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BRITISH-ASIAN VOTEBANK Labour party welcomes 58 BAME candidates - the largest so far

Rupanjana Dutta

With 20 days to the 2017 general election, the fight is getting close, with every party trying to have the voters' undivided attention. According to a research, during the 2015 elections, Britain's 1.2mn Indians successfully enabled the Tory victory. During David Cameron's era, the Hindu and Sikh voters had a special place in the Conservative manifesto, but interestingly this time the importance on these candidates has been found dwindling- especially in the Tory target seats. However what has come as a major surprise is Labour party's introduction of the largest BAME candidates for the 2017 election- a total of 58.

Labour's most senior Asian MP Keith Vaz, has welcomed Labour's nominations last week, hoping this election to bring historic outcome for the community.

India lashes out at Pak in Jadhav case India took its neighbour Pakistan by the horns at the International Court of Justice, over the Kulbhushan Jadhav case as relations between both the countries further strain. New Delhi blamed Pak for framing the Indian national on the basis of a “confessional

video”, adding he was denied consular access leaving his family and the Indian government clueless of his well-being. It also said the alleged spy could be executed even as the trial goes on.

India strongly doled Continued on page 26

The selection of MPs from such diverse backgrounds and ethnicities is essential in order to keep the UK’s legislature representative. It is imperative that the elected officials of the United Kingdom remain reflective of the community at large.

Vaz, the first Asian MP for 50 years when he was elected in 1987, was the part of the famous ‘Gang of Four’ and is delighted with the number of Black Asian and Ethnic minority candi-

MUMBAI DELHI GOA BANGALORE KOCHI AHMEDABAD

Navin Shah campaigning for 2017 election with Mayor Sadiq Khan

dates selected by Labour this year. He highlighted the fact that these candidates were representative of almost every diaspora community in the United Kingdom. Vaz is a member of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Labour Party and chairs the Ethnic Minority Task Force.

He told Asian Voice,

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“This is a truly historic achievement for the Labour party, underlining our status as the party of diversity.

“For years Labour was the only party with minority MP’s and in a sense I was delighted that the Conservative and Liberal Democrats also won seats with different ethnicity candidates.

HYDERABAD CHENNAI AMRITSAR TRIVANDRUM KOLKATA

“Unless you have people elected to parliament from diverse backgrounds you cannot have a truly representative legislature.”

Labour in the last Parliament boasted no less than 5 BAME members of Jeremy Corbyn’s Shadow Cabinet including one Asian.

Continued on page 16

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Asian Voice | 20th May 2017

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Indian Ministers attend successful business conclave and UK-India awards

Rupanjana Dutta

India Inc with partners organised the fourth successful UK-India conclave on Friday at the Sheraton Grand London to celebrate 'a new era in UK-India relations'.

This was attended by India's Transport and Infrastructure Minister Nitin Gadkari and India's Energy Minister Piyush Goyal, followed by the UKIndia Awards.

Gadkari and Goyal's UK visit

Photo courtesy: Raj D Bakrania, PrMediapix

The conclave started with an opening address by Manoj Ladwa, Founder and Chief Executive India Inc, followed by a short speech from YK Sinha, High Commissioner of India to the UK. Addressing the audience, Sinha said, “This conclave helps us to review the prospects for both India and UK.” The day's agenda included two panel discussions- first: What does a ‘Global Britain’ mean for UK-India Relations? This was moderated by Sanjay Suri from News18 and particpants included Baroness Usha Prashar, Lord Jitesh Gadhia and Ashok Malik, Leading Indian political columnist and distinguished fellow at the Observer Research Foundation.

The second discussion, that was moderated by Richard Heald of UKIBC, was about Financing India’s Growth Ambitions.

Panelists included: Sanjay Nayar, Member and Chief Executive Officer of KKR India, Rashesh Shah, Chief Executive Officer of Edelweiss Group and Nikhil Rathi, Chief Executive Officer of London Stock Exchange plc and Director of International Development at London Stock Exchange Group.

The gala Awards in the evening was attended by Boris Johnson, Priti Patel, Lord Navnit Dholakia, Lord Jitesh Gadhia, Lord Dolar Popat, Piyush Goyal, Nitin Gadkari to name a few. The glittering gala was attended by crème de la crème of the community and enjoyed actor Vivek Oberoi's presence as the compere.

Indian Minister for Road, transport and highways and shipping Mr Nitin Gadkari was in London from 11 May to 13 May. He opened the market in London Stock Exchange on Thursday morning and promoted the Masala bond. His principle aim was to get private investors for the development of national highways in India. The uniqueness of this Masala bond is that it is in rupees and has already raised more than £1bn last year.

Speaking to Asian Voice Mr Gadkari said, "Whether there is Brexit or not, London financially is very important for us. And we have infrastructure partnership with the UK...”

Speaking about the existing partnership and the future of it he elaborated, "We have taken certain inputs from Britain very carefully. During my last visit, we had discussion about the road safeties and motor vehicle act with

authorities here. There are still developments happening in India, as we continue to grow financially. I saw the hydrogen fuelled buses today and we want to implement that in India at some point. It is in compliance with our go-green cut pollution ideology.

"We also want to make India a hub for ship cruises. This year alone we had so far 70 cruises visiting, we are planning to have 140 next year. We are creating good cruise terminals in Mumbai, Goa, Cochin and Chennai to name a few...I want to have catamarans, sea buses, hovercrafts- doing ferry services for people to cross rivers more efficiently."

Discussing about airports and developments he further added, "We want to build runways on roadways. At the moment there are many places where there are long stretches of roads, but no air-

Minister Gadkari opens Market at the London Stock Exchange on last Thursday

highways have all the potentials.

Imagine connecting the whole country through cycle lanes, what an achievement that would be!"

Mr Gadkari went to the Dishoom restaurant for his favourite breakfast on Thursday.

MOU on bilateral cooperation in urban transport

India & UK on Friday agreed to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on bilateral cooperation in urban transport policy planning, technology transfer and institutional organisation of transport.

Duirng his visit to the headquarters of Transport For London

Gadkari addresses OFBJP

Minister Gadkari said while addressing the Overseas Friends of BJP on Saturday said, Statesponsored terrorism with its epicentre in our neighbourhood is assuming alarming proportions and time has now come to take a collective and punitive action against the perpetrators harbouring terrorist outfits, He added that the NDA government under prime minister Narendra Modi believed in peaceful co-existence and an all round regional deveoplment and progress among the SAARC countries.

LSE to list NTPC's Masala bond

Priti Patel receives an award from Minister Goyal at UK-India Awards with Manoj Ladwa

port around for 400kms or so. We plan to utilise the roads as runways where flights could land or take off- and we have so far identified 17 such spots- one being near Pakistan-Rajasthan border."

Talking about road safety he told the newsweekly, "There are more than 500,000 accidents every year in India. In 2004 I was in a similar accident and it was life threatening. In India still almost 30% people have have fake driving licenses. We are trying to stop it to save lives and having a transparent system like you have in the UK helps. Once the motor vehicle act is passed, there is going to be only one regulated centre for getting licenses- viz. 'saarthi'-and you will get license only if you take the test yourself..."

Finally speaking on green energy, he said, "Like the UK we are trying to make more cycle lanes on the possible highways. In Delhi we wish we could build cycle lanes and pedestrians roads further, but that is difficult. We are still trying. But some Indian

behavioural change and public transport promotion.

Gadkari later said signing of the MOU will be done through diplomatic channels shortly.

Possibilities of further cooperation on electric buses, double decker buses in Mumbai and Delhi, bus innovation and capacity augmentation and water transport were also explored during his interaction with the TFL authorities.

(TFL), Gadkari was given a presentation on strategy and policy reforms, customer experience and data analysis in respect of London Buses and other integrated modes of public transport in Greater London area. The meeting lasted for 3 hours. The decision to enter into a bilateral cooperation arrangement between the Transport For London (TFL) and the Indian ministry of road transport and highways on a wide range of transport mobility solutions and associated activities in urban environments was taken during the visit.

Under the proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), the TFL promises to share with the Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways its expertise on the mobility and efficiency of transport system and methodologies to facilitate the planning and delivery of mobility solutions, including ticketing, passenger information, major project financing, infrastructure maintenance strategies and

State-run power giant NTPC has listed its Masala Bonds at London Stock Exchang(LSE) on Friday in the presence of Indian Power Minister Piyush Goyal.

The LSE listing promises to provide global investors access to Indian companies while providing liquidity to them, a power ministry official said. The NTPC Masala Bonds are be the first MTN and Masala Bonds to list on the new ISM (International Securities Market).

Looking at expanding its reach into the international energy market, India has taken a new initiative to supply cheap LED bulbs for Londoners. Taking this process to the final stages is Union Energy and Power Minister Piyush Goyal launched ‘Ujala’ scheme on May 13. The initiative was aimed at saving the energy of this European country.

India-Austria Collaboration on Clean Energy

Minister Piyush Goyal, along with a delegation from FICCI visited Vienna on 10-11 May 2017.

FICCI, in collaboration with the Embassy of India in Vienna and

Austrian Economic Chambers (Wirtschaftskammer Österreich WKO) organised The IndiaAustria Business Forum in the evening on 10 May 2017 in the presence of Ms Renu Pall, Ambassador of India to Austria, Mr. Pankaj R Patel, President, FICCI, and Ms Ulrike RabmerKoller, Vice President, WKO, Austrian Business Representatives.

Mr Goyal in his keynote address highlighted that India needs to put entire solar value chain under quality direction. He added that the Government will have a policy directive in place on quality of modules (by end of May), followed by solar cells in next 6-7 months and on wafers and poly silicon in the next two years.

Given that Austria is well known for innovations, Minister Goyal, said that this experience of discovery can be put to good use in India though scale, cost competitiveness. He also spoke of the trinity of financial inclusion, unique identification and digital penetration that can translate into businesses being able to function smoothly and scale up efficiently. India and Austria can leverage each other's strengths to benefit both economies. India can offer better pricing for Austrian products and provide low-cost manufacturing base.

He underlined that affordability is a paramount imperative to be able to change India's energy mix. He added that PM Modi has given a new dimension to renewable energy and that his vision of scaling up rapidly giving good returns in more ways than one - a case in point being the latest solar tariff of 4 cents. He exhorted that India can fast track with Austria what it has done with Finland by highlighting that within 6 months of his visit to Finland in November 2016 there have been multiple exchanges facilitated by FICCI.

Goyal speaks at Navnat Centre

To celebrate Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya's birth centenary, Minister Goyal spoke about Integral Humanism along with the various initiatives of the Modi Government at the Navnat Centre, an evening organised by the Overseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP).

He elaborated on how after 70 years of India's independence every Indian citizens now finally have a roof, road and infrastructure. He spoke about Indian values, how under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, out of 18452, 14000 villages receive electricity.

He also elaborated on how by 2018 beginning he plans to make sure all Indian villages have electricity.

He also urged the OFBJP to waive off membership fee and encourage youths to be members and promised to visit London and address these young members if OFBJP could reach a mark of 100,000 memberships.

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C MMENTS

Murder of Ummar Fayaz The death of Ummar Fayaz at the hands of a jihadi assassination squad in a Kashmir village is a numbing tragedy difficult to fathom. The only offspring of his parents, this young Indian Army Lieutenant in the bloom and promise of youth, who would have turned 23 next month, was cut down before his time. Gifted enough to find a place in an elite school, and equally dedicated to have cracked the National Defence Academy exams, he had been posted with the Rajputana Rifles to Kashmir, and was on leave to attend a cousin’s wedding. He was dragged out in the middle of the festivities and shot dead, his bullet-ridden body not far from the site. Zakir Musa, successor to Burhan Wani, the former leader of Hibul Mujahideen, tweeted that he would slit the throat of any leader who spoke of Kashmir as a political issue and not as a foundational principle of a Pan-Islamic principle based on Sharia law.

The gruesome incident evoked two contradictory messages in the May 11 edition Telegraph newspaper (in India), running with the hares and hunting with the hounds in everyday parlance.

The first report on its front page by Muzzafar Raina bespoke horror and outrage; the second on its inside edit-pag e by Bashir Manzar demanded that ‘India must open communications with Pakistan.’ As both countries have embassies in each other’s capitals, there have been, and still are, opportunities aplenty to discuss Kashmir. Marathon talks in past years have yielded nothing but communiqués of assurance on further talks down the road. The situation as it stands

today is the Pakistan-subsidized Hurriyat’s insistenc e that substantive negotiations only be held on the transfer of power from India in the Kashmir valley to itself. Pakistan perceives the issue as the ‘unfinished business of Partition.’ India has affirmed and reaffirmed its sovereignty and gone to war to defend it..

It is a case of the immovable object withstanding the irresistible force. BJP peaceniks like Yashwant Sinha, seek to resurrect fading political careers. The ground realities require a counter force of overwhelming strength to meet the jihadi and Pakistani challenge and make talks a realistic prospect. There are moderate voices in Kashmir’s majority Muslim community.

Although intimidated by jihadi death squads, they surely understand the current state of Pakistan and its murderous intra-factional Sunni-Shia strife, blasphemy laws design ed to strike down dissenting Muslims and cast fear among non-Muslim minorities, oppressed and fearful of losing their lives and property.

Military clashes on Pakistan’ Iranian and Afghan borders have stoked the fires of regional conflict and even awoken Chinese anxieties as Pakistan’s principal aid donor and political patron.

Kashmiri Muslims have much to gain by a reasoned compromise; they have everything to lose if they believe India can be vanquished by superior force. It is the greatest folly to think so; and a tragedy as well. The ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Hindu Pandit from their ancestral homeland in the valley remains an anathema for all civilized peoples and nations.

India’s French connection Indian papers went into rhapsodies over Emmanuel Macron’s victory in the second decisive round of the French presidential election. It was the lead report on the Times of India’s front page and that of the Telegraph, with former compounding its joy with an incomprehensible editorial entitled the ‘The French Revolution,’ which brought to mind Macbeth’s memorable line of a ‘tale told by an idiot full of sound and fury signifying nothing.’

Macron’s opponent Marine Le Pen reached out to India with visits to the Indian Embassy in Paris, and making effusive references to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a model for the concept of national sovereignty she wished to emulate for her country. Macron has never made even passing mention of India.

What stake, if any, did India have in the French election. It is not that Macron had undertaken to put India at the top of his foreign policy agenda and Le Pen the bottom. Indo-French relations will continue much as before.

India has signed up to defence and nuclear power acquisitions from France, but the first of the 36 touted Raphel aircraft will start arriving from 2023. As for the promised nuclear power plant, with luck it may arrive by 2050, if at all.

Truth is that around 20 per cent of the French electorate preferred not to vote and many others damaged their ballot papers. What was significant, is Le Pen’s National Front - for long at the fringes of French politics - is now at the centre.

The French economy is sluggish, the numbers of unemployed stand at a 10 per cent. These and other issues are for the French people to resolve. What is

worrying in all this is the penetration of the Indian media by Western hirelings. The foreign pages of the mainstream Indian p ress are saturated with syndicated column inches from western publications like the New York Times, The London Times or the UK’s Daily Telegraph, and masses of trivia, conspiracy dramas and White House speak: utterly numbing, barely comprehensible.

None of the Indian papers reported the magnificent May 9 Victory Day parade in Moscow, despite India’s ‘privileged strategic partnership’ with Russia.

R ussia’s latest weaponry made gripping viewing, but more importantly, ordinary citizens carried pictures of their dear and loved ones who died in the ‘Great Patriotic War’ against Nazi barbarism. The combined dead of Britain and America in World War II numbered less than a million. Soviet Russia’s dead numbered 27 million, of whom 11. 5 million died on the battlefield.

While France surrendered within six weeks of the Nazi invasion, Paris threw in the towel without firing a shot. The country’s Vichy regime then collaborated with Hitler’s Third Reich. The Russian city of Leningrad withstood the Nazi siege for 900 days in which a million citizens perished from cold and hunger and a million more died fighting the German invaders. The Red Army crushed the Wehrmacht in three years and nine months and stor med Berlin. It was an epic like no other in world history.

Only the Hindu carried a picture (without a report) of Russia’s Victory Day parade. The other papers kept a stonier silence. The lack of shame beggars belief.

Tale of Indian heroism in a foreign field Few residents in New Delhi know that Teen Murti Marg and Teen Murti Circle were once called the Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade Memorial in honour of the cavalry troopers of the Princely States who fought and died in the line of duty in the Great War of 1914-18. Far seeing Indian nationalists such as Tej Bahadur Sapru, Motilal Nehru et al, aware that the future of free India would require a military fully trained in modern warfare, encouraged Indian enlistment in the British Indian Army. A volunteer force of over 1.5 million Indians did so as frontline soldiers and auxiliaries, operatin in Europe and the Middle East with great distinction.

The Princely States made their separate contribution to the British Empire’s war effort. On September 23, 1918, 15 Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade, comprising the Jodhpur Lancers, the Mysore Lancers and Hyderabad Lancers were ordered into action against an Ottoman Army of Turks, and a supporting unit of German and Austrian defending the Ottoman port of Haifa. The troopers saddled on horses, equipped only

with lances against opponents firing rifles and machine guns, led the charge. Haifa fell following an assault conducted with masterly precision from three flanks. Its leader Major Dalpat Singh Shekhawat, was killed. He was awarded a posthumous Military Cross; his deputy Bahadur Aman Singh Jodha, thereafter, headed the attack to victory.

The mainstream Indian media beguiled by the antics of Trump and Hollande and fearful of losing the baksheesh of Arab oil sheikhs are in a contrived state of amnesia about the event.

The Indian Army celebrates Haifa Day annually on September 18. In one of the cemeteries on Jaffa Street the State of Israel set up a Haifa Memorial to honour these Indian soldiers. The battle figures in the curriculum of local Israeli schools. The Indian Embassy holds an annual remembrance of the event. Hopefully the Delhi Municipality will do likewise with a place in the city for the forgotten men of Haifa.

Asian Voice | 20th May 2017

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One child, one teacher, one pen and one book can change the world - Malala Yousafzai, 2013

Lord Dolar Popat

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

Resham Kotecha and Ameet Jogia;

A new generation of politicians

Resham Kotecha with Theresa May

For me it was a dream come true when two young Gujarati candidates, Resham Kotecha and Ameet Jogia were selected by the Conservative Party to stand for Parliament in two winnable seats in the upcoming General Election.

special because it marks the start of a new generation of British born Indians coming into politics.

Having been born and bought up in London, Resham and Ameet have had the benefits of opportunities, such as a good education which previous

Ameet Jogia with Theresa May

I have spent my entire political career trying to bridge the gap between the Conservative Party and the British Indian community, so this selection symbolises just how far we have come.

We have already come along way with two Gujarati Conservative MP’s the Rt Hon Priti Patel and Shailesh Vara; both of whom have served high profile Government posts.

However, the selection of Resham and Ameet is

generations like myself did not have. However, they also have to face new challenges which my generation were not accustomed to. Resham and Ameet are therefore best placed to engage with the British electorate, as well as a range of other communities.

I have always said that the British Indian community is the model community for the Conservative Party.

Editor: CB Patel

Continued on page 6

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Shopkeeper arrested and facing jail after skipping court case 18 years ago

A shopkeeper is facing jail after being arrested for skipping a court sentencing hearing eighteen years ago.

Warwick Crown Court Jagdip how heard Randhawa, 43, had been “hiding in plain sight” since admitting handling stolen goods in 1999.

A warrant was issued for his arrest when he failed to appear in court for sentencing on March 19 of that year.

But he was only arrested last week when he and his wife stepped off a plane at Birmingham Airport as they returned from Alicante.

The shopkeeper, of Clarksland Grove, Marston Green, pleaded guilty to failing to surrender to bail in what was described by a judge as “one of the longest absences the court had ever encountered.” heard court The Randhawa was due to be sentenced in 1999 after he pleaded guilty to handling a stolen laptop computer.

Another man had plead-

ed guilty to stealing two laptops from a hotel and an office in Meriden and was jailed for 12 months.

When Randhawa failed to appear in court on the same day a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Prosecutor Lee Egan said it would take “some considerable time” to track down the file on the case because it was so old.

He said Randhawa had convictions in the 1990s, but none since the handling offence.

Daniel Oscroft, defending, said: “This is a man who has lived a blameless life since 1998.

“He accepts he has no good excuse for failing to attend court on that day, but he has been hiding in plain sight for all of those years.”

He explained that at the time Randhawa lived in Wingfield Close, where his father owned a convenience store which he and his brother both still own and run.

organisations whose projects successfully address the PCC's crime priority areas which include hate crime, domestic violence and abuse, Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE), drug and alcoholrelated problems, sexual violence and mental health. A further £250,000 is available in 2018-19.

Grants will be allocated in a two-tiered system of up to £9,999pa and £10,000£25,000pa. Funding grants for projects of £10,000 and above will only be awarded for exceptional projects.

Launching the fund, Willy Bach said: "This is a fantastic opportunity for community-

Randhawa, who has been married for 15 years, continued to live in Wingfield Close until four or five years ago when he moved to Clarksland Grove.

“He has not sought to evade capture, he simply didn’t turn up on the day,” he said.

Judge Andrew Lockhart QC said it was “one of the longest absences this court has ever encountered.”

He agreed to adjourn the

case for a pre-sentence report and granted Randhawa bail.

But he imposed stringent conditions which included residence at his address in Clarksland Grove, a curfew, and that he surrenders his passport.

Judge Lockhart warned: “I am giving absolutely no indication other than that the likely outcome will be a significant and immediate custodial sentence.”

based groups to apply for crucial funding which will support their efforts to promote public safety and help people make lifelong changes to their lifestyles.

"Prevention is a key theme of my Police and Crime Plan and I'm well aware of the value groundbased projects play in helping people to overcome their problems. Investing in practical, early intervention will not only reduce demand on frontline police services it will ultimately drive down crime in the long-term.

"Public funding is scarce and I hope those organisations which share my vision

for a safer Leicestershire apply for a slice of this precious investment to kick start their community safety efforts in 2017-18."

Grants are available for new initiatives, existing successful projects where funding is tight or to enable existing projects to develop further.

Applicants are asked to consider the Police and Crime Plan (www.leics.pcc.police.uk /PoliceandCrimePlan-20172021) and the Commissioning Framework 2017/18 (www.leics.pcc. police.uk/ CommissioningFramework-2017-18) before submitting a bid.

Protests outside court as 29 people are told they face trial for rape and exploitation of children Twenty nine people facing a total of more than 170 charges relating to the sexual exploitation of 18 children will go on trial next year in three separate groups, a judge ruled last Thursday.

Twenty six men and two women appeared before a judge at Leeds Crown Court charged with offences including rape, trafficking, sexual activity with a child, child neglect, child abduction, supplying drugs and making of indecent images of children.

The 29th defendant, who is in custody, did not appear for the hearing.

The defendants were greeted by protesters outside the court building, where a number of police were on duty.

The allegations are nonrecent sexual offences, dating back to between 2004 and 2011, and relate to 18 women, who were children at the time.

The youngest child involved was 11 years old.

The defendants, who are mainly from Huddersfield but also include men from Dudley, Sheffield, Bradford, Manchester, and Dewsbury, appeared in groups before the Recorder of Leeds, Judge Peter Collier QC. Judge Collier ruled that the cases will be heard in three separate trials starting in January.

The first trial, expected to last 10 weeks, has a provisional start date of January 8, 2018. The second trial, expected to last six weeks, is planned to start on April 16, 2018.

The third trial, which is expected to last four weeks, has the provisional start date of September 3, 2018.

The next hearings in each of the cases are: October 27, 2017; March 2, 2018 and June 1, 2018.

Formal pleas have not yet been entered and all the defendants were given bail except two – Mansoor Akhtar

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Factory worker hit with force of up to eight tonnes by flying piece of machinery, inquest told

A factory worker died after a piece of equipment flew off a machine he was operating and struck him in the chest and face with a force of up to eight tonnes, an inquest has heard.

Tarsem Singh, a father-of-two from Oadby, had been working on a moulding machine at plastics engineering firm Nylacast, in Thurmaston Boulevard, Leicester, on April 15, last year when the object struck him.

A jury at Leicester Coroner's Court, at the Town Hall, last Friday heard that the 52-yearold, who had worked at the firm for 23 years, died at Nottingham's Queen's Medical Centre (QMC) the following day.

PCC announces £250,000 funding windfall for grassroots crime prevention Leicestershire's Police and Crime Commissioner Lord Willy Bach last Thursday unveiled a new £250,000 grant scheme offering local organisations a financial lifeline in their work to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour.

To mark his first anniversary as PCC, the Commissioner outlined details of a new Prevention Fund which is designed to help voluntary and third sector groups support the public safety goals in his Police and Crime Plan and confront pressing community issues.

Grants of up to £25,000 are available in 2017-18 for

In Brief

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Asian Voice | 20th May 2017

Young driver killed in road smash after losing control of his car, inquest hears

A young driver was killed after losing control of his car which smashed into another vehicle during snow and icy conditions, an inquest has heard. Syed Ahmed Shah, aged 20, crashed into another driver as he travelled to work along Eastcote Lane, Hampton-in-Arden, just before 9am on January 13.

Birmingham Coroners Court heard it was snowing and Mr Shah, who had only passed his test 18 months previously, had never driven in icy conditions before. Mr Shah’s father had warned him to be careful and go slowly and he had promised him he would, the inquest heard.

Loan shark made a fortune preying on gamblers at casinos

A loan shark who targeted gamblers at casinos has been made to payback £100,000 he made from the proceeds of crime. Zayarit Mahmood, 43, has three months to pay or faces 12 months in prison.

Mahmood, and Javid Iqbal, 38, both from Oldham, were sentenced to 14 months in prison back in May 2016 after pleading guilty to illegal money lending and money laundering between March 2003 and March 2013.

The pair were investigated by the England Illegal Money Lending Team (IMLT) whose investigators worked in partnership with Oldham council’s trading standards department and GMP. When warrants were executed at the home addresses of Mahmood and Iqbal back in September 2013, electronic devices and more than £70,000 in cash were seized.

Shop workers groomed girls

Ilvarasan, left, and Vinothan Rajenthiram, right

and Manzoor Hassan, who were remanded in custody.

Akhtar did not appear in court.

The defendants in the first trial are: Amere Singh Dhaliwal, 34, Irfan Ahmed, 32, Zahid Hassan, 28, Mohammed Kammer, 32, Mohammed Aslam, 29, Abdul Rehman, 29, Raj Singh Barsran, Nahman 33, Mohammad, 31, Zubair Ahmed, 30 and Hamzha Ali Saleem, 37.

The defendants in the second trial are: Mansoor

Akhtar, 25, Mohammed Akram, 31, Wiqas Mahmud, 36, Nasarat Hussain, 28, Hussain, Sajid 32, Mohammad Ifraz, 28, Faisal Nadeem, 30, Mohammad Azeem, 31, Zulqarnain Dogar, 29 and Manzoor Hassan, 37.

The defendants in the thirds trial are: Niaz Ahmed, 53, Mohammed Imran Ibrar, 32, Asif Bashir, 32, Everton La Bastide, 50, Saqib Raheel, 30, Usman Khalid, 29, Aleem Javaid, 27, Naveeda Habib, 38 and Shahnaz AkhtarMalik, 55.

Two shop worker brothers who groomed young girls with free sweets and mobile phone top-ups have been jailed for years of abuse.

Ilvarasan and Vinothan Rajenthiram groomed nine girls before plying them with alcohol and assaulting them.

Ilvarasan, 26 from Wirral, was sentenced to 22 and a half years in prison, while Vinothan, 27 of Wigan, received 18 and a half years. They were found guilty of a total of 30 charges spanning more than five years.

Sentencing them at Liverpool Crown Court, Judge Norman Wright said "both abused their position in the shops to target teenage girls".

The grooming happened at convenience stores the brothers worked in at Birkenhead, Walton and Garston between 2010 and January 2016.

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Young Goan couple dies from burn injuries

Asian Voice | 20th May 2017

Healthy progress for UK-Indo medical venture Smita Sarkar

Blaise Alvares, baby Brooke and Sharon Soares

The conclusion of a pathetic accidental death of young parents of a Goan family based in UK was recently declared by Nicholas Rheinburg, assistant coroner. The young couple were killed in a house fire caused by an eco-fuel heater in heater in November 2016.

Blaise Alvares 33 and Sharon Soares 30 died after a fire broke out in their home in Swindon, but their baby Brooke survived. They shared their home with the

Fernandes family and tried to save costs by using portable heaters run on bio-ethnol.

On the fateful night, Sharon ran upstairs, alarming the rest of the members about the fire in the living room and asking the fire brigade to be called in. Blaise Alvares was rescued by firefighters but his wife Sharon died in the hospital three days later from carbon monoxide poisoning. He put up a brave fight, but succumbed to burns in December.

5

A noble vision to bring healthcare to India which is available, affordable, accountable, and appropriate to all, has started taking shape under the able leadership of Dr Ajay Rajan Gupta, Managing Director and Group CEO of IndoUK Institute of Health (IUIH).

Dr Gupta, a Consultant Orthopedic Surgeon at the NHS, is leading a team of UK and India based promotors with the support of the governments to bring the dream of high-quality but low-cost medical help to the vast population of India.

A worthy and challenging task saw progress being made in India last week when Dr Gupta and his team signed deals for land to start the building work that would provide an integrated approach to healthcare across India by partnering with the UK's best organisations in research, education and healthcare delivery. Their first project was based in Chandigarh.

In an exclusive inter-

view to Asian Voice he confirmed: “We got 150 acres in Amravati, Andhra Pradesh where we are developing Kings College Hospital, London. In Hyderabad we got land to develop Scheffield NHS Trust. In Mumbai we met up with the Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and got 150 acres of land in Nagpur to develop IUIH. We also got land in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, and near Bangalore and Mysore in Karnataka.”

Dr Gupta's team has been working round the clock over the last 18 months to lay the foundations for their vision of the world’s largest and most exciting healthcare project.

Dr Ajay Rajan Gupta, Managing Director and Group CEO of IUIH

“I wanted to replicate the NHS model in India.

The NHS is one of the world's best healthcare systems and my idea was to develop the world's best healthcare in the world's largest democracy, that is India," he said.

