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Indian-origin to join Bank of England's monetary panel

Ties with Nepal unshakable like Himalayas: PM Modi

MAY RESILIENCE WIN! The pandemic is testimony to the fact that the community has always been resilient toward any challenge that comes its way. While chances of recession loom over UK, experts and members of the Asian diaspora say that there’s some hope after all.

Asian disabled community drastically impacted by the cost of living The government’s goal to see one million more disabled people in work has been reached, the latest official figures show.

Over one million more disabled people are in employment compared to five years ago according to the latest ONS (Office for National Statistics) data released on 17th May, confirming the government has achieved a key ambition in its efforts to improve the lives of disabled people.

Continued on page 13

India scripts history with first-ever Thomas Cup win

Shefali Saxena

Chances of the recession may be looming over Britain, but the pandemic is testimony to the fact that the British Asian community has always emerged victorious over any situation or challenge that nature or circumstances have thrown at them. Their resilience lies in the power of collective good, charity, keeping traditional sustainable methods of living alive

away from the homeland, following an eco-friendly lifestyle and most importantly - economical living. In times like these when the global economy is undergoing a difficult time in the history of pandemics, Asian Voice spoke to businesses, academic experts and individuals who admit that there is a huge challenge ahead of us, but they also mentioned that if there is a will, there is a way.

May 15 was a golden day for Indian badminton as its men's team won their first-ever Thomas Cup title, beating 14-time champions Indonesia 3-0 in a heroic effort in the final of the prestigious team championship in Bangkok, Thailand.

India had never reached the final of the Thomas and Uber Cup in the tournament's 73-year-long history, but the Indian men not only broke the drought but went a step ahead and became only the 6th nation after China, Indonesia, Japan, Denmark, and Malaysia to win the Thomas Cup title.

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with Keith Vaz

VINUSHAN VICKNESWARAN Student Vinushan is a Programming Student at De Montfort University and will be graduating this year. He is currently working as a Student Engagement Associate for DMU’s Special Projects Officer and Race Equality Advisor to improve engagement between students and the University Ecosystem. Vinushan is passionate about campaigning for change and advises the Faculty Race Equality Boards on how best to be inclusive and considerate of all races. He is also very interested in politics and likes to keep up to date with current affairs.

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

I was born in Denmark, but the place I feel most at home is here in Britain and especially the city of Leicester. I have lived in Leicester since the age of 7 and I’m very proud to call it my city.

2) What are your proudest achievements?

I ran an online 24-hour fundraiser for the Women’s Aid charity during lockdown to raise money for their vital call centre services for victims of abuse.

Thanks to the help from my friends and the kindness of strangers, it was successful and it is nice to know that I helped.

3) What inspires you?

To make my mum proud. She has been through a lot in her life, especially having to raise four young children on her own due to life circumstances so I’m determined to make something out of my life that will make my mum happy and rest easy 4) What has been biggest obstacle in your career?

Self-doubt and anxiety. It has taken a lot of effort to put myself out there, growing up I was always the quiet one in classrooms at school and sometimes I catch myself letting these things hold me back even now.

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

My mother. She is my role model and she has always believed in me and my ability to do well in anything I set out to

do.

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

Meeting new people and having the chance to be able to effect change that will last for future generations of staff and students.

7) And the worst?

The feeling that change isn’t happening, or that it is happening very slowly. It takes a lot of patience and manoeuvring to change age-old systems that have been in place for a long time and supported by those unaware of its flaws.

8) What are your long term goals?

To find a career in computing at a reputable company, and to continue with campaign work for change across society to make life for the better.

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

So many things come to mind but first and foremost I would make misogyny a hate crime. It is quite shocking to realise that this hasn't happened yet and doing this can enable us to address deeper issues caused by misogyny.

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

I would love to spend some time with Sir Winston Churchill. I would want to hear about his resilience and strategies during the ‘darkest hour’ of Britain standing alone against Nazi Germany in World War 2.

