AV 11th February 2023

With the February half-term around the corner, many families will be catching some last-minute flights to grab some much-needed winter sun. Some plan to make a quick visit to meet family and friends in India, as the weather slowly warms up after chilly winters, especially in northern parts of India.

Joyland: About being human and having dignity

C B I launches first ever international delegation to India

Sitharaman announces benefits for taxpayers, capex, railways

leader

Sidharth, Kiara tie the knot in Jaisalmer

Rupanjana Dutta

with Keith Vaz

S U B H A SH T E J U R A

Subhash Te ju ra was a re fug ee f rom Ugand a in 1972, when Idi Amin de clare d t hat all Asians sh ould leav e t he co unt ry He a nd h is wife

Anjina were give n asylu m by Switze rla nd The whole fa mily was split up with so me g oing to India a nd th e o the rs went to the UK

He lat er ca me to England to jo in h is f amily He le ft behind a succe ssf ul business wh ich inclu de d a Cine ma, ma ny prop ert ies and a fa mil y supe rstore He move d to L eicester He went onto working for the Ea st M id lands Railwa y, t hen mana ging National Car Par ks (NCP) and f ina lly taking cour se s to be come a Physio the rap y assistant

1) Which place, or city or countr y do y ou most fee l at home in?

Leicester welcomed me when I needed it most, and now this is my home My heart is in Leicester, its multicultural environment and festivals remind me of India Leicester has ever ything to call it a home It was also nice to see how the Uganda 50 years was celebrated in Leicester, the media got me involved with my stor y of what I left behind

2) Wh at are your proude st a chie veme nts?

Helping the community by volunteering with Mencap, Day centres and Social ser vices My work involved socialising and giving personal care to the elderly and people with disabilities I would help with foster children meeting their parents I wanted to give back the love Leicester gave me when I arrived in the countr y I wanted to see smiles on these faces I am also proud that I settled in Leicester and achieved so much in my life, I would never miss Uganda ever again

3) W hat in spire s y ou?

I like helping people, after seeing the brutality in Uganda when we had to flee, I said to myself "my life will be to support those in need" When I joined the NHS in physiotherapy, I had the opportunity to help those that had strokes and help get them back to recover as much as we could It was inspiring seeing these people tr ying their hardest to get better

4) Wha t ha s be en bigge st obst acle in your care er?

Leaving Uganda, my whole family was separated, I lost all my friends who I grew up with, ever yone settled in different parts of the world It was hard at the time, leaving ever ything behind and to rebuild a whole new life Me and my wife had to f ind work and settle in a new countr y

5) Who has be en the bigge st in fluence on your ca ree r to dat e?

My son Rakesh who has now passed away He became disabled at the age of 7 and we as a family cared for him for 16 years till, he died He changed our lives, this is

PM says he is proud of his first 100 days in office

P M R is h i S u nak h as s ai d that he wo uld love to giv e nurses a “massive” pay rise, b u t i ns is t ed th e m o ne y needed to be prioritised in other areas of th e h ealth serv ice

what made me go into the NHS, I learnt so much medically My wife went on to work for social ser vices, he changed both our lives

6) W hat is the best a spe ct about your curr ent r ole?

I am retired now, but still carr y on with voluntar y work I take the elderly on walks and transport them from their homes to community halls or temples I am also a full-time grandparent which I really enjoy I spent so much time building my life and working /volunteering, I missed how my younger son grew up, but I am making up for it with my grandson I am always in the park with him playing sports or cycling

7) An d the wor st ?

There is no worst, I miss working and meeting my colleagues but on the other hand I am happy being retired I get so much done, I tr y to keep f it and being 70+ I think I am doing well

8) Wha t ar e your long-te rm goals?

To continue to volunteer and help those that need it, I help charities to raise money for special causes I want to continue keeping f it by going to the gym and keeping up with my yoga

9) If y ou were Pr im e Min ist er, what on e a spe ct would y ou chan ge?

I would like to improve our NHS ser vice, give grants to the younger generation to become Doctors and nurses We are relying on overseas workers, but we need to encourage our own Students are struggling to afford the University costs, I would change this Those who miss appointments should face a charge We will only get people off waiting lists if there is some sort of order

10) If y ou were ma roone d on a d eser t isla nd , which historical f igure would you like to spen d your t im e with an d why ?

To meet Narendra Modi and tell him he is doing a grand job, he has changed India in a ver y good way, I have been going for many years then to back after a 4-year gap it felt like I was in another countr y, it's developed so much It’s great to see how much this man is doing for India

Bercow asks Farage to admit that Brexit was a mistake

John Bercow didn’t hesitate to give Nigel Farage his two c ents o n wh at h e desc ribed as

th e “ gro tesque blunder” th at is Brexit

T h e fo r m e r C o m m o n s

The prime minister and the former Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan spoke on a range of topics in the chat hosted at Downing Street, i n c l u d i n g t h e e c o n o m y, recent strike action, the war in Ukraine and Sunak’s love for Star Wars

The prime minister reiterated that it was right to “stay the course ” to control inflation, warning that high pay settlements made life h a r d e r fo r e v e r y o n e Ju s t days before nurses stage furt h e r s t r i ke s i n p u r s u i t o f higher pay, Mr Sunak said: “Nurses should be an exception [to public-ser vice pay restraint] and that’s because they do an incredible job for all of us and they demonstrated that during the pandemic

“I’m r e a l l y g r a t e f u l t o

Rishi Sunak

them for that, and you ’ re right I grew up in an NHS family So this does burn deeply inside me ” T h o u s a n d s o f o p e r at i o n s a n d o u t p a t i e n t a p p o i n t m e n t s w e r e p o s tp o n e d w h e n n u r s e s t o o k i n d u s t r i a l a c t i o n i n

December and last month

In an inter view with TalkT V to mark his f irst 100 days in off ice, Mr Sunak agreed to look at the issue of car parki n g c o s t s fo r n u r s e s , b u t refused to agree it should be free And asked whether the King should invite Meghan and Harr y to the coronation, Mr Sunak declined to

a n s w e r d i r e c t l y b u t s a i d

Charles was an incredible

K i n g a n d t h e c o r o n a t i o n would be superb

Mr Sunak also pledged that he could get the economy growing again “this year ” as he urged people to “have h o p e ” d e s p i t e t h e b l e a k a s s e s s m e n t s o f t h e U K ’ s f inances

He told Mr Morgan: “I do believe over the course of this year we’ll get the economy growing again

“R e d u c e d e b t , We’ v e already made some diff icult decisions to ensure that that happens but we ’ ve got to stick to the path ”

W h e n a s ke d a b o u t Dominic Raab who is curr e n t l y b e i n g i n v e s t i g a t e d o v e r a r a f t o f b u l l y i n g claims, Mr Sunak said he believes in “due process ” and people should have a “fair hearing”

He also agreed to have another inter view at the end of the year to be judged on whether he has succeeded in his ambitions

Calls to inve stigate claims on Dominic Raab

Th e BBC is facing calls to inv estigate claims Do minic Raab swo re at a young staff member

In an article, prominent a n t i-B r e x i t a c t i v i s t G i n a Miller said she saw Mr Raab tell the man to “ go get me a f * * * i n g c a r ” T h e a l l e g e d incident took place after Ms M i l l e r a n d M r R a a b a p p e a re d t o g e t h e r o n t h e Radio 4 Today show in 2016

The BBC is now under press u r e t o i n v e s t i g a t e t h e claims and “give support” to

the young staffer

A s o u r c e c l o s e t o M r R a a b h a s d e s c r i b e d t h e claims as “baseless and malicious” Ms Miller claimed in her article that the deputy prime minister launched an “abusive attack” on her She said she was “bullied and demeaned” by Mr Raab after he called her “stupid” and “naive” during an “ aggressive” encounter at the BBC Her claims are the f irst o n - t h e -r e c o r d a c c u s a t i o n s of abuse against Mr Raab,

Dominic Raab

who faces an off icial inquir y into allegations that he bullied civil ser vants

Ex-PM’s brother re signs from firm linked to Adani

s p e a k e r e x p r e s s e d h i s scathing critic i s m o f t h e UK’s exit from the EU during a discussion on GBN He said Farage’s alleged s c a p e g o a t i n g s u r r o u n d i n g r e c e n t e c onomic turmoil is “ nonsense on s t i l t s W h a t

Nigel Farage

Nigel wants to do is to blame someone else, so it’s mysterious forces,” he said, “ a f ifth or sixth estate ”

Bercow called on Farage t o “d o b e t t e r ” a n d a d m i t Brexit was the “biggest fore i g n p ol ic y m i s t a ke o f t h e post-war period ”

Jo Johnson, t he you nger br other o f the form er prime minister Bor is Johnso n, has resigned as a director o f a Lo ndonbased investm ent bank allegedly l inked to the Indian bill io naire Gaut am Adani’s cr isis-ridden bu siness empir e

Lord Johnson, a former Conser vative minister who was given a peerage by his brother in 2020, resigned from the board of Elara Capital just days after Elara was accused of using Mauritius-based funds to manipulate the share price of Adanilinked companies and obscure their ultimate ownership Johnson, a former investment banker at Deutsche Bank and journalist for the Financial Times, joined Elara Capital in June, “in the hope of making a contribution to UK-India trade and investment ties”

He said he had “ consistently received assurances from Elara Capital that it is compliant with its legal obligations and in good standing with regulator y bodies” Elara has been accused by shortseller investment f irm Hindenburg Research of helping Adani Group companies in an alleged share price manipulation and accounting fraud Adani Group has denied the allegations, which it

described as a “malicious combination of selective misinformation and stale, baseless and discredited allegations”

The company has published a 413-page response to the allegations raised by Hindenburg Before the accusations published last week on Twitter, Adani, 60, was the world’s thirdrichest person, with an estimated $119 5bn (£97bn) fortune He has fallen to 11th place in the daily updated Bloomberg billionaires' index after a personal wealth wipeout of $34bn in just four days of trading since the accusations were published

Earlier, Adani Group abandoned a $2 4bn share sale as its shares continued to fall The collapse in the price of Adani’s quoted companies has exceeded more than US$100bn

Jo Johnson

John Bercow

PM Sunak’s first 100 days in office is no mean feat

On Tuesday as we went to press, Rishi Sunak, as he crossed 100 days threshold of his government, shuffled his Cabinet with new appointments and four new departments Though it is believed his deputy, Dominic Raab may lose his job because of bullying allegations, Mr Sunak has his hands full with various pledges and promises In the beginning of the year, the Prime Minister talked about 5 promises, including strengthening the health care situation in the UK as well as stabilising the economy But also rests on his shoulder the responsibility of the completion of a successful UK-India free trade agreement, that will have a huge impact on the relationship between the two countries

The Guardian wrote, how Mr Sunak’s 100 days at office is a small achievement but by historical standards, it is twice the length of his predecessor’s term, who allegedly wants to make a comeback to the Prime Ministerial race The circumstances Mr Sunak inherited as Ms Truss resigned, the lack of mandate, plummeting polls and a rocky economy, have definitely constrained what he is able to do with his time in office, according to a report in The Guardian

But inside No 10, his key advisers reportedly argue that Mr Sunak has already made significant progress, and the economy is starting to recover, because he has set out a clear stall with five pledges on inflation, national debt, the economy, immigration and the NHS, and that he has largely taken the Tory party infighting off the front pages of mainstream newspapers

But Mr Sunak, though a strong believer in a fair Britain, did not have it all fair Though he led a generation of British Asians by example, giving them a dream and an opportunity to lead as the country’s Prime Minister in the future, as he became the first British Indian to take office, Mr Sunak’s challenges were never the same However, while he looked into details such as celebrating Diwali and Pongal at No 10, he also put in a considerable effort to keep the in-fighting Tories at b a y T h e r e f o r e , d e s p i t e a l l r e s e r v a t i o n s , h e t o o k S u e l l a Braverman back on board as the Home Secretary, and ensured the Cabinet represented everyone, including all fractions and lobbies Amidst pressure mounts to combat cost of living and severe staff shortages post Brexit, Mr Sunak has kept a warm relationship intact with India’s PM Narendra Modi and joined the Indian High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswami recently at a conversation between Sir Tim Barrow, who will visit India soon and Mr Doval, to support strategic partnership in trade, defence and security ties between UK and India

To strengthen a better tie, while negotiating seventh round of the FTA, the CBI for the first time ever, took a busi-

ness delegation to India from 6 – 8 February 2023 The threeday trip was led by the CBI’s Chief Campaigns Director, Syma Cullasy-Aldridge and featured some of the biggest names from British and Indian industries including HSBC, Tide, Pernod Ricard, and ICICI Bank

The potential FTA could boost trade with India by £28 billion a year by 2035 and increase wages across the UK by £3 billion The programme aimed to bring UK business together w i t h k e y s e n i o r s t a k e h o l d e r s f r o m t h e B r i t i s h H i g h Commission in Delhi and the Government of India, to discuss growth opportunities in the Indian market for UK businesses and how an FTA can help unlock them

The delegation focussed on key growth sectors where UK and Indian business can develop profitable partnerships such as innovation and sustainability The visit aimed to share knowledge on how to scale up unicorns to addressing ways to increase trade in green goods and services between the two countries and contribute to net zero ambitions Development of sustainable infrastructure, access to sustainable finance and navigating any trade barriers related to the sector in the country, were on top of the agenda (see P17 for story)

The diaspora in the meantime celebrates with a number of events, including Political and Public Life Awards (PPL), that saw His Majesty’s Opposition Leader Sir Keir Starmer being awarded Parliamentarian of the Year with Penny Mordaunt CB Patel, Editor-in-Chief of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar, who won the recent Pravasi Bharatiya Award was also presented with Lifetime Achievement in Media at PPL, saluting his leadership in 50 years of Gujarat Samachar’s journey Two weeks back, he was also given an award by the British Indian-Jewish Association, as they marked silver jubilee anniversary

An award ceremony was organised at the House of Lords in association with Lord Loomba, to mark Gujarat Samachar's Golden Jubilee on Monday 6 February, as a series of events begin to mark this occasion before the celebratory year concludes in May 2023 This will possibly include a Women’s Day conference in March as well

On Tuesday, as we went to press, Mr Sunak’s Cabinet reshuffle added four new departments, among which trade and climate change had a special focus

A hand-written note from PM Sunak reached the Gujarat Samachar’s new office, congratulating for five decades of service on the eve of the Golden Jubilee Awards at the House of Lords At the awards (story to publish next week), Lord Karan Bilimoria spoke about the community’s achievements as the guests celebrated the newspaper ’ s relentless campaigning journalism and non-stop service

Major relief for middle class, big boost for capex

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her budget appeared to have kept as target its support base in the forthcoming state elections, with key announcements for tribals, youth, women and the middle class For the last group, income tax slabs have been rejigged under the new tax regime with a rebate on income of up to Rs 700,000 a year, up from Rs 500,000 The announcement on a 66 per cent increase in the outlay for the PM Awas Yojana to over £7 9 billion, could also help the party in its electioneering in the states “The first Budget of Amrit Kaal will build a strong foundation for building a developed India It gives priority to the deprived This Budget will fulfil the dreams of an aspirational society, including poor, middle class and farmers,” said PM Modi on the budget

Sitharaman also announced a big hike in the allocation for the railways and capital expenditure Railways got an outlay of £ 24 million in FY 24 To increase development potential and job creation, attract private investment, the government is investing £100 billion in capital, an increase of 33% for the third year in a row Budgetary allocation for for defence increased from £525 billion to 594 billion An allocation of £162 billion has been set aside for capital expenditure, which includes the procurement of new weapons, aircraft, battleships and other military equipment

With the BJP keen on protecting its middle class support base, announcements made in the Budget are not only expected to please the middle class, but also provide a boost to the economy via the expected increase in consumption due to the rebate on personal income tax Under the new tax regime, Sitharaman gave tax relief to those with annual income of up to Rs 700,000 The BJP’s recent thrust on tribal outreach is also reflected in this Budget The BJP has also been focussing on consolidating its tribal support base, as the community is a decisive factor in several constituencies in the northeastern s t a t e s , a s w e l l a s C h h a t t i s g a r h , M a d h y a P r a d e s h a n d

Rajasthan, which will go to the polls later this year Both the PM and the party have given indications that the women electorate is a target support base that needs to be consolidated In her speech, Sitharaman emphasised the government’s initiatives for women According to the Finance Minister, the D e e n d a y a l A n t y o d a y a Y o j a n a N a t i o n a l R u r a l L i v e l i h o o d Mission has achieved remarkable success by mobilising rural women into 81,00,000 self-help groups Another announcement that has a key support base in mind is the PM VIKAS

(Pradhan Mantri Vishwakarma Kaushal

Samman) Yojana,

which is expected to give a boost to people engaged in various traditional, skilled professions There are three standout features in the budget It’s economically smart, reflects political confidence and is fiscally credible They are not discrete aspects of the budget Rather, they blend seamlessly, which is what makes this also the best budget since 2014 India’s investment, or gross capital formation, as a proportion of GDP fell from 34 1% in the pre-pandemic year to 31 5% after its outbreak Budgets since then have stepped in to keep investment high by enhancing effective capital expenditure Between 2019-20 and 2022-23, it doubled to £105 billion

The budget increased effective capital expenditure by another 30% to £137 billion Economically, it’s the best approach in the present context and it’s even resulted in the spending on transport exceeding the defence outlay The smart economics underpinning the budget showed up in a significant personal income tax calibration Based on the experience of a couple years, the new tax regime, which is based on negligible exemptions and lower rates, was tweaked The changes make it more attractive for most taxpayers in the old regime to switch and save on tax outgo In a year when global growth is expected to be slower, additional domestic consumption via the extra disposable income may offset the inevitable hit on exports

This budget exuded political confidence in two important ways It’s the penultimate budget but it didn’t resort to unsustainable spending as a way to further electoral traction

In fact, it defied conventional wisdom by lowering the effective income tax rate for the rich More importantly, lower taxes for the middle class show BJP recognises that this group will grow bigger and play an increasingly important role in politics The different strands will hold together only if there’s fiscal credibility The budget scores here even if its estimate of 10 5% nominal growth is too low If the baseline GDP growth estimate is 6 5%, it’s hard to see how inflation this year will average just 4% However, as the gross tax revenue growth is expected to be £336 billion in 2023-24, 10 4% higher than the revised estimate, a higher nominal GDP growth will also boost revenue receipts In the absence of any external shock, the fiscal deficit estimate of 5 9% of GDP in 2023-24 should be met The gradual glide path of deficit reduction is what was required No major changes have been made for NRIs in the budget But the finance minister did update some investment and saving norms which might affect NRIs

Pablo Picasso

Political Sketchbook

Alpesh Patel

Women in Tech and Finance

As Chair of City Hindus Networ k and President of t he India League (w ww theindial eague or g) I was proud to host this week in Par liamen t al ongside Cit y Sikhs Network a Women in Tech and Finance event We were sold out Commit tee r oom 14 – the l ar gest in Par liament hit capacity and we had a wait list of 500 So w e will do mor e such events I even live s t r e a me d it t o m y 1 0 0k fo l l ow e r s o n T i kT ok (www t ikt ok com/@greatinvestment s)

I don’t want to leave ‘ any woman behind’ who took to the time and trouble to learn and attend and has the desire to be a fellow entrepreneurial traveler

'So our mothers and grandmothers, more often than not, anonymously handed down the creative spark, the seed of the flower, they themselves never hoped to see ' And that is why all of you keep on fighting That is why all of you keep on leading and working toward a better day for all of us You do it so that our daughters and granddaughters - and just as importantly, our sons and grandsons - can have the opportunities that many of us only dreamed of " –Michelle Obama, White House reception celebrating 100th Anniversary of International Women's Day and Women's History Month, March 8, 2011

Issue: Studies show women tend to be less confident in several important business activities One is in networking The reasons for this are sometimes to do with gender, sometimes to do with societal, external factors For instance, many complained about business networking events with 80% male attendees This made it intimidating to some in a way it would not be for a man

Some sol ut ions: Use such events as a training ground for hone up your skills Like an advanced networking course So change the attitude Take a male friend or colleague with a script to be your introducer – being introduced or having someone whose job is to clear the path for you is a ‘ power move ’ and perceptions of power matter

Issue: Informal networking does still occur at bars, clubs, golf courses, and to a lesser extent than before ‘gentleman’s clubs’ What if those are not your scene? Some sol ut ions: Before the decision is made where to go on an evening – set the agenda with a place you ’ ve tentatively booked – take the lead If this is not viable, do the one-to-one with friendly males and targets you are looking to do business with to ensure you have to some extent before the informal networking, and after it set up pre-meetings and post-meetings

Raise the issue with HR, that an inclusive policy for diversity should ensure education of staff that client entertaining should be at places comfortable to both genders and at times suitable to working parents

"What's the worst that could happen? Everyone turned me down; big deal " – J K Rowling

“There is time for work, and time for love That leaves no other time ´ - Coco Chanel

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Mother who was blamed for weak parenting killed by son

A cou ple fro m Oldbur y in t he W es t M id l an ds wa s killed by t heir son Anmol Chana, t hen a 25-year -o ld m an

He stabbed his mum J a s b i r K a u r , 5 2 , a n d h i s stepdad, Rupinder Bassan, 51, who had a history of v i o l e n c e H e h a d m a d e threats to kill his mother and sister and had shown symptoms of psychosis A minimum sentence of 36 years was handed over him for showing a “complete lack of remorse ” for his actions

Kaur had tried to get h e l p , b u t s e s s i o n s w i t h C h i l d r e n ’ s a n d Y o u n g P e o p l e ’ s M e n t a l H e a l t h

Services concentrated on her “apparent inability to control her son ” or to “set boundaries” and not her son's behaviour

The report found no e v i d e n c e o f o n e - t o - o n e work with Chana himself

R e a d i n g t h e r e p o r t , James Moore who is The Independent’s chief business commentator and a c o l u m n i s t f o r Independent Voices said:

Local mini market in Bradford fined for selling out-of-date food products

A corner sh op owner has been fined after trying to use sausage nearly half a year past its expiry date

BIRMINGHAM MAN WHO BUILT HOUSE IN A GARAGE APPROVAL ORDERED TO DEMOLISH

I’ve come across this sort o f t h i n g b e f o r e N o t i n cases as extreme or horrific as this, but more generally; as the default option of state agencies that are supposed to support parents but seem to prefer to k i c k t h e m w h e n t h e y ’ r e down Parents need support, not blaming, when their children are struggling, he added

Council books 150-bed hotel for two years to tackle homelessness

I n an effort to manage a ri se in homeless ness , a ci ty c ou n c i l h a s b o ok e d 1 5 0 b eds in hotels every night f or the n ext two years

A t a n a g r e e d n i g h t l y rate, Sheffield City Council has reserved the rooms, a m o v e i t s a y s w i l l s a v e money, time and provide certainty for users

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, the area has seen homelessness increase with 1 7 3 h o u s e h o l d s l i v i n g i n hotels by December 2022

Councillor Penny Baker t o l d a m e e t i n g s h e w a s "really sad to have to support this "

The authority's housing c o m m i t t e e m e e t i n g w a s told that as the need for the

number of beds increased, so did the need for number of hotels

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said this l o g i s t i c a l i s s u e a t e i n t o council staff time, D u r i n g t h e m e e t i n g , councillor Ben Curran said, "I saw the difficulties they were going through from going one place to another "

"When they finally got to their final destination the council was still ques-

t i o n i n g h o w l o n g t h e y would be there "

M s B a k e r a d d e d :

People in these difficult positions are very vulnerable and taking away having to wait for a room to be allocated and [the uncertainty] is showing respect to those individuals "

The authority aimed to end use of hotels for temp o r a r y a c c o m m o d a t i o n within the next five years u n l e s s i n e m e r g e n c i e s , council officers said

Country pub becomes UK’s first to serve vegan carvery

T he Barn, a pub in the vill a ge o f W i l le y, Warwicksh ire h as remo ved m ea t f ro m t h e ir m en u , becoming Britain’s first ever t o s er ve ve ga n c a rv er y T h o r o u gh J a nu a ry , th e y h ave served 1 3 vegan carvery at their restau rant, rep orted the Metro

Traditionally, carvery is a pub or restaurant offering cooked meat, that is freshly carved or sliced as requested b y c u s t o m e r s S o m e t i m e s this offering is unlimited in a buffet style at a fixed price

The owners of the count r y p u b , S a r a h G o o d c h i l d and Ben Stead-Davis, who are vegan themselves, said t h a t p e o p l e a r e c o m i n g from across the country just t o t r y t h e i r p l a n t - b a s e d S u n d a y c a r v e r y , w h i c h i s served in a buffet between 10am and 4pm

With the vegan option g a i n i n g p o p u l a r i t y , t h e y have decided to make this m e a t - f r e e r o a s t a p e r m a -

nent part of their Sunday menu

The meal costs £14 95 and it features a choice of ‘tofurkey’ (tofu turkey), seitan, nut roast and plantb a s e d L i n c o l n s h i r e sausages, along with other usual trimmings

On the sides, there is vegan Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes, maple glazed p a r s n i p s , c a r r o t s , m a s h , roast cabbage, creamy leeks, s t u f f i n g a n d a r e d w i n e gravy

Local Mini Market in Bradford was also found stocking beef 35 days past expiry and garlic sauce 49 days out of date Trading Standards said it posed a ‘significant risk’ to the public after making the shocking discovery during a routine inspection in October

2021

Former shopkeeper Karim Mohammed Omer Jaf, 36, was fined £207 and ordered to pay £640 in court costs after he pleaded guilty to a number of food hygiene offences

A d d r e s s i n g J a f , m a g i s t r a t e A l i s o n Roberts said, "We understand this was a very difficult time for you, but at the end of the day the risk to the public by these products being out of date is significant, particularly the meat products

"One sausage was 155 days out of date –that is a very long period of time "

T h e d i s g r a c e d b u s i n e s s m a n f r o m

Bradford, was also dragged to court in July after Trading Standards found a £28,000 stash of counterfeit cigarettes at his store

Prosecutor Harjit Ryatt said, "Use-by dates are very important, especially with products deemed to be highly perishable Products sold after that date are deemed to be potentially harmful to human health Legislation on this issue is very strict – any food for sale past its use-by date can lead to enforcement

Mo Hussain, defending, said it was common for people to debate whether out of date food was suitable to eat

Much-needed new prayer shelter at Blackburn cemetery taking shape

C o n tra ct o rs h av e bu ilt the stru ctu re and are working on the ro of at the new M u sl im s ec tio n o f th e P le as in g to n cemetery

The old structure which had been used for many years was deemed too small and was regularly flooded and leaked during bad weather Plans were approved for the new shelter last year Some Muslim funerals can attract hundreds of worshippers but the funeral prayers themselves will last under 20 minutes, with people tending to leave the cemetery once prayers have concluded

A homeowner – Mr M Singh – was originally given approval to build a single-storey garage on Vaughton Street in Highgate Birmingham in 2019 But council bosses were left stunned in October last year after discovering a small two-storey house had been erected on the driveway instead Mr Singh was ordered to demolish the residential dwelling following an appeal, during which he argued there were only ‘minor differences to what was approved The family had also previously said they were using the mini property as a gym and were defiant it would stay standing But photographs taken this week now show how the homeowner has significantly reduced the structure to the shape of a previously approved garage A woman who answered the door of the house refused to comment when approached but neighbours said the work had been ongoing for a few weeks One resident who did not want to be named said: ‘It looks like they have finally complied with the order and thank goodness because it was an eyesore ’ Planners had originally given approval for a 5 3m x 4 6m garage to be built at the location which the new building exceeded Planning Inspector Thomas Shields wrote in his report after visiting the house last March: The appellant s case is that the building already benefits from planning permission granted by the council in 2019

BLACKPOOL HIT BY EARTHQUAKE

The British Geological Survey (BGS) said that Blackpool has been struck by a 1 5 magnitude earthquake At 7 36pm on Friday, the tremor, which was at a depth of 2km, hit the Lancashire town According to the BGS, residents described “a noise like a train coming near” and “cabinets shaking” during the quake, "We have received online macroseismic reports from residents in Blackpool Little Plumpton, Weeton and Westby of this event being felt,” the BGS said “Reports described ‘a noise like a train coming near’, ‘ourselves and several neighbours heard it’, ‘our dogs were disturbed’ and ‘the computer and cabinets shook ” Less than a month, a magnitude 2 1 tremor was recorded in the Irish Sea some 35 km off the coast of Blackpool According to the BGS in 2019 the Blackpool area experienced some 135 tremors when it was home to the UK’s only shale gas exploration site Preston New Road One resident who said they lived a mile away from the former fracking site, took to Twitter that all of their neighbours felt and heard Friday s tremor He described having thought initially that a car had crashed

ENRAGED DAD CLAIMS SON PAID £3 50 FOR '20P' RUBBER AT FUNDRAISER

Ben, who prepares the carvery, is the co-owner and a l s o t h e h e a d c h e f H e r e p o r t e d l y s a i d , " W e a r e proud to say we are the only restaurant in the UK and even maybe the world doing what we are

There are places who will offer vegan alternatives o n t h e i r S u n d a y l u n c h menu, but we don’t believe anywhere else is serving a vegan carvery like ours –i n c l u d i n g v e g a n r e s t a urants "

The former Muslim section of the cemetery had filled up and the prayer shelter itself, although used was unable to accommodate people all year round More importantly the new prayer shelter will include toilets, a small kitchen and a heating system and will open up on to the new Muslim section of the cemetery It had been predicted that this section would come into use last August but further land has been made available in the old section

A Council report in 2022 said, "The current Muslim burial grounds which surround the existing prayer shelter will be at capacity by 2023 at which point all future burials will take place in the new extension to the north of the cemetery, some considerable distance from the existing shelter ”

An enraged father has hit out at a city school after claiming that his young son paid £3 50 for a rubber he alleged was worth 20p at a fundraising sale Stechford Primary School in Birmingham reportedly said it got in touch with the father to discuss his concerns The Albert Road school informed parents that items in the sale would be sold for between 50p and £3 50 However the dad said he was not expecting his son to be sold a rubber for so much money In an email sent to the school, and BirminghamLive, the dad said his son was given £3 50, but he returned home with a rubber worth 20p for £3 50 He notified them that nothing was priced, and that a teacher told him the eraser was £3 50 and took his money He added that as a family, and a community they are disgusted He also said that henceforth he will not send any money with their children if the school holds any further sales

Anmol Chana Photo courtesy: West Midlands Police

Mother Jasbir Kaur and stepdad Rupinder Bassan Photo courtesy: West Midlands Police

British Indian doctor wins award for saving children from hearing loss

Dr Ajit Mahaveer, a British

I n d i a n d o c t o r b a s e d i n Manchester, is part of the team whose research for a world-first genetic test that c o u l d s a v e h u n d r e d s o f babies from hearing loss, r e c e n t l y w o n t h e N e w

Statesman Positive Impact in Healthcare Award

T h e t e a m , w h i c h i s b a s e d a t S a i n t M a r y ’ s H o s p i t a l , p a r t o f M a n c h e s t e r U n i v e r s i t y

N H S F o u n d a t i o n T r u s t ( M F T ) , w o r k e d w i t h t h e University of Manchester and Manchester-based firm

G e n e d r i v e P l c o n t h e

Pharmacogenetics to Avoid

Loss of Hearing (PALOH) s t u d y T o g e t h e r , t h e y developed the pioneering, rapid bedside genetic test which was piloted at MFT earlier this year Using a cheek swab, the test can i d e n t i f y i n 2 6 m i n u t e s whether a critically ill baby admitted to intensive care h a s a g e n e c h a n g e t h a t could result in permanent h e a r i n g l o s s i f t h e y a r e t r e a t e d w i t h a c o m m o n e m e r g e n c y a n t i b i o t i c , Gentamicin W h i l e G e n t a m i c i n i s

Dr Ajit Mahaveer

used to safely treat approximately 100,000 babies a y e a r , o n e i n 5 0 0 b a b i e s carry the gene change that c a n l e a d t o p e r m a n e n t hearing loss when given the a n t i b i o t i c T h e n e w t e s t means that babies found to h a v e t h e g e n e t i c v a r i a n t can be given an alternative antibiotic within the ‘golden hour’ and could save the hearing of 200 babies in England every year

T h i s n e w s w a b t e s t technique replaces a test that traditionally took several days and is the first use o f a r a p i d p o i n t o f c a r e genetic test in acute neonatal care It is also expected the test could save the NHS £ 5 m i l l i o n e v e r y y e a r b y reducing the need for other i n t e r v e n t i o n s , s u c h a s cochlear implants

Th e Go vernment has launched a firstof-its-kind dash bo ard showing inform ation about the v eteran comm unity

The Veterans Data Dashboard from the Office for Veterans’ Affairs allows the public to scroll through data in a r e a s s u c h a s p o p u l a t i o n , h o u s i n g , mental health and employment

The dashboard will provide a snapshot to the public, veterans, and service providers so they can learn about the community, as well as the different services offered by the government to support veterans

It comes as the Office for National Statistics released new data from the 2021 Census on the veteran population The data covers areas such as age, health, gender and ethnic and religious breakdown

M i n i s t e r o f V e t e r a n s ’ A f f a i r s

Johnny Mercer said, “In order to step

up services for veterans and standardise support across the country, we need a b e t t e r p i c t u r e o f t h e c o m m u n i t y we ’ re serving “So, it’s a key part of our job at the Office for Veterans’ Affairs to improve the data we have on the veteran community and today shows that we ’ re making good strides forward

Data and evidence are at the heart of our veteran’s policy, and I encourage everyone to check out the new dashboard

“The dashboard will be updated r e g u l a r l y a s n e w d a t a e m e r g e s a n d marks another step forward for the Office for Veterans’ Affairs ”

Alongside the release of the dashboard, the Office for National

S t a t i s t i c s h a v e r e l e a s e d f u r t h e r f i n d i n g s a n d a n a l y s i s f r o m t h e

2021 Census For the first time, the demographic characteristics of our veteran population, including age, gender, nationality and reported health, are revealed

The data shows that of the total (just over 1 85 million) UK armed forces v e t e r a n p o p u l a t i o n i n E n g l a n d a n d Wales, 13 6% were women and 86 4% were men It also provides insights into the reported health of veterans, with veterans reporting their overall health similarly to the general population, when adjusted for age and gender

The ONS is working to further analyse the Census 2021 data set, which for the first time included a question on if the respondent was a veteran

T h e M a y o r o f L o n d o n ,

Sadiq Khan, has called on Londoners to step forward and give blood to help save and improve lives, as hund r e d s o f n e w d o n o r s a r e needed every day to help patients in the capital

A r o u n d 1 3 5 , 0 0 0 n e w d o n o r s a r e n e e d e d e v e r y year to ensure there is blood available to patients across the country, with at least 40,000 new blood donors needed in London each year over the next five years to k e e p s u p p l y i n g b l o o d f o r lifesaving treatments

Sadiq worked with NHS

B l o o d a n d T r a n s p l a n t (NHSBT) to host the first e v e r b l o o d d r i v e a t C i t y

Hall’s new location at the Royal Docks on Tuesday

He was joined by NHSBT

A m b a s s a d o r s D r E m e k a O k o r o c h a a n d D r A m o s O g u n k o y a , a n d D e p u t y M a y o r f o r C o m m u n i t i e s and Social Justice Dr Debbie W e e k e s - B e r n a r d t o g i v e blood and encourage more people from diverse backgrounds across the capital

to become donors

While people from all c o m m u n i t i e s a n d b a c kg r o u n d s d o g i v e b l o o d , fewer than five per cent of donors in the last year were f r o m B l a c k , A s i a n a n d minority ethnic communities

NHSBT estimates that at least 16,000 more donors of Black African and Black C a r i b b e a n h e r i t a g e a r e needed each year to ensure the right blood is available for patients who need it

The Mayor of London, S a d i q K h a n , s a i d , “ W e u r g e n t l y n e e d m o r e Londoners to come forward and give blood to help delive r l i f e s a v i n g t r e a t m e n t s across the capital and the country Giving blood saves lives, providing a lifeline in an emergency and for peop l e w h o n e e d l o n g - t e r m

treatments I was proud to host this blood drive at City Hall as part of my work to build a better London for a l l , a n d e n c o u r a g e m o r e L o n d o n e r s t o b e c o m e donors ”

Londoners urged to give blood to help save lives

INDIA BECOMES TOP TRAVEL DESTINATION FOR 2023

UK-India tourism is predicted to see a spike this year with several factors working in its favour The new Air India flight routes from London Gatwick, including flights to Kerala, upcoming events like the G-20 Summit, 2023 Cricket World Cup, Men’s Hockey World Cup in India, promise to increase tourists travelling to India

The Indian Bengali diaspora living in the UK, has already started a petition to start direct flights to Kolkata and north-eastern part of India A reinstatement of these flights will increase air traffic further

As the UK-India FTA draws almost to a c l o s e , b e s i d e s a l m o s t e v e r y m o n t h a d e l e g a t i o n f l y i n g t o I n d i a , a c c o r d i n g t o reports, UK also continues to be a popular d e s t i n a t i o n f o r I n d i a n t r a v e l l e r s I n d i a n a reportedly have had the highest per centage (28%) of visitor visas granted More than 258,000 Indian nationals received visit visas in the year ending June 2022, which is a 630% increase compared to the previous year

B u t B r i t i s h h o l i d a y m a k e r s h a v e b e e n issued with a travel scam warning ahead of t h e h o l i d a y s A i r b n b r e c e n t l y r e p o r t e d that Brits have lost up to £1 4k in travel scams on average

With cost-of-living soaring, and people fearing extravagant prices, as well as tourist traps and scams multiplying, travel agents step forward explaining how they are helping families to plan within budget with necessary precautions

Fam ilies bud geting in ad vance

Dipti Pradeep Pandya, Director, Serene Holidays told Asian Voice, how the cost of l i v i n g h a s i m p a c t e d f a m i l i e s a n d t h e i r budgets She said, “Cost of living has had an impact on nuclear families as they are now having to budget in advance, as opposed to make holidays decisions a month prior to tours departing “ B u t I n d i a h a s b e c o m e a h o t t r a v e l destination for 2023, predominantly among the older generation as they have family or residential property to go and live at The overall cost has reduced for them ”

W h e n a s k e d i f s c a m s a r e a f f e c t i n g travellers and what precautions they advise, Dipti added, “We tell customers it is very i m p o r t a n t t o a l w a y s b o o k w i t h T o u r Operators who are licensed and have years of wealth of knowledge and experience such as 'Serene Holidays' as we are PTS covered and we are also ATOL protected

“Further to this, I as the company director have over 25 years of experience both in the office carrying out operational duties and on the road with clients handling tours This is very important to ask at the time of booking how much experience the company has had in the industry ”

Similarly, Hemang Shah, Director, Star Tours talking about the cost of living and its impact on travel said, “The cost of living has had a significant impact on travel It has made the travelling costs higher, such as accommodation and food, more expensive This has meant an overall increase in the prices we charge by almost 10% - this has a negative impact on conscious travellers It has also meant longer more expensive tours are selling at a lower capacity ”

With increasing scams, when asked how they make travellers aware of possible scams, he said, “We provide information to help individuals avoid travel scams However, to p r o t e c t t h e m s e l v e s f r o m s u c h s c a m s , w e advise travellers should be cautious when booking trips if they do not accept our quotes and prices, and that they only deal with reputable and established travel companies who are ABTA and ATOL bonded, be wary of unsolicited offers, not provide personal or financial information to strangers, and verify t h e a u t h e n t i c i t y o f w e b s i t e s a n d p h o n e numbers before making any transactions

“Additionally, whilst they are on tour our Tour manager also emphasises local scams to our travellers – whether in the form of a briefing on the coach or actively avoiding using services not accredited by the local tourism board We often include an allinclusive package, so our travellers have all e l e m e n t s b o o k e d f o r t h e m a s t o a v o i d overpaying or being scammed ”

Trav els increase to Ind ia as industry gets mo re org anised and receiv e g overnment boosting

But Tulsi Ramnath, Operations Manager, Skanda Holidays (UK) Ltd told Asian Voice, that though cost of living crisis is affecting people in general, they feel this has no or little effect to the demography of their own customers “The type of specialist holidays we do and the standard of products and service we deliver has been overwhelmingly recognised by the travellers both new and regular customers

