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FIRST & FOREMOST ASIAN WEEKLY IN EUROPE

Migrants marrying UK citizens must now learn English.......................pg 6 Baroness Warsi: Strong Asian women leaders are an integral part of the Indian subcontinent...pg 7 Gaza ship attack victim from Oadby speaks to protesters in London.....................pg 11 Sussanne Roshan is furious with media..pg 21 India relents; Visa rules eased........................pg 24

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Tamils protest Rajapaksa visit Sri Lankan President in India on a four day visit Huge protests were staged in Tamil Nadu as well as Bangalore the capital of Karnataka in South India against Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s four day state visit to India. MDMK leader Vaiko and Tamil nationalist leader P Nedumaran led the protests in Tamil Nadu and were arrested after black flag demonstrations raised the political temperature in the state.

Amidst all the protests Rajapaksa arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday. He is expected to discuss the rehabilitation of Tamils in the island nation, as Indian leadership is under pressure to impress upon the Sri Lankan President to speed up the political and the humanitarian resettlement of the minority Tamils. A majority of the poor people are still languishing in camps in

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse (2nd R), together with his wife Shiranthi (2nd L), is welcomed by Indian Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur (R) at New Delhi on Tuesday

Gotabaya incensed on BBC, says Fonseka will be hanged pitiable conditions more than one year after Sri Lanka decimated LTTE. Vaiko alleged that it was treachery on part of Tamil Nadu chief minister Karunanidhi and the government of India in welcoming Mahinda

Rajapaksa in the country.

Meanwhile, Rajapaksa is under intense international pressure for independent investigations into the human rights abuses allegedly committed by the Government and the Sri Lankan army.

He has stonewalled all such efforts.

Yet, in a new twist, his brother and Defence Minister of Sri Lanka, Gotabaya Rajapaksa lost his cool when confronted by a BBC correspondent in an interview with a disclosure that the dismissed army chief and defeated presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka is ready to speak out before independent inquiry about political orders to the army to kill Tamil rebels who surrendered during the final war against the militant outfit.

Gotabaya said if Fonseka says that, it would amount to treason and he would be hanged for the crime. It may be recalled that the dismissed army chief and the war hero had a fall out with the government and was soon sidelined and than dismissed.

Continued on page 24

Bhopal verdict triggers outrage 2 year jail sentence for 8 is too little, cry victims Even before he was to announce the verdict, the Chief Judicial magistrate in Bhopal, Mohan P Tiwari was sure he would trigger outrage, hence he ordered that parties to the case and victims of the Bhopal gas A victim of Bhopal gas tragedy tragedy as well as attends a demonstration outside a court in Bhopal on June 7. their kin should not even the USA, saying be allowed inside the Indian government and court to hear the judgeits agencies were in comment. 8 accused, all plicity and lives, miseries Union Carbide India of Indian victims were officials, including the sold cheaply. chairman Keshub The public sentiment Mahindra were senwas so aroused and tenced to two years in incensed that even prison. This was the Indian Law Minister M penalty for the worst Veerappa Moily, gauging industrial disaster in the mood, was perhaps India that happened in forced to say that in this December, 1984. case atleast, “It is justice Indian media, includburied”. ing newspapers and Leakage of deadly news channel have MIC gas killed more accused of a ‘sellout’ by than 15,000 people all, the political leaderwhile thousands of othship and the judiciary as ers who survived have well, as they said the been inflicted with illUnion government had nesses that would conbargained freedom for tinue to afflict them the US multinational and through their lives.

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Asian Voice - Saturday 12th June 2010

one to one Keith Vaz MP with

Nishtha Mishra A marketing and event management professional aged 28, and a graduate of Marketing and Advertising. Nishtha began her professional career at the early age of 22 and now assists Asian businesses (SMEs) in UK and India on both marketing and PR side. She is also the founder and head of ‘MULTIPLY' an organisation which provides social platform for young professionals.

1) What inspired you to begin your career?

My inspiration would be the Asian Business community in the UK who are not only establishing a good name but are also contributing to the UK community by generating employment and business opportunities.

2) What are your proudest life achievements?

Successful completion of every project is a pride in itself but the proudest event is yet to come.

3) What has been your favourite project to work on?

Though it is quiet difficult to pick just one project but the most satisfying and favourite project would be when I had invited a few young Indian artists to come to UK and give them a platform to showcase their talent. This was also very well received by the British & British Asian community.

Amitabh Bachchan 5) What has been the biggest obstacle in your career?

Given the size of my operations there are not many big obstacles except Finance which indeed can eventually be dealt with the improvement in current economic situation.

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

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

If I was marooned on a desert island I would want to be with my grandfather who is no more, as I grew up my grandfather’s ideas and work had always

My father, because he always made me believe that I could achieve anything in life that I wanted to. He is straightforward and I never had to question his advice. I always knew it was solid.

He is my greatest supporter.

The best thing about my work is meeting new peo ple which is the most adventurous, exciting, and worthwhile thing that you can do with your life and which helps me devel-

7) What is the best thing about your job?

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Apart from general commercial difficulties there is nothing which can be considered worse, so far it has been a very joyful and rewarding experience.

The one thing that I would want to do is to make appropriate policies and encourage people to restrict the number of children per couple to be not more than two. I feel that the financial condition of any family is deeply related to the size of the family and with one or two children parents can easily fulfil their needs and can provide them with the best education.

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

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People ■ The engagement party of the year took place last Saturday on the manicured lawns of Virginia Waters. Two great Asian hotel dynasties formed their own Coalition!

Inderneel the son of Jasminder Singh 0BE of the Radisson chain is to marry Sonia the daughter of Surinder Arora of the Sofitel chain. Bruce Forsyth, Cliff Richard, Sanjay Anand MBE, Rami Ranger MBE, Sukhpal Alluwalia, Chris Hyman, Moni Verma, Joginder Sangar and many more danced the night away.

■ British Pop star Navin Kundra is about to release his new single Jee Le on I tunes or on his website www.navinonline.com.

■ Nadhim Zahawi Conservative MP for Stratford Upon Avon became the first ethnic minority to speak in the new Parliament. He asked his Tory Leader David Cameron a searching question at PMQs.

inspired me, its with his influence and learning’s that I have had the courage and confidence to achieve what I have in my life.

UK NEWS

London’s Ancient Indian Festival of Chariots London’s 'Ratha-yatra’ Festival of Chariots returns to the streets of the capital on Sunday 20th June 2010.

London will be illuminated by the wonderful colours and sounds of the annual Hare Krishna festival, a vibrant celebration of Indian culture and spirituality in our city.

Thousands of festivalgoers, pilgrims, and faith leaders from all over the world will hand-pull the three 40-foot high colourful chariots carrying the sacred deities of Lord Jagannatha, Lady Subhadra and Lord Balarama from Hyde Park to Trafalgar Square. The giant chariots will be accompanied by a procession of singers, musicians, and dancers. London will pulsate to Indian spiritual sounds with instruments from across the globe.

At Trafalgar Square, where the procession concludes, the whole family can enjoy cultural and educational displays and exhibitions, revealing the spiritual heart of India.

Revellers can participate in lively workshops, sample music, food, and literature, or try sari-draping and facepainting. From the stage,

festival-goers will be treated to traditional temple dance, drama, and music.

In addition to all this, free sumptuous Indian vegetarian cuisine will add to a special family outing. It will indeed be a feast for the eyes, ears and the palate!

This Festival of Chariots, Ratha-yatra, is a celebration dating back over 5000 years, annually observed in the ancient holy city of Jagannatha Puri in Orissa, India, making it the oldest street festival in the world.

Devotees believe that if they get the honour of pulling the ropes of the

giant chariot, carrying Lord Krishna, known as Jagannatha Lord of the Universe, then, at the end of this life, they will be granted eternal service to the Lord in the spiritual world.

Titikshu Das, Co-ordinator of London Carnival of Chariots says: “Each year, we aim to make the Festival of the Chariots a more vibrant and colourful festival for London. Now over forty years on, it’s amazing to see yet another generation of Londoners enjoying the Ratha-Yatra celebrations here in our capital”.

Asian Voice - Saturday 12th June 2010

COMMENT

Whither Indo-US relations?

Following India's independence in August 1947, the Indo-US relationship has been longer on promise and shorter on achievement. Much has been accomplished, it is true, in a multitude of scientific, agricultural and educational ventures. By any normal yardstick these were exemplary, but the US and India aimed higher since they saw each other as democracies reared on common values. During the Cold War, in particular, the needs of realpolitik subsumed much of the idealism, but in the Cold War aftermath it was felt that a new chapter was about to open in Indo-US relations. A new chapter did indeed open, but the script resonated with many of the old themes, hence the hoped for progress did not materialise. The US was locked into a close strategic relationship with China, part of which were underwritten by their mutual economic interest, part to contain the old Soviet Union and its successor the Russian Federation; their third convergent interest was the viability and well-being of Pakistan. The Clinton administration, while supplying Beijing with sophisticated technologies, applied a strict sanctions regime against New Delhi.

As the principal incubator of regional and global Islamist terrorism, and now stalked by the spectre of terrorism itself – 97 Ahmedi worshippers were slaughtered in a Lahore mosque recently – Pakistan is suffused by a hysterical, primordial hatred of India and the US, despite being a beneficiary of substantial American military and economic aid.

Pakistan has long been a strategic tool for China in its rivalry with New Delhi and once had an incendiary role in America's Cold War with the erstwhile USSR and a quieter part in Washington's containment of India. But Pakistan is a declining asset today as Washington's ties with Moscow are reset and those with New Delhi move forward. The George W. Bush administration's willingness to sign up to the landmark Indo-US civilian nuclear accord, whose significance for the Indian economy is set to deepen exponentially, has opened up unique vistas for Indo-US cooperation. The platform is thus ready for President

Obama's planned 21st century takeoff.

Such was the canvas to the three-day Indo-US strategic dialogue in Washington a few days ago, headed respectively by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and India's Foreign Minister S.M.Krishna.

President Barack Obama's presence at the dinner for the Indian guests and his warm words on the future direction of Indo-US ties could transmogrify the relationship into something truly 'special'.

Warming to India as a “rising and responsible global power,” President Obama said he believed that relations between “our two countries will be a defining partnership in the 21st century.” He went on: “That's why a third of my Cabinet has already visited India. That is why officials from across my administration are a part of this strategic dialogue....The new National Security Strategy that I released last week makes this absolutely clear. A fundamental pillar of America's comprehensive engagement with the world involves deepening our cooperation with the 21st century centres of influence, and that includes India.”

However, the shadow of the 26/11 terrorist on Mumbai from Pakistan was a dark spot in the convivial proceedings. Mr Krishna made a forthright reference to India's insistence that its officials be permitted to interview Pakistani-American Coleman Headley, one of the conspirators in the Mumbai terrorist attack, who is currently in US custody awaiting trial in Chicago later this year. Mr Headley may have made a plea bargain with his US captors, but the Mumbai massacre surely gives India the moral and legal right to interrogate him.

We end where we began: with America's relations with China and Pakistan and how these affect Washington's ties with New Delhi. The Obama administration has the power and resource to calibrate relations with Beijing and Islamabad in a way that does not impede America's relationship with India from reaching the potential which the best and wisest of these two great countries have long desired.

President Obama can make his tryst with destiny.

Rajapaksa-Tamil dialogue a sliver of hope for Sri Lanka The defeat of the Tamil Tiger insurgency in Sri Lanka last year had given rise to hopes (at home and abroad) that the first steps would be taken towards an enduring solution to the country's tragic ethnic divisions. Such optimism has proved premature. The situation in the Tamil-populated Jaffna peninsula in northern Sri Lanka remains fraught, as was made abundantly clear by BBC Correspondent Stephen Sackur in his Hard Talk conversation with the island's Defence Minister Goatabaya Rajapaksa, brother of the country's President Mahendra Rajapaksa. Mr Sackur brought up widely aired charges from the international community including the UN of Sri Lankan military atrocities against Tamil civilians and attacks on refugee camps and hospitals during the closing phase of the conflict with the Tamil Tigers.

The Minister's spirited defence of his army's record and subsequent developments have raised serious questions about the Colombo regime's commitment to democratic best practice and the rule of law. There has been little progress, thus far, on the rehabilitation of displaced Tamils and, at a further remove, a longterm political settlement that would guarantee the rights of all Sri Lankans irrespective of ethnicity or religion. Sri Lanka clearly has a growing image problem.

Hopefully, talks between President Rajapaksa, accompanied by his senior ministers and officials, and Sri Lanka's Tamil Opposition leaders, on the eve of Mr Rajapaksa's crucial three-day visit to India, may begin a new chapter in the country's tortured history.

The Sri Lankan President said: “Believe me, and together we can find a solution to the problems faced by all our people. I want a permanent solution. But I will not bow down to terrorism, and what the terrorists want I shall never give.”

The leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), which displayed pro-Tiger sympathies in the past, R Sampanthan, replied: “We are not demanding the solution that Prabhakaran wanted.” He pointed out that in selecting candidates in the last election, the TNA had laid it down that no-one who stood for the separation of the country would get the party's nomination. He brought up pressing issues related to food distribution, housing, jobs, education, land and assistance for agriculture and the 13th Amendment on devolution.

TNA Member of Parliament Suresh Premachandran, who assisted delegation leader Sampanthan, said: “We agreed to work out a joint mechanism” to explore solutions to Tamil grievances and the resettlement of displaced Tamils, 30,000 of whom are still holed up in government camps.

Apart from TNA representatives, the 14 member Tamil delegation included the leaders of the Eelam People's Democratic Party.

President Rajapaksa's meeting in New Delhi with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will be devoted to Sri Lanka's ethnic situation, Indian economic aid and facilitation in the resolution of these problems.

Friends of Sri Lanka will surely keep their fingers crossed.

Lessons of Bhopal It has taken more than two decades for an Indian court to pass sentence on seven former managers of Union Carbide in the world's deadliest industrial accident: a gas leak at a pesticide plant in the city of Bhopal that killed several thousand people and left several thousand more with cancer, blindness and birth defects. Yet the sentence of two years in jail coupled with a fine of Rs 100,000 ($1,400) was no harsher than those causing a fatal car accident.

Victims of the disaster and activists gathered outside the courthouse to voice their outrage at the sentences. “This verdict sets a very sad precedent,” said Satynath Sarangi, President of the Bhopal Group for Information and Action. “In fact it will encourage hazardous corporations to kill more people and maim them because they can do it so easily, because a disaster like Bhopal can be converted into something

like a traffic accident.”

The Civil Liabilities for Nuclear Damage Bill now before India's Parliament seeks to cap damages arising from an accident from a US-built nuclear reactor to the same derisory $465 million compensation to the Bhopal victims offered by Union Carbide and accepted by the Indian government as final settlement of all claims. Small wonder that Nuclear Damage Bill is evoking such deep public concern.

Veerappa Moily, the Indian Law Minister, said: “Delay in justice is like denial of justice. It is unfortunate that it took so long. This needs to be addressed.” It does indeed. India's judicial system, already in a shambles, needs root and branch reform.

Otherwise we may see criminals dangling from the nearest lamp post in a manifestation of peoples' power.

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Thought for the Week What we seek we shall find; what we flee from flees from us.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Steve Pound, MP Ealing North (Labour)

New political landscape It is almost impossible to accept that the 2010 General Election was just a few weeks ago and as we survey the new political landscape it is hard to come to terms with the extent to which the world has changed.

There has never ever before been an election in which the variation between constituencies was so dramatic. We say swings of 18% from Labour to the Conservatives in North Kent and similar movement to Labour in East London.

Both independents lost their seats and Respect is now without its one MP and most of its Councillors.

We have one Green MP and – crucially – not a single one from the BNP and an almost complete wipe out of their councillors. In my part of the world, Harrow, Ealing and Brent, fortunes were mixed.

Tony McNulty has been and continues to be a good friend to the community and I find it difficult to imagine life without his comradeship and companionship at Westminster and his high energy dancing of the Dandiya Raas at SKLPC and elsewhere. We also lost Dawn Butler in Brent and she’s another one who will not be fading away but to whom many people will send warm best wishes and offer every hope for the future.

Gareth Thomas did exceptionally well in Harrow West and will be shadowing International Development in the new Parliament from the opposition front bench.

In Ealing Bassam Mahfouz failed to win the new Ealing Central and Acton seat for Labour but his time will surely come.

Virendra Sharma and I, in Ealing Southall and Ealing North respectively, had near identical results although Virendra will forgive me for occasionally mentioning that I now have a larger majority – just! – than he does; while caps must be doffed to Barry Gardiner for another magnificent success in Brent North.

I welcome our new – or newish – Coalition MPs, Bob Blackman, Angie Bray and Sarah Teather and hope that they will continue the record of service to the community that their predecessors achieved.

Yet again the question will be asked about representation in North West London and it does seem

incongruous that of the seven MPs in the three boroughs mentioned we have two European women, three European men and one person of Indian origin.` Although the number of MPs from emigrant communities or backgrounds has never been higher than it is in the current Parliament we have a fair way to go in our part of the world and I am personally delighted to see a really good crop of keen young Councillors springing up and possibly moving towards Westminster in the future.

Even allowing for the predictable doom-saying of the Coalition there are exceptionally hard times ahead for UKplc and I hope that all the local MPs can unite around a shared determination to protect the weak and those in greatest need.

I still hear those who should know better say than our South Asian neighbours are so wealthy and so strengthened by family support that they need nothing from the state. I mean no disrespect when I say that this may apply in some cases but certainly does not apply in all. An aging population brings increased demands and it would be cruel beyond measure for any government to take the axe to the support mechanisms that exist to assist those who have given so much throughout their lives.

The Conservative and Liberal Coalition will certainly claim that the cupboard is bare and that it is all the fault of Labour. Wiser heads will accept that there is a global financial crisis but one that Labour was steering this nation out of and we must not allow the ideology of the smaller state to overly influence the decisions that should be taken on economic and societal grounds.

That is our task in the years ahead and, if I may be allowed a personal note, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to those who voted for me and to promise every citizen of Ealing North my undiluted determination to do all that I can to balance the needs of economic retrenchment with the real needs of our people.

Uneasy years lie ahead by my commitment is absolute – and I know that AV will be keeping me up to the mark!

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YOUR VOICE

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Asian Voice - Saturday 12th June 2010

Gujaratis vs Hindus

Shooting in Bangalore

Caste

Mahabharata column

I read with much interest Mr. A.L. Sharma’s letter ( A.V. 29/5/2010) on the above subject matter. I have noted several times Asian Voice as well as few Gujaratis identify non-Gujarati Hindus with indifference. Very often they tend to show a tendency of supremacy towards other Hindus. Otherwise there was no reason for Asian Voice to mention “British first Gujarati Minister or first Gujarati woman M.P,” instead it could have been described simply as “British Hindu woman.”

I remember having read once in Asian Voice when reporting on one of the Gujaratis annual functions, in his opening address, the chairman welcomed the guests as “ Hello Gujaratis and Indians.”

In my opinion this was un-called for attitude to segregate the invited guests. I am sure non-Gujaratis must have felt persecuted at such indignation of discriminatory welcome.

It is my understanding that Mr. Jagatia in his letter about 2010 elections undoubtedly meant to address all the Asian communities (Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Zoroastrians) in good faith, to come out and vote for their candidates in the elections. It appears now days it is a sin for some individuals even to be addressed as Asians.

The shooting in the ashram of Sri Sri Ravishankar is shocking, and against the prevalent consanguine ethos. Sri Sri Ravishankar is well known in U.K. and Europe for his charisma. Sathya Saibaba and Swami Sachhidanada-(Dantali) survived assassination attempts. But Hindu swamis have not learnt the lesson to ban firearms and knives at any ashrams. Thus shooting incident at Bangalore ashram might become an testing ground by gunmen.

It is irrelevant whether shot was intended for Guruji or not: carrying a lethal weapon in any ashram is a grave offence punishable with strict, harsh and deterrent sentence. But the seriousness of the situation is diminished by apathetic police and Home Minister. Such foolishness, in the past, has lead to assasination of Mahatma Gandhi, Ex-P. M. Rajiv Gandhi and Hindu missionary, Laxmananda Saraswati-of Kandhamal.

Therefore, tightening of security by at the national level must be the first priority. Guruji must also be asked to step up security in his ashram, by employing armed and plain-clothes security officers, and strictly BAN guns and other lethal weapons.

Guruji must recognise danger to himself and to other attendees, by slackening barriers around himself. Guruji may want to become a martyr, but attendees may not want to be heroes.

With repeated comments on the issue of caste discrimination it is obviously an issue which has struck a chord with many individuals. In terms of the proposals to treat caste based discrimination as equivalent to racial discrimination may be unreasonable.

However speaking as a Sikh, I can say that there are definitely problems within our community. I know of certain people, and even among the younger generations who get extremely upset at preconceived views of certain caste groups.

The whole reason why our Gurus gave us Singh and Kaur as surnames was to eradicate any way of distinguishing between castes, and to encourage equality between all. However, even in today's day and age this has proven to be difficult.

I would just like to commend Mr Vakil on his Mahabharata columns. I very much enjoy reading them each week, and they always leave me thinking about the possible meanings through my day! I think the stories from the Mahabharata offer us useful insights, which can be applied to today's modern life. Not only this, but the Mahabharata stories are an excellent tool as a way of keeping children in touch with their religious and historic roots. I always try to share and talk about Mr Vakils Mahabharata column with my children and thankfully it is something that they enjoy learning about too! I look forward to next week's entry.

Ranjit Singh By email

It put a smile on my face to read about Obama's comment that Bhangra was a “uniquely American sound that may not have been heard in the White House before.” It just goes to show the massive impact Bhangra has made worldwide, when it originally hailed from small villages in the Punjab! I always enjoy reading these kind of small stories in Asian Voice and will be sure to share it with my family.

A.M.A. Pira By email

The enemy within Indians are never willing to fight for their own cause, honour or even survival, no matter how noble or urgent the cause may be. But it is completely different when it comes to helping foreigners, traitors and 5th columnists who are bent upon colonizing, destroying India.

First it was the Greek invasion, under Alexander the Great, followed by Moguls, British and Portuguese who all conquered and colonized various parts of Bharat with the help and connivance of Hindu kings like Jai Chand and Mansinh, a tip of the iceberg.

Now the threat comes from Indian Maoists who are under the influence of the Chinese for the sole purpose of destabilizing India and to holt its economic progress. Now that West is economically immobilized, militarily handicapped and culturally bankrupt, China considers India as the only nation that could stand or be a thorn in its evil ambition to colonize the world economically. A politically stable and economically prosperous India could match China on most fronts.

With some $30 to $50 billion balance of payment surplus every month, mainly at the expense of USA and Europe, China is cornering the market for raw materials, buying conglomerates involved in mineral, oil and other raw materials in Africa and Australia that

Correspondents wanted If you live in Leeds, Manchester, Bradford or Edinburgh and are interested to be the Asian Voice 'Community News Correspondent’, please send your CV to Rupanjana at rupanjana@abplgroup.com.

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Ramesh Jhalla By email China need in abundance to sustain its manufacturing base that enables it to dominate world economy.

India is capable of manufacturing goods, cars and most items and match China in space race, putting satellites in space at a fraction of the cost, as Indian technology is much better and practical than the crumble-some technology China has inherited from the old Soviet Union.

The latest Maoist outrage in West Bengal, with loss of some 175 lives, a bastion of Communism with CPI (M) in power for a long time is one step too far. It is time the Indian army take Maoist seriously and put its forces on a war footing. But the Indian government has to fight this war on two front, military as well as welfare, as the gap between the rich and the poor is the worst in the world.

These deprived areas where even graduates remain unemployed is a fertile breeding ground and a recruitment field for the Maoist who give hope and purpose to these unfulfilled younger generation. The Indian government should find a way to harness and guide these young men and women to hope and better future and living standard they deserve.

Bhupendra M Gandhi By email

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Curry festival

It's great that years of hard work of first and second generations is being acknowledged in the form of the Brick Lane curry festival.

Asian food had taken Britain by storm and has even come to be part and parcel of British culture. I think Asian food breaks many barriers of age, race and culture and is a great way of giving people an insight into our rich culture. May it continue to be a successful event in the many coming years.

Priya Naik By email

Our showpiece temples Since the opening of our first Swaminarayan temple in Neasden, a world renowned architectural wonder, it has become increasingly prestigious to follow in this unique footsteps and build a temple that would be more of a show piece than a functional, all purpose temple that the worshippers and the community needs.

At least Neasden temple is supplemented by a large all purpose function hall and a school nearby, in true Swaminarayan tradition where the temple is but one part of the complex. Such complexes in India are genuinely community friendly with health centre, cottage industry and learning institutions all under one umbrella. But not many such projects undertaken by other sects have the financial backing, the man power or the right location to build, to attach such a function room to the temple or make it a hub for the community.

Looking at the wonderful, eye-catching photograph in Asian Voice, it could not be judged how disable friendly this building may be. As so many worshippers are elderly and infirm, this is one mountain too far, too high to climb for many.

Then perhaps the temple does have lift and other such facilities not visible or apparent to the public. If so, many of us would appreciate if AV could publish in detail whatever facilities the temple could provide to the public, especially to the elderly, infirm and the disable who may wonder whether their visit to the temple could end in disappointment if there is no easy access.

Whatever pros and cons of such a

UK EUROPE WORLD 1 Year £25 £55 £70 2 Years £45 £100 £125 £225 £300 *5 Years £110 £450 £550 *10 Years £200

Aman Mehra By email

Bhangra in the White House

Rani Dutta By email

Zakir Naik’s entry into UK

As a young Muslim, I am aware that in last few years, Zakir Naik has become really popular amongst Muslims, especially the younger generation, for his so called “cutting edge” ways of preaching and his “in-depth” knowledge on the subject of comparative religion. His popularity obviously worries me. His views about western women and statements like “Every Muslim should be a terrorist” are outrageous. Why has the British Home Ministry let him in?

Semreen Shah By email

Limited career prospects for graduates Perhaps one of the most unfortunate hits of the economy crisis are the students and graduates of recent years. With only 36% expecting to look for a graduate level job after leaving University, this compares with a high of 49% in 1998.

While the figures don't inspire much hope, I read a article recently where recruitment experts said there is still a rich pool of talent in the marketplace and many companies are experimenting with new strategies and opportunities for students who are willing to work hard.

Rahul Verma By email grand temple, it does reflect and personifies Hindu Dharma, its beliefs and serve as a beacon of hope, faith, purity and inner sanctity that is the unique attraction of our noble religion, Hinduism.

Kumudini Valambia By email

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Cricket crazy Indians for the first time was seen so euphoric on Monday morning, as they expected a couple of Oscars. British Indians in the UK, Dharavi slums, the shanty township of Mumbai, a village in Uttar Pradesh and almost the entire Bollywood waited in expectation, glued to their TV sets. They burst into celebrations as one by one, their heroes, the actors of the British Indian film and the music maestro, A R Rahman bagged the top awards in the world of entertainment.

British actress Kate Winslett also won the Oscar after having missed it almost five times earlier.

‘Smile Pinki’, a short documentary on a cleft-lipped Indian girl in Uttar Pradesh directed

by American director Megan Mylan, won the Oscar for the Best Documentary (Short).

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Asian Voice - Saturday 12th June 2010

5

“I am a proud British and a proud Hindu” - Lord Popat Priyal Sanghavi

working peer.

One of the leading Hindu Gujarati political thinkers of Britain has been nominated to the House of Lords. Conservative party member Dolar Popat will now be known as Lord Popat of Stanmore. He will be the first Gujarati to represent the Conservative party in the House of Lords.

Arriving in Great Britain with a mere ten pounds, Lord Popat's estimated wealth today is £42 mn and ranks at number 1296 on Britain's rich list.

