AV 11th August 2018

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Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

11 - 17 AUGUST 2018 - VOL 47 ISSUE 15

UNITY IN DIVERSITY

How a Muslim and Hindu family live together to overcome all barriers and inhibitions

inside: ‘Kalaignar’ Karunanidhi Is No More SEE PAGE 26

India third Asian nation to get STA-1 status from US SEE PAGE 26

At a time when race and religion has dramatically divided people, two families in Bharuch district of Gujarat has overcome all barriers and inhibitions to harmoniously cohabit. Friends Mohammed Mali and Raman Mali did the unthinkable when years ago they decided to bring their families together and live like one. History of the country stands witness to the animosity that has perhaps only grown over time between Hindus and Muslims. Emerging as a prime example of secular living, the friendship and mutual respect between the two friends have now been passed down generations.

A sight worth seeing, while one family does pooja in the temple room, another family offers namaz in the house. With just one kitchen, they make sure meals are made for all and eaten together. Proof that their compatibility isn't just for show, children of either families are well-versed in the other religion's scriptures. Mohammed's children are well educated in the Bhagwad Gita and Ramayana, while Raman Mali's children know the Quran like the back of their hand.

Friendship between both the men began with the

business of flowers, over 5 decades back. In a bid to share the good and the bad, instead of living in separate houses, they brought their families under one roof. Today, it has been 17 years since Mohammed died following a severe illness, and 10 years since Raman fell victim to a grave road accident. Even so, their generations continue to keep their fathers' heritage alive by living together.

Mohammed is survived by his wife Mumtaz and four daughters, while Raman has left behind his wife, a son, and three daughters. Mumtaz's daughters were married off by Raman's son. All four of them are currently settled in Canada and send Rakhi to their brother every year.

The bond has passed the test of time. India has tolerated several race-provoked riots across states. Gujarat itself has endured two different sets of Hindu-Muslim riots- once in 1992 and another in 2002. Hatred was so high in the air that there have been reports of people butchering their neighbours over their faith. Surprisingly, none of those incidents even touched the families and they faced the situation in the face, refusing to let it affect their relations.

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11 - 17 August 2018

onetoone WITH KEITH VAZ, MP

Luis Fonseca was born in India and has earned his place in history as the first Daman Councillor in the history of Leicester. He is now one of the Councillors of North Evington Ward. It is one of the safest seats in the country. As a Councillor, he tries to make a difference to the quality of his constituents’ daily lives and prospects.

Luis has to balance the needs and interests of his constituents and the Council. Listening to his constituent's issues and delivering, is part of his job. Besides these they also contribute to the implementation of Councils policy.

Luis is also a Vice-Chair of the Health and Well-Being scrutiny commission and a scrutiny member for the Neighborhood services and community involvement scrutiny commission. Scrutiny is about monitoring and reviewing Council services and decisions of the City Mayor and his cabinet and holds them to account for their decisions. Luis is involved in Licensing too. These make legitimate demands on our time, on top of the demands and needs of our personal and professional lives. But Luis loves his job.

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Which place, or city or country do you most feel at home Leicester, United Kingdom. All are made to feel welcome in this great historical city. It is one of the most culturally diverse cities in the UK in particular. The bonhomie and camaraderie exuded by this city is second to none. At times of crises, it stands united

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Labour Party’s vision in terms of social justice, like Strong community and strong values, reward for hard work, decency and rights inspires me. For me, there is no substitute for hard work, dedication and taking responsibility for the work one is entrusted upon.

Another aspect, I would like to bring into this equation is the importance of teamwork.

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What has been biggest obstacle in your career?

This is not an ideal world. We would like to have everything going our way, but this is not possible.

The austerity measures implemented by the current National Government do not allow this to happen. Less money for the Local Government, the spending cuts have all contributed to a negative impact on delivery of services at times.

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to deter the troublemakers.

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

A number of people were very influential in me taking a step into politics. My work with the community was recognised by them, and I was advised about taking this forward and working within the ward level at a much larger scale, which I did, after being elected.

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What are your proudest achievements?

Being elected a ward councillor for Leicester City Council has to be one of my proudest achievements.

Community life has always been an impor-

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What inspires you?

Luis Fonseca

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tant part of me. The desire to work with people has always been my strength. I profess in doing my utmost to render necessary help to the constituents.

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What is the best aspect about your current role?

Working with my constituents has always been my forte. You need to be comfortable with people. Getting their issues sorted out,

And the worst?

As I said, this is not an ideal world. At times you cannot satisfy all. There will always be someone who is not too pleased. There are habitual mourners. We need to have thick skin and not really be affected by negative criticism at times. Try to do our best to alleviate bad outcomes.

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What are your long term goals?

To continue working as a councillor for some more years at the very least (provided I am elected one).

Being involved in some kind of charitable work in due course is very much on the agenda. I am sure that I will do my level best to achieve this goal.

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

Well, unfortunately, I do not aspire to be one. But I am very much a fan of Human Rights and the nine protected characteristics in the Equality Act 2010. This should be adhered to strictly at all cost no matter what.

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

Martin Luther King Jr. He was a Baptist Minister with strong Christian belief. I admire the way he worked for the advancement of civil rights through nonviolence, inspired by Mahatma Gandhi and civil disobedience resorted to by him which in the long run changed the course of history. I admire him.

Ealing MP slams Tories for Islamaphobia after Boris Johnson compared Muslim women to 'bank robbers' Labour MP Rupa Huq has hit back at Boris Johnson 's comments comparing women wearing the niqab to letter boxes, saying she was "appalled" that a "middle class, portly white man" was telling women what they should and shouldn't wear.

It came as Labour politicians and constituents queued up to condemn Mr Johnson's comments made in a Daily Telegraph column on Monday (August Rupa Huq Boris Johnson 6). should and shouldn’t wear.

In the piece, the Uxbridge MP and forHere we have proof, if further proof were mer Foreign Secretary, Mr Johnson, also needed, that the Tories have a problem with compared Muslim women in what he misislamophobia." takenly called 'burkas' to bank robbers and Peter Curling, leader of the Labour rebellious teenagers, and said he would group in Hillingdon, said Mr Johnson should expect his constituents to remove face covapologise to his constituents in Uxbridge erings when talking to him at his MP’s and South Ruislip. Mr Johnson recently surgery. faced calls to resign as MP following his deciEaling MP Rupa Huq, whose parents sion not to vote against plans to build a third came to the UK from Bangladesh in the runway when they were debated in 1960s, said: "Boris Johnson is not in a 1970s Parliament. However he resigned from his style 'mind your language' sitcom. He’s suppost as Foreign Secretary last month, soon posed to be a statesman and we’re in the 21st after claiming he could not support Prime century. I’m not a fan of the burqa either but Minister Theresa May's position on Brexit. this quote is reprehensible on so many levels.

Mr Johnson has been reported to the "I’m appalled at him, a middle class portEquality and Human Rights Commission. ly white man telling women what they

Thugs who robbed elderly Asian victims jailed Violent robbers who used stolen mopeds to target victims for jewellery have been jailed for 32 years. The two young men even stabbed one of their victims during their three-month spree, where they targeted people in Hammersmith and Fulham as well as in Croydon, Lambeth, Kingston, Sutton and Merton.

Mikelle Alexander, 21, and Karim Hussain, 20, used stolen mopeds in the robberies working both together and separately between September and December 2017.

Police have said that their victims were often elderly Asian residents who were targeted for their gold jewellery.

A forensic DNA search returned Hussain's name and he was arrested on December 9 and charged with 11 offences of robbery, theft from a motor vehicle and fraud by false representation.

Both men were found guilty following a 19-day trial at Croydon Crown Court on June 29. Hussain was sentenced on Friday (August 3) to 15 years' imprisonment.

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COMMENTS

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11 - 17 August 2018

Deepening Indo-US understanding A clear sign of an unfolding Indo-US understanding is the passage of a Senate bill modifying previous legislation that made it mandatory for the Trump Administration to impose sanctions on countries such as India and Vietnam who traditionally met much of their defence requirements from Russia. Earlier, India had made a robust representation to Washington that its sanctions regime against Russia lacked the United Nations imprimatur, and hence would be unacceptable, putting at risk India’s blossoming ties with the United States.

American hysteria on the Russian threat has echoes of the McCarthy anti-Communist witch hunt of the early 1950s. However, that is in an internal matter for the American people to resolve. Any spillover into foreign policy would scarcely be in America’s national interest.

It is a strongly held Indian view that an unwilling Russia should not be driven into China’s gravitational orbit. Moscow will always be subject to its own longerterm geopolitical goals, as history has repeatedly shown; Soviet Russia aligned with India during the fractious years of the Sino-Soviet dispute, when, for a time Washington was Beijing’s ally against Moscow and Delhi.

India cannot be expected to jettison its tried and tested Russian relationship at the bidding of a late comer third party. Russia is a great power in its own right and has been so since the era of Peter the Great, and will remain so, whatever the West may say or do. Alongside the United States it is the world’s foremost military superpower. It is not in India’s interest, nor should it be in America’s, to see the development of any sort of Russo-Chinese condominium on the Eurasian landmass.

This self-evident truth, it would appear, is making a welcome impact on the Trump Administration. As India will not dilute its sovereign right to make its own strategic choices on partners, there is enough space for good sense to prevail, and an agreeable Indian-American understanding on their respective security interests in Asia.

Chinese trade practices and naval aggrandizement in the South China Sea is a wakeup call to India and the United States. There is an unspoken but very real attempt

by China to assert an hegemonic influence there and

elsewhere The Chinese leadership appears to believe that the country’s historical moment has come. Its militarization of Tibet and its claims to India’s Arunachal Pradesh – a territory equivalent to the size of Switzerland – has to be treated with the utmost seriousness. Beijing’s peremptory economic blockade of Mongolia on the excuse that, Mongolia by inviting the Dalai Lama to pay a visit to the country had violated China’s ‘core interest,’ and would thus have to pay a price for its impertinence.

The United States has responded to the Chinese challenge by informing New Delhi that India has been given a priority status similar to that enjoyed by Washington’s NATO allies in the procurement of American dual-use defence equipment that would take India to the next level.

There are currently 36 countries on this STA-1 list, joining India, Japan and South Korea from Asia. With this agreement, India’s defence industry can get licences to manufacture these technologies domestically.

Ahead of the 2+2 dialogue between the Indian and US foreign and defence ministers on September 6, this deal lays the ground for further progress going forward. The Obama Administration’s ‘Pivot to Asia’ in substance was more a pivot to China His first visit to the continent was to Beijing, where he announced that China had a partnering role in the maintenance of peace in the Indian subcontinent.

In light of Beijing’s ‘all-weather ties’ with Pakistan, its refusal to place a known Pakistani jihadi on the UN terrorist list, to which the US and Russia have affixed their signatures, plus Beijing’s stubborn unwillingness to permit India to join the international Nuclear Technology Suppliers Group despite its proven track record on nuclear non-proliferation, in contrast to Pakistan’s transfer of nuclear weapon and missile technologies of Chinese provenance to North Korea and others. Again the US and Russia have supported India’s membership of this club. The Trump Administration will discuss these issues with China more robustly than the Obama dispensation ever did. We are heading for interesting times.

Attention to technology is an imperative The first and second Industrial Revolutions guaranteed European ascendancy over the planet. The following revolutions led to the economic transformation of the United States from a largely agrarian society to an industrial and technological behemoth, a military superpower whose innovation and entrepreneurial energies placed it at the pinnacle of global authority.

Beyond this magic circle, Japan and Russia went about their modernization in similar, though not in identical vein.

Japan was opened up to the world by Commodore Perry’s arrival from the United States, breaching the sanctified seclusion of the Tokugawa Shogunate and the convulsive change in the political order climaxed by the Meiji Restoration.

As the first Asian country to industrialize, Japan, for a while, became an inspiration for the emergent nations of the continent. Finally, the industrialization of the Soviet Union in the aftermath of the Bolshevik Revolution of October 1917, and its frenetic pace in the 1930s was the transformative achievement in the enabling ‘Great Patriotic War’ to emerge victorious over Nazi Germany. In due course, the USSR was the first nation to send a satellite into space, followed by a manned spacecraft a few years later the platform for contemporary Russia’s military equivalence to that of the United States.

Japan’s post-war reconstruction was based on the technologies of the Third Industrial Revolution. The country’s advance since has made it the third-largest economic power after the United States and China. China,

South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore are no longer Third World but First World economies.

India started her post-Independence era, socially backward, economically primitive, prey to severe food shortages if the rains failed. The pains of labour have often been acute, but the economic transformation has been sweeping, if haltuing, in parts. With the world’s sixthlargest economy and also the fast-growing large economy, a space power and much else including food security, the bedrock of the Indian performance has, however, been in the service sector whose driving force has been the Fourth Industrial Revolution based on Information Technology.

India is now a global software power straddling continents.

The next step, robotics, cloud computing and Artificial Intelligence are routes to the future.

What is thus required is a coherent technology policy through skills development. The institutions for these are mostly fledging.There must therefore be sustained coordination between government and the private sector to create the desired platform for the next level going forward. The entry of global specialists with a strong grounding in technology is the need of the hour. Bright young Indians have made it big in the US fulfilling the American dream. They have contributed in no small measure to the global technology renaissance. India has much to gain by drawing on attracting talent pool of the diaspora in whatever way possible to spur India’s rejuvenation. This surely is the challenge, among myriad challenges, facing India today.

Indo-UK heritage site overcomes commercial obstacle The Strand Continental Hotel situated at the corner of the Strand and Aldwych, with a restaurant serving Indian cuisine and a bar on the floors below is the iconic India Club founded way back in 1951. Apart from the South Asian diaspora, the India Club restaurant and hotel managed most capably by Yagda Marker, was a favourite watering hole for students and academics from the London School of Economics and King’s College nearby.

The relaxed atmosphere, drink in hand and a plateful of Indian savories or dining on Indian cuisine upstairs leavened with convivial conversation after a hard day was

reviving.

Mr Marker has assiduously refurbished the hotel from its once down-at-heel furnishings. The cost of a room is eminently affordable for those lacking deep pockets.

The owners of the property had planned to convert the building into a luxury hospitality establishment with prices to match. Permission to do was refused by Westminster Council, much to the satisfaction and delight of Mr Marker and India Club habitués. And those absent spirits who cherish warm memories of the place and its surroundings.

The most important thing in the world is family and love.

- John Wooden

Alpesh Patel

Indian terrorists at it again Actually, when I say Indian, they don’t consider themselves Indian. I am talking about the KhalistaniKashmiri Pakistani supported alliance. An unholy alliance often groups proscribed under UK terrorism legislation.

There will be burnings of the Indian flag at Trafalgar Square on 12th August – so they’ve promised. I find it entertaining that they will take great effort at their homes to paint lots and lots of Indian flags.

I assume there will be effigies too – very Taliban thing to do. Clearly the kind of ISIS like State they want to build sees a rush of applicants. Basically, a handful of muppets, old and young, radicalised in places of worship like the Islamic fundamentalists are. @DalKhalsaUK pops up a lot on Twitter. Wants a referendum for Punjab. Please can Yorkshire have one too? I know referenda are popular nowadays, also known as Plebiscites. But you’re hardly oppressed, subject to occupation by an invading Army. Not exactly Palestine in Punjab is it? By the way, what about Pakistan – you never have an unkind word for Punjab in Pakistan. I wonder why? No I don’t I know why. In fact the hard core religious extremist state you want to create is the oppression you seek to impose and why you just don’t have the numbers. You’re more ISIS. Calling India a Hindutva State just damages your own credibility. India is as much Hindutva to nonHindus as Great Britain is a Protestant nationalist stronghold to non-Protestants. You’re real beef is that it is a secular country by constitution and practice.

And you want it to be a religious hardcore site.

And you know how I know you don’t have any support, other than your own venom. Because I’ve been to the Golden Temple. I received sacred rites there, and been treated, as a Hindu with the utmost respect and I had for all those there. Your using a place and people who detest you – those who you claim are your own. They’re not.

But it’s not the cause, it the puppet masters that are the problem. These are useful idiots of Pakistan’s ISI. They are at the precursor stage of ISIS. They want a Taliban Sharia State of their own in their own extremist version of their own faith.

All faiths have extremists who want to emulate ISIS. And the rule book for grooming and indoctrination of youth is well trodden and the end result is terror suspects like Jaggi are imprisoned. That the Labour Party and MPs from Labour are natural supporters is no surprise. After all this is the Party whose rightful defence of Palestinians leads to blindness against Israel to the point of anti-Semitism. So their love of this perceived militant underdog blinds them to their own motherland. British Indian MPs – you’re Indian. You may not like it, but that just is a character flaw in you. You are an Indian. It’s time not to be a useful Idiot too to Pakistan.

And you really need new strategists if you think the Scottish Referendum and the Brexit vote is the way to portray yourself, or allying yourself to Kashmiris working with Pakistan. And you know how we know you’re fundamentalists? When children with strict dress codes are told to preach the message on social media. Sound familiar? ISIS is your role model.

It’s why you have to bully parents to force children to do these things. An social services are rightly alerted.

You could do so much for your heritage, instead like ISIS, you bring shame upon it and yourselves.

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

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English Defence League's leader’s Guantanamo prison claim rubbished by former detainee Moazzam Begg Birmingham-based former Guantanamo Bay detainee Moazzam Begg has criticised Tommy Robinson for comparing the notorious detention centre with the Midlands prison where he was recently held.

The English Defence League founder was released on bail from Onley jail, near Rugby, this week after the court of appeal ordered that he should be retried on a contempt of court charge.

Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Christopher YaxleyLennon, claimed he lost 40lb, eating one tin of tuna and a piece of fruit a day in solitary confinement. He added: "I was supposed to be in Her Majesty's Prison Service, not Guantanamo Bay." Speaking on Fox News, the 35-year-old told conservative talkshow Tucker Carlson Tonight that he had been the victim of a “kangaroo court” in the UK. He said that, after being moved prisons, he was put in solitary confinement for two months which resulted in the shortening of his legal visits and the disruption of his legal access.

"This case, the world has watched it, it's shocked them, for me this has been nothing new."

Robinson claimed on the show that other prisoners threw excrement and spat through his ground floor cell window.

Moazzam Begg

Tommy Robinson

But Moazzam Begg tweeted: “No #TommyRobinson. UK prisons are nothing like #Guantanamo.

“I’ve been held in both without trial.

“Don’t compare them and cry to #Trump backers #FoxNews because you couldn’t handle a few weeks inside.

“I take it now you’ve joined the campaign to #closeGitmo?”

The prison camp was opened at the south eastern end of Cuba

by George W Bush to hold terrorism suspects captured overseas after the Twin Towers attacks in September 2001.

Inmates were held without trial for year amid accusations of torture.

Bush's successor Barack Obama failed to close the site as

promised, though prisoner numbers were reduced to 41 and he did end the use of 'enhanced interrogation techniques'.

President Trump said last year he wanted to upgrade the facility. During the Fox News interview, Robinson claimed he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after a fivemonth period of solitary confinement in 2012.

On Twitter, where he has 24,000 followers, Moazzam Begg says he is an "Author, exGuantanamo prisoner, war on terror consultant & advocate for the rights of those held unjustly.

Director of Outreach, CAGE." Born in 1968, he was the subject of a documentary film called The Confession which was screened at MAC Birmingham

two years ago.

Dogwoof, the film’s distributor and sales agent, said: “Moazzam Begg is the son of a retired bank manager in Birmingham, (Begg) emerged from a youth spent fighting neonazis on the streets of Sparkhill to a devout man, dedicated to Islam.

“Sympathetic to the struggles of Muslims around the world – the Bosnian war and the Chechen rebellion – Begg became fascinated with the ideas of jihad, putting him on the radar of British Intelligence.

“Moving his family to Taliban-run Afghanistan in 2001, after 9/11 he fled across the border into Pakistan only to find himself abducted and transferred into US military custody, first in detention sites in Kandahar, and then Bagram.

Begg was arrested by West Midlands Police in February 2014 and accused of attending a terrorist training camp in Syria in 2013 and of arranging delivery of a generator to the war-torn country. He was cleared of seven terrorism charges in October 2014.

In the Confession film, Begg said he was determined to try to have his day in court when his last arrest led to him spending months in Belmarsh Prison.

Husband stole wife's car and drove it through the front of John Lewis store in Solihull A man has admitted stealing his wife’s car and deliberately driving it into the front of the John Lewis store in Solihull.

Shahzad Rafiq caused over £46,000 damage when he smashed the Vauxhall Corsa through the front doors and windows.

Birmingham crown court heard how Rafiq, 41, had a history of mental illness and was sectioned a couple of days later.

Rafiq, of Yardley Wood Road, Yardley , had been due to stand trial over the incident, but on the day of his trial changed his pleas.

He admitted aggravated vehicle taking and also damaging property belonging to John Lewis causing £46,767. His barrister, Simon Williams, told the court how the incident hap-

pened at around 7.15pm on April 16 last year. He took his wife’s 2014-plate Vauxhall Corsa without her permission and drove into Solihull town centre.

“The defendant drove it through the doors of the John Lewis store, causing a lot of damage. He was detained by the security guard and was arrested when police arrived,” Mr Williams said.

The court heard how the smash had caused damage to the front doors of the store, as well as the windows, security posts and stock inside the windows.

The following day he was questioned by police , but officers had to abort the interviews because of concerns over his mental health.

A doctor was called in who

Shahzad Rafiq (inset) stole his wife’s car and drove it into the front of John Lewis

assessed him and concluded he had to be sectioned and was taken to a psychiatric unit.

Mr Williams said his client has a history of mental illness and is currently receiving psychiatric treatment in the communi-

ty and is also estranged from his wife.

His sentence was adjourned until September 13 for reports, including one from a psychiatrist, to be completed, and he was released on conditional bail.

Paedophile used computer games to groom young boy he raped and sexually abused A predatory paedophile who used computer games to groom a young boy he raped and sexually abused has been jailed.

Anwar Ali, 33, abused the child for four years.

Police said he would use computer games to lure the boy away from other people before sexually assaulting him on numerous occasions. He later raped the child. Ali’s sickening crimes were uncovered after a tip-off led officers from GMP’s Child Protection Unit to seize and examine one of his computers. Searches revealed that it had

been used to view indecent images of children and Ali was arrested. The extent of the abuse was then discovered.

He denied assaulting the victim, now a teenager, forcing him to give evidence in court.

Ali, of Chapel Street, Hyde, was found guilty of five counts of rape of a child under 12; four counts of sexual assault; and two counts of accessing indecent images of children following a trial at Minshull Street Crown Court. He was sentenced to 21 years in prison. Police chiefs praised the victim’s bravery.

Anwar Ali

Detective Constable Louise Isherwood from GMP’s Child Protection Unit said: “Ali is a sexual predator who not only used a young boy’s interest in computer games to abuse him

over a prolonged period, but had the audacity to plead innocence from the point of police interview and right throughout the trial, forcing the victim to relive this horrific ordeal.

“But, thanks to the courage of his victim – who did not want to tell his friends and family about this abuse and coped with it on his own before receiving specialist support from officers – we have today’s sentence, which sends out a clear message that no matter when these types of crime happen, they will be taken very seriously.”

in brief HOSPITAL CONSULTANT

VIBHORE GUPTA CLEARED OF SEX ASSAULTS A Birmingham hospital consultant has been cleared of sexually assaulting a woman. A jury at Birmingham crown court found Vibhore Gupta, 53, not guilty of four charges of sexual assault and one other serious sexual charge.

The trial heard how Gupta, a father, of Widney Close, Harborne , was a consultant at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital's accident and emergency department.

A 23-year-old woman claimed three of the alleged assaults took place in his office, while another occurred in the postgraduate centre of the hospital. She claimed that the sexual assaults had consisted of Gupta putting his hand on her breast and forcibly kissing her. She had also alleged that the serious sexual assault took place in his office when he had locked the door.

But Gupta denied all the allegations and said there was no sexual contact between them and the woman's claims were "fantasy".

TAXI DRIVER CLEARED OF SEXUALLY ASSAULTING PASSENGER A taxi driver accused of sexually assaulting a passenger has been cleared of any wrongdoing. Tariq Ali, 54, from Crumpsall, denied three counts of sexual assault and was found not guilty by a jury following a trial. He said the woman was making the allegations up.

Manchester Crown Court earlier heard that the complainant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was picked up from her home by Mr Ali, who worked for Cresta Cars. He was taking her to an appointment at North Manchester General Hospital, which he had done before. She alleged that Mr Ali sexually assaulted her in the taxi.

After being arrested, Mr Ali told police it was the woman who initiated contact and that he refused her. Mr Ali, of Lidiard Street, Crumpsall, accepted he was the taxi driver, but denied the allegations. He told the court it was the woman who ‘tried it on with him’.

MAN CHARGED WITH STAGING BOMB HOAX A man has been charged with staging a bomb hoax after a suspicious package was found in a parked car in a city street two months ago.

Riyaz Khan, 26, of Gilbert Close, Leicester, faced the charge at court today after an incident in Huntingdon Road, between Gipsy Lane and Fairfax Road on June 4.

The 26-year-old appeared via video link at Leicester Magistrates’ Court where he was charged with bomb hoax (placing an article with intent), criminal damage and three counts of making an indecent image of a child.

In June, Khan was charged at the same court with the offence of stalking involving serious alarm and distress and was remanded into custody.

During the incident, homes within a 50 metre radius were evacuated and the bomb squad were called in to remove a suspicious item in a red Peugeot car in Huntingdon Road.

Several roads in the immediate vicinity of Huntingdon Road were also cordoned off for nine hours after police received the report of a suspicious package.

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11 - 17 August 2018

Charity of the year 2018

Oracle Cancer Trust: The Charity Tackling India’s Most Common Cancer Compiled by Emma Colliver, Former Oracle Cancer Trust Head of Fundraising Everyone knows someone who has been affected by cancer. But few may be aware of the particularly devastating impact of head and neck cancer in the Indian subcontinent.

Head and neck cancer is now the most common cancer in developing countries1 and the most common cancer in India, constituting around a third of the total cancer burden in men2.

