AV 14th January 2023

L a s t S a t u r d a y , h e a l t h l e a d e r s m e t w i t h P r i m e Minister Rishi Sunak at the No 10 summit to discuss the “overwhelmed” NHS during c r i s i s t a l k s W h i l e t h e r e i s little clarity about who these h e a l t h l e a d e r s w e r e , a c c o r d i n g t o i N e w s , Consultant physician James Dunbar, who took part in the N H S r e c o v e r y f o r u m i n Downing Street, said that the primary problem facing the healthcare service was that the fronts of hospitals are...

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 17th Pravasi Bharatiya D i v a s C o n v e n t i o n i n I n d o r e , M a d h y a P r a d e s h , I n d i a o n 9 January 2023. In addition to launchi n g t h e f i r s t - e v e r d i g i t a l P B D Exhibition with the topic "Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav - Contribution of D i a s p o r a i n I n d i a n F r e e d o m Struggle," he also unveiled a commemorative postal stamp in their honour

Shefali Saxena

Lane Road where both her mother and father worked long hours, eventually moving from Leicester to London and opening up a cash and carr y on Ealing Road, Wembley in 1978 Nita Cash & Carr y has f irmly stood the test of time and is one of the major players in this arena She went on to work for Eros and the Indian f ilm industr y and other creative mediums in the UK

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

I feel most at home in London as I’ve lived, studied and worked here, with my family all my life However, as my father has a home in Mumbai and my parents have been taking us to India for holidays, I feel Mumbai is my second home

2) What are your proudest achievements?

I have worked with top actors, Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Jackie Shroff, Anil Kapoor and top producers and still maintain close friendships with m a n y o f t h e m s u c h a s Su b h a s h G h a i , Rajshri Productions, Venus Films, Abbas Mustan, but most of all I’m proud of the v a l u e s t h a t m y p a r e n t s a n d m y Gu r u Morari Bapu have instilled in me

3) What inspires you?

Underdog stories Real people making real changes in life, having the courage to stand up for truth, love, compassion and j u s t i c e Ni m a E l b a g i r, A r w a D a m o n , Clarissa Ward , Greta Thunberg, Malala Yousafzai, Volodymyr Zelensky My mother & father, Sarla & Himat Dawada and my youngest sister Reshma are the most devoted and sacrif icing people I know

4) What has been biggest obstacle in your career?

People underestimating me because I am a female Chauvinism and sexism have been openly prevalent in the workspaces Ho w e v e r, t h e Me To o Mo v e m e n t h a s helped to bring injustices to light Progress has been made but we still have a long way to go

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

My sister Reshma Dawada She has been running my parents’ business and created several new businesses of her own She has always motivated me and pushed me to

be more than I am, exceeding my potential

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

Currently, I am writing articles and have set up a small business selling ethnic wear online called ‘Blouses etc’ Since I work from home and as I live in an extended family this affords me the ability to look after family members and use my creativity to the best of my ability

7) And the worst?

Working from home, juggling domestic dynamics at the same time, people often think you do nothing

8) What are your long term goals?

Along with what I’m doing now, I envisage taking on many other projects in different spectrums I see myself being more involved in the f ilm business again I also want to work with local councils to help develop safe housing and tr y to eradicate homelessness I would like to motivate others into reaching the best version of themselves

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

T h e r e a r e n u m e r o u s c o n c e r n s t h a t require my immediate attention, including the economy, environment, NHS, wealth d i s p a r i t y, a n d d i r e c t i n g t e c h n o l o g y t o improve health But if I had the ability, I would cease conflicts and work to advance l o v e , c i v i l i t y, p e a c e , a n d h u m a n i t y Although some could call it a utopian goal, I believe it is attainable 10) If you were marooned on a desert island, which historical figure would you like to spend your time with and why?

Oprah Winfrey She has interacted with more people than any world leader She has experience and knowledge of people from all walks of life I could learn so much from her

India has been the first port of call for UK ship in the Indian ocean

Th e Royal Navy’s offshore patrol vessel, HMS Tam ar, sailed to th e Andaman and Nicobar Islands on 6 January as p ar t o f i ts p e rm a ne nt d e p lo ym ent i n t h e I n d oPacif ic Over the next f iv e days, the ship and her crew u nd ert o ok c ap abi l it y d e m o ns tr ati o ns an d m ari ti m e e xerc i se s w i th t h e Indian Nav y HMS Tamar is one of two Royal Navy v essels on p ermanent deployment in the Indo -Pacif ic as s et o u t i n th e U K ’ s I nte g ra ted R ev i ew T h e ship’s visit to India w as an o p p o rt u ni ty to f u rth e r strengthen the shared mari ti m e d o m ai n aw ar ene ss ef fo rt a nd un d er li ne s t h e U K’s and India’s intent to c o lla bo r ate i n th e I nd ia n O ce an Reg io n an d w i d e r Indo-Pacif ic

First Sea Lord, Admiral Si r B e n Ke y, s a i d : “I a m delighted that HMS Tamar is visiting the Andaman and Nicobar Islands this week, during her f irst time sailing in the Indian Ocean The opportunity to engage with

t h e l o c a l c o m m u n i t y a n d conduct training and exercises with the Indian Navy is hugely valuable “The work HMS Tamar and her crew are doing with allies, partners and friends across the I n d o -Pa c i f ic i s c r u c i a l A s threats to global peace and stability mount, the Royal Navy values deeply its relat i o n s h i p w i t h t h e I n d i a n Navy in a shared endeavour to confront those who challenge the rules-based system and ensure peace and prosperity on and from the sea ”

Wages in Ealing

A c t i n g B r i t i s h H i g h C o m m i s s i o n e r t o I n d i a , Christina Scott, said: “HMS Tamar’s deployment is the U K ’ s I n d o -Pa c i f i c t i l t i n action; its visit, is further evidence of the importance we attach to our defence a n d s e c u r i t y r e l a t i o n s h i p w i t h I n d i a “ T h e I n d oPa c i f ic , a n d i n d e e d I n d i a , will drive future growth and prosperity for the world It is imperative that it remains free and open to all in support of trade, shared security and values ”

Southall are 3.9% lower than when Tories came to power

New analys is re veals th e To ries’ who lesc ale fai lure to grow the eco nomy and to level u p Britai n, with f i g u re s s h o w i ng th at i n e ve r y r eg io n i n G re at B ri t ai n , r ea l wa ge s a re lower now than when the Tories came to p ower in 2010 Across th e country as a w h o le , rea l wa ge s a re down by an average o f 5%, l ea vi n g p e o p l e £ 1 , 600 a year wo rse off th an they were in 201 0 Wages in the E a li n g S o u t h a ll c o ns t it u e nc y h av e f al le n b y £1,337 , resulting in a 3 9% cu t A crucial comp onent o f getting wages up and improving living standards i s gro wing the eco no my, so mething that has stalled u n de r th e To ri es If t h e econo my h ad continu ed to gro w at th e same rate as it

h ad b ee n wi th th e l as t Labour go vernment, then th ere would be £30 billion more to spend on pu blic s ervices wi th out having to raise a single tax

L o c a l M P V i r e n d r a Sharma responding on the impact of falling wages in the Ealing Southall cons t i t u e n c y, s a i d , " 1 2 y e a r s have been wasted by this To r y g o v e r n m e n t T h e NHS has been put at risk by economic mismanagement, prices are going up and still salaries are down Ealing Southall has never voted for a Tor y governm e n t b e c a u s e t h e y s e e what the risks are We need Ke i r St a r m e r, R a c h e l R e e v e s a n d L a b o u r i n charge to deliver the services and stability the UK deser ves "

L a b o u r ’ s S h a d o w Chancellor Rachel Reeves said: "These f igures don’t j u s t u n d e r l i n e a l a c k o f growth under the Tories They show the complete f a i l u r e o v e r 1 2 y e a r s t o b u i l d a n e c o n o m y t h a t actually works in the intere s t s o f w o r k i n g p e o p l e Married with the billions upon billions of taxpayer money that has been waste d o n u n d e l i v e r e d p r oj e c t s , c r o n y c o n t r a c t s , unsafe PPE and Tor y vanity projects, it shows just what irresponsible stewards of the economy the Conser vatives are Labour will stabilise our economy, and we will get it growing with our Green Prosperity Plan and our active partnership with British businesses ”

Currently, und er UK law, people d on’t get matern ity leaves or pay i n case of miscarriage

The SNP MP Angela Crawley’s p ri vate member’s bill hopes to

g rant three days of statutory paid leav e to parents who have e xp er i en c ed a m i sc a rri ag e before 24 weeks of p regnancy, to g ri ev e Approxi mately, one

i n four pregnancies en ds in m i s ca rri ag e, h ow ev e r, p ai d bereavement leave is provid ed on ly i n the case of stillbirth after 24 weeks

Crawley said: “My bill has support from ever y party in the House of Commons The only thing it needs now is the support of the UK government I am urging Tor y ministers to do the right thing and back my private member’s bill in the new year to give parents who experience miscarriage before 24 weeks the right to paid leave

“Parents who experience a miscarriage or stillbirth at any s t a g e o f t h e i r p r e g n a n c y deser ve to be properly supp o r t e d a n d g i v e n t h e t i m e they may need to grieve and p r o c e s s t h e i r l o s s , w i t h o u t w o r r y i n g a b o u t a h i t t o f i n a n c e s o r t a k i n g a n n u a l leave ”

o f t h e a ctua l natio na l div ersity of sexual ori ent atio n, say s Dr Juli a Sha w, a psy ch olo gical sci entist a t UCL

She further adds that the item on sexuality was i n t r o d u c e d fo r e q u i t y monitoring To determine t h e e x a c t w o r d i n g a n d location of the item, the O f f i c e fo r Na t i o n a l Statistics conducted extensive research, including the 2017 census test

“No n -r e s p o n d e r s a r e more likely to be LGBTQ+ It is reasonable to assume that those who are themselves part of the LGBTQ+ community are the most likely to show resistance to, and mistrust in, disclosing their sexuality to the

g o v e r n m e nt W hy w o u l d people disclose their sexua l i t y t o t h e g o v e r n m e n t when it is the government t h a t h a s p r e v i o u s l y w e a p o n i s e d t h i s a g a i n s t them?”

“ T h i s i s p a r t i c u l a r l y true for older respondents, who are more likely to have a lived histor y of the criminalisation of homosexual b e h a v i o u r a n d g o v e r nment-tolerated or created d i s c r i m i n a t o r y p o l i c i e s The 2021 census is probably undercounting the sexual diversity of older people”, said Dr Shaw

Spare yourself of the pain Harry, and try to heal

Prince Harry’s controversial memoir, Spare, that has officially come out on Tuesday 10 January early hours and has already made headlines across the world for its bombshell revelations involving the Royal family It was leaked and sold early in Spain by some booksellers, already making it a sensation before the official release in the UK

The book opens with Prince Harry’s visit to the UK after the death of Prince Philip He fondly remembered him along with his mum, and recalled how he returned to the UK after 32 missed calls and a “heart racing talk with Granny” about “Grandpa (being) gone ’ He also described the Frogmore gardens and Britain in full April’s glory and how he and his wife Meghan “fled this place in fear for our sanity and physical safety”

In a tv interview, Prince Harry reportedly described how he “ can’t ever get out” of the Royal family, but he does not believe it will ever be possible for him and the Duchess of Sussex to return to the UK as working Royals

He also continued to point the finger at Camilla, the Queen Consort, over allegations he had been “sacrificed on her personal PR altar”

Many London bookshops opened their doors early on Tuesday morning, hoping to see a queue of eager buyers, remembering Harry’s book debut in the 1990s But the expected rush of buyers failed to appear, despite the sensations around his revelations

Britons are famous for their conservative outlook and stiff upper lip So, it does not come by a surprise that some Britons have already decided to boycott the absolute ‘horror’ of Harry’s book calling him ‘disingenuous and an idiot ” But others have come forward to support Harry, calling him incredibly brave In the book is also a mention of India, and the famous photo of Princess Diana in 1992, a lonesome figure sitting on a bench in front of the Taj Mahal, considered symbolic of the state of her relationship with Charles Taj Mahal, a symbol of love, was built by Emperor Shahjahan in memory of his beautiful wife Mumtaz, after her death, to immortalise the adoration a husband felt for his wife In contrast was a sitting figure of a beautiful Diana, who was on a rocky patch with Charles, about

to separate Harry in fact told a ‘baffled’ Meghan, to ensure that she did not take a photo in front of the Taj during her trip to India so that people did not think she was imitating Diana Meghan went to India with World Vision, working on menstrual health management and education access for young girls, according to the memoir She then took her mother Doria Ragland on a yoga retreat in Goa to celebrate her 60th birthday Indian audience has forever held a soft corner for Princess Diana, who visited India in 1992 She also went to Kolkata to meet Mother Teresa Her death which was untimely and shrouded with mystery had forever put the Royals in a questionable spot in the hearts of the Indian audience And Duke of Sussex’s book has for the same reasons struck a chord with many

But here is the problem with the ‘idea’ behind this very book Meant to be a rebel standing up to the age and time-long wrongdoings by influential and rich people, this book has come out in the wrong moment The Queen’s death has left Britons softened towards the legacy

In fact, many believe that any family that is in the limelight will probe some curiosity and questions in the minds of people Incidentally, every family whatever be their social status, it has its own demons, therefore its own set of unique problems and controversies No one is above scandals But while standing up to anything wrong is an act of bravery but making a memoir out of it to publish worldwide, is rather propaganda

Of course, there is no graceful way of fighting any battle A young boy who lost his mother to the media frenzy and to a family that failed to protect him from heartbreaks or a disintegrating life of sanity will be forever traumatised He will hold circumstances stemming out of such experiences responsible for everything wrong in his world But if only life was fair Harry’s own crusade to find justice for his mother, wife and himself may make things harder for him Sometimes acceptance of the issue and physical distance from the source of agony help one heal It is obvious that Harry is in deep pain But airing the dirty laundry in public has never given anyone anything good, let alone closure

Thought for the week

Political Sketchbook

As We Approach India's Republic Day

F or g i v e m y pr e s u m p tu ou s n e s s Wh e n N e l s o n Ma ndela visited the US Congress, the Congressm an for whom I work ed asked me to write a draft speech Subsequently I 've written speeches for the then C ha ir of the London Metals Exc ha nge and Parli amentarian s

So here my speech for the PM of India on India's upcoming Republic Day With thanks to the President of another nation in whose parliament I worked!

"On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the p e t t y g r i e v a n c e s a n d f a l s e p r o m i s e s , t h e recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics

We are a young nation, but in the words of our scriptures, man is made by his belief As he believes, so he is

The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that p r e c i o u s g i f t , t h a t n o b l e i d e a , p a s s e d o n f r o m generation to generation: the belief that all are equal; all are one family

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given It must be earned Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less

As Asian parents rally behind Prime Minister Sunak who has made plans to teach students mathematics till age 18, social media saw an uproar against it While plans are being drawn on how to make the subject compulsory beyond GCSE, Sanjeev Bhaskar, the famous actor tweeted, “Sunak has gone full old Asian dad with this Maths thing I did pure and applied A-level Maths Not particularly well, wasn’t happy and it stopped me from discovering what I was good at From every aspect, the idea is utter toilet My mate Simon Pegg may have put this better ”

The problem is that changing the education system and people’s attitudes towards it, is not an easy job It has also come at a very wrong time, especially as strikes are paralysing the country, which demands pay rise as well as the need to combat the shortage of staff Where will the government find money to hire more skilled teachers to teach mathematics, when the existing ones are quitting due to low pay?

Numerical dexterity is an essential life skill Day-to-day routine in an adult life includes some sort of mathematical skill, whether it is for managing budgets, timekeeping, or even basic maths while splitting a bill at a restaurant among friends Even some well-paid jobs such as accountancy and engineering require a direct link for higher numeracy skills Even if it is law or medicine or music, mathematical proficiency at some level is required and always helps to do better In fact, most professions require some sort of ability to analyse data and statistics So, a low level of numeracy is definitely a bad starting point

In fact, minds with numerical skills apparently can help in

any sort of problem-solving, learning and according to Albert Einstein, even needed in abstract thinking The Financial Times wrote research by McKinsey identifies logical reasoning, data literacy and computational thinking among the key foundational skills citizens will need to thrive in the future of work Developments in big data, artificial intelligence and quantum computing, and the surge in demand for coders, quants and data analysts reflect this

Some developed nations already have already got mathematics as a part of higher learning and divide pupils into groups right from childhood Studies also show the focus on effort and long-term abilities reportedly work better than focusing on the innate ability to perform better at maths However, the problem lies in the attitude towards mathematics in certain communities

England performs reasonably well in primary and secondary school, but there is a challenge in sustaining that confidence through to adulthood

The Asian community look at studying science and mathematics not as a life skill but as a mark of intelligence in a child, an attainable goal that makes you more eligible in a rat race for better jobs with higher pay packages over some other choice of professions Therefore, children grow fear towards the subject, as it is directly linked to their parents’ approval and family’s disappointment in them Making mathematics a necessary learning tool to navigate through life, something that everyone needs, will require a complete rehash of social behaviour and thinking- especially for parents If PM Sunak can make that miracle happen, one would be forever grateful

The glory of Pravasi Bhartiyas

Some significant organisations that participated in the convention included FISI-UK (Friends of India Society International), Sardar Patel Memorial Society, Indian Diaspora in UK (IDUK), and UPCA (Uttar Pradesh Cultural Association) Among 27 reputed names, ABPL’s Editor-in-Chief and Publisher CB Patel was honoured with the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman by the President of India, Srimati Droupadi Murmu during the valedictory session of the final day at the convention for his contribution to media in the UK Deputy Mayor of Business Rajesh Agrawal was also among the dignitaries who took part in the three-day divas Indian Minister Dr S Jaishankar discussed pertinent topics such as the OCI cards, dual citizenship, and Free Trade Agreements in a meeting with diaspora from the UK Further nurturing the ‘Living Bridge’ back in London, HE Vikram Doraiswami, the High Commissioner of India to the UK and the UK's Home Office, at India House in London, have recently signed on a Young Professionals Scheme, which will be a part of the Memorandum of Understanding on the Migration and Mobility Partnership between the two governments (See P15 for more)

PM Narendra Modi described the Indian diaspora as “Rashtradoots (national ambassadors) of India’s heritage”, to mark the laurels of Indians who continue to live abroad, contribute to the multiculturalism of foreign countries, enrich their economies with their intellectuality, strengthen the infrastructure across sectors with dauntless hard work and represent India on a global stage

History will be kind to Indians, both at home and abroad, for not only giving the world numerous new cuisines, linguistics, languages, cinema, and industrial revolution, but also the gift of humanity, which was exhibited by the diaspora abroad, especially in the UK during the pandemic across sectors From doctors and nurses to temples and mosques, gurdwaras to nonprofits, Indians did not leave the battlefield when the times were tough

British Indians continue to be at the top funnel of the UK’s economy and its growth, with an inevitable mention of our beloved prime minister Rishi Sunak, whose roots lie in India Pravasi Bhartiyas have always been kind to the world and their motherland, and they’ll hopefully forever be

It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame

Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labour, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom

For us, they toiled in factories and worked the land; endured hardship and sacrificed for the greater good

F o r u s , t h e y f o u g h t a n d d i e d , i n p l a c e s l i k e Jallianwala Bagh and the Siachen Glacier; in the fight for independence and in the defence of our nation

Time and again, these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked until their hands were raw so that we might live a better life

They saw India as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or religion

We will build the roads and bridges, the power grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and b i n d u s t o g e t h e r W e w i l l i n v e s t i n s c i e n c e a n d technology to improve the quality and accessibility of healthcare

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions - who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans Their memories are short For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when i m a g i n a t i o n i s j o i n e d t o c o m m o n p u r p o s e , a n d

necessity to courage "

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A plack on the wall won’t change the world; it only shows your devotion. – S hannon L. Alder

Alpesh Patel

Only a change in the way of thinking can make Sunak’s plan a success

Indie bookshop numbers hit a 10-year high in 2022

A s th e book trad e defied the o dds in an oth erwise brutal year fo r hig h street retailers, the num ber of ind ependent bookshop s in the U K and Ireland clim bed to a 10-year h igh in 2022

C o r o n a v i r u s p a n d e m i c lockdowns worked for the b o o k t r a d e , a s w i t h t h e l i f e s t y l e c h a n g e s , B r i t o n s w i t h m o r e t i m e o n t h e i r h a n d s s o u g h t o u t b o o kshops when they reopened A c c o r d i n g t o t h e B o o k s e l l e r s A s s o c i a t i o n ( B A ) , a f t e r t h e i n d u s t r y enjoyed a sixth consecutive year of growth, there are n o w 1 , 0 7 2 i n d e p e n d e n t bookshops

M e r y l H a l l s , t h e B A ’ s managing director, the challenges bookshops face and

the wider high street cannot be ignored

" W i t h t h e e c o n o m i c headwinds coming our way, recession, inflation, labour shortages and massive cost increases across the board, b o o k s h o p s n e e d s u p p o r t , ” said Halls

“Margins are extremely tight, and for bookshops to thrive on high streets they need governments to take action to protect small businesses from the cost of living crisis, as well as unequal tax burdens such as business rates ”

Primary school pupils in England target of new careers programme

T he gov ernm ent has come u p with a plan of prep aring p r i m ary sc h o o l p up il s a s young as five and six fo r a new careers p rog ramme in England enco uraging th em to think abo ut future jobs early

C h i l d r e n b e t w e e n t h e ages of five and eight will get a g e - a p p r o p r i a t e l e s s o n s designed to introduce them to different careers, training and skills and will inspire t h e m a b o u t t h e w o r l d o f work

The £2 6m initiative will be introduced across 55 education investment areas

A c c o r d i n g t o t h e Department for Education (DfE), it is proven that child r e n s t a r t t o f o r m i d e a s about their future as early as primary school, yet career guidance starts in secondary schools

Robert Halfon, the minister for skills, apprenticeships and higher education, said good career advice will help young people from all

b a c k g r o u n d s w i t h v a r i o u s opportunities and will create the future workforce the UK needs

“ T h e c h a n g e s w e a r e making to boost our careers programme will raise ambitions from an early age for thousands of children in prim a r y s c h o o l s a c r o s s t h e c o u n t r y w h i l e p r o v i d i n g opportunities to unlock tale n t , t h i n k a b o u t s k i l l s , engage with employers and d i s c o v e r d i f f e r e n t w o r kplaces ”

Gear up for a year-long festival in Leeds

L e ed s 20 2 3 , t h e c ity -w i d e cultural festival, kicked off o n 7th January Th e op ening ceremony took place

About 10,000 people visi t e d H e a d i n g l e y S t a d i u m , normally the home of Leeds Rhinos rugby league club, f o r t h e A w a k e n i n g , t h e opening ceremony

It was hosted by the television present e r a n d L e e d s 2 0 2 3 chair, Gabby Logan, a n d B B C r a d i o ’ s Sanchez Payne, feat u r i n g t h e s i n g e r C o r i n n e B a i l e y R a e a n d p o e t S i m o n A r m i t a g e , a l o n g s i d e O p e r a N o r t h , t h e p e r c u s s i o n i s t I n d e r Goldfinger and the emerging rap artist Graft

“If you look at our noisy n e i g h b o u r s a c r o s s t h e P e n n i n e s L e e d s h a s always been in the shadow of that and there’s a sense that there’s only so much r o o m a t t h e t o p t a b l e , ” L o g a n s a i d “ S o t h a t w a s probably a factor that kept Leeds a bit quiet

“And now I meet people all the time that are like: ‘Oh my God, I didn’t realise it was so amazing until I got there,’ and you hear that all the time from southerners who don’t travel up north very often I think Leeds surprises them ”

T h e A w a k e n i n g i s directed by chief executive Kully Thiarai and Alan Lane, the artistic director of the R o y a l T e l e v i s i o n S o c i e t y a w a r d - w i n n i n g t h e a t r e c o m p a n y S l u n g L o w , a n d c h o r e o g r a p h e d b y S h a r o n Watson, the principal of the N o r t h e r n S c h o o l o f Contemporary Dance, and Lucy Hind

NHS recruiting from ‘red list’ countries

T o make up fo r th e post-Brext loss o f EU s taf f , N HS tr u st s i n E ng lan d h a v e increased recruitm ent fro m low-income “red list” co untries d espite a cod e of practice to safeg uard health serv ices in those d ev eloping countries

The report by the Nuffield Trust think tank, identified shortages in vital specialist areas since Brexit, including dentistry, cardiothoracic surgery and anesthesiology

It found that despite a change in the arrangements put in place by the EU last April, Brexit is still causing i s s u e s w i t h t h e s u p p l y o f m e d i c i n e s i n N o r t h e r n Ireland

During the research for t h e r e p o r t , H e a l t h a n d Brexit: Six Years On, interv i e w e e s i n t h e N H S s i gnalled a shift away drifting

away from national recruitm e n t t o w a r d s i n d i v i d u a l a g e n c i e s a n d N H S t r u s t s , with an increase in hirings f r o m c o u n t r i e s o n t h e W o r l d H e a l t h Organization’s support and safeguard list, or “red list”, countries such as Nigeria, P a k i s t a n a n d s o m e o t h e r Asian countries

The report found that the nurse registration from those non-EU countries had g o n e f r o m a b o u t 6 0 0 a month before 2020 to close to 1,000 a month in 2021

Not agreeing with the

report’s claims, a government spokesperson t o o k i s s u e w i t h t h e report’s claims on both Northern Ireland and “red list” recruitment

“ T h e r e p o r t d o e s not accurately reflect t h e s i t u a t i o n i n N o r t h e r n I r e l a n d , w h e r e t h e s a m e o r e q u i v a l e n t m e d i c i n e s a r e a v a i l a b l e e v e n i f t h e product lines are different,” they said

“The Nuffield Trust has also not provided any evidence of active recruitment t a k i n g p l a c e i n r e d - l i s t c o u n t r i e s A s p a r t o f o u r i n t e r n a t i o n a l r e c r u i t m e n t e f f o r t s , w e a r e c l e a r t h a t active recruitment from redl i s t c o u n t r i e s s h o u l d n o t happen unless there is a gove r n m e n t - t o - g o v e r n m e n t agreement in place This is consistent with our UK code of practice and WHO guidance ”

More than 1,000 babies born dependent on substances in Scotland

Mo re th an 1, 100 babies who have been born in S co tland since 20 17 were depend ent o n s u bst ance s, th e rep o rt says

It has triggered calls for i n v e s t m e n t i n s u p p o r t i n g babies with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) from t h e S c o t t i s h L i b e r a l Democrats

N A S i s w h e n c h i l d r e n s h o w s i g n s o f a d d i c t i o n , owing to the mother's use of legal, or illegal, substances during pregnancy

As per the data obtained b y t h e S c o t t i s h L i b e r a l Democrats through a freedom of information request, 123 babies have been born with the condition in the

last five years in Scotland, w i t h a t o t a l o f 1 4 7 s u c h births in 2022/2023 to date

Party’s leader Mr ColeHamilton said: "These figures are utterly heartbreaki n g T h e r e i s p e r h a p s n o worse possible start in life for a newborn baby

" [ L a s t ] y e a r , i n d e p e ndent experts described the government's current funding for drugs and alcohol as woefully inadequate for this level of public emergency

"Years of underfunding saw vulnerable local facilit i e s s h u t t h e i r d o o r s a n d critical expertise lost

" N i c o l a S t u r g e o n h a s a d m i t t e d h e r g o v e r n m e n t w a s n ' t p a y i n g a t t e n t i o n

w h i l e S c o t l a n d ' s s i t u a t i o n became many times worse t h a n a n y w h e r e e l s e i n Europe

" I t i s t i m e f o r r a d i c a l action, not just to help peop l e s t r u g g l i n g w i t h d r u g misuse today, but for future generations too

" T h a t m e a n s i n v e s t i n g in local services which are best placed to intervene to stop lives from being lost a n d n e w l i v e s s t a r t i n g dependent on substances

" D r u g m i s u s e s h o u l d always be treated as a health issue, not a criminal justice matter Anything else will condemn many more children to be born into these awful circumstances "

Katharine Birbalsingh quits social mobility role

C i t i n g t h e f a c t t ha t s he come s with “too much baggage ” an d was doing “ m ore harm than good", the gove rn m en t’ s s oc i a l m ob i li ty tsar has quit her role

K a t h a r i n e B i r b a l s i n g h , who was appointed chair of t h e S o c i a l M o b i l i t y Commission in 2021, said that some of her “controversial” statements had put the commission in “jeopardy”, leaving her with no choice but to step down

E q u a l i t i e s m i n i s t e r Kemi Badenoch said Alun F r a n c i s , t h e p r i n c i p a l o f O l d h a m C o l l e g e a n d deputy chair of the commission, would take over the role on an interim basis

M s B a d e n o c h p r a i s e d M s B i r b a l s i n g h , t h a n k i n g her for “successfully giving the organisation a strong sense of direction and purpose ”

Ms Birbalsingh, who set

u p t h e h i g h - a c h i e v i n g M i c h a e l a C o m m u n i t y S c h o o l i n B r e n t , announced her departure i n a n a r t i c l e f o r S c h o o l s Week

She wrote: “I come with t o o m u c h b a g g a g e O v e r t h i s p a s t y e a r , I h a v e become increasingly aware that my propensity to voice opinions that are considered controversial puts the commission in jeopardy ”

“ A s h e a d m i s t r e s s a t M i c h a e l a , m y g o v e r n o r s can decide whether or not they wish to employ me

d e s p i t e m y o u t s p o k e n n a t u r e S o I f e e l f r e e t o comment on society But as chair of the commission, people feel I need to be impartial and it irks many that for many years I have been anything but

“ S o i n s o m e p e o p l e ’ s minds, I am not right for the job

“Sadly, I have come to a g r e e T h e c o m m i s s i o n t e a m h a v e b e e n n o t h i n g but supportive, but I worry t h a t a l l o f o u r e x c e l l e n t w o r k w i l l b e i g n o r e d b y virtue of my presence ”

Asian parents support Sunak’s mathematics plan

P rim e Minister Rishi Sunak p lans to ensure that all child ren in the United Kingdo m w ill stud y m ath em ati cs in som e form until they reach 1 8 years of age so that they d o not lag beh ind in tod ay ’ s ag e of data and s tatistics S urprising ly, while speaking t o th e c o m m u n it y, A s i an V o i c e le arn ed t h at A s i an p a re nts a re s u p p o rti n g S u n ak ’ s id ea, as w e ll as teachers - despite the huge p a y g a p an d s h o rta g e o f skilled staff that w ould need add ressing should th is plan b e im p lem ented S tud ents a re w ar y o f th e P ri m e M inister’s outlook tow ards m ath Sunak’s plan came as a p ar t o f h is s p ee ch o n Wednesday seeking to reset h i s p rem ie rs h i p a m i d a h ealth crisis, ong oing industrial action, and d ire poll rati n g s f o r th e ru li n g C onservative Party

This will include a new “ a m b i t i o n ” t o t a c k l e p o o r numeracy levels by requiring all school pupils in England to learn maths to 18 Some 8 m i l l i o n a d u l t s i n E n g l a n d have the numeracy skills of primary school children and only half of 16-19-year-olds study any maths at all, the g o v e r n m e n t h a s s a i d H o w e v e r , M a t h s w i l l n o t become compulsory at ALevel, Sunak’s office clarified, with other routes such a s n e w C o r e M a t h s a n d t e c h n i c a l q u a l i f i c a t i o n s b e i n g e x p l o r e d I t w a s unable to provide a timeline for when the changes would come into effect, saying only that work would begin on the policy before the next election

T a k i n g a q u i c k d i g a t p r i m e m i n i s t e r S u n a k , S u s s e x U n i v e r s i t y Chancellor Sanjeev Bhaskar tweeted, “Sunak has gone full old Asian dad with this Maths thing I did pure & applied A level Maths Not p a r t i c u l a r l y w e l l , w a s n ’ t h a p p y a n d i t s t o p p e d m e from discovering what I was good at From every aspect, the idea is utter toilet ” Asian Voice reached out t o t e a c h e r s , p a r e n t s , a n d students in the community to understand their perspectives on the PM’s plans

16-year-old Shreya Paul, a s tu d e nt at H enr ie tta B arnett S ch o ol told Asian Voice, “When the news of Rishi Sunak making maths a c o m p u l s o r y s u b j e c t u n t i l eighteen years old had first cone out, I along with thousands of other people and their families had a look of u t t e r h o r r o r o n o u r f a c e Having recently picked my A levels and joined sixth form and learned about my pathway to higher education, I sincerely pity those forced to take a subject that they don't have a passion for

“Having come from an i m m i g r a n t f a m i l y l i k e Sunak, where having success' was seen as excelling in STEM subjects, I personally e n j o y e d t h e m i m m e n s e l y ,

but many other members o f m y f a m i l y h a d immense talent in other areas which lead them up many other pathways to s u c c e s s M y m u m h a d regaled me and my sister with tales of her experiences with maths all the way up to university having been forced to continue with it by her dad, and I shudder to think that these feelings of fear, dread and hatred for the subject will be felt by so many young people for the lack of say they had in choosing it and love for it ”

P a u l f u r t h e r e x p l a i n e d t h a t i n a d d i t i o n , f o r s t udents aiming for top univers i t i e s s u c h a s O x b r i d g e , grades and predicted grad are the make or break receiving an offer “If ma becomes a compulsory th or fourth subject, and dents are unable to gai high enough grade in ma but did in the subject t want to continue with, th will be a whole truckloa w a s t e d p o t e n t i a l i n e person who may find c e s s i n o t h e r n o n - m a t matical fields It is alm impossible to do well in A-level subject without h ing a passion for it, and w maths already being a r t i v e l y d i f f i c u l t s u b j results day will only be a ciated with a lack of hope m a n y B e s i d e s , h o w d e t a i l e d k n o w l e d g e trigonometry help to sp b i l l i n a r e s t a u r a n t ? ” argued

A l t h o u g h S h r e y a p s o n a l l y e n j o y s m a t h s has chosen to continue w it through to A level, b e l i e v e s t h a t i t i s s i m cruel to force entire gen t i o n s w i t h b r i g h t f u t u d o w n t h e s a m e r o b pathway and subseque severely hurt their chan of having good higher e cation and career prog sion, which more impor than ever in today's climate Majority of students miss out on d ev eloping functional math ematical skills C o m m e n t i n g o n t h e P M ’ s p l a n s , S EN T e Tam alika Basu told us, welcome the move as I a secondary school se an extensive number o d e n t s l a c k t h e n u m skills Whereas GCSE do continue to invest time in maths along their post-16 pathways, m a j o r i t y o f s t u d e n t s out on developing func al mathematical skills i are pursuing humanitie creative courses I feel should be a dedicated for maths for those stu where employment-or e d n u m e r a c y s h o u l d boosted Like learning or Spreadsheets, contin p r a c t i c e w i t h p e r c e n and interest that will come helpful in life with mortgages ”

Parents stand with Sunak Ketan Dattani, CEO and F o un d er o f B u c ki ng h a m Fu tu res, a r e c r u i t i n g f i r m

told Asian Voice, “As a parent of four children, I support PM Rishi Sunak’s plan to make maths, a compulsory subject for students up to a g e 1 8 I a p p r e c i a t e t h a t numeracy, statistical literacy, and the ability to make sense of data are essential skills for the modern world, whether for the workplace or for playing an active role i i d i k l

these skills However, if we want the UK economy to thrive and young people to be prepared to compete on a global level, we need a radical overhaul of our education system and s i m p l y m a n d a t i n g c o mp u l s o r y m a t h s u n t i l 1 8 may not be sufficient in itself without the appropriate number of qualified t e a c h e r s a n d a c a d e m i c infrastructure ”

A rp i ta N ath t o l d t h e n e w s w e e k l y , “ I f e e l t h a t maths is important at every k e y s t a g e o f e d u c a t i o n because it provides a strong basis for reasoning, estimation and thinking logically i n l a t e r l i f e P r o f e s s i o n s which are most sought after d nee g r a m ienc

e v e n s t u d e n t s o p t i n g f o r A r t s , c o n s t r u c t i o n n e e d maths skills, and thus opens up so many career options ”

Atrayee Bandyopad hyay said, “I do agree that basic m a t h e m a t i c s s h o u l d b e made compulsory at least to a certain level, say up to age 16, after which only those who have an inclination for the subject may choose to continue to study the same Advanced mathematics may be made optional but it’s true that knowledge of basic mathematics is very important to build a strong foundation in academia It has certainly helped me in my higher studies ”

D e s p i t e t h e s u p p o r t , m a n y B r i t o n s h a v e

o t h e r s u b j e c t s , a f f e c t i n g grades or ability to pursue different expertise

H o w e v e r , t h e p r i m e m i n i s t e r ’ s a m b i t i o n f o r schools in England faces a 5 , 0 0 0 s h o r t f a l l i n m a t h s teachers and a sixth form funding gap Sunak certainly i s n ’ t t h e f i r s t m i n i s t e r t o consider the issue

In 2011 the government, with Michael Gove as educat i o n s e c r e t a r y , c o m m i ssioned Carol Vorderman to head a task force on maths in schools It recommended that some form of maths teaching remain compulsory until the age of 18 Making h i s n u m b e r s a d d u p w i l l need large sums of money and teachers which remains cks ses

Shefali Saxena

COMMUNITY PHARMACIES ARE ‘SHOCK ABSORBERS’

“overwhelmed”, and that “ a lot of” senior clinical leaders taking part in the meeting w e r e “ s a y i n g t h e s a m e thing” The Prime Minister r e p o r t e d l y s a i d d u r i n g h i s talk at Downing Street that a “ b u s i n e s s - a s - u s u a l m i n d s e t won’t fix the challenges we face”

“ D u r i n g t h e p a n d e m i c we had to bring boldness and r a d i c a l i s m t o h o w w e d i d t h i n g s i n o r d e r t o g e t through,” he said, according to Downing Street