The 57-year-old is one of the most distinguished leaders for the Hindu and Gujarati community and has been a Conservative for life. He was awarded at the Asian Voice Political and Public Life Awards at the House of Commons for promoting the Conservative party. He has always supported community bodies such as National Congress of Gujarati Organisations, BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir, ISKCON. As soon as the news was announced, Lord Popat arrived at the Asian Voice/Gujarat Samachar offices to seek the blessings of Publisher and Editor CB Patel. Inspite of his busy schedule, Lord Popat spoke to us exclusively at length about his aims and aspirations as a

How does it feel being known as Lord Popat?

I consider this a profound opportunity and a challenge. It requires sacrifice, suffering and struggle. I will be serving the country and community. I have dedicated 33 years of my political life engaging our community with the Conservative party and the Conservative party to our community. I am what I am because of my country. I am a proud British and a proud Hindu. I am delighted to to represent the British Indians in UK at the highest level. As endorsed by David Cameron, we are a key part of British society and our contribution has not been fully recognised. I shall continue tirelessly to redress the situation.

Could you tell us more about your background?

My parents hail from Jamjotpur, Gujarat and then moved to Uganda. Idi Amin expelled Asians and we arrived in Britain in 1971.

The then Conservative Prime Minister Sir Edward Heath and the government showed us so much compassion. I was 18 years old then.

You are a prime example of a self-made entrepreneur.

and welfare projects such as the Conservative I n t e r n a t i o n a l Development Team's Project Umubano in Rwanda. This is out of love and sheer commitment to the party's causes.

R-L: Lord Dolar Popat with Priyal Sanghavi, Kamal Rao (News Editor, Gujarat Samachar) and CB Patel (Publisher/Editor Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar)

I have worked as a waiter to then was an accountant in the 70s. Today I am the Chief Executive and founder of TLC group which specialises in care of elderly and hospitality since early 1990s. I am a founding Director of St Luke's Hospice and an advisor to the Nightingale House Trust. I have also founded The Dolar Popat Foundation which contributes to medical and educational institutions.

What are your priorities as a working peer?

I look forward to championing the small business community. I am wellplaced to strengthen trade and cultural ties with India and Africa.

Does India feature strong-

ly on the government agenda?

The Queen gave a special mention to India in her recent speech. The Tory party manifesto specially mentions India. Our number one ally is USA and number two is India.

Because of his backgound, knowledge of the Asian community and the time I have spent in UK, I am best placed to assist the Government. India has a fast growing economy and its historical ties with UK enables to better economic links.

Why the Conservatives?

Our way of life is similar to British life. Tory party's values of education, family, enterprise, social responsibility is similar to our Asian values. We need

to get rid of state bureaucracy and give people control. We have a radical programme to mend broken society. I have been Secretary to the Anglo Asian Conservative Association, been an advisor to the British Asian Conservative Link, a member of the Conservative Ethnic Diversity Council, Chairman and am currently President of Harrow East Conservative Association.

You have strongly contributed to the Party.

I believe in the Hindi saying-tan, man aur dhan. It means to contribute physically, mentally and financially. I have contributed more than £200,000 to the party for its various causes

Who among your contemporaries do you admire?

Labour MP Keith Vaz' has done great work towards the Asian community although we are both7y politically different. I also admire Lady Shruti Vadera's work and the speed at which she executes ideas. Lord Bhiku Parekh for his intelligence and outlook and Tesco CEO Sir Terry Leahy for being articulate and clever.

You share a close spiritual connection with Hindu spiritual guru His Holiness Morari Bapu.

He has inspired and guided me all along and has even been introduced to David Cameron. My wife, three sons and I have been to many of his kathas (religious gatherings).

What would you like to say to young Asians today?

This country has given us a lot, one of the most important things is education. 12.3% of intake from top five universities in UK are of Indian origin. We need bright young people in politics.

President Pannaben Raja, the Trustees and members of the Central Council of Lohana Community United Kingdom would like to congratulate Lord Dolar Popat for being appointed to the House of Lords.

We wish him the very best for the future.

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Asian Voice - Saturday 12th June 2010

Kapil’s

Gurkha pension hearing on July 27 Priyal Sanghavi Retired Gurkhas may still, have a chance of securing equal pensions as the case will be heard in the Court of Appeal next month.

The British Gurkha Welfare Society have been campaigning for equal pensions for Gurkha soldiers as their British counterparts retired before 2007. They lost the judicial review against the Ministry of Defence in January.

Major Tikendra Dal Dewan feels there are many financial hardships faced by Gurkha veterans.

“We understand its recession but all we are asking is for equality. Most of the public are with us. We met forty-six MPs prior elections and they were all

Major Tikendra Dal Dewan

supportive of our cause.

The Liberal Democrats have always supported us and most of Labour is with us too.”

The Gurkha community have constantly campaigned for equality, settlement and equal pensions.

The latter is yet to be realised. Major Dewan commented: “What the Government needs to understand is that it is

more expensive for them to pay us less. We have to rely on social benefits and state support. Gurkhas receiving pension credits would receive approximately £9,000. Should Gurkhas receive an equal pension, it would be £5,000. This does not exclude any housing benefits and other state entitlements that Gurkhas located in the UK” The court hearing is scheduled on July 27.

While Joanna Lumley volunteered to be part of the Gurkha settlement issue, the BGWS is yet to find any celebrity backers.

Major Dewan said, “At this point we would welcome anyone with open arms.

We just have to keep our hope up, there is nothing else we can do.”

Migrants marrying UK citizens must now learn English All non-European migrants marrying UK citizens will have to demonstrate a basic command over English, as per new rules announced by the Home Office on Wednesday.

From autumn 2010, compulsory English tests will be introduced to all those seeking to move to the UK. The rule will apply to spouses, civil partnerships, unmarried couples, same sex partners and fiancés applying from both within and outside UK and

is believed to help them cope better with UK life once settled here.

Home Secretary Theresa May said: “I am committed to raising the bar for migrants and ensuring that those who benefit from being in Britain contribute to our society. I believe being able to speak English should be a pre-requisite for anyone who wants to settle here.

Today’s announcement is one of a wide range of measures the new Government is taking to

ensure that immigration is properly controlled for the benefit of the UK, alongside a limit on work visas and an effective system for regulating the students who come here.”

The English language requirements are currently being reviewed to further tighten visa rules. Anyone wishing to come as a spouse will have acquire basic English at A1 level, the same level for Skilled Workers admitted under Skilled Tier of the Points Based System.

Three convicted of attempted murder of Rizwan Ahmed

Mile End Park: Scene of the attack

Three men have been convicted of the attempted murder of Rizwan Ahmed, who was beaten then doused with lighter fluid and set alight in Mile End Park in November 2009.

Jermaine Joseph, 23, Shane Dedman, 21 and Kieren Bruff, 22, were all convicted following trial at

The Old Bailey. The date of their sentencing is still to be set.

Investigating officer, Detective Inspector Luke Marks of Tower Hamlets CID said: “Three men have been convicted of a callous, violent and pre-mediated attack on Rizwan Ahmed.

The reason for the attack

Victim: Rizwan Ahmed

remains unknown- only those found guilty truly know why they chose to beat Mr Ahmed to the point of unconsciousness, before pouring accelerant over him and setting him alight.

“Mr Ahmed received 44 per cent burns to his body and it was only the specialist care provided by the staff at Royal London Hospital and the Specialist Burns Unit at Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford that saved his life. Mr Ahmed is a quiet, unassuming man who appears to have been targeted for no better reason than some extreme form of sadistic bullying. Mr Ahmed is now trying to rebuild his life, however the physical and psychological injuries he sustained will remain with him forever."

KHICHADI

by Kapil Dudakia - email: kapil@abplgroup.com Summer of Discontent The 50 day post election budget will bring with it the reality of efficiency savings, or cuts as I tend to call them. Nick Clegg has promised that there will be no return to the Thatcher years whilst David Cameron said the country will have to get ready for pain. Can both of them be right? I suspect the Prime Minister will get his way and the first series of cuts will impact our public services during the summer months.

The scene is therefore set for a ‘Summer of Discontent’, maybe not on the same scale as the ‘Winter of Discontent’ of 1978/79 which was largely responsible for the downfall of the Labour Government and the election of Margaret Thatcher and the Tory Party. There is unease in the country at present.

The power that politicians wielded historically has been diluted as a result of their own greed and the expenses scandal, which for some it seems will still not go away.

How the Government manages the cuts will be key to whether it survives since discontent can quickly snowball out of control.

David Cameron knows that all new Governments have this post election ‘special time’ when they can blame all the ills in society to the previous administration. He said recently, ‘we are all in together, and we will all get out of this together.’ If the cuts are introduced with sensitivity then there might be a small chance that he can come out of this with public support on his side. Failure to take people on this journey of painful cuts and traumatic jobs losses without a buy in from them could quickly result in a monumental disaster.

This high wire act has started; time to see how long it stays on track.

Bhopal - the unending tragedy After almost 26 years, the court in Bhopal finally convicted 8 people for the gas leak at the Union Carbide plant. However, there was no word on Warren Anderson who was at the time the chairman of the Corporation.

It turns out he was declared an absconder given he did not turn up

Nick Clegg

David Cameron

for the trial that began 23 years ago.

In 1984 the people of Bhopal were devastated when a deathly gas leak from the American owned death plant killed residents in their thousand. Tens of Thousands have suffered since with an array of moderate and serious illnesses.

Mothers who were trapped in that poisonous cloud have given birth to children with a catalogue of birth defects. A whole generation, their lives, their livelihood, their future and their aspirations – destroyed in a matter of days.

The tragedy showed that an Indian life was worthless compared with that of an American life.

If a disaster of the same magnitude had occurred in America (God forbid, say an Oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico) or for that matter anywhere in the western world – levels of compensation would have totalled into their Billions. Instead successive Indian Governments of all shades sold out and let the people of Bhopal down and destroyed the sanctity of the Indian constitution which was established to protect all Indians. Twenty years ago Union Carbide paid $470m (£282m) in compensation to the Indian government.

More than 15 000 dead, some 600 000 people affected and after 26 years we finally see the court convict 8 people, but they were given minimal sentences. Justice it seems can be bought, delayed and even downgraded, if you have the money. This is a stain that will stay with India and will become an example in history of what happens when corrupt governance is allowed to get by unchecked. The blame ultimately rests with the people of India whose vote can so easily be bought for a few rupees.

Until the masses recognise the power of their vote, and vote people in who are of standing, with integrity and the stub-

bornness to do well for the public – what can you expect? As they say, you get what you pay for (sorry, I think I meant vote for!), and suffer the consequences of your own low expectations.

Obama to charm India

Barack Obama

It’s official, after Hilary Clintons love affair with India on her recent visit it seems the US President feels the need for a bit of Indian style TLC as well. So November will celebrate Diwali, it will herald in the New Year, and it will open the hearts and minds of all Indians for the Obama’s. Such trips are positive, as long as India and its leadership understand and appreciate the power it has in the new era of globalisation.

India needs to ensure that America is left in no doubt that if it wants to be a friend of India, then it will have to change its ways in relation to what it does in and around the Indian Sub-Continent.

India should no longer enter into any dialogue as a junior partner or with a slavish mentality.

It now has momentum on its side, the western economies are in dire trouble and the only areas of real growth will be within the BRIC economies. It should not waste this golden opportunity to rightfully take its place on the world stage.

There comes a time for each country to step up to the mark. That time is now for India.

Let us hope that those who lead her do not sell out like those corrupt politicians of yesteryears.

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 12th June 2010

7

Baroness Warsi: Strong Asian women leaders are an integral part of the Indian subcontinent Priyal Sanghavi

the Savayra Foundation and its aims?

Savayra Foundation was set up in 2002. I was travelling around in rural Pakistan that there was nowhere to go for orphans, divorcees and widows. I needed to provide a haven for these women and now we have five skill centres, 70 girls coming in to each centre every year. The charity is wholly run by women. At one point, I was very involved but eventually I stepped down as chairman and am a trustee.

Baroness Sayeeda Warsi has made history by being the first Asian woman in the British cabinet.

The Conservative Party chairman speaks to Asian Voice about her Party aspirations, Indo-Pak relations and taking time off to watch Bollywood films.

When were you given an indication about your post?

It was the day after David Cameron was Prime Minister. I got a call after lunch from the PM's private secretary to meet David. There was no mention beforehand.

I didn't know what he wanted me to do or if he wanted me to do anything at all. I was nervous before and then it was quite emotional - the sheer enormity of the task I was being asked to do and the privilege of being on the team. There are many people who could be there so it was humbling.

What are your priorities as a minister in the cabinet and chairman of the party?

My job is to have the party prepared for the various other elections coming up- we have local elections, Welsh elections and European elections. I want the party to be a clear campaigning machine. We are going through a process of changes. My main priority is to have a clear focus on why the party exists- it does to campaign Conservative ideas with a view to electing Conservative at local, nationals and European level.

As the first British Muslim lady in the cabinet, what were the hurdles you had to face?

As an Asian woman you face challenges from the general public who think Asian women are quiet, timid, not as ambitious and prefer to stay in the house. Then you deal with internal struggle within the community where there are still questions whether women should be leaders. Strong Asian women are part of Indian subcontinentsince Indira Gandhi to Benazir Bhuto.

Recently the head of the largest political party in India is a woman, the chairman of the Indian House of Commons is a woman, chairman of Pakistan National Assembly is a woman.

Asian community here is less tuned to women in high positions than the indian subcontinent. I have tremendous family support. Between us, my husband and I have five children, the oldest is 19

and the youngest 11. My husband has no interest to be in public life and is happy for me to do what I'm doing. My children make sacrifices and they understand what Mummy's doing.

Are you tired of being pigeon holed as a Muslim by the media?

Its obvious I'm a female of Asian origin and I talk openly about my religion.

But those should not be my only defining features.

I'm from Yorkshire, with a strong working class family and a lawyer. It doesn't bother me. I am certainly not ashamed or embarrassed of who I am. Its comforting to young asian women who want to join politics.

Your style has received many accolades from the press?

Why shouldn't you wear a salwar kameez? I wear lots of saris in the evening and salwar kameezs in the summer. They are much more elegant and hide the bumps well.

How will you help South Asians, specially women?

If you look into the policies, they are for all of Britain. I strongly believe that we must move away from this norm of policies to one group because we don't live in this divide.

Most South Asian women dont have any specific individual needs hence our politics are for all.

South Asian community have been here since 50 years and there shouldn't be a special provision because they are less educated or less likely to be educated.

What do you think about Pakistan-India relations and how would you improve then?

I had a very constructive meeting with the Indian High Commissioner Nalin Surie. He is the first ambassador I have met since I was in office and I was the first cabinet minister of the new government he met. That sent out a positive message. Government are clear that they want an enhanced relationship between Britain and India. I am of Pakistan origin. I do want better relations between India and Pakistan. I will possibly visit India late summer. As the first Asian woman in cabinet and

L-R: Kamal Rao (News Editor, Gujarat Samachar), Jyotsnaben Shah (Managing Editor, Gujarat Samachar), Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, and Priyal Sanghavi

with the various women leaders in India, this was a good time to visit and learning from their experiences.

What are your views on the Kashmir issue?

Kashmir issue has gone on for too long. It needs to be resolved- there are three main parties the indians the Pakistanis and the Kashmiris. It is wrong to assume that external forces can bring people to the table. There have to be a whole series of confidence building measures to build contact.

when I come back my family gets annoyed if I ask them what happened.

A week and half ago we went to see Kites. I love being in the kitchen. Its quite theureupatic to make a meal. I make great yoghurt chilli chicken and chick pea and fish curry.

The children love it.

Do you think perceptions toward UK Muslims is biased due to terrorism?

There has been a rise in

What do you do in your leisure time?

I don't have much leisure time at the moment. I haven't seen a good Bollywood movie in ages.

I switch it on and then answer a phone, then

Could you tell us about

What message would you give to South Asian women?

In this country everything is possible, keep your aspirations and dreams high.

bahamas.co.uk

How will you improve 'Broken Society' ?

There are parts of Britain which are broken and generations of the same family have not worked.

There is drug abuse, alcohol abuse, family breakdown and the government needs to clearly send out a message. Its right we move away from that big state to the big society.

Responsibility is high, not just about rights. In the Asian community, people look after each other during difficult times. During the current recession, businesses which fared better were Asian because families pooled together. David Cameron spent time with a Muslim family and said there is a lot we can learn from Asian family values.

Who is your role model?

I admire Margaret Thatcher. Sonia Gandhishe won the elections and then gave up the power to someone else, it is a phenomenally female thing to do.

anti-Muslim sentiment in Britain. You can either sit back and say its all doomed or see it as an opportunity. Its time to reassess who you are and what role do you play.

These challenges have made muslims more resilient and much more focussed community. Yes these perceptions have made things difficult specially for the women.

Do you support faith schools?

My youngest daughter went to a Christian faith school. The concept irrespective of the faith is great because there is a level of discipline, focus, approach to education and results show it works.

I am hoping some day there would be multi-faith school. I am a big supporter of faith schools.

It makes everyone's day when Georgette joins us for lunch.

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When you get married over here, be prepared to meet some unexpected guests.

I love taking honeymooners out on my diving trips as they are so pleased they said “I do” in The Bahamas. Of course, getting married on a beautiful beach or with a dolphin as the best man would make anyone’s big day extra special. But they always say that hand-feeding my old friend Georgette tops everything.

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Dee Katwa

Asian Voice - Saturday 12th June 2010

Midland Voice Contact: Dhiren on 07970 911 386 or dhiren.katwa@abplgroup.com

LABA re-born into a new political era A long-term inactive Asian trade forum in the East Midlands has been re-launched, shining a glimmer of hope and optimism for its existing and potential members and stakeholders.

Leicestershire Asian Business Association, better known as LABA, has had a chequered past.

But with a new team in place, headed by Jaspal Singh Minhas, and his deputy Uday Dholakia, the future seems promising. The reincarnated LABA was welcomed and applauded by over 60 delegates who attended the celebratory function on Friday a fortnight ago.

The event, themed ‘Enhancing business between the UK and India’, was hosted by Loughborough University Business School (LUBS) in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry.

The morning and afternoon sessions were both eloquently chaired by “air traffic controller” LUBS Professor Dean Angus Laing and Mr Dholakia, respectively, and an Indian buffet was served to all in between the two-part packed programme.

Aside from Professor Laing, the morning panellists included Loughborough MP Nicky Morgan, Leader of Leicester City Council Cllr Veejay Patel, LABA President Mr Minhas, Birmingham-based Consul General of India C Gururaj Rao and UK Solicitor General Edward Garnier QC, whose late arrival pushed back the programme by almost an hour. All panellists congratulated Mr Minhas and pledged their support for LABA. Slides displayed by Mr Minhas from a successful LABA event from 13 years ago, prompted delegates to question LABA’s dormancy, a reaction which Mr Minhas was not expecting, it seemed. “We’ve not had the infrastructure, but now we do,” responded Mr Minhas. His committed colleague, Mr Dholakia, stepped in adding: “It was built and left. It’s nobody’s fault, we now need to look ahead, not behind”. Both acknowledged that any relationship must be nurtured and sustained and its legacy carried forward.

Cllr Patel, “a truly passionate advocate for India” used his speaking opportunity to trumpet the landmarks and achievements of Leicester and shared his close affin-

ity with his native India.

He mentioned how LABA, in its manifestations, had attracted £890 million worth of invest-

manager, spoke on entry level strategies for the Indian markets. Other speakers included SR Sharma, MD of Punjab National Bank I n t e r n a t i o n a l , Sukhbinder Heer, Chairman of global private equity firm iC2

Promising future: The new LABA team with well-wishers

ment into the region over 10 years. Mr Rao, who stood in also for his absent colleague Economic Minister Anil Verma, who was unexpectedly called by his boss, said there was a need to “intensify and diversify bilateral trade” for mutual benefit.

Entrepreneur Nat Puri, from Nottingham, urged the panel, particularly the two politicians, to support LABA. His urge was interpreted as a call for funding, which he hastily clarified as an urge for manpower, not money. In response, QC Garnier said that the British Indian community was “too quiet” and “doesn’t sell itself enough”, adding that LABA could be a “loudspeaker” for the region’s Asian business community. “The government needs to set you free, free from the burden of bureaucracy, “added QC Garnier.

It was openly acknowledged by many attendees that EMDA, the regional development agency, “has wasted a lot of taxpayers’ money and is continuing to do so”.

Andrew Brigden, MP for North West Leicestershire, who initiated the interactive second half, also branded EMDA “a huge waste of money”. Nobody from EMDA was present.

MP Brigden said he had “a lot of esteem and empathy” for Asians in Britain. His brief, but punchy address, was followed by a presentation from Gaurav Bhandari, Head of EXIM BankEurope. Gaurav’s monotonous tone was received with blank and pale faces in the audience, with sighs and frowns. Then, Jatin Kanabar, who is seconded from Deloitte India to the UK as senior

Capital, Ian Morrison, Deputy Regional Director of UKTI East Midlands and Phil Jacob from the National Policing Improvement Agency.

Mr Sharma was greeted with mass laughter when he said: “We don’t have bonus culture, we live on salaries and career progression objectives”. A number of questions were fielded as part of a Q and A session.

Mr Minhas, responding to Asha Khemka, Chief Executive of West Nottinghamshire College, who seeked advice on marrying higher education between India and the UK, said: “We’ve got contacts in the right places, so it’s not a problem.” On a separate note, Mrs Khemka said there was “no sense of urgency” in India on physical infrastructure.

Mr Rao, defending, said the task was enormous.

A question on corruption in India from consultant solicitor Jitendra Patel, representing Brethertons LLP, stimulated extended discussion. Mr Rao stood up saying the question was “not very pertinent”. He said: “Show me one country in this world where there is no corruption,” adding “India is not a problem-free destination, but one needs to take a balance. India is economically vibrant, politically stable and the hurdles are getting less

and less.” Mr Sharma said the selection of partner in India was vital, which got nods in agreement. Phil Jacob, of NPIA, said it was important to understand the different definitions of ‘corruption’ and spelled out a few – corruption as a cultural issue, for need, for greed. Mr Patel said transparency in business was “very important” but he acknowledged that his question was subjective.

He concluded by quoting his Indian experience: “In India we pass the brown envelope over the table, in the UK you pass it under the table.”

In concluding, Dr Gunveena Chadha, of CII, thanked all for attending. Presenting a neck-tie to Mr Minhas, “we tie you to CII forever,” she said adding that anyone visiting India should go with an open mind, find the right partner, then do business.

LABA’s vision is this: to strive to facilitate improvements in the business competitiveness of its members through being locally sensitive and both nationally and internationally aware. A few years back, I was encouraged to sign up as a board member of LABA, did so, received my certificate and never heard anything again.

Let’s hope this new team delivers on LABA’s pledges and trumpets, as and when, its delivery on actions. Only then will it begin to win the hearts and minds of its members and the trust of communities which undoubtedly is the lifeblood of LABA. And credit, in particular, to LUBS for being among the first to lend its support, and for believing in the new LABA, a partnership which has the potential to be a world-class leader in trade links, not only between India and the UK, but on both sides of the Atlantic. Best of luck LABA! LABA will operate as an Enterprise Agency from August. To find out more visit www.labauk.org

Fire Service flies the flag West Midlands Fire Service has scooped a national Emergency Services award for its efforts to keep firefighters and staff healthy and safe. Its chief fire officer, Vijith Randeniya, described the triumph “a major achievement”. Ironically, WMFS has not recruited firefighters for six months due to ‘previously high levels of staff numbers’ and uncertainty over the national budget.

News in Brief Royal recognition for Gurdwara Three cheers to the team at The Nishkam Centre in Handsworth, Birmingham, which has scooped the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Services. Tribute, in particular, to its septuagenarian leader Bhai Sahib Mohinder Singh, pictured, who continues to inspire everyone he meets, particularly Sikh youth. Among a plethora of positive activities the £6m Centre, part of the GNNSJ Gurdwara in Soho Road, promotes interfaith, intercultural dialogue and champions social justice and inclusion. In Glasgow, Awaz FM, has become the first community radio station in the UK to receive the same award, which sets the national benchmark for excellence in volunteering, with the work of those awarded being judged of the highest standard.

Box-ticking on diversity The CBI, the UK’s top business lobbying organisation, is hosting a business summit later this month.

Considering it has chosen to feature faces from diverse communities on its advert to promote the summit – assumingly to highlight its commitment to diversity – it’s ironic that none of the 15 speakers reflect the multicultural make-up of Britain. Then again the CBI did campaign against The Equality Act which was approved just over two months ago.

Appeal for household items Hitesh Ruparelia, Community Fundraiser for kids charity Barnardo’s East Midlands, is urging people to donate household items as part of Carers Week (1620 June). “Families urgently need beds, toys, board games, furniture and white goods,” said Mr Ruparelia. For more information contact 0116 286 7182.

Six years on...

Congratulations are in order for Vanisha – the daughter of British-based steel billionaire Lakshmi Mittal – and Amit Bhatia, pictured, who celebrate their sixth wedding anniversary this month. Their wedding, the world’s most expensive, cost £41.4 million.

Bird ‘a spy’ Police in India were reportedly holding a mysterious pigeon under armed guard last week. The bird, which has been medically examined, is suspected of being a Pakistani spy. Police in Amritsar said the pigeon is thought to have carried a message over the border, although no note has been found.

College ‘flushes away’ £1.2m South Birmingham College, led by the ‘diversified’ and “misguided” Principal Mike Hopkins, pictured, has got its budgeting wrong, it seems.

Whilst 40 anxious lecturers and academics face losing their jobs, the college is boasting about its £1.2 million spend on “luxury” five-star hotel-style toilets. Fiona McEvoy, spokeswoman for the Taxpayers’ Alliance described the spend “a complete insult to both taxpayers and the teaching staff facing redundancy.” She said the college – a patron of the Institute of Asian Businesses - was “apparently more bothered about receiving pretentious design awards for their arty toilet facilities than the quality of the education they provide.” Mr Hopkins, defending, said: “This work was planned before we had any inkling at all that there would be funding cuts.”

9

Asian Voice - Saturday 12th June 2010

NEW STORE

10

ART & CULTURE

Asian Voice - Saturday 12th June 2010

“Indian writers are expected to be ambassadors of India” Priyal Sanghavi

By Spriha Srivastava

2012 Olympics will bring arts and culture in London, says Mayor The 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games present a unique opportunity to showcase London’s unparalleled arts and culture scene, the Mayor said on Tuesday, as he unveiled his draft cultural strategy Cultural Metropolis for public consultation.

It has been estimated that approximately one million people will visit the Olympic stadium during the Games with over four billion people watching on television.

Throughout the course of the year many millions more will visit the capital from around the world, offering unprecedented potential to reach out to new audiences and sell the city’s cultural attractions to Londoners, the rest of the UK and abroad.

As well as the Games, there will be the twelveweek arts festival that will be the climax of the Cultural Olympiad.

Across the city, public spaces will be animated with artistic commissions, outdoor performances and free events, such as Big Dance and Create. The ArcelorMittal Orbit by Anish Kapoor and Cecil Balmond will be open, overlooking other commissions within the Olympic Park, whilst Live Sites at other locations will provide focal points for a variety of cultural activity that reflects London’s creativity as well its diversity.

Cultural Metropolis sets out how the Mayor will support and work in partnership with a sector that generates over £18bn to ensure London maintains its position as the ‘greatest cultural capital of the world’. This will include continuing to fund activities, particularly through the London Development Agency, with support for high quality art projects such as the Fourth Plinth Commission and the

The Arcelor Mittal Orbit designed by Anish Kapoor for the London Olympics 2012

ArcelorMittal Orbit. The Mayor has also announced plans for The Culture Diary, which will be the definitive guide to cultural activity in the capital throughout the whole of 2012, offering a unique platform for cultural and creative organisations of all sizes.

