANCE DEEWANE 3

* Schedule is subject to change

MON 7 JUN FRI 11 JUN 2021 8.30

BHARADWAJ BAHUEIN

15.00 RAMAYAN

16.00 SILSILA BADALTE RISHTON KA 16.30 THE RASOI SHOW 17.30

CHHUTA CHHEDA

18.00 TUM KAUN PIYA

small amount or a large amount.

Also share this video with those

Venkat Prabhu announces his next movie after 'Maanaadu'

you know and arrange for Avinash to get help". This video of Sunaina is currently going viral and it is notable that she already tweeted requesting funds for his treatment weeks ago with his photograph pinned.

On a professional front Sunaina was last seen in 'Enai Noki Paayum Thota' and 'Sillu Karupatti' which was well received by the Tamil audience. Currently she is working in films like 'Eriyum Kannadi' and 'Trip'.

Venkat Prabhu, one of the most highly rated commercial directors in Tamil cinema, has delivered pathbreaking blockbuster hit movies at regular intervals.

His body of work speaks for itself with titles that include Thala Ajith's career-best 'Mankatha' the fun series 'Chennai 600028', 'Goa', 'Saroja', 'Biryani' and 'Mass Engira Masilamani'.

VP is currently involved in yet another high concept movie 'Maanaadu' dealing with alternative time realities which stars Simbu, Kalyani Priyadarshan and S J Suryah among others. The much awaited flick has a few more portions to be completed which will be wrapped up as soon as the Covid-19 pandemic

18.30 DIL KA RISHTA

19.00 BHAGYA KA LIKHA 20.00 DIL SE DIL TAK

20.30 BARRISTER BABU

21.00 EK SHRINGAAR SWABHIMAAN 21.30 SASURAL SIMAR KA 2

22.00 ISHQ MEIN MARJAWAN 3

SATURDAY 5 JUN 15.00 RAMAYAN

16.00 SILSILA BADALTE RISHTON KA 16.30 THE RASOI SHOW 17.30

CHHUTA CHHEDA

18.00 KHATRA KHATRA KHATRA 19.00 BHAGYA KA LIKHA

situation comes back to normalcy.

The affable filmmaker has just now announced his next movie which will be 'VP 10' with his signature tag.

According to information, young actor Ashok Selvan is playing the lead in 'VP10' and giving him company will be not one but three heroines.

Smruthi Venkat, Samyuktha Hegde and Riya Suman will be sizzling in the film which is said to have music by Premgi Amaran.

20.00 DIL SE DIL TAK

20.30 BARRISTER BABU

21.00 EK SHRINGAAR SWABHIMAAN 21.30 SASURAL SIMAR KA 2

SUNDAY 6 JUN

15.00 RAMAYAN

16.00 SILSILA BADALTE RISHTON KA 16.30 THE RASOI SHOW

17.30 ISHQ MEIN MARJAWAN 3

18.00 KHATRA KHATRA KHATRA

19.00 BHAGYA KA LIKHA 20.00 DIL SE DIL TAK

20.30 DESI BEAT RESET

21.00 EK SHRINGAAR SWABHIMAAN 21.30 KHATRA KHATRA KHATRA

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UAE to host second leg of IPL in Sept The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced last week that the Indian Premier League (IPL) has found a venue and a window. The T20 league’s remaining 31 matches is likely to be played in the UAE between Sept 17 and Oct 10.

The board will put in place the same protocols and standard operating procedures that were drafted for the 2020 edition. The board will also work with franchises on making the players available.

In cases players are not available, the board will hear “requests” from franchises to allot suitable replacements.

While the IPL has been moved, the BCCI has refrained from taking any decisions on the T20 World Cup for now.

Post June, depending on the Covid situation, the board will take another call on whether to work with the ICC on hosting the World Cup in India or shifting that to the UAE. Sources say the BCCI is

working on both possibilities – of having it in India and shifting it to the UAE – for now, while also working on tax-related matters concerning the International Cricket Council (ICC).

