AV 08th July 2023

Canada rejects 595 Indian study permit applications this year till May

SE E PAGE - 26

All-women ground staff prepare Edgbaston Ashes wicket

SEE PAGE - 32

B U I L D I N G N H S W I T H S O U T H A S I A N S

PM RISHI SUNAK HOSTS RECEPTION AT NO 10 TO CELEBRATE UK-INDIA WEEK

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hosting the UK-India Week reception at No 10

FULL STORY ON PAGE 08

FULL STORY ON PAGE 28 Continued on page 07

Emotional audience bid farewell to Shakti with standing ovation at their final London show

Putin praises PM Modi, says he wants to 'emulate' Make in India

‘Sisters In Sweat’ - a community for women weave sports and wellness together

Shefali Saxena

During a recent visit to the Nazi Concentration and exterminat i o n C a m p s i n P o l a n d , D r I n d r a n i l C h a k r a v a r t y M B E , Chair of the BAPIO Institute for Health Research, witnessed the atrocities committed by the SS G u a r d s a n d t h e u n e t h i c a l e x p e r i m e n t s c o n d u c t e d b y doctors on inmates and Jewish p r i s o n e r s R e f l e c t i n g o n t h i s experience, he said,“It brought h o m e w h y H e a l t h f o r A l l b y 2020 was the ambition of the W o r l d H e a l t h O r g a n i s a t i o n when it was set up in 1952, rising from the global destruction that ensued from World War II

£5.29 billion derivative trade transferred to India as SGX tussle ends

with Keith Vaz

A JAY C H H A B R A

Actor and Artistic Director

Ajay Chh abra, who is L ond on born of Ind oFijian heritag e, is co-founder of award-winning arts comp any Nutkhut, co nnecting the big issues of our time with local comm u ni ti es T h r o u g h h i s w o rk w i t h th e Mayor o f L ond on's Cu ltu ral Lead ers hip Bo ard and across all 56 mem ber states of th e C o m m o nw e al th Fo u n d ati o n , h e enc o u rag es e ntrep re neu ri ali s m , i nno v ation, and talent across sectors A mu ltid isciplinary outdoor arts sp ecialist, A jay creates festiv als, dig ital artwo rks and th eatrical m om ent s w h ic h bring pe op le to g eth er, und er sing le, universal exp eriences

A j ay ’ s aw a rd-w i n n i n g b o dy o f w o r k includes Dr Blighty, Never Set Eyes and

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

I have always lived close to the River Thames From the fast-flowing industrial Thames Estuar y to the gentle flow of the city's Westerly boroughs The ability to understand a city's histor y and future through its public parks and rivers, the ebb and flow of the Thames is a must

2) What are your proudest achievements?

A strange one - to have failed all my GCSEs (I was the last cohort to do O levels) and then to use this as a steep learning cur ve I had nobody showing me the way Attainment can often appear through the flames of failure

3) What inspires you? Kindness From the personal to the professional - acts of kindness come in different shapes and sizes and touch the m o s t i m p o r t a n t a s p e c t s o f h u m a n i t y During the Covid period those genuine moments appeared quietly and silently and continue to remain with us I cr y easily!

4) What has been biggest obstacle in your career?

“Still coming across class as an obstacle in the arts sector When you scratch beneath the surface amongst the South Asian arts sector, you f ind privilege still exists, nowadays directors, writers and actors are more careful how they describe themselves or their journey "

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

"David Glass - Theatre Director As my 30s fast approached I became apathetic with Theatre and the Arts in the UK - it felt and still feels those that make the decisions are both privileged and entitled D a v i d c h a n g e d e v e r y t h i n g fo r m e Humour, dark humour, physicality, movement, text, there are so many ways "

G i r m i t , a Tr i l o g y o f D e f i n i n g Mo m e n t s , h a s i m p a c t e d a n d i n f l u e n c e d d i a s p o r a communities through the lens of art, heritage and technology

A s a n a c t o r, h e p o r t r ay s c h a r a c t e r s across theatre, television and f ilm that are often overlooked and under-represented

Prior to working in the arts sector, he worked in senior management positions in the Hospitality and Tourism Sector

He is Chair of the Mela Partnership, a t r u s t e e o f Cr e a t i v e Ke r n o w a n d Ta r a Theatre, the f irst Asian, Black and ethnically diverse theatre company in the UK

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

Watching young people discover their potential I'm interested in those that are at the bottom rung of the ladder or those who don't even know the ladder exists That's the greatest gain

7) And the worst?

Watching those already on the ladder who are not willing to move or budge The gatekeepers, those that quietly prof it from working on endless schemes and projects that are clearly not f it for purpose

8) What are your long-term goals?

To mentor and coach individuals who are interested in soft power and cultural diplomacy as a mechanism to bring and keep communities and societies together

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

I would abolish the charity status of independent schools and divert resources i n t o a r e v i e w o f s e c t i o n 7 8 o f t h e E d u c a t i o n A c t t o e n s u r e D e b a t i n g becomes part of the curriculum from primar y education through to secondar y Building conf idence in our young people through public speaking on topics of our time is essential It develops and builds conf idence and self-worth

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

"Totaram Sandya - Deceitfully recruited by the British in the late 19th centur y and sent to Fiji as a bonded labourer as part of the indentured system He became a Hindu priest and farmer and encoura g e d a g e n e r a t i o n o f I n d i a n f r e e d o m f ighters to improve the plight of Indians in Fiji and subsequently the Caribbean and the Indian Ocean

His book ""21 Years in Fiji"" was used to abolish the indenture labour system "

Nurse killed seven babies “under pressure”, says lawyer

In cour t, the lawyer repres enting UK nurse Luc y Letby, wh o i s a c c us e d o f k il l i n g s even babies and att empting to harm another 10 in the n e on a t a l un i t of t he Countess of Cheste r Hos pital i n Ch es t er , no r t hwe s t Engl and, argued tha t the unit wa s f ac in g c h a l l e ng e s in m anaging the high number of children under its c are Lucy Letby, 33, has f irmly denied any wrongdoing or h a r m i n f l i c t e d u p o n t h e

infants Her defense lawyer h i g h l i g h t e d t h e s t r a i n t h e neonatal unit was experiencing due to the volume of children requiring treatment

During the summation, My e r s , L e t b y 's d e fe n s e lawyer, contended that there w a s a l a c k o f "d i r e c t e v idence implicating her in any o f t h e c h a r g e s b r o u g h t against her Jurors have been actively involved in the case since October and are now nearing the stage of delibera-

t i o n s r e g a r d i n g t h e 2 2 charges that Letby is facing

T h e a l l e g a t i o n s a g a i n s t

Letby state that she specif i-

c a l l y t a r g e t e d n e w b o r n s between June 2015 and June

2 0 1 6 , e m p l o y i n g v a r i o u s methods such as administering insulin, air, or milk injections After being removed from the neonatal unit in July

2 0 1 6 , L e t b y c o n t i n u e d t o work at the hospital in clerical roles until her arrest two years later

James Cleverly urges permanent seat for India in Security Council

Fo rei g n S ec r et ar y J am es Cleverly h as expressed his belief that Indi a and Jap an sh ould be granted perman en t s ea ts o n t h e UN S e c u ri t y Co u n c i l He h as a ddi ti o na ll y c a lle d fo r a n increase in the number of cou ntries with veto powers over UN reso lutions

T h e Un i t e d K i n g d o m has announced its support fo r a n e x p a n d e d S e c u r i t y C o u n c i l , w h i c h w o u l d include a permanent seat for Africa, aiming to better r e f l e c t t h e c u r r e n t a n d f u t u r e g l o b a l l a n d s c a p e

James Cleverly

Cu r r e n t l y, t h e S e c u r i t y Council consists of f ive permanent members - the UK, U S, C h i n a , R u s s i a , a n d Fr a n c e - a l o n g w i t h t e n

elected members who ser ve two-year terms

The composition of the f ive permanent members of t h e S e c u r i t y C o u n c i l h a s r e m a i n e d u n c h a n g e d fo r nearly 80 years since the end of World War II The number of non-permanent m e m b e r s w a s i n c r e a s e d from six to ten in 1965 India has been at the forefront of long-standing e f fo r t s t o r e fo r m t h e Security Council, advocating for its rightful place as a permanent member of the UN

BAME residents most affected by air pollution in London

A re ce ntly publishe d repor t, commissione d by Cit y Hall, ha s highlighte d the d ispr opor t iona te e xpo su re to a ir p o llu t i on fa c e d by bla c k L on d o ne r s a n d i mm i gr a n t communitie s in t he cit y The report builds upon previous research conducted f r o m 2 0 1 3 t o 2 0 2 1 a n d reveals that areas with higher levels of air pollution in L o n d o n t e n d t o h a v e a smaller proportion of black, Asian, and minority ethnic

(BAME) residents

The inequality is particularly pronounced in outer London, where only 29 perc e nt o f re s i d e nt s i n a re a s w i t h t h e l o w e s t l e v e l s o f nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentration come from BAME backgrounds, compared to 44 percent in inner London

W i t h o u t s i g n i f i c a n t measures to reduce pollutant levels, the projections for 2030 indicate that the entire population of London

will continue to be exposed to NO2 and f ine particulate matter (PM2 5) concentrat i o n s a b o v e t h e r e c o mmended air quality guidel i n e s s e t b y t h e Wo r l d He a l t h O r g a n i z a t i o n ( WHO)

T h e a n a l y s i s a c k n o w ledges that progress has been made in reducing air pollution levels due to the implementation of ambitious polic i e s i n t r o d u c e d b y M a y o r Sadiq Khan since 2016

G overnment to appeal Rwanda plan case ruling

Following a court ru ling on Thu rsday (29), the UK g overnm ent has expressed its intention to challenge th e decision, which prev ents the deportation of asylum seekers to Rwanda

T h e C o u r t o f A p p e a l , consisting of three judges, d e t e r m i n e d t h a t Rw a n d a could not be deemed a safe

third countr y The decision came after a challenge to the policy brought for ward by 10 migrants and a charity that supports asylum seekers

Human rights organizations welcomed the ruling, w h i l e t h e r e s p o n s e f r o m

Kigali was one of indignation The Rwandan government insisted that it met

Amish Tripathi discusses “War of L anka” at Manchester Museum

During a literary ev ent held at M a nc h es te r M u s eu m , be st se ll in g au th o r A m i sh Trip athi engaged with h is fa ns , s h ar i ng i nt ri g u i ng facts and insig hts about h is work The ev ent w as organized in collaboration with Harper Collins to promote Trip athi's latest bo ok, 'War of Lanka,' wh ich co ncludes his p opular Ram C handra series Tr i p a t h i 's p r e s e n c e attracted a signif icant gathe r i n g o f f a n s a n d b o o k e n t h u s i a s t s f r o m

Manchester and the wider north-west England region, d e m o n s t r a t i n g h i s s t r o n g

fo l l o w i n g a n d p o p u l a r i t y

The event showcased the

author's warm rapport with h i s f a n s a n d fe a t u r e d insightful discussions with fe l l o w B r i t i s h I n d i a n authors Reshma Ruia and Swapna Das, both based in M a n c h e s t e r T h e y d e l v e d into the themes and inspir a t i o n s b e h i n d Tr i p a t h i 's

Ram Chandra series

The event provided an opportunity for Tripathi's fans to connect with him personally, gaining deeper i n s i g h t s i n t o h i s l i t e r a r y works and the motivations that drive his stor ytelling

U N s t a n d a rd s fo r re f u g e e treatment

P r i m e M i n i s t e r R i s h i

Su n a k s t a t e d t h a t h e respected the court's decision but fundamentally disagreed with the conclusions drawn by the judges

D e a l i n g w i t h a s y l u m claims has become a chall e n g i n g i s s u e fo r t h e

C o n s e r v a t i v e g o v e r n m e n t led by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in London, as they had pledged to regain control over the countr y's borders after the UK's departure from the EU

Amish Tripathi

There’s a ‘Little India’ in every milestone of Britain

The people we know and interact with shape the essence of a place This holds true for the significant and lasting contribution made by ethnic minorities to the diversity and prosperity of Britain throughout its history As Asian Voice commemorates the diaspora's role in the NHS on its 75th anniversary and pays tribute to the vibrant "Little India" in Southall, it is an opportune moment to reflect on both past milestones and those yet to come

The significant wave of Punjabi migration began in the 1950s due to labour shortages in the UK following World War II The British administration actively encouraged recruitment from across the Commonwealth Most of these migrants were men from India and Pakistan After an initial period of adjustment, they settled permanently and later invited their friends, spouses, and children to join them Many found employment in manufacturing, textiles, and services Over time, Southall emerged as the largest South Asian community in London, solidifying its status as a thriving centre of cultural diversity

As the NHS reaches its 75th anniversary, Dr Nikki Kanani MBE, Director of Clinical Integration, NHS England, and Deputy SRO of the NHS Covid-19 Vaccination Programme, highlighted the diaspora's contribution, stating, "They were remarkable men and women from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and other South Asian countries who came to support and expand the NHS Many others have followed in their footsteps, and your contributions are immeasurable It is an honour to work alongside all of you, from those who grew up in NHS families to those who recently came to England to pursue careers in medicine and healthcare "

Among those recognised for their outstanding service by the King is Professor Arri Coomarasamy OBE, whose work has made safe and effective medicines accessible to thousands of women and has the potential to prevent 8,450 miscarriages each year in the UK Similarly, Professor Prokar Dasgupta OBE, honoured with a Padma Shri by the President of India and an OBE by King Charles III, highlighted that ethnic minor-

ity staff make up 49 9% of hospital and community health services doctors

According to the Muslim Council of Britain, approximately 3 3% of the 1 4 million NHS workers are from a Muslim background, underscoring the diversity present at every level of the NHS

The publication of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan marks a significant moment in the NHS's 75-year history It represents the first comprehensive workforce plan requested by the government a once-in-a-generation opportunity to e s t a b l i s h a s u s t a i n a b l e s t a f f i n g f r a m e w o r k a n d e n h a n c e

patient care

During the recent UK-India Week 2023, Shekhar Kapur, recipient of the 'Lifetime Contribution to UK-India Relations' award from High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswami and Manoj Ladwa, expressed his gratitude and paid tribute to UKIndia ties The prestigious awards celebrated the exceptional contributions of leaders in business, professional services, gove r n m e n t , c u l t u r e , a n d s o c i a l i m p a c t , h i g h l i g h t i n g t h e i r remarkable achievements in strengthening bilateral relations Amish Tripathi, Director of Nehru Centre London and recipient of the 'Significant Contribution to UK-India Relations' award stated, "This is one of the most exciting times to be an Indian in many centuries, and India's growing economy has prompted many, including Westerners, to think differently about India India s culture will undoubtedly inspire many, including Westerners, to embrace a new perspective "

Commenting on the contribution of Indians to the NHS, Sir Keir Starmer said, “I think this is a journey we've gone through the first 75 years with great contribution from the Indian community here and we will go through the next 75 I'm sure with that same contribution ”

The contributions of the diaspora continue to shape the country's progress, making history through their daily endeavours Ethnic minorities in Britain play an integral role in the nation's journey of prosperity and diversity

Financial fundamentals are getting stronger for India

HDFC Bank has become the fourth most valuable bank in the world in terms of market capitalisation after the merger with mortgage lender HDFC and also emerged as the second biggest company in India According to Bloomberg data, the merged entity will have a market capitalisation of $172 billion, the most after JPMorgan Chase, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and Bank of America The merged entity will be India's second most valued company after Reliance Industries IFC, a member of the World Bank group, has extended a $400 million loan to HDFC to boost green housing in the affordable segment IFC's funding helped HDFC to focus on its green affordable housing portfolio, with 75 per cent of $300 million of the proceeds earmarked for this sector

Meanwhile, one of Asia’s biggest trades took place on Monday, but without real money changing hands Equity derivative contracts worth about $7 5 billion in open interest, a measure of investment exposure, shifted from Singapore to India It is a milestone in India’s campaign to compete with Singapore and Dubai as a key hub for Asian finance The SGX Nifty, a popular futures series on India’s key equity index, has been renamed Gift Nifty The new name promotes Gift City, the financial hub the government hopes to develop in Gujarat, h o m e s t a t e o f P M N a r e n d r a M o d i T h e M u m b a i - b a s e d National Stock Exchange has set up a derivatives offshoot there Fears that the move would cut liquidity eased as the Nifty 50 and Sensex, India’s key indices, continued recordbreaking run to fresh all-time highs The rally has made India the world’s fourth-largest equity market The influx of foreign

investment should support demand for futures contracts

SGX Nifty futures had a daily average turnover of about $3 9 billion notional last year Average open interest was two and a half times that The futures accounted for the second-largest chunk of the Singapore Exchange’s equity derivative volumes, after the SGX FTSE China A50 Index futures

Large volumes of orders from Singapore will now be routed into India SGX and NSE will split costs and revenues roughly equally Fees and profits for the Indian exchange and local brokers should rise India wants to become a bigger presence in global markets The local financial sector has been growing faster than expected New listings hit a record last year The finance sector is supported by a growing population A headcount of 1 4 billion people means India has overtaken China to become the world’s most populous nation Economic growth of 5 9 per cent is forecast for the current fiscal year That is ahead of China, which is struggling with record youth unemployment and tensions with the US India will have to work hard to win a reputation as a financial hub on a par with Singapore or Hong Kong before the latter was partially absorbed by China

As per the Reserve Bank of India’s latest financial stability report, Indian banks’ gross non-performing assets have fallen to a 10 year low of 3 9 per cent in March 2023 The improvement has been across the board with bad loans falling in both public and private sector banks, and in major sectors of the economy India has emerged as the fastest-growing major economy in the world and is expected to be one of the top three economic powers in the world over the next 10-15 years

India achieves breakthroughs in multiple sectors

India, a diversified and dynamic country, has been at the forefront of revolutionary developments in numerous fields India has made outstanding progress by showing its strengths and making contributions to global breakthroughs in a variety of fields, including healthcare, information technology, renewable energy, agriculture and pharmaceuticals With a rich history of scientific and technological achievements, India has consistently demonstrated its commitment to innovation and development

India has achieved notable feats in the field of space technology with projects like Chandrayaan-1, the nation s first lunar probe, and Mangalyaan, the Mars Orbiter Mission These missions have not only showcased India's engineering prowess but also expanded our understanding of the universe Moreover, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has developed the GSLV Mk III, a heavy-lift launch vehicle, further solidifying India's position in the global space industry In the realm of information technology, India has become a global powerhouse, with its IT industry growing by leaps and bounds Indian IT companies have played a pivotal role in shaping the digital landscape worldwide Notable contributions include the development of Aadhaar, India's biometric identification system, which has revolutionised identity authentication, and the creation of the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), a groundbreaking digital payments system that has transformed the way financial transactions are conducted in the country

India's pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors have also witnessed significant breakthroughs The Indian pharmaceutical industry has emerged as a key player in the global market, pro-

Political Sketchbook

Alpesh Patel

The Critical Role of India Week in Fostering UK-India Relations: A Closer Look at the Special Relationship

As the 5th iteration of the India Global Forum's (IGF) f la g s hi p e v en t , I nd i a W ee k 2 02 3 ha s on c e a g ai n remi nded us of the importance of the longstandi ng partners hip between the UK and India1 An event of suc h magni tude is not jus t a platform for discussion; i t is a catalyst for change and a beacon of the vibrant b il at e ra l re la ti on s hi p t hat ex i st s b e tw ee n ou r tw o nati ons

Our world is becoming more interconnected, and the need for open dialogue and collaboration between countries has never been more crucial In this context, the significance of events like India Week cannot be overstated The week-long programme sheds light on c r u c i a l t o p i c s , i n c l u d i n g p o l i t i c s , t r a d e , b u s i n e s s , sustainability, inclusion, and innovation, and provides a platform for delegates from the UK and India to hear f r o m k e y p o l i c y m a k e r s a n d d e b a t e i n s i g h t s a n d strategies with peers from around the world

M o r e t h a n t h i s , I n d i a W e e k s e r v e s a s a n irreplaceable conduit for Government-to-Government and Business-to-Business interactions These high-level e x c h a n g e s f o s t e r d e e p e r u n d e r s t a n d i n g , s t r o n g e r a l l i a n c e s , a n d p r o v i d e a f o u n d a t i o n f o r f u t u r e c o l l a b o r a t i o n s W h e n P r i m e M i n i s t e r s , c a b i n e t ministers, and business leaders from both countries share a platform, it sends a potent message about the significance of the UK-India relationship1

The event's impact extends beyond the political and business spheres It catalyses and nurtures civil society interactions, fostering bonds that transcend borders and cultures After all, bilateral relations are not just about diplomatic and trade ties; they are also about the connections between peoples, their shared experiences, and mutual respect

H o w e v e r , i t i s i m p o r t a n t t o a c k n o w l e d g e t h a t fostering such relationships is not always a smooth journey There are forces at play seeking to disrupt the harmonious bilateral ties between the UK and India In such times, it becomes even more critical for events like India Week to act as a bulwark, reinforcing the ties that bind our nations

ducing high-quality drugs and contributing to affordable healthcare solutions Notably, the Serum Institute of India, the world's largest vaccine manufacturer, has played a crucial role in addressing global immunisation needs India has made outstanding progress in the area of renewable energy in its search for sustainable energy solutions India is a leader in the use of renewable energy thanks to programmes like the National Solar Mission and improvements in wind power Additionally, the country has shifted its focus towards green hydrogen production, exploring innovative ways to harness this clean energy source

India's agricultural sector has witnessed transformative changes as well The Green Revolution, a landmark initiative, revolutionised farming practises, leading to increased agricultural productivity and food security The National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) is a pan-India electronic trading portal that networks the existing APMC mandis to create a unified national market for agricultural commodities India's defence industry has developed significantly over the years India which was an importer of defence goods, is now an exporter to over 85 nations With 100 companies selling defence equipment, the Indian industry has demonstrated to the world its design and development capabilities India's expanding defence manufacturing sector has been demonstrated by the country's increased defence exports and participation in Aero India 2023 by 104 nations A very significant step was taken when the defence ministry approved a list of 928 components and subsystems on May 14, 2023, with an import replacement value of £71 2 million

This is where the efforts of individuals like Manoj Ladwa, Chairman and Chief Executive of the India Inc Group, which organizes India Week, come into the picture Manoj's commitment to the cause of fostering UK-India ties and his hands-on approach to organising such a large event are testaments to his leadership and v i s i o n H i s f o r e s i g h t a n d d e d i c a t i o n h a v e b e e n instrumental in shaping the India Global Forum into the premier agenda-setting platform that it is today

In conclusion, the importance of India Week in the UK-India bilateral relationship cannot be overstated It is a testament to the strength and resilience of our ties, a platform for meaningful dialogue, and a catalyst for future collaboration Amid challenges and attempts to disrupt this bilateral relationship, India Week serves as a beacon of unity, demonstrating that the UK-India relationship is not just another diplomatic tie, but a special relationship

Let's continue to support and participate in such initiatives, for they not only enhance our bilateral relations but also contribute to a more interconnected and harmonious world

“Everything is hard before it is easy ” – Goethe

Hundreds gather in East London Park to mark Eid al-Adha

O n W e d n e s d a y , Ju n e 2 8, hun dre ds of people ga the red t o cele br ate the be ginn in g of Eid a l-Adha in We st Ha m

Pa rk The e ven t was organ ize d by the Huma nita rian a n d Sa v ing Liv es Tru st in colla bora tion with the City of Lond on Corpor ation

Amidst the lush greenery a n d p e a c e f u l a m b i a n c e o f the park, Imam Mufti Shah Hamza Ahmed led a prayer, marking the first large-scale Eid prayer held in West Ham Park Caroline Haines, Chair o f t h e C i t y C o r p o r a t i o n ' s West Ham Park Committee a n d N a t u r a l E n v i r o n m e n t

Crash victim was a “predator” according to TikTok star’s defence

Board, said: “It was a joy to welcome our local Muslim community to mark such a special and spiritual occasion amongst the park’s natural serenity ” A d d i t i o n a l l y , M d Ashikur Rahman, Trustee of t h e H u m a n i t a r i a n a n d Saving Lives Trust said that “ w e f e l t b l e s s e d t o c o m e together in such a delightful

park, surrounded by nature's beauty The exceptional supp o r t a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t from West Ham Park and t h e C i t y C o r p o r a t i o n w a s highly appreciated ” Managed by the City Corporation as a registered charity, West Ham Park is t h e l a r g e s t p a r k i n t h e L o n d o n B o r o u g h o f Newham

Individuals jailed for operating people smuggling network

The National C rime Agency ( NC A ) h a s c o nd u ct ed an i nv e st ig ati o n, k no w n as Op eration Symbolry, resulting in the dismantling of a London-based crime g roup

This group h ad been utilizi ng a n etw o r k o f l o rry drivers who were com plicit in smu ggling people across the Ch annel, including several fugitives

A f t e r t h e a r r e s t o f M o h a m m e d M o k t e r Hossain, 54, of Gaynes Hill Road, Woodford Green, it was discovered that he had b e e n c o o r d i n a t i n g t h e movements of drivers and arranging for taxis to transport migrants to their desig-

nated pick-up locations A ledger was recovered that p r o v i d e s e v i d e n c e o f t h e s c a l e a n d s c o p e o f h i s involvement in facilitating the movement of migrants

According to the NCA, Hossain collaborated with

Noor Ullah, 30, of Church Lane, Leytonstone, in their i l l i c i t a c t i v i t i e s W h i l e Hossain admitted to conspiring with Ullah to facilitate the transportation, he m a i n t a i n e d h i s d e n i a l o f being the leader of the criminal organization involved in these activities

O n F r i d a y , J u n e 2 3 , Hossain was sentenced to a prison term of 10-and-a-half years at Snaresbrook Crown Court for his involvement in the criminal activities Noor Ullah, on the other hand, initially denied the charges b r o u g h t a g a i n s t h i m a n d t h e n c h a n g e d h i s p l e a t o guilty

Nine-Time-Grammy-nominated Sitarist Anoushka Shankar

G l ob a l ly ac c l a i m ed s i ta r player, produc er, composer a n d n i n e - ti m e - G ra m m yn o mi n e e A n ous h k a Shankar has announced a new mini- album Chapter I : F orev er, For N ow, wh ic h w i l l b e r el e as e d on N i ls Fra hm’ s LE I TE R lab el on O ctober 6th 2023 Shankar’s f i r s t n e w m us i c s i n c e D ec e m b e r 2 02 2 ’ s s t a nd a lo n e s i n g le ‘ I n H e r N ame ’ , the mini album also follows Between Us , her live album for LEI TE R earlie r t he s a me y e a r Th e a l b um ’ s l ea d s i n gl e i s ‘ St ol en M om en t s ’ , w hi c h will be made available di gitally from June 30th

R e c o r d e d a t L E I T E R ’ s studio in Berlin’s celebrated F u n k h a u s c o m p l e x , t h e four new tracks make up the first chapter in a trilogy o f m i n i - a l b u m s S h a n k a r will be writing and releasing a s a n e v o l v i n g s t o r y b e t w e e n t o u r s F e a t u r i n g guest appearances by Nils F r a h m ( p i a n o , g l a s s h a rm o n i c a , h a r m o n i u m , s l i t drum), Gal Maestro (bass) a n d M a g d a G i a n n i k o u ( a c c o r d i o n ) , F o r e v e r , F o r Now was produced by Arooj Aftab, with whom Shankar had previously collaborated on ‘Udhero Na’, from the d e l u x e e d i t i o n o f A f t a b ’ s ‘Vulture Prince’ album

ISIS PLOTTING AN ATTACK IN THE UK

During th e trial at Leicester Crown C ourt, th e defence barrister for Ansreen Bukh ari, Patrick U pward KC, made claims about the alleged v ictim, Saqib Hussain, sugg esting that he w as dish onest and manip ulativ e Bukhari and her daug hter, Mahek Bukhari, along with sev en o th e rs , ar e a cc u s ed o f m u rd eri ng S aq ib Hussain and h is friend Hash im Ijazud din

Upward's defence strategy aimed to portray Ansreen as a victim of stalking rather than a murderer He highlighted that Saqib had threatened to expose his three-year affair with A n s r e e n a f t e r t h e i r r e l a t i o n s h i p e n d e d Upward emphasized the significant age difference between Saqib and Ansreen, suggesting that Saqib had exhibited predatory behaviour towards his former lover

The defense barrister characterized Saqib a s s o m e o n e w h o w a s u n t r u s t w o r t h y a n d manipulative throughout their affair, labelling him as a "liar and a deceiver " These arguments were presented to the jury as part of the defence’s attempt to challenge the prosecution's case and establish Ansreen's position as a victim in the circumstances surrounding the alleged murder The trial will continue as the court examines the evidence and considers the arguments presented by both the prosecution and defense

Boyfriend pleads guilty in Sabita

Thanwani murder

Repo rts ind icate that Maher Maaroufe, the b o yf ri end o f C i ty U n i v er si ty s tu d ent Sabita Th anwani, has ta ke n re s p o ns ib i li ty for th e death of the 1 9 - ye ar- o ld bu t d e ni es an y i nte nti o n t o c o m m i t m ur d er

During a h earing at the Old Bailey on Friday (3 0 ), the 23 -year-o ld p lead ed g uilty to th e manslaughter of Thanwani, wh o was tragically killed at her university accom mod ation in central L ond on

According to intelligence sources British Islamic State terrorists are allegedly planning a severe attack targeting a public gathering The warning was conveyed by Iraq's top counter-terrorism officer to British journalists present in Baghdad, where they joined the Iraqi Counter-Terror Service His special forces known as the Golden Division, obtained intelligence regarding the plot This valuable information was acquired following a successful operation in which they eliminated numerous militants at a desert hideout For security reasons, specific details regarding the terror plot have been omitted from public reports However it is known that Iraqi intelligence has shared the specifics of the plot with Western intelligence agencies These agencies are actively working to disrupt the plot and ensure the safety of the public Despite suffering significant setbacks and losses in Iraq and Syria, ISIS remnants and sleeper cells continue to pose a threat As a result, Iraqi forces including the Golden Division, are intensifying their efforts to locate and eliminate these terrorists

INDIANS HONOURED WITH DIANA AWARD 2023

addressed to:

HOC, HCI, India House, Aldwych London- WC2B 4NA

This, too, was nominated for a 2023 Grammy, this time for Best Global Music Performance – bringing to n i n e S h a n k a r ' s t a l l y o f G r a m m y n o m i n a t i o n s t o date – and their creative r e u n i o n f o r C h a p t e r I proved especially liberating “I wanted recordings that e x p r e s s m o m e n t s , ” t h e sitarist says, “not my analysis of those moments from a f u t u r e v a n t a g e p o i n t , which often happens when working on albums over a longer period ”

Right from the outset, S h a n k a r ’ s i n t e n t i o n o v e r the three releases was to work with a different producer on each mini-album, and Aftab was an obvious candidate for these inaugur a l s e s s i o n s “ I ’ d a l w a y s thought she was brilliant,” Shankar recalls “and working together on ‘Udhero Na' confirmed our collaborative chemistry I love the genrefluid world she creates with t h o u g h t f u l a r r a n g e m e n t s and sonic spaces It’s something I also value in my own work, but she does it differently I was really drawn to t h a t d i f f e r e n t v o i c e , t h a t different colour ”

The prosecution has accepted the guilty plea, and as a result, Maaroufe will not face trial for the murder charge related to the victim The plea was made on the grounds of diminished responsibility, as reported by The Times Additionally, Maaroufe pleaded guilty to the charge of assaulting an emergency worker by beating

On 19th March 2022, Thanwani, a psychology student, was discovered under a duvet a n d s h e e t s w i t h a t h r o a t w o u n d i n Clerkenwell A neighbor raised the alarm and contacted emergency services after hearing screams emanating from Thanwani's room

A number of Indian youth activists humanitarians, and entrepreneurs have been recognized as winners of the prestigious Diana Awards, established in memory of the late Diana, Princess of Wales One of the Indian winners is Sanya Sharma, the founder of 'Scarlet Udaan, a global youth organization dedicated to raising awareness about female genital cutting (FGC) and empowering young people to take action against it Sanya s efforts have earned her recognition from the United Nations and she serves as a Gender Equality leader with UN Women Another winner is 14-year-old Divaa Uthkarsha, a student of NPS Rajajinagar in Bengaluru Divaa's humanitarian project, Project Surya, focuses on providing healthcare support to underprivileged children in Karnataka who are suffering from diabetes The 2023 Diana Awards have celebrated exceptional young individuals who have demonstrated their ability to inspire and mobilize new generations to serve their communities and bring about enduring change on a global scale

Sunak plans deal with Italy regarding Mediterranean migrants

A ccording to a repo rt from the Telegrap h, Prime M inister Rishi Sunak is fo rmu lating an ag reement with Italy to ad dress the influx of mig rants crossing the M e d i ter ran ea n and f ac i li tat e their return to North Africa

The newspaper revealed that in mid-June, Sunak dispatched Simon Case, the cabinet secretary and head of the civil service, to Italy for a two-day series of meetings with senior Italian government officials The aim of these discussions was to collaborate on a potential deal

On Friday (30), a government insider verified that case was indeed in Italy, although no further specifics were disclosed

I n A p r i l , t h e U n i t e d Kingdom and Italy entered i n t o a M e m o r a n d u m o f U n d e r s t a n d i n g a s p a r t o f their joint efforts to address illegal migration through the " S t r a t e g i c M i g r a t i o n Partnership "

G o v e r n m e n t s t a t i s t i c s reveal that last year, Britain experienced a record influx of 4 5 , 0 0 0 i n d i v i d u a l s w h o a r r i v e d i n t h e c o u n t r y v i a s m a l l b o a t s a c r o s s t h e Channel, primarily originating from France The government's data also indicates that over 11,000 individuals have a l r e a d y a r r i v e d i n t h e U K t h r o u g h t h i s method this year

Mohammed Mokter Hossain

Sanya Sharma

Sabita Thanwani

Source Twitter

Gandhi and Jainism in Los Angeles

Anahita Hoose

T he nonviolent activism o f

M ah atm a Ga nd h i , o ne o f t h e las t c ent u ry s m o s t rev ered figu res and Ind ia’s m o st f am o u s s o ns , h as exerted enorm ous influence ac ro ss the w orld It’ s less w ell known that Gandhi was h i ms elf g reatly i nflu enced by Jainism, m any of wh ose p r ac ti ti o ne rs l i v e i n G an d h i 's n ati v e s ta te o f Gujarat