“We agree that flight prices have gone high and continuously expected be on the e x p o n e n t i a l r i s e O n c a t e r i n g a w i d e r c u s t o m e r b a s e , c o n s i d e r i n g t h e c u r r e n t economic climate, we at Skanda Holidays have worked with a few airlines and come up w i t h p r o d u c t s a n d f l i g h t t i c k e t s w h e r e customers pay a minimum deposit of £99 per person to lock the current price of the flight t i c k e t o r a t o u r p r o d u c t w i t h n o h a s s l e cancellation and pay the rest later before a confirmed departure thereby secure their travel plan with no impact of price rise later ”

When asked, if India is becoming popular as a holiday destination in 2023, especially with the upcoming events, Tulsi affirmed and said, “India followed by the abrogation of article 370, Jammu and Kashmir, Leh, Ladakh d e s t i n a t i o n s h a v e b e c o m e v e r y p o p u l a r Despite higher costs, they always go full and quite often customers need to prebook more than a year in advance

“Asian travellers who earlier looked for E u r o p e a n d e s t i n a t i o n s , h a v e n o w t u r n e d their holiday plans to India, especially to beat the rising costs and security issues in Europe due to the Ukraine-Russia war Also, they can club visiting relatives with touring parts of India Family travellers with young children are now targeting school holidays and even for short haul trips, are considering India as their preferred destination

“We see volume of travellers visiting India h a s i n c r e a s e d d r a m a t i c a l l y s i n c e p o s t pandemic In recent days, our branch office i n I n d i a h a s b e c o m e e x t r e m e l y b u s y

delivering services in India as the prime holiday destination for our customers from the UK, Europe and America, in particular, f o r B r i t i s h A s i a n a n d A s i a n A m e r i c a n t r a v e l l e r s W i t h m o r e o r g a n i s e d a n d regulated travel sector than before and a b o o s t f r o m I n d i a n c e n t r a l g o v e r n m e n t m a t c h i n g a n d o f t e n e x c e e d i n g E u r o p e a n standards, we are able to deliver impeccable services throughout India, across all regions, including North and South ” However, Tulsi is aware of the increasing n u m b e r o f s c a m s a f f e c t i n g t r a v e l l e r s , e s p e c i a l l y a s t h e y t r y t o g r a b t o o g o o d t o b e t r u e c h e a p d e a l C a u t i o n i n g travellers, he added, “At Skanda Holidays, our prime aspect of briefing involves keeping our customers and travellers in general informed a b o u t p r e c a u t i o n s a n d h o w t o a v o i d scammers Though common-sense approach is needed by travellers in general, we urge travellers to follow the basics, namely, check f o r A T O L , A B T A a n d I A T A r e g u l a t e d companies Though some travellers compare c h e a p e r p r o d u c t s e s p e c i a l l y w i t h o n e s directly purchased at the destinations, this is very dangerous and 99% chances of getting cheated as they are never regulated You never know if the services will be offered when you get to the destination, even if so, will it be safe and secure

“Sometimes people think, paying by card often gives them security but they don’t realise that terms and conditions in different regional jurisdiction varies The best-known scams are flight tickets, well known and wellestablished big travel companies in the UK advertise of lower price on a ticket say to India, but later customers are surprised and left puzzled with hidden costs, ending up paying much more

“Other types of scams include selling a non-available flight ticket at an unbelievable low cost We urge travellers to not get carried away with price We recommend travellers to make an informed decision in choosing their travel agent and tour operators, preferably recommended by travellers who have used their services earlier ”

Rishi S unak met his new Cabinet, as we went to p rint He reported ly claim ed that h is reshuffle o f ministers and the g o v ern m en t d e p art m en ts th ey ru n w o u l d a ll o w h i m to d el iv er o n h i s pledges to turn around the U K econom y, Oliver Wrigh t wrote in T he T imes

A c c o r d i n g t o a s t a t e m e n t , t h i s reshuffle was to ensure the government is geared up to deliver for the British people, creating four new departments

The changes promises that the the right skills and teams are focussed on the Prime Minister’s five promises: to h a l v e i n f l a t i o n , g r o w t h e e c o n o m y , reduce debt, cut waiting lists and stop the boats

A n e w D e p a r t m e n t f o r E n e r g y Security and Net Zero, has been tasked

with securing our long-term energy supply, bringing down bills and halving inflation

A d e d i c a t e d D e p a r t m e n t f o r Science, Innovation and Technology will drive the innovation that will deliver improved public services, create new and better-paid jobs and grow the economy

A c o m b i n e d D e p a r t m e n t f o r

Business and Trade will support growth by backing British businesses at home and abroad, promoting investment and championing free trade

Finally, a re-focused Department for Culture, Media and Sport will recognise the importance of these industries to our economy and build on the UK’s position as a global leader in the cre-

ative arts New appointm ents includ e:

• R t H o n G r a n t S h a p p s M P a s

Mini Cabinet reshuffle promises to deliver PM’s pledges Rushdie speaks for the first time after the colossal attack

Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero

• Rt Hon Michelle Donelan MP as S e c r e t a r y o f S t a t e f o r S c i e n c e ,

Innovation and Technology

• Rt Hon Kemi Badenoch MP as S e c r e t a r y o f S t a t e f o r B u s i n e s s a n d Trade She remains as President of the B o a r d o f T r a d e , a n d M i n i s t e r f o r

Women and Equalities

• Rt Hon Lucy Frazer KC MP as Secretary of State for Culture, Media, and Sport

• R t H o n G r e g H a n d s M P a s M i n i s t e r w i t h o u t P o r t f o l i o i n t h e

Cabinet Office

Jasvir is now ready to take on the world over homosexuality

H e is known to be one o f the mos t p ro mi nent S ikh vo ices in B ri ta i n Bu t t h er e i s a l s o a no t h er s t or y wh i ch ma ke s Jasvi r S ingh’s story u ni que He i s gay, a fact whi ch h e d ecid ed to keep pri vate ti ll now as i t c reated problems f or hi m in h is own communi ty But Jasvir h as now deci ded that h e wi ll s p e ak o p e nl y a bo u t h i s s exuali ty

Jasvir, who is the founding chair of City Sikhs Network w h i c h p r o v i d e s a v o i c e f o r progressive Sikhs in the UK, is well aware of the fact that it will be challenging and a lot of people will be upset with him

but yet he has remained firm “I know that speaking about t h i s i s g o i n g t o b e h i g h l y controversial ” Jasvir, who got married to his husband Nick l a s t s u m m e r , i s a f a m i l y b a r r i s t e r a n d a r e g u l a r c o n t r i b u t o r t o R a d i o 4 ’ s

‘Thought For The Day’ He has also been honoured with a CBE as a recognition of his work bringing together faith communities and advocating for groups that are vulnerable But while these make up h i s i d e n t i t y i n t h e p u b l i c , J a s v i r ’ s p r i v a t e l i f e h a s r e m a i n e d a s u b j e c t o f speculation which has even

led to death threats, but the man now wants to take the p r o b l e m h e a d o n H e s a i d while he received threats to his life from some elements of the British Sikh community, he was also called an infidel o n a t e l e v i s i o n s t a t i o n Besides, people called him up and threatened to expose him J a s v i r , a n h o n o r a r y member of Edward Cadbury Centre, said the Sikh religion in which he grew up within the family had a strong focus o n a c e n t r a l p r i n c i p l e o f equality and that he never saw his faith to be at odds with his sexual orientation Jasvir and

N i c k v i s i t e d g u r d w a r a s i n Punjab and in other parts of India during their honeymoon trip He feels that since the o v e r w h e l m i n g m a j o r i t y o f S i k h s o r i g i n a t e d i n P u n j a b , e d i c t s m a d e b y t h e f a i t h ’ s r e l i g i o u s l e a d e r s h a v e b e e n i n f l u e n c e d b y t h e P u n j a b i c u l t u r e o v e r s c r i p t u r e t o a great extent The Sikh bodies in the UK though deny that

S alm an R u sh d ie , th e M u m ba i -b o rn B ri ti s h Ind ian auth or of Booker P ri ze - w in ni ng n o v el ‘ M i d ni g h t ’ s C h i ld r en ’ , said on M onday that he feels lucky to have surv iv ed la st year ’ s b ru tal st ab bi ng a t a l i ter ary event i n the US as he spoke for the first time ab ou t t h e “ c o lo s s al attack”

T h e 7 5 - y e a r - o l d novelist was giving a lecture at the Chautauqua Institution in New York –w h e r e h e i s b a s e d – o n August 12 last year when a man stormed the stage and stabbed and punched him several times

I n h i s f i r s t i n t e r v i e w since the attack which has caused loss of vision in one e y e , t h e a u t h o r t o l d ‘ T h e New Yorker’ magazine that his main feeling was one of g r a t i t u d e t o t h o s e w h o showed their support and his family, including sons Zafar and Milan

“I’m lucky What I really want to say is that my main o v e r w h e l m i n g f e e l i n g i s gratitude,” Rushdie said His latest novel, ‘Victory City’, completed before the attack,

traces back to a trip decades ago to Hampi, the site in Karnataka of the ruins of the m e d i e v a l V i j a y a n a g a r a e m p i r e R u s h d i e ’ s a t t a c k e r Hadi Matar is being held in the Chautauqua County Jail in the village of Mayville, c h a r g e d w i t h a t t e m p t e d murder in the second degree and facing a lengthy prison sentence T h e c e l e b r a t e d a u t h o r said that he was very moved by the tributes that his neardeath inspired and is determined to look forward “It’s very nice that everybody was so moved by this, you know? I had never thought about how people would react if I was assassinated, or almost assassinated,” he said

Political and Public Life Awards honour Parliamentarians across the aisle, including Keir Starmer and Penny Morduant

The full list of win ners is:

• Parliamentarian of the Year (Conservative): Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt MP, Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons

• Parliamentarian of the year (Labour): Sir Keir Starmer KCB, KC, MP, Leader of the Opposition

• Shadow Cabinet Minister of the year: Louise Haigh MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Transport

• Backbencher of the year: Rt Hon Tobias Ellwood MP, Chair of Defence Select Committee

• Conservative Councillor of the Year: Cllr Mina Parmar, Chair of Housing, London Borough of Harrow

• Labour Councillor of the Year: Cllr Onkar Sahota , Chair of London Assembly

• Entrepreneur of the Year: Rishi Patel, Founder and CEO, Interpolitan Money

• Arts Award: Nish Mishra

• International Business Award: JK Menon

• Restaurant of the Year: Ugur Talayhan, CEO, Madhu’s Istanbul

e t i m e Achievement in Media Award

The last few years have seen an unprecedented set of challenges for the UK More than 170,000 h a v e d i e d d u e t o t h e C o v i d - 1 9 pandemic The war in Ukraine has tested global alliances Inflation is set to hit its highest level in more than 40 years as the cost-of-living c r i s i s b i t e s S t e e r i n g t h e U K t h r o u g h t h e s e c r i s e s , a n d a turbulent political climate, have b e e n s o m e o u t s t a n d i n g a n d capable leaders from political and public life

The winners have created a positive impact on British society, w h e t h e r i n t h e i r l o c a l communities, on a national stage or beyond The evening saw over 1 7 0 g u e s t s i n c l u d i n g Parliamentarians, diplomats from

several Embassies, members of the A r m e d F o r c e s , b u s i n e s s a n d

songwriter Hussam Alrassam sang f r o m h i t A l q o d w w d a l h a l b i y a album on stage too

Rt Hon Valerie Vaz, MP for Walsall South, said, I am d e l i g h t e d t o b e a b l e t o s u p p o r t t h e s e A w a r d s t h a t r e c o g n i s e s o m a n y o u t s t a n d i n g i n d i v i d u a l s More than ever, we need to come together as a country to a d d r e s s t h e c h a l l e n g e s w e face It is wonderful to be able to do so with leaders from across the UK ”

community leaders Iraqi singer-

Baroness Arlene Foster of Aghadrumsee DBE, PC, spoke on the night in her capacity as Chair of the Together

• Lifetime Achievement Award: Haider Jaffer

• Small Business of the Year Award: Arbnor Karakushi

• International Artist of the Year: Hussam Alrassam, Iraqi singer

• Hotel of the Year: Vinu Bhattessa, Founder, Pendley Manor and The Landeville

• Lifetime Achievement in Media Award: CB Patel, Publisher/ Editor-in-Chief, ABPL

• Specialist Finance Providers of the Year: Market Financial Solutions

UK Foundation, a new non-profit with the purpose to proactively inform and engage debate on all benefits for all constituent parts of the UK to remain together She spoke in particularly about the i m p o r t a n c e o f t h e c o u n t r y ’ s international trade relationships t o b o o s t p r o s p e r i t y a c r o s s t h e entire United Kingdom

Liji George, Director of EPG, said: “Our Awards seek to honour o u t s t a n d i n g i n d i v i d u a l s f r o m across public life that have faced

s o m e o f t h e m o s t p r e s s i n g challenges facing us head-on, and created a positive impact over the preceding year They are a modest e f f o r t f r o m E P G t o t h a n k outstanding individuals who have made Britain better ” W i n n e r s o f t h e A w a r d s i n earlier years have included Rt Hon Sajid Javid, MP, Rt Hon William Hague, Rt Hon Andy Burnham, Rt Hon Priti Patel MP, Layla Moran MP, Jonathan Ashworth MP and London Mayor Sadiq Khan

Cllr Charan Kanwal Sing h S e kh o n , a S en i o r

Env ironment Officer at U K

G o v er nm e nt’ s De p art m en t f o r E nv i ro n m en t, F o o d &

R ural A ffa irs ( DE FRA ) h as b ec o m e U K ’ s fi rs t B ri ti s h

S ikh officer of Indian o rig in serv ing for the Env ironment

A gency to receiv e an MBE for his serv ices and contribut i on s i n c h ar it y, d i v er si ty , env i ronm ent and C o v id -1 9 su ppo rt w ork He receiv ed h is MBE medal in an investiture ceremo ny held at th e Windsor C astle on 31 January h o s te d by HM T h e Ki n g

C harles III

Charan is the Founder Chairman of charity SEVA

T r u s t U K , E q u a l i t i e s a n d W e l f a r e C o o r d i n a t o r f o r U N I S O N E a s t A n g l i a Branch, a local Councillor and a former executive committee member of Bedford Race Equality Council and G u r u G o b i n d S i n g h

Gurdwara (Sikh Temple) in Bedford He was named in 2 0 2 2 N e w Y e a r ’ s H o n o u r s list to receive an MBE

M e m b e r o f t h e M o s t E x c e l l e n t O r d e r o f t h e British Empire or an MBE, is a national honour awarded for an outstanding achievement or service to the comm u n i t y w h i c h h a s h a d a l o n g - t e r m , s i g n i f i c a n t

impact C h a r a n t o l d t h e A s i a n Voice, “I am truly humbled a n d h o n o u r e d t o h a v e received my MBE from His Majesty The King It was a very special moment to have a b r i e f c o n v e r s a t i o n w i t h King Charles III who wanted t o k n o w m o r e a b o u t m y journey and the key challenges I faced whilst working and contributing to the fields o f d i v e r s i t y , t h e e n v i r o nment, charity and Covid-19 s u p p o r t w o r k B e f o r e t h e ceremony, I was a bit nervous, but I must say he was really engaged in the conversation, and he made me feel s p e c i a l I f e e l e x t r e m e l y grateful

“Though it was a v e r y s p e c i a l d a y , i t w o u l d h a v e b e e n m o r e s p e c i a l i f m y father was here with u s t o w i t n e s s t h i s occasion We lost him l a s t y e a r , b u t I a m sure he is watching over us and must be v e r y p r o u d i n t h e same way my mother a n d t h e r e s t o f m y f a m i l y i s I m u s t thank my family for t h e i r u n c o n d i t i o n a l support, all my coll e a g u e s a t t h e Environment Agency, U N I S O N , S E V A T r u s t Trustees, teams and volunteers in the UK and India, whom I had a real privilege to work with in the past 28 years of my life ”

Born and bred in a small village of Barundi of Punjab in India, Charan faced many challenges during his educational journey in India and then in the UK He complete d h i s B S c a n d M S c i n

P h y s i c s f r o m I n d i a a n d moved to Britain in January 1995 He then completed his M S c i n E n e r g y a n d Environment from Cranfield U n i v e r s i t y , B e d f o r d s h i r e b e f o r e j o i n i n g t h e E n v i r o n m e n t A g e n c y i n

Lifetime Achievement in Media Award winner CB Patel, Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, ABPL

Parliamentarian of the Year (Conservative) winner Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt MP Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons with Valerie Vaz, MP

Parliamentarian of the Year (Labour) winner Sir Keir Starmer KCB, KC, MP, Leader of the Opposition with Valerie Vaz MP

Cllr Sekhon receiving his MBE from King Charles III

61-years man jailed for sexually assaulting a child

A m an has been jailed after being found g uilty of sexually assau lting a child

A n a n d a r a j a h B r e m akumar, 61, of Colindale, was sentenced to 30 months in p r i s o n a f t e r a h e a r i n g a t Wood Green Crown Court He had been found guilty of four counts of sexual activity with a child following the conclusion of a trial at the s a m e c o u r t i n D e c e m b e r T h e c o u r t h e a r d t h a t

Bremakumar carried out the abuse in 2010 on a victim under the age of 16 who was

k n o w n t o h i m B u t t h e police were not contacted until 2019 after a third-party report was made to officers from a therapist

Bremakumar was arreste d o n A p r i l 3 0 , 2 0 2 1 b u t d e n i e d t h e a l l e g a t i o n s H o w e v e r , h e w a s s u b s eq u e n t l y c h a r g e d o n

D e c e m b e r 1 6 , 2 0 2 1 A s p o k e s p e r s o n f o r t h e M e t r o p o l i t a n P o l i c e s a i d : “ T h i s y o u n g w o m a n h a s shown immense courage in speaking to the police and s u p p o r t i n g t h i s i n v e s t i g ation I hope the fact that B r e m a k u m a r h a s b e e n f o u n d g u i l t y g i v e s h e r a sense that justice has been done ”

Orthopaedic surgeon struck off medical register for misconduct

A n o r th o p ae d i c su rg eo n w ho d emo nstrated " serio us m iscond uct" in his care of six patients h as been struck o ff the m ed ical register T h e M e d i c a l P r a c t i t i o n e r s T r i b u n a l S e r v i c e h e a r d D r J e r e m y Parker, based at Colchester Hospital, carried out 33 knee a n d h i p r e p l a c e m e n t s i n breach of restrictions placed on his practice Mr Parker also falsely claimed to have performed a knee operation The surgeon said he "pani c k e d " w h e n h e w r o n g l y recorded the procedure R i c h a r d H o l l a n d , a l a w y e r f o r t h e G e n e r a l M e d i c a l C o u n c i l ( G M C ) , s a i d t h e f a i l i n g s w e r e " d e p l o r a b l e " a n d " b r o u g h t

the medical profession into disrepute” T r i b u n a l c h a i r Sharmistha Michaels said: M r P a r k e r s c o n d u c t f e l l seriously below the standard e x p e c t e d o f a c o m p e t e n t m e d i c a l p r a c t i t i o n e r a n d r e p r e s e n t e d s i g n i f i c a n t breaches of the principles of good medical practice " A total 53 facts put forward by the GMC - dating back to August 2015 - were "found proved" by the tribunal panel These included f a i l u r e s t o d i a g n o s e a n infection before an operation and failure to obtain i n f o r m e d o r a d e q u a t e p a t i e n t c o n s e n t b e f o r e surgery In one case, he perf o r m e d a n " i n a d e q u a t e "

Mother suing school for forcing son to take part in LGBT event

A mother who claims her son w as “fo rced” to take part in a P rid e ev ent is suing a south Lo nd on primary school

Izzy Montague, 38, is taking Heavers Farm Primary School in South Norwood to court after claiming she was told by the school’s head her four-year-old son could not opt out of the June 2018 event The court heard the school sent a letter to parents on June 19 inviting them to take part in the event and “celebrate the differences that make them and their family special” A week later Ms Montague contacted the school and asked for her son to be excused, saying she did not want him involved with “adherence to views she did not accept”

in brief

ARRESTS IN COVENTRY OVER TERRORISM SUSPICION

Three men and a woman have been arrested in Coventry on suspicion of terrorism offences Two men, aged 26 and 18, and a 58year-old woman were held on Tuesday, police said A 57-year-old man was arrested following the pre-planned operation, West Midlands Police said All four were taken to a police station for questioning and the force said there was not believed to be any imminent threat to the public A house in Kare Road, Wyken, was being searched by police and a blue forensics tent was erected outside

arthroscopy because he did n o t r e m o v e a 1 c m - w i d e piece of broken bone from a patient's right knee He also failed to ensure a safe techn i c a l a p p r o a c h " d u r i n g s u r g e r y t h a t r e s u l t e d i n " m a j o r c a t a s t r o p h i c b l o o d loss" in a second patient

The panel concluded Mr Parker's fitness to practise was impaired by reason of m i s c o n d u c t H e w a s s u spended from practising with immediate effect and was due to be erased from the medical register in 28 days, pending any appeal Struckoff practitioners can reapply to join the register after five y e a r s M r P a r k e r d i d n o t attend the tribunal hearing and was not represented

The request was refused by the school’s head, Susan Papas, Central London county court heard The case is said to be a UK first A t t h e s t a r t o f t h e e i g h t - d a y c a s e J u d g e Christopher Lethem described Montague and h e r h u s b a n d a s “ d e v o u t b o r n - a g a i n Christians” and said they believe that “sexual relations should be abstained from or take place within a life-long marriage between a man and a woman and any activity outside those confines is sinful”

The court heard Mrs Montague objected to the idea of her son ’ s class singing songs such as Sister Sledge’s ‘We Are Family’ on the basis they were “ gay anthems” Giving evid e n c e M o n t a g u e s a i d s h e h a d p r e v i o u s l y expressed concerns to her son ’ s teacher about the types of books they were reading in class Montague attended a meeting with Ms Papas on September 19 during which the head’s daughter wore a T-shirt with the slogan: “Why be racist, sexist, homophobic, or transphobic when you could just be quiet?”, the court heard Ms Montague is being supported in her l e g a l b a t t l e b y c o n s e r v a t i v e o r g a n i s a t i o n

Christian Legal Centre

Expectant mothers penalised for not paying prescription charges

B u ll er, 2 9 , l i ke al l p reg nan t w omen in Eng land, shou ld hav e been exem pt from p rescription ch arges until 12 m onths after she g av e birth But she was never issued with a maternity exemption certificate and has now been told th at the oversig ht m akes her i neli g ib le fo r f ree m ed i cat io n S he has been given th ree months to pay the cost of th e prescriptions sh e collected du ring her p regnancy, or face three-figure p enalty surch arges

Buller is just one of thousands of expectant mothers who have been similarly penalised for falling foul of NHS red tape Last year, the NHS Business Services Authority, the public body that checks patients’ right to exemptions on behalf of the health service, issued 38,191 letters questioning the eligibility of women who claimed a maternity exemption More than 80% of those subsequently received a penalty charge notice because they could not produce a valid certificate U n d e r N H S r u l e s , p r e g n a n c y d o e s n o t q u a l i f y w o m e n i n England for free prescriptions u n l e s s t h e i r m i d w i f e r e g i s t e r s them for a maternity exemption certificate that pharmacists are legally required to request But two things frequently appear to go wrong: midwives make errors on applying for the certificates, or forget to apply at all, and pharmacists fail to ask for proof of

e x e m p t i o n T h i s m e a n s t h a t

women whose certificates don’t materialise may claim free prescriptions for months without realising they are ineligible They t h e n f a c e b a c k d a t e d b i l l s f o r t h e i r m e d i c a t i o n , p l u s f i n e s amounting to five times each

prescription charge up to £100

T h e B u s i n e s s S e r v i c e s Authority’s brief is to crack down on prescription fraud, but it has b e e n a c c u s e d o f p e n a l i s i n g patients who acted in good faith

In 2019, a parliamentary select committee concluded that the

FORMER MEMBER OF ‘RADICAL' ISLAMIST GROUP CALLS HOMOSEXUALITY A SIN

A former member of a “radical Islamist group told a conference in Chadwell Heath that children should be taught that homosexuality is a sin which can be reversed through repentance The comments were attributed to Yusuf Patel in a document published by the event’s organiser Redbridge lobbying group Parents United, which opposes “promotion” of LGBT lifestyles in schools Another speaker, from the UK arm of a Christian group which has campaigned to keep homosexuality illegal in the USA reportedly lectured parents on how to oppose “the LGBT agenda” Parents United produced a report about the conference held in November at the Al-Huda Welfare Foundation in Wangey Road and sent it to politicians and the Department for Education (DfE) The DfE has refused to say what it did with the report or whether it could be used to inform any government decision-making

p e n a l t y c h a r g e p r o c e s s i s a “ h e a v y - h a n d e d r u s h t o j u d gment” on the part of the authori t y a n d i t a c c u s e d t h e Department of Health and Social C a r e a n d t h e N H S o f “ b e i n g s h o c k i n g l y c o m p l a c e n t ” a b o u t patients being unfairly penalised

Royal expert urges Meghan and Harry to return to the UK

M egh an M arkle and Pr ince

H ar ry are suf fe ring a fre sh night mare a s the ir US popul arity plu mmets. O ne ro ya l e xp ert ha s urg ed th e co uple t o re tur n to the UK

Meghan and Harry have been urged to "move back to the UK" as Americans are becoming fed up with the couple's antics The comments come amid outcry following the release of the couple's Netflix series and Prince Harry's bombshell memoir, Spare "I am going to tell you something you do not want to hear, in the States the conversation is Harry and Meghan need to apologise and they need to move back to the UK," said LA-based royal expert Kinsey Schofield She added: "That is what we are saying here in America, that they need to move back

to the UK I know that is the last thing Brits want "

The host of the To Di For Daily podcast told that Americans have realised the "only interesting thing" about the Sussexes was their connection to other royals She added: "They are not interesting people, they're not exciting people, there's nothing

inside of them

The comments come following a devastating opinion poll which shows the Sussexes' popularity plummeting in the United States. The recent poll showed Prince Harry's favourability rating drop 45 points from +38 in December to -7 in January

According to Parents United s website Mr Patel called the teaching of LGBT issues in schools “a ticking timebomb” and urged parents to “pre-empt these issues before it affects our homes” He reportedly said children should be taught that “every behaviour is changeable” and they “must come back from sinful behaviour through TAWBA ” TAWBA means repentance Mr Patel has made similar remarks in another speech viewable on YouTube

KEYLESS CAR OWNERS IN SUFFOLK AT RISK OF THEFT

Police have issued a warning to drivers of keyless cars after five Range Rovers and a Mercedes were stolen from one rural area in the space of a month Suffolk Police said the high value cars were taken from driveways in villages across the county Range Rover Sports were taken from Stratford St Andrew near Saxmundham and Nayland on the Essex/Suffolk border Range Rovers were stolen from Kettleburgh near Woodbridge and Barham near Ipswich and a Range Rover Vogue was taken from Yoxford near Saxmundham A Mercedes S350 was taken from a driveway in Gazeley near Newmarket and a Honda CRV from Sibton near Saxmundham The thefts started on the 7 January and the latest car was taken recently Police are urging owners with keyless cars to take extra safety precautions to protect their cars Thieves can use a transmitter to boost the signal from the real key, unlock the car and drive it away

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

How do you tackle daily tasks?

Rohit Vadhwana

How do you tackle daily tasks? Are you the one who likes to make a To Do List in the morning or belong to the category of people who take the day as it comes? There are both categories of people, even at higher positions, who have been quite successful following their own methods I have seen managers who don't believe in a To Do List because they say the day never goes as planned On the other hand, we all come across executives who religiously take out 10 minutes in the morning to prepare their list of things to be done during the day and at the end of the day they also review it While it is difficult to say which approach is more suitable to you because it's all in the individual's mindset but if we go by principles of organisation, it is certainly better to make some kind of checklist at regular intervals It may be every morning or week or at any other time gap

It has been proven that relying on memory to complete a long list of actions is a fatal mistake It helps to have a visual memory of the tasks to be completed Therefore all big events have a checklist to follow that directs everyone to go through and get a reminder of what is yet to be done

Psychologically, every time you tick mark an activity from your to-do list, you get the satisfaction of having a productive day In fact, many management gurus say that everyone should inculcate a practice of planning and reviewing their day so they have an assessment

Research has proven that when you work on making a To Do List, the tasks mentioned there are registered in your subconscious mind and they automatically gain importance Your mind works to make you consciously aware of decided priorities, that is, tasks listed in your diary Many companies make it a policy to have a meeting in the morning, the first thing in the day, and discuss the agenda It guides all employees to understand where their focus should be During the meeting, people also note down their actions and pursue them throughout office hours Such a policy makes sure that none of theemployees is wasting time on irrelevant jobs

While it is impossible to have the whole day as per our plan but it is certainly plausible to have a plan for the whole day Whatever comes as urgent we need to manage and fit it into the schedule, even at the cost of some preplanned activities It deviates us from the timetable but overall we remain on track So if you haven't, try to make a To Do List, if not daily then weekly or monthly, to guide your efforts, and see the result Also, tick-marking the tasks as and when completed will provide you with muchneeded motivation and give an opportunity to have a glimpse of what is left undone It will make your day more productive and scheduled

(Expressed opinions are personal)

NHS launches cancer "bus-ting” tour as double-decker bus aims to drive up awareness of deadly disease

An N H S doub le- deck er bus will be touri ng the coun try from Monday, to help raise awareness of the signs and s ymptoms of cancer and to enc ourage people to vis it their

G P f or poten tiall y lifes a v i ng c h e c k s i f t he y have a symptom

In partnership with S t a g e c o a c h , t h e U K ’ s l a r g e s t b u s a n d c o a c h operator, the giant NHS b l u e b u s s p e c i f i c a l l y branded with an eye-catching design, will visit five areas across the country where early diagnosis rates for cancer are among the lowest Kicking off its tour, following World Cancer Day on Saturday, the bus will head to its first stop in Blackburn on Monday 6 February, b e f o r e m o v i n g o n t o S u n d e r l a n d , Barnsley, and Leicester and will complete its route in London on Friday 10 February

F r o m t h e b u s a n d S t a g e c o a c h driver David Hunt, one of the company ’ s biggest charity fundraisers, to teams of NHS staff, alongside nurses from Cancer Research UK, will prov i d e e x p e r t a d v i c e t o h e l p m a k e passers-by aware of common cancer signs and symptoms, the importance of earlier diagnosis, and where they can go for support or further advice

Part of the health service’s ‘Help Us, Help You’ campaign, the tour is the latest NHS initiative to help drive earlier cancer diagnosis and tackle h e a l t h i n e q u a l i t i e s , u l t i m a t e l y improving survival rates

Thanks to these awareness-raising campaigns, more people than ever before have had potentially lifesaving NHS cancer checks, with over

Junior doctors likely to go on strike next month

In a dispute ov er pay and cond it i on s , j u ni o r d o c to rs i n England are "likely" to g o on s tr i ke n ex t m o n th , a sp okesperson has said

D e p u t y c o - c h a i r o f t h e

British Medical Association's J u n i o r D o c t o r s C o m m i t t e e

Dr Mike Greenhalgh told Sky News that around 45,000 members have been balloted a n d t h e r e s u l t s a r e e x p e c t e d a r o u n d February 20

If they reach the 50% 'yes' level then junior doctors, any doctor below consultant level, will begin a 72-hour full walkout in March

The British Medical Association (BMA) is the trade union and professional body for doctors and medical students in the UK

"Any potential action w o u l d b e l o o k i n g a t March, but of course we w o u l d b e m o r e t h a n happy and would love to speak to the government b e f o r e t h a t t o t r y a n d avoid any strike action,"

Dr Greenhalgh said

After they were excluded from an NHS pay rise this year, junior doctors are calling for better pay, because their contract is subject to a multi-year pay deal, agreed in 2019 and ending in March, that gives them a 2% rise for 2022/2023

As per the BMA, over the past 15 years, junior doctors in England have seen a realterm pay cut which amounts to a 26 1% decline in pay since 2008/9

Nominations for Casual Dining Awards 2023 announced

R ecognising t he sta ndout casua l din in g opera tors of the year, the Casua l Dining Awards has rel eased its shortl ist for 2023 Care full y curate d by a panel of re spectab le n ames, the shortl ist in cl ude s 60 b rands – fe aturing l eadi ng Ind ia n r e sta ur an t s l ike D ishoo m an d M o wg l i , a m o n g W a h a ca , H on e s t B ur g e r , Fra nco Manca, Pizza Express, wa gamama and industry t it ans l ike Azzurri Group, The Big Tab le Gr oup, Gre ene King, Lounge rs, Mission Mar s, Mitche lls & Butle rs to name a few O r g a n i s e d b y D i v e r s i f i e d

C o m m u n i c a t i o n s U K , t h e C a s u a l D i n i n g

A w a r d s w i l l t a k e p l a c e a t t h e L o n d o n

Marriott Hotel, in Grosvenor Square, on 27 April Finalists are competing across 18 categories, including Best New Restaurant Site, B e s t F a m i l y D i n i n g E x p e r i e n c e , M e n u Innovation Award, Brand Marketing of the Year, and Best Designed Pub / Bar of the Year

The winner will be announced at the Awards evening For further information, please visit www cdawards co uk

2 8 million people seen last year – up by almost a fifth in the same period before the pandemic (2 35 million in 2018/19) This has had a direct impact on the number of p e o p l e d i a g n o s e d w i t h cancer – with more than 320,000 people receiving t r e a t m e n t f o r c a n c e r over the last year (Nov 2021 – Oct 2022) – the h i g h e s t n u m b e r o n record, and up by more than 8,000 in the same period prepandemic

N a ti o n al C li n i c a l D i re c t or fo r C a n c er , P ro fe s s o r Pe t e r J oh n s on , s a i d , “

W e h a v e s e e n a f a n t a s t i c response to our Help Us, Help You c a n c e r c a m p a i g n s s o f a r a n d a r e already seeing record levels of people coming forward for cancer checks, with thousands more people starting cancer treatment than in previous years

“This bus tour is another example of how we are going further in our ambition to diagnose more cancers at an earlier stage than ever before, by engaging directly with people in their own communities as they are going about their daily routines

“Trained staff will be on hand to discuss any concerns people may have about cancer symptoms and to inform them on what to look out for It’s vitally important that people are aware of what is normal for their bodies and that when they notice s o m e t h i n g i s n ’ t r i g h t , t h e y f e e l empowered to come forward ” NH S d o ct o r Fa r z a n a H u ssa i n said , “A key part of this new campaign is encouraging people to be aware of any changes in their body,

and not to hold back from getting them checked The NHS Bus-ting cancer tour is a great way of raising a w a r e n e s s a b o u t t h e s i g n s a n d symptoms I can only stress If you are worried that something in your body doesn’t feel right don’t let it play on your mind, contact your GP practise ”

After the tour, the bus will cont i n u e t o o p e r a t e a n o r m a l Stagecoach service in Manchester and will continue to carry the lifesaving cancer messaging

Ca rl a S t o ck t o n -Jo n e s , U K Man agi ng Director for Stagecoach sai d, “We are really proud to be supporting this great cause and raise more awareness in checking for the early signs of cancer

Ch i e f e x e cu t i v e o f C a n c e r R e se a r c h UK , M i ch e l l e M i t ch e l l , sai d, “With the number of people in the UK diagnosed with cancer set to rise by a third by 2040, awareness c a m p a i g n s s u c h a s t h i s , a n d t h e commitment to invest in community diagnostics centres, are important to help ensure more cancers are diagnosed at their earliest stage –when people are more likely to survive their disease

The NHS’s Help Us Help You campaign addresses the stigma and f e a r s s u r r o u n d i n g c a n c e r , w i t h recent surveys showing over half (53%) say they worry about cancer every few months or more

More than 500,000 people in UK will be diagnosed with cancer by 2040

Accordin g t o a n ana ly sis by C ancer R esea rch UK, more t han 500 ,000 people in th e U K will be d ia gnose d with ca ncer ev ery y ear by 2040

On Friday a report was published where researchers projected that if current trends continue, cancer cases will increase by onethird from 384,000 a year diagnosed now to 506,000 in 2040, taking the number of new cases every year to more than half a million for the first time

Cancer Research UK’s chief clinician, Charles Swanton reportedly said, “By the end

of the next decade, if left unaided, the NHS risks being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of new cancer diagnoses It takes 15 years to train an oncologist, pathologist, radiologist or surgeon The government must start planning now to give patients the support they will so desperately need ”

To boost awareness of potential signs of cancer the NHS has announced a new campaign In an effort to encourage people to go to their GP if they have any symptoms, an NHS doubledecker bus will visit five cities

NHS offers more than 400,000 final chances To Get Boosted

The NHS is urgin g those yet to get a covi d b oos ter to book one of the hun dreds of thousa nds of appoi ntments s till ava ilab le n ext w eek bef ore the offer ends

The NHS vaccination programme will have appointments available at the 2,800 sites open across the country this week, giving everyone the opportunity to book a b o o s t e r a p p o i n t m e n t i f t h e y h a v e n o t already So far more than 15,000 have booked in for their covid vaccine this week and there are still appointments up for grabs before the programme scales down Sunday 12 February is the last day of the autumn booster campaign and will also be the final day that 16 to 49-year-olds who are not considered at risk, and who have

only had a primary course, will be able to g e t a b o o s t e r f o l l o w i n g u p d a t e d J C V I advice, which recommended the offer ends in line with the current campaign

The JCVI is recommending moving to a more targeted offer to those considered to be at risk of serious illness - as seen with the autumn campaign - and will set out further advice on future campaigns in due course

It has already advised that there should be another autumn vaccination campaign later this year, as well as a potential Spring campaign for the most vulnerable

More than 17 3 million people have so far come forward for a booster throughout this winter

NHS Bus-ting Cancer Bus

Dr Farzana Hussain

Attack on Pakistan’s mosque

The recent terror attacks on a mosque in Peshawar, Pakistan have not only sent shockwaves across the world but also highlighted the urgent need for tackling terrorism head-to-head These deadly attacks have already inflicted grave damage on so many precious human lives out there First off, these inhuman strikes must be condemned in the strongest terms ever possible by the international community

Given crucial factors including growing technology, a new world order and geopolitics, terrorism today cannot be restricted to any particular country as such The East or the West, countries from across the world have long been in the grip of terrorism

Remember, the US and even the whole world have still been recovering from the mammoth aftermath of the 2001 New York attacks (9/11 attacks) – the most coordinated and stage-managed attacks ever seen worldwide Right here, the fact of the matter is that terrorism has been omnipresent one way or another – or in any form (political or religious)

Way back in 2001, I, as a college student, had seriously talked about the World Trade Center attacks and even written letters to the newspapers apart from discussing this with my friends and other people in my native areas like Korkai, Tuticorin, Tiruchendur and Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu That said, time has come to get serious and serious-minded about the menace of terrorism

At the same time, it is really encouraging to note that the media groups from the West from The Washington Post to The New York Times to CNN to The Economist to TIME to Readers’ Digest have been constantly paying their full attention to climate change issues through regular news updates on climate crises – not to mention the big Asian media out there Way to go indeed!

