AV 13th June 2020

FIRST & FOREMOST ASIAN WEEKLY IN EUROPE

inside: Indian, Chinese troops disengage at three locations in Eastern Ladakh SEE PAGE - 26

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Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

13 - 19 JUNE 2020 - VOL 51 ISSUE 7

BRITAIN STILL RACIST?

ED to attach Nirav Modi’s assets under law enacted 2 years ago SEE PAGE - 26

Kuwait wants to reduce number of overseas workers SEE PAGE - 22

India, Australia upgrade strategic talks to Minister level SEE PAGE - 23

Rupanjana Dutta

The Macpherson Report, in 1999, used ‘institutionally racist’ to describe UK’s police force following an enquiry into the death of Stephen Lawrence, the black teenager who was fatally stabbed in 1993. Twenty-one years later and the Black Lives Matter protests in London are still expressing grievances about the disproportionate targeting of BAME communities by the police.

Racism affects all people of colour or from minority ethnic backgrounds. But when it comes to black people, they face a certain kind of prejudice, propagated by other ethnic minorities as well as white majorities.

Usually when it comes to minority communities, it is easy to put all of them under same umbrella, but, the prejudices that each community faces are entirely different from another.

Black Lives Matter campaign has taken a strong form in Britain. People protesting the death of George Flyod tore down the controversial bronze statue of Edward Colston, a 17th-century slave trader in Bristol, leading widespread controversy. They also vandalised the Mahatma Gandhi statue in the Parliament square along with the statue of Winston Churchill.

Lord Meghnad Desai, Chairman of the Gandhi Memorial Statue Trust told Asian Voice, "There are reports that the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Parliament Square in London was defaced by demonstrators marching for Black Lives Matter.

“Black Lives Matter is a worthy cause which Gandhi would have supported and marched along with. It is sad that a man who dedicated himself to fight prejudice, oppression and imperialism has been treated with such callous disrespect. Gandhi was not a racist. As Nelson Mandela, who should know, said about him.

“The values of tolerance, mutual respect and unity for which he stood and acted had a profound influence on our liberation movement and my own thinking.

Continued on page 4

US envoy apologises after Gandhi statue vandalised in Washington SEE PAGE - 23

After talking of expanding G-7, Trump invites Modi to summit SEE PAGE - 25

2 UK

AsianVoiceNews

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13 - 19 June 2020

with Keith Vaz

Judge allows man’s right to die as he doesn’t want to live with a stoma bag

Kashmira Sunni British-born Actor and choreographer, Kashmira Sunni, was introduced to the world of dance at the age of 3, first learning Bharatnatyam and Indian Folk dance and soon adding Ballet and Kathak to her repertoire.

She did her first stage performance at just 4 years of age and by 17, was choreographing dances for public stage performances. A week after graduating in Psychology, Kashmira was invited to audition for her first Bollywood Film. The film took her to India where she worked for several years as an Actor & Choreographer in films and television. Returning to London in the late noughties, she now runs her own performing arts company - KASHAK Arts - and has been invited to perform in front of various dignitaries such as the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi, and the High Commissioner of India, UK and has worked on large-scale events such as RISE - the opening ceremony for BRENT 2020.

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

Both London and Mumbai feel like home. London is where I was born and brought up, I understand its intricacies, unwritten rules and etiquettes. But London is the home that was gifted to me at birth.

Mumbai is the home I created for myself it’s where I really came into my own.

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personalities develop, confidence grow and lifelong friendships form. And just last week I received a letter from a student who said that dancing had helped her depression and had helped her through a painful break-up. And even for the audience, for those few moments, you give them a release, an escape, a different reality.

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And the worst?

What are your proudest achievements?

Surviving in Bollywood. It was one of the most cut-throat industries in one of the most cut-throat cities in the world. So I consider it a great achievement not only to have got work there but to have lived there and maintained my career for several years.

The industry often runs on a lastminute basis - with calls for performances coming sometimes only hours before.

While this can be thrilling, it's also quite stressful and can lead to hectic scrambles to get both a team and a performance together!

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What inspires you?

What are your long term goals?

I love seeing creative work that steps out of the boundaries - which is not always easy when working with Indian Classical and Folk dance forms which date back centuries. But to see such dance forms used in a unique way or in collaboration with a seemingly contradictory style is what really excites me!

As a teacher I want to reach and touch as many people as possible - introduce dance to them and let them avail of its numerous benefits. As a creator, my goal is to direct and choreograph a major stage production! It's a grand goal but As Henry David Thoreau said - 'go confidently in the direction of your dreams!'

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What has been biggest obstacle in your career?

Culture. It’s starting to shift, but when I was at school, The Arts were considered a hobby, not something you turned into a career - it just wasn't academic enough.

And I think this stifled my progression and caused the delay in my arts career really kick-starting. And even today, alongside dance I work in the more ‘acceptable’ NHS.

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

Anyone who's ever been in a Bollywood film! I grew up in a household filled with Bollywood songs and Ghazals and every weekend we'd watch films both new and old. From day 1 I was mesmerised by the stories and the drama of the acting and the expression and grace of the dances.

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What is the best aspect about your current role?

Seeing the impact of The Arts. I've seen

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

As someone who both uses and works for the NHS, I'd realign budgets to give all NHS staff (frontline and otherwise) their due in a way that reflects the hours they tirelessly work and the risk they selflessly put themselves in. This pandemic has shone a light on this but they have risked their lives to other hazards well before Covid-19 and will continue to do so long after.

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

Anyone who knows me knows I live for two things - dance and Disney! So I'd choose Walt Disney. While he has been widely criticised, he was a pioneer of the animation industry and I'd love to tap into his creative mind and learn first-hand how he turned his initial ideas into a global and eternal brand.

A High Court Judge has allowed the wish of a seriously ill man in his thirties to die over living a life devoid of social contact and sex as he suffers from long-term bowel problem.

After the court’s order was made available on Thursday, the patient will not be given food and water by the doctors and he will be moved to a palliative care regime.

The man, who is admitted at the Barnsley Hospital, has been suffering from the bowel issue for a long time and told about his plan to end life before he was taken into intensive care.

The matter came to public knowledge after his intent of not living with a stoma – a surgical hole in the stomach with a bag to cope with digestive waste – was disclosed by the judge in the ruling.

According to Daily Mail report, the patient – whose identity may not be revealed until three months after his death – was described as

handsome and meticulous in his appearance.

The Daily Mail quoted Justice Hayden as saying that his step-sister had “gently suggested that he might have been prone to more than a little male vanity”.

The doctors had put chances of survival at 6070% after operation but had added that he would be required to have a permanent stoma.The judge was told by the parents of the man that he had previously lived with the stoma and had absolutely hated it and they respect the wishes of their son to end his life.

The judgement states that the man had made his decision to end life in an advanced written form saying he would not want to live with a permanent stoma.

The judge was told that the patient also experienced bleeding from the bowel, chronic abdominal pain and poor absorption of nutrients.

He was fitted with a stoma last October but apparently "loathed life" afterwards and

had it reversed last month.

In his verdict, the judge said, “Many people require a stoma to be fitted and... the vast majority make the necessary accommodations to ensure that it does not unnecessarily inhibit their enjoyment of life or become an impediment to their personal and sexual relationships. However, this was simply not the case with this young man. There is powerful evidence that as a young man in his thirties who, as his sister has said, 'knew he was good-looking', he could never accept life with a stoma." He added: "No amount of support, love or understanding could change his mind. The stoma, it seems to me, ran entirely contrary to his perception of who he is. Its existence was corrosive to his self-esteem."

The court ruled that the man should be allowed his wish to refuse medical treatment.

It is unlikely to be appealed as none of the litigants opposed carrying out the man's wishes.

Police officers pay homage to 70-yearold colleague who joined them at 58 Ramesh Gunamal (70) who had been working on the front desk at Forest Gate police station in Newham for 12 years received tribute as ‘hero’ from his colleagues who lines the street after he became victim of the coronavirus pandemic on May 9.

Gunamal, the father of two children, had fallen ill in March and had battled with the virus for 42 days before succumbing. He had spent two weeks on an oxygen mask and last four weeks on ventilator.

Gunamal served on the station’s front desk, working with victims of crime.

The 70-year-old staff is among the two faces of the Metropolitan police who have succumbed to the virus. His colleagues saluted as his funeral cortege was driven past the station, as the flag was flown at half mast in his honour, reports Evening Standards.

His son Tarun was quoted as saying by the paper: “My dad was my

undergo a 12week course and fitness test.

While he transformed his diet, his son helped him with the physical training part.

Son Tarun said that his Ramesh Gunamal father was very hero. A real inspiration to focussed and clear in his everyone he met. He mind about joining the showed us that anything is police and helping the compossible when you put your munity. Tarun said his heart and soul into it. He father had to work was dedicated to his job. extremely hard to pass the The Met have been very fitness test at such a later supportive to the family stage of his life. since my father’s passing In s statement, his famiand it was overwhelming ly said that the motivation seeing all the officers at his to make a difference in othfuneral paying tribute to ers' lives kept him going. him.”

Family said that working Gunamal who was born for the Met was an honour in Tanzania and came to and his father always wantthe UK in 1975 and worked ed to serve people with a in sales before the idea of smile. joining Metropolitan Police His family also thanked came to him at the age of all the staff in the intensive 58. After he decided to join care unit at the Newham police duty, he had to University Hospital.

Govt can and must do more to 'fight racial injustice': Sajid Javid The Government 'can and must' do more to address racial inequality in society, former chancellor Sajid Javid has said.

Writing in The Sunday Times, Mr Javid said only the Prime Minister was capable of 'driving real change', adding the UK risked being 'complacent' about its claims to be a tolerant society.

Sajid Javid

It comes as thousands of people took part in Black Lives Matter (BLM) demon-

strations across the country on Saturday following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, with more demonstrations planned in London, Bristol, Glasgow and Edinburgh this afternoon.Mr Javid, who also previously served as home secretary, said the UK must 'not pretend' that it does not have 'substantial obstacles' to overcome in regard to

integration and opportunity.'There are still parts of society that are more concerned about the status quo than justice and humanity,' he wrote.

The 50-year-old Conservative MP for Bromsgrove said racism can occur anywhere in the world, adding that a 'new ambition' was needed to 'break down barriers' in

Britain.'The Government can and must do more to address racial inequalities in our society,' Mr Javid wrote.

'As with all large-scale, systematic challenges, only the Prime Minister is capable of driving real change – and I know he cares deeply.'

He said there was a 'greater disproportionality' of black people in prisons in the UK than in the US, and

that while abuse directed at officers was unacceptable, the police service 'still has a way to go'.However, he said Britain was the 'most successful multi-ethnic democracy in the world'. Mr Javid said when he was younger, he had been unable to get a job in the City 'because of my class and the colour of my skin', and instead moved to New York in his 20s.

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COMMENTS

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13 - 19 June 2020

Understanding Britain’s past Black Lives Matter demonstrators in the UK, protesting for the death of George Flyod, tore down the controversial bronze figure of Edward Colston, a 17th-century slave trader in Bristol, leading widespread controversy. The statue was built to salute Colston for his charitable work, but a wide section of the diaspora believes, his partake in transporting 84,000 slaves between Africa and America, of which 19,000 died- made him a disgraceful figure.

The BME community however split in two groups, one that supported the fall. The other- mainly comprising of Ministers, MPs and community leaders, condemned such ‘lawless and reckless’ vandalism. Sajid Javid, Priti Patel were among the few calling the toppling of the statue ‘disgraceful’. Most of these Asian MPs have grown up in Britain facing racism, though they would not admit that Britain continues to be a racist country- what the protest is trying to highlight here.

However, a YouGov poll of 5400+ people found, 44% believe Britain is fairly a racist country compared to only 6% believing it’s not racist at all.

The removal of this controversial bronze statue, however, has been attempted before via several petitions, one even gathered 11,000 signatures. But it was never been successful. While the organisers of the protest have distanced themselves from the removal of the statue, the government faced backlash after Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, tried to downplay UK’s relevance to Black Lives Matter demonstrations.

However, many are also upset by the defacing of Winston Churchill’s statue in London as well as that of Mahatma Gandhi’s. Some supporters of the Black Lives Matter move-

ment are worried that the vandalism of these statues would only alienate Britons from the cause of social justice. But others believe the graffiti calling Churchill or Gandhi racists was spot-on.

As Jonathan Jones rightly highlighted in The Guardian, Bristol and Liverpool both flourished as cities on the trade of slavery. The commercial boom that made Britain rich in the 18th century was powered by slavery and the Caribbean sugar plantations that relied on it. ‘Bristol has many fine Georgian houses whose every brick can be read as a monument to the slave trade’.

But by removing Colston’s statue, you just remove an symbol that may have made people think about Britain’s unforgettable history. It’s impractical to say we go around musing the rights and wrongs of our past through a statue. Of course, this means the chronicle of slavery and empire must be included in Britain’s history books. But we also need to find new ways of understanding Britain’s past and much without glorification of perpetrators through statues in the heart of a British city.

Black Lives Matter protest has become more relevant as BAME review by PHE failed to highlight what actually led to so many deaths among the community, especially among frontliners. Appointment of Equalities Minister, Kemi Badenoch, to understand the key drivers of the disparities identified in the BAME Review by PHE has been pointed out by critics as a ‘clever move’ and ‘damage control’ by government, much like the Windrush scandal, when Sajid Javid was appointed as Home Secretary to fix a problem for the BAME community he represented.

Boris’ haven offer to Hong Kongese a responsible move Hong Kong, a former British colony, has been an efficacious special administrative region of China since 1997. This success has been thriving on the ‘one nation, two systems’ formula.

The National People’s Congress move to impose a national security law on Hong Kong would not only curtail its freedom, but also gradually deprive it of its autonomy.

With Britain being one of the parties to decide the fate of Hong Kong 23 years ago by handing it over to China, the decision of the Boris Johnson government to allow nearly three million people from Hong Kong to live and work in Britain is a responsible one.

The UK Prime Minister rightly said in a newspaper article that Hong Kong succeeds “because its people are free. They can pursue their dreams and scale as many heights as their talents allow”.

Johnson’s words assume significance as the promise of freedom for Britain’s former colony was sealed in a joint declaration with China – a legally binding treaty under the United Nations.

China may have failed to respect an international treaty, but Britain cannot afford the same and should continue to stand by the joint declaration.

At the same time, a clear plan should be drawn by the UK government on how to go about its commitment to change immigration rules to allow any holder of a British National (Overseas) passport to come to this country for a year as against the present arrangement of six months.

A precise implementation design is required considering that immigrants would be given the right to work, which might then open a path towards full citizenship.

“If China imposes its national security law, the British government will change our immigration rules and allow any holder of these passports from Hong Kong to come to the UK for a renewable period of 12 months and be given further immigration rights, including the right to work, which could place them on a route to citizenship.

“This would amount to one of the biggest changes in our visa system in history. If it proves necessary, the British government will take this step and take it willingly,” wrote Johnson.

But we may not see a well-laid path in this direction any time soon as Johnson’s words are still just an offer. It may end up in a pipe dream if China succumbs to international pressure roll back the imposition of the law in Hong Kong.

Talks between India and China a good beginning The ministry of external affairs sounded positive about the talks between Indian and Chinese generals over the border issue and said that there will be more such military and diplomatic engagement to resolve the current crisis in the Ladakh region.

The talks followed inconclusive local-level engagement between the two armed forces in the last few weeks. The talks between the generals were held in a cordial atmosphere. It is welcome step. Delhi affirmed that the two sides agreed to resolve the situation in accordance with the bilateral confidence-building measures instituted over the last three decades. It is reasonable to conclude that the talks mark a good beginning in the effort to resolve yet another military crisis on the China frontier.

Before the talks, Delhi was careful to downplay the prospects for an early breakthrough and suggested an extended process is at hand. The government’s caution was complemented by widespread pessimism within the Indian strategic community about an immediate resolution. That scepticism was rooted in the fact that India was taken unawares in April by the big forward push by the People’s Liberation Army across multiple locations along the so-called Line of Actual Control separating the two sides. That the PLA had dug into the new positions and had brought in heavy weapons systems seemed to suggest China was here to stay in the new positions it had secured. With China having seized some ground that it did not control before, Delhi’s task of getting Beijing to undo the new facts it had created in Ladakh appears rather difficult. But having publicly signalled its case for the restoration of the status quo that existed in April, Delhi has little room to back off. Therefore the government’s suggestions that the Indian armed forces are in this for a long haul.

The strategic community fears two negative implications of Delhi’s current engagement with Beijing. One is that Delhi might be tempted to ease the standoff in return for some cos-

metic steps from the PLA to defuse the current crisis. The other is that Beijing might demand rather costly political concessions from Delhi in return for a full restoration of the status quo.

Given the unenviable situation Delhi finds itself in, South Block’s upbeat description of the talks suggests that the outcomes of the talks may have exceeded initial expectations. But there is no forgetting that the April surprise has given the upper hand to the PLA. Delhi will have to press all its leverages to persuade Beijing to restore status quo ante in Ladakh. If Delhi, however, is seen as making unreasonable concessions to ease the current crisis, it will face a domestic political backlash and considerable diminution of its regional and international status in relation to Beijing.

Meanwhile, preparing for the eventuality of a stalemate, the Army has started making plans for extended deployment in the high-altitude terrain. After the delayed initial response due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Army moved a large number of troops and heavy military equipment into the area, mirroring the Chinese deployment. The challenge with these plans for extended deployment is to prepare for habitat and logistics for soldiers and equipment during the harsh Ladakh winter. This will stretch the Army’s resources in a tough economic environment – Army Chief General M M Naravane had told a seminar last month that the government had already asked the Army for a 20 per cent budget cut – at a time when the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan has become highly active and militancy too is rearing its head again in Kashmir. A related challenge for the Army, an official said, is to ensure that the PLA provides no more surprises at other places on the LAC. These fears stem from the recent incidents in areas such as Galwan, Hot Spring and Naku La where the two sides had agreed on the LAC. It would mean committing a substantial number of troops and equipment to operational roles.

“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will ” - Mahatma Gandhi

Alpesh Patel

Race and Investing

I still recall 20 years ago a numpty emailed my editor at the Financial Times that my CV was too good to be true; as I took the call before dinner as a Fellow of an Oxford College. I was appointed by the PM with the FT editor to a Govt role so he could vouch. Did someone think "surely people of his background don't get CVs like that"? You do start questioning motives with what’s going on today. I've been fortunate - been elevated by people of all colours. And try to pay it forward.

One reason I decided to be a Barrister was because in the 1980s when I made the decision I was told it was the last bastion of racism – what better challenge than that then I thought. It was after all English educated Barristers Gandhi, Jinnah, Sardar Patel and Nehru who led the greatest democratic movement in recent history and brought down the racism of Empire.

In my second profession of investing we know that the recent fastest market rally in history will not benefit black people in either the UK or US. We know this because research shows they will have less money invested in stocks.

And so they will benefit less from market rises.

Wealth through investments is not about money alone. It is not about just saving and having your money work for you and not just you work for your money, but wealth through investing is choice, it is networks, it is an insurance policy – it is not having a foot on your throat – whether that foot is real or symbolic.

Or take the City – as Chair of City Hindus Network – I am well aware you are disproportionately less likely to be on the Board of a UK Plc – yet we know for instance in America, Indians at least, but not Black people, are in prominent positions.

Social mobility so often comes from education. Failings at even the age of five can set the directions of one’s life. It also comes from the desire of those in positions up the ladder to open their networks. I always on my free education investing webinars tell people to join me on LinkedIn – the professional networking tool.

We will at City Hindu Network be launching in time of lockdown more TV style interviews with role models to inspire those to achieve and succeed. As an organisation we are open to all regardless of faith, but what the US race debate shows it is incumbent on all of us in positions of privilege – including City Privilege to help others still climbing the ladder.

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13 - 19 June 2020

BRITAIN STILL RACIST? Continued from page 1 "On behalf of the Gandhi Statue Memorial Trust, I join many who are truly

of white British pupils, while black people are more likely to be unemployed and homeless than all other racial minority groups.

Reviewing London’s landmarks London Mayor Sadiq Khan has announced a commission to review and improve diversity across London’s public realm to ensure the capital’s landmarks suitably reflect London’s achievements and diversity. He has previ-

shocked by the act. Gandhi would have forgiven them."

Priti Patel or Sajid Javid, who themselves have faced racism growing up, may not acknowledge Britain is still racist, but it still exists. It starts with a tendency of classification

of all victims of racism under the label like the generalised title of BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic). It fails to acknowledge how racism affects different races. There are all kinds of racism- antiblack, anti-Asian, antiArab, though the worst

sufferers have been the black community. Still worldwide- for example in Brazil, black people are still treated as second class citizens and in India, students of African origin are ill-treated.

As Ahmad Olayinka Sule in an article in The Guardian pointed out, according to the UK government’s Race Disparity Audit in 2017, relative to whites and Asians, black defendants at crown court were the most likely to be remanded in custody. Between 2017 and 2018, black people in Britain were approximately 10 times more likely to be stopped and searched by the police than white people were, and three times more likely than Asians. Black Caribbean pupils were permanently excluded at nearly three times the rate

ously pledged his support for a number of new memorials in the capital, including for Stephen Lawrence, the Windrush generation, a National Slavery Museum or Memorial, and a National Sikh War Memorial.

The Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm will review the landmarks that currently makes up London’s public realm, further the discussion into what legacies should be celebrated, and make a series of recommendations aimed at establishing best practice and standards.

The Mayor of London said, “Our capital’s diversity is our greatest strength, yet our statues, road names and public spaces reflect a bygone era. It is an uncomfortable truth that our nation and city owe a large part of its wealth to its role in the slave trade and while this is reflected in our public realm, the contribution of many of our communities to life in our capital has been wilfully ignored.

“This cannot continue.

We must ensure that we celebrate the achievements and diversity of all in our city, and that we commemorate those who have made London what it is – that includes questioning which legacies are being celebrated.

“The Black Lives Matter protests have rightly brought this to the public’s attention, but it’s important that we take the right steps to work together to bring change and ensure that we can all be proud of our public landscape.”

Following the announcement, Lib Dem Candidate for Mayor of London Siobhan Benita added, "Being a good ally goes beyond speaking up during moments of protest and public outcry. I called

for a deep-dive review into London's structural inequality back in February. Where was the Mayor's acknowledgement of this issue then?

"His announcement to review statues and the public realm is clearly in direct response to what happened in Bristol. We need a much bigger and wide-ranging review, looking into City Hall and how all of its responsibilities contribute to systemic racism in the capital. I will be watching closely to ensure that these announcements are not just another PR opportunity for the Mayor."

Dark skin and inter-racial wedding prejudices It’s a fact that in the Asian community, pale skin still remains the dominant beauty norm. People with darker skin tone face prejudices and from that prejudice stems many discriminations towards people from other communities. However, with time, and increasing intercommunity or interracial marriages, question remains if people are now accepting better. Perhaps AsianBlack celebrity couples like Lolita Chakrabarti and Adrian Lester OBE can set examples for wider community.

Ashanti Omkar from the BBC Asian Network is British Asian of Tamil origin. She is married for 14 years to Akin Aworan, who is a British Nigerian Yoruba. They first met at an African cultural event and got together as a couple sometime later. They had a Hindu wedding in India and a Christian wedding in the UK. Speaking about prejudices, especially being married to someone from black community.

Ashanti and Akin told this newsweekly in an exclusive interview, “We must admit that we have not experienced racial prejudices directly, but we have assumed this, and have

lived a very private life, with close friends, and a good degree of family support from both sides. We both have worked hard at this aspect, even though the family dynamics and structures are very similar in both Tamil and Yoruba cultures. In some ways, we embraced in early days, the reality that our being together is still a taboo to

many, and that we would build our lives around this premise.”

When asked if they believed systemic racism existed, Ashanti added, “We watch and learn a lot from the news, and from friends, and have always been aware of systemic racism, which is endemic, across the globe. There is bias at all ends, and this pushes many into disadvantaged positions, e.g. healthcare frontline workers, who are not given PPE, or certain areas badly affected, which are impoverished, due to lack of funding or opportunity these are ghettoised parts of cities, where many basics cannot be afforded, and the dwellers can't work from home, due to the very nature of their work, so they put their lives at risk, to put food on the table.

“Akin would be stopped and searched just because he was a black man with a rucksack (of camera gear), while a station platform full of white people wouldn't be treated that way.

Conversely, in many parts of India, in the past, where Akin would not be allowed into Hindu Temples, for being a different colour to me. Bias, I guess, is taught at very basic levels from homes to schools, where the dark skinned amongst us, are taunted for being that shade of brown, and colourism is the first point of racism, where those colonised believe that the whiter and fairer the skin, the better the human being behind it, and vice versa.

We have read centuries old history and the horrors of slavery, which is now modern-day human trafficking.

History continues to repeat itself, and we hope that things will be brighter for future generations, by the awareness that the current one, alongside the digital age, is helping create.

Ultimately, until things are unpacked at basal level, and recreated, to enable equality, things will not change, but maybe they will evolve, slowly but surely, we hope.”

Is racism a problem in the UK Police Force?

In a joint statement released ahead of the rallies, the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) reportedly said, “We stand alongside all those across the globe who are appalled and horrified by the way George Flyod lost his life.

Justice and accountability should follow.”

