AV 12th June 2021

FIRST & FOREMOST ASIAN WEEKLY IN EUROPE

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Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

12 - 18 JUNE 2021 - VOL 50 ISSUE 6

TILL DEATH DO US PART? UK witnesses a sharp increase in divorce cases with more than 50 per cent from Asian households Shefali Saxena Divorce has always been a taboo in Asian society and it continues to be so. The pandemic ended up locking families together within four walls for longer than they expected. As a result of this enforced living arrangement, many relationships have fallen apart. The divorce rate in the UK has been increasing by nearly 19 per cent every year. The ONS said that almost 45 per cent of all marriages now end in divorce, with 109,000 being recorded in 2019.

Continued on page 6

inside: Britain’s first Lord Jagannatha temple opens in Bath SEE PAGE - 9

G7: Boris Johnson aims to vaccinate the entire world by 2022 SEE PAGE - 17

Administrator wants to develop Lakshadweep like Maldives SEE PAGE - 26

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12 - 18 June 2021

with Keith Vaz

The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service

Natasha Asghar MS Member of the Senedd Natasha Asghar was born and raised in Newport Gwent, she has stood for five elections and the Welsh Parliament elections in 2021 was her sixth. On 8th May Natasha was declared the Conservatives Regional Member for the Welsh Parliament of Southeast Wales.

She attended Rougemont School in Newport and went to the University of London to study for a BA in Politics and social policy. This was followed by a Masters in Contemporary British Politics and Media.

After completion of her MA, Natasha became a Banker in London and has worked in an array of financial, retail, and political institutions, including the House of Commons, European Parliament, and the Welsh Parliament in a variety of positions.

After a few years she decided to pursue a career in media and has presented her own successful Radio show, she has written for magazines and had released two books. In her spare time, she enjoys travelling, extreme sports and spending time with her friends and family.

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

Newport is the place I feel most at home. It is the place my parents chose to make their home, the city where I was born, brought up and educated.

What are your proudest achievements?

Before this month, my proudest achievement was making a career for myself in the broadcast media, which is a notoriously difficult sector to get into, but this has been surpassed by being elected to the Welsh Parliament, especially as the first woman of colour to do so.

What inspires you?

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I am inspired every day by people who give up their time to volunteer to work for charities and other organisations to help the desperate, lonely, and needy in their communities, often for little or no reward except the knowledge they have done well.

What has been the biggest obstacle in our career?

Like many people of colour, I have experienced racism and prejudice in my professional and political career which is an obstacle I have overcome with the support of my family and friends.

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

Undoubtedly this has to be my father, Mohammad Asghar, who sadly passed away last year. My father was also involved in politics, and I learnt so much from him about serving everyone in the community irrespective of their race, gender, colour, or creed. He was my inspiration.

What is the best aspect of your current role?

Being able to make a difference.

People out there just want to get on

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with their lives but often find there are hindered by not being able to access the support they need or by bureaucracy and delay in decision making. It’s great when I can help.

And the worst?

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Coming up against bureaucracy and officialdom which often just needs to make a decision or stop obstructing people getting on with their lives.

What are your long-term goals?

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I want to set an example and encourage more women of colour to get involved in politics at all levels. I want to see a stronger Welsh Conservative Party at local and national level to return a Welsh.

Conservative Government and make it the natural party of government.

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

I believe in the importance of education. I would like to see schools putting greater emphasis on standards of conduct and behaviour, teaching self-respect and the need to respect others. Politeness and good manners have declined I believe resulting in intolerance, racism, and anti-social behaviour.

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

Casanova (Only joking !!)

I would choose Steven Hawking, I was sad that I wasn’t able to meet him during his life, but it would be nice to learn more about theoretical cosmology. Somehow, I doubt the conversation would ever end as I have heard some of his lectures and found his theories fascinating.

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The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service (the highest award given to charitable organisations), will be awarded to 241 organisations across the UK, as the Minister for Civil Society and Youth hailed volunteers as “the backbone of local communities” during the national recovery from Covid19.

Charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have received the prestigious award for delivering exceptional service within their communities over the past year and beyond.

The winners have carried out critical work to enhance the lives of others, from reaching people suffering from dementia through music and song in Gloucestershire to providing support and friendship to refugees and asylum seekers in Merseyside.

Many of those honoured have adapted their services to respond to the coronavirus outbreak as the voluntary sector continues to play a vital role in the national recovery. This has been recognised through a special designation given to 164 of the group for providing impactful support during the initial lockdown.

Coinciding with Volunteers’

Week, the Queen’s Award recognises that volunteers have been vital throughout the coronavirus pandemic, and will continue to be as the country emerges from lockdown.

Minister for Civil Society and Youth, Baroness Barran, will be marking Volunteers’ Week with a series of visits to some of the exceptional organisations carrying out critical work.

Volunteers’ Week is an annual celebration for the UK

to recognise those who have dedicated their time to support their local community, both through the pandemic and over many years.

The following Asian groups are amongst those who have been awarded The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in recognition of their outstanding voluntary work in the community for 2021 NORTHAMPTONSHIRE IHWO (Indian Hindu Welfare Organisation)

Northampton Enriching lives of Hindus by meeting their social, cultural, educational, health and wellbeing needs.

BERKSHIRE Guru Maneyo Granth Gurdwara (GMGG) Providing hot meals and food parcels to people in need in Slough, London and throughout the UK. BUCKINGHAMSHIRE DREAMSAI Milton Keynes Providing assistance and support to vulnerable people in accordance with the teachings of Shirdi Sai. GREATER LONDON Sri Guru Singh Sabha Southall Providing food, education and health services supporting at-risk people throughout the community.

WEST SUSSEX Gurjar Hindu Union (GHU) Providing education, cultural and integration support services to the Hindu and wider community in Crawley.

THE WEST MIDLANDS Shri Venkateswara Balaji Temple, Voluntary Action Group Providing a Hindu Temple and Community Centre, promoting spirituality, inclusion, and social cohesion.

SOUTH GLAMORGAN Cardiff Bangladeshi Society Providing services to improve health, well-being, educational attainment and aspiration.

Hare Krishna Food For All UK honoured with The Queen’s Award The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, equivalent to an MBE, has been awarded to Food for All UK, as the Minister for Civil Society and Youth hailed volunteers as “the backbone of local communities” during the national recovery from Covid-19.

For over 30 years Food for All UK (FFA) has been at the forefront of the fight to alleviate food poverty and food waste in the UK. It continues to be the largest free meal provider in the UK. Being an entirely volunteer-run organ-

isation, it heavily depends on the help of its brilliant team of volunteers, who daily produce, and distribute thousands of free hot, nutritious meals to those most in need of support. It strives to serve by its motto 'Food is Love, Food for All'.

Parasuram das, Director of FFA UK said, “Our most valuable assets are our volunteers, so we are delighted that their exceptional selfless service over the years, particularly over the past year, is being recognised by this most pres-

tigious award.”

From the start of the Covid-19 pandemic up to February 2021, our team of 300 volunteers has distributed over a million hot meals to the vulnerable, front-line workers, who have kept our country moving, and the wider community isolated during the country-wide lockdown. We continue to grow from strength to strength, on the enthusiasm of our volunteers, with the determination to serve a million more.

Study claims disadvantaged and northern pupils hardest hit in lockdown Government research has found that “disadvantaged pupils lost up to 4.3 months in learning during the spring term.” The report further stated that “primary school children lost more than two months' learning during the last lockdown, with northern and disadvantaged pupils hardest hit.”

The study by the Education Policy Institute (EPI) found that for disadvantaged pupils, overall losses were as high as 4.3 months.

According to the research for the Department for Education (DfE), “By the time they returned to school in

March this year, pupils had regressed to the level they were in September.

A report analysis in Sky news suggested that there were regional disparities in the levels of learning loss, with pupils in the North East, Yorkshire and the Humber and East Midlands suffering more than those in London and the South West.

Unfortunately, poorer children were the worst hit, with losses equivalent to between a third and two-thirds of progress made in bridging the disadvantage gap over the past 10 years. Overall, primary

school pupils regressed further in their learning in the spring term than they did in the autumn one.

During the autumn term pupils lost 3.7 months in maths and 1.8 months in reading, the report added.

Jon Andrews, the co-author of the study, added: "We need to continue to look at how we can support all pupils through effective catch-up programmes, but especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, whose education has seen the most damage from the pandemic."

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12 - 18 June 2021

Will Labour party learn from its history?

When Sir Keir Starmer took the helm of Labour party, the Indian community saw a glimmer of hope. Jeremy Corbyn had isolated the Hindu / Sikh community in a way, leaving most of them shift their alliance to the Tory party. But when the former barrister took on as Labour leader, he sought to rebuild trust with India and the Indian diaspora in the UK. It eventually sparked a welter of protest from party MPs and members with origins and links to extremist elements of Pakistan.

An exclusive poll suggested that Sir Starmer’s ratings have plunged to the same low level as Jeremy Corbyn’s at the same stage of his leadership. The Evening Standard reported that Ipsos MORI research also revealed that Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is seen by the public and by Labour’s own supporters as a better potential Prime Minister than Sir Starmer. London mayor Sadiq Khan also trails behind Burnham as a would-be PM. The findings, which will set alarm bells ringing in Labour circles, show Sir Keir’s ratings have fallen sharply, including scores for being “a capable leader” and for “having sound judgment”.

Mayor Andy Burnham was one of the Labour party candidates for leadership when Ed Miliband resigned in 2015 after the defeat of the party in the general election. On 26 June 2015, a BAME husting was co-organised by Asian Voice in Harrow for the Labour leadership and Deputy leadership. This was a part of the many such events being organised across the country then, to give people a chance to engage with the candidates in an open and honest discussion about the party’s General Election defeat and what the priorities should be as it rebuilds for the future.

The 150 or more audience were allowed to ask questions and included variety of topics addressing issues concerning the BAME community. At that same husting, leadership candidate Andy

Burnham had said, "The loss of BAME support must act as a warning to Labour that it must never take any group of voters for granted…We should look like the communities we seek to represent and help everybody to get on.”

Labour party was always the first choice for immigrant Indians in the UK, especially because of its links with the independence movement of India and labour laws. India has had a mention in Labour party’s manifesto since 1950 till 64, in various aspects related to colonialism and the Raj. In 2005, India again found a mention in the party’s election manifesto, calling to support peace between India and Pakistan.

Labour won this election, and Tony Blair became Prime Minister for the third time. In 2010, India was mentioned twice in the party’s manifesto- and a special remark was made on the India’s bilateral relationship with UK. In 2019, the manifesto called for a formal apology for Jallianwala Bagh massacre and UK for supporting Operation Blue Star.

Yet when the leadership contest was won by Jeremy Corbyn the party automatically became anti-Semitic and anti-Indian.

Even during the Khalistani protests in front of the High commission of India, that saw vandalism of a historical property, allegedly went supported by a few Labour Parliamentarians.

There is always a lesson in history. Sir Starmer has barely interacted with the Indian community or the Asian press in the UK. Mr Burnham had lost to Mr Corbyn in 2015, but today he is the best choice Labour party may be making. If Sir Starmer wants, he can still turn the tide. The role of Opposition in a country stuck in an endless pandemic is key. And with such failing credibility of leaders, it can lead to a dysfunctional democracy- one full of bloodshed and riots- something we cannot afford at this stage.

No better time to change Britain’s race relations The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have had their baby girl on Friday, named her after grandmother Diana. She was born at 11:40am local time, weighed 7 lbs 11oz and is now "settling in at home".

She is the Queen's 11th great-grandchild and is eighth in line to the throne. It means Prince Andrew, who was born as second in line in 1960, moves down to ninth place.

It is believed the Sussexes would be seen on the Buckingham Palace balcony next year, though the interview at Oprah Winfrey’s talk show has left behind a bitter taste among many Royal fans. At the same time Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have increased their visibility, as a happy couple in their late 30s, ensuring younger Britons could relate to them more and they remained relevant.

While many Royalists have even denied Ms Markle’s allegations about racism in Royal household, her interview unravelled the pain of daily sufferings by so many in the UK. The allegation compelled her brother-in-law, Prince William, to declare that the Royal family was “very much not” racist.

The pandemic has shown how institutional racism continue to tear families and loved ones apart. England’s players are being booed for taking the knee, apparently the gesture is ‘boring’ the fans, re-establishing that the problem is far from removed, despite efforts.

Now new documents released as part of The Guardian’s investigation said that the Queen’s courtiers banned “coloured immigrants or foreigners” from serving in clerical roles in the Royal household until at least the late 1960s. These newly discov-

ered documents have restarted the debate over the Royal family and race- especially the lack of awareness around colonialism.

The documents reportedly also threw light on how Buckingham Palace allegedly negotiated controversial clauses exempting the Queen and her household from laws that prevent race and sex discrimination. It is unclear when and if the practice ended. The Guardian said records showed people from ethnic minority backgrounds were employed in the 1990s. It also added that before that decade, it did not keep records on the racial backgrounds of employees.

This has reopened old wounds, as much of the Royal family’s history is linked with the British Raj, that subjugated, tortured and enslaved people across the world.

Of course, in the colonial world, one cannot forget the Queen’s relationship with their one particular non-white staff, Abdul Karim. The Queen was believed to have liked him great deal. The close platonic relationship between India-born Karim and the Queen led to friction within the Royal household, the other members of which felt themselves to be superior to him.

The Queen insisted on taking Karim with her on her travels, which caused arguments between her and her other attendants.

Following Queen Victoria's death in 1901, her successor, Edward VII, sent Karim back to India and ordered the confiscation and destruction of his correspondence with Queen Victoria.

It is about time the Queen Elizabeth II, who has been a symbol of modernism in UK’s otherwise conventional society, leads the way again. After all we must practice what we preach and there’s indeed no better time than now.

A G7-summit that will strive hard to build a better tomorrow The leaders of so-called G7 countries - Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US - are meeting on June 11 at Cornwall in UK. The summit presided over by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson aims to unite leading democracies to help the world build back better from the Covid-19 pandemic and create a greener and more prosperous future. The agenda also include climate change and trade. Though most of the conversations take place behind closed doors, at the end of the summit- UK as the host nation- will publish a document called a communique. This outlines what has been agreed by the leaders.

Though it cannot pass any laws because it is made up of separate nations with their own democratic processes. However, some decisions can have a global effect.

The G7 has been criticised as being out of date, partly because if does not include two of the largest countries in the world- India and China. In 2020 former US president Donald Trump called it a 'very outdated group of countries.' Though Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was invited as a special guest by Mr Johnson, he is not attending the summit. The UK has committed to support the poor nations. This focus on poorest countries is consistent with the international response to Covid crisis, which has focused on providing additional resources to low-income countries.

A commitment to support poorest countries is commendable, but any strategy for global recovery also needs to consider middle-income countries. UK has a track record of effectively using summits and multilateral channels to collectively resolve global challenges. To help reset its international standing, the UK should announce at the summit that it will make a multi-year investment in ending the pandemic and support a just and global economic recovery. Such a commitment would place the onus on other G7 nations to follow suit.

The success of the summit will be judged primarily on whether concrete measures are agreed to accelerate the global response to the pandemic. Indeed, for much of the world talk of

‘building back better’ in the wake of coronavirus is likely to feel premature. Access to vaccines remains highly unequal across countries. There have perhaps never been a public policy challenge where national and international interests are so closely aligned as combating Covid-19. The spread of Delta variant is making it increasingly apparent that the greatest risk to the recovery is virus mutations in populations where the pandemic is not yet contained. There will also rarely be a global challenge where the UK’s capabilities are so well placed to help forge effective solutions. While the UK’s economic and military power will continue to decline, in the field of global health the country does have claim to something approaching ‘superpower’ status.

Accelerating a global immunisation campaign is also clearly in the self-interest of G7 members. The cost to the global economy if the world is not vaccinated could be between $2 trillion and $9 trillion. Accumulated GDP losses to date globally are expected to be $35 trillion. Relative to the size of the SDR issuance, the financial costs of ending the pandemic are relatively small. The UK should commit, with the other G7 nations, to funding twothirds of the $35 billion that the IMF has estimated is needed to end the pandemic. Analysis shows that a further pledge of £1 billion from the UK would constitute its ‘fair share’ of meeting this gap in financing.

The UK should also rally G7 nations behind the recommendation of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response for a donation of close to 1 billion vaccines. This would involve clear commitments and timetables for when G7 countries will begin donating surplus vaccines. In February Mr Johnson said that the UK would donate its surplus vaccines, but unlike other G7 nations no concrete commitments have been made. The UK could also follow the lead of the EU in committing to further investment in research, development and manufacturing capabilities outside the UK so that supply chains for vaccines are more resilient. Let us hope that G7 will strive hard to build a better tomorrow.

Be yourself; everyone else is already taken. ― Oscar Wilde

Alpesh Patel

Oxford University Employee Problems With Hindus An employee of Oxford University revels in desecrating Hindu religious statues and states, in terms, Hindus are not welcome at Oxford, and Oxford University's blanket "we welcome Hindus" statement is hugely disappointing and their tediously long drawn out 'investigation' in the face of matters being raised by UK MPs, and in the Indian Parliament, suggest stone-walling.

As a Former Visiting Fellow I find the University's lack of desire to defend its reputation and make any comment other than defending the employee by stating it's a 'private' account as a clear sign that they support the employee.

The Head of the Department has not replied to my request asking when there will be any action taken. It doesn't take a Don to read between the lines. Below are some of the comments I made in this paper months ago. Seems my singular brain works faster than that of the collective of my fellow Dons at Oxford.

I am especially protective of the traditions and values of the University of Oxford.

I am immensely proud of the traditions of British values of free speech and free thought.

However, tell me, when a faculty member of the University of Oxford makes comments like the ones you see in the images, is that not incitement to religious hatred contrary to the laws, let alone Britain's values?

So Mr. Sarkar, if you're reading this, I speak for the values of Oxford University, not you. I am British, and I stand up for, and speak for British values of tolerance, not you. I understand you are here on a visa – your vile hatred is not what I want in my country.

When you write, "clearly breaking Saraswati statues have not had any bad effect on my education" – I don't have a right not to be offended. You have a right to free speech. You claim to be atheist yet target one faith – that is religious bigotry. You proclaim it, that is incitement to religious hatred.

When a girl is hounded out of her position at the Oxford Union, and the British Free Speech Union writes they regret she was so hounded and returns to India in tears; you write 'Tell Zee News that Oxford students are still not ready for "Sanatani"' with a picture of Lord Ram, that is bullying and harassment of an Oxford student by Faculty.

I care not that you are atheist, that you believe faith to be superstition – so do billions. I care you incite religious hatred. I care you do this from a privileged position at Oxford University. I care you bring disrepute to my University.

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12 - 18 June 2021

India is a tech democratic superpower Shefali Saxena You can't talk about the Indo Pacific without talking about India. First Secretary of State and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab thinks that “India's only one bit of that picture. But a very important one, probably the single biggest bilateral elements of that strategic pivot, we call it the Indo Pacific tilt, if you like, what are we doing about that in practice, while I was there, in India, in Delhi, but also Bangalore in December, the Prime Minister has been desperate to get out where he will go this year. But of course, because of the pandemic, we've had to put it on hold a couple of times.”

In a virtual event with Conservative Friends of India, Raab addressed the most heated topics, one at a time.

Enhanced Trade Partnership “We're only the fourth country to be given comprehensive strategic partnership status by the top of the US, Australia, Russia, which gives you a sense of our level of ambition. There's an enhanced trade partnership, some low hanging fruit that we've agreed on early on in relation to tariffs and long term access to trade.

“There's some direct stuff that we're doing right now, we've got an arrangement for the Serum Institute, which invests in life sciences in the UK, New Zealand, the big pharmaceutical and Public Health Organisation in India, which is rolling out and we manufacture the vaccine at pace for our Indian friends.”

Global points-based system “The UK and India are very compatible in lots of interesting

ways, including r&d in the tech space. So India, for me, is a tech democratic superpower. That makes it particularly exciting, both in terms of our values, but also our interests. And there's huge scope. So that's a big part of the trade piece. It's not just about trade. We also got with mobility and migration partnership, I think the standout bit for me, and that is a provision for young professionals from India to come to the UK and the UK to go to India. I guess it dovetails with our global points-based system.

UK-India health partnership “India's got an incredible health sector and lots of r&d, and they really struggled with a pandemic as we have. We've offered everything from ventilators to oxygen compressors, concentrators, I'm in constant touch with Indian EAM Jaishanker, and if there's something they need from Britain, as their friends, we will, of course, do it more broadly, it's clearly a tech and life science collaboration piece that we can do.

On India’s contribution to G7 “The relationship with the UK Prime Minister, and Prime Minister Modi is very strong. So I think there's just this great opportunity to now start doing it.

But I think the way rather than having a grandmaster plan beyond the roadmap, which I think is pretty detailed, I want to do it and along the way, and then keep doing the bits that were really affected that shore up the bits that were not so good, and do what works. And that's the way I tend to approach these things.”

On Brexit “With Indian young professionals, we can do it. And so I

Dominic Raab

think it's actually it's a positive opportunity.

“We do want to control our immigration policies. But that's also the way that we can craft them to best reflect the interests and then when, frankly, the demographic mix of our country.”

On immigration “That we've just gone through an economic contraction, the largest that we've seen in 300 years budget deficit double what we saw at the 2008-2009 crisis, I think if we weren't reviewing all aspects of our spend both domestic but also, international, I think would be criticised roundly, for doing that. It's not a decision that we wanted to take this decision, we're being forced by circumstances to take in terms of British Nationals abroad, British nationals and British dual nationals, we've got all sorts of issues all around the world. You know, we've got a great constable department in from an office says I raised them all around the world, I've raised them in Delhi, in relation to British cases.

“And actually, in relation to India, where we've got concerns on either side, we've grown up, we've got the depth of maturity of our relationship where we can have those conversations. So we don't shy away from them. And I've always been very clear about that.”

Should Britons learn about their history?

“In terms of British history, I've studied it at GCSE and a level and I've been you know, I love my history. Do I know everything from? Almost certainly. Do I learn things every time I go abroad? Yes. And I go there with that spirit and openness. Am I proud of our history? Yeah, absolutely.

“If you're the son of a refugee from the Holocaust, you look at this country, economic opportunity and political tolerance. And you think, good lord, but for the grace of God. Does that mean I think that we got things perfectly right, according to our history, last 500 years?

“No. I think there's a risky though, by the way, should we think more broadly, about the shared history with the Commonwealth? Yes, absolutely.

And in other parts of the world, but, I just say this, the airbrush culture that says, or the cancelled culture that says that, if you've got stains or black marks on your history, you can't nevertheless look at it around and be proud of it, I think is a profoundly morally and socially and culturally wrong.

If we do that, we go down that track, every generation will look back and find something that allows them to rubbish.

“The previous generations history, I think the right attitude to have is to be eyes wide open, to be proud of the bits that we're proud of his champion, we've got an enormous amount to be proud of, to be open and honest about the bits that we're not so proud of, but also fundamentally, constantly wants to do better.

That's the British way.”

Working from home or hell?

People are opening their laptops for work first thing in the morning, even before they freshen up for the day, sometimes without even getting out of bed. The pressure to work, deliver, check constant emails, WhatsApp/S lack/Messenger notifications is real and fearsome.

The Office for National Statistics has found that 35.9% of the UK's employed population did at least some of their work from home last year. This group while saving time on commuting - did an average of six hours' unpaid overtime each week, it adds.

Interestingly, the right to disconnect has been law for four

bers include managers, civil servants, engineers and scientists, wants the UK government to set out similar protections in its Employment Bill, expected to be published later this year.

The official advice across the UK currently is for people to work at home wherever possible. To preserve wellbeing, the Mental Health

years in France, where companies are asked to set agreed "specific hours" for "teleworkers".

Ireland also brought in a code of practice last month, under which employers should add "footers and pop-up messages to remind employees... that there is Earlier last week, the no requirement to reply to Department for Transport emails out of hours".

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Foundation recommends that bosses stay in daily contact with employees. However, it says they must "respect the boundaries people have between work and home life".

While calls have been made and online forums are buzzing with the atrocious after-work hours pressure to reply to emails, have we lost our work-life balance in the pandemic? Probably, yes.

in brief in brief ARCHIE AND HIS BABY SISTER’S BALCONY DEBUT SOON? If reports are to be believed, Archie and his future sister may make their Buckingham Palace balcony debut next summer. As Summer 2022 will mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, celebrating 70 years on the throne, with an extended Bank Holiday, there are chances of the Queen’s annual birthday parade seeing her extended family gather together on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, and with it marking such an important milestone, it is thought that the Sussex family will be in attendance. No official confirmation has been made by the royal family on the speculation.

FACEBOOK UNDER PROBE

The Competition and Market Authority (CMA) is probing whether Facebook abuses its dominant market position in the UK. On the last Friday of May, the CMA said that Facebook may hold an "unfair advantage" due to its dominant market position in the digital advertising space and that it “might be abusing that dominance, the regulator added, saying it would look into how the company gathers data as part of its investigation.”

“The CMA will also scrutinise Facebook Login, a service that allows users to sign in to other websites using their Facebook credentials, to see whether it provides an unfair advantage to the company’s separate classified ads business, and its dating business,” Sky reported.

In a statement, Facebook told Reuters, "Marketplace and Dating offer people more choices and both products operate in a highly competitive environment with many large incumbents.”

Another holiday blow for Brits

airports.”

This implies that British nationals who are stuck in red list countries like India and South Africa - where flights have been banned will be allowed to come home on direct flights.

The Sun reported that “no more countries are being added to the green list in a further gut punch for Brits aching for a postpandemic getaway.”

Whitehall sources cited that the drastic deci-

sion came after PHE raised the alarm that a mutation of the Indian "Delta" variant was found in Portugal - with 68 cases recorded as of late last week.

“There is a doubling of the positive Covid rates in Portugal since the first review, too - which far exceeds the positive rates in the UK,” the source said.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: "The public has always known travel will be different this year and we must continue to take a cautious approach to reopen international travel in a way that protects public health

and the vaccine rollout.

“While we are making great progress in the UK with the vaccine rollout, we continue to say that the public should not travel to destinations outside the green list.”

Following this announcement, anyone coming into the UK will have to carry a negative Covid test report and pay further to quarantine. But those on the red list will have to stay in designated hotel quarantine facilities when they come back to the UK. Negative people will be allowed to go home.

A new terminal has been assigned in the UK for arrivals from red list countries.

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TILL DEATH DO US PART? Continued from page 1 According to The Independent, during this May, some of the major law firms have seen a 95 per cent increase in divorce enquiries. ONS has reported that women are more likely to initiate divorce proceedings now. An American survey also found that during the pandemic there has been a 34 per cent increase in divorce cases globally.

An Asian firm has told Asian Voice that more than 50 per cent of these have been from the Asian community.

Reflecting on the probable reason for the rise in divorces, Clinical Psychologist Dr Tina Mistry said, “If either of the spouses suffers a job loss, they also feel psychologically vulnerable as a unit.” She also stated that “The gaps between the partners became wider because the pandemic saw a rise in gender stereotypical roles.”

With an average divorce costing £15,000, some law firms like Fair Result are offering a ‘fixed fee model’ for divorces in England and Wales to curb the expenditure as average divorce costs £15,000- that's a staggering £1.65bn going to the legal profession each year.

More than 50% of cases from the Asian community Speaking to Asian Voice, Zharna Sutaria, Director at Vyman Solicitors said that the family law team at Vyman Solicitors have witnessed a sharp increase in the number of divorces and family-related enquiries during the latter part of 2020, following the first national lockdown.

Zhara explained, “More than 50 per cent of these have been from the Asian community with a particular rise in cases involving domestic violence.

“We do offer an initial consultation for a fixed fee which includes detailed advice on the law, procedure and next steps which are then summarised in writing. Divorce cases often involve wider issues and costs are dependent upon the complexities of the case that can unravel as the matter progresses.

“We aim to assist our clients in budgeting for costs by providing regular bills and encouraging them to make fixed payments on the account each month depending on the nature of the case. An estimate of costs is provided at the outset and regularly thereafter to keep the client fully informed and avoid surprises.”

Manisha Raja, Senior Associate, Axiom Stone told Asian Voice, “The Global Pandemic has shone a light on relationships that were already fractured, it has also impacted those relationships where divorce had not previously been discussed. Consequently, I have seen a surge in the number of divorce enquiries including from the Asian community.

“Notably, today, in the Asian community cultural barriers are less likely to stop couples from separating, rather the costs of divorce and financial uncertainty are enough to stay in an unhappy marriage. To ease that worry, where we can we offer fixed fees and work with our clients to find a stress free and practical arrangement to meet costs.”

Shalini V Bhargava of Aschfords Law said the rise in divorce enquiries is not unique to the South Asian community. Speaking to Asian Voice, she said, “The Family Law Department at Aschfords Law has experienced a rise in enquiries about divorce since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The rise in divorce enquiries is not unique

to the South Asian community. The pandemic has led to an increase in divorce enquiries for several including reasons, increased stress, financial difficulty, job losses and spouses being forced to spend more time living together.

“For uncontested divorce matters, a fixed fee may be suitable. However, a fixed fee is generally not suitable for contested divorce matters, due to the uncertainty of how complicated the matter would become and whether the other spouse will be amicable or not.

“We tailor our approach to each client. We normally charge an hourly rate; however, a fixed fee may be offered in certain cases.”

Shreeti Rajdev, Partner / Solicitor of The Sethi Partnership Solicitors, also agreed that d i v o r c e enquiries have surged in the wake of the pandemic.

Shreeti Rajdev “My firm has seen an almost doubling of new enquiries over the past 12 months compared to the same period the previous year. About a quarter of these have been from the South Asian community,” she told the newsweekly. Shreeti explained that her firm does offer an initial one hour fixed fee consultation to new clients which gives them the opportunity to gather information on their rights and options.

According to her, the divorce itself is relatively inexpensive and can be conducted under an agreed fixed fee but reaching settlement of any financial and children’s issues takes more time (and legal cost), especially if things are not amicable.

“We do not offer fixed fees for this.

There is no knowing how long a case will take to conclude; a simple ‘low asset’ case in which there is an early agreement will take less time than a case in which the financial set-up is complex, or there are undisclosed assets, unusual or complicated facts.

Like most Solicitors, we charge at an hourly rate, but we do everything we can to resolve matters as quickly and cost-effectively as possible. We can agree to a regular monthly payment on account to spread payments to make them more manageable,” she added.

In a recent press release, law firm ‘Fair Result’ stated that for the first time ever in England and Wales, a fixed fee model covering the whole divorce process from start to finish is now available for separating couples. With this radical new way of funding marriage breakdown, pioneered by Leicestershire-based divorce lawyer at Fair Result, no fees shall be paid until the Final Order is signed off by the court. Fair Result will now quote a fixed fee at the start of the divorce process, which will include all ancillary matters connected with the divorce, e.g. property, children, pensions, businesses and all other family assets.

