AV 21st August 2021

FIRST & FOREMOST ASIAN WEEKLY IN EUROPE Are you travelling abroad?

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Five Indian origin people in the list of America’s richest self-made women

R

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inside

Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

21 - 27 AUGUST 2021 - VOL 50 ISSUE 16

53-year-old Manchester woman clears GCSE

Independence Day celebration in the UK

PM Modi seeks efforts of all to build a selfreliant India

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A LOST CAUSE? As the Taliban takes over Afghanistan leaving women in danger and refugees begging for help, will the contribution of our soldiers, especially Gurkhas, be a lost cause?

EMOTIONALLY “CHARGED” REUNIONS

Editorial credit : meandering images/shutterstock.com

With India on the amber list, ticket prices are sky high and RT-PCR costing as much as £150; many health care professionals are taking the shortest possible trips, including unpaid leave.

Shefali Saxena Few weeks ago, Asian Voice reported about the looming crisis that could endanger girls, women and children in Afghanistan when the Taliban demanded a list of women, they could marry their soldiers too. In the viral videos of men falling off the sky from an aeroplane, airport runways packed with desperate refugees who want to save their lives, the worst has come true.

Continued on page 6

Doctors are finally going home. Parents are coming over to embrace their children after months of separation. Every individual in their own capacity has paid a price during the pandemic, especially the ethnic minority doctors who have selflessly served the NHS during its fight with Covid-19 despite repeated institutional racism and adverse conditions.

Air ticket prices are all-time high, RT-PCR cost is synonymous to the stock market prices and yet, reuniting with loved ones is a logistic nightmare for many Indians in the UK. Continued on page 13

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21 - 27 August 2021

with Keith Vaz

PM Johnson’s rating down to a record low

Vinod Ghadiali Community Activist and Broadcaster Vinod Ghadiali was born in an Indian village called Amalsad in the Gujarat state. He completed his education in Navsari and Surat.

After completing his graduation he’s got a B.A. in English literature and M.P.A. A Master's degree in Public Administration forty-four years ago Vinod came to the UK from India. In the beginning, he did some manual jobs but in 1984 he joined Leicestershire County Council. In 1990 he obtained an M.Sc from Loughborough University He was also the youngest Editor (1982 – 1988) of a bilingual monthly community magazine. Under his editorship, the magazine won a prestigious Sectional Media Award.

Later on, in 1995 he joined BBC Asian Network as a Gujarati News Reader. He was a Broadcast Journalist until he retired in 2012.

He was also an active member of a drama group. He has acted in short films as well as plays and has won some awards too.

Currently, Vinod is the President of the Oadby and Wigston Hindu Community. He is also involved in running a Luncheon Club and a Social Group in Oadby.

He is the Vice -President of the Gujarati Arya Association.

1. Which place or city or country do you most feel at home?

I feel most at home in Leicester, UK. Wherever I go, when I come back and land at the airport, immediately I feel happy and relaxed. This is my home and I love it.

2. What are your proudest achievements?

The very first time one of my poems was published. I started writing poetry at an early age. One day my cousin, Navin said, “I will believe you when it’s published”. So, I took up a challenge and sent it to one of the most reputable newspaper, The Bombay Samachar. At the time I was a teenager studying at college. Being a naïve I waited it to appear within a few days, but it didn’t. So, I forgot all about it. And then suddenly after a few weeks one day my father came home and showed me the paper and asked, is that you Vinod? I got so excited that I ran to my friend’s house to show everyone. That day I couldn’t eat or sleep with excitement.

Another occasion was back in the mid-eighties. As an Editor of ‘Ame Gujarati’ I had written a leading article on Race Relations and Harmony, which was picked up by the Editor of Leicester Mercury, Mr Neville Stake. He was so impressed that he invited me to his office. Since then, we became good friends till his death.

3. What inspires you?

Challenges inspire me. Whatever I do I like to do a perfect job. I like to organise meticulously and implement it.

4. What has been the biggest obstacle in your career?

I would say my spoken English. As I come from India I spoke with a differ-

ent accent and that has hindered me in the beginning. It now has mellowed so much that I think I speak as good as any English man.

5. Who has been the biggest influence on your career?

There is no single person I can say who has influenced me in my career.

It’s my desire to succeed has prompted me to do what I do.

6. What is the best aspect of your current role?

The best aspect of my current role is to meet and help people. As a President of the Oadby and Wigston Hindu Community, I enjoy organising various events and negotiating with statutory & voluntary bodies.

7. And worst?

None.

8. What is your long–term goal?

As I have retired my long-term goal is to live happily till I die. I only do those things, which makes me happy.

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

I firmly believe in a mixed economy and believe that some of the national assets such as defence, water, energy, and transport should be in public hands. If private companies can make billions of pounds of profit, then why can’t government-owned companies? Of course, there has to be a different approach than in the past.

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

I would like to spend some time with former Prime Minister John Major. I think he was the most honest and decent Prime Minister.

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49% of the voters disapproved of the job Boris Johnson is doing as a prime minister in an opinion poll, the lowest in the 53 times the pollster has asked the question.

While 34% of those surveyed approved of the job the PM is doing, his net approval rating was down to -16% from 13% before a fortnight, despite an increase in support for the

government’s handling of the pandemic from -16% to -9%

before a fortnight, in the survey of 2000 UK adults on 5-6 August.

Opinium’s head of political polling Adam Drummond has said that PM Johnson should be never written off as he has bounced back from poor polling numbers before, and he may be able to do so again.

58,000 applications received to stay in UK post EU settlement scheme deadline According to post-Brexit government rules, 30th June was the deadline for EU citizens staying in the UK to stay in the country or lose their rights. However, in the month after the deadline, 58,200 applications were received for the EU settlement scheme according to new Home office

figures.

These applications include late submissions, those from family members and requests to move from pre-settled to settled status.

Six million applications have been received in all till the deadline after the launch of the EU Settlement Scheme

on March-19 including 8% of repeat applications. Out of this 2.8m were granted settled status, 2.3m pre-settled status and over 100,000 were refused.

Campaigners have raised concerns about the effect on vulnerable people, such as children in child care.

Thousands of missed GP appointments putting further strain on busy local health services in Leicester The GP appointments made in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland increased by 13.5% to over half a million for the month of June as compared to 2019. But, out of this 10,267 missing appointments were recorded by the Clinical Commissioning Group increasing the post-lockdown strain on local health services.

Leicester City CCG gov-

erning body member and GP at De Montfort Surgery, Dr Sulaxni Nainani, urged people to call on reception if they are unsure of visiting. Because, if patients are not coming in and the doctor is waiting or has to chase them does have an impact on other patients.

She has also urged people to use the NHS app as well which can give them more idea

of the help they might need and whether self-care is an option.

As furlough schemes near an end, Gatwick may avert further redundancies Half of the 1750 remaining workforce are still on furlough at UK’s second-largest Gatwick Airport, which has shed over 1500 staff to date due to the ongoing pandemic. According to the airport authorities, they are in talks with hundreds of furloughed staff and unions, to avert further redundancies as the furlough scheme ends by the end of September.

However, as per UK rules,

the employer needs to launch a consultation for any dismissals before at least 45 days.

According to Sky News, the

airport was making a series of demands to the government like an extension of a pay freeze, temporary reduction in pension and banking of unworked hours for a later date.

Gatwick Airport, which reported a loss of GBP246.9m, has tweeted to the UK government recently to take advantage of the vaccine programme and make travel rules simpler.

Brits having a certain boiler might get £7K from the government 70 new claims against breast surgeon Ian Paterson

It has come upon that almost 70 new females were operated on by former breast surgeon Ian Paterson which means he might face further prosecution.

Before being imprisoned for 20 years in 2017, Paterson did a lot of needless and failed operations at Solihull's NHS hospital and Spire private hospital.

To help the ones who are operated, a new £22million fund has been set up for compensation.

As per the reports in The Mirror, it is believed he had more than 11,000 patients and a top solicitor told that he could face new charges as more cases come out.

Under efforts to get the nation greener and more environment friendly, property holders could be paid £7000 to ditch their gas boilers.

The funding was announced earlier in 2021 by the government and will be launched in April 2022.

As per a report in The Times, Boris Johnson is considering increasing the initiating grant to £7,000. The flatrate grant has been proposed to help with the upfront cost of installing heat pumps to deliver space heating and hot water.

"The main aim of the Clean Heat Grant is to support the segments of the low-car-

bon heat supply chain which will be required to allow the introduction of regulations to phase out fossil fuel heating in existing buildings off the gas grid."

According to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), a voucher will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis. Funding has been committed till March 2024, then after the scheme will close for new applicants.

But The Times further adds that Johnson wants to quadruple the funds and continue the scheme for three years with an increased starting grant of £7,000.

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21 - 27 August 2021

A haven for world’s dirty money A series on the BBC, called Mcmafia, gained much praise. James Norton wooed audience with his vulnerability of a British born Russian man, trying to earn his living honestly. But in the background of this series of glamour and heroism, there is the biggest truth hidden ever, Britain- the safe haven for world’s dirty cash and money launderers.

The country of course denies that it launders money for anyone, as Simon Jenkins points out, pretty similar to how Russia denies that it poisons its spies.

The Sunday Times wrote an interesting article on Lalit Modi, the IPL founder, who is currently in refuge in England and cannot be extradited beac. He allegedly convinced people put large sums of money into a cancer treatment venture by falsely naming prominent royals, including Prince Andrew, as patrons of the scheme, The Sunday Times reported. None was aware that they had been listed as supporters or had been approached by Mr Modi.

The case could raise fresh questions about the company the duke has kept following his friendship with Jeffrey Eipstein, the American paedophile financier who died in prison two years ago, and Ghislaine Maxwell, who is facing child sex trafficking charges in a New York court.

During his visit to the UK, India’s Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said that India has made its best case on Vijay Mallya and the Indian government has the “best assurance" from the UK authorities of his extradition to India, to face money charges related to his unpaid loans and money laundering.

Nirav Modi- an otherwise Indian citizen, who grew up in Belgium, with family having migrated from Singapore, is also in the UK- currently in jail, but with a right to appeal against his extradition judgement.

Abdul Shamji, Nazmu Virani, Ketan Somaia- are names that

cannot be forgotten for tarnishing the image of British Asians in the UK. The Guardian reported, when tax haven transparency was supposedly introduced in 2016, it was assumed that openness would be a deterrent to money laundering. But it took the Panama papers scandal to reveal the full extent of Caribbean tax poaching rackets.

Tax dodgers in New York were paraded from their offices in handcuffs. Germans brought 71 prosecutions. The Spaniards successfully prosecuted Lionel Messi and Christiano Ronaldo for tax fraud. Pakistan jailed its prime minister for 10 years. But in Britain, the revelations led to just four arrests and six interviews under caution. Governments have long implied that offering houseroom to laundered money harms no one, benefits Britain and ranks as “inward investment”.

Tony Blair and David Cameron openly welcomed Russian oligarchs, Saudi princes and Chinese property hoarders. Boris Johnson as the Mayor of London sold the city to foreigners- leading to one of the biggest housing crises of the century.

Next year is the 50th year of Ugandan expulsion. British Asians, who lost everything in the hands of Idi Amin’s whims, have worked very hard to gain their status in the UK. People have gone on to become the richest, providing jobs, homes, and securities. They are celebrated as one of the largest diasporas that have added to Britain’s glory.

But privileges enjoyed by financial frauds and criminals bring absolute disgrace to a community that has worked so hard to achieve what it has. Britain needs to take a stronger stance and a careful look to ensure that fame and goodwill of an honest diaspora is not tarnished by a handful, especially as the politicians look the other way for personal or partisan gains.

Does Taliban’s victory prove Western leadership has failed?

Afghanistan is a rude reminder of the failures of US’ last 4 Presidents. On Tuesday in their first press conference, Taliban promised not to seek revenge on Afghan people, and let women’s education continue till university.

In 1996 when the Talibans entered Afghanistan, they did not know where the Parliament was in Kabul. Aimless youngsters, many educated in Madrassas in Pakistan, wandered about with guns, some even spoke impeccable English.

The Taliban, which means "students" in the Pashto language, have been waging an insurgency against the Western-backed government in Kabul since they were ousted from power in 2001. The group was formed by "Mujahideen" fighters who fought Soviet forces in the 1980s with the backing of the CIA. Their ideology came from the Islamic tribe that fought wars against the British occupation of Pashtun area. The term continued to be used throughout India for Muslim resistance to colonialism and the British Raj. During the Mutiny of 1857, these warriors were said to accept any fleeing Sepoys and recruit them into their ranks. As time went by, the sect grew ever larger until it was not only conducting bandit raids, but even controlling areas in Afghanistan. In the 20th century, the term Mujahideen was used mostly in Iran and Afghanistan.

Many Muslims from other countries reportedly assisted the various Mujahideen groups in Afghanistan. Osama Bin Laden originally from a wealthy family in Saudi Arabia, was a prominent organiser and financier of an all-Arab Islamist group of foreign volunteers; funnelled money, arms, and fighters from around the Muslim world into Afghanistan, with the assistance and support of the Saudi and Pakistani governments.

Although the Mujahideen were aided by the Pakistani,

American, British, Chinese and Saudi governments, their primary source of funding was private donors and religious charities, particularly in the Persian Gulf.

As Alistair Bunkell of The Sky pointed out, the finger of blame cannot be pointed at one person. He said, Donald Trump negotiated a bad deal with the Taliban last year, followed by Joe Biden’s sudden and secretive retrieve of the US troops. PM Boris Johnson, Jens Stoltenberg and other NATO leaders failed to agree a framework to keep forces in the country, even without American support. President Ashraf Ghani, who ran away from the nation, had isolated much of his country and alienated provinces and local leaders and Afghan forces, who after years of training and mentoring, even equipped with trillions of dollars of high-tech equipment, seemingly gave up with little fight.

US’ record of intervening and then leaving mid-way has become an unwanted reputation - and the UK, always so eager to be seen as the US' closest ally, is believed to be “inevitably burdened with the same brush”.

Pakistan PM Imran Khan’s statement about westernisation and breaking of slavery shackles is hypocritical. But India has a vital role to play now as tension breeds across its border. Taliban are the kryptonite Pakistan would like to use against India- but what should the country’s take be?

As Ambassador Shivshankar Menon in a recent IJA interaction said, “This is not the time for India, to get too excited or too active.

It needs to talk to everybody and stay in touch with all the friends.

But this is not the same Afghanistan that the Taliban took over in 1960, or even left in 2001. This is a very different Afghanistan. And ultimately, we should make it possible for young minds to decide their own future and work with whoever we can and do.”

Pain of partition can never be forgotten In the words of Mahatma Gandhi on the eve of Independence Day in August 1947, "From tomorrow, we shall be delivered from the bondage of British rule. But from midnight today, India will be partitioned too. While, therefore, tomorrow will be a day of rejoicing, it will be a day of sorrow as well. It will throw a heavy burden of responsibility upon us. Let us pray to God that He may give us strength to bear it." Seventy four years on, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the eve of 75th Independence Day announced that henceforth August 14 will be remembered as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day in memory of people's struggles and sacrifices during that period. He reiterated that the pain of partition can never be forgotten. In 1947, when India became free from the clutches of 200 years of British rule, it was a time both for rejoicing and sorrow. We had got our independence but had to pay a very heavy price for it. The country had been partitioned into two - India and Pakistan.

The partition in 1947 witnessed the biggest blood-stained human exodus the world had ever seen. At the stroke of midnight on August 15, 1947, India became a free nation but the country was not to remain the same anymore. It had been divided into two independent domains - India and Pakistan. The Partition of India was on religious lines and based on the division of two provinces in the country - Bengal which was the biggest province of India and Punjab. This division was based on Hindu and Muslim populations in the districts. Muslim-majority Punjab is present-day Pakistan and Muslim-majority Bengal is present-day Bangladesh.

Historians have described the 1947 partition as the 'largest and one of the most violent political migrations in human history'.

Data suggests that around 15 million people got displaced from their homes during the 'bloody partition', with more than a million people murdered in communal riots that followed the partition and many became rape survivors. The Washington Post estimates the number of people killed in those months ranges

between 200,000 and 2 million.

In Punjab and Bengal- provinces abetting India's borders with west and east Pakistan, respectively, the carnage was especially intensive , with massacre, arson, forced conversions, mass abductions and savage sexual violence. Some 75,000 women were raped and many of them were later disfigured or dismembered. The massacre first started by frenzied Muslim mobs in Punjab. They were in majority in that area. They first started attacks on Sikhs and later on Hindus. H.S. Suhrwardy, the ruthless Muslim League Chief Minister of Bengal made incendiary speeches in Calcutta, provoking rioters against his own Hindu populace and writing in a newspaper that “bloodshed and disorder are not necessarily evil in themselves if resorted for a noble cause.” Partition led to massive loss of life and livelihoods. Houses and buildings were burned and looted, women were raped and children were killed in front of their family. Trains carrying refugees between the two new nations arrived full of corpses, their passengers had been killed by mobs en route. These were called 'blood trains'. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that 14 million Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims were displaced during the division of India. The massacres began soon after the British announced partition- neighbors slaughtered neighbors; childhood friends became sworn enemies. About 14 million people are thought to have abandoned their homes in the summer and fall of 1947, when colonial British administrators began dismantling the empire in southern Asia. What followed, especially in Punjab, the principal center of the violence, was one of the great human tragedies of the twentieth century. As the peasants trudged along wearily, mounted guerrillas burst out of the tall crops that lined the road and culled them like sheep. To ensure such a ghastly situation never happens again, all concerned should be made aware of those tragedies. Everybody should respect the religious beliefs of others and co-exist peacefully.

“The story of women’s struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organization but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights.” - Gloria Steinem

Alpesh Patel

75 Years of UK India Relations As we celebrate the 75th anniversary of India's independence from the UK, we'll look at India's growth and the development of the bilateral relationship between the two countries.

Out from under the shadow of British rule emerged a new, forward-thinking India. It formed an independent, secular, democratic republic that chose to remain within the Commonwealth.

And so, India began a journey towards economic and social development, prosperity, and a stable nation over the last 75 years.

Early Days of Independence During the early days of independence, India was reliant on international food aid. But, years of good planning and governance have seen India's agriculture sector become the country's economic backbone.

About 18% of the nation's GDP comes from agriculture, which employs around 60% of the workforce.

India is now the largest producer of bananas, mangos, milk and papaya. Additionally, it is the second-largest producer of wheat, potatoes, tea and sugar cane.

Space and Technology India has emerged as one of the leading centres for producing tech and mathematics graduates in recent years. Over recent decades, the explosion of technology in the country can be demonstrated by its ambitious space programs — including the Chandrayaan 2 moon landing.

Of course, the IT and tech industries are also big markers of India's growth. A recent McKinsey report suggests that the Indian IT sector will be worth around $300-$350 in the next five years. The paper goes on to state that this forms a remarkable growth of 7.5% year on year.

Infrastructural Success Another notable success for India over the last 75 years are the programs that achieved 100% household electrification in 25 states. Additionally, Indian Railways are one of the world's largest and densest transport systems, moving around 9 billion passengers and 1bn tonnes of freight per year.

UK-India Relations Move Closer After some years of tension and missed opportunities, the 21st century has seen UK-India relations improve. Since 1947, there has been a paradoxical push and pull between the nations. With many Indians living and working in the UK, the ties between both countries became closer. Yet, the legacy of colonialism understandably created some suspicion and ill feelings.

In 2015, the then UK Prime Minister David Cameron acknowledged that relations between the two countries were not being explored to their full potential. Successive visits by Cameron and then Theresa May were notable for their repentance and acknowledgement of the colonial past.

Then, with the UK leaving the European Union, it sought to realign itself globally. Special relations with the US and India were thought to be strategically sound for several reasons, such as defence and the economy.

Continued on page 15

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53-year-old Manchester woman clears GCSE Shefali Saxena The GCSE results were declared last week and many pupils have received a record number of top grades across England. While it’s always essential to applaud the efforts of young children amid the pandemic, Asian Voice brings you a success story of a not so young student, who is an inspiration for the community.

Manu Chowdhury, 53, from Manchester appeared for her GCSE exams and has fared well. She returned to education after 34 years. Speaking exclusively to Asian Voice, Manu Chowdhury said, "I always wanted to pursue higher education in my youth but was unable to as I got married at a young age. My priorities changed when I became a mother. I could not pursue my dream of

Manu Chowdhury

obtaining a degree and work full-time at the same time.

“I started working for the NHS in 1989 and have been there ever since. Returning to education after a 34-year gap was very challenging, especially while also working full-time as a medical secretary. Then, as Covid hit, it all got quite stressful. I had to get used to virtual learning while also bal-

ancing doing my GCSEs and working fulltime.

“I have a very supportive family who encouraged me to complete the course and supported me to follow my dreams. I will be starting an access course in September and hope to complete a healthcare-related degree at university."

Her son Areeq Chowdhury, 29, shared his happiness on social media about this achievement. "I'm very proud of my mum and feel inspired by her determination to return to formal education after so many years. Judging by the reaction on social media, it's clear many people feel the same.

I hope her story can help inspire others to pursue further education in future regardless of age or circumstance,” Areeq told Asian Voice.

Schools in Harrow congratulate students for high GCSE results The students in England scored the highest grade in their GCSEs this summer as it increased by more than a third in a year, with more girls achieving top grades in comparison to boys.

As the exams were cancelled because of Covid-19, Overall the proportion of GCSE entries awarded the top grades has surged to a record high. Traditional A*-G grades have

been scrapped in England and replaced with a 9-1 system amid reforms, with 9 the highest. Grade 4 is broadly equivalent to a C grade, and a 7 is broadly equivalent to an A. Bentley Wood High School says there was an “outstanding return” on the efforts of pupils and staff throughout the studies.

Some outstanding performers include Alison Chang who scored 11 GSCEs at grade 9,

Zahra Rizvi who was awarded 9 GCSEs at grade 9 and Isma Mirza who scored 10 GCSEs at grade 9.

At John Lyon, six of the 100 students scored straight 9 grades – the equivalent of an A* - and a further eight received no grade no lower than an 8. Overall the school says it has achieved an enormously high number of the top 9 and 8 grades.

Jealous boyfriend ran over her girlfriend in Amersham Lakshmam Samarakoon, 20, of Pinner Hill Road, "mowed down" his girlfriend in Amersham during a fit of jealous rage, breaking multiple bones of her left leg and injuring her so badly that doctors considered amputation.

After pleading guilty to bodily harm, Samarakoon was sentenced to 11 years and eight months in prison at Aylesbury Crown Court.

The victim, Dina Sapra, now 19, had been an avid swimmer, netball, and tennis player, and got four A*s in her A-levels, but had to put a hold on her academic life and will never be able to play sports again.

Sentencing Samarakoon, Judge Francis Sheridan said: “This was a wicked offence driven by jealousy. This was the most horri-

ble decision you have ever made in your own selfish way.”

The incident happened on 12 July at midnight when both attended a mutual friend’s 18th birthday party in Amersham.

Looking at Ms Sapra’s phone, Samarakoon saw messages from a male friend and accused her of cheating on him and took the device, going back to the car.

Ms Sapra followed him and demanded her mobile.

CCTV footage showed that Samarakoon reversed the car, forcing Ms Sapra to jump out of the way. She could then be seen running away up onto the pavement. After reversing, Samarakoon turned the car in her direction, drove up onto the pavement and hit her, leaving his victim lying on the

ground.

The court later learned that he had called 999. Ambulance and police arrived at the venue, taking Ms Sapra to John Radcliffe hospital and arresting Samarakoon.

Samarakoon’s defence lawyer, Lisa Wilson, tried to argue that her client had “respected” his victim in the immediate aftermath of the crash.

Despite Ms Wilson’s arguments, Judge Francis Sheridan did not hold back when sentencing Samarakoon, calling his conduct “wicked.”

Judge Sheridan sentenced Samarakoon to 11 years and eight months in prison for the charge of GBH with intent and an eight-year driving ban, which will come into effect once he gets out of prison on licence.

Customers are unhappy as missing parcels sold off at auction The customers of Fuming Royal Mail said how their expensive packages ended up ready to be sold off at auction houses after they weren't delivered.

On a BBC programme, Rip Off Britain conversed with three people who had faced the inconveniences.

An expert from consumer site Which? said at the program that one in five people have had a parcel go missing since the lockdown started in March 2020.

Ruth and David were on the show after more than £70,000 worth of silver were stolen from a safe in their church. They used the insurance payout to get a silversmith in Birmingham to cast new items, and the finished pieces were sent using

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Ruth and David said they had contacted the local Post Office and were told that the company had tried to deliver the package, but no one was in.

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Mark from Wigan, was also present at the show. He was shattered when two treasured war medals that he had misplaced at a funeral were returned by a friend in the post were lost.

Despite one of the medals being engraved with Mark's full name and rank, Royal Mail told Mark they were lost.

After two years, there was unexpected good news from one of his friends who found the medals for sale on eBay. Mark contacted the seller and was told they had bought the medals at an auction for lost Royal Mail items.

He was reunited with the medals and Royal Mail offered him £30 as a goodwill sign.

Man physically abused female friend during night out and insulted police On 11th November, in a group of friends at a flat, Fayez Suleman, 29 went out to get a takeaway, were assaulted a woman.

The chairman of the magistrate's bench described it as a substantial assault, with the man kicking the lady to the knee, to the abdomen and then to the nose injuring her lips and causing swelling. When the lady called the police, Suleman verbally assaulted the lady police calling her a ‘fat, ugly,

white bitch’. When police searched him, a small quantity of cannabis was also found in his possession. Suleman was sent for a 10-week sentence and suspended for a year apart from ordering him to pay the assaulted woman a compensation of GBP200.

The court order also included him to do 100 hours of unpaid work, pay GBP85 for court costs, pay a GBP128 victim surcharge and spend 30 days with the probation service.

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in brief in brief HARROW COUNCILLORS PAY TRIBUTE TO CLLR CHRIS MOTE On 29 July 2021, Conservative councillor Chris Mote, who represented Rayners Lane, Pinner West and Pinner South during his time at Harrow Council, passed away after a short illness. Cllr Mote held a lot of committee positions in his 27-year tenure and acted as deputy mayor of Harrow in 2009-10. In 2006, he led Harrow Conservatives to election victory and served as leader of the council for two years.

His wife, Janet, continues to serve as a councillor for Headstone North, having worked alongside her husband since 2002.

Cllr Mote's death means a by-election for Pinner South is likely to be confirmed by the council.

MORRISONS DECLARES AN ALL-STAFF-DAYOFF FOR BOXING DAY FOR THE FIRST TIME The supermarket giant has declared to shut its doors and give time to all its 111,000 staff to spend time with their family on 26-Dec Boxing Day this year following their hard work during the pandemic.

It is important to note that just after a few weeks Morrisons supermarket will become a privately owned business, with private equity houses Fortress and Clayton and Dubliner & Rice making bids to takeover. There are concerns that staff welfare could drop under new ownership, however, both the suitors have vowed to maintain standards for employees. During the last many months of the pandemic, supermarket shelves were stripped bare and workers continued to provide service to customers throughout.

UNIONS ORDER TREASURY BACKS PERMANENT FURLOUGH SCHEME Unions have demanded the Treasury backs a permanent furlough scheme for future UK emergencies. The Trade Unions Congress has drawn up proposals, calling on the government to stop the end of furlough.

Last year Chancellor Rishi Sunak, set up the Furlough. The scheme entitled workers to a percentage of pay from the government due to the Covid crisis. As per the reports of Birmingham Mail, Frances O’Grady, TUC general secretary, thinks she should adopt the scheme as the country aims to hit its net zero carbon targets.

She said: “Thousands of working people are benefitted due to furlough. Now is the time for the government to build on the success of furlough with a short-time working scheme – not throw away its good work. As we battle climate change and new technologies launch a permanent short-time working scheme would help labour market more resilient and protect their jobs.”

VISITORS UNIMPRESSED

BY THE QUEEN’S GARDEN Tourists have reportedly been disappointed after visiting the much-advertised gardens at the Queen’s palace. The palace website is said to have had 6,000 customers in a virtual queue. The Times reported that the tourists have been left disappointed. According to a report, “They faced long queues, “dull, uninspiring” flower displays and “very wild” lawns. Others bemoaned a prosecco ban, overbearing security guards and “rip-off” gift shop tat.” The tickets cost about £16.50 for an adult or £42 for a family with up to three children.

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Prof Partha Kar OBE takes up a new challenging role to fight racism in NHS Rupanjana Dutta Since last year, institutional racism within NHS has raised many concerns. Despite the initial resistance to admit the depth of the existing problem and celebrating NHS as a “success story” due to its existing diverse workforce, an independent investigation by NHS Race and Health Observatory established the link between race and health.

Chair Marie Gabriel said, “The evidence it cites is clear: institutional racism exists in this country, it exists in the organisations that make up our health and care system, and it exists across wider public establishments.”

Deaths among medics during the pandemic and the general approach towards immigrants in NHS workforce have been alarming- and it was made worse by a report by Care Quality Commission on how Bristol hospital line managers told the ethnic minority hospital staff to use ‘easier to pronounce’ Western ‘work’ names.

To rethink, reshape and tackle blatant racism and ethnic minority under-representation in leadership positions across Trusts and providers around the NHS, Prof Partha Kar OBE, otherwise well known for his pioneering work in diabetes, has started a new role as the National Advisor for Medical Workforce based on Racial Equality this week.

In a recent article in the British Medical Journal, Dr Kar wrote, “10% of board members in NHS trusts are now from minority ethnic backgrounds, up from 7% in 2017.

And 21.0% of staff in NHS trusts and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in England are now from a minority ethnic background, up 2.9% points since 2017.

Dr Partha Kar

“White applicants were 1.61 times as likely as ethnic minority applicants to be appointed from shortlisting across all posts.

This was worse than in 2019 (1.46), which itself was no improvement on the previous year. In fact, the past five years have seen fluctuation but no overall improvement in this measure.

“Just 40.7% of ethnic minority staff, compared with 88.3% of white staff, believe that their organisation provides equal opportunities for career progression or promotion. The recent NHS staff survey shows even further evidence of the inequity, more pertinently during the pandemic. Ethnic minority staff bore the brunt, with 47% working in covid roles, compared with 31% of all staff. Those who reported facing discrimination rose from 16.5% to 19.4% in black ethnic groups and from 13.7% to 15.6% among Asian ethnicities.”