The council said that officers in Britain were “trained to use force proportionately, lawfully and only when absolutely necessary”, but added: “We strive to continuously learn and improve. We will tackle bias, racism or discrimination wherever we find it.” The Week reported that William Macpherson

recently told the BBC that while police had taken steps the right direction but “there’s obviously a great deal more to be done”.

According to an analysis of Home Office internal data, black people are 40 times more likely than white people to be stopped and searched.

According to the findings of an ICM survey of more than 3,000 Britons in 2018, BAME community are also significantly more likely to be falsely accused of shoplifting than white people, Racial bias could be detected in the issuance of fines for alleged violations of coronavirus lockdown regulations too. Journalists from Liberty Investigates and The Guardian found that BAME people were 54% more likely than white people to be fined in London. Across England, BAME people account for at least 22% of lockdown fines, despite only accounting for about 15% of the population.

Siobhan Benita, Lib Dem Candidate for Mayor

of London, who has India connection, has called on the Mayor of London to investigate whether or not the Met Police is still institutionally racist.

Sadiq Khan has recently announced plans to review the Met Police's use of stop and search and other practices. But Siobhan Benita has described the plan as reactive and claims they do not go far enough.

Siobhan said, "These hastily drawn up plans are reactive and disingenuous.

During his term as Mayor, Khan has supported the introduction of controversial facial recognition technology and increased the use of stop and search across the capital - both of which unfairly target black Londoners and both of which I and others have opposed.

"In a recent interview, he refused to acknowledge the Met Police may still be institutionally racist - any review that does not investigate whether or not the force still deserves this label will be inadequate.

"In the past four years, we have seen the biggest breakdown in trust between police and communities in London in a generation.

Even during the Coronavirus pandemic, we've seen a disproportionate targeting of BAME communities for lockdown fines. If we're to take systemic racism in Britain seriously, we must be prepared to ask the question: is the Met Police still institutionally racist?"

Branded a traitor?

However, giving a different perspective to being an officer from the BAME community, Chief Supt Raj Kohli told us, “We are in unprecedented times - firstly Covid-19 then the tragic

and awful treatment and unlawful death of George Floyd. What we know is that the science tells us that Covid-19 has a disproportionate affect upon people from BAME backgrounds.

Align this to the frustrations of lockdown and then how George Floyd's death has reminded how disproportionately has affected members of the BAME community and this has led to the current situation.

“The statistics will tell you that people from BAME communities are disproportionately represented in this criminal justice system especially if you are of African Caribbean heritage.

Why this is the case is part of continual debate unconscious bias, socioeconomic challenges, whatever the reason it is sadly a fact and so I understand why people from BAME communities remain frustrated and little movement for many years, despite the best and genuine efforts of the Metropolitan Police Services. “Some BAME colleagues have felt under focus from some other BAME communities because of recent events.

When I first joined in the early 90s, I was often called a traitor and accused of deliberately targeting BAME communities so that ‘I could get promoted’.

“Following recent events, I am in touch with front line BAME colleagues and most report being accused of being traitors like I was all those years ago. “This is exceptionally sad. For many of us joining the police service went against friends and family.

So, to be accused by the people we are charged with helping to protect, as being traitors, is doubly sad and not fair to these men and women.”

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BAFTA gets its first ever Asian Chair The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has appointed Krishnendu Majumdar as its new Chair on 1 June 2020. In doing so, Krishnendu becomes the first person of colour to be appointed to the role in BAFTA’s 73-year history and the youngest chair in 35 years. He has been Deputy Chair for one year and his tenure as Chair will run for the next three years - the newly extended term for all future BAFTA chairs.

Krishnendu is an EMMY-winning and BAFTA-nominated television producer and director.

He has been closely involved with BAFTA for 14 years, having been the Chair of the Learning and New Talent

Committee (2006-2010), the Chair of the Television Committee (2015-2019) and a member of the Board of Trustees for nine years.

He has been chairing BAFTA’s Awards Review, convened in response to the lack of diversity in this year’s

Film Awards nominations.

He has been a long-time supporter of greater diversity on and off screen throughout his career and has also been on the Board of Directors UK and the PACT Council.

Speaking about his appointment, Krishnendu said, “It is a tremendous honour to be elected Chair of BAFTA and I’m lucky to be following Pippa Harris’ outstanding tenure and I want to pay tribute to the resilient and dynamic leadership that Pippa has shown.

This year has been a difficult and turbulent time for many in our industry, working with Pippa, BAFTA’s talented and committed staff and membership, I want BAFTA to be at the heart of rebuild-

ing the industry post-Covid.

It is vital to ensure that we support people of all backgrounds, races and genders.

Diversity and inclusion are crucial for the lifeblood of BAFTA, and we will continue to be a leader for real change across our industry.”

He was born in South Wales to Bengali parents who arrived in the UK from India in the 1960s. His father was a GP who worked for the NHS for over 40 years.

Krishnendu entered the industry by being the first and only person ever to be trained on both the prestigious ITN News Trainee and BBC Production Trainee schemes working across both ITN and the BBC at the outset of his career.

Neighbourly ties strengthen amid pandemic as Big Lunch goes virtual Last year over 6 million people took part in one of the 92,000 Big Lunch events organised across the UK, but last weekend it was celebrated as the Big ‘Virtual’ Lunch with events online, on the phone and on the doorstepwith proper social distancing.

Big Lunch Ambassadors Saira Khan and Dr Amit Patel were delighted that the event hasn’t been cancelled as they feel it is more vital than ever.

“Food is something that is very close to my heart,” said TV Presenter Saira Khan. “Coming from the Asian culture, eating together and sharing food is the core of family. That’s why I am supporting this initiative.

“So many of us haven’t been able to sit down and share a meal with friends, family or our community, but because of technology

we can still have that vital experience. We can cook in our own homes then connect with people online, on the phone or on our doorstep. One in five people are living on their own in lockdown. That’s millions of people that have gone months without human touch. We are having to find new ways to stay connected.

Even if we just arrange a time to open our doors and raise a cup of tea with the street, it is a way of checking everyone is ok and not feeling lonely or isolated. It lets

people know they are being thought about.”

Dr Amit Patel credits community support for helping him cope with losing his sight six years ago.

He is now passionate about reminding people of the importance of being good neighbours and reigniting community spirit. Last year he threw a Big Lunch party for his local area and invited members of the community that help him every day.

This year he is determined to keep the momentum going. “It’s a great way to

stay connected at a time when it feels more important than ever.”

The Big Lunch, an idea from the Eden Project, made possible by The National Lottery, usually attracts millions of people across the UK. Last year over 6 million people took part in 100,000 Big Lunch events. This summer for the first time in its 10-year history, The Big Lunch became The Big ‘Virtual’ Lunch, with events running online, on the phone and on the doorstep from 6-7 June.

Government help and support available for victims of domestic abuse and their children The government is reminding victims of domestic abuse that police response and support services remain available for victims and their children during the coronavirus pandemic through the ongoing #YouAreNotAlone initiative.

Domestic abuse includes physical, psychological, sexual, emotional and economic abuse and can be carried out not only by a partner or ex-partner, but also family members. Whoever the perpetrator and whatever form the domestic abuse takes, all domestic abuse is a crime.

The campaign reassures victims of domestic abuse that they can still leave home to seek help during the COVID-19 pandemic, if this is possible. Anyone in immediate danger should call 999

Find more support at gov.uk/domestic-abuse or call one of the following helplines: * The Freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline run by Refuge for victims in England: 0808 2000 247 * The 24-hour Live Fear Free helpline for domestic abuse victims in Wales: 0808 80 10 800 or text 078600 77 333. * The Men’s Advice line offers support for male victims of domestic abuse: 0808 801 0327. * The National Honour-Based Abuse helpline run by Karma Nirvana offers support to victims of “honour”-based abuse and forced marriage: 0800 5999 247. * The national FGM helpline, run by the NSPCC, offers guidance and support if you are concerned that someone has experienced, or may experience, FGM: 0800 028 3550. * The National LGBTQ+ helpline offers support for LGTBQ+ victims: 0800 999 5428 and the police will respond.

Anyone who is worried that they, or someone they know, may be experiencing domestic abuse can find support at gov.uk/domestic-abuse or by calling the freephone 24hour national domestic abuse helpline being provided by Refuge on 0808 2000

247. For victims of domestic abuse who are concerned about their immigration status, the message is the same, you are not alone, police response and support services remain available for victims and their children.

Natasha Rattu, Director at Karma Nirvana, an organi-

sation which supports the victims of honour-based abuse and forced marriage said: “At the moment we are being asked to stay home as much as possible to keep ourselves and others safe, but we know that for some people, home isn’t necessarily the safe haven it should be.

“In some Black and South Asian communities, people worry about bringing shame and losing family respect, which can prevent them from getting help.

Honour abuse is a form of domestic abuse and can take many forms including forced marriages and female genital mutilation. Culture is never an excuse for abuse.

We want people experiencing honour abuse to know that they deserve to live abuse free and that help is available.”

Ealing and Southall MP Virendra Sharma wants Government to join him fight scams and fraud

Virendra Sharma Rupanjana Dutta

Virendra Sharma, MP for Ealing and Southall has launched a campaign in Asian Voice using simple language, calling on everyone to be more vigilant, to look out for each other and not be victims of scams and frauds. On a zoom interview that took place on Saturday 6 June, Mr Sharma told this newspaper, that his family received a phone call from a scammer, trying to obtain personal information, which made him determined him to help people further from

falling prey to such crimes.

Describing different types of scams, he has come across in the community, Mr Sharma said, “It’s getting the elderly people to purchase fake goods, encouraging them to make investment in fake companies, giving them the impression of making profits out of it. There are many examples not only in my constituency, but I am sure there are people in other areas as well.” He has also spoken to Indian students from 50 universities through NISAU and came across students who were victims of ticket scams, when they were being offered tickets to go back to India, with no international flights and closed border.

Mr Sharma, who recently recovered from coronavirus himself, and is still working from home, felt that reduced social interaction, isolation and dependence on online transactions during Covid-19, could have been major reasons behind the increasing number of such scams. “People are using the different ways to scam vulnerable people. They are phoning around elderly people, scamming them into giving card details in pretext of collecting money for charity. My campaign is to raise awareness among vulnerable people to be more vigilant. I talk

about scammers knocking on the doors, going around asking for contribution to fake charities. There is always a chance to fall prey to such scams, due to social isolation. During the last few weeks, it has increased that is why Police and everybody else are trying to encourage people not to open doors or talk or give money to strangers.” But he also felt that Covid-19 did not stop kind people from demonstrating their inner goodness.

“Covid-19 has brought us together to share the tragedy and grief together and for the society this is a learning curve. It has taught us that we need to be supportive of each other. It has brought us closer to each other. Spirit of community and that of service have come up. This should be a permanent change for the future- the whole idea of community, service and unity,” he said.

“I am proud to have worked with Kulcha Express, who have delivered food to local frontline staff in the NHS, Police and Fire Service, and helped Vishwa Hindu Sewa Pariwar bring PPE to care homes in Norwood Green. Ealing Council have led London and been given responsibility for purchasing PPE for all boroughs, and not only that, they have also been the swiftest council in the country in distributing grants to eligible local businesses, with over 99.5% of funds already paid out. Our response locally has been world beating. It seems like the whole world is stepping up, and others across my constituency, TKC, Vishwa Hindu Kendra and Saravana Bhavan for example, have also supported thousands of people working on the frontline saving lives, or those who have lost their jobs. All the charities and businesses that have contributed and worked to save lives and help people – thank you.” Planning to take up the matter with the Government, he concluded by saying, “My aim is how best we can stop these scams from happening. I am sure to raise questions in the House of Commons, and Ministers have to respond to that. We need authorities like the Police and the Local Councils to urge people to report these scams. I have written to the Government and I will be making sure that proper actions are taken.”

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Upset Hindus urge luxury retailer to withdraw swim shorts with gods' images Upset Hindus are urging The Shard (London) headquartered “global luxury-shopping destination” MatchesFashion for immediate withdrawal of Jimi Hendrix Swim Shorts carrying images of Hindu deities; calling it highly inappropriate.

Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement said that many Hindu deities displayed on these shorts were highly revered in Hinduism and were meant to be worshipped in temples or home shrines and not to adorn one’s thighs, hips, groin, buttocks, genitals and pelvis. Inappropriate usage of Hindu deities or icons or concepts or symbols for commercial or other agenda was not okay as it hurt the devotees.

Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, also urged MatchesFashion to offer a formal apology; besides withdrawing this particular Jimi Hendrix Swim Shorts.

"Hinduism was the oldest and third largest religion of the world with about 1.1 billion adherents and a rich philosophical thought and it should not be taken frivolously.

Symbols of any faith, larger or smaller, should not be mishandled," Rajan Zed noted.

‘Half of closed firms don't know when they will reopen’ Almost close to half of the businesses which have temporarily closed operations in wake of coronavirus pandemic remain unsure about the likely dates for the resumption of trading, a survey from the UK's official statistics office (ONS) shows.

This comes even as UK gradually eases the curbs put down as part of lockdown and the Prime Minister saying that shops which he ordered to close in March can start operations in June again.

After the lockdown, around 20% of businesses in UK went into exile and the Office for National Statistics (ONS) survey found that 14% of them expected to resume business in the next two weeks. Survey also suggests that another 10% were eyeing a reopening in two to four weeks' time and 31% expected to restart in more than four weeks' time.

However, the largest chunk of 46% said they were unsure when they would resume trading.

Survey also gave hint of how how the shutdown in Britain is slowly easing. It found 73% of people had remained at home or only left for work, exercise, essential shopping or medical needs between May 21 and May 24, down from 81% a week earlier.

Almost 50% of firms in UK could run out of money within six months, the survey said. The furlough scheme not withstanding, 44% of firms that responded said their reserves would last for less than six months.

As part of easing of curbs, people in England - but not in other parts of the United Kingdom - are now allowed to drive to the countryside or the beach, something banned under the first stage of the lockdown.

Travel bug?

With summer now on the horizon, many people will be itching to escape for some sun, sea and sand on holiday.

As lockdown restrictions gradually ease across the globe, are you planning to travel anywhere this summer? What measures are you planning to take?

Are countries like Sicily and Japan offering some of the travel cost to usher tourists in, could be on your 2020 bucket list?

Let us know at aveditorial@abplgroup.com by Sunday 14 June 2020.

Places of worship to reopen for individual prayer Places of worship across England will be permitted to reopen for individual prayer from Monday 15 June, the Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick confirmed on Sunday 7 June.

This decision followed after discussions between the Government and representatives of major faiths through the Places of Worship Taskforce which the Communities Secretary has chaired.

The move recognises the spiritual and mental health benefits for people being able to pray in their place of worship, and that for some people this cannot be replicated by praying at home.

New guidance will be published shortly to ensure the limited re-opening of places of worship can be done safely and in line with social distancing guidelines.

This will recommend the thorough cleaning of shared spaces, hand cleansing at

entry and exit and asking worshippers to bring their own items such as a prayer mat or religious text instead of sharing or using communal ones.

Individual prayer will be permitted from 15 June, but communally led prayer, worship or devotion such as services, evensong, informal prayer meetings, Mass, Jummah or Kirtan will not be possible at this stage.

The Government promises to work with the Taskforce towards the full reopening of places of worship as soon as the scientific advice allows.Communities Secretary Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP said, “Ensuring places of worship can open again, beginning with individual prayer has been my priority. Their contribution to the common good of our country is clear, as places of solace, comfort, stability and dignity. And the need for them is all the greater as we weather the uncertainties of the pandemic.

“I’m pleased this can

now happen from 15 June.

As Communities Secretary I have worked with faith leaders and representatives to prepare guidance that ensures this can be done safely.

“People of all faiths have shown enormous patience and forbearance, unable to mark Easter, Passover, Ramadan or Vaisakhi with friends and family in the traditional way. As we control the virus, we are now able to move forwards with a limited, but important return to houses of worship.”Faith Minister Lord Greenhalgh said, “Religious communities have shown enormous resilience and sacrifice in celebrating significant spiritual moments like Easter, Passover, Ramadan, Eid and Vaisakhi at home during these extraordinary times.

“The Government has determined that this is the right time to begin re-opening places of worship for individual prayer.

“It’s our hope that this is

the first step in places of worship reopening fully, when the science supports it. I look forward to continuing to discuss with the Taskforce how to address ongoing practical safety issues in the coming weeks.”

Places of worship still have discretion over when they consider it safe to open and may decide to remain closed or reopen at a slower pace if they wish.

Under the existing regulations, funerals are allowed in places of worship where it is possible to do so safely.

Other gatherings and services such as baptisms, wedsupplementary dings, schools, meetings and classes are not permitted. Also places of worship may open for ministers of religion to film or record a service for broadcast, for the hosting of essential voluntary activities such as homeless services, for registered early years and childcare providers and for blood donation sessions.

Buildings should also remain closed to tourists.

EHRC to probe 'long-standing, structural race inequality' The UK's equality watchdog is launching an inquiry into "longstanding, structural race inequality", which has been thrown into stark relief by the coronavirus pandemic.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission said it would carry out in-depth analysis and develop evidence-based recommendations for urgent action to tackle entrenched racial inequalities in specific areas.

"We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to tackle long-standing entrenched racial inequalities," said David Isaac, the chairman of the EHRC. "We intend to use our statutory powers to address the loss of

lives and livelihoods of people from different ethnic minorities. Only by

taking focused action to tackle race inequality across Britain will we become a fair country."

The move came as the Government Equalities Office announced a review into the government's response to inequalities in Covid-19 infection and death rates, including the impact of age, sex, occupation, obesity, comorbidities, geography, and ethnicity.

The equalities minister, Kemi Badenoch, said it was clear "that much more needs to be done to understand the key drivers of the disparities identified and the relationships between the different risk factors".

Kirklees council reaches out to teen racism victim

Covid gives us reset moment: Prince

The Kirklees council has taken a serious note of a viral video in which the two teenagers ordered a black boy to "kiss my shoe".

Addressing a virtual World Economic Forum (WEF), Britain's Prince Charles has said that when the world recovers from the pandemic, it will be presented with a reset moment which was an opportunity to prioritise sustainability issues.

The prince has been advocating environmental causes for decades. He said that rebuilding the world from the devastating impact of the "dreadful" coronavirus pandemic presented an opportunity for those environmental causes. He said that people have been forced to shun industrial activity as well as travel which was earlier impossible to think. He said that coronavirus had shown that dramatic change was possible. He emphasised that while there was no solution to the pandemic in sight, we can certainly work on climate change.

The accused, a white girl and a boy, have been arrested. The Snapchat video, filmed at Holm firth Cricket Club, near Hudders field, has been viewed thousands of times and has resulted in wide spread out rage.

In the footage, a white teenager tells a black teenager: "Kiss my shoe now. No one is go ing to back you . . . kiss my fresh Air Force One Pro I paid £120 for."

He also appears to slap the victim in the face. A white girl standing next to

the pair tells him "on your knees" and "on the floor" while other teenagers in the background laugh.

West York shire police said that they had arrested a boy, 17, on suspicion of

racially aggravated com -mon assault and a girl, 16, on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offense.

Both are in po lice custody. the leader of Kirklees Council, said: "Racism and any other kind of discrimination or bully ing does not have any place here in Kirklees."

"We have also reached out to the victim in the video. We will do anything to support him. In Kirklees, our biggest strength is our diversity and I could not be prouder for that.

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'Guaranteed' apprenticeship Charity Commission strikes for young people:PM off GTC for fraud Prime Minister Boris Johnson has a "guaranteed" apprenticeship for young people whose job prospects have been damaged by the coronavirus pandemic.

Acknowledging recession, the PM has predicted that there will be "many, many" job losses as an "inevitable" result of the outbreak and the economy downfall due to lockdown restrictions.

Speaking at the daily Downing Street coronavirus briefing, he promised that ministers would take an "interventionist" approach to supporting jobs "as the months go by and the effect of this recession starts to bite."

No details available so far from the Downing Street about what form Mr Johnson's apprenticeship guarantee would take or who would be eligible for it.

The TUC last month called on the government to provide funding for the guarantee of a new job, providing a minimum six-month job with accredited training to as many as possible of those fac-

ing long-term unemployment because of the coronavirus downturn, prioritising under25s unemployed for three or more months and over-25s out of work for over six months. Mr Johnson said that the risk of losing jobs and being out of work for a lengthy period was highest for young people.And he said: "I think it's going to be vital that we guarantee apprenticeships for young people.

"We have to look after people across the board, but young people in particular, I believe', should be guaranteed an apprenticeship."

In a case of fraud, the Charity Commission said the trustee of Give to Charity that ran a donation platform stole £240,000 that had been mistakenly transferred by a third party.

According to an inquiry report published yesterday, the charity, named GTC, has now been removed from the regulator's register of charities.

In October 2019, Ahtiq Raja, the only trustee of the charity, was found guilty of theft at Northampton Crown Court and was sentenced to a 24-month community order.

The Buckinghamshirebased charity operated a fundraising platform. It was meant to relieve poverty in

the UK mainly in the area around Aylesbury.

The charity regulator launched its investigation in December 2018 over concerns about the charity's governance and financial management.

Investigators obtained bank records and established that around £240,000, the majority of which had been mistakenly paid to the charity by a third party, was transferred from

the charity's bank account to the trustee's private bank account.

The funds had been used to purchase a property that was held in the name of a private company. The same individual was the sole director and the sole shareholder of the company. The funds have now been repaid to the third party. It had just one trustee in the years leading up to the inquiry.

Raja also failed to comply with a direction under the Charities Act, which required him to attend a meeting and provide information to the Commission.

Watchdog condemns Just West Yorkshire reports on anti-extremism programme and Sarah Champion A race relations charity that accused an MP of acting like a “neo-fascist murderer” after she condemned the sexual abuse of girls by British Pakistani men has been found guilty of multiple failings by the regulator.

Just West Yorkshire, a racial justice charity, exhibited a “repeated pattern of behaviour” involving unauthorised payments to “conflicted parties” including two of its own trustees, The Times quoted charity commission report.

The Charity Commission also censured it for “unbalanced research” and a “concerning lack of transparency” in reports that it published in 2017 and 2018. One examined the Prevent counterterrorism programme, concluding that it was “built upon a foundation of Islamophobia and racism”. The report quoted two people said by the regulator to be “linked to statements which could be considered to support extreme views”. It was unclear “how the research was balanced to take into account differing views”.

A preface to the charity’s second report accused Sarah Champion, the MP for Rotherham, of “fanning the flames of racial hatred” and acting like a “neo-fascist murderer”.

In 2014 an independent inquiry found that at least 1,400 Rotherham girls were targeted for sexual exploitation by organised groups of men over 16 years. The abusers were said to be “almost all” of Pakistani origin. Just Yorkshire’s attack on Ms Champion came after she told The Sun in 2017 that Britain “has a problem with British Pakistani men raping and exploiting white girls”. It accused her of inciting hatred against minorities and in 2018 issued a report that it said was based on an online survey in which 165 people were asked to describe the impact of the Labour MP’s comments.

The report, which was co-authored by Nadeem Murtuja, who was then Just Yorkshire’s chairman and acting director, said that British Pakistanis in Rotherham felt “scapegoated, dehumanised and potentially criminalised” by Ms

Champion.

The commission noted the report “also appeared baselessly to link two murders to remarks by Sarah Champion”. The murders, of an elderly Rotherham man and of the MP Jo Cox, took place before her comments to The Sun. Just Yorkshire’s trustees were held responsible for “misconduct and/or mismanagement in the administration of the charity”, whose reports “did not appear to properly consider the charity’s purpose or the need for balance”.

The trustees also failed to manage conflicts of interest that “saw two trustees receive unauthorised payments from the charity’s funds”. One payment of £6,000 was for work on Just Yorkshire’s Prevent report. “Investigators found no evidence that the individuals recused themselves from decision-making when their payment was discussed.”

Last autumn the commission formally notified Just Yorkshire, whose main funder was the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, of its intention to issue it with an official warning. The trustees then dissolved the charity. Tim Hopkins, the regulator’s assistant director of investigations, said that the Just Yorkshire trustees had “failed to fully discharge

Govt used racist policy: MP Thewliss The government has been accused in the House of Commons of using a "racist policy" to drive black people back to work during the coronavirus outbreak.

The SNP's Alison Thewliss made the allegation as MPs debated the recent report on the causes behind the higher rate of Covid-19 deaths among black and minority ethnic (Bame) communities.

But Treasury minister Kemi Badenoch accused her of "confected outrage" and

declared that Britain is "one of the best countries in the world to be a black person".

Ms Thewliss told the Commons that Bame people were being denied the chance to stay home to protect their health during the pandemic because of the government's "no recourse to public funds" policy, which bars many migrants from receiving welfare benefits.

their legal duties”. Mr Murtuja, who in 2017 accused Ms Champion of conduct “bordering on industrialscale racism”, is now the executive director of communities at Oxford city council.

He said he was not the recipient of the £6,000 and

had no official involvement with Just Yorkshire when the payment was made. He acted at all times “in accordance with my obligations as a trustee”. He said he respected the commission’s viewpoint but felt it misinterpreted the charity’s reference to two murders in its report on Ms

Champion, which was seeking to make the point that “incendiary comments do incite acts of hate”.

Ms Champion said she was “hugely relieved that it’s all over . . . It felt as though that report set out to undermine my relationship with my constituents.”

