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Trump Triumph

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He is the comeback man, or the man who has learned ‘The Art of the Comeback’. He relied on blowing his own trumpet. And the world hated him for that.

Throughout the ugliest election

campaign in modern times, he was written off. But when the world laughed at him, he laughed it off and today, much to the shock of the entire world, he is having the last laugh.

The world had a rude awakening on the morning of November 9 when it discovered Republican Donald Trump

12th November to 18th November 2016

making history by beating the favourite Hillary Clinton (Democrat) to become the 45th President of the United States.

THERESA MAY’S PASSAGE TO INDIA TM

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Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

After 9/11, this was perhaps the biggest shock for the Americans and the world at large.

Incidentally, it was on 11/9.

Defying all odds the robust billionaire – who was heavily criticised

throughout the bitterly fought election campaign for his misogynistic attitude (groping of women), religious prejudice (calling to Continued on page 26

Donald Trump

The great Indian rupee clean-up

Long queues outside ATMs and petrol pumps became a common sight in India as public scrammed to get their notes of Rs 500 and 1000 changed.

In a big blow to money launderers and black money enthusiasts, the Indian government scrapped its highest-

denomination currency notes overnight.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the surprise move in a televised address, following which, people thronged to ATMs and grabbed bills to sustain for the next

PM Theresa May at Sri Someshwara Hindu temple in Bangalore on the last day of her trip

In her first bilateral foreign trip outside Europe since becoming the Prime Minister, Theresa May headed to India at the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The three-day visit between November 6 and 8 was also her first trade mission as the Prime Minister of Britain.

The trip saw her travel to New Delhi and Bangalore accompanied by Dr Liam Fox, Secretary of State for International Trade, and Greg Hands, Chief Secretary to

Continued on page 27

Fly One 4

the Treasury. As she left India to return to the UK, she declared the trade mission a success in her drive to build “global Britain”.

While in Bangalore, on the last day of her trip, Mrs May won hearts of million Indians, when she visited Sri Someshwara Hindu temple, donning a beautiful golden South Indian silk saree.

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Continued on page 20

2

ONE ONE with Keith Vaz, MP

Asian Voice 12th November 2016

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to

Sarah Leah Whitson

Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director of Human Rights Watch's Middle East and North Africa Division, oversees the work of the division in 19 countries, with staff located in 10 countries. She has led dozens of advocacy and investigative missions throughout the region, focusing on issues of armed conflict, accountability, legal reform, migrant workers, and political rights.

She has published widely on human rights issues in the Middle East in international and regional media, including The New York Times, Foreign Policy, The Los Angeles Times, and CNN. She appears regularly on Al-Jazeera, BBC, NPR, and CNN. Before joining Human Rights Watch, Whitson worked in New York for Goldman, Sachs & Co. and Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley and Harvard Law School. Whitson is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She speaks Armenian and Arabic.

1) What is your current position?

I am the Executive Director of the Middle East and North Africa Division at Human Rights Watch.

2) What are your proudest achievements?

My proudest achievement, and also my good fortune, is to work in a job that so closely aligns with my values and interests, and allows me to commit all of my time and passion for the advancement of human rights in a region I care deeply about: the Middle East and North Africa.

Through the efforts of my organization, we have been able to secure the release of political prisoners, activists, journalists and writers; advance legal reforms and protections for women and migrant workers; spearhead global treaties to ban landmines and cluster munitions; and daily expose the reality of abuses by governments and

armed groups alike.

On a family level, I’m very proud of my three children, Lena, Tobias and Julian, who so far seem to have absorbed the commitment to social justice, compassion, and acquiring knowledge of which I’ve tried to teach them the value. I’m proud to have succeeded in supporting my family with a comfortable home and security – something I didn’t have as a child myself.

3) What inspires you?

I’m inspired by the fearless and relentless activists with whom I work, throughout the Middle East. They are on the front lines of the struggle for human rights, and are paying with their own lives and liberty to defend the rights of others. Most others would have given up, or caved in to oppression in exchange for personal security and comfort; they persist because of their belief that they have a duty to fight for justice and freedom.

I’m also inspired by survivors who brave the odds to endure and thrive. My mother’s family survived the Armenian Genocide; my husband’s family survived the Holocaust. I tell my children every day: you are here today only because you come from a family of survivors; live up to your DNA! And I’m tremendously grateful to the communities who accepted my family, and hundreds of thousands of other Armenians, as refugees throughout the Middle East.

It has made me deeply conscious both of the need to struggle against injustice and demonstrate compassion to those in need.

4) What has been the biggest obstacle in your career?

I’m not sure I’ve ever really faced any huge obstacles; I’ve been quite lucky to work in great organizations with talented people!

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

My colleagues at Human Rights Watch have had a profound influence on my career: I’ve learned so much from them, not only in terms of substantive knowledge and expertise, but also excellence and smarts in their dogged pursuit of justice.

I’ve learned also about the importance of staying true to our values not just outside the organization, but inside as well, in terms of how we manage and interact with each other.

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

The best aspect of my current role is the opportunity to have a platform from which I can advocate for human rights-respecting, principled positions, untethered by partisan politics. I

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consider it my responsibility to ensure that the truth – based on the facts that we document about rights violations – makes it into the mainstream media and the desks of policy-makers, sometimes if only to establish that we all know what’s really happening and there’s no hiding from it. Another great aspect of my role is the opportunity to work with some of the smartest, most committed, principled and honourable people in world – both inside and outside my organization!

7) And the worst?

The worst aspect of my current role is the frustration that comes with knowing there are so many battles we’re not winning, and that the suffering and repression of humanity is increasing in so many parts of the world, despite our best efforts. As part of a nonprofit organization that relies on support from individuals and foundations (not governments!), I also face serious financial limitations that make it very hard for us to hire as many staff as we need to do our job. It’s a constant stress.

8) What are your long term

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goals?

My longest term goal is to see that my efforts have left the planet an incrementally better place than I found it, even if only in the narrow confines of my work and personal orbit. At some level, I have to believe that merely working to record and preserve the truth is a contribution to humanity, even if I can’t actually change things for the better…

From a career point of view, I’d love the opportunity to expand my professional horizon to learn about issues and parts of the world that are not currently my focus. And from a personal point of view, my goal is to see my children established in healthy families and as contributing members of society.

9) If you were the President of USA, what one aspect would you change?

If I were president of the US, I would revamp American policy to end military support for seriously abusive governments; ensure equality for women, including the unfettered right to reproductive freedom; and prioritize campaign finance reform, beginning with a restriction on corporate funding of politicians.

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

My focus would be more tactical on survival, rather than purely intellectual, so to that end, I’d hope to have a brilliant strategist and warrior on the island with me – perhaps Alexander the Great – who might also figure a way off the island? It would be ideal if he could also sing and play the guitar…

Seven dead and 50 injured after derailment of Croydon tram Asian maths win over Seven people have died and dozens more have been injured after a tram overturned in London, police have said. The driver, 42 from Beckenham, has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter.

People were trapped inside and more than 50 were taken to hospital after the derailment in Croydon on Wednesday, the BBC reported.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said the tram was travelling at a "significantly higher speed than is permitted".

Deputy Chief Constable Adrian Hanstock said: "After liaison with the coroner, we can confirm that at least seven people have lost their lives as a result of this inci-

dent.

"Our officers will continue to work tirelessly throughout the evening to formally identify them and provide care and support for their families."

London Ambulance Service said eight people have serious or life-threatening injuries, while a total of 51 had been taken to two

hospitals.

The RAIB said the tram derailed as it was negotiating a "sharp, lefthand curve" which has a speed limit of 12 mph.

Trams are not fitted with any safety protection systems that apply the brakes automatically if they are going too fast, according to the Office of Rail and Road.

Clinical director Dr Phil Moss said three were having surgery and could be kept in for "several days or even weeks."

Prime Minister Theresa May offered her thoughts

and prayers and said the government was "closely in touch with the emergency services and other authorities to ensure that all is being done that is necessary to deal with this terrible incident."

London Mayor Sadiq Khan who visited the crash site said: "I am in close contact with the emergency services and Transport for London, who are working extremely hard under very difficult circumstances to get the situation under control and treat those who have been injured...”

The police have set up a number for friends and family to call for information: 0800 0560154.

A book of condolence has opened at Croydon Town Hall.

school children According to a study, primary school children taught using the Asianstyle of maths make more progress within two terms. Researchers have found the “mastery” approach, which ensures all students grasp each concept before carrying forward has proved popular among students and teachers alike.

The research is the first to quantify the impact of the pastry approach to teaching maths.

Ministers are keen for schools to include the technique which is widely used in Singapore, Shanghai and Hong Kong. During the study,

researchers used the Inspire Maths, an Oxford University Press based on teaching aides used in Singapore. The book develops children's understanding of core maths principles and erasing skills with a combination of whole class instruction. The study looked at the progress of maths of 576 children aged five and six, and 20 teachers in 12 primary schools over two terms.

C MMENTS

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Coherent paradigm of Indian foreign policy Indian foreign policy has frequently been a perplexing subject for Indians and foreigners alike. Morality, nonviolence, non-alignment have been the pool from which wisdom and enlightenment have been sought – without achieving the desired comprehension. Such issues include space for democratic values and other imperative that characterize open societies. However, the final package requires a definable core, which Henry Kissinger, as thinker and historian recognized and postulated with admirable elegance in his latest work, World Order: Reflections on the Character of Nations and the Course of History.

Free of the burdens of office, his treatment of India displays an understanding that was woefully lacking when he was National Security Advisor to President Richard Nixon during the East Pakistan crisis in 197172. He starts with a quotation from Jawaharlal Nehru on the prime objective of Indian foreign policy, which runs thus: ‘Whatever policy you may lay down, the art of conducting the foreign affairs of a country lies in finding out what is most advantageous to the country. We may talk about international goodwill and mean what we say. But in the ultimate analysis, a government functions for the good of the country it governs and no government dare do anything which in the short or long run is manifestly to the disadvantage of the country.’

Dr Kissinger comments: ‘Kautiya (or Machiavelli) could not have said it better.’ He continues: ‘The essence of this strategy was that it allowed India to draw support from both Cold War camps – securing the military aid and diplomatic cooperation of the Soviet bloc, even while courting American development assistance and moral support of the US intellectual establishment.

However irritating to Cold War America, it was a wise course to take for an emerging nation. With a then- nascent military establishment and underdeveloped economy, India would have been a respected but secondary ally. As a free agent, it could exercise a much- wider reaching influence.’

Apropos of the present, the former Harvard professor writes: ‘Under a Hindu nationalist-led government elected by a decisive majority in May 2014 on a platform of reform and economic growth, India can be expected to pursue its traditional foreign policy goals with added vigor.’ The country’s traditional friendly ties with the English-speaking ‘Anglosphere’ will continue apace.

‘With the reconfiguration of the American position in

the Middle East,’ says Dr Kissinger, ‘the various regional powers will seek new partners to buttress their positions and to develop some kind of regional order. And India’s own strategic analysis will not permit a vacuum in Afghanistan or the hegemony in Asia of another power…

India will be a fulcrum of twenty-first global order: an indispensable element, based on its geography, resources and traditions of sophisticated leadership in the strategic and ideological evolution of the region and the concepts of order at whose intersection it stands.’

It is against this lucid presentation that a number of observations of increasing relevance can be made. The first involves India’s fraught relationship with Pakistan.

It is becoming clearer by the day that Islamabad is pursuing the fourth-dimension of war with India that requires no formal declaration of hostilities, as understood under the conventions of International law. The pursuit of this India-centric policy is to weaken and, if possible, destroy India in the fulfillment of a divinelyordained messianic mission. It requires a robust and sophisticated response, at multiple levels, to thwart the design.

If Kashmir is the pivot of Pakistani policy, Tibet is China’s pivot in its tense, unfolding relationship with India. China’s indulgence, if not covert support, of Pakistan’s jihadi terrorism refracts a common goal. The minatory tone of China’s protest notes to India, following the visit to Arunachal Pradesh by US Ambassador Richard Verma and another that included reprehensible insults directed at the Dalai Lama for accepting an invitation to visit the Indian State - which China claims as its own - has been met with an exemplary statement from Vikas Swarup, spokesman of India’s Ministry of External Affairs. It bespoke both contempt and defiance for a bully out of kilter with norms civilized diplomatic discourse. It says little for China’s diplomatic skills, that its sole ‘all weather’ friend across continents is Pakistan.

According to Andrew Small, the American investigative reporter, China supplied Pakistan with sensitive nuclear weapon technology and even a bomb itself, and made available missile technology to carry such weapons to their Indian targets, since Pakistan has repeatedly emphasized that Pakistan has no targets elsewhere in the world. Chinese projected hegemony over Asia has a clear parallel with that of Imperial Japan’s prewar CoProsperity Sphere and is reminiscent of Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich in Europe.

The new President of USA: Full of potential Wednesday (3am EST), Republican candidate Donald Trump publicly spoke about his election as the 45th President of the most powerful country in the world. He was, for many, a changed person. He gave a glowing tribute to Senator Hillary Clinton, appealed for national unity and in a way made appropriate proclamation of his intention and positivism.

This should not surprise anybody. This is the cardinal strength of a democratic process. An ambitious self-made businessman of international experience, who has no practical knowledge of public life or a position in the political field, has been seen as a ‘different’ person but given a chance to establish himself and live the big American dream. This in itself is a manifestation of a unique kind of democracy. The credit goes to the founders of the American Constitution that a determined and ambitious person can enter the political fray and create a huge impact and acquire the position he desires.

President Donald Trump has several pressing problems.

At home he has to build a united country, try to appease the feelings of those who he had upset, especially in the last 19 months of a hard-fought election campaign. He also has to fulfil the aspirations of who he termed as marginalised, ignored and disadvantaged communities. To create a united nation after a bitterly fought and to a certain extent hateful campaign is not easy. But it has been done before both in the US and other democratic countries. Internationally,

President Trump has to create new equations with Russia, China, emerging world power India as well as other traditional allies like Europe, Japan, Canada and especially Mexico. With the Islamic world, perhaps the going may be difficult to begin with, but a common ground against extremism and terrorism is possible, which is the need of the hour.

In a strange way, the new President is, perhaps, facing the same challenges as the British Prime Minister. With Russia and China there is every hope for a better equation with Donald Trump as the President. A businessman has his own skill of negotiations. With American businesses craving for better and warmer relationship with China, perhaps Trump may bring the triumph as well.

Donald Trump has been controversial, robust or some of his pronouncements about women, Muslims, minorities, etc. will have a bearing, but things are likely to change for the better. Many on the international scene will also have to adjust to a new American President, who has received a clear mandate from his electorates as well as a majority for his party in both Houses of Congress.

It is part of the democratic process for the candidates to flaunt their own strengths and attack opponents’ weaknesses. Now that is a matter of past than the immediate future. A great nation like the United States of America has embarked on a new path of progress, prosperity as well as peace within itself and other nations. All men and women of goodwill should wish them well.

Britain in glorious finery The recent ennoblement of Jitesh Gadhia as a Conservative peer does Britain proud. An Asian immigrant from Uganda fleeing the oppression of Idi Amin, he arrived in Britain and discovered its level playing field, protected by the rule of law. Jitesh Gadhia became a successful businessman, a pivotal force in some of the investment flows between Britain and India, from steel to pharmaceuticals, which experience enabled him to work closely with David Cameron, Lord Gadhia is fervently of the view that the former prime minister was the principal architect of the present UK-India partnership.

He also oversaw the dialogue between British govern-

ment and the Indian diaspora.

Lord Gadhia took his oath in the House of Lords on the 1848 edition of the Rig Veda translated from the Sanskrit into English by the iconic Oxford-based scholar Max Muller. His maiden speech in the Second Chamber drew numerous plaudits from fellow peers.

In a change of scene, Prime Minister Teresa May lit the lamp for her first Diwali celebrations in 10 Downing Street. Her visit to New Delhi should not merely cement Indo-British ties but take them forward to a new cycle of mutual trust and economic and technological cooperaztion.

There is no guarantee of reaching a goal at a certain time, but there is a guarantee of never attaining goals that are never set.

-David McNally (1991)

Cllr Sachin Shah

Leader of the Harrow Council

An opportunity we mustn't lose It has been a busy few weeks, with many of our communities celebrating Navratri, Diwali and Remembrance Day. Last month we have also heard about the Government’s decision to approve a third runway, which I welcome.

The need for greater air capacity in London and the south east is acknowledged by all sides. Of the viable choices open to us, Heathrow is clearly the best the best for jobs and investment, the best for London and for the country. This is in part because of its position, because it is already established as the premier airport for London and the south east and because of its connectivity. A new runway is estimated to bring 5,000 new jobs and give the economy a £1.5 billion boost, with new destinations being available.

I’ve supported Heathrow’s expansion from the very beginning. There is a selfish reason behind this – Heathrow has been giving

Harrow’s local economy a huge boost for generations and this expansion will bring even more jobs and growth to our borough, improve our status as a global hub for trade and travel, and bring huge benefits for small businesses too. Harrow’s the best borough in London for small businesses, and everyone from our construction companies to our caterers will benefit from Heathrow’s expansion.

Infrastructure projects of this scale can be disruptive, and if the third runway goes ahead, some people will lose their homes, while many more will be affected. They have a democratic right to challenge. As politicians, we must respect them and the people who represent them.

If this project is to succeed, it must pick a way through these challenges responsibly.

We’ve been handed a golden opportunity here to resolve a structural crisis that has held us back for too long - we must not squander it.k

Standing by India in her ‘darkest hours’ Sergei Chemezov, CEO of Russia’s Rostec State Corporation, an umbrella organization of 700 hi-tech civilian and military companies, remarked, in the context of the Modi-Putin talks on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Goa, that Russia had stood by India in her ‘darkest hours.’ This is something Prime Minister Modi has never tired of repeating himself, and was very much in line with the sentiments of Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Narasimha Rao, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh.

Chemezov said India was a ‘friend and ally and not just a business partner; Russia had also stood by India during sanctions imposed on her in the aftermath of the country’s Pokhran nuclear tests in May 1998 (See page 12).

Take some time to study the trajectory of Sino-Soviet relations: a defence treaty signed in February 1950 and projected to last 30 years: it barely made it through its first decade. The erstwhile partners split on territorial issues and spheres of influence: Eastern Europe for Moscow, Asia, Africa and Latin America for China, along the lines drawn up by Lin Biao’s tract, ‘Long Live the Victory of People’s War.’ When the SinoSoviet splint went public, it was revealed that Russia’s developing ties with India had caused affront to Chairman Mao and his coterie. The parallel, although not cast in stone, is worth noting in the current context. If Russia was subject to Chinese control as certain Indian media gurus, most notably in the Times of India, goofily pronounced, why should Moscow enter into such ambitious arms and energy deals with India? India, for its part, well understands Russia’s historic pivotal role in the heartland of Eurasia as a bulwark against predatory imperialisms from West and East. In other words, both powers – India and Russia - are determined to prevent a would-be hegemon from controlling the Asian continent. It best symbolizes the convergence of their respective national interests. Long may this continue.

Editor: CB Patel

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Amazing running feat for Fauja, 105 A 105-year-old Sikh helped a group of runners celebrate the group's first birthday by taking part in a 5km run. Fauja Singh accepted an invitation from the organisers of the Rutland Water parkrun to take part in their weekly event on the shores of the reservoir.

Mr Singh took up running in his 80s and has since completed eight marathons. He took part in the event alongside more than 200 other runners.

Sometimes dubbed the Turbaned Tornado and Sikh Superman, he is a world record holder in his age bracket. His current personal best time for the London Marathon in 2003 is 6 hours 2 minutes and his marathon

Fauja Singh, 105, with event director Manjinder Jagdev

record, for age 90-plus, is 5 hours 40 minutes at the age of 92, at the 2003 Toronto Waterfront Marathon.

In 2004, Mr Singh, who lives in London, was featured in an advertising campaign for sportswear manufacturer Adidas alongDavid side Beckham and Muhammad Ali. Run direcPaul tor

Rogerson said: "The star attraction on the day was undoubtedly Fauja Singh the world's oldest marathon runner, now just 105 years young, who volunteered to be our tail runner for this event. The man is a legend in the running world having not taken up running until aged 89 and completing eight full marathons since then.

"Now retired from competitive running we were particularly honoured to have him run with us as this was his third parkrun."

To take part, register at www.parkrun.org.uk and head to Rutland Water on a Saturday morning for the 9am run from Normanton Church to the dam and back.

Jail sentence for Imam who fled country after sex abuse conviction A disgraced imam who fled to Bangladesh after being convicted of historical sex attacks on two girls he tutored has been jailed for 11 and a half years in his absence. Hifiz Rahman was captured on CCTV boarding a plane to Dhaka the day after a Wolverhampton Crown Court jury found him guilty of five counts of indecent assaults on victims as young as six.

During his sentencing it emerged that Rahman had a Bangladeshi passport, which the British authorities knew nothing about, allowing him to flee.

Rahman, who had diabetes, was on bail during the two criminal trials which saw him convicted, and was unable to attend some days after complaining of feeling unwell. Sentencing the 58year-old for a “gross breach of Nicholas trust”, Judge Cartwright said Rahman had “deceived” not only the parents of his victims, but also his own solicitors and barrister at trial by lying about being sick.

Rahman had been on conditional bail to stay at his home in Ballard Road, Netherton, Dudley, and had surrendered his British pass-

port before trial.

The father-of-seven, whose close family live in the UK, was excused from the last day of the second trial when the jury returned guilty verdicts on October 7, claiming he was again too sick.

Setting out the circumstances of Rahman’s flight from Britain, the judge said that when police went to check later that day that he was sticking to his bail conditions, they were told he was sick by a “member of the family”. But it emerged that officers “didn’t see him personally”, and the next day his son

rang police to report he had “disappeared”.

A trawl of CCTV at Birmingham Airport confirmed he boarded a flight on October 8. Police said attempts to return Rahman to the UK are continuing.

Crooked accountant hijacked NHS identities in tax fraud An accountant from Bolton, who hijacked the identities of NHS doctors and nurses in a £40,000 tax fraud, has been jailed. Sharjeel Iqbal, 29, pictured, of Lakelands Drive, Bolton, used his position as an NHS finance worker to hijack the identities of 59 carefully selected midwives, nurses, cardiologists and other NHS staff who were genuinely due tax refunds. He submitted claims without their knowledge and diverted the money to his own bank accounts.

Sandra Smith, Assistant Director, Fraud Investigation Service, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), said: “This was a well-organised, professional attempt to

manipulate the UK tax system for personal gain. As an accountant, Iqbal was in a position of trust and well aware that he was breaking the law. “He stole personal data, forged signatures on tax repayment documents, sub-

mitted false claims and paid the refunds into his own bank accounts. It was an appalling plan to steal from doctors, nurses and UK taxpayers that HMRC intercepted. He now has a criminal record and his professional reputation is ruined.

“If you know of anyone who is committing tax fraud you can report them by calling our 24-hour Hotline on 0800 59 5000.”

Iqbal attempted to claim £40,277 in faked Self Assessment repayments on behalf of non-existent clients between 2012 and 2013.

However, HMRC withheld £14,308 when they detected suspicious activity linked to

Police name key suspect wanted over Mansoor Mahmood murder Police investigating the fatal stabbing of a man near a Dudley takeaway have appealed for help to track down a key suspect in the case.

Detectives launched a murder inquiry after Mansoor Mahmood, pictured, was found outside Dixi Chicken in High Street, Brierley Hill, at around 4.45pm on October 15.

The 24-year-old had been stabbed in the stomach and later died in hospital.

West Midlands Police have Niron now named Parker-Lee, from

Brierley Hill, as a key suspected wanted in connection with the murder.

The 19-year-old is

In Brief

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Asian Voice |12th November 2016

described as dangerous and should not be approached by members of the public.

Detective Inspector Harry Harrison, from Homicide, said: “It’s important we locate Niron Parker-Lee as soon as possible and I would urge anyone with information about his whereabouts to contact us.

“Someone knows where this man is and I’d remind them that harbouring a wanted man is a criminal offence and you may also face prosecution.“

his accountancy business and some of the hijacked identities. Iqbal was arrested in early morning raids by HMRC on 12 November 2014.

HMRC searched his home and business premises and seized laptops, business records and mobile phones for forensic examination as part of the investigation.

Officers also discovered a significant amount of cash, which has been detained, and will now form part of proceedings to confiscate his criminal profits. On 4 November 2016, Iqbal was jailed for 21 months after pleading guilty at a previous court hearing.

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Leaders condemn benefit cap plans

Community leaders fear the government's new benefit cap will leave Oldhamers facing financial hardship. The Children's Society has figures showing that 400 households in Oldham will lose out, affecting 1,110 children.

But Oldham Council says 700 residents could be hit: 520 households, 47 of which already have a cap on their benefits, and around 125 Universal Credit claimants.

Eighteen of the households could lose up to £330 per week. The new cap will be implemented in stages with the 47 existing capped households affected from November 14 and newly capped households affected from December 12.

The Department for Work and Pensions has written to affected residents directly to inform them of the changes and residents will also be reminded at their next Job Centre Plus appointment.

ISIS recruiter Sally Jones named on SAS kill list

Jihadi bride Sally Jones is on a top secret SAS 'kill list' with highlytrained operatives told "use whatever means possible" to kill or capture her.

The ISIS recruiter is one of around 200 British terrorists the crack special forces unit has named on a 'hit-list' of wanted people. The Special Forces soldiers have been told to “use whatever means possible” to kill or capture named targets, according to the Sunday Times.

Mum-of-two Jones left for Syria in 2013 to join computer hacker Hussain, who was the leader of so-called Islamic State’s “digi-jihad” hacking brigade until he was killed in Raqqa, Syria. Jones is understood to be still be in Syria where she is working as a recruiter for the terror group. She has also used her Twitter account to spread propaganda and to issue terrifying threats on social media to US and UK.

Man who started fire at home while family slept is jailed

A man who started a blaze outside his Birmingham home while his family slept inside has been jailed for more than three years.

Naveed Bashir struck after being thrown out because of his anti-social behaviour. He piled rubbish on to a burning wheelie bin outside their front door, but his sister saw what was happening and raised the alarm.

Bashir, 29, who had previously admitted a charge of reckless arson, was jailed for three years and eight weeks.

On August 24 family members, including Bashir’s grandparents and younger siblings, had gone to bed only for his 17-year-old sister to be awoken at around midnight when she heard her brother who appeared to be speaking to someone outside.

UK mosques seek common time for dawn prayers Mosques across the UK are coming together to seek a modern solution to problem Muslims have faced for centuries - working out the exact time of dawn.

The break of dawn, which last two hours before sunrise, varies wide between different parts of the UK. This means different mosques across the country vary their Fajr timings for morning prayers as much a 45 minutes due to differences in the formulae used to determine the break of dawn. Some formulas used were based on a fixed time before sunrise and others on a set angle of the sun below the horizon.

The OpenFajir project led by the Birmingham Central Mosque used astronomy cameras to take 25,000 images of the predawn sky.