On June 3rd, four acad e m i c s d i s c u s s e d c o n n e ctions between Gandhi and J a i n i s m a n d p a r a l l e l s between Gandhian and Jain t h o u g h t a t a s y m p o s i u m (‘Different Roads, One Goal: Gandhi and Jainism’) at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) I was able to put the event together thanks to members of the Jain community’s establishm e n t o f t h e B h a g w a n A b h i n a n d a n J a i n Lectureship in Jainism and S o u t h A s i a n R e l i g i o n s a t UCLA, which I’m proud to hold It was a pleasure to see two of the generous donors, D r J a s v a n t M o d i a n d D r N a r e n d r a P a r s o n , i n t h e audience, together with faculty members and undergraduate and graduate students

Three invited speakersP r o f e s s o r s C h r i s t o p h e r C h a p p l e ( L o y o l a M a r y m o u n t U n i v e r s i t y ) ,

Veena Howard (California

S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y , F r e s n o ) and Tara Sethia (California

Emotional audience bid farewell to Shakti with standing ovation at their final London show

A spellbound aud ience at the Eventim

Left to right on the stage: Professor Tara Sethia; Dr Anahita Hoose; Professor Vinay Lal; Professor Carol Bakhos (Director of the UCLA Center for the Study of Religion); Dr Jasvant Modi; Professor Christopher Chapple On Zoom in the background: Professor Veena Howard

S t a t e P o l y t e c h n i c University, Pomona) - delive r e d a f a s c i n a t i n g s e t o f t a l k s P r o f e s s o r C h a p p l e spoke about the actualisation of vows in the lifestyle of Jain communities and in Gandhi’s political and econ o m i c t h o u g h t P r o f e s s o r Howard, speaking remotely o v e r Z o o m , d i s c u s s e d Gandhi’s engagement with the Jain doctrine of anekantavada, according to which human perspectives are limited and a complete view of reality is almost impossible Professor Sethia’s paper was o n G a n d h i , a h i m s a a n d

Jainism Ahimsa (non-violence) is a key Jain principle and a core value of Gandhi’s, although Gandhi created his o w n u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f ahimsa, which is not identical to the traditional Jain one The afternoon ended w i t h a v e r y s t i m u l a t i n g response to the three papers delivered by Professor Vinay Lal (UCLA)

Birmingham Airport celebrates ‘Giant July’

Three Gulf airlines have s t a r t e d t o o p e r a t e f r o m Birmingham Airport, all in this first week of July

Saturday (Jul 1) saw the return of Emirates’ A380, the iconic 615-seat double decker Sunday (Jul 2) marked Saudi’s i n a u g u r a l f l i g h t a n d T h u r s d a y ( J u l 6 ) s a w t h e return of Qatar Airways

A p o ll o i n H am m ers m i th lo u d l y ch eered in standing o vation, as internat io n al ly re no w n ed g u i ta r w i za rd John M cLaugh lin and tabla m aestro Zakir Hussain took the stage, m arking the 50 th anniversary of Ind o-jazz band, Shakti One ev en shou ted “ Wah T aj” recalling an old telev ision ad vertisement promoting a p opular tea brand, where Hu ssain m odelled

a work of immense depth and radiant optimism, the album offers a set of new compositions and performances that burn with a rare intensity born out of passion The band is therefore celebrating their latest recording (and compositions), by performing in Europe, and e x t e n s i v e l y i n t h e U S a s t h e y j u s t wrapped up their tour in London after two magical performances on 27 and 28

In 1973, McLaughlin had stunned the music world when he left his hugely successful Mahavishnu Orchestra Later, with Zakir Hussain, violinist L S h ank ar , a n d g h a t a m p l a y e r T H “V ikku ” Vi nayakram , he started the b a n d S h a k t i P e r c u s s i o n i s t V Selvaganesh (T H Vinayakram’s son), c e l e b r a t e d s i n g e r a n d c o m p o s e r S h ank ar M ah a d ev an a n d v i o l i n i s t Ganesh Rajag opalan have now joined M c L a u g h l i n a n d H u s s a i n ’ s f u s i o n band, as they tour across the world S h a k t i r e c e n t l y r e l e a s e d ‘ T h i s Moment’, its first studio album in 45 years According to the official website:

June

D r u m m e r a n d p i a n i s t G a r y Husband, who played the opening set with guitarist Nguyên L ê, was reportedly also present among the audience in 1976 (aged 16), when the band had performed their first gig at the same Hammersmith Apollo He therefore joined the rest of London to bid Shakti farewell at their last show, as the superg r o u p e n t h r a l l e d a u d i e n c e w i t h M a h a d e v a n ’ s m a g i c a l ‘ B e n d i n g t h e Rules’ and an impressive percussion b a t t l e ’ b e t w e e n S e l v a g a n e s h a n d

Hussain

On Wednesday 28 June, present were many second and third generation British Indians, along with highp r o f i l e g u e s t s , s u c h a s s i t a r i s t A n o u s h k a S h a n k a r , t h e H i g h

Commissioner of India to the UK, HE Vikram Doraiswami and his wife

Dr Atrayee Banerjee, a singer herself and part of The Tagoreans, performed at The Bhavan on 2 July She told Asian Voice, “To watch the legends at their final show in London, especiall y U s t a d Z a k i r H u s s a i n a n d J o h n McLaughlin perform live, was a privilege And then to witness music trans c e n d i n g b o u n d a r i e s t h r o u g h t h e fusion between Indian classical music and jazz was phenomenal indeed! I was c o m p l e t e l y f a s c i n a t e d b y G a n e s h Rajagopalan’s passages!” Hussain and Mahadevan were also s p o t t e d a t 1 0 D o w n i n g S t r e e t , j u s t before their performance, at a reception hosted by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, to celebrate the UK-India Week (see page 1)

350th year of Chhatrapati Shivaji's Coronation

celebrated in London

The 350th year of Chh atrapati Sh ivaji's co ronation w as vibrantly m arked at th e Nehru Centre recently The rich cultural event was organised by Sanskruti Centre for C ultural Excellence and w as attend ed by abou t 150 peop le from various walks of life Deputy Director of T NC S an ja y S h ar m a an d M in i st erC o o rd i na ti o n a t H C I De ep a k Choud hary h av e bo th spoken on th e occasion,

From the film on Shivaji's achievements including his Dakshin Digvijay initiative to songs highlighting the glorious Maratha empire of India, dances & poems in reverence of Shivaji by Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, T e l u g u a n d G u j a r a t i c o m m u n i t i e s , d e m o n s t r a t i o n o f m a r t i a l a r t Kalaripayattu, speeches that highlight the contributions of Shivaji in building the armed forces and description of

Unity Chair praised after winning Women in Housing Award

Shruti Bhargav a, Chair of L eedsbased housing association U nity Homes and Enterprise, h as been na m ed B o ar d /C o m m i tte e M e m be r o f t h e Y ear at t h e

Women in Ho using A ward s

She received her award in Manchester at the opening cerem o n y o f H o u s i n g 2 0 2 3 , t h e

Chartered Institute of Housing’s annual conference and Europe’s largest housing festival T h e W o m e n i n H o u s i n g

Awards “celebrate the leaders, i n n o v a t o r s a n d c h a n g e m a k e r s across the sector, championing t h e s u c c e s s e s o f w o m e n a n d sharing learning from teams and individuals within the housing sector ” T h e B o a r d C o m m i t t e e Member of the Year Award is

given to a female board or comm i t t e e m e m b e r “ w h o h a s d e m o n s t r a t e d o u t s t a n d i n g e f f o r t a n d p e r f o r m a n c e ” o v e r the past 12 months and “has made a very real difference ”

Ms Bhargava has been Unity Chair since 2015 and is due to step down from the role at the a s s o c i a t i o n ’ s A n n u a l G e n e r a l

grand coronation event from 350 years ago, the content of the program exuded t h e v a l u e s , p r i n c i p l e s a n d e t h o s o f Shivaji P a r t i c i p a n t s i n c l u d e d C a p t a i n

Award-winning Brick Lane Chef Niaz Caan launches his first (Vegan) cookbook

Gu ests including Manju M alhi BEM and actress Nina Wadia tucked in to d ishes chosen fro m the boo k containing 42 v eg an d is h es i nsp i red by C h ef N iaz Caan’s long held family recipes Niaz is the award-winning executive chef of Brick Lane’s C i t y S p i c e a n d h a s a l r e a d y a p p e a r e d v a r i o u s t e l e v i s i o n

forums The book was inspired by the success of Niaz’s Vegan Menu which he launched at City Spice in 2019 and includes new dishes that he developed with the home cook in mind W i t h ‘ V e g a n : A n I n d i a n Cookbook’, Niaz wants to prove that home-made Vegan food can

be tasty and that Indian food can be nutritious and delicious He spent many months perfecting spice mixes, cooking techniques and finding plant-based alternatives to Ghee

Niaz says: “I saw more and m o r e o f m y f r i e n d s t u r n i n g v e g a n a n d I w a s i n c r e a s i n g l y being asked about vegan dishes in the restaurant so I decided to s p e n d t i m e d e v e l o p i n g a n d updating dishes to create something that I felt was every bit as tasty as the meat, seafood and dairy dishes on offer ” T h e b o o k i s p r i c e d a t £20 99, available from July 30th

M u n i s h C h a u h a n o f B r i t i s h A r m e d Forces, Hrishikesh Kizhikkiyil, Prachi R a n a d e , I s h a J o s h i , S a m i k s h a D e s h p a n d e , S a r a & R i y a S a r g a l k a r , R u g v e d K u l k a r n i , A m o l K o l d i k a r , S w a t i S h e j w a l k a r , D r S h i v a n a n d J a d h a v , K u n a l K h a i r n a r , S a n t o s h P a r k a r , S a h i s h n u J a d h a v V i s h w a m K a t h a k K e n d r a ' s s t u d e n t s R a k s h i k a

Choudhry, Tanisha Atri & Bani Nagpal, R u p a l i S h i l a n k a r , H a r s h a S r i n i v a s , V y s h a l i G o w d a , S u j a t h a B y r a p p a , A r c h a n a Y a l a k k i , M a n j u S u n i l ,

Lakshmi Pillai, Vanamala Acha, Shakti W o m e n ' s g r o u p ' s m e m b e r s P r e e t i M a k h a r i a , A n k i t a S h a h , A l p a S u r t i , H i n a P a n c h o l i , L a t a J o s h i & S h i t a l J a m o d a n d A y l e s b u r y T e l u g u C o m m u n i t y m e m b e r s S u s h m a D e v u l a p a l l i , H e m a P o l o j u , U s h a B a n d a l a k u n t a & M a m u n d e e s w a r i Ganesan Ganpati Vandana was choreo g r a p h e d b y P r i y a K u s h w a h a , a n d Aylesbury presentations were coordin a t e d b y C l l r N i d h i M e h t a a n d Rajanikanth Pasupuleti A very interesting historical account on Siddis- the East African migrants to India- both in Shivaji's own & in rival camps was presented by Ragasudha Vinjamuri This was followed by the playing of African drums by Steven Kasamba and Siddi dance by Preetha Sukesh

Nguyên Lê and Gary Husband

L-R: Zakir Hussain, Ganesh Rajagopalan, Shankar Mahadevan, John McLaughlin and V Selvaganesh

Performers and Organisers at Shivaji Rajyabhishek Utsav event

Left to right: Hesham Aldkhail, Manal Alshehri of Saudia, Nick Barton, CEO of BHX and Saqib Bhatti MP

Shruti Bhargava receiving her

Women in Housing Award from BBC

News presenter Huw Edwards

A promising move

We have been travelling to India from Heathrow for years and it is our humble opinion that travelling from Gatwick is not going to work for a majority of people who live in North London because of travelling involved in just getting to the airport alone

Bh upe ndra Patel Kenti sh town

Air India direct flight to Ahmedabad

I was very disappointed to know that Air India Direct flight Ahmedabad will be flying from Gatwick Airport instead of London Heathrow

This is very inconvenient for people who want to travel to Gujarat, especially for elderly people Gatwick Airport is a 2-3 hrs journey for a majority of people and that prolongs the total journey time

If you take a flight from London then you have to take the connecting flight from Bombay or Delhi Also, you have to collect your luggage and go through immigration before boarding the connecting flight to Gujarat This is very difficult for elderly people especially if they are traveling alone

It would be very convenient and easy for travellers if Air India flight was flying from Heathrow instead of Gatwick Airport

Mrs Alka Ast hana Bir mingha m

Should the London-Ahmedabad direct flight operate from Gatwick or Heathrow?-

HEATHROW!

I enjoyed reading your article in today's Asian Voice I agree with your stance that all flights should go from Heathrow Airport Heathrow is the UK's busiest airport and has the infrastructure and capacity to handle all of the UK's air traffic Other airports, such as Gatwick and Stansted, are simply not big enough to cope with the demand

I understand that some people may be concerned about the environmental impact of having all flights go from Heathrow However, I believe that the benefits of having a single, major airport outweigh the environmental costs Heathrow is already one of the most efficient airports in the world, and it is constantly working to reduce its environmental impact

I urge you to continue to raise this important issue I believe that it is essential for the UK to have a single, major airport that can handle all of its air traffic Thank you for your leadership on this issue

Mahendrasinh D Jadeja

Denh am V illage

Pursue Air India to start direct flights to Ahmedabad from Heathrow

I hereby write to you that I and my family support you in the fight with Air India to start the direct flights from L o n d o n t o A h m e d a b a d f r o m H e a t h r o w i n s t e a d o f

London Gatwick airport

It is very difficult to travel to Gatwick to take a flight for Ahmedabad so we request you to pursue Air India to start direct flights to Ahmedabad FROM HEATHROW Umaka nt Pa tel

We mb ley, Midd lesex

Direct flights from Heathrow should be resumed

In response to the Air India campaign articles published in your recent editions, I do agree that the earlier direct flight from Heathrow should be resumed which was very popular and convenient for Gujarat travellers

It has not been many years since this flight was started and if there is a question of profit or loss, the prices should be reworked accordingly and the flight should be resumed No one will hesitate to pay the price considering the convenience Neither it should run at a loss nor it should discontinue

People who are concerned should come forward, discuss and find a way out, but the demands of the people should be taken into consideration

I do not have much knowledge on this subject, so what to write more, but this should be campaigned

If there is an overseas branch of Bharatiya Janata Party then we should seek their support in this matter

Jay S wami narayan

Sh ai lesh Barot

Travelling from Gatwick is not going to work for the majority

We have been travelling to India from Heathrow for years and we think in our humble opinion that travelling from Gatwick is not going to work for the majority of people who leave in North London because of travelling involved just getting to the airport alone

Bhup endra Patel

“India shines in UK and US, as PM woos the world” in AV dated 1-7 July 2023 clearly shows that the world needs India more than India needs any particular country Not to say that India has become a superpower and does not need anybody India believes in peaceful coexistence with equitable respect and dignity

Irrespective of the party in power in any country, Narendra Modi has the courage and wisdom to impress them not only by words but by his work and commitment to making India a great nation

In the UK, the Labour Party was not very “cooperative” in terms of maintaining a harmonious relationship and used to make inflammatory remarks from time to time They have stopped and the growing power of India in the international fraternity has been realised

One of the reasons for the warm welcome could be the elections in 3 major countries of the world, India, the US and the UK so naturally different countries would like to make sure that they have a strategic relationship with India Before the election year 2024, there will be media, and different political parties within and outside India will find every opportunity to create disturbances in the minds of people and to tarnish the image of the country It is time to be vigilant and listen to facts and not rumours

Hitesh Hing u London

Water, water everywhere, not a drop to drink! This aptly applies to our doctors, juniors as well as Consultants you may find on the picket lines while patients are nowhere to be seen!

What this country has come to! Consultants who on average earn £125K from their NHS jobs and many have their own private practice as well, train drivers with a basic wage of £65K but with overtime, earn between £75k to £100K per annum they consider not enough to live on

Yet these greedy lots are not satisfied They use their Union power to blackmail their employers and the government to get what they want, by one means or another without thinking about how this will affect patients, some suffering from terminal illnesses

Perhaps some high flyers, especially Premier League footballers who earn more in a week than ordinary people earn in a year, some of whom could not write or sign their contracts Then in a free market, if demand outnumbers supply, then the asking price goes through the roof

In sharp contrast, ordinary workers who may not b e l o n g t o t r a d e u n i o n s , s u c h a s t i l l g i r l s i n Supermarkets, shop assistants in small shops as well as OAPs with no power to blackmail anyone, have to make do with a national minimum wage of £10 an hour and retirement pension of just £175 to £250 a week, based on their NI contributions It requires a minimum of 40 years of paying NIC to get the full pension

Hardly any one of our generation who came here from East Africa in the late sixties have paid their full NIC and are struggling to make the end meet, too proud to claim benefits such as pension credit which they think is a handout or ask their children for financial assistance

With the pound in the doldrums and inflation out of control, no wonder our economy is in a mess, people are down-hearted and struggling and many are leaving, deserting the sinking ship, to pasture new in the sunny climate of the US, Australia, New Zealand and Canada!

Bhupe nd ra M Gandhi

A promising move

British prime minister Rishi Sunak ought to hold a press conference every week to discuss the progress of his five pledges: halving inflation by the end of the year; growing the economy to create better-paid jobs and opportunities; ensuring that the national debt is falling to secure the future of public services; cutting NHS waiting lists, and stopping the small boats This would prove to the electorate that the Conservative Party says what it means and means what it says

Ash Gupta

Untiring efforts to fight for justice

Thank you for your untiring efforts to fight for justice in many fields

This time it is about Air India flights to Ahmedabad from Heathrow Airport I wholly support your efforts to request Air India to fly at least once every week from Heathrow airport to Ahmedabad

Kapil D udakia

K A P I L’ S K H I C H A D I

Europe – Burning

Over the past decade I have written several pieces that reflected on what Europe was doing with its appeasement politics, and the ramifications of those in years to come I did say that in Europe we will witness rioting, looting and streets on fire This week we have seen the start of that madness in France

The trigger for this breach of law was the death of a 17-year-old Algerian boy called Nahel M, killed by a French police officer Nahel was shot under circumstances currently being investigated The police officer is also in custody pending a full investigation In any normal law-abiding society, the most you would expect is a peaceful protest by affected people to express their grief and to demand an investigation However, what transpired over the past five days in France is nothing short of criminality right across the nation France is now gripped in a cycle of violence, looting, criminal damage, loss of security and peace on its streets

At the last count, more than 45000 police officers were on high level alert to control the streets Some 700 arrests have been made, though one could argue that if they rounded up all the miscreants, this figure would easily be in the thousands The madness has also affected places like Marseille, Lyon and Grenoble

In one of the most recent incidents, home of the mayor of L'Haÿ-les-Roses was attacked The hooligans a c t u a l l y a t t a c k e d h i s w i f e a n d c h i l d r e n M a y o r Jeanbrun said, “it was an attempt at murder of incalculable cowardice

I was left wondering, how on earth can anyone excuse such behaviour? Yes, we all know a young man has died We also know an investigation is underway and that one officer is under custody Pending an outcome through the legal process, how can anyone excuse such madness that ends up affecting tens of thousands of people right across France? The answer is simple, there are no excuses for these barbarians These are criminals who don’t care a damn for Nahel M Their only objective is to create anarchy, to loot and instil fear in ordinary law-abiding citizens

Let’s be clear, the rioters were not only Islamists, but they also included other immigrant communities, and of course white leftie wokes who saw the opportunity to further their agenda A bit like what we witnessed with Black Lives Matter (BLM) in the UK They didn’t care about real black lives, most of them were just hooligans intent on creating chaos by perpetrating violence, and in looting

Last year the far-right leader Marie Le Pen secured 23 2% of the popular vote compared with Emmanuel Macron with 27 9% who went on to become their President Imagine, almost quarter of the French population voted for a far-right party leader to be their President! I should not be too surprised if we witness France getting a far-right leader elected in the years to come Directly as a result of this madness on their streets When a society and its politicians appease to extremists, and it goes horribly wrong as we have seen, don’t be too surprised if the ordinary people end up voting for the far right

Recently Italy voted in Giorgia Meloni who is also from their equivalent of a far-right political party Nations like Austria, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Sweden, Belgium, Netherlands and even Germany will soon witness their own uprising and their streets will burn also

In the UK there is a sudden interest in the Labour Party led by Keir Starmer It is also knee deep in appeasement politics with many of its politicians o p e n l y v e n t i n g a n t i - J e w i s h , a n t i - I n d i a , a n d a n t iHindu rhetoric Can you imagine what will be the state of this nation should Labour ever get back in power? What we witnessed with BLM will pale into insignificance

With more than 800 fires right across France, it burns today, tomorrow it will be the turn of Europe I say to you all, watch this space Europe is on the verge of anarchy if it continues to appease to extremists and pampers to its own wokeism If you push the silent majority too far, don’t be too surprised if we see them stand up and fight back

In the UK decent people rejected the far right, it’s now time to reject the mad violent racism of the lunatics on the left, and their woke partners

“India believes in peaceful coexistence with equitable respect and dignity”

Human greed knows no bound

BUILDING NHS WITH SOUTH ASIANS

A few years after the end of the w a r , t h e U K N a t i o n a l H e a l t h Service was established with the vision of universal health for all by Aneurin Bevin,” Dr Chakravarty told Asian Voice Dr Chakravarty highlighted the h i s t o r i c a l c o n n e c t i o n b e t w e e n British-style medical science and education with India, dating back to the establishment of the Bengal Medical College in Kolkata in 1836 H e a c k n o w l e d g e d t h a t d o c t o r s from the Indian subcontinent and o t h e r C o m m o n w e a l t h c o l o n i e s have been coming to the UK to practice medicine and serve the people for many years However, he also noted the challenges faced b y t h e s e " i n t e r n a t i o n a l m e d i c a l graduates, including bias, discrimination, racism, and microaggressions from both the public and their colleagues While many have come for a period and returned, there are currently over 50,000 doctors who are here to serve and dedicate their life’s work to these Isles According to him, “Such bias and discrimination are not unique to the NHS and do exist in all public institutions, so I guess doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals are not special Overall, the NHS has 22% of its employees from overseas, representing over 200 nations and 45% of its doctors, so not an insignificant number While it costs around £250k to the public purse to train a doctor in the U K , t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l m e d i c a l graduates come free to the NHS, causing a significant drain and loss to the countries and healthcare systems that trained them The countries in the Indian subcontinent have the lowest number of d o c t o r s - t o - p a t i e n t r a t i o s i n t h e world, despite training over 65k medical graduates each year The numbers for nurses from overseas i n c l u d i n g I r e l a n d , S p a i n , Philippines, West Indies and India is no different, perhaps worse as they are mostly silent ” O r g a n i s a t i o n s s u c h a s t h e British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin which celebrated its silver jubilee in 2022 and the newly f o r m e d B r i t i s h I n d i a n N u r s i n g A s s o c i a t i o n s e r v e a n i m p o r t a n t purpose In addition to providing a voice to the healthcare professionals from the Indian subcontinent, they are here to aspire to excellence in healthcare, providing leade r s h i p o p p o r t u n i t i e s b u t m o s t importantly to level up, and tackle i n j u s t i c e a n d i n e q u a l i t i e s t h a t plague the health of people from m i n o r i t y e t h n i c b a c k g r o u n d s Working within and with the NHS, BAPIO, BINA and 52 other minorit y r e p r e s e n t a t i v e o r g a n i s a t i o n s t h a t f o r m t h e A l l i a n c e f o r Healthcare Equality provides NHS leaders and regulators with a conscience, acting as a critical friend and guiding them towards equality and justice for all

“The NHS at 75 years would not exist if the contribution of the international graduates was not recognised and acknowledged, by the leaders but most crucially by the public they serve Looking forward, to the next 75 years, we need better relations with home countries and a global healthcare migration strategy that is sustainable a n d m u t u a l l y b e n e f i c i a l , ” t h e

BAPIO Chairperson signed off

At the UK-India Week 2023, Sir Keir Starmer, leader of the L abour Party said that “ we need to have the ambition to create the NHS of the future ” “We need to be in the prevention space much quicker, and community based health I think this is a journey we've gone t h r o u g h t h e f i r s t 7 5 y e a r s w i t h great contribution from the Indian community here and we will go through the next 75 I'm sure with that same contribution,” Starmer said

The most diverse workforce in E urop e

As the NHS turns 75, Dr Nikita K an ani M B E, G P , S t J o h n ’ s M ed ic a l, D i rec to r o f C li ni c al Integ ratio n, NHS England, Depu ty SRO, NHS C ovid -19 Vaccination Program me to ld Asian Voice, “Our NHS is unique, we are 1 6 million strong, 350 professions and disciplines, people from all walks of life, backgrounds and different nationalities The history of the NHS is that of diversity – from 1948 to today, the NHS has welcomed talent from around the world

“ T h e N H S L o n g T e r m

W o r k f o r c e P l a n , l a u n c h e d l a s t week, sets out how we will retain more of the staff we have and reform the way that they train and work over the next 5, 10 and even 15 years, so we make the most of the experience and expertise of our staff We know many of the people who will be working in the NHS in 15 years are already working here today and we need to nurture that talent

“Many colleagues have spent a lifetime working in the NHS Like my parents, who I am proud to have followed in the footsteps of They came to the UK, as a refugee and a migrant, and went on to serve the local community as pharmacists for nearly 45 years

“Our workforce today is more diverse than at any point in its 75year history; almost 8 in 10 of our workforce are women, we have m o r e p e o p l e f r o m a n e t h n i c m i n o r i t y b a c k g r o u n d t h a n e v e r before, more people with a disability or living with long term conditions, people of different faiths or none, and people of different sexual orientations

“Across the NHS in England, ethnic minority colleagues make up almost a quarter of staff working in NHS trusts They represent 42% of our doctors, dentists and consultants and almost 30% of our nurses, midwives and health visitors This fact makes us the most diverse workforce in Europe

“There will always be a place in t h e N H S f o r c o l l e a g u e s f r o m a r o u n d t h e w o r l d O u r m e d i c s , nurses, midwives, health visitors, allied health professionals, pharm a c i s t s a n d a l l m y c o l l e a g u e s across the 350 different professions

“In May of this year, we published our landmark E-MOTIVE trial which tested effective interv e n t i o n s t o m a n a g e c h i l d b i r t hrelated haemorrhage in low- and m i d d l e - i n c o m e c o u n t r i e s a n d showed a phenomenal 60% reduction in severe bleeds and deaths This new approach could have a radical effect on reducing the currently shocking number of 70,000 deaths from postpartum haemorrhage each year

workers in the face of extraordinary challenges

“On this occasion, as we all celebrate our NHS, let us join together in supporting this vital institution and its workers so that they can flourish once again ”

B MA responds to N HS Long Term Workforce Plan

T h e f i r s t c o m p r e h e n s i v e workforce plan for the NHS, puts staffing on a sustainable footing and improving patient care This

in the NHS make it what it is today And the last few years have been some of the most challenging the NHS has ever faced, but our incredible workforce has continued to deliver for our patients

“As we celebrate 75 years of the NHS, I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to our colleagues who came before us; in the wake of the Second World War and amid national labour shortages They were incredible men a n d w o m e n f r o m I n d i a , Bangladesh, Pakistan, and other “South Asian countries who came to help staff and grow the NHS Many more have followed over the years, and to those who continue to follow in their footsteps, your contributions are immeasurable I am honoured to work alongside you all; from those who grew up in NHS families to those who came to England more recently to pursue a career in medicine and healthcare

“To face the future with confidence, we must continue to do more to retain our valuable workforce and continue to attract talents from diverse backgrounds In an ever-evolving society, we must continue to adapt to meet the everchanging needs of our patients and service users, value and appreciate those who serve in our NHS In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, “the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others ” Medical research projects are nothing with out the h ard work and dedication of ethnic minorities

A r ri C o om ara sa m y OB E , P rofessor of Gynaecology at th e S c h o o l o f C l i ni c al an d Experim ental Medicine, C ollege of M ed i c al an d De nta l S ci e nc es , U n iv ers ity of Bi rm ing h am , w h o has been honoured in King’s honours this year in recognition of his work in helping women and families through his research said, "Our research and thousands of other medical research projects would be nothing without the hard work and dedication of their teams and the many ethnic minority doctors, researchers, and healthcare professionals within them I was proud to join the NHS after moving to the UK from Sri Lanka in my teens and continue to take great pride in the care I and my colleagues provide to women “

O u r t e a m i s d e d i c a t e d t o changing the statistic that, globally, one mother dies during childbirth every two minutes We have made great strides in defining new t r e a t m e n t s f o r m i s c a r r i a g e a n d m a k i n g t h e m m o r e a c c e s s i b l e , leading to changes in NICE guidel i n e s f o r m i s c a r r i a g e T h i s h a s made safe and effective medicines available to many thousands of women and could help prevent 8,450 miscarriages a year in the UK

“ W e ’ r e i m m e n s e l y p r o u d t o have made a real impact on childbirth-related deaths through our research It’s also truly wonderful to celebrate 75 years of the NHS and the incredible contributions of those who work in it and to recognise the immense talent and hard work that Asian, Black, and ethnic minority workers bring to our health service "

Ethni c minority staff make up 49 9% of hospital and community health servi ces doctors

Pr of e s s or P r ok ar D a s gu pt a OBE , Profess or of Surgery, King’ s C oll e ge L on do n, K i ng ’ s H ea l th Partners who has been awarded by the King for services to surgery and science spoke to us and said, “ E t h n i c m i n o r i t y d o c t o r s h a v e made huge and sustained contrib u t i o n s t o t h e N H S E t h n i c minority staff make up 49 9% of hospital and community health services doctors As Professor of Surgery at King’s College London, King’s Health Partners, I had the g r e a t p r i v i l e g e o f p i o n e e r i n g robotic surgery 20 years ago With new robots coming to the market t h e m a c h i n e s a r e g o i n g t o g e t more affordable We have recently received a large grant to develop an ecosystem called Responsible AI UK which is expected to have a significant benefit for the NHS a n d t h e w i d e r s o c i e t y i n t h e future I am humbled to be awarded the OBE in the historic first b i r t h d a y h o n o u r s l i s t o f K i n g Charles III and the Padma Shri from the President of India These accolades belong to our team for m a k i n g s i g n i f i c a n t a n d l a s t i n g contributions to surgery and science ”

An estimated 3 3% of the 1 4 million NH S workers from Muslim b ac kground

A spokesperson from Muslim C ou n c i l o f B r i ta i n t o l d t h e n e w s w e e k l y , “ T h e N H S h a s a diverse workforce, with an estimated 3 3% of the 1 4 million NHS w o r k e r s b e i n g f r o m a M u s l i m background It is this diversity that has historically proven to be a great strength, contributing to the very existence of this great institution, and sustaining it in times of crisis Indeed, the pandemic is a f o r e m o s t e x a m p l e o f t h e formidable capacities of the NHS and the sheer ability, dedication, and sacrifice of our healthcare

is the first time the government has asked the NHS to come up with a comprehensive workforce p l a n ; a o n c e - i n - a - g e n e r a t i o n opportunity to put staffing on a sustainable footing and improve patient care PM Rishi Sunak said, “The NHS is nothing without its incredible staff We are making sure they have what they need to deliver for patients not just today, but for decades to come ”

D r L at i f a P a te l , B M A R ep res en tat iv e B ody C hai r a nd Workforce Lead, responded to the p u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e N H S L o n g Term Workforce Plan, emphasizing the urgent need for action

W i t h o v e r 1 0 0 , 0 0 0 h e a l t h c a r e vacancies and healthcare professionals experiencing burnout, Dr Patel urged the government to implement the plan with a sense of urgency and ensure its commitment through legislation

L a b ou r ’ s L on d o n A s s e m b l y Health Spokesperson, Dr O nkar Sahota A M, s aid: “Most worryingly, this plan offers no solution to the current retention crisis which is facing the NHS One in ten health workers are currently leaving the NHS every year with anxiety, stress and depression being t h e m o s t r e p o r t e d r e a s o n s Recruiting more nurses and doctors will make little difference if we lose the experienced professionals currently working hard to l o o k a f t e r u s W i t h t h e N H S approaching its 75th birthday the g o v e r n m e n t n e e d t o d o m u c h m o r e t o a d d r e s s t h e n e e d s o f those currently working for the NHS who often feel undervalued and overworked ’’ Special s ervice a t Westmi nster Abb ey to celebrate N HS 75th birthday

T h e D u k e a n d D u c h e s s o f Edinburgh will be joined by NHS s t a f f , g o v e r n m e n t l e a d e r s , a n d c e l e b r i t i e s a t a s e r v i c e i n Westminster Abbey to celebrate the NHS's 75th birthday Around 1,500 NHS staff and supporters of NHS Charities Together, including Mel Giedroyc, will pay tribute Landmark sites will light up blue, a special 50p coin has been issued, and a photography competition winners' exhibition will be displayed British sporting icons will also unite to express gratitude for the NHS on its 75th birthday

Dr Nikita Kanani MBE Dr Indranil Chakravarty MBE

Prof Arri Coomarasamy Prof Prokar Dasgupta

PM RISHI SUNAK HOSTS RECEPTION AT NO 10 TO CELEBRATE UK-INDIA WEEK

Rupanjana Dutta

UK P r i me Mi n i st e r R is h i Sun ak hoste d a summer r ecept ion a t 1 0 Downing St re et’ s ga rde n on W edn esday 28 Jun e, t o ma rk U K-In dia We ek, a s p a r t of I n d i a G lo ba l Fo r u m ’ s w e ek lon g cele bra t ion s He wa s join ed by wife in a pink dr ess and m ot her -in -law Sudha Murt y in a r e d sa r e e R e p r e s e n t i n g B o lly w o o d w a s a ct o r V i v e k O be r oi in a k u rt a a n d So n am K a p o o r i n a f lo r a l s a r e e a n d m a t ch i n g co a t , w h il e si n g e r S h a n k a r M a h a d e v a n a n d t a bla m aestr o Zakir Hussain a lso in Ind ia n a tt ir es joined the r ecept ion, rig ht be for e t heir ban d Shak ti’s con cluding perform ance a t the Ev ent im A pollo

In attendance among community l e a d e r s , p r o f e s s i o n a l s , C E O s , e n t r e p r e n e u r s , t e c h n o c r a t s , a r t i s t s , journalists, diplomats and politicians, were the Indian High Commissioner HE Vikram Doraiswami, Deputy Indian H i g h C o m m i s s i o n e r S u j i t G h o s h , British High Commissioner to IndiaAlex Ellis, Amish Tripathi, Director, Nehru Centre, Lord Dolar Popat, Lord

“And that will only be the prelude to the biggest event of all when India hosts the Cricket World Cup! And I can tell you today that England are taking the prospect of playing India very seriously They’re not content with warming up against the Aussies, they’ve even overcome a specially chosen British-Indian bowling attack, but sadly that was me, here in this garden!