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Celebrate life and its memories We are saddened to learn the demise of Shri Janardanbhai Patel, youngest beloved brother of Shri C B Patel in Asian Voice issue of 6th June, captioned Janardanbhai leaves for heavenly abode. On behalf of our family and friends here in Greater Toronto area we convey our deepest sympathy to his wife, daughters, four granddaughters and all his loved ones- friends and acquaintances. It is not important how long you live but it is very important how you lead your life facing all struggles, ups and downs and removing all hurdles coming your way one by one to give good education, rich culture and value of both eastern and western way of life to your children, so that they can become law abiding and good citizens of the country in which they live.

Shri Janardanbhai was an ideal example. As Mahatma Gandhi once said, “My life is my message”, which very fittingly applies to Shri Janardanbhai’s life. He not only lived for himself but also for others by doing charitable deeds, installed clean water system in his back-home place Karnali in Gujarat, India and on Mahashivratri of 2020 performed groundbreaking ceremony fully funded retirement home for elderly in his birthplace. On a personal note to Shri C B Patel, when any of your siblings younger than you dies it is very painful. My younger brother Subhash Patel died 19 years back in Southall and my wife’s younger brother Dr Prafulbhai Patel died in April 2020 in Baltimore, USA. Being elder it is very hard to bear pain especially during Covid-19 pandemic with lockdown and self-isolations.

Only way to ease pain is - to celebrate memorable time he spent with family, relatives and friend and numerous messages of sympathy, condolences and prayers from our wellwishers around the world. May Lord Shiva bless his soul in heaven lying at his feet.As Father’s Day is around the corner, we wish Happy Father’s Day to all loving, caring fathers living or no more in this world.

Suresh and Bhavna Patel Markham, Canada

Magnificent lions of Gir While most of us visit Gujarat, especially to escape bitterly cold, dark and wet winter months, we hardly visit historical places or nature reserves that Gujarat is famous for, like Mount Girnar, a romantic place where Gujarat history comes alive. Then there are Asiatic lions found nowhere else in the world. Indeed, Gujarat is the last bastion of lions in the vast continent of Asia where lions used to roam freely in some twenty countries. History of Junagadh is saturated with romantic, heroic, as well as brutal historical events. But the theme of this letter is to highlight Mount Girnar, Gir Forest and lions who roam freely there-in. At one time, they were on the verge of extinction, only 12 lions were left, mainly due to over-hunting by pampered British officers, as guests of tin-pot ruler Nawabs of Junagadh. However since BJP took-over, under the then CM Narendrabhai Modi, who created safe heaven, nature reserve for these persecuted lions, its’ population has increased by leaps and bounds, so much so that Forest of Gir is unable to sustain some 700 lions as per recent count in May 2020, straying in nearby villages, creating panic, as well as curiosity among villagers who would never harm a lion. It is the job of rangers to trap and remove them to a safe place in Gir forest. Counting lions is an interesting as well as complicated job, using different methods like Calling, Transistor and feeding spots but now with modern technology, some 2000 trap cameras were used which is regarded as most accurate census. Many game wardens are dedicated women who know most lions by name! Many wild-life experts feel that it is high time some of these lions are dispersed to other nature reserves in Kerala and Madhya Pradesh to safeguard lion population, as inter breeding has killed many lions from preventable diseases. But interstates rivalry has prevented this sensible solution so far. It is high time Central government intervene and safeguard lion population for the good of the nation.

Bhupendra M. Gandhi

By Email

Wash your vegetables During this time of coronavirus, buy vegetables early in the morning and leave it at least for 6 hours. After 6 hours, consider it as safe as it used to be before corona existed. Avoid buying vegetables in the evening; it's the leftover of all day, touched by hundreds of people who came to the shop and chose the best of the lot. Once you have cooked a vegetable, there are no chances of corona being still active in it. It's completely safe to be consumed. Avoid eating raw vegetables and fruits as soon as you bring them home. Also avoid keeping them in the fridge. Keep them soaked in water or in open if they are not too perishable. Stock non perishable items for a week, if possible. Also, reduce your frequency of visiting the market. As soon as you come home, wash your hands properly, possibly take a bath and keep the clothes away which you wore to the shop. Do not use sanitiser or disinfectant on food items. Try to pay online as much as possible. These days even small shops accept Paytm etc. Do not wash vegetables and fruits with soap or any such chemicals like hand-wash.

Jubel D’Cruz

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Is Corona sign of good times ahead Currently the world is full of negative activities and news predominantly due to Covid-19. This reminds me of the days around 1972. The rundown streets and high streets where businesses were closing down was a common sight in the UK and not dissimilar to what we see today (except that internet shopping has contribute to this more recently). Asians especially East African Asians started running shops very successfully everywhere during that period.

We as a community have had a very positive business contribution to Britain and the British way of life. I think now we have an opportune moment. One can see the changes made by small family businesses including supporting the local community, providing employment and services. I worked very hard for 20 years running a corner shop and can now be called a sound businessman and I am sure there are thousands like me. On top of that now the children have grown up and have professional jobs and a sound financial base. They are a lot more experience. We need to put a new seed of corn down with total commitment to bring a good era for British people and the upcoming generation, as we begin to move out of lockdown this will be a good ambition and mindset to follow.

Gujaratis had a very big contribution to Indian independence and contribution to Africa especially East Africa commerce and one cannot forget the East African Railway and it history of construction. It was something like your Railway you know someone on each Railway Station Now is the time for us to act and contribute at this challenging time and perhaps Asian Voice can lead their readers with this outlook and sentiment.

Just remind our self that Asian economy is moving fast.

Surendra Patel Ilford

May truth & peace prevail Strategically it is definitely hurting US interests and probably interests of all English-speaking countries specifically in whole Africa. US making big mistake at wrong time. One incident and literally lost years of hard work, good will in AfricaHuman Unity is inevitable. Just few days back everyone was fighting to defeat corona, shoulder to shoulder to save Lives. No matter colour, race, religion and dreams shattered. World unanimously condemn what happened! People must Trust in democratic principle and US justice system. I am concerned for violence.On 5 February 1922 a massacre took place at Chauri Chaura, a small town in the district of Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. A police officer had attacked some volunteers picketing a liquor shop. A whole crowd of peasants that had gathered & violence took the charge,Mahatma Gandhi called off a successful non-cooperation movement. Gandhi felt that the revolt was veering off-course and was disappointed that the revolt had lost its non-violent nature. He did not want the movement to degenerate into a contest of violence, with police and angry mobs attacking each other back and forth, victimising civilians in between.Gandhiji appealed to the Indian public for all resistance to end, went on a fast lasting 3 weeks, and called off the non-cooperation movement. It was a big setback for 6 years, but he was convinced that India was not ready for independence through Ahimsa i.e. Non-Violence.

Aum Peace. Aum Shanti.

Vidyut Mehta South Wales

Coronavirus’ long-lasting unknown health hazards Coronavirus arrived like a hurricane, but it will retreat at a snail’s speed, unless our scientists, Scientific Advisory Groupon Emergencies, in short SAGE can develop an effective vaccine before the onset of winter. It gives them just three to four months to produce and distribute millions of doses for everyone in this country, starting with NHS, Care Home and other essential workers, followed by OAP and chronically sick people. Hopefully our short sighted, dogooder politicians will put nation’s health and our wellbeing on priority list before exporting these vital, lifesaving medicine to EU and America! This is a completely new and unknown disease our scientists know nothing about.

Although majority may not show any sign and recover without even knowing that they were the infected, were victims, those who recover after a long and painful few weeks may suffer from lingering effects of extreme tiredness like ME (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) joint pains, coeliac, debilitating symptoms and many more unknown after effects. At worse it could turn young and healthy ones into chronically sick, putting huge burden on NHS, as well as on our economy, as flourishing economy needs fit and healthy workforce!

Government is in a dilemma, caught between the “Devil and Deep Blue Sea”. If it continues lockdown too long, economy may suffer with up to three to four million additional unemployed and borrowing will go through the roof, leaving heavy financial burden on the younger generation. If it lifts it too soon, there is a possibility of second epidemic which can be worse than the first one. It is an unenviable choice for PM to tackle!

Kumudini Valambia

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Kapil’s Khichadi The Enslaved Mind Kapil Dudakia One might think slavery has been abolished, but even today we witness its control and power over the enslaved mind. On Sunday 7th June hooligans and vandals gathered in Bristol and tore down the statue of Edward Colston, a prominent 17th Century slave trader. Travel east and in the seat of Government we witnessed more anarchists gathering to deface statues in Parliament Square. This time their objective was Sir Winston Churchill. Yes, the very same who led the British fight against the fascist called Hitler. Things didn’t stop there, the level of disrespect spilled over to the great Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and Abraham Lincoln. Ironically if these hooligans had tried anything like this in any of the African, Middle Eastern or Eastern countries, they would have faced the full might of the law, and in some countries even live bullets.

Let me be very clear, I have no time for slave traders or owners. I have no time for imperial masters who were responsible for the enslavement and death of millions. However, in this nation of ours we call the United Kingdom – I do mind the lunacy we have witnessed this week. I am enraged with the evil of the antifa white liberals who have hijacked the race issue to further their own political agenda. And I am dumbfounded that the BAME community is so silly that they have allowed themselves to be played again.

Let the Americans sort their own problems out. The UK is not America and the last thing we want is their madness enacted on our streets. Black lives do matter. Brown lives matter.

White lives matter. All lives matter. However, what did we witness? Thousands marching on our streets. No isolation. A collection of active Corona virus spreaders infecting people from the BAME community, the very community that is more likely to die from this horrid virus. Black lives matter, my foot. This was the premediated action of anarchists spreading a killer virus. It is negligence of unfathomable consequence. I hope and pray that their loved ones don’t end up dead. We know who to blame then don’t we. Getting back to the statue f a dead slave trader, let me remind people, Christians and Muslims were actively engaged in the enslavement of Africa. On the back of this trade and their conquests around the globe, these two faith are responsible for looting the wealth of nations, the death of millions, the destruction of countless cultures, traditions and languages – so please tell me, is the next step to dismantle these faiths? If the logic of tearing down the statue in Bristol is to hold true, then these anarchists are now morally duty bound surely to take down the Church and the Caliphate? Will they do that? Of course not. You see these are cowards who thrive on violence on the pretext of equalities and are spineless to take on the real enemy. Edward Colston was a product of his faith. His faith relied on many things stated in the various books of the old and new bible, e.g. Genesis 9: 24-27, Genesis 10 the 'Table of Nations' and 1 Peter 2: 18-25. Should the woke brigade not address the root cause of that statue? The corrupt morality of these ‘protesters’ works on the enslaved mind only.

I say to the BAME community, don’t be fools led by your new white ‘antifa’ masters. You are being played and what happens in your name dishonours your history. Ask who is funding this anarchy and who gains from it?

Not to mix news and views .n AV dated 6 to 12 June 2020. There is a very thin line between what is considered as views and what is considered as facts.

People not having in-depth analytical ability will easily be confused and will get carried away with views. I think the BBC spent much more time and resources just for one person called Dominic Cummings.The BBC is clearly trying to convince people what they think is right instead of giving the balanced and impartial views for the public to judge. During Covid-19 outbreak in India, they said in spite of record number of cases, the lockdown is being eased in India. However, they failed to mention that compared to the advanced European countries, the death rate is much lower if one compares the population of different countries. The percentage figure should also be considered to make a sensible comparison. Even during the lockdown in India, the BBC used to show the hardships faced by a very few people without highlighting the huge commendable work done by many NGOs and the government to support the most needy people with food and other essentials. The BBC charter to “provide impartial news and information” is difficult to feel when we clearly see biased news and views.

Hitesh Hingu London

We are grateful to all letter writers for more and more versatile letters well within word limit.

Please keep contributing as always.

If you are new, then write to Rupanjana at rupanjana.dutta@abplgroup.com - AV

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SCRUTATOR’S New made-in-India fighter cleared for development Buoyed by the success of trial landings of the Tejas-N fighter on board the Navy aircraft carrier, INS Vikramaditya, the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) has given the go ahead for the development of a twin engine made-in-India fighter jet. The governing body of ADA, the principal designer of the Tejas fighter, now in squadron service with the Indian Air Force, has discussed the indigenous development of the new fighter in a meeting chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and attended by the Navy and Air Force Chiefs on 22 May. Following this meeting, the Operational Requirements (ORs) for the new fighter were issued by the Integrated Headquarters of the Ministry of Defence.

Development of the new fighter jet comes at a time when the government announced a series of structural reforms in the defence sector under the "Atmanirbhar" or self-reliance goal which is meant to result in India dramatically cutting down on its defence imports. The prototype of the new fighter-jet, designed to operate from the deck of India's two aircraft carriers, INS Vikramaditya and the soon to be inducted INS Vikrant, is meant to fly within six years with induction of the fighter within a decade. (Agency).

SC dismisses plea to change India’s name to ‘Bharat’ The Supreme Court has disposed off a petition seeking its directions to the Centre to amend the Constitution and replace the word 'India' with 'Bharat'. The apex court directed the petitioner to send copy of his writ petition as representation to concerned ministries which will decide representation appropriately. The petitioner claimed that a change of name will help citizens of the country get over the colonial past and instill a sense of pride in their nationality. The petition was listed before a bench headed Chief Justice Sharad Bobde, but it got deleted, as he was not available then as well. It was dropped because of similar reasons this time also. The petitioner, a Delhibased man, argued that the time is ripe to recognise the country by its original and authentic name, Bharat, especially when the cities have been renamed in accordance with Indian ethos. The plea had contended that the purpose of the amendment to Article 1 will ensure “the citizens of this country to get over the colonial past.” “The removal of the English name, though appears symbolic, will instill a sense of pride in our nationality, especially for the future generations. In fact, replacing India with Bharat would justify the hard fought freedom achieved by our ancestors,” the petitioner had said. (Agency) Ace filmmaker Basu Chatterjee dead Ace filmmaker Basu Chatterjee who made middle class minutiae passed away in Mumbai last week.

The Ajmer-born director was 90 and was not keeping well for quite some time due to old age problems and died in his home, Ashoke Pandit, president, Indian Film & Television Directors’ Association said. The best of Basu da – as everyone called him – movies were snug social sketchbooks of ordinary lives.

They told stories of trade unionists, office clerks, Sanskrit teachers, overseers and private secretaries; their gentle struggles in Bombay locals, their endeavours to find love and

togetherness in crowded, spacecrunched homes. 'Rajnigandha', 'Chhoti Si Baat', 'Chitchor', 'Baton Baton Mein', 'Khatta Meetha' are celluloid registers of times when money was always in short supply but happiness found a way to bypass it. They called it, middle of the road cinema, a feelgood halfway house between the two extremes of art and commerce.

Basu da and the late Hrishikesh Mukherjee were two of its tallest exponents in the 1970s. (Agency) 30,000 weddings cancelled in Gujarat The wedding industry has been hit hard in Gujarat with around 30,000 marriages being cancelled during the last two months following the Covid-19 induced lockdown, industry sources said. Around 30,000 weddings planned across the state have been either called off or postponed in the last two months due to the ongoing crisis, Hotel and Restaurant Association (Gujarat) spokesman Abhijit Deshmukh said. March and April are considered the peak season, when most weddings take place in the state, he said. Giving the idea of a big fat Indian wedding a miss, some couples have chosen to tie

the knot in the presence of eight to 10 close relatives, wedding planner Devang Shah said.

Although some relaxations in the lockdown were announced from May 18, hotels, restaurants, party venues and temples remain shut, making it difficult for people to organise weddings and related functions, he said. “People have been cancelling their bookings and are waiting for the next auspicious season in December and January. Those who can’t wait are getting married at home in the presence of select family members,” Shah said. While people have the option of organising a small ceremony with only 50 guests, very few are interested, said decorator and caterer Amal Gandhi. (The Times of India) Steep hike in poaching cases during lockdown When India grind to a halt to contain the Covid-19 outbreak, wildlife conservation took a hit funding dried up, fewer personnel were on the ground and tighter inter-state borders sometimes made rescue efforts difficult.

Against that backdrop, poaching cases went up 151% during lockdown, a report released by wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC said. The report, ‘Indian wildlife amidst the Covid -19 crisis’, compares six weeks before the lockdown (February 10 to March 22) and six weeks in lockdown (March 23 to May 3).

The number of poaching cases went up from 35 to 88 in that period and arrests from 85 to 222.

And most of it has been for consumption and local trade, a trend also observed by WTI. So ungulates (hoofed mammals) ended up being hunted the most, accounting for 44% of all cases, up from 22%. They were followed by small mammals, who made up 25% of the poaching cases in lockdown, up from 17%. While forest staff engaged in wildlife protection were exempted from

lockdown restrictions, poaching is not contained within the bounds of biodiversity zones. (The Times of India) Air India opens booking for international flights Air India on Friday last said they have received more than 60 million hits on their website after opening the bookings for 75 international flight to Canada and the US under the third phase of Vande Bharat Mission to repatriate Indian citizens stuck abroad due to covid-19 lockdown.

Air India said that around 1,700 tickets have already been booked since opening of bookings on June 5. Air India will operate 75 outbound passenger flights to select destinations in the US and Canada between June 9 and June

30 under the Vande Bharat Mission. "Those who wish to travel to the United States and Canada and fulfill required entry conditions can book themselves on these outbound flights. Some foreign airlines have already carried out evacuation flights and are planning to operate more flights. These flights will also take foreign nationals," Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri tweeted. He said the aforementioned 75 flights will go to destinations like New York, Newark, Chicago, Washington, San Francisco, Vancouver and Toronto. Puri, in one of his recent tweets, also mentioned that while international air carriers are charging up to Rs 300,000 for a single seat, Air India is charging one third of that amount to the US. (Agency) Anand Mahindra expresses frustration with Webinars Anand Mahindra does not like webinars and makes no bones

about it. Despite the coronavirus pandemic changing the world and the way we communicate, the Mahindra Group chairperson has previously made it clear that webinars are not his favourite.

And now, the Twitter-savvy industrialist has found a new way to sum up his desperation - with a Bollywood meme. Taking to the microblogging platform, Mahindra shared a meme

featuring Salim and Anarkali from the cult 1960 film 'Mughal-eAazam'. In the meme, Salim seems to be waking up a sleeping Anarkali, as was shown in the film, but the dialogues were somewhat tweaked. "Wake up, Anarkali. The webinar is over," Salim seemed to be telling Anarkali. An amused Mahindra shared the meme while describing Anarkali's condition as "Webinarcoma" - a coma induced by webinars. "Numerous friends shared this meme with me after reading about my frustration with ‘webinars.’ Seems like a new medical condition called a Webinarcoma," Mahindra tweeted. Previously, the businessman has expressed his own frustration with increasing webinar invitations as the world observed social distancing amid

the Covid-19 pandemic. "If I get one more invitation to a 'webinar' I might have a serious meltdown."

Mahindra said, further adding, "Is it possible to petition for banishing this word from the dictionary even though it was a relatively recent entrant?"

(Agency) Pro-Khalistan slogans raised at Golden Temple Pro-Khalistan slogans were raised by Sikh hardliners in the Golden Temple complex on the 36th anniversary of Operation Blue Star on Saturday last.

Around 100 activists led by Imaan Singh Mann, son of Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) president and former MP Simranjit Singh Mann, raised the slogans at the Akal Takht - the highest temporal seat of Sikhs. 'Parallel Jathedar' of Akal Takht Dhian Singh Mand, who entered the premises with the Mann-led group, addressed the gathering. Members of Sikh hardliner outfit Damdami Taksal along with Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh and Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) officials honoured the families of those who were killed during Operation Blue Star, which was carried out in 1984 to flush out heavily-armed terrorists holed up in the Golden Temple. The main programme to honour such families was organised by the Akal Takht.

Addressing the gathering, Giani Harpreet Singh said the Sikh community will always remember the unhealed wounds of Operation Blue Star. There was heavy barricading by police around all entry points to the Golden Temple. Due to entry restrictions in view of the coronavirus pandemic, not more than 1,000 people gathered at the shrine. Usually more than 100,000 people visit the shrine on this day every year. (Agency)

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Dubai ruler may get expansion India joins UK's global nod for Highland summer base vaccine mission Almost a year-long wait for the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid alMaktoum, for expanding his summer base for family at Highland, including several wives and 20 children, is likely to come to an aend soon.

Next week, councillors will rule on the proposal and are expected to approve it, reports The Times. The 63,000-acre estate at Inverinate, a village in Wester Ross, already includes a 14-bedroom manor house and 16bedroom guest house, but the sheikh wants to add a hunting lodge.

He has been battling for more than a year to secure planning permission and his blueprints have been revised four times.

Still, the neighbours are not happy. Roddy Macleod, 71, whose home is 65ft from the proposed lodge, said that it would invade his privacy and spoil the enjoyment of his home, in which he has lived for 35 years. People also say that an access road will cause problems.

Farningham Planning, the sheikh's agent, said that most of the land was bought from the Church of Scotland in 2017. Plans for Ptarmigan Lodge were originally submitted in March last year.

In July Princess Haya bint alHussein, his official wife, fled after her affair with a bodyguard was uncovered. She moved in to

her £75 million home in west London with their two children, Jalila, now 12, and Zayed, seven.

The couple have since divorced.

The sheikh's hopes of extending his Highland bolt-hole have attracted little support from locals. Nobody has written in support of his plan and like Mr Macleod there are many against it.

One neighbour described it as "a land grab on the Trump scale".

The sheikh's architects have reduced the size of the building and said that it would have six bedrooms rather than nine. They had said that the family's trips to Inverinate had been "limited by lack of accommodation", even though there are already 30 bedrooms there and another 28 were approved in February last year.

Transport Scotland had also expressed concern about the wear and tear to the local road, but his

agent said that most people would come and go by helicopter.

In March it was reported that the Queen was to distance herself from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum after a court ruled that he had kidnapped two of his daughters. The Queen and the sheikh have been close for decades thanks to their love of horse racing but the relationship has been strained by a London court ruling that Sheikh Mohammed abducted his "wayward" daughters Shamsa and Latifa and had them taken back to Dubai. He was also said to have caused Princess Haya bint al-Hussein, then his wife, to fear for her life after her affair with a bodyguard was discovered. She fled last year to her £75 million home in west London with their two children, Jalila, now 12, and Zayed, seven. The couple have since divorced.

In the virtual Global Vaccine Summit 2020 organised by the UK government, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged his support to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, in its commitment to help save up to eight million lives over the next five years.

The summit is helping secure billion US$7.4 (approximately £6 billion) in funding to support global vaccine supply and immunisation.

The virtual event saw representatives of more than 50 countries - business leaders, UN agencies, civil society, government ministers, Heads of State and country leaders.

Gavi's routine immunisation efforts, including during the coronavirus pandemic, help stop the spread of infectious diseases and the resurgence of other epidemics. If a safe and effective coronavirus vaccine is developed, it will also have a role in its delivery around the world. Global access will ensure a collective international recovery.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: "I hope this summit will be the moment when the world comes together to unite humanity in the fight against disease. I urge you to join us to fortify this

lifesaving alliance and inaugurate a new era of global health cooperation, which I believe is now the most essential shared endeavour of our lifetimes.".

Jan Thompson, Acting High Commissioner to India, said:" I was pleased to see such a strong endorsement from Prime Minister Modi at today's Summit, and to hear his message about the importance of global solidarity." As he said, India's capacity to produce vaccines at low cost and research expertise will play a very important role.

The UK is Gavi's leading donor and already playing a major role in the international response to Coronavirus. "I'm delighted to see the continuing and excellent UK-India collaboration as a force for good against Covid-19 – from vaccine development to keeping essential medical supply routes open.", he added.

Condemn Floyd death, reassure UK's black communities: Starmer writes to Boris Keir Starmer, Labour leader, has written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson urging him to "reassure black communities" and challenge Donald Trump over the United States' response to peaceful protests.

America saw many protests following the death of George Floyd in police custody, with some violent clashes between police and attendees. In the wake of the unrest, the Labour leader has written to the Prime Minister to express his "shock and anger at the killing of George Floyd".

And he has urged Mr Johnson to spell out "what the British government is doing to urge the United States and President Trump to respect human rights and the fundamental democratic right to peaceful protest".

"I am sure that you share my strongly held belief that the UK has a moral obligation to speak out in defence of these values, no matter where in the world they are challenged," he wrote.

And the Labour leader called on Mr Johnson to explain what the Government is doing to "reassure black communities in the UK"."Many of our own black citizens seeing these images also feel palpable anger and anxiety," he said.

And he added: "The death of George Floyd has justifiably prompted anger and a burning desire for fundamental change. "The UK must be clear in showing that we understand this frustration and that we are ready to stand together with those who seek to tackle the injustice and inequality that remains within all our societies." Speaking at Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, Mr Johnson said: "I think that what happened in the United States was appalling and inexcusable. We all saw it on our screens." But he added: "I perfectly understand people's right to protest at what took place, although obviously I also believe that protests should take place in a lawful and reasonable way."

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Minister announces steps to check Covid-19 risk disparities Equalities minister Kemi Badenoch has announced to take forward the Public Health England (PHE) review into disparities in the risks and outcomes of Covid-19.

Badenoch said the government is rightly taking seriously the initial findings from the PHE report published earlier this week.

"However, it is also clear that much more needs to be done to understand the key drivers of the disparities identified and the relationships between the different risk factors. That is why I am now taking this work forward, which will enable us to make a real difference to people’s lives and protect our communities from the impact of the coronavirus,” Badenoch said. The future tasks will include, review the effectiveness and impact of current actions being undertaken by rele-

vant government departments and their agencies to directly lessen disparities in infection and death rates of COVID-19.