“ I t h i n k w e n e e d t h a t s a m e b o l d a n d r a d i c a l a p p r o a c h n o w b e c a u s e a

b u s i n e s s - a s - u s u a l m i n d s e t won’t fix the challenges we face ”

Jay Patel, executive director of Day Lewis pharmacy group, reportedly raised the role that community pharmacies can play in easing the pressure on the NHS, suggesting it carry out Strep A testing and ease pressure on G P s b y p r e s c r i b i n g r e p e a t p r e s c r i p t i o n s S p e a k i n g t o reporters prior to the meeting, he said: “I’m hoping that we can look for high impact and quick interventions so t h a t c o m m u n i t y p h a r m a c y can play a role in alleviating the current pressures At the moment there is a massive surge in Strep A With the right protocols, we could test and treat Strep A ” He added: “These aren’t difficult things to do It is a case of training a professional for a few hours and having access to the relevant test kits If we have better control of our repeat prescriptions, we could take the pressure off GPs ”

D r L ey la H an nb ec k, C hief Executiv e, A ssociation o f I nd e p end ent M u lt ip l e P h a rm a ci es t o l d t h e newsweekly, “Our member and board member Jay Patel, d i r e c t o r o f D a y L e w i s P h a r m a c y g r o u p a t t e n d e d the pan-healthcare meeting led by the Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Health and Social Care representing community pharm a c y a t t h e m e e t i n g H e articulated our key messages on behalf of the sector clearly and concisely Pharmacy h a s s o m u c h t o o f f e r t h e healthcare system, but years of underfunding has led to t h e s e c t o r b e i n g u n d e r immense pressure We can be a big solution to the NHS, but we cannot be asked to do

Listing some solutions to l e s s e n t h e b u r d e n o n t h e N H S , D r L e y l a H a n n b e c k said that we need to reduce demand on GP services by u s i n g a p h a r m a c y - f i r s t s c h e m e ( a p p r o p r i a t e f u n ding) by utilising the network and its ubiquitous distribution to assist the prevention agenda this could involve screening, ill health detection and behavioural support for lifestyle choices The UK needs a national vaccination p r o g r a m m e w h i c h m a k e s pharmacies the ‘ go to place’ f o r p u b l i c h e a l t h v a c c i n ations - reducing the burden on GP surgeries and reducing hospital admissions and a bigger role for pharmacies in the management of longterm conditions She stated that there have to be more s u b s t a n t i v e m e a s u r e s t o improve the culture and the l e a d e r s h i p t h a t d r i v e s t h e culture in regard to community pharmacy This can only h a p p e n w i t h e n a b l e r s l i k e investment in service provision and adequate funding for example increase in the current global sum to get the sector out of this cash flow crisis, support for our workforce and headroom to train, support and deliver the serv i c e s o u t l i n e d a b o v e a n d change is needed in the curr e n t c u l t u r e w i t h i n N H S leadership to allow a pharmacy to be viewed as a solution to the NHS

G ar eth J o ne s , D i re c to r Corp orate Affairs, National P h ar ma c y As s o c i at i o n b e l i e v e s t h a t p h a r m a c i e s already play a big role in taki n g p r e s s u r e o f f G P s a n d hospitals, by providing convenient access to healthcare services in the community Speaking to Asian Voice, he said, “A fully funded NHS

‘pharmacy first’ service that gives people easy access to a d v i c e a n d t r e a t m e n t f o r minor illnesses, like cough and colds and tummy ache, would divert millions more u n n e c e s s a r y a p p o i n t m e n t s with hospitals and GPs This c a n b e s e t u p r e l a t i v e l y quickly in community pharmacies across the country and at a fractional cost in relation to the overall budget for NHS England Many more pharmacists will soon b e p r e s c r i b e r s , a l l o w i n g t h e m t o p r o v i d e a w i d e range of treatments without the patient needing to wait to see a GP It could be transformative in terms of access to NHS primary care The s t a r t i n g p o i n t , h o w e v e r , needs to be a reversal of the huge funding cuts endured by the community pharmacy sector in recent years; the sector can’t help the NHS get off its knees when pharm a c i e s t h e m s e l v e s a r e a t breaking point ” Pharmacies are the ‘sh ock abso rbers’

W h i l e f u r t h e r t a l k s between the Royal College o f N u r s i n g a n d t h e Government are due to take p l a c e n e x t w e e k , w e a l s o spoke to community pharmacists who gave a promising perspective on how they can help in reducing the burden on NHS GPs, not just with ease of accessibility but also by using the power of i n t e r p e r s o n a l c o m m u n i c ation with the locals on a day to day basis, which is otherw i s e n o t p o s s i b l e f o r p a t i e n t s i n t h e c u r r e n t healthcare system which is running on backlogs, staff s h o r t a g e a n d a m b u l a n c e strikes

S a naa S h ah , a C li ni c al P h arm ac is t f ro m G rea ter M an ch e st er s p o k e t o t h e n e w s w e e k l y a b o u t t h e importance of the interpersonal connection that community pharmacists nurture w i t h t h e m e m b e r s o f t h e c o m m u n i t y t h a t h e l p s i n ease of treatment for many suffering from lifestyle dise a s e s S a n a a s a i d , “ P h a r m a c i s t s c a n h e l p p a t i e n t s t o n a v i g a t e t h e NHS, they can differentiate between a minor illness and when a referral is required, s i g n p o s t i n g t o a p p r o p r i a t e s e r v i c e s C o m m u n i t y Pharmacists are at the heart of local communities The accessibility and familiarity of their community pharma-

cy teams can be incredibly reassuring for patients ”

“Pharmacists are experts in medication - this includes prescription medication as w e l l a s o v e r - t h e - c o u n t e r remedies Being experts in medications means pharmacists are best placed to advise on drug side effects, interactions and general medicines m a n a g e m e n t C o m m u n i t y p h a r m a c i e s c a n a l s o o f f e r consultations and remedies for minor ailments such as c o u g h s , c o l d s , a n d s o r e t h r o a t s S o m e p h a r m a c i e s also offer services such as weight loss, smoking cessation, blood pressure checks, cholesterol checks, and vaccinations,” she added R e en a B a ra i , Co mmu nity P harmacist at S G Barai Ph armac y told u s th at p h a r m a c i e s l i k e h e r s have been easing the pressure on the NHS for years S h e s a i d , “ W e a r e a n u n r e c o g n i s e d ‘ s h o c k absorber’ Especially in this current crisis, we ’ ve seen so many people who have been ill over the festive season, so many children with suspected Strep A infections and yet frustratingly, we have not been able to use our skills to the maximum benefit of our patients I’ve had so many instances where despite me having the ‘ability’ to physically examine a patient and prescribe a suitable medication because the NHS hasn’t bestowed the ‘ power ’ for me to do so, I have had to refer p a t i e n t s b a c k t o a l r e a d y stretched GPs or 111 There i s s o m u c h m o r e C o m m u n i t y P h a r m a c y teams can do to be a solution to the crisis, yet we need the government to invest in the sector and empower us to do so ” AI can assist i n this qu est

From a frontline doctor’s perspective, NHS Physician and Chair, BAPIO Institute f o r H e a l t h R e s e a r c h D r I n d r a n i l C h a k r a v o r t y M B E writes in his column (See P6), “The UK has a singular professional regulation authority which has overarching control over the nine different r e g u l a t o r s T h i s i s w h e r e pharmacists working within community hubs can utilise their skills in deciding which p h a r m a c e u t i c a l a g e n t s a r e suitable for different condit i o n s , t a k i n g i n t o a c c o u n t i n d i v i d u a l c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s , interactions and tolerability T h e d o c t o r s c a n f o c u s o n w h a t t h e y a r e t r a i n e d f o r , which is synthesising a myriad of conditions to decide what the differential diagnosis should include, and which set of investigations should lead to the answer AI can assist in this quest and is superior to a single doctor with limited experience in making a wide-enough diagnostic list But all these are ideas for a long-term transformative look at the future of publicly funded health services ”

AI can assist in this quest and is superior to a single doctor

Dr Indranil Chakravorty MBE

The Natio nal Health Service in the UK was a model fit for a p rog ressiv e, welfare state, and it has serv ed its lofty pu rp ose for the last sev enty years as th e cou ntry rebuilt itself from th e ashes of th e S econd World War I t h as reac h ed a cro ss ro ad s where the ideal o f pro mising everything to ev eryone is no long er viable A new ideal need s to be develop ed One that can o nly be born from an honest, genuine, g row n-up conversation of all political lead ers w ith the people In this real conversation, wh ich need s to be collaborativ e, outside-the-box and genuinely transfo rm ational, th e lo ng -term health am bitions of the UK need to be dead centre

As an outline, the country’s ambition needs to focus on health promotion from birth, or even before birth, the environment, the sustainability of the population’s quality of life and access to primary care using artificial intelligence and digital modality Behind such a technology-driven model must be smart people with the right skills and aptitude supported by the appropriate technology The current dependence on a traditional approach to working in mutually exclusive silos, as we do within professional boundaries, is outdated It is the skill set that matters, not narrow professional boundaries To make this happen, we need a significant overhaul of the professional regulatory framework

The essential ingredients are there already The UK has a singular professional regulation authority which has overarching control over the nine different regulators This is where pharmacists working within community hubs can utilise their skills in deciding which pharmaceutical agents are suitable for different conditions, taking into account individual characteristics, interactions and tolerability The doctors can focus on what they are trained for, which is synthesising a myriad of conditions to decide what the differential diagnosis should include, and which set of investigations should lead to the answer AI can assist in this quest and is superior to a single doctor with limited experience in making a wide-enough diagnostic list But all these are ideas for a long-term transformative look at the future of publicly funded health services

There appears to be some truth in what the current Conservative think tanks suggest- an infinitely expanding funding envelope is not sustainable Indeed, if any public polls are to be believed, there is no appetite for increasing contributions from national insurance or higher taxes For the forthcoming decade, the UK economy cannot sustain much increase in health and social care funding What can a much beleaguered Prime Minister with a limited mandate of fewer than two years do? It will be political suicide to start a considerable cross-party political conversation/ debate with the public on the future of the health service and social care

Not to tackle the ‘NHS in crisis’ cries from every part of the health service would also be foolish The series of strikes from paramedics, nurses and even doctors might soon make bad press So, RIshi needs some quick wins He has already taken the first step, initiating a dialogue with the rank and file Being an astute politician, he is demonstrating his engagement with the professions but not the unions In this way, he is addressing the rank and file in the profession but sticking to his party line of regulating and restricting the power of the unions It is a tried and tested policy of divide and rule Perhaps his desire to find an immediate solution is real, and one needs to grant him the benefit of the doubt He has offered to be judged by his actions and, like all politicians, asked to be trusted

Here are so me immediate ideas for solutions:

u Reduce the restrictive regulation for access to primary care by enrolling the over 300,000 doctors currently in non-consultant and non-GP posts into a temporary but new role in Primary care physicians This will not threaten the GPs but will provide much-needed support to primary care services These doctors should work within the Integrated care boards

u Utilise the vast network of regulated community pharmacists in providing prescriptions to the public on previously diagnosed conditions, empower them to work closely with GPs taking on the choice of medication, the checking for tolerability and interactions This infrastructure is already here and can be actioned exceptionally quickly

u The exit block from social care provision, which prevents hospitals from safely discharging patients into intermediate care, is the biggest challenge, not the availability of hospital beds The social care model provided by local governments and councils is not sustainable There must be reinvestment in adopting nursing homes, care homes and armies of hospital-at-home teams in every locality These should work collaboratively with primary care and hospital teams and remain under the jurisdiction of the ICBs

more for less We now hope t h a t d e c i s i o n m a k e r s t a k e f o r w a r d t h e s e p a c k a g e s o f measures which are frankly long overdue ”

Leyla Hannbeck

Reena Barai

Gareth Jones

Jay Patel

How

Paramita Purkayastha

Not every day does one read a hap py story that inspires and makes one want to d o g ood things But the story of Rishab Singha is one such story

I n D e c e m b

0 2

, a woman who had learnt to use WhatsApp very recently c a m e a c r o s s t h e s t o r y o f four-year-old Rishab suffering from Aplastic Anaemia, a life-threatening disease that is curable in children at a great expense The woman got in touch with her son

Enterprise (MBE) At first, Dey was sceptical, considering the unreliability of donation appeals on the internet However, upon researching, he realized that he had met

the genuineness of the campaign

R i s h a b ' s f a t h e r , m e a nw h i l e , w a s s t r u g g l i n g f o r funds while getting his son treated in Apollo Hospitals

That reassured Dey about

Prince Harry’s memoir leaked, sensational details revealed

One m ight think that there can be no life better than that of a royal, bu t it seem s that reality is not wh at the fai ryt ale s w o u ld h av e u s bel i ev e P r i nc e H ar ry ’ s mem oir S pare w as officially released in the UK on Tuesd ay While its publisher Peng uin Random House went to great lengths to ens u re t h at i t w as no t leaked befo rehand, it could no t s av e co p i e s o f i t s Spanish bookshops ap pearing in th e bookshops, w ith the Guard ian and the Sun g ett i ng th e ir h a nd s o n them While London booksh o p s w er e an ti ci p a ti ng long queues and com motion, no thing of that sort hap pened

B e s i d e s w r i t i n g a b o u t m o r e p e r s o n a l s t u f f l i k e doing drugs and losing his v i r g i n i t y , h e a l s o m a d e direct accusations against the most senior members of the Royal family, probably t h e m o s t s e n s a t i o n a l o f which is claiming his brothe r P r i n c e W i l l i a m , t h e P r i n c e o f W a l e s a n d t h e heir to the British throne, once hit him so badly that he fell on his dog’s bowl, which left him with visible

injuries

A n o t h e r s e n s a t i o n a l c l a i m h e m a d e a g a i n s t a senior Royal was telling in his book how both he and Prince William both begged t h e i r f a t h e r , t h e t h e nP r i n c e C h a r l e s , t o n o t m a r r y t h e n o w - Q u e e n C o n s o r t C a m i l l a , f e a r i n g that she would turn out to be the wicked stepmother Not only that, in one of his pre-release interviews with C B S ’ 6 0 m i n u t e s , P r i n c e Harry called his stepmother ‘ t h e v i l l a i n ’ , a f t e r w h i c h Buckingham Palace sought

C h e n n a i b y a p e d i a t r i c h a e m a t o l o g i s t H e h a d already spent 20 lakhs INR (£20,000 approx) in Kolkata for little Rishab’s treatment As Rishab was not responding to it, he mortgaged his flat and his wife's jewellery and moved to Chennai But t h e i m m u n o s u p p r e s s i v e therapy treatment took time to work and Rishab’s health d e t e r i o r a t e d , c o s t i n g t h e family 1 5 lakhs INR (£1500 approx) a day, which was more than they had expected Rishab's paternal aunt s t a r t e d a c r o w d f u n d i n g c a m p a i g n o n M i l a a p b u t according to Niladri Singha, Rishab's father, the money pouring in from the Indian c r o w d w a s s i m p l y n o t enough And that was when t h e c a m p a i g n c a u g h t t h e attention of Dey's mother

the full interviews of the Prince from Good Morning America and 60 Minutes t h r o u g h i t s l a w y e r s , a request which was turned down by both the shows as it was against their organis a t i o n s ’ p o l i c i e s T h e a c t seemed to be a break from the silence the Palace has m a i n t a i n e d o n H a r r y ’ s activities till now

In his book, Harry also wrote about the misunders t a n d i n g s b e t w e e n K a t e a n d M e g h a n o v e r m i n o r things, his military activit i e s i n A f g h a n i s t a n i n which he killed an estimated 25 people, and his father joking about him being an illegitimate child, referring to rumours which continue to do rounds in some public corners

Harry also wrote about p r o t e c t i n g M e g h a n f r o m t a k i n g a p h o t o g r a p h t o abstain from mimicking his m o t h e r D i a n a w h i l e t h e c o u p l e v i s i t e d t h e T a j M a h a l i n I n d i a , w h e r e D i a n a t o o k h e r f a m o u s photograph “Do not take a photo in front of the Taj M a h a l S h e ’ d a s k e d w h y and I’d said: My mum, ” he wrote

Anjem Choudary tells jihadis to target Brit troops

A ft er Prince Ha rry said he h ad k ille d 25 pe ople in his book, hate pre acher Anje m C houdar y has t old jiha dis t o t ar get British tr oops

In his new book ‘Spare’, the Duke of Sussex revealed his kill number when he was an Apache pilot during his tour of Afghanistan during t h e w a r i n t h e m i dnoughties

He said he referred to 25

n o t a s ‘ p e o p l e ’ b u t ‘ c h e s s pieces’ that had to be taken off the board He wanted ‘baddies eliminated before they could kill goodies’, he added in the book

The admission didn’t go down well with the Taliban who condemned Harry and accused him of ‘ war crimes’

For the first time, the Prince, 38, has discussed the number of Taliban fighters

he personally killed during his military service

He says that in the ‘din and confusion of combat’ he saw the insurgents he killed as ‘baddies eliminated before they could kill goodies’

It is not possible to kill someone ‘if you see them as a person ’ , he says, but the A r m y h a d ‘ t r a i n e d m e t o ‘other’ them and they had trained me well ’

Most schools in England to shut down if teachers win strike vote

I

d ays in February and March The Nati onal E ducation U nion ( NEU ) expects a ballo t

birthday Growing up, this had a big impact and on a few occasions, I've had the pleasure of being in Kolkata and visiting the ashrams and distributing food first-hand, a n d s p e n d i n g t i m e w i t h these underprivileged child r e n w h i c h h a v e b e e n e x t r e m e l y f u l f i l l i n g a n d r e w a r d i n g a n d i n p a r t i n s p i r e d m e t o u n d e r t a k e this initiative myself," Dey told Asian Voice

The NEU’s general sec-

believes action by its members alone would be enough to cause many schools to

close In the next few days, o t h e r t e a c h i n g u n i o n s including the NASUWT and the headteachers’ union, the N A H T , w i l l a l s o r e c e i v e results of ballots on strike a c t i o n T h e u n i o n s a r e understood to be coordinating strikes and strike dates

Dey decided to launch h i s o w n f u n d r a i s e r o n Milaap a few days before his 36th birthday My parents have always brought me up to do something positive for those less fortunate Every year for our birthday (my sister and I) [our mother] a r r a n g e s d o n a t i o n s t o ensure children at various a s h r a m s o r o r p h a n a g e s could have a special meal to celebrate on the day of our

“I decided to launch my own fundraiser a few days before my 36th birthday in Dec 2021 and said to my f r i e n d s a n d f a m i l y t h a t I w o u l d p e r s o n a l l y m a t c h anything up to $5000 raised by my contacts To my surprise and delight, I hit the $ 5 0 0 0 t a r g e t w i t h i n 2 4 hours and then increased it to a $7500 match We hit that too so within 72 hours had managed to raise $15000 for Rishab’s campaign " In fact, the campaign went on to collect more than 19,000 U S D w i t h i n t h e f i r s t f e w days, according to Mubeen Ali Khan from Milaap

A n d t h u s , R i s h a b w a s saved It was like magic, his father said and was possible o n l y b y G o d ' s g r a c e T h e entire ordeal had taken its toll on the family Watching their beloved child suffer so much for nearly two years h a s a f f e c t e d t h e p a r e n t s ' h e a l t h S i n g h a h i m s e l f developed diabetes and high

cholesterol, but he said it was nothing compared to watching his child having abdominal and lung infect i o n s , l o w p l a t e l e t c o u n t , n e a r l y z e r o W B C , b l o o d coming out from his stool, p i p e s i n s e r t e d a l l o v e r t o take food in and out of his body, and being admitted in the ICU for days He did the only thing a parent could do, which is have faith Rishab still has a long way to go He still has eight months to a year to complete his treatment He has not been in school all this while and has not lived like most children o f h i s a g e H i s b i r t h d a y s w e r e s p e n t o n p i p e s a n d injections But his father is as ever hopeful and would continue doing everything to save his son He does not have words to describe his gratitude to all the donors, who feel like family to him now Dey's family talks to him and Rishab almost daily and on December 2022 Dey f l e w d o w n t o K o l k a t a t o meet Rishab in person for the first time While talking about the sheer unaffordability of quality healthcare in India, Singha appealed to everybody getting to know about his son's case to do a great service to society by k e e p i n g a p e r c e n t a g e o f their income for the treatment of diseases which are b e y o n d t h e r e a c h o f t h e common Indian

Rajeeb Dey, a British-born Bengali residing in London who is the founder and CEO

Rajeeb Dey with Rishab Singha - Milaap

Blind man refused by private hire drivers multiple times

A b li nd m an s ai d d ri v er s h av e refused him at least 30 t im es o w ing to hi s g ui d e d og

Stephen Anderson, from R a y n e r s L a n e i n H a r r o w , n o w f i l m s o n h i s p h o n e every time he is scheduled to be picked up with his guide dog, Barney because he has been refused so many times

As per section 170 of the Equality Act 2010, it is illegal f o r p r i v a t e h i r e v e h i c l e drivers to refuse to transport

a guide dog and its owner

Stephen said: “I think we need across the country a much better way of people knowing to go to the local licensing authority, in this case, Transport for London, if there are problems like the ones I’ve experienced

“There’s a lack of awareness, I think Disabled people have not been given the tools to succeed and that’s very sad ”

Since 2016, Stephen has

had Barney as his guide dog and claims he has had issues w i t h p r i v a t e h i r e v e h i c l e drivers refusing him since 2018

He added that he will continue to take Barney into private hire vehicles despite his experience as it is his legal right

S t e p h e n s a i d : “ I t h a s made me think very seriously about getting another dog in the future, but I will not be bullied into submission ”

Ulster University income from international student income rises

I n o n e y e a r , U l s t e r U n iv e r s it y 's ( UU ) in c o m e f rom tuit ion fees from interna tional students has ris en b y m ore than 50%

In 2021-22 the university received more than £12m in fees from international students up from £7 7m The figures are contained in the u n i v e r s i t y ' s j u s t - p u b l i s h e d f i n a n c i a l s t a t e m e n t s f o r 2021-22

T h e s t a t e m e n t s a l s o

r e v e a l t h a t t h e o v e r a l l income of UU's rose by £20m to almost £260m compared to the previous year

B u t l i k e Q u e e n ' s University Belfast (QUB), UU has said it is "operating in an e n v i r o n m e n t w h e r e w e r e c e i v e c o n s i d e r a b l y l e s s funding per student per year" than universities in England

Compared to £8,990 for u n i v e r s i t i e s i n N o r t h e r n Ireland, their financial state-

m e n t s s a i d u n i v e r s i t i e s i n E n g l a n d r e c e i v e d a b o u t £9,143 in funding per student

The university's financial s t a t e m e n t s f o r 2 0 2 1 - 2 2 , i t shows that it has fully drawn down a long-term loan from t h e s t r a t e g i c i n v e s t m e n t b o a r d o f £ 1 5 8 6 m t o w a r d s the cost of the Belfast campus That has to be repaid by 2049 at an interest rate of 0 25%

I feel welcome but other British Asians are put off, says BBC presenter

R ad i o 5 L i v e h o st N i h al

A rth anayake, star of BBC F our ’ s Winter Walks, told C ountry Walking magazine that there is this barrier; a p erception, often perp etuated by social m edia trolls, t h at th e c o u nt rys i d e i s inherently w hite and midd le class

“I think it does have an i m p a c t b e c a u s e I ’ m o f t e n surprised by how few Asian families I see in the Peak District when the commun i t i e s o f M a n c h e s t e r a n d Sheffield are so close

“But when you go out

there, overwhelmingly you w i l l f i n d p e o p l e a r e j u s t happy Happy to be there and happy to see you ”

The 51-year-old father of two, moved from London to Manchester in 2016

He added: “We live in

Indian Muslims hail King Charles III

T h i s y ear th i rt y M u s li m s w ere listed in the New Year H ono u rs by Ki ng C harles

III The m ajority o f them are im mig rants who h av e created a niche for themselves

O r i g i n a l l y f r o m Pakistan, Faraz Khan MBE i s a s o c i a l e n t r e p r e n e u r , Impact investor, published author and public speaker He is also a visiting profess o r a t t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f St Mary's London In 2009, h e f o u n d e d t h e c o m p a n y SEED VENTURES in 2009

Others like Asrar Ul Haq OBE, Robina Shahnaz Shah OBE, Mouhssin Ismail OBE and 25 others were awarded M B E a n d O B E M a n y o f them come from the Asian sub-continent

A k h t a r U l W a s e y , a Padma Shri and author said that "I wish more Indians would have made it to the list as we see many Afghans, and Pakistanis have received

the honour, as much as I am glad on the recognition of Asia I miss the presence of India "

T a h s e e n , a n International Relations student of Jamia Millia Islamia says "It is a matter of great pride for us, as students, we can look forward to better opportunities "

T h e T w i t t e r a t i w e r e escalated over the recognition and the post was flooded with congratulatory messages for the achievers

one of the most tolerant c o u n t r i e s o n t h e p l a n e t , and whether I’m walking by myself or with my family, I ’ v e n e v e r f e l t a n y t h i n g other than welcome

“The more people we c a n s p r e a d t h e w o r d t o , that walking is healthy and wonderful and normal, the fewer barriers there will be

“And the more conversations people have when they’re outdoors, the more t h e y w i l l f e e l i t ’ s a p l a c e where they belong Just little chats But they make a big difference ”

Asians hailed as better photographers than the British

A T ikTo k v ideo depicting A sians as better pho tog raph ers than British people has been making rounds on social media

Are you proud to be busy?

In tod ay's time, it is a fashion to be busy or at least ap pear to be occupied Ev en those w ho are unemp loyed are saying that they are hardp ressed No o ne has time P eople are p ermanently in a hurry and have no time for sim ple th ing s in life It's surp rising that none of them is actually do ing anything th at is so im portant

Even the bosses tend to give the impression that the given task is the most important and utmost urgent While knowing fully well that the same could easily be done during the weekdays, and in-office time, there is a trend to work and make others work during the weekend Many times it is for such trivial tasks which don't even need any attention This trend is killing peace of mind

British TV host, actor and content creator Mark O’dea, who is based in Malaysia produced the video He also commands nearly 868,900 followers on TikTok

The video starts with a disclaimer, where O’dea says he is not being racist Further to prove his point, he then lets a British man and an Asian woman take his photo

“I am not being racist, but whenever I go back to the U K , I will always ask an Asian person to help me take the photo,” says O’dea, who is based in Malaysia “And that is because they are better picture-takers than us Brits, and they put in much more effort ”

The video has garnered 25 8 million views since its posting last week While some supported O’dea, others argued that the matter is not actually about race, but sex and that women supposedly take better pictures than men

People caring for loved ones with dementia face stigma

Research ers at U C L qu estioned seventy carers about h o w t h ey th o u g h t ot h er s treated them and their o wn att it u d es to w a rd s t h ei r roles

Almost two-thirds said t h a t p e o p l e m i g h t f e e l e m b a r r a s s e d t o a s s o c i a t e with them, while only nine per cent disagreed and 27 per cent were neutral Some 69 per cent felt their family w o u l d b e e x c l u d e d f r o m social events

Dr Jem Bhatt, of UCL P s y c h o l o g y & L a n g u a g e Sciences, said: “Family carers save our economy £13 9 billion every year, yet our e f f o r t s t o u n d e r s t a n d t h e cost of stigma on their lives has been minimal

“Being treated negatively by others and discrimin a t e d a g a i n s t , i n o t h e r words experiencing stigma, is a common experience for many family carers of peo-

ple living with dementia and h a s b e e n i d e n t i f i e d a s a global priority

“How we respond to this challenge will determine the well-being of carers in an ever-changing society which relies heavily on family carers ”

The researchers believe that their survey techniquet h e F a m i l y S t i g m a Instrument - will be useful to the NHS to identify carers who need extra support

Unfortunately, this culture has led us to a situation where unless you show up to be busy, people don't take you seriously Therefore not only the top bosses but also the junior executives follow the same mania They pick up a task and give lots of time to the things which can otherwise be accomplished in much lesser time It is as simple as that if you don't have anything really important to do, you make whatever you are doing more important You show that the work you are handling is so complex and demanding that it can't be left at all This tendency of a c q u i r i n g s e l f - i m p o r t a n c e i s s o m e w h e r e t h e r e a s o n behind everyone being badly busy in the world

This problem of being constantly occupied does not end there It has many consequences It takes away your personal and family time Overstretched schedule not only fills your diary but also your mental space While in the ideal situation, whenever you leave the office, you should forget the work But it doesn't happen in most corporate and government offices People bring office and work with themselves at home In their mind, the work remains a constant thought It's petty but common And, as said, many of them are non-demanding tasks

So, examine your diary and routine Are you busy just for the sake of being involved or it is really something that needs your personal, compelling attention?

(Expressed opinions are personal)

Old stamps will no longer be valid

In o rd er to dig italise stamp s as part of the new sch em e, old stamps will no longer be in actio n However, one can exchange it

From January 31, 2023, traditional stamps will no l o n g e r b e v a l i d R e g u l a r s t a m p s w i t h o u t t h e n e w digital barcode cannot be u s e d a f t e r t h i s d a t e T h e barcodes will be added to stamps to enable new digital services The only stamps you don’t need to exchange a r e s p e c i a l - i s s u e s t a m p s , like the recent Iron Maiden release These will remain valid without a barcode

How to exchange your o l d s t a m p s ? T h r o u g h t h e Stamp Swap Out scheme, n o n - b a r c o d e d s t a m p s c a n be exchanged for the new barcoded version To swap

o u t s t a m p s , s i m p l y c o mp l e t e a S t a m p S w a p O u t form and send it to Royal Mail along with your nonbarcoded stamps

In case you have a printer, you can swap out up to £200 worth of non-barcoded stamps by printing out and completing this Stamp Swap Out form

T h i s m u s t b e s e n t t o R o y a l M a i l , S w a p O u t , T a l l e n t s H o u s e , 2 1 S o u t h Gyle Crescent, Edinburgh, EH12 9PB

I f o n e d o e s n ' t h a v e access to a printer, they can request a Stamp Swap Out form to be posted by completing this form

Stamp Swap Out forms is also available from the Customer Service Point at your local Delivery Offices

Thousands of Ukrainian refugees living in hotels

A s cou nc il s s tru ggl e to d eal with a rising n umb er becomin g homele ss, thousan ds of Ukrain ian r e f u ge e s a re b e i n g h ouse d in hotels

S i n c e t h e e n d o f February 2022, approxi-

mately 3,000 Ukrainian h o u s e h o l d s h a v e p r es e n t e d t h e m s e l v e s a s h o m e l e s s t o E n g l i s h

councils

With renting privatel y b e c o m i n g “ a l l b u t i m p o s s i b l e ” a n d w i t h

l i m i t e d s o c i a l h o u s i n g available, many councils were left with no choice but to place them in temp o r a r y a c c o m m o d a t i o n w h e n t h e i r H o m e s f o r Ukraine or family sponsorships broke down

Rohit Vadhwana

Hanif Kureishi

Rishi Sunak Challenge: Go Vegan for one month for £1mn

A fter a fall on Boxing

D ay i n Ro m e, th e nov elist and screenw riter Hanif Kureish i h as said he m ay never be able to walk or use a pen

again

Following reports in the Italian media that he was in intensive care, the Buddha of Surburbia author has tweeted about the incident

“I had just seen Mo Salah score against Aston Villa, sipped half a beer, when I began to feel dizzy,” Kureishi wrote “ I l e a n t f o r w a r d a n d p u t m y h e a d between my legs; I woke up a few minutes later in a pool of blood, my neck in a grotesquely twisted position, my wife on her knees beside me ”

T h e a u t h o r s a i d h e t h e n “ b e c a m e divorced” from himself and saw “ a scooped, semicircular object with talons attached scuttling towards me ” , which turned out to be his own hand “I believed I was dying I believed I had three breaths left ”

His wife, Isabella d’Amico, heard him shouting and came to his aid “She saved my life,” Kureishi said

Kureishi is recuperating in the Gemelli hospital in Rome, where he has been since the fall He said he cannot move his arms and legs, which he described as “humiliating, degrading and a burden for others”

Labour ‘would tear up contract with GPs’

T he shadow health secretary Wes S treeting h as called GP surgeries a “murky, opaqu e business” He has said a L abour g overnment w ould “tear u p th e contract” with GPs, and cou ld make family d octors salaried NHS emp loyees The pro posed ch anges d eepe ne d a ro w w i th th e Bri ti s h M ed ic al A ssociation (BM A) for S treeting

Wes Streeting has proposed a greater role for pharmacies who will be doing procedures such as vaccinations, and suggested people could get in touch directly with specialists rather than going through a GP Streeting said, GPs should no longer be the “sole gatekeeper” to the NHS He added, he wanted to replace GP surgeries with “modern health centres” with nurses and physiotherapists as well as GPs, and where scans could be taken

In an interview with the Times, the Ilford South MP said: “I’m minded to phase out the whole system of GP partners altogether and look at salaried GPs working in modern practices alongside a range of other professionals ”

challenging the P rime Minister to g o vegan in exchang e for a £ 1 million ch arity d onation

Generation Vegan (GenV), an international non-profit organisation, is behind the offer and has previously issued similar challenges to both Pope Francis and former US president Donald Trump Its campaigns seek to highlight the impact of animal agriculture on the climate, pollution, deforestation, biodiversity loss, pandemic potential, antibiotic resistance, public health, and the lives of billions of animals – both farmed and wild

GenV CEO Naomi Hallum said: “Prime Minister Sunak has pledged to protect the future of our planet and has spoken more than once about the importance of showing compassion Now, we ask him to follow his words with actions and adopt a plant-based diet for at least one month Our sincere hope is that he will accept our millionpound offer We urge him to lead by example, and showcase how satisfying, healthy, and enjoyable – as well as ethically and environmentally positive – plant-based eating can be ”

I n a l e t t e r p u b l i s h e d i n f o u r m a j o r British newspapers, GenV has urged Sunak to accept the offer for “ our land, our planet, our health, our farmers, and our future” It states that animal agriculture accounts for up to 85% of farmland yet provides only 32% of our calories and less than half of our protein To feed the same number of people on a plant-based diet would require just ones i x t h o f t h e l a n d , l e a v i n g 1 4 5 m i l l i o n hectares available for nature restoration, r e w i l d i n g , a n d c a r b o n s e q u e s t r a t i o n

Animal agriculture is responsible for at least 16 5% of all man-made GHG emissions If

we all ate plant-based, our food-related G H G e m i s s i o n s w o u l d d r o p b y 7 0 % Adopting a plant-based diet is associated with decreased risk of cardiovascular disease mortality and incidence

A new study found that plant-based diets reduced the risk of postmenopausal breast cancer by 18%, prostate cancer by 31%, colorectal cancer in men by 43%, and of developing any type of cancer by 14% In a recent survey, 64% of farmers said they would consider transitioning out of animal agriculture entirely provided financial support was in place

NHS tells patients to seek emergency care as needed during latest industrial action

The NHS is asking patients to seek emerg ency care if they need to du ring ind ustrial action and take sim ple steps to help ensure care is available to p atients wh o need it m ost

This includes using services wisely by going to NHS 111 online as the first port of call for health needs and continuing to call 999 in a life-threatening emergency General practice, community pharmacies, and dentistry are not impacted by strike action and the public should continue to access these services as needed on strike days

Ambulance services will prioritise the most clinically urgent cases and on strike days if it is not life-threatening people may have to wait longer than usual for an ambulance Where safe and appropriate, some may be asked to make their own way to the hospital – although it is important that they get medical advice from 111 or 999 before doing so

The NHS will contact anyone whose appointment has to be rescheduled due to strike action If the NHS has not contacted you, it is important to attend appointments as planned

This Wednesday ambulance workers will go on strike, with nurses also taking industrial action next Wednesday and Thursday A further ambulance strike is scheduled for

Vandals target Darnall mosque

S ignificant d am ag e has been do ne to a m osque, ripping sofas, smash ing electrical equipm ent and destroying relig ious books by the v andals

Mohammed Shafiq, co-founder of t h e J a m i a A b d u l l a h B i n M a s o o d m o s q u e , i n D a r n a l l , d i s c o v e r e d t h e damage after re-opening the building after the holidays He is fearing the incident might be "a hate crime"

"We turned up on the 2nd and what a surprise," he said

"It not a burglary, I presume its more of a hate crime "

Mr Shafiq said the intruders not only damaged the security systems but a number of religious texts were "thrown on the floor and walked upon He said the mosque s kitchen, which serves as a food bank for the homeless, had

also been damaged

"We serve such a large community and they damaged our kitchen where we cook It is really, really horrible," Mr Shafiq said "We are just praying to God nothing will happen in the future until we can get everything sorted out "

later in the month on Monday 23rd January

In all cases, priority will be given to those p a t i e n t s w i t h t h e m o s t c l i n i c a l l y u r g e n t health needs

NHS M edical Director For Second ary C are Dr Vin Diwakar said: “The message from the NHS to patients is clear – if you need emergency care, please come forward

“This means continuing to call 999 for life threatening emergencies as well as using 111 online for other health needs where you will receive clinical advice on the best next steps to take

“NHS staff have worked hard to minimise disruption but it is inevitable there will be an impact on services ”

T h e N H S i s a l r e a d y f a c i n g r e c o r d demand for urgent and emergency care services – October and November were the busiest on record for A&E attendances and the most serious ambulance callouts

The NHS has been preparing extensively for industrial action and for winter, with plans already in place to manage additional d e m a n d i n c l u d i n g 2 4 / 7 c o n t r o l c e n t r e s , additional bed capacity, more mental health support for ambulance services and more community falls services

Guidance issued ahead of the last industrial action by ambulance services asked local systems to discharge patients who are

medically fit and asked that local areas only cancel elective procedures as a last resort

The NHS has also launched the latest phase of a TV campaign encouraging the public to use NHS 111 online

After entering answers about health needs online, the service makes an assessment and directs you to the best place for your care – this can include a consultation with a pharmacist, a call back from a nurse, or visiting a same-day urgent treatment centre or A&E

Figures show more than 6 5 million people used the NHS 111 online service in the last 12 months, with an average of 20,000 users being directed to the right support every day according to the latest data

NHS England and local NHS areas have plans in place to ensure life-saving care cont i n u e s a n d t o m i n i m i s e d i s r u p t i o n t o patient care

Regional and national teams will support local areas needing any further assistance on strike days to help local areas coordinate responses

In November NHS England issued guidance to local NHS employers on what derogations they should seek from local union representatives to ensure certain vital services such as chemotherapy continue

Suella Braverman plans to give up key Windrush pledges

Suella Brav erman is p lanning to ditch several o f the key co mm itm ents m ad e in the wake of the Wind rush scand al as th e UK gov ernment readies itself to im plement h ar d li n e p r om is es t o fa s ttr ac k th e d e ten ti o n

As per the sources, to create the post of a migrants’ commissioner the home secretary has dropped a pledge, who was due to be responsible for speaking up for migrants and for identifying systemic problems within the UK immigration system

A l s o a s w o r k o n t h e p o s t - W i n d r u s h reform programme is downgraded, another promise to increase the powers of the inde-

pendent chief inspector of b

(ICIBI) has also been abandoned

T h r e e y e a r s a g o , t h e r e c o m m e n d a t i o n s w e r e a c c e p t e d b y t h e g o v e r nment after a formal inquiry by Wendy Williams examined the scandal under which the Home Office erroneously classified legal residents as immigrants living in the UK illegally

The prime minister in his first major speech of 2023 laying out five key pledges, said: “We will pass new laws to stop small boats, making sure that if you come to this country illegally you are detained and swiftly removed ”

says he may never be able to walk or hold a pen again

United Kingdom will soon become the land of rising strikes

Japan is known as the land of the rising sun but it looks the United Kingdom will soon become the land of rising strikes The cost of living crisis is not affecting a particular section of society, it is a global phenomenon affecting almost everyone in the world due to the current geopolitical situation especially the war in Ukraine and the policies around Covid 19 in China

Strikes will not generate money or reduce the cost of living It will create more hardship for people who really need the services like ambulances, fire brigade, nurses, doctors, teachers and drivers just to name a few

By strikes, people lose confidence and respect for the sector from which the employees have been going to boycott work The strong union and the support they get from political parties and people who are interested in instigating the unions for their myopic approach and short-term goals is one of the reasons for which innocent people pay the price

Keeping in mind the current crisis, the best approach would be to provide the best possible services by improving productivity and supporting each other so they can give their best and we all can make Great Britain really great again The government, irrespective of the political party in power, cannot simply print money to fulfil the demands of the people If we are not cautious and behave responsibly, other European countries may take advantage in terms of getting more investment in their countries Businesses will invest more money in countries where infrastructure is good and industrial relations are harmonious Time is running out so quick action and understanding will help everyone in long run

Hitesh Hingu L ond

on

The auspicious festival of Makara Sankranti

On January 14 Hindus, Sikhs and residents across India, and Nepal usher in the arrival of spring with the auspicious Makara Sankranti, an ancient harvest festival that universally celebrates light over darkness Celebrated in a variety of forms and cultures, Makara Sankranti can take almost as many characteristics as there are people who hold it dear

From this day (January 14) sun begins its movement away from the Tropic of Capricorn and towards the Northern Hemisphere, which for Hindus signifies the turning away from darkness and towards lights With the light of knowledge and spiritual wisdom, people can mature in purity and goodness

During this day-long festival, residents of Punjab eat rice in boiled milk, , across India, the sky is filled with a rainbow of colours, as young and old gather beneath the sun to fly kites

Orthodox Christmas is celebrated by approximately 260 million people worldwide, both in majority-Orthodox countries in Eastern Europe, like Russia, Ukraine and Greece and in communities in Ethiopia, Egypt and elsewhere on January 7 and New Year on January 14 It is a popular holiday, the services are usually held with a festive dinner, music and dancing It is a traditional holiday where people spend time with their families It involves serious meditation about personal New Year’s resolutions

During our last three visits to India in December/ January in different years we were fortunate to celebrate Makara Sankranti - popularly known as Utarayan in Gujarat in Vadodra (Baroda) Gujarat at one of our relative Harnishbhai and Jyotiben’s very close friends housemostly on the terrace - whole day flying and viewing colourful kites, tasty homemade food by their friends and special delicacy of Fafdas, Jalebi and Uandhiyu and listening Hindi songs and music played by all on their terrace And night time viewing very colourful fireworks and lanterns - lighted candles in hanged on kites

The most memorable time of our life since we left India for North America some 50 years ago We very heartedly wish all esteemed readers, their families and the staff of AV and GS a Happy and Holy Makara Sankranti and Orthodox New Year on January 14 God bless all stay safe and healthy

Su resh and Bhavna Patel Markham, C anada

Hot air?

