Asian Voice 21st July 2018

ORGAN DONATION CRISIS HITS ASIANS

T h e A s i a n c o m m u n i t y i s struggling to save people in need of organ transplants, a s h o c k i n g r e p o r t h a s revealed recently A rising proportion of people who die in need of a transplant is from a black, Asian or ethn i c m i n o r i t y b a c k g r o u n d d e s p i t e m o r e a n d m o r e families in these communities supporting organ donation now

As we go to press, figures from the report due to be launched on Wednesday 18 July explain how NHS Blood and Transplant show that 21 percent of people who died on the waiting list last year was from a black, A s i a n o r e t h n i c m i n o r i t y background compared with 1 5 p e r c e n t a d e c a d e a g o One in 10 people who died in need of a transplant last year was also Asian Three out of 10 people (30 6% at 31 March 2018) w a i t i n g f o r a t r a n s p l a n t across the UK are from a b l a c k , A s i a n o r m i n o r i t y

ethnic background 35% of people waiting for a kidney in 2017/18 were from these b a c k g r o u n d s T h e s e patients wait significantly longer for a kidney transplant than white patientsa p p r o x i m a t e l y t w o a n d a half years compared with

two years

T h e G o v e r n m e n t h a s t h e r e f o r e a n n o u n c e d a widespread and new campaign in England to address the urgent need for donors revealed in NHS Blood and Transplant’s annual report i n t o o r g a n d o n a t i o n i n

black, Asian and minority e t h n i c c o m m u n i t i e s T h e campaign aims to increase d o n a t i o n r a t e s b y r a i s i n g a w a r e n e s s a n d b r e a k i n g down barriers to donation within these communities

India poised to pip Britain to become 5th largest economy next year: Jaitley

SEE P AGE 20

Rupanjana Dutta

onetoone

Krishma Gupta

Krishma Gupta was born in Glasgow, Scotland. She completed her BSc (Hons) in Podiatric Medicine at Glasgow Caledonian University qualifying with a 1st class degree in 2009 Her fi job after qualifying was at NHS Fife where she had a 4hour commute every day Luckily this was only for 1 year before she moved closer to home and was able to work with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde She moved to London in 2011 when she got married and continued with the NHS in Haringey Her work as a Podiatrist involves consulting with high risk Diabetic patients, providing Nail Surgery, Biomechanics and routine foot-care treatment With the help and support of her husband, Mrs Gupta left the NHS in 2015 and is now successfully running her own busy private clinic, as well as expecting her second child.

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

It has to be London Despite its craziness, it has a great vibe to it which makes it a great city to work in

2What are your proudest achievements?

Personally, it has to be the birth of my son, Eashan He is such an amazing little boy who never fails to surprise me each and every day

Professionally, it has to be the policy I i n t r o d u c e d w h i l s t w o r k i n g a t N HS

Haringey This policy helped to substantially increase the number of patients seen and decrease waiting lists by carrying out p h o n e r e v i e w s w h i c h m e a n t t h a t t h e patient did not need to come into the clinic unnecessarily

3What inspires you?

My Patients and their pain When you are in a profession which can make a great deal

A&E nurse groped colleague in 'sexually motivated ' attack

An A&E nurse at Chelmsford's Broomfield Hospital repeatedly groped a female colleague during a "sexually motivated" attack at work A woman who worked as was working as a Health Care Assistant (HCA) at the hospital reflected on the terrifying incident as her colleague faced a misconduct hearing In what was deemed as "sexually motivated" by a panel, male nurse Sreeprasanth Thondiparampil Sabapathy was found to have groped the colleague's buttocks and breasts before forcing her to put her hand on his groin

The incident saw Mr Sabapathy call over a female colleague to the hospital's blood/gas room while working during a night shift Panel members also heard from the senior nurse that the woman was "crying" and could hardly speak when reporting the incident to another health care assistant

Expanding on the incident, the woman's statement continued: "Sree then placed both

his hands on both my breasts again over my clothing

However a substantive hearing was held on the July 9 to 12 of this year, where the NMC panel found six charges proved against Mr Sabapathy, including asking the colleague to come into the blood/gas room, placing his hand or hands on the victim's breast or breasts over their clothing and attempting to stop the woman leaving the room The only charge which Mr Sabapathy was cleared of was placing his arm around the victim

In the report of the hearing, the panel said that "misconduct was of a very serious nature, involving an abuse of position of t r u s t a n d s e x u a l l y m o t i v a t e d c o n d u c t towards a junior colleague "

An 18-month suspension order was given to allow the possibility for an appeal to be made but if there is no appeal lodged, Mr Sabapathy will be struck off

of difference to the quality of life, there is no bigger inspiration Podiatry treatment can often be the key thing between somebody getting out and about or being housebound This is especially true with the elderly Our treatment and care with diabetic patients is often the thing that can save them from losing a leg or catching a life-threatening infection

4What has been biggest obstacle in your career?

Whilst running my own private practice, I have implemented various ideas, which have helped with improving patient care as well as monitoring costs These ideas could essentially be replicated within the NHS However, due to the managerial structure a n d p r o c e d u r e s i n d e c i s i o n m a k i n g , i t would be a battle to easily apply these ideas This is a scenario that I faced regularly whilst working in the NHS, which eventually made me change my career path to the private sector

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

My Husband He has always pushed me to try and excel at whatever I do and has always encouraged me never to be satisfied with less than 110% His dedication and commitment to not only his own work but also in helping me logistically with my private practice is truly inspiring Additionally, it goes without saying that if it wasn’t for my Mum, I probably would not have qualified in the first place! Her dedication to ensuring I spent all my free time studying has to be recognised

6What is the best aspect about your current role?

The flexibility I can manage my own time

and balance it well between work as well as family time Additionally, the freedom to give the patient the right amount of time t h e y a c t u a l l y n e e d f o r t h e i r t r e a t m e n t rather than reaching targets only based on the number of patients I can see in an hour

7And the worst?

The stress and long hours (sometimes!) Let’s face it, no matter how successful a business is, it comes with a constant battle, which you, as the owner, must deal with

8What are your long-term goals?

Ideally, I would like to expand the clinic so that I can offer a further range of services to my patients Good quality foot care should be available to everybody rather than just the ones that can afford to pay for it

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

I would like to see more money invested in the elderly Loneliness and depression are society’s biggest problem and if that was tackled head on, it would improve the overall wellbeing of the patient More time and m o n e y s h o u l d b e s p e n t o n p r e ve n t i o n r a t h e r t h a n t r y i n g t o c u r e a p r o b l e m

Educating and empowering the patient about their illness and general health would also go a long way Unfortunately, all these things require time and money

10If you were marooned on a desert island, which historical figure would you like to spend your time with and why. Princess Diana, as she is true representation of humanity We can all learn something from her, especially how to treat others

Dad dies in hospital after lorry and van crash near Coventry

An 11-year-old boy has paid tribute to his dad who died in a collision on a Coventry industrial estate last week

Karamjit Singh, 37, died in hospital after the van he was driving was in a collision with a lorry in Baginton His 11-year-old son, Aarondeep, has said no-one can replace his dad

Aarondeep said: "We are very upset our dad has gone, I'm absolutely devastated No-one can replace my dad, and he will remain in our hearts forever "

His wife Sonia said: "Karamjit was a caring father and a loving husband He was a hard worker and one with a heart of gold My world has finished, my life has shattered with my Karamjit's sudden death I'm now left with his memories which shall stay alive in my heart forever I love you Sodhi "

Warwickshire Police said the 37-yearold died after colliding with a lorry on Siskin Parkway at Middlemarch Industrial

Estate late last Tuesday night

Mr

The driver of the Daf lorry, which collided with the victim s M e r c e d e s S p r i n t e r v a n , w a s unhurt

W e s t M i d la n d s A m b u l a n c e Service said paramedics treated the van driver at the scene

A n a m b u l a n c e s p o k e s p e r s o n s a i d :

"Crews arrived to find a collision involving a van and a lorry The driver of the van, a man, was in a critical condition

"Ambulance staff worked closely with the fire service to quickly extricate him from the vehicle in order to administer advanced life support on scene

"The man was transferred by land ambulance on blue lights to University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire for further emergency care ”

£100k raised for leukaemia fighter in 24 hours

A dad from Birmingham who has been fighting for his life has been given a fresh chance of survival after £100,000 was raised in less than 24 hours for his treatment

JLR Worker Inderpal Singh from Acocks Green has been battling against an aggressive form of leukaemia and had a mere 28 days t o f i n d t h e s i x - f i g u r e s u m t o finance ground-breaking treatment in Israel

A Birmingham-based TV station The Sikh Channel, who picked up Inderpal’s story turned it into something of a telethon The channel’s tv presenter Kam Singh start-

ed the ball rolling on along with another presenter Del Singh, who h o s t s c h a t s h o w L a t e N i g h t Banter, when the magical target was met In the studio, Inderpal’s family wiped away tears of joy as the stream of donations turned into a torrent W i th i n 2 4 h o u r s £ 1 0 0 , 0 0 0 target amount was raised and the cash didn’t only come from the Sikh community, Del stressed I n d

p a l w h o i s n o w a t t h e S h e b a

Medical Centre for groundbreaking Car TCell treatment, which costs around £8,000 a day

WITH KEITH VAZ, MP

Singh, from Leicester, was taken to hospital where he died after being cut from his vehicle

Police have confirmed that his family are being offered specialist support

Karamjit Singh

Inderpal Singh

COMMENTS

How different are we from Donald Trump?

Last week London witnessed the visit of the US President Donald Trump The first sentence is enough to stir up a general feeling of animosity or disgust among Britons about his visit Thousands took to the streets to protest since Thursday While to some it symbolised a war against today's American ideologies, to many it was a fight against patronisation

Trump in an interview to The Sun told how the UK Prime Minister Theresa May did not follow 'his suggestions' about how to 'handle' Brexit and a soft Brexit could mean a 'no deal' for the UK-US trade partnership Though he changed his stance later, he then shifted his attention to London's Mayor Sadiq Khan, criticising him as 'unfit' for his job, and for 'not delivering'

Mr Trump would not have been in the UK for 4 days, if he was not 'invited' by Her Majesty the Queen- an invitation our Prime Minister hand delivered to his home But argumentatively this was not a state visit, it was a toned-down, scaled-back, ‘working visit’- mainly due to the fear of protests all across the nation Protest in a democracy is an expression of resentment and one of the k e y f u n d a m e n t a l r i g h t s o f i t s c i t i z e n s - s o m e t h i n g undoubtedly President Trump acknowledges and appreciates too

But the visit of Donald Trump with wife Melania means much more than what one understands through a graph of international relations Beyond all the criticisms and praises, stands an ally, a relationship that has undergone much together- two world wars and decades of peace- something like an old marriage And like all marriages, it needs constant work and regular up-keeping too

The problem here is that a successful marriage is always between two equals but in this case, Mrs May is not in a strong enough position to strike a hard bargain with the US. So just warm words from Mr Trump are not going to be enough

Many in Britain did not support Mayor of London's permission to protest against Donald Trump Of all people, the son of a migrant, Mr Trump should understand what Britain today stands for It is very much what America stands for too We had a Home Secretary, now our Prime Minister, who for years targeted, victimised

and blamed 'immigrants' as a source of every problem But one cannot deny that people like Sadiq Khan and Sajid Javid are true faces and representation of today's Britain

A revolution against colonisation made America great Yet only 49% of Americans today think Trump is a racist The number makes you wonder about the other 51%, but interestingly it is more than the number of Americans who have voted for him to be the President Hilary Clinton stood for the ecosystem- a wife of two-time President, Secretary of State, and she represented the system perfectly Wishing her to change the system, that is already perfect in her eyes, would never have happened While Donald Trump has many flaws, but Americans saw how he could talk about issues others were not talking about. For some he is a misogynist, for others it does not matter, as he talks about China, and how to protect American jobs and industries for American people

Every country unfortunately has its own prejudices Britain invited immigrants after World War II, to rebuild this nation from scratch and our national health service, like the Windrush migrants Today the same country is at war with the immigrants over silly, petty numbers Brexiteers in 2016 were also mobilised by the sheer hatred towards increasing number of migrants Then how are we any different from 'the Donald Trump' that we stand protesting against?

Britons can hate Mr Trump as much as they please They didn’t elect Trump as their leader But they did elect Mrs May, and this is your last chance to prove your worth as a citizen

If Mrs May cannot win a Brexit vote, then EU should be prepared to grant Britain more time And to break that Parliamentary passe, she does have to go back to the people of Britain, to you- either with the option of an another election or a second referendum, setting out a concrete plan for Brexit

So if you voted for remain, you have your right to demand for another referendum If you voted for a hard Brexit, you have a right to demand for another referendum too And it is time for you to really take control of your home, of your Great Britain, of the country that has given you your Sadiq Khan and Sajid Javid as leaders

Modi's tailor-made messages set him apart from other leaders

As the 2019 election approaches in India, there are two ways of evaluating a government's performances You see how this government is doing vis-a-vis how the previous government has faired The second way of looking at a government is how it is doing vis-a-vis its own promises such as issues mentioned on the election manifesto If we look at India today, there is a quantum shift in how things are happening Not only the shifts are visible in tangible outcomes of how the systems are working but also fundamental changes in the way the systems are structured, by introducing processes and not just data driven decision making

One of the prominent examples is Ujjwala Yojna, from Ministry of Petroleum and natural gas, where Mr Modi said he will give cooking gas to households Women originally cooking on wood-fired ovens, now getting cooking gas- it is beneficial to that strata of people, fighting against smoke and soot on daily basis Analysts from urban areas do not understand this impact that could have on a woman's life Electricity is another huge change States that were energy deficient, now get 20-22 hours of electricity uninterrupted, and besides homes, it also acts as a catalyst for transformation of business, without creating demands of alternative energy sources such as generators Information technology is making sense of structured and unstructured data sources to match people's actions, for example those who evade taxes Never was there a fine on late tax filing before, for various reasons, and now the government has fixed that loophole

T h i s g o v e r n m e n t s e e m s t o h a v e s o m e c o h e r e n t approach in some areas In 2014, the election's biggest challenge was corruption Of course small level of corruption still remains rampant, but that's more of a social atti-

tude than anything else The government is spending a lot of time to create sustainable development and there are so many plans, like national health welfare scheme that will go to 50,000,000 people, a massive restructuring in line This includes data collection and resourcing People may not have clarity, but imagine the speed the government is working in

Politics is for individual choice- what attracts a voter to a leader is unique and very demand-supply oriented People think right wing politics are on rise, but each country has its own challenges There is a common thread that goes behind such believes, and that is interesting to see UK, India, US- in these countries, it is less about rise of the right wing ecosystem, but an alternate ecosystemwhere a politician like Mr Trump knows what the people want, unlike his opponent Hilary Clinton.

Politics is all about catering to the people. Arvind Kejriwal could rise because BJP and Congress could not give political representation to the urban middle class White males thought their importance is depreciating and Donald Trump came into the picture

The classical tool used by “left liberal” is to discredit you as a person or anything you believe in- including the leader you are supporting Putting everybody who vote for Narendra Modi under the label of a bigot or a communal person is actually intellectual laziness

People vote for Narendra Modi because he articulates a very tough stand against corruption, infiltration or issues of Pakistan Amit Shah, Narendra Modi and BJP's tactical handling of the voters are very case specific Their ability to tailor-make messages depending on constituencies, their needs and aspirations set them apart and this is why people have a wider connect with them and not with Congress today

CIIr Ketan Sheth

Best-ever Ofsted rating for Brent

Brent Council’s Children’s Services has received its best-ever rating from Ofsted following a recent inspection The rating has moved Brent’s rating to ‘Good’ from requires improvement in 2015 with outstanding for the experiences and progress of children in care and care leavers

In the report, Ofsted praised the “strong leadership at a political level and throughout the co u n c i l ( w h i c h ) h a s r e s u l t e d i n s i g n i f i c a n t improvements in the quality of social work practice for children since the last inspection ”

Inspectors duly recognised the complex set of challenges that Brent faces in dealing with people of many differing backgrounds, nationalities, cultures and religions, in a borough where over 150 languages are spoken

The report notes how the council takes “great care to consider cultural sensitivity when undertaking assessments. They take into account the potential inf luence of religious beliefs and practices on parenting behaviour ”

Inspectors also found evidence of effective and sensitive work around forced marriages, female genital mutilation, child sexual exploitation, tackling gangs and, although numbers are low, found that Brent had robust processes in place to protect children and young people at risk of radicalisation

The report notes how “Communication with c h i l d r e n a n d yo u n g p e o p l e i s a p a r t i c u l a r strength It is at the heart of child and family social work Inspectors are impressed by the skills, sensitivity and creativity of social workers and other practitioners ”

Ofsted also noted how “Children benefit from the ver y high proportion of schools in Brent that have been judged to be good or outstanding A high proportion of children and young people come into care with significant gaps in their learning and attendance, many with complex needs and substantial barriers to overcome Despite this, they are making better progress in care than they were previously ”

There was praise for the council in its role as a ‘corporate parent’ to those in care “Corporate parenting is a real strength for the local authority. There is a strong focus on achieving positive outcomes for children in care and care leavers ”

Since the inspection, the council has already made progress in addressing the four areas identified for improvement in the report of better case recording, alignment of procedures, escalating cases where children’s circumstances don’t improve and the council’s response when children go missing from home and care

So to know that Brent’s young people are receiving an outstanding ser vice is something we should all be proud

- Raymond Williams (1921-1989)

Councillor for Tokyngton Wembley Brent Council’s Chair of Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee

Islamic State supporter who urged Prince George attack given life sentence

An Islamic State group supporter who called for a n a t t a c k o n P r i n c e George has been jailed for life with a minimum of 25 years

Husnain Rashid, 32, o f L e o n a r d S t r e e t i n Nelson, Lancashire, also posted messages threatening people travelling to the 2018 Fifa World Cup in Russia

Judge Andrew Lees said Rashid made it clear the prince "and other members of the Royal family should be viewed as potential targets"

R a s h id a d m i t t e d four terrorism charges

Rashid brought his t r i a l a t W o o l w i c h Crown Court to a halt in May after two weeks of evidence with a dramatic change of plea at the end of the prosecution opening

The court previously heard Rashid posted a p h o t o g r a p h o n a Telegram chat group of the prince at his school, super-imposed with silhouettes of two masked jihad fighters

S e n t e n c i n g R a s h i d , Judge Andrew Lees said: "The message was clearyou were providing the n a m e a n d a d d r e s s o f Prince George's school,

a n i m a g e o f P r i n c e George's school and the i n s t r u c t i o n o r t h r e a t that Prince George and other members of the Royal family should be viewed as potential targets "

T h e j u d g e a d d e d : "You provided what you regarded as inspiration for suitable targets for lone wolf terror attacks

"Attacks in Western countries were in your eyes the only suitable acceptable alternative to jihad itself "

Rashid's trial heard that on 13 October he called on supporters via Telegram to target the f o u r - y e a r - o l d P r i n c e George, who had started s c h o o l a t T h o m a s ' s Battersea in south-west London a month earlier

He also posted suggestions of which British

football stadiums terrorists could strike followi n g t h e d e a d l y a t t a c k o u t s i d e B e s i k t a s ' s ground in Turkey, and plotted to inject supermarket ice cream with poison

Rashid was given a life sentence for each of three counts of engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorist acts

H e a l s o p r e v i o u s l y admitted one count of e n c o u r a g i n g t e r r o r i s m and was sentenced to f o u r - a n d - h a l f y e a r s i m p r i s o n m e n t , t o r u n concurrently

A magazine Rashid w a s p r o d u c i n g c o nt a i n e d s u g g e s t i o n s t o strike the 2018 World Cup in Russia with vehicles, weapons or bombs, his trial heard

Rashid, who is said to have taught at the M u h a m m a d i m o s q u e , ran a "prolific" Telegram channel named the Lone Mujahid where he provided an "e-toolkit for terrorism", the prosecution said

T h i s a l l e g e d l y included a recipe for the poison ricin from the I s l a m i s t p r o p a g a n d a magazine Inspire, how to make Molotov cocktails and napalm

H i s l i s t o f t a r g e t s included British Army bases, shopping centres, Jewish communities and government buildings

He also suggested he planned to flee to Syria to fight for IS

J u d g e L e e s s a i d R a s h i d ' s p l a n s w e r e " i n d i s c r i m i n a t e " a n d m a d e n o d i s t i n c t i o n between adult and child, b e t w e e n m e m b e r s o f fighting forces and civilians

Police said the magazine Rashid was develo p i n g c o u l d b e described as a sort of et o o l k i t f o r w o u l d - b e lone-wolf attackers" and that he was a "prolific and dangerous individual"

C h S u p t W i l l C h a t t e r t o n , f r o m C o u n t e r T e r r o r i s m P o l i c i n g N o r t h W e s t , said: "Rashid had spent t h e p a s t 1 8 m o n t h s locked away in a bed-

r o o m o f his parents' house where he had made links with k n o w n I s i s m e m b e r s and spent hours making online posters and prop a g a n d a e n c o u r a g i n g w o u l d - b e t e r r o r i s t s t o carry out the most gruesome attacks "

Mr Chatterton said d e t e c t i v e s b e l ie v e d Rashid was "days away" from travelling to Syria and are in no doubt that he would have continued to promote his ideology

He added: He will n o l o n g e r b e a b l e t o spread hate and encourage senseless harm and killing Today the world i s j u s t t h a t l i t t l e b i t safer "

T h e o f f e n c e s spanned from October 2016 to April this year

Two further charges of disseminating a terrorist publication were laid on file

in brief

MURDER CHARGE OVER SMALL HEATH STAB DEATH

A m a n h a s b e e n charged with murder after an 86-year-old woman died in a stabbing

R i a s a t B i w a s found with stab wounds at her home in A u b r e y R o a d , S m a l l H e a t h , Birmingham, at about 11:00 BST on Thursday

Madni Ahmed, 20, of Cavendish S t r e e t , S t o k e - o n - T r e n t , a l s o f a c e s a charge of attempting to murder an 18year-old man and a third count of affray H e a p p e a r e d b e f o r e m a gi s t r a t e s i n Birmingham on Tuesday

A post mortem examination found Ms Bi died from multiple stab wounds and the injured 18-year-old remains in a critical condition in hospital, police said

SIX PLEAD NOT GUILTY TO JASKARAN KANG MURDER

Five men and a boy have denied the murder and manslaughter of a 24-year-old who was fatally stabbed

T h e b o d y o f J a s k a r a n K a n g , f r o m H a n d s w o r t h , Birmingham, was discovered at a property in Stourbridge Road, Dudley, on 6 January

T h e a c c u s e d a p p e a r e d a t W o l v e r h a m p t o n C r o w n C o u r t o n Monday and are set to face trial on 14 January

All six faced an additional charge of conspiracy to commit robbery - four men denied it

A B i r m i n g h a m w o m a n w h o w a s t r i c k e d i n t o forced marriage is backi n g a n i n i t i a t i v e b y a s c h o o l t o s t o p o t h e r teenage girls becoming victims of the practice

S h e w a s f o r c e d t o m a r r y a m a n i n B a n g l a d e s h w h e n s h e was 15 - after being told s h e w a s g o i n g t o t h e country for a family holiday Now she is an adult and campaigning against the practice

She spoke out as a school in Leeds is tackling forced marriages by g i vi n g t h e i r p u p i l s spoons to hide in their underwear, to trigger airport metal detectors

This will enable the girl to speak privately to security staff when they a r e t a k e n a w a y t o b e searched

Female pupils at the C o - O p e r a t i v e a c a d e m y in Harehills have all been given spoons to hide in

their underwear during the summer holidaysthe time of year when most victims are spirited out of the country

A t e a c h e r a t t h e s ch o o l t o l d T h e G u a r d i a n : “ I n t h e s i xweeks holidays we know t h e r e i s n o c o n t a c t between school and the family, and families have that opportunity to go abroad, get their child married and come back

“It's a way of making

our children aware there is a safety net there "

The school is worki n g w i t h t h e c h a r i t y , K a r m a N i r v a n a , w h i c h campaigns against problems such as "honour"based abuse and forced marriage

A l s o wo r k i n g w i t h the charity is a woman from Birmingham who was herself tricked into a forced marriage

T h e w o m a n t o l d a Birmingham newspaper

how measures needed to be taken to stop more teenage girls becoming victims of forced marriages She herself was tricked into a marriage in Bangladesh at the age of 15 and gave birth to a disabled child in the UK

Now she is free from her husband she did her GCSEs and also started m o d e l l i n g a n d w o r k s w i t h c h a r i t i e s t o c a mpaign against the illegal practice

Hero police officer who saved drowning man from river is honoured by The Hoff

A hero copper whose rescue of a drowning man was caught on his policeissue body-worn camera has been honoured for his bravery by The Hoff

P c M o h a m m e d Nadeem jumped into a river in a single-handed rescue which earned him the nickname ‘The Hoff’ a f t e r B a y w a t c h a n d

Knight Rider star David Hasselhoff, who tweeted his praise for the officer at the time

And the actor himself recorded a special video message for Pc Nadeem a t t h e n a t i o n a l P o l i c e Bravery Awards, hosted by the Police Federation of England and Wales

P o s i n g w i t h a Baywatch-style lifebuoy H a s s e l h o f f s a i d : “ H e y M o h a m m e d C o n g r a t u l a t i o n s I understand they call you The Hoff Take care and keep up the good work ”

Pc Nadeem, 32, leapt 8ft down into the icy and f a s t - f l o w i n g w a t e r s o f the River Irwell after a m a n h e w a s t r y i n g t o h e l p f e l l i n , c l o s e t o

Hardys Gate Bridge in Bury in February He had o n l y j o i n e d t h e f o r c e nine months earlier and was a student police officer at the time The man in the river tried to swim towards a w e i r , b u t P C N a d e e m

caught up, grabbed hold of him and dragged him t o s a f e t y B o t h w e r e t r e a t e d b y p a r a m e d i c s b e f o r e b e i n g t a k e n t o hospital to receive further checks P c N a d e e m , w h o s e

wife was heavily pregnant at the time of his rescue, was named as the north west winner at the c e r e m o n y T h e a w a r d s h o n o u r p o l i c e o f f i c e r s who perform outstanding acts of bravery

T h e o f f i c e r , w h o works for the Bury divis i o n a n d l i v e s i n Rochdale, said: “I am very happy to get this award Just being a nominee was a great feeling but actuall y w i n n i n g i s a m a z i n g a n d D a v i d H a s s e l h o f f giving a video message about what I have donethat recognition is just brilliant ”

Speaking at the time he said: “I thought this

p e r s o n m i g h t n o t s u rvive, so I jumped into the w a t e r t o s a v e h i m Somehow I managed to get to him and bring him t o a p l a c e o f s a f e t y I wouldn’t say I’m a good s w i m m e r , e s p e c i a l l y i n deep flowing water

“But saving him is the best feeling in the job We are there to protect people, to save people

G M P D e p u t y C h i e f C o n s t a b l e , I a n P i l l i n g , s a i d P C N a d e e m d i splayed a ‘willingness to assist even when his own life was in danger’

“All of us at GMP are very proud of his actions and this award is fully deserved,” he added

Two others who cannot be namedan 18-year-old who was 17 when arrested, and a 17 year old boy - admitted the charge

JEWELLER'S SON TELLS JURY OF FAMILY'S ANGUISH WHEN HE FAILED TO RETURN HOME

The son of Belgrave j e w e l l e r R a m n i k l a l Jogiya has told a jury of his family’s anguish d u r i n g t h e h o u r s b e t w e e n h i s u n e xplained disappearance and the discovery of his body in a secluded country lane

Milan Jogiya gave evidence yesterday at Birmingham Crown Court, where four men are on trial charged with his father's murder Mr Jogiya was bundled into a van as he locked his shop, Vama Collections, for the day on the evening of January 24 this year

His son Milan was the first family member to go to the shop when his father failed to return home He told the jury that the family were expecting his dad to arrive home, as was his habit, before 8pm However, when he had not arrived by 8 30pm, the family grew worried

Mr Jogiya ran down to the shop and found it in darkness With no sign of his father, he searched the ground and first floors of the building More friends and relatives arrived as concern spread

The group then reviewed the shop’s CCTV and saw a figure in a burka enter the shop, before leaving after a short time The prosecution alleges this was one of the four defendants, Thomas Jervis The trial continues

Husnain Rashid admitted four terrorism charges

Husnain Rashid shared Prince George s photograph in tips for would-be attackers

PC Mohammed Nadeem

Why schools are giving girls spoons to prevent forced marriages

London Mayor urges Home Secretary to offer Indian students easier access to visas

Rupanjana Dutta

Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London has written to the Home Secretary, Sajid Javid, to urge him to include India in a scheme offering simpler applications for UK student visas.

Last month, the Home Secretary announced that citizens of a further 11 countries –including China and Mexico – would be able to access a streamlined process to apply for Tier 4 student visas. While the Mayor welcomes the expansion of the scheme, he remains “deeply concerned” that India is not included. This decision was apparently taken after Prime Minister Narendra Modi refused to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) concerning the illegal immigrants in the UK. Sources revealed that the dispute is over numbers.

International students and academic talent, including those from India, play a significant role in driving innovation, investment and the UK’s global competitiveness, while Indian businesses invest more in the UK than they do in the rest of Europe combined.

However, the number of Indian students coming to the UK is falling – from a peak of nearly 24,000 a year in 2010/11 to a low of barely 9,000 a year in 2015/16.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, told Asian Voice: “During my trade mission to India last year, I was told regularly by politicians and business leaders that the UK’s approach to immigration was the single biggest barrier to strengthening our economic ties.

“This is not simply a concern in boardrooms: it is widely discussed in the media and the UK is characterised as hostile to Indian nationals in general, and students in particular.

“As such, I have today written to the Home Secretary to voice my deep concern that India has been excluded from a list of countries whose citizens can more easily access student visas.

“It is vital the UK maintains its reputation for higher education excellence. The number of Indian students choosing to study in the UK has declined significantly over the last decade.

“I’m urging him to both add India to the scheme and also to review the UK's broader approach to attracting international student talent, including post-study opportunities.

“With the continuing uncertainty we face around Brexit, government should be doing everything it can to safeguard businesses’ future access to talent.”

Tier 4 visas are general student visas to study in the UK for those aged 16 and over.

Countries already on the student visa trusted list: Argentina, Australia, Barbados, Botswana, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Qatar, Singapore, South Korea, Trinidad and Tobago, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, Taiwan. The countries recently added to the modified and linient list are China, Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand, Mexico, Bahrain, Serbia, Dominican Republic, Kuwait, Maldives, Macau.

Between 2005 and 2016, the UK was the second largest destination for Indian investment and 44 per cent of the fastest growing Indian companies now have a base in London. Indian companies invest more in the UK than they do in the rest of Europe combined – and employ around 110,000 people in the UK, with six of the largest Indian employers based in London.

The UK currently has eight universities ranked inside the world top 40 – four of which are in London.

A Home Office spokesperson in response said, "India did not meet the required criteria for inclusion on Appendix H. However, Indian students will experience no change in the service that they receive when applying for a student visa. There is no limit on the number of genuine Indian students who can come to study in the UK, and the fact that last year saw a 30% increase in Tier 4 visas issued to Indian students is proof that the current system allows for strong growth in this area.