Factors to be considered – but aren’t limited to – should include age and sex, occupation, obesity, comorbidities, geography, and ethnicity. Suggestions will also made to modify existing, or development of new policy.

Also commissioned will be further data, research and analytical work by the Equality Hub to clarify the scale, and drivers, of the gaps in evidence highlighted by the Report; It will be taken into consideration where and how the collection and quality of data into the disparities highlighted can be improved on, and take action to do so, working with the Equality Hub, government departments and their agencies among other things.

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Cops identify a suspect 17 years after 3-year old UK girl went missing Why Ramayana beats Game The long running unsolved cant to the case. The tip off case of a 3-year-old British regarding the German suspect girl Madeleine McCann’s came after and appeal was disappearance has suddenly made regarding any info on seen a ray of hope with the girl in 2017.

British Police identifying a The friends of parents, suspect in the case.

Kate and Gerry McCann termed it as the biggest breakThe cops have claimed through in the case since the that they have zoomed in on girl went missing in 2007. This a German suspect for his is also for the first time that likely involvement in the both UK and German police case 13 years ago when have publicly zeroed in on a McCann disappeared while suspect. holidaying in Portugal.

The parents have said that Even though the cops all they have wanted for all have not named the suspect, credit: met.police.uk these years is uncovering the they have said that the 43truth. According to a report in The year-old man was in and around the Praia Telegraph, the suspect has been described da Luz resort area on the Algarve coast as a white with short, blond hair and a slim when the three-year-old stayed there. build. He was linked to a camper van picThe case has generated a lot of interest tured in the Algarve in 2007 and was in the UK as it has been 13 years since the believed to be in the resort area in the days girl’s disappearance in 2007 and still there before and after May 3, 2007. has not been a closure.

The suspect right now is in German According to her parents statement, prison in a separate case. Police from three they had gone out for dinner with their countries, UK, Portugal and Germany have friends to a nearby restaurant leaving launched fresh appeal for any information Madeleine and her twin siblings in their in the case. Ironically, while the German rooms as they were sleeping. When they police have been treating the case as a murreturned after dinner, Madeleine had gone der investigation, the police back in UK missing. have been, so far, treating the case as a During its probe, British police identimissing persons probe. fied around 600 people who were signifi-

Patel outlines 14-day quarantine policy for travellers entering UK Dashing hope of any rollback of the contentious 14-day mandatory quarantine for travellers entering the UK from Monday, Home Secretary Priti Patel has announced details of the policy.

The Indian-origin Cabinet minister, while addressing the House of Commons, also ruled out any middle path by way of ‘air bridges’ with preferred nations and told that the two-week quarantine will apply to all travellers till the policy is again reviewed on June 28.

The minister was at pains to explain that the new measures are meant to prevent new cases being brought from abroad and to safeguard against the second wave. The move has been criticised by the members of her own party too.

Patel said in the House, “We are in a national health emergency right now.

This isn't about the inconvenience of certain regulations and measures – we are here to make sure we protect public health first and foremost."

Under the quarantine scheme, exemptions have been granted to road hauliers and medical officials as well as to the common travel area with Ireland and the Channel Islands. However, contrary to the expectations, arrivals from France will not be exempt.

Under the procedure, the persons entering the UK will be asked to fill up a form giving out their contact details which will enable the health officials to check on them if they have been complying with the 14-day isolation or not.

Those international arrivals worried over place to self-isolate themselves will be provided help by the UK government in finding an accommodation at traveller’s cost.

If anyone fails to comply with the norms, there are stiff penalty provisions as a counter measure. Violators face enforcement action and any failure to follow self-isolation may incur 1,000 pounds fixed penalty.

That is not all. If a person still flouts these norms, there is provision of removing that individual from Britain as a last resort.

Priti Patel

Patel said, “Protecting the public's health and avoiding a second peak that overwhelms the NHS (National Health Service) will always be our top priority. As we get the virus under control here, we must manage the risk of cases being imported from abroad. We owe it to the thousands who've lost their lives not to throw away our progress.”

Britain is not alone with countries like New Zealand, South Africa, South Korea, Spain and the US are already requiring an arrival to go through a 14-day mandatory quarantine. These rules have been placed by various countries despite the World Health Organization (WHO) saying in February that measures that interfere significantly with international travel may only be justified at the beginning of an outbreak.

The move has already invited severe criticism from the travel and hospitality industry with boss of Ryanair, Michael O’Leary, describing it as idiotic and unimplementable while the Airlines UK trade body has said the move will “effectively kill” international travel to and from Britain.

of Thrones in popularity?

Rohit Vadhwana

engaging TV drama. But it was an unfamiliar subject for everyone. Ramayana is written in India implemented a nationwide lockdown for 24,000 verses by Maharshi Valmiki, a harbinger 40 days in two phases, to fight against Covid-19. poet in Sanskrit literature. The epic Ramayana It was further extended with certain modificadates back from 7th BCE to 4th BCE. As per tions. Several activities and entertainment proHindu records, Ramayana took place in Treta grammes were broadcasted to keep people Yuga, about 8,69,000 years ago. For over two engaged during the Stay At Home period. millennia, Ramayana is part of the everyday life Doordarshan, India’s national free-to-air channot merely in India but in the whole Indian subnel, re-telecasted its 11 golden era programmes continent. Ramayana is read, recited and perlike Ramayana, Mahabharata, Chanakya, formed on various occasions. People are converShaktiman, Circus, etc. They were extremely sant with its subject and they feel attached to it. popular when originally televised. It is not a surThis advantage is not available to Game of prise they got record viewership during the reThrones.

5: Family Value: Ramayana offers universal run. life lessons for every individual. People watch it Game of Thrones has been acknowledged as dutifully, along with family and friends. the most popular TV show in the world. Why Culturally it is said that Ramayana teaches a way Ramayana, an ancient epical TV drama produced of moral life to everyone. It has social, moral, in the late 80s became 6 times more popular religious, ethical, historical, cultural and politithan Game of Thrones in 2020? Originally, cal lessons interwoven interestingly. While Ramayana was broadcasted from 25 January 1987 Game of Thrones may have such lessons, but it to 31 July 1988, every Sunday at 0930 hours, on has not gained the status of an ideal family show.

Doordarshan. Given its encouraging reception Brother-sister, teacher-student or father-daughin India, Star Plus has broadcasted Ramayana in ter would not prefer to watch Game of Thrones the UK. together. Given strong sexual and violent depicAccording to Nielsen data, the finale of tions, possibly Game of Thrones will never come Game of Thrones on HBO was the mostinto a family-watchable category. watched episode with approximately 13.6 million 6: Religious angle: Ramayana is one of the viewers. On 16 April 2020, Ramanand Sagar’s 78 holiest texts of Hinduism. Viewers look at it as a episodic Ramayana has become the world’s spiritual sermon. Watching Ramayana is considmost-watched show with 77 million viewers. ered a holy act. Game of Thrones is only enterSeveral reasons have been put forward by differtainment, without having such religious value. ent analysts for Ramayana becoming the most When Ramayana was aired first time in 1987-88, viewed television programme in the world, oversome people used to seat in front of the TV as if taking Game of Thrones. To me, the following offering a prayer. They would also encourage eight reasons played a role in making Ramayana family members to do the same. This is not the the most popular TV show in the world.

1: The sizeable population of India: USA/UK case with Game of Thrones. Such theological has much smaller population base than India. and social affection to Ramayana added a huge Going by the enormous population base, any viewership during its initial and second transprogram in India is bound to receive more viewmission.

7: Age no bar: Ramayana is suitable for ership than in any other country. A nation of 1.38 viewers of any age - children, youth and old. billion people, with most of them sitting at Everyone watches Ramayana, from a toddler to home during the nationwide lockdown, offered a nonagenarian. Similarly, all genders like the an eagerly available viewership to the re-running show. There is no statutory, moral or social of Ramayana. This type of benefit was never restrictions on watching Ramayana. Game of available to the Game of Thrones. Normally, Thrones, having explicit depiction of sexual people watch TV programmes in their own and violent scenes, is not suitable for children. country and culture. This was clear in the affecIn many cultures, parents would not want their tionate response accorded to Ramayana.

2: Free to Air programme: Ramayana ran on children to watch Game of Thrones. It takes away a large viewership from Game of Thrones ‘free-to-air’ channel, Doordarshan while the but adds to Ramayana.

Game of Thrones has never been free for specta8: Complete entertainment: Game of tors. HBO might be a subscribed channel for some people in the USA and a few other counThrones is a nicely written-directed-produced tries, but not for the rest of the world. Therefore, drama. Whoever starts watching first episode when we talk of watching a particular episode on will be tempted to go to the next. It is hard-toa day, availability of Doordarshan was disproporstop-type TV series. Jon Snow’s valour, tionately larger than HBO. People had to pay a Daenerys Targaryen’s zeal to reclaim the Iron hefty amount to buy and watch each season of Throne, Tyrion Lannister’s wisdom and what Game of Thrones on Apple TV or any other platnot? The extraordinary capabilities in different form. Cost factor plays a significant role too. characters, including Dragons, add to the 3: Familiarity with Language: Primarily, flavour of drama. But so is the case with Ramayana is made in Hindi while Game of Ramayana. There is everything of interest. A Thrones is in English. English-speaking viewerheroic King Rama who accepts exile for fourship all over the world is available to Game of teen years to fulfil a promise given by his Thrones compared to Hindi speaking people of father, the devil king Ravana with ten heads, a India to Ramayana. The 2019 edition of saviour bird Jatayu and a monkey-God Ethnologue, a language reference published by Hanuman and his force. There are elements of SIL International, USA numbers total English adventures, miracles and superpower. speaking (as first or second language) people at Ramayana is equally entrapping and entertain1.268 billion all over the world. The same study ing for viewers.

Conclusion: While Ramayana is an ancient identifies 637.3 million people as Hindi speaking epic weaving culture and traditions, Game of population (as a first and second language). But Thrones is a magnificent modern fantasy. only a few people in India do not understand Production of Ramayana was done in the 80s, Hindi, at least in TV programmes and films. with the minimal technology available. So it People living out of India, not speaking Hindi at may not attract in terms of special effects. On all, also watch Hindi films and TV series. So, in the other hand, Game of Thrones uses modern terms of language, while English easily outnumtechnology to give mesmerising effects. Both bered Hindi, but in absolute viewership for are full of entertainment and have huge fan Hindi programmes, Ramayana was hardly at any followings. Giving full credit to the creators of disadvantage. One more point on language: Game of Thrones for making a cult viewership, while many people around the world understand we must acknowledge it can never be complain English, watching Game of Thrones withpared with Ramayana in its reach, popularity out subtitle is difficult for them.

4: Familiarity to the subject: Game of and acceptance in the society. Therefore, in my opinion, these eight reasons have made Thrones is a magnificent creation by the Ramayana world’s most popular TV show, American novelist and screenwriter George R R overtaking Game of Thrones by six times more Martin. His series of epic fantasy novels ‘A Song viewership. of Ice and Fire’ was adopted in a breathtakingly (Expressed opinion is personal)

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Customers of Southall Travel refunded £22 million worth of payments Southall Travel Group has announced measures to ‘ramp up’ its capacity to deal with refund and other queries, as it issued £22 million worth of payments to its customers. The firm reportedly said it has refunded 94% of customers with package bookings to 31 May 2020. Package customers due to travel up to June 30 will be refunded by June 15, though it reportedly accepted that it is still struggling to get money back from many airlines for flight-only bookings.

Priyanjana* was meant to travel to India on 29 March.

A regular customer of Southall Travel for last 6 years, she likes the flexibility Southall Travel offers to book flight tickets, with a token amount to reserve a seat and pay the rest nearer to flying date. When India announced border closure, the agency representative called her immediately to notify about the travel ban. However, with travel uncertainties, Priyanjana wrote to Southall Travel about her deposit to be refunded and last week, she received a call offering her a two-year voucher amounting to the money she paid, or a full refund. “I chose to take a refund. Though I am yet to receive the £500 back, I have been told it will hit my account within two weeks. This will help my budget in these unprecedented times,” she told Asian Voice. One of Southall’s OTA brands, Travel Trolley, was recently criticised and came bottom in a recent MoneySuperMarket study to show how travel companies were responding to refund requests. But Jaymin Borkhatria, the chief commercial officer of Southall Travel and OTA brands Travel Trolley and Sky Sharp told Lee Hayhurst of Travolution, that if the study was repeated now, it will be a “completely different story”. He emphasised that average waiting time for customers calling its call centre is now two minutes. He also called the criticism ‘unfair’, since lockdowns affected both UK and India severely (where its call centres are) and disrupted the company’s capacity to deal with clients.

With most of its 280 airline suppliers having stopped allowing automated GDS refunds, and some even refusing refunds entirely, Southall Travel has now increased its refund processing team from 15 to 300 to deal with many queries. Following complaints, Southall Travel has last month also decided to wave any admin fees it is legally allowed to charge for processing refunds. The company has refunded money to clients even before they were given it back by the respective airlines, specially wherever they have been confident of getting it back from the carrier.Operating more than 35 years, Southall Travel is privately-owned company. In 2015, Southall Travel founder Kuljinder Bahia and his family headed the top wealthiest people in travel in the UK, according to the Sunday Times Rich list. (*Name changed on request)

Steel tycoon Sanjeev Gupta seeking Chinese backers for his renewable energy plan A power project half-owned by steel tycoon Sanjeev Gupta is hunting for Chinese backers to turn its renewable energy plan into reality.

AIM-listed Simec Atlantis Energy - 49.9% owned by Gupta’s family-owned group Simec - has approached Chinese industrial giants about them becoming engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors on its conversion of a Welsh power station.

Atlantis wants to switch the dormant Uskmouth coalfired plant to burning plastic and waste pellets to gain biomass subsidies. Sources said that Chinese contractors could also provide funding for the project, and help secure export credits from the Beijing government.

The company said: “Simec Atlantis has approached several large Chinese EPC contractors to participate in a global tender process. It has not approached any investors in China.” Gupta, whose GFG Alliance empire stretches from Britain to Australia, is locked in talks with the government to secure support for his struggling steel business.

Getting Growth Back

Lakshmi Kaul Shri Narendra Modi, Hon’ble Prime Minister of India while outlining his vision for an Atmanirbhar Bharat stated that he was confident that India would get its growth back very soon.

The Prime Minister was addressing the Confederation of Indian Industry’s (CII) Annual Session 2020: Getting Growth Back.

In his address, he stated that the concept of an AtmaNirbhar Bharat rested on 5 I’s - Intent, Inclusion, Investment, Infrastructure and Innovation. He stated that while announcing the relief package during the coronavirus crisis, his government took a long-term view of the economy and announced several far-reaching measures to reform the economy. The Prime Minister suggested that CII should prepare a detailed study of every sector and develop growth plans.

CII should assist and support the next level of growth.

CII’s new theme for 2020-21 Building India for a New World: Lives, Livelihood, Growth was unveiled by the newly elected president Uday Kotak at a press conference held on a virtual platform. Emphasising on the imperative to bring back growth, the CII President said, “Growth is a necessity that should lead to creation of more jobs while CII works as a knowledge partner with the Government for building self-reliant and competitive India that is deeply engaged with the World”. CII’s press conference comes a day after its special Annual General Meeting held, for the first time, on a virtual platform, as CII commemorates and celebrates 125 years.

The CII has laid out a 10-point road map to revive growth in India post pandemic crisis: 1.Protecting lives and livelihoods Economic revival will entail an infrastructure revamp in response to the new post pandemic world. Labour and regulatory reforms are much needed to protect livelihoods and to formalise the nearly 80% of employment in informal sectors. As announced by the PM, labour reforms would be brought in the coming days, with a few states already having announced new labour laws.

2. Prioritisation of Healthcare and

Education The current public health spending needs a boost from 1.3% of GDP. A long-term strategy involving high quality preventive healthcare, focus on nutrition, sanitation and hygiene along with high quality interventions of tele-medicine, e-healthcare and eeducation needs to be established to address crises including pandemics.

3. Mother nature The pandemic, natural calamities, locust attacks and spread of disease calls for maintaining harmony with nature. India has been at the forefront of climate change mitigating measures; however, we would need to deepen our work and accord attention to sustainability in all our economic activities. This is one area that CII has been engaged in deeply in many of our activities as we have helped industry adopt sustainable business operations be it in energy usage and conservation, water use and emissions through our Centres of Excellence.

4, Fiscal deficit and financial stability Government spending for substantive economic recovery, is crucial which implies higher fiscal deficit and rising public debt that runs the risk of rating downgrades and flight of capital besides leaving the currency vulnerable. Financial stability as well as finding a fine balance will be of utmost importance at this crucial juncture as various stressed sectors of the economy will look for relief and stimulus packages.

5. Distribution of economic pain The pandemic has caused significant loss to the economic systems including individual & businesses, Governments and the financial sector.

A battered industry will need support from government in many forms, including investment friendly policies that will drive demand and measures to help tide over the liquidity crisis.

6. Role of digital and physical The shift to digital during COVID from physical will have a lasting impact in the post COVID times in terms of consumer behaviour. As industry find new business models, the role of Science and Technology becomes important. This tilt in favour of the digital, also has the potential to widen the rural versus urban divide.

The rural population is less skilled to participate in an economy with higher digital component and bringing digital skills to rural India is key to enhance rural jobs. The bright side is that connectivity to hinterlands through the telecom and digital services is growing significantly and this can be built upon to work on a more inclusive agenda.

7. Future of jobs and social security CII will work closely with Government to provide incentives and facilitation to companies wanting to shift their manufacturing operations

out of China as part of their de-risking strategy. This will help India develop as manufacturing hub for the world. In addition, front loading of the National Infrastructure pipeline will not only create demand for industries like steel and cement but will also provide jobs.

Government’ focus on enhancing agriculture infrastructure, linking farm produce to markets by APMC reforms will also help increase farm incomes and livelihoods.

8. Rural-urban re-balance For the first time in India, reverse migration was experienced with migrant workers going back. Industry should be encouraged to set up operations in the rural hinterland. The reforms announced in the minerals and mining sector should be expedited as most mining projects are in rural areas. Similarly, development of agro based clusters could be expedited in rural areas. A vibrant rural industrial sector will also de-risk the impact of COVID on economic activities as spread of COVID is far less in rural areas. Further, industry and government should make available amenities in terms of housing, education and healthcare for workers who chose to come to the cities to work.

9. Four levers for growth: Out of the four engines of growth – consumption, investment, net exports and government spending, the economy has been primarily growing on government expenditure, which is unsustainable and puts pressure on fiscal situation. Hence, it is essential to re-start the other engines of the economy. Given demand uncertainties, private investment remains a challenge.

Exports need a quantum jump and to achieve this integration with global and regional value chains is important besides being competitive.In this scenario, CII will continuously deliberate on how the private sector can play a role in igniting the growth engines of private investments, exports and the forces of entrepreneurship.

10. Getting growth back is non-negotiable Getting growth back is essential to protect as well as generate jobs and livelihoods. CII will work intensely and closely with all stakeholders to bring back investments. Government spending in public infrastructure and direct benefits cash transfers may help boost demand initially but we need to find ways to sustain demand particularly in such uncertain times when consumers tend to save and get risk averse. The need of the hour is for government and industry to work together to return to a sustainable growth path.

The writer is: Head & Representative – UK, Confederation of Indian Industry

UK airlines challenge Covid-19 quarantine ruling Three biggest airlines in UK have started legal proceedings against the government in a bid to overturn quarantine rules. BA’s owner, IAG, along with Ryanair and EasyJet, have sent a preaction protocol letter setting out why they believe the moves, which will force air passengers arriving from abroad to self-isolate for 14 days, are illogical and unfair.

Airlines and travel firms have protested in vain against the new Home Office-led regulations, which they have said come months

late to stop the transmission of coronavirus and will kill off any nascent recovery in their industries. The airlines’ letter argues that the quarantine measures are more severe than those applied where the risks are greater, and impose greater restrictions on arrivals than on people infected with Covid19. The airlines also object that enforcement of the regulations as published appears to apply only to England, and people arriving in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland would not face the

same penalties.

A Ryanair spokesperson, commenting on behalf of the three airlines, said: “These measures are disproportionate and unfair on British citizens as well as international visitors arriving in the UK. We urge the government to remove this ineffective visitor quarantine which will have a devastating effect on UK’s tourism industry and will destroy even thousands of jobs in this unprecedented crisis.”

The government has argued that the quarantine

rules are science-based and would help limit the risk of a second wave as restrictions on movement are eased. The home secretary, Priti Patel, said: “We all want to return to normal as quickly as possible. But this cannot be at the expense of lives. The science is clear that if we limit the risk of new cases being brought in from abroad, we can help stop a devastating second wave. That is why the measures coming into force are necessary. They will help control the virus, protect the NHS and save lives.”

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India eyes £12.5 bn investment proposals to boost manufacturing India is considering proposals for investment of £12.5 billion to boost domestic production of air conditioners and its components, furniture and leather footwear, while looking at options, including duty hikes, to reduce import dependence and push exports.

“To increase manufacturing, Make in India and employment, priority sectors have been identified and work has started in three sectors - furniture, air conditioner, leather and footwear.

Just in case of air conditioners, we import over 30% of our demand. We need to reduce this quickly. Similarly, we have a small share in global exports, despite being the second largest leather producer,” PM Narendra Modi said at CII’s annual session.

Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal has held several rounds of discussions with a group of CEOs, led

by Mahindra & Mahindra MD Pawan Goenka, with development clusters

Narendra Modi

being the key. “The overall thrust is to give a push to domestic manufacturing once Covid 19 ends,” he said.

Others who have been part of the deliberations suggested development of clusters held the key, while ensuring that it doesn’t turn into real estate development. “The opportunity lies in large-scale manufacturing, which you can do, given the resources and labour.

The key is to set up clusters and identify agencies which can set them up,” said Mohit Singla, who leads industry body TPCI. For furniture, three-four clusters

involving investment of over £7.5 billion have been discussed, with investment of around £4.5 billion has been proposed to reduce the dependence on imports, which is as high as 90% in case of compressors and 80-100% for other components.

Further investment of over $1 billion has been proposed to scale up the leather footwear business to attract global investors and improve the quality and branding exercise so that Indian exports, which have a meagre 3.5% share can compete with rivals from China, Vietnam and Indonesia, sources said. For ACs, the government has been advised to increase customs duty on components to discourage imports from China and Thailand.

Similarly, some duty hikes for wood that goes into making furniture are also being contemplated, with the longterm solution lying in a forestry policy that supports ecology and the economy, something that Vietnam has done successfully.

Uday Kotak takes over as new CII President The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) elected new office-bearers for the year 2020-21. Uday Kotak, Managing Director & CEO, Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited, has assumed office as the new President. He takes over from Vikram Kirloskar, Chairman and Managing Director of Kirloskar Systems Ltd., and Vice Chairman of Toyota Kirloskar Motor.

Kotak has been associated with CII for over two decades and has served in many capacities in CII. He has been the Chairman of CII Economic Affairs Council, Financial Sector Development Council, Services Council, Corporate Governance Council, Banking Committee, Capital Markets Committee and Financial Services Committee over the last many years.

Kotak was also the President- Designate for the last two years.

Kotak holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce and an MBA from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai. Kotak has several awards to his credit including ET’s Business Leader of the Year award, USIBC Global Leadership Award and Lifetime Achievement Award at the Financial Express Best Banks Awards 2016, Businessman of the year 2016 by Business India and Best CEO in Banking Sector by the Business Today Best CEO Awards 2019. Kotak is a member of the International Advisory Panel of Monetary Authority of Singapore and

Sanjiv Bajaj, Uday Kotak and T V Narendran

member of the International Advisory Board of the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation. Kotak was appointed as Non-Executive Chairman of the new IL&Fs Board to steer the IL&FS out of the current crisis. Kotak was also Chairman of SEBI panel on Corporate Governance.

T V Narendran, CEO & Managing Director of Tata Steel Limited, is now the President Designate. Narendran has been engaged with CII for many years.

Narendran was the Chairman of CII Eastern Region during 2016-17 and had led CII National Committees on Leadership and Human Resources besides being Chairman of CII Jharkand. He is an alumni of IIM Calcutta and NIT Trichy. He was the co-chair of the Mining & Metals Governors Council of the World Economic Forum. He is also a member from Indian side on BRICS Business Council and a member of the IndoFrench CEO council. Narendran is also

a member of the Board of the World Steel Association and its Executive Committee. He is currently the Vice President of India Institute of Metals.

Sanjiv Bajaj takes over as CII Vice President for 2020-21. Bajaj is the Chairman and Managing Director of Bajaj Finserv Limited. Bajaj has been engaged with CII for many years. Bajaj was the Chairman of CII Western Region during 2019-20 and had led CII National Committees on Insurance & Pensions and CII Taskforce on Fintech.

Bajaj has several awards to his credit, including AIMA’s Managing India Awards - Entrepreneur of the year 2019, ET’s Business Leader of the year 2018, Financial Express Best Banker of the year 2017-18 and Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the year in 2017.

Bajaj is an alumnus of Harvard Business School, USA and a Member of the Board of Indian School of Business, Member of Insurance Advisory Committee of IRDAI, International Technology Advisory Panel of Monetary Authority of Singapore and Regional Stewardship Board for India and South Asia 2019-2020 of World Economic Forum.