The mosque, then asked its worshippers to analyse the pictures to help determine the exact time for Fajr. Dr Shahid Merali, a GP and founder of OpenFajr bought astronomy camera which captures a 30-degree view of the horizon and set it up on the rooftop to take pictures every 60 seconds of either side of dawn for a year. The 25,000 images were sent to

over 170 local mosques, schools and to experts at the University of Cambridge and HM Nautical Almanac Office help determine the time.

Thanks to Dr Merali 150,000 worshippers around Birmingham have been using a standardised timetable since May. With the success of the project, there are plans to roll it nationwide. The Hujjat Mosque in Stanmore, north London and the Husaini Islamic Centre in Peterborough are embarking on their own projects this month.

UK Asian Voice | 12th November 2016

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Is Britain heading to a snap election?

Three High Court judges on Thursday 3 November told the Government that the Parliament must vote on whether the UK can start the process of leaving the EU or not. This means the UK Government cannot trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon treaty- beginning formal exit negotiations with the EU-on its own.

Theresa May had reportedly said that the Referendum result itself is binding enough and the MPs do not need to vote separately, but the campaigners led by Gina Miller called that unconstitutional.

Born in Guyana but raised in Britain, Gina Miller is the founder and chairman of Miller Philanthropy, which she launched with her husband Alan. She is also an investment manager for SCM Private, which she cofounded in 2014. The couple also launched the True and Fair Campaign, aimed at cutting ISAs charges and rooting out "dishonesty" in the financial services industry.

Miller Philanthropy also has the Goodwill Exchange, a pro bono directory made up of experts, individuals and companies.

The government is appealing the high court’s ruling, with a further hear-

Gina Miller

Theresa May

ing expected next month, where the campaigners have promised to counterappeal if the case goes to the Supreme Court.

2009, and was the last Lord of Appeal in Ordinary appointed before the creation of The Supreme Court.

The Right Hon Lord Clarke of Stone-cumEbony, a Supreme Court Justice has spent 27 years at the bar, specialising in maritime and commercial law, undertaking a wide variety of cases in these areas. He is the first Justice to be appointed directly to The Supreme Court.

The Right Hon Lord Wilson of Culworth, a Supreme Court Justice who had practised almost exclusively in family law after being called to the bar in 1967.

The Right Hon Lord Sumption is a Supreme Court Justice who has practised in all aspects of Commercial, EU and Competition, Public and Constitutional Law.

Who are the Supreme Courts judges?

The supreme court is made up of 9 justices The Right Hon Lord Mance, a Supreme Court Justice has over ten years represented the United Kingdom on the Council of Europe's Consultative Council of European Judges. Among other roles he also served in the House of Lords European Union Select Committee, chairing sub-committee E which scrutinises proposals concerning European law and institutions from 2007 to 2009.

The Right Hon Lord Kerr of Tonaghmore, a Supreme Court Justice who has served as Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland from 2004 to

Continued on page 30

5

8 jailed for sexually abusing teenage girls in Rotherham Eight men who sexually abused teenage girls in Rotherham have been given jail sentences of up to 19 years.

The gang was found guilty of 19 sexual offences on October 17 following a trial at Sheffield Crown Court.

Judge Sarah Wright sentenced the gang at the same court on November 4.

Most of the charges relate to offences committed against a Rotherham girl who was just 13 when the sexual exploitation began in 2003. The court heard that the victim had gone to the police in 2003, saying she had been repeatedly raped by Sageer Hussain when she was 13.

Thirty-one-year-old ringleader Sageer Hussain, of Clough Road, Rotherham, was jailed for 19 years for four counts of rape and one of indecent assault.

His older brother 40Basharat year-old Hussain, who was already in custody for child sex offences, was given another seven years to run concurrent to his current sentence after being found guilty of indecent assault.

From top, L-R: Asif Ali, Waleed Ali, Sageer Hussain, Naeem Rafiq, Mohammed Whied, Masoued Malik, Ishtiaq Khaliq and Basharat Hussain

The Hussains' cousins 32-year-old Mohammed Whied, of Psalters Lane, Kimberworth, was sentenced for five years for aiding and abetting rape, while 31-year-old Asif Ali, of Clough Road, was awarded 12 years for rape.

Thirty-four-year-old Waleed Ali, of Canklow Road, Rotherham, was given 13 years for rape and indecent assault.

Thirty-two-year-old Masoued Malik, of Bridgewater Way, Rotherham, was awarded 15 years for rape, false imprisonment and conspiracy to commit indecent assault.

Thirty-three-year-old Naeem Rafiq, of Clarendon Road, Eastwood, was sentenced

for eight years for conspiracy to commit indecent assault and false imprisonment.

One Ishtiaq Khaliq was also found guilty of indecently assaulting two other girls aged 14 to 15 between 1999 and 2001.

Thirty-three-year-old Khaliq, of Carlisle Street, Rotherham, was sentenced for 17 years for rape and three counts of indecent assault.

The judge said Sageer Hussain, who is of BritishPakistani origin, had conducted “a campaign of violent rape against a 13year-old vulnerable girl”.

The judge said their victims had been “targeted, sexualised and subjected to degrading and violent acts”.

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UK

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Asian Voice |12th November 2016

When Hollywood met Royalty With initial rumours confirmed to be true, Prince Harry is currently dating American actress Meghan Markle, better known as Rachel Zane from US legal drama, Suits. The show which is filmed in Toronto is where the couple met over the summer at an event for the Invictus Games which the Prince is a part of. The initial meeting took place while she was still another’s girlfriend, however within weeks of her split, she was in touch with Prince Harry.

So what do we know about Ms Markle? For starters, she at 35 is older than Prince Harry, 32. She is a mixed race divorcee raised in California by an African-American mother and a father of Irish-Dutch descent. She went to Northeastern university studying theatre and international studies and landed her first job as a calligrapher, wiring invitations. She is also a humanitarian campaigner, speaking at the UN as a women’s advocate while being a global ambassador for World Vision charity.

Of course, English royalty is no stranger to American divorcees. In 1936, UK was plunged into a constitutional crisis when Edward VIII, the Queen’s uncle, abdicated after

Follow me on Twitter: @kdudakia

Time Indians Woke Up Prince Harry is currently dating Meghan Markle

falling in love with American socialite Wallis Simpson with the intention of marrying her. While it is still ‘early days’, the confirmation of the six-month relationship has inevitably led to speculation about the forthcoming royal wedding.

In any case, Prince Harry would have to seek the blessings of his grandmother, The Queen before the wedding bells ring. For the Queen, events of her uncle and divorces among the royal household will inevitably bear heavily on her decision. However, it remains to be seen if we might see the first interracial marriage in the royal household.

As we went to print, reports emerged of Prince Harry attacking the press in its coverage of the story, especially the “racial under-

John Stokes kisses his wife Elizabeth

prison in 2014, every week since September last year.

Judge Jamie Tabor, QC, agreed to lift a restraining order on her so they could resume their relationship.

Dwindling whites’ number dividing Britain Community cohesion may not be a black and white issue, but the facts on it are certainly black and white.

According to a senior academic’s study, the white British population is dwindling in urban “pockets” across England.

Prof Ted Cantle, who co-authored the report with Prof Eric Kaufmann at Birkbeck, University of London, has called for action to tackle growing ethnic segregation across the UK. White families should be encouraged to live in ethnically diverse

KHICHADI

by Kapil Dudakia - email: kapil@abplgroup.com

OAP kisses and makes up with wife who stabbed him This is a picture of true love. An Old Age Pensioner has kissed and made up with his 84-year-old wife after she stabbed him 13 times in the chest with a pair of scissors for wrongly suspecting that he was having an affair. The stabbing incident took place at their home in Cheltenham.

John Stokes, 71, just let it go and buried the hatchet. She walked hand in hand with him from Gloucester Crown Court after a judge heard that he had forgiven her.

John Stokes told the court he had visited his wife, who was recently released on parole after she had been sentenced to four-and-a-half years in

Kapil’s

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areas to tackle growing ethnic segregation in England.

The study reveals white populations in towns and cities are dwindling at record levels and in extreme cases have halved in a decade.

England’s white population overall fell from 86.8 per cent in 2001 to 79.8 in 2011.

Professor Cantle cites Blackburn as one of the most segregated towns in Britain whose Whalley Range area is now 95 per cent Asian.

tones”. In an extraordinary statement, he warns that he fears for her safety. The prince believes, that with an increasing influence of social media and the fact that every girl he is linked up with is regarded as a potential bride are factors of driving women away from him.

The Prince’s spokesman gave a statement saying “A line has been crossed. Some of this has been very public.

The smear on the front page of a national newspaper; the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments.”

The statement confirms for the first time that the pair are a couple but launches a powerful and unprecedented attack on the media by the prince.

Bogus faith-healer's jail term extended

A bogus faith-healer has had his nine-year prison sentence extended by five years as he has not paid back £613,500 conned from his victims. However, the extension to Mohammed Ashrafi's sentence could be cut if he pays back the missing cash.

Ashrafi (51) pictured, was found guilty last year of 14 counts of fraud involving 18 victims, by falsely claiming that in return for payments for materials required for prayer, they would win the lottery, between January and April 2014.

He called himself Kamal-Ji, and purported to be in spiritual contact with an Indian Saint, Sai Baba, with special powers to solve problems and financial difficulties. And at a confiscation hearing at Leicester Magistrates' Court last week, Ashrafi, formerly of Babingley Avenue, Beaumont Leys, was asked why he had not paid off the cash or given proof of his efforts to raise the money by selling land in India or by other means.

Through an interpreter he said he had tried all ways of trying to sell land and its value had been over-estimated. He said: "I am in jail not in India and I have done a lot of effort."

He also blamed the economic situation in India for his failure to pay off the outstanding amount.

Astute readers of Asian Voice and Kapil’s Khichadi will be aware that for the best part of the past 5 years, I have been warning our community of the stealth transformation occurring in the Labour Party. In these five years, I have had a lot of abuse from many prominent Indians who belong to the Labour Party. They missed the point, they ended up shooting the messenger rather than facing the real prospect that their party was turning into a nightmare. Time is a silent witness that helps to prove one’s correct stance, and being on the right side of history is a blessing.

So, what am I talking about? Well I wrote an article titled, ‘Is Labour Going Sharia’? In that I articulated that the Labour Party was being influence disproportionately by the Pakistani (Kashmiri Separatist) groups in the UK. This week we see further evidence that the Labour Party have lost the plot in their pursuit of appeasement politics to secure the Islamic vote.

Over the past week, London had been transformed by the Jammu and Kashmir Festival taking place at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, The Nehru Centre and even the Houses of Parliament. A diverse group of performers from Jammu and Kashmir came to the UK to promote their beautiful home state. They represented various parts of the region as well as the different faiths. And each of them had one view – for Pakistan and Pakistani sponsored terrorists to stay out of India, and for Pakistani Occupied Kashmir (POK) to become part of Bharat again.

Then on 26th October 2016, the Shadow Justice Minister (Labour) Yasmin Qureshi raised a question in Parliament in which she used the term ‘Indian Occupied Kashmir’. Her unparliamentary question was answered with contempt by PM May, and rightly so.

However, what is very important for all of us to recognise is that when any MP who is sitting on the front bench of any political party makes such a statement in Parliament, it basically means it’s the Party policy. Just in case some readers don’t get the point, it means the Labour Party seems to be clearly stating that India is occupying Kashmir and it believes Kashmir is Pakistani. The Labour Party is now clearly coming across as Pro-Pakistan and Anti-India.

Ironically, 26th October 1947 was also the date on which the then Maharaja signed the Accession document with our Queens representative, Lord Mountbatten, legally confirming that the whole of J&K was integral to India.

Let’s move forward by a day. On the 27th October 2016, the Labour peer, Lord Nazir Ahmed took part in a demonstration outside the Indian Embassy in London. I just happen to be passing by and witnessed the antiIndia demonstration first hand. You can actually view his charade on YouTube if you like and make up your own mind.

The Pakistani MPs in the Labour

Party (as well as Councillors) feel so empowered that they can say whatever they like, knowing that the senior management of the party is either in on it giving tacit support, or they are too scared to say anything lest they lose the votes.

Remember, it was only last month on 18th September that state sponsored Pakistani terrorists attacked India killing Indian soldiers who were guarding the Line of Control at Uri. The result of that was clear, Pakistan was isolated on the world stage. And India gave a fitting reply for Uri, as well as to other cross border violations including the most recent in the Keran sector of north Kashmir’s Kupwara district.

I have asked Labour MPs Seema Malhotra, Valerie Vaz, Dawn Butler, Jonathan Ashworth and Barry Gardiner if they will denounce the comments of Yasmin Qureshi. So far, no response. I suppose that says it all!

What does this tell us? To me, at least, it states that whilst Pakistani MPs and Councillors can say and do what they like in the Labour Party, we have many Labour MPs (getting large numbers of votes from Indians) who basically don’t care a damn about India or Indians. If they did, I would like to see evidence that they get up in Parliament and disassociate themselves from the statement made by Yasmin Qureshi, and to make a statement in support of India and that POK must be vacated and handed back to India immediately. Will these cowards have the spine to say that? Take my advice, don’t hold your breath.

There is an organisation with a grand title called ‘Labour Friends of India’. As far as I can make out, not one person from that organisation has rebuked Yasmin Qureshi or Lord Nasir so far. How can you be a ‘friend of India’ and exhibit no spine in standing up to the extremists that threaten India? In fact, on their Facebook page, the last entry was on 25th June 2014.

Yes, it seems the election of PM Modi in May 2014 must have upset them so much, that their interaction on anything India related has stopped.

We have all just celebrated Diwali.

The lessons of Diwali are many, but let us note that the main one being that wherever you see adharmic forces in action, those of dharma must stand up.

The ‘ravanas’ of this world are gathering, often unhindered and possibly even supported by those masquerading as our friends. We however must see beyond and protect Dharma, for those who protect Dharma, Dharma will protect you. The darkness we witness daily, we cannot rid it by hiding, or by our cowardice or by appeasing the extremists. So, your duty is simple, if you are of Indian origin, then it is your personal duty to ensure that you use your vote purposefully. It’s your choice, you decide and then you live with the consequences.

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UK Asian Voice | 12th November 2016

7

Shanta Foundation raises £640K for Critical Care Hospital in Karmsad Anand Pillai A whopping £320,000 was raised in just 20 minutes at a Charity Dinner organised by the Shanta Foundation in London on November 5. The gala charity event in aid of a Critical Care Hospital to be built in Karmsad (Gujarat, India) was held at the Montcalm Hotel in the British capital.

About 180 attendees, comprising London’s movers and shakers, graced the occasion and donated magnanimously for the noble cause.

The Shanta Foundation is a charity organisation run by Bhikhu Patel and Vijay Patel, the founders of Waymade Pharmaceuticals. The foundation is named after their virtuous mother, Shantaben Patel who is a role model for the entire family.

The Patels donated another £320,000 – as promised by them to double the money raised at the event by contributing from their own funds – taking the total amount raised to £640,000, which will go to the Critical Care Hospital.

The Charity Dinner was organised in collaboration with British Asian Trust founded by His Royal Highness Prince of Wales and a group of visionary British Asian business leaders. The Trust works for disadvantaged communities in South Asia, and on Saturday it donated a matching fund of £640,000, which will go to various charities transforming lives in South Asia.

The Critical Care Hospital will be part of the Shree Krishna Hospital run by Charutar Arogya Mandal under the able leadership of Dr Amrita Patel.

Speaking to Asian Voice, Vijay Patel said: “There was demand for a critical care unit. A request was sent to us from Amrita Patel. My elder brother Bikhubhai visited Shree Krishna Hospital last year. He

L to R: Mr Manoj Badale (Chairman British Asian Trust, Ms Abha Throat Shah, Dr Vijay Patel, Ms Sonal Suchdev Patel and Mr Richard Hawkes (CEO British Asian Trust)

found that the hospital was run very well.

Ninety per cent of the treatment given was free.

“The idea is all about equity. Anyone who comes to the hospital gets equal treatment – be it poor or rich. And hence we decided to sponsor the unit.

“The hospital had a demand for £800,000. I am confident that over the next 2 years there will be more donations coming. The land is ready. Money is ready since it is charity driven. Since we are involved, the funding will be gold-plated.

Other than any local domestic issues, I don't think there should be any problem in the way.”

He said Shree CB Patel, Publisher and Editor of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar, also attended the event and Karmayoga Foundation donated £5,000 for the noble cause.

Vijay Patel says: “Bhikubhai regularly visits the hospital. He is paying a visit to the hospital in next 2 weeks. I am going in

February. Before all the funding is released we will ensure that the accounts are clean and properly audited by reputed European accountants like KPMG. We will have our people at the site for surveillance. Quality assurance people will also be visiting the site. Only after they approve of it, things will move forward.

Even though it is charity work, it will be done very professionally. Every single penny will be counted and accounted for.

We will also invite all the donors to visit the site.”

Earlier Bhikubhai shed light on the upcoming project and the facilities offered by the state-of-the-art hospital, especially how people will benefit from it.

The entire Patel family (four generations) is involved in Shanta Foundation.

“My mother (we call her Baa) is the first generation. In fact, the first donation was by Baa. She endorsed the project and donated £10,000. She often says you should help wherever you can. She is 97

and a pensioner. Her donation was the inspiration. It encouraged everyone to chip in with their mite. If a pensioner like her can contribute, why can't others.

Almost all of them donated in the range of £5,000 to £10,000 to £20,000. We (Bhikubhai and me) and all our children contributed individually to the cause donating £10,000 each,” says Vijay Patel.

Shantaben is the inspiration behind this noble gesture.

“Yes, my mom is behind this knowledge. She is a simple and virtuous lady.

She went throught lot of hardships to bring us up, as my father passed away early when we were just kids. Baa ran a kindergarten for almost 25 years in Eldoret in Kenya. Even with her limited earnings, she used to earmark a certain amount for charity. We studied till GCSE O-levels in Kenya free of charge. Now, it’s our turn to pay back. We have the debt of gratitude.

Today we run a nursery school there.

“Baa says this wealth is nothing but dirt of hand. Today it is there, tomorrow it may or may not be there. Only good work pays. What you sow, so shall you reap. This is her philosophy in life. She says never be ashamed of your poverty and old parents.

Always wear clean clothes, no matter even if it is torn. Basically what she means is keep your mind clean. If something wrong is happening, stay away if you can't rectify it. But don’t become party to it.”

Vijay Patel says wherever good work is done, one should contribute. “I should say we have been very fortunate to have such a good life. And I want that we don't forget our past and roots, our humble beginnings. Our feet should always remain grounded.”

Well, helping a person may not necessarily change the world, but it will certainly change the world for that person.

8

UK

www.asian-voice.com AsianVoiceNews

Asian Voice | 12th November 2016

Are schools a cause of, or a solution to, mental health issues amongst young people?

Selva Pankaj, CEO – Regent Group

Mental health problems among young people in the UK are growing rapidly, with nearly 850,000 children, between 5-16 years, having a mental disorder. This makes mental health one of the most prevalent issues we are facing in the UK, with an overwhelming number of people complaining that more needs to be done to combat mental health problems amongst the young.

One of the main causes of mental health issues amongst young people today is the pressure of exams.

In 2015, ChildLine and the NSPCC reported that over the preceding year, the number of students who raised concerns about exam stress increased by 200%. This demonstrates that while individuals, such as former Education Secretary Michael Gove, believe that putting an emphasis on exams is a positive, many studies actually show that exams are having a detrimental effect on students’ mental wellbeing. However, Dr Mary Bousted, General Secretary at the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, cited, "poverty, poor housing, unemployment and financial insecurity" as causes.

Mental illness comes in many shapes and sizes. This means that while some sufferers are able to successfully carry out their day-to-day tasks, some feel too overwhelmed to do so. Symptoms include the inability to concentrate, becoming distracted by environmental stimuli, difficulty interacting with others, difficultly handling multiple tasks at once, and the inability to take constructive criticism. Such difficulties adversely impact a student’s school work, and often exam results.

Unsurprisingly, many school leavers affected by mental health problems are ill-prepared for a move into higher education or employment.

Whilst being perceived as part of the cause, schools could also provide a solution to the lack of support mentally ill young people receive. Craig Thorley, an IPPR research fellow, noted, “Schools are particularly well placed to be the hubs from which early intervention support for pupils with emerging mental health problems can be based. But schools must be able to regularly access high-quality specialist support from mental health professionals and counsellors.”

This suggests that whilst the government is increasing spending to combat mental health issues, not enough of it is being directed towards schools. The general consensus is that help is most effective in community settings such as schools, where children feel comfortable. Having support, such as counselling, where the individual feels both safe and at ease would also help with tackling the stigma attached to mental illness.

We can conclude that the education system is, in part, behind mental health issues amongst young people in the UK, and that schools, as well as society as a whole, need to strive for greater changes in the ways in which we aim to combat the negative effects mental illnesses are having on our young people.

www.regentgroup.org.uk www.selvapankaj.com

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Leading Asian businesses celebrate with KPMG at their 13th Asian Festival Dinner Over 200 leading ambassadors from the Asian business community gathered in London last week for KPMG’s annual Asian Festival Dinner to celebrate the festivals of Eid and Diwali.

Organised by Nina Amin, a partner with KPMG Enterprise, who was awarded an MBE for her services to the Asian business community in 2013, and held at the Intercontinental London Park Lane, the event brought together some of the most successful Asian business and political figures from the capital.

The event, which was sponsored

by Simon Collins, Chairman of KPMG, was also attended by Rajesh Agrawal - Deputy Mayor of London for Business and David Sear, cofounder of Worldpay and commemorated the 13thanniversary of the celebration, a key gathering in the KPMG calendar.

During his speech Rajesh Agrawal, a British Indian entrepreneur who successfully started two businesses RationalFX and Xendpay told the audience how he arrived in the UK with just £200 in his pocket and is now a very successful business man . He also told the crowd why it was important for London to have a strong voice in Brexit negotiations as the economic engine of the UK. David Sear, founder of FinTech business Worldpay also spoke to a captivated crowd on the importance of optimism in business but warned that those businesses who ignore mobile technology will not have a business in five years’ time.

Addressing guests on the night,

Nina Amin addressing the guests

entertained guests with a review of the extraordinary political and social events that have taken place in the UK over the last year.

Commenting on the event, Nina Amin said: “Asian businesses are such a vital part of the economy providing jobs to thousands of people across the UK, and as a firm we feel it is important to celebrate their successes with them. I am so very grateful to the Asian businesses that continue to support us each year and enable us to work with such innovative and forward thinking enterprises. In the uncertain times that we are currently

London's Deputy Mayor for Business Rajesh Agrawal and Lord Dolar Popat with other guests

Nina Amin and Simon Collins, emphasised how important the Asian business community is to the UK economy and thanked guests for their continued support of KPMG. Nina

in, it is so important to stay close to our clients and support them with the ambitions they have to grow and seize on the opportunities presented by Brexit.”

The Asian festive dinner hosts

The Commonwealth chief’s lavish redecoration At a time when people are expected to keep head above water and organisations are introducing austerity measures to tackle financial crunch, it seems the head of the cashstrapped Commonwealth, Baroness Patricia Scotland of Asthal, has failed to keep the common touch, if the £250,000 expenditure to redecorate Baroness’s official Mayfair residence is anything to go by.

This comes as the 67year-old organisation is reported to be on the brink of financial collapse. Senior figures from the Indian government were alarmed saying “We are the fourth largest financial contributor to the Commonwealth.

We have concerns about how the budget is being spent.” A source closer to the prime minister’s office

said there was no hint India would reduce its contributions.

A letter issued by the Commonwealth two weeks ago confined the financial situation. According to the letter Lady Scotland assembled an emergency meeting on 19th Oct “about the dire financial position of the Commonwealth secretariat because it had detonated since the board meeting on October 10”.

The meeting was however cancelled once the secretary general “received assurance from at least one big contributor that they will expedite payment of the dues.” This has indicted the body is surviving financially on a weekly basis.

Baroness Scotland who took over the £140,000 a year job of sectary general asked for the bathroom to

be ripped out and new furnishings including a £4000 mirror lined cupboard out in. Additional she demanded new, more expensive be used, a £2000 dishwasher and fabric linings worth £16,000. Aides to sectary general also asked for marble window near entrance hall, a runner for the wooden staircase costing £2,500 and £81 per metre carpets.

The refurbishment included relocating a £1,200 chandelier, according to the Guido Fawkes website.

When Asian Voice pressed on the matter a Downing Street spokesperson said “It was a matter for the General Secretary.

India is one of 43 Commonwealth members and she has to focus on her job which is to modernise the institution.”

Baroness Patricia Scotland

UK Asian Voice | 12th November 2016

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Rani Singh, Special Assignments Editor

Randeep Singh: Improving the Lives of Others Randeep Singh, 44, is a family man with two beautiful children. He is the co founder of the Sikh Welfare and Awareness Team (S.W.A.T.).

The name of this organization tells us about its aim to provide faith to humanity through the teachings of Sikhism.

Created in West London in 2008, through the years S.W.A.T. has done a successful amount of work that has made a difference to lives of disadvantaged communities. It led projects that have not only solved financial problems of people in the short term, but have also improved their prospects in the long term. All of these would not have been possible without the input of the S.W.A.T. co-founder.

Background

Randeep was born in London. His father was an electronics engineer born

Randeep Singh

in Punjab and his mother was a social worker, with a florist business on the side, born in Dodoma.

Randeep’s early memories are of him sitting in the lap

of his grandmother, listening to her praying. As he used to sleep in the same room as his grandparents and siblings, he remembers waking up in the mid-

dle of the night and seeing his grandfather meditating.“His voice still resonating through my ears today, living in a close - knit neighborhood in a detached house” – recalls Randeep.

The turning point

Randeep Singh believes that the toughest thing in his life happened to him when he was 18. At that age he changed his lifestyle by killing his ego and trusting in God’s will.

It was necessary for him to take this step as Randeep says: “I was on the dark side to say the least. To be honest, I can't really take credit for it; I was blessed. Maybe it was the absorption of the Naam as a baby sitting in the lap of my grandmother”.

So Randeep not only became a baptized Sikh and took Amrit, but he also joined a special order: the Khalsa.

Randeep is still following this path as he is trying to serve and protect humanity whilst remembering God.

Starting up S.W.A.T

When Randeep thinks of what made him set up S.W.A.T., he says that when he was a child, he “used to have visions of feeding home-

9

positively contributing to less people in London in a and transforming their white van with a sliding communities”. door serving from big silver pots hot food in the cold weather.” But when The S.W.A.T.’s potential Randeep grew up, he saw that the majority of his Caring for humanity is a peers were taking drugs rewarding but also a time and alcohol and he decidconsuming task. Today ed to help them to overRandeep spends most of come these habits. He set his free time leading up a youth club to educate S.W.A.T. Spreading the local youth about the danteachings of his faith, gers of unhealthy Sikhism, he is not lifestyle. only a leader of the A year organization, but l a t e r There is more to also its main S.W.A.T. life than paying off mR ae nn dt eo er p. discovered your mortgage. homelessbelieves that: ness in its “There is more If we were more local area to life than compassionate, and spent paying off your this world would be mortgage and three years every day a better place. living in the rat looking after race. If we were the situation. more compassionWhen in 2012 this ate and forgiving this issue was under control, world would be a better the organization decided place.” Randeep hopes that to spread the message of someday S.W.A.T. will Guru Nanak Dev Ji to a become the biggest non – wider audience in central political help agency in the London. Now S.W.A.T. is world to save lives at disaspreoccupied more and ter sights. more with such projects.