These statistics are worrying in themselves but even more so when combined with the fact that nearly twothirds of head and neck cancer patients in India present when their cancer is at an advanced stage, making it harder to treat.1 Head and neck cancer doesn’t just have a devastating impact on cancer patients and those close to them. It also impacts a country’s economy. Findings in 2010 suggest that the most conservative estimate of welfare losses due to head and neck cancer in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh was US$16.9 billion (2010 USD), equivalent to 0.26% of their combined GDP. This makes it not just of human but also of economic imperative to invest in research into new head and neck cancer treatments.3 Oracle Cancer Trust is the UK’s leading charity dedicated to head and neck cancer research.

Only through research can breakthroughs be made in our understanding of how to treat head and neck cancer.

In recognition of the charity’s vital work in tackling India’s most common cancer, Oracle Cancer Trust has been selected as the chosen charity for this year’s Asian Achievers Awards 2018.

We hope you will consider supporting the charity this year. You can find out more at www.oraclecancertrust.org or info@oraclecancertrust.org 1 National Centre for Biotechnology Information (US) articlehttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4011474/ 2 http://www.jaypeejournals.com/ejournals/ShowText.aspx?ID= 4236&Type=FREE&TYP=TOP&IN=_eJournals/images/JPLOGO.gif&I ID=332&isPDF=YES 3 https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS01406736%2815%2960851-0.pdf info@oraclecancertrust.org - www.oraclecancertrust.org 020 7922 7924

Family left 'terrified' by racist graffiti A nurse whose home was daubed with racist graffiti within hours of arriving in a neighbourhood has said it left her "terrified".

Sabena Kasese, an NHS nurse for more than 20 years, has abandoned plans to buy the house in Milnrow, Rochdale, after the weekend's attack.

Ms Kasese said she "couldn't believe" what had happened.

Insp Rob MacGregor of Greater Manchester Police said: "This is an absolutely

sickening crime."

He added it had "deeply upset not just the victims, but local residents who have seen what was written".

Insp MacGregor said the force was treating it as a hate crime.

Slough's Meet and Mingle ladies raise £10,000 towards cancer research Slough's Meet and Mingle social group has achieved its aim of raising £10,000 to fight cancer. It will present the money to Professor Christina Fotopoulou when she is the group's guest speaker at their cancer awareness conference meeting on August 18 in the Copthorne Hotel.

Meet and Mingle is a group formed to enable Asian ladies to socialise and enjoy outings together. But it does a lot of work for good causes too. It began raising funds in May to support research into ovarian cancer, currently being led by Professor Fotopoulou and her team at Imperial College in West London.

The group's fund raising

Aksa Marshal meets the ladies of the Hindu Cultural Society

efforts included a sponsored walk, fashion show, musical evening, family fun day and bring and buy sale.

A final donation of £500 made at the temple in Keel Drive, Slough by the Hindu Cultural Society brought the sum raised up the £10,000

the ladies had worked so far to raise. The Cultural Society invited the Meet and Mingle ladies to the temple to receive the donation.

Meet and Mingle was founded by Aksa Marshal who has bravely battled cancer herself and feels person-

ally grateful to Professor Fotopoulou.

The money raised will go to the Imperial Health Charity's Ovarian Care Fund to support funding high skill laboratory staff, essential major redevelopment and clinical research.

Machete-wielding men attack Derby takeaway Two men who attacked a man in a takeaway with machetes have been jailed.

Police said the victim suffered serious injuries in the "truly shocking" attack at Pepe's Piri Piri in Derby, last December.

Zameer Ahmed, 19, and Brandon Narine, 20, were both convicted at Derby

Crown Court of grievous bodily harm and having an offensive weapon.

Ahmed, of Clarence Road, in the city, denied the offences but was jailed for eight years. Narine, 30, Hamble Way, Hilton, Derbyshire, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years and nine months.

So-called 'IS Beatles' El Shafee Elsheikh and Alexanda Kotey dispute extradition Two Londoners accused of being members of the Islamic State group have called into question the British government's attempt to have them tried in the US. Speaking to the BBC from a jail in Syria, El Shafee Elsheikh and Alexanda Kotey also denied they had been stripped of their British citizenship.

The pair were captured in January.

US officials believe the "execution cell" - dubbed "The Beatles" by their

hostages because of their UK accents - beheaded at least 27 Western hostages.

They are currently being held in solitary confinement in northern Syria after being caught by US-backed Kurdish forces.

Last month, UK government said it would demand no "assurances" that the pair will not receive the death penalty if they are tried in the US. "What makes the British government want a British citizen to be tried in America? Like what's behind

Alexanda Kotey, left, and Shafee El-Sheikh

it?" said Mr Elsheikh.

When asked about having their UK citizenship revoked, Mr Elsheikh said: "That has not been con-

firmed".

However, Security Minister Ben Wallace confirmed it in the House of Commons last month.

Derby grandfather grows giant cucumber A grandfather in Derby says praying to his cucumber has helped it grow to a potential world-record size. Raghbir Singh Sanghera, who worked as a farmer in India before coming to the UK in 1991, grew the 51in (129.54cm) ribbed vegetable in his greenhouse.

Mr Sanghera said the cucumber - whose species has not yet been determined - continues to grow in girth and length. The current Guinness World Record for the longest cucumber, which was grown in Wales in 2011, is 107cm (42.13in).

Peter Glazebrook, an expert in growing giant vegetables, says it appears to be an Armenian cucumber (Cucumis meloflexuosus), making it a muskmelon as opposed to a standard cucumber (Cucumis

sativus), which is part of the gourd family.

"We have seen these presented before at giant veg shows only to be rejected.

However, it is a fine specimen of its type, and he has done well," Mr Glazebrook said.

Only members of the Cucumis sativus species can qualify for the Guinness World Record of longest cucumber. A spokesman for Guinness World Records said they have no current record for the longest Armenian cucumber, "but anyone can apply to create a new title via our website".

Mr Sanghera said he will take the vegetable to the Singh Sabha Gurdwara in Nottingham, where he volunteers, for everyone to share once it is ready to eat.

"It's still growing and

Raghbir Singh Sanghera

will get thicker, then when it's ready we'll keep some seeds for next year. You have to look after it like a child," the 75-year-old said.

Mr Sanghera said the unusually long vegetable was one of four he planted four months ago, but while the other three were eaten, one was left alone to grow.

"I have made a seat to sit next to it and where I can see it and watch it. I pray that it grows, that it keeps us

The colossal cucumber

all healthy and that everybody stays well and happy it makes me happy seeing it" he said.

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Kishan Devani excelled as the ViceChairman of Lib Dem in Business Kishan Devani’s position within the Liberal Democrat Party has been further excelled as he was elected Vice-Chairman of Liberal Democrats in Business.

In addition to recently being appointed Vice-President of the Liberal Democrats Campaign for Race Equality & holding the position of Treasurer's Envoy for the Liberal Democrat Party.

Paul Lucraft, Chair of Lib Dems in Business says, “We are really pleased to welcome Kishan Devani as our Vice Chair, he brings his business skills and knowledge, political insights, great energy and enthusiasm to the cause.”

Explaining why the Lib Dems are a natural party of business, Paul Lucraft explains; the many SME businesses we have across our society enrich our diversity and provide millions of jobs that make our country vibrant and successful.

They create wealth, pay taxes, help people develop and they create bridges across our society.

Kishan Devani pictured with Paul Lucraft, Chair of Lib Dems in Business, David Angell and Sunny Patel

Milan Group of Wallington hold cancer awareness event Milan Group of Wallington recently arranged a cancer awareness evening on 18th July at Milan Centre in Wallington.

The evening included a talk by Tarlika Patel from Macmillan Cancer Support Centre, Epsom & St Helier Hospital where she is a Support Manager for Cancer. She gave those present a lot of good information in Gujarati on cancer and was much appreciated by all members and well received.

The event was also attended by Councillors Nalini Patel and Razia from Sutton Council.

Kishan Devani addressing the gathering

our country and a lot of our work within the Lib Dems in Business shall be to reach out to our SME's who are the backbone of our economy."

Fair Business Banking report launched in Parliament

Tarlika Patel addressing gathering

First Indian Mayor of Royal Borough of Kingston-upon-Thames gets Honorary Doctorate Public servant, Roy Sanjeev Arora was, last week, recognised by Kingston University as a borough stalwart, Councillor and Mayor Emeritus of the Royal Borough of Kingston-upon-Thames.

Mr Arora’s connection to the area goes back more than 30 years to his studies at the then Kingston Polytechnic.

Kingston University honoured Cllr Arora with the award of Doctor of the University honoris causa in recognition of his outstanding contribution to Kingston upon Thames.

After representing his ward as Councillor for just a year, Cllr Arora was elected to serve as the borough’s mayor in 2015. Cllr Arora was the first Indian mayor of Kingston and apparently the youngest too.

During his tenure as mayor, he attended more than 600 community engagements alongside his wife, mayoress Manisha Arora.

Together they raised more than £75,000 for the Kingston

Business takes many forms, quoted and unquoted companies, but also not for profit, lifestyle, cooperatives, family and sole traders and self-employed all have important roles to play.

Liberal Democrats have always believed in enterprise and initiative. A key part of our philosophy is setting people free, empowering and enabling them to be creative in building business to improve the world we live in.

The solutions to most of today’s problems won’t come from governments or big business but from new ideas, entrepreneurs and innovators.

It’s our role to help encourage and level the playing field to allow business to thrive because that way we all do better and prosper as a nation.

Kishan Devani expressed his gratitude to all that elected him and said "The Liberal Democrats are the party of business. We are a party committed to the SME's in

Former Mayoresses Manisha Arora and Sonali Arora with Cllr Roy Arora

Hospital Dementia Appeal – the highest ever raised by any mayor in Kingston – as well as increasing awareness of dementia within the borough.

The campaign and appeal resulted in the opening of Kingston Hospital's first state-of-

the-art dementia-friendly ward.

A tireless advocate of the borough, Cllr Arora continues to work with and for the people of Kingston, serving as Councillor for his Ward and as a member and former chair of the Development Control (Planning) Committee.

Abhishek Sachdev of Vedanta Hedging pictured with Kevin Hollinrake MP, Co-Chair of the Fair Business Banking APPG

Abhishek Sachdev of Vedanta Hedging contributed to the launch of new proposals to help small businesses who were dealing with banking disputes and was quoted and referenced on multiple occasions in the new ‘Fair Business Banking for All’ report which was launched in Parliament last month. Lord Jitesh Gadhia was also present and supported the launch of the most far reaching proposals ever brought in front of Parliament to help SMEs with bank disputes.

In essence, these proposals aim to even the balance of power between SMEs and Banks relating to dispute resolution. This is a core issue for our economy, since SMEs are the lifeblood of employment in the UK and yet are borrowing less from the banks than ever before.

SMEs face many hurdles in obtaining justice. The FOS is only available to a restricted set of micro-enterprises. Bank redress schemes have been created by, the Banks themselves! Access to the Courts is a suitable remedy for some mid-sized firms but this is a

very costly route since Bank’s will often only settle once hundreds of thousands of pounds have been spent in fees.

Lord Jitesh Gadhia legal Hence, more needs to be done to help SMEs who have had many (and will have in the future) legitimate complaints in relation to their bankers.

Vedanta Hedging are also assisting many firms with the GRG Review scheme, BSU claims, and all banks in relation to consequential loss claims.

Kevin Hollinrake MP (Co-Chair of the Fair Business Banking APPG) has been championing this work and has been quoted several times in The Times in recent weeks in a series of articles about the plight of SMEs. The Government (represented

by John Glen MP, Economic Secretary to the Treasury) said that they welcomed these proposals and that the Government would respond in the Autumn.

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THE FIFTEENTH OF AUGUST 1947 (A message written by Sri Aurobindo for broadcast over All India Radio) August 15th is the birthday of free India. It marks for her the end of an old era, the beginning of a new age. But it has a significance not only for us, but for Asia and the whole world; for it signifies the entry into the comity of nations of a new power with untold potentialities which has a great part to play in determining the political, social, cultural and spiritual future of humanity. To me personally it must naturally be gratifying that this date which was notable only for me because it was my own birthday celebrated annually by those who have accepted my gospel of life, should have acquired this vast significance. As a mystic, I take this identification, not as a coincidence or fortuitous accident, but as a sanction and seal of the Divine Power which guides my steps on the work with which I began life. Indeed almost all the world movements which I hoped to see fulfilled in my lifetime, though at that time they looked like impossible dreams, I can observe on this day either approaching fruition or initiated and on the way to their achievement.

I have been asked for a message on this great occasion, but I am perhaps hardly in a position to give one. All I can do is to make a personal declaration of the aims and ideals conceived in childhood and youth and now watched in their beginning of fulfillment, because they are relevant to the freedom of India, since they are a part of what I believe to be India's future work, something in which she cannot but take a leading position. For I have always held and said that India was arising, not to serve her own material interests only, to achieve expansion, greatness, power and prosperity, — though these too she must not neglect —, and certainly not like others to acquire domination of other peoples, but to live also for God and the world as a helper and leader of the whole human race. Those aims and ideals were in their natural order these: a revolution which would achieve India's freedom and her unity; the resurgence and liberation of Asia and her return to the great role which she had played

in the progress of human civilisation; the rise of a new, a greater, brighter and nobler -life for mankind which for its entire realisation would rest outwardly on an international unification of the separate existence of the peoples, preserving and securing their national life but drawing them together into an overriding and consummating oneness; the gift by India of her spiritual knowledge and her means for the spiritualisation of life to the whole race; finally, a new step in the evolution which, by uplifting the consciousness to a higher level, would begin the solution of the many problems of existence which have perplexed and vexed humanity, since men began to think and to dream of individual perfection and a perfect society.

India is free but she has not achieved unity, only a fissured and broken freedom. At one time it almost seemed as if she might relapse into the chaos of separate States which preceded the British conquest. Fortunately there has now developed a strong possibility that this disastrous relapse will be avoided.

The wisely drastic policy of the Constituent Assembly makes it possible that the problem of the depressed classes will be solved without schism or fissure. But the old communal division into Hindu and Muslim seems to have hardened into the figure of a permanent political division of the country. It is to be hoped that the Congress and the nation will not accept the settled fact as for ever settled or as anything more than a temporary expedient. For if it lasts, India may be seriously weakened, even crippled: civil strife may remain always possible, possible even a new invasion and foreign conquest. The partition of the country must go, —it is to be hoped by a slackening of tension, by a progressive understanding of the need of peace and concord, by the constant necessity of common and concerted action, even of an instrument of union for that purpose. In this way unity may come about under whatever form — the exact form may have a pragmatic but not a fundamental importance. But by whatever means, the division must and will

go. For without it the destiny of India might be seriously impaired and even frustrated.

But that must not be.

Asia has arisen and large parts of it have been liberated or are at this moment being liberated; its other still subject parts are moving through whatever struggles towards freedom. Only a little has to be done and that will be done today or tomorrow. There India has her part to play and has begun to play it with an energy and ability which already indicate the measure of her possibilities and the place she can take in the council of the nations.

The unification of mankind is under way, though only in an imperfect initiative, organised but struggling against tremendous difficulties. But the momentum is there and, if the experience of history can be taken as a guide, it must inevitably increase until it conquers. Here too India has begun to play a prominent part 3rd, if she can develop that larger statesmanship which is not "tinted by the present facts and immediate possibilities but looks into the future and brings it nearer, her presence may make all the difference between a slow and timid and a bold and swift development. A catastrophe may intervene and interrupt or destroy what is being done, but even then the final result is sure.

For in any case the unification is a necessity in the course of Nature, an inevitable movement and its achievement can be safely foretold. Its necessity for the nations also is clear, for without it the freedom of the small peoples can never be safe hereafter and even large and powerful nations cannot really be secure. India, if she remains divided, will not herself be sure of her safety. It is therefore to the interest of all that union should take place. Only human imbecility and stupid selfishness could prevent it. Against that, it has been said, even the gods strive in vain; but it cannot stand for ever against the necessity of Nature and the Divine Will.

Nationalism will then have fulfilled itself; an international spirit and outlook must grow up and international forms and institutions;

even it may be such developments as dual or multilateral citizenship and a voluntary fusion of cultures may appear in the process of the change and the spirit of nationalism losing its militancy may find these things perfectly compatible with the integrity of its own outlook. A new spirit of oneness will take hold of the human race.

The spiritual gift of India to the world has already begun. India's spirituality is entering Europe and America in an ever increasing measure. That movement will grow; amid the disasters of the time more and more eyes are turning towards her with hope and there is even an increasing resort not only to her teachings, but to her psychic and spiritual practice.

The rest is still a personal hope and an idea and ideal which has begun to take hold both in India and in the West on forward looking minds. The difficulties in the way are more formidable than in any other field of endeavour, but difficulties were made to be overcome and if the Supreme Will is there, they will be overcome. Here too, if this evolution is to take place, since it must come through a growth of the spirit and the inner consciousness, the initiative can come from India and although the scope must be universal, the central movement may be hers. Such is the content which I put into this date of India's liberation; whether or how far or how soon this connection will be fulfilled, depends upon this new and free India.

Visit Darshan Day in London at: 1) Auromira Center; 2) SRI Aurobindo Society; 3) Sri Aurobindo Ashram www.saatmacademy.org sohag@saatmacademy.org Call Ms S Patel - M: 07951839190

Asian family Lord Mayor must Four Bradford men killed after torch shed by be 'mindful' over BMW overtook police cars language accident A family tried to tackle a wasps' nest in their garden shed with a lighted stick and instead of getting the wasps...they burned the shed down.

The Asian family of five found the huge nest in one of the eves of the wooden garden shed at their home in Westmorland Road, Maidenhead at around 3pm on Sunday afternoon.

One of the children, according to firefighters, set fire to a stick and poked the nest with it in an attempt to kill the wasps, but instead torched the shed.

The family member was not at the address when the brigade arrived, but firefighters confirmed that all five members got safely from the home and phoned in the incident.

The shed was burned to the ground.

Firefighters arrived with one appliance and used one hose jet to douse the blaze.

The service warned that in these extremely hot temperatures to be careful with combustible materials or setting fire to dry wood in any circumstances.

No one was injured.

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Sheffield's Lord Mayor needs to be "mindful of the language he uses" on social media, according to the city council leader.

Julie Dore was speaking to the BBC about Magid Magid's recent Tweet featuring a letter he's sent to the Home Secretary Sajid Javid calling for an inquiry into Orgreave: Mr Magid starts the letter "Ey up Saj, S'upwiya?" and ends it "Gi'oer with your rubbish!"

Ms Dore says she understands the spirit of the letter, but says Mr Magid needs to approach it differently. "I do think he need to be a little bit more mindful of his approach and the language that he uses. The way and the manner in which he presents it maybe just needs a bit of adaptation."

: Venue ndon o lL Cthentra ember 2018 pt 14 Se

Four friends killed in a car crash had overtaken two police vehicles before hitting a tree, an inquest has heard.

Murtza Chaudhry, 21, had been driving the BMW which was also carrying Arbaaz Hussain, 21, Zeeshan Khalid, 20 and Tayyab Siddique, 22 when it crashed on Toller Lane in Bradford on 2 August.

The car was being followed by officers after it overtook a marked and an unmarked police car. An inquest into their deaths has been opened and adjourned. Detailing the circumstances leading up the crash, coroner's official Bernard Tate said: "There was a The men who died in the crash were, clockwise from top left: marked police car followed by an Zeeshan Khalid, Tayyab Siddique, Arbaaz Hussain and Murtza Chaudhry unmarked police car.

The official cause of death was given as "These two were following in tandem "multiple injuries" and "road traffic collibut only by coincidence, as they happened to sion". be travelling on the same road at the same The crash has been referred to the time."

Independent Office for Police Conduct.

After overtaking the two police cars, the In a statement released on Friday, it said BMW was then pursued by the unmarked there was "no indication" that the unmarked police vehicle.

West Yorkshire Police vehicle had made conMr Tate said: "Once the unmarked tact with the BMW in the lead-up to the colpolice car rounded the bend, it has seen that lision. the car has hit a tree."

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Centenary celebration of Battle of Haifa at the House of Lords, brings Indian leaders and luminaries together to celebrate perseverance and harmony Event was organised by the Baha’i communities of India and the United Kingdom Distinguished guests, including Indian leaders and luminaries, came together at the House of Lords to mark the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Haifa, a significant event for India, the United Kingdom, and the Baha’i community, in what is believed to be one of the last cavalry charges in modern military history. The event was hosted by Lord Dholakia and was a joint collaboration between him and the Bahá’í communities of India and the United Kingdom.

Speakers including Lord Dholakia, His Excellency the Indian High Commissioner, Lord Bilimoria, Major Chandrakant Singh, the Maharaja of Mysore and Nazenene Rowhani came together to celebrate the ultimate showing of bravery and recognised the impact that the Battle of Haifa had on ensuring the safety of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, the son of Baha’u’llah, the Founder of the Baha’i Faith.

The Battle of Haifa is of particular significance, as it was fought by the cavalry of the Indian princely states which were commanded by Indian officers – with all other units only represented

Lord Dholakia (second from left) , His Excellency Mr YK Sinha, Lord Bilimoria, Mr Subhash Thakrar, Rami Ranger, with two other guests

by British officers. 100 years ago, this contribution of Indian troops was widely acknowledged by the House of Lords where the centenary event was hosted last week.

Lord Dholakia welcomed the guests to the event, speaking of how the genesis for the event started through a chance meeting with Nazenene Rownhani and Major Chandrakant Singh in Delhi only a few months previously. He read out a message from HRH The Prince of Wales for the event, who highlighted the “nine thousand decorations awarded to Indian service

personnel in the First World War, including six Victoria Crosses”.

The Indian High His Commissioner, Excellency Mr Y.K. Sinha, the official representative of the Indian Government, spoke about his delight at being present for this event which commemorated the valour of the Indian troops at the Battle of Haifa and their contribution more generally to the British Armed Forces.

Major Chandrakant Singh then spoke of the Battle itself, whereby on 23rd September 1918, the state forces on princely

The parents of a boy who died of an incurable brain tumour today demanded more funding for research into the disease.

Namrata and Bhavesh Pandya’s 14-year-old son Khushil had DIPG (diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma) tumours, a rare condition which affects up to 30 children in Britain each year.

The teenager, who lived in Kenton and dreamed of becoming a zoologist, was diagnosed in March 2015 after developing a squint in his eye and died last September.

He was a student at Claremont High School in Harrow and continued attending while receiving treatment at University College London Hospital and even achieved a Duke of Edinburgh award in the months before his death.

His parents are now working with the Brain Tumour Charity to raise money for research into treatment through the Khushil Pandya Fund.

Speaking to the Evening Standard his mother, a financial adviser, 39, said: “We want to get the word out there about this. I still

Pic courtesy: Nigel Howard

PARENTS APPEAL FOR RESEARCH FUNDS AFTER SON LOSES FIGHT AGAINST RARE BRAIN TUMOUR

Namrata Pandya with son Khushil

can’t get over the fact there is no explanation to why it happens. In this day and age, you can’t go to a doctor and just hear your child has six to nine months to live.

No parent should go through that. It’s unbearable.”

Although the Pandyas had tried to shield their son from the seriousness of his condition, diary entries found after his death revealed he was fully aware.

Mrs Pandya continued: “He was so clever, he had the mind of a scientist. He never told us he knew what he was suffering from. He knew the consequences of what was happening. He was so positive about everything. He was very strong, focused and determined from day one. He never complained about what he was going through. It’s really

hard to see your child go through that. It takes nine months to give birth to a child, then with this you are given nine months and see them going backwards.

They lose their abilities one by one,” said Mrs Pandya.

“There are not enough funds and there hasn’t been enough research done into this. The brutal truth is, because it’s so rare, it’s not so much of a priority.” Mrs Pandya has written a book about her son, entitled Perception, to “keep Khushil’s legacy alive”. She and her husband, 43, a Royal Mail worker, plan to publish it on December 8, on what would have been their son’s 16th birthday. Mrs Pandya said: “We feel we have an obligation to make a difference with this. I’m just not ready to accept there are no answers.”

In April, it was reported that Australian researchers had developed a new drug treatment for DIPG, although clinical trials are still years away.

To donate to The Khushil Pandya Fund visit bit.do/khushil

Colonel DPK Pillay, Lord Dholakia, Lt Colonel Paddy Williams, Major Chandrakant Singh

India – the Jodhpur Lancers, the Mysore Lancers and the Hyderabad Lancers – under the overall command of General Edmund Allenby of the Allied Forces, fought a decisive battle on the slopes of Mount Carmel and captured Haifa from the Ottoman Empire, thereby liberating from an unjust imprisonment ‘Abdu’l-Baha, the son of Baha ‘u’ llah who is the founder of the Baha’I Faith.

Ms Nazenene Rowhani, who represented the Bahá’í community, focused her speech on ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and on His life of servitude to humanity. She finished by

sharing the following quote of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá: “My station is the station of servitude…

No name, no title, no mention, no commendation hath he nor will ever have except Abdul-Baha. This is my longing… This is my greatest yearning. This is my eternal life. This is my everlasting glory!”

Maharajah of Jodhpur sent a special message to members of the House of Lords and the Bahá’í community to mark the occasion, in appreciation of the courage of so few warriors who achieved such a great victory against overwhelming odds.

Lord Bilimoria, Founder and Chairman of Cobra Beer delivered the vote of thanks for the event, acknowledging the price paid by all those who fought for freedom, offering the chance to honour the courage and sacrifice of Indian service personnel, during the Battle of Haifa. He also remarked how‘Abdu’l-Bahá had indeed offered His life to service, and then went on to mention how service should be a key part of our lives. He ended his speech with an African Proverb: “if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together”.

LABOUR DROPS HODGE PROBE DESPITE REFUSAL TO APOLOGISE OVER CONFRONTATION WITH CORBYN Labour has dropped its inquiry into Dame Margaret Hodge despite her refusal to apologise over a confrontation with Jeremy Corbyn about anti-Semitism. Dame Margaret (pictured) tweeted she was pleased the party had scrapped any action but added neither side had apologised. She hit back, insisting she had done no such thing. A strongly-worded

response from her lawyers to Labour general secretary Jennie Formby said that although the "decision is welcomed, the basis on which you seek to explain your belated volte face is entirely disingenuous".