Tatas not to monetise its investments for fund-raise Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran said that they are not is not looking to monetise their investments to raise capital as it has “adequate cash flows” to support its operating companies and new growth initiatives.

N Chandrasekaran Earnings of several operating companies - especially those in hospitality, aviation, automotive, steel and non-grocery retail - have been hit due to business restrictions in the country and outside, triggered by the pandemic, with some of them requiring financial support to strengthen their balance sheets.

“The Tata group companies, like all

other companies, are facing both challenges and opportunities arising out of the pandemic and resulting economic situation, based on the industries and markets they operate in,” added Chandrasekaran. “All our group companies are progressing well responding to these challenges and opportunities and we are confident that they will emerge stronger.”

The $111-billion Tata Group, with over 100 companies, earns 70% of its revenues from outside of India. Tata Sons is in “strong financial position” with enough cash flows to support group companies, said Chandrasekaran in a

one-page statement after chairing the outfit’s board meeting. In the last three fiscal years, Tata Sons had invested about £2 billion of growth capital in operating companies, with the highest amount allocated to Tata Motors, Tata Capital, Tata Steel and Tata SIA Airlines (Vistara).

Chandrasekaran further said that the group is focused on navigating the current situation and profitable growth.

The conglomerate is likely to see a growth contraction this fiscal as the coronavirus outbreak and the economic slowdown are expected to slam consumer spending, according to analysts. If the health crisis has impacted some of the operations of the group, it has also opened a window of opportunities for the conglomerate.

More bang for your buck

Suresh Vagjiani, Sow & Reap Properties Ltd

Recently we had a client for whom we managed to reduce his mortgage rate to about a third. The property was a family home, and the rate was floating at about 4.6%, LTV was about about 50%; the rate came down to 1.65% and this too was fixed for 5 years. This switch saved approx £60,000 over the 5 year period; and the process for changing products was executed with minimal hassle.

He was chuffed at the reduction to say the least. Rates are cheap at the moment and it’s worth enquiring, and fixing on a long term basis. The 5 year rates are certainly looking very attractive.

This is the likely choice for an investor for whom we have just completed an HMO; and have even managed to find the first tenant for, given the current environment.

The property was previously rented for £1,800 per month, as a three bedroom house. After an expense of around £150K, the property has been extended and transformed into a high end HMO. The first tenant has been found, a teaching assistant at a local school, paying a rental of £800 pm.

If you assume this level for all 5 rooms you are looking at a rental of £4,000 per month.

In essence, what has occurred is for an expenditure/investment of £150K the return has been increased by £2,200 pm or 17.6% per annum year on year return. This would be a good return on a single project but knowing this will be the return on an annual recurring basis is even better.

We are in the process of refinancing this investment. On the basis of a valuation of £650K we should be able to extract £455,000 on this deal. The property was purchased in cash.

Although some money will remain trapped in the deal, a large chunk will be extracted back out. The trapped funds will be working hard.

The remortgage rate on the HMO will be 3.05% at 70% LTV. Ordinarily, the rental value normally governs how much one would be able to borrow, this is due to the rental income cover. The valuation is almost immaterial, especially in London. Many lenders now use 145% rental cover, therefore the rental must be £1,450 when the mortgage payment is only £1,000; this is to account for the last round of tax changes around the rental income. However, as this is an HMO we are in the fortunate position of taking the full 70% offered on the product. This comes to only £1,156 pm.

This means the investor should get a net income of £1,844pm allowing for 25% for expenses. This will all go into straight into his pocket, well a slice will go into the tax man’s pocket too; someone’s got to pay for all the COVID19 bailouts!

We have at least three clients wishing to replicate the above experience, on properties they already own.

It’s really a no brainer.

You need to ensure the borough you choose to do the HMO in has not signed an Article 4 directive, this means they have exempted themselves out of control government legislation where your power to do this comes from. As long as the council has not signed this, you have the ability to do the above without hindrance from local planning.

ABU DHABI’S MUBADALA BUYS 1.8% IN JIO Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund Mubadala has agreed to invest £909.4 million in Jio Platforms, marking the first Middle Eastern deal in the Mumbai-based digital-cum-telecom services company.

Mubadala’s investment will give the fund a 1.85% stake in Jio Platforms, which has an enterprise value of £51.6 billion. Mubadala, with a $229-billion portfolio, is the latest addition to Jio’s roster of marquee investors. These include Facebook and other US firms.

Reports say that another Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund, ADIA, and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment too plan to acquire shares of Jio. RIL has so far inked deals to sell an 18.97% stake in Jio, raising £8.76 billion over the last six weeks. The investors are betting that Jio, which is also India’s largest cellular services operator with over 388 million customers, has the potential to transform sectors from agriculture to retail, and from education to entertainment.

BANKS TO INSTALL CONTACTLESS ATMS With reduced hand contact becoming the norm in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, banks in India are set to deploy contactless ATMs. A prototype has been developed by payments company AGS Transact Technologies, which uses the bank’s mobile app to interface with the machine after scanning a QR code on the screen. Traditionally, the ATM has been using a magnetic stripe card for identification of the account holder and the PIN for authorisation. To use the contactless ATM, the customer has to use the bank’s smartphone app to scan a QR code on the screen and enter the amount and ATM PIN in his mobile, and collect the cash without touching the machine. AGS Transact, which manages 70,000 ATMs for banks, is in the process of implementing this contactless solution for two banks.

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Pak aviation authority says PIA pilot ignored air traffic control KARACHI: Pakistani aviation authorities have told Pakistan International Airlines that the pilot of a passenger plane that crashed into a residential district of Karachi last month had ignored air traffic control’s instructions for landing, a PIA spokesman said.

The PIA Airbus A320 crashed on May 22 while trying to land after the pilots reported the loss of both engines. Ninety seven people on board were killed and two survived. At least one person was reported to have died on the ground. Initial reports suggested the plane scraped its engines along the runway on a first attempt to land following what appeared to be an unstable approach, arriving steep and fast.

In a letter sent to PIA, the Civil Aviation Authority said an approach controller twice told the pilot to discontinue its approach as he came into land but he did not comply. As it neared landing, the plane’s ground speed was above the runway threshold, the letter

quoted the controller as saying.

It lifted up from the runway surface and crashed over Model Colony while attempting a second approach, the letter said.

“Yes, we have received the letter, they are documenting it,” Abdullah Hafeez Khan, PIA’s general manager for corporate

communications said. He declined to comment on the assertions made in the letter.

The flight had been observed as being high for approach at as it passed Makli, about 100 km east of Karachi, but the pilot said he was comfortable for the descent, the letter said. He was also cautioned a second time.

The plane’s cockpit voice recorder and flight data box are being decoded in France by French air accident agency BEA. Pakistan’s Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan has said that an initial report on the crash will be presented to parliament on June 22. Aviation safety experts say air crashes typically have multiple causes and it is too early to determine the reasons behind the air disaster, which is Pakistan’s worst since 2012.

Pak Cabinet approves export of PPE, sanitizers amid surge in Covid-19 cases ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Cabinet has approved export of domestically manufactured Personal Protective Equipment and sanitizers amid a surge in the coronavirus cases, which has crossed the 108,316-mark in the country.

Prime Minister Imran Khan chaired a Cabinet meeting, which discussed the Covid-19 situation in the country.

'The cabinet has approved export of locally manufactured personal protective equipment (PPE), sanitisers and other safety items,' according to a statement.

Officials said Pakistan was importing PPEs when the pandemic started but launched campaign to utilise indigenous resources and achieved surplus.

The Cabinet set up a committee and authorised it to ban export of any item keeping in view domestic needs of the

country. Meanwhile, the Covid19 cases in Pakistan reached 108,316 on Tuesday after new infections were reported across the country, while the death toll due to the coronavirus has gone up to 2,172, according to the health ministry.

Another 4,646 new patents were diagnosed in the last 24

Pak court grants pre-arrest bail to Shehbaz Sharif LAHORE: A Pakistani court granted prearrest bail till June 17 to Leader of the Opposition in the National A s s e m b l y Shehbaz Sharif Shehbaz Sharif, a day after anti-graft team raided his residence to arrest him in cases related to money laundering and assets beyond known sources of income. Shehbaz, who is the president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and younger brother of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, was granted bail till June 17 by a Lahore High Court division bench, reports said.

The court also asked him to submit a surety bond worth Rs 500,000. During the hearing, Shehbaz's lawyers claimed that even though he was summoned by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on June 2, warrants were dated May 28, implying that the anti-corruption watchdog ha d already decided to arrest him, the paper said.His legal team had filed the pre-arrest bail petition on June 1, a day before he was required to appear before the NAB.

hours, taking the total tally of patients to 108,317. Punjab has registered 40,819 cases, Sind 39,555, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa 14,006, Balochistan 6,788, Islamabad 5,785, Gilgit-Baltistan 952 and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir 412.

The authorities conducted a record 24,620 tests in the last 24

hours, taking the number of total tests done so far to 730,453 across the country. As the number soared, the worst fear may come true about the capacity of hospitals across the country to accommodate the patients.

Though, the government still claimed that there was enough space available.

But the resources would be spread thin in the coming days as peak time would come by the end of July or beginning of August. Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslim League-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb was tested positive a day after she confirmed that former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was tested positive.

Marriyum’s mother and PML-N lawmaker Tahira Aurangzeb was also tested positive. Both mother and daughter have quarantined themselves.

Chinese medical team in Dhaka to help fight Covid cases DHAKA: A 10-member Chinese medical expert team with remarkable success in containing coronavirus and treating patients in China arrived in Dhaka for two weeks to help Bangladeshi physicians combating Covid19 pandemic.

Foreign Minister Dr A K Abdul Momen along with Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming welcomed the team consists of 10 specialized respiratory physicians at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) on Monday morning.

The expert team also brought a bunch of medical equipment as they flew here by a chartered aircraft of Hainan Airlines. The Chinese National Health Commission organized the visit of the medical team

reflections of C h i n e s e President Xi’s assurance to s u p p o r t Bangladesh in its combat against the deadly virus.

On May 20, C h i n e s e President Xi A 10-member Chinese medical team in Dhaka Jinping called selected by the Hainan Prime Minister Sheikh Provincial Health Hasina and proposed sendCommission. ing an expert team to help In their two-week stay in Bangladesh combat the novel Bangladesh, the experts coronavirus pandemic. Many would visit designated hospicooperative measures have tals, quarantine centers, and been taken by the Chinese testing centers, discuss the side and most of which have epidemics with Bangladeshi already been implemented in counterparts, and make caliBangladesh since the outbrated propositions for conbreak here, said the embassy. tainment and treatment.

Bangladesh so far reported Earlier, the Chinese 975 fatalities from the coronembassy said the initiative avirus while the caseload has been taken as one of the surged to 71,675 till Tuesday.

in brief PAK MINISTER DIES OF COVID-19 A provincial minister died of coronavirus in southern Sindh province as Pakistan's Covid -19 death toll crossed 2,0671-mark. Sindh Minister for Human Settlement Ghulam Murtaza Baloch had tested positive for the coronavirus on May 14. He had announced his diagnosis on Twitter and asked for prayers for a speedy recovery. On May 23, he was shifted to the ICU of a private hospital in Karachi after his health started to deteriorate. 'Baloch died due to the coronavirus. He was a brave and diligent member of the PPP. It will be a difficult task to replace him,' Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said in a statement. Earlier member of the National Assembly (MNA) Munir Khan Orakzai died, days after recovering from the coronavirus. Irfanullah Khan Orakzai, the deceased lawmaker's nephew, said his uncle had tested positive for the coronavirus in April but made a full recovery and last tested negative on May 8. Irfanullah said when the family tried to wake Munir up for morning prayers, he did not respond, upon which he was immediately taken to the hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead on arrival.

PAK COUPLE BEAT 8YEAR-OLD TO DEATH OVER PET PARROT A Pakistani couple has been arrested for allegedly torturing and murdering an eightyear-old girl working as a maid at their Rawalpindi residence, for accidentally letting their caged parrots free, police said. The accused Hassan Siddiqui confessed during interrogation that he and his wife had beaten up the girl in a fit of anger. “Two expensive pet parrots escaped from the cage when the minor was cleaning it. Siddiqui and his wife got infuriated and brutally tortured the maid,” a police officer said. The child was unconscious when she was taken to a private hospital in Rawalpindi on May 31. She was kept on a ventilator in the ICU but succumbed to her wounds the next day.

14 AFGHAN SECURITY MEN KILLED IN ATTACKS At least 14 Afghan security personnel were killed in two separate militant attacks in the northeastern Badakhshan province and the capital of Kabul, officials said. A roadside bomb killed 11 security force members in Badakhshan when it tore through a security vehicle responding to attacks on checkpoints in Khash district. A spokesman for Badakhshan's provincial police chief said that four militants were killed in the fighting.

Another gunbattle also erupted in Kabul's Gul Dara district when insurgents attacked a police checkpoint, killing three police officers.

Afghan officials said the Taliban had carried out the attacks, although no one immediately claimed responsibility. The Taliban claimed an attack a day earlier that killed 10 policemen in the southern Zabul province. US forces had also carried out two sets of airstrikes against the Taliban in western and southern Afghanistan. These were the first US strikes following a brief cease-fire declared by the insurgents last month.

39 INJURED AFTER KNIFE ATTACK AT CHINA SCHOOL A knife-wielding security guard went on a rampage at an elementary school in China, leaving at least 39 people injured. The attack left 37 students slightly wounded and two adults with serious injuries, according to authorities in Cangwu county. None of the injuries were life-threatening. The guard, a man named Li Xiaomin who was said to be about 50 years old, was arrested. The adults injured were the principal and another guard.

No detail was released about a possible motive.

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in brief JAPAN DECLINES TO JOIN US, OTHERS IN CONDEMNING CHINA Japan has decided not join the United States, Britain and others in issuing a statement scolding China for imposing a new security law in Kong Hong, Kyodo news agency reported, citing officials from countries involved. The UK, the US, Australia and Canada condemned China on May 28 for imposing a law that they said would threaten freedom and breach a 1984 Sino-British agreement on the autonomy of the former colony. There was no immediate response to inquiries to Japan's foreign ministry and the US. embassy in Tokyo. China's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Tokyo separately issued a statement May 28, the day China's parliament approved the national security legislation, saying the nation was "seriously concerned" about the move, which observers fear could endanger Hong Kong's special autonomy and freedoms.

NEW ZEALAND SAYS CORONAVIRUS 'ELIMINATED' New Zealand has eliminated transmission of the coronavirus domestically and will lift all containment measures except for border controls, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said, making it one of the first countries to do so.

Public and private events, the retail and hospitality industries and all public transport could resume without social distancing norms still in place across much of the world, she said.

"While the job is not done, there is no denying this is a milestone ... Thank you, New Zealand," Ardern told reporters. "We are confident we have eliminated transmission of the virus in New Zealand for now, but elimination is not a point in time, it is a sustained effort. Today, 75 days later, we are ready," Ardern told a news conference, announcing the government would drop social distancing restrictions from Monday and move to a level 1 national alert from Level 2.

Border controls would remain and everyone entering the country would be tested, she said.

There were no active cases in New Zealand for the first time since the virus arrived in late February, the health ministry said. New Zealand has reported 1,154 infections and 22 deaths from the disease.

CORONA TRIGGERS 1ST OZ RECESSION IN 29 YEARS The coronavirus pandemic pushed Australia’s economy into recession for the first time in 29 years in the first quarter of the year, and the situation is expected to get worse. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said that the current June quarter will be the second in a row in which the Australian economy has contracted. A recession is defined as at least two straight quarters of contraction.

Data on showed the economy shrank 0.3% in the January-March quarter due to wildfires and early stages of virus lockdown. “The June quarter, the economic impact, will be severe. Far more severe than what we have seen today,” Frydenberg said.

CONCERN IN LANKA OVER NEW PRESIDENTIAL TASK FORCES Concerns are being raised over Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa appointing presidential task forces, which the civil society groups claim could end up as parallel structure to the existing institutions. The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA), a think tank, says they are deeply concerned with the appointment of two presidential task forces. Rajapaksa earlier this week appointed a 13-member Presidential Task Force headed by the Defence Secretary Major General (Retd) Kamal Gunaratne to build a 'secure' country and a “virtuous, disciplined and lawful' society. He also appointed another task force for the archaeological heritage management in the Eastern Province. Rajapaksa since his appointment in November had already appointed six task forces.

Lanka's apex court rejects pleas against new parliamentary polls COLOMBO: Sri Lanka's Supreme Court rejected all petitions challenging the gazette issued by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa dissolving Parliament and the date of the general elections announced by the National Election Commission.

President Rajapaksa on March 2 dissolved the Parliament, six months ahead of schedule, and called for snap elections on April 25. However, the election commission in mid-April postponed the elections by nearly two months to June 20 due to the coronavirus outbreak in the island nation.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa

the Election Commission's decision to hold the election on June 20 was challenged in the

apex court by Opposition parties and civil society activists. they filed 9 petitions in the court. after 10 days of hearing, the Supreme Court unanimously dismissed all petitions and refused to grant leave to proceed. the petitions argued that Rajapaksa’s march 2 gazette was invalid as the Parliament could not be met within the three months period

stipulated in the Constitution.

Ironically, the three months time during which Parliament must meet expired on June 2. the elections commission would now be able to fix a new date. national Elections Commission Chairman mahinda deshapriya said that the nEC has already informed the Supreme Court through its lawyers that the election cannot be held on 20 June because of issues related to the coronavirus. the nEC would announce the fresh date to elect the 225member assembly for its fiveyear term, officials said

Nepal Parliament starts discussion on revised map KATHMANDU: Nepal's Parliament on Tuesday started discussions on a Constitution amendment bill to change the country's political map showing Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura under its territory, amidst a border row with India.

Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Shivamaya Thumbhangphe tabled the Constitution amendment bill for discussions in Parliament in a bid to amend the Constitution to update the country's map. the Constitution amendment proposal was to be tabled in Parliament last month but it could not proceed further after Prime minister K P Sharma Oli said that he wanted to hold an all-party meeting to discuss the matter. the bill seeks to amend the political map of nepal included in the schedule 3 of the Constitution. It requires a twothirds majority vote in Parliament to bring an amendment to the Constitution.

KP Sharma Oli

Parliament members belonging to the ruling nepal Communist Party and Opposition parties are taking part in the discussion. the nCP commands a two-thirds majority in the national assembly, but it needs support from other parties to get the Constitution amendment proposal through the Lower house, as it falls short of around 10 seats. the nepali Congress, the main Opposition party, has decided to vote in favour of the bill. nepal last month released the revised political and administrative map of the country laying claim over the strategically key areas of Lipulekh, Kalapani and

Limpiyadhura. India reacted angrily to the move saying such 'artificial enlargement' of territorial claims will not be acceptable and asked the neighbouring country to refrain from such 'unjustified cartographic assertion'. the spokesman of the ministry of External affairs also asked nepal to respect India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, hoping that the nepalese leadership will create a positive atmosphere for diplomatic dialogue to resolve the outstanding boundary issues. the ties between the two countries came under strain after defence minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated a 80-km-long strategically crucial road connecting the Lipulekh pass with dharchula in uttarakhand on may 8. nepal reacted sharply to the inauguration of the road claiming that it passed through nepalese territory. India rejected the claim asserting that the road lies completely within its territory. Foreign minister Pradeep

Gyawali said that nepal was still waiting for a response from India on holding talks to resolve the border dispute. “We have expressed time and again that nepal wants to sit at the table to resolve this problem,” Gyawali said. he said that requests to talk were made in november and december last year, and again in may. “We are waiting for formal negotiations so that these two countries with ... a very unique type of partnership can develop a more inspiring relationship that reflects the requirements of the 21st century,” he said. Gyawali last month said that he was confident that the Kalapani issue between the two neighbours will be resolved through talks. 'We have always said that the only way to resolve this issue is by negotiating in good faith.

Without impulse or unnecessary excitement, and without prejudice, nepal wants to resolve the border issues via dialogues, Gyawali told Republica, an English daily.

Kenya farmers face uncertain future as Covid-19 cuts exports to EU NAIROBI: Kenya’s horticulture industry is in crisis after global lockdown measures curtailed exports to Europe and disrupted internal African trade.

Shipments of flowers, vegetables, herbs and fruits to the European union, which accounts for more than 80 per cent of horticulture exports from Kenya, all but ceased in march after European capitals imposed curbs on movement of people and goods as well as Kenya suspended most international flights.by april, Kenya’s horticulture industry was losing about $3.5m a day, according to the Fresh Produce Exporters association of Kenya. as European countries have begun to ease restrictions, some demand has returned and losses have reduced to about $1m a day, but the outlook remains bleak. “Kenyan farms have drastically reduced export volumes to 50 per cent, with a sizeable number suspending exports altogether,” said hosea machuki, chief executive officer of FPEaK. “If the current situation does not improve soon,

companies are facing downsizing or closure . . . which will result in increased poverty, insecurity and hunger.”Smallholder farms make up 80 per cent of Kenya’s agricultural sector, which contributes 26 per cent of the country’s GdP. as part of president uhuru Kenyatta’s Vision 2030 development plan, the government had supported the creation of small and medium-sized farming businesses. many of those companies, like the herb manufacturer Jambofresh, had just begun to profit from a European clientele before coronavirus

struck.Jambofresh, which produces around 30 tonnes of basil, mint, rosemary and thyme a month, began exporting to the Eu in 2017, according to Silas mutuma, the managing director. today practically all of the firm’s herbs end up on European supermarket shelves.the company’s largest buyer was based in milan, Italy, which saw some of the highest coronavirus casualties in the early weeks of the pandemic.

Jambofresh’s sales immediately collapsed, mutuma said, forcing the company, which is currently

shipping just 10 per cent of its usual exports, to dump 60 tonnes of produce in the last three months.“We are at the point where we are considering to close down because we cannot maintain the farm given the costs involved,” he said. “It’s very sad when you see the product being destroyed.

Often I get somebody else to throw it away because I can even shed tears.”For now, the biggest obstacle for the horticulture sector remains the lack of airfreight. demand for fresh produce in the Eu is picking up as restrictions lift, but commercial passenger flights, which carry the bulk of Kenya’s fresh exports, have been grounded in Kenya since 23 march.“the current available cargo is 1,500 tonnes weekly, while the demand is 3,500 tonnes,” said martijn boelen, trade adviser for the Eu in Kenya. Furthermore, the price of freight has doubled from $1.80 per kg to up to $4 per kg in some cases, he said. “this means that even if capacity is available, it might be out of reach for producers.

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Kuwait wants to reduce number of overseas workers KUWAIT: Foreigners account for nearly 3.4 million of Kuwait's 4.8 million people, and "we have a future challenge to redress this imbalance," the country's prime minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah said. He told the top editors of local newspapers that the country's expatriate population should be more than halved to 30% of the total, as the coronavirus pandemic and a slump in oil prices send shudders through Gulf economies.

The comments are a rare public acknowledgment by the executive of one of Kuwait's most contentious issues, and follow a renewed push by lawmakers to reduce the number of overseas workers, particularly unskilled labour, with the economy under intense strain.

MPs are proposing a quota system as well as replacing all expatriate government employees, estimated at 100,000, with Kuwaitis.

Critics of the approach point out that small pools of citizens will make replacing many foreign workers difficult,

Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah

especially in occupations Kuwaitis are reluctant to take up, and will lower overall consumption. On Twitter, some reacted with scorn.

"The percentage of domestic helpers alone is more than 50% of Kuwaitis, let alone the other residents," said Sajed Al-Abdaly, a prominent political columnist.

"Some statements are impossible from the moment they're made.

Your Excellency, talk to our minds so that you can help us to believe in the seriousness of your proposition."

Gulf economies leveraged their oil wealth to expand their populations with foreign

workers and build vibrant consumer societies. Saudi Arabia, alongside Germany, is the world's second-biggest destination for migrants, while the United Arab Emirates last year hosted more migrants than France or Canada, according to United Nations estimates. In Kuwait, at least 650,000 expatriates, mostly from the Philippines, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, are employed as domestic workers alone.

Expats get to earn better incomes in a low-tax environment - part of which is repatriated home - but are vulnerable with few safety nets in their host nation or routes to citizenship. As countries in the Gulf rolled out tens of billions of dollars worth of stimulus measures geared toward helping companies and banks survive the slowdown triggered by Covid-19 and cheaper oil, most initiatives targeted business owners rather than employees.

Kuwait has one of the region's smallest stimulus packages. Still, top lender National Bank of Kuwait SAK predicts the country's budget

shortfall will reach 40% of gross domestic product in the fiscal year that started April 1, the most since the 1991 Gulf War and its aftermath. Most Gulf states are expected to run deficits of 15%-25% of economic output, leading to a build-up of debt, dwindling reserves, and tough choices.

Voter Issue While Kuwait has for years been slowly replacing publicsector expatriates with nationals, the coronavirus has accelerated its efforts.

Parliamentary elections are scheduled for later this year, and anti-expat rhetoric is attractive to some voters, especially when it concerns lucrative government jobs. At the end of 2019, only 19% of the Kuwaiti workforce was in the private sector.

Foreigners have accounted for the majority of Kuwait's virus cases as the disease spread among migrant workers living in overcrowded housing. While Kuwait lifted its 24-hour curfew on Sunday, some areas remain under isolation in a bid to stem the outbreak.