More to the point, the media houses must say a big no to speculative theories apart from shunning unwanted stories about millionaires and billionaires Rather than this, there have been more and more realistic things on the ground that they can focus on instead

Added to this, columns and talk shows must be filled out with all the good and practical things as such Right now climate change has to be tackled urgently as it has been eating into the natural resources on Mother Earth too fast

As a parting shot, the international community must contemplate all the steps possible, not to mention technological advances, to fight off terror groups head-tohead, thereby eliminating terrorism from the globe completely

Adani Group losing market value

“ A d a n i G r o u p l o s e s 2 9 % m a r k e t v a l u e f o l l o w i n g Hindenburg report” as reported in Asian Voice 4-10 Feb 2023 seems to be a deliberate attempt to tarnish the image of one of the highly successful and respected businessmen of India After the BBC’s futile attempt to unnecessarily reopen the controversy of the Godhara Riots, now another company is trying to malign the image of the business community in India

The timings of these reports are important India is now the fifth-largest economy in the world and the next general election is to be held in 2024 This seems to be a systematic attack on the economic and democratic fabric of India

Indian regulatory bodies are capable enough to find and challenge the fundaments of the company Small investors are going to lose in this game designed by some larger players in the market

To divert the attention of the Adani group ’ s top management and just to get some publicity, some foreign companies are playing these tricks Adani group has done plenty of projects in different states of India and in foreign countries as well They have also done many philanthropic works We should not get carried away by the reports written by a foreign company The truth will come out later but the small investors would have lost and big players would have gained by that time

Hi tesh H ingu

Labour leader Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer has an image problem, in my opinion He looks like a Tory in Labour’s clothing Yet a dip into his background reveals unexpected facts His father was a toolmaker, his mother a nurse, both such fervent supporters of the Labour Party that they named their barrister-turned-politician son after Labour’s first leader Keir Hardie Those who say they don’t know what Sir Keir truly believes or stands for should judge him by his parental influence and upbringing He is more attuned to the Labour Party than most people think

Valentine’s Day is all about love

Valentine’s Day is here at last and everyone is busy thinking about what to buy for their loved ones

T h e f e s t i v a l c o m m e m o r a t e s t h e m a r t y r d o m o f a Christian saint called St Valentine It is an international festival that celebrates the feeling of love and friendship

The festival as it is celebrated today, has very little religious significance In present times, Valentine’s Day has assumed a secular and global flavour and is celebrated by people of all castes and communities Another noticeable factor in the Valentine’s Day celebration is that the festival celebrates love in all its forms and is not just restricted to romantic love People therefore exchange Valentine’s Day greetings with their parents, teachers, siblings, friends, sweethearts or anyone very special or close to them

Valentine’s Day is supposed to be an occasion to display love, affection and care for our families, friends and romantic partners But today, it does not seem that way anymore, for families and friends are mostly wiped off the list, leaving only the partner in it The festival started with a priest named Valentine who lived in Rome during the third century AD At that time, Rome was ruled by an emperor named Claudius II Valentine did not like the emperor as he wanted to have a big army and expected men to join it Many men just did not want to fight in wars They did not want to leave their wives and families behind Hence, not many men signed up This made the emperor furious which led him to a crazy idea He thought that if men were not married, they would not mind joining the army He then decided not to allow any more marriages to take place in the country Young people thought his new l a w w a s c r u e l a n d p r e p o s t e r o u s B e i n g a p r i e s t , h i s (Valentine’s) job was to marry young couples Even after Emperor Claudius II passed his law, Valentine kept on performing marriage ceremonies secretly He would lead the couples into a small candlelit room They would then whisper the words of the ceremony, listening all the while for the footsteps of soldiers who would arrive any moment and arrest them

Valentine’s time was over when he was caught one day He was thrown into prison and was told that his punishment would be death

Consequently, many young people came to the jail to visit this priest They threw flowers and notes up to his w i n d o w H i s t o r y s a y s t h e m e n a n d w o m e n w a n t e d Valentine to know that they too believed in love One young woman who visited him was the daughter of the prison guard She helped Valentine to keep up his spirits She agreed that Valentine did the right thing by ignoring the emperor and going ahead with the secret marriages One day, he left his female friend a note thanking her for her friendship and loyalty Valentine signed it as 'Love from your Valentine’

I n h o n o u r o f V a l e n t i n e ’ s h e r o i c d e a t h , t h e P o p e declared that February 14th would henceforth commemorate the soft-hearted St Valentine Today, Valentine’s Day has become an iconic day for celebrating love and spending a lot of money on various gifts for our loved ones

Valentine's Day is actually a day to be happy and to spend it with the people you love and care

This is how Valentine’s Day came to be celebrated J ub el D’ Cruz M umbai, In dia

Party balloon or spy balloon?

I can’t help but wonder at the stunning naivety of Western nations, in particular that of America and Britain who think they are unmatched superpower God has elected to rule the world So the emergence of super-efficient luminary China, with well managed economy, disciplined law abiding people, is a surprise West is unable to fathom, to comprehend Until now West has turned a blind eye to China’s misdemeanour, misadventures that were so observant to anyone who knows the past history of China who is not a medieval State anymore! China even ignored Hague’s decision to stop building artificial islands in China Sea, in international waters This is just the beginning before China takes to international waters thousands of miles away from Chinese mainland, in Andaman Sea, Pacific outback far removed from any mainland China swallowed huge landmass of Tibet, thus increasing its landmass enormously without a murmur from the West, in particular from Nehru’s India, Nehru a distinguished philosopher turned politician who could not differentiate between Capitalism, Socialism and Communism, wasting first three decades of independence when India failed to make sufficient progress on economic, military or social front, failing to understand the composition of the Indian population, seeing the world through rose-tinted glasses, presented by none other than Mahatma Gandhi!

Perhaps West suffers from the same hangover, after two world-war victories achieved by the participation of the World, especially British colonies; countries like India providing the manpower badly needed at the time

The two story tall balloon, cramped with latest spying gadgets where China leads the world, is indeed a serious warning that one can ignore at their peril China is not Russia, it will not make the same, simple mistakes Russia is prone capable of making! China is ruled by experienced, die-hard politicians with vision, who could see well ahead and plan accordingly It never acts in haste!

The West has only two options, to stop China on economic front by moving away their manufacturing to India, Brazil, South Africa and Mexico; deprive China of foreign currency that fuels the flames of world domination or be ready for China assault that will take West by surprise

It seems after dithering and indecisive, US President Joe Bidden wok-up and instructed his military commander to bring it down once it was hovering over coastal waters The balloon is under complete Chinese control who will destroy it at the earliest opportunity, to avoid its technology falling in US hands, once it is outside American airspace America acted in time to thwart China’s mischief-making and may benefit enormously when all data, debris are recovered from the shallow waters within American territorial waters and thoroughly scrutinized

Bhupendra M Gandhi

Shrinking value

My wife and I are fed up with rising prices Supermarket shopping is becoming a nightmare Everywhere you look the prices are higher than your previous visit a day or two earlier Also the value of items is going down If something seems reasonably priced you feel relieved but when you examine its contents you notice they have shrunk Indian snack packets like chevda are getting smaller too and so are biscuits Everything is getting smaller and more expensive

Ash Gupta

Met Police ask 250 officers with misconduct records to rejoin

More than 250 retired police officers with misconduct records were invited to r e - a p p l y f o r t h e i r f o r m e r jobs, the Met admitted

Along with it, it has been revealed that they wrote to a f u r t h e r 9 9 o f f i c e r s w h o retired while under investigation

The findings were originally revealed by a Freedom of Information request from The Times

M e a n w h i l e , t h e f o r c e apologised for writing to the officers without due checks

A s p a r t o f t h e M e t ' s "enhanced return scheme", the letters were sent Under this scheme, it awards officers full pay, alongside their pension

In the year to last June, 8 4 8 l e t t e r s w e r e s e n t t o "recent" retirees A further 2,364 who had retired up to five years ago were issued in

October 2022, the Met confirmed to the BBC

A Met Police spokesperson said, "Last year we sent out more than 3,000 letters to former officers who had retired in the last five years as part of our work to attract more experience back into the Met

"Writing to these former officers without more effective checks was an error We would like to apologise

We identified this error in October 2022 Since then no further letters have been sent Every person offered the opportunity to return to the Met is subject to full vett i n g a n d p r e - e m p l o y m e n t checks " O n e o f f i c e r r e - j o i n e d where our vetting process identified a written warning in 2011 It was assessed as not affecting their suitability for employment "

Man pleads guilty at Queen crossbow threat incident

Under the Treason Ac t, a man has pleaded guilty to a c ha rg e w h o ar r i ve d a t Windsor Castle armed wi th a crossbow and told a protection offi cer "I am here to kill the Queen"

On Christmas Day 2021, Jaswant Singh Chail, from H a m p s h i r e , w a s a r r e s t e d , when the late monarch was living at Windsor due to the Covid pandemic

Chail, 21, pleaded guilty to three charges at the Old

Bailey earlier In the UK, he is the first person to be convicted of treason since 1981

Chail also admitted of making threats to kill and p o s s e s s i n g t h e l o a d e d weapon in the castle He is w i l l b e s e n t e n c e d a t t h e same court on 31 March

M i n u t e s b e f o r e h e entered the castle, Chail in a video posted on Snapchat said: I m sorry, I m sorry for what I've done and what I will do I will attempt to

a s s a s s i n a t e E l i z a b e t h , Queen of the Royal Family " T h i s i s r e v e n g e f o r those who have died in the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre It is also revenge for those who have been killed, h u m i l i a t e d a n d d i s c r i m inated on because of their

race "

At present, Chail is in Broadmoor Hospital where he appeared in court via a remote video link

It was heard that due to the treatment, his mental health had improved and he was fit to stand trial

We are grateful to all letter writers for more and more versatile letters well within word limit Please keep contributing as always.

If you are new, then write to Shefali at shefali saxena@abplgroup com

P Sen thi l Saravan a Durai Mumb ai, India

80 cars stolen from Heathrow airport, one arrested

A ro u nd 8 0 p eo p l e h a v e re po rted t hei r c ars sto len after leav ing them w ith a v alet parking serv ice op erating at Heathro w airport

P o l i c e h a v e a r r e s t e d a man on suspicion of theft, while dozens of the vehicles have been recovered - some reportedly found in a field around 15 miles from the terminal Furious customers are understood to have left their cars with the “meet a n d g r e e t ” f i r m b e f o r e returning to the airport to find their vehicles missing, and the company failing to answer its phone line One w o m a n n a m e d D a n i e l l e E v a n s w r o t e o n T w i t t e r :

“We’ve had two cars stolen f r o m a p a r k i n g company who operate near the airport Anyone in a simi l a r p o s i t i o n t h a t w e c a n

connect with? The airport said there were a lot of us!”

S c o t l a n d Y a r d s a i d i t h a s received around 80 separate reports of stolen vehicles in the space of just a month “ D e t e c t i v e s b a s e d a t Heathrow Airport are investigating a number of reports of stolen vehicle linked to a

meet and greet park-

i n g s e r v i c e w h i c h

o p e r a t e d f r o m t h e airport,” said a Met Police spokesperson

“Over the last month, police have received a r o u n d 8 0 s e p a r a t e r e p o r t s o f v e h i c l e s , which had been left in the care of the meet a n d g r e e t c o m p a n y b u t h a d n o t b e e n returned Around 70 of these vehicles have b e e n r e c o v e r e d a n d work is underway to return t h e m t o t h e i r o w n e r s Enquiries into the circumstances continue, including t o l o c a t e a n y r e m a i n i n g vehicles A 25-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of theft He has been released under investigation pending further enquiries ”

Couple named, shamed and fined for their garden

A ft er lea ving their ‘ ey esore ’ g a r d e n p i le d h ig h w it h r ubbish, a couple have been s h a m e d a n d f i n e d £ 6 0 0

W hen neig hbours n oticed a foul smell coming from their r e n t e d p r o pe r t y , T h o m a s Bell a nd Helen Milburn were r e p or t e d t o D a r li n g t on Borough Coun cil T h e d u o w e r e g i v e n warnings and ordered them to clear the waste by the c o u n c i l ’ s e n v i r o n m e n t a l health team in June 2021

D e s p i t e w a r n i n g s , t h e couple continued to pile on rubbish and now have been

f o u n d g u i l t y o f f a i l i n g t o r e m o v e t h e u n h y g i e n i c waste in a timely and proper manner

T h e y w e r e e a c h f i n e d £ 2 2 0 a n d o r d e r e d t o p a y costs of £408 and a victim surcharge The garden has since been cleared Councillor Jamie Bartch s a i d , ‘ R u b b i s h a n d household waste needs to be disposed of regularly in a proper and hygienic manner because otherwise, we end up with a situation like this where it builds up in gardens or yards

The forgotten story of women’s rights campaigner and ‘Indian Schindler’

A cl ose associat e of Queen V ic t or i a a n d a pr o m in e n t S uf fr a g is t , Pr i n ce s s C a t h e r in e H i l d a D ul e e p Singh dedicated he r l ife t o ca mp a ig n i n g fo r a b e t t e r , fairer and more eq ual worl d

In fact, her philanthropy h a s o n l y r e a l l y b e e n u n c o v e r e d i n t h e l a s t 3 0 years by Peter Bance, H i s t o r i a n a n d D u l e e p S i n g h f a m i l y b i o g r a p h e r Peter Bance came across the P r i n c e s s ’ f a s c i n a t i n g l i f e when researching her father, S i r D u l e e p S i n g h – a Maharaja of the Punjab who was ousted from power by the East India Company and effectively exiled to England in the mid 1800s

‘ R u b b i s h d u m p e d outside encourages vermin, smells and flies, as well as being an eyesore and having a n e g a t i v e i m p a c t o n n e i g h b o u r s a n d t h e l o c a l community ‘ W e o f f e r a r a n g e o f services to dispose of refuse b u t i n t h i s c a s e r e p e a t e d r e q u e s t s t o r e m o v e t h e r e f u s e w e r e i g n o r e d a n d fixed penalty notices were not paid leaving us with no option but to prosecute and arrange for the refuse to be c l e a r e d a n d t h e c o s t s recovered ’

The Princess of Wales visits Bethnal Green School for children's mental health week

In a campa ign for childr en ’ s m e n t a l he a l t h we e k , t he Pr incess of Wa les has urge d school pupils in e ast London t o " k e e p t a l k i n g a b o ut feel ings" At a cr aft l esson at St John's Chur ch of Englan d P rimar y School in Be thn al G reen, Ca therine chatte d to y oung st er s and a ske d how t hey coped wit h emotions

The princess is the royal p a t r o n o f t h e c h i l d r e n ' s c h a r i t y P l a c e 2 B e , w h i c h f o u n d e d t h e a n n u a l awareness week

O n e b o y t o l d t h e princess "connecting releases our emotions to other people that we care about"

Eight

Kate, Princess of Wales

Another classmate said: "I take deep breaths in, then I drink a glass of water" when the princess asked how they coped with strong feelings

At the end of the session, Catherine said: "Well, thank you for having a chat with

A mo ther and seven children h ave died in a hou se fire believed to have been c aused by a faulty tumbl e dryer

Detectives launched a manslaughter investigation after the horror events unfolded this morning in Charly-sur-Marne, 50 miles east of Paris, where the family lived in a townhouse The only survivor was the father of the children, who is in a ‘stable’ condition in hospital

P r o s e c u t o r J u l i e n M o r i n o - R o s s a i d : ‘ I t appears that their tumble dryer on the ground caught fire The children, five girls and two

me today

"

A n d k e e p t a l k i n g a b o u t y o u r f e e l i n g s a n d k e e p a s k i n g o t h e r s h o w they're doing and helping them to talk about their feelings as well

I m a firm believer in giving children the skills that t h e y n e e d f o r l i f e a n d focusing on their social and emotional development," she a d d e d W i t h t h e a i m o f b u i l d i n g a w a r e n e s s a n d understanding children and y o u n g p e o p l e ' s m e n t a l h e a l t h , i n 2 0 1 5 , C h i l d r e n ' s M e n t a l H e a l t h W e e k w a s founded, a spokeswoman for Place2Be said

boys aged between two and 14, and their mother died of asphyxiation ’ It is thought the family may have put the dryer on in the early hours of the morning, when electricity is cheaper Police fear the father told his wife and children to stay in the second-floor attic when he went to investigate the heavy smoke The attic then became ‘ a trap’ for the family upstairs, as all the electric shutters upstairs jammed following a power failure Fire chief Jean-Claude Ouguel said: ‘The house was completely destroyed Only the side walls remain ’

" A s a n a t i v e I n d i a n p r i n c e , D u l e e p h a d a flamboyant look about him,” B a n c e t e l l s M e t r o c o u k Q u e e n V i c t o r i a l o o k e d u p o n h i m a s a b i t o f a favourite and he was pride of p l a c e i n l o t s o f o f f i c i a l functions "

Duleep married Bamba Muller, a half Ethiopian, half G e r m a n w o m a n o f a r i s t o c r a t i c d e s c e n t

C a t h e r i n e w a s h i s s e c o n d daughter – she had two other sisters, older sister Bamba, and younger sister Sophia

W h e n t h e y w e r e t e e n a g e r s t h e y l o s t t h e i r mother and father forcing the trio to become fiercely independent from a young age Catherine developed a close relationship with her g o v e r n e s s F r a u l e i n L i n a Schäfer of Germany who was 15 years older than the young p r i n c e s s T h e p a i r q u i c k l y formed a close friendship, often travelling together For t h e S u f f r a g i s t m o v e m e n t , Catherine helped fundraise, r a i s i n g a w a r e n e s s o f t h e cause and holding bazaars as

w e l l a s m a k i n g s u b s t a n t i a l f i n a n c i a l contributions herself T e n s i o n s h a d started to escalate in G e r m a n y d u e t o t h e rise of the Hitler and the white supremacist N a z i s D e s p i t e t h e g r o w i n g t h r e a t , Catherine refused to be affected by the Nazis ‘Catherine saw this w o m a n c r y i n g i n t h e s u r g e r y r e c e p t i o n a n d e n q u i r e d w h y , ’ B a n c e explains ‘She said that her h u s b a n d , w h o h a d b e e n a decorated officer in the First W o r l d W a r , h a d b e e n arrested after Kristallnacht, and was now being interned in a labour camp ‘ I t ’ s n o t k n o w n e x a c t l y how many people she took to S u f f o l k , ’ B a n c e e x p l a i n s ‘ T h e r e w a s n o d o c u m e n t a t i o n I t w a s thought to be a dozen people, but it could be far more She saved their lives ’ C a t h e r i n e d i e d o f a massive heart attack in 1942

(See p15 to read about Sophia Duleep Singh)

Former Met officer locked victim naked inside tiny cupboard

The woman was subjecte d to r egular bea tings by the sa dist ic Me t Police office r who, a l on g w i t h w h i p pi n g h e r bruta lly, contr olled her life i n clu d in g w h e n a n d wh a t she a te

She told police how the PC used to lock her in the cupboard at his home as a p u n i s h m e n t , l o c k i n g h e r inside for lengthy periods of time

“This occurred on a sign i f i c a n t n u m b e r o f o c c a -

s i o n s ” , p r o s e c u t o r T o m

Little KC told the Old Bailey “ O n e e x a m p l e b e i n g w h e n s h e h a d o r d e r e d a jumper He said to her that he had not told her to order anything She had to send the jumper back and he put her in the cupboard “ E v e r y t i m e t h i s occurred she was made to strip naked On one occasion she asked to get out as s h e w a s h a v i n g a p a n i c attack He would not let her

out

“She made herself calm down and he let her out They did not communicate whilst she was in the cupboard, he would stand outside and whistle at her as if she was a dog ”

The Met sacked Carrick, f r o m S t e v e n a g e a f t e r h e pleaded guilty to 49 offences including 24 counts of rape He is due to be sentenced by Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb later this week

An amazing family man jailed for 3 years for dealing in heroin

A zh ar Iqbal, 27 , w orked as a takeaw ay deliv ery d ri verbut also d ealt heroin o n th e s tre ets o f S ta ff o rd sh i re P o l ic e ar res te d I q bal , o f Seaford Street, Shelton, in February, 2021 Fiona Cortese, prosecuti n g , t o l d S t o k e - o n - T r e n t C r o w n C o u r t : " P o l i c e approached the defendant's car They recovered £1,175 in c a s h a n d t w o m o b i l e phones It became apparent that the sent messages had b e e n d e l e t e d f r o m t h e phone There were messages r e c o v e r e d , i n c l u d i n g m e ssages advertising that he was available to sell drugs "

C a t h e r i n e O ' R e i l l y , defending, said, "This is a young man who has managed to turn his life around He is no longer associated with the wrong people and he is working full time He h a s a s u p p o r t i v e p a r t n e r , who does not condone the

defendant's behaviour If he receives a custodial sentence

t h e n i t ' s h i s p a r t n e r a n d children who will suffer the most " J u d g e G r a e m e S m i t h jailed Iqbal for three years

T h e d e f e n d a n t a d m i t t e d b e i n g c o n c e r n e d i n t h e supply of heroin He said:

"You seem to live something of a double life The letter from your wife makes clear

t h a t y o u a r e a n a m a z i n g partner and father You have taken steps to address the issues that led you to offend, y o u h a v e a j o b a n d h a v e ceased to associate with the p e o p l e w h o l e d y o u t o o f f e n d Y o u a r e a l s o t h e main family provider It s a matter of regret that this will have a significant effect on the family, but you have only yourself to blame "

Sophia (right) with her sisters Bamba and Catherine

family members die due to faulty tumble dryer

40 Afghan refugee families settled in London told to move

Hundreds of Afghan refugees who s ettl ed in London after flee ing the Taliban 18 m onths a go have been t old they have only week s t o uproot a nd move 200 m il es away

The Home Office has told 40 families with 150 children who have l i v e d f o r m o r e t h a n a y e a r i n Kensington, west London, that they must leave the capital for another hotel in Wetherby, on the outskirts of Leeds Some of the refugees, who include a former Afghan general and former British army translators, say they will refuse to go because their children, already traumatised by war and displacement, will suffer again by being forced to drop out of their schools

O t h e r s h a v e f o u n d j o b s i n

London and are concerned they will not find work in West Yorkshire It c o m e s a m i d d e e p e n i n g c o n c e r n s t h a t t h e h o m e s e c r e t a r y , S u e l l a Braverman, has failed to uphold promises made by Boris Johnson to support Afghans who worked and f o u g h t a l o n g s i d e t h e U K i n Afghanistan

The government aims to move all Afghan families out of hotels by

the end of this year, according to briefings given to local councils An estimated 9,000 Afghans are still l i v i n g i n t e m p o r a r y a c c o m m o d a t i o n i n t h e U K 1 8 months after being evacuated from A f g h a n i s t a n u n d e r O p e r a t i o n Pitting Western forces withdrew a n d t h e T a l i b a n t o o k p o w e r i n August 2021 The families resisting a m o v e t o W e t h e r b y w e r e e v a c u a t e d t o t h e U K b e c a u s e a family member worked alongside the British authorities They are c u r r e n t l y h o u s e d i n a f o u r - s t a r hotel near the Victoria and Albert M u s e u m S o m e h a v e a l r e a d y received letters telling them they must move to the Mercure hotel in Wetherby

Ulez expansion: Tory council sets aside £400,000 for High Court battle

O n Thursda y, a row broke out af te r a Tory borough prepared to s pend up to £400,000 fi ghting t he expa ns ion of the ultra- low em iss ion zone

B y F e b r u a r y 2 4 , H a r r o w council’s leaders are set to issue High Court proceedings against London mayor Sadiq Khan

However, critics have warned t h a t t h e a m o u n t o f m o n e y a t s t a k e w a s e n o u g h t o r u n t w o libraries for a year

C l l r K r u p e s h H i r a n i , t h e

Labour member of the London Assembly for Brent and Harrow reportedly said, “Harrow Tories should be ashamed of wasting almost half a million pounds of public money on legal costs to block Ulez

“An estimated 118 people die prematurely in Harrow every year due to toxic air – Ulez is a proven policy that saves lives and cleans our toxic air

"Instead of spending money o n l a w y e r s , t h e y c o u l d b e

i n v e s t i n g i n l i b r a r i e s , y o u t h services [or] protecting the future of our local Children’s Centres ”

TfL, in a letter responding to the boroughs, said, “None of the grounds advanced establish that the decisions were unlawful, or that this is arguable “ J u d i c i a l r e v i e w e n a b l e s r e v i e w b y t h e c o u r t s o f t h e legality, but not the merits, of decisions This is a point that your p r o p o s e d g r o u n d s i n c o r r e c t l y ignore ”

Sunak considering exit from ECHR

C o n s e r v a t iv e M P s a r e a bo ut t o m ake a ren ewed push for the UK to lea ve t he Europea n Conv ent ion on H u ma n R ig h t s (E C HR ), a m i d r e p or t s t h a t R i s hi S un a k is con side ring the mov e in ord er to a llo w a ha r sh c r a c k d o w n o n m ig rat ion

The proposals were backed by t h e h o m e s e c r e t a r y , S u e l l a Braverman, during her leadership campaign over the summer It is said that the policy is being pushed by a number of ministers, several of whom said they would like to see it form part of the Tory manifesto if it can’t be enacted before the next election The decision to pull the UK out of the ECHR without an

electoral mandate is likely to cause deep consternation in parts of the p a r t y – a n d w o u l d a l s o f a c e challenges in the House of Lords S u n a k i s r e p o r t e d t o b e c o n s i d e r i n g t h e c o n t r o v e r s i a l move as he prepares to set out new l e g i s l a t i o n t o c u r b m i g r a t i o n , w h i c h w i l l b a n a n y b o d y w h o comes to the UK irregularly from

a p p l y i n g f o r a s y l u m a n d t h e n deport them as soon as possible, though the UK currently has a s i g n i f i c a n t b a c k l o g A n e w immigration bill is expected to be i n t r o d u c e d w i t h i n w e e k s T h e move would be considered if the courts strike down that legislation S o u r c e s a d m i t t e d i t w o u l d b e unlikely before the next election I n J u n e l a s t y e a r , t h e f i r s t d e p o r t a t i o n f l i g h t o f a s y l u m seekers to Rwanda was abandoned a f t e r a d r a m a t i c 1 1 t h - h o u r i n t e r v e n t i o n f r o m t h e E C H R , which rules on individual or state applications alleging violations of the civil and political rights set out in the European convention

Covid virus in the UK becoming more prevalent in 35-49 age group

Covid infect ions in the UK have fal len to the lowest l evel in over f ou r m on t h s, t h ou g h ca se s a r e r i si n g a m on g p r im a r y s ch oo l children

The recent drop in coronavirus patients in hospital has also come to a halt, as health experts said there were “concerning” signs the number may be starting to rise Around 1 3 per cent of Londoners were estimated to have caught the virus in the week ending January 24, the same figure as the week before And a total of 941,800 people in private households in the UK were likely to have had Covid-19 during the same period, down 15 per cent from 1 1 million the previous week, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS)

This is the lowest UK total since t h e w e e k e n d i n g 1 4 S e p t e m b e r 2 0

2 I n f e c t i o n s p e a k e d a t 3 0 million at the end of December, following a surge in the run-up to C h r i s t m a s T h i s w a s b e l o w t h e levels reached in previous waves, including in spring 2022 when the weekly total climbed to a record 4 9 million The majority of current

Covid-19 infections in the UK are the variant known as BQ 1, which is part of the Omicron family

The newer Omicron variants, CH 1 1 and XBB 1 5, are most likely to take over from BQ 1 as the next d o m i n a n t v a r i a n t i n t h e U K , though neither have been classed as being “of concern ”

Michelle Bowen, ONS head of

Return tickets will be scrapp ed and new dig ital ticketing intro du ced und er reform s o f the British rail system expected to be announced T h e t w o - w a y t i c k e t s , w h i c h offer a discounted rate, will be r e p l a c e d b y “ s i n g l e - l e g p r i c i n g ” which will mean that the price of two singles will be the same as the current return fare The idea was t r i a l l e d b y L o n d o n N o r t h E a s t Railway (LNER) in 2020 The new fares are expected to be revealed by t h e t r a n s p o r t s e c r e t a r y , M a r k Harper, in a speech on in which he will outline plans for “Great British R a i l w a y s ” ( G B R ) , a n e w p u b l i c body that will bring the operation of track and trains under the same roof and oversee timetables and ticketing

Harper is expected to raise the p r o s p e c t o f b e t t e r u s e o f technology, as well as the new pricing strategy, to simplify the rail t i c k e t i n g s y s t e m , p o t e n t i a l l y leading to the use of smartcards, similar to London’s Oyster Card system, across the UK The idea w a s f i r s t p r e s e n t e d b y B o r i s Johnson and Grant Shapps in May 2021, but has yet to be realised amid turmoil in government and C o n s e r v a t i v e p a r t y f e a r s o f

“nationalisation by the backdoor”

It was first proposed by Keith Williams, the ex-chief executive of British Airways and chair of Royal Mail, who envisaged a “guiding mind” for the industry that he likened to the “Fat Controller” –the character from Thomas the T a n k E n g i n e c h i l d r e n ’ s b o o k s Inflation, and the pay battles that have triggered, have meanwhile c o m p o u n d e d t h e f i n a n c i a l battering from Covid, which hit an already struggling system Changes in commuting as a result of the shift to working from home have left operators with a £2bn annual fares shortfall

T h e c o l l a p s e i n p a s s e n g e r r e v e n u e h a s a l l b u t e n d e d franchising Emergency contracts for train operators have kept the industry afloat, but critics say a m o r e l o n g - t e r m s o l u t i o n i s required

Low-paid cleaners, caterers and security staff on TfL network to get free travel

Sad iq Kh an has announced that low -p ai d cleaners, c atering staff and security staff on the London transp ort netw ork will be giv en free trav el

To ease cost of living pressures, 5,800 contract workers will not have to pay when travelling on TfL

s e r v i c e s , t h e M a y o r o f L o n d o n said

C i t y H a l l w i l l f u n d t h e concession and will be available to t h e l o w e s t p a i d w o r k e r s f r o m April Many are already on the L o n d o n L i v i n g W a g e , w h i c h i s

£11 95 per hour

M r K h a n s a i d , “ L o n d o n ’ s

health surveillance, said that while infections across the UK nations s h o w e d “ a n o v e r a l l d e c r e a s e ” , there are “differing trends when we look across age groups ” She added: “In England we have seen increases in school age children and those aged 35-49 years in the latest week, with decreases only seen in over-50s

Future of bus services is uncertain

With Government fund ing due to run out shortly, the future of bus serv ices in England ‘hang s in the balance’, transport experts have w arned

The Urban Transport Group has pleaded the Government to spend on local urban transport in its Spring Budget next month

The group which is the UK’s network of city region transport a u t h o r i t i e s v o i c e d o u t t h a t i t wants to prevent many vital bus services being axed D u r i n g a n d s i n c e t h e p a n d e m i c , t o k e e p s e r v i c e s r u n n i n g , t h e G o v e r n m e n t h a s

provided financial support to bus and light rail systems

H o w e v e r , t h e f u n d i n g f o r light rail has already ended and is d u e t o e x p i r e f o r b u s s e r v i c e s o u t s i d e L o n d o n T h e g r o u p ’ s director Jonathan Bray said, "The future of bus services in England hangs in the balance " G o v e r n m e n t h a s p r o v i d e d welcome financial support for the bus, but with passenger numbers s t i l l w e l l b e l o w p r e - p a n d e m i c levels we urgently need a decision t o c o n t i n u e f u n d i n g o t h e r w i s e m a n y s e r v i c e s w i l l d i s a p p e a r overnight

transport workers continue to play an essential and much-valued role i n k e e p i n g o u r c i t y ’ s t r a n s p o r t network safe and operational for millions of people every day

“The cost of living crisis shows no sign of improving, and I want to do everything I can to support those in lower paying jobs who are being hit hardest

"With so little action from the government I’m pleased that I can help ease the pressure for lower p a i d t r a n s p o r t w o r k e r s s u c h a s cleaners, catering and security staff who do such a vital job for the capital ”

Sadiq Khan says he ‘absolutely regrets’ biggest transport fare hike

London's M ayor Sadiq Khan said he “absolutely regrets” his p lanned h ik es i n tr ans p o rt f are s an d council tax

Mr Khan added however that failing to raise the charges would mean cuts to public services - and

t h a t t h e g o v e r n m e n t w a s

“effectively forcing” him to make the increases

I n J a n u a r y , t h e M a y o r a n n o u n c e d t h a t f r o m M a r c h 5 ,

Tube and bus fares will be going up

b y 5 9 p e r c e n t I t w i l l b e t h e

highest rise in more than a decade

A s k e d a b o u t t h e p l a n n e d i n c r e a s e s , M r K h a n s a i d : “

I absolutely regret having to raise fares, because the Government’s forcing us to do so I absolutely regret having to increase council t a x b e c a u s e t h e G o v e r n m e n t ’ s effectively forcing us to do so

“If we didn’t raise fares by the

Sadiq Khan

a m o u n t m a n d a t e d b y t h e g o v e r n m e n t , w e ’ d b e l o s i n g money, which means buses being cut and public services being cut "

A s p o k e s p e r s o n a t t h e Department for Transport said: “ T f L f a r e i n c r e a s e s r e m a i n , a s always, a decision for the Mayor, a n d i t i s i n c o r r e c t t o s a y otherwise ”

T h e G o v e r n m e n t h a s previously said that TfL support p a c k a g e s “ m u s t b e f a i r t o a l l taxpayers” across the country

Return train tickets may be scrapped, but price will remain the same

European Court of Human Rights

35% of people say cause of tinnitus is loud noise – but few protect their ears

Tinnitus UK is call ing f or peopl e to protect their ears when at work or enjoying noisy leisure ac tivities, as ne w dat a s hows 35 % of peopl e wit h ti nn it us s ay th ei r c on di ti on wa s caus ed by being around loud nois es

One in seven adults are affected by tinnitus - which is a condition that causes the perception of noise when there is no external source

Studies suggest the number of people with tinnitus will grow by half a million over the next decade There is currently no cure for the condition N o w , a n e w r e p o r t f r o m Tinnitus UK, marking the start of # T i n n i t u s W e e k 2 0 2 3 ( 6 - 1 2 February), calls for people to protect their ears, which will reduce the damage caused by excessive noise exposure This damage includes tinn i t u s a n d h e a r i n g l o s s , b o t h o f which can be permanent

The report, ‘A lot to lose: noise e x p o s u r e a n d t i n n i t u s ’ , w h i c h includes new research of almost 800 people with tinnitus, reveals that over a third (35%) of people believe their tinnitus was caused by l o u d n o i s e e x p o s u r e T h i s c o u l d mean that 2 7 million adults in the UK had their condition triggered by noise Surprisingly, twice as many men (48%) as women (24%) claim noise exposure as a trigger S h o c k i n g l y , f o u r o u t o f t e n ( 3 9 % ) r e s p o n d e n t s w h o w e r e exposed to noise at work “ never ” used hearing protection and only a quarter (24%) “always” or “ some-

times” used hearing protection

There are similarly low levels of use of hearing protection for leisure activities

D e s p i t e p o w e r t o o l s s u c h a s drills reaching 100dB (20dB over the safe sound level), only a quarter ( 2 6 % ) o f D I Y e r s “ r e g u l a r l y ” o r

“ s o m e t i m e s ” u s e h e a r i n g p r o t e ction Even fewer – 23% of attendees

u s e h e a r i n g p r o t e c t i o n a t l i v e music events, where safe exposure times can be as short as 1 minute, as levels can reach over 112dB

Motorcyclists are also putting themselves at risk of tinnitus and h e a r i n g l o s s w h e n o u t o n t h e i r motorbikes, with only a third (29%)

“ r e g u l a r l y ” o r “ s o m e t i m e s ” u s i n g hearing protection

Tinnitus UK also asked about activities that many do not realise c a n r e a c h h a r m f u l n o i s e l e v e l s Some Tube lines can reach almost 110dB, yet less than one in ten (8%) of Tube users “regularly” or “ sometimes” use hearing protection Some hairdryers can reach 95dB at high speed, but only 8% of people use h e a r i n g p r o t e c t i o n w h e n d r y i n g their hair

Caroline Savage, Interim Chief E x e c u t i v e o f T i n n i t u s U K s a i d , “Noise exposure is the single biggest preventable cause of tinnitus, and it is clear from our research that people appear to be unaware of the r i s k s I f y o u ’ r e d o i n g s o m e t h i n g that’s loud, even for a couple of m i n u t e s , u s e h e a r i n g p r o t e c t i o n When it’s loud Plug’em is our very

clear message ” She added “We’re not here to stop people taking part in activities that they enjoy, but to make sure that they enjoy them safely We want protecting your ears to be second nature - the same way we put on sunscreen and sunglasses in the summer or belt up when we get in the car There should be no stigma a r o u n d u s i n g e a r p l u g s o r e a r defenders – we only have one pair of ears, and damage to our hearing is irreversible ”

Record company employee and music fan Jo said, “Sometimes the ringing in my ears is louder than everything else and I have to take time to zone out and get my composure back and be able to hear things around me again Initially the ringing stopped me from sleeping - I eventually got used to it For a long time at the start the new sounds and things that tinnitus brought disrupted a lot of what I was doing I t a k e f u l l r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r i t , I should have worn earplugs for gigsI didn't do it until it was too late and the ringing didn t stop ”

Fellow sufferer Jag explains the impact on their daily life, “Tinnitus changed my life I can’t go to events, restaurants, bars etc I can’t work in a busy office It’s worse when I have a cold and sleeping is difficult ”

More information about noise exposure and hearing protection can be found at tinnitus org uk ( S o m e n a m e s h a v e b e e n changed to protect privacy)

UK children lack access to toothpaste and toothbrush: Teachers

Four out of five UK teachers have given toothbrushes an d toothpaste to students, with the c os t of living c risi s affectin g the oral health of children, according to new research

A survey of secondary teachers by hygiene poverty charity Beauty Banks and the British Dental Association (BDA) has revealed that 81% of teachers say some children in their school have no access to toothpaste, with 41% saying this leads to them being socially excluded because of poor oral hygiene The study came as household budgets continued to take a battering in the UK, with inflation above 10% and t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l M o n e t a r y F u n d w a r n i n g t h a t Britain was expected to be the only large industrialised country to face a shrinking economy this year

Three-quarters of teachers said lack of access to toothpaste and toothbrushes had led to children having discoloured teeth, half said they knew children with noticeable tooth decay and just under a third had witnessed children in dental pain or suffering from halitosis One in four teachers surveyed said

After mistakenly paying £666.50 instead of £6.50 in December, fast food customer still waiting for refund

at food truck Efe’s Kebab

after a night out in York in December The HR manager did not notice the additional two sixes added to his bill until he checked his account balance days later to find it had dropped “significantly”

When Wilson contacted busin e s s o w n e r A h m e d A b d u l l a h about his expensive transaction, h e w a s t o l d t o s e e k a r e f u n d through his bank Wilson believed

no fraudulent activity has taken place, but said the initially “funny” ordeal has caused him weeks of “stress” More than a month later, Toby will receive his money back after the event

B u s i n e s s o w n e r A h m e d Abdullah said that he has now agreed to repay Toby back the £666 50 he mistakenly overspent for his veggie burger and chips m e a l a f t e r c o n f i r m i n g t h a t t h e money had reached his account Wilson said that he found it “ very frustrating” that his bank could n o t q u i c k l y f i x t h e e r r o r M r Abdullah is also speaking to his card machine company to see if they could provide proof £666 50 of Toby’s money had gone into his account

NHS sees 50% more absentees than Covid, because of stress

they were kept awake at night worrying about their pupils’ wellbeing, while 38% reported feeling helpless

Researchers spoke to 260 UK state secondary school teachers, including one assistant head teacher in Lewisham who said some students were still wearing Covid masks to hide their mouths The safeguarding lead in the same school in Lewisham said the cost of living crisis had resulted in more calls f r o m p a r e n t s w h o c o u l d n ’ t a f f o r d t o b u y b a s i c

hygiene products

The BDA has warned that tooth decay in children has reached epidemic levels, with any recent gains expected to be undone by ongoing access problems and disruption to public health programmes The latest NHS dental statistics show that 44 8% of children attended a dentist appointment in the last year, down from 58 7% in 2019-20

Last year BBC and BDA research found that 91% of practices in England could not take on new adult NHS patients, while 79% were not accepting new child NHS patients

P r i c e i n t e l l i g e n c e c o m p a n y S k u u u d l e h a v e tracked the price of more than 2,000 dental products over the past six months They found that retailers are battling to keep the cost of children’s toothbrushes as affordable as possible while adults are having to pay more The cost of child toothbrushes has increased by six percent since September while adult brushes and other products went up by eight percent

Camilla Kingdom, President of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, recently described the state of children’s teeth in Britain as a ‘national disgrace’

She argued that toothbrushes and other oral products were becoming luxury items for many UK families amid the cost of living crisis

However, a spokesman for Skuuudle said their price tracking data revealed that retailers were doing their utmost to avoid pricing these products out of the reach of families

“Burno ut” and stres s amo ng doctors, nurs es, paramedics and other health staff h as cos t th e NHS in England mo re than 15m los t w orking days s ince March 2020, about 5 0% mo r e t h an th e da ys l o s t to Covid infections and s elf-iso lation, anal ysis of o ff ic ial f igu res by th e Observer reveals NHS sickness figures show that between March 2020, the month of the first Covid lockdown, and last S e p t e m b e r , 1 5 4 m w o r k i n g d a y s have been lost in the NHS because o f s t r e s s - r e l a t e d a b s e n c e s , c o mpared with 9 8m days lost from staff who were required to self-isolate or were ill with Covid Staff members warn an exhausted and demoralised workforce is increasing the risk of errors in patient care Some of the workers with the highest rates of sickness from stress are ambulance

staff who are routinely delayed getting to urgent calls because of long waits to hand over patients at hospitals The scale of the mental health toll staff is under is revealed as nurses in the Royal College of N u r s i n g p r e p a r e t o s t r i k e s o o n Ambulance workers will also join nurses in taking strike action The NHS Confederation, the membership organisation for the NHS in E n g l a n d , W a l e s a n d N o r t h e r n I r e l a n d , e s t i m a t e s t h a t r e c e n t strikes have led to about 88,000 operations and outpatient appointments being cancelled NHS sickness absence rates showed that in most of the months that staff were battling the pandemic, stress, anxiety and other mental health illnesses accounted for more lost days of work than staff who had Covid or were self-isolating

NHS heading for major new scandal, safety commissioner warns

T h e g o v e r n m e n t ’ s f i r s t p a t i e n t safety commissioner has warned that the NHS is heading for another major health scandal unless care urgently improves

D r H e n r i e t t a H u g h e s s a y s healthcare chiefs instead of focusing on genuine concerns of those in care are focusing too much on “financial control” and “productivity”

She added that if things don’t change, it will only be a matter of time before the health service will face another disaster in healthcare

T h e w a r n i n g c o m e s a s t h e NHS is struggling to cope amid widespread strike action by nurses, paramedics and 999 call handlers

S i n c e b e i n g a p p o i n t e d l a s t year, Dr Hughes in her first report drew a direct comparison to the failings in care in Staffordshire in the 2000s when 1,200 people died due to poor patient care

“Unless leaders set a strategic intention to listen to patients and act, we are heading straight back to the days of Mid Staffs and other health scandals, severe harm, and death,” she said

“My clear message to leaders is – don’t let this happen on your watch ”

Previously she was the NHS’ n a t i o n a l f r e e d o m t o s p e a k u p guardian in charge of overseeing national whistleblowing services

From CIA to CEO: Rupal Patel

Paramita Purakayastha

Rupal Pat el is the foun der and CEO of En tre pre nora , thr oug h which s h e a d v is e s e x e c u t iv e s, MD s, a n d ot her high-le vel corpora te le ade rs in d e v e lo p i n g t h e ir i n t e r p e r so n a l, c o m m un i c a t i on , le a d e r s h ip , a n d st rat egic ex ecution skills

But before all of this, she was an I n t e l l i g e n c e A n a l y s t a t t h e C I A

D e s c r i b e d a s ‘ a p o w e r w o m a n ’ by Harper’s Bazaar, we don’t meet someone like her every day in the South Asian community Speaking of how the CIA came along, Patel, the Ivy League daughter of doctor parents w h o i m m i g r a t e d t o t h e U S A , told Asian Voice, “It happened when I was studying for my MA I was initially planning on working for the State Department because when I was an u n d e r g r a d u a t e s t u d y i n g p o l i t i c a l s c i e n c e , I h a d s p e n t a s u m m e r working at the US Embassy in Muscat, Oman And I loved the experience

When I was studying for my MA, the C I A w a s r e c r u i t i n g , a n d t h e y effectively asked me if I wanted to apply I never really thought about it because, to be honest, I didn't know anything about what people did at the CIA I just assumed it was all spies and James Bond-like characters But I was intrigued, of course, anyone would be, and so I submitted my resume

“I did a couple of interviews with one of the men who ended up being my boss after I started and then just w e n t t h r o u g h t h e b a c k g r o u n d investigation process And as I learnt more and more about what I would be doing as an analyst at the CIA, I just thought it would be the perfect career for me because it would enable me to learn and get very smart on whatever topics or issues I would be covering

“My paternal grandfather was an English teacher in Gujarat, and he, for his entire career, fought very hard for girls to be able to be educated in small rural villages And even as he got older, h e b u i l t l i b r a r i e s a n d s p o n s o r e d students So, teaching and education were huge elements in my family's values Though in my role at the CIA there was not a teaching element per se, it was the idea of becoming an

expert on something and then using that knowledge and that expertise to help other people like policymakers, the president, ambassadors and fourstar generals, and all of the US and f o r e i g n g o v e r n m e n t o f f i c i a l s t h a t really resonated with me ”

Last year, her book From CIA to CEO: Unconventional Life Lessons for Thinking Bigger, Leading Better and Being Bolder, was published and quickly became a best-seller around the world When asked whether she found the war zone or the corporate b o a r d r o o m s m o r e i n t e r e s t i n g , s h e s a i d , “ T h e f u n d a m e n t a l s o f performance, strategy and execution,

Mayor joins forces with survivors and campaigners in community-led action to end FGM

are more or less universal And what appeals to me about both what I did at the CIA and now the work that I do with companies and organisations is just trying to make a positive impact using my skills, my expertise, and by making people better at their jobs and at executing their core goals and their core mission”

She also has another book lined up for the next year on “life skills, values and self-improvement from a very unique angle and helping people look at their own skills, own success and their own careers in a way that they ve never looked at before ”

What is her unique take on life?