Dr Gupta travelled across the country with his Commercial Richard Director Miller, Chief Investment Officer, Paul Davies and Neil Woodings from the PwC, meeting Amitabh Kant CEO of NITI Dr Gupta at the site in India Ayog, and senior offiduring his recent visit

cials at the PMO's office, Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Health.

“We cemented the progress we've made into an updated report covering the last 18-months which we presented at the PMO's office,” he affirmed.

IUIH's final aim is to provide 11,000 beds, 25,000 nurses, and 5,000 doctors in a bid to bring affordable medical access to about 400 million Indians.

In 2015, a joint statement was signed between Prime Ministers David Cameron and Narendra Modi of developing 11 Indo-UK Institute of Health Medicities. IUIH was established in November 2015, and the collaborative partnership was signed between the Prime Ministers David Cameron and Narendra Modi during his UK visit that year. The bond was reinforced during PM Theresa May's India visit in November 2016.

The entire interview will be published in the upcoming issue of British Punjabis 2017.

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Asian Voice | 20th May 2017

MasterChef UK wishes to tackle obesity This year's MasterChef Saliha champion, Mahmood-Ahmed moved celebrity chef John Torode to tears with her Kashmiriinspired three-course meal, becoming the thirteenth amateur cook to win the title. A doctor by profession, Saliha intents to use her medical knowledge and draw up a strategy to challenge the problem of obesity among primary school pupils.

“I think that as a doctor, I have lots to offer. I would love to work in a national campaign to tackle obesity and develop recipes for people with Coeliac disease and IBS,” she said. With a doctor husband and a two-year old, Saliha said she regularly had “no sleep” during the competition as she juggled her full-time job at Watford General Hospital and looking after her son.

About her win, she said, “I was absolutely not expecting this, it feels weird to say it even now. I'm so happy that my cheekbones are hurting and I'm probably going to have a paracetamol for smile-induced fatigue.”

Judge Torode said,

Saliha Mahmood-Ahmed

“Saliha is a class act. She's walked in here and has taken her food culture apart and put it back together in a modern and very exciting way. She always does something a little bit extra, something which always surprises us.”

About her winning menu, he said, “Those dishes sparkled. They were clean, crisp, refined and beautiful.” A junior doctor training to specialise in Gastroenterology, Saliha grew up in Ickenham, Middlesex and began cooking at a young age. “I'm from a big Pakistani family and we use food as a way of bringing everyone together. I had very passionate

Meet Sanjay Suri, Political Editor for Europe at CNN-IBN Sanjay Suri is a television journalist and Political Editor for Europe at CNNIBN, based in London since 1990. Born in Jalandar, India, he has a Masters in English Literature from Delhi University and MSc in Social and Organisational psychology from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He has written a non-fiction book, Brideless in Wembley, which was published by Penguin.

Recently he wrote a 1984: The Anti-Sikh Violence and After (Harper Collins).

The book comprises of interv i e w s w i t h police officers, victims and campaigners, news reports and reports of commissions during and after the 1984 riots, but it is Suri’s first-hand eye-witness accounts that hammer through the pages. He recently moderated a panel discussion at the 4th UKIndia Conclave at Park Sheraton, organised by India Inc.

grandmothers who cooked traditional Pakistani food and my mum is also an excellent cook. We love to feed people, it runs in our genes,” she said.

“I discovered my love for cooking in food technology lessons in year seven at school. Then when I was 15, my Food Tech teacher entered me into the 'School Chef of the Year' competition and I won it.”

About MasterChef, the 29 year old said, “I've always seen food as a serious hobby but being a doctor means I don't have the time to fully engage in it. I entered the competition to challenge myself, and see what I was capable of.”

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Resham Kotecha and Ameet Jogia; A new generation of politicians

Continued from page 3

We are a naturally conservative community whose success as a community is down to the values of hard work, aspiration, enterprise and strong families.

These are the fundamental values of the Conservative Party.

The British Indian community are disillusioned with the Labour Party more than ever – particularly with Jeremy Corbyn as their leader. He has not made a single attempt to engage with our community. Theresa May on the other hand, is carrying forward David Cameron’s legacy of continuing to engage with our community. The selection of Resham and Ameet is part of this strategy, showing that the Party is serious about ensuring our community is at the forefront of their agenda.

Resham is one of twin sisters, whose parents came to the UK to study from East Africa. She read Economics at Cambridge University before starting work as a strategy consultant advising both public and private sector organisations.

Resham previously stood as a Parliamentary Candidate during the 2015

General Election in Dulwich and West Norwood. She is Deputy Chair of the Northwood Conservatives and Head of Engagement for Women2Win, as organisation co-founded by Prime Minister Theresa May, to encourage more Conservative women to enter Parliament.

Resham has spoken and written regularly in the media about the importance of getting more Asians, young people, and women involved in politics.

She is President of the under 35’s board of the Young Women’s India Association, the oldest Asian charity in the UK, and was a finalist for the Asian Women of Achievement Awards.

I have no doubt that she will be working hard over the next five weeks to overturn Geoffrey Robinson’s majority and win the Coventry North West seat for the Conservatives – the first time since its creation in 1974.

Ameet Jogia on the other hand is also a rising star within the Conservative Party. He is someone I am very close to and many in the community will know that he has been my Parliamentary

Assistant for the last six years.

Within that time I have been honoured to see him rise up the ranks within the Conservative Party. His family originated from Mwanza in Tanzania, and despite having faced struggles growing up, he has been active with the Party since the age of 15 having been elected as a Councillor in Harrow in 2014 with an overwhelming majority. Ameet has a tremendous amount of respect within the British Indian community, particularly in North West London who I know are all behind him.

Brent North has had 20 years of Barry Gardiner. I think it is time for change in Brent, with a fresh face and new ideas. Ameet is that change, and I have no doubt he has the energy and dynamism to make a real difference in Brent.

I hope that the British Indian community will recognise the historic strides that our community are making within the Conservative Party and in politics overall. With the Tories ahead in the polls, I hope that Theresa May’s candidates Resham Kotecha and Ameet Jogia will both do well in the upcoming elections.

India, UK commemorate HMS Trincomalee Navies of both India and Britain held joint exercises earlier this month in memory of stealth frigate HMS Trincomalee, built 200 years ago in Mumbai. The exercise was conducted simultaneously with the 'UK India Year of Culture 2017' which saw participation by Indian warship INS Tarkash. Docked in the Thames for a week before it set sale for Portugal, Tarkash's arrival in London was celebrated with a series of Indian cultural performances as crowds danced to patriotic

tunes.

One of the two surviving British frigates of Her era, HMS Trincomalee is a Royal Navy frigate built shortly after the end of the Napoleonic Wars. She is currently restored as a museum ship in Hartlepool, England. The ship was built in Bombay, now Mumbai, due to severe oak shortages in Britain as a result of shipbuilding drives for the Wars. It was named Trincomalee after the 1782 Battle of Trincomalee off the Ceylon, in Sri Lanka.

BRITISH PUNJABIS MAGAZINE 2017

Reshaping UK's economy, socio-political culture and way of life With a community of more than 700,000 – the Punjabi diaspora in the UK has played a significant role in its success and has shaped her culture, economy and many sons and daughters of Punjab have emerged victorious in business, media, academics, arts and sports.

With their immense entrepreneurial skills and ability to weather the storm through sheer hard work – British Punjabis are at the forefront

For more information Please contact: Smita Sarkar on 020 7749 4010 or Email: smita.sarkar@abplgroup.com

of today’s UK. In a fitting tribute to these exceptional high achievers, Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar will publish BRITISH PUNJABIS, a glossy coffee-table magazine highlighting the community's challenges, achievements and aspirations.

In this edition of BRITISH PUNJABIS, we will focus on some untold stories, profile some inspiring

second and third generation leaders and women; while promulgating the extraordinary achievements of senior Punjabis, for the younger generation to get inspired.

UK Asian Voice | 20th May 2017

www.asian-voice.com AsianVoiceNews

Turning the Improbable into a huge possibility Herman Narula, the 29year-old son of billionaire Harpinder Singh Narula of the construction and engineering group DSC faced the same pressures when he started his own company Improbable, a virtual reality business with his friends from Rob Cambridge Whitehead and Peter Lipka in 2012 – a modest beginning from Narula's family barn.

Five years down the line, Improbable is all over the headlines, having signed a record-breaking contract with Japan's SoftBank for Improbable, employs a 180 employees and has an office in San Francisco.

The recent deal now makes the business worth

Herman Narula

more than $1 billion, the largest early stage investment for a venture-backed European company, firmly putting the London company into the top ranks of the industry.

It is common among Asian families to expect the sons of business families to join the family business. It does not go down

well with the parents when that does not happen and children want to move out of their orbit to do something completely different. But Herman did exactly that and that makes his an inspirational story.

He learned to code at 12 and w as rebellious enough to shun the golden spoon and his secured path, accept the family conflict with a pinch of salt and go ahead with his dreams. He created products in the virtual business that is historic and a landmark in itself. Improbable has partnered with prestigious clients like Google and worked with the British and American defence departments, and the UK government.

Yoge Patel expresses concerns over regulations in the drone market Dr Yoge Patel, 55 the Chief Executive of Blue Bear Systems Research, makers and designer of innovative drones in Bedfordshire, has raised concerns over the regulations in the industry that could clip the possibilities of the fast-growing industry.

Speaking to The Times, Yoge said: “Regulation will come about as a result of experiments and trails. If you start with regulation pushed out there without understanding the industry sector in which it is going to be applied, you will end

Dr Yoga Patel, Chief Executive of Blue Bear - one of the leading drone designers and makers in the UK

up with something unrealistic; it ends up being a barrier rather than an

enabler.”

The advance of the drones is a chance for British companies to shine, she said. Drones are being used in the agriculture industry to monitor crop growth and insect infestations, in emergency services, to put out chemical fires, land-surveying filming, photography and even for searching for missing persons. Analysts estimate that the global market for commercial applications of drone technology will be close to a £127 billion by 2020.

Rashmi Joshi becomes the fourth Hindu Lord Mayor Leicester, the city with the largest number of Hindus has recently elected its fourth Hindu Lord Mayor Rashmi Joshi. Cllr Joshi has a distinguished record of serving this community as a Councillor for Humberstone and Hamilton from 2007.

On the occasion, Rt Hon Keith Vaz said: “I am delighted that Rashmi

Rt Hon Keith Vaz congratulates Cllr Rashmi Joshi

Joshi has become the Lord Mayor of Leicester. This is a tremendous achievement and is especially notable as it makes him only the 4th Hindu in the history of Leicester to be a Lord Mayor … I have no doubt that within the new role he will continue to work hard for the people of this region and also Leicester as a whole.”

The University of Wolverhampton celebrates Asian Heritage Month The UK's first BritishAsian town mayor Councillor Bishan Dass will be among the speakers at the University of Wolverhampton to celebrate Asian Heritage Month on 23rd May. The events will start at the City Campus Wulfruna and will include a series of talks, musical performances and workshops.

The Co-Chairs of the U niversity of Wolverhampton's Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Staff Network,

Jeremy Corbyn

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Kunal Awani and Suneeta Patel said: “May is Asian Heritage Month; a time to acknowledge the long and rich history of people of Asian ethnicity and their contribution to the United Kingdom.

“Britain's ethnic diversity and inclusive culture strengthens it socially, politically and economically in innumerable ways. Celebrating Asian herit age reaffirms our resolve in being an inclusive and diverse organisation.”

The programme of events will include showcasing films on the East India Company to be followed by discussions, an eclectic collective of live performances including Bollywood dance and tabla recitals peacock feather painting workshop and other fun and informative activities with details at : https://www.eventbrite.c o.uk/e/celebrat ing-asianhistory-university-ofwolverhampton-tickets34401489782

7

Leader of the Labour Party

A party for British Asians Labour has always been the Party of equality for all. I am proud that we stood up for British Asians, and other immigrant communities, when too many individuals and institutions wallowed in racism.

We have made huge advances since, but the battle to treat all people as of equal value is never finally won. That is one reason why a Labour vote is so vital on June 8.

This general election is about simple choices like that. Do we want a government that will continue to serve the interests of an elite few, or one that will deliver a society that works for the many? The Conservatives have cut our NHS to the bone, classrooms are overflowing and our schools are strapped for cash.

Crime is at record levels, wages have declined and whole regions in the UK have been left behind, without jobs or investment.

But Tory government has worked for some. They have given tax breaks to corporations and millionaires, while pushing the burden onto the rest of us. Under their plans working families are set to be £2,500 worse off every year. The rich have got richer, while the majority of people have seen wages go down, costs go up and living standards stagnate.

Labour will rebalance our economy so that everyone has the opportunity to lead a better life. I believe we should all be able to fulfil our potential. But at the moment, too many people are being held back. The small business-owner who wants to grow their business but is struggling with the hike in business rates. The young person who wants to train as a nurse but can’t afford the fees. The person who works two jobs but still isn’t earning enough to make ends meet – all are being held back.

Britain deserves better. We need schools with smaller classes, more training and skills development opportunities, support for entrepreneurs and startups, affordable hous-

ing, and a guarantee that those who wish to come to the UK to study at one of our excellent universities or share their skills in our tech companies will receive a Great British welcome. Labour will reverse cuts to taxes on corporations and the super rich to give our vital services the funding they need.Labour will invest to protect our schools and our NHS. Our public services are precious resources which sustain us through good times and bad and we owe it to the dedicated teachers and healthcare staff who labour in difficult conditions to help them to help us.

But we will ensure that 95% of the population (those earning less than £80,000) do not pay a penny more in income tax. Unlike the Tories we’ve pledged to not increase National Insurance or raise VAT. We’ll also invest in infrastructure, transport and skills to create high-quality jobs and build a high-tech, low carbon economy, fit for the twenty first century. This election is not a re-run of the EU referendum. The decision to leave the European Union has been settled. But there is still a stark difference between a Tory Brexit that will risk jobs and social protections in order to turn Britain into a low-wage tax haven and a Labour Brexit that will put jobs and rights first. create. The Labour approach means a Brexit that works for every community and ordinary people, and not just the establishment. We owe it to the next generation to build a better Britain.

Labour will embark on an ambitious but realistic programme to rebuild and transform Britain. To build a country where children of all backgrounds can grow up to fulfil their dreams and to help shape a better society.

If you share these values – values deeply rooted in the Asian community - join us on June 8th and vote Labour, for a Britain that works for the many, not the few.

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8

UK

www.asian-voice.com AsianVoiceNews

Asian Voice | 20th May 2017

Indian-Origin Doctor warned against Cyber Attack that took down NHS An Indian-Origin London-based doctor reportedly had warned against the recent cyberhack of the UK's state-run National Health Services, two days before it hit the entire network. In an article published in the British Medical Journal, Neurology Registrar at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Dr Krishna Chinthapalli alerted that major number of hospitals could be shut down by ransomware attacks, highlighting the vulnerability of the NHS network.

He noted an incident at Papworth Hospital near Cambridge where a nurse clicked on a malicious link and malware infected her computer and began to encrypt sensitive files. He

wrote, “Fortunately, the hospital's daily data backup had just been completed. The IT director admitted that they were very lucky, saying, 'Timing absolutely was everything for us'. We should be prepared: more hospitals will almost certainly be shut down by ransomware this year.”

45 organisations of the NHS network from London to Scotland, was hit by a large-scale cyber-hack by an international criminal gang last week, throwing the entire system off track. Patients of the state-funded currently face chaos with appointments and surgeries being cancelled.

Dr Krishna Chinthapalli

Head of the UK's National Cyber Security Centre, Ciaran Martin said his team was doing everything in its capacity.

“We are very aware that attacks on critical services such as the NHS have a

The Silver Screen Divas A unique fundraiser for maternal health in India

massive impact on individuals and their families, and we are doing everything in our power to help them restore these vital services. It's important to understand that cyber attacks can be different from other forms of crime in that their sometimes highly technical and anonymous nature means it can take some time to understand how it worked, who was behind it and what the impact is.”

Currently, severely ill patients are being diverted to unaffected hospitals.

Ambulances are also being diverted from affected hospitals to others. The largest trust in the country, London's Barts Health NHS Trust cancelled all outpatient appointments at five of its hospitals.

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Afghan child found walking around Heathrow

An Afghan child found straying around Heathrow Airport has been temporarily placed in council care by a court. The boy, thought to be 12, said his trip was “planned and paid for by his mother”, who thought he would have a “better and safer” life in Britain.

Social services bosses at Hillingdon Council asked Justice Theis to decide the boy's future. She said he should go into council care.

“There is some uncertainty as to precisely how he arrived at Heathrow Airport, and what methods

of transport he had between Afghanistan and the United Kingdom,” she said. “The whereabouts of his mother are unknown and it would be impossible to return (him) to her care in Afghanistan at this time.” He will be looked after by a foster care until a family court comes to a decision.

The judge added it was right that council bosses should be able to exercise parental responsibility and that Home Office officials would make decisions about his immigration status.

AWAs – Inspiring others to champion progress and success Dhiren Katwa

Charusmita The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists’ (RCOG) India Liaison Group (RILG) hosted a fund raising event on Saturday, 13th May at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. The RILG is a body of obstetricians, gynaecologists and trainees of Indian origin based in the UK. The event was uniquely conceptualised as a tribute to women of Indian cinema titled “The Silver Screen Divas”. This was the third fundraising event by RILG after the successful Gala Fund Raising Event last year. Till now, they have raised £7,300 from the previous two events plus £3,500 from Saturday’s event. The fund is used to extend help to maternal health in rural India as well as to run training and educational courses such as perineal repair courses and essential gynaecological service courses for healthcare workers in the impoverished regions in India.

The Chief Guests for the evening were Professor Lesley Regan (President, RCOG), and Dr. Aseem Vohra, Second Secretary (Public Diplomacy) at the High Commission of India.

Dr. Vohra conveyed a special message to the members of RCOG on behalf of the Deputy High Commissioner of India, HE Shri Dinesh Patnaik, and said that they are proud to be able to extend any kind of assistance or guidance to the RCOG for its commendable work in

India.

The show took the audience through decades of Hindi cinema in India since its inception.

The event had music and dance performances by members from their group of doctors who are eminent in their fields and simultaneously have keen interest in performing arts. They were accompanied by professional singers as well as The 515 Crew’s music. Each decade’s music was dedicated to the most notable women of the silver screen – both on and off it.

From Nargis to Nutan, from Wahida Rehman to Sharmila Tagore, from Asha Bhonsle and Lata Mangeshkar to Geeta Dutt, the show lit up the stage with lights, colours and extraordinary musical talent, while the audience enjoyed the nostalgia.

The performances were strung together by a storyline narrated by Ashwini Kinhikar (of Lyca Dil Se Radio fame) accompanied by Greg Ward.

Noted classical singer Chiranjib Chakraborty held the audience with his classical renditions of popular Hindi film songs, ranging from the musical hits of 1970s to AR Rahman’s music in the film Bombay in 1995. The unique point of the show was that each song was sung on the stage with a live dance performance – bringing alive the magic of the yesteryears. It was conceived, conceptualised and scripted by Sharmishtha Guha and directed by her and noted musician Chiranjib Chakraborty.

Again, for the 18th year, the Asian Women of Achievement Awards (AWAs) bestowed trophies upon 10 female ambassadors, each a role model in their respective professional sector.

Guests, resplendent in dazzling outfits, entered the Hilton Park Lane through its swivelling doors and headed up the red-carpeted stairs to the champagne reception, then to The Ballroom where the awards were presented. The event last Wednesday was compered by BBC London News presenter Riz Lateef and included a four-course meal.

Anoushe Husain, a civil servant, para-climber and cancer survivor, clinched the Sport Award.

Born with one arm, she is a champion for all those suffering with self-limiting beliefs and society’s misconceptions.

The Public Service Award went to Dr Harjinder Kaur, a social researcher specialising in child and women’s rights and gender equality.

This prestigious round-table event – hosted this year in association with Natwest - is the brainchild of Pinky Lilani CBE DL, a humble lady. Donning a glittering sari on the night, Pinky described the almost 60 finalists “dedicated and determined”. She added: “I feel so proud to stand with this group of inspiring women”.

VIP guests included Home Secretary Amber Rudd, Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott, Sir Nicholas Young, former CEO of the British Red Cross and Cherie Booth QC. This year the Chair of the judging panel, which comprised of 21 judges, 16 female, 5 male, was Chief Magistrate for England & Wales Lady Emma Arbuthnot.

Jaspreet Sangha, better known as ‘Behind the Netra’ for her poetry, won the Arts & Culture Award.

Winners at the AWA

A history teacher at St Marylebone School in London, Jaspreet’s work tackles issues related to gender discrimination, mental health stigma and decolonisation. The Business Award went to Raj Dohil, a business & HR graduate from London Metropolitan University.

She is a role model at Enterprise Rent-a-Car, overseeing recruitment for close to 100 branches.

The Media Award was scooped

by BBC TV and radio presenter Shay Grewal. She was the first high profile Asian to join BBC West Midlands on her afternoon show with husband Sunny and now presents 7 days a week.

Vidhita Joshi and Vandita Pant were joint winners of the Professions Award.

Vidhisha is one of the UK’s youngest law firm managing partners. Under her leadership her employer has increased turnover by £1mn in the last 3 years.

Vandita is the most senior female Asian working in the world’s largest natural resources company. At 47, she has already had a stellar career with diverse executive roles in treasury and financial markets in India, Singapore, Japan and the UK. Sadaf Farooqi, Professor of Metabolism & Medicine at the University of Cambridge, clinched

the Science & Technology Award.

She is also a Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellow. The Social & Humanitarian Award went to Sofia Buncy, Prisoner Rehabilitation & Community Development Coordinator at Muslim Hands UK. Her career has centred on social justice and gender equality in disadvantaged communities.

Anoushka Babbar was crowned Young Achiever.

Anoushka is Head of Regulatory Policy and Government Relations at the London Stock Exchange Group. Sunaina Sinha was name Entrepreneur. She was among 6 finalists. She is the only female founder and managing partner of a private equity advisory business in Europe and is one of less than 7% of women in private equity who holds a senior position.

The Chairman’s Award was presented to Fatima Zaman, CVE Advocate, The Kofi Annan Foundation.

The Global Empowerment Award went to British Prime Minister the Rt Hon Theresa May who had sent her apologies. This award “recognises the work of a remarkable individual who exemplifies outstanding leadership, responsibility and courage and has inspired others to champion progress and success.”

UK Asian Voice | 20th May 2017

www.asian-voice.com AsianVoiceNews

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Getting Into The BBC Rani Singh, Special Assignments Editor

Another Senior Indian Helping Grow the BBC This is a story of how one British Indian made her way into the BBC and has flourished there for over three decades. She is now working on the biggest expansion the BBC has ever initiated.

Describing herself

Rani says she would describe herself as a skilled HR professional with proven multi-tasking organisational abilities: identifying, planning, implementing and developing HR & Recruitment strategies and systems. She says that she is particularly driven by delivering the right people, at the right time for the business. She has a record of success as a senior recruitment professional in media and publishing. Creating a compelling vision, devising an engaging strategy and making it happen in the service of engaging the best talent for the BBC is her passion. All whilst balancing commercials, innovation and candidate experience. In her spare time she likes to paint abstract art!

Qualified with a distinction in the Institute of Marketing Diploma Rani has always approached her work and life with a creativity of thought designed to not just look at the obvious result but to ensure all options are considered to achieve the desired outcome.

Her working life started in April 1984 with a 12 month work experience placement with the BBC in Birmingham, which was required as part of the BA Business Studies course she was doing at Wolverhampton Polytechnic. The break came after she conscientiously wrote speculative letters to over 140 employers in and around the Midlands. The BBC (she remembers clearly to this day her 120th letter) answered her plea to take her on a paid placement and she never left! This work placement seamlessly played to her strengths and aspirations. With an HR focus she built her career working initially in regional news and local programmes and two years ago she turned her attention to Central Resourcing & Talent Attraction pan BBC, but soon returned to her first love of Resourcing for BBC News Group.

Background

Rani, born in Birmingham and the eldest of five children, recalls she was the first to go to University in the family and it was only

9

ing to improve the client after she managed to perand candidate experience; suade her Dad and Uncles her team provides proacthe merits of further edutive candidate engagement, cation was she given the go focusing on candidate ahead. Having failed all her attraction, talent pooling GCSEs the first time round and mapping. she went on to win a colThe BBC News lege prize for achievGroup, formed in ing the highest April 2011 incorpoprogress when rates BBC Network she passed all Leading on the News — News her GCSEs and gained a recruitment for Channels, Mobile and place at Online, the largest University.

Current Affairs, expansion in H e r Daily News mum and the BBC since P r o g r a m m e s , dad Newsgathering, the 1940s Shavinder and and Production Bhajan Dosanjh Operations teams — are from the along with English Punjab in India, a vilRegions and the World lage called Dosanjh Kalan Service Group. The News just outside Phagwara.

Group makes up more than They came over to the UK a third of the BBC with in the early 1960s, where over 8,500 staff around the Dad worked in iron UK and the world serving a foundries in Smethwick; huge variety of audiences.

Mum held a number of Rani’s latest talking point is the expansion of part-time roles in-between the BBC World Service bringing up Rani and her the largest expansion since siblings. They both are the 1940s, meaning it will now retired and live in Wolverhampton. soon be available in forty languages including English.

Over the next Latest Challenge three years to 2020, Rani is leading on the recruitRani took up her current ment of 1400 roles (UK & role as the Lead overseas) for 12 new serResourcing and Talent vices soon to launch in the Business Partner for News, following languages – Radio and the Korean; Oromo; Amharic; International Group in Tigrinya; Gujarati; Telugu; September 2016. Aligned Punjabi; Marathi; Yoruba; to the BBC News Group Pidgin Igbo and Serbian, she now leads an in-house and there will be signifiteam of 23 recruiters based cant investment into new across the UK delivering platforms and proan exemplary end to end grammes. resourcing function for all Check out the latest permanent and fixed term vacancies on the dedicated contract hires. Rani says BBC website for World that this essentially Service: involves workforce planwww.bbc.co.uk/wscareers ning to collaborative work-

Dealing with Inheritance Tax: Part 1 – The Basics

Kishan Devani Consultant

The great Benjamin Franklin once said “The only things certain in life are death and taxes!”. He must certainly have been referring to Inheritance Tax. How nice would it be to know that after a long life of hard work, all the fruits of our efforts will pass on to our offspring? Unless prior planning is put in place, her Majesty's Government will take a big chunk of the fruits of our labour in the form of Inheritance Tax (IHT).

The idea behind IHT is that instead of wealth staying in the hands of wealthy families in perpetuity, once a person passes on; some of their

Rani Randhawa

accumulated wealth is given to the government to redistribute to the poor.

The argument against IHT is that it is unfair to punitively tax the family of a deceased individual who has worked hard to accumulate his wealth – often at their expense. A further argument against the current model of IHT is that with house values having grown exponentially in recent years; even those who are not particularly wealthy, fall into the IHT trap. The government has addressed this issue to some extent by recently introducing the Main Residence Nil Rate Band. which by tax year 2020/21 will allow married/civil partner couples to pass on up to £1,000,000 IHT free.

IHT is a tax on money and possessions you leave behind when you die, and on some gifts you make during your lifetime. However, a certain amount can be passed on tax-free. This is known as the 'Nil Rate Band' (NRB).

Everyone currently has an NRB of £325,000. If you are single and die with an estate worth more than £325,000

(including money, property, investments and chattels but after deducting debts and expenses such as funeral costs), 40% tax will become due on anything above £325,000. In addition to this if you own your main residence you will have an additional £100,000 IHT allowance which will rise to £175,000 by tax year 2020/21.

For example, if you leave behind an estate worth £1,200,000 including your main residence the tax bill will be £310,000 (40% on £775,000 – the difference between £1,200,000 and £425,000). However, if you are married, you may be able to leave more than this before paying tax.

Married couples are allowed to pass their possessions and assets to each other tax-free and the surviving partner is now allowed to use both IHT tax-free allowances (providing one wasn’t used at the first death). At the extreme, this effectively doubles the amount the surviving partner can leave behind taxfree without the need for special tax planning.

Of course, in an ideal world, everything that you have spent your life accumulating would be passed on to your children and grand-children, untouched. The reality is that Inheritance Tax (IHT) can eat up almost half of your hard-earned wealth.

Having covered the basics of IHT, let me share a couple of the most basic approaches that can be used to mitigate the amount of IHT that your estates will have to pay on your demise.

Spend, spend, spend!

One sure-fire way to reduce the amount of IHT that will be payable when you die is to spend as much as possible in your lifetime. The less you leave behind, the less that needs to be paid in IHT. Of course this has two main drawbacks. Firstly it would mean that less will be passed on to your children and grand-children. There are people who would say “I’ve worked hard to accumulate my wealth, now I want to enjoy it. If my kids want to have wealth, let them accumulate it for themselves.”

Secondly most people don’t

know how long they will live so if you do spend, spend, spend you just might run out of money!

Gifting

The most common way used to ensure that your wealth passes to your children and grandchildren is to make gifts to them during your lifetime.

There are a few of caveats to this, which make many people consider alternative approaches. l Once you have made a gift, you lose control of the gift, which may mean that the gift is used in a way you do not approve of or is wasted in a way you may think of as trivial. l The Seven-Year Rule. Any amount can be gifted outright with no limit, however when making a gift, it is important to be aware that the amount gifted is only considered to be out of your estate after seven whole years have passed from when the gift was made.

There is a tapered scale from the third year after the gift was made, after which a percentage of the gift is considered to be out of your estate.

If you die in the third year,

The value of your investments can go down as well as up and past performance of an investment is not necessarily a guide to future performance.

20% of the gift is considered to be out of your IHT estate; in the fourth year, 40%; in the fifth year, 60%; in the sixth year, 80%; only from the end of the seventh year onwards is the gift considered to be totally out of your estate. l If you don’t think you will live seven years, then it is important to realise that gifting to your children and grand-children will not necessarily ensure that the gift is outside of your estate.

Inheritance Tax Planning can be considered a complex area, you should always seek professional financial advice.

The value of your investments can go down as well as up and past performance of an investment is not necessarily a guide to future performance.