However, during last week, as the BCCI went about finalising the proposal made by its interim CEO Hemang Amin – who insisted the IPL must be held in the UAE – other stakeholders in Indian cricket are “cribbing” over not being taken into confidence before arriving at the decision. The BCCI did not communicate with the franchises before making the announcement to shift the IPL while members who attended the SGM say “the decision was pretty much taken even before the meeting began. It was more a monologue than a dialogue”.

In the coming weeks, the responsibility will once again be of the franchises to arrange the logistics of bringing the overseas players to the UAE,

the way it had turned out to be when these players had to return to their respective countries after the IPL was called off mid-way in the beginning of May. The IPL window is unlikely to get into conflict with any bilateral major between September and October.

However, with England and Australia already setting their sights on the Ashes towards the end of the year, it likely that is franchises heavily dependent on players from these two countries could take a beating. “That’s what most of us are wary of, the availability of English and Aussie cricketers. If there are players who decide not to travel for whatever reasons, adequate replacements will have to be sought,” franchises tracking developments said.

The Caribbean Premier League (CPL), scheduled to conclude by the second week of September, will also be “tweaked” in a manner that it does not spill over into the IPL window. Franchises who had

made their respective hotel reservations in the UAE during the 2020 edition have once again started negotiating on the same lines. The Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), that was paid a lump sum amount in the bracket of £10 million last year to host the entire IPL, will once again be paid pro-rata.

India, NZ to share honours if WTC final ends in a draw India and New Zealand will be adjudged joint winners of the inaugural World Test Championship if their final clash in Southampton ends in a draw or tie, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said.

According to the playing conditions unveiled by the global body, “a draw or a tie will see both teams crowned as joint winners...”

The ICC has also allocated a Reserve Day to make up for any

lost time during the regular days of the final, scheduled to be played from 18 to 22 June, with 23 June set aside as the Reserve Day. “Both of these decisions were made in June 2018, prior to the commencement of the ICC World Test Championship.”

The Reserve Day has been scheduled to ensure five full days of play, and it will only be used if lost playing time cannot be recovered through the

normal provisions for each day.

In the event of time being lost during the match, the ICC match referee will regularly update the teams and media about the way in which the Reserve Day may be used.

The final decision on whether the Reserve Day needs to be used will be announced at the scheduled start of the last hour on the fifth day. The final will also feature the implementation of three changes to international playing conditions, which were brought into effect with the ongoing World Cup Super League series between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka: Short runs -- the third

umpire will automatically review any call of a 'short run' by the on-field umpire and communicate the decision prior to the next ball being bowled.

Player reviews - The fielding captain or the dismissed batsman will be able confirm with the umpire whether a genuine attempt has been made to play the ball prior to deciding whether to initiate a review for LBW. DRS reviews - For LBW reviews, the height margin of the wicket zone has been lifted to the top of the stumps to ensure the same Umpire's Call margin around the stumps for both height and width.

Sponsor joins Olympics cancellation chorus Japan’s Asahi Shimbun newspaper, an official Tokyo Olympics sponsor, called for the Games to be cancelled, in the latest sign of opposition less than two months before the opening ceremony. The call comes with public opinion in Japan firmly against holding the Games this summer, and after prominent business leaders voiced their concern in recent weeks.

Organisers insist, however, that the Games are on, saying an extensive rulebook will keep athletes and the Japanese public safe.

The Asahi daily’s editorial urged Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to “make a calm, objective assessment of the situation and make the decision to cancel Olympics”.

The paper said it “cannot accept the gamble” of holding the event, despite organisers’ assurances it will be safe. It also accused International Olympic Committee leaders, including vice president John Coates, of being “selfrighteous” and “clearly out of step” with the Japanese public. When asked last week if the Games could be held even during a

virus state of emergency, Coates said “the answer is absolutely yes”. “Saying ‘yes’ without demonstrating any clear grounds for it once again drove home the selfrighteous image of the IOC,” the editorial said.