“My philosophy is that people can

never question competence So, if you a r e g o o d a t w h a t y o u d o , i f y o u become an expert, if you know your subject matter inside and out, then whether you're 20 or 50, or a woman or a person of colour, none of those things matter because you have done t h e w o r k a n d y o u a r e t h e e x p e r t P o k i n g h o l e s i n y o u r j u d g e m e n t , a n t i c i p a t i n g w e a k n e s s e s a n d questions and finding ways to explain them, being transparent about blind spots and accommodating open and u n c o m f o r t a b l e q u e s t i o n s a n d information are not only great career skills, but also life skills ” She had a few words for other ambitious, intelligent, hardworking women as well, especially the younger ones “You get to decide when you stop The world still hasn't progressed as far as it could have and should have at this point as far as gender equality is concerned So, don't let other people stop you from pursuing your goals, your ambitions, your dreams But to do that, to be unstoppable in the face of what are often huge challenges and huge pressures from family, society, culture, religion, and different areas of life, make sure that the people you have around you are the right people so they're pushing you forward and are giving you moral and practical support Ensure that they re not trying to sabotage you, they re not telling you that you're crazy for having a big dream or a big goal and that they're not going to be jealous of your success when you finally become successful I t h i n k , f u n d a m e n t a l l y , a n y t h i n g i s possible, but you have to make sure that you're not being held back by the people you have in your life because it can make or break a huge amount of what happens in your life, for women in particular ”

A new ser ies of s elf-aut hored s hort film s by Londone rs aff ected by f emal e genital m utilat ion (FGM) are to be promoted by the M ayor as part of his gras sroot s ‘FGM Stops Here’ comm unity out reach c ampaign to end this il legal and ba rbaric prac tice

The new ‘FGM Stops Here’ videos by FGM survivors, family members, medical professionals and campaigners from across the capital’s diverse communities, highlights the determination of Londoners to end the practice and demonstrate the devastating impact FGM has on the lives and wellbeing of survivors and their families The Mayor is amplifying their voices to help change attitudes towards the harmful and illegal practice

The films premiered online ahead of International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM on Monday 6 February FGM violates the rights of women and girls and can have lasting consequences for their physical and mental health Research shows that while there has only ever been one prosecution for FGM in London, it is an issue that affects women and girls across the capital with more than 2,000 patients being treated after undergoing the practice between April 2021 and March 2022

The Mayor’s work to support the ‘FGM Stops Here’ movement has been led by the Mayor’s advisory board of FGM experts including survivors, frontline professionals and activists They have worked together to share the personal stories of Londoners on why they are looking to stop the practice, through films, posters and leaflets These materials are being distributed to over 50 community centres, places of worship, colleges, clinics and hospitals in communities across the 11 London boroughs where FGM is most prevalent In her video, Soraya Ali, who is a trustee and co-founder of The Vavengers charity, said,“I was actually the first women in my family not to undergo FGM and now I campaign to support other survivors because I believe other survivors shouldn’t be alone in having to stop FGM It should be all of our responsibilities to protect women ’ s health and wellbeing ”

Ameen Ali’s wife is a survivor of FGM, but it has meant she isn’t able to have children He said, “Having been married to a woman for 17 years who has undergone FGM and further surgeries to then be told that we cannot have children, cannot be told in 20 seconds Men, let’s end FGM ”

Joyland: About being human and having dignity

Joyland, Pakistan’s first feature film to be shortlisted at the 95th Oscars will be released in UK cinemas on February 24 in the UK Director Saim Sadiq talks to us about the intricacies of the film.

Shefali Saxena

Sa im Sa d iq ’ s O s c a r - s ho rt l is t e d f i l m

‘Joyl and’ holds a mirror in your f ace, and is most likely to res onat e with South As ians bec aus e the charac ters a nd story are s et in Pa kis tan In the heart of the m etropolitan y et c ons ervative city of Lahore lives the Rana f amily , a lower m iddle-cl ass joint fam ily comprising of the old pa triar ch, the elder son and pregnant wif e with three daughters , and the y oungest son Haide r and his wife M um taz As t he Rana’s eage rly ant ic ipate the birth of a b aby boy t o continue their fam il y l ine , Haider s ecr etly ta kes up a job as a bac kgr ound dancer a t an erotic theatre where he is drawn to an a mbitious tra ns s tarlet, Biba Sl owly yet suddenl y, Haider and Biba are engulf ed in a sec ret s um mer romanc e whic h s urreptitiousl y ta kes over his home, unrave lling the dichot om y b etween desire and morality f or the entire Rana f amily

Speaking exclusively to Asian Voice, writer-director Saim Sadiq elaborated on how he wrote the film and said, “It was a process I took five years to write and rewrite the script over and over again I really changed a lot of things during the course of writing, but the core of the film remains the same I don t know, interesting or elegant ways of going about it, but I was trying to find the truth of

all characters, I had the time to even flesh out smaller charact e r s , w h i c h d i d n ' t r e m a i n s o small anymore It was like giving t h e m a l l a n o p p o r t u n i t y a n d being human and having dignity ”

The beauty of Joyland is in the intricacy of how its character arcs are never incomplete The film delves into sexuality, love, infidelity, justice and pain all at once, where Saim and his co-writer Maggie Briggs bring alive a very contemporary south Asian household from a lower middle-class family that has its hidden secrets and vices Saim added, “There's a lot there to love There is love there, which is why the toxicity hurts even more You know, it's w i t h o u t l o v e ” S a i m a l s explained how as a first-time filmmaker, he didn’t really have anything, but he was sure to start the shoot in S e p t e m b e r 2 0 2 1 “ W e h a d zero money Back in 2020, we decided we're going to the start in September 2021 and a the time, me and my produ had one actor on board, Alina (Biba) On some level, that kind of sheer cockiness of

being young and naive, that we're g o n n a c r e a t e o u r o w n m o v i e because you just come with that kind of attitude that we're not going to give up I knew from the beginning where it came from, I k n e w t h a t i t w a s d r a m a t i c a l l y exciting enough, you know, this, this idea of this family?” Saim told t h e n e w s w e e k l y H o w e v e r , t h e director admitted that at some point while he was developing the script, the writing wasn't so relevant He said, “It became more relevant in the second or third draft ” The upsurge in advocacy of trans rights was beginning to increase on the web back then Saim further added, “From the beginning, the first idea of the film was this very iting romance between this guy nd a trans girl that kind of takes y o u a l o n g - t h i s s u m m e r romance, and it's exciting And the characters in the film sort of f o r g e t a b o u t t h i s g i r l , w h o ' s always been there and perhaps has more scars than anybody else in the film And I wanted to tructure the film in a certain way, re we, as audiences were as comfortable in her invisibility, we also almost forget about her, we also are to join the idea

and the sort of sexual tension of these two people having this romantic way too much to forget that way, it's coming out of somebody, and are we okay with that? Even just generally speaking, on a political level, when people speak about in movies, especially about sexuality, and coming of age and finding your identity, they almost speak about it as if, you know, freedom is the only and ultimate goal But it's really not, especially living in a society like this, you can t say individual freedom trumps everything else It should be equally important to people who are going to continue to live in a society that's like a collective, so you get the freedom in the end that you want, but at what cost is the term and are you okay with it? There s a big heaviness that comes with losing your innocence and coming of age ”

Writer-director Saim Sadiq

India’s Republic Day celebration held by Gujarat Hindu Society

Th e G u ja r at Hi nd u S o ci et y o r g a ni se d a v ar i et y c u l t u r a l p rog ram me t o celebrate India’s 74t h Republic D ay

Amongst the invited guests were His worshipful The Mayor of Preston, C l l r N e i l D e r b y , H i g h S h e r i f f o f L a n c a s h i r e M a r t i n A i n s c o u g h , D e p u t y C h i e f E x e c u t i v e S a r a h

Threlfall from Preston City Council, Deputy Police Commissioner Andy P r a t t , C l l r Y a k u b P a t e l , N i s h m a Hindocha and Talat Awan from BBC R a d i o L a n c a s h i r e a m o n g o t h e r dignitaries

T h e s h o w w a s o p e n e d w i t h a p r a y e r b y c h i l d r e n f o l l o w e d b y a w e l c o m e b y P r e s i d e n t , M a y o r a n d

High Sheriff of Lancashire

Over 60 people participated in a 2hour show that was enjoyed by over 300 people

President Ishwerbhai in his speech e m p h a s i s e d h o w t h e s o c i e t y h a s m a i n t a i n e d i t s r i c h I n d i a n c u l t u r a l heritage and the society’s children have p e r f o r m e d a t l o c a l f e s t i v a l s s u c h a s Preston City Mela as well as danced at regional and national level

Both Mayor and the High Sheriff

Diaspora marks 33 years of Kashmiri Pandit Genocide

APPG for B ritish H indus, the Kashmiri Pa ndit diaspora and all ie s commemor ated 33 y ears of Ka shmiri Pandit G enocide on 25 Januar y 2023 The ev ent took place at t he House s of Parl ia me nt, Lon don , a nd was hosted b y the Hon’bl e Bob Bl ackman, Chair All Part y Pa rliament ary, APPG group for Br it ish Hindus An Ea rly D ay Motion , ED M, was also ta ble d to comme mora te 3 3 ye ars of Genocide for Ka shmiri Pa ndits, signe d by cross Part y MPs, reminding that justice wa s y et to b e done

Bob Blackman reiterated his support for India and the Kashmiri Hindu community, and reminded that it was Pakistan's invasion

o f K a s h m i r t h a t f o r c e d t h e e r s t w h i l e Maharaja to make a decision to accede to India He further said that efforts must be made to dispel widespread ignorance about the truth of the matter He also spoke about the recent anti Narendra Modi documentary shown by the BBC describing it as a "hatchet job"

Speaking at the event, MP Jonathan Lord, Woking, said that just as we must never forget about the Holocaust, we must not forget this Genocide

shared; including from MP Teresa Villiers, Sh Surinder Kaul GKPD, Dr Agnishekhar Panun Kashmir, Dr Dileep Kaul, Director, Jonaraja Institute of Genocide & Atrocities Studies (India) A message was also shared by Sh Bitta ji Bhat, father of the slain Rahul Bhat who was murdered in 2022 by terrorists

The event took place as a reminder to the world that Hindus in Jammu and Kashmir were persecuted and forced to flee their homeland in 1989- 1990 and 33 years later, targeted Hindu killings are still taking place Kashmiri Hindus await recognition of genocide and justice after 33 years after the night of 19th January 1990 when screaming from mobs and loudspeakers from mosques blared in unison- Raliv, Galiv ya Tchaliv (Convert, Die or Leave)

The programme included readings from first-person accounts and second-generation stories of Kashmiri Hindus living in the UK and supported by British Hindu organisations who vowed to be the voice for Kashmiri Pandits and demand justice

p r a i s e d t h e e f f o r t t h e s o c i e t y i n maintaining the rich cultural heritage of India and a strong tie between UK and India

T h e e v e n i n g w a s c o n c l u d e d b y p l a y i n g t h e I n d i a n n a t i o n a l a n t h e m followed by the British national anthem

Sarvjeet Sudan, First Secretary (Political, P r e s s & I n f o r m a t i o n ) , I n d i a n H i g h Commission, saluted the spirit of Kashmiri Pandits as he recalled his own memories after the exodus He further said that the sacrifices of the people must be remembered, and their stories must be heard

Messages from all over the world were

TAL Sankranti celebrations held in East London

Te l u gu As s o c i a ti o n o f London ( TAL) celebrated S ankranti on Satu rday 28 J a n u ar y 2 0 23 i n E a s t L o n do n Mo re t h a n 30 0 p eo p l e fr o m Lo nd o n an d s u rrou ndin g areas p artic ip at ed i n t h e ev en t, w it h B o m ma la K o lu v u , Bh o gi P allu, Rangoli co mp etition, c o o ke ry c o m p e ti ti o n an d K ite making competitio n i n th e co lo urful atmosp here of S an kr an t h i f es ti v al S tu dents of T AL Cu ltu ral C ente r e nter tai ned eve ryo ne with vario us so ngs and dances P rizes were awarded t o th e wi n n e rs A l ar ge number of women prepared a fea st f or all those who attended thes e celebrati ons with traditional dishes prep a re d an d b ro ug ht fr om their homes M a y o r o f R e d B r i d g e C o u n c i l T a v a t h u r e J a y a r a n j a n w a s t h e C h i e f G u e s t o f t h e p r o g r a m m e and praised the service and cultural activities undertake n b y T A L C h i l d r e n a n d their parents enthusiastically participated in this prog r a m w h i c h w a s h e l d f o r more than five hours

Sophia Duleep Singh, the d a u gh t e r of M a h a r a j a D ul e e p S i n g h – t he l a s t ruler of the Si kh empi re –a n d t he g od d a ug h t er o f Q ue e n Vi c t or i a , i s to b e honoured w ith a c om memo r a ti v e b lu e p l aq ue i n London P r i n c e s s S o p h i a w a s a m o n g t h e l e a d i n g s u ff r a g e t t e s w h o f o u g h t f o r women ’ s right to vote in 1 9 0 0 s B r i t a i n T h e b l u e plaque scheme, run by the E n g l i s h H e r i t a g e c h a r i t y ,

The event was moderated by Sonal Sher on behalf of the Secretariat for the APPG for British Hindus and the Kashmiri Pandit comm u n i t y i n U K A m i n u t e s s i l e n c e w a s observed by the attendees in memory of the victims of genocide in Jammu and Kashmir and the victims of the Holocaust https://edm parliament uk/early - daymotion/60456/commemoration-of-the-33rdyear-of-the-genocide-of-hindus-kashmiripandits-from-jammu-and-kashmir

their contribution in every programme undertaken by T A L T r u s t e e G i r i d h a r

Putlur gave details of traini n g c l a s s e s c o n d u c t e d b y TAL Cultural Center (TCC)

Telugu people were urged to enrol their children in TAL c u l t u r a l c e n t r e s a n d c o nt r i b u t e t o w a r d s i m p a r t i n g Telugu language and culture to the future generations Cultural Trustee Navin

G a d a m s e t h i t h a n k e d t h e subcommittee members Roy B o p p a n n a , V i j a y B e l i d e , Himabindu, Uma Geerwani, S r i d e v i A l l e d d u l a , A n i l Reddy, Divya Reddy, Sujatha G a d a m s e t h i , H a r i n i Geddam, Ashok Madishetti a n d o t h e r v o l u n t e e r s w h o h e l p e d t o o r g a n i s e t h e T A L S a n k r a n t i c e l e b r a t i o n s s u c c e s s f u l l y TAL Trustees Anil Anantula ( S e c r e t a r y ) , K i s h o r e K a s t u r i ( I T ) , R a v i n d e r R e d d y Gummakonda (Frundraising) and Anita Nomula (Sports) also participated in this

Jemima Khan talks about arranged marriages before her debut film

F i lm m ake r J e m i m a

K h an h as t o ld s h e w o u l d h a v e " b ene fi t ed " f ro m being " introd uced to s u i tab le ca nd i d a tes "

f o r m arr ia g e - a nd

that P rincess Diana's m arri ag e to C h arles w a s " es s ent i all y arranged"

Khan's new film What's Love Got To Do With It is her version of "rom-com Pakistan" - inspired by events in her own life, during her 10 years living in Lahore married to ex-husband and former prime minister Imran Khan The film centres around the protagonist Zoe - a filmmaker played by actress Lily James - as she navigates the modern dating world, parallel to her neighbour and childhood friend Kazim (Shazad Latif) as he pursues an arranged marriage with a bride from Pakistan

The story explores "the pros and cons of both styles"dating, and "whether it's too much choice with apps", or, conversely, "too little choice with arranged marriage" One motivation for the film was Jemima Khan's friend Princess Diana The producer - daughter of billionaire Sir James G o l d s m i t h a n d s i s t e r o f C o n s e r v a t i v e p e e r a n d government minister Zac Goldsmith - maintained a close friendship with Princess Diana, who visited her twice while she was living in Pakistan

Rajesh Toleti said that he thanked the parents, TAL members and workers for

T A L V i c e C h a i r m a n

honours the historic significance of particular buildings associated with histori c a l f i g u r e s a n d i t s 2 0 2 3 c o h o r t i n c l u d e s t h e 1 9 t h century home of the British Indian Princess “Daughter of the deposed Maharajah Duleep Singh, who already h a s a p l a q u e i n H o l l a n d P a r k ( L o n d o n ) , a n d g o dd a u g h t e r o f Q u e e n V i c t o r i a , P r i n c e s s S o p h i a

Duleep Singh was an active suffragette and made full use of her royal title to gen-

e r a t e s u p p o r t f o r f e m a l e e n f r a n c h i s e m e n t , ” n o t e s English Heritage in its blue p l a q u e a n n o u n c e m e n t recently I t i s a m o n g s i x n e w p l a q u e s u n v e i l e d f o r t h e year, including fellow suff r a g e t t e E m i l y W i l d i n g D a v i s o n ’ s h o m e i n Kensington in London and v i o l i n i s t a n d c o m p o s e r Y e h u d i M e n u h i n ' s s i xstorey house in Belgravia, where he lived for the last 16 years of his life Others

E v e r y o n e c o n g r a t u l a t e d RJ Srivalli, who anchored the event with full of enthusiasm throughout the successfully concluded programme

include anti-racism activist C l a u d i a J o n e s , L o n d o n ’ s

f i r s t f e m a l e M a y o r A d a Salter and Pre-Raphaelite m o d e l M a r i e S p a r t a l i

Stillman

Last year, to coincide with the 75th anniversary c e l e b r a t i o n s o f I n d i a n

I n d e p e n d e n c e , t h e s o u t h L o n d o n h o m e w h e r e

Dadabhai Naoroji lived for around eight years at the end of the 19th century was commemorated with a blue plaque

It was this relationship, Khan told, that showed her just how universal this style of marriage was crossculturally Speaking about her new film, What's Love Got To Do With It, the former wife of Imran Khan told that arranged marriages are more common than people might think - and that she would have "benefitted" from being "introduced to suitable candidates" Before moving to Pakistan, she thought they were "quite a standard, fairly negative idea about arranged marriage, and how it fits into the modern world"

However, upon relocating aged 21, she saw arranged marriages "up close" and changed her mind Khan says she saw "very successful and happy arranged marriages" - but, to her surprise, the same narrative was not reflected in popular culture Her debut feature film, therefore, is a "celebration of Pakistan outside of dark politics The joyful, colourful, hospitable, fun place that I know is part of Pakistani life", she said

The film is Khan's personal homage to a culture - and its people - she says helped raise her

Jemima Khan

After Dadabhai Naoroji, Sophia Duleep Singh’s home to get a blue plaque

Foreign workers would help ‘resolve' UK staff shortages

M el Stride, th e Secretary of S t ate f o r W or k a nd P ensions, h as ad mitted th at if im migration ru les are set loose it will allow more foreign w orkers to come to the U K and it would abate staff sh ortag es, however, go vernm e nt re m ain s u nl ike ly to bud ge o n the m atter

"I do think that it is far better for us to encourage domestic workers into the labour market than it is, all e l s e b e i n g e q u a l , h a v i n g i n c r e a s i n g m i g r a t i o n , " Stride told PoliticsHome

" B u t i t i s t r u e t h a t m i g r a t i o n i s a r e l a t i v e l y quick and easy lever to pull to resolve labour shortages

Mel Stride

and boost the economy " Daisie Rees-Evans, the C I O B ' s p o l i c y a n d p u b l i c affairs officer, said ministers must do something to plug t h e s e l a b o u r g a p s i n t h e "short term" by making it

Disabled people deprived by DWP may get compensation

easier for the industry to hire workers from abroad

T h e F o o d a n d D r i n k Federation's (FDF) Caroline Keohane said the food and d r i n k i n d u s t r y i s s e e i n g labour shortages across the board , from engineers, to packagers, to machine operators

"It's very much holding b a c k g r o w t h a n d i n v e s tment," she explained

"We have examples of c o m p a n i e s l o o k i n g t o expand production, maybe by going from two product i o n l i n e s t o t h r e e , b u t t h e y ' r e u n a b l e t o d o s o because they don't have the people "

Ealing Southall

L abour analysis has rev ealed that the av erag e ho useho ld in Ealing S outh all is set to be p u t u nd er m o re p res s u re than ever by Conservativ e m is m a nag em e nt o f th e economy A n a l y s i s f r o m t h e Labour Party allows people to search the amount that mortgages are predicted to rise, including by £5,010 in Ealing Southall

It follows the Bank of E n g l a n d w a r n i n g i n December that around half of households with a mortgage, a total of 4 million, will be exposed to rate rises this year, and Bloomberg reporti n g t h a t a r o u n d 8 0 0 , 0 0 0 will see their mortgage rates double

Virendra Sharma

This week, the IMF chief economist singled out higher mortgage rates as a reason f o r B r i t a i n ’ s p o o r p e r f o rmance after the country’s g r o w t h w a s d o w n g r a d e d , leaving it as the only major economy expected to shrink in 2023

V i ren d ra S h ar m a, L a bo u r M P f o r E al i ng S o u th a ll , s a i d , “ T h e T o r y mortgage penalty is devast a t i n g f o r f a m i l y f i n a n c e s a n d i s h o l d i n g b a c k o u r economy

“The country is buckling u n d e r 1 3 y e a r s o f C o n s e r v a t i v e m i s m a n a g ement, and it is families being asked to pay more on their mortgage once again

“People are asking themselves whether they or their family are better off under the Tories The answer is no

“By stabilising the economy, making it stronger and getting it growing, Labour will stop us lurching from c r i s i s t o c r i s i s , a n d m a k e Britain thrive again ”

A fter an appeal court ruling, tens of tho u sand s of d isabled people across the UK wh o were w rongly d eprived o f be ne fi ts b y t h e Departm ent for Work and P e ns io n s c o u ld sh a re i n c o m p en sa ti o n p o t ent ia ll y totalling about £150m

Five years ago, lawyers for two disabled men who first took the DWP to court have written to the government asking them to set out how they will compensate them and others who were left hundreds of pounds out o f p o c k e t e a c h y e a r a f t e r being moved on to universal credit

Last month, the appeal court decision brought to an end a lengthy legal process in which the DWP was critic i s e d f o r w a s t i n g p u b l i c f u n d s a n d c o u r t t i m e o n d e f e n d i n g p o l i c i e s t h a t u n l a w f u l l y i m p o v e r i s h e d t h o u s a n d s o f v u l n e r a b l e people

The claimant AR said: “TP and I have had to fight for justice for five years and

go to court four times It is high time the DWP finally gets this right The policy has caused me and others serious hardship Now that the DWP has been refused p e r m i s s i o n t o a p p e a l l a s t y e a r ’ s c o u r t r u l i n g , w e expect them to pay us back the money we have lost and fix what they have been told repeatedly is discriminatory ”

Though the ruling was made in the jurisdiction of E n g l a n d a n d W a l e s , b u t b e c a u s e t h e D W P p o l i c y applies across the UK, the j u d g m e n t w i l l a p p l y l i k ewise

Mortgage on 3-bed house goes up by a staggering £1,100 a month

Due to the base rate h i ke at th e s ta rt o f F eb ru a ry, a No r th L o n d o n fam il y sa y th e i r m o rt g ag e h as go ne up by a staggering £1 ,10 0 p er month leaving them at risk of losing their d ream hom e j u s t tw o ye ar s a fte r mo ving in

I n 2 0 2 1 , D a v e Wells, 34, moved into his home in Crouch End with wife Alissa Wells, 34, on a two year fixed-rate mortgage at 3 7 per cent

H o w e v e r , w i t h t h e mortgage set for renewal in A p r i l , t h e c o u p l e w e r e shocked when they checked their mortgage hub Dave,

who has a two-month-old d a u g h t e r d i s c o v e r e d t h a t after April their mortgage rate is set to nearly double to 6 6% D a v e s a i d t h e y w e r e expecting rate rise to as high a s 5 p e r c e n t b u t w e r e stunned to see 6 6 per cent

They say despite both having "well-paid jobs" the

n e w m o n t h l y c o s t i s unbearable, especially with a new baby He s a i d : " W e b o t h h a v e g o o d j o b s , a n d y e t w e ' r e r e a l l y w o r r i e d A n e x t r a £ 1 , 1 0 0 a month - who on Earth can afford that?

"We need to know what the government's plan is to help households - the £70 a month for b i l l s i s n ' t e v e n s c r a t c h i n g the surface as it is People are advised to buy properties so they don't have to pay ridiculous monthly rent So we did what we were told, and now we've been slapped w i t h a n e x t r a £ 1 , 1 0 0 a month

Plans to force betting companies to fund gambling harms could be dropped

make it a licensed condition and will be applied to all gambling companies opera t i n g i n t h e U n i t e d Kingdom to make a contribution

Peers for Gambling Reform g r o u p , L o r d F o s t e r , h a s e x p r e s s e d c o n c e r n t h a t s o m e w i t h i n g o v e r n m e n t are reluctant to introduce a statutory levy

enact tax-cutting agenda: Liz Truss

A fter resi gning as the prim e m inis ter, Liz Truss said s he wa s never given a “realistic c hance” to im plem ent her tax- cutting agenda

Since she relinquished the role in October, in her f i r s t d e t a i l e d c o m m e n t s , Truss said she was brought down by the combination o f a “ p o w e r f u l e c o n o m i c establishment” and a lack of support from within the Conservative party

Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, Truss said, “I am not claiming to be blameless in what happened, but f u n d a m e n t a l l y I w a s n o t given a realistic chance to enact my policies by a very powerful economic establishment, coupled with a lack of political support

“I assumed upon entering Downing Street that my mandate would be respecte d a n d a c c e p t e d H o w

wrong I was While I anticipated resistance to my pro-

to

that she was not able to implement her plans, she said she had learned a lot from her experience, which she will expand on in the coming months

Liz Truss

gramme from the system, I underestimated the extent of it

“Similarly, I underestimated the resistance inside t h e C o n s e r v a t i v e p a r l i amentary party to move to a l o w e r - t a x , l e s s - r e g u l a t e d economy ”

T h e C o n s e r v a t i v e G r o w t h G r o u p h a s b e e n f o r m e d b y h e r a l l i e s , including the former cabinet minister Simon Clarke, to push for her tax-cutting agenda

W h i l e s h e r e g r e t t e d

T o fund research and su pp o rt ar o u n d g am b li n g, a p ro posed statutory levy o n b et ti n g fi r ms t h a t wo u l d make it a legal requ irement, expected to be included i n the go vernment's landmark gambling White P aper h as been called into question, P oliticsH ome h as revealed

A t p r e s e n t , g a m b l i n g companies pay a voluntary l e v y t o w a r d s f u n d i n g research, education initiat i v e s a n d t r e a t m e n t f o r gambling harms

A statutory levy would

According to the campaigners, a 1 per cent statut o r y l e v y c o u l d b r i n g i n around £130m annually

M o r e t h a n 6 8 0 g a mbling companies voluntarily donated just £34 7m to the c h a r i t y i n t h e y e a r t o 3 1 March 2022, as per the figures from GambleAware

However, chair of the

"We may be wrong on this, but our understanding is that the Treasury have n o w i n d i c a t e d t h a t t h e y would be opposed to it," he told PoliticsHome

" W e h a v e o b v i o u s l y written to the Treasury and to all the relevant people explaining why we think the Treasury are wrong ”

Why are teachers going on strike?

I n E n g l a n d a n d W a le s , t housa nds of te achers ar e all set to str ik e on Wedn esda y following the ta lks bet wee n e duca t ion u nion s a nd th e g ove rn me n t t ha t fa ile d t o r each an agr eeme nt

With NHS staff, transport workers and civil serv a n t s w a l k i n g o u t t h i s month, the teachers' strike i s t h e l a t e s t t h r e a d o f w i d e s p r e a d p u b l i c s e c t o r disruption

As the cost of living crisis is worsening this winter, unions from multiple sectors are calling for pay rises

h i c h t e a c h e r s a r e going on strike and when?

This week members of t h e N a t i o n a l E d u c a t i o n U n i o n ( N E U ) , t h e l a r g e s t teachers’ union in the UK, will go on strike over pay

M o r e t h a n 1 0 0 , 0 0 0 teachers in 23,000 primary a n d s e c o n d a r y s c h o o l s could walk out the NEU has said

W h a t d e m a n d s d o teachers have?

T o c o r r e c t r e a l - t e r m s

pay cuts due to inflation, the NEU is demanding a pay rise for teaching staff

T e a c h e r s h a v e w i tnessed their salaries fall by 23 percent in real terms and support staff have seen a 27 per cent real-term decrease,

since 2010

With inflation at more than 10 percent, the average pay rise for teachers this y e a r , f o l l o w i n g a n a n n o u n c e m e n t i n t h e autumn statement, is at 5 percent

Stabbing in Bloomsbury

A m an was taken to h os pital after a stabbing in the early ho urs of th e mo rning

O f f i c e r s w e r e c a l l e d shortly before 4am on 5

F e b r u a r y t o a r e p o r t e d attack in Tavistock Place, B l o o m s b u r y T h e m a n , aged in his 30s, was taken to hospital where his con-

dition was assessed as not life-threatening

A police spokesperson said that there had been n o a r r e s t s a n d t h a t e n q u i r i e s c o n t i n u e Anyone with information that may assist police is asked to call 101, and quote the reference 1233/05feb

4,600 families in

face an annual mortgage payment increase of £5,010

I was not given a realistic chance

CBI launches first ever international delegation to India

Th e C B I t oo k it s f ir st e v er bus iness deleg ation to Ind ia from 6 – 8 Febru ary 2023 The three-day trip was led by the CBI’s C hief C am paig ns Directo r, Syma

C u lla s y- A ld ri d g e a nd f ea tu re d som e of the biggest names fro m B ri ti s h and I n d i an i nd u st ri es i n cl u d i ng H S BC , T i d e, P e rn o d Ricard, and ICIC I Bank

T h i s v i s i t c o m e s i n t h e backdrop of the UK negotiating the seventh round of the free trade agreement (FTA) with India The potential FTA could boost trade with India by £28 billion a year by 2035 and increase wages across the UK by £3 billion The programme a i m e d t o b r i n g U K b u s i n e s s t o g e t h e r w i t h k e y s e n i o r stakeholders from the British High

C o m m i s s i o n i n D e l h i a n d t h e Government of India, to discuss growth opportunities in the Indian market for UK businesses and how an FTA can help unlock them

The delegation focussed on key

g r o w t h s e c t o r s w h e r e U K a n d

I n d i a n b u s i n e s s c a n d e v e l o p

p r o f i t a b l e p a r t n e r s h i p s s u c h a s innovation and sustainability The visit aimed to share knowledge on h o w t o s c a l e u p u n i c o r n s t o addressing ways to increase trade i n g r e e n g o o d s a n d s e r v i c e s between the two countries and contribute to net zero ambitions D e v e l o p m e n t o f s u s t a i n a b l e i n f r a s t r u c t u r e , a c c e s s t o sustainable finance and navigating

any trade barriers related to the sector in the country, were on top of the agenda

S y m a C u l l a s y - A l d r i d g e , C B I Chief Campaigns Director, said, “With a free trade deal between the UK and India soon to be signed –and agreements such as the UKIndia Young Professionals Mobility scheme already in place - now is the time for businesses to explore h o w t o g r a s p t h e h u g e opportunities that India affords

Indian-origin Councillors meet Indian High Commissioner to the UK

U nd er the chairmansh ip of Indian High Com missioner t o th e U K , H E V i k ram D o ra i sw a m i and De p u ty Indian High Com missioner S ujit Ghosh, the officials of t h e I nd i an Hi g h C o m m i s si o n' s E co n o m i c W i ng in te rac te d w i th a ro u nd 2 5 C o u nc i ll or s o f Indian o rig in fro m vario us p a rts o f th e U K T h ey d iscussed streng thening the I n d i a- U K e co n o m i c p a rtn er sh i p a nd a bo u t investm ent opp ortunities in e ac h o th e r's ar eas C ouncillors shared id eas on h ow the Hig h Com mission o f India can co nnect with v ari o u s bu s i nes s es a nd co mp ani es fro m th e areas they represented and wo rk in partnership to promo te investm ent in Ind ia High Commissioner HE V i k r a m D o r a i s w a m i s a i d t h a t t h e I n d i a n H i g h C o m m i s s i o n i s f u l l y c o m m i t t e d t o h e l p a n d

s u p p o r t c o m p a n i e s , investors and those who are already working or want to work in India in any fields such as technology, research and development, education and environment etc It is in the mutual interest for both c o u n t r i e s t o w o r k i n partnerships

C l l r D r S h r o b o n a B h a t t a c h a r y a f r o m S o u t h Cambs District Council also added that there is a huge scope to extend partnership working with India

Chairman of SEVA Trust

U K , C l l r C h a r a n S e k h o n

M B E h i g h l i g h t e d t h e contribution UK charities in India in education and other fields and said, “There are many businesses who want to work in partnership with genuine charities So NGO a n d b u s i n e s s p a r t n e r s h i p s s h o u l d b e e n c o u r a g e d M a n y N R I s a l s o w a n t t o s u p p o r t a n d u p l i f t education in India through NGOs, but they can't do it o n t h e i r o w n S o s u c h p a r t n e r s h i p s s h o u l d b e promoted and supported "

Central Co-op extending Magic Breakfast partnership to six schools

C e n t r a l C o - op is m a r k i n g C h i ld r e n ’ s Me n t a l He a lt h W ee k with a n e xte nsion of its p a r t n e r s h ip w it h Ma g ic B r e a k fa s t , a ch a r it y t ha t p r o m o t e s le a r n i n g b y p roviding childr en an d y oun g p e op le at r is k of h un g er w it h br e a k fa st , g iving them the fue l they n eed to focus on t heir e ducation

Six schools now in the scheme include: Kilburn Junior School in Belper, Derbyshire, Whittington Moor Nursery & Infant School in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, Northfield Road

Primary in Dudley, West Midlands, Silkmore

Primary Academy in Stafford, Staffordshire, Northfield St Nicholas Primary Academy in L o w e s t o f t , S u f f o l k a n d B u s w e l l s L o d g e

Primary in Leicester, Leicestershire

C e n t r a l C o - o p i s s u p p o r t i n g M a g i c B r e a k f a s t v i a f u n d i n g r a i s e d f r o m compostable carrier bag sales This support will be in place over the next two years, and the schools are in close proximity to Central Co-op stores, meaning that Central Co-op can educate students on important topics like healthy eating and Fairtrade foods too

C e n t r a l C o - o p h a s a l s o provided each of the schools with an annual £300 voucher to spend in their local store to h e l p b o l s t e r t h e i r b r e a k f a s t provision

This year Magic Breakfast is using Children’s Mental Health Week to highlight the impact eating breakfast has not j u s t o n e d u c a t i o n a l a t t a i n m e n t b u t o n mental health and wellbeing as well, and how breakfast not only solves the immediate need o f h u n g e r b u t c a n i n c r e a s e a c h i l d ’ s confidence and focus and reduce stress and anxiety

