AV 13th January2018 by Asian Business Publications Ltd

First & Foremost Asian Weekly in Europe

MODI SHOWERS LOVE AND PRAISE ON PIOs Vol 46 Issue 35

13th January to 19th January 2018

Let noble thoughts come to us from every side 80p

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's love for Indians abroad is no secret. The leader has always made sure he visits his “family” on every foreign trip he undertakes and uses every reason to shower generous praises on them. Inaugurating the first Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) Parliamentary Conference at the Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra in the National Capital on Tuesday (January 9), Modi welcomed participants and delegates at the inaugural session and said, “From every corner of the world, we are seeing participants in India.” The conference saw at least 124 Members of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi lighting the lamp at the First PIO Parliamentarian Parliament and 17 Mayors from 23 countries in atten- Conference in New Delhi. Union Minister for External Affairs, Sushma Swaraj and other dignitaries are also seen. dance. Modi hailed their you must have noticed, countries pointed out the country's quick achievements, saying that Indians response to disaster-struck neigharound the world have taken notice integrate themselves fully into the bours, like the earthquake in Nepal, of India. India is transforming, India country they work in, they make it floods in Sri Lanka and the water is moving ahead. Today, bodies like their home and keep alive Bharatiya problems in Maldives. “India's the World Bank, the IMF, and values while occupying positions of humanity even in grave situations Moody's are looking at India in a significance that bring pride to the like these, is a part of Vasudhaiva positive way,” he said. “Reform to nation on the global platform. Kutumbakam,” Modi said. transform” was the guiding princiReminding the participants that the ple of the government. Keeping in event is aimed at reconnecting them Pravasi Bharatiyas are partners mind the needs of the 21st century, with their ancestral land and spirit, in growth the government is increasing he said, “Your ancestors had to leave investment in technology and Catalysts for the country's develIndia under various circumstances transportation. “Highways, rail- opment and the ones who take India and that is why when you return to ways, I-ways, ports- all are connectto greater heights on the global an Indian airport, you are reminded platforms, Modi's best-loved Pravasi of your ties with this country. You ed and interconnected. We have Bharatiyas walk shoulder to shoulhave a desire to return to India and made a number of areas a priority. New rail lines are launched on priorder as the country makes a deserved I understand your feelings very ity, more roads and their developplace for itself in the world. Modi well.” He added, “No matter where ment is on track, cargo handling brought Mahatma Gandhi's teachthey are, I can imagine how happy growth, which was negative, is now ings into the light and said they your ancestors must be on seeing positive,” NaMo said. have become more relevant in you all here.” Highlighting numerous developtoday's world of radicalisation. In fatherly satisfaction, he said ments made in the country in the “India's inclusive philosophy sends there is a feeling of pride when news last three years, Modi said 30 mil- a powerful message to the world. We about how Indians are influencing lion new entrepreneurs have been do not intend to exploit anyone's geo-politics where they live and added. Also, investments have been resources, nor we are eyeing anyhow they affect policies of the counone's territory, our focus has always made in abundance in sectors like tries they call home. been on capacity building and construction, air transport, mining, Reform to Transform resource development,” Modi said. computer software, hardware, electrical equipment and others. He also “In the last three to four years, Continued on page 26

Year of the Indians

The 2018 Golden Globes came as a turning point for the dictatorial American film industry with many a firsts. The powerful patriarchy and exploitation by leading men of Hollywood was, for the very first time in history, mocked upon. Women shone. They were fearless, and loud.

Aziz Ansari won the Golden Globe for Best Actor

Vijay Patel loses life in Mill Hill murder

See Page - 26

The Gujarati community in Britain are aghast following the death of 49year-old Vijay Patel, who passed away at a central London hospital on at 7:01pm on Monday 8th January, after being attacked by three young males.

Vijay Patel with wife, Vibha Patel See Page - 16

Theresa May promotes Alok Sharma in Cabinet reshuffle Three more Indian-origin MPs given government responsibilities

Alok Sharma the MP for Reading West has become one of the Parliamentarians of Indian origin to be appointed in a key post by Prime Minister Theresa May after Monday’s Cabinet reshuffle. Sharma has been promoted as the new Employment Minister after just seven months in his previous role.

Alok Sharma See Page - 5

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Asian Voice | 13th January 2018

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with

Keith Vaz, MP

Badri Gajurel Badri Gajurel with over 20 years in the travel industry, Badri has a reputation as knowledgeable, charismatic and caring tour operator. As a Director of Earthbound Expeditions Ltd UK he has a passion and motivation to ensure that his clients always have a successful journey that is spellbinding. Born in the Langtang Himalaya region of Nepal, Badri outlook is to be in harmony with the Himalayas and always be blessed with your life journey. Badri specialised with treks and tours to Nepal (Everest and Annapurna treks), Tibet (Kailash and Manasarover spiritual trek), Bhutan, India (specialist for Chardham Yatra), Sri Lanka, Vietnam, and Cambodia. As his popularity as a Lead guide increased he has now including Africa (Tanzania & Morocco) and South America (Peru & Bolivia) with treks on Mount Kilimanjaro and even the epic Inca trail route. Despite being busy all around the globe, his charitable heart extensively helped rebuild schools in the remote areas of Nepal, giving better opportunities to the local underprivileged children. 1) Which place or city or country do you most feel at home in? I am fortunate to have two beautiful cities which hold my heart dearly. Firstly, London where I now live with me wife and two beautiful daughters. The second would be Pipaltar (Nepal) where I grew up with my parents and siblings.

2) What are your proudest achievements? Proudest moment was also my saddest moment. In April 2015 I had to return to my homeland Nepal immediately after the earthquake, learning that I had lost loved one, it was heart-breaking. Hope4Nepal Volunteers

based in UK managed to raise emergency funds to help the devastated hillside villages with emergency supplies. It’s wonderful to come across individuals who are doing selfless tasks, being part of them was my proudest moments.

move forward.

3) What inspires you? Adventure has always inspired me, the beautiful earth has so much to share and I have always been living this adventure. My parents have always been supportive with my sense of adventure, and my wife understands my thirst of what I enjoy most.

6) What is the best aspect about your current role? I am so fortunate to meet so many people from different background, countries, profession. Doing the work that I love and sharing the enthusiasm, inadvertently clients become lifelong friends.

4) What has been the biggest obstacle in your career? Life is a journey, whatever happens it happens for a reason, my parents have been reasonably religious and have taught me that all obstacles are meant to be conquered and that they are placed with a purpose. If you conquer your obstacles they then give you the courage to

Shop trader is jailed following seizure of counterfeit and dangerous items

A trader has been jailed after 8,000 counterfeit and dangerous goods worth more than £100,000 were seized from his West End shop. Kashif Haq was sentenced to 13 months in prison in December after previously admitting to 69 offences. Following his sentencing at Blackfriars Crown Court, Westminster Council is asking anyone who suspects they received dodgy toys over Christmas to report it to the authority's Trading Standards team.

The 22-year-old sold fake Beats headphones, Hello Kitty dolls, Beefeater bears, New Era hats, and iPhone chargers from his shop in Trocadero Centre, Leicester Square. In an attempt to evade conviction, the trader claimed he was tricked into the ownership of the store. Haq had pleaded guilty to 69 offences at Westminster Magistrates' Court in January 2017, but later requested a Newton hearing to contest the evidence that he owned the shop.

Haq's business (Image: Westminster City Council)

Kashif Haq in his shop (Image: Westminster City Council)

He had been caught as part of Operation Canton in what Westminster Council described as one of the largest seizures of counterfeit items from a trader within the West End. Many of the fake toys have parts that pose a choking hazard to children, with the total value of seized goods put at £112,000. Despite pleading guilty, Haq asked to change his responsibility in the business from owner to shop assistant.

5) Who has been the biggest influence on your career to date? My family has been the biggest influence as they have given me the blessing and strength to do what I do and love.

7) And the worst? I would have to say the worst thing is being far away from my wife and the children over a long period. Yet, technology has its consolation that we can talks to each other over the phone. My work takes me away for long period and I have always missed their birthdays, but we always make up and have a party when I return.

8) What are your long term goals? To be able to share my love of t h e

mountains and continue with my profession would ideally be my long term goals. However my heart indicates that whilst I can share and encourage my clients to help the less fortunate is my preferred goal.

not to be materialistic and setting standards at an early stage of their life where compassion and happiness is a priority. This could be done with compulsory continuous charitable services in their schooling years.

9) If you were Prime Minister, what one aspect would you change? Personally we have become too materialistic; ownership creates arguments. As a PM would it not be fair to say by encouraging our children

10) If you were marooned on a desert island, which historical figure would you like to spend your time with and why? Without hesitation, I would spend time with Lord Buddha and be part his teachings.

Meghan Markle closes social media accounts Meghan Markle has closed down her Instagram, Facebook and Twitter accounts, Kensington Palace confirmed. Prince Harry's fiancee took the decision because the accounts "haven't been used for some time". Ms Markle also ran her own lifestyle website, The Tig, which she closed in

April 2017. The palace said the former actress and UN ambassador was grateful to everyone who had fol-

lowed her over the years. The move came after the couple made their first official visit in London. In December 2017, Ms Markle had 1.9 million people following her posts on Instagram, and more than 350,000 Twitter followers. Her Facebook page had almost 800,000 likes.

Youth, 17, named after acid attacks on counts of attempted robmoped riders bery. A further count of

A teenager Monday admitted throwing strong acid at six moped riders in a spree of robberies over an hour-and-a-half, a court heard. Derryck John, 17, who can be named after a judge lifted reporting restrictions, was 16 when he carried out the attacks across east and north London on July 13 last year. Minutes before he was due to stand trial at London’s Wood Green crown court Monday, he pleaded guilty to six

Last July’s acid attacks

counts of throwing a corrosive fluid with intent to ‘disable, burn, maim, disfigure or to do grievous bodily harm’. He also admitted two counts of robbery and four

robbery from June 25 will be dealt with later. His mother fled the court in tears. Meanwhile, Major British stores including Tesco, Waitrose, Wilko and B&Q have banned the sale of acid to youngsters under 18. The retailers, along with Wickes, Screwfix, the Co-Op, Morrisons and John Lewis have voluntarily signed up to the plan in a countrywide bid to crack down on crimes involving corrosive substances.

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COMMENTS

UN Secretary General warns of war

In a New Year message to the international community, Antonio Gutteris, the UN Secretary General issued a sombre warning of the looming catastrophe of a nuclear conflict, arising out of a crisis-ridden, disintegrating global order. He called on nations – especially the major powers – to initiate a dialogue to address their differences responsibly. The present volatile situation, he averred, was the most explosive since the end of the Cold War. No truer words have been spoken by a person equipped by an insider’s knowledge of reality. The world’s trouble spots show no signs of diminishing: as some fester, others keep springing up. A possible miscalculation or a moment of madness, such as Europe faced in July 1914, could result in the apocalypse feared and dreaded by communities across continents. In a fraught environment those who wield power ought to speak and behave in a manner befitting their high office. This surely includes US President Donald Trump and his North Korean counterpart Kim Jung Un, who have been trading insults and nuclear threats like two overgrown children. The US President’s capricious mood swings have promoted him to call for regime change in Iran. The Iran regime has faced increasing unrest because of rising prices and high unemployment, but ordinary Iranians interviewed by international TV networks, while airing their grievances were firmly opposed to any US intervention in their country’s internal affairs, recalling that US meddling had resulted in the Shah’s iron dictatorship of 25 years. American arrogance seems impervious to past follies. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, not to be outgunned on the eve of his recent visit to Moscow likened the United States and its Western allies to the ancient Athens of Pericles – open, enlightened, democratic, a republic of philosophers. Russia was compared to Sparta, the rival and foe of Athens, was nasty, brutish and militaristic. Polemics frequently is a caricature of historical truths. Donald Trump as Pericles, Senators Lindsey Graham Senator John McCain as Socrates, Plato or Sophocles could tempt Jove to launch his famed thunderbolt at such low comedy. Is Russia so bereft of intellectual sophistication and cultural attainments to invite Mr Johnson’s derision and scorn? He would do well, for a start, to dip into

George Steiner’s study of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, where Steiner, an exacting critic not given to hyperbole, likens the creative genius of Russian literature at its peak in the late nineteen century to the high culture of Athens at the time of Pericles, and to the extraordinary period of Elizabethan and Jacobean England. ‘They count among the finest hours of the human spirit,’ he writes. Russian ballet and music are notable contributions to the European cultural canon. ‘Russian valour,’ said Winston Churchill, was instrumental in the defeat of Nazi Germany. A true measure of accounting the Western performance is the desolation of the Greater Middle East: millions dead, with the baleful Islamic Caliphate a byproduct of the imperial misadventure whose costs grow by the day, as thousands seek salvation across the deep in inhospitable Europe. The role in the Anglo-US invasion of Iraq of Tony Blair, as British prime minister, has been revealed in stark and ignoble detail by the Chilcot Inquiry. Bush, Blair, Obama, Hillary Clinton et al have their allotted places in the hall of infamy. What the world now needs most is damage control, the diplomatic fire extinguisher to prevent the flames from reaching the nuclear button and an inferno beyond description. Least of all, do we need the posturing of Nikki Haley, the US Ambassador to the United Nations. Talking softly and wielding the big stick, as President Theodore Roosevelt prescribed a century and more ago, no longer works. The natives are restless and do not take kindly as perceived carriers of the white man’s burden. That should have been more than obvious when the Vietnamese people booted out their US-backed French overlords, and then kicked out Uncle Sam himself from their country, bag and baggage. As the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterris wisely and decorously advised, it would better for the survival of life on earth to reason together, talk softly, behave modestly and abjure threats of force. Afghan tribesmen, in asymmetric warfare, have withstood the fire and fury of the Western coalition of the willing; are no nearer to surrender that they were seventeen years ago when the US military and NATO satraps arrived on the scene. The novelty of tweeted foreign policy declarations by President Trump have made confusion worse confounded Time, surely, to give peace a chance.

Whither India? Present and future prospects

The past year has been one of churning for India. The disruptions of demonetization and the General Services Tax (GST), designed to create an integrated Indian market to replace multiple markets and their myriad tax regimes took an inevitable toll in the rate of economic growth, but this appears to have bottomed out, with growth and investor confidence recovering its earlier momentum. The stock market is on an extended bull run, and India earned brownie points from the World Bank on ‘ease of doing business.’ Most international and national institutions are agreed that India will return to its 7-plus GDP growth from the next financial year beginning March 31, 2018. If this speed were to be maintained over the next decade, India’s economy would reach $ 10 trillion in 2030, from the $2.26 trillion attained in 2016. If, however, India were to achieve an annual rate of 9 per cent GDP growth, it would land an economy worth $14 trillion by 2030. The social impact of this increased wealth would be telling. The challenge to entrepreneurship, technological innovation, responsive government policies and improved governance lends substance to the vision. India has to raise the bar and set its sights higher to

garner the appropriate rewards. Such is the future that beckons. What are the present obstacles that need to be surmounted? Highest on the list are agricultural outcomes and improved and assured incomes for farmers. Simply writing off government loans to ameliorate rural distress is no longer-term solution. Assured power supplies, stable and profitable prices for farmers, better access to markets, more water through irrigation networks and much else must be tackled as a priority. The recent State elections in Gujarat have turned the spotlight on rural distress across swathes of the country. As the majority of Indians live in the countryside their well-being is of the utmost importance. The new State of Telangana has made impressive strides in the farming sector, setting standards for other States to emulate. A postscript to these issues has been the settlement to the formation of the next Gujarat government. A brewing crisis was handled deftly by the BJP’s principal trouble-shooter Amit Shah. An aggrieved Nitin Patel, Deputy Chief Minister and little else, was given the key Finance portfolio, as he had wished, and peace was restored. All’s well that ends well.

Pakistan a deceitful haven of terrorism: Trump US President Donald Trump started the New Year with a thunderous tweet denouncing Pakistan as a terrorist haven despite the $33 billion it had received from the United States as aid in recent years. ‘The United States has foolishly given Pakistan 33 billion dollars over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies and deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more,’ he said. For once Mr Trump got it right. The $1.2 billion security aid to Islamabad has been blocked. American opinion and leading Congressional voices – some opposed to the President – have welcomed his statement as long overdue, for Pakistan and its leaders,

military and civilian alike, have been viewed with deepening suspicion and open resentment. The former Pakistan ambassador to the US, Husain Haqqani, now a respected academic in exile in America, saw this coming, as he explained in a forthright interview with the BBC. He has written a revealing book on Pakistani delusions, beginning with its founding father Muhammed Ali Jinnah, who, as Mr Haqqani relates, told the US Time-Life Correspondent Margaret Bourke White, that ‘America needs Pakistan more than Pakistan needs America,’ that Pakistan, by virtue of its geography, was the ‘most important country in the world.’ Those whom the gods wish to destroy, they first make mad.

Asian Voice | 13th January 2018

We judge others by their behaviour, but ourselves by our intentions - Stephen Covey

Cllr Sachin Shah Leader of the Harrow Council

Improving safety in South Harrow Firstly, I would like to wish all readers a Happy New Year! I hope many of you were able to spend this time relaxing and having fun with family and friends. I would also like to extend a thank you to everybody across the public sector who has worked so tirelessly over the holiday period. In my role as Leader of Harrow Council I have been doing my best to support the work you do. For example, since my ward walkabouts across South Harrow I have been keen to take action on the issues raised by residents and business owners. The most pressing issue raised was that of antisocial behaviour and a gang presence. I have raised these issues with the Harrow Council Antisocial Behaviour Unit and liaised with police officers in Harrow and local amenities such as Roxeth Library. So far we have removed offensive signs, sent officers to monitor illegal street traders, installed signs to deter street drinking and worked with police and residents to report more illegal fly-tipping for removal. Local councillors have been working hard to improve safety near South Harrow Underground station by coordinating funding for improved street lighting and increased CCTV. In December, I met at South Harrow Underground station with Gareth Thomas the MP for Harrow West, Navin Shah the London Assembly Member for Brent and Harrow, Harrow police officers and Cressida Dick the Commissioner for the Metropolitan Police. Among other issues, I was keen to emphasise the need for local officers to prioritise visible policing across our communities. They took on board that it is vital for residents across Harrow to feel safe and secure. Of course this can be difficult to achieve when the budget for the Metropolitan Police is cut and policing numbers are reduced by central government. Both I and my fellow Labour councillors have been clear that we believe policing numbers should not be reduced and police stations across Harrow should remain open. We are fortunate that crime levels in Harrow are comparatively low, yet we know that visible and effective policing is always essential to dealing with many of the aforementioned issues. I feel steady progress has been made in improving the safety of the South Harrow area. However, I will continue to highlight the above issues with the Police and ensure Harrow Council is doing all that is possible to help make Harrow a safe place to live and work. Editor: CB Patel

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Dating website couple guilty of Islamic State Christmas plot A couple who met on an online dating website have been found guilty of plotting an Islamic State-inspired attack over Christmas. Munir Mohammed, 37, enlisted the help of pharmacist Rowaida el-Hassan on SingleMuslim.com after volunteering for a lone wolf mission directed by a man he believed was an IS commander on Facebook. Mohammed, a Sudanese asylum seeker who arrived in the back of a lorry in February 2014, was arrested in December 2016 at his home in Leopold Street, Derby. Police found two of the three components for the explosive TATP, manuals on how to make explosives, mobile phone detonators and ricin, a deadly poison. Both he and Hassan, 33, of Willesden Lane, northwest London, denied preparing terrorist acts between November 2015 and December 2016. An Old Bailey jury on Monday found the pair guilty of the plot and Judge Michael Topolski QC remanded the pair in custody, warning therm they

face jail when they are sentenced on 22 February. Mohammed, who was living in Derby, used Facebook to get in touch with an IS commander, asking him for a bomb-making recipe and further instructions. He had also researched the Munir Mohammed and Rowaida el-Hassan plotted a deadly poison ricin Christmas bomb attack directed by IS while working illegally known as Mother of Satan, and thought in a Kerry Foods factory making sauces he had a third. for supermarket chains. Investigators believe that it was Hassan, a former Boots pharmacist, only his lack of English that meant he "rapidly formed an emotional attachhad accidentally bought the wrong ment" after meeting Mohammed third ingredient. online, prosecutors said. Anne Whyte QC, prosecuting, told He sent her gory videos of IS executhe jury at the Old Bailey: "Rowaida tions, including some carried out by Hassan was the educated assistant with children. She asked him to "send more" a rallying cry when he needed it and the and helped guide him to the right pharmaceutical knowledge to help. chemicals for his bomb. Munir Mohammed was the active heavy He bought two of the three ingredilifter. They were both assets to ISIS in ents required to make the explosive their different ways." called triacetone triperoxide (TATP),

Student died after eating chicken burger at restaurant

A gifted teenage university student with a dairy allergy died after eating a chicken burger marinated in butter milk at a restaurant, an inquest has heard. Shahida Shahid, 18, had previously needed to have urgent treatment at a restaurant in Birmingham after a previous violent reaction, the court was told. Shahida was out with friends when she became suddenly ill and collapsed, just minutes after the meal at Almost Famous. A friend administered her epipen to combat the allergic reaction and she was rushed to hospital. But the teenager, studying at Manchester University and a Manchester United season ticket holder, suffered severe brain damage “not compatible with life”, a jury at the inquest was told. Shahida died in hospital on January 12 2015, three days after eating at the restaurant, the inquest at Manchester

Coroner’s Court heard. Sally Hadfield, assistant deputy coroner for Manchester, outlined the case to the jury of the six women and five men at the start of the hearing, expected to last eight days. Shahida’s family, her mother and brother, represented by lawyers, sat at

the back of the court, behind more lawyers for the restaurant and Manchester City Council, responsible for inspecting restaurants. The court heard Shahida was in her first year studying a masters in mathematics. She went out for a meal with friends in over the Christmas holidays to discuss their first term at university. While at Almost Famous she ordered and ate the chicken burger that had been marinated in butter milk. Although a friend administered her epi-pen that she carried with her, she did not recover after suffering severe brain injuries and died three days later. Ms Hadfield said the main issues the jury will have to consider is how she came to eat a burger marinated in dairy produce, the butter milk, what was discussed with restaurant staff and evidence about the epi-pen.

33-year-old delivery driver, Usman Humaydun, from Blackley, allegedly stole children's toy worth £62,000 from his employer to sell on a market stall. He has avoided being jailed after informing the judge that he was “very scared” of going to prison. The father-of-one allegedly took unsold toys that should have been returned to his employers at Spot Promotions Limited over a two year period, to sell in his market stall on Sundays. The company carried out stocktakes and noticed a large number

of their goods were missing, and hence, called the police to investigate. Customers also informed the company that their merchandises were being sold by Humaydun at his stall. Manchester Crown Court heard that Humaydun had allegedly kept two large storage containers in a warehouse in Failsworth, Oldham, where he stored stolen gadgets and toys. Usman Humaydun was given an eight-month jail sentence, suspended for a year. He was ordered to complete 120 hours unpaid work.

Usman Humaydun

Shahida Shahid, 18

Delivery driver steals toys to sell in market stall

Two men charged after girl dies eating takeaway

Mohammed Abdul Kuddus, 39, from Blackburn, and Harun Rashid, 38, from Rossendale, appeared at Blackburn Magistrates Court court and were charged with manslaughter of a 15-yearold girl Megan Lee, who died after suffering an allergic reaction to a takeaway meal. Megan Lee had a nut allergy, and fell ill after eating a meal from the Royal Spice restaurant in Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire. She was taken to the Royal Blackburn Hospital but sadly passed away two days later on New Year's Day. The post-mortem examination revealed that the teenager had died from acute asthma due to nut allergy. Both accused confirmed their nationality as Bangladeshi in court. Mohammed Abdul Kuddus was also

Mohammad Abdul Kuddus

Harun Rashid

charged under the name of the company, RS Takeaways Ltd, with failing to discharge general health and safety duty to a person other than an employee and contravening or failing to comply with EU provisions concerning food safety

and hygiene. The two men were granted conditional bail, and the case has been moved to Burnley Crown Court where the two accused are due to appear on 7th February.

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Jaskaran Kang, 24, stabbed to death at Dudley flat

A man stabbed to ådeath at a Dudley flat has been named as Jaskaran Kang. The "hard-working father" was pronounced dead at a flat in Stourbridge Road, after police were called at 02:30 GMT last Saturday. The family of Mr Kang, 24, from Handsworth, Birmingham, are appealing for people to come forward. The force said a post-mortem examination is due to take place later. Det Insp Justin Spanner, of West Midlands Police, said a murder investigation had been launched. "I am appealing for anyone who may have any information about what happened leading up to the attack," he added.

PrettyLittleThing co-founder heads up property venture

A co-founder of Manchester-based online retailer PrettyLittleThing has ventured into commercial property. Adam Kamani, who set up the fashion business with brother Umar, is now heading up Kamani Property Group and has a pipeline of Greater Manchester sites in the offing. This includes a new-build scheme in the Northern Quarter which will house the family’s property division and was approved by Manchester City Council late last year. The CEO said there are no plans for the retail offering to include Boohoo.com, PrettyLittleThing or Nasty Gal brands. However, he did not rule out using it as a pop-up store in future.

Predatory paedophile finally brought to justice after 25 years

A woman who has been fighting for her childhood abuser to face justice since she was a schoolgirl finally saw him jailed - more than 25 years after she first spoke out against him. Imtinan AljoffreyUppal was a wellrespected computer scientist from a family who had fled Idi Amin’s regime in Uganda. He was a also a predatory paedophile, but the victim left scarred by his abuse was repeatedly told there wasn’t enough evidence to bring him to justice. It's only now that 64-year-old Imtinan Aljoffrey-Uppal, from Stockport, has finally been jailed. The result came after the woman’s 2014 account to police finally led to a prosecution being brought. Uppal was found guilty of five counts of sexual assault. He was sentenced to four years in prison for counts one to four, and 12 months for count five, to run concurrently. He can expect to spend half that time in jail before being released on parole.

Smug, smirking teenager escapes jail sentenceå

A smug teenager punched the air in delight when she and a friend escaped jail over a £760 shoplifting spree at Harvey Nichols in Manchester. Jobless Nafisa Akhtar, 19, held her right arm aloft in triumph and sported a beaming smile outside a courthouse after promising the court she would never steal again. Earlier she and 18-year old Anashra Ali who lives off her mother - had been told to get a job after they were caught stealing designer clothes worth £380 and £386 of cosmetics from the shelves of the city centre store.

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Theresa May promotes Alok Sharma in Cabinet reshuffle

Shailesh Vara

Suella Fernandes

Rishi Sunak

Rehman Chishti

Continued from page 1 In 2016, he was appointed Parliamentary UnderSecretary of State in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office by Theresa May and in 2017, he was moved to become Housing and Planning Minister in the Department for Communities and Local Government. On the other hand Sajid Javid has been appointed as the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government in the Cabinet reshuffle on January 8th, which is likely to see Mr Javid referred to as the Housing Secretary. May has also appointed two pro-Brexit Indian-origin MPs to ministerial positions. The Prime Minister named Goan-origin Suella Fernandes a junior Minister in the department in charge of leaving the European Union, according to a Reuters report. Fernandes is the head of the European Research Group – a faction of Conservative lawmakers who support Brexit. May has appointed Rishi Sunak, the son-in-law of Infosys founder Narayana Murthy, to a ministerial position, The Guardian has reported. He will serve as the P a r l i a m e n t a r y Undersecretary of state at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Shailesh Vara has now returned to Government as Parliamentary Under Secretary in the Northern Ireland Office after a spell on the backbenches. Rehman Chishti, MP for Gillingham and Rainham has been appointed as the Vice Chairman for Communities in the Conservative Party. Former Secretary for Communities and Local Government, the 'Housing' title has now been added to Javid’s profile. A MP from Bromsgrove, Javid was born in Rochdale, Lancashire, one of five sons of parents of Pakistani descent. His father was a bus driver. Boris Johnson continues to be the Foreign Secretary while Brandon Lewis has been appointed as the new Conservative Party Chairman. He has quit from

his previous immigration role for the purpose. Rehman Chishti, MP for Gillingham and Rainham who has been appointed as the Vice Chairman for Communities in the Conservative Party is also of Pakistani origin, and is the former Parliamentary Private Secretary to Jeremy Wright, the Attorney General for England and Wales. Sir Patrick McLoughlin, the previous party chairman, confirmed his departure from the role in a formal exchange of letters with the Prime Minister and Theresa May has also moved to further prop up her team by appointing a number of "Vice Chairs" in the Conservatibe Headquarter to policy roles including two MPs from the 2017 intake: Kemi Badenoch and Ben Bradley. It came after James Brokenshire resigned from his role as Northern Ireland Secretary because of health concerns. The Prime Minister is hoping that greater emphasis will now be placed on the national housing crisis issue. David Lidington has become the Minister for the Cabinet Office, a change from his role as the Justice Secretary while Amber Rudd and Philip Hammond retain their old positions as the Home Secretary and Chancellor of the Exchequer respectively. David Davis has been reappointed as the Brexit Secretary. James Cleverly, the MP for Braintree, given the job as the deputy chairman of the Tory party. While Theresa May has continued the shake-up of her ministerial team by handing jobs to several junior ministers regarded as rising stars, such as Dominic Raab, Alok Sharma, Jo Johnson and Sam Gyimah, she has been in the eye of the storm created by the much controversial walk outs. The Cabinet however still remains essentially white and male dominated, while the first woman to get a junior-level promotion is Caroline Dinenage, who was also been made a Minister of State for Health.