There will be no upfront cost and no repeated requests for more money if the case drags on. The exact fee will be quoted after an initial assessment of the case and the expected work involved. As each family is different and the complexity of their affairs different, the fixed costs will typically range from £10,000 to £30,000, but Fair Result say its fees are typically 50% less than those charged by a traditional

high street law firm.

What leads to pandemic divorces?

Clinical Psychologist Dr Tina Mistry broke down some of the major tropes and aspects of why the pandemic, Dr Tina Mistry the lockdown and changing times may have led to divorces.

Dr Mistry told Asian Voice that the pandemic has hit people and families in different ways. While not only people have themselves lost family members or jobs, if either of the spouses suffers a job loss, they also feel psychologically vulnerable as a unit. “The effect of the pandemic and the effect of Covid has been a domino effect. We have seen tragedies happening around us.”

“Asian couples are no different from any other couples”, she added.

“Separation is in fact not necessarily about the ones who live in multigenerational families. My suspicion is that these couples are living in a nuclear family setup. Being locked down together with people - living, working, eating, breathing together all the time in each other’s faces. This is not what we’re used to. We’re used to having breaks from each other. Which is helpful in forming identities beyond being a husband, wife, daughter-in-law. This blurring of boundaries during the pandemic could be one of the reasons why there are chinks in the relationship,” Dr Mistry told Asian Voice.

Due to women being bold and vocal about divorces on social media and the internet, Dr Mistry thinks that these conversations are becoming more pronounced and pretty much normalised. “The gaps between the partners became wider because the pandemic saw a rise in gender stereotypical roles which is quite prevalent in Asian communities, especially in India.

Women are mostly associated with cooking and cleaning but working women who have juggled family and work from home have struggled further due to this stereotype. There needs to be more equity in the relationship,” she added.

We have seen cases of women who are trying to juggle children and work.

There was a huge campaign in the UK for paid respite for working parents. It’s a reality that trying to teach kids is a whole job. Couples are going through this while doing their jobs.

“People have had to take leave or have had to step away from their jobs. It affects mental health and the relationship of the partner,” said Dr Mistry.

Meanwhile, a top divorce lawyer, Ayesha Vardag, who has worked on some of the biggest break-ups for high profile celebrities to business tycoons has gone on record to say that the pandemic has shown that “adultery is very far from the worst thing in the world” and more couples would stay together if society was less rigid and that extramarital affairs don’t need to end a marriage.

“Sometimes married couples get intolerably fed up with each other and are indeed very lonely in each other’s company as topics of conversation expire and the springs of desire run dry,” Ayesha told the Daily Mail.

Yet, the words of American playwright Robert Anderson resonate even today. He had said, “In every marriage more than a week old, there are grounds for divorce. The trick is to find and continue to find grounds for marriage.”

Inquest into teenager Jaskiran Kainth’s death continues 18-year-old Jaskiran Kainth who reportedly had a history of mental health problems died in his cell at Leicester Magistrates' Court after being arrested for vandalising his father and grandfather's cars.

“Jaskiran Kainth, 18, was awaiting release from the court in April 2019 when he was found unconscious in his cell with his jogging bottoms around his neck,” Leicester Mercury reported.

Now, an inquest has begun at Leicester City Hall into his death. Jaskiran had suffered a severe brain injury and after being kept alive for several days on life support he was pronounced dead at Leicester Royal Infirmary on May 3, 2019.

The news portal also reported that the inquest heard that just minutes before he was found fatally injured, Jaskiran had put his jumper around his neck and security officers had "spoken to him" about that. His father, Charnjit said in the statement: “His nature was humble, kind and sensitive.

He could come across as shy and quiet. He had a bright personality with a cute smile all the family adored. Jas died before he could start his adult life but he was optimistic about the future."

Debasis Das, a psychiatrist who treated Jaskiran and was concerned about the teenager's cannabis use, said: "In psychosis, there's an increase in dopamine and then if you have cannabis you are risking increasing dopamine transmission people with psychosis are more susceptible to the effects of cannabis." He also didn’t rule out indicators of schizophrenia, including the belief he had been implanted with a mind-controlling chip when he was a child. The inquest continues.

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Improper training to rape and sexual offence investigators?

A detective who wishes to be anonymous has told The Times that “Inexperienced officers are being put on sexual offences investigations”.

The official police forces in England and Wales allegedly do not offer specialised training to officers in order to investi-

gate rape cases and sexual offences. At least three police forces in England and Wales do not offer extra specialised training to officers who investigate rape and sexual violence.

While some forces have enough specialised officers to handle every rape complaint, in other areas their

caseload amounts to hundreds of cases each year. A Metropolitan Police detective has also gone on record to state that they are not “giving appropriate care to victims because of inadequate training”. The Times quoted him and said: “Specialised officers provide victim care beyond

any level a victim of other crimes would get, without them a rape victim doesn’t get the right care.

A less experienced detective may not spot patterns of offending which in turn means a suspect could be out causing further danger to the public.”

New device to help in restoring balance A small thimble-style device has come into the news for helping people restore their balance. “Scientists hope that their invention will “significantly” reduce the number of falls suffered by the elderly or infirm.

It works by detecting when someone is swaying before delivering a tiny vibration that effectively nudges them enough to restore their balance,” The Times reported.

This device has been

developed in Japan at the Yokohama National University and the Prefectural University of Hiroshima, replicates this with a “virtual light touch”, the report said.

Made of silicon rubber, this device is worn over the top of the person’s dominant index finger, with a wire attached to a small computer worn on the wrist that looks similar to a smartwatch. The light-touch device sends a signal to the

microcomputer when someone starts to sway, wherein the device nudges the user

Kent council takes first steps toward legal threat against Priti Patel Kent County Council (KCC) might soon turn away child migrants arriving at Dover.

Its services are overwhelmed, the authority has said. In its first steps towards legal action against Home Secretary Priti Patel, KCC wants her to make other councils take "their fair share".

So far this year, 242 lone child migrants have arrived on Kent shores and been passed to children's services, but only 52 have been moved to other local authorities under a voluntary transfer scheme, KCC said. The number has nearly doubled now. While there was a rise in young migrants entering KCC's care last year, the total number of unaccompanied children seeking asylum across the UK fell by more than 1,300.

From April 2020 to

March 2021, 2,044 asylum claims were made by lone children, compared to 3,530 in the previous 12 months.

The majority of asylumseeking children arrive with their families, Home Office figures show. KCC wants the existing voluntary transfer scheme to be compulsory.

The BBC reported that this “comes days after Ms Patel lost a High Court legal fight over the Napier Barracks asylum centre in Folkestone”. The Home Office said it continued to encourage more areas to do their part.

Bridget Chapman, of Kent Refugee Action Network, said, "Councils aren't going to accept the responsibility without it being funded properly.

These young people are incredible. With the right foundation, they are going

to contribute an enormous amount to our communities."

The KCC has served a formal Letter Before Action to the Home Office and said that without any substantive response to its proposals by 17 June, it would issue a claim for judicial review.

A spokeswoman for the Home Office said: "We recognise the longstanding role that Kent County Council has played in supporting unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and are extremely grateful for their contribution. We continue to encourage more areas to join the National Transfer Scheme and do their part. We have already consulted on how to improve the scheme to make it fairer, the outcome of which will be published very shortly."

to restore balance. The Times also reported that the researchers said the system was tested on 150 volunteers ranging in age from the sixties to nineties, getting them to stand with the toe of one foot against the heel of the other. It found that when wearing the device, balance was restored as much as touching a physical curtain, and was “significantly lower” than someone just waving their hand in the air for balance.

Martin Bashir's picture to be removed from ‘wall of fame’ Online reports suggest that BBC journalist Martin Bashir who has been damned in triggering Lady Diana’s struggle with the yellow press and mental health deterioration is facing another blow.

Bashir’ name and the picture will be removed from the 'wall of fame' at his old university King's College London after he was found to have lied to get 1995 Princess Diana interview. Bashir apparently told a total of 38 lies. He studied religious history as a postgraduate before he was BBC religion editor.

King's College London said that 'it is no longer appropriate to include his profile'.

Researchers to study the brain health of victims of domestic violence A new research titled ‘The Drake IPV Study’ – led by the University of Glasgow in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh, and funded by The Drake Foundation is set to begin to investigate the lifelong consequences of domestic violence on brain health. It will examine individuals exposed to domestic abuse, many of whom currently report a history of traumatic brain injury.

The research is being helmed by Professor Willie Stewart, who leads multiple collaborative research programmes exploring outcomes

from traumatic brain injury – recognises the growing awareness of the association between brain injury and increased risk of neurodegenerative disease, including dementia.

Domestic abuse – or intimate partner violence – is common, with global estimates suggesting approximately 30% of women over age 15 years will have been exposed to physical or sexual intimate partner violence.

However, there remains a lack of research on this issue, in particular the long-term consequences for those

affected.

The Drake IPV Study will access unrivalled datasets from the internationally regarded ‘PREVENT Dementia Programme’ led by Professor Craig Ritchie from the University of Edinburgh.

The researchers will look for any neuroimaging changes in the brains of individuals with a history of domestic abuse, as well as any changes that correlate with measures of exposure to traumatic brain injury, and compare these to population controls with no reported history of abuse.

Lauren Pulling, Drake Foundation’s CEO, said: “The Drake Foundation is proud to be funding this new study into this largely underresearched area. With 30% of women globally estimated to be exposed to IPV at some point in their lives, this is a critical area of research. We hope that the Drake IPV Study will not only advance our knowledge of brain health in both IPV survivors and the general population but also help to reduce the stigma around domestic abuse by bringing it into the open.”

The art of refusing Rohit Vadhwana A friend of mine had a habit of not saying no to any request. If one would request him to help with homework, he would do.

If someone would request him to lend some money, he will help whatever he could. On a proposal to party, he was always ready.

Wherever he could, he would do without refusing. In short, he had not learned to refuse.

His mother used to say on a lighter note, 'thank god you are not born as my daughter.' But, the person was really popular among friends. Although, he would be sometimes exhausted. It is important to know when to refuse a request. Every time, just because we can, we don't need to say yes. But today, we are talking about refusing those plastic items which we don't need, thus reducing consumption and carbon footprint. Yes, this refusal is more for environmental reasons. There are many occasions where we are creating plastic waste because we don't refuse. For example, plastic bags given by stores when you shop is better refused unless you need them. At some shops, they simply put your stuff in a bag and hand it over to you. It is your duty to refuse the bag. Similarly, if we don't need disposable plastic cutlery with our home-delivered food, better to refuse them, rather than accepting them just to throw away without use. We do not realize how much different it does make to the environment if we use our steel spoon and fork rather than disposable ones. Recycling plastic is not an answer to the problem we are facing. It should be actually the least preferred option, while the first priority should be at the stage of refusal to use them. The statistics are striking about the production and use of plastic. In 1950, about 2 million tonnes of plastic was produced, currently total plastic in the world has crossed 368 billion tonnes. 40% of the plastic produced in the world is used for packing material. And 40% of the total plastic used is thrown away after one month. It is expected that by 2025, total plastic production may go up to 600 billion tonnes, which will be more than double the weight of the total population on earth. Of the total 9.2 billion tonnes of plastic produced between 1950-2017, only 600 million tonnes were recycled. About 5 billion tonnes ended up in landfills or simply were discarded in the environment. A lot of this plastic ends up in rivers and oceans, affecting the marine ecology also. Success in recycling is not high and it also consumes energy and resources. In a recent report, it was noted that the UK exported 688,000 tonnes of discarded plastics for recycling in 2020. Not all of them were actually recycled successfully, you can google the report.Therefore, refusing is a better way of reducing plastic mountains on the earth.

(Expressed opinions are personal)

Shamima Begum claims she was “naive” Shamima Begum, who fled the UK in 2015 to travel to Syria at age 15 with two schoolgirls has said that she only left UK to join ISIS in Syria because 'she didn't want to be left behind' and says she only supported the fanatics because she was 'naive'.

According to Daily Mail,

Shamima Begum while talking to a documentary, claimed she and her friends were recruited online.

“Ms Begum, 21, said she was 'black sheep' of her family and was 'young and naive’.

She is held at the al-Roj camp in northern Syria after having citizenship stripped,” the report said.

World Environment Day The Lancaster & Morecambe Hindu Society (LMHS), organised a planting event on June 5, in commemoration of the World Environment Day. Kids of the community participated in the event. They planted various flowering plants in front of the Medical Unit 1 at Royal Infirmary Lancaster.

The plantation activity was dedicated to the people who lost their lives in Covid-19 and to thank the NHS and key workers. Kids also wrote messages on the stones for Environment and Thanking NHS.

Mrs. Harsha Shukla (President, LMHS) expressed her optimism that the involvement of kids in the activity would shape their perspective about protecting Environment. She was grateful to the hospital staff for their cooperation and participation in the event. The event was supported by The Urgent Response Fund Coronavirus.

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Britain’s first Lord Jagannatha temple opens in Bath Rupanjana Dutta Britain's first Hindu temple dedicated solely to Lord Jagannatha has opened its doors on 23 May in the historical city of Bath. It has been set up at the former Culverhay School in Rush Hill, Bath, by Shree Jagannatha Temple UK group and the Bath Hindu Community.

Susmit Nayak, one of the ‘sevaks’ and founders of Shree Jagannatha Temple UK told Asian Voice how they came about choosing Bath as the location for Mahaprabhu’s home in the UK. “During last June-July, we, the founder members, discussed how we wanted to have a specific temple for Lord Jagannatha. In the UK, most Hindu temples have multiple deities with Lord Jagannatha as a side deity. So, we wanted a temple entirely dedicated to Lord Jagannatha.

“The plan was to establish the temple, make it sustainable and then reach out to wider community. We scouted for locations and one of the major considerations was the Bath Hindu Community, who for the last 13 years were trying to build a temple here.

Idols at Shree Jagannatha Temple UK (City of Bath)

Temple entrance at Culverhay School in Rush Hill, Bath

Since we have a good relationship with the Bath council here, we thought it would be an ideal place to start this temple. It is a tactical temple, with the venue on hire that can accommodate upto 150 odd people. But going forward we will start the donation drive, to fundraise for a land to build a temple. We are open to moving to any part of the UK, though our first choice is Bath and surrounding areas.”

When asked if this temple is connected to the original temple in Puri, Mr Nayak added, “The beautifully crafted idols of Lord

Jagannatha, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra have travelled a long way. They were made from Neem wood from Srikhetra Puri, blessed by the Lord Jagannatha temple and Govardhan Peeth (Adiguru Shankracharya) in Puri, Odisha, India. Then it travelled to Ahmedabad Jagannath temple, then to Jagannath Temple Hauz Kaus, in Delhi and then to the UK. This was to garner support from various Indian communities and raise awareness about this initiative.”

There are about 1,700 Hindus who live in the Bath area and the founders have report-

edly connected with and won further support from the Bath Interfaith Group, according to the BBC. “We are open to every faith and community in the UK,” added Mr Nayak. “I have been in the UK for 20 odd years and our founder members are from different communities and professions. We invited representatives from the Balaji temple in Birmingham and Neasden temple in London to join us for the inauguration. We have garnered support from Oriya, Gujarati and Punjabi communities in the UK- but we want to reach out to more people. Everybody is welcome to visit Mahaprabhu.”

Lord Jagannatha is a deity worshipped by the Hindu community, especially in the Eastern India, along with his brother Lord Balabhadra and sister Devi Subhadra. It is believed Lord Jagannatha is an avatar of Lord Krishna and the Jagannatha temple in Puri, Odisha is particularly significant in Vaishnavism. It is regarded as one of the ‘char dham’ pilgrimage sites in India.

For more info see: https://shreejagannathatemple.org.uk/

UK travel agents losing their homes In an unfortunate development, industry body Abta warned that the UK travel agents are losing their homes and facing “absolute hardship and desperation” while strict limits on international travel remain.

Mark Tanzer, chief executive of Abta, said that he “feared a generation of travel agents would be lost as a result of the crisis.”

A report in Financial Times stated: The May to September period is crucial to the UK travel industry, with companies generating about two thirds of their annual rev-

enues over the summer season. UK residents made 23.8m visits abroad in 2020, 74 per cent fewer than in 2019, according to the Office for National Statistics. Travel companies have warned this year could be worse. “The UK is falling behind other countries, including many of our competitors in Europe, when it comes to restarting our aviation and travel sectors.

With the success of the vaccine rollout, it is vital the government take steps to capitalise on the progress that has been made, otherwise we face doing severe long-term

Record number of doctors and nurses working in the NHS According to the latest statistics published in the first week of June, for the third month running, there are record numbers of NHS doctors and nurses working in England.

The provisional figures show that as of March 2021, there are a total of 124,078 doctors and 304,542 nurses working in the NHS. Compared to the same time last year, that’s over 5,600 more doctors and over 10,800 more nurses. There are also record numbers of hospital and community health staff overall

(1,197,747). The government is committed to delivering 50,000 more NHS nurses by the end of this Parliament.

The NHS has said that it recognises the enormous pressure this pandemic has put on all of its staff. To support their wellbeing, the

NHS has invested £30 million in mental health and occupational health support last year, and a further £37 million this year for mental health hubs, a helpline and a 24/7 text support service. There has also been a 34% increase in applicants to study nursing this year, and all eligible nursing, midwifery and allied-health professional students will benefit from a nonrepayable grant from the government, worth at least £5,000 a year.

Taxi driver carrying pregnant lady to hospital runs over drunk woman In a tragic road accident, driver Anis Mohamed, who was 'anxiously' taking a heavily pregnant woman to Leicester General, ran over a drunk woman on the road as he failed to see her. His barrister described the collision with the minibus cab as almost "a perfect storm" waiting to happen.

Leicester Mercury reported that the mobile phone footage of Natasha Baker moments earlier was also shown, standing in front of another vehicle, an Uber, telling the driver: "I don't care, run me over."

Baker died later at Nottingham's Queen's Medical Centre. Mohamed, a 64-year-old granddad, of Humberstone Drive, Leicester, admitted causing Miss Baker's death by careless driving, in the early hours of Saturday January 11 last year. Sentencing, Judge

Timothy Spencer QC said: "The essence of this case is that you shouldn't have been looking at your side mirror, but at the road ahead. As a taxi driver you have an exemplary and impeccable driving record. I have read 26 references about you. You're a pillar of the community and rarely have I had to sentence such an outstanding member of society - it's a great tragedy it should come to this and it gives me no pleasure."

damage to the economy,” said Tim Alderslade, chief executive of Airlines UK,

in a statement. Abta has also stated that about 88,000 jobs in the outbound travel sector have been lost.

“The trade body has started legal action against the government over the lack of financial support it has provided to travel agents during the crisis. Travel industry executives have accused the government of sacrificing the sector in favour of domestically focused industries as ministers come to a decision on whether to go ahead with a final easing of social distancing and other restrictions on June 21,” FT reported.

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Discrimination within the Conservative Party

Baba Ramdev in controversy

Dr Swaran Singh’s independent investigation into the alleged discrimination within the Conservative Party has provided much food for thought. Sadly, allegations of discrimination, in particular Islamophobia, have marred the Party for a number of years now. For us Conservative members, this report makes uncomfortable reading, but it does, however, highlight several procedural shortfalls that clearly need to be addressed and it also provides an opportunity for us to focus on and correct these failings.

Whilst the findings of the report are comprehensive, emphasising a significant number of incidents of alleged discrimination that have occurred, the report does however conclude that there was no evidence of institutional racism; the latter I have to say, resonates, and corroborates with my own personal experience.

I have been a member of the Conservative Party since 2013 and a Councillor within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames since 2014. My personal experience within the Party has been a positive, progressive and a fulfilling one. To date, during my entire tenure as a campaigner, member and Councillor, I can categorically state that I have not once felt discriminated against because of my race or colour by the Party or any of its members.

Although perception is misaligned and the Party is misunderstood, the Conservative party has always represented an ideology of personal responsibility, hard work, entrepreneurship, and strong family values, which correlate with core values of many ethnic minority groups within Britain.

Over the course of my lifetime, the Conservative Party and its’ attitude and approach has progressed immeasurably, becoming increasingly diverse and offering same opportunities to anyone with talent and/or ambition wishing to excel through the ranks regardless of one’s colour, race or background. It is worthy of note, that, not surprisingly, the Conservative Party has more persons of colour within the current cabinet than any other major political party (in UK) has ever had throughout history.

You don’t need me to point out that our last Chancellor of the Exchequer was of Pakistani origin and presently, two out of the four most senior ranking Conservative politicians in the country today, are of Indian origin.

Once again, I can substantiate the above from my own personal experience. Despite coming from a non-political background, based on merit and ability alone, in 2015 I was elected by Conservative members to become the first ever Indian Mayor of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames. Over the years, I and others like me, have enjoyed tremendous political success, which has been made possible by a progressive thinking Conservative administration and I am grateful for the opportunities that have been afforded to me.

Notwithstanding the above, there are a couple of important point to be made here – racism is prejudice and discrimination.

Whether in society, employment or political organisations, for prejudice and discrimination to be eradicated and not to exist there has to be work done on both sides. There is responsibility on both parties. The “host” needs to be inclusive and welcoming, and the “guest” needs to make every effort to be flexible and needs to integrate, all the while also keeping a healthy balance to continue to enjoy their cultural and heritage values, and where required, to amend them slightly to adapt and fit in with their host environment. Persons and communities which integrate, thrive and enjoy the fruits of their efforts whilst those who fail to integrate or adapt, create barriers and/or suspicion. What follows is troubled perception, fear and resultant disenfranchised individuals and communities.

The second point is also pertinent. When I was naturalised, I swore allegiance to the UK. I left my birthplace India (although not forgotten it) and now see England as my home and country.

We all have to be honest to that allegiance and do our part to fit in. I am grateful for the NHS, the welfare and social care system, for freedom of speech, freedom of thinking and freedom of action et al. These are major privileges that the UK affords me and for which I am hugely grateful. This gratitude and attitude is, in my opinion, a huge factor to me being happy and accepted here.

It is not that I have never suffered racism in England. I most certainly have. In fact, I grew up in the 1970s and 1980s, surrounded by racism. However, at that time, I was also taught by my parents and understood that the best way to get past it, was to work extra hard and to be so integrated that I (and others) do not see myself as different from those around me.

The system is far from perfect and as is often the case, change has to come from both parties.

No organisation of any significant size can be totally free of individuals with unsavoury views and prejudices and the Conservative party is no exception. In my opinion, it is humanly inconceivable that such utopia could even exist, although we should continue to thrive for that.

There will always be a minority (sorry for the pun) on both sides who will not act right and mar the good action and good intentions of the majority, but if the goodness in each one of us shines, perhaps then, individuals, organisations and communities can be rid of prejudice and discrimination.

Thus, in my view, Dr Swaran Singh’s report presents a much welcomed opportunity for the Conservative Party to positively address the highlighted procedural failings and to re-engineer its processes to tackle and work towards eradicating prejudices of ALL types.

Dr Roy Sanjeev Arora, MBA BSc(Hons) Councillor Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames

Baba Ramdev is again in controversy after a long time.

Last time it was during the Congress era. Homeopathy could strengthen the immune system and be preventive against disease but not a cure. Ancient Indian science of Ayurveda might have been more effective when people were living simple lives and eating simple healthy food. They were exercising by walking and working in the fields. Now the world has changed.

Human nature is to believe what you see, what you hear and what you read. It is dangerous what Baba Ramdev is trying to do now by giving misleading opinions and statements. It is better he sticks to teaching yoga and promoting his Patanjali products but not opposing the modern medical science and medicines.

How many people who are not well should be able to do breathing exercise and yoga etc advised by Baba Ramdev? His followers should take his advice rationally and with caution and common sense.

Narendra Patel Mitcham

Friendship I am sure many of our readers will share the sentiments expressed by Rohit Vadhwana in AV 24th April issue about the reality of Friendship. This surely must strike a chord with many people. How right has he been with his judgment, perception, meaning about true friendship, fake friends, newfound friends and discarding the old ones?

We come across all sorts of friends in our lives. We therefore develop different degree of relationships with many friends. Self-centered friends who are there for own selfish reasons, and true friends who will stand with you in time of need.

Let me share a personal experience of my late friend Ramesh, who I met accidentally at the University, and we had a heavenly bond which could never be broken, even though sadly he is no longer with us. We as a family are blessed to have had such a friend and his lovely family.

I was not successful in my career, but he rose high up as a highly qualified professional dentist. But his life success did not impact our faithful friendship.

Perhaps it was our Karma that our true friendship with the advent of time just grew and preserved our unique mutual bond of happiness. True friendship teaches a great deal about life; we learn so many lessons from friendship which we will not find anywhere else. There is no doubt that the best friends are there for us in bad times or difficulties. They assets in our life.

Jatish S Shah Northampton

Is Lab Leak theory gaining recognition?

While more and more scientists and politicians now believe that the origin of Covid 19 is the Wuhan lab, the most advance and well-funded research lab in the world, even employing luminary scientists from the West is the source of this world-wide scourge, West is still disunited how to tackle China, let alone punish it for causing world-wide mayhem and loss of millions of innocent lives.

If it was India or Russia, there would have been uproar visible from Mars with sanctions and boycott that would have ruined these nations and their economies that would take few decades to recover, while China, an untouchable economic super-power is immune to such threats and intimidation.

So many political pundits and intellectual readers of AV/GS predicted long time ago that misogynist China is the real enemy of free world, not Russia or North Korea. Yet West ignored advice from countries like India, Japan, Vietnam, Australia and South Korea, sleep-walking into unparalleled disaster that could have been easily evaded with guts, courage, foresight and determination.

It does not need PhD in epidemiology to know how dangerous, determined China is to be the one and only superpower in the world. There are only two nations that may stand in its objective to dominate the world, economically and militarily and they are US and India. Rumours are also going around that India’s predicament is the result of deliberate leaking of this virus on an industrial scale to bring PM Modi and India on its knees. Could traitors and Indian fiduciary fifth columnists have played some part in this episode! Well, politics is dirty beyond belief!

It is rumoured that this lab may be working on Coronaviruses that can be manipulated in the lab that could be untreatable by medicines or vaccinations! Let politicians know that it is “Asian Voice” that first warned West against Armageddon that could destroy human civilization as we know!

Bhupendra M. Gandhi London

KHICHADI Kapil’s

Follow me on Twitter: @kk_OEG

Social Media Giants Rule the World Kapil Dudakia The following are some of the top social media platforms in the world today. Many of you will be members of at least one of them. In general, we could say that the top few listed would probably feature in the shortlist for most people.

1. Facebook - 2.7 billion monthly active users (MAUs).

2. Instagram - 1.2 billion MAUs. 3. Twitter 4. TikTok 5. YouTube 6. WeChat 7. WhatsApp 8. MeWe 9. Tumblr 10. Reddit Some of these platforms have billions of active users, it is not too hard to conclude that social media has become the real powerhouse of the 21st Century. Those who control such platforms have the way and the means to control the narrative on any given subject, at any given time, and to affect changes anywhere in the world which suits their own ideology.

Most Governments have been too slow, or basically incompetent to do anything to regulate these giant machines of mass conversion. The last decade has been a freebie to social media companies. In this time, they have systematically inculcated a paradigm shift in the psyche of people. People (users of social media platforms to be precise) have also been negligent in their own duty of care and have blindly followed almost anything and everything that comes out of these social media led narratives.

We have seen that even ex-President Trump has now been banned on facebook and twitter. Think about it, the leader of the most powerful nation on this planet, elected democratically by millions of US citizens, banned by an unelected CEO of a social media platform.

Some of you will be aware that many of these platforms are used proactively by anti-India and anti-Hindu forces. People feel these platforms encourage rogue behaviour mirroring the philosophy and ideology of their owners. If true, the real global killer virus might well be these undemocratic platforms.

India recently brought in some basic rules for social media, and whilst a few of the social media platforms accepted the new requirements, it seems Twitter showed India the proverbial two fingers. To be honest, why not? After all, the largest democracy in the world is nothing but an impotent giant, bullied by commercially vested interest groups, and a confused leadership that does not seem to appreciate the damage these rogues inflict on India. In the past (and even today) India allowed parasitic overseas organisations under the guise of NGOs to come into India. Many of these NGOs had only one motive, to use foreign money to promote conversions and to instigate anarchy. We have seen ample proof as various anti-India toolkits get exposed. And we have also seen evidence of the violence they generate within India at a moment’s notice.

In my view time has come for India to take a strong stance against these enemies of the state. Bring in new tougher regulations. With that, also change the tax structure to ensure that all these entities pay an additional levy for the privilege of being in India. Make the CEO, the management board, and owners of these companies criminally liable so there is no escape or recourse for them to hide anywhere in the world. Demand a security bond such that if these companies break the law, the loss to them will be so significant, that it will ensure either compliance or an end for their company.

Your pride for your country should not come after your country becomes great; your country becomes great because of your pride in it. It’s time for this emerging giant to become a real giant.

We are grateful to all letter writers for more and more versatile letters well within word limit. Please keep contributing as always. If you are new, then write to Rupanjana at rupanjana.dutta@abplgroup.com

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I

ndia registered 100,636 new cases on June 7, the lowest in 61 During the devastating second wave, the number of Covid days. The devastating second wave now seems to be on the cases with breathing difficulties suddenly went up, creating a decline as the country is seeing a steady downward trajectory of spurt in the demand for medical oxygen in the country. This new infections and active cases. The active caseload saw a net increase in demand was unprecedented and unimaginably high. decline of 76,190 Covid-19 cases, with a positivity rate at 4.85 per In his address to the nation on June 7, the prime minister cent, according to government data. The situation in the capital, explained that never in the history of India had the need for medDelhi has also improved enormously. Of the 76,857 people in the ical oxygen been felt in such quantity. An all-out effort was made city who were tested over 24 hours, 381 came out positive, bringto get medical oxygen from all corners of the world and from one ing the city’s positivity rate down to 0.5%, part of the country to the other at the time according to the government health bulof the shortage. letin issued on June 6. This is the lowest With this gradual opening of the counpositivity rate that Delhi has witnessed try, workplaces too are starting to look at since March 9, when a positivity rate of options to begin or ramp up their opera0.48% with 320 cases had been recorded. tions. For over a year now, people have been working from home. Companies and With the consistent decline in the employees have tried to find ways of conCovid caseload, cities and states have tinuing their operations with large geograbegun relaxing the lockdown by gradually phies under lockdown. Very often, this has easing coronavirus-induced restrictions. involved the creation of new infrastructure Starting from June 7, Delhi has relaxed the and equipment. Several small offices even lockdown and moved into the next phase surrendered their premises to save on rent of the un-lockdown process. Markets and for unused premises. Moreover, the second shopping malls can now reopen on the wave may have subsided, but Covid-19 is basis of an odd-even system, while Delhi yet to be defeated. Any carelessness can Metro services have resumed with 50% trigger the dreaded third wave. Under capacity. Relaxations have also been these circumstances, a number of people announced in Maharashtra, where a lockRuchi Ghanashyam do not feel confident or are disinclined to down was imposed in the middle of April.