"We are committed to a close relationship with India. This is clearly seen by the fact that Indian nationals make-up around two-thirds of all Tier 2 visas issued by the UK and we issue more skilled worker visas to Indian nationals than to all other nationalities combined. India also has the most UK Visa Application Centres of any country in the world and we are determined to continue our work to bring the UK and India closer together.”

Nachural award winners announced

Dhiren Katwa

Wolverhampton City Council were the recipient of the ‘Customer Service of the Year’ trophy at the Nachural Business Awards. Held at Wolverhampton Racecourse last Friday, the round table, black-tie prestigious ceremony brought together over 500 guests.Event organiser Ninder Johal praised businesses for their contribution to the economic prosperity of the Black Country and wider West Midlands region.A highlight of the evening was an impersonator of Donald Trump. Other winners included: Business Start-up (Little Dessert Shop – pictured);

Entrepreneur (Matt Jones); Businesswoman (Sameera Ali Saddiq); Business of the Year (Warley Carriers). The awards, now in their third year, also raised £8,000 for Promise Dreams, the charity.

Nominate them for the 18th Asian Achiever s Awar ds

Deadline for nomination 31st July, 2018

Please tick the appropriate category ✔

Achievement

in Community Service

In recognition for an individuals service to community.

Woman of the

Year

The award will recognise and honour a woman who has made a significant mark in any chosen field.

Sports Personality of the Year

Awarded for excellence in sports.

Business Person of the Year

Awarded to a business person who is a success in every sense of the word and can demonstrate a genuine passion for social issues.

Lifetime Achievement Award

To honour those individuals, who during their lifetime, have made immense contributions in any given field. This remarkable individual can be marked as an example for the younger generation.

Uniformed and Civil Services

For outstanding achievements in uniformed and civil services or contribution to the community through any of the above services.

Entrepreneur

of the Year

Awarded to an entrepreneur with a proven track record of operating a successful business enterprise.

Professional

of the Year

Professionals in the field of medicine, law, education, banking, finance and others, who have scaled the heights of their chosen profession.

Achievement in Media, Arts and Culture

Someone who has made a mark in media including print and broadcast media; cinema, art and culture.

Make sure that you fill in this application form and send it on or before 31st July, 2018 by post, fax or email to Mr. Rovin George, Tel: 020 7749 4013, Fax 020 7749 4081, Email: aaa@abplgroup.com.

If you are sending it by post the address is Mr. Rovin George, ABPL Group, Karma Yoga House, 12 Hoxton Market, London N1 6HW.

Sadiq Khan

Sajid Javid

Is there someone you know who has broken boundaries and deserves recognition for their unique contribution to the Asian Community or the Nation ?

The prestigious Asian Achievers Awards is hosted every year by UK’s leading news weeklies Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar to honour British Asians par excellence.

Three men on trial accused of using 'bogus colleges' to profit from illegal immigration

British Parliament to commemorate Vedanta Deskika’s 750th birth anniversary

British politicians and Hindu organisations will come together on 18 July at the House of Commons to commemorate the 750th birth anniversary of Vedanta Desika, one of India’s stalwart spiritual masters, in the line of the medieval Vaishnava teacher, Ramanujacharya.

Three men are accused of using ‘bogus colleges’ to profit from helping people enter or stay in the UK illegally.

Muhammad Babar Bashir, 38; Koteswara Nallamothu, 36; and Ayaz Ahmed, 38, are on trial at Manchester Crown Court charged with conspiracy to facilitate breaches of UK immigration law. The three men deny the charge.

Prosecutors allege that in return for cash, the defendants would provide people with a student visa.

In reality, the prosecution say, the defendants did not have any intention of providing an education and instead it was a way of making thousands of pounds for themselves.

Opening the case for the prosecution, Jane Greenhalgh said that the alleged conspirators would take control of failing or bogus further education colleges, in Manchester city centre, Ashton and Nottingham.

After making payment, the students would then be

given a confirmation of acceptance of study (CAS), described as the ‘golden ticket’ which should enable them to come to the UK to study.

But the prosecution say there was nowhere for the students to study, and no lessons, teachers or equipment.

The jury were told that St John College in Ashton, Kinnaird College in Manchester city centre and Vernon Community College in Nottingham were being used in this way.

Non-EU students are able to study in the UK under the law at tier four colleges, which have been given permission to provide such courses.

Such colleges have to obtain a sponsor licence from the Home Office, which allows them to offer CAS to students.

Ms Greenhalgh said some people did want to study, but others did not.

Jurors heard that at one college, Home Office officials saw students knocking on the door and trying to get

in.

Prosecutors also allege that Mr Bashir ‘hijacked’ the identity of a man from India who had never visited the UK, to ‘distance himself’ from the college before it was closed.

Jurors were told that CAS costs a nominal fee of £14 to cover an administration fee to the Home Office.

The prosecution say Mr Nallamothu was advertising it on his mobile phone as costing ‘£500 with or without English’.

They say this shows he was not trying to attract genuine students, because to study on those courses students have to speak English.

Mr Bashir is also accused of being involved at Kinnaird College, with the college agreeing to supply him with 300 CAS for £500 each.

Mr Bashir, of Bold Street, Moss Side; Mr Nallamothu, of Upper Wortley Road, Rotherham; and Mr Ahmed, of Alfreton Road, Nottingham, have all pleaded not guilty.

This is the first time in the world that a Vaishnava leader of the stature of Vedanta Desika, who has been described by the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi as ‘shining jewel in the Indian spiritual tradition’ will be felicitated inside a Parliamentary institution.

The reception is hosted by the Hindu Forum of Britain, Sri Vedanta Desika Sampradaya Sabha Mumbai and facilitated by Bob

Blackman, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for British Hindus. Delegates attending will include several British MPs, politicians, business leaders, academics, community spokespersons and interfaith heads.

The proceedings will

include speeches by dignitaries, key-note presentations on Vedanta Desika, a Bharatanatyam dance recital on a composition of Desika called ‘Gopala Vimshati’ and the release of a book on Desika by a senior cabinet secretary.

In a message to the organisers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “Sri Vedanta Desika enthralled thousands of people with his adeptness at handling both simple, practical realities and sophisticated theological concepts. I hope that the function on 18 July will make more people aware about the great contributions of Sri Vedanta Desika, and motivate them to follow his teachings as well as imbibe his quality of seeking knowledge tirelessly.”

Gita: The battle of the worlds

A new children's book which aims to help young people navagate the changes and emotions they can experience as they grow up, is set to be released. Gita: The Battle Of The Worlds tells the story of an 11 year old boy who struggles to come to terms with the loss of his father. It's been created by North London friends and mothers Sonal Sachdev Patel and Jemma WayneKattan.

This book takes the epic battle within the Gita and transports it inside the body of a young boy called

Dev. A classic story of good overcoming evil, through Dev and Sanjay’s adventure, readers will be able to connect with some of the deeper concepts in the Gita. When eleven-year-old

Dev’s father dies, he can’t stop lashing out at those he loves. Until he meets Sanjay, a sprite-like being who claims there is a battle raging inside Dev’s own body.

Sanjay embarks on a perilous journey beginning in the darkest realm at the bottom of Dev’s spine. As he searches for the noble warrior Prince Arjun, the only hope to defeat wicked Prince Ego, Sanjay encounters starving mobs, thieving gangs, water worlds and lands of fire, until at last he finds Arjun on the battlefield, ready to fight for Dev.

Tributes paid to motorcyclist who tragically died in crash

Tributes have been paid to a young motorcyclist who was killed in a crash on a Saltley road. Friends have named Amir Chaand, aged 22, as the man who was killed when his bike collided with a car in Adderley Road last Wednesday. The devastated brother of a biker killed in a road crash said he was "broken" at losing his "best friend".

Boxer Raza Hamza said he was bereft at the loss of 21-year-old Amir Chaandhaving promised to always take care of him. In an emotional tribute, the undefeated featherweight said he had promised to take care of his younger brother after his mother died. Amir died when his bike collided with an Audi in Adderley Road, Aston, last Wednesday, July 11.

Raza shared touching pictures of the brothers on Instagram. And he wrote on Twitter: “On Wednesday night I lost my younger brother 21 years. My only brother and my best friend.

Broken but it will make me a better man one day.”

The grieving brother also wrote an emotional tribute on Instagram. He wrote: “I don’t know where to start or what to say. When my mum died u was a babe in my arms and I promised you I will always be there and take care of you CHAAND.

“My only little bro 21 years old I had you spoke to me everyday before work but today you didn’t. I’m so sorry I couldn’t save you today and I’m broken. My life was you everything was you. You’ve left me alone. I will love you for ever RIP my little bro -

BROTHERS4LYF.”

A friend of Amir, who lived with his family in Aston , said the 21-year-old had got the bike two months ago and had bought it "for the summer".

He also said how he was passionate about boxing and had hoped to pursue it as a career, but had instead opted to work in the family business.

One of his friends said Amir, who lived with his family in Aston , got the bike two months ago and had bought it "for the summer". He also said how he was passionate about boxing and had hoped to pursue it as a career, but had instead opted to work in the family business.

Police sa id they were examining CCTV to shed light on what happened in the seconds leading up to the collision. They're also appealing for witnessesespecially drivers with dashcam footage - to come forward as they could have vital information.

Koteswara Nallamothu, Muhammad Babar Bashir and Ayaz Ahmed deny the charges

Amir with his brother Raza.

Swami Vedanta Deskika

Britain's Gurkha regiment to recruit women

Rupanjana Dutta

The Gurkhas will allow women to join the regiment for the first time next year, with the first recruits ready in the UK for training by 2020. But the notoriously tough selection process will remain the same for them which includes three mile uphill race known as the 'doko' in which they carry 55lbs of sand in a wicker basket attached by a head strap

It comes amid plans to i n c r e a s e t h e 3 , 0 0 0 - s t r o n g

Brigade of Gurkhas by a further 800 troops to help with the Army recruitment crisis, The Sunday Times reported

Those wishing to attend t h e s e l e c t i o n p r o c e s s i n P o k h a r a , c e n t r a l N e p a l , reportedly have to complete the doko race in 48 mins, followed by 75 bench jumps in one miniute and 70 situps in two The successful recruits are then brought to Cattrerick, North Yorkshire, f o r a 1 0 - w e e k t r a i n i n g course including lessons in English language and culture

The Ministry of Defence website states that all roles are related to fitness and not related to gender

G a v i n W i l l i a m s o n , Defence Secretary told Asian V o i c e : “ T h e G u r k h a s a r e renowned as one of the best fighting forces in the world with a proud history of serving Her Majesty, and it is right that women have the opportunity to serve in this elite group ”

Lieutenant general Nick Pope CBE, Deputy Chief of

Brigade of Gurkhas, told the newsweekly: “I am proud

sion to open all ground close combat roles to women, I can confirm that the Brigade of Gurkhas will be open to female applicants by 2020 ” M a j o r ( R e t i r e d ) Tikendra Dal Dewan JP who was a part of the regiment, is a leader of the community Based in Farnborough as the Chairman of British Gurkha Welfare Society, speaking to Asian Voice said, “This is long overdue and an issue that British Gurkha Welfare S o c i e t y h a d r a i s e d w i t h MOD many years ago when we were invited to discuss

them were commissioned at o f f i c e r s T h e i n t e r e s t i n g point is even then they were treated in equal footing as the rest of the Armed Forces and not under the Tripartite Agreement clause where it came to pay and pension ”

1975 with less than 22 years service receive no pension at all

five years they can then be naturalised as British citizens

There is a long tradition of

serving in the British Army and we continue to value their significant contribution to protecting the UK at h

T h i s reflects the openness and diversity of the British Army a n d ,

broader deci-

t h e n e w T e r m s a n d Condition of Service for the present Gurkhas This is not a new initiative as Gurkha ladies used to be enlisted annually specifically as nurses in the QARANC while the numbers were limited to 2 to 4 perhaps more in the earlier years These nurse provided an exemplary serv i c e a n d a t l e a s t 4 0 % o f

Sikhs for Justice announces the launch of global referendum for Khalistan

Sikhs for Justice, a representative group supporting the formation of Khalistan, an independent state for Sikhs, have planned to launch a g l o b a l r e f e r e n d u m i n t h e London for 30 million of their worldwide population, asking for a separate and independent state

Sikhs for Justice, which is a New York based group h a s a n n o u n c e d ‘ L o n d o n Declaration’ a peaceful campaign for a non binding referendum on the question of Sikhs’ right to self determination, as guaranteed by the U N C h a r t e r a n d I n t e r n a t i o n a l C o n v e n t i o n on Civil and Political Rights

Campaigners are making the case for independence on the basis that Sikhs are indigenous people of Punjab with a separate, religious, cultural and linguistic ident i t y a n d a l l e g e d l y b e e n repressed by India They also claim that Sikhs in Punjab a r e v i c t i m s o f e c o n o m i c exploitation with the state of I n d i a ‘ d i v e r t i n g w a t e r t o Rajasthan and Haryana’

The plan for the global referendum in 2020 will be l a u n c h e d i n L o n d o n Trafalgar Square at a rally on

12thAugust, ahead of India’s Independence Day

The group believes they qualify for a separate and sovereign state Khalistan on the basis of identifiable territory, distinct culture- involving religion, language, social and other characteristics, a will for self governance and capacity for self governance

Gurpatwant S Pannun, legal advisor to Sikhs for Justice exclusively speaking to Asian Voice said, “this is a peaceful, democratic campaign to give Sikhs the right t o d e t e r m i n e t h e i r o w n future ”

When asked if they have approached the Modi government, he added, the campaign is meant for the state o f I n d ia i n d e p e n d e n t o f whichever government sits in the centre

I n A p r i l 2 0 1 8 , d u r i n g I n d i a n P r i m e M i n i s t e r Narendra Modi’s visit to the

UK for CHOGM, members of the Sikh community had desecrated the Indian flag in the Parliament square

When asked about the incident, Mr Pannun said, “If you have roots to India, they consider flag different from the symbol over here In the US and UK that is the way to show your resentment If Indians take flag as their ruler, I didn't see any j o u r n a l i s t s o r m e d i a , w h e t h e r f r o m t h e U K o r Indians, when they see dead bodies or rapes of the Sikh women, I did not see any comments from the Indian media the way they are making about burning of a flag We are not for burning anything, but this is a symbolic thing, that some individuals did to show their resentm e n t , t h a t t h i s f l a g , i s responsible for the killings and the blood of the minorities in India ”

E v e r y y e a r t e n s a n d t h o u s a n d s a p p l y f o r 2 5 0 places The salary is £18,000 a year and they receive pension, which is the same as o t h e r B r i t i s h s o l d i e r s f o r people enlisted since 1993 including other terms and c o n d i t i o n s T h e o n e s recruited before, do not get the same amount of pension and the British veterans who c o m p l e t e d s e r v i c e b e f o r e

They are also not eligible for a UK citizenship automatically After a high-profile protest campaign led by a c t r e s s J o a n n a L u m l e y (daughter of Major James Rutherford-Lumley of the 6 t h G u r k h a R i f l e s ) , t h e British government introd u c e d n e w r e g u l a t i o n s

Anyone who's served at least four years in the Brigade of Gurkhas is eligible to settle in Britain under Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) This also covers their spouse and dependent children under 18 After living in the UK for

About 200,000 Gurkhas fought for Britain in World Wars I and II, and more than 45,000 have died in British u n i f o r m T h e y s e r v e d i n Burma, Malaya, Cyprus, the Falklands, Iraq and around 3 , 5 0 0 n o w s e r v e i n t h e British Army; many of these are deployed in Afghanistan P r i n c e H a r r y w h o s e r v e d with the 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles during his tour in Afghanistan in 2007-08 reportedly said that there is no safer place to be, w h e n y o u ' r e w i t h t h e Gurkhas

Major (Retired) Tikendra Dewan

Veteran NRI broadcaster Mahendra Kaul passes away

The long journey of eminent broadcaster M a h e n d r a K a u l f r o m H a b b a K a d a l i n Srinagar, Kashmir in India on the banks of Jehlum to London on the banks of Thames came to end last Wednesday His death shocked the community He was 95 and is survived by his wife Rajini and Daughter, Kalyani Kaul

His journey in broadcasting started in July 1948 with Radio Kashmir He later joined All India radio in Delhi , where he met his wife Rajani After working in Delhi for about 10 years he attracted the attention of Voice Of America, who selected him as a News Reader for the Asian desk He got a call from BBC London in 1965

Appointed initially as a News Reader, He w a s e n t r u s t e d t o s t a r t a s e r i e s o f p r ogrammes highlighting the problems faced by South Asian immigrants when they come to UK The programme called "Apna hi Ghar Samajye" (Make yourself at home) ran for nearly 2 decades, advising immigrants how to join the British society

The other popular programme he started was “Naye Zindagi Naye Jeevan" in which eminent poets and authors were invited Both the programmes became were very

popular He interviewed Prime Minister and many politicians, besides Bollywood actors a n d e m i n e n t p e r s o n a l i t i e s f r o m I n d i a including Mrs Indira Gandhi

Besides his Broadcasting career he also initiated the Indian Cuisine in UK by starting famous Gaylord Restaurant and other r e s t a u r a n t s i n L o n d o n H e r e c e i v e d Community Service Award at the Asian Voice Political and Public Life Award in February 2014, organised by the Asian Voice newsweekly Speaking at the awards he said, "I have spoken for over 50 years on TV and Radio When I first came to the UK, the situation was entirely different Now we can see the change and the Asian community has brought this about through its dedication and hard work

Mahendra Nath Kaul was decorated with Order of the British Empire in 1975, after the World War II for services to race relations through his BBC TV programmes He was the first NRI to be awarded an OBE

He was a superb communicator, always extending his hand of friendship He will be missed by all Mr Kaul's funeral is being held on Sunday 22 July 2018 at 10am in Golders Green Crematorium

Event held to help raise awareness of community work

“Let us be courageous and build our future security through a commitment of support to our younger generations for the greater good of us all ”

That was the message from Nitin Palan, Founder and Director of Golden Tours Foundation speaking in front of over 200 invited guests at London’s famous Sheraton Skyline Hotel near Heathrow

The special event was held in an effort to spread awareness all the great work done in our local communities, especially some of the projects led by people from the Hindu community that rarely get mentioned, outlined Mr Palan

“There is so much amazing work happening in our communities It is imperative we acknowledge these people and help inspire others to do more within their communities,” outlined Mr Palan

T

Golden Tours Foundation was established in 2013 to offer life-changing opportunities for people to help fulfill their aspirational goals Since its inception it has supported numerous projects and offered over a £1

d interfaith work, Mr Palan was awarded the MBE in 2017

Some of the projects the Foundation works with were present at the event Shaunaka Rishi Das of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies (OCHS) did a short presentation on the role of Hindu dharma and the valuable role it is playing in research and education of Hinduism worldwide

Virendra Sharma MP calls for immediate action to eliminate hepatitis C

Virendra Sharma MP

Ryder and the Hepatitis C Coalition to celebrate the launch of a new report on hepatitis C – which affects over 100,000 people in England alone

V i r e n d r a S h a r m a M P j o i n e d t h e H e p a t i t i c C C o a l i t i o n a n d o t h e r Parliamentarians on Monday to celebrate t h e l a u n c h o f ‘ S i g n p o s t i n g t h e W a y t o Elimination by 2025 ’ – and call for an urgent, coordinated effort to increase testing and treatment for hepatitis C to drive elimination in time for NHS England’s aim of 2025

The hepatitis C virus (or HCV) is a liver infection that spreads through blood-toblood contact It is a global health threat that affects 71 million people around the world Once it becomes chronic, it can cause real damage, such as cirrhosis and liver cancer

The Hepatitis C Coalition is an umbrella group of 24 organisations group comprising clinicians, patient organisations, drugs and a l c o h o l s e r v i c e p r o v i d e r s , h o m e l e s s n e s s charities and others committed to reducing hepatitis C infection and its elimination

T h e C o a l i t i o n ’ s n e w d o c u m e n t ‘Signposting the Way to Elimination by 2025 ’ sets out how all parts of the hepatitis C pathway can work together to support NHS England in its aim to eliminate the virus by 2025 The document sets out practical steps that the Coalition can take to support NHS England with its elimination effort

T h e l a u n c h i n P a r l i a m e n t b r o u g h t together hepatologists, specialist nurses,

pered by Mr Palan’s son Mikesh and daughter Millie Mikesh is the current Managing Director of Golden Tours and Millie who is works outside of the family business on her own specialist projects

T h e e v e n i n g ’ s f i n a l e w a s w i t h t h e Golden couple Nitin and Kamu Palan Mrs Palan told a highly moving story of underprivileged girls in India who need our support with education and opportunities to get them out of the miseries of poverty She explained that how much the lives of the girls can be improved with a little love and support “There is so much to do and we can all play a role in eradicating poverty,” she urged everyone

The Palan family is supporting h u n d r e d s o f y o u n g c h i l d r e n n u m e r o u s s c h o o l s i n I n d i a i n places like Ukai and Randesan in Western India as well as the farming community in Gondal

pharmacists and NHS managers for the first time

A t t e n d e e s w e r e a d d r e s s e d b y t h e Shadow Minister for Public Health and Primary Care, Sharon Hodgson MP and Labour MP and member of the Health and S o c ia l C a r e S e l e c t C o m m i t t e e D i a n a J o h n s o n O t h e r s p e a k e r s i n c l u d e d t h e Coalition’s Chair and Vice Chairs, Professor Steve Ryder, Professor Ashley Brown and Rachel Halford, who is also the new Chief Executive of the Hepatitis C Trust Professor Ryder, Chair of the Hepatitis C Coalition, said: “We were delighted to see so many parliamentarians from different parties coming together to mark this occasion and to pledge their support for eliminating hepatitis C It is not often that we can say that it is possible to eliminate a disease as a public health threat, but this is well within our capability to achieve We are at a vital moment in the fight against hepatitis C and now is the time to act This is a chronic dise a s e a f f e c t i n g o v e r 1 0 0 , 0 0 0 p e o p l e i n England, and it can go undetected for years

“Now we need to push forward and raise awareness as much as possible, get as many people as possible tested and, if needed, into treatment and on the road to recovery I would like to see everyone with a will to make this work doing their bit to spread the message and help make hepatitis C history Today, parliamentarians came together to help us do that We have a goal for 2025 Let’s make it happen ”

organ donation campaign as ethnic donations are falling far below the national average There are also opportunities to sponsor children in India to be educated We need to do more in public life and be proactively involved in working with public institutions to help aid future policies Mr Palan urged people to leave a lasting and positive legacy for our young people

groups who are trying to make

difference to their local communities

Bishop Richard Atkinson, Co-Chairman of the Inter Faith Network added his support and spoke about the strong partnership of working with Nitin Palan and their trip to India visiting iconic places of worship and meeting the Dalai Lama

The evening’s presentation was com-

As an avid devotee of the BAPS S w a m i n a r a y a n m o v e m e n t , M r Palan thanked his guru, Pramukh Swami Maharaj who was the fifth s p i r i t u a l s u c c e s s o r o f t h e S w a m i n a r a y a n m o v e m e n t w h o passed away in 2016

So how can all help? There are m a n y i m p o r t a n t p r o j e c t s t h a t need our attention including the

joined Professor Steve

Mr Palan who founded the highly successful Golden Tours company in the heart of London’s tourist industry, has set up a

(Photo credit: Paresh Solanki Golden Tours Foundation)

Nitin and Kamu Palan

Millie and Mikesh Palan compares on the night

Nitin Palan and Kamu Palan personally welcoming guests at the Golden Tours Foundation reception

Virendra Sharma MP

CB Patel Mahendra Kaul CBE, Baroness Betty Boothroyd and Kalyani Kaul at Asian Voice Political and Public Life Awards

93 Indians victims of 'Windrush' immigration scandal

93 Indians have fallen victim to UK's 'Windrush' immigration scandal as last week the UK government released latest figures on the number of Commonwealth nationals caught up in the row over citizenship rights

While among 2,125 cases, most have been Caribbean, f i r s t t i m e e v e r , I n d i a n nationals have been provided with documentations of their rights to live and work in Britain by a special taskf o r c e s e t u p b y t h e U K I n d i a n s f o r m t h e t h i r d largest group in this case, after countries like Jamaica (1,014) and Barbados (207) The others include Grenada (88), Trinidad and Tobago ( 8 5 ) , a n d 6 3 8 w e r e f r o m countries classified simply as 'others'

T h e g r o u p w h i c h i s referred to as the 'Windrush generation' relates to a ship n a m e d ' W i n d r u s h ' t h a t brought Jamaican workers to UK shores in 1948 The scandal emerged as many w h o a r r i v e d a s c h i l d r e n

a r o u n d t h a t p e r i o d h a v e b e e n s t r u g g l i n g t o a c c e s s s t a t e s e r v i c e s a n d e v e n threatened with deportation because they did not possess any documents to prove that t h e y a r r i v e d b e f o r e 1 9 7 3 , when Home Office made rules stringent The landing c a r d s t h a t w e r e u s e d b y these immigrants on disemb a r k i n g w e r e a l l e g e d l y destroyed during a clear out I n a l e t t e r d a t e d J u l y 1 0 , U K H o m e S e c r e t a r y S a j i d J a v i d i n f o r m e d t h e C h a i r o f t h e i n f l u e n t i a l H o u s e o f C o m m o n s H o m e A f f a i r s S el e c t C o m m i t t e e ( H A S C ) t h a t t h e H o m e O f f i c e h a s i s s u e d d oc u m e n t a t i o n t o t h o s e w h o c o n t a c t e d t h e t a s k f o r c e h o t l i n e b e t w e e n A p r i l a n d J u n e t h i s y e a r , c o n f i r m i n g I n d e f i n i t e L e a v e t o R e m a i n ( I L R ) o r N o T i m e L i m i t ( N T L ) v i s a s f o r t h e m , t h e P T I r e p o r te d

U n d e r a W i n d r u s h s c h e m e t h a t w a s l a u n c h e d b y t h e U K i n M a y , f o r m a n y o f t h e s e a p p l i c a n t s ,

t h e i r c h i l d r e n w e r e b o r n i n t h e U K , s o m e a r r i v e d a s m i n o r s , a n d w e r e a b l e t o a p p l y f o r B r i t i s h c i t i z e ns h i p f r e e o f c h a r g e t h r o u g h v ar i o u s i m m i g r at i o n r o u t e s I n J u n e , 5 8 4 i n d i v i d u a l s w e r e r e c o r d e d a s b e i n g g r a n t e d c i t i z e ns h i p t h r o u g h t h e s c h e m e I n h i s l e t t e r t o H A S C C h a i r , L a b o u r M P Y v e t t e C o o p e r , J a v i d r e p o r t e d l y s a i d h i s d e p a r t m e n t w a s a l s o l o o k i n g a t t h e b e s t w a y s o f m o v i n g a w a y f r o m t h e s o - c a l l e d h o s t i l e e n v ir o n m e n t t o e n s u r e t h e r e i s " n o a d v e r s e i m p a c t " o n m i g r a n t s w h o h a v e a l e g a l r i g h t t o b e i n t h e U K

C o o p e r , i n r e s p o n s e t o t he l a t e s t d a t a s a i d , " I t i s v e r y d i s a p p o i n t i n g t h a t w e s t i l l d o n o t h a v e i n f o r m at i o n a b o u t t h e n u m b e r o f p e o p l e w r o n g l y d e t a i n e d , a n d t h a t t h e H o m e O f f i c e h a s s t i l l n o t m a n a g e d t o m a k e c o n t a c t w i t h t h e m a j o r i t y o f t h o s e w h o w e r e w r o n g f u l l y d e p o r t e d o r r e m o v e d ”

Bestway ranked in top ten in Sunday Times Top Track 100

B e s t w a y G r o u p h a s b e e n listed as the tenth largest p r i v a t e l y - o w n e d c o m p a n y in the annual Top Track surv e y p u b l i s h e d b y T h e Sunday Times on 8th July

T h e i n f l u e n t i a l l i s t charts the success of the U K ’ s l a r g e s t p r i v a t e l yowned 100 companies and p l a c e s B e s t w a y G r o u p a t n u m b e r 1 0 w i t h s a l e s o f £3 293bn

The company, founded by Sir Anwar Pervez in 1976 and currently led by Chief Executive Zameer Choudrey C B E S I P k , h a s b u s i n e s s interests spanning four continents and employs over 3 8 , 0 0 0 p e o p l e a c r o s s t h e globe

Bestway Group consists of Bestway Wholesale, the UK’s 2nd largest wholesaler, Well Pharmacy, the UK’s 3rd l a r g e s t r e t a i l p h a r m a c y c h a i n , B e s t w a y C e m e n t Limited, Pakistan’s largest cement manufacturer, and U n i t e d B a n k L i m i t e d , Pakistan’s 2nd largest private bank

Zameer Choudrey CBE SI Pk, Chief Executive at Bestway Group commented, “We are delighted to achieve a top ten ranking in the Sunday Times HSBC Top Track which demonstrates the Group’s continued success in delivering on our growth strategy at home and abroad ”

“It has been an exciting y e a r f o r B e s t w a y a n d w e continue to invest in all of o u r b u s i n e s s e s W e h a v e been active in the UK Retail Sector and I am personally very proud that Bestway has been able to assist thou-

First ever deal paves way for knowledge sharing between London and West Midlands

S a d i q K h a n , t h e M a y o r o f London, and Andy Street CBE, the Mayor of the West Midlands Combined Authority, welcomed a new knowledge-sharing agreement between London and the West Midlands on Tuesday by s i g n i n g a M e m o r a n d u m o f U n d e r s t a n d i n g F r o m d e a l i n g with major incidents to limiting t h e d i s r u p t i o n o f l a r g e - s ca l e transport projects and reducing congestion, the agreement will e n a b l e W e s t M i d l a n d s a n d London to learn from each other to improve not only their individual regions, but also the rest of the UK

The MoU, which was signed by Transport for London (TfL) a n d T r a n s p o r t f o r W e s t M i d l a n d s ( T f W M ) , i s t h e f i r s t time two devolved local authorities have made a commitment to s h a r e b e s t p r a c t i c e a n d w o r k towards common goals

S a d i q K h a n , M a y o r o f L o n d o n , s a i d , “ L o n d o n a n d Birmingham face many of the same challenges so I am delighted that the signing of this agreem e n t f u r t h e r s t r e n g t h e n s o u r commitment to work together

A m o n g o t h e r t h i n g s , s h a r i n g information will help us better deal with major incidents, manage world-class sporting events and reduce congestion, improving our cities for everyone ”

Andy Street CBE, Mayor of t h e W e s t M i d l a n d s C o m b i n e d Authority, said, “In the next few years, the West Midlands will be p l a y i n g h o s t t o h u g e e v e n t s requiring us to be at the top of our game in terms of managing t r a n s p o r t , p a r t i c u l a r l y o n o u r public transport networks

“ T h i s M e m o r a n d u m o f Understanding is an important f i r s t s t e p i n m a k i n g s u r e a l l f u t u r e e v e n t s a r e r e m e m b e r e d for the show the West Midlands puts on, not for any challenges t h e t r a n s p o r t n e t w o r k s m i g h t face ”

sands of retailers during the turmoil following the collapse of Palmer & Harvey in N o v e m b e r l a s t y e a r Bestway recently bought a V a n S a l e s D i v i s i o n f r o m P a l m e r & H a r v e y a n d acquired Conviviality Retail w h i c h i n c l u d e s B a r g a i n B o o z e , W i n e R a c k a n d Central Convenience Stores In June, we also acquired t w o B l a k e m o r e d e p o t s i n Cardiff and Walsall which will further strengthen our position as the UK’s leading independent wholesaler All these businesses combined shall add over £500m to the Group turnover per annum W e a r e a l s o d e l i g h t e d t o have saved over 3,000 jobs in the UK as part of our acquisition strategy in 2018”

“ W e h a v e a l s o b e e n investing significantly in the rest of our business, particularly in our digital capabilities This year we developed the Digital Lab at UBL in P a k i s t a n , i n c o n j u n c t i o n with IBM, to allow us to partner up with start-ups

a n d f i n t e c h t o p r o v i d e a g r o u n d - b r e a k i n g d i g i t a l experience for customers

As a first product, the UBL Digital App was launched in April 2018, which has seen more than 150,000 downloads to date ”

“ W e l l P h a r m a c y h a s made good progress with its Digital Pharmacy, which is c u r r e n t l y i n t e s t i n g b u t should launch in October this year We are also in the p r o c e s s o f u p g r a d i n g o u r Wholesale digital capabilities ”

T h e G r o u p h a s a l s o recently invested $150m in i t s P a k i s t a n c e m e n t s u bs i d i a r y , B e s t w a y C e m e n t Limited, which saw its 6th cement plant go operational in May 2018 The plant has a capacity of 2 million tonnes and includes a 9MW waste heat recovery power plant

In addition, the Group’s c h a r i t a b l e a r m , B e s t w a y F o u n d a t i o n , h a s d o n a t e d o v e r $ 3 5 m t o c h a r i t a b l e causes globally to date

Unemployment falls but women fail to gain top roles

Job vacancies have increased by 7,000 to 824,000 - the most since records began in 2001, according to the Office f o r N a t i o n a l S t a t i s t i c s ( O N S ) Unemployment fell by 12,000 to 1 41 million, giving a jobless rate of 4 2%, the joint lowest for more than 30 y e a r s A v e r a g e e a r n i n g s h a v e increased by 2 5% in the year to May, compared with 2 4% the previous month

T h e c l a i m a n t c o u n t , w h i c h i n c l u d e s p e o p l e o n J o b s e e k e r ' s Allowance and the unemployment element of Universal Credit increased b y 7 , 8 0 0 l a s t m o n t h t o 8 9 8 , 7 0 0 , around 97,000 more than a year ago The number of people classed as econ o m i c a l l y i n a c t i v e , i n c l u d i n g s t udents, those on long-term sick leave, early retirement or who have given up looking for work, fell by 86,000 to 8 6 million, giving a rate of 21%, a record low

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Esther McVey said: "The employment rate is now at a record high at 75 7%

"With over 3 3m more people in work since 2010, this Government has seen on average 1,000 more people in work each and every day ”

E m p l o y m e m t M i n i s t e r A l o k Sharma said, “We have got another record high, so this is the 18th record

since 2010 The number of women is also at a record level, and what is particularly pleasing that we are seeing that ttrend continue

But according to a new research, gender diversity in senior roles at FTSE 350 companies has failed to improve over the past three years, despite evidence that companies with a higher proportion of female executives achieve higher profits, according to new research

According to the third annual W o m e n C o u n t r e p o r t b y T h e Pipeline, an organisation that provides female leadership programmes, found that the ratio of women on executive committees of FTSE 350 companies had stayed at 16 per cent since the first report

The Times reported that nearly a quarter of FTSE 350 companies have no women on their executive committees Indeed, in some areas, gender diversity has worsened Only 5 per cent of all profit and loss roles on executiv e committees are held by women, down from 6 per cent last year Sixty-three per cent of companies have no women in such roles, w h i l e 9 5 p e r c e n t o f b o a r d s a r e chaired by men The percentage of women executives on main boards was flat at 8 per cent between 2017 and 2018

“Transport for London has a wealth of experience in accomm o d a t i n g e x t r a t r a v e l l e r s a n d w e ’ r e k e e n t o t a p i n t o t h i s k n o w l e d g e a h e a d o f t h e C o m m o n w e a l t h G a m e s a n d Coventry City of Culture

Sir Anwar Pervez, Founder Zameer Choudrey CBE SI Pk, Chief Executive

What is prayer?