Push for change sweeps in US as protests continue NEW YORK: Streets in countless cities and towns across America filled with demonstrators again on Sunday as largely peaceful protests over systemic racism and police brutality, sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, headed towards a third week.

The scenes were markedly different from the previous weekend, which saw police beating back protesters with teargas and batons, and a nonviolent gathering in a Washington DC park on Monday forcibly cleared in military-style assault ahead of a photo opportunity for Donald Trump.

Meanwhile, the body of Floyd, 46, whose killing on Memorial Day when a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for almost nine minutes was captured on a now infamous video, arrived in his hometown of Houston on Sunday for a public viewing and

a private funeral on Tuesday.

Thousands of marchers gathered close to the White House on Sunday afternoon, mirroring Saturday’s peaceful demonstration in Washington DC in which more than 10,000 people poured into the streets and coalesced at the feet of Abraham Lincoln at his giant marble memorial. The words Black Lives Matter had been painted in bright yellow letters along a street near the White House.

In the capital, Utah’s Republican senator Mitt Romney – a critic of Donald Trump – was seen among the roughly 1,000 demonstrators

marching in a faithbased protest to the White House. In New York, an estimated 1,600 protesters stopped outside Trump International Hotel in Manhattan chanting “Throw him out” on their way to Central Park. A day earlier in Harlem demonstrators shouted “Get off our necks” and “Racism is America’s original sin” as they marched uptown from the National Black Theatre.

Elsewhere, sizeable protests in cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, Austin, Boston, Philadelphia and Washington DC also appeared to be passing off peacefully. In Compton, California, there were protests on horseback and a caravan of cars driving past Los Angeles police headquarters. Crowds were also back on the streets in Minneapolis, despite the arrest

and charging this week of the four now fired officers involved in Floyd’s death.

More cities announced they were dropping or relaxing their curfews with Philadelphia and New York, which saw late-night violence earlier in the week, joining Atlanta, Chicago, and Buffalo. Bill de Blasio, the mayor of New York, announced he was canceling the city’s curfew with immediate effect, after two days of relatively calm protests.

Others announced restrictions on police tactics that have come under scrutiny.

Portland, Oregon, became the latest to ban the use of teargas, joining cities including Denver and Seattle, while California state and municipalities including Minneapolis, where Floyd died, have outlawed chokeholds and neck restraints.

In Washington DC, federal troops that Trump insisted he could use to quell riots and looting, were sent back to their barracks.

Indians forced to self-deport amid pandemic in US NEW YORK: Several Indians either direct H-1B visa holders or those dependent on them are forced to 'self-deport' during the Covid-19 pandemic due to layoffs or deaths in the family.

Many of them have been living in the US for years, building homes and settling down while waiting in a long queue for a Green Card, which would allow them to permanently live and work in the country.

While some have lost their family members during the pandemic, others have lost their livelihood.

Venkat (name changed) was working in a product company and was living

in Edison, New Jersey. He had moved to the US in April 2011, but was fired in April this year during the coronavirus pandemic as companies were forced to downsize.

"It was an unexpected meeting with my supervisor and soon, the Human Resources department joined the call. An entire team who were working from home were laid off, and they cited the economic slump as the reason," the 37-year-old who hails from Vellore in Tamil Nadu says.

Though H-1B visa holders pay taxes, they are not entitled to unemployment benefits like Green Card holders. Venkat now

has 60 days to find another job in order to transfer his work visa to a new employer or has to deport himself as he would turn 'illegal'. "I have been applying to various jobs but the job market is not good and there is a hiring freeze. There are layoffs everywhere. I will have to book a flight to leave but even then it feels unsafe to travel," Venkat adds.

A clogged system Many feel that skilled workers and their families are often left in the lurch because of the long waiting list for a Green Card among H-1B visa holders.

Many of them have to wait for years, before their application

comes up. In March this year, a Congressional Research Service (CRS) report highlighted the severity of the backlog and said that Indians may have to wait for decades to get the Green Card as the number of foreign workers sponsored by employers each year exceeds the annual allocation by the Federal government. "The backlog is adding to the problem. Since the H-1B is sponsored by the employer, job mobility is not easy. Some people have to wait months for the transfer, even after beginning work at their new job with a receipt confirming that they have shifted companies," he adds.

in brief WUHAN TESTS 10 MN PEOPLE, FINDS ONLY 300 POSITIVE CASES The Chinese city of Wuhan, where the coronavirus was first detected late last year, has tested nearly 10 million people in an unprecedented 19-day campaign to check an entire city. It identified just 300 positive cases, all of whom had no symptoms. The city found no infections among 1,174 close contacts of the people who tested positive, suggesting they were not spreading the virus easily to others.

That is a potentially encouraging development because of widespread concern that infected people without symptoms could be silent spreaders of the disease. “It not only makes the people of Wuhan feel at ease, it also increases people’s confidence in all of China,” Feng Zijian, vice director of China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said. There is no definitive answer yet on the level of risk posed by asymptomatic cases, with anecdotal evidence and studies to date producing conflicting answers. Wuhan was by far the hardest hit city in China, accounting for more than 80% of the country’s deaths, according to government figures. A city official said that the city completed 9.9 million tests from May 14 to June 1. If those tested previously are included, virtually everyone above the age of 5 in the city of 11 million people has been tested, said Li Lanjuan, a member of a National Health Commission expert team.

WHO RETRACTS ORDER, ALLOWS HCQ TRIALS TO RESUME A week after the World Health Organization (WHO) paused the hydroxychloroquine arm of a clinical trial of experimental Covid-19 drugs, its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said experts had reviewed the safety data and were now recommending the trial continue as planned. "On the basis of the available mortality data... the executive group will communicate with the principal investigators in the trial about resuming the hydroxychloroquine arm," WHO chief told a virtual news briefing. Earlier, the WHO had said that in light of a paper published last week in the Lancet that showed people taking hydroxychloroquine were at higher risk of death and heart problems, there would be "a temporary pause" on the hydroxychloroquine arm of its global clinical trial.

AFGHAN PEACE TALKS MAY BEGIN THIS MONTH Talks to end the 18-year-old conflict in Afghanistan may begin this month, sources said, a day after the US special envoy visited the capital of neighbouring Pakistan and met Taliban leaders in Qatar. The United States signed a troop withdrawal deal with the Taliban in February, but its attempts to usher the insurgent group towards peace talks with the Afghan government have been mired in setbacks and violence surged in March and April.

The Taliban's spokesman Suhail Shaheen said on Twitter that US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad had discussed "the commencement of intra-Afghan negotiations" at the insurgent group's political capital, Doha, on Sunday. Khalilzad had earlier met Pakistan's army chief of staff, according to the US Embassy in Islamabad. "The two took note of recent progress created by the Eid ceasefire and accelerated prisoner releases as well as reduced violence ahead of intra-Afghan negotiations," the Embassy said. "(They) discussed steps required for the start of intra-Afghan negotiations."

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in brief THREE BOOKED FOR FORGING SIGNS OF SARDAR, OTHERS Three persons were booked by Amreli police for trying to encroach upon a government land worth millions by allegedly submitting fraud documents. According to police, the accused submitted documents with forged signatures of famous dignitaries such as Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India’s first home minister, Dr Rajendra Prasad, India’s first president and Dr B R Ambedkar, India’s first law minister, and had also submitted fake orders from the Gujarat High Court. The main accused in the case is petitioner Vali Metar, a resident of Vapi, and the two other accused are Vali’s power of attorney - Yusuf Motiwala and Vinod Rai Bhad, both natives of Amreli. According to police, the three have been claiming five plots in Amreli as that of Vali’s since 2008 and had also submitted land documents at the district collector’s office. The documents were designed so craftily so as to give them an ‘antique’ look by three conspirators, all senior citizens, two of them who have been detained.

FIR AGAINST MP HOSPITAL THAT TIED PATIENT TO BED The authorities in Madhya Pradesh's Shajapur district on Monday sealed a private hospital and lodged an FIR against its administration in connection with an incident where an elderly patient was allegedly tied to the hospital's bed over non-payment of medical bills. A controversy erupted after a photo of the old man, lying down with his hands and legs tied to the bed, went viral in social media. After Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan took cognisance of media reports, the newly appointed collector of Shajapur district Dinesh Jain ordered a probe into the incident. After the ADM submitted the report to the collector, which stated that it had found irregularities on the part of the private hospital, it has been sealed and an FIR has been lodged with the police.

ROAMING TIGER GETS LIFE TERM It’s wandering days are over. The nomad tiger from Maharashtra, which made headlines in 2018 for the longest dispersal in the quickest time in the country, may have to spend the rest of its life behind bars for three human kills. It was tranquillised in Kanha National Park and shifted to Van Vihar in Bhopal, where it’s likely to be kept in solitary confinement, say sources.

Officers say the tiger was given many chances to survive in the wild but it kept straying into human habitation. The authorities declared it “dangerous” to human life in compliance with the 2019 NTCA guidelines and decided to keep it in an enclosure. The five-year-old, 180-kg male had wandered 510 km, from Chandrapur in Maharashtra to Palaspani in MP’s Betul - killing three humans on the way - in search of new territory between August and December 2018.

AFTER PYTHON LAYS EGGS, CONSTRUCTION STOPPED The construction work of a solar plant in Kerala’s Kasaragod was halted for 10 days after the forest department found 36 unhatched Indian Rock Python eggs at the site. The construction of the solar plant is estimated to cost £20 million. The construction of the solar power plant is being undertaken by Tata Power Solar. The project is estimated to produce 50MW electricity and the construction began in February this year. In late May, a group of workers who were manning the bulldozer, meant for levelling the soil, noticed a python which was nesting several eggs beneath it. The workers immediately contacted the forest department and asked them to remove the python from the construction site. "Their request was to remove the python and the eggs. I sent some officials to the site and they repeated their demand. Then I went to the spot and asked them to temporarily stop the work as we had to wait for the eggs to hatch,” Anil Kumar, Kasaragod range forest officer said.

India, Australia upgrade strategic talks to Minister level Elevating the 2009 bilateral Strategic Partnership to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP), India and Australia decided to upgrade the existing 2+2 dialogue between their Foreign and Defence Secretaries to the Ministerial level. This lends significant political heft to the bilateral mechanism and brings it on a par with the 2+2 ministerial level dialogues India already has with the US and Japan, the other members of the Quadrilateral grouping.

“Our Foreign and Defence Ministers will meet in a ‘2+2’ format to discuss strategic issues at least every two years,” the joint statement said after the first virtual bilateral summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison. Officials said there was no discussion on the ongoing tension along the IndiaChina Line of Actual Control (LAC) but with an eye on Beijing, the two sides announced a road map “for maritime cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region to harness

opportunities and meet challenges together as comprehensive strategic partners”.

The two sides signed the much-anticipated Mutual Logistics Support agreement, which will allow use of each other’s bases, and increase “military inter-operability through defence exercises.” India has such agreements with US, France, Singapore and South Korea. Ahead of the talks, Modi said that the bedrock of deepening India-Australia ties are “shared values, shared interests, shared geography and shared objectives.” He said that, in recent years, cooperation and coordination between the two

countries have picked up momentum.

Morrison said, ”We are committed to an open, inclusive and prosperous Indo-Pacific, and India’s role in that region. Our region will be critical in the years ahead. The relationship we are forming around those issues on our maritime domain, I think, is the platform for so many other things between our countries,” he said. While there was no specific proposal on Australia joining the Malabar exercises, both sides agreed to continue to “deepen and broaden defence cooperation” by enhancing the scope and complexity of their military exercises to address

shared security challenges.

Referring to the ongoing debate over World Health Organisation’s role in dealing with the Covid pandemic, the statement said that both sides will reflect on the recommendations of the ongoing independent evaluation of the international response. “We will work together to strengthen international institutions to ensure they are inclusive and rules-based,” the statement said.

On the bilateral effort to fight the pandemic, they said that they were committed to a new phase of the AustraliaIndia Strategic Research Fund to promote innovative solutions for responding to and treating Covid as well as other jointly determined priorities, to be preceded by a one-off Special Covid Collaboration Round in 2020.

Both sides jointly decided to work together in digital economy, cyber security and critical and emerging technologies as identified by the framework arrangement on Cyber and Cyber-enabled critical technology cooperation.

India to resume international flights after other countries ease curbs: Aviation Minister India will take a decision on resumption of international passenger flights as soon as countries ease restrictions on the entry of foreign nationals, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said.

Countries like Japan and Singapore have put significant restrictions on the entry of foreigners amid the coronavirus pandemic.

"A decision to resume regular international operations will be taken as soon as countries ease restrictions on the entry of foreign nationals.

Destination countries have to be ready to allow incoming flights," Puri said on Twitter.

Hardeep Singh Puri

India resumed its domestic passenger flights on May 25 after a gap of two months due to the coronavirus-triggered lock-

down. "Most countries have less than 10 per cent international operations because they are allowing entry only to their own citizens & have placed restrictions on foreign nationals," the minister stated.

Many countries are allowing inbound flights from a few nations, but have placed restrictions like quarantine or isolation, he said. Scheduled international passenger flights continue to remain suspended in India. However, special repa-

triation flights are being operated by Air India and other airlines to countries across the world under the Vande Bharat Mission. On June 1, Puri said several factors like the lockdown in metro cities and the ban imposed by various countries on the entry of foreigners need to be addressed before resuming international passenger flights in India.

Airports in West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana and Tamil Nadu have been allowed to handle a restricted number of daily domestic flights as these states do not want a huge influx of flyers amid the rising number of Covid-19 cases.

US envoy apologises after Gandhi statue vandalised in Washington A statue of Mahatma Gandhi outside the Indian embassy in Washington DC was vandalised, amid the ongoing protests in the United States. The incident is reported to have taken place on the intervening night of June 2 and 3. The Indian embassy has informed the US State Department and registered a complaint with local law enforcement agencies, which are now conducting an investigation into the incident.

"So sorry to see the desecration of the Gandhi statue in Wash, DC. Please accept our sincere apologies. Appalled as well by the horrific death of George Floyd and the awful vio-

lence and vandalism. We stand against prejudice and discrimination of any type. We will

recover and be better," US ambassador to India Kenneth Juster tweeted.

The statue was covered up after it was vandalised. The statue of Mahatma Gandhi was dedicated by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, in the presence of the then US President Bill Clinton on September 16, 2000 during his state visit to the US. The US has been seeing massive protests against the killing of George Floyd, a black man who suffocated beneath the knee of a white police officer on May 25, and whose agonizing death was filmed by bystanders.

Several of the protests have turned violent which many times has resulted in damage of some prestigious and sacred monuments.

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in brief

Amid murmurs of dissidence, Karnataka CM makes key appointments BENGALURU: Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa has made two key appointments, in what is being seen as an attempt to check dissidence ahead of elections to the Rajya Sabha and state Legislative Council later this month.

Yediyurappa has appointed former Congress leader Ramesh Jarkiholi - who was reportedly been at the helm of dissident activities which led to the fall of the Congress-JDS government last year - as minister in-charge of Belagavi district. The CM has also appointed his grandnephew N R Santhosh who is said to have played a central role in arranging logistics for those dissident activities - as his political secretary to end a brief period of estrangement.

Jarkiholi’s appointment as minister in-charge of Belagavi which is his home district - and Santhosh as political secretary

B S Yediyurappa

comes in the wake of murmurs of dissidence brewing in the Karnataka BJP ahead of Rajya Sabha polls scheduled on June 19, and Council polls to be held soon.

A group of BJP MLAs led by senior leaders like Umesh Katti, Murugesh Nirani and a dozen others, who have been aspiring for a cabinet berth, have reportedly emerged as a source of dissident activities in the state BJP. The group reportedly held a meeting in February and another a few days ago, prompting Yediyurappa to

initiate measures to prevent the spread of dissidence, especially to other disgruntled leaders like Jarkiholi.

“I have not participated in any dissident meetings. I am a disciplined BJP worker,” said Nirani, at whose home a meeting was reportedly held. “It was a meeting of friends which has been projected as a meeting of dissidents,” he said in a video statement after pictures emerged of a meeting featuring him, Katti and S A Ramdas, all former ministers.

Brushing aside reports of dissidence, Yediyurappa said, “We are focused on doing what is needed for the state.” He also stated that Katti would be made a minister at the right time. The murmurs of dissidence have reemerged at a time when MLAs are due to elect four new members to the Rajya Sabha on June 19 on account of the retirement of Prabhakar Kore (BJP), M V Rajeev Gowda and B

K Hariprasad (Congress) and real estate businessman Kupendra Reddy (JDS).

Given its strength of 116 members, the BJP can elect two persons to the Rajya Sabha. The retiring educationist Kore, who is from Belagavi, is keen on another term and reportedly enjoys the support of the BJP high command. The Katti brothers of Belagavi, who are allies of the Jarkiholis, are pushing for the candidature of Umesh Katti’s brother Ramesh Katti, while the BJP high command is reportedly keen on sending an eminent person and the names of Sudha Murthy and K V Kamath are in circulation.

The last date of nomination is June 9. Seven members of the Legislative Council are set to retire on June 30 and elections are likely to be announced soon.

The BJP is poised to win most of the seats on account of its 116 members compared to 68 of the Congress and 34 of JDS.

PUNJAB

SGPC defies guidelines, offer langar at Golden Temple AMRITSAR: Defying the Punjab government's lockdown guidelines, the Golden Temple restarted its langar and distributed 'prasad' among devotees as it reopened on Monday. Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Gobind Singh Longowal on Sunday had urged the government to review its guidelines prohibiting the offering of 'prasad' and langar at places of worship.

According to the guidelines, there shall be no distribution of 'prasad', food or 'langar' (community kitchen) at religious places. The SGPC authorities said they ensured complete hygiene at the community kitchen centre.

Meanwhile, other places of worship and shopping malls also reopened after a gap of more than two and half months while

adhering to the guidelines issued by the state government.

At the Golden Temple, devotees underwent thermal screening before entering the shrine.

Various teams of doctors were deputed at the entry points of the shrine, officials said. An SGPC task force ensured hand hygiene before allowing entry to devotees. All norms of social distancing were strictly followed, they said.

Decision was taken by Centre Chief Minister Amarinder

Singh said the decision to ban distribution of 'prasad' at religious places was taken by the U n i o n government, of which the SAD was an integral part. The CM said his government had never believed in interfering with the customs and practices of any religion but was 'constrained by the guidelines of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs'.

His statement came after the Golden Temple restarted its 'langar' and distributed 'prasad' among devotees, defying the Punjab government's lockdown guidelines. In a statement here, Singh also accused the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leadership of attempts to

“mislead” people and flayed it for ‘trying to incite’ people against the state government through their 'deceptive' statements.

“How could the state government be held responsible for prohibiting ‘prasad’ distribution at gurdwaras or other places of worship when the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had issued the standard operating procedure (SOPs) to be followed by religious places under the directives of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs,” asked the CM. It was the MHA that had taken the decision under the National Disaster Act to allow opening of religious places from June 8 and had subsequently asked the various central ministries to issue necessary guidelines for the same, Singh said in the statement.

WEST BENGAL

Govt facilitated return of 850,000 people to Bengal: Mamata KOLKATA: Denying the allegation that her government was not willing to bring back labourers, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the state has facilitated the return of 850,000 people at a cost of £4 million.

Earlier in the day, she appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to provide Rs 10,000 to every migrant worker displaced by the lockdown. “I appeal to Central Govt to transfer Rs 10,000 each as one-time assistance to migrant labourers, including people in unorganised sector.

A portion of PM-CARES could be used for this,” Mamata tweeted.

The BJP hit out at her,

Mamata Banerjee

saying the state government should provide financial aid to migrant workers from its own coffers. Talking to reporters in Indore, BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, who is the party’s in-charge for West Bengal, asked, “Why is the Mamata government not giving financial help to migrant labourers of West

Bengal? She is in power in that state and not sitting in the opposition. Why isn’t her government providing help from its coffers?”

Later at a press conference, Mamata said of the 850,000 migrant workers, 650,000 returned by road and 150,000 by train. “Some people are spreading rumours that my government was not willing to bring back migrant labourers.

This is false. So far, we have brought back 850,000 migrants and by June 10, a total of 10,50,000 of them will have returned,” she said. Mamata who had earlier clashed with the Centre over the migrant workers’ crisis, said that the West Bengal government witnessed super Cyclone

Amphan while fighting the Covid-19 pandemic.

She said the devastation left behind from Amphan has been unprecedented and it was “the fiercest storm in our recent memory.” “Through the resilience of Bengal and its people, along with a determined effort by government machinery, we have been able to kickstart major relief and rehabilitation work for the distressed, with an immediate announcement of a £625 million package as first tranche,” she tweeted.

The West Bengal government has released £144.4 million to assist people as part of the rehabilitation process following cyclone Amphan, Chief Minister said.

DEATH OF PREGNANT ELEPHANT IN KERALA: ONE ARRESTED Kerala forest minister K Raju said that one person has been arrested in connection with the tragic incident in which a pregnant wild elephant suffered a painful death in the state after consuming a fruit laced with explosives.

The arrested man is reportedly employed in a farm that cultivates cash crops and spices.

The elephant was spotted near the farm before its death. While questioning a few farmers, the investigative team got information related to the use of explosives.

According to police sources, the man has confessed to aiding the commission of offence. The minister said more arrests will be made in connection with the case. “The action will not stop here as there are more people involved. Police and Forest department are carrying out effective investigation,” Raju said.

BUILDERS LURING MIGRANTS WITH AIR TICKETS Left with no option, builders in Hyderabad are now booking air and AC train tickets for migrant workers in the hope of luring them back to their sites. The average cost per head for air tickets is Rs 4,000 to 5,000. The migrant workers from Hyderabad may have suffered nightmarish journeys in their bid to escape the lockdown and return to their homes in UP, Bihar and Jharkhand, but now they can return in style. So, jet-setting into Hyderabad are carpenters, painters, granite workers and scaffolding experts primarily from Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. They comprise 40% to 50% of the city’s labour strength. The rest come from UP, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.

MIGRANT WORKERS SEEK RATION FROM PUNJAB GOVT Migrant labourers in Punjab staged a demonstration against the state government with empty utensils, demanding ration from the government during the lockdown.

Migrants silently staged the protest and portrayed how the Punjab government has neglected them by not providing them with the food which they rightfully deserve. They used big empty utensils to showcase how food is being prepared when no ration is available to them. On the empty utensils, migrants had written, 'Captain ka aata', 'Captain ki Khichdi', 'Captain ki roti.' "These utensils are not empty but filled with the ration given by Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh during the lockdown. So we are cooking with that ration and distributing it to people," said a protester. When asked that the vessels are empty, the protestor replied, "So captain sir has also not given us anything.

So we are telling him that ration given by him is being distributed."

MAJOR RESHUFFLE IN BENGAL BJP UNIT The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP made some organisational changes in the party's West Bengal unit, shunting out Chandra Bose who had gone against party line on various occasions in the last few month. Chandra Bose, a grandnephew of Subhas Chandra Bose, was the vice president of the BJP Bengal unit but his name does not appear in the latest list. He has not been given any other post in the organisation. Instead, MPs Arjun Singh and Subhash Sarkar have promoted and appointed vice president. MP Locket Chatterjee has been appointed general secretary of the party's state unit.

Earlier in January, Dilip Ghosh was re-elected as the president of the Bengal unit. The BJP now has 12 vice presidents and five general secretaries.

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The writer is a Socio-political Historian - E-mail: haridesai@gmail.com

After talking of Darbar Gopaldas Desai, expanding G-7, Trump the Forgotten Hero invites Modi to summit Dr. Hari Desai

• The Patidars never thought they were inferior to Rajputs who ruled principalities • Newspapers published a photograph of Sita Devi lighting a cigarette for Gopaldas e was friend of all and threat to none of his colleagues: a Prince turned a lieutenant of Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel, Darbar Gopaldas Desai played key role in the freedom movement and integration of the princely states of Gujarat but hardly got credit for. Of course, he never aspired. Dhasa and Rai-Sankli near Wadhwan belonged to him.He hailed from a Patidar family of Vaso in Charotar and unlike others defended Dalit dignity and Muslim lives fearlessly during the freedom movement. At Wadhawan when the discussion was on justice to Dalits was on at the Political Conference and the Dalits were sitting in a separate crowd, Sardar Patel preferred to join them followed by Darbar Gopaldas.

H

“When towards the end of 1947 there was an attack on Vaso’s Muslim minority, Gopaldas put aside his Constituent Assembly work in New Delhi, rushed to Vaso, rebuked those who had allowed the violence, arranged relief and compensation for victims.” A celebrated historian Rajmohan Gandhi, widely known for his excellent and authoritative biography of Sardar Patel, has presented so far hidden e x t r a o r d i n a r y contribution of DardarGopaldas in “Prince of Gujarat: The Extraordinary Story of Prince Gopaldas Desai:1887-1951”.