C e n t r a l C o - o p i s o n e o f t h e l a r g e s t independent retail co-operative societies in the UK, with a heritage stretching back over 175 years and interests in food, funeral, floral a n d p r o p e r t y i n v e s t m e n t O w n e d b y hundreds of thousands of members, its 7,700 colleagues serve customers across 440 plus trading sites in 19 counties in the East and West Midlands, Yorkshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Its purpose is to create a sustainable society for all

“The CBI’s first ever delegation to India will put the promise of an F T A i n t o p r a c t i c e – h e l p i n g businesses develop links with key stakeholders and supporting UK firms to go for growth around the world ”

G r e g H a n d s , M i n i s t e r f o r Trade Policy at the Department for I n t e r n a t i o n a l T r a d e , s a i d , “ T h e

U K - I n d i a r e l a t i o n s h i p i s g o i n g from strength to strength, so it is fantastic that the CBI is sending its

first ever business delegation to India

“India is on track to become the third largest economy with a quarter of a billion middle class consumers by 2050 - so the free trade deal we're negotiating with them could unlock huge benefits for UK firms ”

Gurjodhpal Singh, CEO, Tide I n d i a , s a i d , “ T i d e h a s h a d s i g n i f i c a n t s u p p o r t f r o m t h e Indian government’s ‘ ease of doing business’ drive, and from a wide array of government stakeholders in India and the UK We’re also now embedded in the country’s fintech ecosystem and its financial services industry

“We are excited to be part of the first CBI delegation from the UK to India, and applaud their efforts to support the Government o f I n d i a ’ s c o m m i t m e n t t o w a r d s c r e a t i n g a n e v e n e a s i e r a n d business-friendly environment in the country ”

Job hopping Brits looking for better career progression in 2023

Mo re than 1 in 10 people (1 3%) now mov e jobs ev ery 18 m onths or less, with a lack o f progression d eemed a major factor for leav ing

According to a snap poll o f U K w o r k e r s t a k e n i n J a n u a r y 2 0 2 3 , 1 i n 5 U K workers (20%) cited a lack of progression opportunities as their main reasons for job hunting

The poll was undertaken by leading pub company and brewer Greene King ahead o f t h i s y e a r ’ s N a t i o n a l Apprenticeship Week (6– 12 February)

Given that a fifth of UK workers leave a job due to lack of progression, Greene King is encouraging people t o a p p l y t o i t s a p p r e n t i c e s h i p s c h e m e , where 87% of its apprentices say they feel the business o f f e r s l o n g - t e r m o p p o r t u n i t i e s f o r c a r e e r progression National Apprenticeship W e e k t r a d i t i o n a l l y celebrates the achievements of apprentices around the c o u n t r y a n d t h e p o s i t i v e i m p a c t t h e y m a k e t o t h e economy This year ’ s theme

i s # S k i l l s F o r L i f e w h i c h explores the valuable skills a c q u i r e d d u r i n g a n a p p r e n t i c e s h i p , w h a t e v e r stage of life you are in W h i l e a p p r e n t i c e s h i p s a r e c o m m o n l y a s s o c i a t e d w i t h y o u n g e m p l o y e e s starting out in their career, t h e y ’ r e a l s o a h e l p f u l pathway for those restarting o r s t a r t i n g a n e w c a r e e r , r e t u r n i n g t o w o r k a f t e r family commitments, or are p o t e n t i a l l y l o o k i n g t o p r o g r e s s w i t h i n t h e i r e x i s t i n g r o l e s t o f u r t h e r their career

Over-55s braced to work into their 70s as cost-of-living bites

O ver a q uarter of over- 55s b e l i e v e th e y w i l l s ti ll b e working i n their 70s , wi th t he m a j or i t y la c k i n g a f i n a n c i a l p l a n f or r et i r em e n t , n ew r es e a rc h by My Pen sion Expert has revealed

T h e U K ’ s l e a d i n g a tr e t i r e m e n t a d v i s e r c o m m i s s i o n e d a n i n d e p e n d e n t s u r v e y o f 2,000 UK adults It found that the cost-of-living crisis has significantly impacted retirement plans, with 44% o f o v e r - 5 5 s i n w o r k b e l i e v i n g i t h a s m a d e retirement impossible

Over a third (37%) say t h e c u r r e n t e c o n o m i c climate has derailed their f i n a n c i a l p l a n s O v e r a q u a r t e r ( 2 6 % ) t h i n k t h e y will still be working in their 70s M y P e n s i o n E x p e r t ’ s research showed that, while Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is u r g i n g o v e r - 5 5 s t o e i t h e r remain in work or re-enter the workforce, for millions, they do not feel they have a choice either way Just 35% of over-55s think they will be able to retire when they want to

T h e s u r v e y a l s o revealed that many over-55s

a r e n o t s u f f i c i e n t l y p r e p a r e d f o r s t o p p i n g work Less than half (43%) know how much they have saved in their pensions, and e v e n f e w e r ( 3 7 % ) h a v e a financial plan in place for retirement

Further, while 32% of over-55s have spoken to an i n d e p e n d e n t f i n a n c i a l advisor (IFA) before, only 1 7 % c u r r e n t l y u s e t h e s e r v i c e s o f a f i n a n c i a l adviser Most (55%) think f i n a n c i a l a d v i c e i s t o o

expensive Andrew Megson, CEO of My Pension Expert, said: “Chancellor Jeremy Hunt h a s b e e n m a k i n g i t a b u n d a n t l y c l e a r t h a t h e w a n t s t o k e e p o v e r - 5 5 s “ e c o n o m i c a l l y a c t i v e ”

“Britain needs you ” , he said, despite the fact that older workers have been poorly t r e a t e d a n d u n d e r -

a c k n o w l e d g e d f o r many years No, it won’t be a sense of d u t y t h a t k e e p t h e m i n e m p l o y m e n t , b u t n e c e s s i t y , a s o u r research proves “ T h e c o s t - o fl i v i n g c r i s i s i s s q u e e z i n g p e o p l e ’ s finances and derailing their l o n g - t e r m p l a n s M a n y b e l i e v e d e c i s i o n s a r o u n d retirement are now out of t h e i r h a n d s W o r r y i n g l y , though, not nearly enough i s b e i n g d o n e t o b o o s t p e n s i o n e n g a g e m e n t o r a c c e s s t o i n d e p e n d e n t a d v i c e , b o t h o f w h i c h w o u l d g i v e B r i t o n s t h e tools to effectively plan for a secure, stable, financially viable retirement

“No one should feel p r e s s u r e d t o d e l a y retirement, nor return to employment after decades of hard work and diligent s a v i n g T h e g o v e r n m e n t ought to be working with the financial advice sector to ensure more people can a c c e s s a d v i c e t o m a k e i n f o r m e d d e c i s i o n s a n d achieve their financial goals – knowledge is power, and our research shows that ”

photo courtesy: CBI Twitter

Dear Financia

Voice Reader Alpesh Patel OBE

It’s been a strong start to the U K and U S markets After last year, it’ s welcom e and I should be able to return to my U K target of 20% pa and U S target (because the market does twice as well) o f 40 % I d idn’t know thing s wou ld turn aro und th is qu ickly, bu t they h av e and I am not hang ing aro und I am 80 % inv ested in stocks alread y and last year w as only 20 % in stocks and th e rest in cash The FTS E 100 h as already reached a new record M y U S stocks hav e been d elivering 20% already th is m onth in many cases

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If you want to learn more about investing as part of the my Campaign to teach a million people how to invest see www campaignforamillion com

UK lawmakers to grill NatWest CEO

NatWest CE O Alis on R o s e wil l f a c e a g r il l in g b y Br i t is h l aw m a k e rs ov e r w he t he r l e n de r s a r e pas sing on enough of c ent ral ba nk int eres t r a t e r i s e s to c on s um er s , a f t e r initially s aying s he was t oo b us y to attend " F o l l o w i n g f u r t h e r d i s c u s s i o n s w i t h t h e Treasury Committee on the vital issues at hand, Alison Rose will be attending next week's Committee hearing," a spokesperson for NatWest said Harriett Baldwin, chair of the committee, had said t h a t s h e w a s k e e n f o r a l l major banks top bosses to appear and for there not to be an all-male panel "Public scrutiny of our largest financial institutions is vital," Baldwin said in a s t a t e m e n t L l o y d s C E O C h a r l i e N u n n , H S B C U K boss Ian Stuart and Barclays

UK boss Matt Hammerstein are also set to attend the

BoE hikes interest rates to 4 per cent

The B an k of En gl an d ha s hike d UK in tere st ra tes t o 4% - it s te nth rise in a row a s it b a tt l es a ga in st in fl at ion and soar in g prices

T h e b a s e r a t e w a s i n c r e a s e d f r o m 3 5 % a n d remains at its highest level s i n c e 2 0 0 8 B u t t h e Monetary Policy Committee ( M P C ) p o l i c y m a k e r s , w h o d e c i d e t h e b a n k r a t e , appeared to hint that borrowing costs may now be near their peak The MPC

said it would only raise rates further "if there were to be evidence of more persistent [ i n f l a t i o n a r y ] p r e s s u r e s " than already forecast

But it didn't say i t w o u l d r e s p o n d "forcefully" to these p r e s s u r e s , a s t h e committee had said i n p r e v i o u s m e e tings Markets expect i n t e r e s t r a t e s t o peak at 4 5% towards the end of this yeardown from the 5 25% that had been forecast following the Mini-Budget Banks and lenders change the interest rates on their savings and

borrowing products in line with the base rate

T h i s m e a n s w h e n t h e base rate goes up, borrowing m o n e y b e c o m e s m o r e expensive This is particularly bad for homeowners with a variable rate mortgagebut in some good news, savings rates have gone up If you're a renter, you may find y o u r l a n d l o r d d e c i d e s t o increase your rent if their m o r t g a g e h a s r i s e n a s a result of the rate hike

Energy firms told to stop force-fitting of prepayment meters

British Gas has been banned fro m fo rc e- fi ttin g p rep ayment meters to protect its vu lnerable c usto m ers, and all other major energ y companies have agreed to suspend the p ractice

Ofgem, the energy regulator, issued a legal order preventing British Gas from breaking into its customers’ homes until it could prove that it was complying with

a l l i t s l e g a l o b l i g a t i o n s J o n a t h a n B r e a r l e y , c h i e f executive of the regulator, said that he would not hesitate to take “the strongest a c t i o n i n o u r p o w e r s ” , a d d i n g : “ W e ’ v e o r d e r e d immediate action to protect British Gas’s customers ”

The order states that the c o m p a n y a p p e a r s t o b e “contravening or is likely to contravene” licence condi-

House prices in UK continues to fall

H o us e p ri c e s i n th e U K continued to fall i n J anuary, sliding for the fifth month i n a r ow , pu s hi n g t he average cost of a home 3 2% b elow the peak s een l ast August

T h e c o s t o f a h o m e dropped by 0 6% in the first m o n t h o f t h e y e a r compared with December 2 0 2 2 , a c c o r d i n g t o t h e N a t i o n w i d e b u i l d i n g s o c i e t y ’ s m o n t h l y s u r v e y

Annual house price growth also slowed at the start of the year to 1 1%, down from 2 8% in December This is t h e l o w e s t g r o w t h s i n c e J u n e 2 0 2 0 , w h e n t h e housing market reopened after being frozen during t h e e a r l y m o n t h s o f t h e Covid pandemic

The average price of a home slid to £258,297 in J a n u a r y , a f a l l o f a l m o s t £ 4 , 0 0 0 f r o m a m o n t h earlier, when the average p r o p e r t y p r i c e w a s £262,068 However, it was

hearing held by the powerful Treasury Select Committee T h e B a n k o f E n g l a n d h a s r a i s e d i t s b e n c h m a r k r a t e again to 4% - the highest since 2008

However, customers of t h e f o u r b i g h i g h s t r e e t b a n k s c a n e x p e c t t o e a r n between 0 5% and 0 65% on t h e i r b a s i c s a v i n g s , t h e c o m m i t t e e s a i d i n a s t a t e m e n t N a t W e s t h a d initially said its retail bank boss David Lindberg was an a p p r o p r i a t e b o s s t o represent the bank at the h e a r i n g R o s e h a d b l a m e d diary constraints ahead of t h e s t a t e - b a c k e d l e n d e r ' s

too early to tell whether housing market activity had s t a r t e d t o r e c o v e r , a s mortgage rates offered by l e n d e r s a r e r e t u r n i n g t o n o r m a l a f t e r t h e y s o a r e d f o l l o w i n g L i z T r u s s a n d K w a s i K w a r t e n g ’ s disastrous mini-budget

Demand for mortgages also tumbled to its lowest level since the 2020 Covid l o c k d o w n i n D e c e m b e r , according to figures from the Bank of England, which found the number of home loan approvals continued to drop in December

R o b e r t G a r d i n e r , N a t i o n w i d e ’ s c h i e f economist, said the gloomy e c o n o m i c o u t l o o k w a s likely to continue to have an impact on the housing m a r k e t a n d p r o s p e c t i v e buyers Nationwide found t h a t p r o s p e c t i v e h o u s e buyers were facing a bigger c h a l l e n g e t o a f f o r d property, as a result of the increase in mortgage rates

tions in the way that it has b e e n p u r s u i n g d e b t s a n d compels it to turn over relev a n t d o c u m e n t s u n d e r threat of prosecution

The intervention comes after an undercover reporter found that British Gas was routinely sending debt collectors to break into homes and force-fit pay-as-you-go m e t e r s , e v e n w h e n c u stomers were known to be

extremely vulnerable F a m i l i e s f o r c e d o n t o pay-as-you-go meters have included a woman logged in official job notes as suffering with “ severe mental health b i p o l a r ” a n d a m o t h e r whose daughter was known to be “disabled and has a h o i s t ” I f f a m i l i e s c a n n o t afford to top up the meters, their heating or electricity is cut off

Shell makes record profits while Britons grappled with soaring prices

Shell sp ark ed fur y afte r a nn ouncing record pr ofits as t heir ear nin gs rocke ted by 53 per ce nt in 2022 due to soarin g oil and gas prices

The energy giant revealed that its core profits ballooned to a record £68 1 bn in 2023, the highest in its 115-year history, a s t h e w a r i n U k r a i n e s e n t e n e r g y p r i c e s s p i r a l l i n g Environmentalists, trade union leaders and politicians condemned Shell’s “outrageous” bumper profits as a “windfall” of the war while millions of Britons grappled with sky-high gas and electricity bills during the cost of living crisis

Adjusted earnings, including taxes, more than doubled to £32 2 bn, with the final quarter profits in 2022 hitting an alltime high of £7 9 bn Shell chief executive, Wael Sawan, said its results showed “the strength of Shell’s differentiated portfolio, as well as our capacity to deliver vital energy to our customers in a volatile world”

The company has increased its shareholders’ dividend payouts to 15 per cent on the back of the announcement, with its profits catapulted by booming LNG sales Davey said: “No company should be making these kinds of outrageous profits out of Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine “Rishi Sunak was warned as chancellor and now as Prime Minister that we need a proper windfall tax on companies like Shell and he has failed to take action ”Shell said it paid £1 5 bn in windfall tax charges to the UK and EU Motorists saw the cost of filling up their tanks hit record levels last year as the war in Ukraine sent the price of oil spiking By last June, the average cost of a litre of petrol hit 191 25p, with the average price of a litre of diesel reaching 199 02p

Sunak promises to release his tax returns ‘shortly’

A ft er s ac ki n g T o ry p a rty ch airm an Nad h im Z ahaw i o v er h is f in an ci al af fa i rs , Prim e Minister Rishi Sunak said th at will release his tax ret ur ns “ s h o rt ly ” I n an interview, Su nak said: “T hey will be published shortly As yo u k no w th e ta x fi li n g deadline was just a few d ays ago and they are just being prepared and th ey will be released shortly ”

D u r i n g t h e i n t e r v i e w , Sunak insisted he can get the economy growing again and urged people to “have hope” despite bleak assessments of the UK’s finances

The Prime Minister said he could quickly turn around the nation’s fortunes after

the Bank of England predicted a recession will be shorter and shallower than expected

But the Bank hiked the base interest rate from 3 5% to 4% in an attempt to help

bring double-digit inflation under control A day earlier, the International Monetary F u n d ( I M F ) p r e d i c t e d t h e UK economy will be the only major economy – including s a n c t i o n - h i t R u s s i a – t o

plunge into recession this year

Sunak insisted he could deliver the five priorities he has set for the nation “Grow t h e e c o n o m y , y e s , I d o believe over the course of this year we’ll get the econom y g r o w i n g a g a i n , ” t h e Prime Minister said “ R e d u c e d e b t , W e ’ v e already made some difficult decisions to ensure that that happens but we ’ ve got to s t i c k t o t h e p a t h ” A s k e d what his mantra or message to the public is, Sunak said: “It’s ‘have hope’ Have hope because I can make it better, and I will make it better That’s what I’m working day and night to do”

Rishi Sunak

India's GST collections rise to 2nd highest level in Jan

T h e am o un t o f GS T co l le ct ed i n J a nu ar y increased by 10 6% to £15 59 bi ll i o n, m a ki ng i t t h e se co n d - h i g h es t m o nth l y collection after December's record -breaking 8 3 million e-way bills

The finance ministry's most recent data revealed t h a t , d e s p i t e s i g n s o f a slowdown in GST due to a muted rise from imports, c e n t r a l G S T r e v e n u e s e x p e r i e n c e d t h e l a r g e s t g r o w t h , r i s i n g 1 7 4 % t o £ 2 8 9 b i l l i o n i n J a n u a r y (based on transactions in

December, 2022) Imports d e c r e a s e d 3 5 % i n D e c e m b e r , a c c o r d i n g t o data that the department of c o m m e r c e i s s u e d e a r l i e r this month

T h i s i s t h e t h i r d occasion that the mop-up has exceeded £15 billion in

t h e c u r r e n t f i s c a l year GST receipts have surged by 24%

t o a p p r o x i m a t e l y

£ 1 5 b i l l i o n s o f a r this fiscal year The rise was ascribed by the government to initiatives made in r e c e n t y e a r s t o broaden the tax base and boost compliance

“GST collections for the m o n t h o f J a n u a r y h a v e touched the second all-time h i g h , s e t t i n g t h e p e r f e c t momentum for the Union B u d g e t E q u a l l y

e n c o u r a g i n g i s t h a t December saw the highest n u m b e r o f e - w a y b i l l s

g e t t i n g g e n e r a t e d , w h i c h clearly indicates an uptick in economic activity With t h e E c o n o m i c S u r v e y indicating that the taxpayer n u m b e r s h a v e a l m o s t d o u b l e d f r o m t h e i n i t i a l 2017 numbers, it seems that such high GST collections c a n b e e x p e c t e d t o b e n o r m a l f o r t h e c o m i n g m o n t h s , ” s a i d A b h i s h e k Jain, partner for indirect tax at consulting firm KPMG in India

Ambani becomes richest Asian again

M ukesh A mbani, Chairm an of Reliance Indu stries, has o nc e m o re r ec lai m e d th e ti t le o f ri c h es t p er so n in India and Asia with a net w o rt h o f $ 8 1 b i lli o n , ac c o rd i n g B lo o m b erg

Billionaires Index

Ambani's return to the t o p c o m e s a s G a u t a m

Adani's net worth has been s i g n i f i c a n t l y r e d u c e d a s a result of a study published b y U S - b a s e d s h o r t s e l l e r H i n d e n b u r g R e s e a r c h accusing Adani of fraud and stock manipulation Adani is currently rated 13th on the i n d e x , o n e s p o t b e h i n d

Mukesh Ambani, who is the 12th richest person in the world, with a net worth of $72 1 billion

A d a n i w a s t h e t h i r d richest person in the world

at the time, with a net worth of $124 billion, on January 17, a day before Hindenburg released its a s s e s s m e n t H i s n e t worth has decreased by around $52 billion since t h a t t i m e T h e I n d i a n billionaire has changed positions on Bloomberg's r i c h l i s t , g o i n g f r o m being the highest wealth g a i n e r i n 2 0 2 2 t o t h e b i g g e s t l o s e r t h i s y e a r

Historically, Adani has lost $48 5 billion, according to f i g u r e s f r o m B l o o m b e r g S i n c e H i n d e n b u r g published its analysis, Adani

companies' market value has fallen by $90 billion, wiping b i l l i o n s o f f o f A d a n i ' s wealth A d a n i w a s a c c u s e d o f s t o c k m a n i p u l a t i o n a n d accounting malfeasance in t h e H i n d e n b u r g investigation It also alleged u n e t h i c a l b u s i n e s s t r a n s a c t i o n s b y A d a n i ' s brother, Vinod Adani, who is allegedly in charge of a " l a b y r i n t h " o f s h e l l f i r m s , a c c o r d i n g t o t h e s h o r tresearch The Adani Group h a s a n g r i l y d e n i e d t h e a c c u s a t i o n s a n d d e c l a r e d them to be false

Govt to hold 33% stake in Vodafone Idea

T h e g o ve r n m e n t f i n a l l y s te p pe d i n t o r e s ur r e c t

Vod afon e Id ea, the ai lin g t e l e c om op e ra t o r, a n d i s g o i n g a h ea d to p i c k u p a r ou n d 33 % s t a k e i n t h e c om pany to e merge as the larges t shareholder

The action was taken in r e s p o n s e t o p r o m o t e r s

A d i t y a B i r l a g r o u p a n d Vodafone Plc promising to invest up to £2 billion in addition to initiating the effort to launch the highspeed 5G network in order to compete with Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel The

Targeted Investing

Suresh Vagjiani, Sow & Reap Properties Ltd

The recent rate rise, from 3 5% to 4%, has prompted many to now opt for a longer term fixed rate My perc eption is that this was never a temporary blip, the economy simply settli ng down; I think rates wi ll rise and continue to rise, therefore longer term fi xed i s the way to go

This is what we are recommending to a client who has just agreed a deal in North West London The bulk of the funds will be coming from the refinance of his u n e n c u m b e r e d r e s i d e n t i a l p r o p e r t y , w h i c h w i l l b e refinanced on similar terms He also has a fair amount sitting in the bank simply diminishing in real terms as time goes on

One solution would be to take a conventional fixed rate on both properties to fund the purchase, and leave some of the money in the bank as a rainy day buffer Another, more elegant, solution would be to take a fixed rate overdraft facility on the house, and have no money in the bank It makes no sense to be paying 4-5% for borrowing money, whilst you have funds sitting in the bank earning a only a fraction of this rate

This will be our proposal Furthermore, following the recent rate rise there is an urgency to process the application and secure the long term fixed rate, as the rate rise will be filtering down into the mortgage products There will be a small window of opportunity, if we can get our foot in the door early and secure the product

This particular client lives and therefore chooses to invest in his local area of Wembley He comes from Diu, a Portuguese colony, this gave them the right to go to Portugal and then make their way to London which was the ultimate goal

The purpose of the investment is to secure his children’s future, and the tendency is to simply invest close to where they happen to live The objective is capital growth, therefore which location will provide the most capital growth over the coming five years? I’m sure Wembley will do well, no doubt, it is flush with brown money and therefore prices generally tend to rise, and rise well, in these locations

extraordinary government a c t i o n w a s t a k e n i n response to worries that the telecom industry need at least three private firms in order to give customers a sufficient selection

Despite the fact that the telco's shares closed at Rs 7 l a s t w e e k , u p 3 % , t h e g o v e r n m e n t w o u l d purchase the equities at Rs 10 par value in accordance with the requirements of t h e C o m p a n i e s A c t According to a top source, " T h e g o v e r n m e n t h a s g r a n t e d a l l n e c e s s a r y

permits, and Vodafone Idea w i l l n o w g o f o r w a r d t o o f f e r e q u i t y t o t h e government "

At the end of December 2022, the promoters hold a r o u n d 7 5 % i n V o d a f o n e I d e a , w i t h V o d a f o n e P l c h o l d i n g 4 8 % a n d A d i t y a Birla Group 27%

After the fresh equity infusion, the shareholding of the promoters will come down to around 50%, with the government emerging as the largest shareholder I n a s t a t e m e n t , V o d a f o n e I d e a s a i d :

India, China to be major engines of growth in fiscal 2023, says IMF

C hi na and India toge ther w i l l c o n tr i b u t e h a l f of g l ob al gr o wt h t h i s y e a r , c ompared to barely a tenth f or the US and the Euro a r e a pu t t og e t he r , a n I n te r n a t i on a l M o n e ta r y Fund (IM F) re port s aid The I M F, w h i c h r el e a s e d a n u p da t e t o i ts Wo rl d Economi c Outlook (WEO) , r e t a i n e d I n d i a ’ s G DP g r ow t h p r oj e c ti o n s f or

2 022 -23 at 6 8% and 6 1% f o r 2 0 2 3 - 2 4 a n d 6 8 % i n

2 024-2 5

According to the most r e c e n t E c o n o m i c S u r v e y , India's economy would rise by 7% in 2022–2023 before slowing to 6–8% in 2023–2024 In spite of the bleak g l o b a l p i c t u r e a n d uncertainty brought on by t h e U k r a i n e w a r , I n d i a ' s g r o w t h h a s r e m a i n e d

resilient “Growth in India is set to decline from 6 8% in 2022-23 to 6 1% in 2023-24 before picking up to 6 8% in 2024-25, with resilient domestic demand, despite e x t e r n a l h e a d w i n d s , ” a c c o r d i n g t o t h e W E O update

According to the report, China's real GDP will drop i n t h e f o u r t h q u a r t e r o f 2022, which would result in a 0 2 p e r c e n t a g e p o i n t reduction in, bringing the c o u n t r y ' s g r o w t h r a t e below the world average for the first time in more than 40 years

According to the IMF, g r o w t h i n C h i n a i s expected to reach 5 2% in 2 0 2 3 , r e f l e c t i n g s i g n i f i c a n t l y i m p r o v e d mobility, and to drop to

4 5 % i n 2 0 2 4 b e f o r e stabilising at less than 4% o v e r t h e m e d i u m t e r m , amid diminishing business d y n a m i s m a n d l i m i t e d p r o g r e s s o n s t r u c t u r a l changes

“The global economy is poised to slow this year, b e f o r e r e b o u n d i n g n e x t year Growth will remain w e a k b y h i s t o r i c a l s t a n d a r d s , a s t h e f i g h t a g a i n s t i n f l a t i o n a n d R u s s i a ’ s w a r i n U k r a i n e weigh on activity,” said IMF c h i e f e c o n o m i s t P i e r r e O l i v i e r G o u r i n c h a s “Despite these headwinds, the outlook is less gloomy t h a n i n o u r O c t o b e r f o r e c a s t , a n d c o u l d represent a turning point, with growth bottoming out a n d i n f l a t i o n d e c l i n i n g , ” said Gourinchas

" M i n i s t r y o f Communications passed an o r d e r d i r e c t i n g t h e c o m p a n y t o c o n v e r t t h e NPV (net present value) of t h e i n t e r e s t r e l a t e d t o deferring spectrum auction instalments and AGR dues i n t o e q u i t y s h a r e s t o b e issued to the Government of India This is in line with t h e r e f o r m s a n d s u p p o r t p a c k a g e f o r t h e t e l e c o m s e c t o r c o m m u n i c a t e d earlier and the conversion o p t i o n e x e r c i s e d b y t h e c o m p a n y a s p r o v i d e d therein

However, is there a location which has a more aggressive future growth rate? I think there is There is a comfort factor to having the property in close vicinity to where you live, you can micro manage it and keep an eye on it This slight benefit serves to misalign the objective The aim is growth There are ways to minimise the potential problems of buy to let property; for example, one is to purchase in a well managed block, another is to take out rent guarantee insurance on the tenant These two factors alone will neutralise many of the problems residential landlords tend to face Having an overdraft facility will allow this landlord to purchase not only this property, but another, which we intend to propose to him One which we strongly believe will have a more aggressive growth rate It will be interesting to see at the end of a 5 year period which one has worked harder for him

Moscow seeks nod to set up Russian financial firm in India

M o s c o w h a s e xp re ss ed c o nc er ns o v er a l ac k o f "p rog ress" and has pro posed ra d i ca l ne w i ni ti a ti v es t o d e ep en fi n anc i al c o o p erat io n , ac c o rd i ng t o m e d i a, m o re th a n t w o m o nt hs a fter th e Res erv e B ank o f I nd i a ( RB I ) p erm i tted th e o p eni ng o f ni ne " Vo stro " acco unts in tw o In d i an ba nks t o facilitate rupee trad e with sanctio ns-hit Russia Most significantly, it has proposed the setting up of a n “ I n d i a - b a s e d f i n a n c i a l i n s t i t u t i o n w i t h R u s s i a n ownership” that would not b e s u b j e c t t o t h i r d - p a r t y sanctions

A n d a s p e c i a l i s e d f i n a n c i a l t e c h n o l o g y business established in India t h a t w o u l d a l l o w I n d i a n c r e d i t i n s t i t u t i o n s t o u s e

SPFS, the Russian financial messaging system that took t h e p l a c e o f t h e b a n n e d

SWIFT SPFS was developed by the Bank of Russia

Deputy Governor T Rabi Sankar of the RBI and First

D e p u t y G o v e r n o r o f t h e

B a n k o f R u s s i a V l a d i m i r

Chistyukhin discussed these r e c o m m e n d a t i o n s i n a

message last month

Chistyukhin’s note also

m e n t i o n e d t h a t R u s s i a ’ s MTS Bank, which was not s u b j e c t t o t h i r d - p a r t y sanctions, was “willing to d i s c u s s i t s p o s s i b l e i n v o l v e m e n t ” i n s u c h a project

A meeting between the representatives of the RBI, t h e B a n k o f R u s s i a , a n d

MTS Bank has been asked in order to examine legal and regulatory matters

Mukesh Ambani

14 Hindu temples vandalised in Bangladesh

D H AK A: Unidentifi ed people vandalised 14 H indu temples in northwestern Bangladesh in a series of orches trated attacks ov er n i gh t , p ol i c e s a i d on

Sunday

" U n i d e n t i f i e d p e o p l e c a rried out the attacks under the cover of darkness, vandalising i d o l s i n 1 4 t e m p l e s i n t h r e e u n i o n s , " s a i d B i d y a n a t h Barman, a Hindu community leader at Baliadangi) "upazila" or "sub-district" in Thakurgaon Barman, the general secret a r y o f t h e u p a z i l a ' s P u j a Celebration Council, said some o f t h e i d o l s w e r e d e s t r o y e d

while some were found in pond waters along the temple sites We are in the dark about their (culprits) identity but we want

to bring them to justice after investigations," Barman said T h e H i n d u c o m m u n i t y l e a d e r a n d u n i o n p a r i s h a d

c h a i r m a n S a m a r C h a t t a r j e e s a i d t h e r e g i o n w a s a l w a y s known to be an area of excellent interfaith harmony as "no s u c h h e i n o u s i n c i d e n t t o o k place here in the past"

" T h e ( m a j o r i t y ) M u s l i m community does not have any dispute with us (Hindus) we j u s t c a n n o t u n d e r s t a n d w h o c o u l d b e t h e s e c u l p r i t s , " h e said Baliadangi police station's officer in-charge Khairul Anam s a i d t h e a t t a c k s t o o k p l a c e b e t w e e n S a t u r d a y n i g h t a n d S u n d a y d a w n a t s e v e r a l v i llages

Former Pak president Musharraf dies in exile at 79

I S L A M A B A D : Form er Pakistan

P res i d e nt P erv e z M u sh arr af , whose 1999 m ilitary takeover of the then Nawaz Sharif g overnment month s after orchestrating th e Kargil war set him up for a nine-year run as a player on the world stage, d ied on S und ay in a Dubai ho sp ital of the rare disease amyloidosis

He was 79 New Delhi-born Musharraf, who was sentenced to death in absentia for treason in 2019, had been allowed to leave Pakistan three years earlier f o r m e d i c a l t r e a t m e n t T h e P a k i s t a n m i s s i o n i n D u b a i issued a no-objection certificate for his body to be taken back to the country for burial, consul

general Hasan Afzal Khan said Musharraf, who helmed the country for almost nine years (1999-2008), had been appointed by ex-PM Nawaz Sharif as army chief just the year before he exe-

IMF provides $4.7 bn assistance to

D H A K A : T h e I n te r n a ti on a l

Mone tary Fund has sign ed of f on a $4 7 billi on s upport loan pa cka ge for Ba nglade sh to help i t cope wi th soari ng en ergy an d f ood cos ts that ha ve s parke d huge protes ts

Following Russia's invasion o f U k r a i n e , B a n g l a d e s h a n d other South Asian nations that depend on the import of fossil fuels were severely impacted by substantial increases in living expenses The energy grid had nationwide outages of up to 13 hours per day last year, and the g o v e r n m e n t p r o v i d e d f o o d assistance to people unable to p u r c h a s e r i c e a n d o t h e r necessities

T h e I M F p a c k a g e m a k e s $ 4 7 6 m i l l i o n i m m e d i a t e l y a v a i l a b l e t o t h e g o v e r n m e n t but commits it to tax hikes and bringing down the number of

Bangladesh

b a d l o a n s i n t h e b a n k i n g sector “ M u l t i p l e s h o c k s h a v e m a d e m a c r o e c o n o m i c m a n a g e m e n t c h a l l e n g i n g i n B a n g l a d e s h , ” t h e l e n d e r ’ s active chair Antoinette Sayeh said “ A u t h o r i t i e s n e e d t o a c c e l e r a t e t h e i r a m b i t i o u s r e f o r m a g e n d a t o a c h i e v e a more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable growth,” she said W i t h i t s f o r e i g n e x c h a n g e reserves plummeting from $46 t o $ 3 4 b i l l i o n , B a n g l a d e s h intends to use the IMF loan to support them Since last May, t h e l o c a l c u r r e n c y h a s l o s t almost 25% of its value against the US dollar, increasing the c o s t o f s e l l i n g g a s o l i n e a n d providing electricity, which has had an impact on the rest of the economy

cuted a military coup to o v e r t h r o w t h e e l e c t e d government

Due to the repercussions at home, the 9/11 terror attacks in the US months after Musharraf took office would end up being the turning point of his presidency He was forced to form an alliance w i t h t h e U S f o r t h a t country's war on terror after the administration o f t h e n - P r e s i d e n t G e o r g e W

Bush issued the ultimatum, "You are either with us or against us " M u s h a r r a f r e i n s t a t e d protests in November 2007 by declaring a state of emergency

PAKISTAN BLOCKS WIKIPEDIA

Wikipedia has been blocked in Pakistan for hosting "blasphemous content" The move was announced after the free online encyclopaedia was given a 48-hour deadline to remove some material The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) said Wikipedia failed to comply with its ultimatum The Wikimedia Foundation which hosts Wikipedia said the ban meant Pakistanis would be denied access to the largest free knowledge repository Other platforms including Tinder, Facebook and YouTube were previously blocked in the Muslimmajority country

PAK COURT TO INDICT KHAN

and suspending the constitution Later that month, he announced his resignation as army leader, but it had little impact on his p o l i t i c a l s t a n d i n g b e c a u s e B e n a z i r B h u t t o ' s m u r d e r i n D e c e m b e r s p a r k e d m o r e widespread unrest and violence

He was charged with intentionally failing to provide for her security Musharraf was charged with treason by Sharif for declaring an emergency in 2007 and i n i t i a t i n g l e g a l a c t i o n a g a i n s t him The no-fly list was then created with his name on it He was removed from the no fly list in 2016 and given permission to depart the country for health reasons

IMF rejects Pak’s revised debt management plan

ISL AM AB AD : Pakistan's am ended Circ ul ar De bt M an age me nt Pl an (CDM P) was r ejec ted by t he In t e r na t i on a l M on e t ar y Fu nd (IM F) review team It has reques ted tha t the Pakistani gove rnment raise the price of energy by about Pa kis tani Rupees (PKR) 11 to 12 per unit in order to cap the additional subsidy at Rs 335 bill ion f or the current fisc al year, ac cording to The News International Both parties will continue to hold discussions to conclude the ongoing ninth review under the $7 billion Extended Fund Facility as the IMF review mission arrived in Islamabad According to the research, circular debt happens when a single firm experiences issues with its cash inflows and fails to make payments to its creditors and suppliers

T h e I M F h a s c a l l e d t h e r e v i s e d C D M P “ u n r e a l i s t i c ”

which is made on the basis of cert a i n w r o n g a s s u m p t i o n s T h e Pakistan government will have to make changes in its policy prescription to restrict the losses of the power sector, as per media report Additional taxing measures would be finalised after the IMF and Pakistan's minister of defence have resolved any fiscal issues In contrast to an earlier prediction of Rs 1,526 billion, the updated CDMP has called for a rise in the circular debt of Rs 952 billion for the current fiscal year

The Pakistan government’s r e v i s e d C D M P d e m o n s t r a t e d that the government needed an additional subsidy of Rs 675 billion despite increasing the power tariff in the range of Rs 7 per unit through quarterly tariff adjustment in the first two quarters of 2023 and Rs 1 6 for the third quarter

Nepal PM’s alliance ally withdraws from govt

K A T H M A N D U : T h e Ra s t ri ya

Swatantra P arty (RSP ) h as dec ided to with draw f rom Nep al’s ruling c oalitio n after PM Pu shp a Kamal D a h a l “P r a c h an da ” r e f u s e d t o reinstate the p arty’s flambo yant c hairman Rabi Lamich hane as the h ome m inister after he recently re- acquired his citizensh ip

The decision was taken after a joint meeting of RSP’s central m e m b e r s a n d l a w m a k e r s L a m i c h h a n e , 4 8 , w a s e l e c t e d f r o m C h i t w a n - 2 c o n s t i t u e n c y d u r i n g t h e e l e c t i o n s h e l d i n November last year He subsequently lost the status of a lawm a k e r f o l l o w i n g a v e r d i c t b y N e p a l ’ s S u p r e m e C o u r t o n

January 27, which stated that the c i t i z e n s h i p c e r t i f i c a t e h e p r oduced to contest the parliamentary election was invalid, according to the media

Because one must be a citizen

of Nepal to hold those posts, it c l a i m e d , h e s u b s e q u e n t l y l o s t both his ministerial portfolio and t h e p a r t y ' s p r e s i d e n c y H e regained citizenship on January 2 9 , a f t e r w h i c h h e c o n t a c t e d

Prachanda and reportedly sought to be reinstated to his previous ministerial position

But the Nepal PM was in no mood to relent Lamichhane was appointed deputy PM and home m i n i s t e r o n D e c e m b e r 2 6 l a s t y e a r T h e R S P , f l o a t e d b y Lamichhane, won 20 seats in the federal polls, making its fourth largest force in parliament

The decision of RSP to leave the coalition government had little impact on PM Prachanda's political standing This is due to the RSP's decision to support this government despite the recall of its ministers, according to the media

A Pakistani court announced it will charge former PM Imran Khan in the Toshakhana case on February 7 The 70-year-old Khan is being investigated for purchasing presents, including a pricey Graff wristwatch that he had acquired as PM at a reduced price from the state storehouse known as Toshakhana, and then reselling them for a profit According to the media, after hearing the case, Additional Sessions Court Judge Zafar Iqbal set the indictment date for February 7 Khan was also ordered to pay Rs 20,000 as bond, the report said On October 21 last year, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said that Khan made “false statements and incorrect declarations” regarding these gifts

WOMAN RAPED BY TWO MEN IN ISLAMABAD

A woman was allegedly raped at gun point by two armed men in a park, police said The incident took place in Islamabad’s F-9 area when the victim along with a male friend was strolling in a park when two armed men stopped them and forcibly took both to a nearby thicket revealed the FIR registered by the police They separated the woman from her male friend When she tried to shout they slapped her and threatened to bring six to seven more friends The two in turn raped her and also asked the victim about what she does for a living and warned her to not come to the park at this time, said the police, citing the FIR

WORLD’S OLDEST LIVING DOG

Bobi, at the age of 30 years and 268 days, has been crowned the world s oldest living dog – and the oldest dog to ever live – by Guinness World Records (GWR) The Portuguese purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo – a breed of livestock guardian dog – has lived for double his life expectancy of 12 to 14 years, according to a statement from GWR In doing so, the pooch, who has spent his whole life with the Costa family in the village of Conqueiros, in Leiria, western Portugal, has broken an almost century-old record held by Australian cattle dog Bluey, who lived for 29 years and 5 months between 1910 and 1939