Recently I read a short but very meaningful article in English about true meaning of prayer which I would like to narrate here for the benefit of an esteemed readers of Asian Voice

What is prayer? Prayer doesn’t just happen when we kneel or put our hands together and focus and expect things from God by going to temple, church, mosque, Gurudhvara, synogage or any worshiping place

Thinking positive and wishing good for others is a prayer When you hug a friend That’s a prayer When you cook something to nourish family and friend That’s a prayer When you send off our near and dear ones and say ‘drive safely’ or ‘be safe’ That’s prayer When you are helping someone in need by giving your time and energy You are praying When you forgive someone by heart That’s prayer Prayer is a vibration A feeling A thought Prayer is voice of love, friendship, genuine relationships Prayer is an expression of your silent being

In this context in my 2005 June/July trip to India I had a very memorable experience which I would like to inform to your readers After visiting holy temples of Virpur, Gondal, Gadhda, Sarangpur and Junagadh in Gujarat we were coming back to Surat in rented private car and our driver asked us that is it O K if he can visit her sister who lives few kilometres away from highway from where we were passing and we said no problem

Once we were there her sister asked us to come to her small typical village house, as we went in, our driver asked to sit down on coach made of Kathi strings and then gave us water in small container to freshen up Then her sister asked me Sir, would like to eat Bajaras Rotalas which she just made on stove - Chula using fire wood collected from her small farm and I said, sure we will eat

She made us seated in small room on floor and served us Rotalas, Chhas, sabaji is freshly made of dry fenugreek seeds, small garlic bulbs and gravy of water putting home made masala and mango chutney

And that was best memorable food I had of my life time because it was made of pure love and inner selfless prayer from her heart and happiness on her and entire family’s faces by serving us and I saw real India in small village

Ditching the itching

I was pleased to read here last week that Dinesh Sheth, Asian Voice's most prolific and award-deserving letter writer, has found my hay fever relief idea useful Cold water is indeed an effective way to get rid of the itching, sneezing and eye-rubbing effects of pollen

Drinking plenty of cold water and splashing cold water in your face, eyes, nostrils, also gargling with cold water as well as putting your head under a cold water shower or taking a cold water bath will help to kick this irritating allergy right out of your life

Rudy Otter

By email

Home remedies that work wonders

I read with interest Dineshbhai’s excellent letter “Red Itchy Eyes” in last week’s AV It falls in “Letters that Matters category ” So often simple home remedies work wonders when applied to minor seasonal ailments like hay fevers, upset tummies, sore throats and headaches In this country, most elderly people, especially those with low immunity suffer from such seasonal illnesses

When we were in Africa, we never used to go to family doctors (GPs) for minor illnesses, as our parents were knowledgeable in treating such ailments with home remedies This heirloom wisdom was passed on from generation to generation But here we are having interlude between generations! Moreover we had to pay for every visit to consult doctors But here we are accustomed to visiting GPs more often than in the developing world, having taken to heart the slogan “Medical treatment is free at the point of delivery ” In sharp contrast, most of us may not visit our dentists routinely Dentists are obliged to send us reminders that a visit is now due, as it normally costs at least £50 for every visit, except to those who are on means tested benefits

Cold water always works wonders when applied to itching, dry eyes, so do eye drops, especially for dry eyes But as tape water contains tiny amount of chlorine, our GPs so often advise us to splash water on closed eyes or use bottled water But it is fine for most of us

Another wonderful home remedy is the use of turmeric powder which contains antibiotics qualities It works wonders on cuts and bruises, cold and sore throats, especially if taken with honey Practically every spice we use, like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and many more have healing qualities Readers should share their experiences on home remedies with us, although GS/AV so often covers these remedies in their Good Health section

Kumudini Valambia

By email

Immigration Crisis

Immigration now has become a hot potato both for Europe and USA There is a growing tendency for right wing governments coming into power in Europe because of their antiimmigration policies

The problem these countries are facing not legal immigration but illegal immigration These migrants at great risk to their lives are coming to USA and Europe They are coming from Syria, Somalia, Eritrea, Afghanistan, Pakistan and West Africa

It is very difficult to know who are genuine refugees, genuine asylum seekers, economic migrants, illegal migrants or ISIS and Al Qaeda fighters trying to infiltrate Europe using false documents This is major dilemma for the E u r o p e a n C o u n t r i e s e s p e c i a l l y , I t a l y , G r e e c e , F r a n c e , Germany, Hungary, Austria, Sweden and Netherlands

A refugee is someone fleeing war, persecution, or natural disaster Refugee status is defined in international law, which requires states to protect refugees and not send anyone to a place where they risk being persecuted or seriously harmed States hold primary responsibility for the protection of refugees The UN counted 21 3 million refugees worldwide at the end of 2015

“Asylum” refers to the legal permission to stay somewhere as a refugee, which brings rights and benefits Not every asylum seeker will ultimately be recognized as a refugee, but every refugee is initially an asylum seeker

The only way to stem this massive flow of immigrants from Africa and the Middle East to tackle the problem at its source, which is to neutralise the human traffickers and their agents in their countries of origin To destroy their boats used by the traffickers to sail the migrants to Europe Germany reported the largest total number of immigrants (1 029 9 thousand) in 2016, followed by the United Kingdom (589 0 thousand), Spain (414 7 thousand), France (378 1 thousand) and Italy (300 8 thousand) Germany also reported the highest number of emigrants in 2016 (533 8 thousand), followed by the United Kingdom (340 4 thousand), Spain (327 3 thousand), France (309 8 thousand), Poland (236 4 thousand) and Romania (207 6 thousand)

A total of 21 of the EU Member States reported more immigration than emigration in 2016, but in Bulgaria, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal and Romania the number of emigrants outnumbered the number of immigrants

The migrants are not going to the rich Middle East Countries because the y know they will not get the security, employment, health and social benefits they are getting and will get in the Europeans countries The only way out for them is to enter Europe legally and not illegally,

The recent solution worked out by the European Union to establish disembarkation centres outside the EU to process the application of migrants, where only genuine refugees and asylum seekers will be allowed to enter Europe Baldev Sharma Rayners Lane, Harrow

Thousands of children struggling with body image concerns and mental health difficulties are turning to Childline for help and support about eating disorders In 2017/18, the NSPCC’s Childline service carried out 5,934 counselling sessions about eating disorders and eating problems – up 22 per cent since 2016/17

Almost nine in every ten counselling sessions were with girls, including 148 counselling sessions with girls aged 10-11 Nearly one in six counselling sessions mentioned anorexia, one in ten mentioned bulimia, and almost a third mentioned negative or distorted body image

I n a d d i t i o n , t h o u s a n d s o f c h i l d r e n w h o c o n t a c t e d Childline about other mental health issues, including suicidal feelings and self-harm, also talked about eating disorders or eating problems, bringing the total number of counselling sessions where eating disorders or eating problems were mentioned in 2017/18 to 11,752

Young people say they feel under pressure to look a certain way and live a certain life The reality is eating disorders are dangerous and can be lethal It is therefore crucial that these young people receive effective help as soon as possible so they can go on to enjoy their childhood to the full Childline is there for these young people, but at the moment we can only answer three out of four young people who turn to us for help

So we can meet the demand, the NSPCC’s Are You There? campaign is calling on Government to invest some of the £300 million it has committed for children’s mental health services towards early support services such as Childline

We cannot do it alone though The help we provide must be supplemented by mental health professionals so young people and families can access counselling when they need it the most Children and young people in need of advice or support about eating disorders or eating problems can contact Childline for free, confidential support and advice, 24 hours a day on 0800 1111 or at www childline org uk

Wendy Robinson Childline Service Manager London Base

The visit

So the US president, Donald Trump, is on a state visit to a liberal country like the UK where all people, be the blacks or muslims, are treated on the same par as the indigenous people Trump, who has openly stated that he is anti muslims and and anti hispanics is visitng a country where both the home minister and the London mayor are muslims He had previously tried to stop people of certain countries from entering the US but his ban was overruled by a high court judge The then Home secretary had repeated Downing Street’s statement that Trump was wrong to spread messages of the far right group “Britain First” on Twitter

London’s mayor is also reported to have stated that Trump was not welcome to the UK But why then his state visit to UK has not been cancelled? His zero tolerance policy has separated 2,300 migrant children from their families and left many held up in cages Not long ago, his recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel had opened up the Pandora’s box in the region and, by this rash action, all ills had been let loose in the surrounding regions He had also stated that he would build a wall betwe en the US and Mexico to stop immigration from that quarter His overtly racist comments about muslims, Mexicans and so on have received plenty of attention from the Americans He plays on people’s emotions against muslims and blacks

Dinesh Sheth Newbury Park, Ilford

Unprecedented global cooperation

The world had a sigh of relief when the 12 children and their coach were rescued from the cave in Thailand after being trapped there for 17 days It was the outcome of a very risky and a 'never before' operation that terminated in a cheerful ending It was however quite unfortunate that one of the Thai divers died in this action It is worth noting in this whole episode how several countries of the world came forward voluntarily, by sending their trained divers as also rescue equipments, to support the Thai authorities in this manoeuvre In the past also there have been many such instances when nations have converged their efforts in order to save people

During extreme natural disasters like earthquakes, floods, tsunami etc , countries have ignored their political differences and have stood together to save the affected public In March 201 4, when Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 went missing, all countries put in their best combined efforts in the search operation Such incidences have undoubtedly proved the famous saying, 'the brotherhood of men transcends the sovereignty of nations' If nations would show similar solidarity in combating terrorism, poverty and environmental pollution, the world would certainly be a much better place to live in

Bharat Shah Rayners Lane

Our football team’s allegedly heroic performance in world cup, played in supposedly hostile country Russia, has occupied our hearts, minds and monopolized our TV screen for the last two weeks, mainly due to the hype generated by media In reality our team’s performance was no more than average, what was expected from some of the richest sportsmen in the country All their wins, against Tunisia and Panama were against minnows Only win against Sweden was impressive, although Sweden is ranked well below England When England met real opposition in Belgium, the only team ranked above England in their half of the draw and Croatia, a tiny nation of some four million people where football is in its infancy, England capitulated beyond belief, losing all three matches The main culprit of our poor performance on world stage during the last decade is our FA and premier league teams like Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsena l and Liverpool who so often field teams without a single English player, dominated by foreign players

Our youngsters are the best in the world, as we won world cup at under 17 and 21 levels Yet these talented youngsters will never get an opportunity to play for these big clubs, to develop their skill and represent England at senior level, as these clubs spend millions on readymade players recruited f rom Europe, Africa and South America who go on representing their motherland with pride It is time for blundering FA to tackle the bull by the horn and force Premier League teams to field at least five English players in every competitive match they play, a norm in many EU countries In reality, our FA administers are as toothless and bare of ideas as our politicians who are being bullied by EU, Pr esident Trump and his likes FA should charge 10% levy on transfer fees to support our lower leagues teams who could become a nursery to nurture talent

Our real heroes are our unpaid volunteers who go to the aid of stranded mountaineers, sailors trapped in sinking ships and people trapped deep underground in flooded caves They routinely risk their lives to save others, rescue of Thai boys being the p rime example Yet they are rarely recognized by Committee members who dish out “Gongs” to underserving millionaires in media, sports, politics and among themselves All these people are doing no more than their duties under well paid jobs one can only dream about

Our Real Heroes

NSPCC’s Childline Service

Suresh and Bhavna Patel Canada

London grammar school's exclusion policy was illegal

A grammar school that forced out pupils unlikely to achieve high grades in their ALevels acted illegally, an independent inquiry has found

The policy at St Olave's school in London from 2010 to 2017 meant pupils were treated as "collateral damage", the Bromley council report said Excluding pupils "based on academic ability" breaches the Education Act

The headmaster who oversaw the policy said he did not know it was illegal The school fully accepts the findings

Christine Whatford CBE, who cond u c t e d t h e i n q u i r y , s a i d p u p i l s w e r e threatened with exclusion despite suffering depression, anxiety or trauma

One member of staff said a student was so fearful of telling his parents about his exclusion "that he might as well kill himself", while others described scenes of "distraught pupils crying in the car park"

Headmaster Aydin Önaç who resigned from the Orpington school at the end of 2017, told the inquiry that "no one ever told him [the policy] was illegal and that many other schools do it"

But it was his responsibility to know, Ms Whatford wrote, adding government guidance sent to schools stated it was not permitted She also said the illegality of it should have been "picked up" by Bromley Council, which said it fully accepts the

St Olave’s school in south-east London at centre of inquiry (INSET: former head Aydin Onac)

report it had commissioned

The Department for Education said it w r o t e t o a l l s e c o n d a r y s c h o o l s i n September 2017 reminding them that "it is illegal for schools to exclude pupils based on academic ability", which is contrary to regulations set out under the Education Act

Ms Whatford urged the school to apologise to parents and pupils affected by the exclusion policy

The school said in a statement it has worked with parents, carers, staff and students to make key improvements

Ms Whatford also asked the people behind St Olave's Unofficial News, a website "highly critical" of Mr Önaç, to close down the site for it "will remain a symbol of the divisions and tensions"

But a spokesperson for the site said its visitors want it to stay online "as a historical record of how an 'outstanding school' can be failing its staff and students"

Door kept open to EU students after Brexit

The door has been left open for EU students to come to UK universities after Brexit, according to the government's plans for the UK's future relationship with the EU

The language of the Brexit White Paper leaves much vagueness for interpretation For a report about the movement of people, it is much more about a direction of travel than a destination

It makes clear that "free movement" will end, but the future arrangements will "facilitate mobility for students" so they can "benefit from world leading universities"

This would allow "streamlined" movement back and forth between the EU and UK - and not just for university but also for cultural experiences

The suggestion is, like tourists and busi-

ness visitors, students would not need visas They might not have "free movement" but they will still be able to "travel freely"

There are 135,000 EU students currently at UK universities - and about 36,000 academic staff Researchers, who might work in multinational projects across different EU countries, will still not really know how their w o r k i n g a n d r e s i d e n c y r i g ht s m i g h t b e changed

There is, so far, no more clarity on the future financial status of EU students at UK universities At present, they pay fees at the same level as UK students

The government has already made assurances that for the first university intake after Brexit, in autumn 2019, there will be no changes for EU students

University entry 'should be background, not just exams '

The university access watchdog says students' backgrounds should be taken into account when awarding places, to improve "equality of opportunity"

A-level grades are a "robust measure" only if the applicants' "context" is also considered, Chris Millward says

Many universities give extra help to disadvantaged applicants - but a report warns of a lack of openness about how this operates

All Russell Group universities use some form of "contextual admissions"

Top universities have faced accusations of being socially exclusive and recruiting too few applicants from ethnic minorities

But they also face scrutiny for being unfair to individual applicants who might lose out on places to disadvantaged candidates with worse results

A r e p o r t f r o m t h e F a i r E d u c a t i o n Alliance campaign group says there needs to be much more transparency about how universities use the background of applicants when making offers and awarding places

The campaign group, of more than 100 education and business organisations, says this can include taking into account family income, whether an applicant lives in a deprived area or if they attended a school with poor exam results or where few pupils go on to university

T

given to applications from disadvantaged pupils or they might be offered places on lower grades

But the report says there needs to be much more clarity about these decisions and how different forms of disadvantage are defined

Research for the report, carried out by the University of Exeter, shows the extent of the challenge - with figures showing how few places in 2016 were awarded to applicants from areas with few young people going to university

The University of Cambridge had only 3% of entrants from such "low participation neighbourhoods", the University of Bristol 3 7%, Oxford 4 6% and Exeter 5 3%

Universities are in charge of their own admissions, so the fair access director can encourage but not instruct

Rising number of pupils pass primary Sats

A higher proportion of primary school pupils in England have reached the expected standards in national curriculum tests, often known as Sats, in maths and English

In reading, 75% reached the expected standard, compared with 71% last year In maths, 76% reached the expected standard, up from 75% last year

Julie McCulloch, of the Association of School and College Leaders, welcomed the impressive results but criticised the pressure created by the tests

The results showed that 64% of pupils met the expected standard across all the tests in reading, writing and mathematics, up from 61% last year

In writing, 78% reached the expected level, up from 76% And in grammar, punctuation and spelling, it was 78%, up from 77%

Ms McCulloch, policy director for the heads' union, said the continuing improvement showed the hard work of pupils and schools, following the introduction of "harder tests" in 2016

In the first year in which the tougher

assessments were introduced only 53% made the grade, which has now risen in two years to 64%

But Ms McCulloch was concerned by reports of "stress and anxiety" for pupils taking the tests

The heads' union also warned against giving too much weight to a "single set of results

T h e e x p e c t e d l e v e l f o r m a t h s a n d English is based on reaching a scaled score of 100

This year's average scaled score for reading was 105, slightly up from 104 last year The average for maths remained the same at 104

School Standards Minister Nick Gibb said the results reflected rising standards in primary school

UK is a nation of teacher’s pets

The UK is a nation of teacher’s pets with teachers topping a list of the UK’s ten fonde s t s c h o o l m e m o r i e s , a c c o r d i n g t o n e w research

A survey of 1,004 UK adults, carried out by One4all, the Post Office Gift Card, found over a third (34%) of Brits rate teachers as one of their favourite school day memories, with reminiscing about school friends (52%) and school trips (40%) completing the top three fondest recollections of school School dinners, play time in the school yard and singing in assembly were among the most common answers when the nation

was asked to recall fond school day memories according to a new top ten list* released today

A third of UK adults didn’t appreciate their school years at the time, and at 46 5%, the majority of the poll say they would go back to re-live their school years - with 43 6% saying they wouldn't

1 in 5 (19%) of those polled said they now feel they have a lot to thank their teachers for - in fact, 22% of Brits say their teachers had a positive impact on their life, while 1 in 5 UK adults report that if they could, they would give thanks to their teachers

SCRUTATOR’S

The Indian government has invited the US president Donald Trump to be the chief guest at next year's Republic Day celebrations The Indian government is awaiting the US government's response where the latter has indicated that Trump administration is favourably considering the invite that was sent in April this year The invite was reportedly followed up with multiple rounds of diplomatic talks The Narendra Modi government hosted Trump's predecessor Barack Obama at the Republic Day

in 2015

If Trump accepts the invite, his visit will likely be more dramatic and closely-watched than Obama's was, considering his mercurial nature and the uncertain India-US ties at the moment

The invitation to the Trump administration comes amid differences with US over trade tariffs, India's ties with Iran and New Delhi's proposed deal with Russia over S-400 defence missile system In June, after US piled pressure on India to cut oil imports from Iran, New Delhi agreed to take all necessary steps including engagements with relevant stakeholders to ensure its energy security, even as the government has asked oil firms to start exploring alternative sources The move came after US ambassador to UN Nikki Haley during her trip to India said that New Delhi should rethink its ties with Iran The US reportedly told India and other countries to cut oil imports from Iran to "zero" by 4 November or face sanctions, making it clear that there would be no waivers to anyone

The India-US ties also took an uncertain turn when US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo cancelled the crucial '2+2' dialogue in June External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman were earlier scheduled to travel to the US to take part in the meeting with Pompeo and Secretary of Defence James Mattis on 6 July But on 27 June, Pompeo spoke to Sushma to express his "regret and deep disappointment at the US having to postpone the dialogue They, however, agreed to reschedule the meet at a later date If Trump accepts the invitation, some of the misunderstanding between the two countries can be resolved

Sonal Mansingh,

among 4 nominated to RS

Classical dancer Sonal Mansingh and columnist Rakesh Sinha are among the four persons nominated by the President to the Rajya Sabha Sculptor Raghunath Mohapatra and farmer leader Ram Shakal have also been nominated The new nominations have been made to fill the vacancies caused due to the retirement of nominated members Sachin Tendulkar, Rekha, Anu Aga and K Parasaran The President can nominate 12 members to the Rajya Sabha "from amongst persons who have special knowledge or practical experience in respect of such matters as literature, science, art and social service " The nominated members have six-year term The other sitting nominated members include boxer Mary Kom, columnist Swapan Dasgupta, advocate K T S Tulsi, economist Narendra Jadhav and BJP members Subramanian Swamy, Roopa Ganguly, Suresh Gopi and Sambhaji Chhatrapati

We can expect that these experts will add more depth to the debates and discussions inside the house

MLA chargesheeted in Unnao rape case

The CBI has filed its first chargesheet against Unnao BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the rape case In April, a case against Sengar was registered by the Uttar Pradesh police where he was booked under IPC Sections 363 for kidnapping, abduction of woman, rape, criminal intimidation and also under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act As per the case, the MLA has allegedly raped a 17-yearold girl who had gone to the MLA's residence along with a relative for seeking a job last year

The girl had been running from pillar to post and even tried self-

immolation in front of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's official residence alleging police inaction Her father who had gone to Delhi to attend the court hearing on April 3 for registration of the case was allegedly abused and beaten up by the accused in front of his house during which he sustained serious injuries He was also booked under arms act by the local police and put in jail where he succumbed to injuries in the absence of treatment on April 8 During investigation, all the accused named in the FIR were arrested and they are presently in judicial custody "Further investigation in this case to look into the roles of others, including an MLA and officials is continuing," he said The CBI action will be eye-opener for others that however powerful they may be they cannot escape the law They may be able to delay justice for some time but ultimately law will catch up with them

SGPC objects to Sunny Leone's web series

eclipse will last up to 2 43 hours Then the Moon will start to gradually come out of Earth's shadow and partial eclipse will end at 3:49 am IST on July 28

In this particular eclipse, the Moon will pass through the central part of the Earth's umbral shadow Furthermore, the Moon will be at apogee, the farthest from the Earth in its orbit, on July 27 and will be moving at a slower speed in its orbit This slower moving full Moon will take longer time and greater distance of Earth's umbral shadow cone to travel Such long duration of total lunar eclipses had earlier occurred on July 16, 2000 for totality duration of 1 hour 46 minutes and another one on June 15, 2011 for totality duration of 1 hour 40 minutes The entire eclipse will also be visible from all parts of India The eclipse will also be visible in the region covering Australia, Asia, Russia - except the northern part, Africa, Europe, east of South America and Antarctica

On July 27, the red planet Mars, will also be at opposition, meaning that the Sun and Mars will lie opposite to each other, with the Earth in the middle This will result in Mars coming close to the Earth, causing it to appear brighter than normal and it will be seen from evening to dawn towards the end of July The brighter Mars will remain very close to the eclipsed Moon in the sky on July 27-28 and can be spotted very easily with the naked eye However, the red planet will reach closest to the Earth on July 31 The planet Mars comes at opposition at an average interval of 2 years and 2 months when the planet comes close to the Earth and becomes brighter

Booking an entire first class flight to avoid disturbance

famous hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara in Tirumala The NRI devotees, originally hailing from Andhra Pradesh, donated the huge cash offerings as a fulfilment of their vow The offerings were made in the presence of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Chairman Putta Sudhakara Yadav, Andhra Pradesh Industries Minister N Amaranatha Reddy, and other officials While one of them, Ika Ravi had made an online donation of £1 million from his US account, the other Srinivas Guttikonda personally handed over the donation of £350,000 to the temple Guttikonda also requested the TTD to utilize his offering for TTD-run public welfare trusts, including free pilgrim meals, hospital, and a children's orphanage in Tirupati It is a welcome step that those who have made a fortune is donating for a common welfare

Hope for 3,500 Indian workers stranded in Kuwait

Kindling hope in the mind of 3,500 Indian workers stranded in Kuwait since June 2016 when their salaries were stopped, the Supreme Court in India has sought the view of the Centre on what steps were being taken to rescue them Waiting for their dues from their employer Kharafi National, a Kuwait-based infrastructure and contracting company, their visa expired, making their stay in Kuwait illegal They fear they could be jailed any moment for overstaying on a foreign land

Leone’ SGPC’s additional secretary and spokesperson Diljit Singh Bedi said, “Kaur is a very respectable and exalted name given by Sikh gurus to Sikh women A person who didn’t follow the teachings of Sikh Gurus shouldn’t use the word Kaur as this could hurt Sikh religious feelings Sikhs will not allow her to use it She should tender a public apology ”

President of the Istri Akali Dal, Bibi Jagir Kaur, said, “She is using the word Kaur for making her biopic a success, unaware of the fact that the same could hurt Sikh religious sentiments ” It shows that you cannot use respectful titles for your personal gains

Century's longest lunar eclipse on July 27-28

A total lunar eclipse will occur on July 27-28 with a totality duration of 1 hour 43 minutes, the longest in this century, the Ministry of Earth Sciences said The partial eclipse of the Moon will begin at 11:54 pm (Indian Standard Time) on July 27 The Moon will be gradually covered by the Earth's shadow and the totality phase will begin at 1 am on July 28 The total

Bollywood playback singer Mika Singh booked the entire first class in an Emirates Airlines carrier while flying to Dubai since he wanted to travel alone and avoid any disturbances Singer Shaan too shared a video on Twitter, as a reply to Singh, where he was seen

The workers hailing from Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are without food, shelter, money, medical facilities and are eking out their existence on food offered by some gurdwaras and philanthropic bodies Giving six weeks to the MEA and the home ministry, a bench of justices Ranjan Gogoi and R Banumathi sought their response on the plea to take urgent steps to save the suffering Indian workers and ensure that they get their due salaries, besides sending immediate financial help to bring them back to India

Several representations to the Indian embassy in Kuwait and the Centre have fallen on deaf ears Minister of state for external affairs MJ Akbar met the protesting workers in September last year and promised help But nothing has changed for these workers

Except that Nowhera Shaik, a Hyderabad-based activist and businesswoman, has now taken up their cause and moved the SC pleading for its intervention

mimicking Singh's voice and declaring that he was following Singh's footsteps in booking all the lanes of the bowling arcade for his family What a waste of money

Two NRI devotees donate £1 35 mn to Tirumala temple

Two US-based entrepreneurs donated 1 35 million pounds to the

Every country in the world protects its citizens, be it in their own land or abroad, and it is the prime duty of the Centre to not only work for the welfare of its citizens but also protect their precious lives whether they are in India or in a foreign land, her lawyers Vineet Dhanda and JP Dhanda submitted to the court It is high time for the government of India to wake up and do the needful to protect its citizens from hardships

Rakesh Sinha

Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has objected to Bollywood actress and one-time porn star Sunny Leone’s upcoming web series ‘Karenjit Kaur: The Untold Story of Sunny

Former MP Ram Shakal, author and academician Rakesh Sinha, classical dancer Sonal Mansingh and stone artist Raghunath Mohapatra were nominated to the Rajya Sabha

Sunny Leone

Mika Singh

celebrations

Donald Trump

Ilford headteacher struck off after allowing London Bridge terrorist to ‘radicalise’ primary school children

An Ilford headteacher who let a London Bridge terrorist attempt to radicalise her primary school pupils has been banned from the classroom for life

Sophie Rahman of Eton Community School, Oxford Road, allowed Khuram Butt, 27, to deliver after-school c l a s s e s a b o u t J i h a d , t h e Qu’ran and non-believers

H e t a u g h t t h e y o u n g c h i l d r e n a l o n e f o r t w o hours, up to three times a week and his final class was t h e d a y b e f o r e h e k i l l e d eight people and injured 48 in London on Saturday, June 3, 2017, with his accomplices Youssef Zaghba and Rachid Redouan