For more information, please contact Kishan Devani (Consultant): 020 8953 3444 E-mail; Kishan Devani@hbfs.co.uk

10

READERS’ VOICE

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Asian Voice | 20th May 2017

Mother’s Day May 14th was Mother's Day in North America and few days before I read on the front page of the Toronto Star about a motivating and very courageous 44 years old Indian woman and mother named Precilla Veigas who migrated from India with her husband and young daughter in 2005 and who earned the PhD she dreamed of in spite of terminal cancer and only having a few months to live.

On that day she received her PhD degree during special ceremony at the University of Toronto's Massey College in advance of official convocations next month and attended by about 45 relatives, friends and colleagues who alternatively whooped and wiped tears during her five minutes speech.

Dr Sandro Rizoli, Veigas's supervising professor and chief of trauma care at St.Michael's Hospital told the gathering - It represents "an exceptional accomplishment by an exceptional person" who determined to become a medical researcher. She was diagnosed with terminal cancer halfway through her doctoral studies in 2015 and given six months to live.

Despite the dire prognosis, she refused to abandon her academic dream but instead used the work she was so passionate about to focus her mind and help her cope with the onslaught of medical tests and treatment followed. Her exceptional journey and strong mind is an ideal example to all of us when we are going through ups and downs and hard times in our lives and even faced with trivial problem we easily get frustrated and loose hopes.

Suresh and Bhavna Patel Markham, Canada

Closure of South Harrow Police station

The proposal to close down South Harrow Police station is a bolt out of the blue. As far as Harrow residents are concerned it is unacceptable. It should now become one of the general election issue for all the Parliamentary candidates standing in Harrow East and in Harrow West constituencies. Harrow which is an important London borough opposes such an action by the Metropolitan Police.

Harrow could be left with just one police counters under the Metropolitan Police's new estate plan. The force is proposing to shut the volunteer-run Pinner Police Station in Waxwell Lane, Pinner, and close the office hours crime reporting counter at Harrow Civic Centre in Station Road - itself created due to the closure of the counter at Harrow Police Station in Northolt Road, South Harrow. This would only leave the Harrow Central Police Station at Kirkland House in Peterborough Road, Harrow, which would open round the clock.

Rising knife crime is being caused by a cocktail of a reduction in stop and search, increased sales on the dark web of weapons such as the foot-long “zombie knife”, and a burgeoning culture of youth violence, Scotland Yard police chiefs have said.

Metropolitan police commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe ordered a reduction and better targeting of stop and search in 2011 in an effort to use it more effectively.

The reports comes after a warning by the Inspectorate of Constabulary, the government’s police watchdog, that police in Britain are in a “potentially perilous state” due to the significant cuts to the force’s budget.

The Conservative Government’s austerity measures would see the Met lose £1 billion (US$1.25 billion) by 2020.) “It’s a lot of money and a massive change and as a result of that, I genuinely worry about the safety of London. We think we can expect to lose somewhere between 5,000 to 8,000 police officers,” Metropolitan Police Chief Bernard Hogan-Howe commented on the cuts to the London Evening Standard.“ Baldev Sharm Rayners Lane, Harrow

Caste discrimination

The Conservative party is on the verge of making caste discrimination illegal even though there is not a shrad of evidence that there is caste discrimination in the UK. The Hindu community would like all candidates from all major parties to declare their stand on this issue.

I ask Virendra Sharma, Seema Malhotra,Navin Shah, Priti Patel, Bob Blackman, Ameet Jogia, Kishan Devani, Barry Gardiner, Keith Vaz and others to tell us where they stand on this issue. Are they for or against this issue, If they are against will they make every effort to take it off the agenda of their parties?

This is important because this legislation has the potential to criminalise the whole of Hindu community as well as Sikhs and Jains. No party or candidates should take our votes for granted.

Theresa May has also announced that she supports fox hunting and will give a free vote in parliament for its reintroduction. By making this announcement the Conservatives are likely to lose tens of thousands of votes.

Vast majority of people in this country oppose fox hunting. Again we would like to hear from both Labour and Conservative candidates where they stand on this issue, I hope we will get a response from the candidates through the medium of Asian Voice.

Nitin Mehta Croydon

Prince Philip deserves a happy retirement

Normally a saying we heard often is, “Behind every successful man, there is a support and understanding of a devoted woman. For Her Majesty, the longest serving British Monarch, it is other way round!

Prince Philip has stood by her for over seven decades, performing 22K solo engagements and over 400 foreign trips. Now approaching his 96th birthday, he would bow out from public life but will still attend a few, selected public functions of his choice.

Fortunately for Her Majesty, she has devoted and intelligent family members to fill the gap, especially Princess Ann, Prince Charles and in Prince William, Harry and Duchess of Cambridge, the young, charming royals who are as much in demand as the Queen herself. So there is no fear of Royal Family members disappearing from our TV screen.

As widely reported in print media, Prince Philip is also famous for his various gaffes that show he is human after all with easy going, unintrusively manner. The most famous was the one he made in China to British students that if they stay there too long, they will all develop slanting eyes!

Let us wish him a happy retirement he so richly deserves for his lifelong service to the nation.

Kumudini Valambia By email

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Hinduism

I read with some indignation the above article in AV of the 13th May. Gandhiji was from the very religious family and strict with all the tenets of Sanatan Dharma, later called Hinduism like truth, non violence, vegetarianism and knew the Bhagwat Gita, Ramayan, Mahabharat, etc. If someone like the Jain Philosopher Rajchandraji's beliefs agree with Gandhi's doesn't make him his Mentor. It's a fib of Dineshbhai's mind! All Indian leaders knew about Satya, Ahinsa but confused as to how to fight the mighty British Raj when all its soldiers were also Indians! It's his experience in South Africa and strategy and selfess civil disobdience Satya and Ahinsa struggle in India that won Independence! Gandhi was a well-read person. He learnt about passive non-violence resistance from Leo Tolstoy which he experimented in South Africa. He studied the situation in India, started weekly newspaper, invited Nedia from all over the world, raised the patriotism in all Indians, banned the use of British goods and textiles, started spinning own clothes and started civil disobedient Independence struggle together with all leaders like Nehru, Sardar Patel, Jimmah, Sarojini Naidu and others!

With due respect to all religions I want to make a point: in 6 Century B. C. Buddhism and Jainism flourished together! Siddharth Gautam, a son of land owner wanted to know how to come out of vicious circle of birth, old age, diseases and death, so he kept going from Nepal to Bharat and learnt from some Rishis to renounce worldly desires which beget greed, anger, hatred, violence, ego, spite, simple life, pray and meditate on God. Likewise Jainism also started. But Bhagwat Gita from which most religions sprouting is in Sanskrit, it's very hard to understand properly. As such Swami Vivekanand was disappointed with the agnosticism of Buddhism and atheism of Jainism which question the existence of God! Nothing works or exists without God! Upendra Kapadia By email

Injustices

It is unfortunate that most of Jubel Cruz’s previous published letters seek to convey the same hatred & tired old message of the perceived ill treatment of the Christian minority in a secular and democratic India with an independent Judiciary and a Constitution which protects minority rights. Almost every letter he writes is portrayed as a perpetual battle between the minority Christians and majority Hindus! There must be a fresh topic that he can write about! For example, the injustices done to the Kashmiri Pandits who are still living as refugeees in their own country? Majority Hindus illtreated by minority Muslims. Perhaps Jubel can only see & write about the injustices against his Christian community rather than rise above the politics of narrow communalism. In the interest of humanity, would it not be refershing to see him highlight injustices sufferred by other faith communities in India? After all, Christianilty (like all major relegions) teaches respect and compassion for all of humanity.

The 2nd para of Jubel's letter betrays perhaps the real reason for the alleged destruction of crosses i.e. the property developers greed for land. Greed is an evil and it seems to me that the property developers would mete out similar treatment to the majority community to grab land. This allegation should therefore be correctly portrayed as a story about unscrupulous developers against landowners rather than a story about majority vs minority community. Unlike communist China, Indian democaracy affords the victims the right to challenge the destruction of crosses in Court and take action against the Municipality.

Dinesh Avanti By email

India’s space diplomacy

While America’s “Space Programme” is in transient stage and Russia’s space technology outdated, using 1950s rocket technology, Space race is now between super rich China and technically advanced India with home grown, far superior technology costing fraction of what it would cost in the West to put a satellite in orbit. India’s recent launch of multi-purpose satellite weighing 2230 kg, orbiting earth at the height of 36000km with life-span of 12 years is a gift to her six neighbours, namely Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka who until now depended upon China and Russia for weather forecast and other such information transmitted from Space. India should add other friendly countries like Myanmar (Burma) Thailand and especially Vietnam with whom India has close military ties, trains her army and sells arms, especially missiles.

India’s Space Agency ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) has gained world-wide reputation as one of the most advanced and cost effective home grown space industry in the world, capable of putting up to 45 satellites in space with one launch, having landed rockets on Moon and Mars at first attempt, Mars being the only planet in our solar system with the possibility of having very primitive micro life. China is hell-bent on economically colonizing and militarily subjugating the world with passive, submissive cooperation from fiduciary, sleep-walking West, with enlightened India the only nation who could thwart China’s evil intention; hence India is China’s enemy number one.

Bhupendra M. Gandhi By email

Make your home your castle

Incidents of Indian people, particularly us Gujaratis, being robbed in their own homes are on the rise. Robbers have formed the impression that Indians have gold jewellery and other valuables in their homes and that they are too weak to defend themselves.

They therefore target Indian homes to take advantage of this. The burglars, who are strong people of Eastern European or west Indian descent, enter Indian homes at night even when the occupants are asleep and beat them up black and blue to the extent that they bleed profusely and need hospital treatment after the event.

Imagine yourself being woken up at night to be confronted by a man weilding a knife and threatening to harm you. It must be very frightening experience. People who are victims would probably live the rest of their lives on a knife edge, being jittery and afraid to go to bed at night and so stay awake whole night. They will be scarred for life.

Investing in strong mortice locks on doors and windows and fitting burglar alarms could deter these intruders. Also, installing timers on some lights which come on and off will make people think that you are at home and awake.This could go someway in providing safety. Panic buttons at the bedside which make the alarm go off could also be useful.

Dinesh Sheth Newbury Park, Ilford

UK Asian Voice | 20th May 2017

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Young Entrepreneur Tani Dulay leads on £13m Midland regeneration scheme Developer Woodbourne Group has this week submitted a planning application for a 70-unit home scheme at West Bromwich’s Black Lake.

The planning application seeks permission to demolish the part-derelict industrial estate to make way for a £13m project. If the application is approved, the demolition work is likely to start at the end of this summer.

Tani Singh Dulay, CEO of Woodbourne Group, supporting the Government’s white paper on housing, said: “Notwithstanding current increased market uncertainty following the snap election, Woodbourne Group remains in robust health to capitalise on a continuing benign land

market with £10m under offer on sites in the region and a pipeline now close to £50m.”

Adrian Bailey, Member of Parliament for West Bromwich West said: “I welcome the news of Woodbourne Group’s new build scheme at Black Lake as it is projects like this that can add even greater value to the geographical area but can also give a

boost to the local economy.” Tani Singh Dulay, who at just 25, is believed to be the youngest CEO of any property development company in the Midlands.

Woodbourne Group is behind the development of Birmingham’s first £4 million house. Due to complete in early 2018, it is set to be the most expensive residential property in the city’s history.

Children going 'days without seeing parents' Many UK children are going for days without seeing their parents because of the stresses and strains of modern life, a charity is warning. Some 27% of 1,207 parents surveyed for the British Heart Foundation said they were too busy, in an average day, to spend any time with their children. Nearly three in 10 parents said they left

the house, without seeing their children, at least once a week. The charity said the "daily grind" was driving families apart. One in 10 of the 2,300 UK adults surveyed on the issue said the last time they spent quality time with their family was over a year ago.

Of this total, 1,207 respondents were parents. Of these, three out of five par-

ents worried that they were spending far less time with their family than when they themselves were young.

Although work appears to be the biggest obstacle to family time for parents, some 42% were concerned that social media was distracting their children from quality family time when at home.

11

New interactive space offers right prescription for flexible learning The University of Wolverhampton has invested £1/2 million in new interactive teaching spaces offering Pharmacy students the right prescription for flexible learning.

First, second and third year students studying on the Pharmacy Master’s degree course (MPharm) are benefiting from new £250,000 Team Based Learning facilities which have been introduced at the University’s City Campus in Wolverhampton.

The structured classroom space is equipped with touch screen technology and mobile classroom seating – all designed to create a collaborative and flexible learning environment and encourage student

teamwork.

The University has also invested £250,000 in a new Pharmacy Practice Suite to support clinical aspects of the course. The Pharmacy course was successfully reaccredited in 2014.

Dr Rebecca Butler, Senior Lecturer in Pharmaceutical Chemistry in the Faculty of Science and Engineering, said: “The idea behind Team Based Learning is to provide students with selfdirected learning with focus on increased integration of subjects.

“The learning is active rather than static, encouraging teamwork which provides students with opportunities to engage more with their peers – complete-

ly changing the ethos of how we deliver Pharmacy education.”

Tesha Gunputh, third year Pharmacy student, said: “One of the main skills that Pharmacy students need is communication and through Team Based Learning I’ve definitely been able to build on my communication skills.

There are people who are really good at maths, really good at chemistry or biology so the fact that you can get that team mix really helps with your learning.”

Anyone interested in studying Pharmacy should visit the next Open Day on Saturday 17th June 2017 or e m a i l SOPAdmissions@wlv.ac.uk to find out more.

Parents should be offered 'childcare passport' Politicians are being urged to simplify the way they fund free childcare for preschool children by creating what is being dubbed a "childcare passport".

The National Day Nurseries Association idea would draw all existing funding streams into one account which parents could then use as they choose. The body, which represents 20,000 independent nurseries, says the current funding system is too

complicated. The idea could "solve" the childcare issue for the long term, it said.

NDNA chief executive Purnima Tanuku said it would put families at the heart of childcare, cut bureaucracy and allow nurseries to get on with car-

ing for and educating children. The three main political parties back the continuation of free childcare for pre-school children.

In England, there are four main funding streams employer-supported childcare vouchers, tax-free childcare (which is due to be introduced this year), various free early years entitlements, depending on the age of the child, and any help via tax credits or universal credit.

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MEDIA WATCH

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Asian Voice | 20th May 2017

Indian TV audiences were agog by the new channel fronted by the enfant terrible Arnab Goswami. True to his robust nononsense style, he squared up to his quarry, the smooth talking, man-about-man and unemployable Congress politician, Shashi Tharoor. Tharoor’s makeover as a born again, hot gospelling patriot demanding that Britain pay India an indemnity for the damage of two iniquitous centuries rule is the desperate attempt to resurrect a fading political areer.

Arnab Goswami

Shashi Tharoor

Goswami raised the seemingly dormant mysterious death of the estranged Mrs Tharoor and wheels of justice that grind exceeding small and frequently not too well - in other words, he asked why the investigative agencies were so lack lustre in unearthing the truth. It was already established that the late Mrs Tharoor didn’t take too kindly to rumours of her husband’s fling with a Pakistani female journalist. Mr Tharoor in high dudgeon fired a broadside at Goswami’s penchant for scurrilous scandal. The duel between these verbal pugilists is set to continue in the public sphere.

Not an uplifting sight perhaps, but entertainment of a sort.

exponential spread of television, which had brought the world beyond to the doorstep rural society; and (c) mobile telephony has given 180 million Indians in the countryside access to the internet. Professor spoke to a young girl in a village with a smartphone reading a Bengali newspaper on its screen. She said she couldn’t do without it even for a day, such were her needs. Das wondered whether Gandhi would have approved. Science and industrialization were not in accord with his idea of pastoral bliss. Nor did a new industrial order gel with the Luddites who denounced the satanic mills for destroying England’s green and pleasant land. The forces changing the face of rural India have reduced more poverty in a decade than was achieved in a century and more of moral exhortation.

Market surge

To matters more serious. The Met Office has forecast a bountiful monsoon in the coming months, better even than last year’s good monsoon. Markets surged at the news, led by consumer-packaged goods and fertilizer firms. Rural demand is one of the principal drivers of industrial growth, stimulates economic expansion, upends prosperity which, in turn, lead to bigger Indian pockets. (Business Line, Mint May 10, 11).

Bengal’s changing rural hinterland

Rabindranath Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi, in their different ways, spent much time and energy cogitating the futture of rural India. Professor Samantak Das of Jadavpur University’s Department of Comparative Literature and an active member of an NGO, recently visited to the Birbhum district of Bengal. He summed up his experiences in a well thought out edit-page article in the Telegraph (May 10).

Significant changes

Das was struck by three elements of an ongoing socio-econmic transformation, led by (a) the extensive improvement in mass transport, thanks largely to the availability of relatively cheap two-wheelers, motorbikes, scooters, mopeds and bicycles.; (b) the

More Pinaka systems for Army

Adding fire power to its artillery, the Indian Army is looking to induct eight indigenously developed multi-barrel rocket launcher systems. These have been developed by two private companies: Larsen & Toubro and Tata in association with the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO). All three entities have planned upgrades of the system, as and when required (Business Line April 20).

FGFA India-Russia deal ready

India and Russia are set to sign the clinching multi-billion agreement for the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) following protracted negotiations on all issues concerning the parties. An Indian official privy to these talks said: ‘We are co-developers.

There is nothing called technology transfer in this project. India has equal rights. We will have the wherewithal to continue production. We are equal partners in this project.’ Be that as it may, there were a multitude of significant issues such work share, transfer of Russian codes to India for upgrades as and when required. These and the sum of the contributions of the parties

are now settled (Press Trust of India, May 7).

India-Australia expand defence ties

Indian warships will exercise with Australia’s off Australia’s west coast. In 2015, a similar naval exercise took place on India’s east coast in the Bay of Bengal. Both sides agree that the time has come for their bilateral defence ties to deepen within a broader Asia-Pacific security architecture. Hence plans are afoot to invite Australia to join the US and Japan in the prized Malabar naval exercise in the Indian Ocean. This alignment reflects their growing unease at China’s muscle-flexing attitude on contentious issues with littoral states in the South China Sea. (Telegraph May 10).

Robots drive Maruti’s Manesar plant

It is an arresting spectacle: a man is looking intently at the screen before him. He presses a button at the precise moment and a robot picks up the panel of car door and welds it to the body. The slightest delay on his part would have aborted the outcome. This is the interface of men and machines where a car panel is produced every 10 seconds. The men are highly trained. Welcome to the 600-acre Manesar site in

IndiGo airline plane

purchasing 50 ATR 72-500 aircraft at $1.3 billion. The airline’s move to induct smaller turboprop aircraft to cut fuel costs and expand its reach into domestic regional routes. The company’s has thus far serviced its operation with the narrow-bodied Airbus A-320 jet aircraft (May 10).

Indian protest to Canada

Passenger vehicles up 15 per cent

Sales of passenger vehicles rose by 15 per cent in April overlast year’s figure for the same month.

These sales grew to 277,000 units in April compared to 242,000 units in April of the previous year. Growth was driven by small cars such as Maruti Suzuki’s Balero and Tata Motors Tiago.

The trend is set to continue through the current fiscal (Mint May 10).

IndiGo spreads its wings

Air carrier IndiGo’s profits for the full financial year 2016-17 registered its nine consecutive yearly profit. The airline, India’s largest by 40 per cent of market share, has announced its intention of

arrested, let alone brought to court for trial. The bombers were trained in the US by ex-CIA operatives. A US Senator at the time cited this as an example of free enterprise.

Know your supposed friends, would be the wisest advice.

Beware serpent’s tongue

Retired Indian official from the UN and other such bodies are a toxic species much given to tendering advice to Indian ministers in the saddle. Sitting on a nest egg themselves after long years as filing clerks serving a multitude of masters, their purported sage counsel to those in the corridors of power in Delhi is that India

Canadian PM Trudeau at Khalsa Day in Toronto

Maruti automobile facility at Manesar (Haryana)

Haryana, where Maruti Suzuki, India’s top automobile manufacturer is making its acclaimed Dzire model for the market. The facility has three plants. Behind the scenes there are 4,200 pieces of equipment and 2,400 robots (Business Line May 9)

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

India has protested to Canada at the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s presence at a Khalsa Day celebration in Toronto, which included Khalistani leaders. ‘We have taken up such issues in the past with the government of Canada, and in this particular instance, I can tell you, practice has not been discontinued,’ said Gopal Reddy, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi.

Honouring terrorists

On April 30, the Khalsa Day parade included floats glorifying Khalistani terrorists Jarnail Singh Bindranwale, Amreek Singh and former General Shahbeg Singh. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh refused to meet the visiting Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan for his Khalistani links (Hindu May 11) One may recall the Air India plane from Canada crashed off the Irish coast in June 1985, killing 328 passengers and crew, was the result of Khalistani explosives placed in the aircraft.

To this day, nobody has been

must heed the ‘core interests’ of every contending power and renounce its own in the interests of peace and stability. Arun Jaitley, India’s concurrent Finance and Defence Minister doesn’t sees it this way, having turned down Beijing’s invitation to participate in China’s ‘One Belt, One Road project.

One Mukul Sanwal on the edit-page of the Hindu newspaper (May11) advised India to fall in with China’s One Belt, One Road project in India’s long-term interest and put aside short-term interests. Much the same counsel was offered to Czech leaders by British and French ministers in October 1938 when Hitler’s was constructing his New Order in Europe and preparing to invade Czech territory.

The German autobahns facilitated the movement of mechanized Nazi formations in blitzkrieg operations. China’s One Belt, One Road might well be used for similar ends. For India, talking with China makes eminent sense, obeying Chinese diktat does not.

US Democrats visit Dalai Lama

Meanwhile China has asked the US Democratic legislators not to meddle in its internal affairs by meeting with the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala. Undaunted, the US delegation pressed on regardless, discussing with His Holiness Human Rights abuses in Chinese-occupied Tibet. Period (Hindu May 11).

Does Mr Sanwal suggest that India handover the Dalai Lama to China, or expel him from India at China’s behest in its long-term interest? Perish the thought.

UK Asian Voice | 20th May 2017

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Vaginal Mesh Implants: Duncan Lewis Solicitors represent a victim of vaginal mesh implant

The Politics of Awards

Are there too many British Indian Awards. There must be because even I am being nominated! Another clue is that I am a judge!

Even worse, when they know you cannot win, they make you a judge.

But seriously, there is in some weeks one a week.

So is it just back-slapping mates and the same old same old. I know with Manoj Ladwa’s UK India Awards, in which I was a judge, he didn’t want the same old faces (including mine) and the same old winners. And it was wonderfully political – Boris Johnson gave a speech – brilliant speech, funny, witty, warm. Manoj spoke about his council house on benefits upbringing to a stones throw to Buckingham Palace – although I was not sure why he wanted to throw stones at Buckingham Palace.

The two most moving Awards I have ever judged were the British Asian Trust ones for the charities which should receive funding, and the Asian Achievers Awards, by this paper, where I got to read

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in Asian Voice

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about the work of truly unsung heroes. The ones who for decades help their neighbours in Glasgow or Belfast filling in their benefits forms – I was moved to tears by people who don’t get the coverage that relative do-nothings like me get.

The most glamourous I have been to have been BAFTA – I was behind Johnny Depp and Scarlett Johannson on the red carpet – and they must have thought I was the next big thing out of Bollywood!

But those were not British Indian. Closest to Bafta is probably Pratham which my company sponsored a few times – supporting children in India. Also the Loomba Trust gala dinners – not Awards strictly, but glam and I stand Co-Chair of that amazing cause.

Equally, Akshaya Patra – glam too – not Awards, but I think they should all be Awards – for unsung heroes – the ones they donate to. The widow raising her child. The child walking miles to school.

But I recall Baroness Verma at an Awards cere-

mony rightly pointing out that Awards serve a very useful purpose. They bring the powerful in a community into a room, they let the broader community know how successful we are – this is important – they allow business and deals to be done. They showcase, they advertise.

You see the point of Awards is not the unsung hero. They should be more often. But actually, it is to showcase the strong and powerful. Power speaks to power. Minister speaks to Minister. CEO speaks to CEO. You may be cynical but it is that which provides shelter under an umbrella of the powerful that your interests as a ‘little known’ Indian are more protected. It does not mean your project is about get that million pounds you wanted. But it does advertise that being British Indian means a hardworking, successful, honest community.

But yes, I would like more community awards.

And no Awards for me, it’s when I know your Awards are bad….when I am nominated!

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Over 800 women are taking legal action against the NHS and manufacturers of vaginal mesh implants, including a client represented by Duncan Lewis Clinical Negligence Solicitors.

The plastic mesh Divya Anand implants are made of polypropylene and manufactured by several companies. They are intended to repair damaged or weakened tissue and used to treat pelvic organ prolapse and incontinence after childbirth. Although mesh implants have been used successfully in many other parts of the body, when inserted in the abdomen, the implants can react differently, cutting into the vagina. Implications of the mesh perforating into the vagina range from mild discomfort to debilitating and lifechanging pain.

Complications with the mesh implant can cause a range of symptoms including severe and/or constant abdominal and vaginal pain, infections and bleeding, inability to engage in sexual intercourse and being unable to walk. As a result, victims often find themselves reliant on maximum-strength painkillers, with some suffering mental health issues and suicidal thoughts. Many report little to no improvement to their symptoms of incontinence following the implant.

The mesh implants are prescribed on the NHS UK-wide despite warnings against their use. In 2014, the Scottish Government requested a suspension in their use by the NHS in Scotland due to pending safety investigations, following a campaign by the ‘Scottish Mesh Survivors’ and US compensation lawyer Alex Slater said “women are not told the truth” about the devices, drawing an analogy between the dangers of the mesh implants and those of asbestos.

Mesh implants are not the only option for women suffering from a prolapsed bladder and/or incontinence – non-surgical and surgical treatments not using implants can be offered. A study

PLEASE SEND CV TO : bipin@rawi.co.uk

A Father's love is known to be irreplaceable and eternal. The bright light on a dull day, the main source of strength in the weakest of moments, fathers spend their entire lives selflessly working for their families' good future.

He never preached or scolded; and the rod – Well, he used it as a turning pole in play.

But he showed the tender sympathy of God. To his children in their troubles, and their joys.

He was always chum and comrade with his boys, And his daughters – oh, you ought to hear them say ‘Father.’

After the overwhelming support and encouragement received by Matru Vandana, Gujarat Samachar and Asian Voice has decided to pay an ode to fathers, on June 18, Fathers' Day. 'Pitru Vandana with Bhuli Bisri Yaade' is our way of expressing our gratitude to the ones who guided us in the dark. Wellknown Indian singer Maya Dipak will once again grace us with her

13

presence and along with top musicians Naushad, Anant Patel, and Sonu Gajjar, light up our evenings with beautiful renditions of old filmy songs.

A beautiful magazine will be

released on the occasion, featuring doting fathers and their stories. Those who wish to feature their fathers on the cover page of the magazine, along with a write up inside, arrange for an exclusive interview, or write a tribute, contact us. Three different Pitru Vandana with Bhuli Bisri Yaade shows will be held at Leicester, Masefield, and Birmingham.

If you wish to share your information or need more details about the special magazine, organise shows and tickets, please contact Kamal Rao 020 7749 4001/ 0787 5 229 211 or email kamal.rao@abplgroup.com and Kokila Patel on 07875 229 177 or kokila.patel@abplgroup.com

published in the UK Medical Journal the Lancet found that women who are fitted with mesh implants were approximately three times more likely to suffer complications, and twice as likely to require follow up surgery compared to women who had traditional surgery, where stitches instead of mesh are used. Worryingly, several women have reported that they were not informed of the risks of the mesh implant, nor of the fact that it was permanent.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) support the continued use of the vaginal mesh.

Mesh implants have been used on thousands of patients who have experienced no discomfort or symptoms at all.

However, as we are aware, there are some who have suffered mesh erosion which has resulted in debilitating pain and lifechanging injuries. In some instances, although patients are suffering from associated symptoms such as pain and bleeding, treating clinicians are causing unnecessary delays in identifying the cause.

If you have been fitted with a vaginal mesh implant and suffer any of the above (or other) symptoms as a result, you may be eligible to claim for compensation.

Duncan Lewis Clinical Negligence solicitors will assist you in making a claim for negligence.

The Duncan Lewis Clinical Negligence team has significant experience acting in a vast array of claims including accident and emergency failures, GP negligence claims, misdiagnosed fractures and other medical conditions and wrongful death claims. They also act for children and adults who have suffered profound and permanent brain, spinal or neurological injuries and associated disabilities as a consequence of failings in medical care in both NHS and private hospitals. If you believe your treating clinician has made a mistake and wish to claim compensation or have any questions about treatment you have received, please do not hesitate to contact our team of specialist clinical negligence solicitors on 0333 772 0409.

Forthcoming Shows

Friday 9 June from 8-00 pm Presented by Music Arts Symphony Room, 121 Burnmoor Street, Leicester LE2 7JL For Tickets contacts: Pravin Majithia: 07971 626 464 or Melton Hot Potato Shop 0116 268 0100.

Saturday 17 June and Sunday 18th June (Two shows) from 6 to 10pm - including dinner.

Presented by By Gujarat Samachar - Asian Voice The Masefield Suite at Harrow Leisure Centre, London.

For Tickets contacts: Kamal Rao 07875 229 211 or Kokila Patel on 07875 229 177.

Friday June 24 From 5.30pm onwards including dinner.

By Hindu Council Wales at Sanatan Dharma Mandal & Hindu Community Centre, Seaview Building, Lewis Road, Cardiff.

For Tickets contacts: Vimla Patel on 07979 155 320 and Radhika Kadaba on 07966 767 659 Sunday June 25 from 3pm to 7pm.

Shree Hindu Community Centre, 541-A Warwick Road, Birmingham B11 2JP. For Tickets contacts: Anjuben Shah 07814 583 907 and Jayantibhai Jagatia 07808 930 748

14 COMMUNITY

www.asian-voice.com AsianVoiceNews

Asian Voice | 20th May 2017

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

LSU celebrates Rabindra Jayanti at Nehru Centre

Rupanjana Dutta

London Sharad Utsav (LSU) celebrated 156th birthday of Rabindranath Tagore at Nehru Centre, Mayfair London on 5 May with fervour. The members took initiative to participate in the programme, and created a beautiful collage of their talents.