The letter said Dame Margaret "did not express regret" and that was a misrepresentation in order to "save face in your necessary

climb down".

The investigation was launched after a heated exchange last month in which Dame Margaret was said to have called Mr Corbyn an "anti-Semite" and a "racist". Mr Corbyn has been criticised over what they see as his refusal to take allegations of antiSemitism in the party seriously enough.

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UK decides against Caste Law Your headline and photo of AV 23rd July18 gives the impression that the UK Government gave in to pressure from British Hindus on Caste legislation. The truth is set out in the National Institute of Economic and Social Research paper of 2010 which was central to the UK Caste lobby case.

In its introduction it starts by stating "There is little evidence on caste discrimination and harassment in Britain: its existence and nature are disputed, as is the need for anti-caste discrimination and harassment legislation" promoted by the UK Dalit group. The paper interviewed 30 Ravidassia Sikhs with little evidence mostly hearsay. It is a shame AV has allowed such propaganda against British Hindus without evidence to be propagated. Yet the idea of British Hindus and caste will persist without foundation.

Jayesh A Patel Wimbledon London SW20

Will Imran remain a sixer or become a fixer?

The famous Pakistani playboy cricketer, Imran Khan, has scored a political sixer by gaining highest number of seats in the 15th National Assembly election for his party (Tehreek-eInsaf) and has staked a claim for the prime ministerial post of Pakistan. The opposition parties have alleged that his sixer is achieved by a wink of the referee (Judiciary) and a nod from boundary man (Military).

In spite of noises from the opposition parties regarding vote rigging, etc., it seems, he is destined to be the Prime Minister because the all-powerful military is benevolent towards him. Will, the PM Imran Khan be a fixer for the ills (economy, poverty, terrorism, relation with Bharat, etc.) of his country or remain a sixer of the cricket?

In his speech after the preliminary results, he talked about all the ills but, of course, he did not mention any remedial measures he would take to rectify them. The relation with Bharat and problem of Kashmir were also mentioned.

What he did not mention is the mind-set of the people which is cultivated by successive leaders since 1947; that Bharat is the enemy and Pakistan is the centre of the world. These are the real problems of the country and we wish him wisdom to identify them and courage to correct these real problems.

Narsibhai Patel New Malden

Imran Khan: self made politician I read with interest Jubel D’Cruz’s letter, “Politicians are politicians” He is right to certain extent, that politicians, especially in the Indian sub-continent are more interested in advancing their personal fortunes, financially, politically and socially, create a dynastic rule to pass on the power baton to their family members, no matter how undeserving they may be.

The prime example in India is the Nehru, Gandhi clan who thinks it is their birth-right to rule India. Other in similar power grabbing positions is Lalu Prasad Yadav, Mayavati, Mamta Banerjee and especially in Tamil Nadu where family involvement is the norm.

But there could be an exception and PM Narendra Modi, the poorest PM in the history of independent India is the prime example of selfless service to his motherland Bharat.

He has no family ties; no one from his family is remotely involved in politics or has taken advantage of Modi’s position at the top.

All his family members, including his elderly mother still lives in the same old home, brothers in the same position workwise, in sharp contrast, when Congress was in power, every member of Gandhi clan was treated as VIP, could walk in and out of airport without going through customs, involved in dodgy deals and became billionaire overnight.

Perhaps Imran Khan, a cricketer turned politicians may become Pakistan’s Modi, if army allows him, as he is the only politician who has come up through hard work at grass-root level, spending 22 years building his political career. Other politicians like Bhutto’s, Zardes’s and Nawaz Sheriffs and their likes were born in lap of luxury, political dynasty and entered politics at the highest level or were nominees of the army that has ruled Pakistan, directly or indirectly since independence.

Imran Khan could have joined one of these elite political parties and could have walked into ministerial position straight away, reaching the top in less than a decade. Most people support Imran Khan until they could see someone else who has come up through grass-root struggle and is better than Imran Khan.

Bhupendra M. Gandhi By email What do you think?

We want to know your views on any issue. Write to: Asian Voice, 12 Hoxton Market, London N1 6HW or e-mail: aveditorial@abplgroup.com

The living dead

Unacceptable animal exploitation

Many thanks to Asian Voice letter writers Dinesh Sheth and Ramesh Jhalla for their thoughts regarding my undying fascination with life after death. They both quote religious sources which people either believe or they don’t.

(I happen to believe, along with Messrs Sheth and Jhalla, but belief is one thing, proof is another.)

Mr Jhalla did say that the Illustrated Weekly of India carried an article on a near-death experience. If that experience coincides with any other accounts, we might be on to something.

Rudy Otter By email

Wearing fur which was height of fashion in sixties and seventies went into decline, mainly due to leading animal rights enthusiasts working hard, supported by big names in environment, politics, sports and the media, managed to persuade, even shaming leading members of the film and fashion industry to boycott fur trade.

It resulted in top designer and leading fashion outlets joining the fur boycott. It spread world-wide, especially in the Western World and gave birth to artificial fur industry which was in its infant stage at the time. Fur farming was banned in Britain in 2000, one of the first countries in Europe to ban it outright.

Unfortunately the fur is again becoming fashionable, especially artificial fur coats, scarfs, purse and as fur trims on small items like hats, shoes and gloves, such every day in use items. Indeed fur provides great comfort in bitterly cold winters in countries like Russia, Canada and Scandinavia, where winter temperature routinely touches -20* Centigrade.

Unfortunately countries like China where real fur is harvested on an industrial scale, is exporting real fur to UK and Europe disguised as artificial fur, duping people to buy it without knowing that it is real fur.

Our Trading Standards authorities are poor at policing fur industry, thus letting in real fur sold at artificial fur prices. Imports from China has accelerated after India, under PM Modi banned imports of furs last year that derives mainly from animals like rabbits, minks, foxes and chinchillas, an American rodent bred in captivity especially for its silvergrey fur.

Such industrial farming of these animals serves dual purpose, as food as well as fur for export at a price tag so often cheaper than artificial fur.

Now MPs have taken interest and many would like to ban all furs, real and artificial, as we are so poor at policing the industry, thus letting in real fur harvested at great cruelty to animals.

Kumudini Valambia By email

Deal or no deal As negotiations for our exit from the EU are continuing and Mrs May is vehemently fighting her ground for better deal for Britain, we need to pause and reflect on the various options with which we are presented.

If Britain leaves the EU without a deal, would we suffer from a shortage of food? Would a no deal Brexit mean that the army will need to be employed to distribute the food?

The scaremongers are predicting that there will be chaos at Dover.

An exit from the EU without a proper deal would tantamount to a great betrayal of the coastal community as they would probably suffer the most. Rather than negotiate with the bureaucrats in Brussels, would not our purpose be better served if we talk directly to the businesses in Europe about our trade.

A bad deal from the EU may lead to yet another referendum. There could be problems with our medication and a lack of medicines may take its toll on people with diabetes and other such conditions. We may not get cheaper food but we could import food from Africa and Asia.

In the interim period, would we need to stockpile food in case of no deal with the EU. In retaliation, we must ask for refund of UK’s investments and loans we have given to the EU. Our negotiators should clawback the vast amounts of funds we were made to contribute towards the running of the EU. Dinesh Sheth Newbury Park, Ilford

Widening gap between the rich and poor in the UK The situation in UK is getting complicated with rise in crime, Brexit crisis, housing shortages, homelessness, rising demand for food banks, anti-Semitism, increase in cost of living and now we have the issue of a widening gap between the rich and poor which is detrimental to the country.

But Britain has its own unique problem. In any EU country the gap between the richest and poorest parts is smaller than of UK. Incomes per head in inner London are five times as high as in the Welsh valleys or Cornwall. Britain’s older industrial towns had a sluggish performance where parts of the country hit by de-industrialisation were slowest to recover from the recession of 2008-09. There are two sides to the coin. The other is the sluggish performance of Britain’s older industrial towns – the bits of the country that were worst hit by de-industrialisation and have been slowest to recover from the recession of 2008-09 whereas there was tremendous growth in London which is at its optimum.

Unemployment is well down on its peak, but there are large numbers of people on incapacity benefits so the real level of unemployment in older industrial towns, taken as a whole, is estimated to be 780,000, or 7.5% of the working age population.

The Bank of England raised interest rates last week, it is because of fears that the economy is operating at full employment. That might be the case in London: it is certainly not the case in Hartlepool, Merthyr Tydfil or Burnley.

According to the Christina Beatty and Steve Fothergill of Sheffield Hallam University report: A number of conclusions can be drawn from this report. The first is that urgent action needs to be taken to tackle London’s over-heating. Primarily, that involves building more homes, either in London itself or within easy commuting distance.

The second is that there is a need to bring more well-paid jobs back to the towns that make up a quarter of the country’s population. That means the right mix of macroeconomic (competitive exchange rate), regional (active industrial strategy) and educational (focus on training and skills) policies.

The third is that in the absence of serious action to tackle London’s capacity constraints and to revive the old industrial towns, there will be political pressure to curb immigration.

As Beatty and Fothergill note, there is scant evidence, other than through the tax revenues generated by London that are recycled in public spending, that London’s spectacular employment growth since 2010 has had any positive benefit for Wales, Scotland and the north.

The north-south divide is becoming more pronounced, with the old industrial towns feeling ignored, separate and un-listened to. Given the history of the past four decades, that’s not surprising.

Baldev Sharma Rayners Lane, Harrow

UK

NOTTINGHAM TAXI DRIVER 'FELT TERRORISED' DURING WORLD CUP 2018 A taxi driver whose vehicle was damaged following England's World Cup quarter-final win over Sweden says he felt "terrorised" during the incident.

Arif Qureshi noticed people "thumping and banging" the car and managed to escape unharmed, however his taxi may be written off.

Mr Qureshi thanked well-wishers who have donated a total of £3,500 to help him, saying they showed "the true nature of the English society".

Two men, aged 27 and 53, have been questioned by police in connection with the damage to Mr Qureshi's taxi.

Officers are still appealing for information to identify those responsible.

DENTAL STUDENT DENIES FUNDING TERRORISM A man charged with funding terrorism messaged a friend to say "we need an Islamic state", a jury has heard.

Opening the case against dental student Abdurahman Kaabar, 22, the prosecution told a jury at Sheffield Crown Court that he transferred funds to his brother Mohammed Kaabar in Syria.

Abdurahman Kaabar, denies funding terrorism.

The jury heard there was "no doubt" the 22-year-old had arranged to transfer funds to his brother.

Michelle Nelson, prosecuting, told the jury that Mohammed Kaabar had left the UK in March 2016 to fight against the Syrian government.

Mohammed Kaabar sent WhatsApp messages to a friend to say he went to "live amongst the Muslims and support and defend them with everything we have", the court heard.

He went with another man, Ahmed Hadrami, who sent messages to say he went to Idlib in north-west Syria "to sacrifice myself for Allah's religion".

Ms Nelson told the court that the messages did not divulge which group the men had joined, except it was not Islamic State. They appeared to have been part of Jaysh al Fatah, a group linked to Al Nusra, or the Nusra Front, which changed its name to Jabhat al Fatah Al Sham, she said.

Ms Nelson told the court there was "little doubt" Abdurahman Kaabar was "holding and proselytising extreme views" from 2014 until his arrest in August 2017.

In a WhatsApp message to friends in June 2014, Ms Nelson told the jury that Abdurahman Kaabar said: "R u daft blud dats wat we need an Islamic state".

Mr Kaabar, in his first year of a dentistry degree at Plymouth University, has admitted three counts of possessing terrorist material and 12 counts of disseminating a terrorist publication, but denies funding terrorism.

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EDUCATION

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11 - 17 August 2018

Multimillion investment in early years education and boost social mobility An investment to better support early years education and child development spearheads a range of initiatives announced last Wednesday to halve the number of children finishing reception year without the early communication or reading skills they need by 2028. Latest research shows more than a quarter of four-and-five-year-olds (28 per cent) lacked the early communication and literacy skills expected by the end of reception year. The ‘expected level’ includes, for example, a child being able to express themselves clearly and read simple sentences.

In a speech to the Resolution Foundation, Education Secretary Damian Hinds set out his ambition to halve this number through a range of measures and a new coalition of organisations to look at ways of supporting parents with helping children learn new words and develop their communication skills. He also unveiled details of a £30 million fund, part of an investment announced in the government’s social mobility action plan, to create more nursery places run by successful schools in disadvantaged areas so more children can access a high-quality early education. This fulfils a government manifesto pledge to help primary schools develop nurseries where they do not currently have the facilities to do so.

Schools will be invited to run projects that demonstrate innovative approaches to closing the attainment gap between disadvantaged children and their more affluent peers, with a focus on creating partnerships between schools and councils, MultiAcademy Trusts (MATs), or charities.

Alongside this another £20 million will be spent on training and professional development for early years staff in disadvantaged areas to increase their ability to support children’s early speech and language development. This work will drive up standards in

the pre-school years, so more children arrive at school with the foundations in place to make the most of primary school. On top of the new ambition and investment in early years provision, the Education Secretary announced other measures to improve social mobility: - the Office for Students will look at how universities – particularly the most elite – can reach out to children from different backgrounds; - a new data project building on Raj Chetty’s world-renowned work mapping social mobility in America, linking education and income data and breaking it down by region to directly show the impact of education on future earning prospects. It will provide a map and measure of social mobility and help target interventions more effectively; - a departmental review of non-GCSE qualifications for 14 to 16 year olds to make sure the courses on offer to students are of high quality; and - new research by the Social Mobility Commission looking at the impact of extracurricular activities on social mobility. This will help ensure the most effective practices are scaled up and targeted at the areas that need them most.

During the speech Mr Hinds set out his ‘Seven Key Truths’ that drive better outcomes for children by giving them the support, skills and character building experiences that will unlock their potential. These include: - the early learning from birth to age three; - a good school education; - high-quality teaching; - making more extracurricular activities available; - increasing access for university; - second chances later in life; and - developing resilience and emotional wellbeing.

Thousands of new places created in grammar schools There are 11,000 more grammar school pupils in England now than in 2010, BBC analysis of official data shows.

And by 2021, the data suggests, the number of extra places created will be equivalent to 24 new grammar schools compared to eight years ago.

The analysis shows a rise in numbers even before the distribution of a new £50m growth fund, announced in May. The government says schools will be eligible for funding only if they improve access for poorer pupils.

Grammar schools are state-funded secondary schools which allocate places to pupils on the basis of their performance in an extra academic test at the end of primary school. Prime Minister Theresa May had to

drop controversial plans to overturn the ban on new schools after the last election, but the expansion of existing grammar schools has been encouraged.

More than 30 existing grammar schools are bidding for some of the first £50m slice of a new £200m government expansion fund. Schools bidding for the cash will have to show how they intend to admit more disadvantaged pupils.

Using newly-published government data, the BBC has found that grammar schools have been continuing to grow, even before the distribution of those funds.

If schools maintain their intake at current rates, the equivalent of eight extra schools will be added by 2021 compared with this year, and 24 more compared with 2010.

Councils want National Citizen Service funding for youth services Millions of pounds of is being spent on the government's flagship citizenship scheme for young people while local youth clubs are closing, councils say.

The National Citizen Service, a fourweek summer scheme for 15 to 17-year-olds accounts for 95% of central government spending on youth services.

But the Local Government Association said only 12% of eligible teens took part in 2016. The government said the service has improved 400,000 young people's lives.

Launched by former Prime Minister David Cameron - who now chairs its board

of patrons - in 2011, the service cost the government £634m between 2014/15 and 2017/18. The government said it was investing another £80 million on youth projects.

But the LGA said it was "wrong" that funding was tied up in one "very short programme", saying more than 600 youth centres had closed between 2012 and 2016.

The money should instead be given to local councils, who could then provide "allyear-round provision for young people", it added. The LGA represents 370 councils in England and Wales. The citizen service runs in England and Northern Ireland.

University chief wants to bring back maintenance grants The head of an elite group of universities has called for maintenance grants to be restored to help improve diversity in higher education.

Tim Bradshaw, who leads the Russell Group, told the Independent the grant could make a "substantial difference" to young people "nervous" about debt. He said it could also encourage more people to consider applying at all.

The government says it has made significant progress in getting disadvantaged students into university.

Maintenance grants used to be given to students in England from lower income backgrounds - families with annual incomes of £25,000 or less got the full grant of £3,387 a year. In 2015, the then-Chancellor George Osborne announced they would be scrapped from September 2016. He said the grants had become "unaffordable" and there was a "basic unfairness in asking taxpayers to fund grants for people who are likely to earn a lot more than them".

But critics said many low and middle income students could be put off university by the measure. In Wales, a new system of maintenance grants is being introduced from September. All Welsh students will get a £1,000 maintenance grant no matter where they study in the UK. On top of that, a mean tested element means the poorest students will get up to £8,100 ( and more if the study in London). The Russell Group - a collection of 24 prestigious "research-intensive" universities including Oxford and Cambridge - has been criticised for failing to attract enough students from ethnic minority and less privileged backgrounds.

But Mr Bradshaw said the government should make more funding available to help improve access to higher education, instead of "putting all the blame on universities".

The group is due to submit proposals to the government on how maintenance grants

could be restored as part of a review into post18 education funding Their options include a "living wage" for students who had been eligible for school meals during their school years.

The £8,192 grant would reduce the debt of a student by £27,800, according to the proposal.

Mr Bradshaw said: "It could be very targeted, really cost-effective and actually make quite a substantial difference to those from disadvantaged backgrounds who may inherently be very nervous about taking on an additional loan."

A Department for Education spokesman said poorer undergraduates will get more help than ever when they go to university in the autumn. He said: "Finance should never be a barrier to a young person's education, and we are seeing real progress, with disadvantaged 18year-olds 50% more likely to enter full-time university in 2017 compared with 2009. We have increased the maximum grants and loans available to support students with costs, and disadvantaged students starting their courses this year will have access to the largest ever amounts of cash-in-hand support for their living costs."

The spokesman also said the department was working with the national regulator for higher education in England - the Office for Students - to encourage more young people from disadvantaged groups to apply to university and give them support when there.

12 MEDIA WATCH

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11 - 17 August 2018

SCRUTATOR’S As expected the vexed issue of Assam’s National Register for Citizens (NRC) has produced more heat than light. Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee was off the blocks, accusing the Centre (the Government of India) of ‘trying to divide people…

There will be a civil war, bloodbath in the country.

BJP has the audacity to say that it would implement NRC in Bengal and thinks only the party and its supporters would stay in India and the rest will have to leave the country.’

Hindu, Indian Express, Telegraph, Mint TV networks July 31, August 1, 2).

PM congratulates Imran Khan Prime Minister Narendra Modi telephoned Pakistan’s prime minister designate Imran Khan to congratulate him on his recent election victory. The Indian Premier reiterated his goal to achieve a closer relationship with Pakistan as part of his vision for regional peace, stability and economic progress. It is understood the Imran has invited former Indian cricket stars Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and Navjot Singh Siddhu to his inauguration; also on the guest list is Bollywood celebrity Amir Khan (Indian Express July 31).

RBI’s anti-inflation undertaking

Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee with Sonia and Rahul Gandhi at their Delhi residence

The allusion to a possible ‘civil war’ and ‘bloodbath’ was highly inflammable and irresponsible.

The lady is apt to open her mouth too often, then put her foot in it.

Thinking before speaking is foreign to her nature? A vow of silence in a nunnery might do her a world of good. That is unlikely to happen anytime soon. Mamata Banerjee sojourning in Delhi attempting to cobble a united opposition front to unseat the present BJP-led government at the next geneneral due in May/June 2019. She called on Congress President Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia – the three pictured sitting stiffly in the Gandhi residence.

Assam: Past and present The present Assam imbroglio was incubated in its past. The Assamese leadership back in the 1930s, keen to get Bengali Muslim immigrants from neigbouring East Bengal into the province as a counterweight to the domination of the Bengali Hindu bhadralok [middle class] in the civil service and the professions, the understanding being that the immigrants would sign up as Assamese speakers on the electoral register. For a time they did before returning to their Bengali mother tongue on the official rolls.

Rajiv Gandhi, Manmohan Singh, Tarun Gogoi The subject became a sore point in the politics of the State, and Rajiv Gandhi, the Congress prime minister of India and his successors, most notably, Dr Manmohan Singh decided that a thorough, impartial survey of the electoral should be undertaken of the area in question to establish genuine Indian citizens from those deemed to be illegal residents.

Supreme Court supervision of process The process was initiated by Assam Congress Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, under the strict supervision of the Supreme Court of India. Around 88 per cent of

Assamese resentment at the presence and influence of the Bengali Hindu community in their midst, were egged on by demagogues leaderships to take to the streets in the late 1950s, 60s and 70s. A massive Bengali Hindu exodus followed, but the living space was filled by a continuing stream of land hungry Muslim Bengali immigrants from the east.

The breakup of Pakistan in the aftermath of the Bangladesh liberation struggle and the Pakistani military’s holocaust in the province led to a fresh wave of Bengali Muslim immigrants into Assam.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI has hiked its repo rate by 25 basic points to check possible inflation that might arise from volatile crude oil price rises, a revision in the minimum support price of the kharif crop, and the hardening input costs reported in manufacturing and service companies. RBI Governor Urjit Patel said: ‘On the domestic front, the Monetary Policy Committee took note of the rise in retail inflation for the third consecutive month in June. Even though food inflation remained muted, other components recorded sharp price increases.’

(Business Line August 2).

Former Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi

the population passed muster, but the 4 million have been asked to provide proof of their Indian citizenship. They will have the right to appeal in the eventuality their appeals are turned down by the Supreme Court. Mr Gogoi himself has asked that the exercise be judged on its merits and not as a Hindu-Muslim-Christian religious issue.

That is too much to expect from rabble rousing Indian politicians seeking to advance career opportunities through public mayhem. (Times of India,

Ratan Tata and N. Chandrasekaran

Group’s Chairman Emeritus Ratan Tata and the current Chairman N. Chandrasekaran were present at the reopening ceremony (Hindu July 30).

Delhi-born math prodigy Awarded joint Field’s Medal Aksay Venkatesh, born in Delhi , and now an Australian citizen has won the Fields Medal with three other mathematicians. The medal, awarded every four years, is seen as the Nobel Prize for theoretical mathematics. Professor Venkatesh shared the award with three mathematicians from Germany, Italy, and Cambridge University (UK). The citation for Venkatesh

GST mop-up tops Rs 96,000 crore The total collection from the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in July exceeded Rs 96,000 crore, according to the Finance Ministry in New Delhi. Interim Finance Minister Piyush Goyal said the collection was in line with the government’s target figure and was set to increase in the coming months with the rise in compliance and market demand (Business Line August 2).

India, German financial tech cooperation

Bengali Hindu exodus

Indian students shine in global debate

India and Germany signed agreements on financial and technical cooperation valued at Rs5,250 crore. Germany’s Ambassador to India Martin Ney and and the Indian Finance Ministry’s Joint Secretary Sameer Khare signed the document marking 50 years of successful Indo-German development cooperation (Business Line August 2).

Bombay House Restoration Tata Sons has reopened its landmark headquarters built in 1924 in India’s financial capital Mumbai following nine months of restoration work on the building, its face unchanged, its interior office space altered to meet the needs of a 21st century multinational company. The reopening date was the 114 th birth anniversary of its former iconic chairman J.R.D Tata. The

An Indian team of five school students won the silver prize in an international debating contest in Croatia, with Dhananjay Ashok judged the best speaker of the competition. Having completed his schooling at the International School, Bangalore, he has won a scholarship from the University of Toronto, Canada, for higher studies (Business Line August 2).

US-China tit for tat A key US Congressional committee has passed a significant bill on Tibet, which states that Chinese officials responsible for discriminating against American citizens wishing to visit Tibet but denied entry will in turn be refused entry into the United States. ‘It is time that Congress take a stand with regard to access to foreign nationals to the Tibetan regions,’ said Congressman David Goodlatte, Chairman of the House Judicial Committee. The bill is titled ‘The Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act’. (Times of India July 29) Tibet, a sovereign state with its own currency, government, legislature and diplomatic missions, was brutally invaded by China in October 1950. Maoist China and the previous KMT regime both laid claim to Tibet.

However, expansionist nationalism, whatever the ideological stripe, is no justification for a blatant violation of International Law. Smersh systems on Indian wheels

Professor Akshay Venkatesh, Joint winner of Field’s Medal 2018 for theoretical mathematics

refers to ‘profound contribution to an exceptionally broad range of subjects in mathematics,’ and his ‘strikingly far-reaching conjectures.’ Brought up in Australia to which his parents had migrated, Venkatesh turned out to be a prodigy, graduating with a first class honours degree aged 16 from University of Western Australia, earning his PhD at 21.

He has taught at MIT (USA) and is now Professor at Stanford University, USA (Indian Express August 2).

Graduate engineer at 15 Indian-American Tanishq Abraham has hit the headlines, graduating from a California community college, aged 11, went on to earn his degree in biomedical engineering degree from the University California Davis at a tender 15 year-old. ‘We are happy that his grandparents were able to see him graduate with a biomedical engineering degree and start his PhD in the same field,’ said his mother Taji (Times of India July 29).

The Indian Army’s Russian-built Smersh Multi-Barrel Rocket launchers are set to be carried on heavy duty highly mobile vehicles manufactured in India by Ashok Leyland. Ashok. The company was awarded the Rs 100 crore contract in April for 81 high mobility vehicles to replace the Russian carriers. The delivery is to beging in the current financial year.

Long range missiles Ashok Leyland has also won the contract awarded by India’s Defence Research & Development Organization DRDO) to develop and manufacture an even heavier vehicle to carry the country’s long range strategic missiles weighing an approximate 34 tonnes (Hindu July 30).

Made in India Tank engines Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman handed over two fully indigenous battle tank engines manufactured at the Awadi factory to Army Vice Chief Lt General Devraj Ambu. The engines will power the T 72 Ajeya tanks and the Bhishma T 90 tanks. Thus far India was reliant of Russia for such vehicles. Indigenization will result in significant saving (Hindu July 29).