The strength of the So the work of the organiteam is also its gurus, who zation is devoted to noble give its students the key to means. According to solving their mental health Randeep Singh, its main issues. This key is Naam philosophy is: ”We have a Japna – meditation in vision where every person God. Randeep Singh we meet knows they are believes that S.W.A.T. has loved and valued, lives great potential as “unless safely, with respect, faith, we have a solution to menhope and care for themtal health issues these servselves and others, achievices are always going to be ing their full potential, required.”

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READERS’ VOICE

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Asian Voice | 12th November 2016

Inheritance I was wondering if you could do a write up on inheritance in both the papers but maybe different months so it reaches both readers. I have heard in the last six months of many deaths occurring and families in USA, UK and even India who are having rifts because of what has been in the will of their deceased elders.

To me inheritance is a little gift and all I expect is a little gift to just go out and buy that special something, or do something really special or even learn something totally new and feel special about it as it was gifted to me by the deceased. What ever my mum left me with, I went abroad to do charity work for two weeks and on a sort of silent retreat course withn that. I was happy and content with that. My parents had through their life saved up little bits of money to send to relatives in India Kenya and charities they were close to. To make a difference to others was what they saved up for.

Families are fighting over wills when parents thought they were doing the best for their families. Families are fighting of what it cost to look after their parents, Maybe we should give most of it away while we are alive so we do not cause these family fall outs on our death. We have so much compared to our parents but we are not content and not grateful for all that we have.

What are these expectations and why are they there?

Our parents didn't expect anything from their parents! I hope you can do some research and put out a thought provoking article for the readers so that we can make our world a happier, more content, more helping others less fortunate then ourselves and respecting family values and relationships orienatated place.

Certainly we should not transfer wealth to adult children unless we’ve successfully transferred wisdom to them. Without wisdom, wealth will not only be wasted, but it will damage our children by subsidizing addictions, laziness, and immorality. More important than leaving your children an inheritance is leaving them a spiritual heritage. Virtually all the world’s major religions teach that diligent work in the service of others is our highest nature and thus lies at the center of a happy life.

Selflessness and joy are intertwined.

Mahadevi By email

On a knife edge

The forum article by Shree Dinesh Seth is worth of discussion. It would be discussed in a public form as it disturbs all peace-loving citizens of the peaceful nation. It should be openly discussed and strongly condemned. The general public should be taught and guided to face the “knife edge”event by the best and safest methods. As “Gun Edge” has threatened America for long, “Knife Edge” has played almost the similar part in some areas f the UK. Usually “Knife Edge” criminals are not trained but they are briefed up by their not properly brought up friends. The “knife edge” users go to such extremes because of being envious, jealous, an urge of revenge and at events due to a certain grudge. They may use knives when greedy, upset and lose temper, not all are robbers or thieves in general. Some do it just for fun.

There are people who shout, use dirty words, pinpoint fingers at each other, raise hands and incur in fist fights and that is the end. The advanced stage goes for a certain type of weapon, maybe a stone, stick, a hockey or cricket bat, a stump a sword, spear or knife as guns are not available easily in this country. In real sense ‘kinfe edge’ practice generally comes from disturbed homes where the youngsters are mistreated and their demands are not fulfilled. It may be the side effect of the not united parents.

Most of the ‘kinfe edge’ young criminals are from the illformed or not well-behaved families.

The police should take the “knife edge” issues seriously and keep themselves alert on doubtful movements and should arrange for security checks where required.

Schools should not allow any student with a knife and should arrange accordingly. The government should come forward to ban the movement with knives just like guns, including their sales. In the meantime, people should be trained to protect themselves from knife edge attack by opening special free training centres. The court should be very strict on such criminals. Let us hope that everything goes well and “Knife Edge” cases come to an end.

Dr HV Kerai (Ph D) Writer, lecturer & Critic

Disclaimer

Asian Business Publications Ltd (ABPL) is not in any way responsible for the goods and services rendered by its advertisers. The ABPL management accepts all advertisements in good faith and it is entirely up to readers to verify advertisers’ products and services, should they feel the need to do so.

India’s constitution

India must not think of its constitution as being set in stone but make amendments to it every 50 years so it keeps up with the changing times - otherwise it will become outdated like a religion set in the middle ages and refusing to change.

If India is to realise its full potential reservation must go.

It must have doctors, engineers, scientists who qualify on their merit and merit alone.

It is time to remove article 370. It is also time for a uniform civil code.

The powers of the judges need to be curtailed so that they do not interfere in matters they do not understand - otherwise they sometimes behave like a jack of all trades who has somewhere picked up how to wire a plug and so now thinks he is an electrician fully qualified to advise other electricians on how to fix problems with the air conditioning.

SK Shah By email

Diwali lights up HOC

I am a former Gurkha and I feel extremely proud to be able to wear poppy amongst 60 odd commuters travelling in a carriage to work in Central London.

Despite the advertise in TFL to donate for the our fallen heroes?

And we waste millions of pounds in gadgets, cloths and other wasteful materials etc? Let us donate a pound for our heroes.

Those who sacrifice their today for our tomorrow?

It is also very unfortunate and very sad to say that, because of the puppet and incompetent regime's of Nepal.

Gurkhas living in home and abroad are still struggling hard to find the "STATUS" with the British and the Indian government?

And in verge of becoming "Limbo & Illusion in the 21st century?

Yam Gurung (rtd) Watford

What do you think?

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

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Would Brexit be shelved?

A high court ruling on 3 November stating in effect that the government cannot trigger Brexit, Britain’s exit from the European Union, without a commons vote is welcome development in what is now becoming an unpredictable saga.

Three high court judges ruled that the Government must give MPs a vote before moving Article 50, which starts the countdown for Britain to leave the EU. If the vote is taken and if MPs vote against leaving, it could put a spanner in the works of those advocating Britain’s exit.

Many of us Asians, specially the Gujaratis, with their business acumen, are employed in the financial industry. Financial market, UK’s main hub for economy, is dependent on the business within the EU and consequntly in the world. Immediately after the referrendum, there were rumours of financial institutions moving their HQs to Europe.

If or when we pull out, not only the UK’s financial business will suffer, but many of our people will be out of a job. For my part, I do not want to apply for a visa every time I want to go on holidays to a European country or to have my freedom pass and other benefits to be taken away!

Dinesh Sheth Newbury Park, Ilford

Depressing decline of our NHS

I came to this country 45 years ago. I trained and worked in front-line nursing profession for three decades before moving on, as working conditions were becoming unendurable with constantly changing working conditions.

But compared to present day under-staffing and crumbling infrastructure, it was the best era to be NHS staff, even with overbearing “Matrons” who used to rule with iron feast but for the efficient running of wards. Recently our family member had cataract operation in private hospital, due to unavailability of a slot under NHS. In an emergency, we had to attend medieval NHS “Western Eye” hospital in the city where our surgeon was based. It was extremely depressing experience, although all staffs, including nurses, technicians and consultants were superb, efficient and dedicated with “Bumble Bee” work ethics. But working conditions were draconian, atrocious, with crumbling building with corners and corridors, more than 300 years old and overcrowding with some fifty patients standing, sitting on the floor in a tiny waiting room, new patients arriving every minute, waiting time long, tiring and exhausting, especially for OAPs. Even in Tanzania I have not seen such deprivation, neglect. Yet we call ourselves civilized country with fifth largest economy; spend billions in overseas aid to build hospitals. Do our luminary huckster politicians with “I am alright Jack” attitude have conscious or are oblivious to our sufferings?

Kumudini Valambia By email

Diwali lights up HOC

It was pleasure and privilege to read in AV about Diwali celebrations in HOC with beautiful photographs, manifesting the very essence of Diwali. The occasion was further enhanced by the presence of distinguished politicians and leading community members, notable names being that of Lord Popat, Lord Gadhia, Lord Dholakia, MPs Priti Patel, Bob Blackman, Dominic Grieve, Virendra Sharma, Shailesh Vara, Sajed Javid, C. B. Patel, Trupti Patel, Kanti Nagda and many more leading personalities. It was sponsored by many businesses and organizations.

The notable absentees were some leading “Founder Members” of “Labour Friends of India” who are normally first to grace such occasions. There is imaginary or perceived belief that Labour Party under new leadership is moving away from British Indian (Hindus, Sikhs, Jains) and Jewish communities, although being decorous, I would hesitate to contribute to this fiddle-faddle corridor of conspiracy theory. So it is high time for Labour politicians to dispel this draconian theory once and for all with actions, before corrosion become permanent and regain their popularity amongst these hard working, extremely loyal, law abiding communities, so eloquently acknowledge by elocutionist Lord Popat in his thundering speech.

I now look forward to reading in AV/GS celebrating Christmas in HOC. Bhupendra M. Gandhi By email

Brexit

It is incumbent on Prime Minister Theresa May to get the approval of the Parliament in regard to the negotiations with the European Union. The government was not given a carte blanche to negotiate in secret with the European Union, even though Brexit won the referendum. If they do that it will be unconstitutional.

Appealing to the Supreme Court by the government will not help, it may make their case weaker because Parliament is supreme and law-making body of this country. In a democracy it cannot be bypassed on such an important issue.

What Parliament would want to know are the broad terms and conditions/agenda of what the British will be discussing with the European Union, like access to single market, immigration restrictions, security arrangements (anti-terrorism), visa requirements, travel facilities, environment, education exchanges and other reciprocal arrangements.

They do not want to know the nitty gritty details and bargaining chips the government holds. They will want know what items the government will be negotiating with the European Union in case any item is missed out. That is not asking for too much nor giving away the government’s negotiating strategy and tactics.

Unless the government is hiding something and does not want the input and approval from the parliament on the negotiations agenda in broad terms. By doing so it will make the stand of the government weaker and not stronger.

The other thing to keep in mind is that there will be no free lunch from the European Union, a price will have to be paid as other countries like Norway, Switzerland and Canada are paying, in order to get access the European market.

We should not be talking of hard or soft Brexit, but of an honourable Brexit. A bird in hand is worth two in the bush.

We have got the European bird in our hands, but the others are still flying in the air.

Baldev Sharma Harrow

EDUCATION

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Asian Voice |12th November 2016

Success book for exams Over the years, teacher, professional tutor, community pillar and now author Dr. Indira Ghatak has been working hard on her new book ‘Success in Exams,’ a unique student study guide that offers a fresh holistic approach to learning.

Dr. Ghatak realised that one of the reasons (that often gets ignored by educators) for why some young people underachieve in their exams, is because they lack the skills to learn effectively. As a result, rather than focussing purely on subject content, as most revision guides do, Dr. Ghatak focuses her new book on everything that goes into studying itself.

For example: how do you organise folders? What is a good revision? What might constitute a bad

Dr. Indira Ghatak

habit? What are best tools and techniques for revision? How do you manage your time best?

Her wonderful guide addresses all of these issues and more using a proven methodology that has helped to hundreds of students in the Asian community achieve higher grades.

What’s more, her new book

is a one of a kind interactive book with scannable QR codes that link to online quizzes and even explainer videos.

Her work within the Asian community has been exemplary, working with hundreds of students, often from disadvantaged backgrounds, and in some cases free of charge with a single goal. “To help the young people in the community achieve more,” and her results speak for themselves. Her new book, which was written in conjunction with London’s premier ‘Learning and Development’ company Hexis Plus, is a testament to her hard work.

Her new book, which is available on Amazon is a must have for every student.

TfL awards 34 London schools top marks for promoting active and safe travel Transport for London (TfL) Monday gave top awards to 34 London schools for championing active and safe travel on the journey to school, as part of its STARS (Sustainable Travel: Active, Responsible, Safe) schools programme. The schools received awards for being the highest performing of more than 1,500 participat-

ing London schools, in reducing car use, increasing walking and cycling and using public transport.

The overall best regional primary and secondary schools include: Stamford Hill Primary School (Haringey, north London) ; Claremont High School (Brent, north London) ; Mossford Green Primary

School (Redbridge, east London) ; Stormont House (Hackney, east London) ; Regina Coeli Catholic Primary School (Croydon, south London) ; Forest Hill School (Lewisham, south London) ; St Richards Church of England Primary (Richmond, west London) and Brentside High School (Ealing, west London)

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IN SUPPORT OF PHARMACY When the Government first laid out plans to cut pharmacy funding back in December last year, it was billed as being part of a wider objective to transform community pharmacy. Now that the cuts have been confirmed, it’s very apparent that this strategy has failed.

All we’ve been left with is a reduction in funding and a weakening of our country’s primary care sector.

With seemingly no real intention of engaging with and listening to our industry, the government were determined to follow through with their proposals regardless of expert opinion and considerable opposition.

Proposals of how community pharmacy could save the NHS money were dismissed out of hand, signalling an apparent lack of consideration of the bigger picture.

To say that details of the final funding package were disappointing would be a massive understatement.

However, now that we’ve had a short while to reflect on this announcement, it’s clear that we must continue to realise our vision outlined in the Community Pharmacy Forward View. I’m extremely proud to be part of a sector which came together to define our future direction, led a campaign which resulted in 2.2 million signatures delivered into Number 10, started several debates in Parliament and drew broad support from patient groups, local government and other health professions. We must use this energy to tackle the future challenges that these swingeing cuts are certain to bring to our sector.

There are more than 11,600 pharmacies in England, run by expert

healthcare professionals who are passionate, highly skilled, committed and clinically trained to take on a greater role in UK healthcare. As we head into winter, this is a Cormac Tobin critical time of year for our Managing Director, Celesio UK NHS, and the pressure on GPs and A&E surgeries is sure to reach boiling point. Not a great time to force community pharmacy out in the cold.

It will be interesting to see whether the government comes to rue their recklessness and ultimately regret this decision. Or whether they will reconsider and show commitment to working with us to enhance the profession, release the genius of pharmacists and relieve pressure on the wider health system.

About Cormac Tobin: He is the Managing Director of leading healthcare provider Celesio UK, which includes LloydsPharmacy. He was appointed to the role in 2013 and has overseen a number of innovations within LloydsPharmacy, including a brand new pharmacy design concept.

He has been outspoken in condemning the cuts to pharmacy funding and supporting community pharmacy as a whole.

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MEDIA WATCH

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Asian Voice | 12th November 2016

The rift in Tata Sons, the holding company for the Tata Group, beat other competitors for media headlines during the past ten days or so. It promises to be the most riveting serial going forward into the coming weeks and months. On October 25 came the jaw-dropping, front-page broadsheet story, also repeated in the major national TV channels, that 44 year-old Cyrus Mistry, who had been appointed Chairman of the Group in 2012, in succession to 75 year-old Ratan Tata, had been sacked.

Ratan Tata & Cyrus Mistry in happier times

The Tata brand has long been a byword for financial probity, business enterprise and good causes, from science, technology and cancer treatment and research. There has scarcely been a whiff of scandal in over a century of the business life to sully the Tata name.

Ratan Tata is back in harness for the next four months until the Tata board appoints a permanent successor to the fallen Mistry.

That said, Mr Mistry decided that his departure would not be conducted in silence. He fired salvoes at Ratan Tata, alleging that he, Mr Mistry, had been cabined, cribbed and confined during his tenure by Tata’s wire-pulling activities behind the scenes. Mr Mistry has assembled a formidable legal team to contest his dismissal in the courts, Mr Tata has done likewise.

Much linen, dirty and clean, will be washed in the public sphere.

Such is the name of the game.

Bhattacharyya’s take on Mistry

Professor Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya, the Labour peer of the panel set to select the new chairman was the soul of tact. ’No one likes what’s happened – Cyrus himself wasn’t a bad chap,’ he said, talking to The Telegraph’s UK Correspondent. The founder of the Warwick Manufacturing Group.

Has worked closely with the Tata Group and was instrumental in Tata Motors’ acquisition of Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), and was a member of the committee which appointed Mistry as chairman. Professor Bhattacharyya attributed Mistry’s sacking to ‘lack of performance,’ adding, ‘Ratan Tata is an icon. His main interest was to make sure the values of the Tatas are maintained…I am sure that will happen.’

Social angle

‘The Tatas are not the sort who dump people, cause huge unemployment,’ they sweat it out.’ This was an oblique reference to the problems of Tata Steel UK, whose workforce Mistry was trying to downsize, while looking for an eventual buyer of the company.

Continuing, Professor Bhattachayya expressed optimism over the future of Tata Steel UK under new leadership.

Elevation

Tata Sons announced the elevation of TCS (Software) N. Chandrasekaran and JLR CEO Ralf Speth to the Tata board, raising the number of directors to 12.

It should be understood the Mistry’s ouster was voted by a majority on the board with two abstentions. TCS and JLR are two stellar Tata companies, with Chandasekaran’s name doing the rounds as a possible chairman.

Time will tell (Telegraph October 26)

Example set

One is apt to forget the one-time bitter struggle between the Ambani brothers, Mukesh and Anil, before good sense prevailed and peace between them was restored. On taking over Tatas two decades earlier, Ratan Tata had quite a struggle to ease out ageing satraps like Rusi Modi and Darbara Seth, and bring an age limit to senior positions in the company, taking the led by stepping down himself on reaching his cut-off year.

Pakistan problems

Bit between the teeth, Pakistan continues to foment trouble along the Line of Control in Kashmir causing hurt to innocents in the area and much grierf to its own soldiers. A Sikh jawan of the BSF was killed by Pakistan fire and his body mutilated by jihadi terrorists.

This provoked deep outrage across India. An Indian Army riposte destroyed four Pakistani outpost, resulting in the deaths of 15 Pakistan Rangers. Firing on the border resulted in seven civilian deaths. India replied with a heavy barrage of fire, which it claimed demolished 14 Pakistani border posts. The tit-for-tat cycle is in ascending mode (October 30, Hindu October 31, TV and press reports, November1,2 )

Pakistan spy ring, diplomat expelled

A Pakistan diplomat in Delhi, believed to be an agent of the country’s Inter Services Intelligence directorate was

expelled earlier in the week. An Indian diplomat in Islamabad was declared persona non grata and told to leave Pakistan. People alleged to members of the espionage network have been arrested in Rajasthan.

Schjools set ablaze

Meanwhile, in Kashmir, jihadi thugs have burned yet another school in the state bringing the number of schools destroyed to around 36.The separatist Hurriyat leadership prefers a population to be illiterate and under their thumb, bowing to their every whim. (Hindu October 28) A recent front-page headline in the Telegraph read: ‘No war, no peace,’ in India-Pakistan relations.

Like most Indian newspapers and the public, the realization has yet to dawn that Pakistan has been in a state of undeclared war with India for decades without, going through the formality of a declaration as required under International law. Such declarations have long fallen into disuse.

Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan initiated the Second World War with sudden attacks on the Soviet Russia and the United States, respectively, in June and December 1941. The present conflict with Pakistan will be a long haul.

aircraft for use by the Indian Air Force. It could later be fired from the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft India and Russia hope to manufacture jointly.

Andhra, Telangana top economic reformers

Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, cheek by jowl Telugu-speaking states in southern India, have overtaken Gujarat as the country’s top economic reformers, according to a report by the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion in India and the World Bank.

These reforms related to single window clearances, tax reforms, labour and environment reforms, dispute resolution and issuance of permits. Last year not a single State had achieved 75 per cent of the listed reforms, this year had gone up to 90 per cent, said Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Apart from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Gujarat, who ranked first, second and third respectively the successes now included Chhatisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Uttarkhand Maharashtra and Odisha, she said.(Business Line November 1)

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economist at Markit (Hindu November 2)

Manufacturing in 22-month high

Encouraging industrial activity – at a 22-month high - has been reported by Nikkei India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index. A Nikkei release attributed the good passenger performance to ‘stronger contributions from three of its five subcomponent new orders, output and stocks of purchases.’ The data for October provide ‘positive news’ for the Indian economy (Business Line November 2)

Rafale milestone in Indo-French ties

The new French Ambassador to India Alexandre Ziegler believes that the $8.7 billion Rafale deal for the Indian Air Force will prove a milestone in Indo-French defence ties, and ‘take our technological and industrial cooperation to an unprecedented level over the next few years,’ he said. (Business Line November 2)

India-New Zealand relations in renewal

Jihadis killed in jail break

Eight members of the jihadi Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, were killed by the police after a jail break and an attempted run for freedom. Long list of terror cases were pending against them. They were quickly tracked and shot down. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Congress party have made allegations of foul play against the State authorities (Hindu, Times of India November 1)

BrahMos range to be extended

The range of India’s supersonic BrahMos cruise missile, a joint India-Russia venture, is to be extended from its present 290 km to 600 km, following talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the recent BRICS Summit in Goa. India’s accession to the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) removed the only hurdle to the deal. President Putin referred to the subject during a press conference with the Russian media in Goa. ‘Extending the range will significantly enhance the stand-off capability and the operational radius in striking targets.

Combined with its speed and accuracy it is a major force multiplier,’ said an Indian military officer.

PM Modi with New Zealand Prenier John Key

Tata Motors surge October brought good cheer to Tata Motors whose domestic sales passenger vehicles sales grew over 28 per cent, the highest figure in the last four years, said Mayank Parekh, President Passenger Vehicle Business at Tata Motors.

‘The breadth of the upturn in manufacturing should assist in its sustainability,’ said Polyana De Lima,

Food processing, dairy and agriculture were high on the agenda of the extensive talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and New Zealand Premier John Key. Their discussions also included cyber and maritime security and deepening ties based on shared democratic values and the ‘Commonwealth heritage and sporting links.’ New Zealand was supportive of India’s membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

(Business Line October 27).

Fearsome weapon

The Russian Sputnik news agency (October 28) posed the question, ‘Why the BrahMos is bad news for India’s enemies?’ It is landlaunched for the Indian Army and sea-launched for the Navy and is currently undergoing tests for placement on the Sukhoi 30MKI

Theresa May lighting the Diwali lamp in Downing Street. see comment page 3

UK Asian Voice | 12th November 2016

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The Homelessness Reduction Bill: are we one step closer to tackling the rise of homelessness?

So Much Press BS about UK India Live on air on BBC in front of 300 million viewers worldwide I scrunched up newspapers. I was so angry about a whole host of press stories. I hate press sensationisation; headlines for grabbing readers, but which are exaggerated and so are basically false. These are journalists lying.

So I scrunched up the newspaper. And I am glad.

The next day I had a BBC Radio interview on the Asian Network where for 45 minutes I discussed the actual truth of UK India relations – not the headline grabbing rubbish outsiders who pretend to be insiders talk about.

BBC wanted my insights from Number 10 who from 1999 I’ve advised officially on policy regarding India (till 2004) and more recently on Entrepreneurship. In fact I write to you from a flight to India where the UK PM will be joining me at the TechSummit where I have judged companies to land bring to the UK from India – all organised by our outstanding Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department of International Trade.

So here are the top lies and exaggerations by journalists in the past week and the responses in summary on BBC Asian Radio I was able to give – as an insider: ‘Why does the UK involve itself in Kashmir?’ – It doesn’t. It supports India, just as it would the US after terror attacksdon’t forget the UK PM said, ‘Pakistan is an exporter of terror’.

‘Has increased racism since Brexit not put off Indian?’ – Nope. Just hasn’t come up. And for anyone who has suffered – get in touch with us and we will use all our

community resources to come down on the racist scum.

‘UK doesn’t want Indians – it makes visas harder’ – this is a classic outsider sensational lie. I wish the UK had an open border with India. It doesn’t sadly. It says we want skilled migrants from India with the likelihood of jobs and income. (By the way – how come no one writes about getting visas and OCI to India and how clearly India doesn’t want us Brits?)

‘Why would India care about UK?’ Because TATA Motors made a billion in profits in one year from the UK. They want us to go global from our brand and ease of doing business from the UK. So they invest and set up here, like the rest of the world does. That’s why.

‘The UK doesn’t want Indian students’. Ummmm…as a former Governor of a UK university, I know this is false. What the policy is that we want students going to proper universities, not just any old rubbish set up to defraud the immigration rules, and also want the students to stay if the economy here wants their job skills.

We don’t have an open border with India – I wish we did and the students from India could stay here without a job and have lots of time to find one.

‘The UK hates immigrants because it left EU’. Well, we haven’t left yet. And the population can vote as they please, but as Number 10 special advisors told be at Downing Street – we will act in the national economic interest and that means no issues with skilled migrants. Yes we do not want open borders for unskilled migrants.

Church apologises for forced adoptions The Catholic church in England and Wales has apologised for the first time over its role in the forced adoption of thousands of children from unmarried mothers.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the Archbishop of Westminster and head of the Catholic church in England and Wales, has issued the apology as part

13

of an ITV documentary called “Britain's Adoption Scandal: Breaking the Silence”.

He said in a statement: “The Catholic Church understands and acknowledges the grief and pain caused by the giving-up of a child through adoption.

The practices of all adoption agencies reflected the social values at that time

and were sometimes lacking in care and sensitivity.

We apologise for the hurt caused by agencies acting in the name of the Catholic Church.”

Between 1950s and 1980s more than half-amillion women were forced to give up their babies for adoption because they were unmarried mums.

There has been an increase in f a m i l i e s b e c o m i n g homeless due to landlords evicting them from their h o m e s .

Currently landlords may start eviction proceedings if their tenants Saniya Taqi have not paid either their rent or mortgage; or where there have been complaints regarding anti-social behaviour, illegal activities in the property or damage to the property.

The end of an Assured Shorthold Tenancy has also become one of the main causes of homelessness; this has been triggered by unaffordable rents, benefit caps and a lack of social housing. Recent figures show that in London, 8,096 people slept rough at some point in 2015-16, a significant increase of 7% from 201415.

Bob Blackman MP, a Tory backbencher brought forward the Homelessness Reduction Bill presented to Parliament on 29 June 2016 under the Ballot procedure. The aim of the bill is to amend the Housing Act 1996 and prevent more people becoming homeless by putting pressure on councils to assist people secure accommodation, 56 days before they are likely to become homeless. Blackman says that the bill will go towards “ending completely the social disease of homelessness”.

On 28 October 2016, Blackman's Homelessness Reduction Bill passed its second reading in the House of Commons without opposition. More than 100+ MPs from different politi-

cal parties came together to back this landmark bill.

If the bill is passed, then councils will have to accept a valid Section 21 eviction notice as proof that the tenant is threatened with homelessness.

This is a long-standing problem as local councils usually do little to prevent people becoming homeless until they are evicted by bailiffs, this means that people who approach their council for help can be declined accommodation if they are not considered to be a priority and be made to sleep on the street. Bob Blackman says “the sad fact is that when someone is threatened with homelessness and go to their local authority they will as likely as not be told, “go home, wait until the bailiffs arrive and come back when you are literally on the streets.”