Asian Voice | 13th January 2018

Inequality for women and Asians in the mainstream media In 2017, the BBC revealed how much it paid its top TV and radio presenters, journalists, actors, sports analysts, and current affair correspondence. After the revelation, there were accusations thrown at the BBC regarding the disparity between the pay range of their male and female staff. Carrie Gracie, who has been an BBC journalist for 30 years has resigned from her post as China editor due to the unequal salary compared to the male editors. It is said that she was paid £135,000 per annum, while the North America editor Jon Sopel is paid between £200,000- £249,000, and the Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen earns between £150,000- £199,000. Gracie did not leave because she wanted a hefty pay rise. She left because she wanted to be treated equally as her contemporaries. Her role was of great significance similar to her male colleagues, yet she was undermined. If we were to inspect another aspect, then what certainly comes to mind is as well as the disparity in the pay for male and female staff, there is a lack of Asian representatives in the mainstream media. Having made a massive impact on the British economy as well as society, one would wonder why there seems to be a shortage of Asians on mainstream channels. And those who have managed to

Naga Munchetty

Misha Husain

make a place for themselves in the cut-throat media industry still have to tackle discrimination, with many not reaching figurehead positions and receiving much less in pay compared to their peers. In her open letter regarding her resignation, Carrie Gracie expressed, “Many of the women affected are not highly paid ‘stars’ but hardworking producers on modest salaries. Often women from ethnic minorities suffer wider pay gaps than the rest. This is not the gender pay gap that the BBC admits to. It is not men earning more because they do more of the jobs which pay better. It is men earning more in the same jobs or jobs of equal value. It is pay discrimination and it is illegal.” Radio presenter of Radio 4's

Today programme, Misha Husain, is also among those campaigning for equality. Last year, it was revealed that she was paid between £200,000- £299,000, while BBC Breakfast presenter, Naga Munchetty earns between £150,000- £199,000. A BBC spokesman stated, “Fairness in pay is vital. A significant number of organisations have published their gender pay figures showing that we are performing considerably better than many and are well below the national average. We have already conducted an independent judge-led audit of pay for rank-and-file staff which showed 'no systemic discrimination against women'. A separate report for on-air staff will be published in the nottoo-distant future.”

SAFE launched to help parents prevent radicalisation According to figures from the British government, about 850 people have fled Britain to join jihadist groups in the last few years. A new independent service, Supporting Affected Families from Extremism (SAFE), was launched in November 2017. It gives advice to parents that is independent from the authorities and from their Muslim communities. The scheme will provide “theological support, where parents, and possibly children, will be invited to visit imams who are experienced in talking to radicalised children. Faith Matters set up this project. The founder and director of Faith Matters, Fiyaz Mughal said, “The pastoral care is about settling, and refocusing them and providing a world view to the young person that challenges their polarised thinking and uses Islamic theology to provide alternatives.” The co-director of the community charity the Social Action and Research Foundation, Amina Lone stated, “Muslim families

can be cautious of the state and do not feel they can turn to their local imam out of fear of judgement and the fact that they cannot be sure the conversation will remain confidential. In some of the cases where we have intervened, the family's faith is challenged by what they see. Something that is a part of their life has been turned on itself within their children and this creates a trauma for them.”

involved in the attack on a town called Mpeketoni, where terrorists went on a killing spree of Christians. Thomas Evans was killed in Kenya in 2015. Thomas Evan's mother, Sally Evans said, “I began to understand how toxic and deadly Islamist radicalisation can be, because it doesn't only destroy the lives of

Michael Evans is leading SAFE. Michael Evan's brother, Thomas, was a British jihadist who was referred to as the “white beast”. Thomas had fled to Kenya in 2011 to join the jihadist group al-Shabaab. It is said that he was

young men and women who are struck by its spell, but it also indirectly devastates the lives of the parents and siblings.” Michael Evans is optimistic that SAFE can help provide extremism by providing families with more

options. He said, “Extremism has no borders, and lead to terrorism can spread quickly. So building on awareness and understanding in communities will d i v e r t young people from engaging with these materials. It is a form of resilience-building that is needed right now.” The senior imam at the Makkah Mosque in Leeds, Qari Muhammad Asim added, “I have come across parents who feel completely vulnerable and exposed when their children, with an apparent newfound understanding of their religion, challenge them, or even look down on them due to their perceived lack of religious knowledge. Agencies such as SAFE can signpost parents to seek further assistance to challenge and theologically explore some of the new-found arguments proposed by young people.”

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Asian Voice | 13th January 2018

Harrow CAN-CAN wins 2nd place and £9000 at New Year’s Day parade Harrow’s entry at London’s New Year’s Day Parade hit an all-time high on Monday, with their Moulin Rougeinspired float winning second place and a whopping £9000 for the Mayor’s charities. The Parisian cabaret was a spectacular performance full of dance, music and laughter that had everyone up on their feet bringing in the New Year in high spirits. The parade was a tough competition against 17 other boroughs – but once again Harrow’s float stole the show! After months of preparation by volunteers from Wiseworks and Nower Hill High School, all the hard work paid off. The thousands of pounds will now be handed to the Mayor’s charities – Harrow Women Centre and Harrow Law Centre. Mayor of Harrow, Cllr Margaret Davine said: “Winning second place is a

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Shaheedul Abedin

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Police officer stabbed detaining robbery suspect

fantastic achievement but what’s even better is that the money will really help change lives. It’s all thanks to our volunteers and the fantastic team who organised this year’s entry – thank you all. Harrow put on a show that everyone will remember for decades

metres high windmill was really impressive. Well done everyone - Harrow has made me proud.” Also taking part in the parade was the talented

Beverley School of Dance, the Kodak Football Club, and Cllrs John Hinkley and Jean Lammiman who have worked so hard in preparing and organising this year’s entry. Every year competition between the float gets tougher. As always, Harrow’s entry promises to be bigger and better, so roll on 2019 – we’re not stopping until we make it to the top! To find out more about the New Year’s Day Parade and see the pictures, visit www.lnydp.com.

Three jailed for courier fraud Blackfriars Crown Court heard how Shaheedul Abedin, 20, from Pollard Street in Bethnal Green, along with two other men fooled a 78-year-old victim into giving them £250, her bank cards, as well as her passport. Abedin, along with Charlie Heath, 23, from King's Cross, and Kawsar Ahmed, 19, from Sydenham Hill took part in a scam where an impostor posed as a police officer and persuaded the victim from Camden that she had been a victim of a bank fraud and should hand over cash to them. She was also told to give the “courier” the money along with her passport and bank cards in June 2016. Police arrested Abedin and found a brown envelope thrown along the route he had used to try and escape from the police. The envelope had the Audi's registration details that Abedin had been driving written on it. The envelope contained the victim's passport,

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

This week the paid readers of Asian Voice will receive the annual calendar for 2018 along with their newspaper

Kawsar Ahmed

will never ask for your PIN number or your bank cards. If you are called and asked for these items – hang up straight away. The police will never call you at home and ask you for money, whatever the reason.” In December 2017, the

Charlie Heath

three men were convicted of possessing or supplying articles for use in fraud. Abedin was jailed for one year, Charlie Heath was sentences to three years, while Kawsar Ahmed will serve 16 months in jail. A fourth suspect was acquitted in court.

Landlord squeezes 10 tenants in illegal extension A rogue landlord in Poplar has lost a bid to overturn a demolition order after he ignored planning laws and built an illegal extension at the exterior of his threestorey house. Enforcement officers from Tower Hamlets visited the address and found that 10 tenants had been squeezed into the rat and cockroach infested extension. They found the tenants sharing a kitchen, shower and two toilets. The landlord, Mohammed Suruk Miah appealed against the demolition order, stating that the extension cost

Mohammed Suruk Miah built this illegal extension

him £7,000 to build. However, the case was dismissed at tribunal as the property posed as a health and safety hazard. Cabinet member for housing, Cllr Sirajul Islam said, “This illegal extension presented a serious hazard to tenants.”

Chief Superintendent, Robyn Williams

On 2nd January 2018, a police officer was stabbed while trying to arrest a suspect following a robbery in Sutton. Detectives are investigating the incident. At nearly 7pm on the day of the incident, the police were called to reports of a knife-point robbery close to St James Road. Officers attended the scene and spoke to the male victim before starting their search in the local area. A suspect was identified by officers who ran from the police. Following a short chase, the man was detained outside a pub on the High Street. A police constable sustained a stab wound to his leg during the arrest. The officer was taken to a South London hospital by the London Ambulance Service. His injuries are not believed to be life-threatening and he remains in a stable condition. The victim of the robbery was not stabbed. He was taken to hospital

with minor injuries. The accused was arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm and robbery. He is currently in custody at a South-West London police station. Chief Superintendent, Robyn Williams, Borough commander for Sutton said, “Thankfully, incidents of this nature are rare. However, they highlight the risks officers face on a daily basis while carrying out their duties. Officers regularly run towards danger in order to protect the public; for one to be assaulted in such a way is totally unacceptable, and it is only by luck that his injuries were not more serious. Our thoughts are with the officer, his family and colleagues.” The police are urging people who witnessed either the robbery or the stabbing who have not yet spoken to the police to contact them via 101. They can also call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Met Police paid £89m in overtime in 2017 Official figures reveal that officers from the Metropolitan Police are earning up to £61,000 a year extra in overtime. A freedom of information request by the Liberal Democrats revealed that over the last three years, Scotland Yard has paid staff £270 million in overtime. It has also been revealed that Met officers worked an extra 3.7 million hours in 2016- 2017, which is the same as 120 hours per police officer. The statistics reveal that £89 million was paid in 2017, compared to £101 million in 2016. It is said that the sum for last year was enough to pay the salaries of over 4,000 constables with the starting pay rate of £22,146. The highest overtime payment

received was £61,712, followed by two officers who received more than £56,000 in overtime. The Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman, Sir Ed Davey said, “The police work tirelessly to keep us safe, but this level of overtime isn't healthy or sustainable. The government needs to urgently invest in boosting police numbers or they will leave us all at risk.” The director of people and change at the Met, Robin Wilkinson explained post the Grenfell Tower fire and terrorist incidents in 2017, there has been high demands for police services. He add, “Overtime generally reflects a costeffective way of meeting such demands.”

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Young man stabbed over 10 times in Harrow

On 2nd January, at around 11:30pm, a 20-year-old man has been stabbed more than ten times after he was ambushed by a gang as he tried to search for refuge. The victim was reportedly chased by a group consisting of four to five men along Elliot Drive and into Eastway Crescent, Harrow, where he was attacked by the men as he tried to ask for help at one of the homes. Although his injuries are described as not lifethreatening, the victim suffered a lot of blood loss and received treatment from the London Ambulance Service before being taken to a hospital. Regarding this incident, Detective Sergeant Amar Patel, from Harrow CID said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;This was a vicious unprovoked attack on a young male who had been enjoying an evening with friends when he was chased, ambushed and repeatedly stabbed by a

group of males for an unknown reason. We have already spoken to lots of people in the area about the incident, but I would appeal to anyone who witnessed the attack and hasn't spoken to us about it yet to come forward. Any detail, no matter how insignificant it may seem, will help us to identify those responsible and bring them to justice. Any information given to us will be treated in strict confidence.â&#x20AC;? The gang has been described as black males in their late teens who wore dark clothing. No arrests have been made so far. If you are a witness or have information regarding the incident, call Harrow CID on 101 or Tweet @MetCC. Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously at crimestoppers-uk.org or call them on 0800 555 111.

Move over January It's â&#x20AC;&#x153;Veganuaryâ&#x20AC;? In January, many people take up â&#x20AC;&#x153;veganismâ&#x20AC;? for the whole month, hence the term â&#x20AC;&#x153;Veganuaryâ&#x20AC;?. It is said that this year, a whopping 100,000 people have pledged to become vegans for the whole month, up 40,000 from 2017. Vegan options are now available at many mainstream eateries, such as vegan pan crust at Pizza Hut, avocado pizza at Zizzi, oat milk at Starbucks, as well as chilli non carne tacos at All Bar One. Vegan blogger and the author of Eat, Drink and Live Like You Give A Sh!t, Sean O'Callaghan, 43, has been a vegan for 20 years. He believes there are much more vegan choices available compared to a couple of decades ago. He said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;People are understand-

ing it doesn't have to be dreary, like 1970s powdered soya milk and a block of tofu. When you go out, you don't have to be the one compromising the rest of the group, or the oddball sitting in the corner, with a bowl of carrots.â&#x20AC;? While many people may think that becoming vegan for a month will make them â&#x20AC;&#x153;coolâ&#x20AC;? considering many people are following this so-called trend; but people are opting to become vegans for health reasons, as well as for social and ethical reasons, and not just for Veganuary, but for the long-run.

Steakhouse fined ÂŁ50k for using wooden plates

Birmingham City Council has deemed wooden â&#x20AC;&#x153;platesâ&#x20AC;? as a food poisoning risk after a the steakhouse, Ibrahim's Grill and Steak House was fined ÂŁ50,000 as 14 diners fell ill. The council brought a case against the steakhouse as it allegedly kept using wooden boards to serve food. The council even tweeted: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Wooden plates could pose a risk of food poisoningâ&#x20AC;?. Inspectors visited Acocks Green in October 2016, after 14 people were affected from food poisoning. There were many

issues for concerns, including staff relying highly on disposable gloves rather than washing their hands, poor or inadequate cleaning of the premises and the use of wooden plates or boards, which are not capable of being cleaned. The inspectors returned to the premises two months later and found that they were still using wooden plates. The company admitted to failing to comply to the hygiene notice and was given the hefty fine by Birmingham Magistrates' Court.

Asian Voice | 13th January 2018

India's Commerce and Industry Minister to visit UK Indian Minister of Commerce and Industry, Mr Suresh Prabhu will be visiting the UK this week to cochair the India-UK Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) in London on 11 January 2018. He is a Chartered Accountant by profession and a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. Since 1996, Prabhu has been a repeatedly elected Member of Parliament from Rajapur Lok Sabha constituency in Maharashtra as a member of the Shiv Sena political party. He quit Shiv Sena and joined BJP on 9 November 2014 and currently represents Andhra Pradesh in the Upper House (Rajya Sabha) of Indian Parliament. He is also a part of the Honorary Board of Advisors of Indian International Model United Nations. It is believed that he may be visiting UK from 11-14 January to discuss possibilities that Brexit may bring for India in certain areas of interests such as exports. Some are also seeing this as a preparatory visit on behalf of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra

Dr Param Shah Indian Minister Suresh Prabhu

Modi, who may be coming to the UK in April for the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting (CHOGM). Prabhu has held several government and semi government positions, which includes Chairmanship of Maharashtra State Finance Commission, Saraswat Co-operative Bank, Member of the Maharashtra Tourism Development Board, among others. He has been the recipient of several awards. Prabhu will be attending a number of events while in the UK, including a talk on 12th January about role of trade and investment in driving sustainable and inclusive growth hosted by the LSE India Observatory at the

London School of Economics and a reception organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers and Commerce Industries on Saturday 13th. FICCI in the UK is currently headed by Dr Param Shah, appointed as the new UK director for FICCI last year, after the former director Pratik Dattani stepped down. Shah was formerly the Head of FICCI- Gujarat State Council in India. He was on the Central Regional Committee of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), statutory body and a national-level council for technical education, under Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development. He carries with him

over 15 years of professional work experience. He started his career as an Academic and was associated with various Universities in India as a Faculty in Finance and Corporate Laws. He has been an academic advisor to the ICFAI University. He is an Alumnus of prestigious International Visitor Leadership Programme (ILVP) by the U.S. Department of State. Shah has about 40 papers on various aspects of Management and other economic issues to his credit. He holds a PhD in Management. He also holds a Master in Business Administration (MBA) specialising in International Marketing & Corporate Laws and a Masters in Commerce. He graduated in Law and Commerce. He also holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in Intellectual Property Rights.

Thieves distract woman and steal nearly ÂŁ1,000 from her bag in bank queue been described as somePolice have released The female suspect is one who is Eastern CCTV footage of a theft described as being Asian, European in appearance, that took place at aged in her 20s. She was aged in his 30s. He wore a NatWest Bank, on East wearing a grey beanie hat, cream-coloured t-shit, Street, Barking. A 46grey tracksuit, grey top, blue jeans, blue trainers year-old woman lost black shoes, and has long with white soles, nearly ÂŁ1,000 after and had short she was targeted by a group of thieves as black hair and a she waiting in the short black beard. bank queue. The The third susincident took place pect has also been on 16th September described as Asian, 2017, at midday. aged in his 30s A female suspect with receding had started a convershort dark hair. sation with the victim The suspect wore a who was in the queue black baseball cap, grey tracksuit to distract her, while a trousers, white man waiting behind trainers, and a her bent down and dark-coloured stole an envelope full body warmer. of cash from her bag. PC Matthew The victim only Trenfield-Brown, realised that she was of the Met's East robbed when she tried Area Crime to deposit the ÂŁ920 Command stated, from the envelope â&#x20AC;&#x153;This was a deviwhen she reached the ous theft where the counter, only to disvictim appears to cover that she no have been targeted longer had the envePolice have released CCTV footage and fallen victim to lope. of the suspects Police have tried to a planned distracidentify the suspects but straight brown hair. tion theft, with three peoto no avail, and detectives The second suspect ple seemingly working are now appealing for help who stole the envelope together to commit the from the public. from the victim's bag has offence.â&#x20AC;?

If anyone has any information regarding this incident, please call the police on 101. Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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As I See It Excellent opportunities for Indian diaspora

Asian Voice | 13th January 2018

CB Patel

On the 103rd anniversary of the return of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi after his epoch making political activism in South Africa, on 9th January 1915, when we look back, we can see a gigantic change in India itself as well as some 25 to 30 million of Indian origin people living abroad. These Non Resident Indians have a very proud ancestry who have left a resounding legacy. When Attorney M K Gandhi reached South Africa he was treated as a coolie and thrown outside a railway compartment, the only reason was the colour of his skin and racial origin. Gandhi believed in resisting racial discrimination and exploitation. In a short time, his weapon of Peaceful and Non Violent protest sent a message all over the world in 1893 that the indentured labourers from India could not be ignored. Gandhi mobilised the Indians of various backgrounds in South Africa, faced tremendous hardships and problems but never surrendered. Gopal Krishna Gokhale, the towering personality of the Indian emancipation and one of the top leaders of the Indian National Congress invited M K Gandhi to return to India, begin galvanising people to throw away the shackles of colonialism and exploitation. Indian National Congress was formed with the inspiration and encouragement of some noble British souls serving in various capacities in India. In the initial stage it focussed on the demand of Home Rule in India. Though potentially a powerful organisation, it did not reach the masses whose support was crucial. That was the first priority for attorney M K Gandhi. After travelling for one year through India, as per the instructions from his political guru, Gokhale, Gandhi settled at Ahmedabad and established his first Ashram at Kochrab. Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar were privileged to organise the centenary of that historic event just 3 years ago there, where as most of the attention was focussed on the world famous Sabarmati Ashram. While at Kochrab Ashram, Gandhi assembled a group of committed people who believed in independence of India through peaceful and non violent means. Incidentally the first successful experiment of Satyagraha was against the textile mill owners of Ahmedabad, whose labourers toiled in horrible conditions. And strange that it may sound, he was supported by the daughter and family members of the textile tycoon Sarabhai as well as many other mill owners. The first national and as well as internationally eyecatching Satyagraha was in Chauri Chaura in northern

Bihar against the indigo growers who were predominating British. The struggle took a nasty turn when a huge group of peaceful protesters were beaten by the British police, who in turned became blood thirsty and burnt several policemen in a police station. Against advice from most of his close disciples Gandhi, the man of peace and non violence, stopped the agitation. Subsequently he was jailed for six years, but all these developments made attorney M K Gandhi, a humble Atma into the world famous Mahatma. Within 30 odd years of Mahatma’s return the British thought in their traditional wisdom to relinquish the power in India, to give power back to a huge subcontinent sized country, as they realised they could not prevail anymore. The partition of India was very sad and disappointing for the Mahatma. But his nearest commorades like Nehru, Patel, Azad, even Rajagopalacharia and many had by then realised that Hindustan cannot survive through the religious bigotry and hatred culminating in violence through misguided elements. The partition was blood thirsty and painful. But the teaching and training of the Mahatma, coupled with the age old of tradition and values of India, enabled the Father of the Nation and others founders of the independence to form a Constitution ably presented by Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. PM Modi inaugurated the first ever PIO Parliamentary conference in Delhi on Tuesday. His message and also from other dignitaries is reported in the front page of Asian Voice. When we look back 150 years or so of the Indian migration abroad, we see, a great vista of the contribution and impact, the sons and daughter of mother India from Fiji to Malaysia to Mauritius, east, southern and other parts of Africa, and far corners of Canada, South America, Guyana, Surinam, Caribbean and in the recent years almost everywhere in the world especially in North America, U.K., Australia, New Zealand and Middle East. Indian diaspora has not only carved out the successful future in the countries they settled in, but far more than other migrating societies, both in integrating themselves fully into the country of adoption as well as reconnecting with their ancestral homeland, Bharat that is India. In Fiji independence movement Ambalal Patel, Mahendra Choudhury and many more were the leaders. In Singapore Malaysia there were several. In Southern Africa Nelson Mandela was supported by so many including Ahmed Kathrada. In East Africa Ali Dina Vishram, Karimjee Jivanjee, Nanji Kalidas

Mehta, Meghjee Pethraj Shah, Muljibhai Madhvani, I C Chopra, Hon A B Patel, R B Pandya, first speaker of Uganda Narendra Patel, Pranlal Seth and many more not only contributed enormously through their own businesses, professions, as well as philanthropy, education and social developments, within the countries they lived in, they also helped and especially helped their brethren in India with their successes, management skill, willingness to take risks and embark in newer vistas. Many overseas Indians especially Nanji Kalidas Mehta, Meghraj Pethraj and others made substantial investments creating employments as well as import substitution and export oriented businesses. NRI or OCI card holders have not only an unfinished job to perform but enormous scope as well. Elsewhere in this issue there is a whole page devoted to, the Golden Village Rafala. Savjibhai Vekaria from Rafala have been living and working in Surat for some 30 years. Surat is one of the fastest growing cities of India. Out of the population of some 4 million, there are approximately half million workers, from various parts of India, especially Bihar, UP, Punjab and Southern States who contribute a lot in the commerce and industry of Surat. Some 300,000 are from Saurashtra especially from a triangle between Bhavnagar, Rajkot and Junagadh. These Kathiavadi Patels play a very important par in diamond, real estate and other sectors. During my regular visits to Surat and Saurashtra, I have seen many examples of several developments in Saurashtra initiated by their intellectual, managerial, entrepreneurial and financial contributions. Let’s also remember that a barren land of Israel has become a thriving nation in 70 years with a huge support from the worldwide Jews. Quoting an old aged proverb: "Rome was not built in a day and it is still not finished." Successful and far sighted NRIs everywhere should be inspired by the worldwide Jewish diaspora. Kith and kin back in India deserve our due attention and support. After all we live in the interdependent world today. That to me is a message of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas. Quoting a recent letter from Trevor Phillips in The Times, “we are here because they were there” (this mainly refers to immigration, race and multiculturalism debate). But to slightly change the tone, let me put it this way, we are here, we are so successful and we are so much accepted, respected because we come from there. Jai hind, Jai Britain, Jai Jagat

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Lord Loomba and Cherie Blair meet Ivanka Trump at the GES 2017 Talk about widows’ empowerment globally and present her with World Widows Report

L-R: Veena Lady Loomba, Cherie Blair CBE QC, Ivanka Trumph and Lord Loomba CBE at the Global Entrepreneur Summit in Hyderabad

Lord Raj Loomba, the Chairman and Founder Trustee of the Loomba Foundation met Ivanka Trump at the Global Entrepreneur Summit 2017, in Hyderabad that highlighted the theme Women First, Prosperity for Alland focussed on supporting women entrepreneurs and fostering economic growth globally. The Advisor to the President of United States, Ivanka Trump headlined the United States delegation to the Summit. Loomba Foundation’s President Cherie Blair started the second day with an interesting panel discussion titled, 'We can do it! Innovations in workforce development and skills training'. The panellists on the discussion were Chanda Kochhar, MD and CEO, ICICI Bank, Cherie Blair. The session was moderated by Karen Quintos of Dell. Lord Loomba and Cherie Blair met Ivanka after the event and briefly discussed about the work done by the Loomba Foundation across twelve countries, and the Foundation’s focus on the 46 million widows in India, the largest number in any country in the world. Ivanka took a keen interest and was presented with the World Widows Report – a unique, complete, country by country, regional and global quantitative breakdown of data about wid-

ows, published by the Loomba Foundation. The Report brings together disparate and inaccessible material from unusual and difficult to find sources, including in-depth studies in academic journals and reports by international development organisations. The event was co-hosted in Hyderabad by the US and India, attended by 1,500 entrepreneurs, investors and eco-system supporters from 159 countries. Selected start-ups displayed their products while digital displays spoke about India's potential in various sectors. Ivanka, heading the delegation from the US lauded Modi for "truly showing that transformational change was possible." GES is the preeminent annual entrepreneurship gathering that convenes emerging entrepreneurs, investors and supporters from around the world. GES 2017 will create an environment that empowers innovators, particularly women, to take their ideas to the next level. Through two and a half days of networking, mentoring and workshops, GES empowers entrepreneurs to pitch their ideas, build partnerships, secure funding, innovate and find their target customers – creating new goods and services that will transform societies.

World music band and poets from India and Wales to partner Khamira, a new World music band from Wales and India will be touring cities across India in January 2018. Khamira's music is a unique combination of Welsh folk tunes, Indian Classical music, jazz and rock and perform in several major Indian cities across the country; Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Goa. Khamira were chosen to receive funding from the India Wales Fund, a joint scheme between the British Council and Wales Arts International which aims to help build relationships between Wales and India and is a part of the UK/India 2017 cultural season. On the other hand, ten poets from India and Wales are taking part in an exchange organised by Literature Across Frontiers and partners in India as part of the UK India Year of Culture. The collaborative project has brought them together to explore each

other’s home location and create new work in six languages during a series of residencies in both countries. Alternating between the hustle and bustle of Indian metropolises and the peace and quiet of Welsh towns and rural locations, the project literally spans the two countries from Thiruvananthapuram in South Kerala to Shillong in the NorthEast, and from Bangor in North Wales to Swansea on the south coast. In January 2018, the poets will tour literary festivals across India with performances, debates and workshops at Bhubaneswar Literary Meet, The Hindu Lit for Life Festival in Chennai, Hyderabad Literary Festival, ZEE Jaipur Literary Festival, and Jaipur Book Mark, Kolkata Literary Meet and venues in Delhi. Five books with new work by each pair of poets is being published by the Mumbai- based Poetrywala.

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Asian Voice | 13th January 2018

Rani Singh, Special Assignments Editor

Charu Shahane: Part of a Critical Team in the BBC Newsroom We’ve all seen TV pictures of the BBC newsroom in London, as they form the backdrop to the corporation’s TV bulletins. Charu Shahane works in its hub, the nerve centre where the critical decisions are made as to what constitutes the news on any given day. The day we interviewed Charu, she was South Asia Editor, deciding on the news stories from that region.

Charu’s Job Charu Shahane is a Senior Broadcast Journalist at the BBC’s World Service -- the international radio operation. Part of the role involves being Central Duty Editor, a deputy to the Senior Duty Editor, who “Decides what stories are going in; what is, and what isn’t important. This team takes all the decisions and sets the global news agenda for the day. We get correspondents round the world to file stories that are considered important enough to be highlighted by the BBC.” The BBC has a set of

domestic radio networks but the World Service is the international one. It has the biggest global audience of any network in the world- and Charu loves her post at this critical international platform. Often, in lonely dark corners of the planet, the World Service is the only means by which listeners can learn about the outside world. Charu writes stories on the basis of the global headlines, and produces bull e t i n s . “ E v e r y hour, at o n e minute past the hour, you get a five minute bulletinwe are the people who do that,” she explains.