Improving access and participation, especially for young people and parts of the capital not as well served as others, is a continuing key priority.

This includes initiatives including citywide festivals such as the Story of London; London Film Day in conjunction with Film London; and funding for London Jazz Festival performances around the capital.

The Mayor also wants to work with and improve links between schools, families and cultural institutions, as well as ensuring GLA-backed campaigns engage with young people and help foster a spirit of inquiry and aspiration for arts, heritage and culture.

Examples include Rhythm of London and the popular Busking Underground competition; funding for Children’s Art Day; and the £250,000 plan to boost musical opportunities for young Londoners.

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: ‘By any measure, London is a cultural powerhouse.

Here you find beauty, cre-

Anish Kapoor with a replica of the Arcelor Mittal orbit

ativity and innovation, the like of which are to be found nowhere else.

Despite fears about the recession and funding, there is much to celebrate about what the capital has to offer. With 2012 just around the corner we have a magnificent opportunity to showcase London to the world as well as to ourselves.

‘This is not a time to be lowering ambitions. It is creativity, first and foremost, not funding that is central to London’s cultural life, and there is much to be done in terms of better co-ordination, reducing duplication and ensuring that the investment made over the next few years can have as big an impact as possible.’

The Mayor will continue to advocate on behalf of the cultural sector, including the need to maintain private and public investment. The strategy also highlights concerns about bureaucratic regulations and the confusing range of initiatives which burden the sector, setting out a commitment to address this issue.

Munira Mirza, Mayoral advisor for arts and culture said: ‘The value of culture to our city cannot be overstated.

The cultural sector is of course important for the economic benefits it brings and attracting tourists. But it is much more than that. It is about the experiences we have, the things we learn and our quality of life. These things are not easily measured, and can be all too easily overlooked. We will continue to advocate on behalf of the sector, including on funding issues. But we will also work with the sector to engender effective partnerships and identify opportunities that strengthen over the next decade.’

Let us know what you think.

Email Spriha at spriha@abplgroup.com

Tishani Doshi decided to dump her 9-5 job and soon won many accolades for her first book of poetry Countries of the Body. Now the Madras-based dancer, journalist, poet, traveller adds another feather to her cap- that of an author with her debut novel The Pleasure Seekers. She speaks to Asian Voice about family, inspiration and Indian writers being a doomed lot.

The Pleasure Seekers took quite a while in the making?

More like eight years since when I first had the idea to write the book, and then the many drafts that followed, finding a publisher etc. It’s good to live with a first novel for a long time. It has time to breathe, gestate and evolve.

Could you tell us more about the novel?

The initial idea behind it was to write a love story between a Gujarati boy, Babo Patel, and a Welsh girl, Sian Jones, and their hybrid family. I wanted to write about this cross-cultural love story and the problems and triumphs it brought, but in a larger sense the novel is an exploration about the ideas of family, home and place. I wanted to write about how we can all begin in one place but end up somewhere totally different.

Pleasure seeking in an ancient Greek sense means seeking the “good” life, which doesn’t mean hedonism, but the life that is true to the present, balanced and fulfilled, and not lived for some false notion of the afterlife. It’s a layered book, and it spans a time frame from 1968-2001.

How autobiographical is the Pleasure Seekers?

I was trying to write my own version of my parent’s love story. My father is Gujarati and my mother is Welsh, and they fell in love in the late 60s and my mother, after a six month romance, and six month period of forced separation came to live with my father and his family in Madras. These are the basic details of the true story which I use in my novel. But what happened when I started to write this story was that characters, events, conversations, dialogue and scenery came purely from my own imagination, that I realized that I had to free myself from reality in a way. There are bits of myself and my life scattered throughout this novel, but the great art of fiction, is that the created story is far more powerful than the real one, and this is the fiction writer’s great gift.

Do you have a special place or a special need when you write?

Basic requirementsa computer, a place where I can be alone, access to food. The perfect place for me is my cottage in the hills in South India, where I sometimes go to be completely alone, and there I can spend all day reading and writing, and then take a long evening walk. I avoid the internet, phonecalls and television, and this kind of immersed solitude (which I can happily endure for 23 weeks, before I start having long conversations with myself) is a pure clear space for writing.

However, you don’t always get the ideal, so I’m used to writing in all kinds of circumstances.

How did your parents react to your novel?

I think they knew for a long time that I was writing my own version of their story, and it must have been very strange for them to be the subject of my scrutin. I reassured them that it was entirely fictional and not to look for themselves too much in the characters. I hope that they look at this book as a kind of love letter to them, because I really do believe they have an extraordinary love story, otherwise, I wouldn’t have written it. They’re reading it at the moment, and I’m sure they’ll have something to say about it soon enough.

Which one is easier, publishing poetry or publishing a novel?

I think publishing poetry is probably harder.

Although, the entire landscape of publishing is changing dynamically that it’s hard to say anything anymore. Poetry is read by fewer people and written by many. It’s a demand and supply thing, it’s just really difficult to get into the circle. As a novelist there seems to be a clearer path: find an agent, give a synopsis and a first chapter etc.

Danseuse, poet, traveller, journalist, writeryou have many tags to your name. Is it a conscious decision to not settle down on one?

Not too many things in my life have been conscious decisions – espe-

Tishani Doshi

cially not the big decisions. I never wanted to be a dancer, but dance entered my life. I became a journalist because I made no money as a poet. I travel because I am addicted to it. I write because it’s the only thing I’ve ever loved entirely. I think that you can do many things in your life and that these things can coexist beautifully. I don’t like the idea of compartments and limitations. I follow my instinct, and sometimes I make mistakes, but mostly, being open has brought only wonderful things.

At a recent discussion, you mentioned the exotification of the Indian writer. Could you elaborate on that?

I hadn’t realized what a precarious position Indian writers who write in English are in. It’s basically a no-win situation. In your home country you’re condemned for not writing in the mother-tongue, and abroad you are expected to be the ambassador of India and the arbiter of defining what Indianness means. Part of it stems from the great fascination that India has for the rest of the world. There’s a sense that as writers from India, you must always have an opinion about everything that’s going on in India which is frankly impossible.

Whose work has influenced you and who do you admire among your contemporaries?

The greatest artistic influence in my life was my dance teacher and mentor, Chandralekha.

While I do love Marquez, Toni Morrison, Anita Desai and Pablo Neruda, I have been influenced by musical depth of the Gundecha Brothers.

What next can we expect from you?

More poems, I think.

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 12th June 2010

Leicester Voice Supermarket is ‘jewel in crown’ of shopping centre City Council Leader Veejay Patel shared the honours at the opening of a new, independent supermarket in Leicester.

Local businessman Mr Babu Odedra has invested in the council-owned building to create the new supermarket, which he has named after the shopping centre it is part of.

Cllr Patel joined Mr Odedra’s mother and father – Mrs Puti Odedra and Mr Masri Odedra – to officially open Home Farm Supermarket which is located in the Beaumont Leys area of Leicester.

The building was left vacant for almost two years after a former national supermarket chain moved out. Other tenants also moved out, leaving many of the buildings empty.

The city council took action to find new tenants, refurbishing the exterior of the buildings and investing in the centre.

City Council leader Veejay Patel (right), with Mr Masri, and Mrs Puti Odedra

Cllr Patel said: “This new supermarket is the jewel in the crown of Home Farm Shopping Centre. We’re delighted that Mr Odedra has made such an investment in the building, which will add to the regeneration of the shopping centre and the area. The supermarket will provide an important facility to this part of Beaumont Leys, and we

hope that his venture is a great success.”

Mr Odedra said: “It was my father’s wish from day-one to open this supermarket and I’m delighted that he’s now done that with Cllr Patel.

We have put a lot of work into improving the supermarket, and I hope that people will come along and see what we have to offer”.

Council seeks input for 'Suits and Saris' exhibition Volunteers are being sought to help shape the future of a new exhibition at New Walk Museum and Art Gallery with personal ideas, knowledge and experiences.

To celebrate the 2012 Cultural Olympiad, New Walk Museum is developing an exhibition on fashion connections from across the world - 'Suits and Saris'.

With the help of Leicester's public, the museum aims to create an exhibition that explores how Leicester’s rich cultures have intertwined over time. Staff are seeking personal stories about fashions, styles

and cultures, which will be combined with histories from Bollywood to Hollywood, Mumbai to Mombassa and Lahore to Leicester.

Leader of Leicester City Council, Cllr Veejay Patel said: "We are holding a range of cultural events during the run-up to the Olympics, with the aim of getting as many people involved as possible. Fashion is a great way of bringing together people of all cultures, and we hope that people from Leicester will come and tell us their stories and help to make this an exhibition that everyone can enjoy".

To find out more about getting involved in this fashion extravaganza, come to New Walk Museum on Saturday 12 June, anytime between 11.30am and 3.30pm.

Volunteers will be needed for community and youth curator positions and for participants in an advisory panel.

Volunteers will be able to gain an insight into the council's fashion and textile collections and take part in a series of workshops.

For more information, contact Hitesh Tanna on 07968 886 509 or Tara Munroe on 0116 223 2061.

Gaza ship attack victim from Oadby speaks to protesters in London A man caught up in the Gaza aid ship bloodshed spoke to thousands of campaigners at a march.

Ismail Patel, from Oadby, addressed protesters on Saturday as they gathered at Downing Street before marching to the Israeli Embassy.

The 47-year-old was among more than 600 activists on board an aid flotilla bound for Gaza when it was attacked by Israeli commandos on Monday, May 31.

The protest, organised

by Stop the War, Palestine Solidarity Campaign and Viva Palestina, attracted more than 2,000 people – including a coach-load of 80 from Leicester.

Mr Patel thanked the Turkish government and the people of Britain for

Ismail Patel

helping him return safely.

He said: "It was a very strong turnout and I was asked to speak. I just wanted to get my message out that I was thankful to the people that helped me get back to the UK. It was an avoidable situation and unnecessary. I lay the blame squarely at the feet of the Israelis. They should not have acted so violently but I think people will feel more for the people of

Gaza."

The optician spent Sunday afternoon with the Bishop of Leicester, the Rt Rev Tim Stevens, discussing how the city's faith groups could work together following the tragedy.

He said: "I've received some really good support from a lot of different religious groups in the city. As far as I'm concerned, this was carried out by Israel and not a particular faith group."

Mr Patel said he was "very saddened" to hear Israeli security forces had boarded the MV Rachel Corrie on Saturday, an Irish aid ship bound for Gaza.

He said: "I would have thought Israel would have heeded the call to allow aid to Gaza."

11

Do you have any comments, news or photographs about Leicester? If you do, please send them to Leicester Voice at

leicester@abplgroup.com

Riverside Festival proves to be best ever A recordnumber of visitors turned out for a twoday festival bringing Leicester's River Soar to life.

The Leicester Riverside Festival brought colourful narrowboats, live music and family entertainment to the Mile Straight of the River Soar, Western Boulevard and Bede Park, over the weekend of June 5 and 6.

Organisers reported the highest number of visitors in the festival's history, with around 15,000 people taking part in the event over the weekend.

More narrowboats than ever before also joined in with the activities, which also included arts and crafts, displays and performances featuring some of Leicester's top bands.

For the first time, From Dusk To Dawn magazine also hosted a fringe festival bringing three nights of live music to venues along Braunstone Gate.

In addition, falconry displays, art workshops

and a street market brought the riverbank to life as well as BMX displays, youth activities and a mini cinema.

Lord Mayor of Leicester, Councillor Colin Hall, was involved in presenting prizes for the best turned-out narrowboats, along with Chris Flynn of festival sponsors Riverside and ECHG. Councillor Hall said: "It is a great honour to be involved in such a popular and well-attended event, which really shows off what Leicester's riverside has to offer. It is a great way to launch my year in office, and my

congratulations go to everyone who helped make it such a success."

Leicester City Council’s cabinet member for culture and leisure, Councillor Rob Wann, added: “I'm delighted so many people attended this year's Riverside Festival. There were some fantastic attractions and activities for all ages, and the weather on Saturday in particular was fantastic and really helped give a summer feel to the festival. It is a wonderful part of the city's calendar of summer events, and has proven to be a resounding success once again."

Watchdog tackles police over stop-and-search policy A human rights watchdog is calling on police to justify officers' allegedly "disproportionate" use of stopand-search powers against black and Asian people.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has written to five police forces, i n c l u d i n g Leicestershire, to requesting more information on each force's use of the powers.

Earlier this year, the Commission said the forces' use of s t o p - a n d - s e a rc h powers was "possibly discriminatory".

I n Leicestershire in 2007/08 – the year the commission used to compile its

report – white people were stopped and searched on 14,636 occasions, leading to 955 arrests, or 6.5% of the total.

Black people were searched 1,579 times, leading to 104 arrests or

6.6% of the total.

On the 3,073 occasions Asians were stopped, 124, or 4%, were arrested.

The commission has also contacted Dorset, West Midlands, Thames Valley and the Metropolitan forces.

Leicestershire's temporary deputy chief constable, Gordon Fraser, said: "We are committed to fairness and equality in delivering a policing service to all our communities.

We place great importance on our relationships with these communities.

We have received a request from the commission and will look to work with them."

Reena's joy as her twin brother is finally freed A Leicester woman has spoken of her joy after her twin brother was released by a gang claiming to be members of the Taliban.

Reena Sagoo, 32, who lives in the Uppingham Road area of Leicester, feared for Robin Singh's life after he was kidnapped in February.

Robin was snatched near his home in the Pakistani city of

Peshawar, and family members received demands for £75,000 for his release.

Reena said: "Robin was not able to tell us much over the telephone.

He did say that he was not mistreated, but he was only fed once a day.

As a result, he has been given a drip-feed to help his body to recover."

Reena came to the UK from Peshawar in 2001

with her brother.

However, he was deported in 2003 after his appeal for asylum was rejected.

Robin hoped to stay in the UK as he felt parts of Pakistan were not safe for Sikhs.

His family claim he was deported because the Home Office said Pakistan was not dangerous enough for him to need to live in the UK.

12

MEDIA WATCH

Asian Voice - Saturday 12th June 2010

Scrutator’s The Nano plant at Sanand received its formal inauguration from Tata Group Chairman, Ratan Tata, and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. It was a red letter day for the state, the town – which is 60 km from the state's economic capital Ahmedabad - and Tata Motors. Mr Tata recalled that on his first industry visit to Gujarat, he was told he would be 'stupid' not to invest there. Having got his fingers badly burned when he chose Singur, in West Bengal, as his preferred site, the prodigal son returned to his roots in Gujarat. “I am no longer stupid, now that I'm back in Gujarat,” he remarked in Gujarati.

The business-friendly Modi government worked overtime to acquire the 1,100-acre land and facilitate the construction of the landmark manufacturing unit. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Modi said: “The revolution brought by Ford in the early 20th century with its small car is being replicated now by Ratan Tata with his Nano.”

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and Ratan Tata

Mr Tata complimented the Chief Minister and the Gujarat administration for their speed and efficiency, which had helped in the relocation of the Nano plant in record time. He said the “Gujarat experience was unique,” and he promised “further surprises” in the state. Mr Modi said: “When Mr Tata announced that his company was quitting Singur, I SMSed him to come to Gujarat. The one-rupee SMS did the trick.”

Production, price The Sanand plant is now expected to increase its production line to 250,000 cars per annum until it reaches full capacity with an annual roll-out of some 500,000 vehicles. The first 100,000 customers of the Nano will pay the promised price of Rs 100,000 ($2,000), but those following in the queue will have to cough up a higher sum because of rising costs of components Engineers from Larsen & Toubro are busy constructing a six-lane highway from the plant to Kandla, the country's foremost port. Economic activity has received a boost with arrival of Hero Honda, while the Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation is planning an auto ancillary park on the 350 hectares adjacent to the Nano plant. For Gujarat, it's clearly a win-win situation.

Ref. The Hindu, Business Line (June 3) and Domain-b.com (June 2).

TCS, Rolls partnership Business Standard online reported that Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and the UK-based global power systems provider Rolls Royce had announced a global engineering services partnership under which the Indian IT firm would provide a range of engineering services across Rolls Royce's entire product life-cycle.

Aerospace and defence sec-

tors have been a major focus for TCS, which has significantly expanded its engineering capabilities in this area. Regu Ayyaswamy, Vice President and global head, engineering and industrial services,TCS, said: “This partnership with Rolls Royce is important to TCS. This will lead to high quality engineering solutions and services from TCS for complex aero engines under Rolls Royce standards of excellence.” The agreement is a significant milestone for TCS in the aeronautical sector. TCS will set up an engineering centre in Bangalore to cater to Rolls Royce design and engineering requirements, and to support Rolls Royce expand its engineering services in India.

Anil Shrikande, president, Rolls Royce India, said: “India is a strategically significant market as well as an increasingly important technology services location for Rolls Royce. The new collaboration with TCS, a world class company, will give us additional quality and cycle-time advantages.”

India,Israel missile India Today magazine (May 28) reported the successful test in Israel of the India-Israel surfaceto air Barak II missile. “The 70km missile was fired at an electronic target and met with its initial objectives,” said India's Defence Development & Research Organisation (DRDO) director Dr V.K.Saraswat.

Indo-Israel BARAK Missile

Dr Sivathanu Pillai

The second test of the missile will be held in India later this year. This joint project commenced in 2006. The missile will equip three of India's most advanced guided missile destroyers, being presently built under the navy's Project 15A class.

“We will deliver the system to the armed forces in 2013. I am very confident it will be an astounding success,” said Dr Saraswat. A second variant of this missile, also being developed for the Indian Air Force.

According to naval officers, a 100km range theatre defence version called the Extended Range SAM is being developed for four Project 15B destroyers, which were also under construction.

In a separate report, the Deccan Herald told of the development by India of a subsonic 1,000-km range cruise missile called 'Nirbhay' (Fearless), which could be used for a “variety of applications,” according to DRDO chief and Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister, Dr V.K.Saraswat. It was “getting into some shape,” he said. He told a national convention of the Aeronautical Society of India that the air-to-air Astra missile was being readied for testing.

He further said India's armed forces were looking for long duration loitering missiles, capable of entering 'enemy territory', search targets, such as radars, concentration of assets and a “variety of movements of the enemy, home on the targets and bang them.”

He made a strong pitch for the development of space-based sensors. These, he claimed, were a must for a potent anti-ballistic defence system.

India is launching a major programme for surveillance, particularly space-based, in terms of electro-optical payload and synthetic radar. More building blocks were required, Dr Saraswat averred.

Hypersonic BrahMos Aviation Week magazine (May 27) caught up with Dr A.Sivathanu Pillai, BrahMos Aerospace CEO and Managing Director, in Bangalore, for an extended interview. To what did he attribute his success? His reply: “Joint venture (Mach 2.8 supersonic) BrahMos is built upon the technological synergy and strength of two nations – India and Russia. Moreover, the superiority of the product such as speed, precision and power has ensured the realization of this high-tech product and encouraged the users to go for the induction of the system in the shortest possible time-frame. It can be proudly said that the Indian Army is the only land army in the world to have a maneuverable landattack cruise missile regiment.”

In answer to a query on an update of the BrahMos programme, Dr Pillai replied: “As you are aware, the development of both the anti-ship and land-attack versions of BrahMos have been completed successfully and we are in the process of delivering the systems to the Navy and Army.

Recently contracts have been signed for induction of the mobile complex for the Indian Army and Indian Air Force. Further orders are in the pipeline.... Our order value will exceed $5 billion.”

The joint design of the hypersonic (Mach 5 plus) BrahMos was about complete and testing would start around 2015, he said. Dr Pillai hailed “BrahMos (as) an ideal example for the public-private partnership consortium.

Many industries have been identified in both India andRussia for the manufacture of the subsystems....In short the Missile Industry Consortium has been established in both the countries.” BrahMos is the world's sole operational supersonic cruise missile.

Delhi Metro

The New York Times, Lydia Polgreen (May 13), managed to admire the Delhi amid her sneers and jeers at India's myriad failings, including an alleged urban disaster waiting to happen. The mastermind behind the Delhi Metro, Elattuvalapil Sreedharan was complimented for his incorruptibility. His services should be made available to Wall Street and America's corporate world. Union Carbide ruined Bhopal in 1984, now BP's oil spillage is ruining the Gulf of Mexico. What price Uncle Sam's global empire?

Ms Polgreen discovered that Mr Sreedharan had invited his Metro employees to read the Bhavagad Gita as a management text to overcome insurmountable hurdles through correct motivation. It's clearly more rewarding than the US military 'surge' in Afghanistan or Iraq.

Essar surge

Joe Leahy's Financial Times report (June 4) – “Ambitious Essar comes full circle”- was an enjoyable read. His opening paragraphs set the scene: “At Essar Steel's construction site in Hazira, Gujarat state, a whiteboard in the newly built control room has a simple date scrawled across it – June 27. This is the deadline for completion of the expansion of this vast steel complex on the arid coast of western India as part of plans by conglomerate Essar Group to increase its global capacity from 9 million tonnes per annum to 14 million mtpa by 2014. The imminence of the deadline is hard to believe,” but one engineer told our scribe, “At any point in time there are 50,000 people working in construction for us.”

Joe Leahy again: “The growing sprawl of the Hazira plant and its ancillary projects – which include a newly dredged and enlarged port that will soon be capable of handling 100,000tonne ships – are testament to the ambition of India's biggest industrial groups.

“The complex is just one part of a global build-out spanning not only steel but oil refining exploration and production, power, shipping and IT outsourcing at Essar. The Mumbai-based conglomerate - which also has a jointventure telecom partnership with the UK's Vodafone in India – last year reported sales of 14 billion.”

“Esser Energy's showpiece facility is its oil refinery in Vadinar, where it plans to expand its capacity to 18mtpa from 14mtpa by next March and 36mtpa by 2013....Essar's growing global steel interests include coal and iron ore mines and plants elsewhere in India as well as in North America, Africa and south-east Asia....When asked what it will do with its scores of giant cranes once the projects – which include 100 acres of land reclamation – are concluded, an engineer remarks: 'The growth never ends, sir.'

He has a point. Esaar started many moons ago as a small port construction business.

The founder's two sons Ravi and Shashi Ruia have reached for the sky and touched it.

Which is also true of India's GDP economic growth of 7.4 per cent for 2009-10 (ending March 31), made possible by an 8.4 per cent rise in the last quarter, thanks to a maufacturing surge.

Growth for recession-hit 2008-9 was 6.7 per cent. The government growth projection for 2009-10 was 7.2 per cent, while its forecast for the curent financial year (2010-11) is 8.5 per cent.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton enjoying a joke with India’s Foreign Minister SM Krishna in Washington (see Comment page 3)

COUNCIL/EDUCATION

Asian Voice - Saturday 12th June 2010

Government promises many more “faith schools” The new coalition Government of Conservatives and Liberal Democrats announced last month that it intends to create many more state-funded “faith schools” in a radical shake-up of the education system.

It is thought, though, that admission rules that permit these schools to select their intake on religious lines will be tightened. They will also lose their opt outs from equality legislation.

Details are, at the moment, sketchy, but it is

thought that the number of minority faith schools will increase dramatically.

Terry Sanderson, President of the National Secular Society, said: “The creation of more ‘faith schools’ is sowing the seeds of disaster for community

relations. Not only is the Government proposing many more separatist Muslim, Sikh and Hindu schools, they are planning to lighten the inspection system which is going to lead to schools falling into the hands of extremists.”

Fifty colleges in England face closure - report A "significant number" of England's further education colleges will struggle to remain viable in the next three years, a report warns.

Obtained under freedom of information laws, the report for the former college funding body the Learning and Skills Council, says 50 colleges could close as the sector "down-sizes".

It urges many more to find efficiency savings by merging or federating and calls for urgent action to address the financial health of the sector.

The KPMG report for the LSC looks at how col-

leges could best find value for money savings in the tougher financial climate.

Colleges have been very successful in the past five years with the majority being rated good or outstanding, it says. But it warns of a small number with poor quality and failed financial health, and a larger number of colleges which are "at risk" of failing in either or both categories.

It quotes figures from the Association of Colleges which, for the second year in a row, says colleges collectively will run a deficit overall. In 2008-9 this was estimated to be £34m.

It argues that in the light of growing financial pressures, every college will need to "deliver greater value for money or risk failing".

"The financial health of the FE sector is, in general, deteriorating rapidly and requires urgent action," it says. The claim comes against a backdrop of £200m in adult education budgets and a £230m writeoff over a mismanaged building development scheme. It urges the government to drive the changes to the college sector "before serendipity and individual college ambition takes the

lead".

Geoff Russell, chief executive of the Skills Funding Agency, which replaced the LSC in April this year, and has just published the report, said the current financial climate meant that all colleges were under pressure to make better provision for less.

"This report will hopefully trigger further debate about how we can all achieve greater efficiencies without affecting the quality of delivery. The Skills Funding Agency wants to contribute to sector thinking, not to impose solutions," he said.

COUNCIL NEWS

Family day out at Bradford Mela

Bradford Mela will be celebrating the creativity, cultures and communities of Bradford this month.

Bradford Mela at Peel Park is a free celebration of cultures and is held on Saturday, 12 and Sunday, 13 June.

Following last year's massive 21st anniversary celebrations the Mela will go back to its roots with a more intimate, family focused event.

There will be a vibrant programme of high quality music and dance from a range of cultural traditions performed over both days over four stages and in outdoor locations around the

park.

The children's zone will offer a host of educational and play activities with crafts and costume making, interactive sports and dance routines. The theme for the children's zone this year will be the International Year of Biodiversity. Plus there will be stalls selling foods from around the world, entertaining street theatre, funfair rides and performances.

There will also be a true flavour of Bollywood at the Mela with everyone invited to join in a specially commissioned Bollywood style dance. The dance will be

led by Zoobin Surty, a professional dancer/choreographer who trained in Indian classical forms of dance and is a graduate from the Northern School of Contemporary Dance and a cultural dance ambassador for the South Asian Arts based in Leeds.

Bradford's Dance for Life instructors have been teaching the routine to their regular classes. The finished piece will be performed at the Mela in front of the Big Screen and members of the public will be encouraged to join in. It will be performed at 2pm and 4pm on both days.

Inspired by London

2010, imove is funded by Legacy Trust UK, Yorkshire Forward and Arts Council England.

Cllr Reverend Paul Flowers, Bradford Council's Executive Member for Culture, Tourism and Sport, said: "Bradford Mela is always a wonderful event in our summer calendar and one which attracts thousands of people every year. This year promises to be a great success and bring both residents and visitors to Peel Park over the two days. I am looking forward to attending the Mela and very much hope it will be packed out for the two days."

Unlicensed manicurists nailed in court Two Southall women have been prosecuted after Ealing Council’s Regulatory Services team launched a crackdown on unlicensed nail bars.

Iswar Dhap, who owns the salon, Curls and Co in Western Road, Southall, appeared before Ealing Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, 27 May. Dhap, of Allendale Avenue, Southall, pleaded guilty to

two offences after her staff provided a manicure and pedicure without qualifications or a licence. She was fined £1,160 and ordered to pay £1,160 towards the council’s costs.

In a separate case, Meena Kumar, owner of Rita’s Beauty Salon in Norwood Road, Southall also appeared before the court. Kumar, of North Road, Southall, pleaded

guilty to one offence of permitting a manicure to be provided on the premises without a licence. She was fined £500 and ordered to pay £500 towards the council’s costs.

Councillor Ranjit Dheer, Cabinet Member for Safer Communities, said: “It is vital that nail bars are licensed so we can ensure they are properly

run and hygienic. If staff are unqualified or use dirty equipment they can easily injure clients and cause nasty infections. As part of our drive to make the borough safer we are keen to crackdown on businesses that are flouting the law and I hope company owners will take note of these prosecutions and ensure they have the proper licences.”