Plans to cut civil servants do not amount to the return of austerity, Jacob Rees-Mogg says Plans to cut more than 90,000 civil service jobs in order to free up billions of pounds for measures to ease the cost of living crisis does not amount to the return of austerity, said Minister for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency Jacob Rees-Mogg.

The prime minister has

asked cabinet ministers to report back within a month on how they can reduce the size of their departmental workforces to 2016 levels.

The move would imply a reduction of about a fifth of the 475,000-strong workforce, which the government says would save about £3.5bn a year.

Mr Rees-Mogg said the

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easiest way to cut staffing levels is "to have a freeze on recruitment".

Mr Rees-Mogg added: "But there will be efficiencies that you can get in some departments through increased automation, increased use of technology, which is something that all sensible businesses will be doing perfectly reasonable and sensible ambition."

He continued: "The only bit that is ideological is that we should spend taxpayers' money properly and not wastefully.

Sajid Javid promises radical new approach to tackle chronic fatigue syndrome The health and social care secretary Sajid Javid has promised that in order to tackle the 'incredibly disabling condition' of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), he was 'committed to better care and support for people living with ME and their families'.

The health secretary said that a close relative suffered from ME, which affects at least 250,000 people in the UK and for which there is no diagnostic test, universally effective treatment or cure.

“ME affects the lives of children and adults across the country and I know from my own family’s experience that fluctuating symptoms can make it incredibly difficult to take part in everyday activities, enjoy time with friends and loved ones, access services and go to work or school,” Javid said.

“Not enough is known [about ME] and without better understanding, those living

with the condition miss out on vital treatment and support. I am determined that we lead the way in this area.”

It happened for the first time that a senior minister made a policy announcement about ME, which is also known as chronic fatigue syndrome.

The first step would be a round table with experts, said Javid adding the health department would “develop a cross-government plan for ME in England, laying out how we will improve experiences and outcomes”.

ME has striking similarities with long Covid, hence it is receiving increased attention. Most of the ME cases are also post-viral and there is a range of overlapping symptoms.

Carol Monaghan, chairwoman of the parliamentary group, said that it had been “a massive step forward to have a secretary of state speaking in positive terms about the need for a fresh approach to ME”

UK airlines and airports struggle to hire staff The aviation sector is desperately trying to fill in positions of cabin crew staff after the bounceback from Covid.

During the pandemic, the aviation sector laid off many employees, with British Airways alone shedding 10,000 people.

Due to the lengthy background checking and a tight labour market, airlines are finding it difficult to hire workers. Meanwhile, as the government has lifted all travel restrictions in March, bookings have increased.

Due to the shortage of staff, many of the airports are grappling with security queues.

Other than the aviation sector, sectors such as logistics, retail and warehousing, too are struggling to find staff.

At Manchester airport, more than 500 people are currently going through background checks and security training, although only 200 new starters were expected to join this month.

In anticipation of customers, though airlines are increasing staff numbers, many airports are less sure. One such airport is Heathrow, which believes that the current rush is a blip and is against expansion but saying this, it is taking on 1,000 more staff.

Schools in England are a ‘risk to life’, officials warn No 10 According to internal government documents, many school buildings in England are in such a poor state that they pose a risk to life. Within the last six weeks, senior officials working for education secretary Nadhim Zahawi have sent emails under the heading “upcoming risks and opportunities” to Downing Street citing the problem of deteriorating school buildings. The leaks also revealed that the education department is battling with the Treasury for £13bn that is needed for rebuilding projects.

They say: “School buildings: the deteriorating condition of the school estate continues to be a risk, with condition funding flat for FY [financial year] 2022-23, some

sites a risk-to-life, too many costly and energy-inefficient repairs rather than rebuilds, and rebuild demand x3 supply.”