Career Highlights Charu has had an exciting career to date - with much more to come. She says, “I’ve been to many conflict areas which have been personally and professionally challenging. I have been to

Moving or Upsetting Experiences During the Working Career Charu Shahane is a modest person and doesn’t reveal that making a series called “I have a Right to...” about human rights in countries like Rwanda, Ingushetia and Colombia put her in the path of danger. In Colombia she interviewed rebels in their hideout. And it was in Colombia that she had her most upsetting experience. She remembers; “The only time in my career that I have ever broken down and Charu Shahane cried after an interview was Chechnya, Colombia, when I spoke to the mothnorthern Uganda and er of an 11-year-old girl Kashmir among others - all who had been kidnapped conflict-ridden. But the in Colombia. I was speakhighlight, really, was ing to her many years after Afghanistan. I was part of a the child had been kidBBC scheme to do with napped. The mother had skills- sharing and I worked not stopped looking for with a women’s organisathis girl and I just imagtion for three months. It ined a child who had been was the time when the trafficked, or been put to Taliban had just been oustwork as a sex slave. At the ed. It was a life- changing same time, somewhere, experience for me.”

Southall businessman sentenced for tax fraud On Thursday 4th January, Southall businessman, Billa Dhand, 56, was sentenced to seven years imprisonment, suspended for two years, at Southwark Crown Court after allegedly making over £150,000 in fake VAT claims. He pleaded guilty to four counts of fraud. Billa Dhand, of Hartington Road in Southall, who delivered fruits and vegetables to major supermarket chains through his company Dysan Fresh Ltd, allegedly created several fake invoices over the last ten

years. You failed to do so. It It is alleged that was a carefully Dhand committed planned deliberate fraud in order to fraud.” hide VAT receipts Assistant director and reclaim VAT of the HMRC Fraud payments for the Investigation total of £153,764.84 Service, Mark Cox Billa Dhand between the period said, “Dhand thought of 2006 and 2016. he was above the law and Judge Korner also order could get away with cheatDhand to do 250 hours of ing the system. He was unpaid community work. wrong and is now paying While sentencing, Judge the price for his greed. Tax Korner stated, “This was cheats take money from an extremely serious the public services we all offence. HMRC has to rely on. Anyone with inforoperate on trust that peomation about tax fraud can ple will comply with the contact our hotline on law and pay the tax owing. 0800 788 887.”

Man dies following restaurant stabbing attack 41-year-old Mazhar Ali, from Stockton, Teesside, was stabbed by a 20-yearold man on Christmas Eve in Manjaros restaurant on Linthorpe Road, Middlesbrough, and died the following day at James Cook University Hospital. Efreeqi Mohamed Siddig is accused of murdering Mazhar Ali, as well as carrying an offensive weapon. He appeared at Teesside Magistrate's Court on Boxing Day. Manjaros restaurant was due to feed homeless people on Christmas Day

but cancelled and remained close following this incident. The restaurant has now reopened. Tribute for Mazhar Ali were posted on Facebook. A post on Manjaros' Facebook page read, “Rest in Peace Mazhar Ali. Our sincere condolences go out to Mazhar and all his family after the tragic incident of his passing away... after an incident occurred between Mazhar and an employee at Manjaros in the rear kitchen. Mazhar was a key part of the Manjaros family working

Mazhar Ali was attacked in Manjaros restaurant

closely with the Leeds and Middlesbrough branch. He will be truly missed by us all at Manjaros, out thoughts and prayers are with both him and his family during this difficult time.”

that child must also have been thinking the same thing; that ‘one day I am going to try to find my

You have to keep going for opportunities; you can’t stop. mother.’ But neither would have been certain they would meet again... Heartbreaking.”

The Hardest Challenge? As challenges go, Charu found that “getting into Chechnya from Ingushetia was really difficult. Most people in the BBC, indeed all reporters, were being refused permission by the Russian authorities but I got them to agree. We didn’t stay long in Chechnya. We just stayed in overnight, did our story, and came out again.” So how did Charu overcome the hurdle of getting permission where other

BBC journalists had failed? “With dogged persistence. Of course I was helped by a researcher who had some Russian.” Reflecting on how she did what she did, she adds, “You learn ways of talking to people. And of explaining what your story is. For some reason the Russians were difficult with others from the BBC but were not so with me.” And finally, what is needed to get to the position that she holds now? “Resilience; a lot of it. Of course you need to be good at the job but the BBC is stuffed full of very good people. You have to keep going for opportunities; you can’t stop. There are many knock backs and knock downs. You just have to pick yourself up and keep going. Everybody has knock backs...the job that you wanted that you didn’t get, and so on. For me, there have been many of those. You have to identify why you didn't get it, correct that and keep trying.” We’re glad you keep trying, Charu! Keep up the good work!

READERS’ VOICE

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The two mad men

The war of words between two men, wielding nuclear power, goes on. In response to US president Donald Trump’s threats of military action over his previous atomic tests, Kim Jong-Un, the North Korean leader, has said in a televised statement, that North Korea could test a hydrogen bomb over the Pacific Ocean. In retallation, Trump has said that his “nuclear button is much bigger and more powerful and it works”. What kind of US president brags about the size of his nuclear button? It would surprise me if by the end of 2018, some kind of nuclear strike would not happen. In effect this would mean that the future of the world and our lives, and the lives of our posterity, are in the hands of one or two mad persons. This reminds us of a James Bond story where the villain is wielding power and can hold the world to ransom. Trump had said that Kim was “obviously a mad man who would be tested like never before”. In response, Kim accused Trump of being “mentally deranged and pay dearly for his threats”. At the moment, this is only a war of words between two mad men. Let us hope that it remains just that – a war of words. If this escalates any more than that, a war of the words, history bears witness of another mad man, Adolf Hitler, who could have destroyed the world in his quest for military supremacy. Dinesh Sheth Newbury Park, Ilford

PM apologises for NHS crisis

While Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt grudgingly admitted unprecedented crisis in NHS, PM May, while visiting Frimley Park hospital in Surrey, apologised for NHS cancelling non urgent operations in January which will be rescheduled later on when winter crisis is over. Every year NHS crisis is getting worse during winter months; no wonder this year has been the worse ever with 50k cancelled operations, 17k patients waiting in ambulances for more than 30 minutes before being transferred to A & E and half a million calls to 111, hospital beds filled to capacity leaving little room for emergency admittance. Many people would view this hollow apology with a pinch of salt, considering PM’s reaction to other crisis in the past. Who could forget PM’s visit to Grenfell tragedy site when she was in and out in a flesh, without meeting residents who lost their loved ones. This was in sharp contrast to JC’s visit where he met, talked, hugged and comforted distressed residents, handing JC a million pound publicity on a plate, as these photographs grabbed front page headlines in national papers! If PM wants us to believe her, that she is sincere and cares for the long suffering people of this great nation, then it is time to act, divert funds from ever bulging “Overseas Aid” budget to NHS, not hotchpotch feeding, lukewarm words at crisis time and give us NHS that we could be proud of, in line with that of Germany, France and Scandinavian countries where no one has to wait for treatment, their politicians blessed with oasis of enlightenment. Most people would not grudge some contribution for GP and A & E visits to keep time wasters out, as we already pay for prescriptions and visits to dentist which costs me at least £50 for every visit. Kumudini Valambia By email

Topics for ‘Readers’ Voice’

Many of the letter writers who appear in ‘Readers’ Voice’ section of Asian Voice write regularly on many themes every week which is both admirable and useful. On behalf of other readers I appreciate their efforts and would like to make some suggestions if I may to make this excellent and unique page of Asian Voice more interesting and useful to your readers as well as to the British Asian communities. They are as follows: * The problems faced by our younger generation in their choice of career path as well as spouses; * Is our faith and traditions a help or hinderance in the process of evolution of our communities here in the UK; * Professionals in the City and elsewhere are providing a huge contribution to society. Can we ask some of them to share their experiences with us? and lastly * Our culture, yoga as well as philanthropy are important areas in the life of British Asians. Can we hear more from all those who are purveyors of such valuable resources. Ranjit Patel Central London

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Asian Voice | 13th January 2018

Democracy in crisis

The biggest problem facing democratic countries is corruption and injustice. Today the democratic countries around the world are in crisis, because humans have a tendency to copy other peoples mistakes. The principle of democracy was started by the 'Greeks 2,500 years ago. The 'Romans' copied it, the 'British' copied the 'Romans' and gave it to the rest of the world, yet no one has so far taken the trouble, to update the rule book. In a true democracy, you have independent members of parliament, who after an election elect a Prime Minister and cabinet, in this way you have a government of unity, who work for the good of the country and get rid of corruption and dictators. Today you have a crisis in the 'Holy Land.' For thousands of years the 'Jews' and 'Arabs' lived in ' peace', as they are both descendants of the sons of 'Abraham', so why can't they today, live in peace. It is due to the rule book of present day democracy, which is based on the principle of divide and rule. It is the same rule book, that caused the partition of 'India' as the politicians used religion, to further their own interest. Failed states, such as 'Afghanistan', 'Iraq', 'Syria' and 'Libya', need a new constitution to unite them and not military action, for a regime change. The regime change in 'Iraq', gave birth to I.S.I.L. (Islamic State) terrorists who now operate in over 32 countries. Now 'UN' sanctions against 'Iraq', killed half a million childern, under the age of 10 and 'UN' sanctions against 'North Korea', is again going to kill thousands of innocent people, all in the name of democracy. It is no wonder democracy is in a very serious crisis. Jal Framji Woodstock Court, Cheshire

BJP paints Bharat with saffron colour

At the height of Congress rule, when Indira Gandhi was the popular, intellectual and forward looking PM, that is until her controversial decision to send troops in the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Congress ruled eighteen States. She was at the height of her popularity when she showed the courage to send Indian troops into Bangladesh, then known as East Pakistan, when Pakistani troops expelled some ten million Bangladeshi Hindus, without a murmur from so called Western guardian of morality. No wonder she is fondly remembered in Bangladesh, as the liberator who gave Bangladesh its freedom, independence under popular politician Sheikh Mujibur Rehman who was later assassinated for being secular. Today it is BJP/NDA in ascendency, surpassing this Congress achievement, painting nineteen States with Saffron colour while Congress practically wiped out, ruling only two major States, Punjab and Karnataka, although Congress rule prevails in two other minor States of Meghalaya and Mizoram, Christian tribal heartland in North East India. BJP has even penetrated and outstated Congress from these once safe Congress domains, capturing Assam, Nagaland and Manipur. Karnataka, where elections are due before general election, BJP is poised to capture this lone Congress outpost in South India. Now BJP is concentrating on capturing misruled States of Kerala and particularly West Bengal, the State ruled by dodgy Mamta Banerjee of Trinamool Congress where Hindus, especially BJP workers are brutalized, even murdered. Hindus are uniting under BJP prompting Mamta to show her politically correct spiritually by visiting Hindu temples, once “No Go” areas for aspiring politicians, as she branded such temple visiting politicians as communal. Let us hope that people of West Bengal would see through her politics of posture, her intellectual arrogance, her shallow, power hungry nature, turning West Bengal into an extended Bangladesh and vote for development, prosperity, law and order under BJP. Bhupendra M. Gandhi By email

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Knife crime

The recent spate of knife crime in the London boroughs is a matter of grave concern and worrying to the public at large and the parents of teenager who are either the victims or the perpetrators of this hideous crime. The most crimes are committed by teenagers who are either a part of a gang or individuals. Although it is prevalent in a certain section of the community but it could spread to other communities also. This culture of knife carrying has to be stopped by instituting preventive measures. Operation Sceptre was launched in July 2015 with the aim of reducing knife crime and the number families affected by knife crime across the whole of London and seeks to target not only those who carry and use knives, but also the supply, access and importation of weapons. In addition to enforcement activity, officers from the Trident & Area Crime Command created and deliver four educational packages to young people in schools across London. The packages aim to help young people think about the decisions they make, and the consequences of their actions with the aim of deterring them from joining gangs and getting into a life of crime. Assistant Commissioner Martin Hewitt, responsible for Territorial Policing, said: “We are concerned about the rise of gun crime and rise of knife crime offences committed by young people and the changing nature of the offenders. Young people carrying knives are doing so for a variety of reasons including status, criminality and self-protection but only around a quarter are affiliated with gangs. There are complex social reasons why more young people are carrying knives and this cannot be solved by the police alone, we must work with communities to help combat knife crime.“ The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, has urged more schools to use knife wands to crack down on knife crime. It is a shame young innocent lives are lost unnecessarily, when they had so much to live for and contribute to the society. This has to stop. Baldev Sharma Rayners Lane, Harrow

HSS

Hindu Swayamsewak Sangh celebrating its 50th year in U.K. and its culmination in House of Lords is zenith of remarkable achievements. Every Hindu aware of achievements of such magnificent organisation must feel proud. I am attached to Sangh from my school days, in Nakuru-Kenya, till 1956: and in Croydon, U.K. since 1982. Thus I wish to add my experiences. I have observed many discipline traits inculcated in all those who attend group meetings known as “shakha”. I attended senior adults known as “proudha” shakha, and participated in many “bethaks” where we met Narendra Modi twice. In one sangha bethak/ meeting, visiting pracharak Bhideji observed admixture of sangha and Vishwa Hindu Parishad. He mentioned that both organisations were independent and decisions must be taken separately. This resulted in formation of VHP-Executive Committee separate from Sangh. I was asked to devote my time to develop Vishwa Hindu Parishad. List of achievements by VHP available from VHP offices in Croydon. However it must be mentioned that H.S.S. provided fullest support to VHP, via its volunteers. It helped me personally as I was the Secretary. Fullest help was also rendered during celebration of Hindu festivals and especially towards fund raising programs- eg Gayatri Havan and Ramayana Parayan, under banner of V.H.P. This help and assistance was reinforced by efficient Executive Committee of the V.H.P. I must therefore praise HSS setting an example of a family “sangha parivar.” I am sure that fullest account of H.S.S. on national level can reveal many heartwarming details. Personally, and at Croydon level, I found all sangh workers as tireless, selfless and willing to help where ever needed. Shakha in Croydon is a close knit organisation via sangha meetings, bethaks and modernised with network of internet. H.S.S. must continue its efforts to implant cultural values and empower all shakha members, and all Hindus. Ramaesh Jhalla By email

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MP Preet Gill condemns plans to ask Muslim schoolgirls why they wear headscarves

Muslim school girls

A Birmingham MP has demanded school inspectors Ofsted scrap plans to ask schoolgirls why they wear the Hijab. Edgbaston MP Preet Gill wrote to Education Secretary Justine Greening to say the proposal had “caused outrage among many of my constituents”. It follows the announcement that inspectors will question Muslim primary school pupils with headscarves such as a hijab to ask why they wear it. Ofsted and the Department for Education have required schools to teach and reflect British values since the “Trojan horse” affair in Birmingham in 2014, when an inquiry found there was a “coordinated, deliberate and sustained” campaign to introduce “an intolerant and aggressive Islamic ethos into a few schools” in the city. Amanda Spielman, the head of Ofsted and chief inspector of schools, said in November that encouraging primary school children to wear the hijab “could be interpreted as sexualisation of young girls”.

MP Preet Gill

The announcement has been controversial, with the Muslim Council of Britain saying it sent a message that British women who choose to wear a headscarf are “second class citizens”. In her letter, Labour MP Ms Gill said: “It is vital that all communities are able to practice their religion free from persecution. In particular, I believe that children should not be subjected to unnecessary questioning by Ofsted inspectors.” She told Ms Greening: “I’m sure that you will agree that all children should be free to practice their religion without undue interference. I ask that you work with Ofsted to ensure that young Muslim girls are able to practice their religion free from discrimination or interrogation.”

Educational support for deaf children 'in disarray'

Support for the 45,000 deaf children in England is in "complete disarray" as staffing levels fail to match increased demand, a lobby group has claimed. Specialist staffing levels have dropped by 14% over seven years, despite a 31% rise in the number of children requiring support, says the Consortium for Research in Deaf Education (CRIDE). Almost 60% of existing specialist staff are due to retire within 15 years. Ministers say an extra £223m is being spent on special needs education. But the National Deaf Children's Society says there has been a "dereliction of duty". Its CEO, Susan Daniels, urged the government to act: "The evidence couldn't be clearer. From every angle and at every turn, a whole generation of deaf children will have their

Asian Voice | 13th January 2018

University of Bolton celebrates first non-commissioned nursing programme in England The first nurses in England to complete self-funded studies celebrate as they approach graduation from the University of Bolton. The non-commissioned preregistration course was developed in addition to Health Education England’s commissioned students and ensures local talent ‘stays local’, supporting nearby healthcare initiatives. Eleven student nurses, who are approaching the end of their three-year self-funded studies, are celebrating their achievements at the University of Bolton before graduating and taking their places in hospitals across the North West later this year. The occasion marks the first cohort of nurses to conclude their training since the governmentfunded bursary scheme for undergraduate nurses was withdrawn in 2017. The students all applied for a standard degree loan and started their courses in February 2015.

Undertaking their practical training at Preston & Chorley (Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust), the nurses will formally graduate in summer 2018 and all go directly into employment in the North West. “We are incredibly proud of our first group of nurses as they conclude their training.” said Professor George E Holmes DL, President and Vice

Chancellor of the University of Bolton. “Their hard work and the commitment of both University staff and local teaching hospitals has resulted in nursing students recruited and trained locally, who will go into work at local hospitals, supporting Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust along with Greater Manchester’s 2021 vision for healthcare.”

Nursing student Sanna Hussain commented: “The support, knowledge and skills I have gained during my time at the University of Bolton will help me enormously throughout my career. “By running this programme, the University has enabled me to fulfil my dream of becoming a nurse, something that a few years ago, I was not sure would be possible.”

Singing could help mothers recover from post-natal depression more quickly, a study suggests. Researchers found that women who took part in group singing sessions with their babies experienced a much faster improvement in their symptoms than those who did not. The study, published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, looked at 134 mothers with post-natal depression. Early recovery is seen to be crucial to limit effects on mother and baby. Post-natal depression

is estimated to affect one in eight new mothers. Previous studies have indicated singing can help improve the mental health of older people and those with dementia, but this is the first controlled study of its effect on post-natal depression. The women were placed into three groups: - one took part in group singing - another took part in in creative play sessions - a third group received their usual care, which could include family support, antidepressants or mindfulness

The singing workshops saw the mothers learning lullabies and songs from around the world with their babies and creating new songs together about motherhood. And those with moderate to severe symptoms of post-natal depression reported a

much faster improvement than mothers in the usual care and play groups. All the groups improved over the 10 weeks, but in the first six weeks the singing group had already reported an average 35% decrease in depressive symptoms.

ity; praising the tireless efforts of the staff, the priceless cooperation of Harrow Council and the unfaltering optimism of the children. She said: “In the early days we didn’t even know if it would be possible for us to ever make it back here.

It’s a credit to everyone involved and we wouldn’t have been able to do it without the support of the council – in the decisionmaking, deciding it could be fixed and finding the funding to do it, and also the day-to-day running of our relocation.”

Prof. George E Holmes DL and Karen Partington, Chief Executive Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust with nursing students

Singing 'speeds up' recovery from post-natal depression

Pinner Wood School returns to original site after chalk mine drama futures decimated if the Government doesn't act before it's too late." She added that despite deafness not being a learning disability, deaf children often fell "a whole grade behind their hearing friends at school". The CRIDE survey of almost every authority in England found that more than a quarter of services employed one specialist teacher for every 80 students. In some areas there is one specialist teacher for every 100 students. The figures also revealed that a third of councils are struggling to recruit new specialist teaching staff.

Teachers and pupils made a triumphant return to their original school site after the discovery of a chalk mine had forced them into a nine-month exile. Pinner Wood Primary School officially reopened its doors in Latimer Gardens having spent much of last year at a temporary home in Harrow’s Civic Centre. They were forced to relocate after a huge mine

was discovered underneath its grounds and was deemed too dangerous to allow them to operate as normal. In spite of this upheaval, it obtained excellent exam results – more than 90 per cent of Key Stage 2 pupils hit the expected standards in reading, writing and maths. Head teacher Sarah Marriott thanked all who had made the return a real-

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Ring out the Old year, ring in the New – an varnished truth it turned out with blazing media headlines that the 2G telecoms scam- once believed to have been done and dusted had come alive with a Special Court judge exonerating those held guilty and excoriating the prosecution for shoddy presentation of their case. There were beaming and excited faces, and others that were sheepish and downcast when the verdict was announced. The seeds of the scam were sown when a first-come first-serve government policy was announced in 2008 on telecom licences. The special CBI court presided over by Judge O.P. Saini acquitted those believed to have been responsible for the scam.

Lalu Yadav sentenced Lalu Prasad Yadav, the former Bihar chief minister and present head of the Rashtriya Janata Dal was given a three and a half year jail sentence and fined R 10 lakh (million) by a special Central Bureau Investigation(CBI) in Ranchi (Jharkhand) court for his role, when chief minister, in the fodder scam. Fifteen of his associates received varying terms of imprisonment, and fined. During the trial, Yadav likened himself to Nelson Madela, Martin Luther King and the iconic Dalit leader B.R. Ambedkar – familiar charade. A

Dr Manmohan Singh

They included then Telecoms minister A Raja, DMK leader from Tamil Nadu – a coalition partner of the Congress-led government headed by the prime minister Manmohan Singh, DMK law minister Kanimozhi, Essar group vice-chairman Ravi Kant Ruia, Swan Telecom promoter Shahid Balwa, Unitech managing director Sanjay Chandra, extelecom secretary Siddharth Bahura and 12 others. The scam rocked the countr, and hence played no small part in that government’s defeat in the general election of 2014. Judge Saini with due diligence went through the evidence, scrutinizing each and every document before pronouncing judgment and receiving widespread acclaim for a job well done.

Unalloyed wisdom A telling paragraph is worth quoting: ‘On account of the various actions and inactions of the officials …nobody believed the version of the DoT [Department of Telecommunications] and a huge scam was seen by everyone where there was none …Some people created a scam by artfully arranging a few selected facts and arranging things to astronomical levels.’ The political consequences of this judgment could be farreaching. Tainted DMK ministers and their party have been exonerated and gained a new lease of life in regional and national politics. The reputation of then prime minister Manmohan Singh has been restored, but whether his Congress party can take advantage of this unexpected turn of events will be watched with interest. (The Economic Times, Times of India, Hindu, Business Line, Mint December 24, 2017).

Lalu Yadav

Hindu newspaper editorial opined: ‘Unlike all previous penalties in the saga of the State treasury loot, which Lalu creatively employed to embellish his image as the victimized subaltern, the time for comeuppance may have finally arrived for the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief.’(Hindu December 26, 2017, January 7, Times of India January 7).

Backcloth to Dalit unrest The Koregaon Ranstambh (victory pillar) is an obelisk in Bhima-Koregaon village commemorating the victory of the army of the British East India Company and of its soldiers – numbering 834 - who fell in

the army of the Peshwa Baji Rao II in one od the last battles of the Third Anglo-Maratha War, which ended the Peshwa Brahmanical domination in south-western India.

Ambedkar Visit Babasheb Amedkar, the founder of the Dalit movement, revitalized the memory of the battle and Dalit valour to invigorate the pride of a downtrodden people, by visiting the site on January 1, 1927, which, since then, has attracted an awakened masses of people from across India. A prideful occasion, it is a reminder of the distortions of Indian history that pass muster in most mainstream narratives. The concept of India at the time, and before that time, was unknown.

Impressive Indian reforms: Obstfeld Maurice Obstfeld is one of the world’s leading macroeconomists. His two textbooks with Nobel laureate Paul Krugman and Kenneth Rogoff (of Harvard University) are standard reading for university students across continents. Now Chief

significant section of the Delhi Metro’s Magenta line in Noida. Residents expressed relief and said travel times to south Delhi and work would be reduced to 20 minutes from the earlier hour due to the circuitous route including changes along the way they previously endured. The Prime Minister appealed to the public to travel by mass public transport instead of using private vehicles (Hindu December 26, 2017).

Many die in Mumbai fire A devastating fire that swept through an illegal rooftop restaurant in one of Mumbai’s nightlife hubs left 14 dead and 50

Warring entities Warring entities on Subcontinent fought each other with no thought but their own self interest. The raids of Maratha horsemen into Bengal in the 18th century aroused fear and detestation of the invader among the local population; in the deep south Tipu Sultan ordered the massacre of the Namboodari Brahmins and Syrian Christians in what today is Kerala, his prime loyalty being to the caliphate in Turkey. The Sikh army in 1857 helped the British defeat the mutineers in Delhi to prevent the restoration of hated Mughal rule. The concept of a pan-India emerged during the Pax Britannica. Two of India’s greatest historians, Jadunath Sarkar and Ramesh Chandra Majumdar perceived history as it was and refused to compromise their intellectual integrity for cheap populist applause. The unrest and violence at this year’s Dalit commemoration of Koregaon is a reminder of the gross inequalities that continue to disfigure Indian society (Hindu, Times of India, Mint, January 2,3,4, 5).

Indian economy to pass France, UK in 2018 Captains of Indian industry perceive the green shoots of faster growth, a view underscored by the London-

Dalit war memorial at Bhima-Koragaon in Maharashtra

battle on January 1, 1818 against a vastly superior force of 28,000 men Five hundred of the Company’s troops belonged to the dalit Mahar community. With only 12 officers they routed

Japan and Germany. Several multilateral agencies, including the International Monetary Fund, expect the Indian economy to power ahead in the coming years to reach third spot in 2027(Times of India, Hindu December 27).

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based Centre for Economics and Business Research which forecast that India would overtake France and Britain to occupy fifth spot among global economies behind the US, China,

PM Modi with UP Chief Minister Adityanath during inaugural trip in new line of Delhi Metro

Economist of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), he visited Mumbai to address the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on the global economy.

India extolled Responding to a question from a local reporter on the Indian economy, Obstfeld said: ‘There have been impressive reforms. If you look around the world, it is difficult to find reforms on this scale. The asset quality review by the RBI, the recapitalization of banks, the improvement in the ease of doing business rankings by the World Bank, the insolvency and bankruptcy code, the Goods and Services Tax are all important. However, there are we still have to see how some of them work in practice. The proof of the pudding lies in the eating.’ (Mint December 25).

Manufacturing in 5-year high The Nikkei India manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index, a bellwether of economic activity grew at the fastest rate in five years in December. Together with the pickup in merchandise exports and the increased output of eight infrastructure sectors in November, the data points to a sustained economic surge. Merchandise exports grew by 30 per cent at a 6 year high giving rise to widespread optimism for major improvements in performance in 2018 (Mint, Times of India, Economic Times January 3).

PM inaugurates new Delhi Metro line Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a critically

injured, raising questions on the brazen flouting of municipal rules on safety measures against such hazards. Five officials have been suspended, but such tragedies continue through bribery and graft (Times of India December 30, 2017).

India protests to Palestine India lodged a strong protest to the Palestine Authority in Ramallah on the presence of its Ambassador Wahed Abu Ali to Pakistan, on the same stage with Hafiz Saeed, the Pakistani terror mastermind responsible for the November 2008 attack on Mumbai in which 167 people were killrd. Waheed Abu Ali was promptly recalled by the Palestine Authority following the Indian demarche. The Palestinian Ambassador to India, Adnan Abu Al Haija said:. ‘What he [Waheed Abu Ali] did was not acceptable to my government. Palestine has very close ties with India and has always supported India’s fight against terror.’ (Times of India, Hindu December 30, 31 2017).

India-Vietnam ties strengthen The visit to India of Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang to mark 45 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries is a reminder of the deepening ties of an already close relationship. Significantly, he is is to arrive soon after the visit of Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phoc at India’s Republic Day celebrations. These back-to-back visits signify the strategic alignment of the two countries in face of China’s rise (Times of India January 7).

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Asian Voice | 13th January 2018

A National CryptoCurrency for Britain? First it was the Russians and a talk of their own national CryptoRuble; Kyrgyzstan then said they plan to create their own national cryptocurrency backed with gold (a quaint yet modern idea!); the Swedish central bank proposed an e-Krona; and China is testing a cryptocurrency too. But for me the biggy is that the Bank of England announced in 2015 that it had produced a theoretical currency called RSCoin. I was with Mark Carney the Governor of the Bank of England and also with the Chancellor, Phillip Hammond in India at the UK India Fintech Conference which I hosted. And I can tell you I have never heard a more technology embracing pair of people who are meant to be slow and sedate.

