AV 15th April 2023

Over 850 community and charity representatives invited to Coronation

Spiritual music feels like family, it’s our roots

F I N D I N G B E F R I E N D E R S

While a report suggests that we don’t tackle loneliness, by 2026 there will be 2 million people over 50 in England, finding befrienders for the elderly in the community remains a difficult task.

Shefali Saxena

The newsweekly has learned that there is not only a major crisis of adult social care in the British Asian community in the UK but there’s also a larger looming crisis of few to no befrienders for the elderly people. For instance, a British Gujarati family that has been s t r u g g l i n g t o f i n d a b e f r i e n d e r f o r a n e l d e r l y man over the age of 90 on o n l y s e l e c t e d d a y s o f t h e week has been unable to find a s u i t a b l e p e r s o n w h o c a n s p e n d t i m e w i t h h i m a n d h e l p h i m c o p e w i t h loneliness

Disregarding opposition, India announces dates for G20 summit in Srinagar

Don’t be complacent ahead of ’24, P M Modi tells B J P cadre

be the divider of

Malicious intent exposed: Community organisations and leaders demand to roll back the idea of APPG for Gujaratis

British Asians and British Indians, the c o m m u n i t y , v a r i o u s o r g a n i s a t i o n s a n d l e a d e r s a r e o u t r a g e d f o l l o w i n g t h e exposure of the malicious intent to divide the community.

They opposed the proposed launching of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on British Gujaratis and welcomed the stand of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar.

Continued on page 06

"Don’t

the British Indian Community"

L S E committee versus Karan Kataria

Lord Rami Ranger Lord Dolar Popat

with Keith Vaz K H USH SA I K I A

Khush Saikia is a n expe rien ce d Bea uty, Ae st hetics & Sk in Specialist

Her care er spa ns ov er 15 yea rs of wor king with lea ding professiona ls in t he bea uty an d a esthet ic industr y in the Un ited St at es of Ame rica , the Unite d Kingdom, a nd India

She has also been featured on IT V's 'This Morning Show' and was a presenter on QVC as a beauty specialist She was born in Mumbai and was raised in Florida, the beach is where she belongs

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

I am blessed to call three incredible countries my home I have always said I am an Indian by birth, American by heart, and British in spirit But New York is the one place that has always felt like home It’s got the perfect mixture of fashion, f inance, hustle and bustle, and culture

2) What are your proudest achievements?

Ju s t i n t h e p a s t fe w y e a r s , I h a v e employed around 62 team members across my salons in Florida and in London and month after month, year after year just making sure that I am driving the business forward to keep their jobs going, making sure their paychecks were never affected, ensuring that being a part of my organization is a stable and lucrative experience for them So many of them are doing wonderful things and opening their own businesses and they send me pictures of their own ventures and appreciate the experiences they have had with me and that means the world to me Keeping my word to my team members would be one of my proudest achievements

On a ver y personal front, at the age of 17, I beat 500 girls in Florida to be crowned ‘Miss Teen Orlando’ and I was also the f irst South Asian girl to win that After that, I was convinced that anything that I put my mind to, I can achieve I always live by the quote 'Yesterday's home runs do not win today's game' by Babe Ruth, so constantly tr y to move that graph of mine

3) What inspires you?

My biggest source of inspiration, believe i t o r n o t , h a s b e e n B o l l y w o o d a n d Hollywood movies and celebrities I remember when I was working towards my Political Science Degree, I watched 'Legally Blonde' a million times! Somehow that character kept me going When I experienced a low in business, the Bollywood movie 'Guru' helped me S o , m o v i e s a n d c h a r a c t e r s h a v e a l w a y s helped me And in daily life, I draw inspiration from ever yone around me It could be a staff member who wakes up at 5 am, cooks a 4-course meal for her family before she comes to work, or a client who juggles a high-pressure job and yet makes self-care a priority, or at the radio station our senior veteran presenters within the Lyca family who have been on the air for 25 years or 47 years and yet come early to do show prep and go on air like it’s their f irst time There is a gentleman who has been selling 'The Big Issue' magazine in the same spot ever y single day since 2014 in Chelsea, without fail he is there doing his thing earning an honest living in return for shelter There is inspiration ever ywhere

More foreign doctors join NHS

Ministers have been urged to bo o s t m e d i ca l s c h o o l places after f igures rev ealed that m ore foreign d oc to rs j o in ed th e NHS las t ye ar than th e number of medical stu d ents w ho enrolled o n courses

essar y grades and the need for trainees is estimated at between 5,000 and 11,000 more per year

4) What has been biggest obstacle in your career?

Finance!! Finance!! Finance!! Any business owner will echo my sentiment Life as an entrepreneur is like being in a video game - things are constantly being thrown at you from several different directions You get over one obstacle and the next one is ready to charge at you Covid has also changed the ser vice industr y and life, in general, a lot

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

The biggest influence in my career has been my father He has been my unbiased, practical, and supportive sounding board no matter what I do or how I have decided to spread my wings Also, my mother, who we sadly lost when I was young She was a flight attendant with Air India for 30 years at the time of her death A true independent modern woman

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

Any radio presenter will tell you that the thrill of going on air ever y single day, interacting with listeners, and bringing something new to the table with each show is so special So, I guess, the best part would be that it forces you to reinvent yourself almost ever y single day

7) And the worst?

The worst for me would be the lack of time! I am constantly having to choose b e t w e e n b e i n g a n a e s t h e t i c i a n / b u s i n e s s owner and being available at media events for Lyca I wish I could clone myself at times But thankfully I have managed to create a life where I can do two things, I absolutely love 1) Being a radio presenter 2) Being an aesthetician

8) What are your long-term goals?

Long-term goals will always forever have radio as a part of my life I am also launching my own government-recognised beauty and aesthetic courses and somehow want to use the platform to help more females start a new career and become f inancially independent and live the life they dream of

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

Oh, I have so many plans!! I genuinely think that even in this day and age, women are not fully independent I know so many women that are talented, powerful, and productive, and yet are not f inancially independent so personally, I would do something that encourages more women towards this goal Also, I think education and immigration are ver y closely interlinked for international students I would tr y to make sure no one who wants an education is left behind because of immigration issues It’s something I personally suffered , paying extortionate international student fees in my early years in the USA and tr ying to balance f inance and studies at the same time

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

Ok so if I had the hypot h e t i c a l o p p o r t u n i t y t o b e marooned on an island ever, I really would like to just be myself But one historical f igure I would have loved to soak up all the wealth of life and its ways would be Her Majesty The Queen Her role in histor y is unquestionably extraordinar y

Fo r e i g n c i t i z e n s m a d e up 46 per cent of all doctors joining the NHS in England in 2022, according to the late s t h e a l t h c a r e w o r k fo r c e statistics A total of 12,148 doctors joined from abroad compared with 13,516 British doctors last year The vast majority of those recruited from overseas 10,193 w e r e f r o m o u t s i d e t h e European Union Re s e a rc h b y t h e t h i n k

tank Migration Watch UK found that the total of foreign doctors was 73 per cent higher than the number of B r i t i s h s t u d e n t s w h o enrolled to train as doctors in England’s medical schools in 2022-23

In the same year, universities rejected 10,000 medical school applicants owing to the government’s strict cap on funding Many applicants had achieved the nec-

Me d i c a l s c h o o l p l a c e s are capped in each part of the UK with “intake targets” used to limit recruitment in light of the signif icant specialist resources and stang t h a t c o u r s e s r e q u i r e I n England, places are capped at about 7,500 per year

The increasing numbers o f o v e r s e a s r e c r u i t s c o mpared with the sluggish pace o f m e d i c a l s c h o o l e n r o lments suggests that within t h e n e x t fe w y e a r s , t h e m a j o r i t y o f n e w d o c t o r s joining the NHS will come from outside the UK

L argest child sex abuse investigation finds 21 guilty

In one of the largest child sex abuse cases to be i nvestigated by West M i dl and s Poli ce, a total of 21 people have been foun d g uilty

Seven victims, aged up to 12, were abused over almost a d e c a d e i n t h e Wa l s a l l a n d Wo l v e r h a m p t o n a r e a s T h e fo r c e s a i d t h e “ s h o c k i n g ” offences were exposed after doctors made a safeguarding referral for a child After several trials, 13 people were jailed, while four more face sentencing I n t h e f i r s t t r i a l M a r k Smith, 34, was sentenced to 19 years while James Evans, 38, was convicted of 20 offences

and jailed for life Also convicted were Kirsty Webb, 36, jailed for ten years; Tracey Baker, 41, jailed for 16 years; David Baker, 41, jailed for 21 y e a r s ; Pa m e l a Ho w e l l s , 5 8 , j a i l e d fo r s e v e n y e a r s ; L e e

Webb, 40, jailed for six years; Ann Marie Clare, 43, jailed for eight years; Luke Baker, 22, jailed for two years and four m o n t h s ; D a v i d Ev a n s , 7 2 , j a i l e d fo r t h r e e a n d a h a l f years; Philip Wellington, 50, jailed for nine years; Natalie Wellington, 44, jailed for 17 ye a r s ; a n d Ja s o n Ev a n s , 2 5 , jailed for two years and a half years Dean Webb, 35, was given

a super vision order, as was Jane Evans, 71 Stephen Webb, 65, was given an absolute disc h a r g e fo r h e a l t h r e a s o n s Ry a n Ev a n s , 2 3 , r e c e i v e d a c o m m u n i t y o r d e r Na t a s h a Webb, 37, who gave evidence for the crown, is to be sentenced at a later date while M a t t h e w Ev a n s , 3 2 , Jo h n Griths, 66, and Violet Griths, 6 6 , w i l l b e s e n t e n c e d n e x t month

Met’s biggest purge in 50 years

Hu n d red s o f o ff i c ers a re being sacked , suspend ed or placed on restricted duties in the Metropolitan Police’s bigg est p urg e in 50 years

Si r M a r k R o w l e y, t h e

Me t c o m m i s s i o n e r, h a s diverted dozens of off icers from tackling terrorism and o r g a n i s e d c r i m e i n t o t h e Directorate for Professional Standards (DPS) to “ remove the cancer from the body”

Rowley also announced plans to block almost ever y would-be recruit who has a criminal caution or conviction after 161 off icers in the ranks, or one in 200, was found to have committed offences That included sex offenders and off icers with convictions for drugs, violence and dishonesty

T h e b i g g e s t a u d i t i n

policing histor y, prompted b y a s e r i e s o f s c a n d a l s i n c l u d i n g t h e a b d u c t i o n , rape and murder of Sarah Everard by a Met off icer, has uncovered nearly 200 more off icers who are feared to pose a serious risk

I n h i s s i x m o n t h s o f heading the Met, Rowley has nearly doubled the number of gross misconduct cases to 150, increased dismissals by 70 per cent to 51 off icers, m o r e t h a n d o u b l e d t h e number of suspended off i-

cers to 144, and placed 71 on restricted duties He is also setting up a panel, the f irst of its kind, to dismiss off icers who fail re-vetting procedures Rowley said that it w a s t h e b i g g e s t c l e a r- o u t s i n c e t h e 19 7 0 s w h e n Si r Robert Mark broke up the Met’s corrupt crime squads Rowley, who took over a s c o m m i s s i o n e r i n S e p t e m b e r, s a i d : “A s I’ v e s a i d f r o m d ay o n e , w e ’ r e going to lift the stone, confront these issues and take o u t t h e p e o p l e w h o shouldn’t be here ”

The Met faced a deluge of claims of sexual misconduct, misogyny and predator y behaviour after Wayne Couzens, a f irearms off icer, m u r d e r e d Ev e r a r d , 3 3 , i n March 2021

Drive rs must be a ble to pay for par king in cash, M ichae l G ov e ha s said , as he warn ed a gainst older people be coming “digita lly exclude d” The levelling-up secret a r y h a s w r i t t e n t o e v e r y local authority in England to remind them that cash is legal tender In many areas, t r a d i t io n a l p a r k i n g m e t e r s h a v e b e e n r e p l a c e d w i t h phone apps through which payment is made by card In Southend , it was reported t h a t t h o s e p a y i n g b y a p p paid more due to the card

processing charge In cases e l s e w h e r e , c h a r g e s h a v e doubled

Previous research by the AA indicated that 200,000 people a day pay for parking using a phone app It cons e r v a t i v e ly e s t i m a t e d t h a t each paid, on average, an extra fee of 25p In a letter to council bosses, seen by the Daily Mail, Gove said: “Cash remains legal tender and it will continue to be used in our daily lives by people who favour its accessibility and ease I am therefore con-

cerned that local authorities should ensure that there are a l t e r n a t i v e p r o v i s i o n s fo r parking payments available so that no part of society is digitally excluded ”

Last year Dame Esther R a n t z e n , w h o h a s c a mpaigned on behalf of older people, said that being able to park meant that many had maintained their indep e n d e n c e “It m e a n s t h a t somebody can get out and about who other wise might be imprisoned at home,” she said

Thought for the week

So much to celebrate as King Charles takes the throne

There is a lot going for King Charles and Camilla who want to change the way British monarchy has been perceived in and outside the country Britain has had years of history of oppression and colonialism Most monarchs have not commented on their colonial past, and school curriculums in the UK have deliberately missed mentioning the inglorious past involving torture

O n 6 M a y K i n g C h a r l e s I I I w i l l b e c o r o n a t e d a t t h e Westminster Abbey and the whole country will be welcomed to witness and celebrate the occasion with street parties, charitable activities and community cohesion

The Guardian reported, that King Charles has also, for the first time signalled his support for research into the British monarchy’s historical links with transatlantic slavery, especially after the emergence of a document showing a predecessor’s stake in a slave-trading company

Buckingham Palace reportedly released the statement after it was contacted by the Guardian

It is a unique quality in the British, as they don't shy away from self criticism - sometimes making such instances literally hilarious Britain’s “bloody” past cannot be erased by a return of a diamond or an official apology for the Jallianwala bagh massacre in India What it needs is admitting the mistakes made and how it affected innocent people

With Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth II gone, King Charles has expectantly very large shoes to fill in, but rarely people thought of him to chart a path this unconventional and frankly so modern

On the coronation day, the King and Queen Consort will travel a short distance to Westminster Abbey in their 260 year old Golden State Coach, one way, one their return The outward journey will be in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach for 1 3 mile

The Queen Consort has removed Kohinoor from her coronation crown, avoiding any controversy involving the diamond

Of course questions revolving the guest list has for long focussed on Harry and Meghan’s visit

The Daily Telegraph has pointed out that the Duke and Duchess have been invited to the ceremony by Buckingham Palace, but are not yet believed to have confirmed their attendance, even after the RSVP deadline passed last week though they are understood to be on the brink of confirming whether they will attend or not

Both Harry and Meghan reportedly have no idea how their appearance would be received by the British public or even other members of the Royal family

The most likely scenario as the newspaper points out, is that Harry attends alone, with Meghan remaining in the US to celebrate their son Archie s birthday, which coincides with the same date as the Coronation ceremony Along with celebrities, 850 community and charity representatives from across the UK have been invited to enjoy the Coronation Service from Westminster Abbey Invitations to the Coronation Service in Westminster Abbey have been extended to over 450 British Empire Medal recipients in recognition of the contributions made by remarkable volunteers, charity representatives and community champions up and down the country Many of them have been named covid heroes!

In addition, 400 young people representing charitable organisations, nominated by The King and The Queen Consort and the UK Government, will have the opportunity to watch the Coronation Service and Procession from St Margaret’s Church, Westminster Abbey This will include a British Indian girl and young poet laureate from Birmingham, Iona Mandal, who received her invitation through National Literacy Trust, after being nominated for the Coronation Champion Award by the Trust

The event will also have a professional British Indian chef Manju Malhi, the resident chef for Charity Open Age attending (see p11 for full report)

India plays key role in protecting tigers

The Government of India launched ‘Project Tiger' in April 1973 to promote and protect tigers Since then, the project has helped in restoring the population and strengthening conservation efforts for tigers The project is one of the largest species conservation initiatives in the world Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the latest data which shows that 200 tigers were added in four years to hit 3,167, constituting 75 per cent of the global tiger population He said this tradition of conservation was reflected in a country accounting for just about 2 4% of the world's land currently contributing about 8% of known global biodiversity

T h e N a t i o n a l T i g e r C o n s e r v a t i o n A u t h o r i t y ( N T C A ) , which started the tiger census in 2018, had deployed camera traps at 32,000 locations across 20 states A total of 47 million photographs were captured PM Modi earlier took a two-hour, 22 km safari from Melukamanahalli in Mysuru and said,“we don't believe in a conflict between ecology and economy

Instead, we give importance to co-existence " The headcount since 2018 was the world's largest effort till date, involving a foot survey of 640,000 km and as many man days PM Modi also launched a 97-nation International Big Cats Alliance that will focus on the protection and conservation of seven big cat species in the wild, namely, the tiger, leopard, jaguar, lion, snow leopard, puma and cheetah “The alliance is the need of the hour as it will help save big cats by way of exchange of technology and assistance,” he said “Humanity is safe till

wildlife and biodiversity are secured We should learn this from the tribes who have helped save this ecosystem for ages A better future for humanity is possible only when biodiversity continues to expand,” Modi said

Project Tiger has been converted into a statutory authority, National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) by providing enabling provisions in the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 t h r o u g h a n a m e n d m e n t , v i a W i l d L i f e ( P r o t e c t i o n )

Amendment Act, 2006 The NTCA addresses ecological and administrative concerns for conserving tigers It provides a statutory basis for the protection of tiger reserves and provides strengthened institutional mechanisms for the protection of ecologically sensitive areas and endangered species Tiger is a vital animal species that ensure a viable population of other wild animals The animal is important for the food chain and helps in maintaining the ecological viability of the entire area, habitat, water, and climate security of the region

Tiger Conservation cannot happen unless people living on the periphery are equal partners in the process If we wish to accommodate rising wildlife numbers, we need an approach of livelihood based on employment -intensive tourism as a tool for conservation, particularly outside core areas The conservation efforts require the combined efforts of the government and the community at its centre Both require each other, and continuous efforts are being made for the involvement of local communities in protection and Eco-tourism activities

J & K undergoes major development

Jammu and Kashmir has undergone major changes following the abrogation of Article 370 and the formation of two new union territories in August 2019 Terrorism was one of the greatest banes afflicting J&K Pakistani terrorists, with the help of radical Kashmiris and separatist politicians, intruded into Jammu and Kashmir, and from there to the rest of the country to carry out their nefarious activities But after the abrogation of Article 370, there has been a marked decline in the number of terror-related incidents Though terror incidents continue to take place in the valley, their frequency and intensity have taken a veritable hit To bolster economic growth and development, the Jammu and Kashmir administration has so far signed more than 168 MoUs for investments Additionally, 6,000 acres of government land has been acquired for setting up industries in the state Earlier, some constraints discouraged industrialists and large organisations from investing in Jammu and Kashmir But after August 2019, all the obstacles that came into the path of development were removed as the government placed its focus on providing an impetus to business and the economy The J&K Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation has been set up to provide financial support to various projects that were commenced years ago but were yet to be completed

Several new projects were approved and bottlenecks that marred the completion of existing projects were removed Rapid road construction has been one of the hallmarks of the Modi government In Jammu and Kashmir, road infrastructure development is of critical importance, owing to its strategic location In addition to this, hydro projects that were in a state

of abeyance for more than 5 decades have been expedited Emphasis has been placed on the development of 14 sectors for investments, which includes tourism, hydropower, electricity, education, health In a bid to bring about ease of doing business, more than 130 administrative reforms have been undertaken by the central government The education sector was another focus area for the administration Seven new medical colleges have been initiated, medical seats have also increased

After August 2019, all the central laws have been extended to Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh A new Domicile rule was implemented, which allowed all those persons and their children who have resided in the former state for 15 years or studied here for seven years and completed their 10th or 12th examination in an educational institution in the J&K to apply for domicile Marginalised Hindu communities that were earlier denied citizenship were among those granted domicile status Property rights of women restored, their non-resident spouses made eligible for domicile The central government is taking every possible step to right the historical wrong of the Kashmiri Pandit exodus As a part of its initiative to rehabilitate Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley, the Centre announced special jobs for the community members

In a major boost to foreign investment, Dubai’s Emaar Group will build a $60 million shopping and office complex, as the government looks to stabilise the region The $60 50 million development will include a shopping mall and multi-purpose commercial tower in Srinagar The central government said that Jammu and Kashmir had received record investment of $181 million in the first 10 months of the 2022-23

Learn

Political Sketchbook

Alpesh Patel

Dealing with Separatists –a Strategy

Good Friday reminded u s the work that went into dealing with terrorists in Northern Ireland and bringing peace to that part of the Union T he BBC th is past week bro adcast a p ro gramme o n the role o f MI5 in dealing with terrorists S o wh at abo ut a parallel with the revived terro rist gro ups like Hamas, Hezbollah wh ich Israel is facing Or take 198 4 in India wh ere militants locked th emselves and desecrated th e h oliest of shrines Th ese grou ps alongsi de Bhi ndranwale (revered like Bin Laden by similar-minded p eo ple) included Babbar Khalsa ( a proscribed terro rist organisatio n in th e UK ) and Dal Kh alsa

So what is Britain to do ? The UK p layboo k will be and is:

Info rmati on Gathering and Analysis:

Collect and analyse intelligence on the separatist group to better understand their motives, leadership, o r g a n i z a t i o n a l s t r u c t u r e , a n d c o n n e c t i o n s t o a n y extremist elements Monitor their activities closely to ensure they do not pose a threat to the UK s national security or public safety The British Indian diaspora have some very talented groups assisting on this with detailed profile of dangerous actors thanks to social media footprints

Collaboratio n with Ind ian Intelligence:

Establish a working relationship with Indian intelligence agencies to exchange information and insights about the separatist group This collaboration can help both countries assess potential risks and coordinate responses effectively

Ensuring Public Safety:

Coordinate with law enforcement agencies to maintain public order and ensure the safety of protestors, counter-protestors, and bystanders Provide clear guidelines on acceptable protest behaviour to maintain a peaceful atmosphere and minimize the risk of violent incidents (There is now a permanent police presence outside the Indian High Commission in London)

Uph old ing Demo cratic Values:

Ensure the right to peaceful protest is protected while balancing national security concerns

Monitoring External Suppo rt:

Investigate any foreign entities or individuals that may be providing financial, logistical, or moral support to the separatist group If necessary, apply diplomatic and legal pressure to discourage their involvement I have sight of documents asking the Government of Pakistan for support from at least one such group, for instance

Media E ngagement:

Engage with media outlets to provide accurate and balanced information on the situation, emphasizing the UK's commitment to democratic values and public safety

Work with Indian authorities to counter misinformation

Of course there were many undercover operations by the British in Northern Ireland which would lead to the eventual end of terrorist activity on British soil Those continue in monitoring the people outside the Indian High Commission who tore down the Indian flag

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Man who pushed wife to death sentenced for 20 years

King serious about examining the monarchy’s links to slavery

K ing C harles III attended a M au ndy Th ursd ay service at Y o r k M i ns te r w i th th e Queen, and is said to take exami ni ng th e mo narchy’ s links to slav ery “ p rofoundly seriou sly”

The King has given his support to a research project examining the monarchy’s links with the transatlantic s l a v e t r a d e , B u c k i n g h a m Palace has said The existence of the project, which b e g a n t h e m o n t h a f t e r C h a r l e s a c c e d e d t o t h e throne, only emerged after a n e w s p a p e r i n v e s t i g a t i o n into the royal family’s his-

torical links with slavery A Dutch PhD student at the U n i v e r s i t y o f M a n c h e s t e r will spend the next three

y e a r s e x a m i n i n g r o y a l i n v o l v e m e n t i n s l a v e r y a s part of a joint project with Historic Royal Palaces The King was taking a “ very keen interest” in the research, a palace source said Camilla de Koning, 28 whose surname is Dutch for King will be given “full a n d o p e n a c c e s s ” t o t h e Royal Archives, according to a royal aide She will also be given access to the Royal Collection

A p a l a c e s p o k e s m a n said: “This is an issue that His Majesty takes profoundly seriously

Research on royals and slavery may have unexpected consequences

Oxbridge colleges , the Bank of E n gl an d , t he N a ti on al Trust the list of British i ns t i tut i on s r ec o ns i d er i ng th e i r l i n k s t o s l a ve r y i s le n g th y bu t h a s j us t acqui red its bi ggest possible member i n the form of the Crown T h e d e c i s i o n b y t h e K i n g t o s u p p o r t r e s e a r c h into the royals and slavery h a s s e t a p r e c e d e n t t h a t could create a deluge of hist o r i c a l i n q u i r i e s i n t o t h e royal past It is causing concern as to what the consequences may be, but a leading imperial historian has said that today’s royals had

“ no need to feel worried” about such investigations

Historic Royal Palaces is a s s i s t i n g C a m i l l a d e Koning, a Dutch academic, with her PhD thesis on the role of the Royal African C o m p a n y , t h e s l a v e r y monopoly which was established by two British kings

However, having started with slavery, the royals will find other areas where their past may be examined unfavourably

For instance, there has been controversy this year over their ownership of the K o h - i - n o o r d i a m o n d , w h i c h I n d i a a n d o t h e r

countries lay claim to

This is just one of many p o t e n t i a l i s s u e s o v e r “ e x t r a c t e d w e a l t h ” f r o m former dominions

There will be more to discuss beyond the limit of her PhD By 1775, the East India Company was yet to reach the zenith of its powers in India and in the 19th century Queen Victoria was to gain much from the subs e q u e n t R a j T h e I n d i a n g o v e r n m e n t i s a l e r t o n post-imperial matters, and r o y a l - s a n c t i o n e d r e s e a r c h into the subject is likely to cause a diplomatic nightmare

Labour accused for Twitter post

Labou r was widely accused o f “ g u tt er p o li ti c s ” as it refused to retract an adv erti s em en t c la im in g Ri s h i Sunak o pposed the jailing of ad u l ts c o n v i ct ed o f s ex crimes ag ainst children

The Labour ad posted on Twitter stated 4,500 convicted of sexually assaulting someone under the age of 16 in England and Wales since 2010 had served no time in prison

Coupled with a picture of the prime minister and his signature, the ad asked: “Do you think adults convicted of sexually assaulting

c h i l d r e n s h o u l d g o t o prison? Rishi Sunak doesn’t ” L a b o u r h a s s o u g h t t o m a k e c r i m i n a l j u s t i c e a major theme ahead of local elections in England on May 4, claiming the party would take a tougher stance on key i s s u e s t h a n t h e

Conservatives

Labour leader Sir Keir S t a r m e r b e l i e v e s h e c a n score political points against the Tories given that he was director of public prosecut i o n s , s u p e r v i s i n g f l a g s h i p c a s e s a g a i n s t c r i m i n a l s , from 2008 until 2013

A man who murdered his p re gn a n t w i f e w hi l e on honeymoon by pushing her on the Edinburgh landmark Arthur’ s Seat has been jailed for 20 years

K a s h i f A n w a r k i l l e d

Fawziyah Javed, who was 17 weeks pregnant after she told him their eight-month marriage was over and she wanted to leave Javed, 31, an employment law solicit o r f r o m P u d s e y , W e s t Yorkshire, died after falling m o r e t h a n 1 5 m f r o m

A r t h u r ’ s S e a t , a c r a g g y mound that overlooks the city, in September 2021

S h e i n i t i a l l y s u r v i v e d the fall and told people who

came to her aid that her h u s b a n d w a s r e s p o n s i b l e , asking: “Why is my husband like this?” She went into cardiac arrest and died at the scene The High Court

i n E d i n b u r g h h e a r d t h a t Anwar, 29, was a domineering figure who had been abusing and threatening his wife for months before they travelled to Scotland for a short honeymoon

J a v e d h a d l o g g e d r e p o r t s w i t h W e s t Y o r k s h i r e p o l i c e w h i c h were captured on officers’ b o d y - w o r n c a m e r a s a n d p l a y e d t o t h e j u r y S h e recounted how Anwar held a pillow over her face and

punched it repeatedly In another incident, she was l e f t b l e e d i n g a n d u n c o nscious after he attacked her

A n w a r , f r o m L e e d s , claimed that he had stood up to take a photograph but slipped and bumped into h i s w i f e A f i r e f i g h t e r n a m e d S e a n S t r a t f o r d described him as being calm at the scene The court was told that Anwar compared his wife to “ a disease” The jury was shown a video of h i m h a r a s s i n g h e r i n a s t r e e t H e c a l l e d h e r a “bitch” and a “retard” and threatened to pull out her mother’s tongue if she ever made another plea for help

Racket of smuggling people into UK in car boot exposed

A m o t h e r a n d s on w e r e c a u g ht sm u g g li n g t wo Viet na mese cit ize ns in t he boot of t heir car as pa rt of a “ car efully or gan ise d” ope rat ion

James Liddiard, 30, and Andrea Cavanagh, 52, were among six people trackers from Merseyside who tried to transport 11 undocumented migrants from France to the UK within a week

T h e m o t h e r a n d s o n claimed to have been returning from a day-trip to Paris w h e n t h e y w e r e s t o p p e d

T h e y w e r e j a i l e d b y t h e Canterbury crown court this w e e k a f t e r a d m i t t i n g t o facilitating unlawful immigration

The smugglers “worked

in pairs” with the first journey on December 9, 2018, the court was told UK bord e r c o n t r o l f o u n d t w o Vietnamese in the back of the first car at Coquelles, near Calais, which was driven by Charli White, 33, a mother of five, accompanied by Erin Burns, 22, then aged 17, who was “ a decoy” in the front seat

A total of 11 migrants were found in the four vehic l e s T h e m i g r a n t s w e r e s e r v e d w i t h i l l e g a l e n t r y papers and presented to the French authorities

All six admitted to facilit a t i n g u n l a w f u l i m m i g r ation Liddiard, who said he “agreed to do it because he owed money ” , was jailed for

two years Finn was sentenced to 22 months and White to two y e a r s s u s p e n d e d f o r t w o years with a six-month electronically monitored curfew from 7pm to 7am

C a v a n a g h , w h o h a s f i b r o m y a l g i a a n d u s e d a w h e e l c h a i r i n c o u r t , a n d H a r r i s o n , w h o s a i d s h e “believed she was going to get cigarettes and alcohol” in France, were both given 22- month terms suspended f o r t w o y e a r s a n d s i x months curfews from 8pm to 8am B u r n s r e c e i v e d a 1 5month sentence suspended f o r t w o y e a r s a n d a s i xmonth curfew from 7 pm to 8am

Inquiry rewards compensation to contaminated blood patients

But a range of politicians strongly criticised Labour’s ad focused on Sunak John M c D o n n e l l , l e f t - w i n g Labour MP, tweeted it was not the sort of politics his party should be engaged in and called for its withdrawal

“

W h e n a s k e d w h e t h e r she believed Sunak disapp r o v e d o f s e n d i n g p a edophiles to prison, shadow c u l t u r e s e c r e t a r y L u c y Powell declined to endorse the ad But she added: “I stand by what this tweet and this campaign is trying to highlight ”

Speeding minister banned and fined

Robert Jenrick, th e im mig ration m inister, h as been banned from driving for six m onths and ordered to p ay a total of £1 639 for sp eeding on a mo torway

The Conservative MP for Newark was caught in A u g u s t d r i v i n g a l m o s t 3 0 m p h o v e r t h e s p e e d l i m i t o n t h e M I i n N o r t h a m p t o n P o l i c e c a m e r a s c a p t u r e d h i s

Land Rover at 68mph in a t e m p o r a r y 4 0 m p h z o n e while he was driving back f r o m a n a p p e a r a n c e o n

t h e B B C R a d i o 4 p r ogramme Any Questions in Wakefield

I n M a r c h l a s t y e a r , Jenrick, 41, was fined £307 and given three penalty p o i n t s a f t e r b r e a k i n g a 40mph limit on the A40

West London

The parents, children, siblings and friends of thous a n ds o f pe opl e i n f ec t e d with H IV or hepatitis via contaminated blood should be el igi ble for compens ation, an inquiry has ruled

A f o r m e r H i g h C o u r t judge said that immediate “ i n t e r i m ” p a y m e n t s o f £100,000 should be made to the parents, children or siblings of those who had died without a spouse or p a r t n e r D e s C o l l i n s , a l a w y e r f o r 1 , 5 0 0 v i c t i m s , said the final payout was

likely to run “to billions”

The inquiry’s interim report said the compensation system should follow the $7 billion scheme set up after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States

T h o s e “ i n f e c t e d a n d affected” by the contaminated blood should be compensated for the physical and emotional harm as well

a s t h e “ w r o n g s d o n e ” b y g o v e r n m e n t a n d h e a l t h officials Between 1970 and 1991, more than 1,300 people were infected with HIV

t h r o u g h c o n t a m i n a t e d h a e m o p h i l i a t r e a t m e n t s a n d b l o o d t r a n s f u s i o n s , while about 30,000 people were infected with hepatitis C Sir Brian Langsta, chairm a n o f t h e i n q u i r y , s a i d m o r e t h a n 3 , 0 0 0 p e o p l e died in the “worst disaster” in the history of the NHS

T h e g o v e r n m e n t h a s paid £400 million in the p a s t y e a r i n £ 1 0 0 , 0 0 0 “ i n t e r i m ” c o m p e n s a t i o n payments to about 4,000 people The inquiry’s final report is due in the autumn

28% of teachers were subjected to verbal abuse, 13% physically assaulted

More than o ne in 1 0 teache rs h av e b ee n p h ys i c a ll y assaulted by a p up il in th e last year, a su rvey su gges ts N e a r l y h a l f ( 4 8 % ) o f teachers surveyed said they d o n o t f e e l t h a t t h e i r school’s behaviour policy is effective and “fit for purpose ” , according to a poll by t h e N A S U W T t e a c h i n g union The survey, of 8,466 NASUWT members in the UK in March, suggests that 13% of teachers have been

p h y s i c a l l y a s s a u l t e d b y a pupil in the last year

More than one in four ( 2 8 % ) t e a c h e r s s a i d t h e y have been subjected to verbal abuse by a parent or carer during the last year, t h e p o l l f o u n d T e a c h e r s reported to the union that they had been kicked at, bitten, punched and slapped by p u p i l s , w h i l e N A S U W T members also said parents had screamed and shouted at them

The findings have been released during the union’s a n n u a l c o n f e r e n c e i n G l a s g o w o v e r t h e E a s t e r weekend

A D e p a r t m e n t f o r Education (DfE) spokespers o n s a i d : “ N o t e a c h e r should feel unsafe or face violence in the workplace and we are taking action to improve pupils’ behaviour to ensure every school has a safe and respectable environment ”

Best wishes for Vaisakhi, Poila Baisakh, Vishu, Basoa, Pana Sankranti and Puthandu to our readers and those celebrating!