Other states have also begun opening up. Mrs. Ruchi Ghanashyam is the former go back to workplaces. Surveys have shown The process and speed differ from state to High Commissioner of India to the UK. that an overwhelming majority of people state as the progress of the second wave of With a career in Indian Foreign Service for prefer to continue with the current Covid followed a different timetable in dif- over 38 years, she has been posted in many arrangement of work from home. A numcountries including South Africa, Ghana, ber of people have even started enquiring ferent parts of India.

With the situation easing up, an before arriving in the UK. She was only the about the option of working from home aggressive vaccination drive is on the second woman High Commissioner to the when looking for a new job. Where possicards. The prime minister announced that UK since India’s independence and during ble, companies are looking at continuing the Central government will now be her tenure, she witnessed a number of sig- the present arrangements.

Hybrid options with the possibility of responsible for procuring Covid-19 vac- nificant developments in the UK-India working from home in combination with cines starting from the next two weeks. relations. working from office premises on a Vaccines will be available free of cost for all restricted number of days are being devised. Some companies above 18 years. Those who want to pay can get it at private cenare trying to move to smaller towns with residential premises tres. In an address to the nation, the PM said that private hospifor the employees located next to the workplace. tals can continue to procure 25% of vaccines. The Central governWe’re witnessing a historical moment. The world as we ment will buy 75% of the total vaccine production from manufacknow it will undergo several changes, with interesting and turers and give it free to the state governments. hopefully positive changes. The implications of these changes More than 232 million vaccine doses have already been require attention and understanding as they will have a bearing administered at the beginning of this week, since the start of the on many of our lives. vaccination drive on January 16.

Sigh of relief as the second wave declines

Sir Keir Starmer’s ratings fall The Ipsos MORI research has revealed that Sir Keir Starmer’s ratings have plunged to the same low level as Jeremy Corbyn’s at the same stage of his leadership. It also revealed that Manchester mayor Andy Burnham is seen by the public and by Labour’s own supporters as a better potential Prime Minister than Sir Keir. London mayor Sadiq Khan also trails behind Burnham as a would-be PM. The findings, which will set alarm bells ringing in Labour circles, show Sir Keir’s ratings have fallen sharply, including scores for being “a capable leader” and for “having sound judgment”.

An election campaign is in full swing on Warwick Road in Batley, but there are no posters in windows, or groups of canvassers going door to door. However, according to a story in The Times, “in the heart of the town’s South Asian community, political messages are spreading like wildfire on voters’ phones.”

YouTube videos of Galloway’s speeches and anti-Labour memes are going viral. Labour’s voters that reside in Batley and Spen, is in the top 15 constituencies where Muslim voters are most influential.

The story stated that the Muslim Council of Britain estimates the number of

Muslim voters likely to turn out in the by-election to be about 8,600 — more than twice the Labour majority.

It cannot be denied that it is the Muslim vote that will play a pivotal role in the final electoral win that may ultimately decide whether or not Leadbeater is successful. Disappointed by Sir Keir Starmer’s failure to speak up over international issues and angered by what they say is years of being taken for granted, their support is said to be “crumbling”.

South Asian voters have turned away from the party.

The Times wrote, “Starmer’s “on-the-fence” approach to Israel and Palestine, and in particular his cautious and infrequent statements during the most recent violence in Gaza, have angered Muslim communities.

“The Muslim community, I think they’re going to be voting for him,” said Usman Iqbal, 36, working at Zakee Mini Market on Warwick Road. A protest vote could be cast in order to send a

message to the Labour leadership. Starmer’s ranking has dipped more than Corbyn’s. His address of Kashmir as a “bilateral issue” did not go down well in 2019 which was critical of India’s actions towards Muslimmajority Kashmir.

It is being said that it’s a conversation that the Labour leader should be taking very seriously. “The party’s failure to hold onto its white working-class voters saw its red wall crumble 18 months ago. If South Asian voters also desert the party en masse it will make Labour’s route to power — and Starmer’s job — even more precarious,” the report said.

Restaurant owner fined £2,000 An east London restaurant owner has been fined £2,000 for staying open during the lockdown. He cited that according to Magna Carta, Covid-19 regulations were “not legal” and he was entitled to con-

tinue serving diners.

Abraham Mahmood, 34, sparked a stand-off with police last November when a DJ event at Kyice’s Kitchen in Brick Lane was advertised on Instagram as “business as usual”.

Labour crisis in the UK New figures from auditing giant KPMG and the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) have shown that employers are in the market for both permanent and temporary staff.

The study showed that demand for staff has

shot up in all 10 job categories that the researchers monitor. The steepest increases were in IT and computing and hotel and catering. The weakest increase was in the retail sector.

Amid a spike in demand not seen for 23 years, the supply of staff is contracting at its fastest rate for four years. The reduction is partly due to uncertainty lingering after the pandemic, and a fall in candidates from the European Union after Brexit.

Demand for new workers soared in May at its fastest rate since January 1998 as large parts of the economy started to re-open following months of lockdown. As they start ramping up businesses after the pandemic lockdowns, companies are struggling to fill positions.

Recruitment experts have warned that a labour crisis could slow down the UK’s recovery from the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) warned that its members were facing an “acute” shortage of staff as some furloughed workers left the sector and EU nationals did not return to the UK.

12 MEDIA WATCH

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SCRUTATOR’S Twitter restores blue verification tick of VP Naidu's personal account Social media giant Twitter restored the blue verification tick of vice president M Venkaiah Naidu's personal account, within hours of removing it from his profile. The corrective action came after the removal of the verification tick triggered a major uproar on social media. Naidu's personal account, which was created in August 2013, has 1.3 million followers. However, the last tweet from the handle was made on July 23, 2020. A Twitter spokesperson attributed this to the removal of the verification badge from the vice president's personal handle. "Account inactive since July 2020. As per our verification policy, Twitter may remove blue verified badge and verified status if the account becomes inactive. Badge has been restored," a Twitter spokesperson was quoted as saying. However, several social media users pointed out how several accounts which are inactive continue to have the blue tick. Also, at the same time, the official handle of the vice president of India continued to be verified. (Agency) Maharashtra launches 'Covid-free village' contest

popular songs of the actress thrice after some interval. Juhi's plea claimed that 5G wireless technology plans threaten to provoke serious, irreversible effects on humans and permanent damage to the Earth's ecosystems. (Agency) Home delivery of liquor in Delhi

The Maharashtra government has launched a contest for villages with an aim to encourage them to curb the spread of Covid-19 in the rural areas of the state.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray recently lauded efforts by some villages to stem the spread of the viral infection and announced the "My Village Corona Free" initiative. The "Covid-free village" contest is part of the initiative announced by the state government. Three village panchayats will be awarded for doing good work in Covid management in each revenue division. The first prize will be Rs 50,00,000, second 25,00,000 and the third 15,00,000. There are six revenue divisions in the state which means there will be 18 prizes in all. The total prize money is £540,000. The villages which win the contest will also get an additional amount equivalent to the prize money as encouragement which will be utilised for developmental works in those villages.

The participating villages will be judged on 22 criteria and a committee will be set up to judge the villages. (Agency) HC junks Juhi’s lawsuit against 5G

Terming it an “abuse of process of law”, the Delhi High Court said actor Juhi Chawla filed her plea for “publicity,” slapping a cost of Rs 20,00,000 while dismissing her suit against roll out of 5G network in India. Justice J R Midha slammed Juhi and her co-plaintiffs Veeresh Malik and Teena Vachani for filing a “defective” plea and for wasting the court’s time and said the cost will be used to help road accident victims. The HC took a dim view of Juhi’s conduct to gain publicity where she posted the link for online hearing of court proceedings on her social media profiles, saying it resulted in repeated interruptions by unknown persons. During the hearing last week an anonymous intruder had disturbed court proceedings by singing some of the

The Delhi government has paved the way for home delivery of liquor through mobile applications or a web portal by amending the Delhi Excise Rules. The amendments were notified, but Delhiites can’t uncork the bubbly yet. They will probably have to wait for quite some time before a swipe on their phone’s touchscreen brings liquor to their doorstep. The new rules don't allow your neighbourhood liquor store to deliver liquor to your home. Only retail vends that have an L-13 (Indian liquor) or L-13F (foreign Liquor) licence for home delivery will be allowed to provide this service.

While the L-13 licence has been in existence for more than a decade and has now only been amended to allow home delivery through mobile applications or websites, till date Delhi government hasn’t issued a single licence in this category.

(Agency) NGO's oxygen supply facility vandalised A temporary facility of NGO Hemkunt Foundation, set up in Haryana's Gurgaon to help Covid patients in need of oxygen, was attacked and torn down by unknown persons. The foundation had helped many during the worst phase of the second Covid wave when Delhi and its nearby areas turned desperate for oxygen. There were no patients at the centre in Gurugram's Sector 61 when the attack took place, though people were constantly coming to refill oxygen cylinders. The attackers first took away the facility's generators and then cut off its power supply. "They were all local goons and even one man was armed as well, the foundation's director Harteerath Singh said. "We all know who's behind this. I don't want to take names. I have been receiving threats earlier as well,” Singh said and added that all staff, including women, was being shifted and all volunteers had vacated the space immediately. (Agency) Nizam’s kin auctions paintings for Covid cause Young Zehra Mirza, great-great-great granddaughter of Nizam VII, Mir Osman Ali Khan, has sold her art collection in her

gallery to help the poor and Covid-19 patients. Zehra - who is an artist - is the daughter of Himayat Ali Mirza, grandson of Moazzam Jah, the second son of the last ruler of princely Hyderabad state.

Proceeds from the sale of her paintings have been distributed to various hospitals and charitable organisations that are working for the poor and Covid-19 patients. So far, around Rs 400,000 have been donated. She is the great-great granddaughter of Princess Niloufer, whose charity led to the formation of Telangana's biggest government hospital for children and pregnant women - Niloufer Hospital in Hyderabad. Zehra is also a businesswoman and fashion designer. She has been working for the welfare of cancer patients and since the pandemic began, she is focusing on Covid-19 patients and people affected by the lockdown. (Agency) Vegan lobby propagating myths: Amul Terming milk a superfood, the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) which markets products under the Amul brand took an aggressive stand against supporters of vegan drinks.

GCMMF managing director R S Sodhi had lashed out at PETA India over the latter’s remark that Amul should switch to ‘vegan milk’ from dairy products. “Will they give livelihood to 100 million dairy farmers (70% landless), who will pay for children school fees .. how many can afford expensive lab manufactured factory food made out of chemicals... And synthetic vitamins,” Sodhi tweeted. “Myths propagated by vegan lobby with MNCs sponsorship planting the idea that consumption of milk and milk products are unhealthy will tarnish dairy sector’s image and adversely impact the income of dairy farmers,” GCMMF release said. (The Times of India) Bride booked for celebratory firing

An FIR was registered against a bride in the Pratapgarh district of Rajasthan on the charges of engaging in celebratory firing on her wedding day. The bride, identified as Rupa Pandey, allegedly fired in the air while stepping on to the stage for jaimal ceremony with the licensed revolver of her uncle. Inspector general of

police K P Singh, said that an FIR has been registered against the bride. The 35-second video of the celebratory firing went viral on social media platforms. The bride firing in the air came as a shock to the people attending the wedding, including the groom. An invitee had filmed the event on phone. (Agency) Elephant pays last respects to mahout

The bond between animals and their human companions is a unique one. A moving example of this came to the fore recently in the form of a video from Kerala's Kottayam district. The clip features an elephant bidding farewell to his late mahout. The video moved social media users and soon went viral. In the video, we can see the elephant walking down a lane to the front yard of the house to see his mahout's body before he is taken for his last rites. The elephant stands in front of the verandah and raises his trunk twice before the body of his mahout. After the elephant raises his trunk for the second time, the late mahout's son steps out to pat the elephant before resting his head on the elephant's tusk. The sight moves people gathered at the house to tears. After a few moments, the elephant retreats but not before paying one last salute to his mahout by raising his trunk.

(Agency) Google shows Kannada as 'ugliest' language A Google search with the keywords "ugliest language in India" popped up "Kannada" in the results, sparking a massive outrage with the Karnataka government saying it will issue a legal notice to the search engine. With people expressing their indignation over the gaffe and leaders across party lines slamming Google, the tech giant quickly fixed it and apologised to the people saying the search result did not reflect its opinion.

Karnataka minister Aravind Limbavali said that a legal notice will be served to Google for showing such an answer. When contacted, a Google spokesperson said, "The search isn't always perfect.

Sometimes, the way content is described on the internet can yield surprising results to specific queries. We know this is not ideal, but we take swift corrective action when we are made aware of an issue and are continually working to improve our algorithms. Naturally, these are not reflective of the opinions of Google, and we apologise for the misunderstanding and hurting any sentiments." (Agency)

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in brief in brief BRITAIN’S RAILWAYS STRUGGLE TO FIND THE FORMULA TO MAKE MONEY The railways serve three distinct markets — cross country, commuters and intercity with one thing in common which is that none of them is financially sustainable for some reasons. Cross country doesn’t have the passenger volumes; commuter lines have the volumes, but only in peak periods, and are almost unused outside those periods; and inter-city, despite being touted as the great commercial opportunity brought by privatisation, cannot compete with the car or the airlines (the West Coast and East Coast mainlines have both had a history of financial failure under privatisation). The common problem is that 80 per cent of the railways’ costs are fixed and cannot be changed, no matter what private sector initiatives are brought to bear (rolling stock rentals and access fees are chief among them). One should also note that attributing increases in passengers over the period since privatisation to that event is misleading. The vast bulk of that increase is attributable to increased commuter travel in the south-east and that, of course, is due to the relentless expansion of employment opportunities in London and the southeast, not the private sector enterprise.

LET YOUR LAWNS GO BROWN, SAYS GARDENERS The Royal Horticultural Society says a yellowing lawn in some neighbourhoods should be a sign that its custodian is doing their bit for the environment. The gardening charity is urging people to stop sprinkling mains water on lawns to keep them green in summer. The RHS previously advised that irrigating lawns was unnecessary as the grass will recover but it is now calling on to stop using the mains supply and switch to water butts or just wait for rain after Britain experienced the fourth wettest May on record. Janet Manning, a garden water scientist at the RHS, said: “Lawn watering can use as much water in an hour as one person would use in a week. Many people underestimate how much water they use regularly and do not realise that the national average is 142 litres per person.” The RHS and Cranfield University have launched a website, mains2rains.uk, where gardeners can pledge to adopt measures to save water, including installing a water butt, placing drip trays beneath pots and adding mulch around new plants.

84% OF STUDENTS CHECK ON THEIR FRIENDS AFTER A NIGHT OUT Ahead of National Best Friday Day, research by the student accommodation provider, UniHomes, has found a huge proportion of students check their friends to make it home safely after a night out.

To mark National Best Friend Day on Tuesday 8th June, UniHomes asked UK students how they kept each other safe while living away from home. When it comes to a night out on the town, it’s not unusual for friends to get separated or to head home alone. 59% of respondents stated they actively share their live location with friends while out and about to stay safe, with 84% following up to check they made it home safely. Shropshire’s Harper Adams University ranks top, with Falmouth also home to an impressively low crime rate. The Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester ranked within the top three.

York, Buckinghamshire, Rose Bruford College, Bath, Royal Holloway, St Mary’s Twickenham, and Warwick also ranked within the top 10 safest university towns for students.

Life saving oxygen generator funded by £151k foundation donation In response to the devastation caused by India’s Covid-19 pandemic second wave, The Randal Charitable Foundation has donated £151,000 to the British Asian Trust’s Oxygen for India Appeal.

The grant funding will directly provide an oxygen generator (PSA plant) at the 550 bed St Martha’s Hospital in Bangalore to deliver sustainable and life-saving oxygen to patients suffering from Covid19.

Dr Nik Kotecha OBE, Founder and Chair of Trustees of the Randal Charitable Foundation, said, “The images of Covid patients in India struggling to breathe and desperate to receive oxygen, but unable to gain access to this most simple of life’s requirements, is heartbreaking, and has spurred the

Dr Nik Kotecha OBE

world into action to support.

“We’re delighted to once again be working with the British Asian Trust, which has been working tirelessly with expert partners on the ground to save hundreds of thousands of lives throughout the pandemic.”

This collaboration between the Randal Charitable Foundation and the British Asian Trust comes off the back of the Foundation’s £500,000 donation to the British Asian

Hitan Mehta

Trust’s 2020 Covid-19 Emergency Appeal, which enabled emergency life-saving relief for over 137,000 vulnerable people across 15 states in India during the first wave of the pandemic.

Hitan Mehta, Executive Director of the British Asian Trust, said, “We are incredibly grateful once again to the Randal Charitable Foundation for their huge generosity. The situation in India has been devastating but due to such fantas-

tic support, we are making a tangible difference; working with our partners on the ground to deliver oxygen to the areas worst hit by Covid-19. None of this would be possible without the commitment of dedicated supporters like the Randal Foundation.”

In late April, HRH The Prince of Wales launched the British Asian Trust’s emergency appeal 'Oxygen For India' to raise vital funds for India’s ongoing Covid-19 crisis. To date, the appeal has raised over £4 million that will provide more than 4,800 life-saving oxygen concentrators, medical supplies and tele linkages to rural areas, as well as two lifesaving hospital-based PSA plants (oxygen generators) – one of which is being funded by The Randal Charitable Foundation.

‘Sankalpa’ to achieve the vision of Shree Jagannatha Society UK “As the entire world is battling a horrendous pandemic, it is spirituality and faith in Lord Jagannatha, who is the Saguna Saakaara manifestation of Paramatma in this Kali Yuga, that will help sustain mankind.

Not even a blade of grass moves without the grace of the Lord – so it is possible that this pandemic is just a timely wake-up call for humanity to reconsider the rampant materialism of the past few centuries and focus on reconnecting with divinity, with compassion towards all.

Let us reconnect with Paramatma, who took the tangible form of Mahaprabhu Jagannatha to perform seva and activities like an ordinary manushya during this Kali Yuga.”

This was the message of Puri Gajapati Maharaja Shri Dibyasingha Deb to devotees from across the world gathered virtually to commemorate the First Anniversary of the Shree Jagannatha Society United Kingdom (SJS UK) which was celebrated on the auspicious Akshaya Trithiya day and marked as Sankalp Divas.

SJS UK is a London based charity and its mission is to spread Shree Jagannatha culture across UK and Europe and construct a majestic Shree Jagannatha Temple in London that will become the epicentre of Jagannatha Culture in Europe. The 1st Phase of temple construction with ample parking space is expected to be completed by 2024 at an estimated cost of £5 million.

The virtual event was graced by several spiritual eminences and dignitaries from India and UK. This was well attended by Jagannatha devotees from across the world. The meeting opened with a minute’s silence in memory of people who lost their lives in the pandemic across the globe and chanting of the Maha Mrutyunjaya Mantra by

Brahmacharini Nandana Ji of Arsha Dipa UK. Welcoming the gathering, Dr Prakash Dey, Secretary SJS UK provided an overview of the progress made by the Trust to achieve its objective and its active efforts to acquire a suitable plot of land for the temple by the end of 2021.

Bhakta Panda, Treasurer SJS UK delivered an update on the financials and humanitarian activities. He also provided update on SJS UK & its partner organisations’ efforts for Covid19 relief to rural India in the western districts of Odisha state, starting from helping to set up Oxygen Banks to supplying Pulse Oximeters and Infrared Thermometers.

The gathered devotees were addressed by several eminent spiritual personalities. The ‘Role of Temples in Spiritual Sadhana’ was explained by Swami Madhavanand Saraswati ji, Acharya of Chinmaya Mission, Patiala, who also explained how Paramaatma is Nirguna (natureless) and Niraakar (formless).

Brahmarishi Mohanji of the Mohanji Foundation released a special commemorative edition of the SJS UK Newsletter, and expounded that Humanity is the best religion, kindness is the foremost dharma, and we need to strive for inner silence to realise the Lord Jagannatha in each one of us.

Bhagwan Panda from the Shree Jagannatha Chintana & Chetana Worldwide explained the vision of the organisation to the audience.

Prominent film stars from the Odisha film industry, Sabyasachi Mishra and Archita Sahoo were thrilled to join the celebrations and recounted their association with SJS UK from the very beginning, and the combined charitable activities undertaken during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Amish Tripathi, eminent

Puri Gajapati Maharaja Shri Dibyasingha Deb with devotees

author and currently Director of Nehru Centre, London reminded the congregation that since time immemorial, temples were our centres of learning, culture, dance, art, spirituality and community service.

CB Patel, Publisher/Editor of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar recounted the establishment of the first Hindu temple in London and the celebration of the Rath Yatra by ISKCON in London. He was certain that the temple will become a heritage site across Europe for all religious persuasions.

Loknath Mishra, MD & CEO ICICI Bank UK and an advisor to SJS UK opined that Lord Jagannatha is the Universal God – cutting across barriers of language, faith, race, nationality, and language. He was confident that the temple will be for all the people from across the world, particularly the local population.

Trupti Patel, President, Hindu Forum Britain (HFB), was thrilled that with the establishment of the Shree Jagannatha Temple in London, UK would soon have a representation of all the holy Chaar Dhaams. The arrival of the Bhagwan will usher in a great joy to the UK and assured full support of HFB in this.

Lord Rami Ranger, CBE, disclosed the association of Guru Nanak Dev ji with Prabhu Jagannatha by referencing the beautiful hymn, Gagan Mein

Thaal, composed by the Guru after his visit to the Jagannatha Temple in Puri.

The event saw mellifluous devotional bhajans performed by accomplished UK based singers Mausumi Mishra and Priti Madhab Padhy. A beautiful Odissi dance program reflecting the importance of Akshaya Trithiya was organised by Hiranya Mohanty and performed by Kabita Mohanty of Nrityabhinaya Dance Academy, Delhi. The whole event was expertly compered by Subhashree Thottungal, Pragyan Ipsita Devi, and Sukanta Sahu, SJS UK Trustee, and their spiritual insights enlivened the proceedings.

Dr Sahadev Swain, Chairperson SJS UK presented a short video on the artistic vision of the proposed Shree Jagannatha Mandir London Temple Complex. Proposing the Vote of Thanks, he pledged that the Trustees and Members of SJS UK will not rest until the Temple is completed, and invited Shree Jagannatha devotees from across the world to join this journey and contribute to the realisation of this dream.

Shree Jagannatha Society, United Kingdom is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation registered with the Charity Commission England and Wales (Registration No. 1191544). Further details are available on the website https://www.jagannathtemple.org.uk/.

14 WOMEN’S VOICE

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also given a platform and we have a voice and so it is important we use this to raise awareness of important issues like hepatitis C which can lead to significant health problems if it’s not caught early on.

Most of my audience is South Asian, and I have a good understanding of the culture and so I hope that means there is a higher chance of the message connecting with the South Asian community.

In this respect, the Hep C, Ki? campaign, which we worked on with Gilead Sciences, is unconventional as it is not very often you see comedy used as a vehicle to raise awareness of important health issues, but it works brilliantly as a way to explore through light-hearted conversations about South Asian idiosyncrasies the risk factors for contracting hepatitis C. How imperative do you think are voices like yours, especially in the post-Covid world where there is a dire need to simplify the message for our community and also how would you make sure you're taken seriously in your craft?

There’s a lot of information (useful and fake!) out there to do with various health conditions and it can be overwhelming to try and figure out what’s what. Sometimes it’s easier to take in information if it’s not written down. I know that I’m more likely to watch a short video than read a really long article!

In my solo show, I talk about the stigma of mental health issues amongst British South Asians and I have seen first-hand the positive impact it’s had on audiences, whether that is seeking professional help or giving them a deeper understanding of certain mental illnesses. I think comedy can be an effective vehicle for getting an important message across without being preachy!

Hep C, Ki? Sukh Ojla explains

Shefali Saxena Leading British South Asian comedians Ali Official, Sukh Ojla, and Eshaan Akbar have come together in support of a new campaign called Hep C, Ki? to raise awareness of hepatitis C and its risk factors in British South Asian communities.

Hep C, Ki? is a campaign led by Gilead Sciences and The Hepatitis C Trust, with the support of NHS England, that uses comedy to break down barriers of stigma and fuel conversations around hepatitis C and its associated risk factors in British South Asian communities.

The prevalence of hepatitis C is higher in British South Asian communities (1.1%) compared to the wider UK population (0.2%) and it is estimated that as many as half of people living with the disease are unaware they have it.

The campaign urges those who may have been exposed to the virus either in England or when travelling abroad to speak

to their healthcare provider to see if testing is currently available in their local area. You can find out further information about the campaign at hepc.co.uk.

In an exclusive chat with Asian Voice, Sukh Ojla shared her perspective on her craft, the campaign and more.

Why are South Asians apprehensive of scientific data and more inclined towards home remedies? It's quite prevalent in almost every family, but what do you think has kept this misnomer legacy going?

Home remedies can be very effective in some situations, for example, a bit of a summer sniffle. I’d like to take this opportunity to apologise to my Mum for not drinking haldi milk when she told me to! I can understand why some people stick to home remedies rather than going to the doctors. I think potentially it is a generational thing and with health issues such as hepatitis C where there is still a lot of stigma surrounding it, campaigns like Hep C, Ki? which specifically target British South Asian communities and are backed by leading community voices are effective as they help break down barriers and educate people about the importance of seeing their GP. As a comic artist and writer, what kind of responsibility and creative challenges do you face in order to deliver a message (like awareness of Hepatitis C) and also make sure that the audience is entertained?

For me personally, I like to connect with audiences through humour and I think it can be a very useful tool to get a message across in an engaging way. The craft of a comedian is to entertain and keep the audience laughing, however, we are

Surrey becomes the first County to provide free period products Surrey County Council has launched a groundbreaking initiative to provide free period products across the county and be the first to eradicate period stigma. Partnering with awardwinning period charity, Binti International, the initiative is the first of its kind and sets a precedent for future counties in England to follow suit.

The access to the free products is only half the story. Binti's Dignity At Work campaign is impactful because it ensures access to products to those that need them and works towards removing the stigma attached to periods. Surrey County Council is tackling the issue head-on by ensuring that there is support for girls and women across the county, to ease the challenges and ensure that everyone can

menstruate with dignity.

Surrey County Council will be launching Binti’s Period Dignity campaign which will see; 1. Free period pads available across the county for anyone who needs them 2. A marketing campaign designed specifically to eradicate period stigma and normalise the menstrual conversation 3. Donation points where resi-

dents can donate pads to the scheme.

Binti International believes that creating safe spaces to challenge the stigma and taboos will help in improving women's health long term. In order to tackle this, Binti has designed a marketing campaign with stickers that will show which organisation, office and/or public building, openly support those who are menstruating. They will be used akin to the ‘credit cards accepted here’ stickers placed on doors and windows of businesses that show free period products are available. The key to the campaign is to be a proud supporter of letting people menstruate with dignity. This means that anyone can walk into one of

the locations across Surrey and have access to pads.

Binti International founder, Manjit K Gill MBE said, "The provision of free period products satisfies the immediacy of the need, this isn't a catalyst for change if it's not partnered with normalising the period discussion. We have to be brave enough to challenge the reason behind the shame that leads to so many women and girls suffering in silence - not talking about it. Our Dignity At Work campaign is groundbreaking because, on the one hand, we normalise the provision of period products in all public spaces and secondly, we encourage conversation about the big elephant in the room. Let's end period stigma and expect period products everywhere".

Former woman prisoner likely to become the first person to sue the NHS Farah Damji, 54, has four convictions for 28 offences, including multiple counts of theft, fraud, stalking and breach of a restraining order, which date back to 1995, has been in and out of prison for 25 years. Damji is trying to become the first to publicly sue the NHS over claims of bad mental health care in jail.

According to Ministry of Justice figures, more than 71% of the female prison population have mental health issues.

According to Sky, Damji has spent time in eight UK prisons,

following her first six-month sentence at the notorious Rikers Island jail in New York. She was diagnosed with complex posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in 2019.

Since 2013, the NHS has been responsible for prisoners' health care in England, “Ms Damji is suing Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust over claims she was repeatedly denied mental health care at HMP Bronzefield, HMP Downview and HMP Send between 2014 and 2020,” a

report said.

"Women are so reluctant to complain about anything in prison because they are too

frightened of the repercussions," she told Sky News. Damji is presently living in Dublin, after fleeing her most recent trial for breaching a restraining order in March 2020, which she claims were because she suffered a breakdown.

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust said in a statement: "While we are sympathetic towards Ms Damji, we don't accept the claims made and we are unable to comment further as legal proceedings are underway."

in brief DID YOU KNOW THESE ISSUES RELATED TO MENOPAUSE? Many women find their sex drive completely disappears during menopause.

Maybe you have no interest in sex anymore, or it may be that sex is uncomfortable due to vaginal dryness. It's perfectly normal. The key is to be open & honest with your partner to maintain intimacy. Many women experience more bowel problems when they become menopausal like bloating, wind and constipation. Both oestrogen and progesterone have a direct effect on hormone receptors in the gut.

MALALA DEFENDS THE HEADSCARF In her recent interview with Vogue Magazine, Malala went on to make an imperative point as a Muslim woman and said, “I wear it more when I’m outside and in public. At home, it’s fine. If I’m with friends, it’s fine.”

The headscarf, she explained, is about more than her Muslim faith. “It’s a cultural symbol for us Pashtuns, so it represents where I come from. And Muslim girls or Pashtun girls or Pakistani girls, when we follow our traditional dress, we’re considered to be oppressed, or voiceless, or living under patriarchy. I want to tell everyone that you can have your own voice within your culture, and you can have equality in your culture.”

LABOUR PLEDGES TO SUPPORT PREGNANT WOMEN WORKFORCE The UK Labour party has pledged that it “would make it illegal to make women redundant during pregnancy and for six months after their return to work, as part of a slew of policies to protect and promote gender equality in the recovery from the pandemic.”

According to The Guardian, “The party also called on the government to review the UK’s “failing” shared parental leave policy and to introducing ethnicity pay gap reporting. It has also pledged to modernise equal pay laws to give women the right to know what their male colleagues earn. Labour is calling for the government to disclose the number of jobs that have been created by schemes such as Kickstart, Restart and Jets by sex, ethnicity and disability.”

Guardian reported that “As of March, 2,124,500 women were on furlough, compared with 1,945,600 men, according to government figures, while in May last year the Institute for Fiscal Studies found that mothers were one and a half times more likely than fathers to have either lost their job or quit since the lockdown began.”