This is also a large problem for landlords as tenants are being advised to remain in the property until the bailiffs turn up to remove them because councils do not consider them as homeless until they are evicted.

In the long run, the bill will save money for local authorities by combating homelessness at an early stage before it becomes a crisis, says Bob Blackman.

Although there is still sometime until the bill becomes law, the bill passing its second reading is one step closer to tackling the rise in homelessness and helping people to stay off the streets.

About the Author- Saniya Taqi Saniya Taqi is a paralegal in the Housing Law Department at Duncan Lewis Solicitors; she assists on a variety of landlord and tenant housing related matters such as disrepair matters, homelessness and possession proceedings.

A reduction of migrants as pound weakens According to a think tank, the flow of migrants has eased a the weak pound and rise of hate crimes have deterred Europeans away from the UK. The National Institute of Economic and Social Research has said the sterling’s 16% fall against the euro has

made Britain less financially attractive.

It is claimed that despite net migration at a record level of 330,000 the rise of unemployment predicted by economists will make foreign workers travel elsewhere and will slow migration.

This year EU nationals accounted for the

largest new employment share comprising of 280,000 of the 610,000 jobs.

Jonathan Portes a senior research fellow at the institute said: “Over the next two years, before any changes in the law or policy have any impact, a sharp fall in net migration from

the EU appears likely.”

In recent months jobs growth in Britain has slowed and the institute expects unemployment to rise from 4.9% to 5.6% in 2017.

This predicting comes as the EU unemployment rate has fallen 9.2% to 8.6%.

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Raj Khaira: The Pink Ladoo Project Asian Voice | 12th November 2016

Sunetra Senior

On October 11th, roughly a year ago today, lawyer and social activist Raj Khaira launched ‘The Pink Ladoo’ Project, a colourful re-invention of the Indian custom of celebrating new-borns: namely to correct the gender bias that traditionally pervades the rite of passage, and indeed the whole of South-Asian culture. “It’s something that I started thinking on when my brother was born because of the marked contrast to the reactions when my sister was received,” she told us. “I vividly recall having a conversation with my mom about how we should start a trend to help mark the birth of a girl.

The campaign is pro-gender equality and encourages families to celebrate the birth of girls because we want to get the South Asian community to take ownership for the problems that South Asian women face (domestic abuse, dowry violence etc) and to realise that the reason women face these issues is because they are seen as somehow having less value: dowry, fatherto-son inheritance, the tradition of parents living with sons in old age have all worked together to create a preference for sons.” *** Today, Raj and The Pink Ladoo team have accumulated just under 30 000 followers on social media, and have been involved first-hand in several successful grassroots campaigns in Australia, Canada and the UK. The project has been mostly – and admirably – self funded, and shares the anniversary of the day officially designated by the UN as the International Day of the Girl Child.

The special sweets being a glaring pink – with notes of raspberry and coconut – bears a greater social significance too: “To be an effective symbol of gender protest,” Raj elaborated, “the ladoo had to be simple and easy to replicate whilst simultaneously making their purpose clear without much further explanation; a bit of a ‘no-brainer’ if you will.” Visceral and already becoming tangibly ingrained into the communal consciousness, through the act of their very giving, Raj has found a way to not only open up a dialogue about women’s equality but to actively provide the remedy. The proof, as she recalled a highlight of the project, has been quite literally in the pudding: when she phoned up a sweet shop to ask them to participate, she found that the pink Ladoo was actually their best-selling product!

Tell us a more about the motivation for the Pink Ladoo Campaign?

I’d always been aware of wanting to do it since the birth of my sister when I was twelve. The idea then resurfaced when people close to me started having girls when I was working in the city. Together with the emphasis being placed on elevating women in the workplace recently, I started to wonder what types of negative messages might be thwarting women’s confidence and the women’s rights efforts. This was really the proverbial "light bulb moment". I realized that the cultural campaign was as necessary as it had always been and there was no time like the present.

What are the ways in which your legal career has informed and helped your campaigning?

Legal training encourages you to work efficiently, think analytically, approach situations with a view to mitigating any associated risks, all the while retaining a critical eye. My legal training has helped me keep a healthy degree of caution and scepticism, which helped evade certain pitfalls in the early stages. I truly believe that without my vocational background, we wouldn't be as successful as we are today.

Could you please elaborate on the personal story behind the campaign?

I am the oldest of 3 children and there is a considerable age gap between me and my siblings - my sister are 10 and 12 years younger than me respectively.

My parents never treated my sister and I differently for being girls, but it was a different story from the community and

courtesy of Munchies magazine

extended family. People reacted very badly when my sister was born by virtue of the fact that she was a girl. I also grew up in a gender-biased community where men and women fulfilled 'traditional' South-Asian gender roles. Men and women who broke that mould were mocked or criticised - the double standard was rife.

What are you hoping is the social impact this project will achieve?

Women won't just randomly wake up one day and feel empowered to say no to dowry, or demand equal access to education or fight for their right in the workplace, if the message they receive from the day they are born is that they are valued a little bit less than the men in their lives. Every gender biased message has an impact on young South Asian girls. We want to see the campaign evolve into something bigger: we want to create a community of empowered women and families who can say no to gender discrimination and we feel this can only happen if we elevate the status of women from birth.

You’ve had a great amount of positive feedback so far; tell us about the traction and how that’s made you feel?

Obviously gaining thousands of follow-

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Houses of Parliament honour singer Amit Kumar

Amit Kumar at Nehru Centre with Suresh Kumar

Anand Pillai

We have challenged gender bias through one powerful tradition

ers within the space of 12 months has been incredible. Initially we were flooded with stories from women who were keen to share their experience, particularly their negative experiences surrounding the birth of their daughters or the pressure to have a son. After that the response evolved into something bigger where people started sending us pictures and stories of the ways in which they had challenged other genderbiased customs. I feel elated. The purpose of this campaign was to inspire South Asians to challenge gender-bias and we’ve done that by setting an example through one powerful tradition in particular.

We are living at a time when changing the legal framework only achieves so much: we need to change the social law too don’t we?

Sometimes laws are used as a reactive mechanism to curb harmful practices, protect those who might be harmed by the practices and deter people from a particular behavior. Like anything, it is important to focus on the causes and not the symptoms. Laws are important for their deterrent and retributive capacity but to enact powerful and sustainable change it is important to get to the root causes of the issues. We believe the root causes are gender-biased traditions and customs.

Finally, do you have a life motto?

If you don't like something, change it: you will not only improve your own situation but give others in a similar position the courage to do the same.

W

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www.pinkladoo.org

The UK saw one of India’s legendary music personalities – Amit Kumar, son of the renowned Indian singer and actor Kishore Kumar and the Bengali singer and actress Ruma Guha Thakurta – perform at two sell-out concerts on 22nd October 2016 at Logan Hall, London and 23rdOctober 2016 at DMH in Leicester for his tour: Yeh Shaam Mastani.

He was joined by his younger brother Sumit Kumar, also an accomplished singer.

Award from Houses of Parliament to Amit Kumar

The concert was held in honourto celebrate the work and life of three of India’s biggest legends: RD Burman – Indian film score composer who is considered one of the seminal music directors of the Indian film industry; Kishore Kumar – the most successful playback singer of the Hindi film industry; and Rajesh Khanna – Bollywood’s first superstar.

Amit and Sumit performed yesteryear hits such as Yeh Shaam Mastani, Zindagi Ka Safar, and many more, taking audiences on a walk down memory lane.

In addition to his soldout tour, on 19th October 2016, Amit Kumar participated in an intimate soiree and interaction at the prestigious Nehru Centre where he discussed his career in Bollywood and his experiences of watching musical greats like Kishore Kumar and Mohammed Rafi.

Interviewed by Mr Suresh Kumar, promoter of the Concerts and Chairman of Indra Travel, Amit Kumar shared teasers of some of the gold-

en records of Bollywood as well as exclusive anecdotes from the era.

Also on 20th October 2016, Amit Kumar achieved a milestone by being recognised as the first Indian artiste to be awarded an esteemed accolade for “50 Years of Contribution to Indian Music” by the House of Commons. The event was organised at the historic Houses of Parliament in Westminster, London – the seat of the UK government.

Amit Kumar made his debut as a child artist, singing and acting in his father's film 'Door Gagan Ki Chaon Mein'. His debut album 'Baba Mere' featured his daughter Muktika Ganguly. The video is a touching dream sequence of Muktika Ganguly meeting her grandfather Kishore Kumar for the first time.

The album was a collaboration between Amit Kumar and Leena Chandavarkar Ganguly, wife of late Kishore Kumar.

He formed a production company in 2015, KBM with his brother Sumit Kumar. After the thunderous success of Baba Mere, as his second venture, Amit Kumar released Sapne Banata Hoon – The Dream Maker, at The Nehru Centre, London – the latest home

Rt Hon Virendra Sharma MP & Amit Kumar

production by Kumar Brothers Music (KBM).

The third is scheduled to be released in February 2017.

UK Asian Voice | 12th November 2016

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Curry industry feels let down by Brexit Britain Anand Pillai Having the advantage of hindsight, perhaps it would be appropriate to say the Brexit Leave campaigners had offered the bait of ‘more visas for south Asians’ to curry favour with the British curry industry voters.

The British curry industry fell for it. It took the bait and helped in voting out the Remain supporters.

But politicians are capable of showing their true colours. And they did so. The Leave politicians failed to keep their promise over immigration.

Consequently, today the disgruntled industry is giving the politicians concerned a bit of curry for betrayal.

And why not? The criticism is valid. Britain’s £4bn curry industry helped the Leave campaigners in the Brexit vote, but ironically many of the curry businesses today have to leave the occupation for want of chefs.

The number of licensed curry restaurants has declined by 13%, with over 1,000 restaurants winding up permanently in the last 18 months, according to a recent survey.

Curry house owners are concerned about the current government’s crackdown on immigration, as they are already struggling

after becoming Prime Minister was to rule out such a system, which she thinks could up immigration levels.

Adding to the woes, Home Seceratary Amber Rudd has pledged to reduce the overall numCurry houses facing mass closures ber of migrants. post-Brexit P a s h a Khandaker, presito hire chefs from abroad dent of the Bangladesh and are facing mass cloCaterers’ Association, who sures. campaigned for Brexit, told At present, the governthe Financial Times: “I am ment requires them to pay very disappointed, when at least £29,570 per Boris Johnson, Michael annum to get a visa for a Gove, Priti Patel, promichef from the sub-continent figures from the govnent. Visa applications are erning party, they were often rejected and the staff clearly saying that they shortage is the principal would introduce a pointsreason why eateries are based system of immigrashutting up shop. tion, Australia-style. My Priti Patel, organisation supported International Develop Brexit for several reasons ment Secretary, who was a but the main reason was to leading Leave campaigner, bring people from abroad said a Brexit vote would to help our industry to surallow the curry industry to vive.” relax non-EU immigration Chris Parsons, chair of rules and “save” British the India practice at law curry houses. firm Herbert Smith The industry was hopFreehills, too was quoted in ing that a new Australian FT as saying that it would “points-style” immigration be “politically rather diffisystem would come to its cult for Theresa May and rescue, allowing it to the rest of the Government recruit more workers from to say we’re closing countries like India and European immigration Bangladesh. down but we want to Theresa May But encourage lots of Chinese dashed all its hopes. One of and Indians to come in”.

May’s first announcements

Red Rickshaw delivers Indian Groceries to your doorstep iTadka (www.itadka.com) has spent close to a decade serving up quality Indian groceries at customers doorstep. It has spared no efforts to provide customers with the freshest produce in easy convenient delivery slots.

However, years on, time has come for a change. In their pursuit to make shopping for Indian groceries easy affordable and enjoyable, they are relaunching the company. iTadka has been revamped and rechristened to Red Rickshaw (www.redrickshaw.com).

Described as iTadka revamped and tempered up, RedRickshaw promises to continue to take the customer on a journey of exploration of Asian cuisine and showcase all the lovely Indian groceries available to us in the UK and Europe. They sell everything you would hope to find in your local Indian grocery shop plus a lot-lot more!

You can purchase all your Indian vegetables, spices and masalas, dals and lentils, rice, ghee’s and even all the popular snacks and savoury foods.

You can even buy your festival related products like Rakhi’s, Diyas, clay idols and fresh Indian sweets.

The company plans to continue building an ever expanding store and is panning out to serve not just Indian but complimentary Asian goods as well. Ms Jyoti Patel, the dynamic young Director running the show says the company will leave no stone unturned in bringing the joys of Asian cooking to British kitchens.

Shopping for Indian groceries can be very stressful. From worrying about finding suitable car parking spaces, turning up and finding products have already sold out, to even carrying all the heavy grocery items back home.

Red Rickshaw removes the stress of shopping for

these groceries. Their prices and offers are just as good if not better than the retail shops as well as delivery prices are kept to a minimum or is actually free (based on your order size). As a welcome gesture, the company is also giving away £10 off the first order to all new customers.

The company is also set to re-emerge as a comprehensive food site which nourishes a love for Asian cooking at home. The website's new avatar thus is a collection of literature from across Asia including ingredient buying guides, e-books on Asian cookery, spice selection and storage guides and the like. The online shop is stocked to furnish any aspiring home chef's exploration into Asian cooking. Poised at a period when Asian food trends are buzzing in the UK, it looks like promising times for Red Rickshaw (www.redrickshaw.com).

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Family and friends launch 'Noon Memorial Legacy Trust' on the first anniversary of his passing Zeenat Noon Harnal and Zarmin Noon Sekhon organised an event to remember, honour and celebrate their father Lord Gulam Noon's life and legacy, on the first anniversary of his passing.

On Thursday 27 October, people gathered at the Bombay Brasserie to join Late Lord Noon's daughters to mark this occasion, where they also launched the Noon Memorial Legacy Trust, to continue Lord Noon's philanthropic work.

Speaking about it, Zeenat said, “I am proud to launch this new initiative, and continue my fathers philanthropic

Gulam Noon, Lord Kamlesh Patel - Labour member of the House of Lords and a close family friend, Akbar Shirazi - Brother of late Lord Gulam Noon, David Robinson- a barrister and very close family friend and Michael Jepson – a barrister and friend.

Speaking about his role as a Trustee, Lord Remembering Lord Gulam Noon Kamlesh Patel said, "I consider being a we are in a position where Trustee of the Noon we need to built further Memorial Legacy Trust, facilities to extend this an honour and a privilege hospital as the popularity which enables me to conand demand of our tinue to be associated patients grow. with Lord Noon, through “Noon Centre for continuing his two Equality and Diversity in

Lord Patel, Zeenat Noon Harnal, Baroness Patricia Scotland and Arun Harnal

work through ‘The Noon Memorial Legacy Trust’.

As my father very often said 'Hands that help are holier than the lips that pray', this ethos has

Business at UEL, another one of his brainchild and way ahead of its time, supporting students with opportunities and experiences that perhaps they would not have had oth-

beloved and incredible charitable projects. Two charities (in health and in education) helping those who need it most one in his ancestral home

Dr Rami Ranger CBE, Lord Kamlesh Patel, Lord and Lady Loomba

taught both me to carry this torch and continue where he left off.

“Noon Hospital in particular which helps the poor and needy in Rajasthan was one very close to his heart. We continue to help and give good health care facilities in a state of the art hospital built with a lot of passion, dedication and determination by my father in a remote town of Bhawani Mandi. Today

erwise.

“I would conclude in saying, 'We make a living by what we get, But we make a life by what we give'-Words of wisdom spoken by Winston Churchill and followed by both my sister Zarmin and I.” The Trustees include: Zeenat Noon Harnal– Daughter of late Lord Gulam Noon, Zarmin Noon Sekhon – Daughter of late Lord

in India and one in his adopted home in the U.K. “I have seen first hand the difference these projects have made to the lives of many thousands of people, and the opportunities they have provided for them to improve their lives. These are two examples of Lord Noon's life and legacy and I along with my fellow trustees will ensure that they grow and develop as he wished them to do."

From the grim to the skies: East

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SPECIAL

www.asian-

Asian Voice |12th November 2016

AsianVoiceNews

Aaditya Kaza

Defined as a part of London east of the ancient city and north of the River Thames, East London has seen a great transformation from the quayside docks on the Thames to the glistening skyscrapers of London’s new business district. We look at the somewhat underrated side of the capital.

E

ast London comprises of six modern London Boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Newham, Waltham Forest, Barking and Dagenham, Redbridge, Havering and also part of Hackney, the seventh. This includes Shoreditch, Hoxton and Haggerston.

The London Plan of 2011 included an altered ‘East’ region. In addition to the seven boroughs north of the river, the ‘East’ subregion also includes three boroughs to the south of it: Greenwich, Bexley and Lewisham.

History

London would not be the global city it is today without its port based in east London.

The Port of London has been central to the

economy of London since the 1st century and was a major contributor to the growth and success of the city. In the 18th and 19th centuries, it was the busiest port in the world, with wharves extending continuously along the Thames for 11 miles.

From the beginning of the 19th century, shipping into London was handled within the Pool of London, a stretch of the River Thames along Billingsgate. Throughout the 19th century, a series of enclosed dock systems were built - surrounded by high walls to protect from river piracy. At the beginning of the 20th century, a combination of competition and strikes led to pressure to amalgamate. The Port of London Authority (PLA) was set up in 1908 with a help of a Royal Commission. The PLA took control of the enclosed docks from Tower Bridge to Tilbury the following year.

Due to its size and grandeur, the Port employed many labourers in the late 19th and early 20th century. While a majority of dockers were casual labourers, there were skilled workers loaded ships along with lightermen who unloaded cargo from moored boats via barges.

While specific dockhands found regular work, the average dockhand lived from day to day,

hoping to be hired when a ship docked. In addition, the work itself was incredibly dangerous. A docker would suffer a fatal injury from falling cargo almost every week in 1900 while nonfatal injuries happened more often.

Despite the risks and no means of steady living, London dockers handled exotic imports such as precious stones, African ivory, Indian spices, and Jamaican rum that they could never dream of purchasing themselves.

Hence robberies was a common occurrence in the London docks, with dockers hiding goods under their clothes while leaving or they break into warehouses at night, though this was mostly undertaken by professional robbers.

In 1888 the impoverished area in and around Whitechapel was notorious for a spate of killings involving five women. The media named the unidentified serial killer, Jack the Ripper which was coined after a letter written by someone claiming to be the murderer. The letter is now widely believed to be a hoax with a popular theory suggesting journalists may have written the letter to increase their newspapers' circulation.

Within the official crime case files, the killer was called "the Whitechapel Murderer" and "Leather Apron”. The legacy of the murders and of the victims drew society’s attention to the poor living conditions in the East End and invigorated public opinion against the overcrowded and unsanitary slums.

Business and Economy

With London built as an amalgamation of smaller villages and-and towns, East London is no different. Among the many, we mention a few in particular.

Brick Lane, today is famous for its rows of curry houses earning the title Curry Capital of UK. Yet this claim to fame happened in the second half of the 20th century. For centuries the East End has been a stopover for many immigrants employed working in the docks and shipping. These people mainly from Chittagong port in the Bengal. Their regular stopover paved the way

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for food/curry outlets to be opened up catering for an all male workforce as family migration and settlement took place some decades later.

An interesting fact remains that Sylheti Bengalis constitute only 10% of all South Asians in Britain; however around 90% of all South Asian restaurants in the UK are Sylheti- or Bengali-owned. The Brick Lane area saw families from countries like Bangladesh especially the Greater Sylhet coming to London looking for work. Some curry houses of Brick Lane do not sell alcohol as the establishments are predominately owned by Muslims.

Brick Lane has further been immortalised in popular culture in Monica Ali’s 2003 book Brick Lane, and later the film in 2007. The novel provoked a controversy among some in the local community due to the perceived negative portrayal of them.

Green Street is a regional centre for retail in and selling of food, jewellery and fabrics on the street and at the Queens Market. The road has a wide range of shops specialising in primarily South Asian foods, saris, jewellery which cater to those with strong cultural and familial ties to India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Earlier a mainly Pakistani locality, today a very large Bangladeshi population live in the area.

While East Ham is mostly residential with Asian households. The area has retransformed to cater for the community thanks to its shops and restaurants which specialise in ethnic tastes. There are also still traditional East End eateries. Furthermore, there are many South Asian restaurants which specialise in traditional South Indian cuisine. These include a branch of the famous Saravanaa Bhavan franchise, now spread across London.

The borough of Tower Hamlets hosts the world headquarters of many global financial businesses, employing some of the highest paid workers in London, yet the borough also has high rates of long-term illness and premature death and the second highest unemployment rate in London.

With 12,500 commercial shipping movements annually, the Port of London handles 10% of the UK commercial shipping trade and contributes £8.5 billion to the UK economy.

The ‘NEW’ east

Through history, no city has called itself great without its transportation system and London is no different. The London Underground has through its tracks helped London grow, connecting the suburbs to the city. While the District Line was there to connect outer lying suburbs, the key to east London’s regeneration is the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) and the Jubilee Line Extension.

Proposals for the DLR were under discussion as early as 1972. However with the creation of the London Docklands Development Corporation (LDDC) in 1981 which looked into the redevelopment of the Docklands needed a transportation solution to connect the newly ‘redeveloping’ east.

Costing £77 million, the DLR line was formally opened by HM The Queen on 30

July 1987 with passenger services commencing on 31 August.

The initial DLR comprised two routes, from Tower Gateway and Stratford to Island Gardens.The three branches had 15 stations stretching 8 miles. Over the years with three separate extension stages and the final one to Stratford International in 2011. Today the DLR has 45 stations stretching 25 miles.

There are six branches: to Lewisham in the south, Stratford and Stratford International in the north, Beckton and Woolwich Arsenal in the east, and Central London in the west, splitting to Bank and Tower Gateway.

The extension of the Jubilee line runs from Green Park to Stratford through south and east London. An eastward extension of the line was first proposed in the 1970s.

Construction officially started in December 1993 and was supposed to take 53 months. It opened in stages from May to December 1999. The extension has proved extremely successful, relieving pressure on a congested DLR and providing travel links to parts of east London which were poorly connected.

Canary Wharf and the Docklands

Canary Wharf, London’s second business district is home to the world and European headquarters of numerous major banks, professional services firms and media organisations including Barclays, Citigroup, Clifford Chance, Credit Suisse, Infosys, Fitch Ratings, HSBC, J.P. Morgan, KPMG, MetLife, Morgan Stanley, RBC, Skadden, State Street and Thomson Reuters. Savills, a top-end estate agency recommends that 'extreme luxury' and ultra-modern residential properties are to be found at Canary Riverside, West India Quay, Pan Peninsula and Neo Bankside. Canary Wharf has many of Europe's tallest buildings, including the second-tallest in the UK, One Canada Square.

Canary Wharf contains around 16,000,000 square feet of office and retail space.

Together the companies based in Canary Wharf employ around 105,000 people.

Canary Wharf is named after No. 32 berth of the West Wood Quay of the Import Dock which was built in 1936. When the London docks closed in 1980, the British Government decided to redevelop the area and adopted policies including creating the London Docklands Corporation in 1981 and granting an Urban Enterprise Zone status to the Isle of Dogs in 1982.

The Canary Wharf of today began when the former chairman of Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB), Michael von Clemm, had the idea to convert Canary Wharf into a back office. Following discussions with G Ware Travelstead, an American property developer led to proposals to create a new business district. Construction began in 1988 with the first buildings finished in 1991, including One Canada Square, becoming UK's tallest building at the time and spurred the regeneration of Docklands.

Stratford/Olympic village

Historically an agrarian settlement it was transformed into an industrial suburb after the arrival of the railway in 1839. The late 20th Century was a period of severe economic decline, eventually reversed by regeneration associated with the 2012 Olympics, for

t London’s great transformation

-voice.com

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which Stratford’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park was the principal venue. Stratford is now East London’s primary retail, cultural and leisure centre. It has also become the second most significant (after Canary Wharf) business location in the east of the capital.

The East Village was constructed as the Olympic Village for the athletes competing in the 2012 Games. Since then it has been converted for use as a new residential district. The new construction created 2, 818 new homes, including 1,379 affordable homes and houses, for sale and rent. The wider community is planned with wide vistas filled with gardens, parks and communal areas, within which are to be housed a school, a health clinic and shops. Having sold the affordable homes to Triathlon Homes in 2009 for £268 million, a competitive tender was issued in 2008 for ODA's interests in the remaining 1,439 private homes, along with six adjacent future development plots with the potential for a further 2,000 new homes, and long-term management of East Village.

Both the Canary Wharf and Stratford areas have led to a massive regeneration project in modern living spaces which is spreading across East London, especially so near the South Quay DLR Station and around the East India and Canning Town.

Sights of east London

For £10 per person the Jack the Ripper Walk eating 2 hours takes down the eerie paths of Whitechapel area to experience a truly atmospheric route of the Victorian East End. The walk is conducted every night from 7pm.

Westfield in Stratford City, one of the biggest shopping centres in Europe containing 350 stores and a casino. You can shop to your heart's content. If Westfield seems upmarket for you, you can try The Stratford Centre on the other side of Stratford station.

This older centre has a range of reasonablypriced stores with its indoor and outdoor market stalls and the 'in shops' network of small retail outlets.

Nearby at the Olympic Park, you can visit the ArcelorMittal Orbit, UK’s tallest sculpture, designed by Sir Anish Kapoor. You can see London from a different perspective from viewing platforms 80m in the air. If city spotting is to tame, how about a descent on the Obit’s slide? As described on their website Visitors will descend the world’s highest and, at 178m, the world’s longest tunnel slide, as they travel down the UK’s tallest public artwork.

The lasting just 40 seconds, in the descent from top to bottom, visitors will circle around the ArcelorMittal Orbit 12 times through the famous loops and curves of the iconic structure. Finally for the inner adrenaline junkie willing to try something crazy. how about abseiling down the sculpture? All 262 feet of the sculpture. However for the sky-high experience, once must pay the price of £85 per person or one could upgrade for £15 per person to include GoPro footage.

Former the Millennium Dome, the redesigned O2 arena is a multipurpose entertainment venue the Arena at the centre. The O2 arena has played host to music concerts including AR Rahman and Rahat Ali Khan among the Asian artists to perform there, To stand comedies and acted as a temporary Olympic Venue. Alongside the arena the complex has a cinema, nightclub clubs like Indigo and Building Six and a range of restaurants to grab a bite from. And the best? For £35 person you can climb up the O2 and get a 360degree view of London.

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SPECIAL Asian Voice | 12th November 2016

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Asian Population of East London boroughs

Barking and Dagenham has a population of 198,294. The Asian population comprises of 4% Indian, 4.3% Pakistani, 4.1% Bangladeshi and 2.8% Other Asian

Bexley has a population of 239,865. The Asian population comprises of 3% Indian, 0.3% Pakistani, 0.3% Bangladeshi and 1.8% Other Asian

Greenwich has a population of 268,678. The Asian population comprises of 3.1% Indian, 1% Pakistani, 0.6% Bangladeshi and 5% Other Asian

Hackney has a population of 263,150. The Asian population comprises of 3.1% Indian, 0.8% Pakistani, 2.5% Bangladeshi and 2.7% Other Asian

Havering has a population of 245,974. The Asian population comprises of 2.1% Indian, 0.6% Pakistani, 0.4% Bangladeshi and 1.1% Other Asian

Lewisham has a population of 291,933. The Asian population comprises of 1.7% Indian, 0.6% Pakistani, 0.5% Bangladeshi and 4.3% Other Asian

Newham has a population of 324,322. The Asian population comprises of 13.8% Indian, 9.8% Pakistani, 12.1% Bangladeshi and 6.5% Other Asian.