I was greatly impressed by British prime minister Rishi Sunak's New Year pledges to lift the country out of its current doldrums I would be even more impressed if Mr Sunak held a press conference every three months to be quizzed on how each of his ambitious promises is progressing Otherwise, people can be forgiven for assuming that he is spouting nothing more substantial than hot air We know he is doing his best but needs the full support of all his cabinet colleagues to achieve his laudable objectives

The festival of Pongal

Pongal also referred to as the harvest festival, is observed mainly by the people of Tamil Nadu The idea behind celebrating this festival is the gratification of people towards their god the sun for bringing about the season of harvest, which is a boon for them

A few days before the festival, people, particularly the women, clean and decorate the whole house with flowers They use Swastik and kumkum to embellish big earthen vessels The pit is filled with water and rice by either the youngest or the oldest member of the family As per the traditions, it is of paramount importance to add some milk to the water in which rice is cooked which is to be offered to the sun People who get involved in cooking rice for god have to take utmost care of cleanliness They are not supposed to step over the rangoli which has been designed for decoration

This harvest festival is traditionally celebrated for four continuous days The first day of the festival is called Bhogi The second, third and fourth days of the festival are Surya, Mattu and Kannum

The celebration of the festival dates back 2,000 years, as early as the early Chola empire Celebrated on the third day of the Thai month, it is important to most Hindu families in Tamil Nadu as they pray to Surya, the Sun god and to Lord Indra

Jubel D'Cruz, M umbai, India

Harry’s miscalculation will cost lives

Prince Harry, as we used to know him, easy going, carefree and mischief-making adorable young man, has long gone, replaced by a mere shadow, stumbling from one crisis to another, losing his charm, popularity and his place among the elite royals and British public One may ask what he has gained except the bulging bank balance that he could have acquired by other means without alienating members of his devoted royal family, as well as the British public!

In sharp contrast, Prince of Wales Prince William projects himself as a team player, keeping dignified silence, refusing to repudiate some of the bizarre accusations by Harry, some may sound like innocent pranks between two brothers who were so close, united in grief at the loss of their pretty, charming mother Princess Diana in a tragic accident that still baffles most who were close to Diana Was it an accident or a deliberately arranged tragedy to stop her involvement with an undesirable company, as there were rumours circulating that she was pregnant at the time?

Harry’s admission, rather than a boast of killing twentyfive Taliban, has endangered not only his and his immediate family members’ lives but the lives of entire members of the Royal Family Taliban was quick to point out that these people who he boasts to have killed were not mere pieces of Chessboard but real people with families, including children who were waiting for their returns They will not forget it in a hurry, and will take appropriate action Now Harry will have to live under a cloud, with one eye looking over his shoulder!

This may also put in danger his one selfless act of arranging Invictus games for disabled army veterans, a much appreciated popular Olympic-type competition Although Harry wants to make up with his father and brother, I do not think they will be in a hurry to welcome him back into the family’s fold, nor British people who want to remove his royal titles of Duke and Duchess of Sussex, bestowed upon them by the Queen This makes the coming event, King Charles’ coronation in May a much more interesting event!

Bhup endra M Gandhi

Hidden Chinese tracking device sparks national security fears

In resp onse to g row ing concerns ov er spyware, a hidd en Chinese tracking d ev ice was fou nd in a UK Gov ernm ent car after intellig ence officials strip ped back v eh icles

Among the things that were discovered in a sweep of Government and diplomatic vehicles, was at least one SIM card that is capable of transmitting location data which uncovered “disturbing things” The same was confirmed by a serving security source

According to the source, the geolocating device was placed into a vehicle inside a sealed part imported from a supplier in China and installed by the vehicle manufacturer

Dismissing the revelations as “groundless and sheer rumour ” , Chinese officials added: “We are firmly opposed to political manipulation on normal economic and trade cooperation or any smear on Chinese enterprises ”

According to two intelligence sources, to step up the UK’s defence against espionage from hostile states, officials had dismantled the British Government vehicles and swept them deliberately for Chinese tracking SIMs The cars are used to transport Government ministers and diplomats

Train drivers offered a pay rise to end strikes

In a bid to end strike ac tion, train drivers have been offered a 4% pay rise for two years in a row by the body that represents rail companies After several strikes, the Rail Delivery Group (RDG ) made its first offer to Aslef, the union for train dri vers The deal c onsis ts of a backdated pay ri se of 4% for 2022

Aslef said their officials haven't seen the offer yet, but its General Secretary Mick Whelan has previously said that the union is "chasing a pay rise that at least puts a dent" in prices, which are rising at their fastest rate in 40 years

On Friday, the RDG said it sent its offer to Aslef after drivers at 15 train companies walked out on Thursday Meanwhile, Saturday marked the second day of a 48-hour walkout by tens of thousands of RMT members, with only the remaining 20% of services on the rail network expected to run

Care providers ask for doubled fees

To eas e the NHS cri si s b y look ing after thousan ds of people who need to be d ischarge d from hospita ls, ca re provide rs a re deman din g double the us ual fe es

Care England, which represents the largest private care home providers, wants the government to pay them £1,500 a week per person, citing the need to pay more to care workers and hire rehabilitation specialists to help people who are languishing in hospital can eventually be sent home

Steve Barclay has promised an “urgent action” with up to £250m in new funding for the NHS which will be used to buy beds in care homes, hospices and hotels where people are looked after by homecare providers, as well as pay for hospital upgrades Until the end of March, stays will be no longer than four weeks

Longer-term trials will be announced in six areas by B a r c l a y f o r w a y s t o r e h a b i l i t a t e m o r e p e o p l e i n t h e community than in the hospital These include “dementia hubs'' in Greater Manchester, better coordination between hospitals and social care in Croydon, and an “active recovery service” based in the community in Leeds

Single-use items to be banned in England

In a b id to reduc e poll ution, single-us e items such as plas tic cutlery, plat es and trays will be banned in England, the gover nment has confirmed

According to the figures, every year about 1 1bn single-use plates and 4 25bn pieces of such cutlery are used in England and only 10% of them are recycled after being used

The environment secretary, Thérèse Coffey, is set to ban a suite of single-use plastic items The move follows a consultation on the issue by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) that ran from November 2021 to February 2022

“A plastic fork can take 200 years to decompose, that is two centuries in landfill or polluting our oceans, ” said Coffey

“I am determined to drive forward action to tackle this issue head-on We’ve already taken major steps in recent years – but we know there is more to do, and we have again listened to the public’s calls “This new ban will have a huge impact to stop the pollution of billions of pieces of plastic and help to protect the natural environment for future generations ”

First satellite launch from the UK fails due to an ‘anomaly’

A m obile air-launched ro cket system to be u sed in Britain's first dom estic satellite launch to m ake a way fo r a g lo bally dispersed rapid -resp onse capability to put extra eyes in sp ace in tim es of w ar m ay h av e bu rned up in the atm osphere as the launch failed Many hop ed that Virgin Orbit’s success wou ld hav e marked the beg inning of an era in which th e UK can launch its ow n satellites, as w ell as those from o ther countries, from hom e tu rf The U K’s satellite building ind ustry is second only to the US , but it still relies on foreig n p ublic and priv ate launches, such as from NASA or S paceX, to g et its pro ducts into o rbit

Launching a satellite into orbit from the UK would have been “ our Apollo moment”, said UK science minister George Freeman before the launch An attempt at launching a satellite is “ a very big signal internationally that we ’ re going to be a big player in the global small satellite launch market,” he said

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 Shefali at shefali saxena@abplgroup com

S ec o nd - ye ar BS c

M an ag e m en t s tu d en t

Chayn Kohli is the Winner of the S tu dent A ward fo r excellence in gend er equality 2022 and has been recognised for her w ork in Ind ia as well as at the University o f War w i ck H er w o r k began when sh e w as j ust 1 4, w o rki n g w i th u nd e rp ri v ileged fam ilies in Ind ia educating wom en and girls in maths and Eng lish, as well as w o m e n ’ s h ea lth to p i cs that are consid ered taboo, li ke m ens tr u ati o n an d hyg iene

S i n c e a r r i v i n g a t Warwick in 2021, Kohli has l a u n c h e d a n d m a n a g e d many projects to improve gender equality and repres e n t a t i o n K o h l i m a n a g e s t h e b l o g a n d w e b s i t e f o r

Warwick Women’s Career Society, provides educational opportunities for women on stigmatised topics and runs CV clinics at the university all to support women in male-dominated industries As Vice President of the Indian National Student Association, Chayn works to create opportunities that are also typically lesser accessible to female populations i n c l u d i n g n e t w o r k i n g opportunities

In 2019, following the

Kashmir attack in which 40 m e m b e r s o f t h e I n d i a n p a r a m i l i t a r y t r o o p s w e r e killed, Chayn raised funds to sponsor the education of the daughters of two families that had been impacted and w o r k e d t o t r y t o s e c u r e employment opportunities for them

This isn’t the first time Chayn Kohli has been recognised for her efforts toward improving gender equality B e f o r e r e c e i v i n g t h e

University of Warwick student award for excellence in gender equality, Kohli has been awarded an award for women ’ s empowerment in I n d i a , a s w e l l a s a n International Icon award

Chayn Kohli said,“The biggest challenge in India and Warwick remains comm o n : a w a r e n e s s W o m e n are unaware of the opportunities they can monetise and

do not understand the scale of their dreams While in Warwick, awareness relates to understanding external o p p o r t u n i t i e s r e l a t e d t o f i n d i n g j o b s a n d b u i l d i n g inclusivity in male-dominated sectors ”

“The biggest challenge i n I n d i a r e m a i n s i n t e r n a l awareness, as most women a r e n o t e v e n a l l o w e d t o dream Parents earning low incomes would rather educate their sons than their daughters, and thus, women f r o m s u c h c o m m u n i t i e s have less access to opportunities and need to convince not only employers but their families of their capabilities to achieve their dreams ”

“Growing up, my grandmother always told me that a dream is the most valuable gift you can give yourself as it adds purpose and meani n g t o y o u r l i f e W h e n I work with different women, I make them aware that they are allowed to dream, show them a path to their dream a n d e n c o u r a g e t h e m ; t h e smile I see on their face and the fire I see in their soul is the most rewarding part of my work A single dream can change your life - giving you the grit to fight and giving your life the meaning, you always searched for ”

‘The Street Is Not A Home’

Shefali Saxena

T w o t r u s t e e s o f t h e c h a r i t y h a v e w r i t t e n a n d i l l u s t r a t e d a b o o k ’ T h e Street Is Not A Home’ that has been published by Bok Bok books It was co-prod u c e d w i t h c h i l d r e n s u pported by LEEDO and is for children aged nine plus It includes four fictional stories about children who surv i v e d o n t h e s t r e e t s o f Dhaka The stories are based on 18 real-life case studies All profits from the sale of the book are being donated to support work undertaken by LEEDO with children on the streets of Dhaka The

workshops with the street children and we heard their personal stories of living on the streets of Dhaka I then interpreted these accounts i n t o a n a n i m a t e d r e a l i s m s t y l e o f p a i n t i n g , w h i c h seemed appropriate as we w a n t e d a c h i l d r e n ’ s b o o k w i t h o u t h i d i n g t h e h a r s h

session at the festival will include a story read from the book, discussion, songs, a n d d r a m a f r o m c h i l d r e n who have been supported by LEEDO

In an official statement f r o m S a i f O s m a n i , a r t i s tIllustrator to Asian Voice, he s a i d , “ D u r i n g t h e g l o b a l Covid-19 lockdown we held m a n y o n l i n e a r t d r a w i n g

2023 Tamil Heritage Month and Thai Pongal in Harrow

Tamil heritage month events an d Thai Pongal celebrati ons will take pla ce in Ha rrow this January 2 023, organ ised b y various Tami l community organis ations alongs ide Harrow communi ty venues The events inc lude:

Tamil Heritage Month Art exhibition, Harrow Arts Centre, from 5th January to 5th Feb 2023 To mark Tamil Heritage Month 2023, Harrow Arts Centre will be hosting an exhibition that aims to creatively explore the rich heritage of the Tamil community Tamil Heritage Month is celebrated in January to coincide with Thai Pongal, the Tamil Harvest Festival This exhibition includes artwork from members of the Tamil community who have created pieces that express their heritage and culture answering the question, ‘What does Tamil Heritage Month mean to you?’

13th Annual Thai Pongal Celebration in Harrow, Harrow Arts

Spotlight on Harrow Tamil School Associ ation at Headstone

sketch what it means to be Tamil in Harrow

r e a l i t i e s e x p e r i e n c e d b y these children ”

" T h e p r o c e s s w e t o o k was to interview 18 children w h o s e s t o r i e s c u m u l a t e d into 4 fictional characters through whom we tell the stories of surviving on the streets before they arrived at a children's home, LEEDO Peace Home in Dhaka The U n i t e d N a t i o n s e s t i m a t e s around 150 million streetconnected children in the world today - that's a huge amount of the world's population and many are in Asia These are some of the most v u l n e r a b l e g r o u p s i n t h e world, especially when clim a t e c h a n g e a n d n a t u r a l disasters hit "

“We are reaching out to t h e s o u t h A s i a n d i a s p o r a

here in the UK to support our Crowdfunder where you can purchase a signed copy of the book and a series of rewards The book is bilingual in English and Bengali The book received a positive reception at the Dhaka Lit Fest 2023 and the Author Mike Sherriff and Illustrator Saif Osmani are not taking a n y f e e s , w i t h a l l p r o f i t s going towards the children's h o m e T h e C r o w d f u n d e r l i n k i s g i v e n h e r e : https://www crowdfunder c o uk/p/thestreetisnotahome

“Your help will positively impact the children's lives because, during the Covid19 lockdown, the number of children at the Peace Home has doubled The children r e c e i v e f o o d , s h e l t e r a n d safety and also education A few of the older children are n o w b e i n g t r a i n e d t o become nurses and teachers, so your help by purchasing the book 'The Street is Not a Home' will make a real tangible improvement to their lives ”

To contact the UK chari t y F r i e n d s o f S t r e e t Children Bangladesh, email: f r i e n d s o f s c b d @ g m a i l c o m F S C B D w e b s i t e : w w w f r i e n d s o f s c b d w o r dpress com

Barber put behind bars for sending Covid grant cash to ISIS

A Covid fraudster shouted “May Allah destroy you ” at police officers after he was jailed for 12 years for sending Covid grant cas h to Isis fighters in Syria

Centre on Saturday 14th January 2023 The

Manor & Museum from 19th January – 30th April 2023 This small photograph based exhibition spotlights on the Harrow Tamil School Association and their role in the wider Tamil community in Harrow This exhibition forms part of Harrow’s wider celebration of Tamil Heritage Month 2023

Artist Exhibi tion: Tami l Heritage in Ha rrow at Headstone Manor & Museum from 19th January – 30th April 2023 This exhibition has been curated with Sarubini Kananathan, a sketch artist from the Tamil Community in Harrow Sarubini has been commissioned for Tamil Heritage Month to

Vanakk am: Ce leb rating Tami l Heritage in Harrow at Headstone Manor & Museum, 19th January –30th April 2023 To mark Tamil Heritage Month 2023, we have cocurated an exhibition and project with Harrow Tamil School Assocation This small exhibition highlights the rich diverse history of the Tamil community in Harrow through objects and personal stories This exhibition forms part of Harrow’s wider celebration of Tamil Heritage Month 2023

Film s creeni ng at Harrow Arts C entre, Vivesini from Friday 20 January, 7pm Three individuals from Chennai, London and New York are connected through an encounter with a ‘spirit’ from the enlightenment era Shakthi, the protagonist, treks into a forbidden forest and witnesses a series of inexplicable events that seem to haunt both the forest and her mind Her quest for an explanation accidentally triggers a social awakening

Tarek Namouz, 43, sent more than £11,000 in gove r n m e n t g r a n t s w i t h t h e money allegedly intended t o f u n d a b a s e a n d b u y w e a p o n s T h r o u g h C o v i d “bounce back” loans, the Syrian-born barber claimed the money purportedly for his shop in west London

A convicted rapist, he

had vast amounts of Isis p r o p a g a n d a d o w n l o a d e d and saved, including videos of murders and a prisoner being set on fire, a bombmaking video and a real-life demonstration of how to kill a man with a knife

In 1996 Namouz came t o B r i t a i n a s a s t u d e n t claiming asylum In 2014, he had been released early after serving half of a teny e a r p r i s o n s e n t e n c e f o r r a p i n g a n 1 8 - y e a r - o l d woman in a north London pub

Britain suffers worst flu season, deaths on the rise

For a d ecade now, Brita in is witne ssin g its worst flu season , with ex tre me pre ssure s o n h os p i t a l a cc id e n t a n d e m e r g e n cy d e p a r t m e n t s le a d i n g t o h u n d r e d s o f dea ths, as per the new figures

I n t h e w e e k b e f o r e Christmas, hospital admissions were 50 per cent higher than they were at the peak of the last bad flu season, in 2017-18, when 22,000 people are estimated to have died

Since 2010-11, the UK is on course for its deadliest flu season, when there was an outbreak of swine flu

“I urge all those eligible to come forward for their free flu vaccination, which is the best way to protect yourself from a serious illness Uptake of the flu vaccine is particularly low in children aged two and three, so if your child is eligible please urgently take up the offer ”

P h o t o c

r e d i

Pongal celebrations will take place at the Harrow Arts Centre featuring fine arts and cultural performances from 6pm till 8 30pm A complimentary takeaway Pongal Feast box by Ruby’s Catering is available to all attendees Please contact the organisers to reserve your place

Reform UK to fight every Conservative

Ref or m UK, the party known as the B rexit Party which was credited f or g r e a t l y b o os t i ng B or is J oh n s on ’ s c ha nces after st anding as ide in 300 Tory-dominated s eats in 2019, pl ans t o pitch in a c andidate a gains t every C on s e r v a t iv e in t h e upc o m i ng gener al elect ions in 2 02 3

The leader, Richard Tice, told the Guardian that this time there

would be no such deals with the Tories even if they backed some of their policies like low taxation, as it h a p p e n e d i n 2 0 1 9 A c c o r d i n g t o

T i c e , t h e y h a d 6 0 0 c a n d i d a t e s already in place and would fight for every seat outside Northern Ireland Reform UK aims to target the d i s g r u n t l e d C o n s e r v a t i v e v o t e r s , and according to Tice, they were a

s i g n i f i c a n t t h r e a t t o t h e C o n s e r v a t i v e s a s c o m p a r e d t o

Labour, whom Tice dismissed as d e v o i d o f i d e a s D e s p i t e a v e r y r e c e n t r e l a u n c h , t h e p a r t y w a s a l r e a d y l e v e l w i t h o r a b o v e t h e Liberal Democrats While they are not expected to win any seats, they might take in as much as 8% of the votes

Police disinterested in prosecuting fraud, says deputy High Court judge

D ep u t y H i gh C o u rt j ud ge C l a re Montgo mery beli eves poli ce i n the U K have lost interes t in catchi ng s cammers and fraud sters

T h e l e a d i n g b a r r i s t e r a n d a recorder of the Crown Court said “ 99 per cent” of crimes perpetuated by “professional fraudsters” were not being investigated, and prosecuted

In the law and politics podcast Double Jeopardy, Ms Montgomery told hosts Ken Macdonald and Tim Owen about the decline in interest

in prosecuting fraud since the 90s “Fraud just isn’t that exciting and, insofar as it has excited any interest, it’s mainly at the margins –in areas like proceeds of crime in relation to sanctions; or in relation to occasionally providing assistance to foreign governments,” she said “All of that does get attention and s o m e s o r t o f r e s o u r c e s a t t h e investigative level But in terms of a c t u a l l y h a v i n g p o l i c e o f f i c e r s i n t e r e s t e d i n f r a u d , i t h a s b e e n

Chair of racism probe defends Boris Johnson

L o r d S e we ll, t he ch a i r o f t h e commission orde red by t he t henP M Bor is Jo hn so n t o lo ok in t o r a ci a l d i s pa r it ie s i n Br i t a i n , r eve aled t hat John son h ad said tha t “t he ra ce t hing’s difficult for me ” , a ccor ding to t he Inde pend ent

I n a n i n t e r v i e w w i t h T h e House magazine, Sewell seemed to suggest that that admission was enough to absolve Johnson of any responsibility regarding matters of r a c e , i n c l u d i n g p r e s e n t i n g t h e r e p o r t h i m s e l f S u n d e r K a t w a l a , director of the think tank British

Future, told the Independent: “I think Tony Sewell is wrong to say t h e p r o b l e m s w i t h t h e r a c e commission were down to Boris Johnson’s past comments on race The issue with the commission’s r e p o r t w a s t h a t i t f u e l l e d a p o l a r i s e d d e b a t e a b o u t t h e language and not the substance of race ”

S e w e l l , m e a n w h i l e , h a d previously been accused of being c u l t u r a l l y d e a f a n d ‘ s t e e p e d i n d e n i a l ’ f o l l o w i n g t h e r e p o r t ’ s publication in March 2021

Private clinics to tackle the cancer scan backlog

W i th a n a i m t o s p eed u p treatment, NHS p atients w ill be sent for p rivate cancer checks, by o pening more clinics in sh opping centres and h ig h streets

T o c l e a r “ h u g e ” h e a l t h c a r e backlogs, Rishi Sunak wants to see m o r e o u t s o u r c i n g o f c a r e t o p r i v a t e c o m p a n i e s , w i t h c a n c e r diagnostics among the first areas to be contracted out

W h i l e t h e h e a l t h s e r v i c e i s s t r u g g l i n g t o r e c o v e r f r o m t h e pandemic, tens of thousands of p e o p l e a r e w a i t i n g f o r c a n c e r examinations amid warnings that

delays in diagnosis are likely to lead to a surge in deaths

I n a n e f f o r t t o e n t i c e companies to invest in scanners a n d s t a f f t o c h e c k m o r e N H S p a t i e n t s , o f f i c i a l s p l a n t o t e s t privately run diagnostic centres If e v e r y t h i n g g o e s a s p e r p l a n n e d then thousands of patients could be sent for private checks later this year

Sunak said this week: “We’re comfortable with the NHS using m o r e i n d e p e n d e n t c a p a c i t y , i f that’s what it takes to get patients quicker and better care ”

Man jailed again for public indecency, and other arrests

62-year-old A rshad Azad was jailed for the second time with in a year for h av ing been found guilty of p leasuring him self in public Th e m an from Slad e Road , Halesow en, h ad spent 28 weeks last sum mer for outraging pu blic decency thrice i n a d ay T h is ti m e , h e w as s e nte nc ed t o ei g h t m o nt h s i n p r i so n and o rd e red a £ 2 0 0 com pensation for behaving in an 'indecent manner' in Brierley Hill o n 24 N o v em b er 2 0 2 2 , by t h e W o lv e rh a m p to n M a g i s tra tes ’ C ourt

I n a d d i t i o n t o A z a d , a f e w m o r e a p p e a r e d i n c o u r t s i n D u d l e y , W a l s a l l , a n d Wolverhampton 25-year-old Mike G a r r i c k o f H e r r i c k R o a d , Birmingham was sentenced to 25 weeks in prison and slapped with a

fine for possessing a kitchen knife i n p u b l i c 1 8 - y e a r - o l d A s h l e y

Phillips was slapped with an £800 f i n e a n d o r d e r e d 5 0 h o u r s o f unpaid work for damaging a red N i s s a n J u k e 3 4 - y e a r - o l d S i l v i u Barbu was handed a suspended sentence of 12 weeks, fined, and b a n n e d f r o m d r i v i n g f o r 4 8 months after driving a black BMW in Mount Street on 31 December w h i l e b e i n g d i s q u a l i f i e d a n d w i t h o u t i n s u r a n c e 2 9 - y e a r - o l d

Joshua Bassett was given a 12m o n t h c o m m u n i t y o r d e r f o r d a m a g i n g a p o l i c e v a n a n d assaulting an officer 55-year-old Norma Roper of Bradford Street, W a l s a l l w a s d i s c h a r g e d conditionally for 12 months for using threatening and abusing two people, including a police officer

subject to a decline now where I don’t believe they have any interest in prosecuting fraud anywhere “The s o r t o f l o c a l i s m t h a t ’ s b e e n introduced by crime commissioners directing activities by local forces has reinforced that So now, fraud is absolutely at the bottom of anyone ’ s a g e n d a ” “ Y o u g e t t h e o c c a s i o n a l show trial in that area But the reality is that 99 per cent of fraud at that level is not even investigated, still less prosecuted,” she said

More than 700,000

people

in England and Wales lack central heating

The new figur es suggest tha t mor e than 700,000 people in E ng l a nd a n d W a le s l a ck centra l heating i n the ir homes this winter

A c c o r d i n g t o t h e d a t a c o l l a t e d b y t h e O f f i c e o f National Statistics, this equals 367,000 households that are not using gas or electricity to warm their homes,

On average from cold and damp homes, each year there are about 10,000 excess deaths and charities have warned that it is often elderly people who have to live in these inadequate properties

R e a c t i n g t o t h e f i g u r e s , H o l l y Holder, deputy director for homes at the Centre for Ageing Better, said: “ T h e n u m b e r o f h o m e s w i t h o u t central heating in England is truly

shocking

“We have among the worst and l e a s t e f f i c i e n t h o m e s i n W e s t e r n Europe and often it is older people who have to reside in these sub-par properties

“The life and death implications of this are really being seen now as we enter the bracing cold of mid-winter at the height of a cost of living crisis ”

Asians take over The Apprentice 2023

Asian s see m to have t ake n over The Ap pren tice 2023 The Asian can dida te s in clude Avi Sha rma (24) is a cit y ban k er , Den isha Ka ur Bha rj (29) a Fina ncial cont rolle r, Sha zia Hu ssa in , a T e chn olo gy r e cr uit e r a nd Sohail Chowdha ry (27), a mart ial a rts school owner

One of this year ’ s contestants is Avi Sharma, a banker who is hoping that Lord Sugar’s backing will give him a ticket out of the “rat race ” of t h e f i n a n c e w o r l d A v i i s t h e youngest candidate taking part in the new season Avi describes himself as a “confident chap” which will certainly help him when it

“

comes to some of the show’s infamous selling challenges, while his experience in the world of finance could give him the edge when it comes to balancing budgets

Bharj, who is a financial controller from Leicestershire, said she is not scared of being out of her comfort zone and has always been a

strong, motivated, hard-working woman ” She added: “I’m a woman who wants to create an empire and have it all, to be able to provide for my family and to be an inspiration to young women ”

Technology recruiter Hussain, from London, said her attention d e f i c i t h y p e r a c t i v i t y d i s o r d e r

means she can process information “faster than others” and her reaction time is “quicker” She added: “It’s important to see a varied representation of women, including w o m e n w i t h n e u r o d i v e r s i t y i n business I hope that I’ll encourage more people like me not to be ashamed of their difference ”

S o u t h a m p t o n - b a s e d m a r t i a l arts instructor and school owner Chowdhary said he is “proud” to have been raised in a council house b u t h a s h a d t o “ f i g h t h a r d ” t o achieve his success He said: “I am calm and collected but if they do come at me? I will bite and I will sting and I will leave my mark ” M e a n w h i l e , s e r i e s 1 6 w i n n e r H a r p r e e t K a u r b e c a m e L o r d Sugar’s latest business partner after her tasty dessert parlours won him over, and held a launch party in B r a d f o r d f o r O h S o Y u m ! S h e recently shared that Oh So Yum! has also launched in Selfridges in Birmingham and Manchester!

reason you ’ re here, isn’t there?’ before he turned to Harpreet and added: ‘Isn’t that right Harpreet?’

‘I think we were really focused on the process, focused on the tasks, there was absolutely othing going on at the house

T

Tom probed Akshay: ‘Akshay, you were a candidate in last year ’ s process, but there’s also another

‘ I t h i n k g o i n g t h r o u g h t h e process and coming out of it, we built a friendship and it went from there Everything after the show,” said Harpreet

The Apprentice continues on BBC One on Thursday at 9pm and The Apprentice: You’re Fired airs at 10 pm on BBC Two

Denisha Kaur Bharj

Shazia Hussain

Avi Sharma

Sohail Chowdhary

Disco-themed Indian restaurant to open in Notting Hill

s o n a l i n s p i r a t i o n f o r E m p i r e Empire ”

Diners will get to taste the northwestern cuisines of the old Punjab Empire, from Bihar across to Afghanistan, along with kebabs charred over hot coals, rich curries, lobster biryani, and plenty of naans and roti

Skiing without snow?

Shefali Saxena

to m -m ad e ju kebox

The restaurant is owned by Harneet Baweja, best known for h i s I n d i a n r e s t a u r a n t g r o u p

Gunpowder He said he wanted to create a restaurant celebrating the “golden age of Indian music”

He said: “When disco became big in India, my dad would put on his silk floral shirt and bell bottoms and hit the town often eating, drinking and dancing all under one roof This is my per-

Empire Empire will open in March on 16 All Saints RoadL, W11 1HH For more information, visit gunpowderlondon com

Rishi Sunak and 15 ministers at risk of losing a seat at the general election, the new poll predicts

Anti-strike laws face legal challenges and delays

O n Thursday , Busine ss Secre tar y

G ra nt S happs an nounced fir e a nd a m bu la n c e s e r v i c e s wo u ld be brought unde r the a mbit of man dat ory m in imum se rvice r ules, a nd e ve n mor e ser vices like health, educa tion, bord er se cur ity, an d tr an sp or t would follow suit in ca se the y fa iled t o a gre e with min ist ers

I t f o l l o w e d P r i m e M i n i s t e r Rishi Sunak saying on Monday that

winter strikes were causing “ comp l e t e l y u n d u e d i s r u p t i o n s ” B u t while ministers could pick up this matter immediately on their return to Parliament on 9 January, it is unlikely that they could be enacted before the general elections in May 2024 owing to their complexity

Lord Fox, the Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Business, Energy, a n d I n d u s t r i a l S t r a t e g y i n t h e

Lords, told PoliticsHome that the legislation would undergo intense s c r u t i n y a n d m i g h t n o t w o r k

According to Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner, such proposals were “insulting to key workers” like teachers and nurses whom the PM thought could be bullied into compliance, instead of discussing their pay, which the government had been consistently avoiding

Passengers locked in corridor as flight leaves

23 passengers missed their fligh t after being left lo cked in an airport c o rr id o r at L o n d o n S t ans te d A ir p o rt, ac c o rd i ng to I T V T h e incident hap pened on M ond ay last w eek when the 23 passengers w ho h ad tickets for a Ryanai r flig h t b ou nd fo r Z ag reb fo u nd th emselv es inside a corrido r locked at b o th en d s af te r s h o w i ng th e i r board ing passes and passports at the g ate By the time a staff member d iscovered them, the flight had alread y departed with the lugg ag e o f the p asseng ers o n board

A c c o r d i n g t o D e v i n a R a w a l , one of the victims, the passengers

entered the corridor around half an hour before the flight and began banging at the walls and screaming once they realized something was w r o n g T h e r e w a s c o n s i d e r a b l e panic and the staff member who arrived after hearing the fire alarm pulled by one of the passengers

was shocked at finding the passengers locked there The passengers were put in a hotel that night by Ryanair and sent to their destination by the 6 am flight the next m o r n i n g A c c o r d i n g t o R a w a l , there wasn’t even an apology from the airline for the inconvenience caused

According to a statement by Ryanair, "Due to a human error by handling staff at London Stansted Airport, a small number of passengers could not exit the pre-boardi n g a r e a d o o r s a n d r e g r e t t a b l y missed their flight to Zagreb [on 2 January] ”

Most Veggie Pret sites in London to shut down

T he sand wich franc h i s e P r et- AM ang er p o p u la rl y referred to as Pret, is expected to sh ut d own 75 per cent of i t s V eg g i e P re t s h o p s , t h e s i tes s e rv i ng e xc lu s i v el y v e g et ari a n food , according to T he Teleg raph a nd th e E v en in g S t and ard I t com es on the heels of the fo ur

V eg g i e P re t s h o p s sh ut ti ng d o w n i n recent months, and th e sh o p at th e Canary Wharf location being rebranded as a regular Pret

According to a s p o k e s p e r s o n f o r t h e f r a n c h i s e quoted by The Telegraph, “Over half of our menu is vegetarian or vegan, with meat-free and vegan

o p t i o n s a c c o u n t i n g f o r o n e i n three of our main meals sales Our focus now is to keep growing our e x t e n s i v e v e g e t a r i a n a n d v e g a n offer in every Pret shop, so we ’ ve decided to convert or close some of our current Veggie Prets ”

While currently there are over 3 0 0 P r e t - A - M a n g e r l o c a t i o n s i n L o n d o n a l o n e , o n l y t h e V e g g i e Prets at Soho and Shoreditch are to remain open

Calls to HMRC costing upto £140

In t he run-up to t he appr oaching d ead line s for filin g tax ret urns, t axp aye rs ha ve been left with huge p hone bills afte r un wittin gly callin g p remium con ne ct ion se rvices, T h e T e le g r a p h r e p or t e d L o wI n c o me T a x R e f o r m G r ou p ( LITR G) n oticed a spik e in onlin e a ds fr om comp anie s t hat put ca llers t hrough t o t he usua lly ove rcrowde d HM Rev en ue a nd Customs by

ch a r g in g a s m u ch a s £3 6 0 a minut e

The LITRG urged customers to avoid falling for these services by n o t c a l l i n g n u m b e r s t h a t b e g i n with 09, 087, and 084 C o n n e c t i o n s e r v i c e s a r e n o t illegal However, according to rules i n t r o d u c e d b y t h e P h o n e - p a i d Services Authority (PSA) in 2019, the firms offering such services had

to be upfront about their charges and could not mimic other companies Judging by the number of people having to deal with inflated rates, the firms might have found a way around those rules More than 5 million taxpayers were struggling to meet the 31 January deadline HMRC has 0300 helpline numbers which charge from 3p to 40p per minute from a mobile

Easy pension check before rules change

P eople between the ages of 45 and 7 0 are being to ld to fill up gap s in th eir annual National Insurance co ntributions befo re the existing rules ch ange in Ap ril 2023 It takes 35 years o f contri bu tio ns to get the fu ll amo unt of a state p ensio n Wh ile many peo ple h ave gaps fo r years wh en they were unemployed o r o n a lo w income, under th e current ru les th ey can dep osit £800 fo r each missed year fo r a p erio d going bac k to 2006 In April 2023,

th e limit to fill u p th e backlog will be redu ced to six years

While £800 a year might seem like a huge sum to many, according to Claer Barret, consumer editor of the Financial Times, that i n v e s t m e n t w o u l d t r a n s l a t e t o thousands in years to come, as reported by The Sun However, voluntary contributions might not be beneficial for everyone Before making them, one needs to get a pension forecast and speak to the

G o v e r n m e n t ' s F u t u r e P e n s i o n Centre to ensure whether it would be worth paying for those missed years According to an expert, it would take three years after getting one ’ s pension for the transactions to break even, meaning that the investment would be useless if one happened to die before those three years were up There are NI Credits available for those eligible to fill up the gaps in the NI contributions

Cu s t o me rs o f a re p u t ed tr av el company are app arently enraged at the ho li day firm after th ey were refused to be entitled to refu nds under th e ‘ snow gu arantee’ fo r ski tri p s, Dai ly Ma il rep o rte d T h e repo rt says that there were o nly a handfu l o f ru ns in a ‘ sno wles s ’ resort Crystal S ki , which is part of TUI, has a po li cy of securing alternative slopes fo r its clients if a resort is entirely clo sed - argu ing th i s do es n o t a p p l y t o th e

Bu lga ri a n r es o r t o f B o ro ve ts wh e re f o u r p i st es a re o p e n Acco rding to The T elegraph , o ne 27 -year-o ld ma n named Geo rge Gi l f o yl e a nd h i s fr i en ds s p e nt £4,250 o n a tri p to Borovets, but are now terrified they wi ll be paying full p ri ce for a thi rd-rate h oliday A s i a n V o i c e s p o k e t o t w o f r i e n d s w h o t r e a t s k i i n g a s a n a n n u a l p i l g r i m a g e W e a s k e d whether they were aware of snowless peaks and sunny alps this year

Surath Uthayakumar said, “My friend Raj and I have been skiing for quite some years now It is fair to say this has become somewhat of our annual pilgrimage Given the cost of skiing, we normally book well in advance and were shocked to find out that this last month has been the warmest on record in some parts of Europe

T h a n k f u l l y t h i s t i m e w e h a v e b o o k e d i n Z e l l - a m - S e e / K a p r u n which is part of a glacier and is guaranteed some snow at least in the higher altitudes We are glued to the weather forecast and hoping for some snow showers and it s looking good for now Also, given the lack of snow in some areas, the prices are relatively low this year We hope to use these savings to drive around to the higher altitude a r e a s t o f i n d t h e b e s t s n o w Fingers Crossed!”