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UK

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11 - 17 August 2018

Police chiefs warn a no-deal Brexit will cause Supercar driver 'chaos' as officers could lose access to jailed for crashing cross-border databases and powers 'overnight' car into war vet

Police chiefs on Monday warned it would be harder to keep the public safe in the UK and on the continent if we leave the EU without a deal.

In a letter to Home Secretary Sajid Javid, they raised concerns about how officers could lose access overnight to cross-border investigative powers and databases.

The letter was drawn up by the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners' cross-party Brexit working group after consultation with the National Crime Agency and the National Police Chiefs' Council. After

the letter was leaked yesterday police leaders spoke out about their concerns.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Richard Martin, NPCC Lead for Brexit, said: 'Existing European measures, tools and mechanisms allow us to respond quickly and intelligently to crime and terrorism impacting the UK and the EU. 'They make us better at protecting the public. The UK is the biggest contributor of intelligence to Europol systems and leads more than half of its operational co-ordination meetings.

'For every one person arrested on a UK-issued European Arrest Warrant, the UK arrests eight people on warrants issued by other member states.

'From a policing perspective, it is in the interests of both sides to negotiate an arrangement that allows for continued close working, whether as part of existing mechanisms or negotiated alternatives. Without such arrangements, both UK police and EU member states will lose capabilities.'

He said these included identifying criminals and missing people who cross UK borders, detaining and

Sajid Javid

swiftly handing over suspects and sharing biometric data.

Mr Martin stressed a small law enforcement team was currently drawing up contingency plans in the event that access to current European policing measures is lost.

Children as young as 12 contacting Childline about forced marriage Young children are being pressurised into marrying strangers but fear being rejected from their community if they refuse, the NSPCC has warned. Girls as young as 12 have contacted Childline about being forced to marry, with 109 counselling sessions on the issue in 2017/18. There were just under 10,500 visits to the Childline forced marriage website page in the same year.

Children told counsel-

lors they were frightened of being taken out of the country for marriage and reported emotional abuse by their parents about the issue.

In 2017/18 the NSPCC’s Helpline received calls from many worried adults of which 14 of these calls were serious enough to refer onto an external agency such as the police and social services.

The NSPCC is revealing the figures as the UK’s school summer holiday begins, a time when some families can

exploit the long break to take children overseas and force them to marry.

In some instances children may have been told that they are going on a normal holiday and do not realise that they are heading to their wedding day with a complete stranger. Once they are abroad they may find themselves isolated and find it difficult to raise the alarm and halt the marriage.

The secretive nature of forced marriage combined

with feelings of loyalty to family and community can mean it is difficult to grasp the true scale of the problem, the NSPCC warned.

John Cameron, Head of NSPCC Helpline said: “No child should be forced into marriage and we must be clear that, regardless of cultural expectations, this is a crime and a form of child abuse. Forcing a child to marry shows a complete lack of regard for their feelings, thoughts or ambitions.”

Hayes builder hid more than 45,000 litres of booze Simon Kiefer, in Hounslow lock-up assistant director of A builder from Hayes hid more than 45,000 litres of alcohol in a secret lock-up in Hounslow to dodge a £60,000 tax bill.

Dilbagh Singh Dhillon had 46,318 litres of alcohol stashed in an industrial unit which was raided by HMRC officers in September 2016.

The stash included thousands of cans of Carlsberg, Budweiser, Fosters, Coors Light, Heineken, Kronenbourg, Skol Super, Oranjeboom, San Miguel, Tyskie, Red Stripe and Stella Artois.

The industrial unit was owned by 33-year-old Sartaj Singh Gill from High Wycombe. Inside the unit, officers also found a diary which contained detailed recordings of orders for alcohol and cash payments.

The lock-up contained a total of 46,318 litres of alcohol (Image: HMRC) Dhillon, a 39-year-old builder from Hayes End Drive, Hayes, admitted the

diary was his when he was questioned, but claimed that the entries made in the book were by someone else.

A handwriting expert was called in and they analysed that Dhillon was in fact lying, and that the writing was his.

Gill tried to explain away the issue by claiming that a man had rented out his industrial unit, but investigators at HMRC were able to see through his fake story and he admitted to having provided a false witness statement.

Gill tried to claim the unit was being rented by someone to cover for Dhillon but was instead charged with perverting the course of justice (Image: HMRC) Dhillon pleaded guilty to duty evasion and Gill admitted perverting the course of justice at a hearing at Southwark Crown Court .

They were both sentenced on Monday (August 6).

Dhillon received a prison sentence of two years and four months, while Gill of Marlow Road was given a 13-month sentence, suspended for 12 months.

Dhillon's diary detailed alcohol orders and cash payments (Image: HMRC)

the fraud investigation service at HMRC, said: “Dhillon was stealing from the taxpayer and undercutting legitimate traders.

"Money that should have been going to vital public services was going into his pocket.

Gill lied and tried to pervert the course of justice.

They’ve now been found guilty and we can begin working on getting that money back.

A wealthy Indian-origin businessman was jailed this Tuesday for 22 months for crashing his luxury sports car into a 68-year-old war veteran on the streets of London and then fleeing the scene in November last year.

Ravi Ruparelia, 30, who runs a successful hotel and catering business in London, lost control of his McLaren 540C Coup in Park Lane area, jumped a red light and hit Anthony Davis who was waiting to cross the road at a junction.

The victim was knocked unconscious and left with a broken leg in the crash.

Ruparelia pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving and failing to stop after an accident.

Judge Martin Beddoe, at a hearing at Southwark Crown Court in London, said Ruparelia's decision to flee was "almost as bad and as callous an example of that as one could contemplate," the Evening Standard reported.

"There has been nothing to prevent him (Ruparelia) since the accident contacting the victim and saying how sorry he was," the judge added.

The court was told that

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Davis had been on his way to a Remembrance Day parade in Whitehall, held annually to honour the war dead, when the crash happened on November 12, 2017. He was left temporarily wheelchair-bound and unable to work as a security guard.

Besides a 22-month jail sentence, Ruparelia has also been banned from driving for 18 months and ordered to pay 5,000 pounds as compensation to the victim.

Davis decided not to cross the road even though the light turned green. But the next thing he knew he was on the ground surrounded by paramedics and police, she said.

CCTV showed Ruparelia looking towards the victim, before pulling his hood over his head and fleeing.

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Ragav Manimaran Entrepreneurial Health Sunetra Senior

general data using our particular expertise. We will analyse the trends to help make a diagnosis. Another way of gathering sound information would be designing surveys that ask the patient to answer clinical criteria as if they’re sitting with their GP. We want to make the abundance of knowledge actionable.” By addressing healthcare, the more immediate needs of people, and even revisiting established tech territory then, Ragav and his ideas forward the cause for invigorating quality of life. There can be a very progressive future if more traditional professions are practiced with their remedial digital solutions. Ragav commented: “it is certainly an exciting time because tech

t a time when rock-breaking space exploration and terraforming Mars are topically paramount, Ragav represents a new generation of entrepreneurs who bring the exploratory focus back to the equally important impact of the every day. Currently a fifth-year medical student at UCL, the young pioneer is the co-founder of Kickstart London, a company that accelerates student start-ups across the buzzing city.

The innovative projects the company has supported include: a subscriptionbased service for shared household essentials that allow students to fairly decide who buys the amenities, a niche dating site that caters to the specific nuances of the African community, and a property app that allows students to sublet housing both legally and safely, in accordance with landlords, while they are away. Before this, Ragav had also led the UCL Entrepreneurs Society “to raise £15,000 and managed and business need not be at odds with the society’s fund to invest £7000+ in older vocations such as medicine and other student ventures.” This institulaw. A rapidly growing population tional body is now recognised as the means there will be an excessive numBest UK University Enterprise Society. ber of people across the world where However, Ragav is more than a driving providing access to vital and ancillary force, also in the midst of creating his services will be a challenge. If we do own beneficial enterprise. continue to be more responsible with *** our technology, we can democratise Again, along with a few fellow students, respectively from Oxford and UCL, Ragav observed the desperate situation when it came to heart failure in the capital’s different hospital wards, and is now “working to solve the monitoring of chronic heart diseases” so that prevention is optimal before that dire outcome. “The cost of managing convenience, caring for people in rural heart failure is extremely high,” he told areas and hyper-crowded cities. With us, in addition of course, to the stress effective regulation, electronic caused to individuals and their famiadvances can prove a really powerful lies. “As a result, we are working on a adjunct given the increasing strain on prototype which draws from the population.” Ragav’s precocious existing technology of smartyet down-to-earth ethos phones and centres on extends to his natural data analytics. We will journey into If we do be able to identify the entrepreneurship: continue to be more deterioration in “my background is patients early on so in medical physics responsible with our the sufferer can act and bioengineertechnology, we can quickly within their ing, but when I means.” On the sub- democratise convenience, moved to London I ject of being influcaring for people in rural was exposed to so enced by wearable many different areas and and portable technolpeople that it ogy, such as intuitive inevitably broadened hyper-crowded watches and mobiles, my perspective. I cities the ‘Medtrepreneur’ elabbegan to attend a variety orated: “it’s useful to be able of social events, from ecoto measure clinical detail such as nomic meet-ups to science and heart rates, how far you have walked all the subjects in-between. Mixing and the amount of sleep one gets on what I knew and learning from new the go, but at the same time there is an people allowed me to visualise anew. I overwhelming amount of information. will always place maths and physics at Part of our research into tracking heart the heart of my work but other fields conditions will be how we interpret the and skillsets will continue to shape it.”

A

Thus, a young entrepreneur with an expansive outlook, Ragav speaks for an age where social consciousness begins to merge with more exclusive imagination, such as AI and academic pursuits.

“I can see myself moving to biotech,” he aptly finished. “It’s a very niche area as it stands, and I would enter into more training, but I'd love to be at the forefront of science, helping so many at once.”

Tell us more about Kickstart London?

It is the first student organisation that supports start-ups. I co-founded it with a couple of good friends from LSE. We saw that university goers were struggling to meet likeminded people who would nurture their ambitions and help bring their ideas to market.

We back students from ideation of concepts to pitching by providing an intensive programme with senior mentors and industry leaders, and also give them an opportunity to present to investors at the end. So far, we have supported over 20 wonderful student start-ups. We match ideas to skills amongst the student population. You might have a great concept but not the ability. We help people work together to solve different problems.

What is a tip for young entrepreneurs who want to protect and grow an idea?

When you’re starting out, you might want to protect your ideas, but the most powerful way to develop them is to talk to as many people, especially experts, as possible. The benefit of receiving valuable feedback far outweighs the possibility that your idea will be stolen. You’ll be able to detect flaws early on and maximise the potential of your thoughts, and have a concept that is worth patenting!

Is PR as important as having a really good idea? Some have a great product but trip up with social media etc.

Yes, in that a good product should be put out into the world, but doing the full extent of market research is important too. If you don’t do that before you start marketing, you will most likely get stuck. Good research involves knowing your target audience really well, and who you are selling to. That informs the image and makes the product altogether more accessible.

Finally, what’s your favourite part of your current work?

It’s exciting, and I get to meet such amazing people with great talents. I also get to grow my own skills, discovering ability that I didn’t even know about. It’s rewarding to be part of something bigger than you.

W: https://www.kickstartldn.co.uk/ T: @kickstartldn

LONDON CAB DRIVERS PLAN LEGAL ACTION AGAINST UBER A group of London black cab drivers has planned legal action against Uber in an effort to claim "millions of pounds in lost earnings".

The Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association (LTDA) and 11 other organisations hired solicitors to determine if they have a case against the ridehailing app. The LTDA claims its drivers, who have average annual earnings of £50,000, have each lost £10,000 a year since Uber began operating in London in 2012.

Uber declined to comment.

It said it would not provide a response as it was "not at all clear what the basis for any legal action would be".

The group, named Cabbie Group Action, also includes members from Unite, United Cabbies Group and London Cab Drivers Club. It plans to bring a claim in the High Court against Uber for loss of income on the basis that it "has operated unlawfully between 2012-2017".

LTDA said it is working with economists and expect damages could be in excess of £500m.David Barda, a senior litigation lawyer at Slater and Gordon said the group had "no obvious cause of action" against Uber and that they were "essentially complaining about competition".

Uber was stripped of its London licence last year after Transport for London (TfL) concluded the app was not "fit and proper". It said it took the decision on the grounds of "public safety and security implications".

But last month, Uber was granted a short-term licence to operate in London after a two-day hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court found the app had since become "fit and proper".

LTDA's general secretary, Steve McNamara said it was vital its drivers were "recompensed for their losses".

"We recognise that there needs to be a level playing field between minicabs and licensed cabs on London streets but we believe Uber has operated unlawfully, resulting in a loss of earnings for many qualified licensed cab drivers."

BBC STORIES INVESTIGATION FINDS ILLEGAL SKIN-WHITENING CREAMS CONTINUE TO BE SOLD IN UK A BBC Stories investigation has revealed that high-street shops previously prosecuted for selling illegal skinwhitening creams in the UK are continuing to sell the banned products.

BBC undercover journalists visited seventeen shops across London, Leeds, Birmingham and Manchester over a six-month period to see how many illegal products were for sale, with six of the shops having been previously prosecuted for selling illegal skin-whitening creams.

In total they tested twenty one products, fourteen of those products were found to contain illegal substances and of the previously prosecuted shops, four out of the six resold illegal products.

In Manchester, a FOI by the BBC revealed only one shop owner had been prosecuted in 2017-2018 for selling the illegal products, despite BBC researchers finding illegal skinwhitening products in multiple other shops in the city.

Trading Standards Officer, Cenred Elworthy, told the BBC in an interview that, “It’s a really big problem” and that they “could do more” to regulate the industry.

Despite the damaging effects of the creams, he went on to tell the BBC there is “no central collection of data” on the number of prosecutions, seizures or accusations across the country, resulting in a lack of understanding about the scale of the issue.

He admitted, “no one has actually served jail time for selling them”, despite being caught still selling the illegal products whilst serving a suspended sentence and suggested the industry could be better regulated through “on the spot fines” for businesses selling the illegal skin-whitening products and clearer sentencing guidelines.

WOMAN SEARCHING FOR EARRING RAPED BY STRANGER A woman was pulled to the ground and raped by a stranger as she searched for a lost earring in a park. The 20-year-old was cycling through Palmer Park in Reading late on Tuesday or the early hours of Wednesday when she stopped close to London Road. The man left in the direction of London Road after the attack, while the victim cycled towards Wokingham Road. Police said there would be an increased presence in the area as they carry out house-to-house inquiries.

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FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK K's Asian community now comprises three or more generations, the first of which consists of a significant ageing population. While many health conditions that were fatal a few decades ago can now be managed effectively, this also brings new challenges because people now live longer, often with long-term conditions such as dementia, heart disease and diabetes.

Statistically these conditions are relatively more prevalent within the British Asian community. Diet, lifestyle and stress all play their role in these maladies. On a positive note, there have been considerable advancements in medicine and technological innovations that can be harnessed to meet the needs of us all in the 21st century.

U

Recent years have also seen a rise in excellent care homes for the elderly and those with long-term conditions.

The NHS, despite all the criticisms and hurdles, is still the envy of the world and the women and men who serve in it deserve every credit for their tireless and often thankless efforts. Very often, and wrongly so, the NHS bears the brunt of adverse health conditions but I can only say from personal experience that safeguarding one's heath is the responsibility of the individual citizen as well.

The UK is also blessed with a huge number of charities whose contribution to the health and well-being of the nation is

critical. The South Asian Health Foundation, a British Asian health charity, has been making a valuable contribution to the editorial content of our healthcare features and I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to its Chairman of Trustees, Dr Kiran CR Patel.

This special feature on healthcare is our modest endeavour to remind the UK's British Asian community about health conditions that are particularly prevalent within it and ways to effectively manage them.

CB Patel Publisher / Editor Asian Voice & Gujarat Samachar

HEART DISEASE IN SOUTH ASIANS

Dr Kiran Patel, Consultant Cardiologist and Chairman of the South Asian Health Foundation

SOME FACTS

l South Asians have amongst the highest overall and premature CHD mortalities of any UK ethnic group. l CHD rates in the UK population overall continue to fall but more could still be done to bring down rates of heart disease in south Asians.

WHAT CAUSES HEART DISEASE IN SOUTH ASIANS? Let me dispel one common myth first of all. I often hear people say that some families have bad genes predisposing themselves to heart disease.

There is no single specific gene identified which causes heart disease in south Asians.

Families, because they live together, tend to share the same risk factors for heart disease and this is why the disease often occurs in several family members. So what are these risk factors which make us prone to developing heart disease?

RISK FACTORS FOR HEART DISEASE We can split risk factors up into modifiable i.e. those which we can do something about, and those which are non-modifiable,

A south Asian is defined as an individual with roots in India, Pakistan or Bangladesh. For over 50 years now, it has been known that south Asians, when compared to white Europeans, have a higher risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) and it often presents at a younger age.

There is no single reason for CHD. Here I will highlight some facts relating to south Asian CHD and what might be done to address some of these.

products, e.g. semi-skimmed milk, low fat yoghurt and paneer from semi skimmed milk. l Use pure cooking oil, mono or polyunsaturated, rapeseed or olive oil (Pommace), sunflower or corn oil instead of ghee or butter. l Help not harm others: Take fruit, not sweetmeats to the temple.

which we cant do anything about. Our genetic make up is fixed and non modifiable.

Although I have said there is no specific gene which causes heart disease, our overall genetic make up predisposes us to developing diabetes and heart disease when we move from an environment where we eat less and have high levels of physical activity e.g. on farms in India, to an environment where we have less exercise and eat more e.g. when we migrate to cities. The transition from a relatively poor to an affluent environment has over the years, been responsible for much of the epidemic of heart disease and diabetes in the Asian population.

TOBACCO INTAKE

AGE FACTOR Our age is another non modifiable risk factor. As we get older, we are at greater risk of most diseases, including heart disease. We cannot get younger (unfortunately!) but we be healthier in old age by leading healthier lives from birth onwards. Rates of breast feeding are unfortunately low in Asian populations, although this is the healthiest form of nourishment for babies. Once children begin to eat, their diet should be balanced with plenty of fruit and vegetables (a diet which should persist throughout life for us all). Giving children high calorie foods and food rich in

oil, butter, ghee or sugars, predisposes children to heart disease and diabetes. Post mortem studies have shown streaks of cholesterol in the arteries of children as young as two years of age and we are also now seeing diabetes in south Asian teenagers as a consequence of poor childhood lifestyles. This depressing trend must stop and changes must begin in childhood.

MODIFIABLE RISK FACTORS Exercise is good for you and the recommended levels are 30 minutes of activity, five times weekly. Little changes in lifestyle can help e.g. walking more.

DIET A heart healthy diet is the cornerstone of good health. l A Mediterranean-style diet, with lots of vegetables and fruits, with fish and small amounts of lean meat for non vegetarians. l Wholegrain foods e.g. wholegrain cereals, granary bread, wholemeal Atta, brown rice. l Avoid trans-fats in processed foods e.g. hard margarine, pastry, cakes and biscuits. l Avoid adding salt. l If you drink alcohol keep intake within sensible limits. l Switch to reduced-fat dairy

Another modifiable risk factor is tobacco intake. It does not matter whether one smokes, snuffs or chews tobacco, it still increases the risk of heart disease (and cancer), so stop using it.

OTHER RISK FACTORS Your Doctor can help you with other risk factors and tell you what your risk of heart disease is. l Blood pressure should be controlled and helped with a low salt diet. l Cholesterol. There is both good and bad cholesterol.

Many people take tablets called statins if diet alone is insufficient to lower their bad cholesterol levels. Excessive cholesterol basically builds up in the arteries and if it accumulates in arteries supplying blood to the heart, these arteries can block, leading to a heart attack ( heart muscle death due to inadequate blood supply). l Diabetes is very common in south Asians. Up to 25% of us are diabetic and the risk increases if a family member is diabetic. If you have symptoms of thirst, need to urinate either at night or very frequently, or if you think you are at risk, your Doctor can easily test for diabetes. l Weight: a healthy weight reduces your risk of diabetes

and heart disease. Simply put, you will lose weight if your calorie intake (through diet) is less than calories burned, so exercise and eat less to lose weight.

TREATMENTS If you are at risk of heart disease you will require a change in lifestyle and maybe medication. Ask your Doctor to assess your risk of heart disease.

If you already have angina or have been treated for heart disease, you must ensure you have access to all available treatments, ranging from medication to different forms of surgery. There is no shame in asking for help, being on treatment, or having surgery. In fact, it is those who are too fearful of the stigma of suffering from heart disease who suffer the most from this treatable disease.

WHAT IS BEING DONE? The NHS knows that prevention is better than cure, so does offer assessment to everyone over 40years of age. If you are younger and concerned, do see your Doctor.

COMMUNITY HEALTH PROGRAMMES The South Asian Health Foundation is a UK charity which is now holding seminars and meetings in communities around the UK (the SACHE programme), discussing heart disease and the information I have discussed in more detail. These meetings are held by healthcare professionals willing to come to your communities. Should you wish your community to benefit from one or several of these meetings, please contact us at info@sahf.org.uk.

For further information on south Asian health in general do look at www.sahf.org.uk

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THE ALPHABET STRATEGY FOR DIABETES CARE PREVENTION OF DIABETES AND AVOIDING COMPLICATIONS Diabetes is at least 3 times more common in people who originate from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka. There are many reasons for this. The main ones are obesity, reduced physical activity and a high carbohydrate diet. The latter include eating too much rice, nan, roti, potatoes, pasta despite being overweight.

A major problem is, and indeed it is a tragedy, is the very high rate of Type 2 diabetes in South Asian children due to obesity.

PREVENTION OF DIABETES There is now very good evidence that Type 2 diabetes can be prevented in at least 90% of cases by avoiding obesity, being physically active and having a balanced diet. The main target to achieve are: l Normal weight: there is a number called the Body Mass Index (BMI). This takes into account your weight in kg and height in meters to calculate an index that indicates whether you are normal weight or not.

There are many calculators on the internet. You should not look overweight is the most important thing! Avoid the wait being too large. The BMI should be 18 to 23 kg/m2. l Good level of Physical Activity: Many people think that this can only be achieved by going to the gym or “serious” exercise such as sports. The main requirements for a mini-

mum level of a good amount of exercise should result in feeling a little short of breath, feeling warm and feeling that the heart rate is raised. This can be achieved by fast walking for 20 to 30 minutes, at least 5 times a week. You could also think about gardening, standing up to work, using the car less and muscle strengthening exercises. l Balanced diet: The South Asian diet is often far too high in carbohydrate sources such as rice, wheat (eg nan, roti) and potatoes. This mean we are having to have a lot of extra food calories to ensure that our body has the right amount of protein and vitamins. Often a very good way to lose weight is simply to cut down the carbohydrates by 50% and have more (and at least) fruits and vegetables. Ideally some portions should be fresh. Protein can easily be increased by lentils, peas, quinoa and various sources of animal protein.

Professor Vinod Patel, University of Warwick

IF YOU HAVE DIABETES: HOW TO AVOID COMPLICATIONS Our simple idea is called the Alphabet Strategy, it is a checklist of all the most important aspects of diabetes care. There is strong research evidence to suggest that doing all these aspects diabetes care well will reduce complications by at least 50% under the age of 75 years. This includes complications that severely affect the quality of life such as kidney failure needing dialysis, heart attacks, strokes, foot amputation and even blindness.

Advice on Lifestyle: specifically on avoidance of smoking, encouraging regular physical activity and a balanced diet leading to optimal weight. Other individualised recommendations include influenza vaccination, safe driving advice and advice in relation to your job.

Blood pressure: The usual target is 140/80 or less. It may need to be lower if there is heart disease, kidney disease or eye problems.

Cholesterol level: This must

be checked yearly and in most cases a cholesterol level of less than 5mmol/l can be achieved with a statin. This is usually atorvastatin 20mg daily is you have not had a heart attack, stroke or vascular problems in the legs. If you have already had any of these three conditions then atorvastatin 80mg daily is given.

Diabetes control: this is the actually glucose control itself.

There is a test called the HbA1c test. This measure the amount of glucose sticking to your blood over the last 60 days.

Good control is usually 58 mmol/mol (7.5%) or less. Your target depends on several factors and needs to be discussed with your doctor or nurse. If you have diabetes it is always essential to avoid hypoglycaemia- that is a blood glucose level of less than 4 mmol/l.

Eye examination: This should be done yearly using a retinal camera. If there are significant changes then these can threaten vision. Laser treatment or medication may be needed.

Foot examination: You should examine your feet daily.

You should look out for redness, infection, ulcers,

HYPERTENSION IN THE SOUTH ASIAN COMMUNITY

WHAT CAUSES IT? Obesity, increased alcohol intake and high salt intake are well known lifestyle factors that lead to hypertension. In the vast majority of patients presenting with raised blood pressure in general practice, the cause is unknown, so-called essential or primary hypertension (95% of cases). The remainder is either due to secondary causes or it is explained by genetics.

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is defined when the readings are more than 140/90. Your blood pressure is a measure of how strongly your blood is pressing against the walls of your arteries as it is pumped around your body by your heart.

MEASURING BLOOD PRESSURE Blood pressure is made up of two measurements, one taken when your heart is beating and pumping blood (known as systolic blood pressure) and another taken when your heart is filling up with blood between beats (known as diastolic blood pressure). It is measured in mil-

limetres of mercury (which is written as mmHg) and is recorded as systolic blood pressure over diastolic blood pressure, for example 120/70 mmHg.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a common preventable condition seen within the community. It increases the risk of irregular heart beat (atrial

fibrillation) and is a major risk factor for stroke, heart attack, heart failure, and kidney disease. Raised blood pressure is one of the three main modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease, other two are diabetes mellitus and high cholesterol. It affects a quarter of South Asians and is more common in men than women and becomes commoner with

numbness, tingling and change in shape. Examination should also be carried out at least yearly by a qualified health care professional such as a nurse, doctor or podiatrist.

Guardian drugs: This is the idea that certain prescribed drugs such as aspirin, ACE inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers, and statins protective against cardiovascular disease and other diabetes complications. If you are prescribed these drugs please ensure you understand why you are on the. If they are well tolerated then you should take them regularly.