The borough has the second highest percentage of Muslims in Britain, after Tower Hamlets, at 32%.

Redbridge has a population of 293,055. The Asian population comprises of 16.4% Indian, 11.1% Pakistani, 5.7% Bangladeshi and 7.4% Other Asian

Tower Hamlets has a population of 284,015. The Asian population comprises of 2.7% Indian, 1% Pakistani, 32% Bangladeshi and 2.3% Other Asian

Waltham Forest has a population of 268,020. The Asian population comprises of 3.5% Indian, 10.2% Pakistani, 1.8% Bangladeshi and 4.5% Other Asian Across the river visit the Royal Observatory, home of the prime meridian.

Among the tickets on sale, you can have a Meridian Line & Historic Royal Observatory experience. This gives you admission to the Royal Observatory including access to the Astronomer Royal's house and the Meridian Line. Entry includes free audio guide, available in different languages.

Another combination includes visiting the Royal Observatory and the Cutty Sark, one of the last tea clippers to be built and one of the fastest by the river in Greenwich. From a bit of history to visiting an enormous space used for exhibitions and events known as London Excel. Next year the venue will see an exhibition of Asian Bride Live in February and an Eastern World Expo in April.

Running until 28 January 2017, India’s Gateway: Gujarat, Mumbai & Britain exhibition at Redbridge Museum in Ilford, explores the links between Gujarat, Mumbai and Britain which stretch back over 400 years. This exhibition at Redbridge Museum presents a vivid portrait of the region and explores the lives and experiences of Gujarati communities today in both India and east London. The display is based on new photography and film by renowned photographer Tim Smith complemented with material from Redbridge Museum’s collections.

And if you are a football fan how about visiting West Ham United who recently moved to their new home, basing themselves in the former Olympic Park. Or the other East London club, Leyton Orient.

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FINANCIAL VOICE

18

Asian Voice | 12th November 2016

Consultant Editor Financial Voice Alpesh Patel

Your Ignorance is making you poorer Dear Financial Voice Reader, When each week I give 2 hour free financial education webinars – the questions I am asked worries me. It shows how little people know about making a side income from investing as little as £1,000 into an online investment account.

The top questions are: ‘How do I place a trade?’ The wealth of online trading websites giving freebies so to make it easier to trade means this really should no longer be an issue. I like in my webinar naming good ones.

‘How do I know I can trust the broker?’ It is true many brokers will try to rip you off. Again I like naming names for that reason.

‘How do I know when to buy and when to sell?’ The great news is there are so many ways to get instant signals on when to buy and sell ‘Don’t I have to pay for things like software and signals on when to buy and sell?’ No – again it’s about knowing where to go.

‘I don’t have the time to trade and invest?’ Actually a good professional should be able to just show you how to monitor the market for 15 minutes a day, before and after work.

‘Isn’t all this risky?’ Once again, like everything else, if you get the bad teachers then they will not remove your risks. I focus on showing people how to start with a small $1,000 account and risk the smallest amount of money and never lose more than their initial capital. Again, if you know where to go and look then your problems are removed.

‘Can’t I get this from a book and paid course?’ Paid courses are by people whose interests are different to yours.

I give mine free because I want people to learn. They are subsidised by my clients and so free for the public.

‘Why is this all important?’ Because with super low interest rates and the ability to make a second income or even a tiny bit extra, surely you should not let your ignorance stop you.

So I look forward to seeing you at my next online free investing and trading webinar – www.alpeshpatel.com/mega

People press gold button “People are scared as they didn't know what to do with the cash they had after the government announced the withdrawal of Rs 1,000 and 500 notes.

People frantically bought jewellery and even paid a premium for it. This was the case with the majority of jewellers,” said Jigar Soni, secretary, Jewellers Association of Ahmedabad.

Tata Sons appoints new execs to steer group AsianVoiceNews

Tata Sons have announced changes in the roles and responsibilities of some key group executives, a first such move after the board decided to replace Cyrus Mistry on October 24, as chairman of the $103 billion conglomerate.

Under the changes, S Padmanabhan will now oversee the human resources department of the group, along with his existing responsibilities of leading the Tata Business Excellence Group. The HR portfolio was initially handled by NS Rajan, who has forwarded his resignation.

Tata Sons also said that Mukund Rajan would oversee the operations of the overseas representative offices of Tata Sons in the USA, Singapore, Dubai, and China. "Harish Bhat, in addition to his (current) responsibilities for marketing and customer centricity, will henceforth also be responsible for managing

Ratan Tata with Cyrus Mistry

the Tata brand. In the interim, he will oversee the functions of strategy and business development," the company said in a statement.

The group has retained Gopichand Katragadda as chief technology officer.

Nirmalya Kumar, NS Rajan, and Madhu Kannah who were earlier part of the Group Executive Council "have decided to explore options outside Tata Sons and have left the services of the company," the state-

ment added. A huge hoopla was made following Cyrus Mistry's ousting from the Tata Group. With a battle ensuing between Tata and Mistry, the conglomerate faced a recent setback when all six independent directors of the Tata Group's prestigious Indian Hotels Company publicly reposed faith in Mistry's leadership ahead of a scheduled board meet.

Nadir Godrej, Deepak Parekh, Keki Dadiseth, Ireena Vittal, Gautam

Expats, foreigners can’t carry Indian rupee while leaving Expatriates and foreigners who are leaving the country will have to compulsorily change Indian rupees in their possession into a foreign currency before they board the flight. It's a common practice among expatriates to carry some Indian currency with them when they leave the country, mainly for the convenience of not having to exchange forex into rupee when they return the next time. But from now on, they will not be allowed to carry any Indian rupee with them.

Although the rule, which is part of Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), has been in place for quite sometime now, it is only now that the Reserve Bank of India is trying to enforce it. The RBI allowed

forex changers to open kiosks beyond the immigration desks at international airports to facilitate expatriates and foreigners opting to exchange rupee for other currencies before they board the aircraft. According to RBI officials, in case these travellers have Indian currency notes in their possession before boarding the flight, Indian customs officials can act against them.

RBI has allowed expatriates to carry up to Rs 10,000 beyond the immigration and customs desks, and to the duty-free shopping and security checking areas in the departure hall in international airports to meet miscellaneous expenses.

However, this has been allowed subject to the condition that expats "will not

be allowed to carry any Indian rupee beyond SHA and that they should dispose of Indian currency before boarding the plane," an RBI notification said.

To facilitate money changing facilities, foreign exchange counters have been allowed in departure halls in international airports beyond the immigration and customs desks.

"Such foreign exchange counters will, however, only buy Indian rupees from non-residents and sell foreign currency to them subject to usual terms and conditions," RBI said. It has also directed authorities to put up displays at international airports, "reminding passengers that the area is the last point for expats to carry Indian Rupees".

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Banerjee and Vibha Paul Rishi met at Bombay House, and unanimously praised Mistry's strategic direction and leadership to the company. In a statement to stock exchanges, the independent directors said that taking into account board assessments and performance evaluations carried out over the years, "the independent directors unanimously expressed their full confidence in the chairman, Cyrus Mistry." They also said that their decision was being made public because IHCL is a listed entity and it was essential for them to let the company's investors and public at large know of their views so that they could take an informed decision on its stock.

Meanwhile, brand Tata has slipped three places to the seventh spot in the India's Most Attractive Brand 2016 list by TRA Research.

Govt, RIL head for a fresh bout

A legal battle will probably ensue between India's biggest private sector oil company Reliance Industries Ltd, and the oil ministry, with the government asking RIL and its KG-D6 Andhra offshore Block partners to pay $1.55 billion as cost of gas that migrated to their side from an adjacent block belonging to state-run ONGC. Responding to the demand note, RIL said it proposed to initiate arbitration since the demand was based on "misreading and misinterpretation of key elements of the PSC (production sharing contract) and is without precedent in the oil and gas industry anywhere in the world." RIL remains convinced of being able to fully justify and vindicate its position.

FE

W LAS H T O M ES

Jewellers struck a goldmine late on Monday night, as cash-rich people thronged jewellery showrooms to buy gold. The rush was much higher than what is witnessed on Pushyanakshtra or Dhanteras, auspicious days to buy gold.

People even paid premiums to buy gold jewellery as jewellers stopped selling gold coins and bars.

www.asian-voice.com

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CHRISTMAS COMES EARLY AsianVoiceNews

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

This morning we are due to be exchanging on two freehold properties in NW1, the properties externally are two houses, but internally they have been converted into three flats.

Suresh Vagjiani

Sow & Reap London Property Investment

There has been another buyer snooping around the deal at a higher price than us. Only yesterday evening our lawyer was told by the seller’s lawyers to withdraw from the deal as they had been instructed to proceed with another party.

Luckily after several calls late last night the deal was kept intact, and the go ahead was given to exchange this morning.

It’s helpful our lawyer is an early bird, who rises early, does some work, and then goes off to the

CUT EXPENSES, DON’T CUT CORNERS! A story that has caught my eye recently is about a landlord that acted before he thought things through. As most of you may know the only way to remove a tenant is via notice or eviction, this can be a lengthy process but for those that like to ignore the law like the Wembley landlord who illegally evicted tenants from his property, it is important to note that any other way can have dire consequences. This particular landlord has been sentenced to four months' imprisonment

gym for his morning workout. He lined everything up first, and then called us to report all the ducks were lined up ready for exchange.

The property had a few complications, of which the buyers were aware.

For example, the work which was authorised by the council was not what was actually done. There had been some deviations from the proposed works.

It was important to firstly nail exactly what was done, and then decide the impact, if any, on the property, particularly from a lending and resale perspective. This was a concern as the property was Grade 2 listed, going back to the year 1825.

It transpired the change

in works were immaterial, one was the removal of a plasterboard wall, and the other was a door which was not supposed to be there. Neither of which made any difference. This was further validated by a planning consultant, just to make sure. A survey was also conducted on the property, we managed to get it arranged on Friday eve, for it to take place first thing Monday morning and arranged the instruction so that we would be sent a summary email later on in the day.

All of which occurred like clockwork.

The property was purchased blind by the investors, therefore they were reliant upon the report by the surveyors, planner and the lawyers.

This property will benefit

BUY TO LET OPPORTUNITY

Holborn, London WC1N Purchase Price: £1,600,000

Asian Voice |12th November 2016

from the multiple dwelling relief which many lawyers are blissfully unaware of.

This will save a few hundred thousand off the stamp duty.

The property is actually not suited for rental, it was designed for an end user to purchase. What I mean by this is the reception is grand, and the bedrooms are not of similar sizes. For rentals more space of the property tenants of the property started to complain to the landlord about the condition of the property, he fraudulently told the courts that the tenants were squatters and unknown to him, and issued a claim to evict them.

and ordered to pay costs of £20,000! Illegally evicting six tenants from his Wembley property cost him £9,000 in costs and £11,000 in compensation.

This landlord owned eight properties in Brent, he was prosecuted by Brent Council for his unlawful eviction of six tenants, as well as for his failure to have a House of Multiple Occupancy (HMO) licence, and for the poor conditions in the house discovered by Brent enforcement officers

REALESTATEVOICE

during an unannounced visit in January 2016.

You may not know that most councils require a licence to be a landlord, even if you let to one person or a group. The rules vary depending on how many people that you have in your investment but if you do not obtain

permission you may find that you have a surprise visit from the council.

The court heard that, although the landlord was receiving £3,500 per month in rent, the property was in a state of disrepair with the front of the house being used to dump rubbish. When

l An existing mid terrace property comprising five selfcontained studio apartments l The property measures approximately 1,828 sq. ft. l Further development potential to add an additional floor, subject to all necessary consents l Fully occupied the rental expectation is approximately £104,000 pa, which equates to a 6.5% yield l Freehold l Resale value in its current state is expected to be around £2M

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He then obtained a possession order from the court and used it to evict the tenants in February 2016, giving all the tenants - including one with two young children – just two hours to move out, refusing requests to wait until children had returned from school. He assaulted one of them in the process, a crime for which he was convicted in

19

should be dedicated to the bedrooms, and they should ideally be of equivalent sizes. Many tenants in central London want to rent by sharing the property with someone else, this makes living in London more affordable.

Whilst writing this article the call has come that we have exchanged on this deal! This means more work not less, as we need to ensure it is funded and rented before Christmas.

May 2016.

This goes to show that trying to do things quickly and cut corners can come back with a vengeance.

You need to make sure that from start to finish every action that you take with your investment and tenants is the right one!

If you are unsure if your investment falls into an area where a licence is needed, need advice on what works are needed or just need free independent advice about your property investment or current tenants then feel free to call me.

Richard Bond

Lettings Manager Sow & Reap

20

MAY’S INDIA VISIT

www.asian-voice.com AsianVoiceNews

Asian Voice | 12th November 2016

Continued from page 1 She elegantly draped it over her shoulder with a contrasting emerald green silk blouse matching the geometric lines on the sari border. She had a garland of flowers placed around her neck when she arrived at the temple to the sound of musicians playing drums and horns.

She impressed people as she walked around in the temple completely bare foot and participated in the Aarti (blessing) rituals with much faith.

The Prime Minister drew her hands together across the top of the aarti flame (Deeya) and touched her eyes, in a traditional ritual.

She was then given a Kumkum Tika (red power) to dab a single spot on her forehead. The Prime Minister toured the temple, built by the Chola dynasty (300 BCE–1279 CE), showcasing an impressive mixture of Chola, Hoysala and architecture.

Vijayanagar Someshwara means “he who wears the moon on his head”, and is another name for Lord Shiva, one of the principal deities in the Hindu triumvirate.

At a press briefing in 10 Downing Street before Mrs May had headed to India, the PM’s official spokesperson had outlined details of the visit to journalists. Being one of the fastest growing countries in the world, India was categorically chosen as PM May’s first bilateral destination to harness the potential, turning ambition into action.

Although EU rules block the UK from entering formal negotiations on a free trade deal with India until withdrawal is complete, Mrs May has made it very clear she is determined to do the groundwork for an early postBrexit agreement and to tackle barriers to trade which can be dealt with immediately.

The politicians travelled with 40 business leaders from the UK and met Indian business leaders at the India-UK TECH Summit 2016 in Delhi.

Speaking to Sky News at the end of her three-day visit, she said: “Leaving the EU presents us with a world of opportunities and I’m determined to seize them.

“That’s why I’m here in India, delivering on global Britain. And I have to say the response has been very good.

“During this visit, we’ve seen £1 billion worth of deals being signed and we’ve come to an agreement with the Indian government that we will work together with them on developing our trade relationship for the future.

“What does that mean?

It means more jobs, more investment in the UK, more trade for British businesses and that’s good for everyone.”

TENSION OVER VISA The first leg of PM May’s visit to New Delhi, India’s capital, was dominated by tensions over visas, with Indian PM Narendra Modi putting pressure on the UK to ease restrictions on students and skilled workers coming to Britain.

But she rejected calls to relax Indian visa rules, saying the UK has a “good system” for applications but could give ground if Indians who overstayed their visas

could be returned more swiftly.

She said the UK was already able to attract “the brightest and the best” from outside the EU. “Nine out of 10 visa applications from India are already accepted,” she said.

“The UK will consider further improvements to our visa offer if, at the same time, we can step up the speed and volume of returns of Indians with no right to remain,” she told reporters.

Her government also intends

immigration risks souring trade relations, The Times has reported.

Gopichand Hinduja, 76, said that Theresa May’s visit to India to forge closer commercial ties and a bilateral trade deal after Brexit had been “overshadowed” by ill-judged remarks on the need to curtail visas for Indian visitors and students.

Mr Hinduja, who has lived in London since the 1980s and is a UK citizen, said: “I wish her advisers could have briefed her proper-

Theresa May taking blessings at the temple

to make it easier for wealthy Indian business executives to come to the UK. A small group of high-networth individuals and their families will be offered access to the Great Club – a bespoke visa and immigration service – to make visa applications smoother.

Thousands of Indians on work visas will also be able to join the Registered Travellers Scheme which will mean they can get through UK border controls more quickly.

Her trip has seen memorandums of understanding signed on intellectual property rights and the ease of doing business in India, and she and Mr Modi agreed to co-operate on cybersecurity and tackling violent extremism online.

For the British PM trade has been the priority, with deals sealed during the trip expected to create more than 1,300 jobs in the UK. Mrs May issued a warning on Monday of the risks of stagnation and falling incomes if the UK fails to make a determined push for new trade opportunities after Brexit.

“As Britain leaves the EU, we’re determined not to turn our backs on the world but to forge a new, global, outward-looking role for ourselves,” she told a business summit in New Delhi.

“Because we know from history what happens when countries do not embrace the opportunities of the world –they stagnate, they get poorer, they don’t protect their people, they make them worse off.”

CRITICISM OF MAY’S VISA PLANS One of Britain’s richest men has criticised the government’s stance on visas for Indians, claiming that Theresa May’s tough talk on

ly on all the concerns that India had . . . Unfortunately this visa problem has overshadowed her visit . . . She could have been better advised.”

Based in London, the Hinduja Group employs 70,000 people in 37 countries. Mr Hinduja, whose family’s $14bn fortune makes it Britain’s second richest, said that UK officials had not adequately considered India’s views on the issue, and the importance of fostering closer ties by encouraging Indians to study, work and invest in Britain.

“When you have to build closer relations with any country you have to think of their concerns,” he said, adding that the timing of an announcement last week on increasingly strict student visa rules was also a mistake. “It was the wrong timing. It’s unfortunate that only on Thursday [was] the announcement of tightening up of visas and the visit came on Sunday.”

Mr Hinduja said he was optimistic that Britain and India could build a more successful trade relationship based on common ties of history, language, law and culture, but the Brexit vote had dealt a significant blow to the UK’s reputation and generated uncertainty which was discouraging Indians from investing in Britain, he said. “[Wealthy] Indians always believed that London was a good hub because of language, law and the City. Unfortunately, because of these uncertainties that excitement has disappeared.”

In the five years that Mrs May was home secretary, the number of Indian students in Britain fell to 11,864 in June 2015 from 68,238. More than 400,000 Indians visited the UK in 2015 and spent almost twice the amount of the average visitors.

Delhi, from Speaking London’s Deputy Mayor of Business Rajesh Agrawal, visiting Indian businesses and entrepreneurs to discuss investing in tech companies in London, said: “In the aftermath of Brexit it is more important than ever that companies in London and across Britain have access to the global talent they need to grow and create jobs and prosperity.

“If we are to make the most of

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Lord Dolar Popat

of Harrow, Government Whip and Lord-in-Waiting with responsibilities for Business and Transport

May’s India visit shows a better future Theresa May touched down in Delhi this week for her first trade mission as Prime Minister.

The aim of this mission is to continue the strengthening of the UK-India relationship following Narendra Modi’s election as Prime Minister in 2014.

There will be discussions on security and defence, but ultimately this is an economic visit; a chance to build ties with the fastest growing economy in the world.

The Prime Minister knows that strengthening links with India is a vital part of Britain’s future, especially as we start the process of leaving the European Union.

Crucially the Prime Minister has eschewed the ‘usual crowd’ of businesses who tend to accompany foreign leaders on these sorts of visits.

Gone are the CEOs and Chairman of huge corporations who can quite easily enter foreign markets without Government support. Instead she is accompanied by dozens of small businesses looking to export to India.

This shows Theresa May understands both how we need to rebalance Britain’s domestic economy, but also how to approach our future international trade.

Small businesses are the vital backbone of our economy.

Britain’s 5.5 million SMEs account for nearly 16 million jobs in the UK – 60% of all private sector employment.

One of my very first contributions to the House of Lords was to establish a committee examining what the Government does – and can do – to support exporting amongst SMEs. Only around 12% of Britain’s small businesses export, and the majority of those that do limit themselves to the ‘easier’ markets, rather than focusing on the fastestgrowing.

For Britain to truly rebalance its economy, we need to vastly increase the number of exporting SMEs, and to retarget their work towards the markets of the future.

But many SMEs simply don’t know the opportunities that are out there. For larger companies it the opportunities presented by Brexit then we need to be more open to highly-skilled workers from countries, including India coming to work for British companies.

“Of course we must and will do more to improve skills training for Londoners, but in sectors like financial services and tech, London has always benefited from the best of British and worldwide talent.

“Without access to skills, growth will not happen, jobs will not be created and Britain will be less prosperous than it could be.

“This is something the Prime Minister could do today to minimise the economic impact of Brexit and to create more jobs and prosperity across Britain.”

Rajesh Agrawal, who is also the chair of the Mayor’s promotional company London & Partners, is on a seven-day visit of Indore, Delhi and

is much easier; they can easily afford the scoping costs involved in starting in a new country.

Which is why it has always seemed odd to me that, when a Government Minister takes a trade mission abroad, they look to the companies who are already trading their rather than opening the door to others.

So I was absolutely delighted to see Theresa May break with tradition. The symbolism of her visit is exactly right: India is going to be a major ally for Britain, and it is Britain’s SMEs that will drive both our international trade and domestic economy in the future.

I congratulate the Prime Minister on her judgement, and I hope that she will continue to make regular trips to India with the SMEs that are our future exporters.

I hope too that she’ll emphasise the amazing support the Government offers exporters. Not only can they receive tailored support from the Department of International Trade, they can also access an unrivalled level of financial support from UK Export Finance.

Leaving the European Union will undoubtedly change many things, but we mustn’t make the mistake of thinking that how we were doing things before was the best way. With her visit to India this week, Theresa May is showing us what a better future could look like; we should all support her efforts.

Mumbai, to meet key investors and to reinforce the message that London is open to investment, trade and talent.

Lord Beith called on the Prime Minister to use her trip to India to raise the plight of imprisoned UK veterans. Six former soldiers have been held in an Indian jail in dire conditions whilst a string of appeals have been delayed by the Indian justice system. They were all working on a ship offering protection to commercial shipping against pirates operating in the Indian Ocean and are appealing convictions for possession of illegal arms.

Environmental experts however have predicted that Mrs May’s life expectancy may have reduced by a few hours because of Delhi’s post Diwali air pollution, that has been affecting the health of locals for a few days now.

MAY’S INDIA VISIT Asian Voice | 12th November 2016

www.asian-voice.com AsianVoiceNews

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

21

Lord Jitesh Gadhia

Member of UK-India Forum, accompanying British Prime Minister Theresa May as part of her official delegation to India.

UK-India: Yeh Dil Maange More PM May joins flag-waving children at Stonehill Primary School

MAY REACHES THE TECH-CAPITAL OF INDIA In Bangalore, she visited a Dynamatic Technologies factory where Indian workers assemble components machined in the company’s Swindon and Bristol facilities for Airbus jets.

Worth up to £120 million to the UK economy over a 10-year period, the contract creates 60 new jobs across Dynamatic’s two UK sites and 100 jobs at their Bangalore site.

Udayant Malhoutra, CEO & Managing Director, Dynamatic Technologies, said: “Our facilities in the UK & India are able to provide Global Best Value to Airbus, with the manufacture of complex parts at our factories in Bristol & Swindon, along with artisanal craftsmanship and assembly at our facilities in Bangalore. We are grateful for the support we have always received from Her Majesty’s Government, and take great pleasure in welcoming Prime Minister Theresa May to our factory at Bangalore.”

After that she joined flag-waving children at the city’s Stonehill Primary School to witness a flypast of Indian Air Force jets and helicopters in her honour. The Stonehill Government Higher Primary School was started as primary school in 1942, with 45 students. The school now has around 350 students, half of which are girls. The school teaches in Kananda, and English is taught from age 12.

The flypast was the first of its kind offered to a visiting head of government, and follows a similar display by the Red Arrows during Modi’s visit to the UK last year.

She later welcomed plans for the Science Museum in London to host a season of exhibitions and events dedicated to Indian innovation next year as part of the UK-India Year of Culture 2017-18.

Mrs May said: “This celebration of India’s rich culture and history of innovation is another clear demonstration of the close ties between our two countries.”

Loughborough healthcare specialist joins PM on India trade trip

Loughborough firm, Morningside Pharmaceuticals has been used by some of the biggest international relief charities and global agencies – including the World Health Organisation, Red Cross, Médecins Sans Frontières and the United Nations. The Loughborough-based business aims to build relationships with manufacturing facilities in India and develop new technologies to create jobs and growth in the UK. The firms representatives travelled to India as part of a delegation fronted by Theresa May which mainly consisted of small and medium-sized companies seeking to attract Indian investors.

Prime Minister May said: “Morningside Pharmaceuticals are a great example of what the

United Kingdom can offer the world as we leave the EU. “Its work in supporting international relief efforts has clear and obvious resonance for Asian markets.

“And this pioneering trade trip will give them direct contacts with entrepreneurs in the continent’s second-largest economy.”

Dr Nik Kotecha, Chief Executive Officer of Morningside Pharmaceuticals Ltd, said: “It was a pleasure and honour to be invited by the Prime Minister on her first trade trip to India.

“Given the UK’s long-term ties with India there are great opportunities for Morningside to work in collaboration with Indian companies for research and development, manufacturing and licencing of new technologies both in India and the UK.”

On 7th November, Mrs May was served a multi-course Indian banquet for her working lunch with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The two prime ministers took a break out of their busy schedule to enjoy lunch.

Among the delicacies on offer for the sumptuous feast at Hyderabad House in New Delhi was a pudding course garnished with gold leaf.

THE FULL MENU Appetiser: Kumbh Galouti Nazakat with Burhani Jhag and Chutney Soil Starters: Mahi Dariya (fish marinated in buttermilk), Silbatte Ke Shammi Kebab (pan grilled lamb), Paneer Angaar (cheese

kebab), Hara Kebab (spinach) Soup, Pista Shorba (pistachio soup) Mains: Jhinga Dum Nisha (prawns in spiced cream), Murgh Handi Qorma (chicken in onion gravy), Guncha wa Kheema (cauliflower florets), Dal Maash Qaliya (moong lentils with spinach), Dumpukht Gosht Biryani (lamb with basmati rice), Paneer Dum Anari (cottage cheese with pomegranate), Dum Ki Bharwan Gucchi (mushrooms), Kathal Dum Biryani (jackfruit with rice) Desserts: Shahi Tukra (fried bread with java berry, saffron and pistachio), Kulfi Badshah Pasand (cardomon ice cream), Phirnee (rice pudding with gold leaf).

The British PM enjoys a‘curry’ lunch

Prime Minister Modi is well known for sharing his thoughts and ideas directly with millions of Indians through his inspirational "Man Ki Baat". However, for two great democratic nations like India and Britain, with such a deep rooted relationship, there should also be "Dil Ki Baat".