Continued from page 1

The roadblock remains language

FINDING BEFRIENDERS "Don’t be the divider of the British Indian Community"

T h e r e a r e n ’ t m a n y l o c a l c a r e r s w h o a r e a l s o b e f r i e n d e r s w h o speak Gujarati

E m e r g i n g f i n d i n g s f r o m a n o n g o i n g e v a l u a t i o n o f a p r ogramme in Leeds, called Time to S h i n e , w h i c h i n c l u d e s t a r g e t e d projects that work with older people from Indian, Chinese and Irish backgrounds, provide learning on how to support older BAME individuals who are or may be at risk of being, lonely

Cultural differences create the scope for support aimed at the general population will not always reach or engage some older BAME people According to a study by researchers at the University of S h e f f i e l d , o n e P u n j a b i - s p e a k i n g participant talked about how older people in some Indian communities are influenced by the views of their family members This is why s u p p o r t i n v o l v i n g a v o l u n t e e r cooking a meal at a participant's home had mixed success, as some participants were concerned that family members would view this as a charity, which they perceived in a negative way

Research shows that for some Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) people, cultural factors p l a y a r o l e i n t h e i r l o n e l i n e s s

Some BAME communities have large family networks yet people w i t h i n t h e m m a y n e v e r t h e l e s s experience loneliness due to having less involvement with peers, or activities that interest them There is also an identified link between loneliness and the relatively high levels of poverty experienced by some BAME groups

Providing support that is sens i t i v e t o c u l t u r a l a t t i t u d e s a n d practices is important when reachi n g a n d e n g a g i n g s o m e o l d e r BAME people, and it enables the support to link to their culture to create a sense of belonging

A lack of confidence due to language barriers was mentioned by some and participants from n o n - E n g l i s h s p e a k i n g b a c kg r o u n d s p a r t i c u l a r l y w e l c o m e d projects that allowed them to chat in their own language One participant who had lost confidence due to a mixture of bereavement and ill health specifically wanted to ree n g a g e w i t h P u n j a b i - s p e a k i n g peers She was therefore connected with a Punjabi-speaking family, and together they enjoyed evening meals together

S o m e c a r e h o m e s p r o v i d e chaplain services where they use a p e r s o n - c e n t r e d a p p r o a c h a n d deliver pastoral care with warmth, c o m p a s s i o n , h u m o u r , m u t u a l respect, strength and hope, aiming to inspire those we care for While the UK continues to suffer a crisis of caregivers, finding befreinders is perhaps a more challenging task

H a r s h a b e n S h a h t o l d t h e n e w s w e e k l y t h a t s h e f e e l s t h a t such carers may still be available in L o n d o n f o r t h e e l d e r l y b u t i n North or outside London, it is difficult She feels culture is import a n t a n d c u l t u r a l a w a r e n e s s among caregivers or befrienders is paramount “I think if they are culturally aware, it will be much more helpful for South Asian community to get help,” she said

Loneliness is a major issue that is now widely recognised in society, a report by Age UK charity s u g g e s t s C o v i d - 1 9 h a s b e e n a

major contributing and accelerating factor in increased loneliness among people Many families lost t h e i r b r e a d w i n n e r s , m a n y l o s t their closest friends who meant more than family The absence of a person who understands you more than others and also deciphers your mind and language can be a very lonely state to be in While charities like Age UK are i n v e s t i n g i n d i g i t a l s k i l l s t o improving transport services to supporting the voluntary sector, there is a larger need for a reinvigorated effort to reach and help those who often or always feel lonely

For the South Asian community, language becomes a primary barrier, especially in old age to be able to socialise, befriend people and overcome loneliness Physical challenges like being hard of hearing, or immobility issues also add to the loneliness More importantly, when it comes to south Asian languages, Hindi is not the only p r e - r e q u i s i t e G u j a r a t i , P u n j a b i , Sindhi, Marathi, Tamil and Telugu language speaking people bear the brunt of lack of communication skills and availability of befrienders as well as care takers

Befrienders visit the homes of older people on a regular basis at a time that is convenient to both the volunteer and yourself Visits are a r r a n g e d b y y o u r s e l f a n d t h e befriender A typical visit could include a sit down with tea and cake followed by a chat about your lives, or maybe you’ll chat while you play cards Befriending is usually provided free of charge or for a small cost to users of the service Charities use the money raised through their fundraising efforts to help continue to provide it to anyone who needs it Shutters do wn at com munity centres

A report in the Guardian late l a s t y e a r p r e d i c t e d t h a t a s t h e economy has spiralled, we have s e e n t h e s e a n c h o r i n s t i t u t i o n s t h e m s e l v e s b e c o m e l e s s s e c u r e Soaring energy costs threaten the a b i l i t y t o r u n v i t a l c o m m u n i t y spaces At the same time, volunteer capacity is stretched thin and financial donations are drying up Dozens of community figures, m a i n l y i n W o l v e r h a m p t o n , Glasgow, Cornwall and London, were interviewed for the report A church leader in Wolverhampton said: “We’ve seen a lot of longstanding volunteers step back Even before the demand for what we do went up, more people have just decided not to take stuff back up post-Covid How we resource our community outreach from a human perspective will be a lot more challenging ”

A food bank coordinator in G l a s g o w s a i d : “ T h e r e i s a n i n c r e a s e i n d e m a n d f o r f o o d , obviously, but trying to find a way to collect it and get it to people is d i f f i c u l t w h e n v o l u n t e e r s a r e stretched ”

A l a r g e m o s q u e i n Birmingham reported that it was considering cutting back on community activity significantly after being told its energy bills could q u a d r u p l e f r o m £ 6 0 , 0 0 0 t o £250,000 a year

The report concludes: “There is a risk that churches and other f a i t h g r o u p s w i l l c l o s e , n o t because of falling attendance or religious affiliation, but because they cannot afford to keep the

lights on ”

Without action to address rising bills, the financial sustainability of buildings such as churches will be threatened, according to the report The closure of community hubs such as village halls, s c o u t h u t s , p u b s , w o u l d l e a v e “economic and social scars on the community”

Ways to help the lonely

According to the NHS, there are lots of ways you can do your bit to help lonely or socially isolated older people in your community The person you're helping will reap health benefits, and y o u ' l l f i n d y o u w i l l a s w e l l Volunteering for an organisation that supports older people is a key way of helping a lonely or socially isolated older person But a simple friendly chat or phone call can make all the difference, too

Evidence suggests giving your time in this way could be as valuable to you as the person you support

It's likely to boost your selfesteem and sense of purpose And helping others takes your mind o f f y o u r o w n p r o b l e m s f o r a while It's not always easy to know who or how to help A good start is simply to stop and talk to an older neighbour if you pass them on the street If you think an older person may have trouble hearing or has memory problems, NHS suggests to make sure to speak clearly (but do not shout!) Pause between sentences and questions to give them chance to digest the information And allow a little extra time for them to respond –do not hurry them NHS also recommends offering practical help a n d a c c o m p a n y t h e m o r g i v e them a lift to activities or doctors' and hospital appointments, the library, hairdressers or faith services

O l d e r p e o p l e o f t e n r e a l l y appreciate any offer of help with basic chores such as taking out the rubbish, changing light bulbs, fastening sash windows, clearing snow off the path, putting up pictures, and so on Older, isolated people often need a hand cooking for themselves, so why not take round an extra plate of hot homecooked food, or a frozen portion they can heat up or microwave?

Understanding loneliness

A g e U K ’ s l a t e s t w o r k h a s focused on further understanding loneliness among people aged 50 and over and has found that, if we don’t tackle loneliness, by 2026 there will be 2 million people over 50 in England who will often feel lonely This will have a dramatic impact on their well-being and t h e q u a l i t y o f t h e i r l i v e s O u r findings also show that the risk of being often lonely is dramatically higher among those people who are widowed or who do not have someone to open up to Loneliness occurs when people’s ability to have meaningful conversations and interactions is i n h i b i t e d , a n d h e l p i n g p e o p l e cope with and overcome these feelings can require more than s o c i a l a c t i v i t i e s I t c a n r e q u i r e personalised support and neighbourhoods which encourage and facilitate people to participate in their communities The importance of good quality care, transport and other public amenities to achieve this means a genuinely

Continued from page 1

Lord Rami Ranger CBE raised his c o n c e r n i n a l e t t e r t h a t n o o n e should divide British Indians on the b a s i s o f t h e i r e t h n i c i t y B r i t i s h Indians should remain united and be m i n d f u l o f t h i s s l i p p e r y r o a d o f

‘Divide & Rule’ Lord Dolar Popat urged all involved to reconsider the proposal to create a Gujarat APPG a n d i n s t e a d f o c u s o n w o r k i n g together to address the issues faced by the Hindu community as a whole

Involving the emotions and feelings of the community, Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar have written an open letter to Gareth Thomas MP stating, “Don’t be the divider of the British Gujaratis or British Indian Community We are a responsible media house urging all involved to s t o p t h i s c o u n t e r p r o d u c t i v e v e nture ” Don’t be the div ider of the British Gujaratis or British Ind ian comm unity

As the community-bound newsp a p e r s A s i a n V o i c e a n d G u j a r a t Samachar wrote an open letter to Gareth Thomas MP and urged him to not be the divider of the British G u j a r a t i s o r B r i t i s h I n d i a n Community

Here is the summary:

Dear Mr Thomas, you have been a friend of the community of British A s i a n s a n d e s p e c i a l l y t h e B r i t i s h Indians A large number of your constituency is hailed from this community We are shocked to see you and others at the start or even think a b o u t l a u n c h i n g a n A P P G f o r Gujaratis

S o m e m i s g u i d e d o p p o r t u n i s t s might have approached you But you are fully aware that NCGO is the only active, respected and united u m b r e l l a o r g a n i s a t i o n f o r a l l Gujarati organisations irrespective of caste, creed and colour

Regarding the whole issue, you have already been approached by v a r i o u s o r g a n i s a t i o n s W e a r e amused by your lukewarm response L e a d e r s o f v a r i o u s o r g a n i s a t i o n s have requested and urged you to stop this counterproductive venture Y o u s h o u l d h a v e i m m e d i a t e l y s t o p p e d a n d w i t h d r a w n y o u r s e l f This venture is not in the favour of India, the UK, the community and the labour party as well as yourself

W e u r g e y o u t o r e c o n s i d e r v e r y promptly Don’t be the divider of the British Gujaratis or British Indian Community

No one sh ould div ide British Indians o n th e basis of th eir ethnicity: Lord Ranger

Lord Rami Ranger CBE said, if an organisation designed to unite the community ends up dividing, then the organization has defeated the objective

The All-Party Parliament Group of British Gujarati has divided the British Gujarati with its formation and it has become embroiled in a controversy before it began Many believe it is a political stunt to divide the Indian diaspora to make them politically weaker in the UK

“I for one cannot understand the need for a regional group when we already have an APG for Hindus and also an APG for India representing the interests of India and Hindus well Who so ever came up with the idea that did not calculate the risk of setting a precedent for other regions of India to have separate APGs pursuing their own interests and not that of India as a whole?

“Finally, no one should divide British Indians on the basis of their e t h n i c i t y B r i t i s h I n d i a n s s h o u l d remain united and be mindful of this slippery road of ‘Divide & Rule’ ” Separate Gujarat A PPG co uld also send the wrong message to o ther minority com munities in the U K: Lord Pop at Lord Popat expressed his concern about the proposal to create a G u j a r a t A l l - P a r t y P a r l i a m e n t a r y Group (APPG) in the UK Parliament He said in a letter, “While I understand that there may be a desire to highlight the issues and interests of the Gujarati community in the UK, I b e l i e v e t h a t c r e a t i n g a s e p a r a t e APPG for this purpose is not the best approach ”

He mentioned in the letter, “In the 90s I came up with a phrase, ‘Proud to be British Proud to be Hindu ’ This phrase sums up my identity and feelings towards ensuring we integrate into British society whilst also being proud of our history and religion I have worked closely with the Hindu Forum over many years and know that they work to promote and represent Hinduism in its various forms ”

Lord Popat said, “An All-Party Parliamentary Group for Hinduism exists and serves the Hindu community in the UK which is diverse and encompasses people from various regions, including Gujarat By creating a separate Gujarat APPG, we risk creating division unnecessarily by focusing too much on what separates us rather than what unites us as a community ”

“Furthermore, creating a separate APPG for Gujarat could lead to a duplication of efforts and resources The issues faced by the Gujarati community are not unique to this region alone, and many of them overlap with those faced by other communities within the Hindu diaspora Rather than creating a separate APPG, we should be working together to address these issues and find solutions that benefit all ”

“In addition, we must acknowledge that the creation of a separate Gujarat APPG could also send the wrong message to other minority communities in the UK We should be promoting inclusivity and diversity, and creating a separate APPG for a specific region within a community may be perceived as discriminatory and exclusionary ”

Lord Popat said in the letter, “I would urge all involved to reconsider the proposal to create a Gujarat APPG and instead focus on working together to address the issues faced b y t h e H i n d u c o m m u n i t y a s a whole By doing so, we can send a strong message of unity and inclusivity ”

NAP S objects to th e fo rmati on of AP PG for Gujaratis

P ravin Amin, President Natio nal Asso ciatio n o f Pati dar S amaj wrote in the letter, “We are concerned to learn about the proposed formation of APPG for Gujaratis from various mediums We want to make it very clear that NAPS has not received any communication regarding the proposed formation or intention to launch such a group APPGs are already there and cover the issues relating to Gujaratis There is a lack o f c o n s u l t a t i o n w i t h t h e w i d e r Gujarati community NAPS objects to the formation of an organisation representing our members without identifying a real need for it ”

45,000

burglaries go undetected in a year

P olice failed to tu rn u p to m ore than 45,0 00 burglaries i n E n g la nd l as t ye ar, t h e equivalent of 120 per d ay Figures show that victims face a stark postcode lottery, with more than one i n t w o b u r g l a r y r e p o r t s unattended by the police in some areas The worst perf o r m i n g f o r c e w a s Bedfordshire, where officers failed to attend the scene of 61 per cent of reported burg l a r i e s , m e a n i n g a l m o s t 1 , 0 0 0 c a s e s w e r e c l o s e d without police visits

T h e f i g u r e s w e r e revealed after a freedom of information requests by the Liberal Democrats Sir Ed Davey, the party leader, will use the figures to urge the

government to introduce a B u r g l a r y R e s p o n s e Guarantee to ensure victims are visited by a police officer It is designed to give a legal basis to the existing guidance on burglary, which

w a s a n n o u n c e d b y t h e N a t i o n a l P o l i c e C h i e f s ’ C o u n c i l ( N P C C ) l a s t y e a r and signed by all 43 chief constables in England and Wales They committed to sending an officer to every case

T h e f i g u r e s , b a s e d o n data provided by 19 forces in England, showed that a total of 45,233 reported burglaries w e r e n o t a t t e n d e d b y a n officer However, a further 14 forces did not provide the f i g u r e s , m e a n i n g t h e t r u e figure is likely to be significantly higher Data showed that 75 per cent of burglaries r e p o r t e d t o t h e 1 9 f o r c e s were closed without a suspect being identified

Some of the areas with the fewest cases solved were a l s o t h o s e w i t h t h e m o s t burglaries going unattende d C a m b r i d g e s h i r e p o l i c e a t t e n d e d 4 7 p e r c e n t o f r e p o r t e d b u r g l a r i e s a n d n e a r l y 8 0 p e r c e n t w e r e unsolved

MPs who took fees asked favourable questions

M P s w h o h a v e t a k e n £ 220,0 00 in hospita lity a nd fee s fr om the ga mbling a nd r a ci n g se c t o r s h a v e a s k e d d oze ns of writt en question s fav ourable to the in dustry

Scott Benton, the scand a l - h i t C o n s e r v a t i v e M P who had the whip suspended after offering to lobby for undercover reporters posing a s g a m b l i n g i n d u s t r y investors, has asked 34 writt e n q u e s t i o n s a b o u t g a mbling since 2020

H e h a s r e c e i v e d m o r e t h a n £ 8 , 5 0 0 i n c o r p o r a t e

hospitality from bookmake r s a n d a t r a d e l o b b y i n g g r o u p , i n c l u d i n g t r i p s t o A s c o t a n d W e m b l e y Stadium

In the past three years, he has asked questions pushing for tax breaks for the sector, advocating cashless betting and asking whether the government had conducted a full scientific assessment to s u p p o r t c l o s i n g b e t t i n g shops as part of coronavirus lockdown restrictions

T h e M P f o r B l a c k p o o l S o u t h t o l d u n d e r c o v e r

Times reporters that he was willing to table parliamentary questions for the fake investment fund He said he had already tabled questions on behalf of companies and named another MP who he said did the same

The gambling industry has spent large sums on hospitality for MPs in recent years as it seeks to influence a review of gambling laws

Other Conservative MPs who have accepted gambling industry-funded hospitality h a v e a l s o a s k e d q u e s t i o n s

Diplomacy: 25 years from now

Rohit Vadhwana

Everything is changing And they are c hanging so quickly that we are not getti ng ti me to abs orb what has already happened before a n ew c h a n ge c o m e s T h e tr a n s f or ma t i on from the Machines Age to the Internet Age and now the forthc omin g Arti ficial Intelligence Age shows that the pace of change has multi plied We don't know what is in store in the near future that wi ll affect every aspect of our li ves

As a diplomat, if I cast my sight on the horizon 25 years from now, I can see both - change and continuity Because something never changes Diplomacy has been part of our life, society, and international relations since the origin of our society We all are diplomats in our daily lives Diplomatic skills are used in family and business Yet, when it comes to international relations, this field requires very specialized knowledge, skill, and attitude Used properly, diplomacy can save millions of lives, and vice versa This importance of diplomacy will continue to increase in the future

that could be useful for the sector C r a i g W h i t t a k e r , t h e Tory MP for Calder Valley, has declared £4,000 in freebies including tickets to see Adele, Ed Sheeran and E u r o p e a n C h a m p i o n s h i p matches from the gambling sector and has asked e i g h t r e l e v a n t q u e s t i o n s since 2021 These included a s k i n g h o w t h e g a m b l i n g review would be evidenceled and what the financial contribution of gambling to the economy was

Nurse admitted to having killed wife and children

A 5 2 - y e ar - ol d ma n ha s admitted to killing his wife and thei r two young children

Saju Chelavalel pleaded g u i l t y a t N o r t h a m p t o n Crown Court to the murd e r s o f N H S n u r s e A n j u Asok, 35, their six-year-old s o n J e e v a S a j u a n d t h e i r f o u r - y e a r - o l d d a u g h t e r Janvi Saju All three died after being found with serio u s i n j u r i e s a t a f l a t i n Petherton Court, Kettering, N o r t h a m p t o n s h i r e , o n 1 5 December last year

A s s i s t e d b y a n i n t e rp r e t e r i n t h e d o c k , C h e l a v a l e l a n s w e r e d "guilty" to two of the counts he faced In relation to the charge of murdering Jeeva, he replied: "I don't know what happened to the children, but I plead guilty "

Judge David Herbert KC adjourned the case until 3 July when Chelavalel is due to be sentenced at the same court He told Chelavalel: "There can only be one sentence in law, namely a life s e n t e n c e , b u t t h e j u d g e dealing with your case on that day will have to set the a p p r o p r i a t e m i n i m u m term " After the deaths, postm o r t e m e x a m i n a t i o n s a t L e i c e s t e r R o y a l I n f i r m a r y concluded all three victims had died of asphyxiation

But at the opening of the inquests into their deaths, a c o r o n e r s a i d t h e m e d i c a l cause of death for the chil-

Speaking in terms of international relations, diplomatic relations are already undergoing changes The way of communication has become faster and more direct Earlier there used to be diplomatic bags through which Ambassadors would send reports and assessments to the headquarters Today, most of them are sent through electronic mediums, even though diplomatic bags still exist for a very specific purpose Many meetings are conducted online, in virtual modes This is a drastic change we have seen because of covid-19, that most of the meetings and conferences are in hybrid mode People have the choice to travel to the venue or join from their place It has influenced diplomacy also Imagine a meeting being conducted from Delhi, in the midday would be joined by India's diplomats sitting across the world, many in the mid of the night It is no more a business of Embassy hours This c h a n g e w i l l b e c o m e m o r e a n d m o r e p e r m a n e n t Diplomacy will be conducted through distance No wonder the presence of Ministers in big conferences are seen through their hologram 25 years from now

d r e n h a d b e e n l i s t e d a s s t r a n g u l a t i o n , w h i l e M s Asok had died of asphyxia M s A s o k w a s a s t a f f nurse at Kettering General Hospital Its chief executive D e b o r a h N e e d h a m described her as "a committed and compassionate staff nurse, who was loved and r e s p e c t e d b y h e r d e a r friends and colleagues"

Sojitra Samaj UK: Veteran Janakbhai Patel honoured for his lifelong services

Sojitra Samaj UK commi ttee members held a get-togeth er recently Veteran Janakbhai P atel was honoured fo r his lif elo ng servi ces to the communi ty

Sojitra is one of the prominent towns in

Central Gujarat and Janakbhai Patel is considered the “Bhishma Pitamah” of the community Members had a discussion on strengthening the community and how to act as a living bridge between India and the UK

Another essential part of diplomacy is meeting people, networking, and making connections It used to be much less frequent during diplomatic parties, national days, or visits of high-level dignitaries Sometimes it would be on special invitations There were many events where diplomats were not required to be present, but today, they are working more like corporate executives than government representatives Their task is not only limited to political insights and assessments but also keeping an eye on the commercial and technological developments in the country of their posting Trade and commerce have taken up a large part of diplomatic work today And in the next 25 years to come, it will further dominate the space Economic might will certainly define the power of a state Therefore, economic diplomacy will play a more important role 25 years from now

Defence and military ties are always part of diplomatic work since ancient times In fact, it is said that diplomacy is a means to avoid war When diplomacy fails, the war begins British politician Tony Benn said, 'All war represents a failure of diplomacy ' At a time it was felt that two nations with nuclear power would never go to war but it has proven fragile argument, although nuclear deterrent has worked to a certain extent In the future, we cannot rule out the dominance of military powers, but it will have to make space for economic might Raw strength in the defence sector might prove futile therefore, with time, the power will be exercised more in terms of technological and economic might

For countries like India, which has a strong diaspora abroad, the time frame of 25 years in the future, it is expected that the role of the diaspora will be more important Today, the Indian diaspora is occupying important positions globally, in politics, international institutions, and the corporate world The future holds a much stronger connection between diplomacy and diaspora No wonder India has divisions in the Ministry of External A f f a i r s t h a t f o c u s o n c o n n e c t i n g w i t h t h e d i a s p o r a abroad Our diplomacy has already seen changes in diaspora connection, starting from long-term visas to PIO cards, and then OCI cards They have increased the access and assimilation of the diaspora in Indian society and the economy In 25 years, there will be even closer integration on this front

It is not easy to predict changes in the next two and half decades, but I am making this assumption as conservative as well as hopeful

(Expressed opinions are personal)

Back: Jayprakash Patel and Jayant Patel

Front: Kalavati Patel, Bharti Patel, Bhadresh Patel, Mahesh Patel, Jitendra Patel, Dhirajlal Patel, Pravin Patel, Dilipkumar Patel, Rajendra Pandya Sitting: Lalitbhai Pandya, Janakbhai Chhotabhai Patel, Nilkanth Patel

LSE committee versus Karan Kataria

A 23-year-o ld stud ent of the London S chool of Econom ics (LSE ), K aran K ataria was d isqualified from the student unio n election, taking the nation by storm Karan has claim ed that h e w as d isqualified from the e le ct io n o n a lle g at i on s o f b ei ng " homo phobic, Islamoph obic queerp hobic and a Hindu nationalist"

H i n d u s a n d m e m b e r s o f t h e community have come forward to support Karan, seeking justice, and appealing against the decision and some have taken social media to voice their anger and disapproval

T h e c o m m i t t e e , w h i c h h e a r d Karan’s appeal to the decision, has however said, Indian or Hindu identity had never played a role in their decision to disqualify him

Media reports suggest that Karan met the members of the committee to discuss this issue, however, his

media interviews say otherwise The committee member told The Quint, "We received seven different complaints from LSE students, alleging that Karan coerced their votes,” said a committee member The committee upheld the decision to disqualify Karan Kataria based on two such complaints

H a r y a n a C h i e f M i n i s t e r

Manohar Lal Khattar met the family members of Karan to inquire about their well-being and assured them of

all possible help to Karan The CM also wrote a letter to the institution concerned in support of Karan Eric Numayer, LSE President and Vice Chancellor-elect (interim), responded to the CM’s letter Eric stated that LSE does not allow any instances of bullying, discrimination, or harassm e n t A c c o r d i n g t o N e u m a y e r , Karan Karan was disqualified from the leadership election for "breaking e l e c t i o n r u l e s a n d t h e s t u d e n t s union had notified the authorities Karan also met Amish Tripathi, I n d i a ’ s M i n i s t e r ( C u l t u r e & E d u c a t i o n ) , H i g h C o m m i s s i o n o f I n d i a & D i r e c t o r T a l k i n g t o Firstpost, Karan said: “Amish ji met m e m o r n i n g t o d a y ( 7 A p r i l ) H e assured me that justice will be done The Indian High Commission said that they are observing all the developments and ascertaining facts ”

Doctors and dentists stuck in asylum may help ease NHS crisis

A ft er f i v e y ear s s tu d yi ng t o become a qualified d entist in his h ome country of Sud an, Om ar ( not his real nam e) spent sev en years mainly treating children in K harto um But since arriv ing in Britain last Ju ne – despite a desp erate sho rtage of NHS dentists – the 32-year-o ld has not been able to p ut his skills to use

Instead, he is struggling with depression in a hotel in the north of England and trying to take his mind off its oppressive conditions by v o l u n t e e r i n g f o r a m e n t a l h e a l t h charity

because, 10 months on, he is still waiting for the Home Office

to assess his claim to asylum “No one cares about you or your qualifications or your study No one cares that you ’ re volunteering to help the community or to serve the people suffering,” he said “You feel that you

Afghans working for the BBC can be considered for relocation to the UK, court rules

On A pril 10 , Justice Lane ru led th at eig ht Afgh an natio nals w ho worked closely with news organisations such as the BBC could be classified as hav ing worked “ al o ng s i d e ” a g o v ern m en t department, in partnersh ip with o r c lo s ely su p p o r ti ng th a t department and hence could be consid ered for relocation under c ate g o ry 4 o f th e A f g h a n Re lo c ati o n s an d A s si s ta nc e Policy, The Times reported I n t h e c a s e b e t w e e n t h e King’s Bench Division and the secretary of state for defence

a n d a n o t h e r , t h e j u d g e a l s o maintained that while this ruling qualified in parts the claims

o f e i g h t A f g h a n s f o r j u d i c i a l review of the secretary of state

designed to help those who had worked for the UK government o r s u p p o r t e d t h e U K a r m e d forces’ mission in Afghanistan

are just a useless person ”

Despite his in-demand profession, Omar was one of the more than 160,000 asylum seekers still waiting for an initial decision on their asylum claim at the end of last year Among those t r a p p e d i n t h e H o m e O f f i c e b a c k l o g a n d u n a b l e t o w o r k , experts told the Observer, there are thousands of doctors, nurses and other medical professionals

Meanwhile, the NHS in England is facing a recruitment crisis that has left it with 154,000 fewer full-time staff than needed and could leave it short of 571,000 staff by 2036

f o r d e f e n c e ’ s r e f u s a l o f t h e i r a p p l i c a t i o n s f o r r e l o c a t i o n under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy, it did not make it binding for the secretary of state for the Home Office to exercise her discretion to allow them to enter the UK outside the Immigration Rules

The case came up for consideration after the defence secretary refused the applications of those journalists, some of whom h a d a l r e a d y l e f t A f g h a n i s t a n while others were in hiding in the country, under the defence secretary’s Afghan Relocations a n d A s s i s t a n c e P o l i c y

Their claims for applications for relocation along with their families under the policy were rejected because organizations like the BBC were not part of the government and hence did not meet the policy criteria Justice L a n e o v e r r u l e d t h a t o n t h e g r o u n d t h a t w o r k i n g f o r t h e B B C c o u l d b e c o n s t r u e d b y organisations like the Taliban as having worked in partnership with or closely supported the U K g o v e r n m e n t b e c a u s e i t exposed the applicants to elevated risks of targeted attacks The other claim of the applicants was that the defence secretary had gone against the duty of fairness at common law by not p r o v i d i n g t h e m w i t h d e t a i l e d reasons for the rejection of their applications Justice Lane ruled that since the 128,000 applicat i o n s u n d e r t h e p o l i c y f a r exceeded the expected number of applications when the scheme opened, what amounted to fairness had to be context-specific Detailed replies to each applicant would cost valuable time and money, which is why the a p p l i c a n t h a d t o b e s a t i s f i e d with, and would be fairly served with, template letters

Audiologist, optician and owners

Specsavers stores are owned and run by opticians and audiologists. So, you’ll be in expert hands every time you visit.

Politics without morals?

We all know politics is immoral; cheating is common, winning at any cost is the driving force that turns decent politicians into rogue politicians Fortunately our politicians and political system is more or less protected from such excesses and proclaimed as one of the best, least corrupt in the world So it was a surprise reading twits online, posted by Labour supporters, blaming PM Rishi Sunak, as some criminals who may have committed unimaginable sexual crimes escaping prison sentence

Even some of their own Labour hardliners condemned such tactics saying “My party is better than this brand of gutter politics ” They all fear such a tactic will backfire, will do nothing to make Labour a decent party capable of giving us a fresh looking, full of new ideas and making our lives better, more comfortable

I am sure Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer who was “Director of Public Prosecutions” (DPP) and an accomplished lawyer understands the restrictions imposed by Legal system It is up to parliamentarians of all political persuasion to fix it if they think present laws are inadequate to punish such serious criminals who put to risk venerable children and that include our judiciary and introduce, amend Sexual Offences Act to make it fit for the purpose, in line with modern day environment!

Mr Sunak is a new-comer; he became MP in 2015 and PM only a few months ago So to blame him of every shortfall, baseless allegations, is indeed unfair, to say the least The next election is only a year away when public will choose the next government Stakes are loaded against Conservatives but that is for the steep rise in food prices as well as energy cost, Hughley subsidized by the government but unfortunately government do not get the credit, mainly due to external factors government could not control, such as Russia Ukraine conflict, fuelled by the West, a proxy war that has raised energy prise at the highest level for decades, affecting every fabric of the society

Bhupend ra M

World Health Day

Gand hi

April 7 was observed as World Health Day to mark the founding of World Health Organisation (WHO) in 1948 Though, human health is one area where 20th century made significant contribution but we still have a long way to go

It is indeed alarming that India ranks high in people suffering from diabetes and also the average age of heart patient has come down A pressing need for this government is to provide affordable and accessible, quality healthcare services to all and especially to the poor Only a healthy nation can make a wealthy nation as healthy people are more productive

T S Karthik

Malaria in India

Malaria has always been a major disease in India till today

Large pools of stagnant water left behind by heavy torrential rains and ignored by the authorities have become the perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes The authorities concerned must take concrete steps to stop malaria from spreading

Jubel D'C ruz

Women empowerment event

I read that as part of the various events being held to c

c h a r , a z o o m e v e n t c a l l e d ‘ G u j a r a t i W o m e n Empowerment and Achievement - Exchange of Thoughts' is being planned

This is a great initiative and women of every age should participate enthusiastically

I also feel that men should be invited to this zoom event After all, men and women are the two sides of the same coin It e ill be an appropriate opportunity for men to learn and act on the issues and challenges faced by women on daily basis

Sarlaben

Organise a seminar for men too

I came across an announcement and delighted to learn that Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar is organising a zoom conversation about women's achievements and challenges that they face It is my humble suggestion that a similar programme should also be organised on the achievements and problems of men

Men who are under heavy work and societal pressure also have their own problems and pains that they need to share and resolve It will be really helpful for them

Ramesh Patel

World Health Day

April 7 was observed as World Health Day to mark the founding of World Health Organisation (WHO) in 1948 Though, human health is one area where 20th century made significant contribution but we still have a long way to go

It is indeed alarming that India ranks high in people suffering from diabetes and also the average age of heart patient has come down A pressing need for this government is to provide affordable and a c c e s s i b l e , q u a

r e s e r v i c e s t o a l l a n d especially to the poor Only a healthy nation can make a w e a l t h y n a t i o n a s h e a l t h y p e o p l e a r e m o r e productive

T S Karthik

Direct flights to Kolkata

I read that Air India has moved flights from Heathrow to Gatwick causing British Gujaratis severe problems, Asian Voice reported last week We understand the issues as we have been petitioning for a direct flight to Kolkata for months now And nothing has happened Elderly, pregnant women, and those with mobility issues or young children - have to change flights in the M i d d l e E a s t o r D e l h i / M u m b a i I t ’ s h a r d f o r t h e m Sometimes there’s only 45 mins between 2 flights during transit! And if you miss, the next flight is the next day Spending over 12 hours in an airport is hard for even the able bodied!

We urge the authorities and Air India to think of Bengalis who travel to Kolkata regularly but struggle due to lack of direct or non-stop flights since the closures in early 2000s It’s time to change it?

Anuradha Sen

UK First Lady’s unassuming presence goes viral in India

UK Prime Ministe r Rishi Sunak a nd his In dia n wife , Ak sha ta Murt y, ar e t he “ pr o ud” son -i n -l a w a n d d au gh t e r o f a ut hor and philant hropist Sudha Mur ty – w ho w a s co n fe r r e d t h e P a dm a B hushan at R asht rapati B havan in New D elhi

Akshata Murty was present at the ceremony in New Delhi last week and later took to social media to express her emotions towards her mother Sudha Murty and father Narayana Murthy, cof o u n d e r o f s o f t w a r e s e r v i c e s m a j o r

Is Labour Institutionally Hinduphobic?

Sin ce 2010 I ha ve bee n wr it ing about the Labour Pa rty s h ow i n g s ig n s o f b e i n g a n t i - Hi n d u , a n t i - In d i a a n d Hinduphobic The y hid this well for many yea rs usin g smoke an d mirr ors to show on e face to hoodwink the v ot e r s, w hils t in r e ali t y it wa s wor k i ng o n th e v e ry opposite

This week we saw one of the most outrageous racist, and in my view Hinduphobic, attacks on PM Rishi Sunak The Labour Party put out a national advert which alleged that Rishi did not think adults convicted of child sex assaults should go to prison Every sane person would find such grotesque false attacks unacceptable If you are not sick to your core over what Labour has done, then I suggest you look in the mirror and you will see a nefarious person

We can understand why Labour is lying Afterall, recently we saw the Prime Minister and Suella Braverman come out fighting for the victims of Pakistani grooming gangs who were responsible for the sexual exploitation of t h o u s a n d s o f w h i t e w o r k i n g - c l a s s g i r l s I n s t e a d o f supporting the government, the Labour made despicable allegations against the Prime Minister to deflect attention I can understand why they lied, after all the truth is that t h e s e P a k i s t a n i g r o o m i n g g a n g s t h r i v e d i n L a b o u r controlled authorities Did you know it was the Labour leader Keir Starmer who was the Director of Public Prosecutions from 2008 till 2013? And it was during his tenure that the sentencing criteria for sex offenders was created, the very same criteria the courts are following today So, the man responsible for the mess, Keir Starmer, is now making derogatory allegations against the Prime Minister, the very person who is fighting for the victims of these grooming gangs

You may recall, we saw Labour attack Priti Patel when she was the Home Secretary At that time, I had warned people that this was just a start of the Labour policy of attacking Indians and Hindus Last week we saw how Labour threw out Hindu councillors in Leicester because they dared to question the bigoted leadership that was appeasing to the Islamists

The racism of those on the left is rampant today We h a v e s e e n e v i d e n c e o f t h i s e v e n i n o u r a c a d e m i c institutions I brought this to your attention in 2015 when Oxford University, without any reason, cancelled an event t o b e a t t e n d e d b y a n e l e c t e d I n d i a n p o l i t i c i a n , D r

U S P res i d en t J o e B id en a rri v e d i n Northern Ireland on Tuesday evening to take part in events to mark the 25th anniv ersary of the Good Frid ay p eace accord He is intensely proud of his Irish heritag e PM Sunak w ill be h osting a gala dinner on Wed nesday to c o m m e m o ra te th e an ni v e rs ary , h i s o ffice said in a statem ent setting o ut som e d etails of his itinerary Downing Street denied that Rishi Sunak’s meetings with US President J o e B i d e n t h i s w e e k a r e “ l o w - k e y ”

Asked about the White House reportedly scaling back their interaction from

Infosys Sunak also replied to his wife’s post with the words “ a proud day”

Akshata posted: “I watched with u n s p e a k a b l e p r i d e a s m y m o t h e r received the Padma Bhushan from the P r e s i d e n t o f I n d i a O n # I W D [ I n t e r n a t i o n a l W o m e n ’ s D a y ] l a s t m o n t h , I r e f l e c t e d o n m y m o t h e r ’ s extraordinary journey, from STEM to storytelling, but her charitable and volunteering efforts have served as her greatest inspiration to me ”

The UK’s First Lady added that it

a bilateral event to a less formal coffee m e e t i n g , a N o 1 0 s p o k e s m a n t o l d r e p o r t e r s : “ T h e p r i m e m i n i s t e r w i l l meet with President Biden to discuss areas of mutual interest ”

Asked why the plans appeared lowkey, he replied: “I wouldn’t characterise it as that As I’ve said the prime minister will see him tonight, and he will see him again tomorrow

“You’ve seen the president’s actions during his time demonstrate that we have a close relationship His first visit outside of North America was to the UK, where he met both the Queen and

was her mother s example has helped put “volunteering, learning and listening” at the heart of how she hopes to live at 10 Downing Street Her unassuming presence at the glittering awards ceremony in India has since gone viral on social media, as it emerged how the elegantly simply dressed businesswoman sat without any fuss with her parents somewhere in the midst of the gathering before being moved to the front row beside Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, as per protocol

the Prince of Wales

“We continue to have an incredibly positive working relationship with the president and the US government ” H a v i n g h e l p e d b r o k e r t h e 1 9 9 8 d e a l , t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s r e m a i n s a n influential voice in Northern Ireland's politics and has sought to protect the p e a c e f r o m t h e s t r a i n s c a u s e d b y B r i t a i n ' s e x i t f r o m t h e E u r o p e a n Union

It will be a closely watched visit to both sides of the Irish border at a time of heightened political uncertainty in Northern Ireland

Subramanium Swamy We have seen many examples of such racist and Hinduphobic behaviour at many of our leading universities More recently, readers will remember how Rashmi Samant was harassed, bullied, and hounded out of her democratically elected position as President of Oxford University Students Union So, is it any wonder t h a t t h i s w e e k w e h a v e s e e n a n o t h e r H i n d u , K a r a n Kantaria of London School of Economics, who was ejected from the students’ union elections? And yet again the same issue of anti-India and anti-Hindu appears to be the at the centre of the controversy Hinduphobia, like antisemitism, is now becoming mainstream There is a clear pattern by those who are exercising this racist behaviour They are from the left, t h e y a r e a p p e a s e r s o f I s l a m i s t s a n d s y m p a t h i s e r s o f Khalistanis, and those who have some aversion to India, Indians, and Hindus In effect these people have taken over from the very far right and have become the racists of the 21st Century

I would urge the Secretary of State, The Rt Hon Gillian Keegan MP to instigate an investigation into the rise of H i n d u p h o b i a i n o u r h i g h e r e d u c a t i o n a l i n s t i t u t i o n s Public funds are being used to promote discrimination, surely that must be unacceptable and illegal

I would ask the Secretary of State, The Rt Hon Suella B r a v e r m a n K C M P t o p u t i n p l a c e a d e f i n i t i o n o f Hinduphobia and anti-Hindu behaviour so all public bodies can be better informed to root out this form of racism

I would also ask each one of you, when will you realise that today’s Labour Party is anti-India, anti-Hindu and uses Hinduphobia to further its political ambitions?