The problems are not just limited to NHS Trusts. GMC has also reportedly set itself a target to ‘eliminate’ the disproportionate complaints received from employers about ethnic minority GPs by 2026, through few steps- including ensuring

cases are increasingly resolved locally, making it more ‘inclusive and supportive’.

Dr Kar, in an exclusive interview, told Asian Voice, “Unless you change the leadership positions, you will struggle to change any outcomes. What is the point of producing reports to say that every year that BAME populations are more victimised and more bullied when they're not getting into leadership positions themselves to impact any change? If you're not changing any of that, people will lose interest after a point.”

He further added, “People like us who came from India, Pakistan and Bangladeshthere is an ever-present undercurrent of being treated like a second-class citizen.

Many are asked to do jobs local graduates won’t with added issues of lack of training as well.

“What support are we offering to those who are coming here -that is something we need to look at. So, I would anticipate all those things being investigated one after the other. We tackle the medical workforce

first, then we look at the other workforces.”

His role, that has been created for the first time, promises to inspire younger generations to aspire for top positions within NHS, without any race-related fear or hesitance. But does Dr Kar anticipate resistance from the system to achieve his goal?

“When you're trying to change something there are always challenges- especially from people. Group one, people who will believe there are needs for change- so they are on board. Group two, the ones who are relaxed and casual about the existing issues. Group three, and the biggest challenge are the people who will say no to a change. I think that's where the push needs to happen. And let's face it, there will be some people who, whether unconscious bias or conscious- are also racists. We should not duck away from the fact that as with all parts of society, the NHS has their proportion of racism around it. I think those people need to be openly challenged.”

Job vacancies all time high According to Office of National Statistics (ONS), job vacancies are at the highest since records began.

They were the highest in the month of May and June, as high as 1 million.

This figure is 43.8% higher than the previous quarter.

The Sky reported that the number of employees on

payrolls rose by 182,000 last month, and wages have also been growing significantly.

This also comes after the fact that there is shortage in staff in the UK. However, experts think that this will not last long. And it is a short term phenomena.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak was quoted saying, “I know they could be still, there could still be bumps in the road but the data is promising.” The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has warned the government that as earnings growth hits 8%, it would add £3bn a year to government spending.

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A LOST CAUSE ?

Continued from page 1 Netizens asked, “Where are the women?”

There was almost a negligible number of women in those airport videos and pictures.

Most of them are now in the Taliban’s custody. Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai, a survivor of brutalities in Pakistan has said, “I urge the Security Council to pass a resolution to protect Afghan women, girls and minorities.” We also wrote about Dr Waheed Arian, an exrefugee from Afghanistan who came to the UK with 100 dollars in his pocket and today, is a doctor at the NHS. He has shared multiple live accounts of danger and distress on his social media account since 15 August.

When Asian Voice reached out to an Afghan Chevening Scholar, the student replied saying their close family members were stuck in Kabul which made the scholar feel unwell.

In the future, history may not be kind to the current perpetrators of violence and inhumanity, but legend has it that a total of 457 British personnel died, including 32 from Wales, after NATO forces entered the country in 2001. What’s worth reflecting on is how many soldiers from an ethnic minority background, especially Gurkhas who served in the British Army in Afghanistan fought for, what we may potentially call, a lost cause. Britain may have a blurred memory, but the custodians of the community have managed to keep those memories alive so that we never forget the contribution.

Gurkhas did not fight in Afghanistan for a lost cause Maj (retd) Tikendra Dal Dewan JP, Chair, British Gurkha Welfare Society has a positive outlook towards the contribution and thinks that it may not be a lost cause after all. He told Asian Voice, “The contribution can be gauged by the fact that Maj (rtd) Tikendra Dal Dewan Gurkhas have been an integral part of the British Army as early as the East India days and goes over 207 years.

They have fought in every battle that the British Army has been engaged in and that goes even before the great wars.

“The 13 Victoria Crosses and the plethora of battle honours and awards speak volumes of their contribution to not only the British Army but the Indian Army as well.

Afghanistan as history stands testament is a land of the Afghans and no foreign power has ever won or survived but for Alexander the Great.

“I would not say the sacrifices and contributions are a lost cause as the intervention did save lots of lives and maintained peace albeit it temporary as it now seems.

Sadly soldiers are always the pawns in the political agenda, take Vietnam for example

the hundreds of thousands of soldiers sacrificed but looking at Vietnam and the relationship with America all seems in vain.

“The inequality amounts to institutional discrimination but the good end to it is, at last, all the lobbying for equality and justice have at least now ensured that the current serving Gurkhas are on equal footing with the rest of the British Army in all aspects.

The fight for equality continues and two Gurkha veterans including a widow are now on their 10th day of hunger strike right outside 10 Downing Street, if this does not wake up the UK government then the discrimination is confirmed.”

Too hasty withdrawal Commenting on the Afghan refugee crisis, MP Virendra Sharma told the newsweek-

Virendra Sharma MP with Gurkha solider Gyan Raj who lost his limb in Afghan war while serving the British Army

an additional Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office humanitarian crisis reserve which is worth £30 million.

No time to waste Popular Muslim woman activist, Zehra Zaidi told us, “Thanks to our lobbying, MP briefings, work on the ground, article and petition, it looks as if Afghan women and girls will be prioritised under the Zehra Zaidi Government’s asylum programme. But there is no time to waste as many women lawyers, NGO workers, human rights activists, politicians and journalists are already on Taliban hit lists and we may need to rely on third countries to get them out. We cannot lose a whole generation of talent. Women risk losing their dreams and all that they worked for; they may have to leave behind their homeland but we must not take away their hope and chance to rebuild. We must not betray them.”

In a statement shared with us by Khaled Hosseini, AfghanAmerican novelist and UNHCR goodwill ambassador, he commented on the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan saying, “I have watched the developments in Afghanistan Khaled Hosseini with great sadness. I am deeply disappointed and gravely concerned for the country.

The last twenty years have been challenging, but the painstaking progresses made are now threatened. The US and the international community at large must take steps to prevent a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. They must exert pressure on the Taliban to respect the essential human rights of Afghans, particularly women and girls, and to refrain from using violence against Afghan citizens.”

On-ground report and helplessness in Kabul Speaking to Asian Voice, Ravi Singh, CEO Khalsa Aid said that many citizens were awaiting some sort of airlift around the country.

“They are desperate to Ravi Singh have some confirmation or when we'll take them out the country,” he said as he tried to connect with his sources in Kabul.

Sharing what he knew at that moment about the situation in Kabul, Singh said, “The people in Kabul are quite frightened, they are nervous. A Taliban has representa-

ly, “The ongoing crisis in Afghanistan brings shame on the coalition allies that have left the country in this situation. The US, UK and allies needed to stand with the legitimate government of Afghanistan, and continue to protect women, girls and minorities in the country. A too hasty withdrawal has wasted the sacrifice of thousands of soldiers and civilians already killed in the conflict.

British soldiers of South-Asian heritage and Gurkha troops have given their lives and the lost peace in Afghanistan is an insult to them.”

UK withdraws aid As the Taliban captured the capital city Kabul, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab indicated that the UK could withhold aid to Afghanistan to hold the Taliban to account.

According to the government data, the UK has so far spent £292 million on bilateral aid in Afghanistan in 2019 but has allocated £93.8 million for the 2021-2022 f i n a n c i a l Virendra Sharma MP has shown his year. Above strong support to the Gurkha commuthis, there’s nity in their fight for equal pension rights today by visiting the hunger strikers outside of 10 Downing Street and the Ministry of Defence. The 24 hour helpline e hunger strikers, led by prominent campaigner Gyanrai Raj, are calling for 020 8361 6151 pension equality with other British Army veterans. The Gurkha Pension

• An independent Hindu fam mily business • D Dedic di atted d Shiva Shi chapel h l off restt • Washing and dressing facilities • Ritual service items provided • Priest arranged for perforrming last rites • Specialists in repatriation n to India

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07957 250 851 07583 616 151 07939 232 664 07437 616 151

24 hour helpline: 020 8361 6151 | e: info@tailor.co.uk | w: www.tailor.co.uk Chani House, Lower Park Road, New Southgate, London, N11 1QD

tive has assured them that they're not in danger at all. If these guys want to leave, they would be lifted out of the country.”

Describing his worry of not being able to do much despite having all the required material resources to help, the Khalsa Aid CEO told us, “We keep in touch with them via phone every hour. There’s chaos now at the airport. We can't send anyone from any other part of the world, only governments or military can go in. There are very limited options. We, unfortunately, can’t get into the country, it is a very difficult situation because people are anxious, scared and frightened. We have the means and money, but we are not the government or a military agency, so we can't just fly in and take them out.”

Blocked visas, uncertain scholarships As panic stirred around students, especially Chevening Scholars who were due to come to the UK from Afghanistan, along with Labour MP and co-chair Paul Bromfield, Lord Karan Bilimoria wrote a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Priti Patel urging them to do everything possible to support this year’s Chevening Award winners from as well as any other international student from Afghanistan who wishes to study in the UK. “Women can be educated up to university level,” a Taliban spokesperson meanwhile told Sky. However, the blocking of visas of Afghans to the UK still remains a point of contention.

On Tuesday, Home Secretary Priti Patel shared an update on the support that the UK is providing to Afghans and said, “We're working hard to resettle more people more quickly via our Afghan Relocations & Assistance Policy: 2,000 ex-Afghan staff & their families resettled so far since 22 June.

Vital national security checks on all applications. Accelerating checks where possible.

Anyone who fails these checks will be refused entry to the UK.” As the situation for civilians in Afghanistan worsens, UK for UNHCR has launched an urgent appeal for funds so that the UN Refugee Agency can continue delivering support for displaced people across the country.

Emma Cherniavsky, Chief Executive of UK for UNHCR, said: “As we witness the heartbreaking and harrowing scenes in Kabul and across Afghanistan, we are deeply concerned that more and more people will be displaced in the coming days. UNHCR is on the ground delivering essential aid, but more support is needed urgently.”

People can donate and find out more at www.unrefugees.org.uk/afghanistan

Pension inequality among Gurkhas Scheme is designed for retirement in Nepal, where the cost of living is exceptionally lower than in the United Kingdom, and many Gurkhas have chosen by right to retire in the UK. As well as visiting the hunger strikers and showing his solidarity Virendra Sharma MP, who is also the Chair of the Nepal All-Party Parliamentary Group, organised a crossparty letter to the Prime Minister, urging his intervention in this issue. In the letter, which has since been signed by dozens of parliamentarians, calls on the Government to find “a solution that leaves Gurkha veterans feeling valued, and their service recognised.

Currently, that is not the case.”

“We write to ask you to meet Gyanraj Rai, Dhan Bahadur Gurung, and Pushpa Ghale Rana to discuss their concerns and the concerns of the thousands of veterans and tens of thousands that support their campaign”.

Virendra Sharma MP said, “Gurkhas are truly an elite fighting force held in high esteem by the British Army and the public. Veterans such as Gyanraj and others have given everything for the defence and security of this country. Yet, what reward is there for their tremendous sacrifice?

“The Prime Minister and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace must engage with the Gurkhas outside Downing Street, which could well save the lives of those on hunger strike. They must do the right thing and give the Gurkhas the pension equality they rightfully deserve.”

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PRODUCED IN ASSOCIATION WITH UK GOVERNMENT

ARE YOU TRAVELLING ABROAD?

Check for the latest updates, guidance and measures to follow Rupanjana Dutta Since the 17 May the UK Government has reopened international travel. The UK Government’s priority continues to be protecting the public from Covid-19. The Traffic Light system (red, amber, and green) has been introduced to inform those intending to travel to and from the UK to help stop the spread of Covid-19. Everyone needs to follow the rules, so that the UK can continue its journey out of the pandemic.

The travel health measures are also needed to help prevent the spread of the new variants. It is important to take a day 2 PCR test to identify any variants of concern.

The rules may change while you are away meaning extra checks when you come back. If you test positive while abroad, you will have to isolate in the country you are visiting before coming back to the UK.

What measures to follow when travelling to EU countries?

Travelling to EU countries has changed and passengers may face longer wait times throughout their journey due to additional health checks to help keep the UK safe. The UK Government is making every effort to speed up queues safely including making improvements to border technology and ensuring the right staffing levels. If you do not have the correct documentation ready to meet UK health and border requirements, you may delay yourself and others, be refused entry, or face a fine. < Ensure you book authorised Covid-19 tests and complete relevant documentation (such as Passenger Locator Forms) for your destination and return to the UK.

• Check gov.uk/travel-abroad before, during and after your travel to ensure you comply with latest Covid-19 regulations for the UK and the country you are visiting.

• Check gov.uk/guidance/traveladvice-novel-coronavirus before, during and after you travel to ensure you comply with latest Covid-19 and non-Covid-19 regulations for entering the UK and the country you are visiting.

• If you need a negative Covid-19 test to enter a country, you should use a private test provider. NHS Test and Trace are a government funded service and do not provide tests for travel. Go to gov.uk/find-traveltest-provider to find a private provider.

• Travellers may be required to carry a Covid-19 status certificate with them to prove that they have conformed with the destination country’s requirements. < Check your passport is valid using gov.uk/check-passport and allow up to 10 weeks for the renewal process. < Check your travel insurance covers all needs, including healthcare and you have an indate EHIC or a new GHIC. < Check you have the correct driving documentation for your destination. < Check your requirements if travelling with a pet. < There are also new rules to follow if you are travelling to Europe for work. You may need a visa, a work permit, or to complete declarations for goods or cash you’re taking with you. < From 1 October, most EU, EEA, and Swiss citizens will not be able to use an ID card to travel to the UK – you will need a valid passport.

Visit gov.uk/travel-abroad

WHAT ARE THE IMMEDIATE REQUIREMENTS?

Supporting our own tourism industry

• Green list requirements: Passenger locator form; pre-departure test at destination; PCR test on or before day 2 of return to the UK. • Amber list requirements: Passenger locator form; pre-departure test at destination; PCR test on or before day 2 and day 8 of return to the UK; selfisolation for 10 days if not fully vaccinated (if a person is fully vaccinated then they do not need to complete a PCR test on day 8 after arrival and do not need to self isolate for the entire 10 days unless testing positive).

• Red list requirements: Passenger locator form; pre-departure test at destination; hotel quarantine for 10 days; PCR test on or before day 2 and day 8 of return to the UK. You need to have booked PCR Covid-19 tests, any hotel packages, and Passenger Locator Form, before you travel to the UK. Visit: gov.uk/travel-abroad

Thrills of catching flights to different countries

After postponing their family holiday to Italy last summer, due to concerns about Covid-19, Mitra Abtahi, David Reilly and their eight-year-old son Sebastian from south-east London are more than ready for their upcoming holiday to Malta.

“Going abroad is one of the things we all look forward to. We associate it with having fun and spending time together with no distractions. It’s about switching off and making memories,” says Mitra.

Subhajit and Milly

Treasury Executive Milly and her husband Professor Subhajit Basu from Leeds have opted for several staycations in the last one year. They have been exploring different parts of the UK and have been to the Lake District, Peak District, Scottish Highlands, Northumbria, Pembrokeshire, as well as travelled extensively around Yorkshire.

Speaking to Asian Voice, Milly said, “We wanted to support our UK tourism industry. The Covid-19 crisis has hit our tourism economy real hard. This has very tangible economic and social consequences for many people, places, businesses, and the broader economy.

Booking places to stay was easy, safe and everything was comfortable. We have also been buying ‘local’ and more from ‘independent’ shops as much as we can since the start of the pandemic.”

The couple is now feeling optimistic about a return to travel outside of the UK and Milly thinks Brexit has had negligible impact on their decision to travel to the EU countries.

“We are thinking about getting back to our usual travel routine again, at least 2 to 3 trips to Europe a year. We will prefer to go to countries which are on the green list. My husband and I are both fully vaccinated; hence, we could consider travelling to countries on the amber list too,” added Milly.

Mitra and David with son Sebastian

Now that they are both fully vaccinated, Mitra and David feel much happier travelling overseas. However, they have taken extra precautions such as pre-booking taxis for airport transfers rather than using public transport. Mitra also says they’re reducing social interactions in the lead up to their holiday.

She thinks though the process has been a bit time consuming, with independent holiday booking, predeparture tests, travel insurance, proof of vaccinations in hand (and on phone) and taxis ready to collect, the family of three is now completely focussed and looking forward to the fun things.

“I never thought I’d say this, as I used to travel a lot for work, but I’ve really missed going to the airport and catching a flight to a different country,” said Mitra. “I can’t wait to get away – just to be out of our zone and somewhere completely different.”

Visit gov.uk/travel-abroad

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Prince Andrew ‘may try to claim diplomatic immunity over sex abuse claim’ While the Duke of York has denied all allegations of sexual abuse against him, his lawyers do hold the alleged power to use his diplomatic immunity to protect him, Epstein victims’ lawyer fears.

Rejecting these claims,

Buckingham Palace said in a statement: “It is emphatically denied that [Prince Andrew] had any form of sexual contact or relationship with [Ms Giuffre].

The allegations made are false and without any foundation.” The Mirror

has been told that the punitive damages might amount to more than £14m if Prince Andrew were to lose the case. The next court hearing has been scheduled for 13 September over a telephonic arrangement.

Rohit Vadhwana

Priti Patel defends Jamaica deportation flight Home Secretary Priti Patel has defended a deportation flight to Jamaica after saying those onboard were behind 'appalling crimes'.

In the early hours of August 11, a man from Birmingham was among seven criminals kicked out of the UK on a mass deportation flight that departed from Stansted Airport. The move was slammed as an “abomination” by human rights activists who alleged some detainees made suicidal attempts before the departure.

But Priti said: "These people are responsible for most terrible crimes and have disobeyed our laws.

"The British people should be in no doubt of my determination to remove these criminals to protect both the victims of their crimes and the public.

We remove foreign criminals from the UK to different countries every week and this flight is no different."

The flight was scheduled for 50 detainees but the decision to deport 43 of the detainees was revoked due to action from specialist legal firms. 24 hours before the departure, 18 cases were successful in preventing their deportation.

As per the reports published by Birmingham Mail, the Home Office said the sentences for the 43 people totalled 245 years, included crimes like murder, attempted murder, rape, and sex offences against minors, drugs and firearms offences. No one on the flight was born in the UK and those who returned

were Jamaican nationals.

They continued: "There has been strict checking done to make sure that the ones that have returned are not eligible for the Windrush Scheme. None of them were British Citizens, British Nationals or members of the Windrush generation."

The Home Office has used over 75 charter flights to deport foreign national offenders and other immigration offenders to countries across Europe and around the rest of the world since April 2020.

Jamaica represented one per cent of the UK's overall enforced returns in 2020.

Birmingham driver paid £250 a time to deliver food to illegal immigrants A taxi driver, Gullam Miah commuted from Birmingham to Bridlington every two weeks to deliver food supplies to a pair of illegal immigrants inside a £650k cannabis factory.

As per the reports of HullLive, the pair - Phuc Nguyen, 25, and Dihn Nguyen, 28, of no fixed address, were each jailed for 18 months and were locked in the factory with

1,400 cannabis plants.

Gullam Miah was admitted being involved in producing cannabis on September 13 last year was paid £250 a time Nigel Clive, prosecuting, said that it was a huge operation and the two men were inside to water the plants.

"The defendant maintained he was only delivering the frozen food and was

unaware about the cannabis," said Mr Clive.

Miah, did this for around three months, essentially as a courier and was clearly been given a

Online abuse tracking can miss harmful posts with emojis According to the Oxford Internet Institute, algorithms designed to track hateful content are not as effective when symbols are used. This also includes Perspective API, a Googlebacked product. It is important to note that this tool is widely used and currently processes 500 million requests per day.

Not only that harmful posts with symbols can be missed but acceptable posts could be mislabeled as offensive.

This was observed when England lost the Euro Cup 2020 final. Some players received many messages of racist abuse on social media with monkey emojis. Social media compa-

nies now have a task to filter out this content.

It is to be noted that while the evolving use of language also makes it increasingly difficult to track down abusive posts, incorrect categorizing of non-hateful content also has significant downsides.

Leicester unused offices are being converted into flats that will accommodate 267 students Reynard House in Leicester’s Welford Road is a disused office block. After the council’s approval in July last year, work began to convert it into a student accommodation by Sep-22.

The building will be expanded by 50% and two floors would be added to make it a sevenstorey building. The accommodation for 267 students will have

en-suite rooms and studio flats.

According to the developer Study Inn Group Ltd., ”the new premises will also have 24/7 onsite management, gym, yoga studio, spa, cinema and study space.”

The developer has confirmed that the work on the block near De Montfort University is “well underway”.

Look into those eyes!

"position of trust" within the operation.

Recorder Peter Makepeace QC said: "You were motivated because of a monetary advantage of £250 per trip. There is no way anybody would pay £250 just to deliver food. It was a calculated cost-benefit analysis by you to support the operation."

Miah was imprisoned for two years.

Have you ever faced a situation where the other person doesn't look in your eyes while talking? Not maintaining eye contact while being in the conversation is considered impolite.

Some cultures specifically emphasise direct eye contact. When two persons talk, exchange views, half of the communication is done through eyes.

Therefore, many songs are composed on eyes and their communicative abilities, especially in Bollywood. Have you not heard of a person falling (or rising?) in love at the first sight? All thanks to the eye contact of the two parties!How does it matter if we are not looking in the eyes of the other person? Why can't we just talk while looking away?

Looking somewhere towards the sky while talking to a person - how does it affect interaction? Well, you might have a different opinion and belief about the importance of eye contact, but remember, many people think if you don't maintain eye contact, you are a liar. Though it can be a whole debate whether eyes can lie? Is it possible for anyone to fake expressions of eyes? Can anyone convey a wrong message through eye contact? Does maintaining eye contact mean that the person is speaking only the truth? This is most important while playing cards in casinos or during the interrogation.

How to read someone's eyes is also a matter of individual expertise.

People claim that those who are emotionally attached can see the pain behind a smiling face, through eyes. However, it must be because of emotions, not eye contact. Unless we say that emotions are expressed through eyes, though words may say something else. Look into the eyes of someone and you will know the person well. Body language experts have been giving different interpretations to different gazes.

How does one look at you, from which angle, with different widths of the eye, and whether s/he blinks at a certain time - all that is taken into account while analyzing body language.

Although body language also looks at other gestures, but eyes form an important part of that interpretation. Interviewers also look at the person's ability (and inability) to maintain eye contact. While coaching for an interview, we are told to look into the eyes of members asking a question.

Next time, when talking to someone, it may be useful to remember that maintaining eye contact - may be useful (as well as harmful - if you are lying.) It may be the best way to express something confidently and meaningfully. It will also be a way to establish confidence in the person to whom you are talking. So, look into those eyes!

(Expressed opinions are personal)

Britain may not be as eco-friendly as it claims to be There are high chances of tightening rules on “green” energy tariffs because media reports have suggested that Britain’s biggest suppliers are not eco-friendly after all, despite all claims to be so.

The Times has reported, “Around nine million households in the UK are estimated to be on energy tariffs that are branded green or 100 per cent renewable, after a dramatic rise in the number of products in recent years. Yet many customers are unaware that rather than generating renewable fuel or buying it directly from gen erating plants, many energy companies are instead purchasing ultra-cheap certificates that allow them to market their tariffs as green.”

The secret lies in the process of procuring Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin certificates (Regos) in order to offset the use of fossil fuels. The price of Regos is only £1.45 per customer per year.

So obtaining it is cheap. It is important to note that it isn’t mandatory for companies to reveal how much of their “green” energy is based on buying Regos rather than supplying electricity from renewable sources such as wind farms, the report in Times said. The government is due to audit the rules and figuring out why and how suppliers may be “overstating how environmen tally friendly their products are”.

“Name and shame” middle-class drug users Home secretary Priti Patel has given orders to senior police officers to “name and shame” middle-class drug users.

This is an attempt to publicise the names of affluent people to bust the myth that Class A drugs have no consequences. Patel also wants to make sure that this practice impacts cocaine use at university campuses and there are high chances of campus raids during freshers so that this message hits home. “Senior police have been told to “name and shame” middle-class drug users in a crackdown on recreational use,” The Times reported.

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in brief COMMUNITY PHARMACY TO LEAD VACCINATION DRIVES A report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies has warned the number of people on NHS waiting lists could increase from 5.45m to 14m by autumn 2022. With the rise in waiting lists at the NHS, chemists are now going to play a bigger role in giving jabs in the UK in order to help NHS reduce the load for vaccinations. While the NHS awaits final guidance, a report in The Times stated that Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents hospital trusts, has said that Covid-19 jabs might remain available to the general public in “a few hospitals”.

The Telegraph reported that Alastair Buxton, director of NHS services at the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee, which supports community pharmacies in England, has said the NHS had contacted pharmacies to gauge interest in signing up to the booster rollout and was examining where demand was strongest.

“There are estimates that we could see around 1,700 or 2,000 pharmacies [sign up],” he said. About 700 are involved in the immunisation programme.

BBC TO GIVE £1.5M TO ROYAL CHARITY

Digital interventions for South Asians with Cardiometabolic Disease Q

Shefali Saxena

The DISC (Digital Inequalities in South Asians with Cardiometabolic Disease) Study is looking at inequalities in the use of digital health interventions, such as websites and phone apps, for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The study is being organised by Professor Amitava Banerjee from the Institute of Health Informatics at University College London (UCL) and is funded by the UK National Institute of Health Research.

The study group has launched a new online survey to understand how and why people from South Asian backgrounds use health technology for cardiovascular disease and diabetes, in order to understand how patient care in this area can be improved.

Dr Lydia Poole is a research fellow in mixed methods and a Chartered Psychologist working in the Institute of Health Informatics at UCL. Dr Mel Ramasawmy is a qualitative researcher, with a background in health policy, also working at the Institute of Health Informatics at UCL. In an exclusive interview with Asian Voice, Dr Lydia Poole and Dr Mel Ramasawmy spoke about this project.

- Please briefly describe the premise of the study.

The DISC Study is trying to understand the use of digital health interventions among South Asians with heart disease and diabetes. We know that South Asians are more likely to be diagnosed with heart disease and diabetes than other ethnic groups, so it is important that we deliver healthcare effectively in this group. We are asking questions such as – do people from a South Asian background use digital health interventions? Are digital health interventions useful, and if so, how?

- Could you elaborate on what you mean by "inequalities in the use of digital health interventions"?

Digital health interventions are apps, websites and other technologies that are used to deliver healthcare to patients remotely. We are seeing increasing reliance on digital health interventions in the NHS. But we know not everyone uses these interventions; sometimes this is due to a lack of access to a digital device (such as a smartphone or a laptop). Unequal access has the potential to maintain existing inequalities, where some sectors of society are more likely to experience avoidable differences in health.

Q

- Once you get the result of Dr Lydia Poole your online survey that aims to understand how and why people from South Asian backgrounds use digital health interventions for cardiovascular disease and diabetes, in order to understand how patient care in this area can be improved, what would be the next steps?

The results of the online survey will help inform other parts of research which is taking place as part of the DISC study. We are also trying to understand people’s experiences of digital health interventions during the coronavirus pandemic. Furthermore, we are conducting interviews with patients and healthcare professionals, which together with the results of the online survey will help us draw up some policy recommendations for how to improve digital health interventions for patients from an ethnic minority background.

- How can the community address inequalities in the use of digital health interventions and also where does one draw a line to the usage of technology where there might be a dangerously high dependence on digital than meeting an expert in person?

We wish to engage with South Asian communities across the UK so that, together, we can understand what has and hasn’t worked with digital health interventions and come up with workable solutions, so that we can make recommendations at a national level.Despite their benefits, not every patient will want to use digital health interventions.

This might be because they prefer to speak to their doctor in person, but it might also be

Q

Dr Mel Ramasawmy

because they don’t know how to use digital devices, or because they don’t have the financial resources to access a digital device.

Through our research, we want to understand how digital health interventions should be implemented to make sure they are accessible to those who would like to use them.

- How challenging is it to secure funding for such research?

The Principal Investigator on this grant is Professor Amitava Banerjee, who is leading this large NIHR-funded grant. You can read more about the DISC study here [https://www.doctorasdatascientist.org/thedisc-study]. Gaining grant funding can be tricky, and only a small proportion of applications will be accepted. We are lucky to be working in a strong team with expertise across clinical and non-clinical research, with a focus on combining both qualitative and quantitative methods.

- What do you finally aim to conclude or derive from this study?

By answering our research questions we hope to come up with policy recommendations to ensure digital health interventions are rolled out to the benefit of all patient groups.

Q

Q

Q

To compensate for the damage done by Martin Bashir’s Panorama interview with Princess Diana of Wales, the broadcaster is trying to bury the hatched with Royals by paying £1.5 million to a charity chosen by the royal family. Over and above this, the BBC will also pay £350,000 in reparations, it is understood. Reportedly, Tim Davie, the present director-general also apologised to Matt Wiessler, the whistleblower, who will receive between £750,00 and £1 million in compensation.

WARNING ISSUED TO ALL THE LANDLINE TELEPHONE OWNERS IN THE UK As per media reports, landline phones will be axed completely by 2025. The digital transformation will see millions of people forced to rely on mobiles - no matter what their age is. In a report by Daily Mail, Telecom companies are targeting to complete the switchover by 2025. Director of Age UK Caroline Abrahams told: “Given that about half of older people over the age of 75 are not online, old citizens might face problems.

Given the threat of fraud, telecom providers also need to take steps to prevent citizend from becoming victims of digital frauds.”

Broadcasting watchdog Ofcom, meanwhile, confirmed in a brief statement it was aware of the reports and are working to make sure that customers get all the help they need.

Project worth £215 million to produce oneshot vaccine jab In an attempt to further simplify the process of flu jabs and vaccinations, Oxford scientists are trying to produce one shot to make future booster programmes easier.

Earlier this year, the chief executive of the Vaccine Manufacturing and Innovation Centre (VMIC), Matthew Duchars had shared similar information. This is a £215 million project backed by the UK government. He hopes to produce 70 million doses in a span of five months.

Duchars told The Daily Telegraph: “It will save a lot of time . . . to give one shot, so it is something that we and vaccine developers and producers will be looking at. People need one shot for flu and oneshot for Covid. If you can put them all into one, then that’s preferable.”