National Benefits To You and Me? Perhaps one of the greatest advantages is that these cryptocurrencies will not come with the same price fluctuations that have been seen by bitcoin. This is because the value of the crypto current user directly tied to the financial transactions that are completed by a bank. Any of the systems for electronic payments and transfers will involve a series of banks across the country and this means that all of the data associated with the national cryptocurrency will be tracked/taxed and nonanonymous. Current cryptocurrencies are completely able to bypass all of this clearing and the process of data and in many cases this can come as a huge advantage for anyone that is trying to trade cryptocurrency or goods and services without any type of taxes. There is a great speculation on what will happen as soon as national cryptocurrencies start rolling out. Bolstered by the success of Bitcoin it's likely that many of these national cryptocurrencies will have an automatic public trust as soon as they launch. Crypto will go mainstream. Their credibility and so their demand as a store of value or just the perception will likely see demand boost even more. I currently get about a dozen emails a

week from people asking how to buy Crypto. I’ve not seen that since the days when 20 years ago I wrote Trading Online (Financial Times) at the peak of the online trading boom. I know there have been days when applications have flooded to brokers such as 24option and their customer service has a backlog of account opening forms. Extensive research on the part of the Bank of England has been studying various cryptocurrency market since the year 2015 in order to start work on their own cryptocurrency. With such extensive research and improve public trust it could be only a matter of time before customers are able to deposit their money directly into cryptocurrency accounts with their central bank. This can cut out all of the various complications that currently stand in the way with cryptocurrency investment. Many top authorities in the UK including the Governor of the Bank of England have suggested that Bitcoin at present does not represent any type of financial stability issue. As the size of current investments in Bitcoin only represent a market that is around half that value of Apple. As more national cryptocurrency options come forward however this could represent a chance to invest in many markets each with the country of creators setting the total size of the cryptocurrency pool available. At present, a national cryptocurrency does not offer a direct threat to Bitcoin and Bitcoin does not offer a direct threat to the national banking system. As soon as changes become implemented and the market gets flooded with national cryptocurrencies however, although some say we could start to see the strength of Bitcoin fall, I think it will rather raise the value of existing popular Cryptocurrencies, and especially those such as Ripple whose underlying blockchain technology, rather than reinventing the wheel, the Bank of England is likely to use.

Man from Ilford charged with the murder of Raja Ali in Dagenham An Ilford man has been charged with the murder of Raja Ali in Dagenham. Haziq Raza, 24, of Meath Road, Ilford is accused of killing the 33year-old in Braintree Road, on September 25, 2016. Haziq was charged with murder and violent disorder following his arrest by detectives on

Monday, January 8 and appeared in court at Barkingside Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, January 9. Navarda Rhooms, 26, of Eton Road, Ilford was also accused of killing Raja Ali. Navarda was remanded in custody to appear before the Old Bailey for a plea and trial preparation on March 23.

Three charged as part of Operation Vocare

Three men have been charged as part of the Met's Operation Vocare investigation into moped enabled crime and associated offences. Zakir Hossain, 40, was arrested on 22 March 2017 and charged on 5 January 2018 with one count of conspiracy to commit burglary with intent to steal and one count of conspiracy to receive stolen goods. Iftehar Ahmed, 38, was arrested on 2 March 2017 and charged with one count of conspiracy to commit burglary with

intent to steal and one count of conspiracy to receive stolen goods. Both Hossain and Ahmed appeared in custody at Highbury Magistrates' Court on 6 January. They were remanded in custody to appear at Blackfriars Crown Court for trial on 26 March. Md Munna Miah, 30, was arrested on 2 March 2017 and charged with one count of conspiracy to receive stolen goods. He was bailed to attend Highbury Magistrates' Court on 6

January and was further bailed to attend Blackfriars Crown Court for trial on 26 March.

'Surge' in racist abuse to Tunbridge Wells taxi drivers Taxi drivers say they are experiencing racist abuse every weekend and are planning a protest unless the police "do more to protect them". Drivers in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, said officers are slow to respond to reports of abuse, or do not respond at all. However Kent Police said it always prioritised reports of racial abuse. It comes after mobile phone footage was released showing a man shouting racist comments and obscenities at a driver outside the town's railway station.

The filmed altercation was over a quoted fare of £42 and the victim, whose identity the BBC has agreed to protect, said: "It was shocking; afterwards I couldn't sleep. I was shaking the whole time, even when the police arrived. "It's just not acceptable, it's not right, it's not safe. You can't just abuse people for no reason." He has been in Tunbridge Wells for 16 years but said racism had become worse in recent months. The incident that was filmed is being investi-

A man was recently filmed shouting obscenities

gated by British Transport Police. A spokesman said the force was looking at available CCTV and speaking to witnesses.

Leicester teen charged with attempted murder in Warwickshire

A teenager from Leicester is to stand trial accused of attempted murder after a 17-year-old boy suffered a gunshot wound to his leg. Abdi Adbirizakh Ali, (18), also faces a charge of possession of a shotgun with intent to endanger life. A second teenager, aged 17 but who cannot be named for legal reasons, faces the same charges. They relate to an incident in Stratford, Warwickshire in the early hours of Monday,

December 4. Ali appeared at Birmingham Crown Court on Thursday last week when the case was adjourned for trial on Monday, June 4 at Warwick Crown Court. He was remanded in custody until that date. The 17-year-old was also remanded in custody ahead of the trial next year. Warwickshire Police is appealing for witnesses to the incident and has urged anyone with information to contact it on 101.

Information can also be passed to officers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

The man accused of murdering James Cromwell in Cambridge was in court again Tuesday, January 9. Abdul Korim Ali, 25, is accused of murdering James Cromwell who died of his injuries after being stabbed on Stretten Avenue in the Arbury area of the city on June 30. Despite the best efforts of paramedics who battled to save him at the scene, the 27-year-old died at Addenbrooke's Hospital. The defendant is appearing for trial at Cambridge Crown Court alongside his brother Abdul Salam Ali, 24, who will be tried as a co-defendant but is not charged with murder. Abdul Salam Ali was charged with one count of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice by contacting a witness to unlawfully intimi-

date them, unauthorised transmission of an image or sound from inside a prison and one count of intimidating a witness. On Monday, January 8 Judge David Farrell QC dismissed the charge for both brothers of pervert-

ing the course of justice as there was a lack of evidence. The court also heard from witnesses who said they had witnessed K Ali with a knife, and had seen him "waving" it around. The trial continues.

Christmas Eve rape Islam Ibrahim Alsayed , 19, has been charged with the rape of a woman in Bristol, in the early hours of Christmas Eve. He appeared at Bristol Magistrates’ Court last Saturday and was remanded in custody to appear at Bristol Crown Court on 5th February.

James Cromwell murder accused Abdul Korim Ali's mum takes the stand

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“Browning up” the cast of Aladdin

Will Smith, Naomi Scott, Mena Massoud, and Marwan Kenzari

The 90's Disney animation film, Aladdin won millions of hearts across the globe and further gained popularity with musical shows in Broadway, New York, as well as in the West End, London. However, the live version of the film is raising many eyebrows due to the lack of ethnic actors used in the film, despite the fact that there is a large Asian community living close to the Surrey film set. The film is being shot in Longcross, which is less than an hour's drive from London. The filmmakers are being criticised for not using more people from ethnic backgrounds even though London is the home of a large community of I n d i a n s , Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, as well as people of Arab heritage. The original Disney animation movie is set in Agrabah, a fictional location based in Arabia. The genie will be played by the Hollywood superstar, Will Smith. However, the movie, being directed by

Guy Ritchie, is receiving flak for introducing a white character, Prince Anders (played by Billy Magnusson), as Aladdin's love rival. In its defence, a representative of Disney told the Sunday Times, “This is the most diverse cast ever assembled for a Disney live action production. More than 400 of the 500 background performers were Indian, Middle Eastern, African, Mediterranean and Asian.” 32-year-old K a u s h a l Odedra used to stand-in for a lead actor during the shoot in September 2017, and also worked as an extra on set. He had allegedly seen a queue of 20 “very fairs k i n n e d actors waiting to have their skin tone changed”. He said, “Disney are sending out a message that your skin colour, your identity, your life experiences amount to nothing that cab't be powdered on and washed off. I asked a Saudi cast member what

he made of having extras being tanned so heavily and he said it's unfortunate, but this is how the industry works, and there's no point complaining about it since it isn't going to change.” Bafta-nominated TV director, Riaz Meer, who is also a member of the B r o a d c a s t i n g , Entertainment, Cinematograph and Theatre Union's black member's committee, has deemed this to be “an insult to the whole industry”, as well as to young ethnic actors who are trying to get a break in this industry. He said, “The talent exists and is accessible and there's no way that Asian extras could not have been hired to meet the needs of the film. Failing to hire on-screen talent of the right ethnic identity to meet the clear needs of this production is just plain wrong. We expect better from all filmmakers.” The film is slated to have a May 2019 released and stars British-Indian actress Naomi Scott as Jasmine, Egyptian-born Canadian Mena Massoud as Aladdin, and TunisianDutch actor Marwan Kenzari as Jafar.

Archie Panjabi back on our screens The talented actress from East is East and Bend It Like Beckham, Archie Panjabi is appearing in the television 6-part thriller, Next of Kin on ITV. Next of Kin is written by the creators of Indian Summers, Paul Rutman and partner Natasha Narayan. The very talented Emmy-winner, Archie Panjabi essays the character of a British-Pakistani doctor named Mona Harcourt. The show has a series of terrifying consequences led by a terrorist incident in London that took four lives away. It shows how distressing it can be for an ordinary British Muslim person in the wake of such a terror attack. Archie Panjabi, who is from Edgware, has been a

Archie Panjabi

prominent figure in British television and cinema. Speaking about her love of acting, she said, “I knew from a young age that I wanted to be an actor. I never even thought about other careers. The acting field is certainly not the path many Indian parents encourage their children to take, but mine were very

supportive. They wanted me to have an education, but understood that this is what I wanted to do. I knew what I wanted to do for my entire life, from nursery to university. I've always been geared towards wanting to act. I've stuck with it, dedicated time to it.” One may have been deterred from achieving their acting aspiration in British cinema and Hollywood due to the lack of diversity. However, it had the opposite effect on Archie Panjabi. She said, “I have always let the lack of Indian actors in the industry drive me, not hold me back. I remember an agent in L.A. telling me a few years ago that an Indian actor wouldn't ever make it in Hollywood, but my ethnicity has helped me.”

Walk to raise money for your local Hospice

If you enjoy walking and want to experience one of the UK’s most stunning areas of natural beauty, why not sign up for the Annual walk to raise money for St Luke’s Hospice. From 3 to 7 May you can undertake either a 3 or 5 day walk through the South Downs Way, in the South Downs National Park that spans the 3 counties of Hampshire, West Sussex and East Sussex. The walk offers breath taking views and ends along the scenic white cliffs of the Seven Sisters and the stunning

Beachy Head. You can also choose the distance you walk each day so you can match your abilities. Why not organise a group of friends to take part together or come along to meet new people! As well as taking on a new challenge, experiencing the health benefits of walking and having fun along the way, you will be raising essential funds for your local Hospice which relies on the public to raise the £3.5 million needed each year. The 2018 Walk will be managed by Advocate

Events who are specialists in challenge events and will ensure you have an amazing experience as you complete your walk. For full details, an information open evening will take place on Wednesday 24 January from 7pm at St Luke's Hospice, Kenton Grange, Kenton Road, Harrow, Middlesex HA3 0YG. To book a place at the information evening visit w w w . s t l u k e s hospice.org/southdownsway or call St Luke’s Hospice on 020 8382 8112.

Vicar fine couples £100 for turning up late to their wedding

Imagine you're on your way to a holy place for your religious wedding ceremony and get fined for arriving late. A vicar in Kent has decided to set £100 fines to brides and grooms who turn up to their own weddings fashionable late. Canon John Corbyn from Holy Cross Church in Bearsted has introduced the fine to couples who arrive more than 10 minutes late to their wedding. He introduced a deposit scheme. The couples will receive their marriage certificate at the end of their ceremony and if they were

punctual to their wedding, they will be presented with a £100 cheque. If the couple were late by more than 10 minutes, then the amount is distributed. Rev Corbyn said, “I'm not calling it a fine, but if you want to hire the venue for one hour or two hours, you pay different amounts. The money goes to the 20 or so volunteers who give up with time to assist at a wedding, including the verger, organist, choir and bell ringers. These people give an hour or so out of their day – generally at a weekend – which can turn into 90 minutes or more if

Canon John Corbyn

the ceremony runs late. It seems reasonable to me.” In 2003, Rev Corbyn had also caused a commotion after imposing a ban on of strapless gowns, and suggesting a future bride to wear a shawl to her wedding.

Sanjeev Bhaskar was a telly-loving child The very talented actor, Sanjeev Bhaskar, who is greatly remembered for his stint on television shows such as Goodness Gracious Me, and The Kumar at No 42, was a child who was addicted to the television. Now that the tables have turned, he is finding it tough keeping his son away from being glued to the TV. But he has a much bigger challenge than what his parents had when he was a kid. With the evolution of technology, Bhaskar has to work even harder to ensure his son doesn't spend overtly long on these gadgets. Sanjeev Bhaskar said, “The amount of information that is hurled at kids from Kindles and smartphones and electronic

the show, Bhaskar said, “Treasure Champs is so clear, so simple and so refreshing. There are plenty of programmes on TV that you can just stick a child in front of and know they will be entertained, and this series will do Sanjeev Bhaskar and Meera Syal that, but it is also trygames and iPads is huge. ing to talk to them about And the more complex our something important.” devices, the more complex Married to the multithe messages carried on faceted Meera Syal, them have got for our chilBhaskar talks about what dren to decode. They can his son's choice of TV now access things that shows. “My son and I like they shouldn’t and don't to sit down together to have to yet.” watch nature programmes. He is lending his voice With Blue Planet II, we to a new 15-part series on always seem to end up sayCBeebies called Treasure ing, 'Oooh' at the same Champs. Speaking about time.”

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Elderly drivers can cause accidents

TLIGHT

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A 95-year-old Gertrude Lister

We hear a lot about rash driving, especially by those from the younger generation. However, an elderly person driving can be equally as dangerous because there reactions and ability to make the right decision at the right time while driving are much slower. A 95-year-old woman, Gertrude Lister, unintentionally ended up killing someone with her driving. She had gone to visit her husband's grave on Valentine's Day, and accidentally stepped on the accelerator instead of the brake, and ran over cemetery worker Paul Mill, 47. Lister was given a 16-month jail term, suspended for two years. In a letter to Paul Mill's family, Lister wrote, “I have wanted to write to you for the longest time, ever since that fateful afternoon. Not one day goes by when I don;t think about what happened and how hard it must be for you as a family. I shamefully ask for your forgiveness. It hurts me ever day. I am a good person and I have never caused harm to anybody in 95 years. I know it can;t bring him back but this is my apology to you.” At Reading Crown Court, Judge Paul Dugdale banned Lister from driving for life. He also said, “This is an utterly tragic case... The reality is she made a serious driving error accidentally, which had terrible consequences.” The DVLA have made stricter rules for the elderly/ Drivers who are aged 70 and over have to reapply for their licence every three years. Although there is no test to be redone, drivers have to ensure that a medical declaration is made that may lead to the DVLA making further investigations. Drivers are also responsible for telling the DVLA about health conditions that may affect their fitness or ability to drive. General Practitioners will also inform the DVLA of patients that drive even though they have been advised not to. Drivers can then be fined £1,000 if they do not inform the DVLA about a condition that may affect their ability to drive, and also face prosecution if they have an accident.

Women find lover's sweaty shirts reduce stress Seeing their husband's pile of dirty laundry would undoubtedly aggravate any wife. However, according to a new study, women suggestively find the odour of their romantic partner's clothing as a stress-buster. In the new research published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, academics found that smelling your lover's sweaty clothing can decrease the levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, and can reinstate a sense of calmness. However, they have warned that the opposite effect can happen if you smell the body odour of a stranger. Researchers at the University of British Columbia, Canada said that the results from the research explains why some women choose to wear their partner's shirts or jumper when they are away from each other. The research's lead author and a graduate student in the university's department of psychology, Marlise Hofer said, “Many people wear their partner's shirt or sleep on their partner's side of the bed when their partner is away, but may not realise why they engage in these behaviours.” She further added, “Our findings suggest that a partner's scent alone, even without their physical presence, can be a powerful tool to help reduce stress.”

n early memory for example,” he continued, “was taking violin classes, and being strongly inclined towards using the bow to screech the instrument. I wanted to make interesting noises and distort the sounds rather than rote learn clean melodies and master the vioare often people with whom I click. I lin. I enjoyed experimenting like this, don’t think about what separates and but my teacher didn’t seem to agree! defines me when I create - I go with For me, the attraction to music lay in my instincts, and that often appeals mood and producing different, disto other people, who, in some way tinctive textures.” Indeed, today havfeel they don’t fit in or are also seeking toured with iconic indie bands ing a sense of belonging. They’re not such as Sonic Youth as well as having partial to the mainstream and are converted some of his original tracks looking for something else; in music, into playable orchestral pieces – in life. I have been influenced by so under the mentorship of Massive many different ideas, cultures and Attack’s Neil Davidge - Amit demonpeople. Growing up, Indian music, strates well the often cerebral yet such as Mohammed Rafi, was the accessible merit of his atmospheric soundtrack to my life. I was also field. Commonly regarded as a siminfluenced by my older brother who pler musical form due to its minimalwould bring back early modern elecist approach, electronica is no less tro such as hip-hop and rave music. I profound. In fact, as Amit eloquently liked the early Prodigy, Aphex Twin elaborated, there is a conceptual and Belgian hardcore electronica purity that comes with “creation too.” Another inspiration, by limitation. When I first got apparent in Amit’s signature into it, I remember using political and particular my old-school com‘I wanted to deep sound, was having modore Amiga, and make interesting a history lecturer for sampling up to 4 or a father. “We’d 5 seconds worth noises and distort the watch the news, of time, just sounds rather than and he’d teach us intuitively generatabout social mesrote learn clean ing really interesting, sages. In fact, one of my selective, evocative melodies’ first tracks was called loops. Later, I learnt more Swastika and the composition refined techniques while commented on governments and studying music tech at universifascist dictators.” A more recent ty. There were a lot of other kids track, Survivor, where Amit teamed there who were feeling the same way up with writer Rani, certainly carries as me – not particularly inspired by that dark, interrogative edge. the pop that was playing in the Obviously, the main electro lyric is charts, and more drawn to sonic ‘survivor’, but bolstered by a heavy, sound effects.” militant tone and female vocals such as, ‘you told me lies were golden’, *** this resonated as a piece on domestic Electronica typically uses sparse violence. Thus, brilliantly showcassounds, repeated loops, very little or ing its almost academic sensibility, no lyrics, and inventive reverberaAmit shows how electronica is classitions to evoke the paradoxical expecal music in modern times. Going rience of precise yet very emotive back to his supposedly renegade feeling. The perfect number of crabehaviour in the class room, he nial switches are flipped to evoke a added: “it is very telling that at the particular disposition wherein the time I was studying, I was being listener’s mind is allowed to wander warned not to break equipment and to wherever their imagination will to stop fighting traditional teaching, take them; within that particular but then got invited back to do a MA meditative confine, of course. For and eventually teach students example, more pop-electro bands myself.” An in-depth expression of Clams Casino are known for dreamy the human soul, Amit shows us the euphoria, while Bicep are ecstatic state of music as it stands today: and motivational. The result is a unifying and connective. Where the beautiful shared yet individual jourpractice was once ornate and showy, ney: unconsciously -imaginatively electronica conversely collapses the freeing. When you allow yourself to barrier of the medium itself to now really connect, it can conjure incredtouch, move and titillate: “the music ibly intricate personal details, as if becomes you. In that vein, I don’t you’re walking through a vivid dream believe in educative elitism and sequence. “It is certainly about how guarded secrets either,” he aptly finyou can most viscerally translate ished. “It’s why I started my own what’s in your head to the listener. It online school. I strongly believe in is no coincidence that the fans and giving aspiring artists a fair chance.” fellow artists who enjoy my music

With your championing of fluid identity, you are in a way subversively named AMIT; can you comment on that? Obviously, I’m a British-Asian, and have never needed to flex my ethnicity. My background comes into my music in a very holistic way. Again, electronica and certainly my music is designed to ask questions. It prompts you to find answers about yourself in a very open and expansive way. Also, from the standpoint of my background, my father always said that a piece of work only stand the test of time if it is thought-provoking. What have been some favourite gigs? I’ll cover three continents as I love to travel: Humming Tree in Bangalore because the people are so down to earth. Then there’s the show I did in Portland this year. It was very small but everyone was there for the authentic reasons we spoke about. There was a performance in Melbourne Australia called Grumpy’s – just a bit more fun and wild. As someone who has experienced cassettes, CDs, iPods to… everything online, what have you thought? There are pros and cons, but you make it work. With the more physical mediums, record labels could charge a high premium and it was harder to make copies. Whereas now because everything is digital, it’s easier but on the flipside piracy is promotion, and if someone in the developing world can’t afford my tracks, he/she can access them. If their country has a lower GDP it’s not his/her fault and they might even attend one of my gigs live. I also make vinyl and digital so everyone is happy! Finally, what are some favourite electronic effects? King Tubby, the pioneer of dub music as we know it, is my biggest influence. As a result, my music contains effects manipulated via a mixing desk, tape delay and spring reverb. Within that I get lost in the echoes and manipulating those elements has been always been fruitful.

W: Audio Science Online;

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Asian Voice | 13th January 2018

Vijay Patel loses life in Mill Hill murder Gurkha loses out on dream Continued from page 1 On Saturday 6th January, at approximately 11:45pm, the police were allied by the London Ambulance Service to reports of an injured man on The Broadway, NW7. Vijay Patel, originally from Anand, Gujarat and lived in Kingsbury, was an employee of a local shop at Mill Hill, and is said to have been involved in an altercation with three male suspects before being assaulted. Patel had refused to sell cigarette paper to the three young males as they are believed to be underage and they were unable to provide suitable identification cards. The three suspects were unhappy about the decision and threatened to vandalise the shop. Vijay Patel, along with his colleague went outside the store after the teenagers to ensure that no damage was done. However, Vijay was struck once by one of the suspects which caused him to fall to the floor. His colleague was also punched by the suspects. He suffered minor injuries but did not require hospital treatment. Vijay Patel's colleague who was also injured does not want to be named. He shared, “There were three of these guys but none of them had an ID. One of them got a bank card out and I said 'this is not a form of ID', but they continued threatening and abusing us so I asked them gently to leave because I can't risk my licence over that. They left the shop but they threatened me again afterwards saying 'we are going to smash the shop window.' On that instant Vijay went outside by the door and after a few seconds I went out as well and at that moment Vijay was hit in the

Vijay Patel is pictured in hospital after he suffered a fatal attack, leading to his demise

chest with a lot of force. He was knocked down and the guys started to hit me as well... I tried to get them away with a board and managed to scare them off.” Detectives have arrested a 16-year-old boy late on Monday 8th January on suspicion of murder. The suspect has been taken to a North London police station where he remains in custody. Description has been released of the three suspect. All three are black male teenagers. One suspect wore a red sweatshirt, black jeans and white trainers. The second suspect wore a dark grey or black tracksuit and black trainers, while the third suspect wore a dark coloured hooded sweatshirt and black jeans. Detective Inspector Ian Lott, from the Homicide and Major Crime Command said, “At this stage we believe this to be an unprovoked spontaneous incident sparked entirely by refusal to let the suspects buy what they wanted. A man lost his life for no reason other than trying to uphold the law. If you know who they are, or where

they are, please get in touch and tell us their names. If you saw the three running away from The Broadway and where they went, let us know. I would like to thank the witnesses who have already come forward and told us what they saw. However, I would still urge anyone who is yet to speak with us, and who has captured some of the incident on camera, to come forward to help us. If you saw something that may help but haven't yet spoken to police then please get in contact with us.” Detectives are continuing to capture footage from CCTV and enquiring from door-to-door. Vijay Patel's family are being supported by specially trained liaison officers. This is not the first time that attacks have taken place at local corner shops. In 2011, 5-year-old Thusha Kamaleswaran was shot in the chest, at her relatives's shop in Stockwell. Teenagers had attacked the shop with gunfire in attempt to kill their rivals. The bullet hit Thusha in the chest and passed through the seventh

vertebra of her spine, leaving her paralysed. Vijay Patel came to London in 2006 to create a better life for his wife and two children. His wife, Vibha Patel, was visiting relatives in Vadodara, Gujarat, India when the attack took place. They have two sons; 17year-old Dhruv who lives in India, and another son Neel who is studying a computer engineering Masters degree in Australia. His brother, Prakash Patel shared, “He was the greatest man in the world. He died trying to protect the shop. He worked all hours to fund [his sons' education] and worked very hard to support the family. We can't believe what's happened. He always wanted to help and do the right thing. He would save money and send it back to India to fund his children's education and our parents.” He further added, “He fell down backwards so the brain was hurt very badly. It was internal bleeding and they said they couldn't operate.” One man was subjected to such violence and lost his life for staying within the law. His family have had to suffer such loss all because of the suspects who resorted to violence of the refusal of being sold cigarette papers. Were cigarette papers more precious than the life of a human being to the suspects? Why has it become “cool” all of a sudden for young people to resort to violence to tackle any situation? If you have any information about the three suspects or their current whereabouts, please contact the Incident Room on 020 8358 0200. Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

to climb Mt Everest

A double amputee Gurkha who fought along side Prince Harry in Afghanistan has been banned from climbing the Mount Everest, despite training for five years. It is believed that the Nepalese tourism ministry has ruled that double amputees and blind people are to be banned from climbing to try reduce death figures. Hari BudhaMagar, 38, who served in the 1st Royal Gurkha Rifles, and lost both his legs in a bomb blast in April 2010. The father of two lives in Canterbury, Kent with his wife, two young boys and a daughter, dreamed of climbing the world's tallest peak since he was a child. If he was allowed to climb the Prince Harry with Hari Budha-Magar peak, he would have been the first person Losing both his legs in with above knee amputaAfghanistan, not surpristions to do so. ingly Hari suffers from Post Hari joined the British Traumatic Stress (PTS) but Army when he was 19. He said, “I am a soldier that has served the Crown with the been trained to fight. In the Royal Gurkha Rifles for 15 past it was an enemy. Today, years. He was a part of the I fight this injury. I fight to Conquering Our Dreams re-establish my mental team that consisted of Hari, health. I will live my life alongside some of his fully, help inspire others, friends. In this particular learning new skills, relying case, his friends include confidently on my body as it Royal Gurkha, U.S. Marine is. It is what I have always Corps and other special done. I owe it to my boys, forces veterans Krishna, my wife, and my family. I Christopher, and Mingma. owe it to my community. I Though he was aware of the owe it to the men I have harrdships, hw created a served with. I am still Hari.” crowd sourcing page before Since his injury, Hari has the climb and wrote, “this is learnt or relearnt to skymy dream and I believe this dive, Alpine and Nordic skiis possible with the right ing, kayaking and many help and support." other such great sports.

Sikh Federation UK proposes worldwide ban of Indian government officials in gurdwaras The Sikh Federation (UK) is proposing a worldwide ban on Indian Government ‘officials’ from visiting hundreds of Gurdwaras in the diaspora in any official capacity, a move they believe will send alarm bells ringing in the Ministry of External Affairs in Delhi and Indian High Commissions across the globe. This is in reaction to the arrest of Jagtar Singh Johal. The 30-yearold man from Scotland was with his new wife and his cousin when he was arrested on Punjab's street on November 4. Local reports state that he is accused of funding the purchase of weapons connected to the targeted killings of high-profile Hindus, and of “influencing the youth” by publishing material related to the deaths of thousands of Sikhs in pogroms in 1984. Asian Voice wrote an extensive report

Jagtar Singh Johal

about the community uproars in the 25 November issue against this arrest. Gurdwaras are places of worship and dissemination of community

wide information and are the main Sikh institutions where millions of Sikhs gather each week. In the UK hundreds of thousands of Sikhs go to Gurdwaras each week and the ban could extend to over 100 Gurdwaras, including many of the largest Gurdwaras in the country. At this weekend the Federation of Sikh Organisations (FSO), of which the Sikh Federation (UK) is a leading member discussed the proposed declaration that is due to come into effect later this month. Eight regional Gurdwara Councils across the UK and organisations like the Sikh Council (UK) have also been approached to encourage Gurdwaras who are members to become signatories to the declaration. They believe the Indian government will see this as a significant challenge to its authority and will regard the ban extremely seriously as the Sikh Federation (UK) is by far the largest, most prominent and

influential campaigning Sikh organisation in the UK and across Europe. Bhai Amrik Singh, the Chair of the Sikh Federation (UK) in a statement said: “Sikhs in the diaspora are fed up with Indian Government officials and their agents increasingly interfere in our institutions and Sikh affairs, undermining of Sikh campaigns for greater rights and internal matters for the Sikh community.” “In Germany in recent years we have seen the authorities to their credit collect evidence, make arrests and prosecute agents reporting to Indian government officials on Sikhs who are German citizens. "The latest tactic by the Indian authorities of targeting Sikhs from the Diaspora when they visit the Sikh homeland as demonstrated by the case of British citizen Jagtar Singh Johal has broken the camel’s back.” "We have been in discussions

with the British police and government officials in the UK to see whether arrests and prosecutions are possible against agents reporting to Indian government officials. It is clear MI5 has considerable evidence of the activities of these agents, but the political will to make arrests and prosecute is not yet there.” "We will keep up the pressure for the arrest and prosecution of these agents, but in the meantime the Gurdwara ban is a way of mitigating the problems being created by Indian officials for Sikhs in the Diaspora.” Recently, the Gurdwaras that the Sikh Federation (UK) associate with in Ontario, Canada have started this initiative of the ban that has spread to other parts of Canada and with this latest push is expected to sweep across the diaspora like wild fire. The High Commission of India did not make any comments.