Anger agains t Air India

We have received many complaints against Air India regarding their decision to divert the London Heathrow-Ahmedabad direct flights to Gatwick Airport Our readers have also expressed anger and disappointment about the behaviour of Air India's senior staff In the next week’s issue, we will publish stories about the last-moment inconveniences faced by passengers

Indian appointed for John Lewis Partners top post

M u m ba i- b o rn N is h K a nk iw a la r ec en tly t o o k o v er as t h e f i rs t Bri t is h I ndi an Ch ief E xec utiv e o f J o h n L ew is P a rtn er sh i p ( JLP), one of th e UK ’ s m ost w ell - kno w n d e p ar tm en t s to r es h ea d q ua rte red i n L o nd o n, w i th a b ri ef to sup ercharge the h igh street brand “It’s a great privilege to b e a p p o i n t e d a s C h i e f E x e c u t i v e f o l l o w i n g t w o r e w a r d i n g y e a r s o n t h e P a r t n e r s h i p ’ s B o a r d a s a non-executive director I am looking forward to playing an even fuller part in the t r a n s f o r m a t i o n o f t h e Partnership, to be a modern

OVER 850 COMMUNITY AND CHARITY REPRESENTATIVES INVITED TO ENJOY THE CORONATION SERVICE FROM WESTMINSTER ABBEY

Over 850 commu nity and charity rep resentatives fro m acros s th e Uni ted Kingdo m have been invited to enjo y th e Co r o n at i o n S e rv i c e fro m Westminster Abbey o n Satu rday, 6 May 2023

business loved by customers a n d t r e a s u r e d b y o u r Partners,” said Kankiwala of his new role

A non-executive director to the Partnership Board since April 2021, JLP Chair Sharon White unveiled his elevation within the company recently

Police slammed for sending six officers to seize collection of dolls

H o m e S ec re tary S u e ll a B rav erm a n h as s l am m e d police fo r send ing six o fficers to seize a collection of go lliwog dolls Six m embers of Essex Police w ere sent to a p ub in Grays, Essex where 15 do lls were seized followi ng an a no n ym o u s c o mplaint T h e H o m e O f f i c e branded the incident "nonsense before criticising the force, saying they should be focusing on more serious crimes

The dolls, displayed in the pub as gifts from customers, were seized under

suspected 'hate crime'

The officers were captured on CCTV seizing the dolls, and placing them into an evidence bag

Responding to the incident a Home Office source said: "The Home Secretary's views have now been made very plain to Essex Police so they're under no illusions ”

A spokesman for Essex Police said: We are investigating an allegation of hate crime reported to us on 24 F e b r u a r y O n T u e s d a y , 4 April, officers seized several i t e m s i n c o n n e c t i o n w i t h that investigation

I n v i t a t i o n s t o t h e C o r o n a t i o n S e r v i c e i n W e s t m i n s t e r A b b e y h a v e been extended to over 450 British Empire Medal recipients in recognition of the c o n t r i b u t i o n s m a d e b y r e m a r k a b l e v o l u n t e e r s , charity representatives and community champions up and down the country

In addition, 400 young people representing charitable organisations, nominated by The King and The Queen Consort and the UK Government, will have the opportunity to watch the C o r o n a t i o n S e r v i c e a n d P r o c e s s i o n f r o m S t M a r g a r e t ’ s C h u r c h , Westminster Abbey, by kind permission of the Dean and C h a p t e r o f W e s t m i n s t e r Y o u n g p o e t , B e n g a l i g i r l f r o m B i r m i n g h a m I o n a Mandal, is one of the invit e e s a t S t M a r g a r e t ’ s Church, who received her invitation through National Literacy Trust, after being nominated for Coronation

C h a m p i o n A w a r d b y t h e Trust

Joint letter from UK Sikh and Hindu organisations to Home Secretary

Ove r the ye ar s the H indu Forum of Br itain has r ais ed s e r ious c o nc e r ns wi t h t h e governm ent and c arried out a number of s ess ions with M an dir s a nd Sa m aj a c ros s the UK In a joint letter fr om UK Sikh & Hindu organisations to the Home Secretar y - Suel la Braverm an the m embers of the comm unity have wr i tt e n a b ou t Pa k is t a n i grooming gangs The lette r t it l e d ‘J oi nt f a i t h gr o up re s pon s e: re l igious l y m ot ivated sexual grooming’ is as foll ows:

“As UK faith representatives, we support the ongoi n g e f f o r t s o f H o m e Secretary Suella Braverman who has in the face of some considerable hostility bravely spoken out about the overr e p r e s e n t a t i o n o f B r i t i s h

Pakistani men in sex grooming gangs operating around the UK We as faith communities want the government to acknowledge the motivation for the majority of sexual grooming gangs in the UK and we believe the evidence overwhelmingly points to an inconvenient truth That is: n o n - M u s l i m g i r l s ( t h i s i n c l u d e s S i k h , H i n d u a n d White Christian girls) have been systematically targeted in Britain due to a form of religiously motivated hate W e i m p l o r e t h e H o m e S e c r e t a r y t o h a v e t h e courage to explore further this reality if we are serious about investigating the 'othe r i n g ' o f v i c t i m s b y t h e s e grooming gangs ”

The letter also extends support to Baroness Warsi’s

brave stance when she said, “ a s m a l l m i n o r i t y ” o f Pakistani men see white girls as “fair game ” , and asks the g o v e r n m e n t t o h e l p t h e M u s l i m c o m m u n i t y t a c k l e this stain on an otherwise l a w - a b i d i n g c o m m u n i t y , with appropriate funding if necessary T h e l e t t e r u r g e s t h e Home Secretary, whose predecessor had admitted in her paper on group-based child exploitation that 'it is diffic u l t t o d r a w c o n c l u s i o n s a b o u t t h e e t h n i c i t y o f o f f e n d e r s a s e x i s t i n g research is limited and data collection is poor' to further investigate what we feel are the religious-based motivations for the vast majority of g r o u p - b a s e d c h i l d s e x u a l exploitation cases in Britain

Britain’s Odiya community ready to welcome Maharaja Gajapati

The Odiya community in t he UK is gea ring up for the first convent ion of its kind with G a j a p a t i M a h a r a ja

D ibyasingha D eb – king of Puri, in the ea ste rn Indian sta te of Odisha Known as t he Adhyasevak a or the chief s e r v it o r of L o r d S hr e e J a g a n n a t h a , M a h a r a ja

D ib y asin g ha D e b is se t t o v isit the UK to sprea d t he e ssence of H in du phil osophy a nd sprea d the messa ge of Shre e Ja gannat ha

The UK visit of the 70-

year-old maharaja, the current head of the house of the Bhoj Dynasty, along with his w i f e M a h a r a n i L e e l a v a t i

P a t a m a h a d e i , h a s b e e n o r g a n i s e d b y t h e S h r e e

Jagannatha Society of the UK – a registered charity which h a s b e e n a c t i v e l y e n g a g e d over the last 50 years in promoting and participating in innumerable spiritual activities in India and abroad The Maharaja is also the key spiritual advisor of the organisation During his UK tour, he

T h e B r i t i s h E m p i r e M e d a l r e c o g n i s e s t h e a c h i e v e m e n t o r c o n t r i b ution of service to the community in a local area This might take the form of sustained commitment in support of a local charitable or voluntary activity, or innovative work that has delivered real impact in the community Many of the BEM r e c i p i e n t s a t t e n d i n g t h e C o r o n a t i o n S e r v i c e w e r e instrumental in providing s e r v i c e s a n d s u p p o r t t o t h e i r l o c a l c o m m u n i t i e s during the Covid-19 lockd o w n s S o m e o f t h e B E M recipients of South Asianorigin to attend the coronation include:

M an j u M al h i o f L o n d o n : A p r o f e s s i o n a l c h e f w h o a c t e d a s t h e Resident Chef for charity

Open Age since 2016 Open

A g e c h a m p i o n s a n a c t i v e l i f e f o r o l d e r p e o p l e i n London, helping those aged 50 or older to sustain their physical and mental fitness, maintain an active lifestyle and develop new interests

Manju turned Open Age’s k i t c h e n i n t o a c o o k e r y school and restaurant for m e m b e r s a n d s t a f f , a n d o f f e r e d r e m o t e c o o k e r y c l a s s e s d u r i n g C o v i d - 1 9

M a n j u a l s o l e a d s O p e n

Age’s community Big Local Family Cooking Club The sessions are fun, interactive and an opportunity for local r e s i d e n t s f r o m a l l b a c kgrounds to come together, m a k e a m e a l a n d e a t t o g e t h e r a s c o m m u n i t y family S a hi l U s m an f r o m Blackburn: Whilst battling

leukaemia at the age of 15, Sahil dedicated time during lockdown to support vulnerable people in the comm u n i t y o f B l a c k b u r n , L a n c a s h i r e , d u r i n g t h e C o v i d - 1 9 l o c k d o w n S a h i l created 300 hampers containing essential goods for delivery to elderly people across Blackburn In 2018, when first diagnosed with c a n c e r , S a h i l d e c i d e d t o spend his own money on b u y i n g C h r i s t m a s g i f t s , gloves and hats for other patients on his ward; a tradition which he continued f o r t w o y e a r s S a h i l a l s o c o o r d i n a t e d a “ R a i s i n g Awareness for Cancer” proj e c t , d e s i g n i n g p r e s e n t ations for delivery in schools to raise awareness of the impact of cancer on young people

i s s c h e d u l e d t o c o v e r London, Dublin, Edinburgh, Manchester and Bath

G a j a p a t i M a h a r a j a Dibyasingha Deb has served the Lord since 1970 after his c o r o n a t i o n a s t h e k i n g i n

P u r i a t 1 7 H e i s t h e Chairman of the Jagannatha T e m p l e M a n a g i n g Committee, Puri, and discharges his statutory duties, including the world-famous Ratha Yatra (pictured above) i n P u r i – t h e c a p i t a l o f Odisha

Iona Mondal Manju Malhi

Demand for more racial representation by Dr Ranj Singh

D r Ra nj Sin gh has outl in ed why we n eed mor e Asian re pr esentat ion in a string of passionat e tweets

His statement comes after KSI caused outrage over the weekend when he used a racial slur during a recent YouTube video posted on Sidemen’s channel Following the backlash, YouTuber KSI issued an a p o l o g y a s h e s a i d : ‘ T h e r e ’ s n o e x c u s e , n o m a t t e r t h e c i r c u mstances, I shouldn’t have said it and I’m sorry, ’ before announcing that he would be taking a break from social media

Dr Ranj responded directly to

the rapper ’ s statement by writing:

‘The apology is appreciated, but: 1) Actions speak louder 2) You’re not the only one in this video 3) How was this even allowed to go out on @YouTube? 4) The number of peop l e ( e s p e c i a l l y P O C ) s a y i n g t h i s

Strikes will lead to more school closures

word isn’t an issue is a problem ’

H e c o n c l u d e d w i t h : ‘ S e r i o u s discussions are needed ’

In a separate Twitter chain, the 4 3 - y e a r - o l d e x p r e s s e d h i s d i s a ppointment at the way the situation has been handled and the representation of Asian people in general

The doctor also shared some s t a t i s t i c s f r o m O f c o m , s t a t i n g : ‘Asians make up around 10% of the population – but only around 4% of on-screen faces’, before writing that when it comes to representing gender, disability and LGBTQ+ of the Asian community it is ‘ even worse ’

Yoga teachers and nannies take cues from sex workers to build labour movement

Recruiting fellow yoga teach ers in Britain to join a union is not easy for Hayley Johns, but for help , sh e h as tu rned to an unlikely source, sex w orkers

Despite facing criminalisation for working under the same roof and having to deal with strip club managers that rip up union fliers, sex workers have built a labour m o v e m e n t t h r o u g h w o r k i n g within communities and fighting individual cases

Adopting a similar approach has been instrumental for Johns, who is organising yoga teachers within the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain, and said they faced similar issues to sex workers, such as working alone

and for different employers “ S o m e t h i n g t h a t f e l t impossible to us now feels possible a n d w o u l d u p t u r n o u r e n t i r e industry,” Johns, who is based in southern England, told

As Britain’s cost-of-living crisis unleashes a nationwide wave of pay strikes, yoga teachers are not t h e o n l y g r o u p o f p r e c a r i o u s w o r k e r s l e a r n i n g f r o m t h e c o u n t r y ’ s U n i t e d S e x W o r k e r s Union how to fight for greater r i g h t s a n d b e t t e r w o r k i n g conditions

Britain’s first union branch to r e p r e s e n t a u p a i r s a n d l i v e - i n c h i l d c a r e w o r k e r s , t h e N a n n y Solidarity Network, was formed after reaching out to sex workers’

organisations for advice in 2020 S e x w o r k e r s u s e w o r d o f m o u t h , e x i s t i n g s u p p o r t g r o u p s and safety networks to reach out to isolated or criminalised workers, an approach that Hall said had b e e n e f f e c t i v e i n o r g a n i s i n g nannies facing similar barriers and cut off from each other

Schools in Eng land are braced fo r more chaos as th ey could be closed fo r days by a hug e strike

M i l l i o n s o f c h i l d r e n f a c e having their learning disrupted yet again after the NASUWT teaching

u n i o n v o t e d t o r e j e c t a Government pay offer

The NASUWT is re-balloting their members which could lead to the biggest series of summer-term w a l k o u t s t o h i t t h e e d u c a t i o n sector since the 1980s

The industrial action would see all state schools in England

f a c i n g s i m u l t a n e o u s c l o s u r e s during peak exam season

A n d D r P a t r i c k R o a c h , t h e union’s general secretary, said the u n i o n w i l l “ b e l o o k i n g t o c oordinate wherever we can ” with o t h e r u n i o n s t o m a x i m i s e

disruption

Parents face a childcare crisis, with many forced to take time off w o r k o r j u g g l e c h i l d c a r e w i t h working from home if the strike goes ahead

The union, which represents 280,000 teachers across the UK, s a i d 8 7 p e r c e n t o f m e m b e r s rejected the deal and 77 per cent said they would back industrial action

T h e g o v e r n m e n t h a s s a i d f u r t h e r s t r i k e a c t i o n w a s " e x t r e m e l y d i s a p p o i n t i n g " M o s t state school teachers in England had a 5% pay rise in 2022 They were offered a 4 3% rise next year, a s w e l l a s a £ 1 , 0 0 0 o n e - o f f payment this year While starting s a l a r i e s a r e a l s o s e t t o r i s e t o £30,000 from September

Nationwide mobile alert test on April 23

The exact d ate and tim e an 'arm ag ed do n' alarm w ill be sent to m illi ons of p ho nes ac ro s s t h e U K h as be en rev eal ed T h e g o v e rnm e nt will send the alert - w hich w ill see pho nes up and down the country v ibrate - at 3pm on April 23

M or e than a third of peopl e from e thnic and rel igious minorities have e x p er i e nc ed r a c ia l l y m o t iv a t ed physical or ver bal abuse, ac cording t o t he bi g ge s t an d m o s t c om p r eh e ns iv e s u r ve y o f r a c e inequality in the UK for more than a q uarter of a century T h e s u r v e y f o u n d “ s t r i k i n g l y high” levels of exposure to abuse a c r o s s a w i d e r a n g e o f e t h n i c minority groups, as well as a high prevalence of racial discrimination a n d i n e q u a l i t y o f o u t c o m e s i n education, the workplace, housing and interactions with the police

“Britain is not close to being a

racially just society,” concludes the two-year research project, which urges ministers to tackle what it d e s c r i b e s a s “ s u b s t a n t i a l e t h n i c inequalities” found across a range of areas of British life and institutions

It says its detailed evidence of d i s c r i m i n a t i o n a n d u n f a i r n e s s directly challenges the findings of t h e g o v e r n m e n t - c o m m i s s i o n e d Sewell report on racial disparities published two years ago, which it argues downplayed the existence a n d i m p a c t o f s t r u c t u r a l a n d i n s t i t u t i o n a l r a c i s m i n t h e U K

A l m o s t o n e i n s i x p e o p l e f r o m m i n o r i t y e t h n i c a n d r e l i g i o u s

UK defence companies to diversify supply chain by venturing into India

B ri ti s h d e fen c e c o m p a ni es ar e p lanning to boost tieu p s o r m ak e ne w investm ents in India, am id bro ad er effo rts t o d i v er si f y th e i r su pply ch ains, an industry bod y said Britain has sought to deepen e c o n o m i c , d e f e n c e a n d s e c u r i t y t i e s w i t h I n d i a , c o m m i t t i n g t o closer links with the Indo-Pacific region, while casting China as an "epoch-defining challenge" to the world order

"We have got a group of 22 British defence companies, with collective revenues of about $60 billion, really focused on doing business with and in India, UK-

I n d i a B u s i n e s s C o u n c i l ( U K I B C )

C h i e f E x e c u t i v e

R i c h a r d M c C a l l u m

told Reuters

A b o u t 1 1 h a v e a l r e a d y e s t a b l i s h e d

joint ventures or subsidiaries in India, and all are looking to do more, he said

Among those with a presence in India's aerospace and defence sector, BAE Systems has an Indian unit, while MBDA has a venture with Larsen & Toubro, and RollsR o y c e ( R R L ) i s l o o k i n g t o c o l l a b o r a t e o n j e t e n g i n e technology

groups said they had experienced a racist physical assault prior to the pandemic, according to the survey This increased to more than one in five Jewish people and more than one in three Gypsy, Traveller and Roma people

M o r e t h a n a q u a r t e r o f a l l respondents from minority ethnic g r o u p s h a d e x p e r i e n c e d r a c i a l insults, and 17% said their property had been damaged by racist attacks, it found Nearly a third said they had experienced racism in a public place, and one in six said they had s u f f e r e d r a c i s m a t t h e h a n d s o f neighbours

The alert comes as part of a nationwide test from the government The system is intended to be used in life-threatening situations including flooding and w i l d f i r e s T h e m e s s a g e w i l l b e r e c e i v e d o n 4 G a n d 5 G m o b i l e p h o n e s , a l o n g w i t h s o u n d a n d vibration for up to 10 seconds Chancellor of the Duchy of L a n c a s t e r O l i v e r D o w d e n s a i d : "Getting this system operational with the national test means we have another tool in our toolkit to

keep the public safe in life-threatening emergencies It could be the sound that saves your life "

National Fire Chiefs Council chairman Mark Hardingham said: "For 10 seconds the national test may be inconvenient for some, but please forgive us for the intrusion because, the next time you hear, it y o u r l i f e , a n d t h e l i f e - s a v i n g actions of our emergency services, could depend on it "

Government halves adult social care funding: Harrow Assembly Member raises concern

Krup esh Hirani AM , th e London

Assem bly Member for Brent and Harrow, h as v oiced h is concerns over the U K g overnment’s decision

AI app created by a student to identify assignments written using ChatGPT

A univ ersity stud ent h as cr eat ed a n A I a p p to d et ec t w hether people hav e u s ed bo ts l ik e C h atG P T to w r it e assignments Ed Daniels, who s t u d i e s a t t h e University of Bristol, developed AIED UK after a project a t u n i v e r s i t y a l l o w e d h i m t o integrate AI with education The 22-year-old said he felt the need to ‘ p r o t e c t t h e e d u c a t i o n s y s t e m ’ when ChatGPT was created T h e a p p u s e s A I t o d e t e c t whether an essay has been written u s i n g o t h e r A I t e c h n o l o g y E x p l a i n i n g h o w i t w o r k s , t h e f o u r t h - y e a r s t u d e n t s a i d :

‘

C o m p u t e r s a r e getting really good at noticing things, if I ’ m a l w a y s s a y i n g t h e e x a c t p e r f e c t word next, chances are, that’s a bot E d h a s b e e n c o m p a r e d b y c l a s s m a t e s t o ‘ t h e g u y t h a t t o l d t h e t e a c h e r s t h e h o m e w o r k w a s d u e ’ B u t h e d o e s n ’ t m i n d t h e c r i t i c i s m a n d

said: ‘I actually quite like it because it lets me pretend like I’m playing the villain or something ’ T h e s t u d e n t a d m i t t e d a l l workplaces will eventually use AI and students should have ‘ access to AI tech, just like they give us printer credits’

to h alve fu nd ing for develo ping th e ad ult social care wo rkforce

The announcement has been m e t w i t h w i d e s p r e a d c r i t i c i s m from Labour members, including H i r a n i , w h o h a s a c c u s e d t h e government of failing to tackle t h e o n g o i n g s o c i a l c a r e c r i s i s H i r a n i h a s l a b e l l e d t h e government’s announcement as a “ h o l l o w a n n o u n c e m e n t ” t h a t reflects how the government feels about the sector H i r a n i ’ s c o n c e r n s r e f l e c t t h o s e o f m a n y h e a l t h c a r e p r o f e s s i o n a l s a n d s o c i a l c a r e w o r k e r s w h o f e e l t h a t t h e d e c i s i o n w i l l m a k e i t m o r e difficult for them to provide the q u a l i t y o f c a r e t h a t p a t i e n t s r e q u i r e I n r e s p o n s e t o t h e d e c i s i o n , H i r a n i h a s u r g e d ministers to reconsider and think a g a i n H e e m p h a s i z e d t h e i m p o r t a n c e o f m a i n t a i n i n g adequate staffing levels to meet the rising demand for social care i n L o n d o n A s t h e L o n d o n Assembly Member for Brent and Harrow, Hirani is acutely aware of the challenges facing the social care workforce in the capital and the need for greater investment in the sector

Over one-third of ethnic and religious minorities have experienced racially motivated assault

Spiritual music feels like family, it’s our roots

Shefali Saxena

The Bhajan Project is back after 10 years for its seco nd p art T his truly c ontemporary expressi on of spirituality is a collection o f th e most po pular bh aj ans and familiar mantras whi ch Sh ivali herself h as grown u p to, j ust like most Indian yo uth, in India and around th e wo rld Blending an eclectic mix o f beats and so unds from the genres o f R&B, soul, rock and p op, every bhajan to uches you r so ul th rough its sincerity T he Bh ajan P ro ject 2 is p oised to ch ange th e way people feel and, of co urse, establish a new way of li fe

Shivali began producing bhajans in her teenage years to capture the hearts and minds of Hindus and spiritual seekers globally In the UK, Shivali was the pioneer of contemporary bhajans A decade later, with the release of her third album, The Bhajan Project 2, the question remains, why did Shivali continue to stick with bhajans? Her answer was simply, “Music is made from love, and if that love is devotional, there is nothing higher ”

Her albums are produced by her rakhi brother, the hit producer and singer-songwriter Arjun Coomaraswamy “It’s important to me to really understand the meaning of the songs and also represent them authentically Every bhajan is chosen for a specific purpose, it is never random!”

Shivali Bhammer told Rolling Stone India

The Bhajan Project 2 is available on Spotify, Amazon MP£ SME, iTunes and many other platforms Here’s her exclusive Q&A with Asian Voice

1 How are bhajans relevant to the contemporary generation? They do seem to be an important part of pop culture now

I think spirituality and mindfulness is in trend I am not sure bhajans themselves are an important part of pop culture because they are rarely featured I’ve been in the business of bhajans for a decade with a major label but priority is always given to Bollywood, bhangra, or British Asian covers because they are more accessible and for a wider audience than Bhajans However, what I have found is for those who want to listen to devotional music, then bhajans especially contemporary bhajans are meaningful and necessary Especially for kids who often learn mantras and songs this way! I am very grateful for the love Bhajans receive from their families

2 What is the idea behind making special compositions for “Mahamrityunjaya Mantra” and "Om Jai Jagdish Hare"?

The Mahamrityunjaya Mantra is known as one of the most powerful mantras in Hinduism It was originally from the oldest

Dhiren Katwa

More than 300 candidates of Indian origin are contesting the council elections in the UK

Chara n Se khon is set to se rve his fourt h consecut iv e te rm fr om an uncon tested Sharnb rook Council

On May 4, 2023, the elections of 230 councils and mayoral elections of four cities in England are going to be held

This time more than 300 candidates of Indian origin are trying t h e i r l u c k i n m o r e t h a n 2 5 0 0 council seats from different parties The last date for filing nomination was April 4, after which the uncontested councils where no election will take place, have been announced by the election officials of various councils

Charan Sekhon, the only candidate of Indian Punjabi origin, is among the councillors from Shanbrook Council in Bedfordshire declared as uncontested It was the 4th consecutive time that Cllr Sekhon has been part of Sharnbrook Council to be elected unopposed The official announcement of all results will be made on 5th May

Sharnbrook is a rural p a r i s h c o u n c i l a r e a a n d

Sekhon was the only candidate of Indian origin

H e p r e v i o u s l y w o n t w i c e f r o m t h e n e a r b y T o w n K e m p s t o n a s a Labour candidate He has served as a local councillor for over 21 years

F o u n d e r & C h a i r m a n o f S E V A T r u s t U K , C l l r Sekhon has served the local communities for over 25 years Recently he received an MBE from HM the King for his contributions to Environment, Diversity, Charity & Covid-19 support work

Whilst the election campaign is getting busier, all political parties have launched their campaigns According to the latest opinion polls, the Labour Party is leading with 49 points, the ruling Conservative Party is second with 26 and the Liberal Party is in third place with 11 points

Vedic literature, the Rig Veda It is 1500 years old, and the mantra is designed to alleviate mental stress, anxiety, and poor health and provide peace It’s amazing to be able to do a contemporary version of a mantra steeped in history Because it is a Lord Shiva mantra, who is the Lord of Dance, I incorporated Kathak bols into the mantra to provide it with that hip-hop ethnic edge and it sounds fresh We also switched up the melody slightly to make it sweet sounding for the youth

Om Jai Jagdish Hare was written in 1870 and is sung by Hindus across the world, the aarti is symbolic of a time the family come together to worship I absolutely love the meaning of this aarti and very few understood it, so I put subtitles in my music video and within two days it crossed 300,000 views which is a big deal for a bhajan I think that’s because everybody theoretically knows it, but very few know the depth of those lyrics I wanted to bring it back in a different way for everyone

3 How differently do you think older and younger generations consume spiritual music?

I think they consume it relatively similarly; spiritual music is perfect for any time (although perhaps not at the gym!) I generally listen to bhajans in the morning, or if I need strength, I know the younger generation like to listen when studying for exams or teaching their kids, and the older generation plays them in the car

4. Where do you get your inspiration from?

From the divine, because I sing for the divine, so the universe, God, consciousness, whatever you wish to call this creative force is my inspiration and love

5 How important do you think is spiritual music for the Indian diaspora?

I think it brings them back home Spiritual music feels like family, it’s our roots, and when we listen to it, we think to ourselves, ‘It’s okay, I am going to be okay ’ A simple but important message for all of us

Aviation careers fair

T he popular P ilot Careers L ive ev ent is once again com ing to L ond on

The event on Saturday, 22 April between 9am and 5pm at Sofitel Heathrow T5 will offer the chance to find out latest information about careers in the aviation industry Find places to train and how it works, unders t a n d t h e s e l e c t i o n p r o c e s s , l e a r n a b o u t

Sadiq Khan writes to Home Secretary to facilitate cleanup in Met police

Lo nd on M ayor, Sadiq Kh an, has accused the hom e secretary o f delaying attem pts to clean u p p o l ic i ng am i d m o u n ti ng fru s tr ati o n am on g s eni o r of f ic ers t h at t h ey r em ai n unable to sack rog ue officers

Khan has written to Suella Braverman urging her to stop dragging her feet over pushing ahead with new laws that allow police chiefs to get rid of corrupt officers

The mayor ’ s letter was sent hours after the h e a d o f t h e M e t r o p o l i t a n p o l i c e , M a r k Rowley, lamented that it was “nonsensical” he did not have the power to sack staff who were offenders or who were feared to pose a risk to the public Forces such as the Met are

still governed by “police regulations” instead of normal employment law, meaning that leaders including Rowley do not have the power to dismiss rogue officers

The mayor, who is responsible for setting policing priorities for the Met and holding Rowley to account, added: “We must equip the Met’s leadership with the practical powers they desperately need to take swift action, without the hindrance of regulations which get in their way ” Rowley had admitted that the Met had “hundreds of people who shouldn’t be here” as cases of officers p r e v i o u s l y a c c u s e d o f v i o l e n c e a g a i n s t women are re-examined

training costs and fees, discover education and learning options and more

This must-not-miss event is being supp o r t e d b y B r i t i s h A i r w a y s , E a s y J e t a n d R y a n a i r E v e n t o r g a n i s e r s , P i l o t C a r e e r

News, are committed to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion and are encouraging delegates from Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities to attend For tickets and more information visit www pilotcareerslive com

Less support given to South Asian kidney patients

N ew r es e a r c h h a s u nd ers cored the disp arities in m ental health su pp ort fo r South

As ian p at ients wit h kidne y disease, a statement said

T h e s t u d y f r o m t h e University of Hertfordshire recommended specialist, cult u r a l l y - a d a p t e d a p p r o a c h e s for patients who face barriers i n a c c e s s i n g m e n t a l h e a l t h s c r e e n i n g a n d c a r e A c c o r d i n g t o t h e r e s e a r c h , S o u t h A s i a n s a r e b e t w e e n t h r e e a n d f i v e t i m e s m o r e likely to develop end-stage kidney disease

T h e g r o u p c o m p r i s e s around five per cent of the UK population, but 12 2 percent of kidney service users in the country The study, funded by the National Institute

of Health Research (NIHR) to a d d r e s s t h i s d i s p a r i t y , revealed that patients from t h e s e g r o u p s a r e r a r e l y i n c l u d e d i n m e n t a l h e a l t h research

The study has undertaken assessments with over 200 South Asian dialysis patients and analysed results to make specialist recommendations Data shows that up to one in t h r e e p a t i e n t s w i t h k i d n e y d i s e a s e w i l l e x p e r i e n c e

Any scope of Islamophobia dismissed in Nusrat Ghani case

depression at some point

Patients who require hospital-based haemodialysis are particularly vulnerable to low m o o d o r s y m p t o m s o f d e p r e s s i o n , g i v e n t h e n u a n c e s o f t h e t r e a t m e n t itself as well as its impact on sustaining everyday life activities The study found out that personalised, culturally sensitive support can have a major impact on people’s ability to e n g a g e m e a n i n g f u l l y w i t h screening and support The researchers achieved a 97 per c e n t c o n s e n t t o r e s e a r c h c o m p l e t i o n r a t e , w h i c h i s e x c e p t i o n a l l y p r o m i s i n g t o address under-representation in kidney research more generally

Leicester lad on way to stardom

M uhamm ad Ali is well on h i s w ay t o s ta rd o m T h e L eicester lad is one of this g enerati on's mo st p ro m ising boxers and not only do es h e bear th e sam e name as o n e o f th e m o s t f am o u s boxers of all tim e, but he is also follow ing in his foo tstep s T h e 1 8 - y e a r - o l d h a s signed a long-term promot i o n a l d e a l w i t h E d d i e Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing a n d i s o n e o f E d d i e ’ s youngest prospects He also c u r r e n t l y t r a i n s u n d e r renowned trainer and former boxer David Coldwell

i n S h e f f i e l d D u r i n g h i s career Muhammad has also won numerous national, GB and International titles And after a three year hiatus due to the pandemic, he made his professional debut at the N e w c a s t l e U t i l i t a A r e n a , where he came out on top yet again

M u h a m m e d w o n h i s first national title at the age of 13, which led him to join the England team “I then went on to the GB championships where I won gold, and then I became a threetime national champion

T h e u p a n d c o m i n g

s p o r t s m a n s a i d t h a t h e d r e a m s o f b e c o m i n g a multi-weight champion one day, and despite having the same name as one of the most famous boxers in the world, he said he does not feel pressure to live up to the name “I’m only 18 and at the start of my career ”

An ethics adv iser to p rime m i ni s ter Ri s h i S un ak h as said he fou nd no clear evid ence of Is lam o ph o bi a to back up allegations by M P Nu srat Ghani th at she w as sacked from h er ministerial job in 2020 partly because of her Mu slim faith Ghani, 50, who has now been reinstated in the government, said last year that she had been told by a whip – an enforcer of parliament a r y d i s c i p l i n e – t h a t h e r Muslim faith was making her colleagues uncomfortable and was a factor in her sacking as junior transport minister in February 2020 Then prime minister Boris

Johnson ordered an inquiry

i n t o t h e a l l e g a t i o n s i n January 2022

A n n o u n c i n g t h e i n q u i r y ’ s f i n d i n g s , L a u r i e Magnus, Sunak’s independent adviser on ministers’ interests, said Ghani’s concerns were “ very serious”, but that he was unable to d e t e r m i n e w h a t e x a c t l y t r a n s p i r e d i n m e e t i n g s between her and the governm e n t ’ s t h e n c h i e f w h i p Mark Spencer He said he had received conflicting evidence from each of them and that there was no evidence to suggest that negat i v e c o m m e n t s a b o u t Ghani’s faith were made, but

also that it was not possible to conclude they were not The Conservative Party has previously faced accusations of Islamophobia, and a report in 2021 criticised it over how it dealt with comp l a i n t s o f d i s c r i m i n a t i o n against Muslims Ghani said Magnus’s report showed her evidence had been consistent, and there was no critic i s m e x p r e s s e d a b o u t h e r version of the events

Hindu celebrations at Neasden

Various cerem onies m arked th e Hind u festival of Ram Na v am i a nd th e j aya nti (birth anniversary) of spiritual lead er Swaminarayan at th e Ne as d en te m p le i n London