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Making a difference to your child’s education Imagine this. Your child is going to a good school. The school has a good reputation, the teaching is well structured and the children’s achievements are regularly monitored and tested.

However, the feedback you get from his teachers when you meet them is that your child is “struggling to grasp concepts in Maths” or “finding it difficult to Pankaj Vekria deal with abstract issues in Physics”. You are therefore worried and concerned.

The first thing is to get some perspective as to where your child is on the wider academic spectrum.

Your child is only being measured against the benchmark particular to the school and fellow pupils. Very few children consistently rank among the high achievers in every subject but that doesn’t mean to say that they face exam disaster. But it is at this point that parents might consider the idea of having some tutoring for their child.

However, tutoring is not just about pushing a child through exams. Some children need to have their confidence and self esteem boosted in order to do well. Others perhaps are not having the right buttons pressed and need to explore new ways of looking at subjects. In any school, but especially those where high academic achievement is the norm, children can become downhearted and it is at this point that a sympathetic tutor can help in restoring a sense of self worth and a “can-do” attitude. Confidence is a large part of the battle when it comes to academic performance. If you think that your child might need help in reaching the standard required then it is never too late to begin. The right tutor can make a life-changing difference to your child’s perception of himself as a mathematician or scientist.

It is vital that your child has a good chance to practice for the tests that they will meet in daily academic life. The more practice a child gets the less anxious he or she will be about meeting these challenges.

A good tutor will work with your child to identify areas of weakness and will then set out a plan to address them. Tutoring can also be tailored to meet the challenges associated with specific schools. It can make the difference between success and disappointment.

Until recently, tutoring services were expensive and at times inconvenient. Children had to be taken to and from the tutor for their lessons, which usually cost somewhere between £30.00 and £50.00 per hour.

Nowadays however there is an alternative offered in the form of internet based teaching. Children enjoy using technology to learn. They have no difficulty in adapting to an online teaching environment and a truly dramatic improvement in academic performance can be achieved in a relatively short space of time. If you are worried about your child’s learning then this is certainly an avenue that you should consider.

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14

HEALTH WATCH

HEALTH WATCH IN BRIEF Banish anger with exercise Exercise is likely to have a beneficial effect on anger in men, says a new study. A research team assessed angry mood and emotions in males.

The subjects viewed anger-inducing scenes before and after 30 minutes of leg-cycling exercise at 65 percent of their maximal oxygen uptake.

The investigators measured oscillatory brain activity, the eventrelated late-positive potential (LPP), and self-reports of anger intensity during picture viewing.

'The major novel finding from this study is that exercise protected against angry mood induction, almost like taking aspirin to prevent a heart attack. In other words, exercise really is like medicine. However, exercise did not change EEG responses during elicitation of angry emotions in our subjects,'

said lead investigator Nathaniel Thom, stress physiologist.

With this initial research as a backdrop, Thom and his team suggest that future studies explore the mechanisms underlying the effect of exercise on reducing angry mood, and should consider alternative anger-induction methods for study purposes.

The investigators also propose testing the effects of chronic exercise training on anger and its expression. A long-term exercise regimen may deliver different results, said a release of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).

Regular bedtime linked to better language, math skills Having a regular bedtime ensures development of language, reading and maths skills among fouryear-old children, says a new study.

The study also provides a wealth of information about typical sleep patterns in such children.

American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) prescribes a minimum of 11 hours of sleep every night for preschool children.

Getting less than this recommended amount of sleep was associated with lower scores on phonological awareness, literacy and early math skills.

The data show that many children are not getting the recommended amount of sleep, which may have negative consequences for their development and school achievement.

"Getting parents to set bedtime routines can be an important way to make a significant impact on children's emergent literacy and language skills," said

Asian Voice - Saturday 12th June 2010

Chili pepper ingredient fights fat Scientists are reporting new evidence that capsaicin, the stuff that gives chili peppers their kick, may cause weight loss and fight fat buildup by triggering certain beneficial protein changes in the body. Their study, which could lead to new treatments for obesity, appears in ACS' monthly Journal of Proteome Research.

Jong Won Yun and colleagues point out that obesity is a major public health threat worldwide, linked to diabetes, high blood pressure, heart dis-

ease, and other health problems.

Laboratory studies have hinted that capsaicin may help fight obesity by decreasing calorie intake, shrinking fat tissue, and lowering fat levels in the blood.

Nobody, however, knows exactly how capsaicin might trigger such beneficial effects.

In an effort to find out, the scientists fed high-fat diets with or without capsaicin to lab rats used to study obesity.

The capsaicin-treated rats lost 8 percent of their body weight and showed

changes in levels of at least 20 key proteins found in fat. The altered proteins work to break down fats.

"These

changes provide valuable new molecular insights into the mechanism of the antiobesity effects of capsaicin," the scientists say.

People with less bad cholesterol level can count on longer life People with decreased LDL or bad cholesterol levels can count on a longer life, says a new study. The findings stem from the Program on Surgical Control of the Hyperlipidemias (POSCH) randomised controlled trial which kicked off at the University of Minnesota (UM) in 1975. Researchers evaluated 838 heart attack survivors between the ages of 38-60.

Of the 838, 417

patients were assigned to treatment with diet instruction only, and 421 to diet instruction plus a partial ileal bypass surgery, or bypass of the small intestine where cholesterol is absorbed. Twenty-five years later, UM Medical School (UMMS) researchers found the group who had surgery increased life expectancy by about one year.

"This study contributes to a long path of findings

from the POSCH trial, that is, high levels of LDL cholesterol are detrimental to your health," said Henry Buchwald, bariatric surgeon at the UMMS, and principal study investigator.

Through the years, and through a number of highprofile published journal studies, the POSCH study has repeatedly shown that reducing high LDL cholesterol means fewer heart attacks, fewer deaths, less incidence of peripheral

artery disease, and less heart disease.

"The POSCH trial was the first randomised controlled trial to show the life-sustaining benefits of cholesterol lowering and it is the only trial with 25 years of follow-up," Buchwald said, according to an UMMS release.

Because of the advent of statins, the surgery is now relegated to a small minority of patients who have adverse effects to drugs.

Coffee does not make you more alert: Study

lead author Erika Gaylor, early childhood policy researcher for SRI International, an independent, nonprofit research institute in Menlo Park, California.

Gaylor recommended that parents can help their preschooler get sufficient sleep by setting an appropriate time for their child to go to bed and interacting with their child at bedtime using routines such as reading books or telling stories.

"This is by far the largest study of its kind to date. Previous studies have included up to 500 children in this age group," Gaylor said. "It's fortunate to have this rich dataset available for analysis".

These findings were presented at SLEEP 2010 ongoing in San Antonio, Texas.

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The belief that a cup of coffee stimulates the brain and makes drinkers feel more awake is a myth as scientists have found that the so-called “caffeine high” is just a reaction to the body craving the drug.

A study of 379 people showed regular coffee drinkers needed a hit of caffeine to gain the same level of alertness as non-coffee

drinkers, according to reports.

“Our study shows that we don’t gain an advantage from consuming caffeine.

Although we feel alerted by it, this is caffeine just bringing us

back to normal,” said Prof.

Peter Rogers of the University of Bristol’s Department of Experimental Psychology, which led the research.

Researchers deprived each person of coffee for 16 hours before giving the participants either caffeine or a placebo. Each of them then underwent a series of tasks to measure their attentiveness, memory and vigilance.

There was “little difference” in the results between the coffee users and those who were given placebo, found the study, published online in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology.

“On the other hand, while caffeine can increase anxiety, tolerance means that for most caffeine consumers this effect is negligible,” Rogers added.

Restaurant Review- Tycoon, London When a favourite banquet hall was refurbished with a complete change in menu and also doubled up as a restaurant, we couldn't wait to check it out. Tycoon at Sudbury Hill has undergone a complete makeover catering to the modern Asian by ditching most of its earlier pre-dominantly North Indian cuisine for the popular Indo-Chinese.

The 29-year-old Dylan brought in some of ideas he had seen in the décor.

Purple, blue and orange coloured chiffons were draped all over the walls giving it an Asian look. The candles placed all over in holes in the back wall could be a popular backdrop for photographers.

Dylan graciously welcomed us to sample the signature dishes. Deliciously tangy paneer chilli, staple chicken tikka and the smoky fish tikka were our favourites. A favourite of Kenyan Gujaratis Mogo Masala was next. The masala poppadums had a salady garnish of cucumber and carrot which could be

avoided. Lall claimed that Tycoon's Garlic Mushrooms would change the mind of any mushroom hater- we can vouch for that.

The main course featured the Tycoon customers' favouriteLamb Mustaqui, which has a nice barbecue flavour. The usually solid Butter Chicken could have been creamier. Paneer Butter Masala hit all the

large sumptuous meal, we could not bear having desert. But Lall won us over with Shahi kulfi- which unlike its name, was light and fragrant.

Whether to host a party or to dine in the restaurant, Tycoon is a must visit. right tangy and peppery notes. The mixed vegetables were simple and delicious while the tadka dal had a great garlicky taste. After a

Meal for two would cost £15-£20. For enquiries, visit www.tycoonbanqueting.com Contact- bookings@tycoonbanqueting.com

Tete-a-tete with Dylan Lall Tell us about yourself.

I currently live in Ashford. I completed a business degree at Kingston University. I was a DJ till 24 and then I decided to veture into this business.

When did you decide to acquire Tycoon?

As a kid, my mother always brought me here for parties. It was the place to be at the time. There are pictures of me celebrating my birthday here. I did a complete refurbishment last September and handled al the designing myself.

Tycoon continues to be a popular venue for parties?

We specialise in private functions and dinner-and-dance nights. The capacity is 100+ people. We have hosted Ladies night,

Singles night and even successful Halloween party. We do a lot of live cooking and add dishes which are not on the regular menu.

Have you consciousDylan ly opted to stay in the Lall mid-price range?

There are so many cheap curry houses which last for six months and then shut down. They use the bring-your-own-alcohol strategy. They don't work because quality cuisine comes at a price.

What next?

I am opening a lounge-bar at Holborn, London and am recording my new music album.

15

Asian Voice - Saturday 12th June 2010

Alpesh Patel Consultant Editor Financial Voice Dear Asian Voice Reader, The great advantage of regularly co-hosting CNBC or doing the paper review on the BBC is you always have to be incredibly knowledgeable about everything – not an easy job for someone of my obvious limitations.

You see on CNBC and BBC they don’t tell you in advance when co-hosting what will be discussed. You can of course work it out based on what’s news and of course it’s bound to cover earnings, US and UK equities. But sometimes it’s also Japanese bond yields too or Australian macroeconomic policy.

The great thing is it all gives me the opportunity to share the insights that come from not only thinking about the markets day in and day out, but also having to put my neck on the block in front of millions of viewers. Make no mistake – nothing focusses the mind to be insightful than the thought that the head may be severed from the shoulders.

So as I examined the statistics of the global markets recently, here are some insights I found startling and interesting: Brazil has fallen a fair bit a lot – 10% but given the price-earnings measure of the valuation of its major stock market index - it is not expensive.

The Dow is not expensive when measured by the fact that companies on its major stock market index trade at a price of 14 times their earnings – again one way to measure valuation. A reflection that earnings have been stronger than people realise.

The Japanese market is expensive based on the same measure of the price at which stocks in its major stock market index trade compared to the profits or earnings they generate.

Among those that have fallen the most, the IBEX – Spanish market looks cheap with high dividend yield – suggests it is good value – but the fundamental being very weak it would be a brave person who may be rewarded.

Japan is doing better than most realize – we’ll need to examine Japanese stocks.

The UK deficit to GDP is a similar percentage to that of the UK, but then again not far off Greece but the problem the UK has which the US does not is that the US is growing faster than the UK. Russian growth, despite being a BRIC (high potential Brazil, Russia, India, China) country shows not impressive growth. The Indian stock market is about half the market cap of the Chinese. The Chinese are about the size of the UK in terms of market cap. The US represents a third of the global market cap. Don’t get carried away with Chinese influence when it comes to deciding how the world markets move or indeed what moves markets – the Americans still are the lions share of global companies.

When I examine the Dow since 2006 and PriceEarnings valuation I notice as I said it is looking relatively cheap at the moment. If it traded at a price of 18 times earnings of its companies then that would put the Dow at near 13,000. There is a 30% chance of trading at price to earnings multiple of 12, and that would put it at 8,600! I do think it will touch 9,000 before touching 13,000 – let’s put it that way.

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‘Luggage’ on British Airways It tops the list of worst UK airline British Airways, recently dogged by crew strikes, has to bite a bullet. It tops the list of UK airlines for losing, delaying and damaging passengers' luggage, if we have to believe the findings of a survey.

Once held in high esteem the airline image has nosedived after the survey, as it has already been hit by months of strike chaos and resultant financial crunch.

Based on feedbacks from more than 2,000 recent travellers across the UK, the survey found that one in 3.8 British Airways passengers has had their checked luggage lost, delayed or damaged in the last five years, a media report claims.

UK-based airlines made up seven of the eight

worst airlines for luggage difficulties. Virgin Atlantic was named second-worst airline with one in 8.3 passengers having luggage problems.

Third was Dubai-based carrier Emirates (one in nine passengers affected), fourth was easyJet (one in 11.1) and fifth was Ryanair (one in 12.5).

Overall in the UK only a quarter of those airline passengers whose luggage was damaged received compensation from the airline, according to the survey by insurance company LV. Those who were com-

Global steel giant ArcelorMittal on Thursday, 3rd June entered into pact with the Karnataka government to set up a Rs 300 billion plant. Commenting on the proposed project he hoped that it would come up faster compared to its plans in Jharkhand and Orissa.

In conversation with media at the recently concluded global investers meet organised by the state government.

ArcelorMittal Chairman and CEO Lakshmi Mittal said his company had signed an MoU with the Karnataka government.

Mittal had entered into an

initial agreement with Karnataka government to set up an estimated six million tonnes steel plant in iron ore rich Bellary district. The company has been struggling to launch its proposed Rs 1 lakh crore steel projects in Orissa and Jharkhand (12mpta each) for about five years now which are stuck due to regulatory hurdles and problems in land acquisition.

"If we see progress in Karanataka ahead of other states, this project will take first priority," Mittal said.

During his last visit, Mittal had criticised

pensated received an average of just 72 pounds for their damage. Thirty per cent of travellers waited three months or more to be compensated for their damaged luggage.

A total of 38 per cent had to wait for between one week and a month, while just 20 per cent were compensated for the damage within a week.

When it comes to lost

luggage, only 27 per cent were reunited with their bags within 24 hours, the paper reports.

British Airways branded the statistics quoted in the survey as ludicrous, and said: "The claims made in the LV press release are complete rubbish. There is absolutely no evidence to suggest that a quarter of BA passengers have experienced lost or delayed baggage over the last five years."

Worst airlines for lost luggage 1. British Airways: one in 3.8 passengers 2. Virgin Atlantic: one in 8.3 passengers 3. Emirates: one in 9 passengers 4 EasyJet: one in 11.1 passengers 5. Ryanair: one in 12.5 passengers 6. Thomas Cook: one in 14.2 passengers 7. Bmi: one in 16.6 passengers 8. Bmibaby: one in 20 passengers

Mittal signs MoU for Karnataka plant India's policies, saying it was not ready for big ticket investment.

Referring to projects in Orissa and Jharkhand, he said, "In other states, we have a lot of other issues in connection with not only land, forest approvals, environment clearances and protest. So the progress is slow".

"In Karnataka, we have already got land allocation and we have been assured by the government that other requirements will be processed speedily. That is whey we believe the progress will be better," he said. Asked when the project would be completed

Mittal said it would take 36 months "once the foundation begins, foundation means once the land is acquired, engineering done, then start counting the time". "We don't know how long the race is and how many hurdles are there. But we are encouraged by the support of the state government."

Admitting that the mining issue in Karnataka is still being sorted out, Mittal said "Mining location is a problem. We are in the process of working with the government to get mining lease. We do not have a mining lease, but the process is on".

US$1 trillion bailout fund for Eurozone countries As fears of debt crisis have caused volatility and downslide of Euro against the US Dollar in particular, Eurozone countries have begun a process to set up a huge bailout fund for any member nation of the Euro currency. The aim is to assure the global markets against jitters following the Greek crisis and speculations about Spain and / or Portugal also likely to witness similar debt problems.

The size of the fund would be Euro 750 billion (US$ 1 trillion), with some contributions from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) too. A special purpose

vehicle will be ready within June itself, capable of lending upto Euro 440 billion, Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker announced after a meeting of Finance Ministers of the Eurozone countries.

IMF will provide Euro 250 billion. EU executive commission will be managing another Euro 60 billion to cover any urgent financial needs.

Germany will pitch in with the largest chunk of the EU fund. The country has called upon other Eurozone nations to effect huge budget cuts and that way, avoid of landing into a bailout situation.

EU Economy Commissioner Olli Rehn warned that Spain, Portugal and other countries should be prepared for more budget cuts.

Eurozone nations said in a joint statement that they would draft bigger cuts and tax increases if they have to and would pursue “structural reforms” to slim state running costs — such as raising retirement ages to curb pension costs.

Hungarian officials last week warned that the country's deficit is growing and the country is close to default, two years after it received a bailout from the EU and the IMF.

Hungary's government has downplayed those comments, but those reports led the euro trading near the four-year lows it hit Friday, when it went below $1.19 for the first time since March 2006.

There is intense pressure on all eurozone countries to make cuts.

However, trade unions warn that budget cuts could be going too far and could choke a fragile recovery that so far relies more on exports than domestic demand in European countries where people are still slow to spend and companies are reluctant to hire new workers.

Living, working and retiring to the USA has never been easier and buying a home there has never been cheaper.

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Please contact Richard Robinson, in the UK, on + 44 (0) 207 408 9450; richard@eb5-visa.net or visit www.eb5-visa.net.

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16

FinAnciAl voice

Asian Voice - Saturday 12th June 2010

UK’s FSA slaps £33.3mn fine on JPMorgan Securities Maria Fernandes maria@abplgroup.com

Tier 4 Students: Working in the UK Qualifications Framework is awarded by a UK institution which has degree awarding powers. Not all courses which are called degrees or foundation degrees meet these criteria. The institution will be able to confirm the level of their course. As an example HND’s do not meet this level.

All other students are restricted to 10 hours work.

Voluntary work counts towards the total hours permitted.

What about Dependants?

Dependants of those who made their application before 31st March can work if the main applicant had permission to be here for 12 months or more.

Those who are dependants of students who qualified after 31st March can only work if the main applicant qualifies for 20 hours work..

What does term time mean?

These are usually determined by the timetable of the college.

However those doing Masters or PHD’s are not on holiday merely because they are not required to attend classes. They cannot work until they have submitted their dissertation or final thesis. The only exception is where it is a work placement which is an assessed part of the course. Once the course is finished, if there is leave of upto 4 months left, work is permitted.

Beyond this point a new application would need to be made to work.

Internships of upto 3 months are permitted for students who qualified before the introduction of Tier 4 (31st March 2009). There is no provision for this under the Tier 4 regulations.

What are the obligations of employers who have to employ students?

Tough measures are

There is some confusion about the rights of students to work. New rules came into existence on the 31st March 2010 which restrict work for categories of students who apply for permission after this date. This article is designed to answer queries raised by a number of employers.

The first rule is that students are prohibited from engaging in business, becoming self employed or filling permanent full time vacancies.

What can I check to see if student can work?

Students who are allowed to work have one of the following stamps: “restricted work, part time term time, fulltime vacations” “work changes must be authorised” “able to work as authorised by the Secretary of State” “restricted work term time” “no recourse to public funds. Work changes must be authorised” What are the restrictions?

Students who were granted entry clearance or extensions before 31st March 2009 are subject to the old rules.

They can work for upto 20 hours per week during term time and full time during holidays and work placements. They cannot work for an average of 20 hours a week whereby they work for over this amount some weeks and under this amount in other weeks.

On the 31st March 2010 further restrictions were introduced.

Students can only work for 20 hours if: • They have permission to be in the UK for 12 months or more • The course is at degree level or is a “foundation degree” A foundation degree is a course which leads to a qualification at Level 5 or above of the National

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Emirates agrees to 44% stake buyback by Sri Lankan Airlines Emirates, the gulf based airline agreed to sell the entire 43.6 per cent shares that it held, back to Sri Lankan Airlines, Chairman Nishantha Wickramasinghe announced. Known as Air Lanka previously, the Sri Lankan national carrier had sold the stake to Emirates for a consideration of US$ 70 million in 1998. Even after that stake sell and the move to privatisation, Sri Lankan government had retained a majority – 51% stake the in national carrier. The

Mahinda Rajapakse in December, 2007.

Rajapakse and his entourage of 34 wanted a block of 35 seats for his flight from London to back home, while the management of the airline refused to accommodate the Sri Lankan President’s team. The seats were refused as the flight was already over booked.

In January 2008, Emirates announced that it will not renew its management contract with Sri Lanka’s national carriers after March (that year).

management of the airline was however, handed over to Emirates for a period of 10 years.

During the foreign management, President Mahinda Rajapakse had problems with the airline occasionally. That perhaps led him to decide on taking back the reins of the airline as well as management control. That was taken back two years ago.

Peter Hill, a British professional and the head of Sri Lankan Airlines had ruffled the feathers of the Sri Lankan President

Kingfisher joins Oneworld alliance Kingfisher Airlines, India’s only five star carrier and second biggest in terms of number of passengers carried, has signed the deal for joining Oneworld alliance, a group of premier global airlines.

The other prominent members include British Airways, American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Qantas, Japan Airlines and Finnair. On bilateral

level, British Airways already has a code sharing agreement with Kingfisher.

Kingfisher had signed the MOU in February.

After securing the requisite approvals from various regulatory authorities, the contract was signed earlier this week in Berlin.

The real alliance to become practical will take around 18 to 24 months.

The benefit will be for

the passengers being able to fly 800 destinations in 150 countries through a single booking.

Kingfisher recently won rights for flights between New Delhi and London’s Heathrow airport, which it plans to start in March next year.

It already flies from Mumbai to London and has Bangkok, Hong Kong, Dubai and Singapore on its international network.

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enforcement director.

“This penalty sends out a strong message to firms of all sizes that they must ensure client money is segregated in accordance with FSA rules. Firms need to sit up and take notice of this action — we have several more cases in the pipeline.”

The error stemmed from the 2000 merger of JPMorgan & Co with the Chase Manhattan Corp, according to the FSA’s investigative report. After the merger, the combined treasury function didn’t recognize client money from the futures and options business, according to the report.

Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc, which rocked financial markets worldwide in 2008 and triggered the economic meltdown, led to the FSA put financial companies on notice that they must properly separate client funds. New York-based Lehman’s creditors filed more than $830 billion of claims and regulators worldwide are trying to unravel how money moved through its global units.

“The FSA has repeatedly emphasized the importance of ensuring that client money is adequately protected,” said Margaret Cole, the FSA’s

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being taken against employers who are found not only employing illegal workers but workers who are allowed to work but exceed their hours of work or do not observe the conditions of their leave. Penalties can range from £5000 to £10000 per person found working in this way. In order to protect the business it is therefore advisable to ensure that the student is allowed to work in accordance with their leave and that these checks are carried out at least once a year. It is worth asking students to produce a copy of their timetable and course so that you can check that they are working the correct number of hours. Those who have sponsor licences or plan to obtain one are particularly vulnerable.

If found in breach of the regulations, apart from financial penalties employers could end up being refused or losing their licence.

Currently one of the areas of focus of the UK Border Agency is to prevent students from working over the period permitted.

The changing regulations are a minefield for employers.

Where in doubt contact the Home Office helpline where there is a pending application on 0845 010 6677.

Maria Fernandes is a solicitor based in Wembley who specialises in immigration law. She is an accredited member of the Immigration Law Panel of the Law Society and has several years experience.

British financial regulator, the Financial Services Authority (FSA) has slapped a fine of £33.3 million (US$48.8 million) on the London unit of JP Morgan Chase and Co. over accounting practices.

Financial companies are required to ensure that clients’ money are properly separated from the firm’s accounts.

A statement from the FSA last week said JP Morgan Securities Ltd. had erred in not properly segregating an average of $8.6 billion of clients’ money for seven years.

The error went undetected for long.

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FINANCIAL VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 12th June 2010

17

Property Focus Suresh Vagjiani Managing Director of Sow & Reap, a Property Investment & Financing company.

SO NEAR BUT SO FAR

We have an interesting case study this week.

Many british born indians, who were born and raised in the UK, are being lured abroad for work; ironically back to India. It seems as things have gone full circle. This second generation is now going to the every country their first generation forefathers left to give their children a better future. It is a contradiction, but one that makes sense. The rate at which India is expanding as a country requires western infrastructure and experience to set the stage for Indian talent. Hence, companies are taking their well trained Indian personnel from here into senior positions in India.

Consequently, we have an analyst born and bred in the UK, a chartered accountant by profession, working for a multinational company operating in Mumbai.

His aim was to ensure that the good wage he was earning in India was put to good use One might ask oneself, why would anybody want to invest in the UK when India is at your doorstep and one of the fastest growing economies in the world?

In this case the reasons were many fold. Firstly, as he was ultimately coming back to the UK, it made sense to establish a base here so there is no exchange rate variability. Secondly, Indian property is superb for stunning capital growth although not for rental yield. Thirdly, the final plan is to purchase a family home here so these

properties can be liquidated or remortgaged quite quickly to fund something else.

Sow and Reap found him a property in Maida Vale using our property sourcing service and arranged finance for him based On an Expat Buy to Let Basis.

We gave the option to our client of two exclusive deals.

The Purchase price was £315,000.

The first was 75% loan to value with two year 4.95% tracker rate.

The second was 60% loan to value lifetime tracker at 3.45%.

The property is producing a good rental yield with potential rental income of around £24,000 per annum.

There will be a healthy profit once the mortgage and other fees have been paid out.

It shows that even high fliers choose London to invest and an investment property is a healthy and effortless way to increase the bank balance on return to these shores.

It also shows that appetite for UK property is still strong and this is one of the safest places to buy a property, with a strong legal system.

Even with the healthy returns offered by Indian banks our client choose to invest in property. What to say of British banks offering a measly 1% return on funds invested, and this is being eroded by an inflation rate of 5.3% which means that if you do nothing you go backwards.

So do not delay and call Sow and Reap to create a stream of passive income.

One foot in the Grave It is a common misconception that being good and borrowing nothing guarantees eligibility for credit, as a client recently discovered. He had a small credit limit of £1,000 and paid back the full amount every time he used the card plus a small mortgage of £100,000. He is a highly paid credit analyst who put an offer on a two bedroom property near to Warwick Avenue.

It became obvious to us why his application was declined. However, the client was flabbergasted and in a state of denial.

We advised him to get his credit report to get to the source of the problem and, as we expected, his score was 650 out of a potential of 999.

In many cases, simply by keeping up payments and a high net worth individual is enough to qualify for a mortgage.

Some time back this would have been the case, but not anymore. Banks are now fussy as to who takes the credit and even when they do give credit the paper work required is often cumbersome.

the system, and on the other, if it is too deep, it could pull you in and you might drown. And what is more, they can also change the definition if they consider credit worthiness dependent on the amount of funds they wish to lend out.

The client in question has the cash required to put down a 40% deposit but would rather purchase two properties instead of one. The plan was to start a portfolio after the first one is rented, produce income and then move on to the next.

This will happen but in time as a mortgage will help to build his credit up.

The current property can be refinanced at a later stage so the funds would be buried in the property temporarily. The property will be remortgaged and the funds used for the deposit of the next purchase. So actually all it will mean is there is a longer delay in the purchase of the next property.

On the positive side, the terms of the new mortgage are a lot more favourable

There are two main credit agencies on the market, Experian and Equifax.