For those of us from UK, with a longstanding interest in strengthening our partnership, I would say: "Yeh Dil Maange More". We really do want more and closer engagement with India and there could not be a more opportune moment to intensify our collaboration, particularly on bilateral trade, investments and capital flows.

Amidst all the noise surrounding Brexit and the triggering of article 50, the nail-biting outcome of the US elections and the vexed issue of migration and visas, let's not forget the fundamentals that now define our relationship.

It is no exaggeration to say that we are at a defining moment in British history as we grapple with the new realities post-Brexit. We stand at a crossroads for the UK and its future relationship with the rest of the world.

As the saying goes: "a friend in need is a friend indeed". I hope that India will adopt this mindset and reach out to UK and recognise both the necessities and opportunities opened up by its negotiated departure from the the European Union.

dictable business environment. All the empirical evidence shows that inward investment is highly correlated with these features.

Unlocking the Trade Impasse

Boosting Capital Flows

The UK will clearly need to demonstrate some "quick wins" as it seeks bilateral trade deals outside the current EU multilateral framework.

Meanwhile, the EU-India Free Trade Treaty is at an impasse where talks have been going on for the past 9 years. I believe this opens up a golden opportunity for India to push both parties hard for ambitious trade deals across multiple fronts.

If you look at Britain’s history it is a trading nation first, last and always – so I am confident that there will be a UK-India trade treaty sooner than one with the EU. Although an actual treaty cannot be signed until Britain leaves the EU, there could certainly be an interim stage of signing an MOU which can be achieved before then.

However, the UK will be capacity constrained in running too many parallel trade processes and therefore playing "too cute" might mean that the British priority shifts elsewhere.

Having spent the last 25 years involved with a number of major global Financial Institutions, I would highlight the important - and still underdeveloped role - which the UK can play in financing India’s economic development.

London remains officially ranked as the world’s number one financial centre. We are home to over 250 foreign banks – more than any other centre. Over 500 foreign companies are listed on the London Stock Exchange and over 40% of the world’s foreign exchange transactions take place in the City. Infact, more US dollars are traded in London than in New York.

UK-based fund managers invest over £6 trillion in assets – almost 5 times the size of the Indian economy which has supported the development of the nascent “Masala Bond” market. Since Prime Minister Modi spoke about “James Bond, Brooke Bond and Rupee Bond” during his widely acclaimed speech at Wembley Stadium last November, we have actually seen London raise USD 4 billion through 32 Rupee Bond issues to invest in Indian infrastructure, making Britain the leading centre. We have also seen HDFC issue the world's first Indian corporate Masala Bond.

However, this is only the start and we have the ability to mobilise further capital and financial expertise: to invest in India’s infrastructure; to issue bonds or equity for India’s companies; to insure their risks -with Lloyds of London having just received permission to operate onshore; to hedge currency or commodity exposures and provide the world’s best professional services network ranging from accounting to legal services. In summary, I truly believe there is no better partner than the UK for financing India’s economic development.

A respected Indian businessman described the UK-India relationship to me as being like a long married couple. We are so familiar with each other that it is easy to take each other for granted - and sometimes we need to find a new spark to revive our relationship.

I hope we can encourage those new sparks and unlock the full potential of the UK-India partnership.

Investment trumps Trade Whilst the trade bandwagon gets rolling, the bilateral investment flows will no doubt continue apace, much as it has done during last decade. Indeed, the depreciation in the sterling exchange rate post-Brexit has arguably done more for UK inward investment that any Government intervention or incentives could ever achieve.

At current exchange rates, with sterling reaching a 31-year low against the dollar, Indian companies should find the acquisition of UK businesses and assets attractive, particularly if they take a medium term strategic view which looks beyond the current uncertainty.

Taking this longer range perspective is exactly what Intas Pharmaceuticals has done with it's recent £600 million acquisition of Actavis UK & Ireland, creating a leading generics player in UK. It represents the largest Indian investment into the UK since Brexit and is vote of confidence in the future of the British economy.

The UK and India should focus, above all else, on providing a stable, consistent and pre-

Open to Investment but not Migration?

We should acknowledge, though, that the issue of migration has clouded the perceptions about the UK's continuing openness for business.

My personal experience is that Britain is an open and tolerant society which welcomes people from all over the world who can make a contribution to the country. Our new Prime Minister, Theresa May, speaks of making Britain a great meritocracy, a place where advantage is based on merit not privilege; where it's your talent and hard work that matter, not where you were born, who your parents are or what your accent sounds like.

Whilst we witnessed some unfortunate rhetoric and emotions stirred during the Brexit debate, I hope these will subside over time.

We do have to recognise the origins of these sentiments and tackle the root causes - which lies in alienation of people left behind by the forces of globalisation. This is an international phenomenon not just isolated to Britain.

To use some literary analogies from Jane Austen's books, I am confident that Britain will remain the land of "Sense and Sensibility" rather than "Pride and Prejudice".

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UK ‘covered up plan for SAS support to Indian authorities’ Asian Voice | 12th November 2016

The UK government considered SAS assistance for the Indian military just weeks after the 1984 Amritsar massacre, a fact omitted from an official review ordered by David Cameron in 2014, fresh evidence obtained by the Sikh Federation (UK) has revealed.

Lawyers have now written to Home Secretary Amber Rudd demanding an independent investigation into Britain’s role in one of the darkest periods in Sikh history, after new evidence was found at the UK National Archives.

Since the discovery, the Foreign Office has removed dozens of files from the National Archives about India in 1984.

In a letter, lawyers acting for the Sikh Federation (UK) say the review by Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood in February 2014 was inadequate and Parliament was misled by its inaccurate findings.

The Heywood Review claimed that the UK provided ‘limited’ military advice to India in early 1984, with an SAS officer carrying out reconnaissance of the Sri Harmandir Sahib complex (Golden Temple) months before the June 1984 massacre.

However, new evidence shows that by July 1984, the British government had received “an Indian request for military assistance in the setting up of a National Guard for internal Security duties”. The UK Foreign Office then considered “the possibility of an SAS involvement”. The rest of the correspondence is censored and the FCO has withheld a 1984 file titled ‘Indian National Security Guard’.

The secret discussion took place in the immediate aftermath of the Operation Blue Star massacre, in which thousands of Sikh pilgrims died, and while the associated Operation Woodrose crackdown primarily on Sikh men aged 15-35 in every

town and village in Punjab was still under way. India’s National Security Guard (NSG) was formed in July 1984 and its official website states that “The NSG was modelled on the pattern of the SAS”.

The unit went on to lead Operations Black Thunder I and II, which consisted of further assaults on the Sri Harmandir Sahib in 1986 and 1988.

However, when the Heywood Review was published in 2014, then Foreign Secretary William Hague told Parliament that “one of the questions raised is whether there could have been British Military involvement in subsequent operation Black Thunder I and II. From everything that the Cabinet Secretary has seen having examined hundreds of files – 200 files – the answer to that is no”.

The documents were discovered by archivist Phil Miller who was assisting the Sikh Federation. Miller also found the documents in 2014 that triggered the Heywood Review.

Chair of the Sikh Federation (UK), Bhai Amrik Singh, said: “This shows that Parliament was deliberately misled by then Foreign Secretary William Hague in 2014 when he hid the fact that more SAS military assistance for India was considered weeks after the Sikh genocide in Amritsar in June 1984. The Heywood Review was inadequate and

the content and conclusions presented to Parliament were inaccurate.

“Sikhs around the world will be outraged at the coverup by Cameron, Hague and Heywood more than 30 years later. The abrupt recall of dozens of FCO files about India from 1984 will raise eyebrows and shows that the whitewash continues. The Foreign Office knows the Heywood review did not deliver the truth and are nervous with what we have found.

“The British government of today needs to now come clean and not be tarnished by the ‘deadly’ special relationship between Margaret Thatcher and Indira Gandhi.

We hope PM Theresa May will be bold and agree to give the British public and Parliament the truth of the full extent of military and other support to the Indian authorities in the 1980s that was used to target the Sikh minority.”

Darragh Mackin, Solicitor at KRW LAW LLP, said: “The discovery of this fresh evidence yet again casts the spotlight on the British government for its role in the atrocities committed against the Sikh community in Amritsar in June 1984. This recent discovery further undermines the effectiveness of the original Heywood review, and it is against this backdrop that we have asked that immediate action is taken to ensure that an effective and independent inves-

tigation is commissioned without further delay.

“We have corresponded directly with the Home Secretary and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to ensure that urgent action is taken to first address the fact that Parliament was misled, and secondly to provide an effective and independent investigation without further delay.”

Dr Rami Ranger CBE, Chairman, The British Sikh Association, said, “The then Indian Government's decision to attack the holiest religious shrine by the Indian army was an unprecedented and appalling act of cowardice against her own citizens. One wrong led to many more. The other grave blunder was to ask a foreign country, the United Kingdom, which was responsible for the break-up of India, for advice on how to plan savagery against India's own people.

“The attack on the Golden temple led to the assassination of Mrs Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India, and her death followed the massacre of thousands of innocent Sikhs by sectarian mobs against a community established to defend India's unity and integrity.

“This most loyal community has been left shaken and disillusioned until now as no-one responsible for the riots against thousands of Sikhs has been brought to justice in the largest democracy in the world.

“The involvement of the British Special Air Services is yet another sinister twist in the entire catalogue of blunders by the Congress government and as a result, it must be investigated and the British public, including the Sikhs and non Sikhs, be made aware of the role played by the then British government in planning the attack on a religious shrine sacred for the Sikhs and non Sikhs alike.”

Fresh attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh DHAKA: Unidentified culprits set houses of Hindus on fire, and damaged two temples in central Brahmanbarhia district in Bangladesh. "They fled the scene immediately after torching the houses and two small temples were also damaged," said a police officer. Several Hindu families have left their houses amidst the attacks and taken refuge in other areas.

Tensions grew in the neighbourhood soon after the fresh assault. Making overnight drives, the police detained 33 persons for their alleged involvement in the synchronised attacks on Hindus in Brahmanbaria on October 30. The reactions come after an "offensive"

Facebook post appeared that hurt Muslim sentiments in the country. A total of 44 people have been detained until now in connection with the attacks. Meanwhile, hundreds of protesters rallied in the capital demanding strict action against perpetrators of attacks on Hindus. Over hundred Hindu youths joined by Muslims staged a protest at central Dhaka's Shahbagh

Square.

They enforced a blockade for more than half an hour, forcing ruling Awami League's joint general secretary Mahbul Alam Hanif to get out of his car and express solidarity with them.

Political and rights groups held another rally in front of the National Press Club, calling for immediate actions against the culprits.

Protesters also demanded resignation of a minister who had earlier accused journalists of "exaggerating" the Nasirnagar attacks.

General Secretary of Bangladesh Puja Celebrations Committee

said, "Livestock Minister Muhammed Sayedul Haque was in the area just few days after the attacks while a fresh attack took place after he visited the scene."

In light of the escalating situation, Awami League General Secretary and Road Transport Minister Obaidul Quader reiterated the government's tougher stance against the culprits and promised to bring them to justice quickly. "Stern punitive actions await the attackers as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina-led government has taken a tough position to this end." He urged the Hindus to not consider themselves as a minority group. "The government is with you," he said.

In Brief

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China refuses to change stand on India's NSG bid

BEIJING: Ahead of this week's NSG meet in Vienna, China stuck to its stand saying there was "no change" in its stand on India's membership bid which it has indicated would be considered only after rules for entry of non-NPT countries are finalised by the elite group. “This Friday in Vienna a plenary session of the NSG will be held. Our position is subject to no change as of date," Lu Kang, Spokesman of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said. Referring to the November 4 meeting of the National Security Advisors (NSAs) of India and China in Hyderabad, Lu said China is in close contact with relevant parties, including India, and have been having constructive dialogue and coordination on this issue. NSA Ajit Doval had held talks with Chinese counterpart and State Councillor Yang Jiechi in Hyderabad during which the issue had reportedly figured.

Pak opposes creation of new permanent seats at UNSC

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has opposed the creation of new permanent seats at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), a reform India has continually advocated for. Pakistan's Ambassador to the United Nations, Maleeha Lodhi, while addressing the General Assembly session on Security Council Reforms said Islamabad firmly opposes the creation of new permanent seats while terming it as "the antithesis of principles enshrined in the UN Charter." She, however, said: "Pakistan supports expansion of non-permanent seats in the Security Council to make it more democratic, accountable, transparent and effective."

32 Indian peacekeepers injured in Congo blast

KINSHASA: An explosion killed a child and injured 32 Indian peacekeepers in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo city of Goma on Tuesday, the UN mission said. The blast hit the peacekeepers while they were out on a morning run in the western Goma neighbourhood of Keyshero, the mission added. "We just heard the explosion and the cries. We then ran over to see," an eyewitness said. About 18,000 uniformed UN personnel operate in Congo, where millions died in regional conflicts between 1996-2003 and dozens of armed groups continue to operate.

'Afghan Girl' to leave Pakistan, return home

ISLAMABAD: Sharbat Gula, famous as the `Afghan Girl' who appeared on a National Geographic magazine cover when she was 12, refused to stay in Pakistan after the provincial government of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) offered to stop her deportation. Recently, a local court ordered her deportation, besides awarding a 15-day sentence and imposing a fine of $1,000. The Federal Investigation Agency arrested Gula, a 46-year-old widow and an Afghan national, last month for allegedly possessing a forged Pakistan national identity card. Soon after her arrest, the UN High Commission for Refugees said she was not a registered refugee. The decision to stop her deportation was taken by the provincial government of Pakistan Tehreek-iInsaf, the party led by Imran Khan, on humanitarian grounds and as a goodwill gesture towards Afghanistan.

Woman's eyes gouged out, limb cut off by her brothers

LAHORE: A woman's eyes were gouged out and her limb cut off by her brothers in Pakistan's Punjab province after they suspected her of kidnapping one of their daughters. The incident took place in Muzaffarghar, 400 km from Lahore, when the two suspects abducted their sister and gouged out her eyes with a sharp knife and also cut off her feet, police said. Police said one of the brothers had earlier registered an FIR against the woman, who is in her 40s, for allegedly kidnapping his daughter. Meanwhile, the daughter of the victim said that her uncle along with one of his brothers committed the heinous crime to take revenge on her mother for the disappearance of his daughter. The woman has been shifted to a hospital where her condition is said to be critical.

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In major diplomatic victory, Indian lawyer elected to ILC AsianVoiceNews

UNITED NATIONS: Aniruddha Rajput, a 33 year old Supreme Court lawyer and PhD student, has been elected to the International Law Commission by the United Nations General Assembly, with a record number of votes.

Topping the Asia-Pacific group in the election, Rajput scored 160 votes in the secret ballot. Japan's Shinya Murase got the second highest with 148, followed by Jordan's Mahmoud Daifallah Hmoud, and China's Huikang Huang

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Aniruddha Rajput

with 146 votes each, Korea's Ki Gab Park with 136 votes, Ali bin Fetais Al-Marri of Qatar with 128 votes, and Hong Thao Nguyen of

Pak celebrity in tears while recounting sexual abuses ISLAMABAD: Pakistani celebrity Saira Khan broke down in tears on Loose Women as she revealed she was sexually abused by a family member when she was 13year- old. Khan, 46, made the admission during a discussion on U2 frontman Bono being honoured at the upcoming Glamour Women of the Year Awards. The former Celebrity Big Brother housemate acknowledged Bono’s work with encouraging women’s rights, but said he should hand over the accolade to a woman. Khan suggested Mukhtar Mai be added to the list after she was gang raped in her village in Pakistan and forced to walk naked through the streets. Speaking about Mai – who walked a fashion runway earlier this week – Khan said: “I’ve never talked about this before, and this woman inspired me. At 13years-old a male member of my family, who has died now, came in and did things.

“I would never have talked about it but I felt I had to because of what’s going on with this woman.” Khan broke down in tears as she continued: “[Mai] says here ‘I just want to be a voice of these women who face circumstances similar to what I did’ and she just inspired me to talk about something that happened to me that is just

Bangladesh lawmaker jailed

DHAKA: A lawmaker from the ruling Bangladesh Awami League party was jailed for three years for concealing information in his wealth statement to the country's anti-graft body. Judge Abu Ahmed Jomadar of Special Judge's Court in Dhaka handed down the verdict in presence of Abdur Rahman Bodi, the first Bangladeshi lawmaker in power facing such punishment. Upon hearing the verdict, the lawmaker, who will have to serve in jail for three months more if he fails to pay a fine of 1 million taka ($12,772), burst into tears.

Bangladesh's Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on August 21, 2014, filed a case against the lawmaker in Dhaka, accusing him of amassing huge wealth illegally and concealing information in his wealth statement.

Saira Khan

wrong." The Loose Women panellist encouraged young girls who have found themselves in similar situations to seek help. “If any young woman or child is going through something that someone is touching them without permission, it is wrong," she said. "Get help.

"It is not culturally or religiously acceptable. It is wrong. This woman is a voice.

It happens every day."

Khan received an outpouring of support from viewers with one tweeting: "What a very strong, brave woman you are Saira Khan! My heart goes out to you. Xxx." Another wrote: "Poor Saira Khan. Very brave to speak out about that.

I hope she's getting the support backstage." A third posted: "In tears listening to Saira Khan.... heartbreaking! Well done for speaking out."

Vietnam with 120 votes. "This is a real honour for me and I want to thank the Ministry of External Affairs, especially India's permanent representative to UN Syed Akbaruddin, for their support," Rajput said. This is the first time the MEA nominated an outsider, instead of someone from its pool of lawyers for the membership.

Rajput is an alumnus of the London School of Economics and Political Science. He was the member of an expert group appointed

by the Law Commission of India to study and comment upon the Model Bilateral Investment Treaty 2015 of India, as per the profile submitted to the UN. Newly elected members will serve five-year terms of office with the Geneva-based body beginning January 2017.

"International relations is important but member-states of the UN have to vote for the candidate who has recognised competence in international law and the number speaks for itself," Rajput said.

Hafiz Saeed plans big strikes in India NEW DELHI: Pakistan's Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed plans big strikes in India. He is planning to use rivers Nikki Tavi and Badi Tavi in a bid to infiltrate India. LeT commander Abu Irfan Tandewala will be incharge of the operation, sources revealed.

Information is that over eight to nine men will be part of the operation, and they will allegedly be helped by the Pakistan Army to cross the border. Following the reports, vigil along rivers and streams in and around the border has been increased, and the Border Security Force has deputed teams along several suspected infiltration routes.

Hafiz Saeed

It is said that a record number of infiltration attempts along the international border have been foiled this time. The BSF countered at least 15 infiltration bids since the surgical strikes of September 29, all of which were made either through rivers or jungles along the international border.

China tightens censorship NEW DELHI: China has adopted a new Cybersecurity Law, reportedly aimed at tightening and centralising state control over technology equipment. China's state-run radio called it a law to prohibit "online activities that are attempts to overthrow the socialist system, split the nation, undermine national unity, advocate terrorism and extremism." The new law was passed at the bimonthly session of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, after a third reading.

"Whenever we bring up secure

and reliable... some of our friends, especially our foreign friends, their heads swell up.

They see it as synonymous with trade barriers... This is a misunderstanding, a biased view," Zhao Zeliang, CAC spokesman said. A report on China Radio International's website read, "The government will take measures to 'monitor, defend and handle cybersecurity risks and threats originating from within the country or overseas sources, protecting key information infrastructure from attack, intrusion, disturbance, and damage,' the law reads."

ANC leaders back Zuma amid calls for his ouster Jacob Zuma's alleged unholy nexus with the Gupta family appears to be the bane of the South African president's life,as clamour for Zuma to quit grew louder after South Africa's graft ombudsman ordered probe into possible criminal activity by government officials following an inquiry into their dealings with the influential Gupta family.

According to an ombudsman report, allegations of “state capture” over Zuma's ties to the Gupta business family should be criminally investigated.

The revelations in the report by Thuli Madonsela, the former public protector, is putting pressure on senior figures in the governing

Jacob Zuma

African National Congress to push the President to quit early. The report was released to the public only after Zuma gave up a legal bid to block its publication.

The 355-page report said Zuma and some ministers may have breached the gov-

ernment’s code of ethics in their relationship with the Gupta family, who are Zuma’s friends and in business with his son.

The report details allegations that the Guptas may have pulled a few strings on the appointment of cabinet members and received special treatment in the issuance of state contracts.

The report has led opposition parties and ANC veterans calling for Zuma to resign. But Zuma has the backing of the ANC's national working committee.

The party's secretary-general, Gwede Mantashe, said Madonsela's report was “inconclusive and contains no binding findings conferring guilt on any party”.

WORLD Asian Voice | 12th November 2016

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Science Minister announces £80m UK-India research investments The UK Science Minister has announced a series of research programmes from the Newton Fund worth up to £80 million to address global challenges affecting people in India.

The new programmes take the total joint UK-India investment in research through the Newton Fund up to £200 million by 2021, demonstrating the Fund as a major bilateral initiative in India. It brings together the world class excellence of the UK and India to address global challenges through science and technology.

A number of the new UK-India Newton Fund programmes that were announced at the Education, Science and Innovation Futures event on 8 November were: £16 million programme to support commercially focused research and development partnerships that bring innovative biotechnologies to market for cleaning, processing and using industrial waste streams (Research Councils UK - RCUK). £8.4 million programme to improve water quality (RCUK). £7.4 million programme on energy demand reduction in the built environment to improve health and well-being and lower energy costs for building users (RCUK). £12.6 million launch of phase 2 of Global Research Programme in Women and Children’s Health between the UK and India to study reproductive health issues facing women and their unborn children in low and middle income countries (RCUK). £13 million UK-India research programme to strengthen the global fight against anti-microbial resistance, announced during the opening of the first RCUK-DBT Strategic Group on AMR on 9 November (RCUK).

During the event, Jo Johnson also launched the first annual £1 million Newton Prize, which will recognise the Newton Fund’s best science or innovation that promotes the economic development and social welfare of partner countries. For 2017, the Prize is open to existing Newton Fund programmes in India, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam which focus on the challenges of public health and well-being, covering issues such as, antimicrobial resistance, disease, healthcare, and nutrition.

The Minister also celebrated a significant programme to digitise the vast wealth of Indian printed books held by the British Library dating from 1713 to 1914. Two Centuries of Indian Print – a British Library project funded by the Newton Fund through the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) – have been extended to digitise an additional 3,000 books from the collection, meaning that 4,000 early Bengali books will be digitised and made accessible to researchers around the world.

Killer of Indian music baron freed from Dhaka jail

DHAKA: Abdul Rauf Daud Merchant, the convicted killer of Indian music baron Gulshan Kumar, and an alleged aide of Dubai-based Indian underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, has been released from Dhaka Central Jail, media reports said. Merchant left Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj, Jahangir Kabir, senior jail superintendent said. Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal did not clarify whether Merchant has been handed over to India, where he is to stand trial.

Merchant had been arrested in Brahmanbaria in 2009 for possessing a fake Bangladeshi passport. Merchant was initially kept at the Kashimpur jail in Gazipur.

He was kept at the Dhaka Central Jail since November 2014, when he was re-arrested only four days after being released on bail under section 54 of the penal code, which gives the police the right to arrest anyone under suspicion. Merchant was sentenced to life imprisonment in India in April 2002 for shooting dead Gulshan Kumar, in Mumbai on August 12, 1997.

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Jaya completely recovered, say doctors In Brief AsianVoiceNews

Asian Voice | 12th November 2016

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has "completely recovered," said Dr Pratap Reddy, chief of Apollo Hospitals, Chennai. He said the 68- year- old is now aware of what was happening around her and "asks and demands what she wants." The AIADMK supremo has been in hospital since September 22, and was being treated for lung infection.

A senior party leader said, Amma would soon be moved to a private room and would be discharged from the hospital in 15 days. C Ponnaiyan, party spokesperson, said, "The lung infection is under control. She has passed the critical stage. The respira-

Jayalalithaa

tory system is being weaned away. It is being used on and off." He also said that she had been eating semi solid food and was also talking to people now. A specialist from London and three doctors from AIIMS have been treating Jaya, along

Animal lovers launch 'Boycott Kerala' campaign THIRU VANANTHAPURAM: A strong online campaign has been launched against the mass culling of stray dogs in Kerala. Animal lovers sent a string of mails from all over Pune, Mumbai, and Kolkata, to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's official email id, threatening to boycott the state as a tourist destination.

They said they would urge their family and friends to not visit the state ever again. A Pune-based marketing professional, Pradip Kulkarni wrote, "Today, Kerala is the most dangerous place to stay for a tourist who is an animal lover.

No more visits to Kerala from me, my friends and my family at least. All the best with your future massacres." Another mail, written by Yogesh Sharma from Mumbai, read, "Look at the way the people in

Kerala are glorifying such acts of barbarisms. I, on my part would not visit such a barbaric state with my family for tourism, which I wanted to undertake."

The response follows a mass killing of street dogs by a people of a society after a stray killed an old man. State Tourism Minister AC Moideen said the government would look into the matter. "It is not being done in good taste. The two incidents of culling reported were only people's natural reaction when the stray dogs attacked and killed the citizens," he said.

with a team of doctors from Apollo. Several senior leaders, including the Governor Vidyasagar Rao visited the hospital, but no one could meet the CM. Just last month, Rao had handed charge of eight ministries handled by the chief minister to Finance Minister O Panneerselvam.

Party workers continued to organise prayers for the Chief Minister’s speedy recovery.

Jayalalithaa was admitted to the Apollo Hospital on September 22 after she complained of fever and dehydration. Later, the hospital had said she was being treated for infection with respiratory support among others. In its last

medical bulletin on October 21, the hospital had said the Chief Minister was interacting and progressing gradually.

AIADMK leaders feel it was better for Jayalalithaa to be in the hospital for some more days under a controlled environment so that there was no relapse of the infection.

"At home she is the master.

Further she may get back into the thick of things and as a result there may be some strain which is not there in the hospital now," Ponnaiyan explained. He said Jayalalithaa was now able to sit when the respiratory systems were removed. She was also taking semi-solid food.

Kerala govt for allowing women at Sabarimala NEW DELHI: The new Kerala government led by Pinarayi Vijayan told the Supreme Court that women of all ages should be allowed into the famous Sabarimala shrine of Kerala, reversing the stand of the previous Congress-led government.

For centuries, women between 10 and 50 years have not been allowed in Sabarimala, a hilltop shrine that is among the most prominent of Kerala temples.

Some say they are not allowed because they are considered "unclean" during menstruation but others say the reason is that the temple's deity Lord Ayyappa is celibate.

The Left-led LDF government had in 2007 said that women should not be stopped from entering the shrine but that stand changed when the Congressled UDF was in charge. In 2014, the UDF government

said there was a "mistake" in the earlier government affidavit and said women cannot be permitted in the temple because of the deity's celibacy vows. The LDF, which returned to power earlier this year, said that its 2007 view stands. The court, however, has to consider the argument of the temple's decision-making Devaswom Board, which says a document submitted in court cannot be altered at the convenience of the party in power.

The Supreme Court had said before that refusing entry to women to a public religious place is a violation of rights. It will take up the case again in February. Last year, there was outrage when the chief of the Devasom Board, Prayar Gopalakrishnan, said women would be allowed into the temple the day a machine is invented to detect if they are menstruating.