A government spokesperson said: “Pregnancy and maternity discrimination is unlawful and has no place in the workplace, which is why we have already announced plans to extend the redundancy protection period afforded to mothers on maternity leave. Our plans will extend the existing redundancy protection to pregnant women and for six months after a mother has returned to work. This will also apply to those taking adoption leave and shared parental leave.”

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Bina Shah: Abstract Artist (Part Two) Sunetra Senior Bina returned to the field of fine art through printmaking which she felt freed her from the constraints of the limited scale of illustration. As part of this journey, she had to unlearn and relearn methods traditionally learnt at art school. Her work has gravitated more towards abstraction and is known for her novel use of materials and techniques rich complex surfaces specialised with use of oil, cold wax and earth pigments; mediums that enable her to express the subtle nuances of her environment: “Being an abstract artist and an illustrator aren’t all that dissimilar in some ways.

Illustration is all about creating a visual narrative from text and it involves a mental process of abstraction.

Abstraction is about enabling the viewer the opportunity to create their own narrative.”

Bina Shah

colours are revealed only when the eyes “settle”. And that requires a state of skilled “unknowing”: “The lines and marks are not for reading or explaining – they are entities in a dialogue with the surface and colour. Through

Monoprint - Tumeric & Sumi

a process of layering, building, etching, abrasion and deconstruction, incorporating indigenous materials, an image is created, echoing memories of a place, provoking emotion and challenging the perception of the viewer to find their own definition and narra-

Prelude # V

Whilst Bina’s practice is studiobased, and categorises herself as an abstract landscape artist in the broadest sense, as the landscape clearly functions as potent sources for her inspiration, she rarely refers to her photographs or sketches, as she relies more on a feeling or an experience which seems to serve best to lodge that sensation in her mind to create her work: “It was spending time on the West Coast of Ireland that really accelerated my journey into abstraction.

The environment there, with the crashing waves of the Atlantic and the ever-changing light is something which I felt simply could not be captured through the tradition of making on-site sketches as a basis for finished works. I began to experiment with unconventional technical and materials to try and capture the sense of place. Choosing processes and organic materials that are hard to completely control offers scope for the imperfect and accidental and provides a sensation of discovery. The use of indigenous materials and earth pigments to create colour and texture allowed me to create a direct connection to the land.”

Her work is a marked departure from the more literal world of drawing and classic representative art. Indeed, Bina’s artwork has an individual energy that challenges traditional classification altogether: “Negative space gives the freedom to draw what is wanted and not what is already there.

This is why I really believe in the spontaneous honesty of an artist’s sketches - there is a beauty in the impulsivity”.

Bina’s work is sometimes seen as monochromatic and dark. However, her choice of colours is often seen as bold or tentative. The challenge is always to keep them alive and autonomous – stop them becoming predictable or formulaic. The layers of

Winter Storm on Bracken Fields # XII

tive. It is a subtler exploration of emotion. The thoughts that are evoked aren’t so glaring or in your face.”

Bina’s draws inspiration from a range of artists from the past to the present day. She is a keen advocate of

“I began to experiment with unconventional techniques and materials to try and capture the sense of place. Choosing processes and organic materials that are hard to completely control offers scope for the imperfect and accidental and provides a sensation of discovery” South Asian women thriving in the Arts: “At art school we only ever learned about male artists, and never studied major successful female artists. Living in London gave me the opportunity to see, first-hand, works of leading women creatives such as Zaha Hadid, Lubiana Himid, Rachael Whiteread, Rebecca Salter, Nancy Spero and Agnes Martin. Female artists like Louise Bourgeois, Ani

Albers and Tracy Emin, most of whose work have both the elements of art and crafts - incorporating what was then seen as the female attributes of

Raku fired dish

sewing and stitching into their mainstream work - was exciting and inspirational. It was challenging to be a female Asian artist of my generation.

There weren’t many of us around and the value of creativity wasn’t necessarily understood or encouraged by our communities. I was lucky to have parents who, although not pretending to understand everything that I did, supported my career choice. Now that South Asian communities are well established and have thrived in the UK, it is pleasing to see young Asian women choosing, and being supported to choose, creative career paths and being celebrated for doing so” As well as local pigments, she also embraces local artistic traditions: “I’m interested in traditional techniques such as hand dying and the natural staining qualities of spices and natural plant material. Unfortunately, the dying industry is fading away in many countries like India and Africa due to economic and climatic changes. I like the idea of preserving these ancient traditional skills, even on a small scale, and hope that I can play a small part in championing and preserving these techniques.”

When asked if traditional training is as important in making good art, Bina’s response was that it was twofold: “You do need the basic practical training that develops hand-eye coordination. Those techniques help to engrain a relationship with your creativity. However, it’s important to remember that we naturally draw before we write: it is an emotional expression of how you are feeling.

That first mark on the page has a precious primal quality. You must trust your instinct. It’s a balance of both.”

This resonates with the Henry Moore quote that “Art is the expression of the imagination not the reproduction of reality”.

Bina’s painting 'Winter Storm on Bracken Fields XII' (see image) has been selected for The Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours 209th Exhibition and is on view at: Mall Galleries, The Mall, London SW1 20 – 29 May, 11am - 4pm For all enquires please email: binashah.art@gmail.comI: https://www.instagram.com/bina5hah To view more of Bina’s work please visit: W: https://www.binashah.co.uk/ https://littlebucklandgallery.co.uk/ https://www.saatchiart.com/binashah

London and Greater Manchester join forces to support entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds Race, Ethnicity And Cultural Heritage (REACH) mission will see North America welcome some of the most innovative B2B tech companies from London and Greater Manchester.

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan and Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham will get behind the trade mission to help companies from both regions explore opportunities in North America. Black, Asian and mixed background tech entrepreneurs from London and Greater Manchester will join a five-day virtual trade mission starting today (7 to 11 June). The mission will see fifteen companies ‘touch-down’ in North America to meet with corporates and startups to explore new investment and export opportunities and accelerate their expansion plans in the US market.

One of the major challenges facing Black, Asian and mixed background founders is access to venture capital funding, an essential ingredient for business growth. According to Extend Ventures, only 1.7% of venture capital investment in the UK between 2009 and 2019 went to founders from

Black, East Asian, South Asian and Middle Eastern backgrounds, while Black female entrepreneurs received 0.02% of funding overall.3 Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “London’s diversity is one of its greatest strengths and this trade mission reflects my wider commitment to support entrepreneurs from underrepresented backgrounds, providing equal opportunities for all and breaking down the challenges faced when growing their business. I am delighted that the Mayor’s International Business Programme is partnering with The Growth Company to launch this mission.

“It is important for UK cities like London and Manchester to work together to support our innovative UK tech companies, strengthen relationships between our tech ecosystems and provide opportunities for our tech businesses to accelerate their global expansion plans.”

MPs concerned over slow response to Nepal’s Covid crisis As a Covid-19 surge continues unabated in Nepal, a cross-party group of MPs has written a letter to the Foreign Secretary to raise concerns about the UK government’s failure so far to provide comprehensive emergency support, including vaccines, despite the threat of significant loss of life, and the potential for new variants to emerge. The MPs call for the UK government “to act immediately to announce and implement comprehensive Covid-19 support for Nepal”, including taking a lead “to ensure vaccines are delivered soon”.

According to WHO, Nepal currently has the highest Covid-19 reproduction rate in the world, prompting the UN to put out a call for $83.7 million to help manage the crisis. Only 7.3% of the population has received one vaccine dose, with 2.5% having received both doses as of June 1, 2021.

The Nepali health system has been unable to cope as patients are turned away from overcrowded hospitals and many die for lack of oxy-

gen and ventilators.

This urgent appeal comes in the wake of an official letter on May 30 to Her Majesty the Queen from Nepal’s President Ms Bidhya Bhandari, requesting vaccines for Nepal, and a direct appeal to the UK for vaccines and other support from Nepal’s Prime Minister K.P. Oli on June 4 on BBC Radio 4, and BBC News, which highlighted the long ties between the UK and Nepal, most obvious in the Gurkha regiments of the UK army.

The cross-party MPs who have signed the letter are Mike Amesbury MP; Kirsty Blackman MP; Sarah Champion MP; Allan Dorans MP; Neale Hanvey MP; Patrick Grady MP; Chris Law MP; Caroline Lucas MP; Kenny MacAskill MP; Stewart McDonald MP; Rt Hon Caroline Nokes MP; Tommy Sheppard MP; Zarah Sultana MP; Alison Thewliss MP; Claudia Webbe MP; Mick Whitley MP. They represent five political parties: Conservative; Labour; SNP; Green; Alba; and one independent parliamentarian.

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Working from home? You might need a ‘shoffice’ Shefali Saxena

in April, when it notched up £750,000 of sales, more than More than a third (38%) of UK double its monthly average. workers worked from home in According to the DIY mid-May, according to data from and building supplies retailthe Office for National Statistics. er Toolstation, “The trend is Many offices are planning to cut being repeated elsewhere. coffee costs and adopt a “hybrid Sales of garden buildings work” culture. rocketed by 500% Earlier this month, between January and Ernst & Young told its May, compared with employees that they will a year earlier, while be expected to work from sales of sheds soared home for at least two days a Joseph John by more than 460 per week, even after coronavirus cent.” restrictions are lifted. “Its 17,000 The pandemic not only staff will move to a “hybrid worklocked us down within the four ing model”, combining home walls of the house but also glued working with the office, as well as us to Zoom calls, GoogleMeets client visits, The Guardian and virtual meetings. It’d be reported. interesting to know if not even The same report also stated one person has had their meeting that increasing demands for interrupted with the sound of a home offices pushed the compautensil in the kitchen, the sound ny Smart Garden Rooms, Offices of furniture or wind or a baby cry& Studios to its best-ever month ing in the background. Many peo-

ple have craved a working space that isn’t home but fulfils the criteria of work from home. Some Britons, who have garden or backyard spaces, are choosing to do that by constructing ‘shoffice’, an office in a shed. Some workers are using the attic space.

Asian Voice spoke to Joseph John, who has created a ‘shoffice’ like space at his home.

“Ours cost around £15K and

didn’t need any specific permissions as it’s a mobile unit,” John said. Does that help the quality of work actually improves productivity when you have such a space?

John said, “Yes. It helps focus and avoid distractions.”

“It helps keep a workday routine. It also enforced a boundary for our son during work hours,” he added.

Addressing the aspect of controlling temperature, John said, “You do spend a lot of time in the office. It can get really cold in winter. Don’t just use a wooden shed, get a purpose built office.

Also, acoustics can be a consideration for the many conference calls you’ll be on.”

Leading dating apps partner with government to boost vaccine uptake A vaccinated users poll suggests that “most dating adults support vaccination.” Therefore, various apps have decided to provide bonuses, stickers and profile badges for vaccinated users. This partnership comes as a recent YouGov poll shows 59% of adults would either prefer their date to be vaccinated or wouldn’t date an unvaccinated person. Young adults encouraged to take up the offer of a vaccine as under the 30s to be invited in the coming days.

Leading dating brands including Tinder, Match, Hinge, Bumble, Badoo, Plenty of Fish, OurTime and Muzmatch have teamed up with the government to encourage their users to get COVID-19 vaccinations through a new campaign. Dating brands will add new features to their

apps and websites to support the government’s ‘every vaccination gives us hope’ campaign. The campaign encourages young people to get their vaccine in the second phase of the rollout and join the millions who have already received their jabs.

Features will include vaccination badges and stickers to display on dating profiles, free “Super Likes” and other boost-type features. A recent YouGov poll conducted on 21 May also shows 31% of adults would prefer to date someone who was vaccinated and a further 28% would not date someone unless they had received the jab.

Examples of vaccine promotion campaigns launching across dating platforms in the UK include: Tinder: members will be able to add a variety of stickers to

their profile including “I’m Vaccinated” or “Vaccines Save Lives,” with Tinder giving those who support the campaign a free “Super Like” to help them stand out among potential matches.

Tinder will also launch a “Vaccine Center” with a suite of resources to educate and connect members with their nearest vaccination site.

OkCupid: users will be able to add an “I’m Vaccinated” profile badge and be featured within OkCupid’s “Vaccinated” stack, its new matching system that lets users search by select categories on the app. Those who participate will also receive a free “Boost.”

Hinge: users who participate in their vaccination campaign will get a free “Rose,” which indicates to other users that they’re

excited to get to know them.

Bumble: the popular women-first dating app will enable people in the UK to add a “vaccinated” badge to their profiles. For those who apply the badge, Bumble will offer complimentary credits for premium features such as Spotlights and Superswipes. People on Bumble will also be able to share Covid19 preferences, letting them easily communicate how they are comfortable dating: outdoors or indoors, how they feel about crowded spaces, and their expectations about masks and social distancing. Bumble will also leverage its social media channels to amplify the need to get vaccinated.

Palace did not employ black workers in 1960s Buckingham Palace banned “coloured immigrants or foreigners” from working as anything other than domestic servants in the royal household as recently as the late 1960s, according to documents discovered in the national archives.

The documents were found as part of its investigation into the use of a parliamentary procedure, known as the Queen’s consent, which means that the Queen’s permission is needed for parliament to debate a bill that affects the interests of the

Crown, including the property or revenue of the sovereign.

According to the newspaper, the papers show how the Palace negotiated clauses in legislation exthose emptying the Queen and her household from laws that prevent race and sex discrimination.

In 1968 a Home Office civil servant recorded how he was told by one of the Queen’s most senior advisers — the keeper of the privy purse, who looks after her financial affairs — how the Palace did not employ people from ethnic minorities in clerical positions.

His memo was written during negotiations with the Palace over the proposed Race Relations Act, which made it illegal to refuse housing, employment or public services on grounds of race.

TG Weiler wrote that he had been told by Lord Tryon and other courtiers that Buckingham Palace was pre-pared to comply with the proposed law, but only if it enjoyed similar exemptions to provide to the diplomatic service, which could reject job applicants who had been resident in the UK for less than five years.

If the Race Relations Board criticised the household for the way it dealt with a complaint, Weiler wrote, “it would not be possible for the Household to reply publicly to such criticism”.

Boy stabbed to death Dea-John Reid,14, was chased by a gang in Birmingham and stabbed to death. The teenager, who was described by his family as an “incredibly talented young boy”, died from a knife wound to the chest.

West Midlands police arrested four men in their thirties and two boys aged 13 and 14 on suspicion of murder.

They remained in custody yesterday. The force has referred itself to the Independent

Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) over the case.

Detective Chief Inspector Stu Mobberley said: “As the investigation has progressed we now believe there was an incident involving Dea-John and his friends shortly before the murder. That quickly escalated, resulting in DeaJohn’s tragic death.

“During this precursor incident racist language was directed at Dea-John and his

friends; that’s now being investigated.

We’re still appealing for witnesses, anyone who saw or heard anything that could help our investigation, to get in touch so we can build up a clear picture of what happened.”

Officers were called to College Road, in Kingstanding, in the north of the city, at 7.30 pm on bank holiday Monday after reports of the stabbing.

Dea-John’s family have

pleaded for an end to knife crime. They said: “We’d like to thank the emergency services for their diligence and support. “This loss not only affects us but everyone DeaJohn knew.”

A spokesman for West Midlands police said: “As part of the investigation, officers are looking at previous incidents involving the victim and we have voluntarily referred the case to the IOPC.”

in brief JOHNSONS TOOK TWO-DAY BREAK AFTER WEDDING Boris Johnson spent two days away from Downing Street after his secret wedding to fiancée Carrie Symonds, No 10 has confirmed but has declined to provide details of the location.

However, a spokesman said that the prime minister “paid entirely” for the wedding following scrutiny of his finances. The couple married in a private ceremony at Westminster Cathedral and plan to have a larger celebration next year when restrictions are likely to be relaxed. The No 10 spokesman said: “The PM spent Sunday and Monday away but is now back working from Downing Street.”

Asked where the newlyweds travelled, following suggestions that they visited the seaside, the spokesman said: “It is a personal matter so I won’t be getting into any further detail.” The marriage, Johnson’s third, came amid concerns over the potential of the Indian variant of coronavirus to derail the plan to end all restrictions on June 21.

PARAMEDICS WEAR CAMERAS AFTER ASSAULTS RISE Thousands of ambulance crew members across England will begin wearing body cameras after assaults on paramedics rose 30 per cent in five years. The technology has been trialled in London and the northeast, and will now be provided to crews across the country in an effort to reduce levels of violence directed at medics on calls. The NHS staff survey recorded 3,569 assaults on ambulance staff in 2020-21, up from 2,703 in 2016-17. NHS chiefs had expected to introduce the cameras over the next three years in line with long-term health service plans.

PATEL TO MAKE FOREIGN HEALTH WORKERS PAY FULL PRICE FOR VISA Citizens of many European countries could lose the discount on their visa fee under Home Office plans. Priti Patel is considering withdrawing the UK from part of the European Social Charter that gives citizens of 26 countries a £55 discount on application fees for most worker visas. The workers who receive discounts include those in the health care and charity sectors,entrepreneurs and seasonal workers such as fruit pickers. In addition employers are exempt from a £199 fee usually paid as part of their sponsorship of foreign workers.

TORY DONOR TOOK LORDS SEAT AND PAID £500,000 A Conservative donor gave the party £500,000 days after he took up his seat in the House of Lords following his nomination as a peer by Boris Johnson. Lord Peter Cruddas, a City figure who financed the Vote Leave campaign during the Brexit referendum and Johnson’s leadership bid, was introduced to the Lords on February 2 and, according to the Electoral Commission, made the donation on February 5. Cruddas, who founded CMC Markets, the spread betting group worth close to £1.2bn, is one of the City’s richest individuals. He resigned as Tory party treasurer in 2012 in a “cash for access” scandal in which he was targeted in a sting.

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in brief DRINKERS ‘RISK ORGAN HARM’ EVEN IF THEY STICK TO OFFICIAL GUIDELINES Drinking alcohol even within government guidelines still adversely affects the body’s organs, research suggests.

A team at Imperial College London analysed MRI scans on thousands of people in late middle age, and found that alcohol consumption was linked to reduced brain matter volume, increased heart ventricle mass and higher levels of fat on the liver. Such changes are linked to health conditions including Alzheimer’s, cardiovascular and liver disease. There was no lower threshold of alcohol consumption below which they were not identified. Therefore, it is recommended that public health guidelines around alcohol consumption are reconsidered.

Government guidelines are that no one should drink more than 14 units a week regularly — the equivalent of six pints of average-strength beer or ten small glasses of low-strength wine, and drinking should be spread over at least three days of the week.

TOPPLED SLAVE TRADER’S STATUE GOES ON DISPLAY IN BRISTOL

The sculpture of a slave trader which was defaced in BLM protests last year has now become a part of an exhibition in Bristol, almost a year to the day since it was dragged from its plinth by Black Lives Matter protesters and thrown into Bristol harbour. It was damaged, therefore it can no longer stand upright. The display at M Shed forms the first part of the public consultation, with a survey also launched for people to provide their views on the future of the statue and of how Bristol’s history is told.

AVOID TRAVEL AND ‘HOLIDAY AT HOME' The UK Government has encouraged Britons to holiday within the UK and avoid travelling abroad. The government's website adds: "The Covid-19 pandemic continues to affect international travel. No travel is risk-free, and many countries have closed their borders or restricted entry to UK travellers. Any country may further restrict travel or bring in new rules at short notice, for example, due to a new Covid19 variant." It comes a week after the government announced no new countries were being added to the UK's green travel list while the popular destination of Portugal moved to amber. The Labour Party had called for tougher border controls with Thailand and Vietnam amid growing evidence they are breeding grounds for new more virulent variants of Covid-19. New research released by Public Health England shows that the C.36.3 variant linked to Thailand was designated a Variant Under Investigation on 24 May, with 117 cases identified in Britain, over 37 per cent of which originate from returning travellers. Meanwhile, within the UK, Nottingham, Luton, Sunderland, Oldham, Tameside, Edinburgh, South Ayrshire and Wrexham have increasing numbers of people reporting Covid disease.

G7: Boris Johnson aims to vaccinate the entire world by 2022 The G7 (Group of Seven) is an organisation made up of the world's seven largest so-called advanced economies. They are Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the United States. Leaders will arrive on Friday 11 June and meetings will get underway the following morning, with guest countries arriving that afternoon.

However, Indian PM Narendra Modi wouldn’t be attending the G7. "While appreciating the invitation to the Prime Minister by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to attend the G7 Summit as a special invitee, given the prevailing Covid situation, it has been decided that the Prime Minister will not attend the G7 Summit in person," MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden will affirm a ‘special relationship’ at the G7 meeting with Johnson. He is also expected to discuss post-Brexit difficulties in Northern Ireland with Johnson.

Why Cornwall?

The UK holds the G7 presidency for 2021 and announced in January that the meeting would take place at the Carbis Bay Hotel. The region is seen as central to the UK's green technology sector. Showing off the country's green credentials is important to the government ahead of the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow in November.

Agenda The main topic of conversation will be Covid recovery, including "a stronger

global health system that can protect us all from future pandemics". The agenda also includes climate change and trade. Boris Johnson will call on fellow G7 leaders to make concrete commitments to vaccinate the entire world against coronavirus by the end of 2022 at the Leaders' Summit in Cornwall, Downing Street has said.

G7 Finance Ministers agree on a historic Global Tax Agreement G7 Finance ministers struck a seismic agreement on global tax reform that will mean the largest multinational tech giants will pay their fair share of tax in the countries in which they operate. Following two days of talks chaired by Chancellor Rishi Sunak in London, counterparts agreed to reforms that will see multinationals paying tax in the countries where they do business. As part of the landmark deal, finance ministers also agreed to the principle of a global minimum rate that ensures multinationals pay a tax of at least 15% in each country they operate. Nations also agreed to follow the UK lead in making climate reporting mandatory and agreed on a measure to crack down on the proceeds of environmental crimes.

New G7 clinical trials charter to bolster global health defences Health ministers from some of the world’s largest democracies have committed to a new international agreement making it easier and quicker to share results from a vaccine and therapeutic trials to tackle Covid-19 and prevent future

health threats.

Following the conclusion of the UK-hosted, in-person G7 Health Ministers’ meeting in Oxford, a Therapeutics and Vaccines Clinical Trials Charter will be rapidly implemented.

This will help deliver highquality, reliable and comparable evidence from international clinical trials to speed up access to approved treatments and vaccines, benefiting people in the UK and globally.

Chancellor calls on G7 to work together to secure a green global recovery Chancellor Rishi Sunak cohosted a virtual meeting of G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors with Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey earlier today (Friday 28 May) where he called on counterparts to continue working together to secure a green and sustainable global economic recovery – and ensure tackling climate change is

prioritised in economic and financial policy.

Historic G7 commitments to tackle climate change and halt biodiversity loss by 2030 COP26 President-Designate, Alok Sharma and Defra Secretary of State George Eustice convened the Ministers ahead of the G7 leaders' summit in June, including the guest countries of India, Australia, South Africa and South Korea.

All G7 members signed up to the global ‘30x30’ initiative to conserve or protect at least 30 per cent of the world’s land and at least 30 per cent of the world’s ocean by 2030, and committed to ‘30x30’ nationally.

UK’s 100 richest families to commit £1bn to tackle climate crisis Ahead of G7, a letter is being floated to ask the UK’s 100 richest families to make climate charitable focus. The amount is £1bn, which needs to be collected over the next five years to tackle the climate emergency and halt the destruction of the natural world, as the world prepares for a big push on environmental issues at the G7 summit.

“Each of the 100 richest families in the UK, and the 100 biggest charitable foundations, will receive a letter on Saturday asking them to make the climate and biodiversity crises a focus of their philanthropic efforts, in order to stave off pending disasters that would imperil all their other charitable efforts,” The Guardian reported.

The letter does not ask for specific amounts, but the Guardian understands the signatories hope to increase funding by £1bn by 2025.

At present, only about 4% of the money from UK philanthropic trusts and foundations goes to environmental causes, including climate change.

Delta Covid variant dominates 200 areas of England As data shows that infection rates are rising more than in January, the Delta Covid variant is now dominant in over 200 areas of England - up from just 102 the week before. This Covid variant was dominant in 201 local authorities across England, which was equivalent to twothirds of the country, and the cases were spotted over the two weeks to May 29. This double mutant strain was also spotted in more than 80 per cent of England, after reaching 272 of 317 council areas.

Figures released by the Leicester city council showed Clarendon Park had the highest seven-day incidence rate of coronavirus at 203.5 cases per 100,000 people in the week up to June 1. This was five times higher than the UK national average on that day which was 38.8 cases per 100,000 people.

The number of people infected with coronavirus in the UK has risen by as much as twothirds, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

It estimates that around 100,000 people tested positive in the week to 29 May, or one in 660 people - up from 60,000 the previous week. A further 6,278 confirmed cases in the UK were announced by the government

in official figures last Friday, with 954 people in hospital with Covid and 11 deaths recorded.

The latest Public Health England figures show Covid outbreaks in schools surged 78 per cent week-on-week in the final week of term, with 91 reported between 24 and 30 May. Deepti Gurdasani, a senior lecturer in epidemiology at the Queen Mary University of London, said the PHE data painted a “grim picture”. She said on Twitter schools seemed to be a “key area of spread” for the Delta variant and noted a higher risk of transmission and hospitalisation.

Meanwhile, a story published in Leicester Mercury stated that health bosses have been accused of keeping the public in the dark about £450 million plans to transform Leicester’s hospitals. “Radical overhauls of health services are

being planned at Leicester Royal Infirmary and Glenfield and General Hospitals but campaigners and politicians say NHS officials have not been open and transparent about the changes after carrying out a two-month public consultation held at the end of last year,” it read.

The Guardian reported, “Work from Public Health England (PHE) suggests that after a single dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech or Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid vaccines, there was a 17 percentage point reduction in effectiveness against the Delta variant compared with the Alpha one – though only a modest reduction after two doses.” In the meantime, concern over the Delta variant means the decision on ending restrictions on 21 June hangs in balance. Surge testing in Reading and Wokingham has been stepped up. More than 370,000 Covid survivors still have symptoms more than a year after they first became infected, the ONS said. The research also found a number of long Covid clinics around the country were still not up and running months after they were promised by the

government.

GPs in one of the UK’s Covid hotspots are offering all adults their second dose of Covid vaccination four weeks after their first, in a rush to administer vaccines within their shelf life. Some GPs in Bolton have been sent so many doses of the Pfizer vaccine that they are offering second jabs a month earlier than government rules allow, concerned that otherwise they may be wasted. Blackburn, which has an infection rate of 439 cases per 100,000 people, 13 times the UK average, asked for thousands of more doses in order to continue surge vaccination for all adults for another fortnight but was knocked back this week.

In other major Covid related news, an NHS trust has become the first in the country to individually contact every family of patients who caught coronavirus while they were in hospital in a large-scale bid to be transparent over the scale of infections. Bosses at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Kings Lynn NHS Trust have set up a team to work through hundreds of cases where patients caught coronavirus in the hospital.

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Dear Financial Voice Reader, Alpesh Patel

What Are the Big Banks and Big Stock Gurus Saying Now About What To Invest In? After a rocky start to May, the S&P 500 has recovered well.

Additionally, the FTSE 100 continues to climb toward preCOVID heights. So with the market in relative health, where are the Big Banks and Big Stock Gurus saying we should invest?

Catherine Wood (ARK) Catherine Wood of ARK (Active Research Knowledge) has developed an almost mythical reputation for her company's exceptional returns.

Instead of focusing on sectors, her company looks for "disruptive innovations" technologies to find new winners.

While she hasn’t shared exact stocks, chief among these five disciplines are where she looks for market beating returns: • Artificial intelligence, • Robotics • DNA sequencing • Blockchain technology • Energy storage Donald Yacktman (AMG Yacktman Fund) Yacktman is a well-known value investor who takes the "forward rate of return" into account as his most prominent buy signal. Here are his three US-based equities that could be great picks for value investors are: • Logitech International SA • Markel Corp • Arch Capital Group Ltd Bill Nygren (Oakmark Fund manager) Nygren has an eye for growing companies that have management that is sympathetic to shareholders.

His opinion on the market is that things will be very much like the old normal when we finally get back to the new normal.

His four big picks of late were: • Diamondback Energy Inc. • Fiserv Inc. • KKR& Co. Inc. • Concho Resources Inc. Three Billionaires, Three Opinions John Paulson, famous for making $20 billion betting against the global financial crisis in 2008, has released ten stock picks, which you can read here.

His no.1 pick was Horizon Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company.

While fellow billionaire David Abrams, whose big play is buying undervalued stocks and holding them for years, has Lithia Motors, Inc. as number 1 in his top 10 stock picks.

Steven Cohen, the owner of Point72 Asset Management, has a strategy that posted a 16% gain in his main hedge fund in 2020. His three stock tips are: • Array Technologies (ARRY) • Paya Holdings (PAYA) • Dicerna Pharma (DRNA) Green-tech, digital payment processing, and pharma are all solid future sectors. For Cohen, these three could be the best amongst them.

Not All Gurus Lead to Gold Of course, it needs to be made clear that many stock gurus should be viewed with skepticism. There are many financial tip scams on the web where "gurus" seek payment for tips that aren't based on much skill at all.

Also, while there is a boisterous feeling in this bull market, plenty of cautionary voices feel that the market is way overvalued and is likely to fall or even crash shortly. Jeremy Grantham of GMO has called the market a 'legendary bubble'. And lastly, not all gurus perform well with stock picks.

Many do, and they stick around for a bit, but some get lucky and outstay their welcome, dragging others' money down with them.

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

Digital currencies could risk financial stability, wider economy: BoE The Bank of England has warned that the rise of digital currencies could lead to a flood of withdrawals from high-street banks, risking financial stability, and the wider economy.

Threadneedle Street said that stablecoins would need to be regulated in the same way as payments handled by banks if they became widely available.

This new digital currency is similar to bitcoin, but does not suffer extreme price movements as they are designed to move in lockstep with governmentbacked currencies such as the pound or euro, or commodities such as gold,

which are less volatile.

While these new forms of money can be issued by private companies, they could also be issued by a central bank such as the Bank of England. Most UK households and businesses already use central bank money in the form of cash,

and private money in the form of bank deposits.

In a research paper assessing the impact of new currency adoption, the BoE warned that large number of consumers moving their deposits away from current and savings accounts, and into digital assets, could undermine the stability of highstreet banks. It said the overall impact on lending and credit provision would probably be “relatively modest”, however there was a large degree of uncertainty.

Governor Andrew Bailey

said the prospect of stablecoins and central bank digital currencies needed to be carefully considered by central banks, governments and society as a whole. “It is essential that we ask the difficult and pertinent questions when it comes to the future of these new forms of digital money.”

Meanwhile, the Bank is currently learning whether to launch a central bank digital currency, dubbed by the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, as “Britcoin”. However, it said it had not made a decision about whether to proceed, but was looking into the risks and opportunities of doing so.