"I want to say a big thank you to Manoj and the India Global Forum for getting this Indian Summer under waythere is so much to celebrate! The links

Mary Kom receives Global Indian Icon of the Year at UK-India Awards

and Indian snacks such as samosa Points of Ligh t Aw ard presented to one of th e last su rviv ing Sikh soldiers from WWII

T h e P r i m e Minister presented the Points of Light Award t o R a j i n d a r S i n g h Dhatt, which recognises outstanding UK volunteers - those making a change in their community

Mr Dhatt, aged 101, is one of the last surviving Sikh soldiers who fought in the World War II, and since moving to H o u n s l o w i n 1 9 6 3 h a s r u n t h e

‘ U n d i v i d e d I n d i a n E x - S e r v i c e m e n s A s s o c i a t i o n ’ t o h e l p b r i n g t o g e t h e r

British-Indian veterans

Born in pre-partition India in 1921, Rajindar decided to join the BritishIndian Army during the Second World War, and excelled up the ranks, being promoted to Havildar Major (Sergeant Major) in 1943 He was later drafted to t h e F a r E a s t c a m p a i g n t o f i g h t i n Kohima in northeast India to support

Ind ia n Icon of the Year ’ a t th e 5th

A n n u a l U K- I n d i a A w a r d s

Pr ese n te d by Ind ia Globa l

Fo r u m ( I G F ) , U K -I n d i a

Awar ds hon our t he con tribu tion of k ey figu re s an d busine sses dr iving t he UKIndia pa rtn er ship

Receiving the award to a standing ovation, Mar y Kom said, “It is my privilege and honour to be part of this evening I have been fighting for 20 years and have put in a lot of hard work in my life, in boxing, making sacrifice for my country, for my family I really thank you from the bottom of my heart for this recognition ”

H e l d a t t h e F a i r m o n t Windsor Park on Thursday (June 29), the evening was h o s t e d b y R o r y Br e m n e r , Britain’s celebrated comedian and impressionist, in his characteristic wit and flair The star-studded black-tie g a l a w a s g r a c e d b y V I P g u e s t s , i n d u s t r y s t a l w a r t s , influential personalities and celebrities

many Westerners think differently period And it's our p r i v i l e g e a t t h e N e h r u Centre to contribute to the growth and to the popularisation of Indian culture in the West ” Spanning across several c a t e g o r i e s , t h e U K - I n d i a A w a r d s 2 0 2 3 c e l e b r a t e d excellence in:

- Market Entrant of the

Jitesh Gadhia, Lord Rami Ranger CBE, Cllr Reena Ranger OBE and Cllr Ameet

Jogia MBE – Co-Chairs of Conservative

Friends of India, Indian boxer Mary K o m , A d i t y a M i t t a l , C E O o f

ArcelorMittal, Leena Nair, Global CEO of Chanel, Shweta Rajpal, Head-Public

Policy of Sequoia Capital India, Anil A g a r w a l , F o u n d e r a n d C h a i r m a n , V e d a n t a R e s o u r c e s L i m i t e d , K a m a l

Pankhania, CEO, Westcombe Group, Mehernavaz Avari, Area Director UK and GM, St James’ Court Hotel and Taj 51 Buckingham Gate, Dr Param Shah, D i r e c t o r ( U K ) F I C C I , A n i r b a n

Mukhopadhyay, Founder and Director, H e r i t a g e B e n g a l G l o b a l ( H B G ) , C B

Patel, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar, to name a few

Speaking at the event, PM Sunak, joked about the World Cup in India, and his own efforts to play cricket at the No 10 garden

Mentioning that he was specifically looking forward to the upcoming G20, Mr Sunak said, “It’s not just UK-India Week but a whole Indian summer And I don’t just mean the hot weather we ’ re having I mean that over the next few weeks the eyes of the world will be on India There’s the G20 in New Delhi, I can’t wait to be there and not just for the mithai

b e t w e e n o u r t w o countries are closer than ever Just look at the Coronation of H i s M a j e s t y t h e King, on that most historic day, people

o f I n d i a n h e r i t a g e were at the heart of p r o c e e d i n g s , p r es e n t i n g t h e

C o r o n a t i o n r e g a l i a and as part of the delegation of faith leaders It shows the depth of the bonds we share, the living bridge between our two nations, the thriving business links, the flow of ideas and investments, all stronger than ever, thanks in large part to all of you ”

Promising to do more between UK

a n d I n d i a , h e f u r t h e r s a i d , “ P r i m e Minister Modi and I agree there’s huge p o t e n t i a l h e r e W e ’ r e m a k i n g g r e a t progress together on the 2030 Roadmap and we want to strike a truly ambitious t r a d e d e a l t h a t b e n e f i t s b o t h o u r nations, bringing tremendous opportunities to businesses and consumers, both in India and here at home And we should be ambitious – just look around Here we are – in Downing Street with a Prime Minister of Indian heritage, with all of you at the top of your game, leaders in your fields, showing that anything is possible So, let’s keep raising our sights and let’s keep scoring boundaries as we build this partnership ”

Thanking the Prime Minister for h o s t i n g I n d i a G l o b a l F o r u m , M a n o j

Ladwa, Founder and Chairman said, “We are all here, from such diverse b a c k g r o u n d s , e x p e r i e n c e s , a n d j o u rneys Yet what unites us, is our passion and contribution to enhance to what I describe as the Winning Partnership between the UK and India ” Guests were served refreshments

t h e A l l i e d F o r c e s a n d h e l p b r e a k through the Japanese defences After the war, Rajindar returned to India before settling in Hounslow, London with his family in 1963 Rajinder said, “It is an immense h o n o u r t o r e c e i v e t h i s r e c o g n i t i o n from the Prime Minister, to whom I would like to extend my deepest appreciation for acknowledging the importance and impact of the ‘Undivided Indian Ex-Servicemen’s Association ’ The journey of establishing this organisation was driven by a deep sense of d u t y a s a n e x - s e r v i c e m a n a n d t h e vision of fostering unity, support, and camaraderie

“This award serves as a testament to the tireless efforts of countless individuals who have contributed to the success and growth of the association over the years Their unwavering commitment and selfless service has played a pivotal role in bringing about positive change in the lives of our ex-servicemen and their families

“Thank you again, it is a momentous occasion that inspires me to cont i n u e m a k i n g m e a n i n g f u l c o n t r i b utions to society, even as I near my 102nd birthday!”

M anoj Lad wa, CEO and Founder of IGF set the tone f o r t h e c e r e m o n y s t a t i n g , “this evening, we celebrate the enterprise, the grit, the innovation and the success of British and Indian busin e s s e s a n d o r g a n i s a t i o n s , big and small, who represent what is now the super-highway of UK India Relations Whilst there can be only one winner, I pay tribute to all the nominees, and all those who enrich every aspect of t h e w i n n i n g p a r t n e r s h i p b e t w e e n o u r t w o g r e a t nations ”

Receiving the award for ‘ L i f e t i m e C o n t r i b u t i o n t o U K - I n d i a R e l a t i o n s ’ f r o m Vik r a m Dor a isw a mi, High Commissioner of India to U K , a n d M a n o j L a d w a , D i r e c t o r S h e k h a r K a p u r expressed his gratitude, and p a i d t r i b u t e t o U K - I n d i a ties

The prestigious awards recognised outstanding contributions of leaders in business, professional services, g o v e r n m e n t , c u l t u r e a n d social impact, highlighting t h e i r r e m a r k a b l e a c h i e v em e n t s i n s t r e n g t h e n i n g bilateral ties

R e c i p i e n t o f t h e

‘Significant Contribution to UK-India Relations’ Award, N e h r u C e n t r e L o n d o n

D i r e c t o r A mi s h T ri p at h i , s a i d , “ T h i s i s o n e o f t h e most exciting times to be an Indian in the last many centuries, and India s growing economy has made many o t h e r s , i n c l u d i n g m a n y Westerners think differently about India But India's culture will actually make m a n y o t h e r s , i n c l u d i n g

Y e a r – W o n b y CrowdInves t

- Consultancy of the Year

- Won by S annamS 4

- L e g a l P r a c t i c e o f t h e Y e a r – W o n b y C yr i l Amarch and Mangaldas - F i n a n c i a l S e r v i c e s O r g a n i s a t i o n o f t h e Y e a r - W o n b y I CI CI Bank UK Plc

- T e c h n o l o g y C o m p a n y of the Year - Won by Mp hasis - B u s i n e s s P r o m o t i o n O r g a n i s a t i o n o f t h e Y e a r - W o n b y F ed er at io n o f I n di an Ch a mb e rs o f Co mmerce & I ndus try (FICCI - UK ) - Social Impact Project of t h e Y e a r - W o n b y Action Aid UK - S i g n i f i c a n t C o n t r ib u t i o n t o U K - I n d i a R e l a t i o n s – N eh r u Centre - L i f e t i m e C o n t r i b u t i o n to UK-India Relations –Shekhar Kapu r - Global Indian Icon of the Year – Mary Ko m Powered by Knowledge P a r t n e r s G r a n t T h o r t o n , UK-India Awards was the penultimate day of an invigorating week of purposedriven, enterprising conversations, collaboration, and t h o u g h t - l e a d e r s h i p T h e e v e n i n g s h o w c a s e d t h e depth and breadth of cooperation between the two nations, reaffirming India Global Forum’s position as the premier, most definitive platform for UK-India ties Encompassing 12 marquee events with 150 speakers and 2,000+ participants, ‘ U K - I n d i a W e e k 2 0 2 3 ’ brought together business leaders, policymakers, and thought leaders from India and the UK, who discussed o p p o r t u n i t i e s f o r f u r t h e r c o l l a b o r a t i o n a n d g r o w t h between the two countries through a series of exclusive networking opportunities, p a n e l d i s c u s s i o n s , a n d keynote speeches, covering a range of topics including trade, investment, innovation, technology, and sustainability, that are aligned w i t h t h e o b j e c t i v e s o f

Photo courtesy: Simon Walker/No 10 Downing Street

Prime Minister with celebrated singer Shankar Mahadevan and tabla maestro Zakir Hussain PM Rishi Sunak with Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi

PM Sunak posing with performers at the garden party

PM presenting the Points of Light Award to veteran Sikh soldier Rajinder Singh Dhatt

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak addressing guests which included community leaders, professionals, CEOs, entrepreneurs, technocrats, artists, journalists, diplomats and politicians

Boxer Mary Kom receiving Global Indian Icon of the Year from Indian High Commissioner to UK Vikram Doraiswami and IGF Founder Manoj Ladwa

India has rightly put culture and creative industries at heart of G20 presidency, says British Culture Minister

Addressing the Creative

I n d u s t r i e s a n d C u l t u r a l E c o n o m y S u m m i t i n

L o n d o n , U K C u l t u r e Secretary Lucy Frazer committed to maximising the creative industries collaboration between the United Kingdom and India

“It's a relationship that goes far beyond just our econ o m i c a n d h i s t o r i c a l t i e s

You can see it in our culture, our music, our theatre, our design, and so much more

A s e v e r y o n e a t t h e e v e n t today will testify, our countries are both creative superpowers India has rightly put c u l t u r e a n d t h e c r e a t i v e industries at the heart of their presidency of the G20 this year And my department is working closely with India's Ministry of Culture to facilitate even greater collaboration in this area, ” she said H e l d a t t h e N e h r u Centre in London, the second edition of the summit b r o u g h t t o g e t h e r l e a d e r s from the world of art, culture, fashion and cinema to highlight the transformative power of culture in fostering d i p l o m a c y , e c o n o m i c growth, and mutual understanding between the two nations Recalling her journey in B o l l y w o o d , a c t o r S o na m K a p o o r s a i d , “ T h e r e h a v e

r u r a l w o m e n a r t i s a n s “ I n d i a ’ s g r o w t h i s i t s w o m e n W o m e n i n I n d i a need to be empowered Even 40 years later, there is so much change we need to bring in, especially in the villages The only way you can empower a woman is to economically empower her

“I believe you need to empower a woman in the village, the whole village is empowered The minute the woman is empowered, her daughter gets a better education, and she keeps the family unit going She gets the respect of the whole vil-

p r o v o k i n g d i s c u s s i o n s o n t h e p o w e r o f c u l t u r a l economies in strengthening t h e b i l a t e r a l r e l a t i o n s h i p , promoting local crafts in a g l o b a l m a r k e t , b u i l d i n g a more inclusive and diverse cultural landscape, leveraging digital growth in the creative industries and nurturing talent and skill development

Ali s o n B arr ett M B E , D i r e c t o r I n d i a , B r i t i s h Council, said, “Discussions l i k e t h e s e h e l p p r o m o t e respect and appreciation for each other's education and cultural heritage and plurality of perspectives Culture and education are the mains t a y s o f p e o p l e - t o - p e o p l e connections and pivotal in shaping the future of both our countries ”

Labo ur: We back India’s Global ambitions, understand importance of strategic partnership

B a c k i n g I n d i a ’ s g l o b a l i n f l u e n c e a n d a s p i r a t i o n s , D avi d L amm y, S h a d o w Secretary for Foreign Affairs asserted the need for a nonp a r t i s a n a p p r o a c h t o t h e relationship with India

or number 10, it's a strong c l o s e , p o w e r f u l r e l a t i o nship ”

Describing the UK-India as “natural partners,” Gillian Keegan, Secretary of State for Education noted, “What we know about India is that it is a very fastmoving country, very innovative, so there is always lots to learn from each other Often ‘partnership’ is the word used, but we have a foundation that g o e s b a c k m a n y d e c a d e s , that it makes is easier to build this partnership So, I think we are very natural partners ”

C o m m e n t i n g o n t h e o n g o i n g F r e e T r a d e A g r e e m e n t t a l k s b e t w e e n

I n d i a a n d t h e U K , N ic k Th omas S ymonds, Shadow S e c r e t a r y o f S t a t e f o r International Trade said, “I hope it is completed, and if it isn’t, the next Labour Govt will complete the deal Even if the FTA is not completed this year, there are still huge o p p o r t u n i t i e s t o d e e p e n trade ties even without FTA like renewables, pharmaclear sectors where we can do so much more together ”

progress took centre stage at India Global Forum’s flagship ‘IGF Studio’ on Day 4 of UK-India Week 2023 Senior business leaders, politicians, and entrepreneurs from the UK and India participated in t h e b r o a d c a s t s t u d i o - s t y l e m o d e r a t e d d i s c u s s i o n s across key pillars of the UKIndia partnership

C a l l i n g i t a d e b a t e between AI and HI, India’s E d u c a t i o n M i n i s t e r D harmendra Pradh an said the challenge was to ensure t h a t A r t i f i c i a l I n t e l l i g e n c e d o e s n o t r e d u c e H u m a n Intelligence “We don’t have any option to judge whether it is good or bad AI is there t o d a y , C h a t G P T i s t h e r e today The debate that is going on is what about Godgifted human intelligencet h i s i s a d e b a t e b e t w e e n A r t i f i c i a l I n t e l l i g e n c e a n d H u m a n I n t e l l i g e n c e Policymakers and academia

w e s h o u l d p a u s e i t , i t i s going too fast and we don’t know what it is going to do to various aspects of our life

In my experience, you don’t get to pause technology, it h a p p e n s s o y o u h a v e t o embrace it But we are at the b e g i n n i n g o f t h e j o u r n e y Every G20 country will be g r a p p l i n g w i t h t h e s a m e challenges at the same time There is huge opportunity within education ” I n d i a ’ s d i g i t a l g r o w t h c a m e i n f o r p r a i s e f r o m

Jonathan Ashworth, Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, UK “Who is the world’s leader in using AI to improve welfare services? Who is the leader in using AI, design and tech c a n p r o v i d e c i t i z e n s w i t h their rights, social security payments they are entitled to, or providing their citiz e n s t h e o p p o r t u n i t i e s t o progress? It is India! And as

b e e n c h a n g e s s l o w l y , b u t s u r e l y T h e r e h a v e b e e n more roles for me There weren’t as many female cent r i c r o l e s T h a t i s a l s o b e c a u s e t h e a u d i e n c e h a s changed but it hasn’t been quick enough The gender pay gap is humongous and I don’t think that will be narrowing anytime soon unfort u n a t e l y B u t I t h i n k t h e roles are getting meatier “ D i v e r s i t y h a s b e c o m e t o k e n w o r d W e h a v e a diverse cast, but who is your lead? I’ve been represented internationally for a while, and I know, you are always cast as the exotic Indian girl in a film I don’t think that h a s n o t c h a n g e d m u c h T h e r e a r e s t r i d e s b e i n g m a d e , b u t n o t e n o u g h There could be more stuff that could be done Diversity is a token word that needs to be explored more and taken more seriously ”

Fashion Designer Anita

u n d e r l i n e d t h e importance of empowering

lage as she is earning money and she can do that from the comfort of her home without having to move to a village To take work back to Indian villages is very important ”

Part of UK-India Week 2023, the event put the spotlight on the living bridge between India and UK with the aim of fostering deeper connections and collaboration in the creative industries, ultimately creating a thriving cultural economy

“The Creative and cultural economy is one of the sectors in which the UKI n d i a c o o p e r a t i o n c a n b e w o r l d b e a t i n g T h e m o r e p a r t n e r s h i p s w e b u i l d amongst creatives in the UK and India, the better it will be for the global creative e c o n o m y , ” s t a t e d A m i s h T r i p a t h i , D i r e c t o r , N e h r u Centre London, stated The Creative Industries

Speaking at India Global F o r u m ’ s f l a g s h i p ‘ I G F S t u d i o ’ o n D a y 4 o f U KIndia Week 2023, the Labour leader referred to the curr e n t g e o - p o l i t i c a l c l i m a t e , and went on to say, “India plays a very, very important role It's a country to which many others in the Global South look to When we talk a b o u t t h e I n d o - p a c i f i c region, ‘Indo’ means somet h i n g ; I n d i a p l a y s a v e r y important role in relation to that

“We in the UK have long said, for example, that India should have a place on the S e c u r i t y C o u n c i l o f t h e United Nations No doubt about it, India is going to c o n t i n u e t o p l a y a v e r y important role

“ T h e U K a n d I n d i a because of a long history, particularly need a relationship, and must have a relationship, like the relations h i p t h a t w e w o u l d t a l k about with the United States - it doesn't matter who is the incumbent the White House

A s k e d a b o u t t h e c h a ll e n g i n g r e l a t i o n s h i p between the Labour Party and India in the recent past, Jonathan Ashworth , Shadow Secretary of State for Work a n d P e n s i o n s , r e i t e r a t e d Keir Starmer’s message at I n d i a G l o b a l F o r u m o n r e s e t t i n g t i e s w i t h I n d i a , “There have been one or two issues in recent times but t h e f r i e n d s h i p b e t w e e n labour and India is deep and does go back many, many years But more importantly, w e n e e d t o l o o k t o t h e future and our relationship should not be based on nost a l g i a o r w h a t h a p p e n e d years ago It should be based on the fact that the UK and India can work together to confront so many of the big e c o n o m i c c h a l l e n g e s w e face ” “Have to ensure AI do es no t reduce h uman intelligence,” says Indian Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan

are concerned about how it w i l l a f f e c t n o r m a l c r i t i c a l t h i n k i n g , b u t w e h a v e t o accept innovation How can we use AI in human civilisational development that is t h e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y w i t h u s today Data analytics, AI, ML, AR, BR are new tools to create ease of living in society

“Human have their own c a p a c i t y t o i n n o v a t e s u c h t h i n g s a n d n a v i g a t e t h e f u t u r e c h a l l e n g e s a l s o Digitisation is the order of t h e d a y G l o b a l i s a t i o n , mobility and future skills are the need of the 21st century knowledge-based economy AI is going to affect, help and promote these things in a big way As a policymaker, w e h a v e t o s e e t h a t A I should not reduce human intelligence - that is the primary ethical aspect of the challenge ”

Participating in the conv e r s a t i o n w i t h P r a d h a n , Gillian Keegan, Secretary of S t a t e f o r E d u c a t i o n observed, “There have been a couple of different react i o n s ; s o m e p e o p l e h a v e embraced it, a few have said

P r i m e M i n i s t e r N a r e n d r a Modi said in his address to the US Congress, this has been a remarkable progress

“AI can be better utilised in the UK to ensure our citizens rightly get their entitlements and I really want to l e a r n f r o m I n d i a a n d t h e tech companies and government in India about how we can best adopt some of the r e m a r k a b l e p r o g r e s s w e have seen in India ”

While identifying cyber co-operation as an important component of the 2030 Roadmap, L indy Cameron, C E O , N a t i o n a l C y b e r S e c u r i t y C e n t r e , U K Government said, “But India goes so far beyond that The market is huge, both as a set o f c o n s u m e r s a n d a l s o a potential producer of lowcost technology for so much of the globe So, the stand a r d s t h a t I n d i a s e t s , t h e demands that it makes for i t s o w n d o m e s t i c m a r k e t will shape how technology is used in so much else of the world So, we want to be p a r t o f t h e c o n v e r s a t i o n thinking about how to work with that ”

Pic courtesy: India Global Forum

India’s Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan (virtual) along with UK Secretary of State for Education Gillian Keegan and moderator Mark Barton at IGF Studio

Actor Sonam Kapoor in conversation with Nehru Centre Director Amish Tripathi

David Lammy Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign Commonwealth and Development at IGF Studio

So uthall in West London is a vibrant neighbou rh oo d with rich S ou th Asian influences, c omplemented by a diverse mix of c o mm u n it i es fr o m ar o u n d th e globe

As you wander through the streets, you'll encounter women g r a c e f u l l y a d o r n e d i n I n d i a n attires, while the tantalising aroma of street food stalls selling snacks and Indian sweets fills the air The rhythmic beats of Bhangra music permeate the surroundings, creating a joyful ambiance The streets are bustling with activity, fuelled b y t h e t h r i v i n g l o c a l e c o n o m y , which adds to the energetic charm of the area

A visit to Southall promises an u n f o r g e t t a b l e e x p e r i e n c e t h a t s h o w c a s e s t h e m u l t i c u l t u r a l tapestry of the community

During the 1950s, Southall's local factories and proximity to Heathrow Airport attracted a large i n f l u x o f A s i a n i m m i g r a n t s Consequently, the town became home to the largest Punjabi community outside the Indian subcont i n e n t , e s t a b l i s h i n g i t s e l f a s a major hub of South Asian culture T h i s v i b r a n t c o m m u n i t y h a s e a r n e d S o u t h a l l t h e n i c k n a m e "Little India"

What sets Southall apart is its d i s t i n c t l a c k o f t y p i c a l c h a i n e s t a b l i s h m e n t s t h a t d o m i n a t e many high streets across London T h e m a j o r i t y o f b u s i n e s s e s i n Southall are independent enterp r i s e s , p r e d o m i n a n t l y A s i a n -

owned, contributing to a vibrant and diverse local economy From restaurants to religious places and parks, libraries and cinema, the S o u t h A s i a n c u l t u r e d e f i n i t e l y shines through Even the main railway station embraces the cultural diversity of the community by displaying signs that are bilingual in English and Gurmukhi Southall boasts a diverse array

of dining options, with a particul a r e m p h a s i s o n P u n j a b i , S r i

L a n k a n , P a k i s t a n i , a n d S o u t h

Indian cuisines Restaurants like t h e S a r a v a n a a B h a v a n a n d t h e Kulcha Express offer a variety of authentic Indian cuisines that are a class apart Additionally, you have the option to pamper yourself with an Indian head massage or a henna tattoo Curated for the diverse community, Southall Library offers a wide-ranging assortment of books i n v a r i o u s l a n g u a g e s , i n c l u d i n g

Punjabi, Gujarati, Hindi, Urdu, Tamil, and Somalian takes pride

i n i t s r e m a r k a b l e c o l l e c t i o n o f dual-language books specifically curated for children In addition, the library provides a selection of

Safe Secure Simple

a u d i o v i s u a l m a t e r i a l s i n b o t h English and Asian languages For t h o s e l o o k i n g f o r a d e d i c a t e d study space, there is a separate area available, equipped with a diverse range of Asian-language newspapers, magazines, and local c o m m u n i t y i n f o r m a t i o n resources S o u t h a l l h o u s e s p r o m i n e n t religious institutions like Sri Guru S i n g h S a b h a G u r d w a r a , J a m i a Masjid Islamic Centre, Shree Ram Mandir St Anselm's Church and Oshwal Mahajanwadi among others The residents actively engage in social, cultural, and charitable i n i t i a t i v e s t h a t p r o m o t e u n i t y , support newcomers, and preserve cultural traditions

The town hosts various festivals throughout the year that celebrate different cultural traditions and provide a glimpse into the rich heritage of the community i n c l u d i n g V a i s a k h i , D i w a l i , E i d a n d C h r i s t m a s T h e f e s t i v i t i e s

a r o u n d t h e s e o c c a s i o n s a l s o

a t t r a c t v i s i t o r s f r o m a c r o s s

L o n d o n a n d b e y o n d , f o s t e r i n g unity and understanding among diverse communities

Southall has also served as a backdrop for several Bollywood movies over the years Movies like Bend It Like Beckham, Namastey London, Jab Tak Hai Jaan, London Dreams and more prominently,

P a t i a l a H o u s e a n d p o r t r a y t h e

u n i q u e a t m o s p h e r e , t r a d i t i o n s ,

a n d e x p e r i e n c e s o f t h e S o u t h

Asian diaspora in Southall

In the year 2020, the Southall postcode area had a total population of 385,000 residents Among them, 40 4% identified as Asian,

3 5 9 % i d e n t i f i e d a s W h i t e , a n d

10 5% identified as Black In terms of religious affiliation, 35 2% of the population identified as Christian,

19 3% identified as Muslim, and

14 2% reported having no religious affiliation

R e g a r d i n g r e l i g i o n , S i k h i s m was the most prevalent religious affiliation in 2011, with 35 4% of t h e p o p u l a t i o n i d e n t i f y i n g a s Sikhs Islam followed with 24 9%, H i n d u i s m w i t h 1 8 6 % , a n d Christianity with 12 9% Only 2% of residents claimed no religious a f f i l i a t i o n , t h e l o w e s t f i g u r e among all areas in London

The vibrant district in Ealing shines with an abundance of gold jewellery stores, vibrant sari vendors, and a myriad of sweet shops and street food stalls that offer an i r r e s i s t i b l e s e l e c t i o n o f t o o t hi n d u l g i n g d e l i c a c i e s S o u t h a l l offers a comprehensive range of amenities that cater to the needs of individuals from India, ensuring they feel a sense of familiarity while residing in London

Arial view of Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha, Southall

Palace Shopping Center

Bilingual station signage at Southall Station

sea m en o n B r i t is h me r ch an t s h ip s , and i nd i v i d u als se eki ng p r o f ess i on al qualificat ions such as civil servants or st udents R e f e r r e d t o a s L i t t l e I n d i a , Southall is situated in the far west of London, originally belonging to t h e r e g i o n o f M i d d l e s e x b e f o r e L o n d o n ' s e x p a n s i o n a i m e d a t fostering economic growth The name 'Little India' stems from the s i g n i f i c a n t p r e s e n c e o f S o u t h Asians within the district

The substantial wave of Punjabi migration began in the 1950s due to l a b o u r s h o r t a g e s i n t h e U K following the Second World War

The British administration actively e n c o u r a g e d r e c r u i t m e n t f r o m a c r o s s t h e C o m m o n w e a l t h T h e majority of these migrants were men from India and Pakistan After a p e r i o d o f a d j u s t m e n t a n d a c c l i m a t i z a t i o n , t h e y b e g a n t o s e t t l e p e r m a n e n t l y a n d subsequently invited their friends, spouses, and children to join them M a n y o f t h e s e m i g r a n t s f o u n d employment in the manufacturing, textile, and service sectors

G r a d u a l l y , S o u t h a l l e v o l v e d i n t o t h e l a r g e s t S o u t h A s i a n community in London, solidifying

its status as a vibrant hub of cultural diversity

T h e R W o o l f R u b b e r Factory located in Southall, W e s t L o n d o n , h o l d s a s i g n i f i c a n t c o n n e c t i o n t o t h e i n i t i a l w a v e o f i m m i g r a n t s f r o m t h e Punjab region of India to Britain During this time, the working conditions at t h e f a c t o r y w e r e e x c e e d i n g l y c h a l l e n g i n g , with Indian workers being s u b j e c t e d t o s t r e n u o u s labor while receiving lower w a g e s c o m p a r e d t o t h e i r w h i t e c o u n t e r p a r t s i n s i m i l a r positions W i t h t h e r i s e o f t h e A s i a n workforce, the alarming reality of exploiting migrant workers became more apparent and conspicuous This led to a surge in calls for f u n d a m e n t a l r i g h t s s u c h a s s c h e d u l e d t e a b r e a k s , w a g e increments, an end to mandatory overtime, and improved working conditions Asian workers initiated t h e p r o c e s s o f o r g a n i z i n g t h e m s e l v e s , v o i c i n g c o l l e c t i v e demands, and actively participating i n v a r i o u s s t r i k e s a n d demonstrations

In November 1965, a significant event unfolded as approximately 6 0 0 A s i a n w o r k e r s i n i t i a t e d a strike, demanding improved safety m e a s u r e s w i t h i n t h e w o r k p l a c e This strike persisted for a duration of seven weeks During this time, w h i l e t h e m a n a g e m e n t o f t h e

factory undermine the strike, they ultimately failed

This strike served as a pivotal moment in the history of the Asian c o m m u n i t y i n S o u t h a l l a n d i t s a f t e r m a t h m a r k e d a s i g n i f i c a n t t u r n i n g p o i n t , i n s p i r i n g A s i a n workers to fight for their rights and assert their presence in the labor movement

Five years later, in the 1970s, S o u t h a l l b e c a m e a s i t e o f c i v i l unrest marked by acts of racism In 1 9 7 6 , 1 8 - y e a r - o l d G u r d i p S i n g h C h a g g a r f e l l v i c t i m t o a r a c i s t attack carried out by infiltrating skinheads While enjoying a night o u t w i t h f r i e n d s , C h a g g a r w a s fatally stabbed T h i s i n c i d e n t i g n i t e d a powerful response from the youth i n S o u t h a l l , l e a d i n g t o t h e emergence of a significant antiracism movement Young people t o o k t o t h e s t r e e t s t o p r o t e s t

against Chaggar's murder

A l t h o u g h S o u t h A s i a n r e s i d e n t s h a d a l r e a d y e n d u r e d r a c i a l a b u s e , segregation, and violence, t h e r e a l i z a t i o n t h a t s u c h a b u s e w a s r e s u l t i n g i n a c t u a l d e a t h s h e i g h t e n e d tensions

F o l l o w i n g C h a g g a r ' s death, the Southall Youth M o v e m e n t ( S Y M ) w a s established Their primary objective was to engage in d i r e c t a c t i o n a g a i n s t politically motivated racist acts, particularly targeting

t e a c h i n g p o l i t i c a l h i s t o r y a n d celebrating their cultural music

A few years later, the National Front made a decision to hold a public meeting at Southall Town H a l l , w i t h t h e i n t e n t i o n o f asserting their presence and agenda w i t h i n t h e c o m m u n i t y T h i s a n n o u n c e m e n t c a u s e d g r e a t d i s t r e s s , l e a d i n g t o w i d e s p r e a d protests in the streets

immigration and the rise of the National Front However, despite the community s stance, the police maintained that Chaggar's killing w a s n o t r a c i a l l y m o t i v a t e d I n r e s p o n s e t o t h e p r e v a i l i n g circumstances, the SYM occupied a building and transformed it into a safe haven for young people while

Southall’s Finest, an Instagram forum presenting regular insights o n t h e t o w n r e c a l l s t h a t “ t h e protestors who held their ground, many of them being from India, were very familiar with the tactics of Gandhi, and sat down in the Broadway (Southall High Street) to protest peacefully ”

“However, the police who are supposed to help, protect and serve pulled up peaceful protestors, in s o m e c a s e s d i s r e s p e c t i n g t h e i r r e l i g i o n b y p u l l i n g o f f t h e i r turbans ”

Protest at the Southall Broadway

People take to the streets to protest against Gurdip Singh Chaggar's murder

Source: ndian Worker s Southall

Source Indian Worker s Southa l

Where food meets perfection: Saravanaa Bhavan offers a gastronomic adventure

Indian cuisine is one of the m o s t p o p u l a r c u i s i n e s i n B r i t a i n a n d i s o f t e n j u s t r e f e r r e d t o a s ' h a v i n g a curry' A s v a s t a s I n d i a a n d i t s culture is, every significant r e g i o n h a s i t s o w n s i g n a t u r e d i s h e s a n d restaurants here try to offer many such popular items under one menu. S a r a v a n a a B h a v a n ( a g l o b a l c h a i n o f I n d i a n v e g e t a r i a n r e s t a u r a n t s ) a d h e r e s t o t h i s s p e c i a l f o r m u l a , b u t w i t h a g u a r a n t e e o f a u t h e n t i c t a s t e a n d q u a l i t y o f f o o d They have seven branches i n t h e U n i t e d K i n g d o m itself and in an interview with Asian Voice, one of the E x e c u t i v e D i r e c t o r o f S a r a v a n a a B h a v a n , M r s . S a s i r e k a V i c k y ( W e l l k n o w n a s R e k a ) t o l d u s h o w t h e y h a v e b e c o m e o n e o f t h e b e s t f a m i l y I n d i a n v e g e t a r i a n r e s t a u r a n t s i n L o n d o n , serving more than 70,000 customers each month and d i s h i n g o u r m o r e t h a n 25,000 Masala dosas each month

1How does your restaurant blend in with the history of Southall?