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21 - 27 August 2021

in brief brief in PLYMOUTH SHOOTINGS COULD BE RECLASSIFIED AS TERRORISM According to Devon and Cornwall Police, Plymouth shootings could be classified as terrorist attacks because of Jake Davison's links to the "incel" movement. The Sky reported, “Standing for involuntarily celibate, the "incel" ideology with its hatred of women has been linked to several mass murders. In a 12minute attack on Thursday evening, Davison, 22, killed five people with a shotgun before taking his own life. He started by shooting his mother, Maxine Davison, 51, in Keyham before going on to kill Sophie Martyn, three, and her father, Lee Martyn, 43. Davison then fatally shot Stephen Washington, 59, and Kate Shepherd, 66, before turning the weapon on himself.”

The former chief prosecutor in the North West, Nazir Afzal, has said that this is a “threat to all women and, ultimately, to all our communities." Davison had previously lamented about his loneliness when he does not receive any likes on his Facebook profile and had a “misogynistic worldview” of sexually exploiting women and illtreating them.

TURMERIC CURES ALZHEIMER’S FRAUDSTER CLAIMS 48-year-old Suphil Philipose has been scamming victims and bosses at Barclays bank to invest in his start-up which claims to provide a turmeric-based cure for Alzheimer’s disease.

Philipose who is an expert in global fraud management helped Caroline Cornish-Trestrail after she lost £170,000 of her savings and then asked her to invest £5,000 into his company Bioturm (founded in 2017). He sells a supply of six months at £119.94 based on Ayurvedic claims.

The Times reported, “Philipose is the sole director of Bioturm, which is based in Northampton, where he lives. The company produces a supplement called Biocurcumax, which it describes as “the world’s most researched bioavailable curcumin”, with “anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative and anti-platelet properties”.” A spokesman for the bank was quoted saying: “We’re pleased to have returned the funds that were lost in this scam to our customer. We take the allegations raised extremely seriously and we’re in the process of reviewing the management of this case to ensure it met the high standards we set ourselves.”

A NEW DAWN FOR WOMEN

READERS' VOICE

Is India nation of zeros?

Kapil’s Khichadi column brings home a vital point about India’s relatively poor performance at the Olympics. Although one can argue that it was an improvement compared to past participation, the Indian government must give this matter more focus. India can be world class if, as Kapil puts it, there is investment in the sector. This has happened in the UK and we have seen major upside in UK’s performance. China and Russia have also been doing this. We know the prowess of India in cricket which we also know brings real pride to Indians. Same can happen in other sports.

Subhash V Thakrar

Independence Day

Nazma Quraysha Brishty has demanded full payment of her “mahr” during the divorce that was orally promised to her at her wedding. Right now, as per the UK Civil law, women can only draw a sum of it, not in full. Nazma has asked her has exhusband, former mother-in-law and former father-in-law, Maksudul, Shahinur and Izaharul Halder, to return mahr worth £55,000. According to a report published by The Guardian, “A landmark judgment that could bring part of UK law into line with sharia law’s position on “bride price” payments is to be announced this week in the central London county court, in a case backed by a women’s charity.”

“There is no established case law or parliamentary law dealing with women in this position. The decision itself would be the best and most thorough examination of a problem that has vexed legal practitioners for decades,: her lawyer told the press. “This decision, if made in the favour of Nazma, would be a landmark decision of this decade and would positively influence the justice system by forcing the legal practitioners to think in a different way to ensure the claimants’ entitlement that they deserve. Certainly, we will see more and more cases at the doorsteps of civil and family practitioners,” she added.

We received our copy of Asian Voice newspaper last week and loved the articles in Independence Day Special. The interview with the High Commissioner of India to the UK was particularly interesting. But my favourite was the story on Kabir Bedi. It is great to see Asian newspapers still doing articles to celebrate India’s Independence Day. Aditi Sharma

ONE IN 16 UK FIRMS SAYS THEY ARE AT RISK OF SHUTTING DOWN IN THE NEXT QUARTER

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) has called the government to ban virginity testing and hymenoplasty in the UK. Their official Twitter handled said: “We are calling on the government to ban virginity testing and hymenoplasty in the UK. There is no reason why these, or any other procedure under a different name that seeks to reconstruct or repair the hymen, would need to be carried out for medical purposes. Both are harmful practices that create and exacerbate social, cultural and political beliefs that a women’s value is based on whether or not she is a virgin before marriage.”

A recent investigation by the Sunday Times found that around 9,000 people searched Google for hymenoplasty or related terms within the year preceding the investigation, with at least 22 private clinics in the UK offering hymenoplasty. The report also states that some clinics had reported increasing demand, with one saying inquiries in the past five years had increased fourfold. “Healthcare professionals should be supported to know what steps to take when they are requested to undertake virginity testing or hymenoplasty,” the press statement read.

In a study revealed by the LSE’s Programme on Innovation and Diffusion (POID), one in 16 firms say that they are now at risk of closure in the next quarter, as the government is poised to withdraw furlough jobs scheme and a cut to universal credit by £20 a week. The number of people being paid through the UK scheme stood at 1.9 million at the end of June and it is due to close at the end of next month.

The move will have a great impact on the incomes for some.

The difference could be as much as £2,304 a month for husband and wife who had both been furloughed, according to the Policy in Practice consultancy. It is also found that the loss of the £20 weekly increase would mean 683,000 households, covering 824,000 children will not be able to meet their basic costs. The reintroduction of the “minimum income floor” might see some households lose £771 per month.

KHICHADI Kapil’s

Our relaxed gun laws It is so often mentioned in media and even by our misguided politicians that we have the toughest gun laws in the world. But this comparison is mainly aimed at US where number of guns outnumbers entire US population.

American gun culture goes back to Wild West when wearing gun belt was as common as having pint of lager!

Most people would feel under-dress without a gun in a holster, as young country was lawless in many States and fight with so called Red Indians was a necessity to colonize the Continent. Hence the right to wear a gun was enshrined in American Constitution, supported by majority of the people. Even popular politician like Ex-president Barrack Obama could not dare to amend the Constituent making bearing guns illegal.

Unlike America, a newly discovered continent, our country has never gone through lawlessness in similar manner. Our police, until recently were unarmed, although police have special armed unit who could be called upon in emergency, like terrorist attack and hostage taking. But why ordinary civilians, especially those living in cities need shot guns, the most popular and easy to use guns puzzles many civilians.

Even with our relatively law gun crimes, I remember Hungerford massacre in August 1987, Dunblane massacre in primary school in March 1996 and Cumbria shooting in June 2010. All these attacks were carried out by lone gunman resulting in deaths of well over ten people in every case! Can anyone imagine heartache, anger and depression victims’ families suffer!

Only a tiny number of people who may need gun protection should be allowed to bear arms, that also after going through stringent tests, including medical to emulate mental comparability to possess arms with annual check-up. If someone loses licence, it should not be renewed except in exceptional circumstances, that also under constant review with police and GP. After all human life is more important than possessing guns!

Bhupendra M. Gandhi

Now vaccine for children too should be made available By allowing grown-ups between the ages of 18 and above to take the Covid-19 vaccine, the government has done a very good thing. Now vaccine for children below 18 years of age should also be made available. This will curb the spread of Coronavirus to a large extent.

Jubel D'Cruz Mumbai, India

Ban virginity testing and hymenoplasty in the UK

Follow me on Twitter: @kk_OEG

Pakistan: The End is Nigh Kapil Dudakia I suspect many of you will be surprised with the headline.

However, do bear with me, and do read in between the lines to appreciate the full message. I know my observations will be questioned, but be assured, time will show them to be correct.

On 15th August we of course celebrated the independence of India from foreign rule. This year, the Taliban walked into Kabul to takeover Afghanistan on the same day. History will record it as the day when Islamists confirmed that they are indeed evil incarnate. No woman or girl child will be safe from being raped, forced to marry a Taliban terrorist, become a sex slave, forced to wear a burka, removed from all forms of education, or beaten to death for non-compliance to Sharia.

The Taliban is a cancer, a creation of Pakistani laboratories. They are nothing more than expendable pets for Pakistan to do whatever they wish. Pakistan is rejoicing that the Taliban are now in control in Afghanistan. And in this one moment of madness, they have welcomed the end of Pakistan itself. What appears to most commentators as a win for Pakistan and Taliban is in fact an error of huge proportions that will see Pakistan break up into four. The Taliban will become stage 4 cancer for Pakistan.

Iran sits on the western frontier watching developments in utter shock. They are no friend to Pakistan, and certainly have no love for the Taliban. After all, the systematic decimation of Shia’s across that region has been led by Pakistan. The people of Baluchistan have long fought for their freedom. They have rejected the dictatorship of Pakistan and continue to fight for independence. Sindh has also rejected Pakistan and seeks independence. And as we know, if you are a true Kashmiri then you will always want to be an integral part of India.

Pakistan is now in a perilous situation. It has a failing economy, a failing army, a failing ideology and a government that has secured a gold medal for its outstanding failures. The international community have also finally realised that their love affair with this rogue terrorist state has been a monumental failure. Even nations in the Middle East have moved away from Pakistan. Pakistan today is known for terrorism, for forced conversions, forced marriages, for the decimation of minorities including Shia’s and the Ahmadiyya’s. Under Imran Khan’s premiership, the number of madrassas has more than trebled. The very same madrassas that brainwash the young developing minds of innocent children who are forced to learn to hate.

There is no room left for God, or love, or peace. The only output of these madrassas is hatred.

A nation born out of hate, living off hate will eventually die in that hate. Pakistan as we know it today will end, and it will be delivered by the very hatred and evil it has promoted for 75 years. After all, a nation that came into being to stroke the ego of its founding father Jinnah, a man who cared more for his own vanity than the lives of the people, such a nation was always destined for doom.

As Bharat celebrates independence, maybe it’s time to be independent from the enslavement of ALL the invaders of the past. They all attempted to destroy the soul of our nation. Yet after more than 1200 years of tyranny, the people of Bharat are still here, and in the 21st C, they are thriving.

Only Bharat can live up to the sentiments of Vande Mataram. Jai Hind.

UK security chiefs issue instructions after hackers targeted ministers on WhatsApp Ministers and government officials conducting government

by WhatsApp is at high risk of being targeted by hackers.

Ina letter to Labour, the cabinet secretary, Simon Case, revealed that the Government Security Group had issued new guidance across government, which had raised questions about ministers using their personal devices to carry out official business. “The shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Angela Rayner, wrote criticizing the ministers that the use of social media and private emails has increased due to Covid. The civil service chief said in his reply that the government took security seriously. The advice was issued in May after stories about hackers exploiting WhatsApp,” Guardian reported.

We are grateful to all letter writers for more and more versatile letters well within word limit. Please keep contributing as always. If you are new, then write to Rupanjana at rupanjana.dutta@abplgroup.com

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21 - 27 August 2021

Uncertain times for Afghanistan

Ruchi Ghanashyam Mrs. Ruchi Ghanashyam is the former High Commissioner of India to the UK. With a career in Indian Foreign Service for over 38 years, she has been posted in many countries including South Africa, Ghana, before arriving in the UK. She was only the second woman High Commissioner to the UK since India’s independence and during her tenure, she witnessed a number of significant developments in the UK-India relations. @RuchiGhanashyam On Sunday, 15 August, 2021, India celebrated the 75th Independence Day as ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’. Making his eighth speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort, PM Modi touched upon many aspects of India’s future development, from new commitments to infrastructure development to climate change, and from the Covid 19 pandemic to the Tokyo Olympics.

As we were digesting the messages contained in the speech of the Prime Minister, news started coming in that the Taliban had entered Kabul, thus completing the neartotal takeover of Afghanistan twenty years after they were driven out of power by the American military. The scenes that followed

have stunned the world. Visuals of the chaotic and frenzied evacuation of U.S. diplomats and civilians have been all over the media, even as vulnerable Afghans made a frantic dash to banks, their homes, buying food or the airport. President Ashraf Ghani and his Vice President made a hasty departure from Afghanistan, just in time to avoid the takeover of Kabul by the Taliban.

Stories soon emerged of mobs at the airport as civilians tried hopelessly to find some means of escaping Kabul and life under the Taliban. Pictures and videos of desperate people falling off the wheels of an aircraft taking off from Kabul airport have gone viral, instilling dread in the hearts of all civilised people.

Given the situation in Kabul, India too has evacuated its diplomats and a number of civilians from Kabul. The first batch of people returned on Sunday onboard an Air India flight. The evacuation of the next group could not take place immediately due to the prevailing chaos at Kabul airport. To

start with, local staff at the Air Traffic Control (ATC) apparently abandoned the airport due to fear of the Taliban. With the Taliban lacking the education and skills to run the airport, operations could only start once US personnel took charge of the ATC. Thereafter, more than 100 diplomats, including India’s Ambassador to Afghanistan Rudrendra Tandon, officials and journalists evacuated from Kabul on Tuesday, 17 August, and reached New Delhi after a stopover at Gujarat’s Jamnagar. Their

COP26 President visits India ahead of landmark climate summit COP26 President Alok Sharma arrived in New Delhi on a three-day visit (16-18 August) for discussions with senior Indian ministers and leaders from industry and civil society, on the vital role India has in helping to make sure the climate change summit is a success.

With fewer than 100 days to go until the landmark summit in Glasgow, UK, the in-person visit represents the UK’s commitment to raising global ambition on climate action for a balanced and inclusive outcome at COP26.

In his meetings with key climate stakeholders, Mr Sharma pointed to the role India can play at the summit through profiling its ambitious domestic plans, and by joining the growing number of countries that have updated their 2030 emissions targets under the Paris Agreement.

This comes as the UK calls on all G20 countries to sign up to net zero, set out clear plans to cut emissions by 2030, and commit to ending coal power, transitioning to electric vehicles, and restoring nature, with the richest nations providing financial support to the rest of the planet to go green.

The UK and India are already working closely

Alok Sharma in meeting with the Civil Society in India

together including research and innovation for a clean energy transition and to improve global resilience – through the India-led International Solar Alliance (ISA) and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), and the Green Growth Equity Fund.

This is Mr Sharma’s second visit to India in 2021, he is expected to meet with Bhupender Yadav, Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and RK Singh, Minister of Power and New and Renewable Energy.

Alok Sharma, COP26 President-Designate, said: “India has a vital role to play as the world comes together in Glasgow to demonstrate renewed action under the Paris Agreement. India’s leadership – including through the International

Solar Alliance and Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure – is hugely important as we look to build global resilience ahead of COP26 and beyond.

“All countries - including the UK and India - have a historic opportunity to build back greener from the Covid pandemic. Providing climate-resilient jobs that also promote economic growth will lead to a green industrial revolution that also makes financial sense.”

In November the UK will host the UN climate change conference COP26 in Glasgow in partnership with Italy. This will provide an opportunity for the world to come together and commit to urgent action.

The UK is already setting a strong example on climate action, with a legally binding target to cut emissions to net-zero by 2050.

evacuation could take place only after 24hour-long negotiations. Arrangements had to be tied up with sundry Taliban and other groups manning the 15 check posts from the Indian mission in Kabul to the International Airport. India is waiting for US forces to allow civilian flights to Kabul for further evacuation. Other Indians will be evacuated

from Afghanistan after the civilian airport is opened to civilian flights. Other western countries also scrambled to evacuate their citizens and local staff. Russia meanwhile said that it did not plan to evacuate its embassy in Kabul, while Beijing said that China's embassy in Kabul remains operational.

Amidst this cloud of uncertainty hanging over Kabul, with desperate civilians looking for safety and fearful of their lives, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan appeared to make an effort to endorse the Taliban takeover of Kabul. His statement that the Taliban had broken “the shackles of slavery”, seems to have earned the ire of Kabul’s distressed civilians. Perhaps he had not seen visuals of desperate Afghans dying as they fell off an aircraft taking off from Kabul airport, or the desperate bid of civilians trying to flee Afghanistan to escape life under the Taliban. Possibly, he does not care about the “shackles” that will bind Afghan women under the Taliban.

There is much that is being said about what is in store for India and what can be India’s policy options. Much of what is

being said is speculative at this stage.

Analysts either base their assessments on past Taliban behaviour, their close links with Pakistan or speculate that the differences between the Taliban and Pakistan would soon emerge. The optimistic analysis envisages that the faultlines between the two will soon emerge, especially the differences over the Durand line between the two countries. Others argue that the Taliban would benefit from the infrastructure developed with Indian assistance, as it benefits the people of Afghanistan. There is also much debate over whether India made a mistake by not having a formal dialogue with the Taliban in the past.

At this stage, India’s priority has to be to ensure the safety and security of Indian nationals and friends in Afghanistan, apart from the small minority Hindu and Sikh communities. Expediting the next round of evacuation would have to be the first priority. Working with the international community to ensure the safety and security of the Afghan people and ensuring that the

Taliban live up to their promise of a dignified life for the Afghan women under their rule must also be of the highest priority.

A semblance of normality seems to have returned to Kabul for now. It is our fervent hope that the harried people of Afghanistan can survive with safety and dignity. They should know that the uncertain times they face, fill us all with a lot of disquiet.

12 MEDIA WATCH

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SCRUTATOR’S A special treat for jumbos at Delhi zoo The World Elephant Day has been observed on August 12 every year. The purpose of this day is to raise awareness about the issues threatening elephants. According to its website, World Elephant Day is "the vehicle by which organizations and individuals can rally together to give voice to the issues threatening elephants." Shrinking habitats and illegal poaching for the trade of elephant ivory are just two of the most serious issues that the elephant population faces today. This day is also a way to raise awareness and rally support for these issues - and it does so through partnering up with elephant conservation organisations. The World Elephant Society also urges individuals and organisations to mark this day with their own events across the globe. On the occasion of this day, the Delhi Zoo had a special treat in store for its gentle giants. The National Zoological Park in Delhi is home to two Asian elephants, Laxmi and Hira. On World Elephant Day, they received a fruity treat of watermelon, apples, coconuts and more, a photo shared by the zoo shows. (Agency) A novel way to display vaccine certificate

section, many thanked Mahindra for sharing the clip, praising it as "cute". This isn't the first time that Mahindra has managed to learn something valuable from animal videos. Earlier, he had shared a video of a duck outwitting a tiger to explain why small businesses have an advantage over larger companies. (Agency) A crematorium for Ahmedabad zoo animals

With a vaccination certificate or a negative Covid test report mandatory for travelling to many places in India and abroad, one comedian has come up with a novel way of ensuring hassle-free trips.

Atul Khatri was getting tired of having to constantly show his Covid vaccine certificate at hotels, airports etc - so he came up with a way to display it prominently for all to see. The stand-up comedian got his vaccination certificate printed on a white T-shirt. "Since work and travel has restarted and was getting tired of showing my Covid certificate at airports, hotels, etc - devised this idea," he wrote on Twitter, sharing a photo which shows him wearing the T-shirt in question. "Final Certificate for Covid-19 Vaccination," the T-shirt reads, followed by other details like what vaccine Khatri received and when he received it. The post has gone viral with mused comments.

"Dress code for Mumbaikar to travel in local train from 15th Aug," quipped one Twitter user, referring to the fact that Mumbai's local trains will open from August 15 to fully vaccinated people 14 days after their second jab. (Agency) Persistence always pays off Anand Mahindra took to Twitter to share some words of wisdom with his 8.4 million followers. The chairman of Mahindra Group, who is currently in the United States, shared a video of his friend's dog which formed the basis for his advice. The video shows the dog outside the house, desperate to be allowed inside.

Standing upright on its hind legs, the puppy repeatedly paws at the glass door separating her from her family and friends. According to Mahindra, the video was filmed at his friend's house near New York. Sharing it on Twitter, he said he did let the dog in eventually, but not before he filmed a quick video to show that persistence pays off. "At a friend's home near New York. Yes, yes, I did let her in, but had to take this clip as a reminder that persistence always pays off," he wrote.

"Never give up," the industrialist added.

The clip has racked up over 26,000 views and a ton of reactions. In the comments

Work has begun to build a crematorium for the animals of Ahmedabad zoo and is expected to be completed in four to five months. The CNG-based cremation incinerator is being constructed at a cost of Rs 52,17,000. Zoo officials said that the crematorium – the first of its kind in Gujarat – will be used exclusively for birds and animals of the zoo and that there is no proposal of allowing registered pets to be cremated there for a fixed fee. The proposal was prepared in 2019 and sent to the central zoo authority for which the grants were also received. Zoo officials said that the smaller animals and birds which died in the zoo were being buried until now, while the bigger animals were being cremated using firewood. Zoo superintendent R K Sahu said that very few birds and animals die every year at the zoo, and the new facility will be useful for the zoo. “This is definitely the first of its kind in the state.

There might be only four or five such crematoriums in the country,” Sahu said.

(The Times of India) Woman rescued from 50-feet well in Kerala

equipment. A video of the rescue operation shows fire department personnel pulling a large net with the woman inside it out of the well with help from onlookers. As the woman reaches the top of the well, she can be seen holding onto the net she is sitting in. Asking her to let go of the net, the personnel pull her onto the land.

In the clip, the woman is seen falling back as she steps out of the net, presumably in a state of shock after the accident. However, as people around helped her back to her feet and she was seen walking.

Rescue operations of any kind need to be supervised by officials and trained personnel. In the absence of proper guidance, such operations can go tragically wrong. An incident of this nature was reported in Madhya Pradesh's Vidisha district in July when 30 villagers fell into a well during a rescue operation. Of these 11 people died in the fall, while 19 sustained injuries. (Agency) Only two 'outsiders' bought properties in J&K Only two people from outside Jammu & Kashmir have purchased a property each there in the two years since the nullification of Article 370 that took away the erstwhile state's special status, the government told the Lok Sabha. Minister of state for home Nityanand Rai, who made the statement said no instance of legitimate buyers facing any impediment in buying properties in the Union territory had been reported so far. While no details were provided about the location of the properties or the "outsiders" who had acquired them under the new rules applicable to J&K, sources in Srinagar said both were in Jammu division. One of the names doing the rounds apparently runs a company with interests in real estate and liquor.

Sources said several four and five-star hotels in J&K Bank's list of loan defaulters could now be potentially auctioned off to outsiders as commercial properties under the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest (Sarfaest) Act of 2002. (Agency) Odisha man bites and kills snake in revenge

A rescue operation involving fire department officials and local residents was carried out in Kerala's Wayanad district after a woman from the area fell into a well last week. The woman was pulled back to safety from the 50-feetdeep well using ropes and other

In a bizarre case of human revenge, a 45-year-old tribal man reportedly bit a

snake to death after the latter bit him in a remote village in Odisha's Jajpur district. Kishore Badra of Gambharipatia village under Salijanga panchayat was returning home after working in his paddy field when a snake bit him on his leg. Badra managed to capture the viper and bit it to death in a bid to take revenge. "Something bit on my leg while I was returning home. I switched on my torch and found it to be a poisonous krait snake. In order to take revenge, I took the snake in my hands and bit it repeatedly, killing the viper on the spot," said Badra. Following the incident he came back to his village with the dead snake and told his wife the whole story.

Soon this became the talk of the village with Badra exhibiting the snake to his friends. Some onlookers advised Badra to visit a nearby hospital, but he refused to go to the hospital and instead went to a traditional healer to seek advice on the same night. Luckily for Badra, the snake bite and his biting the snake has seemingly had no impact on him.

(Agency) Six forced to dip hands in boiling oil Six members of a family were forced

to dip their hands in the boiling oil to prove their innocence in the Kutch district. The incident took place in Gedi village of Rapar taluka and the police have booked seven persons for subjecting the victims to this torture. According to details, wife of one of the accused Tano Dhela, had gone to her parents’ house in Bhaktavadi Vandh village. Police said the woman then allegedly eloped with some other boy two months ago, which led to a bitter dispute between the two families.

Last week Dhela and his relatives called the family of Heera Koli on the pretext of settling the issue. The accused strongly suspected that Koli and his family members had helped the woman elope.

The Koli family had been denying their role. They then compelled the victims to prove their innocence by dipping their hands in boiling oil, said police inspector Jinjuvadiya. Sources said that the torture was pre-planned and they had kept the hot oil ready before the victims reached their house. The Koli family also feared of getting thrashed by the villagers if they didn’t follow the accused’s instructions.

(The Times of India)

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EMOTIONALLY “CHARGED” REUNIONS Continued from page1 “I have taken a two-month unpaid leave to travel to India to see my mother, who has been alone since January 2020. I came in spite of the travel ban and am now able to travel back with her,” Mudita, a doctor told Asian Voice.

When asked how challenging it for her was to get that long a leave, Mudita with her she said, “Difficult mother because I'm a Consultant Rheumatologist with a long waiting list. I had to arrange for a locum to cover my clinics and shifts, otherwise, the waiting list would have been worse.”

Mudita added, “I came to India on 27th June. India was on the red list at that time. I preferred travelling business class due to the high Covid risk. I booked a return for about £1200.”

“I did a Covid RT-PCR test 72 hours prior to boarding which cost £45 after discount from airlines. The results were uploaded onto the Air Suvidha website, and a declaration form had to be filled both for the airlines and the Delhi airport. On arrival at Delhi, the RT-PCR was repeated, and I was required to wait for the results before taking the connecting flight.

“I am flying back with my mother who was unable to travel earlier due to travel restrictions. She is fully vaccinated and has Indian citizenship. She is on a 10year visa.

She has a one-way ticket as plans are uncertain.

“We will both have Covid tests within 72 hours boarding and then on 2nd & 8th day after arrival. My mother will require home quarantine while I will not,” Mudita told the newsweekly.

Emotionally “charged” (Pun intended) Dr Partha Kar’s mother is already preparing a menu of what she’s going to feed him once he lands after a year of being apart.

A very excited and emotionally charged Dr Kar told Asian Voice, “I’m very emotional. I Mum Dr Partha Kar and dad, they're in their 80s and live alone. I think it's been a struggle for both of them. We talk to each other nearly every day, as much as possible, and I think the second wave that happened in India was very tough for them. So as soon as India went on the amber list, I took the opportunity to book my travel, and I’m planning to have

seven days or so over there.”

Commenting on the pricing and uncertainty of air travel, Dr Kar said, “There's been a massive jump in ticket prices, no question about it. You've got options like Air India, as well as Emirates to go and take a break via Dubai. But Air India has been quite unpredictable. I booked a ticket, but the airline suddenly cancelled the return in a day.”

He added, “There are only so many holidays for us and there is a lot of confusion regarding the rules. But I think all is superseded by the fact that I'll be able to go and see my parents. So excited and really looking forward to it.”

Vaccine woes Speaking to Asian Voice, a health care professional, Viju Ravindran said that she last saw her family in India in October 2019 and hopes to see them again in 2022. She confirmed that the tickets are expensive.

“My brother looks after my dad. I do miss them! I don’t think they can visit until the UK recognises Indian vaccines,” Viju said. In her area, an RT PCR test is costing between £80 to £120. She also added, “If I visit them, I have to be sure that I have enough annual leave to self-isolate in case rules change.”

Asian Voice asked her whether her employers will cooperate with her and sanction her leave according to her wish, Viju said, “Yes, they will cooperate.”

Another NHS worker, Aamir Tarique has been living in Bedford and his family is in Delhi. Like many people, we spoke to, Aamir too last saw his family in October 2019. He hopes to see them again in winter 2021.

Speaking to us, he said, “I’m keeping an eye on flights and prices almost weekly and looking at the process. My younger brother is with my father but he leaves early morning and comes home late. I will have to go alone as my 13-year-old son is not vaccinated.”

Radha Sundaram, an ICU medic, who will be soon visiting her parents in India, also agreed that tickets are more expensive than pre-pandemic.

She said that an RT-PCR test would cost about 150 pounds more, besides the Radha Sundaram additional cost of testing pre and post.

Speaking to the newsweekly, she said, “My parents are not keen on travel but the enormity of paperwork, wearing a mask in a longhaul flight with a face shield and further paperwork in transit airports would need to be considered. Very excited and relieved to be able to go.”

NHS hospital trial results show a 55% reduction of PM1 and airborne pathogens through innovative air purifiers A trial conducted earlier this year, in partnership between Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and a Berkshire-based air hygiene company, has used electrostatic air purifiers to capture 99.5% of airborne pollutants and viral particles up to 1.0 micron in size, which is where many harmful viruses exist, including Covid-19.

High precision air quality monitors were placed in Hull University Teaching Hospital’s Majors and Minor injuries area, where trial test results found that Evergen Air, the only ESP technology to be accredited by ISO 16890 in the world, reduced the amount of particulate matter 0-1microns by an average of 55% across both Majors and Minors clinical areas.

Traditional filtration involves trapping particles, where microorganisms that are not destroyed can often remain active and multiply. The Evergen Air systems, developed by one of the UK's fastest-growing green tech solutions companies, Evergen, uses electro-static precipitators to ionise

pollutant particles and microorganisms, including bacteria, fungus and coronavirus particles within range, and this ability to neutralize and destroy harmful airborne pathogens signals an innovation for healthcare settings.

Chris Garner, Interim Director of Operations for the Emergency Medicine Health Group at the Trust, said: “We were really pleased to be chosen to participate in this trial and we’re grateful for the loan of the EvergenAir purifiers, whilst the testing has been underway”.

EarthSense, the air quality monitoring company that helped facilitate the trial, supplied their Zephyr air quality monitors to determine airborne pollutants levels before and after introducing Evergen’s cleaning system.

Following the successful trial, Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is now installing the floor-standing EvergenAir units within their Ophthalmic Department.

50 per cent higher price Saurabh Das who lives in Beckenham hasn’t met his parents since October 2019. They live in Patna, Bihar and are double jabbed. He said, “It has been a tough 18 months of isolation for our parents. They have now missed out o two Saurabh Das summer visits from them to the UK and I Christmas visit from us. It has been a very anxious time for me given the distressing second wave in India. I have lost several extended family members in the most recent wave there so the risk to life is very real.”

Saurabh seconded that the airlines are charging a bomb. “The tickets to India are exorbitant. The day after the new amber status was revealed for India, prices were more than 50% higher than the pre-pandemic levels.

Although no one from my family is planning to travel here in the short term, I have heard of anecdotes from other friends here about difficulties getting visa appointments and exorbitant ticket prices from India as well, Das told us.