More recently we have added an “H” for Health Care Professional advice. This would allow both patients and health care professional to ensure that specific advice is sought and given (for example: preconception advice, safe fasting during Ramadan, sexual dysfunction, psychological support).

You should ensure that your doctor or nurse helps you achieve your personal targets for blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes control. They will also be able to advise you on stopping smoking, optimising physical activity and diet.

Professor Paramjit Gill, Trustee, South Asian Health Foundation

increasing age.

Because hypertension rarely causes symptoms in the early stages, it is a silent killer, causing damage to major organs, disability, and death from cardiovascular disease.

TAKING BLOOD PRESSURE READINGS This is the most important aspect and care should be taken when measuring blood pressure: l First, it is important that all health care professionals taking blood pressure measurements are trained

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l The person should be seated for at least 5 minutes, relaxed and not moving or speaking l The arm must be supported at the level of the heart. Ensure no tight clothing constricts the arm. This is important point as many South Asian ladies have long sleeves and the arm must be removed for this. l Place the cuff on neatly with the centre of the bladder over the brachial artery. The bladder should encircle at least 80% of the arm (but not more than 100%) l Because automated devices may not measure blood pressure accurately if there is pulse

irregularity, it should be confirmed by your general practitioner. l It is important that all devices for measuring blood pressure are properly validated, maintained and regularly recalibrated according to manufacturers' instructions. l If clinic BP is more than 140/90, take further two readings and then record the average of the last two. You doctor may also organise home blood pressure monitoring to confirm diagnosis of hypertension. l Many people can now measure and monitor their BP at home on validated devices

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HOW IS IT MANAGED? The majority of hypertension is and can be managed by the patient’s general practitioner.

But importantly all patients should look at what they can do to control their blood pressure and to prevent complications.

This includes reducing their weight and coffee intake; relaxation therapies and exercise also help to lower blood pressure. Further, your doctor may encourage you to reduce intake of alcohol because this can reduce blood pressure and also has broader health benefits. It is important to keep your dietary

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sodium intake low, either by reducing or substituting sodium salt, as this can reduce blood pressure. If you smoke, important to stop smoking.

In addition to these lifestyle changes, patients maybe started on either one or more tablets to control their blood pressure. It is important that these drugs are taken as prescribed by their doctor and will require regular checking as hypertension is a silent condition without symptoms in the vast majority of patients.

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MORE INFORMATION The organisations below can provide more information and support for people with high blood pressure. NICE is not responsible for the quality or accuracy of any information or advice provided by these organisations.

Blood Pressure Association, 0845 241 0989 www.bloodpressure.org.uk British Heart Foundation, 0300 330 3311 www.bhf.org.uk The Stroke Association, 0303 3033 100 www.stroke.org.uk You can also go to NHS Choices (www.nhs.uk) for more information.

IT’S TIME TO TALK ABOUT DEPRESSION IN ASIANS 1 in 4 people will experience mental illness at some point in their lives with depression and anxiety being most common. A mental illness occurs when there is a change in your thinking or behavior that results in a negative impact on your daily life. You may find it difficult to function at school, work or at home.

DEPRESSION - A TABOO In the Asian community, depression is often misunderstood and under-diagnosed.

Negative attitudes towards mental illness contribute to creating a “taboo” or “stigma” which prevents people from speaking about their symptoms. This is Symptoms of Depression n n n n

n n n

n n n n n

Feeling tired all the time Problems with concentration Low self-confidence Feeling low in mood for weeks or months Avoiding people Feeling anxious Difficulty sleeping or waking up early in the morning Reduced appetite Physical pains Loss of sex drive Thoughts of suicide and death Self harming

made worse when people suffering with mental illness are described negatively or are outcast from family and society. Due to strong cultural pressures within the Asian community, many people feel paralyzed with strong feelings of guilt, shame and failure if they speak about their depression and mental illness.

Depression can affect anyone, regardless of their background, status or how much money they earn. Superstar Bollywood actress, Deepika Padukone, has spoken out about her journey with depression which started when she experienced a nagging emptiness that would not go away. Once she realized she had a problem and accepted the therapy, she was able to control her symptoms and return to normal life.

HOW DO I KNOW IF I HAVE DEPRESSION? It is natural to feel sad from time to time, this does not mean you are depressed.

Depression happens when a feeling of low mood lasts for weeks or months. You may feel hopeless and unmotivated to do what usually makes you happy or brings you pleasure. You may find that you are sleeping less or waking up in the middle of the night.

Depression can be mild, moderate or severe. With mild depression, you are still able to continue with daily activities of life despite your symptoms. Moderate depression may have more of a significant impact on your daily life and with severe depression you may feel like life is impossible. Other types of depression include postnatal depression, which happens after giving birth and seasonal affective disorder where mood is low due to the time of year.

WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT IT? Depression is treatable. If you have been struggling with symptoms and it is impacting your life for more than a couple of weeks you should go to see your GP. If you are feeling very depressed with thoughts to harm yourself you must seek medical attention urgently. Treatment for depression includes medication, talking therapy and counseling. It is important to see your doctor as you may require tests to check that you do not have any physical problems, such as hypothyroidism, which may lead to low mood. You can take steps to fight depression by doing regular exercise, cut down on alcohol, eating healthy and keeping a routine.

To break the stigma surrounding depression in Asians, we must start to talk about mental illness more freely. As part of the Meducasian project, we have been holding local community “Chai & Chat” sessions to discuss mental illness interactively over a friendly cup of hot masala chai. The response has been very positive with more people wanting to talk about mental illness. The more we

talk about mental illness, the easier it will become to help those who are suffering in silence so we can all live positive and fulfilling lives.

For more information go to: SAHF: www.sahf.org.uk Meducasian: www.meducasian.org NHS Choices: www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxietydepression Mind Charity: www.mind.org.uk Rethink mental illness: www.rethink.org

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ADVINIA HEALTH CARE Advinia Health Care is a care home provider with over 3,200 beds across England and Scotland, making it amongst the top 10 private health care providers in the UK. It is privately owned by Dr Sanjeev Kanoria and his wife Sangita, who began the business 20 years ago from their Roseacres home in Whetstone which still exists and is highly rated. Sanjeev and Sangita are part of the Kanoria foundation which serves many industries across the world. Sanjeev is also chairman of Austrian Anadi Bank in Austria and has built a 400 bed multi-speciality hospital in Mumbai.

The Advinia business is managed by CEO Len Merton who has been with Advinia for 5 years following a successful career with Sanctuary Care and Sunrise Senior Living.

WHAT MAKES ADVINIA UNIQUE Advinia has an ethos of high family values, and quality care provision is always their first priority. By ensuring that their homes are welcoming and highly rated by the Care Quality Commission, they are able to sustain very high occupancy levels being almost 100% full most of the time. Most of Advinia's homes feature at 'THE most recommended within their locality' in the top rated website carehome.co.uk. They provide a range of care services from residential to nursing and specialise in excellent dementia care support and have won many awards. Advinia's homes are different and very welcoming with warm atmospheres and homely environments creating a true 'home' experience for its residents. Technology is utilised to run alongside very efficient processes to ensure that the business is sustainable whilst providing a service that caters for the private funders as well as for Local Authority funded residents.

As soon as you walk into an Advinia home, you’ll recognise the feeling. It feels like home ought to be: comfortable, welcoming, relaxed and safe.

It’s the little touches that make a big difference, such as music and fresh flowers, community pets and – above all – a local staff team who are dedicated to their role and truly care.

PERSONAL CARE Every resident has a designated carer who really gets to know each resident with whom they work. It’s not unusual for strong

bonds of friendship to form between resident and carer, as carers understand ‘their’ resident’s personal preferences; from what time they like to wake up in the morning to their favourite meals. One often sees designated carers developing relationships for family members to turn to at any time. This close relationship helps Advinia anticipate needs and make sure that their residents receive the right care, in the right way, at the right time. That's why some of their carers do not wear uniforms, to encourage a friendship and remove task driven care which is common in so many institutionalised environments.

DEDICATED CARE Advinia Care Homes operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week because they love what they do. Says Len Merton, CEO, “We care. At the same time, we recognise that good intentions are not always enough to ensure that we deliver the best care. So, every team member undergoes thorough and continued training to make sure that we always strive to deliver the highest quality care to all our residents. We are proud that almost every one of our homes has achieved a Good ratings across all areas from the regulators and some are Outstanding.”

PEACE OF MIND He continues, “From the moment you start talking to us, to the day you move in and for as long as you stay with us, we’re here to make life better.

Whatever you need, we do what it takes to make sure you get it – from medical advice and

l

Mission & Values

Says Len Merton, “Our mission is for all Advinia staff to perform to their best to provide the highest quality of care for our residents, supporting them to live well. Our aim is to be “best in class “ in each of our localities and everything we do is centred around the needs of our residents.

Advinia's principles of care are: - Celebrating Individuality - Acting with dignity - Retaining freedom of choice - Encouraging independence - Respecting Diversity - Supporting Family and Friends Sangita Kanoria & Dr Sanjeev Kanoria

support to an emergency response system in every suite.

We also provide regular assessments so that as your needs change, we adapt our care accordingly. In addition, we communicate openly with family members, keeping everybody concerned up to date with any changes to a resident’s care plan.”

CELEBRATE LIFE At Advinia it’s not just all about care. It’s about making sure that the care that they deliver helps residents to enjoy life to the full.

Quite simply, they want to make every day special and create lots of magical moments. For people living with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia, Advinia's dementia care expertise provides a nurturing environment focused on preserving dignity, providing meaningful activities and offering ongoing support to residents and their families.

STIMULATING ACTIVITIES There’s always something going on at an Advinia home. A range of optional activities takes place every day, 7 days a week, designed around what residents like doing. Whether it’s a discussion on the daily newspaper, playing games, music and dancing, arts and crafts or a talk from a visiting expert…residents always have something to look forward to. Advinia Care Homes are active members of

NAPA (National association of Providers of Activities.)

COMFORTS OF HOME Advinia embraces all of the comforts of home, from nutritious meals made daily with fresh ingredients, to the home pet that offers comfort and companionship. Their homes are cosy and comfortable, to look and feel just like a home, but with lots of special touches to meet the wellness and mobility needs of the many people who choose to stay there.

ADVINIA HAS AN ETHOS OF HIGH FAMILY VALUES AND QUALITY CARE PROVISION IS ALWAYS THEIR FIRST PRIORITY. Last year Advinia Care Homes were successful in gaining a large EU grant to work alongside Bedford and Middlesex universities in developing culturally aware robots designed to support the elderly. This is a 3 year project and involves many different countries including Italy, Sweden and Japan.

l BUPA acquisition and how this has added to Advinia's growth and care facilities

In February 2018 Advinia Care Homes purchased 2700 beds which effectively saw them grow five fold overnight. These are large multi-site homes which provide a great opportunity to diversify the services and improve performance through the “Advinia way” . Their new teams have welcomed and embraced the Advinia methods of working, creating more empowerment and accountability at home level rather than an over reliance on ‘Head Office’ centrally controlled functions. l

Future plans

For the immediate period they are focused on consolidating their acquisition and improving performance with a strategy around growth and sustainability. Running side by side they are seeking further growth opportunities with new builds to develop the asset portfolio with new state of the art modern homes. Advinia is also developing technology to assist with the smooth running of its care business and industry related growth opportunities.

About the founders of Advinia Sanjeev and Sangita started the Advinia care business from a shed in the garden at their Roseacres home. Their passion for developing quality care has seen the business grow though hard work and commitment whilst retaining the very best family values.

Dr Sanjeev Kanoria is a liver transplant surgeon who started Advinia in 1999 with his wife Sangita. Sanjeev is also the owner and Deputy Chairman of Austrian Anadi bank, one of the best governed banks in Austria and has also built a 400 bed multispeciality hospital in Mumbai.

The Kanoria family operates through the Kanoria Foundation in India, which employs over 40,000 people and covers areas such as telecommunications, health, and finance. The businesses create socio-economic value, build communities and establish sustainable livelihoods, with a focus on pan-India grassroots development, healthcare, empowering disadvantaged local communities, geographies, and building infrastructure.

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LAVANYA PLUS CREATING INNOVATIVE WAYS TO IMPROVE CARE Lavanya Plus was founded in 2016 by Rohit Patni, Rajal Patni, and Vivek Patni. The family trio were inspired to develop a digital solution to improve the delivery of care, after experiencing first-hand how difficult it is to find and book reputable healthcare providers for an elderly relative. The company’s focus is to create new, innovative ways to improve the sourcing and delivery of care, health and wellbeing service needs through the use of cutting edge technologies.

It’s a known fact that the global population is growing, life expectancies are increasing and access to high quality healthcare services are at a premium. Preventative care, improving access to and availability of quality secondary care services, and enabling people to lead healthier lives are key fundamental elements of Lavanya’s ethos.

Central to these objectives is Lavanya’s flagship solution called WeMa, short for Wellness Management for Life, formally launched to market in February 2018.

available through the online portal and app enable businesses to improve the management and delivery of their services As well as opening them up to a nationwide marketplace, WeMa Plus lets health and care providers roster staff, arrange appointments, communicate with customers, accept payments and enhance operational efficiency, reduce costs and concentrate on delivering good quality care.

and emotional strain encountered during this time made it clear that new solutions were required – new tools that, for example, enable someone to easily arrange for a social care worker, nutritionist or physiotherapist to visit their elderly, unwell relative on a regular basis.

With almost 8 million people across the UK acting as an informal carer to someone close to them, there is a pressing need to address the complexities and inefficiencies that are currently rife within the care sector. HealthTech stands to overcome many of these prevalent issues, with WeMa Life leading the way in its bid to simplify the access to and payment of the right care, health and wellbeing services by connecting the nation’s care communities.

USING TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE HOSPITAL CARE

WeMa SOLUTION

CONNECTING CARE IN COMMUNITIES In January 2018, Lavanya commissioned independent research to support the launch of WeMa Life. It revealed that 46% of people who help provide care for a loved one find it

With budgets tightening at a time when the population is ageing and skilled workers are leaving the medical arena, the NHS is now struggling to meet public demand for its services.

The problems are particularly evident in the care sector.

WeMa Life makes it easier, faster and cheaper for patients to connect with care providers, ensuring it is far simpler for individuals or carers to transact for the services they need and better manage their health within the home.

WeMa Life aggregates multiple service providers onto a single online marketplace, along with its mobile app. Supported by its business management software – WeMa Plus, it brings together health and care providers with individuals seeking a wide range of services.

Connecting care in the community, the multiservice HealthTech platform offers benefits to both consumers and businesses. People can quickly and securely search, compare, book and purchase multiple services on a planned or on-demand basis, through a single transaction.

Services range from: social care; domiciliary care; nursing; domestic help; personal care and hygiene; yoga and pliates instructors; nutritionists; physiotherapists; personal trainers; and more.

From young people wanting regular fitness sessions to elderly people responsible for looking after their ageing parents or even requiring care services for themselves, WeMa has a broad appeal. It will also have significant benefits for individuals needing to arrange care before or after clinical treatment, removing stress and complexity from an already difficult situation.

In addition, the tools

THE ROLE OF ONLINE MARKETPLACES cumbersome and stressful to source, book and transact for the services they require. Of those taking part in the research, 53% of these informal carers said the role has had a significant impact on their emotional state, while 30% have fallen out with friends and family because of tensions around their responsibilities.

A huge number of people face this predicament every year. Indeed, WeMa was born out of its founders’ own experiences when caring for a family member. The difficulty

The benefits presented by the digital health market extend far beyond hospitals’ walls – the rise of HealthTech is having a profound bearing on people’s everyday lives, empowering them to take control of their own health.

Care, health and wellbeing providers – whether a business, agency or sole trader – have much to gain by embracing technological advancements.

Firstly, the creation of online marketplaces to connect service providers with consumers will open up the vendors to a broader range of potential users. In the same way that

Rohit Patni

retail brands acquire customers by listing on larger distributors’ platforms, so too can care and health providers reach a greater volume of clients by harnessing the traction of digital marketplaces such as WeMa Life.

For individual practitioners or small businesses, this benefit becomes particularly pronounced. Indeed, as the expanding gig economy transforms the way services are provided, technology has an increasingly prominent role to play in helping providers in the care, health and wellbeing markets to build an increasing client base.

INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY Until now Lavanya has been a self-funded enterprise.

However, over the coming months, the company will be undertaking a Series A funding round with the aim of raising between £1 million and £3 million. This funding will be used to further develop the software, adding further innovative products to support the delivery of

care and supporting the WeMa Life platform within an 18 to 24 month period, ensuring it is positioned to support the needs of both service providers and those in need of health, care and wellness services. The funds will also be used for a dedicated marketing campaign, increasing business and consumer awareness of the WeMa solution.

THE LAVANYA PLUS TEAM Rohit, CEO, has been working in IT for more than 30 years. In 2013 he sold card payment services company YESpay to WorldPay for more than £20 million. Rajal, the CFO, has over 25 years’ experience working within a range of businesses in the construction, outsourcing and technology sectors, leading on M&A, combining strategic, operational, and financial expertise helping these businesses grow. Vivek is the Lavanya’s COO and has a background in professional services and a degree in biomedical sciences.

TECHNOLOGY AND HEALTHCARE Technology has made huge strides in making consumers’ lives easier. The benefits of ease, convenience, cost and choice are now extending into the health and care sectors.

According to a research report released by Global Market Insights in March 2018, the global digital health industry is forecast to reach a value of $379 billion by 2024; a meteoric rise from its value of just $35 billion in 2014. And informal carers undoubtedly stand to benefit from the proliferation of HealthTech.

Removing the cumbersome process of having to search high and wide for local firms who can reliably and cost-effectively deliver care services to a loved one, informal carers can now go online to find, book and pay for such services. Not only does it make the process far faster and simpler, but the use of digital tools also improves transparency and communication – the patient (or carer) can easily review the services they’ve booked, while messages can quickly be sent between the care provider and user. The result is that informal carers can save themselves time, money and a significant amount of stress. www.wemalife.com

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OVERUSE OF ANTIBIOTICS - GLOBAL HEALTH SCARE Antibiotics are drugs used to treat infections caused by bacteria in humans as well as animals. Resistance to such treatment occurs when bacteria adapt and find ways to survive the effects of an antibiotic – driven largely by the overuse of antibiotics and at times inappropriately prescribing them. As a result, they are losing their effectiveness FAST.

ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE The more we use antibiotics, the greater the chance bacteria become resistant to them and therefore less effective in treating infections. Today, antibiotic resistance is recognised as one of the biggest threats facing patient safety and has now become a global problem according to the World Health Organisation.

The consequences can be far reaching in that without effective antibiotics many routine treatments will become increasingly dangerous. Setting broken bones, basic operations, even chemotherapy and animal health all rely on access to antibiotics that only work but work effectively.

To slow down the development of antibiotic resistance, it is important to use antibiotics in the right way – to use the right drug, at the right dose, at the right time, for the right duration. Antibiotics should be taken as prescribed, and left overs should never be saved for later dates or shared with others. Equally, they should not be obtained or purchased without the knowledge or supervision of your doctor. Increasingly people are known to buy antibiotics on demand especially during travel overseas to India and Pakistan for example and without a prescription. This practice is deemed dangerous, illegal and not recommended.

Furthermore, the quality and efficacy of the drug cannot always be guaranteed nor can the genuineness of the content.

Good hand-washing habits include washing hands before:

l Eating l After handling animals & pets l Before preparing food l After using the toilet

PREVENTIVE MEASURE The Royal Pharmaceutical Society recently showed 84% of British adults don’t wash their hands for long enough to clean them of the bacteria which can cause infections such as upset stomachs or pneumonia, or viruses which can cause colds and flu. The recommended time to spend washing your hands is as little as 20 seconds.

Effective hand-washing is important as fewer infections mean fewer antibiotics are prescribed. Around 30% of diarrhoea and 16% of respiratory infections can be prevented through hand-washing.

Over the winter there is an increase in the prescribing of antibiotics for infections, some of which could have been prevented by good hand hygiene, or treated at an earlier stage by getting advice and medicines from a pharmacist.

It is important to understand that bacteria are not visible and can be readily passed on from one person to the next. Extra caution in terms of handwashing is therefore essential especially among the vulnerable including children, the elderly, and in some palliative care patients undergoing treatment for cancer.

PREVENTING ANTIBIOTIC MISUSE Where antibiotics have been prescribed important advice to prevent antibiotic misuse: l understand the correct dose, at the specified time (before, after or with food), for the right duration and via the correct route l complete the full course even if symptoms improve

Dr Mahendra G Patel PhD FRPharmS FHEA Fellow of NICE South Asian Health Foundation Board and Assembly Member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society

l return any un-used antibiotics to the pharmacy - do not dispose at home e.g. by flushing down the toilet/sink l do not share medicines with others l do not keep left-over antibiotics at home as a preventative measure for another time l only use or take antibiotics if they have been supplied from a healthcare practitioner or a pharmacist (do not use prescription-only antibiotics obtained online without a prescription) l do not use antibiotics prescribed for animals or pets.

ANTIBIOTIC OVERUSE The common cough, cold and sore throat symptoms are often self-limiting and disappear after a few days. In addition, these do not respond to antibiotic treatment if they are viral in nature. The general public commonly expect and request antibiotics in these instances often wasting valuable NHS resources and GP time.

Your local pharmacist has a minimum of five years of professional training and is highly qualified to advise on the safe and effective use of over-the-counter medicines or self-treatment strategies.

Nova IVI Fertility Leading Indian IVF specialist now in the UK

Date: 28 July. Time: 11 AM Venue: Chartwell Private Hospital 1629 London Road, Leigh on Sea Essex SS92SQ Date: 29 July. Time: 10 AM Venue: 30-90 Colindeep Lane Hendon, London NW9 6HB

Nova IVI Fertility (NIF) is the among the largest service providers in fertility space. NIF aims to bring advanced Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) to India in partnership with IVI of Spain. The partnership has resulted in a substantial addition to Nova's IVF services and technology, including proprietary software, training and quality management.

While India has seen a significant rise in the number of patients opting for infertility treatments, the numbers are still abysmally low compared to the couples actually requiring medical treatment. One of the major reasons for this is the lack of awareness amongst the public about the basic concept that infertility is a disease that needs to be addressed medically. Nova IVI Fertility was launched with the commitment to offer standardised and ethical infertility treatment, as well as addressing the urgent need for an organized institutional provider for fertility treatment.

In addition to providing core

procedures such as IUI, IVF and Andrology services, NIF offers several state-of-the-art technologies such as Vitrification for preserving embryos and eggs, Embryoscope and ERA to find out the timing of the uterus' capacity to accept embryos – all procedures that significantly improve the chances of a pregnancy following IVF-ICSI, even in patients with multiple previous failures.

NIF also offers another sought after advanced technique known as IMSI (intracytoplasmic morphologicallyselected sperm injection). This is an upgrade of ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection), where the embryologist carries out the fertilization of the oocytes (egg) using an extremely high-powered microscope to select the sperm cells with the best morphological quality.

With IVI's know-how and vast international expertise, NIF brings the same exceptional standard of processes, protocols and policies to India.

In a short span of six years from inception, NIF has successfully completed over 44,000 cycles and achieved 20,000+ pregnancies, bringing couples closer to their dream of parenthood.

NIF currently operates 20 fertility centers in India (Ahmedabad (2), Bengaluru (3), Chennai, Coimbatore, New Delhi (2), Hisar, Hyderabad, Indore, Jalandhar, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai (2), Pune, Surat and Vijayawada).

In the UK, Nova IVI Fertility works in collaboration with IFC who will be an helping hand for all the needy parentless couple who seeks to avail the best in class fertility treatments in India. To discuss this more in detail, we can be contacted on 07424639342 or email us at novaivi@advatechhealth.com For further information, please visit www.novaivifertility.com

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Dementia EARLY SIGNS More and more people in the UK are developing dementia. This is because the population is ageing and dementia tends to Dr. Julia Botsford, Admiral affect people as they Nurse Dementia Helpline grow older.

The term dementia is used to describe a range of diseases of the brain. The most common types are Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia.

Dementia is progressive, but early signs can include: l Problems with short term memory l Poor word recall l Speech and thought disturbances l Difficulties with concentrating, planning and organising l Problems carrying out routine tasks, such as paying bills or cooking ameal l Changes to mood and behaviour Julia’s advice for people who have a friend or relative with dementia: l Look after your own needs as well as the person’s with dementia. This is something which many people forget to do.

However ensuring that you give yourself time to relax and unwind is crucial for you to provide the best possible care for a relative with dementia. If you feel stressed, so will the person you care for. l Dementia can affect how you and the person with dementia communicate. For example, the person with dementia may revert to their mother tongue or mix up lan-

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guages if they learned English as a second language. This can be frustrating for you but it is also likely to be frustrating for them.

If you can, try to understand what they mean. If you can’t you may be able to work out how they are feeling (for example do they seem sad or anxious?), and respond to that. Sometimes simple distraction techniques may help: offer a cup of tea or take them into a different room. l If you want to convey something to the person with dementia, using pictures along with words can help. For example, if you’re talking about a favourite holiday you went on with them; try showing pictures from the holiday. Also, by maintaining eye contact and reducing distractions like TV and radio, you can reduce the risk of the person with dementia getting confused. l Try and help the person with dementia to keep on doing the things they enjoy and can do as much as possible. Perhaps they may need a bit more support but in helping them preserve their interests and abilities , you can give the person with dementia a real sense of achievement and help them to stay independent for as long as possible. l Be aware that the person with dementia may not just have dementia. They could have depression, for example, which is why it’s so important to be seen by a GP to assess what kind of treatment should be offered. However, even the simple things in life can help to elevate a person’s mood: like going for a walk or listening to a favourite piece of music.

Helpline If you are concerned about someone who may have dementia, call the Admiral Nurse Dementia Helpline on 0800 888 6678.

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Mallya case: UK court seeks video of Mumbai jail cell After a UK court asked Indian authorities to submit a video of the cell at the Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai, where they plan to keep Vijay Mallya post-extradition, the Maharashtra prisons department contested the businessman's claims that there was no natural light or fresh air in Indian jails.