The restaurant site that we took over was formerly a well known pub named ‘Glassy Junction’ We thought the Southall neighbourhood would enjoy our food, so we established ourselves here We weren't doing well in the initial stages, but now we are serving about 25 to 30,000 people in Southall It originally had 130 seating facilities which has now reached 200 as the demand is high

2What are the most popular dishes on your menu?

The credit definitely goes to the mix of food items on the menu There are varieties of starters and main courses in our Indo-Chinese section, as well as we offer South Indian dishes So if you ask me what attracts the Punjabi community to our restaurant, they definitely love the variety of dosas we offer, especially the crispy or ghee roast ones and Channa Batura They also love the Indo-Chinese dishes, which has traditional Indian taste with a Chinese twist

3What sort of customers do you mostly attract?

Our customers are mostly of Indian-origin I've often seen people getting absolutely addicted to our food, to the extent that they don't want to cook at home!

There are so many compliments from customers, whenever I go and talk to them Many students make social media videos about our food, which shows how much they like it British Asians, especially youngsters, love our food and visit us frequently Mostly our customers, take a view of a second home food, where they eat or take food home when they are not able to prepare food at home

4How difficult is it to maintain the quality and taste of your food across all the 7 branches?

Our skilled chefs travel from India to this country and they work in a controlled environment where they aspire to maintain brand taste and quality We oversee the consistency and quality in the main kitchen, and our directors or operations managers visit each branch to sample the food to make sure it meets the necessary standards This guarantees the same quality and taste in your food wherever customers visit

5Do you offer any gluten-free or any allergen-free food?

We do have Gluten free items in our menu and so are vegan options However, as we always warn our customers that the possibility of cross contamination is always possible

6How has the restaurant coped with the changing trends?

The menu has 200 dishes Last time we updated our menu, we added pizza dosa and chettinad

dosa We have also introduced mocktails and cocktails, which are a huge hit among the customers We have refurbished the interiors and also increased the seating capacity in the restaurants

7How would you describe the ambience of your Southall restaurant? What sets your restaurant apart from others?

We are mainly a family oriented restaurant, known for our quick service Our service time is 30 to 40 minutes, which can be reduced to 25 on some occasions The ambience is relaxed and family friendly

Our portions are quite subs t a n t i a l a n d t h e y a r e v a l u e f o r money We offer unlimited chutneys and sambhar at no extra cost, so customers can order about four to five types of chutneys and sambhar, with just one dosa

As compared to other restaurants, we have an open kitchen where customers can see their food b e i n g p r e p a r e d D u e t o s e a t i n g c a p a c i t y , o u r r e s t a u r a n t h a s a s h o r t e r w a i t i n g t i m e , a n d c u stomers can get a table within 10 to 15 minutes of arriving, even during busy times

O u r a v e r a g e p r i c e i s a b o u t £ 11/12 per head, which is reasonable in this economy We haven't increased the price of our dishes by more than 5% in the last three years The volume of customers dining with us every day, helps us to keep the prices low

Many people travel considerable distances (often two to three hours) to come and dine at our

restaurant or grab a takeaway on their way back, after shopping in Southall

8Where do you source your ingredients from and how do you ensure they are fresh and meet the UK standards?

We source more ingredients from India, since we have to maintain the highest standards for ingredients We have our own sources and storage facilities in South India We ship the ingredients here and make sure that they are all freshly produced We even import coconuts which add authentic taste to our chutneys Many restaurants use desiccated coconut, but we don’t We get two containers of ingredients every month, providing the required supplies to our UK branches

9What were the biggest challenges in your restaurant journey and how did you overcome them?

We require a minimum of five chefs in each of our restaurant branch to maintain the quality of food The UK government's mandate that our chefs need to meet a specific level of English proficiency to come here, has been a challenging endeavour for them

Our chefs are all highly skilled and experienced at culinary subjects; but apart from their own mother tongue, they mostly don't know any other languages So, it

has been difficult to persuade them to study English, pass the exam, and then obtain work visas to join the UK branches

10Do you have private dining or space?

We have a modest banqueting space for small gatherings

The restaurants can handle large group bookings to celebrate special occasions, but we do not have private dining rooms for groups

However, we have one private location at Platinum Louge, Ilford, where the banqueting hall can seat around 250 people

We also provide private catering services

Subhasini Naicker Saravanaa Bhavan (Southall Branch) 97 South Road, Nr. Southall Railway Station, UB1 1SQ

L-R: Mr Sujeevan (Operations Director) Mr Vicky (Managing Director), Mr Shiva Kumaar (Brand Partner), Mrs Reka (Executive Director), Ms Revin ( Director)

Southall - A welcoming home

Virendra Sharma MP

“ When I mov ed to S outh all in 1968, mo st of the people h ere w ere either Indian or P akistani becau se So uthall w as w e ll k no w n a cr o ss S outh Asia for being a welc o m i ng h o m e L ate r, t h is attracted mo re eth nicities to m ove to S outh all as they felt they would be co mfortable living in a com munity w ith o ther S outh Asian m igrants, inclu ding Afg hans, So malis, Bang ladeshis, and Nep alese

It wasn’t all w elcoming arms t h o u g h , a nd a s I n d i ans b ec am e a l arg e r e th n ic m ino rity in Sou thall, m any s trug g led to fi nd em p loym ent, regularise their immig rat io n s ta tu s a nd w i th h ousing issues Th ey needed sup port of some kind

This led to the founding of the IWA (Indian Workers Association), and I am proud to have worked closely with the IWA throughout their journey and to this day This o r g a n i s a t i o n m a s s i v e l y helped migrants to stand on two feet and to live independ e n t l y T h e I W A h a d i t s obvious advantages, it create d a l a r g e c o m m u n i t y i n S o u t h a l l , b r o u g h t p e o p l e together in times of struggle, made them more confident and supported them in their new area of residency

More recently I’ve seen new organisations run by young people doing the same work the IWA did before Now

t h e r e a r e m o r e r e l i g i o u s buildings being built, a posit i v e t h i n g a s p e o p l e h a d another part of their identity back in their motherland now in Southall While having more religious buildings is a good thing, it fragmented the community, where o n c e t h e r e w a s o n l y o n e option, now there are many pathways often divided into different faiths The options are wider, and the support is greater, but it is concerning how separated people can now be S o u t h a l l h a s a l s o changed economically quite a lot; Southall’s percentage of people claiming unemp l o y m e n t b e n e f i t s h a s decreased by a considerable a m o u n t s i n c e I ’ v e b e e n e l e c t e d , h o w e v e r , d u e t o Covid this number skyrocketed to a peak of 11 5% in 2021 Since then, I have been w o r k i n g w i t h b u s i n e s s e s a n d l o c a l g o v e r n m e n t t o reduce this number and get us back on the right path, and as of the end of 2022, it is 6 2% Southall and Ealing’s economy has also changed

as places like the airport and local industry have provided h i g h - q u a l i t y , w e l l - p a y i n g jobs

But as online shopping has thrived and high streets h a v e s u f f e r e d , I k n o w Southall needs help to keep shopping alive Now people a r e t r a v e l l i n g a l l t h e w a y into central London to buy

The

s h o p l o c a l l y B y s h o p p i n g locally, we can all reduce our use of fossil fuels and our C O 2 e m i s s i o n s , b e c a u s e #smallbizbigimpact

complex evolution of linguistic forms of Punjabis in Southall

c l o t h e s ; t h i s i s p a r t l y because of changes in taste and fashion, and the lack of b i g - n a m e b r a n d s i n Southall Southall is a community, it should be a place where residents are able to do the things they want to live their lives Good jobs locally should mean popular a n d s u c c e s s f u l l o c a l b u s inesses that attract shoppers, m o n e y b e i n g m a d e a n d spent in Southall grows the economy People too often travel out of Ealing Southall to buy the things they need when we already have some amazing local businesses To counter this, I have been giving awards to local businesses and shops to share these success stories, and hopefully encourage more people to

I k n o w p e o p l e l o c a l l y w a n t b e t t e r p o l i c i n g ; w e need more beat officers to minimise dangers Just last w e e k I c h a l l e n g e d t h e M e t r o p o l i t a n P o l i c e Commissioner on the topics of responsiveness to crime, a n t i s o c i a l b e h a v i o u r , a n d domestic burglaries Only a few days ago, I was talking to a newly married couple w h o h a d j u s t b o u g h t a house, sadly their house was b r o k e n i n t o , t h e c o u p l e reported the crime as they a r e s u p p o s e d t o d o , t h e police said that they would come to investigate, yet they never did By ignoring these deeply personal crimes the Police create a separation between themselves and the p u b l i c , e r o d i n g t r u s t a n d leaving people unwilling to call the police, as they think it is pointless As an MP I don’t want that, I want trust i n o u r p u b l i c s e c t o r a n d public services

1 3 y e a r s o f T o r y

G o v e r n m e n t h a s e r o d e d trust in services, been an assault on the strength of o u r c o m m u n i t i e s a n d s t r e t c h e d o u r h e a l t h s e rvices We need a Labour victory for Ealing Southall and for communities just like it across the country ”

It is co mmo nly believed that as child ren o f imm ig rants mature, they tend to ad opt the sp eech p atterns of their locally- born friend s rather than th ose of their parents

Ho w e v er , D r L a v an ya

S ank ar an, K i ng ’ s C o lle g e

L o nd o n and P r o fe ss o r

De v ya ni S h arm a Qu e en Mary, University o f L ond on d i sc o v e red th a t th i s p h enom enon is more intricate th an com mo nly perceiv ed The ev olu tion of lang uage across different g enerations occurs grad ually and entails a com plexity that surp asses initial expectations

O v e r t h e p a s t s i x

d e c a d e s , t h e d e m o g r a p h i c

l a n d s c a p e o f t h e S o u t h a l l community has witnessed a s i g n i f i c a n t t r a n s f o r m a t i o n as South Asians have transitioned from being a minority group to a majority, currently constituting over 60 percent of the local population One can observe the emergence of evolving ethnic speech patterns that correspond to gradual changes within the community over a span of fifty years, reflecting shifts in British gender r o l e s a n d c l a s s p o s i t i o n s

Surprisingly, this does not i m p l y t h a t t h e y o u n g e s t g e n e r a t i o n c o m p l e t e l y

abandons ethnic linguistic forms In fact, they exhibit strong and noticeable usage of such forms “ I n t e r g e n e r a t i o n a l transmission of exogenous and local dialect traits in i m m i g r a n t c o m m u n i t i e s can be of central importance t o u n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e dynamics of dialect change over time Characterised by their multilectal participation in distinct communities in contact, an intermed i a t e g e n e r a t i o n i s o f t e n responsible for the incremental stages of language a c q u i s i t i o n a n d d i a l e c t c h a n g e ” , D r L a v a n y a t o l d Asian Voice “ I n S o u t h a l l , f o r instance, Punjabis from the o l d e r s e c o n d g e n e r a t i o n closely resemble the firstgeneration’s non-native use of t-retroflexion However, they simultaneously control n a t i v e l i k e t - g l o t t a l i n g , reflecting a robust bidialectal ability It is the younger s e c o n d g e n e r a t i o n w h o exhibit focused reallocation in the form and function of t-retroflexion This 20-year l a g c o r r e s p o n d s t o m a j o r c h a n g e s i n d e m o g r a p h i c s a n d r a c e r e l a t i o n s i n t h e community over 5 decades”, she further added

Mr Sharma fighting to protect jobs in the constituency

Mr Sharma at Local Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha, Southall

Festivals play a signi fic ant r ol e i n c e le b ra t i n g a n d s h ow c a s i n g t he c u l t ur a l t ra d i t i o n s , c u s t om s , a n d v a lu e s o f a c o m m un i t y They b ring pe ople together, fosterin g a s ense of be lon ging and uni ty w hi le providi n g a n o p po r t un i t y t o express joy a nd gratitude

S o u t h a l l , l i k e a n y diverse community, participates actively in celebrating an array of festivals Diwali, H o l i , E i d , M i l d - u l - N a b i , Christmas and Easter are among the various festivals c e l e b r a t e d w i t h g r e a t vigour Vaisakhi, however, is one festival that is celebrated with extra pomp

During early April, the streets of Southall undergo a remarkable transform a t i o n a s t h e y a r e adorned with a kaleidoscope of colours marking t h e j o y o u s o c c a s i o n o f Vaisakhi, the most significant day in the Sikh calend a r T h e a t m o s p h e r e i s filled with excitement as revellers gather, forming queues at numerous food stalls offering free traditional Indian cuisine The air reverberates with the l i v e l y b e a t s o f P u n j a b i music, encompassing both v i n t a g e f o l k s t y l e s a n d e n e r g e t i c b h a n g r a , e m anating from speakers

T h e f e s t i v i t i e s a r e a testament to the rich cultural heritage of the Sikh c o m m u n i t y , a n d p e o p l e come together to honour and rejoice in this auspicious occasion The event creates a joyful and spirited ambiance, inviting individuals from various backgrounds to partake in the f e s t i v i t i e s , s a v o u r t h e d e l e c t a b l e f o o d , a n d immerse themselves in the vibrant Punjabi music that fills the air

Recently, in the past week, hundreds of ecstatic d e v o t e e s c e l e b r a t e d t h e R a t h a Y a t r a w i t h g r e a t f a n f a r e i n S o u t h a l l T h e y a t r a w a s o r g a n i s e d b y

Shree Jagannatha Society

UK (SJSUK), which is assoc i a t e d w i t h U K ’ s o l d e s t

Hindu temple, Shree Ram

Mandir According to Dr C h e t a n S h a t a p a t h y , T r u s t e e a n d C o m m u n i c a t i o n s - I nC h a r g e , S J S U K , “ t h e M a n d i r b r i n g s t o g e t h e r the entire community of Hindu devotees wedded to Sanatana Vaidika Dharma, from across regions and communities of the Indian subcontinent It also sees s e v e r a l S i k h d e v o t e e s drawn to the worship of the deities, thus serving as a bridge between communities ”

“The Ratha Yatra provides an opportunity for the entire populace of the local area of Ealing, and devotees drawn from all parts of London and across the UK, to mingle freely with the Lords, seek bless-

A celebration of the rich South Asian heritage

ings in person, and wipe a w a y t h e i r r e s i d u a l b a d Karma by pulling the chari o t s ” , h e s a i d a b o u t t h e Ratha Yatra “ A l s o , t h e a n n u a l

Shobha Yatra organised by Shree Ram Mandir in association with many other organizations in the UK on t h e o c c a s i o n o f S h r e e

K r i s h n a J a n m a s h t a m i , i s an occasion where all communities come together in a joyous procession on the streets of West London’s S o u t h a l l , c r e a t i n g a n atmosphere of gaiety”, Dr Chetan added

According to Southall’s finest, “all festivals are celebrated with lots of colour,

hustle and bustle and of course food in Southall, m o s t i m p o r t a n t l y t h e sweets The British neighbours are quite welcoming to a certain extent especially those who've lived in Southall for a long time know they'd be welcomed in their neighbours home and vice-versa ”

Nagar Kirtan in Southall

"Multi Creation"- one stop destination for design, planning and project development

Constructing a residential or commercial complex is a complicated process; one wrong step can reduce the lifespan of the building. The owners can face various problems such as budget, designing, approvals, purchasing materials and what not. For smooth construction of your dream project, one should hire the services of an architectural firm with a team of multi‑skilled and experienced professionals who can bring your ideas to life!

From inception to completion, they can offer hands-on, personal services by bringing in vast experience of the building industry. The architectural firm should have detailed discussion with each client regarding their requirement. The firm and the client should develop a mutual trust that results in a finished project which brings delight and satisfaction to all concerned.

“The philosophy of 'Multi Creation' is to give our clients a fit-for-purpose building which is attractive and sustainable for decades to come. We take every issue into account and carry out the planning as per the latest trend

and with all the necessary research and execute the plan in every detail in both external and internal in order to bring your dream into fruition. 'Multi Creation' is an established architectural firm with over 25 years of experience covering London and Greater London Area, Surrey and Berkshire. We offer experience and proactive communication with local planning and building control authorities to successfully support your project from conceptual stage to design and planning application and building control approvals.”

CEO and Senior Director Ajay

Modhwadia has 40 years of experience in the architectural industry, who is better qualified to understand the demands of any proposed project. This unassuming man puts individuals and customer satisfaction at the heart of all his relationships with clients. The second in command is his son and Director of the company, Niraaj Modhwadia. He joined the family firm after completion of his education and has been in the field since he was 16 years. He is fully conversant with all aspects of the company and is working towards assuming the leadership once his father retires.

The execution of every project is different and we give first priority to the requirements of the client and carry out the project in the best possible and in a cost‑effective way. Every individual may have different requirements, especially when designing the interior. Though the process of designing & building a small or a larger project may be same there are some points that one should keep in mind while planning the project:

1

Unde rst anding t he p roj ec t: Here the company will obtain information about your property and they may have to pay a visit to the site to understand any specific requirements/intricacies if required.

2

Fe asibi li ty : After assessment of the property from looking at each individual property based on planning guidelines along with individual characteristics present in the local street, they advise the client what they believe to be achievable and follow this with a brief explanation on how the proceedings will unfold. (If at this stage they may require specialist help to achieve the planning, either with pre-application advice or planning consultant)

3B ri efi ng a and M Measu ri ng: Once the deal is struck with the client after personal contact, we will now come to measure and photograph the property. At this point they inform the client about additional services that may be required (Thames water/Party wall/drainage survey etc.) advising on layout and portraying in the design.

5 A Appl i cat ion r re sul ts: Once the application has been submitted following up to decision from the council, they will stay in communication amending plans according to planning officers’ comments. Following decision, the application will continue as usual or appropriate measures will be taken from re-applying or appealing.

4

Dr awings a and s su bmissi ons: Within a maximum of 1-2 weeks, the proposed drawings that are required to be submitted to the local authorities will be ready, include any final external changes (Windows/doors/roofs etc.) to be submitted to the council.

6 Su bmit ti ng t to b bu il di ng c co nt rol : Finalizing internal layout before going ahead and achieving (Structural engineer) steel calculation and submitting to building control. Meanwhile all other regulated department-based certificates/agreements are achieved in order to reduce delays in commencement.

Our Client Testimonials

"As a newly married couple, we bought a rather dated house requiring a lot of work to turn it into a child-friendly family home.

We Knew of Multicreation and their reputation as a family-led personal company who seemed able to solve all problems within a reasonable budget.

With their expertise and guidance, we now have a spacious and modern family home that is fit for our future life together. At every point they have listened to our dreams-and made them happen!

We have no difficulty recommending them to anyone who wants innovative design and a skilled workforce to turn their dreams into reality!"

HEMANT MAINI

7 S Sit e m managem ent : Upon realization that further assistance from a more experienced party for the construction of works. We will offer a full site management option where we can truly turn your dream into a reality. Offering our services to find a contractor from our vast network, which is most suited for the specific development. Negotiating the best prices whilst making sure the works are in line with current regulations and standards providing you with a smooth journey to your final product!

T To b build y your d dream r residential o or c commercial p property, n nothing i is b better t than s selecting ““Multi C Creation” T To k know m more, c

"We are delighted with this conversion which gave us much higher rent potential. Ajay’s creative building plan achieved so much more than we thought possible! It was a pleasure to work with Multicreation who guided us 100% of the way.

A bonus came from Niraaj, who suggested contemporary internal design and furnishing which would appeal to the young business renters we wanted to attract. He even helped us select and source them at competitive prices. We recommend you contact them, you won’t be disappointed.

Multicreation really went the extra mile! Their experience and variety of talents was evident!"

GOKHAN YILMAZ

“ “ “

"After two futile attempts to obtain planning permission, we turned to Multicreation for help and met Ajay and Niraaj. They suggested modification and then sought planning permission, which was accepted.

We now have an aesthetic and spacious family home, and a front porch complementary to the style of our property.

The project has been stress-free, due to constant, patient dialogue and the organized and friendly nature of Multicreation and is associates.

Other work ensured and was successfully completed in the same supportive and genial manner.

Well done Multicreation; and Thank You!"

Multicreation provided exceptional service while working on a new plan for my family's home. They went above and beyond to deliver an outcome that was exactly what my son and I desired. We appreciated their attention to detail and the numerous iterations on the plans, daily. Their practical ideas for daily use were impressive, and they even helped us with planning applications and appeals, showcasing their expertise.

Overall, we highly recommend Multicreation to anyone in need of architectural services. Thank you, Multicreation, for your brilliant service and dedication to our project!

DILIP RAITHATHA

JAGIR SINGH

Ajay Modhwadia CEO and Senior Director

Niraaj Modhwadia Director

Bringing the roots and heritage of Punjabi culture to the stage

T aj i n d e r S i nd r a i s a r en o wn e d wr i te r , a c to r , a n d d i r ec t o r f r om t he v i b ra n t c o mm u n i ty of Southall W ith an impressive portfolio, he has acted in and di rec ted Bollywood films suc h as "London 2 Amritsar" and "London De H ee r," es ta bl is hi ng h imself as a prominent figure in the i ndustry H e is the f ou n de r o f t he P un j a b i T he a tr e A c a de m y , c el ebrating the roots and heritage of Punjabi c ulture

A s k h i m a b o u t t h e artistic and cultural scenario in Southall now and back when he was growing up and he’ll tell you how the definition of intimacy has changed in the community “Earlier, the community needed intimacy a n d w a n t e d t o c o m e t o g e t h e r o n d i f f e r e n t occasions Now it's more a b o u t f a m i l i a l i n t i m a c y W i t h t h r e e - f o u r g e n e r ations of a family settled in the town, they don't really need to go out and mingle i n t h e c o m m u n i t y ” , h e said H e i s i n s p i r e d b y Channi Singh, OBE, the godfather of Bhangra in the West However, the story and the community

Tajinder Sindra

of Southall are his main driving force “It's more of t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d t h e story of South Hall that inspires me to convey the stories I do”, he said Mr Sindra is particularly passionate about representing the story of the s t r u g g l e o f S o u t h a l l ’ s S o u t h A s i a n c o m m u n i t y f o r t h e i r r i g h t s a n d h e doesn’t want to settle with describing the events that o c c u r r e d H e w a n t s t o s h o w c a s e t h e p e r s o n a l accounts of the people in the heart of it His docum e n t a r y , ‘ M e a n d m y S o u t h a l l ’ a t t e m p t s t o achieve the same

When he came to the UK, he was asked by an i m m i g r a t i o n o f f i c e r ,

From Punjab to Southall: The musical legacy of a community

Anusha Singh

Mus ic is integral to the fabri c of a co mmu nity , p romoting cultural expression, so cial coh esio n, emotional w el l- b e i ng , ec o n o m ic g ro w th , a nd e du c at io na l enrichment

S o u t h a l l b o a s t s a remarkable musical legacy, particularly within its South

“Why UK?”, to which he r e s p o n d e d “ I w a n t e d t o see the gora people who r u l e d m y c o u n t r y ” T h e officer immediately said, “Welcome to my country” and this is one of the main reasons why he has always felt welcomed in the UK a n d w a n t s t o r e p r e s e n t Southall’s culture and traditions so that people can feel welcomed in the community

Mr Sindra is particularly proud of his part in reviving Punjabi Theatre in the UK after a gap of 15 years and has collaborated with both the Indian and UK government to bridge the gap between the two countries through his stories

A s i a n c o m m u n i t y T h e town thrives with a dynamic music scene that showcases a multitude of gifted a r t i s t s s p a n n i n g d i v e r s e g e n r e s s u c h a s P u n j a b i , B o l l y w o o d , a n d B r i t i s h Asian fusion music

The town has presented to the world, talents like

“I spent hours reading the credits on the record sleeves in the racks In 1976, I appeared on an album by B i r m i n g h a m - b a s e d s i n g e r

A S Kang and two years l a t e r , w e p r o d u c e d m y mother’s first album From then on, the shopkeepers warmed to me a bit”, he explains

C h a n n i S i n g h O B E , t h e godfather of Bhangra in the west, Kuljit Bhamra MBE, H a r t i n d e r D h a m i , Jagwinder Singh Dhaliwal, J a y S e a n a n d A s h K i n g among others

“T he So uthall co mmun i ty a lw ay s s u p p o rt ed u s from the very start”- Channi S ingh

C h a n n i S i n g h w h o b e c o m e t h e f i r s t P u n j a b i music artist to be appointed an OBE by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to Bhangra music, charity and commun i t y w o r k m o v e d t o S o u t h a l l f r o m P u n j a b i n 1976

Mr Singh recalls noticing the fewer links the Asian community, particularly the youngsters, had with their cultural heritage, and using his passion for music to promote the Punjabi culture He formed his own Bhangra band, Alaap, in 1977

T h e b a n d b e c a m e r e s p o n s i b l e f o r c h a n g i n g the entire face of Punjabi music across the world and achieved much to be proud of We created history by breaking barriers and opening doors for Bhangra music in the Western world and receiving countless awards for extraordinary achievements and invaluable service and contribution to the Asian music industry ”

Mr Singh takes pride in being the first British Asian m u s i c a r t i s t t o c o m p o s e and direct music for big b a n n e r B o l l y w o o d f i l m s i n c l u d i n g F e r o z K h a n ’ s

‘

Y a l g a a r ‘ a n d ‘ J a n a s h e e n ’ a n d K C B o k a d i a ’ s ‘Shaktiman’, and credits the S o u t h a l l c o m m u n i t y f o r

their unwavering support

“It was all possible due to where it all started for me and my band over 45 years ago In Southall The c o m m u n i t y a l w a y s s u pp o r t e d u s f r o m t h e v e r y start and that support is what led to our global success and us being credited a s P i o n e e r s o f m o d e r n Bhangra music ”

“I a m a S ou th a ll b oy t h ro u gh a n d t h r ou gh ”Kuljit Bhamra

K u l j i t B h a m r a , M B E , composer, record producer and musician has been living in the town since 1968 a n d c a l l s h i m s e l f a “Southall-boy through and through ”

H e h a s h a d a s t r o n g connection to music since his childhood “My mother had studied Giani (proficiency in Gurmukhi) and was called upon regularly to sing hymns and recite verses from the Sikh holy b o o k i n S o u t h a l l g u r dwaras ” , he said

“ I n 1 9 6 9 , T a r s e m

P u r e w a l , e d i t o r o f t h e S o u t h a l l - b a s e d P u n j a b i n e w s p a p e r D e s P a r d e s asked my mother to conduct his wedding and then sing a few songs afterwards at a reception party I was 10 years old and accompanied her on the tabla ”

As a self- taught musician, Kuljit would frequent the Bina Musicals located on The Green to buy his i n s t r u m e n t s , a l o n g w i t h

three main records stores in Southall: ABC Music on

T h e B r o a d w a y , I n d i a n

R e c o r d H o u s e o n S o u t h

Road and Virdee Stores on The Green

“In 1983, when I prod u c e d S o u t h a l l - b a s e d b a n d s P r e m i a n d H e e r a , people began to show their appreciation for my music S i n a R a d i o , n o w S u n r i s e Radio had been set up by A v t a r L i t , a n d m y s o n g s were played back-to-back, twenty-four hours a day It was thrilling to hear my music being blasted out of c a r s t e r e o s a n d g r o c e r y shops”, he further added K u l j i t , w h o h a s b e e n involved in ‘Bend It Like B e c k h a m ’ h a d h i s f i r s t experience of theatre was in 2002 as on-stage percussionist in Andrew LloydWebbers Bombay Dreams Later in 2015, he co-orchestrated for the musical vers i o n o f ‘ B e n d I t L i k e Beckham’ “I was elated to see Southall recreated on stage in the west end Some of the issues that we chall e n g e d a s a c o m m u n i t y then are probably no longer relevant in today’s time ” Speaking of the evolution South Asian music has s e e n i n B r i t a i n , K u j i t s h a r e s“ M y B r i t i s h upbringing in a family with s t r o n g P u n j a b i t r a d i t i o n s has allowed me to have an o b j e c t i v e v i e w o f h o w music is created and perceived by various cultures around the world “

“The idea of ‘if someone plays an Indian instrument, they must only play Indian music’ is absurd to me Our c u l t u r e h a s b e a u t i f u lsounding instruments that should be used in all types o f m u s i c o n a l l s t a g e s around the world by people of all cultures, but many of us are scared that our cult u r e w i l l d i s a p p e a r a s a result “

“Our music will grow further and become more p o p u l a r w h e n w e a l l o w others to play our instruments”, he further adds

Channi Singh OBE

Kuljit Bhamra MBE

ROB BLACKBURN

Bollywood's love affair with Southall

Southall has been a significant hub f or film product i on i n Bri ta i n since th e e arly 1920s, mak ing inva lua bl e cont ributi ons to t he i ndu st ry th roug h i ts stud ios, cre ative ta lents, and cinema culture

T h e e s t a b l i s h m e n t o f Southall Studios in 1924 by G B S a m e l s o n m a r k e d a t u r n i n g p o i n t , w i t h t h e production of the first film titled "It Is Never Too Late to Mend" in 1925, directed by Alexander Butler Film production continued until the late 1950s, with over 65 films produced during this period

I n p a r a l l e l w i t h t h e growth of Southall Studios, t h e t o w n w i t n e s s e d t h e construction of four cinemas that became part of its c u l t u r a l f a b r i c T h e D o m i n i o n C i n e m a , d e s i g n e d b y a r c h i t e c t F r e d e r i c k E B r o m i g e , opened as a state-of-the-art v e n u e a n d l a t e r t r a n sf o r m e d i n t o a s u c c e s s f u l a r t s a n d c u l t u r a l c e n t r e after its demolition in 1981

The Century Cinema, origi n a l l y k n o w n a s t h e Southall Electric Theatre, opened in 1910 and became the first cinema to showc a s e B o l l y w o o d f i l m s I t c l o s e d i n 1 9 8 0 a n d w a s t r a n s f o r m e d i n t o t h e T u d o r R o s e B a r a n d

N i g h t c l u b T h e P a l a c e

C i n e m a , f e a t u r i n g a d i s -

tinctive Chinese style exterior and art deco interior, opened as the New Paragon Palace in 1912 and was later r e n a m e d t h e H i m a l a y a C i n e m a , w h i c h n o w s c r e e n s B o l l y w o o d , Punjabi, and Tamil films

Finally, the Odeon Cinema, d e s i g n e d b y a r c h i t e c t G e o r g e C o l e s , o p e n e d i n 1936 and now serves as a superstore

During the late 1950s, t h e D o m i n i o n C i n e m a became a venue for public meetings and music shows o r g a n i z e d b y t h e I n d i a n W o r k e r s A s s o c i a t i o n (IWA) The vibrant cinema culture in Southall attracted a diverse audience, and the traditional popcorn was r e p l a c e d b y s a m o s a s a n d masala chai The popularity of Hindi movies brought

a u d i e n c e s f r o m a c r o s s London, leading to the rise of a prosperous business community catering to this new customer base

H o w e v e r , i n t h e l a t e

and film packages This had a significant impact on cinema attendance, and by the 1970s, the number of video m a c h i n e s o w n e d b y t h e B r i t i s h A s i a n c o m m u n i t y rivalled that of households in Japan

Despite these changes, Southall continued to be a s i g n i f i c a n t l o c a t i o n f o r f i l m m a k e r s , p l a y w r i g h t s , a n d s c r e e n p l a y w r i t e r s f r o m t h e l a t e 1 9 8 0 s o n w a r d s N o t a b l e f i g u r e s s u c h a s H a r w a n t B a i n s , Gurinder Chadha, Kwame K w e i - A r m a h , S h a k i l a M a a n , F a t i m a S a l a r i a , Melanie Sykes, Gita Sahgal, C o l i n P r e s c o d , H O

ing Brit Asian community a n d t h e u n i q u e b l e n d o f cultures

(Kajol) house as well as her father’s (Amrish) store was set in Southall

1970s, cinema halls faced challenges with the rise of h o m e v i d e o t e c h n o l o g y S p e c i a l i s t I n d i a n v i d e o s h o p s e m e r g e d , o f f e r i n g rentals of video machines

N a z a r e t h , F a r o u k h

D h o n d h y , F a r i s K a r m a n i have made Southall central t o t h e i r w o r k G u r i n d e r C h a d h a , i n p a r t i c u l a r , g a i n e d p r o m i n e n c e i n B r i t i s h c i n e m a w i t h h e r

1 9 8 1 f i l m " I ' m B r i t i s h B u t , " w h i c h s h o w c a s e d the underground Bhangra scene and went on to produce iconic films like "Bend I t L i k e B e c k h a m a n d "Bride and Prejudice " Southall also witnessed significant television interest in the 1980s and 1990s C o l i n P r e s c o d p r o d u c e d films on Black communit i e s i n B r i t a i n , i n c l u d i n g "Southall: A Town under S i e g e , " d o c u m e n t i n g t h e u p r i s i n g s o f 1 9 7 9 " A F e a r f u l S i l e n c e , " d i r e c t e d by Faris Karmani and prod u c e d b y H O N a z a r e t h , h i g h l i g h t e d t h e w o r k o f Southall Black Sisters in a m o v i n g d o c u m e n t a r y o n v i c t i m s o f d o m e s t i c v i ol e n c e O t h e r d o c u m e nt a r i e s , s u c h a s J o a n B a k e w e l l ' s " H e a r t o f t h e Matter" and Gita Sahgal's "Provoked," brought attent i o n t o i m p o r t a n t i s s u e s like the Rushdie Affair and domestic violence

The year 1999 saw the p r o d u c t i o n o f " S o u t h a l l Stories," a TV documentary e x p l o r i n g B r i t a i n ' s A s i a n community with a focus on Southall It depicted three generations of immigrant families as they witnessed social changes across the country

Additionally, films like " D i l w a l e D u l h a n i a L e J a y e n g e " ( 1 9 9 5 ) , " P a t i a l a House" (2011), and "Jhoom Barabar Jhoom" (2007) featured Southall as a backdrop, showcasing the thriv-

Bollywood's fascination with Southall continued to g r o w , l e a d i n g t o i t s f r equent use as a setting for films Stars like Shahrukh Khan, Shabana Azmi, and Preity Zinta became regular fixtures on the streets of Southall Notably, there are p l a n s t o p r o d u c e a f i l m about the Southall Uprising in 1979, featuring Akshay K u m a r a n d K a t r i n a K a i f Bollywood s close connection to London is evident t h r o u g h t h e n u m e r o u s f i l m s s h o t a g a i n s t i c o n i c landmarks such as Big Ben, t h e R i v e r T h a m e s , t h e London Eye, Westminster Abbey, and Tower Bridge This affinity can be traced b a c k t o t h e 1 9 5 0 s w h e n Indian immigrants flocked to London in search of a better life, and Bollywood films were screened in areas like Hounslow, Upton Park, and Southall

Southall's rich cinemati c h i s t o r y s h o w c a s e s i t s e n d u r i n g s i g n i f i c a n c e i n British film production, the i n f l u e n c e i t h a s h a d o n Bollywood's representation of the British Asian experie n c e , a n d t h e p r o f o u n d impact it has had on the local community and culture As the film industry evolves, Southall's legacy as a vibrant and integral part of British cinema remains firmly established

J o h n A b r a h a m a n d

Bipasha Basu’s Dhan Dhana

Dhan Goal (2007) used the b a c k d r o p o f S o u t h a l l i n L o n d o n f o r t h e f o o t b a l lbased film John Abraham plays the role of a soughta f t e r f o o t b a l l e r b y t h e struggling Southall United Football Club Bipasha Basu played the role of his love i n t e r e s t a n d o n e o f t h e

player’s sisters Reportedly, t h e s e t t i n g f o r S i m r a n ’ s

A k s h a y K u m a r a n d Anushka Sharma’s Patiala House (2011) was shot in Southall The film’s locations include the Oval and L o r d ' s , C o v e n t G a r d e n , H a r r o w a n d S o u t h a l l I t also examines the fallout of t h e S o u t h a l l r i o t s i n t h e S e v e n t i e s A k s h a y K u m a r told Evening Standard back t h e n t h a t , " S o u t h a l l i s a mini-India - it reminds me of a famous market I used to live on in Bombay, it's wonderful and oozes chara c t e r , c o l o u r a n d c h a r m The food, the people, the amazing stores, what's not to like?