UK govt announces new watchdog to protect workers The Boris Johnson-led UK government has convened a new workers' watchdog to take over protecting the rights of workers. The new body will be responsible for tackling modern slavery, enforcement of minimum wage, and protecting agency workers. The new body aims to improve enforcement. It is also designed to provide a single, recognisable port of call for workers so they know their rights and can blow the whistle on bad behaviour.

Business minister Paul Scully said, “This government has been absolutely

clear that we will do whatever we can to protect and enhance workers' rights. The vast majority of businesses want to do right by their staff, but there are a minority

who seem to think the law doesn't apply to them.

Exploitative practices like modern slavery have no place in society.” He added that the new watchdog

would enable the government to “take action against companies that turn a blind eye to abuses in their supply chains.”

The new watchdog will make it possible for vulnerable workers to access holiday pay and statutory sick pay without having to go through a lengthy employment tribunal process. It will provide guidance to businesses on best practice, and complement existing work being carried out by independent bodies like the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service.

UK manufacturers report record growth UK manufacturers reported growing at a record pace in May, according to a survey that will add to reasons for economic optimism. The poll of hundreds of purchasing managers indicated a rapid pick up in orders and employment. Surveys of manufacturers in Germany and France also pointed to strong growth as businesses ramped up production to meet rising demand.

The IHS Markit/CIPS Purchasing Managers Index rose from 60.9 in April to 65.4 in May, the highest in the survey's three-decade history. Any reading above 50 indicates growth.

Manufacturers reported a record increase in new business as domestic and overseas demand continued to revive.

Companies linked new order growth to rising business confidence, the further re-opening of the UK economy and reduced issues relating to Covid-19. Economists consider the PMI surveys to be a good early indicator of future growth. IHS warned that businesses are also reporting supply problems as they struggle to keep up with rising demand. Backlogs of work and delivery times to manufacturers both increased in May. To deal with the extra work, businesses reported taking on new staff at the fastest rate on record. Businesses particularly highlighted shortages of electronics, plastics and metals, and there were also delays in transport. The problems have caused manufacturers to raise their

prices. IHS director Rob Dobson said: "The UK PMI surged to an unprecedented high in May, as record growth of new orders and employment supported one of the steepest increases in production volumes in the near 30-year survey history.

"Growth is being boosted by the unlocking of economies from Covid restrictions and ongoing vaccination programmes.

This is being felt across the

globe, as highlighted by a record rise in new export business during the latest survey month." Duncan Brock, group director at the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply, said: “The ongoing boost in job numbers was an attempt to build capacity to meet this surge as backlogs increased steeply and delivery times grew to unsustainable levels, pulling back on further progress in fulfilling orders.

CBI seeks extension of evictions ban for coronavirus-hit firms The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has sought another six month's protection for coronavirus-hit firms from being evicted for not paying rent. The organisation, which represents 190,000 businesses said firms which have to remain fully closed, or will continue to be heavily restricted and most in need, should get continued support, but they want the blanket evictions ban to be lifted for businesses.

CBI Chief UK Policy Director Matthew Fell said: “The blanket

government protections for nonpayment of commercial rents should be lifted. While some sectors remain heavily restricted or fully closed, ongoing protections should be targeted towards the firms most at risk in these sectors."

The six month extension proposed by the CBI would apply to fims that can demonstrate lockdown-related falls in revenue of more than 30 per cent. They believe the majority of tenants would be able to pay full market rent from June 30, when the cur-

rent protections end. In their policy paper they recognised that a small minority of firms had used the pandemic protections to withhold rent and avoid negotiating with landlords altogether.

Although businesses were given government support through furlough and grants, in many cases it has not been enough to pay the rent and huge debts have accumulated. It is estimated the UK wide bill for unpaid rent is about £5 billion. Nightclubs and late night venues, which have had

to shut their doors continuously for 14 months, are lobbying the government for an extension to the commercial evictions ban.

Legal protection for businesses unable to pay rent was introduced in the Coronavirus Act 2020 and has been extended once already, but ends in four weeks time. Some business owners fear landlords will issue eviction notices and take legal action as soon the official protection runs out. On debt and rent arrears, Fell said: “The conversation about commercial rent

debt needs to be dealt with separately. There is a huge deficit in unpaid commercial rents, which both tenants and landlords acknowledge is unlikely to be fully recovered.

“The majority of tenants and landlords have already come together for adult-to-adult conversations to settle commercial rent arrears; those businesses yet to enter into negotiations should now do so and work hard to reach an agreement, or risk court decisions that may be less favourable.”

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12 - 18 June 2021

Central Bank, IOB may be taken up for privatisation The Indian government may sell its stake in Central Bank of India and Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) as part of its mega privatisation initiative unveiled in the Union Budget in February. While the two banks have been recommended for disinvestment by government think tank NITI Aayog, Bank of India (BoI) may be a potential candidate for sale, sources familiar with the deliberations said.

The proposal from the government think tank is being vetted by the disinvestment and financial services departments,

ministry sources said. The exercise is part of a multistage process for finalising entities that are to be taken up for privatisation. While NITI Aayog has been tasked with recommending the names, it is then reviewed by the inter-ministerial group of officers and subsequently by a group of ministers, before the Union Cabinet puts its seal of approval. Sources in the department of investment and public asset management (Dipam), which handles the government’s asset sales programme, said it will examine the proposal with

the department of financial services and discuss the legislative changes needed for the privatisation of the staterun banks. “The timeline will depend on the legislative changes required,” the sources added.

Besides, the issue will have to be discussed in detail with the RBI as the law and regulations provide a special dispensation for state-run entities in several areas. The Cabinet recently cleared the decks for the sale of government stake in IDBI Bank, but sale of the Centre’s holding in the two state-run entities will break

new ground as the Narendra Modi administration has embarked on an ambitious privatisation drive, which for the first time includes the financial services space.

The government is hoping to conclude the sale of IDBI Bank stake during the current financial year.

Among the dozen staterun lenders, NITI Aayog had set its eyes on the six entities that were not part of the merger initiative a few years ago and included Bank of Maharashtra, Punjab & Sind Bank and UCO Bank in addition to BoI, IOB and Central Bank.

communications for SpiceJet and SpiceHealth, said “no favours were sought or provided” by the government to the group’s businesses.

Singh served as a close aide to Pramod Mahajan, the former telecom minister and fundraiser for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, who was murdered by his brother in 2006. He is close to the ruling party that BJP leaders often appear at Singh’s events.

Modi inaugurated the launch of SpiceJet’s seaplane service

in October. A month later, Amit Shah appeared at the opening of SpiceHealth’s first mobile testing lab.Run by his 24-year-old daughter Avani Singh, SpiceHealth, a separate company from SpiceJet, operates 15 mobile laboratories across the country that each have a daily capacity of 3,000 tests.

SpiceHealth has set up a genomic sequencing facility in Delhi’s international airport and Avani has spoken about moving into vaccine procurement and distribution.

SpiceJet reduces loss by branching out to Covid testing Although airlines in India is recovering faster than in places like Singapore and Hong Kong, the impact of the pandemic is still being felt.

No-frills carrier SpiceJet posted a net loss of £5.7 million in the quarter ended Dec. 31 compared with a profit of £7.32 million a year earlier. Now, Ajay Singh, who owned 60 per cent in SpiceJet, has branches out to healthcare and is offering coronavirus screening to passengers for Rs 299. That’s about onethird the current market rate.

SpiceHealth, the unit selling the tests, has also set up mobile-testing facilities

for the general public in Mumbai and New Delhi, where starting from Rs 499, people can come in or have a sample collected from their home.

Within months, the group had extended its reach across India, even providing the testing in April for some of the millions of pilgrims who joined the annual Kumbh Mela.

Singh’s diversification from the loss-making airline sector into healthcare underscores how some of India’s biggest tycoons have managed to prosper, even during the pandemic.

Tushar Srivastava, head of

India's forex kitty hits $600bn, adds $105bn in FY21 competitive, the RBI intervenes to prevent volatility.

“Our forex operations are mainly driven by consideration of maintaining the stability of exchange rate, in which we have been quite successful,” India’s foreign exchange reserves is likely to have crossed a new record of $600 billion in the first week of June, RBI governor Shaktikanta Das said.

Officially, however, the weekly numbers released by the RBI pegged reserves at $598.2 billion as on May 28, which is also a record. India has seen an accretion of nearly $105 billon over the last year, with $5.3 billion added during the last week of May. Das said, with reserves at this level, the central bank has enough ammunition to meet possible challenges arising out of global spillovers. The governor was referring to the possibility of large capital movements if the US starts to normalise its monetary policy in the wake of economic recovery

and inflation pressures.

Forex reserves are closely watched by policymakers given that it had dropped to $5.8 billion in 1991 when India had a balance of payments crisis.

In March, India had overtaken Russia as the country with the fourthlargest foreign exchange reserves, however, it has slipped to the fifth place again. China, Japan and Switzerland continue to top the list of countries ranked by forex reserves. The RBI adds to its reserves by purchasing dollars from the market. India has come under pressure from the US for not allowing the currency to appreciate.

However, unlike China and other Asian countries that prevent appreciation to keep their exports

said Das. “Emerging market economies have to build up their buffer and the RBI is no exception to that,” he added. India’s forex reserves ended FY21 at $579 billion, which indicates that the RBI has bought over $20 billion in nine weeks.

Property Algebra

Suresh Vagjiani, Sow & Reap Properties Ltd

We are looking at a small, very quirky property. The downstairs has a lease with a Blue Chip, but it is part of a larger premises spread across two other units, which are not for sale.

The property is freehold, and has a residential premises on top. There is a large slate roof above the flat allowing room for another floor to be built.

There is precedent for another floor in the neighbouring properties.

The flat has been described as having no access into it, which does not make sense.

The residential property is said to be circa 350 sq. ft., however, the EPC says 870 sq. ft.

With further examination, we have found there is access to the flat from the rear of the building, but it has been blocked. Snooping around the building we could see into the flat, and clearly it was a lot bigger than the 350 sq. ft. described.

The good thing with this deal is that it’s not straight, there are variables to it.

Firstly, the whole deal is a little bizarre; you have a tenant which is sprawled across the neighbouring buildings as well as yours, you have a flat which cannot be accessed either from the commercial property or externally; and then you have a misdescribed square footage.

The ground floor is rented out for a period of 5 years to the Blue Chip, they may or may not renew, the chances are they will not. However, at least it will serve to cover the interest payments whilst this building is being tidied up.

All of the above will scare most retail buyers. There will be a few developers who will be open to taking a punt, but only if they can get it at a bargain price.

If the square footage is as the EPC described at 870, then the value of the upstairs flat would be about £390K, if you’re able to get another flat on top you would expect an increase in value of about another £300K. So, you would have made your profit; the downstairs will just be the cherry, a rather large one in this case.

It’s only when there are unknowns, and inconsistencies, that there is likely to be a good margin on the deal.

A few years ago we purchased an auction property in Maida Vale, on behalf of a client, for £1.1M. The property consisted of a number of flats, all with ‘unknown’ tenancies. However, our own research told us they were all ASTs. After exchanging on the property, we resold it on for £1.3M. Our client only had to put the exchange money in, £110K, for a return of £200K in 3 days.

This one point could devalue a property down to potentially half of what it should be worth.

Similarly, when we were after a block in Kilburn, again there were unknowns involved. When the higher bidder at the time became aware that there were unknowns, this was a risk they were not prepared to take. Our client was happy to take the punt, and therefore, we got the deal, even though we were significantly lower in our offer.

This is a cracking deal, and my feeling is it will go for not very much money, for the reasons described. I am currently looking at investors to match it to.

RBI cuts India's GDP growth forecast to 9.5% The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) expects the now ebbing second wave of the coronavirus disease pandemic in India to have only a small (1 percentage point) impact on the economy, and, in fact, has projected that GDP growth will be faster than previously estimated in the third and fourth quarters of the year.

The Monetary Policy Committee of RBI, kept the policy rate unchanged, indicated that it would continue to do whatever is needed to support growth, and announced that it would pump in another £12 billion of liquidity into the system this financial year through government bond purchases, but it was its take on the economy that everyone was waiting for.

The numbers seemed to suggest that RBI believes the impact on the economy of the brutal second wave of Covid-19 in the country to be transient. It has projected growth in 2021-22 at 9.5%, down from its

previous forecast of 10.5%. It expects growth in the four quarters of the year to be 18.5%, 7.9%, 7.2% and 6.6%. Its previous estimate was 26.2%, 8.3%, 5.4% and 6.2%. Put otherwise, the biggest hit to GDP in expected to be in the April-June quarter and the economy is expected to perform better than expected in the second half of the year. The Indian economy contracted by 7.3% in 2020-21, better than the expectation of a 8% contraction on the back of a strong recovery in January and February, but the surging second wave halted that in its tracks.

MPC’s projections are in keeping with the views of chief economic adviser, Krishnamurthy Subramanian, who said on June 3 that India’s economic recovery will start from July onwards and the ongoing vaccination drive can lessen the impact of the pandemic. That’s the consensus view among banks and securities firms too; a Bloomberg poll

last week came up with a median estimate of 10%, lower than a previous median estimate of 10.5%.

But independent economists expressed scepticism over RBI’s projections, saying that MPC seems to have underestimated the demand side headwinds from the second wave. While the MPC has not made a direct reference to India’s vaccination drive, it has highlighted a growing asymmetry in the global economy.

“The global economic recovery has been gaining momentum, driven mainly by major advanced economies (AEs) and powered by massive vaccination programmes and stimulus packages,” the MPC resolution said. “Activity remains uneven in major emerging market economies (EMEs), with downside risks from renewed waves of infections due to contagious mutants of the virus and the relatively slow progress in vaccination,” it added.

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Malala faces backlash in Pak for questioning need to marry ISLAMABAD: Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai’s views on whether marriage is necessary for two people in a relationship has invited an avalanche of criticism in Pakistan, where she has long gained a reputation as controversy’s favourite child with her outspokenness. In an interview to the British Vogue magazine, Malala responded to a question on the institution of marriage by wondering why a relationship could not be just a “partnership”.

“Thinking about relationships, you know, on social media, everyone’s sharing their relationship stories, and you get worried… if you can trust someone or not, and how can you be

sure,” she said. “I still don’t understand why people have to get married. If you want to have a person in your life, why do you have to sign marriage papers; why can’t it just be a partnership?” she said. The remarks immediately landed her in hot waters in Pakistan, with lawmakers, clerics, academicians as well a section of the citizenry accusing her of peddling a western narrative. Most viewed her statements as suggestive of negating the concept of having a family with a “legitimate partner”.

Soon after Malala’s statement went viral, a prominent cleric from Peshawar, Mufti Shahabuddin Popalzai, took to Twitter to ask her father,

Ziauddin Yousafzai, to provide a clarification.

Malala’s father responded soon after, “Respected Mufti Popalzai Sahib, there is no truth in it. The media and social media have taken an excerpt... out of context and shared it with their own interpretations.”

Later, the controversy echoed in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assembly. “The government needs to probe whether the education activist made those marriage remarks or

Malala Yousafzai

not,” a PPP lawmaker said.

However, lawmakers from PM Imran Khan’s PTI defended Malala and requested not to turn the matter into a controversy.

Pak court acquits Christian couple accused of blasphemy LAHORE: The Christian community of Pakistan has hailed the acquittal of a Christian couple arrested in 2013 for alleged blasphemy. Justice Shehbaz Ali Rizvi and Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh of Lahore high court dismissed the case against Shafqat Emmanuel and his wife Shagufta Kausar on June 3. Both were on death row after being convicted of sending text messages insulting the Prophet Muhammad.

“Your testimonies are defective. Can you describe how we

can hang them?” the judges asked of the prosecution.

Emmanuel is in Faisalabad’s District Jail while his wife is in the Women’s Prison Multan, the only jail for females in Punjab province.

Emmanuel is confined to a wheelchair due to an accident in 2004 that resulted in him suffering a spinal injury.

Saiful Malook, the Muslim lawyer who successfully defended Asia Bibi and had her blasphemy conviction overturned in the Supreme Court, defended the couple. “I am very happy to be instrumental in saving more innocent lives and

proving the failure of the case against the Christian couple,” he said.

We demand eight years of suffering and imprisonment for those who accused the couple of blasphemy. Christian social media users used prayer emojis in reaction to the verdict. “Well done [those] who raised voices and provided legal help for them. Special thanks to the European Union,” stated Chaudhry Anjum Khokhar, a UK-based Pakistani Christian, in a Facebook post.

In April, the European Parliament adopted a joint motion for a resolution on the blasphemy laws in Pakistan,

referring to the case of Shagufta Kausar and Shafqat Emmanuel.

Catholic academic and activist Anjum James Paul congratulated the community. “We welcome this free and fair decision.

We demand eight years of suffering and imprisonment for those who accused the couple of blasphemy. The state should compensate the children of the affected family as well,” he said.

“Extreme punishments for false accusers of blasphemy can prevent violence and injustice.”

Blasphemy is a hugely sensitive issue in Pakistan, where even unproven allegations of insulting Islam can lead to assassinations and lynchings.

51 killed as Pak train rams FATF’s regional body retains into derailed coaches Pakistan on ‘enhanced follow-up’ list ISLAMABAD: An express train rammed into derailed coaches of another train, killing up to 51 people and injuring over 100 others in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province on Monday, forcing authorities to call in the Army and paramilitary forces for rescue and relief operations in one of the worst rail accidents in the country in recent years. The Millat Express train from Karachi to Sargodha derailed and its coaches fell across the adjacent track near Dharki, a city located in the Ghotki district of upper Sindh.

The deadly accident occurred when the Sir Syed Express headed from Rawalpindi to Karachi, coming from the other direction, smashed into derailed coaches of the first train, a spokesperson of Pakistan Railways said. Fifty people, including some railway officials, have lost their lives, Ghotki Deputy Commissioner Usman Abdullah was quoted as saying. Late at night the toll was updated to 51. Over 100 persons were injured in the accident, officials said.

Ghotki SSP Umar Tufail said the toll may rise as there were still mangled train compartments that rescuers had not been able to access despite the passage of hours since the accident. An emergency was declared at hospitals in Ghotki, Dharki, Obaro and Mirpur Mathelo where injured were rushed. Senior officials said that 13 to 14 bogies were derailed in the accident while six to eight “completely destroyed”.

Rescuing passengers who are still trapped is a “challenge” for the rescue officials, Abdullah said, adding that a relief train has departed from Rohri. “This is a challenging task. It will take time to use heavy machinery to free citizens (still trapped). We are also establishing a medical camp to provide medical aid to citizens,” he said. Sir Syed Express train’s driver Aijaz Shah, who survived the accident, said that he was rescued by locals after two hours of the collision. He said the train was running at its normal speed when he suddenly saw the derailed coaches of the Millat Express train at the track.

ISLAMABAD: The Asia Pacific Group (APG) on Money Laundering, a regional affiliate of Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF), has retained Pakistan on "enhanced follow-up" status for sufficient outstanding requirements, while improving the country's rating on 21 of the 40 technical recommendations of the global watchdog against money laundering and terror financing.

Pakistan was put on the grey list by the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) in June 2018 and the country has been struggling to come out of it. The second Follow-Up Report (FUR) on Mutual Evaluation of Pakistan released by the APG also downgraded the country on one criterion.

The report said Pakistan was rerated to compliant' status on five counts and on 15 others to largely compliant' and on yet another count to partially compliant'. Pakistan-based newspaper Dawn reported that overall, Pakistan is now fully compliant' with seven recommendations and largely compliant' with 24 others. The country is partially compliant' with seven recommendations and non-compliant' with two out of a total 40 recommendations.

All in all, Pakistan is now compliant or largely compliant with 31 out of 40 FATF recommendations. The reporting date for this evaluation was October 1, 2020, which means Islamabad may

have made further progress since then that would be evaluated at a later stage.

“Pakistan will move from enhanced (expedited) to enhanced follow-up, and will continue to report back to the APG on progress to strengthen its implementation of anti-money laundering and combating financing terror measures,” the APG said. Pakistan submitted its third progress report in February 2021 which is yet to be evaluated.

“Overall, Pakistan has made notable progress in addressing the technical compliance deficiencies identified in its Mutual Evaluation Report (MER) and has been re-rated on 22 recommendations,” the APG added.

Pakistan has been on the FATF's grey list since June 2018. FATF in February this year had retained Pakistan on its "grey list" till June after concluding that Islamabad failed to address its strategically important deficiencies, to fully implement the 27point action plan that the watchdog had drawn up for Pakistan.

Pakistan's continuation on the 'grey list' means that it will not get any respite in trying to access finances in the form of investments and aid from international bodies including International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Pakistan is facing the difficult task of clearing its name from the FATF grey list. As things stand, Islamabad is finding it difficult to shield terror perpetrators and implement the FATF action plan at the same time.

in brief INDIANS JOIN SUIT CHALLENGING US COVID TRAVEL BAN A few Indians have joined other plaintiffs in an ongoing litigation that challenges the Covidrelated travel ban to the US. An amended complaint (lawsuit petition) was recently filed with the district court of Columbia to include the travel ban for those physically present in India. On April 30, President Joe Biden issued a proclamation restricting the entry of nonimmigrants who were in India 14 days preceding travel. The measure was announced following a surge of cases across India due to Covid variants. The US also has in place virus-related travel ban for several other countries. While green card holders were exempt, it hit those holding H-1B visas or H-4 dependent visas who were visiting India for various reasons, including to care for Covid-stricken kin. “Several plaintiffs are long-term employees of US companies, who have been stuck outside of the US and whose careers are at risk, as they cannot return to their jobs and homes,” the petition said.

ASIAN WOMAN ATTACKED AT SUBWAY STATION A 23-year-old Asian woman was attacked with a walking cane by a man at a subway station in Manhattan last month, and the police are now asking for the public’s help in tracking down the suspect. The incident happened on 12 May as the woman exited the northbound 1 train at Broadway and West 116 Street in Morningside Heights, the police said. The NYPD’s Hate Crime task force, which is investigating the attack, said in a tweet that an unknown man swung his cane at her multiple times, striking her on the head and hip. The woman had pain and swelling after the attack, but the police said she refused medical attention. The woman, who did not want to be named, told NY Daily News: “Each time I talk about it, I’m having a flashback. I’m still recovering from that mentally.”

INDIA-CHINA CAN END CONFLICT BETWEEN THEM: PUTIN Asserting that both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are “responsible” leaders, Russian President Vladimir Putin said they both are capable of solving issues between the two countries, and that it was important that no “extra-regional power” should interfere in the process. With Russia publicly critical of the Quad, Putin said that though it was not up to Moscow to assess how any nation should participate in an initiative and to what extent they should build their relations with other countries but no partnership should be aimed at making friends against anyone. The Russian president's remarks, in response to a question on India's participation in the grouping, were a veiled reference to the Chinese claim that the grouping is to contain Beijing's influence in the strategic Indo-Pacific region.

CHINA JAILS BLOGGER OVER REMARKS ON GALWAN TOLL China has jailed a popular blogger for “defaming martyrs” after he suggested the death toll of the China-India border clash last year was higher than the official count. Qiu Ziming was sentenced to eight months in prison, a court in Nanjing city said. He is the first person to be jailed under a new provision of China’s criminal law that bans “defamation of martyrs and heroes”. After months of silence, the Chinese military in February said four soldiers were killed in a skirmish with Indian troops in Galwan Valley last June. In social media posts, Qiu had suggested that the actual death toll might have been higher than the official count. He also said that a commanding officer survived “because he was the highest-ranking officer there” - a comment that irked officials.

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in brief SINDH CM ACCUSES PAK GOVT OF TREATING PROVINCE WITH BIAS Chief Minister of Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah accused Imran Khan -led Pakistan government of treating the country's province with abject bias and urged him to reconsider the proposed Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP). Shah urged Khan to reconsider the PSDP terming it lopsided as it was 'detrimental' to the interests of people living in Sindh. Giving the four-year break-up of the number of schemes and their allocation for provincially executed projects for Sindh in the PSDP, he said only six schemes with a total allocation of Rs 5,069.14 million were proposed in 2021, while the number of schemes in 2017-18 was 27 with a total allocation of Rs 23,387.21mn. He said there were 10 schemes with the allocation of Rs 8,302m in 2020-21, 13 schemes of Rs 8.508.85m in 20019-20 and 22 schemes with allocation of 14,266.72 m in 2018-19. "As you note above, grave injustice is being meted out to the people of Sindh ever since the current federal government came into power in August 2018," the letter read.

TRUMP SHUTS DOWN HIS BLOG, FRUSTRATED

BY LOW READERSHIP Former US President Donald Trump has removed himself entirely from the internet. Still banned from Twitter and Facebook, and struggling to find a way to influence news coverage since leaving office, Trump decided to shutter his do-it-yourself alternative, a blog he had started just a month ago called “From the Desk of Donald J Trump”. Trump had become frustrated after hearing from friends that the site was getting little traffic and making him look small and irrelevant, according to a person familiar with his thinking. Last month, after Washington Post reported that the blog was attracting virtually no readership, Trump played down its purpose, calling it a stopgap measure until he figured out what came next.

OVER 100 KILLED IN BURKINA FASO ATTACK Suspected extremists have massacred at least 114 civilians in Burkina Faso’s volatile north in the deadliest attacks since Islamist violence erupted in the west African country in 2015, officials said. President Roch Marc Christian Kabore denounced an attack near the borders with Mali and Niger where extremists linked to al-Qaida and Islamic State have been targeting civilians and soldiers. “We must remain united against these obscurantist forces,” Kabore said, condemning a massacre that left at least 100 people dead in Solhan as “barbaric” and “despicable”. The worst attack occurred during the night of Friday to Saturday when “armed individuals staged an incursion” into Solhan, a security source said.

MP OUSTED FROM HOUSE OVER ‘TIGHT TROUSERS’ Women lawmakers in Tanzania have called for an apology to a Member of Parliament who was asked to leave the National Assembly because of her tight-fitting trousers. Condester Sichwale, a female Tanzanian lawmaker, was expelled from parliament for wearing “strange” clothing. Following a protest about her dress from another legislator, Hussein Amar, she was thrown out by Job Ndugai, the speaker of the house. Amar argued that the parliament was a reflection of society, citing a portion of the parliament’s rules forbidding female legislators from wearing tight jeans. “Go dress up well, and...Join us back later,” the Speaker Job Ndugai told Condester Sichwale. Ndugai said this after a male MP said, “Some of our sisters are wearing strange clothes...What are they showing to society?” Speaker Job Ndugai said that this was not the first time, and instructed chamber orderlies to refuse access to anyone who was dressed inappropriately.

South African court freezes assets of Gupta family in corruption case JOHANNESBURG: A South African court froze the assets of the controversial Indian-origin Gupta family and their associate, Iqbal Meer Sharma, which included palatial homes in upmarket areas.

The Investigating Directorate (ID) of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) of South Africa asked Interpol to issue Red Notice International Arrest Warrants for Atul Gupta and Rajesh Gupta, and their wives Chetali and Arti.

Meer Sharma, one of their close associates, is spending the weekend in jail, along with a senior official of the Provincial Free State Government, pending a bail application. An ID spokesperson, Sindisiwe Seboka, earlier said they have a strong case against the Guptas and Sharma involving fraud and cor-

the company, Islandsite, against which the High Court order was granted.

"Leave is granted to institute asset forfeiture proceedings against Islandsite and the Ajay Gupta and Atul Gupta property of ruption to the tune of more than Islandsite," read the order, which 12 million South African rand.

Sindisiwe Seboka confirmed The Guptas, accused of applied to assets, including all siphoning billions of rand from properties in South Africa state and parastatal institutions, belonging to Islandsite. The are believed to be in self-exile in court has appointed a curator Dubai, with reports that some who will take charge of the assets family members are in India. pending the outcome of criminal South Africa has sent extradicharges for fraud and money tion papers to both India and the laundering offences instituted UAE, although it has no extradiagainst the Guptas, their compation treaty with the UAE. The ny Islandsite, Sharma and his wanted four members of the company Nulane.

Gupta family are the owners of "The freezing order, granted

in terms of the Prevention of Organised Crimes Act, will be served on Iqbal Sharma at the Bloemfontein Bainsvlei (police) holding cells, while Islandsite will be served at its local business address," the spokesperson said. Should they be found guilty, the assets concerned will be forfeited to the state.

The properties of the Guptas that are part of the order, include a 21 million rand mansion in the elite suburb of Constantia in Cape Town and a 12 million rand estate in Johannesburg. Sharma's assets, include his residence in the upmarket suburb of Sandton in Johannesburg valued at more than 12 million rand that the ID said is owned through a UAEregistered company, Issar Global, as well as other assets worth around 1.8 million rand.

Ugandan minister wounded, daughter killed in assassination bid KAMPALA: Gunmen have shot Katumba Wamala, Uganda’s minister of works and transport, in what police described as a “targeted drive-by shooting” which left the former top general’s daughter and driver dead.

Four attackers riding on two motorcycles with concealed number plates followed Wamala from his home in the capital, Kampala, for 4km before they sprayed his vehicle with bullets last week, a police statement said.

“A joint security task team is actively investigating a targeted drive-by shooting,” Paul Lokech, deputy inspector general of police, said in the statement.

“This is the first major shooting since 2019 and we strongly

believe it was a targeted and not random incident.” The style of the attack echoed that of several others over the years in which many high-profile Ugandans have been killed, with the perpetrators never brought to justice.

The general’s daughter, Brenda Nantogo, and driver Haruna Kayondo were killed in the attack, while another bodyguard survived. Wamala, who once served as army chief, was wounded in an arm. “The exact motivation towards the targeted shooting is not yet established.

We consider such attacks as a form of organised crime, with a potential of extremism, aimed at undermining the prevailing stability,” Lokech said.

In a video addressed to his

Wamala children, spoke out about the attempt on his life.

“I’ve survived. We have lost Brenda. That’s God’s plan. I love you guys. Please pray for mummy. Mummy’s in a terrible, terrible state, please pray for her,” he said, his voice shaking with emotion.

In a statement, Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni slammed the attackers as “pigs who do not value life”. “I talked to Gen. Katumba twice on the phone. He is being well-managed,” he said, adding: “We already have clues to those killers.” Museveni said one of the bodyguards fired a warning

Misunderstanding with India ‘resolved’: Nepal PM KATHMANDU: In a change of stance that may have political implications in Nepal, Prime Minister K P Oli declared he had “resolved” his problems with India. “Yes, there were misunderstandings at one time, but now those misunderstandings are gone. We should not be stuck in past misunderstandings but move forward looking at the future.

We have to pursue a positive relationship,” he said in an interview. He was been quoted as saying that Nepal and India enjoyed a unique relationship.

“Neighbours share both love and problems.