In each Tagore anniversary LSU selects a theme from the vast literary work of Tagore and this year’s being ‘Tagore the traveler.’ The songs and dances pivoted around this theme. LSU recalled how Tagore created a bigger meaning of spirituality and celebration of humanity with a physical feeling of journey.

On behalf of LSU Amit Guha, Sandeep Mallick, Saikat Roychowdhury, Suranjan Som, Nripen Mondal, Sharmistha Guha, Tanusree Guha, Ranjana Banerjee, Nilanjana Nag sang for the occasion where as Bidisha Dutta, Sandhya Sen, Saheli Das Mondal, Esha Chakravarty performed the dances. Mr Piyas Barua assisted with his percussion and tabla Mr Anirban and Roychoudhury recited one of the memorable poems from Tagore. The whole programme was conducted

LSU Committee and members

with oration by Nirmal Nag and Sudeshna Som. LSU is committed to promote, practise and

show case Indian Bengali culture, values in London and UK. Tagore was a multi-faceted talent who

became the vanguard and thought leader of Bengal, India and global communi-

ty in 19th and 20th century. As part of the event LSU also arranged an exhibition of visual arts at Nehru Centre. LSU promoted art works of artists Mahua Bej, Shinjini Thakur and Ruby Bhattacharyya. These art works are based on modern Indian art and as well as traditional folk art like Madhubani art forms, Patachitra of Bengal etc.

Minister (Economy) of the Indian High Commission Mr Saikat to UK, Sensharma and Patron of Asian Voice and Editor of Gujarat Samachar CB Patel graced the occasion as guests of honour.

As per the continuity of LSU's commitment to Indian Bengali culture,

they have kicked off ‘Bengal Heritage Project’ (BHP) this year and Tagore anniversary celebration was also a part of it. This project aims to propagate cultural and intellectual heritage of Bengal in UK. As a part of this LSU has initiated construction of traditional idol of Goddess Durga for annual marquee event of Durga Puja worship. LSU is collaborating with the artisans of Bengal and aims to bring them in London to demonstrate the process of idol making.

They will also going to have events to promote Bengali music, handicraft and mutual business interests of Bengal and UK.

Dance performance by the LSU members Art exhibition

The personal touch brings the sweet smell of success for Southall business

Smita Sarkar

Media Partner

“The more credit you give away, the more will come back to you. The more you help others, the more they will want to help you” are the wise words of Brian Tracy, a Canadian-born American motivational public speaker. This idea still holds true among Asian businesses in London, where conducting business with the heart, and not just the head continues to be a norm among the self-employed Asian youth.

Recently, I was walking towards a stall selling Malai Kulfi (ice-cream) on a hot afternoon in Southall Broadway. The frozen delicacy was sorely tempting but I had run out of cash to buy it. My card was misreading so I couldn't withdraw money.

It was then that 32year-old Rehaan Shahid asked for a Kulfi to be handed over to me, “abhi kha lein, paisa baad mein de dena”(eat it now since you feel like it; you can always pay back). I felt that I had to be honest and reiterated that I wasn't a local, I was only there on work, and had no idea when I would be back in the area to pay him, but he insisted that I take the kulfi irrespective.

I felt guilty taking a favour from a stranger, but

having the exotic ice-cream on a hot afternoon along with the selfless gesture was rather hard to resist. I gave in and took the kulfi, promising to come back to pay him when I could.

While I started eating it, I got chatting about his other business in perfumes or 'attar' while he chatted about my area of work.

In a market-research kind of way, he asked what perfume I wear and what women like in offices, etc.

With my limited knowledge in perfumes, I responded that I tended to prefer floral-based-mild perfumes. He attended to customers while talking with me and, while I was taking my leave, he handed me a bottle of the amazing 'attar' - to be considered a gift for visiting the area for the first time.

This gesture truly touched my heart. On what had seemed an ordinary day, I had developed a mini friendship. I now knew how he had started the business, where he sourced his products, and we chat-

ted about our roots back in South Asia, our backgrounds and life in the capital.

Born and brought up in P e r i v a l e , Middlesex Rehaan is a former cricketer who played professional cricket for Middlesex alongside players like Moeen Ali and Eowen Morgan. He got into the attar business by chance, and started his business with just £2000.

He's especially happy about the fact that Asian people continue to use attar and, from an economic point of view, he monopolises the business at the Southall Broadway.

It felt like being back home where one didn't mind a little chit-chat while conducting business. On an otherwise busy afternoon, it was a welcome change of pace accompanied with some warm smiles. There was no hard-selling and both the products were so good that I would go back to eat some more of the Malai Kulfi and buy a few bottles of attar for my family and friends. I left the stall having had a wonderful experience and with a feeling of wanting to get back again. Good business is where you make it and Rehaan knows how to treat his customers right.

SP

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Muslim model wins right to wear kaftan for swimwear round of beauty paegent

Muna Juma, the 27year-old beauty queen from London has won the right not to pose in a bikini, but stand among her fellow finalists in a kaftan instead, in the Miss Universe GB competition.

Juma, the philanthropist co-founded a startup Cloudless Research to tackle illegal migration

and child abuse in East Africa had initially applied for the competition around two years back. She withdrew her application over concerns that she would have to wear a bikini, which is against her religious beliefs but finally reapplied after beating off stiff competition to reach the UK final.

Sukanya - Ravi Shankar's last ode to love and life

The only opera written by sitar maestro Pundit Ravi Shankar when he was 90, had premiered at the Symphony Hall in Birmingham on the 11th May and at the Royal Opera House in London on the 12th May. The opera Sukanya, named after his second wife and Anoushka Shankar's mother, is a light-hearted musical love letter about the deep love between couples, even though the wife was 34 years younger than the protagonist.

The playscript by the Indian novelist Amit Chaudhuri, dispelled by a bustle of energetically rhythmical dancing does seem to be the maestro's last ode about love and life, music and spectacle.

The opera is western, with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and BBC singers sharing the stage with five Indian instrumentalists and Indian dancers from the Aakash Odedra Company.

The vocal lines were delivered by the principle singers including Susanna Hurrell (title role), Alok Kumar (old sage he loves) and Njabulo Madlala and Micheal de Souza (mischevious demigods) in tune with the Broadway musical style.

Critics have praised offstage performers M Balachandar and Pirashanna Thevarajah

and conductor David Murphy, who pulled together the bits that Ravi Shankar had left unfinished, have done some fabulous work.

Anoushka Shankar (Ravi Shankar's daughter and most illustrious pupil), along with conductor David Murphy had struggled for months to prepare the 100-plus singers, dancers and instrumentalists for the show's UK premiere.

In an interview to The Times, Anoushka Shanker said that his father had been thinking about the opera much earlier, but hadn't shared the ideas with them, mainly because it was written for her mum.

“My mum and her sisters were all named after the wives of legendary sages... The legend of Sukanya in the Mahabharata is about this young princess, who for various reasons ends up marrying an old sage and takes care of him faithfully and devotedly... its almost as if, thanks to her love, the old sage gets a second life.

“Of course this parable is very striking in the context of my parents' age difference and the lovely twilight relationship that they had.”

The details of the show can be found at sukanyaopera.com

TLIGHT

15

Anjum Anand: Authentic India

Asian Voice | 20th May 2017

Sunetra Senior

As reflected in her new and vibrant cookbook – I Love India – Anjum’s journey as a highly successful chef is a deeply personal one. While many cusinineres will have chased the training of high cooking institutions such as Le Cordon Bleu, the well-spoken Anand was naturally immersed in a world of cosmopolitan flavour from a very young age. At just four years old, Anand’s family moved to Switzerland, where she grew up and completed her studies in urbane style in the elegant city of Geneva: “I had access to all these affordable European dishes – everything from Swiss and middle European, to a bit of German, French and Italian. It gave me a heightened sensitivity for blending different ingredients which I carry with me to this day.” But as one of her signature desserts, the Green Mango Tart – as opposed to the traditional strawberry or lemon – demonstrates, growing up in a relatively different landscape was also exactly what forged a connection with authentic Indian food. Having emigrated from India, her father would invite other Indians from the immediate community to join the family for jovial home-cooked meals and the merriment that this brought. *** “For me, food has always been an incredibly emotional experience,” Anjum stated on the subject. “It's so much about your memories and unique cultural background. My first line of recipe books (Anjum has eight best-selling collections with the publishers Quadrille) for example, focussed on how fresh and light Indian dishes can be. People often think Indian food and health are not compatible, and that's simply not true. I drew from my parent’s culinary heritage, which was a mix of my mother’s light, vegetarian fare and my father’s meat-based curry culture. We would also make many trips back to India. Now, at this point in my life, I’ve felt the need to create a book that was a culmination of my whole life experience: from the most quality of my Indian dishes to the personal techniques I’ve come to perfect over time.” Anjum has hosted BBC TV’s Indian Food Made Easy as well as a 12-part series on Australia’s SBS food network Anjum’s Spice Stories. She is also the owner of an internationally stocked, awardwinning range of Indian sauces. “I Love India is my consummate ode to the country. The special signature is a great variety of Indian meals made accessible in your own kitchen. From the street-side Tiffin food to coastal curries, which are influenced by both richly regional tradition and colonial settlers such as the Portuguese and Turks, I like to give people’s taste buds the chance to travel in the comfort of their home. They are wonderful recipes for individuals on the go, listing highly reachable ingredients.” Thus, Anjum not only “presents Indian food for modern times”, but provides a palatable modern perspective: one that treats professionalism as an organic extension of the self, and puts the joy of life first. “I do believe in hard work and determination,” she aptly finished, “but there’s a bit of Kismat (fate) in success too. That comes from doing what you love. I remember working in a LA restaurant as part of my earlier training - to give a fun anecdote - and I seemed to be the only one there doing it for cooking in of itself: everyone else was an archetypal aspiring actor!”

Please Tell us more about I Love India?

It’s the perfect Indian lifestyle book.

From regional soul food to summer BBQ, there’s a recipe for every occasion. I really wanted to showcase how fantastic and delicious nutritious Indian cooking could be.

Tell us more about your personal cooking style?

It’s about great Indian food rather than over-the-top, fancy technique. I want people to be able to produce great home-cooked dishes. For example, I enjoy cooking chicken with the bones still in, and I’ll make salad with tandoori chicken: it’s wholesome and flavourful.

Another aspect is showing people how balanced Indian cooking can be.

You’ve experienced both fast food and high end cooking. Tell us about that?

I wanted to acquire as much cooking experience as possible. I learnt so much, from food to organisation and flavour and presentation. I absolutely love being in the kitchen. It’s so full of action and fun. There's an intense energy.

What else grabs you about cooking aside from the intense atmosphere?

The creative process and alchemy within: ingredients which taste a certain way by themselves can be elevated in flavour when mixed together. It is also a very meditative process.

'From regional soul food to summer BBQ, there's a recipe for every occasion'

Is cooking teachable?

Absolutely! You don’t necessarily have to be the most pragmatic or creative person to cook a good dinner. Just start by opening a book and following that first simple recipe. Then if you feel suc-

cessful keep adding flourishes and experimenting. My mother always taught me, and that was a good way to learn too: directly.

And how much does creativity enter into it?

It’s different for different chefs. Some are very methodical. Others prefer to instinctively add twists, pairing unusual ingredients together. I get my culinary kick from challenging myself to recreate something new. I might come across an intriguing dish, and then try to make it at home without the guidance: basically drawing purely from talent.

Please give us some tweaks and flourishes to try?

An interesting, pretty one is adding pomegranate seeds – they are very sweet, but have enough stringency not to compromise the overall flavour of your dish. Frying up some garlic and chilli never fails to enhance a meal either. I do enjoy injecting colour and vibrancy into my food.

What’s been a highlight of your career?

I’ve been lucky to have many: when the BBC took me on to be the face of Indian food, the first time I felt completely relaxed appearing on TV – I happened to be pregnant with my first child and that was a beautiful feeling, being invited to 10 Downing Street and have Samantha Cameron tell me how much she loved my books! Another great moment was when I was invited to India to do a charity dinner with 5 or so Michelin star chefs, and I was confident enough to hold my own!

Do you plan to open your own restaurant in the future?

Unfortunately you don’t have as much recipe flexibility with your own restaurant. I love having that. Having my career the way it is also helps me balance my duties as a mother, which I love.

What’s a favourite dish of yours?

If I had to pick: my mother’s black pepper chicken! I also love Indian street food.

Finally, do you have advice for social media success?

Get yourself out there, but stay genuine!

Don’t just curate all the best parts – connect to people honestly on an everyday level.

W

http://anjumanand.co.uk/

ELECTION SPECIAL 2017

PARTIES WOO BRITISH-ASIAN VOTEBANK 16

Asian Voice |20th May 2017

www.asian-voice.com

AsianVoiceNews

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Continued from page 1

Dianne Abbott (Shadow Home Secretary), Valarie Vaz (Shadow Leader of The House), Kate Osamor (Shadow Secretary of State for International Development), Clive Lewis (Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy) and Chi Onwurah (Industrial Strategy) all played key roles over the past 2 years.

Historically, the Labour party has had more MPs from the BAME background (22 in 2015), but post Tony Blair, its popularity has faded away especially among Hindu voters, and the party has distanced itself from them. Though not sure what triggered it, many believe, with time the first and second generation of Asians have learnt to finally make a choice. More as under Cameron's leadership, they had a newly given importance, and with growing prosperity, they started inclining towards the Tory party. Also with time as people started identifying their religion as a part of their main identity, the voters' politics changed its hue in Britain.

Interestingly, a poll of members of the Asian Catering Federation [ACF] has put Labour head of the Conservatives, contradicting all other national polls. The Federation, which represents the nation’s 35,000 curry restaurants and takeaways, emailed its membership regarding their voting intentions, ahead of a VIP gathering held at the House of Commons on Monday 15th May, to honour the country’s best Asian and Oriental chefs Former Councillor Navin Shah became the first Asian Assembly Member (AM) at the Greater London Authority (GLA). This year he is standing against Bob Blackman in the Harrow East constituency. The question arises, why stand as a MP after so many years in local politics, but many supporters of Shah told Asian Voice, that he actually did what everybody should doclimb the ladder slowly and carefully. A first generation migrant himself, Shah represents a ‘typical pattern of progress’ in the Asian community. As the community has grown bigger and more stable in the UK, political representation has now become an important feature- a real stake in the democracy.

Navin Shah speaks to Asian Voice

Bob Blackman has been a successful MP in the Harrow East for the last 7 years.

Nothing in comparison to the 20 years of Gareth Thomas or Barry Gardiner in politics, but nonetheless Blackman is loved by the

Sadiq Khan joins Seema Malhotra during her campaign

supporters, he told the locals and he engages with are important to the Indian newsweekly, “I do not the community closely. community as I have done believe in personality poliHowever Shah is a representhroughout my political life. tics. It is policies that matter tative of the 25-30% Hindus These include support for and Jains settled in the area, Hindu faith schools, need and so far our policies have as well as a first generation for crematoriums and on been well received. Our local proposed caste legislation. party has always been totally with wife and a young Another issue that affects united and trusted and supdaughter in politics (born many Asian/Indian families ported by Harrow’s people. and bred here), he repreis the increase in business It is fully behind myself and sents a model Asian family. rates, which threatens the Gareth and we have had very Speaking to Asian Voice, existence of some businesslittle reaction about the Shah said, “Against all the es. I have already successfulnational party when we talk odds I have beaten Bob directly to people. Whilst all Blackman before and with ly fought to keep the key issues like Brexit and the help of my local resiGujarati GCSE and introNHS matter my focus is also dents I know I can beat him duced Diwali celebrations at on the local campaign and this time. I have lived in City Hall... communicating with voters.

Harrow for over 40 years “While candidates stand and have always acted in the under a party label, you are “Harrow East needs a best interests of the diverse communities of Harrow. People know that I have always acted with total integrity whether as Council Leader, Assembly member or anti-discrimination campaigner. I have a sound record of delivering for the people of Harrow a wide range of support and facil- Gareth Thomas with Navin Shah, Mayor Rekha Shah and community members ities from the first ever voluntary aided voting for an individual. At strong, independent-mindHindu School to funding to every election, you must be ed voice who will stand up the continuation of GCSE sure that you believe the perfor Harrow. I will not give for foreign languages for our son you are voting for any party leader a blank diverse communities. I know deserves to represent you cheque on the important therefore that voters in and will have your best issues of the day. I will also Harrow East will trust me to interests at heart. I stand as not be afraid to upset a British Indian, proud of Ministers by demanding act in their best interests and our values and with a trackthat Harrow should be treatnot just blindly follow a record of standing shoulder ed fairly when funding is party whip like Bob does and being allocated for the NHS, inflict deep cuts to schools, to shoulder with our comschools, Police and social policing, NHS etc . munities and delivering care. I also believe that in “I would like people to what our communities Parliament I would be a critvote for the character of the aspire to.” ical Friend if Labour is in person and their policies. I Seema Malhotra do not believe in trying to power or provide construcpromises family visa divide people based on ethtive opposition if we are not. reform nicity – we all know the terUnlike Bob, I will not be a rible effects that can have. I cannon fodder for my party Seema Malhotra, one of am content to put my vision or government, as I’ve UK's brightest politicians, and track record to the peoalways done I will fight in has been left shocked by the interest of the residents ple and let them judge me on Theresa May's immigration of Harrow. those. Having said that, it is policies. Speaking to Asian “Labour is the natural time that Parliament reflectVoice, she expressed how the home for Indians/Asians. I ed the country. I have Tory party is dividing what am determined to continue demonstrable public service Asians consider as the closto push the party hard and experience and as a proud est and dearest to them. She further, to support the British Indian I would be said “this is an election about Indian/Asian community honoured to reflect the rich fairness, shared prosperity both in words and actions. If diversity of Harrow.” and about a Brexit that does elected I will use my position But with the slowing not harm our economy. I am popularity of his party- does inside and outside the party pleased that Labour will it affect Shah's growth or his to promote the issues that review family visas make the

system fairer. We need controls in our immigration system, but we also need care and compassion.”

Controversial maintenance funds requirements were introduced for spouse/ partner visas (affecting nonEEA national partners of British citizens, refugees and people settled in the UK) in July 2012. Various migrants' rights organisations continue to campaign against the Rules. Following legal challenges to the lawfulness of the Rules, the Supreme Court held the minimum income requirement to be acceptable in principle.

The judgement also said that “need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children when making decisions which affect them. The Court also held that the Rules and guidance need to be amended to take proper account of other possible sources of income and thirdparty financial support.”

Labour does not believe family life should be protected only for the wealthy [alone] and so is expected to propose to replace the income thresholds for family attachments with an obligation to survive without recourse to public funds.

Seema was also joined by Mayor Sadiq Khan in her campaign. The London Mayor called on people to vote for Labour in Hounslow a week after describing Theresa May as antiLondon. He gave his support at an event in Cranford and at the launch of Seema Malhotra’s campaign for young people. Khan said, "Seema grew up in the constituency, went to local schools and lives in Heston.

She is a fantastic local MP who in a short time has gained a strong reputation in Parliament and the country. If the Tories win, it will mean more cuts to the NHS, it will mean losing more police officers, more cuts to schools in Feltham & Heston and a Tory hard extreme Brexit that will mean jobs growth and prosperity are lost from West London, London and the country.”

The Conservatives have Samir Jassal as their candidate. Samir who was the East ham candidate in 2015, has replaced Simon Nayyar in Feltham and Heston.

Gareth Thomas and his association with the Gujarati community

Gareth Thomas has been a Harrow West MP for last 20 years. He represents the Asian community like no one else and have been associated with the local Gujaratis for decades.

Speaking to Asian Voice, Thomas said, “I have always enjoyed the diversity of the constituency I've been privileged to represent, and have always found it's different communities, and particularly the Gujarati communi-

ty welcoming. They know I strongly back closer ties between Britain and India and between Gujarat and Harrow. My strong support for Labour Friends of India and for India to have a permanent seat on the UN Security Council has always been supported. They also recognise that having always lived in Harrow, unlike my Conservative opponent, I am best placed to stand up for our community.

Speaking about his manifesto, he added, “I have been able to use my experience in Parliament recently to force the Government into a review of business rates, with the Conservatives rate rises hitting Harrow's businesses hard. I'm backing a third runway at Heathrow and am pushing for Crossrail to come to Harrow to make sure our community is as well connected as possible to boost our economy and the creation of good jobs.

“We have excellent schools in Harrow, but we are set to lose almost £600 per pupil which puts this at risk. As a former teacher, protecting our schools and our children's future is one of my top priorities.

“I am also ambitious about our children's future, which is why I have secured a partnership with Oxford University, and many other top universities, with local schools in Harrow. I want us to be able to send a message to our children that if they work hard, they will have every opportunity to get into the top universities and forge a successful path.

“One of the biggest concerns is the loss of almost 160 police officers from our streets, and growing fears around the rise of crime. I'm determined to fight for more police on our streets to prevent burglary and tackle antisocial behaviour and my campaign to save Harrow Police Station, a vital part of keeping police based in Harrow, has already attracted strong support from Harrow residents.”

“In the last Parliament I uncovered figures that showed that Harrow had received the lowest level of funding for our NHS of any London borough over the last five years. We were then able to use these figures to fight for more investment in local health services, but we still have the worst waiting times at the A&E department at Northwick Park.

Labour will stop the damaging hospital closures programme and make sure that NHS services are designed around clinical need.

While the party turmoil continues, Thomas is confident that he should win his seat, especially being a local all along. “People in Harrow want strong local representation. They know I grew up here and still live here with my young family.

Asian Voice | 20th May 2017

List of Asian candidates in all 650 seats

ARUNDEL & SOUTH DOWNS Shweta Kapadia (LD) AYLESBURY Vijay S Rao (UKIP) BARKING Talati Minesh (C)

BASILDON SOUTH & THURROCK EAST Reetendra Banerji (LD)

BATLEY & SPEN Mohammed Hanif (Ind)

Emina Ibrahim (Lab) Shasha Khan (Green)

CHELMSFORD Hassam Reza (Green)

CHINGFORD & WOODFORD GREEN Bilal Mahmood (Lab)

CHIPPING BARNET Marisha Ray (LD)

BECKENHAM Marina Ahmad (Lab)

CITIES OF LONDON & WESTMINSTER Anil Bhatti (UKIP) The Maharaja of Kashmir Ankit Love (Ind)

BETHNAL GREEN & BOW *Rushanara Ali (Lab) Ajmal Masroor (Ind)

COVENTRY NORTH EAST Avtar Taggar (UKIP) Afzal Mahmood (Ind)

BEDFORD Mohammad Yasin (Lab)

BIRMINGHAM EDGBASTON Preet Gill (Lab Co-op)*

BIRMINGHAM HALL GREEN Reena Ranger (C)

BIRMINGHAM HODGE HILL Ahmereen Reza (C) Mohammed Khan (UKIP) BIRMINGHAM LADYWOOD *Shabana Mahmood (Lab)

BIRMINGHAM PERRY BARR *Khalid Mahmood (Lab) Parmjit Singh (LD) Vijay Rana (Green) Harjinder Singh (Open) Shangara Singh Bhatoe (Soc Lab) BIRMINGHAM YARDLEY Mohammed Afzal (C) BLACKBURN Irfan Ahmed (LD)

BOLTON SOUTH EAST *Yasmin Qureshi (Lab) BRADFORD EAST *Imran Hussain (Lab)

BRADFORD WEST *Naz Shah (Lab) Muhammad Hijazi (Ind) Hussain Khadim (ND) Salma Yaqoob (ND)

BRENT CENTRAL Rahoul Bhansali (C) BRENT NORTH Ameet Jogia (C)

BRISTOL NORTH WEST Sharmila Bousa (Green)

BRISTOL WEST Thangam Debbonaire (Lab)

BROMSGROVE *Sajid Javid (C)

BROXBOURNE Andrew Graham (LD)

CAMBRIDGESHIRE NORTH WEST *Shailesh Vara (C) CAMBRIDGESHIRE SOUTH EAST Lucy Nethsingha (LD)

CARDIFF CENTRAL Sarul-Islam Mohammed (UKIP) CARSHALTON & WALLINGTON

CLWYD WEST Victor Babu (LD)

COVENTRY NORTH WEST Resham Kotecha (C)

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LUTON NORTH Rabi Martins (LD)

SHEFFIELD SOUTH EAST Ishleen Oberoi (Soc Dem)

MANCHESTER GORTON Mohammed Khan (Lab)

SOUTH SHIELDS Gitanjali Gordon (LD)

HAMPSHIRE NORTH EAST *Ranil Jayawardena (C) HAMPSTEAD & KILBURN *Tulip Siddiq (Lab) HARBOROUGH Zuffar Haq (LD)

HARROW EAST Navin Shah (Lab)

HARROW WEST Rathy Alagaratnam (UKIP) HAZEL GROVE Nav Mishra (Lab)

HEMEL HEMPSTEAD Sherief Hassan (Green)

HITCHIN & HARPENDEN Hugh Annand (LD)

HORNCHURCH & UPMINSTER Rocky Gill (Lab)

MANCHESTER CENTRAL Rachael Shah (Green)

MANSFIELD Anita Prabhakar (LD)

MILTON KEYNES SOUTH Tahir Maher (LD)

SUTTON & CHEAM Amna Ahmad (LD)

NEWPORT EAST Natasha Asghar (C) Nadeem Ahmed (ND)

OCHIL & PERTHSHIRE SOUTH *Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh (SNP)

Samir Jassal

Valerie Vaz

WARWICK & LEAMINGTON Bob Dhillon (UKIP) WEALDEN *Nus Ghani (C)

WELWYN HATFIELD Anawar Miah (Lab)

EDINBURGH SOUTH WEST Foysol Choudhury (Lab) Aisha Mir (LD)

GILLINGHAM & RAINHAM *Rehman Chishti (C) GRANTHAM & STAMFORD Anita Day (LD) Tariq Mahmood (Ind)

HACKNEY NORTH & STOKE NEWINGTON Shahahandria Khan (Friends) HACKNEY SOUTH AND SHOREDITCH Dave Raval (LD)

HAMMERSMITH Jagdeosingh Hauzaree (Ind)

HAMPSHIRE EAST Rohit Dasgupta (Lab)

WALSALL SOUTH *Valerie Vaz (Lab)

WARRINGTON SOUTH Faisal Rashid (Lab)

EAST HAM Choudhry Afzal (Friends) Mirza Rahman (Ind)

FELTHAM & HESTON Samir Jassal (C) *Seema Malhotra (Lab Co-op) Hina Malik (LD)

THANET SOUTH Raushan Ara (Lab)

591 WAKEFIELD Waj Ali (Ind)

EALING SOUTHALL *Virendra Sharma (Lab) Arjinder Thiara (WRP) Nigel Bakhai (LD)

FAREHAM *Suella Fernandes (C)

TEWKESBURY Manjinder Kang (Lab)

VAUXHALL Gulnar Hasnain (Green) Harini Iyengar (Women)

DULWICH & WEST NORWOOD Rashid Nix (Green)

EXETER James Taghdissian (C)

TELFORD Kuldip Sahota (Lab)

TWICKENHAM *Dr Tania Mathias (C)

DEWSBURY Ednan Hussain (LD)

EDMONTON Benjamin Gill (Green)

SURREY EAST Hitesh Tailor (Lab)

TOOTING *Dr Rosena Allin-Khan (Lab)

DEVIZES Imtiyaz Shaikh (Lab)

EALING NORTH Humaira Sanders (LD)

STONE Samantha Pancheri (Green)

STRATFORD-ON-AVON *Nadhim Zahawi (C)

DERBY SOUTH Joe Naitta (LD)

EALING CENTRAL & ACTON *Rupa Huq (Lab)

SLOUGH Tan Dhesi (Lab)

MEON VALLEY Sheena King (Lab)

MIDDLESBROUGH Dawud Islam (LD)

17

Rushanara Ali

HORNSEY & WOOD GREEN Nimco Ali (Women)

HUDDERSFIELD Zulfiqar Ali (LD) Marteen Thokkudubiyyapu (Ind) ILFORD SOUTH Farid Ahmed (LD) Tariq Saeed (UKIP) Kane Khan (Friends)

KENILWORTH & SOUTHAM Bally Singh (Lab)

LEICESTER EAST *Keith Vaz (Lab) Nitesh Dave (LD) Sujata Barot (Ind)

LEICESTER SOUTH Meera Sonecha (C) Harrish Bisnauthsing (LD)

LEICESTERSHIRE SOUTH Shabbir Aslam (Lab)

LUTON SOUTH Ujjawal Ub (UKIP) Abid Ali (Ind)

Rabi Martins

OLD BEXLEY & SIDCUP Freddy Vachha (UKIP) OLDHAM EAST & SADDLEWORTH Kashif Ali (C)

WESTON-SUPER-MARE Suneil Basu (Green) WIGAN *Lisa Nandy (Lab)

WILTSHIRE NORTH Paddy Singh (UKIP)

WIMBLEDON Imran Uddin (Lab)

POPLAR & LIMEHOUSE Oliur Rahman (Ind)

WITHAM *Priti Patel (C)

PUTNEY Dr Neeraj Patil (Lab)

WOLVERHAMPTON SOUTH WEST Paul Uppal (C)

PORTSMOUTH NORTH Rumal Khan (Lab)

READING WEST *Alok Sharma (C)

RICHMOND (YORKS) *Rishi Sunak (C)

SHEFFIELD BRIGHTSIDE & HILLSBOROUGH Muzafar Rahman (Soc Dem)

SHEFFIELD CENTRAL Shaffaq Mohammed (LD)

SHEFFIELD HEELEY Jaspreet Oberoi (Soc Dem)

WOKING Hassan Akberali (Ind)

WYCOMBE Rafiq Raja (Lab)

WYRE & PRESTON NORTH WYRE FOREST Shazu Miah (LD) __________________

- * means the sitting MP - Party Name ( ): Conservative (C), Labour (L), Lib Dem (LD), Independent (Ind) - ARUNDEL - Constituency _______________________

ELECTION SPECIAL 2017

PARTIES WOO BRITISH-ASIAN VOTEBANK 16

Asian Voice |20th May 2017

www.asian-voice.com

AsianVoiceNews

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Continued from page 1

Dianne Abbott (Shadow Home Secretary), Valarie Vaz (Shadow Leader of The House), Kate Osamor (Shadow Secretary of State for International Development), Clive Lewis (Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy) and Chi Onwurah (Industrial Strategy) all played key roles over the past 2 years.