"We extensively shot in S o u t h a l l a n d d u r i n g t h e b r e a k s , I w o u l d d i s g u i s e m y s e l f s o I c o u l d w a l k around the area, so I am q u i t e f a m i l i a r w i t h t h e s t r e e t s , t h e t e m p l e s , t h e

corner shops London is a c i t y o f d r e a m s , j u s t l i k e M u m b a i " P r o d u c e r s a l s o r e c r e a t e d S o u t h a l l B r o a d w a y o n a M u m b a i film set

B o l l y w o o d h i t t h e streets of London with zest and pomp with the cast of J h o o m B a r a b a r J h o o m ( 2 0 0 7 ) T h e f i l m s t a r r e d Abhishek Bachchan, Preity Zinta, Bobby Deol and Lara Dutta

D i r e c t o r S h a a d A l i Sahgal explained his purp o s e f o r s h o o t i n g i n London He said:

“ M y i n s p i r a t i o n f o r J h o o m B a r a b a r J h o o m (2007) was to explore the h e a r t s o f I n d i a n s i n Southall

“We wanted to shoot at m a j o r L o n d o n l o c a t i o n s which are very crowded but thanks to careful planning and coordination we mana g e d t o a c h i e v e f a n t a s t i c results ”

Amitabh Bachchan in Jhoom Barabar Jhoom

Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal

Akshay Kumar while shooting for Patiala House in London Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge

Southall FC has a great deal to contribute to the inclusion of ethnic minorities in football

As Asian Voice celebrates Southall, we speak to Southall FC CEO, Aatish Sharma about the football club and its legacy among ethnic minorities

The historical landmark of Himalaya Palace Cinema

Shefali Saxena

How does the Southall FC serve as a prominent and imperative part of the Southall region? What kind of legacy is associated with it?

Southall Football Club is committed to supporting and driving the community of Southall in a positive direction Established in 1871, Southall FC has represented the community for over 150 years, currently p l a y i n g i n t h e I s t h m i a n S o u t h C e n t r a l Division Our mission is to continue to progress through the football pyramid and provide an equal opportunity for people in Southall to excel and participate in sports

The Historic legacy of the club has always b e e n a b o u t u n i t i n g c o m m u n i t i e s o f Southall From the time the club was formed to the present day, it has always tried to bring everyone together Known for once having one of the largest semi-professional stadiums in the country, hosting cup finals, c e l e b r i t y m a t c h e s a n d c o m m u n i t y initiatives, Southall FC has always been a pillar for the community and aims to once again reach its historic heights and beyond 2 How has the club contributed to the inclusion of ethnic minorities over the years?

O v e r t h e y e a r s S o u t h a l l F C h a s contributed to diversity and inclusion in the game Most notably a former player of the c l u b ; J u s t i n F a s h a n u w a s t h e f i r s t professional footballer to be openly gay As well as being one of the first footballers with a £1 million transfer fee In recent years the club has worked with local organisations in Southall, to provide activations for children in football The club’s vision is to build facilities in Southall which will serve one of the most diverse communities in the world Currently, there is a complete lack of any sports facilities which has made it difficult

for everyone in Southall to p a r t i c i p a t e i n t h e g a m e Southall FC has a great deal to contribute in the inclusion of ethnic minorities in football T h e n o n - e x i s t e n c e o f a d e q u a t e a n d a f f o r d a b l e f a c i l i t i e s p r e s e n t s a m a j o r barrier for participation We urge everyone to support us in our mission to provide the people of Southall with the f a c i l i t i e s a n d o p p o r t u n i t i e s they deserve, so future generations do not miss out

As the CEO of the club who belongs to the South Asian community, I'm sure many youngsters look up to you Please describe your journey and story of making it so far Personally, my journey has taken many turns but this mission to provide for the c o m m u n i t y a n d f u t u r e g e n e r a t i o n s o f Southall is something I hold dear After participating in a number of sports whilst g r o w i n g u p , m y f a t h e r S a n j e e v S h a r m a ( C h a i r m a n o f S o u t h a l l F C ) i n s t i l l e d a fighting spirit in me He gave me a love for f o o t b a l l f r o m t h e v e r y b e g i n n i n g a f t e r playing for professional clubs and academies in his career I was lucky to have someone in my life who pushed me to excel and go above and beyond for me to train, no matter how far But one thing was always missing, somewhere to train locally After a brief year in America, I returned to support my father in the quest to push the club through the leagues and to rebuild a stadium along with facilities for the community The journey is proving to be successful from the onset, having secured promotion in the 2021-22 season and finishing in a respectable 10th in o u r f i r s t s e a s o n i n t h e I s t h m i a n S o u t h Central League Our project to build the sports facilities in Southall has progressed

greatly and I invite all to join us on this journey

4. While Cricket is the favourite game of British Indians, football has its separate fan base and charm in the community What makes the game so relevant for us?

F o o t b a l l i s r e l e v a n t f o r the South Asian community, as it is for the majority of p e o p l e a r o u n d t h e w o r l d from all works of life and backgrounds

B e i n g t h e b i g g e s t s p o r t o n t h e p l a n e t f o o t b a l l h a s s h o w n c o u n t l e s s t i m e s i t s power to unite communities and transcend all social barriers This is best exemplified by the 2022 World Cup which brings a unique sense of unity for all nations The aim of Southall FC is to harness the positive power of football and combine the world's biggest sport with the largest ethnic community and represent our community on the biggest stage

5

As the CEO what is your vision for the club in the next five years?

The vision over the next 5 years is secure promotions to continue our ascent in the football pyramid, with our Manager Max Howell and his coaching staff guiding us forward In the next 5 years, we aim to be p l a y i n g i n S t e p 2 o f t h e N o n - L e a g u e Pyramid which is very achievable with the s u p p o r t o f t h e S o u t h A s i a n c o m m u n i t y g l o b a l l y O u r m a i n o b j e c t i v e t o b u i l d c o m m u n i t y f a c i l i t i e s a n d a s t a d i u m i n

Southall will have been completed and be fully operational with youth academies and sports events such as cup finals taking place

The future is bright, with the support of the community and the professionalism that h a s b e e n b r o u g h t t o S o u t h a l l F C W e welcome all to get involved and unite to drive the Southall community forward

In M idd lesex, wh ich is now a part of Greater L o n d o n, t h ere o nc e s to o d t h e P ar ag o n P ala ce C in em a, e sta bli sh ed in th e e arly

1 91 0 s In th e late 1 92 0s , Uni ted Pi cture

Th eatres L td (U PT) took ownership of the cinema and d ecid ed to demolish it in ord er to construct a new cinem a on th e site

Renowned architect George Coles was commissioned by UPT to design the circuit's first new cinema, distinguishing it from their other acquisitions The result was the Himalaya Palace Cinema, which opened its doors on November 30, 1929 However, UPT faced financial challenges and was acquired by Gaumont British Theatres Ltd in April 1930, with Gaumont assuming operations of the Palace Cinema from July 1930

The Palace Cinema stands out for its u n i q u e a r c h i t e c t u r a l s t y l e i n s p i r e d b y a Chinese temple, making it a distinctive and b e l o v e d l o c a l l a n d m a r k T h e e x t e r i o r features ornate tiling and a vibrant red pagoda roof adorned with dragons Inside, the Chinese influence continues but with a more restrained approach

It was an important part of Southall and w a s a c o n v e n i e n t s p o t f o r f a m i l i e s o r mothers who didn't know how to drive or wanted to catch a bus all the way to Feltham to have quality time either with their friends or with their children showing them a piece of art and their culture

Without having to drive miles away and pay extortionate prices for a ticket like you w o u l d h a v e t o e v e n n o w a t p l a c e s l i k e Cineworld, Palace Cinema was a saviour Children could scream and cry and you wouldn't be judged for it like in a normal cinema

The Cinema closed in 1982 and was converted into an indoor market It reo p e n e d i n 2 0 0 1 a f t e r r e s t o r a t i o n , a n d showed Bollywood films adding occasional independent films History repeated itself w h e n t h e H i m a l a y a P a l a c e C i n e m a w a s shut- down once again to make way for an indoor market

Maintaining close ties with the South Asian community

S outh all Travel, a pro minent travel comp any h eadquartered in the U nited Kingd om, was founded in 1 984 in Sou thall, a town situated in the L ond on Boro ugh of Ealing , S outh all T ravel co ntinues to operate a physical store i n S o u th all , L o nd o n , w h ic h se rv e s a s a d ed icated cu stomer serv ice centre

This establishment offers personalised assistance, facilitates travel discussions, and e n a b l e s i n - p e r s o n b o o k i n g s , p r o v i d i n g a t r a d i t i o n a l a n d f a c e - t o - f a c e a p p r o a c h t o customer service for those who prefer such interactions

Originally established by Kuljinder Bahia with the aim of catering to the travel needs of the South Asian community in the UK, S o u t h a l l T r a v e l i n i t i a l l y f o c u s e d o n providing flights to India, Pakistan, and other South Asian countries Through its c o m p e t i t i v e p r i c i n g , e x t e n s i v e a i r l i n e n e t w o r k , a n d p e r s o n a l i s e d s e r v i c e , t h e company swiftly gained popularity among the South Asian diaspora

As Southall Travel solidified its position as a leading travel agency specialising in South Asian destinations, it expanded its operations to encompass a broader range of services These included holiday packages, hotel bookings, travel insurance, and other t r a v e l - r e l a t e d s e r v i c e s , e n a b l i n g t h e company to cater to a wider customer base

Recognising the increasing significance of the internet, Southall Travel launched its website in the early 2000s, empowering customers to conveniently browse flights and holiday packages online This digital p r e s e n c e f a c i l i t a t e d t h e c o m p a n y ' s r a p i d g r o w t h a n d s u c c e s s , a s i t e x p a n d e d i t s operations beyond South Asian destinations t o i n c l u d e o t h e r p o p u l a r t o u r i s t s p o t s worldwide To offer comprehensive travel

options, Southall Travel forged partnerships with major airlines, hotels, and travel service providers

At the core of Southall Travel's approach is its commitment to customer satisfaction a n d p e r s o n a l i s e d s e r v i c e T h e c o m p a n y p r i d e s i t s e l f o n b u i l d i n g e n d u r i n g r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h i t s c l i e n t e l e , e n s u r i n g t h e i r c o n t e n t m e n t a n d f o s t e r i n g r e p e a t b u s i n e s s E m b r a c i n g t e c h n o l o g i c a l advancements, Southall Travel invested in s t a t e - o f - t h e - a r t r e s e r v a t i o n s y s t e m s a n d o n l i n e b o o k i n g p l a t f o r m s , a l l o w i n g customers to effortlessly browse and secure their travel arrangements from the comfort of their homes

In addition to catering to individual travellers, Southall Travel recognised the need to serve corporate clients To address this, the company expanded its operations to p r o v i d e c o m p r e h e n s i v e c o r p o r a t e t r a v e l solutions, including customised itineraries, group bookings, and specialised services for business travellers

Maintaining close ties with the South Asian community in the UK has always been a priority for Southall Travel The company a c t i v e l y e n g a g e s i n c o m m u n i t y e v e n t s , sponsors cultural programs, and supports c h a r i t a b l e i n i t i a t i v e s T h i s u n w a v e r i n g commitment to community engagement has solidified Southall Travel's reputation and positioned it as a trustworthy travel partner

industry have contributed to its success and enabled it to remain competitive in a rapidly evolving market

Valuing customer feedback and reviews, S o u t h a l l T r a v e l a c t i v e l y e n c o u r a g e s i t s customers to share their travel experiences a n d p r o v i d e s a d e d i c a t e d p l a t f o r m f o r l e a v i n g r e v i e w s o n i t s w e b s i t e T h i s commitment to transparency and customer satisfaction has reinforced Southall Travel's reputation and cultivated trust among its clientele

During the challenging period of the C o v i d - 1 9 p a n d e m i c , S o u t h a l l T r a v e l prioritised customer welfare and promptly refunded over £110 million to customers whose travel plans were impacted, ensuring f u l l r e f u n d s f o r a l l c a n c e l l e d p a c k a g e holidays due to the crisis

Looking to the future, Southall Travel

a s p i r e s t o e x p a n d i t s r e a c h f u r t h e r a n d c o n t i n u e p r o v i d i n g e x c e p t i o n a l t r a v e l s e r v i c e s T h e c o m p a n y p l a n s t o e x p l o r e emerging travel trends and adapt to evolving c u s t o m e r p r e f e r e n c e s T h r o u g h i t s dedication to innovation, customer service, a n d c o m m u n i t y e n g a g e m e n t , S o u t h a l l

Travel is positioned for sustained growth and success in the travel industry

I n c o n c l u s i o n , S o u t h a l l T r a v e l h a s evolved from a modest travel agency serving the South Asian community in the UK to a leading travel company offering a wide range of travel services to destinations worldwide T h r o u g h i t s c u s t o m e r - c e n t r i c a p p r o a c h , t e c h n o l o g i c a l a d v a n c e m e n t s , c o m m u n i t y e n g a g e m e n t , a n d c o m m i t m e n t t o s u s t a i n a b i l i t y , S o u t h a l l T r a v e l h a s established itself as a trusted and respected name in the travel industry

2 4 / 7 , 3 6 5 d a y s W e h a v e c o n s i s t e n t l y e x c e e d e d c u s t o m e r e x p e c t a t i o n s , c r e a t i n g u n f o r g e t t a b l e journeys around the Globe

S o u t h a l l T r a v e l ' s c o l l a b o r a t i o n s w i t h major airlines, hotels, and tourism boards have enabled the company to offer a diverse range of travel options These partnerships allow Southall Travel to provide exclusive deals, discounted fares, and unique travel experiences to its customers The company's s t r

Jaymin Borkhatria, C CO of Southall Trav els said, “I a m t h r i l l e d t o s h a r e t h e remarkable success story of Southall Travel As the CCO, I am immensely proud of our a c h i e v e m e n t s O v e r t h e years, we have grown from s t r e n g t h t o s t r e n g t h , solidifying our position as a leading travel company “ O u r s u c c e s s c a n b e attributed to our unwavering commitment to exceptional service, innovative solutions, a n d p e r s o n a l i s e d

e x p e r i e n c e s B y l e v e r a g i n g c u t t i n g - e d g e t e c h n o l o g y a n d a p a s s i o n a t e t e a m i n

“We owe our triumph to o u r l o y a l c u s t o m e r s , d e d i c a t e d e m p l o y e e s , a n d t h e t r a v e l i n d u s t r y a s a w h o l e T o g e t h e r , w e h a v e o v e r c o m e c h a l l e n g e s a n d e m b r a c e d o p p o r t u n i t i e s , allowing Southall Travel to flourish in an ever-evolving landscape

“

L o o k i n g a h e a d , w e remain committed to delivering excellence, forging new partnerships, and expanding our global reach ”

e l

Aatish Sharma

UK

Alpesh Patel OBE

O n e o f m y h e ro e s p a s s e d a w a y th i s we e k B r i a n Wi nterflood’ s obi tuary in the Fi nanci al Tim es di dn’t cover the man the way I knew him when I i nterviewed him for my Fi nanci al Tim es b ook – the M ind of a Trader As a City stalwart he loved hi s work and his wife He told m e he wis h he ‘could go around again’

That’s how one should live one ’ s life He just loved his work

When I look at my work in trading, I’d like to think I love it like he did Indeed I met him when I was 26 and he taught me to have his attitude It’s one reason I left being a barrister I just didn’t feel I would ever have his passion for law (Should have done Human Rights law not law of taxation of trusts!)

Here's a life parable, an unwritten allegory, drawn not from the sages of old but from the often misunderstood world of trading, a lesson whispered among traders, just as cryptic, and perhaps equally profound as any delivered by Robbins or Carnegie The lesson is not about counting the number of times you're right; it's n o t a s c o r e b o a r d t a l l y i n g v i c t o r i e s v e r s u s d e f e a t s

Instead, it dances to a different rhythm It's about the magnitude of your wins when you're soaring, and the resilience in your losses when you stumble and fall

Imagine trading as a cosmic balancing act, a delicate dance between the sun and the moon When the sun is shining on your portfolio, basking in the warm glow of right decisions, it's not merely about basking in your glory No, it's about capturing the sunlight, bottling the warmth, making the most of those radiant moments It s about expanding and magnifying your wins, leveraging them to build an invincible fortress, a stronghold of success

And then comes the night The moonlight, though serene, reveals the landscape of losses Being wrong, a situation we often perceive as the enemy, is in reality, another phase of the cycle Here is where the true trader - and indeed, the insightful life navigator - distinguishes themselves The key isn't to avoid the night but to embrace it It's about the speed and grace with which you pivot, the swiftness with which you transform the situation, without digging a deeper trench in the moonlit terrain

Our journey, whether in trading or in life, isn't about being a flawless victor, but rather a resilient dancer One who can pirouette on a dime when the music changes, who can embrace both the sun's glow and the moon's calm with equanimity This dance requires an audacious heart, a prudent mind, and an unyielding spirit - a true spectacle of human strength and wisdom

So, remember, dear reader, as you navigate the trading floors of life, it's not about how often you're right It's about how much you profit when you're right and how swiftly and skillfully you can turn the tide when you're not Because life, like trading, is less about the frequency of being right, and more about the art of balance and transformation

Boots shutting 300 shops across UK

Bo ots, the retail chain, has announced its decision to close 30 0 of its stores within th e next 12 months Th is news com es on the same d ay that its parent co mpany, Walgreens Boots Alliance, repo rted strong retail sales and growth for Boots

Although the specific locations of the affected stores have not been disclosed, the company stated that it will consolidate branches that are in close proximity to each other After the closures, there will be a total of 1,900 Boots branches remaining in the UK

There are no anticipated job losses as employees will be offered positions at nearby Boots stores Additionally, the majority of the closing outlets are situated within a threemile radius of other branches

In the third quarter of its financial year, Walgreens Boots Alliance reported that Boots experienced a growth of 13 4% compared to the previous year, marking nine consecutive quarters of increased market share

Overall, Boots UK witnessed a sales growth of 10 2% The surge in online sales surpassed the growth in physical store footfall However, the parent company revised its annual earnings forecast downward, citing cautious consumer spending and a preference for greater value due to high inflation

Just over a year ago, Walgreens Boots Alliance scrapped its plans to sell the UK chain of pharmacies Earlier this month, it was revealed that Michael Snape, the Chief Financial Officer of Boots, had resigned in May after serving in that position for almost five years

house prices rise unexpectedly in June as annual rate falls

A c co r d i ng to th e Nat i o nw i d e b u il d i ng so c i et y, U K h o u se p ri ce s hav e defied exp ectations by experiencing a sligh t gro wth in J u ne H ow ev e r, o n an ann u al b as i s, p ri c es h a v e fa ll en a t th e fa st es t ra te si n ce 2 0 0 9 d u e to th e impact of soaring m ortgage costs on the market

T h e u n e x p e c t e d m o n t h l y i n c r e a s e o f 0 1 % r e v e r s e d t h e 0 1 % d e c l i n e observed in May, surprising e c o n o m i s t s w h o h a d forecasted a 0 3% decrease As a result, the average cost of a house in the UK

were 3 5% lower compared to the previous year, it was a smaller annual drop than the 4% decline predicted by economists

In the wake of the Bank

o f E n g l a n d ' s h a l f - p o i n t increase in interest rates to 5% in June, two-year fixedr a t e m o r t g a g e r a t e s h a v e continued to rise above 6%

T h i s h a s f u r t h e r s t r a i n e d t h e a b i l i t y o f p r o s p e c t i v e h o m e o w n e r s t o p u r c h a s e p r o p e r t i e s T h e a v e r a g e two-year fixed deal climbed slightly to 6 39% from 6 37% t h e p r e v i o u s d a y , a s r e p o r t e d b y M o n e y f a c t s A d d i t i o n a l l y , t h e a v e r a g e f i v e - y e a r f i x e d - r a t e

Interest rates to remain higher for a longer period, warns BoE governor

Bank of Eng land Governor Andrew Bailey warned th at interest rates co uld rem ain elevated for a longer period th a n in i ti all y an ti ci p a ted d u e to p ers i s ten tly h i g h inflation During h is speech at th e Eu r o p ean C e ntr al Bank's annual c onference, Ba i ley a ck no w l ed g e d t h at fi n anc i al m a rke ts w e re anticip ating mu ltiple interest rate hikes “ T h e m a r k e t , I d o n ’ t t h i n k , t h i n k s w e ’ r e n e a r l y d o n e a t t h e m o m e n t They’ve got a number of further increases priced in for u s M y r e s p o n s e t o t h a t would be: well, we’ll see, ” he told the conference in Sintra, Portugal

“I’ve always been interested that markets think that the peak will be short-lived in a world where we ’ re deali n g w i t h m o r e p e r s i s t e n t

inflation,” he added Market expectations expects the BoE to raise rates from the recent 5% level to 6 25% by the end of this year, which would mark the highest rate since 1999

B a i l e y ' s c o m m e n t s o n market expectations are in c o n t r a s t t o h i s p r e v i o u s remarks in November 2022, shortly after the central bank had raised interest rates to 3% At that time, he caut i o n e d a g a i n s t s p e c u l a t i n g that rates would reach 5 25% However, following weeks of turbulence caused by the disa s t r o u s m i n i - b u d g e t p r es e n t e d b y f o r m e r P r i m e Minister Liz Truss, inflation h a s s t u b b o r n l y r e m a i n e d high As a result, Bailey and t h e M o n e t a r y P o l i c y Committee, which he leads, h a v e o p t e d t o i m p l e m e n t significant rate hikes

m o r t g a g e i n c r e a s e d t o 5 96% from 5 94%

The latest figures from HM Revenue and Customs have highlighted signs of a faltering housing market in the short term According to t h e d a t a , h o m e s a l e s e x p e r i e n c e d a s i g n i f i c a n t

decline of 27% year on year in May

T h e s e h i g h m o r t g a g e rates are not only affecting b u y e r s b u t a l s o p l a c i n g p r e s s u r e o n s e l l e r s , w i t h indications that some are beginning to accept lower offers, as noted by Zoopla

No reprieve from soaring energy bills for UK households

Britis h Gas h as stated th at h o u s e h o l d en er gy b il l s ar e expected to remain high in the fores eeabl e fu ture due to wh olesal e m arket p rices that a re m o r e t h a n do u b l e t h e u s u a l l e ve l s T h e o n go i ng risks to gas s upp lies in the U K fo llo wing Russ ia s invasion o f Ukraine are co ntributing to th is s it ua tio n, as n ot ed by C h r is O ' Sh e a , th e C E O o f Centrica, the p arent c omp an y o f B r it is h G as O ' Sh e a mentio ned that while the initial p hase of the crisis m ay be over, there is still a danger o f becom ing co mpl acent D e s p i t e e f f o r t s b y t h e energy regulator Ofgem to reduce the price cap for energy bills, which will result in l o w e r c o s t s f o r 2 7 m i l l i o n households,, the new price c a p i s s t i l l a p p r o x i m a t e l y £800 higher than it was prior to the Ukraine conflict It is

a n t i c i p a t e d t h a t t h e h i g h p r i c e s w i l l p e r s i s t a t l e a s t u n t i l t h e e n d o f w i n t e r Analysts at Cornwall Insight forecast that the price cap w i l l d e c r e a s e t o j u s t o v e r £ 1 , 8 7 0 f r o m O c t o b e r , f o llowed by a slight increase to s l i g h t l y o v e r £ 1 , 9 0 0 f r o m January next year

In response to the situation, Centrica has announced t h a t i t w i l l s i g n i f i c a n t l y increase the amount of gas stored at its Rough storage facility located off the east Yorkshire coast ahead of the upcoming winter O'Shea's r e m a r k s h a v e s p a r k e d renewed demands from campaign organizations for the UK government to take furt h e r a c t i o n i n c o n t r o l l i n g energy expenses by endorsing i n v e s t m e n t s i n r e n e w a b l e energy and enhancing household energy efficiency

MPC member Dhingra optimistic about fall in UK inflation rate

S w a t i Dh i n g r a , a m e m be r o f t h e Mon et ary Policy Committ ee (MPC) a t t he Ba n k of En glan d, ha s ex pr esse d opt imism about the pote ntia l declin e in Br i t is h i n fla t i on , ci t in g e n co ur a g i n g i n di ca t io n s O n e o f t he k e y f ac t or s c o n t r i bu t i n g t o t h is o ut l o ok i s a sign ificant de cr ea se in the ra te of price in cr ease s cha rge d by manufactur er s to r eta ile rs

Dhingra, along with another MPC member, has consistently voted against interest rate hikes by the central bank since December During a speech at the R o y a l E c o n o m i c S o c i e t y i n B r i t a i n ,

D h i n g r a e m p h a s i z e d t h e n o t a b l e decline in the annual rate of producer price inflation In May, this rate stood at 2 9%, its lowest level in over two years and a significant drop from its peak of 19 6% in July 2022

In its recent forecast, the Bank of E n g l a n d p r e d i c t e d t h a t C P I w o u l d g r a d u a l l y d e c l i n e a n d r e a c h s l i g h t l y

above 5% by the year's end While some Bank of England (BoE) policymakers have focused their attention on wages and core inflation, which excludes food, energy, alcohol, and tobacco prices, there are concerns regarding the recent

surge in core inflation, reaching a 31year high last month L a s t w e e k , t h e B o E ' s M o n e t a r y Policy Committee (MPC) voted 7-2 in f a v o u r o f a n u n e x p e c t e d h a l fp e r c e n t a g e - p o i n t i n t e r e s t r a t e h i k e , raising rates to 5% The majority of c o m m i t t e e m e m b e r s j u s t i f i e d t h e i r d e c i s i o n b y p o i n t i n g o u t t h e u n e x p e c t e d l y p e r s i s t e n t n a t u r e o f inflation Dhingra, however, expressed a different perspective, considering core i n f l a t i o n l e s s r e l i a b l e f o r p r e d i c t i n g f u t u r e i n f l a t i o n t r e n d s c o m p a r e d t o

producer prices

Record amount of savings withdrawn by bill payers in May

In Ma y, bill p aye rs in the U K wit hdre w mo ney from t he ir ban k a nd sa vin gs a c co un t s a t a n u n p r e ce d e n t e d r a t e , l e a d i n g t o co n c e r n s f r om c h a r i t i e s a bout the ong oin g high cost of liv ing

A cc or d in g t o t he Ba n k o f E n gl a n d, t here was a n et withd rawa l of £4 6 billion, t he highest leve l r ecorde d in the pa st 26 yea rs

Richard Lane, the director of external affairs at debt charity StepChange, emphasized the importance of supporting individuals in building up savings to withstand unforeseen expenses This latest figure represents a significant

shift from April, when net deposits increased by £3 7 billion in bank and building society accounts

When factoring in savings held in N a t i o n a l S a v i n g s a n d I n v e s t m e n t accounts, the overall net withdrawal from accounts in May amounted to £3 8 billion, contrasting with a £5 3 billion increase in April

Criticism has been directed towards banks for offering meagre interest rates to savers and failing to pass on the h i g h e r B a n k o f E n g l a n d b a s e r a t e through improved returns on savings C h a n c e l l o r J e r e m y H u n t h a s

expressed concern over the delay in passing on interest rate increases to savers, stating that it is taking too long to address this issue He specifically mentioned that people with instant access accounts are particularly affected and emphasized the need to find a solution To address the tax issues, the chancellor has decided to freeze the i n c o m e t a x p e r s o n a l a l l o w a n c e a t £12,570 until April 2028 Furthermore, t h e c h a n c e l l o r h a s a l s o f r o z e n t h e thresholds at which higher tax rates kick in, and the highest tax rate threshold was actually reduced in April

HDFC merger to create world's fourth largest bank by market cap

In dia’s la rge st priva te lend er HDFC Bank ha s complet ed i t s m e r g e r w it h Ho u si n g D e v e l op m e n t F i n a n c e C orpora tion, Ind ia's big gest m or tga ge len der , in a dea l t ha t p i t s t h e n e w e n t i t y a g ain st t he wor ld’ s la r ge st ban ks T h e m e r g e r w a s a p p r o v e d b y s h a r e h o l d e r s a n d r e g u l a t o r y a u t h o r i t i e s and it became official on July

1 The merged entity will be t h e w o r l d ’ s f o u r t h l a r g e s t bank by market cap in the w o r l d - b e h i n d J P M o r g a n

C h a s e , I n d u s t r i a l a n d Commercial Bank of China and Bank of America, said S o u m y a R a j a n , C E O a n d f o u n d e r o f M u m b a i - b a s e d Waterfield Advisors

“This is a defining event

i n o u r j o u r n e y a n d I ’ m confident that our combined strength will enable us to create a holistic ecosystem of f i n a n c i a l s e r v i c e s , ” S a s h i J a g d i s h a n , C E O o f H D F C Bank said “As we navigate the path a h e a d , w e w i l l e m b r a c e challenges as opportunities, learn from our experiences a n d s t r i v e t o b e t h e benchmark of success and i n t e g r i t y i n t h e f i n a n c i a l

services industry,” he said in a press release

A f t e r R e l i a n c e I n d u s t r i e s , w h i c h h a s a market cap of $210 billion, the combined business will be the second most valuable i n I n d i a A s p a r t o f t h e a m a l g a m a t i o n p r o c e s s , H D F C I n v e s t m e n t s ( H I L ) and HDFC Holdings (HHL) first merge with their parent company HDFC, which then merged with HDFC Bank,

A mountain out of a molehill

effective on July 1 HDFC

B a n k w i l l i s s u e 4 2 e q u i t y shares (with a face value of Re 1 each) for every 25 equity shares (with a face value of Rs 2 each) held by HDFC shareholders as of the record date, which is July 13 The shares owned by HDFC, HIL and HHL in HDFC Bank will be cancelled according to the plan, and no dividend will be paid on them

A f t e r b e i n g f i r s t a n n o u n c e d r o u g h l y 1 5

m o n t h s a g o , t h e m e r g e r finally happened last week

T h e l a r g e s t h o m e l o a n provider in India, Housing

D e v e l o p m e n t F i n a n c e Corporation, was acquired by HDFC Bank in an alls t o c k d e a l v a l u e d a t $ 4 0 billion in April last year

GST revenues in June rise to £16 billion

Finance mi nister Nirmala Sitharaman s aid GST implementation has brought r eli ef to the c omm on c iti z ens and helped raise revenues of the Centre and the states as her ministry reported that gros s GST revenues in June rose 12% to £16 billion

D a t a r e l e a s e d b y t h e f i n a n c e m i n i s t r y s h o w e d t h a t g r o s s G S T revenues crossed the £16 billion mark f o r t h e f o u r t h t i m e s i n c e t h e implementation of the tax reform on July 1, 2017 Collections have been £14 billion for 16 months in a row and £15 billion for the seventh time since the rollout The average monthly gross

GST collection for the first quarter of financial year 2021-22, FY 22-23 and FY 23-24 are £11 billion, 15 billion and 17 billion, respectively, according to a finance ministry statement

Gujara t’s GST reven ue up Gujarat’s revenues from GST grew by 24% in the first quarter of the fiscal

TCS cracks whip in bribery case, bans 6 employees and six staffing firms

Tata Consultancy Services

( TC S ) b l a c k l i s t e d s i x em ployees and six staffi ng c om panies and other three e m p l oy e e s a r e b e i n g i n ve s t i g a t ed a f t e r whi stleblowers blew the li d off a brib e-for- jobs sca m However, the Tata Group C o m p a n y i s u n a b l e t o c alc ula te the ben efits the em ployees recei ve d “ W e f o u n d s i x e m p l o y e e s w h o d i d n o t follow the ethical conduct a n d w e c a n n o t q u a n t i f y what favours they got, they suddenly behaved in a way that favoured certain firms S o , w e h a v e b a n n e d s i x s u c h e m p l o y e e s a n d s i x B u s i n e s s A s s o c i a t e ( B A ) companies Investigation is p e n d i n g o n t h r e e m o r e employees,” TCS Chairman N C h a n d r a s e k a r a n t o l d s h a r e h o l d e r s a t t h e company ’ s annual general meeting TCS had received two whistleblower complaints, one each in February and M a r c h , a n d t h e s e w e r e r e l a t e d t o c e r t a i n individuals in the company “ f a v o u r i n g ” c e r t a i n B A s Both the complaints were investigated, he added T w o w h i s t l e b l o w e r a c c u s a t i o n s w e r e f i l e d a g a i n s t t h e c o r p o r a t i o n ,

one involving the US and one involving India A top c o m p a n y o f f i c e r i s c o n d u c t i n g t h e i n v e s t i g a t i o n i n I n d i a , while the corporation has contracted with an outside firm to look into the matter in the US