“A Gujarati in his bones and blood, Gopaldas was a Kathiawadi in his heart and soul.He was not merely a ‘mainland Gujarati’.Neither was he just a Kathiawadi.He was Cover page of Rajmohan Gandhi’s book both. Identifying himself Union on the very day it was restored with all of Gujarat, in his time, he to him and was possibly the first enabled all Gujaratis to relate to prince in the whole of India to do so, him.Proud yeomen farmers for records Rajmohan. He quite often centuries, the Patidars never thought blunt saying, “My Adarsh is Gandhiji, they were inferior to the Rajputs who not Sardar.” The implication was that ruled scores of large or small he was content to build others, not principalities in Kathiawad. Gopaldas eager to wield power personality. and his forebears were sturdy Patidars Thanks to him, Balwantray Mehta and yet, virtually uniquely among who was older than U.N.Dhebar Patels, they were rulers as well,” writes preferred to serve under him in the Gandhi. The ruling family of Patdi Saurashtra government. near Viramgam were also Patidars but Rajmohan presents an interesting from the Kadva line, distinct from the episode when Gopaldas finalized the Leuva branch of Patels to which terms of Baroda’s formal accession to Gopaldas’s forebears belonged. Both India he was directly involved at he and his second wife Bhaktiba opted Sardar Patel’s instance. Maharaja to join Gandhian movement against Pratapsingh Rao Gaekwad was tough the British taking risk of attachment in dealing with and his legal adviser of his principality and jail terms for K.M.Munshi was of course very offering Satyagraha. cooperative. Gandhi writes: “When On 23 May 1947 when the British Gopaldas finalized the terms of were set to leave India by August 1947, Baroda’s accession to Darbar Gopaldas’s Next Column India with Pratapsingh attached estates of newspapers Dhasa, Rai and Sankli A romantic Industrialist Rao, published a photograph were finally returned closed to Jinnah of Sita Devi, the Baroda to him. The ex-prince ruler’s second wife, lighting a cigarette became a prince again. But he for Gopaldas. It would be an error, declared:“The principles we agreed however, to think that Pratapsingh upon 25 years back I will continue to had secured liberal terms by flattering implement. There will be no Veth. It Gopaldas. It was Patel’s policy, fully will be a stigma on the Darbar or any backed by Pandit Nehru, that princes village leader if he gets work done parting with their power should be without paying for it.” Gopaldas generously compensated.” merged his principality into the Indian

US President Donald Trump last week formally invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the G7 summit to be held in the US later this year, acting on his desire to expand the size and scope of the grouping of major world economic powers.

The two spoke over phone for 25 minutes even as racial tensions roiled America, discussing a range of topics including the situation on the IndiaChina border, the Covid-19 pandemic and the need for reforms in the World Health Organisation. The Indian statement said Modi expressed concern regarding the ongoing civil disturbances in the US, and conveyed his best wishes for an early resolution of the situation.

Modi commended Trump's views on an expanded G7 as a "creative and far-sighted approach", acknowledging that such a development would be in keeping with the emerging realities of the post-Covid world. The reference to the border tensions indicates the US's critical view of China's intrusions across the LAC, voiced by senior American officials, and that any divergence over Trump's claims to have

recently discussed the issue with Modi did not affect the cordial exchange.

Reacting to Trump’s statement and his offer to mediate, India had said the two leaders had not spoken since April and that the discussion was on antimalarial drug HCQ for Covid-19 treatment.

While Trump had claimed he had spoken to India about India-China tensions and that Modi seemed to be in a bad mood, India had responded by saying that it was looking to address the situation in Ladakh through existing bilateral mechanisms with China even as it remained firm on defending its sovereignty.

With the Indian readout of the conversation saying that the issue had been discussed, it is clear that the border situation

remains serious as Chinese soldiers remain on Indian territory, despite Beijing having toned down the rhetoric in the past few days. Defence minister Rajnath Singh said Chinese troops were present in sizeable numbers at the border (he didn't specify though on which side).

“President Trump warmly recalled his visit to India in February this year. Prime Minister Modi said the visit had been memorable and historic on many accounts, and had also added new dynamism to the bilateral relationship.

The exceptional warmth and candour of the conversation reflected the special nature of Indo-US ties, as well as the friendship and mutual esteem between both leaders,” the Indian statement said.

Meaningful use of dance - Covid Kartavyam The lockdown and socialdistancing gave a new dimension to the way arts are used and promoted. Covid Kartavyam, a classical dance rendition by dancers from three different continents coming together on social media platform recently portrayed integration of thought, emotion, and purposefulness of dance.

Conceived and executed

by Sanskruti Centre for Cultural Excellence, the initiative brought together dancers from the United Kingdom, the USA, the Netherlands and India, who through Bharatanatyam and Mohiniattam enacted on the song featuring nine different Indian languages including Hindi, Bhojpuri, Kannada, Konkani, Saurashtra, Kashmiri, Magahi, Maithili and Assamese. The content of the piece highlighted the importance of maintaining social-distance, sanitisation, personal hygiene and introspection.

The song, tuned by Ragasudha Vinjamuri, composed by Abhi SY and

beautifully sung by Musical Yogis Geetika and Abhi, demonstrates how art and time can be meaningfully used even during adverse times, strengthening people's resolve to keep going.

Dancers Manju Sunil, Deepa Nair, Ragasudha Vinjamuri and child artiste Kaavyajhar Rapatwar (Britain), Sabrina Madabhushi (USA), Yashodhra Sabu (India), and Shaariva Teredesai (Netherlands), have all surpassed their geographical confines to give a key message of cheer and confidence to global community.

Lyrics were taken partly from the project "VaidyoktiDiction by Doctors" and contributed by Dr Amoolya

PrasadGP, Dr N VishwanathConsultant Radiologist, Mis Bernadette Pereira- Consultant Surgeon, Dr TS ChandrasekarGastroenterologist and Padma Shri awardee, Dr Shafalica Bhan Kotwal, Consultant Psychiatrist, Mr Vikas Kumar, Speciality Laparoscopic Colorectal Surgeon, Prof. Dr Diwakar Sukul- Chartered Clinical Psychologist, Mr Rajiva Ranjan Das- Colorectal Surgeon and Dr Ephia YasminConsultant Gynaecologist. Editing was carried by Sushil Rapatwar.

The dance concluded with a message that we can fight the effects of pandemics together, whether physical, mental, or emotional.

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Indian, Chinese troops disengage at three locations in Eastern Ladakh Ahead of the next round of military talks scheduled to start this week, troops of India and China have disengaged on the ground at multiple locations in Eastern Ladakh. The talks between the two armies are going to be held this week at multiple locations including Patroling point 14 (Galwan area), Patrolling point 15, and Hot Springs area, top government sources said.

Because of the talks to be held in the next few days and the Lt Gen-level talks held on June 6, the Chinese Army has pulled back its troops from the Galwan valley, PP-15 and Hot Springs in Eastern Ladakh area by 2 to 2.5 km, they said.

The sources said to reciprocate the Chinese disengagement, the Indian side also brought back some of its troops and vehicles from these areas. Sources said the talks are being held on these points at the battalion commander level and they have had hotline talks with their counterparts.

The initial talks are being held in these areas, the Chinese activities had also started in Eastern Ladakh from this location only, they said. Indian military teams are already in Chushul to engage the Chinese in talks and are coordinating with the senior officials in this regard.

Military, diplomatic engagements to continue Signalling that it was prepared for the long haul in its dealings with Beijing over the faceoff along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh, New Delhi last week said “the two sides will continue the military and diplomatic engagements to resolve the situation and to ensure peace and tranquility in the border areas”. In first remarks after the marathon meeting on Saturday between Indian and Chinese army commanders at the Chushul-Moldo border point, the Ministry of External Affairs, in a statement, said it “took place in a cordial and positive atmosphere”.

The statement underlined the “agreement between the leaders” of the two countries - announced after the informal summits between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in

Wuhan and Mahabalipuram - that “peace and tranquility in the India-China border regions is essential for the overall development of bilateral relations”.

“Both sides also noted that this year marked the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries and agreed that an early resolution would contribute to the further development of the relationship,” the MEA said.

Sources said the discussions between the two sides was “frank”, and that South Block had got a sense of Beijing’s “sensitivities” following the talks and a

video conference of diplomats. “This will be a long haul and small steps need to be taken to resolve the situation,” sources said, indicating that talks will continue at the Brigadierlevel and the field level regularly and at the level of Joint Secretaries.

At the meeting on Saturday, where the team leaders were Lt General Harinder Singh, XIV Corps Commander, and Major General Liu Lin, Commander of South Xinjiang Military District, the Indian side conveyed to the Chinese its central point about restoration of status quo ante in certain areas of

eastern Ladakh along the LAC. An official said this was done by sharing comprehensive details of Chinese deployments as of April – and to which locations India wants the Chinese to go back - before the current round of tensions began.

The Indian delegation also gave details of patrolling limits in various areas, followed hitherto but now being denied by the Chinese, and sought their restoration.

A key issue in these talks was about the Pangong Tso area, where the Chinese have moved westward by 8 km, pitching tents and

deploying soldiers according to their “perception” of the LAC. Besides altering the status quo, this has also meant that Indian patrols can no longer go up to the LAC, as marked in Army maps. The Indian side, sources said, raised the issue of the high number of Chinese troops and the aggression shown.

While there was acknowledgment that aggressive behaviour must be dialled down, sources said the Indian side conveyed that patrolling must not be stopped. The Chinese side said they will look into it, but they also pointed to the building of Indian infrastructure. The Chinese build-up in the Galwan region is also at the heart of the standoff.

Chinese commanders and officials have insisted that there is “nothing unusual” about the deployment on their side of the LAC. This refusal to acknowledge the problem is being seen as a sign of their “intransigence” in the Galwan area, sources said. The build-up in the Galwan area is worrying because it threatens the 255km Darbuk-Shyok-Daulat Beg Oldie (DSDBO) road and access to forward posts near the Karakoram Pass.

Covid-19 cases in India touch 2,66,598

ED to attach Nirav Modi’s assets under law enacted 2 years ago

India is better positioned in the fight against Covid-19 compared to other nations but there is no space for complacency, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said, even as a record rise in coronavirus cases for the sixth consecutive day in the country pushed the tally to over 260,000. A total of 266 new Covid -19 fatalities and 9,987 cases were reported in the last 24 hours. The death toll due to the coronavirus infection rose to 7,466 and the cases mounted to 2,66,598 in the country. With India relaxing restrictions, a surge in cases is expected to begin soon.

Several states like Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Haryana, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh and Tripura have been showing a spurt in cases.

In a first such order passed under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act 2018, a special court in Mumbai partly allowed a plea by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for confiscation of properties owned by diamantaire Nirav Modi, an accused in the multi-crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case.

In other news, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tested negative for covid-19, a day after he showed symptoms of the infection. Meanwhile, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia asserted that the number of Covid cases in Delhi will explode to 550,000 by the end of July even though the Centre said there is no community transmission of the virus in the capital.

The Supreme Court, on the other hand, asked worst Covid-19 affected state Maharashtra to make concerted effort in sending the migrant workers still stranded there to their native places. The top court, which directed all states and Union Territories to transport all stranded workers by train, bus or other mode within 15 days, said there were “huge lapses” by the Maharashtra authorities in dealing with the issue.

Gujarat tally 20,574 The number of Covid cases in Gujarat

rose to 20,574 on Monday after the addition of 477 new infections, while 31 more patients died - 24 of them in Ahmedabad alone taking the toll to 1,280, the state health department said. Also, 321 more patients were discharged from hospitals across the state on Monday, taking the number of recoveries to 13,964, it said.

Out of the 477 new COVID-19 cases, Ahmedabad alone reported 346, taking the tally in the worst-affected district to 14,631, the department said. The district also reported 24 of the total 31 deaths, raising the number of fatalities to 1,039, it said.

Apart from Ahmedabad, Surat and Gandhinagar reported the death of two coronavirus patients each, while Sabarkantha, Panchmahals and Rajkot recorded one fatality each, the department said. The number of Covid-19 cases in Surat rose to 2,145 with the addition of 48 new infections, while in Vadodara, the tally went up to 1,328 with 355 fresh cases. As many as 19 districts reported fresh cases on Monday.

Apart from Ahmedabad, Surat and Vadodara, Sabarkantha and Jamnagar reported five cases each, and Gandhinagar reported four cases. The state has tested 2,56,289 samples so far, and 2,10,438 people are currently under quarantine, of which 2,03,626 are under home isolation, the department said.

There are 5,330 active cases in Gujarat, of which 59 patients are on ventilator, while the condition of 5,271 others is stable, the department said. Gujarat COVID-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases 20,574, new cases 477, deaths 1,280, discharged 13,964, active cases 5,330, people tested so far 2,56,289.

Special judge V C Barde significantly exempted from confiscation properties that are secured to PNB and a consortium of banks either through mortgage, hypothecation or guarantee. The court, in its order, said the assets shall be attached by the ED under the provisions of the Fugitive Economic Offenders (FEO) Act within one month.

Modi, currently lodged in a UK jail, was declared a fugitive economic offender in December last. He was arrested in London in March 2019. His extradition proceedings began in a UK court last month.

Under the FEO Act, once an accused is declared as a fugitive economic offender, his/her properties can stand confiscated directly to the central government. The ED had, in 2018, sought confiscation of Modi’s properties.

Nirav Modi Among Modi’s properties permitted to be confiscated are his farmhouse and land worth over £4.2 million at Alibaug, a 52-crore windmill at Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, various bank accounts, properties in the UK and UAE, and valuables seized during searches. The ED had annexed a list of properties, including vehicles, worth a total £140 million for confiscation.

Top among Modi’s assets excluded from confiscation “pursuant to a request made by the banks in whose favour these properties were secured” include the landmark Rhythm House at Kala Ghoda in south Mumbai valued at £3.2 million and a plush 5,000 sq ft triplex penthouse at Samudra Mahal in Worli with an open terrace along with two parking spaces and two flats valued at over £8 million.

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HEALTH

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13 - 19 June 2020

A Complete Guide To Healthy Eating In order to lead a healthy life, it is essential to follow a balanced diet. Balanced diet is associated with good health, prevention of diseases and recovery from illnesses. A healthy and balanced diet protects against malnutrition in all its forms and against all non-communicable diseases too.

Eating unhealthy food and lack of physical activity are major risk factors for various diseases. There is no one such particular food item that can provide entire nutrition to our body for optimum functioning, so in order to have a balanced diet we need to have a variety of foods to ensure that we get all the nutrients in optimum quantity. We need different amounts of various nutrients at different stages of life to stay healthy and active.

Nutritional requirements are defined by a person's age, sex, body weight and physiological status. So while adults need nutrients for ensuring optimal body functions, infants and children need nutrients for growth. Apart from this, they need 2-3 times the amount per kg body weight

monounsaturated fats and poly unsaturated fats including omega-3s. Peanut, olive, canola, sunflower, and mustard or til oil are good and must be used on a rotational basis. Nuts and seeds are a good source of healthy fats.

as compared to adults.

Pregnancy and lactation also demands more nutrients for proper growth of the foetus.

Important Elements Of A Healthy Diet Energy: Energy is required in adequate amounts to perform daily physiological activities and to stay energised. Energy is mostly derived from carbohydrates and its healthy sources include whole grains and millets like whole wheat, maize, bajra, oats, ragi etc.

Fresh whole fruits and legumes also provide with a lot of energy.

Proteins: Proteins are essential for body building and help in repairing the daily wear and

tear of the body in addition to keeping the muscles and immune system in top shape. Healthy proteins come from legumes, whole dals, fatty fish, egg, lean meat and chicken. Milk and milk products also add protein to our meals. Adding protein in diet is a good way to ensure that your full for long, which will further help you meet your weight loss goals.

Fats: Fats are an essential part of our diet and should not be more than 20-30% of the total calorific intake.

Saturated fats should be less than 7% of fat calories from both visible and invisible sources. Trans fats should be avoided totally. Fats must include a healthy mix of

Vegetables and Fruits: Vegetables and fruits promote health by providing vitamins, minerals and fibre and also induce satiety.

Consumption of at least five portions of fruit and vegetables per day are a must. They are an excellent source of fibre.

Milk: Milk and milk products provide essential minerals and quality proteins. About 3-4 servings of milk in a day are a must. Children can take full cream milk while it is recommended for adults to choose low-fat or skimmed milk.

It's important to make right food choices to stay healthy. Eat seasonal, eat local and choose a variety of foods. Combining this with the right meal timings and regular exercise is a perfect formula for good health.

Birth control pills affect your physical, emotional health If you don't already know yet, birth control pills come with major side effects that can completely affect your physical and emotional health. There have been several cases of patients living with suicidal tendencies, anger, mood swings and major headaches. A current study, published in the journal Scientific Reports has suggested the popping those pills can also lead to emotional turbulence.

Study researcher Michael Winterdahl from Aarhus University said,

“Oxytocin is a hormone found naturally in the body and is secreted during social cues and bonding,

reinforcing social behaviour.” He elaborated that a constantly elevated level of oxytocin may mean

it is not secreted in the same dynamic way as under normal conditions.

The research team behind the study collected and analysed blood samples from 185 young women.

“Humans are super social beings, we are able to put ourselves in the place of others, show empathy, fear loneliness and seek community – all driven by the brain’s secretion of oxytocin,” Winterdahl said.

“Even very small changes in brain oxytocin levels will affect the way we process emotions and thus how we interact with each other.”

Face masks, social distancing our safest bet against Covid-19

The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic is far from over. Even with the reopening economies and the onset of summer, there is not much done to curb spread of the virus. Doctors and experts from all over the world have urged the public to wear masks and maintain social distancing. Yes, there is speculation on the effectiveness of wearing masks, but this is all we have right now.

According to The Lancet journal, keeping at least onemetre distance and wearing face masks and goggles are the best ways to cut the risk of Covid infection. Co-lead of the research, Holger Schünemann from McMaster University in Canada says, “Our findings are the first to synthesise all direct information on Covid, SARS, and MERS, and provide the currently best available evidence on the optimum use of these common and simple interventions to help 'flatten the curve'.”

Some of the most common ways for the virus to spread are via droplets, especially when people cough, and it can enter through the eyes, nose, and mouth. Researchers have also found that though physical distancing of at least one metre lowers the risk of the pandemic transmission, a distance of two metre could be more effective.

India pledges $15 mn to vaccine alliance with the UK India has pledged $15 million to the international vaccine alliance, Gavi. In an address at the Global Vaccine Summit hosted by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the country stood with the world in these challenging times.

He said, “India's civilisation teaches to see the world as one family and that during this pandemic it had tried to live up to this teaching.” Modi said India had shared its stocks of medicines with over 120 countries, set up a common response strategy in its immediate neighbourhood, and provided specific help to countries in need. Modi said, “The Prime Minister said the Covid-19 pandemic, in some ways, has exposed the limitations of global cooperation and that for the first time in recent history, the human kind faces a clear common enemy.”

Modi called Gavi a symbol of international solidarity, and said India understood the importance of immunisation since it has a huge population and limited health facilities.

He said India had added six vaccines to its National Immunisation Programme to expand protection.

Social isolation bad for heart: Study Whole grains may help lower your risk of type-2 diabetes Research found that social isolation makes people 40 per cent more likely to have a cardiovascular event like a heart attack or stroke. The study started with no known case of cardiovascular disease for any of the participants. It went on for an average of 13 years. The researchers examined data from 4,316 individuals with an average age of 59.1 years.

To analyse the full impact of social isolation on physical health, researchers collected data on different types of social support, with social integration assessed based on marital status and cohabitation, contact with close friends and family, and membership of the political, religious, community,

sports or professional organisations.

Study researcher Dr. Janine Gronewold stated, “What this study tells us is that having strong social relationships is of high importance for your heart health and similar to the role of classical protective factors such as having a healthy blood pressure,

acceptable cholesterol levels, and normal weight.”

After 13.4 years of analysis, it was found that among the study participants, 339 cardiovascular events such as heart attacks or strokes and 530 deaths had occurred. Although other factors might have surely contributed to these events, lack of social contact increases the future risk of cardiovascular events by 44% and to increase the risk of death from all causes by 47%. The lack of financial support had increased the risk of cardiovascular events by 30%.

A brand new survey conducted by the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation (MDRF), and the Harvard School of Public Health with other international organisations reveals one in every two Indian lives with diabetes.

While people believe that eliminating carbohydrates or fats completely from their diet will help them reduce their risk of diabetes, our body needs carbohydrates and fat to function, but the source of these nutrients matter too.

A research paper linking a higher intake of high-quality carbohydrates, especially whole grains to a lower risk

for type-2 diabetes. The study revealed the major problem lies in people who don't know what to eat when it comes to carbohydrates.

The research team analysed the data from three studies that followed health professionals in the US over time.

The study 69,949 women from the Nurses' Health Stud 90,239 women from the Nurses' Health Study 2, and 40,539 men from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study found that replacing low-quality carbs with highquality ones has major health benefits. Lead author Kim Braun from Harvard University in the US, said, “These results highlight the importance of distinguishing between carbohydrates from high- and low- quality sources when examining diabetes risk.”

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...

28 LIFESTYLE & FOOD

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13 - 19 June 2020

13 essential vitamins your body needs right now!

Your body needs 13 essential vitamins for normal functioning. The best way to get enough of them is to eat a balanced diet from a variety of foods.

The most important of them are vitamins A, C, D, E, K and the B vitamins: thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5), pyroxidine (B6), biotin (B7), folate (B9) and cobalamin (B12).

The four main Vitamins - A, D, E, and K - are stored in the body's fatty tissues. The other nine vitamins are water-soluble and therefore must be replenished regularly because they are removed from the body in your urine. Vitamin B12 is the only watersoluble vitamin that is stored in the liver.

Vitamin A plays an important role in growth and cell development. It also promotes healthy skin, hair, nails, gums, glands, bones and teeth; prevents night blindness and may help prevent lung cancer. It can be found in Salmon, other cold-water fish, egg yolks, and fortified dairy products.

As an essential vitamin, Vitamin D aids calcium absorption, and builds

and maintains strong bones and teeth. They can be found in Fortified milk, fortified soy/rice beverages, butter, egg yolks, fatty fish, fish-liver oil; made by the body when exposed to the sun.

Vitamin E protects fatty acids; maintains muscles and red blood cells; and serves as an important antioxidant. The best sources of Vitamin E are eggs, vegetable oils, margarine, mayonnaise; nuts, seeds, fortified cereals.

Vitamin K is an essential vitamin for your body. Your body needs it for proper blood clotting. Load up on spinach, broccoli, green leafy vegetables, liver for enough intake.

Vitamin C strengthens blood vessel walls; promotes wound healing and iron absorption; helps prevent atherosclerosis; supports immunity; serves as a key antioxidant. You get it from citrus fruits, juices, melons, berries, peppers, broccoli and potatoes.

Try mango face packs for a glowing skin Mangoes not only tastes yummy but is also packed with a lot of health benefits.

Mangoes can also help to improve skin texture? Here are a few DIY face packs that’ll leave your skin feeling soft, supple and glowing: For natural glow Mangoes are loaded with beta-carotene and vitamin A, which help your skin get back its natural glow and radiance. For this face pack, you will need one tablespoon of mango pulp, two teaspoons of wheat flour and one teaspoon of honey.

Mix all the ingredients together to make a thick paste and

apply it on the face. Let it stay on for 15 minutes and then wash it off with water.

Exfoliate with mangoes Exfoliation is a must for all of us as it helps remove dead skin cells from our skin. And what’s better than using a mango scrub during this hot season? For making a face pack for exfoliation, you need one tablespoon of mango pulp, one teaspoon

of honey, one tablespoon of rice flour and one tablespoon of milk. Mix these ingredients well and apply it on your face. Leave it for 10 minutes and then rinse it off with cold water.

You can instantly feel the softness.

For soft and flawless skin For an organic scrub for your skin, you can make a face pack with oats,

mangoes and almonds. You need two tablespoons of mango pulp, one tablespoon of oats, two teaspoons of milk and three-four ground almonds.

Apply on your face, scrub it off after 15 minutes and then wash your face with normal water.

Mangoes help fight acne Mango pulp mixed with curd and honey help people with oily skin. It also helps fight pigmentation and acne by extracting excessive oil from face. Extract pulp from mango, add two tablespoons of curd and two teaspoons of honey.

Apply this on your face and wash it off after 15 minutes to get smooth, oil-free skin.

Recipe

Banana Bread

⅓ cup melted coconut oil ½ cup honey 1 cup mashed ripe bananas ¼ cup milk of choice 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 ¾ cups white or regular whole wheat flour Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (165 degrees Celsius) and grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, beat the oil and honey together with a whisk. Add in the mashed bananas and milk.

Add the baking soda, vanilla, salt and cinnamon, and whisk to blend. Lastly, stir in the flour with a big spoon, just until combined.

Pour the batter into your greased loaf pan. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let the bread cool in the loaf pan for at least 10 minutes. You may need to run a butter knife around the edges to loosen the bread from the pan. Carefully transfer the loaf to a wire rack to cool before slicing.

Garlic Bread

Here's how Covid-19 has Four common ingredients changed your home that make wonderful Governments and leaders have been talking about the 'new normal' for the past couple years. If you think your home has not been changed under the stress caused by Covid-19, look around you! The ongoing pandemic has changed life as we knew it, replacing it with an adaptable environment.

A Virginia-based real estate company, Homes.com surveyed 1,000 people throughout the US. Here's what's changed: More meals at home Lot more people have become home chefs, thanks to the corona quarantine. With dining out not much of a preferable option these days, the survey revealed over a third of respondents are now cooking more than they have in years.

More cleaning around the house If retail sales weren't hints enough, a full 80 per cent of those surveyed claimed to have stocked up on various cleaning supplies.

Disinfecting has never been more important.