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Domestic abuse victim dies days after police seize phone It has emerged that a victim of domestic violence had her phone taken away from her, leaving her without a mode for communication a week before she was murdered. 44-year-old hairdresser, Katrina O'Hara was stabbed to death at her hair salon by her exboyfriend, Stuart Thomas, 49, a week after he was freed on bail following his arrest for harassing her. It is said that her family blamed the police cuts for her death. Th police arrested Thomas on suspicion of harassment on 30th December 2015. However, the police took O'Hara's mobile phone away to check for any threatening messages which made her feel “afraid and vulnerable”. She was murdered eight days later with a kitchen knife in her salon in Blandford Forum, Dorset in January 2016. Thomas has been convicted or murder and imprisoned for a minimum of 26 years. Katrina O'Hara's family expressed how their

faith in the police system had been “shaken to the core, while also blamed the police cuts for the lack of training given to police officers dealing with domestic abuse cases. The College of Policing will be revising its recent published domestic abuse advice. An acting police sergeant has been given “management advice” over his inadequacy in O'Hara's case, while a detective constable was issued with a written warning.

Schoolboy drowns after being pushed by mate Children and teenagers are mostly very joyful and do enjoy having a laugh. But when does one know when to draw the line before the joke gets out of hand? One such incident occurred when a 17-year-old schoolboy on a rugby tour was pushed into a lake by a friend and consequently drowned. An inquest heard how Abdul Jamal Ottun, from Wallington County Grammar School, Surrey, died on 12th July 2015 after going swimming off a jetty with his rugby teammates in Shawnigan Lake on Vancouver Island, Canada. Classmate and friend, Brume Umukoro told Southwark Coroner's Court that Ottun had been fasting prior to drowing. He said, “He was practicing Ramadan. I believe he was worried with keeping up with the physical activity.

Asian Voice | 13th January 2018

Internet giant allegedly reap millions from addicts' predicament According to an undercover investigation conducted by The Sunday Times, the internet giant, Google is allegedly making profits from a practice where the broker secretly garners millions of pounds from people who are seeking treatment for the addiction in the UK.

Police took away Katrina O'Hara's phone making her feel "afraid and vulnerable"

This practice is banned in America; Google does not take advertisements from referral agents in America as this practice is against the law. However, Google made a humongous £59 billion from advertising in 2016. The undercover probe found that Google allegedly charges brokers up to £200 each time someone accesses their website from a single click on an advertised link at the top of a Google search page. The “middlemen” or brokers, also known as referral agents, are said to be advertising themselves as free advice helplines.

Sarah Wollaston MP called on Google to stop selling adverts to referral agents

However, they are able to afford the usurious rates that Google alleges charges because they can receives as much as £20,000 monthly commission by referring one caller to private rehabilitation clinics. It is said that one agency

uses 300 websites to attract many people suffering from addiction to call its help line. Sarah Wollaston MP also chairs the health select committee. She has called for Google to stop selling advertisements to referral agents or brokers. She said, “The level of payments for these referral agents via promoted links cannot be justified in my view especially as those desperate to tackle their addictions are unknowingly picking up the bill.” Although this practice has been banned in America, it is not against the law in the UK. It is sad and somewhat distasteful that an extor-

tionate amount of money has been made at the expense of vulnerable people who are seeking help for their problems on the internet. These vulnerable sufferers are at the most desperate time of their lives and this alleged practice by Google and referral agents have acted like “parasites” while preying on defenceless people. As an influential and prolific leader in their field, Google has a moral responsibility to ensure that one is not exploited to this extent on the internet. As difficult as it may seem, but its the most crucial step to ensure that no one makes profit from those who are in most need of help.

16-year-old jailed for life for murdering man from Mile End

A teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of 20-year-old Syed Jamanoor Islam, in Mile End in a fight over eggs being thrown.

Abdul Jamal Ottun

He had stopped his fast.” The coroner criticised his rugby coach, Dus Sotiriou who was allegedly taking photographs instead of supervising the boys swimming. Senior coroner, Andrew Harris said, “Mr Sotirious was taking photos and if you are taking photos you cannot be supervising boys at the same time.” The inquest continues.

The convict will have to serve a minimum of 16 years for stabbing Syed Jamanoor Islam outside the victim's home in Wagner Street, on 11th April 2017. Inner London Crown Court heard Nayeem Chowdhury, 18, from Mile End, and Samiur Rahman, 19, from Bethnal Green, had thrown eggs in as a joke at Syed's brother, but the eggs had landed on the victim's front door. The joke was considered as an act of disrespect and led to the tyre's of Chowdhury's car being slashed, and hence a fight broke out in which Rahman was assaulted. CCTV footage reveal that after the

Syed Jamanoor Islam was murdered in April 2017

fight, the three suspects allegedly drove around Wagner Street looking for Syed's brother and were armed with a baseball batt and a hunting knife. It is said that when Syed confronted Chowdhury, Ismail Muhammad Uddin, 18, from Canary Wharf, allegedly hit him with a baseball bat and the 16year-old accused stabbed Syed in his leg. The wound pierced the femoral artery

From left: Ismail Muhammad Uddin, Samiur Rahman and Nayeem Chowdhury

and vein, hence, Syed sadly passed away at the scene. Chowdhury, Rahman and Uddin were jailed for 18 months each. Detective Chief Inspector, Tony Lynes led the investigation. After the sentencing, he said, “Today's sentencing is the culmination of a needless set of events in which Jamanoor lost his life; a trivial dispute escalating into murder. As a result a

16-year-old boy has been imprisoned, and Jamanoor's family have been left broken by the brutal manner of his death. I can only hope this sentencing serves as a small comfort to Jamanoor's family as they attempt to move on with their lives without him, and also as a warning to any other young people thinking about carrying and using a knife that the consequences can be catastrophic.”

Inmates make cigarettes with Bible pages A Christian prisoner at HMP Garth, an 800capacity, category B jail in Lancashire, has complained that his fellow inmates are tearing up pages from the Bible to make cigarettes. Inmates from the prison are allegedly using pages from the jail Bible as they are “thin

and plentiful”. A smoking ban was implemented in full force in the majority of prisons in the UK. It is said that 25g pouches of smuggled tobacco are selling 25 times the price they would sell on the outside. The 25g tobacco is allegedly sold for £150, while single roll-

ups cost between £5 and £10. The Christian inmate wrote in the latest edition of Inside Time, a prisoners' magazine. He wrote. “When did people think it was OK to tip the Bible up and effectively burn it? This is not OK. Just for the record, I would feel exactly the

same way if it was a Koran or the Torah, or indeed any holy book.” Another inmate wrote, “Now they have taken tobacco away, prisoners are making fags with Bible paper, tea bags and scraping nicotine off nicotine patches. So now, passive smoking is 100 times worse.

Prisoners at HMP Garth allegedly tear up Bible pages to make cigarettes

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Asian Voice | 13th January 2018

Vijay Patel is pictured in hospital after he suffered a fatal attack, leading to his demise

to climb Mt Everest

Jagtar Singh Johal

about the community uproars in the 25 November issue against this arrest. Gurdwaras are places of worship and dissemination of community

UK AsianVoiceNews

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Asian Voice | 13th January 2018

Police took away Katrina O'Hara's phone making her feel "afraid and vulnerable"

Sarah Wollaston MP called on Google to stop selling adverts to referral agents

16-year-old jailed for life for murdering man from Mile End

A teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of 20-year-old Syed Jamanoor Islam, in Mile End in a fight over eggs being thrown.

Abdul Jamal Ottun

Syed Jamanoor Islam was murdered in April 2017

From left: Ismail Muhammad Uddin, Samiur Rahman and Nayeem Chowdhury

Prisoners at HMP Garth allegedly tear up Bible pages to make cigarettes

FINANCIAL VOICE -INDIA

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Asian Voice | 13th January 2018

India optimistic about its global economic position in 2018 As we have entered into a new year, one would certainly be optimistic about the prospect of a budding, if not prospering economy, as well as an array of opportunities. According to a survey consisting of 28 nations, emerging economic nations, such as India, believe that “the global economy will be stronger in 2018 than it was in 2017”. India has appeared to be the nation who is most optimistic about the countries economic holding in 2018. Comparatively, many first world countries, including Britain ranked quite low in the optimistic factor for their economy in 2018. However, Britain has emerged as the most fearful that a major terror attack will take place in 2018. The survey revealed that 65% of Britons feared

a nuclear war between the USA and North Korea, as well as terror attacks on home soil. However, in the research by Ipsos MORI, 2/3 of Britons expressed that they were optimistic that this new year will be a much better year for them compared to 2017. The head of political research at Ipsos MORI, Gideon Skinner said, “The British public is looking forward to 2018 with a mixture of hopes and fears. Most of us think that 2018 will be a better year than 2017, but otherwise we have worries both at home and abroad. Britons are the most likely to expect a major terrorist attack in 2018, while two in five think a war between the US and North Korea is likely. Britons also expect global temperatures to keep on increasing, and, like several other European countries, are

only half of their participants feared a terror attack in the United States, where as, it was 16% amongst the 65% South Korean par60% ticipants. 53% On the other 51% hand, amid con51% current fears in 44% India of terror 43% attacks and other 41% mishaps occurring 40% around the coun39% try, the Indian 32% participants appeared quite low in the survey and seemed less fearful of the prospect of an atrocious terror attack place. Rather, they are more upbeat about their country's economical position in the world, believing that they can walk shoulder-to-shoulder with other economic leaders, if not surpass them.

People from different countries were asked whether they agreed to the following statement: “ A major terrorist attack will be carried out in my country. A proportion answered “agree”. Great Britain Turkey France Germany United States Sweden Belgium Spain Australia India Canada

relatively less optimistic about the global economy than people in emerging economies.” According to 43% of the British participants, an impeachment battle for US President Donald Trump seemed likely. 37% of Britons considered it to be unlikely, while 1/5 admitted ignorance. Meanwhile in the USA,

Bank credit growth in India hits double digits for first time since Sept ’16 Fresh RBI data reveals that bank credit has grown in double digits for the first time since September 2016, driven by home loans and advances to traders and finance companies. Loan book of the banking sector stood at £809.6 billion as on December 22, 2017, an increase of 10.7 per cent from the same period a year ago. Commercially, banks have been lending to trade and to non-banking finance companies. Along with shrinking demand for credit, demonetisation also brought down interest rates sharply, resulting in large corporates replacing loans with borrowings by

issuing debt. Growth in the loan book of banks during the current fiscal has been £225.52 billion. In the same period last year, it was £6.77 billion. Bank credit stood at £809.6 billion over all, as on December 22. A break-up of the sectoral deployment of bank credit up to November-end shows that 40 per cent of the incremental loans went to services sector, including loans to trade and nonbanking finance companies. Rating agency CARE said bank credit has grown

faster this year leading to a strain on liquidity. “Credit growth to manufacturing and services for AprilOctober are negative, while that to agriculture and personal loans segment is 7.7 per cent. For the year, we expect growth in credit to match that of deposits, with thrust being on retail

sector.” Growth in aggregate bank deposits has slowed to 4% mainly due to the impact of demonetisation wearing off. Last year in November, most of the currency in circulation had to be deposited in banks as 85% of notes were demonetised. With currency supply, improving most of these funds were withdrawn resulting in a drop in deposits growth. As on December 22, bank deposits stood at £10.88 billion a decline of £1.69 billion over the fortnight.

Vistara to begin overseas flights this year Vistara, which was in the forefront to get the 5/20 rule partially scrapped, said it "will not be rushing into international operations" and that something towards this is "unlikely before June 2018", when it will get the delivery of the 20th aircraft. "We are not rushing into international operations. It's not a race for us. But we will definitely do it. We will get the delivery of our 20th plane by the first half of 2018. "So, with the government retaining the 20plane clause for international operations, I think we will be able to take a call only after that. Of course, we are reviewing and refining our international strategy," Vistara chief strategy and commercial officer Sanjiv Kapoor said.

Kapoor, who joined the Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines promoted Vistara recently, further said their international operations will begin with the Saarc markets and the Gulf as their present set of planes (A320s) could serve shorthaul markets the best. Kapoor said the airline which has only 11 aircraft at present, will get the delivery of two more A320s by October. "The first set of routes that we will launch internationally, will be the routes

that can be flown by our existing aircraft (A320s which are narrow body planes by Airbus) which will be routes within three, three-and-a-half hours from our Delhi hub," Kapoor said. "So, that means South Asian nations will be our first focus international destinations along with the Gulf," he said, adding markets like Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, the Maldives, Sri Lanka and even Afghanistan have great potential. He said Pakistan is of

course the largest market, but that is not likely to happen given the relations between the two nations. Last month, the government had partially scrapped the contentious 5/20 rule, which mandated an airline to have five years of domestic operational experience and 20 planes to become eligible for international operations, by removing the five years of domestic operational experience clause. The new rules came in despite strong opposition and hectic lobbying by older rivals such as Jet Airways, Spicejet and Indigo. Under the new rules, domestic airlines can fly overseas provided they deploy 20 aircraft or 20 per cent of their capacity in the domestic market, whichever is higher.

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Factory activity expands at its fastest pace in Dec A survey showed that manufacturing activity expanded at its fastest pace in five years in December on the back of new orders, which point to a a recovery in the economy. The Nikkei India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rose to 54.7 in December from 52.6 in November, the reading was slightly stronger than the average 54 recorded since the inception of the survey in March 2005. In response to greater inflows of new business, job creation quickened to the greatest since August 2012. On the price front, input cost inflation accelerated to the strongest since April and firms raised their average selling prices at the fastest pace since February, the survey showed. The Nikkei India Manufacturing PMI is based on data compiled from monthly replies to

questionnaires sent to purchasing executives in over 400 industrial companies. Latest data showed core sector, spanning coal, steel, crude oil, refinery products, steel, cement, fertiliser and electricity, rose a 13-month high of 6.8% in November while car sales grew 9.2% in 2017 compared to the previous year. Economists expect the economy to continue on its recovery path as it emerges from the impact of demonetisation and rollout issues linked to GST. The economy is estimated to grow 7-7.5% in the current fiscal year and then move to a higher growth trajectory. "Challenges remain as the economy adjusts to recent shocks, but the overall upturn was robust compared to the trend observed for the survey history," said Aashna Dodhia, economist at HIS Markit.

Sanjeev Gupta's GFG group to buy coal mine in Australia

Industrial entrepreneur Sanjeev Gupta’s GFG Alliance group’s Simec division has signed an agreement to buy the Tahmoor mine in New South Wales, Australia, from Glencore. Details of the deal were not disclosed, though market estimates have put the value of the deal at about $100m (£74m). Tahmoor, which has 340 staff, is a major supplier of coking coal to the nearby Whyalla steelworks, which GFG bought last summer. The deal saved more than 5,000 jobs at the plant, which had been pushed into administration by falling commodity prices. Current production at the mine is about 2m tonnes a year of high-quality coking coal which, as well as supplying Whyalla, is sold internationally. Acquiring Tahmoor will safeguard supplies to Whyalla. Gupta said that when combined with the steelworks and iron ore mines that came with Whyalla, Tahmoor would allow the business to become more integrated. “This is an exciting step forward in our stated strategy to create an end-to-end businesses in Australia, from raw materials and energy right through to high-value finished products ready for market.” The deal is subject to regulatory approval but is expected to complete in the first few months of the year. Buying Tahmoor is just the latest move in GFG’s strategy of snapping up distressed industrial assets that has seen it expand into steel production and recycling, energy, property,

Sanjeev Gupta

shipping, banking and commodities trading. The company acquired parts of Tata’s UK steel operation when its Indian parent tried to dispose of the whole British business two years ago, before reversing its decision. GFG also bought Rio Tinto’s aluminium smelter and hydro power plant in Scotland. Other UK acquisitions include chunks of the collapsed Caparo engineering group, Midlands car parts manufacturer CovPress and Scottish bike company Shand Cycles. In December GFG announced a £700m investment plan to acquire or build 500MW of renewable energy generation to power steel plants in the UK as part of its “GreenSteel” strategy. Under this the business aims to quadruple production capacity to 5m tonnes a year, making it the country’s biggest steel producer. GFG has also acquired a mothballed steel plant in Georgetown, South Carolina, which plans to restart. While some have questioned the logic behind acquiring mothballed units, Jay Hambro, chief investment officer and chief executive of Simec, has described the group’s assets as stable and delivering regular returns.

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COUNTING THE PENNIES PART 2 AsianVoiceNews

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Continued from last week…

Suresh Vagjiani

Sow & Reap London Property Investment

There was another deal I was offered, back during the pre credit crunch era in 2003, this was ten properties in West End Key in Paddington. These were new build properties valued at £350k each, and the actual purchase price was £275k. In those days one could get a mortgage based on 85% of the valuation, which came to nearly £300k. If we had proceeded, the difference would have been used to pay for the sourcing fee (as these were packaged by a property sourcer) and the stamp duty, which means this was a cash free deal. You did not need to put any money into the deal. What’s more is that they came with two year tenancies, rented out to a Swiss Bank. The deal scared me at the time, as

if the flats became vacant I would not be in a position to even cover the service charge, which being new build flats were heavy. These same flats are now worth £650k. However, life moves forward, and there is little point in looking in the rear view mirror, especially in regards to property. You could spend the rest of your life lamenting at deals you missed. The focus needs to be on the present terrain, and currently we are in a very different scenario; one which is scaring most people away from property. Primarily, the tax environment has changed, along with the lending criteria. Compounded with a massive uplift in property prices, London has now become a

AGONY AGENT IS HERE TO HELP! Q: I am a first time landlord, could you share some tips please? A: Renting out a property to good tenants who pay their rent on time, never cause a fuss and don’t end up damaging the property, makes the world of property investing a happy place for landlords. Most disputes between landlords and tenants are about the state of the property at the end of the tenancy. Before renting out a property, be sure to have it cleaned to a professional standard, take loads of photos and if you

can, have an independent inventory clerk carry out the inventory. Make sure all utility companies are informed of the start and end dates of your tenancies. Even though the tenant can change suppliers without your explicit permission, it pays to keep them up to date with meter readings and helps prevent any future headaches and unpaid bills. Ensure you have got your Energy Performance Certificate and Gas Safety Certificate, and checked the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are working.

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Once the property is ready, and you have all the legally required documents at hand, you are ready to rent out your property. Once you have found your tenant, do ensure you carry out references, draft up the tenancy agreement, get it signed, collect the first month’s rent and secure the deposit. It is in your best interest to keep your tenants happy. If the tenant is unhappy, it is likely they’ll want to move and no landlord looks forward to having to find a new tenant every 6 to 12 months. If you find that your tenants aren’t

REAL ESTATE VOICE

Asian Voice | 13th January 2018

tougher place to invest in property for the average Joe Blogs, earning an average wage. Therefore, one needs to change the strategy to suit the current terrain. For one London is out. Two, the property needs to be generating a strong yield, as the capital gains probably will not be substantial, as compared with London. One thing I learnt from observing a Jewish money lender, is that the property deals they do are not dependent on market conditions. They make money rain or shine every month. Their focus is primarily on yield. They are mindful of capital growth, but money needs to come in every month. Office to resi conversions, and large buildings which can be split to very small rentable rooms is their renewing, it may be time to take a step back and work out what it is that’s not making them stay. There are more costs associated with having to get new tenants in, compared to renewing, so to ensure your ‘nice’ tenants stick around, it may be worth doing a few simple things to ensure you maximise your rental year – year after year. Good landlords often breed good tenants, and regular open communication is key. Although I am not encouraging 24/7 phone calls, it is worth checking in with tenants via email or a text to show you care. I recommend regular property checks to

focus. This ensures the yield is high. So, there are a couple of ways to go, one is to purchase a HMO, which means a House Of Multiple Occupation, and the other is to seek areas outside of London where there exists a strong pool of renters. This will keep the yields high. An added bonus would be to ensure the property can be developed, so the see how your property is looking. A landlord who cares about the property (and its upkeep) demonstrates to tenants that you’re a keeper! If it is a 6 month let, do an inspection 3 months in and then every 6 months; but, remember to give 24 hours written notice. There are always reasons for moving on that are out of your control, but a few simple adjustments in your own personal service, which should start from the moment a tenant is shown around, can make the world of difference in keeping good tenants happy. With renting being the more affordable option for so many people

initial funds are extracted after work has been done, assuming there is equity to extract. Ideally, the above should be all be done in an area where there is likely to be growth in the underlying property price. This is a challenge which I plan to execute, in the coming year, and it will be interesting to see how to make money from ground zero up.

nowadays, there’s greater competition out there in the market place. Staying a step ahead of your landlord competitors makes good business sense when renting out a property. If all of this seems a little too much effort for you, then get in touch to see how we can help. Richard Bond Lettings Manager Sow & Reap

l A fantastic apartment set within a beautiful period building, situated in this most sought after location l The apartment comprises of a spacious reception room, three double bedrooms, a kitchen, shower room and a guest WC l Share of freehold l The apartment is offered with a private balcony and communal gardens l After small refurbishment, expected resale value is £1.1m Call us now for more information!

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Asian Voice | 13th January 2018

Modi govt may woo middle class with tax sops

Consultant Editor Financial Voice Alpesh Patel Dear Financial Voice Reader, So you think you’re the first to think that you missed out on the huge Bitcoin rally, and surely there must be a smaller copycat you can get in on? You know, missed Yahoo, so bought Google when it came out? After all, elephants don’t dance is the old stock market adage, so surely there are smaller stocks worth keeping an eye on. Litespeed Traders look for instance at the recent Litecoin example. A currency which is meant to mimic Bitcoin in that it is supposed to be faster at settlement and with a greater supply of coins. Well it went from $100 in the first week of December, to $370 by the middle of December. And without any news, any announcements, no new major institutional user or investor. So the reason? Access. Coinbase made it possible for more people to access Lite. Exactly how big is the popularity of such exchanges for trading. Well, if you remember the dot-com boom, then here is an interesting fact – Coinbase already has more customers than Charles Schwab. Over 10m to be precise. Price Lite You see a key reason for the push is UX – user experience. I know from my years of trading online, writing about trading online in the Financial Times, presenting on trading online on Bloomberg TV – that the simple fact that Lite is priced at say $300 and Bitcoin at say A$13,000, makes private investors think Lite is the next Bitcoin. And in a stupid, dot-com kind of way, this is what the users want you to think. It is not new to the market. It is a general rule of thumb that US stocks grow from $50 to $100 and then split. Sure, not a strict rule, but it didn’t half fuel quite a few rallies. You see users forget they can buy fractions of Bitcoin, so in a sense it’s price per coin is irrelevant. It’s value is more important. But when did you meet rational investors, let alone speculators? Or as Barberis at the University of Washington put it in 2005 “In addition, prior studies show that investors with a taste for gambling concentrate their trading in lottery-like stocks with high skewness and volatility and low nominal prices.” Basically, it’s a lottery ticket to people who see nominal prices as a sign of value. And that is the attitude of many people. But then again, trading and investing is about buying low and selling higher. Whether you sell to a fool or not is irrelevant, as long as it is higher. Bringing up the rear Other currencies seemingly benefiting from this no news rallies inclue Verge, Iota, Monero, Tron, Qtum, Cardano and I am sure you can name your favourite too. Verge: Supposed to be better than Bitcoin by making transactions untraceable so maintaining privacy. It has a market cap over a billion US dollars. Never in the history of the markets have so many become so big so fast. Leave your morality at the door. Tron: A market cap of $3 billion and its goal is to use the blockchain to allow users to control data they publish and how it is distributed including cost. Cardano: Used for smart contracts and already worth $14 billion. It’s technology will help in compliance and identity recognition. Iota: This one doesn’t even use the blockchain but it’s focus is zero fees in peer to peer transfer. Again a crypto solving one but not all problems. If you think that problem is really important, then this is one for you. Monero: After celebrities such a Mariah Carey started accepting the coin, this crypto whose aim is to hide origin and destination of transactions, started skyrocketing. Qtum: This aims to be the best of Bitcoin and Ethereum by using the Bitcoin blockchain and its proven reliability and using Ethereum’s smart contract flexibility. Alpesh Patel Alpesh Patel and Juventus Football Club are Official Partners of 24Option.com brokers. Alpesh.patel@tradermind.com

NDA is looking to offer fresh benefits to middle class taxpayers

With preparations of the yearly Budget in the foreground, the ruling NDA is looking to offer fresh benefits to middle class taxpayers, seen as a key constituency of BJP. While discussions on a possible package are in the works, a group wants the government to ensure the vocal segment is rewarded although the fiscal costs will be weighed. Other options debated on are an increase in the tax exemption limit, a return of standard deduction in some form as well as additional benefits for health insurance and even bank fixed deposits, which have become less attractive following the recent surge in stock markets coupled with sops for investment in mutual funds. A source said that a section within the government is backing the re-introduction of long term capital gains tax on stock market

Arun Jaitley

transactions with riders that it will apply to new transactions above a certain value of say Rs 5,00,000. A source said, “It will impact 5,000 investors but will benefit 50 million families.” During a meeting with the finance ministry brass, the Bombay Stock Exchange had suggested the introduction of long term capital gains tax, arguing it will end friction in the market and also tackle the problem of manipulation in penny stocks.

The exploitation of Britain’s SMEs by the UK’s big banks shares disturbing similarities with the abuse of power by Harvey Weinstein across Hollywood. The Hollywood A-listers, who knew how badly

Sources, however, said BSE had made this suggestion in the past too. Several market players believe that Securities Transaction Tax has also lost its utility and long-term capital gains tax makes sense now. Abhishek Goenka, direct tax partner at consulting firm PriceWaterHouseCoopers said, “The debate on whether the capital gains exemption on listed shares should be removed comes up before every budget as it's one of the options available with the government to mobilise revenues. To some extent, with the amendments to the tax treaties in 2017, it is now only the long-term capital gains that are exempt and more so with the changes and limitations introduced in the Budget 2017, much of the misuse of this exemption has been plugged.” He added, “Looked at

from a perspective of incentivising investment and creation of capital, both private and listed shares should be treated alike. There is a large amount of domestic savings as well as private and international capital going into the creation of capital through private companies and it will augur well if a calibrated approach of providing some relief to such shares is also considered.” The “tax package”, sources said, will be a political call that will be taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi after detailed deliberations with finance minister Arun Jaitley. If the government moves ahead, an increase in the exemption limit will be calibrated in a way that it does not leave the government short of resources for flagship programmes or to bolster public investment.

Mallya's extradition trial to resume this week

The Chief Magistrate at Westminster Magistrate's court in London will resume the extradition proceedings against the beleaguered businessman Vijay Mallya on January 11th,. During the hearing in December 2017, the prosecution set out its evidence on a prima facie case for fraud charges against the businessman, relying less on money laundering charges that had been added in October. During the opening hearing, barrister Mark Summers leading for the Crown Prosecution Service on behalf of India focussed on three main aspect. Firstly he addressed what he described as the mis-representations made by Mallya and Kingfisher to the banks in loan applications made to them. He then turned to the use of the loans, which he argued went against the uses stipulated in the loan conditions – highlighting examples such as the use of funds

Vijay Mallya

for payment of rent on the corporate jet, which Mallya “used exclusively.” The third plank of his argument focussed on Mallya’s response to the recall of the loans by the bank, which relied on attempts to “squirrel away” the money owed. “This is not the kind of thing honest people do,” he told the judge at one point, as he highlighted email exchanges between Mallya and others which mulled over the options, following the consortium of banks’ decision to recall the loans, including suggesting that

Is this Banking’s ‘Weinstein’ moment?

Abhishek Sachdev

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

their erstwhile friend was behaving, kept silent for fear of the repercussions. In the case of UK banks behaving badly, the Government has been equally reluctant to bring in the bottom-up reforms which would empower their victims to get the justice they deserve. SMEs were exploited by banks, but they have had less luck in obtaining redress. Many were required to buy a different type of protection – interest rate derivatives, a form of hedging to “protect” their ability to make interest payments. Many businesses were

exposed to huge losses, the banks secured their exposure against the business’s assets, often without the business knowledge. This gives the banks a ‘get out of jail free’ card, enabling them to routinely breach their own regulatory codes to grow their own profits at the expense of their business customers. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) review of RBS’s treatment of SME customers referred to its Global Restructuring Group (GRG) found “instances of inappropriate treatment” in a worrying 86% of cases reviewed.