M a d a n R a j t o l d t h e n e w s w e e k l y , " T h e r e i s r e d u c e d snow as it has been a warm(er) winter for most of Europe but most of the higher altitude ski r e s o r t s e m p l o y s n o w m a k e r s t o create fake snow and have been always doing so traditionally too This has always been the case

when the winter snow has been a shortcoming (so nothing new for them) Having said that, you will hear the case of reduced snow or (no) snow often coming up in the European winter season as much a s y o u h e a r o f impending drought or power issues in summer in the UK In terms of expenses, the main components of a ski trip are your stay (£1002 0 0 p e r d a y ) , s k i rentals (£50 per day) ski lift passes (£75 per day) flights to any main city near t h e a l p s l i k e S a l z b u r g , G e n e v a , Munich etc "

A Swiss ski resort that advertises i t s e l f f o r c h a m p i o n i n g s u s t a i nability, has come under fire for admitting to being ‘ecologically insensitive’ after flying in snow via helicopter services The move was an attempt by the resort Gstaad after it struggled to keep open as temperates hovered around 20C i n S w i t z e r l a n d j u s t b e f o r e Christmas The move didn’t work, M a t t h i a s I n - A l b o n , d i r e c t o r o f B e r g n a h n e n G s t a a d t o l d

Hauptstadt

Commentators on the internet were quick to point out the hypocrisy of the move for a resort that claimed to respect the sustainability of the slopes, enquiring about the carbon footprint made by the nine trips made by the helicopter Some even commented on the stupidity of the endeavour The director, however, defended the move, saying, “In an emergency, you have to try things out” The move came after trying and f a i l i n g w i t h s n o w c a n n o n s Subsequent efforts at transporti n g s n o w f r o m d e p o t s t o t h e slopes via snow groomers didn’t work either Destination Gstaad, the valley’s tourist office, told the Telegraph that while the snow s h o r t a g e c o n t i n u e d t o b e a n i m m e n s e c h a l l e n g e f o r a l l t h e resorts, no further flights were planned after the failed attempt

Previously, around 100 helicopter snow lifts were conducted i n 2 0 2 0 t o e n s u r e t h a t t h e renowned Labuerhorn in Wengen could take place during the Youth O l y m p i c G a m e s i n L a u s a n n e S i m i l a r m a n o e u v r e s w e r e c o nducted in France as well

A new British Indian Army memorial to come up in Glasgow

Comm emor a tin g th e sa crifice of mi llio n s of In d ia n so ldi e r s w ho fought a long side the British dur in g the two wor ld wars, a n ew British Indian Ar my Memor ial will be built in Glasgow followin g the a pprova l of t he same by the local council

The memorial is to be built near Kelvingrove Art Gallery and M u s e u m i n S c o t l a n d a n d t h e memorial initiative is being led by the Colourful Heritage multimedia project To recognise the service and sacrifice of over 4 million soldiers of the British Indian Army, it

is visualised as Scotland’s first permanent memorial wall

“We aim for the memorial to represent the diversity of all the H i n d u s , M u s l i m s , S i k h s , Christians, Gurkhas and more who fought alongside British troops in W o r l d W a r I a n d I I , ” n o t e s Colourful Heritage with reference to the memorial

M u l t i - s t r u c t u r e m e m o r i a l design is being discussed by the team along with the charity Ancre Somme Association Scotland and their architect

Madan Surath

Madan (left) and Surath (right)

Survivors of domestic abuse highlight mental health service failures

L ead in g c hari ty Wom en ’ s

A id i s c alling on the gove r n m e n t t o r e c o g n i s e dome stic ab us e as a fun dam ental cause of women ’ s m en t a l i ll he a l t h a n d to e n s ur e s pe c i al i s t s e r vi c e s a re adequately resourc ed to provide the support abuse s urvi vors desperately need

T h e s e p o i n t s a r e brought to life in the charity’s video, released today as p a r t o f W o m e n ’ s A i d ’ s Deserve To Be Heard camp a i g n , v o i c e d b y C h a r l i e W e b s t e r , s u r v i v o r , t e l e v is i o n p r e s e n t e r , a n d Women’s Aid ambassador F a r a h N a z e e r , c h i e f executive of Women’s Aid, said, “All too often women a r e n o t l i s t e n e d t o o r believed, creating huge barriers to their access to ment a l h e a l t h s u p p o r t a f t e r experiencing abuse These barriers are even greater for t h o s e m a r g i n a l i s e d b y racism, homophobia, and ableism, among other factors Time and again, they

are met with long waiting times, and victim-blaming responses

“ M a n y w o m e n h a v e told us about mental health s e r v i c e s r e - t r a u m a t i s i n g them, due to a knowledge g a p a r o u n d d o m e s t i c abuse In England, 60-70% of women accessing mental health services have experienced domestic abuse1, yet t o o o f t e n , h e a l t h p r o f e ssionals ask, ‘What’s wrong w i t h y o u ? ’ , r a t h e r t h a n , ‘What happened to you?’ S u r v i v o r s a r e r o u t i n e l y offered short-term cognitive behavioural therapy or a n t i - d e p r e s s a n t s , r a t h e r than long-term therapeutic support or a referral to a w e l l - r e s o u r c e d s p e c i a l i s t domestic abuse service

“It is crucial that the government listens to the voices of survivors and follows the recommendations in our recent report and video It’s the only way to e n s u r e a l l w o m e n c a n a c c e s s t h e m e n t a l h e a l t h

support they need to heal ”

B y s p e a k i n g t o s u rv i v o r s , W o m e n ’ s A i d h a s identified seven key pillars for a survivor-led approach to mental health support:

1 A n e m p a t h e t i c a n d understanding response

2 E x p e r t i s e o n t h e dynamics and impact of domestic abuse

3 A space to talk

4 S u p p o r t f o r c h i l d r e n and young people

5 Practical Support

6 W o m e n - o n l y s p a c e s , including support led by a n d f o r m a r g i n a l i s e d groups of women

7 Timely and long-term support

A survivor of domestic abuse, who participated in the research, said:

“ T h e m o s t i m p o r t a n t thing is to be heard and for those professionals to really u n d e r s t a n d t h e d y n a m i c s and impact domestic abuse has on survivors not just whilst in the relationship but for a lifetime ”

‘More and more British Sikh women now drinking alcohol’

A survey o f o ver 10 00 British S i kh s sh ow s t h at 6 1 % of resp o nd ents ( 64 % of m en and 56% o f w omen) currently c on su m e alc oh o l w h i le 9% are now in recov ery Th e res p o n d en ts h av e st ate d that th e greatest challeng es in staying sober are social tem p tat io n ( 2 1 % ) , d e p re ssi o n a nd l ack o f p u rp o s e (1 4 %) , bo red om ( 1 4 %) and easy access to alco hol ( 12%)

The survey report titled ‘ I m p a c t s o f a l c o h o l c o ns u m p t i o n a m o n g s t S i k h s ’ was recently launched in the Parliament This report is a collaborative effort of the S i k h R e c o v e r y N e t w o r k (SRN) – a community group w o r k i n g w i t h v i c t i m s o f substance abuse and the B r i t i s h S i k h R e p o r t ( B S R ) team of experts who “have developed robust and unriv a l l e d s t a t i s t i c a l i n f o r m ation about Sikhs living in Britain” The purpose of the r e p o r t w a s t o i n v e s t i g a t e and understand the reality o f a l c o h o l c o n s u m p t i o n amongst Sikhs in the UK so as to give alcohol rehab service providers information to identify gaps and tailor their approach accordingly, say the researchers

The survey has uncove r e d t h a t 2 1 % o f r e s p o nd e n t s w h o d r i n k a l c o h o l have had thoughts of suicide and 6% of respondents had m a d e a n a t t e m p t t o e n d their life Notwithstanding the above, the report also u n c o v e r s t h e i m p a c t t h a t t h e ‘ p r o b l e m a t i c d r i n k e r ’ has on the family with 84% of problematic drinkers having children

Among those who currently consume alcohol, 18% said they drink alcohol at l e a s t 4 t i m e s e v e r y w e e k

(20% of women and 17% of men); 21% of respondents in full time employment and 16% of those in part-time employment said they drink alcohol at least 4 times every week, compared with 10% of those who are unemployed

Also, 12% of women and 18% of men drink 10 or more units of alcohol per day 32% only drink 1 – 2 units of a l c o h o l p e r d a y a n d 2 7 % drink 3 – 4 units per day 9% of those aged 50 – 64 years consumed 10 or more units of alcohol per day, the highest of all age groups

O f t h e p r o b l e m a t i c drinkers, 7% of respondents said that they could not stop drinking alcohol, once they had started; 4% said that a l c o h o l c o n s u m p t i o n r e s u l t e d i n t h e m b e i n g u n a b l e t o c o m p l e t e t a s k s e x p e c t e d o f t h e m a l m o s t daily, and another 6% on a weekly basis; 12% said that they had suffered an injury as a result of drinking alcoh o l ; 3 3 % o f r e s p o n d e n t s w h o a r e ‘ p r o b l e m a t i c d r i n k e r s ’ s a i d t h e r e a r e times when they are unable to remember the previous n i g h t d u e t o a l c o h o l ( 3 % daily, 5% weekly, 6% monthly); 23% said others had sugg e s t e d t h a t t h e y s h o u l d reduce their alcohol intake

J a g d e v S i n g h V i r d e e M B E , e d i t o r a n d Statistician for BSR and this r e p o r t , t o l d t h e I n d i a n E x p r e s s , “ T h e s u r v e y a c h i e v e d 1 , 0 9 5 v a l i d responses spread across the United Kingdom, and it is a reliable sample of British Sikhs The survey was prim a r i l y c o n d u c t e d o n l i n e , but there was a concerted effort to supplement that sample with questionnaires t o r e a c h t h o s e w i t h o u t internet access Responses were monitored and particular areas of shortfall were targeted to ensure that the overall sample was representative of Sikhs in Britain in terms of age group, gend e r , m a r i t a l s t a t u s a n d region

“These statistics show that the reality of alcohol c o n s u m p t i o n a m o n g s t Sikhs today is very different t o t h e a s s u m p t i o n s t h a t e x i s t T h e y h i g h l i g h t t h e o f t e n - h i d d e n i m p a c t s o f p r o b l e m a t i c d r i n k i n g o n those around the individual concerned, on their families and friends, as well as on their own mental and physical health Those working in the sector should take note of the statistics when devising strategies to tackle this issue ”

Telling stories of women from marginalised backgrounds

Shefali Saxena

Adiba Jaigirdar is th e awardwinning, criticall y acc laim ed and bes tselling auth or of T he Henna Wars, Hani & I shu ’ s Guide to Fake Dating, and A Mi l l io n t o O n e A Banglades hi/Irish writer and form er teach er, sh e h as an MA in Po stc olo nial Studies from the Univers ity of Kent, England and a BA in Englis h an d H is t o r y f r o m U C D, Ireland She is the winner o f the YA Boo k Prize 2 022, the K P M G C h il dr e n ’ s B o o k s Ireland Awards 2 021, and was a finalist f or th e 202 2 Lam bda Lit erar y aw ar ds All o f h er writing is aided by tea and a h ea l t h y d o s e o f Ja ne l l e Monáe and Hayley Kiyoko W h en n o t w r it in g, s h e i s pro babl y ranting abo u t t he il l s o f c o l o nia l is m , p l a y ing video g ame s , o r ex p anding her overfl owing l ip stick collection She can be f ound at ad ib aj a igi rd a r c o m o r @ ad ib a j o n T w it t e r a nd @dibs j on I nstagram

Tell us about yourself, your roots and how you inculcated flair for writing.

I was born in Bangladesh, and moved to Saudi Arabia when I was three years old For the next six years, I lived b e t w e e n B a n g l a d e s h a n d Saudi Arabia, before moving to Ireland when I was ten I think spending a significant amount of my childhood in Bangladesh was a big factor in my writing because I got t h e o p p o r t u n i t y t o s p e n d t i m e w i t h m y f a m i l y a n d learn a lot about my culture and history Bangladeshi culture is very big on the arts, but on literature specifically, so I grew up with a lot of e m p h a s i s p l a c e d o n b o o k s and reading When I began to develop an interest in reading and writing, it was always e n c o u r a g e d b y m y f a m i l y Moving to Ireland at an early just meant that I had exposure to yet another culture t h a t p r i z e d l i t e r a t u r e S o , g r o w i n g u p b e t w e e n t h e s e t w o c u l t u r e s , s e e i n g t h e i r u n i q u e l i t e r a r y t r a d i t i o n s , really encouraged me to write a n d i t ’ s d e f i n i t e l y h e l p e d shape the kind of writer I am

Why do you write? Why do you think people should write, more so, more women?

I’ve always been a big fan of storytelling, even before I could read or write I think storytelling is crucial to culture, expression, emotional i n t e l l i g e n c e m a n y t h i n g s ! Writing and books are just o n e o f t h e w a y s o f s t o r ytelling, and for a long time, women have definitely been left out of it, or pushed to the m a r g i n s a n d o n l y b e e n allowed to write in certain g e n r e s t h a t w e r e d e e m e d l e s s e r B u t s t o r y t e l l i n g i s o f t e n b o t h a r e f l e c t i o n o f society, and also a comment on it, and for that to really be valid, women need to be just as much a part of it as anybody else

What

is your latest book all about?

A Million to One is a historical novel about four girls f r o m m a r g i n a l i s e d b a c kgrounds who are at a point in t h e i r l i f e w h e r e t h e y ’ r e u n h a p p y a n d k n o w t h a t something needs to be done Then the opportunity comes along for them to board the T i t a n i c a n d s t e a l a r a r e , prized possession that’s being transported on it (a jewele n c r u s t e d c o p y o f T h e Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam)

The four girls know that if they can pull this off, it will transform their lives forever, s o t h e y d e c i d e t o b a n d t o g e t h e r a n d b o a r d t h e Titanic But they’re very different people, with ulterior motives, secrets, and more, and there’s more waiting on the Titanic than they could have anticipated

I have an entire spreadsheet full of them Sometimes the trouble is figuring out which of my ideas I’ll write next, as o p p o s e d t o w h a t i d e a t o write Usually, if there’s an idea for a story or a character that is always on the back of my mind, that I can’t quite get rid of, then I know it’s probably time to sit down a n d d e d i c a t e t i m e t o t h a t story

As a person of South Asian roots, what is your advice to aspiring writers, especially women who would want to be like you one day?

W it h t w o n o m in at io n s a t the 2023 GRAMMYs , the virtuos o c learly co mmunicates her feelings about a gl obal probl em

W h i l e s p e a k i n g t o G R A M M Y c o m f r o m N e w Delhi, she said, “I have that real mix of pride and selfloathing when it comes to this stuff On one level, I feel l i k e I ' l l n e v e r b e g o o d enough at it, but on another level, I'm feeling great about it

N i n e - t i m e G R A M M Y n o m i n e e , S h a n k a r p r a i s e d colleagues like vocalist and composer Arooj Aftab, com-

do you go about choosing storylines for your books?

How

I’m really inspired by the world around me, but I also find a lot of inspiration from the media When I’m watching a movie or TV show, I ask m y s e l f a l o t o f q u e s t i o n s , which leads me to new ideas that I want to explore I’m really never at a loss for ideas:

Anoushka Shankar writes a composition for women & girls

poser and conductor Jules Buckley, percussionist Manu D e l a g o , D u t c h o r c h e s t r a Metropole Orkest, and poet Nikita Gill

S h a n k a r i s n o m i n a t e d f o r a G R A M M Y f o r B e s t Global Music Performance, for "Udhero Na"; she's also up for a golden gramophone for Best Global Music Album for Between Us

A b o u t a d e c a d e a g o , S h a n k a r r e l e a s e d “ I n H e r

Name” song paying tribute to Jyoti: a physiotherapy intern named Jyoti Singh Pandey, who died from injuries due to gang rape in 2012

M y b i g g e s t p i e c e o f advice is to find your writing community There’s definitely an idea out there that writing is a very solitary activity, and in some ways it is But to really survive and thrive as a writer, it’s crucial to have a loving and supportive community behind you To pursue writing as a career and e n t e r i n t o t h e p u b l i s h i n g industry, can be really diffic u l t , e s p e c i a l l y a s S o u t h Asian women, so you need a u t h o r f r i e n d s w h o c a n u n d e r s t a n d y o u r s t r u g g l e , who you can commiserate with, and who will support you through both your succ e s s e s a n d f a i l u r e s M o r e than that, having a supportive writing community, also h e l p s e n r i c h y o u r w r i t i n g For me, I have a group of close writer friends and we share our writing with each other, give each other advice and feedback on books and publishing, and show up to sympathise when something goes wrong but also when t h e r e ’ s s o m e t h i n g t o c e l ebrate be it big or small I d e f i n i t e l y w o u l d n ’ t b e t h e writer I am today without them

What do you read to write?

I read pretty extensively, and everything I read helps me to write I read in my genres and outside of my genres

For A Million to One, I read s o m e n o n - f i c t i o n h i s t o r y b o o k s a l o n g s i d e h i s t o r i c a l novels, fantasy novels, and romance novels All of them helped with various elements of the book

A Million to One by Adiba Jaigirdar is published by Hachette Children ’ s Group and is available now, RRP £7 99 The Dos and Donuts of Love is Adiba’s next book and publishes with Hachette Children’s Books on the 8th June 2023, RRP £7 99

Birmingham doctor saves man twice from dying in flight

A Bi rm i n g h am d o c to r o f Indian orig in sav ed th e life o f a m an wh o had two backto-back cardiac arrests while travelling on th e sam e flight C o ns u lta nt h ep at o lo g i s t V ish waraj Vem ala was flying w ith his m other from th e U K to Bangalore wh en th e m an collapsed in the aisle

After the first incident, the cabin crew frantically asked for a doctor among t h e p a s s e n g e r s , t o w h i c h Vemala responded At that point, the patient had no p u l s e a n d h a d s t o p p e d breathing With the help of an emergency kit handed to him by the crew, he could g e t t h e p a t i e n t b r e a t h i n g after an hour of trying He h a d f i n i s h e d g a t h e r i n g equipment from those on board to record the patient’s vital stats when the patient went into cardiac arrest for the second time This time, it took longer for the doctor working at the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS

After being denied permission for an emergency l a n d i n g i n P a k i s t a n , t h e y landed at Mumbai Airport a f t e r g e t t i n g p e r m i s s i o n t h e r e V e m a l a t o l d Birmingham Mail that while he learned how to deal with cardiac arrests as part of his medical training, this was the first time he was treating someone for it in his career as a hepatologist, that too on air He added that it was an emotional incident for everyone involved

UK-India sign and exchange letters to formalise the Young Professional Scheme between the two countries

Rupanjana Dutta

On th e ann i v er sa ry o f Mah atma Gandhi’s return to India from South A frica in 1 91 5, HE V ik ram Do ra i sw a m i , th e H ig h Co mm issi oner o f Ind ia to th e U K an d S i r M a tth e w Ryc ro f t, P er m an ent S ec ret ary a t U K s H o m e Offic e, at I nd ia Ho us e in L o nd o n , s ig ned and exchanged letters confirming the comp letion of their res p ec ti v e i n ter nal p ro c edures fo r the implem entati o n o f th e Y o u ng Professionals S ch em e This is as p a rt o f th e M em o r and u m o f U nd e rs ta nd i ng o n th e M i g rat i on and M ob i li ty P art ner sh i p b et w een th e two g overnments

Under the Scheme, the young professionals (graduates) who are between the age 18-30, will be authorised to gain exposure to work life in another culture, with the o p t i o n o f t a k i n g e m p l o yment as an incidental part of their stay for a maximum duration of two years The n u m b e r o f y o u n g p r o f e ssionals may not exceed 3000 per year per side, and imple-

m e n t a t i o n d a t e , c h e c k l i s t for eligibility and step by step application procedures w i l l b e a v a i l a b l e i n d u e course The ballot to enter the Scheme for Indians is not yet open

This self-funded Scheme t h a t i s c u r r e n t l y a v a i l a b l e through a similar ballot system to youths from Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan needs to have at least £2,530 in bank account f o r a p e r i o d o f 2 8 d a y s before applying for the visa, is to show they can support themselves in the UK

Speaking at the event, Sir Rycroft expressed how t h i s a g r e e m e n t l o o k e d t o s t r e n g t h e n t h e p e o p l e - t o -

people ties and facilitated l e g a l m i g r a t i o n H e s a i d , “We often talk about a living b r i d g e b e t w e e n o u r t w o countries It is a relationship built on our shared history and culture This agreement is an example of bringing that historic relationship up into the modern day for the future

“We issue more visas to Indian national visitors than any other country included visa to support visitors or for students and skilled workers And we look forward to w e l c o m i n g t h e b e s t a n d b r i g h t e s t t o p r o f e s s i o n a l s from India It's an important time for our countries as we look to strengthen coopera-

t i o n t h r o u g h f r e e t r a d e agreements and economic ties ”

H E D o r a i s w a m i s a i d , “This letter commemorates o u r b i l a t e r a l r e l a t i o n s h i p and we have made progress in an organised and sustaina b l e m a n n e r O n e o f t h e m o s t i m p o r t a n t p i l l a r s o f our bilateral relationship is the living bridge Bridges are a construct that facilitates two-way traffic So, we are interested equally for young Britons to go to India, to get a sense of India, contribute not only to the India story, b u t a l s o t o t h e I n d i a - U K story ”

T h e S c h e m e w i l l n o t o n l y a l l o w U K o r I n d i a n nationals to travel, learn and experience each other’s culture and country, but also h o p e s t o a l l o w t h e m t o study, gather work experience, as well as set up businesses including startups

I n d i a ’ s P r i m e M i n i s t e r N a r e n d r a M o d i a n d U K ’ s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak a n n o u n c e d t h e l a u n c h o f t h e Y o u n g P r o f e s s i o n a l Scheme at the G20 Summit in 2022 in Bali, Indonesia where both the leaders met each other for the first time

I n a world where s urvivors of s exual abuse struggle to b e t ak en s eri ous l y, a 2 2y ear-old wom an was found g u i l ty o f pe r v e rt i n g t he c ourse of jus ti ce for conc octing a weird but elabor a t e p l a n a l l e gi n g A s i a n m en of grooming he r and a s eries of m en s he had barely met of raping her

Once Eleanor Williams p o s t e d p i c t u r e s o f h e r injuries which were later d i s c o v e r e d t o b e s e l finflicted, she gained mass i v e s u p p o r t o n s o c i a l m e d i a , s o m u c h s o t h a t there was a spree of racially-motivated attacks on the

residents of the locality in B a r r o w - i n - F u r n e s s S h o p w i n d o w s w e r e s m a s h e d , t h e f a l s e l y a c c u s e d w e r e ostracized, insults written with spray paints, and people chased The claims of Williams, the daughter of a l o c a l L a b o u r c o u n c i l l o r , also led to the rise of a farright party in the Cumbrian town

However, it took a jury of six men and six women o n l y t h r e e - a n d - a - h a l f h o u r s t o u n a n i m o u s l y declare Williams guilty of eight counts of perverting the course of justice Her sentencing is due in March

Councils short-changing care homes leading to NHS bed crisis

D r S an j e e v K an o ri a , Chairman, Co-Founder and G r ou p Ch i e f E x e c ut i ve , A dvin ia H ealth Care s ays the NHS c ri sis can be tackled if the rate of discharge o f pa t i en t s i s i n c re a s e d from the hospital into the c are sys tem

“However local authorit i e s , w h o a r e t h e m a i n source of funding for care home clients and thus have significant market power, pay below the cost of care and with delayed payments have created a vicious cycle of financially unviable, poor care resulting in increased hospital bed blocking It is their statutory duty to pay the right fee for care in line with the Care Act

“Failure to do so is having a significant impact on

t h e f i n a n c i a l v i a b i l i t y o f care providers who play an important role in reducing bed blocking in hospitals ”

As a result of a 400 per cent increase in company insolvencies in the sector, in the past year in social care, another 20,000 beds have been lost, he further added

Man charged with murder of fellow care home resident at facility

Rajinder Pal l, 44, has been c harged with the murder of a f ellow care home res ide nt at a res idential home in wes t London

In connection with the death of John Hallisey, 60, Rajinder will appear in custody at Uxbridge Magistrates' Court on Thursday

On Monday evening, Mr Hallisey was assaulted at the

supported unit in Lansbury D r i v e D e s p i t e t h e p a r a m e d i c s t r y i n g t o s a v e him, he died at the scene

According to the postmortem, his cause of death w a s c o m p r e s s i o n t o t h e neck

B o t h M r H a l l i s e y a n d Pall were residents at the f a c i l i t y , t h e M e t r o p o l i t a n Police said

Sunak’s five promises for the new year

Rish i Sunak laid out five big pledg es as p ar t o f h i s p o li cy agend a in his first p u bl i c s p ee ch o f 2023 last Wed nesday

His first pledge was to reduce inflation by half “to ease the cost of living and give people financial security” Inflation hit a record 41year high in 2022, and the O f f i c e f o r B u d g e t R e s p o n s i b i l i t y ( O B R ) p r edicted inflation would fall by 3 8% by the end f this year, lower than Sunak’s target

His second pledge was to create “better paying jobs and opportunity right across the country” It would be a major challenge, consideri n g e c o n o m i s t s p r e d i c t e d that living standards will hit a record low this year

His third pledge was to

ensure “that we c a n s e c u r e t h e future of public s e r v i c e s ” b y r e d u c i n g t h e national debt UK debt levels could increase by more t h a n 3 0 % f r o m w h e n C o n s e r v a t i v e s c a m e t o power, and Sunak did not s p e c i f y w h a t m e a s u r e s would ensure this

S u n a k ’ s f o u r t h p l e d g e was to ensure that “NHS w a i t i n g l i s t s w i l l f a l l a n d people will get the care they need more quickly”, without s a y i n g a n y t h i n g a b o u t wages and staff shortage

H i s f i f t h a n d f i n a l pledge was to introduce new l a w s t o s t o p s m a l l b o a t s f r o m b r i n g i n g i n i l l e g a l i m m i g r a n t s f r o m A l b a n i a and France, saying that his measures would be tougher than the previous ones

Met police hunt arsonists who set four London buses on fire

An inve st iga tion is ongoing foll owing a str in g of del ib erate fir es that we re sta rt ed cl o se t o p a sse n g e r s o n London buses that were in ser vice, a n in vestigation is in pr og ress

The Metropolitan Police said that it was "sheer luck" t h a t p a s s e n g e r s w e r e n o t injured during the four fires t h a t w e r e l i t b e t w e e n January 2 and 6

“ T h e s e a r e e x t r e m e l y reckless actions which are putting the lives of innocent p e o p l e a t r i s k , ” s a i d D e t e c t i v e S e r g e a n t Cassandra Osborne from the Met’s Roads and Transport Policing Command

Flu

“All these buses were in service at the time of the fires and it is only by sheer luck that no one has been hurt ”

On January 2 just before 6pm on a route 215 bus in Walthamstow, the first blaze was lit A day later a second was lit at 7 45pm on a route 9 7 b u s , a l s o i n Walthamstow

Due to similarities in the areas set alight and the time a n d l o c a t i o n , b o t h o f t h e blazes are being treated as linked, the Met said

On January 4, at around 10 40pm a seat was set on fire on a route 179 bus in Woodford

medicines

disappear in the UK

Loss of immunity, a more persis tent flu after a hiatus due to Covid restrictions, increased indoor soc iali zing i n th e C hri s t ma s s e as on , and a rise in s elf-medic ati on resulted in medici nes ru n ni n g out of s he l ve s Pharmacists warned of an impending crisis i n drugs like Lemsip, Night Nurse, and other popular cold and flu medicines, the Evening Standard reported

D r L e y l a H a n n b e c k , the head of the Association o f I n d e p e n d e n t M u l t i p l e Pharmacies, described the situation as a widespread nightmare to MailOnline To take away the pressure

from a creaking NHS, people were advised to skip GP a p p o i n t m e n t s a n d l o o k a f t e r t h e m s e l v e s u n l e s s there was a life-threatening situation, leading to essential medicines disappearing from the counter shelves

It was reported to be a worldwide phenomenon as a l o n g s i d e t h e U S , medicines were reported to b e d i s a p p e a r i n g i n c o u nt r i e s l i k e t h e U S , C h i n a , F r a n c e , C a n a d a , a n d G e r m a n y a s w e l l S u p p l y chain demands were pointed out as another cause for the crisis, along with lack of planning to counter those demands

HE Vikram Doraiswami the High Commissioner of India to the UK (right) with Sir Matthew Rycroft, Permanent Secretary, Home Office

Foundation Trust to resuscitate him

Woman found guilty of falsely accusing men of rape

PM Modi welcomes the ‘living 17th Pravasi Bh

Subhasini Naicker

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India on 9 January 2023 In addition to launching the first-ever digital PBD Exhibition with the topic "Azadi Ka Amrit MahotsavContribution of Diaspora in Indian Freedom Struggle," he also unveiled a commemorative postal stamp in their honour.