All three were shot by armed police

A Teaching Regulation

A g e n cy p r o f e s s i o n a l c o nduct panel heard that Butt had taught children that ‘the w o r s t c r e a t u r e s a r e t h e Kuffar (non-believers)’ He told the pupils it was ok to

lie to their parents when there was a state of war or if they didn’t want to upset them

T h e p a n e l h e a r d e v idence from witnesses who knew or assessed the children targeted at the independent Muslim day schoolformerly known as Ad-Deen Primary School

On e w i t n e s s w a s “alarmed” that Butt spoke to t h e c h i l d r e n a b o u t “ w a r ” and said she is in “ no doubt he was referring to Jihad (holy war) ”

T h e p a n e l n o t e d t h a t Butt employed “ grooming behaviour” and manipulat i v e l a n g u a g e t y p i c a l o f abusers who “try and create trust and build unhealthy r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h y o u n g people”

“By her failure to safeguard her pupils’ interests, M s R a h m a n l e f t t h e m p o t e n t i a l l y v u l n e r a b l e t o g r o o m i n g f o r r a d i c a l i s ation,” the report said

R a h m a n a l s o m i s l e d police about a relationship with a person referred to as ‘ I n d i v i d u a l S ’ , w h o w a s linked to a jihadist group He had been the proprietor of the school and belonged to Al-Muhajiroun before it became a banned organisation He was also the father of Rahman’s children

Ms Rahman has 28 days to lodge an appeal to the Queen’s Bench Division of the High Court

East London boroughs join forces to tackle ‘ menace ’ of prejudice attacks

O r g a n i s a t i o n s a c r o s s e a s t London have joined forces to deal with the rising “ menace of hate crime”

Dubbed the Community Against Hate Crime (CAHC) project, Redbridge Equalities & C o m m u n i t y C o u n c i l (RECC) has teamed up with organisations in Barking and D a g e n h a m , N e w h am , Waltham Forest and Enfield to “eradicate” the problem thanks to funding from the Mayor of London

According to the Mayor’s O f f i c e f o r P o l i c i n g a n d Crime (MOPAC), 1,173 hate crime incidents were reporte d i n R e d b r i d g e b e t w e e n J u n e 2 0 1 4 a n d J u n e 2 0 1 7 , w i t h 4 5 0 o f t h e m t a k i n g place in the last 12 months of the data set

David Landau of RECC said hate crime is driven by prejudices against particular g r o u p s i n s o c ie t y o n t h e grounds of race, faith, disa b i l i t y , s e x u a l i t y , g e n d e r , gender assignment, migrant s t a t u s , a n d G y p s i e s a n d Travellers status

T h e n u m b e r o f h a t e c r i m e s c o m m i t t e d i n Havering during the same time period was recorded as 846 Although this data may seem better in comparison to Redbridge, David said that organisations are only “ seeing the tip of the iceberg in the borough”

The CAHC scheme has several aims ranging from setting up a multi-borough

crime advise and advocacy s e r v i c e , t o e s t a b l i s h i n g a community witness support team and leafleting hotspots

School, youth clubs and c o m m u n i t y o r g a n i s a t i o n s will also be given presentations about how to report hate crime and what to do if you are targeted or witness it

In Newham, between 2014 and 2017, 1,517 hate crime i n c i d e n t s w e r e r e p o r t e d D i r e c t o r o f R i g h t a n d E qu a l i t i e s i n N e w h a m (REIN), Paul Leslie said the result of the EU referendum has riled up community tensions

M o r e t h a n 1 , 0 0 0 i n c id e n t s w e r e f l a g g e d u p i n Barking and Dagenham

The partnership project also hopes to set up a support g r o u p f o r v i c t i m s o f h a t e crime, allowing them to help each other and to provide them with a “collective platform” to talk to the appropriate authorities about the problems they are facing

A H i g h C o u r t j u d g e h a s b e e n a s k e d t o d e c i d e whether an estranged coup l e w h o t o o k p a r t i n a n Islamic wedding ceremony in a London restaurant are married under English law

S o l i c i t o r N a s r e e n

A k h t e r s a y s h e r 1 9 9 8 "Islamic faith marriage" to M o h a m m e d S h a b a z K h a n c o n s t i t u t e s a " v a l i d m a rriage" and wants a divorce

M r K h a n , w h o w a s involved in a property business, disagrees and wants to stop Ms Akhter staging any f i g h t o v e r m o n e y i n a London court

L a w y e r s s a y t h e c a s e could have implications

Mr Justice Williams is analysing evidence and legal argument at a trial in the

Social housing and the UK immigration policy right to rent rules

I n t h e w a ke o f t h e W i n d r u s h s c a n d a l , t h e g o v e r n m e n t ’ s a p p r o a c h t o i m m ig r a t i o n h a s b e e n u n d e r i n c r e a s e d s c r u t i n y. T h i s fo c u s o n t h e U K i m m i g r at i o n p o l i c y ex t e n d s b eyo n d b o r d e r co nt r o l s , t o t h e i m p a ct i t i s h a v i n g o n p e o p l e’ s h o u s i n g c h o i ce s . Pe o p l e a r e q u e s t i o n i n g t h e p o l ic y c h a n g e s t h a t h a ve l e d t o t h o s e w h o h a ve d o n e n ot h i n g w r o n g t o b e p e n a l i s e d . I n a n a r t i c l e fo r t h e G u a r d i a n , J o h n Pe r r y ( 3 0 M a y 2 0 1 8 ), p o l i c y a d v i s o r a t t h e C h a r t e r e d I n s t i t u t e o f H o u s i n g , s e t s o u t s o m e o f t h e i s s u e s A s m a n y p e o p l e k n ow, i t c a n b e d i f f i c u l t e n o u g h t o h a ve t h e i r a p p l i c a t i o n s fo r s o c i a l h o u s i n g a p p r ove d , b u t c h a n g e s i n t h e l a w, s u c h a s t h e r i g h t t o r e n t r e q u i r em e n t s w h i c h r e q u i r e l a n d l o r d s t o a s k t e n a n t s fo r o r i g i n a l d o c u m e n t s t h a t p r ove t h ey c a n l i ve i n t h e U K , h a ve ex a ce r b a t e d t h i s b a t t l e

T h i s a l s o ex t e n d s t o p e o p l e , l i ke t h o s e c a u g h t u p i n t h e W i n d r u s h s c a nd a l , w h o a r e c a u g h t o u t w h i l s t t h ey a r e i n t h e p r o ce s s o f a p p l y i n g t o r e g u l a r i s e t h e i r s t a t u s T h e r e i s ev i d e n ce t h a t p e o p l e a r e b e i n g d i s c r i m i n a t e d a g a i n s t a n d d e n i e d h o m e s t o l i ve i n d u e t o t h e r i g h t t o r e n t r u l e s A s a r e s u l t , s o m e p r i v a t e l a n d l o r d s r u l e o u t p ot e n t i a l r e n t e r s w i t h o u t c a r r y i n g o u t t h e n e ce s s a r y c h e c k s s i m p l y b e c a u s e t h ey a r e a fo r e i g n n a t i o n a l

R i g h t t o r e n t r u l e s d o n o t j u s t a f fe c t p r i v a t e l a n d l o r d s I t i s i n c u mb e n t o n s o c i a l l a n d l o r d s t o e n s u r e t h a t t h e i r e m p l oye e s k n ow t h e r u l e s a n d t h a t t h e s e a r e co m p l i e d w i t h A s J o h n Pe r r y ’ s a r t i c l e n ot e s h o u s i n g s t a f f a r e o ft e n a d v i s i n g p ot e n t i a l t e n a n t s t h a t t h e i r a p p l i c a t i o n i s n ot e l i g i b l e a s a n E U n a t i o n a l o r s o m e o n e w i t h l i m i t e d

l e a ve t o r e m a i n i n t h e U K . H oweve r, t h i s a s s e s s m e n t i s n ot s t r a i g h t fo r w a r d , a n d m a n y t e n a n t s m a y b e e n t i t l e d t o a h o m e .

T h e s e i s s u e s a r e o f t e n co m p l ex , m e a n i n g t e n a n t s fe e l u n a b l e t o q u e st i o n w h a t ex p e r i e n ce d l a n d l o r d s a r e s a y i n g i s t h e l a w T h i s i s s o m e t i m e s n ot m a l i c i o u s a s m a n y p r ov i d e r s l a c k r e s o u r ce s B u t t h a t d o e s n ot c h a n g e t h e f a c t t h e s e t e n a n t s a r e h a v i n g t h e i r r i g h t s d e n i e d

W h e n f a c e d w i t h t h i s s i t u a t i o n l e g a l a d v i ce c a n a n d s h o u l d b e s o u g h t A p p l i c a n t s c a n a c c e s s f r e e a d v i c e t h r o u g h p r o b o n o a d v i ce c l i n i c s r u n by s o l i c i t o r s , D u n c a n L e w i s , i n S t r e a t h a m , M i t c h a m a n d M o r d e n C i t i ze n s a d v i ce b u r e a u s We c a n a l s o p r ov i d e a d v i ce u s i n g a l t e r n a t i ve f u n di n g a n d c a n a s s e s s l e g a l a i d e l i g i b i l i t y

Au t h o r , D i a n n e Co w i e , i s a D i r e c t o r o f H o u s i n g a t D u n c a n L e w i s ’ C r o yd o n b r a n c h D i a n n e s p e c i a l i s e s i n t e n a n t a n d l a n d l o r d m a t t e r s i n c l u d i n g ; t e n a n c y d i sp u t e s , d i s r e p a i r , p o s s e s s i o n p r o c e e d i n g s , i n j u n c t i o n s , c o m m i t t a l p r o c e e d i n g s , h o m e l e s s n e s s a p p e a l s a n d j u d i c i a l r e v i e w s .

Ca l l D i a n n e o n 0 2 0 7 0 1 4 7 3 3 9 o r d i a n n e c @ d u n ca n l e w i s co m

D u n c a n L ew i s H o u s i n g S o l i c i t o r s D u n c a n L e w i s H o u s i n g S o l i c i t o r s c a n a s s i s t i n a n y i s s u e s a r i s i n g w i t h l o c a l h o u s i n g a u t h o r i t i e s , h o u s i n g a p p l i c at i o n s , t e n a n t s , l a n d l o r d s , ow n e r s h i p a n d r e p a i r s W i t h a n i c h e ex p e r t i s e i n Po s s e s s i o n a n d U n l a w f u l E v i c t i o n c a s e s t h e D e p a r t m e n t o f fe r s r e p r e s e nt a t i o n i n a l l p r o c e e d i n g s i n c l u d i n g r ev i e w s , a p p e a l s a n d j u d i c i a l r ev i e w p r o ce e d i n g s r e l a t i n g t o h o m e l e s s n e s s , d i s r e p a i r, s u cce s s i o n fo r t e n a n t s a n d n e i g h b o u r h o o d d i s p u t e s

I f yo u h a ve a n y h o u s i n g q u e r i e s co n t a c t o u r t e a m o n 0 3 3 3 7 7 2 0 4 0 9

Family Division of the High Court in London He examined preliminary issues at a hearing in February

The judge heard that the c o u p l e , w h o h a v e a Pakistani background, had l i v e d i n L o n d o n , B i r m i n g h a m a n d D u b a i They had taken part in a " n i k a h " c e r e m o n y a t a r e s t a u r a n t i n S o u t h a l l , nearly 20 years ago

Southall jewellers fined more than £30,000 for falsely selling gold as '22 carat'

M r s A k h t e r s a y s t h e nikah ceremony was conducted by an Imam before about 150 guests She says Mr Khan became her "husband" and he had considered her his "wife"

Mr Khan wants to block

Mrs Akhter's divorce application on the basis that they a r e " n o t l e g a ll y m a r r i e d "

under English law says they are married "under Sharia law only"

Six borough organisations are launching an East London wide initiative against hate Photo by Ellie Hoskins

Khuram Butt

Dianne Cowie

Britain's Bengali community to organise football tournament promoting healthy living

Britain's Bengali diaspora has taken a new initiative of promoting football among the expats in the UK Inspired by the nostalgic rivalry between two f o o t b a l l g i a n t s i n K o l k a t a , M o h u n Bagan and East Bengal, the Bengali diaspora in the UK will organise a fan f o o t b a l l t o u r n a m e n t a t L o n d o n ’ s

Slough Town Football Club on July 22, with a seating capacity of more than 2000 audience

Christened as IFA Shield UK, on the lines of IFA Shield Kolkata, the concept not only taps the Bengalis love for football but also rekindles the eternal 'Bangal-Ghoti' fight that the GenY ( e s p e c i a l l y i n t h e U K ) i s a l m o s t unaware of The event will also include a food festival Only, IFA here stands for the Indian Fans Association of the UK

T h r e e E a s t B e n g a l a n d t h r e e M o h u n B a g a n f a n t e a m s w i l l p l a y round robin to decide the finalists But there is a twist to the tournament matches will be played only between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan fan teams An East Bengal fan team will never play another East Bengal team The same goes for Mohun Bagan fan teams The 20-minute games, split in two halves, will have a five-minute break

The teams have been named after football legends The three Mohun Bagan sides have been named after Sailen Manna, Shivdas Bhaduri and S u d i p C h a t t e r j e e a n d E a s t B e n g a l teams after Christian Junior, Ahmed Khan and Krishanu Dey

T h e g a l a e v e n t s e e m s t o h a v e c a u g h t t h e d i a s p o r a ’ s i m a g i n a t i o n Weekly practice sessions have started

at Slough, Hounslow and Harrow The opportunity (of playing football wearing jerseys of their favourite clubs) has e v o k e d m u c h e x c i t e m e n t A m o n g those playing against is 16-year-old Booklyn Don Mapfumo, who plays for Chelsea U17 as the main striker, and is now in the Mohun Bagan team Each team will have a player from the EU

The event has created a huge sens a t i o n a c r o s s t h e E u r o p e w h e r e Bengalis from mainland Europe countries are also going to join us While promoting healthy living among diasp o r a i s a n a s p e c t , a n o t h e r b i g g e r o b j e c t i v e o f t h i s t o u r n a m e n t i s t o

bring Gen Y of Bengali immigrants to mainstream football of UK Organisers would like to enhance UK to Bengal football relationship in order to improve Bengal’s/India’s football quality through workshops, training etc and help to realise the dream of India playing in football world cup in coming years

Two Bengali cultural organisations in UK London Sharad Utsav (LSU) and Adda Slough are organising the event as part of its Bengal Heritage project, that took off last year to promote Bengal’s cultural heritage in England

The main partner helping to p r o m o t e t h i s t o u r n a m e n t i s NHS This tournament has been r e c o g n i s e d b y F o o t b a l l A s s o c i a t i o n ( F A ) w h i c h i s a n equivalent of AIFF of India as community football event FA is also interested to promote football among Indian immigrants of Bengali descent and develop professional footballers in the future IFA Shield UK has also got its theme song written by LSU member Nirmal Nag, composed by Bollywood c o m p o s e r S u n j o y B o s e F a m o u s Bollywood singer and Indian Union Govt minister Babul Supriyo has lent his voice for this song

Singer and MP Babul Supriyo will not only attend the event but he will also lead one of the Mohun Bagan teams Kolkata football superstar of yesteryears Cheema Okorie will also join this tournament, and lead one of the East Bengal teams

Kajol’s Helicopter Eela all set to

‘reinvent parenting techniques’

Charusmita

On Friday, 13th July, Kajol flew in to London to reveal the official poster of her f o r t h c o m i n g f i l m T h e p o s t e r s h o w s K a j o l a s a puppeteer, trying to control her son with the puppet strings and its tagline reads " S h e i s h e r e , t h e r e a n d everywhere”

T h i s f i l m i s a b o u t a ‘helicopter parent’, a single mother named Eela, who is an overbearing and somewhat controlling mother, and the relationship she has with her son, a typical millennial who does not want his mother’s life to revolve around him In an exclusive o n e - t o - o n e w i t h A s i a n Voice, Kajol revealed that in the film, we will see a lot of her as a mother in real life Talking about the dilemmas of parents, she said this is a film that is not about the coming of age of a son, but of the mother The film is largely based on a popular Gujarati play titled ‘Beta Kaagdo’, penned by Anand Gandhi Talking about the young National award-winn i n g a c t o r R i d d h i S e n , enacting the character of Eela’s teenaged son, Kajol

said, “Riddhi made my job easy I am convinced that he will have an astonishing connect with the audience t h r o u g h h i s r o l e i n t h i s film” The actress added, “I got attracted to play this role because of the way it has depicted the mother’s d i l e m m a s a s w e ll a s t h e son ’ s No one is right, and no one is wrong ”

The film is being touted as yet another female-centric film Speaking on the tag of ‘female-centric’, the actress said, “It is all about who can bring the audiences to the cinema halls These tags do not matter” She hopes that someday, the industry will not feel the need to use such tags Talking about her role in

the film, Kajol had earlier said, “As a mother, I felt a real connection with Eela’s character She loves her s o n u n c o n d i t i o n a l l y a n d has built her life around him But as he grows up, she finds herself becoming more and more dispensable She has also put her life and dreams on hold, like so many mother’s do This is a life situation that so many women face once their kids grow up And, one that I will inevitably face is, what do I do now? How do I hold on to my baby?”

To her fans in the UK, she says, “I hope you enjoy t h i s s l i c e - o f - l i f e f i l m Watch it with your parents and grandparents It would be an experience to see if they see a part of themselves in it This film is all about reinventing parenting techniques” Helicopter E e l a r e l e a s e s o n 1 4 t h S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 8 a n d i s directed by Pradeep Sarkar who is known for directing P a r i n e e t a , L a g a C h u n r i Mein Daag and Mardani, with music by Amit Trivedi I t a l s o s t a r s T o t a R o y C h o w d h u r y a n d N e h a Dhupia in pivotal roles

Contribution of Tamils to the UK and Global economic development celebrated

Thursday 28th June saw the launch of the Tamil

in Oxford University The hist o r i c m o m e n t w a s w i tnessed by 150 people at the Edwardian room, in the Taj hotel

It was as a global summ i t c e l e b r a t i o n s a t t h e House of Commons, with a n a w a r d f u n c t i o n , 'Achievement Awards 2018' This was not just an opportunity to celebrate the prosperous achievements of the T a m i l c o m m u n i t y a c r o s s t h e g l o b e B u t a l s o a n o p p o r t u n i t y t o r e c o g n i s e t h e i r c o n t r i b u t i o n s T h e e v e n t w a s h o s t e d b y R t Hon Nia Griffiths MP, the Shadow Secretary of State for Defense, UK Other MP's w h o g r a c e d t h e o c c a s i o n include Rt Hon Virendra S h a r m a , R t H o n S t e v e R e e d , R t H o n T h a n g a m D e b b o n a i r e , R t H o n G e r a l d J o n e s , R t H o n P r e e t i P a t e l , R t H o n Therese Villiers, Rt Hon Grant Shapps

At inauguration as an I n v o c a t i o n t o “ M o t h e r Tamil”, the ‘State song of Tamil Nadu’ was recited, with due respect given by all our guests Following this s p e a k e r s f r o m a c r o s s t h e

various fields

R e c i p i e n t s t o w i n a w a r d s i n c l u d e d : R a t h i k a S i t s a b a i e s a i n , t h e F i r s t T a m i l M P , S c a r b o r o u g h , T o r o n t o , C a n a d a , B r i g K r i s h n a n , H i g h C o m m i s s i o n o f I n d i a , London, Gandhirajan IPS, Director General of Police, T a m i l n a d u , I n d i a , V i v i a n Reddy, Executive Chairman, E d i s o n C o r p o r a t i o n , D u r b a n , S o u t h A f r i c a , T C h a n d r o o , C h a i r m a n & CEO, Modern Montessori I n t e r n a t i o n a l g r o u p , Singapore, Haji Mohamed S u i b i B i n H a j i M o h a m e d Y u s o o f , C E O , W o r l d w i d e Superstar Money Changer, K u a l a L u m p u r , M a l a y s i a , G l a d y s R o s e t t e C D a n i e l , P a r t n e r a n d A d v o c a t e , Daniel & Gladys Advocates, Chennai, India, Dr Ezhil A n a n d , C o - F o u n d e r , Yorkshire Indian Business N e t w o r k , S h i v a l k a r P a r a m a n n d a m , C oFounder, Yorkshire Indian Business Network, Sateesh B a b u , Y o r k s h i r e I n d i a n Business Network, Founder a n d D i r e c t o r o f I T J a c k L i m i t e d , V i s a k a n M a i l a c h a l a m , C h a i r m a n , S o u t h P a c i f i c T a m i l S a n g a m , I n d o n e s i a , D r

globe, which included various Tamil community leade r s , s u c c e s s f u l entrepreneurs, were happy to share their inspirational success stories, to the elite m o t i v a t e d a u d i e n c e g a t hered in the hall This made us acknowledge the growth of Tamil globally The event also gave various business networking opportunities, with people who have made exemplary contributions in

The event was organised b y J a c o b R a v i b a l a n President of World Tamil Organisation (UK) and his t e a m , o n b e h a l f o f F e d e r a t i o n o f T a m i l A s s o c i a t i o n s i n U K

Chair

V i j a y a n J a n a k i r a m a n , C of o u n d e r , H a r v a r d T a m i l Chair, Boston, USA and Dr S u n d a r e s a n S a m d a n d a m , Co-founder, Harvard Tamil Chair, Boston, USA

Babul Supriyo

in brief

TRIBUTES PAID TO 'GENTLE' BOY FROM BARNET

A school has paid tribute to one of its pupils who died last week Risaan Udayakumar 18 from Wembley was fatally stabbed at a house in Watford on July 10

Risaan was a pupil at Queen Elizabeth’s School in Queens Rd Barnet from 2010 to 2017 and just finished his first year at university A 16-year-old boy has been charged with murder in connection with the incident He appeared at St Albans Crown Court via video link on July 16 He was remanded to appear for a pretrial preperation hearing on September 20 this year

STOLEN BIKES GIVEN TO BRENT SCHOOLKIDS TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO CYCLE

Asians join anti-Trump protests across UK

UK united on Friday as tens a n d t h o u s a n d s o f p e o p l e took to the streets, especially in London and around, M a n c h e s t e r , G l a s g o w a n d Belfast, protesting against D o n a l d T r u m p T h e U S President who was in the UK for 4 days, admitted he felt 'unwelcomed' because of them

T h e r e w a s a c a r n i v a l a t m o s p h e r e w i t h m u s i c , dancing, the bashing of pots and pans and a forest of o f t e n wi t t y , s o m e t i m e s crude placards

T h e t o n e w a s s e t i n L o n d o n b y a f o u r - m e t r eh i g h o r a n g e T r u m p b a b y blimp that was floated above P a r l i a m e n t S q u a r e , a n d placards with slogans such a s “ N o F a n o f F a k e T a n M a n ” , “ H o w D a r e Y o u Combover here” and “Free M e l a n i a ” B u t t h e r e w a s anger too at what many perceived as Trump’s racism, m i s o g y n y a n d c l i m a t e change policy

said, “I am appalled by UK g o v e r n m e n t ' s d e c i s i o n t o invite Trump to the UK He is not welcome here ”

A k r a m P a t e l t o l d t h e newsweekly, He is not fit to be a leader I am ashamed of h i s p o l i c i e s , e s p e c i a l l y towards immigrants "

Stolen bikes confiscated by the police that have not been reunited with their rightful owners are to be handed over to schools in Brent

As well as bicycles, students will receive helmets, high visibility jackets and special training

The ReCycle scheme is supported by the council and the Metropolitan Police

Cllr Shama Tatler Brent Counci’s transport boss said: Children are being encouraged to get more active and cycle to and from school but some through no fault of their own don t have access to a bicycle and are missing out

This new initiative is a fantastic opportunity for fun and exercise, while encouraging more sustainable forms of travelling and making use of bikes that would have otherwise been destroyed

Newman Catholic College in Harlesden is the first to get bikes under the new scheme Head Daniel Coyle said: “We’re confident that our young people will become fitter, happier and more successful students as a result of their participation in this exciting initiative ”

If you have an old bicycle you would like to donate to this initiative, you’re asked to email Gerardo Guercio@cyclinginstructor com

CROWDS COME OUT IN FORCE FOR HEART OF WEMBLEY FESTIVAL

M a n y f r o m t h e A s i a n community participated in t h e p r o t e s t, a l o n g w i t h entrepreneurs and profess i o n a l s S h e f a l i A k h t a r , walking with a placard sayi n g ' G o a w a y T r u m p ' S p e a k i n g t o A s i a n V o i c e near Trafalgar square she

Tan Dhesi MP attended the anti-Trump protest outs i d e W i n d s o r C a s t l e a n d called for solidarity for all those who were opposed to the President Trump visiti n g B r i t a i n T h e M P w a s joined by hundreds of people who thronged the streets of Windsor in a large and c o l o u r f u l d e m o n s t r a t i o n against a visit that aroused deep opposition in the UK H e s a i d , " T h i s i s n o t about Labour, Lib-Dems or

t h e T o r i e s I t ’ s n o t e v e n a b o u t D e m o c r a t s o r t h e Republicans and nor is our p r o t e s t a i m e d a t t h e A m e r i c a n p e o p l e T h i s i s about the racist, misogynist and homophobic views that Trump holds and are not welcome in this country It i s t i m e t h a t o u r P r i m e Minister stops trying to hold his hand and instead begins to hold him to account "

While President Trump c o n t i n u e s t o a t t a c k L o n d o n ' s M a y o r S a d i q Khan, calling him 'unfit' for h i s j o b , P r i m e M i n i s t e r Theresa May stood up for the Mayor and reportedly said, “I have made clear on a n u m b e r o f o c c a s i o n s t o President Trump that some of the views he expresses

Sadiq Khan hit back at “ p r e p o s t e r o u s ” c l a i m s b y Donald Trump after the US p r e s i d e n t c r i t i c i s e d t h e London mayor for doing a “ a bad job” on terrorism and crime in the capital Khan r e p o r t e d l y r e s po n d e d o n Friday morning, saying terrorism was a global problem, with people dying all over Europe “What is interesting is Trump is not criticising mayors of those cities, but he is criticising me, ” he said in an interview on the BBC’s Today programme

T r u m p ’ s c o m m e n t s b l a m i n g i m m i g r a t i o n f o r crime in England were “ preposterous”, he added

“ T h e r e h a s b e e n a n i n c r e a s e i n v i o l e n t c r i m e across England and Wales it’s gone up by more than 20% and by 4% in London

We must deal with the c a u s e s , b u t a l s o e n f o r c ement and where we have lost £7m in our budget in London I have invested £4m (but) the idea to blame immigration from Africa is preposterous, and we should call him out when does,” he said

Bereaved parents remember 'little angels' in local park

Bereaved parents remembered lost loved ones on Saturday, as they gathered at Herschel Park in Slough for the sixth Little Angels Remembrance service

The event was organised as usual by the Vishaal F o u n d a t i o n , f o u n d e d b y Slough councillor Madhuri Bedi to help parents honour and remember their lost children

C l l r B e d i s a i d t h a t about 100 people came to this year's service

She said: "We supply the food and the place for people to come Everybody there had walked the same path - your child is your child whether he or she

The Heart of Wembley Festival – now in its third year –returned on Saturday 7th July to celebrate the area s diversity on a blisteringly hot afternoon

With street stalls selling authentic Nigerian and Hungarian food, music ranging from 1940s-inspired vintage trio The London Belles to Somali group the Ice Breakers, and dance from as far afield as Nepal and Cuba, the festival emphasised Wembley’s place at the heart of London’s multicultural arts scene

Children were captivated, too Lots loved the chance to try their hands at drumming workshops and craft activities but it was a troupe of circus performers that stole the show for them

The festival is organised by Wembley Futures one of 150 groups across the UK to be awarded funding by The Big Local which says it aims to help make lasting change in communities

Francis Henry chair of Wembley Futures said: The festival is now tried and tested We know the local community want it, and we simply provide

w a s o n l y a b a b y o r 2 6years-old when they died

"I lost my son on the first day of his life and I realised there was nowhere to go to talk about it "

S h e f o u n d e d t h e Foundation to offer support to families suffering the grief of a lost child

She said: "Being able to talk to others in the same situation is so important to parents like me Now we are like a family "

In the past people at the remembrance services have released balloons But this year instead, a sea of windmills were placed in front of a screen in memory of the lost children and

P o s t O f f i c e s t a f f c e l e b r a t e 2 0 y e a r s o f

e x c e l l e n t c u s t o m e r s e r v i c e '

T h e p r o p r i e t o r s o f t h e Windsor Road Post Office have received a Community Service Award in recognition of ‘ 20 years ’ excellent customer service’

In addition to the certificate from the Post Office, Pawan and Vinod Thakor were also recipients of a letter of thanks from the chief executive, Paula Vennells

It read: “The Post Office holds a proud and unique place in communities across the UK as a trusted company with a social purpose We have an enviable reputation that we could not hope to attain without the work of

o u t s t a n d i n g b r a n c h e s like yours ”

P a w a n a n d V i n o d hope it is a sentiment that their customers will agree with Pawan said: “The customers are really pleased with the work and they’re pleased that although they’ve closed s o m a n y p o s t o f f i c e s , they haven’t closed us Some people prefer coming here because of the friendly serv i c e w e p r o v i d e a n d t h e carparking facilities,” Vinod s a i d “ S o m e p o s t o f f i c e s aren’t that friendly ”

R u n n i n g a s u c c e s s f u l post office, which includes

an off-licence and general store, was not the first calling for the pair Vinod previously worked for Mars confectionery in the engineering department and Pawan was a personnel manager for Slough Borough Council

That was until the post

o f f i c e b e c a m e a p o t e n t i a l prospect T h e c o u p l e , w h o a r e rotarians with

R o t a r y C l u b , r e c e i v e d another nod for their contribution to the community f r o m t h e P o s t O f f i c e 1 0 years ago

Dancing captivates crowds at the Heart of Wembley festival

Picture: Colin Patterson

Cllr Shama Tatler with students at Newman Catholic College

Risaan Udayakumar who was fatally stabbed

Cllr Bedi said: "It looked just beautiful "

The mayor of Slough Cllr Paul Sohal attended the event

Also present was Mark Clements, 52, of Church Street, Slough - area develo p m e n t m a n a g e r f o r E

Sargeant and Son Funeral Directors in Church Street S a r g e a n t s p o n s o r s t h e F o u n d a t i o n w h i c h M r Clements also chairs H e l o s t h i s d a u g h t e r Lisa, who was killed aged 16 in a car crash on Christmas Day, 2005

Cllr Bedi and mayor Cllr Paul Sohal

'

Maidenhead

about the United Kingdom on these issues are not those t h a t t h e G o v e r n m e n t shares ”

Tan Dhesi MP with anti-Trump protesters in Windsor

Mayor of West Midlands to take the first ever trade mission to India

Andy Street, the Mayor of West Midlands will be co-leading the f i r s t e v e r t r a d e m i s s i o n f r o m Midlands to India in October this y e a r , a l o n g w i t h t h e S i r J o h n Peace, Chair of Midlands Engine, Government Minister and SME businesses, This trip is aimed to f u r t h e r t h e b u s i n e s s g r o w t h between UK and India and was announced at a conference and networking event titled ‘Accessing I n d i a M a d e E a s i e r ’ i n t h e International Convention Centre (ICC) organised by the Consulate General of India in Birmingham on July 13th