He is not planning to travel until December. “I will not book my tickets until the risk/virus picture is clearer both in India and the UK. There is a lot of uncertainty currently about the next wave of the virus. My plan is to stay put in the UK for now and avoid any overseas travel if I can,” he added.

There is news of soaring rates of RT-PCR tests in the UK. Sharing the information he has, Das said, “RT- PCR test starts from £39 to £130 in my area again depending on where you get it done and how quickly you want the results.”

How red list ruined plans “I’ll be seeing my mom after two years,” Kunal Mahajan, who last visited his 69-year-

old mother in India during July-Aug 2019, told Asian Voice. Her plan was to travel to the UK last year, but then the pandemic began, and air routes were shut.

Kunal would have met his mother sooner in London in mid/end-April, while he was waiting for her second dose to happen to book her ticket. Kunal also mentioned that the price of tickets is nearly double the usual price of return tickets. His mother can stay the usual 180 days in the UK, so her return ticket is booked for February next year.

“The same week she got her second dose, India was placed on a red list, giving me no time to book her ticket. This was more shattering than last year as this sent a lot of our plans out of the window. It’s been 5 months since then painstakingly waiting for India to move a notch lower. So, I didn't delay much after last week's news of India moving to Amber list, though air tickets had already shot up in price.

We now want her to come and join us and spend quality time with grandchildren and us all and make up for the loneliness experienced the last year,” he told the newsweekly.

Kunal added, “It was emotionally more strenuous for my mother, who stays in Delhi alone, as my father passed away several years ago. But we made sure to connect via video chats often so she could be in touch with my wife and kids. We know it was tougher for her as during lockdowns in Delhi no one was allowed to visit anyone which meant she had extended periods of loneliness.”

Kunal’s mother is fully vaccinated against Covid-19. “She's had both her doses of the Astra Zeneca known as Covishield in India but there's lack of clarity if that exempts her from the quarantine period,” he said.

With hefty paperwork, confusion over the vaccine, and uncertainty in red, amber and green-list countries, families and loved ones are reunited, even at a heavy price that burns a hole in their pocket.

14 WOMEN’S VOICE

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Shefali Saxena “It started with a tweet. Kate Clanchy, author of Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me posted on her Twitter account that a reviewer on Goodreads had “made up a racist quote and said it was in my book”,” author of Around the World in 80 Trains, Monisha Rajesh wrote in an Op-Ed for the Guardian.

Rajesh went on to write that Clanchy further persuaded her 40,000 followers to flag the review that claimed she had bigoted views on race, class and body image, and had used terms such as “chocolate-coloured skin” and “Jewish noses”.

Popular authors came to support Clanchy, stating that this was inhumane treatment, completely blindsiding the fact that these series of incidents were in fact inhuman towards the BAME community, especially writers of colour. The President of the Society of Authors, Philip Pullman, went on record to say: “But of all the people and of all the books to have had this happen …

It’s hard to stay optimistic about the human race sometimes.”

Monisha downloaded the book and read it only to find that it mentioned a Somali boy having a “narrow skull”, a Muslim girl was described as “very butch-looking … with a distinct moustache” and used phrases like “flirty hijabs” in a context that could be really damaging for the community.

Clanchy’s supporters lost their control

when Monisha Rajesh, academic and author Professor Sunny Singh and Chimene Suleyman, author and editor of The Good Immigrant USA started a dialogue on Twitter about this and called out the blatant racism in Clanchy’s work.

“A group of white women authors pointedly demeaned Singh, Suleyman and me as “activists” who were “attacking” Clanchy,” Monisha wrote in her opinion piece.

Chimene Suleyman tweeted: “Writing articles referring to 3 women of colour as a woke-mob is racially charged. This is twofold: 1. It conflates POC with being aggressive bullies who don’t have the brains to know what we’re talking about. 2. It erases our actual dialogue and commentary from the discourse.”

Speaking to Asian Voice, Professor Sunny Singh said, “It is necessary that we recognise that words have power. They can affirm our humanity and heal or they dehumanise and harm. My plea to fellow writers, anywhere and everywhere, is to consider how we wield this power, to pause to consider if our words harm or heal. Writing does this by presenting the world to our readers, by offering ways to look at the world. “James Baldwin said that “ if you alter, even by a millimetre, the way people look at reality, then you can change it.” This change can be for good or bad. Racist, Islamophobic, anti-Semitic, ableist, sexist, homophobic, classist writing can reinforce

prejudices against people and add to their suffering.

“Ethical writing can change these same prejudices by making us see people different from us as fellow humans. Surely we want a world that is just and equitable, where we can co-exist without harming each other? I request all of us, not just writers, to pause and consider if our words reinforce stereotypes and harm people if we need to learn more if we need to do better. This is not censorship but the basic work of moral human life.”

Furthermore, an open letter was written by the Writing and Publishing Community in support of Monisha Rajesh, Sunny Singh and Chimene Suleyman. It read: “As members of the writing and publishing community we have watched in horror as three of our colleagues, Monisha Rajesh, Professor Sunny Singh and Chimene Suleyman have been targeted, harassed and gaslighted online for rightly pointing out the use of dehumanising, ableist and racist language and questioning the structures and processes in wider publishing that allowed them to get through the editorial process, become published and then lauded. We stand in complete solidarity with the brave writers who challenged this and condemn all attempts to attack them and obfuscate and negate the veracity of their concerns.”

It also mentioned: “This issue stands to serve as a microcosm of how marginalised writers are treated within the industry and it should be recognised that every one of us is noting the silences of our friends and colleagues, agents and publishers and the regard with which our concerns are treated.

We cannot silently stand by whilst a group of marginalised women are being targeted by those with power and influence in this industry. We urge our colleagues to speak up and use the resources and influence in their gift as a force for change. Publishing must do better.”

The letter has been signed by more than 2000 writers in Britain.

Cysters to publish power list of chronically ill advocates In light of recent events, in which a campaign around disability and chronically ill health featured no people of colour and in response to existing in a majority-led space, Cysters has decided to create and publish a Power List Of Chronically Ill Advocates. The group, founded by Neelam Heera, plans to showcase all people of colour within this space who have done remarkable work in their communities highlighting chronic illness and disability.

In a press statement, Cysters said, “People from BAME backgrounds are rarely given the same levels of representation, inclusion or care as their white counterparts when it comes to chronic illness and Cysters want to change this.

“The organisation is actively trying to dispel the myth around communities being ‘hard to reach’ or ‘unresponsive’ when it comes to recruitment for campaigns and opportunities for visibility. Cysters hopes that future organisations will refer to this list

when it comes to including people of colour within campaigns, and they urge that, where possible, people of colour are paid for their contributions to this space. Lived experience is a tool that majority-led organisations don’t have and should be paying to access.

“Cysters decided to shine a light on the amazing work that is done within BAME

communities, as they are tired of seeing them being and are representations of our community that deserve space. With this list, they hope excluded. That’s why this year, Cysters will be highlighting their first Chronic Illness Power List, consisting of people who have raised their voice, spread awareness despite their challenges that more campaigns will be able to spotlight people of colour within their campaigns. Cysters want to actively dispel the myth that communities of colour are “hard to reach” – this list is proof that with some research, you can find and be inclusive of all communities of colour.

They’ve appealed to everyone to share this with the relevant people so we can access people that Cysters wouldn’t usually see. The deadline for applications is 20th August 2021. After the deadline, there will be a selection process. For more information and nomination details please go to http://cysters.org/thepowerlist/

Dr Upasana Tayal shortlisted for prestigious Rising Talents Award The UK and Ireland Rising Talents Programme is designed to provide flexible and practical financial support, alongside tools and support, for early-career women scientists to pursue their research. Five grants will be awarded to outstanding women postdoctoral scientists in the fields of Physical Science, Engineering, Mathematics and Computing, Life Science and Sustainable Development. Three of the ten women in 2021 shortlist are from Imperial College London.

The fully flexible Fellowships are worth £15,000 each and are tenable at any UK or Irish university or research institute to support a 12-month period of research. The researchers are shortlisted based on their

remarkable research and excellent academic records, and on how the Rising Talents grant will enhance their careers.

Dr Paz (Upasana) Tayal is an Academic Clinical Lecturer in the National Heart and Lung Institute and a cardiologist. Her research focuses on heart muscle diseases (cardiomyopathies), using specialist imaging, genetics and clinical studies to understand why people get the condition and how we can improve outcomes for patients.

Dr Tayal will study the differences in the

epidemiology, risk factors, and genetics between men and women with a heart muscle condition called dilated cardiomyopathy. Her aim is to improve the diagnosis, treatment and survival of all patients with this condition.

Speaking about her nomination, she said: “I'm very humbled to be shortlisted amongst such talented scientists. This nomination is particularly special because it is in such a diverse field, beyond medicine.

I'm very excited to be given the opportunity to share my science with such a broad audience.”

in brief ‘WHEN ARE YOU GETTING MARRIED?' While speaking to Sky News as a part of the South Asian Heritage Month coverage, British South Asian female cricketers have spoken about the importance of their heritage, the journey to become elite players, and how they plan to make it easier for youngsters to play cricket. Naomi Dattani, British Indian, Middlesex captain and sports and exercise graduate, who grew up in Ealing in west London and went to Greenford High School told the news portal, "As I grew up through my 20s the questions around 'when are you getting married?' start coming in, and constantly trying to persuade or challenge those comments became quite tiring. "But it spurs me on to keep going to know that I'm trying to pave the way for a young Asian girl so they don't have to face that and they can go through that pathway a lot easier." Sky reported that Dattani was one of 41 women to receive regional domestic contracts which helps her to commit to the sport full-time.

STUDY REVEALS JABS SAFE FOR PREGNANT WOMEN A paper published by St George’s, University of London-led paper showed that there are no statistically significant differences in the data, with no increase in stillbirths or premature births, no abnormalities with development and no evidence of babies being smaller or bigger, for pregnant women who have taken vaccine for Coronavirus. The latest study considered 1,328 pregnant women – of whom 141 received at least one dose of vaccine before giving birth and 1,187 women who did not. All the women gave birth at St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in London between March 1 and July 4 this year. The paper, which has been peer-reviewed and published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, states: “This study contributes to the body of evidence that having Covid-19 vaccination in pregnancy does not alter perinatal outcomes.” However, lead author Professor Asma Khalil has said that the latest data – which researchers said is the first from the UK focusing on safety outcomes for pregnant women – should add an extra layer of reassurance for expectant mothers.

END HARASSMENT OF WOMEN AT LIVE GIGS More than 40% of women under 40 have experienced harassment at a live music event, organisers of the new Safe Spaces Now initiative have reported.

An open letter from UN Women UK has urged industry leaders, artists, companies, venues, performers and promoters to come together and commit to meaningful action to prevent harassment at gigs. This comes after repeated attempts to molest and sexually harass women during live music events in the UK. This letter is being backed by many musicians and celebrities in the UK. The letter says: "Very soon, the music industry will be celebrating as our festivals and live events reopen to the world. It's a moment we've all been waiting for. In a society that often works to divide us, music has the power to unite us - whatever the tough realities of life may be.

"But now we must face our own reality. And this reality is one that our industry has too long ignored: venues, festivals, studios and workplaces are too often not safe spaces for women, girls and marginalised genders.

"It is high time we change that, and we have a collective responsibility to take action. This restart needs to be for all of us. Our spaces must provide safety from harassment, violence, and abuse of power. Music should be a place of joy and inclusion for all."

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Lalit Modi being sued for £5mn

Sejal Anujah Shah: Empowering Couture Sunetra Senior East meets West and melds into individuality with Sejal’s striking highfashion. Popping bright colours and subtle careful lines create clothing that everyone will want to wear. You might spy a pink bomber jacket with Indian peacock dots or bright orange flared jumpsuits paired with a lacey black top across the collections.

Sophisticated silvery bridalwear alongside trendy T-shirts also feature!

Predominantly catering to weddings, Sejal’s second brand expands into everyday elegance. “The brands offer beautiful bespoke pieces newly designed for weddings or demi-couture for every day, animating one’s normal wardrobe. I enjoy working with clients to help them create.”

When working with a bride, Sejal can plan to convert the dream dress into more versatile fashions to utilise the design well after the big event!

Similarly, Sejal’s celebratory approach is not limited to the domain of occasion, generating a variety of casual clothing that salutes the dynamism of cosmopolitanism:

Sejal Anujah Shah

big companies tend to steer away from. I am able to make any piece, however grand, consummately from scratch. Additionally, at university, I was the only South-Asian on the course. This compelled me to explore my background. I looked to find a balance between the two sides – my heritage and the present-day way of being. This developed the multicultural sentiment.”

Sejal further cited emotional

good about my body. I always want to make well-made high-end pieces that put the happiness of the person first;” otherwise known as classic style with unique flair. “Couture is more expensive and so my clothes are investment pieces. It’s important that they be joyful to be worn again and again!” Thus, Sejal impressively challenges the status quo: she brings inclusive glamour and a remedial confidence that elevates from within. This is conscious couture.

Tell us more about your inspirations growing up?

London based cricket tycoon Lalit Modi who has allegations of money laundering against him, especially after fleeing from India and gaining sanctuary in the UK had been name dropping Royals to contract investors. He is now being sued for 5 million pounds in the High Court.

According to a report published in The Times, Modi, 55, is alleged to have convinced investors to put large sums of money into cancer treatment venture by falsely naming prominent Royals including Prince Andrew as patrons of the scheme. He named dropped more Royals, like King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain and Princess Haya Bint Hussein of Jordan, calling them, his “very dear friends”.

This makes him one of those wealthy moguls from South Asia, who escaped their home countries and came to Britain and garnered spotlight.

influence: “growing up, I had to come to terms with the fact that I had polycystic ovary syndrome. It meant I became very self-conscious. Saris

“Couture is more expensive and so my clothes are investment pieces. It’s important that they be joyful to be worn again and again!” seemed to save me. I could embrace my passion for fashion while feeling

A spokeswoman for Prince Andrew has told the media that the Duke of York is not, and has never been a patron of mine care, and has no knowledge of this existence. Modi’s lawyers however went on record to say that the project was unable to sustain the fund, unable to obtain funding, and the company went into liquidation.

But this, Lalit Modi joins the list of tycoons like Vijay Mallya Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif diamond magnate Nirav Modi, who have been taking shelter in the UK.

75 Years of UK India Relations Continued from page 3

“Like most of us with mixed-heritage, my identity has been complex.

My parents come from India, but moved to West-Africa which shaped them while I myself grew up in Britain. I wanted to create a brand that reflected the gorgeous intricacy of that.” The attention to detail stretches from the cultural range of the designer’s aesthetics to the very particulars of the technical process: “I will tailor the clothes down – or up – to the exact measurement desired. I prioritise, above all, customer’s comfort.” Sejal does not then strive to mirror what’s trending – rather heed the want of the contemporary individual: “Most importantly, I want women to feel proud while being their vibrant selves.” Sejal studied Fashion Atelier at the University for Creative Arts, which gave her the traditional handson education on which to model modern twists: “as well as refining the rudimentary skills of a seamstress, there was a focus on age-old couture techniques, especially with regard to the Western ball-gown, which most

Lalit Modi

My mother is a very classy lady, and influenced me style-wise. I was also obsessed with Western fashion, watching red carpet shows and looking at dresses such as vintage Chanel and Dior.

What’s a future aim?

I’m launching new demi-couture collections for my sister brand ANU next summer that can be bought online. I promise, you’ll be able to find that quality summer dress that lasts you through the years! However, I have structured my business model to fairly pay the artists working on the ground in India as well as our seamstresses here in the UK. In general, I’m also finding a way to create designs that don’t waste hundreds of thousands of pounds and damage the environment like in current retail. Finally, the clothes will encompass a variety of body shapes – I’m actually using different members of my family as models for this too – so it’ll be authentic!

What grabs you most about fashion?

The freedom it gives for creativity.

This is priceless as an adult. Being selfexpressive can-do people so much good. I love making the garments and people feel fabulous donning them – it’s a sense of benign authority. It can lead you to a more confident self.

W: www.sejalanujahshah.com/ www.anubysas.com

Roadmap 2030 Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have moved to deepen UK-India ties in recent months. The countries shared history, and deep ties have set the scene for a potential golden age in relations.

The road map calls for increased cooperation on climate change, defence, education, health, science and technology.

Agreement across these essential issues will transform the current bilateral ties into a "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership". With China emerging as a force within Asia, India represents a natural ally for the UK in the Indo-Pacific area.

The ties between both countries make sense.

More Indian businesses are operating in the UK than the entire rest of Europe. Additionally, 1.6m Indians live in the UK, making them the largest ethnic minority in the country. Indeed, some of

the biggest names in UK politics like Rishi Sunak, Priti Patel, and Sajid Javid are of Indian origin.

As Indian suffered a deep COVID-19 crisis, the UK underlined the close relationship between both countries by flying out much-needed oxygen and ventilators.

Conclusion In 75 short years, India has transformed itself into a global power. An emerging economy, skilled graduates, technological advancement, and a sophisticated space program are just some of the republic's achievements in the three-quarter century.

As the UK leaves the European Union, it has looked to deepen its ties with India. A mutually beneficial agreement, with a possible Free Trade deal, will ensure prosperous relations between the countries on a fiscal and cultural level. With India set to become one of the world biggest economies, the republic’s influence of the UK is set to grow.

80th death anniversary of the Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore To commemorate the 80th death anniversary of the Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, members of charitable organisations; Dhun, SEEEFI and Sangeet Foundation had organised an experimental digital online show “Je chhilo amar swapanacharini (The one who was my dream companion)” to pay tribute to the Bengali bard.

Designed & visualised by Dhun’s creative team, scripted & anchored by Anupa Lahiri Ellard & Abanti Chakraborty Mukherjee, this experimental work was penned in the form

of imaginary letters exchanged between two of Tagore’s most celebrated & iconic heroines "Bimala" from the novel "Ghare Baire" & "Labonyo" from the novel "Shesher Kobita".

Many artists from the UK, the USA and India joined hands virtually to make this show a success as the world recovers from this pandemic. The narrative consisted of performances by eminent singers like Jayanta Ray, Sujoya Ray, Bithi Purkayastha, Madhusree Mitra Ghosh, Kakoli Majumdar, Shobhon Ahmed, Indira Roy Chowdhury, Tanusree Guha, Amrita Ghosh and Sanjoy

Dey. Elocution by Avimanyu Sengupta, Sagarika Golder, Souvik Dutta and Amitava Chell.

Dance performances by Esha Chakravarty Bhattacharjee & Ishita Sinha

Bhattarcharya. There was a short play enactment from “Ghare Baire’, directed by Sanjay Dasgupta, acted by Ujwal Banga, Srabantika Dasgupta & Soumyabrata Chakraborty.

Instrumental recitals by Avimanyu Sengupta on the Sitar, Prahlada Rao on the flute & Milind Naik on the Tabla.

The show received excellent critical feedback and adulation from the live audience on its social media live premiere that highlighted Tagore’s literary genius in an alternative style. It was poignant and gave a fitting tribute to the great poet.

16 INDEPENDENCE DAY SPECIAL

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Welsh First Minister attends Indian Independence ceremony at Cardiff Castle Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford attended a ceremony to commemorate the 75th Indian Independence Day. The event was been organised

by Indian Honorary Consul Raj Aggarwal and was also attended by the Lord Mayor of Cardiff Rod McKerlich, Counsel General Mick Antoniw, crossparty assembly members, as well as senior officers from the armed forces, police and community leaders.

A hundred guests attended the flag-raising ceremony. Only registered guests were allowed to attend so that Covid guidance could be observed.

The Cardiff Castle was floodlight with Indian colours and flags for the occasion.

Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford said: “I was delighted to have the opportunity to join representatives of the Indian community in Wales and civic leaders in celebrating Indian Independence Day. The community has always made a significant contribution to life in Wales and, during the pandemic, has shown a great example by pulling together to support those most in need.”

In his speech Indian diplomat Raj Aggarwal said: "Indian Independence Day is celebrated all over the world with lots of love and pride, and we are glad that year we can celebrate it with friends and col-

leagues again. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the community leaders for their massive contribution during this difficult Covid period and in particular, the Ty Krishna centre (ISKCON Wales) in Cardiff, which has served over 100,000 meals to the elderly, vulnerable and needy throughout this covid pandemic, this has been an amazing achievement.”

L-R: Royal Navy Vice Admiral Jerry Kyd, Indian High Commissioner H.E Gaitri Issar Kumar, Royal Navy Hon Captain Raj K Aggarwal Indian Commodore Anil Jaggi on board the INS Tabar in Cardiff

NOTE:

Indian Flag hoisting ceremony at Cardiff Castle

Indian Navy’s frontline frigate, INS Tabar arrives at Portsmouth harbour

Azaadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav High Commissioner HE Gaitri Issar Kumar hoisted national flag at India House to celebrate the occasion of 75th Independence Day of India with officials of @HCI_London, representatives of UK Parliament & India diaspora.

First Minister Drakeford Gives Speech at Cardiff Castle

If you wish to share images of your Independence Day Celebrations, please send them to us along with a short caption at shefali.saxena@abplgroup.com.

Asian Voice will be happy to publish them in the next two weeks.

Indian Navy’s frontline frigate, INS Tabar arrived at Portsmouth harbour on 13 Aug 21 for a goodwill visit and to undertake the Annual Bilateral Exercise Konkan between the Indian Navy and Royal Navy.

Indian Navy and the Royal Navy share historical ties, which have continued to thrive in recent decades. Ships from each side have been visiting each other’s countries regularly and have participated in joint Naval exercises together. The two Navies have carried out bilateral naval exercise ‘Exercise Konkan’, annually since 2004.

This year’s edition of Exercise Konkan commenced on 12 Aug 21 when the Indian Navy and Royal Navy met for exercises at sea before Tabar entered Portsmouth harbour. During the stay in harbour, the harbour phase of the exercise progressed from 13 to 16 Aug 21.

The exercise continued at sea on 16 Aug 21, wherein Tabar met up with the frontline Royal Navy ship along with shorebased aircraft, for air defence exercises, anti-submarine procedures, replenishment at sea activities, and communication drills at Sea. A highlight of the exercise was the cross deck helicopter operations, wherein helicopters will carry out landing procedures.

High Commissioner HE Gaitri Issar Kumar said: “The Indian Navy and Royal Navy share unique historical ties. They have been conducting the bilateral naval exercise, ‘Konkan’, every year since 2004. We have been looking forward to the goodwill visit of INS Tabar, a front-line frigate of the Indian Navy. Its joint exercises, along with HMS Westminster of the Royal Navy are aimed at enhancing interoperability, synergy and cooperation between both navies. I welcome Captain Mahesh Mangipudi and all Ranks of INS Tabar. I have no doubt that their visit to Portsmouth, hosted by the Royal Navy will contribute to further strengthening the friendly contacts and cooperation between both Navies. I wish both INS Tabar and HMS Westminster a very successful engagement.”

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INDEPENDENCE DAY SPECIAL

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Olympians in limelight at I-Day celebration in Red Fort

F

or a second year in a row, Covid-19 protocols were in place at the Independence Day celebrations at Red Fort, but that did not dampen the spirits of those in attendance. The customary cheer from the schoolchildren sitting in the forecourt overlooking the ramparts was missing yet again: the space was occupied by NCC cadets and the participants in the recently concluded Tokyo Olympics, instead.

The Olympic medal winners and their coaches, meanwhile, were the special guests, seated on one side of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as he delivered a nearly one-and-a-half-hour-long speech, describing his vision for India in the coming years. There was a six-feet gap between each seat on the lawns. A sanitising kit, a face shield and a hand towel placed underneath were symptomatic of the times. At the entrance, each invitee was asked to sanitise their hands and to keep their face masks on.

With the Olympians occupying the seats up on the ramparts, several VVIPs were, instead, provided a separate enclosure on the lawns. In the forecourt, around 500 NCC cadets and nearly 240 Olympians took the seats, while a special block on the south comprised “Corona warriors”.

The fort was decked up even more than usual to mark the 75th Independence Day. While the I-Day theme is

generally depicted by schoolchildren sitting directly in front of the Prime Minister, this year, the number 75 was etched on the walls of Red Fort itself. The steel containers placed in front of the fort for security had mural paintings on the inside, depicting India’s glorious past.

For the first time, the celebrations also saw the use of Indian Air Force helicopters, with two Mi 17 1V choppers showering flower petals on the invitees in an “Amrut”

formation, taking many by surprise. Many stood up to shoot videos or take selfies as petals rained upon the fort.

PM Modi, dressed in a traditional white kurta, a blue half-jacket and a white and red stole, adorned a saffron turban with red patterns and a long trail. He first paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat, before his cavalcade entered through the Lahori Gate entrance. There was a round of applause from the crowd as the PM Modi proceeded to the saluting base. There, he was given a general salute by the Inter-Services and Delhi Police Guard.

Modi then inspected the Guard of Honour. He entered the ramparts of Red Fort, where he was greeted by defence minister Rajnath Singh, minister of state Ajay Bhatt, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and the three service chiefs.

At 7.30 pm, the Prime Minister hoisted the national flag, as a Navy band consisting of 16 men played the national anthem, while a 21-gun salute occurred simultaneously.

In a first, CPM hoists tricolour at party offices in Kerala For the first time, CPM joined India's Independence Day celebrations by hoisting tricolour in front of party offices in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, on Sunday. CPM central committee which met in New Delhi early this month asked the party rank and file to celebrate Independence Day as part of efforts to resist the ultra-nationalist politics of BJP. CPM said that Independence Day should be celebrated in such a manner that it would help expose the ‘hollowness’ in the claims of right-wing forces, especially RSS and BJP. CPM’s Independence Day celebrations did not pass without inviting criticism from its political rivals. KPCC president K Sudhakaran said he was happy to note the changing mindset of CPM. “The party which used to call August 15 as Apathu 15 (Danger 15) has now started hoisting the national flag. I’m happy that CPM has finally recognised the legacy of Congress. CPM is an organisation that rejected Gandhiji. They should show the gumption to accept their mistakes of the past,” Sudhakaran said.

CPM acting state secretary A Vijayaraghavan,

humiliation by a whisker as he pulled the wrong end of the rope while hoisting the flag in front of BJP state committee office in Thiruvananthapuram.

CPM and CPI also came under attack as they hoisted the national flag next to the party flag.

Youth Congress filed a police complaint, saying the CPM and CPI violated the Flag Code of India protocol by hoisting the national flag near party flags on par or a notch above the national flag.

who hoisted the flag close to the party red flag in front of AKG Centre said Sudhakaran’s criticism against CPM stemmed out his ignorance about the Indian independence struggle and the role played by the Communists in it. According to him, the country should think aloud about whether the dreams of the freedom fighters has come true or not.

BJP state president K Surendran escaped

A lot to celebrate and a lot to hope for In its journey of 75 years, India has travelled from being a third world country to be one of the biggest economies across the globe. It is easy for everyone to complaint. India is still over populated, the roads are unclean, there are still people begging at traffic signals, but keeping all this complaints aside, India has positively transformed in the last 75 years.

There are a lot of countries who still think that India is a land of snake charmers, as the image was perpetuated over the decades. Today, India has emerged as a leader in a number of sectors. At present, India is one of the largest producers of food grains, jute and milk in the whole world. India has the third largest renewable energy capacity in the world. India recently crossed Brazil and became the largest producer of sugar. Indians are not only making a mark in agro products but also in manufacturing it.

Around 1960s India was dependent on the PL480 grain supply from the Western countries to provide food to its people. Food grains had to be rationed. India has come a long way since. With the Green Revolution introduced by the government, the whole scenario changed. Today, India exports number of food grains worldwide.

India has been one of the few countries to accept and adapt the technological update in comparision to others. Whether it is online banking, online shopping or holding shares in demat, the buy-in was

unbelievable among the Indians. From landlines, we have seen the telecom industry's journey to 2G, 3G and 4G now, we are planning to launch 5G soon. Today, the broadband links are strong enough to connect people via video calls, attend online meetings and even work from home rather than going to office.At the time of independence, the total foreign investment in India in 1949 stood at £25.6 million. In 2020-21, India received a record US$ 81.72 billion in Foreign Direct Investment.

It is quite surprising that Indian companies invested in 99 projects and created 4,830 jobs in Britain to retain India's position as the second-largest source of foreign direct investment (FDI) after the US in the last year, according to new UK government figures released.

India has world-class healthcare facilities which encourage medical tourists to come to India for treatment. However, the CovidD-19 pandemic highlighted the reality, which led to import things essential for medical purposes like beds, medicines, ventilators and oxygen to save lives. India is the pharmacy of the world but 70 per cent of APIs for manufacturing medicines are imported.But there are hopesThere is hope that the demographic dividends of young crowd will translate into higher growth. There is a hope that India will finally break the wall of low per capita income as income levels expand. Above all, there is hope that the democratic structure of India will survive amidst all the chaos.

PM Modi pays tributes to Nehru, Ambedkar

PM Narendra Modi on Sunday paid tributes to freedom fighters and revolutionaries like Jawaharlal Nehru, BR Ambedkar, Queen Chennamma and others for their efforts towards independence and nation-building. “...whether it is Mahatma Gandhi who transformed the freedom struggle into a mass movement or Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose who sacrificed everything for freedom of the country or brave revolutionaries such as Bhagat Singh, Chandra Shekhar Azad, Ashfaqulla Khan and Bismil (Ram Prasad Bismil), India remembers all of them,” Modi said in his Independence Day address.

“Be it Nehru ji, the first PM of India, or Sardar Patel, who united the nation, or Babasaheb Ambedkar who showed India the way to the future, the country is indebted to all of them,” he added.

He also emphasised the role of women revolutionaries and expressed the country’s gratitude for their contribution.

18 UK - FINANCE

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Dear Financial Voice Reader, Alpesh Patel

Do you lose sleep over retirement?

Retirement and the Stock Market Everybody wants a comfortable retirement. It's never too early to start saving for life after work, but what happens when you are at or near retirement?

Should you keep doing the same thing? Or should your retirement strategy change?

Saving money is essential if you want to enjoy your retirement. However, current monetary policies are making many of the traditional savings options unattractive. Interest rates are meagre in the U.S. and Europe, and many low-risk investments produce returns that can't keep up with inflation. As a result, more retirees need to increase their risk exposure to access better yields.