“For a Tata Group, the most important thing that i s e x p e c t e d o f e v e r y e m p l o y e e i s a n e t h i c a l c o n d u c t a n d i n t e g r i t y i n operation, and that comes first ahead of any financial performance So, whenever t h e r e i s a v i o l a t i o n o f e t h i c a l c o n d u c t b y a n y employee, it pains us, pains me and all the leaders very d e e p l y W e t a k e i t extremely seriously and we w i l l a l w a y s t a k e s t r o n g action,” he added

year 2023-24 The state’s revenues from GST stood at £1 67 billion from April to June 2023, which includes SGST and IGST settlement, against £1 34 billion in the previous fiscal E c o n o m i c g r o w t h a n d i m p r o v e d i n d u s t r i a l a c t i v i t y i n a d d i t i o n t o i n f l a t i o n a r e f a c t o r s b e h i n d t h e

i n c r e a s e , s t a t e c o m m e r c i a l t a x officials said In fiscal year 2022-23, t h e s t a t e c l o c k e d 2 3 % g r o w t h i n r e v e n u e s , c o l l e c t i n g £ 5 6 0 b i l l i o n compared to £4 54 billion in 2021-22 This was higher than the national average of 12% GST growth during the quarter for all of India

PM Modi makes strong pitch for investments

P r i m e M in i st er N are nd r a M odi p resented a persuasiv e c as e fo r I nd i a as a n investm ent destination for foreig n inv estors, w hen he m et members of the board o f th e la rg es t in v es tm e nt bank in th e world, Gold man S achs

A f t e r m o r e t h a n 1 0 years, the board gathered in India under the direction of CEO David Solomon Under Lloyd Blankfein's direction, the board last convened in Mumbai in 2012

“ H a d a f r u i t f u l d i s c u s s i o n w i t h t h e members of the board and key leadership of Goldman Sachs Highlighted India’s vast potential for growth, f u e l l e d b y r e c e n t r e f o r m s a n d a c o n d u c i v e b u s i n e s s environment Also spoke of h o w I n d i a o f f e r s s e v e r a l o p p o r t u n i t i e s f o r g l o b a l f i r m s , ” M o d i s a i d o n

microblogging site Twitter

T h e p o s t w a s accompanied by a picture of t h e P M w i t h t h e b o a r d , w h i c h i n c l u d e d L a k s h m i Mittal, executive chairman of ArcelorMittal, the second l a r g e s t s t e e l m a k e r i n t h e world The PM has returned from a successful state visit to the US and several crucial deals were signed with top g l o b a l f i r m s , s u c h a s G E , M i c r o n , G o o g l e a n d Amazon, committing large investments in India

Due to geopolitical risks, some businesses intend to move their manufacturing operations from China to I n d i a , w h i c h i s q u i c k l y becoming a major player in the global supply chain The d e v e l o p m e n t o f t i g h t r e l a t i o n s w i t h t h e U S i s anticipated to spark interest i n i n v e s t m e n t f r o m U Sbased businesses

Adanis sell shares in 2 companies for over £837.2 million

T h r o u g h a s e r i e s o f s e c o n d a r y s t o c k e x c h a n g e t r a n s a c t i o n s , t h e A d a n i family sold shares in two group companies worth well o v e r £ 8 3 7 2 m i l l i o n G Q G P a r t n e r s , a n A m e r i c a n company listed in Australia, bought the majority of the s t o c k s I n t h e w a k e o f H i n d e n b u r g R e s e a r c h ' s e x p l o s i v e r e p o r t o n i t s b u s i n e s s p r a c t i s e s , w h i c h

resulted in billions of dollars in market value being lost, the family led by Gautam A d a n i w i l l c o n t i n u e t o

rebuild investor confidence by using the funds raised from the share sale to shore up liquidity and strengthen the balance sheet This is the third time GQG, which was founded in J u n e 2 0 1 6 b y I n d i a - b o r n

C a r v e r , h a s p l o u g h e d m o n e y i n t o A d a n i G r o u p companies

T h e a s s e t m a n a g e r presently holds 6 32% of Adani Green Energy, 4 96% of Adani Enterprises, 4 1% of Adani Ports, and 2 45% of A d a n i T r a n s m i s s i o n T h e a s s e t m a n a g e r h a s $ 9 2

b i l l i o n i n a s s e t s u n d e r management as of January

Suresh Vagjiani, Sow & Reap Properties Ltd

We are in the midst of a deal, and the property in question has came back with a nil valuation A strange occurrence as a property is never worth zero Even if it did not exist the land would have value In fact its land driven by location which has the actual value Therefore, there is no logical reason as to why the valuation should be labelled as zero The valuer’s reasoning was a crack on the wall, and therefore a structural engineer’s report is needed to ascertain the cause of the crack

When you do a property deal you need to look at the weakest link, and then keep on digging into this point until it’s threadbare

H e r e w a s a c r a c k o n t h e f i r s t f l o o r , w h i c h h a s scuppered the valuation and potentially the deal The concern is the crack is not simply superficial but goes through the structural walls of the building The issue is if it’s caused by subsidence; in short were it is caused by the foundations of the building moving Sometimes the cause of this is a nearby tree, where the extended roots cause movement in the ground

This issue can be short circuited The property is currently insured by the vendor, and will be insured upon exchange by the incoming buyer, the insurance of course covers subsidence

The crack appears only on the first floor and not on the ground floor The floor on the first floor is also curved, which indicates the wooden beams underneath have contracted, and this is likely to have caused the crack in the wall

The valuer recommended a structural survey to be done on the building From where I’m looking at this as long as there is continuity of buildings insurance, this apparent issue is non-existent As long as the insurance is in place the only liability is the excess clause for which the owner is liable for

It takes a certain level of property experience to be able to see an issue and quantify the problem, instead of making a mountain out of a molehill The investor we have for the deal is seasoned, and has come across this issue several times in the past and so it’s not a problem for him

The structure he will use is an interesting one This is a building which is part residential and part commercial Once exchanged he will look to split the lease, so the residential element sits on one lease and the commercial on the other with the freehold being held by a third company

H e w i l l u s e h i s p e n s i o n f u n d s t o p u r c h a s e t h e commercial element, as that money has been injected tax free, and any gain made on this element of the deal will also go back into his fund tax free

T h e o t h e r e l e m e n t w i l l b e f u n d e d i n a m o r e conventional way

This deal comes at a very low price for a freehold building, in a location which is bursting with growth, and close to the station

Hindujas’ IndusInd may become new owners of Rcap

R e li a n c e C a p i t a l (R C a p ) w o u ld m os t li k e ly be a c qu i r e d by T he Hi n d u ja

G r ou p t h r ou g h In d u s In d

Int er nat ional Hold ings after a m a j o r it y o f f in a n ci a l cre ditor s vot ed in fa vour of i t Th e a p p r o x i m a t e £ 1 bi llio n bi d fr om In d usI nd

Int er nat ional Hold ings has bee n a cce pted , a nd le nde rs w ill a lso r e ce iv e t h e ca s h

balance s r ecorde d in R Cap s

b oo k s T h is bi d i s t h e h i g h e st f r o m a n y bi d d e r e ven if it is less t han the pr oject ed liquid ation va lue set by t he cred itors R e l i a n c e G e n e r a l

Insurance and a portion of R e l i a n c e N i p p o n L i f e Insurance are two of RCap's m o s t v a l u a b l e h o l d i n g s

S e l l i n g t h e s e i n s u r a n c e businesses separately could, h o w e v e r , r u n i n t o l e g a l issues Notably, the Hinduja Group, which has promoted I n d u s I n d B a n k , d o e s n o t have an insurance company

within its fold

The primary creditors of RCap include Life Insurance C o r p o r a t i o n , E m p l o y e e s P r o v i d e n t F u n d O r g a n i s a t i o n , a n d J C F l o w e r s A s s e t R e c o n s t r u c t i o n C o m p a n y , which acquired Yes Bank’s b a d l o a n s A c c o r d i n g t o R C a p ’ s w e b s i t e , t h e t o t a l admitted claims as of June 2023 amount to £2 53 billion

However, banking sources indicate that the principal amount is only £1 6 billion, w i t h a d m i t t e d c l a i m s i n c l u d i n g i n t e r e s t & penalties

The resolution plan has received support from more than 99% of the creditors The bidder has agreed to pay a l l l e n d e r s i n a c c o r d a n c e with their accepted claims, b a s e d o n t h e f i n a l " P l a n Value, regardless of their c o n s e n t , b e c a u s e t h e b i d a m o u n t i s l e s s t h a n t h e liquidation value

Pakistan clinches last-gasp

£2.37 billion IMF bailout

L A H O R E : P ak i s ta n h a s re c ei v ed a m u c h - ne ed ed break as it teeters on the edge of default wh en the cou ntry finally wo n a £2 37 bi llio n sh o rt-term fin ance p a c ka ge fr o m th e I nt er n at io na l Mo ne ta ry Fu nd

T h e I M F s a i d i t h a d reached an agreement on t h e d e a l w i t h t h e 2 2 0 million nation, which will now be subject to approval by its board in July The new n i n e - m o n t h s t a n d b y a r r a n g e m e n t w a s s t r u c k hours before a current IMF agreement expires, offering a relief to Pakistan s acute balance of payments crisis

Prime Minister Shehbaz S h a r i f s a i d i t w o u l d p u t P a k i s t a n " o n t h e p a t h o f s u s t a i n a b l e e c o n o m i c

Karistalina Georgieva & Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif

growth"

A n a l y s t s c l a i m t h a t Pakistan's economic crisis may have escalated into a debt default in the absence of the bailout due to the country's sky-high inflation a n d m e a g r e f o r e i g n e x c h a n g e r e s e r v e s , w h i c h a r e b a r e l y e n o u g h f o r a month's worth of imports

Pak passes law limiting disqualification term; way for Nawaz’s return opens

I S LA M A B AD : A state spokesman stated th at P ak is tan ’ s n ati o nal as sem b ly h as p ass ed leg islation limiting how lo ng law makers can be d isqualified from office, paving th e w ay for exiled fo rmer PM Nawaz Sharif’s return to politics

NEPAL SC ORDERS GOVT TO REGISTER SAME-SEX UNIONS

It was reached only after S h a r i f h e l d m a r a t h o n m e e t i n g s w i t h I M F h e a d K r i s t a l i n a G e o r g i e v a o n June 22, which he termed a turning point" Pakistan will receive formal documents on the deal later, Finance M i n i s t e r I s h a q D a r s a i d , w h i c h h e s a i d h e w o u l d sign

Lanka parliament nod for debt restructuring

C O L O M B O : A s p e ci a l s e s si o n o f S r i L a n k a ' s P a r li a m e n t o n J u ly 1 o v e r w he lm in g ly a pp r o v e d t he ca s h -s t r a pp e d g over nme nt's dome stic de bt r estr uct uring (DDR) pla n, a v it a l e l e m e n t i n t h e b a n k r up t n a t io n ’ s b id f or r e co v e r y fr om t h e w o r st e c on o m ic cr is is Dom e st i c d ebt re st ructurin g (DDR ) is a k e y co n d i t i on i n t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l M on e t a r y F u n d ( IM F ) p r o g r a m m e , t hr ou g h w hi c h a b a il o ut p a c k a g e o f $ 3 bi lli o n w a s a ppr ove d for S ri La nk a in M arch T h e I M F p r o g r a m m e u n l o c k s m o r e h e l p f r o m

i n t e r n a t i o n a l f u n d i n g a g e n c i e s A c c o r d i n g l y , t h e W o r l d B a n k , e a r l i e r t h i s week, approved $700 million i n f i n a n c i n g a s b u d g e t a r y and welfare support for Sri Lanka, which is facing its worst economic crisis since it won independence from the British in 1948 T h e D D R p l a n w o n parliamentary approval with 122 lawmakers voting for it while 62 going against it

The approval of the DDR came as members from the Sri Lankan government and t h e O p p o s i t i o n e a r l i e r l o c k e d h o r n s i n t h e parliament during the DDR debate and saw aggressive

arguments from both sides

T h e n o i s y O p p o s i t i o n p r o t e s t e d t h a t t h e a g r e e m e n t h a d b e e n t o extend the debate up to 9:30 in the night However, the speaker overruled them and o r d e r e d e l e c t r o n i c v o t i n g T h e m a i n O p p o s i t i o n

Samagi Jana Balawegaya and its allies including, the main Tamil party, Tamil National A l l i a n c e l e g i s l a t o r s v o t e d against the resolution

The government sought to restructure its domestic debt amounting to USD 42 billion to run parallel with o n g o i n g n e g o t i a t i o n s o n r e s t r u c t u r i n g t h e e x t e r n a l debt of USD 41 billion

S Koreans become younger under new age-counting law

SE O UL : South Korea ns became a y ea r or two y ounge r as n ew la ws tha t require using only t he inte rn ation al met hod of coun ting ag e t oo k e ffe ct , r e p la c in g t he co u n t r y ’ s t ra ditiona l met hod

People in South Korea are considered to be a year old at birth, and a year is added on January 1st, according to the age system that is most frequently used in daily life The nation has utilised the worldwide standard of starting at zero at birth and adding a year on every birthday for medical and legal papers since the early 1960s But for everything else, a large portion of South Koreans kept using the conventional approach

In December, South Korea passed laws to

scrap the traditional method and fully adopt t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l s t a n d a r d M i n i s t e r o f Government legislation Lee Wan-kyu said, “We expect legal disputes, complaints and social confusion that have been caused over h o w t o c a l c u l a t e a g e s w i l l b e g r e a t l y reduced ”

As per a government survey conducted in September, 86% of South Koreans said they would use the international age in their everyday life when the new laws took effect “I was about to turn 30 next year (under the traditional Korean age system) but now I have some more time and I love it,” Choi Hyun-ji, a 27-year-old office worker in Seoul, said

Man burns Quran outside Stockholm's central mosque

S T O C K H O L M : A ft e r S we d is h po l ic e a uthorise d the d emonst rat ion , a ma n tor e up a nd bur ned a Q uran in fr ont of Stockholm's m ain mosque, a move tha t would en rag e Tur ke y as Swede n applied t o join N ATO P o l i c e l a t e r c h a r g e d t h e m a n w i t h agitation against an ethnic or national group A series of demonstrations in Sweden against Islam and for Kurdish rights have offended Ankara, whose backing Sweden needs to gain e n t r y t o t h e N o r t h A t l a n t i c T r e a t y Organization I n t h e w a k e o f R u s s i a ' s i n v a s i o n o f Ukraine last year, Sweden applied to join NATO However, alliance participant Turkey has slowed down the process by alleging that Sweden is harbouring individuals it regards

as terrorists and requesting their extradition Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan condemned the act in a tweet, adding that it w a s u n a c c e p t a b l e t o a l l o w a n t i - I s l a m p r o t e s t s i n t h e n a m e o f f r e e d o m o f e x p r e s s i o n B u r n i n g o f r e l i g i o u s t e x t s i s " d i s r e s p e c t f u l a n d h u r t f u l " , t h e d e p u t y

spokesperson for the US State Department told reporters in a daily briefing "What might be legal is certainly not necessarily appropriate," Vedant Patel said But he continued to urge Turkey and H u n g a r y t o r a t i f y t h e N A T O a c c e s s i o n p r o t o c o l o f S w e d e n w i t h o u t d e l a y " W e b e l i e v e S w e d e n h a s f u l f i l l e d i t s c o m m i t m e n t s u n d e r t h e t r i l a t e r a l memorandum "

Sharif was Pakistan's prime minister three times, the last of which ended with his o u s t e r i n 2 0 1 7 d u e t o a l l e g a t i o n s o f c o r r u p t i o n H e w a s p e r m a n e n t l y disqualified from politics by the Supreme Court, and he was eventually given a sevenyear prison term In 2019 he was granted medical bail and flew to Britain, where he has remained ever since, continuing to steer the family-run PML-N party from behind the scenes

His brother Shehbaz Sharif became PM last year, and the country is due to hold fresh general elections no later than October A g o v e r n m e n t s p o k e s m a n s a i d t h e a c t i n g p r e s i d e n t h a d s i g n e d i n t o l a w a n amendment which says courts can only disqualify parliamentarians “for a period not exceeding five years ”

The spokesman said senate chairman Sadiq Sanjrani served as acting president signing the bill, in the absence of President A r i f A l v i w h o i s a b r o a d o n t h e H a j p i l g r i m a g e “ T h e r u l i n g P M L - N a n d i t s coalition partners want to bring Nawaz Sharif back,” political analyst Hasan Askari said “He will be the main campaigner for PML-N in the next election ”

Pak summons US embassy staff over Biden-Modi statement

I S L A M A B A D: I n r es p o ns e t o a s t ate me nt made las t week by US Pres ident Joe Bi den and Indi an Prime Minister N arendra Mod i, whic h urged P akis tan to ensu re th at its terri tory was not u sed as a base for attacks by armed group s, Pakistan s foreign ministry has s ummo ned the d ep uty chi ef of missi on of the US embas sy The US-India statement was released after a meeting between Biden and Modi at the W h i t e H o u s e a n d r e c e i v e d c r i t i c i s m f r o m P a k i s t a n , w h i c h c a l l e d i t c o n t r a r y t o diplomatic norms “It was stressed that the U n i t e d S t a t e s s h o u l d r e f r a i n f r o m i s s u i n g s t a t e m e n t s t h a t m a y b e c o n s t r u e d a s a n e n c o u r a g e m e n t o f I n d i a ’ s b a s e l e s s a n d p o l i t i c a l l y m o t i v a t e d n a r r a t i v e a g a i n s t Pakistan,” Pakistan’s foreign office said in a statement “ I t w a s a l s o e m p h a s i s e d t h a t c o u n t e r t e r r o r i s m c o o p e r a t i o n b e t w e e n Pakistan and the US had been progressing well and that an enabling environment, centred a r o u n d t r u s t a n d u n d e r s t a n d i n g , w a s imperative to further solidifying Pakistan-US ties ” US State Department spokesperson Matt Miller told reporters that Pakistan had taken important steps to counter armed groups, but said Washington advocated for more to be done “At the same time, however, we have also been consistent on the importance of Pakistan c o n t i n u i n g t o t a k e s t e p s t o p e r m a n e n t l y d i s m a n t l e a l l t e r r o r i s t g r o u p s , i n c l u d i n g L a s h k a r - e - T a i b a [ L e T ] a n d J a i s h - eMohammad [Jaish-e-Muhammad or JeM], and their various front organisations and we will r a i s e t h e i s s u e r e g u l a r l y w i t h P a k i s t a n i officials,” he said L e T i s t h e t e r r o r i s t o r g a n i s a t i o n h e l d accountable for the 2008 Mumbai attacks, w h i c h r e s u l t e d i n t h e d e a t h s o f o v e r 1 6 0 p e o p l e J e M , o n t h e o t h e r h a n d , t o o k responsibility for a 2019 explosion in Indianadministered Kashmir, which resulted in the deaths of 40 Indian paramilitary troops

Nepal’s Supreme Court issued an interim order to the government to temporarily register same-sex marriage, a notice by the apex court said The bench issued the order to the government to make necessary arrangements for registering the marriage of sexual and gender minority couples if they demand so the directive said Seven people including activist Pinky Gurung on behalf of Blue Diamond Society an LGBTI rights organisation filed a writ to PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda and the office of the council of ministers to legalise same-sex marriage In the order, the SC has also asked the opponents to furnish a written reply on the issue within 15 days The petitioners said that they filed the writ as the Nepalese law has obstructed same-sex marriage despite an SC decision, which allowed such marriages 15 years ago

MONK, CHILD AMONG DOZENS KILLED IN MYANMAR

Air strikes by Myanmar’s military on two villages in the country’s north-central region last week killed nearly a dozen civilians, including a Buddhist monk and a child according to villagers and the head of a local pro-democracy group The attacks on Nyaung Kone and Kyarsi villages in Pale township in Sagaing region also wounded about a dozen people they said Sagaing is a stronghold of armed resistance to the ruling military which seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1, 2021 The takeover was met with peaceful demonstrations that were later put down by the security forces with lethal force Many opponents of military rule then took up arms, and large parts of the country are now struggling with armed conflict that some UN experts have called a civil war

MALARIA CASES DETECTED IN TEXAS, FLORIDA

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an alert after five cases of malaria were confirmed, the first locally acquired cases of the disease in the US in 20 years Four cases of the mosquito-borne illness were confirmed in Florida and one in Texas, the CDC said, adding the cases in the two states did not seem to be related “All patients have received treatment and are improving,” it said Florida has issued a mosquito-borne illness alert after cases were discovered in Sarasota County and Manatee County, warning residents to drain standing water where mosquitoes can breed and wear long sleeved shirts and pants Texas issued a health advisory after a resident who worked outdoors in Cameron County was diagnosed The Texas health department said no further cases had been identified so far

NZ TO BECOME 1ST COUNTRY TO BAN THIN PLASTIC BAGS

New Zealand became the first country in the world to ban the thin plastic bags that supermarket customers use to collect their fruit and vegetables The new ban will also extend to plastic straws and silverware as the government expands a campaign against single-use plastics it started in 2019 when it banned the thicker plastic shopping bags that customers used to carry home their grocery items These days most customers bring their own reusable tote bags to stores Officials estimate that on average each New Zealander sends more than three-quarters of a ton of waste to landfills every year Associate environment minister Rachel Brooking said the 2019 bag ban had already prevented over 1 billion plastic bags from being used in New Zealand, and the new ban on thin bags would add a further reduction of 150 million bags per year

UNWELL SOCCER FAN LEAVES WEALTH TO NEYMAR IN WILL

Leaving everything you own to a multimillionaire soccer player would not be everyone’s idea of a good cause, but one Brazilian fan could not think of a more deserving recipient of his worldly goods than Neymar Jr The anonymous fan said he identified with Neymar which led him to officially name the Brazil striker in his will “I am not in very good health I like Neymar I identify with him a lot I also suffer with defamation I am also very family-oriented and the relationship with his father reminds me a lot of mine with my father he said Paris St Germain s Neymar is one of the world's best paid sportsmen with estimated earnings of $85 million for 2023 according to Forbes

HELSINKI DY MAYOR UNDER FIRE AFTER BEING CAUGHT PAINTING GRAFFITI

The deputy mayor of Finland s capital is facing possible legal action, and calls for him to pay compensation for damages and to resign, after he was caught red-handed spray-painting graffiti in a railway tunnel

The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency told public broadcaster YLE that cleaning up graffiti illegally painted by Paavo Arhinmäki, one of the four deputy mayors of Helsinki, cost the city around 3,500 euros ($3,830) Arhinmäki, 46, and a friend were caught by guards in a rail tunnel in eastern Helsinki just after they had completed graffiti which Finnish street art experts said looked partly inspired by works seen in New York City in the 1970s In a Facebook posting Arhinmäki apologised for his stupid fooling around ”

DRUGS RAIN DOWN ON FRENCH COUNTRYSIDE AS TRAFFICKER PANICS

A French fighter jet intercepted a tourist plane over a remote Ardeche region of France over the weekend after it flew through restricted airspace near a nuclear plant, leading the pilot of the small aircraft to throw out more than a dozen bags of suspected drugs The suspected trafficker a Polish national with a past drugs offence, was arrested after he landed at an airstrip Investigators found around 15 packages on the ground, containing an estimated 30 kg of a white powder that is being analysed They also found over $49,000 in the cockpit

RESTRICTIONS ON FRENCH MINORS

France approved a new law requiring social media platforms to verify users’ ages and obtain parental consent for those under 15 years in an effort to protect children online The legislation is part of a string of moves by the government to reduce children’s screen time and protect them from cyberbullying and other crimes The landmark” law would be applied as soon as possible digital transition minister JeanNoel Barrot When the exact date the age verification bill will come into force remains unclear following Senate approval, as no specific date was set and the European Commission has yet to check it that it conforms with EU law Sites will then have a year to comply with the policy for new subscribers and another two to apply it to existing users

Putin praises PM Modi, says he wants to 'emulate' Make in India

M O SC O W: T he 'M ake in India' in it ia t iv e o f P ri m e M in is t e r N a re n dr a M o di, a c c o r din g t o Ru ssian P res ident Vladim ir Putin, has had a truly imp ressive eff ect on the nation's ec onomy Modi h as been ref err ed t o as "a big friend" o f Ru ssia

Putin made these remarks at a forum in Moscow organised by R u s s i a ' s A g e n c y f o r S t r a t e g i c Initiatives (ASI)

"Our friends in India and our b i g f r i e n d , P r i m e M i n i s t e r N a r e n d r a M o d i , l a u n c h e d t h e 'Make in India' initiative several y e a r s a g o I t h a s h a d a t r u l y impressive effect on the Indian economy It would do no harm to emulate what is working well, even if it was not us but our

f r i e n d s w h o c r e a t e d i t , " t h e Russian President was quoted Putin made a case for India as he discussed the opportunities for Russian companies due to the West s sanctions policies, and the

need for Moscow to "offer support tools to help our companies market their products more efficiently"

Putin underlined the need to think about making our products

Indian H-1B visa holders can now apply for work permit in Canada

T O R O N T O : In dia n H- 1B visa hold ers, who we re snar le d in a deca des-lon g backlog for acquiring an e mploy men t-ba sed gre en card, wer e in cr ea sin gly at tr acted to Ca nad a as a d estina tion They n o w f in d C a n a d a t o be e v e n mo re a pp e a li n g a s t he n a t ion pr epa r es t o pr ovid e a n Op en wo rk p e rm it st r e am for H- 1B hold ers" in the upcomin g we ek s This will also include pr oviding accompan ying fa mily mem ber s of an H-1 B visa holder pe rmission to st udy or wor k S e a n F r a s e r , m i n i s t e r o f

I m m i g r a t i o n , R e f u g e e s a n d C i t i z e n s h i p ( I R C C ) l a u n c h e d Canada’s first-ever ‘Tech Talent S t r a t e g y ’ , b y a n n o u n c i n g a plethora of immigration-centric initiatives Other measures that were announced include development of a new ‘Innovation Stream’ to attract highly talented individuals, promoting Canada a s a d e s t i n a t i o n f o r ‘ d i g i t a l nomads’, a ‘STEM-specific draw’ under the Express Entry programme that offers permanent residency and improvements to its ‘Start-up Visa Program’

“

G o i n g f o r w a r d , a s o f July 16, we will have a stream that will allow 10,000 H-1B v i s a h o l d e r s i n t h e U S t o come and work in Canada,” said Fraser IRCC states that, “ U n d e r t h i s o p e n w o r k p e r m i t stream, approved applicants will receive an open work permit of up to three years in duration, which means they will be able to work for almost any employer a n y w h e r e i n C a n a d a T h e i r spouses and dependents will also be eligible to apply for a temporary resident visa, with a work or

Nikki Haley calls for stronger bond with India

WA S HI NGT ON: Former US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley h as urged for closer ties with nations like India, Japan, and A ustralia in o rd er to cou nter C om m u nist C h ina's expand ing influence, wh ich she has dubbed the "g reatest threat" to Am erican security and prosperity

The Indian-origin former governor of North Carolina, who is currently vying for the Republican presidential nomination, has promised to implement a "sea change" in US policy towards China if she were to win the presidency in 2024

“Communist China is the greatest threat to American security and prosperity by far,” Haley declared during her speech at the American Enterprise Institute, a think tank i n W a s h i n g t o n , D C S h e a l s o c r i t i c i s e d T r u m p ’ s f r i e n d l i n e s s t o w a r d C h i n a ’ s President Xi Jinping, whom the former president has spoken of in fond terms

“In his zeal to befriend President Xi, Trump congratulated the Communist Party on its 70th anniversary of conquering China

That sent the wrong message to the world Chinese Communism must be condemned, never congratulated,” Haley said H a l e y h a s s e r v e d f o r t w o y e a r s a s Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations “As president, my top priority will be s t r e n g t h e n i n g A m e r i c a ’ s e c o n o m y a n d America’s military,” she said “We will prot e c t A m e r i c a ’ s p r o s p e r i t y a n d h o m e l a n d from Chinese aggression ” Haley warned about China’s ever-growing “police state” and the Chinese military, which she said, “has become even stronger We will tackle Chinese meddling in our society and its manipulation of our economy, ” she said “And we will hold the Communist Party accountable while putting it on the global defensive This is a sea change in American policy It’s grounded in the reality that our leaders have failed to admit ” Haley would restrict American universities, which are among the largest beneficiaries of Chinese cash, from receiving federal contracts if they work with China’s ruling Communist Party

Unrest across France ease as family of teen makes desperate plea to rioters

P ARI S: U nres t acros s F ranc e sparked by th e po lic e sh oo ting o f a 17- year- old ap peared to slo w after six consec utive nigh ts of viol ence Th ere w ere 157 arres ts o vernigh t, do wn from a peak o f 3,880 arrests during th e fiery night of Ju ne 30, and tw o law enf orcement stations were attacked, amo ng oth er dam age

Nahel, the teenager killed last week, was shot in the Paris suburb of Nanterre Across France, 297 vehicles were torched overnight along with 34 buildings The grandmother of Nahel said in a telephone interview, “Don’t break windows, buses schools We want to calm things down ”

A sixth consecutive night of rioting across France saw a young Paris fireman die as he tried to put out a blaze in an underground car park Crowds gathered at town halls across France to show solidarity with local governments targeted in six nights of unrest In all, 99 town halls have been attacked in the violence, along with other public buildings, according to the Interior Ministry French President Emmanuel Macron held a meeting with mayors of 220 towns from across the country Across France, 34 buildings were attacked overnight - many of them linked to the government - along with 297 vehicles

more convenient and functional, with a modern look and properties, the article said He credited Indian leadership for developing an effective approach to boost local manufacturing capabilities and entice global investment Industrial and product design s h o u l d b e c o m e a n i m p o r t a n t resource for the development of domestic business, he said This w a s o n e o f t h e m a j o r p u b l i c appearances of Putin, days after a R u s s i a n m e r c e n a r y g r o u p l a u n c h e d a s h o r t - l i v e d a r m e d rebellion against him R u s s i a ' s S e c u r i t y C o u n c i l S e c r e t a r y N i k o l a i P a t r u s h e v briefed NSA Ajit Doval on the latest developments in the country following the rebellion

study permit, as needed ” Fraser also said Canada will launch a digital nomad strategy, which would allow people having a foreign employer to come and work in Canada for up to six months and interact with local communities here “Should they get a job offer while they are here, we are going to allow them to continue to stay and work in Canada,” he emphasised

White House slams trolling of reporter who asked questions to PM Modi

W A S H I N G T O N : T h e W h it e Ho u se h a s d e nou nce d t he a lle ge d cy be rbullyin g an d in timida tion of Wall St re et Jour nal re porte r S a br i n a Si d d i qu i S i d d i qu i s qu e s t io n t o P rime Minister Na ren dra Modi last wee k a bout t he alle ged discrimina tion ag ainst r elig ious minorit ies in Ind ia spa rke d out ra ge a mong the PM's supp or te rs, who suppor t t he P M's claim th at such r eport s a re mot iv at ed a nd e xa gger ate d " W e ’ r e a w a r e o f t h e r e p o r t s o f t h a t harassment It’s unacceptable We absolutely condemn any harassment of journalists anyw h e r e u n d e r a n y c i r c u m s t a n c e s , " W h i t e H o u s e s p o k e s p e r s o n J o h n K i r b y s a i d i n response to a question, even as cabinet ministers in India joined right wing trolls in attacking former President Barack Obama, who also appeared to criticise the PM on the issue

"It's antithetical to the very principles of democracy that were on display last week during the state visit," Kirby added, as both Obama and Siddique were attacked and questioned about their lack of concern about discrimination against Hindu minorities in other countries, and the US' own record in the matter of human rights and civil liberties Karine Jean-Pierre, the press secretary for the White House, joined the brawl and denounced any efforts of intimidation or harassment of a journalist or any journalist that is just trying to do their job" as the weekend's heated social media discussions were sparked The Wall Street Journal also defended Siddiqui, saying she is a respected journalist known for her integrity and unbiased reporting “This harassment of our reporter is unacceptable, and we strongly condemn it," the paper said

Narendra Modi & Vladimir Putin

Neymar Jr

AAP offers 'in principle’ support for uniform civil code

A d ay after Prime M inister

N are nd r a M o d i m ad e a c o m p e ll in g ca se f o r a u niform civ il cod e, the A am

A ad mi Party bro ke from the o pposition rank to offer "in p rinc ip le" su pp ort for th e id ea, citing Article 4 4 of the C o ns ti tu ti o n C o ng r es s, h o w ev e r, d e no u nc ed th e m o v e a s a p lo y by an " ag enda-driven m ajoritarian g o v er nm e nt" to d ef lec t attention from its failures

AAP distinguished itself f r o m t h e o p p o s i t i o n parties, which opposed the c o n c e p t o f U C C i t s e l f , d e s p i t e t h e f a c t t h a t i t q u a l i f i e d i t s s u p p o r t b y highlighting the necessity f o r c o n s u l t a t i o n s a n d c o n s e n s u s F o r m e r N D A m e m b e r S h i r o m a n i A k a l i D a l a l s o o p p o s e d U C C , c l a i m i n g i t w i l l h a v e a n effect on tribal people and m i n o r i t i e s D M K , J D ( U ) , NCP and IUML attacked the PM, although AIADMK withheld its response NCP a l s o s a i d s u c h d e c i s i o n s s h o u l d n o t b e r u s h e d through

“AAP supports UCC in

p r i n c i p l e b e c a u s e e v e n A r t i c l e 4 4 ( o f t h e Constitution) supports the i d e a o f a U C C B u t t h e government should bring in UCC only when there is a c o n s e n s u s a m o n g s t a k e h o l d e r s , " t h e p a r t y ’ s national general secretary ( o r g a n i s a t i o n ) a n d R a j y a Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak said on a day when Law C o m m i s s i o n c h a i r m a n J u s t i c e R i t u R a j A w a s t h i ( R e t d ) s a i d 8 5 0 , 0 0 0 r e s p o n s e s h a d b e e n s u b m i t t e d s i n c e t h e commission sought public consultation on the fraught issue on June 14 Taking a c o n t r a s t i n g s t a n d ,