Historically, the Labour party has had more MPs from the BAME background (22 in 2015), but post Tony Blair, its popularity has faded away especially among Hindu voters, and the party has distanced itself from them. Though not sure what triggered it, many believe, with time the first and second generation of Asians have learnt to finally make a choice. More as under Cameron's leadership, they had a newly given importance, and with growing prosperity, they started inclining towards the Tory party. Also with time as people started identifying their religion as a part of their main identity, the voters' politics changed its hue in Britain.

Interestingly, a poll of members of the Asian Catering Federation [ACF] has put Labour head of the Conservatives, contradicting all other national polls. The Federation, which represents the nation’s 35,000 curry restaurants and takeaways, emailed its membership regarding their voting intentions, ahead of a VIP gathering held at the House of Commons on Monday 15th May, to honour the country’s best Asian and Oriental chefs Former Councillor Navin Shah became the first Asian Assembly Member (AM) at the Greater London Authority (GLA). This year he is standing against Bob Blackman in the Harrow East constituency. The question arises, why stand as a MP after so many years in local politics, but many supporters of Shah told Asian Voice, that he actually did what everybody should doclimb the ladder slowly and carefully. A first generation migrant himself, Shah represents a ‘typical pattern of progress’ in the Asian community. As the community has grown bigger and more stable in the UK, political representation has now become an important feature- a real stake in the democracy.

Navin Shah speaks to Asian Voice

Bob Blackman has been a successful MP in the Harrow East for the last 7 years.

Nothing in comparison to the 20 years of Gareth Thomas or Barry Gardiner in politics, but nonetheless Blackman is loved by the

Sadiq Khan joins Seema Malhotra during her campaign

supporters, he told the locals and he engages with are important to the Indian newsweekly, “I do not the community closely. community as I have done believe in personality poliHowever Shah is a representhroughout my political life. tics. It is policies that matter tative of the 25-30% Hindus These include support for and Jains settled in the area, Hindu faith schools, need and so far our policies have as well as a first generation for crematoriums and on been well received. Our local proposed caste legislation. party has always been totally with wife and a young Another issue that affects united and trusted and supdaughter in politics (born many Asian/Indian families ported by Harrow’s people. and bred here), he repreis the increase in business It is fully behind myself and sents a model Asian family. rates, which threatens the Gareth and we have had very Speaking to Asian Voice, existence of some businesslittle reaction about the Shah said, “Against all the es. I have already successfulnational party when we talk odds I have beaten Bob directly to people. Whilst all Blackman before and with ly fought to keep the key issues like Brexit and the help of my local resiGujarati GCSE and introNHS matter my focus is also dents I know I can beat him duced Diwali celebrations at on the local campaign and this time. I have lived in City Hall... communicating with voters.

Harrow for over 40 years “While candidates stand and have always acted in the under a party label, you are “Harrow East needs a best interests of the diverse communities of Harrow. People know that I have always acted with total integrity whether as Council Leader, Assembly member or anti-discrimination campaigner. I have a sound record of delivering for the people of Harrow a wide range of support and facil- Gareth Thomas with Navin Shah, Mayor Rekha Shah and community members ities from the first ever voluntary aided voting for an individual. At strong, independent-mindHindu School to funding to every election, you must be ed voice who will stand up the continuation of GCSE sure that you believe the perfor Harrow. I will not give for foreign languages for our son you are voting for any party leader a blank diverse communities. I know deserves to represent you cheque on the important therefore that voters in and will have your best issues of the day. I will also Harrow East will trust me to interests at heart. I stand as not be afraid to upset a British Indian, proud of Ministers by demanding act in their best interests and our values and with a trackthat Harrow should be treatnot just blindly follow a record of standing shoulder ed fairly when funding is party whip like Bob does and being allocated for the NHS, inflict deep cuts to schools, to shoulder with our comschools, Police and social policing, NHS etc . munities and delivering care. I also believe that in “I would like people to what our communities Parliament I would be a critvote for the character of the aspire to.” ical Friend if Labour is in person and their policies. I Seema Malhotra do not believe in trying to power or provide construcpromises family visa divide people based on ethtive opposition if we are not. reform nicity – we all know the terUnlike Bob, I will not be a rible effects that can have. I cannon fodder for my party Seema Malhotra, one of am content to put my vision or government, as I’ve UK's brightest politicians, and track record to the peoalways done I will fight in has been left shocked by the interest of the residents ple and let them judge me on Theresa May's immigration of Harrow. those. Having said that, it is policies. Speaking to Asian “Labour is the natural time that Parliament reflectVoice, she expressed how the home for Indians/Asians. I ed the country. I have Tory party is dividing what am determined to continue demonstrable public service Asians consider as the closto push the party hard and experience and as a proud est and dearest to them. She further, to support the British Indian I would be said “this is an election about Indian/Asian community honoured to reflect the rich fairness, shared prosperity both in words and actions. If diversity of Harrow.” and about a Brexit that does elected I will use my position But with the slowing not harm our economy. I am popularity of his party- does inside and outside the party pleased that Labour will it affect Shah's growth or his to promote the issues that review family visas make the

system fairer. We need controls in our immigration system, but we also need care and compassion.”

Controversial maintenance funds requirements were introduced for spouse/ partner visas (affecting nonEEA national partners of British citizens, refugees and people settled in the UK) in July 2012. Various migrants' rights organisations continue to campaign against the Rules. Following legal challenges to the lawfulness of the Rules, the Supreme Court held the minimum income requirement to be acceptable in principle.

The judgement also said that “need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children when making decisions which affect them. The Court also held that the Rules and guidance need to be amended to take proper account of other possible sources of income and thirdparty financial support.”

Labour does not believe family life should be protected only for the wealthy [alone] and so is expected to propose to replace the income thresholds for family attachments with an obligation to survive without recourse to public funds.

Seema was also joined by Mayor Sadiq Khan in her campaign. The London Mayor called on people to vote for Labour in Hounslow a week after describing Theresa May as antiLondon. He gave his support at an event in Cranford and at the launch of Seema Malhotra’s campaign for young people. Khan said, "Seema grew up in the constituency, went to local schools and lives in Heston.

She is a fantastic local MP who in a short time has gained a strong reputation in Parliament and the country. If the Tories win, it will mean more cuts to the NHS, it will mean losing more police officers, more cuts to schools in Feltham & Heston and a Tory hard extreme Brexit that will mean jobs growth and prosperity are lost from West London, London and the country.”

The Conservatives have Samir Jassal as their candidate. Samir who was the East ham candidate in 2015, has replaced Simon Nayyar in Feltham and Heston.

Gareth Thomas and his association with the Gujarati community

Gareth Thomas has been a Harrow West MP for last 20 years. He represents the Asian community like no one else and have been associated with the local Gujaratis for decades.

Speaking to Asian Voice, Thomas said, “I have always enjoyed the diversity of the constituency I've been privileged to represent, and have always found it's different communities, and particularly the Gujarati communi-

ty welcoming. They know I strongly back closer ties between Britain and India and between Gujarat and Harrow. My strong support for Labour Friends of India and for India to have a permanent seat on the UN Security Council has always been supported. They also recognise that having always lived in Harrow, unlike my Conservative opponent, I am best placed to stand up for our community.

Speaking about his manifesto, he added, “I have been able to use my experience in Parliament recently to force the Government into a review of business rates, with the Conservatives rate rises hitting Harrow's businesses hard. I'm backing a third runway at Heathrow and am pushing for Crossrail to come to Harrow to make sure our community is as well connected as possible to boost our economy and the creation of good jobs.

“We have excellent schools in Harrow, but we are set to lose almost £600 per pupil which puts this at risk. As a former teacher, protecting our schools and our children's future is one of my top priorities.

“I am also ambitious about our children's future, which is why I have secured a partnership with Oxford University, and many other top universities, with local schools in Harrow. I want us to be able to send a message to our children that if they work hard, they will have every opportunity to get into the top universities and forge a successful path.

“One of the biggest concerns is the loss of almost 160 police officers from our streets, and growing fears around the rise of crime. I'm determined to fight for more police on our streets to prevent burglary and tackle antisocial behaviour and my campaign to save Harrow Police Station, a vital part of keeping police based in Harrow, has already attracted strong support from Harrow residents.”

“In the last Parliament I uncovered figures that showed that Harrow had received the lowest level of funding for our NHS of any London borough over the last five years. We were then able to use these figures to fight for more investment in local health services, but we still have the worst waiting times at the A&E department at Northwick Park.

Labour will stop the damaging hospital closures programme and make sure that NHS services are designed around clinical need.

While the party turmoil continues, Thomas is confident that he should win his seat, especially being a local all along. “People in Harrow want strong local representation. They know I grew up here and still live here with my young family.

Asian Voice | 20th May 2017

List of Asian candidates in all 650 seats

ARUNDEL & SOUTH DOWNS Shweta Kapadia (LD) AYLESBURY Vijay S Rao (UKIP) BARKING Talati Minesh (C)

BASILDON SOUTH & THURROCK EAST Reetendra Banerji (LD)

BATLEY & SPEN Mohammed Hanif (Ind)

Emina Ibrahim (Lab) Shasha Khan (Green)

CHELMSFORD Hassam Reza (Green)

CHINGFORD & WOODFORD GREEN Bilal Mahmood (Lab)

CHIPPING BARNET Marisha Ray (LD)

BECKENHAM Marina Ahmad (Lab)

CITIES OF LONDON & WESTMINSTER Anil Bhatti (UKIP) The Maharaja of Kashmir Ankit Love (Ind)

BETHNAL GREEN & BOW *Rushanara Ali (Lab) Ajmal Masroor (Ind)

COVENTRY NORTH EAST Avtar Taggar (UKIP) Afzal Mahmood (Ind)

BEDFORD Mohammad Yasin (Lab)

BIRMINGHAM EDGBASTON Preet Gill (Lab Co-op)*

BIRMINGHAM HALL GREEN Reena Ranger (C)

BIRMINGHAM HODGE HILL Ahmereen Reza (C) Mohammed Khan (UKIP) BIRMINGHAM LADYWOOD *Shabana Mahmood (Lab)

BIRMINGHAM PERRY BARR *Khalid Mahmood (Lab) Parmjit Singh (LD) Vijay Rana (Green) Harjinder Singh (Open) Shangara Singh Bhatoe (Soc Lab) BIRMINGHAM YARDLEY Mohammed Afzal (C) BLACKBURN Irfan Ahmed (LD)

BOLTON SOUTH EAST *Yasmin Qureshi (Lab) BRADFORD EAST *Imran Hussain (Lab)

BRADFORD WEST *Naz Shah (Lab) Muhammad Hijazi (Ind) Hussain Khadim (ND) Salma Yaqoob (ND)

BRENT CENTRAL Rahoul Bhansali (C) BRENT NORTH Ameet Jogia (C)

BRISTOL NORTH WEST Sharmila Bousa (Green)

BRISTOL WEST Thangam Debbonaire (Lab)

BROMSGROVE *Sajid Javid (C)

BROXBOURNE Andrew Graham (LD)

CAMBRIDGESHIRE NORTH WEST *Shailesh Vara (C) CAMBRIDGESHIRE SOUTH EAST Lucy Nethsingha (LD)

CARDIFF CENTRAL Sarul-Islam Mohammed (UKIP) CARSHALTON & WALLINGTON

CLWYD WEST Victor Babu (LD)

COVENTRY NORTH WEST Resham Kotecha (C)

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LUTON NORTH Rabi Martins (LD)

SHEFFIELD SOUTH EAST Ishleen Oberoi (Soc Dem)

MANCHESTER GORTON Mohammed Khan (Lab)

SOUTH SHIELDS Gitanjali Gordon (LD)

HAMPSHIRE NORTH EAST *Ranil Jayawardena (C) HAMPSTEAD & KILBURN *Tulip Siddiq (Lab) HARBOROUGH Zuffar Haq (LD)

HARROW EAST Navin Shah (Lab)

HARROW WEST Rathy Alagaratnam (UKIP) HAZEL GROVE Nav Mishra (Lab)

HEMEL HEMPSTEAD Sherief Hassan (Green)

HITCHIN & HARPENDEN Hugh Annand (LD)

HORNCHURCH & UPMINSTER Rocky Gill (Lab)

MANCHESTER CENTRAL Rachael Shah (Green)

MANSFIELD Anita Prabhakar (LD)

MILTON KEYNES SOUTH Tahir Maher (LD)

SUTTON & CHEAM Amna Ahmad (LD)

NEWPORT EAST Natasha Asghar (C) Nadeem Ahmed (ND)

OCHIL & PERTHSHIRE SOUTH *Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh (SNP)

Samir Jassal

Valerie Vaz

WARWICK & LEAMINGTON Bob Dhillon (UKIP) WEALDEN *Nus Ghani (C)

WELWYN HATFIELD Anawar Miah (Lab)

EDINBURGH SOUTH WEST Foysol Choudhury (Lab) Aisha Mir (LD)

GILLINGHAM & RAINHAM *Rehman Chishti (C) GRANTHAM & STAMFORD Anita Day (LD) Tariq Mahmood (Ind)

HACKNEY NORTH & STOKE NEWINGTON Shahahandria Khan (Friends) HACKNEY SOUTH AND SHOREDITCH Dave Raval (LD)

HAMMERSMITH Jagdeosingh Hauzaree (Ind)

HAMPSHIRE EAST Rohit Dasgupta (Lab)

WALSALL SOUTH *Valerie Vaz (Lab)

WARRINGTON SOUTH Faisal Rashid (Lab)

EAST HAM Choudhry Afzal (Friends) Mirza Rahman (Ind)

FELTHAM & HESTON Samir Jassal (C) *Seema Malhotra (Lab Co-op) Hina Malik (LD)

THANET SOUTH Raushan Ara (Lab)

591 WAKEFIELD Waj Ali (Ind)

EALING SOUTHALL *Virendra Sharma (Lab) Arjinder Thiara (WRP) Nigel Bakhai (LD)

FAREHAM *Suella Fernandes (C)

TEWKESBURY Manjinder Kang (Lab)

VAUXHALL Gulnar Hasnain (Green) Harini Iyengar (Women)

DULWICH & WEST NORWOOD Rashid Nix (Green)

EXETER James Taghdissian (C)

TELFORD Kuldip Sahota (Lab)

TWICKENHAM *Dr Tania Mathias (C)

DEWSBURY Ednan Hussain (LD)

EDMONTON Benjamin Gill (Green)

SURREY EAST Hitesh Tailor (Lab)

TOOTING *Dr Rosena Allin-Khan (Lab)

DEVIZES Imtiyaz Shaikh (Lab)

EALING NORTH Humaira Sanders (LD)

STONE Samantha Pancheri (Green)

STRATFORD-ON-AVON *Nadhim Zahawi (C)

DERBY SOUTH Joe Naitta (LD)

EALING CENTRAL & ACTON *Rupa Huq (Lab)

SLOUGH Tan Dhesi (Lab)

MEON VALLEY Sheena King (Lab)

MIDDLESBROUGH Dawud Islam (LD)

17

Rushanara Ali

HORNSEY & WOOD GREEN Nimco Ali (Women)

HUDDERSFIELD Zulfiqar Ali (LD) Marteen Thokkudubiyyapu (Ind) ILFORD SOUTH Farid Ahmed (LD) Tariq Saeed (UKIP) Kane Khan (Friends)

KENILWORTH & SOUTHAM Bally Singh (Lab)

LEICESTER EAST *Keith Vaz (Lab) Nitesh Dave (LD) Sujata Barot (Ind)

LEICESTER SOUTH Meera Sonecha (C) Harrish Bisnauthsing (LD)

LEICESTERSHIRE SOUTH Shabbir Aslam (Lab)

LUTON SOUTH Ujjawal Ub (UKIP) Abid Ali (Ind)

Rabi Martins

OLD BEXLEY & SIDCUP Freddy Vachha (UKIP) OLDHAM EAST & SADDLEWORTH Kashif Ali (C)

WESTON-SUPER-MARE Suneil Basu (Green) WIGAN *Lisa Nandy (Lab)

WILTSHIRE NORTH Paddy Singh (UKIP)

WIMBLEDON Imran Uddin (Lab)

POPLAR & LIMEHOUSE Oliur Rahman (Ind)

WITHAM *Priti Patel (C)

PUTNEY Dr Neeraj Patil (Lab)

WOLVERHAMPTON SOUTH WEST Paul Uppal (C)

PORTSMOUTH NORTH Rumal Khan (Lab)

READING WEST *Alok Sharma (C)

RICHMOND (YORKS) *Rishi Sunak (C)

SHEFFIELD BRIGHTSIDE & HILLSBOROUGH Muzafar Rahman (Soc Dem)

SHEFFIELD CENTRAL Shaffaq Mohammed (LD)

SHEFFIELD HEELEY Jaspreet Oberoi (Soc Dem)

WOKING Hassan Akberali (Ind)

WYCOMBE Rafiq Raja (Lab)

WYRE & PRESTON NORTH WYRE FOREST Shazu Miah (LD) __________________

- * means the sitting MP - Party Name ( ): Conservative (C), Labour (L), Lib Dem (LD), Independent (Ind) - ARUNDEL - Constituency _______________________

18

FINANCIAL VOICE

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India to grow 7.5% next year on higher infra spending, says UN Asian Voice | 20th May 2017

A report by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) said the Indian economy will grow 7.5 per cent next year.

India's economic growth for this year is projected at 7.1 per cent before catapulting to 7.5 per cent going into the next year. The report said the forecast is “underpinned by higher private and public consumption and increased infrastructure spending.”

The International Monetary Fund projected the country's growth at 7.2 per cent in the fiscal 201718 and 7.7 per cent for the next financial year. While, the Asian Development Bank sees the growth jumping to 7.4 per cent in 201718, and 7.6 per cent in the next. India will continue to clock a better growth than

China, which is expected to grow around 6.5 per cent in 2017. “Meanwhile, inflation is projected to reach 5.3-5.5 per cent in 2017 and 2018, which is somewhat above the official target of 4.5-5 per cent,” the ESCAP said.

It added that a heightened financial sector risk rises from concentration of huge pile of soar assets sitting on the books of public sector banks. These banks' nonperforming assets as percentage of gross advances

hit almost 12 per cent in 2016. “This points to the need for bank recapitalisation.”

Regarding the demonetisation move, the UN report said the impact would be transient on the economy. However, a slower-than-expected recovery would particularly diminish the outlook for cash-intensive sectors and supply chains for agricultural products.

It added that imple-

mentation of the Goods and Services Tax, amendment of a bankruptcy law and opening up of pharmaceuticals, defence, and civil aviation sectors will help India in its economic growth. On the trends in the Asia-Pacific region, the UN ESCAP has found growth in the region moderating in recent years compared to its historical trend and a rebound in 2010.

“The region's exportoriented economic growth strategy is under pressure amid prolonged weakness in external demand and global trade. China is both a transmitter and a source of the current economic slowdown, given its role as hub in global value chains and it rebalanced towards consumption and services,” the report said.

Musical evening to commemorate PNB’s foundation day Smita Sarkar It was a busy second floor Great Western Ballroom lounge at the Hilton Paddington with nearly 300 customers, distinguished guests and employees gathered to celebrate the Punjab National Bank (International) Ltd's 10th Foundation Day celebrations on 13th May with drinks, food and a fantastic musical evening with Jyotsna Srikanth, on the violin.

Gracing the event were dignitaries GP Hinduja, Chairman of Hinduja Group of Companies, MPs Virendra Sharma and Seema Malhotra, the Deputy High Commissioner of India to the UK Dinesh Patnaik and his wife, Tara Naidu, the Regional Manager of Air India in the UK and Ireland, CB Patel, Editor of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar and leading hotelier J Sanger.

The Managing Director and CEO of Punjab National Bank (International) Limited Antanu Das welcomed the guests with an impassioned speech, in which he spoke about the banks successful journey in the UK and future.

“PNB IL has grown in business over the past ten years, reaching more than $2.1 billion in deposits and advances put together. It has an employee strength of 115 and a customer base of around 65,000 at present," said Atanu.

PNB IL has a bouquet

(L-R) Regional Manager - UK and Ireland at Air India Tara Naidu, Mr Joginder Sangar, Mrs and Mr Antanu Das, Mr GP Hinduja, Mrs and Mr Dinesh Patnaik and Mr Sadananda Nayak from Punjab National Bank

Jyotsana Srikanth and her musicians

of products which includes standard deposit and loan products along with its modifications including developmental finance (not regulated mortgages).

The bank has a facility of contactless debit card and lockers in 3 of its branches and facilitates opening of NRI accounts. It caters to the Indian diaspora and has a brand recall value.

“The bank is making efforts to improve on its efficiency and services. We are upgrading the core banking software to the latest version and the internet banking system.

Digitalisation and improvement of IT infrastructure are the key elements that we continue to strive for without losing in any way on the human

touch that we are known for.

“Customers may forget what you said, but they never forget how you made them feel,” he said.

A valued customer, who did not wish to be named praised the services: “My experience with PNB in the UK has been great. My branch manager is extremely helpful and supportive, and I have referred many of my friends and families who also bank with them now.”

Another esteemed customer said “PNB is a trusted bank among the Indian diaspora and we feel comfortable doing business with an established brand like theirs. The staff are helpful and give us good guidance.”

Stalwarts from the Indian banking fraternity were present that evening.

Dr K.C Chakravorty – Former Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank of India and Forer Chairman of PNB, the CEO of State Bank of India Sanjeev Chadha, Chief Executive of European Operations of Bank of Baroda, Dhimant Trivedi, MD & CEO of Union Bank of India (UK) Ltd, Brajeshwar Sharma, Executive Director & Deputy Chief Executive -Union Bank of India (UK) Anand Kumar and the Executive Director of Punjab National Bank Nicholas Coleman were present.

To set the mood of the evening, Jyotsna Srikanth on the violin, accompanied by her entourage, performed a beautiful rendition of the Indian national anthem, melodious Carnatic Ragas and a few film tunes from Bollywood. A beautiful melange of Indian classical music mixed with contemporary beats resulted in a standing ovation from the enthusiastic crowds.

PNB IL has 7 outlets in the UK – 4 in the capital and 3 in Midlands. It is a subsidiary of the Punjab National Bank in India with a strong heritage of a 123 years. It started as a Swadeshi Bank way back in Lahore in 1985, supported by people of all faiths and religions – signifying the diverse but unifying Indian culture. PNB merged 7 banks into it.

PNB is one of the largest nationalised banks of India, with a business of $153 billion.

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Midlands – a Gateway into Britain

Dhiren Katwa

Business leaders must put aside their differences and demonstrate a genuine will towards creating effective partnerships across all professional sectors. This was the loud and clear message from the around 100 delegates at a breakfast seminar in Birmingham last week.

The seminar, themed The Midlands Engine – A £34bn strategy for growth, was organised by Midlands Insider, the business magazine.

Hosted by Birmingham City University, the event featured two panel debates led by Kurt Jacobs, the magazine’s editor. One delegate said, ‘we need to see the Midlands Engine deliver,” adding, “we mustn’t allow in-fighting and a competition behind the

scenes to continue.’ The panel comprised Nick Pulley, Chair of Leicester & Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership, Richard Brooke, Chair, CBI East Midlands, Emma Gray, Director of Marketing & Communications, Marketing Birmingham, Geoff Layer, Vice Chancellor, University of Wolverhampton and Sandeep Shingadia, pictured, head of programme development, Transport for West Midlands.

SBI Life plans £650 mn public offer India's largest bank, the State Bank of India, said it was in the process of appointing eight merchant bankers for SBI Life's IPO in which its promoters- SBI and European insurance major Cardiff are together selling 12 per cent stake. A move that would value the life insurer at over £5 billion.

In October 2010, PSU major Coal India mobilised £1.54 billion through its IPO, till date the largest such offer in the country.

Before that, Reliance Power had mobilised about £1.17 billion when it went

public in January 2008. SBI Life, once listed, would become the second listed life insurer in India. It is expected to hire Axis Bank, ICICI Securities, Citigroup, BNP Paribas, Deutsche Bank, Kotak, SBI Capital Markets and JM Financial to handle the offer. As it is not looking to raise fresh capital, the IPO will comprise an offer for sale of shares from SBI and Cardiff. Executive committee of the board approved a decision whereby SBI will divest around 8 per cent of its holding, while Cardiff will sell around 4 per cent.

Investors finding Indian growth story exciting: LSE chief With Indian energy and infrastructure companies hawking masala bonds worth $6 billion on the London Stock Exchange, and another $1 billion worth of rupee-denominated papers expected to be issued

by Indian companies this fiscal, Nikhil Rathi, CEO of LSE talked about the popularity of the exchange with Indian companies.

“India is looking for global investors. London is proving to be the natural choice for it. We have seen that progress built year after year; more and more money being raised at lower prices to invest directly in Indian infrastructure whether that's power, roads, housing, renewable energy. Indian companies are finding a welcome home here.” He added, “London has the most international financial market in the world. We are able to provide a secure platform to

Nikhil Rathi

investors from all over the world to access some of the best investment opportunities. India is the fastestgrowing economy in the G20, growing over 7 per cent a year.”

When asked whether the UK market have an appetite for such masala bonds from Indian companies, Rathi replied, “I think the best answer to it is the successful issuances of $500 million (masala bond)

by NHAI and $500 million

by NTPC (one after the other). The market is responding each time new investors come.”

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THE DEAL IS NOT DONE, UNTIL IT’S DONE! AsianVoiceNews

Suresh Vagjiani

Sow & Reap London Property Investment

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

The interest in one of our East London site’s is heating up. Currently, we have a hand full of strong bidders who are circling the site. Last week, I had one of the potential investors come and look at the site along with the planner; meeting the planner was more important than seeing the site, as it is more important to hear than to see. Especially from someone who knows his trade. After all, there is only a green waste land to look at. It is more important to understand the council’s policy and possible objections, and thereby ensure they are tackled well in advance.

Looking at the site, situated on the high street, intuitively it’s crying out for development. The station is only a few minutes away and takes you into the heart of London in half an hour. The high street, contrary to my expectations, had a very

AGONY AGENT Each week, we answer a reader’s rental property question, from first-time landlords to experienced owners. Agony Agent, is here to help!

Q: I have been reading your articles and need your help. My tenants keep making noise and the other residents keep calling me complaining, please can you offer some advice.

A: Sometimes, no matter how thoroughly you check your tenants, they can become the tenants from hell. One of the biggest issues landlords have is when their tenants start to annoy their often longestablished neighbours.

Whilst landlords aren’t actually responsible for the noise their tenants make, it’s always a good idea to try and ‘keep the peace’.

So, what can you do if your tenants are disturbing others?

Firstly, include in your tenancy agreements a clause where your tenants must agree not to make unnecessary noise or nuisance that may result in stress being caused to residents.

I have made a list of best practice when it comes to advising your tenants about noise: l Place music systems and televisions on rubber mats or carpet to help absorb sound l Avoid placing sound emitting appliances next to shared walls l Check the time of day chosen to carry out housework, DIY and gardening l Limit noise at

light and airy feel. It’s a location where you can live and breathe, and have the luxury of getting into town within a short while.

The architect has drawn up a scheme for 63 apartments without the need for car parking; this looks doable given the closeness to the station.

My initial reactions are not to sell the apartments, as this area still has mileage in it, and I expect the rental will be very strong. A cursory glance on the high street shows there are many Estate Agents. They can only exist if there is money to be made. Money can only be made if there is liquidity or flow of transactions. This is indicative the area is buzzing. Whether we ultimately decide to develop and sell, or rent, I expect this to be a highly profitable investment.

If the decision is made to sell, it will be very helpful

unsociable hours - 11pm to 7am l Avoid leaving dogs barking and disturbing the residents l Inform residents if they are to carry out disruptive DIY work such as drilling, hammering etc l Let residents know if they intend to have a party or bonfire l If going out or returning home late at night take extra care not to disturb residents through loud voices and slamming of doors If the residents have complained about your tenants being too noisy, then I would suggest firstly to encourage the residents to take it up with your tenant; you are not legally liable for your tenant’s noise.

If they have tried this approach, or are unwilling to try, then you should try and communicate with

to ensure the development signs up to the Help to Buy Scheme, which is underutilised.

This scheme is targeted at first time buyers, and home movers. The ‘bottom’ end of the market, perhaps the most important as far as the whole housing market goes, is the end of the market where new entrants come in, new blood. This ensures the rest of the market is continually revitalised, that’s the theory anyway.

This scheme goes up to £600,000 for properties within London. It offers buyers a deposit of up to 40% of the property value. There is no interest on this amount for the next five years after which you will be paying 1.25% plus base.

This means you can sell to buyers with only 5% deposit. The scheme is only applicable to new build schemes.

REALESTATEVOICE

Asian Voice | 20th May 2017

19

These numbers are comfortably within the remit of this development.

There is a real shortage of good quality homes which have signed up to this scheme irrespective of the market conditions. This scheme once signed up should be sold well before

physical completion, as most of the population are struggling to even get a foot in the housing ladder. This deal is not done yet, it’s not on the market, and nothing is done until it’s done. So if you like the sound of this please get in touch!

Environmental Health Department (EHD) in the Local Authority. By law, the local authorities have a duty to deal with any noise that they consider to be what’s known as a ‘statutory nuisance’.

The EHD will then assess the situation with all the proper evidence to hand, if they too decide the noise is too loud and the tenants aren’t willing to do

anything about it, you can take the necessary steps to terminate the tenancy.

That will involve serving notice on the grounds of too much noise and antisocial behaviour.

We offer an eviction service, so if you need help with this or any other issues please contact me.

Richard Bond Lettings Manager Sow & Reap

your tenant regarding the noise complaint. Ask them what activities caused the disturbance.

Be understanding, listen to their story, and try to help them come up with a solution.

If this doesn’t make a difference then send them a copy of the tenancy agreement highlighting the noise clause and the repercussions if they breach that clause.