A Federal Reserve report on the Economic WellBeing of U.S. Households found that only 1/3rd of nonretirees felt that their retirement plans were on track.

While traditional retirement portfolios typically consist of a 60%- 40% split between stocks and bonds, retirees will need to review this if they want to afford retirement.

So what are their options?

Are ETFs a Good Option for Retirees?

Low interest rates and high inflation are big worries for anyone saving for retirement. Bonds were considered solid investments in the past, but their yields are currently too low.

Many retirees are beginning to understand that they will need to up their risk appetite to access the returns they need to be comfortable. While mutual funds are one way to do this, ETFs provide some considerable advantages.

Firstly, ETFs are very tax-efficient. Secondly, they allow investors more flexibility when deciding where to invest their money. Lastly, mutual funds often come with active management fees, which harm returns.

Retirement Investment Mistakes to Avoid The market has produced stellar results over the years. However, there are times when it takes a dip. For retirees dependent on stock dividends, market downturns can force them to sell some of their shares while the market is low. Keeping cash reserves to cover expenses can help avoid these difficult decisions.

Another common retirement investment mistake was underlined in a recent Vanguard annual survey. The report showed that the average U.S. stock portfolio is heavily weighted towards U.S. shares. The problem?

According to MSCI, the stock market financial data company, U.S. share indexes have only beaten non-U.S. share indexes 51% of the time since 1970. A portfolio of nearer 50/50 would produce better results.

What to Do With Extra Cash?

Many retirees have savings alongside their stock market investment. Having emergency funds is smart, but too much savings will harm your retirement plans because inflation rates are outstripping interest rates.

Savings earmarked to pass onto children could be best put to work in the stock market.

I’ve provided some tools to teach you about the stock market on my Campaign to Teach a Million People at www.campaignforamillion.com .

Conclusion Current monetary policies are keeping interest rates low. This situation punishes savers and those who invest in low-risk options like bonds. Conversely, it has a favourable effect on the stock market because it is one of the best places to invest money.

Anyone who is retired or close to retirement should consider investing in the stock market. Options like ETFs are a great way to get started due to their simplicity. Additionally, they don't have investment minimums or excessive charges like most funds.

House prices fall in August as demand drops UK real estate prices fell in August amid a drop in demand for bigger homes after the government withdrew its stamp duty tax break for buyers in England and Northern Ireland this summer. Property website Rightmove said the national average asking price of a home had fallen by 0.3 per cent, or about £1,000 over the past month, and now stood at £337,371. However, it said buyer demand remained strong for smaller properties in particular, and that it was predicted an “autumn bounce” in prices.

The government changed its stamp duty rules earlier this summer, bringing the boom in property values to an end. Nationwide building society said house prices fell by 0.5 per cent in July, while rival lender Halifax said prices rose by 0.4 per cent in July.

Rishi Sunak urged to act as UK Covid recovery 'threatened' Several charities and housing associations have come together to warn the UK’s Covid recovery is under threat owing to the cut to Universal Credit and the freezing of Local Housing Allowance, and several Britons will be adversely affected by the changes.

Organisations including the Big Issue Ride Out Recession Alliance, Crisis, The Mortgage Works, Nationwide Building Society, the National Residential Landlords Association, Propertymark, StepChange Debt Charity and Shelter, are bringing awareness to the impact on the public.

The group released a joint statement calling for the government to rethink its proposed changes to the benefit system. “The UK Government must complete and publish a full assessment of the impact on renters of their decisions to freeze

Rishi Sunak

Local Housing Allowance and cut Universal Credit, which risks pushing many households into poverty, problem debt, and homelessness.”

“In the wake of the pandemic, we saw bold and swift action from the Government to prevent a housing debt crisis, including restoring Local Housing Allowance rates to the 30th percentile of market rents and increasing the Universal Credit Personal Allowance.”

The group highlighted the Department of Work and Pensions’ (DWP) figure that the number of private rented households in receipt

of the housing element of Universal Credit increased by 107 per cent between February 2020 and February 2021. They explained, “The UK Government has confirmed that where such shortfalls exist, the median amount is £100 a month.

This points to a need for continued support for families and individuals to cover the cost of rents. Yet since April this year, Local housing Allowance has been frozen in cash terms, and later this year, Universal Credit will be cut by £20 a week.”

“Whilst the Institute for Fiscal Studies has described changes to Local Housing Allowance as ‘arbitrary and unfair’ we have seen no assessment from the UK Government of the impact either of these policies will have on the capacity of recipients to cover rent payments.” The group outlined what action needs to be

taken by Chancellor Rishi Sunak to address the impact on renters.

They said, “As organisations representing landlords, letting agents, tenants, people facing homelessness, and debt advice services, we are united in calling on the UK Government to complete and publish a full assessment of the impact of both of these policies on the ability of renters to meet their housing costs.”

“We believe that the UK Government should reverse its decisions to cut Universal Credit and to freeze Local Housing Allowance. To apply policies like these without doing any meaningful impact assessment is, we argue, lacking the necessary foresight and consideration of the impact they will have on people’s security of tenure and well-being and for many will threaten their chance of recovery.”

Ultra Electronics agrees for £2.6bn takeover

by Cobham Group Serious questions are being raised by the sale of defence firm Ultra Electronics to US-backed Cobham Group.

Criticism states the Boris Johnson-led government is taking a “weak” stance on overseas takeovers of UK businesses. Board of Ultra, which supported coalition forces in Afghanistan, said on that it had agreed a £2.6bn takeover with USowned rival Cobham Group at £35 a share, more than 40 per cent higher than the company’s all-time record share price.

Owned by the US private equity firm Advent since a £4bn deal in 2020, Cobham said the combined company would play a “mission critical” role in defence and security for the “five eyes” network of intelli-

gence allies - the UK, US, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. It offered binding commitments to the UK government in an attempt to get some leverage for the deal, including protection of sovereign defence capabilities, funding of the company’s pension scheme and investment in the UK. However, Cobham has also stated that it could sell Ultra’s forensics and energy businesses, while “limited numbers” of jobs, mostly linked to the firm’s stock market listing, may be lost.

While the government has said it will “closely monitor” the Ultra deal, Labour’s shadow business minister Chi Onwurah said ministers “should be doing far more than making weak and vague noises to protect

(companies like Ultra).” She said, “Serious questions remain about potential threats to national security, the business model of the new owners, and future governance and operational freedom. The Conservatives have repeatedly failed to protect British businesses from takeovers that might compromise our national security and economic interests. Labour would introduce a robust take-over regime to support and grow our world class industries.”

Crossbench peer Lord Myners, who served as City minister under Gordon Brown, said the government had been caught like a “rab-

bit in the headlights” by the takeover bids, and that deep-pocketed US buyers were treating the British business world like a hunting ground.

Companies like Ultra specialise in hi-tech systems that offer the British government an advantage in the air, on land and at sea, via the detection of emerging threats. This included systems to detect improvised explosive devices and intercept communications in Afghanistan.

Work from office has its advantages: PwC chairman PwC chairman Kevin Ellis said that there is an economic need to encourage employees to work from office for two to three days a week. “I think there is a business advantage to investing in our people and a business advantage to our people being trained to work in a collaborative way.”

PwC made a deal with its 22,000 staff this year requiring them to spend two or three days in the office or on client sites every week.

The firm reported a 25 per cent increase in annual profit for the year to the end of June, after a boom in demand for deals, advisory and consulting services in the second half and a fall in client-related expenses such as travel costs. PwC’s 939 partners will receive record payouts of £868,000 for the

year. Average partner pay rose 19 per cent to £818,000 and partners will receive an average £50,000 additional payout from disposals including eBAM, its financial technology platform.

Ellis said that productivity had been strong with people working from home during the pandemic and he would not follow Google, the technology company, and Morgan Stanley, the investment bank, and penalise staff working remotely with lower salaries.

“We’re in a war for talent, because we’re busy,” he said.

'A lot of other businesses with the same skills that we need are busy, so I think that’s not something to consider at this stage.”

PwC is the first of the Big Four accounting and consulting firms, which also

include KPMG, EY and Deloitte, to report 2021 results. The record payouts will increase calls for government to bring forward reforms to reduce their dominance after criticisms over poor-quality audit work. Lord Sikka, a Labour peer and accounting professor, said: “They’ve been able to earn higher profits because they really dominate the market. The regulator said they have been delivering poor audits, not just now, but for years. They should be returning all the fees.”

The Financial Reporting Council’s annual audit quality review published last month recorded a year-on year improvement in PwC’s audit work, but said it still fell short of expectations, along with the work of its

biggest rivals. The firm’s UK revenue rose by 2 per cent to £4.4 billion. Audit revenue was up 7 per cent to almost £1.1 billion, which Ellis attributed to its £90 million investment in improving audit quality.

Ellis said that criticism of the firm’s market dominance should recognise that its competition goes “well beyond the Big Four. All of our lines of service have done really well . . . If you look at where the growth has come in deals, that’s virtually every investment bank, every boutique we compete with. Audit has been a part of it, but audit is only one part of our significant business.” He said that the growth opportunity in professional services was “enormous” and that the company had

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India getting record FDIs, forex reserve at an all-time high: PM Modi Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India is receiving record foreign direct investments (FDIs) and the country’s forex reserve is at an all-time high.

Speaking at an annual session of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), PM Modi said Indian start-ups have the same level of selfconfidence as displayed by Indian athletes and sportspersons at Tokyo Olympics.

“When today's youth of India come out on the field, they don't have any hesitancy in their minds.

They want to work hard and take risks. They want to yield results. Yes, we belong to this place - we see this emotion in our youth today,” he said.

PM Modi highlighted the collaboration between the government and the Indian industries to make

Narendra Modi

available face masks, PPE kits, and other essential supplies needed to fight the coronavirus disease (Covid19) pandemic. Citing the reports of "record hiring" in the IT sector, the prime minister said it was only possible due to the growth of digitisation and demand.

PM Modi told the industry veterans that the psychology of “foreign is better” forced Indian brands, built after years of hard work, to promote under foreign names only.

“Today the situation is changing rapidly. Today the sentiment of the countrymen is with the

products made in India. It is not necessary that the company should be Indian, but today every Indian wants to adopt products made in India,” the prime minister said.

Govt an active participant: Sitharaman Addressing the CII meeting later, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the Indian economy benefited from the collective thinking and coordinated efforts of all the stakeholders. She said that the government is an active participant in the economic recovery. She said that the public spending during the pandemic ensured that the core sector grew at nearly 9 per cent and also added that consumption has been given all the boost that is required.

The finance minister said that FDI has been flowing into the country nonstop, it is because there was this confidence about the macro-economic fundamentals.

She said that the exports are growing and steel and certain core industries have themselves said that the growth is phenomenal. The infrastructure investments are at one of the highest in India’s history.

Speaking about disinvestments, she said “our commitment to disinvestment and privatisation is firmly ingrained in policy. There is no discretion & there is a calendar.” Sitharaman noted that the Indian industry is moving into totally new areas and added that “I invite you all to take the bull by the horns and help the Govt. Govt is with you,” she said.

Govt aims to sell off AI, BPCL within this fiscal year The government hopes to complete stake sales in Air India, and a clutch of staterun companies, that have been identified, in the current financial year and expression for interest for sale in logistics firm Concor is expected shortly after the land lease policy is finalised, Dipam secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey said.

He said the government expects £5 billion in dividends from public sector companies in the current financial year and is also working on a £60 billion asset-monetisation strategy and hopes to come out with plans for GAIL pipelines soon.

“The disinvestment agenda has been put on fast track through the unveiling of the new PSE (public sector enterprises) policy, notified on February 4, 2021, which is expected to be an important policy for the next five years and will

result in increase in privatisation in the economy,” Pandey told an interaction at the annual session of CII. He said the major disinvestments in pipeline this year, as underlined in the Union Budget, include

Air India, BPCL, , BEML, Pawan Hans and Neelachal Ispat Nigam and in all these enterprises, the government has got sufficient interest from bidders, who are now at the second stage of due diligence.

“After 17 years, the country will actually see privatisation, since the last time in 2003-04 in the then NDA government,” said Pandey. He also reiterated that the government aims to list state-run insurance behemoth LIC by year-end.

“A mega listing is planned this year, which will be the biggest in history of Indian stock market.”

Reliance eyes T-Mobile Netherlands: Report The Mukesh Ambani-led conglomerate is working with an adviser to evaluate an offer for T-Mobile Netherlands, the people familiar with the latest development said.

Deutsche Telekom is seeking about 5 billion euros ($5.9 billion) in any sale, the people said.

Deliberations are ongoing, no final decision has been made and there’s no certainty RIL will decide to proceed with a formal offer, according to the people.

Deutsche Telekom declined to comment.

A representative for RIL could not immediately comment.

Deutsche Telekom is working with Morgan Stanley on the sale of the business, which has attracted interest from private equity firms including Apax Partners, Apollo Global Management, BC Partners, Providence Equity Partners and Warburg Pincus, Bloomberg reported last

month.

Buyout firms are drawn to such assets as they can gain control of underlying infrastructure, which offers steady long-term returns.

In May, the Dutch telecom group Royal KPN said it had rejected an “unsolicited high-level approach” from investment firms EQT AB and Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners.

KPN shares dropped as much as 4.7% in Amsterdam to a three-week low on the news RIL was considering a bid for its rival.

RIL, Gates to join hands Meanwhile, RIL has announced that it is joining Bill Gates for investing in Ambri, a Massachusettsbased energy storage company. Apart from the two billionaires, other investors such as New York-based hedge fund manager Paulson too have invested in Ambri.

Ambri has received a total funding of $144

Let The Market Speak

Suresh Vagjiani, Sow & Reap Properties Ltd

The bidder who won the auction for the plot of land in Harrow, that I wrote about last week, failed to complete the transaction. Perhaps they got carried away in the heat of the auction.

The property was then offered back to all the under bidders, at this point we lowered our bid to £250K; unsurprisingly, we did not get the contract.

However, this exercise sparked our interest in an existing building in the near vicinity. We got in touch with the owner, who was of course surprised we had managed to track him down. There were two owners, in fact they had been former business partners. The split seemed acrimonious, they wanted to cut their connection which still remained in this freehold property.

The property has been empty for about four years, it is derelict and requires a full refurb. On the plus side this is a freehold building, which is very close to a station, and ripe for development.

The asking price is £675K; we offered substantially below this number, as the property requires major refurbishment. The numbers do not work anywhere near the price they are asking. This is probably the reason why it has been stuck on the market for several years. If it was priced correctly this would have been sold.

The other issue is the minimum size requirement, even for conversions. This, I assume, is to get rid of small ghetto like developments.

Previously there was no minimum size for conversions, allowing the developer to choose the minimum square footage of the accommodation. This makes a lot of sense on one level, as the market ultimately decides whether it accepts the product and at what level. Imposing a minimum size doesn’t allow developers the freedom to flow with what is suitable for each area. For example, the closer one gets to central London, the price of each square foot rises substantially, and if utilised and designed well, both tenants and end buyers would be amenable to less square footage.

Imposing a rule like this will make some projects almost redundant. For example, the minimum square footage for a studio is 37sqm. What happens if you have a triple floor building with a 35sqm floor plate on each level?

You could work around this, but you would have a couple of awkward duplexes instead of what you should have had according to the nature of the building, which would have been three good size clean studios.

This would also cause certain buildings to be unviable financially, therefore they would remain on the market, redundant in regards to commercial use, and unviable for developers. Thus, they will languish on the market, until the owners get desperate in regards to selling, or the area comes up in price to justify the price they want to achieve.

LIC IPO may be split into two offerings

Mukesh Ambani

million, of which RIL contributed 35%. India’s most valued company has routed the Ambri investment through its 100% arm Reliance New Energy Solar. Ambri is RIL’s first investment in lowcarbon technology after Ambani laid out a road map for a clean-energy play at the company’s annual general meeting in June.

The plan includes building a factory in Jamnagar, Gujarat, for the storage of intermittent energy.

RIL and Ambri are also exploring to set up a battery

manufacturing facility in India, which “would bring down costs” for the former’s green energy initiative, the Indian company said. Ambri, a MIT spin-out, will use the money to build manufacturing infrastructure in the US and in other countries. Ambri makes low-cost, durable battery systems that can last for long hours. This makes it suitable to meet the growing demand from the grid-scale energy storage market and from other customers like data centres.

In a first, state-owned Life Insurance Corp (LIC) may split its initial public offering (IPO) into two parts with a gap of a few months. LIC is planning to mobilise £10 billion through the IPO, according to a report. There is a view that the market may not have the capacity to absorb the entire issue of such a massive offering in one go.

Another option being discussed is that cornerstone investors, marquee asset managers can put in large funds

ahead of the IPO, the report said. "All the options are on the table (to make the LIC offer a success)," an official said.

Officials also believe that, since so many IPOs have already been closed and more are in the offing, a large amount of investors' funds would already be absorbed. From JanuaryJuly, more than £5 billion are raised via IPOs. Experts said that about 18 companies could raise about £2.8 billion through their IPOs in August.

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Chaos in Kabul as Taliban seize power in Afghanistan The morning after the Taliban installed themselves in the presidential palace in Kabul, seizing control over Afghanistan, fears intensified on Monday about a return to the Taliban’s brutal rule and the threat of reprisal killings. Kabul’s international airport was under the protection of foreign forces, including thousands of US soldiers sent to the country to assist in a hasty evacuation. It was a scene of desperation, sadness and panic as thousands of Afghans flooded the tarmac on Monday morning, at one point swarming around a departing US military plane as it taxied down the runway.

At least five people were reported killed amid a scramble to clamber onto any aircraft readying for take-off.

Worries pervaded Kabul, the capital, about the potential for violence as the Taliban filled the city. In remarkable scenes broadcast on Al-Jazeera, Taliban leaders ensconced themselves in the palace only hours after President Ashraf Ghani fled taking control over what was once one of the most secure locations in the country. In the video, the head of the Afghan presidential security guard shook hands with a Taliban commander in one of the palace buildings and said he had accompanied the Taliban commander at the request of the senior Afghan government negotiator. “I say welcome to them, and I congratulate them,” the official said.

Afghan officials in other cities were filmed handing over power to insurgent leaders. Former President Hamid Karzai said he had formed a council with other political leaders to coordinate a peaceful transition to a new Taliban government. Karzai also asked the head of the Presidential Protection Service to remain at his post and ensure that the palace was not looted.

Early Taliban actions in other cities under their control offered a glimpse of what the future might hold. In Kunduz, which fell August 8, they set up checkpoints and went door to door in search of absentee civil servants, warning that any who did not return to work would be punished.

The change in atmosphere in Kabul was as swift as it was frightening for many who thought that they could build a life under the protection of their US allies. Some in the city said the Taliban had already visited government officials’ homes. They entered the home of one former official in western Kabul and removed his cars and took over the home of a former governor in another part of town. In other parts of the country, there were reports that fighters were searching for people they consider collaborators of the US and the fallen government. Residents of Kabul began tearing down advertisements that showed women without headscarves for fear of upsetting the Taliban, whose ideology excludes women from much of public life. Some police officers were taken into custody by Taliban fighters, while others were seen changing into civilian clothes and trying to flee.

The Taliban said their forces had entered Kabul to ensure order and public

CANADA EXTENDS BAN ON DIRECT FLIGHTS FROM INDIA Canada has extended the ban on direct flights from India until September 21 due to risks posed by the Covid -19 pandemic.

"Based on the latest public health advice from the Public Health Agency of Canada, Transport Canada is extending the Notice to Airmen that restricts all direct commercial and private passenger flights to Canada from India until September 21," the department said in a statement. The ban was first imposed on April 22 and has already been rolled over several times. It is the fifth time the ban has been extended.

The ban was set to expire on August 21, but will now remain in place till September 21.

CHINA RECALLS ENVOY FROM LITHUANIA safety. A member of the Taliban’s negotiating team, Suhail Shaheen, in Qatar told the BBC that “there will be no revenge” on civilians.

India evacuated its embassy staff Two Indian Air Force C-17 transports flew into Kabul on August 15 to evacuate Indian embassy personnel, including IndoTibetan Border Police personnel who defend the mission, sources have said.

Details of the challenging and difficult circumstances under which the Indian mission staff were evacuated have now emerged.

The security situation in the intervening night of August 15-16 deteriorated sharply and no evacuations became possible then, sources said. The Indian embassy was reportedly also under observation by the Taliban, and the high-security Green Zone the heavily fortified district that houses most embassies and international organisations - was breached.

The Taliban raided the Shahir Visa Agency, which processes visas for Afghans looking to travel to India, sources said. The first batch of 45 Indian personnel who were evacuated on the first IAF aircraft were initially stopped by Taliban sentries on their way to the airport, they said. The personal belongings of a few Indian staff members were taken away by the Taliban as they proceeded to the airport, sources have said. The remaining members of the Indian diplomatic and security contingent were unable to evacuate since the route to the airport was closed and there were mobs at the airport.

An overnight conversation between the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Foreign Minister S Jaishankar may have helped in moving the Indian personnel to Kabul airport on Monday morning.

Sikhs, Hindus assured of safety Hours after entering Kabul, representatives of Taliban met leaders of the Sikh and Hindu communities in the Afghanistan capital and asked them not to be scared of them or leave the country. Instead, said a Sikh living in Moscow who has been in touch with his family in Kabul, they have shared their

mobile phone numbers with them and asked them to contact the Taliban in case they faced any difficulty. Minorities have been expecting reprisal attacks by Taliban and a reversal of freedom they enjoyed under US occupation. However, for now, they are of the view that they can breathe easy. The Taliban has, however, asked them to raise white flags to avoid any misunderstanding.

Ashraf Ghani flees Afghanistan president Ashraf Ghani left capital Kabul on Sunday with four cars and a helicopter full of cash, a news agency reported. It quoted Russian news agency RIA to report that Ghani had to leave some money behind as it would not all "fit in". "Four cars were full of money, they tried to stuff another part of the money into a helicopter, but not all of it fit. And some of the money was left lying on the tarmac," Nikita Ishchenko, a spokesman for the Russian embassy in Kabul, was quoted as saying by RIA. Ghani's current whereabouts are unknown. Reports claim that he is in Oman after Tajikistan denied the aircraft carrying him the permission to land. Reports also said that Ghani is headed to the United States. In a lengthy Facebook post just before leaving Afghanistan, Ghani had said that he is doing so to avoid bloodshed.

China ready for friendly ties with Taliban China is ready to deepen “friendly and cooperative” relations with Afghanistan, a government spokeswoman said Monday, after the Taliban seized control of the country. Beijing has sought to maintain unofficial ties with the Taliban throughout the US’ withdrawal from Afghanistan, with which China shares a rugged 76km border. China said it “welcomed” the chance to deepen ties with Afghanistan, a country that has for generations been coveted for its geostrategic importance by bigger powers. “The Taliban have repeatedly expressed their hope to develop good relations with China, and that they look forward to China’s participation in the reconstruction and development of Afghanistan,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said.

Pakistan lifts travel bans from 11 countries, including India ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has lifted travel restrictions from 11 countries including India, local media reported. The country’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) revised its international travel list and removed 11 countries from Category C, reports said.

The authority lifted travel restrictions on incoming passengers from 11 countries including India, Argentina, Bhutan, Maldives and Brazil. However, Bangladesh, Iran, Iraq, South Africa, Nepal are among 11 countries that are still listed in

in brief

Category C, reports added.

However, the authority has allowed the Pakistani citizens to travel back home from Category C countries but a Covid-19 test would be mandatory for them, local media reported. In an attempt to curb the spread of coronavirus, the authority also banned domestic air travel for unvaccinated people. In June, Pakistan’s National Command and Operation Centre had imposed travel restrictions on travellers coming from 26 countries, including India.

China recalled its ambassador to Lithuania and expelled the Baltic Sea nation’s top representative to Beijing over the country’s decision to allow self-governing Taiwan to open an office in Lithuania under its own name. Beijing claims Taiwan as its territory without the right to diplomatic recognition, although the island maintains informal ties with all major nations through trade offices that act as de facto embassies, including in the United States and Japan. Chinese pressure has reduced Taiwan’s formal diplomatic allies to just 15. Taiwan and Lithuania agreed last month that the office in the capital Vilnius will bear the name of Taiwan rather than “Chinese Taipei,” the term used in other countries in order not to offend Beijing. The Chinese Foreign Ministry statement called on Lithuania to “immediately rectify its wrong decision, take concrete measures to undo the damage”.

CHINA SENDS CANADIAN TO 11 YEARS’ JAIL A Canadian entrepreneur was sentenced to 11 years in prison in a spying case linked to Beijing’s effort to push his country to release an executive of tech giant Huawei, prompting an unusual joint show of support for Canada by the US and 24 other governments. China is stepping up pressure as a Canadian judge hears final arguments about whether to send the Huawei executive to the US to face charges related to possible violations of trade sanctions on Iran. Earlier, a court rejected another Canadian’s appeal of his sentence in a drug case that was abruptly increased to death after the executive’s arrest. Entrepreneur Michael Spavor and a former Canadian diplomat were detained in what critics labelled “hostage politics” after Huawei’s Meng Wanzhou was arrested on December1, 2018, at the Vancouver airport. Spavor was sentenced by a court in Dandong. The government has released few details other than to accuse Spavor of passing along sensitive information to the former diplomat, Michael Kovrig, beginning in 2017. Both have been held in isolation.

US MILITARY MAKES VAX MUST FOR TROOPS Members of the US military will be required to get the Covid-19 vaccine beginning next month under a plan laid out by the Pentagon. In memos to all troops, top Pentagon leaders said the vaccine is a necessary step to maintain military readiness. Defence secretary Lloyd Austin said the mid-September deadline could be accelerated if the vaccine receives final FDA approval or infection rates continue to rise.

President Biden said he strongly supports Austin's message.

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in brief

US REPORTS 35% INCREASE IN NEW COVID

Mob attacks Indian businesses in Congo amid furore over student's death

In its weekly epidemiological report, the UN health agency said that the US, India, Iran, Brazil, and Indonesia reported the most number of Covid-19 cases now. The United States reported the highest number of Covid19 cases among all countries, registering a worrying 35% increase in new infections from the previous week, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). The highly contagious Delta variant of coronavirus has become the dominant strain across the globe as many countries are reimposing restrictions to contain the virus. In its weekly epidemiological report, the UN health agency said that the US, India, Iran, Brazil, and Indonesia reported the most number of Covid-19 cases. While India, Brazil and Indonesia witnessed a decline in infections from the previous week, the United States and Iran reported a huge spike with 734,354 and 248,102 new Covid-19 cases respectively.

KINSHASA: A mob attacked Indian businesses and vehicles in Democratic Republic of Congo's capital last week, the police said, part of ongoing fallout from a Congolese student's death in Indian police custody recently.

Several Indian businesses in Kinshasa were looted following the death of Joël Malu, a Congolese student in Bengaluru.

African diplomats have complained in the past about racism against their citizens living in India, especially in the aftermath of the beating to eath in 2016 of a Congolese man in Dehli.

Congo's police said the mob

US TO RELEASE SOME STILL-SECRET FILES ON SAUDI & 9/11

President Lungu under pressure to concede defeat in Zambia polls

The Biden administration, under pressure from families of victims of the September 11, 2001, attacks, said that it intended to disclose some long-classified documents that the families think could detail connections between the government of Saudi Arabia and the hijackers who carried out the attacks. In a court filing in long-running litigation brought by the victims’ families against Saudi Arabia, the justice department said the FBI “recently” closed a portion of its probe into the terrorist attacks and was beginning a review of documents that it had previously said must remain secret with an eye toward disclosing more of them. It provided no further details in its letter to two federal judges in Manhattan overseeing the case. The decision came after a group representing more than 1,600 people directly affected by the attacks called last week for President Joe Biden to not participate in any memorial events for the 20th anniversary of the attacks unless he promised to review the documents for possible declassification and release.

LUSAKA: Zambian President Edgar Lungu is under mounting pressure to concede defeat after five opposition candidates challenged his claims on 'unfair' elections. President Lungu (64), who is trailing his rival Hakainde Hichelema in results released so far issued a surprise statement saying violence against supporters of his ruling Patriotic Front (PF) in some provinces rendered the August 12 presidential and parliament elections “not free and fair.”

The last update by the Zambia Electoral Commission showed Hichelema, a prominent businessman, leading with 1,024,212 votes against the incumbent’s 565,523. Five oppo-

VACCINATED DENMARK SAYS BYE TO MASKS Masks will no longer be mandatory on Danish public transport, the government told citizens as the Nordic country lifted the last of its compulsory face-covering regulations. “We are now in a situation... where a large part of the population has been vaccinated and we are returning to a more normal everyday life,” transport minister Benny Engelbrecht said in a statement. The change was originally scheduled for September 1. The health authorities also loosened social-distancing regulations in the Scandinavian kingdom of 5.8 million people, which has seen about 1,000 new infections a day. More than 60 per cent of the population has received a full course of the vaccine. “We now have good control of the infection across society,” Helene Bilsted Probst, deputy director of the national health agency said in a statement.

“Therefore, we can adapt the prevention recommendations in such a way that people can maintain a normal daily life while respecting the principle of prevention.”

NEW CHARGES AGAINST RUSSIA OPPN LEADER Russian investigators charged jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny with a new crime that could prolong his time behind bars.

The Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes in Russia, said that as part of its investigating of the Kremlin critic’s organisations, it had charged him with “creating a non-profit organisation that infringes on the rights of citizens.”

looted Indian shops and warehouses, set a car on fire and stoned three other vehicles in Kinshasa's Limete neighbour-

sition leaders - Harry Kalaba, Nevers Mumba, Fred Mmembe, Chishala Kateka, Sean Tembo and Trevor Mwamba - immediately wrote to the embattled leader, urging him to concede defeat.

The leaders said President Lungu cannot cry foul because he tried to use his incumbency to tilt the scales in his favour during the polls. “It is a fact that the just ended elections were far from being free and fair because the PF under your leadership as republican president made it practically impossible for the elections to attain the required standard to meet the test of free and fair,” the candidates wrote in a letter addressed to the pres-

hood in response to a false rumour that a second Congolese national had died in India.

"Uncivilized people, mainly

ident.

“The people of Zambia have spoken and the courts of law should not be used in any way to circumvent the wishes and aspirations of the people.

“We trust you will act with humility and submit to the wishes of the people by conceding defeat and allowing for the succession process to start without any further delay.”