Mallya appeared before the court in London where both, the defence and the prosecution presented clarifications on Barrack 12 at Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai, where he is to be held. Judge Emma Arbuthnot, after hearing the arguments, asked Indian authorities to submit within three weeks a video of the Barrack 12 of the Arthur Road Jail and set September 12 as the date of the next hearing.

No natural light or fresh air in Indian jails: Mallya She asked Indian authorities to submit a “step by step video” of Barrack 12 for “the avoidance of doubt” over the availability of natural light in the cell where the 62 year old businessman is expected to be detained pre-trial, during trial and in the event he is convicted by the Indian courts. The judge said, “I would like a video of

Vijay Mallya

Barrack 12, to see where the windows are... shot maybe at mid-day with no artificial lighting.” After arriving in court, Mallya said the allegations against him were “false” and reiterated his offer to settle dues to the Karnataka High Court. “Now that the assets are before the court, I am in the hands of the court; I hope this will all end. At the end of the day, the courts will decide.”

His team, lead by Clare Montgomery,

focused its objections on the lack of natural light available in Barrack 12 and claimed that the “government of India assurance cannot be relied upon. The photos show natural light flooding into the cell. But our assessment is that it is very difficult to work out where the light was coming from. Whatever the light is, is not natural light,” Montgomery said. While Mallya's defence team insisted on an inspection of the jail cell, the CPS stressed that the Indian government had provided “adequate material” which rendered the need for an inspection unnecessary.

Sources in the Maharashtra prisons department said that they would shoot a video according to the directives of the court and the Centre. “We have learnt that Judge Emma Arbuthnot has asked for a 'step by step video' of Barrack 12 for 'the avoidance of doubt' over the availability of natural light and ventilation in the cell where Mallya would be lodged both during the pretrial and also in the event of his conviction. We will shoot the video as per the court's directives and send it to the required authorities,” a senior official said.

Bank of England raises interest rates to 0.75% The Bank of England has raised interest rates above the emergency level introduced after the financial crisis despite mounting fears about the economic impact of Britain crashing out of the EU without a deal. Citing concern that the lowest unemployment rate since the mid-1970s risked re-igniting wage pressure.

Governor Mark Carney told businesses and households there would be further increases in borrowing costs if economy continued to recover from a softer patch earlier this year, but he also signalled willingness to reverse the quarter-point increase in the event of a disorderly Brexit. He said, “If there is a major shift, then that could have consequences for monetary policy. We can adjust when necessary.” The pound fell on foreign exchanges over

Governor Mark Carney

speculation the Bank would be blocked from tweaking the cost of borrowing until after Britain formally left the EU next March.

Indra Nooyi will step down as PepsiCo CEO Indra Krishnamurthy Nooyi will step down as the CEO of PepsiCo after 12 years in the position, the company announced. Taking over the reins of the global giant in 2006, Nooyi steered the company through the 2008 financial crisis and herself remained as one of the most powerful women on the planet.

"Growing up in India, I never imagined I'd have the opportunity to lead such an extraordinary company,” she said in Indra Nooyi a statement. "Leading PepsiCo has truly been the honour of my lifetime, and I'm incredibly proud of all we have done over the past 12 years to advance the interests not only of shareholders, but all our stakeholders in the communities we serve.”

Nooyi, 62, grew up in Chennai where she studied at the Madras Christian College.

She went to the Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata before coming to the US in 1980 for a second master’s degree at the Yale School of Management. In India, she played cricket and was lead guitarist in an all-girl rock band. Under her leadership the revenue of the company grew more than 80%. Nooyi has been overseeing 260,000 global employees of the com.

The 54-year-old Ramon Laguarta will succeed Nooyi as CEO. Nooyi will step down on October 3, but will remain Chairman until early 2019 to ensure a smooth and seamless transition, the company said.

Charles Hepworth of the City Investment Management company GAM said, “The Bank of England's response in a few months' time could look very different should the Brexit cliff edge slip nearer despite them saying more hikes will be needed.” In delivering its verdict, the Bank's nine-member monetary policy committee voted unanimously for the increase, judging that the economy had bounced back from the effects of the “beast from the east” earlier this year.

Outlining its decision, the Bank said interest rates were unlikely to return to the levels seen before the financial crisis, when they were more commonly set above 5%. Any future increases in the cost of borrowing are likely to come at a “gradual pace and to a limited extent,” it said.

India files request for Choksi's extradition An Indian team, led by additional secretary in the MEA Manpreet Vohra, met Antiguan officials in that country and filed a formal request to extradite diamantaire Mehul Choksi, a prime accused in the PNB scam who has acquired citizenship of the Caribbean nation.

Choksi and his nephew, Nirav Modi, are wanted in the Rs 13,000 crore PNB bank fraud case. According to reports, Antiguan authorities cleared his citizenship in November 2017 after India gave an all-clear on his passport application. Questions are now being raised about how there was no adverse observation.

Choksi had fled India on January 4 and took citizenship of Antigua on January 15. Choksi’s application for Antiguan citizenship in May 2017 was accompanied by a clearance certificate from the Mumbai police, according to media reports in Antigua.

Antigua blames India for Choksi citizenship Antigua and Barbuda blamed Indian authorities, including market regulator Sebi and CBI, for not raising a red flag on Mehul Choksi when he applied for citizenship last year, but India debunked the Caribbean nation’s claim and asked it to extradite the diamantaire on the principles of “reciprocity and dual criminality”.

JLR drags Tata Motors into red for first time A poor show by Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) pulled Tata Motors into the red for the first time in three years. The Indian automaker posted a loss of £186.3 million in the June quarter of fiscal 2019 as opposed to a profit of £320 million in the year ago period. The figures surprised analysts as they had predicted a profit of £92 million.

JLR reported a loss of 210 million pounds as it sold fewer vehicles in its biggest market China due to changes in import duties, as well as in its European market over diesel concerns. In China, dealers had delayed purchases of JLR vehicles to take benefit of the reduction of import duties from 25% to 10% that came into effect after the end of the reporting quarter, that is July 1. In other markets including Europe, JLR had taken a planned dealer stock reduction as it faced uncertainty over diesels along with Brexit and additional diesel taxes in the UK.

KM Birla, Deveshwar on Air India board The government of India has appointed Kumar Mangalam Birla, chairman of the Aditya Birla Group, and ITC chairman Y C Deveshwar as non-official independent directors for Air India. Deveshwar had earlier headed erstwhile Air India from 1991-94, when the airline was still in the black and profits had shored up under him. Cleared by the PM-headed appointments committee of the cabinet, the two businessmen will be on AI board for three years unless the next government in 2019 decides otherwise. The move comes as AI is now struggling to survive after NDA’s failed divestment bid.

Earlier also, governments have also tried to pick top business minds to revive AI. UPA had even approached Ratan Tata for heading a special group on AI, which did not materialise. Currently, AI is facing a severe cash crunch due to which it has started receiving notices from both lenders and aircraft leasers. While the airline had sought £212.1 million equity infusion to meet expenses, the administration is looking at £98 million infusion. The airline has to do annual NCD debt servicing of over £50 million next month and it has made it clear that without the requisite fund infusion, it may default on payment. When asked about the shortfall, aviation secretary R N Choubey said, “government is fully committed to providing necessary support to AI. The airline will not be allowed to default.” AI may reschedule certain payments that have to be made in coming days.

Jet Airways in talks to cut salary of employees Jet Airways said it was in talks with employees and key stakeholders to implement cost reduction measures such as cuts in salaries of staff. The airline said that the talks with the employees is in line with its stated focus of creating a "healthier and a more resilient business". The airline in a statement said that the company has been implementing several measures to help it reduce cost as well as realise higher revenues. "Some of these measures include sales and distribution, payroll and maintenance, among many others. As part of this approach, the airline management is in dialogue with key stakeholders to enlist their full support and cooperation for realising necessary savings across all parts of the business." The company said that it is committed to create a growthoriented and sustainable future. Currently, the airline is in the process of adding 225 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft which will be inducted into its fleet over the next decade, of which 11 are slated to join within this financial year.

Mistry moves NCLAT against his removal from Tata Sons Cyrus Mistry who was removed as chairman of Tata Sons has approached the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal against the order of NCLT dismissing his plea challenging his removal as chairman of the company. A petition was filed before the appellate tribunal against the July 9 order of the Mumbai bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT). Under the Companies Act, an order of NCLT can be challenged before the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT).

Mistry was ousted from the position in October 2016. He had taken over as the chairman in 2012 after Ratan Tata announced his retirement. Two months after his removal, Mistry’s family-run firms Cyrus Investments Pvt Ltd and Sterling Investments Corp approached the NCLT as minority shareholders, against Tata Sons, Ratan Tata, and some other board members.

TWO BIRDS, ONE STONE

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Sow & Reap London Property Investment

It’s not the property which is of importance, but the location.

Often, when clients tell me they wish to buy a property for investment, and perhaps for their children to live in the future, I always advise them to keep the two separate, as the objectives are different.

Investment should be done with an objective. When it comes to investments the aim is to make as much money possible, in the shortest amount of time. When it comes to living in the property, it is a lifestyle choice and emotional choice, not necessarily one based on cost.

However, in this rare occasion, after listening to our client, I must admit it made a lot of sense. His two children work, one is based in Canary Wharf and the other in the

INSIDE OUT

MANAGING THE EGO Without realising it, we tend to want to be understood before we are willing to try to understand the other person.

I had a problem with a bank over a property loan once.

Unfortunately, the bank adopted a very bureaucratic approach to solving the problem. The situation was exacerbated by their aggressive and haughty tone.

I had a choice to make. I felt under attack. I could sense how their approach was hurting my ego, incensing me and goading me into retaliating. I reflected,

however, that these feelings of egoic hurt are transitory and that a practical solution was more important than balancing the quota of hurt and retaliation.

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One of the modern world’s challenges to ego management is time. Our use of modern technology makes us so reactive

BUY TO LET OPPORTUNITY

23

11 - 17 August 2018

Finally, we exchanged on a small deal in South East London. The property is a three bedroom semi, about 30 seconds away from the new Crossrail, which means it will take only 11 mins to reach Canary Wharf and 25 mins to reach Bond Street. This is the main selling point.

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West End. Therefore, this location actually seemed ideal, as well as being in probably the hottest hotspot in London.

The property is dated and requires some modernisation. It will be lived in initially, and then turned into a Buy to Let in the future, when the occupants have flown the nest.

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The rent achievable will increase in time, but it will be the strong rise of the underlying asset which will make a good amount of money.

The property was purchased for £365K, and my prediction is that within three years it will easily be worth £450K. This is an uplift of nearly £100K. If we look at this from a return on investment point of view, you would be looking to double your money in three years.

There needs to be some restraint put on the decoration of the property, as ultimately it will be a BTL property after a few years.

Therefore, to go overboard with the décor according to one’s taste and whims is perhaps not the best idea.

The work needs to be done in a moderate way. An option we will be exploring for our client, is getting permission on this property for a rear extension and a loft conversion. Once this is done, we would look to convert the whole property into a 5/6 bedroom HMO. Being so close to the station, we believe the demand for low priced accommodation will be high, both from the West End and Canary Wharf.

Currently, we have also confirmed another small deal in this vicinity, for only £255K. It’s a two bed flat requiring some minor modernisation. Get in touch soon, if you would like to secure this property.

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to events that we give ourselves too little time for reflection and meditation. We fail to appreciate that an orderly inner world produces a balanced and wellordered outer world.

In the case of the bank I did two things. I gave myself the time to be introspective on the matter.

I also acknowledged the pain my ego felt from the bruising approach of the bank. However, I refused to accept this ego as my true identity, and decided to act from a place of choice that I did not have to identify with the pain that my ego felt and, certainly, I did not have to act from this place.

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SOUTH INDIA

Whole nation is becoming intolerant: Kamal Haasan KOCHI: Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan had a lot to say about the nation recently. He said it would not be possible for him to produce a movie like his 2000 released 'Hey Ram' today as the country was becoming intolerant. Speaking to reporters, he said the movie was a “very strong movie” that reflected his politics and ideologies. When asked if his new film 'Vishwaroopam 2' also reflected his politics and ideology, the leader said it was there in all his movies.

“However, this (Vishwaroopam 2) was not aimed (at it) directly. If you want to see my political reflection, 'Hey Ram' is the film. I don't think it will be possible to release that kind of movie today. That is a very strong movie,” he said. The films

Kamal Haasan

revolves around the partition period and the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. The Makkal Needhi Maiam leader also said it would not be possible for Malayalam writer and Jnanpeeth awardee MT Vasudevan

Nair to produce a movie like 'Nirmalyam' at present. The national award-winning movie focused on the neglect of temples in the villages and the difficulties faced by families dependent on the places of worship.

When asked if it was time to unite against all “intolerant voices” in the country, Haasan said, “It is. The whole nation is becoming intolerant.” He said he was shocked that a state like Kerala was also toeing the line of the politics of intolerance.

He said his party would go in the direction of whatever would be good for Tamil Nadu.

“I am looking at achieving that goal. We are not opportunists,” the MNM leader said in response to a query if he would join a broad platform of secular parties.

PUNJAB-HARYANA

CBI frames charges against Dera chief in castration cases CHANDIGARH: Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Insan and two doctors are formally charged in a case related to the castration of around 400 disciples inside the Dera premises. A special CBI court in Panchkula framed the charges against Ram Rahim and Dr Pankaj Garg and Dr MP Singh for voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means, cheating and criminal conspiracy among others, paving the way for beginning the trial against them.

The court also dismissed a petition filed by the jailed Dera chief in which he had pleaded not to be made a party in the case.

Witness Gurdas Singh Tuhar said, “I was a sadhu in the Dera when the castrations took place. I have disclosed to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) all the things that transpired inside the Dera. I had filed an RTI to find out who owned how much land. The CBI has used that data in its challan to reveal that Ram Rahim's real motive was to expand his empire and he used the sadhus for that.”

Tuhar added, “The seers were first made land

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Insan

owners and then castrated. The power of attorneys were taken from them and the land was subsequently transferred to the Dera trust.”

At the hearing, while both the doctors were present in court, the self-acclaimed godman attended via video conferencing.

The accused were provided copies of the

chargesheet, and the matter has been posted for August 17. Ram Rahim was jailed last year after a CBI court convicted him of raping women disciples. Doctor Singh is also in judicial custody in connection with the violence that had broken out in Panchkula after Ram Rahim was convicted. CBI investigation into the charges of forced castration was ordered by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in December 2014.

Petitioner Hans Raj Chauhan had alleged that some 400 Dera followers were castrated with the false hope that their emasculation would lead to realisation of God through Ram Rahim.

Meanwhile, a local court in Panchkula has acquitted all accused booked for violence after the conviction of Ram Rahim. Reports said the bench cited a “lack of evidence” as it discharged over 1,000 people named in the chargesheet. The verdict comes as a major embarrassment for the Haryana government which had assured to crackdown on all rioters and arsonists involved in the violence.

WEST BENGAL

After Assam, BJP now wants NRC in West Bengal KOLKATA: After the release of the final draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam, BJP leaders have issued statements demanding a similar NRC in West Bengal.

Reacting to the draft that has left out 40,00,000 people, WB BJP chief Dilip Ghosh said, “More than 10 million illegal citizens live in Bengal too. What will happen to them now?

Who will speak on their behalf? We won't spare anyone. They will have a very bad time.”

Reacting to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's declaration that the Trinamool Congress-run state government will not push back refugees from Assam trying to seek shelter in the state, Ghosh said, “Those who are supporting them should also keep their bags packed.” He also said, “Whoever will work against the national interest of the country, will have to go to Bangladesh. We won't spare anyone. Be it Congress, CPI(M), or TMC.” He added that the TMC was trying to mislead people about the NRC exercise.

Meanwhile, the ruling TMC alleged that the BJP was trying to divide the country by fuelling regionalism. TMC leader Firhad Hakim asked, “BJP may be in power in Delhi but they have no influence in Bengal. Dilip Ghosh can try all his life but he won't be able to do anything here. Under the rule of Mamata Banerjee, everyone lives in harmony in Bengal.

What do they want, do they want to break the country?” Various other organisations have also condemned Ghosh's remarks. Bangla Pokkho, a group that fights for the rights of

21 CADRES DIE DUE TO SHOCK CAUSED

BY KARUNA'S ILLNESS The DMK said 21 of its party workers have died unable to bear the “shock” of the illness and hospitalisation of party chief M Karunanidhi. The party also appealed to the cadres not to take any extreme step in view of the 94 year old former chief minister's health. DMK Working President MK Stalin said, “I am deeply depressed to learn that 21 party workers have died unable to bear the shock of party president Kalaignar's illness.” He said he was grieved by such deaths and conveyed his condolences to the next of the kin of the affected families. As Karunanidhi continues to be under intensive care, Stalin said his health condition was “normalising” and a team of doctors was constantly monitoring him. “It is a good news and is giving us confidence,” he said.

INDIAN-ORIGIN GIRL DISCOVERS RARE BEETLE IN UK A Indian-origin girl has found an uncommon beetle within the UK, which has now developed into a part of the collections at Oxford College Museum of Pure Historical past. Sarah Thomas, 10, daughter of Thomas John and Betty Thomas discovered the beetle whereas participating within the insect initiative of the Oxford College Musuem of Pure Historical past. The 5 mm specimen was recognised as a False Darkling Beetle by Darren Mann after positioning beneath a microscope. Mann is an expert entomologist and head of the Museum's Life Collections. Mann said, “It's Anisoxya fuscula, which is rated as nationally scarce in Nice Britain. We seldom see these outdoors outdated forest habitats and that is the primary beetle of its sort to be added to the collections for round 70 years.”

PUNJAB CM SEEKS RAJNATH'S HELP TO TACKLE DRUG MENACE Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has sought assistance from Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to deal with the menace caused by drugs in the state.

He has also asked for cooperation from neighbouring states of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan to make sure smugglers and peddlers are identified and apprehended in a timely manner. In a letter to the union minister, Singh wrote that the central government must assist Punjab in its endeavour to fight the threat posed by drugs.

Mamta Banerjee and Dilip Ghosh

the Benglai community openly voiced its disagreement.

Gargi Chatterjee, a member of the group said, “Dilip Ghosh has threatened 10 million Bengalis because they do not vote for a party of outsiders, a party of communal fascists and riot mongers like BJP. If they come to the holy soil of Bengal to foment trouble then Bengalis will give them a response that their 14 generations will not forget.”

TMC leaders quit In utter disappointment over Mamata's 'civil war' and 'bloodbath' remarks on the NRC in Assam, two Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders quit the party. Diganta Saikia and Pradeep Pachoni said that if the West Bengal Chief Minister was aware of the ground reality

in the northeastern state, she wouldn't have made such comments.

Following the release of the report, Mamata launched an attack and alleged that the NRC exercise in Assam was done with a 'political motive' to divide people and warned that it would lead to bloodbath and a civil war in the country.

"The NRC is being done with a political motive. We will not let this happen. They (BJP) are trying to divide the people. The situation cannot be tolerated. There will be a civil war, bloodbath in the country," Banerjee had said at a conclave. The Trinamool Congress chief, during the conclave, had also dared the BJP to try implementing NRC in West Bengal and said it can never come to power in the state.

SEVEN DROWN AS FISHING BOAT CAPSIZES IN BENGAL Seven people were drowned and one went missing when a fishing boat capsized on the Hooghly river in South 24 Parganas district, after hitting a sand dune. A state disaster management department official said most of the people who died were fishermen. 'FB Paromita' capsized when it hit a sand dune while crossing the river, he said. Bodies of the seven persons have been recovered, while one remains missing.

He said search for the missing fisherman continues.

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in brief

PAKISTAN-BANGLADESH-SRI LANKA

INDIAN HITS JACKPOT IN RAFFLE DRAW AT ABU DHABI AIRPORT An Indian national hit a jackpot by winning 10 million dirhams in a raffle draw at Abu Dhabi International Airport. “This is great.

Since this is for real I am very happy,” said Vazhappallil Yohannan Simon, who first thought it to be a prank. There was one Syrian in the top 10 winners list, rest all were from India. Sabih won 70,000 dirhams, the Khaleej Times reported.

Separately, one Filipino expat Jayson Baloloy won the Land Rover Series 12.

Earlier this week, Indian national Sandeep Menon won $1 million in Dubai Duty Free raffle. Another Indian Santhi Bose won a BMW R Nine T Scrambler motorbike.

According to data from two of the biggest raffle draws in the United Arab Emirates, Indian nationals prove to be the most lucky.

GO BACK, OR WILL KILL YOUR KIDS, PIO COUPLE TOLD IN CANADA An Indian-origin couple has been harassed in Canada by a ‘racist’ white man who yelled at them to ‘go back to your country’ and threatened to ‘kill’ their children, prompting police to investigate it as a hate crime. The incident happened when the couple got into an argument with Dale Robertson over parking of vehicle in Ontario. The fight started after the couple apparently got in Robertson’s way and the wife appears to get hit by the truck. When the Indian questioned Robertson, the man says, “You want me to go to my own country? I’m a Canadian citizen.” Robertson responds “Show me. Prove it. I don’t believe you.” “I'm racist. I don’t like you. I would kill your children first,” Robertson was quoted as saying. The couple are Canadian citizens and have been living there for seven or eight years, the report said.

INDIAN, HIS TWO FRIENDS ABDUCTED, KILLED IN AFGANISTAN An Indian national and his two friends were abducted and killed in Afghanistan. The Indian whose identity has not been revealed, and his two colleagues were working as chefs for the French food services and facilities management giant Sodexo. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the killings, but the Taliban remains the primary suspect. The incident occurred months after six Indian engineers of an RPG group working in Afghanistan were kidnapped by Taliban, suspecting them to be government officials.

Imran vows to recover looted money from plunderers KARACHI: Imran Khan, Pakistan's Prime Minister-inwaiting, vowed that he would recover the nation’s wealth which had been plundered by a few. Imran Khan has told Britain he will retrieve wealth looted from his country and stashed in the UK by corrupt Pakistani politicians. The former cricketer used his first meeting with British officials since his general election win to say he would pursue laundered money.

New anti-corruption UK legislation designed to target oligarchs and international crime could be used to freeze or seize property and assets if there is evidence it was bought with illegal or unexplained wealth.

Attacks on the greed of Pakistan’s dynastic ruling elite have been the cornerstone of the populist anti-corruption drive which has swept Khan to power.

He has denounced the political class for siphoning off money from public sector institutions and contracts and then stashing it away overseas.

The issue has dominated

Imran Khan meeting British High Commissioner Thomas Drew

Pakistan’s politics since the Panama Papers leak linked former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s family to offshore companies and four Park Lane flats.

In the meeting with British High Commissioner Thomas Drew, Khan said it was “our firm resolve to bring back to the country the money laundered to the UK.” According to reports, while no specific requests for investigations or seizures were made during the meeting, the UK said it would “work

Students bring Dhaka to a standstill with protests over road safety DHAKA: Protesting high school students have blocked major intersections in Bangladesh’s congested capital Dhaka for five straight days, choking traffic and vandalizing vehicles as they demonstrate against a bus accident that killed two teens.

Authorities have urged an end to the protests, as the students’ outrage paralyzes the city of 18 million. Police have reportedly fired tear gas and blanks in an effort to disperse the crowds as the protests turned violent with several reported assaults.

Students marched through city streets demanding to see people’s driving licenses and parading through the streets chanting “we want justice.” The

government shut down high schools, according to reports, and officials promised the teens their road safety concerns would be considered.

Students adamant on their demands But students did not relent.

“They should have taken our demands seriously, but they didn’t,” Imran Ahmed, a protesting student, said. The protest began on Sunday after a bus racing for passengers reportedly struck a group of waiting college students, killing two and injuring several others.

Dhaka’s buses are notoriously unregulated and accidentprone. To change the status quo, agitated students issued

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Students blocking Dhaka roads

nine demands, including capital punishment for irresponsible driving. Until their demands are met, students have reportedly taken up enforcing traffic laws on their own, stopping drivers for license checks. Bus companies have responded by

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constructively” with the new leader. The UK government has brought in new legislation to combat money laundering and corruption as it tries to tackle London’s reputation as a haven for dirty money, much of it from Russia.

Expensive London property bought through shell companies in weakly regulated jurisdictions has long been a favourite way to hide ill-gotten wealth for everyone from mobsters and gangsters. A spokesman for the British High Commission said:

“Tackling corruption is a UK government priority and we will continue to work constructively with Pakistan on this issue.” He said Britain has robust laws “for the recovery of illicit assets where there is evidence to do so”.

No foreign leader to be invited Meanwhile, Imran Khan has decided not to invite Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi or any other foreign leader as well as celebrities to his swearing-in ceremony on August 11. Khan has opted for a simple oath-taking ceremony instead of a star-studded event.

Imran will take oath at the President House in Islamabad.

The PTI had initially planned to organise a grand oath-taking ceremony, with several foreign leaders and celebrities as invitees. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bollywood superstar Amir Khan and former Indian cricketers such Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavasker and Navjot Singh Sidhu were expected to be invited.

However, in an apparent change of heart, Imran has opted against a fancy ceremony.

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‘Kalaignar’ Karunanidhi Is No More Five-time Tamil Nadu chief minister and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president Muthuvel Karunanidhi, one of the most influential politicians in the state’s history, has died at the age of 94.

Fondly called Kalaignar, Karunanidhi was suffering from urinary tract infection for over a week. He had been hospitalised since 27 July. The former chief minister, one of the pillars of the Dravidian movement, was recovering from a long illness when he contracted the infection and developed fever. He was admitted to Chennai’s Kauvery Hospital after his blood pressure dropped sharply. A press release from the hospital announced his death.

Thousands of DMK cadre and Karunanidhi’s supporters had gathered outside the hospital since 27 July, praying and wishing for Kalaignar’s recovery.

Karunanidhi served as Tamil Nadu chief minister five times between 1969 and 2011.

He had been leading the DMK since the demise of its founder, C N Annadurai, in 1969. Karunanidhi’s foray into Tamil Nadu politics began with his participation in the Kallakudi agitation in 1953. In 1957, he was elected to the Madras state legislative assembly for the first time from Kulithalai

Muthuvel Karunanidhi

constituency in Tiruchirapalli district. In 1961, he became the DMK treasurer and was given the post of deputy leader of opposition in the state assembly the following year. Known as 'Kalaignar' (artist) by his supporters, he had also worked as a playwright and screenwriter in many Tamil movies, especially featuring then stars M G Ramachandran and ‘Sivaji’ Ganesan.