If they persist, enlist the residents’ help. They will need to keep a diary of days and times that the noise is occurring, any patterns and what they feel is the main cause of the noise. If they are willing to use audio recording equipment to build evidence, they should do this, which will help their argument in the long run.

The next step is to present all the evidence to the

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FINANCIAL VOICE

Asian Voice | 20th May 2017

Consultant Editor Financial Voice Alpesh Patel

Dear Financial Voice Reader, Who will make you better off? Conservatives, Labour, Coalition, me?

Deficits don’t win elections. People relate to what’s in their pocket, not in the nation’s pocket. And people want hope. Those two things win all democratic elections – money and hope. Simple.

The Conservative message, to be winning, has to be: we put more money in working and middle class pockets, by lower tax on them, more spending on the services they use, raised by a growing economy, paid by some taxes on the super-rich. We are credible on our promises on the economy.

On credibility - let’s talk about the deficit for a moment.

The financial crisis did not create the budget deficit.

The trend was well in place before then under Labour. Sure financial crisis, such as in 1990 create deficits. But the one under the last Labour Government was deeper than ever before, and it was in place well before the financial crisis.

The financial crisis just shrouded Labour’s mismanagement (ever rising deficits in a growing economy).

But surely Labour can create budget surpluses? Let’s not be too unfair. Sure, Labour can create budget surpluses – or rather they can benefit from a trend set in place by the previous Government. The bigger problem is they lose control of spending – again the data below shows it.

Well before the 2007/8 global crash, the budget was running in huge deficit. Sure, the Conservatives had a deficit in the 1980s – but that’s after inheriting an economy in shambles in 1979...from Labour.

My worry is people will say, ‘let’s get Labour’s giveaways for 5 years, then have the Conservatives clean it up.’

Labour get to be ‘good cop’ and the Conservatives ‘bad cop’.

So why are deficits bad? How do they mean less money in working class and middle class pockets?

First, Government spending needs borrowing to fund it, and that means more spending on interest payments, and ultimately less money eventually for spending on things like roads, hospitals, and sharper cuts later. Sure we won’t end up like Greece, but you get the idea.

Secondly public spending crowds out the private sector, which tends to be more efficient at running business. Every Government project, is one the private sector will not do.

Fine if you believe in nationalisation. But Britain doesn’t have a good experience with nationalisation – civil servants should not run business. Small businesses should, and they create jobs by doing it. And this crowding out leads to lower growth because the state does not turn out profits the way the private sector does – it’s why we believe in capitalism and not socialism in Britain.

Thirdly, big deficits mean a weakening pound, so our imports become more expensive, cost of living increases – that hurts working classes in particular – because food and fuel prices rise. (Sound familiar since Brexit – get even more with a budget deficit).

Taxation rises eventually become inevitable. The reason Labour traditionally is not trusted with the economy is because people did not trust their taxes to stay low. The Conservatives became the trusted party of lower tax.

Credibility. And the credibility issue is that under Labour – deficits balloon, without financial crisis. Credibility. And the credibility issue is that under Labour – deficits balloon, without financial crisis.

Promises are one thing, who do you trust? Who is credible. So who delivers on your hope for more money in your pocket?

SC holds Mallya guilty of contempt, summons him on July 10th The Supreme Court has found absconding businessman Vijay Mallya guilty of contempt of court and summoned him to personally appear on July 10. The court was hearing a plea by a consortium of banks who moved the apex court after Mallya received $40 million from British firm Diageo Plc in February last year.

Mallya was arrested by Scotland Yard last month on fraud allegations, triggering his extradition process in British courts. However, he was released on bail after assuring the court to abide by all conditions associated with extradition proceedings,

including surrendering his passport. India had given a formal extradition request for Mallya last February through a note verbale. The Ministry of External Affairs informed that Mallya's extradition has been stratified by the Secretary of State of the UK government, adding that a warrant would soon be released against him.

The UK's Crown Prosecution Service will argue the case on behalf of Indian authorities. Mallya's now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines allegedly owes over £900 million to various banks. He had fled the country on March 2, 2016.

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Now, Mumbai world's busiest airport with only one runway AsianVoiceNews

Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Airport has overtaken London's Gatwick to become the world's busiest airport operating with a single runway. With a plane either taking off or touching down every 65 seconds, the Airport operator and Mumbai air traffic control have a lot on their hands.

In financial year ending March 2017, Mumbai airport handled 45.2 million passengers, beating Gatwick's 44 million. An airport official said, “Currently, Mumbai airport handles 837 arrivals or take-offs in a day, an average of 80 flights more than Gatwick, which handles 757 movements in a day.” A senior air traffic controller said, “We position two arrivals every 130 seconds and one departure in between these two arrivals.

So there is one take off or touch-down every 65 seconds from the main runway of Mumbai airport.”

Things, however, get tough when flight operations have to be moved to the less efficient secondary runway.

“We broke Gatwick's record in such conditions. It shows the level of perfection air traffic controllers in

Mumbai have achieved through rigorous training,” the controller said. While Mumbai airport has two cross runways, only one is used, making it an accidental entrant into the list of airports in single runway league. Gatwick faces a similar condition with two parallel runways but just one operational.

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

“Because of land constraints, Mumbai airport cannot have a parallel runway and simultaneous use of its cross runways is too complicated, which leaves the lone runway to handle all air traffic.”

Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd (MIAL), the company that runs the airport, has been working at improving the taxiway network of the airport. The less time an aircraft spends on the runway to take off or land, more the number of flights it can handle.

"Currently, work on extension of an existing taxiway is on to connect the Terminal 2 aircraft parking apron to runway 27. It will provide the much-required additional holding area for aircraft ready to take off on the main runway 27," said an MIAL spokesperson.

China to invest $50 bn to develop Indus River Cascade Pakistan and China are expected to sign an MoU to develop the North Indus River Cascade with investment of $50 billion to generate up to 40,000 MW hydro electricity. It is understood the memorandum will be signed in Beijing during Pak Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's visit to China. A report said, “The $50 billion investment comes on top of the $46 billion investment being provided by the Chinese government and Chinese banks for financing power and road infrastructure projects in Pakistan under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.”

Studies conducted by the Water and Power Development Authority, Pakistan has an identified potential of producing up to 60,000 MW of hydroelectric power. Forty-thousand MW of the potential power is located in the region called the Indus River Cascade, which

begins from Skardu in Gilgit-Baltistan and runs through KhyberPakhtunkhwa till Tarbela, site of Pakistan's biggest dam. Sources said the Chinese side conducted survey and studies on the North Indus Cascade, including the sides of Pattan, Thacoat, Bunji, Dasau, and Diamer in February this year.

In a high-level meeting, the Chinese agreed to convert the survey and initial study to an MoU whereby they will conduct a detailed study spanning over a period of three months on a developing roadmap for

financing that will lead to initiation and completion of these mega projects.

Sources said the CPEC and the North Indus River Cascade could be the biggest-ever Chinese investment in Pak. The most important development could be the Chinese undertaking of these projects as it has a vast experience for building such huge dams. According to the sources, the CPEC and the North Indus River Cascade can be the biggestever Chinese investment in Pakistan. In 2015, the owner of the world's largest hydroelectric dam, China

Three Gorges (CTG) Corporation, had expressed willingness to participate in a financing consortium to fund up to $50 billion of hydroelectric power projects in Pakistan. The Chinese governmentowned CTG expressed an interest in financing projects in Pakistan in conjunction with the International Finance Corporation, a World Bank subsidiary.

The CTG owns and operates the Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest hydroelectric power plant with a capacity of 22,500MW, nearly matching in one power plant the entire installed capacity of the Pakistani grid of 23,500MW. The mega undertaking may create further tension between Pakistan and India as the investment would be made in GilgitBaltistan region which is part of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

India's growth a challenge: Chinese media China's state media has published an article saying Beijing can't afford to get too complacent, especially if "India copies China", because the South Asian nation will then "gain the attention of world capital".

Global Times, the Chinese Communist Party's mouthpiece, went so far as to say "there are growing signs that India is succeeding in attracting more and more investment" and that is something China should "take seriously". Another factor in India's favour is its demographic. "As China's demographic dividend diminishes, India, with half of its population below the age of 25, is poised to take advantage,"

it said. And it singled out the solar energy sector in India as pretty much without competition "in supporting investors."

The article is based largely on a report by a private Beijing think tank called 'Anbound'; Global Times has bolstered that report with an Ernst & Young analysis. Much of the article is based on Anbound answering this question: "If India decided to copy China, what impact would it have and what should China do? " "If India intentionally creates a competitive situation in front of global investors, it will pose a challenge for China.

Because generally speak-

ing, India does have the conditions to copy China's economic growth model thanks to its vast size and market, low labour costs and large population, which are all similar to China's conditions. In fact, based on the EY (Ernst &

Young) report, global investors are currently undecided," Global Times wrote.

Still, the newspaper said India is "succeeding" in getting investors' attention at least, and here it cited the country's solar energy sector. "Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi hopes to boost the usage of clean energy over fossil fuels by building massive solar parks and is targeting $100 billion in investment in solar energy in the next five years, with the backing of loans from the World Bank. No other country could compete with India in supporting investors in the solar economy," Global Times wrote.

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Pak stoking terror, hurting India ties, says Trump admin

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Pro-talk S Korean leader sworn in

Moon Jae-in

SEOUL: South Korea’s new President Moon Jae-in has been sworn in, vowing to address the economy and relations with the North in his first speech as president. He said that he would even be willing to visit Pyongyang under the right circumstances.

Moon took his oath of office in Seoul’s National Assembly building a day after his decisive win. The former human rights lawyer and son of North Korean refugees is known for his liberal views.

Tensions on the Korean peninsula remain high and recent weeks have seen the US and Pyongyang trade angry rhetoric as speculation about another nuclear test grows.

Moon has also vowed to unify a divided country reeling from a corruption scandal which saw his predecessor, Park Geun-hye, impeached. In his inauguration speech, Moon said he would “do everything I can to build peace on the Korean peninsula. If needed I will fly to Washington immediately,” he said. “I will also go to Beijing and Tokyo and even Pyongyang in the right circumstances.”

He added that he would have “serious negotiations” with the US and China over the controversial deployment of anti-missile system Thaad.

WASHINGTON: The Trump administration has issued a severe indictment of Pakistan in its first public assessment of the region, blaming Islamabad for deteriorating relations with India and warning that Pakistan's “pursuit of tactical nuclear weapons potentially lowers the threshold for their use.”

In a testimony, Director of National Intelligence, Dan Coats told US lawmakers that Islamabad's continued support to militants and New Delhi's growing intolerance of the policy has initiated deterioration of bilateral relations in 2016. Coats warned, “They might deteriorate further in 2017, especially in the event of another high-profile terrorist attack in India that New Delhi attributes to originating in or receiving assistance from Pakistan.” He added that easing of the heightened Indo-Pakistani tension, including negotiations to renew official dialogue, will probably hinge “on a sharp and sustained reduction of cross-border attacks by terrorist groups based in Pakistan and progress in the Pathankot investigation” which Pak has been long stalling.

WORLD Asian Voice | 20th May 2017

In Brief

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PIO endorsed to be US trade commissioner

WASHINGTON: A top Democratic senator recommended to US President Donald Trump that Indian American Rohit Chopra be selected to serve as a commissioner in the Federal Trade Commission. “The Federal Trade Commission should be led by people who put the interests of consumers above all else, and that's what Rohit Chopra has done his entire life,” senate minority leader Charles Schumer said, recommending Chopra's name for this top federal trade commission position. Chopra is currently serving as a senior fellow at the Consumer Federation of America.

The US Treasury Department, a few hours before the testimony, announced follow-up sanctions against several Pakistan-based individuals and entities, including the Lashkar-e-Taiba and its front for charitable activities, Jamaat-udDawah, as part of its counter-terrorism measures. “The United States continues to aggressively target extremists in Pakistan and the surrounding region, including charities and other front groups used as vehicles to facilitate illicit terrorist activities. The three individuals and entity we designated today have connections with terrorist groups that are a direct threat to the security of both the United States

and Pakistan,” John Smith, Director of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control said.

Meanwhile, Coats said terror groups from the country will continue a pose a “sustained threat” to US, India and Afghanistan. “The threat to US and the West from Pakistani-based terrorist groups will be persistent but diffuse.

Plotting against US homeland will be conducted on a more opportunistic basis or driven by individual members within these groups,” he added. “Pakistan will likely turn to China to offset its isolation, empowering a relationship that will help Beijing to project influence into the Indian Ocean.”

New FBI boss contradicts White House

WASHINGTON: Acting FBI director Andrew McCabe undermined recent White House explanations about the firing of FBI director James Comey during testimony before a Senate committee. Since President Donald Trump's surprise ouster of Comey, the White House has justified his decision, in part, by saying that the director had lost the confidence of the rank and file of the FBI as well as the public in general. “That is not accurate,” McCabe said in a response to a senator's question about the White House assertions.

Opioid-like drug from India seized

LONDON: A ship load of tramadol, a synthetic opioid-like drug, from India to be sold to Islamic State terrorists in Libya to give them greater resilience has been seized by the Italian police. The 37 million tramadol pills, worth $75 million, were found packed into three containers at the port of Genoa, labelled as blankets and shampoo and set to be loaded on a freighter bound for Misrata and Tobruk in Libya. Italian police said the consignment had come from India and would have been used to help finance Islamist terrorism and for use by jihadi fighters as a stimulant.

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WORLD

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Saeed spreading terrorism: Pak govt Asian Voice | 20th May 2017

LAHORE: In probably the first official admission by the Pakistan government the Interior ministry told a judicial board that Lashkar-eTaiba chief Hafiz Saeed and his aides were spreading terrorism in the name of Jihad.

An official representing the Nawaz Sharif government argued against his claim that he was being prevented from the raising the Kashmir issue.

“The government detained the Jamaat-udDawa leaders on pressure of United Nations and interna-

Hafiz Saeed

tional organisations.” Pak's admission of Saeed's terror links is a rare instance of the country endorsing New

Delhi's stand that the LeT has carried out several terrorist strikes in India. The move holds much significance as Saeed is seen as a key asset and ally of the Pakistani army which helps train and launch LeT terrorists across the LoC into J&K. Saeed had seconded Pak's stand in discussions with India when he told the board that allegations against him were never proved by any state institution. He said he was being victimised for raising voice for “freedom of Kashmir and criticising the

government's weak policy”.

However, the official slammed him for terror in the guise of jihad can also reflect political tensions between the Sharif regime and the Pak army on use and support to terrorist organisations.

The admission before the judicial review board came as the Punjab government further extended Saeed's detention for 90 days. Saeed has been addressing his cadre and on an occasion spoke to Lashkar supporters in J&K over mobile phones.

Sikh man in US detained, faces deportation NEW YORK: A Sikh man who had fought asylum in the US 20 years back, has been detained by immigration authorities in California after losing his latest appeal over a deportation order. Taxi driver from Punjab, Gurmukh Singh, who had sneaked into the US without a visa through the Mexico border in 1998, was taken into custody last week after failing to get a stay in his deportation case, as the Trump administration clamps down undocumented immigrants.

Married to a US citizen, the 46 year old had applied for asylum in the US in 1999, citing religious persecution.

He had checked in with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Santa Ana, as

required for individuals with final deportation orders who have been released under supervision. However, the ICE said courts at all levels have upheld his removal order, leading to him being detained. Singh told reporters he was “very nervous”. After he had applied for asylum, his case was moved to an immigration court, but his previous counsel did not notify him in advance of his court date in 1999 and failed to prepare him. A judge had then ordered his deportation.

His wife Balwinder Kaur became a US citizen in 2010 and then applied for him to become a legal permanent resident in 2012, which is when he found out he had a deportation order on his

Sharif funded jihad in Kashmir: Imran Khan

ISLAMABAD: Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf said it would sue Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the Supreme Court for receiving funds from al Qaida chief Osama bin Laden in the 80s, to promote jihad in Kashmir and Afghanistan. Party spokesman Fawad Chaudhry said he would petition the SC this week seeking admission of a case against Sharif for “taking funds from a foreign individual to destabilise and conspire against democra-

cy in Pakistan.”

A report said PTI would submit interviews and excerpts from a book titled 'Khalid Khawaja: Shaheed-e Aman', as evidence. Written by Shamama Khalid, wife of former InterServices Intelligence spy Khalid Khawaja, the book claims that Sharif took around Rs 1.5 billion from Osama to promote jihad in the two regions.

Sources also claimed that later million of dollars from this money was used to support a no-confidence move in 1989 against Benazir Bhutto, former two-time prime minister murdered in a terrorist attack in 2007.

The Opposition party also announced that it would file a petition seeking implementation on a 2012 verdict of the apex court in the Asghar Khan case.

Gurmukh Singh

record. The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement had detained Singh in 2013 for five months, based on the prior deportation order.

“I would be broke, the family separated and we're not supposed to be separated.” the father of two said. “I would be depressed. What would happen to their future, my future?” his oldest,

Manpreet Saini, 18, said. “The look on his face told me there was nothing that could be done. He breaks down. He's crying. I've never seen him cry like that.”

It currently remains unclear whether Singh will be detained. The ICE released a statement saying, “While criminal aliens and those who pose a threat to public safety will continue to be a focus, DHS will not exempt classes or categories of removable aliens from potential enforcement. All those in violation of our nation's immigration laws may be subject to arrest, detention and, if found removable by final order, removal from the United States.”

Fake call centres: NRG pleads guilty in America WASHINGTON: An Indian national in the US has pleaded guilty for his role in a multi-million dollar scam involving individuals from India-based call centres impersonating US tax and immigration officials and defrauding victims across America. New Jersey-based Harsh Patel, 28, is the third Indian national to plead guilty to the scam that hit hundreds of US citizens.

Patel, along with 50 other individuals and five Indiabased call centres have been charged for their roles in the fraud and money laundering scheme in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury last year in October. Admissions made in connection with the plea said Patel and his co-conspirators perpetrated a

complex scheme in which individuals from call centres located in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, impersonated officials from the Internal Revenue Service or US Citizenship and Immigration Services in a ruse designed to defraud victims located across the country, the Department of Justice said in a statement.

Using information obtained from data brokers and other sources, the call centre operators targeted US victims who were threatened with arrest, imprisonment, fines or deportation if they did not pay alleged monies owed to the government.

Since January 2015, Patel worked as a “runner” operating primarily in New Jersey , California and Illinois.

Anti-immigrant rhetoric to hit US varsities financially WASHINGTON: A US-based research and consulting firm specialising in international student trends revealed that several popular universities may be hit with the 'Trump Effect', stating that even a 5 per cent decline in the number of international students for the year 2017-18 could potentially dent the revenue of US academies by $249.30 million. The President's antiimmigrant rhetoric which has

been growing in the past few months has put the country in a bad shape.

Based on its analysis, the firm has apprehended serious implications on the financial stability of the the universities, even with just 5 per cent. “The financial impact indicates that institutions must move towards more informed strategies rather than mere reacting to the external charges,” said Dr Rahul

Choudaha, CEO, Dr Education. Speaking on the same note, Phil Baty, editor of the Times Higher Education World University Ranksings said that with Brexit and the US President Donald Trump sending “negative messages” about two of the biggest destinations of international education, opportunities are ripe for students to explore good but less expensive options.

He said, “Canada is cheap-

er and is more liberal with visas. German universities are now doing very well. Dutch universities are really strong.

French higher education establishments outside the main framework of the French university system are offering masters in English now. It will be Britain and America's loss to see fewer Indian and international students, who are the life blood of a great university.”

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Jakarta’s Christian governor jailed in blasphemy case

JAKARTA: Thousands of Indonesians gathered outside Cipinang prison in East Jakarta to express solidarity with a man who, just hours earlier, had been serving as their governor. Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, widely known by the nickname Ahok, was earlier sentenced by a court and taken to the prison - but not for the common crime of corruption, which is rife in Indonesia. Instead, his crime was blasphemy. Purnama, Jakarta’s first Christian governor in decades, had suggested that Jakarta's imams were misusing Koranic verses to discriminate against Christian candidates.

The remarks created a furore in Muslim-majority Indonesia, prompting huge rallies by Islamists opposed to Purnama and leading, eventually, to his lopsided electoral defeat on April 19.

4 hijab-clad women assaulted

MELBOURNE: In bias-motivated crimes, four Muslim women in Australia were allegedly punched in the face by a 39-year-old journalism student from Paraguay. One of four Muslim women targeted by the attackers said she was randomly punched in the face as she walked through the city wearing her headphones. Maria Claudia Gimenez Wilson, a 39-year-old journalism student from Paraguay, is charged with assaulting the four women, aged 18-23, as they walked along busy roads near University of Technology Sydney (UTS) in Ultimo, Sydney Morning Herald reported. All four women were wearing hijab.

25 killed, deputy chairman of senate injured in Pak blast

ISLAMABAD: The deputy chairman of Pakistan’s Senate escaped an assassination attempt with injuries. A blast damaged his car, killing 25 people and wounding 35 in the volatile south-western Balochistan province. The blast targeted Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri when he came out of a mosque after addressing a gathering shortly after the Friday prayers in Mastung area of the province. The area where the explosion took place is approximately 70 km from provincial capital Quetta. Mastung Hospital sources said that 25 dead and over 35 injured were brought to the hospital. More than 15 injured were in critical condition.

Top Kuwait court jails 3 Royals

KUWAIT CITY: Kuwait's supreme court upheld a five-year jail term against three members of the ruling family, including the former secret service chief, for insulting the judiciary. Those convicted include Sheikh Athbi Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, a nephew of the Gulf state's emir and the former head of the secret service police. He was one of three royals convicted, along with two other Kuwaiti citizens, of publishing posts on social media accusing judges of accepting bribes. The five men were sentenced last year. An appeals court upheld the verdict in January. The supreme court also upheld a one-year jail term for a sixth defendant and acquitted six others, according to the verdict.

Merkel's party wins key state

DUESSELDORF: German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Conservatives defeated the ruling Social Democrats (SPD) in a key state election, exit polls showed, boosting their hopes of retaining power in September's national vote. The Christian Democrats (CDU) saw a strong surge of support in Germany's most populous state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), which is home to one in five German voters and has often been a national trend-setter in elections. The CDU won 34.5%, up from 26.3% in 2012, according to an exit poll on public broadcaster ARD just after polls closed.

Militants' family blow themselves up in Bangladesh

DHAKA: Five members of a family blew themselves up to thwart police from storming their terror hideout in Bangladesh, the latest such incident amid intensified nationwide crackdown on Islamist militants, according to a media report. Before setting off the blasts in Rajshahi’s Godgari area, the terror suspects speared a fireman to death.

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CBI raid on P Chidambaram, Lalu Prasad Yadav

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The Central Bureau of Investigation raided former finance minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram and his son Karti after the agency registered a case against Karti, Peter Mukerjea and Indrani Mukerjea, two private companies and unknown officials of ministry of finance for alleged corruption and criminal conspiracy for FDI approval for INX Media Pvt Ltd. CBI has booked Karti Chidambaram, INX Media (P) Limited and its former Director Indrani Mukerjea, and its former director Peter Mukerjea, M/s Advantage Strategic Consulting (P) Limited and its Director Padma Vishwanathan and unknown officials of ministry of finance for alleged “criminal conspiracy”,

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P Chidambaram & Lalu Prasad Yadav

cheating, and prevention of corruption act. It alleged that recommendation for FIPL proposal of INX Media was approved by P Chidambaram, FM at the time. It also added that INX Media, in a bid to wriggle out of the situation without any punitive action by the FIPB, entered into a criminal conspiracy with Karti in

order to get the issue amicably resolved by influencing the public servants of the FIPB unit of the ministry of finance “by virtue of his relationship with the then finance minister.”

In its FIR, CBI said, “Contrary to the approval of FIPB conveyed through letter dated May 31, 2007 and condition mentioned there-

Life Global UK celebrates launch After working for several humanitarian causes for over three decades, Project 'Life', Rajkot got a major boost from its friends and associates in the UK with the registration of charity Life Global UK. The newly conceived organisation will be launched on May 24, in an event called 'Change a Life' to be held at Navnat Centre, Printing House Lane, Hayes, Middlesex UB3 IAR. Guests of honour for the

evening will be Chairman of Project 'Life' India, and Chief Patron of Life Global UK, CB Patel, Founder Trustee of Project 'Life', Kirit Vassa, Joint Executive Trustee of Project 'Life', Meetal Koticha Shah, and Chief Development Officer of Project 'Life', Rushikesh Pandya.

All forwards collected during the event will be spend to develop infrastructure of primary schools in

Gujarat, promote primary education through scholarships to the students, empower widows and women below poverty line through training and kit distribution to make them selfreliant. Project 'Life' has until now, developed 71 primary schools and helped empower over 6500 women so far. It aims to empower more than 100,000 women over the years.

Rewarding career in media

Advertising Sales Manager Advertising Sales Manager positions are available with Asian Business Publications Ltd - publishers of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar, the leaders in ethnic media.

Using a mixture of face to face, telephone and electronic contact, the position will entail selling advertising space for both Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar, various glossy magazines we publish, sponsorships for various events we conduct through out the year.

We are seeking confident assertive, energetic, and goal-oriented individual with or without previous experience in advertising sales. Position is responsible for building effective consultative business conversations with decision makers and win business. For consideration please email resume with references.

LOCATION: Central London JOB TYPE: Permanent OTE: £45,000

Asian Voice & Gujarat Samachar are the largest selling Asian news weeklies, now in their 45th year with paid subscription of almost 25,000 and additional 5000 copies sold through retail outlets. Check us online www.abplgroup.com

Send your CV with a covering letter to: Mr L. George Asian Business Publications Ltd Karma Yoga House 12 Hoxton Market, London N1 6HW or email: george@abplgroup.com

in, INX Media deliberately and in violation of the conditions of the approval made a downstream investment to the extent of 26 per cent in INX News without the specific approval of FIPB which included indirect foreign investment by the same foreign investors and generate more than £30.5 million in FDI in INX Media against the approval foreign inflow of £ 462,000 by issuing the shares to the foreign investors at a premium of more than Rs 800 per share.”

CBI adds that after receiving a letter from INX Media, officials of FIPB unit, by virtue of influence exercised over them by Karti “not only ignored the serious illegality on the part of INX Media on both the counts but also deliberately

embarked on showing undue favour to INX Group by abusing their official position and advised the company to apply fresh to FIPB approval in respect of the downstream investment which had already been made by INX Media.”

FIPB officials also ignored the “request of department of revenue to investigate the matter.” CBI said, “Such deceitful and fallacious proposal was favourably considered by the officials of ministry of finance and approved by then finance minister.”

In similar misfortune, Lalu Prasad Yadav was alleged to be the beneficiary of £100 million worth of proxy land deals by income tax officials as they searched almost 20 locations in Delhi and Gurgaon

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to collect evidence for their case. Raids were conducted by nearly 100 tax officials and policemen. “People and businessmen connected to land deals involving Lalu Yadav and his family are being searched. There are allegations of benami (proxy) deals worth £100 million and subsequent tax evasion,” a senior official said.

The raids were conducted hours after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said if the BJP or the central government has evidence of his partner's corruption, it should take action. The national party had accused Lalu, his daughter Misa Bharti, and sons Tejashwi and Tej Pratap Yadav, of prime roles in corrupt land deals in Patna, Delhi, and other cities.

Vishnu Pandya takes over Gujarat Sahitya Akademi Well-known historian, journalist and honorary editor of Gujarat Samachar, Padma Shri Vishnu Pandya was appointed as the Chairman of the Gujarat Sahitya Akademi on May 15. Present on the occasion were Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, Morari Bapu, Rameshbhai Oza, Swami Madhavpriya Das, ministers,

office bearers, journalists, and writers.

Forwarding his wishes from London, Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar Editor CB Patel said he hoped the best for Vishnubhai, and may he work in the best interests of literature. Philippine's international poetry organisation, Pentassi Poetry Friendship

International's Dr Penepene also forwarded his best wishes.

Vishnubhai has always made it a point to prioritise and promote new Gujarati writers, making sure they portray literature in the correct way and making efforts to get them published, arranging for meets with writers and authors across the country and encouraging mutual support and easy sales of books.

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TRS govt flayed for handcuffing farmers Asian Voice | 20th May 2017

HYDERABAD: The opposition Congress, TDP, and BJP hit out at Telangana's TRS government for handcuffing farmers booked for vandalising an agricultural market yard office. Protests were held at different places in the state by Congress leaders and activists and a memorandum was submitted to Governor ESL Narasimhan who sought action against those responsible for the incident.

The memorandum read, “The handcuffing of poor, small and marginal chilli farmers in Khammam while being produced in a court has shocked the entire Telangana public. This is

K Chandrasekhara Rao

a culmination of ignoring agricultural and farming community by the TRS government on one hand and repressive, dictatorial tactics used by the present government against any form of protest.” Union Minister and senior BJP leader Bandaru Dattatreya said it was painful to

Dinakaran told to reply to plea for voice samples NEW DELHI: A special court has directed AIADMK (Amma) faction leader TTV Dinakaran and an alleged middleman to respond to Delhi Police's plea for voice samples. Delhi Police's Crime Branch submitted that they needed the voice samples for their probe into a £5 million graft case. It added that they had a CD containing audio recordings of phone conversations between Dinakaran, Chandrashekaran and others, and wanted to compare them with some voice samples.

Special Judge Poonam Chaudhry asked the counsel for Dinakaran and Sukesh Chandrashekar to file their replies soon. After the counsel for both accused sought time to go through the application, the court listed the date to 15.

Both Dinakaran and Chandrashekaran were also brought to the court from judicial custody in pursuance to its production warrants issued earlier. The former was arrested on April 25, four

days after questioning for alleged attempt to bribe an unidentified Election Commission official to get the undivided AIADMK's 'Two Leaves' election symbol. The EC had frozen the symbol after both factions of the party- one led by Sasikala and the other by former chief minister O Pannerselvam, staked claims to it.

Dinakaran is accused of allegedly arranging the amount from undisclosed sources and getting it transferred from Chennai to Delhi through illegal channels. His close aide Mallikarjuna was also arrested for allegedly facilitating the £5 million deal between Dinakaran and Chandrashekaran.