Lenders use one or the other and at times we have noticed discrepancies between the two. In order the get to the bottom of these discrepancies the report is required.

Credit is like a muscle, the more you use it the stronger it gets. A good example is the Government; they have the highest credit as they are the highest borrowers.

Most banks grant loans via decisions made by computer systems. These decisions are based on factors such as client address history and the amount borrowed.

If the application fails with a high street bank we have lenders who will lend on a more intuitive basis, with even better preferential terms, although a higher deposit is often required. We even have lenders who do not perform credit score.

So it is somehow a perverse system.

On one hand, you need to have a foot in

as the rate is 3.84% on a BTL basis, with only 1% early redemption payment and a 1.25% arrangement fee which are excellent terms for a property on a BTL basis.

This will increase his income from the property by £7,000 over a two year period. So it is not all bad news.

But the opportunity lays on the ability to purchase two properties rather than one over this period.

Therefore, based on the above, it makes sense to remortgage as soon as the credit score meets the sufficient level required since the loss in not purchasing the property will be too high.

What to say about those of you who have funds sitting in a bank account depreciating daily?

Though debt goes against the Indian grain of thought it is a necessary evil to have some of it in your name, but learn to use this system then have it use you.

n Mortgages n Commercial Finance n Property Sourcing n Gujarat Properties - Sale & Resale T: 0207 706 0187 F: 0203 014 8484

E: info@sowandreap.co.uk W: www.sowandreap.co.uk

31 Southwick Street, Paddington, W2 1JQ Registered in England No. 05083823

18

fiNANCiAl voice

Asian Voice - Saturday 12th June 2010

Tata’s Nano rolls out from Sanand in Gujarat Built in a record time of 14 months, new plant inaugurated by Modi Nano, the wonder small car from Tata finally rolled out from mother plant at Sanand in Gujarat last week.

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the plant on Wednesday, 02 June in presence of Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata and other officials of Gujarat government as well as Tata Motors. Vendors and suppliers, partners, dealers and associates of the company were also present.

Ratan Tata was emotional and thanked everyone who made it possible for Tata Motors to make the dream turn into a reality for hundreds and thousands of families to own a cheap car. Deliveries from Sanand plant will start this month itself.

In keeping with the

What’s the Role of the State Anyway?

Ratan Tata (L), chairman of the Tata Group, and Gujarat's chief minister Narendra Modi wave as they stand beside the Tata Nano car during the inauguration ceremony of a new plant for the Tata Nano at Sanand on June 2.

Tata traditions of CSR initiatives, Tata Motors have started development activities in the area.

In a 20 km radius area around the plant, the company has undertaken

steps to make available drinking water, sanitation facilities. Upgradation of skills for primary school teachers, employment drive etc. are also a part of the exercise.

Indian car sales numbers hotter than the summer heat

All car makers recorded more than 25% rise in May Car sales in May 2010 registered meteoric rise, with more than 25% increase for almost all leading brands. Fiat India reported the highest percentage rise of 82.2% over May,

2009. Toyota Kirloskar Motors also recorded a sales growth of 54% over the same month in the previous year.

Tata Motors, the Indian giants and also

Gold scales another peak in the second week The precious metal quoted at US$ 1,252.90 an ounce; in London on Tuesday Gold prices continued to zoom through the roofs for the second week in a row at the global markets and Indian markets as well. On Tuesday, 08 June the yellow metal prices touched Rs. 19,220 per 10 grams in New Delhi. The spurt was a result of the metal touching yet another all time high price in the international markets, as stockists rushed for a frantic buying.

It was a rise of Rs. 195 over the Monday price for 99.9 per cent purity gold, while the next purity of 99.5 per cent also jumped up by a similar margin, touching Rs. 19,210.

Again, it was the Europe debt crisis that fueled the gold rush, as the metal scaled new peaks in the London market with investors going for the metal against cur-

rencies and equities. The price in London market was a new record of US$1,252.90 an ounce.

This followed the Euro sliding down to it’s lowest against the US Dollar in four years.

In line with the general firming trend, even the white metal recorded significant gains on increased offtake by industrial units and other consuming sectors like coin and jewellery fabricators.

Silver ready recorded a handsome single day gain of Rs 1,000 to Rs 29,600 per kg in India.

Anil moves closer as patch-up with Mukesh gains momentum Defemation suit against brother withdrawn from the Bombay High Court The patch-up process between Anil and Mukesh Ambani, heirs of the Reliance empire has gained momentum, with Anil withdrawing a defamation suit that he had filed against elder brother Mukesh Ambani in the Bombay High Court. A spokesman of

Alpesh Patel’s Political Sketchbook:

the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) disclosed the step to mediamen this week.

The defamation case was for an interview Mukesh had given to New York Times, in which, according to Anil Ambani, his elder brother had defamed him.

owners of British brands JLR reported an increase of 38% in domestic sales, while exports were even more steeply up by 121 per cent. JLR sales also have gone up in May 2010.

Budget cuts for economic reasons is one thing, but it begs the question what is the role of the state?

What should it provide?

What is and is not it’s role? Perhaps since we look to Eastern wisdom in so many things and talk about the rise of the East over the West, ancient Indian political philosophy can give us some answers – after all political philosophy is intertwined in its cultural and religious texts for over 2,000 years.

Arthashastra written

by Chanakya delves into welfare, monetary and fiscal policy – so perhaps it’s time, given the state of our State to put Hegel, Mill, Hayek, Bentham, Paine, Kant, Smith, Rousseau, Hobbes, Locke to one side for a moment and reach further back into history and in an easterly direction.

"The secret task of a king is to strive for the welfare of his people incessantly. The adminis-

tration of the kingdom is his religious duty. His greatest gift would be to treat all as equals." Wrote the Indian political thinker.

Therein lies two key tenets of the Lib-Con alliance. First, they have indeed ring-fenced a key aspect of the Welfare State – the NHS. They have as a matter of their political philosophy that the role of the State does include the Welfare State – healthcare for instance free at the point of service.

Moreover the Clegg Cameron mention of the inspid term ‘fairness’ has long been part of the Indian political philosophy when Chanakya says ‘treat all as equals’ – not a class or caste war – not a battle of blues and reds.

"Taxation should not be a painful process for the people. There should be leniency and caution while deciding the tax structure. Ideally, governments should collect taxes like a honeybee,

which sucks just the right amount of honey from the flower so that both can survive. Taxes should be collected in small and not in large proportions" also wrote Chanakya.

It would be a wise Government then that would seek to cut a deficit by ensuring not stifling taxes, but instead ensuring spending cuts.

A fat budget has led to a fat population in pockets expecting the State to owe them a living. Those cuts would be fair cuts.

After all, he adds, ‘A king, a prostitute, Lord Yamaraja, fire, a thief, a young boy, and a beggar cannot understand the suffering of others. The eighth of this category is the tax collector.’

And for the period of austerity Chanakya gives us, ‘One should save his money against hard times, save his wife at the sacrifice of his riches, but invariably one should save his soul even at the sacrifice of his wife and riches.’

Capital Gains Tax - 50%?

Hirji Patel Now that the coalition Government is firmly installed in Parliament and has had an opportunity to review the finances of the country, the full extent of the debt crises that the country faces has become apparent and by all accounts it is not a pretty picture. Although not in the same magnitude as the Greek crises it is nevertheless serious enough to result in the Government contemplating some major tax reforms in the emergency Budget to be held on 22 June 2010, which is anticipated to affect a wide number of people.

One major line of taxation change is expected to be the rate of Capital Gains Tax (CGT) applying to individuals disposing of non-business assets, which for a number of years has been at a far more favourable rate than that applied to income transactions. In fact the main form of planning for individual recently has been to try and convert income related transactions into capital transactions.

However it seems from the statements being periodically announced by various members of the Government that the days of this tax planning route are coming to an end and taxpayers will need to get used to paying CGT at rates up to 40% or even 50%, instead of the present

favourable rate of 18%.

The tragic part of the whole issue is that with relevant tax planning most wealthy investors might be able to avoid the anticipated increase, but the scores of smaller investors who have not or are not able to put in place measures to soften the blow from the increase will see their wealth seriously diminished.

One group of individuals which are expected to be caught up in the rate increase are the second home owners or the buyto-let investors who have grown exponentially during the recent property boom. With property prices and rental income being virtually at a standstill for the last few years the prospect of losing up to 50% of any gain made will mean that the investor may have in fact lost money on their investment when all the factors are taken into account and it may have been better if the money had been invested in a bank account. The rush to off load property assets has already started with estate agents reporting a 40% increase in valuation enquires from property investors. Should these valuations become firm instructions to sell, then property prices will plummet with it, taking years before prices return to their current values. The downturn would hit many

property investors who had placed their money in property in anticipation of the growth being used to fund their retirement plans. The stampede to sell is also expected to hit the stock market with many wealth managers already being instructed by shareholders to sell their shareholdings in order to crystallise whatever gains have been made.

The anticipation is that the rate of CGT is most likely to be brought into line with the income tax rates with the basic rate taxpayer paying CGT at 20% and higher rate taxpayer having to pay at 40% or 50%. The damage would be compounded by the fact that the annual exemption which stands at £10,100 for individuals is anticipated to be slashed to a couple of thousand pounds which will lead to far more individuals being caught by this tax then was the case before.

So what is the solution? Well assuming the new CGT rates are not phased in retrospective then taxpayers may consider potentially arranging for either actual or deemed disposal of their assets to trigger a crystallisation of any gains which have accrued and if this is structured correctly then this can be done at a minimal cost to the taxpayer and lock in the 18% CGT rate.

There is also the potential to use a limited compa-

ny to ensure that the asset remains within the control of the investor but any subsequent gain is taxed at 21% (current rate for small companies) assuming the company has no associated companies and is defined as “small” or 28% for a “large” company. However care needs to be taken when going down this route to ensure that the investor does not suffer a form of double taxation from the incorrect structuring of this transaction.

The Government however knows how important the business community is to the long term success of the UK economy and as such substantial pressure has been placed on ministers to prevent any large scale increase to the CGT rate suffered by individuals disposing of “business assets” where at present such disposals are at an effective CGT rate of 10%.

Therefore, in summary, in order to prevent a serious erosion of their wealth, all investors should have a serious look at their portfolio of investments to ensure that they have thoroughly reviewed all the measures that they can take to protect their assets.

Hirji Patel is a Senior Tax Manager at John Cumming Ross Limited, Chartered Certified Accountants and can be contacted on 020 8864 6689 or e-mail hirji.patel@jcp.uk.com

FINANCIAL VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 12th June 2010

19

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Is UK Heading for a double dip recession?

The new enforced coalition government has a massive task on their hands to avoid the UK heading into a double dip recession. Manifesto pledges from both sides of the alliance will have to be greatly compromised by the new alliance. The conservatives always promised there would be immediate and deep felt public spending cuts, whereas the Liberal Democrats promised to delay spending cuts to combat the massive borrowing deficit we are currently experiencing.

The fragile recovery that is currently being reported in the UK could be severely damaged by too many cuts in the wrong areas, cuts which could lead to a big rise in unemployment that will mean UK heading back into

recession.

The UK economy is on a knife edge at the moment any changes to reduce the deficit will need to be finely tuned and handled with care. For this coalition to build on the current success of its honeymoon period popularity, it must pay close attention to what’s best for the economy as a whole and put party politics on the back burner. If the Con/Lib Dem pact is to avoid back bench revolt on both sides they must prove quickly that they are pursuing the correct spending cut policies and not forcing the economy into the much feared double dip recession.

The financial markets have seemed to have taken kindly to the new government, with ster-

ling holding up better than in the last months of Labour’s reign and really only depreciating against the safe haven currencies such as the Swiss Francs, Japanese Yen, but mainly against the conquering US Dollar.

There have been a few complaints from the city with regards to the top rate of taxation in the UK and stiffer regulations that are looking to be enforced, but all in all they seem to be comfortable with the current setup and there does seem to be a definite optimistic view. It would appear that the BoE will have more control of things in the future but any changes will not happen overnight and will be implemented gradually to avoid causing more instability in the markets.

So the crucial points to avoid the double dips scenario is to create cuts that will not stifle growth and increase unemployment too much. They will also need to ensure that although inflation is creeping up, interest

Weekly Currencies As of Tuesday 8th June 2010 @ 2pm GBP - INR = 67.46 USD - INR = 46.84 EUR - INR = 81.30 GBP - USD = 143.95 GBP - EUR = 120.70 EUR - USD = 119.25 GBP - AED = 5.288 GBP - CAD = 1.519 GBP - NZD = 2.172

rates don’t have to do the same, as that could have a dramatic effect on business and the housing market. If there is a small rise in interest rates, we could see a benefit as the banks may not pass these rises on, much as they did not pass on the effect to borrowers of current record low rates.

Handled with skill the double dip recession will not happen and the UK with the rest of the world will turn around the financial debacle of the last couple of years to head us back to more prosperous times.

GBP - AUD = 1.7590 GBP - ZAR = 11.202 GBP - HUF = 341

www.rationalfx.com Information provided by RationalFX. None of the information on this page constitutes, nor should be construed as financial advice. The exchange rates used are the commercial foreign exchange rates provided by RationalFX. For a live quote or to find out more about how RationalFX can help you, call us on 0207 220 8181.

garammasala

20

Asian Voice Saturday 12th June 2010

‘3 Idiots’ sweeps IIFA awards ‘Endhiran’ 100% complete The words came from the horse’s mouth. Rajinikanth who visited government tourism exhibition campus few days back himself confirmed that ‘Endhiran’ will be an August release.

We had reported few days back quoting director Shankar that the film is complete but for one song. Now we hear even that song has been shot and the shooting comes to an end.

‘Endhiran’ has six songs and one song was crooned by A R Rahman in the lines of “Athiradi” song in ‘Sivaji’. This song was the last one to be shot. Shankar wanted a massive hotel lobby to shoot the song and after trying a number of star hotels in Chnnai he finally settled for a hotel still under construction near Anna

Arivalayan in Teynampet.

Shankar modified the hotel to his needs and started shooting on Monday. Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai participated.

Shankar winds up the film and will go into post production. Ooh… the excitement multiplies.

Karunaas to play hero in 3 films Karunaas is one of the very few comedians in Tamil cinema who is successful as a ‘hero’ ‘Dindigul The too.

Sarathy’ protagonist, who is expecting the of release ‘Ambasamudhiram Ambani’, is now getting ready to do the lead role in three films.

One of the three projects will be directed

by Ramnath. A comedy caper, the film will be shot at deep jungles in South Africa. A popular heroine will share the screen space with Karunaas in this movie, sources say.

The second film will be of Ram by directed ‘Kattradhu Thamizh’ fame.

Titled ‘Thanga Meengal’, the movie is expected to be a comic treat to all, especially to According children. a in set is ie mov sources, the

different backdrop.

Also in the pipeline is the Tamil remake of Malayalam super hit ‘Yaanai Vaal Modhiram’. Circles close to Karunaas say he would continue to do comedian even as he plays the protagonist. “He wants to be successful in both trades,” they add.

Sampath Raj, another Prakash Raj? For those who admire Prakash Raj, here comes Sampath Raj, who is of late, impressing everyone doing varied roles like the former did in his initial days.

With Prakash Raj becoming busy acting, producing and directing movies in different languages, many in the industry feel Sampath Raj is the right replacement for him.

Expressing happiness, Sampath Raj says, “I am happy that people compare me with such a great actor. But honestly, I still have a long way to go”.

Stating that he is not keen not just on doing villainous roles, Sampath Raj says, “If I comes across a character that has a scope to perform, I am

ready for it. Films like ‘Goa’ and ‘Kattradhu Kalavu’ help me sharpen my acting skills.”

Thanking director Venkat Prabhu and his team, he says, “Working in Chennai 28, Saroja and Goa gave me an identity. It gave me the confidence to accept challenging roles. I am ready for the race”, he winds up.

Aamir Khan starrer “3 Idiots” swept the IIFA awards this year bagging eight honours, including Best Film, and megastar Amitabh Bachchan took home the Best Actor trophy for his role as a progeria-afflicted child in “Paa.” The Best Actress award was shared by Vidya Balan for “Paa” and Kareena Kapoor for “3 Idiots.”

The Best Director trophy went to Rajkumar Hirani for “3 Idiots,” while he, along with Abhijat Joshi and Vidhu Vinod Chopra, bagged the Best Story award for the same film.

“3 Idiots,” a coming-of-age comedy about three students at a top engineering college, had been nominated in 12 of the 13 main categories in the 11th Indian International Film Academy (IIFA) awards.

It has already won eight of the 12 technical awards announced last month, including Best Screenplay and Best Cinematography.

Sharman Joshi won the Best Supporting Actor award for his role in “3 Idiots,” while Divya

Dutta received the Best Supporting Actress award for her performance in “Delhi 6.”

3 idiots won another award with Boman Irani clinching the statuette for his negative role in the film.

Sanjay Dutt laughed all the way to bag the award for Best Performance in a Comic Role in “All the Best.”

Composer Pritam pipped maestro A.R. Rahman to win the Best Music Director award for “Love Aaj Kal” while Shaan was adjudged the Best Singer (Male), Kavita Seth won the Best Singer (Female).

Swanand Kirkire won the Best Lyrics award for “3 Idiots.”

Sri Lankan beauty

Jacqueline Fernandez jointly won the Best Female Debutante of the year along with Mahie Gill for their role in “Aladin” and “Dev D,” respectively.

Omi Vaidya aka Chatur Ramalingam of “3 Idiots” shared the Best Male Debutante honour with Jackky Bhagnani for “Kal Kissne Dekha.”

Veteran filmmaker J Om Prakash, maternal grandfather of Hrithik Roshan, and yesteryear’s screen siren Zeenat Aman were felicitated with the Lifetime Achievement award.

The awards were given away at a glitzy ceremony in the Sri Lankan capital, which was overshadowed by protests from Tamils and was boycotted by the South Indian stars like Kamal Haasan and director Mani Ratnam.

Many top Bollywood stars also gave it a miss, including brand ambassador Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan.

Shahid Kapoor Celebrates Dad’s Birthday at Amani in Leith When Bollywood superstar Shahid Kapoor slipped into Edinburgh last week with his father Pankaj Kapoor (star of Gandhi) on a pre-production and planning trip ahead of shooting starting on Kapoor senior’s directorial debut “Mausam,” the trip was kept deliberately low-key, with producers keen to avoid the actor being mobbed by fans intent on tracking him down.

An entourage of around 30 film-makers visited a variety of sites around the Capital, scouting for possible filming locations, but when it came to choosing a location to celebrate Pankaj’s birthday there was really only one choice – Amani, the exotic new lounge restaurant in

the heart of Leith.

Amani, which translates as ‘inspiration’, brings something different and exotic to the Capital’s culinary scene with its appealing fusion of M o r o c c a n , Mediterranean and classic Punjabi cuisine – and it proved to be a great hit with the Kapoors.

Amani manager Imtiaz Hussain said, “It was an honour to host a special birthday celebratory feast for Pankaj Kapoor, his son Shahid and other members of their party last Saturday at Amani.

“The birthday party was judged a great success and, judging by the compliments we received on the night, we would hope to host further feasts for the Kapoors and their entourage at Amani when the film-makers return to Edinburgh to start shooting Mausam later this year.” Amani is conveniently located in Bernard Street in the heart of Leith close to Ocean Terminal Shopping Centre and the Malmaison Hotel. Log onto www.amanirestaurant.com for more information.

Abhi – Ash starrer ‘Raavan’ releasing on 18th June ‘Raavan’, a cinematic masterpiece with India’s Most Celebrated Couple – Aishwarya Rai & Abhishek Bachchan is a modern day adaptation of India’s greatest epic, The Ramayana. The film is releasing in Cinemas Worldwide on Friday 18th June 2010 by Reliance Big Pictures.

‘Raavan’ is an original film work presented by the cinematic tour de force that is director Mani Ratnam (‘Dil Se’, ‘Bombay’), Academy Award Winner and music maestro A R Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire), and Indian cinema royalty and off-screen couple Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan who reunite following the critically acclaimed ‘Guru’.

Drenched with atmosphere, emotion and gripping tension, ‘Raavan’ is an evocative cinematic masterpiece that will draw audiences into the innermost depths of the human psyche.

Directed by Mani Ratnam, ‘Raavan’s’ stellar cast is spearheaded by Aishwarya Rai and

Abhishek Bachchan who perform their most challenging roles to date. They unite on screen in avatars never before seen by cinemagoers and are joined by the undisputed superstar of South Indian cinema Vikram, alongside supporting talent, Govinda, Ravi Kishan and Priyamani. ‘Raavan’s’ hypnotizing visuals are perfectly combined with a haunting soundtrack from A R Rahman.

Mani Ratnam’s milestone adaptation of the ancient Sanskrit epic, ‘The Ramayana’, is equally relevant to contempo-

rary society. A thought-provoking film which is sure to leave audiences questioning the core values of the human condition.

Winners of the Kites contest A contest on Kites premiere was announced in Asian Voice edition dated 29th May. The two winners of the contest are: Jayesh Khunti, Birmingham Rajni Patel, Southall

bollykats

Asian Voice - Saturday 12th June 2010

21

I am no silly ‘Barbie Doll’, says Kareena Kapoor Kareena Kapoor a.k.a.

Bebo has been one of the reigning actresses in Bollywood since the past few years. She has proved herself to be a versatile actress with a wide range of roles that she has performed in space of these few years.

The actress feels that she has now entered a much more mature stage of her career. The news of Mani Ratnam reviving his film “Lajjo,” which was earlier shelved have surfaced recently. The buzz is that Kareena and Aamir Khan will be playing the

lead roles in this movie.

Apparently, Kareena will be one of the happiest persons around if “Lajjo” is made. She claims that she would rather do challenging roles than the 'Barbie Doll' ones. She has come to realise that she enjoys doing diverse roles as an actor now.

Bebo feels that she can no longer do the singing and dancing kind of girlie roles which she had essayed earlier. And she believes that these roles fail to bring out the actor in her. She has been able to win the hearts of many

with her uniqueness in “Kurbaan,” “Jab We Met,” “Omkara” and others.

C u r re n t l y, Kareena has quite a few promising roles in her kitty.

Reportedly, she will be playing the role of a mother in “Ra. One.” She will be acting as a step mother in the Bollywood remake of “Step Mom” too. The role that was originally played by Julia Roberts.

Daring Kangna has taken Bollywood by storm A thriller from the banner of Saroj Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., Ek Second… is flick about Rashi and Vikram, the lead characters and the twists in their lives.

The film is all about destiny and what happens if one tries to fight destiny. While Rashi is simply in dark about what her destiny is, Vikram Sehgal – a famous novelist is the biggest prey in the trap of destiny.

Vikram had affairs with many girls in life. But now he is engaged with Rashi and they are soon getting married. Rashi was unaware of all those girls who were once in Vikram's life.

Then destiny played a game. Incidents change.

Rashi worked in a very big company as a creative head.

That day when she stepped out of her house to go to office that very same day she lost her job. She reached the metro station tired and exhausted, where she missed the train. And now for few hours she will not be able to get train because of some problem. May be these kinds of incidents were bound to happen in Rashi's life. Now from here onwards our story gets divided into two parts. One part narrates that story of Rashi –where she was unable to catch the train. And second part narrates the story of that Rashi who catches the train. The incidents that happened in both stages of lives were shocking and surprising. Rashi who could not catch the train comes out of the metro station, one robber snatches her purse outside the metro station and where she gets hurt. A taxi driver takes her to the nursing home where she is treated, bandage is put and dressing is done. This all was actually written in her fate. But on the other hand Rashi boards the train fighting with her fate. In the train she meets a person named Oni Parker - who is fun loving, joyful and kind hearted person. After the train journey she reaches Vikram's house. Same day she catches Vikram with his girlfriend Tamanna. Both quarrel and fight with each other and Rashi breaks off the relationship for ever and walks away.

On the second part, confused by the trap of her fate, Rashi goes to Vikram's house from the hospital – she does not know what is happening. Both the stories of the Rashi's life go on differently and separately. In one part Rashi has Vikram and in other part Rashi finds a boyfriend Oni Parker.

Produced by Rachna Sunil Singh and Agastyaa Singh, Ek Second… is directed by Partho Ghosh. The story of the film is written by Amit Khan. The lead cast of the film includes of Jackie Shroff, Manisha Koirala, Aman Verma, Nikita Anand, Muammar Rana, Roza Catalano, Agastyaa Singh and Vicky Oberoi. Anand Raj Anand has scored the music for the film, while he shares the credit for lyrics with Pradeep Choudhary.

Sunidhi Chauhan, Adnan Sami, Shaan, Alka Yagnik, Richa Sharma, Arvinder Singh, Alisha Chinai and Anand Raj Anand have rendered the playback.

New Hindi movies releasing this week 1. Ek Second….. Jo Zindagi Badal De?

Top 3 Bollywood movies for the week No. Film 1 Kites 2 Badmaash 3 Housefull

No. Last Week 1 2 3

Total weeks 2 4 5

It might not be long since she set her foot in tinsel town, but she has taken Bollywood by storm, with her extra ordinary good looks and natural talent, calling her a fantastic actress would be just an understatement, or for that matter anything else.

But then a g a i n Kangana Ranaut, wasn't here to follow anybody's rule, she was here to make some of her own.

Looking back at the list of

movies that she has done, she has succeeded in carving a niche for herself.

Today as one of the top leading ladies in Bollywood, Kangana is not here to play safe, with the type of role she has been taking up, she wants to do it ALL. This beauty from Himachal Pradesh made her debut in 2006 with the f i l m “Gangster” directed by A n u r a g Basu, her performance as a gangster's moll was well received and critically appreciated.

A f t e r that there

was no looking back for this superstar. She then starred as the troubled schizophrenic actress (based on yesteryear actress Parvenn Babi's life) in “Woh Lamhe” opposite Shiney Ahuja, the movie fared average at the box office, but Kangana shined in the film.

It was followed by number of hits; she played the role of the “other woman” in Life…In a metro, her character was that of a naïve women looking for someone to love her, but wrongly chooses and falls in love with a married man.

In 2008 Kangana delivered a power packed performance in Madhur Bhandarkar's national award winning film “Fashion.” Kangana Ranaut carried the role of a model, who

becomes a victim of her own self destruction due to drug abuse, garnered a lot of attention.

For the critically praised role in the movie, the pretty actress won the Filmfare award for best supporting actress and the National award for best supporting actress.

Shilpa Shetty - The Hottest Health Guru Shilpa Shetty has always been admired as well as envied in and out of Bollywood for her perfect figure. Right from her debut in Baazigar she has been receiving compliments for her shape. She has always been asked about the secret of her perfect figure.

The beautiful actress now reveals some of her secrets on Twitter. Shilpa has been known to give fitness and health tips there and looks like they made her pretty famous on this particular social networking site too.

Based on popular demand she tweeted stating, “Go Organic(fresh)instead of Processed n frozen foods as much as poss (possible). If u still do, read the

bak(back) of the pkt(packet) to c(see) the contents..become aware!”

Shilpa who is a complete foodie, claims that she follows a disciplined and a proper diet plan. She works out, meditates and follows a yoga regime to stay in shape.

In fact, Shilpa had produced a video of her own named Shilpa's Yoga back in 2008. The DVD consisted of a 2 hour video wherein Shilpa explained the correct ways to perform yoga aasanas. The suave actress had also featured on the cover of Shape magazine.

Sussanne Roshan is furious with media Sussanne Roshan is furious with the press for coming up with stories without verification.

There were reports of Sussanne, Hrithik Roshan's wife, opening her own interior designing store in Bandra, which would be inaugurated by Shah Rukh Khan. As per her own tweets, the store is all set to open in the month of October (approximately), and she has already come up with a name for it, which is yet to be revealed as she is not ready.