A DfE spokesperson said: “The safety of pupils and staff is paramount. We have one of the largest and most comprehensive survey programmes in Europe, and this allows us to assess and manage risk in our buildings. We prioritise buildings where there is a risk to health and safety and have invested £11.3bn since 2015 to improve the condition of school buildings and facilities. In addition, our new School Rebuilding Programme will transform the learning environment at 500 schools over the next decade.”

Fifty people to be sent to Rwanda in a fortnight Boris Johnson has made it clear that the first 50 “illegal entrants into this country” have already been served notice that they will be sent to the African country within a fortnight. He said he will fight with “leftie lawyers” seeking to challenge the government’s plans for refugees.

Under the £120m scheme announced last month, people who will be sent to the east African

country will be allowed to apply for the right to settle.

The plans of sending refugees to Rwanda faced widespread criticism from human rights charities and even some Tory backbenchers, including the former prime minister Theresa May, as well as the archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.

However, Johnson remained defiant.

“There’s going to be a lot

of legal opposition from the types of firms that, for a long time, have been taking taxpayers’ money to mount these sorts of cases and to thwart the will of the people, the will of parliament.

We’re ready for that,” he said.

“We will dig in for the fight and, you know, we will make it work. We’ve got a huge flowchart of things we have to do to deal with it, with the leftie lawyers.”

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NHS needs better management, not just money The pandemic has laid bare in front of everyone, the casualties of a rickety health system. People died to save others, something unimaginable as well as unacceptable in a first world country. Clapping for the healthcare workers, was a true way of encouragement, but it has not taken away the pressure and pain on doctors.

There are several layers of problems that the NHS faces. With the government cutting funds, many surgeries have merged.

That has increased patient loads, but the capacity to serve hasn’t changed. The social healthcare system was an answer to people in poverty and had no accessibility after the war. While Britain provides a fantastic free healthcare system like no other, management issues, racism and staff shortage are the biggest challenges that NHS faces today. Money of course is another problem, though throwing in cash will not resolve every problem it faces.

UK’s population was 49.5mn after the two World Wars and now it is 67mn. The hospitals and primary care, even with the best of brains behind them have either remained the same or have shrunk in numbers and sizes. With Brexit, as European workers returned home, the job vacancies haven’t been filled in by anyone. Countries like India and the Philippines always have migratory communities, ready to travel abroad and work, but with stringent entrance/qualifying exams and ridiculous visa rules, that also remains unattainable.

The Guardian in a recent article said, nearly 40% of doctors who train abroad, do not have legal representation, compared with 25% of doctors qualified in the UK, therefore being struck off without lawyers at disciplinary hearings. The findings have raised questions about whether the General Medical Council (GMC) displays “systematic racial bias” in its treatment of foreign-born medics accused of wrongdoings. The treatment of foreign medics during the pandemic has also raised questions about the racism within NHS ranks, making it a hard to trust employers for those who have the luxury to choose.

With costs of living soaring, the mental health crisis is also on the brink of explosion. But NHS does not have the tools to combat, and nor has the ability to solve its problems despite paying

£2mn to private hospitals to take charge.

So, what is the solution to this absolute catastrophe that is costing people lives?

First, there needs to be a complete overhaul in management.

The pyramidal structure of authority with non-diverse views on top needs to change. Having a South Asian Health Secretary is not the answer. Having policies that are inclusive and equal is the first step. No organisation with institutional racism can thrive even if they have a money tree.

Second, recruitment is a must. Locum medics cannot be the answer. Dedicated medics to hospitals and PCTs – and lots of them, including foreign-trained is the way forward. There is strength in number.

Third, make qualifying exams, language tests and visa rules easier. Reward medics with perks and try to allure them into the UK with better salaries and a promise of no discrimination and guaranteed settlement rights. The latest Labour Force Survey (LFS) estimates the number of job vacancies from February to April 2022 rose to a new record of 1,295,000.