ASTRONOMERS SPOT 12 NEW MOONS OF JUPITER

In a new discovery, astronomers spotted 12 new moons around Jupiter, as the total count of the number of its satellites reached a record-breaking 92 With this Jupiter became the planet with the highest number of moons in our solar system Saturn which was till now the planet with the highest number of 83 moons now stands in second place The moons of Jupiter were recently added to the list maintained by the International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Centre, said Carnegie Institution's Scott Sheppard, who was part of the team

Pervez Musharraf

Pushpa Kamal Dahal

CANADIAN TEENAGER WINS $48 MN JACKPOT

in brief 4 Indian Americans named in key US House panels

An 18-year-old Canadian has made history by winning C$48m (£30 mn) after buying a lottery ticket for the first time Juliette Lamour, from Sault Ste Marie, Ontario, was announced as the winner by the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLGC) making her the youngest person to win tens of millions of Canadian dollars Lamour who bought the ticket on her 18th birthday said she had forgotten about it until she heard news that someone from her home town had won the 7 January draw

ONE KILLED AS US MAN OPENS FIRE ON PASSENGERS

A man “randomly” brandishing a firearm shot three people killing one in the nation’s capital that started on a city bus and ended in a Metro tunnel after passengers attacked and disarmed him Authorities were still piecing together the chaotic series of events that left two people with gunshot wounds to the leg and Metro employee Robert Cunningham shot dead The shooter is in police custody and has not been publicly identified Metropolitan police department executive assistant chief Ashan Benedict praised the “heroic actions of our citizens, our community, to disarm this shooter ”

AUSTRIA EXPELS FOUR RUSSIAN DIPLOMATS

Austria is expelling four Russian diplomats for behaving in a manner inconsistent with international agreements, a reason often invoked in spying cases, the Austrian foreign ministry said without giving specifics The move brings to nine the number of Russian diplomats Austria has expelled since 2020, though any connection between the three separate decisions is unclear Austria has generally been more reluctant than many other western European countries to expel Russian envoys Two of the four diplomats declared personae non grata and ordered to leave the country by February 8 are stationed at the Russian Embassy to Austria while the other two work at the Russian mission to the UN in Vienna the ministry said in a statement

IRAN JAILS COUPLE IN VIRAL DANCING VIDEO

An Iranian court has handed jail sentences to a young couple who danced in front of one of Tehran’s landmarks in a video seen as a symbol of defiance against the regime, activists said Astiyazh Haghighi and her fiance Amir Mohammad Ahmadi, both in their early 20s, were arrested in early November after the video went viral Haghighi was not wearing a headscarf Women are not allowed to dance in public in Iran let alone with a man A revolutionary court in Tehran sentenced them each to 10 years and six months in prison, as well as bans on using the internet and leaving Iran, the US-based Human Rights Activists said The couple were convicted of “encouraging corruption and public prostitution

WOMAN KILLS LOOKALIKE TO FAKE OWN DEATH

A German-Iraqi woman murdered a lookalike she found on social media to fake her own death, police have said as new details emerge of the bizarre case that first came to light last year The body of a 23-year-old woman was found in a car in August at the Bavarian town of Ingolstadt with multiple stab wounds Police initially said they believed the victim owned the car but the next day identified her as someone else who looked “remarkably similar”

The 23-year-old German-Iraqi and a 23-yearold Kosovan man were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter

WA S HIN GT ON: Four p rom inent Ind ian-Am erican lawmakers - Pramila Jayapal, A mi Bera, Raj a K ri sh na m oo rt hi a nd Ro Kh anna h av e been app ointed mem bers of three key House panels

Congresswoman Jayapal has been named ranking member of t h e H o u s e J u d i c i a r y

C o m m i t t e e ’ s p a n e l o n Immigration, making her the first immigrant to serve in a leadership role for the subcommittee B e r a h a s b e e n c h o s e n t o serve on a House committee that deals with issues relating to intelligence The CIA, the NSA, and military intelligence prog r a m m e s a r e a l l w i t h i n t h e p u r v i e w o f t h e H o u s e Permanent Select Committee o n I n t e l l i g e n c e , w h i c h i s

responsible for monitoring all n a t i o n a l i n t e l l i g e n c e o p e r a -

tions Additionally, Bera sits on the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee and the H o u s e F o r e i g n A f f a i r s

Committee

A n e w l y f o r m e d H o u s e c o m m i t t e e o n C h i n a h a s a p p o i n t e d K r i s h n a m o o r t h i a s its ranking member The committee will study many facets of

C h i n e s e b e h a v i o u r a n d t h e threat it poses to the US and the rest of the globe The House S e l e c t C o m m i t t e e o n t h e Strategic Competition between t h e U S a n d t h e C h i n e s e C o m m u n i s t P a r t y a p p o i n t e d Krishnamoorthi as its ranking member Ro Khanna has also b e e n a p p o i n t e d t o t h i s n e w committee, which was established in the 118th Congress by R e p u b l i c a n H o u s e S p e a k e r K e v i n M c C a r t h y w i t h t h e express intent of looking into a n d f o r m u l a t i n g s t r a t e g y t o a d d r e s s t h e U S ' c o m p e t i t i o n with the Chinese Communist Party in the areas of economics, t e c h n o l o g y , a n d s e c u r i t y Krishnamoorthi is also a senior m e m b e r o f t h e H o u s e Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence

Huge quake kills more than 5,000 in Turkiye, Syria

KA H RA M AN M AR A S (TU RK IY E)/ D A M A S C U S : A h u g e ea rth qu ake ki lle d more tha n 5,00 0 pe ople a cr oss a swa the of T urki ye and northwest Sy ria on Monda y, wit h f ree zi ng wint e r we a t h e r a d d i n g t o t h e pli ght of the many t housands lef t i njured or homele ss a nd hamp eri ng e ffo rts to f ind survi vors

The magnitude 7 8 quake b r o u g h t d o w n w h o l e a p a r tment blocks in Turkish cities and piled more devastation on millions of Syrians displaced by years of war

The worst tremor to strike Turkiye this century, it came before sunrise in harsh weathe r a n d w a s f o l l o w e d i n t h e e a r l y a f t e r n o o n b y a n o t h e r

large quake of magnitude 7 5 “It was like the apocalypse,” s a i d A b d u l S a l a m a lM a h m o u d , a S y r i a n i n t h e northern town of Atareb “It’s bitterly cold and there's heavy rain, and people need saving ” T h e s e c o n d q u a k e w a s b i g enough to bring down more buildings and, like the first, w a s f e l t a c r o s s t h e r e g i o n ,

Canada to name a road in memory of 376 Indians

T ORONT O: A section of a road in A bbotsford , British Columbia, will be called Kom agata M aru Way in honour of the 376 Indians wh o trav elled to Canada from Ind ia in 1 914 but w ere turned aw ay because to the dominion's pervasiv e racism According to a report, the Abbotsford City C ouncil unanimo usly decided to rename a section of South Fraser Way as Kom ag ata M aru Way

On April 4, 1914, the Japanese steamship “Komagata Maru” carrying 376 Indian passengers - 340 Sikhs, 24 Muslims and 12 Hindus - set sail from Hong Kong to the coast of British Columbia These travellers wanted financial stability and a new place to call home The hopeful immigrants were denied admission when the ship docked, and they were sent back to Budge Budge in Kolkata When they arrived in Kolkata, the Indian Imperial Police made an attempt to capture them As a result, there was a disturbance, and the ensuing police shooting resulted in the deaths of 22 individuals

According to the report, the council was asked by the relatives of those who were on board the Komagata Maru in 1914 to recognise the humanitarian work done at the time by the South Asian community in Abbotsford It stated that the Komagata Maru incident had a significant impact on the implementation of discriminatory immigration regulations in 1914 Councillor Dave Sidhu remarked that the action "shows a dedication to encouraging tolerance, and belonging to all citizens regardless of their cultural heritage "

e n d a n g e r i n g r e scuers struggling to pull casualties from the rubble

The earthquake w a s t h e b i g g e s t r e c o r d e d w o r l dw i d e b y t h e U S

G e o l o g i c a l S u r v e y s i n c e a t r e m o r i n t h e r e m o t e S o u t h

A t l a n t i c i n A u g u s t 2 0 2 1 I n Turkiye, the toll stood at 3,381, health minister Fahrettin Koca said, and 20,426 people were recorded as injured At least

1,509 people were killed and

3,548 injured in Syria, accordi n g t o f i g u r e s f r o m t h e D a m a s c u s g o v e r n m e n t a n d rescue workers in the northwestern region controlled by

insurgents

Poor internet connections and damaged roads between some of the worst-hit cities in Turkiye's south, home to mill i o n s o f p e o p l e , h i n d e r e d efforts to assess and address the impact Temperatures in some areas were expected to fall to near freezing overnight, worsening conditions for people trapped under rubble or left homeless Rain was falling a f t e r s n o w s t o r m s s w e p t t h e country over the weekend President Tayyip Erdogan, who is preparing for a tough election in May, called it a historic disaster and the worst e a r t h q u a k e t o h i t T u r k i y e since 1939, but said authorities were doing all they could

Nikki Haley planning to make bid for US presidency

NE W YOR K: Nikki Haley, a form er So uth C arolina go v ernor who also serv ed in th e Trump ad ministration, is p reparing to run fo r presidency in 20 24, a source familiar with her planning said The Republican is set to be t h e f i r s t t o c h a l l e n g e f o r m e r President Donald Trump in a GOP primary election Trump last year announced another bid for the White House Nikki served as Trump's US ambassador to the United Nations for nearly two years, from 2017 to 2018, when she resigned

Prior to her tenure in the Trump administration, Nikki led the state of South Carolina a s g o v e r n o r f r o m 2 0 1 1 u n t i l 2017, when she left to take the job at the UN Nikki was the

Temple in Canada vandalised with anti-India graffiti

NE W D EL H I: Indians in Canada's Brampton are incensed by anti-Ind ia graffiti that has been left on a renowned Hind u temp le T he Indian consulate general in Toro nto condemned th e v andalism at Gau ri Shankar M andir and stated that it has greatly wounded the feeling s of th e Indian com munity in C anada

“The hateful act of vandalism has deeply hurt sentiments of the Indian community in Canada We’ve raised our concerns on the matter with Canadian authorities,” the consulate office said With hateful comments directed at India, the temple has been vandalised The issue is being looked into by the Canadian authorities At least three comparable incidents of vandalism have been reported in Canada since last July, proving that the destruction of the Hindu temple in Brampton is not a unique incident

Last September, the Indian foreign ministry had issued a strongly worded statement, saying there has been a “sharp increase” in hate crimes against Indians and other “anti India activities” in Canada New Delhi had urged the Canadian government to properly probe the incidents

first woman to serve as governor of South Carolina

In her memoir, Nikki hamm e r s W h i t e H o u s e t e a m b u t p l e d g e s a l l e g i a n c e t o T r u m p S i n c e N i k k i l e f t t h e T r u m p White House, she travelled the country with a particular focus on visiting early voting states S h e a l s o r e l e a s e d a m e m o i r about her time working with the former president

In 2021, Nikki had said she wouldn't run for president if Trump ran again, but recently deviated from her typical line, calling for a new generation of l e a d e r s h i p i n t h e R e p u b l i c a n Party in an appearance on Fox News that she later posted on Twitter

While appearing for the Fox news programme on January 20, Nikki demurred from confirming a presidential campaign but h i g h l i g h t e d o n e o f t h e c h a llenges any Republican candidate faces in a general election: the popular vote "We have lost the last seven out of eight popular votes for president," Nikki said "It is time we get a Republican in there that can lead and that can win a general election "

The formal announcement is expected on Feb 15

Pramila Jayapal Ro Khanna

Raja Krishnamoorthi Ami Bera

Adani slump continues, wiping down £156.5 mn cap in six days

A d an i G rou p s to ck pri c es k ep t plumm eting , w ith the com pany's flagsh ip A dani E nterprises (A EL) f al li ng 2 6 5 p er c en t to £ 1 5 6 5 m illion o n the BSE, or o ver half of its now -retracted follow-on public offer (FPO) price of £3 11 2 m illion

Along with AEL, three more group stocks - Adani Total Gas, A d a n i T r a n s m i s s i o n a n d A d a n i Green Energy - closed at the 10% lower circuit limit while another three -Adani Wilmar, NDTV and Adani Power -closed at the 5% lower circuit The stock price of Adani Ports & SEZ closed 6 1%

A E L , A d a n i T r a n s m i s s i o n , Adani Green Energy and Adani Ports all saw their stocks drop to 5 2 - w e e k l o w s A f t e r U S - b a s e d short seller Hindenburg Research published a report accusing the g r o u p o f c o r p o r a t e f r a u d a n d market manipulation, the sell-off in the group's equities began on January 25

Just last week, Adani stood fourth on the world’s billionaire list with a wealth of $119 billion Now, he is the 11th richest person in the world

F PO cancelled

A E L m a d e t h e d e c i s i o n t o

c a n c e l i t s £ 2 b i l l i o n f o l l o w - o n public offering (FPO), the largest of its kind in India, as a result of a s t o c k m a r k e t c o l l a p s e t h a t damaged investor confidence The a c t i o n w a s t a k e n s h o r t l y a f t e r

AEL's FPO saw full subscription, s u p p o r t e d b y i n s t i t u t i o n a l a n d h i g h - n e t - w o r t h i n v e s t o r s , w h o more than made up for the weak response from retail investors

G a u t a m A d a n i , c h a i r m a n ,

AEL, said, “Today, the market has b e e n u n p r e c e d e n t e d , a n d o u r stock price has fluctuated over the course of the day Given these extraordinary circumstances, the board felt that going ahead with the issue would not be morally c o r r e c t T h e i n t e r e s t o f t h e investors is paramount and hence t o i n s u l a t e t h e m f r o m a n y p o t e n t i a l f i n a n c i a l l o s s e s , t h e board has decided not to go ahead with the FPO ” Jo Joh nson quits

L o r d J o J o h n s o n , y o u n g e r brother of former British Prime

M i n i s t e r B o r i s J o h n s o n , h a s r e s i g n e d h i s n o n - e x e c u t i v e d i r e c t o r s h i p o f a U K - b a s e d investment firm linked with the n o w - w i t h d r a w n F P O o f A d a n i

Enterprises

FP

O scrapp ing won’t impact econo my: TM

U n i o n f i n a n c e m i n i s t e r Nirmala Sitharaman said that the cancellation of Adani Enterprises’ FPO will not have any impact on Indian economy and no effect on the image of the economy

Responding to queries on the crash of Adani Group shares, the finance minister said, “Regulators will do their job, and they are independent of the government It is up to them to do what is appropriate To keep the market regulated and in prime condition is the role of Sebi, and it has done that ” S i t h a r a m a n s a i d R B I h a d

ED attaches assets of Chidambaram’s wife, others

T he Enforc ement Direc torate c laimed that in c onnect io n w i t h t h e S ar a dh a m o n e y l a u n de r in g c a s e , it h a d attach ed ass ets totaling mo re t h a n £6 00, 0 00 f ro m " b en e f ic ia r ie s " in c l u din g N al i ni C h i da m b ar a m , t h e w i f e o f C o n gr e s s m a n P

C hidam baram, f ormer CP M

M LA Debendranath Biswas , and a comp any "owned" by t h e l a te An ja n D u t ta , a m inister f rom As sam

A provisional order for attaching movable properties w o r t h £ 3 3 0 , 0 0 0 a n d i m m o v a b l e a s s e t s w o r t h £ 3 0 0 , 0 0 0 h a s b e e n i s s u e d u n d e r t h e P r e v e n t i o n o f M o n e y L a u n d e r i n g A c t (PMLA), the federal agency said in a statement T h e s e p r o p e r t i e s w e r e owned by the Saradha Group

Nalini Chidambaram

and other people, who were beneficiaries of proceeds of c r i m e g e n e r a t e d b y t h e group, it said T h e E D s t a t e d t h a t among the "beneficiaries" are N a l i n i C h i d a m b a r a m , D e b e n d r a n a t h B i s w a s , a former IPS officer and exCPM MLA, Debabrata Sarkar, and Anubhuti Printers and P u b l i c a t i o n s , w h i c h i s "owned" by Dutta, a former

Indian firm stops production of eye drops linked to death in US

After th e US health pro tection agency warned th at the eye drop s m ay c ontain a drug-resistant bacteria th at has been co nnected to instances o f irreversible vis io n lo ss and one death f rom a bl oodstream inf ectio n, a p harmaceutical co mpany in C hennai h as stop ped p roducing a l ine o f eye drops f or th e U S market

T e a m s f r o m C e n t r a l D r u g s S t a n d a r d C o n t r o l Organisation (CDSCO) and State Drug Controller are on their way to the Global Pharma Healthcare plant located about 40 km south of Chennai

Global Pharma Healthcare s EzriCare Artificial Tears eye drops are being tested by the US Centers for Disease Control a n d P r e v e n t i o n ( C D C ) , w h i l e t h e U S F o o d a n d D r u g Administration (FDA) has declared steps to limit imports of the company's goods According to the agency "FDA is warning consumers and health care practitioners not to purchase and immediately stop using EzriCare Artificial Tears or Delsam P h a r m a ' s A r t i f i c i a l T e a r s d u e t o p o t e n t i a l b a c t e r i a l

contamination Using contaminated artificial tears increases risk of eye infections that could result in blindness or death "

Doctors around the country have been alerted to an unprecedented outbreak of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, affecting at least 55 people across a dozen states, and at least one death, media reported

So far, at least five of the 11 patients who have had infections directly in their eyes have lost their vision, a CDC spokesperson was quoted as saying by the network

leader of the Congress' Assam branch

The Saradha Group

a l l e g e d l y p a i d N a l i n i Chidambaram a legal fee o f £ 1 2 6 , 0 0 0 f o r h e r appearances in court and before the Company Law B o a r d f o r a t e l e v i s i o n s t a t i o n p u r c h a s e agreement, according to e a r l i e r c l a i m s m a d e b y the ED Dutta was considered a c l o s e c o n f i d a n t e o f l a t e Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and he was a minister i n h i s c a b i n e t , h a n d l i n g s e v e r a l d e p a r t m e n t s , including transport He was a p p o i n t e d A s s a m P r a d e s h C o n g r e s s C o m m i t t e e president in December 2014 and he held the post till his death in 2016

a l r e a d y i s s u e d i t s statement on the Adani issue, and public sector

b a n k s a n d L I C h a d i s s u e d s t a t e m e n t s o n t h e i r e x p o s u r e t o t h e group A rout in the share p r i c e o f A d a n i g r o u p c o m p a n i e s h a d c u l m i n a t e d i n t h e g r o u p ’ s f l a g s h i p c o m p a n y A d a n i Enterprises’ FPO being c a n c e l l e d T h e F M s a i d i n a n i n t e r v i e w t h a t n o m a t t e r h o w m u c h t h e i s s u e i s d i s c u s s e d globally, it is not an indication of how well the financial markets are governed S helves bond plan

Adani Enterprises has shelved

a p l a n t o r a i s e £ 1 0 0 m i l l i o n through its first-ever public sale of bonds, reports said citing people f a m i l i a r w i t h t h e m a t t e r T h e m o v e c o m e s d a y s a f t e r i t withdrew its FPO amid a crash in share prices

S &P cuts ou tloo k on Adani Ports

In the first rating action since the Hindenburg report, S&P has l o w e r e d t h e o u t l o o k o n A d a n i

P o r t s a n d A d a n i E l e c t r i c i t y t o negative from stable The ratings agency cited the deterioration in the credit profile of Adani Ports and Adani Electricity Mumbai due to governance risks and funding challenges for the larger Adani Group

E a r l i e r I C R A , a n a r m o f Moody’s, said that it is monitoring the impact of these developments on its rated portfolio in Adani G r o u p T h e m o n i t o r i n g w a s e s p e c i a l l y f o r t h e f i n a n c i a l flexibility of the group, its access t o d o m e s t i c & i n t e r n a t i o n a l c a p i t a l m a r k e t s a n d b a n k i n g c h a n n e l s , p r i c i n g o f d e b t , t i g h t e n i n g o f d e b t c o v e n a n t s , r e c a l l o r a c c e l e r a t i o n o f d e b t f a c i l i t i e s a n d r e f i n a n c i n g A c c o r d i n g t o I C R A , t h e companies it rates do not have a n y i m m e d i a t e r e f i n a n c i n g requirements

Another rating agency Fitch said that there was no immediate impact on the Adani companies that it rates from the shortseller report A rating downgrade is a cause of worry for investors as it increases the returns demanded by debtors

Five take oath as new SC judges

“Butte rfl ies in t he stomach”, s a id a n e r v o us J u st i ce P V Sanjay Kumar seconds after he rea ched the pinnacle of his judicial ca reer in taking o a t h o n M on d a y a s a S up r e m e C o ur t ju d g e , a n o cca si on t ha t a pp ea r e d t o ph ys ica ll y ov er wh el m h im, causing mild t rembl in g of his hand

A s h e s a t d o w n a f t e r affirmation of oath to sign the official papers, the dais m i c r o p h o n e p i c k e d h i m telling CJI DY Chandrachud, who administered the oath, t h a t h e w a s h a v i n g “butterflies in stomach” The C J I u n d e r s t o o d t h e n e r v o u s n e s s o f J u s t i c e Kumar, who was appointed j u d g e o f T e l a n g a n a h i g h court in 2008 and as CJ of M a n i p u r h i g h c o u r t i n F e b r u a r y 2 0 2 1 J u s t i c e Chandrachud’s remarks, also

India blocks 200 applications with Chinese links

Ind ia has blocked m ore than 200 applications with ties to China, the gov ernm ent said According to repo rts, the M i ni s try o f E lec tr o ni c s an d I nf o rm at i on T ec h no l o g y (MeitY) took the initiativ e after the Ministry o f Hom e Affairs mad e the su ggestion

Amid a major crackdown on loan-lending apps, the government of India has ordered to ban around 230 Chinese apps, including 138 betting apps and 94 loan lending apps, on "urgent" and "emergency" basis

According to reports, the government started looking at as many as 288 Chinese apps about six months ago It was discovered that these applications may have had access to the private information of Indian citizens

The move was taken after confirming that these apps attract Section 69 of the IT Act as they contain material, which is prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India

The measure was made in response to many reports of extortion and harassment of borrowers of minor loans through the mobile apps operated by such organisations and individuals

Desperate people are lured into taking on a loan and then jacked up the interest by up to 3,000 per cent annually, according to reports The matter came into the spotlight after a spate of suicides, particularly in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, by those who opted for such loans or lost money to betting apps

p i c k e d u p b y d a i s microphone, was assuring: “This is a very very important and solemn occasion I get t h e m ( b u t t e r f l i e s ) w h i l e administering oaths It is a m o m e n t i n h i s t o r y , y o u know!”

Justice Kumar was third among the five to take oath T h e o t h e r f o u r w h o w e r e a d m i n i s t e r e d o a t h a s S C judges were Justices Pankaj M i t h a l , S a n j a y K a r o l , Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Manoj Misra With this, the working strength of SC went up to 32 judges as against the s a n c t i o n e d s t r e n g t h o f 3 4 judges

J u s t i c e M i t h a l i s t h e senior most among the five who took oath on Monday

He was appointed a judge of Allahabad HC in July 2006

He was appointed as CJ of J&K and Ladakh in January 2021 and was transferred to R a j a s t h a n H C a s C J i n October 2022

With Justice Karol taking oath as a SC judge, Himachal Pradesh got representation in the SC after a gap of over two and half years But there are several HCs which have no representation in the SC Justice Karol was appointed a HC judge in March 2007 and C J o f T r i p u r a H C i n N o v e m b e r 2 0 1 8 H e w a s transferred to Patna HC as CJ in November 2019 and w o r k e d t h e r e t i l l h i s elevation to the SC Justice Amanullah, who was appointed as judge of Patna HC in June 2011, was chosen to become a SC judge from the Muslim community a f t e r t h e r e t i r e m e n t o f Justice S Abdul Nazeer last month He was transferred for eight months to Andhra

P r a d e s h H C i n 2 0 2 0 - 2 1

b e f o r e b e i n g t r a n s f e r r e d back to his parent HC

J u s t i c e M i s r a w a s appointed judge of Allahabad

HC in November 2011 and has a long tenure of more than seven years as an SC judge However, he would r e t i r e a s t h e m o s t s e n i o r judge, remaining no 2 for more than two years when J u s t i c e P a r d i w a l a b e c o m e s C J I i n 2 0 2 8 W i t h t h e s e a p p o i n t m e n t s , b o t h Allahabad HC and Delhi HC h a v e t h e h i g h e s t r e p r e s e n t a t i o n i n t h e S C w i t h f o u r j u d g e s e a c h B o m b a y a n d G u j a r a t H C s have three Judges each in SC 13 new HC ju dges appo inted

T h e l a w m i n i s t r y a l s o notified the appointment of 13 judges for the high courts of Allahabad, Karnataka and M a d r a s T h e n o t i f i c a t i o n says 11 advocates and two judicial officers have been elevated as additional judges of the three high courts

Six advocates have been e l e v a t e d a s j u d g e s i n A l l a h a b a d H C , t h r e e i n M a d r a s H C , a n d t w o i n Karnataka HC Two judicial o f f i c e r s h a v e a l s o b e e n elevated as judges in Madras H C , t a k i n g t h e t o t a l n e w appointments in the court to five However, the elevation o f a d v o c a t e L C V i c t o r i a G o w r i i n M a d r a s H C h a s created a controversy A PIL has been filed by advocates c h a l l e n g i n g h e r appointment on the ground t h a t t h e e r s t w h i l e B J P m e m b e r h a d e x p r e s s e d strong views in 2018 against M u s l i m a n d C h r i s t i a n c o m m u n i t i e s b y a c c u s i n g them of indulging in forced c o n v e r s i o n , w h i c h d i s q u a l i f i e s h e r f r o m becoming a HC judge The SC has admitted the petition I n t h e 2 5 h i g h c o u r t s , a g a i n s t t h e s a n c t i o n e d strength of 1,108 judges, 775 judges are working and 333 p o s t s a r e v a c a n t , a s o n January 30

Gautam Adani

Sitharaman announces benefits for taxpayers, capex, railways

I nd ia 's fi na nc e m i ni s ter Nirm ala Sitharam an w hile presenting th e fifth and last full-fled ged budget of Mo di 2 0, before th e general election next year, stated that the Indian econom y is on the righ t track and is h eaded for a brigh t future In a big boost for taxpayers and e co n o m y, S it h ara m an annou nced m aj or changes in tax slabs under the new tax reg ime and big hike in allocation for railw ays and capital expenditure

She announced change i n i n c o m e t a x s l a b s a n d stated that income up to Rs 700,000 would be tax-free u n d e r n e w t a x r e g i m e “ C u r r e n t l y , t h o s e w i t h i n c o m e u p t o R s 5 0 0 , 0 0 0 d o n o t p a y a n y income tax in both old and new tax regimes I propose to increase the rebate limit to Rs 700,000 in the new tax regime Thus, persons in the new tax regime, with income up to Rs 700,000 will not have to pay any tax, said Sitharaman

She proposed change in tax structure by reducing the number of slabs to five a n d i n c r e a s i n g t h e t a x e x e m p t i o n l i m i t t o R s 300,000 In the new tax system, I suggest lowering the highest surcharge rate from 37% to 25% The maximum tax rate would be reduced as a result to 39%, stated the FM

M o b i l e p h o n e s , l a b g r o w n d i a m o n d s , T V , shrimp feed, machinery for lithium ion batteries and raw materials for EV industries become cheaper On other hand, items such as

silver, cigarettes, compound rubber, articles made from g o l d b a r s , i m i t a t i o n j e we l l e r y , i m p o r t e d b i c y c l e s , toys, luxury cars, EVs and kitchen electrical chimneys are costlier

Railways got an outlay of £24 billion in FY 24 It’s the highest ever allocation for the national carrier and is nearly nine times over F Y 1 4 a l l o c a t i o n s T o i n c r e a s e d e v e l o p m e n t potential and job creation, attract private investment, a n d p r o v i d e p r o t e c t i o n from global headwinds, the g o v e r n m e n t i s i n v e s t i n g

£100 billion in capital, a steep increase of 33% for the t h i r d y e a r i n a r o w

B u d g e t a r y a l l o c a t i o n f o r d e f e n c e i n c r e a s e d f r o m

£525 billion to 594 billion

An allocation of £162 billion has been set aside for capit a l e x p e n d i t u r e s , w h i c h includes the procurement of new weapons, aircraft, battleships, and other military equipment

T h e g o v e r n m e n t intended to lay the groundw o r k f o r s t e e r i n g t h e I n d i a n e c o n o m y t o w a r d A m r i t K a a l t h r o u g h t h e budget The finance minist e r h a s o u t l i n e d s e v e n major goals that will support one another and serve a s t h e g o v e r n m e n t ' s " S a p t a r i s h i " a s i t m o v e s t h r o u g h t h e A m r i t K a a l They include: Inclusive development; R e a c h i n g t h e l a s t m i l e ; Infrastructure and investm e n t ; U n l e a s h i n g t h e p o t e n t i a l ; G r e e n g r o w t h ; Youth power and Financial sector

12th grader girl takes charge of school bus as driver suffers cardiac arrest

Nischal Sanghavi S om etim es sm all alertnes s can save so many liv es One such incid ent h app ened in Rajkot (Gu jarat), where a 17ye ar-o ld g irl sh ow ed h ig h level of d ecisiveness in split second Jatin Bharad who is the Trustee of Bharad Schools located in Rajkot city says, “Bhargavi Vyas is studying in 12th grade in our school On 4th February due to annual f u n c t i o n i n s c h o o l , t h e school started in the afternoon instead of morning She was the first person to be picked up by her school bus from her residence On her way, as she was alone in the bus and known to driver Haroonbhai, she was sitting

Budgetary benefits for defence, railways and other sectors

The budget for de fen ce has been set at £5 93 bill ion , a mea gre 1 5 % increase over t he r evise d est imat es from the previous fisca l y ear and 13% more than b udge tary expectat ions If the enormous pen sion all otment of £13 8 b il lion for r oughly 3 5,00,000 e x-se rvicemen a nd defence civilians is ta ken into account, it a mounts to just 1 97% of the anticipat ed GDP for 2023–2024 If t he pe nsion bill is n ot included, the percent age reduce s to just 1 5% The capital outlay for new weapons systems, platforms and sensors stood at £ 163 billion in the new defence budget, a 6 7% hike from budgetary estimates of 2022-2023 £24 b n for rail wa ys

The railways received a record budgetary push of over £24 billion to accelerate projects like introducing hydrogen-powered wagons and trains, laying of additional tracks, electrification of network, and revamping stations with better amenities for passengers

The first hydrogen-fueled train that was created and produced domestically would be introduced by December 2023, according to railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw These trains will run on historic lines

On the plan for Vande Bharat trains, Vaishnaw said, “This year, we will expand the production to three new facilitiesS o n i p a t ( H a r y a n a ) , R a e b a r e l i ( U t t a r P r a d e s h ) a n d L a t u r (Maharashtra) With four factories (including ICF Chennai) simultaneously producing these trains, the output should be close to 2-3 new Vande Bharat trains every week ” Currently, the railways are getting around two trains every month H ig hway funds on a new high

The government has requested the biggest ever allocation for the road, transport, and highways sector in 2023–24 of £27 billion, which is 25% more than the revised estimates for the financial year This is part of the government's major infrastructure drive

The road transport and highways will also play a crucial role in the scheme of things with nearly 26% of the capital expenditure earmarked for this sector

o n f i r s t s e a t a n d c a s u a l l y chatting with driver while h e d r o v e t h e b u s W h i l e d r i v i n g , H a r o o n b h a i s u dd e n l y s u f f e r e d a h e a r t attack ”

Talking to Asian Voice, Bhargavi said that, “suddenly while chatting with me, his speech started fumbling I instantly walked to him to

find what happened, but he was speechless by that time I tried to touch him, but he i m m e d i a t e l y f e l l o n t h e steering wheel while the bus was running on its course I saw that the road was full of traffic, especially of school children who were cycling Not only that there was a traffic signal at a distance of around 100 metres where several vehicles waited for G r e e n l i g h t I t w a s a n impending disaster about to happen since no one was there to pull the brakes I immediately took charge of the the steering wheel in my hand and swung it to one side and allowed the bus to hit the roadside electric substation and brought the bus

Hillary visits Ahmedabad, pays homage to Ela Bhatt

to a halt ”

According to Bharad, “it was indeed a very brave act by the little girl We have also honoured her for showing the presence of mind ” After the accident, a crowd of people gathered around the vehicle and helped to s h i f t H a r o o n b h a i t o Government Hospital in an ambulance

B h a r g a v i w h o s e f a t h e r owns a small business says, “I understood that I myself might be in trouble if the moving bus hits the electric sub-station But, I had a split second to take the call and looking at the innocent people on road who would be hit in next few seconds, I took the risk on myself ”

According to government data, the amount of money allocated to the sector has surged by more than five times since 2014, when it was approximately £5 15 billion Officials from the highway ministry stated the ministry may set a larger construction target than that for the current fiscal year since the focus will now be on finishing more NH segments (12,000 km) Sending mone y abroad to cost mor e

According to the budget proposal, banks that send money overseas will be required to deduct tax at source at a rate of 20% without regard to any threshold restrictions Therefore, it will hurt your wallet whether you're buying a home abroad, paying for your child s daily costs while they re studying there, or investing in international stocks

Earlier, in such cases, the remitting bank collected tax at source at 5% only if the amount or aggregate amount being remitted in a financial year exceeded Rs 700,000 Further, the withholding tax applied only on the amount in excess of Rs 700,000 (thus if Rs 10,00,000 was being remitted, only Rs 300,000 was subject to the tax collection norms) But these norms have now changed The taxpayer can, of course, adjust the amount withheld as TCS against his tax liability, when filing the I-T return But the higher TCS dents the cash flow, as this adjustment happens only later Refund, if any, arising out of the higher TCS follows later

NASA-ISRO satellite getting ready for 2024 launch

For mer US secre tar y of sta te a nd pre side nt ial ca ndida te Hillar y Clint on visite d Ahme dabad last wee k t o pay homa ge to t he lat e Ela Bhat t, t he f ou n d e r o f S e lf -E m p lo y e d W om e n ’ s A ssociation (SEWA), whom she hails a s one of her h eroe s H i l l a r y i n a u g u r a t e d a n i n s t a l l a t i o n a t L o k m a n y a T i l a k G a r d e n o p p o s i t e S E W A office - the site where Ela Bhatt had planted a sapling and held the first meeting of SEWA 50 years ago She also paid a floral tribute to Ela Bhatt and fondly remembered her Hillary, who is on a two-day visit to the state, launched the global climate resilience fund in Surendranagar after visiting salt pan workers “It was my privilege to work with her (Ela) and to be her friend I visited her several years ago at her home here Today, I was remembering her and everything she meant to us I am grateful that I get to see that she is r e c o g n i z e d i n t h e c i t y s h e w a s b o r n i n , worked at and founded SEWA She is remembered by all,” said Hillary Hillary first visited SEWA in 1995 and later in 2018

and SEWA over the decades When she visited SEWA on Sunday and held a meeting with the SEWA members at ‘Hillary Chowk,’ she r e m i n i s c e d h e r f i r s t v i s i t w i t h d a u g h t e r Chelsea She said that it might be difficult for her to witness 100 years of SEWA, but she will surely help her daughter and granddaughter to be part of the event

Hillary listened to the accounts of SEWA members working in diverse fields ranging from plastic processing to construction and lauded their efforts and stories of resilience She told them that while they have come so far, a challenge in the form of climate change was imminent “Whether you are into construction, w a s t e r e c y c l i n g , p l a s t i c s , s t r e e t v e n d i n g o r

strengthening the ties with Ela

farming, your challenge will be to make an income to support yourself by working through the days of overwhelming heat,” said Hillary, adding that she has brought in various stakeholders to launch the first of-its kind fund to mitigate the challenges and has also sought suggestions on the fund’s applications She told the members that they have been a source of inspiration for many women across the globe

Ind ia w ill receiv e a NA SA and ISRO-d ev elo ped earth o bs er v at io n sa tel li te l ate r th is m onth that will h elp with mo re in-d epth investigation of Earth's land and ice surfaces

( N I S A R ) i s a L o w E a r t h O r b i t ( L E O ) o b s e r v a t o r y being jointly developed by t h e A m e r i c a n a n d I n d i a n S p a c e a g e n c i e s I t i s designed to carry Synthetic

that can be used to predict natural disasters, track climate change

T

o b r o k e n c o c o n u t s l a y i n t h e f r a m e , a s t h e C h a i r m a n o f t h e I n d i a n S p a c e R e s e a r c h O r g a n i z a t i o n ( I S R O ) r e c e i v e d a j a r o f p e a n u t s from a top NASA official, at

t h e N A S A J e t P r o p u l s i o n Laboratory in United States

Seen towards the rear of the frame is a model of the crucial component of the f i r s t - e v e r I n d i a - U S j o i n t satellite mission known as

A p e r t u r e R a d a r ( S A R ) , a n extremely potent, all-weather, day and night imaging method from space that can assist researchers and scientists in observing changes in Earth's land and ice surfaces d o w n t o f r a c t i o n s o f a n inch

NISAR will gather radar d a t a w i t h a d r u m - s h a p e d reflector antenna almost 40 feet (12 meters) in diameter

It will use a signal-processing technique called interferometric synthetic apert u r e r a d a r , o r I n S A R , t o observe changes on Earth,

"Through the detection o f b o t h l i t t l e a n d l a r g e m o t i o n s , t h e o b s e r v a t i o n s made by NISAR will aid scie n t i s t s i n m e a s u r i n g t h e ways in which Earth is continually changing Land surf a c e c h a n g e s t h a t m o v e s l o w l y c a n o c c u r b e f o r e earthquakes, landslides, and v o l c a n i c e r u p t i o n s , a n d i n f o r m a t i o n o n t h e s e changes could help people get ready for natural disasters Understanding of the pace and effects of climate change, particularly sea level r i s e , w i l l b e i m p r o v e d b y m e a s u r e m e n t s o f m e l t i n g sea ice and ice sheets" said

Bhargavi

EC approves 'Two Leaves' symbol for AIADMK

C HE NNA I: The Election Com mission

o f Ind ia h as approved the 'tw o leaves' s ymb ol fo r A ll Ind i a A nna Drav id a M u nne tra K az hag a m ( A IA D M K) , i n w hat seem ed to be a mild victory for Ed ap pad i Palanisw am i (EPS) faction

E C I a ls o ap p r o v ed t h e A I A D M K p r es i d i u m c h ai rm an T am i l m ag a n Hussain to sig n in forms A and B and also authorised candid ates to contest o n behalf of AIA DMK on the twoleav es sym bol

Tamilmagan Hussain said that this is the first step towards winning the E r o d e E a s t b y - e l e c t i o n s , a n d a l s o expressed hope that AIADMK would be winning the seat

H o w e v e r , T a m i l m a g a n H u s s a i n d e n i e d a n s w e r i n g a n y q u e s t i o n s regarding what would be the next legal a c t i o n i n t h e m a t t e r E a r l i e r , t h e Supreme Court ordered the AIADMK p a r t y G e n e r a l C o u n c i l t o p a s s a resolution related to a candidate who w i l l r e p r e s e n t t h e p a r t y i n t h e upcoming by-elections of Erode (East) constituency in Tamil Nadu

Following this AIADMK Presidium Chairman Tamilmagan Hussain sent affidavit forms to all General Council members of AIADMK This brought criticism from the O Pannerselvam (OPS) faction who called the action as

o n e - s i d e d T h e O P S f a c t i o n a l s o w i t h d r e w t h e i r c a n d i d a t e S e n t h i l

Murugan from Erode east by-election

The faction said that they don't want to be the reason for the freezing of the 'two leaves' symbol But, they said that they will campaign for the symbol but not for the candidate

H o w e v e r , t h e s o l u t i o n c a n b e t e r m e d t e m p o r a r y a s t h e S u p r e m e

Court clearly mentioned the verdict as interim arrangements only in relation t o t h e f o r t h c o m i n g b y - e l e c t i o n s AIADMK candidate Thennarasu will be filing his nomination for the byelection