The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention is the Government of India's premier event and that provides a platform to engage and connect with overseas Indians and enable the diaspora to interact with each other This year the theme was 'Diaspora: Reliable partners for India's progress in Amrit Kaal' Over 3,500 members of the diaspora from nearly 70 different countries registered for the PBD Convention

It also hosted the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award (PBSA) on Tuesday 10 January, the highest honour conferred on overseas Indians in recognition of their outstanding achievements both in India and abroad CB Patel, Publisher and Editor-inChief of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar newsweeklies received an award for his contributions in Media, presented by the President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu and Indian Minister of External Affairs, Dr S Jaishankar

Receiving the award CB said, "I feel humbled and honoured to have been conferred with the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman. Asian

have been serving the community in the UK, telling the stories of the 'living bridge' for the last 50 years as well as providing active and participatory services This award is dedicated to the continuing support of readers, the ABPL team and my family

"Pravasi Bharatiya Divas has been a brilliant initiative and an excellent effort to engage with the large, expanding and increasingly influential Indian Diaspora, as they play a significant role in the bilateral relationships between India and other countries "

A significant number of British Indians attended the PBD Convention, including representatives from diaspora organisations such as FISI-UK (Friends of India Society International), Sardar Patel Memorial Society, IISFA (Indian International Student Federation), Indian Diaspora in UK (IDUK), UPCA (Uttar Pradesh Cultural Association), to name a few

Strong presence of the diaspora

Welcoming everyone on the occas ion on behalf of 1 3b n Indians , the Prime M inister said that the event was taking place Madhya Pradesh, a region renowned for greenery, tribal cultures, and spi rituali ty H e menti oned the recently dedi cated ‘ Maha Kaal Maha Lok’ and hoped that dignitaries and delegates were able to visit the sacred place Talking further about the host city, Indore, the Prime Mi nister said, "It is a phase that walks ahead of time whi le preserving its heritage ” H e als o praised the culinary fame of the city and its achievement in the Swachata ( clean India) movem en t

PM remarked that this PBD was particularly special as India completed 75 years of its independence He also informed that the first-ever digital PBD Exhibition on the theme 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' had been organised which brought the glorious era to the fore once again Speaking about the world, PM Modi applauded the Indians, highlighting how they lived across the globe among different cultures and traditions, yet found ways to unlock the gates of prosperity through business partnerships

The Prime Minister noted that when he looked at thousands of Pravasi Bhartiyas (overseas Indians) on the world map, numerous images simultaneously emerged that painted the picture of "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”, and the sentiment of "Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat"

"The feeling of pride in being the mother of democracy increases manifold when Pravasis are talked about as the most democratic, peaceful and disciplined citizens in different parts of the world", the Prime Minister remarked Every Pravasi Bhartiya, according to the PM, served as an ambassador for India on a global scale, as an example of a strong and capable India "You are the Rashtradoots (national ambassadors) of India's heritage, of Make in India, of Yoga and Ayurveda, of India's cottage industries and handicrafts", Modi continued, "At the same time, you are also the brand ambassadors of India's millets "

He remarked that the

Pravasi Bhartiyas had still another crucial role to play in addressing the world's curiosity about India He emphasised India s remarkable recent accomplishments and stated that the entire world was closely monitoring the country with great interest

“The message of India has its distinct importance”, the Prime Minister said as he remarked that the strength of the country is only going to get a boost in the future He asked everyone in attendance to increase their awareness of both India's progress and the culture and traditions of the country

He noted the enthusiasm among the next generation Pravasi Bhartiya Youth He urged the gathering to tell the youth about their country and also provide those occasions to visit it “With traditional understanding and modern approach, these young Pravasis will be able to tell the world about India more effectively With increasing curiosity about India among the youth, tourism, research and glory of India will enhance”, he said

PM Modi suggested that there should be an ongoing endeavour to use universities and research organisations to chronicle the lives, the struggles, and the accomplishments of Pravasi Bharatiyas for their different countries The Prime Minister added that each and every Bharatvanshi (Indian) carried the entire India with him or her “In the last 8 years, India has tried to strengthen its diaspora It is India’s commitment today that wherever you are the country is for your interests and expectations”, he said

Special Guests of Honour included H E Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, the President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana and H E Mr Chandrikapersad Santokhi, Hon’ble President of the Republic of Suriname Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shivraj Singh Chauhan, Governor of Madhya Pradesh, Mangubhai Patel, Union Minister of External Affairs, Dr S Jaishankar, Ministers of States, Meenakshi Lekhi, V Muraleedharan and Dr Rajkumar Ranjan Singh were some of the other key guests present

Make efforts to collaborate with Indian businesses, says Finance Minister Sitharaman

The Indian society, which h as chang ed to be asp irational now, offers numerous optio ns to th e diaspora, u nlike in the past, up u ntil the economy was o pened up in 1991, according to Finance Minister and Corporate Affairs of India, Nirm ala Sith aram an, wh o spoke at a plenary session on Tuesday during the Prav asi Bharatiya Divas C onvention in Ind ore Ms Sitharaman hailed the Ind ian diaspora in h er opening remarks, calling the group a "exemplar" for contribu ting locally while m aintaining ties to their roots

In her opening remarks, the Minister praised the Indian diaspora, saying the community has emerged as an “exemplar” by making contributions where they live, while holding on to their roots “You have been a community which has made India very proud,” she said

Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement that Indians living abroad serve as the nation's brand ambassadors, Ms Sitharaman said the diaspora must look into newer avenues to contribute to India's development trajectory and call attention to weak-

nesses in administrative policies in order to achieve higher standards

The Ministry of External Affairs estimates that as of December 25, 2021, there were 32mn NRIs and PIOs living abroad as of December 31, 2021 The finance minister also urged the expatriate community to collaborate with Indian companies, “small, medium, big or nano ”

“So that India in the next 25 years gets your potential for the entrepreneurial skills that you may have So that Indian businesses here get that advantage from you and together we develop the country by 2047, ” said Ms Sitharaman

Voice and Gujarat Samachar newsweeklies

CB Patel honoured with PBS Award

ABPL's Editor-in-Chief CB Patel and Group Editor Mahesh Liloriya with President of Guyana H E Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali and India's Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya

CB Patel with Narottam Mishra, Home Minister of Madhya Pradesh

Nirmala Sitharaman Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs of India

g bridge’ in Indore to celebrate haratiya Divas

President addresses the valedictory session and presents Pravasi Bhartiya Samman Awards

Dr S Jaishankar connects with UK diaspora

Speaking with th e British Indians at th e event, Indian M inister o f External Affairs Dr S Jaishankar hig hlighted the Gov ernment of India's v ision in handling the ch allenges o f migration and mo bility

he sought their participation in making the vision successful

"Now, why am I referring to this now? Because what we do not want is a market situation that is not addressed comfortably, legal-

Madhya Pradesh’s CM gave emotional speech at PBD

Shiv raj Singh C houhan, the chief minister of M ad hya Prad esh, d elivered an em otional speech at the state's 1 7th P ravasi Bh aratiya Divas He stated h e felt emotionally overwhelm ed , with unlimited joys, but there was also a bitter sweet pain, likening the occasion to a daughter's w edding

heavy thinking you will leave arey yahin reh jao na (please stay back), he said “I invite you to innovate, inv est and initiate your ideas in Ind ia”

Addressing at the event, Anurag Thakur, Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports of India said, “Youth Pravasi Bhartiya Divas is about celebrating everything that

Droup ad i M urm u, the President of India graced and add ressed the valedictory session of the 17th Pravasi Bh aratiya Divas Convention and conferred Pravasi Bh artiya Samm an Award s to the d iaspo ra

"Today, where there is a need for talent and abilities isn't always where resources are readily available So the demographic mismatch of demand and talent is a big challenge, and it is a challenge which will grow with time Because, by definition, the more developed societies are, the birth rate also drops So automatically, there is a certain shortage, which is inbuilt Therefore, we have attempted to negotiate what we refer to as migration and mobility partnership agreements under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Government," he said

The minister explained his reason for bringing this topic up with the diaspora, as

ly and sustainably If this situation is addressed through illegal migration, there is a double problem The people who are taken are not treated fairly In the system where people receive that, they also resent it You also do not necessarily get the right talent," he explained "You guys will not benefit from it in terms of reputation or standing Therefore, it is in everyone's interest for the present to ensure that the global economy is functioning more effectively And where there exist human resources with the necessary skills and abilities, they are legally directed toward the industries in high demand," he added

"We had your company for three days Indore became one with you Truly, Indore prepared to host the convention as one prepares for a daughter's wedding But the daughter's vidai pains the heart too Three days of hope and festivities went by so quickly Now, the heart is

makes us Indian, not only discovering one's ancestry It is as much about your story and the story of rising India It is an opportunity to reconnect and re-imagine new possibilities And it is a network to drive change, discover new ties and develop new ideas ”

While addressing the event, she stated that “The Indian diaspora today has become an important and unique force in the global system It has grown into an energetic and confident community in every region, and is making stellar contributions to world affairs in leadership positions Our Diaspora has exhibited extraordinary dedication and hard work, and has overcome many challenges to achieve excellence in all walks of life – including art, literature, politics, sports, business, academics, philanthropy, science and technology Your achievements give us immense pride and joy ”

She added that the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards represented the highest national honour for diaspora residents' achievements to India and their

home countries These awards are significant as they not only to show our appreciation and acknowledgment of the achievements of the Pravasis, but also reflect our faith in their resolve to keep India’s flag flying high in the world Even after winning the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, prior recipients have gone on to accomplish greater heights and receive accolades for their excellent work

While reflecting the custom of commemorating ties with diaspora members, President remarked that “Over the last two decades, the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas Convention has served as a unique platform to enable fruitful engagement between the Government, people of India and the diaspora We started this tradition of celebrating our bonds with the Diaspora on 9th January, to mark the day when Mahatma Gandhi, a pioneer among Pravasis, embarked upon the revival of India’s Freedom Movement against colonial rule on returning to India ”

Dr S Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs of India with the Indian diaspora from the UK

CB Patel with Shivraj Singh Chouhan

Chief minister of Madhya pradesh

President of India Droupadi Murmu with all the PBS Awardees

PM unveils a Commemorative Postal Stamp

List of overseas Indians honoured with the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman this year

Prof Jagadish Chennupati, Australia

He has been awarded the PBS Award for his contribution in Science & Technology and Education

Prof Sanjeev Mehta Bhutan

He has been awarded the PBS Award for his contribution in Education

Prof Dilip Loundo Brazil

He has been awarded the PBS Award for his contribution in Art & Culture and Education

Dr Alexander Maliakel John Brunei Darussalam

He has been awarded the PBS Award for his contribution in Medicine

Dr Vaikuntam Iyer Lakshmanan Canada

He has been awarded the PBS Award for his contribution in Community Welfare

Mr Joginder Singh Nijjar Croatia, He has been awarded the PBS Award for his contribution to Art & Culture and Education

Prof Ramjee Prasad Denmark He has been awarded the PBS Award for his contributin in Information Technology

Dr Kannan Ambalam Ethiopia He has been awarded the PBS Award for his contribution in Community Welfare

Dr Amal Kumar Mukhopadhyay, Germany He has been awarded the PBS Award for his contribution in Community Welfare and Medicine

H E Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali Guyana, He has been awarded the PBS Award for his contribution in Politics and Community Welfare

Ms Reena Vinod Pushkarna Israel, She has been awarded the PBS Award for her contribution in Business and Community Welfare

Dr Maqsooda Sarfi Shiotani Japan, She has been awarded the PBS Award for her contribution in Education

Dr Rajagopal Mexico He has been awarded the PBS Award for his contribution in Education

Mr Amit Kailash Chandra Lath, Poland, He has been awarded the PBS Award for his contribution in Business and Community Welfare

Mr Parmanand Sukhumal Daswani, Republic of Congo He has been awarded the PBS Award for his contribution in Community Welfare

Mr Piyush Gupta Singapore

He has been awarded the PBS Award for his contribution in Business

Mr Mohanlal Hira South Africa He has been awarded the PBS Award for his contribution in Community Welfare

Mr Sanjaykumar Shivabhai Patel, South Sudan He has been awarded the PBS Award for Business and Community Welfare

Mr Sivakumar Nadesan Sri Lanka, He has been awarded the PBS Award for his contribution in Community Welfare

Dr Archana Sharma Switzerland She has been awarded the PBS Award for her contribution Science & Technology

Justice Frank Arthur Seepersad Trinidad & Tobago He has been awarded the PBS Award for Community Welfare and Education

Mr Siddharth Balachandran UAE, He has been awarded the PBS Award for his contribution in Business and Community Welfare

Mr Chandrakant Babubhai Patel, UK He has been awarded the PBS Award for his contribution in Media

Mr Rajesh Subramaniam USA He has been awarded the PBS Award for his contribution in Business

Mr Ashok Kumar Tiwary Uzbekistan He has been awarded the PBS Award for his contribution in Business

Dr Dewanchandrebhose Sharman, Suriname He has been awarded the PBS Award for Community Welfare

Dr Darshan Singh Dhaliwal USA

He has been awarded the PBS Award for his contribution in Business and Community Welfare

Financia Voice Reader

Alpesh Patel OBE

A nd this too shall pass - that's the lesson from the sto ck m arket we can learn Throug h conflicts, wars, crisis, pand em ics, shocks And you think your life has bump s

S

Resolutions here are some good ones Jim Simmons (hedge fund manager) and Warren Buffett have in common:

1 Invest in what you know: Both Buffett and Simmons recommend investing in companies and industries that you understand This can help you make informed decisions about the potential risks and rewards of an investment

2 Don't chase after short-term gains: Both investors advocate a long-term approach to investing, and advise against trying to time the market or chase after short-term gains

3 Diversify your portfolio: Both Buffett and Simmons recommend diversifying your portfolio to spread risk and increase the chances of earning consistent returns over the long term Consider mid and large caps and look at correlations to the market

4 Keep your costs low: Both investors recommend minimizing costs, such as trading fees and fund expenses, to maximize returns

5 B e p a t i e n t : B o t h B u f f e t t a n d S i m m o n s a d v i s e investors to be patient and avoid making hasty decisions based on short-term market fluctuations

6 Avoid leverage: Both investors caution against using leverage, or borrowing money to invest, as it can increase risk and amplify losses Max I use for limited periods is 2x leverage on low volatility equities

7 Don't get caught up in market hype: Both investors advise ignoring market hype and focusing on the underlying fundamentals of a company instead

8 Stay disciplined: Both investors recommend sticking to a disciplined investment strategy and avoiding emotional decisions

9 Keep learning: Both Buffett and Simmons emphasize the importance of continuously learning and staying up to date on market developments

I suggest my free www campaignforamillion com to teach a million people more about the markets

What will happen in the markets this year? Interest rates in the UK and US will peak Some mortgage providers are already reducing their fixed rate mortgage rates Inflation will peak and next year be around 3 5% Energy bills will glide lower and the price has oil has already come down The US markets will possibly be up 20% I am monitoring my key belweather stocks weekly and deciding the time to jump in

You can see my weekly stock market updates on video o n m y Y o u T u b e a n d T e l e g r a m c h a n n e l s f o r f r e e –www alpeshpatelventures com/links

What about sectors? Energy and financials look the most undervalued in the US But most energy companies will not get the profits they did last year – so it’s a false undervaluation from analysts overforecasting profits But technology may make a come back as investors look to make returns from those which have fallen the furthest Then there are what I call special situations like Disney It’s at 2016 levels and in the past when it has done this it has risen 100% in 12 months No guarantees, but again it is part of my weekly stock update monitoring you can see on my Youtube an Telegram

My hurdle rate is a 40% return pa for my SIPP and ISA If I get 20% then I am still happy This looks a good year, especially in the second half

UK Finance warns firms to be complaint with new consumer duty

U K F i na nc e h as u rge d regu lated financial services firms to collabo rate in order t o b e s t c o mp l y wi t h t h e F in a nc i a l C o n du c t A u t h o ri t y ’ s ( F C A’ s ) n ew co nsumer duty

The new consumer duty w a s i n t r o d u c e d o n 2 7 J u l y , a n d r e q u i r e s a l l f i n a n c i a l s e r v i c e s f i r m s , i n c l u d i n g p e e r - t o - p e e r l e n d e r s , t o s e t h i g h e r s t a n d a r d s a n d p u t consumer protection first UK Finance has warned that in the absence of a checklist, firms must ensure that they a r e b e i n g c o m p l i a n t , a n d the best way to do this is to c o l l a b o r a t e w i t h o t h e r

c o m p a n i e s A r e c e n t M o n e y h u b s u r v e y f o u n d that over 50 per cent of all FCA-regulated firms are not p r e p a r e d f o r t h e n e w c o n s u m e r d u t y “ O n e solution in situations like this can be to collaborate with other firms,” said a UK Finance spokesperson ”

“Pooling your ideas and w o r k i n g w i t h a j o i n t p u r p o s e i s a r o u t e t o c o v e r i n g m o r e g r o u n d faster and to ensuring that y o u r a p p r o a c h i s i n l i n e with your peer group The l a t t e r i s a r g u a b l y p a r t i c u l a r l y u s e f u l s h o u l d you be required to defend your position ”

Economist’s prediction on UK recession for 2023

Th e U K e co n o mi c contr act ion of 2023 will be al most a s de ep as tha t of Russia, econ omists e xpe ct, as a sha rp fal l in household l iv i n g s t an d a r d sw e ig hs on act iv it y

I n i t s 2 0 2 3 m a c r o o u t l o o k , G o l d m a n S a c h s f o r e c a s t a 1 2 % contraction in UK real GDP over the course of this year, well below all other G-10 ( G r o u p o f T e n ) m a j o r economies This is set to be f o l l o w e d b y a 0 9 % e x p a n s i o n i n 2 0 2 4 , t h e l e n d e r a n t i c i p a t e s T h e f i g u r e p l a c e s B r i t a i n o n l y fractionally ahead of Russia,

which the bank projects will s e e a 1 3 % c o n t r a c t i o n i n 2023 as it continues to wage war in Ukraine and weather punitive economic sanctions from Western powers This will be followed by a 1 8% expansion in 2024, Goldman figures suggest

T h e W a l l S t r e e t g i a n t forecasts US expansions of 1% in 2023 and 1 6% in 2024 G e r m a n y t h e n e x t w o r s t p e r f o r m e r a m o n g m a j o r economies after Russia and the UK is expected to see a 0 6% contraction this year, then expand by 1 4% next year Goldman's projections for the UK are below what it

cites as a market consensus t h a t s k e t c h e s a 0 5 % contraction in 2023 and a 1 1 % e x p a n s i o n i n 2 0 2 4 However, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has also forecast that the UK will lag s i g n i f i c a n t l y b e h i n d o t h e r d e v e l o p e d n a t i o n s i n t h e coming years despite facing t h e s a m e m a c r o e c o n o m i c headwinds, putting London c l o s e r i n p e r f o r m a n c e t o Russia than to the rest of the G-7 The euro area and the U K a r e b o t h a l r e a d y i n r e c e s s i o n , G o l d m a n C h i e f Economist Jan Hatzius and his team concluded, since

both have endured a "much bigger and more drawn-out i n c r e a s e i n h o u s e h o l d energy bills" that will drive i n f l a t i o n t o h i g h e r p e a k s than seen elsewhere

T h e U K i n d e p e n d e n t O f f i c e f o r B u d g e t Responsibility projects that t h e c o u n t r y f a c e s i t s s h a r p e s t f a l l i n l i v i n g s t a n d a r d s o n r e c o r d Alongside Finance Minister J e r e m y H u n t ' s b u d g e t statement in November, the O B R f o r e c a s t t h a t r e a l h o u s e h o l d d i s p o s a b l e income a measure of living standards will fall by 4 3% in 2022-23

Britain repeals post-2008 banking reforms

T he b i g g es t s h a k e- up i n fin ancial s ervi ces i n more than three de cades wi ll s ee t he U K ro l l b ac k reg ulati on s i mpos ed aft er th e 2 0 0 8 f i na n c i al c ri s i s T he s o- c a ll e d ‘E d i nb u rg h R e f or m s ’ re p r e s e n t t h e g ov e r n m e n t’ s d e s i r e t o r e en e r g i z e t h e b a n k i n g s e c t or a n d d e m on s tr a t e that B rexit removed an EU regulatory straitj acket Last month, the UK Chancellor of the Exc hequer (f inanc e min ister) un veiled plans to “ r e p ea l a n d re p l a c e h un d r e ds of pa g e s o f b ur d e n s om e EU r e ta i n e d laws ”

A l r e a d y , t h e c a p o n banker bonuses is gone d e s p i t e a p o t e n t i a l

backlash Other significant t a r g e t s i n c l u d e t h e p o s t2 0 0 8 r e q u i r e m e n t t h a t l e n d e r s r i n g - f e n c e r e t a i l b a n k i n g f r o m r i s k i e r o p e r a t i o n s S u c h c h a n g e s c o u l d l i b e r a t e s m a l l e r b a n k s l i k e V i r g i n M o n e y a n d S a n t a n d e r a n d g i v e major banks like NatWest and Lloyds more freedom i n h o w t h e y f u n d o p e r a t i o n s , a c c o r d i n g t o r e s e a r c h f i r m I n s i d e r I n t e l l i g e n c e O t h e r r u l e s under review include the Senior Managers Regime, c o v e r i n g h o w e x e c u t i v e s are hired, monitored and s a n c t i o n e d ; b a n k i n g e x e c u t i v e s s a y t h e r e g u l a t i o n p r o m p t e d k e y talent to relocate The UK

Tricky situation creates survival crisis for Vodafone Idea

Vi k r a m K D o r a is wa m i, t he In d i a n H i g h Commissioner in the UK, has writt en t o the finan ce min istr y, asking about how t o proceed in the mat ter of conver ting dues into eq uity for Vodafone Idea (Vi ) The Ind ia n g ov er n me nt ha d g ive n te l cos, i nc l u di n g Vi , a n op p or t u n it y t o co n v e r t t h e ir deferre d int erest dues into equity Vi ha d a ccepted the offer , and over a thir d of the compan y was estimated t o be given to the gove rnment against the removal of accrued inter est due s H oweve r, that wa s p ut o n ho l d b y t h e D e p a r t me n t o f

Tele communications (DoT)

According to a report, the UK India Business C o u n c i l h a s w r i t t e n t o D o r a i s w a m i a b o u t t h e matter and said that during the time of the offer, no such pre-conditions were made by DoT, and the delay in dues to equity conversion has hurt the fundraising activity of the company If there are any more delays, Vodafone Idea will be hurt even more, said the UK-India trade body The DoT has asked t h e c o m p a n y f o r a n e w b u s i n e s s p l a n w h i c h i n c l u d e s 5 G r o l l o u t , a n d h a s a l s o a s k e d t h e promoters to infuse capital before the government p i c k s a s t a k e i n t h e t e l c o V i ' s p r o m o t e r s a r e r e p o r t e d l y r e a d y t o i n f u s e a d d i t i o n a l c a p i t a l , however, not to the extent that is required Vi promoters are only looking at helping the telco with about Rs 3000 crore This is remotely not enough to help the telco turn things around There are investors who want the government first to take a stake in the company before they put their money on the table However, the government is not going to pick its stake until the promoters don't infuse additional capital Then there are the promoters who don't want to sink their legs further into the water with Vodafone Idea Vi is in a tricky situation, and only time will tell what happens with the company One thing is for sure; Vi needs funding in the short term to survive

Treasury will also publish an updated Green Finance S t r a t e g y a n d c o n s u l t o n b r i n g i n g E S G r a t i n g s providers into regulations Furthermore and despite r e c e n t t u r m o i l i n c r y p t o markets the reforms seem designed to make the UK a crypto hub In the coming weeks the government will consult together with the Bank of England on a retail c e n t r a l b a n k d i g i t a l currency Such support can “ a c c e l e r a t e f i n a n c i a l i n n o v a t i o n s , s u c h a s t h e potential issuance of digital gilts,” says Chris Ford, head o f g o v e r n m e n t a f f a i r s EMEA at R3, a technology services provider “Helping to set the UK apart amidst

competition from Europe and elsewhere ”

Still, the reforms could e n c o u r a g e b a n k s t o t a k e more risk, analysts warn, sparking another financial crisis The UK government spent around $161 billion to s h o r e u p t h e f i n a n c i a l s y s t e m a f t e r 2 0 0 8 , I n d e x Intelligence calculates And a p o s t - B r e x i t r e n a i s s a n c e for UK financial firms looks u n l i k e l y , s a y s S i m o n D e a n e - J o h n s , f i n a n c i a l s e r v i c e s s o l i c i t o r a t Keystone Law in London: “Both they and their UK c l i e n t s l o s t t h e f r e e m o v e m e n t o f g o o d s , services, labor and capital t o a n d f r o m t h e U K ’ s largest foreign market ”

Budget fear may lead retirement funds to move overseas

U K p e n s io n h ol d e r s w il l increa sin gly be seek ing t o move ret irem ent fund s ove rsea s as fe ar s grow a bout the Budge t in M arch, pre dict s t he Inve st men t Dire ctor o f o n e o f t h e w o r ld ’ s l a r g e s t in de p en d en t fin a n cia l ad v iso ry , a sse t m a na g e m en t a n d fin t e ch orga nization s

T h e w a r n i n g f r o m J a m e s Green of deVere Group comes ahead of Chancellor Jeremy Hunt d e l i v e r i n g t h e f i r s t f o r m a l U K Budget since 2021 on March 15

T h e l a s t o f f i c i a l B u d g e t w a s p r e s e n t e d i n O c t o b e r 2 0 2 1 b y P r i m e M i n i s t e r R i s h i S u n a k , when he was Chancellor Since then, a “series of panicked fiscal statements” have been issued by

the Treasury When retirement f u n d s a r e t r a n s f e r r e d o v e r s e a s i n t o a p e n s i o n s c h e m e b a s e d o u t s i d e t h e U K , b u t t h a t s t i l l meets HM Revenue & Customs ( H M R C ) r u l e s , t h e y a r e n o t typically subject to inheritance or income tax in the UK In addition, after paying initial tax on the t r a n s f e r , p e n s i o n h o l d e r s c a n often benefit from a much lower tax rate, amongst other benefits

T h e d e V e r e I n v e s t m e n t D i r e c t o r c o n c l u d e s : “ I t ’ s a difficult move politically to go a f t e r p e n s i o n s a s t h e Conservatives typically do well f r o m o l d e r v o t e r s , b u t t h e T r e a s u r y n e e d s t o b o l s t e r t h e coffers ”

Business energy subsidies to reduce by 85%

The British go vernment p lans to scale back energy subsid ies for businesses w ill see the cost of suppo rt fall by 85 per cent during th e next financial year, limiting th e co st to 5 billion p ound s ($6 billion)

Britain's finance ministry said on Wednesday that the government would announce to parliament next week how it proposes to cut c u r r e n t s u p p o r t , w h i c h government forecasters estimate will cost 18 billion pounds in the six months to March Finance

minister Jeremy Hunt has called t h e c u r r e n t p r o g r a m m e " u n s u s t a i n a b l y e x p e n s i v e " British natural gas prices began to pick up sharply in the second half of 2021, and soared after R u s s i a i n v a d e d U k r a i n e i n February 2022

Prices have been very volatile s i n c e A l t h o u g h t h e y a r e n o w back around the same level as a year ago - and lower than when the current support package was announced - they are still several times higher than in early 2021

Dear

RS Sodhi steps down as Amul’s MD, Jayan Mehta takes temporary charge

Mehta has worked for A m u l f o r 3 2 y e a r s a n d currently serves as its chief o p e r a t i o n s o f f i c e r ( C O O ) H e h a s p r e v i o u s l y h e l d positions as the company's g e n e r a l m a n a g e r o f marketing, group product m a n a g e r , a n d b r a n d manager

the MD His appointment as MD was extended by an additional five years in 2017

Lift up the bonnet

o p e r a t i v e M i l k M a r k e t i n g F e d e r a t i o n ( G C M M F ) , t h e f a r m e r s ' c o o p e r a t i v e t h a t o p e r a t e s the Amul brand

W h i l e M e h t a h a s temporarily replaced him, a

new MD will be announced i n t h e n e x t f e w months,confirmed Shankar Singh Rana, the chairman of G a n d h i n a g a r M a d h u r Dairy

T h e o u t g o i n g M D , Sodhi, began his career with Amul in 1982 as a senior s a l e s o f f i c e r H e w o r k e d there as its general manager (marketing) from 2000 to 2004, then in June 2010 he was promoted to become

S o d h i w a s c h o s e n t o l e a d t h e I n d i a n D a i r y A s s o c i a t i o n , t h e t o p o r g a n i s a t i o n r e p r e s e n t i n g the nation's dairy sector, in July 2022 Speaking at the W o r l d D a i r y S u m m i t hosted by the International D a i r y F e d e r a t i o n i n September, Sodhi asserted that India's contribution to world output is expected to nearly quadruple, from 23% to 45% over the following 25 years

Jaiprakash associates defaults on Rs 4,059 crore loans

T he flag ship comp any of th e J a yp ee G ro u p , J ai p ra kas h A ssociates, h as defau lted on l o an s to t ali n g R s 4 , 0 59 c ro r e, in c lu d i ng b o th t h e p r i nc ip a l an d i nt ere s t J a ip r ak as h A s so c i ate s L td ( JAL) claimed in a regulatory f i li ng th a t th e bu s i ne ss m is s ed p ay m en ts o f p rincipal and interest of Rs 1 ,713 crore and Rs 2,3 46 crore o n December 31

The loans pertained to v a r i o u s b a n k s a n d t h e nature of obligation is fund based working capital, nonfund based working capital,

t e r m l o a n s a n d F C C B ( f o r e i g n c u r r e n c y convertible bonds)

JAL was the subject of an insolvency petition filed by I C I C I B a n k i n S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 8 , b u t t h e N a t i o n a l C o m p a n y L a w T r i b u n a l ' s A l l a h a b a d b e n c h i s s t i l l c o n s i d e r i n g t h e c a s e (NCLT)

T h e c o u n t r y ' s b i g g e s t lender SBI had in September this year moved the NCLT against JAL, claiming a total default of Rs 6,893 15 crore as on September 15, 2022 A s p a r t o f i t s g o a l t o

Ex Fairfax head and Kingfisher airlines veteran plans local airline

T he Ind ian skies may soon see a new airline taking off F ly91 w ill be p rom oted by a v i at io n v e ter an M an o j C hacko and cofounded by H ar sh a R ag h av an , fo r m er India head of Prem Watsa’s F airfax F inancial Holdings

C h a c k o w a s t h e executive vice-president of Kingfisher Airlines and chief operating officer and CEO of business travel, SOTC Harsha founded Fairbridge Capital, a completely owned i n v e s t m e n t c o m p a n y o f Fairfax Financial Holdings, a n d s e r v e d a s i t s f i r s t m a n a g i n g d i r e c t o r a n d former CEO

Just UDO, the owner of Fly91 (91 for India’s country code), has been set up by Chacko, along with a cofounding team, according to a r e p o r t b y m e d i a A c c o r d i n g t o t h e a r t i c l e ,

R a g h a v a n w i l l a n c h o r

Fly91's initial investment of Rs 200 crore by co-founding t h e a i r l i n e t h r o u g h h i s i n v e s t m e n t c o m p a n y

Convergent Finance L a s t M o n d a y , t h e p r o m o t e r b u s i n e s s , J u s t U D O , s u b m i t t e d a n a p p l i c a t i o n t o t h e c i v i l a v i a t i o n m i n i s t r y f o r t h e i n i t i a l n o - o b j e c t i o n certificate (NOC) The airline would be based in Goa ATR 72-600 turboprop planes with a capacity for 70 passengers will be flown by Fly91 The corporation has a d v a n c e d c o n v e r s a t i o n s with leasing companies for aircraft The airline aims to s t a r t o p e r a t i o n s i n S e p t e m b e r w i t h t w o aircraft, scale it up to six in the first year of operations and 32 planes in five years, the report added

r e d u c e d e b t , J A L a n d i t s g r o u p c o m p a n i e s announced last month that they will sell their remaining c e m e n t a s s e t s t o D a l m i a Bharat Ltd for an enterprise value of Rs 5,666 crore and depart the industry

Earlier, as part of its debt resolution exercise, JAL had sold more than 20 million tonnes per annum cement c a p a c i t y t o A d i t y a B i r l a g r o u p f i r m U l t r a T e c h Cement between 2014 and 2017

I n 2 0 1 5 , J a y p e e g r o u p had sold its controlling stake

o f m o r e t h a n 2 m i l l i o n tonnes cement capacity to D a l m i a G r o u p J A L ' s

Executive Chairman Manoj Gaur had said the company h a s b e e n t a k i n g s t e p s t o reduce its debt and repay lenders "In order to repay t h e l o a n s o f l e n d e r s a n d concentrate in its other core areas of working, JAL has d e c i d e d t o d i v e s t f r o m cement business completely w i t h t h e s a l e o f c e m e n t c a p a c i t y o f 9 4 m i l l i o n tonnes per annum in favour of Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Ltd," he had said

HDFC bank deposits grow 2x sector rate

HDFC has said that its advances rose 19 5% year on year, whi le d epos i ts grew 19 9 % The seco nd - larges t bank’s grow th i n depo sits is more than d ouble the indus try rate o f 9 4%, whi le loan growth i s marginall y h igh er than th e i nd ustry rate o f 17 4 %

The bank reported in a stock exchange filing that as of December 2022, its loan book has increased to Rs 15 lakh crore from Rs 12 6 lakh crore There was a 1 8% consecutive loan growth

The bank’s internal business classification shows domestic retail loans grew by around 21 5% over December 31, 2021 The bank’s commercial & rural banking loans grew even faster by around 30% over December 31, 2021 while corporate & other wholesale loans grew by around 20%

At the end of the quarter, the bank had deposits worth Rs 17,335 crore, compared to Rs 14,459 crore a year earlier Retail deposits increased by around Rs 67,000 crore during the quarter, and grew by about 21 5% over December 31, 2021 Wholesale deposits grew by around 11 5% over December 31, 2021 and were lower by around 2 5% over September 30, 2022

“HDFC Bank’s deposit growth at 20% YoY for Q3FY23 was in line with loan growth of 20% In stark contrast to what the banking system as a whole is reporting, there is a significant difference between deposit growth, which is at about 9%, and loan growth, which is at 17% YoY, according to Suresh Ganapathy, associate director at Macquarie “As per our calculations and estimates, HDFC Bank’s incremental deposit market share 9MFYTD could be closer to around 25% in deposits in our view compared to an outstanding market share of 10% which is quite commendable,” said Ganapathy

India overtakes Japan to take third place globally in the auto market

As pe r Nikk ei Asia r epor t, Indi a eclipsed J apan in auto sales last y ear , a ccor ding to the latest i ndustry da ta , mak ing it the third-large st auto mar ket for the first time Based on early data, India outsold Japan with 4 2 million new car sales, selling at least 4 25 million units Between January and November 2022, 4 13 million n e w c a r s w e r e d e l i v e r e d i n I n d i a , a c c o r d i n g t o t h e S o c i e t y o f I n d i a n Automobile Manufacturers The number is increased to over 4 25 million vehicles b y i n c l u d e t h e M a r u t i S u z u k i s a l e s v o l u m e f o r D e c e m b e r , w h i c h i s t h e largest automaker in India India's sales volume is expected to rise further with the inclusion of pending

We a re cur ren tly i n th e pr oces s of re fi na nci ng a number of f lats i n Wes t Lond on An of fer wa s out about a year ago; soli citors , main ly on the le nde r ’ s s ide, know how to mak e a moun tain out of a mole hill T hi s , co u pl e d w i t h t h e u s u a l d e l a y i n r e s p o n s e , ens ured the offer had to be rene wed seve ral times ; an d still they man aged to fin d a reas on n ot to do the deal This re ason was the e quiva lent of fi ndi ng a n eedle i n a hays tack , but they manage d

So, we are back to the drawing board on this case In order to avoid any further mishaps, we have sourced three lenders for this case The rates are higher than the initial offer, given the new environment we are all in; and in my opinion this will only get worse, as time goes on

There are a number of issues which we needed to be mindful of when placing this case One is the properties are all rented to a housing association; another is the square foot is below the minimum size This does not meet most lenders’ criteria This throws out the majority of lenders

We are also conscious of the time lines They may t a k e a n o t h e r t h r e e m o n t h s t o p r o c e s s t h e c a s e s , meanwhile find another reason to say no - nothing to do with the anticipated interest rate rise of course

Bearing this in mind we are moving the whole loan over to a cheaper bridge which has a development loan attached on there, as well as which will provide funding for the other three flats for which there is planning in place for

The property is a freehold block with six rented out flats and permission for three more flats Six separate leases have been created for each flat, in order to reduce the interest payment and to make financing more accessible

We will also be applying for financing for the three flats which do not currently exist as well; with the assumption by the time they will be completed the offer will be in place

If you ’ re in the fortunate position of owning your property assets in cash, that’s good But, if you ’ re dependent on funding then in my opinion it’s best to take a 5 year fixed rate, to weather the storm which we have entered into but will get worse as time goes on

An agent who I met, who’s been in the industry for a few decades, is of the opinion this will all be over in six months I do not think so His perception is based on consuming the information on mainstream media There are undercurrents which drive both economic and geopolitical events, and one needs to lift up the bonnet to see what’s really driving the market

f o u r t h - q u a r

s a l

s f i g u r e s f o r commercial vehicles, along with year-end results yet to be released by Tata Motors a n d o t h e r a u t o m a k e r s , a c c o r d i n g t o Nikkei Asia

W i t h t h e s a l e o f 2 6 2 7 m i l l i o n vehicles, China continues to dominate the global auto market in 2021 Japan was second with 4 44 million automobiles, followed by the United States with 15 4 million The vehicle market in India has changed recently, according to Nikkei Asia Roughly 4 4 million vehicles were sold in 2018, but volume dipped below 4 million units in 2019, due primarily to the credit crunch that hit the nonbank sector that year Vehicle sales fell even lower

than the 3-million-unit threshold in 2020 when the Covid epidemic prompted a nationwide lockdown Sales recovered in 2021 to approach 4 million units, but the shortage of automotive chips weighed on growth Vehicles powered by gasoline, including hybrid vehicles, accounted for most of the new autos sold in India last year, Nikkei Asia said, adding that electric v e h i c l e s h a r d l y h a v e a p r e s e n c e A u t o m o b i l e s i n t e n d e d f o r t h e I n d i a n market are thought to include fewer semiconductors than those offered in developed nations Nikkei Asia claimed that the relief from the automotive chip bottleneck in 2022 served as a launchpad for recovery

A cco rdi ng to a reg ulato ry f il in g , Re li anc e I nd u s tri es ( RI L ) a im s to b u i ld a n i nt eg ra ted f as t- m o v in g c o ns u m er g o o d s ( F M C G) o rg a ni s ati o n w i th intentions to enter nearly all product categories and an equal emph asis on backend s o u rc in g New ly fl o ate d F M C G f lag sh i p R eli a nc e Co nsum er Produ cts (RC PL) said it intend s to enter th e en ti re s p ec tr u m o f d o m e st i c, h o u s eh o ld an d c o ns u m er g o o d s su c h as p h ar m ac eu t ic a ls , f o o d products and beverages, ag ri an d n o n- ag ri cu l tu ra l p ro d uc e , co m m o d i ti es , educational, raw , processed and co m m ercial pro d uc ts The filing was made to th e Reg istrar of C ompanies, as per m ed ia reports

The business added that i t w i l l e n g a g e i n a l l a g r i c u l t u r a l a n d r e l a t e d a c t i v i t i e s , s u c h a s c r o praising and plantation, to

have a full play in backend s o u r c i n g A c c o r d i n g t o a m e d i a r e p o r t , R e l i a n c e C o n s u m e r P r o d u c t s a l s o declared that it would enter t h e d a i r y , a g r o - b a s e d , a n i m a l h u s b a n d r y , a n d o t h e r i n d u s t r i e s F o u r a d d i t i o n a l d i r e c t o r s h a v e been added to the board by R C P L T h e y i n c l u d e m a n a g i n g d i r e c t o r o f holding company Reliance R e t a i l V e n t u r e s V S u b r a m a n i a m , T Krishnakumar, who joined t h e g r o u p i n 2 0 2 1 f r o m C o c a - C o l a , U S - b a s e d m a n a g e m e n t a c a d e m i c i a n Dipak C Jain, and managing d i r e c t o r o f E M A P a r t n e r s India K Sudarshan

Suresh Vagjiani, Sow & Reap Properties Ltd

RS Sodhi

in brief Indian-origin man detained for driving car off the cliff with family inside

BIRD BREAKS WORLD RECORD BY FLYING NONSTOP FROM ALASKA TO OZ

A bar-tailed Godwit broke the previous record for the longest non-stop migration by a bird when it flew 8,435 miles from Alaska to Tasmania, Australia A satellite tag on the migrating bird allowed the tracking of its 11-day trek without rest or sustenance According to the Guinness World Records bartailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica) flew 13 560 kilometres (8 435 miles) from Alaska to the Australian state of Tasmania without stopping for food or rest breaking the record for the longest non-stop migration of a bird The amazing adventure according to the 5G satellite tag on the bird s lower back, began on October 13, 2022, and lasted 11 days and 1 hour without the bird making a single landing

INDIAN-ORIGIN MOM CREATED FIRST CERTIFIED MULTISPORT HELMETS FOR SIKH KIDS

Tina Singh an Ontario mother created what she claims is the first safety-certified multisport helmet to meet the needs of Sikh children in particular including her own according a Canadian-based newspaper The report said that the model was designed after she couldn t find any helmet on the market to accommodate her sons turbans Singh has been working on this model for the past two years till she perfected it and now it s in production and certified for use with bicycles inline skates, kick scooters and skateboarding for kids over the age of five The helmet fulfills the dual requirement of fitting the child’s hair with a domed portion on the top and at the same time fitting the way a helmet should: two finger spaces above the eyebrow, creating a “v” shape around the ear and one finger space between the chinstrap and the ear In December 2022 her innovation received a passing grade from the international testing company SGS

MAGNITUDE QUAKE IN INDONESIA, FELT IN OZ

A powerful deep-sea tremor damaged village buildings in a lightly populated island chain in eastern Indonesia and was broadly experienced in northern Australia The National Disaster Mitigation Agency reported that 124 homes and two schools were damaged on the Southwest Maluku and Tanimbar islands of Indonesia There was only one injury noted The magnitude 7 6 earthquake's epicentre was located in the Banda Sea, close to the 127,000person-strong Tanimbar islands In addition to northern Australia, the provinces of Papua and East Nusa Tenggara also felt the quake Indonesia’s Meteorology Climatology, and Geophysical Agency issued a tsunami warning that was lifted three hours later

29 KILLED IN THE ARREST

As per the Ca liforn ia Highway officia ls r epor t, an In dia n-origin ma n , D h a r m e sh A P a t e l , h a s b e e n a r r e st e d fo r a t t e m pt e d murde r a nd child abuse Fur ther added, he inten tion all y dr ove his car over a cliff with his wife and two chil dren

T h e S o u t h e r n C a l i f o r n i a man faces several charges on suspicion of attempted murder a n d c h i l d e n d a n g e r m e n t , according to an arrest report The highway patrol said that he will be formally booked into San Mateo County Jail after his hospital treatment

Further he added, all four occupants of the Tesla survived the crash after the car plunged

6 year old boy detained for gun firing at teacher in US

A six-year-o ld boy op ened fire in an elementary classroo m in the eastern US state of Virginia, serio u sl y i nj u ri n g a te ac h er a t Richneck Elementary Schoo l in Ne w sp o r t Ne w s, p o li ce s ai d According to media rep ort, no stud ents were hurt in the incident