Such systematic exploitation can & will continue as long as the banks settle & hush up the complaints where they are at risk of losing in court. In my own career as a hedging adviser, I have seen hundreds of instances where clients are forced to sign confidentiality agreements as a condition of settlement of a case they have brought against the banks. Hushing up difficult complaints is straight out of the Weinstein playbook and it is why, of the hundreds of cases brought against banks by SMEs, only a very small

pursuing Mallya in this way somehow amounted to discrimination because he was affluent. Mallya’s defence team led by Clare Montgomery launched a stinging attack on the style of Indian media coverage and the emergence of powerful commentators, which raise doubts about a fair trial for the liquor baron in India. Montgomery asked a legal expert during his witness statement his views on the way the allegations of fraud against Mallya have been dealt with by the media. “There is an increasing concern in India about media trials, which is connected with a change in the landscape in India where TV channels use panel discussions and such like…there is an emergence powerful TV commentators,” said Martin Lau, an expert on South Asian law who deposed as a key defence witness. Mallya declared

minority, perhaps 1 in 100, make it to court. The banks are extremely selective of which cases they will allow to reach a judgement. Without the legal right to force the banks to comply with their statutory obligations, many businesses rely on the regulators. Yet, the FCA did not publish the full report of the independent review into the treatment of customers in RBS’ GRG group, because they did not want to risk being sued by RBS. What more evidence do we need of a broken system, when the regulators themselves are operating from a position of fear of the banks?

proclaimed offender Meanwhile, Mallya was declared a proclaimed offender by a Delhi court for evading summons in a FERA violation case. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Deepak Shehrawat passed the order after noting that Mallya failed to appear before it despite repeated summons. The court had on April 12 last year issued an open-ended non-bailable warrant against the liquor baron. Unlike a non-bailable warrant, 'openended NBW' does not carry a time limit for execution. On November 4, 2016, while issuing non-bailable warrant against Mallya, the court had observed that he had no inclination to return and had scant regard for the law of the land. It had said that coercive process has to be initiated against Mallya as he was facing proceedings in several cases and avoiding appearance in those matters. 1000’s of businesses have suffered real harm as a result of sharp banking practice against which they have no recourse. The FCA Review for mis-sold derivatives (which I instigated in 2012) provided redress of £2.2bn to 18,200 SMEs in the UK alone. As the cases mount up, what it will take for British enterprise to have its own ‘Weinstein moment’ and finally declare that enough is enough?

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PAKISTAN

US suspends security assistance to Pak WASHINGTON: The US has suspended more than $1.15 billion security assistance to Pakistan, accusing Islamabad of harbouring terror groups like the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani Network within its border and showing unwillingness to take "decisive actions" against them. The freezing of all security assistance to Pakistan comes days after President Donald Trump in a new year tweet accused Pakistan of giving nothing to the US but "lies and deceit" and providing "safe haven" to terrorists in return for $33 billion aid over the last 15 years. Prominent among the suspended amount include $255 million in Foreign Military Funding (FMF) for the fiscal year 2016 as mandated by the Congress. In addition, the Department of Defence has suspended the entire $900 million of the Coalition Support Fund (CSF) money to Pakistan for the fiscal year 2017. "Today we can confirm that we are suspending national security assistance only, to Pakistan at this time until the Pakistani government

Donald Trump

takes decisive action against groups, including the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani Network. We consider them to be destabilising the region and also targeting US personnel. The US will suspend that kind of security assistance to Pakistan," State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said. The US, she said, will not be delivering military equipment or transfer security-related funds to Pakistan unless it is required by law. Referring to the new South Asia policy announced by Trump in August, Nauert said despite a sustained high-level engagement by this administration with the government of Pakistan, the

Taliban and the Haqqani Network continue to find sanctuary inside Pakistan as they plot to destabilise Afghanistan and also attack the US and allied personnel. Department of Defence Spokesperson Lt Col Mike Andrews said that National Defence Authorisation Act 2017 provides up to $900 million for Pakistan in CSF. Of these funds, $400 million can only be released if the Secretary of Defence Jim Mattis certifies that the Pakistan government has taken specific actions against the Haqqani Network. "At this stage all Fiscal Year 17 CSF have been suspended, so that's the entire amount of USD 900 million," Andrews said. During an interaction with Pentagon reporters, Defence Secretary Jim Mattis did not respond to question if he was in favour of cutting off the aid to Pakistan. "I prefer not to address that right now because it's obviously still being formulated as policy. But I'll give my advice on it to the president. I also agree on some confidentiality there," he said.

According to a senior State Department official, no decision has been taken on the fate of $255 million security assistance to Pakistan for the fiscal year 2017. The deadline for that is September 30 this year. Mattis along with the Secretary of State Rex Tillerson have travelled to Pakistan in recent months to deliver tough message to their leadership. So, this action should not come as a surprise to them, Nauert said. "They may say it's a surprise, but what is no surprise is that the President has expressed his concerns, Secretary Tillerson has expressed his concerns, as has Secretary Mattis, and I imagine many other government officials having those conversations with Pakistan," Nauert said. Now, the money that has been suspended at this time does not mean that it will be suspended forever, she said. "Pakistan has the ability to get this money back, in the future, but they have to take decisive action. They have to take decisive steps," she added.

US puts Pak on 'special watch list' over violations of religious freedom NEW DELHI: In a major embarrassment for Islamabad, the United States has placed Pakistan on a 'Special Watch List' for severe violations of religious freedom. The US Department of State said in a press statement, "In accordance with the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, the Secretary of State annually designates governments that have engaged in or tolerated systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom as 'Countries of Particular Concern'. Today, the Department of State announces that the Secretary of State re-designated

Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan as Countries of Particular Concern on December 22, 2017." It added, "The Secretary also placed Pakistan on a Special Watch List for severe violations of religious freedom. We recognize that several of these countries are working to improve their respect for religious freedom, we welcome this initiative and look forward to continued dialogue. The US remains committed to advancing religious freedom around the world.”

"The protection of religious freedom is vital to peace, stability, and prosperity. These designations are aimed at improving the respect for religious freedom in these countries... The United States remains committed to working with governments, civil society organisations, and religious leaders to advance religious freedom around the world," the statement further said. The move comes days after US President Donald Trump had torn into Pakistan accusing it of giving nothing to the US but "lies and deceit" and providing "safe haven" to terrorists in return for USD 33

billion aid over the last 15 years. On January 1, 2018, Trump in his first tweet of the year on New Year's day had said, "The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies and deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more." Earlier, in his new South Asia Policy in August 2017, Trump had called for tougher measure against Pakistan if it fails to cooperate with the US in its fight against terrorism.

AFRICA

Kenya's opposition sets Jan 30 as Odinga’s swearing-in date NAIROBI: Kenyan coalition of opposition parties (Nasa) announced a nationwide campaign to build momentum for the swearing-in as the people’s president, of opposition leaders Raila Odinga and his deputy Kalonzo Musyoka on January 30. The two said the date is now fixed, and that they will not bow to pressure from their supporters to “lift the Bible and be sworn into office casually”, saying they will follow a strict programme drawn by their advisers. The Nasa leaders, who were addressing a rally at the Kakamega bus park, did not give details of the timelines to their oath-taking ceremony. Earlier, while speaking at a meeting to officially inaugurate the western region’s People’s Assembly at Golf Hotel in the town, the Nasa leaders said the move was not driven by greed for power, but a quest for electoral justice and reforms. They told their supporters they were working on a fivepoint agenda they want to be implemented before they were sworn in. The event coincided with Odinga’s 73rd birthday, with some delegates and leaders making a surprise birthday celebration punctuated by demands for him to be sworn in. CUTTING CAKE Busia woman representative Florence Mutua led a group calling itself Daughters of Raila in cutting a cake, while Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala led

Raila Odinga

MPs and senators in presenting Odinga with the rather symbolic gift of a Bible as a birthday present. The Bible is seen as an oath-taking tool for Christians. “We now have a plan,” Odinga said. “It is not about carrying the Bible alone. We must have a plan after the Bible. We don’t want to be like (Ugandan opposition leader Kizza) Besigye, who took oath without a plan.” Odinga said Nasa’s campaign will focus on electoral reforms, judicial independence, the transformation of the police from a force to a service, strengthening of devolution, and restructuring the executive. Musyoka challenged President Uhuru Kenyatta to embrace dialogue to save the country from the effects of the postelection standoff. “Wherever we go, people want us to be sworn in immediately. For sure Kenyans have made up their minds and this is serious business,” the Wiper leader said. “If the situation is intolerable, there must be negotiations. If negotiations cannot work, then Article 1 of the Constitution should be held. We are telling Jubilee to see the mood of the nation.”

Indians, some Pakistanis protest against 'ChappalChorPakistan'

WASHINGTON: Indian Americans and some Pakistanis come together in Washington DC to protest outside the Pakistani embassy with symbolic shoes. What united these two seemingly disparate groups to protest against Pakistan under the s l o g a n 'ChappalChorPakistan', or 'shoe-stealing Pakistan'? The Indian-Americans were protesting Islamabad's treatment of the family members of Kulbhushan Jadhav, who's on death row in Pakistan. Authorities there humiliated and intimidated Jadhav's wife and mother on their

Christmas day visit with him. They even confiscated the footwear of Jadhav's wife claiming that it had a camera and a chip in it. The protesting Pakistanis, who are exiles from the restive Balochistan province of their country, were protesting the same issue, to draw attention to how Balochis are treated in their country. Baloch exiles, and even those Balochis still living in Pakistan, have for long alleged the Pakistani state's brutal treatment of them forced 'disappearances' and rapes being the gravest of charges against both the government and the

Pakistani army. "(Like) when they stole the chappal of a woman who was in distress, I hope they use these also," said one protester, pointing to the used shoes 'donated' to

Islamabad that were lined up outside the Pakistan embassy. "I want to say one thing - Pakistan ka matlab kya? Amreeka (America) se dollar la, Hindustan ke joote kha!", the protester

added. That means: "What does Pakistan stand for? Take dollars from America and face the wrath of India." Protesters slammed the behaviour of Pakistani officials toward Jadhav's wife and his mother and said it showed the "narrow-mindedness" of the country. "Pakistan's narrow-mindedness was exposed with how they treated Kulbhushan Jadhav's mother and wife. What policy makers and people here need to understand is that Pakistan as a whole is also being run with the same narrow-minded mentality," said another

protester, seeking to draw the attention of US policymakers. Meanwhile, the US, which considers Pakistan a 'major non-NATO ally', has in the last week taken firm action against Pakistan, not on the Jadhav issue, but for what it says is Pakistan's inaction on terror and its provision of safe havens for terrorists. Last week, Washington suspended about $2 billion in security aid to Pakistan for failing to clamp down on the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani Network terror groups and for doing nothing to dismantle their safe havens.

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Asian Voice | 13th January 2018

Indian-American woman to run for US Congress WASHINGTON: IndianAmerican politician Aruna Miller has filed nomination papers to run for the US Congress from a Congressional seat in Maryland. Miller, 53, is currently a member of the Maryland House of Delegates for which she was first elected in 2010. The current Democratic incumbent to this Congressional District John Delaney has said that he would not seek reelection and instead has announced to run for 2020 Democratic party's presidential primary. "As an immigrant, I have been afforded incredible opportunities here. I want to pay it forward and make sure we keep the doors of opportunity open to all our citizens," Miller said after she officially filed her Certificate of Candidacy for US Congress for the

6th Congressional district of Maryland. "Congress needs more experienced, progressive legislators at this critical time, if we are going to enact and keep policies that really serve the best interests of the people and our country," said Miller who is considered as one of the active Maryland State legislature. Her mother Hema Katragadda, accompanied her while she filed papers. "This is one of the happiest days and proudest moments of my life," she said. Miller, a civil engineer, is endorsed by EMILY'S List and 314 Action, a political action committee dedicated to electing more STEM candidates. She worked for 25 years for Montgomery County. In 2010, she was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates where

Aruna Miller

she represents the 15th District and serves on the Appropriations Committee. The primary elections for Maryland's 6th Congressional District is scheduled for June 26. In addition to Miller, four others including an Afghan-American Nadia Hashimi have declared themselves in the race. Miller, who came to the US from India at the age of seven along with her parents, said her political interest was

sparked by the Bush v Gore election in 2000, where the fate of the country was not determined by the voters but rather by the Supreme Court. "It was then I realised democracy needed me. Not as a bystander or to cast a vote when there's an election - I needed to engage and empower others every day. I started to volunteer locally which brought me face to face with the needs and problems of others in the community," she said. The current House of Representative has one Indian- American women, Pramila Jayapal from Washington State, who was elected for the first time in the 2016 general elections. Senator Kamala Harris, who is of mixed Indian and African parental heritage is also the first Indian American Senator. She was elected in 2016.

Indian-American Trump aide in firing line WASHINGTON: An Indian-American legal adviser Uttam Dhillon faces firing after it transpires that the lawyer misled President Donald Trump on his powers to fire FBI Director James Comey, partly in an effort to protect the Presidency. Dhillon, who is a special assistant to the President advising him on compliance and ethics issues, was reportedly so unnerved by the possibility that Trump would fire Comey and invite a Justice Department investigation that would imperil the Presidency, that he let Trump believe he could not sack the FBI Director. "Long-standing analysis of presidential power says that the president, as the head of the executive branch, does not need grounds to fire the

FBI director. Dhillon, a veteran Justice Department lawyer before joining the Trump White House, assigned a junior lawyer to examine this issue. That lawyer determined that the FBI director was no different than any other employee in the executive branch, and that there was nothing prohibiting the president from firing him. But Dhillon, who had earlier

year-old Indian was arrested in the US for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman passenger who was seated next to him on a flight. When Celia (name changed) fell asleep on board the Spirit Airlines flight from Las Vegas to Detroit on 3 January, she could not have imagined the horror she would wake up to. The 22-year-old was on the window seat, while Prabhu Ramamoorthy, an Indian national living in the US, was on the middle seat with his wife on the aisle seat. When Celia woke up, she allegedly found her shirt and pants unbuttoned, and Prabhu’s hands inside her pants.

when she woke up and opened her eyes. The distraught and shocked woman then approached the flight attendants in tears and informed them about the sexual assault. Prabhu was arrested when the plane landed. After appearing before the federal court in Michigan, he was held without bail. According to court documents, two flight attendants confirmed that Celia had come to them in tears with her shirt and pants undone. According to a written statement by Prabhu, he had taken a pill (“plain Tylenol”) and fallen into deep sleep. He claimed that he had done nothing

Uttam Dhillon

told Trump that he needed cause to fire Comey, never corrected the record, withholding the conclusions of his research." Dhillon's ruse, albeit in the interest of protecting the Trump presidency, made him some sort of hero among liberals even as many other predicted his imminent firing. Trump eventually fired Comey, but that is not expected to save Dhillon his job, particularly since it transpired that Dhillion once served under Comey. Legal experts called the episode (of Dhillon misleading the President by withholding legal advice) "extraordinary" if it was made with intent to save him, and that he was "duty bound" to tell him the truth. "This shows that the president's

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UAE grants visas on arrival for Indians with UK and EU residency

ABU DHABI: The UAE Cabinet has decided to grant visa on arrival to Indian passport holders with EU or UK residency. Chaired by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the cabinet also approved VAT and excise tax regulations and put a structure in place for community service. As of May 1 this year, Indian passport holders with a valid American visa or a Green Card were granted UAE visa on arrival at all ports. The decision comes as an India-UAE Partnership Summit was announced in a bid to encourage Emiratis to invest in medium-sized projects. “Today I chaired the Cabinet meeting that we started by congratulating over one million pupils in public and higher education in their new academ-

ic year,” Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid tweeted. “We tell our pupils: your mission to your country is to success in this academic year and we rely on your success annually for the development of our country and our future,” he said. During the meeting, the Cabinet introduced a community service based correctional programme, to encourage rehabilitation through social service for minor offences. The purpose of community service will not be to punish and defame but rather to serve the country and society, teach humility and reform in a civilized way, Sheikh Mohammed said. On VAT, the Cabinet also approved tax implementation procedures and regulations, in line with the GCC Economic Agreement.

28 Indians engaged in black magic nabbed

lawyers don't trust giving him all the facts because they fear he will make a decision that is not best suited for him," one legal expert said Dhillon, a graduate Boalt law school at University of California, is highly regarded in Washington's political and legal circles, having worked as Associate Deputy Attorney General for the Department of Justice, Chief Counsel for the House Select Committee on Homeland Security, Policy Director for the US House of Representatives Policy Committee, and as an Assistant United States Attorney in Los Angeles. He also served as chief of the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Counternarcotics Enforcement.

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan officials have arrested 28 Indian nationals who were allegedly involved in soothsaying and sorcery in Jaffna and Vavuniya by violating their visa regulations. The immigration officials conducted a special operation and arrested these Indian nationals. Sources said that 26 people were rounded up in the Jaffna Peninsula whereas two were taken into custody from Vavuniya. Amongst the arrested were about 23 males and five females. They were all reported to have come from South Indian cities. According to sources, these foreigners were roaming in the North engaging in astrological activities and soothsaying. They used to charge Rs 200 to tell one’s future and fortune and even

Richard O'Neill, offered to submit his client’s passport, and said that there had been no prior allegations of such nature against Prabhu and that he had a clean record. According to another report, Prabhu initially said that he did not know where he had placed his hands in his sleep. But apparently he changed his statement later and said that he may have unclasped the victim’s bra while she was asleep and placed his hands over her breasts. The report also says that Prabhu admitted to unzipping Celia’s pants and putting his fingers inside.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s cricketer-turned politician Imran Khan denied that he had secretly married and said that he has proposed marriage to a woman believed to be a faith healer. Khan’s spokesman in a statement said that he had proposed marriage to Bushra Maneka, who has “asked for time to make a final decision after consulting her family, including her children. It is indeed sad to see this private and sensitive matter be made the subject of erroneous story leading to all manner of public conjecture,” the notification said, adding that it was “regrettable” that story was reported as it involves “a very private

charge up to Rs 20,000 to 30,000 to perform remedial measures to ward off evil effects. The officials seized fox heads and various other materials used to perform poojas by them, including pictures of Hindu deities. All these nationals had arrived in the country on 30-day tourist visa and had extended it to remain further to make their living. The officials who seized the passports of these foreigners had instructed them to prepare their return tickets to be sent back to their country in the coming week. Officials of the monitoring, intelligence and investigation Unit are conducting inquiries on the instructions of Immigration and Emigration Controller General Nihal Ranasinghe.

Indian arrested for sexually assaulting woman on flight Imran Khan denies getting WASHINGTON: In a Prabhu apparently pened with the victim. married for third time shocking incident, a 34stopped touching her Prabhu’s lawyer,

Prabhu Ramamoorthy

to his co-passenger, but that his wife had told him that Celia was sleeping on his knees. Prabhu’s wife, meanwhile, told a similar sequence of events and said that they had called the flight attendants to change their seats as well. However, the flight attendants denied the same. Prabhu also apparently gave conflicting testimonies about what hap-

lady who is not in public life. This has put an acceptable burden especially on the children of Maneka and Khan who have had to learn of such a private and intimate issue from media,” he said. “If and when the proposal is accepted by Maneka for the marriage, Khan will announce it publicly in the proper manner. Till then we request the media to give the two families, especially the children, their privacy,” he added. Khan, 66, however, denied the media reports that he had already contracted marriage with Maneka, a day after a Pakistani daily reported that he married her on January 1 in Lahore.

INDIA

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Patidars unite to make GPBS a success

Two pilots fight on London to Mumbai flight

Mitul Paniker “Jay Sardar!” bellowed two different groups of young volunteers at the entrance of the grand Mahatma Mandir, in Gandhinagar as visitors made their way to the first-of-its-kind Global Patidar Business Summit (GPBS). Organised on the lines of the biannual Vibrant Gujarat Summit organised by the state government, the three-day event was inaugurated by Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel. The event saw over 10,000 businessmen from the Patidar community pledge to provide jobs to the millions of the community by 2026, on the opening day. Organised by Patel outfit, Sardardham, the event was not only massive in scale, but also came as a refreshing break. The three days comprised of talk sessions on various subjects, seminars, B2B sessions, and counselling for the community's youths. Lauding the organisers, CM Rupani said, “Sardardham is doing what the state government is supposed to do. It is the government’s responsibility to create jobs. I am glad the community has taken up that responsibility. This initiative would surely motivate other communi-

Two pilots fight mid-air on flight from London to Mumbai

Speakers address a packed hall at the Global Patidar Business Summit

ties to work in this direction. Patidars and their contribution are at the core of Gujarat’s development. This event will guide people to become job givers and not just job seekers, and the state government is always with you.” Sardardham also signed memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with several Patidar organisations to start coaching centres for IAS-IPS aspirants, industrial training centres and legal guidance centres. The summit was like any normal summit, except for it was held by the Patels, so it had its own unique features. Slogans of “Jay Sardar” could be heard periodically from different corners of the venue. Given the commu-

nity's sentiments towards Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, visitors became accustomed to constant chants throughout the day. Another interesting feature was the 'Sardar Prashad'. Plastic boxes generously filled with savouries and sweets, were given away to hundreds who came. The hygiene and quality maintained by the organisers were commending. Considering the magnitude of the event, it was surprising how well the whole affair was organised and co-ordinated. Speakers included several top-shot businessmen like diamond merchant Ghanshyam Dholakia, Pankaj Patel of Zydus Cadilla, Padma Shri Mathurbhai Savani, Jaisukh Patel of Ajanta

Aurora, and Pinakin Patel from the USA, amongst others. Patidar Pride During a seminar on the future of the industrial sector, Chandubhai Virani, owner of Balaji Wafers Pvt Ltd, spoke about the struggles he and his family had to face setting up the now Rs1800 Crore business. However, not in a single one of his bad days did he ever consider himself poor, or ask for money. Speaking about the attitude towards life, he advised his audience of over 300 to live with pride. “Dignity and arrogance are our wealth,” he said. The thought was shared by all other speakers, who stated that the Patidar pride was key to life was to live it with honour.

Following reports of a midair fight inside the cockpit on a New Year's Day flight from London, two pilots have been grounded. This incident occurred on flight 9W 119, which left Heathrow at 10am. The two Jet Airways' pilots, reported to be in a relationship, have been “de-rostered” after the male pilot allegedly slap the female co-pilot during an argument on the flight to Mumbai, India. It is said that the female co-pilot seemingly ran from the cockpit in tears, who was later followed by her male colleague while the plane was mid-air carrying 324 passengers. The co-pilot was persuaded to go back to the cockpit by the cabin crew. Jet Airways have confirmed that a “misunderstanding” took place, and also revealed that the two pilots involved in the incident have been taken off flight duties while investigation is taking place. The airline has reported this

matter to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, and has also launched an internal investigation. The airline released a statement: “A misunderstanding occurred between the cockpit crew... However, the same was quickly resolved amicably and the flight continued its journey to Mumbai, landing safely. The airline has reported the incident to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and the concerned crew have been de-rostered pending an internal investigation that has since been initiated. At Jet Airways, safety of guests, crew and assets is of paramount importance and the airline has zero tolerance for any action of its employees that comprises safety.” Civil aviation minister, Ashok Gajapati Raju told the Indian Parliament that the Indian government would investigate the matter. He said, “Action will be taken according to regulations and no one will be spared.”

Makar Sankranti marks the holy phase of transition Makar Sankranti which falls on 14th January marks the beginning of an auspicious phase or the holy phase of transition. It also marks the beginning of warmer and longer days as compared to nights till the next equinox. It is believed that on the very day of Makar Sankranti, the sun enters the sphere of Capricorn zodiac, also known as Makar Sankranti. It signifies the movement of sun from one zodiac sign into another. It is celebrated by Hindu devotees during the Magh Mela, held in Allahabad. The Magh Mela is a very important event for the priests and devotees alike, who all flock to the city, to sit near the banks of the holy rivers and meditate, a ritual that is known as the kalpawas. The festival is dedicated to the Sun God. It is regarded as important for spiritual practices, which is why people take holy dip in holy river Ganges. Although celebrated across India, Makar Sankranti is known by various names in different regions; for instance, Pongal in Tamil

International Kite Festival in Ahmedabad

Nadu, Maghi in Himachal Pradesh and Haryana, Magh Bihu in Assam, Poush Sangkranti in West Bengal amongst others. Uttarayan This festival is also called Uttarayan. It is being celebrated with the flying of kites. Kite festival is also being celebrated in many cities of Gujarat, Telangana and Rajasthan. The international kite festival takes place in Ahmedabad in which kite enthusiasts from various parts of the world take part. The sym-

bolism of the festival is to show the awakening of Gods from deep sleep. People celebrate this festival with foods that give them energy and keep them warm in this nippy weather. Pongal Pongal is one of the most popular harvest festivals of South India, mainly in Tamil Nadu. Celebrated in the month of 'Thai', the tenth month of the Tamil calendar, the four-day festival is also referred to as 'Thai Pongal' and is cele-

brated to mark the beginning of Uttarayan - the sun's transition towards north for a six-month period. Thai Pongal gets its name from Tamil word Pongal which means "to boil". 'Ponga' literally means overflowing, with the abundance of rice, cereals, sugar-cane and turmeric that are harvested during the time. The tradition of new rice in pots until they overflow, is a popular tradition followed during Pongal. The ritual is symbolic of abundance and prosperity.

On this day, people clean their houses, get rid of old household items and purchase new household items. This marks the start of a new cycle. The people assemble at dawn in Tamil Nadu to light a bonfire in order to burn the discards as a symbolic ritual. The second day and the main day is Thai Pongal, people start their day with worshipping the sun God. On the third day, which is called Mattu pongal, people organise their cattle, deck them with accessories and worship them.

People in Tamil Nadu worship cattle

INDIA

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WEST BENGAL

SOUTH

Andhra CM Naidu sets deadline for construction of toilets He wants to have a Swachh and healthy Andhra Pradesh

AMARAVATI: By proclaiming that his aim is to have a Swachh and healthy Andhra Pradesh, chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu has set March 31 as the deadline for construction of toilets in every household in the state. He has even threatened to sit on a dharna and hunger strike if the target was not achieved. "I will sit on a silent dharna. I will also observe a day-long fast. At least then you (people) will show some pity (on me) and build toilets," Naidu said, terming sanitary latrine a fundamental

and birthright. He set March 31 as the deadline for individual sanitary latrines (ISL) so as to make AP completely open defecation-free (ODF). Addressing a mass contact programme of the TDP government, Naidu said, "If you don't build a toilet...if you don't have self- esteem...I will come to your village. I will visit your house. I will spend day and night till you all build toilets and only then return to Amaravati (the state capital)." "The state's prestige is being lost and your health is getting

N Chandrababu Naidu

affected (due to lack of ISL). Let us all think of a Swachh Andhra Pradesh," the Chief Minister said. He exhorted people to

undertake "aatmagourava deeksha" (resolve for selfrespect) to achieve this. Naidu said every caste and religion should propagate the need for toilets. "If the need for toilets is propagated in temples, churches and mosques, people's belief will increase. It will contribute to the success of the programme." Of the 13 districts in the state, six had already achieved 100 per cent toilet construction, he said. "The other seven (four in Rayalaseema and three in north coastal Andhra) are yet to accomplish this."

Kerala CM praises North Korean leader THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: North Korea under Kim Jong Un is leading by example in defending against the US's tough sanctions and in responding to threats of military action by President Donald Trump, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said. Communists have been calling the US an imperialist power. At a party meeting in Kerala's Kozhikode, the CPM leader said North Korea is putting up stiff resistance against the US in a much better way than even its neighbour and

Communist-ruled China. "North Korea has been adopting a tough anti-US stand and has successfully withstood the pressure exerted by the US," Vijayan said at the party meeting some 370 kilometres from state capital Thiruvananthapuram. He said China has come under criticism after its fight against imperialist forces did not live up to people's expectations. The Kerala chief minister's remarks came days after a flex board of the North Korean leader

appeared in a programme of the CPM's unit in Idukki district. It was later removed by the party, which eventually clarified that Kim Jong Un's photo was included by mistake. North Korea has been testing ballistic missiles for the last few months, a move that the US said was destabilising. Trump has asked China and Russia to exert pressure on the authoritarian regime to shed its nuclear ambitions. Recently, the White House defended Donald Trump's tweet about the size of his nuclear

button, saying Americans should be concerned about the North Korean leader's mental fitness, not their President's, a news agency reported. In his New Year speech, the North Korean leader warned that the entire US was in range of North Korea nuclear missiles. He said his country would focus in the coming year on mass producing nuclear warheads and ballistic missiles for operational deployment, but added that these would be used only if N Korea's security was threatened.