The event aimed to showcase and respond to queries regarding the flagship market entry support initiative ‘Access India Program’ ( A I P ) l a u n c h e d b y t h e H i g h Commission of India, London The program intends to provide support to the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) with innovative products and high-end technologies of the United Kingdom (UK) to access the ‘Make in India’ initiative of the Government of India and assist them to establish in India

The Consul General of India, Dr Aman Puri in his welcome address said that the Indian companies continue to repose their faith in the inherent strength of the British economy and were confident that Britain will be able overcome the roadblocks posed by Brexit, and to emerge stronger He

enumerated India’s strength as the fastest growing large economy of the world, scientific and technical manpower, and especially of t h e o p p o r t u n i t i e s p r o v i d e d b y India in alternatively fuelled vehicles and the health sector

Andy Street, Mayor of West Midlands said that both UK and India not only have a strong political and cultural relationship but also a very deep business relationship He stated that there is uncertainty growing with Brexit but he hoped that UK will move forward from the present position and will lead the world during the fourth industrial revolution

Mr Street added that the SME sector in the West Midlands was very vibrant and there has been a 50 percent growth in SMEs since

2010 and to support this growth West Midlands has received funds worth £250 million from Midlands Engine, and offer of credit to the tune of £370 million by Barclays He also acknowledged that SME sector is undergoing digital revolution, and assured that the West Midlands is well placed for such changes

Dr Shashi Baliyan shared the success story of how from one small opportunity he has created multiple opportunities during his venture in India From being one of the leading oncology service providers in India, they diversified into running hospitals, hospital linen management including its manufacturing, supplying food for hospitals, and manpower training He urged the companies to be

innovative and capitalise on the opportunities provided by Indian market’s demand as the scale of economies is very high in India

Rishi Grover, Vice President informed that UTC Aerosystems, which is a US based global company, has several units in UK and two big manufacturing sites as well as some service and repair centres in Bangalore, India Mr Grover stated that the company was the first to receive an award in 2018 for ‘Make in India’ and was the first to send a Federal Aviation A d m i n i s t r a t i o n ( F A A ) c e r t i f i e d product out of India, which dispenses the need for separate quality certification He added that the company was keen to develop a local ecosystem in India, and were able to take some of their global business partners to India to support the manufacturing He told the UK SMEs that if they are ready to invest in India, then UTC Aerosystems can help them develop the ecosystem and that they potentially could become a very important supplier for UTC

The other speakers included w e r e B a r o n e s s S a n d i p V e r m a (Chairperson of Lords European External Affairs Committee), Paul U p p a l ( S m a l l B u s i n e s s C o m m i s s i o n e r ) , I a n H a r r i s o n (Director of Exports, Midlands R e g i o n , D e p a r t m e n t o f I n t e r n a t i o n a l T r a d e ) , K e i t h Stokes-Smith (President Greater B i r m i n g h a m C o m m o n w e a l t h

Chamber of Commerce), Param Shah (Director of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce, U K ) a n d S a i k a t S e n S h a r m a , [ C o u n s e l l o r ( E c o n o m i c ) , H i g h Commission of India, London]

Sir John Peace, Chairman of Midlands Engine, addressed the gathering via video message Dr Param Shah, Director of FICCI U K i n f o r m e d t h a t t o s u p p o r t SMEs, and to complement the efforts of DIT, a Portal ‘UKThat’ will be launched in September 2018 This will create a marketplace and enable the UK SMEs to sell to India, test Indian market and then enter the Indian market

T h e c o n f e r e n c e w a s w e l l attended by representatives of trade associations, chambers of c o m m e r c e , r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s o f banks such as Santander, SBI, BOI, HDFC, PNB and around 6070 owners of SMEs In addition there were representatives from the Universitiy of Birmingham, Aston, Leeds, Bedford, Leicester, Lincoln & Nottingham Trent

The participants also interacted with a panel of experts formed by Dr Aman Puri, Ian Harrison, Sidharth Mukhne (Regional Head of UK India Business Council) S h a s h i B a l i y a n , R i s h i G r o v e r , Saikat Sen Sharma The session focussed on sharing expertise, innovation, and discussions were held on exploring mutually beneficial collaboration with India

ORGAN DONATION CRISIS HITS ASIANS

Continued from page 1

T h e G o v e r n m e n t h a s commissioned NHS Blood and Transplant to deliver the campaign with support f r om t he Na t i ona l BAME Transplant Alliance (NBTA)

T h e N H S B l o o d a n d T r a n s p l a n t r e p o r t f u r t h e r reveals only seven percent114 - of donors last year were from black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds This figure is increasing however, thanks to more black, Asian and ethnic minority families saying yes to donation when a s k e d i n h o s p i t a l s M a n y times cultural and religious believes act as obstacles to o r g a n d o n a t i o n f r o m t h e d i a s p o r a , t h o u g h f a m i l y refusals continue to be the biggest challenge to organ donation among these communities Only around half a s m a n y f a m i l i e s s u p p o r t organ donation compared with families from a white background

Though there has been a small increase in the proportion of opt-in registrations f r o m B A M E c o m m u n i t i e s added to the Organ Donor Register (ODR) over the past 5 years; 5 6% of opt-ins in 2013/14 and 7 2% in 2017/18, m a n y B A M E g r o u p s a r e poorly represented on the ODR relative to the current U K p o p u l a t i o n H o w e v e r only 1 9% of British Indians r e g i s t e r e d t h e m s e l v e s according to the report in 2017-18, while it is only 0 4% a m o n g B r i ti s h P a k i s t a n i s

a n d 0 1 % a m o n g B r i t i s h Bangladeshis

Black, Asian and minorit y e t h n i c ( B A M E ) g r o u p s r e p r e s e n t 1 1 % o f t h e U K population according to the 2011 Census Asians represent 5 1% of the UK population while 2 5% of the population are Black and 3 2% are from other minority ethnic groups In contrast, at the end of the 2017/18 financial year, 35% of the total number of patients on the waiting list for a kidney transplant were BAME, reflecting a demand for kidney transplantation in excess of that for White patients This is believed to be attributable to a higher burden of diabetes and kidney disease associated with the BAME communities For other organs the demand is in line with that for the White population

Campaign to save lives

H e a l t h M i n i s t e r J a c k i e D o y l e - P r i c e t o l d t h e newsweekly, “I am delighted that this year more people than ever from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds have received lifes a v i n g t r a n s p l a n t s T h i s shows great progress, but the fact remains that if you are from any one of these communities you are more likely to need a transplant, for the simple reason that you are more likely to suffer from a disease that requires a transplant At the same time, you are less likely to

get a transplant than if you were white

“The campaign we are launching today will be a driving force to save more l i v e s T h e G o v e r n m e n t , MPs, faith leaders, charities, c a m p a i g n e r s , i n f l u e n c e r s , friends and families, all have a role to play to address m y t h s a n d b a r r i e r s a n d bring attention to the lifesaving power of donation

“Our project will start with a community investment scheme to enable local groups to deliver this vital work For now, I would ask on behalf of everyone who has received a transplant, and everyone who is waiting for the life-changing news t h a t a n o r g a n h a s b e e n found - sign up to donate and give the gift of life ”

Parents urge for organ donation

The parents of a three-yearold boy who saved the lives o f t w o c h i l d r e n t h r o u g h organ donation are urging more black, Asian and ethnic minority families to supp o r t d o n a t i o n A a r i P a t e l died in 2016 following an accident at home His parents Jay and Sina asked at the hospital whether their s o n c o u l d b e a n o r g a n donor

“The doctors were surprised we raised donation before being asked But if Aari couldn’t be helped any f u r t h e r , S i n a a n d I f e l t s t r o n g l y t h a t w e w a n t e d

Aari to help others We did not want another family to suffer losing their child or loved one, ” said Jay, from Croydon

ing star, and it is an enormous comfort to know he helped those two children ” Jay added: “Too many people say no to donation because they think their faith prevents it There are myths and misunderstandings We must talk more about the subject with those we l o v e , f a m i l y a n d f r i e n d s , y o u n g a n d old If more people in our communities s u p p o r t e d o r g a n donation, more lives in our communities would be saved ” A n t h o n y Clarkson from NHS B l o o d a n d T r a n s p l a n t t o l d

c h a n g e i s n o t h a p p e n i n g fast enough and too many lives are being lost

“Although many black, Asian and ethnic minority patients are able to receive a t r a n s p l a n t f r o m a w h i t e d o n o r , o t h e r s m a y d i e i f there is no donor from their own community

“ W e a r e a s k i n g m o r e people from these communities to talk about organ donation and share their d o n a t i o n d e c i s i o n w i t h their families Words save lives ”

NBTA Co-Chairs Kirit Mistry and Orin Lewis said: “On behalf of our members w e w e l c o m e t h e Government’s commitment to launching a campaign to increase organ donors from b l a c k , A s i a n a n d e t h n i c minority communities

“We are also encouraged to be given the opportunity to work in partnership to engage recipients, donors, communities, organisations, a n d s t a k e h o l d e r s t o h e l p shape this campaign from a c u l t u r a l l y a n d f a i t h - b a s e d sensitive perspective

“ W e r e c e i v e d a l e t t e r informing us Aari’s organs had saved the lives of a boy and a girl Aari was our shin-

Asian Voice: “While it is encouraging that m o r e b l a c k , A s i a n and ethnic minority families are supporting donationm a k i n g m o r e l i f e s a v i n g t r a n s p l a n t s p o s s i b l e -

“NBTA as the co-ordinated voice for black, Asian, m i x e d ra c e a n d m i n o r i t y e t h n i c c o m m u n i t i e s i n t r a n s p l a n t d o n a t i o n w i l l help to build trust and create dialogue to inform our communities of the need for m o r e o r g a n d o n o r s f r o m t h e s e b a c k g r o u n d s , a n d spread the message of organ donation is a gift of life so help save more lives ”

From Left: Paul Sabapathy Former Lord Lieutenant of West Midlands Mayor of West Midlands, Andy Street, Consul General Dr Aman Puri, Ian Harrison, Director of Exports, Department of International Trade

Aari Patel

City of London to launch report discussing FinTech opportunities in India

Lord Mayor invites FinTech firms to join him on his India visit in October

Rupanjana Dutta

A City of London and PwC India joint report will be launched later this month in Mumbai analysing opportunities and challenges faced by the UK FinTech firms trying to invest in India This launch will be followed by a trip to India by the Lord Mayor of the City of London, R t H o n C h a r l e s B o w m a n i n October 2018, along with some 20 member delegates The City of London is now inviting companies in the FinTech sector to join this delegation

Speaking about his trip, the Lord Mayor told Asian Voice, “I will be heading a delegation to Mumbai, Bangalore and New Delhi in October this year I’m seeking to take with me companies that are interested in flying the flag for UK innovation So for any FinTech expert ready to learn about the Indian market with the aim of forging new partnerships – please do get in touch

“Our work alongside the India Advisory Council is another way the City hopes to support UKI n d i a n p a r t n e r s h i p , p a r t i c u l a r l y with our recent focus on the payments sector and further opportunities in India With cashless payments hitting gigantic amounts –in fact, I believe the government is on its way to reaching their target of 25 billion digital payments in a year! The UK hopes to collaborate with India to bring about innovation and drive expertise in this field ”

A panel discussion was organised at the City Hall on Monday 16th July, to discuss the report which aims to gauge appetite from b o t h t h e U K F i n T e c h e n t r e p r e n e u r s a n d t h e i r I n d i a n counterparts to consider in-bound and outbound investments in this

area It also aims to foster deeper engagement between the UK and I n d i a n F i n T e c h P a y m e n t f i r m s , create the required visibility on the opportunities and challenges withi n I n d i a a n d U K f o r F i n T e c h

Payment firms and provide pers p e c t i v e s o n t h e w a y f o r w a r d i n c l u d i n g b e s t p r a c t i c e s t h a t

Payment Firms from the UK and India can leverage on Panel members included Sanjay Jain, Chief Innovation Officer at the Centre f o r I n n o v a t i o n I n c u b a t i o n a n d E n t r e p r e n e u r s h i p , I I M Ahmedabad, and the newest member of the IAC Ron Kalifa, Deputy Director of Worldpay and Shiva Iyer, from PwC India

The event coincided with a meeting of the City of London C o r p o r a t i o n ’ s I n d i a A d v i s o r y Council (IAC), which focussed on FinTech exchanges between the UK and India The City is also w o r k i n g w i t h t h e I n d i a n H i g h Commission’s Access India programme as an official government partner to further UK-India collaboration in FinTech

Speaking at the event, which was held on the eve of the 2nd Green Finance Summit in the City of London, the 690th Lord Mayor, Charles Bowman said, “FinTech is a k e y s t r e n g t h o f t h e C i t y o f London – we are the world’s foremost FinTech centre - employing 61,000 people and some seven billion pounds to the UK economy every year

“Some of the innovative solutions from companies in the room, or from UK FinTechs, have the potential to impact hundreds of millions, if not billions, of people and whilst profit is good, there is h u g e o p p o r t u n i t y f o r f i n a n c i a l inclusion in India and the opening out of financial services to those whom have never had access ” H i s E x c e l l e n c y Y K S i n h a , speaking before the panel discussion said, “We are veray happy to partner with City in many ways By next year we would be the 5th largest economy, and all forecasts

are that India will show continuous growth With UK leaving the EU, this is perhaps the right opportunity focussing and enhancing our bilateral trade FinTech is an area where the UK is acknowledged as a global leader and City of London is a global financial centre The sky is the limit as far as UKIndia collaboration go Last year the Chancellor took a FinTech delegation to India and since then we have had series of event including many ministerial visits When the Indian Prime Minister was here earlier this year, opportunities in areas like electric cars, artificial intelligence and FinTech were discussed The FinTech Rocketship Award was announced which provides great opportunity for mentoring young entrepreneurs, starting with 20 members from each other's country to understand the environment better ”

Innovate Finance, the independent membership association that

represents the UK’s global FinTech community, alongside WPI Economics, released a report recently on the potential effects on the UK FinTech sector of future changes to the country’s immigration policy The report provided new insight on the scope of the UK FinTech sector which currently represent It said, “Failure to maintain a flexible immigration policy could harm the attractiveness of the UK as a place to do business and could lead to a shortfall in highly-skilled workers, resulting in a potential loss of £361m to the UK FinTech sector ” 76,500 employees of whom 42% are from overseas (28% from EEA countries, and 14% from non-EEA countries) Under the most likely scenario for future immigration policy, in which the system for EEA migrants moves closer to that for non-EEA migrants, the report predicts a shortfall of 3,200 highlyskilled workers by 2030, at a cost to the UK FinTech sector of £361m

NHS launches national nurses recruitment drive

As the NHS launches the biggest recruitment drive in its 70 year history, new research has shown the special place that its staff hold in the nation’s heart

N u r s e s a n d d o c t o r s t o p a public poll as the most trusted and respected professions in the country, according to research carried out for the new national campaign, ‘We are the NHS’

Three quarters of those surveyed by research agency Kantar Public chose nurses and doctors as professions they trust the most and seven in ten people said they were some of the most important roles in society

But the majority of the public surveyed did not know the wide range of careers available working as a nurse, only 3% knew that nurses worked in mental health and one third could not name a nursing role outside of hospital like district nurses

The campaign, run by NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care, will also reach out to South Asian com-

munities and will highlight the vast range of opportunities available in the NHS for potential new recruits and will initially put the spotlight on nursing, prioritising k

ference to people seeking help and support

g

e n t a l health, learning disability and community and general practice nurses P

England, said: “There are over 350 careers available within the N H

Nursing and midwifery make up the largest part of the workforce and provides a unique opportunity to make a real difference to peoples’ lives in a way that simply cannot be matched ”

I f t i M a j i d , D e r b y s h i r e H e a l t h c a r e F o u n d a t i o n N H S

Trust Chief Executive said: “I know that in some South Asian communities there can still be s t i g m a a r o u n d m e n t a l h e a l t h issues and the presence of health p r o f e s s i o n a l s f r o m a s i m i l a r background can make all the dif-

“I urge people of all backgrounds to consider working for the NHS; it has been wonderful f o r m e t o w o r k w i t h s u c h a diverse range of talented and cari n g p e o p l e t h r o u g h o u t m y career ”

Binodbikash Simkhada, Vice President of the Nepalese Nurse Association UK said: “It is very positive and welcoming of the N H S t o r e a c h o u t t o e t h n i c minority communities such as ours in their latest recruitment drive

“There are more than 3000 Nepalese nurses working in the UK already and an even bigger n u m b e r o f N e p a l e s e m i g r a n t s working in various other roles within the NHS The NHS will be better than ever before with the d i v e r s i t y a n d w i l l r e f l e c t t h e changing British society ”

T h e c a m p a i g n a i m s t o i n c r e a s e t h e t o t a l n u m b e r o f applications into the NHS by 2 2 , 0 0 0 a s w e l l a s d o u b l e t h e

numbers of nurses returning to practice and improve retention of staff in all sectors It will recognise the incredible contribution and impact of NHS staff who treat over one million patients every 24 hours across the country in GP surgeries, hospitals and at h o m e , a s p a r t o f t h e b i g g e s t recruitment drive in NHS history

There were over 34,000 nursi n g v a c a n c i e s r e p o r t e d i n E n g l a n d b e t w e e n A p r i l t o September 2017 with over 6,000 in mental health and 1,500 in community nursing at the end of the year

Despite having respect from the public, the campaign research found demonstrable differences in parents’ expectations for sons and daughters Only four in ten parents said they would be proud of their son being a nurse and three in ten were unable to name roles that they can work in other than hospitals

For more information search nursing careers

Lord Mayor Charles Bowman

UK - INDIA

Indian business investment in the East Midlands strong despite Brexit uncertainties

The India meets Britain Tracker 2018, published by Grant Thornton UK LLP in association with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), shows that uncertainty over the outcomes of Brexit negotiations does not appear to have negatively affected Indian companies’ enthusiasm for the UK as an investment destination, with around 800 Indian companies now operating in the UK.

Chris Frostwick, practice leader of Grant Thornton’s East Midlands regional office said: “Our Tracker report places Leicester company Dion Global Solutions at number 22 with a 60% growth in turnover, and Jain International Food of Sleaford at number 69, having recorded a 19% growth in turnover.”

Commenting on the report, Dr Nik Kotecha OBE, Chief Executive of Morningside Pharmaceuticals Ltd, which is based in Loughborough, said:

“The East Midlands is a fantastic area to do business and it’s not by coincidence that our region is the fastest growing outside of the South East. It’s great to see that 10 of the top 50 fastest growing Indian companies in the UK are based in the Midlands. The Tracker’s statistics show the Midlands and the North are now tied as the most

popular locations for businesses on the list, after London.”

Last year, Grant Thornton named Dr Kotecha as one of its Faces of a Vibrant Economy, which identifies the UK’s 100 most inspirational and innovative individuals from across the private, not for profit and public sectors.

Dr Kotecha added: “I was

honoured to accompany Prime Minister Theresa May on her first trade mission to India. There is a real appetite for hitech exports of products and services from the UK, which was evidenced by the £1.2 billion in trade deals announced following the trip.”

Morningside manufactures quality generic and branded medicines for UK hospitals and pharmacies, as well as supplying countries globally through aid agencies.

According to Chris Frostwick: “A key factor of Indian companies’ success in the UK is that they have established themselves in growing markets where they have the relevant expertise for example, in the technology and telecoms sector and this year, in particular, the engineering and manufacturing sectors. The report clearly shows that the UK remains a highly attractive destination for Indian investors.”

ED seeks fugitive offender tag against Nirav, Mehul

T h e E nfo rc em e nt Di rec to rat e

( ED) has moved a special court in Mumbai seeking to declare diamond traders Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi as 'fugitive economic offenders' and to confiscate their assets worth £350 million in the USD 2 billion PNB fraud case, officials said. They said two separate applications, under the recently promulgated Fugitive Economic Offenders Ordinance, were filed against the duo before the court that hears matters under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The agency had early this month moved a similar application against businessman Vijay Mallya in the £900 million alleged bank loan fraud case and the court recently issued summons to him for August 27 under the new ordinance.

The fresh application seeks to immediately confiscate assets worth about £350 million of Nirav Modi and Choksi and their companies. The agency seeks to confiscate assets, both movable and immovable, including those located in the United Kingdom and the UAE.

Fraudulently getting the LOUs/FLCs issued

The move has been made on

the basis of the two PMLA charge sheets filed by the agency against the diamond jewellers on charges of alleged money laundering.

"Investigations have revealed that Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi have committed the offence of cheating Punjab National Bank (PNB) in connivance with certain bank officials by fraudulently getting the

LOUs/FLCs issued without following prescribed procedure and caused a huge loss to the bank.

"They have further siphoned off the proceeds of crime so generated through layering through multiple dummy, related, connected entities in India and abroad," the agency said in its application.

The scam, which reportedly began in 2011, was detected in January this year, after which PNB officials reported it to the probe agencies. Two criminal complaints were filed by the ED in these instances after taking cognisance of CBI FIRs.

Non-bailable warrants have already been issued against the two while an Interpol 'red corner' arrest warrant has been issued against Modi on the request of the ED.

Mukesh Ambani becomes Asia's richest person

I ndia's Mukesh Ambani overtook Alibaba Group founder Jack Ma to become Asia’s richest person as he positions Reliance Industries Ltd. to disrupt the e-commerce space in India. The chairman of India’s refining-to-telecoms conglomerate, Ambani was estimated to be worth $44.3 billion on Friday with Reliance Industries Ltd. rising 1.6 per cent to a record 1,099.8 rupees, according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Ma’s wealth stood at $44 billion at close of trade on Thursday in the US, where the company is listed.

Ambani has added $4 billion to his fortune this year as Reliance doubled its petrochemicals capacity and investors cheered the success of his disruptive telecom upstart Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. Earlier this month, the tycoon unveiled plans to leverage his 215 million telecom subscribers to expand his e-commerce offerings, taking on the likes of Amazon.com Inc. and Walmart Inc. Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.’s Ma has lost $1.4 billion in 2018. “We need to broaden

our horizon of expectation with Reliance,” said Nitin Tiwari, a Mumbai-based analyst at Antique Stock Broking. “They are in for something really transformational.”

Ambani, best known for executing large-scale projects, spearheaded construction of the world’s largest refining complex in Jamnagar, owns the mostwidespread mobile data network globally and claims to have India’s biggest as well as most-profitable retail firm.

TCS recognised as world’s fastest growing IT brand

Ta ta Consult ancy S erv ice s has been recognised as the fastest growing IT Services brand globally by Brand Finance, the world’s leading brand valuation firm. Brand Finance assesses the dollar value of the reputation, image and intellectual property of the world’s leading companies. Brand Finance’s brand valuations are frequently peer-reviewed by

top audit practices, accepted by various regulatory bodies and used by leading global brands as a performance benchmark.

The annual report ranks TCS as the fastest growing brand within the IT services sector, with the company’s overall brand value increasing by US$3.04 billion in 2013; a growth rate of 58% year-on-year. It repre-

sents a quadrupling of its brand value, which stood at US$2.3 billion four years ago in 2010. TCS’ total brand value now stands at US$8.2 billion, ranking it among the industry’s top four brands for the second consecutive year. Brand Finance has also awarded the TCS brand a rating of AA+, the top rating in the industry.

in brief

ONLY TWO BUYERS FOR AAMBY VALLEY PROPERTIES

T he au ct ion of S ahar a s A amby val le y property has once again failed to attract buyers. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) told the Supreme Court that only two companies - Sai Rydam Realtors and Prime Downtown Real Estate - are willing to buy the land owned by Sahara at Vasai in Mumbai. The two companies have been asked to deposit a total of £98.2 million to buy Sahara's three-acre land. The two buyers deposited around £10 million on the auction day. They have been asked to deposit £20 million by July 24 and another £20 million by August 15. The remaining amount has to be deposited by September 12. The court has finalised September 12 for the next hearing in the matter.

Earlier in February, the top court allowed the official liquidator and receiver in the SEBI-Sahara case to auction the saleable property of Aamby Valley till April 19 in order to complete the auction process. The Sahara Group has been embroiled in a lengthy court battle with the SEBI, over a case involving £2.40 billion refund to investors. In October last year, the SEBI moved the top court, seeking contempt proceedings against the Sahara Group for allegedly obstructing the process of auctioning its Aamby Valley property in Pune, initiated on court's direction.

NANOS TO BE PRODUCED ON DEMAND ONLY

T ata’s Sa nand fac il it y i n Gu jar at will now produce Nano cars only when they receive a request from the company’s dealership. “Either we will give it from our stock or we will have it produced and supplied,” said SN Barman, an official of Tata Motors Ltd. States like Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh and North-eastern states have

done well in terms of Nano sales, he said. “If you go and ask for a Nano from the dealership you will get it… This particular product did well in some pockets and wherever it has done well or is doing well there are stocks available,” Barman said.

He, however, did not divulge the inventory of Tata Nanos currently lying with the company’s dealership network. In the month of June 2018, Tata Motors sold just three Nanos, compared to 167 units during the same period in 2017. During the same month, it produced only one Nano car at Sanand.

The company is now contemplating on expanding the manufacturing facility to cater to the demand for its other modelsTiago and Tigor. Barman said that the sales of passenger vehicles belonging to the Tata brand have been clocking higher growth compared to the average growth of this segment in Gujarat in the last two years.

“Compared to the one per cent growth made by the industry in the year 2016-17, we grew at 34 per cent. The next year (2017-18), when the industry grew at 11 per cent, we grew at 45 per cent. In the first quarter of 2018-19, the industry grew at 18 per cent and we grew at 49 per cent. This year we are looking to grow in excess of 50 per cent in Gujarat,” he said.

(Right) Dr Nik Kotecha OBE, Chief Executive of Morningside Pharmaceuticals Ltd and one of Grant Thornton’s 100 Faces of a Vibrant Economy

Mehul Choksi and Nirav Modi

Mukesh Ambani

A ROYAL DEAL

We are currently going through the paperwork on a deal we have placed There is an imposed time pressure by the seller This particular deal is being ‘turned’ by a party, which is not unusual in property circles in London

Many dealers, rather than going through the expense of completing a deal, and the hassle which goes with sorting out any issues, would rather sell it on to a known party I say known because this kind of deal cannot be put on the market

This particular deal requires an ‘insider’ to execute for the following reasons Firstly, the deal needs to be done in cash Secondly, there are issues surrounding the deal which even some lawyers would be in unfamiliar territory with Thirdly, it needs to be done discreetly, without alerting the original seller of the

deal you ’ re doing with the intermediary

The main issue with this deal is that the ownership of the freehold has reverted back to The Crown

All the word freehold means, is the land is free of a hold, i e not a lease It will surprise most people to hear that the ultimate owner of all land, is not the person or cooperate entity which owns the freehold title English Land Law has, since feudal times, been based on a system of tenure A freeholder is NOT an absolute owner, but a tenant in fee simple holding, in most cases directly from the sovereign, as lord paramount of all land within the realm

Fee simple is defined as an interest in land that, being the broadest property interest allowed by law So, in short, the title is not absolute Absolute title, in

most cases, belongs to The Crown, or properly known as The Crown Estate or Escheat

When property becomes lost, as it does time to time, it becomes known as bona vacantia, which means lost property

This situation arises when, for example, a person dies without leaving any dependents, or if a company which owns a freehold becomes dissolved

In our case, the company which owns the freehold did not file the necessary returns and this led to the company being struck off; and the asset, which is the freehold of land where the flat is, ended up passing to The Crown or in Escheat

In doing a deal like this it is paramount the right lawyer is appointed Someone who knows the terrain; not just from an academic

viewpoint but someone who has had experience of having been in this framework

Not all the lawyers I spoke to knew what this word Escheat even meant In the end we believe we have got the right person on the case

In the UK we have a very open system of land ownership, one can see the ownership of any property they wish from the Land Registry, and see how much

was paid for it, and when and whom it is owned by, unless of course it was a company owning the asset which was sold

Prices in a block of flats or a street can easily be ascertained This means a lot of the times in order to get a deal, it will mean to look for the ‘problem’

properties The problems disappear once you start to unravel the issues This requires having the right team around you to advise you

It can be tempting to decorate your investment in your own colour choices, however, this is a mistake many people make, and it can cost you prospective tenants Instead, create a blank canvas and make it easy for your tenants to personalise the space If they can make themselves feel at home, they’ll be more likely to stay Your choice of paint colour doesn’t have to be all white or magnolia; these colours

are great when you ’ re on a budget and won’t be charging a lot of rent, however, if you ’ re trying to attract a different kind of tenant, or want to charge a little more, there are many other neutral colours you could try

If you like a certain type of paint but don’t want to break the bank, why not paint the walls in magnolia, with a different neutral coloured feature wall? Or paint the space above a dado rail magnolia and save the other colour for the bottom half? Whatever you decide, I would recommend you try and stay away from

bright colours and wall paper, as these could put a perfectly good tenant off renting your property, if it’s not to their taste

When choosing your paints, if you have the budget, try and buy types that will provide the most durability with a long-life span for your tenants For kitchens and bathrooms, especially in apartments, it’s a good idea to buy paint with added mould protection as these are common areas where condensation can build up For the rest of the house a silk paint is nice, or try using a specialist paint that’s more easily wiped

clean Skirting boards and woodwork will be fine in a white gloss emulsion

For the ultimate in durability, look for paints that contain latex or acrylic, they take knocks and scrapes better than other varieties, and with so many people moving furniture in and out of rental properties, it’s likely there’ll be a few of these Once you ’ re done painting, save any leftover paint, buy extra tins, or make a note of the brands and colours of the paints you ’ ve used, including which rooms you used them in, as this makes it much easier to repaint after a tenancy or allow your tenants to touch up any

scuffs themselves

Remember that no matter what paint you choose, you will never meet everyone's taste, and you will still get the odd comment that they do not like it But, keeping the colours neutral will help eliminate decoration

as a reason not to take your property

Please do get in touch for some more free helpful tips

Richard Bond Lettings Manager Sow & Reap

UK's Brexit policy may hit free trade plans with India

A cco rding to a confidential report, UK government's Brexit plans will threaten plans for closer trade ties with India as it would prevent Britain from making the kind of concessions on trade that New Delhi seeks. The Brexit White Paper has already shaken up Prime Minister Theresa May's leadership following resignations of her Brexit minister David Davis and foreign secretary Boris Johnson, who disagreed with what is seen as a much closer alignment with the European Union (EU) than desired, as it would reportedly make trade deals with other countries more difficult.

Now, according to details of a confidential joint UK-India Trade Review, it would appear that India would be among the countries unlikely to reap many post-Brexit benefits. The trade review highlights a range of non-tariff barriers to trade identified by Indian businesses that the Indian government would want the UK to reconsider as part of any new postBrexit trade deal. These include limits on fungicides in Basmati rice, the enforcement of food hygiene standards for milk and dairy products, such as 'paneer', and the use of hormone-disrupting chemicals across a range of non-food products. These rules are imposed by the EU and under the new Brexit plan of a "common rule book" between the UK and EU on goods, any changes to food standards or chemical safety are unlikely.

The UK is due to leave the 28-member European Union on March 29, 2019, but the two sides have yet to agree how trade will work between the UK and the EU after that. Dominic Raab, who became Brexit secretary after Davis quit in protest, stressed it struck the right balance between protecting existing arrangements with the EU and freeing up the UK to look further afield.