Anti-Sikh riots, an election issue in Punjab again Badal urges partymen to go with development agenda

CHANDIGARH: As the Punjab state elections close in, the 1984 anti-Sikh riots issue has found its way into the light with all parties in the run playing up. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party, which is aggressively campaigning for a breakthrough in the region sat on a one-day hunger strike in Mohali last week in support of families affected by the riots.

They blamed the Congress and the National Democratic Alliance government for trying to save the key accused of the riots. Meanwhile, the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal brought the issue up on Statehood day, blaming the Congress of being "antiPunjabi". The Congress, on the other hand, slammed AAP and the Akali Dal for raking up the riots at the time of elections to get cheap political mileage by exploiting Sikh sentiments.

AAP has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding the reopening of all cases related to the 1984 riots. AAP's Kanwar Sandhu said all the closed cases pertaining to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots should be re-

opened and re-investigated and Kejriwal given the right to have them investigated. "We assure the nation that all cases would be taken to their logical conclusion within six months, if the Delhi government is allowed to re-open and reinvestigate the cases of antiSikh riots," Sandhu said. He added that even thought the Modi government had constituted a SIT in 2015 to probe the cases, no steps were taken to deliver justice to the victims.

Targeting the opposition parties, Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh said that the NDA government had failed to do anything in the matter despite being in power. "The Akalis and the AAP are trying to get cheap political mileage by linking me to the riots. I owe no explanation to anyone, much less the Akalis, who never raised the issue even once despite being in power, till it was election time in the State. The AAP has also chose election time to raise the issue, with the clear intent of making political gains. The AAP has now been in power in Delhi for two years. But it did not even think of the issue till this moment," he said.

CHANDIGARH: Punjab Chief Minister and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) patron Parkash Singh Badal asked partymen to contest the upcoming assembly elections on the development plank.

Pressing for a positive campaign in the 2017 polls, he asked the party rank not to get distracted by opposition parties who were "hell bent upon making false promises with the sole purpose of deceiving the people."

In an address to senior leaders, including MPs, ministers, legislators, district presidents and other key functionaries, Badal said never had so much been achieved in such a short span of time. He made a special mention of the heritage works, including the heritage street, partition museum and interpretation centre, saying they had put Amritsar on the world map.

SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal urged the people to expose the "false" promises made by the Congress. He said debt tribunals were being established in all districts to

Parkash Singh Badal

ensure "all loans" taken by farmers were settled at the earliest, adding that steps were also being taken to ensure farmers did not have to pay any interest on cooperative loans. Sukhbir said AAP on the other hand was party of "fly by night operators", outsiders who did not know anything about Punjab and its people. "Moreover, AAP's own track record in Delhi where they have failed to implement any of their poll promises speaks for itself," he said.

The meeting was attended by senior party leaders, including Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Ranjit Singh Brahampura and Balwinder Singh Bhundur.

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Two Kannada actors drowned in chopper mishap

BENGALURU: Two Kannada actors were drowned while performing stunts during a movie shoot at Tippagondanahalli lake, about 30 km from Bengaluru. According to reports, three actors, Duniya Vijay, Anil and Uday jumped from a chopper into the lake during the shooting for a Kannada movie. While Duniya Vijay swam to safety, the two others went missing. Sources said a motor boat stationed to pull the actors out of water developed snag in the last minute and remained at the shore resulting in the tragedy.

Spurned 'FB friend' stabs Tamil Nadu girl

COIMBATORE: A 21 year old MCA student was stabbed with a broken bottle after she refused to reciprocate a 'proposal of love'.

Kangalakshmi had been chatting with Vemburaj, 28, after she accepted his friend request on Facebook. After talking for a while, he professed his love for her which she declined. Vemburaj however, went to her university to meet her where he threatened to "finish her off" if she refused to marry him.

When he saw the victim's decision not changing, he took a broken bottle he found nearby and splashed her neck. Fellow students immediately informed the police who rushed to the spot and took her to a private hospital. The accused was later apprehended is now in the Coimbatore central prison.

Haryana Assembly condemns Badal's statement

CHANDIGARH: Haryana Assembly unanimously passed a resolution condemning Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal's recent statement that Punjab and Punjabis will not accept any verdict against the state's interest on river waters. The resolution, moved

by Haryana's Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ram Bilas Sharma, was passed by the House which met as part of the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Haryana's formation. The Assembly's main opposition INLD had sought that the resolution condemning Punjab Chief Minister's statement on river water issue be brought in the House.

Kejriwal appears before court in defamation case

AMRITSAR: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal appeared before a court in Amritsar in connection with a defamation case filed against him and other AAP leaders by Punjab Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia. He, along with AAP leaders Sanjay Singh and Ashish Khetan, who are co-accused in the defamation case, was granted bail by the court during an earlier hearing on July 29. The court of the additional chief judicial magistrate had on July 18, issued summons to Kejriwal and others to appear before it after the AAP leaders accused the minister of patronising the drugs trade in Punjab, even calling him a "drug lord". Majithia said he wanted a speedy trial in the case so that the AAP leaders go to prison for defaming him and his family.

SAD, AAP leaders join Cong

CHANDIGARH: Former Akali Dal MP Varinder Singh Bajwa and Aam Aadmi Party leader Harvinder Pal Singh were among those who joined the Punjab unit of Congress. The new entrants were welcomed by state party chief Amarinder Singh, along with AICC General Secretary Asha Kumari, with the development being recognised as a sign of the complete loss of confidence by Akalis in the "corrupt" Badals and "disillusionment with the outsider" AAP. Stating that SAD was being run by mafias with no concern for the governance of Punjab, Bajwa said only Amarinder could lead the state out of the quagmire which it was pushed into by the ruling government.

Harvinder Pal thanked Amarinder for welcoming him into the PPCC, alleging that AAP had proved to be a sham, with its leadership only concerned with furthering their vested interests.

HERITAGE - HISTORY Asian Voice | 12th November 2016

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25

Guru Nanak: The Founder of Self-respecting Sikhism AsianVoiceNews

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Though born on April 15, 1469, the full moon night of the month of November is celebrated as his Jayanti

Dr Hari Desai

crowds would flock to hear him preach. They came to be known as Sikhs, derived from Sanskrit Sisya, disciple, or Siksa, instruction – Pali, Sikkha i.e. disciples.

One of the disciples, Lehana, a Khatri of the Trehan sub-caste, impressed Nanak by his

“There is no Hindu, there is no Musalman,” preached Guru Nanak (15 April 1469 – 22 September 1539), the founder of Sikhism, who accepted for himself the status of a teacher but not a prophet.

He referred himself as the slave or servant of God. During the period of 200 years from Nanak’s proclamation of faith (AD 1499) and the tenth and the last Guru Govind Singh’s founding of the Khalsa Panth (AD 1699) a clear transformation can be seen: during the first hundred years, the first five Gurus pronounced the new social order and the

religion was to be acceptable to both the Hindus and Muslims; it was to be monotheistic, non-idolatrous, and free of meaningless form and rituals.

There was no caste discrimination and untouchability since the Brahmins and the untouchables broke bread as members of the same family.

“The second period of a hundred years saw the development of traditions which supplemented this social order,” notes Khushwant Singh in “A History of the Sikhs.”

“The sixth Guru was the first to appeal to arms; the tenth put the army on a regular footing.” This phase had its martyrs and heroes, a vast majority of Punjabi Hindus joining in large numbers and Hindu resistance against the onslaught of Islam. That stimulated the Punjabi nationalism.

The correct date of birth of the Guru is April 15, 1469, but his birthday is celebrated world-wide on the full moon night of the month of November i.e. Kartik Purnima. He was born to Mehta Kalian Das Bedi and Mata Tripta, both Hindus belonged to the merchant caste, in village Talwandi Rai Bhoe, now named Nankana

Guru Gobind Singh was the last of the ten Gurus, the one who transformed the Sikh faith

Guru Nanak Dev Ji

Sahib, about 40 miles from Lahore in Pakistan.

For some time he served as an accountant with the Nawab Daulat Khan Lodhi. There he met a Muslim minstrel, Mardana who joined him singing hymns at night in

Bombay and Rajasthan.

The third tour was in the Himalayan region as far as Ladakh. And the last journey was his pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina! He also visited Baghdad and spent some time with the local fakirs. People would

Harmandir Sahib (GoldenTemple)

the town. He had his first mystic experience when he went to the river for early morning bath.

The Guru spent some years travelling in Punjab, paying visits to the Sufi establishment at Pakpattan. His next tour was southwards Tamil Nadu and Ceylon, Malabar, Konkan,

ask him whether he was a Muslim or a Hindu. He took the Muslim Mardana as his companion on two of his long journeys. On the others he was accompanied by Hindus of the lesser castes.

Before Guru Nanak died on September 22, 1539, he spent his last years at Kartarpur. Large Nankana Sahib

devotion and qualities of leadership. The Guru chose Lehana to carry on his mission, giving the name Angad (of my own limb).

Guru Angad (1504-52) was followed by Guru Amar Das (1479-1574), Guru Ram Das (1534-81) and Guru Arjun Singh

(1563-1606), respectively.

Next five Gurus are Guru Hargobind (1595-1644), Guru Har Rai (1630-61), Guru Hari Krishen (165664), Guru Tegh Bahadur (1621-75) and Guru Gobind Singh (16661708). From the time of Guru Arjun Singh the Mughal emperors started interfering in religious matters, arresting the Gurus, killing them and their children.

Guru Arjun conceived the central place of worship for the Sikhs and Sri Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple), the temple of Hari (God) at Amritsar.

The Granth Sahib, the holy volume, was formally installed in Sri Harmandir Sahib. Govind Singh decided to give up the Guru tradition and even abolish the institution of masands which became a fertile cause of disruption in the community. The Guru Granth Sahib became the spiritual Guru.

The Panj Piyare (five beloved ones) were to be the nucleus of a new community he would raise which was to be called the Khalsa, or the pure. Five emblems were prescribed for the Khalsa. Hair and beard unshorn (Kes), carry comb (Kangha), knee-

length pair of breeches (Kach), a steel bracelet on right wrist (Kara) and armed with a sabre (Kirpan).

Raj Karega Khalsa (The Khalsa shall rule) was the slogan given by the last Guru while merging his entity in the Khalsa. The Guru’s life was saved at Machiwara by two Pathans he had known earlier but on October 7, 1708, the Guru was stabbed in the abdomen at Nanded by two young Pathans who entered his tent at the prayer time!

The transformation of the Sikhs from a pacifist sect to a militant group called the Khalsa led by Govind Singh and the relationship of the Sikhs with the Mughals and the Afghans leading to consolidation of the Sikh power under Maharaja Ranjit Singh (13 November 1780 – 27 June 1839 ) during the eighteenth century makes an interesting study.

Next Column: The Accession of King Rama X in Thailand (The writer is a Sociopolitical Historian. E-mail : haridesai@gmail.com )

26

US ELECTION

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Asian Voice | 12th November 2016

Trump Triumph Continued from page 1 ban Muslims from entering the US), and his policy on migrants (building wall on the Mexican borders), among others – stuck to his guns till the very end and bounced back with a vengeance to pull off a bigger political upset than

Brexit.

This was the comeback of all comebacks.

He suffered a bad time monetarily in the 1990s recession, bringing his reputation as a business genius into question. But he overcame that phase by coming out with a book – a best-seller ‘The Art of the Comeback’.

The President-elect will move into the Oval Office in January.

Hillary Clinton, who is yet to come to terms with the shock defeat, called him up to concede defeat.

The tycoon celebrated his win with a victory speech that was a mix of grace and restraint. He paid tribute to Hillary Clinton for her years of public service.

Trump addressed a cheering crowd of hundreds outside the Hilton Hotel in New York City. He began his speech by saying, “I’ve just received a call from Secretary Clinton.

She congratulated us. It’s about us. On your victory, and I congratulated her and her family on a very, very hard-fought campaign. I mean, she fought very hard. Hillary has worked very long and very hard over a long period of time, and we owe her a major debt of gratitude for

her service to our country. I mean that very sincerely.

Now it is time for America to bind the wounds of division, to get together. To all Republicans and Democrats and independents across this nation, I say it is time for us to come together as one united people.”

As poll counting began, late into 8th of November, a date that would soon be written in history as the day America voted for the ‘Whites’, it was the billionaire’s shock victory in Wisconsin that put him past the 270 (out of 538) mark needed to win the Presidential elections.

Trump has come a long way since he dreamed the American dream. His quest to “Make America Great Again” saw him attack norms of American politics, single out minority communities, humiliate his opponents, put misogyny on display, and other similar acts – all that deemed him unfit to lead a nation that was built by immigrants. However, the 70year-old spoke to the common man. He spoke to all those who believe the US is for “Americans”.

The Republican candidate managed to win all solid red states, along with the “lean Trump” swing states of Ohio and Iowa.

He also claimed major swing states North Carolina and Florida, most importantly, the businessman won Wisconsin and Pennyslvania; states that swore by Democrat Hillary Clinton. He made all this possible by catering and addressing non-college

educated whites, people who identified with his projection of being a loudmouthed, emotional leader who took a dramatically different approach from the past Republican contenders.

The newly elected President continued, “It is time. I pledge to every citizen of our land that I will be president for all of Americans, and this is so important to me. For those

who have chosen not to support me in the past, of which there were a few people, I’m reaching out to you for your guidance and your help so that we can work together and unify our great country. As I’ve said from the beginning, ours was not a campaign but rather an incredible and great movement, made up of millions of hardworking men and women who love their country and want a better, brighter future for themselves and for their family.”

With the dust was yet to settle on the chaos triggered by the triumph of the Republican Party, world leaders extended their welcome to the new American President of the free world; some reluctantly, some not.

Authoritarian and right-wing leaders commended the reality TV star who holds no previous political or military experience. During his campaign, Trump had expressed his admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was the first to send in his congratulations for his victory. How Trump will deal with issues on hand remain dubious, and everybody remains skeptical, however, it did not stop Prime Ministers and Presidents of other coun-

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Meanwhile, in the Congressional elections, Republicans managed to clinch the House, and the Senate. It was a great day for the GOP as they maintained their majorities in both chambers of the US Congress in a momentous election that saw Trump win the presidency. A disappointing election for the Democrats, Republicans were set to lose just a handful of seats in the House.

Clinton’s party gained just one seat in the Senate, including New Hampshire where incumbent Republican Kelly Ayotte was deadlocked with Democrat Maggie Hassan.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, said, “The American people have chosen a new direction for our nation.”

Making history, California’s attorney general, Kamala Harris became

Kamala Harris

Raja Krishnamoorthi

the first Indian-American to be elected to the US Senate. No one from the community has made it to the chamber until now, while there have been three from the community elected to the House of Representatives – Daily Singh Saund, Bobby Jindal, and Ami Bera. Also, Raja Krishnamoorthi became the first IndianAmerican elected to Congress this election cycle, winning from Illinois. At a time when Indian-Americans are looking for a firm grip in

the Congress, the two victories are most welcomed.

Harris’ website shows her gratitude with a quote from her mother Shyamala Harris, “You may be the first to do many things, but make sure you’re not the last.” Referring to the doubling of numbers of Indian-Americans in the Congress, from one, Krishnamoorthi said, “I like to joke that I want to increase the number by 100%.” This was his second attempt, his first being in 2012, when he failed miserably.

tries from giving a warm reception to the new face.

After the news of Trump’s victory was made known, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted his congratulations.

British Prime Minister Theresa May said the “enduring and special relationship” between the two countries would remain intact. German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said, “Trump is the pioneer of a new authoritarian and chauvinist international movement. He is also a warning for us.”

Several European officials also went as far as to denounce the outcome, calling it a worrying signal for liberal democracy and tolerance in the world.

French President Francois Hollande said France wanted to begin talks with Trump immediately to clarify his stance on international affairs. “This American election opens a period of uncertainty,” Hollande said.

“The US is a vital partner for France and what’s at stake is peace, the fight against terrorism, the situation in the Middle East, economic relations and the preservation of the planet.”

Officials in France had openly endorsed Clinton and warned that Trump’s “confused” foreign policy objectives were alarming for the rest of the world.

Ab Ki Baar Trump Sarkaar During his disturbing election campaigns, Trump made all attempts to woo people of different communities, all the while hosting conservative beliefs. We saw the businessman attend a Hindu Republican Coalition in New Jersey, where he said, "I have great respect for Hindus. I have so many friends that are Hindu. They are great people, amazing entrepreneurs." He even aired an advert to woo votes. "The Indian and Hindu community will have a true friend in the White House," he said in the ad. "We will defeat radical Islamic terrorism." Trump also borrowed a variation of Modi's campaign slogan. "Ab Ki Baar Trump Sarkaar" he said. It is known the ad was run 20 times a day on all Indian-American channels at the time. Not a lot can be expected from him in terms of foreign relations. Why? His slogans 'America First' and 'Make America Great Again'. There are all the possibilities that he will renegotiate all foreign trade deals, affecting treaties with India too.

Trump has called the H1B visa programme "unfair", and made his intentions to end the programme open. He has also portrayed mix feelings towards the Asian country, calling India an ally, and

Trump supporters rejoiced as the Clinton party mourned their marginal defeat.

also saying he would bring American jobs back from the country. However, India might find its biggest ally in Trump where Pakistan is concerned. At a time when India looks to isolate Pakistan globally, Trump's sentiments towards "the most dangerous country in the world" could play to India's benefit. Also fruitful is Trump's open disdain for China. His plans to label China a "currency manipulator" and impose more taxes if Beijing fails to renegotiate trade deals may work in India's favour.

Canada immigration website crashes overnight During the vote count, as Trump took the lead in several major states, and the chances of a Trump Presidency increased, Canada's main immigration website supposedly suffered constant outages. Users in the United States, Canada, and Asia saw an internal servor error message when they tried to access the Citizenship and Immigration Canada website. Not just a coincidence, data from Google Trends also said searches for "move to Canada" increased significantly during the night.

The Liberal government in Canada had recently sought to boost the flow of immigrants in the country, hoping to push their economic growth.

INDIA Asian Voice | 12th November 2016

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Pollution chokes Delhi

AsianVoiceNews

In the light of alarming pollution levels in the National Capital, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced a slew of "emergency" measures, including complete shutdown of schools for a couple of days. Officials have been asked to consider the return of the odd-even traffic plan and look into the possibility of cloud seeding for artificial rain.

New Delhi has been battling a severe smog situation in the past few weeks. The recent measures were announced a day after Kejriwal met Union Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave. He appealed to people to remain indoors, and if possible, work from home for the time being. An order issued by the Delhi education department said, "Due to deteriorating air quality in the city, it has been decided that all schools will remain closed from November 7 to November 9." The CM has also asked other departments to pre-

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pare for the return of the odd-even road rationing scheme. The option of inducing artificial rain was also being explored by his government. "Committee with chief secretary and environment secretary will talk to the Centre for artificial rain to settle dust," he said.

All construction and demolition activities have been barred for five days, along with the usage of diesel gensets. "This does not, however, apply to emergency services like hospitals and mobile towers," Kejri said. He said that the Badarpur power

plant would be shut for 10 days. Kejriwal said the fly ash which was being released in the air during transportation would be sprinkled with water.

Kejriwal said vacuum cleaning of 100-ft wide roads would commence and officers who fail to check burning of waste would be penalised.

"Environment department will launch an app to enable the public to report cases of leave and garbage burning," he said.

Municipal corporations have been directed to put out fires at landfill sites.

Delhi has seen the worst

pollution of the season with the smog hanging low over the city and maintaining pollution levels extremely high, breaching the safe limit by over 17 times at several places.

Environment Minister Dave appealed for a united response. "There is an emergency situation in Delhi. The situation is bad, particularly for children, patients, women, and elderly. We need to take immediate steps to deal with the situation."

Kejriwal said it was about time the Centre intervened. "The Centre can sit with the chief ministers of (neighbouring) states and chalk out a solution.

A few reports have put the volume of stubble being burned at around 16-20 million tonnes.

Fireworks during Diwali added marginally to the pollution. But other things inside Delhi did not drastically change. So the smog is mainly due to smoke from farm fires," he said.

Loomba Foundation organises charity concert to raise funds The Loomba Foundation has organised a charity concert for empowerment of widowed women in Haryana, with state Education Minister Ram Bilas Sharma as chief guest. The concert was aimed at raising funds to empower 1,000 widows and female inmates of the 19 district prisons in Haryana.

Star of the evening was Gurdas Maan, who began his performance by offering prayers and saluting the soldiers. The show was studded with energetic bhangra dance performances and solos sung by popular dancer and singer, Satinder Satti. Ram Bilas Sharma stressed on work done by his government for the uplift of widows and women. He said, "India's philosophy is based on sacrifice and philanthropy.

On 22 January 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao campaign in Haryana. Our government gives Rs 1,600 as pension for poor widows and we also provide Rs 51,000 as a grant for wedding of the daughters of impoverished widows.

There are 250 million widows and 580 million children in the world. The desire to want to help them and empower them requires the kind of passion that Lord Loomba has. I hope that this plant sown by Lord Loomba bears fruits for the uplift of widows for years to come."

Founder and Chairman-Trustee Lord Raj Loomba CBE showed a

video of the work done by the foundation including the Varanasi project flagged off by PM Modi.

He stressed on the urgency and encouraged the audience to help raise funds.

"Widows are the victims of double discrimination.

India alone has more than 46.5 million widows and I sincerely hope that more and more people will play a bigger role in eradicating the stigma related to widowhood," Lord Loomba said. UK's former First Lady and President of the foundation, Cherie Blair CBE QC, said, "Even in this hall, each one of us has had a widow in their friends, relatives or family.

It matters all over the world because we are not giving everyone an equal chance in life. I love the work we do at The Loomba Foundation because while providing a sewing machine and training may be a small business, it goes a long way in supporting the widows and their children, who deserve a better life."

The event was attended

by at least 1,000 people, and dignitaries including the foundation's trustee, Chairperson of the Oswal Group and International Director of Lions Club, Aruna Abhey Oswal, Punjab Finance Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa, Andhra Pradesh Member

of the Parliament Kesineni Srinivas Nani, renowned scribe Sir Mark Tully, FICCI Secretary General Didar Singh, The L o o m b a Foundation's Trustee and convener of the One Globe Forum Harjiv Singh, amongst others.

The Loomba Foundation assists over 15,000 impoverished widows in nine states, and in almost two decades, has provided five-yearlong education scholarships to over 10,000 children of poor widows and supported more than 60,000 of their family members across 29 states in India.

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The great Indian rupee clean-up Continued from page 1 two days. From midnight Tuesday, all 500 and 1000 rupee notes hold no cash value. They would, however, still be accepted at hospitals, petrol stations, crematoria, and other businesses and services that are essential. "A few people are spreading corruption for their own benefit," Prime minister Modi said in his speech. "There is a time when you realise that you have to bring some change in society, and this is our time." He assured people that the discontinued notes can be deposited in banks and post office saving accounts before the end of the year, and that new 500 and 2000 notes were being printed and sent to banks.

The Indian economy, and its tax base has long been marred by the 'black money' culture, and people who use cash to avoid paying taxes. Much of the country's illicit money stores are believed to be used in land purchases, or stowed away in overseas accounts. Modi said authorities have dug out over $18.8 billion in illegal cash over the last two and a half years. He said counterfeiting was a major concern, and made a veiled jibe at neighbouring Pakistan, accusing it of circulating fake Indian currency. The move has been welcomed by banks who termed it a strong call against corruption. Following Modi's speech, the Reserve Bank of India released a statement saying, "We as a nation remain a cash-based economy, hence the circulation of fake rupees continues to be a menace." Five hundred rupee notes are almost a staple denomination in the

Indian market. The decision comes close on the heels of September 30 deadline of the black money disclosure scheme under which income and assets worth £6.53 billion were declared.

People can deposit their 500 and 1000 rupee notes in their bank accounts till December 30 without any limit. They can withdraw up to Rs 10,000 in the first few days and Rs 20,000 a week.

While all ATMs will remain shut for two days, cash up to Rs 4,000 can be exchanged from November 10 to November 24 by tendering equivalent value of Rs 500 and 1000 notes. This limit will be hiked from November 25 till December 30. Modi admitted to temporary hardships for honest citizens. "In a country's history, there come moments when every person feels he too should be part of that moment, that he too should make his contribution to the country's progress.

Now, we again have an opportunity," he said.

The move has adversely affected sectors that deal with unaccounted money like real estate, stock market, gold and gems. The government move was received with mixed reaction as some welcomed the decision and "joined" in the war against corruption, while others called the decision unnecessary and leading to chaos. A government official said it was necessary to stop terrorists and drug cartels "in their tracks."An element of surprise is essential, or else they would have made necessary arrangements."

The official described the action as a "surgery since the tumour had to be removed to prevent recurrence."

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28

Nivetha elated to pair Raghava Lawrence to up with Nani again reprise Rajini’s iconic triple roles

Asian Voice

12th November 2016

R

N

ivetha Thomas is set to team again with actor Nani for the second time after the two delivered blockbuster 'Gentleman' earlier this year. Announcing the news on Twitter, she said, "Very happy to announce my next project in Telugu with @NameisNani. Want all your prayers and blessings! #NandNagain Malli shuru cheddam!"

The untitled project will see Nani and Nivetha in the lead, with Aadhi Pinisetty playing a crucial role. One of the co-producers of the movie, Kona

Venkat was quoted as saying, "The relationship between all three protagonists forms the crux of the story. It will be mostly shot in exotic places of the US and, therefore, a team is leaving soon to scout for locations."

Nivetha is a Malayalam actress who made her debut in the Telugu film industry opposite Nani.

The latter, is currently on a high with three back-toback hits this year. He has reportedly signed two more films and is in discussions with a handful of other filmmakers.

aghava Lawrence has confirmed that he will be remaking Thalaivar Rajinikanth's cult classic 'Moondru Mugam'. In a post shared on his Facebook page, the actor wrote, "I friends and fans! I need all your blessing. I would like to share a happy news with you all. I will be remaking # S u p e r s t a r ' s #MoondruMugam." He added, "Personally I am a big Rajini sir fan. I have watched 'Moondru Mugam' in theatre as a fan and I have whistled. I am happy that I would be remaking the film now. I am starting this films with Superstar's blessing."

He said that he met and discussed with the Thalaivar, his decision to reprise the iconic triple role. Raghava added that

Rajini was very happy for him. Reports suggest that work on the script has already been started with a few tweaks to be made on the original to suit the taste of contemporary Tamil audience. He will produce the film along with S Kathiresan.

After finalising the script, Raghava will zero in on a director to helm the film. Raghava, meanwhile, is awaiting the release of 'Motta Shiva Ketta Shiva.'

It is worth mentioning that Thala Ajith starred in 2007 gangster film 'Billa,' a remake of Rajinikanth’s 1980 blockbuster movie of the same name.

The success of the film redefined his stardom in the industry, which was on a shaky ground at the time..

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long history of glorifying stalking. Pursuing their love interests despite resistance is one of the popular traits of leading men in Tamil movies.