Devotees and well-wishers visited the temple – also k n o w n a s B A P S S h r i S w a m i n a r a y a n M a n d i r –t h r o u g h o u t t h e d a y o n March 30 to attend religious and spiritual programmes Monks participated in disc o u r s e s a n d r e n d e r i n g o f

d e v o t i o n a l s o n g s i n t h e morning and evening, while annakut or the ceremonial offering of food took place at noon

The celebrations culminated with a special arti – a ritual where light is offered in the form of flame – at 1 0 1 0 p m , t h e t i m e w h e n Swaminarayan was born in the small north Indian village of Chhapaiya in 1781 Hindus worldwide celebrate Ram Navami – the ninth day o f t h e l u n a r m o n t h o f

Chaitra – as the day Lord Ram was born S w a m i n a r a y a n l e d socio-spiritual awakening in India till his death in 1830 by introducing social reforms a n d p r o m o t i n g n o n - v i olence Regarded as a manif e s t a t i o n o f G o d , h e preached against superstit i o n s a n d a d d i c t i o n s H e also built several temples, i n c l u d i n g t h e S w a m i n a r a y a n M a n d i r i n the western Indian city of Ahmedabad

Violence like female genital mutilation can trigger early onset menopause

King Charle s III and the late Q u e e n E l i za b e t h I I ha v e r e ce i ve d pa y me n t s e q uiv al ent t o more t han £1bn from t w o l a n d a n d p r o pe r t y e st ates that are at t he centre o f a ce n t u r i e s-o l d d e b a t e o ve r whe t he r th e ir p r ofit s shoul d b e give n t o the public instea d A n i n v e s t i g a t i o n h a s established the full scale of income extracted by the roya l s f r o m t h e d u c h i e s o f L a n c a s t e r a n d C o r n w a l l , which run giant portfolios of l a n d a n d p r o p e r t y a c r o s s

England

The duchies operate as

professionally run real estate e m p i r e s t h a t m a n a g e swathes of farmland, hotels, m e d i e v a l c a s t l e s , o f f i c e s , shops and some of London’s p r i m e l u x u r y r e a l e s t a t e They also have substantial i n v e s t m e n t p o r t f o l i o s , b u t pay no corporation tax or capital gains tax

Duchy accounts, held in p a r l i a m e n t a r y a n d s t a t e a r c h i v e s , r e v e a l h o w t h e queen and her first-born son, in his capacity as the Duke of Cornwall, benefited from a huge increase in their revenues from the duchies during her seven-decade reign

The royal family’s claim t o t h e i n c o m e f r o m t h e duchies stems from archaic charters dating back to when the country was divided into medieval fiefdoms

Ever since the advent of p a r l i a m e n t a r y d e m o c r a c y , however, generations of MPs have challenged the arrangement and called for duchy p r o f i t s t o b e p a i d t o t h e Treasury instead The parliam e n t a r y d e b a t e h a s o f t e n coincided with the accession o f a n e w m o n a r c h , a m i d renewed scrutiny over their public and private sources of wealth

McFall indicates the upper house is in danger of falling out of sync

T he House of Lords need s m o re ind ep end en t, exp ert p eers, the lord speaker has w arned, amid g rowing contro versy ov er plans by Boris J ohnso n and L iz Truss to p a c k t h e c h am be r w i th d ozens of political allies and d onors

John McFall stressed he was making no direct critic i s m o f r e c e n t p e e r a g e c h o i c e s , g i v e n h i s n e u t r a l role, but he told that the upper house was in danger of becoming “out of sync ” with its balance of legislators A Lords too full of politi-

cians and former political a i d e s , r a t h e r t h a n p e o p l e w i t h o u t s i d e e x p e r t i s e , r i s k e d j e o p a r d i s i n g t h e c h a m b e r ’ s c r u c i a l r o l e i n taking a broader view on l e g i s l a t i o n a n d w i d e r national policy, said Lord McFall M c F a l l p l a n s t o m e e t

R i s h i S u n a k t o u r g e t h e prime minister to lift a cap limiting the number of new, non-party expert peers that can be created by the House o f L o r d s A p p o i n t m e n t C o m m i s s i o n ( H o l a c ) , c u rrently set at a maximum of two a year

T h e m a x i m u m w a s imposed by David Cameron in 2012, supposedly as a temp o r a r y m e a s u r e , b u t h a s never been lifted It means t h a t f r o m 2 0 1 1 t o 2 0 2 2 , Holac has created just 17 new peers out of nearly 400 c r e a t e d o v e r a l l o v e r t h a t period

The pote nt ia l for ea rly men opause is just one of t h e m a n y s i g n if i ca n t h e a lt h co m p li ca t i o n s ex perie nced by women subjecte d t o fe male ge ni t a l m u t i la t i o n /c ut t in g ( FG M /C ) a n d ot h e r for m s o f ge n d e r- ba se d violence, the found er of a UK char it y has said Sema Gornall is the CEO of The Vavengers, a charity c o m m i t t e d t o e n d i n g FGM/C and other forms of violence against women and g i r l s S h e s a i d h e a l t h c a r e professionals should try to “ask the right questions” to b e t t e r i d e n t i f y F G M s u rvivors and record their associated experiences

Last year, the Study of

Women’s Health Across the N a t i o n ( S W A N ) r e v e a l e d that black women can experience menopause differently to their white peers, with i t e v e n s t a r t i n g e a r l i e r Findings also showed that black women spend more t i m e e x p e r i e n c i n g t h e menopause transition than w h i t e w o m e n S y m p t o m s such as hot flashes and night sweats were reported more

often by black women

A c c o r d i n g t o G o r n a l l , t h o u g h t h e s t u d y w a s f o c u s e d o n the US, the findings of the report echo much of what The Vavengers and its partner organisations such as Waltham Forest Women’s Network have seen through their work in the UK T h e c h a r i t y o r g a n i s e s e d u c a t i o n a l w o r k s h o p s about FGM/C and VAWG with businesses and organis a t i o n s , i n c l u d i n g h e a l t hcare professionals It also runs national and international campaigns to ensure FGM/C and VAWG are on t h e p o l i t i c a l a n d s o c i a l agenda

Humza accused of creating ‘yet another constitutional stand-off’

Humza Yousa f is to launch a n “ in f l a m ma t o r y ” l e g a l ch a l l e n g e ov e r N ico l a S t ur g e o n ’ s se l f-i d e n t if ic ation gender re forms t o try t o dist ract the pub lic from the SNP’s melt down, it has been al leged T h e T o r i e s s e i z e d o n comments by the new First Minister and Ian Blackford, t h e S N P ’ s f o r m e r Westminster leader, strongly i n d i c a t i n g t h a t M r Y o u s a f was minded to press ahead with court action He has n o w t o c h a l l e n g e t h e U K

G o v e r n m e n t ’ s d e c i s i o n t o v e t o t h e c o n t r o v e r s i a l reforms over concerns that

they undermine protections for women

He said that his “starting principle” was to go to court, w h i l e M r B l a c k f o r d d e s c r i b e d t h e v e t o a s “ a d e m o c r a t i c o u t r a g e i n a modern democracy”

B u t D o n a l d C a m e r o n , the Scottish Tories’ shadow c o n s t i t u t i o n s e c r e t a r y , accused Mr Yousaf of a desperate attempt to “create a diversion” from the SNP civil war and the police investigation into the party’s finances H e s a i d l e g a l a c t i o n would be a “transparent bid t o u n i t e t h e f e u d i n g Nationalist tribe” that was

d o o m e d t o f a i l u r e , w i t h many SNP MSPs and MPs a l s o o p p o s e d t o t h e changes ” M r C a m e r o n s a i d i t a p p e a r e d “ c l e a r ” t h a t M r Y o u s a f i n t e n d e d t o p r e s s ahead with court action “to create yet another constitutional stand-off” He said:

“It’s a sign of the new First Minister’s weakness that he is resorting to such a divisive and inflammatory approach, w h e n p o l l a f t e r p o l l h a s shown Scots oppose the gender self-ID proposals and the I s l a B r y s o n s c a n d a l h a s shown how dangerous they are

Income from duchies grew 16 times during Elizabeth’s reign

Oorvi Desai: Dazzling Design

Sunetra Senior

Co u t u ri er, c o s tu m e s ty li s t, e ntr ep re ne u r, a nd rev i v ali s t, Oorvi Desai, specialises in regal yet m odern partywear w ith a strong focus on brid al design Her bespoke cosmop olitan South-A sian collections o v erfl o w fro m w i th in h er s to re: a bustling boutique, based in Eastcote of No rth West Londo n A well-trav elled and d ilig ent fashionista, Oo rv i’s journey first beg an w ith her flag ship store in M alabar Hill in So uth M um bai; Ind ia’ s major stylish h ub Th ere, she has been prior award ed Best T extile D es ig ner i n M u m b ai by B o m ba y Dyeing & Mfg Com pany Lim ited, later personally styling m any indie celebrities ***

Today, in her shop, you can spy traditional silks, playful chiffon and nets, and sleek satin: through the versatility of a variety of quality materials O o r v i i s a b l e t o u n i q u e l y “capture the personality of clients,” dazzlingly accentuating certain moods through the careful combination of p o p p i n g c o l o u r s t o o Whether it is a Pastel-pink or Mint-green glittery Lehenga, a B o t t l e - g r e e n A n a r k a l i o r even a bright Banana-yellow jumpsuit, the rising designer i n f u s e s t h e d r a m a t i c dynamism of Hollywood into any big lifestyle event “ I l o v e w o r k i n g w i t h brides in particular,” she told us: “ as they unequivocally want what’s best I am also naturally very attentive to detail” Indeed, this seems the perfect setting to create mutually tactile m a g i c ! “ A c t u a l l y , I ’ m v e r y f a m i l i a r with the fundamental characteristics o f f a b r i c s , ” s h e c o n t i n u e d , “ h a v i n g grown up around a dad and grandad w h o w e r e v e r y m u c h i n t o t e x t i l e s which influenced me to study the subject I know exactly the right material t o s u i t a n y e n v i r o n m e n t e g , t h e b e a c h , c o u n t r y s i d e e t c ” H o w e v e r , O o r v i m a d e s u r e t o c o m m e n t :

“Confidence is the best style: it helps individuals to vibrantly carry the outfit If you can really feel yourself, this manifests the perfect ensemble,” and, no doubt, the fun when you are out ongoingly! “There’s no one way to be trendy: it’s about what speaks to you and who you truly are ”

In this sense, Oorvi enjoys the one-on-one consultations offered to really connect to respective customers a n d d i s c o v e r t h e a p t e m p o w e r i n g design “I cater to different characters

You could be bubbly and bold, or more reserved and prefer what’s simple and chic I myself prefer a minimalist black dress with chunky gold jewellery This, for me, highlights the emotive impact of just sheer self-assurance ” Indeed, Gucci’s ‘little black dress’ is iconic for good reason! Victoria Beckham, who popularised the look, projects a similarly cool inner poise Going beyond the attractive aesthetics, Oorvi ultimately celebrates the timeless beauty of feminine soul

Tell us more about your luxury boutique?

In my boutique, I have bespoke d e s i g n e r w e a r f o r b o t h m e n a n d women I have co-ordinated wedding outfits for bride and groom and generally at big weddings However, I have a range of unique outfits for occasion wear and wedding /party guests which

Kids friendly recipe of Kulfi Cheesecake

by Zubda Malik of @Kitchen diaries by Zubda

These recipes have flavours of South Asia, Middle East and the Mediterranean which have been specially created with all the ingredients shopped under one roof at Asda

Crust:

• Digestive biscuits: 200g

• Pistachios and almonds: 50g, crushed

• Butter: 100g

Fi lling:

are semi-formal and minimalist I offer a collection of my own a n d a l s o d o c u st o m i s e d p i e c e s A d d i t i o n a l l y , I s e l l a c c e s s o r i e s s u c h a s bags, shoes and jewellery that match What would you say is your signature as a reputable niche designer?

My eye for detail

This means I will always put together complete, well-balanced looks

them the option of exploring different fabrics themselves in the styling process It would help me make the garments very specific to someone ’ s taste and expression of identity too What really draws you to the world of design?

Having been a really good artist w h o i s d r a w n t o h u e s a n d v i s u a l warmth! I’ve microscopically studied the make-up of different garments and appreciate their unique quality That marriage of creativity and tactilit y i s w h a t d e f i n e s t h e c u l t u r e o f design

What is a personal favourite piece of yours currently in your showroom?

T h e r e ’ s a g o - t o f l o o r - l e n g t h Anarkali, or Indian wedding gown, and love my casual sarees with modern blouses

• Cream cheese: 600g

• Evaporated milk: 1 tin (410g)

• Condensed milk: 300 ml (add 50 ml more if you like it sweeter)

• Ground cinnamon: 1/2 tsp

• Saffron: 1/4 tsp (crushed)

• Eggs: 3 large

• Corn flour: 5g

• Self-raising flour: 15g

• Water 200ml • Honey 100ml

Toppin g:

• Crushed almonds

• Pistachios & rose petals

Method

• Start by blitzing the biscuits in a food processor or crushing them inside a sealed bag with a rolling p i n i n t o f i n e c r u m b s ; transfer them to a bowl

• A d d p i s t a c h i o s a n d almonds to a food processor and grind coarsely Add them to the biscuit crumbs

What garments are your bestsellers?

I do a lot of Indo-fusion wear, and d e f i n i t e l y w e d d i n g l e h e n g a s a n d benarasi silk sarees which are rich and traditionally hand embroided

Would you describe your style as modern traditional?

The wedding wear definitely But b r o a d l y s p e a k i n g , t h e p a r t y w e a r i s glam and fusion e g , some have one shoulder strap, halter-neck, handkerchief tops, etc Whilst chalking down an appointment over a call, I will always prepare design inspirations or a m o o d b o a r d p r e s e n t a t i o n f o r t h e c l i e n t a f t e r g e t t i n g t o k n o w t h e i r

vision to be prepped and ready to kickstart the day of the actual consultation

What are your hopes for the future?

I’m very happy with the current business but would love to introduce fabrics into the store so that customers can get hands-on in the whole designing process – would love to give

Finally, what have been some highlight moments?

The launch of my boutique with B4U music channel I was able to showcase the catwalk opening segments in the National Asian Wedding Show: a total of 16 outfits Also, for Asiana 2020, I walked the catwalk with my models, receiving incredible exposure It was wonderful to have a few fashion shows for my growing brand

• Melt the butter in the microwave for a few seconds or over the stove Pour the melted butter o n t o t h e c r u s h e d b i sc u i t s , p i s t a c h i o s , a n d almonds Mix everything together

• Preheat the oven to 200° C

• Grease and line an 8-inch baking tin with parchment paper

• Transfer the crust mixt u r e i n t o t h e p r e p a r e d tin and press down until an even base is formed

• Bake the base in a preh e a t e d o v e n f o r 8 - 1 0 mins

• In a large mixing bowl, place the softened roomt e m p e r a t u r e c r e a m cheese and break it thoro u g h l y w i t h a s p a t u l a until smooth

• Add condensed milk to t h e c r e a m c h e e s e a n d whisk

• Add the evaporated milk a l o n g w i t h s a f f r o n , ground cardamom, presifted cornflour, and selfraising flour

• Whisk on a low speed until you get a smooth mix without any lumps

• Add one egg at a time and I prefer to use a hand whisk while beating eggs t o e n s u r e t h a t I d o n ' t overwhip the mixture

• Then add the second egg and then the third Make sure the batter is smooth and there are no visible lumps

• Pour the cheesecake filling into the prepared tin T a p l i g h t l y t o r e m o v e a n y a i r b u b b l e s a n d smoothen the top

• Bake in a preheated oven at 150°C for 60 mins or until the edges are hardened but the middle part is still jiggly

• Once baked turn off the o v e n b u t a l l o w t h e cheesecake to remain in the oven for half an hour w i t h t h e d o o r s l i g h t l y open

• A f t e r t a k i n g o u t t h e c h e e s e c a k e f r o m t h e oven, remove it from the tin and cool it completely at room temperature

• T h e r e a f t e r , r e f r i g e r a t e f o r a m i n i m u m o f 5 - 6 hours or overnight

• In a saucepan, add water and honey Cook until thickened, take off the h e a t , a n d c o o l d o w n slightly

• A d d p i s t a c h i o a n d a l m o n d s ( c h o p p e d o r whole as per preference) Mix it well and spread it over the cheesecake Let it set for 30 mins

• Garnish with rose petals and enjoy

OORVI DESAI

“Confidence is the best style: it helps individuals to vibrantly carry the outfit. If you can really feel yourself, this manifests the perfect ensemble"

Ingr ed ie nts From Asda

Calling people to join the Probation Service

Serving law and justice

i s not s omething alien to 33- year- old Pavenpreet Singh, a Prob ation Servi ces Offi cer from Slough Her grandfather was a police officer, so s he grew up heari ng about the criminal j ustice system and how his work contributed to society

N evertheless , coming from a South Asian Punj abi fami ly meant her applying for this role had its s hare of c hallenges withi n her extended family They were i nitially reluctant as they didn’ t know what it would b e li ke for a young South

As ian female to work c losely with people comi ng out of prison

But hinting early at the resilience that is so required in her job, she overcame their fears with the help of her siblings who continue to support her in progressing within her current role Today, she enthusiastically supports HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS)’s drive to fill several Probation Service roles, from case administrators to trainee probation officers Asian Voice spoke to her about how she joined the Probation Service eight years ago at 25, what her learning curve within the system has been like, and how exactly she works within it to contribute to society and help people

B egi nnings of Pavenpreet’ s j ourney as a PSO

Speaking about her educational background, Pavenpreet told us, “I decided to study criminology at university because I thought it sounded interesting and would lead me to a job where I could help people in the community and protect the public While studying, I did some small jobs to get some extra money It was mostly retail and I continued to work these jobs after graduating for around 2 years while actively searching for opportunities within the sector I was interested in I was delighted to land a job in the Probation Service in 2014 and my degree provided me with useful context to the role ”

As the Probation Service focuses on a certain skillset, for Pavenpreet, her successful recruitment was only the beginning of a long journey “The application process was quite

Glamorous Asian female radio host to feature on soul cruise and festival stage

Shefali Saxena

straightforward I had to take a few behaviour- and experience-based tests and then got invited for a roleplay interview, which was an interesting experience

My criminology degree helped me, but you don’t actually need any particular experience or qualifications to join the Probation Service as a probation services officer, except GCSEs or other evidence of numeracy and literacy

We’re looking for people from a wide range of backgrounds ”

The j ob of the PSO on the go

The PSO role is varied, and the recruit’s function depends on the requirements of the local team

The PSO can work in sentence management or the personality disorder programme, as a court officer, a victim liaison officer or a programme facilitator, or be in the pre-release team

Pavenpreet's work mostly comprises meeting with offenders for face-to-face sessions, dealing with referrals, writing reports and risk assessments, gathering information, and collaboratively working with statutory agencies in the community It’s challenging work but also rewarding for her, and every day is different She said, "We are working with people with complex needs which can be challenging at times Whilst we are here to enforce Court Orders, we also have to find a solution best suited to the individual to address the risk factors that leave them vulnerable to offending, alongside protecting the public Given some peoples’ experiences, engaging with them can be difficult, to begin with, but we have to persevere and build a rapport for effective work to be done ”

The c hallenges and risks Pavenpreet is practical about the risks in the job “The purpose of probation is to assess risk and to manage that risk This is

done by having restrictive factors in place, having some level of monitoring and control, completing relevant interventions and providing the individual with the support that would reduce that risk If things do begin to decline, we have a contingency plan in place

From the very beginning of their journey, every effort is made to build a rapport with the person on probation and we collaboratively work together to ensure the person understands their risk factors and that they are aware of protective factors too, which is something they tend to forget once they enter the criminal justice system Key to the process is that the person on probation understands the importance of complying with their risk management plan, which includes a contingency plan consisting of enforcement actions It’s all about creating awareness and putting some responsibility on them to comply with their court order and engage with their sentence plan with the view to reduce the risk of re-offending ”

And what if she is mistaken in assessing the risks, considering the stakes involved?

“I believe it is not effective to think about unsuccessful cases as ‘failures’ for anyone who works within the probation service The Probation Service can only do so much in managing risk in terms of providing opportunities and support to offenders It is always the responsibility of the person to change their behaviour and we work really hard as a service to support people with this ”

Resilient indeed So, is there anything that she finds intimidating as a PSO? How does she feel while sitting down at the same table and chalking out a new life for a murderer or a rapist?

Pavenpreet has it all laid out “While working with offenders, there will always be challenges probation staff have to face Some cases are trickier, but they are usually also the ones that are the most rewarding Despite this, I do enjoy working with offenders As for the most serious offences, as a PSO you won’t necessarily be working with them until

they are a lot further down into their probation journey, whereby they have completed relevant offence-focused interventions and their risk has significantly been reduced Until such times, they will remain with a qualified probation officer ” Paven preet’s take on South Asian offenders

Finally, we asked her whether in the course of her job she observed anything in particular in the South Asian community

“I have not noticed any particular trends or pattern of offending behaviour within the South Asian community When I am allocated a case, I like to see the person on probation for who they are and understand why they did what they did We can then work together with them to prevent further offending by engaging them in rehabilitative work ”

And even after everything, their own communities may not be very open to a convict coming back and trying to start a new life, which is why the PSO needs a detailed picture of the springboard from which the offender can restart their life after their release, Pavenpreet told us “Completing pre-sentence reports is also an essential task within the Probation Service, where risk assessments are completed on the individual to guide the court on appropriate sentences around whether the risk can safely be managed in the community We as a service acknowledge diversity, equality, inclusion and belonging, and use this to help engage offenders to ensure their risk is being managed effectively The services we work with to rehabilitate people, also promote these same values and principles, therefore everyone is treated fairly regardless of their ethnicity ”

Paven preet’s note to the reader:

If you ’ re interested in joining the Probation Service I’d recommend looking on our website There are a range of roles available from case administrators and probation services officers like myself, through to the trainee probation officer programme where you qualify as a probation officer: https://probationjobs co uk/

Newham-born DJ Lady G, aka Gu rpreet Mud har, is the first A sian female featured DJ on th e SolarRadio com cruise on the 28th of May 2023

Since becoming the first female Asian presenter on S o l a r R a d i o c o m l a s t y e a r G u r p r e e t h a s g o n e f r o m strength to strength From hosting a weekly show on which she prides herself on showcasing her own eclectic music selection of Soulful House, R&B, Soul Classics and more, her shows freq u e n t l y c h a r t o n t h e MixCloud Music Charts - a p l a t f o r m w h e r e a u d i e n c e s c a n l i s t e n a g a i n o r f i n d shows that suit their own tastes

This extremely shy and unassuming young lady is a third-generation Sikh, born in Newham, East London in the 1980s, who found her voice behind the mic!

“

T h e r e i s s o m e t h i n g about the microphone that brings me out of my shell ” Says Gurpreet “I find it odd that a studio environment enhances my desire to posit i v e l y i m p a c t p e o p l e through my chat and the great music I play!”

Gurpreet is the eldest of f i v e c h i l d r e n T h e f a m i l y had humble beginnings as her Indian immigrant parents navigated a new culture a n d l a n g u a g e i n t h e l a t e 1 9 6 0 s T h e i r w o r k e t h i c i n s p i r e d G u r p r e e t i n a l l areas of her life - education, work and then finding her passion as a radio presenter

D u r i n g h e r s e c o n d a r y education at Plashet School for Girls it became apparent that Gurpreet had quite a p r o m i n e n t c r e a t i v e a n d musical streak, discovering a talent for all things musical So much so, she was gifted a k e y b o a r d o n e C h r i s t m a s She then attended Newham C o l l e g e w h e r e s h e s a t A Levels in English Language, L i t e r a t u r e a n d C o m m u n i c a t i o n S t u d i e s , t h e n b y c h a n c e f l i c k i n g t h r o u g h t h e c o m m u n i t y pages in her local newspaper t h e N e w h a m R e c o r d e r , Gurpreet saw a tiny advert appealing for volunteers for Woodside Hospital Radio, w h e r e s h e p r e s e n t e d h e r own weekly show until the station closed in 2020 Part

o f G u r p r e e t ’ s v o l u n t e e r roles included that of fundr a i s i n g a c t i v i t i e s g a i n i n g promotion as the station’s Communications Officerskills she learned during her Communications Degree at t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f E a s t L o n d o n L i f e w a s f a l l i n g into place S o o n G u r p r e e t j o i n e d

NuSound Radio as its Drive Time Presenter presenting s h o w s t o i t s A s i a n Community in the borough as well as gaining valuable experience at Sunrise Radio, Southall

More recently Gurpreet has been inspired to support others at a local community centre in Essex, by working with people aged 11-17, that have a range of barriers such as low confidence and selfe s t e e m T h e s m i l e s a n d examples of self-belief over the last few weeks have been immensely rewarding

Now DJ Lady G finds herself in huge demand as one of a few Asian female presenters invited to a gig at venues

Speaking to Asian Voice, G u r p r e e t s a i d , “ C h i l d r e n have that natural ability to be fearless, are more inquisitive and the sound of children’s laughter in the playground is pure joy Growing up I was shy As a third-generation Sikh, I felt pulled in t w o d i r e c t i o n s ; o n e t o assimilate in my place of birth and another to honour my heritage and it took time for me to learn to own and celebrate both At the same time!

“I work with young people aged 11-17, that have a range of barriers such as low confidence, at a local comm u n i t y c e n t r e i n E s s e x , helping them to find their confidence and voice, and as my DJing career goes from strength to strength, sharing my love of soul/RnB, Soulful House and more, my mantra has become ‘ yes you c a n ’ t o t h e m a n d t o m e

That power of self-belief is extraordinary ”

DJ Lady G, aka Gurpreet Mudhar, is the first Asian female featured DJ on the S o l a r R a d i o c o m c r u i s e o n t h e 2 8 t h o f M a y 2 0 2 3

Tickets on sale soon She a l s o g u e s t D J s a t t h e Noirganics Stage, the house of Black and Ethnic Music, at The Secret Garden Party Festival, Huntingdon on the 2 0 t h J u l y 2 0 2 3 a n d a t S o u l D o m i n a t i o n c o m ’ s “ B r i n g T h e L o v e S o u l

W e e k e n d e r ” a t A s h t o n

C o u r t M a n s i o n , B r i s t o l , Saturday 30th September

An interview with Probation Services Officer Pavenpreet Khosa

Fashion as self-expression with Rahi Chadda

Paramita Purkayastha

Las t year, su p ermodel and f a s h i o n i n f lu e nc e r R ah i C h adda was re co gni s ed a s o ne of F orbes' 30 Under 30

And this year, h e graced the c o ve r o f E ll e, Marc h 202 3 i ssue What do es h e h ave to s ay abo u t h is p h eno men al su ccess so early on, th at too as a perso n o f S ou th Asian o ri gin? “It helps to h ave a clear vi sion and direction on w h a t y o u w o u l d l i ke to ach ieve and to be o pen to receiving feedback and constructive criticism

We are always a work in progress and we should always strive to achieve the best versions of ourselves I’m really grateful to be in the digital age and having social media gave me a huge opportunity to share my creativity with the outside world and to build a community for myself I started as a m o d e l i n m y l a t e t e e n s a n d w i t h t h e introduction of social media, my career gradually became more focused on social media content creation Naturally, the kind of projects when you ’ re starting is always different as you ’ re finding your feet in the industry But they varied between fashion and commercial modelling as well as TVCs,” Chadda said in his recent interview with Asian Voice

How it all began

A n d i f h i s w o r d s s u g g e s t s o m e o n e meticulous, he must be so Beginning his work as a creator on social media in 2015, t o d a y h e i s t h e f i r s t e v e r b r o w n m a l e ambassador to front Dior Beauty, as well the muse for leading luxury brands such as Prada, Burberry, Hugo Boss Versace, Fendi and many more In 2018, he walked the Cannes red carpet as an ambassador for Chopard Fragrances Also, at the moment, he is filming a leading role for a Netflix series to be released end of this year

B u t C h a d d a ’ s l i f e b e g a n q u i t e d i f f e r e n t l y H e s t u d i e d l a w a t O x f o r d Brookes University and followed it up with a n M S c f r o m t h e L o n d o n S c h o o l o f Economics Speaking about his transition f r o m s o m e t h i n g s a f e a n d s e c u r e t o s o m e t h i n g v e r y d a r i n g f o r s o m e o n e belonging to a Punjabi immigrant family, he t o l d A s i a n V o i c e , “ I ’ v e b e e n l u c k y t o experience different professions, especially during my time when I was pursuing Law I also worked in retail and hospitality for some time when I was younger and that helped me realise what direction I would like my life to take Whilst I appreciated the stability my other professional experiences gave me, being a creative has taught me so much more and that’s why I love doing this the most Choosing a career as a creative had its own set of challenges, it was a shock for my parents originally as it was a path they couldn’t relate to but it was encouraging for me to have their support ”

After all, it is no easy feat for a South Asian male to venture into the world of the u n k n o w n , a n d e v e n m o r e i m p o r t a n t l y , express themselves And for Rahi, fashion, and the way he clothes himself, has always been about that “I always say fashion is a f o r m o f s e l f - e x p r e s s i o n f o r m e ; i t ’ s a reflection of one ’ s personality My parents worked in the textile trade and I would a c c o m p a n y t h e m t o w o r k d u r i n g t h e weekends That whole experience growing up and seeing them at work had a huge influence on me ”

On being global and brown

But apart from the social media boom and his own diligence, the general move towards inclusion and diversity has also worked in Rahi’s favour After all, millions,

including Rahi himself, did not even have someone to l o o k u p t o a l l t h i s w h i l e , w h i c h a l s o m a k e s h i m a trailblazer of sorts, of course Speaking about this, he said, “When I first started out and w h i l s t g r o w i n g u p i n t h e W e s t , I f e l t d e p r i v e d o f S o u t h A s i a n r o l e m o d e l s within fashion and media

It’s so pleasing to see the industry change, becoming more diverse and inclusive, particularly over the last 5 y e a r s T h e r e a r e o c c u p a t i o n a l h a z a r d s which I have encountered but I’ve never let them stop me from achieving my goals or causing limitations ”

So has he felt any pressure to conform, considering that the brands might come into the room with fixed notions about how he should be? After all, in an interview with Vogue India, he had talked about often being the only South Asian amongst his peers in fashion weeks When prodded about that, he told us, “Not a pressure to conform, and what I meant by that (his Vogue India interview) was that we still have a long way to go in terms of expanding w h e n i t c o m e s t o r e p r e s e n t a t i o n e v e n though we have come such a long way The job itself can feel pressurising as fashion week entails a lot of work and responsibility i n t e r m s o f c r e a t i n g c o n t e n t , f i t t i n g , attending shows and still being present at the moment But it’s important to enjoy the experience whilst working ”

Rahi’ s Creative Process

As somebody who is both British and Indian, we asked Rahi if he could share some details of his creative process After all, while he has been making waves as a model, as someone who started out by creating looks on social media, his heart a n d s o u l h a v e b e e n o n c r e a t i n g a n d presenting content for brands So how does he collaborate with all the big names and balance his ideas and influences with those of the leading brands whom he sports? “It’s important to understand the vision and objectives of the brand, whilst remaining true to your creative vision,” he told us

So how does he curate a particular look in general? What are his influences other than his known love for street styles? “I take inspiration from things around me: culture, food, and travelling, and that inspires me when creating and deciding the direction I would like to take for my content I enjoy working with my stylist Adele Cany We love to Moodboard our inspirations and c u r a t e l o o k s w h i c h d e f i n e m y s t y l e sensibility while keeping my style DNA at t h e c o r e o f e a c h l o o k I t ’ s l i k e t a k i n g different elements and creating something which is an elevated version of myself ”

Another thing that interests Rahi a lot is skincare As someone who struggled with acne and regular visits to the dermatologist as a teenager, Rahi opened his skin-clinic Panache and Marina Skin & Aesthetic Clinic in London at the age of 21 About this venture, he said, “Panache and Marina was a passion project, which I started in 2015 I w a s q u i t e y o u n g w h e n I o p e n e d t h e b u s i n e s s a n d u n d e r s t a n d i n g c u s t o m e r service equipped me with a useful set of s k i l l s W e s p e c i a l i s e d w i t h l a s e r s a n d settings which were suitable for all skin types ” While signing off, we asked Rahi what advice he had for the South Asian males d r e a m i n g a b o u t a c a r e e r i n f a s h i o n , especially the struggling or the scared ones “My advice would be to persevere and to really maintain confidence in yourself Also, trust the process!”