The UK's Department for International Trade (DIT) also sought to downplay the impact of the strategy on trade ties with countries like India. A spokesperson said, "As we leave the EU, we will forge new and ambitious trade links around the world, while also maintaining our high standards on animal welfare and food safety. The joint trade review's findings underline the continued strength of the bilateral relationship between the UK and India, and we are committed to driving forward this mutually beneficial trading arrangement," the spokesperson said.

The UK-India Joint Trade Review, which also focused on life sciences and information technology, formed the crux of a new UK-India trade partnership announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the UK in April for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). But experts have warned that closer trade relations still face considerable hurdles.

"The commitments to bind the UK to the EU's regulatory approach on goods will constrain the ability of the UK to address Indian demands related to food and plant health," said Sam Lowe, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for European Reform. "As to whether the UK would be able to lower tariffs in future, it is dependent on whether the UK facilitated customs arrangement does indeed allow it to run a dual tariff regime at the border," he said.

It is widely acknowledged that the conduct of many UK Retail Banks towards customers in the Global Financial Crisis was inadequate to say the least. This is of course particularly so towards SMEs. What is even more concerning today, ten

UK - INDIA

India poised to pip Britain to become 5th largest economy next year: Jaitley

India's finance minister Arun Jaitley exuded confidence that India will pip Britain to become the fifth largest economy in the world next year if economic expansion continues at the projected rate. However, rising international crude oil prices and the global trade war would throw up challenges going forward, he said.

“If we keep growing at the rate which is being projected, it is likely that next year we will be the fifth largest economy ahead of Great Britain,” Jaitley said in a Facebook post. “This is in consonance with the rest of the narrative. Being the fastest growing economy for the last four years, we can look at the next decade as one of economic expansion,” he added. A latest World Bank report has said that the Indian economy has become world’s sixth-biggest economy, push-

ing France to seventh place. The US tops the list followed by China, Japan, Germany and Britain.

The new calculations were arrived on the basis of Indian economy’s performance in 2017. India’s gross domestic product (GDP) was valued at USD 2.597 trillion at the end of 2017 overtaking the French economy, which was amounted at USD 2.582 trillion last year. “We have already seen a significant move up in India’s ranking in

the ease of doing business and as a preferred investment destination. Today we stand to be tested in the midst of a global challenge thrown up on account of the international crude oil prices and the trade war,” Jaitley said.

Crude oil prices, which were around USD 66 a barrel, in April are now hovering around USD 75 a barrel. The Indian economy is estimated to grow at 7-7.5 per cent in the current fiscal, higher than 6.7 per cent growth clocked in 2017-18 fiscal. “The recently released World Bank data reveals that India has now become the sixth largest economy relegating France to the seventh position. Obviously, on account of disparity in the size of the population, there would be a very significant difference in the per capita of the two countries,” he said.

The NDA government,

under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has ensured that rural India and the less privileged get the first right on resources and if this, along with increased expenditure, continues for the next decade the impact on India’s rural poor would be significant, he said. “This benefits all irrespective of religion, caste or community. He said the government’s programmes for rural India will lead to increased incomes, increased social security, improved quality of life, higher income from agriculture and better healthcare.

Jaitley said ever since the present government took over, it has been working to translate the advantages of faster growth to rural India as well as to bring a significant section of people into the neomiddle class and bring people out of poverty.

Ease of doing biz: Gujarat slips to 5th rank

s tat e in 2015, Gujarat has slipped to fifth rank in the latest ease of doing industry ratings prepared by the World Bank and the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP). It has been a continuous slide for the state after then Chief Minister Narendra Modi became the prime minister in 2014. Last year, Gujarat was ranked third place, while Andhra Pradesh had collectively crowned the chart with Telangana.

According to the latest ratings, Andhra Pradesh is still the most efficient state to do business, while Telangana and Haryana are positioned at second and third positions respectively.

Even Jharkhand has managed to beat Gujarat this year by means of securing the fourth rank. The DIPP, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, in partnership with the World Bank Group,

launched the Business Reform Action Plan (BRAP) 2017 for implementation by means of States/UTs. The BRAP includes 372 suggestions from reforms on regulatory processes, insurance policies, practices and procedures unfold throughout 12 reform spaces.

What went wrong with Gujarat

According to BRAP 2017 scorecard, Gujarat scored

97.96 per cent against 98.42 per cent by top-ranking Andhra Pradesh. Reform proof scorecard for both the states stood at 99.73 per cent but Gujarat lost out in industry comments by means of scoring 83.64 per cent against 86.50 per cent scored by Andhra Pradesh.

Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel said, “Since the ratings is based on many documents he did

not want to comment.”

Senior Congress leader Arjun Modhwadia said, “Ever since the BJP came to power in Gujarat, they have been giving land to their cronies at throwaway prices.

BJP isn't interested in promoting industrialisation and activity creation. No surprise, Gujarat’s rank is sliding.”

Gujarat-based businessmen consider that the state can do better by aggressively selling its attractiveness.

President of Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) Jaimin Vasa said: “We have drawn the attention of the state on how other states are aggressively attracting businessmen around the country.

Telangana and Andhra Pradesh attract businessmen by organising roadshows. We have also requested our state government to emulate their style to sell Gujarat among companies.”

Banks continue to cover-up £bns of previous fraud – ten years on

years on, is that evidence is emerging of continual attempts to ‘cover-up’ this conduct by some of our largest banks. We have seen this already with GRG; where RBS Bankers plainly lied to the Treasury Select Committee when they argued that GRG was not a ‘profit centre’; which they, of course, later admitted it was.

Sadly, we are now seeing similar behaviour from the UK’s largest retail bank; Lloyds Banking Group Plc. In 2013, an employee at Lloyds wrote a detailed report about the fraud that had taken place towards

SMEs at the HBOS Reading office. This report was kept hidden from the public and MPs for five years; until it was leaked into the public domain a few weeks ago. Nicky Morgan MP, the Conservative Chairman of the Treasury Select Committee stated that the report’s allegations were ‘deeply troubling’. To remind readers; this £1bn fraud resulted in Lloyds bankers being jailed for a total of 47 years for abuses to SMEs – including the celebrity Noel Edmonds.

The report stated that if the fraud was properly disclosed to Lloyds by HBOS,

the Lloyds takeover and £4bn rights issue in 2008 would not have taken place. This fraud involved excessive charging of fees; undervaluing property assets; the use of turnaround consultants and more. We continually come across these issues; not just for SMEs but also for some of the largest real estate firms in the UK. We are assisting one property firm who had £1.2bn of borrowing with a bank for example. Often, the poor conduct of the bank is magnified by fraud relating to LIBOR manipulation and / or the mis-selling of a

derivative. This is due to the consequential losses that can arise from the (undisclosed) contingent liability from hedging products, which weaken the balance sheet of the customer.

It is vital that in order to obtain fair and reasonable redress for past losses (both direct losses and indirect loss of profits, etc), experienced professional advice is obtained from an FCA regulated advisor. There are sadly too many claims management companies and ‘nowin-no-fee’ firms, that do not understand the com-

plexity of the issues involved. It may appear that there is no harm in using such a firm; but although this appears to be ‘free’; if they do not make the right arguments; the customer is likely to have lost their best opportunity to obtain redress from the Bank.

Please do get in touch if you’d like to discuss with us on 0207 183 2277.

Abhishek Sachdev

Arun Jaitley

in brief The Buddha of Swat smiles again

CENTRE IN BANGLADESH

Vi si ting Indian Home Mi ni ster Rajnath Si ngh on Saturday inaugurated the world's largest state-of-the-art visa centre in Dhaka with modern facilities, promising shorter waiting times for applicants. Singh inaugurated the integrated centre at Jamuna Future Park (JFP) along with his Bangladeshi counterpart Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal. Indian High Commissioner Harsh Vardhan Shringla, who was also present, told the media that "this is the largest Indian visa centre in the world and possibly the largest anywhere". The new centre will replace the existing centres in Motijheel and Uttara from July 15. The remaining two centres in Dhaka - at Gulshan and Mirpur Road - will also be shifted to this centre, located in a spacious 18,500 square feet commercial area, by August 31. The existing e-token (appointment) system for submission of visa applications will also be withdrawn from July 15. India has 12 visa centres in Bangladesh, which is the highest number the former has in any country in the world, the report said.

TURKEY TO SELL 30 ATTACK HELICOPTERS TO PAKISTAN

Tu r key s s tat e-r un ne ws agenc y says Turkey and Pakistan have reached an agreement for the sale of 30 Turkish-made attack helicopters in a deal that has been billed as Turkey's largest single defence industry export. The agency said the deal for the sale of Turkey's T129 ATAK helicopters was signed between Turkish Aerospace Industries, TUSAS, and the Pakistan Defence Production Ministry. Turkey would also provide logistics, spare parts, training and ammunition, agency said. The agency did not say how much the deal was worth. However, Turkish media reports put the value at around $1.5 billion.

INDONESIAN MOB SLAUGHTERS 'HUNDREDS' OF CROCODILES

A n angry mob has sla ughter ed nearly 300 crocodiles in Indonesia after a local man was killed by one of the reptiles, authorities

S W A T ( P A K I S T A N) : T h e Bu ddh a of S wat, carved on a cliff in the seventh century, was dynamited by the Pakistani Taliban in 2007. Now it has been restored, a powerful symbol of tolerance in the traumatised Pakistani valley. The holy figure, depicted in a lotus position at the base of a granite cliff in northern Pakistan, was severely damaged by Islamist insurgents in an echo of the Afghan Taliban’s complete destruction of its more imposing counterparts at Bamiyan in 2001.

For some, it was a wanton act of vandalism that struck at the heart of the area’s unique history and identity. It felt “like they killed my father”, says Parvesh Shaheen, a 79-year-old expert on Buddhism in Swat. “They attack... my culture, my history.” The Buddha sits in

Jahanabad, the epicentre of Swat’s Buddhist heritage, a beautiful valley in the foothills of the Himalayas.

There the Italian government has been helping to preserve hundreds of archaeological

sites, working with local authorities who hope to turn it into a place of pilgrimage once more. A decade ago, the militants climbed the 20foot effigy to lay the explosives, but only a part of them were triggered, demolish-

ing the top of the Buddha’s face.

For Shaheen, the statue is “a symbol of peace, symbol of love, symbol of brotherhood. We don’t hate anybody, any religion - what is this nonsense to hate somebody?” he says. Luca Maria Olivieri, an Italian archaeologist who oversaw the restoration of the Buddha, says the rehabilitation has not been easy. Carried out in phases, it began in 2012 with the application of a coating to protect the damaged part of the sculpture.

The reconstruction of the face itself was first prepared virtually in the laboratory, in 3D, using laser surveys and old photos. The last phase, the actual restoration, ended in 2016. Olivieri says the reconstruction is not identical, but that is deliberate, as “the idea of damage should remain visible.”

Pakistan's first Sikh police officer 'thrashed, evicted' from his house

LAH OR E : P akis tan's first Sikh p o l i ce o f f i ce r G u l ab S i n gh S hah een has claimed that he was thrashed and evicted from his house in Lahores Dera Chahal along with his children and wife, following a property dispute with ETPB - the parent body of Sikh Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee.

Taking to social media, Singh claims that he was evicted by Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), the parent body of Sikh Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (PSGPC). "My turban was forced open and hair was untied," Singh says in one of the videos he shared on Facebook. In a video, Singh can be seen pleading to police to give him "at least 10 minutes" to

be in the place where they have been staying since 1947. He has also appealed to Sikhs across the world to help him and take note of disrespect to a Sikh's hair and

turban. In 2011, Gulab Singh had filed a case against then Chairman of Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) Syed Asif

Akhtar Hashmi for illegally selling Gurudwara property. In February 2018, the country's apex court held Hashmi responsible. The ETPB maintained Singh had illegally occupied the "Langar" Hall of Gurdwara Janum Asthan "Bebe Nanaki Dera Chahil", which was vacated by an anti-encroachment team.

Evacuee Trust Property Board, established in 1960, is a statutory board of the Government of Pakistan, which administers evacuee properties and shrines of Hindus and Sikhs attached to religious, charitable or educational trusts, left behind by Hindus and Sikhs who migrated to India after the 1947 partition of India.

Saudi woman arrested for hugging male singer

RI YA D H: A w oman in Saudi A rabia was arrested after she ran on stage to hug a male singer during a concert. Singer Majid al-Mohandis was performing at a festival in the western city of Taif when the woman darted on to the stage. Women in Saudi Arabia are not allowed to socialise in public with men who are unrelated to them.

The police arrested the woman and referred her to the public prosecution to face charges under the law criminalising harassment. "The suspect is held at the Al-Taif Foundation for Women's Care pending investigation," the Mecca police official spokesman said. Videos posted online showed the woman holding on to Mohandis while security staff tried to pull her off him.

said. The revenge killing happened in Papua province following the funeral of the man, who perished when he fell into an enclosure at a crocodile farm while looking for grass to feed his livestock, officials said. The victim, identified as 48-year-old Sugito, was bitten on the leg and then fatally struck with a tail of one of the crocodiles, which are a protected species, they said. Sugito's relatives and local residents, angry over the farm's location near a residential area marched to the crocodile farm with knives, machetes and slaughtered some 292 crocs, authorities said.

Mohandis, whose website calls him "the prince of Arab singing", has not commented on the incident.

The Iraqi-born singer, who

also has Saudi citizenship, continued to perform after the incident. Restrictions that had long been placed on women attending public events in the Kingdom have been relaxed in the past year under a series of reforms by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. "Vision 2030", unveiled last year, aims to increase household spending on cultural and entertainment activities in the oil-dependent kingdom from 2.9 per cent to 6 per cent by 2030. Saudi earlier allowed women to attend a concert and a football match for the first time and the Kingdom also hosted its first concert by a female singer, Lebanese star Hiba Tawaji, in December. Women were also allowed to drive vehicles from last month. But sig-

Pakistan's first Sikh police officer Gulab Singh Shaheen with his family

AFRICA

Modi to address Ugandan Parliament next week

in brief

SRI LANKA TO HANG 19

DRUG CONVICTS

KA M P A L A : Ind ian P rime Minister N are nd r a M o d i

will address

Ugandan Parliament during his visit to Uganda next week, Deputy Speaker Jacob Oulanyah has announced. He said that Modi would address the Parliament on Wednesday, July 25. The Deputy Speaker said that President Yoweri Museveni would accompany Modi to Parliament. He asked the lawmakers to turn up early enough ahead of Modi’s arrival at Parliament.

Security provisions

The Deputy Speaker asked all staff and MPs to vacate the premises on July 23 so that the security staff can take over the parliament ahead of Indian Prime Minister's state visit. The Deputy Speaker said that the House will not sit on Tuesday to allow the security personnel to carry out their work ahead of the Wednesday sitting. Modi will fly into the country on July 24, 2018 and will be hosted by President Museveni at State House Entebbe.

Indians in Uganda reach compromise

The differences among Indian community over Modi's visit to the country have now been resolved following a high level

meeting held at the Indian High Commission on July 11. Two weeks since the news of Modi’s impending visit broke out; a number of concerns had been raised by some sections of the Indian community.

The meeting was prompted by a petition from a group of 15 Indian associations, who petitioned the Indian High Commissioner to Uganda, Shri Ravi Shankar, on July 5, rejecting the earlier 10-member organising committee for Modi’s visit. They threatened to stay away from preparations for his visit. They cited lack of inclusion, poor account-

ability and the manner in which the organising committee was picked for the preparations.

During the meeting, the Indian high commissioner had to succumb to the petition from the 15 enraged leaders of Indian community and associations, and brought on board, six new members on the disputed organizing committee for Modi’s visit. This now brings to 16, the number of members in the organising committee. Reports from the meeting at the Indian High Commission indicate that the parties agreed to work together for the success of the event. The aggrieved leaders also undertook to communicate the decision to their clans. “We sorted out the differences and there is no division in the Indian community. It is working in harmony. We are fortunate that despite Prime Minister Modi’s tight schedule, he will be able to address the community,” said Pradid during a press conference.

According to Trushar Upadhyay, who heads communications committee, all the new members brought on board, have already joined the sub-committees and started work.

Obama gives Trump sharp rebuke in Mandela address

JOHANNESBU RG: Without ev er m enti oni ng President Donald Trump by name, former US President Barack Obama on Tuesday took aim at "strongman politics" in his high-profile speech since leaving office, urging people around the world to respect human rights and other values now under threat in an impassioned address marking the 100th anniversary of antiapartheid leader Nelson Mandela's birth.

Obama's speech to a cheering crowd of thousands in South Africa countered many of Trump's policies, rallying people around the world to keep alive the ideas that Mandela worked for including democracy, diversity and tolerance. Obama opened by calling today's times "strange and uncertain," adding that "each day's news cycle is bringing more head-spinning and disturbing headlines." These days "we see much of the world threatening to return to a more dangerous, more brutal, way of doing business," he said.

He targeted politicians pushing "politics of fear, resentment, retrenchment," saying they are on the move "at a pace unimaginable just a few years ago." He attacked "strongman politics," saying that "those in power seek to undermine every institution ... that gives democracy meaning." He spoke up

for equality in all forms, saying that "I would have thought we had figured that out by now," and he even invoked the World Cupwinning French team and its diversity. He warned that countries that engage in xenophobia "eventually ... find themselves consumed by civil war."

And he noted the "utter loss of shame among political leaders when they're caught in a lie and they just double down and lie some more," warning that the denial of facts - such as that of climate change - could be the undoing of democracy. But Obama reminded the audience that "we've been through darker times. We've been through lower valleys," and he closed with a call to

SRILANKA-NEPAL

action: "I say if people can learn to hate, they can be taught to love."

He received a standing ovation

"Just by standing on the stage honouring Nelson Mandela, Obama is delivering an eloquent rebuke to Trump," said John Stremlau, professor of international relations at Witwatersrand University in Johannesburg, who called the timing auspicious as the commitments that defined Mandela's life are "under assault" in the US and elsewhere. "Yesterday we had Trump and Putin standing together, now we are seeing the opposing team: Obama and Mandela."

This was Obama's first visit to Africa since leaving office in early 2017. He stopped earlier this week in Kenya, where he visited the rural birthplace of his late father.

Obama's speech noted how Mandela, who was imprisoned for 27 years, kept up his campaign against what appeared to be insurmountable odds to end apartheid, South Africa's harsh system of white minority rule.

Mandela, who was released from prison in 1990 and became South Africa's first black president four years later, died in 2013, leaving a powerful legacy of reconciliation and diversity along with a resistance to inequality, economic and otherwise. Until Tuesday, Obama had shied away from public comment on Trump.

Lanka remains a human rights priority country: UK report

COLOM BO: Sri Lanka is one of 30 'Human Rights Priority Countries' (HRPCs); countries where the UK has serious human rights concerns and hopes to engage positively to develop human rights performance, the British High Commission in Sri Lanka said in a statement. The report acknowledges that there has been limited progress in the human rights situation in Sri Lanka. Particular concerns highlighted, include attacks on minority communities and the slow delivery of key human rights and reconciliation commitments.

The UK said it remains concerned by the lack of progress on introducing legislation that protects women and LGBT people from discrimination. "The UK works with the government of Sri Lanka to support reconciliation and human rights. This continued engagement aims to strengthen democracy and the

rule of law through support for police reform, inter-faith dialogue and mediation and the UN's peace building priority plan," the statement added.

The report underlines the UK's desire to work positively with countries to help them improve their human rights performance. The FCO began publishing the Annual Human Rights Report in 1998 and it is now also published online. The section on Sri Lanka in the Annual Human Rights Report 2017 says: “the year 2017 saw limited progress in the human rights situation in Sri Lanka. There were particular concerns around inter-communal tensions and the slow delivery of key human rights and reconciliation commitments, including delays in introducing new human rights compliant counter-terrorism legislation and in the Office of Missing Persons becoming

operational.

There were a number of allegations that the security forces continued to resort to torture, including in reports published by the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission, by the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) Special Rapporteur on Torture, Nils Melzer, and by the HRC Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism. Work continued on a draft Counter Terrorism Act, intended to replace the much criticized Prevention of Terrorism Act, but the government failed to advance the new legislation through parliament.

Civil society and journalists continued to report concerns about surveillance and harassment in the north and east of the country, albeit at a lower level than in previous years.

Sr i La nka wil l c arr y ou t the deat h sente nc e for 19 convicts over serious drug offences, the government said, a day after the country decided to reinstate capital punishment for drug-related crimes.

Cabinet approval had been obtained to implement the death penalty on repeat offenders related to large scale drug offenses," said Cabinet spokesman and minister Rajitha Senaratne. He said President Maithripala Sirisena will sign the documents to implement the death penalty. This was following a unanimous Cabinet decision to reinstate capital punishment for drug-related crimes. The Cabinet decision came despite Sri Lanka voting in favour of a UN moratorium on the death penalty. Although capital punishment is in the statute of Sri Lanka, the country had stopped hangings since 1976 and death row prisoners spend life terms in jail. Executions have not been carried out as successive presidents since 1978 have refused to issue death warrants.

LANKA COURT ORDERS RELEASE OF 16 TAMIL FISHERMEN

A c ou rt i n S ri L anka or der ed the release of 16 Tamil Nadu fishermen arrested by the island nation's navy recently for crossing its territorial waters, a fishermen association leader said in Rameswaram

which is 559 km from Chennai. According to State fishermen association president, N Devadoss, the judge imposed certain conditions, including one that if the released fishermen were found and caught by the Lankan navy in their territory again within five years they would be detained in prison for one to two years. They would be brought back after all the formalities were completed, he added. Regarding the release of three boats of the fishermen, he said the owners have been directed to appear in court on July 28 with relevant documents adding if they failed to do so the boats would be impounded. The 16 fishermen were arrested by the Lankan Navy on separate occasions on July 5 and July 8 on charges of crossing the international maritime boundary line (IMBL) and poaching in the island nation's waters.

SUSPECT IN KILLING OF INDIAN STUDENT IN US SHOT DEAD

A man who wa s a s uspec t in the killing of an Indian student in Kansas City has been shot dead by police after he shot and wounded three officers on Sunday, media reports said. The man, who had been under surveillance in connection with the fatal shooting of Sharath Koppu on July 6 at a restaurant, was killed during an exchange of fire with police on Sunday, the Kansas City Star newspaper reported. Koppu, 25, a student from Telengana, was shot dead at the restaurant during what appeared to be a robbery. He had come to the US in January and was doing his master's in computer science at University of MissouriKansas City. Police had been on the lookout for the suspect, who has not been identified, at several locations and he "popped up" at a motel, the newspaper quoted city police chief Rick Smith was quoted as saying.

Barack Obama with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa

in brief

FLASH FLOODS, LANDSLIDES KILL 204 IN JAPAN

F lash fl oodi ng and landsl ides have claimed at least 204 lives in Japan. Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met the survivors and promised all possible help. The toll from the record rainfall has continued to rise, as rescue workers dig through the debris and find the remains of dozens of people reported missing. Top government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said that the toll was now 204 dead, with 28 people still

missing. Around 73,000 rescue workers. including police and troops "are working as hard as they can, with the priority on saving lives", he said. Abe, who earlier this week cancelled a foreign tour, travelled for a second time to areas hit by the disaster. Television footage showed him visiting Seiyo in Ehime prefecture, where he visited homes damaged in the disaster and talked to residents trying to clean up. The government has already said it would tap around $18 million in reserve funds from this year's budget, and Abe said $312 million in tax grants would be disbursed early to local governments in affected areas.

SIKH, HINDU VICTIMS OF AFGHAN ATTACK HONOURED IN WASHINGTON

Condemning the terrorist attack on Sikhs and Hindus that killed 18, US Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard has called for confronting "hatred with love, fear with understanding, and darkness with light". Speaking at a memorial meeting for the victims, Gabbard, who is the first Hindu

elected to US Congress, said;: "We must continue to stand up to bigotry and hatred in Afghanistan, here at home, and around the world." The Islamic State has owned up responsibility for the suicide bombing on July 1 that struck members of the Sikh and Hindu communities waiting to meet President Ashraf Ghani. Ten people were injured. Sam Brownback, the head of the State Department's Office of International Religious Freedom, said in a message to the meeting, "Our office will continue to monitor the conditions faced by religious minorities in Afghanistan. I stand with you and will work toward an Afghanistan that is peaceful and secure for all its people." He added, "The loss of these community leaders was a terrible blow, not only to Afghanistan, but also to the international community." The meeting was organised by the Afghan Hindu Association (AHA), in conjunction with the Embassy of Afghanistan, with the assistance of the Hindu American Foundation (HAF), and held in front of a mural at the mission depicting the ancient relics of the Buddhas of Bamiyan.

PAKISTAN

Sharif challenges his 10-year jail term

I S L A M A B A D : Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who was given a 10year jail term this month in a corruption case, challenged his conviction and sought suspension of the guilty verdict, media reports said. An anti-graft court had also handed down seven years in prison to Sharif's daughter Maryam Nawaz on the charges related to four luxury flats in London.

They returned to Pakistan from London on Friday. Both are currently in Adiyala prison in Rawalpindi city near the capital Islamabad where they will face trial in other two corruption cases. Sharif was accused of having wealth beyond his income. However, the charges were denied by the three-time Prime Minister as politically-motivated.

He was also sentenced one-year in prison for "not cooperating" with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Pakistan's antigraft body. His son-in-law was also convicted for one year in jail for abetment. Sharif's lawyers filed the petition in the Islamabad High Court, which sought acquittal of Nawaz Sharif and dropping all charges framed against him.

The court had imposed 8 million pounds penalty on Nawaz Sharif and 2 million pounds fine on Maryam Nawaz. A team of four senior lawyers filed the petition which prayed to set aside the judgement, conviction and sentence on July 6, 2018. The Islamabad High Court has not yet accepted the petition. A date for hearing will be announced after the appeal is accepted.

Bail plea rejected

The Islamabad High Court on Tuesday cancelled the bail requests of Sharif, his

daughter Maryam and son-in-law Captain (retd) Muhammad Safdar in connection to the Avenfield properties case. The bench rejected the appeal to grant bail to Sharif, Maryam and Safdar, and directed the National Accountability Bureau to submit its reply to the application seeking to suspend their conviction. Furthermore, it requested the authorities to present a complete record of the Avenfield judgment in the next hearing.

The judges rejected a plea of Sharif's legal counsel to grant a stay order, which appealed to the Accountability Judge-I not to start the proceeding of the remaining two cases (AlAzizia and Flagship Investment references) against the Sharif family till the NAB submitted its reply, as per the News report.

Sharif, daughter in Adiyala jail; 50 injured in clashes Sharif and his daughter were arrested

minutes after landing in the country on Friday as they returned seeking to revitalise their flagging party ahead of the July 25 general election. In rallies held in connection with their arrival, at least 50 people were injured during clashes between PML-N workers and police in Pakistan's Punjab province.

The country's anti-graft body " National Accountability Bureau " arrested Nawaz and Maryam in the Avenfield properties case within minutes upon their arrival in Lahore and shifted them to Sahala Rest House in Rawalpindi after declaring it a subjail. "At least 50 people including 20 policemen have been injured during clashes between PML-N workers, the police and Pakistan Rangers mostly in Lahore and some adjoining districts in Punjab," Punjab police spokesman said.

PML-N workers stopped PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said that a number of its workers had been injured in clashes with the police. "Thousands of our workers were stopped at different entry points of Lahore who were coming from other parts of Lahore to join a rally to welcome Nawaz and Maryam." She condemned the police for using force to stop PML-N workers. She also demanded the immediate release of its workers after the court directive. The Lahore High Court later ordered the release of over 370 PML-N workers who were detained ahead of its Lahore rally. Thousands of people participated in the PML-N rally led by party president Shehbaz Sharif in Lahore that ended on Friday midnight without reaching the airport to welcome Nawaz and Maryam.

149 killed, over 180 injured in Pak election violence

ISLA MABA D: The d eath toll from a suicide attack on an election rally in Pakistan's southwestern Baluchistan province on Friday spiked to 149, officials said, putting it among the deadliest attacks in the south Asian nation's history. As campaigning steps up for general elections on July 25, bombings across Pakistan have stoked fears of more violence in the country of 208 million, where political rallies can draw tens of thousands of people.

Friday's attack at a rally for the Baluchistan Awami Party (BAP) outside the town of Mastung was claimed by militant group Islamic State. Among the dead was the party's provincial candidate, Siraj Raisani. A video clip showed Raisani beginning his speech just before the attack, greeting crowds seated on the ground under a large tent before the blast hit and the image cut off.

Provincial government officials said they were not told about the rally and so had not

provided security to Raisani, beyond the bodyguards in his security detail. "The death toll of Mastung carnage is now 149," a senior police official said, adding that more than 180 people were wounded and the dead included nine children.

Many of the wounded remain in critical condition at hospitals in Mastung, the provincial capital of Quetta and in the southern city of Karachi. Officials expect the death toll to rise. Until this week, Pakistan's election campaign had been relatively peace-

BANGLADESH

ful, compared with frequent Pakistani Taliban attacks during the 2013 election, when 170 people were killed, figures from the Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies show. On Tuesday, a Pakistani Taliban suicide bomber blew himself up at a rally by the Awami National Party (ANP) in the northwestern city of Peshawar, killing 20 people.

Among the dead in Peshawar was ANP candidate Haroon Bilour, whose father, senior ANP leader Bashir Bilour, had himself been killed in a 2012 suicide bombing in the city. On Friday, another bomb struck the convoy of the religious Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal party (MMA) in the northern town of Bannu, killing four people. Violence in Pakistan has ebbed since the military began major operations against Taliban militants along the tumultuous border with Afghanistan following a shocking 2014 attack on a Peshawar school that killed 153 people, most of them children.

Rajnath Singh hold talks with Dhaka on security issues

DHA KA : Bangladesh on Sunday reassured India that it will not allow its soil to be used for any terrorist activities against the neighbouring country, as India's Minister of Home Affairs Rajnath Singh held talks with his counterpart Asaduzzaman Khan on security-related issues.

Singh, who was in Dhaka on a three-day visit, co-chaired with Khan the 6th IndiaBangladesh home minister-level talks. At the meeting, they discussed "all security-related matters of interest, including counter-terrorism, capacity-building and increased cooperation between security agencies, border management, countering illegal activities such as fake currency smuggling, drug and human trafficking and consular issues", the Indian High Commission in Dhaka said.

activities. Singh did not join Khan for the media briefing. "We had a successful meeting," he said in his brief comment.

Khan said Bangladesh reassured India that "we will not allow its soil to be used for any terrorist activities, particularly against India in line with our zero tolerance policy to terrorism and militancy". He said India has extended all types of support to Bangladesh to counter terrorism and militancy.

"They are now exchanging militancy related information with us. Discussions were held to ease travel arrangements between the two countries as well," he said, adding that under a revised travel agreement, Bangladeshi freedom fighters and elderly nationals would get five years' multiple Indian visas.

Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz

Briefing reporters after his talks with Singh, Khan said security issues largely featured at their meeting, with particular focus on border management, cross-border crimes and illegal

Rajnath Singh with his Bangladesh counterpart Asaduzzaman Khan

SOUTH INDIA

Chennai floods in 2015 man- made: CAG

C

H E N NA I : T h e C o ntro ll er a nd A u d i to r

General of India said that the July 9, 2015 flood that ravaged Chennai was a man-made as against the popular belief that it was a natural one. The CAG has blamed the AIADMK government for the disaster. According to the Tamil Nadu government 470 people had died between October and December due to floods. J Jayalalithaa, who was the then chief minister of the state, in a statement had said that the unprecedented rains was the cause for the deluge and also the huge damage in Chennai, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, Cuddalore, Tuticorin and Tirunelveli districts.

However, the CAG report that was released in 2016, has another narrative. The audit body has rebuked the state government and called a "man-made" disaster. After continuous pressure put by the Opposition parties in the state, the TN government tabled the CAG report on July 9, the last day of the assembly session. "This is a 2015 report based on the experience we had in 2015, when there was heavy rain; in 2016 and 2017 the occurrence was controlled," fisheries minister D Jayakumar said. In 2016 and 2017 too many regions in Chennai and neighbouring districts faced heavy flooding.

Jayakumar said that the concerned departments will reply to the CAG report.

The report points at faults with the government especially with the water resources department being blamed the most. The report states that water from Chembarambakkam reservoir was released in excess and caused the over flowing of the Adayar river, which flows through Chennai. The audit body said that the water resource department did not follow the Central Water Commission (CWC) norms to release the water from the reservoir. According to CAG, discharge of water could have been

PUNJAB-HARYANA

maintained at 12,000 cusecs for another six hours but the water was released in an indiscriminate manner. The continuous release of 29,000 cusecs water over 21 hours into the Adyar river was seen as the main reason for the flooding.

"Government of Tamil Nadu failed not only to create new reservoirs and check dams to mitigate the flood hazards due to monsoon rains but also did not take any action to divert flood water from Adyar river," read the report.

After shelving metro, Chandigarh plans monorail

C HA ND IGA RH : The Chandigarh ad ministratio n is now planning to have monorail as an alternative mod of transport as Union home minister Rajnath Singh said no to the metro rail project for the city. Monorail consists of a single track, typically elevated, with trains suspended from it. A Switzerlandbased company has given presentation as well as proposal regarding constructing the monorail network to senior UT officials last week. According to the proposal, the project will connect the tricity - Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali. In the first phase, 20km network is proposed.

During the presentation, the company stated that monorail has the capacity to ferry 10,000 to 12,000 passengers per hour per direction. The cost of construction will be around £250 million. According to a representative of the company, monorail is environmentally friendly and that it runs on clean electrical energy.

Viable for tricity

“The best part is that the project is viable for the tricity because of the light-weight

track system that can be easily incorporated into the existing infrastructure,” said the official. The firm said the monorail can be operated both automatically and manually with a driver on board. An official said that the administration is studying the proposal in detail. “We will have another round of meeting before giving the project a goahead,” said the official.

If and when the project is approved, a

WEST BENGAL

technical and engineering feasibility study of the routes will be conducted followed by development and submission of a business plan and detailed project report, said sources. While private players are expected to contribute 80% cost of the project, the remaining 20% will be borne by the Chandigarh administration.

Why no to metro

In July last year, during the home minister’s advisory committee meeting in New Delhi, Rajnath Singh rejected the metro rail project, calling it non-viable, and asked the officers to look for alternative modes of transport. Even the Chandigarh administration officials admitted that at £ 1.40 billion, the project is not financially feasible. Also, neither Punjab nor Haryana had given their consent in writing.

'Syndicate raj' running West Bengal: Modi

E: P r im e M i n is te r

Narend ra in his 40-minute 'kisan rally' lambasted West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool leader Mamata Banerjee and blamed the government for 'patronising a syndicate raj' to control every sphere of people's life, scaring away investment and even putting 'pujas in danger'.

"The political syndicate is reducing the great land of Bengal to new lows and insulting its heritage. Nothing works without the syndicate's approval. Want to do business? Seek syndicate's approval. Want to sell products? Syndicate dictates price. Even college admissions don't work without it," he said. "They (state government) speak of ma, maati (land) and manush (people) but their

in brief

KAMAL HAASAN HOISTS PARTY FLAG, NAMES

KEY FUNCTIONARIES

Days after registering his Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) with the Election Commission of India (ECI), Kamal Haasan dissolved the high-level committee and announced new office-bearers. The MNM's high-level committee, comprising 16 members, has been dissolved and an executive council was formed with the same set of members. Kamal, greeted by enthusiastic supporters, hoisted the party flag at his Alwarpet office in the city. He also announced Prof Gnanasambandham as vice-president of the party, Arunachalam as general secretary and Suka as treasurer. Office-bearers will be appointed across the state to face the forthcoming elections, party sources said.

TREATMENT FOR

PUNJAB GOVT EMPLOYEES

WHO FAIL DOPE TEST

Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh has assured the government employees that those who fail the dope test will not be punished, but would be given treatment and their identity would be kept confidential. Amarinder had made antidrug drive as one of his main poll promises before the state elections held last year. At the time, he had highlighted it as one of the biggest threats facing Punjab. In what now may well be the Congress leader's way of fulfilling his promise, government employees have reportedly been told that they would not be penalised if they fail dope tests. They also won't be sacked from their jobs. Instead, they would be provided treatment and that their identity would be kept a secret.

16 AAP LEADERS IN PUNJAB QUIT POSTS IN PROTEST

real face has been exposed." 99 hurt in tent collapse

At least 99 people were injured after a

portion of the tent collapsed during Modi’s rally in Bengal's Paschim Midnapore. The injured have been admitted to a hospital, said an official. Later, a visibly emotional Prime Minister visited those injured in the hospital. A makeshift tent was constructed near the main entrance of the Kisan rally to shelter people from the rain. It collapsed while PM Modi was delivering his speech. According to officials, PM Modi saw the tent collapsing while he was in the middle of his speech. He immediately instructed SPG personnel standing next to him to look after the people and attend to the injured. The local BJP unit as well as Modi's personal staff, including his doctor and SPG personnel, swung into action to help the injured, officials said.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab is facing fresh trouble with the resignation of 16 party leaders, including some district chiefs, in protest against state co-president Balbir Singh’s “arbitrary decisions.” In a joint resignation letter addressed to Delhi deputy chief minister and in-charge of party affairs in Punjab Manish Sisodia, they said that Balbir Singh had taken several wrong decisions since his appointment as the state co-president due to which the party is losing its popularity in the state. Those who quit their posts include state vice-president and in-charge of Patiala rural constituency Karanvir Singh Tiwana, general secretaries Pradeep Malhotra and Manjit Sidhu, Jalandhar rural district president Sarwan Singh, Muktsar district chief Jagdeep Sandhu, Fazilka district chief Samarvir Sidhu, Ferozepur district chief Malkeet Thind, Samana halka in-charge Jagtar Singh Rajla and Chamkaur Sahib halka in-charge Charanjit Singh.

TWO BJP WORKERS MURDERED IN PURULIA

Two workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were murdered by miscreants in Purulia in West Bengal. The BJP held the Trinamool Congress responsible for the killings. Twenty seven-year-old Deepak Mahato and his father 52-year-old Lalmohan Mahato were brutally killed last week. Tweeting about the incident, the BJP in Bengal said that 27 BJP workers have been killed out of which 5 have been killed in Purulia alone.

M ID NA P OR

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visiting an injured person in the hospital

The Last Nizam who was nominated the Caliph

• The Last Nizam who was nominated the Caliph

• Mukarram used to pay Rs. 25,000 to barber every month for haircut !

Unless you have the holistic picture of any ruler, you are bound to do injustice to one. Normally, the image of the His Exalted Highness Mir Osman Ali Khan (6 April 188624 February 1967), Asaf Jah VII of Hyderabad has been a Miser and a Villian who wanted to have an independent Hyderabad State after the British were to leave India. Thanks to Sardar Patel’s Operation Polo, the police–cum-army action in September 1948, the Nizam’s Hyderabad merged with India. The Nizam VII was one of the richest persons in the world but he would borrow cigarettes even from his guests and was a known miserly bargainer when it comes to buy even a blanket worth Rs. 35. Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru, his legal advisor reminisces how once the Nizam offered him a cigarette and when he accepted it, the Nizam politely took it back, clipped it into two with a clipper he had in his pocket and offered one half to the guest !

In “Hyderabad: 400 Years (15911991)”, Raza Alikhan records an interesting contradiction about the Nizam VII’s temperament: “During the winter of 1939,the Nizam ordered his ADC to buy a blanket for him making it clear that the price should in no case exceed Rs.25/-. His ADC went to the market and returned and told him that no blanket was available for less than Rs.35/-. The Nizam turned round to the ADC and said that he would manage the winter somehow with his old blanket. Two hours after this incident, there was a personal letter to the Nizam from the Maharaja of Bikaner for donation to the Benaras Hindu University. The Nizam issued a farman granting Rs. one lakh for the university.” The same Nizam donated Rs. one lakh to the Andhra University, Rs. 82,825 to the Yadgarpally temple at Bhongir, Rs.50,000 to Sitarambaug temple, Rs. 29,999 to Bhadrachalam temple and Rs. 8,000 to Balaji temple at Tirupati! When India was at war with Pakistan, the Nizam’s donation of 5,000 kg of gold to the National Defence Fund in 1965 was the biggest ever contribution by any individual or organization in India and remains unsurpassed till today.

Nizam VII declared his grandson, Prince Mukarram Jah ( Mir Barkat Ali Khan) as his successor, the Nizam VIII. After the death of the Nizam VII in 1967, Mukarram Jah’s coronation as the Nizam VIII was held at Chowmahalla palace in Hyderabad. The Nizam VII did not consider Prince Mukarram’s father, Prince Azam Jah, his worthy successor. The Nizam VIII was born to his

Indian father Prince Azam Jah and Turkish mother Princess Durrushehvar on 6 October 1934 in France. The marriage of Azam and Durrushehvar in 1931 brought together the two most important Muslim dynasties of the time- the Nizam of Hyderabad and the Ottomans of Turkey. Mukarram Jah was not only the natural heir of this great alliance, but was also nominated to be the next Caliph of Islam. The Nizam VIII now lives in Turkey as a virtual recluse, his address known only to a handful of people, according to his biographer John Zubrzycki. In “The Last Nizam”, he records, “Having left Australia in 1996 never to return, he indulges in his passion for exploring Roman ruins in complete anonymity.” He was married to Princess Esra and she divorced Mukarram Jah in 1979, but was her former husband’s power of attorney and funded the restoration of Chowmahalla palace in Hyderabad. Mukarram’s biographer Zubrzycki writes, “In an out of court settlement in June 2002, Jah agreed to distribute his share, which had swelled to Rs. 1.13 billion (45 million US $), among his immediate family, 476 legal heirs of the Seventh Nizam and 1945 descendants of the Sixth. Under the settlement, Jah received Rs. 540 million (22 million US $).”

Unlike his grandfather, Mukarram Jah, the Nizam VIII, has the image of a generous person. He was educated at the Doon School, Harrow, Peterhouse, Cambridge, the London School of Economics and Sandhurst. Shahid Husain Zuberi who worked and travelled with Mukarram Jah in various capacities for 20 years (1969-1989) has lifted the veil of mysteries surrounding the titular Nizam of Hyderabad in his book “Awraq-eMaazi”. Zuberi says, “It is an account of the man highlighting the human element. There are two facets-either you believe in something or you

know something. I have worked

anything else,” Jah said, breaking into uncontrolled laughter. Zuberi has written scores of such littleknown incidents about Mukarram Jah. He says, “I have not tried to portray Jah as a successful or unsuccessful person. He was my hero and is my hero.” Mir Barkat Ali Khan Mukarram Jah Bahadur was the titular Nizam of Hyderabad from 6 April 1967, to 28 December 1971. He may have lost the title after abolition of the Privy Purse in 1971, but a large number of people in Hyderabad still hold him as the titular Nizam. But for abolition of the Islamic Caliphate after the Turkey revolution in 1924, Mukarram Jah would have been the spiritual head of 1.6 billion Muslims around the world. His maternal grandfather, Caliph Abdul Majeed II, spiritual and temporal head of the Muslim world and ruler of the Ottoman Empire, in his will named that in case of revival of the Islamic Caliphate, Mukarram Jah would be his successor. The Caliph was also

with him closely and have written knowing things.” Jah used to get his hair trimmed by a barber, Raja Ram, every month at Chiran Palace. Once, after getting done with his hair cut, he told his factotum to pay the barber Rs.25,000 ! When the assistant raised his eyebrows in sur-

the caretaker of the shrines in Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem, the three most sacred places of Islam. Mukarram Jah,83, now lives in Turkey. What people generally know about him is on the basis of hearsay. The biggest problem is people’s comparison of Jah with his grandfather. The later was a king and he did not have to pay any estate duty, wealth tax, income tax or municipal tax. But after his demise, Jah ended up with many liabilities and was asked to pay several taxes for properties he inherited.

prise, Jah said he had given his word to Raja Ram. “While shaving the barber paused with the razor on my jugular vein and expressed his need for Rs.25,000. I readily agreed as at that moment I couldn’t have done (The writer is a Socio-political Historian. E-mail: haridesai@gmail.com)

Like Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III, the ruler of Baroda State and Sir Sultan Muhammed Shah, Aga Khan III, one of the founders and the first President of All India Muslim League, the

CONGRATULATIONS Khaleda Zia's aide denied entry into India

Aft er being denied e ntry into India, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Khaleda Zia’s foreign legal consultant and British MP Lord Alexander Carlile accused India of acting in a slavish manner under pressure from the government in Dhaka. India, however, hit back saying his motive for the visit was suspect as he was trying to create differences not just between India and the Bangladesh government but also between India and BNP, the Bangladesh opposition party headed by Zia.

MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said Carlile’s real purpose for the visit did not match what he had mentioned in the visa application form. Despite being told his e-visa could not be honoured because of this ‘discrepancy’, Carlile arrived in India armed with a return ticket for a flight scheduled to leave just two hours after his arrival, the government said.

According to Indian officials, Carlile knew he would not get entry into India and that’s why he had come with a return ticket. According to a report in Dhaka Tribune, he was expected to discuss in Delhi his client Khaleda Zia’s jail sentence in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case. Carlile alleged that there was “intolerable political pressure” from the Bangladeshi gov-

ernment to try and stop him from going to India. “The Bangladesh government called in the acting Indian high commissioner in Dhaka and asked him to urge the Indian government to refuse me entry,”' he said, addressing journalists here through Skype.

“The Indian government did that and they ought to be ashamed of themselves, denying a British QC, a member of the House of Lords, entry into India,” Carlile added, alleging that there was an attempt underway with help of judiciary in Bangladesh to keep the Zia family out of politics.

He said he was coming to Delhi for two reasons - to attend a press briefing as a leading lawyer in the team representing Zia and to meet colleagues in a Commonwealth body that deals with human rights.

Mitesh Vekaria gets NRI of the year award

Mitesh Vekaria from Vascro ft, UK, received the NRI of the year award at the fifth edition of Times Now & ICICI Bank NRI of the year award function in Mumbai on Thursday.

The NRI of the year awards recognize the achievements of the Indian Diaspora. For the fifth edition 23 winners were chosen in six categories: entrepreneur, professional, academics, arts and culture, philanthropy and startups, along with the Global Icon and Special Jury awards. Union minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju was the chief guest at the function.

Revenge Shooting

A young sadhu cam paig ning to clean up Vrindavan has been shot. For some time Nandu Lal Joshi has taken on the role of activist to raise awareness about the total desecration and disrespect that is going on in the sacred Hindu heartland of Vrindavan Dham. When you first meet Nandu, his deep love and respect for Vrindavan is selfevident. His message is simple. He appeals to locals and Hindus worldwide to take pride in Vrindavana, their holy place of pilgrimage. He points out that if you visit Vatican City, Jerusalem or Mecca these holy places are kept with utmost care and detailed attention. His dream is to see the day when the Holy Land of Vrindavan will also be as revered, cherished and protected with the same reverence.

Nandu Lal Joshi has produced several short documentaries which can be viewed on the youtube page called

Vrindawood studios. He has organized social media awareness campaigns against what he describes as: The selling out of Vrindavan. We are all too familiar with the commercialization of “spirituality”. Sadly, Vrindavan is no exception. One of the first sights to welcome the pilgrim that visits Vrindavan are endless rows of unsightly bill-

The awards jury were Deepak Bagla, managing director & CEO, Invest India, Ashish Chauhan, MD & CEO, BSE, Partho Dasgupta, CEO, BARC India, Harsha Bhogle, cricket commentator and Dalip Tahil, actor.

The evening was hosted by Sameer Kochhar and Mandira Bedi and witnessed a perfomance by members of the Terrence Lewis Dance Institute. The NRI of the Year Awards 2018 were open to all Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs) and Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs).

boards advertising everything from spitting Gutka to all manners of gurus that have been using Vrindavan as their platform to mint money.

Shortly after Nandu’s first campaign, the government took action to remove some of the billboards. Nandu has also campaigned to paint over walls that had been covered with advertisements of Vaigra-pedaling “sex doctors”. These sex doctor ads are EVERYWHERE. Any available wall will have some nasty signage advertising their wares. This is a problem through out the whole of Vraj which includes Hinduism’s heartland Vrindavan.

On the 1st of July 2018 Nandu was the victim of what appears to be a revenge shooting. The incident took place just outside the Hare Krishna temple in Vrindavan, Nandu was shot in the chest and hand. Miraculously he did not sustain

any life threatening injuries.

Nandu believes that the hitman was hired to silence him as to not shake up status quo thru his campaigns. The incident was captured on CCTV. Chief Officer Sadar Rakhesh Kumar said that the police is investigating the incident on the basis of the statement that Nandu made with regards to the motive of the crime which is this was in retaliation to the social awareness videos made.

Miraculously although the shooting was done from a point blank range and the bullet went through his fingers and as it did so it changed its angle by 90 degrees thereby just ricocheting of his chest, much like a pebble across a lake.

Perhaps this young man despite the intention is meant to stay on the earth for a few years longer, to carry on with his valuable work, with a surprising renewed enthusiasm.

in brief

SWAMI AGNIVESH ATTACKED IN JHARKHAND

So cial A ct iv ist S wami Agnive sh was punched, kicked and pushed to the ground allegedly by BJP Yuva Morcha workers in Jharkhand on Tuesday. The alleged BJP workers had shown black flags and raised slogans against him. The activist had offered a dialogue, but got abuses in return. Chief Minister Raghubar Das has asked the police to thoroughly investigate the incident. Swami Agnivesh, was attending an event in Pakur, about 365 km from state capital Ranchi. He was flanked by tribals who were holding bows and arrows. He was attacked by a mob as soon as he came out of his hotel. The alleged BJP workers were chanting "Jai Sri Ram" as they thrashed the 80-year-old activist. "I am against any sort of violence. I am known as a peace-loving person. I don't know why I was attacked," Swami Agnivesh said. Swami Agnivesh said there were no policemen around even though the protesters had gathered outside his hotel. Local reporters said BJP youth wing's workers were protesting his visit, but he was completely taken aback when he was attacked, he said.

FATWA AGAINST TRIPLE TALAQ CRUSADER

A local cleric in Bareilly has issued fatwa against a triple talaq victim Nida Khan, who runs an NGO to help women who are victims of practices like instant divorce and nikal halala. The fatwa says that she should not be provided medicines if she falls ill, and cannot be cremated in kabristan upon her death. At a press conference, Shahar Imam Mufti Khurshid Alam of Dargah Aala Hazrat said a fatwa has been issued against Nida Khan for speaking against Islam and its practices. The Imam has reportedly asked people to boycott Nida Khan or face “dismissal” from Islam. While the copy of the written Fatwa uses the name ‘Hinda’ instead of ‘Nida’, a cleric later clarified that the fatwa has been issued for Nida. The fatwa warns people against greeting Nida or even eat with her. It even says that she should not be provided medicines if she falls ill, and cannot be cremated in kabristan (graveyard) upon her death.

BIHAR

ENGINEER KIDNAPPED,

‘FORCED TO MARRY’ WOMAN

A n engineer in B ihar’s Vais hali district has alleged that he was kidnapped, threatened and forced to marry a school dropout against his will at gunpoint, a charge denied by the woman. The 23-year-old woman, Priyanka Kumari, has claimed that the family of Durgesh Sharan, an engineer with the Indian Railways and posted at Samastipur diesel locomotive shed, had demanded a dowry for the wedding.

Priyanka, who dropped out of school after Class 10, said she knew Sharan, 30, and met him during a wedding ceremony about a year ago. Mahua sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Malti Kumari confirmed that Sharan was abducted and coerced into the ‘pakadua vivah’, and said they have sent him and the woman to a court in Vaishali to record their statements. The police would act on the court’s directive, she added. Police have seized their cellphones and would send them to a forensic laboratory for a detailed examination.

Pakadua vivah or forcible wedding was a common practice in Bihar but saw a decline after government initiatives and police tightening its grip on people abducting eligible bachelors for marriages to avoid paying dowry.

Nandu Lal Joshi

Mitesh Vekaria with NRI of the year award

British MP Lord Alexander Carlile

Dear Mitul and Maulin,

Congratulations on your wedding. Best wishes on this wonderful journey, as you build your new lives together.

From Everybody at ABPL

Compound responsible for the sweet taste of cinnamon could kill bacteria, claim scientists

It's often sprinkled on top of your latte, to give it a sweet little kick But cinn a m o n m a y h o l d t h e a n s w e r t o m u c h m o r e t h a n j u s t k e e p i n g y o u r sweet tooth happy

F o r s c i e n t i s t s n o w believe it may play a crucial role in tackling the worrying rise of antibioticresistant superbugs Trials show the compound that gives cinnamon its irres i s t i b l e f l a v o u r a n d f r ag r a n t o d o u r m a y a l s o weaken bacteria

T h e f i n d i n g s a r e important, as antibiotics continue to become less potent as time goes on, following decades of overuse

Resistance to the drugs is considered one of the biggest threats to humanity, and has been cited as severe as terrorism

Scientists are working d e s p e r a t e l y t o u n c o v e r n e w w a y s o f t a c k l i n g superbugs as fears grow the world is heading for a 'post-antibiotic era'

B u t t h e n e w Swinburne University of Technology breakthrough offers hope of a natural m e t h o d t o k i l l i n g o n c e harmless bugs They tested a major component of cinn a m o n , c a l l e d c i nnamaldehyde, in the lab a g a i n s t P s e u d o m o n a s aeruginosa

R e s e a r c h e r s t e s t e d CAD's ability to break up biofilms - which act as a shield against antibioticsthat form over the bacteria to help it spread Three quarters of the biofilms were cleared by the comp o u n d , S w i n b u r n e University of Technology researchers found CAD also affected the

formation of biofilms and the ability of the bacteria to spread, according to the p a p e r p u b l i s h e d i n Microbiology

Dr Sanjida Topa, who led the study, said: 'These f i n d i n g s d e f i n i t e l y c o ntribute to the search for novel antimicrobials '

P aeruginosa is a common cause of infection in i m m u n e - c o m p r o m i s e d patients, including those with cystic fibrosis, diabetes or cancer

During infection, the b a c t e r i a g r o u p t o g e t h e r and form biofilms, which can make infections very difficult to clear

I f l e f t u n t r e a t e d , P aeruginosa, often found in soil and ground water, can lead to pneumonia and tissue damage

Antibiotics have been doled out unnecessarily by GPs and hospital staff for d e c a d e s , f u e l i n g o n c e h a r m l e s s b a c t e r i a t o become superbugs

T h e W o r l d H e a l t h Organization (WHO) has previously warned if nothing is done the world is heading for a 'post-antibiotic' era It claimed common infections, such as c h l a m y d i a , w i l l b e c o m e killers without immediate solutions to the growing crisis

Bacteria can become drug resistant when peo-

ple take incorrect doses of antibiotics or if they are given out unnecessarily

Chief medical officer Dame Sally Davies claimed in 2016 that the threat of antibiotic resistance is as severe as terrorism

Figures estimate that superbugs will kill 10 million people each year by 2050, with patients succumbing to once harmless bugs

Around 700,000 people already die yearly due t o d r u g - r e s i s t a n t i n f e ctions including tuberculosis (TB), HIV and malaria across the world

Concerns have repeate d l y b e e n r a i s e d t h a t m e d i c i n e w i l l b e t a k e n back to the 'dark ages' if a n t i b i o t i c s a r e r e n d e r e d ineffective in the coming years

In addition to existing drugs becoming less effective, there have only been one or two new antibiotics developed in the last 30 years

I n S e p t e m b e r , t h e WHO warned antibiotics a r e ' r u n n i n g o u t ' a s a r e p o r t f o u n d a ' s e r i o u s lack' of new drugs in the development pipeline

W i t h o u t a n t i b i o t i c s , C-sections, cancer treatm e n t s a n d h i p r e p l a c ements will become incredibly 'risky', it was said at the time

Eat raspberries to help keep your heart racing

E a t i n g r a s p b e r r i e s c o u l d slash the risk of heart dise a s e , a s t u d y c l a i m s

Scientists have found the summer smoothie favourite keeps blood vessels healthy and aids circulation

An organisation made up of raspberry growers and importers, who part-funded t h e t r i a l , d e s c r i b e d i t s results as 'exciting' Kings College London researchers led the study, which also involved scient i s t s f r o m u n i v e r s i t i e s i n Germany and Spain

FMD is an indicator of

MULTIVITAMINS DO NOTHING FOR YOUR HEART HEALTH

T h e v i t a m i n i n d u s t r y i s booming, having successfully persuaded millions of people that a few supplements a day could stave off all kinds of life-threatening health issues

B u t m o r e a n d m o r e s t u d i e s a r e c a l l i n g t h e s e promises into question

Now, a new study has taken aim at one particularly popular myth: that multiv i t a m i n s p r e v e n t h e a r t attacks, strokes and other c a u s e s o f c a r d i o v a s c u l a r death

T h e p a p e r b y r e s e a r c h e r s a t t h e University of Alabama at Birmingham looked at data o n 2 , 0 0 0 p e o p l e o v e r 1 2 y e a r s a n d f o u n d s u p p l ements had no impact at all on heart health If anything, it could be detrimental, said lead author Joonseok Kim, MD, in a withering attack o n t h e v i t a m i n i n d u s t r y Those who took multivitamins seemed to feel they were doing something to improve their health, while continuing to smoke and eat junk food, he warns

Patients could be put at risk by burnt out trainee doctors experts warn

Patients could be put at risk by trainee doctors who are exhausted before they even s t a r t w o r k , e x p e r t s h a v e warned A poll has revealed almost a quarter of junior doctors say they feel burnt out because of their job And another third say they are already exhausted before they start a shift

A fifth of the junior doctors say they often feel tired a t w o r k , w h i l e h a l f o f t r a i n e e s r e g u l a r l y w o r k longer hours than they are signed up to do

T h e G e n e r a l M e d i c a l Council (GMC), which carried out the poll of 70,000

doctors, said it paints a pict u r e o f l o n g a n d i n t e ns e working hours, heavy workloads and the challenges of frontline medical practice

The findings come after experts claimed last month that doctors who work long hours are significantly more l i k e l y t o m a k e m i s t a k e s when treating patients

Doctors' working condit i o n s a r e a f f e c t i n g t h e i r t r a i n i n g e x p e r i e n c e a n d their personal wellbeing, the council warned

The GMC's poll gathered responses from almost 52,000 doctors in training and 19,000 of their trainers

To Our Readers

We are publishing these items in good faith, kindly consult your Doctor before you try to implement any advice We do not hold any responsibility for its efficacy

from across the UK

A l m o s t a q u a r t e r o f trainees – 24 per cent – and one in five trainers said they feel burnt out because of their work

And almost a third of trainees – 32 per cent – said t h e y a r e o f t e n o r a l w a y s exhausted in the morning at the thought of another day at work

Around half of doctors in training and their trainers said they always or often felt worn out at the end of their working day Some 40 per cent say their workload is 'heavy or very heavy'

Some junior doctors say they miss opportunities to d o t r a i n i n g b e c a u s e t h e y work such long hours

Just last month experts warned that doctors working 12 hour days could be affected in the same way as being drunk

A f t e r w o r k i n g f o r 1 2 hours in a row doctors are more than a quarter – 27 per cent – more likely to make a mistake than someone who h a s w o r k e d e i g h t h o u r s , a c c o r d i n g t o D r S a t i s h Jayagopal, a surgeon from Salisbury

the health of the e n d o t h e l i a l l i ning of the blood vessels, and the state of the lining can indicate a person's risk of heart disease

R e s e a r c h e r s b e l i e v e i f r a s pb e r r i e s c o u l d sustain a change i n F M D l o n g enough, it would slash a person's risk of heart disease by up to 15 per

A f u r t h e r a n a l y s i s showed there was a noticeable increase in the levels of urolithin metabolites in the b l o o d o f p a r t i c i p a n t s a s FMD improved These are

produced by bacteria in the gut as the body digests a chemical found in raspberries, known as ellagitannins

The findings of the trial were published in the scientific journal The Archives of B i o c h e m i s t r y a n d Biophysics

Anushka Sharma's talking wax statue

A n us h k a Sh a rm a w i l l b e

joining idols like Oprah Winfrey, Lewis Hamilton and Cristiano Ronaldo to be moulded in interactive wax statue by Madame Tussauds in Singapore. A source said that the 'talking statue' is said to be attached to only a handful of the exhibits. These personalities are mostly global leaders or icons. Considering that this feature is being added to Anushka is a

homage to her massive fan base. The sources said that the actor's figure will hold a phone and will give warm greetings to the guests. The phone will be a working model and one can take selfies with it.

Alex Ward of Madame Tussauds Singapore said, “We are thrilled to be working with Anushka Sharma. She will have the first talking wax figure at Madame Tussauds Singapore. We see

many families but also young adults from India coming to our attraction, and this is a great opportunity for us to cater to that audience. Anushka has been frequently requested by our guests and we are sure that she will be an incredibly popular addition to our attraction!” Along with international icons, superheroes like Iron Man and Spider-Man have also been given interactive sets.

Priyanka, Farhan Akhtar to reunite for ‘The Sky is Pink’

F arhan Akhtar and P riyanka Ch opra will be joining hands for Shonali Bose’s next 'The Sky is Pink.' This will be the second instance of Farhan and Priyanka sharing screen space. The two actors were last seen together in Zoya Akhtar’s 2015 directorial 'Dil Dhadakne Do.' Before 'Dil Dhadakne Do,' Priyanka collaborated with Farhan on films such as 'Don' and 'Don 2,' which the actor directed and produced under his banner Excel Entertainment. Priyanka had recently shared a photo on Instagram with a caption “And it begins #prep #hindimovie”. Reports also suggest that Zaira Wasim has joined the film’s cast and will play the couple’s onscreen daughter. Zaira is known for her roles in 'Dangal' and 'Secret Superstar.'

“So they have started the workshop for the film. And Zaira is also a part of it. the 'Sky is Pink' is a working title. This is the first Hindi film Priyanka Chopra is doing after two years. Also, this is the fifth film she is doing with Ronnie and Sid Roy Kapur,” a source said. The film has been written by Shonali and the dialogues have been penned by Juhi Chaturvedi. Shonali had earlier directed films such as 'Margarita with a Straw' and 'Amu.'