Khusbhu, however, believes otherwise. "I think we have to blame someone for our failures.

As a society we are failing, no question about that.

But instead of seeing where we fail, we blame films. The easiest thing to do is blame it on cinema."

Earlier, actor Siddharth had slammed onscreen stalking. "When a woman stalks a man in our films she's a vamp. When a man does it, he is a hero. It's a complicated discussion.

But it needs to be heard.

We've been selling a terrible dream in our films for long. That any man can get the woman he wants just by wanting her enough. Must change!" he had tweeted.

Khushbu defends stalking in films ctor turned politician Khusbhu staunchly defended stalking in films stating that leading men in movies pursue women of their interest in "nice and positive ways". The argument that movies play an important role in promoting a stalking culture in the society has time and again been brought up and addressed by celebs.

"I accept that films show men chasing and stalking women, but when a girl disapproves the advances of the leading man, does he stab her to death? Does he throw acid on her or does he cause physical harm to her in any other way? No. when the girls says no to the hero, he uses only positive and right ways to convince her to accept his love. But he never forces her into anything," she said. The south film industry has a

Dulquer Salmaan in 'Parava' AsianVoiceNews

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ctor Soubin Shahir's debut directorial venture 'Parava' will see a guest appearance by none other than hottie Dulquer Salmaan. Talking about his role in the movie, Soubin said, "Though he will be appearing in a cameo role, it has much importance in the storyline. He has around 20

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days shoot in the film. This is all I can divulge at this point about his role."

Produced by Anwar Rasheed, under the banner Anwar Rasheed Entertainments, 'Parava' will go on floors on November 15, at Mattanchery. Shahir said the lead roles will be played by newbies.

'Rock On 2'

A musical drama featuring Farhan Akhtar, Arjun Rampal and Shraddha Kapoor in the lead.

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It was dream come true for Alia Bhatt

Deepika denies rift with Priyanka

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Asian Voice | 12th November 2016

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-town has recently been buzzing with rumours regarding a tiff between leading ladies Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra. Sources said both of them are not on very friendly terms as they both aim to reach the top. Speculation on their alleged fallout had begun soon after Dippy's Hollywood debut was announced.

While lot has been written in the past few months, with reports suggesting their friendship turned sour after comparison were being drawn between the two, the

'Bajirao Mastani' actress called them baseless in an interview. "What she wants from her career will be very different from what I want

and that needs to be understood and respected," she said. She added that both her and Priyanka had different beginnings of

their career as Deepika was in school when the latter won Miss World. Deepika also said that their journey and path are also different which leaves no question of a competition.

Answering a different question, the leggy lass replied that she was never driven by money as it was never her ambition.

However, she does feel satisfied to see that her hard work is paying off so well.

"It makes me happy to know that when I focus on the things that I love doing, and I'm so passionate about, it can result in something like this."

Men and women can be friends: Farhan Akhtar

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he first song from Gauri Shinde's 'Dear Zindagi' is out and we can't stop falling in love with SRK and Alia Bhatt.

The 23 year old Bhatt prodigy had a recent chat session with her fans on Twitter and when asked about her experience of working with superstar Shah Rukh, she replied, "It was magical and it was a dream come true as I had so much to learn from him."

Alia said, "It was the best moment when Shah Rukh and I were in the same frame", when asked

what her best moment from the film is. So in love with the actor, when another fan asked her to pick a favourite film of the actor, she answered, "C'mon is that even a question- 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' and 'DDLJ' and oh yes 'Chak De' and oh oh 'Dear Zindagi'. Sorry too many."

Produced by Red Chillies and directed by Shinde, 'Dear Zindagi' also features Aditya Roy Kapoor, Kunal Kapoor, Ali Zafar, Angad Bedi and Siddharth Shukla. It is set to hit the screens on November 25.

Shahid wants to do it differently

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pening up about her alleged link-ups with 'Rock On 2' co-actor Shraddha Kapoor, actordirector Farhan Akhtar said a certain friendship has been forged between the two. In an interview with a leading daily, Akhtar said he doesn't get annoyed by the stories.

"First, you can't let it get to you, as that's probably the intention of such things.

They want to get a reaction out of you. And that way, it will keep the thing going on for a longer period. So, the best thing is to treat it with silence," he said.

Talking about Shraddha, he maintained that they are friends. "The fact of the matter is that over the last yearand-a-half, a certain kind of friendship has been forged, which is normal since we have been working together.

There are times when you work with people and enjoy their company. For example, I worked with Abhay Deol for the first time in 'Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara'. And since then, we have hung out and

O E

mbracing fatherhood after the birth of his daughter Misha, actor Shahid Kapoor who appeared on Vogue BFFs, talked openly about his relationship with dad Pankaj Kapur and why he would like to raise his daughter a little differently from how he was raised.

Shahid revealed that his father is an extremely nice person and has always been a friend to him things he would want to

take into account while raising Misha.

"But, he's a bit hyper and he's a bit over-protective. So those are the two things that I hope I don't do to my child." When asked if he received any advice from his father on fatherhood, he said, "Actually more than a piece of advice. What my dad told me was that 'Now, you will know all the complaints that I have always had against you'."

also travelled together a lot.

Now, just because he is a man, I am not having an affair with him." Farhan added, "The minute a woman is involved, one assumes it has to be more than friendship. It's weird, because you are saying that men and women, can't be friends after having worked together. But at the same time, it is okay for men to hang out together if they got to know one another while working on a film. It's dubious for a guy and a girl to hang out once they work on a film and that reeks of some kind of hypocrisy."

Ranveer Singh named Switzerland Tourism ambassador

ur very own 'Bajirao' actor Ranveer Singh is now in charge of promoting Switzerland Tourism's campaign for 2017.

Officially named the Indian ambassador for Switzerland Tourism, Singh said, "I had such a great time on my trip to Switzerland this summer! I did some crazy things like sky diving and paragliding.

Now that I am the official Brand Ambassador of Switzerland Tourism, I am just raring to go back in the winter and see what it looks like in the snow. I can't wait to try the slopes of St. Moritz and Titlis Engelberg. It will be so much fun."

Claudio Zemp, Director, India, Switzerland Tourism, said, "Being a versatile, ener-

getic and adventurous personality, Ranveer explored and enjoyed all that Switzerland has to offer.

His passion and excitement for the country are what compelled us to request him if he would

take on the mantle of Brand Ambassador to which he enthusiastically agreed." The Bollywood star has tried on different activities- right from wakeboarding on Lake Zurich to ski jumps at the Swiss

Museum of Transport in Lucerne.

In his next trip to the country, he will visit St. Moritz, the village of Engelberg, and acquaint himself with the country's local culture.

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Asian Voice | 12th November 2016

‘UK economy faces long-term damage’

Groundbreaking ceremony at Avanti House

Dewani case key witness found dead

Shrien and Anni on their wedding

Raj Aggarwal with Carwyn Jones and the dance performers at the Diwali celebration

UK and Wales economies could fall behind our competitors unless tough visa restrictions for foreign students and entrepreneurs are not lifted, warned the Indian Honorary Consul for Wales, Raj Aggarwal.

Speaking at an event at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff to celebrate the Hindu festival of Diwali, Indian diplomat Mr Aggarwal said the restrictions particularly on Indian students would allow other nations to gain advantage

over Wales in the near future, and that Wales and the UK needed to strengthen its trade relations with India especially in the light of Brexit. For the evening The Wales Millennium Centre was lit up and the event included performances from dancers at the Debbie Chapman dance school, amazing food from the different states of India, and was attended by Indian business leaders and the First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones.

After years of effort, support and hard work, the groundbreaking ceremony for Avanti House Secondary School's permanent site of 20 acres took place on Monday 17th October 2016.

The event saw the

first spade being dig into the ground by special guest, His Holiness Radhanath Swami, who spoke about the need for education based on moral and spiritual principles in his keynote address.

Plucked from a travelator A man will appear at Blackburn Magistrates’ Court on Monday charged over an incident in which a young girl was allegedly carried off by a stranger at a Morrisons supermarket.

The three-year-old was plucked from a moving

travelator at the Morrisons store in Blackburn on Thursday.

Mohmed Dadhiwala, 44, from Blackburn, has been charged with taking a child so as to remove them from a person having lawful control, Lancashire Police said.

Is Britain heading to a snap election?

Continued from page 5 The Right Hon Lord Reed is one of the two Scottish Supreme Court Justices. After serving as a senior judge in Scotland for 13 years he sat as an ad hoc judge of the European Court of Human Rights.

The Right Hon Lord Carnwath of Notting Hill, CVO is a Supreme Court Justice. He served as Attorney General to the Prince of Wales from 1988 to 1994. Between 1998 to 2002 he was also Chairman of the Law Commission. Between 2007 and 2012 he was Senior President of Tribunals.

The Right Hon Lord Hughes of Ombersley is a Supreme Court

Justice who prior to his appointment to the Supreme Court in 2013 served as a judge of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, as the Vice President of its Criminal Division.

The Right Hon Lord Hodge was appointed in October 2013 as one of the two Scottish Justices of the Supreme Court. Prior to his appointment to the Supreme Court, he was the Scottish Judge in Exchequer Causes and one of the Scottish Intellectual Property Judges. He was also a Judge in the Lands Valuation Appeal Court and a Commercial Judge.

The high court ruling prompted

ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20 The fiery planet Mars, con-

tinues to occupy your Solar 11th house for some time to come. Its influence will help you to maintain a high energy level and achieve positive results in anything that requires drive and initiative. If you are involved in a fairly competitive field of activity, you will be the one who comes out on top.

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21 You have the dynamic

planet Mars in your solar 10th house of work. This planet indicates a desire to push forward, to assert yourself mentally and physically.

This also means that you want to improve your work prospects. Of course, there are still challenging issues on both a personal and practical level - tread carefully.

GEMINI May 22 - June 22 There seems to be some

pressure on joint financial affairs. If you feel that something has been hanging in the balance, whatever happens you will get a clearer picture of the situation eventually. Allow matters to ride as impatience will not give you the whole picture.

Venus continues to favour your love life. If you are still seeking the ideal partner, things are definitely looking up. An increase in your social life is likely to bring you in touch with someone attractive. At work you need greater flexibility as well as a degree of patience. Do not step on any one's toes.

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22

the resignation of Stephen Phillips, the MP for Sleaford & North Hykeham over Theresa May’s handling of Brexit. This follows David Cameron and Zac Goldsmith’s resignation which has slashed the Conservative majority of 14 seats prompting calls for May to call a snap election. However in a comment piece in The Sunday Telegraph Theresa May wrote that while the debate appears to be of the process “in reality this an important principle at stake.” She added ‘The people made their choice; it is the the responsibility of the Government to carry out their instruction in full.’

Sneh Joshi

LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23

Save the planet with Food For All Charity No one should go hungry and be cold in London – believes the unfunded charity Food For All. Driven by this motto, the charity feeds the destitute in various parts of London with nearly 1000 freshly cooked, healthy vegetarian meals for six days a week. Matchless Gifts, the charity shop run by them welcomes the homeless and enfranchised to walk into their stores for warm clothes and other provisions to beat the London winters. The 24 years old charity appeals to small households and larger organisations in UK to donate their surplus to their cause, instead of letting them rot in the landfills.

Food For All works closely with other charities

The UK’s leading Vedic writer and TV personality

The prevailing cosmic pattern packs a powerful punch early this week. Having such potent energies, make you feel positive and confident in whatever you do. This is not the time to hold back or underestimate your potential if you wish to further an important aim. Some of you will try to get away from the routine chores.

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23

The pace of everyday life will gather momentum and there may be times when you find it hard to keep your act together. Any obstacles that have stood in the way of your heart's desires should melt into the background soon. Your self-confidence will be extremely high and this will be helped by various encouraging events.

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23

Projects of personal interests and home and family-centered activities are in focus as the week begins. Creative interests are highlighted.

Excellent time for work of a mental nature. Local travel is a delight. Some of you will begin an exciting romance.

Charm in self-expression will open doors for you now.

Domestic and home matters are disturbed and a source of concern to you. You could find family members hostile and difficult to reason with. It is a period of handling matters with utmost diplomacy and calmness. Venus in your 3rd house of communications makes it that much easier to communicative clearly.

SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22

The alleged gay lover of millionaire businessman Shrien Dewani, who was cleared of murdering his Anni Swedish wife Hindocha on their honeymoon has been found hanged at his home.

Former prostitute Leopold Leisser, 45, known to clients as 'The German Master', was a key witness in care home boss Dewani's trial, accused of killing wife Anni.

Leisser was reportedly extremely 'stressed' by the trial and was discovered by

Leopold Leisser

a friend at his flat at in Moseley, Birmingham, on September 13, an inquest heard. A postmortem revealed that he had died from hanging.

A police investigation revealed Mr Leisser had been suffering from stress due to the 2014 court case involving Bristol businessman Shrien Dewani.

After the court case the former gay prostitute closed down his website and said he was losing out on a £5,000 per month income.

to recycle and avoid waste, making provisions available to those who need it the most. The articles that could be donated to the charity are– non perishable vegetarian food, sleeping bags for the homeless to be used in the winter months, backpacks and camping tents to keep the cold out and items in good condition that can be sold in charity shops. If you want to make contributions to the cause, please contact Jennie Matthias, Manager at Matchless Gifts at 07900204746 or call the Matchless Gifts Charity shop at 02096170499 between noon till 6pm, Monday to Friday and leave a message with any of the volunteering staff.

020 8518 5500

Your horizons are most certainly expanding.

Your philosophical thoughts will make your mind run wild.

With Jupiter transiting your Solar 11th house, there will be many opportunities. Your financial affairs are looking up. Do not miss out on ways to better yourself in the coming weeks.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21

Co-operative ventures are likely to generate financial success. So, if hoping to drum up support or backing, it would certainly do no harm to adopt a more pushy and outgoing approach to life. As social life will tend to draw you into a wider circle, the chances of meeting someone attractive are greatly increased.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20

Your charisma, appearance and self-expression are to the forefront. Spontaneity of expression is what this transit is about. Increased energy and a renewed feeling of confidence is with you now, so take advantage. There's nothing wrong with achieving your personal goals, it's time to carve your own path in life.

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19

You may find yourself hard at work behind the scenes, although that may not be apparent to others. You may find yourself caught up in a whirlwind of activity, with opportunities to advance on both the inner and outer level. There is likely to be a powerful incentive to do what remains to be done and tie up loose ends.

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20

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Indian women's hockey team wins Asian Champions Trophy AsianVoiceNews

The Indian women's hockey team lifted its maiden Asian Champions Trophy after Deepika Thakur struck in the final minute to give her team a thrilling 2-1 win over China recently. Deepika slotted the rebound in from a penalty corner in the 60th minute of the game to give her team a memorable victory in Singapore. Earlier, Deep Grace Ekka converted a penalty corner to take India into the lead in the 13th minute before China equalised in the 44th minute through a field goal from Zhong Mengling.

The welcome result for the Indian women's team comes days after men beat Pakistan to reclaim the Asian Champions Trophy in Kuantan, Malaysia.

India's best finish in the Women's Asian Champions Trophy came in the last edition in 2013 when it finished runnerup to Japan. It had finished third in the inaugural edition in 2010. Having learnt from their group

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stage encounter, India refused to let China take early control of the ball, closing them down high up the pitch, often intercepting their passes and constantly putting pressure by hunting in packs.

When in possession, the Indian eves held their nerve and passed the ball around neatly to penetrate China's circle. This slightly different approach to their game helped them earn India’s first PC of the game in the 13th minute. An innovative set-piece saw Deep perfectly send the ball past the Chinese keeper for the early lead.

Going into the second

quarter, India kept up the pressure by playing disciplined hockey, keeping their calm only to deny the Chinese a chance to equalise. However, the third quarter saw China’s Mengling Zhong penetrate the Indian circle to score a quick field goal. But the Indian eves were unrelenting and were playing the kind of hockey that had China on the backfoot.

China managed to earn their first PC of the match in the third quarter but failed to convert, sending the ball way off the baseline. Though fortunes changed hands by the minute, neither team

dropped the intensity going into the fourth quarter. For India, it was Rani who was acting as a lynchpin, attempting to penetrate the Chinese D to earn a PC and she found a chance with just minutes left before the final hooter went off.

It was a do-or-die situation for India, and it was their best chance to score.

Deepika, the highest goal scorer of the tournament, took the onus on to herself to convert a sensational goal with just 30 seconds to go for the final hooter, sending the Indian supports into bursts of cheers.

For the team's triumph, Hockey India also announced a cash prize of Rs 200,000 each for the players and chief coach Neil Hawgood. Besides this, the federation also announced Rs 100,000 for the other support staff of the team. A cash award for Rs 100,000 was announced for Deepika, the highest Scorer of the tournament.

Murray adds title to the No. 1 rank Andy Murray celebrated his rise to No. 1 by beating American John Isner 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-4 to win the Paris Masters for the first time.

It was his career best eighth title this season, his 14th in Masters overall, and ended Isner's bid for a first Masters title. Murray, who officially replaces Novak Djokovic at the top of the rankings, now leads Isner 8-0 in their career meetings, dating back to their first match at the Australian Open six years ago. He recently beat him 6-1, 6-3 in the quarterfinals of the Erste Bank Open in Vienna, but this was a very different match and thoroughly contested

Andy Murray

seventh game of the match. In the second set, he was 4-3 ahead and 400 up on Murray's serve, but again failed to punish the Briton. But in a rare dip, Murray double-faulted during the tie-break and Isner profited to take the set.

Isner saved break points on his first two service games of the third set, hanging on as Murray restored his superiority.

by the big-serving American.

Using 18 aces and hitting plenty of inside-out winners on his massive forehand, Isner generated considerable pressure. But he was also erratic, wasting two break points in the

Murray becomes world No 1: Murray became the world’s No 1 tennis player after Milos Raonic withdrew from their Paris Masters semi-final. The walkover was confirmed when Raonic revealed he

suffered a tear to his right quad during his last-eight victory over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and would not be able to feature in the semifinal - handing Murray the final place he needed to secure the ranking.

Djokovic had been No 1 since June 2014 - a 122week run at the top of the list - but his quarter-final defeat to Marin Cilic opened the door for Murray, who now becomes the 26th man to top the rankings and the first Britain to top the standings since the system was introduced in 1973.

"It's been a strange day, I was pretty excited about the match and bit nervous as well," he said.

captain Sourav Ganguly, Jharkhand Cricket Association (JCA) President Amitabh Choudhary and Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) President M.P. Pandove.

However, the current IPL 2017 schedule may run into rough weather with the directives of the Supreme Court appointed Justice R.N. Lodha Committee as the India-

Australia Test series will conclude on March 29.

According to the Lodha panel, there must be a gap of two weeks between the IPL and an international series.

However, talking to reporters after the meeting, Shukla insisted that the IPL governing council has not violated the apex court's directives.

"IPL 10 will start on April 5 next year. The auction will be held in Bengaluru on February 4.

We had to keep a gap of one week after the

Australia series," Shukla said. Shukla also said that Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur, which were deprived of holding IPL matches this year following a controversy over water usage for maintaining outfields and pitches as Maharashtra suffered severe drought, will host IPL matches in 2017.

Shukla said that water harvesting technology will be employed at stadiums in Maharashtra to ensure minimum wastage during IPL matches. Shukla also said that defending champions Hyderabad Sunrisers will host the opening ceremony and the final.

IPL 2017 schedule finalised

The Indian Premier League (IPL) governing council announced that the schedule for the 2017 season of the lucrative Twenty20 cricket tournament has been finalised and the players' auction will be held in Bengaluru on February 4. Next year's IPL, which will be the final edition under the current 10-year contract, is scheduled to begin on April 5.

The IPL governing council meeting was attended by chairman Rajeev Shukla, Board of Control for Cricket India (BCCI) President Anurag Thakur, BCCI Secretary Ajay Shirke, former India

SPORT

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Abhishek Sharma to lead Indian colts Asian Voice | 12th November 2016

Punjab allrounder Abhishek Sharma will lead a 15-member Indian under-19 squad for the Youth Asia Cup to be held from December 13 to 24 in Sri Lanka, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said. Organised by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), India are the defending champions after having won the trophy in the previous edition in 2013, held in the United Arab Emirates. India shared the inaugural Youth Asia Cup trophy in 2012 with archrivals Pakistan after the match was tied when the tournament was held in Malaysia. Squad: Prithvi Shaw, Shubman Gill, Digvijay Birender Rangi, Chandan Sahani, Priyam Garg, Abhishek Sharma (Captain), Daryl S Ferrario, Sandeep K Tomar (wk), Ayush Jamwal, Rahul Deshraj Chahar, Kamlesh Singh Nagarkoti, Rishabh Bhagat, Simarjeet Singh, Izhaan Ashfaque Sayed and Shiva Singh.

Rohit Sharma likely to undergo surgery

The right-handed batsman Rohit Sharma sustained an injury to his right upper quadriceps tendon during the fifth One-Day International (ODI) against New Zealand in Vizag. It was earlier reported that he might be ruled out for six to eight weeks, but the latest update from Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) suggests a longer

lay-off.

"He will travel to London for specialist consultation with a possibility to undergo surgery, as a result of which, he is expected to miss at least 10 to 12 weeks of cricket, " BCCI confirmed. "The BCCI medical team will extend all support to Rohit Sharma, to regain full fitness and further contribute to Indian Cricket," the press release added. Rohit, who is set to miss the entire England series, also appears doubtful for the one-off Test against Bangladesh in February and might face a race against time to be fit for the subsequent series against Australia. "I don't know (how much time I will miss cricket). Our BCCI medical team is in touch with doctors, the scans we have got till now have been sent to doctors, we are waiting for their opinion, whether to do surgery or not, if we do the surgery then how much time is needed," Rohit told reporters. "The picture is fully not clear, whether it (surgery) is happening or not.

It is an important decision if we do surgery. If I do the surgery, I cannot play for three to three and a half months. We are waiting for the doctors' opinion, let's see what happens," he added. Rohit, who played in all three Tests against New Zealand in the recently-concluded series, has been in and out of the side in the longer format since making his debut in November 2013. After starting out with back-to-back centuries against West Indies, he struggled for a couple of years with patchy form. With Virat Kohli adopting the ploy of playing with five frontline bowlers, Rohit's chances to make it to the starting XI were further dented.

However, against New Zealand, he shined with the bat after they decided to play him at No 6. He responded by stroking 238 runs in five innings, at an average of 79.33.

West Indies defeat Pak to end winless streak

Kraigg Brathwaite and Shane Dowrich struck unbeaten half-centuries to guide West Indies to a first test victory in 14 matches as the Caribbean side beat Pakistan by five wickets on the final morning of the third test in Sharjah last week. Opener Brathwaite, who carried his bat for an unbeaten 142 in the first innings, and Dowrich each scored 60 in adding 87 for the unbroken sixth wicket after West Indies had been reduced to 67 for five chasing 153 for victory. The victory ended a 13match streak without a victory (10 losses and three draws) for West Indies, stretching back to May last year when they beat England at home. Pakistan won the three-match series 2-1. Pakistan leg-spinner Yasir Shah claimed figures of 3-40 in the second innings while paceman Wahab Riaz, who had taken a five-wicket haul in the first, added two more to his tally.

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Asian Voice | 12th November 2016

Root, Moeen give England strong start

Joe Root and Moeen Ali gave England a strong start by scoring 124 and 99 respectively in the first test match against India which began in Rajkot on Wednesday. The two added 179 - the longest and highest partnership by a visiting team since the start of the 2015-16 season - to restore England from a tricky 102 for 3 as they became the first visiting team to score 300 in the last 20 innings in India.

The duo hardly put a foot wrong after lunch, but the role of the toss cannot be overstated. This was the first time in Virat Kohli's captaincy that India had lost a toss at home where the changing pitches have made the toss crucial. If watching at home, Williamson must be wondering why he didn't have this luck. His England counterpart, Alastair Cook, went on to enjoy more luck before two overs were bowled than Williamson had in the whole series.

Ajinkya Rahane and Kohli dropped England captain Alastair Cook, once each off the opening bowlers. Expecting low bounce the cordon had crept closer at the start of

Hameed makes history

Joe Root and Moeen Ali

the match. The first one perhaps went too fast to Rahane at gully, the second reached Kohli on the full only because he was well in but it didn't stick. To make it worse for India, M Vijay dropped a sitter at first slip, reprieving the 19-year-old Gujarati-origin debutant Haseeb Hameed, who otherwise looked like a solid old-fashioned opener who didn't mind the new fashion of cutting in the air when the ball was short.

Having missed three catches by the time England's openers had reached 24, India had lost a

chance to cancel out some of the toss disadvantage, but Cook and Hameed didn't go on to hurt India too much.

To the first ball after drinks, Cook fell to Jadeja. Hameed fell to Ashwin after a 29-run stand with Root. Both had used the ploy to get outside the line of off to face balls breaking back in. Cook fell to one that turned past the inside edge, and Hameed to a change of angle. From round the wicket, Ashwin trapped him with an offbreak that didn't turn as much as expected. Ben Duckett chanced his arm, hit three boundaries and fell

Haseeb Hameed broke a record even before he took the field in the first test against India at Rajkot. At 19 years and 297 days, he became England's youngest test opening batsman and the fifth youngest player overall. Denis Compton is the only specialist batsman younger than Hameed ever to represent England, while the other three were selected as allrounders: Brian Close, Jack Crawford and Ben Hollioake.

Hameed heard about his selection only on Tuesday. Until then, the assumption was that Jos Buttler, rather than to what turned out to be the last ball before lunch.

The non-striker's role in both of the first two dismissals left a lot to be desired. Hameed discouraged Cook from reviewing when the ball was headed down leg, and Root made Hameed review a dead plumb lbw. That was perhaps the only absolute error

Haseeb Hameed

Hameed, would replace Gary Ballance after his poor series in Bangladesh. Hameed said it was amazing how fate had worked out that he would make his test debut in the same state of Gujarat where his parents were born before they migrated to Lancashire, and where his brother Numan was married last week.

Root made before he finally fell in dramatic circumstances in the final session.

He was in silken touch, batting on a first-day pitch and without scoreboard pressure. In two balls, in the 23rd over, he displayed his mastery with two drives.

Ashwin, who was not shy of asking the batsmen to drive, pitched the first ball up but

not right up. At the last moment in that drive, Root used his wrists a little to open the face and beat cover slightly to his left. The next ball was a touch fuller, and he unfurled an orthodox cover drive to beat the same man to his right.

That Root was even being asked to beat the man at cover was a sign of the challenge India were facing.

During the series against New Zealand, Ashwin hardly availed the services of a cover fielder. He often had just three men on the off side, sometimes even two.

Now he needed a fourth man. The pitch was not turning as much as it had for him against New Zealand, and because there were no runs on the board he couldn't afford to be driven too often. Ashwin bowled 18 overs on the trot either side of lunch, but couldn't draw half a false stroke from Root after his two early wickets. Early after lunch the ball kept low twice, but he found Root watching it like a hawk. Moeen played one false stroke, on nought, jabbing at one after stepping out. This one fell short of short leg.