London to celebrate Vaisakhi 2023 at Trafalgar Square

To celebrate th e contributions of L ond on ’ s Sikh comm unity and mark th e Sikh New Year, the Greater L ond on Au thority is set to return with its Vaisakh i mela on April 22nd, at Londo n ’ s Trafalg ar Squ are T he events will take place between 12 p m and 6 p m and can be accessed by th e p ublic free of cost T his year, th e ev ent has been spo nsored by Western Union, Zee5, Mor Food s, and Punjab Restaurant

The event will be hosted by comedians Tommy Sandhu and Sukh Ojla and will include a line-up of spectacular performers like The TablaJedi, Dhol Academy, Baba Fateh Singh Gatka Akhara, Manika Kaur and Amrit Kaur The TablaJedi, the stage name f o r D a l S i n g h , i s a n i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y renowned table player trained in Indian Classical music who has performed with the likes of Noel Gallagher, Paul Weller, Ian Brown, Richard Ashcroft, to name a few and features in an Asian Blues band with ex Stone Roses guitarist, Aziz Ibrahim He has recently released a new EP single ‘Feel Lifted’ with his Band, KarmaBoy Dhol Academy is o n e o f t h e l o n g e s t - r u n n i n g d h o l establishments in the UK that wants to make the dhol accessible for all Their current focus is on classical South Asian music, and folk and Sufi dhol patterns Tottenhamorigin Amrit Kaur is a sarangi player and singer-songwriter who was named a BBC Asian Network Future Sounds 2020 Artist as well as a BBC Music Introducing Artist She has performed at the Glastonbury Festival and at the UN General Assembly with Skip M a r l e y f o r W o r l d C h i l d r e n ' s D a y S h e recently featured in the new version of Bob Marley's iconic song One Love, alongside the

Marley family and musicians from around the world for UNICEF Manika Kaur will be there to provide spiritual succour Kaur is the leading contemporary performer of Sikh k i r t a n m u s i c a n d t h e m o s t p o p u l a r contemporary Sikh solo artist in the world She is the very first person to place Kirtan in the European World Music Charts and views of her videos regularly run in to the many millions

Baba Fateh Singh Gatka Akhara will be there to perform the Sikh martial art of Gatka The Gatka originated with the Sikh gurus in Punjab in the fifteenth century and have been passed down the generations through an unbroken lineage of masters

Apart from these main stage events, t h e r e w i l l a l s o b e o t h e r a c t i v i t i e s l i k e sporting events, an exhibition on Sikh art, e d u c a t i o n a l t a l k s o n t h e m e a n i n g a n d significance of Vaisakhi by the Basics of Sikhi educational initiative, a children’s marquee with free fun activities organized by Sikh Colouring, and turban tying by the nonprofit Chardikala Turban Academy

Food will be available for free in the form of light bites and Indian tea, keeping with the spirit of the langar Those interested in knowing about Sikh cuisine can join cooking d e m o n s t r a t i o n s b y h e a d c h e f M a n p r e e t S i n g h , a n d l i s t e n t o t a l k s b y b o d y transformation expert and nutritionist Juggy Sidhu

Around the Square, there will also be charity, commercial and community stalls, like those from The Jaskomal Foundation, P i o n e e r S c h o o l , T h e N H S , A l c o h o l - F r e e Sikhs, Binti & Khalsa Centre Gurdwara, and Defence Sikh Network

Dear Financia Voice Reader Alpesh Patel OBE

Wouldn ’t it b e g reat i f s in ce the s tart of the y ear your pe nsi on w as up 58% to 88% Well that is what NVIDI A, Meta (Fa ceb ook), Tesla an d Warn er Brothers are up A nd I hold all of thos e i n my SIPPs and ISAs

In fact, these are some of the S&P500 (Largest 500 US companies) companies in my portfolio

But many don’t even know how to open an ISA, what one is, that you can in a SIPP (personal pension) have US stocks or how to go about it All of these things w o r r y m e – t h e s t a t e o f f i n a n c i a l i g n o r a n c e a n d therefore people being left behind in their savings It’s why I launched my Campaign to teach a million people to be better investors; www campaignforamillion com

By the way Apple is 31% this year, Microsoft and Alphabet are up 21% in my portfolio I share all this on my Telegram channel and readers of this paper are well come to see this (all free) – www alpeshpatel com/links - I want you to succeed

But what about all the doommongers talking about ‘bear markets’? Well in this market even though more than half of the 500 largest US companies are up, you cannot pick any random stock and expect to be safe, and some of the biggest movers have peaked for now too

But I do not think we are in a bear market any longer

A bear market is a sustained period of declining asset prices, typically marked by a 20% or more drop in the market index from its recent high It is characterized b y n e g a t i v e i n v e s t o r s e n t i m e n t , p e s s i m i s m , a n d a general lack of confidence in the market Bear markets can be triggered by various factors, including economic recessions, high inflation, political instability, natural disasters, or financial crises

Bear markets can be short-lived or last for an extended period, depending on the severity of the underlying issues During a bear market, many investors may sell their assets, leading to a vicious cycle of further price declines and more selling Some investors may attempt to profit from bear markets by using shortselling strategies, which involve betting on the decline of asset prices

Bear Ma rket T raps:

A bear market trap, also known as a "sucker rally" or "dead cat bounce," is a temporary, often short-lived, reversal in the downward trend of asset prices during a bear market In this situation, the market experiences a brief period of increasing prices, leading some investors to believe that the bear market is over and a new bull market is beginning However, the upward trend proves to be a false signal, and the market continues its downward trajectory after the rally

Bear market traps can be particularly dangerous for investors who are lured into buying assets based on the false hope of a market recovery, only to see prices continue to fall To avoid falling into a bear market trap, investors should be cautious when interpreting shortterm price movements and look for more substantial evidence of a market turnaround, such as improving economic indicators or positive changes in the factors that initially caused the bear market

UK households brace as higher energy bills kick in

T he g overnment has been w arn ed by co s t o f l iv in g activ ists not to accept h igh g as and electricity p rices as the new norm al, as these costs will rise by at least £ 67 this month

As a result of the end of lockdown and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the government launched a number of policies last year to assist households in coping with i n c r e a s e d e x p e n d i t u r e s I n c l u d e d i n t h e s e w e r e a £ 4 0 0 r e b a t e t h r o u g h i t s Energy Bill Support Scheme ( E B S S ) p a i d i n s i x i n s t a lments and a cap on the avera g e a n n u a l e n e r g y b i l l a t £2,500 through the Energy Price Guarantee (EPG)

The EBSS is now over, so individuals will start payi n g t h e i r f u l l b i l l s a g a i n starting in April Despite the

Economists fear UK property market is headed for yet

another meltdown

As hom eow ners, bu y-to-let in v es to r s, a nd f ir st -t i m e buy ers ali ke g ro an u nd er th e w ei g h t o f h i g h mortg age rates and th e cost of living crisis, homes are bei n g ad v ert is ed a cr o ss Bri tai n at pric es that are m u ch bel o w w h a t th e y would have sold for d uring the ep idemic

A s i n f l a t i o n h a s n o t d e c r e a s e d a s q u i c k l y a s a n t i c i p a t e d , t h e B a n k o f

England will not yet reduce its official rate, and lenders will maintain high mortgage rates Some experts believe t h e o u t c o m e c o u l d b e a

Amazon closing UK-based online shop Book Depository

T h e p are nt f i rm o f U Kbased online retailer Bo ok Depository, US-based digital behemoth Am azon, has annou nced its closure After almost two decad es in bu siness, Bo ok Depository has informed consumers that it would close its doo rs later this mo nth

I t f o l l o w s A m a z o n ' s announcement that it will be restructuring its global operations and eliminating t h o u s a n d s o f e m p l o y e e s

The news was met with sadn e s s b y m a n y o f B o o k D e p o s i t o r y ' s c u s t o m e r s from around the world "We are sorry to let you know that the Book Depository will be closing on 26 April 2023," the company said

The company's website also noted that customers

o k D e p o s i t o r y w a s founded in 2004 by former Amazon employee Andrew Crawford and his business partner Stuart Felton The global online book retailer, w h i c h w a s b o u g h t b y Amazon in 2011, has offices i n L o n d o n , G l o u c e s t e r , M a d r i d , C a p e T o w n a n d Chennai - with fulfilment c e n t r e s i n t h e U K a n d

Australia Thousands of Book Depository customers, including bestselling authors, reacte d w i t h s a d n e s s o v e r t h e announcement

Metro Bank risks shareholder revolt over

pay hikes

E P G b e i n g e x t e n d e d b y

three months, costs are still 120% more than they were 18 months ago

Simon Francis, coordin a t o r o f t h e E n d F u e l P o v e r t y C o a l i t i o n , t o l d P o l i t i c s H o m e h e b e l i e v e d

people were being "taken for fools" by being charged elevated prices "Homes across the country will be in for a big shock [after] this weekend," said Francis

"In addition, changes to the Ofgem rules come in which will see the standing c h a r g e s t h a t p e o p l e p a y everyday just to access the grid shoot up 64 per cent Britain's broken energy system continues to hit households hard and we will see l e v e l s o f e n e r g y d e b t increase to record levels as people struggle to cope "

After a po wer fu l i nves to r advi sory grou p warned th e high street lender had failed to e xp la i n a " s i gn i f i ca n t" 20% wage increase for top leaders, Metro Bank is at risk o f a shareh older revolt over CEO pay G l a s s L e w i s – w h i c h helps shareholders including large pension funds and asset managers decide how to vote at annual general meetings – urged investors to vote against the bank’s remuneration report amid concerns over rising payouts for the chief executive, D a n i e l F r u m k i n , a n d t h e newly joined chief financial officer, James Hopkinson “ A b s e n t a s u f f i c i e n t l

o t r e c o m m e n d t h a t

slow-motion disaster

t h a t i s m o r e r e m i n i s c e n t o f t h e early 1990s recession

t h a n t h e s w i f t b u t brief fall of 2008 “ T h a t p r o p e r t y should be [selling for]

£ 1 2 m b u t t h e g u y obviously needed to get rid of it There is an awful lot of this happening It’s obvious

t h a t t h e y n e e d t o s e l l because they can’t afford to

l i v e t h e r e a n d t h e y a r e m o v i n g s o m e w h e r e e l s e , ” says Setright, who works in property himself

T h e s a l e s d a t a a r e p a r t i c u l a r l y s t r i k i n g b e c a u s e t h e y a r e n o t s e a s o n a l l y a d j u s t e d T h e typical UK property sold for £ 2 7 3 , 7 5 1 i n A u g u s t T h i s a m o u n t w a s £ 2 5 7 , 1 2 2 i n March of this year That r e p r e s e n t s a d e c l i n e o f £16,629, or 6%

BoE may need to cut interest rates earlier, faster: MPC member

The Bank of E ng land m ay need to cut interest rates earlier and faster as the im pact from previo us increases d rags down the economy and pulls back inflatio n, one of its senior po licym akers has said

Following a dramatic drop in global energy prices, Silvana Tenreyro, a member of the central bank's rate-setting monetary policy committee (MPC), said there were indications inflation will fall "well below" the central bank's 2% target rate

In a speech to the Royal Economic Society’s annual conference in Glasgow, she said: “I expect that the high current level of Bank rate will require an earlier and faster reversal, to avoid a significant inflation undershoot ”

Last month, the Bank increased interest rates for the eleventh time in a row, to 4 25% At the MPC's upcoming meeting in May, the financial markets anticipate another quarter-point rate increase, with a more than 50% possibility of another increase by August

Huw Pill, a different member of the rate-setting committee, said in separate remarks that the central bank must continue to take precautions against the possibility that inflationary pressures last longer than anticipated

In contrast to Tenreyro, the Bank’s chief economist said Threadneedle Street could not be sure it had raised interest rates enough to tame inflation “On balance, the onus remains on ensuring enough monetary tightening is delivered to ‘ see the job through’ and sustainably return inflation to target,” Pill said

UK High Streets see revival of weekend shopping

Weekend sh opp ing is seeing a re vi va l a s mo re p e o p l e return to worki ng in offices du ring the week, ac cording to a UK retail group Th e nu mber o f sh opp ers visi ting sto res at the weekend ro se 9 7 % in March fro m a year ea rl i er , t h e B ri ti s h Re ta i l Co nsortiu m (BRC) said

who worked with the BRC to collect the data, said the r i s e i n s h o p p e r n u m b e r s was "no small feat" given cost of living pressures, high inflation and strike disruptions

s h a r e h o l d e r s s u p p o r t t h i s proposal at this time,” Glass Lewis said

It follows Metro Bank's p r o m i s e t o i n c r e a s e Frumkin's base compensation by 20%, claiming that h i s r e m u n e r a t i o n w a s " i n c r e a s i n g l y o u t o f l i n e with others in the market and that he was instrumental in turning around the b a n k ' s f o r t u n e s a f t e r a n accounting crisis rocked it in 2019

A l t h o u g h F r u m k i n waived the raise by a year, it will now become effective in January 2024 and raise h i s b a s e s a l a r y f r o m

£769,600 to £925,000 For 2022, Frumkin received a salary of £1 3 million, plus bonuses

However, the BRC said f o o t f a l l r e m a i n e d b e l o w p r e - p a n d e m i c l e v e l s , a n d the recent recovery in numbers had slowed The overall number of shoppers visiting stores is still down 10 2% from pre-pandemic levels, t h e B R C s a i d , w i t h c o nsumers and businesses facing a "challenging economic e n v i r o n m e n t " H o w e v e r , the ongoing return to the office has caused many people to "refocus their shopping trips back to the weekend", BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson said

Total UK footfall rose by 6 8% in March from a y e a r e a r l i e r , b u t t h a t marked a slowdown from the trend seen during the previous three months

A n d y S u m p t e r , r e t a i l c o n s u l t a n t f o r a n a l y t i c s firm Sensormatic Solutions,

"While the retail footfall recovery slowed marginally l a s t m o n t h c o m p a r e d t o p r e - p a n d e m i c l e v e l s , w e c o n t i n u e t o s e e s h o p p e r numbers continue to norm a l i s e a n d t h e e b b s a n d f l o w s i n p e r f o r m a n c e a r e becoming less pronounced," he added

The number of people visiting retail parks fell, the BRC found, which Sumpter said was down to househ o l d s a v o i d i n g h i g h e r priced purchases, such as furniture, kitchen items and beds

Rising prices of many essential goods - such as f o o d a n d e n e r g y - h a v e i n c r e a s e d p r e s s u r e o n households' budgets

The latest inflation figures found that food prices i n F e b r u a r y r o s e a t t h e i r fastest rate in 45 years with salad and vegetable shortages helping to push food inflation to 18 2%

RBI decides against hiking rates

In a ma jor r elie f to hom e bu y e r s a n d a p le a sa n t su r p r i se t o f in a n c ia l mar ket s, t he Rese rve Bank of In dia de cide d to pa use its r a t e h ik e s c i t i n g “ unpre ce den te d un ce rta inty in g e o p o li t i cs , e c o n o m ic activit y, price pressure s an d fi n a n c i a l m a r k e t s ” M o s t ana ly sts an d economists ha d fo r e c a s t t h a t t h e ce n t r a l ba nk would incr ease rat es by 25 basis points

A n n o u n c i n g t h e unanimous decision of the s i x - m e m b e r c o m m i t t e e , RBI governor Shaktikanta

D a s s a i d t h a t t h e M P C d e c i d e d t o w a i t f o r t h e impact of the earlier rate hikes to play through the economy “This is a pause and not a pivot,” said Das,

adding that the MPC would be in readiness to act should the situation so warrant W h i l e t h e r e p o r a t e remains unchanged at 6 5%, t h e c o s t o f w h o l e s a l e

b o r r o w i n g s i n m o n e y markets could rise for banks a n d c o r p o r a t e s T h i s i s b e c a u s e o f t h e R B I ’ s decision to reduce surplus liquidity

While home loan rates are linked to the repo, a s i g n i f i c a n t p o r t i o n o f corporate loans are linked to the bank’s cost of funds, w h i c h i n c l u d e s m o n e y m a r k e t r a t e s A l s o , l a r g e corporates raise short term funds through the issue of t h r e e - m o n t h c o m m e r c i a l paper, which will become costlier

Reliance, Jio raise $5 bn foreign currency loan

R e li a nc e I nd u s tr ie s Lt d ( RIL) and its teleco m arm Jio I n f o c o mm h a ve ra i s ed a total of $5 billion in back-toback fo reign currency loans, th e largest syndicated lo an i n Indi a's corpo rate hi sto ry, so urces said R e l i a n c e l a s t w e e k r a i s e d $ 3 b i l l i o n f r o m 5 5 b a n k s a n d R e l i a n c e J i o I n f o c o m m s e c u r e d a d d i t i o n a l c r e d i t o f $ 2 b i l l i o n f r o m 1 8 b a n k s , sources said The $3 billion financing closed on March 31 and the add-on facility of $2 billion was secured last

week, they said R e l i a n c e w i l l m a i n l y d e p l o y t h e f u n d s r a i s e d t o w a r d s i t s c a p i t a l e x p e n d i t u r e , w h i l e J i o w o u l d p u t t h e m o n e y t o finance its nationwide 5G n e t w o r k r o l l o u t T h e $ 2 billion add-on will be split e q u a l l y b e t w e e n R e l i a n c e and Jio and is likely to be wrapped up by the end of April, they said P lanning to enter ice-cream market 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 n F M C G c o m p a n y s p o n s o r e d b y

Apple to open its first India store in Mumbai

Appl e is final ly plan nin g t o c on s t r uc t c om p a n y -o wn e d store s in In dia a s it expan ds t here, a nd there are pl ans for g l o b a l C EO Ti m C oo k t o a t t e n d t h e g r a n d l a un ch A pp le wi ll l a un ch it s fir st store at the Jio World Drive Mal l in BKC, Mumb ai, and s ho r t l y t h e r e a ft e r , i t wi l l open a secon d one in Del hi's Pick Cit y Wa lk in Saket

On the agenda for Cook, provided he does travel to I n d i a a c c o r d i n g t o i n i t i a l plans, will be a meeting with P M N a r e n d r a M o d i , a p a r t from meetings with a clutch of top ministers and business h e a d s W h e n c o n t a c t e d , a company spokesperson did n o t c o m m e n t o n C o o k ’ s visit, but spoke about the M u m b a i s t o r e ’ s t h e m e “ I n s p i r e d b y t h e i c o n i c ‘Kaali-Peeli’ taxi art unique to Mumbai, the Apple BKC creative includes colourful interpretations of the decals combined with many Apple products and services ”

A p p l e ' s s t o r e s a r e r e n o w n e d f o r t h e i r l a r g eformat, spacious display and experience zones, and they provide one of the largest r e t a i l e x p e r i e n c e s o f a n y b r a n d i n t h e w o r l d T h e

How we can make the housing market work for everyone

It is no secret th at for too many p eople the UK ’ s hou sing market is simp ly not wo rking

Having worked in the housing industry for the last 20 years, I’ve seen first hand how home ownership has slipped further out of reach for many hard-working people in this country

R e l i a n c e R e t a i l V e n t u r e s , m a y s o o n e n t e r t h e i c e c r e a m market with the help of a new brand called "Independence," which w a s i n t r o d u c e d i n Gujarat last year

T h e c o m p a n y i s i n d i s c u s s i o n s t o o u t s o u r c e p r o d u c t i o n w i t h a n i c e c r e a m f a c t o r y i n G u j a r a t , a c c o r d i n g t o s o u r c e s Reliance's entry, according t o i n d u s t r y e x p e r t s , w i l l increase competition in the organised ice cream sector

A c c o r d i n g t o s o u r c e s ,

the firm is in the final stages o f d i s c u s s i o n s w i t h t h e G u j a r a t - b a s e d i c e c r e a m manufacturer to debut its i c e c r e a m t h i s s u m m e r t h r o u g h i t s d e s i g n a t e d g r o c e r y r e t a i l s t o r e s T h e company's goal is to deliver locally developed items in the FMCG market

Gold prices hit Rs 61,000 per 10 gm in India

Macroeconomic factors such as stagnating wages, inflation, hard to access mortgages, combined with a decline in the number of homes being constructed, has resulted in a housing market in dire needed of fundamental intervention Supply is not keeping up with demand, driving up house prices at an unsustainable rate

When I speak to my peers in the property sector, there is a clear consensus around what needs to be done The UK’s housing stock needs to be expanded, urgently, with high-quality affordable homes The challenge lies in how the public and private sector can cooperate to achieve this ambition

We should harness the UK’s engineering research expertise and explore new construction methods For example, modular housing, a type of prefabricated home produced in a factory, can be transported and installed on site, in half the time it takes to build a traditional house Innovative approaches such as this offer the possibility to seriously rethink how we build houses, ensuring that the U K c a n m a k e s u b s t a n t i v e p r o g r e s s t o w a r d s r a p i d l y increasing its housing stock

Mumbai store is understood t o b e s p r e a d o v e r t h r e e floors, with a covered area of around 18,000 square feet, while the one in Delhi will be s m a l l e r a t a r o u n d 9 , 0 0 0 square feet

A c c o r d i n g t o s o u r c e s , A p p l e w i l l b e e m p l o y i n g executives on the company ’ s rolls for these stores, unlike what is done at outlets of its retail partners, and the idea i s t o g i v e “ a g l o b a l experience” to its customers

Du e to a clou d o f political and economic uncertainty, gold p rices reached a fresh hig h o f Rs 61 , 00 0 per 1 0 gram in Ind ia and a one-year high in foreig n m arkets In th e internatio nal markets, the price o f g old increased to $2, 03 2 per ounce, while it traded at an av erag e price o f Rs 60, 978 on the M CX and reached a h igh o f Rs 61, 181 per 10 g m

Following a decline in US job data, the dollar fell globally, supporting gold's gains The rupee gained 33 paise to settle at 82 versus the dollar as the value of the dollar declined against the majority of other currencies

“ M u l t i p l e f a c t o r s a r e driving up gold prices geopolitical uncertainty and t e n s i o n s o v e r c r i m i n a l a c t i o n a g a i n s t f o r m e r U S

P r e s i d e n t D o n a l d T r u m p A l s o , i n t e r e s t r a t e s h a v e capped gains in the stock m a r k e t A l l t h e s e developments have given a b o o s t t o g o l d a s a s a f e haven,” said Pankaj Parekh, regional chairman of gems a n d j e w e l l e r y e x p o r t p r o m o t i o n c o u n c i l i n Kolkata A c c o r d i n g t o P a r e k h , there is not much support for gold at the Rs 61,000 level “Every time gold hits a n e w p e a k , t h e r e i s a reaction I am an exporter of g o l d j e w e l l e r y , a n d a t current prices, most buyers are unwilling to fix rates But there will not be a very large correction Rates are definitely not going to 2020 levels, and those prices will be seen only in the pages of history,” he added

Reliance, Adani among bidders for Future ‘scrap’

Reliance Group, A dani Grou p, Jind al Power and a host o f scrap dealers are amo ng the bi d d e rs f o r w h at rem ai ns o f K i s h o re Biyani’s F uture Retail, once the secondlarg est chain in Ind ia One year after the Reliance Grou p to ok p ossession of 83 5 of Futu re ’ s retail sto res, leaving the comp any with only a small portion of its d istribution chain, the co mpany said that 49 potential ap plicants h ad su bm itted exp ressions o f interest und er the inso lv ency process

A f t e r t a k i n g p o s s e s s i o n o f s t o r e locations in February 2022, Reliance has repositioned Future’s Big Bazaar outlets as S m

s

stores such as Central and Foodhall, most of Future Retail’s assets are furniture and

fixtures, which is the reason for the interest from scrap dealers and asset reconstruction firms JC Flowers and Gordon Brothers

The Reliance Group had agreed to buy Future Retail for £2 47 billion, but it faced a series of litigation as Amazon, which had earlier invested in Future, objected to the deal The next stage would involve lenders inviting firm commitment from bidders when non-serious bidders will drop out

L e n d e r s h a v e s p l i t t h e b i d d i n g i n t o clusters Bidders can bid for the whole c o m p a n y o r s p e c i f i c c l u s t e r s T h e resolution professional has admitted claims amounting to £1 75 billion from 28 financial creditors, including foreign bond-holders, banks and domestic bondholders

Constructing new homes isn’t the only way we can address supply-side issues At the Westcombe Group, we specialise in revitalising historic buildings that have fallen into disrepair and repurposing them into homes to meet the demands of tomorrow We’ve converted old vacant schools, hospitals and army barracks into hundreds of homes I’m a vocal advocate for the UK to take a more holistic approach to increasing housing stock For some a dilapidated church has little value, but instead it should be viewed as a potential house for a family to call their home

Underpinning all of this is the need for a comprehensive rethink of the UK’s planning system It is ill-suited to meet the ever-growing demand In Westcombe’s case, for instance, converting listed buildings always comes with immense challenges from competing interests within the system Even logistical practicalities, such as arranging for cranes to be brought on site, prove to be challenging when having to consider maintaining the material and cultural integrity of a listed building and its surroundings The risk of damaging historic buildings through intensive construction is significantly higher when compared to more modern builds All of this makes the planning process considerably more stringent This system, which is a l r e a d y c o n g e s t e d w i t h i n s u f f i c i e n t a n d i n e f f i c i e n t r e s o u r c i n g , s t i f l e s o u r a b i l i t y t o c r e a t e n e w h o m e s through renovating disused properties

The reality is that property developers are often at odds with the local authorities in which they operate This needs to change If we want to make affordable, quality housing accessible for all, we need to explore new ways of building homes, harness the potential of existing buildings, and fundamentally rethink our planning system

l urge my peers in the property sector, councillors across the country and politicians in Westminster to come together and help make the housing market work for everyone

India-UK free trade pact talks under way: Govt

The government of India said talks with the UK for a free trade agreement (FTA) are under way and dismissed reports that negotiations had been halted due to India’s c oncerns over the British government’s “ fai lure” to condemn attacks on the Hi gh Commiss ion in London by pro-Khalis tan supporters

According to reports govt of India believes that the B r i t i s h g o v t h a d n o t t a k e n t h e a t t a c k o n i t s h i g h commission by Khalistani supporters seriously Indian officials, however, dismissed the report as “baseless” But attacks by pro-Khalistan supporters have been an area of concern, something that was flagged during talks with Canada earlier India is also negotiating a trade deal with Canada and may go for an “early harvest” or a smaller agreement to begin with

Kamal Pankhania CEO of the Westcombe Group

Charity kitchens feeding millions in Pakistan

I S LA M AB A D: Food and fuel prices in Pakis tan, already on the rise before the U kraine war began , have skyrocketed over the past year The pri ce of a ki lo of flour has ri sen from 58 to 15 5 rupees ( 45p) s ince the start of 2 022 Ric e has more than doubled, while petrol has gone from 145 rupees a litre last yea r to 272 rupees n ow This is compounded b y rec ord i n f l a ti o n ra t e s – s u r gi n g i n February to 31 5%, the highest in half a ce ntury

Without any income, many households are depending on the charity to survive There is a c r o w d o u t s i d e t h e K h a n a G h a r f o o d k i t c h e n “ E v e r y s e c o n d d a y o f R a m a d a n w e give one-month’s food rations because we close our kitchen,” says Parveen Saeed

“But we can only give one

bag to one family, and we need their ID cards to check that, says Parveen, 63 “There are more and more mouths to feed t h a n w e c a n c o p e w i t h ”

Parveen, who started Khana

Ghar 22 years ago said Parveen has been operating the kitchen i n o n e o f K a r a c h i ’ s p o o r e r

d i s t r i c t s f o r m o r e t h a n 2 0 years, and says she has never k n o w n i t t o b e s o b u s y P a k i s t a n i s e x p e r i e n c i n g a series of crises that is pushing people to the brink

T h e W o r l d F o o d Programme predicts 5 1 million Pakistanis will be facing severe

in brief

h u n g e r b y n e x t w e e k – a n increase of 1 1 million people from the previous quarter In Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city, t h e p r o b l e m s h a v e b r o u g h t l o n g q u e u e s a t f o o d b a n k s Ahmed Edhi, from the Edhi F o u n d a t i o n , w h i c h h a s provided free meals for more than 40 years, says he is seeing “ w e l l - d r e s s e d m e n f r o m offices” coming to the city’s centres Pakistan’s political turmoil h a s d i v e r t e d a t t e n t i o n a w a y from such daily issues “Sadly, there is no conversation, no debate within political circles a b o u t h o w t h e d a i l y w a g eearner is feeding his family at a time when the prices of food have skyrocketed,” says Fawad Chaudhry, a minister in the p r e v i o u s T e h r e e k e I n s a f government of Imran Khan

Jaishankar visits Uganda, meets Odongo and Museveni

I ndi a ’ s external affairs minister S Jaishankar arrived on a three-day visi t ( from 10th - 12th April 2023) to Uganda, and was welcomed b y Ugandan Foreign Minis ter General Jej e O don g o a n d M i ni s t e r of D e f en c e a n d Veterans Affai rs Vinc ent Ssempijja as well as the Indian H igh Commissi oner Ajay Kumar

The primary goal of Jaishankar's visit, according to the Ugandan Foreign Ministry, is "to further strengthen the friendly bilateral relations between the two nations " He held important commercial negotiations and works to improve bilateral and econ o m i c c o n n e c t i o n s b e t w e e n t h e t w o nations

During his visit to Uganda, EAM held delegation level talks with his counterpart General Jeje Odongo He also met other M i n i s t e r s a n d p a i d a v i s i t t o P r e s i d e n t Yoweri Museveni at the State House J a i s h a n k a r o f f i c i a l l y o p e n e d t h e N a t i o n a l F o r e n s i c S c i e n c e U n i v e r s i t y ' s

(NFSU) Jinja transit campus According to a statement released by the government, a bilateral MoU was signed during the visit regarding the establishment of the first-ever NFSU campus outside India

He participated in the ground-breaking ceremony of a solar powered water supply project in Uganda In addition, he will connect with the Indian diaspora and speak to Uganda's business and commerce sector

ISLAMABAD NOTIFIES RULES FOR HINDU MARRIAGE ACT

Yoweri Museveni & S Jaishankar

B il ateral relat ionship growing fr om s trength to s trength: H E Nimisha Madhva ni H i g h C o m m i s s i o n e r o f U g a n d a t o t h e United Kingdom Nimisha J Madhvani said, “This is a result of the PM Narendra Modi’s visit as Chief Minister of Gujarat to Uganda in 2011 and as PM in July 2018 The bilateral relationship between Uganda, India and Ugandan Asians is growing from strength to strength MFA will open the first ever outside India-built Forensic Institute in Jinja Uganda ”

AAHOACON23: largest trade show in 34-year history begins

L O S A N G E L E S : T h e m o st a nti c i p ate d C o nv e nti o n an d T rade Fair, AA HOA CON23 , was h eld in Los Angeles by the A sian A m er ic an H o te l O w ne rs A ss o c i ati o n ( A A HO A ) , th e larg est hotel ow ners group in the world The ev ent was org ani sed i n a 90 , 00 0 s qu are fo ot sp ace for th e first tim e in th e 3 4 years of AA HOA 's history, with 520+ exhibiting firms occupying a to tal of 890 booths A AHOAC ON2 3 i nc lu d e d w o rl d - c las s keynote speakers, 1 7 educational sessions, and four networking o p p o r tu ni ti e s T h e w el co m e reception was held at the historic LA Coliseu m, home o f the U SC T rojans

AAHOACON23 is the USA’s largest and exclusive event for hotel owners The 2023 AAHOA C o n v e n t i o n & T r a d e S h o w brings together the prominent in the industry for networking, education, and deal-making on the trade show floor This was a b i g g e s t g a t h e r i n g o f A A H O A members, who collectively own 60% of the hotels in the USA

At the Trade Fair, AAHOA s e c u r e d a r e c o r d n u m b e r o f booth sales AAHOA's previous largest event in 2019 marked the a s s o c i a t i o n ' s 3 0 t h a n n i v e r s a r y that featured 77,500 square feet of display space

Keynote Speakers

w a m i B r a h m a v i h a r i d a s o f

d e l i v e r e d t h e k e y n o t e

address at the general session

Attendees gathered at the North

in connecting hoteliers directly with those who can help them

Islamabad: The Hindu Marriage Act 2017 has been notified by Pakistan's Islamabad capital administration, more than five years after it was passed This development may benefit members of the minority community who can now solemnise their marriage in accordance with accepted rituals, according to a media report The Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan provinces will also be able to apply the marriage act passed in 2017, according to the notification named "Islamabad Capital Territory Hindu Marriage Regulations 2023 " An Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration official said the notification was forwarded for implementation to all Union Councils of the federal territory According to the rules relevant Union Councils in Islamabad will register a Maharaj to solemnise marriages According to the report a Hindu male with adequate knowledge of Hinduism can become a Pundit or Maharaj However, the Maharaj will be appointed only after the submission of a character certificate from the local police and the written approval of at least 10 members of the Hindu community The notification "is a step " according to Mehfooz Piracha the district attorney for Islamabad Capital Territory who wrote the rules, in securing the rights of the minority group The appropriate Union Councils will give a "Shaadi Pert" (marriage certificate) to the "Maharaj" registered with the applicable local government entity much as the "registered nikah-khawan" for Muslims All marriages would be registered at the Union Councils as well, the report said

INDIAN ORIGIN PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO HUMAN SMUGGLING

Plaza near the street corners of LA

Live for unforgettable hours of talented street performers like G e n e r a l Z o o z , u n i q u e f o o d t r u c k s , a n d i c o n i c e l e m e n t s drawn from the city's most wellknown neighbourhoods

“I always look forward to the industry’s Super Bowl event, and this year, as I conclude my term as AAHOA Chairman, I’m proud of the work our association has done to prepare for the event and c o n n e c t e v e n m o r e v e n d o r s directly with decision-makers,”

said AAHOA Chairman Nishant (Neal) Patel He added, “AAHOA members spend billions of dollars e a c h y e a r w i t h s u p p l i e r s , a n d

AAHOA plays an important role

run a better, more profitable, and m o r e e f f i c i e n t b u s i n e s s –

AAHOACON is where deals are made ”

“Our team has been working a r o u n d t h e c l o c k t o e n s u r e A A H O A C O N 2 3 i s o n e o f o u r most successful conventions to

date, and I applaud the entire A A H O A t e a m f o r h e l p i n g o u r organization reach this historical m i l e s t o n e , ” s a i d A A H O A P r e s i d e n t & C E O L a u r a L e e Blake “This is an exciting time for AAHOA, as its annual flagship event, AAHOACON, has historically been the most highly anticipated “Super Bowl” event of the industry – an event created exclus i v e l y f o r h o t e l o w n e r s , w i t h thousands of attendees, worldc l a s s e n t e r t a i n m e n t , a n d h u ndreds of vendors ready to make d e a l s w i t h h o t e l i e r s , ” s a i d AAHOA’s next Chairman Bharat Patel

AAHOA and ABPL

For a very long period, ABPL and AAHOA have been associated C B P a t e l , t h e c h a i r m a n a n d e d i t o r - i n - c h i e f o f A s i a n V o i c e (formerly known as New Life) in 1996, was connected with the AAHOA and gave ample publicity CB was asked to be the keynote speaker at conventions held in Atlanta and San Jose in 1997 and 1998, respectively After that, CB extended invitations to the AAHOA delegation to our offices at Karma Yoga House, London and various events at the British Parliament

In a US federal court a man accused of planning and receiving payment to smuggle Indian migrants from Canada into the US entered a notguilty plea Prosecutors allege Simranjit Shally Singh a 40-year-old Indian who is resident in Ontario, was involved in a conspiracy to smuggle Indian nationals over the border from Cornwall Island and the Akwesasne Mohawk reservation in 2020 and 2021 the US attorney s office for the northern district of New York said Indicted in 2022 Singh was last week extradited to the US He could receive a term of up to 15 years in jail if found guilty according to the US attorney's office The St Lawrence River contains Cornwall Island

PAK GETS SAUDI NOD FOR EXTRA $2BN TO SECURE IMF BAILOUT

Pakistan has been given the go-ahead for funding of an additional $ 2 billion in deposits from Saudi Arabia a move that will aid the nation in securing the desperately needed rescue from the IMF The Saudi leadership is set to make a public announcement probably during the upcoming visit of PM Sharif to the Kingdom reported by the media The Saudi ambassador in Pakistan had also hinted recently that his country had always supported Pakistan in critical situations

BALOCH SEPARATIST LEADER ARRESTED

Pakistan army said it has arrested Gulzar Imam alias Shambay, the founder of banned Balochistan separatist group Baloch insurgent groups have carried out several daring attacks targeting the $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor projects The Baloch Republican Army (BRA) and the United Baloch Army merged to form the banned Baloch National Army which the military described as the creator and head of the apprehended terrorist as a "hardcore militant " (UBA) The militant group has ramped up its operations since the talks with the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) ended in November, focusing primarily on the police in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and areas bordering Afghanistan

Dennis Smith VP AAHOA Bharat Patel Next Chair

Laura Lee Blake AAHOA President & CEO Neal-Patel Chair

Jaishankar with Foreign Minister General Jeje Odongo and Minister of Defence and Veterans Affairs V ncent Ssempijja

in brief 5 Indian origins among '100 most influential women in US finance' list

SNAKE ON PLANE, PILOT MAKES EMERGENCY LANDING

A deadly cobra was hidden under the pilot's seat when he made a hurried emergency landing in South Africa On the trip, Rudolf Erasmus had four passengers on board when he felt "something chilly" creep across his lower back He glanced down to see the head of a fairly large Cape Cobra “receding back under the seat ” he said “It was as if my brain didn’t know what was going on,” he said After taking a moment to compose himself, he informed his passengers of the slippery stowaway Erasmus called air traffic control for permission to make an emergency landing in the town of Welkom in central South Africa

FINNISH PM TO STEP DOWN AS PARTY LEADER

Sanna Marin, the departing prime minister of Finland said that she would step down as the head of the Social Democratic Party at the upcoming party convention in the fall She expressed the hope that doing so would allow her to start a new page in my personal life Now is the time to get in line again and leave the chairman s place Marin 37 said during a news conference in Helsinki She said she would continue as a lawmaker in parliament The Social Democratic Party came in third in last week's election, dashing Marin s hopes of staying on as PM

BERLUSCONI IN ICU WITH RESPIRATORY PROBLEM: REPORT

Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was hospitalised His breathing issues landed him in intensive care, according to Italian media According to spokesman Paolo Emilio Russo, the 86-year-old threetime prime minister was admitted to Milan's San Raffaele hospital where he regularly receives care There was no confirmation of reports from the news agencies that he was in the cardiac ICU He has had a pacemaker for years underwent heart surgery to replace an aortic valve in 2016 and has overcome prostate cancer

AMSTERDAM AIRPORT TO BAN PVT JETS

One of the best airports in Europe

Amsterdam Schiphol declared it will reduce noise and pollution in one of the densely populated locations on earth

Environmentalists applauded the decision right away, but its main client, KLM national airlines did not With its plans the airport will phase out all traffic between midnight and 5am (local time), ban private jets and the noisiest planes and abandon a project for an additional runway “We have thought about growth but too little about its impact for too long We need to be sustainable for our employees, the local environment and the world,” said Ruud Sondag, CEO of the Schiphol Group

BRAZIL MAN KILLS 4 CHILDREN AT A DAYCARE CENTER

In Brazil a guy wielding a hatchet hopped a wall to enter a creche facility where he killed four children and injured at least five more according to the authorities The attacker turned himself in at a police station and didn t seem to have any relation to the center which provides after school programs nursery services, and preschool instruction Ages of the deceased ranged from 5 to 7, according to the officials Investigators were searching for a motive, a police detective told television reporters in Blumenau, a city in southern Brazil