Earlier, Edappadi K Palaniswami

( E P S ) f a c t i o n o f t h e A I A D M K circulated forms to gather support for its candidate, former MLA Thiru KS T h e n n a r a s u , a m o n g t h e G e n e r a l Council members for the upcoming Erode by-polls

Why FM called millets 'Sri Anna', explains PM Modi

A ) : P r im e M i ni s te r Narendra M odi on M onday rev ealed the rationale behind term ing millets as 'Sri A nna' as announced by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sith aram an in her budg et sp eech

Addressing a public rally in Tumakuru district, he said this name has been picked up from Karnataka where the millets are called 'Siri Dhaanya', which is a colloquial way of saying 'Sri Dhaanya'

"People in Karnataka understand the importance of 'thick food grains' (millets) That's the reason that you all call it 'Siri Dhaanya' The country is taking forward millets by respecting the sentiment of the people of Karnataka," the Prime Minister said

"Now, the millets will be known as 'Sri Anna' across the country 'Sri Anna' means the best among all the food grains," Modi added as he sought to connect with p e o p l e i n p o l l - b o u n d K a r n a t a k a , w h e r e a s s e m b l y elections are due by May

This is the Prime Minister's third visit to the state in less than a month He is scheduled to inaugurate the Aero India show here on February 13 and unveil the a i r p o r t i n t h e d i s t r i c t h e a d q u a r t e r s t o w n o f Shivamogga on February 27 M o d i p o i n t e d o u t t h a t K a r n a t a k a h a d b e e n producing Raagi (Madiya), Navane (foxtail millet), S a a m e ( l i t t l e m i l l e t ) , H a r a k a ( K o d o ) , K o o r a l u (Browntop millet), Udalu (Barnyard Millet), Baragu (Proso millet), Sajje (pearl millet), and Bili Jola (great m i l l e t ) T h e P r i m e M i n i s t e r r e c e i v e d a c h e e r f u l response from the audience as he mentioned the popular food made of Raagi

in brief

4 WOMEN KILLED, 12 INJURED IN TN STAMPEDE

A stampede to collect tokens for free clothes being offered by a businessman at Vaniyambadi resulted in the death of four women and injuries to 12 women Police said a local businessman who runs a blue metal company had offered free clothes for the Thaipoosam festival and at least 2 000 people mostly women had gathered outside his factory gates to collect tokens The moment his staff opened the gates in the morning, there was a rush to get in and several women in the front of the crowd fell down The rest of the crowd rushed in stamping on those fallen By the time order was restored, several women had been injured They were rushed to the Vaniyambadi government general hospital where four women from Old Vaniyambadi were declared dead

PRADHAN MADE BJP KARNATAKA POLL IN-CHARGE

LU DHI AN A : Punja b Chie f

M i n i st e r Bh a g wa n t M a n n on Mon day called upon the i n d us t r ia l is t s t o sh ow c a se ' Br a n d Pu nj a b' bef or e t he g lo ba l in dust ry comin g to t he sta te for pa rticipat ing in t he In vest Punjab Summit on Febr uary 23 -24

I n t e r a c t i n g w i t h i n d u s t r i a l i s t s during a session organised here, the Chief Minister said Punjabis are known world over for their hard work and entrepreneurship skills H e s a i d P u n j a b i e n t r e p r e n e u r s have proved their mettle across the globe, adding now the time has come to showcase the vast potential of the state to the world Mann said it is the need of hour to make the state an industrial hub of the country

The Chief Minister said he was not h e r e a m o n g s t t h e i n d u s t r i a l i s t s t o invite them for the summit Rather the i n d u s t r i a l i s t s s h o u l d s u p p o r t t h e government and act as hosts to the global captains coming to the summit

Mann envisioned that the day is

not far when Punjab will emerge as a front runner s t a t e i n i n d u s t r i a l g r o w t h T h e C h i e f Minister said the state c o n t r i b u t e s t h r e e p e r c e n t i n t h e n a t i o n a l GDP

He said Punjab is a blessed land which has fertile land and innovative people who can do anything for the country and its people "The state is n u m b e r 1 i n s t a r t u p s a n d t h e entrepreneurs from Punjab have left a n i n d e l i b l e i m p r i n t i n t h e w o r l d economy " The Chief Minister said the government has introduced the new industrial policy to give impetus to industry and commerce This policy h a s b e e n f r a m e d a f t e r d u e consultations with all stakeholders, especially the industrialists

Mann said any other suggestion in regard to this policy is always welcome, a d d i n g t h e g o v e r n m e n t w i l l s o o n i n t r o d u c e c o l o u r c o d i n g f o r s t a m p papers to facilitate the industrialists for early clearance of their new projects

C HA ND IG A R H: Th ree P unj ab nativ es o f a fou rm em ber Dh adi jatha (ballad sing ers) on a six-month spo nsored tour to perform at Canada gurdwaras hav e d isapp eared, with the gro up head suspecting the trio m ight have planned th e d esertion to seek asylum as refug ees throug h frau dulent m eans

Brothers Harpal Singh, 39, and Ranjit Singh Rana, 30, vanished along with Rajesh Singh Mahay, 36, on January 22 from Calgary, group head and noted singer J a s w i n d e r S i n g h S h a n t s a i d S e v e r a l s u c h disappearances of Punjab band members abroad have been reported in the past few years Shant described it as a very unfortunate incident that will bring a bad name to Sikhism, Punjab as well as India Shant said before leaving India, Harpal and Ranjit had got their photos clicked with Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) president Simranjit Singh Mann However, Shant was quick to clarify that Mann, who openly supports the Khalistan movement, had no knowledge about their intentions

“Now I understand that their intention was to misuse those photos by claiming that they are related to Mann’s party and there is a threat to their life in India,” said Shant “The visas of Harpal and Ranjit are valid till February 23 and they have already applied for extension But we have withdrawn their application,” Shant said

Another BJP MLA joins Trinamool

KO LK A T A : In yet another jolt to the Bharatiya Janata P arty in W es t B en g al , M L A S u m a n K a nj i la l jo i n ed T ri na m o o l C ongress in p resence of party’ s n at io n al g en era l s ec re tar y

A

bhishek Banerjee on Sunday

Several BJP MLAs including Mukul Roy, Arjun Singh, and R a j i b B a n e r j e e h a v e s w i t c h e d s i d e s f o l l o w i n g M a m a t a Banerjee’s landslide victory in t h e 2 0 2 1 s t a t e A s s e m b l y elections

There was a buzz in political c i r c l e s t h a t t h r e e m o r e B J P

M L A s a r e i n t o u c h w i t h t h e

T M C A b h i s h e k B a n e r j e e h a s said several BJP MLAs want to come and stressed if the TMC opens the door a lot more will join T h e e x i t o f t h e M L A i s s i g n i f i c a n t s i n c e t h e B J P l e g i s l a t o r ’ s c o n s t i t u e n c y

Alipurduar falls in North Bengal where the party did well in the

2 0 2 1 p o l l s T w o m o r e M L A s f r o m N o r t h B e n g a l – K r i s h n a

Kalyani and Soumen Roy– had joined the TMC earlier

TMC insiders said the party is working in every way to regain its lost ground in North Bengal

and thus induction of BJP

M L A s f r o m t h e r e g i o n i s

significant

L e a d e r o f O p p o s i t i o n

a n d B J P M L A S u v e n d u

A d h i k a r i d a r e d A b h i s h e k

B a n e r j e e t o a s k S u m a n

Kanjilal to admit on tape and inside the Assembly that he has

j o i n e d t h e T M C H e a s k e d

Abhishek why he is scared of the

1 0 t h S c h e d u l e o f t h e I n d i a n

Constitution

“Are you scared of the 10th

S c h e d u l e o f t h e I n d i a n

C o n s t i t u t i o n ( a n t i - d e f e c t i o n law)? Not handing over TMC

f l a g ? B e c a u s e , i n s i d e V i d h a n Sabha, as in the case of Mukul Roy, TMC owner labelled him as BJP; Suman Kanjilal would also claim that he belongs to the BJP Legislative Party,” he tweeted Adhikari said the BJP Legislature

P a r t y i s n ’ t a f f e c t e d b y “ s u c h stunts”

After playing a significant role in the 2022 UP assembly elections as BJP s poll incharge Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan was awarded the same responsibility for the upcoming Karnataka assembly polls reflecting his rising stature as a key strategist in the party hierarchy Health minister Mansukh Mandaviya and the party s Tamil Nadu president K Annamalai have been appointed co-poll in-charge for the state BJP president JP Nadda made the appointment ahead of the assembly polls for which the poll dates are likely to be declared in the second week of March The party brass took into account the electoral challenges in the state of not only combating the incumbency factor but also the fact that the party has never won a majority on its own

SIKH YOUTH BRUTALLY BEATEN ON AMRITSAR STREET

A Sikh youth was thrashed by 15 youths in a busy Amritsar street The incident has been captured on a CCTV camera The victim Harman Singh said he was going to Ajit Nagar when a motorbike hit him The boy on the bike started arguing with him and later beat him up However the people around came to his rescue He said, Later, some 15 youths arrived and thrashed me I was beaten by some 15 youths, they hit me besides kicking me They hit me on the head with the karas (iron bangles) They pulled my hair and made a video to insult me,” he alleged Harman received 12 stitches on the head Harman’s father said they met the police and demanded action against the youths

MAMATA AWARDED WITH DLITT BY XAVIER’S UNIVERSITY

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee was awarded honorary degree of Doctor of Literature (DLitt ) by the St Xavier’s University in Kolkata Mamata proposed a chair in the honour of St Mother Teresa at the university In 2016 Mamata had gone to Vatican City to attend the canonization ceremony of Mother Teresa I ll use my degree to help the common people She declared, "I am a commoner myself," during the St Xavier's University s 4th convocation ceremony Mamata stated, "I propose from the state government a chair in memory of St Mother Teresa at the university ”

Mann urges industrialists to showcase 'brand Punjab' globally

3 members of Punjabi ballad troupe disappear in Canada

PM Modi emerges as world's most popular leader

P ri me M ini ster Na rend ra

M odi has emerged as th e w orld's most pop ular leader g lobally, accord ing to a survey cond ucted by a U Sb as ed c o ns u l ti ng f ir m ' M o rn i ng C o n su l t ' P M

M odi received an ap prov al rating of 78 per cent

According to the poll, PM Modi received higher ratings than foreign leaders such as US President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister R i s h i S u n a k , a n d F r e n c h P r e s i d e n t E m m a n u e l M a c r o n T h e s t u d y s u rveyed over 22 international l e a d e r s t o d e t e r m i n e t h e rankings

Based on the research c o m p a n y P o l i t i c a l I n t e l l i g e n c e , t h e " G l o b a l Leader Approval" study was based on information gathered between January 26 and January 31, this year A seven-day moving average of every country's adult residents was collated by the firm, as sample sizes of different countries varied

India's Prime Minister Modi received 78 per cent

of approval ratings, which was way more than the 40 per cent ratings which US President Biden received

The second place was c l i n c h e d b y M e x i c a n President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador with 68 per cent ratings and the third position was occupied by S w i s s P r e s i d e n t A l a i n Berset with a 62 per cent approval rating

As per information provided by the US tracking c o m p a n y ' s w e b s i t e , P M Modi scored 78% approval ratings while only 18% of respondents disapproved of

SC notice to Centre over petition on BBC documentary

T h e S u p re m e C o u rt h a s soug ht C enter's response to two petitions that contested the g overnm ent order asking social m ed ia platform s to rem o v e t h e tw o- p a rt series, as w ell as tweets and posts th at contained links to 'Ind ia: Th e M odi Question', and ord ered the gov ernm ent to p ro d u c e th e o ri g i n al records

him as a leader The firm regularly updates the list w i t h U S P r e s i d e n t J o e Biden standing at number seven currently

Among the 22 nations, Norwegian Prime Minister J o n a s G a h r S t o r e , S o u t h K o r e a n P r e s i d e n t Y o o n S e o k - y o u l a n d J a p a n e s e P r i m e M i n i s t e r F u m i o Kishida were ranked at the last three positions on the list

I t a l y ' s n e w l y e l e c t e d first female Prime Minister G i o r g i a M e l o n i s t o o d i n sixth place after receiving 52 per cent ratings

Ramdev booked for hate speech in Rajasthan

Af t er ma k in g di s p a ra gi n g co mments ab ou t M us lims in Rajasth an on F ebruary 2, media o utlets repo rted th at yo g a mas te r R am dev h a d been arrested fo r allegedly inciting animos ity and stirring up religious emotions

According to the police, a first information report w a s f i l e d a g a i n s t h i m i n B a r m e r o v e r a c o m p l a i n t filed by a resident named Pathai Khan

On February 2, Ramdev m a d e t h e a r g u m e n t t h a t Muslims turn to terrorism a n d c r i m e b e c a u s e t h e y b e l i e v e t h a t p r a y i n g w i l l a b s o l v e t h e m o f a l l t h e i r sins Ramdev was speaking to a group of seers in Barmer at the time “Because that’s w h a t t h e y h a v e b e e n taught just pray, do whatever else you want to do,” he says “They became terror-

Ramdev

i s t s , a n d a l o t o f t h e m become criminals ”

He had added: “Ask a Muslim what your religion says, they will say that read namaaz five times [a day] a n d t h e n d o w h a t e v e r c o m e s t o m i n d W h e t h e r you kidnap Hindu girls, do whatever sin you want to commit ”

Ramdev had also drawn a p a r a l l e l w i t h C h r i s t i a n s saying they get forgiveness for all their sins by attending church and lighting candles

According to media, Khan alleged in his lawsuit that

Ramdev purposely damaged Muslims' feelings by making t h e r e m a r k s i n o r d e r t o incite animosity and hatred toward Islam

L a s t w e e k , t h e R a j a s t h a n P o l i c e s a i d Ramdev has been charged with violating Indian Penal Code Sections 153 (promote enmity between groups on the basis of religion), 295A ( d e l i b e r a t e a n d m a l i c i o u s a c t s i n t e n d e d t o o u t r a g e r e l i g i o u s f e e l i n g s o f a n y class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), and 298 (uttering, words, etc , with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any person)

The yoga guru is also facing a case in the Supreme C o u r t f o r d e r o g a t o r y r e m a r k s a b o u t a l l o p a t h y and doctors who practice the medical system

ED questions Rahul aide in money

laundering case against TMC leader

T he Enforcem ent Directorate has interrog ated and recorded th e statement of Alankar S awai, a close assistant to C ong ress lead er Rahul Gandhi, in a m oney laundering case in w hich the ag ency recently detained TMC sp okesman Saket Gokhale in Gujarat

Sawai was questioned and also confronted with Gokhale in Ahmedabad, they said A former banker, Sawai is considered to be a close aide of Gandhi and is stated to be heading his research team

After detaining 35-year-old Gokhale on January 25, the federal investigation agency summoned Sawai When Gokhale was questioned about the Rs 23,54,000 that had been paid into his bank account in cash over the c o u r s e o f a y e a r , t h e E D i n f o r m e d a n A h m e d a b a d c o u r t t h a t G o k h a l e h a d responded, "This amount was given in cash

b y A l a n k a r S a w a i o f t h e I n d i a N a t i o n a l Congress for social media work and other consultancy "

On being asked as to why Sawai had paid him in cash, Gokhale stated that only Sawai can answer this question, the ED told the court in its remand paper

“Further, on being asked regarding any written agreement with Alankar Sawai in respect of social media work he stated that it was only verbal agreement with Alankar Sawai,” the agency said The ED claimed that Gokhale received these cash payments while he was a member of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) Sawai is understood to have been questioned about these instances and his statement was recorded under the provis i o n s o f t h e P r e v e n t i o n o f M o n e y Laundering Act (PMLA)

weeks The respondent will a l s o p r o d u c e t h e o r i g i n a l record before the next date of hearing ” The court has posted the matter for hearing in April

Dealing with two petitions – one filed jointly by T r i n a m o o l C o n g r e s s M P Mahua Moitra, journalist N Ram and advocate Prashant B h u s h a n , a n d t h e s e c o n d one by advocate ML Sharma – a bench of justices Sanjiv Khanna and MM Sundresh said, “The counter affidavit shall be filed within three

N Ram's senior attorney, CU Singh, asked the court for an earlier hearing date while pointing out that the C e n t r e u s e d e m e r g e n c y p o w e r s t o r e m o v e t w e e t s distributing the documentary Tweets from Bhushan a n d M o i t r a w e r e a m o n g them According to the petition, this was a violation of t h e C o n s t i t u t i o n ' s A r t i c l e 19(1)(a)-protected basic right to free speech and expression

“ A l l c i t i z e n s i n c l u d i n g the press have the funda-

mental right to view, form an informed opinion, critique, report on, and lawfully circulate the contents of the documentary as right to f r e e d o m o f s p e e c h a n d expression incorporates the right to receive and disseminate information,” the petition said Singh requested tempor a r y o r d e r s r e q u i r i n g t h e C e n t r e t o m a k e i t s o r d e r from January 20 public He made the case that the laws require the Centre to issue s u c h e m e r g e n c y i n s t r u ctions within 48 hours Can we allow the interim prayer without hearing them, the bench asked They now have our order The record will be made by them

Oreva MD sent to police remand till February 8

A local co urt in Morbi sent Jaysukh Patel, th e managing director of Oreva, to p olice c u s to dy t i ll F e br u a ry 8 against th e police’s demand for 1 4 day cu sto dy T he p romoter of th e Oreva o rganisation app eared before th e co urt desp ite sp ending 24 h ours in po lice p riso n

The prosecution argued that in spite of the bridge’s capacity to carry only 100 people at a time, there were more than 400 people on the bridge on October 30, when it collapsed killing 135 people and injuring many more

Before the chief judicial magistrate, the special public prosecutor appointed for

this case, S K Vora, argued b e f o r e t h e c h i e f j u d i c i a l magistrate M J Khan that the prosecution seeks 14day remand to gather evidence during Patel's confinement on a few essential grounds

Vora added that the init i a l a g r e e m e n t f o r t h e maintenance and management of the bridge between the Oreva group and the M o r b i m u n i c i p a l i t y h a d expired in 2017, so why was the bridge still in their control? Along with questioni n g t h e t y p e o f c o n s e n t s obtained from the various government entities at vario u s t i m e s , V o r a s a i d i n court that the prosecution

also intended to look into any illicit gratification by p o l i t i c i a n s , c o l l e c t o r a t e officials, or other municipal or collection authorities

The police also want to see the accounts regarding the bridge maintained by the Oreva group between 2017 and 2022, which were allegedly not audited by the company It’s also argued that the bridge collapse was n o t a n a c c i d e n t a s P a t e l k n e w f u l l y w e l l t h a t t h e bridge was in a dilapidated condition According to the prosecution, Patel was on the run for the past 91 days and they want to find out who gave him shelter during this period

Modi govt is ‘fearless, decisive’, says President Murmu

Presid ent Dro upadi Murmu h i g h l ig h ted th e M o d i ad m ini strati o n's s treng th s, h i g h l ig h ti ng c o u rag e, decisiveness, and stability as its d efining ch aracteristics Sh e emp hasised that these traits have not only helped the gov ernm ent overcom e a nu m be r o f o b st ac le s an d been es sential to bring ing ab o u t tra ns f or m at iv e g ov ernanc e in th e nati on, but hav e also g iv en the rest of the world reason to h av e hig h expectations fo r India

In her maiden address to the joint sitting of the two Houses of Parliament that marked the commencement o f t h e B u d g e t s e s s i o n , Murmu listed India’s war on C o v i d - 1 9 a s a m a j o r achievement “From surgical strike to a firm crackdown o n t e r r o r i s m , f r o m a befitting response to every misadventure from LoC and L A C , f r o m a b r o g a t i o n o f Article 370 and triple talaq, m y g o v e r n m e n t h a s b e e n r e c o g n i s e d a s a d e c i s i v e o n e , ” s h e s a i d “ M y government has always kept t h e c o u n t r y ’ s i n t e r e s t

paramount and shown the w i l l p o w e r t o c o m p l e t e l y transform the policies and strategies when required,” she said

The President said, "The s t a b l e a n d d e c i s i v e government has enabled us t o d e a l w i t h t h e b i g g e s t calamity in 100 years and t h e s i t u a t i o n t h a t a r o s e t h e r e a f t e r " H e w a s s p e c i f i c a l l y r e f e r r i n g t o India's fight against Covid1 9 a n d h o w t h e n a t i o n administered over 2 2 billion d o s e s o f t h e C o v i d - 1 9 v a c c i n e i n t w o y e a r s P o l i t i c a l i n s t a b i l i t y e x i s t s

e v e r y w h e r e i n t h e w o r l d , a n d t h o s e n a t i o n s a r e currently dealing with grave challenges But because of t h e c h o i c e s m a d e b y m y government in the benefit of the country, India is in a lot better position than the rest of the world

The President's address w a s c r i t i c i s e d b y t h e o p p o s i t i o n p a r t i e s , w h o claimed that it was only the "first chapter" of the BJP's 2 0 2 4 p l a t f o r m a n d t h a t important topics like pricing c o n t r o l , i n t e r g r o u p p e a c e , a n d w o m e n ' s r i g h t s w e r e "missing "

Narendra Modi

Droupadi Murmu

SCRUTATOR’S

India begins work on 135km Ladakh road

India has begun construction of a strategic road in Ladakh that will, for the most part, follow the Indus River and replicate a paved surface link on the C h i n e s e s i d e . B e t w e e n t h e s t r a t e g i c a l l y s i g n i f i c a n t C h u s h u l s o u t h o f Pangong Tso and Demchok in eastern Ladakh, a distance of about 135 km along the LAC, the road will close a critical connectivity gap It will enable quick access to the advance landing area at Fukche as well as the Tibetan refugee settlement of Dungti, which looks over the ITBP's Hena post The Border Roads Organization started the construction on Republic Day and plans to finish it in two years. Plans to build a concrete bridge nearby to replace the existing iron bridge over the Indus at Loma will make it simple to transport heavy military equipment to eastern Ladakh's core. (Agency)

one-time championship game at The Oval in June (Agency)

In a first, siblings study together in RIMC

In a bizarre incident, a bride in Uttar Pradesh’s Chitrakoot, refused to tie the knot as her groom kept entering her room repeatedly even before their wedding rituals could get over The groom was reportedly so taken aback with the bride when the wedding procession arrived at her residence after the garlands were exchanged, he continued to visit her room before other rites could be performed Angered by his son ’ s behaviour, the father of the groom asked him not to go to the bride’s room but the groom would not listen The father slapped the groom before the guests and the groom slapped back his father After this incident the situation worsened and the bride decided to call off the wedding Both families chose not to continue with the marriage after the barat returned without the bride According to a report, the procession had arrived at the girl's door and everything was going as planned However, the bridegroom lost all sense of reason when he first laid eyes on the girl at the Jaimala and was unable to keep his distance from the bride (Agency)

Virat, Anushka on spiritual break

Telluri Agnes, 13, from Andhra Pradesh's Nandyal district, joined her brother Telluri Srujan, 15, in class X at the prestigious Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC), Dehradun, with the shared goal of joining the military Since allowing admission for girls last year, this would be the first instance of a brother and sister studying together at the RIMC If one or both siblings are successful in enlisting, it would be a first for the family “Once my brother got into RIMC, I, too, got motivated to join the institute and started preparing for it I feel happy today to have joined him We share a common ambition of joining the armed forces after passing from here If we succeed, we would be the first from our family to achieve this feat,” Agnes said Agnes has joined her brother Srujan after receiving admission to RIMC, according to Lt Col Manish Srivastava, public relations officer for the ministry of defence in Dehradun, who called it a "matter of pride " (Agency)

Italian flyer punches,

spits at crew

incidents in Chhota Udepur and Rajkot districts Sahil Baria, a toddler, was taken from his older brother's arms by a leopard in Muldhar village in the Bodeli taluka of Chhota Udepur The siblings were having fun in the field when a leopard suddenly appeared and snatched away the toddler The leopard then vanished into some nearby bushes The elder raised an alarm and the neighbourhood people and his family members started chasing after the leopard, had left Sahil's body at a distance The child's serious throat injuries caused his death In the second incident, the three-year-old daughter of a Madhya pradesh labourer was taken away by another leopard in a farm in Mevadar village of Rajkot's Upleta taluka (The Times of India) Man falls

to death while disposing body of friend

complaint with the police The police later detained 11 suspects, including 10 men and one lady, in connection with the incident (The Times of India)

Man tries committing suicide live, saved

Cricketer Virat Kohli and his wife

Anushka Sharma travelled to Rishikesh for a spiritual retreat before India's Test series against Australia The couple went to the ashram of Swami Dayanand Giri Anushka and Virat can be seen praying at the ashram in a number of images that went viral At the ashram, Virat granted selfie requests from other followers as well According to rumours, Virat and Anushka will hold a bhandara after taking part in a public religious ceremony at the ashram After visiting an ashram in Vrindavan to seek blessings with their daughter Vamika, they travelled to Rishikesh Australia will soon tour India for a four-game Test series The Border Gavaskar Trophy 2023 series will be crucial in deciding which teams will earn the top two spots in the World Test Championship A playoff spot will be awarded to the top clubs for the

A 45-year-old Italian woman passenger was detained after she allegedly punched a cabin crew member and spat on another on board a Vistara Airline flight (UK 256) from Abu Dhabi to Mumbai Paola Perruccio, who was intoxicated, allegedly caused a commotion after airline employees protested to her using a business class seat even though she was ticketed in the economy class, according to Sahar police who lodged a case on the basis of the airline staff's complaint She also removed her clothes, moved around in the vacant space on board and hurled abuses In order to rein her in, the cabin crew on the captain’s instructions, overpowered Perruccio, dressed her and tied her to a seat at the rear end of the flight till it landed at Mumbai international airport, police said The woman was arrested and booked under various provisions of the Aircraft Act, the official said (The Times of India)

Leopards kill two toddlers

Two boys aged two and three years

In an ironic turn of events, a man who is accused of killing a buddy over a money dispute while working with another close ally to dispose of the body died after falling down a steep hillside at Amboli ghat in Sawantwadi in Maharashtra The aide who accompanied him had a lucky escape A fight over money transaction among three men from Karad, Satara, had led to the alleged murder of one Sushant Khillare (30) Later, the other two men Bhauso Mane (30) and Tushar Pawar (28) travelled 400 km in a car to dump Khillare’s body near Amboli ghat Mane, however, lost his balance and fell along with the body and died Pawar narrowly escaped The remains of both were retrieved with the aid of rescuers after police received a call (Agency)

OBC groom stoned for riding horse

Members of the higher caste pelted stones when an OBC groom began riding a horse during a wedding ceremony in Tarsang hamlet of Shehra taluka in Panchmahal district Eleven people were taken into custody in connection with the incident The incident took place when the wedding procession replete with DJ system reached near the dairy in the town and a group of 11 people approached them objecting to the groom riding a horse Claiming that only ‘bapus’ (people from Kshatriya community) can ride horses, the group dragged the groom down from the horse and started to abuse the participants of the procession before pelting stones on them The assailants also damaged the DJ equipment that was being used throughout the parade The father of the groom filed a

In a shocking incident, a guy who attempted suicide and broadcast it live on Instagram was saved in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh A young man named Abhay Shukla attempted suicide because he was depressed over economic losses The proactiveness of Meta and Ghaziabad police officials saved the the man The incident happened last week at night in the Vijay Nagar area of Ghaziabad The Ghaziabad police acted quickly after receiving the tip and arrived at the young man's home in 13 minutes Once the location was discovered, the police kept in contact with Abhay Shukla and engaged him in conversation As a result, the young man who was about to attempt suicide was quickly saved According to reports, Abhay who used to work in a company that sells old mobiles started his own business He suffered heavy losses and decided to end his life (Agency)

Fooling monkeys with stuffed tigers

When innovation meets ideas, it usually turns out to be ‘jugaads’, which are

hacks to get a grip of any situation in the best possible way with options available at hand This is exactly what few villages in Andhra Pradesh came up with The debate about culling wild animals that were termed as ‘vermin’ left the country divided as activists claiming it as a heinous crime, while farmers lamenting over their loss However, no middle path was discovered that would abide by ‘live and let live’, until this unique jugaad came to the rescue

Several villages in Andhra’s North Godavari district, fed up with the monkey menace, came up with an innovative idea to scare away the apes using big catstigers Confused, as to how petty villagers could tame the wild beast to help them? Well, because the wild cats are not real but are stuffed soft toys! Yes, we told you about jugaads As the monkey population rose in these villages so did their nuisance These monkeys often attacked passersby, stole valuables and even entered homes So, to go about in a sustainable way, villagers used these stuffed tiger to get rid of the troublemakers (Agency)

Groom's act rages bride, cancels wedding

Loneliness can raise dementia risk: Study

A n ew s tu dy s ug ge s ts loneliness can inc rease the ri s k of d e me n t i a R i s k fa c t or s f or Al z he i m e r ’ s di s e a s e a n d re l a te d de m en t i a s ( A D R D ) i nc l ud e s m ok i n g, ex ce s s iv e dr i nk i ng , p oor s le e p a nd a l a c k o f fr e q ue n t e x e rc i s e Re s e a rc h er s fo un d t ha t people with these hab its had greater odds of being lonely and lacking social support

R e s e a r c h e r s s t u d i e d t h e d a t a o f 5 0 2 , 5 0 6 U K

Biobank participants and 3 0 , 0 9 7 p e o p l e i n t h e C a n a d i a n L o n g i t u d i n a l S t u d y o f A g i n g B o t h studies asked participants a b o u t l o n e l i n e s s , f r e q u e n c y o f s o c i a l i n t e r a c t i o n a n d s o c i a l support In the Canadian s t u d y , i n c r e a s e d r e g u l a r p a r t i c i p a t i o n i n p h y s i c a l exercise with other people was associated with a 20 1

p e r e n t d e c r e a s e i n t h e odds of feeling lonely and a 26 9 per cent decrease in h a v i n g p o o r s o c i a l support

M e a n w h i l e , t h e U K data showed that hearing d i f f i c u l t i e s w h e n surrounded by background noise led to a 29 per cent i n c r e a s e i n t h e o d d s o f feeling lonely Physical and m e n t a l h e a l t h f a c t o r s previously linked to ADRD, s u c h a s c a r d i o v a s c u l a r disease, vision or hearing

5 yoga poses for children to fight the effects of prolonged screen time

T e c h n ol og y c o n ti n u e s t o play an i ncreas ing role in our lives Wi th an array of d ev i c e s at th e i r d i s pos a l , chi ldren are spending m ore and more time in front of sc reens these days Studies

impairment, diabetes and n e u r o t i c a n d d e p r e s s i v e b e h a v i o u r s , w e r e a l s o a s s o c i a t e d w i t h s o c i a l isolation

ADRDs are a growing public health crisis, with an annual global cost of more than $1 Trillion US dollars According to Alzheimer’s R e s e a r c h U K t h e r e a r e 9 4 4 , 0 0 0 p e o p l e w i t h dementia in the UK This will increase to over one million by 2030 and over 1 6 million by 2050

s h ow t ha t e ve r y c h i ld i s exposed to sc reen time for an average of around two h ou r s d a i l y Wh i l e i t i s diff icult to eli minate s creen tim e from their life, some steps c an be ta ken to curb the time they are exposed to blue light

S o m e y o g a e x p e r t s b e l i e v e s o m e a s a n a s c a n h e l p c o u n t e r p a r t y o u r child's brain and body slug

1 Palmin g your ey es

Rub palms together and c r e a t e s o m e h e a t P l a c e t h e m g e n t l y o n c l o s e d eyelids, so the cups of the h a n d c o v e r t h e e y e l i d s T h e r e s h o u l d b e n o pressure Eyes can be kept open or closed, based on your comfort

2 Seated f orward f old

Sitting on a chair, come into a forward bend over the legs If the hands are touching the floor, let them rest there, and let the head h a n g h e a v y O n a n

inhalation, raise the arms back up over the head

3 U pward standing stretch

Stand erect with your hands on their respective s i d e s w i t h f e e t s l i g h t l y apart and parallel to each

Raise your arms for a full u p w a r d s t r e t c h , f o c u s i n g on a point straight ahead Simultaneously, raise both y o u r h e e l s t o a c h i e v e m a x i m u m s t r e t c h t o t h e body After holding for 6-10 seconds, lower your heels and bring your palm down t o r e s u m e t h e s t a r t i n g position

4 Seat ed Cat- C ow Sit on a chair with a long spine and place both y o u r f e e t o n t h e f l o o r

Place your hands on your

knees or the tops of your thighs On an inhale, arch your spine and roll your shoulders down and back, b r i n g i n g y o u r s h o u l d e r b l a d e s o n t o y o u r b a c k W h i l e e x h a l i n g a r o u n d your spine, drop your chin to your chest, and let the shoulder and head come forward 5 Samada Mudr a All four fingers and the t h u m b a r e b r o u g h t together to touch in this Yogic hand gesture Hold the mudra and place them on your eyelids as you sit with your eyes closed for 5 - 7 m i n u t e s T h i s w i l l b r i n g i n s t a n t r e l i e f a s healing energy is directed toward it

R es ea rc h ers h a v e cr ea ted new molecules that can be s p ra ye d i nto th e no s e to block the SARS-C oV-2 virus from entering the lu ng s and c au s i ng i nf ec ti o n T h e C o v id -1 9 v ir us e nte rs th e b o d y th r o u g h t h e lu n g s w hen p eop le breathe, resu lting in illness

Engineers at the Johns Hopkins University in the US have now created thin, t h r e a d - l i k e s t r a n d s o f m o l e c u l e s c a l l e d s u p r a m o l e c u l a r f i l a m e n t s capable of blocking Covid19 virus in its tracks “The idea is that the filaments will work like a sponge to absorb the Covid virus and o t h e r v i r u s e s b e f o r e t h e y have the chance to bind to cells in our airways,” said Honggang Cui, an associate professor at Johns Hopkins W h i t i n g S c h o o l o f Engineering

“Even if the therapeutic can block the virus for an hour or two, that can be helpful when people must be in a public setting,” said Cui, who led the research The key to this approach is

the way that the filaments c a r r y a r e c e p t o r c a l l e d a n g i o t e n s i n c o n v e r t i n g enzyme-2, or ACE2 which are also found in cells in the nasal lining, the lung surf a c e , a n d s m a l l i n t e s t i n e They have many biological r o l e s , s u c h a s r e g u l a t i n g blood pressure and inflammation The novel coronavirus enters our bodies primarily through interactions with this receptor

The team’s newly developed filament, called fACE2, serves as a decoy binding site for the virus, with each f i l a m e n t o f f e r i n g s e v e r a l r e c e p t o r s f o r t h e C o v i d

spike protein to

a t t a c h t o , a n d s i l e n c e s A C E 2 ’ s b i o l o g i c a l f u n ct i o n s t o a v o i d p o t e n t i a l s i d e e f f e c t s “ O u r plan is that this would be administered as a nasal o r o r a l s p r a y , allowing it to be suspended in the lungs or settle on t h e s u r f a c e o f airways and lungs When a p e r s o n b r e a t h e s i n t h e Covid virus, the virus will be fooled into binding to the decoy receptor and not the A C E 2 r e c e p t o r s o n c e l l s , ”

Cui said Since the filaments attract SARS-CoV-2’s characteristic spike protein, it should work equally well on any current or future variants, the researchers said T h e y t e s t e d i t s d e s i g n i n m o u s e m o d e l s a n d f o u n d their filament was not only present in the rodents’ lungs up to 24 hours later, but also elicited no inflammation or o b v i o u s d a m a g e t o t h e lungs’ structures

One can get their daily dose of vitamins, protein, minerals and anti oxidants in several ways One of the best ways to hydrate better and get the required nutrients with minimum effort is to inc lude natural and healthy dri nks in our diet

In her latest Instagram post, nutritionist Lovneet Batra wrote, “Most people are

under a misconception that only the rich can maintain a healthy lifestyle, on a dayto-day basis On the contrary, I believe when it comes to health, you need not look beyond your kitchen shelves Heard about superfoods? Now it is time for some Indian super drinks, an easy way to keep you healthy ”

She suggests four super drinks that can work wonders for health

1 Amla ginger jui ce

A daily drink that can help boost your immunity and fight infections, amla ginger juice is a must-addition to your daily routine While amla is rich in Vitamin C, ginger has anti-inflammatory properties This also makes your digestion smoother

H ow to make it

• Wash ginger and amla properly

• Grate both and squeeze juice from grated ginger and amla

• Mix the juice in a cup of water and serve it

2 Shatavari water

S h a t a v a r i i s a p o t e n t h e r b f o r t h e female reproductive system and is known to promote lactation It helps balance hormones, has anti-inflammatory properties, and relieves stress and anxiety The herb also supports lung health and helps with respiratory issues such as asthma and bronchitis

Best ways to consume fennel seeds for digestion, heart health

Fennel seeds are kno wn for their cooling p roperties and streng thening the dig esting fire and balance dosh as They are traditionally used as mou th freshener p ost meals and ease the dig estive process However, they are also know n to lend recip es a u nique flav our and aroma L ike sev eral spices, fennel seed s hav e been used for culinary and m ed icinal purposes since imm em orial T he seed s h av e a sligh tly sweet and licorice-like flav our, making th em pop ular in Indian and M i d d le Ea ster n d i sh es , E ur op ea n ba ked g oods, and liqueurs Ayurveda expert Dr Dixa Bhavsar talks about the benefits of fennel seeds and the b e s t w a y t o e a t t h e m S h e w r o t e , “ I n Ayurveda, it holds a special role in digestion Because of its cooling and sweet properties, it specifically strengthens and warms

Agni (the digestive fire) without provoking pitta And as a tridoshic her, fennel is also balancing for vata and kapha, making it a great digestive choice for anyone to keep on hand Fennel is also helpful for anyone e x p e r i e n c i n g p o s t - d i g e s t i v e d i s c o m f o r t from excess vata by redirecting apana vayu downwards ”

She also listed the medicinal qualities of fennel seeds saying they are light to digest, oily, sweet, pungent, and bitter She says fennel seeds improve strength and immunity, are useful in bleeding disorders due to excess heat, improve digestion, are good for the heart, are considered a cardiac tonic, and are useful in relieving pain during menses She wrote, “As further support for women, fennel has a specific effect on rasa dhatu, promoting the flow of breast milk in

nursing mothers ” The Ayurveda expert adds that fennel seeds also relieve krumi ( w o r m s ) , b a d d h a v i t ( c o n s t i p a t i o n ) , a n i l a (Vata/bloating), daha (burning sensation), aruchi (Anorexia, lack of interest in food), chardi (vomiting) and kasa (cough, cold) As per Ayurveda, the sattvic qualities of fennel seeds are said to refresh the mind and promote mental alertness and are also considered rejuvenating for the eyes

Best ways to co nsume fennel seeds:

• Have 1 tsp post meals for health to aid digestion

• You can also make a CCF tea from saunf for weight loss, diabetes, PCOS, thyroid, cholesterol and other gut issues

• You can also have saunf as a sharbat

f o r c o o l i n g d o w n i n c a s e o f s e v e r e pitta/heat issues

H ow to make it

Ingr edients

• 3-5 g shatavarti roots

• 1/2 cup water

Met hod

• Boil shatavari roots in water

• Strain properly

• Serve it

3 Sat tu

If you struggle with the daily protein intake, sattu is an easy answer Made from black gram, sattu is a good source of protein and can provide the body with essential amino acids Sattu can help provide sustained energy throughout the day and is a good snack option between meals It helps promote digestion, heart health and iron, c a l c i u m , a n d p o t a s s i u m a n d a i d s b r a i n health It is also a muscle strengthener

H ow to make it

Ingr edients

• 2 tbsp roasted chana flour

• 1 tsp jaggery powder

• A pinch of black salt (according to taste)

• 1 glass chilled water

Met hod

• Mix all the ingredients properly

• Serve chilled 4 Wheatgr ass juice

Wheatgrass is rich in antioxidants, vitam i n s , m i n e r a l s , a n t i o x i d a n t s , a n d f i b r e which support heart health and digestion

Wheatgrass also has detoxifying properties and promotes healthy liver function

• It is also regarded as an energy booster

H ow to make it

Ingr edients

• A handful of wheatgrasses

• 1/2 cup water

Met hod

• In a juicer, put a handful of wheatgrasses and half a cup of water and blend

• Consume instantly

A spray that could prevent Covid infection from developing

Have these super drinks every day to boost health

English-Vinglish set to release in China on Feb 24

Sridevi‘s critically-acclaimed film

English Vinglish is set to hit theatres in the Chinese mainland on February 24 to commemorate her fifth death anniversary The 2012 film will debut on 6,000 screens in mainland China, according to distributor Eros International. After a 15-year absence, Sridevi made her film comeback in the Gauri Shinde-directed Hindi family comedy-drama, which went on to represent India's official submission for the Best Foreign Language Film category of the 2012 Academy Awards

English Vinglish narrates the story of a quiet, sweet-tempered housewife Shashi Godbole, who endures small slights from her well-educated husband and daughter every day because of her inability to speak and understand English Her attempt to learn the language helps her

rediscover herself and reassert her value

The story was inspired by Shinde’s mother who ran a business of spices "Indian movies have steadily made headway in the cutthroat Chinese film industry, which is the second largest in the world In China Mainland, there has been an increase in interest in Indian movies, particularly those with a strong cultural focus ” In a statement, Kumar Ahuja, COO of Eros International, said, "We are eager for the Chinese audience to be astounded by this masterpiece displaying one of the most unforgettable performances by the late Bollywood diva Sridevi

The movie also features Adil Hussain, Sumeet Vyas, Priya Anand, Sulabha Deshpande and French actor Mehdi Nebbou

Ranbir has a new fan in Manika Batra

Actor Ranbir Kapoor recently had a sweet interaction with Indian table tennis player Manika Batra She took to social media to share her photo with him and shared that the moment was extremely “precious” to her as she thanked him for making her feel so comfortable

Manika shared in the caption, “At first I didn’t want to post this and wanted to keep it to myself as this moment is precious to me But then I thought people should know how generous and kind this man is We spoke about my game He was curious about my height (he said-aapko toh zyaada bend hota padta hoga as you have a great height ) and so on ”

She added, “RK has my heart Thank you for making me feel so comfortable Always been a fan of your acting , but now I’m a fan of your kind , intellectual and fun traits!!”