In their preliminary reports, observer missions said despite a few cases of political violence, the polls were free and fair. The

young people, have been looting stores and warehouses held by Indian nationals," said Kinshasa police commissioner Sylvano Kasongo.

Police arrested three people and recovered 40 bales of stolen clothing, Kasongo said. The statement did not mention any injuries. Malu was arrested in Bangalore on August 1 on suspicion of drug possession. Indian police said he complained of chest pains and was transferred to hospital, where he died.

His death sparked clashes between protesters and batonwielding officers in Bangalore the following day.

Edgar Lungu

European Union (EU) observer mission said the environment favoured the incumbent. “The campaign took place in a highly competitive environment,” the EU mission said. President Lungu came to power in 2015 after the death of Michael Sata.

Lanka indicts 25 suspects Kenya's leading presidential aspirants wary of forming a coalition in Easter Sunday bombings NAIROBI: Past broken promises and personal fallouts have returned to haunt the quest by Kenya’s leading presidential aspirants to build preelection coalitions or strengthen their campaigns, 12 months left to another succession election. Former prime minister Raila Odinga is closing in on a crucial public endorsement by President Uhuru Kenyatta, who reportedly asked opposition party leaders in the now defunct National Super Alliance (Nasa) coalition to back Odinga at a meeting in Mombasa last week.

But President Kenyatta’s efforts to broker a coalition deal for Odinga with former allies continue to hit a brick wall, as the latter are still sore and smarting from a recent fallout and doubt power-sharing agreement will be honoured in case the coalition wins the election.

Former vice-presidents Kalonzo Musyoka and Musalia Mudavadi are holding out for presidential bids of their own, citing an undertaking by Odinga to forfeit his ambitions for the presidency in the 2022 election when they negotiated the Nasa coalition agreement in 2017.

The two have since moved on to form the One Kenya Alliance (OKA) with two other party leaders and were early this year encouraged by reports that some influential people in the president’s inner circle were fronting for their candidatures. Musyoka, whose

Raila Odinga

Wiper Democratic Movement Party has the third highest number of MPs behind the ruling Jubilee Party and Odinga’s ODM, sought to raise his stakes in the latest negotiations by unveiling his presidential campaign centre a day to the Mombasa State House meeting.

Four of them in the room have each been at the opposite ends of broken coalition promises that have come to define Kenya’s politics in the run-up to every succession election in the past two decades. In the 2002 presidential succession race, Odinga, Musyoka, Mudavadi and then vice-president George Saitoti were the top aspirants in the ruling party Kanu but were overlooked by former president Daniel Arap Moi, who settled for President Kenyatta as his preferred successor. The Mwai Kibaki succession was equally intriguing, with the then vice-president, Musyoka, being shunted aside to pave the way for President Kenyatta to run as the pro-establishment candidate in the 2013 election.

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka has filed 23,270 charges against 25 people in connection with the deadly 2019 Easter Sunday attacks that killed over 270 people, including 11 Indians, the president's office said. The charges were filed under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) include conspiring to murder, aiding and abetting, collecting arms and ammunition, and attempted murder.

Nine suicide bombers, belonging to local Islamist extremist group National Thawheed Jamaat (NTJ) linked to ISIS, carried out a series of blasts that tore through three churches and as many luxury hotels in Sri Lanka, killing 258 people, including 11 Indians, and injuring over 500 on the Easter Sunday on April 21, 2019. Police have arrested hundreds of suspects in connection with the suicide bombings.

The Attorney General’s Department said that the Chief Justice has been asked to appoint a special high court bench to hear the cases speedily. The Buddhistmajority nation was about to mark a decade since ending a 37-year-long Tamil separatist war in May 2009 when the suicide bombings in 2019 rocked the country.

The attacks caused a political storm as the then government headed by President Maithirpala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was blamed for its inability to prevent the deadly attacks despite the prior intelligence made available on the impending terror strikes. During his tenure, Sirisena formed a presidential panel to probe the attacks.

In its report, the panel said that former president Sirisena and a host of other top defence officials, including former defence secretaries, former IGPs and intelligence chiefs, were guilty of ignoring prior intelligence. The panel report recommended criminal action against them. Both the then-police chief and the top defense bureaucrat were sacked and arrested for their inaction to prevent the attacks. Last month, head of the Catholic church Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith urged the government to take action against Wickremesinghe for his failure as the then prime minister to prevent the attacks.

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Five Indian origin people in the list of America’s richest self-made women WASHINGTON: Five Indian origin people made the 2021 Forbes list of America’s richest self-made women.

The magazine noted that the fortunes of the nation’s richest self-made women soared 31% in the seventh annual ranking to $118 billion, amid a stock market boom.

A record 26 are now billionaires.

The Indian Americans on the list include Neha Narkhede, co-founder and former chief technology officer of Confluent; PepsiCo’s former chair and CEO Indra Nooyi; Neerja Sethi, co-founder of Syntel; Reshma Shetty, cofounder of Gingko Bioworks; and Jayshree Ullal, president and CEO of Arista Networks.

Two-thirds of the 100 individuals founded or cofounded a company, Forbes said, 26 are CEOs and 15 are newcomers. The cutoff to make the ranks climbed to $225 million, up from $150 million last year. Following are the

Indian American women on the list, in order of ranking: Jayshree Ullal, who placed 16th on the list, has been president and CEO of Arista Networks, a computer networking firm, since 2008, with a net worth of $1.7 billion.

She joined the board of directors Snowflake, a cloud of computing company that went public in September 2020. Ullal owns about 5% of Arista's stock, some of which is earmarked for her two children, niece and nephew.

Coming in at the 26th place

is Neerja Sethi, with a net worth of $1 billion. Sethi co-founded IT consulting and outsourcing firm Syntel with her husband Bharat Desai in 1980 in their apartment in Troy, Michigan. The French IT firm Atos SE bought Syntel for $3.4 billion in October 2018, and Sethi got an estimated $510 million for her stake.

Neha Narkhede placed 29th on the Forbes list, with a net worth of $925 million. She is cofounder and former chief technology officer of cloud company Confluent. In 2014 she and two LinkedIn colleagues left

to found Confluent, which helps organizations process large amounts of data on Apache Kafka.

Placing 39th on the list is Reshma Shetty, with a net worth of $750 million. She co-founded Gingko Bioworks, a synthetic biotechnology company, in 2009 with four others, including her husband Barry Canton.

Ginkgo uses data analytics and robotics to speed up the process of discovering and making new organisms. As Covid-19 spread, the company opened its Boston facilities for research into the coronavirus and to ramp up testing for the disease.

PepsiCo’s former chair and CEO Indra Nooyi placed at number 91 on the list, with a net worth of $290 million. She retired in 2019 after 24 years with the company, half of which she spent in the top job. Her fortune stems from stock she was granted while working at PepsiCo. Nooyi joined the board of Amazon in 2019.

Haiti hospitals overflowing with quake victims as death toll hits 1,297 PORT-AU-PRINCE: Haiti's hospitals were swamped on Sunday by thousands of injured residents after a devastating earthquake the day before killed at least 1,297 people as authorities raced to bring doctors to the worst-hit areas before a major storm hits. The 7.2 magnitude quake on Saturday destroyed thousands of homes and buildings in a Caribbean nation which is still clawing its way back from another major temblor 11 years ago and is reeling from the assassination of its president last month.

Southwestern Haiti bore the brunt of the blow, especially in the region in and around the town of Les Cayes. Haiti's Civil Protection Agency said the toll from the disaster had climbed to 1,297 and the hospitals that were

still functioning were struggling to cope as some 5,700 people were injured.

In the northwestern city of Jeremie, another badly hit area, doctors treated injured patients on hospital stretchers underneath trees and on mattresses by the side of the road, as healthcare centers have run out of space. "We do have a serious issue," Jerry Chandler, the head of Haiti's Civil Protection Agency, said. "There are very important facilities that are dysfunctional as we speak and those that are functional are receiving an overflow of patients," he said.

The challenge facing Haiti has been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, a severe economic downturn aggravated by fierce gang violence, and a political crisis that has engulfed

the troubled nation after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise on July 7.

Churches, hotels, hospitals and schools were badly damaged or destroyed, while the walls of a prison were rent open by the violent shudders that convulsed Haiti. Some 13,694 houses were destroyed, the civil protection agency said, suggesting the toll could rise further. In Les Cayes, a seafront town of some 90,000 people, rescuers pulled bodies from the tangled wreckage of one building, as an excavator nearby helped to shift the rubble.

Haiti's Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who flew to visit Les Cayes, praised the dignity shown by people there even in the midst of their suffering. Nearby

countries, including the Dominican Republic and Mexico, rushed to send desperately needed food and medicines by air and across Haiti's land border. Colombia sent search and rescue personnel.

The United States dispatched vital supplies and deployed a 65-person urban search-and-rescue team with specialized equipment, said Samantha Power, the administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Vandals attack construction site of NY gurdwara, paint it with hate messages NEW YORK: Local community leaders, including politicians, expressed support for the Sikh American community after vandals attacked the construction site of a gurdwara being built in New Hyde Park, New York, spray painting it with hate speech and racial slurs.

The attack took place between August 2 and 3, days before the ninth anniversary of a mass shooting at the Oak Creek, Wisconsin gurdwara, when avowed neo-Nazi Wade Michael Page fatally shot six people and wounded four others during Sunday morning prayers. Page then killed himself, in the worst mass shooting the Sikh American community has experienced.

According to police and

local media reports, the vandals climbed up with a can of black spray paint to pepper hate rhetoric on the Darbar Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji New York gurdwara’s roof, windows, and exterior fence. The graffiti included messages of support for former President Donald Trump, and used his campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again.”

The graffiti also read “I love Jesus! Only God!” and “this aint ya trap, s**d n**ger.” It unfathomably also included the message “Hi There.” New York state Senators Kevin Thomas and Todd Kaminsky met with leaders of the gurdwara. “(We) stand in solidarity with the Sikh community who had their Gurdwara vandalized,” said Thomas in a Facebook post.

“This act of hate and intolerance against the Sikh community here in Nassau County is heart breaking. We must always choose love over hate. Their resilient response to these attacks embody the Sikh spirit of Chardi Kala - meaning eternal optimism. We stand with our Sikh brothers and sisters,” the Indian American politician said.

“I visited Darbar Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji New York, which was vandalized last week, with Senator Kevin Thomas to make it clear that we stand with the Sikh community. An attack on one is an attack on us all,” said Kaminsky in a Facebook post.

New Hyde Park village Mayor Chris DeVane said the vandalism was unacceptable.

“Whoever the idiots are responsible for this, the community is going to rally around this. They are not going to succumb to the fear of that situation,” Devane said. The mayor said the village is creating a neighborhood watch group to fight acts of intolerance and make sure everyone in the community feels safe.

“Another set of eyes, another set of ears to go around the temple, to go around the 99 Cent Store, the memorial park, be there for the Road School when the kids get dismissed.

We’re making concerted efforts to incorporate everybody. We’re also making efforts to try to stamp out these type of stupid people trying to doing stupid things,” Devane said.

in brief RUSSIA ASKS BBC JOURNALIST TO LEAVE Russia has asked a BBC journalist working in Moscow to leave the country by the end of this month in retaliation for what it called London’s discrimination against Russian journalists working in the UK, reports the state TV. In an unusual move that signals a further deterioration in already poor ties between London and Moscow, the Rossiya-24 TV channel said that Sarah Rainsford, one of the British broadcaster’s two English-language Moscow correspondents, would be going home in what it called “a symbolic deportation.” The measure, which amounts to a de facto expulsion, follows a crackdown before parliamentary elections in September on Russian-language media at home whom the authorities judge to be backed by malign foreign interests intent on stoking unrest.

Rossiya-24 said Russian authorities had decided against renewing Rainsford’s accreditation to work as a foreign journo.

MALAYSIA'S CABINET LED

BY PM YASSIN RESIGNS Malaysia's prime minister and his government resigned after just 17 months in office, throwing the country into fresh political turmoil as it battles a serious coronavirus outbreak.

Muhyiddin Yassin's tumultuous period in office came to an end after allies withdrew support and a last-ditch bid to cling to power failed, and he becomes the shortest serving premier in Malaysian history. After a final cabinet meeting, the 74-year-old headed to the national palace to submit his resignation to the king. Science Minister Khairy Jamaluddin confirmed on Instagram that the entire cabinet had quit.

"Thank you for the opportunity to, once again, serve the nation," he wrote. There is no clear successor to Muhyiddin but an election looks unlikely as the country faces its worst Covid-19 wave yet and an economic downturn.

SYDNEY RECORDS DEADLIEST DAY OF COVID Australia's biggest city of Sydney recorded its deadliest day of the COVID-19 pandemic on Monday, while residents in Melbourne face a nightly curfew and a further two weeks of lockdown amid a surge in infections. Sydney, which is in its eighth week of lockdown, is the epicentre of Australia's third Covid-19 wave that threatens to push the country's A$2 trillion ($1.5 trillion) economy into its second recession in as many years. New South Wales state Premier Gladys Berejiklian said seven people in Sydney had died from Covid in the past 24 hours, surpassing the state's previous record daily toll from earlier this month. Berejiklian said New South Wales has also detected 478 infections, the highest one-day rise since the pandemic begun. "Our community transmission numbers are disturbingly high," Berejiklian said.

"Every death is a person who has loved ones, who has died in tragic circumstances and our heartfelt condolences to all of those loved ones and families."

IRAN IMPOSES 6-DAY ‘GENERAL LOCKDOWN’ OVER COVID Iran has imposed a six-day-long “general lockdown” in cities across the country after being hit by what it describes as its fifth wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, state media reported. The lockdown includes all bazaars, markets and public offices, as well as movie theaters, gyms and restaurants in all Iranian cities. The lockdown began on Monday and will last through Saturday. The national coronavirus taskforce, which issued the decision, also ordered a travel ban between all Iranian cities from Sunday to Friday. Also on Saturday, Iran reported 466 deaths and 29,700 new cases of coronavirus patients in a single day. That brought the total pandemic death toll to 97,208, and total confirmed cases to 43,89,085.

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GSLV suffers glitch, fails to deliver satellite The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) suffered twin setbacks as its GSLV-F10 rocket developed an anomaly in the cryogenic upper stage (CUS) and failed to deliver the geo-imaging satellite (Gisat-1) in the intended orbit.

The failure of the mission would mean not only the much-anticipated Gisat-1 - officially named earth observation satellite EOS-03 becoming unavailable, but also raises concerns over the reliability of the CUS of GSLVMk2. Isro has been hoping to use this class of rockets more frequently for commercial launches.

A rocket stacks multiple engines one on top of the other and after each stage, the rocket separates from the used-up engines as the next stage takes over. Last week, the third stage,

meant to accelerate EOS-03 into orbit, failed to ignite.

The GSLV-F10 took off from the second launchpad of Sriharikota as scheduled and the core stage burnout happened as planned, propelling the rocket on its intended path. The second stage ignition happened some two minutes into the launch and payload fairing (equipment to protect payload) was confirmed by the mission control a little after four minutes of the launch, as planned.

Tense moments followed the second stage shut-off. While the

mission control was heard announcing the command for CUS ignition, there was no confirmation about it and telemetry screens began showing a deviation in the path at the third stage.

“Performance of the first and second stages was normal.

However, CUS ignition did not happen due to a technical anomaly.

The mission couldn’t be accomplished as intended,” Isro said in a statement, minutes after chairman K Sivan announced the same at Sriharikota. “...The third stage should have ignited and performed, and since that did not function properly, we’ve lost the satellite. We are waiting for data to know the exact reason,” Sivan said. Since the CUS didn’t ignite, the third stage along with the payload didn’t have the required velocity to remain in

space. “It impacted on Andaman sea a few minutes later,” a source said. The CUS was at an altitude of 140km when the anomaly occurred. Isro will set up a failure analysis committee (FAC) to look at the data. Sivan and multiple other scientists said Isro would need at least 24 hours to elaborate on the anomaly.

This was the space agency’s

third attempt at launching the satellite. The first launch was scheduled for March 5, 2020, but was scrubbed minutes before the 26-hour countdown was to begin on March 4, 2020. Isro then planned to launch earlier this year (2021), but it didn’t happen owing to a voltage issue that scientists described as a “minor power problem”.

After Rahul, now Twitter blocks Fracas in RS: Opposition MPs face tough action Cong, its leaders The Congress party claimed that after blocking their former president Rahul Gandhi’s social media account, Twitter has now “locked” the party’s official handle @INCIndia.

Congress social media head Rohan Gupta said the official twitter account of the Congress has been locked.

“Cong official twitter account locked,” tweeted, Gupta said that 5,000 of their party workers and leaders’ accounts have been blocked.

IYC national president Srinivas BV tweeted: “First Rahul Gandhiji’s account, Then Congress Workers account, Then Congress Leaders account, & Now official account of @ INCIndia...Twitter is openly batting as a frontal organization of BJP. Are we still living in India or North

Korea?”

The micro-blogging platform a day ago also blocked Congress general secretary Ajay Maken’s handle. Maken said, “Now my account is locked I have supported Rahul Gandhi against atrocities on Dalits and women...” Congress sources said account of RS

Surjewala, Manickam Tagore and Sushmita Dev too has been locked.

After blocking Rahul’s account, Twitter explained that the account violated Twitter rules.

Immediately @INCIndia had dared the social media site: “...lock our accounts, we challenge you. Nothing will stop us from fighting for justice and exposing the truth”. Over the weekend more blocking followed It started after the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) flagged photos shared by Rahul with a 9year-old rape and murder victim’s parents. BJP alleged that Gandhi has revealed the identity of the victim’s family which is unlawful.

Chandrayaan-2 orbiter finds water molecules on lunar surface Though Chandrayaan-2 mission lander crash-landed on the lunar surface in 2019, its orbiter is deftly doing its job as one of its eight key scientific instruments has detected the “unambiguous presence of hydroxyl and water molecules” on the Moon’s surface. The findings will certainly give a heads-up to Isro, which has scheduled the launch of its next lunar mission, Chandrayaan-3, in 2022.

Indian researchers used the data obtained by the orbiter’s imaging infrared spectrometer (IIRS), meant to collect information from the Moon’s electromagnetic spectrum, to understand the lunar mineral composition.

Three strips on the Moon’s surface were analysed by IIRS sensor for hydration

presence. “The initial data analysis from IIRS clearly demonstrates the presence of widespread lunar hydration and unambiguous detection of OH and H2O (water) signatures on the Moon between 29 degrees north and 62 degrees north latitude,” said the findings of Indian researchers that were recently published in the Current Science journal.

Plagioclase-rich rocks have been found to have higher OH or possibly H2O molecules when compared to mare regions, which were found to have dominance of OH at higher surface temperatures, it said.

The study, authored by scientists including former Isro chairman A S Kiran Kumar from Indian Institute of Remote Sensing

(IIRS) in Dehradun, Ahmedabad-based Space Applications Centre, Bengaluru-based U R Rao Satellite Centre and the Isro, says the new discovery is “significant for future planetary exploration for resource utilisation”, as several international missions, both manned and unmanned, to the Moon are lined up in the next few years.

India’s first moon mission Chandrayaan-1, launched in 2008, had first confirmed the presence of water when an instrument on board it - Moon Mineralogy Mapper or M3 belonging to Nasa’s JPL, first detected widely-distributed hydration signatures across the Moon’s surface using 3m spectral response.

Tough action is being contemplated against opposition MPs named by the Rajya Sabha secretariat in its report on the fracas in the House last week when the general insurance bill was taken up for passage.

Discussions held with officials by Vice-President and Rajya Sabha Chairperson M Venkaiah Naidu have led to the assessment that the pulling and shoving in the House was initiated by a set of opposition MPs determined to approach the officials' table and physically disrupt proceedings.

Naidu is also understood to have conferred with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla over the physical aspect of disruptions during the monsoon session and it was felt that there is need for disciplinary action to

prevent further deterioration in the conduct of MPs in Parliament.

The immediate context, however, remains the incidents in the Upper House when some MPs clambered onto the officials' table and two marshals were injured in the melee.

The Parliament security staff have lodged complaints about the actions of certain MPs that led to injuries to two staffers.

They have also compiled the television coverage of the events from multiple cameras placed inside the House.

The process of the disciplinary action is to be

M Venkaiah Naidu

finalised and the RS secretariat is studying past instances where action was taken against MPs for conduct in the House or for other misdemeanours. On a few occasions, a committee was set to review the matter and submit recommendations, as was the case in the "cash for questions" scam which led to 11 MPs being expelled for the remainder of their terms.

Twitter transfers its India director to US Amidst serious legal and regulatory troubles in India, American microblogging giant Twitter has transferred its India director Manish Maheshwari to San Francisco in a new role and has done away with the post, forming a “leadership council” to run its operations in India. Senior functionaries – Kanika Mittal and Neha Sharma Katyal – will continue to lead the India sales roles and now report to Yu Sasamoto, who is the vicepresident for the company’s Japan, South Korea and Asia-Pacific (JAPAC) region.

Maheshwari, who was leading Twitter’s India operations over the past two years, will now be in-charge of Twitter’s “Revenue Strategy and Operations” for new markets.

This caps a tumultuous tenure in the country where he saw multiple FIRs and police cases being filed against him over a variety of legal issues following the rollout of new IT Rules.

It’s not yet clear whether Maheshwari

can simply walk out of the country to take up the new assignment, or whether he would first need to tackle the legal and IPC cases where he has been named as a along Manish Maheshwari party/accused with Twitter. Asked about the issue, Twitter India refused comment.

Twitter has decided that instead of a country director, a leadership council will guide its operations in India. This council is likely to have personnel such as Mittal (responsible for leading Twitter’s business in north and east India) and Katyal (who heads the western and southern region businesses).

Amongst other senior functionaries, Krishna Iyer – who is the head of channel sales for Twitter India – will now report to global business partners and Mitchell Kreuch, who leads APAC “agency development” function. He is also a likely member of the leadership council.

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Dissent brews in Karnataka cabinet after allocation of portfolios BENGALURU: Karnataka is a living example of the adage that the more things change, the more they remain the same, and so, weeks after BS Yediyurappa resigned as chief minister amidst widespread dissent among the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s legislators, the new chief minister Basavaraj Bommai finds himself hemmed in by dissenting legislators wanting more.

Hours after Tourism Minister Anand Singh closed his office in Hospet in Vijayanagar , presumably indicating his intentions to resign from the cabinet, the chief minister said disgruntlement among some ministers over the portfolio allocation will be resolved smoothly. Singh previously the forests minister, has expressed his displeasure after he was made minister for tourism in the new

Basavaraj Bommai

cabinet. A former Congress lawmaker, he resigned, defected to the BJP in 2019, and sees himself as one of the architects of its climb to power in the state.

“I was the first one to resign from the assembly. After eight days of my resignation, others began resigning. Because of our resignations, the BJP came to power in the State. Party leaders should have allocated a major portfolio to me,” Singh said. The defection of the lawmakers

brought down the CongressJanata Dal (S) government that came to power after the 2018 a s s e m b l y elections.

Last week, Singh visited a temple to offer special prayers, similar to the ones he offered before his resignation from the Congress two years ago. All of this seems to have had the desired effect on the new CM. Later he told reporters that everything would be set right soon. “Anand Singh and I are friends for three decades. We are continuously in touch. Yesterday I spoke to him.

Today also I will speak to him. I am aware of his views, and I too have conveyed my views.

Everything will be set right after he comes and speaks to me.”

Bommai denied that Singh has resigned .

But Singh isn’t the only one.

Commenting on another disgruntled minister MTB Nagaraj, Bommai said he has spoken to him and there is no problem at all. After Bommai succeeded Yediyurappa as the Chief Minister, on August 4, he expanded his cabinet which now has 29 ministers. He retained most of the ministers in the Yediyurappa government, but dropped a few. People familiar with the matter said that apart from the two ministers who have expressed their displeasure, there are others who are unhappy with the cabinet allocations. Then there are the lawmakers unhappy at not finding a place in the cabinet.

PUNJAB

Will teach Pak a lesson if it indulges in misadventure: Punjab CM AMRITSAR: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, on the historic 75th Independence Day of the country, on Sunday vowed to protect the border state against the nefarious designs of Pakistan, even as he pledged to continue fighting with the farmers for the repeal of the Centre’s black farm laws.

Calling for extreme vigil against Pakistan, which continued to try to foment trouble even 75 years after independence, the chief minister asserted that while “we want Punjab, but will not tolerate any aggression or attack on our territory”.

Addressing the people of Punjab after unfurling the national flag, the chief minister declared “we will teach them

(Pakistan) the lesson of their lifetime if they try to be adventurous”. Pointing to the use of drones by the neighbouring country to smuggle arms and drugs into the state, Capt Amarinder warned that Pakistan would not leave any opportunity to take advantage of any vulnerability in Punjab.

Stressing the need to ensure peace in the state to promote the development of industry and the progress of its people, the chief minister said his government would not tolerate any threat, including those from gangsters and terrorists.

“We will deal with them squarely,” he pledged, adding that “any threat to Punjab

would be a danger to our entire nation”.

He disclosed that since his government took over, 47 Pakistani terrorist modules and 347 modules of gangsters had been neutralized, including some key gangsters who had been deported from Amarinder Singh Armenia, UAE and other countries, with more minister. He said he demanded awaiting deportation. the repeal of the farm laws, Later, interacting which were anti-farmer and informally with some mediaagainst the spirit of the persons, the chief minister Constitution. He made it clear expressed concern about the that he would continue to fight continuing agitation of the with the farmers for the farmers and said he had raised revocation of these legislations, the issue recently during his and would not let the sacrifices meetings with the prime of those who had lost their lives minister and the Union home in this struggle go in vain.

WEST BENGAL

Bengal's BJP leaders detained for protesting on 'Khela Hobe Diwas' KOLKATA: West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh, Leader of Opposition in the assembly Suvendu Adhikari and state BJP Yuva Morcha president Soumitra Khan along with a number of party activists were detained by the police in the city on Monday for holding protests on TMC's 'Khela Hobe Diwas'.

The BJP leaders and workers were protesting against the alleged attacks on saffron camp members by the TMC since the assembly poll as part of the saffron party's 'Poschim Bongo Bachao Diwas' programme to counter the 'Khela Hobe Diwas'.

After Khan and BJP leaders Kalyan Choubey and Mina Devi Purohit were detained for assembling at Rani Rasmoni Avenue in the heart of the city, Ghosh and Adhikari sat on a dharna at the foot of the statue of Mahatma Gandhi on nearby Mayo Road. Soon they were taken into preventive detention

by the police citing the Disaster Management Act which is in place due to the prevailing coronavirus situation.

"TMC is deliberately creating trouble in Tripura and talking about attack on democracy in that state. What is it doing here? Not allowing us to carry on our peaceful protests," Ghosh said before he was arrested. Senior BJP leader Debasree Choudhury was also detained for refusing to leave

the venue, where hundreds of police personnel were present.

The BJP leaders were all taken to the Lalbazar Kolkata Police headquarters and allowed to go on P R bond. While the BJP claimed that it leaders and activists were arrested, a senior Kolkata Police officer said over 50 BJP activists, including few leaders of the party, were taken to preventive custody for assembling at Rani Rasmoni Avenue and Mayo Road in

violation of the Disaster Management Act. BJP state spokesman Shamik Bhattacharya claimed that a state unit president of the party, the leader of opposition and a former union minister (Debasree Choudhury) were arrested for their peaceful democratic protest. "This shows how intolerant the Mamata Banerjee government is about a non-violent protest. It is scared," he added. BJP state vicepresident Jaiprakash Majumdar alleged that hundreds of TMC workers were assembling in different parts of West Bengal for its 'Khela Hobe Divas' programme but no provision of the Disaster Management Act is applied against them.

TMC MP Sougata Roy said he will not comment on the police action but anyone found flouting the Disaster Management Act can be arrested by the force if it deemed so.

in brief HC STAYS KERALA’S PROBE AGAINST ED The Kerala high court last week stayed the appointment of a judicial commission by the state government to probe whether Enforcement Directorate officials pressured any of the accused in the gold smuggling case to implicate chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Justice P B Suresh Kumar stayed the May 7 notification appointing the commission of inquiry in response to a petition filed by the ED. The judge observed that a parallel inquiry against a central agency would affect the ongoing probe into the use of diplomatic channels to smuggle gold and aid the accused. He said the court would hear the case in detail later. The high court had earlier quashed FIRs registered by the state police.

The stay on a judicial commission to investigate the ED's handling of the case is seen as a setback for the LDF government, which has all along attributed political motives to the gold smuggling probe.

TN GOVT PRESENTS EXCLUSIVE FARM BUDGET In sync with its poll promise, the DMK government presented a budget in the Tamil Nadu Assembly exclusively for agriculture featuring schemes for the overall development of the farm sector, including one for self-sufficiency and farm growth in villages. Presenting the budget, Minister for agriculture and farmer's welfare, MRK Panneerselvam said the views of farmers and experts were sought and the budget was prepared based on their views. "The agriculture budget is the aspiration of farmers. It is a dream of nature lovers." This is the first time a separate budget for agriculture is presented in Tamil Nadu.

During 2021-22, £3.42 is provided for agriculture and related departments like animal husbandry, fisheries, dairy development, irrigation, rural development, sericulture and forest, he said.

VACCINATION OR NEGATIVE COVID REPORT A MUST TO ENTER PUNJAB Only those who are fully vaccinated against coronavirus or have a negative RT-PCR test report will be allowed to enter Punjab, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said. People coming from neighbouring Himachal Pradesh and Jammu will be strictly monitored. In schools and colleges in Punjab, only fully vaccinated teaching and non-teaching staff, or those recently recovered from Covid-19, can physically be present to teach even as online classes remain an option for students.

Amarinder also wants teachers and nonteaching staff to be prioritised for vaccination, with special camps. The state's health minister, meanwhile, pitched reducing the gap between the two doses to prioritise second dose for teachers and other school staff.

COURT ADJOURNS HEARING ON MAMATA'S PLEA The Calcutta High Court adjourned hearing of a petition moved by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, challenging the assembly poll results in Nandigram, till November 15.Suvendu Adhikari's lawyers submitted before the court of Justice Shampa Sarkar that the legislator has approached the Supreme Court seeking transfer of the case from West Bengal. In keeping with the respondent's prayer, Justice Sarkar directed that the matter will be taken up on November 15. Counsels representing Mamata, who has challenged the election of Suvendu from Nandigram, submitted before the court that Rs 500,000 fine imposed by Justice Kaushik Chanda while recusing himself from hearing the case has been deposited before the appropriate forum as directed.