"The individual is a six-yearold student He is right now in p o l i c e c u s t o d y , " l o c a l p o l i c e chief Steve Drew told a news c o n f e r e n c e , a d d i n g t h a t " t h i s was not an accidental shooting " Police said that the victim was a t e a c h e r i n h e r 3 0 s a n d h e r injuries were believed to be lifethreatening

"I'm in shock, and I'm disheartened," said the city's superi n t e n d e n t o f s c h o o l s , G e o r g e Parker "We need the community's support to make sure that guns are not available to youth "

In the United States, school shootings are a common occurr e n c e O n e r e c e n t t r a g e d y involved an 18-year-old gunman who killed 19 children and two instructors in Uvalde, Texas, last M a y A c c o r d i n g t o t h e G u n Violence Archive database, there were 44,000 gun-related fatalities in the US last year; roughly half of them were homicides, accidents, and self-defence and the other half were suicides

Oz public schools offer Punjabi language in new curriculum

With th e intention of inclu ding new languages for pup ils, P unjabi language w ill be ad ded to the curriculum o f public scho ols in Western Australia A ccording to ed ucation m inister S ue Ellery, stud ents in A ustralia will have the choice of stud ying Punjabi as part of the new curriculum being d ev eloped for p re-prim ary to grad e 12

" I a m p l e a s e d t o s e e t h e o n g o i n g e x p a n s i o n o f l a n g u a g e s

curriculum for WA students and the development of Punjabi curriculum is particularly fitting given it could support students in key future employment opportunities," Sue Ellery announced

The education minister continued, "Language diversity gives children a huge asset since it brings social, cultural, and economic advantages " Currently, Punjabi is being incorporated into the curriculum, she added

According to sources, this occurs at a time when Punjabi is the language that is expanding the quickest in the nation A census performed in 2021 showed that there were 80% more Punjabi speakers in Australia than there were in 2016

Earlier Tamil, Hindi and Korean were added to the curriculum in 2021 Other than Punjabi, Hindi, Koranic, and Tamil have also been added to the curriculum

250 to 300 feet into a rocky b e a c h a r e a k n o w n a s D e v i l ’ s Slide, about 20 miles south of

San Francisco

C a l i f o r n i a H i g h w a y P a t r o l s p o k e s m a n , o f f i c e r M a r k Andrews said the car ’ s three passengers were the driver’s wife and two children According to Patel’s arrest report, the other occupants of the car were a 41y e a r - o l d f e m a l e , a 7 - y e a r - o l d female and a 4-year-old male

C H P o f f i c e r s i n t e r v i e w e d witnesses and gathered evidence from the scene Based on the evid e n c e g a t h e r e d , i n v e s t i g a t o r s d e v e l o p e d p r o b a b l e c a u s e t o b e l i e v e t h e a c c i d e n t w a s a n intentional act

Bolsonaro followers stomps Brazil’s presidential palace

According to media reports, Jair Bolsonaro's supporters invaded the Congress building, presidential palace, and ministry buildings in Brazil Images posted on social media showed thousands of people entering the Congress building in the nation's capital Brasilia while wearing the yellow and green flag of Brazi

The attack occurred after a demonstration against Luis Inacio Lula da Silva's inauguration by the former president's supporters last week Following the break, officials in Brasilia roped off the area around the parliament building, according to media, which also stated that hundreds of Jair Bolsonaro supporters broke through, marched up ramps, and congregated on a roof

The startling images on social media were similar to the January 6, 2021 storming of the US Capitol building by supporters of thenpresident Donald Trump, who has been a Jair Bolsonaro ally Security personnel fired tear gas to put a stop to the protests

In the second round of the presidential election in October of last year, Lula barely defeated Jair Bolsonaro He came to Florida in the US, where Donald Trump currently resides, after leaving Brazil in December

Train station kidnappings in Nigeria

Se curity for ces ha ve rescued six of the 32 people who were ab ducted at a train station in Edo sta te, souther n Nige ria, the authorities say

Among those taken were station staff and passengers waiting for a train A suspect has also been arrested in connection with the abductions There have been increasing concerns about attacks in the country The latest incident comes in the month before a presidential election where security is a major campaign issue Reports say that a large number of gunmen, armed with AK-47s, shot in the air as they entered the station in Igueben before seizing the travellers and staff and taking them to a nearby forest

Some of those who managed to flee sustained bullet wounds, eyewitnesses have been quoted as saying One woman with a baby also reportedly escaped and found her way to a neighbouring community where she has been rescued The kidnappers also released two children as it was "believed that they felt the children would slow down their movements", a local resident said Edo state government spokesperson Chris Osa Nehikhare said that many people had started using the train as the local road had become "a no-go area, with huge ransoms being collected from families of [kidnap] victims" The federal government has condemned the abduction of the passengers, describing it as despicable and utterly barbaric Incidents of kidnapping for ransom, as well as gunmen targeting communities for political reasons, have been on the rise in recent years in Nigeria

OF A

MEXICAN DRUG LORD'S SON

The Mexican government reported last Friday that a raid to apprehend a son of imprisoned drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman resulted in the deaths of ten soldiers and 19 suspected criminals, with a dramatic shootout spreading fear at an airport After enraged gunmen went on the rampage to try to liberate their boss thousands of militaries retook control of Culiacan, the Sinaloa cartel stronghold that resembled a war zone Ovidio Guzman was captured in the northwestern city and flown to Mexico City before being transferred to the high-security Altiplano prison in central Mexico from which "El Chapo" once escaped The 32year-old known as "El Raton" (The Mouse), is accused of assisting his father in managing the business ever since the former head of the Sinaloa cartel was deported to the United States in 2017

Pak

by l ast y ea r's d eva sta ting flo ods, whi ch cost the nati on an e sti mate d US D 30 bil lion i n losse s T h e f l o o d t r i g g e r e d b y u n p r e c e d e n t e d m o n s o o n r a i n s killed at least 1,739 people while affecting over 33 million At one time, one third of Pakistan territory was under water

According to Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, a spokeswoman for the

conference

Foreign Office, the "International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan" will be held in Geneva on January 9 and is being cohosted by the governments of Pakistan and the United Nations to raise money for flood victims She said that the Conference w i l l b e c o - c h a i r e d b y P r i m e Minister Shehbaz Sharif and UN S e c r e t a r y G e n e r a l A n t o n i o

Guterres

"The programme will feature a h i g h - l e v e l o p e n i n g s e g m e n t , where leaders will make supportive statements," she said at her weekly media briefing here

Two billion people to travel China for Lunar new year

Chin a obs erved the first day of " chun yun," the 4 0-day pe riod of Lunar New Year travel that was formerly the largest y earl y movement in the history of the world The country wa s preparin g for a sign ific ant rise in travel lers and th e devel opment of COVID-1 9 il ln esses

This Lunar New Year public holiday, which officially runs from Jan 21, will be the first since 2020 without domestic travel restrictions

China's "zero-COVID" regime has been dramatically d i s m a n t l e d d u r i n g t h e p a s t m o n t h a s a r e s u l t o f historical demonstrations against a policy that included frequent testing, restricted movement, mass lockdowns, and significant economic harm to the world's No 2 economy

I n v e s t o r s a r e h o p i n g t h a t t h e r e o p e n i n g w i l l eventually reinvigorate a $17-trillion economy suffering its lowest growth in nearly half a century

India to host virtual summit about 120 developing countries

I n d i a w i ll h o s t a v i r t u a l s u m m it o f o v e r 1 2 0 d e v e l op in g n a t i o n s a s t he n a t i on se e k s t o a d v a n ce i n t er n a t io n a l colla bo r a ti on while holdin g the pre siden cy o f t he Gr oup of 20 (G 20 ) lar gest e con omies

F o l l o w i n g P r i m e M i n i s t e r N a r e n d r a M o d i ' s announcement in December that India's G20 priorities w i l l b e d e v e l o p e d i n conjunction with developing nations and its G20 partners, the summit is taking place “India has always been in t h e f o r e f r o n t a n d c o n s i s t e n t l y c h a m p i o n e d the cause of the developing w o r l d , ” F o r e i g n S e c r e t a r y Vinay Kwatra told reporters, adding that the COVID-19 p a n d e m i c , c l i m a t e c h a n g e and the conflict in Ukraine h a d i m p a c t e d m a n y developing countries

Heads of governments, f o r e i g n m i n i s t e r s a n d

f i n a n c e m i n i s t e r s w i l l participate in the “Voice of G l o b a l S o u t h S u m m i t ” where discussions will range from financial development t o e n e r g y s e c u r i t y i n developing nations, Kwatra said

He added, more than 120 invites have been sent for t h e t w o - d a y s u m m i t scheduled for Jan 12-13 and a c o n f i r m e d l i s t o f participating countries will be shared later

“Often the concerns of the developing world do not

r e c e i v e d u e a t t e n t i o n a n d space on the global stage,” he said

“ I n d i a ’ s o n g o i n g p r e s i d e n c y o f t h e G 2 0 presidency provides us with a s p e c i a l a n d s t r o n g o p p o r t u n i t y t o c h a n n e l i s e t h e s e i n p u t s i n t o t h e deliberation and discourse of the G20 ”

A t t h e e n d o f t h e s u m m i t , a s u m m a r y d e t a i l i n g p r i o r i t i e s a n d p e r s p e c t i v e s o f t h e developing countries will be shared, Kwatra added

Falsely rape accused man sues govt for Rs 10,000 crore

A m an fr o m Ra tl am i n M adh ya Prad esh who had been cleared o f gang rape ac cus ati ons has as ked th e state gov ernm ent for mo re t h an R s 1 0 , 0 0 0 c ro re i n d am ag es, claim ing that his im priso nment had put his fami ly in d ang er o f goi ng h ung ry

O f t h e R s 1 0 , 0 0 6 0 2 c r o r e c o m p e n s a t i o n , t h e

man has sought Rs 2 lakh t o w a r d s t h e ” l o s s o f G o d ’ s gift to human’s e g sexual pleasure”, as per his petition According to his attorney Vijay Singh Yadav, Kantu, a l i a s K a n t i l a l B h e e l ( 3 5 ) , m o v e d t h e d i s t r i c t a n d s e s s i o n s c o u r t a f t e r a municipal court on October 20, 2022, dismissed the gang r a p e c h a r g e s W h e n

q u e s t i o n e d a b o u t t h e e n o r m o u s c o m p e n s a t i o n , Y a d a v r e s p o n d e d t h a t R s 1 0 , 0 0 0 c r o r e h a d b e e n requested because "human life is important," and the remaining Rs 6 02 crore was f o r a v a r i e t y o f r e a s o n s , including legal costs of Rs 2 lakh and the hardship and mental anguish endured by his family

NCAP Tracker: Delhi remained the most polluted city in 2022

According to a review of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) air quality statistics by the NCAP (National Clean Air Programme) tracker, Delhi remained the most polluted city in the nation in 2022 with an annual average PM 2 5 concentration of 99 7 ug/m3, far higher than the standard set by the CPCB of 40 ug/m3 The analysis has however revealed that PM 2 5 levels in the city has shown a 7% improvement from 108 ug/m3 in 2019 The report, which was made public on Tuesday to commemorate four years since the Center first introduced the NCAP, revealed that several of the most polluted non-attainment cities in 2019 have only slightly reduced their PM 2 5 and PM 10 levels while still failing to meet CPCB criteria

Rahul Gandhi visits Golden Temple

C o n g r e ss le a d e r R a hu l G an dhi on Tuesda y offe red p r a y e r s a t t h e G o ld e n Te mple in Amrit sa r, a day a he a d o f t h e st a r t of t he P u n j a b le g o f t h e Bh a r a t Jod o Ya tra

On Tuesday afternoon, after finishing the march's Haryana leg in the Ambala d i s t r i c t , h e a r r i v e d a t t h e A m r i t s a r a i r p o r t G a n d h i v i s i t e d t h e s a n c t u m s a n c t o r u m o f t h e G o l d e n T e m p l e w h i l e w e a r i n g a

t u r b a n A l o n g w i t h o t h e r party leaders, Gandhi was accompanied by the leader o f t h e P u n j a b C o n g r e s s , A m r i n d e r S i n g h R a j a Warring, the leader of the o p p o s i t i o n , P a r t a p S i n g h

B a j w a , a n d t h e l o c a l M P , Gurjit Singh Aujla Many P u n j a b C o n g r e s s l e a d e r s were unaware of Gandhi's v i s i t t o A m r i t s a r u n t i l T u e s d a y m o r n i n g G a n d h i will visit the Golden Temple, Congress General Secretary for Communications Jairam Ramesh had earlier in the d a y i n f o r m e d m e d i a i n Ambala After his Amritsar visit, Gandhi will return to Sirhind in Fatehgarh Sahib today evening

Gujarat HC asks govt to take urgent action against polluted Sabarmati River

The Gujarat High Court has taken up the matter of the Sabarmati River's dirty water The Gujarat government has been ordered by the court to take note of the situation and take quick action This matter was brought to light by Hemang Shah, who gathered samples from the contaminated river and presented them before the judge He said, “Earlier we had brought samples of the river, after which the court was shocked to see such polluted water Later, we took readings of the river and the court said such polluted water cannot be tolerated ” Shah said that it is not just about the Sabarmati river, adding that the water of Sabarmati reaches the Arabian Sea and it affects other rivers as well

Cabinet permits National Green Hydrogen Mission

T h e N at i o na l G r ee n Hydro gen Missio n, with a budget of Rs 1 9,7 44 cro re, was app ro ved by the Unio n Ca bi ne t wit h th e go a l o f creating 5 million tonnes o f green hydro gen annu ally by 2030 Out of total bu dget, t h e Ce nt er wi l l o f fe r incentives worth Rs 1 7,490 crore fo r a five-year peri od for the production of both e le c tro ly z er s a nd gr ee n h ydrogen

“The initial outlay for t h e M i s s i o n w i l l b e R s 1 9 , 7 4 4 c r o r e , i n c l u d i n g an outlay of Rs 17,490 crore f o r t h e S I G H T programme, Rs 1,466 crore for pilot projects, Rs 400 crore for R&D, and Rs 388 crore towards other Mission c o m p o n e n t s , " s a i d a n o f f i c i a l s t a t e m e n t , a d d i n g that the ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE) will formulate the scheme g u i d e l i n e s f o r

i m p l e m e n t a t i o n o f t h e respective components

Even now, hydrogen is c r e a t e d , a n d b y 2 0 5 0 , demand is expected to rise to 500–680 million tonnes f r o m 8 7 m i l l i o n m e t r i c t o n n e s t o d a y H o w e v e r , there is a catch: only a very s m a l l p o r t i o n o f t h e hydrogen produced at the m o m e n t i s " g r e e n " i n nature, with over 95% of it being based on fossil fuels I n d i a ’ s N a t i o n a l G r e e n

country

The cabinet resolution w i l l s u p p o r t t h i s g o a l through an incentive-based scheme as the government i n t e n d s t o p r o d u c e f i v e m i l l i o n t o n n e s o f g r e e n hydrogen annually by 2030 in order to save 50 million tonnes of carbon emissions and save Rs 1 lakh crore on fossil fuel imports

Kochhars released from jail, Bombay HC ruled their arrest as illegal

sector bank

T h e r e l i e f c o m e s j u s t d a y s b e f o r e h e r s o n ' s wedding on January 15

S h e , a l o n g w i t h h e r h u s b a n d D e e p a k K o c h h a r , was detained by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on December 23 in a case l i n k e d t o a l l e g e d irregularities in an over Rs 3,000-crore loan provided to the Videocon Group when she was heading the private

The couple was arrested after four years after filing the case, according to the court's ruling, which stated t h a t t h e r e q u i r e d j u s t i f i c a t i o n w a s n o t included in the arrest papers T h e a r r e s t p a p e r s ' j u s t i f i c a t i o n f o r t h e p e t i t i o n e r s ' d e t e n t i o n , i t stated, "clearly violates the obligatory provisions "

The High Court said that just because "an accused does

not confess, it cannot be said that the accused have not coo p e r a t e d w i t h t h e investigation

T h e K o c h h a r s h a d p r e v i o u s l y c o n t e n d e d i n c o u r t t h a t t h e a g e n c y ' s d e c i s i o n t o l a u n c h t h i s i n q u i r y w i t h o u t t h e n e c e s s a r y a u t h o r i z a t i o n u n d e r S e c t i o n 1 7 A o f t h e P r e v e n t i o n o f C o r r u p t i o n A c t r e n d e r e d t h e i r a r r e s t unconstitutional Venugopal D h o o t , C h a i r m a n o f t h e V i d e o c o n G r o u p , w a s a l s o arrested by the CBI in the ICICI loan case

Manpreet Monica Singh becomes America’s first female

Sikh judge

Indian-American AC Charania appointed as NASA’s new chief technologist

"Mama we made it! It is a 'true honor' to rep the people of Harris County as a Sikh civil court judge Thank you to everyone for making this a historic moment, one that someday won't be an uncommon eventb e c a u s e t h e r e w i l l b e a j u d i c i a r y t h a t includes countless Sikh people and other minorities I'm ready to put my 2 decades of experience to good use," she wrote in a Face book post

The ceremony took place in a packed c o u r t r o o m , w i t h I n d i a n - A m e r i c a n J u d g e Ravi Sandill - the state's first South Asian judge - presiding over the event

NASA’s new chief

He

NASA's agency-wide technology investments w i t h m i s s i o n n e e d s a c r o s s s i x m i s s i o n d i r e c t o r a t e s , t h e s p a c e a g e n c y s a i d i n a statement on Monday

H y d r o g e n M i s s i o n i s expected to add about 125 G W o f r e n e w a b l e e n e r g y capacity to the

Anurag Singh

For m e r I CI CI Ba n k C E O Chanda K oc hhar and Deepa k Kochhar were free d f rom ja il , day aft er the Bom bay High Court ruled that her arrest wa s un l a wf ul a n d com m a nde d tha t bot h sh e and her husband be releas ed

Rahul Gandhi

AC Charania

Manpreet Monica Singh

Senior company executive caught after urinating on fellow flight passenger

During th e Nov em ber 26 flight, an inebriated m an, who w as seated in the row ah ead of the wom an on th e fligh t, w alked toward s her and urinated on her, soiling her clothes, sh oes, and bag containing docum ents inclu ding her p a ss p o rt F o ll o w i ng th e w o m an ’ s co mp laint, 34 -year-o ld S hankar w as b o ok ed b y t h e D elh i p o l ic e u n d er Sectio ns 294 (o bscene act in any public place), 354 (assault or crim inal force to w om an wi th intent to ou trag e her m odesty), 509 (wo rd, gesture or act intend ed to insult the mod esty of a w oman) and 510 ( miscond uct in public by a drunken person) of the Indian Penal Cod e (IPC )

Delhi police arrested the accused, Mumbai based Shankar Mishra, from Bengaluru The arrest came a day after a lookout notice was issued against him, following which the police sent s e a r c h p a r t i e s t o M u m b a i a n d Bengaluru in search for Shankar, who was absconding ever since the issue came to light As per reports, although Shankar had switched off his phone, the police managed to track him down to Bengaluru as he was using his social media accounts to communicate with h i s f r i e n d s A i r I n d i a h a s i s s u e d a formal apology over the urination row t h a t h a s p u t t h e a i r l i n e o n t h e backfoot Campbell Wilson, CEO of t h e T a t a G r o u p - o w n e d a i r l i n e o n

well-being

Flight from Moscow to Goa diverted to Gujarat after bomb threat

O f f i c i a l s s t a t ed l a s t M on d a y t h at a c h a rtere d flight carryin g 244 pa s s e n g e r s f r o m M os c ow t o G oa w a s di ve r t e d to J a m n a g a r, Gujarat, as a result of a bomb threat rec eived by a G oa Ai r traffic c ontroller

S

r d a y a p o l o g i s e d f o r a f l y e r urinating on a fellow female passenger o n a f l i g h t f r o m N e w Y o r k i n November Wilson said in a statement that Air India is reviewing its policy on serving alcohol on flights He also added that the four cabin crew and a pilot have been de-rostered

The CEO has conceded that the situation could have been handled b e t t e r a n d p r o m i s e d a r o b u s t reporting system to control unruly passengers and a system of reporting such incidents With questions being r a i s e d a b o u t t h e a i r l i n e n o t i m m e d i a t e l y r e p o r t i n g t h e u n r u l y p a s s e n g e r t o l a w e n f o r c e m e n t authorities, he advised staff to report a l l i n c i d e n t s i r r e s p e c t i v e o f a settlement being reached Air India continues to provide support to the affected passengers and ensure their

M e a n w h i l e , S h a n k a r Mishra was sacked from US financial services firm Wells Fargo, where he was the vice president “Wells Fargo holds e m p l o y e e s t o t h e h i g h e s t standards of professional and p e r s o n a l b e h a v i o u r a n d w e find these allegations deeply disturbing This individual has been terminated from Wells F a r g o W e a r e c o o p e r a t i n g with law enforcement and ask that any additional inquiries be directed to t h e m , ” s a i d t h e c o m p a n y i n a statement

As per Mishra’s LinkedIn profile, which he has now deleted, he joined Wells Fargo in February last year, and was the process head for asset backed securitisation and lending business Prior to Wells Fargo, he worked for ten years with Citi as assistant VP r e s p o n s i b l e f o r h a n d l i n g r i s k m a n a g e m e n t f u n c t i o n s o f l a r g e corporate clients He had studied at N a r s e e M o n j e e I n s t i t u t e o f Management Studies in Mumbai Earlier Mishra changed his name on his LinkedIn profile to Suraj M, but social media users quickly caught on to it, since everything else on the p r o f i l e r e m a i n e d t h e s a m e L a t e r , Mishra deleted the account

Modi govt takes step to let Yale, Oxford to open campuses in India

I nd ia h as t ak en a s te p to ward enabling p restigious fo reign c olleges li ke Y ale, Ox f o rd , a nd S ta n fo rd to op en campu ses and grant degrees as part o f refo rming th e c o u n try ' s h ig h e r education system

For the first time, the country's regulatory body, t h e U n i v e r s i t y G r a n t s Commission, has presented draft legislation for public comment that aims to make i t e a s i e r f o r f o r e i g n i n s t i t u t i o n s t o e n t e r a n d operate there According to t h e p r o p o s a l , t h e l o c a l c a m p u s m a y c h o o s e t h e a d m i s s i o n s t a n d a r d s f o r domestic and international students, the fee schedule, a n d t h e s c h o l a r s h i p p r o g r a m m e T h e i n s t i t u t i o n s w i l l h a v e t h e autonomy to recruit faculty and staff

P r i m e M i n i s t e r N a r e n d r a M o d i ’ s government is pushing to o v e r h a u l t h e c o u n t r y ’ s

heavily-regulated education s e c t o r t o e n a b l e I n d i a n students to obtain foreign q u a l i f i c a t i o n s a t a n affordable cost and make I n d i a a n a t t r a c t i v e g l o b a l s t u d y d e s t i n a t i o n T h e move will also help overseas i n s t i t u t i o n s t o t a p t h e nation’s young population

Despite producing CEOs f o r f i r m s l i k e M i c r o s o f t C o r p a n d A l p h a b e t I n c , I n d i a s i n s t i t u t i o n s a n d c o l l e g e s c o n s i s t e n t l y d o p o o r l y i n i n t e r n a t i o n a l rankings To become more competitive and close the e x p a n d i n g g a p b e t w e e n college curricula and market

d e m a n d , t h e n a t i o n m u s t e x p a n d i t s e d u c a t i o n s e c t o r A c c o r d i n g t o t h e G l o b a l T a l e n t C o m p e t i t i v e n e s s Index of 2022, which a s s e s s e s a c o u n t r y ' s c a p a c i t y t o d e v e l o p , e n t i c e , a n d r e t a i n t a l e n t , i t n o w h o l d s the 101st place out of 133 countries

Some universities have a l r e a d y f o r m e d a l l i a n c e s w i t h I n d i a n e d u c a t i o n a l i n s t i t u t i o n s , e n a b l i n g students to do some of their coursework there and finish their degrees on the main campus abroad The current action will encourage these foreign universities to open c a m p u s e s w i t h o u t c o l l a b o r a t i n g w i t h l o c a l o r g a n i s a t i o n s T h e U n i v e r s i t y G r a n t s C o m m i s s i o n ’ s f i n a l d r a f t w i l l b e p r e s e n t e d t o t h e parliament for its approval before becoming law

Exper ts pre dict tha t if the n u m be r o f m e m be r s increa ses in t he upcoming d e ca d e , I n d i a wo u ld h a v e the be st chan ce of obta in ing a p e r m a n e n t me m be r s h ip on t he U n it e d N a t i on s Security Council (UN SC)

A recent study by the think tank Atlantic Council found that there is a significant expectation that India w i l l b e n e f i t i f a d d i t i o n a l seats are granted to the elite

group in the coming years US, UK, France, and Russia, four of the Council s five permanent members, have backed giving India a permanent seat in the UN body China is the sole nation t h a t h a s n o t s u p p o r t e d India's application for a permanent seat, which would grant it the right to veto decisions The survey said that over half of those forecasting that Japan, Brazil,

Nigeria, or South Africa will g a i n a s e a t a l s o s a y t h a t I n d i a w i l l g e t o n e A c c o r d i n g t o t h e r e p o r t , India has a 26% chance of winning a permanent seat on the UNSC, followed by Japan (11%) and Brazil (9%)

However, according to 64% o f r e s p o n d e n t s , t h e U N ' s m o s t p o w e r f u l c o u n c i l w o n ' t a d d a n y a d d i t i o n a l p e r m a n e n t s e a t s b e f o r e 2033

"All the 236 passengers and crew members (8) were evacuated safely and the plane is being checked by local authori t i e s a l o n g w i t h t h e p o l i c e a n d B o m b D e t e c t i o n a n d Disposal Squad," said Inspector General of Police (Rajkot and Jamnagar Range), Ashok Kumar Yadav

The aircraft, say Jamnagar airport officials, is in an isolation bay

The Embassy was made aware of the purported bomb scare on the Azur Air flight that was travelling from Moscow to Goa by the Indian authorities At Jamnagar Indian Air Force Base, the aircraft has performed an emergency landing All passengers are secure The officials are inspecting the aircraft carefully at this time," said the Russian Embassy in a statement

The plane landed safely at Jamnagar (defence) airport at 9:49 pm (8:19 pm GST), said Jamnagar airport director

All passengers were deboarded and authorities are conducting a thorough investigation, he added

A Goa Police official in the meantime claimed that the aeroplane from Moscow was intended to land at the Dabolim airport As a precaution, he said, Goa Police has stepped up security at and around the Dabolim airport

India set to launch its first Atmanirbhar human space flight by 2024

Th e Indian S pace Research O rg an i sa ti o n ( I S RO ) i s ready to launch India’s first A tm anirbh ar h uman flig ht “ Ga g an ya an ” by th e ye ar 2 0 2 4 , a nn o u nc ed U ni o n M i ni s te r f o r S c i enc e a nd T e ch n o lo g y Dr J i ten d ra Singh

According to the minister, India continually makes a d v a n c e s i n s c i e n c e a n d technology Prime Minister N a r e n d r a M o d i h a s a d v a n c e d s c i e n c e t o unprecedented heights, and a s a r e s u l t , I n d i a ' s f i r s t a u t o n o m o u s s p a c e c r a f t , Gaganyaan, will launch into space in 2024

G i v i n g i n f o r m a t i o n a b o u t t h e a c h i e v e m e n t s being made by the government in the field of science a n d t e c h n o l o g y , J i t e n d r a Singh said: “The idea of taking forward the ‘Gaganyaan’ program was in 2022 itself but due to Covid-19 it was

Isudan

delayed In the next year (2024), there will be two prel i m i n a r y l a u n c h i n g s , t h e f i r s t l a u n c h w i l l b e unmanned, and this experiment will be done to mark t h e r o u t e s b e c a u s e i f t h e ‘ G a g a n y a a n ’ r o c k e t g o e s into space then it should a l s o r e t u r n s a f e l y t o t h e same way ”

“ I n t h e o t h e r e x p e r iment also there will be no human, instead a robot will be there as a human replica When both the experiments assure that we are complete-

ly ready, and then in the third one we will s e n d h u m a n s i n t o s p a c e , ” t h e m i n i s t e r added

Jitendra said that “ G a g a n y a a n " w i l l b e the first human flight in India and will be a g r e a t r e p r e s e n t a t i o n o f i n d e p e n d e n c e because it will boost national confidence Rakesh Sharma, who is of Indian descent, entered space on a S o v i e t m i s s i o n , t h e r e f o r e this expedition will serve as p r o o f o f I n d i a n o r i g i n i n space, he added

He stated, "This will be a historic undertaking in itself because our space trip began c o n s i d e r a b l y l a t e r t h a n A m e r i c a a n d R u s s i a b u t today the same country is performing our study with our knowledge and learning l e s s o n s a n d m o v i n g f o rward "

appointed as AAP’s Gujarat unit chief

I su da n G a d h v i h a s b e e n n a m e d t he A a m A a d m i P a r t y 's u n it p r e si d e n t f or Gujarat , tak in g the place of Gopal Ital ia, who has b een na me d the party 's n ational j oi n t se c r e t a r y a n d coincha rge of Maharashtra

For the Gujarat Assembly elections that took place last month, Gadhvi served as the p a r t y ' s c h i e f m i n i s t e r i a l representative The changes w e r e m a d e o v e r a m o n t h after the results of the state A s s e m b l y e l e c t i o n s w e r e announced on December 8,

Gadhvi

in which the AAP secured five seats, while all its top leaders including Gadhvi and Italia faced defeat

The party also appointed working presidents for six zones in the state Ramesh Patel (north), Chaitar Vasava (south), Jewel Vasra (central),

J a g m a l V a l a ( S a u r a s h t r a ) , Kailash Gadhvi (Kutch) and A l p e s h K a t h i r i a ( S u r a t ) , stated in the release

The Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP had contested 181 out of the total 182 Assembly seats i n G u j a r a t , b u t c o u l d w i n o n l y f i v e s e a t s d e s p i t e c l a i m i n g t o b e t h e m a i n o p p o n e n t o f t h e r u l i n g Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which bagged 156 seats, who recorded a historic victory Gadhvi had faced defeat in Khambhalia seat and Italia lost from Katargam

Survey states India has strong chance to get permanent seat in UNSC

a t u

Dr Jitendra Singh

Isudan Gadhvi

Narendra Modi

Musk, Pichai & Nadella on Andhra Pradesh summit guest list

C EO S und ar P i chai , Mi cro so ft Execu ti ve C hairman and CEO Satya Nadella are o n the i nvi te es l i s t o f th e A n d h r a P ra d es h government for its G lobal Investors Su mmi t (GI S) to be h eld in Vis akhapatnam on March 3 and 4 Fif teen Union Mini sters, 15 Chi ef Mi ni sters , 44 global i nd ustrialis ts , 53 I nd ian i nd ustry bi gwi gs and ambassadors of various c ountri es are bei ng invited fo r th e two- day event on whi ch the Y S Jagan Mo han Redd y government i s betting bi g to attract larges cal e investments into th e state

Amazon Executive Chairman Jeff Bezos and Samsung Chairman and CEO Oh-Hyun Kwon are also on the invitees list for the summit to be held in the port city Mukesh Ambani, Gautam Adani, Anand Mahindra, Kumar Mangalam Birla, Adi Godrej, Rishad Premji and N Chandrasekaran are some of the Indian tycoons being invited In his m e s s a g e a h e a d o f t h e e v e n t , t h e C h i e f M i n i s t e r n o t e d t h a t t h e G I S w a s b e i n g hosted "with the goal of preparing for the future " He has extended an invitation to all concerned to attend the event and "work with us" to "see your business flourish " Soon after it assumed power in May 2019,

the Jagan Mohan Reddy government had c o n d u c t e d a d i p l o m a t i c o u t r e a c h p r o g r a m m e i n V i j a y a w a d a s e e k i n g investments from different countries Now the state government is seeking to showcase Advantage Andhra Pradesh in a big way through the GIS, proclaiming "abundance in every sphere" and a conducive business environment for investors YSR Congress MP V Vijayasai Reddy said in a tweet, "In 2 0 2 2 , t h e A P S t a t e g o v e r n m e n t c l e a r e d investment proposals worth ₹ 1267 billion, of which ₹ 810 billion were towards green energy projects 2023 will be bigger as we put all our strength behind the Global Investors Summit on March 3 and 4 in Vizag AP is r i s i n g " O f f i c i a l s o u r c e s s a i d t h o u g h a " s p e c i f i c t a r g e t " h a s n o t b e e n f i x e d f o r prospective investments, it was expected to garner "anywhere between ₹ 5-8 lakh crore" into different sectors

Canada based Aarshdeep Singh Gill designated as terrorist

Uni on Min is try of Home Affa irs (MHA) toda y iss ued a notif ication d e s i g n a t i n g C a n a d a - b a s e d A a r s h d e e p S i n g h Gi l l a s ‘ i n d i v i d u a l t e r r or i s t ’ u n d e r p r o v i s i on s o f t he Un la w f ul A cti vitie s (Pre venti on) A ct – UAP f or h i s a ll e g e d i n v ol v e m e n t i n ta rgeted ki llin gs, te rror f ina ncing a nd extortion in Punj ab

The MHA in the notification alleged that Ludhiana-born Gill alias Arsh Dala, who is currently based in Canada, is involved in the cross-border smuggling of drugs and weapons on a large scale He i s a s s o c i a t e d w i t h t h e b a n n e d Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) and runs terror modules on behalf of

H a r d e e p S i n g h N i j j a r , a designated terrorist, it added Gill i s t h e f i f t h i n d i v i d u a l t o b e designated as a terrorist within a week, as the total number of such individuals has gone up to 53 All t h e s e t e r r o r i s t s a r e b a s e d i n c o u n t r i e s l i k e P a k i s t a n , A f g h a n i s t a n , S a u d i A r a b i a a n d Canada

Gill is an accused in various cases registered and investigated b y t h e N a t i o n a l I n v e s t i g a t i o n Agency (NIA), including targeted killing, extorting money for terror f u n d i n g , a t t e m p t t o m u r d e r , d i s t u r b i n g c o m m u n a l h a r m o n y a n d u n l e a s h i n g t e r r o r i n t h e minds of the people in Punjab

Snake discovered in mid day meal in WB school

S e v er al ki d s at a sc h o o l i n th e B irbh um regi o n of West Beng al rep orted ly becam e ill after eating a lunchtim e m eal, th at contained a snake The college and ho spital in Rampurhat m omentarily adm itted the stud ents

T h e i n c i d e n t t o o k p l a c e a t M a n d a l p u r P r i m a r y S c h o o l i n D h e k a a r e a o f M a y u r e s h w a r I I block where about 20 students ate t h e m i d - d a y m e a l , l o c a l s o u r c e s said There are 53 students in the school Villagers soon vandalised t h e h e a d m a s t e r ’ s c a r P e r s o n n e l from Mayureshwar police station rushed to the spot and rescued the headmaster

The assistants who served the midday meal discovered a snake in o n e o f t h e l e n t i l - f i l l e d p o t s Children who had already eaten had to be taken urgently to the

hospital as they began throwing up According to local accounts, all but one of the pupils was later released It is stated that the patient, who is still in the hospital, is safe “ T w o w o m e n w e r e c o o k i n g C h a m e l i B a g d i w a s s e r v i n g t h e food She saw a snake while serving lentils One or two of them had just put it in their mouth After they saw the snake, everyone was asked to stop eating,” headmaster Nimai Chandra Dey said

Book release halted by Court sighting comparisons with Tipu Sultan

A Karnataka court recently stayed the release of a b o o k a bo u t s eni o r C o ng res s l ead er S iddaramaiah A p etition d em anding a stay on the book, 'Sidd u Nijakanasugalu', was filed by S iddaramaiah 's son

According to sources, the book contains writings on the alleged misrule during the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government and his " a p p e a s e m e n t p o l i t i c s " I t a l s o r e p o r t e d l y h i g h l i g h t s c e r t a i n c o n t r o v e r s i a l a n d c o m m u n a l l y s e n s i t i v e i s s u e s a n d i n c i d e n t s linked to the former chief minister's tenure "I don't know, everything is yellow for those with a jaundiced eye Who wore the dress like Tipu ( 1 8 t h c e n t u r y r u l e r o f e r s t w h i l e M y s u r u Kingdom Tipu Sultan) and held a sword in their h a n d , i t w a s Y e d i y u r a p p a a n d S h o b h a Karandlaje Who wrote the foreword for Sheikh A l i ' s b o o k o n T i p u , i s n ' t i t d u a l i t y ? " Siddaramaiah asked, alleging BJP role behind the book

"Purposely to humiliate me ahead of the elections, they are bringing out a book It is totally defamatory I will see what is to be done legally," he added The posters about the book launch event slated at 3pm on Monday show c o p i e s o f b o o k s w h i c h h a v e a p i c t u r e o f S i d d a r a m a i a h w e a r i n g a n a t t i r e r e s e m b l i n g Tipu Sultan and holding a sword, on its cover

Jalebi Baba Amarpuri convicted guilty

in brief

PK SREEMATHI: FIRST KERALITE TO BE PRESIDENT OF AIDWA

Former Kerala Health Minister P K Sreemathi was elected as the new president of the CPI-M backed All India Democratic Women s Association (AIDWA) at the 13th national conference that concludes here later in the day Aside from former State Minister Susheela Gopalan, Sreemathi, a former Lok Sabha member from Kannur, is the first Keralite to hold the position of president of AIDWA Other representatives from Kerala include former State Health Minister and current CPI-M lawmaker K K Shailaja, former members of the Lok Sabha who are currently serving as the chairperson of the Kerala State Women s Commission P Sathidevi and Susan Koshy P K Sainaba and C S Sujatha and N Sukanya