Canada rejects 595

C o n g r e s s f u n c t i o n a r y P

C h i d a m b a r a m s a i d U C C c o u l d n o t b e f o r c e d o n people as it would “widen divisions” He claimed the PM was batting for it only to divert attention from the government’s failures and accused BJP of using UCC to polarise society ahead of the 2024 elections

He tweeted that it was i n t e n d e d t o “ d i v e r t a t t e n t i o n f r o m i n f l a t i o n , u n e m p l o y m e n t , h a t e crimes, discrimination and denying states' rights The C o n s t i t u t i o n o f I n d i a r e c o g n i s e s d i v e r s i t y a n d plurality among the people of India,” he said

Air forces from 12 countries may attend India's mega air drills Tarang Shakti

T h e In d i a n Ai r F o r ce i s pr epar ing to host a massi ve e xer ci se l ater th is y ea r t hat i s antici pate d to i nclud e 12 a ir forces T he exerci se will b e a i m e d a t e n h a n ci ng i n t e r o p e r a b i l i t y , le a r ni ng f r o m o n e a n o th e r ' s b e st p r a c t i s e s, a nd f o st e r i ng g r e a t e r m i l i t a r y c o o p e r a t i o n a m o n g t h e p a r t i ci p a t i n g na t i o ns , a ccord ing to of fi ci als with knowled ge of the plans

T h e e x e r c i s e , n a m e d Tarang Shakti, will be the b i g g e s t m u l t i n a t i o n a l a i r exercise to be conducted in t h e c o u n t r y a n d w i l l i n v o l v e f i g h t e r j e t s , military transport aircraft, m i d - a i r r e f u e l l e r s a n d a i r b o r n e w a r n i n g a n d c o n t r o l s y s t e m ( A W A C S ) a i r c r a f t , a c c o r d i n g t o sources

One of the authorities said that Tarang Shakti is in the planning stages and will probably take place in O c t o b e r o r N o v e m b e r A c c o r d i n g t o a s e c o n d

Indian study permit applications this year till May

A t o t a l o f 7 ,5 28 s tu d y p e r mi t a pplications from In dia were re jected b y the C ana dian authoriti es b etwe en J a n u a r y 20 1 8 t o M a y 2 0 2 3 ov er mi srepresentation, involving f alse or a ltered d ocuments , a ccord ing to an I mm i g r a t i on R e f u g e e s a n d

C iti zen shi p Can ada (I RC C) data

Beginning this year, a total of 595 o f t h e s e a p p l i c a t i o n s b y I n d i a n s t u d e n t s , w h i c h a l s o i n c l u d e d extensions, were refused till May 31, with 195 cases of misrepresentation detected in a single month, the data s a i d M i s r e p r e s e n t a t i o n i n v o l v e s giving information that is untrue, misleading, or incomplete, which can make an applicant inadmissible to the country for five years, or permanent removal from the country

C o n s e q u e n t l y , t h e a p p l i c a n t i s ineligible for permanent residency and has a permanent record noting fraud in their immigration file “The G o v e r n m e n t o f C a n a d a t a k e s a n y

kind of citizenship or immigration fraud seriously We are committed t o u p h o l d i n g t h e i n t e g r i t y o f o u r i m m i g r a t i o n p r o g r a m m e s a n d protecting our systems against fraud a n d m i s r e p r e s e n t a t i o n , ” a s p o k e s p e r s o n f r o m t h e H i g h Commission of Canada in New Delhi said

“IRCC employees receive training on how to detect and combat fraud, and they work hard to protect the integrity of Canada’s citizenship and i m m i g r a t i o n s y s t e m , ” t h e s p o k e s p e r s o n a d d e d M o s t applications were refused under A40 ( 1 ) ( a ) , a c c o r d i n g t o t h e d a t a I n C a n a d i a n I m m i g r a t i o n l a w , m i s r e p r e s e n t a t i o n i s d e f i n e d i n section 40 (1) (a) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act E x a m p l e s o f m i s r e p r e s e n t a t i o n i n c l u d e n o t m e n t i o n i n g a f a m i l y member; not mentioning a change in family status; or providing a false

d o c u m e n t d e c l a r i n g e m p l o y m e n t experience, among others Recently, hundreds of Indian students faced removal from Canada after letters of acceptance submitted as part of their s t u d y p e r m i t a p p l i c a t i o n w e r e determined to be fraudulent

Acknowledging the contribution of international students, Canada’s

I m m i g r a t i o n M i n i s t e r S e a n F r a s e r announced that the genuine students w o u l d b e i s s u e d a T e m p o r a r y

Resident Permit

T h e m i n i s t e r s t r e s s e d t h a t t h e focus is on identifying those who are responsible for the fraudulent activity and not on penalising those who may h a v e b e e n a f f e c t e d b y f r a u d T h e Canadian High Commission said that t h e I m m i g r a t i o n a n d R e f u g e e Protection Act and the Citizenship Act require that people who provide p a i d i m m i g r a t i o n o r c i t i z e n s h i p a d v i c e o r r e p r e s e n t a t i o n b e “authorised”

Chandrayaan-3 ready for launch, to take off between July 12-19

T he C handrayaan-3 mission to the m o on i s ready for l au n ch , ac c o rd i ng to Is ro D i re ct o r S S o m na th , a nd w il l d e p art f ro m S riharikota's Satish Dh awan S pace C entre between July 1 2 and July 19 The Isro chief said the p recise date for the launch wi ll be annou nced o n ce a ll th e tes ts a re f i ni s h ed , t h o u g h s o m e rep orts said the launch will take place on July 1 3 " C u r r e n t l y t h e Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft is f u l l y i n t e g r a t e d W e h a v e c o m p l e t e d t h e t e s t i n g Currently, the window of o p p o r t u n i t y f o r l a u n c h i s

between July 12 to 19 We will announce the exact date a f t e r a l l t h e t e s t s a r e completed," said Somnath T h e C h a n d r a y a a n - 3 mission will launch on the G e o s y n c h r o n o u s L a u n c h V e h i c l e M a r k - I I I , I n d i a ' s heaviest rocket to the Moon E a r l i e r , S o m n a t h s a i d t h e period between July 12 to July 19 is optimal for launch when the orbital dynamics will ensure minimal fuel and h i g h e r e f f i c i e n c y i n t h e journey to the Moon T h e p u r p o s e o f Chandrayaan-3 is to develop a n d d e m o n s t r a t e n e w technologies necessary for

interplanetary missions It c o m p r i s e s a n i n d i g e n o u s L a n d e r M o d u l e ( L M ) , a P r o p u l s i o n M o d u l e ( P M ) , and a Rover This ambitious m i s s i o n f o l l o w s t h e C h a n d r a y a a n - 2 m i s s i o n , which crash-landed on the Moon's surface four years ago The mission will explore the far side of the Moon and will attempt to soft land on t h e l u n a r s u r f a c e T h e primary objective will be to d e m o n s t r a t e s o f t l a n d i n g capability on the Moon and make India only the fourth country in the world to have that ability

official, just six air forces w o u l d t a k e p a r t i n t h e exercise, with the others w a t c h i n g f r o m t h e sidelines The air forces of the US, the UK, France and Australia are among those likely to take part in the exercise

The IAF has emerged as a partner of choice for joint e x e r c i s e s f o r s e v e r a l a i r forces This year, the IAF h a s p a r t i c i p a t e d i n j o i n t d r i l l s i n F r a n c e , G r e e c e , Japan and the UK so far To b e s u r e , w h i l e T a r a n g Shakti will be the biggest multilateral exercise to be

conducted in India, the IAF has taken part in several such drills on foreign soil

T h e I A F ’ s F r e n c horigin Rafale fighter jets d e b u t e d i n a n o v e r s e a s exercise in April Exercise O r i o n w a s h e l d a t t h e M o n t - d e - M a r s a n a i r b a s e in France from April 17 to May 5, and involved the air forces of the host nation, the US, the UK, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, a n d S p a i n F o u r I n d i a n R a f a l e s , t w o C - 1 7 h e a v y lifters, two ll-78 refuellers and 165 air warriors took part in the exercise

4 arrested for attack on Bhim Army chief Azad

In a joint o peration with U ttar Pradesh Police, the

A m bal a u n i t o f th e

H ary an a S p e ci a l T a sk Force (STF ) arrested four m e n fo r th e ir a ll eg ed involvement in the attack o n B h i m A r m y c h i ef C handra S hekhar A zad

A n S T F o f f i c e r s a i d t h a t t h e a c c u s e d w e r e i d e n t i f i e d a s V i k a s ,

Prashant and Lovy, all residents of Rankhandi village in Deoband area of UP and Vikas of Gonder village in Karnal district of Haryana

The officer said no arms were recovered from the accused and so far, their association with any gang has not been established "After being arrested from the Shahzadpur area, all four were handed over to the Deoband's police, as all were wanted in the case of opening fire at Bhim Army chief

The accused were on a run and our teams jointly worked on the intelligence inputs to arrest them", said an officer of Ambala STF Azad was shot at by some assailants in the Deoband area on June 28

Cong questions India's Predator drone deal with the US

C ong ress demand ed that the g overnment be tr ans p are nt a bo u t th e p ro p o se d M Q -9 B Pred ator armed dro ne contract with the US, wh ich will cost the nation mo re than £ 2 5 billion They claimed th at the agreement l ac ked tr an sp a ren cy a nd th e n ec es sa ry clearances

Congress invoked the “Rafale scam ” to allege that the drones were being bought at a price higher than what other countries have paid for the same The party pointed towards a “ t o p i n f l u e n t i a l p e r s o n i n t h e I n d i a n establishment” who was calling the shots, a n d h a s “ c l o s e l i n k s ” w i t h t h e C E O o f G e n e r a l A t o m i c s , s u p p l i e r o f P r e d a t o r drones, and asked the government to clarify the matter

C o n g r e s s s p o k e s p e r s o n P a w a n K h e r a said during a press conference that there have been queries concerning the drone

purchase and that because national security is so important, the government should respond

K h e r a w o n d e r e d “ w h a t h a p p e n e d t o

‘Make in India’ and “Aatmnirbhar Bharat’ in Defence” “Why pound 178 6 million were spent for development of TapasBH-201 by DRDO, if there wasn't any intention to m a n u f a c t u r e t h e s e d r o n e s f o r d o m e s t i c usage and if India was willing to pay $110 million/drone?”

Khera said the drone deal has come u n d e r s c r u t i n y w i t h t h e s e t t l i n g o f t h e “manufactured glitter” of PM Modi’s recent U S v i s i t , “ s o m u c h s o t h a t t h e d e f e n c e m i n i s t r y h a d t o r e l e a s e a n o f f i c i a l clarification But the people of India need answers on the £2 52 billion deal for MQ-9B drones manufactured by only one entityGeneral Atomics,” he said

Arvind Kejriwal & Narendra Modi

Chandra Shekhar Azad

US chip maker Micron signs MoU for semi-conductor plant in Sanand

T h e U S - ba se d M i cr o n T echnology sig ned an M oU w it h th e Gu j a rat g o v e rnm ent to establish a sem icond uctor manu facturing plant at Sanand , located abo ut 22 k m f ro m A h m ed a ba d , i n w hat is being hailed as a historic ev ent that w ill propel India's journey to beco me a w or ld w id e se m i co n d u c to r m anufacturing centre M i c r o n T e c h n o l o g y , w h i c h i s t h e f i f t h l a r g e s t

semiconductor manufacturer globally, will invest £2 25 billion to set up a semi-conductor assembly, test, marking, and packaging (ATMP) facility in Sanand, wherein it will focus on transforming

wafers into ball grid array ( B G A ) i n t e g r a t e d c i r c u i t packages, memory modules and solid-state drives

The new assembly and test facility in Gujarat will s t a r t p h a s e d c o n s t r u c t i o n this year, and the factory is anticipated to be operational by 2024 After the facility is put into operation, the gov-

ernment claims that 20,000 people will g e t e m p l o y m e n t , i n c l u d i n g 5 , 0 0 0 d i r e c t j o b s a n d 1 5 , 0 0 0 i n d i r e c t ones

T h e c o m p a n y has 11 manufacturing plants in the US, Japan, Taiwan, and China

This is the second significant investment under the $ 1 0 b n S e m i c o n I n d i a Programme aimed at developing India’s semiconductors and display manufact u r i n g e c o s y s t e m T h e G u j a r a t I n d u s t r i a l D e v e l o p m e n t C o r p o r a t i o n (GIDC) has already devel-

File status report by Monday, SC tells

o p e d m o r e t h a n 4 5 , 0 0 0 hectares of land for industria l u s e w i t h p l u g - a n d - p l a y facilities Micron has selected Sanand Industrial EstateII for its new ATMP facility

S a n a n d G I D C i s a h i g h l y industrialized zone, home to many national and multinational manufacturing indus-

t r i e s T h e M o U w a s exchanged between senior VP of Micron Technology, Gursharan Singh, and Vijay

N e h r a , s e c r e t a r y ( s c i e n c e and technology), in the presence of CM Bhupendra Patel a n d U n i o n m i n i s t e r f o r communications, electronics and information technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw

ED questions Anil Ambani in ‘forex violation’ case

T h e En fo r ce m e n t D i r e ct o r a t e ( ED ) q ue s t io n e d R e l ia n ce A n i l D h ir u b ha i

Amb ani Group (ADAG) chairman Anil Amb ani in a forex viol ation ca se l inked t o all egat ions t ha t appea red in Pandora Pa pe rs Amb ani wa s at t he ED office for a roun d eight hour s to r ecord his statemen t a nd left around 6 pm ED had summone d his wife, Tin a Amba ni, too, b ut she faile d to appear The ED may issue fresh summon s to her An ADAG spokesperson declined t o comme nt on t he de velopment

ED is investigating the case under

Subhasini Naicker

S ports h ave become taboo when girls reach a certain stage and leave beh ind their p assio n for it However, ‘ Sisters I n S w ea t’ ( S I S ) , an o rga n i sa ti o n f o u n de d by S we th a S u b ba i h a n d T anvie Hans, is making an effort to fill the vacu um left by women qui tti ng sp o rts, p artic ularly after hi gh sch ool or college fo r a variety of reas o n s I n a n i nt er vi e w wi t h As i an V oice, Tanvie Hans spo ke about ho w h e r o rg an i s at i o n i s h e lp in g th e women to connect with sports and wellness

1 ) How did ‘S isters In S weat’ co me into existence? Ho w did you p lan you r regi men to be inclusive of different generatio ns?

When Swetha introduced me as a footballer to her friend Schonalli, in September of 2017, in Bangalore, she immediately suggested doing a fun football session for her and her girlfriends, who were all in their mid 30s at the time So, we organised a small ground the following weekend and designed a one-and-a-half-hour sess i o n , k e e p i n g i n m i n d t h a t t h e s e women hadn’t played football before, or at best had played sport many years ago We were expecting a handful of women at best, but 17 women turned up, and absolutely loved the session! They then requested for us to do a session for them every weekend

About a year and a half, we grew to about 300 community members just from this one session every week

2 ) Ca n yo u d es c ri b e a n i ns ta n ce where working on this all women initiative made all efforts worth it and insp ired yo u to go bigger and better?

We’ve been doing this for almost 6 years now, so the multitude of instances and transformative stories

Manipur government

T h e S u p re m e C ou r t o n

Mo n d a y a s k e d th e

Ma n i p ur g o v e r n m e n t t o sub mit a report withi n a

w e e k d e ta i l i n g t h e s te p s take n to curb the on going violen ce an d the reli ef and rehab ilita tion meas ures i t has taken afte r the coun se l f o r t h e w a r r i n g e t h n i c groups - Mei teis an d Kuk is - traded cha rges on killi ngs and arson that has plagued the s tate s in ce Ma y 3 Solicitor general Tushar

M e h t a , a p p e a r i n g f o r t h e

an unprecedented deployment of forces “Apart from police, Indian Reserve battalion personnel, Manipur Rifles commandos, 114 comp a n i e s o f c e n t r a l a r m e d p o l i c e f o r c e s , a n d 1 8 4 columns of Army have been deployed to arrest the violence,” the SG said

the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) where Anil Ambani allegedly brought huge money to India around 2 0 0 7 i n t h e f o r m o f f o r e i g n d i r e c t investment (FDI) in his companies It was alleged that Ambani and his associates’ companies showed that they had raised loans abroad before bringing the money to India under FDI through the b a n k i n g c h a n n e l A r o u n d 2 0 1 5 , t h e money was sent abroad, showing it as repayment The amount brought in was still to be quantified but sources indicated that it could be around £200 million

ED is investigating if the money was brought in as loan or FDI and accordingly will decide its further course of action ED is also investigating if Anil Ambani is holding the money abroad that was repaid to offshore firms

The ED is investigating 18 offshore f i r m s , i n c l u d i n g B a t i s t e U n l i m i t e d , which were directly or indirectly linked to Anil Ambani, in Jersey, British Virgin Islands and Cyprus These firms were incorporated between 2007 and 2008 and it was alleged that these availed of loans from various banks after 2007

M a n i p u r g o v e r n m e n t , r e q u e s t e d s e n i o r a d v o c a t e C o l i n G o n s a l v e s , w h o appeared for the Kuki petitioners, not to give a communal angle to the situation and informed a bench of C h i e f J u s t i c e D Y Chandrachud and Justices P S N a r a s i m h a a n d M a n o j Misra that the situation was i m p r o v i n g , a l b e i t s l o w l y However, the state admitted to tackling a serious problem and presented details of

“As many as 355 relief camps have been set up I would request Gonsalves to consider avoiding giving any communal angle which is not necessary The CJI-led bench said, “We want an u p d a t e d d e t a i l e d s t a t u s report by Monday Give us a p r o p e r a f f i d a v i t d e t a i l i n g steps taken on ground on various heads - rehabilitation, relief camps, recovery of arms, law and order etc ” Gonsalves said contrary to the state’s assertion, the toll of Kukis had increased from 10, when the state had first assured the court to deal with the situation, to 110 as of Sunday

IIT-Bombay in top 150, 3 Indian universities in QS top 500 list

f o r g i r l s f r o m u n p r i v i l e g e d homes, to up-skill them and create a possible employment pathway

4 ) Wom en, personally, face a number of problem s like menstruation, and work and family p res sures th at prev ent them from p ursuing spo rts As an organisation that caters specifically to wom en, h ow do you help your m em bers with these issues?

In the QS World U niv ersity Rankings 2023, IIT-Bombay achieved its h ighest-ever ranking of 1 47, breaking into th e top 150 universities in the wo rld The U niv ersity o f Delhi (40 7) and A nna U niv ersity (427), two newcomers to this tier, are among the top 500 u niv ersities in th e world Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), University of Cambridge and University of Oxford are the top three globally

This year, QS has implemented its largest-ever methodological enhancement by introducing three new metricss u s t a i n a b i l i t y , e m p l o y m e n t o u t c o m e s a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l research network - and recalibrated the weightage of three existing indicators - academic reputation, employer reputation and faculty-student ratio The revised weightage as per the new methodology, however, has hit Indian institutions adversely

we ’ ve heard and continue to hear from our members are all so gratifying and encouraging

F o r i n s t a n c e , S c h o n a l l i ’ s s o n , Dante attended one of my state team matches at the Bangalore football stadium, where he turned to his mum and asked her ‘Do boys also play football?’ That moment was raw evidence of impact which certainly created a memorable moment for us

3) Yo u h ave a stro ng standing in the urban cities o f the country Do yo u think ‘ Sisters In S weat’ can assert the same h old in rural and remo te parts, gi ven the added veil of sexist stereotyp es?

We have often discussed building a vertical that engages the rural parts of society We would of course have to pivot the model that we have to best impact the rural culture The focus would primarily be on giving t h e g i r l s F R E E a c c e s s t o s p o r t , because sport by itself is a powerful tool for social and cultural transformation

Apart from limited resources, it’s often also the lack of female role models and a mentor that discourages the family from letting their girl child pursue sport or other professional p a t h s T h e r e f o r e , w e h a v e a l s o worked on mentorship programmes

Women have to often break a number of social and cultural barriers to participate in activities outside of their "core" family unit One big hurdle faced by women from their families, is with regards to interacting with the opposite sex in a social setting and excludes them from playing sport As an all-women’s community, we are able to overcome this barrier negating any objections that women from conservative families may have W i t h r e g a r d s t o m e n s t r u a t i o n , many women tend to abstain and drop out from playing sport due to a sense of embarrassment and discomfort As an all women community, SIS has created a safe space for women to f e e l c o m f o r t a b l e p a r t i c i p a t i n g a n d sharing their feelings around it 5) Any upcom ing projects you hav e been working on?

One of our most exciting upcoming projects is the multi-city Sweat fest The Sweat fest will be a celebration of fitness and sisterhood which aims to bring women across the country that may not have had an opportunity to attend one of our sessions together In a carnival atmosphere, we will have a variety of fitness/wellness classes ranging from Yoga to dance for our participants to enjoy

I I T - B o m b a y d i r e c t o r S u b h a s i s C h a u d h u r i s a i d , “Excellence in teaching and research is the key driving point for IIT-Bombay Our efforts lie in providing an ambience and infrastructure that is conducive to achieving excellence by our students and faculty Achieving a higher rank is just a byproduct and is never a goal by itself ”

HC bench raps makers of ‘Adipurush’ and CBFC

The Allahabad hig h court' s Lucknow di vi sion cri ticised the makers of the movi e "Adipurush" for offend ing Hind us' reli gious f eel i n g s an d q ue s ti o n ed h ow t h e C en t ra l B o ar d o f F i l m

Certifi cation (CBFC) had approved the movie for publi c v iewi ng

The vacation bench of justices Rajesh Singh Chauhan and Shree Prakash Singh noted that such films were putting Hindus' tolerance to the test and expressed relief that the community had not caused any problems with law and order

The court, which noted that the “nature of dialogues in the film is a big issue”, issued a notice to dialogue writer Manoj Muntashir and directed for make him a party in the case Irked by the respondent’s submission that a disclaimer had been added to the film saying it was not based on the Ramayan, the court asked if they considered the people brainless

Fuming at the offensive portrayal of characters like Hanuman and Sita, the court said films shouldn’t touch certain things: “Some scenes seem to be of “A” (adult) category,” the judges remarked The bench asked the DSG to seek instructions as to whether the central government was contemplating to review the certificate granted by the censor board

‘Sisters In Sweat’ - a community for women weave sports and wellness together

Co Founders: Tanvie Hans and Swetha Subbiah

Tit-for-tat firings by NCP camps after Ajit Pawar joins Maharashtra govt

A day af ter Ajit Pawar was s worn in as deputy CM in the E k n a t h S hin d e -D e v en d r a Fa d n av i s g ov e r nm en t i n M a h ar a s h t r a a n d c l a i m e d s upport of 40 NCP MLAs in a l e t t e r g iv e n t o g ov e rn o r Ram esh Bais, two of themSat ara M LA M ak rand Patil a n d N or t h K a r ad M L A B al as ahe b Pa til – r et urne d bac k to Sharad Pawar's cam p Th e r iv a l p a r ty f a c t io ns , m eanwhil e, announced st eps a g ai n s t e a c h o t he r s n et a s and f il ing of c ross -petition bef ore the ass emb ly s peak er for the dis qual if ic ation of the opposing s ide's MPs L o k S a b h a M P S u n i l Tatkare and RS MP Praful P a t e l w e r e e x p e l l e d f r o m the party by Pawar Senior as his first action against the n e p h e w ' s g r o u p T a t k a r e w a s a p p o i n t e d n a t i o n a l g e n e r a l s e c r e t a r y , w h i l e Patel, one of Pawar's closest aides, had previously been elected to serve as the NCP's w o r k i n g p r e s i d e n t w i t h

S u l e I n a c o u n t e r - m o v e , Ajit’s group replaced Jayant Patil as NCP state president with Tatkare In a replay of sorts to pleas filed by the S e n a f a c t i o n s d u r i n g l a s t y e a r ’ s p o l i t i c a l c r i s i s , t h e S h a r a d P a w a r g r o u p s e n t two petitions to assembly S p e a k e r R a h u l N a r w e k a r asking for disqualification of Ajit and the eight other NCP MLAs sworn in with him In a counter, the Ajitled group asked the Speaker t o d i s q u a l i f y J a y a n t P a t i l and Jitendra Awhad

Aji t jo ins Shinde-BJP govt

E a r l i e r , A j i t P a w a r joined the Shinde-Fadnavis government as deputy chief minister, dealing a severe blow to his political mentor a n d u n c l e S h a r a d P a w a r This marked the beginning of yet another chapter in the bizarre drama that has e n g u l f e d M a h a r a s h t r a ' s p o l i t i c s f o r t h e p a s t f o u r years ever since the Maha V i k a s A g h a d i ( M V A ) w a s formed and especially since E k n a t h S h i n d e f a m o u s l y caused the collapse of the

MVA regime by departing from the Uddhav Thackeray camp

A j i t t o o k o a t h a t a c e r e m o n y a t R a j B h a v a n along with eight other NCP l e g i s l a t o r s A m o n g t h e m w e r e t h e p a r t y ’ s h e a v y w e i g h t s a n d p a r t y f o u n d e r a n d p r e s i d e n t S h a r a d P a w a r ’ s l o n g - t i m e aides like Dilip Walse Patil, C h h a g a n B h u j b a l , D h a n a n j a y M u n d e a n d Hasan Mushrif In a new development, S h a r a d P a w a r l e d N C P d i s q u a l i f i e d n i n e r e b e l MLAs including Ajit Pawar w h o w e r e s w o r n i n a s m i n i s t e r s O n t h e o t h e r hand, in the debate over the Leader of the Opposition, S h a r a d P a w a r h a s s a i d i f Congress wants to appoint t h e i r l e a d e r o f t h e Opposition then it would be a valid demand as the party with the maximum number of MLAs gets to appoint the LoP

Monsoon has covered entire India, says IMD

T h e I n di a M et eo r o lo gi c al D ep a rt me nt ( I MD ) s ta ted th a t th e s o u th we st mons o on arrived six days late but covered the entire India earlier than usu al Up to 1 6 st at es a nd u ni o n te rr it o r ie s ex p er i en c ed be lo w- av er ag e ra i nf a ll i n June, with Bihar and Kerala repo rting deficits th at were 69 and 60% below average respectively S t a t e s l i k e U t t a r P r a d e s h , M a h a r a s h t r a , K a r n a t a k a , J h a r k h a n d , A n d h r a P r a d e s h a n d Telangana also received less r a i n f a l l t h a n n o r m a l f o r

June "The monthly rainfall averaged over the country as a whole during July 2023 is most likely to be normal (94 to 106 per cent of LPA) and

Odisha's rail probe finds lapses, says red flags ignored

T he three-train crash in Od isha's Bahanaga Bazar on Ju ne 2 that killed 294 p eople could hav e been av erted had the station master reported "rep eated unu su al behav iour" of sig nals at the crossov er p oint through w hich the so uthbound C oro mandel Exp ress w rongly entered a loopline and crashed into a stationary goo ds train, according to a report by the Com missioner o f Railway S afety (CRS)

“Notwithstanding the lapses in signalling work they could have traced the false feed extending to the electronic interlocking logic for circuit of crossover 17 A/B)," states the report, pointing to multiple failures of signal and telecom (S&T) department

C r o s s o v e r 1 7 A / B i s t h e p o i n t t h r o u g h w h i c h t h e Coromandel Express veered to the loopline instead of staying on course for Chennai After station master S B Mohanty switched on the signal to change its status, it should have taken 14 seconds for that to happen, the report says But the signal changed instantly, which was abnormal

According to the report, the station master should have figured out that the instant change in signal was a false feed of the electronic interlocking system as the ground position of the track can t change instantly, the report said

“This abnormal occurrence should have been noticed by the station master as it occurred during individual operation and he was aware of the normal time required for operation of a point,” it says, adding that he should have reported this abnormality and not allowed the Coromandel Express to move further The report also notes that some signal circuit points at Bahanaga Bazar station had been shifted in 2018, but this wasn't documented Neither did the wiring diagrams reflect this change, it says

m o s t p r o b a b l y w i t h i n t h e positive side of the normal," I M D D i r e c t o r G e n e r a l Mrutyunjay Mohapatra was quoted by media

The long period average (LPA) of rainfall over the country during July based on the data of 1971-2020 is a b o u t 2 8 0 4 m m T h e w e a t h e r o f f i c e s a i d i n i t s b u l l e t i n : “ T h e S o u t h w e s t M o n s o o n h a s f u r t h e r a d v a n c e d i n t o r e m a i n i n g

p a r t s o f R a j a s t h a n , H a r y a n a a n d P u n j a b o n 2 n d J u l y 2 0 2 3

Thus, it has covered t h e e n t i r e I n d i a o m 2nd July 2023, against the normal date of 8th July (6 days before the n o r m a l d a t e o f c o v e r i n g t h e e n t i r e India)”

T h e w e a t h e r o f f i c e added that in July, normal to above normal temperatures a r e l i k e l y t o p r e v a i l o v e r most parts of the country e x c e p t s o m e p a r t s o f n o r t h w e s t a n d p e n i n s u l a r I n d i a E l N i n o c o n d i t i o n s are expected to develop in July Mohapatra added that in June this year, rainfall has b e e n w i t h i n t h e n o r m a l range

Khalistanis threaten 2 Indian diplomats in Canada

A f te r p ro - K h ali s ta n elements distributed posters with the names and im ag es o f tw o I nd i a n d i p lo m ats posted in Canada, holding th em acc ou ntable fo r th e m u rd er o f K h al is ta ni te rro r is t H ar d ee p S in g h Nijjar last month , an alert was issued and the security o f key o ff i ci al s at I nd ia n missions in som e countries was reviewed

Threatening to avenge t h e k i l l i n g o f N i j j a r , a d e s i g n a t e d t e r r o r i s t w h o w a s g u n n e d d o w n b y unidentified men in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, the posters named and printed the photographs of India’s high commissioner to Canada Sanjay Verma and consul general in Toronto Apoorva Srivastava

T h e g o v e r n m e n t r e s p o n d e d a n g r i l y t o t h e p o s t e r s , w i t h f o r e i g n

m i n i s t e r S J a i s h a n k a r announced that India would bring up the matter with C a n a d a a n d e x p r e s s e d concern that if such actions c o n t i n u e d u n c h e c k e d , i t w o u l d h a r m b i l a t e r a l relations J a i s h a n k a r s a i d , “ W e have requested our partner countries like Canada, US, U K a n d A u s t r a l i a w h e r e s o m e t i m e s K h a l i s t a n i a c t i v i t i e s h a p p e n , n o t t o g i v e s p a c e t o t h e K h a l i s t a n i s B e c a u s e t h e i r ( K h a l i s t a n i s ) r a d i c a l , e x t r e m i s t t h i n k i n g i s n e i t h e r g o o d f o r u s n o r

t h e m n o r o u r relations ”

“We will raise the issue of posters with those governments I t h i n k i t w o u l d h a v e already been done by now, ” he added Last week, Jaishankar had blamed vote bank politics for Canada’s reluctance to move against pro-Khalistan e l e m e n t s K h a l i s t a n s u p p o r t e r s h a v e a l s o threatened to march to the Indian consulate in Toronto on July 8

Nijjar, who headed the t e r r o r i s t o u t f i t K h a l i s t a n Tiger Force (KTF), was shot dead in a targeted killing inside the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Sahib in Surrey, B r i t i s h C o l u m b i a N i j j a r ’ s name had come up in a list released by the government, w h i c h n a m e d 4 0 o t h e r designated terrorists

1 2 killed in Gujarat

At least 12 people died l a s t w e e k a s a r e s u l t o f unrelenting rain in Gujarat, which also affected life in S a u r a s h t r a a n d s o u t h G u j a r a t , w h e r e c i t i e s a n d villages turned into bodies of water Ahmedabad was p o u n d e d w i t h 5 8 m m r a i n f a l l l a s t w e e k T h e torrential downpour caused m a s s i v e g r i d l o c k s throughout the city, forcing residents to wait in lines for hours to reach homes In J a m n a g a r c i t y , w h i c h w a s pummelling by 221 mm of rainfall and converted into a l a k e , t h e m o n s o o n w r a t h w a s e s p e c i a l l y r u t h l e s s , claiming four lives Amreli a n d B o t a d d i s t r i c t s e a c h reported one death each

25 killed as bus catches fire in Maharashtra

At leas t 25 pas sengers , including 10 women and a two-year old girl, were charred to death af ter a private bus c rashed into a m edian ba rrier , fel l over onto its lef t side and burst int o f lam es on the Samruddhi Mahama rg near Pim palkhuta, in Sindkhed Raja taluka of Buldhana

This is the highest toll in a single incident on the “accidentp r o n e ” e x p r e s s w a y , a p a r t o f w h i c h w a s i n a u g u r a t e d i n December 2022 Eight people, including the driver, managed to escape the inferno and are recuperating at different hospitals

The Nagpur-Pune Vidarbha Travels bus had started at around 5pm Passengers had also boarded from Wardha and Yavatmal, after which the bus had entered the Samruddhi Expressway at Karanja at 11 08 pm, accord to the toll booth timestamp It had 27 passengers and six crew, including two drivers A report by the Amravati RTO stated the bus was likely travelling at 70 kmph as it took 2 24 hours to travel 152 km to reach the spot where the accident occurred The bus rammed a pole on the right hand side, then hit the median divider which ripped the front axle from the chassis, and the bus fell over onto its left side This blocked the main exit for any passengers trying to get out

£5.29 billion derivative trade transferred to India as SGX tussle ends

Deri vati ve co nt ract s w i th a notional value of abou t £5 29 bi l l i on tra d ed i n S i nga p or e wi ll shif t to Indi a as a c ro ssborder trad ing li nk between the two Asi an co untries' top bourses gets f ully operati onal

On July 3, SGX Nifty, the S i n g a p o r e E x c h a n g e - t r a d e d f u t u r e s o n I n d i a s m a j o r stock NSE Nifty 50 Index, will change its name to GIFT Nifty, and all pending orders will be moved to GIFT City, the new financial centre in Gujarat