NORTH

Ex-Armyman kills 6 people in over an hour

PALWAL (HARYANA): A former Army “lieutenant” staged death dance in Palwal last week and killed 6 people by smashing their heads with an iron rod. Six innocent people lay dead in the orgy of violence that went unstopped for over an hour before the suspect, Naresh Dhankar, who appears to have a history of anti-social behaviour, was overpowered and almost beaten to death. Among Dhankar’s victims were a pregnant woman, whom he killed by sneaking into a city hospital around 2.45 am - four security guards and a vagabond. None of the dead were apparently known to the killer. They were attacked one by one, as Dhankar went in search of more victims after each murder. By the time cops caught up with Dhankar around 4 am, the city was on red alert to capture the serial killer who had been identified in CCTV footage from the hospital. Dhankar was thrashed by the public and police, leading to a brain haemorrhage. The motive behind the

bloodbath is not known. Police suspect that he was mentally unstable and depressed, possibly because of marital discord. It all started with Dhankar arriving at Palwal City hospital armed with a rod. He went to the first floor and attacked a woman sleeping on the bench. He first woke her up by removing her quilt and then smashed her face and head with the rod. The woman, Anjum, died on the spot. Dhankar then walked towards Moti Colony park and attacked a guard, later identified as Munshiram. Another guard, Sitaram, deployed at a nearby scrap market, was sitting in his chair and reading a newspaper when Dhankar hit him on the head. The killer then proceeded towards Sohna Road where he attacked Subhash, a guard at the bus stop. From there, he took the road leading to Rasoolpur chowk and attacked a vagabond walking on the road. He then targeted his sixth victim, Khemchand, near the chowk.

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Sukhbir Badal to fight for separate Sikh identity CHANDIGARH: Akali Dal leader and former deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal vows to fight for a separate identity for the Sikhs. As part of his game plan, he calls for an amendment to Article 25 of the Constitution that brackets the Sikhs with the Hindus and establish its status as a separate religion. In an interview, Sukhbir reflected a new-found assertion vis-a-vis ally, the BJP. He said an organisational revamp is on to infuse fresh blood in SAD. When asked whether SAD represents Sikhs or Punjabis, he said, Akali Dal is a Punjabi party. But we are also the voice of Sikhs across the world. Before the Moga convention in 1996, only Sikhs were its members. After that, we made it for all Punjabis. In our tenure from 2007-12, there were more Hindu MLAs on the Akali side than in the Congress. When told that the BJP may not like this scenario, he said, “we are not answerable to them.

Sukhbir Badal

When asked about catering to the Sikh constituency, he said, “we are the face and voice of the Sikhs. Whenever there is any issue regarding the community such as the renaming of the Dyal Singh Majithia College in Delhi, we fight for it. There’s nothing to be ashamed or apologetic about it. Rather, we’re proud of it.” He said Sikhism is an independent religion and needs an independent identity and for that purpose SAD would meet the Prime Minister, take other parties on board and bring a bill in Parliament to amend Article 25 of the constitution so that Sikhs can get a separate identity.

Bengal govt to handover 5,00,000 houses to rural poor KOLKATA: As the rural polls are approaching, the West Bengal government will hand over 5,00,000 houses to poor people in the villages on January 29. The Mamata Banerjee government hopes to woo the villagers with this gesture. The rural elections are crucial as these will be rehearsals for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections for which BJP has selected Bengal as a focus state, where it wants to secure 22 seats out of the total 44. “Houses at Howrah and North 24 Parganas will be distributed after the bypolls in Uluberia Lok Sabha and Noapara assembly constituency,” the chief minister said at the inaugural function of Mati Utsav (soil festival) in Burdwan district. A project titled Aamar Bari (My House) was launched in 2013. Under this scheme, a person is given a house with a room, a kitchen and a toilet. Another project 'Nijo Griha Nijo Bhumi' (Own House, Own land), launched in October 2011, envisages handing over 5 decimal of land (about 2,180 sq ft) to eligible families, landless agricultural labourers, village artisans and fishermen in rural areas. The state also has another housing scheme Adhikar in 11 backward districts. The beneficiaries are given Rs 45,000 as a onetime aid for building a house with a room and a toilet. Officials in the dis-

Mamata Banerjee

tricts were yet to get details of the schemes under which the houses announced by the chief minister will be distributed. The chief minister also said that the state’s girl welfare scheme Kanyashree has produced a significant collateral benefit - thwarting child marriages. “Since the inception of Kanyashree, a total of 120 (minor) girls have come forward to prevent their marriages. I congratulate these brave girls and have directed the police to reward them,” said Mamata Banerjee. The beneficiaries get a one-time grant of Rs 25,000 and annual scholarships of Rs 500. The target age group is 13 to 19 years for girls from families with income less than Rs 1,20,000 per annum. The one-time cash is given to the girl if she gets admitted to an undergraduate college/vocational course and is unmarried after 18.

BJP leader flays Mamata's remarks on Citizen's Register KOLKATA: BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvergiya criticised West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerje for her remarks on the National Register of Citizens in Assam, saying it was an insult to the Constitution and the Supreme Court. Mamata's comment was part of her "sinister political motives", Vijayvergiya charged. He also accused the Trinamool Congress of allowing cross border infiltration into Bengal just to reap "political benefits" out of it. "The NRC is being updated in Assam after consultation with all stakeholders, communities, political parties and outfits. Such comments are not only an insult to the Constitution and Supreme Court but also against the spirit of the federal structure of our country," Vijayvergiya said in a statement. Addressing a meeting, Mamata had accused the BJP-led government at the Centre of "hatching a conspiracy" to drive out

Bengalis from Assam by "excluding" their names from the first draft of the NRC published on December 31. The NRC of 1951 is being updated in Assam under the supervision of the Supreme Court to identify original residents of the state in order to check illegal migration. Referring to Mamata's continuous protests against various policies of the Narendra Modi government, Vijayvergiya urged the West Bengal chief minister not to interfere in matters related to other states. "The Assam government is competent enough to protect its citizens. Mamata Banerjee should concentrate on her own state and stop playing politics on each and every issue," he said. The Assam police had registered an FIR against the Mamata on complaints over her allegation that the Centre was conspiring to drive Bengalis out of Assam with the state's NRC, which is being updated. The FIR sparked an angry response from the Trinamool Congress.

HERITAGE HISTORY

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Dr. Hari Desai

The Forgotten Slogan of Akhand Bharat Partition of 1947 was a historical swindle and fraud by the British Justice Katju defers with RSS on reunification of Indo-Pak-Bangla

Mahatma Gandhi was not happy when partition was a certainty. Even as a last resort, he tried to offer M. A. Jinnah to form the Government of a United India and Congress should go into opposition and start a mass movement.

“W

ell, Akhand Hindustani, we are now going to divide India.” With these words one day, while talking, Sardar Patel, the Congress stalwart and soul of the Indian freedom movement, began to tease K. M. Munshi, his lieutenant. This was in 25 November 1949 when both the Sardar and Munshi were living in Birla House, New Delhi. While recording the incident in “Pilgrimage to Freedom”, Munshi notes: “I was naturally shocked, for he had all along criticized Rajaji bitterly for his propartition views.” Patel had put forward two grounds: “One was that, the

Barrister V.D. Savarkar, the Hindu Mahasabha Chief

Congress being pledged to non-violence, it was not possible for it to resist violently. Even if it changed its creed, violent resistance at that stage would have meant the end of the Congress- a long struggle with the Muslim League through large-scale conflicts involving violence, while the British Government would be sitting tight over the country with its police and army. The second ground that Sardar gave me was that if partition were not accepted, there was bound to be long-drawn-out communal strife in cities and rural

areas and even the army and the police would be torn by communal dissensions. The Hindus, being less fanatic, were sure to lose for want of a compact organization.” Munshi concedes the soundness of Sardar’s opinion in the light of the riots of 1946-47 where “our efforts to found a sovereign democratic State would have failed.” Mahatma Gandhi was not happy when partition was a certainty. Even as a last resort, he tried to offer M. A. Jinnah to form the Government of a United India and Congress should go into opposition and start a mass movement. “Sardar was not impressed with this stand. The country was too tired to undertake such a movement and was anxious to seize the opportunity of securing freedom.” It would sound easier to criticize the Mahatma and the Congress of rejecting the partition but during that volatile period the Congress, whose Sardar Patel was rather the strongest leader, had hardly any option left. Jinnah had to satisfy himself with the “truncated Pakistan” thanks to Patel and Nehru’s efforts to force partition of Punjab and Bengal. Munshi even while being with Congress began his lone campaign for Akhand Hindustan and even after the partition the campaign for the Akhand Bharat continued by others. Even today one might come across a quotation of Sri Guruji (Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar), the second SarSanghchalak(Head) of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh(RSS), on the official website of RSS, the mother organization of the present day ruling party in India i.e.

Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) : “If partition is a settled fact, we are here to unsettle it. There is, in fact, no such thing as a ‘settled fact’ in this world. Things get settled or unsettled solely by the will of man. And man’s will is steeled by a spirit of dedication to a cause, which he knows to be righteous and glorious.” There are differences on the definition of Akhand Bharat but it is generally considered that Akhand Bharat means pre-partition

Akhand Bharat

British India i.e. India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. RSS’s idea of “Akhand Bharat” includes not only Pakistan and Bangladesh, but also Afghanistan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Tibet. It terms the com-

Ram Madhav

bined region as a “Rashtra” based on “Hindu cultural” similarities. The RSS has been quite vocal on the campaign for Akhand Bharat. Now since the BJP is in power in India and in most of the India states, one would come across some of the BJP leaders

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home so that it is always before our eyes. Suruchi Prakashan, a publishing house run by the RSS, has brought out a map called ‘Punyabhoomi Bharat’ in which Afghanistan is called “Upganathan”, Kabul “Kubha Nagar”, Peshawar “Purushpur”, Multan “Moolsthan”, Tibet “Trivishtap”, Sri Lanka “Singhaldweep” and Myanmar “Brahmadesh”, among others. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a surprise stopover at Lahore to greet the then PM Nawaz Sharif on his birthday, December 25, 2015, the move was heralded as nothing short of a master stroke, reminiscent of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s cross-border diplomacy of the 1990s. But a day later, on December 26, BJP National General Secretary and RSS pracharak(full-timer) Ram Madhav, in an interview

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raising the issue of Akhand Bharat and others issuing denials or clarifications. These days the concept of Akhand Bharat is projected as mere “cultural” and not political or national one. Even in the books published by RSS sympathizers like one titled “Pratyek Rashtrabhakta Ka Sapna: Akhand Bharat” (Dream of every patriot: Akhand Bharat), written by one Dr Sadanand Damodar Sapre says: “We can put the map of Akhand Bharat in our

them importance. They just criticized Gandhi and Their Congress. concept of Akhand Bharat was emotional and we are unable to understand even today what sort of Akhand Bharat was sought by RSS. This organization did perform an effective role in helping the Hindus during the communal dissensions and migration following the partition. V. D. Savarkar, the Supremo of Hindu Sri Guruju, the 2nd Chief of RSS Mahasabha, used to broadcast on Al-Jazeera give slogan of Akhand television channel, spoke Bharat, but his actions were of “Akhand Bharat”, one pro-partition.” that would see Pakistan A very few prominent and Bangladesh reunited and fearless dignitaries like with India “through popuJustice Markandey Katju, a lar goodwill”. “As an RSS retired Supreme Court member”, Madhav had said, “I hold on to that view”. The statement caused much controversy, and stole the thunder from Modi’s surprise Lahore visit, with many questioning the BJP’s and the government’s real political intentions, given that the RSS governs the ideology of the party. The Bharatiya Janata Party downplayed Justice Markandey Katju Madhav’s remarks on Akhand Bharat. BJP says judge, dare to run camwhile Madhav has a right to paign for the unification of his own views, the party India, Pakistan and and the government are Bangladesh saying : clear that India and “Akhand Bharat is RSS conPakistan are two sovereign cept, with Hindu supremanations. cy. Mine is united secular In the debating volume India, which doesn’t toler“Prativad”(ed. S. M. ate religious Bhave) on the e x t r e mism, Next Column: Marathi book Hindu or Whither Indian Muslim. All by Sheshrao More titled Republic after 68 Pakistanis and “Why Congress Bangladeshis years and Gandhiji are Indians. rejected Akhand Partition of 1947 was Bharat?”, a celebrated hisa historical swindle and torian Dr. Sadanad More fraud by the British, which writes : “During the partimust be undone.” These tion period, the Hindu days Unification of East organizations like RSS and Germany and West Hindu Mahasabha were not Germany is rather forgotstrong enough to perform ten ! any effective role for parti(The writer is a tion or resisting it since Socio-political Historian. they had no mass support E-mail: and the British did not give haridesai@gmail.com)

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INDIA

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Asian Voice | 13th January 2018

Year of the Indians Continued from page1 A hot topic on the internet, the event was dominated by ladies who called for an end to sexual harassment. It was more than an online trend, or a hashtag, or looking the best. It was a movement. As Oprah said, Time's Up. A powerful group of over 300 women began the movement as a way to show their support to women from all across the country, who face harassment, discrimination, or abuse. Actresses like Eva Longoria, Reese Witherspoon, Natalie Portman, Viola Davis, and others, openly posted about it on the internet, making it go viral by Sunday night. In a source of pride to India, many shone in the distinguished event, bringing to light their involvement right from the red carpet, to the stage, including the first IndianAmerican to win a Golden Globe for best actor. First Indian-American wins a Golden Globe for Best Actor Beloved stand-up comic and actor, 'Master of None' Aziz Ansari scored a phenomenal win as he took home the Golden Globe for Best Actor In A Television Series Musical or Comedy. Making history as the first male of Indian descent to win a best actor award in a television category, Ansari thanked several people for the win, including his parents who also appear on the Netflix show. “I genuinely didn't think I would win because all the websites said I was going to lose,” Ansari joked during his acceptance speech. He added, “Also, I’m glad we won this one because it would have really sucked to lose two of these in a row. It would have been a really sh***y moment for me, but this is nice.” His win prompted cheers amidst the AsianAmerican community in the industry, as artists tweeted congratulations to the actor. 'Harold and Kumar' actor Kal Penn shared a screenshot of a text conversation with his mother where she expresses happiness at Ansari's win. He captioned it, “This text from Mom was great. Congrats @azizansari! #GoldenGlobes” Nancy Wang Yuen tweeted, “Aziz Ansari won Best Actor in a Comedy! I was in shock and I think he wasn’t expecting it either. Not because he didn’t deserve it (he absolutely did) but, cuz racism. #GoldenGlobes” Kevin Nadal wrote, “Congrats @azizansari! 1st South Asian American to win Best Actor for #GoldenGlobes Comedy!

#SouthAsianExcellence # B r o w n A s i a n s #BrownAsiansExist” Born to a medical office worker and a gastroenterologist, Ansari's family is from Tamil Nadu. Born in Columbia, he graduated as a business major from NYU in 2004. Culture over Cause? Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA)

Meher Tatna

President Meher Tatna found herself at the end of crowd and press criticism as she showed up in a bright red gown and matching coat. Given it is the HFPA that bestows the annual Golden Globe Awards, Tatna's representation at the event was of prime importance. While many questioned her for not supporting the unofficial black dress code, the Mumbai-born producer and actor had her own reasons. Saying it is a “cultural thing”, Tatna said “When you have a celebration, you don't wear black.” She added that she had chosen the dress with her mother who was watching in Mumbai. “So she would be appalled if I were to [have] worn black. And so this is, for my mom.” She however did proudly display her Time’s Up button in support to the movement. Shining bright like a diamond As celebrities wore black for the day, they delivered some breathtaking looks. Perhaps the one

Dakota Johnson

to be most noticed was 'Fifty Shades of Grey' actress Dakota Johnson, who wore a long black Gucci gown. With 90s era spaghetti straps, a flowing train and a simple silver buckle, the actress was rid-

ing high on the sparkle department. The 28 year old who was a presenter at the awards completed her look with earrings and bangles from the Nirav Modi Luminance collection. The Indian-born designer, who is behind the $2.3 billion Firestar Diamond has remained a red carpet favourite. A statement issued by his office said the “cascade earrings” wore by Johnson have “different diamond shapes meticulously positioned to reflect distinctive plays of light.” The actress wore two bangles of varying widths in white goldthe “Classic Embrace Bangle” and “Grand Embrace Bangle”. “Beautiful when worn alone, it can be stacked with multiple other embrace bangles of different widths and gold colors for a grand look,” Modi said. Born in Belgium, the 47 year old dropped out of Wharton only to move to India and train under his uncle in the diamond industry. The Nirav Modi brand currently has stores in London, New York, Vegas, Hawaii, Hong Kong, Singapore, Beijing, Macau, Mumbai, and New Delhi. Priyanka Chopra supports Complete Blackout from NYC The already trending #MeToo movement found a boost with #WhyWeWearBlack as Alisters literally wore black to the prestigious event to show their solidarity to those who fall prey to power. Indian actress Priyanka Chopra, who has grown to be a household name in America, with her television series 'Quantico', could not make it to the event, but declared her support to the red carpet movement. Just hours before the awards, PeeCee took to Instagram to share a photo of her dressed in black. “Today we wear black. Wherever you are, whoever you are, whatever you're doing... join us # T i m e s U p #WhyWeWearBlack.” Goddess Oprah's rousing speech “Their time is up,” said a determined Oprah Winfrey to raging applause at the 75th Golden Globes, as she became the first black woman to accept the honorable Cecil B. DeMille award. In a speech that effectively moved people across the globe, Winfrey not only inspired women, but also warned men who use their power to silence the fairer sex. “So I want all the girls watching here and now to know that a new day is on the horizon.” And with this, she became the Presidential dream for all in the US of A.

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Modi showers love and praise on PIOs Continued from page1 Modi's mini parliament In a special acknowledgement of former Guyanese president Bharat Jagdeo, the PM said there are several people of Indian-origin who have become leaders of their countries. “We have a mini world parliament in front of us today. For enhancing our pride and dignity, you all deserve our appreciation.” Priti Patel: Potential to utilise our people to people links is enormous Priti Patel, the UK MP,

who led a delegation to the Indian Origins Parliamentarians to India to meet Modi, addressed the PM and the audience, calling it a honour to represent the United Kingdom. Referring to Modis' visit to the British Parliament back in 2015, Patel said, “You said there that, so much of the modern history of India is linked to our Parliament and Parliamentary traditions. That many freedom fighters of India found their calling in the institutions of Britain and that many makers of modern India came through our Parliament. The political struggle of Gandhiji will never be forgotten and still resonates with the new generation of politicians in the UK.” She added, “It is a mat-

ter of great pride that the UK is home to such a talented and ambitious Indian diaspora, over 1.5 million people. It is a privilege for us to represent them not just in our parliamentary and political capacity, but also to champion their achievements nationally and internationally too. The contribution that British Indians have made to the United Kingdom, is remarkable, covering all walks of life and that also applies to our Parliamentarians from all political parties and backgrounds, whose belief

dream.”

in family, in community, in enterprise and belief in serving others is self-evident.” “Our PIO Parliamentarians, offer Leadership to our community & continue to encourage a new generation to aspire to new highs & positions across British society which only a generation ago were considered to be a

origin from various countries are expected to participate in the conference. The event will be inaugurated by the Indian President Ram Nath Kovind, with Home Minister Rajnath Singh to be the Guest of Honour. Other ministers to attend the event are Dharmendra Pradhan, Piyush Goyal, Santosh Gangwar, and others.

International Conference of PIO Parliamentarians In a boost to Modi's encouragement of more involvement between the country and people of Indian-origins, the AntarRashtriya Sahayog Parishad (ARSP) and People of Indian Origin Chamber of Commerce and Industry have organised an International Conference of PIO Parliamentarians in New Delhi on January 10. Over one hundred Parliamentarians of Indian

Obituary

Mr Krishna Kumar Mr Krishna Kumar, ex officer of Bank of Baroda passed away at the age of 72 at the Barnet Hospital on Saturday, 6th January 2018. The funeral service will take place at the St M a r y l e b o n e

Crematorium, East End Road, East Finchley, London N2 0RZ on Sunday 14th January 2018 at 10:45 am. If you wish to contact the family please email archita29@aol.com

HEALTH & LIFESTYLE

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Asian Voice | 13th January 2018

Seasonal patterns of depressive symptoms more common in women than men Women, but not men, experience seasonal changes in their mood across the year, including more depressive symptoms in winter, a new study from the University of Glasgow has found. These changes appear to be independent of social and lifestyle factors, such as smoking, alcohol use and physical activity. The research, from the University’s Institute of Health and Wellbeing and published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, showed low mood, tiredness and anhedonia (the inability to experience pleasure from activities usually found enjoyable) peaked in the winter months in women. A relationship between shorter days and greater depressive symptoms in women was also found, but this may have been explained by variation in outdoor temperatures. A condition previously

referred to as Seasonal Affective Disorder (clinically-significant depressive symptoms peaking during winter months) affects up to 3% of the general population. It is also more common for patients with a history of major depression to experience more symptoms during winter, with new prescriptions of antidepressants also rising. The researchers performed a cross-sectional analysis of more than 150,000 participants of the UK Biobank cohort, and analysed data to assess evidence of seasonal variation by scoring ‘total depressive symptoms’, plus symptoms of low mood, anhedonia, tenseness and tiredness. Associations between depressive symptoms and day length and average outdoor temperatures were also assessed. Daniel Smith, Professor of Psychiatry,

to 'super powders' like turmeric and some unusual nuts and oils, they've compiled a list of the top seven superfoods to look out for this year. 1. Cassava Flour: Lots of people are familiar with more unusual flours made

Teacher asked the students to tell the importance of the year 1809. John stood up and said “Abraham Lincoln was born.” The teacher again asked the students to tell the importance of another year 1819 Then Sam suddenly stand up and said “Abraham Lincoln was ten years old”! *** A dog walks into a butcher shop and the butcher asks, “What do you want?” The dog points to steak in a glass case. “How many pounds?” The dog barks twice. “Anything else?” The dog points to some pork chops and barks four times. So the butcher wraps up a twopound steak and four pork chops, and places the bag in the dog’s mouth. He then takes money from a purse tied around the dog’s neck, and sees him out. A customer, who has been watching in amazement, follows the dog to a house several blocks away, where it rings the doorbell to be let in. As the owner appears at the door, the customer says, “What a remarkable dog!” “Remarkable?” snorts the owner. “This is the second time this week he’s forgotten his keys.” *** A man boards a plane and is seated next to an Air Marshall and his ‘sniffing dog’. Soon, the plane takes off and the Marshall says, “Sniffer, search.” The dog walks along the aisle, and stops next to a woman. He then returns to his seat and puts a paw on the Marshall’s arm. “Good boy,” says the Marshall. “What happened?” asks the man. “That woman is in possession of marijuana. We’ll arrest her when we land.” Once again, Sniffer searches the aisles. He stops beside a man, then returns to his seat, and places two paws on the Marshall’s arm. “That man is carrying cocaine,” the Marshall explains. The dog walks up the aisle again, then races back, jumps into his seat, and poops all over it. “What’s going on?!” demands the man. The Marshall nervously replies, “He just found a bomb!”

To Our Readers

We are publishing these items in good faith, kindly consult your Doctor before you try to implement any advice. We do not hold any responsibility for its efficacy...

Working night shifts raises women's chances of developing cancer by 19%

said: “This very large, population-based study provides evidence of seasonal variations in depressive symptoms which appear to be more pronounced in women than in men. We don’t yet fully understand why this should be the case, but it was interesting that the changes were independent of social and lifestyle factors, perhaps suggesting a sex-specific biological mechanism. Clearly, this is a complex but important area which

requires further study.” “Clinicians should be aware of these population-level sex differences in seasonal mood variation, to aid the recognition and treatment of depressive symptoms across the calendar year.” This work made use of data from UK Biobank www.ukbiobank.ac.uk A full copy of the study is available here: http://www.jadjournal.com/article/S0165 -0327(17)31856-6/fulltext

6 superfoods that will be big in 2018 Cassava flour, mushrooms and, rather surprisingly, bacon are some of the latest superfoods expected to take the nation by storm in 2018, according to online healthy food retailer MuscleFood.com. Ranging from exotic maqui berries

from coconut or buckwheat, but the latest wheat substitute to hit the shelves is cassava. Traditionally used in Bali and South Asia, this soft flour, made from the root vegetable cassava, is paleo and vegan friendly as well as being gluten- and nutfree, making it an excellent alternative for those with intolerances. 2. Super powders: The health and wellbeing benefits of 'super powders' like turmeric are well documented. The bright golden-yellow spice is known for its anti-inflammatory properties, and some studies suggest it could help combat dementia. As a result, the health food retailer say they expect to see a big rise in people taking powders including turmeric, maca, cacao and matcha - which are high in antioxidants and said to help speed up metabolism. 3. Maqui berries: These tasty little morsels are low in sugar and crammed

with anti-oxidants, as well as being packed with vitamins. With a much milder flavour than Goji or Acai berries, they're even thought to help regulate

blood sugar levels – perfect for those looking for a simple way to combat sugar cravings without getting a dreaded insulin spike. 4. Tiger nuts: These small, raisin-like nuts are brimming with fibre, vegetable protein, potassium and prebiotics, known to assist digestion. They're also a fantastic source of magnesium, a natural muscle relaxant and essential mineral to keep blood pressure healthy and bones strong. 5. Nut oils: Whether derived from almonds, cashews, peanuts, walnuts, hazelnuts or any other variety of nut imag-

Women who work night shifts have a higher risk of certain cancers, new research suggests. Overall, long-term night shift work increased the risk by 19 per cent. Skin cancer was raised by 41 per cent, breast cancer by 32 per cent and stomach cancer by 18 per cent. Nurses working nights were found to have the biggest risk of developing breast cancer – 58 per cent higher than in those who only worked days. They also had a 35 per cent higher chance of gastrointestinal cancer and 28 per cent of lung cancer.

Scientist reveals there is 'no evidence' that the 'food fashion' is beneficial – unless you have coeliac disease

You may have heard that adopting a gluten-free diet could be good for your health. But now a gastroenterologist has warned there is 'no evidence' that avoiding the proteins found in wheat, rye and barley is beneficial. Dr Suzanne Mahady, a senior lecturer, Monash University, said only those diagnosed with coeliac disease should keep to the strict diet. She even suggested in a piece for The Conversation that steering clear of gluten could have the opposite effect to the one that is desired. Dr Mahady wrote on the website: 'For people without coeliac disease, there’s no evidence to support claims a strict gluten-free diet is beneficial for health. Coeliac disease sufferers often restrict themselves from eating the protein as it can make them severely ill.

Sensor that fits on a user's thumbnail could prevent skin cancer by warning them when they are getting too much sun exposure

A sensor worn on the thumbnail could prevent skin cancer by alerting wearers when they are getting too much sun exposure. The battery-free UV Sense device detects radiation from the sun and changes colour to show how high levels are. By measuring how long a wearer has been outside, the device, which is less than 2mm thick and 9mm in diameter, encourages users to reapply sun cream when scanned by a user's smartphone. UV Sense, which launched in the US last week, is due to be available in the UK in 2019. Its price is unclear. Melanoma, which is the most serious form of skin cancer and often spreads, affects more than 15,000 new people every year in the UK. Its main cause is overexposure to UV light.

Dreaded 'Aussie flu' outbreak is 'unpredictable', expert warns as figures show cases have soared by 70% in a week

inable, last year the whole nation was in a nut butter frenzy. This year however, MuscleFood.com predict nut oils will be the new nutty product of choice. The retailer claims these oils posses a better smoke point than others, as well as having a lower trans fat intake. 6. Mushrooms: Who would have thought? The modest mushroom is actually a powerful antioxidant – crammed with Vitamin D and B-Vitamins. This is why the fungi is expected to become the main ingredient in some unlikely concoctions - tea, coffee and even soaps... Alternatively, you could just try having them on toast.

The dreaded 'Aussie flu' has bewildered experts who 'don't know' how bad this year's outbreak is going to become amid mounting pressure on the NHS. Government figures show cases of the contagious virus have soared by 70 per cent in a week with 2,810 new people struck down in the last seven days. Hospitals have been plunged into chaos because of the sharp rise in flu, and GPs have been forced to cancel holiday and work late into the night to cope. Just two areas of the UK are believed to be free of the potentially fatal bug, which has placed left the NHS over-stretched ahead of a busy winter.

www.asian-voice.com AsianVoiceNews

Asian Voice | 13th January 2018

Can't give 5 years to a film now, says Prabhas

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Ashok Selvan to sport three looks

‘Kaalakaandi’

'Kaalakaandi' is a Bollywood black comedy film, written and directed by Akshat Verma. The movie stars Saif Ali Khan and Sobhita Dhulipala in lead roles.