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21 - 27 August 2021

Mallya's Kingfisher house sold for £5.22 mn in ninth attempt Businessman Vijay Mallya’s Kingfisher House at Vile Parle in Mumbai was finally sold to Hyderabad based Saturn Realtors for £5.22 million in the ninth attempt by the Debt Recovery Tribunal. Kingfisher House was once the headquarters of the now defunct Kingfisher Airlines owned by Mallya, who is accused of fraud and money laundering allegedly amounting to around £900 million.

Saturn Realtors paid £260,120 as stamp duty to Maharashtra government for this deal. The deal was registered on July 31 last month.

This 2401.70 square metres property outside the Mumbai airport has been up for grabs since 2016.

The Debt Recovery Tribunal, Bengaluru sold this house - after failing in the previous eight attempts - at a fraction of the initial reserve price of £13.5 million.

Pankaj Kapoor, managing

director, Liases Foras, a real estate research firm attributed the reduced rates to its location and market condition. “There is not much development potential in this plot due to height restrictions as it is close to the airport. In addition, market conditions are bad...,”said Kapoor.

Airlines was Kingfisher grounded on October 20, 2012, after it plunged into a financial crisis. Mallya is accused of fraud and

money laundering involving Kingfisher Airlines and was declared a fugitive economic offender for defaulting on loans

and for allegedly defrauding banks.

Mallya fled to the United Kingdom and has been fighting on multiple fronts to avoid extradi-

tion to India. He has been on bail in the UK on an extradition warrant since his arrest in April 2019.

Earlier in June, the special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court ruled that properties worth £564.65 million, belonging to Kingfisher Airlines and Vijay Mallya should be restored to State Bank of India (SBI) and its consortium, enabling its sale to recover part of the £620.3 million dues owed by Mallya and his now defunct-company.

These included properties in UB City, Bengaluru worth £71.29 million, under construction flats in Kingfisher tower worth £56.42 million, several pledged and unpledged shares and many other properties owned by Mallya through various companies in Bengaluru.

India won't recognize any Violence in Meghalaya, CM’s Afghanistan govt imposed by force home attacked Qatar, which hosted meetings over the last few days to assess progress in intraAfghan negotiations, announced that all participants had “reaffirmed that they will not recognise any government in Afghanistan that is imposed through the use of military force”. This is contrary to reports that China was looking to recognise the Taliban after it takes over Kabul.

Qatar held a meeting on August 10 with the US, UK, EU, China, Uzbekistan, Pakistan and the UN in Doha and followed it up with another meeting separately on August 12 with representatives of India, Germany, Norway, Tajikistan, Turkey, and Turkmenistan.

According to the Qatar foreign ministry, all participants in both meetings urged the Afghan government and the Taliban to take steps to build trust and accelerate efforts to reach a political settlement and comprehensive ceasefire as

quickly as possible.

They also took note of statements by both sides on the “guiding principles” for a political settlement that included a commitment not allow any individual or groups to use the soil of Afghanistan “to threaten the security of other countries”. This has been one of India’s primary concerns.

Among the other principles were inclusive governance, respect for human rights, including the rights of women and minorities, a mechanism to deliver a representative government and

respect for international law, including international humanitarian law.

The participants also raised “grave concerns” about reports from across Afghanistan about large numbers of civilian casualties and extra-judicial killings, as also “widespread and credible allegations of human rights violations, all attacks (ground and air) against provincial capitals and cities, and the destruction of physical infrastructure that perpetuate conflict and make reconciliation efforts more difficult”.

Unidentified miscreants lobbed a petrol bomb on Sunday night at the residence of Meghalaya chief minister Conrad K Sangma, soon after state home minister Lahkmen Rymbui resigned amid violence in Shillong over the police shooting of a former militant.

Cheristerfield Thangkhiew, a selfstyled general secretary of the banned Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council who surrendered in 2018, was shot dead on August 13 when he allegedly tried to attack a police team with a knife during a raid at his house in connection with a series of IED blasts in the state. Police said they have evidence that Thangkhiew masterminded the blasts after his surrender.

The killing sparked vandalism and arson in the state capital, prompting

the Meghalaya government to impose a curfew in Shillong and ban mobile internet services in at least four districts. Hours later vehicle-borne attackers lobbed two Molotov cocktail bottles at the premises of Sangma’s personal residence at Third Mile in Upper Shillong, police said.

The first bottle was lobbed at the front portion of the house while the second was thrown behind

the backyard, he said, prompting the guards there to douse the fire immediately. No one was injured in the incident, according to a senior district police officer.

Rymbui, who sent his resignation via a letter to the CM, urged Sangma to institute a judicial inquiry into Thangkhiew’s shooting. Rymbui said his United Democratic Party also backed the decision to step down.

No proper debate in Parliament, 'sorry state of affairs': Chief Justice Chief Justice of India NV Ramana criticised the functioning of parliament in strong terms, focussing on the lack of debates on the laws. Comparing it with earlier times when both houses of parliament were "full of lawyers", he asked the legal fraternity to also contribute their time towards public service.

Calling the current situation "a sorry state of affairs", he said there is "No proper debate" in the house. "(There is) no clarity of laws. We do not know what the purpose of the law is. It is a loss to the public. This is when lawyers and intellectuals are not in the Houses," he added. "If we look at our freedom fighters, many of them were also in the legal fraternity. The first members of the Lok Sabha and

Rajya Sabha were filled with lawyers' community," Chief Justice Ramana said at an event to mark the Independence Day at the Supreme Court.

"Unfortunate what you see now in the Houses...

Debates back then in the Houses were very constructive. I saw the debates over financial bills and very constructive points were made.

Laws were discussed and deliberated. One had a clear picture of the legislative part of the law," he said.

In a series of tweets, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju blamed the opposition for the lack of debates and discussions in parliament. "I can understand the deep concern of the Hon'ble Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramanna about the lack of quality debate in

Parliament. When I first entered Parliament, I learnt a lot from the seniors. Now, young MPs are being told to stop Parliament debate!," tweeted the Union Minister.

What's more shocking is that there are chestthumping by opposition MPs who openly boasted that they had blocked & stopped Parliament Session.

They behaved very rudely, resorted to physical force and used unparliamentary language, degrading the status of 'Temple of Democracy'. While the monsoon session of parliament started amid furore over the Pegasus spyware scam, the government had decided to push through several bills despite the disruptions. The opposition, which had been demanding

a discussion on the allegations of spyware use on politicians, journalists and others, pointed out that the bills were passed without any discussion.

Trinamool Congress's Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien compared it to "making papri chaat", pointing out that the government was allotting only seven minutes to a bill on an average. The remark had become another flashpoint between the government and the opposition. "No bills passed in first week of monsoon session... Then Modi-Shah bulldozed 22 bills in 8 days at an average time of under 10 minutes per Bill... Modiji, challenge these new numbers as I enjoy another plate of papri chaat!" O'Brien's tweet read. President Ram Nath

N V Ramana

Kovind alluded to the situation in parliament, saying "Our parliament is the temple of our democracy which provides us highest forum where we discuss, debate and decide issues for the well-being of our people".

As the country celebrated its 75th Independence Day, Chief Justice Ramana also said It was a time to

"review" the policies and achievements.

"75 years is not a small period in a country's history. When we used to go to school they used to give us piece of jaggery and a small flag. Even though today we get so much we are not happy. Our saturation levels have reached the bottom," he said.

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PM Modi seeks efforts of all to build a self-reliant India Calling on the Indians to rededicate themselves to unfinished tasks, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday there is a need to “hand hold” sections that are lagging and set the goal of “saturation” or 100% coverage of beneficiaries of schemes such as banking accounts for the poor, health cover under Ayushman Bharat and Ujjwala.

In his eighth Independence Day address, PM Modi spoke of the Centre’s decision to implement OBC reservations in all-India quota in medical seats in the context of the need to ensure equity. “We need to provide hand holding to the backward categories... along with the concern of fulfilling basic needs, reservation is being ensured for Dalits, backward classes, adivasis and poor from general category,” he said. “By formulating a law in Parliament, the right to make their own list of OBCs has been given to states.”

PM Modi called for efforts to ensure amenities reach each household, referring to plans like “har ghar jal” that has delivered tap

Narendra Modi

water to over 45 million households.

Preparations on to hold J&K polls There comes a time in the development journey of every country when the country redefines itself afresh and pushes forward with new resolutions,” he said as he promised that there will be no shortfall in political will to grasp the moment and achieve developmental goals, adding “sabka prayas (efforts of all)” to the slogan “Sab ka saath, sab ka vikas, Sab ka vishwas”. At the start of his

speech, he called for a round of applause for the Indian Olympic contingent, saying they represent the potential of India’s youth and a can-do spirit.

He similarly praised Corona warriors, saying the nation owes them a big debt and, in a rebuttal of criticism of the vaccination programme, he said India was one of few countries to have its own shots. “Think what would have happened if we did not have our own vaccines,” he said.

PM Modi said the goal of ‘amrit

kaal’ in the next 25 years to the centenary of Independence is to ascend to new heights of prosperity, to create an India where modern infrastructure ensures villages and cities are not divided on the basis of facilities and government does not interfere needlessly in the lives of citizens.

The eastern India, northeast region, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and the entire Himalayan region as well as the coastal belt will be crucial for the development of India in future, PM Modi said, indicating that development deficits in these regions are being addressed.

PM Modi highlighted the abrogation of Article 370 along with the “peaceful” resolution of the Ramjanmabhoomi dispute as major achievements. “The spirit of the democracy is to ensure equal opportunity to everyone’s capabilities. The development is reflecting at ground level be it J&K. The delimitation commission in J&K has been constituted and preparations are on to hold the assembly polls soon.” He said

Ladakh is also marching to realising exponential growth.

The prime minister called for a collective approach for the “next generation infrastructure”, world class manufacturing, cutting-edge and new-age innovation technology. In the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative, he said, “Country’s manufacturers should understand that their each product is brand ambassador of India.” The Corona crisis has witnessed emergence of thousands of startups that are working successfully.

The Prime Minister spoke about the new education policy, which, he said, has been drafted to make it a tool to fight against poverty. “Sports is now mainstream education and no more an extracurricular activity.” He also pointed to the decision to enrol girls in Sainik Schools.

Prime minister Modi also made a brief reference to terrorism and border disputes without naming any country, saying “India is battling both the challenges impeccably and responding to them with immense courage”.

Govt denies Pegasus charge, open to Aug 14 will be observed as Partition inquiry by SC panel Horrors Remembrance Day: PM Modi The government denied allegations levelled against it in the Pegasus controversy and said it is open to the Supreme Court appointing a technical committee, comprising neutral and independent experts, to inquire into all aspects of the case - whether the spyware was purchased by the Centre, and, if so, which of its agencies used it and for what purpose.

Solicitor general Tushar Mehta made this offer on behalf of the Union government to a bench of Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justices Surya Kant and Aniruddha Bose shortly after senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for some of the 10 PIL petitioners, dismissed the Centre's two-page affidavit denying illegal snooping A as an eyewash.

Technical panel has limitations: SC The SC said a technical panel has certain limitations as it can go into the issue whether the phones were infiltrated by Pegasus but no further. “How will a technical committee examine whether permissions by authorities were given for interception of telephones, whether procedures established by law were adhered to or not and who purchased the software? Experts can go into the angle of whether a particular software was used or not in the phones. Other issues about permissions and sanctions, procurement, which agencies did this, private or state, has to be examined by

somebody. Who will examine that,” it asked.

Mehta responded: “The committee can be authorised by the Supreme Court to go into all issues.

The government has nothing to hide. The committee can comprise neutral and independent experts and authorised by the court to go into all issues. The government has no difficulty in agreeing to this. The Supreme Court using its powers under Article 32 of the Constitution can decide whatever will be the terms of reference for the committee. The committee then will be carrying the mandate from the Supreme Court to go into all issues.” Earlier in the day, the Centre filed an affidavit by an additional secretary, in the ministry of electronics and information technology, who “unequivocally denied” the allegations made in the PILs and said, “A bare perusal of the captioned petition and other connected petitions makes it clear that the same are based on conjectures and surmises or on other unsubstantiated media reports or incomplete or uncorroborated material. It is submitted that the same cannot be the basis for invoking the writ jurisdiction of the SC.” It added, “With a view to dispel any wrong narrative spread by certain vested interests and with an object of examining the issues raised, the Union government will constitute a Committee of Experts in the field which will go into all aspects of the issue.”

India slams Pak after Maharaja Ranjit Singh's statue vandalised in Lahore India slammed Pakistan after a statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh was vandalised in Lahore, saying Islamabad has completely failed in its duty to prevent such attacks which are creating a "climate of fear" among the minority communities. Incidents of violence against minority communities, including attacks on their places of worship, their cultural heritage, as well as their private property, are increasing at an "alarming rate" in Pakistan, Ministry OF External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.

"We have seen disturbing reports in the media about the vandalisation of the statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in Lahore on Tuesday. This is the third such incident where the statue has been vandalised, since it

was unveiled in 2019," he said responding to media queries regarding the vandalisation.

"Such attacks on the cultural heritage of minority communities in Pakistan highlight the growing intolerance and lack of respect for minority communities in Pakistani society," he said. The MEA spokesperson also referred to an attack on a place of worship of the minority community a few days ago in Pakistan's Rahim Yar Khan.

"It was only 12 days ago that a mob attacked and desecrated a Hindu temple in Rahim Yar Khan in Pakistan," he said. "The Pakistani state has completely failed in its duty to prevent such attacks," Bagchi said, adding, "This is creating a climate of fear for the minority communities to practice their faith."

A day before he addresses the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on India’s Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared that August 14 will be observed as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day. Pakistan celebrates August 14 as its Independence Day. “Partition's pains can never be forgotten.

Millions of our sisters and brothers were displaced and many lost their lives due to mindless hate and violence. In memory of the struggles and sacrifices of our people, 14th August will be observed as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day," Modi tweeted.

In a subsequent tweet, he said lessons should be drawn from the violence that erupted during Partition to further enhance harmony and human empowerment. “May the #PartitionHorrorsRemembranceDay keep reminding us of the need to remove the poison of social divisions, disharmony and further strengthen the spirit of oneness, social harmony and human empowerment."

Commenting on the decision to observe August 14 as Partition Horrors

Remembrance Day, Vijay Chauthaiwale, in charge of the foreign affairs department of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said it is time to acknowledge the horrors of Partition and the violence that ensued after India and Pakistan were carved out as two countries in 1947.

“This is a long-overdue recognition that Partition resulted in violence, displacement of millions of people, incidents of killing and rape of those who came from the present-day Pakistan. The stories are still vivid and observing this day is a recognition of their sacrifices. Partition was a tragic part of history and the violence that followed it as well. PM Modi has shown tremendous courage by acknowledging the same,” Chauthaiwale said.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has been observing August 14 as the Akhand Bharat Divas or Unified India Day. On several occasions, its top leaders have made a case for the reunification of Akhand Bharat, including parts that got separated from India such as Afghanistan and Pakistan but not through coercion.

OBITUARY authored on diverse subjects including Laws relating to Terrorism, Dr Ambedkar Rediscovered, Bombs & Explosives, IT Laws & Cyber Crime, Rajasthan Police History, poetry and prose on life amongst others.

Dr P N Rachhoya We are saddened to inform the untimely demise of Dr PN Rachhoya, Indian Police Service (IPS 1972 batch) former Additional DGP of Rajasthan State Police and senior advocate of the Rajasthan High Court on 12 August 2021. He was 75 years of age. Dr Rachhoya was cremated with full Police state honours and a 21 gun salute.

During his 33 years of distinguished service he held various positions in the district police and was awarded the 'Indian Police Medal for Meritorious Services' by the Honorable President of India in 2002. Dr Rachhoya was not only a lionhearted leader and social reformer but also a prolific reader, writer, thinker and public speaker. He was a unique scholar in uniform who has left behind a legacy of 30 plus books

Dr Rachhoya visited London in 2019 and was facilitated by several organizations including the Indian High Commission, UK Ambedkar Society and the spiritual leaders of the Buddhist monastery.

Dr P N Rachhoya is a father in law of our consulting Editor Jyotsnaben Shah’s daughter Hema Manish Rachhoya.

On behalf of Jyotsna D R Shah family and ABPL group, we tribute to Mr Rachhoya. May his soul rest in peace. We wish to convey our sincere condolences to the Rachhoya family.

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5 foods to control your blood sugar levels Diabetes is a permanent battle once diagnosed. It is important to keep one’s blood sugar levels in check or it can increase your risk of cardiac problems, stroke, kidney diseases, blindness, etc. Some of the symptoms include frequent urination, fatigue, thirst, constant hunger, facing vision problems or wounds taking time to heal.

Once diagnosed with diabetes, you should also consume foods that naturally control your blood glucose levels along with taking prescribed medication. In this article we share some of the best herbs, spices, vegetables, and fruits that will work wonders on your energy levels.

Bitter Gourd This vegetable is commonly referred to as an ‘anti-Diabetes’ vegetable. It charatin and has momordicin which help in reducing blood sugar levels in diabetics. The best way is to make juice out of it and consume it in the morning.

You can add lemon juice or sprinkle some salt and pepper to season it.

Neem An age-old herb that has various uses including skin purification, and detoxification. Neem has chemicals called flavonoids, glycosides, and triterpenoids which help suppress glucose surge. Take it twice in the form of powder, by adding it to water or your meals.

Ginger One of the most effective roots in regulating insulin secretion. You can have ginger in your tea, or milk. It should be mostly raw during consumption. You could also consume dry ginger powder.

Fenugreek It helps to improve glucose tolerance in the body,

and is high in soluble fibre. It helps control blood sugar level by slowing digestion and absorption of carbohydrates.

Cinnamon A wonderful spice that triggers insulin activity and increases insulin sensitivity which means it increases your body’s ability to use insulin effectively.

Vitamin K rich food lowers chances of heart disease A new study has found that consuming a diet rich in Vitamin K can lower the risk of atherosclerosis-related cardiovascular disease.

Findings of the study were published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. Researchers examined data from over 50,000 people taking part in the Danish Diet, Cancer, and Health study over a 23year period.

They investigated whether people who ate more foods containing vitamin K had a lower risk of cardiovascular disease-related to atherosclerosis. There are two types of vitamin K found in foods we eat: vitamin K1 comes primarily from green leafy vegetables and vegetable oils while vitamin K2 is found in meat, eggs and fermented foods such as cheese.

The study found that people with the highest intakes of vitamin K1 were 21 per cent less likely to be hospitalised with cardiovascular disease related to atherosclerosis. For vitamin K2, the risk of being hospitalised was 14 per cent lower. This lower risk was

seen for all types of heart disease related to atherosclerosis, particularly for peripheral artery disease at 34 per cent.

ECU researcher and senior author on the study Dr Nicola Bondonno said the findings suggested that consuming more vitamin K may be important for protection against atherosclerosis and subsequent cardiovascular disease. "Current dietary guidelines for the consumption of vitamin K are generally only based on the amount of vitamin K1 a person should consume to ensure that their blood can coagulate. However, there is growing evidence that intakes of vitamin K above the current guidelines can

afford further protection against the development of other diseases, such as atherosclerosis," Dr Bondonno said.

"Although more research is needed to fully understand the process, we believe that vitamin K works by protecting against the calcium build-up in the major arteries of the body leading to vascular calcification," they explained.

University of Western Australia researcher Dr Jamie Bellinge, the first author on the study, said the role of vitamin K in cardiovascular health and particularly in vascular calcification is an area of research offering promising hope for the future.

"Cardiovascular disease remains a leading cause of death in Australia and there's still a limited understanding of the importance of different vitamins found in food and their effect on heart attacks, strokes and peripheral artery disease," Dr Bellinge said. “These findings shed light on the potentially important effect that vitamin K has on the killer disease and reinforces the importance of a healthy diet in preventing it," they concluded.

Dr Bondonno said that while databases on the vitamin K1 content of foods are very comprehensive, there is currently much less data on the vitamin K2 content of foods. Furthermore, there are 10 forms of vitamin K2 found in our diet and each of these may be absorbed and act differently within our bodies.

"The next phase of the research will involve developing and improving databases on the vitamin K2 content of foods. More research into the different dietary sources and effects of different types of vitamin K2 is a priority," she said.

Fasting may help contain some infections There is some question whether the old saying “feed a cold, starve a fever” has much medical validity. Still, it is certainly the case that loss of appetite is one of the ways the body responds to infection. While depriving the body of nutrition as it fights off a pathogen may seem unintuitive, a new mouse study from the University of British Columbia (UBC), Canada, finds fasting may help a body keep enteric - referring to intestinal - infections under control.

The study finds that fasting prevents Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, a leading cause of gastroenteritis in humans, from causing inflammation or tissue damage. The researchers observed similar results with another bacterium, Campylobacter jejuni, suggesting that the study’s conclusions may also apply to other enteric infections.

The study’s senior author Dr. Bruce Vallance said that since previous research on fasting and infection was

inconclusive, he and his colleagues hoped to help resolve the question, even if it turned out that fasting helped bacteria thrive: “This too would be important to know, as therapeutic fasting is becoming more popular for patients with chronic autoimmune or auto-inflammatory diseases. “Of course,” he added, “we would want to know if a therapeutic fast would render the patients more susceptible to infections.”

The value of fasting The researchers began by treating mice with the antibiotic streptomycin.

Previous studies have shown that the antibiotic kills off certain key protective bacteria, helping Salmonella overcome microbiota-based colonization resistance. This creates an environment in which Salmonella can readily expand and cause gastroenteritis.

Researchers fed Salmonella Typhimurium to a group of mice that had been fasting for 24 hours, and also

to a group that they fed normally.

These rodents can safely fast for up to 48 hours.

After an additional 24 hours, the scientists examined the mice to determine the state of their Salmonella Typhimurium infections. In the fed mice, the infection had expanded through the intestine and invaded the intestinal wall, causing tissue damage.

In contrast, the researchers found almost no Salmonella Typhimurium in 40% of the fasted mice. In the remaining 60%, the bacteria had expanded through the intestine, although it had done little damage. All the fasted mice exhibited minimal inflammation or tissue damage.

When the team resumed the fasted mice’s normal eating regimen, their Salmonella infections regained their ability to proliferate through the intestine. However, the scientists again observed minimal inflammation or tissue damage.

Most children diagnosed with ADHD don’t outgrow disorder Findings of a new study suggest that most children diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) don’t outgrow the disorder. It manifests in adult life in different ways and has its ups and downs throughout their lifetime. The research was published in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

Lead researcher Margaret Sibley, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioural sciences at the University of Washington School of Medicine and a researcher at Seattle Children’s Research Institute said, “It’s important for people diagnosed with ADHD to understand that it’s normal to have times in your life where things may be more unmanageable and other times when things feel more under control.”

Study authors from 16 institutions in the United States, Canada, and Brazil said decades of research characterise ADHD as a neurobiological disorder typically first detected in childhood that persists into adulthood in approximately 50 per cent of cases.

“Although intermittent periods of remission can be expected in most cases, 90% of children with ADHD in the Multimodal Treatment Study of ADHD continued to experience residual symptoms into young adulthood,” they wrote. ADHD is characterized by two main clusters of symptoms, according to researchers. The inattentive symptoms look like disorganization, forgetfulness, and having trouble staying on task. Then there are also the hyperactive, impulsive symptoms.

These symptoms in children look like they have a lot of energy. In adults, it manifests more as verbal impulsivity, difficulty with decision-making, and not thinking before acting.

The study followed a group of 558 children with ADHD for 16 years - from 8-year old to 25 year old. The cohort had eight assessments, every two years, to determine whether they had symptoms of ADHD. The researchers also asked their family members and teachers about their symptoms.

Sibley said the belief that 50 per cent of children outgrow ADHD was first put forward in the mid-1990s. Most studies, she said, only re-connected with the kids one time in adulthood. So, researchers didn't get to see that the ADHD that they thought had gone away actually does come back.

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Institutional racism in Britain a direct result of ill-informed colonial mindsets

Q

- How can people of colour get through higher ranks, better-paid jobs and also equal chances in the creative community, withstanding that the change we need in terms of cultural tolerance is still a distant dream?

I think the only way for people of colour to succeed into higher ranks or what you may call better-paid jobs are to self organise and create our own paths - it was certainly the reason I decided to buy my floating hotel, Boatel Birmingham and to run it as a Social Enterprise. As a migrant community, we often find ourselves at the lower end of the socioeconomic scale so we have to get clever and there is power in numbers. There is a lot of funding out there for communities like ours up and down the country, it’s now time to rightfully claim what is ours so we can collectively and authentically rise as a community.

in brief HUBHOPPER STUDIO RELEASES #BOLOAZADI, CELEBRATING THE VOICES OF INDEPENDENCE

Q

Saima Razzaq

Shefali Saxena Saima Razzaq is the first Queer Muslim woman to lead a Pride Parade in Britain and was recently appointed Head of Diversity and Inclusion by Birmingham Pride.

An ex-BBC producer, Saima also runs her not-for-profit floating hotel; Boatel Birmingham with which she hopes to diversify the city’s waterways. In an exclusive

interview with Asian Voice, she speaks about diversity and inclusion, the LGBTQ community and South Asian culture.

Q

- How would you describe diversity and inclusion such that the brown community understands it?

Diversity and Inclusion policy ensures that those least privileged in society are equally represented and respected. This includes equality of race, gender, sexuality, disability and/or faith.

Sneaker Culture Q Did you know that sneaker culture and sneaker privilege are actually real things?

There’s a huge market (mostly under wraps) that produces customised sneakers across the world. Indian celebrities like Diljit Dosanjh, Badshah and Karan Johar as well as A-list Bollywood men are some of the prime customers who chase dealers that produce sneakers for big brands like Balenciaga, Addidas and Nike among many others which are customised, rare and unimaginably expensive. Higher the cost, rarer the piece and more insane the demand.

In a recent article for BBC Culture, Ligaya Salazar, the curator of Sneakers Unboxed said, "There is a term increasingly used in sneaker culture that describes this perfectly: sneaker privilege.

This privilege isn't only to do with how rich you are, but also your own status within the industry. Online raffles should have made it more democratic, but there's a big debate around people designing bots to hack the raffles and some sneakers not being fully distributed, so it is often still about who you know. However, if you are able to see through the 'hype' and aren't in it to make money off reselling limited editions, there are a lot of interesting sneakers out there for every taste and identity. But it is definitely a very 'coded' world, where people judge you from your feet up."

- Do you think blatant institutional racism and insensitive/under-informed remarks on the people of colour by white people in the UK is because they've not studied British colonial history in detail at school? What according to you should be the immediate measure to tackle this?

I think the institutional racism that exists across Britain is a direct result of illinformed colonial mindsets that ultimately stems from the fact our education system does not educate young people on British Colonial History. Reform to decolonise the British curriculum is long overdue, however, I’m not sure what hope we have with a government that seems to put more importance on the teaching of Latin in a bid to level up than deal with real issues they need to be tackling in modern Britain.

- As someone who runs a non-profit and helps people across sections to build confidence and skills, what is the biggest change you've observed during the pandemic?

Our communities have always been great self-organisers, whether that’s coming together to organise places of worship or to create essential amenities with little funds.

The pandemic has highlighted this on a national scale where we’ve seen mosques and temples turned in vaccination facilities, while this government continually plays a game of Russian roulette for the sake of our most hard-hit communities. We collectively continue to mourn so many and I think it’s really important for those people that we’ve lost that we continue to fight for justice, united against our struggle against all the oppressions we face.

Q

- How can the LGBTQ community be empowered and most importantly, where do we need to start in terms of creating a conducive atmosphere among people of colour to move over any kind of phobias and misinformation related to genders? I ask this because we're still far away from developing an attitude of acceptance and tolerance.

I think our communities are only a product of this heteronormative society we live in and it’s important that we have these conversations from within - with those who understand the nuances of our community. I never thought in my lifetime I’d see the words LGBT being mentioned across South Asian households, yet in Birmingham, the plague that was anti-LGBT protests outside some schools really helped open up this topic for discussion. As a community we face so much oppression because of the colour of our skin and/or faith, so we must understand that the struggle of oppression is united. Just as we fight for racism and Islamophobia, we must also stand up against homophobia and transphobia – there’s no pick an mix option to equality, equality is not a bag of farfar!

Author Nikesh Shukla announces new Novel Writing Scholarship Announcing the scholarship he wrote: “I’ve something for your community as well. I created a scholarship at Faber Academy. I was lucky, in the last year, to sign two book have paid the price of a place on my contracts, one for a creative writing daytime Writing A Novel course book out next year, and one for and added a £250 stipend to something that’ll be help towards travel and other announced soonish. So, I materials for a writer of wanted to do something for colour from a low-income my community. background.

“The deadline is 31st August 2021.

Get “The reason for doing applying. It’s not too this is to try and do a little onerous a form to fill in, bit to help people access and there’s no monitoring these courses, which are form. I trust you. If you feel helpful to your writing like the criteria apply to you, career. These courses offer please apply. peer support, technical help, Nikesh Shukla “I know this is a drop in the workshopping of your work, a ocean, one place on one course, community and advice and mentorship especially given the week publishing has from me. I know the cost is a barrier, which had. But it’s something. I hope it helps.” is why I’m funding this scholarship.

For more information, please subscribe “My mum always said that in times of to nikesh.substack.com. good fortune, it’s important to do

India’s largest podcasting platform Hubhopper Studio has released #BoloAzadi.

A playlist featuring podcasts that highlight independence in any form and celebrating India’s 75th Independence day on August 15, 2021. As India’s largest podcasting platform, Hubhopper Studio is giving a voice to creators across India and has supported Indian podcasters and brands in sharing their stories on a global scale with over a million hours of content consumed monthly.

For Independence Day 2021, Hubhopper has launched a specially curated playlist, celebrating the spirit of Independence #BoloAzadi. The playlist features 15 great podcast episodes that celebrate independence in any form. From the Anish Gawande podcast which asks what it is like to be gay on a campaign trail in India; Aranya Johar discussing what makes people feel liberated on Popkast with Garima; to The Political Wire discussing the freedoms needed to speak your own mother tongue.