Janh vi Kap oor, w ho is m ak film debut with forthcoming film 'Dhadak', says she doesn't want to give too much attention to the pressure of being part of celebrated Kapoor family. When asked if there was any pressure in maintaining the 'Kapoor legacy' that has produced actors like Anil Kapoor, Sridevi Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, Sanjay Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor and Harshvadhan Kapoor, Janhvi said: "There is some kind of pressure but I don't want to give much attention to it. I want to earn same amount of love and appreciation from audience for myself but I know that would not be easy as I need to work hard for that. I want to make audience happy through my work because they have given so much love to our family. Wherever we are today is all because of love from the audience. I want to entertain them in return."

'Dhadak', an official adaption of Marathi blockbuster film 'Sairat'. When asked about the difference between 'Dhadak' and 'Sairat', Janhvi said: "I think the main character of 'Dhadak' and 'Sairat' are really different. 'Sairat' was essentially based in interiors of Maharashtra and our film is based

upbringing of characters

Saif, daughter Sara come together

han and Sa ra Ali Khan will share screen space in director Nitin Kakkar’s upcoming project. In a conversation, Kakkar said, “Yes. It is true that I am doing a film with Saif Ali

Khan, but it is too early to say more than that. I narrated the story and they seemed to like it. We are now working on their dates.”

“As soon as the dates are

finalised, we will start shooting the film. We are working on all the paper work that is needed to be done before the film goes on floor. We haven’t even zeroed in on a title yet, but we have a few ideas with us. So, as soon as we work Saif and Sara’s dates and once we finalise the film’s title, we shall be able to announce the film.” Sara is yet to make her Bollywood debut, but she has multiple films in her kitty.

Fans taunt Katrina in Vancouver

Katrina Kaif is on a tour o f US and Canada along with Salman Khan and co for the Da-Bangg Reloaded shows. While the crowds are going crazy seeing their favourite Bollywood stars perform, Katrina Kaif was recently taunted by fans in Vancouver. In a video, Katrina is seen leaving the Vancouver venue in a hurry. As she walks past the fans, they ask for pictures, but since she was in a hurry, she did not oblige them. When the fans booed her, she tries to reason out with them saying, "You shouldn't do that guys. You know we are very tired." That seems to have upset one fan in particular who said,"You need a better attitude...you call yourself an actress but when people come to adore you... you need a better attitude..." Katrina's security personnel ensures that the actress maintains a safe distance from the crowd of onlookers. Katrina can then be seen posing for selfies with a few of her fans before she takes off in her car. Meanwhile, the few of those who attempted to troll Katrina, can be heard saying: "We're here for Salman Khan. Only Salman Khan..."

in Udaipur... So the background, language and

are totally different. My character belongs to a royal family. Both lead characters of our film are so attached to Udaipur and it's part of their identity which also affects the storyline of the film."

I want to make audience happy with my work: Janhvi Kapoor

S outh acto

Hindi film 'Brahmastra' after a gap of 15 years. “It is my first Hindi film in a very long time. I can’t remember when was the last time I did a Hindi film. I think it was Mahesh Bhatt’s Zakhm.” Reminded that his last Hindi film was J.P. Dutta’s 'LOC Kargil' in 2003, the actor’s memory is nimbly nudged.

“Oh yes, LOC. But that was a brief role, though a lot of fun to do. Zakhm was my last full-fledged role in a Hindi film. I still remember Alia Bhatt as a child on Bhatt saab’s set. Now I am working with her in Brahmastra. How time flies.”

Nagarjuna is looking forward to working with the entire 'Brahmastra' team.

“Except Amitji (Amitabh Bachchan) with whom I’ve worked in 'Khuda Gawah,' they are all new to me. I’m working for the first time with Karan Johar, (director) Ayan Mukherjee,

Bhatt and Ranbir

Nagarjuna will be back in Bollywood after 15 years Lingusamy's 'Vettai' goes to Bollywood

The actor, who has in the past shone in Hindi films like 'Angaaray,' 'Criminal' and 'Zakhm,' sounds a bit surprised at being offered a major Hindi film at this stage of his career. Asked about his role, he said: “To be honest, I’m not very sure of the extent of my role. But it’s a pivotal part. And they probably thought of me because the role suits my personality.”

Directo r N Ling usam y's Vettai which was released in 2012 was a muti-starrer featuring Arya, Madhavan, Amala Paul & Sameera Reddy playing the lead roles in the film. This film is now set to be remade in Bollywood. According to reports, producer Sajid Nadiadwala has bagged the rights for the film and he is yet to rope in a director. The casting details are still under wrap and it is yet known if

A film with no songs

q, w h o h as m ad e films like, 'Agadam' (Guinness World Record film), and the recent Aari starrer, 'Nagesh Thiraiarangam,' is back again with his next experimental project, titled, 'Jesi.' The film's story revolves around a director who does not have any belief on superstitions and ghosts. The film will have no songs and the screenplay is said to be built in an engaging manner, without any commercial diversions. The film is also based on some of the true incidents that happened in our society. 'Jesi' features newcomers, Gemini, Sripriyanka and Lakshmi Kiran playing the leads. An official announcement regarding the film's release date will be made soon.

Wednesday July 25, 2018

01:35 Film : Fareb 05:00 Film : Dam999 07:05 Film : Nyaydaata 09:45 Film : Dhadkan 13:10 Film : Four Pillars Of Basement 15:40 Film : Ghulam-E-Musthafa 19:00 Film : Shaitan 21:32 Film : Ragini MMS

Sunday July 22, 2018

00:29 Film : Chaar Din Ki Chandni 05:00 Film : Listen... Amaya 07:01 Film : Khel 10:35 Film : Chaalbaaz 13:46 Film : Deewane Huye Pagal 16:55 Film : Zanjeer 19:37 Film : Santa Banta Pvt Ltd 22:00 Film : Alone Monday July 23, 2018 00:33 Film : Woh Lamhe 05:00 Film : Surkhaab 07:00 Film : Pardesi 10:15 Film : Shikaar 13:02 Film : Delhi Belly 15:05 Film : Fitoor 18:00 Film : Star Stop Lifestyle 19:00 Film : Dastak 21:54 Film : Zeher Tuesday July 24, 2018 00:31 Film : Rama Rama Kya Hai Dramaa 05:00 Film : Wake Up India 07:16 Film : Hitler 10:14 Film : Mrityudand 13:28 Film : Zanjeer 16:13 Film : Santa Banta Pvt Ltd 18:33 Film : Star Stop Lifestyle 19:05 Film : One 2 Ka 4 22:40 Film : Bol

Thursday July 26, 2018 23:24 Film : Jeet - Born To Win 05:00 Film : Munna Maange Memsaab 07:25 Film : Aulad 10:37 Film : Nazar 13:00 Film : Krishan Avtaar 16:00 Film : Daraar

ACTION, Rishi Kapoor,Juhi Chawla,Arbaaz Khan 19:32 Film : Tumsa Nahi Dekha 22:15 Film : Shaitan

Friday July 27, 2018

00:50 Film : Akaash Vani 05:00 Film : The Perfect Girl 07:01 Film : Mumbai Ki Kiran Bedi 10:15 Film : Yes Boss 13:41 Film : Jo Bole So Nihaal 16:01 Film : Gunaah 18:30 Film : Star Stop

Lifestyle 19:03 Film : Ghayal Once Again 21:51 Film : Tumsa Nahi Dekha

Saturday July 28, 2018

00:33 Film : 1920 London 05:00 Film : Good Buddy Gadbadi 07:23 Film : Mast 10:15 Film : Baadshah 13:48 Film : Keemat 17:15 Film : Raja Hindustani 20:50 Film : Tanu weds Manu returns

Alia

'

Medics believe girl gunned down in shop could walk again

A schoolgirl left paralysed after being caught in gang crossfire says she is “proud” o f t h e e x t r a o r d i n a r y progress she has made

T h u s h a K a m a l e s w a r a n was just five in 2011 when she was critically injured by gangsters who fired into a shop owned by her uncle in Stockwell, where she was playing

Although she is still confined to a wheelchair, she hopes to be able to walk again one day She turns 13 t h i s w e e k a n d i s m a k i n g p l a n s t o c e l e b r a t e w i t h friends and family

Thanks to regular rehabilitation sessions at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, which she attends for two weeks every few months, her legs h a v e n o w r e g a i n e d s o m e movement

She said that her experi-

ence had inspired her ambitions, adding: “I want to be a doctor myself because they saved me If I can be a doctor then it’s an extra person to save someone ’ s life ” S h e s a i d s h e “ d o e s n ’ t t h i n k a b o u t t h e p e o p l e ”

Coming Events

● Maa Kruppa Foundation UK

A charity funfair mela Come and meet your favourite TV stars, singers, musicians from India and UK – Durga Rahikwar (Junior Shahrukh), Rajendra Pandy (Junior Salman), Rajesh Iyer Sangeeta Kulkarni, Hina Khan, Raju Jadhav, Gautam Vankar, Rocky Jaiswal, Govind Mishra, and Nagesh Burbure (mimicry actor) Venue: Canons High School Edgware HA8 6AN Saturday and Sunday, 28th and 29th July 2018 1pm to 7pm

● Brahma Kumaris Celebrating the International Day of Friendship Rachel Priestman to share her insights and experience on the many faces of friendship Venue: Global Co-operation House 65-69 Pound Lane London NW 10 2HH Thursday 26th July 2018 7 00 – 8 30 pm Free admission

Bochasanwasi

Sanstha's head Param Pujya Mahant Swami is currently in Anand till 15th July He was in Sarangpur before he travelled to Anand On 21st July he will travel to Bochasan When he was in Sarangpur one cultural programme was organised by youths of Vidyamandir They presented a programme based on the theme My Life as Swami On 14th July Rathyatra was organised in the temple complex Mahant Swami was on the chariot with the idol of Lord Thakorji

involved in the shooting

L a s t w e e k , T h u s h a , whose favourite subject is science, enjoyed a traditional Sri Lankan coming-of-age party with her family, ahead of her birthday on Friday

The pupil at Seven Kings High School in Ilford said her progress was due to the “strong support” from her mother Sharmila, 41, and father Sasi, 43

Mr Kamaleswaran, who works in a petrol station, said his daughter has now regained about 75 per cent movement in her lower legs

Thusha took to the stage at the NHS Heroes Awards on May 14, to celebrate the medics who were involved in saving her life “I’d like to say thank you to all the doctors and nurses who helped m e I ’ m h e r e b e c a u s e o f them,” she said

The Sun continues to put a spotlight on your solar fifth house This is a time when pleasure-seeking and creative activities come into focus and grab much of your attention You are particularly personally charming and ready to perform and to express yourself creatively It is also a good time for romance and connecting with children

The Sun continues to transit your solar fourth house This is a period for getting in touch with your innermost feelings and spending more time and energy on home and family Use this energy to find ways to improve your family relations and your home environment A good time to explore your inner needs so that you can nurture yourself and others

The Sun continues to highlight your solar third house A time in which you are most likely to be busy communicating Used well, this could be a period in which you come up with solutions to a number of problems You will be proud of your intellectual accomplishments, ability to socialize and make connections

The Sun continues to transit your solar second house This is the most financial period of the year for you You have an increased interest in your own possessions, during this period You are more attracted to objects and possessions that give you a sense of comfort, status, or luxury now Careful with your extravagant spending habits

A grandmother and form e r r e f u g e e w h o s t i l l works as a nursing assistant hopes to help even more people after graduating

B e t t y M l a n d e l i w i l l receive a BA in Therapeutic Communication and Therapeutic Organisations next week, making her one of the University of Essex's oldest success stories The

The huge

urban forest' which is being planted in Ealing

More than 1,000 volunteers a r e h e l p i n g t o b u i l d a n " u r b a n f o r e s t" i n E a l i n g w h i c h w i l l r e m o v e t h o usands of tonnes of carbon dioxide from the air each year

In fact the volunteers a r e h a r n e s s i n g s o m u c h planting power they have b e e n a b l e t o p l a n t m o r e than £6,000 worth of trees a n d a n i n c r e d i b l e 5 3 , 0 0 0 saplings since 2014

The planting drive is a partnership between Ealing C o u n c i l a n d T r e e s f o r C i t i e s , a c h a r i t y w h i c h works to plant trees in cities across the UK and has a target of planting one million of them

Councillor Mik Sabiers, cabinet member for environment and highways, said Ealing's volunteers should be proud of what they have

accomplished

T h e v a l u e o f t r e e s i n Ealing has been shown by a recent report prepared by T r e e s f o r C i t i e s w h i c h shows the 234,400 trees in Ealing remove 33 tonnes of pollutants and over 2,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere every y e a r , i m p r o v i n g l o c a l a i r quality and helping mitigate climate change

It has branded the trees

Grandmother, 75, to graduate

7 5 - y e a r - o l d , w h o l i v e s i n S o u t h e n d , said: "I am proud of m y s e l f a n d w h a t I have achieved at my age My ambition in life has always been to help people and I am looking forward to helping as many people as I can with t h e s k i l l s I h a v e learnt ”

Man charged with murdering 2-year-old daughter

A man from Dagenham h a s b e e n c h a r g e d w i t h murdering his two-yearold daughter

R e j w a n u l I s l a m , 2 5 , a p p e a r e d a t H i g h b u r y C o r n e r M a g i s t r a t e s ' Court on Saturday, July 14, charged with the murder of Mariyah Islam

She sadly passed away

o n S a t u r d a y , M a r c h 5 2016 in Euston, London

A post-mortem at St T h o m a s ' H o s p i t a l i n S o u t h L o n d o n s h o w e d t h a t M a r i y a h h a d s u ff e r e d a t r a u m a t i c h e a d injury

A Metropolitan Police statement said: A man h a s b e e n c h a r g e d w i t h

The Sun transits through your solar first house You experience a renewal of energy and vitality now, and it s a strong time for increased personal confidence The emphasis is on self-expression You are more decisive and forwardlooking now, and you put more faith in your own abilities.

The Sun continues to transit your solar twelfth house This is the time to listen to your intuition, to take a break from the hectic pace of your life, and to ref lect You might naturally retreat a little and take more private time for yourself now Time to take stock of your projects now and not start anything new for a while

The Sun continues to put a spotlight on your solar eleventh house You will benefit from networking in this period and you might find some great ideas through others now Working in a team will also benefit you You are more attracted to that which is progressive or unconventional during this cycle

The Sun’s transit continues to put a spotlight on your solar tenth house Satisfaction and fulfilment during this cycle comes from being professionally responsible and contributing to the world in practical ways You will get a lot of support from authority figures during this transit Avoid the pitfalls by being confident and positive

the murder of his daughter in Euston "Rejwanul I s l a m , 2 5 , D a g e n h a m , a p p e a r s i n c u s t o d y a t H i g h b u r y C o r n e r M a g i s t r a t e s ' C o u r t o n Saturday, July 14 charged with the murder of twoy e a r - o l d M a r i y a h I s l a m M a r i y a h d i e d o n Saturday, March 5, 2016 "

in Ealing's urban parks, gardens, housing estates, open spaces, woodlands, streets and transport infrastructure an "urban forest"

T h e r e p o r t c a l l e d V a l u i n g E a l i n g ' s U r b a n T r e e s , s t a t e s t r e e c o v e r varies greatly across Ealing, from 6% in Southall Green w a r d t o 2 6 % i n N o r t h Greenford Some 87 species of trees are recorded across the borough

Before moving to the UK in 2002, Betty worked as a nurse in Zimbabwe She now works partt i m e f o r F a i r H a v e n s H o s p i c e , offering palliative care to people in their own homes

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The Sun continues to transit your solar ninth house now In this period you seek to expand your experiences and awareness, whether through philosophical thinking, travel, or simply activities that take you away from your mundane routines It's an excellent period for looking at your life from a different perspective

The Sun continues to transit your solar eighth house Personal transformations and intimate matters fulfill you most during this period There may be a strong focus on other's money, such as the resources of a partner, inheritance, banking and loans, or taxes You are more in touch with the deeper and even primal elements of your own personality

The Sun continues to transit your solar seventh house--your partnership sector This can be a time of much learning in your close relationships. It s not the time to push your personal plans forward; rather, it s a cycle in which you give back to a special someone, and compromise in order to find some balance in your life

The Sun puts a spotlight on your solar sixth house This is a period that finds you tending to many different details of your daily existence-your work, daily routines, and health matters You may be in the position to take charge in your work, or to take charge of your health and diet Do not be hypercritical of yourself

Shree Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan

Reunion: Dr Vidar Magnusson and trauma paramedic Caroline Appleby operated on Thusha Kamaleswaran on the pavement outside the shop where she was shot

in brief England beat India to clinch ODI series

LANKA THRASH SA BY INNINGS, 278

RUNS

South Africa collapsed dramatically against Sri lanka's spin to crash to 73 all out in the first Test in Galle on Saturday, their lowest total since readmission to international cricket. The dismal performance came a day after they were bowled out for just 126, which had been their previous lowest Test innings in Sri Lanka. Offspinner Dilruwan Perera took six for 32, and veteran left-arm spinner Rangana Herath claimed three for 32, as the pair bowled in an unbroken partnership for 28 overs, after Sri Lanka set South Africa a target of 352 for victory. Herath moved to ninth on the all-time wicket tally, with 423 career dismissals to his name, while Perera's five-wicket haul was the sixth of his career.

South Africa's match aggregate of 199 was 20 runs fewer than Sri Lanka opener Dimuth Karunaratne's individual score across both innings. Only three of the visitors made it into double figures, and the highest partnership yielded just 22, as batsmen repeatedly fell in their attempts to take on the Sri Lanka spinners. South Africa's top scorer was Vernon Philander, who made 22 not out, with opener Aiden Markram batting out the most deliveries, facing 46 balls for his 19.

Perera made the first breakthrough in the third over after lunch, having opener Dean Elgar stumped, after the batsman ran down the pitch and failed to connect with a turning delivery.

Hashim Amla was caught at leg slip for a duck in Perera's next over, and Temba Bavuma was caught for two by the same fielder shortly after, reducing South Africa to 24 for 3. The wickets continued to tumble as Herath began to strike as well, with the next three batsmen out for 11 runs in the space of four overs.

NEERAJ CHOPRA SET TO QUALIFY FOR DIAMOND LEAGUE FINAL

Star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra has a good chance to qualify for the prestigious Diamond League Final on August 30 but the narrow gap between the meet in Zurich and his Asian Games event could leave the athlete in a tight spot. Chopra finished fifth in the Rabat (Morocco) leg of the Diamond League series with a best throw of 83.32m. He collected four Diamond League points from there and now has a total of 12 points to be placed at sixth spot in the standings. One Diamond League Meeting (which includes javelin) is scheduled for August 18 in Birmingham but Chopra is not taking part in it even though athletics events at the Asian Games start on August 25. The men's javelin final in the Asiad will be held on August 27, barely three days before the Diamond League Final.

The top 8 or 12 athletes (depending on the discipline) will be awarded a start at the Diamond League Final. Out of the 32 events (men and women) in the league, half of them, including men's javelin, will have their Final in Zurich on August 30. The Final of the remaining events will be competed in Brussels on August 31.

Before Rabat, Chopra has taken part in two other Diamond League Meetings. He finished fourth while collecting five points in Doha on May 4 and sixth, with 3 points, in Eugene (USA) on May 25.

"I am not taking part in Birmingham because of the Asian Games. I will be directly going to Jakarta from Finland (where the javelin group is undergoing training). My final event in Asian Games is on August 27 and as of now I don't know whether I will be in Zurich or not," Chopra said. "I will try my best to be there (Zurich) but I cannot say with certainty. Let us see," said the reigning Commonwealth Games champion who has a personal best of 87.43m.

An unbeaten 186-run partnersh ip between Joe Root (100 not out) and Eoin Morgan (88 not out) powered England to an eight-wicket victory over India in the third and final ODI at Headingley, Leeds on Tuesday. The win ended India's nine consecutive bilateral ODI series winning-run as England clinched the three-match series 2-1 despite losing the opening ODI. Morgan, winning the toss, elected to field as the English bowlers produced a disciplined bowling attack to restrict the hosts to a modest 256/8 in 50 overs. In reply, England overhauled the target in just 44.3 overs. England got to a flying start, courtesy Johnny Bairstow's 30 off 13 balls. However, his stay in the middle was cut short by Shardul Thakur and India got a muchneeded breakthrough.

Brief scores

England 260/2 (44.3 overs), India 256/8 (50 overs)

Djokovic back in top 10 rankings after Wimbledon win

Wimbledo n triumph has helped him jump 11 places to be 10th in the men's world tennis rankings, released by the the men's Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). The Serbian star had fallen in the rankings after dropping out of the 2016 Wimbledon quarterfinal - remaining off the court for the rest of the year - and had a rocky return in the 2018 season.

But his magnificent run at the Wimbledon, which culminated on Sunday with him overpowering Kevin Anderson of South Africa 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (7-3) in a lopsided final, got him back among the top-10 ranked players. Anderson climbed three

places to world No 5 thanks to his runner-up finish, while Switzerland's Roger Federer held on to world No.2 spot but lost ground to top-ranked Rafael Nadal of Spain after being defeated by the South

African in the quarter-final. Nadal had lost to Djokovic in the last four clash. Both Marin Cilic of Croatia and Dominic Thiem of Austria dropped two spots, landing at world No.7 and No.9 respectively.

1. Rafael Nadal (Spain) 9,310 points 2. Roger Federer (Switzerland) 7,080 3. Alexander Zverev (Germany) 5,665 4. Juan Martin del Potro (Argentina) 5,395 5. Kevin Anderson (South Africa) 4,655

6. Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria) 4,610

7. Marin Cilic (Croatia) 3,905 8. John Isner (US) 3,720 9. Dominic Thiem (Austria) 3,665

10. Novak Djokovic (Serbia) 3,355

Indian women's cricket coach Tushar Arothe quits

T h e I nd i an w o me n' s c ri c k et team coach Tushar Arothe was forced to resign from the post following complaints from some senior players about his method of coaching. The 51year- old Arothe was appointed last April, replacing the former women's captain Purnima Rau, who was sacked by the board.

His resignation comes just before four months to the World Twenty20. The 10nation ICC women's World T20 is scheduled to take place in the West Indies from November 924. Arothe, stepped down from his post citing personal reasons.

It

last July. As per a statement by a

ers and selectors met BCCI administrators to convey that they were not comfortable with Arothe's method of training. The women’s team was going through a series of defeats. The team had faced dismissal in the Twenty20 tri-nation tournament against England and Australia in March18 and also lost a one-day international series against Australia. It was followed by two more defeats, one against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup and another one in the finals at Kuala Lumpur last month which was a major blow to the team.

Lanka captain suspended for 4 ODIs, 2 tests for ball tampering

S r i L a nka c ap t ai n Dinesh Chandimal, coach Chandika Hathurusinghe and manager Asanka Gurusinha have suspended for the first four ODIs and two Test matches against South Africa for their role in ball-tampering during the tour of the West Indies earlier this year. The trio were handed the punishment after they pleaded guilty to "conduct contrary to the spirit of the game".

The independent Judicial Commissioner, The Hon Michael Beloff QC, handed the trio eight suspension points, which means they will miss the first four ODIs along with both the Tests against South Africa. The three were charged by the ICC Chief Executive David Richardson on June 19 and had pleaded guilty to breaching Level 3, Article 2.3.1, which relates to “conduct that is

contrary to the spirit of the game”, during last month's St Lucia Test against the West Indies.

According to an ICC statement, the Chairman of the ICC Code of Conduct Commission had held a hearing over video conference on July 11 to determine the sanction, and, after more than six hours of hearing, which was attended by legal counsels of both the sides, had reserved his deci-

sion.

During the hearing, however, it was mutually agreed that, since the minimum sanction for a Level 3 offence was suspension from two Tests, the three will not participate in the Galle Test (played from July 12-14) and Colombo Test (to be played from July 20-24), and these will be credited against the sanction imposed by the Judicial Commissioner.

was under his leadership India reached the final of the women's World Cup in England

senior BCCI official, some play-

S er b ia ' s N o va k D j o ko vi c 's

Assam girl gives India its first world gold on track

Hima Das, the dau ghter o f a rice farmer from Nagaon district of Assam, gives India its first ever track gold at a global event by winning the 400 metre final at the World U20 Championships in Tampere, Finland. Hima started slow and trailed on the home stretch, but her blazing run in the final 80m, where she overtook three rivals, saw her clocking 51.46 seconds.

In Guwahati, her coach Nipon Das says he wasn’t worried when Hima wasn’t among the top three at the final curve. “Her race begins in the final 80 metres. Her progress just shows how much potential she has. It has been just two years since she first wore spikes,” says the coach about her ward whose personal best is 51.13 seconds.

With this win, Hima joined an elite club of Indian athletes who have won medals at the World U20 Championships. But she is the only runner in a hall of fame that has throwers like Seema Punia (bronze, discus), Navjeet Kaur Dhillon (bronze, discus) and Neeraj Chopra (gold, javelin). Those who have followed Hima’s meteoric rise had

anticipated a podium finish at Finland. After clocking the fastest time in the heats and semifinal, the sprinter had the spotlight on her in a field dominated by runners from US and Jamaica.

Hima started off with football. She was then advised by a local coach to take up athletics. Soon, the teenager was spotted by Nipon, an athletics coach with the Directorate of Sports and Youth Welfare.

“She was wearing cheap spikes but she won gold in the 100 and 200. She ran like the wind. I hadn’t seen such a talent in ages,” Nipon says. The coach asked Hima to shift to Guwahati, 140 km from her village, and convinced the youngster that she had a future in athletics.

Nipon has been a constant guiding force. “I keep telling Hima only one thing: Dream big. Because only a few are blessed with God-given talent. My aim was to try and make sure she is part of the relay team for the Asian Games. But she has surpassed all expectations by winning a world championship gold in the individ-

Congratulatory messages are pouring for Hima. Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined many others in congratulating her. In a message, Modi hailed the 18year-old and said that her performance would inspire many young athletes.

Rousing welcome to World Cup champions in Paris

H u nd red s o f t ho u sa nds of ecstatic French fans celebrated the return of their World Cup winning football team on Monday, jumping and chanting "We Are The Champions" as their bus paraded down the Champs Elysees before a special presidential reception. "Les Bleus", a dynamic, young team that won an open, fast-paced final 4-2 with Croatia in Moscow, appeared at the Elysee palace, where they burst into a spontaneous rendition of the "La Marseillaise" national anthem with President Emmanuel Macron and his wife.

"Thank you for having made us proud," Macron told the players in the presidential palace's gardens. "Never forget where you come from: all the clubs across France that trained you." French media spent the day lauding the team's accomplishments. More than 300,000 people filled the Champs Elysees, the area around the Arc de Triomphe and the Place de la

Concorde on Sunday night, partying into the early hours, singing the Marseillaise, setting off firecrackers and blaring horns until the sun rose.

France beat Croatia in thriller France won the World Cup for the second time by ending battling Croatia's dream of a first title with a 4-2 victory on Sunday in one of the most enter-

taining and action-packed finals for decades. France led 2-1 at half-time after a Mario Mandzukic own goal and an Antoine Griezmann VAR penalty, with Ivan Perisic briefly bringing first-time finalists Croatia level. After that, Paul Pogba and Kylian Mbappe found the back of the net past Danijel Subasic to put the game beyond

Croatia. Mario Mandzukic did score a second for Croatia but they could not do much more. Macron celebrates team’s win

In a stadium packed with presidents watching the World Cup final, no one had as much fun as Macron. The French head of state joined his country’s victorious players in the locker room after they beat Croatia 4-2. He jostled with midfielder Paul Pogba while being filmed for Snapchat. And he posed for picture doing a dab pose with defender Benjamin Mendy.

After the game, Macron offered up a flurry of kisses in the exuberant, rain-soaked celebrations. He kissed Croatian President Kolinda GrabarKitarovic on both cheeks. He kissed France teammates Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann on their foreheads. Macron seemed to be so happy that he was unconcerned about being caught in a torrential downpour on the field at the awards ceremony.

Mary Kom eyeing for sixth world title

The 35 year old Indian boxer MC Mary Kom gears up for the sixth Women’s World Championship. Though she was not able to participate in the Asian Games due to a shoulder problem, she is expected to be back in action at the World Championships to be held in New Delhi in November. She is eyeing to win the championship crown for which she is been training hard.

Mary said, “One thing I am

in brief

MOHAMMAD KAIF RETIRES FROM COMPETITIVE CRICKET

Almost 12 years after he last played for the Indian team in which he stood out as much for his acrobatic fielding as well as for his effective middle-order batting, Mohammad Kaif announced his retirement from all forms of competitive cricket. The 37-yearold played 13 Tests and 125 ODIs for India and will always be remembered for his

certain of is that if I don't get any injury and give 100 per cent in my training then I definitely I can say that I am going to win the World Championship. If

something in between happens then I can't say. But I am healing well”. She added, “I am training smartly for the World Championship. Six-seven years ago we would train for twothree hours but now it is not required. We are able to do everything in an hour of training. Staying fit is very important for a comeback so I would say one should be clever with the training”. Speaking on the per-

formance by young women boxes in CWG games, she said, “The girls are training well, working hard. I want them to perform well at the Asian Games and get medals. The federation is taking initiative to see what is better for the boxers”

On her come back, Mary said, “Winning for my country keeps me going. I don't ask myself if I can (perform) I ask why can't I?”

match-winning knock of 87 at the Lord's during the epic Natwest Trophy final in 2002. Along with Yuvraj Singh, Kaif was among the stars to emerge from the U-19 India stable after leading the U-19 team to a maiden Junior World Cup triumph in 2000. Kaif last played first class cricket for Chattisgarh. "I am retiring today as it's been 16 years since the historic NatWest Trophy win in which I was glad to play my part, and I'd like to remember that as I bow out," he wrote.

PAKISTANIS ALLOWED TO TAKE PART IN ASIAN

WRESTLING

A ft er a lo ng wait , Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) gets approval from India's home ministry for participation of Pakistani pugilists in the upcoming Asian Junior Wrestling Championships. The competition is to be held from July 17-23 at the Indira Gandhi Stadium. Over 300 wrestlers from 18 countries will be participating in this 6 day event. Pakistan was the only team left without security clearance.

“Approval was granted after the WFI gave a written undertaking accepting the responsibility that the wrestlers would not travel beyond the team hotel and the competition venue.” said WFI assistant secretary Vinod Tomar. The WFI Secretary, V N Prasood has welcomed the decision by the Ministry.

HOCKEY: INDIA A BEAT S KOREA 7-3

In a high scoring match, the Indian men's hockey 'A' team defeated South Korea by 7-3 at the Bengaluru Campus of Sports Authority of India. After a draw in the first practice match, the South Korea scored through a penalty corner in the second practice match in just second minute of the game. It was Jang Jonghyun’s goal which took India 'A' on the back foot. In the 15th minute the home team equalised the score. It was Akashdeep Singh who scored the India 'A' team's first goal which was followed by drag-flicker Rupinder Pal Singh's well-struck penalty corner in the 16th minute that gave the team a 2-1 lead. Gagandeep Singh Sr's goal in the 18th minute doubled India's lead to 3-1 while Armaan Qureshi (20' and 54'), Amon Mirash Tirkey (27'), Sumit Kumar (30') added to India's scoreline. Seo Inwoo and Jang Jonghyun scored for South Korea in the 48th and 52nd minutes respectively but could not do much more.

Victourious french team with trophy

Indian boxer MC Mary Kom