A pall of gloom has descended on the Gopalapuram residence of Karunanidhi.

DMK workers were seen breaking down after Kauvery Hospital released a statement that the DMK chief was no more. A host of leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, have expressed their condolences over the demise of Karunanidhi. The Tamil Nadu government announced a public holiday on Wednesday. The state will observe a sevenday mourning as a mark of respect to the former CM. He was an astute political leader who never lost an election in a career spanning six decades.

In December 2016, Karunanidhi underwent a tracheostomy, a procedure to create a space in the windpipe to optimise breathing. Doctors said the procedure helped him overcome breathing difficulties caused by throat and lung infection. In addition, he had undergone percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy, a flexible tube put through the abdominal wall into stomach.

The tube allowed fluids, nutrition and medications to be put directly into his stomach. For a year Karunanidhi rarely left home and visitors were limited.

India third Asian nation to get STA-1 status from US India has become the first south Asian country to be added to the Strategic Trade Authorisation-1 (STA-1) list after the US issued a federal notification to this effect, paving the way for high-technology product sales to New Delhi, particularly in civil space and defense sectors. Also, it is now only the third Asian country after Japan and South Korea to be given that status by the United States. Overall, India has become the 37th country to be designated the STA-1 status, which is generally given by the US to NATO allies.

The federal notification gains significance as the Trump Administration made an exception for India, which is yet to become a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group or NSG. Traditionally, the US has laced only those countries in the STA-1 list who are members of the four export control regimes- Missile Technology Control Regime

(MTCR), Wassenaar Arrangement (WA), Australia Group (AG), and the NSG. While India is a member of three of the multilateral export control regimes mentioned above, it hasn't received an NSG membership because of China's repeated efforts to block it.

The Trump government, in its federal notification, noted how India is a member of three of the four multilateral export regimes.

By placing India in the STA-1 list, the US has acknowledged that for all practical purposes India adheres to the export control regimes of the Nuclear Suppliers Group. India is now the only nuclear-armed country in the world to get such a status. The exception for New Delhi is intended to send a very strong political message to China and the world, taking into account that America's closest ally Israel is yet to be given this status, primarily because it is not a member of these multilateral export control regimes.

“This action befits status as a Major Defence Partner and recognises” the country's membership in three of the four export control regimes- the MTCR, WA, and AG, the notification said. This rule is another in the series of rules that implement reforms to which the US and India mutually agreed to promote global non-proliferation, expand high technology cooperation and trade, and ultimately facilitate India's full membership in the four multilateral export control regimes. The notification said the rule also makes conforming amendments.

The US and India continue their commitment to work together to strengthen the global non-proliferation and export control framework and further transform bilateral export control cooperation to recognise the full potential of the global strategic partnership between the two countries.

Sikh separatists to hold rally in London despite India’s protest The UK has reportedly rejected the Indian government’s request to prevent a proKhalistan rally from taking place in London on August 12, Sunday. Scheduled to be held at Trafalgar Square, the event is organised by USbased separatist group- Sikhs for Justice, and will call for a “referendum” on creation of Khalistan. A UK government spokesperson said, “In the UK, people have the right to gather together and demonstrate their views, provided they do so within the law.” They added, “However, we will not tolerate any groups who spread hate or deliberately raise community fears and tensions by bringing disorder and violence to our towns and cities and the police have comprehensive powers to deal with such activities.”

The Indian High Commission has acknowledged that they had received a similar response. Sources said the response was sent to Indian officials over the “note verbales” sent to the Theresa May government earlier, requesting to ban the event. Not only the Indian government, even members of the Sikh diaspora in the UK are voicing their opposition for the event. British businessman and philanthropist, Rami Ranger recently tweeted, “These handful of Sikhs are an embarrassment to Sikhs at large and also an impediment to progress in Punjab.” Jasbir Singh Parmar, chairman of British Asian Chamber of Commerce UK, said the call for referendum is a “mischief making by people who have no connections with Punjab.”

Around 10,000 Sikhs are expected the

attend the event. Many of the participants are being brought from other parts of the country to London, to seek the issuance of a “London Declaration” over the “Referendum 2020” call.

Paramjeet Singh Pamma is the key organiser of the rally. He is wanted in India over his suspected involvement in twin bomb blasts in Punjab in 2010. He is also accused as the main conspirator in the 2009 murder of Rashtriya Sikh Sangat president Rulda Singh. Pamma allegedly left India in 1994-95 and has been living in the UK since 1999.

India to keep a close eye on the rally External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said, “We have taken up the matter with the UK government. We have also issued a demarche and we expect that the UK government does not allow any such group to use its country whose intention is to spread hate and which can affect our bilateral ties. We have told them the intention of the event is the same.” The Indian government has meanwhile, termed the rally an “anti-India activity”.

An Intelligence Bureau official said that Indian security agencies are watching the major event closely. The fact that the event will be held three days prior to India's Independence Day, has prompted a very high alert to also be declared. The official said that the event has the backing of Pakistan's ISI. They said that it is a way of announcing on the world stage the return of the Khalistan movement. The official added that it is unfortunate the UK government decided not to ban the event.

Such security agencies believe Pak's

Pakistani Lt. Col Shahid Mehmood Malhi is the brainchild behind the bringing back of the movement. The Inter-Services Intelligence is funding and prompting the protest. Security agencies have intercepted digital, particularly social media, chatter to make this conclusive claim. Every possible attempt has been made by the ISI, over the years, to revive the Khalistan movement. Pakistan has been nurturing a large number of the terrorists who created havoc in Punjab, for over 15 years.

Referendum posters were put up prominently at Pakistani gurdwaras, Nankana Sahib and Panja Sahib during the pilgrimage of Sikh jathas. Punjab Police Chief Suresh Arora said, “The people of Punjab have rejected those who spread hate, violence and propagate the secessionist agenda. We are keeping a close track of their activities, especially during the August 12 gathering in London, where Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) plans to make a case for secessionism. Punjab Police are capable of dealing with the fringe elements. Since a lot of the propaganda happens online, the security agencies are also monitoring social media platforms and immediate action is being taken.”

Indian agencies seem to have established a strong link between SFJ, radicals in Germany, UK, Canada, gangsters in Punjab, and the ISI, through online activities of the prime proponents of the movement. Sources in the security agencies said the ISI has earmarked a dedicated budget for the launch and implementation of what they call 'Operation Express'.

Due to unavoidable circumstances, the regular column ‘Heritage-History’ will not appear this week Shrien Dewani finds new boyfriend

Shrien Dewani with boyfriend Gledison Lopez Martins

Millionaire businessman Shrien Dewani who was cleared of murdering his wife Anni on their honeymoon - appears to have a new boyfriend. Instagram photos show the 38year-old cuddling with his new lover, London-based Brazilian photographer Gledison Lopez Martins. Intimate snaps on their social media accounts show them together at home in the UK and on their travels around the world. Dewani was cleared of arranging the murder of his 28year-old wife in South Africa just days after they got married in 2010.

Dewani and Martins have been in a relationship for about 18 months, and recently went on holiday in Ibiza and attended a fancy dress party with Dewani's family, MailOnline reports. One photo shows Dewani appearing to be asleep on Martins' chest a few days before Christmas last year, when they apparently spent the holiday with Dewani's parents in Bristol.

Images reveal the pair have also been on holiday to Mumbai, where Dewani and his wife got married in a traditional Hindu ceremony almost eight years ago.

Martins was listed as a co-director of a now dissolved company called Dozilda. The Companies House record lists "Spain" as his nationality. His professional website says he now runs his own business, GLM PhotoStudio, out of an address in Paddington, London.

Ola to enter UK soon

Ola, one of the world’s largest ride-hailing companies, and India’s most popular transportation platform, announces its plans to enter the UK. Ola has obtained licences to operate in South Wales and Greater Manchester, and will launch operations in South Wales within the next month. Ola will be the only ride-hailing app in the UK that offers passengers the option of PHVs and Black Cabs through one consumer-friendly platform, which will in future see additional transportation options incorporated for greater passenger choice.

The company is working with local authorities across the UK to expand nationwide by end of 2018.

Ola’s entry into the UK follows its successful launch in Australia in February 2018, where it now operates in seven major cities. Over 40,000 drivers across Australia have registered since its launch in February and have completed millions of rides. Ola now conducts 1 billion rides each year globally, with more than 1 million drivers and 125 million customers in over 110 cities.

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Delhi-born mathematician, Cambridge professor among Fields medal winners NEW YORK: Akshay Venkatesh, 36, an Indian origin mathematician in Australia and Caucher Birkar, a Kurdish refugee teaching at Cambridge University in England, were among four mathematicians who were conferred the Fields medal, which is popularly known as Nobel Prize for mathematics.

Venkatesh who was born in Delhi won the medal for his research in number theory. A child prodigy, Venkatesh has been winning Mathematics awards since he was a teenager. "A lot of the time, when you do Maths, you're stuck. But you feel privileged to work with it: you have a feeling of transcendence and feel like you've been part of something really meaningful," Venkatesh said. Venkatesh completed his PhD from Princeton University and post-doctorate from Massachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT).

Caucher Birkar was born in a village in the Kurdish province of Marivan, near the Iran-Iraq border. Birkar said: "Kurdistan was an unlikely place for a kid to develop an interest in mathematics. To go from the point that I didn't imagine meeting these

2018 Fields Medallists (from left) Caucher Birkar, Alessio Figalli, Akshay Venkatesh, and Peter Scholze.

people to the point where someday I hold a medal myself - I just couldn't imagine that this would come true," Birkar said.

Italian Alessio Figalli and German Peter Scholze were the other co-winners of the mathematics award. "Until high school, Figalli's only concern was playing

football," the International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM), which oversees the prize, said in its announcement. "I have work for the next 30 or 40 years. But there is one problem I really hope to solve soon: that is me and my wife living in the same city," Figalli said.

Sunita Williams picked for first pvt space flight HOUSTON: Indian-origin US astronaut Sunita Williams is among nine astronauts named by Nasa to fly on commercial spacecraft made by Boeing and SpaceX to and from the International Space Station, the research laboratory that orbits around Earth. Their voyages are scheduled to begin next year, and they would be the first American astronauts to launch from United States soil since 2011.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) retired its space shuttle fleet that year, and started sending astronauts to the ISS aboard the Russian Soyuz spacecraft, at a cost that has risen to $81million per seat. “What an exciting and

Indian-origin US astronaut Sunita Williams

amazing day,” Jim Bridenstine, Nasa’s administrator, said at Nasa’s Johnson Space Center in Houston on Saturday. The seven

men and two women pumped their fists in the air and gave thumbs-up as they strode onto the stage.

Williams has been named for the Boeing programme - the first test flight scheduled to take place in the middle of 2019. She will be accompanied by commander Josh Cassada of the American navy, who will be making his first space journey. Williams has spent 322 days aboard the ISS since becoming an astronaut in 1998. While she was there in 2007, she completed the Boston Marathon - on a treadmill - in 4 hours 24 minutes, marking the first time an entrant had finished the race from orbit.

Mnangagwa wins Zimbabwe election

HARARE: Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa won the presidential election with just over 50 per cent of the ballots in the first vote since the fall of longtime leader Robert Mugabe. Mnangagwa received 50.8 per cent of the vote while main opposition challenger Nelson Chamisa received 44.3 per cent. The opposition has threatened to challenge the results in the courts or in the streets. While election day was peaceful, deadly violence against alleged vote-rigging claimed at least six lives.

'Humbled' by victory "Though we may have been divided at the polls, we are united in our dreams," Mnangagwa said. "This is a new beginning.

Let us join hands to build a new Zimbabwe for all!" Western election observers expressed concern at the military's "excessive" force in the capital, Harare. Their assessments of the election are crucial to the lifting of international sanctions on a country whose economy collapsed years ago.

Shortly before the election commission's announcement, Morgen Komichi, the chief agent for Chamisa's opposition alliance said his party "totally rejects" the results and refused to sign the election results, adding that they would be challenging the election in the courts.

Commission chair Priscilla Chigumba urged the country to "move on" with the hopeful spirit of election day and beyond the "blemishes" of Wednesday's chaos.

A rare rebuke to Xi Jinping as China's troubles pile up

Pakistan's first Sikh cop fired for being absent from work ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's first Sikh police officer has been sacked from service for being absent from office for over three months.

"Superintendent Police Traffic Asif Sadiq, after an inquiry against Gulab Singh (53) for staying absent from office over three months, has dismissed him from service. Gulab Singh He could not defend himself before an inquiry committee," traffic police spokesperson Ali Nawaz said.

I was forcibly evicted from my house: Singh Nawaz said Singh can file an appeal in the office of the deputy inspector general traffic police against his dismissal. Last month, Singh had claimed that he was forcibly evicted by the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), the parent body of Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (PSGPC) from his

house in a village near Lahore along with his children and wife. Singh alleged that the traffic police SP had taken action against him on the request of the ETPB. "The board had approached the traffic police and asked SP Sadiq to pressure me to withdraw a case against the board officials for illegally evicting me and my family members from our house at Gurdwara Janaesthan Bebey Nankay, Dera Chahal Lahore," he said.

Medical certificate presented Singh said he had an accident and presented a medical certificate along with his leave application to the department. "Since the department had no other legal point to initiate action it chose to proceed against me

on the leave issue," he said, adding he was confident that the DIG traffic would listen to him and restore him during the course of appeal. Singh said he would not withdraw his case in the court against his and his family members' illegal eviction by the ETPB. "Even the Supreme Court has taken notice of our illegal eviction and the board is worried about that," he said.

Contempt notice issued against ETPB The Lahore's Sessions Court issued a contempt of court notice to the ETPB, that looks after the holy-places of minorities in Pakistan, and police Inspector Imtiaz Ahmed for evicting Gulab Singh and his family members from their house. Singh is the only Sikh warden in the Punjab Traffic Police who joined the service in 2006. Singh said despite the case being pending in the session court the officials of the ETPB and police raided his house on July 10 and forcibly evicted his family, declaring that it is its (ETPB) property.

Indian American becomes graduate of US Air Force academy CALIFORNIA: In a rare feat, nection to his faith.

He credits his gurus Indian American Jaydevsinh Pramukh Swami Maharaj and Ghanshyamsinh Zala became a Mahant Swami Maharaj for graduate of the US Air Force guiding him throughout the Academy. Zala said that while most challenging moments at growing up, his parents, father the academy, and appreciated his Ghanshyamsinh Zala and mothparents for nudging him closer er Gaytriba Zala, would take him to his roots and faith. On May 22, and his sister Savitri to their Zala and his fellow classmates ancestral village in Saurashtra were commissioned second lieualmost every year. It was there tenants in the US Air Force. that he developed a deep appreJaydevsinh Zala During his time at the academy, ciation for his heritage and culZala served as a squadron commander, and ture that would later bring him a closer con-

was in charge of more than 100 cadets for all four years. “Being a squadron commander was the most difficult and rewarding position I held during my cadet career,” he said.

As squadron commander, he was responsible for the health, morale and welfare of the squadron, among other things. He was in charge of establishing squadron goals, processes, policies and mechanisms to achieve success, and mentored other cadets.

Additionally, Zala was a Basic Cadet Training element leader where he was in charge of about 30 basic cadets during basic training.

BEIJING: Chinese president Xi Jinping seemed invincible when lawmakers abolished a term limit on his power early this year. But of late, China has been plagued by economic slowdown, a vaccine scandal and trade battles with Washington, emboldening critics to question his sweeping power. Censorship and punishment have muted dissent in China since Xi came to power. So law professor Xu Zhangrun of Tsinghua University in Beijing took a big risk last week when he criticised Xi's policies.

Lawmakers urged to curtail Xi's tenure Xu urged Chinese lawmakers to reverse the vote in March that abolished a two-term limit on Xi's tenure as president. The essay appeared as a burst of troubles has given a focus for criticisms of Xi's strong arm ways, and it has spread through Chinese social media, despite censors. Other less damning criticisms, petitions and jibes about Xi's policies have also spread. "Over recent months, China has been grappling with a growing trade dispute with the United States. Some Chinese foreign policy experts have suggested that the trade fights with the Trump administration could have been contained if Beijing had been more flexible and moved faster to douse triumphalist statements about its goals.

"China should adopt a lower profile in dealing with international issues," professor Jia Qingguo, who teaches international relations at Peking University, said at a recent forum in Beijing.

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PeeCee signs up Chris Pratt's film

Alia always wanted to marry Ranbir

Always keeping the headlines, Priyanka Chopra made a lot of buzz when she walked out of Salman Khan's 'Bharat'. Director Ali Abbas Zafara took to Twitter to announce her exit, indirectly citing the reason to be her engagement with Nick Jonas. In this week's news, the bronze goddess has already signed up on another project in Hollywood, with none other than Chris Pratt! Titled 'Cowboy Ninja Viking', Priyanka will play Pratt's romantic interest in the movie. The project will be helmed by director Michelle MacLaren of 'Game of Thrones' fame, and produced by Universal Studios. It is reported that the actress bagged the role after her screen test with Chris went really well. After appearing in 'A Kid Like Jake' with Jim Parsons, Claire Danes and Octavia Spencer, Priyanka has already wrapped a romantic comedy 'Isn't It Romantic' starring alongside Liam Hemsworth, Rebel Wilson, and Adam Devine. The movie is scheduled for a Valentine’s Day release next year.

Akshay Kumar roasts wife Twinkle on her acting career There is no doubt that there is crackling chemistry between Akshay Kumar and Twinkle Khanna, our favorite couple in B-Town. To watch them take digs at each other and support each other is honestly what we are here for. Recently, Twinkle complained on her social media page that her hubby looks at his food with more love than her.

Akki now seems to have gotten back at her, when he spoke about his wife's career shift from acting to writing.

In an interview with Rajeev Masand, when he was asked about his wife's career shift from acting to writing, he said, “Yes, looking at the 14 films what she has done, writing has

been her best decision.” Ha! For someone who starred in the sheer wicked 'Jaani Dushman', Akshay has quite the nerve pointing out at Mrs Funnybones' career choices.

The 'Padman' actor also added that Twinkle had a penchant for books since ever and read a book every day when they were shooting for films together. “I still remember when I was doing films with her before the shot was ready and the lighting was done, she used to just have a book and she used to keep on reading. There was a fruit plate beside her and she used to finish the entire fruit plate and keep on reading. She used to read one novel a day.”

John Abraham to play lead in 'Sarfarosh' sequel Aamir Khan's ACP Ajay Singh Rathod was without a doubt one of the best characters in the history of Indian cinema. While a sequel to the movie has been announced, much to the fans' delight, recent reports suggest that actor John Abraham may be essaying the role of the leading man in the second installment.

The sequel to 'Sarfarosh' is expected to revolve around the Naxal movement and the red corridor in India. The original has a brief reference to it. However, it is yet to be known if the sequel will take off from where the previous one left off. Sources said that John Abraham and director of 'Sarfarosh', John Matthew Matthan are currently discussing the project. While the actor hasn't signed on the dotted line, it is being said that the discussion is in an advanced stage.

Currently, the team is in search of a production house to back the project. While Matthan has confirmed reports that he his indeed working on the script for 'Sarfarosh 2', he said the film is in the initial stages and that he can't comment about the casting so soon.

The fact that Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor are dating has got us giddy, and we are really pumped to see a fresh pair in the industry.

The two actors reportedly got together after they began shooting for 'Brahmastra'.

Despite the age difference, the pair looks completely adorable together, and in hindsight, the relation was inevitable. In fact, we should have seen it coming as Alia has had a crush on Ranbir since forever.

An old clip from Season 4 of Karan Johar's 'Koffee with Karan' has suddenly resurfaced and is going crazy viral on the internet. The young actress talks about how Karan made her talk to Ranbir for the first time over the phone. She revealed she rambled on unnecessarily for minutes when Ranbir probably did not even know who she was. “I hung out with him afterwards. I still find him very adorable. And I still want to marry him,” she said as Karan laughs.

Well, the joke is clearly on him now, because past Alia's wish just might come true some day. Until then, we have paparazzi photos of the two together to drool over, and RK's mom Neetu's adorable comments on Alia's Instagram posts. Meanwhile, 'Brahmastra' is the first in an intended trilogy. It is a fantasy drama that also intersects with the superhero genre.

Suhana Khan's Vogue cover flares nepotism debate Almost a year after Kangana Ranaut making noise on rampant nepotism in the film industry, the topic has yet again resurfaced after Vogue India launched its August issue. The eminent magazine this month features none other than Shah Rukh Khan's daughter Suhana Khan as the cover face, ticking off the general public in the doing. Featuring the star kid, who apparently has no credible achievements to her name except for being born to the right set of parents, has brought Vogue India a lot of backlash on the internet.

Relentless Twitteratti called it out for promoting nepotism and giving Suhana a chance to feature on its cover, without her having done anything substantial and earning a name for herself. The August issue was launched by SRK himself at the Vogue Beauty Awards 2018.

Eyebrows were raised and reasons were sought from the magazine team's end for choosing the 118 year old. Several jokes were also cracked as many wondered what she had done to be on the cover of a renowned magazine.

However, there were also many who slammed the trolls and complimented her on a stunning cover. Honestly, nepotism aside, our girl sure knows how to work the camera.

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Yuvan Shankar to score music for 'Genius'

'Vada Chennai' takes You Tube by storm!

Whenever director Suseenthiran and Yuvan Shankar Raja have collaborated, they have always delivered successful films like 'Naan Mahaan Alla' and 'Aadhalal Kaadhal Seiveer'. And now they have teamed up yet again for a new film. One of Suseenthiran's upcoming directorials, 'Genius' will have musiv by Yuvan. The 'Pyaar Prema Kaadhal' composer recorded a new song for the film recently, which was penned by 'Kaviperarasu Vairamuthu', and sung by 'Super Singer' sensation Srikanth.

Yuvan Shankar Raja is also simultaneously working on the background score of the film. The makers have planned to release the film by the end of September. New face Roshan will play the male lead in the film, who has also bankrolled the venture, for his banner, 'Sudesiwoods Films'.

'Kumki' sequel after a gap of 6 years

Teaser of Vetri Maaran's upcoming film 'Vada Chennai' that features Dhanush in the lead along with Aishwarya Rajesh and Andrea Jeremiah released recently on Dhanush's birthday, and boy has it spread like wildfire! The teaser hit 5 million views in just 4 days and is also trending number 1 on Youtube. Around 1.8 Lakh people have liked the song on the website. The film boasts of an ivy league cast that includes Samuthirakani, Ameer, Daniel

Balaji, Radha Ravi, and Karunas among others.

Bankrolled by Dhanush himself under his Wunderbar Studios banner, the movie is rendered music by Santosh Narayanan and, Velraj is the Director of Photography.

Given Dhanush's keen eye for projects, expectations for the movie has certainly touched the skies. 'Vada Chennai' will be a film that will delve deep into the North Madras region of Chennai.

A sequel to Prabhu Solomon's 'Kumki' has been announced after a gap of six years. The second installment will feature fresh face Mathiyazhagan as the lead hero.

Also part of the cast will be actors like RJ Balaji, Susanne, Thiruselvam of 'Kolangal' fame, and Hareesh Peradi has been roped in as the antagonist. The title character will be played by a specially trained elephant, Unnikrishnan.

'Kumki 2' will have cinematography by Sukumar, music

by Nivas K Prasanna, and editing by Bhuvan Srinivasan. Makers have already begun to shoot, and the filming is currently progressing in Siva Samudhiram Falls near Mysore. 'Kumki ' is the only next Tamil film after MGR's 'Idhayakani', to have scenes shot in that location. Director Solomon said that the team is yet to zero in on the female lead, and they are just shooting scenes involving the hero and the elephant. An official announcement on the film's heroine is expected to be made very soon.