N E W Y O R K : F i v e f e m a le e x e c u t iv e s o f I n d i a n d e s ce n t h a v e ma d e i t on t o Ba r r o n 's pr est ig ious a nn ua l list o f the "100 Most In fluent ial Women in U S F in a n ce " f or r e a c h in g posit ions of pr ominen ce in the fi n a n c i a l s e r v i c e s se c t o r a n d influen cin g its fut ure According to the magazine r e l e a s e , T h e l i s t h o n o u r s e s t a b l i s h e d a n d e m e r g i n g leaders in financial services, the c o r p o r a t e w o r l d , n o n p r o f i t organisations and government "

Anu Aiyengar, in her 50s, assumed the role of global head o f M e r g e r s a n d A c q u i s i t i o n s (M&A) at J P Morgan in January after serving as a co-head of the division since 2020 r u p a l J B h a n s a l i , 5 5 , oversees the worldwide equity

strategies at Ariel Investments as both a portfolio manager and chief investment officer She is a m e m b e r o f t h e b o a r d o f d i r e c t o r s o f 1 0 0 W o m e n i n Finance

Sonal Desai made history in

2 0 1 8 b y b e c o m i n g t h e f i r s t woman chief investment officer in Franklin Templeton global investment fund The 58-yearold joined the firm in 2009 after working for the International M o n e t a r y F u n d , D r e s d n e r

Canadian PM seeks probe into deaths of families at US-Canada border

O T T A W A : C a nad ia n P ri m e Minister Justin Trud eau said that an inv estigation is need ed be h in d th e d ea th o f ei g h t people wh o died after h av ing tri e d to il le g al ly ent er th e United States from Canad a

“There is not just dismay, there is heartbreak at what happened to these families,” T r u d e a u s a i d “ I t i s s o m e t h i n g t h a t a s governments and as Canadians we need to continue to do everything we can to keep p e o p l e s a f e , a n d p a r t i c u l a r l y t h e m o s t vulnerable ”

The statement was made in response to concerns voiced by refugee and immigration defence organisations, who claimed that the d e a t h s w e r e c a u s e d b y C a n a d a s t o u g h border rules B o d i e s o f s i x p e r s o n s f r o m t h e t w o f a m i l i e s w e r e f o u n d i n a m a r s h i n Akwesasne, a Mohawk territory between the US-Canada border, on March 30 Two more were discovered on the next day The Indian

f a m i l y w a s i d e n t i f i e d a s Praveen Chaudhary (50), his wife Diksha (45), his son Meet (20), and his daughter Vidhi ( 2 4 ) T h e i r i d e n t i t y w a s confirmed by their relatives in Gujarat Since January, roughly 80 people - the majority of whom a r e o f I n d i a n o r r o m a n i a n ancestry - have attempted to enter Canada o r t h e U S i l l e g a l l y t h r o u g h M o h a w k territory, according to the Akwesasne Police on March 23, Canada and the United S t a t e s a m e n d e d a n a g r e e m e n t w h i c h expanded their authority to expel asylum seekers who cross the nations’ shared border at unofficial points of entry, according to the media roxham road, a smuggling route along the Canadian border with the United States, had also been closed The closure of roxham road, in the opinion of refugee activists and organisations, may result in an increase in similar accidents

UAE rejects extradition of Gupta brothers to SA

J O H A N N E SB U R G : T h e So u t h A f r ic a n go v e rn m e nt s a id t h a t it s r eq u e s t f o r th e extraditio n o f brothers Atul and Rajesh Gup ta, at the h eart of a mass ive state c orrup tio n s c a nd al in vo l v in g f o r m er p re s id e nt J ac o b Zuma, has been refused by a co urt in th e United Arab E mirates

Justice Minister ronald Lamola said the government was informed of a Dubai court s decision not to allow the extradition of the two brothers arrested in the same city in June

"We were shocked and dismayed to learn that the extradition hearing was held in the Dubai court on 13 February 2023 and that our extradition request was denied," Lamola said in a statement

T h e t w o G u p t a s , a l o n g w i t h a t h i r d brother Ajay, of Indian origin and a formidable trio of businessmen, are accused of looting the state coffers, with the complicity of Zuma, during his nine years in power (2009-2018)

South Africa made an extradition request in July, shortly after the brothers were arrested in Dubai The trio fled South Africa shortly a f t e r t h e e s t a b l i s h m e n t i n 2 0 1 8 o f a c o m m i s s i o n h e a d e d b y J u s t i c e r a y m o n d

Zondo to investigate state corruption

At the centre of the extradition request is a q u e s t i o n a b l e p u b l i c c o n t r a c t w o r t h t h e equivalent of €1 5 million A small part of the a c c u m u l a t e d c h a r g e s a g a i n s t t h e G u p t a brothers

According to Lamola, the UAE court found t h a t i t h a d j u r i s d i c t i o n o v e r t h e m o n e y laundering charges against the two brothers, as the offences were committed both in the country and in South Africa on the fraud and corruption charges, the court ruled that the arrest warrant had been cancelled, according to the minister The r e a s o n s g i v e n f o r t h e r e j e c t i o n o f o u r application are inexplicable," he said

K l e i n w o r t W a s s e r s t e i n , a n d T h a m e s r i v e r C a p i t a l According to the release, she c u r r e n t l y o v e r s e e s U S D 1 3 7 billion in assets

Meena Flynn, 45, is a cohead of global private wealth management at Goldman Sachs Group, whose career in finance began soon after a sports injury She joined JP Morgan Chase in 1999 and moved to Goldman S a c h s t h e f o l l o w i n g y e a r , becoming a partner in 2014

The list also included Savita Subramanian, the 50-year-old director of quantitative strategy a n d U S e q u i t y a t B a n k o f America She is in charge of suggesting US sector allocations f o r s t o c k s a n d m a k i n g predictions for the S&P 500 and other significant US indices

India elected to UN Statistical Commission for 4-year period

United Nati ons: India h as overwhelmingly won a "competitive" election to the UN S tatistical Commiss ion, where it will serve fo r fo ur years Ch ina and Sou th Ko rea are still battling fo r the final Asia Pacific seat India secured an overwhelming 46 out of 53 votes A second candidate is yet to be decided between South Korea and China and the balloting process will resume for electing the remaining Asia Pacific States member

India was elected by secret ballot while Argentina, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Ukraine, the United republic of Tanzania and the United States of America were elected by acclamation for a four-year term of office beginning January 1, 2024

" I n d i a e l e c t e d t o t h e h i g h e s t U n statistical body for a 4-year term beginning o n 1 J a n u a r y 2 0 2 4 ! C o n g r a t s T e a m @IndiaUnnewYork for coming through so strongly in a competitive election," External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said

He added that India's "expertise in the field of statistics, diversity & demography has earned it a seat on the Un Statistical Commission " The current members from the Asia-Pacific States are Japan (2024), Samoa (2024) as well as Kuwait and the republic of Korea, whose terms are ending this year The highest body in the global s t a t i s t i c s s y s t e m , t h e U n i t e d n a t i o n s Statistical Commission was founded in 1947 and brings together the Chief Statisticians from member states from all over the world

Temple vandalised in Canada, police calls it ‘hate-motivated’ act

TO RON TO: A prom inent Hindu tem pl e in Canada’s Ontario provinc e has been vandalised by unknown peopl e wit h “ant i-Hindu and anti-India graff it i”, in what is des cribed by polic e as a “ha te-m otivated inc ident ”

In a statement, the police in ontario’s Windsor city said that it has launched an investigation and looking for two suspects

The high commission of India in ottawa, Canada, has strongly condemned the act of vandalism

“We have taken up with the Canadian authorities the hateful act of putting anti I n d i a g r a f f i t i o n t h e w a l l s o f B A P S S w a m i n a r a y a n t e m p l e i n W i n d s o r W e strongly condemn this act of vandalism,” the mission said in a tweet The Windsor Police

S e r v i c e s a i d o f f i c e r s w e r e d i s p a t c h e d t o

theHindu temple following a report of hatemotivated vandalism “officers discovered anti-Hindu and anti-India graffiti sprayed in black on an exterior wall of the building,” the police said in a statement officers obtained a video that shows two suspects in the area, one suspect appears to commit the vandalism on the wall of the building while the other keeps watch, it said In January, the Gauri Shankar temple in Brampton was targeted with anti-India graffiti The Indian Consulate General in Toronto had said the defacing of the temple had deeply hurt the sentiments of the Indian community in Canada At least three similar acts of vandalism have been recorded in Canada last year

Rupal Bhansali Anu Aiyengar

Savita Subramanian Meena Flynn Sonal Desai

Justin Trudeau

Covid cases spread to more states in India

India logged a 79% increase i n Co vi d- 1 9 ca s es i n th e week ending S unday with a t al ly o f o ve r 3 6, 0 00 , th e h i gh e s t w ee kl y c o u n t i n n e ar ly s e ve n mo nt h s , as i nfections began spreading i n states where c ases were r el a ti ve ly f ew t il l th e p reviou s week

Covid deaths continued to be low although the toll w a s i n c h i n g u p I n d i a recorded 68 fatalities during the week (April 3 to 9), up from 41 in previous week

F o r t h e s e c o n d s t r a i g h t week, Kerala logged by far the highest number of new c a s e s a t 1 1 , 2 9 6 , a 2 4 x increase over the previous w e e k , f o l l o w e d b y Maharashtra (4,587, up 32%), D e l h i ( 3 , 8 9 6 , u p 9 4 % ) , H a r y a n a ( 2 , 1 4 0 , u p 1 4 7 % ) a n d G u j a r a t ( 2 , 0 3 9 , d o w n 15%) Numbers rose sharply in

states/ UTs where cases had been relatively low so far T h e s e i n c l u d e R a j a s t h a n , where numbers during the week shot up to 631, rising over three-fold from 194 in p r e c e d i n g p e r i o d , Chhattisgarh (from 113 to 462), Odisha (193 to 597) and J & K ( 1 2 9 t o 4 1 3 ) , a m o n g others There were signs of a s p i k e i n s t a t e s l i k e U t t a r a k h a n d , w h i c h

reported a rise in daily cases India recorded 36,250 fresh cases during the week, up from 20,293 in the previous seven days

T h i s w a s t h e e i g h t h w e e k i n a r o w o f r i s i n g C o v i d c a s e s T h e w e e k l y tally was the highest since the September 12-18 week l a s t y e a r , n e a r l y s e v e n m o n t h s a g o M e a n w h i l e , G u j a r a t b e c a m e t h e f i r s t

major state to report a drop in cases during the week

E a r l i e r , T e l a n g a n a h a d logged a decrease but the surge in the state had been modest, with recorded daily cases remaining well below 100, and the state has again r e p o r t e d a s l i g h t r i s e Growth in cases appears to b e s l o w i n g d o w n i n K a r n a t a k a a n d Maharashtra O f t h e 6 8 d e a t h s reported during the week, Maharashtra accounted for 1 5 , D e l h i 1 0 , H i m a c h a l Pradesh eight, Gujarat six and Karnataka five The test p o s i t i v i t y r a t e d u r i n g t h e week rose to nearly 4%, up from 2 5% in the earlier week Despite the number o f t e s t s i n c r e a s i n g t o

India abstains as UNHRC votes to extend Russia probe

I n di a d i d n o t p ar t ici p a te i n th e UN Hu ma n Ri gh ts C o u n ci l v o te o n a r e s o l ut i o n t h a t e x t e n d e d t h e

India now has 3,167 tigers, 75 per cent of global count

Th e mo st rec ent census s t a ti s t ic s , w h i c h P M N arendra Mo di revealed, sh owed th at I ndia's bigcat p opu latio n increased by 200 in f our years to hit 3,167 , making u p 7 5% of t h e w o r l d' s t i ge r p o p u l at i o n T h is n ew s r ev e rb e r at e d ac r o s s t h e co ns ervation ec osys tem PM Modi attributed t h e s u c c e s s t o a l l p a r t i e s i n v o l v e d , c l a i m i n g t h a t India's "protective nature" is i n g r a i n e d i n i t s c u l t u r e According to him, a nation that makes up just 2 4% of t h e p l a n e t ' s l a n d t o d a y contributes around 8% of the k n o w n b i o d i v e r s i t y i n t h e w o r l d T h i s h e r i t a g e o f conservation is represented in that nation The updated d a t a t i l l 2 0 2 2 i s o f f i c i a l l y cited as a “minimum” count, which denotes the number of tigers with photographic documentation “The actual estimation number could be

m u c h h i g h e r , ” a s e n i o r N T C A o f f i c i a l s a i d T h e d a m p e r w a s p o p u l a t i o n growth slackening from 25% in the previous survey to less than 10% now “ A t a t i m e w h e n t h e w i l d l i f e p o p u l a t i o n a c r o s s t h e w o r l d h a s r e m a i n e d s t a g n a n t o r i s d e c r e a s i n g , c o n s e r v a t i o n i s t s a r e s u r p r i s e d a b o u t t h e increasing trend in India We d o n ' t b e l i e v e i n a c o n f l i c t b e t w e e n e c o l o g y a n d economy Instead, we give importance to co-existence," Modi said in Mysuru

I n d i a m ay ex p eri en c e " below normal" rains for th e 20 23 monsoon season (JuneS e p te m be r) , a c co r d i ng to p riv ate w eather forecas ter S kymet, after reporting fou r years in a row of "norm al" and "abov e no rmal" rainfall S k ym e t no te d th at th e n o rth e rn an d c ent ral reg ions of the country may be "at risk" of exp eriencing a rain deficit

E v e n t h o u g h S k y m e t predicted "less than normal" rains for Punjab, Haryana, R a j a s t h a n , a n d U t t a r Pradesh - the agri bowl of n o r t h I n d i a - d u r i n g t h e second half of the season ( A u g u s t – S e p t e m b e r ) , t h e situation at below normal l e v e l s m a y n o t h a v e a s i g n i f i c a n t i m p a c t o n farming operations in these s t a t e s b e c a u s e t h e e n t i r e region has, to some extent, d r o u g h t - p r o o f e d i t s a g r i c u l t u r e t h r o u g h a network of basic irrigation f a c i l i t i e s a n d u s e o f n e w

d r o u g h t - r e s i s t a n t v a r i e t i e s of seeds

The weather forecaster a l s o e x p e c t s G u j a r a t , M a d h y a P r a d e s h a n d M a h a r a s h t r a w i l l w i t n e s s inadequate rains during the c o r e m o n s o o n m o n t h s o f July and August

Over the country as a whole, it predicted that the upcoming monsoon to be 'below normal' to the tune o f 9 4 % ( w i t h a n e r r o r margin of +/-5%) of the long p e r i o d a v e r a g e ( L P A ) o f nearly 87 cm rainfall for the f o u r - m o n t h s e a s o n a n d there is 40% probability for that D e s p i t e r e p o r t i n g below normal rainfall in 2017 and 2018, the country produced 285 million tonnes of foodgrains in 2017–18 and 2018–19, respectively This was more than the output in 2 0 1 6 – 1 7 ( 2 7 5 m i l l i o n t o n n e s ) , t h e y e a r w i t h "normal" monsoon rainfall at 97% of the LPA

In depen den t Inte rnati onal C ommis si on of I nq uiry on Uk rain e's (II CIU) man date, whi ch w as e stab lis hed las t year to look i nto huma n righ ts ab us es b rought on by Rus sia s a ggress ion agai ns t Uk rain e, by one year

In the 47-member body, the resolution was approved with the support of 28 member states The 17 nations that did not vote included India The resolution was only defeated by China and Eritrea When the Council voted to create the Commission of Investigation, India also voted with a blank ballot

India, which abstained, stated that it is the obligation of the parties to the conflict to ensure that people and civilian infrastructure are not targeted in instances of armed conflict in accordance with international standards and jurisprudence

“The global order that we all subscribe to, is based on international law, the UN charter and respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all states These principles must be upheld without any exception,” said Pawan Badhe, counsellor in India’s permanent mission to the UN in Geneva, in India’s explanation of the vote Badhe also expressed grave concerns over reports of attacks on civilians and calling for protection of human rights of people in Ukraine

While emphasising that escalation of hostilities and violence is in no one ’ s interest, India reiterated its call for urgent return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy as the way forward The government also said that the c o n f l i c t h a d e x a c e r b a t e d t h e c o n c e r n s o v e r f o o d , fertiliser and fuel security, particularly in the developing countries

A Lon don- bound fli ght was forced to return to N ew Delhi after a pass enger atta cked cab in c re w membe rs , ac cording to reports The Air In dia fli ght wa s flyi ng to Heathrow Ai rport fr om I ndi ra G and hi i nter nati ona l air port but return ed after the passen ge r started b ehaving aggres sively within 15 min utes of takeoff

The customer reportedly hit a cabin crew member and pulled their hair, according to reports Air India said that the London-bound flight returned to Delhi “shortly after d e p a r t u r e d u e t o t h e s e r i o u s u n r u l y b e h a v i o u r o f a passenger on board”

It added that the passenger did not heed the “verbal and written warnings” and instead “continued with unruly behaviour including causing physical harm to two of the cabin crew members”

The pilot decided to return to Delhi and the passenger was handed over to the security personnel upon landing, the statement said A police complaint has been filed against the man, whose identity was not revealed by the authorities

“An FIR has also been lodged with the police Safety, security and dignity of all on board is important to us at Air India We are providing all possible support to the affected crew members We regret the inconvenience caused to the passengers and have rescheduled the flight ”

EC strips NCP, TMC and CPI of national party status; AAP gets tag

Hom e minister Amit S hah s e nt a s te rn m es sa g e to C hina d eclaring that India w ould not perm it even an inch of its territory to be invaded Beijing resp ond ed a ng r il y, a cc u s i ng h i m o f v iolating its sovereignty and e nd a ng e ri ng p ea c e a nd tranquilly in border reg ions

“Due to the bravery of s o l d i e r s o f o u r a r m y a n d ITBP, no one can challenge the borders of our country T h e t i m e i s g o n e w h e n a n y o n e c o u l d e n c r o a c h u p o n t h e l a n d o f I n d i a Today, no one can encroach even on a single inch of our l a n d , ” s a i d S h a h w h i l e l a u n c h i n g t h e ‘ V i b r a n t V i l l a g e s P r o g r a m m e ’ a t

Kibithoo, India’s first village near the LAC in Arunachal P r a d e s h ’ s A n j a w d i s t r i c t “ O u r p o l i c y i s c l e a r W e want to live in peace with all but will not allow even an i n c h o f o u r l a n d t o b e encroached upon, ” he said " Z a n g n a n i s p a r t o f C h i n a ' s t e r r i t o r y , " a r e p r e s e n t a t i v e f o r t h e C h i n e s e f o r e i g n m i n i s t r y d e c l a r e d a t a p r e s s conference in Beijing The s e n i o r I n d i a n o f f i c i a l ' s a c t i o n s i n Z a n g n a n a r e a v i o l a t i o n o f C h i n e s e territorial sovereignty and do not promote calm and t r a n q u i l l y i n t h e b o r d e r r e g i o n s W e v e h e m e n t l y o p p o s e t h i s A r u n a c h a l

Amit Shah

P r a d e s h i s k n o w n a s

Zangnan in Chinese

A d i p l o m a t i c d i s p u t e over India's hosting of the G-20 summit in Itanagar, t h e s t a t e ' s c a p i t a l , a n d B e i j i n g ' s s u b s e q u e n t renaming of certain towns to support its claim to the s t a t e i t s e e s a s a p a r t o f south Tibet led to Home Minister Amit Shah's visit to t h e r e g i o n T h e s e n e w l y named places, which MEA d e s c r i b e d a s ‘ i n v e n t e d n a m e s ’ , t u r n e d o u t t o b e f o r e s t l a n d , n o n - e x i s t e n t r i v e r s

T he Na t i o n a l is t C on g r e s s P a r t y (NCP), t he TMC, and t he CPI were d e m ot e d b y t h e El e ct io n Commission from "n ational par ty" to "stat e party , " whil e the Aa m Aa dmi Part y was r ecognised as a "na tion al part y, " in a mov e that may have an impact on t he ir ele ction campa ign s in the gene ral el ection of 2024

A representative of the EC told the media that the decision was made after "following due process a n d g i v i n g t h e a f f e c t e d p a r t i e s ample opportunity" and was based on how t h e p a r t i e s f a r e d i n t h e t w o n a t i o n a l elections held in 2014 and 2019 as well as 21 s t a t e e l e c t i o n s A p a r t y m u s t m e e t t h e requirements in Paragraphs 6A, 6B, and 6C of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order of 1968 and be recognised as a state party in at least four states in order to receive national recognition AAP

is a ‘state party’ in Delhi, Punjab, Goa and Gujarat, and TMC in Bengal, Tripura and Meghalaya NCP has the tag in Maharashtra a n d N a g a l a n d b u t n o l o n g e r i n G o a , M a n i p u r , M e g h a l a y a ‘ N a t i o n a l ’ s t a t u s entitles parties to a common poll symbol across India, free airtime on state media for campaigning during polls and several other perks

Private forecaster predicts ‘below normal’ rains in India

No one can encroach even an inch of our land: Shah

Flight to Heathrow forced to return to Delhi after passenger ‘pulls air hostess’s hair’

Don’t be complacent ahead of ’24, PM Modi tells BJP cadre

While the B JP wa s pr edicte d t o win t he 2024 Lok Sab ha e l e ct i on s, PM N a r e n dr a M od i a r g ue d t h a t pa r t y ca dr e shoul d wo rk ha rd er a nd with great er dedication t o wi n t he fa v o ur o f t he p op u l a ce r a t h e r t h a n b ecoming complacent “ D o n ’ t b e a v i c t i m o f overconfidence People are already saying that no one can defeat BJP in 2024 This is true, but as a BJP worker, one has to win the heart of every citizen As workers of the BJP, we should not limit o u r s e l v e s t o w i n n i n g elections We should work to win the hearts of people,” t h e P M s a i d w h i l e addressing workers to mark the BJP's foundation day

The exhortation, where he blended confidence with caution, came on a day when BJP kicked off its election campaign for the Lok Sabha polls with the slogan “Ek baar phir se Modi sarkar, ek baar phir se Bhajpa sarkaar” - a move that coincided with u n c e r t a i n t y i n t h e

o p p o s i t i o n c a m p o n t h e formation of a ‘secular front’ and who should lead it and is aimed at securing a march over the opponents There w e r e o t h e r i n d i c a t i o n s o f t h e p a r t y g e t t i n g o f f t h e b l o c k a n d s l i p p i n g i n t o c a m p a i g n m o d e , w i t h c e n t r a l m i n i s t e r s b e i n g

instructed to spend a full m o n t h i n t h e s t a t e s beginning May 15

I n h i s s p e e c h , M o d i rebuked arrogance head-on and made it plain that he didn't want a repetition of the 2004 elections, when the party lost despite entering t h e r a c e a s t h e c l e a r f a v o u r i t e d u e t o c o m p l a c e n c y a n d p o o r tactical decisions “We have to fight each election with the same level of energy and hard work that we have been d o i n g s i n c e t h e 1 9 8 0 s I f i r m l y b e l i e v e t h a t t h e d e v o t i o n , d e d i c a t i o n a n d strength of our karyakartas and our mantra of 'Nation First' will continue to inspire us, ” he said

India rejects China bid to rename Arunachal villages

C hin a s re namin g of various location s in A runachal P ra de sh wa s ca te gori cal ly r e j e ct e d b y I n d i a , w h i ch s a i d t ha t the s ta t e i s a n i nteg ral part of In dia a nd t h a t g i v i n g i t " i n v e n t e d " n ames doe s not cha nge thi s re ality I n d i a r e a c t e d a f t e r B e i j i n g r e v e a l e d t h e Chinese names for 11 more l o c a t i o n s i n A r u n a c h a l Pradesh, which the neighb o u r i n g n a t i o n c l a i m s i s

t h e s o u t h e r n p o r t i o n o f Tibet Arindam Bagchi, a spokesman for the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), stated that India categoric a l l y r e j e c t e d C h i n a ' s renaming of the locations in Arunachal Pradesh " W e h a v e s e e n s u c h reports This is not the first time China has made such an attempt We reject this outright, Bagchi said "Arunachal Pradesh is, has been, and will always be

an integral and inalienable part of India Attempts to assign invented names will not alter this reality," he said

T h e t h i r d s e t o f Arunachal Pradesh's stand a r d g e o g r a p h i c n a m e s w a s r e l e a s e d b y C h i n a ' s civil affairs ministry Six l o c a t i o n s i n A r u n a c h a l Pradesh had their standard names released in a first batch in 2017, and 15 furt h e r l o c a t i o n s h a d t h e i r

After cough syrups, India-made eye drops face ban

C onsumer s in t he U nite d St ate s hav e bee n wa rn ed n ot to use th e Ezr iCar e br an d of a rtificial te ars man ufa ct ured by a C henn ai-ba se d compa ny The US re gulator y mov e comes on ly da ys a ft er the CDC published a notice in r esponse t o the discove ry of 55 d ise ase cases a cross 12 st ate s A ft er a study sugge st ed a lin k bet wee n ey e dr ops a nd ge rms tha t ar e re sist an t to common ant ibiotics, ra isin g the risk of ey e infection s, v ision loss, a nd ev en d eat h

A Tamil Nadu-based company has voluntarily recalled an eye drop from the United States after it was connected to a drug-resistant infection, following two incidents in which syrups made in India were responsible for the deaths of children in the Gambia and Uzbekistan The eye drop has been associated with 55 cases of infections, vision loss, and even death as a result of the infection entering the circulation

A d a y a f t e r t h e U S F o o d a n d D r u g

MHA for CBI probe against Oxfam India over foreign fund

The home ministry has recommended a CBI inves ti gation i nto promi nent NGO O x f a m I n di a f o r al l eg e d v iola ti ons of the Fore ign

C on tri bution ( R egulati on) Act, 2010 ( FCRA), includi ng d i v er ti n g f or ei g n don ati on s rec ei ved

b y i t t o ot he r

N G O s , i n c lu di n g t ho s e a ls o un de r

C B I s c r ut i ny , an d engaging i n ac ti vities other than its d e c la r ed " s oc i a l" p ur pos e fo r re g i s tr at i on under FCRA

t w o o f t h e N G O s t h a t Oxfam India passed on to or routed its foreign funds to

A d m i n i s t r a t i o n i s s u e d a w a r n i n g r e c o mmending people to avoid using and selling the eye drops, a team of six central and state drug inspectors hurried to the company's plant, located 40 km south of Chennai

"It is a contract manufacturing plant that supplies the US market through others This precise medicine is not available in India," according to Health Ministry sources The eye drop was distributed by ErziCare and Delsam Pharma, according to the company's announcement

The medication, which is used to treat eye irritation or dryness, is available without a prescription "The product was distributed nationwide in the United States via the internet," according to the company's statement

Unlike in the Gambia and Uzbekistan, w h e r e I n d i a n o f f i c i a l s h a l t e d p r o d u c t i o n after concerns were raised, the Chennai company withdrew the product itself

Padma awards conferred on late Mulayam, Keeravaani and Sudha Murty

F ormer UP CM and legendary socialist leader Late Mulayam Singh Yadav and acclaimed medi c Dili p Mah alanabis received th e P adma Vibhu shan posthu mo usly

Author and philanthropist Sudha Murty received the Padma Bhushan at the second civil investiture event for the Padma awards She was joined by her husband, Infosys founder Narayan Murthy, and daughter Akshata, who is married to UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (see p10 for more)

The Samajwadi patriarch’s son, former UP CM Akhilesh Yadav, who was seen wearing the party’s trademark red cap, received the Padma Vibhushan on Mulayam’s behalf Mahalanabis’ Padma on the other hand, was received by his nephew Susham Gupta Acclaimed singer Vani Jairam’s Padma Bhushan, conferred on her posthumously, was received by sister Uma Mani

President Murmu also conferred the Padma awards on physicist Deepak Dhar, known for his long-standing research career in statistical physics, novelist S L Bhyrappa, Vedic scholar Tridandi Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji, as well as Odisha’s educationist Antaryami Mishra and genetic medicine specialist Dr Ishwar Chander Verma Bollywood actor Raveena Tandon and music director M M Keeravaani, whose original composition "Naatu Naatu" won the Oscar, also received the Padma Shri The event's audience applauded Keeravaani the loudly Other Padma recipients included Madhya Pradesh’s Ramesh Parmar and Shanti Parmar, who make dolls using recycled cloth, Gujarati folk artiste Paresh Rathwa, veteran Bidri craft artist from Karnataka, among others

standard names released in a second batch in 2021 The o f f i c i a l n a m e s o f t h e 1 1 p l a c e s w e r e r e l e a s e d b y C h i n a ' s m i n i s t r y o f c i v i l affairs

The media said that it also specified the category o f l o c a t i o n s ' n a m e s a n d their subordinate administrative districts, as well as a c c u r a t e c o o r d i n a t e s f o r two land areas, two residential areas, five mountain peaks, and two rivers

The continuous transfer of Oxfam India's foreign r e c e i p t s t o o t h e r e n t i t i e s even after the FCRA was revised on September 29, 2020 to prohibit such transfers, according to sources who spoke to the media, is a m o n g t h e a l l e g e d F C R A violations forwarded to the CBI for investigation

The Centre for Policy

R e s e a r c h ( C P R ) , w h o s e FCRA licence was recently suspended due to an ongoing I-T probe, and Aman Biradari, an activist Harsh Mander's NGO that is also under CBI investigation for allegedly receiving foreign funding without being registered under the FCRA, are

Incidentally, the home ministry had in December 2021 rejected Oxfam India’s application for renewal of FCRA licence, citing FCRA v i o l a t i o n s a n d “ p u b l i c interest’ This rendered the regional affiliate of Oxfam International family ineligible to receive or utilise funds from foreign sources

In January 2022, Oxfam’s

F C R A a c c o u n t s w e r e i n s p e c t e d b y M H A A l l these actions came as part of MHA’s concerted crackdown - directly supervised b y h o m e m i n i s t e r A m i t S h a h o n N G O s a l l e g e d l y acting in contravention of

F C R A a n d F o r e i g n C o n t r i b u t i o n R e g u l a t i o n Rules, 2011 (FCRR) Both F C R A a n d F C R R w e r e m a d e m o r e s t r i n g e n t t h r o u g h a m e n d m e n t s i n 2020

Stalin moves resolution against Tamil Nadu Governor

C HEN N A I: With t he DMK gove rn ment moving a fre sh r e s o lu t i on a g a i n s t T a m i l Na du Gove rn or RN R av i for a lle ge d ly n ot cle a ri n g Bi lls passed by t he Stat e A sse mbly, C h i e f M i n is t e r M K S t a li n s a id t h e G o v e r n or i s f un c t i o n i n g ag ainst t he welfa re of the pe ople

S p e a k i n g i n t h e S t a t e A s s e m b l y , S t a l i n s a i d , " T h i s i s t h e s e c o n d r e s o l u t i o n I a m b r i n g i n g a g a i n s t

Governor The Sarkaria Commission had said that Governor should be a detached figure Dr Ambedkar has said that Governor should not intervene w i t h i n t h e a u t h o r i t y o f t h e S t a t e

Government Several Supreme Court o r d e r s h a v e s a i d t h a t t h e G o v e r n o r should be a guide But our Governor is not ready to be a friend of the people "

T a m i l N a d u M i n i s t e r D u r a i Murugan moved a resolution in the S t a t e A s s e m b l y u r g i n g t h e c e n t r a l government and President Droupadi M u r m u t o i m m e d i a t e l y i s s u e a p p r o p r i a t e i n s t r u c t i o n s t o t h e Governor to give assent to the Bills passed by the Assembly within a specific period of time

Stalin alleged that the Governor criticised the Bill on the public platform and is standing against the welfare of the people "He spoke about the Bills

PM Modi sounds poll bugle in TN

passed in favour of Tamil

N a d u p e o p l e i n t h e

p u b l i c p l a t f o r m , especially when the PM

c o m e s t o C h e n n a i o r when I go to Delhi He r e f u s e s t o g i v e a s s e n t online gambling ban bill and says that t h e B i l l w i t h h e l d i s f l a t A s p e r Constitution, if a Bill is returned, once passed and sent back, Governor should give assent Giving the authority of signing to a nominated person while the law is passed by the Legislative Assembly must be pondered," Stalin said The Chief Minister alleged that

G o v e r n o r R a v i w a s g i v i n g f a l s e information regarding bills "We are only criticising the Governor's actions We will not be quiet if the hindrance is c a u s e d t o A s s e m b l y p r o c e e d i n g s Governor is withholding the Bill as per his wish and giving false information

W e d o n o t b r i n g a B i l l t o a p p e a s e anyone NEET Bill and ban on online gambling Bill were passed after several l e v e l s o f c o n s i d e r a t i o n a n d committees," added Stalin

DMK and its alliance partners voted in favour of the resolution passed by D u r a i M u r u g a n H o w e v e r , A I A D M K M L A s s t a g e a w a l k o u t f r o m t h e Assembly alleging that they were not given time to speak in the House

Amritpal’s close aide arrested; detained under NSA

C H A N D I G A R H : Rad ic al p re ac h er

A m ri tp a l S i n g h 's c lo s e ai d e

P a p al p ree t S i ng h w a s na bb ed i n

A mritsar district and d etained under the Natio nal S ecurity Act, po lice said o n Mo nd ay A d d r e s s i n g t h e m e d i a h e r e , P u n j a b P o l i c e I n s p e c t o r G e n e r a l

(Headquarters) Sukhchain Singh Gill said, “He (Papalpreet) is the main associate of Amritpal He has been arrested from Kathunangal area in Amritsar " He said Papalpreet has been detained under NSA and that s i x o t h e r c a s e s h a v e a l s o b e e n registered against him

Papalpreet is considered to be Amritpal s mentor and has allegedly been in contact with Pakistan's ISI Gill said further legal action will be taken against Papalpreet The police h a d b e e n c o n d u c t i n g s e a r c h e s a t many places, including Hoshiarpur, t o n a b t h e d u o w h o h a d b e e n hoodwinking the security men since

CONG IN KARNATAKA TO AVOID MODI BASHING

C H ENNA I : Sounding th e poll bugle for the 20 24 Lok Sabha elections even while flagg ing off hig h-cost infrastructure projects in Tamil Nad u, P rim e M inister Narendra Mod i said that “ the d ev elopm ent of Tamil Nad u is of great priority to us When Tamil Nad u grows, India grows ”

Flanked by governor R N Ravi, TN chief minister

M K S t a l i n a n d h i s m i n i s t e r i a l c o l l e a g u e s i n Pallavaram, Modi said the state had been allocated an all time-high budget of more than £60 million this f i s c a l f o r r a i l i n f r a s t r u c t u r e T h e a v e r a g e s u m allocated each year during the previous Congress-led UPA government in 2009-2014 was less than £90 million

Between 2004 and 2014, the length of national highways added in Tamil Nadu was about 800 km Between 2014 and 2023, nearly 2,000 km of national highways were added In 2014-15, the investment in t h e d e v e l o p m e n t a n d m a i n t e n a n c e o f n a t i o n a l highways in Tamil Nadu was around £120 million In 2022-23 it increased six-fold to over £820 million, he said

“Tamil Nadu is one of India’s growth engines I am sure that the projects inaugurated today will give a big boost to the aspirations of the people of Tamil Nadu When top quality infrastructure creates jobs here, incomes rise, and Tamil Nadu grows, ” Modi said He referred to the state as “the home of history and heritage; the land of language and literature and centre of patriotism and national consciousness”

E a r l i e r , M o d i i n a u g u r a t e d t h e n e w t e r m i n a l building of Chennai International Airport, flagged off the Chennai-Coimbatore Vande Bharat Express and took part in the 125th anniversary celebrations of Sri Ramakrishna Mutt at Vivekananda House in the city

Sikh jatha in Pakistan to celebrate Baisakhi

March 18 when police had launched a c r a c k d o w n a g a i n s t t h e K h a l i s t a n sympathiser and his aides