On the work front, Ranbir is sharing screen space with Shraddha Kapoor in ‘Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar’, which is scheduled to release on March 8 At the trailer launch of the film, Ranbir spoke

about working in a romantic comedy and said, “It’s very hard, rom-com is the hardest genre When you give me a character like Sanju or Rockstar, you ’ re hiding behind a character There’s a certain paraphernalia around you to work with But these rom-com parts are very hard I’m just insecure that I don’t

Alia grooves to Ranbir-Shraddha song

‘Tere Pyaar Mein’

run out of a personality, so I can still keep delivering some entertainment through the genre ”

Later this year, he will be seen in Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s ‘Animal’, which also stars Rashmika Mandanna The movie is scheduled to release on August 11

Sidharth, Kiara tie the knot in Jaisalmer

Bollywood sweethearts Sidharth Malhotara and Kiara Advani married at the Suryagarh Palace in Jaisalmer. It was followed by reception at night. The haldi and sangeet ceremony was held on Monday. The bride and groom opted for silver-coloured ensembles for their big day The couple's respective Wikipedia pages were updated with each other's names in the spouse field Kiara and Sidharth took their pheras with only very close family and friends in attendance, according to media reports

The wedding was attended by Karan Johar, Shahid Kapoor and his wife Mira Rajput, Juhi Chawla with Jai Mehta, Isha Ambani and Anand Piramal The duo fell in love while filming of their movie Shershaah, d a t e d a f e w y e a r s A l t h o u g h t h e y n e v e r publicly confirmed their relationship, the star couple also went on holidays together and their social media posts dropped hints They have never talked openly about their relationship but on the latest season of Koffee With Karan, Kiara said that she and Sidharth were ‘ more than good friends’ Kiara, last seen in 'Govinda Naam Mera' with Vicky Kaushal and Bhumi Pednekar, has 'Satyaprem Ki Katha' opposite Kartik

Actor

Alia Bhatt shared a video as she grooved to a song from her husband and actor Ranbir Kapoor’s upcoming movie ‘Tu Jhoothi Main Makkar’ while working out at a gym The movie also features actress Shraddha Kapoor, who reacted to

Taking to Instagram, Alia posted a video in which she was on an exercise bike Alia sported a black sleeveless top and matching tights She gave several expressions as she lip-synched to the song The actor also cycled as she did several steps The video ended with Alia blowing a kiss to her fans and followers

Alia captioned the video, "Filhaal hum toh sirf Cardio ke pyaar mein bheege bheege bheege (As of now, I am just in love with cardio) (grinning face with sweat emoji) @shraddhakapoor #TerePyaarMein on loop d a d a ( i n f i n i t y a n d b l a c k h e a r t e m o j i s ) @ipritamofficial "

S h a r i n g t h e p o s t o n h e r I n s t a g r a m S t o r i e s , S h r a d d h a w r o t e , " ( l a u g h i n g a n d okay emojis) Uffff you cutestest (face with three heart emojis) @aliabhatt " She also added, "P S: Yeh kya Makkaari hai Ranbir? Apne real id se aao (What is this dishonesty, Ranbir? Come from your real id) (laughing emojis) " So far, Ranbir doesn't have an account on any social media platforms Shraddha and Ranbir will be next seen in t h e u p c o m i n g r o m a n t i c c o m e d y f i l m Helmed by Luv Ranjan, the film is all set to hit the theatres on March 8 The song ‘Tere Pyaar Mein’ is composed by Pritam, sung by Arijit Singh and Nikhita Gandhi, and has lyrics penned by Amitabh Bhattacharya

When the film trailer was released last m o n t h , A l i a h a d h e a p e d p r a i s e s O n Instagram, the actor shared the trailer video along with a caption It read, "Truly one of my most favourite trailers !! Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar releasing 8th March ”

On the work front, Alia has several p r o j e c t s i n t h e p i p e l i n e i n c l u d i n g h e r Hollywood debut, ‘Heart of Stone’ The film is set to release on August 11 on Netflix and stars Gal Gadot The movie, directed by Tom Harper, also features Jamie Dornan, Sophie Okonedo and Matthias Schweighofer

She will be next seen in Karan Johar's directorial ‘Rocky aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani ’ The film, set to release on July 28, stars Dharmendra, Jaya Bachchan, Shabana Azmi, and Ranveer Singh

the video.

Aaryan and a Telugu film with Ram Charan in the works Sidharth's new film 'Mission

Majnu' released last month and he will next be seen in 'Yodha '

Kangana believes that someone is spying on her

In the morning I was clicked at 6:30am, how do they get my schedule? What do they do with these pictures? and now as I finished my early morning choreography practice session no one was tipped to come to the studio yet they all turned up in large numbers even on a Sunday ”

Kangana mentioned that a ‘ casanova ’ from the film industry might be behind it She also mentioned his wife, who got her home decorated in the same style as hers “I am certain my WhatsApp data is being leaked professional deals or even personal life details, this obsessed nepo mafia clown who once landed at my door step uninvited and forced himself on me is a known womaniser and Casanova but now vice president of nepo mafia brigade as well, forces his wife to become producer, do more female centric films, dress like me even make home interiors like me they even hired my stylist and even home stylists of many years who then refused to work with me, ” she wrote

Kangana

Ranaut believes someone from the film industry is spying upon her. The actor took to Instagram to share a note on possibly being followed and her WhatsApp chats getting leaked by a “casanova” and his wife. While she did not name her suspects, she shared multiple details about their lives.

Kangana wrote in her post that the paparazzi followed her to a dance studio, despite her not informing them of her whereabouts She wrote, “Everywhere I go I am being followed and spied on, not only on the streets even in my building parking and home terrace they put zoom lenses to capture me, every one knows paparazzi only visit stars if they are tipped these days they even started to charge to click actors, my team or I aren't paying them so who is paying them?

Sharing more details about the couple, she wrote, “Wife is encouraging this obsessive behaviour she even wore the same sari for her wedding that I had worn earlier for my brother's wedding reception, it's beyond creepy recently a film costume designer friend (best friend) I knew from more than a decade also had a nasty fall out with me coincidentally he is working with the couple now, my financiers or business partners call off deals last minute for no reasons, I think he is trying to isolate me and put me through mental stress, BTW he keeps her on a separate floor, they both live separately in the same building, I suggest she must say no to this arrangement and keep an eye on him how is he getting all this data and what all is he indulging in because if he gets in trouble she and her baby will be in trouble as well she must take charge of her life and make sure he is not indulging in anything illegal Much love to you dear girl and your new born ”

'Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani’ release postponed

SRK's witty reply to Twitter user on ‘Pathaan’ box office collection

Shah Rukh Khan made a return to the silver screen with a bang He starred in Siddharth Anand’s ‘Pathaan,’ which is on its way to becoming the highest-earning Bollywood film in the domestic market. However, a few online trolls are questioning the movie’s box office success, and it appears that SRK finally responded to one of them.

Shah Rukh Khan’s come-back movie ‘Pathaan’ is doing wonders domestically and overseas. With many happy about King Khan’s return to the big screen, the highlight for most is the special cameo of Salman Khan, where his character Tiger comes to help out Shah Rukh’s 'Pathaan' at a crucial moment. The two actors' last shared screen space was in Shah Rukh’s 2018 ‘Zero ’

The release of Alia Bhatt and Ranveer Singh’s ‘Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani’ has been postponed by exactly three months The Karan Johar directorial was scheduled to be released on April 28, 2023 However, the movie cast and crew took to Instagram to announce the movie’s new release date, July 28, 2023 The film was originally set for a February 28 release

B o t h A l i a a n d R a n v e e r s h a r e d Instagram posts announcing the new date Alia wrote in her caption, "Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani releasing July 28, 2023 See you at the movie," M e a n w h i l e , R a n v e e r s h a r e d t h e announcement with a caption that read, 'Kyunki (because) it’s all about loving your family!" They shared a s a v e - t h e - d a t e p o s t e r o f t h e f i l m

Several celebs, including actor Janhvi Kapoor and filmmaker Zoya Akhtar, commented on their posts, and many fans left comments like 'can't wait' and ‘excited'

‘Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani’ m a r k s K a r a n J o h a r ' s r e t u r n a s a director after his 2016 film ‘Ae Dil Hai M u s h k i l ’ , w h i c h f e a t u r e d A n u s h k a Sharma and Ranbir Kapoor Sharing his excitement about his upcoming movie, Karan wrote on Instagram on T h u r s d a y , " T h e y s a y ‘ s a b r k a p h a l meetha hota hai (the fruit of patience

is sweet)’, so to increase the mithaas (sweetness) of this incredibly special story – we're coming with a whole lot of love! Rocky aur Rani ke parivaar ho rahe hai taiyyaar, aur ab dekhiye yeh anokhi kahani of pyaar (Rocky and Rani's families are gearing up for a unique love story)!”

A l o n g w i t h R a n v e e r a n d A l i a , ‘Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani’ stars v e t e r a n a c t o r s D h a r m e n d r a , J a y a Bachchan and Shabana Azmi in key roles This is the first time that Karan is directing Dharmendra and Shabana Azmi

During an ‘Ask SRK’ session on Twitter, one Twitter user asked him, “@iamsrk #Pathaan ka real collection kitna he? #AskSRK ” The actor replied, “ 5000 crores Pyaar 3000 crore Appreciation 3250 crores hugs 2 Billion smiles and still counting Tera accountant kya bata raha hai (What is your accountant saying)??”

Displaying more wit, the 57-year-old actor also replied to a Twitter user who asked when he plans to play his age on screen The person wrote to SRK, “#AskSRK tum iss tarah hero ka role karoge ya kabhi film mein hero or heroine ka father ban ne ka plan hai @iamsrk (Are you going to continue playing hero or will you ever play a father to the lead actors in a film?)” Shah Rukh wrote back, “Tum baap bano main hero hi theek hoon (You be a father, I am doing fine as a hero) ”

Shah Rukh essays the role of a spy in ‘Pathaan ’ And despite the film’s high-octane action and d e m a n d i n g s t u n t w o r k , S h a h R u k h ’ s a g e i s

acknowledged in a couple of scenes, when Pathaan asks for a breather during a fight, and later when Salman Khan’s Tiger arrives with painkillers

On the work front, Shah Rukh will most likely be seen in an action avatar in Atlee’s new film, ‘Jawan ’ Later in the year, he is set to star in Rajkumar Hirani’s ‘Dunki,’ co-starring Taapsee Pannu

In a new revelation, the dialogue writer of the film Abbas Tyrewala shared how the scene was re-written several times to get the balance right for both the characters and actors He shared that the scene was made in “ a collaborative spirit”

Speaking about the key moment, Abbas said in an interview, “You know when Shah Rukh and Salman are going to be on screen together as Pathaan and Tiger, it’s a doublee d g e d s w o r d O n t h e o n e h a n d , t h e o p p o r t u n i t i e s t o e n t e r t a i n t h e a u d i e n c e suddenly become so much more On the other hand, you also have to be very, very careful about how you play it so that the people don’t get so caught up with Shah Rukh and Salman that they forget Pathaan and Tiger That balance needs to be there ”

H e a d d e d , " S o j u s t b e c a u s e T i g e r i s making an entry, you can’t give that whole scene away to Salman and make Shah Rukh less But at the same time, Salman is making a special entry in Shah Rukh’s film So, no way that you can make Salman not be an event That has to be something that gives the thrill to the audience So how do you b a l a n c e i t w h e r e P a t h a a n ’ s f i l m s t a y s Pathaan’s film but Tiger’s moment becomes Tiger’s moment and both get to shine?”

The writer-filmmaker revealed that the Salman-Shah Rukh scene was "written and re-written a number of times " It all came t o g e t h e r d u e t o t h e c o l l a b o r a t i v e s p i r i t between producer Aditya Chopra, director Siddharth and the actors

Directed by Siddharth Anand, ‘Pathaan’ features Shah Rukh as a special agent who t r a c k s d o w n a f o r m e r r o g u e a g e n t J i m , played by John Abraham, to prevent him from spreading a virus that can kill millions globally He puts together a special unit, J o i n t O p e r a t i o n a n d C o v e r t R e s e a r c h

J O C R ) , h e a d e d b y D i m p l e K a p a d i a ' s Nandini to catch him

‘Pathaan’ writer says Shah Rukh-Salman scene written multiple times

Atlee and wife Priya welcome baby boy

‘Jawan’ filmmaker Atlee Kumar and his wife Priya Mohan have announced the arrival of their baby boy Taking to Instagram, they shared a joint post announcing the birth of their first child The couple also posted two pictures

Janhvi hasn’t signed a Tamil film, clarifies Boney Kapoor

For some time, rumours surrounding Bollywood actress

Janhvi Kapoor’s Tamil cinema debut have been doing the rounds in the media. However, producer Boney Kapoor took to Twitter to put them to rest and clarified his daughter had not signed any Tamil film at the moment The producer also requested media not to spread “false rumours” about her Tamil debut

Recent media reports suggested Janhvi has been approached to star opposite Arya in ‘Paiyaa 2 ’ , which N Linguswamy will direct Reacting to the rumours, Boney tweeted, “Dear media friends This is to bring to your notice that Janhvi has not yet c o m m i t t e d t o a n y T a m i l f i l m s ,

In the first photo, Atlee and Priya lay on a bed, holding tiny shoes in their hands The duo looked at each other as they smiled The words it s a boy was written on the photo The next photo showed the duo smiling at the camera They also held each other while twinning in cream outfits for a photoshoot

The couple captioned the post, "They were right (heart eyes emoji) There’s no feeling in the world like this (black heart emoji) And just like tat our baby boy is here!

A new exciting adventure of parenthood starts today! Grateful Happy Blessed (hug, black heart and folded hands emojis) ”

Reacting to the news, celebrities, as well a s f a n s c o n g r a t u l a t e d t h e c o u p l e A c t o r S a m a n t h a R u t h P r a b h u w r o t e ,

"Congratulations my loves " Actor Kalyani Priyadarshan said, "He is going to have so m u c h l o v e s u r r o u n d i n g h i m C o n g r a t u l a t i o n s " A f a n c o m m e n t e d ,

"Congratulations darling @priyaatlee welc o m e t o m o t h e r h o o d G o d b l e s s " " A w w w w w w w c o n g r a t u l a t i o n s d a r l i n g s , " said an Instagram user

Taking to his Instagram Stories, Atlee posted a video also featuring Priya The clip ended with the words, "Little boy, we loved you from the very start, you stole our breath, embraced our hearts Our life together has just begun, you're a part of us, cute little one Welcome more "

Atlee is set to make his Bollywood debut with ‘Jawan’ The film stars Shah Rukh Khan, Nayanthara, and Vijay Sethupathi, among others It is set to release on June 2 this year It is produced by Shah Rukh's prod u c t i o n c o m p a n y R e d C h i l l i e s

Entertainment It will release worldwide in H i n d i , T a m i l , T e l u g u , M a l a y a l a m a n d

Kannada

Tamil, Telugu film celebrities pay tribute to K Viswanath

r e q u e s t i n g n o t t o s p r e a d f a l s e rumours ”

M e a n w h i l e , t h e r e a r e a l s o rumours that Janhvi will make her Telugu cinema debut opposite actor

Jr NTR in filmmaker Koratala Siva’s u p c o m i n g y e t - u n t i t l e d p r o j e c t

However, the makers are yet to make an official announcement

The actress has been vocal about h e r w i s h t o a c t o p p o s i t e T e l u g u actors, especially Vijay Deverakonda and Jr NTR

On the work front, Janhvi was last seen in the survival thriller ‘Mili’, a r e m a k e o f t h e M a l a y a l a m f i l m ‘ H e l e n ’ , p r o d u c e d b y h e r B o n e y Kapoor Next, Janhvi will be seen in ‘Dostana 2 ’ She also has ‘Bawaal’ alongside Varun Dhawan and ‘Mr A n d M r s M a h i ’ w i t h R a j k u m m a r Rao

'Favours' sought in return for pivotal roles: Nayanthara

Nayanthara is undoubtedly one of the reigning stars of the South film industry She is among the highest-paid actors in the south Indian film industry Nayan recently shed some light on her casting couch experiences in her early days She recently made a revelation about it during a media interaction

In a recent media interaction, Nayanthara revealed how she was once asked for 'favours' if she wanted to bag a pivotal role in a film She said she refused it ‘boldly’ as she knew she could make a mark for herself on the merit of her talent

Last month, the 38-year-old actor said her journey in cinema hadn't been a cakewalk, and all the ups and downs have taught her a lot She said in an interview, "There is so much that I have learnt, that I have gone through, but it is all been nice Whatever mistakes I have made, the good and bad phases (I have been through), everything is good now It is all a learning experience It is not easy to be in the industry for 18-19 years, but the audience and God has been kind to me I feel blessed I don’t know how to put the whole thing together (in words) ”

“If you are honest to your craft, if you do your work well, it works The audience connects with you, they fall in love with you, they celebrate you, which becomes the biggest joy of life,” Nayan added

On the work front, Nayanthara was recently seen in the horror film ‘Connect’ and will now be opposite Shah Rukh Khan in ‘Jawan’

Noted

Filmmaker Kasinadhuni Viswanath recently passed away of age-related health issues at 92 He was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Hyderabad His last rites were to be performed in the city Many big names in the Tamil and Telugu film industries paid their last respects to the deceased in Hyderabad

‘RRR’ director SS Rajamouli and music composer MM Keeravani arrived together to bid adieu to the late director Chiranjeevi and Pawan Kalyan, and Venkatesh Daggubati were also seen offering prayers and paying their last respects to the late Dadasaheb Phalke awardee

K Viswanath started his professional life as an a u d i o g r a p h e r H i s f i l m m a k i n g c a r e e r b e g a n

under director Adurthi Subba Rao after a brief stint as a sound engineer He later went on to work as an assistant director for the Telugu film ‘Pathala Bhairavi’ in 1951 He made his directorial

debut with the 1965 movie ‘Aatma Gowravam’ and went on to win the state Nandi award Some of his other most memorable directorials include ‘Chelleli Kapuram’, ‘O Seeta Katha’, ‘Jeevana Jyoti’, and ‘Sarada’

He was honoured with Padma Shri in 1992 and the Dada Saheb Phalke in 2017 Over the course of a career spanning over four decades, he won many other film awards

Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared his condolences on the filmmaker's death and called him the “stalwart of cinema” He tweeted, “Saddened by the passing away of Shri K Viswanath Garu He was a stalwart of the cinema world, distinguishing himself as a creative and multifaceted director His films covered various genres and enthralled audiences for decades Condolences to his family and admirers Om Shanti ”

Jennifer Aniston wears Manish Malhotra lehenga

The trailer of Jennifer AnistonAdam Sandler’s upcoming movie ‘Murder Mystery 2’ was released recently and featured the actress in a Manish Malhotra lehenga

Ricky Kej becomes only Indian to win 3 Grammys

Cardi B sets the Grammys red carpet on fire in Gaurav Gupta couture

The65th Grammy Awards wrapped up on Sunday, and as each year, it was a fashion lover’s paradise. While several stars walked the red carpet in stunning outfits, Cardi B stole the show in a surreal outfit The American rapper has not been nominated for an award this year However, she did

Indian music composer Ricky Kej won his third Grammy Award at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards for his globally acclaimed album ‘Divine Tides’ with Stewart Copeland. Kej created history by becoming the only Indian to win three Grammy awards

H i s p r e v i o u s w i n s c a m e i n 2022 for ‘Divine Tides’ and 2015 for ‘Winds of Samsara ’

The trailer was released last w e e k , a n d f r o m w h a t w e s e e , Aniston and Sandler’s characters have become full-time detectives four years after solving their first m u r d e r m y s t e r y T h e d u o i s invited to celebrate the wedding of their friend, the Maharaja, played by Adeel Akhtar, on his private island

A s t h e f e s t i v i t i e s b e g i n , J e n n i f e r a t t e n d s a f u n c t i o n wearing a cream-coloured lehenga with matching jewellery Adam, t o o , c o m p l e m e n t e d h e r i n a matching sherwani Jennifer and Adam shared the trailer on their I n s t a g r a m a c c o u n t s T h e y captioned the post, We’re baaaack March 31!! @netflixfilm R e a c t i n g t o t h e p o s t , M a n i s h ' s l a b e l , M a n i s h M a l h o t r a W o r l d dropped a white heart emoji I n s t a g r a m u s e r D i e t S a b y a c o n f i r m e d t h e l e h e n g a b r a n d t h r o u g h t h e i r s o c i a l m e d i a account A person asked, "DS ji A d a m S a n d l e r a n d J e n n i f e r A n i s t o n i n I n d i a n a t t i r e f o r murder mystery 2 Any idea who Jennifer is wearing?" Diet Sabya s h a r e d t h e q u e s t i o n o n h i s I n s t a g r a m S t o r i e s a n d r e p l i e d , " @ j e n n i f e r a n i s t o n i n a

@manishmalhotra05 lehenga ”

Fans loved Jennifer's look and shared their thoughts One social media user said, "You're looking stunning babe just awesome in I n d i a n a t t i r e Y o u ' v e a d d e d another level of glamour to the dress A comment read, Never t h o u g h t I ' d s e e J e n n i f e r i n a lehenga omg she slayed " "Jen in I n d i a n t r a d i t i o n a l a t t i r e , " commented an Instagram user "I never thought we would ever see you in an Indian attire - ghaghra choli," wrote a person ‘ M u r d e r M y s t e r y 2 ’ i s a n upcoming comedy mystery film directed by Jeremy Garelick and written by James Vanderbilt It is a sequel to the 2019 film ‘Murder Mystery’ and stars Adam Sandler a n d J e n n i f e r A n i s t o n I t i s scheduled to be released on March

‘Divine Tides’ is a tribute to the Hindu sentiment of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam,’ meaning the world is one family The album contains nine songs and eight music videos It has already won several awards since last year

A f t e r t h e w i n , K e j t w e e t e d , “Just won my 3rd Grammy Award Extremely grateful, am speechless! I dedicate this Award to India ”

This isn’t the first time Cardi a n d G a u r a v c o l l a b o r a t e d S h e showcased his design in her music

video ‘No Love ’ Beyonce led the 65th Grammy A w a r d s w i t h n i n e n o m i n a t i o n s and took away four trophies over the weekend She is now the mostawarded solo artist in Grammy history The star now has 31 alltime Grammy Awards

Lilly Singh, Hailey Bieber dance to ‘Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai’ title track

Canadian YouTuber and talk show host Lilly

Singh shared a lovely surprise for her Indian fans recently. She took to Instagram over the weekend to share a video with model wife Hailey Bieber and danced to a popular Bollywood movie song.

In the video, Lilly is first seen by herself in a lavish bathroom She wears a brown leather jacket and matching pants with her hair tied in space buns Soon, Hailey joins her in her grey jacket, shorts and black shoes Both dance to ‘Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai’, which originally starred Hrithik Roshan and Ameesha Patel

Lilly captioned the post, “When you make a new friend but they’re also a stunning model like hiiiii @haileybieber PS: had a blast shooting your show and becoming your new fav Canadian ” Hailey is the wife of popular Canadian singer Justin Bieber and daughter of Stephen Baldwin She is also known as a model and for her beauty brand Rhode

Other celebs and fans of the two were the happiest to see their dance video Sonam Bajwa wrote, “Oh my my ” Queer Eye's Tan France

wrote, "She’s the cutest and sweetest " A fan w r o t e , “ P e t i t i o n f o r L i l l y t o m a k e e v e r y celebrity dance to famous Bollywood moves ”

Another commented, “OMG never thought I’d see Hailey dancing to Bollywood!! Thank you for always including your culture wherever you go!”

Lilly is a Canadian social media influencer, and talks show host Her YouTube channel the name ‘Superwoman’ was immensely popular among the Indians and NRIs She later hosted her late-night show, ‘A Little Late With Lilly Singh’ She has also judged ‘Canada's Got Talent ’

US journalist calls Shah Rukh 'India’s Tom Cruise', fans retaliate

Rukh Khan’s ‘Pathaan’ has become a global success, catching the eye of international film critics as well Since its release, the Hindi action film has broken box-office records domestically and worldwide In a recent article, American journalist and critic Scott Mendelson wrote about the film In an article, they referred to Shah Rukh as India’s Tom Cruise, angering his fans who asked him to amend his piece

Shah

The US journalist shared his article titled ‘India’s Tom Cruise Shah Rukh Khan May Have Just S a v e d B o l l y w o o d W i t h H i s Blockbuster ‘Pathaan’’ published for the website The Wrap The article looked at how Shah Rukh’s comeback film revived the Hindi film industry after a lean period

In replying to Scott’s tweet, his fans asked him not to compare Shah Rukh with the American star One fan wrote, “SRK is SRK ! He isn't Indian Tom Cruise but rather a national treasure, he is a man beyond his films " Another flipped his statement and shared, "You m a d e a n e m o t i o n a l m i s t a k e i n y o u r s t a t e m e n t S h a h R u k h i s Emotion He is the greatest among t h e B e s t , t h e b e s t a m o n g t h e greatest Period!! Though I like Tom, I would not mind at all if you address him as American’s Shah Rukh Khan ”

Many others pointed out the d i s r e s p e c t h a n d e d o u t t o S h a h R u k h i n t h e c o m p a r i s o n O n e Twitter user wrote, "Correct the headline of your newsletter Shah Rukh Khan is Shah Rukh Khan, no one ever will be able to come even

c l o s e r t o h i m N o o n e i s

c o m p a r a b l e w i t h h i m " A n o t h e r

fan explained, "I know you ’ re just trying to provide context but as a white American who hadn’t seen a single Bollywood movie until 2019, Shah Rukh is so much more than

T o m C r u i s e T h e r e i s n o Hollywood equivalent ”

D i r e c t e d b y S i d d h a r t h Malhotra, ‘Pathaan’ was released o n J a n u a r y 2 5 A l s o s t a r r i n g

Deepika Padukone, John Abraham, D i m p l e K a p a d i a a n d A s h u t o s h Rana, the film featured Shah Rukh as an Indian spy trying to protect a former rogue agent from spreading terror around the world

Disciplinary proceedings against Yorkshire cricket club

The Yorksh ire County C ricket Club (YCC C) confirmed th at it h as ad m i t ted f o u r a m en d ed c h arg es i n t h e C ri ck et Discipline C omm ission (CDC ) p ro c ee d i ng s bro u g h t b y th e E ng l an d an d Wa le s C ri ck et Board (EC B), resolving liability

All of the charges relate to c o n d u c t w h i c h m a y b e prejudicial to the interests of cricket and/or may bring the ECB and/or the game of cricket into disrepute Such conduct is said to have occurred between 2004 and 2021

The parties are to appear before the CDC Panel, on a date t o b e c o n f i r m e d , t o m a k e s u b m i s s i o n s a s t o s a n c t i o n

W h i l e t h e p r o c e e d i n g s a r e ongoing, the Club is unable to provide further information in relation to the case

L o r d K a m l e s h P a t e l , C o -

C h a i r o f Y o r k s h i r e C o u n t y

C r i c k e t C l u b , s a i d : “ T o d a y ’ s announcement is an important

s t e p f o r w a r d f o r Y o r k s h i r e County Cricket Club as part of its journey to learn from the past Since becoming Chair it has been clear that we needed t o a c c e p t a n d t a k e accountability as a Club for the cultural issues which allowed r a c i s t a n d d i s c r i m i n a t o r y behaviour to go unchallenged

“We should be proud of the work that has been done to

Shubman Gill leads India to victory over Kiwis

Rel i sh i n g th e bes t b at ti ng wicket by far of this T20I series, S h u bm a n G il l u n lea sh in g a fl u rry o f s u bl i m e s tro k es o n bo th sid es of th e wicket to tore into the hap less New Zealand ers o nc e ag ai n, c ra ck in g a magnificent, unconquered 1 26, which took h im just 63 balls, and contained 12 fours and seven sixes on the th ird and d ecid ing T 20 I at th e Na ren d ra M o d i Stadium in A hmedabad

P o w e r e d b y G i l l ’ s m a i d e n

T20I hundred, India marched to 234 for 4 in 20 overs – their b i g g e s t t o t a l a g a i n s t N e w Z e a l a n d i n T 2 0 I s , a n d f i f t hbiggest overall, after choosing to bat first Fittingly, the young t u r k ’ s f i r s t c e n t u r y i n T 2 0 I s came on his IPL home ground, where he plays for the Gujarat Titans H i t b y ‘ G i l l s t o r m , ’ t h e c l e a r l y s h e l l - s h o c k e d K i w i s , looking in a hurry to catch the return flight back home, then folded up for a sorry-looking 66 in 12 1 overs - their third-lowest score in T20Is Led by skipper Hardik Pandya (4-16), Arshdeep

in brief

CHANDERPAUL JR HITS FIRST CENTURY FOR WINDIES

Singh (2-16), Umran Malik (2-9) and Shivam Mavi (2-12), India c a m e o u t a l l g u n s b l a z i n g , blasting New Zealand off the p a r k i n n o t i m e N o t t o b e f o r g o t t e n w e r e a c o u p l e o f blinders by Suryakumar Yadav at first slip P u t t i n g o u t a c l i n i c a l , d o m i n a t i n g s h o w w h i c h s a w t h e m c l i n c h t h e T 2 0 I s e r i e s against the Black Caps 2-1, India raced away to a mind-boggling 168-run win on the night, the biggest victory margin in T20Is b e t w e e n t w o f u l l m e m b e r t e a m s W h i l e G i l l w a s t h e ‘superhero’ of India’s batting, Rahul Tripathi (44), Suryakumar Y a d a v ( 2 4 ) a n d t h e n s k i p p e r Hardik Pandya (30) all played t h e s u p p o r t a c t i n p e r f e c t fashion

b u i l d n e w f o u n d a t i o n s f o r a

C l u b w h o s e a m b i t i o n i s t o become truly welcome to all As I leave the position as Chair, it is fundamental that the recently installed Board and leadership

team at the Club continue on this mission and I know that they are as committed as I have been to bring Yorkshire back to where it should be, on and off the pitch”

SA women beat India; clinch tri-series

A sublim e knock of unbeaten 57 runs from C hloe Tryon helped S outh A frica defeat India by 5 w ickets to clinch the Wom en ’ s T 20 I tri-series at Buffalo P ark in East Londo n last week Tryo n single-h andedly took the g am e a w ay f ro m In d i a w it h h e r b lis tering knoc k o f 57 of f 3 2 d eliveries Fo r India, Sneh Rana bagged tw o w ickets conceding ju st 21 runs w hile Rajeshw ari

Gayakw ad and Deep ti Sharm a claim ed one wicket each

D e f e n d i n g a t o t a l o f 1 1 0 , India got off to a blistering start as Indian spinners strangled the South Africa batter from scoring runs Laura Wolvaardt fell prey

t o D e e p t i S h a r m a ’ s s u p e r b delivery and went back to the pavilion without scoring a run I n t h e 6 t h o v e r o f t h e i n n i n g s , S n e h R a n a p r o v i d e d India with the second wicket as t h e s p i n n e r r e m o v e d TazminBrits for 8 runs South Africa were tottering a t 2 1 / 3 w h e n C h l o e T r y o n slammed back-to-back fours off Devika Vaidya to set off on the c h a s e D e s p i t e I n d i a ’ s

constricting bowling, Tryon put up a great fight against Indian bowlers as she slammed some big boundaries After 15 overs, South Africa needed 28 off 30 T r y o n p l a y e d s o m e s u b l i m e strokes while taking singles at regular intervals Tryon played a beautiful shot over mid-wicket to collect a four and on the last ball of the 18th over she took her team home by five wicket with a six toward a deep square leg W i t h t h e w i n , S o u t h A f r i c a clinched the Women s T20I tris e r i e s E a r l i e r , S o u t h A f r i c a n bowlers outweighed a resilient k n o c k f r o m H a r l e e n D e o l a s India could post only 109/4 at the end of their 20 overs After t h e e a r l y f a l l o f S m r i t y Mandhana, India struggled to get any momentum and only found some runs in the final overs to post 109

Rahane to play a full season for Leicester

T h e L e ic e st ers h i re C o u nt y C ri ck et C lu b ann o u nc ed t h e sig ning of former Ind ia cap tain

A j in ky a Rah a ne f o r th e 2 0 2 3 season

T h e c l u b r e v e a l e d o n i t s w e b s i t e t h a t t h e 3 4 - y e a r - o l d

Mumbaikar is set to arrive in June after playing in the IPL with the Chennai Super Kings, and will be available for eight County Championship matches, a s w e l l a s t h e e n t i r e R o y a l L o n d o n C u p ( O n e D a y t o u r n a m e n t ) i n A u g u s t T h e I n d i a n b a t s m a n i s

Leicestershire’s latest overseas s i g n i n g f o r 2 0 2 3 a f t e r W i a a n Mulder and Na-veen-ul-Haq

This will be Rahane's second stint in county cricket, after he became the first Indian cricketer to play for Hampshire in 2019 C u r r e n t l y o u t o f t h e I n d i a n team, Rahane has scored 4,931 runs at an average of 38 52,

including 12 hundreds in Tests, a n d 2 , 9 6 2 r u n s a t 3 5 2 6 , i n c l u d i n g t h r e e c e n t u r i e s i n ODIs He has also scored 12,865 r u n s @ 4 7 1 2 i n F i r s t - C l a s s cricket, including 39 centuries and 54 fifties “I’m happy to be j o i n i n g L e i c e s t e r s h i r e f o r t h e upcoming season I can’t wait to p l a y a l o n g s i d e m y n e w t e a m m a t e s a n d e x p l o r e t h e v i b r a n t c i t y o f L e i c e s t e r , ”

Rahane said L a s t s e a s o n , C h e t e s h w a r

P u j a r a , N a v d e e p S a i n i ,

Washington Sundar and Umesh

Yadav were the Indian players to f e a t u r e i n c o u n t y c r i c k e t S p e a k i n g a b o u t R a h a n e ’ s s i g n i n g , D i r e c t o r o f C r i c k e t , C l a u d e H e n d e r s o n , s a i d : “ I ’ m extremely excited to welcome

A j i n k y a t o L e i c e s t e r s h i r e H e comes with a lot of experience and a tremendous work ethic

It’s a great opportunity for us to

t a p i n t o t h a t I h a d

c o n v e r s a t i o n s w i t h ( A s s i s t a n t

C o a c h ) A l f o n s o T h o m a s a n d (Head Coach) Paul Nixon, who had eyed Ajinkya in the past, so he was always on our radar It

was a case of seeing what the t e a m n e e d e d , w h i c h w a s d e f i n i t e l y a s e n i o r o v e r s e a s batsman, so we are delighted to h a v e s e c u r e d s o m e o n e o f Ajinkya’s calibre ”

Tagenarine Chanderpaul has emulated his father, Shivnarine and scored a Test century for West Indies as they made 221 without loss on the second day of a rain interrupted match against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo Tagenarine finished the day on 101 not out with his partner Kraigg Brathwaite making 116 In reaching three figures Tagenarine became the first opener other than Brathwaite to make a Test century for West Indies since Chris Gayle in 2013 Tagenarine, 26, is playing only his third Test and joins a relatively short list of fathers and sons to have both scored Test centuriesothers include Chris and Stuart Broad and Walter and Richard Hadlee

INDIA RISE TO NO. 3 IN WORLD BOXING RANKINGS

India continues to take rapid strides in the boxing world as it jumped to third spot in the International Boxing Association’s (IBA) latest world ranking Boxing Federation of India’s (BFI) athlete-first approach and exceptional performances from its boxers saw India accumulate 36 300 ranking points only behind Kazakhstan (48 100) and Uzbekistan (37 600) They have also surpassed top boxing powerhouse nations including countries like the USA and Cuba, which are ranked fourth and ninth respectively in the current standings “This is a milestone moment for India BFI, its boxers and all the fans out there From the 44th position a few years ago to third, Indian boxing has taken a giant leap BFI has been working hard to fulfil the mission of making India a boxing powerhouse and it has ensured the best facilities for players across all age groups, helping them build confidence with regular state and national championships, foreign exposure trips and necessary support system This ranking indicates India’s rapid growth as a boxing nation and also shows its strong position in the world which has been built over the last few years in a focused manner ” said Ajay Singh

President of Boxing Federation of India

20-YEAR-OLD ALL SET TO TAKE OVER MORECAMBE

A 20-year-old businessman Sarbjot Johal is all set to take over Morecambe In September, the Shrimps, whose owners are Bond Group Investments put the club up for sale, are 19th in League One Co-chairman Graham Howse said Johal s takeover will depend on him passing the EFL's owners and directors test Howse told the club website that Johal's purchase had not "progressed as quickly as we all would have liked" but "exciting times are ahead both on and off the pitch" "Sarbjot through his company Sarb Capital, has recently purchased equity in the club, injecting more than useful income into us," Howse said

Indian shuttler asked to wear headscarf in Tehran

T anya Hem anth of Karnataka clinched the wom en ’ s singles title at the Iran Faj r International C hallenge badminto n tournament in Tehran on Sunday but had to p ut on a headscarf befo re co llecting her gold m ed al Second seed Tanya, 19, who trains at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy, had the measure of defending champion and compatriot Tasnim Mir in 30 minutes The Bengaluru girl cruised in the first game, weathered a little resistance from the top seed in the second before registering a 21-7, 21-11 win

Apparently, the organisers asked Tanya to wear a headscarf at the medal ceremony, which was one of the event’s conventions The practice was prevalent last year as well when Tasnim won the crown Badminton sources said that the organisers had made it clear that h e a d - s c

winners although the tournament prospectus made no

mention of a podium dress code

“The prospectus talked about the clothing rules in t h e B a d m i n t o n W o r l d F e d e r a t i o n ’ s c o m p e t i t i o n regulations, which is mostly common in tournaments around the world While we knew that headscarves were a must when women stepped out in Tehran, there was no particular mention about their use during the tournament,” the sources said

Women shuttlers faced no such restrictions during their matches but no male spectator was allowed to watch them play A sticker at the entrance, which said ‘ no men allowed’, didn’t discriminate between a woman player’s coach or her parent Both were barred from entering the stadium if they were male Interestingly, the tournament had mixed doubles on their menu, reportedly for the first time, in which 10 pairs from around the world took part