Buying bidets In the battle of the toilets, bidets have, well, let's just say, not fared so well. With stores strapped for toilet paper, many homes have switched over to bidets, with sales increasing as much as ten-fold.

homemade face masks Why spend time and money at your local spa, when the secret to great skin lies in your kitchen? Pamper yourself and your loved ones with these basic homemade face mask recipes made from our secret everyday ingredients.

Go Bananas!

Bananas make for an all-natural, homemade face mask that moisturises your skin and leaves it feeling softer. Mash a medium-sized ripe banana into a smooth paste, gently apply it your face and neck. Let set for 10 to 20 minutes, then rinse off with cold water.

DIY Lemon Face Mask A facial that both exfoliates and moisturizes! Mix the juice from 1 lemon with 1/4 cup olive oil or sweet almond oil.

Vinegar For generations, women have been using vinegar as a skin toner.

Mix 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 loaf crusty French bread 4 heads roasted garlic 4 tablespoons softened unsalted butter ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh parsley Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

with 2 cups water as a rinse to cleanse and tighten your skin. You can also create a homemade face mask by mixing 1/4 cup cider vinegar with 1/4 cup water. Gently apply solution to your face and let it dry Oats Oats may just be the perfect quick pick-me-up after a dull day. Combine 1/2 cup hot - not boiling - water and 1/3 cup oatmeal. After the water and oatmeal have settled for two or three minutes, mix in 2 tablespoons plain yogurt, and 2 tablespoon honey.

Apply a thin layer of the mask to your face, and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes.

Rinse with warm water.

Slice through the loaf of bread horizontally to make two evenly-sized slabs. Place them on a large, rimmed baking sheet Remove the cloves of roasted garlic from the heads. In a bowl or plate, mash the cloves with a fork until mostly smooth. Add the butter and salt and mash it all together until evenly combined.

Scoop half of the mixture onto the cut side of one piece of bread, and spread it evenly across with a butter knife or spatula. Repeat with the remaining garlic on the remaining bread.

Bake for 5 minutes (for softer bread) or 10 to 12 minutes, until golden at the edges and crisp enough to resist a gentle squeeze.

Sprinkle with parsley. Bread should be consumed or refrigerated within 2 hours.

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Bhumi Pednekar calls urban class 'biggest abuser of natural resources' On account of World Environment Day, actress Bhumi Pednekar threw a word of caution, saying she hopes people have learnt their lesson after two months in lockdown. She said, “We've to understand that the two months of global lockdown is not the solution. People think ki 'arrey wah, abhi air pollution kam ho gaya, sab accha ho gaya'. We've to continue on this path, so that our planet gets a chance to recover.”

Bhumi added, “People have had the time to introspect and understand that there is no planet B. This is the only world we have and it's our only chance at survival.” Bhumi, through her initiative, Climate Warrior, is urging people to share their 'One Wish for The Earth.'

“We may think what difference will one person’s habit make, but it does matter. In the last 40 years that things have gone out of control, it has taken one generation to do all the damage, and it’s going to take a lot longer than that to heal our planet.” Bhumi said the action to save the environment can be small as not wasting water at home, saving electricity, not taking long baths and banishing single use plastic.

Bhumi also urges people to not just do it for the future generations, but for their own future as well. “I want to grow old in a surrounding that’s fulfilled. I want to go out for a walk after I retire, breathe in clean air and have clean water. It’s my basic right.”

Abhay Deol slams ‘woke Indian celebrities’ for sharing 'Black Lives Matter' posts Actor Abhay Deol recently slammed “woke Indian celebrities” for sharing social media posts about 'Black Lives Matter' while ignoring domestic injustices. Sharing data about fairness cream ads, Deol said, “Do you think Indian celebrities will stop endorsing fairness creams now. Overall analysis. Fairness creams in India have evolved over the years, from being fairness creams to now using euphemisms like skin brightening/whitening, or lightening creams.”

He wrote that most brands no longer want to be associated directly with being termed as “fairness creams”. So now we have brands selling “HD glow”, “White beauty”, “white glow”, “fine fairness”, and so on.”

He added, “Over the years these companies have turned their attention towards the Indian men, who are now trying to be ‘fair and handsome’, and have dedicated power white ranges for them too.” The post garnered a lot of attention, with people commenting how celebrities should stop promoting stupid products all together.

Akshay Kumar calls 'Khiladi' his career's 'stepping stone'

Ayushmann cuts short Insta chat with Ranveer because Deepika got angry Actor Ayushmann Khurrana had a banter with Ranveer Singh recently on Instagram Live, until an irritated Deepika Padukone asked them to cut down on the screaming. It all began with Ayushmann holding an Insta Live with his fans, when he got Ranveer to join in.

However, Ranveer had just woken up from his nap and showed off his long hair to the viewers.

Both the actors were laughing and chatting when Ranveer suddenly looked away from the camera, came back and said, “Ok bye bye bye. Bhabhi daant rahi hain, keh rahi hai main zoom call kar rahi hun, chilla mat.” ( Your sister-in-law is scolding me. She is saying I am on a Zoom chat, don’t speak so loud) This is not the first time Deepika hijacked (more or less) an Instagram

Live. Last time Ranveer was on a Live with Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri, Deepika crashed the chat and wrote, “I love you baby”. She pointed

out that Ranveer was “terrible at math”, and that he “was a brat and still is!”.

When the session ended, she wrote,” Well played boys!”

Filmmaker duo AbbasMustan's throwback picture with Akshay Kumar made the actor too nostalgic. The official Twitter account of the directors tweeted, “Dear @akshaykumar Today it's 28 years since the release of Khiladi, our first film together.

Feeling nostalgic. Remembering the entire team specially @iamjohnylever bhai.”

Akshay retweeted the post saying, “How can I forget Abbas Mustan bhai...it's not just a film for me but a stepping stone in my career, a title

which is now synonymous with me.

Thank you for giving me #Khiladi.” The 1992 thriller starred Ayesha Jhulka, Deepak Tijori, and Sabeeha, and was the first in Akshay's 'Khiladi' series.

On the work front, Akshay was last seen in 'Good Newwz'. His next release will be 'Sooryavanshi' with Katrina Kaif. He was recently featured in Forbes' 100 highest paid celebs list this year with an estimated earning of $48.5 million.

30 BOLLYWOOD

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13 - 19 June 2020

Tahira Kashyap dresses like husband Ayushmann Khurrana

by Vallisa Chauhan

Actress Pulkit Samrat has a message for all those coping with the ongoing Covid19 outbreak. Motivating people facing mental breakdown, he wants everyone to be compassionate towards those facing difficulties in these times.

He said, “Social media helps you stay connected, but we can’t survive without real communication with loved ones.

The present uncertain times are disturbing, but you can’t spend your lockdown getting anxious or irritated. That will disturb your mental peace all the more.”

Samrat's Instagram posts shine a light on how he is spending this time positively. “If you are in a bad state of mind then you would end up snapping at people, getting irritated. It’s happening with many. The best way to avoid that is by doing things that take away the stress.

I’ve been enjoying baking with whatever is available at home,” he said. “Rather, figure out answers and ways to cope up. I am saying all these from learning from the mistakes I committed, the ups and downs I faced,” Samrat added.

Pulkit Samrat shares lockdown mantra to face mental breakdown Actress Pulkit Samrat has a message for all those coping with the ongoing Covid19 outbreak. Motivating people facing mental breakdown, he wants everyone to be compassionate towards those facing difficulties in these times.

He said, “Social media helps you stay connected, but we can’t survive without real communication with loved ones.

The present uncertain times are disturbing, but you can’t spend your lockdown getting anxious or irritated. That will disturb your mental peace all the more.”

Samrat's Instagram posts shine a light on how he is spending this time positively. “If you are in a bad state of mind then you would end up snapping at people, getting irritated. It’s happening with many. The best way to avoid that is by doing things that take away the stress.

I’ve been enjoying baking with whatever is available at home,” he said. “Rather, figure out answers and ways to cope up. I am saying all these from learning from the mistakes I committed, the ups and downs I faced,” Samrat added.

Boney Kapoor and daughters come out of quarantine Actress Janhvi Kapoor, sister Khushi, and father Boney Kapoor have finally ended their 14 day quarantine after their household staff tested positive for Covid-19. Filmmaker Boney Kapoor announced that all three members have now tested negative for the disease.

“Happy to share that while my daughters & I had always been tested negative, our 3 staff members who had tested positive for Covid19, have fully recovered & tested negative. Our 14 day home quarantine period has also ended & we look forward to starting afresh,” he wrote in a tweet. “We pray for the speedy recovery of all the people who are recovering and to the rest, we urge you to Stay Safe by strictly following guidelines given by the Government,” he added. Boney also thanked the doctors and other health staff for their hard work. “My family and I would like to thank the doctors, healthcare workers, BMC, Mumbai Police, State and Central Government for their help and support not just to us but to all across Maharashtra and India. Together we shall overpower Covid19 virus,” he wrote.

Genre: Romantic Drama Duration: 149 minutes

Reminiscing back to the days of 3 best friends We are all missing our friends at the moment and need a good pick me up film so why not watch the story of these three best friends unfold in your own home cinema.

Pooja, Raj and Tina are three childhood best friends. Raj’s family is shifting to London and Raj makes Tina promise she will write to him. Tina is a feisty little character and doesn’t care for Raj’s silly emails. Pooja however, has always been fond of Raj and so she decides to write back pretending to be Tina.

As years pass Raj and Pooja’s friendship blossoms however, Raj is now returning to India.

Pooja tells Tina she has been writing to Raj but using her name and although at first Tina doesn’t want to play along she agrees. Raj arrives and is immediately attracted to Tina and does not recognise this love for Pooja. Over the two weeks Raj notices that Tina is very different to the person in the letters and Pooja and Raj become good friends as they have so much in common.

Raj returns to London and Pooja follows sweet as she has an interview for a university there. Raj decides he must show her around and he takes her to a church that he visits each Sunday. It is here that Pooja accidently hums a tune that Raj had told her about. Raj realises that Tina did not know this tune and it was Pooja that had been writing to him all this time.

They decide they love each other and must tell everyone before it is too late. When they return to India they find out that Tina’s father has passed away leaving Tina all alone.

Knowing that Tina loves Raj, Pooja decides she will not let her best friend feel any more grief and tells Raj he must marry Tina. Raj says he will only do so when Pooja agrees to marry someone else.

When the family arrive in London to get Raj and Tina married, Pooja is introduced to Raj’s friend Rohan and Pooja after some time agrees she will marry Rohan.

The question now remains will Pooja watch the love of her life marry her best friend and will she marry another man for the sake of her friendship?

Re-live the magic of Mujhse Dosti Karoge on Amazon Prime.

You can get in touch with Vallisa: djvallisa@gmail.com

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Meera Chopra files complaint against Jr NTR fans my face, murder and even wished that my parents die of Covid. All this when I hadn't said anything hurtful. Social media has become such a scary and toxic place. It's amusing to see how people can stoop to this low.”

She said she decided to take legal action after getting some “30,000 abuses”. She said, “I’ve always stood up for what’s right.

I’d be a hypocrite if I don’t raise my voice against the wrong right now. So, I filed a complaint with Hyderabad city police and Hyderabad cyber crime cell.

In a shocking move, Jr NTR fans launched a hate campaign against actress Meera Chopra on social media. It all began during her recent Twitter chat session, when a user asked her to describe Telugu actor Jr NTR in one word, and she replied, “I don't know him. I'm not his fan.”

She expressed her admiration for actor Mahesh Babu, irking cyber trolls.

Chopra said, “This cyber bullying needs to stop. I can be anybody's fan in the world, it's my choice. They threatened me with gang rape, throwing acid on

They’re looking into the matter and have asked me to file a complaint with Delhi police since I’m at my home in Delhi now, so that’s also done.”

Chopra even tagged Jr NTR in some of the tweets trying to bring his fans behaviour to this notice. “These fans clubs used my answer to start a fight between Mahesh Babu and Jr NTR. How ridiculous! I think actors must be aware of their fan clubs. They must address such extreme behaviour. Fans treat actors as Gods, I’m sure they’d listen to them,” she said.

Vijay Deverakonda’s foundation raises £170,000 Actor Vijay Deverakonda's The Deverakonda Foundation has raised around £170,000 to help middle-class families affected by the ongoing coronavirus lockdown.

Deverakonda announced the Middle Class Fund, saying he set aside Rs 25,00,000 from his savings to launch the initiative. After seeking donations from his celebrity friends, his foundation raised £170,000.

In a statement, he said the initiative is being shut down because businesses were slowly resuming in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Some 535 volunteers reportedly joined the Foundation to help thousands of families.

A total of 8,515 donations were received to the tune of £150,000. The statement further added that 17,723 families and 58,808 people were benefited from the fund. The money was used to take care of immediate

Mahesh Babu's son Gautham wants to enter films

requirements such as groceries and medicine.

The actor had revealed he is starting a secret project in July.

The goal of the project is to

employ 100,000 people. On the work front, Vijay will be next seen on screen in Puri Jagannadh’s multilingual actionthriller 'Fighter'.

Vijay Sethupathi's 'Ka Pe Ranasingam' may have a direct OTT release Actor Vijay Sethupathi's upcoming Tamil political drama 'Ka Pe Rana Singam' may just have a direct OTT release. Sources close to the film's producer revealed that producers may be in talks with Amazon Prime. A report quoted a source as saying, “Negotiations are underway for direct OTT release. The producer has initiated talks with Amazon.

An official announcement can be expected to be made soon.”

'Ka Pe Ranasingham'

has been directed by P Virumandi, produced by Kotapadi J Rajesh under the banner KJR Studios.

The film revolves around the story on corporisation and land acquisition by multi-national companies.

Scheduled to hit theatres in April, the movie also stars Rangaraj Pandey, Yogi Babu, Vela R a m a m o o r t h y , Samuthirakani, and Poo Ram in prominent roles.

The movie marks the fourth collaboration of Vijay Sethupathi and Aishwarya Rajesh.

In a Q and A session with his fans on Instagram, Telugu superstar Mahesh Babu got candid, and opened about life in lockdown, and family. He is currently quarantining in Hyderabad with wife Namrata, son Gautham and daughter Sitara. Talking about how the lockdown has affected him, he said, “It's been an experience of a lifetime. I've done so many things with them that I wouldn't be able to do, had I been working.”

Son of late actor Krishna, he revealed his son Gautham holds acting ambitions as well. When asked if he had a crush, he said, “I did at 26! Then I married her @namratashirodkar”. He also called his “best friend.” Mahesh warned that life after the coronavirus pandemic will change drastically. He said, “Life will be different post lockdown. Be safe, wear a mask and be aware. We all have to accept this new normal. So stay safe, you all.”

19:30: DESI BEAT (SEASON 3)

TV Listing

20:30: BARRISTER BABU

22:00: BIGG BOSS (SEASON 13)

21:00: BALIKA VADHU - LAMHE

23:30: SHAITAAN 0:30:

PYAAR KE

DEV

SATURDAY 14TH JUNE

SATURDAY 13TH JUNE

11:00: MAHAKALI

13:30: MAHABHARAT

18:30: INDIA UNLIMITED

* Schedule is subject to change

MON 15TH JUNE FRI 19TH JUNE 2020 13:30: MAHABHARAT

15:30: SRIMAD BHAGWAT 16:30: SIRF 30 MINUTES

17:00: KITCHEN CHAMPION

18:00: DASTAAN-E-MOHABBAT SALIM ANARKALI

19:00: CHOTI SARDAARNI 20:00: MAHABHARAT

19:00: NAAGIN (SEASON 4)

20:00: MAHABHARAT 22:00:0

RAW

SUNDAY 14TH JUNE

11:00:

MOTU PATLU

13:30:

MAHABHARAT

11:30:

18:30:

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PAKDAM PAKDAI DESI BEAT RESET

NAAGIN (SEASON 4) MAHABHARAT FORCE 2

* Schedule is subject to change

MON 15TH JUNE FRI 19TH JUNE 2020

8:00:

8:30:

TERE NAAL ISHQ

BHARADWAJ BAHUEIN

13:00: SWARAGINI

15:30: JAI SHRI KRISHNA

16:00: DHARAM THI GUJARATI 16:30: RASOI SHOW

17:30: CHHUTA CHHEDA

17:00: DHARAM THI GUJARATI

18:00: MUJHSE SHAADI KAROGI 19:30: DESI BEAT

20:00: BFFS WITH VOGUE (SEASON 2)

21:00: FEET UP WITH THE STARS (SEASON 2)

21:30: ZINDAGI KI HAQIQAT SE AAMNA SAAMNA

SUNDAY 15TH JUNE

17:00:

DHARAM THI GUJARATI

18:00: TUM KAUN PIYA

18:00:

MUJHSE SHAADI KAROGI

19:00: MERE HUMRAHI

20:00:

KUCH KUCH HOTA HAI

18:30: RADHA PREM KI DEEWANI

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Sports stars now shine as Covid warriors A number of sports personalities who are in government service are on the frontlines of the Covid-19 fight. And it’s an impressive roll call. Haryana deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Joginder Sharma, who had bowled the heart stopping last over in 2007 T20 World Cup final against Pakistan that India won by 5 runs, can be seen patrolling the roads, offering masks to violators. “Sometimes when people get to know who I am, the conversation takes a lighthearted tone and we almost always end up discussing the match,” he said.

Then there’s former India hockey captain Rajpal Singh.

Back in the late 2000s, Singh who played as halfback was known for his speed and power. Now, as a DSP in Punjab, Singh has spent the past three months managing movement of crowds at night and challenging lockdown

YUVRAJ SINGH FACES POLICE PROBE OVER ‘CASTEIST REMARK’

Joginder Sharma

violators.

About 2,500 km away, Diwakar Prasad, a boxer employed with Indian Railways in West Bengal, jots down destinations of passengers for easier contact tracing, and often guides them on social distancing norms. For the Olympian, staying away from his family in Jamshedpur is the hardest part. “My four-and-a-halfyear-old daughter finds it difficult to understand why she hasn’t met me for so long.

My wife understands that duty has to come first,” he said. Several sports stars are on Covid-19 duty.

Others said they report to

Rajpal Singh

duty early and still follow rigorous routines, something a career in sports had prepared them for. Ajay Thakur, former kabbadi team captain and DSP in Himachal Pradesh, spends long hours reining in unruly youngsters in cars and on bikes flouting lockdown norms.

Almost all the sporting stars said the plight of migrants, hungry and stranded, walking home has moved them the most.

Gurgaon assistant commissioner of police (traffic) Akhil Kumar, a boxer and 2006 Commonwealth Games gold medalist, said he has been helping arrange

Ajay Thakur

vehicles for migrants trying to reach railway stations.

“The joy I feel when I help someone is similar to what I used to feel winning medals for my country.”

And while calls from worried family members are frequent and there is constant risk of exposure, they said they were happy to help India overcome this challenge. “We know there is a danger wherever public contact is involved. But the country needs us,” said 39year-old Gagan Ajit Singh, former forward in the Indian hockey team and now DCP (security and operations) in Punjab Police.

Hardik Pandya names his favourite captain, and it is not Virat Kohli!

Hardik Pandya has now sealed his place as the premier all-rounder of India in the white-ball formats. And he thanked Rohit Sharma for his growth as a cricketer. Rohit captains him in the IPL for Mumbai Indians and occasionally for India in the limited over versions.

Hardik has been with Mumbai Indians since 2015 and has been captained by Rohit ever since. With Hardik and Rohit in their line-up, Mumbai Indians have won the IPL three times between 2015 and 2019. The IPL 2020 is currently postponed indefinitely due to the Coronavirus pandemic. "I have always enjoyed playing with Rohit and he has been a

great captain. We don't have much conversation about the game but I have had my best years playing under him," Pandya was quoted as saying by the Mumbai Indians.

Pandya also said that star fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah is a "different character." "He's calm and knowledgeable.

He's someone who I enjoy

being with. We have got success together and have genuinely shared that success," he said.

Hardik is slowly returning to international cricket after missing better part of 2019 with a back injury. He was selected for the home one-dayers against South Africa but the first match in Dharamsala was washed out without a ball being bowled and the remainder of the series was cancelled due to the pandemic. Recently, former Australian captain Ian Chappell also put forth the case of Hardik and said the all-rounder should be a part

of the Indian squad for the tour of Australia later this year. "It will help if Hardik Pandya is available. He gives India an extra bowling option to maintain the pressure when the leading fast bowlers need a rest," Chappell wrote his column for 'ESPNCricinfo'.

Hardik had said he understands his importance in the limited-overs format.

"This is Pandya's chance to gradually build up overs in the three Tests before the SCG match, where he could act as the third seamer so that a second spinner can be included," Chappell said.

"Having Pandya at seven would necessitate Rishabh Pant keeping and batting at six," said Chappell.

Infighting in Indian Olympic Association reaches IOC Indian Olympic Association’s (IOA) infighting between groups led by IOA chief Narinder Batra and its secretary general Rajeev Mehta has reached the doorsteps of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the decision-making body running the Olympic movement worldwide.

IOA’s vice president and the ruling BJP party’s senior leader and spokesperson, Sudhanshu Mittal, has petitioned the IOC president Thomas Bach and its executive board, terming as “illegal” the appointment of Batra as the president of the International Hockey Federation (FIH). He has also

in brief

Narinder Batra and Rajeev Mehta

alleged that the 63-year-old administrator submitted false declaration to the IOA in his bid to contest for its presidency, to which he got elected in December 2017.

Mittal, who is aligned with Mehta, IOA’s finance committee chairman Anil Khanna and treasurer

Anandeshwar Panday, has alleged in his mail to to the IOC that when Batra was elected as the president of the FIH (in November 2016), he was also holding the post of the president of Hockey India (HI), which, according to Mittal, wasn’t permissible according to the statute of

the FIH. Batra was elected as the HI’s chief in October 2014. Mittal alleged: “In Dec 2017, the elections of the IOA were due. Shockingly, Batra was nominated as a candidate for the IOA president’s post and he accepted the same.

Batra was a representative on behalf of the HI in IOA’s elections and voted as a representative on behalf of the HI. Since he had already resigned from any office bearer’s post with the HI in order to comply with the FIH statute, there is no possible way that he could be in the executive committee of the HI, unless Batra had given false declaration to the FIH and to everyone else that he had resigned from the HI,” read Mittal’s mail.

The Haryana police have initiated a probe against former India cricketer Yuvraj Singh after a lawyer complained against his alleged “casteist remarks” against Dalits. Hansi-based lawyer Rajat Kalsan has lodged a complaint with local police alleging that Yuvraj Singh Yuvraj had passed a casteist remark against Dalits.Hansi Superintendent of Police Lokender Singh said that they had received the complaint on May 2.

“We are investigating the matter. But nothing has been decided so far. No FIR has been registered yet,” he said. Kalsan alleged that Yuvraj, during a Instagram Live with India cricketer Rohit Sharma, had made the remark while referring to another player. “This comment has hurt the sentiments of Dalits as millions of people have watched this video on social media,” Kalsan said in the complaint while urging SP Hansi to lodge an FIR against Yuvraj and arrest him.

Kalsan said that a DSP-level officer had registered his statement under Section 161 of the CrPC. “I had also submitted a DVD containing controversial remarks in support of my complaint. The investigators watched this DVD,” said Kalsan while referring to the short clip that has gone viral on social media. Yuvraj did not respond to queries.

THREE LANKAN CRICKETERS FACE MATCH-FIXING PROBE At least three Sri Lankan cricketers are being currently probed by the International Cricket Council for matchfixing, Sports Minister Dullas Alahapperuma said.

Alahapperuma did not mention if they were former or current players. "We are sorry to see that sports had fallen short of discipline and character," he said.

However, Sri Lanka Cricket insisted no current players were involved in the ICC investigation. "SLC strongly believes that what the honourable minister actually mentioned was about an investigation launched by the ICC anti-corruption unit against three former Sri Lanka players and not the current national players," a SLC statement said. Commenting on the drug charge faced by fast bowler Shehan Madushanka, Alahapperuma said "it was sad and the country had placed high hopes on him". Madushanka was detained by Sri Lankan police last week on charge of possessing heroin.

Subsequently, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) suspended his contract. Alahapperuma said the government would soon focus on the dropping standards of cricket at the school level. It has come to light that schools are no longer producing quality players. At a recent meeting with Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, greats such as Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Sanath Jayasuriya highlighted the need to resurrect cricket at the grass-root level.

IT'S 2021 OR NEVER FOR TOKYO GAMES: OLYMPIC OFFICIAL High-ranking Olympic official Pierre-Olivier Beckers made clear that the delayed Tokyo Olympics "will be held in 2021 or not at all". The Belgian was reiterating the stance put forward by Japan and International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach that next year was the last chance to hold the Games postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. "Today everyone is sure that they will start on July 23, 2021," he told Belgian newspaper L'Avenir. "We are convinced that the Games will take place in 2021 or they won't take place. It's unthinkable to keep such a project on the go for any longer considering the enormous costs and all the thousands of people involved." Beckers suggested it was "essential" that the traditional sporting calendar emerges from its Covid-19 lockdown before allowing major sporting events like the Olympics to be staged.

"All the sporting federations have to adapt to the Games' postponement. We can't envisage a similar upheaval a second time," stressed the president of Belgium's Olympic Committee. According to Beckers a final decision on Tokyo "will be taken in the spring if questions (over the global health crisis) persist."