Punjab CM pushes for consensual solution to SYL CHANDIGARH: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh pushed for a consensual resolution of the SYL dispute, calling for coordination of the states with the Centre. Addressing the 28th meeting of the Northern Zonal Council, he also sought the central government's help in supplementing Punjab's efforts to check cross-border smuggling of drugs.

Amarinder reiterated his demand for the central government's concessions, on the lines of the fiscal and industrial concessions being given to other states, in order to compensate for the financial and economic losses already suffered by it. He said this was necessary to provide a level playing field to the state, as revealed in an official release. On the drug menace in the state, the CM said the border was manned by central security forces, and that the Home Minister

Amarinder Singh

should order a strict vigil to check drugs smuggling. He underlined the importance of inter-state coordination and the need to combat the drug problem in a systematic and organised manner.

Amarinder also urged neighbouring states of Rajasthan, Haryana, HP and J&K to make focused efforts to check illegal cultivation of poppy and cannabis.

Noting that Punjab was going through a severe ecological crisis because of depletion of ground water, he urged the Central government to take expert advice on reliable estimates of future flows in these rivers.

see farmers handcuffed.

Meanwhile, State Agriculture Minister P Srinivasa Reddy rubbished all allegations saying the government has already taken action against policemen responsible for the incident.

Ten chilli farmers were arrested for allegedly carrying out violent protests and damaging the Khammam marketyard office. Following the outrage, the police department suspended two Armed Reserve Police sub-inspectors and ordered an inquiry. Telangana farmers have long been demanding better price for chilli as the rates dipped to Rs

5,000 or less per quintal as compared to last year's Rs 12,000 per quintal.

Lawyers said they would approach the Human Rights Commission against the use of handcuffs in this case. "A Supreme Court judgment says that accused should not be brought to court in handcuffs.

But the police are violating this.

Unfortunate that farmers who demanded MSP (Minimum Support Price) are being treated like this," a lawyer said.

Meanwhile, an inquiry has been ordered by the police into the "breaching" of the handcuff norms.

Bengaluru woman cheats Amazon of Rs 7000,000 BENGALURU: A woman has been arrested for allegedly cheating e-commerce giant Amazon India of almost Rs 6991,000. She reportedly made numerous online purchases, returning substandard and cheap lookalikes, later selling the original items on another shopping portal. Deepanwita Ghosh, 32, claimed refunds of lakhs of rupees from the website.

Hennur police identified her as an engineering graduate living in Rajanna Layout, Horamavu, with her husband, employed at a professional services company. As per a complaint lodged by Amazon representative Denu T Nair, Ghosh used fake names and made 104 online purchases of items, including high-end cellphones, SLR cameras, TVs and other electronic equipment. She would sent product return requests within 24 hours, demanding refunds using Amazon's customer return system.

Ajay Hilori, deputy commissioner of police, said, “Every time, the delivery address was different from the C-return address, which was often in

other cities. After getting a repayment from Amazon to her bank account, Deepanwita would replace the product with a substandard one and hand over the package to the delivery person.” He said that she had been cheating the company for nearly a year as the firm didn't have the policy of opening and inspecting the product at the time of re-accepting it. An internal probe was only conducted after the company's seller service in Bengaluru spotted that several returned products were not the originals.

The probe revealed that Ghosh operated as a seller on another portal and received customer orders for high-end electronic items after which, she would place a parallel order for each product on Amazon, and got Amazon to ship the product to her clients' addresses in different cities. “Once her customer received the product and Ghosh received cash for it, she would initiate a C-return with Amazon and receive a refund by returning lookalikes,” an officer said.

She was remanded in judicial custody and sent to prison on charges of cheating.

Haryana woman gangraped, body mutilated SONIPAT: In a horrifying crime carried out mere days after the Supreme Court sentenced the notorious 'Nirbhaya' rapists to death, a 23 year old girl was abducted, gang-raped and dumped. A passer-by noticed the body in the Urban Estate area of Rohtak. Her brutally mutilated body was bitten off by stray dogs.

The woman, learnt to be a divorcee, had been kidnapped from Sonipat on May 9 and taken to Rohtak in a car, police said. The victim's parents had lodged a missing complaint at the Sonipat police station.

According to Sonipat police, sub-inspector, Ajay Malik, it appeared that the victim was raped first and then the suspects hit her with a brick, smashing her face.

She had grievous head injuries, the police added. "Two persons, Sumit and Vikas, have been arrested in this connec-

tion," Malik said adding that both were sent to two-day police remand by a court.

Sumit, who was an acquaintance of the victim, had allegedly been pressuring her to marry him, police said. Both accused have been booked under relevant sections including 302 (murder) of IPC and investigations are on, a police official said.

The brutality of the crime is reminiscent of the 'Nirbhaya' incident in Delhi, which triggered nation-wide outrage.

Following the incident, Congress president Sonia Gandhi expressed deep shock and outrage over the brutal incident. “This savage and bone-chilling incident has shocked the conscience of the nation, reminding each one of us about the crying need for revisiting the important issue of women's safety and security,” she said in a statement.

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Business partner of AIADMK minister found dead

CHENNAI: A close associate and business partner of AIADMK (Amma) minister C Vijayabaskar, Subramanian was found dead in his garden of his residence in the Namakkal district, Tamil Nadu. The deceased was one of whose residences were raided by officials in April in connection with a cash-for-votes scam that happened in the run up to the RK Nagar bypoll in the state which were later cancelled.

Officials said several documents were recovered from Subramanian's residence during the raids.Hospital,” DCP B Sumathi said.

BJP activist hacked to death in Kerala

KANNUR (KERALA): The BJP has called for a strike in Kannur district of Kerala after a party activist was hacked to death. Sources said the attack of C Biju, 32, was led by a group of unidentified people. Security in the area has been tightened to avoid any further escalation.

Kerala BJP chief Kummanam Rajasekharan said that Kannur should be declared a “disturbed area”. He added, “Since the government has failed to curb violence, AFSPA (Armed Forces Act) should be imposed there to maintain law-and-order.” He also alleged, “CPI(M) workers are unleashing violence against their political rivals and even the chief minister has failed to control them.”

We are not against Jallikattu: TN govt tells HC

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Government has told the Madras HC that they were not against holding controversial bull-taming sport Jallikattu. The government pleader submitted that, however, if permission was granted to organise the sport in the Nehru Stadium as was demanded by Tamilanin Veerajallikattu Association, then the stadium would be damaged which the government wanted to avoid as the stadium was built with international standards.

SAD seeks donations from partymen

CHANDIGARH: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal asked party leaders to contribute Rs 5,000 each month to manage party affairs. “There are about 150 of us in the party, who would contribute to make a total of over Rs 700,000 per month, for the party,” said SAD secretary Daljit Singh Cheema.

“I am sure party leaders would willingly contribute to the party fund.” Considered as one of the richest political parties in the country, SAD exhausted its coffers. The party secretary said a massive portion of the party's reserves were spent during the state polls held earlier this year.

Punjab govt withdraws dress code for teachers

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab government has withdrawn its directive asking female teachers to stop wearing “jeans, tops, and bright suits” after facing flak. The state education department had imposed the dress code on government teachers, especially females, asking them not to wear jeans, tops, and bright suits as they have a “bad” effect on students. Since the imposition of the dress code draws criticism, the education department finally withdrawn the controversial order.

Snake found in mid-day meal supplied in school

FARIDABAD: In an shocking incident, a baby snake was found in the mid-day meal served to children in Rajkeeya Girls School in Faridabad.

The principal and other teachers were tasting the food when they found the reptile and immediately asked students to not eat it. The shocked children admitted they often got a “stale smell” from the food generally, but this was more terrifying to them. Principal Braj Bala informed higher officials and the Iskcon Food Relief Foundation of the incident. Other schools were the foundation serve food too, were apprised.

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HERITAGE - HISTORY Asian Voice | 20th May 2017

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Ranjit Singh: A Great Ruler as a Role Model The secular Sikh Maharaja ruled with justice, iron-fist only for enemies But for him, Kashmir would have continued to be a part of Afghanistan

Y

ou may hardly have come across a Maharaja with a big empire refusing to sit on a throne or wearing a crown and abstaining from having his name struck on the coins of his empire during his four decades rule! Maharaja Ranjit Singh( 13 November 1780 - 27 June 1839), the leader of the Sikh Empire, made such impression on the society. He fought the first war with Afghans.

Fought battles and increased his power, so that his territory could be extended to the borders of China and the limits of the Afghans, with entire Multan, and the rich possessions beyond the Sutlej.

When asked to be sworn in as the Maharaja, he hesitantly accepted the proposal from the Sikh Misls(sovereign states) leaders in 1801. Author V. N. Datta, while describing Ranjit Singh’s glorious reign, asserts : “But for him,

Flag of Maharaja Ranjit Singh along with other relics

Kashmir would have continued to be a part of Afghanistan. He brought under his sway, three Muslim provinces: Peshawar in the west, Multan in the south west, and Kashmir in the north.

He incorporated also the numerous petty states into his kingdom.” Recapturing Attock in July 1813, which remained in hands of foreigners since Mahmud Gazni wrested it from Raja Jaipal in 1002 AD, meant the liberation of northern India from Pathan and Afghan menace.

Ranjit Singh was born in Gujranwala(now in Pakistan) and died in Lahore (Pakistan). He is equally revered by Sikhs, Muslims and Hindus as well even today; in both India and Pakistan; as a great ruler who can be the

role model. The ruler of a powerful state extending from Tibet to Sindh and from the Khyber pass to the Sutlej, the Maharaja preferred to abide by the values of tolerance, humility, charity and compassion that constitute Dharma. He always kept the moral and ethical imperatives preserved by the Gurus for a welfare state.

Dr. Gurudarshan Singh Dhillon, a Historian of Global Sikh Studies notes : “He attributed each success to the favour of God. Royal emblems of crown or throne were conspicuous by their absence in his Durbar.

When he issued the coins of his empire, he struck them not in his own name, but in the name of the Guru. The rupee and paise were called Nanakshahi.”

Contrary to Emperor Akbar giving one or two ministries to non-Muslims, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Sher-e-Punjab most of the ministers of Franquis Allard from Saint India.

He had high responsibilities of Tropez to modernize his Europeanized his Khalsa Ranjit Singh were Hindus, army and check expansion Army but not just blindly Muslims and Dogras. following the west. He The Prime Minister, was not a blind imitator Dhian Singh, was a of the west; exactly as he Hindu Dogra. Three was not an orthodox folMuslim Ministers were lower of the east. His Fakir Azizuddin father, Maha Singh, the (Foreign Affairs), Fakir Chief of Sukarchakya Nuruddin(Home) and Misl, left him in 1792 at Fakir Imamuddin (the the head of the small Custodian of the confederacy and a small Treasury at Amritsar). body of Sikh cavalry. He He had fifteen Hindu was twelve years old Ministers as compared when his father died. A to only seven Sikh virulent attack of smallM i n i s t e r s . pox had deprived him of Unfortunately, some of vision in his left eye and the men Ranjit Singh deeply pitted his face. rewarded with senior Like the Emperor positions were to betray Akbar, he did not receive the Sikh state after his any education. On 7 July death.

1799, the eighteen-yearHe was convinced old Ranjit Singh entered that the army, modeled Lahore with his forces, on medieval lines, was on secret invitation from no match for the forces the leading citizens of he was anticipating to Lahore, who wanted to fight. Until it was modiget rid of the three fied, he could not hope oppressive Sardars of to emerge victorious loose character. His first over regular troops like public act after entering the English, whose drill the capital city, Lahore, and tactics he studied was to pay homage at with infinite patience.

Maharaja Dalip Singh of Punjab the Badshahi mosque and Apart from the best native Generals such as Hari Singh Nalwa, Hukum Singh Chimi, and Desa Singh Majithia, within a few years there were dozens of Europeans of different nationalities : French, English, Italian, Spanish, Hungarian, Russian, Greek, and Eurasian in the employ of the Durbar. They were given higher wages than Indians of similar rank and special conditions were imposed on them. They were directly responsible to the Maharaja. In September 2016, a bronze statue of Maharaja was installed and Painting of British attack unveiled at Allard Square, Sant Tropez, France. Ranjit of the British rule. the Wazir Khan mosque.

Singh had appointed a The State of Of course, in future his Maharaja French General Jean wife, Mehtab Kaur, who was the most progressive in

The statue of Maharaja unveiled in France in September 2016

could not produce an heirapparent and his motherin-law, Sada Kaur, joined hands with the opponents of Maharaja, but could do little harm to him. The Maharaja was a much married person having 22 Sikh, Hindu Rajput and even Muslim queens including one dancing girl, Moran or Mohran, he married against the wishes of entire community in 1802. Through

youngest Prince Dalip Singh was installed as the Maharaja in 1843 with his mother, Jind Kaur, as the regent. The British took control of Punjab, got the young Maharaja converted to Christianity and successfully swallowed the Punjab Empire and took possession of the jewels and jewelry including the precious diamond Koh-i-Noor in 1849.

These days both India and Pakistan are keen to get

Maharani Jind Kaur, mother of Dalip Singh

his marriage to Moran, the Maharaja wanted to uplift the community of tawaifs who were social outcast.

Though his Maharani was a younger wife, Jind Kaur, his favourite Muslim wife was Bibi Gulbahar Begum.

Khushwant has recorded: “Although ugly himself, Ranjit Singh was a lover of beautiful things. He was surrounded himself with handsome men and beautiful women. He maintained a bevy of Kashmiri girls who dressed as soldiers and rode out with him on ceremonial occasions.” Even when he died, four of his queens and seven slave girls followed the practice of Sati and burnt themselves on his funeral pyre on 28 June 1839, despite the fact that the Sikh Gurus had condemned and denounced the man-made notion of the inferiority of women.

Following demise of Ranjit Singh, Kharak Singh, the eldest of the seven Princes, was invested with the title of Maharaja. After Kharak’s death, the 5 years old

Maharaja’s Painting

Koh-i-Noor back.

One can take pride that Ranjit Singh did not derive his title from either the Mughals or the Afghans, it was given to him by that mystic entity, the Panth Khalsaji.

Dr. Hari Desai Next Column : Abolition of the custom of Sati in India (The writer is a Socio-political Historian. E-mail: haridesai@gmail.com)

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Asian Voice | 20th May 2017

World marching towards a dystopian future?

Microsoft’s annual Developer Showcase held last week saw CEO Satya Nadella speak about the “profound implications” of technology on the society. What was supposed to be a platform for the company to boast of their conjectured superiority surprisingly turned into a daunting talk of postapocalyptic future.

Instead of bringing up topics like artificial intelligence, business productivity software, and cloud computing, Nadella urged developers to consider the potential “unintended consequences” of their creations.

“I'm an unrepentant tech optimist, there's no question of that. But I'm also grounded. There are unintended consequences of technology.

And it's not that we can just use more technology to solve these problems, and technologies by themselves cannot solve these. But I do believe that it's up to us to ensure that some of the more dystopian scenarios don't come true,” he said. With the main conference screen displaying George Orwell's 1984, and Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, Nadella said, “What Orwell prophesied in 1984, where technology was being used to monitor, control, dictate, or what Huxley imagined we may do by just distracting ourselves without any meaning or purpose. Neither of these futures is something we want. So the question is: what are we going to do?

Are there practical ways

Satya Nadella

we can make progress?”

“I think it starts with us taking accountability.

Taking accountability for the algorithms we create, the experiences that we create, and ensuring that there is more trust in technology with each day.” While it is unclear as to why he spoke on the topic, many are convinced it was a low-key dig at Facebook. The social-media website had come under severe firing recently following reports that fake news stories spreading on its platform helped manipulate public opinion and influenced the 2016 US presidential elections. “We want to think about people, but we also want to think about the institutions people build,” Nadella said.

Possibilities of an 'Orwellian future' have been high, especially in the last few months given the unfortunate chain of incidents occurring across the globe. In this context, an Orwellian future could be considered as a technocracy, a state of surveillance where data collected

through people's communications, microphones and cameras in the home and in public, is fed to the state at people's detriment. The data being collected will one day be used in court to prosecute people in case humans continue to walk on the same path.

The steady rise of Artificial Intelligence has people worried about its negative repercussions.

People in the tech world have been discussing on what it would mean to the society, especially since its growth could potentially eliminate jobs. Microsoft has been infusing AI into all its products and services.

Vice-president of Artificial Intelligence and Research, Harry Shum said, “We've been creating the building blocks for the current wave of AI breakthroughs for more than two decades.” He added, “Now, we're in the unique position of being able to use those decades of research breakthroughs.”

Not just Microsoft, other major companies

like Google, Apple, and Amazon, all have been aggressively pursuing the potential of artificial intelligence. The intriguing phenomenon will make itself comfortable in people's homes, with connected devices controlled by personal digital assistants, that already boast features such as reminding people of appointments, or doling out advices. Hollywood has made more than a handful of movies depicting the possible future of the world in case the machines decide to take over.

Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla warned against the perils of making machines smarter than humans, back in October 2014.

One of the very few to call AI the greatest existential threat to humankind, Musk currently heads a startup called Neuralink. It builds devices to connect the human brain with computers. However, he believes it will be eight to 10 years before this kind of the technology will be ready to use by people without disabilities.

Not just AI, digital products are being misused increasingly. News lately have become a slew of 'Live' suicides and murders in a chain reaction with people pitching in for a desperate need for publicity. With terrorism, racism, and a clueless billionaire sitting on the Iron Throne, the last thing we need is hostility from technology created by us.

India lashes out at Pak in Jadhav case Continued from page 01 it out during the court proceedings as it argued it wasn't given a copy of the charges filed against Jadhav, whose “trial” was carried out by a secret military court. Senior advocate Harish Salve, representing India, said, “The need for wholesome compliance is greater when the charges are serious. We want appropriate legal representation for Kulbhushan Jadhav.” He informed the court that Pak denied India 16 requests for consular access to Jadhav. “The graver the charges, the greater the need for continued adherence to the Vienna Convention.

Jadhav has been in judicial custody without any communication with his family,” he said. Salve said the rights of Article 36 of the Vienna Convention were sacrosanct, citing the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which recognises that no one can be arbi-

Kulbhushan Jadhav

trarily deprived of their lives.

The advocate said India's case was solely built around Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and Pakistan's focus on the bilateral agreement for consular access was irrelevant.

Pakistan, meanwhile, said India was using the court as a “political theatre”, seeking to dissuade the court from ordering a stay on the execution.

The country's entire defence was based around its assertions that ICJ lacked jurisdiction in the case, given it was a “matter of national secu-

rity”. It said the 2008 bilateral agreement between both the countries for consular access took precedence over VCCR. However, India pointed out that the agreement had not been registered with the UN and was not relevant to a dispute under the Vienna Convention.

Deepak Mittal, India's representative at the hearing, said, “It is clear that Jadhav has been denied the right to be defended by a legal counsel of his choice. He has not been informed of his right to seek consular access.” He said charges

against Jadhav were “concocted” and his trial “farcical”, insisting Pak has failed to respond to all Indian demands for information about the case, snubbing requests for documents, including the charge sheet.

Pakistan's representative Mohammad Faisal accused India of “timewasting and political grandstanding”, adding that the court should decline jurisdiction in the case. Islamabad maintained that Jadhav confessed to being tasked

by India's intelligence service with planning, coordinating, and organising espionage and sabotage activities in Balochistan province “aiming to destabilise and wage war against Pakistan.”

ICJ president Ronny Abraham said the tribunal would publicly deliver its decision on whether to grant an emergency stay of execution “as soon as possible.”

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

China objects to US team meeting Dalai

Dalai Lama

China has lodged a protest against the recent meeting of members of the US Congress with the Dalai Lama at Dharamshala in India.

Led by Democratic Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, the bipartisan delegation raised the issue of human rights violations in China's Tibetan region.

The Chinese foreign ministry objected to the meeting, saying it amounted to giving polit-

ical support to the Tibetan leader who is considered a dangerous separatist in China.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said, “The visit by the relevant delegates of the US Congress to meet the Dalai Lama sent a very wrong signal to the world about Tibet independence and goes against the United States' promises on Tibet.

China firmly opposes this and has lodged solemn representations with the US.” The Trump administration recently was portraying that it wants to work with China on the North Korea issue and does not intend to be distracted by issues like human rights. However, the Congress delegation might put pressure on the White House to look into human rights issues closely.

Macron takes over as French prez, pledges to fortify EU

Emmanuel Macron

Emmanuel Macron officially took oath as the President of France, as he was inaugurated as a leader of the world's fifthlargest economy in an Elysee Palace ceremony.

He vowed to restore the country's status in Europe and the world, and heal divisions in society. He said his priority would be “to give back to the French people the confidence that for too long has been flagging.”

“I will convince our compatriots that France's power is not in decline, but that we are at the

dawn of an extraordinary renaissance because we have all the qualities which will make... the great powers of the 21st century,” he said. “The division and fractures in our society must be overcome. Nothing will make me stop defending higher interests of France and from working to reconcile the French. The world and Europe need more than ever France, and a strong France, which speaks out loudly for freedom and solidarity.”

Macron becomes the youngest post-war French leader, and the first to be born after 1958, when President Charles de Gaulle put the country's Fifth Republic in place. He was presented with his chain of office- a golden necklace on a red cushion that makes him Grand Master of the National Order of the Legion d'Honneur.

He is all set to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel next week.

UP Dalits threaten to convert In a new fashion of protest that has been gaining momentum across India, Dalits in Uttar Pradesh have threatened to convert to Islam, if Hindus of other castes can't give them the respect they deserve. The latest protest came after people of the Valmiki community in Sambhal had to travel 15-20 km in order to get a shave or a hair cut.

Only a Muslim barber new to the village agreed to tend one man from the community, later refusing another Valmiki client on learning the customs of the village. A police complaint was issued following a brawl. Reports suggest barbers in the village have currently gone under the radar to avoid further trouble over the issue.

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health & lifestyle

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Drinking Beetroot Juice May Lower Blood Pressure, Heart Attack Risk

Beetroot is no magic ingredient but it does come laced with health benefiting properties that may solve most of your everyday health woes. Beetroot has been touted as an excellent source of iron, it is also known to replenish lost energy and helps rev up metabolism especially after working out.

The ruby red vegetable is packed with essential nutrients such as Vitamin A, C, K, antioxidants, beta carotene and polyphenols, among others.

Health benefits of beetroot: l Regular consumption of beetroot associated with promoting sharper memory. l It is also deemed beneficial in curing muscle soreness.

l Beetroot is an apt postworkout drink as it help in replenishing the loss of energy. l It is also excellent for increasing muscle mass as well as enhancing athletic performance.- Beetroot is excellent for your blood and helps manage your blood pressure levels. l It gives your skin a nice glow and helps fight diges-

tive issues. l The drink has been lauded for its DOMS beating properties. Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness is a condition wherein the muscles get extremely sore and stiff after a strenuous and highly exerting activity. That's why beetroot juice is great for people who workout extensively. l It also helps in regulating your blood sugar levels.

Want to detox, rev up your stamina and keep your glucose levels in check? Just add a small helping of beetroot juice in your regular diet and reap benefits.

Experts at the University of Guelph in Canada have also validated the goodness of beetroot juice. According to the researchers, beetroot juice

when consumed regularly in moderate amount can help maintain blood pressure and ward off risk of developing heart ailments.

This is because of the presence of nitrates found in beetroot that dilate blood vessels to reduce blood pressure levels.

The study was published in the Journal of Physiology and examined a group of 20 adult participants who were given nitrate supplements or a placebo. It was found that muscle synthetic nerve activity was lower when the volunteers drank beetroot juice compared to when they had placebo.

"Surprisingly, no differences in blood pressure were detected at rest or during exercise," the researchers said.

| Asian Voice | 20th May 2017

27

Can Tomatoes Help Fight Stomach Cancer?

When one talks about miracle foods that may help treat or manage cancer better, tomato is the top choice among experts with respect to stomach cancer.

A study conducted in the year 2013 and published by the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health concluded that consumption of large amounts of tomato products was found to be associated with a reduced risk of gastric cancer. The study called for further research for validation of the findings.

ulcers, polyps growth and infection with a common bacteria called H. pylori.

Another study published in Oxford Academic's Journal of National Cancer Institute studied twelve case-controlled studies that examined stomach cancer incidents and consumption of lycopene - commonly found in tomatoes - in various parts of the world.

As per an ecology study in Japan, population with highest plasma lycopene reported lesser instances of gastric cancer as compared to areas

Stomach cancer is the growth of cancerous cells in the inner lining of the stomach. If not detected on time, it can lead to the formation of a tumour which needs surgical removal or other form of intervention depending on the condition or the stage of the disease.

While the exact causes of cancer is still unknown to the world of science, experts point at few factors that heighten the risk of developing stomach cancer some of which may include a prolonged history of anaemia, severe gut inflammation,

where population had lesser lycopene plasma.

Recently, a team of Italian experts also studied the correlation between tomato consumption and reduced risk of stomach cancer. It was found that tomato extracts can have the ability to inhibit the growth and the multiplication of stomach cancer cells. The study suggests that tomatoes, as stomach cancer cell fighting agents, should be considered in their entirety and not only for a component that is found in them, namely lycopene.

Regular Intake of Yogurt May Help Prevent Osteoporosis in Old People Yogurt is known to contain numerous health benefits, particularly the ones spiked with probiotics. It is a great source of calcium, which we all know is an essential nutrient to boost bone health and keep them

Laughter is the Best Medicine

strong.

However, many research studies show that most people do not meet their daily requirement of vitanin D and calcium, thereby putting them at risk of bone diseases like

The attorney tells the accused, “I have some good news and some bad news.”

“What’s the bad news?” asks the accused.

“The bad news is, your blood is all over the crime scene, and the DNA tests prove you did it.”

“What’s the good news?”

“Your cholesterol is 130.” *** A defendant isn’t happy with how things are going in court, so he gives the judge a hard time.

Judge: “Where do you work?”

Defendant: “Here and there.”

Judge: “What do you do for a living?”

Defendant: “This and that.”

Judge: “Take him away.”

Defendant: “Wait; when will I get out?”

Judge: “Sooner or later.” *** An investment banker decides she needs in-house counsel, so she interviews a young lawyer. "Mr. Peterson," she says. "Would you say you’re honest?"

"Honest?" replies Peterson. "Let me tell you something about honesty. My father lent me $85,000 for my education, and I paid back every penny the minute I tried my first case." "Impressive. And what sort of case was that?"

"Dad sued me for the money." *** When my 88-year-old mother was called for jury duty, she had to submit to questioning by the opposing lawyers.

"Have you ever dealt with an attorney?" asked the plaintiff’s lawyer.

"Yes. I had an attorney write my living trust," she responded.

"And how did that turn out?"

"I don’t know," she said. "Ask me when I’m dead."

osteoporosis.

The truth is that only if we start paying attention to our diet now will it start showing results in the future. And yogurt can help in a big way.

According to a study done

by Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, increased yogurt consumption is associated with a higher hip bone density.

Osteoporosis is a chronic condition associat-

ed with a reduction in bone strength and an increased risk of bone fracture. It is a common health problem that occurs particularly in older people as they age.

Calcium plays a crucial role in the growth, development and maintenance of bone structure.

This is the reason why growing children are always advised to maintain daily requirement of calcium to strengthen their bones. But it shouldn't be a rule for only children.

Adults too need to pay attention to their calcium intake, particularly after 30 years.

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28 Asian Voice

20th May 2017

Prabhu Deva replaces Dhanush?

A

lmost a year and half since the announcement that Karthick Subbaraj would direct a new film, uncertainty looms over whether the project will take off any time soon considering the actor's tight scheduled. However, not the

kind to be disheartened, Subbaraj has reportedly decided to direct another film with Prabhu Deva in the lead, beginning next month. It, however, remains unclear whether Prabhu has replaced Dhanush or it is an entirely new project.

Vijay Sethupathi sways New York audiences

S

lowly revealing his cards, actor Vijay Sethupathi is all set to write the screenplay and dialogues for his upcoming film directed by Biju Vishawanath. Meanwhile, his maiden production venture 'Merkku Thodarchi Malai' is garnering massive praise on international platform.

Film director Lenin Bharathi said the film premiered at New York Indian Film Festival was such a hit that the audience was left in tears. 'Merkku' deals with downtrodden labourers living on the hills of the western ghat in the Tamil Nadu-Kerala borders.

'Hindi Medium'

Trials and Tribulations faced by young couple Raj (Irrfan Khan) and Mita (Saba Qamar) who wish to shift from Chandni Chowk into an English-speaking society for the sake of their daughter.

'Half Girlfriend'

A coming-of-age romance between Madhav Jha (Arjun Kapoor) and upper class girl Riya Somani (Shraddha Kapoor)

Actress/politician Nagma calls on Rajinikanth

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AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Nayan's sudden Portugal visit

E

asily the topmost of heroines of Tamil cinema, Nayanthara has a jam-packed schedule with not a minute to spare.

Acting in a handful of films at the same time Nayan landed in Portugal. When investigated, it was known that the actress had signed up to play the female lead in Telugu film 'Balan', with Gopichand. The makers completed all the portions recently and were waiting for her to shoot a couple of duet songs. Nayan took some time off to fulfil her commitment. Such is her dedication to fulfil a commitment.

T

halaivar's Poes Garden residence in Chennai is no stranger to esteemed and high profile guests. Yesteryear actress and politician Nagma reportedly met the superstar last week, a meeting that lasted 20 minutes. Nagma was paired with the Superstar in his cult blockbuster 'Baasha' that released in 1995 and re-released in a digitally remastered format, recently.

Addressing the press after, the current Women's wing Secretary of Indian National Congress party said she and Rajinikanth have been friends for long. When asked about his entry into politics, she said it has to be left to his discretion but the people want him to enter politics. She clarified that her meeting wasn't political in any nature.

Dhanush enters Malayalam industry!

E

asily the topmost of heroines of Tamil cinema, Nayanthara has a jam-packed schedule with not a minute to spare. Acting in a handful of films at the same time Nayan landed in Portugal. When investigated, it was known that the actress had signed up to play the female lead in Telugu film 'Balan', with Gopichand. The makers completed all the portions recently and were waiting for her to shoot a couple of duet songs. Nayan took some time off to fulfil her commitment. Such is her dedication to fulfil a commitment.