Don’t people in Chile or Argentina have a problem?” he was quoted as saying.

“I would like to make a request to PM Modi. In view of these times and our friendly relations, India should extend full cooperation to Nepal. That doesn’t mean I haven’t got help from India. At this time, Nepal needs vaccinations, for which Nepal is urging both its neighbours and all countries,” Oli was quoted as saying.

“Whoever provides us vaccines, be it India, China, the United States or the UK, it is fine to receive vaccines. It is not necessary to politicise it and we thank both our neighbours very much. On one hand, China has given us1.8 million vaccines and on the other, India has given 2.1 million vaccines.

We have the help of both. We are also get-

KP Sharma Oli

ting medical equipment from both. So thank you both,” he added.

In a surprise move, Oli reshuffled his cabinet over the weekend and dropped deputy prime minister Ishwar Pokharel and foreign minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali.

He now has three deputy prime ministers Rajendra Mahato of JSP-N, Raghuvir Mahaseth and Bishnu Prasad Paudel from CPN-UML. Mahaseth is the new foreign minister.

Oli inducted eight ministers and two state ministers from the Mahanta ThakurRajendra Mahato faction of the Janata Samajbadi Party-Nepal, which has supported him. The JSP, a Madhesi party, split down the middle, with the Baburam BhattaraiUpendra Yadav faction supporting Nepali Congress.

shot which saved the general’s life, adding they should have “shot to kill”.

“We could be having a dead terrorist instead of scaring away the terrorists.” The shooting was the latest in a series of attempted killings of high-profile targets by motorcycle-riding assassins in Uganda’s capital.

Floods, mudslides kill 16 in Sri Lanka COLOMBO: Monsoon rains triggered floods and mudslides in Sri Lanka killing at least 16 people and leaving more than a quarter of a million homeless, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said on Sunday. Heavy downpours in 10 out of the country’s 25 districts since Friday buried most of the victims alive, the DMC said.

In the central Kegalle district, a pet dog pointed rescuers to a location where four members of the same family were buried alive, officials said. However, all four were found dead by the time they were pulled out with the help of troops.

Security forces were deployed in several districts to help evacuate marooned villagers.

The DMC said 270,000 people were driven out of flooded homes and were sheltering with friends or relatives, as well as inside state-run welfare centres.

The monsoon hits the island nation twice a year, bringing vital rain for irrigation as well as hydro-power generation, but also causing frequent loss of life and damage to property.

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11 Indian American authors make USA Today’s best sellers list WASHINGTON: USA Today unveiled its Best-Selling Books list, with dozens of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) writers among the group honored, including 11 Indian Americans. From memoirs and fiction to romances and humor, their works are as diverse and dynamic as the authors themselves. AAPI authors represent an important part of the ever-expanding and evolving American literary canon, USA Today wrote in its report.

Among the writers included were Kiran Desai, Dr Sanjay Gupta, Vice President Kamala Harris, Meena Harris, Mindy Kaling, Jhumpa Lahiri, Fatima Farheen Mirza, Siddhartha Mukherjee, Aimee Reshma Nezhukumatathil, Saujani and Thrity Umrigar.

The neurosurgeon, reporter and writer Gupta first hit the bestseller list in 2007 with his book, "Chasing Life: New

Discoveries in the Search for Immortality to Help You Age Less Today." He returned in 2012 with novel "Monday Mornings" and in 2021 with "Keep Sharp: Build a Better Brain at Any Age," USA Today said. Vice President Harris was also a USA Today bestselling author with two books. The first, "The Truths We Hold: An American Journey," explores her life as the daughter of immigrants.

A lawyer, entrepreneur and author, Meena Harris is also the niece of Kamala Harris. She hit the list recently with two children's books: "Kamala and Maya's Big Idea," inspired by a true story of sisters Kamala and Maya Harris as children working with their community to effect change; and "Ambitious Girl," about a young girl who sees the challenges faced by women when she sees a strong woman labeled as "too assertive" and "too ambitious,"

the report noted.

Actress, humorist and writer Kaling wrote two bestselling collections of essays: "Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)" and "Why Not Me?" Both books include her observations on life, romance, friendship and Hollywood. The daughter of Indian immigrants who emigrated to the UK, Lahiri moved to the US with her family when she was 3. Most of the author's notable works have been USA Today bestsellers, beginning with her Pulitzer Prize-winning "Interpreter of Maladies." Other bestsellers include "The Namesake," "Unaccustomed Earth," "The Lowland" and this year's "Whereabouts," an English translation of a story she originally wrote and published in Italian.

Mirza’s debut novel, "A Place for Us," hit the bestseller list in

2018. Readers follow the story of an Indian Muslim family in California on the eve of their eldest daughter's wedding. The Indian American physician Mukherjee, won the Pulitzer Prize for his bestselling nonfiction work, 2010's "The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer." The daughter of a Filipina mother and South Indian father, the prize-winning poet and Fellow Guggenheim Nezhukumatathil published her non-fiction debut "World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks and Other Astonishment" in 2020.

An attorney, activist and founder-CEO of Girls Who Code, Saujani published "Brave, Not Perfect: Fear Less, Fail More, and Live Bolder," which landed on the bestsellers list in 2019. Umrigar's "The Space Between Us" was released in 2006 and hit the list in 2018.

15-year-old Indian American wins Apple’s app challenge CALIFORNIA: Indian-American student Abinaya Dinesh, 15, has been chosen among the winners of annual ‘WWDC21 Swift Student Challenge’, Apple announced. She has created an app called Gastro at Home, which she plans to launch on the App Store this summer.

Passionate about the intersection of medicine and technology, Abinaya has helped other young women learn the basics of programming and machine learning in her hometown of North Brunswick, New Jersey.

“I went to a gastroenterologist and he diagnosed me with a pelvic floor disorder,” said Abinaya, “but then told me nothing about how I was supposed to get better.”

The ‘Gastro at Home’ app offers

Abinaya Dinesh

people with gastrointestinal disorders a way to access information and resources, especially because those types of conditions can sometimes be sensitive to talk about.

Apple has selected 350 Swift Student Challenge winners from 35 different countries and

Racist flyer targeting Indian Americans ahead of Edison mayoral campaign denounced NEW JERSEY: A flyer making the rounds throughout Edison, New Jersey, has caught the attention of Gov. Phil Murphy, who slammed it for its outright racism against Indian Americans. The New Jersey Globe reports that Murphy’s campaign condemns the flyer, which targeted Indian Americans of Gujarati origin by preying on decades of prejudice against Pakistan and Muslims.

“We strongly condemn the divisive, hatefilled campaign flyer being circulated in the Edison mayoral race,” said Mollie Binotto, Murphy’s campaign manager. “These unacceptable and cheap tactics seek to exploit racial animosity for political gain and have no place in Edison or anywhere else in New Jersey.

Voters in Edison’s diverse communities will reject this behavior on June 8.” The anonymous flyer seeks support for Democrat Sam Joshi by telling voters that he has the backing of a Sam Khan, a prominent leader in Edison’s Pakistani community, the Globe said. But the person who paid for the “Dear Neighbor” mailing was Corrado Belgiovine, a former Republican councilman in Woodcliff Lake and a supporter of Joshi’s primary opponent, Mahesh Bhagia, according to the publication.

regions, as it opens allvirtual ‘Worldwide Developers Conference 2021’ from June 7-11.

“We are incredibly proud that more young women applied and won than ever before, and we are committed to doing everything we can to nurture this progress and reach true gender parity,” said Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations and Enterprise and Education Marketing.

“I think it’s important that we keep pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, because nobody is going to do it for us,” said Abinaya, who is among the three young women winners.

Over the last year, Abinaya has also started her own non-profit, Impact AI, to foster learning and ethical practices in artificial intelligence among young people. As part of it, she launched an eight-week high school programme called ‘Girls in AI’, to teach young women the basics of programming and machine learning.

“I’m super big on teaching,” said Abinaya. “Showing the next generation that this technology exists and can lead to huge advancements in medicine and society is so important.” After she graduates high school, Abinaya has her sights set on either medical school or a degree in computer science so she can keep finding new ways to use technology to advance the medical field.

India-born engineer has key role in Nasa mission MELBOURNE: As the first leg of Artemis, NASA’s ambitious project to send a spacecraft into deep space, begins, overseeing the rocket’s core stage, or its backbone, will be Coimbatore-born Subashini Iyer. “It has been nearly 50 years since we last stepped on the moon … We are getting ready to take humans back to the moon and beyond, to Mars,” Iyer said. Artemis I will be an uncrewed flight of the spacecraft Orion, the first of three complex missions for exploration on the moon and Mars. Orion will travel 280,000 miles (over 4,50,000 km) from Earth, thousands of miles beyond the moon in a three-week mission. In that time, it will collect data while mission controllers will go over the performance of the spacecraft to set the stage for Artemis II, when a crewed spacecraft will orbit the moon.

Finally, in 2024, Artemis III will take astronauts to the moon. As the launch integrated product team lead with Boeing, Iyer is engaged with the component of the Artemis I which will take Orion into space the Space Launch System (SLS) - whose core stage arrived at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida in late April. She has been involved

with SLS for two years now. “SLS is the most powerful rocket in the world … Boeing is responsible for building the rocket’s core stage which contains the main propulsion system and avionics (electronic systems). It is designed to operate for about 500 seconds, reach 530,000 feet in altitude before breaking away. My role involves overseeing any postproduction support that NASA needs once the core stage is built and handed over to NASA,” Iyer said.“The major parts of the Artemis I rocket have all been built and tested separately. My team from Boeing … is going to support NASA at Kennedy Space Center with assembly, integration and testing. We will also be monitoring data displays and providing support on launch day.” The launch is scheduled for November this year.

Iyer was one of the first women to graduate in mechanical engineering in her college, VLB Janakiammal College, in 1992. “I was the fourth batch from my college with a mechanical engineering degree and one of the first women to do so. When I got placed, I was the only woman in my batch. I was asked to find another woman ‘for safety’. I had to convince a friend,” she said.

in brief JUDGE OVERTURNS CALIFORNIA’S ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN A federal judge in California overturned the state’s 3-decade old ban on assault weapons, which he called a “failed experiment”, prompting a retort from the state’s governor.

California prohibited the sale of assault weapons in 1989. The law was challenged in a suit filed in 2019. US district court Judge Roger Benitez wrote that sections of the state’s penal code that defined assault weapons and restricted their use were “declared unconstitutional and shall be enjoined”. But the judge said he had granted a 30-day stay of the ruling at the request of state attorney general Rob Bonta, a move that would allow Bonta to appeal. Benitez wrote that the case was about “what should be a muscular constitutional right and whether a state can force a gun policy choice that impinges on that right with a 30year-old failed experiment.” He wrote the firearms banned under the state’s law were not “bazookas, howitzers or machine guns,” but rather “fairly ordinary, popular, modern rifles.”

PENTAGON BARS PRIDE FLAGS ON INSTALLATIONS The Pentagon said that it would not make an exception to allow US military installations to fly rainbow pride flags in June, keeping a policy set by former President Donald Trump that limited the type of flags that could be flown on bases.

Earlier this week, President Joe Biden said that nearly 1,500 of his federal agency appointees identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer, in a proclamation marking the start of Pride Month. In July 2020, Trump’s Pentagon issued a policy authorising only certain flags on military installations and was seen as a way for then defence secretary Mark Esper to issue a de facto ban on displaying the Confederate flag without specifically mentioning it. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the decision was made because it could open the door for other challenges to the rule.

MYSTERIOUS BRAIN SYNDROME HITS 48 IN CANADA Forty-eight people from a small Canadian province struck with a baffling mix of symptoms, including insomnia, impaired motor function and hallucinations such as nightmarish visions of the dead. A quixotic neurologist is working 12-hour days to decipher the clues. Swirling conspiracy theories blaming the illness on cellphone towers, fracking or even Covid-19 vaccines.

These are just some plots of a mystery that has stumped the medical establishment, attracted the attention of some of the world’s top neurologists and fanned fears among residents of New Brunswick, a province of about 770,000. In the past six years, dozens have fallen ill from the disease, and six people have died. Medical experts said the murkiness surrounding the illness also reflected how, despite extraordinary advances in medical science, some conditions, in particular neurological diseases involving dementia, can puzzle even the world’s best scientific brains.

2 MYANMAR JOURNOS JAILED; EU TO IMPOSE NEW CURBS ON JUNTA A military court in Myanmar has sentenced two journalists to two years in prison for their reporting, a move that has been decried by rights groups as the latest assault on the free press since the country's coup. Aung Kyaw, 31, a reporter for the Democratic Voice of Burma, and Zaw Zaw, 38, a freelance reporter for online agency Mizzima, were convicted for “spreading misinformation that could incite unrest”. Meanwhile, the EU foreign affair chief Josep Borrell said the group of nations will impose a new round of sanctions on Myanmar’s junta and its economic interests in the coming days. Since the coup, EU sanctions have frozen assets or applied travel bans on 21 military and civilian members.

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Indian team returns from Dominica Twitter finally agrees to make appointments after court adjourns Choksi case A multi-agency team which had gone to Dominica for deportation of fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi returned to India in a Qatar Airways private jet after Dominica High Court adjourned the hearing, sources said. The jet carrying the team led by CBI DIG Sharda Raut departed the Melville Hall Airport in Dominica on June 3 and returned to the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi.

The team remained stationed for nearly seven days to bring Choksi, wanted in £1.35 billion bank fraud in Punjab National Bank, to India as legal battle continued in the courts of Dominica. On Thursday last, the Dominica High Court adjourned the hearing on a habeas corpus petition filed by Choksi's lawyers. A habeas corpus petition is filed for producing before a court a person who is under arrest or in unlawful detention.

It is likely that the next hearing may take place after a month and the businessman will remain in Dominica, local media

reported. Judge Bernie Stephenson will decide the next date of hearing after meeting both sides, media outlet Antigua News Room said. The adjournment is to allow the lawyers of Choksi and the Dominica government to agree on the language to be used with respect to the injunction filed to prevent his removal from Dominica, it said.

Thursday's hearing was conducted through videoconferencing with a group of protesters standing outside the High Court building in Roseau carrying placards with messages seeking to know the truth about the controversy.

"Who brought Choksi to Dominica?" read one of the placards, the photo of which was published by

many media outlets.

The judge had ordered production of Choksi before the magistrate to face charges of illegal entry into Dominica. The 62year-old wheelchair-bound diamantaire, who has a pending Interpol Red Notice against him, arrived before presiding Roseau Magistrate Court from the Dominica-China Friendship Hospital, where he is undergoing treatment. His application for bail was rejected.

Choksi and his nephew Nirav Modi had fled India in the first week of January 2018, weeks before the PNB scam rocked the Indian banking industry.

The duo allegedly bribed officials of the state-run bank to get Letters of Undertaking (LoU) on the

basis of which they availed loans from overseas banks that remained unpaid. The allegedly corrupt bank officials did not enter these LoUs in the core banking software of PNB, thus evading scrutiny.

The non-payment of these LoUs or bank guarantees worth £1.35 billion resulted in default and became a liability on the bank. Choksi had mysteriously gone missing on May 23 from Antigua and Barbuda, where he has been staying since 2018 as a citizen since he fled Delhi.

He was detained in neighbouring island country Dominica for illegal entry after a possible romantic escapade with his rumoured girlfriend.

His lawyers alleged that he was kidnapped from Jolly Harbour in Antigua by policemen looking like Antiguan and Indian and brought to Dominica on a boat. Modi escaped to Europe and was finally held in London, where he is contesting his extradition to India.

Choksi took the citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda in 2017.

India, Pak agree to clear assignment visas this month India and Pakistan seem close to resolving the thorny issue of assignment visas that has plagued bilateral ties for well over two years. According to a report, the two countries have arrived at an agreement that on June 16, they will approve all pending assignment visas for diplomats and other staff members. As per the understanding, both countries will approve the pending visas at the same time on that day.

On May 25, India had last month pulled out a few officials from its mission in Islamabad without waiting for Pakistan to approve visas for their replacements.

Despite having completed their tenure, these officials had been forced to stay put in Islamabad for a very long

period of time. With decisions on visas, and indeed all other issues in IndiaPakistan relations, based on reciprocity, or lack thereof, Pakistan too has been waiting for India to approve visas for diplomats and other staff members. In the case of India, it’s learnt that close to 30 staff members, including several diplomats, are awaiting visa.

Timely clearance of assignment visas, or visas meant for diplomats and foreign government officials to allow them to carry out their duties on behalf of their national governments, is essential for smooth functioning of foreign missions. More so in the case of India and Pakistan with both countries having already halved the strength of their

respective missions after India’s decision to downgrade ties last year. Even before that, Pakistan had recalled its high commissioner after India’s decision to revoke the special status of Jammu & Kashmir, forcing India to the follow suit.

The visa concurrence, if it plays out the way it’s intended to on June 16, will be a significant and welcome development allowing both sides to carry out normal diplomatic activities. However, as sources said, it would be premature to see it as a sign of thaw in relations. The talk about a possible rapprochement after the February ceasefire agreement has fizzled out in the past couple of months despite reported attempts, apparently at the behest of

Passports of students, athletes to be linked with vaccination proof People going abroad for education, jobs or as part of Indian contingent for Tokyo Olympic, will have to get their CoWIN vaccination certificates linked to their passport. They can also take the second dose of vaccine after 28 days, the Centre said as part of a new set of rules for vaccination. The facility shall be available to those who need to undertake international travel for the specified purposes till August 31, the government said.

The new rules also said that mention of vaccine type as "Covishield" is sufficient and "no other qualifying entries are

required", the government added, setting off questions whether the Vaccine developed by the Oxford University and Astrazeneca is only acceptable abroad. "It is clarified that Covishield, produced by the Serum Institute of India and approved by the DCGI is one of the vaccines by the WHO for use as on 3rd June 2021," read a government order.

"States/UT governments shall designate a competent authority in each district for according permission for such administration of second dose of Covishield," the order added.

UAE, to bring the two countries closer and ensure that they restore full diplomatic ties.

Approval of official visas will allow them to maintain the status quo though.

as per new IT rules The government’s ugly fracas with Twitter over the new IT rules may all but end with the American microblogging giant said to have agreed to make key appointments in line with statutory requirements. The officers would be based out of India, although they are likely to be employees of the parent company (headquarters) instead of the Indian operations, top sources said.

This would be the second instance in the last four months when Twitter has done a volte-face after taking a strong and opposing position the first episode happening in February when it grudgingly agreed to take down over 1,400 accounts, but not before vociferously refusing to do so initially despite the IT Ministry’s diktat over taking action. The accounts had been flagged by the government with regards to ‘inflammatory’ tweets related to the farmers protests and the controversial farm laws.

The sources said that the company now seems to have mellowed down again after it received a green signal from the headquarters in the US with regards to the contentious issue of appointment of three statutory officers. These are for grievance redressal; compliance; apart from a nodal officer. When contacted, Twitter did not confirm, but said, “We have assured the Government of India that Twitter is making every effort to comply with the new Guidelines, and an overview on our progress has

been duly shared. We will continue our constructive dialogue with the Indian Government."

Twitter also said that it “has been and remains deeply committed to India, and serving the vital public conversation taking place on the service.” The action by the company comes after the government warned it of “consequences” under IPC as it issued “one last notice” to the microblogging giant, asking it to comply with the statutory provisions or else risk losing legal immunity from any thirdparty content posted on the platform.

Twitter and the IT Ministry had been at loggerheads since the announcement of the new Rules. On May 27, Twitter – in a surprisingly scathing attack accused the Indian government of “dangerous overreach that is inconsistent with open, democratic principles”, and said that it has been forced to ‘withhold’ (block in India) portions of “legitimate free speech” on its platform over fears around the safety of its employees and threats of financial penalties.

The government had, however, shot back at the company, accusing it of deliberately subverting the law of the land and trying to “dictate” its terms even while using “opaque policies” to “arbitrarily” suspend user accounts and delete tweets.

SC-government tiff brews over vax policy, ordinance A confrontation has been brewing between the Supreme Court and Centre over the past weeks with the two constitutional entities locking horns, first over Covid-19 vaccination and pricing policies, and then over promulgation of Tribunal Reforms Ordinance, which is allegedly in utter disregard of apex court judgments.

If a bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud, L N Rao and S R Bhat had termed the Centre’s Covid-19 vaccination policy for the 18-44 age group as “prima facie arbitrary and irrational” in an order published on Wednesday last, another bench of Justices Rao, Hemant Gupta and Bhat on Thursday last said the ordinance was a reflection of the Centre's "recalcitrant and adamant" attitude in attempting to override the mandate given by the SC. During the hearing on Covid-19 management issues on May 31, solicitor

general Tushar Mehta repeatedly and firmly appealed to the SC not to step into the executive’s policy domain by seeking to tweak policy frameworks.

Mehta had said the judiciary was barred from substituting the executive’s wisdom with its own.

The SC had conceded that policy-making was within the executive’s sole domain but said it would not be a silent spectator when policies breached the constitutional rights of citizens.

On Thursday, the bench

of Justices Rao, Gupta and Bhat reserved its order on petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Tribunal Reforms (Rationalisation and Conditions of Service) Ordinance, 2021, which sought to differ from the SC mandate for a five-year tenure to chairpersons and members of tribunals by prescribing a four-year tenure; also fixing eligibility age at 50, which negated the court order for allowing lawyers with 10 years experience to be in the zone of consideration.

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SOUTH INDIA

Clamour for leadership change in Karnataka becomes louder BENGALURU: Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa said he will continue to hold the top post in the state “as long as the Delhi high command has confidence in me” as the buzz of a change in the southern state’s leadership has been doing the rounds. "The day they will say they don't want me, I will resign and work day and night for the development of the state," Yediyurappa said in response to a question on attempts to replace him.

"I'm in no confusion. They (high command) have given me an opportunity, I'm trying beyond my strength to utilise the opportunity for good. Rest is left for the high command,” he said while speaking to reporters.

The clamour for a leadership change in Karnataka unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party has grown louder with increasing instances of conflict within the

BS Yediyurappa

BJP and the Yediyurappa-led government. The defeat in the Maski by-polls and wafer thin margin of victory in Belagavi Lok Sabha by-elections has also gone against the 78-year-old chief minister.

Yediyurappa’s relationship with BJP’s central leadership has soured over the last few months.

The chief minister has been forced to secure his chair, assuage dissents within his own government and party as well as lead the calamity-prone state out of the raging Covid-19

pandemic at the same time.

Many have also said his handling of the pandemic in the state hasn’t been very good.

At least two BJP leaders, including one minister, went to Delhi in May, purportedly to meet the top brass in connection with a change in possible leadership in the state. In response to their Delhi visit, Yediyurappa said his only priority was to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic. “I only have Covid in front of me. To control it and people’s welfare is my only priority. If someone went to someplace, they have been sent back with an answer,” Yediyurappa said.

The Karnataka chief minister also responded to a question on "alternate leadership”. “I will not criticise anyone. I won't agree that there

is no alternate person. There will always be alternate persons in the state and the country, so I won't agree that there are no alternate persons in Karnataka, but until the high command has confidence in me I will continue as the chief minister,” he said.

Yediyurappa’s deputy CN Ashwathnarayan said that here is no question of him stepping down. “No such discussions are happening. He only made a statement that he is willing to abide by whatever decision the party takes as he is a disciplined soldier of the party,” he said.

BJP’s national general secretary CT Ravi also said that Yediyurappa will continue as the chief minister. "We do not have any such ideas to bring down Yediyurappa from the chief minster's post and we have unanimously selected him as the Chief Minister. Rumours must be set aside," Ravi said.

PUNJAB

Punjab stops sale of Centre-allocated vaccines to private hospitals CHANDIGARH: Under fire from the opposition and the Centre on the charge of profiteering amid a pandemic, the Punjab government withdrew its order on selling Centre-allocated Covid-19 vaccines to private hospitals.

The Congress government said the decision had not been taken in the "right spirit".

The Amarinder Singh-led state government has been at the receiving end for diverting vaccine doses allocated by the Centre to private hospitals in the state and earning a profit.

The government is alleged to have sold doses of Covaxin, procured for Rs 400, to private health facilities for Rs 1,060. The private hospitals then charged people Rs 1,560 a shot.

According to the government, about 42,000 doses were allotted to private hospitals. Of these, it claimed, only 600 doses were administered to people in the age group of 18-44 years.

The state government has directed private hospitals to

return all vaccine doses available with them, while the doses that they have utilised are to be returned once they get direct supplies from manufacturers.

The government will refund the amount deposited by the private hospitals in the vaccine fund.

Punjab health minister Balbir Singh Sidhu said the instruction to provide one-time limited vaccine doses to private hospitals has been withdrawn on the directions of the chief minister, Capt Amarinder Singh.

He said instructions have been issued to all civil surgeons not to make fresh allotments to private hospitals. Sidhu said since the Punjab government was committed to providing all treatment services to Covid patients without discrimination at government hospitals, vaccines also would be free. He said the state government had already declared in Budget 202122 that each eligible beneficiary would be vaccinated for free and that the state would bear all expenses.

WEST BENGAL

Did not ‘abstain’ from PM’s meet: former Bengal CS replies to govt notice KOLKATA: Former Bengal chief secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay wrote to the Union home ministry last week, denying he had "abstained" from PM Narendra Modi’s May 28 cyclone review meeting in Kalaikunda. Bandyopadhyay, now CM Mamata Banerjee’s chief adviser, said he attended the meeting and then left on Mamata's instructions - to whom he used to "report" as the state chief secretary - to conduct and coordinate post-cyclone review meetings in East Midnapore.

New chief secretary HK Dwivedi also wrote a separate letter to the central department of personnel and training, stating that Bandyopadhyay retired from service on Monday last - before the central government's second letter instructing him to report to

Delhi’s North Block arrived. He had chosen not to accept the three-month extension given to him on May 24 before getting the second letter, Dwivedi’s letter mentioned. "Both replies have been sent," a senior state government officer confirmed.

The Union home ministry had issued the notice to Bandyopadhyay earlier, asking him to explain why action should not be taken against him under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, for not attending the PM’s review meeting on May 28.

Mamata offers full support to Alapan Mamata had reiterated her government’s “full support” Bandyopadhyay “on whatever was going on with him”, adding that “the case, the chapter was over now.”

The state government has insisted that there was no question of

skipping the PM’s review meet as both Banerjee and Bandyopadhyay had a “brief interaction” with the PM and left for an inspection of cyclone-hit areas after “seeking his permission”. The Alapan Bandyopadhyay letters came a few at this critical hour”. Sources days after the Centre gave said the “offence” under Section Bandyopadhyay a three-month 51(b) of the DM Act entails extension as Bengal’s chief criminal action and provides for secretary following a state a maximum one year jail term government request, which said upon conviction. The move, his services were needed because which is likely to escalate of the pandemic. tensions between the Centre Bandyopadhyay chose to take and Mamata, saw MHA seeking retirement instead of reporting an explanation “in writing” from to Delhi and was made the CM’s the ex-bureaucrat within three chief adviser. days, as to why action should Banerjee had told Modi that not be taken against him for Bengal “cannot release and is violating the DM Act. not releasing its chief secretary

in brief COVID KILLS LIONESS IN TN ZOO, NINE OTHERS TEST +VE A nine-year-old lioness died of suspected Coronavirus infection at the Arignar Anna Zoological Park in Vandalur near Chennai. Nine other lions at the zoo have tested positive for SARS CoV-2. Samples collected from the animals were sent to National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases, Bhopal, which confirmed the infection. According to protocol, any suspected death due to the virus in zoos is reconfirmed by Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly, and Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad.

Samples have been sent to these institutes for confirmation. According to zoo authorities, the CCMB will carry out genome sequencing of the virus strain to understand zoonotic transmission to prevent infection spread. All animal-keepers and helpers in the zoo have been inoculated. A separate team of animal-keepers has been engaged for each group of lions.

TN EXTENDS COVID LOCKDOWN TILL JUNE 14 The Covid-19 lockdown in Tamil Nadu has been extended for another week, Chief Minister MK Stalin announced as the government announced two sets of relaxations for 11 hotspot districts and the rest of the state. The lockdown, set to end on Monday, will now be in place till June 14.

Coimbatore, Nilgiris, Tiruppur, Erode, Salem, Karur, Namakkal, Tanjore, Thiruvarur, Nagapattinam and Mayiladuthurai make up the hotspot districts where restriction will continue due to high rate of infection. The public has been advised to make purchases from the neighbourhood shops and avoid stepping out of home. They have also been asked to limit the use of personal vehicles.

Housekeeping staff has been allowed back at apartments and office complexes but need an e-registration. Autos with two passengers and cabs with three are allowed as well with the required e-pass.

3 SUSPENDED AAP MLAS JOIN CONG Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh welcomed three suspended Aam Aadmi Party MLAs to the Congress minutes before leaving for Delhi to meet with the party high command amid infighting in the state unit. AAP leaders Sukhpal Singh Khaira, Jagdev Singh Kamalu and Pirmal Singh Dhaula joined the Congress after their entry was approved by party chief Sonia Gandhi, the Chief Minister said. Khaira, who was Leader of Opposition in Punjab, joined the party led by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in December 2015 after leaving Congress. He was elected from Bholath on an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ticket in 2017. He quit AAP in January 2019 and started his own outfit, Punjabi Ekta Party. Amarinder went to Delhi to meet a three-member Congress panel formed to resolve the infighting in the state.

MAMATA’S NEPHEW NAMED TMC GENERAL SECY Abhishek Banerjee, Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee’s nephew, was anointed Trinamool Congress’ national general secretary even as CM Banerjee delivered a stern “zerotolerance” message against corruption, urged her colleagues to shun “displays of power” and proposed implementation of the oneleader-one-post formula. TMC effected few other changes in key leadership roles at its first organisational meet after the massive assembly poll mandate, making trusted Abhishek aide Kunal Ghosh its state general secretary, actor Saayoni Ghosh its youth wing chief and Barrackpore MLA and director Raj Chakraborty the head of its cultural wing. The meeting did not take a stand on TMC-to-BJP turncoats’ pleas to be taken back.

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Free jabs for all, Centre takes back control of vaccines from states In an address to the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the Centre would provide vaccines free of charge to all above 18 from June 21 and would take back control of vaccination from states, reversing a policy change that was enforced just about a month ago.

"The Centre is taking back total control of vaccination now. It will take over the 25 per cent doses assigned to states and this will be implemented in the next two weeks. From June 21 (International Day of Yoga), the Centre will provide free vaccines to states," PM Modi announced and parried criticism of his government's policy and a slow rollout that has covered less than five per cent of the population.

"Whether it is the poor, the lower middle class, the middle class, or the upper middle class, under the central government programme, everyone will get free vac-

cines," the Prime Minister said. The Centre will buy 75 per cent of the vaccines produced by companies, including 25 per cent assigned to states. Private hospitals will continue to buy the remaining 25 per cent and inoculate those willing to pay for their jabs. They can't, however, charge more than Rs 150 as service charge per dose over the fixed price of the vaccine, the PM said.