GOLD SMUGGLED AFTER MIXING WITH CHOCOLATE CAUGHT AT INDIAN AIRPORT

Customs department officials seized gold worth ₹ 215 5 million including 211 grams of gold in powder form mixed with chocolate powder at Tiruchirappalli International Airport A passenger, who arrived from Dubai in an Air India s flight, was intercepted by customs officials during checking, officials said Officials found gold powder mixed with chocolate powder and ingeniously concealed in three chocolate powder containers On extraction 211 grams of gold of 24-karat purity was recovered they said The gold chains weighing 175 grams were also found in the check-in baggage of the passenger they said The total value of the recovered gold is estimated to be ₹ 215 5 million

TWO ARRESTED FROM KOLKATA FOR ISIS LINKS

Later

a different

phone “The

Thousands of dollars found in Gutkha pouches at airport

A man in Kolkata abo ut to board a flight to Bangkok, carrying a d uffle bag fu ll of Gu t kh a p o u ch e s, w as i nte rc ep t ed af ter c u s to m s o f fi c ia ls f o u nd 4 0 , 0 0 0 U S do llars in single and d ouble notes conc ealed i nsid e the pou ch es

The incident happened at Kolkata airport on Sunday night recently when Ganga S a g a r , a n I n d i a n n a t i o n a l , reached Kolkata to board a S p i c e J e t f l i g h t t h a t w a s s c h e d u l e d t o f l y o u t a t 11 55pm The passenger had p a s s e d t h e i m m i g r a t i o n check and was approaching t h e p r e - e m b a r k a t i o n s e c u r i t y c h e c k w h e n A i r I n t e l l i g e n c e U n i t ( A I U )

o f f i c e r s o f t h e K o l k a t a C u s t o m s D e p a r t m e n t i n t e r c e p t e d t h e p a s s e n g e r The officers had a tip off about a man illegally carrying foreign currency out of India a n d t h e s t a c k s o f G u t k h a s a c h e t s i n t h e c h e c k e d i n b a g g a g e r a i s e d t h e i r suspicion

A v i d e o o f a c u s t o m s official tearing the sachets showed neatly folded $100 b i l l s s e a l e d i n s i d e p l a s t i c s a c h e t s , a l o n g w i t h w h a t s e e m e d t o b e p a n m a s a l a powder The video showed the duffle bag stuffed with such sachets that apparently took customs officials several hours to finally get all the 100 dollar bills out of the bag

Police have arrested two men suspected to be terrorists allied to ISIS from Howrah s Tikiapara area Following a tip-off from a central investigating agency, a team of Kolkata Police's Special Task Force (STF) picked up the two from their hideout in Tikiapara's Aftabuddin Munshi Lane on a Friday night recently, a police officer said "Both of them are involved in spreading tentacles of the terror group in Howrah We are questioning them to understand more about their roles," the officer said He said the duo, one of whom was an MTech engineer, was in touch with ISIS functionaries in Pakistan and West Asia

TROUBLEMAKERS CHOPPED OFF MAN’S HAND IN KURUKSHETRA

Approximately 12 criminals attacked a man at a motel hacked off his hands and reportedly fled off with it The victim was identified as Jugnu a resident of Karnal According to intelligence when about 10 to 12 criminals arrived in two vehicles and attacked Jugnu, the victim was seated next to a girl The victim was rushed to LNJP hospital from where he was referred to PGI in Chandigarh Kurukshetra SP Surinder Singh Bhoria said: “Jugnu is free on bail He was taken into custody in 2020 in connection with a murder attempt case He had opened multiple fires on liquor contractor Sanju Rana in which Sanju had suffered bullet injuries The attack is thought to have been motivated by the same argument The CIA and cyber unit have formed teams We have got some strong leads, raids are being conducted and the accused will be arrested soon ”

PUNJAB

WEST BENGAL

P ri me Minis ter Narendra Mod i, App le CEO Ti m C ook, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, G oogle

Amarve er, 63, also k nown as Ja leb i Bab a Amar pur i 'B il lu,' of Fateha bad's Tohana, was found guilty of raping more tha n 100 wome n an d fil min g the cr imes by a fast-track special court J al eb i B a b a u se d th e cl i ps t o b l ac k ma il t h e wo me n in t o ex pl oit ing them again The Tohana City pol ice had b ooke d him on Jul y 19, 2019, when one of the videos went vira l in t he city

enquiry led the cops to at least 120 similar clips, each of

victim, and these had been shot with Amarveer's mobile

accused is a tantrik (occultist), who used to offer drugs in some liquid to the women It was alleged that he used to sexually exploit them Then, he used to blackmail these women to take money from them,” Bimla Devi stated to media

Gujarat government in action over Palitana protest by Jains in India

Palitana, located in Bh av nagar district, is associated w ith Jain relig i o n l eg e nd s an d histo ry A dinath the first of th e Jain T irthankar, is said to h av e m ed it ate d o n th e G ir i raj S h at ru nj ay h i ll , w h er e th e Palitana temp les were later constructed

Last month, some mischievous elements broke the steps and pole of the first Jain Tirthankar temple in Palitana Also, there are complaints of illegal alcohol selling and mining going on near the

charan paduka’ of a Jain saint was vandalised at a temple here

Thousands of members of Jain community have been protesting

Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Delhi seeking action against such antisocial elements who are responsib

d place and its surroundings G u j a r a t C h i e f M i n i s t e r B h u p e n d r a P a t e l S a t u r d a y announced an eight-member task force under the chairpersonship of

B h a v n a g a r D i s t r i c t C o l l e c t o r Y o g e s h N i r g u d e t o r e s o l v e t h e issues around the holy Jain pilgrimage at Palitana

The other members of the task force include Bhavnagar Range IG Gautam Parmar, Superintendent o f P o l i c e R a v i n d r a P a t e l , t h e D e p u t y C o n s e r v a t o r o f F o r e s t , land surveyor, district land office s u p e r i n t e n d e n t , a n d P a l i t a n a n a g a r p a l i k a c h i e f o f f i c e r T h e m e m b e r - s e c r e t a r y o f t h e t a s k force will be the Palitana sub divisional magistrate

Govt stopped construction projects as Joshimath rift grows

T h e U tta rak h an d g o v e rn m ent h al te d constru ction works in and ar o u nd J o s h i m at h , i nc lu d i n g p ro j ec ts b y th e Bord er Road s Organisation ( BR O) a nd th e Na ti o nal T h er m al P o w er C o r p o rat io n ( N T P C ) , A s p ro t es ts i nt ens i fi e s in J o s h im ath o v er g ro u n d subsidence that has resulted in fissures in at least 50 0 h o m e s a nd t h rea ten s to kn o ck t h em d o w n g re w mo re intense

Residents of Joshimath took out a procession and b l o c k e d t h e B a d r i n a t h Highway on last Thursday morning in an effort to get t h e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n t o d o m o r e , h o u r s b e f o r e c h i e f m i n i s t e r P u s h k a r S i n g h Dhami’s office said he will hold a high-level meeting on the issue on Friday

A c c o r d i n g t o a government assessment, 561 homes have cracks, an issue that appears to be spreading t h r o u g h o u t t h e t o w n b e c a u s e t h e e a r t h h a s exhibited signs of shifting, a c c o r d i n g t o o f f i c i a l s “ C u r r e n t l y , 5 6 1 d w e l l i n g s h a v e d e v e l o p e d c r a c k s , therefore we have created plans for temporary shelters b y d e s i g n a t i n g o v e r 7 0 spaces, including 7 halls and o n e a u d i t o r i u m w i t h a capacity for 385 people Each

ward has been visited by a t e a m f r o m t h e d i s a s t e r m a n a g e m e n t a u t h o r i t y t o a s s e s s a n y a d d i t i o n a l damage by keeping a careful eye on the situation,” said Chamoli district magistrate (DM) Himanshu Khurana

Later, officials said ban on construction work was ordered in and around the t o w n , i n c l u d i n g o n t h e BRO’s Helang Bypass and o n t h e N T P C ’ s T a p o v a n V i s h n u g a d H y d r o e l e c t r i c Project till further orders

Ram Temple will be ready by 1st January 2024, says Amit Shah

A yo dhya’ s Ram Temple will be read y o n Janu ary 1 , 2024 stated by Union h ome mini s te r A m i t S h a h w h il e add ressing a public rally in T rip ura He co nti nued by s ta ti ng th a t th e S u p re m e C ourt's decision on the case came after P rim e Minister N are nd r a M o d i as s um ed o ffice and that th e Co ng ress h a d be en o b st ru cti ng th e Ram Temple build ing case in co urts ever since Ind ia g ained its freed om

“The Ram Temple issue w a s b e i n g s t a l l e d b y t h e C o n g r e s s e v e r s i n c e t h e independence It was after w h e n P M M o d i c a m e t o p o w e r t h a t t h e S u p r e m e Court gave its verdict and the construction of the temple began the same day foll o w i n g a ‘ b h o o m i p u j a n ’ , ” S h a h s a i d a d d r e s s i n g t h e public

Shah recalled that while he was the president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2019, Rahul Gandhi, the president of the Congress at the time, used to ask about the dates for the temple's construction He urged all in attendance to get their tickets in advance because

"on January 1, 2024, sky high R a m T e m p l e w i l l s t a n d ready there" (Ayodhya)

Prior to the speech, the U n i o n m i n i s t e r l a u n c h e d the "Jan Vishwas Yatra" in a n e f f o r t t o b r o a d e n t h e B J P ' s s u p p o r t b a s e i n

T r i p u r a a h e a d o f t h i s y e a r ' s a s s e m b l y e l e ct i o n s H e b l a m e d t h e s t a t e ' s r o u g h l y t h r e e decades of Communist c o n t r o l f o r " v i o l e n c e , b o r d e r i n v a s i o n s , a n d drug trafficking "

"In its 50-year histor y , T r i p u r a h a s s p e n t m o r e t h a n t h r e e d e c a d e s under Communist government," he continued I want to just ask, the violence and t h e c a d r e - b a s e d r u l e t h a t w a s p r e v a l e n t i n t h e Communist time, is it seen today?

A c c o r d i n g t o Bhavnagar SP Dr Ravindra Patel, “ a p o l i c e p o s t h a s a l r e a d y b e e n s e t u p t o b o o s t t h e security of the Shetrunjay hills and safety of pilgrims The post has a l r e a d y b e c o m e o p e r a t i o n a l ”

According to Patel they have also detained some people who were involved in anti-social activities They have asked the court for the arrests of this people

A c c o r d i n g t o M a m t a L a l a n ,

social media influencer working on Jain causes, “Jain is a peaceful community For the first time in near history, so many people have taken to the streets to register their protest The protest even had children and aged people Even t h o s e f r o m o t h e r c o m m u n i t i e s have supported the protest ”

Indian army deploys largest women peacekeepers at UN mission

The Ind ian Battalio n of the UN Interim S ecurity F orce sent a company of female peacekeepers to the A byei region of Sud an (U NIS FA)

Since it sent the first ev er all - fe m al e c o nt in g en t t o L ib eri a i n 2 0 0 7 , th i s w as Ind ia's largest single unit of fe m al e p ea ce kee p er s i n a UN mission

P r i m e M i n i s t e r N a r e n d r a M o d i e x p r e s s e d h a p p i n e s s a t t h e I n d i a n Army deploying its largest c o n t i n g e n t o f w o m e n peacekeepers at a UN miss i o n " P r o u d t o s e e t h i s I n d i a h a s a t r a d i t i o n o f active participation in UN peacekeeping missions The p a r t i c i p a t i o n b y o u r N a r i S h a k t i ( w o m e n p o w e r ) i s even more gladdening," the p r i m e m i n i s t e r s a i d i n a tweet

He replied to an Army

t w e e t t h a t s a i d : " I n d i a n A r m y d e p l o y s i t s l a r g e s t c o n t i n g e n t o f w o m e n peacekeepers in the United Nations mission at Abyei, UNISFA The team will provide relief and assistance to women and children in one o f t h e h i g h l y o p e r a t i o n a l and challenging terrain conditions under the UN flag "

In 2007, India became the first country to deploy an all-women contingent to a UN peacekeeping mission T h e n e w l y e s t a b l i s h e d

police force in Liberia kept w a t c h a r o u n d - t h e - c l o c k , p a t r o l l e d t h e c i t y o f M o n r o v i a a t n i g h t , a n d a s s i s t e d i n e n h a n c i n g t h e c a p a b i l i t i e s o f t h e l o c a l force According to the press release, the Indian contingent, who consists of two officers and 25 Other Ranks, would be a member of an E n g a g e m e n t p l a t o o n a n d focus on community outr e a c h w h i l e a l s o c a r r y i n g o u t o t h e r s e c u r i t y - r e l a t e d duties

Modi flags off world’s longest river cruise

MV Gan ga Vila s, the world's longe st rive r cruise, wil l be fl a g g e d o ff b y P r i me Min ister Naren dra Modi in Varana si, usher in g in a n ew era of r iv er cr uise trav el for In d ia , a cc or di n g t o U n ion Min ister of Ports, Shippin g & W a t e r wa y s a n d A y us h Sarb ananda Sonowal

The opulent voyage will t r a v e l m o r e t h a n 3 , 2 0 0 kilometres along 27 different river systems in five different I n d i a n a n d B a n g l a d e s h i states With the introduction o f t h i s s e r v i c e , S o n o w a l c o n t i n u e d , r i v e r c r u i s e s

w o u l d f i n a l l y r e a c h t h e i r enormous latent potential

S p e a k i n g o n t h e occasion, the minister said, “ U n d e r t h e d y n a m i c l e a d e r s h i p o f P r i m e M i n i s t e r N a r e n d r a M o d i , w e a r e e x p l o r i n g t h e immense wealth that our

India-France to work together in fighter and submarine design and manufacturing

While

In addition to seeking a 100 percent technology transfer for its indigenous twin-engine fighter aircraft,

India is also developing and building next-generation, highly potent military and civilian engines for fighter and transport platforms Already, the Tata Group and Airbus have a manufacturing agreement for the C295 tactical transport aircraft in Vadodara, Gujarat In a partnership with France, this line will be extended into the production of further military and civilian aircraft

With Kalveri (French Scorpene) class submarine line to deliver its final submarine this year, India is looking towards France to continue the manufacturing line at M u m b a i d o c k y a r d s w i t h d i e s e l a t t a c k s u b m a r i n e s retrofitted with indigenous air independent propulsion (AIP) system for long endurance

r i c h r i v e r s y s t e m h a s t o o f f e r T h i s a v e n u e o f s u s t a i n a b l e development via inland waterways has received a tremendous boost as e f f o r t s t o a u g m e n t cargo traffic as well as passenger tourism has b o r n e f r u i t w i t h e n c o u r a g i n g r e s u l t s T h e MV Ganga Vilas cruise is a step towards unlocking the huge potential river tourism in the country has to offer Our rich heritage will get further transcended in the global stage as tourists will be able to experience t h e s p i r i t u a l , t h e e d u c a t i o n a l , t h e w e l l being, the cultural as well a s t h e r i c h n e s s o f t h e biodiversity of India From K a s h i t o S a r n a t h , f r o m Majuli to Mayong, from Sunderbans to Kaziranga, t h i s c r u i s e p a c k s a n experience of a lifetime

T h i s i n i t i a t i v e i s t h e beginning of a new era in r i v e r c r u i s e t o u r i s m i n I n d i a a n d s t r e n g t h e n i n g o u r g o v e r n m e n t ’ s

commitment to enable Act East, both through policy and practice ”

Amit Shah

Thestory of a small-town girl making a global impact has always been inspiring. Viidhii Upadhyay, 29, who hails from Rajkot in India’s Gujarat state is someone who is doing it right.

Gujarati Girl makes it big in the world of music

featuring 100

250

a c r o s s t h e p l a n e t i a c h i e v i n g s o m e o f t h h i g h e s t h o n o u r s T h s o n g t h a t w a s w r i t t e n c o m p o s e d a n d s u n g b V i i d h i i h a s n o w b e e r e c o g n i s e d b y t h Guinness Book of Wor R e c o r d s f o r ‘ M o l a n g u a g e s f e a t u r e d o n m u s i c s i n g l e ’ a f r e c o g n i t i o n b y t h e I n B o o k o f R e c o r d s & A Book of Records Accord to Viidhii, “We Are One G l o b a l A n t h e m f o r P e

o c a t i n g t h e m e s s a g e o f udhaiva Kutumbakam’ It is effort to remind every global zen to acknowledge and ebrate the oneness we all a r e a s H u m a n i t y ” V i i d h i i eams of performing the song the United Nations, G20 mmit and World Expos Viidhii has received music n h e r e d i t y f r o m h e r u s i n e s s m a n F a t h e r M r h a i l e s h U p a d h y a y a , w h o h i m s e l f i s a M u s i c i a n V i i d h i i ’ s f i r s t T e l e v i s i o n as on Doordarshan at the age

Jaipur Literature Festival 2023 to feature women of repute and substance

Celebrating

of writing This

panel of speakers will feature authors Emily Perkins, Eugenia Kuznetsova, Ana Filomena A m a r a l a n d T a d h g M a c D h o n n a g á i n i n conversation with writer Saskya Jain This panel will discuss the socio-cultural and p o l i t i c a l i m p l i c a t i o n s o f w r i t i n g w i t h a feminine gaze at the session

The International Booker Prize winner Geetanjali Shree along with translator Daisy R o c k w e l l w i l l b e i n c o n v e r s a t i o n w i t h S a h i t y a A k a d e m i Y u v a P u r a s k a r w i n n e r

Tanuj Solanki Philanthropist and writer Sudha Murty is an inspirational figure who has brought culturally oriented children’s literature to the centre stage of discussion At another literary session, writer, publisher and Festival Co-Director Namita Gokhale w i l l b e i n c o n v e r s a t i o n w i t h j o u r n a l i s t Mandira Nayar for an insightful discussion on Gokhale’s life which has been woven around books her own and those written by others

One of India’s leading pop icons and playback singers, Usha Uthup has enthralled listeners for generations In his evocative Hindi biography, The Queen of Indian Pop: The Authorised Biography of Usha Uthup, t r a n s l a t e d i n t o E n g l i s h b y h i s d a u g h t e r , S r i s h t i J h a , V i k a s K u m a r J h a c a p t u r e s Uthup’s colourful and inspiring career

A session titled ‘Lata ji - A Life In Music’ w i l l f e a t u r e c e l e b r a t e d p o e t , m u s i c a n d c i n e m a s c h o l a r Y a t i n d r a M i s h r a i n conversation with translator and writer Anu Singh Choudhary A t a s e s s i o n , a w a r d - w i n n i n g a u t h o r

Independence, which focuses on a moving tale of three sisters and their individual yet intertwined experience of the Partition of 1947

A session titled ‘Women and Work’ will feature authors Shaili Chopra, Minnie Vaid and former IFS officer and Ambassador Lakshmi Puri in conversation with the UN W o m e n C o u n t r y R e p r e s e n t a t i v e S u s a n Ferguson

Author of Spy Princess: The Story of N o o r I n a y a t K h a n , S h r a b a n i B a s u a n d author of Lonely Courage, Rick Stroud, will be seen at a session discussing the eventful life of Noor Inaayat Khan, a descendant of Tipu Sultan, who was the only Asian secret agent in Europe in World War II, and the first woman wireless operator to be flown into occupied France during the War

At the Festival, a session will feature a w a r d - w i n n i n g j o u r n a l i s t a n d a u t h o r

Nilanjana Bhowmick and Deputy Country Representative, UN Women India, Kanta S i n g h f o r a d i s c u s s i o n o n B h o w m i c k ’ s recent book Lies Our Mothers Told Us: The Indian Woman's Burden The book focuses on a story of countless Indian women who have fought for and won equal rights in multiple areas since the 19th century On p a p e r , i t w o u l d a p p e a r t h a t t h e circumstances and situations for a woman of the 21st century have vastly improved H o w e v e r , i n r e a l i t y , t h e d e m a n d s o f capitalism and the persistence of patriarchy have meant that they continue to lead lives that are hard and unequal

of just 3 years So far she

classical Music (Vocals) but also an expert in playing t h e g u i t a r , p i a n o , k e y b o a r d , d j e m b e , m e l o d i c a , d h o l , d h o l a k , d u f f a n d o t h e r p e r c u s s i o n s S h e h a s p e r f o r m e d a n d represented India at Dubai Expo 2020 and Global Village Dubai

According to her mother Mrs Bharti Upadhyaya, “As a child, Viidhii used to make s o n g s o n a n y w o r d w e g a v e h e r spontaneously This was as early as she started to speak We were amazed by her talent and have encouraged her since then After taking formal training in Rajkot, she has also attended several courses in Mumbai including Diploma in Music Production So far she has released 9 original songs ”

British South Asian history has all too often been overlooked in our education systems

Shefali Saxena

Manchester M useum will be the first-ev er museum to hav e a perm anent S outh Asia g allery in the U K, as a part of a landm ark partnersh ip with th e British Museum The gallery w ill bring forth d iverse h istories and experiences of the Sou th A sian diaspora living in Manchester and will g enerate new ideas, ev ents, performances, learning and public program mes in the m useum C urated by Nusrat A hmed, and co -cu rated with The South Asia Gallery C ollective, a gro up of 30 inspiring individ uals includ ing com munity leaders, educators, artists, historians, jo urnalists and mu sicians, the gallery will be a celebratio n of th e contribu tions of the South Asian com munity in the U K Th e new S outh Asia Gallery will be the UK's first p ermanent space d edicated to th e lived experience of the S outh A sian comm unity

Azraa Motala, based in Leicester and Preston, has been exhibiting her work across the country since 2014 Her selfportrait, I Beg You to Define Me, is a powerful commission that will explore what it means to be British Asian today, in British Asian space

Speaking to Asian Voice, Azraa said: “British South Asian history has all too often been overlooked in our education systems and cultural institutions Resulting in the underrepresentation and misrepresentation of British South Asians in politics, media, arts and culture The new South Asia Gallery at Manchester Museum fills this gap and offers much-needed space to express, share, learn and connect with our heritage It has been uniquely cocurated by a Collective of 30 individuals, which has allowed for self-authored representation The gallery disrupts political rhetoric and the narrative of “otherness”, instead shining a light on the rich stories and experiences of the South Asian diaspora past and present ”

Only 8% of UK artists come from working-class background

A new stud y m aking waves in th e U K finds that people fro m lo w-incom e backgrounds a re les s l ik el y to be co m e ar ti st s Ne w research, however, find s that there are half a s m any cr ea ti v es fr o m w o rk in g - c las s backg rounds in th e U K now (about 8%) than there were d uring the sup posed “ g olden age o f mo bility” in the decades following World War II According to Arts Hub, the find ing s, p ublished last month in the journal of the B riti sh S o ci o log i cal Fo u nd ati on , m ay be c au s e fo r ala rm , b u t t h e re se arc h a ls o d eb un ks th e m yth o f a “ g o ld e n ag e ” a lt o g eth e r T h e r el ati v e ch a nc e o f a w o rki ng- class p erso n entering a creati ve field has no t chang ed Rather, there are fewer working-class people in the UK as a w hole, and the chances of attaining a career as an artist, writer or actor hav e stayed the same: not so great

‘Overall, people from the higher middle classes are four times more likely to be in a creative job than people from the working class, and this hasn’t changed over 40 years, ’ A n d r e w M i l e s o f t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f Manchester, lead author of the paper, told Hyperallergic

On a very cold British afternoon, I was transported back to the warmth and sights and fragrance of a Gujarati afternoon by the lake in Jamnagar All of the musicians are masters of their craft and the enjoyment w i t h w h i c h t h e y p l a y e d w a s e v i d e n t B h a v i k ' s s i n g i n g w a s s o l y r i c a l a n d e x p r e s s i v e t h a t e v e n t h o u g h w e s p e a k d i f f e r e n t l a n g u a g e s t h e m e a n i n g o f t h e songs was clear,” said Julia Havis, Trustee, of Colchester Arts Centre

Viidhii’s Original Song ‘We Are One’

official global languages from

countries, islands and dependencies

has rendered her voice as a Playback Singer in 4 Movies and 6 TV Serials and Web series Viidhii is not only a Gold Medalist in Indian

Singer-Composer-Writer Viidhii Upadhyay enters Guinness Book with her song 'We Are One' featuring 100 Global languages

by: Nischal Sanghavi

T he iconic Jaip ur Literature Festiv al is all set to run from 19th - 23rd January 20 23 at Hotel C larks A mer, Jaipur T his year, at its 16th edition, the Festiv al will showcase a range of w omen w riters and th eir exem plary works

women writers, there is a session that will discuss how one captures the life of a woman in a piece

Kishwar Desai will be in conversation with bureaucrat and IRS officer Nirupama Kotru, where they will discuss Desai’s book The Longest Kiss: The Life and Times of Devika

Kishwar Desai

Shrabani Basu

Sudha Murthy

Photography by Manchester Museum

Roots & Changes Live will be presented by Bhavik Haria at Harrow Arts Centre on January 29 A contemporary bhajan concert melding Indian and western influences to c

a n e c l e c t i c s o u n d T h e s h o w i s musically directed by Kaykay Chauhan and features some of the UK s finest musicians

your winter diet

osu re on certain days, the level o f Vitamin D may also go down cau sing mo od s wings and anxiety

One of the best ways to tackle these winter woes would be to improve your d i e t a n d a d d t h e r i g h t n u t r i e n t s f o r b e t t e r i m m u n i t y a n d m o o d I r o n r e g u l a t e s b o d y t e m p e r a t u r e , z i n c provides protection from the cold, and Vitamin C boosts immunity and protects against seasonal illnesses In this article, we discuss must-have nutrients in your diet for winter

I ron

It helps to regulate body temperature during winter and also helps maintain healthy skin, hair, and cell growth apart from maintaining hemoglobin You can add honey, green leafy vegetables, dry fruits and seeds, fortified foods, jaggery, b e e t r o o t , s p i n a c h , b r o c c o l i a n d pomegranate to your diet

Calc ium

Our physicians have all advised us to a d d c a l c i u m s o u r c e s t o o u r d i e t s , especially as growing kids The body

needs calcium to build and maintain strong bones Your heart, muscles and nerves also need calcium to function p r o p e r l y S o m e s t u d i e s s u g g e s t t h a t c a l c i u m a n d V i t a m i n D m a y h a v e benefits beyond bone health Include green leafy vegetables, milk and milk products, dry fruits and seeds, and soya products in your diet to intake your calcium sources

Zinc Research has shown that taking zinc within 24 hours of the first sign of a cold can reduce the duration of the cold It is the most essential mineral that needs to be included in your winter diet because zinc contains more than 300 enzymes that help repair wounds and maintain g r o w t h i n c h i l d r e n a n d f e r t i l i t y i n a d u l t s A d d a l o t o f t o f u , l e n t i l s , chickpeas, oats, and wheat germ to your diet

Folic Acid

Folic acid is essential for proper cell growth It is also referred to as folate or vitamin B9 It is especially important for pregnant women or women trying to conceive The best sources for folic acid are spinach, beetroot, broccoli, mustard greens, orange, banana, and eggs Vitami n C

N a t u r e ’ s i m m u n i t y b o o s t e r , i t i s present in a number of seasonal vegetables and fruits Consume Vitamin C to ward o f f c o l d , c o u g h a n d o t h e r s e a s o n a l diseases Drinking a glass of warm water with lemon juice may help you boost Vitamin C levels in the body Consume carrots, beetroots, citrus fruits, green leafy vegetables, tomato, and kiwi fruits

Vitami n A

An antioxidant, Vitamin A supports t h e h e a l t h o f b o n e s , t e e t h a n d s o f t t i s s u e s I t a l s o s u p p o r t s t h e i m m u n e system's health by maintaining the body’s n a t u r a l d e f e n c e s I t i s a b u n d a n t i n spinach, carrot, apricot, sweet potato, pulses, and tomato

Vitami n D

T h e s u n s h i n e v i t a m i n m a y b e depleted in the boy during winter It is absolutely essential to consume it with your food Add dairy products, soya milk, and orange juice to your winter diet

Mediterranean diet good for fertility

The Me dite rra nea n diet ha s lon g bee n c o mm e n d e d f or it s m u lt i p le h e a lt h a d v a n t a g e s I t i s n ow c o mm o n l y a p p r o a c h e d b y c o up l e s t r y in g t o conceiv e, with e viden ce sugge sting it m a y a ls o a id i n t h e t r e a t m e n t of i n f e r t i li t y C a r r i e d o u t by M o n a s h U n i v e r si t y , t h e U n iv e r si t y o f t h e Sun shin e Coast, an d the Un iv ersity of Sout h Austra lia , t he r evie w discov ere d t h a t t h e M e d i t e r r a n e a n d i e t ca n e nhan ce ma le sperm quality , fert ility , a nd t he succe ss of assist ed r eprod uct iv e t echnology (AR T)

Researchers identified that the antii n f l a m m a t o r y p r o p e r t i e s o f a M e d i t e r r a n e a n d i e t c a n i m p r o v e c o u p l e s ’ c h a n c e s o f c o n c e p t i o n Infertility is a global health concern affecting 48 million couples and 186 million individuals worldwide UniSA

researcher, Dr Evangeline Mantzioris, said modifying preconception nutrition i s a n o n - i n v a s i v e a n d p o t e n t i a l l y effective means for improving fertility outcomes “Deciding to have a baby is one of life's biggest decisions, but if things don't go as planned, it can be very stressful for both partners," Dr Mantzioris said

T h e M e d i t e r r a n e a n d i e t i s p r i m a r i l y p l a n t - b a s e d a n d i n c l u d e s

Obesity is neurodevelopmental disorder

Obesity h as recently increased, affecti n g m o re th a n t wo b i ll i o n p eo p le w o rl dw id e Re s ea rc h e rs a t B ay lo r

College o f Medicine and collabo rating institu tio ns now th ink th ey kno w why and say we mu st shift the fo cus from o besity treatment to preventio n

The team reports in the journal S c i e n c e A d v a n c e s t h a t m o l e c u l a r m e c h a n i s m s o f b r a i n d e v e l o p m e n t during early life are likely a major determinant of obesity risk Previous studies in humans have hinted that genes most strongly associated with obesity are expressed in the developing b r a i n T h i s c u r r e n t s t u d y i n m i c e focused on epigenetic development Epigenetics is a system of molecular bookmarking that determines which genes will or will not be used in different cell types

"Decades of research in humans and animal models have shown that

environmental influences during critical periods of development have a major long-term impact on health and disease," said corresponding author Dr Robert Waterland, professor of pediatrics-nutrition and a member of t h e U S D A C h i l d r e n ' s N u t r i t i o n Research Center at Baylor The team conducted genome-wide analyses of both DNA methylation -- an important epigenetic tag - and gene expression, both before and after the closure of the postnatal critical window for developmental programming of body weight "One of our study's biggest strengths is that we studied the two major classes of brain cells, neurons and glia, MacKays said It turns out epigenetic maturation is very different between these two cell types ” "Our study is the first to compare this epigen e t i c d e v e l o p m e n t i n m a l e s a n d females," Waterland said "

whole grains, extra virgin olive oil, fruits, vegetables, beans and legumes, nuts, herbs, and spices Yogurt, cheese, and lean protein sources such as fish, chicken, or eggs; red and processed meats are only eaten in small amounts I n c o m p a r i s o n , a w e s t e r n d i e t c o m p r i s e s e x c e s s i v e s a t u r a t e d f a t s , r e f i n e d c a r b o h y d r a t e s , a n d a n i m a l proteins, making it energy-dense and lacking dietary fibre, vitamins, and minerals Typically, a western diet is a s s o c i a t e d w i t h h i g h e r l e v e l s o f inflammation

M o n a s h U n i v e r s i t y r e s e a r c h e r , Simon Alesi, says understanding the a s s o c i a t i o n b e t w e e n a n t ii n f l a m m a t o r y d i e t s s u c h a s t h e Mediterranean diet, and fertility could be a game-changer for couples hoping to start a family

Cells help treat resistance in prostate cancer: Study

Prostate cancer is th e most d iag nosed form of cancer and the second -lead ing cause of cancer-related deaths in males in the U S This is largely d ue to incom plete knowled ge of the cellular d riv ers beh ind the disease’s prog ression and the risk o f p ro g re s si ng t o ca st rat io n - res i st an t p ro s tat e c anc er (C RP C)

Scientists have described prostate cancer cell dynamics at a single-cell resolution throughout the course of the disease, from the first stages to the point of androgen independence, w h e r e t h e t u m o u r n o l o n g e r r e s p o n d s t o h o r m o n e restriction therapy Published in eLife, the study in mice reveals an expansion of intermediate cells in prostate cancer, which correlates with resistance to treatment and poor clinical outcomes in humans

T h e s e c e l l s a r e c a s t r a t i o n - r e s i s t a n t , m e a n i n g t h e y continue to grow without testosterone and could explain how prostate tumours become resistant to hormone-related treatments The prostate gland epithelium, a type of body tissue that forms the surface of glands and organs, is typically composed of two types of epithelial cells, basal cells and highly-differentiated luminal cells However, a more stemlike, castration-resistant intermediate of the luminal cells has previously been proposed

Alexandre Germanos, a Ph D candidate in Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Washington, US, and a graduate student at the Division of Human Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, US, said, “It has been suggested that normal luminal cells are able to transition onto these progenitor cells under castrate conditions There is evidence that these cells contribute to the initial development of tumours in the prostate and resistance to treatment in advanced cancers, although this is yet to be confirmed in other models of CRPC ”

Germanos and his colleagues used a mouse model of CRPC to create an “atlas of prostate cellular composition and evolution” throughout the disease Their findings suggest that a 5-gene signature derived from mouse prostate cancer models may be important in understanding human disease The p r e s e n c e o f t h i s g e n e s i g n a t u r e m a y s e r v e a s a u s e f u l p r o g n o s t i c t o o l f o r p r e d i c t i n g t r e a t m e n t r e s i s t a n c e a n d outcomes in patients The authors call for further studies to v a l i d a t e t h i s s i g n a t u r e s r o l e a n d i n t e r m e d i a t e - l i k e c e l l populations in individuals with prostate cancer

Lyme disease heightens suicide risk

In a ne w study , US and Danish rese archer s r eport that pa tie nts hospit alise d with Lyme disea se had a 28 per ce nt highe r ra te of ment al d isor der s an d wer e twice a s l ik e ly t o h a v e a t t e m pt e d suicide post-in fe ct ion compare d t o i n d i v id u a l s w it ho u t t h e diagn osis

A collaboration of Columbia University and the Copenhagen R e s e a r c h C e n t r e f o r M e n t a l Health, the study is believed to be the first large, populationb a s e d s t u d y e x a m i n i n g t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p b e t w e e n L y m e d i s e a s e a n d p s y c h i a t r i c outcomes The research appears in the July 28 online edition of t h e A m e r i c a n J o u r n a l o f Psychiatry

"It is time to move beyond thinking of Lyme disease as a simple illness that only causes a rash," said Brian Fallon, MD, MPH, a psychiatrist with the

a d

"In addition to the risk of severe c a r d i a c , r h e u m a t o l o g i c , a n d n e u r o l o g i c p r o b l e m s , L y m e disease can cause severe mental health problems as well ” Their analysis revealed that i n a d d i t i o n t o p a t i e n t s w i t h Lyme disease being at greater r i s k o f m e n t a l d i s o r d e r s a n d

suicide attempts, they also had a 4 2 p e r c e n t h i g h e r r a t e o f a f f e c t i v e d i s o r d e r s , s u c h a s depression and bipolar disorder, and a 75 percent higher rate of d e a t h b y s u i c i d e t h a n t h o s e without the diagnosis Although most cases can be cured with a two- to four-week course of oral a n t i b i o t i c s , 1 0 - 2 0 p e r c e n t o f patients may suffer from pain, fatigue, or difficulty thinking that lasts for months to years after treatment

T h e r e s e a r c h e r s s a i d t h e findings are emblematic of a trend in Lyme disease cases that should not be overlooked The Danish medical registry includes only psychiatric diagnoses made in a hospital setting, and it is l i k e l y t h a t t h e n u m b e r o f i n d i v i d u a l s w i t h n e w - o n s e t m e n t a l h e a l t h p r o b l e m s f o l l o w i n g i n f e c t i o n i s m u c h higher

N e w Y o r k S t a t e P s y c h i a t r i c I n s t i t u t e a n d C o l u m b i a U n i v e r s i t y w h o i s t h e l e

author of the paper, adding,

Alia, Ranbir urge paps to not click daughter’s photos

Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor fans are understandably excited to see first pictures of their daughter Raha However, the new parents have decided they are not ready just yet to reveal their baby’s face The couple, along with Ranbir’s mother, actor Neetu Kapoor held an informal meeting with the paparazzi over the weekend and requested them to follow a ‘no photo policy’ for Raha

A news outlet revealed that the actors “humbly uested all the photographers ” They were quoted saying, “We understand this is your profession and we all need you as much as you need us, but we request you to please not click Raha till she turns two ” They reportedly also assured the media that it’s not as if they want to keep their aughter hidden Ranbir and Alia are not the first wer couple to take on the no photo policy In the cricketer Virat Kohli and actor Anushka Sharma ed a statement requesting paps to not click their Vamika’s pictures a told the paps that if by chance Raha comes in frame, “please use a heart a heart emoji or vada pav or bhaiya, but don’t reveal her face ” Ranbir added, “Even in cars, when you zoom in and if at all you click her, please don’t circulate those photos This is till she grows and understands that whether she wants to give pictures of not I won’t object if you want to click our couple pictures ”

a c t , s h o w e d t h e p a p s on their phone Ranbir he first time he showed one outside the family ”

GO Meer Foundation donates and-drag case victim

Anjali was killed in the early hours of New Year after her scooter was hit by a car and she was reportedly dragged for over 12 kilometers under the vehicle on the city's roads Seven accused in the case are now in the custody of Delhi Police This isn't the first time that Meer Foundation come forward to help people In June 2020, the NGO pledged support to the child who pulled on his dead mother at Muzaffarpur railway station amid the migrant crisis that year Meer Foundation shared a picture of the child with his grandparents and said it will look after his well-being “#MeerFoundation is thankful to all who helped us reach this child, whose heartwrenching video of trying to wake his mother disturbed all We are now supporting him and he is under his grandfather’s care, ” the organisation had tweeted Shah Rukh had also written on Twitter then, “Thank you all for getting us in touch with the little one We all pray he finds strength to deal with the most unfortunate loss of a parent I know how it feels Our love and support is with you baby ”

Kangana Ranaut calls

‘Emergency’ a musical drama

Actor Kangana Ranaut shared some updates about her upcoming directorial ‘Emergency’. She took to her Instagram over the weekend, and posted a photo from the sets of the film also featuring choreographer Kurt M Calling the movie “a musical drama”, she said that the film has five songs Kangana also said that she “might just have the longest song ever above 10 mins ” K a n g a n a c a p t i o n e d t h e p o s t ,

"Choreographer on set today director can take it easy ha ha by the way we have five songs on Emergency; it s a musical drama (performing arts emoji) I don't know why people don't expect songs in Emergency I love music, I might just have the longest song ever above 10 minutes For interval block And great music @gvprakash ”

Reacting to the post, musician GV Prakash Kumar took to Instagram Stories and shared h e r p o s t H e w r o t e , " T h a n k s a l o t @kanganaranaut ji waiting for this amazing film to unveil soon ” Kangana recently wrapped up the Assam schedule of the period drama film ‘Emergency’ Taking to Instagram in November last year she also shared a string of pictures and wrote, "Some BTS stills from Emergency Assam

schedule " The movie also marks her first solo directorial film

The film revolves around the life of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and features Kangana in the titular role of the late politician The former prime minister had imposed an emergency in the country in 1975

Shooting for ‘Emergency’ commenced in June last year The film is directed, produced and written by Kangana Apart from Kangana, the film also stars Anupam Kher in the role of r e v o l u t i o n a r y l e a d e r J P N a r a y a n , S h r e y a s

Talpade as former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Milind Soman as Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, Vishak Nair as Indira's son Sanjay G a n d

Pupul Jayakar

O

‘Chandramukhi 2 ’ , the sequel to Rajinikanth's 2005 Tamil movie Apart from that, she will be next seen in ‘Tejas’, where she will be seen portraying the role of an Indian Air Force pilot The official release date of the film is still awaited She will also be part of another biopic, that of legendary theatre artist Noti Binodini Pradeep Sarkar will helm the film

I will never be him: Babil on comparison with father Irrfan

Late actor Irrfan Khan’s son Basil has launched his movie career with his web film ‘Qala’, and is determined to take his father’s legacy forward, which he says is more than just fame and stardom Basil said, “Baba’s legacy is not about acting, fame, stardom or anything as limited as this, it is about the essence of being human and the depth of that exploration. Baba’s legacy is not limited to me or his bloodline.”