The reports, however,

also included that Sussanne has decorated the house of her buddy Gauri Khan, the wife of King Khan. However, Sussanne claimed these are reports to be false.

She vented out her feelings on Twitter, by posting, “I can't understand the rubbish that the press keep writing..big article in DNA fully untrue..yes, I am opening my own store but I have.. not done the interiors of Gauri's house..All credit goes to her!!

And I will not be ask-

ing my friends to do openings! Who's to stop... some journos from concocting these bizarre, random stories just as they feel! Why can't they find out the truth before doing so!”

Even before, the press had gone into an overdrive with rumours of a rift between her and Hrithik because of Barabara Mori, the Kites co-star. Seems like, Sussanne has finally had enough of the media.

And is seeing red for publishing reports which were not verified properly by the reporters.

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Asian Voice - Saturday 12th June 2010

Now, a Dandi March by British envoy’s wife The Dandi March was a part of the Satyagrah movement by Mahatma to overthrow the British rulers from India. The milestone event in the independence struggle 80 years ago became a symbol of civil disobedience.

Now, Jill Bechkingham, wife of newly appointed deputy high commissioner of UK in Mumbai – Peter Bechingham will bring alive the Dandi March.

She will be doing it to seek donations for charity work in India.

Jill even said she

would undertake the entire 390 km journey from Ahmedabad to Dandi and not a symbolic, curtailed walk. The UK diplo-

mat and his wife visited Gujarat recently and also went to the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad.

Jill is a teacher and specialises in helping children with reading difficulties. She has worked with a number of schools in London, at the UN International School in New York and Stockholm.

She also did a 60 mile charity walk in UK, from London to Brighton to help poor children and families in Philippines.

She raised £5,500 with the effort.

A British national’s entry into the Sri Jagannath temple premises, where foreigners are barred, caused a flutter in the administration, though in the end the visitor was allowed to go free...

The 25-year-old British national, Steven Galaro, spotted by atten-

dents in the temple was caught and handed over to the police.

The tourist was handed back by the police to the temple administration, who after thorough verification and scrutiny let him off, police sources said.

The tourist was allowed to go after verifi-

cation of his antecedents as there was no rule for taking action in such cases, a senior official of the temple administration D P Panda said.

As Galaro had not entered the sanctum sanctorum, temple rituals remained unaffected, he said

Peter Beckingham and wife Jill Beckingham

British national causes flutter at Puri’s Jagannath Temple

Now, Poland too will have a Hindu temple Polish capital Warsaw will have a Hindu temple inaugurated in August next.

The Polish ministry of internal affairs and administration (MSWiA) recently registered the proposed temple site as a holy shrine and cleared the decks for construction work to begin. The temple will have idols of nine Hindu deities.

The Indian Association of Poland (IAP), a community outfit behind the project, requested the MSWiA to register the shrine. IAP hopes to open the temple in August and call it the Hindu Bhavan. It is coming up on a huge plot of

land of 3,300 sq. metres.

Seema Motwani, IAP secretary, said this was being done to celebrate religious pluralism within the community. Motwani's husband Suresh, who is on the panel monitoring the project, said the idols will be imported from Jaipur. He added marble and patterns for interiors will also be imported from India to depict Hindu iconography.

"The interior work is almost complete. Work will now begin on the external facade," Suresh said.

IAP treasurer Pradeep Nayar said the money for the plot and the project came via donations from

community members. "We are hoping that the temple sensitises the community youth towards Indian tradition and customs," said Motwani.

For a place of worship to be registered as a holy shrine, MSWiA norms require the support of at least 100 people with Polish citizenship. Fifteen other consent letters were given by Indians, who have acquired Polish citizenship. Hinduism is gradually spreading in Poland, which is dominated by Roman Catholics.

Yoga promoted by Hindu religious movements is also gaining popularity in the country.

Gujarat to have an Aviation company too Regional airlines to connect various cities with 8 flights daily With a view to develop civil aviation in the state, the Gujarat government announced recently of setting up the Gujarat State Aviation Company (GUJSAC) to build infrastructure and provide trained manpower to give a boost to the civil aviation sector at the state level.

A special purpose vehicle (SPV) responsible for roping in private sector in developing civil aviation facilities on a buildoperate-transfer (BOT) model, GUJSAC will study and finalise proposals from private players in a wide area, including constructing airport terminals, air strips, hangars, helipads, flying and gliding clubs and aero sports facilities. It will also look into proposals to train pilots, ground engineers and other personnel.

In a statement, government spokespersons Jay Narayan Vyas and Saurabh Patel said, GUJSAC will operate as an “autonomous enterprise”. State tourism and civil aviations secretary Vipul Mittra will be its chairman and managingdirector (CMD), while a senior IAS official in the chief minister’s office, AK Sharma, and Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Ltd MD Anup Shukla, will be its two directors. It is not clear if any non-government directors will be appointed in GUJSAC. To start with, the state government proposes to invest Rs 90 million in the financial year 2010-11 in developing the sector.

In its remarks on the provision, state budget papers for the current financial year say that as the aviation sector is one

of the fastest developing, the government will “create infrastructure in aviation such as airports, air strips, aviation training institution, maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), regional air lines, cargo complex and meteorological facilities”.

Particularly specifying the need to develop airports for regional connectivity to promote religious tourism, the budget papers say, the state government has “short-listed” Dwarka, Palitana, Ambaji and Morbi. Meanwhile, to provide air connectivity within the state, the state government has roped in two private airlines, Luan and Ventura, to begin operations between important towns. Eight flights will daily connect Bhuj, Rajkot and Jamnagar to Ahmedabad and Surat.

In divine light Evolution and Functions of the Mind

By Rajen Vakil

The Mahabharata is full of short stories, anecdotes, and examples that hold and reveal the deepest secrets of life. It also speaks about the number of lineages which reveal the deeper mysteries of the creation and evolution of the universe, mind, spirit, body and matter.

Today, we will look at one such lineage which reveals the evolution of the mind and the lower psychic nature.

There was a great rishi called DakshaMuni, also known as Prachetas. He had a wife called Virini.

Through her he first had a thousand sons. Narada, a divine rishi taught the thousand sons how to find salvation through the knowledge of ‘Sankhya’.

So they achieved immediate Moksha or freedom.

DakshaMuni means to grow with expertise. His other name, Prachetas, is a combination of the words ‘pra’ meaning to go forward, and ‘chetas’ meaning consciousness. Chetas comes from the root ‘cit’ meaning to see, perceive, and know. So the supreme consciousness wanted to know, see, and experience. To do so, it created the mind which became the instrument for it to experience and whose expertise it used to go forward.

The name ‘Virini’ comes from the root ‘eer’ depicting that the supreme consciousness goes into the world of experiences through marriage. She is instrumental for DakshaMuni to be able to express his desire of continuity (by having his children); or we can say converting static energy to kinetic energy.

Virini first gives birth to a thousand sons, but they were of such high quality of vibrations that they could not remain in the three worlds.

Rishi Narada, who teaches the sons to find salvation, comes from the word ‘Naar’ meaning water or emotions. The meaning being conveyed is that emotions are very powerful and if channelized on the right path can lead to salvation.

DakshaMuni then has 50 daughters; out of these he weds 10 to Dharma, 13 to Rishi Kashyap, and the other 27, who were the keepers of time, wed ‘Chandra’ or the Moon.

Out of the 13 daughters given in marriage to Rishi Kashyap, Aditi was the eldest. She gave birth to the great Indra,

Vivasvaan, and all of the Adityas. From Vivasvaan was born Yama, the God of death and also the very intelligent and powerful Vivasvaatmanu.

From the lineage of this Manu, was born all mankind as ‘Brahmins’ and ‘Kshatriyas’.

Vivasvaatmanu had nine sons and one daughter; their names were Vena, Dhrushnu, Narishyata, Nabhaaga, Ishkavaku, Kaarush, Sharyati,

P r u s h a d h r a , Nabhagarishta and Ila respectively.

Manu comes from the root ‘mann’ or mind. So through Vivasvaatmanu, the mind was born. The mind had 10 functions in the form of nine sons and ten daughters. They were: 1. Vena: The tendency to go out, long for, or care for, suggesting that the supreme consciousness uses the mind to break outwards and long for objects and desire people and things.

2.

Dhrushnu: Meaning strength, eagerness and obstinacy; once the mind desires something, it becomes obstinate about that desire.

3.

Narishyata: Meaning unbreakable or that which is not an enemy. Certain thoughts and desires, they make their home in the mind and keep on seducing our attention and hence, are unbreakable.

4. Nabhaaga: Comes from the word ‘Nabh’, meaning to connect higher with lower. So the mind forms a sub-conscious mind, and from the subconscious mind (which holds memory), different desires keep coming into the conscious mind, thus getting connected.

5. Ishkavaku: Comes from the root ‘Ish’ and ‘Iksh’, meaning to

endeavour and a stem of sugarcane respectively, combined with the root ‘Kru’, meaning to do that which brings sweetness in return; this can be both positive and negative.

6. Kaarush: Again coming from the root ‘Kru’, here meaning to do something with interest.

7. Sharyati: Comes from the root ‘Shree’, meaning to rend or destroy or hurt. Also, the root ‘Sharya’ means arrow or missile. The mind can throw words at a person which can really hurt a person like an arrow piercing through.

8.

Prushadhra: Comes from ‘Prushad’, meaning to hold or to bond; the mind can hold an idea or bring together many ideas and solve a problem.

9. Nabhagarishta: It has two opposite meanings – to bring good and bad luck at the same time. This depicts the art of compatibility; something can be good and bad.

10. Ila: Means The Earth, to keep still, to keep quiet, to bring happiness and prosperity; if the mind becomes still and quiet, we can bring happiness and prosperity to every situation.

Manu’s daughter, Ila, gave birth to a famous and powerful son called Pururva by marrying Budha. ‘Pururva’ conquered the 13 continents and even though he was a man, he surrounded himself with animals in human form. He fought and enslaved the Brahimanas, doing many atrocities on them. He even went into the Gandharva lok where he fell in love with the Urvashi, a fairy, and brought her back from there, together with 3 kinds of fire.

Out of the functions of the mind is born the lower psychic nature which is represented by ‘Pururva’, which means to cry a lot and loudly. Man is bound by his lower physic nature and he spends his entire life crying out loudly.

Pururva represents ambition, to fulfil which man will become an animal too. This shows that the mind becomes a victim to lower passions and desires, which is shown

by Pururva’s attraction to Urvashi. ‘Uru’ means wide, and ‘us’ meaning to pervade. So, in passion the mind is pervaded with all kinds of carnal desires.

(Edited by Chintu Gandhi. Illustration by Siddharth Ramanuj.) The author can be reached by emailing 3srb@live.com

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Asian Voice - Saturday 12th June 2010

Bombay HC appoints new lawyers for Kasab The Bombay High Court Tuesday appointed lawyers Amin Solkar and Farhana Shah for Pakistani terrorist Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab, sentenced to death for the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack.

The Maharashtra State Legal Cell appointed Solkar and Shah as Kasab's legal representatives after the terrorist requested that a lawyer be appointed to represent him in the High Court.

Kasab was found guilty for his role in the Nov 26, 2008, Mumbai terror attacks and awarded the death penalty by special judge M L Tahaliyani on May 6.

He last week wrote a letter to the Bombay High Court saying the death sentence was not acceptable to him and that he wanted legal assistance to fight his case.

Mamata knocks out Left front in Bengal civic polls Even Congress dreams of a better show shattered

Front with the Congress able to secure leads in only 10 of the 141 wards.

In the districts as well, the Trinamool Congress is all set to gain control in far

more municipalities than the Left Front. Of the 80 towns that went to polls, Mamata scored victories in more than 25, while the Left lost more than that.

TM wants early assembly pools Elated over Trinamool’s success, Ms. Banerjee demanded immediate Assembly elections, saying Left Front major CPI(M) has lost all rights to continue in power.

Terming her party’s success as “historic”, she told reporters after arriving from Delhi, “It is a victory of the ma—mati—manush (mother, land and the people). They have given a

verdict in favour of political change in the State. I salute the people.”

In an obvious reference to her party’s failed alliance with Congress for the KMC polls, Ms. Banerjee said, “In this election, we had to fight against the ruling party and three to four other forces.”

Congress congratulates Mamata Congratulating Ms. Banerjee on her party’s performance, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who is also the West Bengal Congress chief, said he accepted the people’s verdict.

Guan Liang, the Chinese national arrested for travelling without valid documents in Arunachal Pradesh's Lohit district, has expressed his intention to seek asylum in India.

During a brief interaction with local newsmen at Tezu police station, 28year-old Liang said he was a dissident and wanted to seek asylum in India.

"I came to India because everybody knows that India is a democratic country and respects rights. I want to work for

political freedom of China," he said.

Lohit district police superintendent Manik Gogoi, however, said on phone that Liang was yet to make a formal request for asylum.

The Chinese national said he was a follower of Lin Zhao, who was killed in 1960 for protesting the 'silent killings' carried out by the Shanghai government and for violation of human rights in the country.

Speaking in fluent English with an American

accent, Liang said he had sent an e-mail to the UN Human Rights Commission about human rights violation in China, while working at a French restaurant in Beijing which led the Chinese police to hound him.

After fleeing from his hometown in Henan district on February 16, Liang said he travelled through several towns of south-west China and crossed into Kibithu town in Arunachal Pradesh's Anjaw district in April.

Before his arrest at

Digaru in Lohit district on May 18, he did much of his travelling on foot with people feeding him when he was hungry, the Chinese national claimed.

Liang has been booked under Section 14 of the Foreigner's Act for entering India without valid documents.

Rajen Vakil on a tour of UK, USA

Bengal govt agrees to CBI inquiry in train mishap

A wave of support for the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress ensured a takeover of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) by the party with leads in as may as 95 of the 141 wards, far outperforming the Left Front which has secured leads in 33 seats as counting of votes for the elections to 81 municipal bodies in the State continued on Wednesday.

The election billed as the semifinals in the runup to the 2011 Assembly elections in the State indicated that the Trinamool Congress is the only formidable opponent to the Left

Mamata Banerjee

Chinese national arrested in Arunachal, wants asylum in India

Mr. Rajen Vakil, Asian Voice columnist (MAHABHARATA in Divine Light) will be on a tour of UK and USA from 8th July to 21st October.

He will be in UK from 8th July to 18th August.

During his visit to both the countries, Mr. Vakil will be addressing sessions for the benefit of people. Most of the sessions will be on Refining Exercises and/or the Mahabharata. There are no charges for any lectures or teachings. All sessions are open and free for all to attend. One of his aids, Mr. Chintu Gandhi will be helping Mr. Vakil on the UK tour.

He can be contacted at chintugandhi@gmail.com From 19th August to 21st October, he will be in the USA.

West Bengal government has agreed to a CBI investigation into the train accident in which close to 150 people were killed in Midnapore. Banerjee, who is the Railways Minister, had blamed a "political conspiracy" for the accident, even as the state's Left government, the police, and Home Minister P Chidambaram said that signs suggested this was an attack by Naxals.

The state government had, earlier this week, rejected the need for a CBI inquiry, stating that its own investigation was making good progress.

However, the Bengal government appears to have changed its mind.

The CBI will now head a joint investigation team that will include representatives of the West Bengal police and the railway police.

All steps to ensure air safety, more powers to DGCA The government proposes to delegate more powers to the aviation regulator on air safety, based on the recommendations of a new panel set up a week after the Mangalore air crash on May 22, civil aviation minister Praful Patel said .The panel, called the Civil Aviation Safety Advisory Council, set up under Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) S N A Zaidi with 28 members drawn from various fields related with aviation, held its first meeting last week.

"We have had a tragic accident but we should not be now found lacking on any front. We will do all that is necessary," Patel told reporters after the meeting. "We have to meet the challenges of the future. This is a step in that direction.

"We will also bring a legislation to strengthen the DGCA," he said, adding that a court of inquiry on the Mangalore air crash - that claimed 158 lives - will also be set up soon.

Former Goa minister applies for bail in friend’s death case Goa Tourism Minister Fransisco Pacheco resigned on Saturday, a day after being questioned by Goa Police Crime Branch in connection with the death of a 28-year-old female friend. He has now approached a court for bail.

Latest reports suggest that there were injury marks on Nadia Torrado’s body.

Goa Police say Pacheco, who was again called for questioning on Saturday, is untraceable.

All police stations have been asked to look out for him. Pacheco was questioned for about eight hours by Crime Branch in connection with the death of his close friend Nadia Torrado on Friday.

The 28-year-old woman died in a Chennai hospital last week after she allegedly consumed poison. Trouble started for the NCP minister when women's organisations accused him of being responsible for her death.

Nadia's family members, however, stood by Pacheco, who has denied involvement in her death.

Police have filed an abetment to suicide case

against unknown persons.

The 46-year-old Pacheco was grilled by Investigating Officer (IO) Sunita Sawant till about 7.30 pm with an hour-long lunch break in between.

Nadia's mother Sonia and her estranged husband Wilson Barretto were also questioned by Crime Branch, which asked them to appear before it again on Saturday.

"We are investigating the case with an open mind. We are not suspecting anyone nor anyone is a witness for us. Let us take their statements before deciding on the case," Sawant said after questioning Pacheco.

Nadia had allegedly consumed rat poison in Panaji a fortnight ago and was shifted to a private hospital in Thane (Mumbai) before being taken to Chennai after her liver started developing complications.

Sawant said the first autopsy on her body was conducted at Chennai, while second one was done at the governmentrun hospital at Margao in Goa.

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Asian Voice - Saturday 12th June 2010

Shivraj Patil asked Delhi CM to drag feet on Afzal Delhi Chief Minister and Congress leader Sheila Dikshit have a hint that it was former union home minister Shivraj Patil had asked her government to hold on to the file on Afzal Guru’s mercy petition.

Sources in the knowledge of the matter said soon after Delhi government received the file, Patil made it clear that there was no hurry for the Delhi government to clear the file. Sheila’s assertion

immediately gave rise to speculation that Patil was definitely acting on the instructions from the Congress high command. Afzal Guru was sentenced to death for his involvement in the Parliament attack case. After his sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court, his wife Tabassum had filed a mercy plea on which the city government’s opinion had been sought four years ago.

India relents; Visa rules eased

No fines on holding or lost old passports for US Indians Finally, after a wave of protests and high decibel representations, the US Indians have won a respite from government of India against the travel woes that was imposed on them last month. Surrender or submission of old Indian passports is no more a must. Those who acquired US citizenship prior to 1 June, 2010 need not pay any surrender charges also.

Initially, the new procedures asked NRIs who had taken up American citizenship — even those who had done it decades back — to renounce their old Indian passports and get “surrender certificates” for up to $425 before receiving a new visa to travel to India.

Many Indians who had become American citizens in the 1960s and 1970s couldn’t remember what had happened to their old Indian passport or when.

PIOs had begun an online petition to protest against a notification by the ministry of external affairs (MEA) issued on May 13 that mandated that PIOs who had acquired citizenship of other countries would

have to surrender their old passports and there would be a penalty of Rs 10,000 for retaining the passport for above three years. The new order also said that Rs 7,000 would be charged if applicants for overseas citizen card or PIO card claimed that their passport was lost or misplaced.

The government has now issued a clarification that PIOs will not be asked to pay any renunciation charges. The ministry of home affairs (MHA) has informed Indian embassies that the order will hold only for those Indian citizens who are in the process of acquiring foreign citizenship and will not be applied with retrospective effect. The other concern was that PIOs may have to pay Rs 10,000 for just possessing an old passport. This has also been addressed. The penalty charges will only apply if the PIO -- who is already a foreign citizen -uses his or her old passport for travelling or buying property or other uses that are considered illegal under Indian law.

The decision was taken in a meeting held by overseas Indian affairs

secretary Didar Singh with senior officials from MHA and MEA on May 26.

The New York basedGlobal Organisation of PIOs (GOPIO) in its online petition to PM Manmohan Singh pointed out that imposition of a rule with retrospective effect could cause "unimaginable hardship'' in thousands of cases. "A large majority of new citizens did not have any use for their old Indian passports and may have lost, misplaced or never kept in their possession after naturalization,'' the petition said. PIOs have expressed concern that this would cause delay in getting visas and visiting India in emergency situations.

Finally, after high-decibel protests, the government is scrapping the need for a “surrender certificate” for all Indians who became American citizens prior to June 1, 2010. All they need to do is pay $20 to stamp their old Indian passport, stating ‘Cancelled as holder acquired US citizenship’.

Those who have lost their old Indian passports have to hand in an affidavit and

a copy of their US naturalisation certificate.

According to sources, the home ministry and government saw sense after external affairs minister SM Krishna heard from embassy officials in Washington that Delhi’s diktat was slowing down the visa system by introducing bureaucracy and an added burden for those looking to travel to India.

“We welcome the quick response to the concerns that we had raised on the issue. We urge the Government of India to automatically consider an Indian passport void when an individual accepts a foreign nationality and passport,” said Sanjay Puri, chairman of the US India Political Action Committee.

Indians who have acquired American citizenship from June 1 will still have to pay $175 and get a surrender certificate.

People of Indian origin will get special five-year entry visas that will allow them to enter India multiple times without waiting for 60 days between two trips, a rule that applies to foreign tourists who have multi entry visas.

Chandigarh, Amritsar could be solar cities The Union Government has envisaged a major plan to boost solar energy and set aside Rs 1,000 crore for subsidising solar power. Deepak Gupta, Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India, said a proposal to declare Chandigarh, Amritsar and New Delhi as solar cities under the National Solar Mission was under active considerationHe said the Union Government was working out a plan to reduce the cost of solar panels by indigenising them. A study, he said,

Bhopal verdict triggers outrage Continued from page 1 Adding salt to the wounds, all the eight convicted of negligence were given bail. Further, the then Chairman of Union Carbide Corporation – Warren Anderson, the parent company based in USA was just announced as an absconder, there was no word on him in the verdict.

All the eight UCIL officials were held guilty under Sections 304-A (causing death by negligence), 304-II (culpable

Tamil protest Rajapaksa visit Continued from page 1 He was later arrested after he lost the presidential elections. Fonseka is facing court martial.

Hundreds held in Tamil Nadu for anti-Rajapaksa protests Several hundred protesters were arrested across Tamil Nadu on Tuesday for holding demonstrations against Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa's fourday India visit.

In Chennai, Tamil film directors Seeman and T. Rajender were taken into custody apart from Vaiko, Nedumaran and their supporters for holding protests against Rajapaksa.

Vaiko demanded that the Sri Lankan president be tried in an international court for war crimes.

Security was beefed up outside the Sri Lankan deputy high commissioner's office here to prevent any untoward incident. In Coimbatore, around 100 Tamil activists were arrested for creating a train blockade.

Protests were also held in cities like Tiruchirappalli, Virudhunagar, Madurai,

Tirupur, Karur, Thanjavur among other places, officials said.

India is expected to seek reassurance on an expeditious resettlement of displaced Tamils, estimated to be between 70,000 to 80,000, who continue to live in relief camps over a year after the Sri Lankan troops militarily crushed the insurgency led by Tamil Tigers.

Tamil issue to dominate Mahinda Rajapaksa’s talks with Indian leaders Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa is expected to brief the leadership in New Delhi about the post-war political reconciliation plan for Tamils during his visit, which will also see inking of pacts to deepen ties in key areas, including counter-terrorism.

Rajapaksa will hold delegation-level talks with prime minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday during which the two leaders are expected to discuss steps taken for early resettlement and rehabilitation of displaced Tamils and ways to enhance cooperation between India and Sri Lanka.

Rajapaksa, who is visiting India after his sweep-

ing electoral victories, also met the Pro-LTTE Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in Colombo on Monday, hours before his departure.

The political situation in the post-war scenario, particularly the issues related to re-settlement of the displaced Tamil civilians, and efforts by the government to find a consensus on a political solution to the ethnic conflict are expected to dominate the parleys between Dr. Manmohan Singh and Sri Lankan president.

India is expected to press for an expeditious resettlement of the displaced Tamils, who are still in relief camps even after a year of Sri Lankan army crushing the insurgency led by LTTE. The two leaders are also expected to take up the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) to give boost to the economic ties between the two countries.

The agreements are likely to be in the areas of counter terrorism, transfer of sentenced prisoners, and for mutual legal assistance in criminal matters.

Rajapaksa will also go

to Shimla on Thursday before returning to Colombo on Friday.

On eve of India visit, Rajapaksa meets ethnic Tamil leaders Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa met Tamil leaders and assured them that a political solution would be found to the ethnic issue, on the eve of his visit to India.

Meeting parliamentarians of the pro-LTTE Tamil National Alliance (TNA) for the first time since the outfit was vanquished, Rajapaksa held wide-ranging discussions over Tamil issues, including the devolution of power.

"Trust me, and together we can find a solution to the problems faced by all our people," Rajapaksa said addressing the meeting.

This is the first time Rajapaksa met TNA leaders to discuss a political solution after the LTTE rout last year.

The 14-member delegation led by party Parliamentary group leader R Sampanthan took up with the President issues related to the Tamil people, with focus on their problems in the Northern province.

was on to produce silicon chip used in panels indigenously.

Apart from this solar water heating systems, solar steam generating, cooking systems, solar passive/ energy efficient buildings had also been covered in the workshop, particularly in the context of the national rating system GRIHA being promoted by the MNRE.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa says War Hero Could Be Executed for ‘Treason’ In an interview with the BBC, Sri Lanka’s powerful defence minister, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, exploded with rage and said that the former head of the country’s military, Gen. Sarath Fonseka, who was lauded last year for defeating a Tamil separatist insurgency, could be hanged for reportedly claiming that the government had ordered the military to execute prisoners.

General Fonseka was arrested in February, just days after losing a presidential election to Mahinda Rajapaksa, the defense secretary’s brother, and charged in a military court with having engaged in opposition politics while still serving in the government.

Last month he appeared in civil court to answer a separate charge that he had incited unrest by saying in a newspaper interview that the defense secretary had ordered the execution of surrendering Tamil Tiger rebels. As the BBC reported, the general “said he had been misquoted by the newspaper and that the case was part of an

homicide not amounting to murder), 336, 337 and 338 (gross negligence) of the Indian Penal Code.

The seven others are Vijay Gokhle - Managing Director, Kishore Kamdar - Vice President, J N Mukund - Works Manager, S P Choudhary Production Manager, K V Shetty Plant Superintendent and S I Quershi - Production Assistant. They are officials who were working in the said capacity at the time of the tragedy.

attempt to silence him.”

Stephen Sackur, who conducted this week’s interview with Gotabaya Rajapaksa, explained on the BBC’s Web site: “General Fonseka told me, in a clandestine telephone interview, that he would be prepared to testify before any independent investigation of alleged abuses during the Tamil war. “I will not hide anything,” he said. When I put this possibility to Mr. Rajapaksa he responded with an extraordinary tirade.”

In the interview, after Mr. Sackur asked if General Fonseka was in detention and faces court martial “because he, in essence, accused you of a war crime?”

Mr. Rajapaksa shouted: He can’t do that. He was the commander. He’s responsible — that’s a treason!

We will hang him if he does that! I’m telling you, that’s treason! How can he lie that? How can he betray the country?

Since the end of the war with the Tamil Tigers, Sri Lanka’s government has resisted calls for an international war crimes investigation from human rights groups and the United Nations.

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Asian Voice - Saturday 12th June 2010

Aga Khan gets honorary citizenship of Canada Toronto: Aga Khan, billionaire philanthropist and the spiritual leader of 20 million Ismaili Muslims worldwide, has been granted the honorary citizenship of Canada.

He was in Toronto recently to launch the development of a $285-million cultural center for Ismaili Muslims and the Aga Khan

Museum for Islamic Art and Culture.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper bestowed the honors on the spiritual leader, saying that the center and museum will represent the country's pluralism and cultural diversity. Almost half of Canada's 70,000 Ismailis live in Toronto.