ART TALKS WORKSHOP The festival is being hosted to mark #WorldSuicidePreventionDay2021, will have a virtual art exhibition featuring work by young people with lived experience from across India, skill-building workshops, panel discussion and plenary talks by young people and experts. The Hope Through Action Festival will take place between September 10 and 11 virtually. It aims to address mental health, mindfulness for creators and artists in the creative community.

LACK OF VISION FOR ARTS AND CULTURE The director of the Contemporary Visual Arts Network, England, Paula Orell wrote in an online article for Art-Net news saying, “It is certainly not that the U.K. government does not understand arts and culture’s economic worth, when it adds more than £10.8 billion to the economy, and creates hundreds of thousands of jobs every year.”

She insisted that the workers in this sector, especially independent art workers, artists, curators, producers and academics—are barely surviving. “It is clear that the government still doesn’t understand the essential role our industry plays in society,” she added. The government has halved the subsidies to all art courses in higher education and this will save the government just over £20 million. Paul wrote that this will cause “long-lasting changes to the face of one of the U.K.’s most important and vibrant industries.” She termed it as a “short-sighted decision that betrays its lack of overall vision of arts and culture in our society.”

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Shefali Saxena

Adil Hussain: 'I think that barrier of the language is slowly going away'

Amidst all his achievements, little do people know that Adil Hussain has been a scholar of the Charles Wallace Trust Scholarship at Drama School London, while also being a graduate from the prestigious National School of Drama in India.

In an exclusive interview with Asian Voice, Adil said, “I come from a lower-middle-class family. My father was a teacher who couldn't have afforded to send me to the National School of Drama, forget about the UK. So I'm lucky that I got a seat and I got a scholarship. And then similarly after that, I got a scholarship to go and study in the UK. “But I worked really hard. Because when I say hard, it didn't feel hard because I was in love with acting. I did it, you know, so hours and hours and hours. As they say, I've done it.”

Speaking about his role in the film 'Bell Bottom', Adil told the newsweekly, “I'm playing a real-life character. who was the RAW chief at that time, a true confidant of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who trusted him. She allowed this character to go ahead and do what he had done.

And through this amazing recruit, that he recruited himself called Bell Bottom is codenamed, played by Akshay Kumar.”

Talking about shooting in the UK amid the pandemic, he said, “It was a tough call today because I was leaving behind my wife and my kids, and it was a matter of almost life and death, but at the same time, I realised that we cannot live life like this with fear. I was sure that if since we are also shooting in a country (UK) where things are probably put together in a much more efficient way than many other countries. So, I trusted that and I trusted production to produce that film and Akshay Kumar’s team because Akshay Kumar himself is such a fitness junkie.” Adil reached the UK in a chartered Jumbo Jet from India.

Addressing the significance of 'Bell Bottom’s' theatrical release for the film economy, Adil said, “I think, especially the cinema halls, you know, they are the ones taking the biggest hit. Because they're almost closed. And I hope that that gets

Anil Kapoor's second daughter Rhea ties knot with Karan Boolani

Actor Anil Kapoor sought the blessings of the paparazzi stationed outside his Mumbai home over the weekend, as his second daughter Rhea Kapoor married long-time beau Karan Boolani.

The actor was seen distributing boxes of sweets to the cameramen present. Anil said, “Dil se de rahe hai, aashirwaad do, blessing d, aap logo ka good wishes, aap logo k wishes, thank you so much, paise Sonam ko aapne wish kiya, aaj Rhea ko wish kijiye, please (I'm giving this with all my heart, give your blessings and good wishes, just the way you'll gave Sonam Kapoor all the best wishes, please give Rhea Kapoor your wishes too)”.

Both, Rhea and Karan opted for a low-key ceremony at Anil’s Juhu home in the presence of close family members and some friends. Among those in attendance included Sonam Kapoor and her husband Anand Ahuja, his parents, cousins Arjun Kapoor, Anshula Kapoor, Janhvi Kapoor, Khushi Kapoor and Shanaya Kapoor. Fashion designers and

close friends Masaba Gupta, and Kunal Rawal were also present.

The couple is yet to release pictures from the wedding ceremony. Both, Rhea and Karan have been dating for over a decade now. They reportedly met in 2009 during the making of ‘Aisha’ on which he was an assistant director.

revived. And the industry as a whole as well. And the magic for the audience to go and watch a film.

I hope they do with all that precautions to see, you know, an action thriller and a spy thriller on a big screen, which is based on true events on the 19th of August. I think that'd be fantastic.”

Adil has worked in more than six languages, which include Assamese, Bengali, Hindi, Tamil, English, Norwegian and now Kannada to name a few. Commenting on the future of language cinema, he said, “It's a difficult one because funding for content-oriented short films or feature films, you know, it's not an easy thing. But yet I'm inundated with offers from short filmmakers to feature filmmakers from different parts of the country.

“There are a lot of offers from Assamese and Bengali films and other languages as well as Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films. So I think things are happening because of the OTT platforms, I think they are still managing to get funding and the courage to put in money you know, the producers and finances, they are making films, which is a great thing for people like those who are in the industry, they can earn their living and they can maintain the family.”

When asked if we could now address regional cinema as ‘Pan Indian’ cinema, Adil told Asian Voice, “I hope that happens. It is happening, I still feel that it's a drop in the ocean. Because when you go to OTT platforms, especially the giants, the big ones, it's very difficult to sort out, you know, but like, for example, on Amazon, there are no categories like television, but on Netflix, they don't have it yet. I mean, if they are looking to expand their viewership, I'm sure that they are intelligent enough to understand and they will do the same. “I think that barrier of the language is slowly going away. And I hope that that happens more and more. It's just that the heartland of India and the population, the majority of the population, probably yet not accustomed to reading subtitles in Hindi. You know, I hope that they do that. It's a habit that one has to create.”

Don’t want them to be movie stars: Kareena on Tim, Jeh ACTRESS KAREENA KAPOOR KHAN GAVE NEW DETAILS ON MOTHERHOOD, AND CHILDREN TAIMUR AND JEH, IN AN INTERVIEW. SHE HAS TWO SONS, FOUR YEAR OLD TAIMUR ALI KHAN AND SIX-MONTHOLD BOY JEHANGIR ALI KHAN WITH ACTOR AND HUSBAND SAIF ALI KHAN. Talking about the two, she said, “At six months, Tim didn’t like too many new faces, but Jeh seems comfortable. Taim has more of Saif’s personality, and Jeh seems like a wonderful mix. Tim is a typical Saggitarian; he is creative, he likes art, colouring and drawing, he loves exploring and what’s to know about everything.

Jeh is Piscean… let’s see how he is going to develop.”

When asked what kind of a mother she is, Bebo said, “I want both my sons to be thorough gentleman. I want people to say they are well-brought up, kindhearted and I will think my job is well done. I don’t want them to be movie stars. I’ll be happy if Tim comes and tell me I want to do something else… climb Mount Everest may be… that’s his choice. I want to stand by and support my

boys.”

She added, “I don’t want to be like a helicopter mom. I want them to fall and learn because that’s the way my mother taught me. My mother was like, do what you want, make your mistakes and then learn to repair them, because that’s the way it works.

So that’s the way I am parenting both the boys. Jeh, of course, is small, but Tim is now much more aware. I am like if he does something wrong, you clear up your mess.

That’s the only way they learn.”

Kareena also shared what she and Saif are doing different with Jeh. “It was so overwhelming with Taimur.

There was so much chatter what’s going on, what have they named him, then…

Taimur has gone here, Tim is doing that. It was so much that both Saif and I felt that this time, we must chill out.

They’re just kids at the end of the day. So we haven’t released any picture of Jeh yet, even though Tim happily waves for the camera.”

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Celebrating 25 years of Sanjay Leela Bhansali Sanjay Leela Bhansali completed 25 years in the Indian film industry. With nine magnum opuses like 'Black', 'Saawariya', 'Padmaavat', 'Ram Leela', 'Bajirao Mastani', 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam' and 'Devdas' to his name, Sanjay Leela Bhansali has carved a special niche as a filmmaker. His eye for detail, thematic style of direction and powerful storylines have left an indelible mark on Bollywood. As he completes quarter of a century in Bollywood, he is currently working on his tenth film 'Gangubai Kathiawadi.'

Celebrating his 25 years of great cinema, Bhansali Productions posted a showreel of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's legacy on social media. The reel has taken the internet by storm and includes all the iconic spectacles, dialogues and artistes across every one of the nine movies that he has created so far.

Speaking about his journey thus far, Sanjay Leela Bhansali said, “It has not always been an easy journey but I've thoroughly enjoyed myself regardless - I've won some and learnt some. But these 25 years would not be complete without the incredible effort of every single person I've worked with so far. The movie that an audience watches on their screens is a creative culmination of so many different forms of art – from the soundtrack, colours, screenplay, architecture, dialogues to every thread on every costume. It's the fantabulous team of technicians, artistes, writers, producers and assistant directors that have been the real pillar behind every movie made. That's why I like to call my films 'handmade movies'.

The years ahead are blank pages waiting to be written and I am itching to write them.”

In his 25 years, he has put India on the global map of cin-

ema with movies like 'Devdas' premiering at the Cannes Film Festival in 2002. The movie was also nominated for British Academy of Film and Television Awards for Best Film Not in the English Language. His Big B and Rani Mukherji starrer, 'Black', inspired by the life of Helen Keller, stood fifth in Time’s "10 Best Movies of the Year 2005" (Europe) amongst films from across the world.

Not only that, but he has changed the face of Indian cinema by stirring a movement that focuses on artistic sets, clean direction and thematic backdrops. Sanjay Leela Bhansali's signature style of highly choreographed sequences and larger-than-life mega-musicals are somehow still rooted in realism.

A music connoisseur, Sanjay Leela Bhansali turned music director over the years. His movies have given us some memorable melodies such as 'Ram Chahe Leela', 'Tattad Tattad', 'Lahu Munh Lag Gaya', 'Ghoomar', 'Dholi Taro Dhol Baaje', 'Aankhon Ki Gustakhiyan', 'Chand Chupa Baadal Mein', 'Nimbooda', 'Mastani', 'Saawariya', 'Jab Se Tere Naina'. He has also produced movies like 'Gabbar Is Back', 'Laal Ishq', 'Mary Kom', 'Rowdy Rathore', 'My Friend Pinto' and 'Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi'. As a writer, he has 13 credits to his name and has penned some of his work including 'Padmaavat', 'Bajirao Mastani', 'Ram Leela', 'Black', 'Devdas' and 'Guzaarish', amongst others.

In 2015, he was honoured with the Padma Shri. He has a legacy of 38 awards to his name including National Film Awards, Filmfare Awards, Mirchi Music Awards, Screen Awards, IIFA Awards, Zee Cine Awards and Zee Gold Awards.

Lara Dutta says important to strike a work-life balance Former Miss Universe and actress Lara Dutta entered the Hindi film industry in 2003 with ‘Andaaz’, and since then, has appeared in multiple films, most of them hits. In a recent interview, she said she believes in giving equal time to other aspects of her life apart from her career.

“I juggle between multiple roles, a mother, an entrepreneur, an actor, and a producer. And I want to give all the things equal amounts of importance and time. So when the right project comes I will do it. I don’t feel the burning need to be constantly seen on screen or being written about. I am very content and satisfied,” She said.

The 43 year old, whose last big screen release was 2018, will soon be seen in Akshay Kumar-led espionage thriller ‘Bell Bottom’. Directed by Ranjit M Tewari, the film is based on a true story that follows an undercover RAW agent who is on a mission to rescue over 200 hostages from a hijacked Indian plane. It will feature Lara in the role of former prime minister Indira Gandhi, and also stars Vaani Kapoor, Huma Qureshi, and Adil Hussain.

‘Bell Bottom’ is produced by Vashu Bhagnani, Jackky Bhagnani, Deepshikha Deshmukh, Monisha Advani, Madhu Bhojwani and Nikkhil Advani. It is set to arrive in theatres on August 19.

Nick Jonas' new video leaves wife Priyanka in splits

Actress and entrepreneur Priyanka Chopra Jonas was left in splits courtesy of Nick Jonas’ latest video. The international singer took to Tiktok and Instagram to show off his “new toys”. The member of Jonas Brothers revealed he’s upgraded his home studio and was excited to share a glimpse of it with his fans. Panning the camera to show the room, Nick announces, “Just got home, new toys! The studio is finally coming together in the house.”

He then showed his desk steadily rising from one position to another. He shared the video with the caption “New toys!” The video left his wife, Priyanka in splits. She commented, “Hahaha miss u already baby.”

Earlier last weekend, Priyanka shared a postcard featuring herself, Nick and their friend Cavanaugh James.

Besides her posts, fans also spotted Nick and Priyanka enjoying a brunch with her mother, Madhu Chopra.

During their stay in London, Nick was also photographed taking a stroll with Priyanka.

The actress has been stationed in London for almost a year, and remains busy shooting for her upcoming projects. She wrapped ‘Text For You’ earlier this year in the UK before she dived into the making of ‘Citadel’, a series in which she stars opposite Richard Madden.

Priyanka also promoted her film ‘The White Tiger’ and her newly-lunched book ‘Unfinished’ from her London home. On the work front, she also has upcoming Bollywood film ‘Jee Le Zaraa’ alongside Katrina Kaif and Alia Bhatt.

Wife moves court with serious charges against Honey Singh Yo Yo Honey Singh hit headlines recently as his wife Shalini Talwar approached the police with serious allegations against him in a 120 page charges. After secretly dating for almost two decades, they got married on 23rd January 2011.

However, Honey Singh insisted on keeping the marriage a secret, citing reason that the news of marriage might hamper his stardom. Once when a picture of their wedding had gone viral, he accused her of leaking pictures and mercilessly beat her. Later, Honey Singh asked his team to promote the picture as a movie to hide the wedding.

Russell Crowe wants to work with Kangana Ranaut?

Hollywood’s very own Russell Crowe appears to have shown interest in working with Kangana Ranaut. Over the weekend, the actor retweeted a message from a fan who hoped to watch them come together for a movie. The tweet featured two side-by-side photos of the actors, and read, “How great it would be if two great actors from two different film industries, Academy award winner @russellcrowe and 4 times National Awards winner #KanganaRanaut make a movie together?”

Several other fans joined the bandwagon and showed interest in the idea.

One commented, “No doubt that they would make an incredible duo. Can’t wait for this movie.” Another wrote, “Yeah! It should be good.”

Russell is known for his performance in Ridley Scott’s ‘Gladiator’ , for which he won the Academy Award. He is also known for starring in films such as ‘A Beautiful Mind’, ‘Noah’, ‘The Nice Guys’, ‘Man of Steel’ etc.

He will be seen next with Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman and Christian Bale in Taika Waititi's ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ as Zeus. Meanwhile, Kangana has been in Budapest where she wrapped up the shoot for her upcoming action film ‘Dhakaad’. She threw a party for the cast and crew there and was also joined by her family.

Shalini alleged that there were several occasions when she was physically, verbally and mentally abused by her better half, which actually started right from their honeymoon trip to Mauritius. His behaviour started getting even worse and abusive as he started getting more and more popular and started using drugs and alcohol.

Shalini who moved the court against her rapper husband also revealed that Honey Singh had relationships with multiple women. When she found out about one of his relationships, he promised to end the relationship. The case has been filed under 'Protection of women from domestic violence act' and the Tis Hazari court in Delhi has passed an interim order in favour of Shalini and has given Honey Singh time till 28th of this month to file his response.

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21 - 27 August 2021

Samantha wraps up shoot for mythological drama

‘Shaakuntalam’ Actress Samantha Akkineni has wrapped up the shoot for mythological drama ‘Shaakuntalam’. She took to her Instagram handle to thank the film’s director Gunasekhar for giving her the opportunity to star in the film.

She wrote, “And it’s a wrap on Shaakuntalam!! This film will stay with me for the rest of my life. As a little girl I believed in fairy tales.. not much has changed. I still do…. And @gunasekhar1 sir my fairy godfather making my dream a reality. When he narrated this film to me I was immediately transported to a most beautiful world.. the world of Shaakuntalam.. a world like no other.”

“But I was nervous and scared. Was it possible for us to create such beauty on celluloid.?? Today as I say my goodbyes, I have such an immense feeling of love and gratitude, to this absolutely incredible human @gunasekhar1 sir, for he has created a world that has exceeded all my expectations. The inner child in me is dancing with joy. Thank you sir.”

In her post, she also thanked the producers and other team members. “And thank you to the best team ever for The most amazing @neeta_lulla for putting her heart and soul into creating #Shaakuntalam. I really don’t know what I would have done without you maam. My strong all women team @neelima_guna @hanshithareddy @ragini_guna. And our Prince charming @devmohanofficial. I feel like the most special girl in the world today,” she added.

Produced by Neelima Guna and Dil Raju, ‘Shaakuntalam’ stars Samantha in the titular role, while Dev Mohan will be seen as Dushyant. The film also marks the acting debut of Allu Arha, the daughter of Allu Arjun, as Prince Bharata. The project has music by Mani Sharma, and it will have a simultaneous release in the major Indian languages.

Kamal Haasan, Fahadh Faasil, Vijay Sethupathi to start shooting for ‘Vikram’ Director Lokesh Kanagarah tweeted a new poster from his upcoming film ‘Vikram’ featuring veteran actor Kamal Haasan in the lead role. The poster was released on the occasion of Kamal completing 62 years in the film industry. The poster shows Kamal wielding a samurai

filmmakers are all set to begin shooting the film by end of the month. The set work for the same is underway in a location in Karaikudi. It is said that the first schedule will begin with Kamal Hassan, Vijay Sethupathi, and Fahadh Faasil.

The first look of 'Vikram',

sword bathed in blood. The caption of the poster reads, “Once a lion, always a lion.”

The schedule of the movie is yet to begin. Even as the film was launched last month, the regular shooting did not begin owing to the pandemic. The latest update is that the

which was released recently, featured the mugshots of Kamal Haasan, Vijay Sethupathi and Fahadh Faasil. The film also stars Antony Varghese, Narain and Arjun Das among others. If everything goes according to plan, the film will open in cinemas next summer.

Malayalam actor Saranya Sasi passes away Popular Malayalam film and television actor Saranya Sasi passed away at a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram following Covid-19 complications. Saranya had tested positive for Covid-19 in May, which lead to her hospitalisation. While she tested negative a few weeks later, a bout of pneumonia and other respiratory issues prolonged her stay at the hospital.

Saranya battled several illnesses in her lifetime, including cancer for almost a decade. In her fight with the disease, she was reported to have undergone as many as 11 major surgeries, weakening her physically, mentally, and financially.

The actress had been diagnosed with a form of brain tumour in 2012.

Prakash Raj undergoes successful surgery Actor Prakash Raj has shared a picture of himself from his hospital bed, after undergoing a successful surgery. Taking to Instagram, Prakash posted the photo, in which he lay in the bed with a surgery patch on his shoulder and his arm in a sling. The picture showed him smiling for the camera. He captioned his post, “The devil is back… successful surgery.. thank you dear friend Dr #guruvareddy and thank you all for your love n prayers.. back in action soon.”

The actor, earlier last week, had said, “A small fall.. a tiny fracture.. flying to Hyderabad into the safe hands of my friend Dr Guruvareddy for a surgery. I will be fine nothing to worry.. keep me in your thoughts.”

His fans and followers dropped comments on his post like “get well soon sir” , “wish you a very speedy recovery sir”, “welcome back sir”, and “God bless u”.

Prakash was last seen in the recently-released Netflix anthology ‘Navarasa’. He starred a short film directed

by Bejoy Nambiar called ‘Edhiri’. The film also starred Vijay Sethupathi.

On the work front, the actor has several movies in the pipeline, including ‘KGF: Chapter 2’, ‘Pushpa’, ‘Ponniyin Selvan’, and ‘Annaatthe’, among others.

While the condition wrecked her career, she shone as a role model for cancer survivors. Her body of work includes films like ‘Chhota Mumbai’, ‘Thalappavu’, ‘Bombay March 12’, and TV soaps like ‘Kootukari’, ‘Avakashikal’, ‘Harichandanam’, ‘Malakhamar’, and ‘Rahasyam’.

TV Listing * Schedule is subject to change

MON 23 AUG FRI 27 AUG 2021 6.00. Var To NRI J!!

13.00 MAHAVIR HANUMAN 14.00 RASOI SHOW 15.30 JAI SHRI KRISHNA 16.00 SAU DAHDA SASUNA 18.30 ABHILASHA - EK ASTITVANI 19.00 BHAKT GORA KUMBHAR 19.30 MANMILAP.COM 20.00 RASHI RIKSHAWALI 20.30 SHANI

21.00 PREM NI BHAVAI SATURDAY 21 AUG 6.00 MARI NANANDINO VEER 13.00 MAHAVIR HANUMAN 14.00 RASOI SHOW 15.30 JAI SHRI KRISHNA 16.00 SAU DAHDA SASUNA 18.30 ABHILASHA - EK ASTITVANI 19.00 BHAKT GORA KUMBHAR 19.30 MANMILAP.COM 20.00 RASHI RIKSHAWALI 20.30 SHANI 21.00 BOLO KETLA TAKA SUNDAY 22 AUG 12.00 Dholo Mara Malakno 15.00 Oxygen 18.00 BOLO KETLA TAKA 19.00 SHU CHALE CHE 19.30 ABHILASHA - EK ASTITVANI 21.00 BOLO KETLA TAKA 22.00 SHU CHALE CHE

SATURDAY 21 AUG

16.30 RASOI SHOW-DESI FLAVOURS

17.30

DESI BEAT (SEASON 3)

18.00 KHATRA KHATRA KHATRA 19.00 BHAGYA KA LIKHA

* Schedule is subject to change

MON 23 AUG - FRI 27 AUG 2021 8.30

BHARADWAJ BAHUEIN

17.30

CHHUTA CHHEDA

16.30 RASOI SHOW-DESI FLAVOURS 18.00 TUM KAUN PIYA 18.30 DIL KA RISHTA

19.00 BHAGYA KA LIKHA

19.30 EK SHRINGAAR SWABHIMAAN 20.00 DIL SE DIL TAK

20.30 BARRISTER BABU 21.00 BALIKA VADHU 2

21.30 SASURAL SIMAR KA 2

19.30 EK SHRINGAAR SWABHIMAAN 20.00 DIL SE DIL TAK

20.30 DESI BEAT RESET

21.00 FEET UP WITH THE STARS (SEASON 1)

21.30 SASURAL SIMAR KA 2

SUNDAY 22 AUG

16.30 RASOI SHOW-DESI FLAVOURS 17.30 DESI BEAT (SEASON 3)

18.00 BOLLYWOOD KI SHAAM

BLOCKBUSTER KE NAAM DO RAASTE

21.30 DESI BEAT RESET

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in brief

India win Lord's Test Virat Kohli was a proud captain and had a massive smile on his face as India registered a historic Test win against England at Lord's on Monday to take a 1-0 lead in the 5-match series. Kohli said the tension on the field motivated his players to push for a win at all costs and that is exactly what they did as a charged up Indian team beat England by 151 runs after bowling out the hosts for 120 in just 51.5 overs on the final day.

There was constant sledging throughout the day from the likes of Kohli, James Anderson, Mohammed Siraj, Jos Buttler and Jasprit Bumrah which heated up the atmosphere at the Home of Cricket.

"Super proud of the whole team. The way we stuck to our plans after being put in. The pitch didn't offer much in the first three days. First day was the most challenging. The way we played in the second innings after being put under pressure Jasprit and Shami were outstanding. We had the belief we can get them out in 60 overs. A bit of tension on the field really motivated us to finish the game," Kohli said before praising Bumrah and Shami for their all-round contributions on the final day.

Shami and Bumrah added 89 crucial runs during an unbroken record 9th-wicket partnership to tilt the scales in India's favour before running

SHARJAH CRICKET STADIUM TO GO FOR MAJOR UPGRADES BEFORE IPL

through the English batting lineup with the Dukes ball in less than two sessions. "Putting their hand up was something we were really proud of and we wanted to let them know (ovation for Bumrah-Shami).

Batting coach has worked really hard with the boys. They have the desire in them to do well for the team. We know how priceless those runs are," Kohli said.

With about a half-hour left

of a fractious day featuring regular verbal clashes between players, Mohammed Siraj bowled Jimmy Anderson and celebrated by removing the off stump he had just clattered and wheeling around the outfield in delight at the home of cricket.

India declared on 298-8 just after lunch to set England 272 to win in 60 overs. It was a victory target the hosts never intended to chase, but one they couldn’t defend either.

PM Modi invites Olympians for breakfast Invited for breakfast at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg on Monday, over 200 members of the Indian Olympics contingent to Tokyo spent two-and half hours in the company of host PM Narendra Modi, who made two specific requests from them - first, that they keep talking about malnutrition and ways to eliminate it and second, in keeping with the spirit of the ongoing ‘Amrit Mahotsava’, they visit at least 75 schools by August 15 next year to engage and encourage schoolchildren through sports.

In a departure from previous protocols for breakfast at the PM’s residence that usually involves a ceremonial address followed by a group photo, Modi met all the players one by one as he moved from one table to the other, some

seating the hockey team, another the boxers, and similarly archers and track and field participants.

Players’ were served their favourite delicacies and promises made by the PM during the send-off to Tokyo were fulfilled. like for badminton bronze winner P V Sindhu who relished butterscotch icecream, after having denied herself the pleasure due to her strict fitness regime. Javelin gold winner Neeraj Chopra was also seen savouring “Churma”, which he had mentioned was his favourite comfort food.

The invitees included medal winners, those who couldn’t end up in the podium, coaches and federation office-bearers.

There were lighter moments too like when the mike of

swimmer Maana Patel stopped functioning. In a lighter vein, Modi said, “Your mike had to go quiet … You are next to a politician. I feel honoured and fortunate to have met PM Narendra Modi today. You and

your government have been very supportive to sports and I know that this will continue for years to come and we will get more medals for India,” tweeted bronze winning wrestler Bajrang Punia.

Neeraj’s gold winning feat named as one of 10 magical moments at Tokyo Star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra’s historic gold-winning feat in the Olympics was listed as one of the 10 magical moments of track and field in the Tokyo Games by the World Athletics.

The 23-year-old clinched India's maiden Olympic medal in athletics with a best throw of 87.58 m last week to become only the second Indian to win an individual gold in the Games.

“Most keen followers of the sport had heard of Neeraj Chopra before the Olympic Games. But after winning the javelin in Tokyo, and in the process becoming India’s first athletics gold medalist in Olympic history, Neeraj’s profile sky-rocketed,” the global sports governing body said on its website.

The World Athletics noted that Neeraj had 1,43,000 followers on Instagram before the Olympics, but now has a

Neeraj Chopra

staggering 3.2 million followers, making him the most followed track and field athlete in the world.

In a tweet posted after winning the gold in Tokyo, Neeraj said, “Still processing this feeling. To all of India and beyond, thank you so much for your support and blessings that

have helped me reach this stage.

This moment will live with me forever.”

Neeraj 2nd in world rankings Neeraj gained a whopping 14 places to occupy the second spot in the men’s javelin throw world rankings after his historic gold in the Tokyo Games. The 23year-old was at a lowly 16 before

the Tokyo Games with an average performance score of 1,224. But in the latest rankings issued by World Athletics, Chopra found himself at the second spot with 1,315 average performance score behind German Johannes Vetter (1396), who finished a lowly ninth in the Olympics final after coming into the Games as the gold medal contender.

Neeraj collected 1,296 performance points for topping the Olympic qualification round on August 4 and 1,559 points for winning the gold in the final.

Three other events of this year - Federation Cup, Indian Grand Prix-3 and Kuortane Games (Finland) --where he had come up with big throws were also considered in the ranking process.

Vetter, however, remained on top of the world rankings despite failing to make it to the last eight in the Olympic finals.

The Sharjah cricket stadium, which will host 10 IPL matches before the T20 World Cup, has announced major upgrades in the run-up to the lucrative league, which will be played from September 19 in the United Arab Emirates. The first half of the IPL 2021 was played in India earlier this year, before it was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The BCCI then decided to shift the remaining matches to the UAE and they will be played at Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. “The newly re-laid wicket block will now accommodate six pitches in the centre, including four broadcasting and two practice pitches. “They are currently building a new practice facility with four turf wickets and four astro-turf wickets to accommodate multiple teams during practice sessions. These will be ready in time for the IPL,” a media release said.

Among other facilities, a new state-of-theart ‘fit capital gymnasium’, the indoor swimming pool, steam, and sauna area have also been upgraded. Moreover, there are 11 new VIP suites, a new VIP grand dining area and improved hospitality facilities at the top tier of the pavilion end. “Sharjah’s atmosphere or as we like to call it the ‘Sharjah magic’ is what differentiates the stadium from any other cricketing venue in the UAE,” said Khalaf Bukhatir, MD of Bukhatir Group and CEO of Sharjah Cricket Stadium.“This was now more evident than at last year’s edition when we played host to some of the most exciting moments of the IPL,” Bukhatir added. “We still don’t know if we are welcoming cricket fans into the stadium this IPL, but we are certainly ready and looking forward to hosting some worldclass cricket in a world class, safe and secure environment,” he said. The first game here will be played between Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore on September 24. The stadium will also host Qualifier 2 on October 11 and the Eliminator on October 13.

UNMUKT RETIRES FROM INDIAN CRICKET Few days before the ninth anniversary of leading India to a U-19 World Cup title, Unmukt Chand has announced his retirement from cricket in India. The 28-year-old posted an emotional letter on Twitter saying he would be plying his trade around the world. He is currently in USA since April and is likely to play in the planned US T20 League. His U-19 teammate Smit Patel too had announced his move to US earlier in the year. The unbeaten 111 against Australia U-19s in Townsville during the World Cup remains the highest point of the batsman’s career. The knock had catapulted him to being the face of Indian cricket’s future at a time when MS Dhoni’s team was going through transition. His journey until then mirrored Virat Kohli’s. In fact, the then chief national selector, Sandeep Patil was eager to give him the India cap.

Despite his almost sensational arrival on the domestic scene, Unmukt didn’t have a defining domestic or an IPL season post the World Cup glory. He remained on the fence and the much-awaited India call didn’t come.