Under the earlier policy, the central government gave free vaccines to those above 45 and frontline workers, and left state governments and private hospitals to administer doses at a cost to people between 18 and 44. States were also providing free shots to this group.

In a speech that took on critics, PM Modi put out an emphatic defence of his vaccine policy, which has lately come under attack by states, opposition parties and the Supreme Court.

States had complained about having to buy doses at higher prices

compared to what the Centre paid vaccine makers. Chief Ministers like Arvind Kejriwal (Delhi) had demanded that the Centre buy doses and provide them to states free of cost. The Prime Minister sought to point out that the vaccine drive was decentralized because states had complained about disparities. "Many states demanded vaccinations to be decentralized. Some voices even questioned prioritising certain age groups, including the elderly," he said.

India's vaccine policy had been a success because of "good intentions and clear policy", PM Modi asserted, comparing his government's performance on that score to its predecessors. "In 2014, India had 60% vaccine coverage, we managed to take it past 90% during our term," PM Modi said. He said India's fight against the second wave of the coronavirus was on.

"Against an unseen, shapeshifting

Covid left 3,632 kids orphans, NCPCR tells SC As data from different states are being collated to track children who were orphaned or lost one of the parents after Covid-19 hit the country last year, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights told the Supreme Court.

Accordindg to NCPCR there are over 30,000 children who need care and protection in the aftermath of the pandemic.

Filing an affidavit in the apex court, the Commission said Covid had left 3,632 children orphaned while 26,176 lost one parent between April1last year and June 5 this year. The NCPCR also clarified that it compiled the data as per the information uploaded by state governments on its portal and it also contains those cases where parents

may have died due to nonCovid diseases.

It said the figure is likely to increase as many states have not collected all information on such children, particularly in rural areas, and some of the states like Delhi and West Bengal have so far not initiated the exercise.

The affidavit, filed by advocate Swarupama Chaturvedi, said around 274 children were abandoned in the last one year and majority of the affected children (around 20,000 out of 30,000) belonged to the 0-13 age group. As per the report, the largest number of such children are from Maharashtra, followed by

UP, Andhra and Kerala.

As Additional Solicitor General K M Nataraj brought to the court's notice that Delhi and West Bengal failed to comply with its order to provide information, a bench of Justices L Nageswara Rao and Aniruddha Bose pulled them up for not complying with its order. It directed them to immediately take steps to collate information and upload all information on NCPCR’s newly created Bal Swaraj portal.

US to ease vax input supply: Harris speaks to PM Modi US Vice-President Kamala Harris spoke to PM Narendra Modi to brief him about the Biden administration’s new vaccine policy that will clear supply chains for AstraZeneca and Novavax vaccine, helping boost production of Serum Institute of India’s Covishield.

The US also launched a vaccine sharing initiative where it would share 25 million doses with dozens of countries around the world, including India. The White House told journalists it would be lifting restrictions on export of components for AstraZeneca and Novavax vaccines, which will help SII to substantially increase vaccine production.

"Spoke to @VP Kamala Harris a short while ago. I deeply appreciate the assurance of vaccine supplies to India as part of the US Strategy for Global Vaccine Sharing. I also thanked her for all the support and solidarity from the US government, businesses and Indian diaspora,” PM Modi tweeted.

US decision to allow SII to boost vaccine production An official readout of the Modi-Harris

conversation said Harris briefed Modi about “US plans to make vaccines against Covid-19 available to other countries, including India, under its ‘Strategy for Global Vaccine Sharing’. The leaders discussed ongoing efforts to strengthen the health supply chain between the US and India, including in the area of vaccine manufacturing. They highlighted the potential of the India-US partnership as well as the Quad vaccine initiative in addressing the long-term health impact of the pandemic”.

At a briefing, Jake Sullivan, the US NSA, said, “President made a commitment to ensure that India received doses and giving them an allocation not just under the regional portion of this through COVAX but an additional allocation from our discretionary portion...was something he wanted to do.” He said the US would share 80 million doses by the end of June, but that this is only the beginning of the US sharing vaccines with other countries without any preconditions.”

enemy, our biggest weapon is maintaining Covid protocol like masks and distancing.

Vaccines are our shield," he said.

"If we did not have a made-inIndia vaccine, can you imagine what would have happened in a country like India?" He pointed out that earlier, India would take decades to get vaccines from abroad. "The pace at which it was going, it would take 40 years for 100 per cent coverage," he said.

Seven companies are producing various vaccines against the coronavirus and the trial of three more vaccines is at an advanced stage, the Prime Minister explained, addressing concerns that India may fall short of doses for its goal of vaccinating all by the year-end.

The process of buying vaccines from companies of other countries

Narendra Modi

had also been fast-tracked. PM Modi said research is ongoing on a nasal spray vaccine which, if successful, can significantly boost India's vaccination drive. The Supreme Court last week called the policy of free vaccines for people who are above 45 and paid doses for the 18-44 group "arbitrary and irrational". The court asked the centre to review its policy and "place on record a roadmap of projected availability of vaccines till 31 December 2021". The Centre was asked to furnish complete details on its vaccination policy, including all documents and file notings, and also clarify how £3.5 billion announced in the Budget was used in procuring vaccines.

Daily Covid cases in India fall below 100,000 after 63 days India on Tuesday registered 86,498 fresh Covid-19 cases, the lowest in over two months, pushing the country's recovery rate to 94.29 per cent. India's active caseload has further declined to 13,03,702, a decrease of 97,907 in the past 24 hours. After over 182,000 patients' recovery in the past 24 hours, the total recoveries have climbed to 2,73,41,462.

Notably, the recoveries have continued to outnumber the daily Covid cases for the 26th consecutive day. While the weekly positivity rate currently stands at 5.94 per cent, the daily positivity rate has dropped to 4.62 per cent, less than 10 per cent for 15 consecutive days.

India also saw 2,123 deaths in the past 24 hours, as per the Union health ministry, taking the death toll in the country to 3,51,309.

The testing capacity has been substantially ramped up. A total of 18,73,485 samples were tested in the past 24 hours.

The maximum number of casualties were reported in Tamil Nadu (351), followed

by Karnataka with 340 deaths. The top five states that have registered the maximum Covid cases in the past 24 hours are Tamil Nadu with 19,448 cases, followed by Karnataka with 11,958 cases, Maharashtra with 10,219 cases, Kerala with 9,313 cases and Odisha with 6,118 cases.

Cases falling faster in north than in south As the second wave of Covid-19 continues to recede, a curious north-south divide has emerged in the falling trends. In most states of northern India, cases have been declining in double quick time, literally, as compared with Maharashtra and the southern states. Since hitting its peak on May 9, the seven-day rolling average of daily cases in Haryana has declined at an average rate of 8.9% each day (till June 3), the sharpest among 18 major states. The decline has been almost as dramatic in Rajasthan (8.5%), Delhi (8.2%), Bihar (8.1%), Uttar Pradesh (7.8%) and Uttarakhand (7.6%).

In Maharashtra and across the south, the fall has been much more gradual, ranging from 2.7% in Tamil Nadu to 4.2% in Andhra Pradesh. This means that in most states of north India, cases have been falling at more than twice the rate of decline seen in the south and Maharashtra.

For each state, the rate of fall was calculated from the time the seven-day average of daily cases hit its peak. Nationally, cases have fallen at a daily average of 3.7% since hitting a peak on May 8. The difference between the rates of decline in north and south India is

too stark for it to be just a statistical quirk.

Experts pointed to the faulty Covid reporting systems in the north as one possible reason for the divide.

States easing restrictions With India recording a steady drop in its daily Covid tally, some states across India have started the process of ‘unlocking’ by gradually easing coronavirus-induced restrictions and curfews. From Delhi to Tamil Nadu - several states have announced plans to relax lockdowns, based on their weekly positive rates and the occupancy of oxygen beds in hospitals. However, there are also some states, like Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh and Goa, that have decided to continue with lockdown in view of the Covid-19 situation in the respective states.

Delhi Following a significant dip in Covid-19 cases and deaths in the national capital, the Delhi government announced that it began ‘unlock’ process from Monday, easing restrictions across sectors including markets and metro services. According to the latest Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) order, shops inside malls, markets and market complexes (except weekly markets) shall remain open between 10 am and 8 pm on an odd-even basis. This means shops would open on alternate days depending on the number allotted to them by the concerned market association.

Maharashtra The Maharashtra government has announced a five-level unlock plan based on the positivity rate and occupancy of oxygenated beds in each district. The strategy will be implemented as soon as district and civic authorities issue orders in their respective areas. Under this plan, districts falling under “Level 1” will have the least restrictions, while those in “Level 5” will have lockdown-like curbs. Malls, theatres, shops, gyms and restaurants can resume normal operations in Level 1 districts. In Level 2 districts, malls and theatres can operate at 50 per cent capacity while in districts falling in Levels 3, 4 and 5, these can function with some restrictions. Mumbai falls under Level 2.

Gujarat The Gujarat government, too, has revised its lockdown restriction strategy to permit shops to re-open from June 4. Shops can remain open between 9 am to 6 pm across the state. It has also permitted home delivery of food till 10 pm. Offices in Gujarat have been allowed to function without any restrictions from June 7 onwards.

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Lakshadweep locals seethe Administrator wants to develop over govt's tourism plans Lakshadweep like Maldives Numerous people in Lakshadweep held an underwater protest and staged a 12hour fast demanding administrator Praful Patel's recall for his 'anti- people' measures and seeking withdrawal of draft legislation on development.

The protestors, both under sea water and outside of their homes, held placards with slogans like "Revoke LDAR" (Lakshadweep Development Authority Regulation) and "Justice for Lakshadweep." The people who took to protest came under the banner of "save Lakshadweep forum" and posted pictures of protest in social media.

Opposition parties in Lakshadweep and in Kerala have alleged that Patel unilaterally lifted restrictions on the use of alcohol in the Muslim-majority islands, banned beef products, citing Animal Preservation and demolished fishermen's sheds built on the coastal areas, saying they violated the Coast Guard Act. The BJP has, however, defended Patel, claiming that the protests were a result of his efforts to end "corrupt practices" involving local politicians and usher in development there. In Kochi United Democratic Front parliamentarians from Kerala staged a protest in front of the Lakshadweep Administrator's Office in solidarity with the protestors, demanding withdrawal of the proposed "anti-people laws" by the union government. "The islanders held a peaceful protest today. Almost all the establishments, shops and commercial establishments were closed. Almost everyone in the island took part in the protest," Hamdullah Sayeed, former Lakshadweep IUML MP, said.

He said Lakshadweep is closely associated with Kerala in every aspect and the administrator was trying to "separate the islands" from the state. IUML MP E T

Mohammed Basheer, who inaugurated the protest, termed as "undemocratic" the actions of the administrator and demanded withdrawal of regulations and executive orders passed after May 12. AIYF, the youth wing of the CPI, a major ally in the LDF government in Kerala, also protested in front of the Administrator's office. All MPs from except Rahul Gandhi, K Kerala, Muraleedharan, K Sudhakaran, Kodikunnil Suresh, Sashi Tharoor, Adoor Prakash and N K Premachandran, took part in the protest.

The Lakshadweep people are demanding repeal of the proposed LDAR, the Lakshadweep Prevention of Anti-Social Activities Regulation (PASA or Goondas Act) and the Lakshadweep Animal Preservation Regulation (LAPR). Social media was flooded with #SaveLakshadweep with islanders posting pictures of their protests.

Expressing solidarity with the people of Lakshadweep, the Kerala Legislative Assembly had unanimously passed a resolution, demanding the recall of Patel and requesting the Centre's immediate intervention "to protect the lives and livelihood of the islanders." An archipelago in the Arabian Sea, Lakshadweep has been witnessing protests by locals over the recent actions and administrative reforms being implemented by Patel.

22 dead in ‘mock oxygen drill’ at Agra hospital on April 26?

UP’s health department has set up a probe after the owner of a prominent private hospital in Agra was caught on camera purportedly saying that on the morning of April 26 he got the oxygen supply of critical patients snapped for five minutes "as an experiment to know who all are going to survive".

Twenty-two of the patients, both in the Covid and nonCovid wards, may not have made it out alive.

"There was an acute shortage of oxygen.

Modinagar had run out of it.

We were asking people to discharge (take away) their patients but no one was ready. So I decided to conduct an experiment… a mock drill of sorts. We snapped the oxygen supply for five minutes on April 26, at 7am.

Twenty-two patients started gasping for breath and their bodies began turning blue. So we came to know that they will not survive in case there is no oxygen. Then, family members of the remaining 74 patients in the ICU wards were told to bring their own oxygen cylinders," Arinjay Jain, owner of Paras Hospital on NH 2, is heard saying in the video clip, which has now gone viral.

When contacted, chief

medical officer of Agra district, Dr RC Pandey, said, "We have taken cognisance of the video.

A committee has been constituted to investigate the matter."

Jain, meanwhile, said that his statement has been "misconstrued".

While not denying that it was him in the video, he said, "We had conducted a mock drill to identify critical patients and better serve them.

Four Covid-19 patients died on April 26 and three on April 27." Asked if a total of 22 had died due to lack of oxygen, he said he "did not have the exact numbers".

District magistrate Prabhu N Singh said, "The hospital has a large ICU ward and other deaths may have occurred. The content of the video is being investigated in detail." A resident of Agra’s Jeevani Mandi area, Mayank Chawla’s grandfather had died on April 26 at the hospital. “It is shocking to see the owner of the hospital narrating the inhuman act of switching off oxygen supply to patients in critical condition."

Lakshadweep administrator and a former Gujarat BJP leader Praful Khoda Patel who is facing stringent criticism over a slew of regulations that he intends to bring to the islands, claimed he has no malafide intentions, and that his decisions will only usher in development.

The draft Lakshadweep Development Authority Regulation (LDAR) 2021 grants the administrator the power to “declare any area to be a planning area” on the islands, for the purpose of development, and will also allow the administrator to acquire any land required for a public purpose under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.

Speaking to a news agency, Patel said he intends to develop Lakshadweep like neighbouring Maldives, a renowned international tourist destination. “The draft Lakshadweep Authority Development Regulation will usher in

development and go a long way in improving the social and economic indicators on the islands, which have so far lagged behind despite having the potential”.

Patel added: Praful Khoda Patel “The islands are low per capita income and similar to Maldives and we high unemployment level want to develop them on of 13 per cent, according to similar lines. We want to the statistics made available develop sustainable by the authorities in the infrastructure and promote UT. sustainable tourism.”

In 2007, the then On an average, 5 lakh Planning Commission travellers land on the prepared a ‘Lakshadweep islands every year, Development report’, in according to officials in the which it noted that while UT who said the island has the neighbouring island huge potential for tourism. countries like Maldives At present, tourism activity developed their tourism is restricted to only potential and prospered, government operations and the UT could not. “Despite an entry permit is its small size in terms of mandatory for all tourists geographical land mass, it visiting the islands. has a large territorial water Lakshadweep is an (20,000 square km) and archipelago of 36 islands, of exclusive economic zone which 11 are inhabited.

(400,000 sq km), which They have a total makes it strategically geographical area of 32 sq important for the country,” km and the population of the report notes. approximately 70,000 has a

Gandhiji's great-granddaughter jailed in cheating case Ashish Lata Ramgobin, Mahatma Gandhi's greatgranddaughter, has been sentenced to seven years in jail by a South African court in a 6-million-rand cheating case. According to a report, Lata Ramgobin, 56, was pronounced guilty of defrauding industrialist SR Maharaj, who had paid 62,00,000 rands (around £330,000) to her to clear the custom and import duties of a consignment from India that never arrived. He had been promised a cut in the profit for extending the financial help.

Lata is the daughter of activists Ela Gandhi and late

Ashish Lata Ramgobin

Mewa Ramgobind. In 2015, during the trial, Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi of the National Prosecuting Authority had said Lata had forged fake receipts and documents to prove that the containers carrying linen were arriving in South Africa from India.

The court had granted

her bail on a 50,000-rand surety. Maharaj's company, New Africa Alliance Footwear, deals with the export, manufacturing and sale of clothes, linen and shoes. It also provides financial help to companies.

The court was informed that Lata had met Maharaj in August 2015 and had told him that she had ordered three linen containers from India for the South African hospital group, Netcare. She had also entered a contract with Maharaj. Maharaj had filed a police complaint after he came to know that the shipment was not arriving in South Africa.

PMLA court: Banks can take over Mallya assets worth £560 mn In two separate orders, the special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court has allowed the plea of SBI-led consortium of banks to restore to it properties collectively worth £560 million of absconding businessman Vijay Mallya. Through an order on May 24, the court restored assets worth around £423.3 million. The latest order related to assets worth £141.1 million.

In both orders, the court held that prima facie Mallya and his firms were involved in falsification of accounts and misappropriation of funds.

The assets include underconstruction properties in Kingfisher Tower, Vittal Mallya Road, Bengaluru, spread over 245.000 sq ft and worth over £56.4 million, multiple floors of a tower at UB City, Bengaluru valued at £71.3million (as per the ready reckoner rate in 2016) and a land parcel along with a farm house at Mandwa, Alibaug,

worth around £2.5 million. In addition, bank deposits and pledged shares are also to be restored. While some assets are in Mallya’s name, others are held through his companies.

In 2019, the SBI-led consortium of 12 banks had submitted the application seeking “restoration” of the properties attached by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) under the provisions of the PMLA. It was alleged that the banks that had disbursed loans to Mallya and his companies had suffered losses of over £620 million due to their criminal actions.

Mallya’s defence had opposed the plea stating he had given only a personal guarantee and that could not connect him to the alleged money laundering. Refuting the arguments, the court said that Mallya had full control and command over Kingfisher Airlines Ltd. It said that despite having

no offshore operations, its accounts indicated expenditure of fuel for ‘aircraft operating offshore’.

ED transfers UBL shares United Breweries said the ED has transferred 413,00,000 equity shares of the Mallya-promoted firm worth over £560 million to the Demat account of recovery officer of the Debt Recovery Tribunal. In March 2019, United Breweries informed the stock exchanges that the Debt Recovery Tribunal in Bengaluru had transferred a 2.80 per cent stake worth over £102.5 million held by Mallya-promoted United Breweries (Holdings) Ltd in the company in its name. Dutch beer maker Heineken owns a 46.69 per cent stake in United Breweries. Based on the current trading price of United Breweries at Rs 1,359.10 per share on BSE, 4,13,15,690 equity shares of the company are worth £561.5 millon.

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HEALTH

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12 - 18 June 2021

Eat two servings of fruit every day to lower risk of Type 2 Diabetes Researchers at Australia's Edith Cowan University (ECU) have found that study participants who ate two servings of fruit daily had a 36 per cent lower chance of developing type 2 diabetes. Nicola Bondonna, PhD, lead author of the study and researcher at the ECU's Institute for Nutrition Research said in a press release, “We found an association between fruit intake and markers of insulin sensitivity, suggesting that people who consumed more fruit had to produce less insulin to lower their blood glucose levels.”

She added, “This is important because high levels of circulating insulin can damage blood vessels and are related not only to diabetes, but also to high blood pressure, obesity, heart disease.” and Bondonno and her colleagues analyzed data from 7,675 Australians who participated in the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute's AusDiab Study

to assess intake of fruit and fruit juice and the rate of diabetes after 5 years.

They reported that the participants who had high intake of fruit had better measures for both glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity. Lauri Wright, PhD, RDN, LD/N, assistant professor in public health at the University of North Florida, said the results aren't surprising. “The findings reinforce the power of nutrition and food in preventing and managing the development of chronic disease such as diabetes. The results are very important because many people falsely believe that fruit should not be consumed by people with diabetes,” she said in an interview.

She added, “Fruits are a great choice for lowering diabetes risk because of their fiber content and natural sugar content. Dried fruits and juice are more concentrated sources of sugar, so limiting the portion size is important.” She recommends losing weight and increasing physical activity in particular.

She says, “Not only does exercise help control your weight, but it also improves insulin activity.

Emphasize whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.

Choose lean meats, including fish, and dairy. This is a meal pattern very similar to the Mediterranean diet, which has been shown to improve blood sugar control in diabetics and pre diabetics.”

Fit body is essential for building mental strength It is indeed an undeniable fact that a fit body paves the way for building mental strength. Ever since Covid-19 entered our lives, we have been locked in and practicing social distancing norms.

Our so-called Zumba and gym sessions have come to a halt since stepping out is too risky and makes us prone to catching the virus.

Additionally, work from home has eventually triggered the concept of fitness from home.

With the technological adoption in the fitness industry, the live studio workout sessions, learning yoga or dancing at home under the assistance of experts and trainers, and connected fitness technological solutions have made exercising effortless, fun, and engaging. Considering that stepping out is risky, exercising at home becomes all the more essential. The reasons for at-home fitness are many ranging from the trend of helping in staying fit to maintaining our body weight to de-stressing while working out right at the comfort zone of your homes!

Prenatal exposure to paracetamol associated with ADHD in child: Study A new study published in the European Journal of Epidemiology finds that pregnant women's paracetamol intake is directly associated with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and autism symptoms in children. Led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), the study of more than 70,000 children in six European cohorts has linked both parameters.

The six cohorts in the study included: Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, Danish National Birth Cohort, Gene and Environment: Prospective Study on Infancy in Italy, Generation R Study, INMA, and Mother-Child Cohort in Crete.

Researchers studied 73,881 children for whom data were available on prenatal or postnatal exposure to paracetamol, showed signs of at least one symptom of ASC or ADHD and main covariates. Children exposed to paracetamol before birth were 19 per cent more likely to develop ASC symptoms and 21 per cent more likely to develop ADHD symptoms than chil-

dren who were not exposed.

ISGlobal researcher Silvia Alemany, lead author of the study explained, “Our findings are consistent with previous research. We also found that prenatal exposure to paracetamol affects boys and girls in a similar way, as we observed practically no differences.”

“Our results address some of the weaknesses of previous meta-analyses,”

said Jordi Sunyer, researcher at ISGlobal and last author of the study. “Considering all the evidence on the use of paracetamol and neurological development, we agree with previous recommendations indicating that while paracetamol should not be suppressed in pregnant women or children, it should be used only when necessary,” they added.

Approximately 46 to 56 per cent of pregnant women in developed countries use paracetamol. It is considered the safest antipyretic for pregnant women and children. However, mounting evidence has linked prenatal paracetamol exposure to poorer cognitive performance, more behavioural problems, and ASC and ADHD symptoms.

Starting your day early reduces risk of depression A new genetic study published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry suggests waking up just an hour earlier could reduce a person's risk of major depression by 23 per cent. Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard conducted the study of 840,000 people representing some of the strongest evidence yet that chronotype influences depression risk. Chronotype means a person's propensity to sleep at a certain time.

The study is also among the first to quantify just

how much, or little change is required to influence mental health. Senior author Celine Vetter, assistant professor of integrative physiology at CU Boulder said, “We have known for some time that there is a

relationship between sleep timing and mood, but a question we often hear from clinicians is: How much earlier do we need to shift people to see a benefit?

We found that even onehour earlier sleep timing is

associated with significantly lower risk of depression.”

Lead author Iyas Daghlas, M.D., used data from DNA testing company 23 and Me to get a clearer sense of whether shifting sleep time earlier is truly helpful, and if so, how much shift is required. Daghlas then used the Mendelian randomization method that leverages genetic associations to help decipher cause and effect.

Daghlas said, “Our genetics are set at birth so some of the biases that affect other kinds of epidemiological research tend not to affect genetic studies.”

The primary benefit to the state is that sweating it out makes you feel good about your body and is indeed therapeutic. Working out releases happy hormones called endorphins that help deal with stress and reduce negative emotions of pain and distress.

Furthermore, involving yourself in physical activity of your choice distracts you from the surrounding negativity and helps decrease stress hormones, thereby releasing positive vibes around you and inside you. It makes you feel happy, peaceful, and comforted and rejuvenates you to fight the challenges that life throws at you. It is indeed high time that fitness at home should become the new normal for our health and well-being.

Workout regime at home can be enjoyable, effortless, and engaging with the right equipment, setup, and technical assistance in place. In present digitally the advanced times, fitness at home is right at our fingertips with the emerging trend of connected fitness, making our exercise regime immersive, engaging, and enjoyable with state-of-the-art fitness equipment coupled with premium content of live studio sessions and fitness gaming.

Having fitness goals and making efforts to achieve them is soon becoming the need of the hour as exercising is one of the most effective, accessible, easy, and cost-efficient ways to help us sail through these challenging times of the global pandemic crisis.

Vitamin D may help protect body against Covid-19: Study A study published in PLOS Medicine by Guillaume Butler-Laporte and Tomoko Nakanishi at McGill University in Quebec, Canada suggests that increased Vitamin D levels may protect against Covid-19. The study, however, remains inconclusive and is possibly subject to confounding. Vitamin D's ability to protect against severe Covid-19 illness has long been discussed by public health experts. Unfortunately, it lacks supporting evidence.

Researchers conducted a Mendelian randomization study using genetic variants strongly associated with increased Vitamin D levels to assess its relationship with Covid-19 susceptibility.

The scientists analyzed genetic variants of 4,134 individuals with Covid-19 and 1,284,876 without Covid19, from 11 countries to determine whether genetic predisposition for higher Vitamin D levels was associated with less-severe disease outcomes in people with Covid19.

The results showed no evidence for an association between genetically predicted vitamin D levels and Covid-19 susceptibility, hospitalization, or severe disease, suggesting that raising circulating vitamin D levels through supplementation may not improve Covid-19 outcomes in the general population. The study however, had its important limitations, including that the research did not include individuals with Vitamin D deficiency, and it remains possible that truly deficient patients may benefit from supplementation for Covid19 related protection and outcomes.

The authors said, “Vitamin D supplementation as a public health measure to improve outcomes is not supported by this study. Most importantly, our results suggest that investment in other therapeutic or preventative avenues should be prioritized for Covid-19 randomized clinical trials.”

According to Dr Butler-Laporte, most vitamin D studies are very difficult to interpret since they cannot adjust for the known risk factors for severe Covid-19 (e.g. older age, institutionalization, having chronic diseases) which are also predictors of low vitamin D.

To Our Readers

We are publishing these reports in good faith. Before you try any of these remedies, please consult the doctor. We are not responsible for any adverse effects.- Editor

28

ART & CULTURE

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12 - 18 June 2021

Amit Chaudhuri - Finding The Raga “By turns, essay, memoir and cultural study, 'Finding the Raga' is Amit Chaudhuri's singular account of his discovery of, and enduring passion for, North Indian music: an ancient, evolving tradition whose principles and practices will alter the reader's notion of what music might – and can be.” – Google Books Amit Chaudhuri is an Indian Englishlanguage novelist, poet, essayist, musicologist and performing musician.

He was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2009. He is a Professor of Contemporary Literature at the University of East Anglia, and since 2020, he also teaches at Ashoka University, India as a Professor of Creative Writing. In September 2020, he was elected as an Honorary Fellow of the Modern Language Association (MLA). His most notable awards are the Sahitya Akademi Award among a host of other literary prizes and recognitions.

Amit Chaudhuri was born in Kolkata in 1962 and grew up in Mumbai. He took

his first degree in English Literature from the University College London and was awarded his Doctorate from Balliol College, Oxford University. Born to illustrious parents, his mother was a highly acclaimed singer, specifically in the Rabindra Sangeet genre. In addition to his academic credentials, Amit Chaudhuri is a practitioner of Hindustani Khayal music for which he trained under his guru Pandit Govind Prasad Jaipurwale.

Under the auspices of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, London, Vibhaker Baxi, Chairman & Managing Director of based Navras Records London interviewed Amit Chaudhuri to discuss the aspects of Indian music dealt with in the book and beyond that. The book is not a primer in the study of Indian (specifically Hindustani) classical music but gives fascinating insights into the related concepts as interpreted by the author.

Music to an Indian is not a passion on the side, like a hobby. No Indian social and family occasion is untouched by music.

From birth through the passage of life,

seasons, happy and sad occasions, festivals of seasons and mythology, to the end of life – music encompasses an Indian’s life and its sensibilities. The time cycle and seasonal character of the Hindustani ragas and the manifestations of the nine rasas – moods or emotions -(Nav Rasas) speak to this omnipotent presence of music in our lives and our differing moods. Even our feature films are almost always musicals distilling the storyline with great effectiveness, emotion and as an integral part of our natural being. Even our classical music is an amalgam of spiritual and folk music of our country.

There is an informative discussion on what is a raga, its character and attributes, the enunciation of the melody, interpretation of the notes, the grammar and deployment of virtuosity in performances. There is also a discussion on different schools of presentation of the same genre and compositions. The conversation ends with a discussion on the future of Indian Classical Music.

This conversation can be viewed on The Bhavan’s YouTube channel.

‘There isn’t a right way to make art’ Shefali Saxena Manahar Kumar is a writer-student EMMY® award-winning director-actor. His short documentary called, kya dekh raha hai?

(What are you looking at?) fetched him an EMMY® and 9 International film festival selections. Most recently, his thesis film, Stardust won the Audience Award for Best Short at the Georgia Film Festival and was selected at the International South Asian Film Festival, Toronto. Manahar also acted in ‘Mabrook' which was greatly appreciated at the Oscar-qualifying, 2021 Atlanta Film Festival, and has been recently selected at Palm Springs International Shortfest 2021. In an interview with Asian Voice, he spoke about his craft and choices.

Q - How did you get into creating, writing and producing films?

Born and brought up around professional English Theatre in Chandigarh, North India, and pursuing my undergraduate degree in Manipal, South India, my worldview expanded, after observing many kinds of India in one India.

Being part of classics like The Mousetrap, Mother’s Day, The Night of January 16 and 12 Angry Jurors, I learned, grew and fell in love with performing arts. In Manipal, I cofounded a production house, UnTied Laces.

This was followed by various projects, across different genres, where I contributed as a writer, cinematographer, director, editor and

actor including a music video in collaboration with the non-profit, Men Against Rape and Discrimination (MARD) that sought to inspire and mobilize more men to stand up against everyday sexual violence in India.

Q - What did you study, and what amount of extra effort went into this journey?

I completed my Masters of Fine Arts in Film & TV from Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD) in Atlanta, Georgia. All through my filmmaking journey at SCAD, I also acted in Pilots, thesis films, for SCAD and Columbia University, New York. As a graduate student at Savannah College of Art & Design, I won the “Most Likely to be a Renowned Actor” Ambassador’s Choice Award and the “Outstanding Academic Achievement Award”. I helmed the lead role in SCAD Atlanta’s Pilot Production – What Remains of Emily. Due to my family consisting mostly of teachers and educators, at first, everyone was taken aback. I pursued Engineering, albeit for just two-and-a-half weeks and realised quickly that that wasn’t going to be the best route for me.