Ties with India top priority, proud to go there, says Obama

Washington: US President Barack Obama said he plans to visit India in November to together make 'history and progress that will be treasured by generations to come', as he described Indo-US ties as 'one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century'.

'Our relations with India are at the highest of priorities for my administration and for me personally as president of the United States,' Obama said at a reception on Thursday last at the State

Clinton for her Indian counterpart S M Krishna after the inaugural US-India S t r a t e g i c Dialogue.

'I am delighted to announce that I plan to visit India in early November,' he said.

'When it S.M. Krishna is honored at a reception by comes to buildBarack Obama and Hillary Rodham ing a future of Clinton in Washington on June 3 greater prosperity, opportunity Department hosted by and security for people Secretary of State Hillary

there is no doubt I have to go to India, but even more I am proud to go to India.

'And I look forward to the history that we will make together, the progress that will be treasured not only by this generation, but by future generations to come,' he said.

The rare gesture of attending a reception at the State department was seen as a way to ease India's concerns that the US views ties with New Delhi through the prism of Pakistan and Afghanistan or a rising China.

Headley gives details of Pak handlers Washington: Lashkar-eToiba operative and 26/11 attack accused David Coleman Headley has told his Indian interrogators about his handlers, including terror suspects Sajjid Mir, Syed Abdur Rehman Syed, intelligence agents Major Iqbal and Major Sameer Ali. He has also talked about the involvement of Mohammed Illyas Kashmiri in planning the

Mumbai attacks and the larger Lashkar aim to target India. Top government sources said Headley has given National Investigation Agency (NIA) interrogators, led by 1985-batch Kerala cadre IG-rank officer Lokanath Behera, considerable insight into Lashkar operations in India and the specific planning of the Mumbai attacks.

Headley shared details after he was assured that his revelations would not be used against him.

"Contrary to reports, Headley has been cooperating with Indian investigators and is coming out with detailed insights into the terror network in Pakistan," said a senior official.

Sources said Headley was questioned in the presence of FBI agents and

his lawyers by three NIA investigators and a lawyer on June 1 and 2 in Chicago. After setting the ground rules, the Indian team was left alone from June 3. The team has got considerable information from Headley about his visits to India during 20062009 and his surveillance of targets, including those attacked during 26/11 and the Chabad houses.

Hindu Council to promote Hindu education in OZ OZ Hindu Council chairman Nihal Agar meets his UK counterparts

Satya Minhas and Jay Lakhani met up with the chairman of Hindu Council Australia, Sri Nihal Agar. The meeting discussed the importance of promoting Hindu Education. HCUK has promised to work closely with their counterpart in Australia by sharing resources as well ideas and experience in promoting Hindu education within the education system.

Australia is following the UK model and promotes teaching of five major world faiths including Hinduism in their schools. Our method and experience of promoting GCSE Hinduism as well as Advanced level Hinduism by working with the awarding bodies in the UK is something Mr Agar found very useful. He hopes to arrange a series of talks on Hinduism in Australia.

Hindu Council Australia is recognised by their Government as the Apex Hindu body most suited to promote Hinduism within their education system. We hope that this meeting will be beneficial for both our organisations and we hope to work closely with our Australian counterpart for greater benefit of Hindus worldwide.

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Asian Voice - Saturday 12th June 2010

Iran’s supreme leader pardon 81 jailed prisoners Tehran: Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, pardoned 81 jailed opposition supporters who had been found guilty of having a role in the unrest triggered by last June's disputed presidential election. The pardons were seen as a gesture of goodwill by Iran's leaders just days before the anniversary of the June 12 election.

Opposition activists took to the streets after last year's vote,

Brit woman delivers baby boy after 20-day labour!

New York: A British teenager gave birth to a healthy baby boy - after enduring 20 days of labour, possibly the longest ever. Amy Buck was three and one-half months away from her due date when she began what's believed to be the slowest labour ever. She gave birth to Daniel Barwell almost five months prematurely after suffering stomach pains and contractions for almost three weeks. Buck's son, who was given only a 15 per cent chance of survival by doctors, weighed just 1 pound and 3 ounces at birth.

However, Barwell recently celebrated his first birthday at a robust 17 pounds. "Thinking back, I don't know how it was possible for me to be in labour for the best part of 20 days and Daniel to survive despite being born so small," The New York Daily News quoted her as telling.

Indian-American teenager wins ‘Spelling Bee’ contest Boston: She spelt the word "stromuhr" correctly to win the popular Spelling Bee contest, becoming the third Indian-American in a row to emerge victorious in the coveted competition.

Fourteen-year-old Anamika Veeramani from Ohio topped the 83rd Scripps National Spelling Bee, taking home more than $40,000 in cash and prizes.

The eighth-grader, who plays golf, likes to dance, wants to go to Harvard and become a cardiovascular surgeon, spelt the winning word - stromuhr, a term for an instrument used to measure the velocity of blood flow, to emerge the winner out of 273 spellers who took part in the three-day final held in Washington. "It was too surreal. It was an amazing experience," Veeramani said after being declared the winner. The teenager, who had tied for fifth position in last year's spelling bee, became the third consecutive Indian-American champion and the eighth in the last 12 years.

Playboy model jailed for letting teens grope her London: Playboy model Brigitta Bulgari is currently holed up in jail for allegedly allowing teens to grope her during a show. Italian judges remanded Brigitta, 27, in custody after watching videos of the incident shot on cellphones. The footage reportedly shows 15year-old schoolboys touching the Hungarian model's breasts during the erotic performance.

Brigitta has been charged with performing obscene acts in the presence of minors. However, defence lawyer Bruno Oberto said, "Brigitta was just doing her job — dancing."

Indian-Canadian jailed for honour killing Toronto: A 48-year-old Indian Canadian man has been jailed for life by a city court for killing his daughter-in-law for allegedly having an affair with another man. Kamikar Singh Dhillon, who pleaded guilty to stabbing Amandeep Kaur, 22, to death on Jan 1, 2009, said he feared his daughter-in-law would leave his son for another man with whom she was allegedly having an affair. The young woman, who came to Canada from Isru village near Ludhiana after marrying Dhillon's son in 2005, was stabbed multiple times with a knife in the family-run grocery store near Toronto airport.

Japan PM Naoto Kan names cabinet

Tokyo: Japan's new Prime Minister Naoto Kan on Tuesday named his cabinet, keeping 11 of 17 previous ministers and appointing fiscal hawk Yoshihiko Noda as finance minister.

Key figures from the previous administration of Yukio Hatoyama stayed in their posts, including foreign minister Katsuya Okada, defence minister Toshimi Kitazawa and transport minister Seiji Maehara. Noda takes over the finance ministry as pressure mounts to revive the world's second-biggest economy and to slash Japan's public debt, which is nearly twice the country's gross domestic product.

claiming President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won re-election through fraud. Over the weeks, activists broadened their protests to challenge Iran's clerical establishment and were met with a heavy crackdown. More than 100 people were brought before a mass trial and 80 of them were sentenced to death or given prison terms ranging from six months to 15 years.

Karzai tells ‘dear Taliban’ to make peace with his government Kabul: A conciliatory Afghan President Hamid Karzai has appealed and implored "Dear Talibs" to lay down their weapons and make peace with his government.

Stating that reconciliation within Afghanistan is the key to ridding the country of foreign forces, Karzai said at a peace jirga in Kabul last week: "My dear Taliban, you are welcome in your own soil. Do not hurt this country, and don't destroy or kill yourselves."

"Make peace with me and there will be no need for foreigners here," he

said further. For 30 years, this country has faced sadness from this foreigner and that foreigner.

Whatever mistakes we have done, whatever mistakes you have done, please come to us and

then we will talk, " the Globe and Mail quoted Karzai, as saying.

"The government of Afghanistan and the foreigners are obliged to allow them to return to their lands. To say sorry to them and let them go back to their houses," he added later. Karzai's speech offered hints of how he intends to shape his message - both to the West and to the insurgency - in the crucial months ahead as he seeks to end the war.

Risking a backlash from international donors, the President suggested his own government, and

to some degree, the West, have made missteps in their efforts to contain the insurgency.

On several occasions he reached out to the insurgents, urging them to return to their "homes."

The President's speech was briefly interrupted when a rocket explosion and gunfire erupted outside. Afghan security forces later said they killed two Taliban suicide bombers and arrested a third who had sought shelter in a mosque, staving off what might have been another deadly attack in Kabul.

Melbourne: After being severely criticised for advising Indian students to look "poor" to avoid attacks, Victorian Police Commissioner Simon Overland has now appealed to the community members to join his force in a bid to develop "greater trust and understanding" with them.

"The Victorian community is the most ethnically diverse in Australia.

It is important that our police reflect this and that we attract officers

from a diverse range of cultural backgrounds, including the Indian community," Overland told a news conference last week.

This is the only way through which "greater trust and understanding" can be created with the community, said the Police Commissioner, who came under severe criticism from the Indian community and other groups in February for his remarks that Indian students should look poor in

a bid to avoid attacks on them.

"Policing is a worthwhile and credible profession which is rewarding, challenging and a secure career choice. We have high standards and want the best people for the job irrelevant of where you were born or your racial or religion background.

"It is all about your skills and ability and we want our recruits to demonstrate our key values of integrity, leadership, flexibility, respect,

support and professionalism," Overland said.

Overland said that in July this year Victoria Police would launch an official recruit advertising campaign to help employ 1,700 additional front line police personnel over the next five years.

Victoria Police figures compiled in January this year showed that nine per cent of potential police recruits were born in India, three per cent in Pakistan and 2.4% in Sri Lanka.

New York: Nikki Haley, the Indian-American Republican running for the governorship of South Carolina was attacked with racial slur by a state lawmaker who called her a 'raghead'. Republican state Senator Jake Knotts also attacked President Barack Obama in comments on an internet political show called Pub Politics.

Haley, the 38-year-old mother of two, who was born a Sikh and describes herself as a Methodist, became target of racial slur typically used against

Arabs or other ethnic groups that wear turbans or headdresses.

"We already got one raghead in the White House," Knotts said. "We don't need another in the Governors Mansion," he was quoted as saying by 'The State', a South Carolina newspaper.

Knotts reportedly also talked at length about Haley's parents' religion and her family.

Haley campaign manager Tim Pearson said Knotts was an embarrassment to the state, and that South Carolina voters

Hamid Karzai

Oz senior cop appeals Indians to join police

Indian-American Nikki Haley attacked with racial slur

would make it clear they are better than this.

Knotts now insists that his comments were made in zest and also agreed to apologise. "My 'raghead' comments about Obama and Haley were intended

in jest," he said.

"Bear in mind that this is a freewheeling, anything-goes Internet radio show that is broadcast from a pub. It's like local political version of 'Saturday Night Live'", he said in a statement.

"Since my intended humorous context was lost in translation, I apologise.

I still believe Ms Haley is pretending to be someone she is not, much as Obama did, but I apologise to both for an unintended slur," the Republican politician added.

Fisher and Claibourne included, but were not limited to, advising her that she must refrain from wearing certain items of clothing, in particular, turtleneck tops, pencil skirts, fitted business suits, or other properly tailored clothing.

"In blatantly discriminatory fashion, plaintiff was advised that as a result of the shape of her figure, such clothes were purportedly 'too distracting' for her male colleagues and supervisors to bear."

The filing also read, "In a regressive response more

suitable for reality television than a white-shoe corporation in the 21st century, plaintiff was advised that these other comparator females may wear what they like, as their general unattractiveness rendered moot their sartorial choices, unlike plaintiff, whose shapeliness could not be heightened by beautifully tailored clothing." After rejecting a complaint and an application to be transferred, she was eventually moved to a new branch, she was reprimanded for failing to recruit new customers than fired.

Nikki Haley

Banker sues Citigroup after she was fired for being ‘too hot’!

New York: A female employee of Citibank was apparently fired from her job because her male colleagues found her 'too distracting'.

Debrahlee Lorenzana, 33 said that despite her turnout being professional, her male bosses and coworkers still found her too hot be around their cold cash.

"Shortly after the commencement of her employment, branch manager Craig Fisher and assistant branch manager Peter Claibourne began articulating inappropriate and sexist comments concern-

Debrahlee Lorenzana

ing plaintiff's clothing and appearance," The New York Post quoted her court filings as saying.

"The improper comments made to plaintiff by

27

Asian Voice - Saturday 12th June 2010

Suspension of peace talks helped non-state actors: Gilani Islamabad: The suspension of the India-Pakistan composite dialogue in the wake of the 2008 Mumbai attacks allowed nonstate actors to succeed in 'dictating their agenda', Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Monday.

Reiterating Pakistan's desire for the "negotiated and peaceful resolution" of all disputes with India, Gilani said: "By

suspending composite dialogue following the Mumbai attacks in November 2008, non-state actors succeeded in dictating their agenda." The premier made the remarks while addressing a gathering of top army officials, including army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, at the Command and Staff College in Quetta.

Pakistan has more nukes than India Has 70-90 warheads compared to India’s 60-80: Global watchdogs

New Delhi: After racing ahead of India in ballistic as well as cruise missiles, with covert help from China and North Korea, Pakistan seems to be surging ahead in the nuclear arsenal as well. A series of recent estimates by international nuclear watchdogs and reputed thinktanks hold that Pakistan has a total of 70 to 90 warheads to India’s 60 to 80.

China, in comparison, has around 240 warheads.

Even as global fears about the possibility of jihadis gaining access to Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal,

Schoolboy ties knot, expelled Peshawar: A Pakistani pupil has been expelled from his private school for getting married on the sly because teachers believe marital relations are inappropriate playground talk. Ghairat Khan, a bearded seventh grader, is registered as 13 years old and attends classes at the Englishlanguage Peshawar Model School with 12 and 13-year-old boys, but insisted he is 18.

Khan said he married his 16-year-old cousin because his father died and his mother was ill with asthma.

enriched uranium or technical know-how continue, its deadly inventory is only going to expand in the coming years.

Pakistan, after all, is supplementing its ongoing enriched uranium-based nuclear programme with a weapons-grade plutonium one. Its two new heavywater reactors being built at its Khushab nuclear facility, with China’s help, are clearly geared towards producing weapons-grade plutonium. In its latest annual world military expenditure report released last week, the

Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said Pakistan’s weapons-grade plutonium production would jump seven-fold with the two new reactors at Khushab nearing completion.

“Our conservative estimates are that Pakistan has 60 warheads and could produce 100 nuclear weapons at short notice,” said SIPRI, adding that Islamabad had earmarked its US-supplied F-16 fighters, Ghaznavi and Shaheen missiles as its nuclear delivery systems.

India’s nuclear

weapons programme, in turn, has largely been plutonium-based, basically centred around the Pu-239 produced in research reactors like Cirus and Dhruva at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre.

Nuclear arsenals of India, Pakistan, and even China, pale in comparison to the gigantic ones of the two former Cold War foes, US and Russia. SIPRI estimates there are a whopping 22,600 active, inactive and stored nuclear warheads around the globe, enough to destroy it several times over.

Zardari is disenchanted with India

Washington: Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari has said he was disappointed with India but insisted he can never be a hawk vis-a-vis New Delhi.

"I'm a little disenchanted with India. I expected the largest democracy in the world to behave much more maturely. We are facing a threat on the eastern and western borders," Zardari told Newsweek in an interview. The president spoke in response to a question on Islamabad's call to extradite the lone surviving 2008 Mumbai attacker, Pakistan's Ajmal Amir Kasab. Pakistan has repeatedly said that terror-

Asif Ali Zardari

ists who killed 166 people in Mumbai were "non-state actors" even if they were Pakistanis. He reiterared the point to Newsweek.

"This new-age terror has created a phenomenon where a few people can take entire states to war.

The fact that these people happen to belong to

Pakistan or India or Bangladesh is immaterial.

They are non-state actors, and states should behave like states."

But he stressed that he could "never be a hawk (on India). I'm a liberal by nature and democrat by principles. War is never an option as far as I'm concerned".

India and Pakistan have fought three major wars since their independence in 1947.

Zardari also sought to distance his country from Faisal Shahzad, the Pakistani American who tried to bomb the Times Square in New York.

10 killed, thousands homeless as Phet hits Pak Islamabad: Ten people were killed and thousands were left homeless as tropical cyclone Phet brought heavy rain and flooding to Pakistan's coast, officials said on Monday.

The chief port of Karachi was spared the brunt of the cyclone, which made landfall 80 km to the south at Thatta district late on Sunday.

Qamaruz Zaman Chaudhry, the head of Pakistan's Meteorological Department, said lowlying areas of Thatta's coast bore the brunt of the storm with waves up to five metres high.

At least 10 people were electrocuted in Karachi where heavy rains disrupted power transmission.

Dozens were admitted to hospitals with injuries

A woman wades through flood water outside her makeshift home at Ibrahim Haideri fishing harbour after heavy rainfall in Karachi on Sunday

from rain-related accidents, said Mohammed Younus, a spokesman for the private Edhi Rescue Service. Several flights were cancelled or delayed at Karachi international airport.

About 20,000 people were stranded in Gawadar,

a port city in the southwestern province of Balochistan, where 350 mm of rain fell within 24 hours.

'Our people are carrying out rescue and relief activities round the clock,' district official Pasand Khan Buledi said.

Thunderstorms kills 37 At least 37 people were killed and dozens more were injured when thunderstorms hit Pakistan's Punjab province. Lahore was the worst hit, with 11 people, including six children, killed in the provincial capital. Seven people were killed and 60 injured in the neighbouring district of Sheikhupura. Nineteen deaths occurred in other districts of Punjab.

Most of the casualties were caused by falling roofs or walls and road accidents. Winds with a speed of 93 km per hour uprooted trees and destroyed power lines, cutting the power supply for hours in Punjab, The News reported.

The deaths occurred before Phet hits Thatta district.

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In focus Pak Army officers conducted Kabul attack, reveals probe New Delhi: The Pakistani army's involvement in the attack in Kabul that left 16 people, including seven Indians, a French film maker and an Italian diplomat, killed have been exposed. The attack took place on February 26 last. CNNIBN has managed to get access to an interrogation report of one of the masterminds of the attack - Fateh Hazrat Abdul Razzaq Ali who is a serving Captain in the Pakistani army.

The interrogation was conducted by the Afghanistan antiterrorism department officials. Ali was arrested in Afghanistan on March 30 last. He revealed during interrogation that two Herat based ISI officers had planned the attack on the guest houses in Kabul. Fourteen Pakistani army officers were sent to co-ordinate the attack with the Jaish-e-Mohammed and Taliban gunmen. Ali has named three serving Pakistan army officers - Hazrat Bilal, Hazrat Abdul Gafar Ali and Sardar Mohammed - who were involved in the attack. The officers had arrived in Afghanistan through Kandahar and Helmand province On February 15 to carry out the operation. Indians were the prime target in the suicide attack carried out by the Taliban terrorists. Two officers of the Indian Army were among those killed apart from five other officers who got injured.

Al-Qaida no 3 killed in US drone strike Islamabad: Al-Qaida’s number three leader, Mustafa Abu alYazid al-Misri, who was the organization’s operations head in South and Central Asia including Afghanistan, and who had threatened India with more 26/11 type attacks, has been killed in a US drone strike in Pakistan’s lawless tribal region, according to a statement released by al-Qaida. Egypt-born Mustafa Ahmed Muhammad Uthman Abu al-Yazid (55), better known as Mustafa Abu al-Yazid al-Misri, was killed along with his wife and three children on May 25 in a drone strike in Datta Khel area, 25 km north of Miranshah town of North Waziristan, confirmed a Pakistani intelligence official.

Yazid is said to be the senior most al-Qaida leader to be killed in the US air campaign to date. Earlier reports of his death have been proved wrong and this is the first time alQaida has acknowledged such a claim. US intelligence officials have described Yazid one of the founders of alQaida and the main conduit of its chief Osama bin Laden.

As al-Qaida’s operational commander in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, Yazid is believed to have had a hand in everything - from al-Qaida’s finances to its operational planning.

Indian envoy meets opposition leader Islamabad: Indian High Commissioner Sharat Sabharwal has discussed bilateral relations with a top leader of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz). Sabharwal met Chaudhry Nisan Ali Khan, a member of the Pakistan parliament, at Punjab House, Online news agency said. They discussed the political situation in Pakistan, terrorism and other issues. Khan said that cordial relations between the two countries would enhance stability of the South Asian region. The Indian envoy said New Delhi wanted good relations with Pakistan. Khan is a five-time member of the National Assembly. He has previously served as federal minister for petroleum and natural resources.

Forex reserves cross $16 bn Karachi: Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves have crossed $16 billion for the first time in three years, but the country's foreign debt stands at a staggering $54 billion.

Central bank spokesman Syed Waseemuddin told Geo News on Friday that as of May 21, Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves stood at $16.129 billion, largely because the US deposited $280.80 million meant for expenses in the war against terror. The last time the reserves had exceeded $16 billion was in August 2007. Of the $16.129 billion, the State Bank of Pakistan (SPB) held $12.30 billion, the remaining $3.70 billion was deposited in commercial banks, Waseemuddin said. On the flip side, Pakistan's external debt stood at $54.23 billion as of March 31, SBP figures show.

Meanwhile, the government accepted the resignation of SBP governor Syed Salim Raza and asked Deputy Governor Yaseen Anwar to officiate in his place. Citing 'personal reasons', Raza had submitted his resignation effective from May 6, which was accepted by President Asif Ali Zardari on the advice of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, a government statement said. The former Citigroup banker, who was appointed SBP governor in December 2008, was due to retire in February 2011.

28

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Asian Voice - Saturday 12th June 2010

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Muslim inmates “treated as terrorists” Treating Muslim inmates as potential terrorists risk creating them into extremists once they are freed, the Chief Inspector of Prisons warned.

Dame Anne Owers says that Muslim prisoners are treated as actual extremists inspite of fewer than 1 in 100 Muslims inmates being convicted of terrorism.

She says: “By focusing solely on Muslim prisoners as potential or actual

extremists, there is a real risk that the prison service's approach becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy," The report also mentions that prisoners are converting to Islam to obtain better facilities in jails. Muslim inmates get better food on Ramadan and get time off for Friday prayers.

Dame Anne's report was based on 85 jail inspection reports and interviews with 164 inmates.

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Coming Events l The Merchants of Bollywood, Tuesday 18th MaySaturday 5th June Tue-Sunday at 7:30pm, Sat and Sun Mats at 2:30pm, Peacock Theatre, Holborn The Indian Portrait exhibition exploring Indian artists work over three centuries in depicting human form and changing role of portraiture today. Till June 20.

National Portrait Gallery St Martin's Place London WC2H 0HE l Road Works project converts five on-street carparking bays converted into art exhibitions for one day with a different theme. Located near Victoria Square, St Phillips Cathedral (Colmore Row) and Waterloo Street. Contact Geoff Coleman on 0121 303 3501 for more information. l Hip Hop Yoga classes held by rapper Neil Patel incorporating the popular music genre and the ancient Indian practice. He has been teaching since 19 years. Classes are held at a different London club every Monday between 7-8.30 pm.

See www.hiphopyoga.co.uk for details. l Endless Lives: Exhbition of Mixed Media by Naresh Kapuria. He has been mixing mediums since 40 years and designed several Festivals of India abroad. For this show, Naresh is using brunt wood and focussing on small sized works featuring heads.

Saturday June 13, 10am - 6pm at Nehru Centre, South Audley Street London W1K 1HF. l 'Treasure exhibition showcasing London Jewellery Week where London's jewelry designers and shops will participate. June 11-13 Victoria House Southampton Row London WC1B 4DA l Club night Shaanti celebrates 11 years with Shri and Pandit presenting A.G.N.I plus many more artists at Cargo, 83 Rivington Street, EC2A 3AY. Saturday, June 12 8pm-4am. Tel:020 7739 3440.

This week you will be mentally alert and have the ability to sort out any practical problems. Matters of the heart are not favoured this week, so expect some setbacks. Plan ahead for the long term where finances are concerned as this is a good time to invest. The atmosphere at home is likely to be convivial and joyous.

Domestic and home matters are disturbed and a source of concern to you. You could find family members hostile and difficult to reason with. It is a period of handling matters with utmost diplomacy and calmness.

Mercury in your sign ensures that you are extremely communicative and that people will listen to what you have to say.

GEMINI May 22 - June 22

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22 With Jupiter in your solar 10th house, your career is lit up and bodes well for the coming month. Some of you will be in a reflective mood and taking stock of your lives and working out the best direction to take. This is a good time to take up yoga and meditation or even take time out for a while.

LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23 This is a good time to cut back on extravagant spending and consolidate your finances. Your social calendar is likely to keep you very busy and you will have lots of opportunities to promote yourself. For some of you this is also a good time to meet like-minded people which could lead to romantic liaisons.

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23 There may be a discrepancy between the energy you put out and the actual result achieved. You can do much to minimise this effect by avoiding distractions and concentrating on only what is most essential at a day-to-day level. Try to take things in your stride rather than anticipating what might happen.

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23 You have everything to gain by following creative inclinations. If you have new ideas, now is the time to put them into practice.

Whatever your present interests you are likely to find that new doors open and the way ahead offers increased scope for expressing your real self. A great time to meet and interact with people.

SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22 The need to push ahead with personal interests and to assert yourself with added force will take precedence over everything else for some time to come. Mentally you will be in top form, perhaps feeling quite passionate about expressing your ideas and views. Indeed, a goal you have been striving towards will at last be reached.

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SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21 You are endowed with a level of determination that others sometimes find formidable. Once you set your mind on a goal you stay the course no matter what obstacles you encounter.

Saturn's placement in your Solar 10th house often denotes a phase of restriction, sometimes frustration, in one's working life.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20 The accent’s very much on relationships. The opening up of a more diverse social life is a point in favour of romantic attachments. You will achieve a lot more, especially when you're motivated by your own desires. The general pattern of things continues on a progressive and buoyant theme.

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19 With Jupiter in your 3rd house of desire and creativity, you should enjoy a very popular phase in your life where everyone wants to invite you to parties. You will meet people of your own calibre and pursue any romantic liaisons. Your communications are extremely high making it easy to to make friends.

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20

Mars and Saturn in your opposite sign sets a rather challenging theme. Although this gives increased potential for tension and conflict with other people, it also means that you are able to confront issues and sort any problems out. If this involves a close relationship, you can now resolve your differences.

tImE

Asian Voice - Saturday 12th June 2010 3 The cars singer 4 Manipulate dihonestly 5 List element 6 Have the nerve 7 Pub servings 8 Gin fruits 9 Cherry brandy 10 Serpent tail?

11 Fightin’ Blue Hens state 12 Morays 13 Pastoral poem 16 Lean and muscular 21 Shrink time?

24 Waterston or Donaldson 26 “If I had a ___” 28 Shark of golf 29 Hero or hoagie 30 Yard-sale warning 32 Saturn model 33 Business abbr.

35 Agatha’s contemporary 37 Flat one’s gums 38 Actress Hagen 39 Wildcats state 42 Ny gambling parlor 45 Stage whispers 47 Cruciflix letters 48 German article 50 ___ of Liberty 52 “Sophie’s choice” 53 Dancer Ruby 54 In dranger 56 Lift spirits 58 Cole ___ 59 Money 61 Ethan or Joel of movies 62 Salinger lass 63 Old World duck 66 Stick up 68 Back of station?

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Across 1 Gators state 8 Go on snow 11 “Agnus___” 14 Student’s performance 15 Flax product 17 Tiered bric-a-brac shelves 18 Radar of *M*A*S*H* 19 Ave. crossers 20 Army meals 22 Former sports org.

23 Passing grades 25 Shun

27 Razorbacks state 31 Rainbows state 34 Fluffy dessert 36 Accordionist Floren 37 Big laugh 40 Slugger’s stat 41 CD-___ 43 Bus. letter abbr.