Cancelling Oly will cost Japan $17 bn A Tokyo-based research institute has estimated that cancelling the Olympics and Paralympics will cost Japan around 1.81 trillion yen ($17 billion). As per a report

in Kyodo News, the Nomura Research Institute has warned of even a bigger economic loss if a fresh state of emergency is declared. “Even if the games are cancelled, the economic loss will be smaller than (the damage done by) a state of emergency,” Takahide Kiuchi, executive economist at the Nomura Research Institute, said.

Absurd to stage Games A professor of public health and adviser to the New Zealand government said there was no justification for holding the Tokyo Olympics during a pandemic, and to go ahead would be ‘absurd’ and cost lives. Otago University professor Michael Baker, who specialises in epidemiology, said: “If you think of the two key features of the Olympics, they involve a huge amount of international travel and mass gatherings, and they’re two things entirely incompatible with the pandemic."

in brief INDIANS TO WEAR SPECIAL RETRO JERSEY IN WTC FINAL All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja revealed India’s retro kit for the World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand, which will begin from June 18 in Southampton, England. The sweater has a blue V-neck border, which used to be a regular feature in Test cricket of till the 90s.

This is India’s second set of retro jersey and the first one for Test cricket. Earlier, Team India donned the 1992 World Cup jersey in limited-overs fixtures in Australia and in the home series against England. Jadeja and the rest of the Indian squad members are currently in Mumbai in a mandatory quarantine before departing for the UK. Jadeja will play his first match for India after suffering an injury during the third Test against Australia. He had made a successful comeback for CSK in IPL 2021 and will be raring to go in the WTC final followed by the five-test series against England.

POOJA STRIKES GOLD; SILVER FOR MARY KOM AND LALBUATSAIHI Defending champion Pooja Rani (75kg) notched up a second successive gold with a comprehensive victory even as the seasoned M C Mary Kom (51kg) signed off with a silver medal at the Asian Boxing Championships at Dubai on Sunday. The Olympic-bound Pooja (75 kg), who was competing in her first bout of the tournament after getting a bye and a walkover earlier, dismantled Mavluda Movlonova of Uzbekistan with a clinical performance. However, six-time world champion Mary Kom (51kg) and tournament debutant Lalbuatsaihi (64kg) signed off with silver medals after both lost intense final bouts. The Olympic-bound Mary Kom went down in a split 2-3 verdict to Nazym Kyzaibay of Kazakhstan. It was the Mary Kom's seventh medal in the tournament, the first being a gold that came way back in the 2003 edition. Her tournament record now stands at five gold and two silver medals.

Lalbuatsaihi lost 2-3 as well but after giving her Kazakh rival Milana Safronova a fight to remember. Both the Indians ended with prize money of $ 5,000 each.

MILKHA, WIFE STABLE AFTER CONTRACTING COVID Legendary Indian sprinter Milkha Singh and his wife Nirmal Kaur continued to be on the road to recovery after contracting the Covid-19 infection, leaving their golfer son Jeev Milkha Singh hopeful of getting them discharged in the coming days. Milkha and his wife, who led the Indian women's volleyball team, are currently undergoing treatment at Fortis hospital in Mohali, which, in a fresh update, said that they are stable and symptoms are on a "downward trend". The hospital had earlier said that they were being treated for Covid pneumonia. In its latest update about the condition of the couple, the hospital said both are stable, "Mrs and Mr Milkha Singh are stable and their symptoms are on a downward trend.

Milkha Singh's appetite has also improved," the hospital said in its bulletin. While Milkha, 91, was admitted to the hospital on Monday last, his 82-year-old wife got admission in the same facility on Wednesday after testing positive for the highly contagious virus. Jeev, who flew down to Chandigarh from Dubai, said his parents are stable.