M u m b a i n o w h a s a N a t i o n a l S t o c k E x c h a n g e division dedicated to trading d e r i v a t i v e s T h e r e i s n o b e t t e r t i m e t h a n n o w A s India's two most important indices, the Nifty 50 and the S e n s e x , c o n t i n u e d t h e i r record-breaking run to new all-time highs, concerns that t h e m o v e w o u l d r e d u c e

liquidity subsided

The rally has made India t h e w o r l d ’ s f o u r t h - l a r g e s t equity market The influx of f o r e i g n i n v e s t m e n t s h o u l d support demand for futures contracts SGX Nifty futures had a daily average turnover o f a b o u t £ 3 0 8 b i l l i o n notional last year Average open interest was two and a half times that

The futures accounted for the second-largest chunk of the Singapore Exchange’s e q u i t y d e r i v a t i v e v o l u m e s , after the SGX FTSE China

A 5 0 I n d e x f u t u r e s L a r g e v o l u m e s o f o r d e r s f r o m

Singapore will now be routed into India SGX and NSE will s p l i t c o s t s a n d r e v e n u e s r o u g h l y e q u a l l y F e e s a n d p r o f i t s f o r t h e I n d i a n exchange and local brokers should rise India wants to become a bigger presence in g l o b a l m a r k e t s T h e l o c a l f i n a n c i a l s e c t o r h a s b e e n g r o w i n g f a s t e r t h a n expected New listings hit a r e c o r d l a s t y e a r A n increasing population helps t o s u p p o r t t h e f i n a n c i a l s e c t o r W i t h 1 4 b i l l i o n i n h a b i t a n t s , I n d i a h a s s u r p a s s e d C h i n a a s t h e w o r l d ' s m o s t p o p u l o u s country Economic growth in India for the current fiscal year is expected to be 5 9% China, which is experiencing r e c o r d - h i g h y o u n g unemployment and tensions with the US, is now behind in that statistic

Increased lean muscle mass protects against Alzheimer’s disease

Research stated that high levels of l ean mu s cl e ma y gu ar d ag ai ns t

A lz h ei mer 's di s ea se T o f u lly u nderstand the underlying molecu lar path ways and the implicatio ns for bo th clinical and public health , m o re s tu dy i s no ne th e les s required T he study was made public in BMJ Medicine

A higher risk of the disease has also been associated with lower levels of lean muscle, however it s u n c l e a r w h e t h e r t h i s h a p p e n s b e f o r e o r a f t e r a d i a g n o s i s M e n d e l i a n r a n d o m i s a t i o n , a method that uses genetic variants as proxies for a particular risk factor in this example, lean muscle to get genetic evidence in support of a given outcome in this case, risk of Alzheimer's disease was used by the researchers to find out

Numerous studies have found

a correlation between obesity and an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease, which may be explained by t h e i n c r e a s e d i n f l a m m a t i o n , i n s u l i n r e s i s t a n c e , a n d h i g h e r amounts of the protein amyloid in adipose tissue, which is detrimental to brain function

Bioimpedance--an electric cur-

rent that flows at different rates through the body depending on its composition--was used to estimate lean muscle and fat tissue in the arms and legs, the results of which were adjusted for age, sex, and genetic ancestry

Some 584 genetic variants were associated with lean muscle mass;

Decreased sense of smell in adults linked to depression later in life

R es ea rc h ers a t J o h n s Hop kins Medicine claim to h ave found significant new e vi den c e o f a c o n nec ti o n b et w een th e di mi ni s h ed sense of smell and the risk of developing late-life dep ression While their findings do not demonstrate th at loss of smell causes depression, it suggests that it may serve as a p otent indicator of overall h ealth and well-being The results are published in the J o u rn al o f Ge ro nt o lo gy :

Medical Sciences

“We’ve seen repeatedly that a poor sense of smell can be an early warning sign o f n e u r o d e g e n e r a t i v e d i se a s e s s u c h a s A l z h e i m e r ’ s disease and Parkinson’s disease, as well as a mortality risk This study underscores its association with depress i v e s y m p t o m s , ” V i d y a K a m a t h , P h D , a s s o c i a t e professor of psychiatry and behavioural sciences at the J o h n s H o p k i n s U n i v e r s i t y School of Medicine

They added, “This study explores factors that might i n f l u e n c e t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p b e t w e e n o l f a c t i o n a n d depression, including poor c o g n i t i o n a n d i n f l a m m a -

tion ” T h e s t u d y u s e d d a t a gathered from 2,125 participants in a federal governm e n t s t u d y , t h e H e a l t h , A g i n g a n d B o d y Composition Study (Health

A B C ) T h i s c o h o r t c o mprised a group of healthy older adults ages 70-73 at the start of the eight-year s t u d y p e r i o d i n 1 9 9 7 - 9 8

Participants showed no diff i c u l t i e s i n w a l k i n g 0 2 5 miles, climbing 10 steps or p e r f o r m i n g n o r m a l a c t i v ities at the start of the study, and were assessed in person annually and by phone every six months Tests included those for detecting certain odours, depression" depress i o n a n d m o b i l i t y a s s e s sments K a m a t h s a i d , “ L o s i n g your sense of smell influ-

e n c e s m a n y a s p e c t s o f o u r h e a l t h a n d behaviour, such as s e n s i n g s p o i l e d f o o d o r n o x i o u s g a s , a n d e a t i n g e n j o y m e n t N o w we can see that it m a y a l s o b e a n important vulnera b i l i t y i n d i c a t o r o f s o m ething in your health gone awry Smell is an important w a y t o e n g a g e w i t h t h e world around us, and this s t u d y s h o w s i t m a y b e a w a r n i n g s i g n f o r l a t e - l i f e depression ” The smell is processed in the brain’s olfactory bulb, which is believed to interact closely with the amygdala, h i p p o c a m p u s a n d o t h e r brain structures that regul a t e a n d e n a b l e m e m o r y , decision-making and emot i o n a l r e s p o n s e s T h e researchers say their study suggests that olfaction and depression" depression may be linked through both biol o g i c a l ( e g , a l t e r e d s e r otonin levels, brain volume c h a n g e s ) a n d b e h a v i o u r a l (e g , reduced social function and appetite) mechanisms

Impacts of helmet treatment for head-flattening

Helmet therapy ha s a very hi gh succes s rate f or b abies wi th pos ition-related head f la tten ing or def orm ati on al p l a gi oc e p h al y (D P ) M e an w h i l e , i n f a n ts w i t h M e di c a i d i n s ur a n c e a r e m ore li kely to have de lay ed treatme nt and are less likely to undergo helmet therapy

"Our study also shows wide variation in access to h e l m e t t h e r a p y f o r D P between states, related to s t a t e - l e v e l v a r i a t i o n s i n Medicaid policy related to this common head shape d e f o r m i t y , " s a i d A

Member Surgeon Michael

l p e r o v i c h , M D , M S c , o f Yale University School of

M e d i c i n e T h e i r p a p e r a p p e a r s a s p a r t o f a n expanded pediatric/craniofacial surgery section, comm e m o r a t i n g J u l y a s N a t i o n a l C l e f t a n d

Craniofacial Awareness and Prevention Month

D e f o r m a t i o n a l p l a g i ocephaly is the flattening of the skull due to continuous external pressure on one side or area It often occurs when the baby sleeps consistently in the same position Positional skull deformities have become more c o m m o n f o l l o w i n g t h e "Safe to Sleep" recommendation to place babies on their backs to sleep, which has been highly effective in

lowering nationwide rates of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

"Our study also shows wide variation in access to h e l m e t t h e r a p y f o r D P between states, related to s t a t e - l e v e l v a r i a t i o n s i n Medicaid policy related to this common head shape d e f o r m i t y , " c o m m e n t s

A S P S M e m b e r S u r g e o n

M i c h a e l A l p e r o v i c h , M D ,

M S c , o f Y a l e U n i v e r s i t y School of Medicine

T h e p a p e r a p p e a r s a s part of an expanded pedia t r i c / c r a n i o f a c i a l s u r g e r y s e c t i o n , c o m m e m o r a t i n g

July as National Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness and Prevention

none was located in the APOE gene region associated with vulnerability to Alzheimer's disease

These genetic variants combined explained 10% of the difference in lean muscle mass in the arms and legs of the study participants

On average, higher (genetically p r o x i e d ) l e a n m u s c l e m a s s w a s associated with a modest, but stat i s t i c a l l y r o b u s t , r e d u c t i o n i n Alzheimer s disease risk

" T h e s e a n a l y s e s p r o v i d e n e w evidence supporting a cause-andeffect relation between lean mass and risk of Alzheimer's disease," said the researchers The findings also "refute a large effect of fat mass on the risk of Alzheimer's disease and highlight the importance of distinguishing between lean mass and fat mass when investigating the e f f e c t o f a d i p o s i t y m e a s u r e s o n health outcomes," they added

But the scientists caution, "Our findings need to be replicated with independent lines of complement a r y e v i d e n c e b e f o r e i n f o r m i n g public health or clinical practice Also, more work is needed to determine the cut-off values for age and degree of pathology of Alzheimer's disease after which modifications o f l e a n m a s s m i g h t n o l o n g e r reduce the risk ” Nor is it clear whether increasing lean mass could r e v e r s e t h e p a t h o l o g y o f Alzheimer's disease in patients with preclinical disease or mild cognitive impairment, they added But they conclude that if future studies back their findings, “public health efforts to shift the population distribution of lean mass, potentially through campaigns to promote exercise and physical activity, might reduce the population burden of Alzheimer's disease ”

Vitamin D supplements may cut heart attack risk: Study

A new s tudy believes that vitam in D supplementation c a n p re v e n t t h e e l d e rl y from cardi ovas cular probl e m s , i n c l ud i n g h e a rt attack In one of the largest trials yet, researc hers have dis covered that vitamin D s upplem en tat ion ma y cut the ris k of cardi ov ascular events such as heart attac ks in the elderly

This particular randomized controlled trial involved around 21,000 people over 60 who were given a vitamin

D s u p p l e m e n t o r p l a c e b o orally each month for up to five years The findings have been published in the journal BMJ The authors noted that while it was found that vitamin D supplementation c o u l d h e l p p r e v e n t m a j o r c a r d i o v a s c u l a r e v e n t s a n d m o r e t r i a l s w e r e n e e d e d The finding proves that previous thinking that vitamin

D supplements do not cut CVD risk was premature

Vitamin D is fat-soluble

a n d p l a y s a r o l e i n t h e absorption of calcium, magnesium, and phosphate It also reduces inflammation and affects cell growth, neur o m u s c u l a r a n d i m m u n e f u n c t i o n , a n d g l u c o s e metabolism

The idea that vitamin D is useful for heart health is not new Older observationa l s t u d i e s d i s c o v e r e d t h a t

people with higher vitamin D levels in the blood had lower rates of cardiovascular disease People who exercise outdoors and eat nutrientdense foods are more likely to have better Vitamin D levels than people who do n o t T h e p r e v i o u s s t u d i e s said that once people had sufficient levels of Vitamin D , t h e b e n e f i t s o f h e a r t plateau and higher intake d o n ' t r e d u c e c h a n g e s o f heart disease

Anti-viral cytokines blunt immune response to tuberculosis: Study

R e s e ar c he r s ha v e di s c o ve r ed h ow a n t i - vi r a l c yt oki n es c a n re duc e the immunologi cal res ponse to tub erculosi s Type 1 interferon is a cruc ial immune system protein whose functions are still understood A n e w c oll a bo ra ti v e pr oj e c t between Trinity's School of M edic ine an d the Tri nity C ol l eg e I n s t i tu te of N e ur os c i e n c e ( TC I N ) i s closing the knowledge gap on these activities

C y t o k i n e s k n o w n a s t y p e o n e i n t e r f e r o n s k i l l viruses like Covid -19 Small p r o t e i n s c a l l e d c y t o k i n e s a r e c r u c i a l i n c o n t r o l l i n g the growth and operation of other immune and blood cells When released, they signal the immune system

t o b e g i n p r o d u c i n g a n t ibodies

Although cytokines play a beneficial protective role, the persistent production of type 1 interferons exacerb a t e s t h e d i s e a s e s t h a t many people have These

include people with chronic TB and individuals with the a u t o - i m m u n e c o n d i t i o n

systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) D r G i n a L e i s c h i n g , S e n i o r R e s e a r c h F e l l o w , Clinical Medicine, School o f M e d i c i n e h a s l e d t h e group to study the influence of type 1 interferons o n t h e i m m u n e s y s t e m , u s i n g a n a n i m a l m o d e l T h i s s t u d y d e m o n s t r a t e s that type 1 interferon treatment induces an inflammatory state characterized by

the increased production of white cells, and inflammatory intermediate metabolites as well as immune cell metabolic rewiring - which interferes with the ability of macrophages to fight bacteria

“This work has provided new evidence that chronic type I interferons blunt the i m m u n e r e s p o n s e a n d explains why patients with diseases that are driven by these immune proteins are p r o n e t o i n f e c t i o n s ” , s h e added

Dharmendra pens emotional note for Hema, Esha and Ahana

a and Ranveer ate on an intense w project

and Deepika Padukone have collaborated on an However, it may not be for a movie Ranveer took hort video from seemingly a cinematic ad for some r as a detective and Deepika as a woman looking for ith Deepika at a police station, registering a issing husband Meanwhile, Ranveer is in action about a mission There is also a glimpse “Chellum

The video also features actor Ram Charan running Krishnan outside a police station Ranveer wrote in the caption, “Unveil the Secret! ay tuned for the big reveal! #Showmethesecret ” oping it is a full-fledged movie “Don't tell me it's hope this is not some meesho ad,” wrote another cene together, you guys have better chemistry than other Ranveer will be seen next in ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii d b y K a r a n J o h a r I t a l s o s t a r s A l i a B h a t t , Azmi and Jaya Bachchan It will release on July 28 as last seen in ‘Pathaan’ in January this year Her ‘Fighter’ alongside Hrithik Roshan and ‘Project K’ abh Bachchan, and Kamal Haasan

Mahesh Bhatt won’t 'burden' Alia with 'delusion she is the most talented actor'

Ranbir and Rashmika Mandanna’s ‘Animal’ release postponed

Ranbir Kapoor and Rashmika Mandanna starrer ‘Animal’ have postponed the release date of the much-awaited actionthriller The movie was initially slated to hit the theatres on August 11 The new release date is yet to be announced Helmed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, the movie also stars Anil Kapoor and Bobby Deol in the lead roles.

Veteran actor Dharmendra penned an emotional note to his wife Hema Malini and daughters Esha and Ahana for not personally inviting them to grandson Karan Deol’s recent wedding He took to Instagram to post a note about his regret, seemingly blaming his old age for the error.

Sharing an old picture with his eldest daughter Esha, Dharmendra wrote a note addressing his daughters, sons-in-law and Hema He wrote, “Esha, Ahana, Hema and all my darling kids loving Takhtani’s and Vohra’s l love you and respect you all from the core of my heart age and illness is t e l l i n g u p o n m e I c o u l d h a v e s p o k e n personally to to you but ”

D h a r m e n d r a w a s f i r s t m a r r i e d t o Prakash Kaur and had sons Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol and daughters Ajieta and Vijeta with her Hema is his second wife Earlier t h i s m o n t h , S u n n y ' s e l d e s t s o n K a r a n married Drisha Acharya While everyone f r o m t h e D e o l f a m i l y a t t e n d e d t h e c e r e m o n i e s , H e m a a n d h e r d a u g h t e r s ’ absences were noticed

However, Esha did wish the new couple on their wedding "Congratulations Karan and Drisha Wishing you both a lifetime of togetherness and happiness (red heart and e v i l e y e a m u l e t e m o j i s ) , ” s h e w r o t e Responding to her, Karan wrote on his Instagram Story, "Thank you so much ”

Dharmendra married Prakash Kaur in 1953 when he was yet to make his Bollywood debut While working in films, his closeness w i t h t h e f a m o u s a c t r e s s H e m a M a l i n i started growing and in 1980 the two tied the knot Dharmendra and Hema appeared in films like 'The Burning Train,' ‘Sholay,’ ‘Raja Jani,’ ‘Baghavat,’ ‘Dharm Aur Qanoon’ and ‘Do Dishayen ’

On the work front, Dharmendra will soon be seen in director Karan Johar's film ‘Rocky aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani’ alongside Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt The film is all set to release on July 28, 2023 Apart from that, he also has Shahid Kapoor and Kriti Sanon's upcoming untitled romantic film

On Twitter, film trade analyst Taran Adarsh shared the updates He tweeted, “ # X c l u s i v A n i m a l n o t a r r i v i n g o n Independence Day weekend #Animalstarring #RanbirKapoor and directed by #SandeepReddyVanga - *won’t* release on 1 1 A u g 2 0 2 3 Y e s , t h e f i l m h a s b e e n postponed A new release date will be a n n o u n c e d i n t h e c o m i n g d a y s #BhushanKumar ”

Alia

Bhatt has created quite the niche, establishing herself among the most successful Bollywood actresses She has a massive fan following and is backed by an entire section of the film industry who vouch for her acting chops While we all love her performances, her father and filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt begs t differ when people call her “the most gifted actor.”

In a recent media interaction, he said he doesn’t want his daughter to be burdened with “the delusion that she is the most talented actor ” He said, “First of all, using the most gifted actor for Alia is not the right t h i n g b e c a u s e t h e i n d u s t r y i s f u l l o f e x t r a o r d i n a r y t a l e n t s A n d I w o u l d n o t burden that girl of mine with the delusion that she is the most talented actor She has had a successful inning so far based on her

c h o i c e s a n d t h e c o n t r i b u t i o n s o f e r s a n d d i r e c t o r s t o h e r and ” Mahesh then lauded Alia f o r b a g g i n g h e r f i r s t i n t e r n a t i o n a l p r o j e c t a n d s a i d t h a t “ s h e h a s a n i n t e r e s t i n g r o l e ” i n t h e ‘Heart of Stone ’ Alia plays the role of the film’s villain, Keya Dhawan H e s a i d , “ T o r e a c h ywood, you have to begin with a role that is engaging, and I bet she wouldn’t have done that if she wouldn’t have found it worthy of the time that she gave to it, and I don’t know what the entire script is unless she comes and gives me the script, but I believe she has an interesting role ”

D i r e c t e d b y T o m H a r p e r , ‘ H e a r t o f Stone’ also stars Matthias Schweighöfer, Jing Lusi and Paul Ready The movie will debut o n N e t f l i x o n A u g u s t 1 1 , j u s t b e f o r e Independence Day in India

Parineeti, Raghav pray at Golden Temple ahead of wedding preparations

Parineeti Chopra and her fiancee Raghav Chadha visited the Golden Temple in Amritsar over the weekend The two were twinning in white and were seen with folded hands while walking in the temple premises. The two got engaged in May and are preparing for their wedding this year.

Sharing a picture from t h e G o l d e n T e m p l e , P a r i n e e t i w r o t e o n Instagram, “My visit this time was even more s p e c i a l ; w i t h h i m b y m y s i d e

@raghavchadha88 Vaahe Guru da Khalsa

Vaahe Guru di fateh ”

Raghav and Parineeti had exchanged rings on May 13 at Kapurthala house in New Delhi in the presence of their close family members and several high-profile guests Actress Priyanka Chopra had flown down to Delhi for the ceremony, which also had Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab c

T h e c o u p l e w a s r e c e n t l y s p o t t e d scouting for locations in Udaipur for the wedding, hinting that they will follow in her cousin Priyanka and Nick Jonas' footsteps in tying the knot in Rajasthan Parineeti and R a g h a v r e p o r t e d l y k n e w e a c h o t h e r f o r several years before they began dating Parineeti will soon be seen opposite Diljit Dosanjh in ‘Chamkila ’ Helmed by Imtiaz Ali, the film revolves around two famous Punjabi singers Amarjot Kaur and Amar Singh Chamkila They were shot dead in stark daylight before they were to perform at an event Chamkila was just 27 at the time of his death

A pre-teaser of the movie from last month began with several people wielding axes and wearing skull masks, white shirts, black waistcoats, and ties Ranbir walked in with an axe to fight with the group He swung his axe as he killed several people In the first look poster of the film, he held an axe under his arm, with blood stains on his shoulder, as he lit a cigarette

After wrapping up shooting last month, Rashmika penned a long emotional note on her Instagram stories A part of her note read, "Rkaaaaayyy, I think initially because he is #ranbirkapoor I was super nervous but my god!!! Our little secret God has really t a k e n h i s t i m e t o m a k e h i m p e r f e c t y a B r i l l i a n t a c t o r A m a a a z i n g h u m a nEverything else - Crazy no?”

She added, "Love it but what a beautiful human he is ya I only wish the best for him for life and woaaaaahhhhh wait haveeeee to say this RK in Animal is the bomb I don't think people are ready for him yet but the release is coming sooooooooonn I am super duper excited for the team ”

Sara responds to chatter around her temple visits

Sara Ali Khan toured across the country for her ‘Zara

Hatke Zara Bachke’ promotions recently

The actress was spotted visiting various religious places, right from Ajmer Sharif dargah, to Kedarnath, to more recently Ujjain Mahakaleshwar Temple in Mumbai. Her visits to temples have been a raging topic on social media. When asked about the buzz around it, she said she is far from being bothered if she even gets trolled.

“People are in the habit of it, whatever e n t e r t a i n s t h e m I d o n ’ t m i n d W h a t ’ s important is that my work needs to speak Finally after ZHZB I hashtag myself, and see articles talking about my songs, chemistry with Vicky, box office numbers, people are appreciating my film So if every third person is trolling me, I don’t mind Provided the work I do for the audiences does not go unnoticed, this is background noise,” Sara said

She adds that the buzz won’t prevent her from expressing her devotion “Aapko achha lagega, toh theek hai, nahi lagega, toh aisa nahi hai ki nahi jaaungi! It is my personal choice,” she says

Neeraj secures back-to-back Diamond League title

Oly m pi c ja v el i n th ro w g ol d medalist Neeraj Chopra, who h ad be en o ut o f ac ti o n f o r a m o n th d ue to i n ju ry, s en t a message to hi s rivals ahead of the u pc om i n g ath let i cs W o rl d Ch amp io ns hi ps i n Bu dapes t by wi nn in g back -to -back Di am on d League even ts with a strong throw of 87 66 metres in Lausanne

Neeraj, who was making a return to the javelin field after recovering from a muscle strain, came up with his best throw in h i s f i f t h a t t e m p t t o p i p Germany’s Julian Webber to the p o s t W e b b e r f i n i s h e d s e c o n d with an effort of 87 03m Jakub V a d l e j c h f r o m t h e C z e c h

R e p u b l i c s e c u r e d t h i r d p l a c e after throwing his spear to a distance of 86 13m

T h e c u r r e n t A s i a n G a m e s a n d C W G c h a m p i o n w a s s c h e d u l e d t o c o m p e t e a t t h e Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland and the FBK Games in Hengelo last month However, the 24y e a r - o l d u n d e r w e n t r e h a b i l i t a t i o n f o r h i s i n j u r y , initially in Doha and then in S w i t z e r l a n d ’ s M a g g l i n g e n , t o overcome the strain He had won t h e s e a s o n - o p e n i n g D i a m o n d League meet in Doha on May 5 w i t h a n e q u a l l y s e n s a t i o n a l effort of 88 67m His personal best stands at 89 94m

N e e r a j ' s c a m p a i g n i n Lausanne began with a foul, then he made throws of 83 52 metres and 85 04 metres He produced his winning throw of 87 66 metres after committing another foul in t h e f o u r t h r o u n d H e m a n a g e d 8 4 1 5 m o n h i s sixth and final throw

“Lausanne always treats me well I won here last year too, so I look forward to coming again next year and winning,” s a i d N e e r a j , r e f e r r i n g t o h i s maiden Diamond League title win here last year

After his win, Neeraj hinted that he would go straight to the

in brief

DJOKOVIC, SWIATEK WIN DURING WIMBELDON DAY 1

Worlds in Budapest, scheduled from August 19 to 27, without p a r t i c i p a t i n g i n a n y o t h e r events in Europe and elsewhere

T h e m e n ’ s j a v e l i n t h r o w q u a l i f i c a t i o n r o u n d w i l l t a k e place on August 25

All-women ground staff prepare Edgbaston Ashes wicket

A s he s f e ve r re t u r ne d t o E d gb a s t on on Ju l y 1 w he re

E ngland w omen took on Aus tralia in the f irst of three IT 20s

This match marks another milestone in the women's game as for the first time ever the wicket was prepared by an allw o m e n g r o u n d s t e a m

Edgbaston has assembled a team o f e i g h t f e m a l e s p o r t s t u r f specialists – led by Meg Lay, S p o r t s T u r f O p e r a t i v e a t G l o u c e s t e r s h i r e C C C ’ s S e a t Unique Stadium – as part of e f f o r t s t o p r o m o t e c r i c k e t careers for women and girls

Meg, who was one the first female ground staff members in professional cricket, hopes the initiative will encourage more

w o m e n t o f o l l o w i n h e r footsteps

She added: “The sports turf industry is 98% men If we want women to play on the biggest s t a g e s , w e n e e d w o m e n preparing those stages Getting

w o m e n i n v o l v e d i s n o t a n exercise in ticking a box, it is a b s o l u t e l y n e c e s s a r y f o r women ’ s sport to continue to thrive “ I l o v e t h e j o b a n d t h e i n d u s t r y i s i n c r e d i b l y

w e l c o m i n g B e i n g o u t s i d e a l l d a y , a n d h a v i n g w o r l d c l a s s athletes play on pitches I have prepared is a real buzz I could never go back to a ‘normal’ job

Meg’s team includes Sports

T u r f O p e r a t i v e s J a s m i n e N i c h o l l s , T a r a S a n d f o r d a n d Rachel Hunter-Worrall – from H e a d i n g l e y , A r s e n a l F C a n d Q u e e n E t h e l b u r g a ’ s C o l l e g e , Y o r k , r e s p e c t i v e l y – p l u s

W o r c e s t e r s h i r e C C C g r o u n d s apprentice Carlie Lambert

E m i l y G e a c h f r o m

B o c o n n o c C r i c k e t C l u b , C o r n w a l l , E l i z a b e t h P a r k e r , f r o m t h e m a t c h d a y g r o u n d s team at Essex CCC, and Zoe

J o n e s f r o m t h e A g e a s B o w l complete the line-up

Bharat Cricket Community announces BPL 7 tournament

The Bharat Cri cket Community ( BCC) has annou nced the start o f the seventh season of BPL 7 fo r cricket fans acro ss the UK This competitio n aims to bring the thri ll and co mpetition of the P re mi e r Le ag u e t o ne ar by c r i ck e t gr o u n ds wi t h i ts a b u nd an c e o f o u ts t an di n g players

Joining hands with local cricket clubs and communities, the BCC aims to revolutionise t h e c r i c k e t i n g e x p e r i e n c e f o r both players and fans alike The auction was completed on 30

June and now 9 teams will be competing S i m i l a r t o t h e I n d i a n p r e m i e r l e a g u e , t h e t o u r n a m e n t ' s s t r u c t u r e w i l l involve round-robin league play followed by knockout rounds The T20 format will be used for t h e m a t c h e s , g u a r a n t e e i n g f r a n t i c a c t i o n a n d e x c i t i n g contests A comprehensive set o f r u l e s a n d r e g u l a t i o n s w i l l r e g u l a t e t h e c o m p e t i t i o n i n order to preserve the fairness of the game

T h i s t o u r n a m e n t a i m s t o

Ahmedabad may host India-Pak world cup tie

T h e I ndi a- P a ki s tan gro u p s ta ge match of the 2023 50 -over World Cup, which w ill be h osted by India, w i ll take pla ce at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Octo ber 15, according to th e the schedu le released by Internatio nal Cricket Cou ncil ( ICC)

T h e P a k i s t a n C r i c k e t B o a r d (PCB), however, said it needs to get its government clearance for its participation “The PCB requires t h e g o v e r n m e n t o f P a k i s t a n ’ s clearance for any tour to India, including the match venues We are liaising with our government for guidance, and as soon as we hear s o m e t h i n g f r o m t h e m , w e w i l l update the event authority (ICC),” a PCB spokesperson said

A c c o r d i n g t o t h e s c h e d u l e ,

Ahmedabad will stage the World Cup opener on October 5 between

recognise and celebrate the local cricketing heroes who often go unnoticed By providing them with a platform to display their talent, the tournament not only offers them the opportunity to p l a y b u t a l s o i n s p i r e s t h e younger generation to pursue their cricketing dreams W i t h a f o c u s o n f a n e n g a g e m e n t , t h e t o u r n a m e n t will feature exciting promotions, i n t e r a c t i v e a c t i v i t i e s , a n d a f e s t i v e a t m o s p h e r e a t t h e grounds Spectators will have the c h a n c e t o w i t n e s s e n t h r a l l i n g

defending champions England and runners-up New Zealand

T h e t w o s e m i f i n a l s w i l l b e p l a y e d i n M u m b a i ’ s W a n k h e d e Stadium (on November 15) and the

E d e n G a r d e n s i n K o l k a t a

(November 16) If Pakistan make it to the semifinals, they will play the last four clash in Kolkata, while I n d i a , i f t h e y q u a l i f y f o r t h e semifinals, will play in Mumbai unless they are playing against

P a k i s t a n , i n w h i c h c a s e t h e i r match will be moved to Kolkata

Hosts India will begin their c a m p a i g n w i t h a c l a s h a g a i n s t

A u s t r a l i a o n O c t o b e r 8 i n

Chennai The World Cup will be

p l a y e d a c r o s s 1 0 v e n u e s -

H y d e r a b a d , A h m e d a b a d ,

D h a r a m s a l a ,

e l h i , C h e n n a i ,

cricketing action while enjoying a r a n g e o f e n t e r t a i n m e n t o p t i o n s , i n c l u d i n g l i v e m u s i c , food stalls and merchandise

The BCC's commitment to p r o m o t i n g e q u a l i t y a n d inclusivity extends to their IPLstyle tournament In an effort to s u p p o r t w o m e n ' s c r i c k e t a n d provide equal opportunities, the t o u r n a m e n t w i l l f e a t u r e a d e d i c a t e d w o m e n ' s d i v i s i o n T h i s w i l l n o t o n l y h e l p i n nurturing women's cricket but also inspire more girls to take up the sport

World Cup to be held without West Indies for first time

T he West Indies will no t be p art of the upcoming ODI World Cup for th e first time in the h istory of the tournament after being eliminated from th e qualifiers, a result that has plunged the Caribbean region’s cricket to an u nimaginable low Clive L loyd’ s team had wo n the first two editions of th e World Cup in 1975 and 1979 and played th e 1 98 3 final, in which they were beaten by India

Coming into the do-or-die Super Six contest, West Indies, packed with some T20 superstars, suffered an embarrassing seven-wicket defeat to Scotland after managing a modest 181 in 43 5 overs It was an impressive show by the Scots, especially by allrounder Brandon McMullen, who first took three wickets and then scored a patient 69 off 106 balls to steer his side to a famous victory This appears to be the final nail in the coffin for West Indies cricket, which has been in terminal decline for the past two decades

West Indies placed ninth in the ODI Super League and only the top eight teams received direct access to the 10-team e v e n t , t h e y w e r e f o r c e d t o c o m p e t e i n t h e W o r l d C u p Qualifiers Ironically, West Indies were forced to play the qualifier before the 2019 World Cup too, but eventually managed to finish in top two along with Afghanistan to save themselves from embarrassment

Despite a one-hour rain delay the defending men s champion Novak Djokovic and the women's top seed Iga Swiatek both won their opening matches at Wimbledon Djokovic defeated Pedro Cachin to extend his incredible streak at SW19 while Swiatek defeated Zhu Lin Fourth seed Jessica Pegula, three-time Grand Slam finalist Casper Ruud, multiple Grand Slam winner Victoria Azarenka and Andrey Rublev were among the big names that advanced to the second round Meanwhile, in battle of the wild cards, five-time Wimbledon winner Venus Williams lost to Elina Svitolina in straight sets Novak Djokovic helped dry the grass on Wimbledon’s Centre Court with his towel before picking up where he defeated Argentina’s Pedro Cachin 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) in his opening match on Monday The Serbian second seed was broken in the third game when he double-faulted but hit back immediately to level at 2-2 Djokovic broke again in the eighth game before serving out the set as he pursued a record-tying ninth Wimbledon men s singles victory The delay didn t phase Djokovic who was aiming to surpass Margaret Court s record of 24 Grand Slam singles victories He broke in the opening game of the second set to seize control of the match and repeated the feat to win the set Cachin, ranked 68th dug deep in the third set, with neither player able to force a break in the early evening sunshine Djokovic was immediately on top in the tie-break, surging into a 6-2 lead and he wrapped up the match when Cachin netted

OZ WIN 2ND ASHES TEST DESPITE STOKES CENTURY

England captain Ben Stokes’ swashbuckling 155 was in vain as Australia won the second Ashes Test at Lord s by 43 runs on an extraordinary final day to take a 2-0 lead in the five-Test series After Jonny Bairstow s dubious dismissal, Stokes smashed nine sixes and nine fours to launch a scorching attack that revived hopes of a repetition of his stunning match-winning innings against the Australians at Headingley four years prior But with 70 runs needed for victory, he skied Josh Hazlewood to wicketkeeper Alex Carey, who had earlier riled him by stumping Bairstow for 10 after the batsman left his crease at the end of an over Stokes responded to the loud boos from the fans by hitting three sixes in an over off Cameron Green to achieve his century At lunch, he was undefeated on 108, and England still needed 128 runs to tie the series After the break, he maintained his onslaught by hitting Hazlewood for six, and Steve Smith dropped him at deep square leg The fans erupted in glee as Smith the former captain of Australia and often one of the safest pairs of hands, allowed the ball to escape his grip

As he and Stuart Broad established a century partnership for the seventh wicket, Stokes welcomed Mitchell Starc back into the attack with two more maximums with Broad contributing 11 Before trying to clear the ropes once more and handing Carey a simple catch, Stokes dipped Green for two to pass 150 off 197 balls Stokes then left the field to a rousing ovation Australia’s relief was palpable and the end came quickly Josh Tongue and James Anderson gamely added an unlikely 27 runs but Hazlewood bowled the former for 19 to dismiss England for 327 and seal victory for the Australians

Neeraj Chopra