Venkat Prabhu plays an evil cop in 'Kalavu'

ctor Venkat Prabhu will play an evil cop in Murali Karthik's upcoming 'Kavalu'. The film which will feature Kalaiyarasan and Karunakaran in the lead, is reportedly based on a couple of incidents that Karthik read about in newspapers. “How one incident changes the lives of the main characters is what the story is about,” he said. The crew has already finished shooting Venkat's portions in the city. “When I approached him for the role, he was a bit apprehensive as it was a negative role. But we convinced him,” he said. The movie will feature Abhirami Iyer, Pandiarajan, Chinni Jayanth, and Mime Gopi in supporting roles. While Venkat has done several different roles, this is the first time he has donned the khaki. He is meanwhile, also busy with another production venture, directed by Saravanan Rajan, and has Vaibhav, Sana Althaf, and Sampath in important roles.

his tall, hunky actor rose to fame as Mahendra and Amarendra Baahubali in SS Rajamouli's magnum opus 'Baahubali'. After contributing five years to the franchise, Prabhas now believes he will not be able to devote so much time in any future projects. What was touted as the country's biggest success, the movie has now become synonymous to his identity. “Actors have limited time. We also have a shelf life. I think I can't give five years to one project now. Even if I ever give that much time, will simultaneously keep doing other projects because age is also a factor. It will not be good for my career,” he said. He said the two-part fantasy drama was a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” and he was aware that the grand scale of the project demanded a certain level of dedication. “Most of my projects now will have a universal appeal. Regional cinema is different, so now I am trying to choose stories that cater to my audiences across the country. I will do stories which most of the audiences like,” he said. Addressing rumours about his Bollywood debut, the 38 year old said, “I am definitely interested in doing films in Bollywood, and not only in Hindi, I am open to working anywhere in the country, even if it is Punjabi. I will do films in any of the languages, provided the script is good. The region and the language don't matter.” He said his aim as an actor is to deliver mainstream entertaining fare. “I want my films to be entertaining, not comedy, but something which is gripping. In future, I may do a dark film but currently entertainment is the main criterion,” he said.

Hansika is not part of 'Katteri'

shok Selvan is all set to be seen in a brand new rugged avatar, as the 'Soodhu Kavvum' actor takes a break from his usual soft-spoken role. His upcoming, 'Oxygen', directed by Anand Krishna, is an action crime thriller. “The film looks at the three different sections of the societythe rich, middle-class, and the poor. Ashok plays an honest guy and the problems he faces because of this nature forms the plot. For me, honest people are the oxygen of our world, and that is why we decided to title the film 'Oxygen',” Krishna said. “He is an ordinary guy who undergoes a transformation. Ashok will be seen in three looks- as a student, a family man, and this rugged look.” He said that 20 per cent of the film has already been shot and the remaining portions will be completed in the next two-three months.

Dhanush's next directorial is with Sri Thenandal Films

Vijay and Keerthy Suresh paired again in Murugadoss' next

ijay and Keerthy Suresh have once again been paired together, this time for AR Murugadoss' next. A source close to the 'Bairavaa' actress said, “Yes, she has been confirmed for the project. It will be an interesting role for Keerthy. The team had organised a look test for Vijay on January 2. Murugadoss is likely to begin shooting for the project after Pongal, and the film will most probably go on floors in Chennai.” Music for the film will be rendered by AR Rahman. It has to be noted that this is the first time both the ace artists will collaborate for a Tamil film. They had previously worked for the Hindi remake of 'Ghajini'.

ver since Oviya walked out of Deekay's 'Katteri', grapevine swore that Hansika has filled in her place. However, a source close to the actress recently revealed that she is not part of the film. “It is true that she was approached and she even read the script. However, she couldn't take up the project owing to date issues.” The 'Bogan'

actress is currently gearing up for the release of 'Gulaebaghavali', opposite Prabhudeva. She also recently wrapped up the first schedule of her next with Atharvaa. “The second schedule will begin by end of January or early February. She has also finalised her next and announcements will be made soon,” the source said.

ce actor and director Dhanush said that his next directorial venture would be for Tamil film production and distribution house Sri Thenandal Films where he would play the lead role in the yet to be titled film. That would be his 37th project as an actor. More updates in 2018! Hema Rukmani, Murali Ramasamy, Aditi. Looking Forward,” the filmmakeractor tweeted. CEO of Sri Thenandal Films, Hema Rukmani

said, “The multitalented Dhanush's next directorial will be with us! Dhanush will play the lead role in this spectacular larger than life opus. More exciting updates in 2018! Let's rock.” the actor was last seen in 'VIP 2', directed by his wife Soundarya Rajinikanth. A sequel of 2014 film 'Velaiilla Pattadhari', the movie also starred Kajol, Amala Paul, Vivek, Hrishikesh, Saranya Ponvannan, and Samuthirakani.

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Asian Voice | 13th January 2018

Priyanka resumes 29-year old claims to 'Quantico' shoot be Aishwarya’s son

riyanka Chopra has entered yet another year of hectic filming schedules as she heads back to the sets of her hit American TV show 'Quantico'. Dressed in heavy winter wear, mittens, and earmuffs, PeeCee was seen sipping on a hot beverage as she waited for the cameras to roll. After ringing in the New Year with family and friends, the 'Baywatch' actress has returned to New York. “And I'm back.. 3 am landings.. 6 am shoots.. a story in the life of.. me.. #NYC #planeflies,” she captioned a gloomy photo of herself.

Is Suhana Khan gearing up to join Bollywood?

ear 2017 was the year of the star kids, and by the looks of it, there is no stopping them. One of the most promising teenagers in B-Town, Shah Rukh Khan's 17 year old daughter, Suhana recently took everybody by surprise with her stunning transformation. The young lady, who has already turned heads with her chic outfits and stunning public appearances, looked like a vision in her traditional outfits. Attending a family wedding in New Delhi with her parents, Suhana chose an exquisite sage green Monisha Jaising

lehenga hand-embroidered with silken thread and accents of crystals. For the mehendi ceremony, she wore a Seema Khan white floral overlay lehenga which she paired with pretty flower jewellery to complete the look. Exuding grace and elegance in each pose, Suhana gives us hopes of a Bollywood debut soon. It is no secret that she wants to follow in her father's footsteps, and while there is no confirmation of her joining the industry soon, daddy dearest has made sure she completes her education in London before she thinks of a career in acting.

ries of those who face discrimination in their lives and overcome it with determination. It's about ordinary people making extraordinary changes to their lives and overcoming massive challenges and stigmas. It is a promotional music video and it might or might not be

Dosanjh to play hockey star Sandeep Singh

Rani to shoot uplifting music video

ani Mukherjee who is back on the wagon after a deserved sabbatical, with a funny and educating film 'Hichki'. Naina Mathur, a woman born to be a teacher takes on a challenge, even as she herself battles with Tourette Syndrome, a nervous system disorder. The film also addresses the discriminations existing in the society. Keeping in line with the optimistic spirit of the film, Rani will also shoot a special promotional music video for the movie, celebrating victory over all sorts of social stigmas. “The video shows sto-

The actress was joined by Jessica Hecht, a new member in the 'Quantico' cast. The two were seen enjoying a new conversation between shots. The third season of the series has been cut down to 13 episodes and will have a mid-season premiere. Besides 'Quantico', Chopra has already called a close on her next film 'Isn't It Romantic', featuring Adam Devine, Liam Hemsworth, and Rebel Wilson, which is slated for a February 14, 2019 release. She will also be seen in 'A Kid Like Jake', featuring Jim Parsons.

in the film. The makers will take a decision on this later,” a source said. P r o d u c e r M a n e e s h Sharma said, “'Hichki' could stand for anything. It refers to any handicap, challenge, or block that you face and in the film, we tell you that you can overcome it. Being judgemental can be a hichki, as can be social prejudice and personal bias.” Sharma added, “With this video, as with the film, we show stories of those who deal with hichkis smoothly, to achieve their dream.”

espite how hard biopics are, they are currently the more popular choice to get the audience to connect with the film. Making of a biopic isn't easy, as the lead actor not only has to characterise as person, but needs to look convincing and connect with the audience as well. Following in the footsteps of Priyanka Chopra, who played Mary Kom in 'Mary Kom', and Farhan Akhtar, who was Milkha Singh in 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag', Punjabi rockstar Diljeet Dosanjh is all set to emulate hockey star and former captain of the Indian team, Sandeep Singh. Titled 'Soorma', the movie is produced by actress Chitrangada Singh who approached the actor to play the central character. It is, however, to be noted that he wasn't the first choice for the role. Sandeep said actor Ranveer Singh was first approached for the role, but he had to decline due to date issues. When asked about Dosanjh, he said, “It took a lot of effort for Chitrangada Singh to put his project together. She met a lot of filmmakers, actors and writers for the project. We wanted someone who looks real while playing me on screen.”

n the most bizarre of scoops, a 29 year old man has emerged claiming to be former Miss World Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's son. In a media interaction held in Mangalore, Sangeeth Kumar said the actress is his mother and had given birth to him by IVF way back in 1988 before becoming a public figure. “I was born to her by IVF in London in 1988. I was brought up in Chodavaram from age 3 to 27. I was with my grandmother, Brinda Krishnaraj Rai's family at the age of one and two in Mumbai. My grandfather Krishnaraj Rai died in April 2017, and my uncle's name is Aditya Rai,” he said. “My mother got married in 2007 with Abhishek Bachchan and she is sepa-

rated, living alone. I want my mom to come and live with me in Mangaluru. It's already 27 years since I separated from my family, I miss her a lot. I don't want to go to Vishakhapatnam, at least I want my mother's number so that I'll be free,” Kumar said. He also claimed that he couldn't reach the mother of one due to a lack of information. “I'm getting enormous headache and anger at my native place, most of my relatives have manipulated things since childhood, otherwise, I would have come back to my mother before itself with clear information. Due to lack of information, I could not come to my mother, so now I got all clarity. The ultimate thing is I want my mom.”

Vikram Bhatt's encounter with ghost

hose who know Vikram Bhatt, are familiar with his love for horror. And while he continues his tradition of delivering prime quality ghost stories with the upcoming '1921', the filmmaker got up, close, and personal with one in real life. Shooting in the Wentworth Woodhouse, South Yorkshire, England, Bhatt caught an apparition of an old man in the lawns of the house. Sharing a photo for all to witness, the director revealed that the house is one of the most haunted properties in the United

Kingdom, adding that the house belonged to a man who owned coal mines and now haunts the property. While this could very well be a publicity stunt, '1921' has caught ample excitement. Trailer of the film has already shot across 10 million, and in fact, his brother Mahesh Bhatt spoke highly of him. “Just when the self-proclaimed pundits of our trade had written the obituary of the horror genre, comes a tale of love and horror from the director of Raaz who made horror not only profitable but also 'respectable'.”

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Facts You Didn't know about maths

l The sum of the digits of the number added to 9 is always equal

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to the sum of the digits of the result. Take any four digit number and try it! l ‘FOUR’ is the only number in the English language that is spelt with the same number of letters as the number itself. l Among all shapes with the same area circle has the shortest perimeter and among all shapes with the same perimeter a circle has the largest area.

WORD SEARCH

DECIMAL ALGEBRA CALCULATE DIAMETER EQUAL FRACTION TRIANGLE VERTICAL GEOMETRY RADIUS

T Q C A L C U L A T E

P R A D I U S Q D V F

D T Y S C N B O G E R

E R D I A M E T E R A

C I Q F L E B M O T C

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nates your solar tenth house. This phase will bring increased public recognition and professional success. This can be a time of career advancement, and success in business. Your worldly or public status may change for the better. Integrity, directness, and honesty will get you everywhere now.

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21 The New Moon this week rein-

forces and energizes your need to broaden your horizons and stimulate your mind. Mars continues to transit your partnership sector all month. Although there are very intense amorous energies indicated in your chart, the trouble is that these are likely to be marred by feelings of jealousy. Do not therefore dabble in anything that could harbour such negative thoughts.

GEMINI May 22 - June 22 The New Moon this week acti-

vates your eighth house--joint finances, loans, taxes, sexuality, and psychological matters. This is a time of increased accumulation of wealth if you manage your resources well. In some cases, a significant tax refund, inheritance, or other such benefit might arrive during this period. A good time to start self improvement programs.

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22 The New Moon this week stimulates your relationship sector. You may enjoy benefits through marriage, business partnerships, negotiations, and/or contractual agreements. Financial benefits could possibly come through partnerships. The need for freedom in your social relationships is stronger than ever.

New memories to make, Happiness to share No more sadness here or there. Occasions to look forward to Badness to forget A year full of luck Ready to Cascade upon us. Yax Raval Age-13yrs Year-8 School-Claremont High School Academy

Naughty Kid: “Hello! Do you have a refrigerator?” Man: Yes, I have. Who are you? Kid: “Is It running?” Man: “Yes.” Kid: “Get Hold of it..... Otherwise it might run away.” The man slams down the phone.!! After a few minutes the phone bell rings again. Naughty Kid: “Hello! Do you have a refrigerator?” Man (Angrily): “No, I don’t have.” Kid: “Didn't I tell you to hold it?”

The New Moon this week positively strengthens your work and health sector. You are likely to see growth in these areas, as well as daily routines. Benefits may come through work itself, co-workers, or employees during this cycle. You might be especially interested in the healing arts such as massage or aromatherapy.

LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23

The New Moon this week gives a great boost to your creative fifth house. Your willingness to enjoy yourself and explore your creativity now brings new opportunities.. Love and romance may come into your life or an existing romance is enhanced with good humour and warmth. Pregnancy or childbirth may occur during this time.

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23

The New Moon this week highlights your home and family sector. You are likely to find much joy and pleasure in your family connections and experiences during this period. Opportunities to buy or sell real estate for financial gain may present themselves. Home improvements and renovations are also favoured.

The New Moon this week gives you a great boost in your third house of communications. A great time for mental pursuits and literary opportunities present themselves. During this period, neighbours or relatives could be especially helpful in your life. You express your ideas with more enthusiasm and positivity, and they are received well.

SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22

New targets now goals new adventures big and small ready for the year ahead me and all.

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The UK’s leading Vedic writer and TV personality

ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20 The New Moon this week rejuve-

A Year full of memories A Year full of joy Time to say goodbye And welcome the new year

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8 6 4 7 2 3 9 1 5

SUDOKU - 004 5 2 1 6 8 9 4 3 7

9 3 7 1 4 5 2 8 6

6 8 9 3 1 2 5 7 4

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7 5 6 2 3 1 8 4 9

1 4 3 5 9 8 7 6 2

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SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21 The New Moon this week boosts your financial sector. You are likely to enjoy success in your various monetary ventures.. You will be more confident and enthusiastic about your earning ability. Money problems from the past may clear up during this period and there will be many opportunities to accumulate wealth. Opportunities abound ! CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20

The New Moon this week occurs in your sign, giving you an energy boost and is particularly beneficial and significant for you. This heightens your optimism and confidence. You are greeting life with a fresh and positive attitude. You have an altogether different perspective on life now, and are not fazed by anything. Furthering yourself comes easy during this time.

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19

The New Moon this week benefits activities that take place "behind the scenes". This is a cycle in which you become more compassionate, sensitive and get in deeper touch with these traits. This phase in the twelfth house is said to give us spiritual protection. Meditation and retreats may be particularly helpful to you now.

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20 The New Moon this week lights up your solar eleventh house. This phase brings benefits and fresh energy to networking activities, long-term goals and organisations in your life. Achieving your goals tends to come more easily. Income from your business or career is likely to increase. You can rely on your friends for their help and support.

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Asian Voice | 13th January 2018

A small village in Gujarat becomes

India's first Golden Village

---Jitendra Umatia, Mitul Paniker

small village near Bagsara, Saurashtra, Rafala found itself in the limelight recently as it received the title of 'Golden Village', bringing pride to Gujarat and its government. A small area with only a 1000 people to account for, the entire village is painted in gold and boasts of several visitors. Credit for the transformation of the village goes to social activist and leader Savjibhai Kurjibhai Vekaria Rafala celebrated a threeday festival starting on October 31 which is also celebrated as Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Jayanti. The celebrations saw three different themes on each day, with appropriate

and pure any where in my life of 72 years. More than an adarsh village, this appears like a fathers' village.” Vasavada said statues of Sardar Vallabhbhai are installed every where, but Rafala is the first village to also realise his talent and dedication. The event also saw Shaurya Chakra awardee Major Rakesh Sharma, Param Vir Chakra awardee Col Bana Singh, Subaidar Sanjay Singh and Mahavir Chakra awardee Digendra Singh recognised for their undeterred contribution to the country.

Savjibhai and his determination to reform Rafala After investing 2 years of his life in the village, Savjibhai successfully car-

Kurjibhai had passed away only a few months before, and his mother Labhuben had lost her eye sight to her age. While she did see her beloved village metamorphose, she could not watch the public recognition it got. In the mammoth-sized task undertaken by Savjibhai, he had the constant support of his wife Hansaben, daughter Subhadra, and son Siddharth. Today, he stands as a stellar proof that a single man can move mountains if he has his heart set on it. Savjibhai has for very long been carrying out different activities in the name of his grandfather as the trustee of Mohanbhai Dayabhai Lok-Kalyan Trust. He would also pro-

Gram Sansad Bhavan

Esteemed guests (from left): Prafulbhai Pansheriya, Jayantibhai Babariya, Lt. Col. Bana Singh, Major Sanjay Kumar, Savjibhai Dholakia, Lavjibhai (Badshah), Krishnakant Vakhariya, Morari Bapu, Savjibhai Vekaria, Kanjibhai Bhalada, Major Rakesh Sharma, Digendra Singh, Nanubhai Savalia, and Dhirubhai Kotadia

ried out approximately 23 schemes. After attaining his higher secondary education in Amreli, he went to Surat in 1988 and established a company n a m e d Hindustan He Savjibhai gives Morari Bapu a tour around Twister. also began to ‘Ladli Bhavan’ deeply involve himself in public services. programmes held accordIt was by this time that ingly. The first day saw Savjibhai dreamt of a Ramji temple and brighter, modern, and Someshwar temple be dedevolved Rafala. He wanted icated to the public and a maha aarti of all the gods and goddesses of the village. Present on the occasion, Swami Madhavpriyadasji said that Savjibhai, along with support of the villagers, has established a feat not even the government was capable of. The second day saw several guests like Morari Bapu, well-known YA author Jay Vasavada, and others. On the third day, Mohanbhai Dayabhai LokKalyan Trust organised 'Krushi Vandana', where Replica of India Gate and farmers were given the Amar Jawan Jyoti khedut gaurav award. to pay homage to his parAddressing the event, ents, who had spent their Morari Bapu said, “I have entire lives in the village, travelled across the globe, by making it an ideal and but have never seen a vilwonderful place. His father lage so entirely beautiful

vide villagers with benefits by inviting social thinkers and artists to the village. He has also served as vicepresident of the Vishwa Gujarati Samaj, Saurashtra Patel Sewa Samaj, Surat, and trustee of the Saputara Malegaon Prayosha Pratishthan. He also undertook several initiatives in Bagasara and Surat, in a bid to encourage education among the children of the village. Savjibhai withstood cold, heat, and the rains to look after the village and the implemented changes. He even spent almost all of his savings in his determination to reform Rafala. After spending crores of rupees, he was able to install internationallevel facilities and establish new bhavans in a couple of years, completely changing the face of the village. People of all religions and castes helped him create what he had conceived, supporting him in the completion of his dream project. 'My work isn't over yet. I had divided it into ten divisions, and it is a wonder that one part has been completed. Now, along with making the village self-dependent, I also want to bring about employment, creating a

bands houses, along with their photos and information including their memories. Savjibhai fondly calls it the 'Palace of Golden Village Rafala Princesses'.

Four-in-one Tower

brand for Rafala. In addition to creating the best education system for the children, I want to encourage research and bring innovation in the agriculture field,” Savjibhai said. A village for daughters In just two years, Rafala underwent remarkable change. 'Ladli Bhavan' were created, a concept that was a child conceived out of progressive ways and age-old culture. The Bhavan boasts hand prints of 451 women who married and went to their hus-

Dared to dream: Savjibhai Vekaria

Seven entrances and a four-in-one tower Dedicated to the Param Vir chakra awardees, the village constructed the India Rafala’s Muktidham (Cemetery) Gate, Amar Jawan Jyoti though is the Antim and the Shaheedsmarak Sanskaar Shangaargruh. Chowk. Also constructed is Speaking about the vila 42 foot tall four-in-one lage's cemetery, Morari tower equipped with an Bapu said, “I almost made announcement system, up my mind of dying here, lighting and a clock. The but I am yet to complete village's entrance gateso many kathas.” Sardar Gate, is also beautifully created. It is just part All Gods for One of the area's seven Ramji Mandir, entrances which are, Paalanpir, Dadma Dada, Gandhi Gate, Ladli Gate, Momai Mata, Devi Mandir Gate, Muktidham Sheetadai, and other temGate, Saraswati Gate and ples of Gods of different Haathi Gate. Also created beliefs have been justly is a Kranti Chowk which is renovated. A brand new dedicated to school was built along Subhashchandra Bose, with the Saraswati temple. Shahid Bhagat Singh, Roads, Panchayat Office, Swami Vivekanand, and sheds for animals on all Rani Laxmibai. four corners of the village, and a specially-made Muktidham dhobi-ghat for people of Rafala's Muktidham is the village to wash their based on scientific clothes, all adorn Rafala, approach. It boasts of a 11 setting it apart from other foot Shivling, a Shivvillages. Also available is Hanuman statue and a Wi-Fi, underground gutBhalka Tirth replica. What ter, and LED lights. catches the eye the most

Sport 32

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INDIA LOSE TO SOUTH AFRICA BY 72 RUNS IN OPENING TEST

Vernon Philander starred with the ball as South Africa beat India by 72 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match Test series at Cape Town. Philander, who ended the match with nine wickets, registered his career-best Test bowling figures. Hosts, after being bowled out for 130 in the second innings at lunch on Day 4, bowled brilliantly that helped them to come back in the Test match. Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay took India off to a decent start but were put on the back foot, courtesy some great seam bowling from the Proteas. The hosts picked up wickets at regular intervals that never really allowed the Indians to get off the hook. However, the visitors looked threatening as Ravichandran Ashwin and Bhuvneshwar Kumar stitched together a 49-run eighth-wicket partnership and brought India closer to the total before Philander struck once again and broke the partnership by dismissing Ashwin. Following which, Mohammad Shami and Jasprit Bumrah were dismissed in quick succession. Ashwin top-scored for India as the visitors were bowled out for 135 in their second innings. South Africa were on course of what seemed a rather straightforward victory. Then the winds of change blew. Newlands received

sweet summer rain. On a spruced-up day four wicket, India's fast bowlers charged in and blew away South Africa's second innings, giving their batsmen 208 to claim a victory. Unfortunately for India, Philander produced an outstanding piece of seam bowling - his career-best figures of 6 for 42 - giving South Africa a 72-run win and the

1-0 series lead. Only the formalities were left for the final session. All the drama was played out before that. It began in the morning with Virat Kohli asking his bowlers not to offer any batsman a semblance of comfort. As Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah set about responding to their captain's call, the wickets began tumbling in a heap.

Saha breaks Dhoni's record

With the catch of South Africa's Morne Morkel off Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the second innings of the first Test at Cape Town, Wriddhiman Saha broke the record of the most dismissals in a Test by an Indian wicketkeeper. It was Saha's 10th catch of the contest as he went past the record of nine dismissals set by former captain Dhoni against Australia in Melbourne in December 2014. While Saha's dismissals were all catches, Dhoni's included one stumping. The best of the 33-year-old's 10 dismissals was a sharp catch he took to get rid of Kagiso Rabada in the first innings off the bowling of R Ashwin. Overall, Saha's effort is the joint-second best in the Test history.

Four fell in the first hour for the addition of 27 runs. The other four fell in the next with only AB de Villiers resisting. When he was dismissed for the innings top score of 35, South Africa were bowled out for 130. That gave India renewed hope as the target of 208 would be tough but not impossible. And as Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan pushed that score to 30 after the first half-an-hour post lunch, they were perhaps favourites. Vijay was reprieved twice. Then the wickets did and in keeping with the rest of the Test match, they were hard to stop. When Morkel returned for another spell, he reduced India to 39 for 3, getting Pujara nicking off to a length delivery that bounced more than usual. India's hopes rested on Kohli. He began by flicking to cover for boundaries. Kohli, circumspect about the away seamer, was done in by a full and straighter delivery. He reviewed, of course, but the three reds on the screen all but rubber-stamped India's fate. Brief scores: South Africa 286 (AB de Villiers 65, Faf du Plessis 62; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 4-87) & 130 (AB de Villiers 35*; Mohammed Shami 3-28, Jasprit Bumrah 3-39) beat India 209 (Hardik Pandya 93; Vernon Philander 3-33, Kagiso Rabada 3-34) & 135 (Ravichandran Ashwin 37; Vernon Philander 6-42) by 72 runs

Australia clinch Ashes series 4-0 Australia defeated England by an innings and 123 runs to win the fifth and final Ashes test at the Sydney Cricket Ground and complete a comprehensive 4-0 series victory. The one-sided match ended just after lunch on the fifth day when Australia bowled the tourists out for 180 in its second innings after the England captain Joe Root retired hurt on 58 and his team's lower order offered little resistance to the hosts. Australia had already regained the Ashes by winning the first three tests and only missed out on a 5-0 series sweep when last week's fourth match in Melbourne ended in a draw. "It's been a great couple of months. The cricket we've played has been outstanding," Australia captain Steve Smith said. Root was too sick to attend the post-match presentation so Jimmy Anderson deputized for him, telling the crowd his team

had been thoroughly beaten over the series. "To be honest, we've been outplayed in the key moments of each game. We've been in the games to an extent, but we've just not been able to capitalize on the opportunities," Anderson said. "Credit to Steve (Smith) and his team, they've played fantastically well throughout the series and were the far better side.â&#x20AC;? Root missed Monday's start of play after being taken to hospital before the resumption because of a

stomach bug, and although he did come out and bat through to lunch, briefly giving the embattled tourists hope of salvaging a draw, he did not return for the second session. With Root absent, Australia fast bowler Pat Cummins blew away the lower order after the interval to finish with 4-39 and earn the player of the match award, while spinner Nathan Lyon took 3-54. Moeen Ali joined Jonny Bairstow at the crease at the start of the day, with

England resuming on 93-4, after Root arrived late to the ground still recovering after suffering from vomiting and diarrhoea. Ali, who has had a mostly torrid series with bat and ball, survived for 43 balls before being trapped leg before wicket by Lyon for Australia's only breakthrough before lunch. It was the seventh time in nine innings that Ali has been dismissed by the Australian spinner. Root received a standing ovation from the crowd as he made his way to the middle, and despite feeling unwell, he appeared composed at the crease and quickly raised his fifth half-century of the series came with a flick to fine leg off Lyon for three. Root and Bairstow safely steered the tourists to lunch, but when the English skipper failed to reappear at the re-start, England's demise came about quickly

Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow dropped from T20I squad All-rounder Moeen Ali, who has been short of form on the Ashes tour, and wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow have been rested for England's Twenty20 squad for a tri-series against Australia and New Zealand while Ben Stokes has been Moeen Ali included in the team. Ben Stokes' participation in the tournament depends on whether he is charged for his involvement in an altercation outside a nightclub in September. The tournament starts in Sydney on 3 February and concludes with the final in Auckland on 21 February. Test skipper Joe Root and Dawid Malan were also included with seamer Mark Wood and batsmen James Vince and Sam Billings brought back into the squad after missing England's last Twenty20 against West Indies in September. All-rounder Stokes was also named in the squad for the Ashes and the one-day series against Australia that follows but withdrawn in the absence of a decision by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). "Should the ECB Board receive formal confirmation that Stokes has either been charged or that he will face no charges, they would convene within 48 hours to make a decision on his availability for the team at that stage," said an ECB statement. England begin the tri-series against Australia in Hobart on 7 February. Squad: Eoin Morgan (captain), Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Dawid Malan, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Vince, David Willey and Mark Wood.

BCCI suspends Yusuf Pathan for 5 months on doping violation Former India allrounder Yusuf Pathan has been suspended by the Board of Control for India in Cricket (BCCI) for five months on the grounds of a doping violation. The BCCI had instructed the Baroda C r i c k e t Association to not select him for the recently concludYusuf Pathan ed Ranji Trophy, released a statement revealing that the 35year-old had "inadvertently ingested a prohibited substance, which can be commonly found in cough syrups." The BCCI has back-dated the suspension from 15 August 2017, effectively meaning it will end on 14 January 2018. "Pathan had provided a urine sample as part of the BCCI's anti-doping testing program during a domestic T20 competition on 16 March 2017 in New Delhi. His sample was tested and found to contain Terbutaline. Terbutaline, a specified substance, is prohibited in the WADA Prohibited List of Substances," said the BCCI release. "On 27 October 2017, Pathan was charged with the commission of an AntiDoping Rule Violation (ADRV) under the BCCI Anti-Doping Rules (ADR) Article 2.1 and provisionally suspended pending determination of the charge. Pathan responded to the charge by admitting the ADRV and asserting that it was caused by his ingestion of a medication containing Terbutaline that had been mistakenly given to him instead of the medication prescribed for him, which did not contain any prohibited substance."