44 Mr. T’s group 46 Obstructed by sediment 49 Jayhawks state 51 Cornhuskers state 55 Dyer 57 Editorial directive 58 Gust of wind

60 “___Restaurant” 64 End of cash?

65 Lizard constellation 67 Ottoman Turk 69 Invites on a date 70 Comes out into the open 71 Question of motive 72 Busy insect 73 Violets state Down 1 Soft-drink choice 2 Epistle

Solution of Crossword-90

SPELLATHON - 91 Today’s Ratings: 07-average |09-good | 11-outstanding

How many words of four or more letters can you make from the letters shown in today’s puzzle? In making a word, each letter may be used once only.

Each word must contain the central letter. There T should be at least one T R seven-letter word.

Plurals, foreign words P and proper names are C O not allowed. British English Dictionary is E used as reference.

Solution of Spellathon - 90 seize, SEUIZURE, size

A S M U C H A S

S T O N E A G E

C U L O E S A C

U T M O S Y

R A I N E R

I C I C L E

O T S D I O D E D S A S S I D R I C O N D C A L C H O R C A E R E E N I A T I

Sudoku-91 5

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M E S L P T A S M

Solution of - 90 :

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English Civil War I:

Armies on the march

a brilliant cavalry comsubjects. He set up the In the middle of the 17th mander nicknamed ‘Old HQ near Oxford. century, England suffered Ironsides’ – won a The English Civil War a great military and politiresounding battle at was by no means a strugcal turmoil which quickly gle between aristocrats engulfed Scotland, Marston Moor (1644) in and commons. All secIreland, and Wales. It was Yorkshire and with this the armed struggle the north was lost to between the supportthe king. The following ers of King Charles, year, with their newly and parliament generbuilt New Model ally known as Civil Army, the War. It rose from the Roundheads, under constitutional, relithe joint command of gious, and economic Sir Thomas Fairfax differences between and Cromwell won yet the king and parliaanother decisive battle ment, and lasted for against the Cavaliers at nine grim years Banqueting House, White Hall, London Naseby near Leicester (1642-1651), which in 1645.

After the defeat of the tions of the society were the king lost.

Royalists and capture of affected.

Communities Charles I’s quarrels the king in 1646, attempts and even families were with parliament were a to reach compromise with constant source of friction split between the king and the king failed. He during his reign (1625parliament. Roughly the 1649). As an authoritarian conservative north and escaped to the Isle of ruler he was quite unable west were for the king Wight where, in return for to accept the opinion of (Royalists, or Cavaliers), religious concessions (to parliament and could not while the south, east and tolerate Scottish get it to agree with his reliLondon (wealthiest city Presbyterian Church), he gious and foreign polisecretly secured cies. Furthermore, his Scottish Royalists’ belief in the divine support that led to right of the kings to what is usually called rule did not help. In the second phase of 1638, the king decided the Civil War. to bring Scottish reliHowever, it did not gious last long. The Scots practices invading England (Presbyterian Church) were swiftly defeated into line with those of The fate of King Charles I

by Cromwell’s army England by imposing a at Preston in 1648. The and a parliamentary prayer book similar to that king having lost credibility stronghold) were mainly of Anglican Church, but (he could not be trusted), for parliament (republihe met with rebellion by was tried for treason, and cans or Roundheads).

Scots. Charles wanted Parliament always had money to fight the Scots having found guilty, was the edge over Royalist and for his other military sentenced to death. He forces as it controlled the campaigns (wars with was publicly beheaded in prosperous south and the France and Spain), but January 1649 on a scaffold navy, and formed alliance parliament would not suberected outside his palace with the Scots. Moreover, mit to his demands. (now Banqueting House) Relations worsened when in London. it had money to build up a in 1642, Charles unsucCharles I was the only professional and discicessfully attempted to king to have suffered exeplined army which was forcefully arrest five leadcution after trial and is said better trained, equipped, to have faced it with digniand led. On the other ing MPs for treason by ty and courage. A bust of hand, Charles I was a storming in the Commons. him over the entrance door brave man but no soldier.

The stage was now set for of the Banqueting House After an indecisive battle confrontation. Sensing the marks the spot of his exeat Edgehill (1642) in militant mood of parliacution. His equestrian statWarwickshire, parliamenment, the king withdrew tary forces under a leaderto Nottingham where he ue in front of Nelson’s colship of Oliver Cromwell – raised his standard and umn adorns the nearby an MP for Cambridge and declared war against his Trafalgar Square.

Use 4 4’s and only 4 4’s along with any mathematical operators to make a total of 581.

Solution of 90 :

7

Solution of sudoku-90 1

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By Dr Anil Mehta

MINDBENDER 91 Full of life

4

HOW TO PLAY Each row, column and square 3x3 box is a sub-grid of 9 cells. Fill in the grid so that each subgrid contains the digits 1 to 9. Every puzzle has one solution.

T E N

A A C U S L I A N O I N K E R S I V E P E E N F E R N S O R Y M O O N E I S S E R A M B O N O O N A S U A L H I R T T A N N E I D G E S

8

1 5

M A R R Y

Find the familiar phrase, saying or name in this arrangement of letters.

6

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H E M A T D T E

A T H E N I A N

WHATZIT? - 91

7 1

U T E

D I S C O M B O B U L A I E S

pAss

KAKURO - 91

Solution of KAKURO - 90 20 12

The numbers in the pink squares refer

Example to the sums of the digits

that you must fill into the empty spaces directly below or to the right of the pink square containing the number. For instance, in the given example, the 2 boxes below 12 must contain 2 digits that add upto 12, whereas for 20, the 3 boxes places horizontally next to it must add upto 20. No zeroes are used here, only the digits one through nine.

Note: A digit cannot appear more than once in any particular digit combination.

For instance in the example, we cannot have the combination of 8+4+8 for 20.

Nightfall and Daybreak.

30

www.abplgroup.com

Asian Voice - Saturday 12th June 2010

Any que stio

Treat foot blisters with home remedies

Foot blisters can form whenever you have a hard or rough surface rubbing repeatedly against one spot on your foot. This is typically caused by new or ill-fitting shoes. Foot blisters are painful and can make walking extremely difficult. Since they are on your feet, which are near the ground and the many sources of dirt and grime there, foot blisters

are also more susceptible to infection than other types of blisters.

There are many ways to treat foot blisters with home remedies.

Apply an antibacterial ointment to foot blisters as soon as possible to keep them from getting infected.

You should continue to apply

the ointment once a day until the blisters subside.

Cover the blisters with adhesive bandages whenever you go outside. Bring in the sides of the bandages as close as you can to the blisters, so that the middle of the bandages raise up just a bit over the blisters, to let air in. Air speeds healing where foot blisters are concerned.

Treat the blisters by leaving the b l i s t e r s uncovered when you are at home.

Unless the blisters are on the soles of your feet, you should go barefoot as much as possible while waiting for the blisters to heal.

This one of the more c o m m o n home remedies.

Elevate the blisters above the level of your waist. The elevation not only works to decrease pain, but it also speeds up the healing of the blisters.

Soak your feet in warm water each night before you go to bed.

This will treat the blister

by softening it and encouraging it to shrink.

Put pads on blisters that are on the soles of your feet. You can buy foam cushion adhesive pads at most shoe stores and drug stores and they are excellent remedies for this kind of blister.

The pads can be cut to fit the size of your blisters and should be worn at all times, except when you are in bed at night.

That is the time to give the blisters some air.

How to prevent blisters This first thing you need to do is make sure that your shoes fit properly. Shoes can stretch out and cause your foot to start sliding inside the shoe. If your feet sweat and your shoes don't fit you can create a environment for getting a blister. If you are on your feet most of the day this can cause your feet to swell so make sure to find good shoes that will not be to tight or loose.

When trying on shoes wear the same socks that you wear when working or playing sports. You need to treat a blister with a tent type of bandage. A tent bandage will protect it and let it breathe. You can also use a double duty bandage that contains antiseptic gel which can be bought at most pharmacies.You need to buy circular pads and cut them on the shape of a donut and put it on the blister with it in the exposed part of the bandage. You should expose the blister to air whenever possible to let it dry out. If you decide to pop the blister you need to make sure to sterilize the area first with alcohol. Do not remove the skin once you have popped it. Make sure to apply some medicine to the area and watch for any signs of an infection.

Life style

ns wri te to mam ta@abplgroup.com

By Mamta Bhatia, Psychologist

How to find ‘the one’ (Part 3) Over the last few weeks I have been sharing tips on how singletons can find love. The reason I have focused many articles on this subject is because the desire for companionship and connection is an inherent human need regardless of whether you are a man, women, old or young. My interactions however, reveal that in current times this has become somewhat difficult. For centuries getting married has been seen as the ‘done thing‘ to the point where if you are not married it is questioned. This attitude is unfortunate as many people learn that tying the knot is easier said then done and often rush into situations with little thought. Modern living dictates for an expected busy schedule. With heavy work loads and everyday responsibility seeing to family and societal commitments very little time is left for yourself. Read below for more simple tips to help you get closer to finding love.

Appreciate that good relationships take time to build. We have gotten very used to b eing able to pick and choose what we want in an instant.

We apply the same ’shopping’ principles to human relationships.

This is unfortunate because if you were to meet someone that did

not tick your mental tick box you may dismiss this individual very quickly and not take the time to truly understand their depth.

Relationships take time to build.

Humans are complex creatures and when you meet someone for the first time you are seeing the tip of the ice berg, avoid labelling people.

When you point out flaws in others first take a long hard look at yourself. Remember that no one is prefect and it is easy to critique without looking beyond the depth of someone’s personality. If you take the time to explore you may find that you have more things in common then expected. Do not forget to live by your own rules and values. Knowing yourself is fundamental, it is not what others deem as important in a life partner, it is fundamentally about what you value and respect.

Secondly, do not have a list of unrealistic expectations as this is a great way of avoiding having a relationship altogether. Keep it simple and keep it real.

Prioritise what is important to you and create a vision board consisting of pictures that represent what qualities you want to see in your future life partner and look at this morning and night.

Learn to also recognise

your strengths and start being grateful for what you have. When you create a vision and have gratitude for the things around you life suddenly appears brighter and optimistic. Do not place ridiculous pressures on yourself as you will encourage a feeling of ’stress’ and you will diminish any potential energy and motivation that you had to find the one for you.

Remember and take note that there are thousands of people finding the one everyday and remind yourself of these role models around you.

Nothing is impossible and if you ever doubt this refer back to your vision board to re-inspire yourself to get the drive and happiness you deserve in life.

Contact me at mamta@thinkspalondon.com if you have any questions. For daily inspiration follow thinkspalondon on twitter. Lastly, in June I will be running another intimate coaching session, contact me asap to secure your place. Good luck, I send you peace and energy.

Written by Mamta Bhatia a London based Psychologist at ThinkspaLondon.com.

Mamta fuses Eastern wisdom with Western application giving you easy to apply tools to live a happier fulfilled life.

Simple Potato Cake

Ingredients • 3 large potatoes • 1 capsicum • 1/2 cup grated cheese • 1/2 cup bread crumbs • 1/2 cup milk • 1red chilli crushed • 2 tsp butter • 1 tbsp. plain flour Method 1. The potatoes will turn out best if boiled and refrigerated overnight before using.

2. Do not peel potatoes.

Slice into thin rounds or grate coarsely.

3. Deseed capsicum and slice into thin rounds 4. Heat a thick nonstick pan about 5" diameter.

5. Meanwhile mix cheese, milk, crumbs, flour and chilli.

6. If mixture feels thin, add some more bread crumbs.

7. Add salt to taste. Apply 1 tsp. on bottom of pan.

8. Arrange potatoes to cover the pan. Top with capsicum.

9. Pour the mixture all over evenly. Level to cover all the potatoes.

10 Sprinkle fresh ground pepper, salt and simmer on low till bottom is golden brown.

11 Flip over very carefully with a wide sharp spat-

ula, and roast the other side.

12 Let in the remaining butter around the edges to seep down.

13 Let other side become golden brown too.

14 Flip on serving plate and make sections with a knife.

15 Serve hot and crisp.

Variation: Bake the same if desired, instead if roasting.

Making time: 40 minutes

Sport world

Asian Voice - Saturday 12th June 2010

Prince Charles will attend the Delhi Commonwealth games Queen Elizabeth II opted out due to heavy engagements Prince Charles will represent the British Royal Family at the New Delhi Commonwealth Games in October this year. It would be for the first time in 44 years that Queen Elizabeth II will be missing the Commonwealth Games.

A spokesman for the

Prince Charles

It could have been a second successive title at the French Open for Leander Paes and his Czech partner Lukas Dlouhy, but the Canadian – Serbian pair of Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic defeated the champions in straight sets 7-5, 6-2 in just 65 minutes at Roland Garros on Saturday last week.

The third seeded defending champions failed to convert two breakpoints, while their opponents converted three of the four breakpoints.

Paes already has six men's doubles and five

mixed doubles Grand Slam crowns in his pocket, same as his estranged partner Mahesh Bhupathi.

Rafael Nadal regains French Open crown from Soderling Robin Soderling was over powered at Rolland Garos on Sunday, as Rafael Nadal beat him in straight sets – 6-4, 6-2 and 6-4 to regain the French Open men’s title he lost last year. In the process, Nadal also scaled back to the world no. one spot, beating Roger Federer at that. In 2009, Soderling defeated him, but eventu-

Buckingham Palace had announced recently that Prince Charles will represent the Royal Family, while a message of support from the Monarch to the athletes will be read out. Queen has cited heavy work load as the reason for her absence.

Organising Committee

of CWG said it would welcome Prince Charles as representative of the royal family.

“The Queen attended the Baton Relay Ceremony at Buckingham Palace, so this time she is sending the prince,” chairman of the committee, Suresh Kalmadi, said.

Paes-Dlouhy beaten at French Open doubles finals

Rafael Nadal

ally lost to Roger Federer in the finals.

For Nadal, this is his fifth crown at the French Open. Only Bjorn Borg has more titles here – six.

Schiavone creates history at French Open Francesca Schiavone made Italy proud, as she became the first Italian woman to win a Grand Slam singles title on Saturday at Rolland Garros.

She beat Australian favourite Samantha Stosur 6-4, 7-6 (7/2) in the French Open final.

Victory made the 29year-old the second oldest first-time Grand Slam women's champion.

Last year, Schiavone lost to Stosur in the first round here.

West Indies humiliated 5 – 0 South Africa win the last ODI in a tense finish

They almost did it, but ultimately could not – South Africa held their nerves to the end and ensured a complete whitewash over West Indies, as the hosts could not seal a much wanted win. South Africa won the fifth and final ODI at Port of Spain on Thursday, 03 June by just one wicket with two balls to spare.

West Indies picked up important wickets of Kallis and Duminy to swing the match in their favour, but in the end Bravo and Pollard frittered away the advantage in the final overs.

An untimely injury to Jerome Taylor and some bad bowling by Bravo and Pollard in the final stages allowed the South African tail to accomplish a victory in a tense finish. In the last over, South Africa wanted seven runs to win with only the last wicket in tact.

West Indies gave the visitors a target of 253 runs and had them in trouble. South Africa were 42 runs away with just 4 wickets remaining and 6.3 overs to score them. A little later, when Botha departed, the equation was 18 runs from 17 balls

and 3 wickets to go.

The chase was set up

by Kallis. Joining Amla after the early loss of Graeme Smith, he quickly settled in with consecutive boundaries off David Bernard. When the field spread, he had no trouble working the field, an approach he stuck to despite the loss of two prolific partners in Amla and AB de Villiers.

Duminy joined him for a 58 run partnership for the fourth wicket. After Kallis departed, Duminy survived for a while and was the sixth man to go.

West Indies batting in

the slog overs was a marked improvement, but still 253 was no real challenge for the opponents.

South African spinners were tough nuts for the West Indies batsmen.

Bravo could free himself from the shackles. Yet, through some innovative hitting Deonarine, Pollard and Sammy notched up 86 runs from last 8 overs to push the score at the level that it finally reached. {Brief scores: SA 255 for 9 (Kallis 57, Duminy 51) beat WI 252 for 6 (Chanderpaul 67, Deonarine 53) by 1 wicket}.

Zimbabwe on top, India ousted from tri-series

Nobody would have thought about the hosts sailing through the league stage so strong, beating India twice and even the Sri Lankans in the last game so emphatically. It was the even more surprising that Zimbabwe spinners troubled the Sri Lankan batting. The spinners ensured that Sri Lanka scored just 114 runs in 27.3 overs after the opening pair was broken.

Dilshan (79) and Tharanga (68) notched up 122 for the first wicket in 20.2 overs and that was the best time Sri Lanka had. Zimbabwe batting capitalised on the bowlers’ success, knocking out the victory target of 237 runs in 47.5 overs, the same overs that Sri Lanka consumed at the crease batting first. The difference was that Zimbabwe did it losing just 2 wickets and won by 8 wickets.

with: Masakadza gloved one down the leg side in the fifth over, and Zimbabwe had scored only 16 in the first six.

However, chasing a modest total, they could afford to give the bowlers a few overs and wait for Brendan Taylor celebrates his match- the loose deliveries. winning century at Harare on Tuesday Sure enough, Zimbabwe's army of the loose deliveries started spinners accurate, coming. With literally riskaggressive, aided by good free cricket, Zimbabwe fielding stunted the Sri had reached 42 in nine Lankan innings growth. overs.

Even after Later, Brendon Taylor Chibhabha's dismissal, scored an unbeaten 119 to Taylor made sure prove a point.

Zimbabwe stayed ahead of After the target was the rate, without taking set, Zimbabwe virtually undue risks. There was the had no problems in the odd late-cut past short chase. With not much third man, there was the swing available, Thilan odd long hop pulled over Thushara and Dilhara midwicket, and lots of Fernando tried to test the ones and twos. Coolly, openers with short delivTaylor and Taibu finished eries. It worked to begin off their first win over Sri

Lanka in seven years, with 13 balls to spare.

India ousted; losing 3 of the four games Earlier, India were edged out of the tournament in the preliminaries, even before the last match was to be played. The team under Suresh Raina managed to just beat Sri Lanka once out of the two matches, while they lost both the games against Zimbabwe.

The hosts lost the only match to Sri Lanka which was a curtailed one. {Brief scores: 6th match - Zim 240 for 2 (Taylor 119*, Chibhabha 58) beat SL 236 (Dilshan 78, Tharanga 69, Mpofu 2-32, Cremer 2-33) by 8 wickets. 5th match – SL 270 for 4 beat India 268 for 9 by 6 wickets. 4th match – Zim 197 for 3 beat India 194 for 9 by 7 wickets. 3rd match – SL 119 for 1 beat Zim 118 runs by 9 wickets}.

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Pawar, Chirayu Amin also caught in IPL bid rows Both had links to failed bid for the Pune team IPL row and claims about of conflict of interests seem to have more skeletons in the cupboards. The latest to tumble out were Sharad Pawar and daughter Supriya Sule having stake in a corporate entity that made a failed bid for the Pune IPL team. Even the stop-gap boss of the now ill-famed IPL, Chirayu Amin was one of the stake holders in the failed Pune IPL bid.

While Chirayu Amin had made his interests clear in the bid documents, revelations about Sharad Pawar and his family having a 16% stake in the company came as a surprise. In another interesting twist, while Shashank Manohar defended Chirayu Amin, Sharad Pawar was left to fend for himself on both the turfs – the BCCI and the government. Congress said it is entirely for Pawar to say whatever he has to.

These revelations gave Lalit Modi, the suspended IPL boss further ammunition against BCCI chief Shashank Manohar, even as the two continued to trade notices and responses. BCCI had served a third notice to Lalit Modi on the very day Modi had sent a response to the second notice. The latest one was about the theatrical rights of the IPL matches.

Lalit Modi, on vacation and out of India, sent his response to the second notice via email.

Last week, Modi also served a defamation notice on Clarke, giving the ECB chairman seven days to provide a "full and unconditional apology and retraction in a form, manner and terms to be agreed."

Sania to play just for two years Indian tennis star Sania Mirza has now said she would like to focus on her husband and family soon. Playing her first competitive tennis game at Birmingham in England, Sania said she would be playing just for two years. Thereafter, she will take care of her husband and married life.

“I want to concentrate on Sania Mirza my married life and it is not an easy job to stay away from husband soon after marriage. I will quit in two years,” a UK local newspaper quoted Sania, as saying. “I don’t want to disturb my personal life due to tennis”, she added. The 23-yearold was talking to the media in Birmingham after her very first match. She got married to Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik recently. She also hopes to be fully fit to represent India in the Commonwealth and Asian Games that are scheduled for later this year.

Malik, Akhtar back in Pakistan squad

Asia Cup team has Salman Butt as vice captain After lifting the ban, Pakistan selectors have picked up spinner Shoaib Malik for the team to play Asia Cup, starting next week in Sri Lanka. Speedster Shoaib Akhtar is also recalled for the tournament.

The team has a couple of new faces, but the comeback boys will be more in focus.

A sudden, impressive comeback in the domestic Pentangular limited-overs tournament and some weight-loss put Shoaib Akhtar back in the frame.

Shahid Afridi, the Pakistan captain, was keen to have him in the squad and he underwent a rigorous fitness test before getting the selectors’ nod. He had lost his place due indiscipline issues rather than fitness. In case of Shoaib Malik, his ban was lifted just a couple of weeks ago. Shahzaib Hasan, who has already played in the 2009 triumphant campaign for the World T20 got his first call for ODIs. Umar Amin and Asad Shafiq are the other new faces.

Squad: Shahid Afridi (capt), Salman Butt (vicecapt), Imran Farhat, Shahzaib Hasan, Umar Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Asad Shafiq, Umar Amin, Kamran Akmal (wk), Abdul Razzaq, Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Aamer, Shoaib Akhtar, Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman.

Reserves: Fawad Alam, Azhar Ali, Mohammad Irfan, Zulfiqar Babar.

Asia Cup 2010 Date 15 June 16 June 18 June 19 June 21 June 22 June 24 June

Venue Dambulla Dambulla Dambulla Dambulla Dambulla Dambulla Dambulla

Match Sri Lanka v/s Pakistan Bangladesh v/s India Sri Lanka v/s Bangladesh India v/s Pakistan Bangladesh v/s Pakistan Sri Lanka v/s India Final

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Asian Voice - Saturday 12th June 2010

England bulldoze Bangladesh Old Trafford test wrapped up in 3 days

Tamim Iqbal again hammered a ton for his team in the first innings of the second test match against England at Old Trafford, but that was not just good enough to change the fortunes of Bangladesh.

After England scored a not so imposing 419 runs, the visitors could not avoid a follow-on, as they folded up just 3 runs away from the mandatory 200 run margin. England lapped up the opportunity and asked the opponents to bat again. Finally, Bangladesh lost all their twenty wickets in just two sessions, as England won the match by an innings and 80 runs on Sunday.

For the home team, Steven Finn again cap-

Ajmal Shahzad celebrates the dismissal of Shakib Al Hasan at Old Trafford on Sunday

tured five wickets, the second time in his debut series. Bangladesh after a good start in the first innings, having scored 96 without losing any wicket

in the post lunch session, lost all the ten wickets in the last session of the day.

In the first innings, apart from Tamim Iqbal’s century, his opening partner

Imrul Kayes was the only other Bangladesh batsman who stood at the wicket for a while. Tamim scored 108 and Kayes had 36 runs to his name. Graeme Swann and Ajmal Shahzad were the wreckers in chief, claiming 5 and 3 scalps respectively.

In the second innings, Steven Finn bounced through Bangladesh to complete his second fivewicket of the series.

At one point, Bangladesh had lost 6 wickets for just 39 runs. {Brief scores: England 419 (Bell 128, Prior 93, Shakib 5-121) beat Bangladesh 216 (Tamim 108, Swann 5-76) and 123 (Finn 5-42) by an innings and 80 runs}.

Tiwary, Dinda and Ashwin get India’s ODI cap Sachin rested, Yuvi – Pathan dropped from Asia Cup team Speculations of Yuvraj Singh being dropped from the Indian squad for the Asia Cup proved to be true, as he and Yusuf Pathan were not selected, while BCCI said Sachin’s request has been accepted and he is being rested, ahead of a hectic season.

Saurabh Tiwary, the Jharkhand batsman is the new face in the team.

Veterans Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Harbhajan Singh and the pace trio of Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra and Praveen Kumar make their comeback after being rested for the just concluded tri-series in Zimbabwe. India fared a poor third, unable to qualify for the finals as a lot of the regular players were not a part of the squad that played Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka, winning just one of the four matches.

Dhoni is back as the skipper.

Apart from

Saurabh Tiwary

Tiwary, more raw talent from the IPL show – Ashok Dinda and R Ashwin have also been picked up.

Team: M S Dhoni (captain & wicket keeper), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Praveen Kumar, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Pragyan Ojha, Ashok Dinda, R Ashwin and Saurabh Tiwary.

Injury wrecks Ferdinand dreams for a FIFA glory England captain likely to fly back home after the opening game A knee injury has wrecked England skipper Rio Ferdinand’s dreams of leading his team to World Cup glory. Now, he is likely to be flying back home after the Three Lions’ opening game.

England, in group C is pitted against the USA, Algeria and Slovenia.

They will start their World Cup campaign on June 15 at Rustenburg, playing against the USA. Rio Ferdinand has got his ligament damaged and will then work on his rehabilitation after he is back to England. He is likely to be sidelined from football action for eight weeks.

Devastated, Rio still wants to remain in South Africa and support England team in whatever way he can. Even manager Fabio Capello wants Rio

to stay in South Africa as long as he wants to stay.

Now, a strict booze ban for team England The tough Italian task master has made life a little more dull for England football players at the World Cup. Now, the players have been asked to keep away from booze strictly. The booze ban also applies to team officials. Reports suggest the ban has been agreed by all the staff as a matter of team spirit.

Fabio Capello, England coach has made it clear that rules will have to be strictly adhered to. Any one will face punishment if they fall out of line. The full team numbers is more than 60 for England.

Rio Ferdinand

Earlier, Wives and Girl Friends – WAGs were also banned. Capello has also said all players and team members will be available to him 24 hours. He could

call anybody using the hotel televisions.

Nigerian mid fielder John Obi Mikel, Ghana’s Michael Essien injured, out of the World Cup A badly bruised ankle forced Nigeria's top player, mid fielder John Obi Mikel out of the World Cup last weekend. Obi Mikel had only just returned to full contact training after undergoing minor knee surgery in April.

Obi Mikel who has scored twice in 30 appearances for his country, is the third player from English champions Chelsea ruled out of the World Cup. Michael Ballack, the German captain, and Ghana's Michael Essien have also been ruled out by injury.

A fourth, Ivory Coast captain Didier Drogba, is

awaiting a decision on his participation after fracturing a bone near his elbow in a World Cup warm-up match in Switzerland.

15 hurt in stampede at Nigeria – North Korea match venue Thousands of football fans stampeded outside a stadium in Johannesburg on Sunday before a World Cup warm-up match between Nigeria and North Korea, leaving 15 people injured, including one policeman who was seriously hurt.

Several fans could be seen falling under the rush of people, many wearing Nigeria jerseys.

The Makhulong Stadium in the Johannesburg suburb seats about 12,000 fans.

Tickets for the match were given out for free outside the stadium.

Large groups of people gathered outside the gates wanting to come in and wanting to get free tickets.

Unfortunately in the process, the gates were opened and there was a stampede.

The first rush came when the gates opened to allow fans into the stadium. Police soon closed the gates, but when they were reopened, a second rush occurred, with more people falling and being run over.

Shortly after the second rush, the gates were closed again and much of the crowd dissipated.

The Nigeria and North Korean football teams were lining up for the national anthems when the second surge happened. They had no idea what was going on outside.