* Schedule is subject to change

TIME

MONDAY 6th - FRIDAY 10th August

TV PROGRAM NAMES

16:00: RASOI SHOW 17:00: FOOD HIGHWAY 17:30: THE GREAT INDIAN GLOBAL KITCHEN 18:00: RADHA PREM KI DEEWANI 18:30: UTTARAN 19:00: DIL KI PUKAR 19:30: AMRUTA GHADGE & FAMILY 20:00: ISHQ MEIN MARJAWAN 20:30: DESI BEAT 3 21:00: BALIKA VADHU - LAMHE PYAAR KE 21:30:00 RADHA KI BETIYAAN 22:00:00 RADHA PREM KI DEEWANI 22:30:00 AMRUTA GHADGE & FAMILY

TIME

18:30: 19:00: 19:30: 20:30: 21:30:

TIME

17:30: 18:30: 19:00: 19:30: 21:30:

SATURDAY 11th August TV PROGRAM NAMES

UTTARAN DIL KI PUKAR IIFA WEEKEND WITH STARS IIFA BUZZ RISING STAR

SUNDAY 12th August TV PROGRAM NAMES

"WEEKEND KA MAHAEPISODE DIL KI PUKAR" UTTARAN DIL KI PUKAR IIFA BUZZ RISING STAR (SEASON 2)

SATURDAY 4th August TIME TV PROGRAM NAMES

* Schedule is subject to change

16:30 17:30 18:30 20:00 21:30 22:30

TIME

16:30 17:30 18:30 20:00 21:30 22:30

CID Dus Ka Dum Indian Idol Indian Idol Dus Ka Dum Crime Patrol

SUNDAY 5th August TV PROGRAM NAMES CID Dus Ka Dum Indian Idol Indian Idol Dus Ka Dum Crime Patrol

MONDAY 6th - FRIDAY 10th August TIME TV PROGRAM NAMES 18:30 19:00 19:45 20:30 21:15 21:45 22:15

Yeh Pyaar Nahi Toh Kya Hai Mere Sai Vighnaharta Ganesh Porus Yeh Un Dinon Ki Baat Hai Dil Hi Toh Hai Crime Patrol

20:30: TU AASHIQUI 21:00: ROOP * Schedule is subject to change

MONDAY 6th - FRIDAY 10th August 19:00: SAVITRI DEVI COLLEGE & HOSPITAL

19:30: UDANN

20:00: SHAKTI ASTITVA KE EHSAAS KI

21:30: BEPANNAAH 22:00: SILSILA 22:30: DEV 2

22:30: KAUN HAI? (Friday Only)

Wednesday August 15, 2018 01:29 Film : Yeh Hai Judgement Hanged Till Death 05:00 Film : Dam999 07:05 Film : Jungle 10:15 Film : Socha Na Tha 13:19 Film : Samay - When Time Strikes 16:02 Film : 16 December * Schedule is subject to change 19:15 Film : Holiday 22:25 Film : Gunaah Sunday August 12, 2018 Thursday August 16, 2018 01:45 Film : The Killer 00:50 Film : Hey Bro 05:00 Film : Listen... Amaya 05:00 Film : Wake Up India 07:01 Film : Khel 07:16 Film : Rang 10:30 Film : Jab We Met 10:00 Film : Tere Mere Phere 13:40 Film : Sanam Teri Kasam 12:40 Film : Bombay 16:50 Film : Ra.One 20:00 Film : Tanu weds Manu returns 15:28 Film : Bewafaa 19:00 Film : Dil Chahata Hai 22:42 Film : Teen Patti 22:50 Film : Taal Monday August 13, 2018 Friday August 17, 2018 01:20 Film : Yeh Zindagi Ka Safar 01:43 Film : Phobia 05:00 Film : Titoo MBA 05:00 Film : Rokkk 07:00 Film : Jaan Se Pyaara 07:10 Film : Rahu Ketu 10:00 Film : Jwalamukhi 09:55 Film : Insaniyat 13:00 Film : Shakti - The Power 13:25 Film : Naseeb 16:40 Film : It's Entertainment 17:15 Film : Holiday 19:26 Film : Socha Na Tha 20:24 Film : Badlapur 22:30 Film : Nazar 22:59 Film : All The Best Tuesday August 14, 2018 Saturday August 18, 2018 00:47 Film : Saaya 01:37 Film : Rama Rama Kya Hai Drama 05:00 Film : Munna Maange Memsaab 05:00 Film : Huff! It's Too Much 07:25 Film : Sweekar Kiya Maine 07:00 Film : Bombay 10:22 Film : Mr. Natwarlal 09:45 Film : Awarapan 13:43 Film : Teen Patti 12:14 Film : Taal 16:41 Film : Tanu weds Manu returns 16:00 Film : Dil Chahata Hai 19:18 Film : Bewafaa 19:50 Film : Udta Punjab 22:28 Film : Inteha 22:46 Film : Phobia

SATURDAY 11th August

TIME

TV PROGRAM NAMES

SUNDAY 12th August

TIME

TV PROGRAM NAMES

19:30: DESI BEAT 3.0

19:30: BREAKFAST WITH CHAMPIONS

21:00: DANCE DEEWANE

21:00: DANCE DEEWANE

20:00: NAAGIN - SEASON 3 22:30: KAUN HAI?

23:30: DESI BEAT 3.0

20:00: NAAGIN - SEASON 3 22:30: KAUN HAI?

23:30: BREAKFAST WITH CHAMPIONS

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More than 80,000 people have signed a petition calling on the Home Office not to deport the family who are being supported by the Church of Scotland.

Somer, who wants to be an astrophysicist, said: “I’m extremely pleased by my exam results.

“I want to thank my primary school teachers who provided me with a strong foundation and my secondary school teachers who put in the hard work and taught me.

“I am also very thankful for my parents who, despite the stressful situation, always encouraged and supported me.

“Above all, I want to thank God who helped me to stay focused on my studies in the midst of these tough times.”

A teenage asylum seeker has excelled in his exams despite fearing deportation to Pakistan.

Somer Umeed Bakhsh thanked his teachers after getting six As and a B in his National 5 exams at Springburn Academy in Glasgow.

The 15-year-old and his brother Areeb, 13, have lived in Glasgow with their parents Maqsood and Parveen since their family fled Pakistan in 2012 when their father was subjected to death threats due to his Christian faith.

The UK Government has repeatedly rejected the family’s plea for asylum, largely because officials do not believe they would be at risk in Pakistan where blasphemy carries the death penalty.

Coming Events

l Gujarat Hindu Society to hold a Shrimad Bhagwat Katha by Pujya Archanadidi, from August 22 to 30, at Sri Ved Mandir, 1, Thomas Holden Street, BOlton BL1 QG. l Sri Jigyasu Satsang Mandal to hold 108 Hanuman Chalisa under the guidance of Pujya Ram Bapa, on August 12, 11.00 am to 5.00 pm, at Social Club Hall, Northwick Park Hospital, Harrow HA1 3UJ. l Sree Sree Thakur Anukulchandra's Satsang to be held on August 11, Saturday, 5.30 pm onwards at Brent Indian Association Building, 116 Ealing Road, Wembley HA04TH. l Gujarat Hindu Association to celebrate Indian Independence Day, on August 15, Wednesday, 7.30 pm onwards, at Belgrave Neighbourhood Centre, Leicester.

Bochasanwasi Shree Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha's head Param Pujya Mahant Swami is currently in Bodeli. He reached the town on August 2, and was enthusiastically received by saints and Haribhakts. The festival of Hindola was celebrated in his presence, and a hindola was made using different items. Mahant Swami swings Maharaj in the hindola every day, and Haribhakts flow in in large numbers to witness him.

Several cultural events are being held, in which children and young people participate. In his blessings, Mahant Swami asked his followers to spread the word of love, unity, and empathy. He will leave for Atladra, near Vadodara, on August 7.

Sneh Joshi

Somer, right, with his younger brother Areeb

Springburn Academy head teacher Linda Hamilton said: “We are absolutely delighted. He has worked very, very hard and he deserves the excellent results that he has got.”

Minister Rev Linda Pollock said: “Somer is very happy with his results and his parents are very proud of what he has achieved despite the stress and uncertainty the whole family are living under.

“He is an extremely bright boy and very conscientious in everything he does.

“This is a 15-year-old boy

in a middle of a traumatic situation and look at what he has achieved.

“I am very proud of him and these results are testament to his character.

“Just think of what this young man would be capable of in the future if he is allowed the chance to flourish in our country, which is his country.

“I hope that the Home Office will re-examine the family’s case, stop treating them as numbers and acknowledge them as human beings because they have so much to give to Scotland.”

Twenty-year-old Hertfordshire songstress, Shakila K, is launching her first song since becoming a student at the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance (ICMP), in London.

The song, called ‘The Mask is Always on’, is co-produced by fellow Shakila K and Milxnake college, ICMP, has been ICMP student Milxnake. developing and delivering Since meeting at the music music education and traincollege, the Hertfordshireing to students of contembased pair have become porary music for over 30 good friends and are now years – which is longer than working on Shakila’s first EP any other UK school. The – which is due to be released ICMP claims that, within six later this year. Although months of graduating, over Shakila had previously 90% of the college’s gradureleased original songs, ‘The ates are in employment or Mask is always on’ is the further education; around first one that she has writtwo-thirds are engaged in ten entirely by herself and music-related jobs or study; will be available from many and the average salary of online stores including ICMP graduates is almost iTunes, Spotify and Amazon 12% above that for arts gradfrom the 20th of August. uates.

Shakila’s and Milxnake’s

Minister slams parents saying kids start school unable to speak Education Secretary Damian Hinds last Tuesday call out the “persistent scandal” of parents failing to teach their children how to speak before they start school.

Mr Hinds said three out of ten four year olds struggle to string a sentence together when they begin primary education, a number he will vow to halve in 10 years.

In his first major speech on social mobility he will say the “last taboo” in education is the home learning environment.

And while he claims he does not want to “lecture” parents on learning at

home, he will announce an education summit to help more parents read and learn new words with their children.

It follows an attack on feckless parents by the chief inspector of schools who highlighted how many children are being failed by parents who don’t read them enough stories, fairytales or nursery rhymes at bedtime.

Children with poor vocabulary at age five are more than twice as likely to be unemployed at age 34 as children with a good vocabulary.

Mr Hinds is expected say: “It is a persistent scan-

dal that we have children starting school not able to communicate in full sentences, not able to read simple words.

“This matters, because when you’re behind from the start you rarely catch up. Your peers don’t wait, the gap just widens. This has a huge impact on social mobility.

“And the truth is that the vast majority of these children’s time is at home.

“Yes, the home learning environment can be, understandably, the last taboo in education policy – but we can’t afford to ignore it when it comes to social mobility.”

The UK’s leading Vedic writer and TV personality

ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20 The Solar Eclipse on the 11th

occurs in your solar 5th house.

This can stimulate a strong desire for a fresh start in the areas of romance, personal enjoyment, and creative expression. The effects of an eclipse last six months, and it's best to wait for new launches or brand new beginnings until September as the retrograde planets will go direct by then.

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21 The Solar Eclipse on the 11th occurs in your solar 4th house. You are attempting to find a balance between home and professional responsibilities. With Mercury retrograde in the home sector until the 19th and Mars retrograde in the work sector until the 27th, there can be delays to deal with, which can certainly slow you down.

GEMINI May 22 - June 22 The Solar Eclipse on the 11th

occurs in your solar 3rd house.

This can be the beginning of new thinking on learning pursuits and projects. Ideas now can spark a long-term venture and this can push for a new beginning. Brand new launches are not advisable in August, but this doesn't mean you can't lay the groundwork. Eclipse power is strong and lasts up to 6 months.

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22

Pic: PA

Asylum seeker Somer Umeed Bakhsh aces Shakila K releases first six As in exams despite deportation fears track with fellow ICMP London student Milxnake

As the Solar Eclipse on the 11th falls in your financial axis, you may try to take on a brand new direction. There are delays indicated as Mercury is retrograde in your solar 2nd house until 19th August and Mars retrograde until the 27th August in your joint resources. However, it's not the right time for major changes.The best time to go ahead is in September.

With the Solar Eclipse in your sign on the 11th August, there is a very strong focus on yourself, your talents, money and communications. Mercury is retrograde in your sign until the 19th, and Mars is retrograde in your opposite sign until the 27th August. Start anything new from September onwards as your desires become clearer, particularly in relation to your love life, travel, education, and legal matters.

The Solar Eclipse on the 11th is an one. It occurs in your VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23 unusual solar 12th house and it makes you want to do something big, but you don't know what. However, this is a time for behind the scene activities and trying to deal with something that has been bothering you for some time. Try to pace yourself until the 27th August and then make the changes.

LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23

The Solar Eclipse New Moon on the 11th occurs in your 11th house.This triggers you to make quick decisions about your friends and people in your group. Demands on your time can be significant and for that reason you need to pay particular attention to managing your time effectively. With Mercury retrograde until the 19th and Mars until the 27th, delays and backtracking can be part of the picture.

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23

The Solar eclipse on the 11 August occurs in your 10th house. There is a strong emphasis on work and other broader goals and ambitions.

Until the 19th, there can be some rethinking and backtracking on projects, and sometimes frustrating as Mercury is retrograde. Mars is also retrograde until the 27 August, therefore it's important to pace yourself at work and not over extend yourself.

SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22

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SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21

The Solar eclipse on the 11th falls in your 9th house.

This can motivate you to to expand your horizons, embark on a course of study, or be very philosophical. Unfortunately, this cannot be exercised right now as Mercury and Mars are retrograde.

Therefore anything new you want to embark on should be started in September.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20

The Solar Eclipse occurs in your 8th house of inner change and transformation,. It's a time for observing and processing rather than taking new action, as Mars is retrograde until the 27th August. Mercury is also retrograde in your 8th house until the 19th August. This is a time to make plans but saving the big changes until next month or later.

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19

The solar Eclipse occurs in your 7th house of relationships and partnerships. You feel the need to make changes but this is not the right time as Mercury is retrograde until the 19th August and can cause a lot of misunderstandings. As Mars is also retrograde in your sign until the 27th August, you must make the changes in September and keep a low profile in the mean time.

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20 The Solar Eclipse occurs in your 6th house and you may be itching to start anew and take charge of your work, daily routines, self-care programs, and health. This is not the right time as Mercury is retrograde until the 19th August and Mars is also retrograde till the 27th August. Lifestyle improvements are strongly favoured in September so be patient.

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31

11 - 17 August 2018

in brief BRITISH MPS URGE MINISTER TO ALLOW INDIAN CHESS PRODIGY TO STAY

Two British MPs have intervened in the visa battle of a nine-year-old Indian boy who has the potential to be the future world chess champion but must leave the country by next month when his father’s work visa expires. Shreyas Royal, who has won a series of chess championships, is ranked number four in the world in his age group. His father Jitendra Singh’s work visa will expire in September when the family is expected to return to India.

In a joint letter to UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid, Opposition Labour MPs Rachel Reeves and Matthew Pennycook said the UK would lose an “exceptional talent” if Shreyas was to leave.

Their letter notes: “The UK should always encourage the world’s brightest, most talented people to work and make their lives here. “Shreyas is recognised by the English Chess Federation as the country’s greatest chess prospect in a generation.”

Shreyas, who was born in India, moved to the UK aged three with parents Jitendra and Anju Singh from Bangalore six years ago.

His father was offered a fixed-term contract under the Intra-Country Transfer (ICT) route as an IT project manager with the Tata Group in the company’s UK office.

The only way he can now extend his visa for a further four years is if he earned 120,000 pounds a year. Reeves said: “Government plan to force a chess prodigy to leave the country next month because his father earns less than 120,000 pounds a year.

“The UK shouldn’t be deporting its brightest young talent. Sajid Javid should intervene and allow Shreyas to stay in the only home he can remember.” Their intervention came as Shreyas’ parents had appealed to the UK Home Office on the grounds that Shreyas is a national asset but were told in a letter earlier this week that while he showed “immense promise” it did not mean he could remain in the country. Shreyas learnt to play the game in Britain and has since represented England internationally. He is currently competing in the British Chess Championships, which could be his last UK tournament. The UK Home Office said: “Every visa case is assessed on its own merits in line with immigration rules.”

WRESTLER SUSHIL KUMAR HEADING TO GEORGIA FOR TRAINING India's freestyle grappler Sushil Kumar will head to Georgia for a 10 -day training ahead of the Asian Games in Indonesia. "I have been World and Asian champion but not in the Asian Games. So I am working very hard to achieve it," remarked the ace grappler from Delhi who had bagged a bronze medal in the 2006 Doha Asian Games. The 35-year-old former world 66 kg champion will contest in the 74 kg class at the Asian Games, after missing the last two continental Games at Guangzhou and Incheon.

India’s U-20 football team stuns Argentina 2-1 India notched up one of its most memorable football triumphs when the country’s under-20 team stunned giants Argentina 2-1 despite being reduced to 10 men in a pulsating contest at the COTIF Cup in Valenia, Spain. Deepak Tangri (4th minute) and Anwar Ali (68’) were the stars for the Indian U-20 team as the Floyd Pinto-coached side scripted a historic result against the sixtime U-20 world champions, coached by 2006 World Cupper Lionel Scaloni and former midfield star Pablo Aimar.

It was a massive boost for Pinto’s side, which had lost 0-2 to Murcia before going down 03 to Mauritania. They were held to a goalless draw by Venezuela in their previous match in the tournament. “This victory will definitely earn Indian football more respect in the world of football. It opens up a window of opportunity to test ourselves against the best in the world on a regular basis,” Pinto said after the match.

“It’s unbelievable! I am a very proud Indian today. This win is a testament to the efforts and belief of the All India Football Federation in moving

India’s U-20 football team

forward towards developing the youth of the country.

“We have a renewed belief that with the right support and exposure we are capable to compete with the best teams in the world,” he added. Tangri gave India a perfect start as he headed the ball at the back of the net from a corner taken by Ninthoiganba Meetei in the fourth minute. Boosted by the early goal, India stepped up the attack and tried to create chances in the first half.

Suresh Singh Wangjam and Boris Singh Thangjam tried to

feed Aniket Jadhav with the ball but on two occasions he was adjudged off-side as after the first half, India lead 1-0. In the second half, Ali squandered an opportunity after he received a pass from captain Amarjit Singh Kiyam but his shot was saved by the Argentine goalkeeper. India were soon reduced to 10 men after forward Jadhav was shown the red card in the 54th minute for a bad foul. With Argentina trying to make inroads, India goalkeeper Prabhsukhan Gill pulled off a couple of brilliant

saves in the 56th minute and another in the 61st minute.

India continued to look for another goal and a brilliantly struck free-kick taken by Anwar Ali in the 68th gave the Asian side a 2-0 lead.

It was a foul on substitute Rahim Ali which resulted in the set-piece and Ali’s shot hit inside of the woodwork before nestling in the Argentine goal.

Four minutes later, Argentina pulled one back but the Indian colts held their nerves in the remaining minutes to create history on Spanish soil.

Chhetri named ‘Asian Icon’ by AFC Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri was named an 'Asian Icon' by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on his 34th birthday and received praise for challenging the world's greatest players of his generation in scoring goals. Chhetri is currently the highest goalscorer active Asian player with 64 strikes from 101 matches and third in the world after superstars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

The AFC made his birthday a memorable one by presenting, on its official page, a throwback of his life and career and the best moments on the field, when he played for India and his clubs, beginning from 2005 in a match against Pakistan. "In the era of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, to be the third highest scoring international footballer in the world is no mean feat, and for an Asian player Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri to be within one goal of Messi's 65 goals for a

national team is a record our latest inductee to the 'Asian Icons' list should be proud of," the AFC wrote. "As he turns 34 on Saturday, we celebrate the career of Sunil Chhetri, India's most capped player and all-time top goal scorer." Describing Chhetri as one of Asia's greatest footballers, the AFC said, "In a cricketmad nation, Chhetri was raised in a footballing family, where his father represented the Indian Army team while his mother and aunt were international footballers for Nepal." "Chhetri caught the football fever, but never imagined how far he would go. Little did the India captain know he would go on to surpass a century of caps and score 21 more international goals since 2015 to rival the world's greatest players of the generation and lead his nation to a fourth AFC Asian Cup in their history with four goals in the qualifiers," the AFC said.

Sindhu loses another final to Marin PV Sindhu once again faltered at the final hurdle, losing to Carolina Marin 19-21, 10-21 in the World Badminton Championships in Nanjing on Sunday. With this victory, Marin created history as the only woman to win three world titles. This is Sindhu’s second silver and fourth medal at the Worlds. Indians have won eight medals at the Championships so far.

Marin was on a different plane this time, making her rivals gasp for breath with her terrific pace.

However, Sindhu countered her well in the first game and even led Marin 15-11. It was here that Sindhu made a couple of mistakes allowing Marin to come up with a five-point burst.

After reaching 16-15, the Spaniard PV Sindhu and Carolina Marin dictated terms, controlled the pace lowed it up with a clever crosscourt slice and dominated the Indian. At 18-18, to move to 19-18. Sindhu then hit the bird Marin produced a brilliant smash and folwide. At 18-20, Sindhu saved a game

point but hit the next into the net.

Marin was in rampaging form in the second set. She went up 5-0 and was leading 11-2 at the break.

Hitting hard and finding gaps with ease, Marin hardly gave any space to the Indian. A rattled Sindhu tried hard to get back but the lead was too big to cover. Disappointed with the loss, Sindhu said she would work hard and comeback stronger. "It's quite frustrating to lose again having played the final last time also. But I have to get back to my practice sessions, work hard and comeback stronger. Up and downs are always there but you have to be always be stronger. I expected a good result this time but it is sad to lose. I would now focus on other tournaments," Sindhu said, adding that too many errors cost her the match.

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11 - 17 August 2018

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Kohli is the No.1 test batsman India captain Virat Kohli topped the ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen, riding on his brilliant century against England in the opening Test at Edgbaston. Kohli thus became the seventh India batsman, and first since Sachin Tendulkar (in June 2011) to be ranked the number one Test batsman in the latest ICC rankings. Kohli scored 149 and 51 in India’s 31-run defeat and has gone up by 31 points, which has helped him to end Steve Smith’s 32-month reign as the top-ranked batsman and reach the top of the summit for the first time in his 67-Test career. Kohli now leads Smith (who had held the top spot since December 2015) by five points, but will have to maintain the form in the remaining four Tests to finish the series as the world’s highest-ranked batsman.

Tendulkar had joined South Africa’s Jacques Kallis in number one position in January 2011, but had dropped to second spot following the Jamaica Test in June 2011 after he had missed the three-Test series against the West Indies. Apart from Kohli and Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Gautam Gambhir, Sunil Gavaskar, Virender Sehwag and Dilip Vengsarkar are the other India batsmen to have achieved number one rankings during their careers. However, at 934 points, Kohli has become India’s highest-ranked batsman, 14th overall, on the all-time tally of points.

Kohli had entered the Edgbaston Test on 903 points, 13 points behind Gavaskar, and is now ahead of the ICC Cricket Hall of Famer by 18 points.

If Kohli can deliver another strong performance in the second Test at Lord’s, then he can break into the top-10 by leapfrogging Matthew Hayden, Kallis and AB de Villiers, whose highest points tally was 935 each.

Donald Bradman (961) and Steve Smith (947) are the two batsmen sitting on top of this exclusive list. Kohli, who powered India to the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup title in 2008 and then won the prestigious Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Cricketer of

in brief HARMANPREET MAKES LANCASHIRE DEBUT IN STYLE

the Year in 2017, is the 76th player to top the Test batting rankings. He is also the number-one ranked ODI batsman, but is ranked 12th in T20Is, 220 points behind numberone ranked Aaron Finch of Australia.

Other Indian batsmen slip However, other Indian batsman lost ground after the first Test with KL Rahul (19th) and Ajinkya Rahane (22nd) slipping one and three places respectively. Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dawan now share 25th position after slipping two and one spots respectively. England’s wicketkeeper-batsman Jonny Bairstow improved his ranking as he now shares the 12th position with the West Indies’ Kraigg Brathwaite after moving up four places. But Alastair Cook is 17th (down by four places) and Ben Stokes 33rd (down by five places) after the Edgbaston Test.

Ashwin rises In the bowlers’ rankings, India off-spinner R. Ashwin has gained 14 points following

his four for 62 and three for 59, which means he now trails South Africa’s fourth-ranked Vernon Philander by just one point. Ishant Sharma has collected 19 points to move within 13 points of 25th-ranked team-mate Bhuvneshwar Kumar, while Mohammed Shami is in 19th spot after sliding two places.

England pacer Stuart Broad is now ranked 13th after falling one place, while James Anderson has retained his top position but his lead over Kagiso Rabada has been reduced to two points. Stokes has compensated for his double failure with the bat by taking six wickets in the Test, including three of India’s last four wickets. For this performance, he has been rewarded with a rise of four places, which has put him in 27th position. England’s 20-year-old all-rounder Sam Curran has jumped from 152nd to 72nd in the batting table while in the bowling rankings he has risen 49 places to 62nd, while in the all-rounders’ category, he now sits in 37th position after jumping 58 places.

India's women Twenty-20 International captain Harmanpreet Kaur made her debut for Lancashire Thunder a memorable one as she smacked a six off the penultimate ball to help Lancashire beat Surrey Stars by five wickets in the Kia Super League at The Oval. Needing 10 off the final four balls, Harmanpreet, after taking two in the third, hit Alexandra Marsh for a boundary in the fourth ball and held her nerves to smash a six to seal the match. She remained unbeaten on 34, which came off 21 balls with the help of three fours and a six, as Lancashire chased down the 149-run target with a ball to spare for their third successive win in the league. Australian left-hander Nicole Bolton top-scored for Lancashire with a 61-ball 87, which included 13 boundaries. While for Surrey, captain Nat Sciver (2/26), Dane van Niekerk (1/18) and Sophia Dunkley (1/9) were among wickets.

INDIA'S BHULLAR CLAIMS FIJI GOLF CROWN

Woakes, Pope in England squad for second test England have included Chris Woakes in place of Ben Stokes for the second Test at Lord’s starting on Thursday. Stokes, who played a major role in defeating India by 31 runs in the first test, has to appear for a hearing in Bristol court on Monday and the hearing is likely to go on for a week. Woakes, meanwhile, is returning from an injury and might take Stokes’ place in the playing XI. Meanwhile, underperforming middleorder batsman Dawid Malan has also been dropped and Ollie Pope has come in his place. Pope is a right-hander who plays for Surrey and in 15 first-class matches he has scored 1,012 runs at an average of 62.25.

While Pope’s form has been terrific in the domestic circuit, Malan had failed to impress in the first Test. While he scored only eight and 20 in the opening Test, he had a nightmarish time in the slips as he dropped Virat Kohli twice on 21 and 51 in India’s first innings and Murali Vijay once in the second essay.

England national selector Ed Smith said

Ollie Pope and Chris Woakes

that Pope has shown enough maturity and it is the right time to blood the 20-year-old.

“Pope has made an exceptional start to his first class career... The selection panel believes that Pope's performances and character suggest he is well suited to international cricket… Dawid has not found his best rhythm this season, and it may be that his game is better suited to overseas conditions,” Smith said.

Woakes, on the other hand, seems to

have recovered from a right-knee injury.

The bowling all-rounder had played three T20s and a first class match in the last fortnight to prove his fitness. “Stokes is unavailable, but Woakes, with some extra matches and practices, can now return to the England squad after injury,” said Smith.

Ishant Sharma fined for animated celebration Indian fast bowler Ishant Sharma was fined 15 per cent of his match fee for his animated celebration after dismissing England batsman Dawid Malan on day three of the first Test. An ICC statement said that Ishant was found guilty of a Level 1 breach of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel.

The pacer was found to have violated Article 2.1.7 of the code, which relates to “using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batsman upon his/her dismissal during an international match”.

India's Gaganjeet Bhullar held off a charging Anthony Quayle to claim his first European Tour title at the $970,000 Fiji International presented by Fiji Airways.

The Indian entered the final day at Natadola Bay Golf Club with a one-shot lead but found himself trailing late in the day as Australian Quayle came home in 29 and set the target at 13 under in the clubhouse. A brilliant chip-in eagle on the 17th moved Bhullar back into the lead and he held his nerve to par the last and sign for a 66 that gave him a oneshot victory over Quayle, who finished with a brilliant 63. Bhullar’s triumph is the third Indian victory of the season after Shubhankar Sharma’s double, and 16th Indian win in European Tour history.