She asked and I could not refuse - Rahman

S

ridevi's much-anticipated movie 'Mom' by Ravi Udyawar has created buzz for all the right reasons. Amongst other news, the makers have roped in AR Rahman for music and this is the first time the Oscar-winning composer will work for a Sridevi film. “It is such an honour to work for a Sridevi's film. I never thought I would get to work in her film at all. I am such a big fan of her since my younger days and now she tells me- You have to do this movie- and I could not refuse her.

She is an amazing actress and I am looking forward to it,� Rahman said.

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Amitabh: I feel nervous around younger actors AsianVoiceNewsweekly

V

eteran actor Amitabh Bachchan made a confession about working with the industry's fresh faces.

Speaking in an interview, he said, “I feel nervous around younger actors, because they are so well developed in their craft.”

He also added, “I need to be a little cautious about what I say on social media because it could be misinterpreted.” With his recent 'Sarkar 3' getting mixed reviews, Amitabh

reasoned for rooting with controversial director Ram Gopal Varma. “Ramu has the quality of an honest man and nobody wants to appreciate that.”

When asked about his views on the steady comparison between Hollywood and B-town, the 'Piku' actor said, “When people ask me, 'When are we going to make films like Hollywood?' I turn around and ask them, 'When is Hollywood going to make films like us?”

Ranbir looking for his lady love in London?

B

ollywood's heartthrob Ranbir Kapoor has taken off for a quick vacation to London with mum Neetu Kapoor prompting speculations of a matrimony alliance. “The London visit could very well be for a meet and greet with a well-known family in London for the actor's marriage. Though nothing is confirmed as of now, but time will tell,” a source close to the family revealed.

Ranbir has been busy in the past couple of

months with shooting for Anurag Basu's 'Jagga Jasoos' along with former lover Katrina Kaif. The film faced severe bad luck until now, with reports suggesting cold waves between the two is to blame. However, clearing the air, Anurag said, “Rather they became more professional so that the work doesn't get affected.

They were more concerned about their personal equation or relationship doesn't become a hurdle for the film. I was surprised. They

acted as if nothing is wrong and they are absolutely fine,” Basu said.

He added, “I was concerned with what was being captured on camera and not with what happened between them.

They are so professional.

In the past, we have seen actors, who have broken up and still w o r k e d together.”

How Aishwarya leaves Hema touched

Asian Voice | 20th May 2017

Plea for Rajesh Khanna's waxwork at Madame Tussauds

A

petition has been sent expressing wish to install a waxwork of legendary Bollywood actor Rajesh Khanna at the Madame Tussauds Museum. India's first superstar, Khanna's rise as a legend remains the most dramatic and encouraging story until today. Born in Amritsar, he came first in the United Producers All India Talent Contest, in 1965.

Khanna rose to fame with Shakti Samantha's 'Aradhana' in 1969. The heartthrob of hundreds of women and every man's role model, he generated a hysteria unlike anything else seen ever. The actor

Navin hits Urban Club charts with 'No Games'

A

ishwarya Rai Bachchan has played several roles in her life. That of an actress, daughter, wife, and mother. In her latest role as a guardian, Aishwarya left veteran actress Hema Malini deeply touched.

Speaking about an incident after the Dadasaheb Phalke Awards in Mumbai, Hema said, “After the ceremony was over, I was waiting for a while for my car to come. I guess the driver had parked it some distance away, and it took him some time to reach me. I realised that Aishwarya was just standing there with me, refusing to leave.

When I asked her, 'Why are you still here?' she replied, 'Aapki gaadi aane do (Let your car come).

I will leave after that.'”

She also described how the 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' star even protected her from people trying to click selfies, “There were so many people who were trying to click photos and were trying to take selfies. (Aishwarya) made sure I don't get pushed or budged by them. Then, after (my) car came, she opened the door, made sure I sat inside the car, and only then did she move to her car, which had been waiting for a while.”

Hema added, “I was so touched by that. Now who'd do such a thing? It shows that there's a lot of respect and regard for me. I don't know if everyone in the industry is like her, but there are people who, just like Aishwarya, understand and give due respect to those who are senior to them.”

has appeared in 183 movies, of which, he featured as the solo lead hero in 106. He delivered consecutive solo superhits between 1969 to 1972, a record yet to be broken in Indian film history. He has won 3 Filmfare Best Actor awards and has been nominated 14 times for the same.

The 'original superstar', Khanna's legacy succeeds him, and continues to affect Indian cinema.

Rajesh Khanna with Indian music legend singer Kishore Kumar and music director RD Burman gave unforgettable, timeless hit songs which are immensely popular even today.

It’s now Ed Sheeran turn to tour India

I

B

ritish Asian singer Navin Kundra has found himself a place in the mainstream Urban Club Charts with his brand new single 'No Games'. Currently at number 18, the track is said to be club-ready and is all set to hit the dance floor this spring. The song, produced by William 'Swift Knight' Alameme features Kundra at his vocal best.

“I'm really pleased to see this song climbing the club charts and it's amazing to be featured amongst all these huge

artists. I've been working with a new team at Ealing Studios and this is the first track we made. There's lots more music ready to go do 2017 is going to be a very exciting year!” the singer said. These are good times for the 32 year old who has filmed a special appearance for BBC series 'Doctors', due to air on June 9. An excited Kundra said, “It was so exciting to be a part of another BBC production following my guest vocal appearance on BBC's 'Strictly Come Dancing' and I can't wait for everyone to see it.”

ndia was just reeling after teen pop sensation Justin Bieber's almostspectacular stint last week, when 'Shape of You' singer Ed Sheeran revealed plans to take down Mumbai!

Stealing most of Bieber's limelight, Sheeran announced his tour dates, driving girls and boys crazy, alike.

As part of his World Tour, Sheeran will sing in Mumbai, along with venues like Singapore and Dubai.

He will tour the US until the end of September, and commence his Asia visit after. With the muchanticipated Bieber concert being a bit of a downer with his lip-syncs and mismanagements, a lot rides on the 'Thinking Out Loud' singer. Ticket costs, venue and other relevant announcements are yet to be made

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Asian Voice |20th May 2017

Harrow’s Diverse Communities and Faiths give thanks for Cllr Rekha Shah’s Mayoral Year!

The Mayor with her Chaplains and Harrow Interfaith members

A Thanksgiving event at the end of the Mayor of Harrow, Cllr Rekha Shah’s year took place on Sunday and was attended by her Chaplains and Harrow’s religiously diverse communities and local organisations.

It was a great celebration of Harrow’s religious and cultural diversity which was the focus of the Mayoral year. Chaplains from different faiths all

gave glowing recognition of Cllr Rekha Shah’s passion to bring communities together.

‘The Mayor, Cllr Rekha Shah, has proven herself a tireless and passionate advocate for the wellbeing of all her fellow men and women’ Rabbi Kathleen de Magtige-Middleton, one of five of the Mayor’s Chaplains from Harrow’s faith communities, announced at the Mayor’s

Coming Events

l Sree Sree Anukul Chandra's Satsang on May 20, Saturday, 6.30 pm onwards, at VHP Ilford hindu Centre, 43, Cleveland Road, Ilford, Essex, IG1 1EE l Chinmaya Mission UK reveals the 'Path to Peace', a free public talk with Swami Bodhatmananda, on May21, Sunday, 10.45 am to 12.15 pm, at Old Whitgiftian RFC, the Clubhouse, Croham Manor Rd, South Croydon, Surrey, CR2 7BG l Bengali Drama presented by Kalyan Kundu Jai Maa Kali Boarding, on May 20, Saturday, 6 pm onwards, at The Bhavan, 4a Castletown Road, West Kensington, London, W14 9HE l Shivam Theatre launches new comedy- Lagnani Vyaadhi Divorcenee Upaadhi, on May 21, Sunday, 7 pm onwards, at The Bhavan, 4a Castletown Road, West Kensington, London, W14 9HE l Milapfest Presents The Power of the Jugalbandi Concert 2: Pt Ranajit Sengupta (Sarod) Ashim Chowdhury (Sitar) Kousic Sen (Tabla), on May 24, 7.30 pm onwards, at The Bhavan, 4a Castletown Road, West Kensington, London, W14 9HE

weave a society as multicultural, as joyful, as engaging and inclusive as the picture taken at a local school reveals’.

‘This service has shown the depth of wisdom that comes from the plurality of our faiths by the prayers and readings that have been offered by my fellow chaplains. I too hope that we will continue that partnership in the future’.

The Mayor has also supported the community by raising more than £23,000 for local charities: Parkinson’s and Harrow Bereavement Care.

“Start-up allowance” boost for Asian entrepreneurs The Liberal Democrats would give a “start-up allowance’ to help budding entrepreneurs with living costs in the first six months of setting up their business.

The policy looks to build upon the success of the start-up allowance scheme, which was introduced under Lib Dem Business Secretary of State Vince Cable in Coalition.

Almost a third of all

Sneh Joshi

ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20 Your communication sector

is all-abuzz with planetary energies firing you up preventing you from sleeping properly. Give yourself plenty of physical outlets to drain off some of the excess mental stimulation. You are exploring and searching now, making connections, and paying attention to your immediate environment.

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21 Start the week by inviting comments and criticism of what you have in mind financially, but do not lose your temper when you get others' views. Instead, use them to advantage. A friendly relationship or marriage of people you know could be wavering or on the point of break-up. Try to understand things.

GEMINI May 22 - June 22 Your charisma, appearance and self-expression are to the forefront as Sun is transiting your sign. This transit heightens your optimism and generosity, and the entire cycle has the potential for being a relaxed, fortunate, and hopeful time in your life.

Furthering your personal ambitions comes more easily.

You may find yourself hard at work behind the scenes, although that may not be apparent to others. You may find yourself caught up in a whirlwind of activity, with opportunities to advance on both the inner and outer level. There is likely to be a powerful incentive to do what remains to be done and tie up loose ends.

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22

Service of Thanksgiving.

She continued ‘In everything the Mayor has done with and for the community, on a personal level, in her working life as a social worker, and this year in her mayoralty. She is a very humble person, with great vision that encompasses all faiths, who is true to her word and cares passionately about what she believes in. The Mayor was described to me as ‘small and amenable, but totally determined as well as a real mover and a shaker’. May you continue to ‘move and shake’ this community – and help us all

entrepreneurs under this scheme were from ethnic minorities, figures show.

The party is making a bold pitch to be the party of business with Tim Farron the only major party leader committed to Britain’s membership of the single market. Tim will launch the party’s business policy at the Liberal Democrat Entrepreneurs Network event on Tuesday night.

South Wales GP awarded for his professional contribution Dr Hasmukh Shah a wellknown General practitioner was awarded Visiting Fellowship by University of South Wales in recognition of his longstanding and wide ranging contribution to communities of Wales.

Dr Shah is a current GP who has served his community in the Rhondda Valley for more than 30years. He has a long- standing commitment to education and health through being members of various organisations in NHS Wales and chairing regular GP's educational meetings. He is a special general practitioner advisor to national Sushruta magazine and a member of editorial board of British Journal of

Healthcare Innovations.

Dr Shah is Hon Secretary of Wales Division of British Association of Doctors of Indian Origin and its Executive Committee Members. Dr Shah is Trustee/Chair of various charities like Welsh Heart, Hindu Community Centre, Megafocus (Minor Ethnic Association for Ophthalmic Care) and Fund Raising member of Vale for Africa charity. He is also governor of India Centre, Cardiff.

Dr Shah said, “I am delighted and honored for such considerations by the University. I am grateful to the Vice-Chancellor and the panel for their generosity”.

Indian ladies on a road-trip to raise funds for a Charity Three Indian women, Meenakshi Arvind, 45 from Coimbatore, Priya Rajpal, 55 from Mumbai and Mookambika, 38 from Pollachi embarked on a 70 day road trip from Coimbatore to London in a Tata Hexa Vehicle crossing 24 countries. The expedition will cover 24,000 km and plan to reach London on June 5th, hoist the Indian flag at HC in the evening.

On completion, the team will fly back to India while the SUV will be shipped and returned to sponsor Tata Motors Limited. Organisers said that the total cost of the trip is around INR 60 lakh.

Their mission is celebrating the 70th year of India's Independence and to promote the cause of ‘Rotary India Literacy Mission’, spreading awareness about women’s empowerment and literacy.

Asha Kiran is a world literacy mission initiative of Charity

organisation Rotary for Child Development with the purpose of sending 100,000 children back to School.

Representatives from the UK Women Network, are planning to meet the three ladies on June 5th at the High Commission and have plans to drive up to Dover in the morning to cheer them as they land on UK soil. An informal lunch or Dinner on 10th June to honour and present them with some funds for their cause.

The route planned so far are: Coimbatore, Chennai, Pondicherry, Andhra, Bhuvaneshwar, Kolkata, Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Myanmar, China, Kyrgzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, Austria, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, The Netherlands and London.

The UK’s leading Vedic writer and TV personality

Business partnerships are tested, some of them could challenge your authority. The more you live up to your own set of principles the more you will gain. The need to push ahead with personal interests and to assert yourself with added force will take precedence over everything else for some time to come.

Mentally you will be in top form.

LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23 There is a lot of re-evaluation going on regarding your personal life. You could be reassessing the ways in which you approach relationships, as well as what it is you want from them. This is a challenging time, as you are having to rely on yourself. Your professional and public images are in the forefront and your success is dependant on how well you can bring about change for the better. Some of you are focusing on buying and selling property or renovating your homes.

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23 You will feel confident as the week begins. The cosmic energies are decidedly invigorating at the moment. If you are taking a holiday, so much the better ! Not only do you have Sun putting a favourable emphasis on travel but, with Mars you can be sure of deriving the utmost pleasure from adventures and excursions.

SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22 The Sun and Mars energize your sector of change, transformation and regeneration. On a more practical level, you may be dealing with joint finances and shared resources now more than usual. You should also make sure that your tax affairs are in order. You are more willing than usual to explore and delve deeper into life's secrets and arrive at meaningful conclusions.

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The transit of sun focuses on your solar 7th and 1st houses. This can affect your standing in the community and any partnerships you may have. Focus on essentials and establish a solid foundation, so that you feel secure in every sense. Wait before going full steam ahead with grand actions and gestures.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20 The Sun puts a spotlight on your solar sixth house. This is a busy period that finds you tending to many different aspects of your daily routine and health matters. You are in a very fortunate position to be able to improve your health and diet and also tackle any problems at work, which have been a source of irritation for some time.

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19 The Sun is transiting your solar fifth house. This is the time of year when you are ready to perform and express yourself creatively. It's a good time for recreation, romance, connecting with children, and enjoying "performing arts". Make sure you do not get over-sensitive if things do not go according to plan.

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20

With the Sun transiting your solar fourth house of family and home, these areas are highlighted during this period. Buying or selling of property or even renovating it will be uppermost in your mind as you will be trying to put your roots down permanently. It is also a time when family life will be charged with emotions so be diplomatic and respect other people's views.

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Yasir Shah spins Pakistan to series win over West Indies

AsianVoiceNews

Pakistan clinched their first ever series win in the Caribbean when they beat West Indies in a thrilling finish to the third Test in Dominica, giving Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq a perfect retirement present.

A valiant, unbeaten century by Roston Chase almost staved off defeat for West Indies, who were all out for 202 in their second innings with only one over remaining at Windsor Park in Roseau. Chase and the West Indies tail made the Pakistan bowlers sweat after the visitors took the new ball with 17 overs remaining, still needing

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two more wickets.

With a draw tantalisingly close, West Indies number 11 Shannon Gabriel was bowled by leg spinner Yasir Shah on the final ball of the penultimate over when he tried to slog over the close-in field

Bindra bashes NRAI for detained Indian shooters

The National Rifle Association of India were received severe flak from Indian shooters Abhinav Bindra and Anjali Bhagwat, after the National Shooting Team was detained at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport for over 13 hours.

On their way home from Plzen Grand Prix, Czech Republic after winning medals, the team was asked to stay at the airport until their weapons received a clearing. The team of shooters including Chain Singh, Gurpreet Singh and Kynan Chenai were left stranded at the airport for hours before they were allowed to leave with their ammunition.

Winner of the 2017 TOISA Shooter of the Year Award, Abhinav Bindra expressed his irritation on Twitter, saying, “Saddened to hear that the National Shooting Team is detained at The IGI Airport with the customs refusing to clear their guns.”

He said the official team manager left the athletes to “fend for themselves.” “Chatted with a few athletes and the lack of support coming through the national federation is pathetic. @RaninderSingh @TheNrai.” He also asked, “They are our countries ambassadors and should not be treated like this.

Would this ever happen to our cricket team?”

Manohar to continue as ICC Chairman till June 2018 International Cricket Council (ICC) Chairman Shashank Manohar agreed to continue till his tenure ends in June next year, the game's global governing body confirmed.

Manohar, who had resigned in March citing personal reasons, initially agreed to defer his resignation till the annual conference this June this year when the new ICC constitution consisting of the governance structure and the re-worked finance model will be ratified.

The former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chief, however, decided to continue in his post after persuasion by the

full members and associates.

"The International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed Shashank Manohar will continue to function as the Independent Chairman of ICC until the end of his elected term.

but instead edged the ball onto the stumps.

Had Gabriel, who stoutly defended 21 deliveries before his rush of blood, survived the ball, Chase would have had strike for the final over and a draw would have been on

Contract row: CA threatens to sack top players

the cards. Chase ended 101not out.

Two balls earlier, Gabriel had been given out caught at silly point but the decision was overturned amid high drama when video review showed the ball had struck only his pad. Pakistan won the match by 101runs to seal the series 2-1. Pakistan captain Misbah said he could not have asked for a better finish to his career.

“The bowlers bowled their heart out on a slow track,” he said. Younis leaves as Pakistan's most prolific batsman, with 10,099 test runs at an average of more than 52.

Amul to sponsor Kiwi team in Champions Trophy

Amul, Asia's largest milk brand will be prime sponsor of the New Zealand cricket team in the ICC Champions Trophy which begins in England on June 1. Amul was earlier associated with the ICC Cricket World Cup, Formula 1, the London 2012 Olympic Games and the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

The logo of brand Amul will appear on the sleeve of Blackcaps playing jerseys as well as on the training kits throughout the tournament.

“We are excited about being associated with New Zealand cricket for the first time and

Amul welcomes the Blackcaps to the family,” R S Sodhi, managing director of the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) - the apex body of all district dairy unions of Gujarat that markets brand Amul, said.

The first time New Zealand will play with Amul on the shirt is a warm up match with India on May 28 followed by Sri Lanka on May 30. The group matches of the New Zealand team are scheduled versus Australia on June 2, England on June 6 and Bangladesh on June 9.

Indian teenager Arjun Maini joins Haas F1 team Indian teenager Arjun Maini has joined the USowned Haas Formula One team as a development driver alongside 18-year-old American Santino Ferrucci.

Born and brought up in Bengaluru, the 19-year-old won the Force India team's `One in a Billion' Indian driver talent competition in 2011, which led to a season

IPL, 2017 - Points Table

Teams Mumbai Indians Rising Pune Supergiant Sunrisers Hyderabad Kolkata Knight Riders Kings XI Punjab Delhi Daredevils Gujarat Lions Royal Challengers Bangalore

Asian Voice | 20th May 2017

Mat 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14

Won 10 9 8 8 7 6 4 3

Lost 4 5 5 6 7 8 10 10

of karting in Europe. He is currently competing in the GP3 support series. “All of my racing to date has been with the focus of becoming a Formula One driver, and this opportunity puts me one step closer to my goal,” he said at the Spanish GP. “I am eager to learn and experience how a F1team operates.”

Tied 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

NR 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1

Pts 20 18 17 16 14 12 8 7

31

NRR +0.784 +0.176 +0.599 +0.641 -0.009 -0.512 -0.412 -1.299

The players' union called on Cricket Australia to mediate over intractable wage negotiations instead of threatening not to pay their stars. The governing body late last week threatened not to pay contracted players beyond June 30 unless the proposed remuneration overhaul was accepted.

CA chief executive James Sutherland demanded the players accept the offer in a blunt email, as the impasse with the Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA) looked no closer to resolution.

The latest flare-up casts doubt on what team Australia could field after June 30, with a two-Test series scheduled in August in Bangladesh ahead of a home Ashes showdown with England later in the year.

The ACA's chief executive Alistair Nicholson criticised CA's “incoherence and aggression“ in the negotiations.

“Clearly , we are disappointed that CA are threatening the players,“ Nicholson said in a statement. “It's also a window into the nature of CA's behaviour in these negotiations so far.

There is incoherence and aggression in what we have experienced at the negotiating table from CA.“ Nicholson said this was shown by CA's attempts last week to offer some top players multi-year deals only to threaten them the following day . “However, despite these threats, the players affirm their offer to participate in independent mediation,“ he added. “Quite simply , one side entered these negotiations in good faith with an intent to provide a winwin result, and the other is trying to remove player unity and drive a wedge in Australian cricket.The point lost on CA is that the players will not respond to threats, whilst broadcasters and sponsors need certainty .“ Nicholson said it was time for CA to sit down in mediation for the good of the game, instead of making unnecessary threats and creating uncertainty

Taliban ban cricket, other sports in Afghan province Taliban militants have banned all sports, including cricket, in southern Ghazni province of Afghanistan, residents complained. But the insurgent movement, which barred girls from going to school during its rule, said it had banned cricket in rural areas following complaints.

Sahib Khan, a resident of the volatile Andar district, said that the rebels had slapped restrictions on all types of games.

“Some days ago, the Taliban came and took away all our sports gear while we were playing cricket. They warned us no one can play the game here in future,” he alleged.

Now youngsters cannot play cricket, football, volleyball or other sports in areas under Taliban control, according to Khan, who voiced concern at the curbs. Abdur Rahman, a resident of the Sulaimanzi area of Deh Yak district, said volleyball was a popular sport in their village but the Taliban recently prohibited them from playing it.

But Afghanistan Cricket Board head for Ghazni Ezatullah Mominyar said they had teams in Andar, Gilan, Qarabagh, Deh Yak, Zana Khan, Maqur, Aab Band districts, as well as other areas of the province. “The Taliban may have banned the game in some areas under their control, but no one has so far complained to us,” he said, adding the board planned to build a stadium in Ghazni in near future.

UK CAMPAIGN

Demand to be Heard!

None of us are strangers to the hassles that follow when you try to book an appointment for GP Surgery. We have lost count of the number of people who have faced their worst nightmares trying to get a treatment in NHS, either for themselves or their loved ones.

In the past few months, many of our readers informed us of problems

faced by them in different government sectors. With elections around the corner, this is the perfect time to initiate change for the better. If you, or anyone you know face issues that need to be addressed, contact us and we will make sure they reach the concerned campaigning candidates. Help us to help you get a voice. Check this space for more next week.

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Pune slay Punjab, make the cut

Steve Smith-led Rising Pune Supergiant defeated Kings XI Punjab by nine wickets to enter the playoff spot in their IPL match. Punjab, who had won four out of their last five games were bowled out for 73, their lowest-ever total in the tournament. Pune chased it in 12 overs with nine wickets in hand. In a virtual knockout game for both the teams, the hosts dominated to seal their first playoffs spot at a packed MCA Stadium in Pune. Other than their bowling, Pune's fielding was another highlight of the day.

Pune qualified as the No. 2 team in the league table. It means they will get two shots to make it to the title match next Sunday. First, they will get to play Mumbai Indians at Wankhede stadium on Tuesday. And even if they lose for the first time in their third outing against Mumbai this season, Pune will get to play the winner between Hyderabad and Kolkata for another shot at the final.

Despite win, Bangalore finish last It was the battle for the wooden spooners on this tenth season of the IPL. A largely forgettable IPL season where Royal Challengers Bangalore came woefully undone despite their batting might, saw some salvaging with a thrilling 10-run victory over Delhi Daredevils. The visitors, after losing as many as 10 games, recorded their third overall win. Even here, Delhi couldn't finish their disappointing IPL season on a high. It was RCB's second win against Delhi in an inconsequential last game of the season. Virat Kohli, who himself had a poor run of form, can seek some comfort ahead of the Champions Trophy, with a much-needed, assuring 58 off 45 balls with three fours and sixes on his home turf in Delhi where he's learnt his trade.

Hyderabad ease into playoffs The sun rose for Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Green Park stadium in Kanpur, as they roared past Gujarat Lions to enter the IPL playoffs. After Gujarat posted a modest target of 155 runs, Hyderabad got to the target losing just two wickets with 11 deliveries to spare. For them, skipper David

Indian women's cricket in record stand

Deepti Sharma & Poonam Raut

Warner and Vijay Shankar remained unbeaten on 69 and 63 runs respectively.

The eight-wicket win ensured that Hyderabad finished the league engagements with 17 points.

Hyderabad braved some initial resistance after they won the toss and elected to field, with the two Gujarat openers - Dwayne Smith and Ishan Kishan - stringing a partnership of 111 runs off 10.5 overs. Both Smith and Kishan tore apart the attack to make life difficult for the Hyderabad bowlers.

Mumbai finish on top; Kolkata qualify Kolkata Knight Riders were ensured of a playoff berth even before the first ball of their last league match against Mumbai Indians was bowled at the Eden Gardens, because earlier in the day, Sunrisers Hyderabad made the last four by winning their last match. But the Kolkata outfit suffered a major confidence jolt before the playoffs as they went down tamely to a second-string Mumbai side at home by nine runs.

Keeping an eye on the playoffs, Mumbai, who were the first to seal a last four spot this time, decided to test their bench strength by

making six changes. The newcomers did not disappoint as Saurabh Tiwary anchored the innings at the top and Ambati Rayudu played a quickfire innings down the order to help them put up 173-5 after being put in to bat by Kolkata skipper Gautam Gambhir on winning the toss. The win helped Mumbai finish on top with 20 points while Kolkata (16 points) will play the eliminator against Pune.

Kings XI Punjab beat Mumbai He went for 57 runs off his four overs, but Mohit Sharma held his nerve and delivered when it mattered to keep the Kings XI Punjab alive in the race for the playoffs as they scampered home against the Mumbai Indians by seven runs in a high-scoring thriller at the Wankhede stadium. MI needed 16 runs off the last over and looked to be on target when Kieron Pollard (50 not out), smashed Mohit's second ball for a six, but the medium-pacer bounced back brilliantly, bowling three consecutive dot balls to the big West Indian to concede just eight off his final six balls and seal a much-needed seventh win for the Kings in 13 matches, before they

Pune, Mumbai get two chances to enter IPL final Rising Pune Supergiant which defeated Kings XI Punjab finished as second team in league stage at IPL with 18 points. Mumbai, which topped the table with 20 points, and Pune will now get two chances to enter the final Qualifier 1: Mumbai vs Pune, in Mumbai May 16 Winner will enter the final, loser plays winner of eliminator.

Eliminator: Kolkata vs Hyderabad in Bangalore, May 17 Qualifier 2: Winner of Eliminator vs loser of Qualifier 1 in Bangalore May 19 to decide the second finalist.

Final: Hyderabad, May 21

travel to Pune to take on Rising Pune Supergiant in their last league game on May 14.

Iyer guides Delhi to victory over Gujarat Shreyas Iyer did all the right things to pull Delhi Daredevils past Gujarat Lions by two wickets in their IPL match at Green Park stadium. The Mumbai lad was all fire and brim as he cut loose with his repertoire of shots to hit the Lions hard on their second home ground. He drove, punched, swept and pulled with confidence as Delhi chased down a challenging target of 196 with two deliveries remaining in a thrilling encounter. Though both the sides are out of contention for a playoff berth, the victory now takes Delhi to ten points from 12 matches, while the Lions are languishing at eight with just a game to go against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Punjab live to fight another day Kings XI Punjab survived a blistering 52-ball 84 by opener Chris Lynn to eke out a critical victory over Kolkata Knight Riders and keep alive their hopes in IPL-10. Punjab, who would have been ousted from the tournament if they had lost the game, kept their nerves even when KKR looked well on course to achieve the victory target of 168.

Kolkata, who needed to win the match to make sure of their playoff qualification, lost wickets regularly as, barring Lynn, none of their batsmen could play a good enough knock. The visitors managed 153-6 in their 20 overs, losing by 14 runs.

had put on 268 for the first wicket against South Africa in 2008. With four wins from four matches, India are now the only unbeaten side in the tournament with wins over South Africa, Ireland (twice) and Zimbabwe.

Jhulan now leading wicket-taker Former India captain Jhulan Goswami became the highest wicket-taker in women's ODI cricket. The 34-year-old right-arm pacer achieved this feat, overtaking retired Australian seamer Cathryn Fitzpatrick's career haul of 180 with a three-wicket haul against South Africa women in the ongoing quadrangular series at Potchefstroom.

Jhulan now has 181 wickets in 153 matches at an average of 21.76 and an even more impressive economy rate of 3.18. The pacer, who had missed the Women's World Cup Qualifying tournament in February due to a shoulder injury, had picked one wicket against Ireland in the first match. Her late strikes helped India bundle out South Africa for a paltry 119.

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The Indian women's cricket team scaled new heights when openers Deepti Sharma and Poonam Raut put on a world-record 320-run opening stand during a 249-run victory over Ireland in the women's quadrangular series ODI match in Senwes Park, Potchesfroom. It's the biggest opening stand in ODIs not just for women but even for men.

India scored 358-2 and Ireland, in reply, were all out for 109 in 40 overs, handing India's women their biggest victory in terms of runs in ODIs. Deepti took just 160 balls to score 188 runs - the second highest individual score of all time in women's cricket while Poonam scored 109 during their record stand, which lasted 45.3 overs.

Deepti, who hit 27 fours and two sixes, is now India's highest scorer in women's cricket, second only to the all-time highest of 229 not out, scored by Australia's Belinda Clark against Denmark. Deepti broke the Indian record scripted by Jaya Sharma, who had scored 138 not out against Pakistan women in Karachi in 2005.

The Indian women's cricket team had not breached the 300-run mark in any one-dayer before this, with their previous highest being 298-2 against the West Indies in 2004.

Before Deepti and Poonam's marathon stand, the record for the highest partnership in women's cricket belonged to England's Sarah Taylor and Caroline Atkins, who

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