Q - What it is like, and what does it take to showcase your work on an international stage, especially at film festivals?

There are numerous subtle gifts when friends and strangers reach out and make me aware of how my work has touched a chord with them, be it as an epiphany in their life or praise or constructive criticism. I am deeply grateful for each and every message.

Buch, the UK was put into a national lockdown and the project was put on hold.

The students were then re-briefed at the end of October 2020 as Covid restrictions were relaxed.

For much of the project, Covid lockdowns have meant that students have had limited access to the generous material supplies provided by Khadi London.

However, BA Textile Design students have shown resilience and imagination, often working on ideas without access to textile workshops and equipment. The judging panel commended the high quality of student submissions and from an outstanding array of entries, four winning students were chosen to collaborate with partners in India on the development of their designs.

Khadi Project Leader, Kishore Shah, Cofounder and Director, Khadi London said, “This project feels like the beginning of

INDIAN SAXOPHONIST DONATES PROCEEDS FROM HIS SINGLE TO KHALSA AID Jesse Bannister who is one of the world's leading Indian saxophonist, Indian musician, composer, producer, educator and app developer. Jesse released his new immersive listening experience album In Tune on Thursday 10th June. His brand new single Grandma’s Hands is out now and Jesse is donating all proceeds from the single to Khalsa Aid. Jesse is a Portfolio Musician with over 30 years of experience in the entertainment and music industry. Jesse has collaborated with local, national and international artists and organisations and his work is the result of 25 years of investment from Yorkshire based organisations, national funders and international creative platforms, where a dedicated and responsible approach to legacy has made Jesse an invaluable leader in the Yorkshire region and a valuable pioneering international export. Jesse is the world's leading Indian Saxophonist with extensive YouTube views (over 250k) on his music videos, portfolio of recordings and annual international touring since 2005. Jesse has worked alongside 4 Grammy Winners, Mercury Prize winner Talvin Singh and has been featured in the UK’s premier venues and festivals.

COVID-19 ART FUNDRAISER IN AHMEDABAD This makes me realise I’m on the right path.

Slow progress, in the right direction, is progress nonetheless.

It takes patience and extreme resilience to stick to ideas, transformed them into stories and see them through. The human ego is huge enough to believe that we have ideas, but truthfully and soulfully, it’s the other way around.

Q - What do you think is the right way to go in order to make sure your art is seen and critiqued in the right way, but the right people?

To be completely honest, there isn’t a right way to make art. There’s your way, which the creator has to find, hone and continuously evolve. Sadly, the most underrated quality is to listen - to the story, the characters, your own biases and most importantly, your intuition.

Khadi Project: Celebrating 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi Final Year Students of BA (Hons) Textile Design at Chelsea College of Arts (UAL) were asked to explore new markets and products for khadi. In India, khadi refers to handwoven and hand-spun cloth. At the beginning of the 20th Century, Mahatma Gandhi called for a boycott of foreign cloth and promoted the spinning and weaving of khadi for rural self-employment and self-reliance (rather than using cloth manufactured industrially in Britain). Khadi became an integral part of the movement that led to India’s Independence in 1947 and embodies principles of freedom and non-violent protest.

The project was initially briefed to stage 2 students in February 2020, with Rohit Vadhwana (First Secretary (Economics), Indian High Commission) Kishore Shah (Khadi London) and Jo Salter (Khadi London) in attendance. After delivery of khadi materials and a fabulous round of charkha spinning workshops from Asha

in brief

something much bigger. It is part of a rediscovery of Indian handmade fabrics by the western world as fabrics with meaning, texture and aesthetics as a bonus. Khadi with its inherent idea of localised production where farmers, graziers and artisans collaborate and where crafts and technology work together can provide a pathway for fashion and textiles to fit for the twenty-first century. I wouldn’t be surprised if khadi becomes an integral part of the fashion and textile syllabus in the very near future.”

Instilling Hope is a Covid-19 art fundraiser sale hosted by 079 Stories Gallery in Ahmedabad. The sale will offer over 50 works by 39 leading Indian artists with prices ranging from 7,000 INR to 10 Lakh INR offering a range of accessible price points for people to support the sale with 100% of 079 Stories’ proceeds donated to the charitable organisations Breathe India Fund and Jagrut Jann. Talking about the exhibition, Michelle Poonawalla, one of the exhibiting artists’ notes, “It is so important for everyone including the art fraternity to come together and support Covid initiatives. I am delighted to be able to donate Strawberry Fields to the sale.” The proceeds from the sales will be donated to Breathe India Fund a volunteer group that has initiated a fund collection drive to bring oxygen concentrators to Ahmedabad and Jagrut Jaan a youth NGO working towards the development and betterment of society.

THE LONDON BOOK FAIR INTERNATIONAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2021 The winners of The London Book Fair (LBF) International Excellence Awards have been announced last week, with seven recipients named from across four continents. The Ghana Library Authority took home The Library of the Year Award, with judges saying it “really struck us as an amazing story of transformation and an example of how library services can tackle some of the most pressing social issues confronting their users. From using technology to support remote learning to promoting information skills, literacy and reading, this is a great example of the difference a quality library can make.” The winners of the International Excellence Awards will be celebrated at The Online Book Fair in a series of ‘In Conversation With…’ events on Tuesday 29th June. The winners will be speaking about their prize-winning work and the pressing issues within their area of publishing. These sessions will appear alongside author talks, publishing panels, seminars and more at The Online Book Fair.

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Bhumi Pednekar and Akshay Kumar come together for 'Raksha Bandhan' In August 2020, Akshay Kumar had announced the film 'Raksha Bandhan' with a poster featuring him. The film directed by Aanand L Rai was aiming for a November 2021 release.

However, owing to the pandemic, the film has still not gone on floors.

The film will be going on floors on June 21. Ahead of the shoot, it has been revealed that Bhumi Pednekar will be playing the female lead of the film. Bhumi and Akshay will be reuniting after they played a married couple in the hit film 'Toilet-Ek Prem Katha'. Last year, Akshay had also produced the film 'Bhaagamathie' which had Bhumi in the lead. Meanwhile, this is Akshay's second project with Aanand L Rai. He wrapped up the filmmaker's next 'Atrangi Re' earlier this year. The film also stars Sara Ali Khan and Dhanush.

'Raksha Bandhan' revolves around the brother-sister bond.

Akshay Kumar had said, “Raksha Bandhan is a special film for all of us, rarely are such pure and simple films made. Can’t wait to begin filming for this one!” It is a Colour Yellow Production in association with Cape of Good Films. Directed by Aanand L Rai and written by Himanshu Sharma.

Kareena demands £1.2 mn to do Sita’s role!

Kareena Kapoor Khan has truly been the last superstar heroine who has managed to deliver big blockbusters even post marriage and motherhood. And even post her second delivery, she is on the list of all the top filmmakers' wanting to sign her!

It has been reported that she has been approached by the makers of the upcoming mythological period saga 'Sita.' Alaukik Desai had taken the film to Bebo a few months ago.

While Kareena loved the part, she was taking her time to give the nod. A source said, "Kareena will shoot for 'Veere Di Wedding 2' and Hansal Mehta's film first because they are smaller films that will be completed in one month's time each. 'Sita' will need at least 8-10 months of prep, shoot and production. So she will be completely consumed by one film at that point but Bebo also realises that this will be her biggest magnum opus till date, as it's a

retelling of Ramayana from Sita's point of view."

While all this is fine, she has demanded a whopping figure to star in the project.

"Bebo who usually asks in the £600,000800,000 range for her films has quoted a

Fawad Khan reportedly roped in to Marvel's 'Ms Marvel' series

sum of £1.2 million which has put the producers in a jiffy. In fact, right now, they are reconsidering their decision and also taking the film to a younger actress, as well.

But talks are on and Bebo remains the first choice."

Arjun Kapoor celebrates 10 years in Bollywood Actor Arjun Kapoor has completed 10 years in Bollywood. Son of producers Boney Kapoor and Mona Shourie Kapoor, he made his acting debut in 2012 with the film 'Ishaqzaade'. Over the years, Arjun has featured in 'Gunday', '2 States', 'Finding Fanny', 'Ki & Ka', and 'Tevar' among many others.

Arjun shared a video over the weekend celebrating a decade in the industry. Penning his feelings on social media, he wrote, “I have grown up over this last decade on film sets. I feel strange not being there. It's my life, passion and hobby! I'd love to make as many movies as I can and keep improving by being on the sets. They are the best classrooms. When it comes to films, I'm like any other child in a candy store. I'm in awe of what our work can do to engage and entertain people.. Can't wait for that to happen again!”

Arjun is currently in a happy relationship with actress-model Malaika Arora for quite some time now. On the work front, he recently appeared in the Netflix film 'Sardar Ka Grandson'.

If rumours are to be believed, Pakistani heartthrob Fawad Khan is all set to make his big American film debut. BBC entertainment journalist Haroon Rashid recently broke news that the 'Humsafar' actor might just be joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe by joining the cast of Disney's upcoming series 'Ms Marvel'.

Rashid tweeted, “Wow! Fawad Khan set to appear in Ms Marvel – the Disney+ series about Marvel's first titular Muslim character. He's listed on the show's official IMDB page. Farhan Akhtar, Nimra Bucha and Samina Ahmad are reportedly part of the cast too. Marvel is yet to comment.

Amazing if true!” Pakistani-Canadian actor Iman Vellani is all set to essay the role of Ms Marvel aka Kamala Khan. She will be leading the series with Hollywood superstar Brie Larson who will reprise her role as Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel.

The series will be helmed by Sharmed Obaid-Chinoy, Meera Menon, Bilall Fallah and Adil El Arbi.

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12 - 18 June 2021

Virat exempt from Sonali Bendre, Tahira 'don't bring work Kashyap recount battle on Cancer Survivor Day home' rule: Anushka Actor Sonali Bendre and filmmaker Tahira Kashyap marked Cancer Survivor Day on Sunday with emotional posts on social media.

Bendre, who had announced that she was detected with “high-grade cancer” in 2018, had undergone an almost five-month-long treatment in New York.

Posting before and after treatment photos on her social media handles, Sonali wrote, “How time flies . . . today when I look back, I see strength, I see weakness but most importantly I see the will to not let the C word define how my life will be after it . . . You create the life you choose. The journey is what you make of it . . . so remember to take #One Day At ATime and to #Switch On The

Sunshine #Cancer Survivors Day.” Tahira Kashyap had also shared that she was detected with Stage 0 breast cancer in the same year, commemorating the day with a badass bare back photo featuring her cancer scar. She also wrote a powerful message asking people to wear their cancer scars with pride.

Tahira wrote, “Never be ashamed of a scar. It simply means you were stronger than whatever tried to hurt you. Everyone has scars- whether you can see them or not. Wear yours with pride. #NationalCancerSurvivorsDay”.

Dilip Kumar hospitalised and his condition is stable, says family Veteran actor Dilip Kumar is currently in the hospital following a health scare. He was admitted to the Khar Hinduja hospital on Sunday morning after he complained of breathlessness. In the latest update on his health, his doctor said he is on oxygen support and not in the ICU or on ventilator as said by rumours. His doctor Jalil Parkar revealed that the actor was diagnosed with bilateral pleural effusion and his condition was currently stable. “He is on oxygen support, not in ICU or on ventilator. He is stable,” said Parkar.

Meanwhile, Dilip Kumar's family urged fans to not

Actress Anushka Sharma is currently in England, accompanying husband and cricketer Virat Kohli for the World Test Championship Finals against New Zealand. The actress was photographed with her daughter Vamika, and Virat, on their way to the airport. The mother-daughter duo has been accompanying Virat on multiple tours. Earlier this year, they were spotted together at the Pune airport, where the Indian cricket team played a few matches against England.

They also accompanied Virat during the recent season of IPL. In a recently posted photograph, Anushka was seen posing from her room situated close to the cricket stadium. She shared a cheeky caption that said, “Don't bring work home isn't going to be applicable for Virat for sometime. #QuarantineAtTheStadium.”

On the work front, Anushka was last seen in the 2018 Shahrukh Khan-starrer 'Zero'. While she has been on a hiatus since, she has turned producer and backed multiple hit projects including 'Bulbbul', 'Paatal Lok', and Irrfan Khan's son Babil Khan's debut project 'Qala'.

Yami Gautam ties the knot with 'Uri' director Aditya Dhar Actress Yami Gautam took her fans by surprise with her wedding announcement over the weekend. She tied the knot with 'Uri' director Aditya Dhar last week, announcing it to the world with a series of online posts. The couple held the ceremony in Yami's home state Himachal Pradesh, in the backdrop of mountains. They wanted an intimate, traditional, and close-knit wedding ceremony. “believe in WhatsApp forwards”, adding that the actor would be discharged in two-three days. The latest post on Kumar's Twitter handle said, “Don't believe in WhatsApp forwards.

Saab is stable. Thank you for your heart-felt duas and prayers.

As per doctors, he should be home in 2-3 days. Insh'Allah.”

Kangana shares Covid recovery journey with fans Actor Kangana Ranaut has shared her journey of recovery from the novel coronavirus in her latest video on Instagram. She had contracted the virus earlier last month, and has since tested negative. In the video she says, “I am here to talk about my experience of recovery from coronavirus. I experienced shocking things during this time.

I have always seen that when you are ill, once you start recovering, it is a perpetual journey forward. But, in the case of coronavirus, it is a fake recovery. Just a day after I tested negative, I felt I could do everything – workout and shoot schedules – as earlier. However, when I stepped out and started doing these things, I relapsed, I was not really well. I was again bed-ridden.”

The actor also revealed that she had a bad case of jaundice and even broke her leg once. “It was not just once but I faced the relapse at least four or five times. It will be 14 days since I tested negative for coronavirus,” she said. She then requested people to take care of themselves and urged her fans to share

their stories of recovery. Her video was captioned, “My Covid after-care story.

Share yours.”

Kangana has been rather active on

Instagram after Twitter suspended her account, and continues to randomly lash out at other celebrities. However, she recently was all praises for fellow Himachali actor Yami Gautam who tied the knot with filmmaker Aditya Dhar.

She shared a picture of the new bride on her Instagram Stories and said, “Older than tradition and time.

Nothing more divine than a raw mountain girl turned bride #himachalpradesh.” At the same time, she called actor Vikrant Massey a “cockroach” in the comments section of one of Yami's photos when he commented the bride looked like 'Radhe Maa'. Kangana commented, “Kahan se nikla ye cockroach..lao meri chappal. (From where did this cockroach come.

Someone get my slipper)”.

On the work front, Kangana will soon be seen in 'Thalaivi' as J Jayalalithaa. The film release has been postponed due to the surge in coronavirus cases. She also has two action movies 'Tejas' and 'Dhaakad' in the pipeline.

Announcing their wedding, both Yami and Aditya posted on their Instagram, “In your light, I learn to love – Rumi.

With the blessings of our family, we have tied the knot in an intimate wedding ceremony today. Being very private people, we celebrated this joyous occasion with our immediate family. As we embark on the journey of love and friendship, we seek all your blessings and good wishes. Love, Yami and Aditya.”

She also posted several photos from her pre-wedding ceremonies. Yami made for a gorgeous and happy bride. Photos from her Haldi ceremony featured her along with her sister Surilie Gautam. In another photo, the actress is seen flaunting her 'chura' and 'kalire'.

On the work front, Yami was last seen in the Netflix film 'Ginny Weds Sunny'. Dhar, meanwhile is preparing for another Vicky Kaushal-starrer 'The Immortal Ashwatthama'

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Shruti Haasan called a witch for wearing black lipstick

TV Listing

In an interview with Pinkvilla, actress Shruti Haasan responded to the wave of criticism she received for wearing black lipstick in pictures posted on her social media. Shruti said that while she was called a “chudail (witch)” for her look, she considers it the “greatest compliment”.

In the interview, Shruti said, “I didn't wear that black lipstick so that you can put that gold star on your report card of me. I did it because I wanted to do it.” She added that while she does not ‘randomly’ put on black lipstick, she does not hesitate ‘if the mood calls for it’. The actress added she loves the “goth subculture” and does not look at being called a witch in a negative way. “I grew up by idolising and I love the whole metal scene. I love the goth subculture. I love that whole aesthetic. I get comments like what happened to you, you look like 'chudail' and I say ok, yeah it's fine... that's cool because witches are bad so I love that.”

On the work front, Shruti's most recent release was the Telugu courtroom drama 'Vakeel Saab'. She was filming Prabhas-starrer 'Salaar' and a web series before the Covid-19 restrictions pushed to pause filming.

* Schedule is subject to change

R Madhavan gushes over wife on 22nd wedding anniversary Actor R Madhavan shared a beautiful post about his wife Sarita Birje as the couple celebrated their 22nd wedding anniversary.

Sharing a lovely selfie with his partner, Madhavan wrote on Instagram how he remains in awe of her even after more than two decades of their marriage. He wrote, “Keeping me in utter awe and in love all these years. Happy Anniversary Pondati ... to many many more ahead.”

The couple tied the knot in 1999, and are parents to son Vedaant. Madhavan had recently praised Sarita for teaching underprivileged kids virtually. He took to social media to share a video of her taking a class and wrote about feeling incompetent.

Madhavan said, “When your wife teaches poor kids across the country, and you feel completely incompetent and useless.”

Parvathy slams ONV jury for honoring MeToo accused Vairamuthu Actor Parvathy has slammed the ONV literary award jury for honouring Tamil songwriter and poet Vairamuthu who was recently surrounded by MeToo accusations.

She said the move disrespects the memory of legendary poet ONV Kurup.

She tweeted, “ONV Sir is our pride. His contribution as a poet and lyricist is incomparable. How it has nourished our culture. Our hearts and minds have benefited through his body of work. This is exactly why it is immense disrespect to give such an honour in his name to the accused of sexual assault crimes.”

In her Instagram post, Parvathy wrote, “17 women have come out with their stories. We don’t know how many more have been wronged. There seems to be enough whataboutery to continue wronging those who are wronged.

Only to uphold the reputation of those in power. Nothing is more important than humanity. If you come at me with the art vs artist

debate, let me tell you that for me the humanity of the person creating the art is the only thing I’d choose to look at. I can live without the “art” of those who

On the work front, the actor will next be seen in biopic 'Rocketry: The Nambi Effect'.

He not only plays the lead role in the film, he also direct it.

The movie is based on the life of Nambi Narayanan, a former rocket scientist at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) who was falsely accused of espionage and arrested in 1994.

Ajith receives hoax bomb threat Tamil superstar Ajith Kumar received a bomb threat call last week, which later turned out to be a hoax. Reports reveal a threat call was made to the Chennai city police control room, in which the caller said a bomb had been planted at the actor's house in the city's Injambakkam area. After the call, the police reached the actor's residence along with the dog squad and carried out a complete search. While no bomb was found at the house, investigation revealed that the call was made by a man named Dinesh who reportedly suffers from mental illness.

MON 14 JUN FRI 18 JUN 2021 14.300 KASAM 16.00 THE GREAT INDIAN GLOBAL KITCHEN 19.00 UDAARIYAAN 19.30 CHOTI SARDAARNI 20.00 SHAKTI 20.30 MOLKKI 21.00 PINJARA KHUBSOORTI KA 21.30 RAMAYAN 22.30 NAMAK ISSK KA 23.00 BAWARA DIL SATURDAY 12 JUN 16.00 THE GREAT INDIAN GLOBAL KITCHEN 19.00 UDAARIYAAN 19.30 CHOTI SARDAARNI 20.00 SHAKTI 20.30 RAMAYAN 21.30 DANCE DEEWANE 3 SUNDAY 13 JUN 16.00 THE GREAT INDIAN GLOBAL KITCHEN 18.00 CHOTI SARDARNI 20.30 RAMAYAN 21.30 DANCE DEEWANE 3

* Schedule is subject to change

MON 14 JUN FRI 18 JUN 2021 8.30

BHARADWAJ BAHUEIN

15.00 RAMAYAN

16.00 SILSILA BADALTE RISHTON KA 16.30 THE RASOI SHOW 17.30

CHHUTA CHHEDA

18.00 TUM KAUN PIYA 18.30 DIL KA RISHTA

19.00 BHAGYA KA LIKHA 20.00 DIL SE DIL TAK

20.30 BARRISTER BABU

21.00 EK SHRINGAAR SWABHIMAAN 21.30 SASURAL SIMAR KA 2

22.00 ISHQ MEIN MARJAWAN 3

SATURDAY 12 JUN 15.00 RAMAYAN

16.00 SILSILA BADALTE RISHTON KA 16.30 THE RASOI SHOW 17.30

CHHUTA CHHEDA

18.00 KHATRA KHATRA KHATRA 19.00 BHAGYA KA LIKHA 20.00 DIL SE DIL TAK

20.30 BARRISTER BABU

21.00 EK SHRINGAAR SWABHIMAAN

hollow out lives with absolute impunity,” Parvathy said in her Instagram post.

Vairamuthu faced a slew of allegations of sexually harassing multiple women in the wake of the MeToo movement in India. Singer and activist Chinmayi had publicly alleged that he made her feel uncomfortable on at least two occasions. She was even told “her career will be over” if she refuses to “cooperate” with him. Her story led to a series of allegations against Vairamuthu.

21.30 SASURAL SIMAR KA 2

SUNDAY 13 JUN 15.00 RAMAYAN

16.00 SILSILA BADALTE RISHTON KA 16.30 THE RASOI SHOW

17.30 ISHQ MEIN MARJAWAN 3

18.00 KHATRA KHATRA KHATRA

19.00 BHAGYA KA LIKHA

This is not Ajith's first stint with hoax threats. Last year in July, he received a bomb threat. Meanwhile, suspect Dinesh has been making similar calls in the past to actors like Rajinikanth and Vijay. On the work front, Ajith Kumar will be next seen in H Vinoth directorial 'Valimai'.

20.00 DIL SE DIL TAK

20.30 DESI BEAT RESET

21.00 EK SHRINGAAR SWABHIMAAN 21.30 KHATRA KHATRA KHATRA

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England bowler Ollie Robinson suspended over racist comments "England and Sussex bowler Ollie Robinson has been suspended from all international cricket pending the outcome of a disciplinary investigation following historic tweets he posted in 2012 and 2013," said an ECB statement.

"He will not be available for selection for the second Test against New Zealand starting at Edgbaston on Thursday 10 June. "Robinson will leave the England camp immediately and return to his county," it added.

The paceman led England's attack with 4-75 in the first innings at Lord's and followed up with 3-26 in the second while in between making a useful 42 with the bat. But he found himself making an unreserved apology after stumps on Wednesday, his first day in Test cricket, for tweets that included comments

Ollie Robinson

suggesting Muslim people were linked to terrorism, and derogatory remarks about women and people of Asian heritage.

His messages re-emerged after both teams lined up before play on Wednesday for a 'Moment of Unity' designed to show their opposition to discrimination, with England

wearing T-shirts stating 'Cricket is a game for everyone'. Robinson, in a statement issued after play said he was "embarrassed" and "ashamed" by the posts. "I want to make it clear that I'm not racist and I'm not sexist," he added.

England captain Joe Root speaking after stumps on Sunday but before Robinson's suspension had been announced, said of the tweets: "I couldn't believe them, personally." Root, however, added Robinson had shown a "lot of remorse" that was "very genuine".

Turning to Robinson's first match as a Test cricketer, on the field at Lord's, the skipper said: "He has had an exceptional debut...He's showed high levels

of skill and he's definitely got the game that can be successful in Test cricket." Root, however, insisted: "In regards to the stuff that's happened off the field, it's not acceptable within our game.

We all know that."

Johnson steps into Robinson affair Boris Johnson has backed Oliver Dowden after the culture secretary accused English cricket’s governing body of going “over the top” by suspending Robinson. Dowden said the England and Wales Cricket Board “should think again” about Robinson, who has apologised for tweets posted in 2012 and 2013. Details of his tweets emerged on Wednesday, the day the fast bowler made his Test match debut for England against New Zealand at Lord’s but the ECB suspended him only at the end of the match on Sunday.

ICC wants 14 teams for ODI WC again The 2027 ODI World Cup will be played between 14 teams.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) is keen to go back to the format after having the last World Cup in 2019 with 10 Test-playing nations. ICC has also decided to have 20 teams for T20 World Cup in the 20232031 cycle. The Champions Trophy will be brought back in 2025 and will be played between eight teams.

“The ICC board has discussed to get 14 teams for the next World Cup. It will help the sport to grow at a better pace.

The 10-team format didn’t serve that purpose,” sources from the ICC’s board meeting said. The ICC board has also suggested reverting to ‘Super Six’ format of the tournament. The format was used from 1999 to 2007. It was junked after India failed to go beyond the first round in the

2007 World Cup in West Indies.

The 2011 and 2015 World Cup had quarterfinals.

It is believed that the ODI Super League will gain greater significance over the next two years and ICC’s associate members will have greater incentive in promoting the game in their countries. “The 10-team format did have some quality cricket but it got long and winding. A lot of matches in the back-end of the league stage became inconsequential as most of the semifinalists were decided early,” the source said.

UAE & Oman as back venues for T20 WC The Indian cricket board has got time till June 28 from ICC to take a call on how it wants to host the T20 World Cup in October-November. The BCCI had asked for some time to monitor the pandemic

situation in the country which has already forced the board to suspend the IPL in the first week of May. UAE and Muscat are identified as backup plan for BCCI to host the event. A BCCI team is currently in UAE to figure out the logistics to host the remainder of the IPL in September-October.

“BCCI will be in talks with the central government on the feasibility of hosting the showpiece event in India itself.

If the situation doesn’t seem conducive, then the tournament is likely to be moved to UAE. All the host venues in India have been told to continue with the preparations at the moment,” a BCCI official said.

time to regroup and refresh as a side and [help us] prepare again for a long series and that kind of a set-up is very important before you go into a lengthy series. We know that playing five Tests in England can be very challenging and daunting so we want to have the most amount of time before that series to set for those five games and be in that zone from thereon.” India players are likely

to have a better time in England than in Australia.

The lockdown in England is set to end on June 21.

Although some social distancing and mask wearing rules will remain, all legal limits on social contact will be removed just a day before the WTC final against New Zealand ends on June 22.

“Hopefully, if things are okay in England we would have finished our quarantine periods

ALMOST HALF OF THE ENGLISH FOOTBALL CLUBS FACE MONEY TROUBLE Of the 72 teams in the English Football League, 33 were showing signs of financial difficulties up from 17 the year before.

Insolvency experts believe some of them may go bust because the effects of the pandemic on their bank balances are yet to be “fully felt”. Begbies Traynor says they are still afloat thanks to the Treasury’s Covid support measures such as loans and rates relief. But they have a “wall of debt” to pay, its annual Football Distress Survey reveals, when the help dries up. Partner Gerald Krasner, said Premier League cash had supplemented the government money to “ease the pain” of EFL clubs during 2020. He said the assistance had given “much-needed extra time” to teams in the Championship, League One and League Two. But he added: “The escalating symptoms of early financial distress are a very real signal that, for many clubs, the full financial effects of Covid are yet to be fully felt.” Begbies said no club analysed was yet showing evidence of “significant” financial pain. However, it claimed this was a “deceptively rosy picture”. Covid-related factors, it said, were cloaking an undercurrent of rising debt and financial issues that were being “pushed on to next season and beyond”.

TOKYO-BOUND WRESTLER SUMIT FAILS DOPE TEST

WTC to continue The ICC board also decided that the World Test Championship (WTC) will continue and another four more cycles have been agreed upon.

The format of the WTC had come under the scanner. Greg Barclay, while assuming charge as ICC chairman last November, had expressed apprehensions about the championship. The next cycle of WTC begins with India’s five-Test series in England from August.

Freedom awaits Indian cricketers after WTC final Indian team’s one-and-a-half month long break, between World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand and five-Test series against England, though devoid of any competitive cricket may turn into a blessing in disguise.

The team will be playing a couple intra-squad matches as preparation for the five-Test series in August-September since there won’t be any match against a local county team. But the one-and-a half month gap after WTC final (June 18-22) will coincide with the period when lockdown would have been lifted in England.

“I feel like when you are done with the World Test Championship, I think it is a great opportunity to refresh, restructure,” India skipper Virat Kohli had told media prior to departure. “I think it (the gap) is absolutely fine. It will give us

in brief

[by the time lockdown is lifted].

Just for the guys to be normal for a few days and just disconnect again and understanding that we have a pressure of five-match series,” added Kohli. “If you have to compete inside a bubble for that long a period of time for the whole tour like we did in Australia, it would have been very, very tough. The fact that [if] we have a little bit of freedom to go out and access the kind of things the locals had, [would] give us a bit more space and a bit more time to reset and refresh,” said the India captain.

Rashid declines Afghanistan T20 captaincy Star Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan has declined captaining the T20 side fearing it might affect his performance as a player which he feels is more crucial to the team. Afghanistan have been changing captains frequently and earlier this week named Hashmatullah Shahidi as their Test and ODI skipper. However, the Afghanistan Cricket Board is yet to name the T20 captain.

India's freestyle wrestler Sumit Malik (125kg category) has lost his place in the Tokyobound Indian contingent due to a failed dope test. The sample was taken during the Olympic qualifiers held in Sofia, Bulgaria in early May. Ironically, Malik, from Haryana’s Rohtak district won his quota place for the Olympics at the Sofia event. The banned performance-enhancing substance found in his urine sample is known as methylhexanamine – which qualifies in the category of a ‘specified’ substance. This means Sumit won’t be able to compete at the Tokyo Games. It has also ruined India’s chances of fielding a wrestler in the freestyle 125kg category. The country’s much-hyped wrestlers like Narsingh Yadav, Amit Dhankar, Sandeep Singh Mann and Jitendra failed to land India a quota place in the 74kg category.

There was more bad news for Sumit. For his dope failure at an international UWW event, the world body is likely to impose a hefty fine of Rs 16,00,000 on the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), which the WFI intends to recover from the Haryana wrestler. If Sumit is found guilty and the wrestler, in turn, doesn’t pay the fine, then the WFI might ban him for life since the federation has a policy of recovering the penalty from dope-tainted grapplers. For doping offence committed at international meets, the national federation is bound to pay Rs 16,00,000 to the UWW.

MARIN WITHDRAWS FROM TOKYO OLYMPICS Spain's Olympic women's singles badminton champion Carolina Marin confirmed that she is unable to defend her crown in Tokyo due to a knee injury. Marin, a five-time European and three-time world champion who beat PV Sindhu to claim gold at the Rio de Janeiro Games in 2016, said she has torn her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and both meniscus in her left knee. "The preparation during the last two months had become very difficult for reasons beyond the team's control, but we were excited and knew that I would... (be in) the best possible shape for the Olympics. It won't be possible. I know that I am in safe hands and have a lot of people by my side,” Marin said.