The 24-year-old continues, “If your soul was moved by him in some way then the legacy lies in your arms too, we are all one big family and any person willing to w o r k o n t h e e v o l u t i o n o f t h e i r consciousness is working towards the same goal as baba The legacy lies with us all, let’s not limit it with a single person ”

Babil, who received rave reviews for his performance in his film, added, “I r e j o i c e w i t h h o w f o n d l y h e i s remembered and the love with which his life is celebrated rather than allow my ego to burden me with worries of that which is impossible I will never be him, or try to be because I am me and it would be a waste of a life to try to be someone else The whole point is to stay true to yourself against the adversities, your individuality is a gift ”

Opening up about losing his “best friend” in 2020, the actor said, “The love that we received after baba’s demise was so pure and I remember one very distinct statement that almost everybody had said to us which was “it felt like we ’ ve lost one of our own family member ”

“So when the loss was felt by people and his fans as personally as it was, it became important for me to give back to his fans, glimpses and slivers of his life that I possessed It was important for me to share his life with the people that felt like they had lost one of their own, a familial bond formed with his fans; ‘if you thought of him as a father too, then you can think of me as your brother’, a feeling of that sort Even after his death,

united us all,” shares Babil How does I r

he

Actor Shah Rukh Khan’s NGO, Meer Foundation, has donated to the family of the 20-year-old Delhi hit-and-drag case victim Anjali Singh A report published that the foundation came forward and donated an undisclosed amount to her family Singh lost her life in a hit-and-run that took place in Delhi’s Kanjhawala on New Year’s night Anjali was the family's sole breadwinner, consisting of her mother and siblings The Meer Foundation aims to help the family, especially the mother with her health issues while providing adequate relief to her siblings

Amitabh Bachchan’s apology over ‘horrible error” attracts sarcasm

Veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan faced some trolling on the internet over a “horrible error” he made while posting to Twitter He recently took to Twitter to apologise for mislabeling the ’T numbers’ on his posts

autam recalls being called out for role” in Hrithik Roshan’s ‘Kaabil’

“T 4515 – A HORRIBLE ERROR ! all my T numbers have gone wrong right from the last right one T 4514 ( this is correct ) everything after is wrong ” the ‘Baghban’ actor wrote “T 5424,5425,5426,4527, 5428, 5429, 5430 all wrong they should be T 4 5 1 5 , 4 5 1 6 , 4 5 1 7 , 4 5 1 8 , 4 5 1 9 4 5 2 0 , 4 5 2 APOLGIES !!,” he added

The internet had a number of hilarious and sarcastic reactions to the ‘Sholay’ actor’s post “Thanks for the clarification sir I was really worried as the order was wrong and due to that my balance sheet was not getting tallied,” a user wrote “Thanks for clearing this out sir I was unable to sleep,” another user wrote Another user wrote, “Market crash karegi Kal ab!” (Now the market would crash tomorrow!) Meanwhile, noting the wrong spelling of ‘apologies’ in Amitabh’s post, a user joked, “Sir, spelling of apologies is wrong, please correct it in T 4516”

O n t h e w o r k f r o n t , A m i t a b h w a s recently seen in the family entertainer film ‘ U u n c h a i ’ a l o n g w i t h A n u p a m K h e r , Parineeti Chopra and Boman Irani Helmed by Sooraj Barjatya, the film got positive responses from the audience He will be next seen in ‘The Intern’ along with Deepika Padukone and in a Pan India film ‘Project K’ alongside Deepika Padukone and Prabhas

In

a new interview, actor Yami Gautam said people once called her out for doing “cameo and small roles” in films Recalling her role in Hrithik Roshan-starrer ‘Kaabil’, she shared how journalists praised her years later despite writing something else for her earlier. She compared Bollywood with Hollywood in this aspect and said people tend to make a big deal of such things in India.

In the movie, Yami starred as Hrithik’s wife While her role was limited, it played a key part in the Sanjay Gupta film She said, “I was called out sometimes, ki acha inka toh cameo hai ya chota role hain (I was called out and being told ‘she has a cameo or a small role in films’) Kaabil, I think that’s another film that I am so glad, that I gotta be a part of that film But, some people thought, the audience loved it And now, when journalists interact with me, they be like ‘ you were so good in that film’

But, I say ‘ no but that’s not what you wrote back then’ ”

“I think it’s one of the few times when we should look at the west Waha pe bade se bade actors (In Hollywood even the biggest stars), they don’t shy away from doing roles and working with directors if they want to They don’t care They just c o m e a n d d o s o m e t h i n g a m a z i n g a n d leave Yaha pe we make it such a big deal,” she added S h e a l s o m a i n t a i n e d t h a t f i l m opportunities like ‘Uri’, directed by her husband Aditya Dhar, and ‘Bala’ remain important to her in the journey On the work front, Yami will next be seen in A n i r u d d h a R o y C h o w d h u r y ’ s ‘ L o s t ’ i n which she plays a Kolkata-based journalist She also has the Netflix film ‘Thor Nikal Ke Bhaga’ with Sunny Kaushal Besides this, the actor is also a part of Akshay Kumar-starrer ‘OMG 2 ’

FWICE seeks government protection against ‘Boycott Bollywood’ trend

The Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) has issued a statement regarding the ongoing 'Boycott Bollywood' trends and urged the government to help them The request comes after actor Suniel Shetty recently met UP CM Yogi Adityanath and sought help to curb anti-Bollywood sentiments In a long statement, FWICE said they strongly condemn the ongoing trend and called it “hooliganism.”

Seeking protection from the government, FWICE wrote, “The recent trend of “#Boycott Bollywood” has been affecting the producers and lakhs of workers working for the films and it has been seriously noted by the FWICE as it has r a i s e d a m a j o r s i t u a t i o n o f s u r v i v a l o f t h e common workers, technicians and the artists who are earning their daily bread from this industry ”

The statement also mentioned people who have been spreading anti-Bollywood sentiments It said, “A film is made with passion and dream of success However, these blooming dreams get shattered by such trends which are many times influenced by people believing in hatred and those who do not support peace, harmony and unity People have been barging into the theatres a n d t h r e a t e n i n g t h e p u b l i c a n d f o r c e f u l l y vacating the theatres There have been threats to

Families need to invest in women ’ s health: Vidya Balan

the producers and the lead actor/actresses They a r e a b u s e d o n s o c i a l m e d i a p l a t f o r m s w i t h filthy/vulgar language ” Without taking any movie name which faced s i m i l a r b o y c o t t c a l l s , F W I C E a l s o s a i d t h a t anyone objecting to a film and its content should write to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) which gives the ultimate clearance to a film instead of attacking theatres It mentioned, “ W e s t r o n g l y c o n d e m n t h e s e a c t s a n d t h e boycotting of any film which is already certified by the final cell of the Film authorities which is the CBFC Getting a film certified through the CBFC is itself an achievement as the film and the filmmakers are going through the entire process of certification The protestors of the film should thus follow the right channel and report their grievances against the film to the CBFC and other governing authorities rather than blindly coming up with such a destructive trend to blatantly boycott the entire industry ”

“FWICE stands strong in support of the producers who are creating films and generating employment to lakhs of people and help them to earn their living and survive with dignity We urge the government to intervene in the matter and stop this trend of ‘Boycott Bollywood,’” the statement read Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Pathaan’ faces boycott calls a f t e r s o m e p o l i t i c i a n s o b j e c t e d t o D e e p i k a P a d u k o n e ’ s s a f f r o n b i k i n i i n t h e f i l m s o n g ‘Besharam Rang’ The movie is set to release on January 25

“A woman derives such a large part of her identity from her body Yet we don’t want to acknowledge the body, we don’t want to acknowledge its desire and needs We don’t take adequate care of it Every woman must acknowledge every part of her body and nurture it,” the National Award-winning actor said

Vidya Balan said there has been a lot of change in society with education and awareness, “but still we have a long way to go ” “A small step will go a long way When a woman visits a gynaecologist, may be, she should insist her father, partner or son to come along,” she said “The more people see, the more they move forward and attitudes change,” the actor added

Actor Vidya Bayan believes families need to invest in the health of women for a progressive and successful nation The Parma Shri awardee also called upon every woman to acknowledge her body She said, “We keep talking about women’s health, but the onus does not lie just with her. If we want to be a progressive and successful nation, we must invest in the health of women.” The 44-year-old actor was speaking at the 65th All India Congress of Obstretics and Gynaecology in Kolkata last week.

*

MON 16 JAN - FRI 20 JAN 2022

6:00 DUKHDA KHAME EE DIKRI

9:00 SHUBH PRABHAT

9:30 SUR PRABHAT

10:00 DESHI BEATS

17:00 BHAKT GORA KUMBHAR

17:30 RASOI SHOW

18:30 SURI

19:00 JODE REJO RAAJ

19:30 MARU MAN MOHI GAYU

20:00 RASHI RIKSHAWALI

20:30 MOTI BAA NI NANI VAHU

21:00 SORATHNI MRS SINGHAM 21:30 GEETA

22:00 MARI LADKI RE

16:30

RASOI SHOW DESI FLAVOURS

17:30 KUMKUM NA PAGLA PADYA

18:00 BALIKA VADHU SEASON 1

19:00 AJNABI BANE HUMSAFAR

19:30 BHAGYA KA LIKHA

Nayanthara reveals she has “gone through” so much in the industry

Actor

Nayanthara recently opened up about her career of nearly two decades, adding that she has gone through “so much.” In a new interview, she talked about going through the good and bad phases adding that “everything is good now ” She also said that it isn’t “easy to be in the industry for 18-19 years ”

In an interview, Nayanthara said, "There is so much that I have learnt, so much that I have gone through, but it is all been nice Whatever mistakes I have made, the good and bad phases (I have been through), everything is good now It is all a learning experience It is not easy to be in the industry for 18-19 years, but the audience and God have been kind to me I feel blessed I don’t know how to put the whole thing together (in words) ”

Nayanthara and her husband-filmmaker Vignesh Shivan launched their production banner Rowdy Pictures in 2021 T h e y h a v e b a c k e d c r i t i c a l l y - a c c l a i m e d m o v i e s s u c h a s ‘ K o o z h a n g a l ’ , ‘ N e t r i k a n n ’ , a n d ‘Kaathuvaakula Rendu K a a d h a l ’ a m o n g o t hers

“My only thing is to try and make good films, whether it is us p r o d u c i n g o r b u y i n g the film or me acting i n a f i l m W e w a n t good films to reach the audience For me, it is always about providing g o o d c o n t e n t a n d making decent films If you are honest to your

SATURDAY 21 JAN 2023

6:00 KAYADO

9:00 SHUBH PRABHAT 9:30 SUR PRABHAT

10:00 DESHI BEATS

17:00 BHAKT GORA KUMBHAR 17:30 RASOI SHOW

18:30 SURI

19:00 JODE REJO RAAJ

19:30 MARU MAN MOHI GAYU

20:00 RASHI RIKSHAWALI

20:30 MOTI BAA NI NANI VAHU 21:00 SORATHNI MRS SINGHAM

21:30 GEETA

22:00 MARI LADKI RE SUNDAY 22 JAN 2023

12:00 Dhaakad 15:00 MARI LADKI RE 17:00 RASOI SHOW 20:00 RASHI RIKSHAWALI 22:00 MOTI BAA NI NANI VAHU

17:30 KUMKUM NA PAGLA PADYA 18:00 BALIKA VADHU 19:00 AJNABI BANE HUMSAFAR 19:30 BHAGYA KA LIKHA 20:30 KAWACH MAMTA KA 21:00 DURGA AUR CHARU 21:30 SASURAL SIMAR KA 2 22:00 KITCHEN CHAMPION 2019 23:00 COMEDY NIGHTS WITH KAPIL SUNDAY 22 JAN 2023 16:30 RASOI SHOW-DESI FLAVOURS 17:30 KUMKUM NA PAGLA PADYA 18:00 BALIKA VADHU 19:00 ROCKETRY 22:00 KITCHEN CHAMPION 2019 23:00 COMEDY NIGHTS WITH KAPIL

craft, if you do your work well, it works The audience connects with you, they fall in love with you, they celebrate you, which becomes the biggest joy of life,” she added Nayanthara m a d e h e r d e b u t i n 2 0 0 3 w i t h t h e M a l a y a l a m f i l m ‘Manassinakkare’ Over the years, she ventured into other movie industries such as Tamil with ‘Ayya’ (2005), Telugu with ‘Lakshmi’ (2006), and Kannada with ‘Super’ (2010) She is known for her performances in films such as ‘Sri Rama Rajyam’, ‘Chandramukhi’, ‘Ghajini’, ‘Raja Rani’, ‘Aramm’, ‘Iru Mugan’, and ‘Netrikann’

On the work front, Nayanthara will make her Hindi debut this year with filmmaker Atlee s ‘Jawan’ The film also stars Shah Rukh Khan It is produced by Shah Rukh’s production company Red Chillies Entertainment ‘Jawan’ will release w o r l d w i d e a c r o s s f i v e l a n g u a g e s - - H i n d i , T a m i l , T e l u g u , Malayalam, and Kannada in theatres on June 2

Mohanlal set to have a cameo in Rajinikanth’s ‘Jailer’

Actor Mohanlal, who is gearing up to release his single character Malayalam film ‘Alone’ later this month, has been signed for a cameo role in Rajinikanth’s upcoming Tamil film

‘Jailer’ The Malayalam star is expected to join the sets over the weekend to shoot his portion This will be the first time Mohanlal will share screen space with Rajinikanth.

While the makers are yet to make an official statement, a source from the film’s unit has confirmed the casting “Mohanlal sir has been signed for a cameo appearance He will complete shooting for his portion over the weekend,” a source said Meanwhile, Rajinikanth will soon com-

m e n c e w o r k o n h i s d a u g h t e r A i s h w a r y a R a j i n i k a n t h ’ s f i l m , Laal Salaam’ He will b e s e e n p l a y i n g a n e x t e n d e d c a m e o i n he movie With ‘Laal S a l a a m ’ , A i s h w a r y a e t u r n s t o d i r e c t i o n after a gap of seven years The film, which is rumoured to be set against the backdrop of cricket and communism, stars Vishnu Vishal and Vikrant in lead roles

The project was launched with a pooja ceremony on November 5 Sharing pictures from the event, Aishwarya wrote on her Twitter page: “When your FATHER trusts in you When you believe GOD is by you MIRACLES happen in true After 7 long years The journey begins again with grateful and joyful tears (sic) ”

Grace is so not my thing: Samantha Ruth Prabhu

Actress

Samantha Ruth Prabhu poked fun at herself for taking training sessions to look graceful on screen in her upcoming film ‘Shakuntalam’ She said she could have gotten help from her pet Sasha had she be graceful The movie is based on Kalidasa’s play and features Samantha in the titular role

She shared a video of her pet lying on the couch and a picture of herself trying to be gracefu S a m a n t h a w r o t e o n I n s t a g r a “The toughest part of Shakunt was maintaining grace and posture while walking, talking, running even crying! And

SS Rajamouli’s ‘RRR’ continues to amaze movie-goers in the west during the film’s ongoing Oscar campaign The film screened at the TCL Chinese IMAX theatre on January 9 and the tickets for the show, which seats 932 people, were sold out in just “98 seconds.” Beyond Fest took to Twitter to describe it as a “historic” moment for an Indian film.

“ I t ' s o f f i c i a l a n d i t ' s h i s t o r i c

@RRRMovie sold out the @ChineseTheatres @IMAX in 98 seconds There has never been a screening like this of an Indian film before because there has never been a film like RRR b e f o r e T h a n k y o u @ s s r a j a m o u l i @ T a r a k 9 9 9 9 @ A l w a y s R a m C h a r a n

@MMKeeravani (sic),” their tweet read The screening takes place days before the Golden Globes 2023 and will be attended by SS Rajamouli, Ram Charan, Jr NTR, and com-

grace is sooo not my thing (laughng emoji) Had to take training sions for it! Should have taken a along clearly so not her thing either! She added the hashtag ‘like mother like daughter’

poser MM Keeravani

Fans reacted to the tweet with complete astonishment One of them called it an ‘unbel i e v a b l e m o m e n t ’ H i s t w e e t read, “This shows the recognition for RRR in the west This is a b s o l u t e l y u n b e l i e v a b l e ” A n o t h e r t w e e t r e a d , “ W o w This is just amazing Only SS Rajamouli can pull off something like this ”

‘RRR’, which grossed over 1000 crore worldwide during its theatrical run and was c e l e b r a t e d f o r i t s b r e a t h - t a k i n g a c t i o n sequences, has been wowing audiences in the west as the film has been re-released across the US as part of the Beyond Fest It is a fictional story set in the 1920s pre-independent era and is based on the lives of two real heroes and well-known revolutionaries – Alluri Sitarama Raju and Komaram Bheem While Ram Charan played Ram, Jr NTR was seen as Bheem

‘RRR’ show at Beyond Fest gets sold out in 98 seconds

PeeCee hosts the screening of India’s Oscar entry 'Chhello Show' at Isha Ambani's LA home

Global icon Priyanka Chopra hosted a special night for her industry friends in Los Angeles The official Indian entry for the 95th Academy Awards, "Chhello Show" (also known as "Last Film Show"), screening was held that evening. According to reports, the screening was attended by the voters who decide the Oscars nominations. Later it was followed by a dinner reception for members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Bhavin Rabari, the film's lead child actor, as well as the director Pan Nalin, the producer Dheer Momaya, and the Hollywood actor Karl Penn were all present at t h e L o s A n g e l e s e v e n t S h e a l s o t h a n k e d businesswoman Isha Ambani for lending her LA home for the movie screening

In her Instagram post, she said she was proud to s e e a m a z i n g I n d i a n m o v i e s g e t t i n g a g l o b a l recognition "The least I can do is always support the

industry that taught me all I know about my job So proud of the amazing movies that come out of Indian cinema ‘Chhello Show’ being one of the special ones Good luck team! Go get ‘em," she wrote in her post According to a media report, Chopra told the guests at the event, "I feel it's a really great time for our movies and I feel so great to be able to always be the shoulders for people from my country, from my industry Obviously Pan Nalin, he is one of the most prolific filmmakers from our country He made a movie that I love, 'Angry Indian Goddesses' I have been a fan of his since I watched that movie I was very excited to see the 'Last Film Show' that he made with Dheer Momaya, and Siddharth Roy Kapur who is not here I've done many movies with him He's also a producer of this movie So whether I knew them or not, I am a fan of 'Last Film Show' and those who have watched it will remember it

Ram Charan attends starstudded party in LA ahead of Golden Globes

Ram Charan is currently in Los Angeles along with his wife Upasana He was recently spotted at a star-studded event in the city, rocking a black and white outfit. Ram attended an awards season dinner hosted by Louis Vuitton and W Magazine. Celebs like Miranda Kerr, Michelle Yeoh, and Colman Domingo, among others, were seen at the party Pictures of the bash were shared online, with many praising Ram’s style

R a m l o o k e d d a p p e r a s h e a r r i v e d i n h i s b l a c k - a n d - w h i t e graphic T-shirt ensemble Sharing Ram's pictures from the LA bash, a Twitter user wrote, "Ram Charan looks sharp as he attends the Louis V u i t t o n x W M a g a z i n e a w a r d s e a s o n k i c k o f f p a r t y i n B e v e r l y Hills, California " Another person t w e e t e d , " R a m C h a r a n l o o k s dapper " Earlier, Ram was given a grand welcome in LA In a video posted on multiple Twitter and Instagram accounts, the actor was welcomed to an event, where a tika (mark) was put on his forehead as he stood surrounded by fans

At this year's Golden Globes, ‘RRR’ has been nominated in two

categories – Best Foreign Film, and the film's track Naatu Naatu has been nominated for Best Original Song Director SS Rajamouli and R a m ' s c o - s t a r J r N T R w i l l a l s o attend the awards ceremony with R a m M e a n w h i l e , t h e 9 5 t h Academy Awards nominations will be announced on January 24 The movie, which was released across the globe in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, a n d M a l a y a l a m l a n g u a g e s , h a d e a r l i e r s u b m i t t e d i t s e l f f o r c o n s i d e r a t i o n i n v a r i o u s O s c a r categories

Meanwhile, Ram and Upasana are expecting their first child The news was shared by members of their families last month "With the blessings of Shri Hanuman Ji w e a r e d e l i g h t e d t o s h a r e t h a t U p a s a n a a n d R a m C h a r a n a r e expecting their first child with love a n d g r a t i t u d e - S u r e k h a a n d C h i r a n j e e v i K o n i d e l a ; S h o b a n a a n d A n i l K a m i n e n i , " r e a d t h e statement from the families

Watching this film was such a party:

Jessica

Chastain reviews ‘RRR’

Hollywood actor Jessica Chastain is the latest celebrity to have watched SS Rajamouli's magnum opus ‘RRR’ The actor took to Twitter to express her reaction after watching the film, which has been creating wa the West, where been a huge commercial and critical success Last year, the film was rereleased in theatres across the USA.

Jessica Cha t o o k t o t h e blogging site Twitter and wrote, “Watching this film was such a party (red heart emoji) ” The actor also re-posted a video of the song Naatu Naatu from the m o v i e T h e a c t o r w o n a n Academy Award last year for her p e r f o r m a n c e i n ‘ T h e E y e s o f T a m m y F a y e ’ , a n d i s a l s o a m e m b e r o f t h e A c a d e m y T h e official Twitter handle of ‘RRR’ t h e n r e t w e e t e d J e s s i c a ' s t w e e t and wrote, "Jessica, you enjoying RRR made us happy (red heart emoji) ”

The movie is in the running for Best Film (non-English) at the BAFTA and Golden Globe 2023 The song ‘Naatu Naatu’ has been nominated for Best Original Song at the Golden Globes and was shortlisted by the Academy for B e s t O r i g i n a l s o n g ‘ R R R ’ h a s been on the lists of several best of the year lists from film critics worldwide, including in the US

e t e a m h a s b e e n p a i g n i n g f o r t h e film all throughout this current awards season with

‘Ponniyin Selvan’ lands six nominations, ‘RRR’ bags two in the Asian Film Awards

Thenominations for the 16th Asian Film Awards were announced last week While Mani Ratnam’s ‘Ponniyin Selvan 1’ has been nominated in six categories including best film, SS Rajamouli’s magnum opus ‘RRR’ also made it to two categories - best visual effects and best sound.

These are the only two Indian films that have made it to the nominations A tweet from Asian Film Awards read, “The press conference o f t h e 1 6 t h A s i a n F i l m A w a r d s h a s e n d e d successfully just now! The 16th Asian Film Awards will be held at 7:30pm on 12 March (Sunday) at the Hong Kong Palace Museum The nomination list for the 16th Asian Film Awards and the jury president was announced ” Mani Ratnam’s ‘Ponniyin Selvan 1 ’ , which grossed over 500 crore during its theatrical run, has been nominated in six categories – Best Film, Sreekar Prasad for Best Editing, Ravi Varman for Best Cinematography, A R Rahman for Best Original Music, Eka Lakhani for Best Costume Design and Thota Tharani for Best Production Design

breathtaking action sequences

Rajamouli’s ‘RRR’, on the other hand, has been nominated for Srinivas Mohan for Best Visual Effects and Ashwin Rajashekar for Best Sound It has emerged as one of India's most talked about films in 2022 It has

b e e n o n t h e l i s t o f s e v e r a l b e s t - o f - t h e - y e a r l i s t s worldwide The film’s team has been campaigning for the Telugu film in different countries amid the awards season

‘RRR’ was released last March in cinemas The film focuses on the lives of two real heroes and well-known revolutionaries – Alluri Sitarama Raju and Komaram Bheem While Ram Charan played Ram, Tarak was seen as Bheem

Alia Bhatt likes Hailey Bieber’s ‘ nepo baby’ photo, fuels debate

Bollywood

star Alia Bhatt has stirred up a new nepotism buzz on social media after she reacted to a picture of supermodel Hailey Bieber sporting a ‘nepo baby’ T-shirt Bieber recently stepped out wearing the controversial t-shirt amid the nepotism debate in Hollywood New York magazine recently released a cover story about the ‘Year of the Nepo Baby’, featuring actors like Dakota Johnson, Maya Hawke and Zoe Kravitz Hailey also comes from an influential Hollywood family and is often considered a nepo baby, and it seems like the model is proudly flaunting the tag

Hailey was seen stepping out in LA on Friday wearing t h e w h i t e t e e , a n d t h e pictures instantly got viral Instagram page Diet Sabya also shared the picture on their profile with the caption, “Own it ” As many flooded the comments section with mixed feedback, fans quickly noticed how Alia Bhatt liked the photo One user wrote, “Liked by Alia Bhatt hahaha,” while another added, “This gonna start a war ” Many also suggested Bollywood

star kids do the same, as one wrote, “Can’t wait to see Ananya or Shanaya c o p y t h i s i n t h e n e w season of TFLOBW ” A l i a B h a t t i s t h e d a u g h t e r o f f i l m m a k e r Mahesh Bhatt and actor Soni Razdan and is married to Ranbir Kapoor, who comes from the Kapoor clan The actor is criticised for being a nepotism product, even t h o u g h s h e h a s m a n a g e d t o o u t s h i n e h e r parents regarding her work

in brief India wins 1st ODI against Sri Lanka

Virat Kohli’s 73rd intl century leads Ind ia to 67run v ictory ov er Sri L anka in the first of their three match one d ay international series in Guwahati Kohli struck 113 ru ns, hitting 12 fou rs and a six in his 87-ball display He is only four short of Sachin T endulkar’s all-time record India ended their innings at 373-7 with Captain Rohit Sharma scoring 83 and Shubman Gill’s score of 70

I n r e s p o n s e , S r i L a n k a c a p t a i n D a s u n Shanaka struck unbeaten 108 while Pathum Nissanka scored a solid 72, but it didn’t prove enough chase the big total

IND won T20 series by 2-1 against SL, Axar Patel was became player of the series with 117 runs and 3 wickets

S u r y a k u m a r Y a d a v , h a d a s t u n n i n g performance against Sri Lanka in the third and final T20I of the bilateral series last Saturday in Rajkot He scored his third T20I century T20 series captained by Hardik Pandya has launched an all-out attack against the Sri Lankan bowlers to score a formidable total (228-5) in the 20-over match

Umran Malik breaks Jasprit Bumrah’s record

India's young fast bowler Umran Malik created history in the first T20 match against Sri Lanka The 23-year-old broke Jasprit Bumrah's record with his pace bowling at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai Umran has now become the in the Indian cricket history by bowling at a pace of 155 kmph during the game

Before Umran, Jasprit Bumrah had the record for bowling the fastest delivery for India His bowling velocity was 153 6 kph Umran has surpassed Bumrah and now tops the list of Indians to bowl the fastest deliveries

Odisha builds World’s Largest Hockey Stadium

“ B irs a M u nd a Ho c key St ad iu m ” the w orld's largest hockey facility w as inaugurated by C hief Minister o f Od ish a Nav een Pa tn aik T h e s tad iu m has th e hi gh est seating capacity and is recog nised by th e I nternatio nal Hockey F ederatio n ( FIH) T he Rou rkela faci li ty w ill h ost the Men's World C up Hockey, o rganised by th e FIH, along w ith K aling a S tadium in Bhubaneswar T h e to u r nam ent w i ll be h el d between January 13 and 29 T h e 1 5 , 0 0 0 - s e a t K a l i n g a Stadium in Bhubaneswar, owned b y O d i s h a , i s s u r p a s s e d b y a 2 0 , 0 0 0 - s e a t s t a d i u m H o w e v e r , both venues will work together to host the 15th edition of the Men's Hockey World Cup

The teams staying in Rourkela for their World Cup matches will be hosted in the Village, which has 225 rooms A total of 20 of the 44

T

R o u r k e l a T a k i n g a n o t h e r step in its support for hockey, the Odisha government on last Thursday announced an award of Rs 1 crore for each player if the Indian team wins the World Cup Hockey M en ’ s World C up 2023 is set to comm ence on 1 3 Jan

A premier hockey celebration was held on January 11, 2023 in Barabati Stadium, Cuttack, to mark the start of the Hockey World Cup 2023 in Odisha The FIH Odisha

H o c k e y M e n ' s W o r l d C u p 2 0 2 3 B h u b a n e s w a r R o u r k e l a i s scheduled to begin on January 13, 2 0 2 3 A s p a r t o f o r g a n i s i n g t h e tournament itself, an incredible, action-packed show that serves as an introduction to both the guest nations as well as India In doing so, the celebration is set out to c r e a t e a n i n c r e d i b l e d i s p l a y o f s h o w m a n s h i p , f e s t i v i t y , technology, and culture

I n d i a ' s o n l y W o r l d C u p triumph to date came 47 years ago i n t h e 1 9 7 5 e d i t i o n , w h e n t h e I n d i a n m e n ' s t e a m d e f e a t e d traditional rivals Pakistan 2-1 in the final in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Chetan Sharma appointed as Chief Selector again

The Indi an c ric ket b oard ( BCCI) ha s r e ap po i nt e d C he t a n S ha r ma a s th e c hai rm an of se lec tor s for t he se ni or national team whi le letting go of the services of the rest of the earli er panel

Only Chetan Sharma and Harvinder S i n g h f r o m t h e p r e v i o u s c o m m i t t e e submitted a new application for the p o s i t i o n a f t e r t h e B C C I i s s u e d a n advertisement for all five positions in response to India's unsuccessful T20 World Cup campaign Sharma’s committee will now have former India opener Shiv Sundar Das, former India pacers Subroto Banerjee and S a l i l A n k o l a a n d f o r m e r T a m i l N a d u b a t t i n g s t a l w a r t Sridharan Sharath

As Das completed his first-class career at Vidarbha, he was chosen as a contender from the central zone Chetan was chosen as chairman despite having played the same amount of Tests as Sharma since he made his debut before Das and has previous experience in the position for two years

“The Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) comprising S u l a k s h a n a N a i k , A s h o k M a l h o t r a , a n d J a t i n P a r a n j a p e undertook an extensive process for selecting members The b o a r d r e c e i v e d a r o u n d 6 0 0 a p p l i c a t i o n s U p o n d u e deliberation and careful consideration, the CAC shortlisted 11 individuals for personal interviews,” BCCI secretary Jay Shah said in a statement

Sharma has been retained to preserve consistency while the board attempts to make a significant transformation, particularly in the T20I format Along with ODI and Test skipper Rohit Sharma, head coach Rahul Dravid, and NCA chief VVS Laxman, Sharma attended the recent review meeting Sharath is the first selector since Rajinder Hans, who served until 2016, to be the sole member of the panel who has never played cricket internationally

Lord Kamlesh Patel to step down as The Yorkshire County Cricket Club Chair

announced that Lord Kamlesh Patel will step d own as C hair at the Club’s next A nnual General M eeting

Governance Institute and working to achieve accreditation with the National Centre for Diversity

prestigious organisation

ARYNA SABALENKA CLAIMED HER 11TH WTA TOUR SINGLES TITLE

Second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka defeated qualifier Linda Noskova 6-2 7-6 (4) in the women s final of the Adelaide International to win her 11th WTA Tour singles championship and her first in over two years By doing so, she put a stop to the remarkable journey of the 18-year-old Noskova who had advanced to her maiden final by defeating Victoria Azarenka and third-seeded Daria Kasatkina in the main event Sabalenka didn't drop a set all week and seemed set for another comfortable win when she took out the first set But Noskova was much more competitive in the second, holding serve and putting pressure on Sabalenka s serve especially with her powerful backhand returns “I want to congratulate (Noskova) on an amazing week ” Sabalenka said Added I think you re going to have a great future and 100 percent appear in many more finals

J&K TO HOST KHELO INDIA NATIONAL WINTER GAMES

Officials stated that the ski resort of Gulmarg in Jammu and Kashmir s Baramulla district will host the third edition of Khelo India National Winter Games from next month According to reports the third edition will begin on February 10 and end on February 14 Around 2000 participants from across the nation will congregate in Gulmarg this year to compete in a variety of sports According to them, snow shoe races, ice skating, ice hockey, skiing, nordic skiing, snowboarding, ski mountaineering, and ice stock are the primary attractions Sarmad Hafeez, the secretary of tourism presided over a meeting at the civil secretariat in relation to the event's preparations Addressing the officers during the meeting, Hafeez said the games will not only promote sports activities in Jammu and Kashmir but will also go a long way in attracting the tourists, both domestic and foreign The secretary emphasized upon the government departments and private agencies to put in place all arrangements in advance for the successful conduct of event

INDIA’S ANAHAT SINGH WON U-15 BRITISH JUNIOR OPEN SQUASH TITLE

India s fast-rising squash player Anahat Singh won the girls under-15 division at the famous British Junior open in Birmingham The 14year-old defeated Sohaila Hazem of Egypt 3-1 in the championship match She was the youngest competitor from India at the 2014 Commonwealth Games The British Junior Open is held in January every year This year, it was held after a gap of two years due to COVID-19 In the quarter-finals, Anahat beat Harleen Tan of Malaysia 3-0 before blanking Malak Samir of Egypt 3-0 in the semi-finals

This was her third final at the British Junior Open Anahat had won the under-11 title in 2019 and placed second in the girls under-13 division the following year

MARY KOM

L

i n November 2021, has overseen a significant p e r i o d o f c h a n g e w h i c h c u l m i n a t e d i n i n t e r n a t i o n a l c r i c k e t r e t u r n i n g t o

Headingley

I n a p r e s s s t a t e m e n t , t h e c l u b s a i d , “Equality, Diversity and Inclusion has been at the heart of this change to ensure that Yorkshire Cricket is a Club for everyone Key changes have included offering a safe space for whistleblowers to report discrimination, i n t e g r a t i n g g o l d - s t a n d a r d g o v e r n a n c e processes under the guidance of the Good

“Important steps have also been taken to e n s u r e t h a t m a t c h d a y s a t H e a d i n g l e y , Scarborough and York are more inclusive and offer a friendly atmosphere for all Other key changes to the matchday experience at Headingley have included the introduction of a texting service to report discriminatory b e h a v i o u r c o n f i d e n t i a l l y , m o r e f a m i l yf r i e n d l y a l c o h o l - f r e e a r e a s a n d s e n s o r y rooms to offer a calmer space for those with sensory processing issues ”

L o r d K a m l e s h P a t e l , T h e Y o r k s h i r e County Cricket Club Chair said: “It has been an honour and a privilege to work for such a

“I have made the difficult decision to step aside at the next AGM and enable the Club to continue on its important journey of change under a new Chair

“I would like to thank those Members who have been hugely supportive of the changes that the Board have introduced at Headingley I would also like to thank the s t a f f a n d B o a r d M e m b e r s w h o h a v e a l l worked tirelessly during what has been a t r a n s f o r m a t i o n a l p e r i o d i n Y o r k s h i r e ’ s history

“There is still much for the Club to do, but I have the strongest faith that Yorkshire will be back at the pinnacle of English cricket for the long term ”

OUT OF WOMEN'S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

PULLS

Six-time world champion Mary Kom has announced that she will be pulling out of this year s boxing Women s World Championship due to injury The 40-year-old who has a total of eight medals from the World Championships, did not describe the injury, but she did say that she hopes to "recover quickly " The IBA World Championships will be held from May 1 to 14 this year in Tashkent, Uzbekistan "I will not be able to participate in IBA Women s World Championship 2023 due to injury I am trying to recover soon I hope we can get more champions from this championship I wish all the best to the participants," Mary quoted to media

Chetan Sharma

After successful win in T20 series, India bagged victory in the first ODI against Sri Lanka