Papalpreet's arrest comes days a f t e r a C C T V f o o t a g e m a d e t h e rounds on social media in which he could be seen at a 'dera' (place for religious congregation) in a village in Hoshiarpur

It is believed that both Papalpreet and Amritpal could have separated in H o s h i a r p u r f o l l o w i n g t h e p o l i c e chase of their vehicle

T h e K h a l i s t a n s y m p a t h i s e r escaped the police net in Jalandhar d i s t r i c t o n M a r c h 1 8 , s w i t c h i n g vehicles and changing appearances

He and his associates have been booked under several criminal cases r e l a t e d t o s p r e a d i n g d i s h a r m o n y among classes, attempt to murder, a t t a c k o n p o l i c e p e r s o n n e l a n d creating obstructions in the lawful discharge of duty by public servants

A M RI T SA R : A Sikh jatha of 1 ,052 p ilg rims crossed into Pakistan th roug h the A ttari-Wagah bord er to celebrate the ‘ Khalsa Sajna Diwas’ , also known as Baisakhi Th eir trip has been org anised by the Shi rom ani Gurd wara Parband hak Co mmittee (S GP C)

A total of 2,856 visas, for the duration April 9-18, were issued to the pilgrims by the Pakistan High Commission It is learnt that a total of 2,475 pilgrims have gone to Wagah through land route so far The main event has been scheduled at Gurdwara Panja Sahib on April 14

The SGPC had sent 1,161 passports and requisite d o c u m e n t a t i o n t o t h e P a k i s t a n a u t h o r i t i e s , v i s a applications of 109 individulas were rejected

A jatha leader, Amarjit Singh Bhalaipur, said, “Several Sikh shrines are situated in Pakistan and the community longs to pay obeisance there Therefore, the governments of both the nations should grant visas with an open heart, keeping in mind their sentiments ”

SGPC secretary Partap Singh said the jatha had reached Gurdwara Sri Nankana Sahib The devotees will pay obeisance at Gurdwara Sacha Sauda Sahib, Mandi Chuharkana and return to Nankana Sahib

On April 12, the jatha is scheduled to visit Gurdwara Sri Panja Sahib “On the day of the main congregation, April 14, Amrit Sanchar (initiation ceremony) will also be organised at Gurdwara Sri Panja Sahib,” he said

Ram Navami violence pre-planned, says Calcutta HC

KO LK A T A : Reports on the v iolence d uring Ram Nav ami p rocessio ns in Beng al indicate “ prim a facie that th ey were pre-planned ” , the C alcutta hig h co urt observed on M ond ay “ Th ere is an alleg ation that stones were p elted fro m roo ftops Obviously, the stones cou ld not h av e been taken in 1 0-15 m inutes to the rooftop T here was an intellig ence failure,” A cting C hief Justice T S Siv ag nanam said

A division bench of Justice Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya was h e a r i n g a P I L b y B J P l e a d e r S u v e n d u Adhikari seeking an NIA probe into the clashes They reserved judgment on the plea A d v o c a t e - g e n e r a l S N M o o k h e r j e e , representing the state government, opposed a n N I A p r o b e a n d s a i d t h e p o l i c e w e r e already investigating He contended that the

matter could be handed over to NIA only if there was sufficient ground to make it a fit case for the central agency

A d d i t i o n a l - s o l i c i t o r g e n e r a l A s h o k e K u m a r C h a k r a b o r t y p o i n t e d o u t t h a t i f explosives were used and blasts reported during the clashes, they would automatically attract the provisions of the NIA Act

The lawyer for one of the petitioners c l a i m e d t h a t p e t r o l b o m b s w e r e h u r l e d during the incidents of clashes between groups of people at Shibpur in Howrah district and prayed that NIA be handed over the probe into the violence

‘Fact find ing ’ team will disturb peace:

Mamata

Describing the current situation in the v i o l e n c e - h i t a r e a s o f W e s t B e n g a l a s "peaceful", Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee

claimed that a ‘fact finding’ team sent by a little-known NGO was visiting the state in a bid to disrupt law and order situation there

Questioning the authority of the team headed by a former Patna High Court judge, M a m a t a p o i n t e d o u t t h a t R a m N a v a m i processions organised by BJP had carried arms and driven tractors and deliberately t a k e n r o u t e s w h e r e ‘ N a m a z ’ w a s b e i n g offered

" T h e s i t u a t i o n i s a b s o l u t e l y p e a c e f u l now To disrupt peace in the area, the fact finding team has come here What is the function of this team? What does it do? In every matter, they (the Centre) send the H u m a n R i g h t s C o m m i s s i o n , W o m e n ' s Commission, Child Commission and Media Commission," Mamata, also the Trinamul Congress supremo, said

The Congress leadership has informally asked candidates and functionaries to refrain from making personal attacks on PM Narendra Modi or comments that can drag the party into Hindutva-versus-secularism debates during the campaign for the May 10 Karnataka assembly elections “If we say anything against Modi, it will be blown out of proportion and efforts will be made to change the poll narrative Let us not give room for that,” is the message learned to have been conveyed to candidates The Congress leadership is learned to have cited “twisting” of party chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s comments against PM Modi during the Gujarat polls Congress has instead decided to focus on what it called the failures of the BJP-led Centre and state government as well as corruption charges and price rise

TELANGANA BJP CHIEF OUT OF JAIL, VOWS STEP AGAINST COPS

Forty-eight hours after a high-voltage political drama involving BJP Telangana president Bandi Sanjay Kumar, who was arrested for his alleged involvement in the SSC paper leak case, the MP walked out of Karimnagar prison on bail After his release, the MP vowed to send a privilege notice to the police officer who raided his house and dragged him to court “BRS leaders engineered the question paper leak and tried to frame me Can I be made an accused for simply forwarding a WhatsApp post,” he asked BJP politician in charge of Telangana Tarun Chugh said “The Telangana government made every effort to keep Sanjay in prison and prevent him from attending PM Narendra Modi’s programme in Hyderabad but failed ”

AKALI DAL LEADER, BROTHER JOIN BJP

Inder Atwal former vice-president of the Shiromani Akali Dal joined the BJP along with his brother Jasjit Singh Atwal Both accepted the primary membership of the party Lauding PM Narendra Modi s governance model Atwal credited him for the reopening of the Kartarpur corridor and for what he described as implementation of BR Ambedkar s ideas in letter and spirit If there is anyone implementing the ideas and ideals of Ambedkar in social and economic sense, it is the government of PM Narendra Modi I am joining the BJP impressed by the governance model of the government at the Centre through the last mile implementation of various welfare schemes,” said Atwal, who represents Mazhabi Sikhs within the Punjab’s vast SC segment Atwal pledged to work for the expansion of the BJP and its ideology

CBI FORMS STF TO PROBE BENGAL SSC SCAM

The CBI has formed a special task force (STF) to speed up the ongoing investigation into the alleged teachers recruitment scam in West Bengal, a senior official of the probe body said The team will reach soon and begin the probe into the alleged scam, he said The STF will comprise seven senior officers "With there being developments in the teachers' recruitment scam in Bengal almost daily we need more officers to deal with that We had written to the Delhi headquarters recently and these officers will be joining the probe said a senior CBI official Former state minister Partha Chatterjee, who was arrested in July last year by Enforcement Directorate probing the money trail in the SSC recruitment scam for his alleged involvement in it, is currently in jail custody at the Presidency correctional home Several officers of the education department and a couple of ruling Trinamul Congress leaders are also in custody for their alleged involvement in the scam

RN Ravi & MK Stalin

Disregarding opposition, India announces dates for G20 summit in Srinagar

I ndia an noun ced the dates f o r th e G 2 0 s u m m i t i n S r i n a g ar o v er o pp o s i ti on f rom Chin a and Pakis tan, w h o h a d p re v i o us ly p r ot e s t e d a ga i n s t la s t m on t h 's G 2 0 s um m i t i n A runac hal Pra desh

While Pakistan pressed i t s G 2 0 a l l i e s , i n c l u d i n g Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and China, to prevent the meeting in Srinagar, Beijing had responded to a gathering of the group in Arunachal last month by providing "created names" for 11 more locations in the state to support its claim over the area

A meeting of the working group on tourism will take place from May 22 to 24 according to an update India made to the G20 calendar Like in the case of Arunachal, China is expected to disregard the Srinagar

conference, although according to official s o u r c e s h e r e , t h e r e was never any question about it

P r e p a r a t i o n s started for the meeti n g l a s t y e a r G 2 0 m e e t i n g s a r e t a k i n g place in all 28 states and 8 Union territories Both Arunachal P r a d e s h a n d J a m m u & Kashmir are integral parts of India,” said a source

T h e G 2 0 s u m m i t i n

A r u n a c h a l h a d a b o u t 5 0 attendees, and the administration anticipates a simi-

lar turnout for the conference in Srinagar, which will provide India the chance to dispute Pakistan s allegat i o n s o f h u m a n r i g h t s a b u s e s i n t h e K a s h m i r Valley The government hopes t o c o n v e y t o t h e w o r l d t h r o u g h t h e h i g h - p r o f i l e e v e n t t h a t n o r m a l c y h a s returned in the Union territory China had last year expressed its disapproval of the proposed meeting as it asked “relevant parties" to not complicate the situation by making any unilateral move

Joshimath locals threaten to block

Badrinath

T h e Jo s h i m a t h Ba ch a o S a ng h ar sh S am it i th re a te ne d to obst ruct tra ffi c on A p r i l 27 , w h e n t h e Ba dri na th ya tra is due to b e g i n, If t h e i r d e m a n d s wer en't met “ T h e s i t u a t i o n i n Joshimath is the same as it was two months ago We d e m a n d c o m p l e t e s c r a pp i n g o f N T P C ’ s u n d e rc o n s t r u c t i o n T a p o v a nV i s h n u g a d h y d e l p r o j e c t a n d t h e H e l a n g b y p a s s r o a d , ” s a i d A t u l S a t i , group ’ s convenor

In contrast to the 300

yatra if demands not met

families that the government has designated, the group has been calling for rehabilitation for all 3,000 J o s h i m a t h f a m i l i e s A d d i t i o n a l l y , t h e y h a v e requested the publication o f t h e r e p o r t t h a t t h e NDMA received following a g r o u n d i n v e s t i g a t i o n c o n d u c t e d b y a c a d e m i c institutions in Joshimath, as this report will determ i n e t h e c o m p e n s a t i o n package to be provided to the displaced residents L o c a l s i n J o s h i m a t h and nearby Karnaprayag,

have blamed the relentless construction works for the cracks The residents and activists have flagged the tunnelling work done for t h e 5 2 0 M W T a p o v a n Vishnugad hydel project, undertaken by NTPC, as w e l l a s h i l l c u t t i n g a n d blasting of mountains for t h e u n d e r - c o n s t r u c t i o n Char Dham road, for the land subsidence

After the group held a p r o t e s t i n J o s h i m a t h o n January 5, the government d e c l a r e d t h a t b o t h t h e H e l a n g b y p a s s a n d t h e

Dalai Lama regrets tongue teasing

T he Dalai Lama has apo log ised after the circulation online of a vid eo that show s h im kissing a bo y on the lips and inviting him to “ su ck m y tongue” Th e strang e incident happ ened in Febru ary at a public gathering in Dh aram sala, India, w here the exiled leader o f Tibetan Budd hism resid es

The 87-year-old Dalai Lama interacts with the youngster, but none of the other characters in the movie seem to find it offensive However, after the video clip went viral online, many people expressed their fury and disgust over it

“A video clip has been circulating that shows a recent meeting when a young boy asked His Holiness the Dalai Lama if he could give him a hug,” says the statement on the Dalai Lama’s official Twitter feed

SC rejects Oppn plea to stop 'misuse' of CBI, ED by Centre

The C entral Bureau of Investigation (C BI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) are said to h av e been used imp roperly, according to a p lea subm itted by the oppo sition parties that was denied by the Supreme C ourt Judg e J B Pard iw ala and Ch ief Justice of Ind ia D Y C handrach ud's div isio n bench made the observation that politicians cannot be positio ned abov e the g eneral public and canno t demand special legal protections or im munity from arrest

hydro project would be put o n h o l d A d d i t i o n a l l y , a few other building projects in the Joshimath municipal boundaries were put on hold

Pilgrims usually take a n i g h t h a l t a t J o s h i m a t h , the “gateway to Badrinath” a n d t h e n t a k e t h e Badrinath highway to the shrine and to Mana village, a nearby tourist attraction The highway, which also developed cracks, is now t h e o n l y r o u t e t o B a d r i n a t h s h r i n e f r o m

Joshimath

The court also told the petitioners, "you come with specific cases We cannot lay down the law in abstract on the basis of certain statistics " The court held that laying down general guidelines sans facts of a case is extremely dangerous "We need facts to lay down general principles of law," the Bench added

Also, the court urged each legislator to seek the proper relief from the courts The Supreme Court said, politicians are citizens and can't enjoy any higher protection When you (political parties) argue that there is a chilling effect on the opposition because of CBI or ED are used against the opposition political leaders, the answer lies in the political space and not in the courts " The political party's senior attorney, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, made multiple attempts to persuade the courts that the parties are not asking for a retroactive application of a Supreme Court decision regarding the arrest criteria He made a concerted effort to persuade the court to reconsider and establish guidelines for the detention of leaders of opposing political groups

“His Holiness wishes to apologise to the boy and his family, as well as his many friends across the world, for the hurt his words may have caused His Holiness often teases people he meets in an innocent and playful way, even in public and before cameras He regrets the incident ”

The Dalai Lama gestures for the kid, who has not been named, to come up to the table where he is sitting, inviting him to kiss his cheek and then his lips, drawing adoring gasps from the bystanders Finally, he utters, "And suck my tongue," before sticking out his tongue In traditional Tibetan culture, sticking out one ’ s tongue is a sign of respect or agreement and was formerly a way of greeting, often used as a greeting in traditional Tibetan culture

Amid concern over Doklam, PM Modi and Bhutan king talk cooperation

In a mee ting, Prime Mi ni st er Nare nd ra M od i a nd Ki ng Ji gme K he sa r Namg ye l W angchuck of Bhuta n re vi ewed bil ater al r e l a t i o n s a n d sp o k e a bo u t m a t t e r s o f nat ional i mp ortance in lig ht of Bhuta n' s r enewed e ffo rts t o dema rca te po rtions of i ts borde r wit h Chi na and the unce rtai nty surr ound ing t he Dokl am tri -junct ion

Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said t h a t t i e s w i t h B h u t a n w e r e b a s e d o n shared values, including mutual sensitivity to each other's concerns He also said that the government was closely monitoring all d e v e l o p m e n t s t h a t h a d a n i m p a c t o n India's national interests and would take all necessary steps to safeguard those The government restated past statements it had made regarding the Doklam situation, according to which tri-junctions had to be decided after consulting with all relevant n a t i o n s “ I w o u l d s a y t h a t I n d i a a n d Bhutan remain in close touch relating to our shared interests, including security I

would only reiterate earlier statements on this issue which very explicitly bring out o u r p o s i t i o n o n t r i - j u n c t i o n b o u n d a r y points,” said Kwatra on the Doklam issue, while not denying that the boundary issue was discussed in the King’s meeting with Modi PM rei tera tes suppor t to Bh utan’s dev elop me nt

India maintains that any attempt to determine the tri-junction must be in line with the 2012 agreement between India and China that the tri-junction boundary points between India, China and third countries “will be finalised in consultation with the concerned countries”

The meeting also saw Modi reiterating India’s continued and full support to the socio-economic development in Bhutan, said the foreign secretary

The two sides agreed that India would step up its support for Bhutan’s upcoming 13th Five Year Plan

SCRUTATOR’S

MP youth asked to pay £11.3 mn tax

A man from MP’s Bhind, who has a salary of Rs 58,000 a month, has received yet another notice from the income-tax department to deposit £11 3 mn as taxes for alleged transactions of £13 2 million that were reportedly carried out in his account in 2011-12. An investigation was launched at PM Narendra Modi's office after b

public coverage of his case in 2020 Gupta has since lodged complaints with the ED and CBI and questions why they are not looking into it despite the fact that additional similar cases have emerged. When Gupta, 30, received his first letter from the I-T department in 2019 requesting £350,000 as a penalty for 2011–12, h

(The Times of India)

The story of Mikan the cat, who was appointed as an honorary station master of a T a i w a n M e t r o s t a t i o n T h e s p e c i a l a p p o i n t m e n t w a s m a d e t o c e l e b r a t e Kaohsiung Metro's 15th year in service Mikan is already a celebrity on YouTube a n d h a s o v e r 5 4 , 0 0 0 f o l l o w e r s o n I n s t a g r a m T h e g i n g e r t a b b y c a t i s a n honorary station master at the Ciaotou S u g a r R e f i n e r y m e t r o s t a t i o n M i k a n ’ s Instagram profile regularly shares updates from its daily adventures in the Metro station (Agency)

Wedding bomb kills Indian groom, his brother

An Indian man who had just gotten married and his brother perished when a home theatre system they had been given as a wedding present detonated According to the police, the gift had explosives that detonated as soon as it was plugged in The groom passed away on the spot but his b r o t h e r s u c c u m b e d t o i n j u r i e s w h i l e receiving medical attention The bomb, according to the police, was apparently sent by the bride's ex-boyfriend, who was upset with her for getting married to another guy S a r j u M a r k a m , a d e f e n d a n t f r o m t h e adjoining state of Madhya Pradesh, has been named as the accused Since he's in custody, he's not made any statements yet Four others, including an 18-month-boy, were injured in the explosion, which took place on 3 April at the groom's home in K a b i r d h a m d i s t r i c t i n t h e s t a t e o f

Chhattisgarh (Agency)

Inebriated Swede ‘molests’ air hostess

Klas Erik Harald Jonas Westberg (63), a S

n arrival at the Mumbai airport following molestation allegations of a cabin crew member of an IndiGo flight from Bangkok to Mumbai He was released on payment of R

Metropolitan Magistrate Court Narrating the incident, the cabin crew member said, “ T h e p r o b l e m b e g a n w h e n I i n f o r m e d Westberg, who was drunk, that there was no seafood onboard I served him chicken meals and asked for his ATM card to make a payment through the POS machine On t h e p r e t e x t o f s w i p i n g t h e c a r d , t h e passenger held my hand I pulled it back and asked him to enter the card PIN This time he crossed the limit getting up, he molested me in front of other passengers When I shouted and screamed that he was m i s b e h a v i n g , h e r e t u r n e d t o h i s s e a t ”

(Agency)

9-year-old 'Insta Queen' ends life

In Thiruvallur, Tamil Nadu, a nineyear-old girl allegedly committed suicide when her father asked her to study The g i r l ' s f a t h e r , K r i s h n a m u r t h y , f o u n d h e r hanging inside their house Krishnamurthy saw his daughter playing near his in-law's house and asked her to go home and study The girl had received the house keys from him He departed to refuel his bike after t h a t a n d e v e n t u a l l y m a d e i t h o m e H e requested his daughter to open the door after noticing that the house was locked from the inside When his daughter did not r e s p o n d , K r i s h n a m u r t h y p a n i c k e d a n d broke a window and went inside the house Inside, he saw his daughter hanging with a c o t t o n t o w e l a r o u n d h e r n e c k a n d struggling to breathe She was taken to the hospital in an unconscious state and died there (Agency)

Woman held for luring minor

Attempting to force a young girl from Bihar to travel to Mumbra and married off to her relative, police detained a woman w h o i s a m e m b e r o f a p o l i t i c a l p a r t y Authorities announced that they would a l s o l o o k i n t o c l a i m s o f a t t e m p t e d conversion to another religion The accused has been identified as Naaz Golandaz (43), a resident in Mumbra and a member of the AIMIM party Police said the minor resides in the jurisdiction of Barhara police station in Bhojpur district with her father who owns a grocery shop On March 17, she told her father she was going out to meet her friends near a temple but did not return home She reached Mumbra where the accused allegedly converted her to Islam and changed her name and kept her in her house, police said Police have registered a c a s e u n d e r 3 6 6 - A o f I P C p e r t a i n i n g t o “procuration” of minor girl (to force her or s e d u c e h e r i n t o i l l i c i t i n t e r c o u r s e w i t h another person) (Agency)

13-year-old girl’s hands, legs singed

In a village in the Junagadh area, a 13year-old girl who was convulsing was made by her relatives to grasp a red-hot coal in her hands and to put her knees in a pit that had been built specifically for a sacrificial f i r e T h i s i s a n e x t r e m e e x a m p l e o f

superstition The incident was reported from Ghasari village of Keshod taluka on the evening of March 28 where relatives of the girl had organized a ‘navchandi yagna ’ t o p r o v e t o h e r p a r e n t s t h a t s h e w a s possessed by some spirit The police booked seven of her family members including her father The mother of the victim, Damyanti G a j e r a , f i l e d a c o m p l a i n t a g a i n s t h e r husband, Praful Gajera, as well as other family members Damyanti told police that she had three girls and that she and her husband have been divorced for years due to domestic violence (Agency)

Woman tax officer gets 4 years’ RI for bribe

A special CBI court sentenced a 53-yearold female income tax officer for accepting a b r i b e o f R s 7 5 , 0 0 0 f r o m a M a l a d businessman for reducing the tax liability of his manufacturing firm in 2015 to four years of rigorous imprisonment Special judge MR Purwar said, “The corruption by public servants has become a gigantic problem It has a deep and pervasive impact on the functioning of the entire country ” The j u d g e a l s o f i n e d t h e a c c u s e d , P r e e t h a Babukuttan of Rs 30,000 The judge refuted the argument of the defence that when the bribe was offered to her by the businessman she went to lodge a complaint against him to her superior and at that point he took advantage of her absence and kept the amount in her table drawer (Agency)

India won't follow WHO TB reporting model

The WHO asserted that the number of f a t a l i t i e s i n t h e C o v i d p a n d e m i c w a s significantly greater tin India than what the government had recorded, and the health ministry has stated that it has opted to use its own approach to register TB cases in light of this “WHO estimates are based on m o d e l l i n g s t u d i e s w h e r e a s o u r T B r e p o r t i n g i s b a s e d o n a c t u a l n u m b e r s r e c o r d e d o n t h e N i k s h a y p o r t a l , a n d therefore more reliable,” said a ministry official She added the WHO estimated that 295,000 were diagnosed with TB in India in 2021 and 490,000 died due to the disease “The 2022 data set generated by us shows 277,000 were diagnosed and 320,000 died This is lower than the WHO figure and in spite of significant improvement in the n o t i f i c a t i o n o f t h e d i s e a s e , ” s h e s a i d (Agency)

15 rare minerals found in AP

Large deposits of 15 rare earth elements (REEs), which are essential components in a v a r i e t y o f e v e r y d a y a n

applications, from cellphones and TVs to c o m p u t e r s a n d a u t o m o b i l e s , h a v e b e e n discovered in Andhra Pradesh's Anantapur district by the Hyderabad-based National Geophysical Research Institute When they m a d e t h e i m p o r t a n t d i s c o v e r y o f t h e minerals in the lanthanide series, NGRI r e s e a r c h e r s w e r e s e a r c h i n g f o r n o nt r a d i t i o n a l r o c k s l i k e s y e n i t e s T h e e l e m e n t s i d e n t i f i e d i n c l u d e d a l l a n i t e , c e r i a t e , t h o r i t e , c o l u m b i t e , t a n t a l i t e , a p a t i t e , z i r c o n , m o n a z i t e , p y r o c h l o r e euxenite and fluorite NGRI scientist PV Sunder Raju said zircon of varying shapes was observed in Anantapur The monazite grains showed high-order multiple colours with radial cracks within grains, suggestive of the presence of radioactive elements, he added Raju said more feasibility studies will be conducted by deep-drilling to learn more about these REEs (Agency)

Banarasi Paan, Langda among 33 new products to get GI tag

T h e t w o m o s t r e c e n t V a r a n a s i p r o d u c t s t o be given the

G e o g r a p h i c a l

I n d i c a t i o n

(GI) label are the well-known Banarasi paan a n d B a n a r a s i L a n g d a m a n g o T h e G I Registry in Chennai gave GI certification to 33 goods on March 31 Among them, 10 products belong to UP, including three from Varanasi Apart from paan and mango, a n o t h e r f a m o u s f a r m i n g p r o d u c t o f Varanasi, the Ramnagar Bhanta (brinjal), was also granted GI certification Of the total 441 Indian products and 34 foreign goods that have been granted the GI tag so far, UP alone accounts for 45 goods, 20 of t h e m f r o m t h e V a r a n a s i r e g i o n T h e “Adamchini Chawal” (rice) of neighboring Chandauli district joined the GI club a m o n t h a g o W i t h t h e n e w e n t r a n t s , Varanasi has now started getting GI tags in a g r i c u l t u r a l a n d h o r t i c u l t u r a l g o o d s (Agency)

An Indian-origin scientist develops energy-saving paint

A n I n d i a n - o r i g i n s c i e n t i s t c r e a t e s energy-saving paint available in any colour a n d i s d e s i g n e d t o l a s t f o r c e n t u r i e s Moreover, it is the lightest paint in the world Professor Debashis Chanda of the U n i v e r s i t y o f C e n t r a l F l o r i d a ' s N a n o Science Technology Centre has used the inspiration of butterflies to develop the first e n v i r o n m e n t a l l y s o u n d , m a s s - p r o d u c e d , and multicoloured substitute for pigmentbased colourants, which can aid in energys a v i n g i n i t i a t i v e s a n d c o u n t e r a c t g l o b a l warming "The range of colours and hues in the natural world are astonishing, from colourful flowers, birds, and butterflies to u n d e r w a t e r c r e a t u r e s l i k e f i s h a n d cephalopods," Chanda says (Agency)

Cat appointed as the honorary station master

De-stress your guts with these foods this summer

A ba l a n c ed die t is ke y to good gut health With the ris ing t em pe ra ture s in t he s um m er m on t hs , it i s im p or t a nt t o s e l e c t f o od s that ar e easy to diges t It is al s o i m po rt a n t t o hy d ra t e yoursel f To comb at the heat, it is bes t advise d to avoid cons um ing s ugar y or f at ty f ood s t h a t c a n c au s e in f l a m m a t i on a n d s t r a in your digestive sys tem

To maintain gut health in the summer, focusing on a b a l a n c e d a n d h e a l t h y d i e t t h a t p r o v i d e s e s s e n t i a l n u t r i e n t s a n d s u p p o r t s digestion is important Here a r e s o m e t i p s f o r a g u thealthy summer diet:

Eat fibre-rich f oods: Include plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes in your diet to provide fibre to

s u p p o r t d i g e s t i o n a n d prevent constipation St ay hydrat ed: Drink plenty of water and other hydrating f l u i d s , s u c h a s c o c o n u t water, fresh fruit juices, and h e r b a l t e a s A d e q u a t e hydration helps to prevent d e h y d r a t i o n a n d s u p p o r t s digestion Co ns um e pr ob i ot i c -r ic h

foods : Fermented foods like y o g u r t , k e f i r , k i m c h i , a n d s a u e r k r a u t c o n t a i n p r o b i o t i c s t h a t s u p p o r t a healthy gut microbiome and improve digestion

Avoid sugary and proc ess ed foods : Limit your intake of sugary and processed foods t h a t c a n d i s r u p t t h e g u t m i c r o b i o m e a n d c a u s e

inflammation

Include healt hy fats : Omega3 fatty acids in nuts and seeds

c a n h e l p r e d u c e i n f l a m m a t i o n a n d s u p p o r t

gut health

Avoid s picy a nd f atty f oods:

S p i c y a n d f a t t y f o o d s c a n irritate the digestive system

a n d c a u s e h e a r t b u r n a n d

o t h e r d i g e s t i v e p r o b l e m s T r y t o a v o i d t h e m o r c o n s u m e t h e m i n moderation

C hew y our f o od pr ope r ly :

C h e w i n g y o u r f o o d t h o r o u g h l y h e l p s t o b r e a k down food particles, making t h e m e a s i e r t o d i g e s t a n d absorb

A g u t - h e a l t h y s u m m e r diet should include plenty of fibre-rich foods, probiotics, a n d h e a l t h y f a t s w h i l e l i m i t i n g s u g a r y a n d

Age-related metabolic changes are associated with beige fat: Study

R es earchers have revealed a method to avoid age- related w e i gh t ga i n , w hi c h m ay help to prevent obes ity and related health issues such as Type 2 diabetes, heart dise ase, a nd c hron ic in flammation I n a new study c ond uc t e d b y r e s e ar c he r s a t

C o rn e ll ’ s D i v i s i on of N u tr i t i on al S c i en c e s , housed in the Colleges of H um a n E c ol ogy a n d A g ri c u lt ur e an d L i fe Sc i enc es , the e ffe cts of a s lowing metabolis m c ould b e reversed by s timulati ng the produc ti on of a specific type of fat cell

M a m m a l s h a v e t w o types of fat: white adipose tissue (WAT), which stores energy from excess calorie

intake, and brown adipose tissue (BAT), which burns calories to produce heat to m a i n t a i n b o d y t e m p e r ature Published in Nature Communications, the study shows therapeutic promise in a third type of fat, a subtype of WAT: beige fat

It has the same cellular precursors as white fat and t h e s a m e t h e r m o g e n i c p r o p e r t i e s a s b r o w n f a t , w h i c h m e a n s i t h e l p s t o reduce blood sugar and the fatty acids that cause the hardening of the arteries and heart disease

Assistant professor in the Division of Nutritional Sciences, Dan Berry, said, “ T h e r e a r e s e a s o n a l c h a n g e s i n b e i g e f a t i n

y o u n g h u m a n s , b u t a n older person would have t o s t a n d o u t s i d e i n t h e snow in their underwear to get those same effects ” W h e n a p e r s o n e x p e r iences sustained exposure to cold temperatures, stem c e l l s k n o w n a s a d i p o s e progenitor cells form therm o g e n i c b e i g e f a t c e l l s within white fat

He observed in earlier work that the ageing process impairs the formation of beige fat cells in response t o c o l d t e m p e r a t u r e s Identify the biochemistry behind the slowdown, he said, and the same process c o u l d b e r e v e r s e d t o a c h i e v e t h e r a p e u t i c o u tcomes Abigail Bennie, lead

Ultrasound effective in locating specific breast abnormalities

A s p er a study, ultrasound w orks w ell as a stand -alone d ia g no s ti c t ec h ni qu e f o r p atients w ith specific breast s y m p to m s F o ca l bre as t c o m p l ai nt s c an rel ate to s ym p t o m s and co nd iti o ns limited to a particular location of th e breast, su ch as p ain, tum ours, nipp le d isch arge, or other sym pto ms T he find ings o f th e stud y w ere p u bl is h e d i n t h e Radiology, a p ublication o f the Radiolog ical Society o f North A merica

Digital breast tomosynt h e s i s ( D B T ) f o l l o w e d b y targeted ultrasound is the standard diagnostic tool for w o m e n 3 0 o r o l d e r w i t h localised breast complaints W h i l e D B T p r o v i d e s a n o v e r a l l i m a g e o f b o t h b r e a s t s , u l t r a s o u n d c a n achieve more targeted imaging of a specific breast area

The quality of ultrasound

i m a g e s h a s a l s o v a s t l y improved in recent years

Researchers set out to investigate the performance of ultrasound alone as an effective diagnostic method i n w o m e n o v e r 3 0 w h o r e p o r t e d l o c a l i z e d b r e a s t complaints at three hospit a l s i n t h e N e t h e r l a n d s b e t w e e n S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 7 a n d J u n e 2 0 1 9 S t u d y c oa u t h o r L i n d a A p p e l m a n , M D , a breast radiologist in the Department of Medical I m a g i n g a t R a d b o u d University Medical Center i n N i j m e g e n , t h e Netherlands, “The evaluation of breast complaints is a common problem in breast diagnostics Ultrasound as t h e f i r s t i m a g i n g m e t h o d m a y p r o v i d e c l a r i t y w i t h regard to the focal breast complaint ”

Breast lumps or localised breast pain were two of the

m o s t c o m m o n s y m pt o m s r e p o r t e d b y t h e

1 , 9 6 1 w o m e n i n t h e study A total of seven subgroups of focal complaints w e r e r e c o g n i s e d I n a l l p a t i e n t s , t a r g e t e d u l t r asound was evaluated first, f o l l o w e d b y D B T B i o p s y was performed after ultrasound if needed Since the ultrasounds were conducted first, the radiologists who p a r t i c i p a t e d i n t h e s t u d y weren't influenced by the DBT images when interpreting the ultrasounds

A n a l y s i s s h o w e d t h a t u l t r a s o u n d a l o n e l e d t o

accurate diagnosis in 1,759 ( 9 0 p e r c e n t ) o f t h e 1 , 9 6 1 patients Over 80 percent of t h e c o m p l a i n t s e n d e d u p b e i n g n o r m a l o r b e n i g n findings, such as cysts "We found that the diagnostic a c c u r a c y o f u l t r a s o u n d i s high in women with focal

p r o c e s s e d f o o d s a n d a v o i d i n g s p i c y a n d f a t t y f o o d s S t a y h y d r a t e d a n d chew your food properly to s u p p o r t d i g e s t i o n a n d maintain gut health

Dried fruits are a great a d d i t i o n t o a h e a l t h y summer diet as they are a g o o d s o u r c e o f f i b r e , vitamins, and minerals Here are some dried fruits that you can include in your diet in summer:

Apricots: Dried apricots are a good dietary fibre, vitamin A, and potassium source They are also low in calories and high in antioxidants

Rais ins : Raisins are a great d i e t a r y f i b r e , i r o n , a n d potassium source They are also high in antioxidants and c a n h e l p r e d u c e inflammation

Prunes: Prunes, also known as dried plums, are a good s o u r c e o f d i e t a r y f i b r e , vitamin K, and potassium T h e y a r e a l s o h i g h i n a n t i o x i d a n t s a n d c a n h e l p improve digestion

D at e s : D a t e s a r e a g o o d dietary fibre, potassium, and magnesium source They are also high in antioxidants and can help regulate blood sugar levels

Figs: Dried figs are a good dietary fibre, potassium, and magnesium source They are also high in antioxidants and can help improve digestion

When choosing dried fruits, looking for unsweetened and f r e e f r o m a d d e d s u g a r s i s important Also, be mindful o f p o r t i o n s i z e s a s d r i e d fruits are calorie-dense and can be high in natural sugars

author of the new study a n d a d o c t o r a l s t u d e n t r e s e a r c h e r i n B e r r y ’ s l a b ,

“This is the ultimate goal Without having to subject people to cold exposure for prolonged periods of time, are there metabolic pathways we can stimulate that c o u l d p r o d u c e t h e s a m e effect?”

The paper revealed the role of a specific signalling p a t h w a y t h a t s u p p r e s s e s beige fat formation in older mice by antagonising the i m m u n e s y s t e m B y s u pp r e s s i n g t h a t p a t h w a y i n ageing mice, the scientists were able to prompt beige fat production in animals that otherwise formed only in WAT

A cc o r d in g t o a n e w U C

b r e a s t c o m p l a i n t s , " D r

Appelman said A total of 3 7 4 p a t i e n t s h a d b i o p s i e s based on ultrasound findings alone This resulted in 192 symptomatic breast cancer diagnoses

U l t r a s o u n d o f f o c a l breast complaints may be especially beneficial in lowo r m i d d l e - i n c o m e c o u ntries where ultrasound is m o r e r e a d i l y a v a i l a b l e a s o p p o s e d t o D B T " O u r s t u d y s h o w e d t h a t u l t r asound alone can effectively diagnose focal breast complaints in a large majority of w o m e n , " D r A p p e l m a n said In a setting with limited resources or an already existing screening program, initial ultrasound might be a better alternative compared to mammography ”

Da v i s s t u d y , h i g h b lo od pre ssure in y our 3 0s is lin ked t o w or s e b r a i n h e a lt h a r o u n d 75 , e sp e c i a lly in ma le s P ublish ed in JA MA Net work Open , t he r esear ch co m p a r e d ma g n e t i c r e s on a n c e im a g i n g ( M R I ) br ain scan s of olde r a dult s w it h hi g h b lo o d p r e s su r e be twee n the age s of 30 to 40 with older a dult s who had norm al blood pr essur e Researchers found that t h e h i g h b l o o d p r e s s u r e g r o u p h a d s i g n i f i c a n t l y l o w e r r e g i o n a l b r a i n v o l u m e s a n d w o r s e w h i t e matter integrity The study a l s o r e v e a l e d t h a t t h e n e g a t i v e b r a i n c h a n g e s i n s o m e r e g i o n s - s u c h a s d e c r e a s e d g r e y m a t t e r volume and frontal cortex volume - were stronger in m e n T h e y n o t e t h e differences may be related to t h e p r o t e c t i v e b e n e f i t s o f estrogen before menopause

First author Kristen M

G e o r g e , a n a s s i s t a n t professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences, “Treatment for dementia is e x t r e m e l y l i m i t e d , s o identifying modifiable risk and protective factors over t h e l i f e c o u r s e i s k e y t o r e d u c i n g d i s e a s e b u r d e n

High blood pressure is an

i n c r e d i b l y c o m m o n a n d t r e a t a b l e r i s k f a c t o r

a s s o c i a t e d w i t h d e m e n t i a T h i s s t u d y i n d i c a t e s hypertension status in early adulthood is important for brain health decades later ” The researchers looked at data from 427 participants f r o m t h e K a i s e r H e a l t h y A g i n g a n d D i v e r s e L i f e E x p e r i e n c e s ( K H A N D L E ) s t u d y a n d t h e S t u d y o f H e a l t h y A g i n g i n A f r i c a n A m e r i c a n s ( S T A R ) T h i s provided them with health data from 1964 to 1985 for a d i v e r s e c o h o r t o f o l d e r A s i a n , B l a c k , L a t i n o a n d white adults They obtained two blood pressure readings from when the participants were between the ages of 30 to 40 This allowed them to determine if they had been hypertensive, transitioning t o h y p e r t e n s i v e o r h a d n o r m a l b l o o d p r e s s u r e i n young adulthood " T h i s s t u d y t r u l y d e m o n s t r a t e s t h e importance of early life risk factors, and that to age well, y o u n e e d t o t a k e c a r e o f yourself throughout life -heart health is brain health," said Rachel Whitmer, senior author of the study "We are e x c i t e d t o b e a b l e t o c o n t i n u e f o l l o w i n g t h e s e participants and to uncover more about what one can do in early life to set yourself up for healthy brain aging in late life," she added

High blood pressure in your 30s may cause poor brain health in your 70s

Alia Bhatt spent her Saturday 'in tears'

ActorAlia Bhatt took to Instagram on Sunday to share her thoughts on Rani Mukerji’s new movie ‘Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway ’ Giving her review, she said she cried during the film, which hit her hard as a new mother. Alia was at the screening of the film with her mother, Soni Razdan and sister Shaheen Bhatt. Sharing a note on Instagram Stories, Alia wrote, “Saturday night was spent in tears with my mom and sister as we watched our favourite - the brilliant Rani Mukherjee Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway is such an important story to tell For me, especially as a new mother, it hit so much harder and so much closer to home Rani ma ’ am - there’s no one like you!”

She added, “You had me transfixed and I was transported right by your side from Norway to India! Congratulations to the run team for this incredible film (PS - I am convinced there's nothing my fav Jim Sarbh can't do - an absolute chameleon) ” A l i a a n d J i m w o r k e d t o g e t h e r i n S a n j a y L e e l a Bhansali's Gangubai Kathiawadi

Former cricketer criticises Salman’s ‘Yentamma’ song

Former cricketer Laxman

Sivaramakrishnan has expressed displeasure over a song from Salman Khan’s upcoming movie The song ‘Yentamma,’ was released recently and featured Salman, Venkatesh Daggubati, Ram Charan, and Pooja Hegde Sung by Vishal Dadlani and Payal Dev, the song is written by Shabbir Ahmed A Twitter user shared a video clip from the song.

culture in a poor way? Something has to be done for this, someone should file a PIL in c o u r t " H e r e p l i e d , " I f n o t f o r S o u t h Indians, most of whom are in the position to be tHead of Finance in most Corporates in Mumbai They will struggle (sic) ”

After the song was out, well-known Tamil critic Prashanth Ranagswamy took to Twitter and shared his displeasure over the Lungi step in Tamil He wrote, “What kind of step is this? They’re calling veshti a

In the film, Rani essays the role of a mother battling the state for her kids The film is based on Sagarika Bhattacharya's book The Journey of a M o t h e r H e l m e d b y A s h i m a C h i b b e r , ' M r s Chatterjee vs Norway' also stars Neena Gupta, Jim Sarbh and Anirban Bhattacharya, among others The film hit the theatres on Friday

Sagarika Bhattacharya is a woman who stood up against the government of Norway to fight for the right to be reunited with her children after they were taken away from her and placed in foster care and was told that they would not be returned until the age of 18 Rani's performance is being hailed by m a n y A l s o s t a r r i n g A n i r b a n B h a t t a c h a r y a a n d Neena Gupta, ‘Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway’ was released on March 17

On the work front, Alia will be seen next in Karan Johar's ‘Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani,’ the Hollywood film ‘Heart of Stone’ with Gal Gadot and ‘Jee Le Zaraa' with Priyanka Chopra and Katrina

Kaif

Karan Johar reportedly responds to recent allegations

The filmmaker appears t responded to allegation after an old video surfaced showing him “admitting” to try and sabotage actor Anushka Sharma’s career Several members of the movie industry, including filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri, Kangana Ranaut, and writer editor Apurva Asrani had al responded to the director’s comment on a panel in 2016

Taking to his Instagram Stories, KJo shared a cryptic but rather heavy Hindi poem about staying strong amongst lies and accusations He wrote, “Laga lo ilzaam, hum jhukne waalon mein se nahi , jhoot ka ban jao ghulam , hum bolne waalon mein se nahi , jitna neecha dikhaoge , jitne aarop lagaoge , hum girne waalon mein se n a h i , h u m a r a k a r a m h u m a r i V i j a y h a i a a p u t h a l o t a l v a a r H u m m a r n e waalon mein se nahi (State the allegations, I'm not amongst those who will bow down

e a slave to lies, I won't say hing / However much you to slander and show me in a ad light, I will not fall / My goodness is my victory / You can use any swords, I will not die) ”

T h e A n u s h k a v i d e o w e n t v i r a l s h o r t l y a f t e r riyanka Chopra shared in a d c a s t a b o u t w h y s h e cated to Hollywood She had that she felt cornered in Bollywood and wasn’t getting the work she wanted as she “had beef” with certain individuals in the industry

Johar has been for long accused of casting only insiders from the industry He i s s e t t o l a u n c h S a n j a y a n d M a h e e p Kapoor’s daughter Shanaya later this year in his film ‘Bedhadak ’ On the work front, he is returning to directing features with ‘Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani’ in July 2023 The film stars Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Dharmendra, Jaya Bachchan and Shabana Azmi

Shah Rukh plants a kiss on a special fan on wheelchair

Laxman tweeted, “This is highly ridiculous and degradin our South Indian culture Thi not a lungi, this is a dhoti A classical outfit which is being shown in a disgusting m a n n e r ” A n o t h e r p e r s o n w r o t e , “ I n temple premises wearing shoes b****y d o e s n ’ t d e s e r v e r a t i n g ” H e r e s p o n d e d , “Nowadays people do anything for money Won’t they research what is a Lungi and a Dhoti Even if it’s a set, it’s being projected as a temple People associated with the movie should realise, no footwear inside t h e t e m p l e p r e m i s e s A p p e a l i n g @CBFC India to consider to ban this ”

A person said, "Sir our Indian culture is deep-rooted and will not be degraded by a Bollywood song " Laxman replied, "That doesn’t mean you keep quiet " A tweet read, "Agree with you cent percent But this passes under artistic freedom Also many would say, it's ok " He said, "That’s because we are willing to consume and compromise ”

Another tweet read, "Laxman sir why all these Bollywood movies show South

u n g i a n d d o i n g s o m e s i c k o v e b y p u t t i n g t h e i r h a n d s de it Worst (sic) " A person wrote in Tamil, “Quite true bro If we ask them, they’ll say we did a spoof on the lungi culture in the south (sic) ”

A n o t h e r c o m m e n t r e a d , “ S o m e o n e should seriously educate Bollywood about the difference between Lungi and veshti V e s h t i i s a t r a d i t i o n a l w e a r S e r i o u s l y irritating to see these types of vulgar dance moves in traditional wear (sic) ” A Twitter user said, “Bollywood trying so hard to cash in on the Telugu fame that they still d o n ' t u n d e r s t a n d T e l u g u s a r e n o t

M a d r a s i s T h e b l a t a n t i g n o r a n c e i s annoying (sic) ”

Directed by Farhad Samji, ‘Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan’ is based on Ajith Kumar’s Tamil blockbuster ‘Veeram ’ The film also stars Jagapathi Babu, Bhumika Chawla, Vijender Singh, Abhimanyu Singh, Raghav J u y a l , S i d d h a r t h N i g a m , J a s s i e G i l l , Shehnaaz Gill, Palak Tiwari and Vinali

B h

r

h e f i l m i s s e t t o h i t t h e

Shah Rukh Khan attended the Kolkata Knight Riders Vs Royal Challenger Bangalore’s Indian Premier League (IPL) match in Kolkata last week Several photos and videos of the actor from the stadium have been circulating online. However, a new clip has made the internet collectively go Awww The video went on to kiss him on the forehead as the fan expressed his love for him

Shah is seen meeting a special fan in a wheelchair He greets the fan with his smile as the person praises the actor and tells him, ‘thank you for coming to the match ’ He planted a sweet kiss on him The fan tells him ‘I love you ’ repeatedly In response, Shah Rukh says I love you back to him The actor kisses him again and says, ‘bless you ’ They also pose for pictures as well Shah met the same fan in 2018 as well

Reacting to the video, a fan wrote in the comment section of the post, “He is not just a superstar he is one of the best man ” “He kiss him twice no other actor or actress did this,” added another one One more said, “Srk ek hi dil kitni baar jitoge (you keep w i n n i n g o u r h e a r t s a g a i n a n d a g a i n ) ”

Someone also added, “Man with a golden heart ” “Tears in my eyes while watching,” yet another commented Shah Rukh will most likely return to K o l k a t a f o r u p c o m i n g m a t c h e s a t E d e n

Gardens He is the co-owner of the team

Rashmika reacts to reports about celebrating birthday at rumoured beau’s house

ActorRashmika Mandanna turned 27 recently and treated fans to a special video However, hours after she posted the video online, some reports claimed it might have been shot at her rumoured boyfriend, actor Vijay Deverakonda’s Hyderabad house The actors, who never made their relationship official - have reportedly broken up.

The clip features Rashmika sitting in an outdoor area with light bulbs

Samantha responds to an Instagram user praising her Hindi

In the video, Rashmika was dressed in a white sweater and denim as she sat outdoors She called her fans ‘darling’ and said, "If you are happy, having a great day, awesome I hope good lasts

forever and ever and ever But if you are not having a great day or a great time my love then remember, 'This too shall pass' The thing is knowing this has got me through my bad days ”

She added, "I care about you so much so your good days and bad days affect me too So know that I love you as much as you love me So thank you so much for making me the person I am today Hold on to things and people who make you happy and you make me h a p p y T h a n k y o u f o r m a k i n g t h e woman I am so proud of today " She ended the video with different poses and smiled while making finger hearts

R a s h m i k a ' s p o s t r e a d , " T h a n k youuuuuu so much for all the love Y o u ’ v e m a d e m y d a y s o special Dropping by quick to check in on you guys hope you are all enjoying and having a good day today too ” Rashmika was last seen in Mission Majnu with Sidharth Malhotra She has Animal with Ranbir Kapoor, Pushpa 2: The Rule with Allu Arjun and Rainbow in the pipeline She will also be seen in f i l m m a k e r V e n k y K u d u m u l a ' s n e x t untitled Telugu film

Dulquer refuses to reveal number of cars he owns

Samantha Ruth Prabhu has reacted to a fan who praised her for speaking Hindi well Taking to Instagram, Sam shared a video from her recent trip to Mumbai for the promotion of her upcoming film ‘Shaakuntalam.’ The actor wore a cream blazer and pants for the event.

Actor

Aconfessed car enthusiast, actor Dulquer Salman recently opened up a However, he refused to reveal the exact number In an interview, he said, “It’s not only an exotic collection I have a lot of used cars, I also restore cars ” He went on to add that he can’t reveal the exact number of cars in hi collection. “This might ge me into trouble,” he says. T a l k i n g a b o u t t roads he enjoys driving o he said, “Best road for m was Route 1 in Californ W e d i d f r o m S F O ( S F r a n c i s c o ) t o L A ( L Angeles) I did the coa road from Monterey and it was a Sunday and you could see all the car clubs out, the Ferraris The road is so gorgeous, it’s unbelievable You are coming from such a height and suddenly you are at sea level I have done it twice, I loved it so much My dad and all were also there

but they fell asleep After they were out, I was like yaay ” He also added that his ving is influenced by the usic he listens to “My ving is affected by the nd of music I listen to If a faster song, I drive ster In fact, when I used commute to work in hennai and in Dubai, I e d t o g e t s o m u c h n x i e t y f r o m r o a d r a g e e c a u s e t h e r e w a s j u s t a d d r i v i n g b y p e o p l e hat’s why I started to s t e n t o F r a n k S i n a t r a nd Dima, just to calm myself I used to drive l o w l y a n d n o t g e t ffected by how people

On the work front, Dulquer currently awaits the release of the upcoming Malayalam gangster drama ‘King of Kotha ’ It also features Shabbier Kallarakkal, Gokul Suresh, Aishwarya Lakshmi, Chemban Vinod Jose, and Shammi Thilakan in significant roles

Vignesh Shivan confirms he’s not directing Ajith Kumar’s next Filmmaker

In the video, she was seen at a theatre in Juhu She smiles and folds her hands as she bows her head to the audience She also blew a kiss at her fans She spoke to the people in Hindi Samantha said, “Shaakuntalam trailer ko aap logo ne jaese support kiya hai aur ko pyaar diya hai uske liye bohut bohut s h u k r i y a M u j h e u m e e d h a i k i a a p i s i t a r a h m u j h e a u r Shaakuntalam ki team ko apne support denge aur is film ko sirf theatre mein jaake dekhenge (Thank you for giving love and support to Shaakuntalam trailer I hope that you give similar support to me and the team of Shaakuntalam and you will watch the film only in theatres) Thank you so so much ”

The actor captioned the post, "Thank you for the love Mumbai (white heart emoji) " Shriya Saran wrote, "Gorgeous "

A fan commented, "Wow you spoke so clean and neat " Samantha replied, "Yay I did (grinning face with smiling eyes emoji) " Another person said, "That Hindi though " "Wow, that’s lovely Hindi," read a comment An Instagram user said, "Omg your Hindi is superb ”

Samantha will be next seen in the upcoming Telugu film ‘Shaakuntalam,’ based on Kalidasa’s acclaimed Sanskrit play Abhijnana Shakuntalam The film is set to release in theatres on April 14 Billed as a whimsical tale, the movie revolves around t h e e p i c l o v e s t o r y o f S h

Dushyant, played by Dev Mohan

Vignesh Shiva has clarified that he is no longer associated with Ajith Kumar’s upcoming film Speaking at a fans meet, he confirmed the Tamil project is not happening and that the opportunity has been passed on to filmmaker Magizh Thirumeni for whom he expressed his happiness

At the event, Vignesh said, “I’m h a p p y f o r M a g i z h T h i r u m e n i f o r getting to work with Ajith sir It’s a big breakthrough for him and I’m also going to enjoy this movie as a fan " He a l s o a d d e d t h a t t h e m a k e r s w e r e unhappy with the second half and wanted to change the director When the project was announced last May, V

opportunity to work with you for the prestigious #AK62 Words can’t explain the happiness (sic) ”

Over the last few months, some reports suggested that Vignesh had been removed from the project and the makers have roped in Magizh instead The yet-untitled film is currently dubbed as ‘AK 62 ’ A few days ago, Vignesh took to Instagram to reveal

the full names of his twin boys two days after his wife Nayanthara shared the same at an event in Chennai

Along with the names: Daiwik N Shivan and RudroNeel N Shivan, Vignesh also shared a glimpse of the twin boys who could be seen resting in Nayanthara’s arms in the picture

In his post, he revealed the names of his boys in English as well as Tamil He also wrote that the N in the name stands for Nayanthara, whom he described as the best mother in the world

Sonu Nigam mesmerizes UK audience

Bollywood artist Sonu Nigam performed to packed houses at OVO Arena in Wembley and April 1 at Morningside Arena in Leicester recently, leaving the audience spellbound and clamouring for more. Both the concert venues were jam-packed. It was a COLORS TV UK event organised by IndiaCast UK Ltd. and had an unprecedented number of sponsor partners for the shows

Penélope Cruz shares photos with Aishwarya and Aaradhya from NMACC event

TheNita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) recently opened to a starstudded launch in Mumbai It saw a number of Indian and international celebrities in attendance Hollywood stars like Zendaya, Tom Holland, and Spanish actor Penélope Cruz made glamorous appearances She recently took to her Instagram to share her experience from the show, which she called “spectacular.”

got good luck from millions of Indians: Priyanka

Penélope shared a couple of pictures on her Instagram where she gave her fans a closer look at her stunning Tamara Ralph pink gown with a thigh-high slit on the side, detailed with a feather-trimmed neckline drawn out into a long cape In one of the pict u r e s , s h e p o s e d w i t h Z e n d a y a , T o m Holland, Gigi Hadid and Law Roach, wherea s i n a n o t h e r , s h e s t r u c k a p o s e w i t h A i s h w a r y a R a i B a c h c h a n a n d A a r a d h y a Bachchan

C o m m e n t i n g o n t h e e v e n t , G o v i n d Shahi – Executive Vice President and Head of International Business, IndiaCast Media, said, “Known for his energy and electrifying performances, Sonu Nigam has consistently managed to deliver some great concerts in the past But this time around, the experience was euphoric to say the least and was something never seen before! One of the key highlights of the shows was Sonu’s melodio u s a n d b e a u t i f u l t r i b u t e t o L a t a Mangeshkar Ji The crowd were on their feet throughout the events - cheering, dancing, and singing along and it felt great to witness such a phenomenon after a very long time After two hugely successful events at the beginning of 2023, COLORS TV UK will be back with bigger, grander and more entertaining events this year!”

Suhrud Chimbalkar, Director of Media Operations for HereandNow365 Ltd said t h a t “ T h e p e r f o r m a n c e b y S o n u N i g a m e x c e e d e d o u r e x p e c t a t i o n s T h e c r o w d ' s unbridled enthusiasm up until the very last second of the performance was matched only by his electrifying presence We believe that our client Remitly's outreach at the event, which shared their brand values of "Promises Delivered," garnered favourable feedback from their customer base This was a good marketing campaign that brought the community closer to the company ”

"It was a tremendous achievement by the COLORS TV UK team to secure a sellout concert in London and Leicester for The Sonu Nigam Show, UK Tour 2023 Being the radio partner for this wildly successful event makes Sunrise Radio London and National e x t

Amazon Prime Video’s upcoming spythriller series ‘Citadel’ had a starstudded premiere in Mumbai at the PVR ICON, Palladium The event saw the lead cast, including Priyanka Chopra and Richard Madden walking the blue carpet Produced by Joe and Anthony Russo, the show features PeeCee as elite spy Nadia Sinh, opposite Madden’s Mason Kane Addressing the press, Priyanka wrote, “I’m very excited to be starting the global campaign for Citadel in India, my home We will be travelling across the globe after this, but I’ve got good luck from millions from my country and I will carry it wherever I go, like I always do ”

Meanwhile, Madden said it was an honour to work with Priyanka and he was happy that the show had its first premiere in India "It's a wonderful feeling to have the show premiere for the first time in India I love the first time of things and

it s the first premiere for Citadel and my first time in India I just wish I was here for longer," the Scottish star said Citadel follows elite agents Mason Kane and Nadia Sinh, who had their m e m o r i e s w i p e d a s t h e y n a r r o w l y escaped with their lives after the independent global spy agency Citadel’s fall The two protagonists, unaware of their pasts, build new lives under new identities One night, when Mason is tracked down by his former Citadel colleague, Bernard Orlick (Stanley Tucci), who desperately needs his help to prevent rival agency Manticore from establishing a new world order

Mason seeks out Nadia, his former partner, and the two spies embark on a m i s s i o n t h a t t a k e s t h e m a r o u n d t h e world in an effort to stop Manticore, all w h i l e c o n t e n d i n g w i t h a r e l a t i o n s h i p built on secrets, lies, and a dangerous-yetundying love, the official synopsis read

The star expressed her gratitude and wrote in the caption, "Back in India, a country that I truly love This time it was the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, a very special place that celebrates the artist community I really loved walking through the spectacular show, India in Fashion Thank you to the Ambani family for inviting me and for supporting so many creators with this wonderful exhibit @nmacc india Thank you @ t a m a r a r a l p h f o r t h i s i n c r e d i b l e d r e s s ! T h a n k y o u @ p a b l o i d b e a u t y ( r e d h e a r t emoticons) #indiaalwaysinmyheart”

Penélope will be next seen in ‘Ferrari,’ which tells the story of Italian sports car entrepreneur Enzo Ferrari, the role which actor Adam Driver plays Penélope will be seen in the role of his wife, Laura Ferrari Apart from Driver and Cruz, the film stars S h a i l e n e W o o d l e y , J a c k O ’ C o n n e l l a n d Patrick Dempsey Last month, it was also reported that she would reunite with her V i c k y C h r i s t i n a B a r c e l o n a s t a r S c a r l e t t Johansson for an untitled rom-com to be directed by Nancy Meyers

Shekhar Kapur believes #MeToo movement was much 'needed'

Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur believes that the #MeToo movement has brought lasting positive change to the movie industry He says it has eliminated the idea of seduction as a love language and emphasised the importance of consent Kapur feels that it has also been elementary in improving the treatment of women and making it a more welcoming place for child actors Kapur said, “There was time when we thought that the idea of sexuality is that you had to seduce the girl Now, if I seduce a girl, I will be caught in the #MeToo movement Now, this thought is not there, and the girl is also a decision maker as much as the boy It is about being consensual The idea that, ‘Haye kitna sharmati hai,’ and that the girl is supposed to be shy,

and you are supposed to be there to seduce her out of her shyness, is now MeToo And we have let it go ”

Kapur said the movement had had a lasting impact on the cinema world “It has been a very good movement for the whole industry, and it was something which was needed We could not have gone on in the way that we used to earlier For instance, when I was working on Masoom, and went out to look for a child actor, everyone I spoke to didn’t want to enter the industry Because they didn’t trust us They didn’t trust how the women are treated here They thought that women were not treated well The way we looked at women was wrong And now that has changed ”

He proudly admits, “With every project of mine, I have inevitably shown a very strong female ”

I’ve

in brief

ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN, SAYS RAHANE ON INDIA RECALL

A cricket player's fortunes can swing drastically very quickly Given that he played his 82nd and final Test against South Africa in January of last year Ajinkya Rahane might not have a contract with India He isn t getting any younger either at 34 In fact Moeen Ali may find it difficult to keep his spot in the Chennai Super Kings XI after he returns to the team after recovering from his sickness However, the absence of Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant, as well as the subsequent dearth of middle-order options, has perhaps created a window for the Mumbaikar to be recalled to India's lineup for the World Test Championship match against Australia Making his debut for CSK after being told just before the toss that he would replace Moeen who was unwell, Rahane smashed 61 off 27 balls to script his team’s seven-wicket win over the Mumbai Indians The former India captain acknowledged that there is "still a long way to go" before the excitement around his exploits dies off, but deep down he is determined to not "give up" on the idea of making a comeback “Still a long way to go today I was not sure about my place in the eleven I got to know just before the toss for me it is about playing one game at a time and staying in the moment Anything can happen as I always say I will never give up For me it s all about playing with enjoyment, and playing with passion Whatever format I play, it s all about giving my best every time rather than thinking what if? Or thinking about the future which is not in my control For me, it s all about giving my best every time and trying to be as positive as possible and, whenever I get an opportunity, I should be ready for that,” he said

SHREYS TO UNDERGO SURGERY, MISS IPL AND WTC FINAL

Kolkata Knight Riders suffered a double whammy on consecutive days After it was revealed that KKR s experienced Bangladesh allrounder Shakib Al Hasan has pulled out of the ongoing IPL due to his international and family commitments it has now come to light that regular skipper Shreyas Iyer would not be able to take part in the tournament due to a back injury Although KKR have appointed Nitish Rana as the stand-in skipper they still nurtured hopes of Iyer s return at a later stage in the tournament Apart from being the skipper, Iyer is also their main batter capable of holding the innings together Iyer will be travelling abroad for a surgery and is set to miss the World Test Championship against Australia in June as well

WEIGHTLIFTER SANJITA CHANU GETS 4-YEAR BAN

The National Anti Doping Agency s (NADA) Disciplinary Panel has imposed a four-year suspension on Indian weightlifter Sanjita Chanu, a two-time winner at the Commonwealth Games, for failing a drug test last year The 29year-old had tested positive for an anabolic steroid - Drostanolone Metabolite - that features in the World Anti-doping Agency s ( WADA) prohibited list Her dope sample was collected in-competition on September 30, 2022 during the National Games in Gujarat last year Sanjita’s ban will commence from November 12, 2022, the date of her provisional suspension Sanjita would lose the silver medal at the National Games as a result of the positive test

PUJARA HITS TON FOR SUSSEX

Cheteshwar Pujara leading Sussex scored a century in the first innings against Durham in the the County Championship last week Pujara brought up his ton off 134 balls slamming back-to-back boundaries off Brydon Carse in the 55th over on the second day Walking to the middle when his team was at 44 for 2, Pujara scored 115 off 163 balls as he shared a vital 112-run partnership with Tom Clark

Last ball win for Lucknow in IPL

If the Royal Challeng ers Bangalore trio of Virat Kohli (61 ), Faf d u P lessis (79) and Glenn Maxwell ( 59) had th e spectato rs on their toes, Luckno w S uper Giants’ Marcus Stoinis (65) and Nicho las Pooran (62) took the w ind o ut of RC B’s sails with a ruthless display of batting prowess Ch asing RCB’s im posing total of 21 2/2, Lu cknow were in cruise mode and need ed nine runs off the last ov er But Harshal Patel cam e w ith a fig hting final over, picked up tw o w ickets and to ok the gam e to th e last ball A fumble from wicketkeep er Dinesh Karthik off the last ball allowed Lucknow to escape to a one-wicket win Stoinis, wh o was d rop ped when he was on 0, m ad e RCB pay the p rice Pooran too toyed with the spin duo of Karn S h arm a an d S h a h ba z A h m ed fo r th e ir inconsistency Pooran’s half centu ry came off 15 balls

Miraculous win for knigh t Riders

Rinku Singh’s five six blitzkrieg in the last over turned a losing cause for the Kolkata Knight Riders into a winning one as they eked out a three-wicket win over the Gujarat Titans, at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday A tight two-wicket spell in the middle overs by Alzarri Joseph and a hat-trick by stand-in captain Rashid Khan had earlier neutralized an aggressive half-century from Venkatesh Iyer, as the T i t a n s l o o k e d o n c o u r s e f o r a n o t h e r victory But, Singh (48* off 21b) had other i d e a s W h e n l a s t m a t c h h e r o S h a r d u l Thakur was pinned in front by a Khan g o o g l y , t h e K n i g h t R i d e r s w e r e s t a r i n g down the barrel, needing an improbable 50 runs from 21 balls, with three wickets in hand And, after Umesh Yadav handed him the strike, Rinku did the improbable He hit Yash Dayal’s second ball, a full toss, over long off before depositing the next one, also a full toss, to the leg-side boundary Dayal then bowled another full toss and two s h o r t - o f - l e n g t h d e l i v e r i e s w h i c h w e r e c l o b b e r e d f o r s i x e s a s d e l i r i o u s K n i g h t Riders team members ran on to the ground to celebrate Markande, Tripathi lead SRH to first win Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) beat Punjab

Kings (PBKS) by eight wickets in Hyderabad o n S u n d a y W i t h t h e t r i u m p h , S R H registered their first win of the ongoing season SRH won the toss and opted to bowl They came up with an excellent performance to restrict Punjab Kings to 143 for 9 Leg-spinner Mayank Markande was the star performer for SRH with the ball For PBKS, skipper Shikhar Dhawan played a lone hand with the willow In the chase of 144, SRH lost Harry Brook to Arshdeep Singh for 13, while Mayank Agarwal was dismissed by Rahul Chahar for 21 However, Rahul Tripathi (74 not out) and Aiden Markram (37 not out) added 100 runs for the third wicket to pave the way for an easy win for SRH

Jadeja, Rahane floor Mumbai

Spinner Ravindra Jadeja's 3-20 and a bludgeoning 61 by Ajinkya Rahane guided Chennai Super Kings to an emphatic sevenw i c k e t w i n o v e r M u m b a i I n d i a n s o n Saturday Rahane made an impactful debut for Chennai with a fastest 50 in 19 balls as CSK achieved their victory target of 158 in 18 1 overs in Mumbai Coming one down after the fall of Devon Conway for a duck, Rahane tore into the Mumbai attack Jadeja was ably supported by New Zealand lefta r m o r t h o d o x M i t c h e l l S a n t n e r , w h o returned figures of 2-28 including getting T20 sensation Suryakumar Yadav caught behind for one

Royals run over C ap itals

R a j a s t h a n R o y a l s d e m o l i s h e d D e l h i Capitals by 57 runs in Guwahati in the IPL match Sent into bat, RR scored 199 for four in 20 overs and in reply, the Capitals were

MP farm boy wins equestrian gold in Paris

An 18-ye ar-ol d far m boy from H arpal Ka Pura vil lage in MP’s B hind gal loped to an equestrian gold in Paris

T h e w i n n e r o f t h e " e v e n t i n g " c r o s scountry one-star class in Grosbois, Paris, was farmer's son Raju Singh Bhadoria According to Ramendra Singh, a class 12 student riding the horse Louk won gold with a penalty of 23 With penalties of 28 and 29, French racers Frederic Gremont and Alexia Russell Sauque claimed the final two spots on the podium

When media called the softspoken Raju, he began with, “Kya bolun (what do I say)?” Coaxed to say how he prepared for the competition, he said: “My aim is always to k e e p w i n n i n g m e d a l s f o r t h e c o u n t r y , wherever I compete Keeping things simple helps me stay focused That’s all I did " Raju is now training under French coach Regis Prudhon and preparing for the 19th

Asian Games 2023 He is the youngest of four riders to make the Asiad cut It all started in 2015 when Raju and his father Sujan Singh visited the boy’s maternal uncle, Arvind Singh, who works as a caretaker in the MP Equestrian Academy He had remained in the village of Harpal Ka Pura in Bhind, around 500 km from Bhopal, up until that point The academy appeared to the 11-yearold country lad to be "paradise " He proved to be a natural at horsemanship and was d i s c o v e r e d a t a t a l e n t h u n t t h a t y e a r , a c c o r d i n g t o C a p t a i n B h a g i r a t h , t h e academy's head instructor

The awards came in a gallop – including best rider, twice, at the national level, and Eklavya Award of MP government in 2020 In May 2022, Raju was chosen for specialized training under UK coaches and a ‘warmblood’ eventing horse was bought for him

5 top Indian cricketers awarded with MCC life membership

Five top Indi an cri cketers - MS Dho ni , Yuvraj Singh , Su resh R ai na, Mi thali Raj and Jhulan G o s wa mi - w er e aw a rd e d wi th l i f e members hip o f the pres ti gi ous Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) The MCC announced th e ad d i t i o n o f 19 n ew H o no r ar y L i f e Me mb er s , i nc l u d i n g ei gh t Te s t P la y i ng nations Some of the best men and women players to ever pl ay th e game recei ve h onorary life members hip s f ro m the London-based club th at es tabli shes the game's regulati ons

This year's list has former players from A u s t r a l i a , B a n g l a d e s h , N e w Z e a l a n d , Pakistan, South Africa, and the West Indies

in addition to five each from India and England

Dhoni led India to famous triumphs in the 2007 ICC World T20 and the 2011 ICC World Cup, while Yuvraj was an integral part of both the teams, churning out matchwinning performances Raina scored over 5,500 ODI runs across a 13-year career

Julan Goswami is the highest wickettaker in Women's ODIs, but Mithali tops the list of run scorers with 7,805 runs in 211 i n n i n g s G o s w a m i w i t h d r e w f r o m international cricket after the final ODI against England at Lord's last year

restricted to 142 for nine Opening the innings after Delhi Capitals skipper David Warner opted to bowl first, young Yashasvi J a i s w a l a l o n g w i t h J o s B u t t l e r g a v e Rajasthan an explosive start as they piled an enormous 199/4 on the board The pair a d d e d 9 8 r u n s f o r t h e o p e n i n g w i c k e t before Mukesh Kumar removed the former for 60(31) in the 9th over Trent Boult, who w a s o n a h a t - t r i c k a n d f i n i s h e d w i t h outstanding statistics of 3/29 in four overs, took two wickets in DC’s opening over S pinners continue to serve KKR w ell Kolkata Knight Riders were served well by their mystery spinners Right from Sri Lankan Ajanta Mendis, who created a buzz in IPL’s inaugural edition in 2008 to Suyash Sharma, who made his IPL debut against R o y a l C h a l l e n g e r s B a n g a l o r e l a s t w e e k , K K R h a v e b e e n s e r v e d w e l l b y t h e s e spinners For the first time in IPL, nine wickets were taken by the spinners in an innings as the KKR trio of Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy and Sharma bowled out RCB for 123 runs in 17 4 overs thereby recording an 81-run victory KKR skipper Nitish Rana was all praise for 19-year-old Sharma “Suyas is a normal leg-spinner But he has an x-factor,” he stated at a postmatch press conference

Gujarat Titans beat Delhi Capitals

G u j a r a t T i t a n s w o n i t s s e c o n d successive game of IPL 2023 as they beat Delhi Capitals by six wickets in Delhi Asked to bat, Delhi posted 162 for eight in their 20 overs and in response Gujarat chased down the target in 18 1 overs to finish on 163 for four Delhi lost their toporder cheaply as they were reduced to 37 for t w o i n 4 2 o v e r s T h e n s k i p p e r D a v i d W a r n e r h e l d t h e i n n i n g s t o g e t h e r B u t there was another collapse It then required debutant Abhishek Porel to team up with Sarfaraz Khan as they put on 34 runs for the fifth wicket Later Axar Patel (36) played a good hand as he smashed three sixes and two boundaries Delhi finished on 162 for eight in their 20 overs For Gujarat the best bowlers were Mohammed Shami (3-41), Rashid Khan (3-31) and Alzarri Joseph (2-29)

Home and away format likely for WPL season-2

IPL Chai rman A run Dhumal stated that they want to implement the home an d away format from season two but the number of teams will re mai n f i v e f o r th e f ol l o wi n g t hr ee ye ar s, en couraged by the success of the first Women 's Premier League

The first-ever WPL was well-received by both players and fans, however because it had to be staged quickly and immediately following the Women's T20 World Cup, the BCCI chose to split up the matches between two Mumbai sites

Considering WPL hosting the toughest challenge of his tenure, Dhumal claimed that having home and away games greatly aids teams in developing a fan base The board intends to go down that path as early as the upcoming season “Well begun is half done It has been a great beginning for WPL and going forward it is going to be much better than what we have seen so far We have started with five teams but going forward there is scope for additional teams given the pool of the players that is going to come in the years to follow “We are hoping for an increase in the number of teams but for the coming three seasons it will remain five We are surely looking at the home and away format, we will see which time slot is available considering India's international commitment and take a call “From a fan engagement point of view it is very important that we go for a home and a w a y f o r m a t , ” D h u m a l t o l d m e d i a F a n s turned up in sizeable numbers to watch the games at Brabourne and DY Patil Stadium The event had garnered massive attention even before the first ball was bowled with the teams rights fetching BCCI close to £470 million and media rights £95 1 million