Fourth, cut unnecessary costs, invest in a proper workforce and use the money for better purposes. For example, the Daily Mail reported, “the number of bureaucrats in the NHS has doubled since Covid hit despite frontline staff numbers staying the same.” This means the £12billion NHS cash injection will be used up by the increase in bureaucracy in the health service instead of tackling the waiting list crisis. The Policy Exchange described the disparity as 'astonishing' and has called for an urgent review.

The newspaper further reported that an analysis by the Policy Exchange think tank showed there were 14,515 officials working in NHS England and the Department of Health in February, up from 7,883 in 2020. These figures do not include governmental health agencies like the UK Health Security Agency which got bigger during the pandemic.

Meanwhile, the number of NHS nurses has just increased by 7 per cent in the past two years, despite the frontline workforce being instrumental to its Covid recovery plan.

Strength in numbers for the common good?

Russia’s attack on Ukraine has made many nations realise the truth in the proverb- there is strength in numbers. Recent desirability of Finland and Sweden to join NATO has stirred the political rivalry between Turkey and these Nordic nations. Turkey in fact has been asking these nations to extradite Kurdish militants whom Turkey describes as terrorists, but without any response.

On the other hand, Sweden suspended Turkey’s arms sales three years ago, post-Ankara’s military intervention in Syria.

For Finland and Sweden to join NATO now, all 30 existing members must say yes. But for now, one i.e. Turkey is saying no.

Turkey’s President Erdogan says he won't agree to admit countries which apply sanctions on Turkey.

Here’s the issue. With the fear of World War III looming large, as Russia’s irritability increases, border or neighbouring states fear they may be under attack, as same as Ukraine. While earlier Finland or Sweden never bothered with NATO membership, of course now they fear for their lives, same as in Poland and Romania.

The UK has of course extended the hand of commitment towards Sweden and Finland, assuring no disruption and ample support despite no membership, but Turkey is convinced that states who have had no solid policy against terrorism cannot be a part of NATO. On a day when Sweden and Finland have decided to join NATO, the Russian President who has been wary of the organisation, on Monday said he believed that there was no threat to

Russia if these countries joined NATO. But President Putin cautioned that there would be ‘consequences’ if the US-led alliance ‘bolstered’ military infrastructure in the new Nordic members.

On Sunday, the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, said he was confident that Finland and Sweden would both join, despite Turkish objections, the BBC reported.

The report further said the issue is likely to dominate discussions between Mr Blinken and his Turkish opposite number in Washington on Wednesday. Having encouraged the two Nordic countries to apply, Washington won't want to let them down at the last hour.

The Mint has reported, that before Putin spoke, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said the West should have no illusions that Moscow would simply put up with the Nordic expansion of NATO. One of Putin's closest allies, former President Dmitry Medvedev, also reportedly said that Russia could deploy nuclear weapons and hypersonic missiles in the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad if Finland and Sweden joined NATO. But speaking in the Grand Kremlin Palace, President Putin read a short speech that touched on NATO and then went on to scold the US for creating biological laboratories in the former Soviet Union- a claim Washington and Kyiv have both denied.

The West says NATO is purely defensive. So let’s see if Turkey changes its mind for the common good, fears a looming war and goes past beyond differences.

Congress ignores key question of leadership The Congress held a three-day conclave in Udaipur to discuss ways to revive the party. It plotted a path to give a youthful makeover to the party and promises have been made that tickets will be restricted to one person in a family, with exceptions, of course, that help most existing families. These proposed structural changes in the organisation are necessary for the Congress, which has been in a free fall since the 2014 general election.

Successive electoral defeats have turned many leaders restive and many others left the party. The emergence of the G-23, an informal group of dissidents, has put the spotlight on the leadership record of the Gandhi family. The conclave discussed organisational and policy issues, but decidedly steering clear of questions concerning leadership. A clear takeaway from the conclave is that the Gandhis continue to exercise total control over the party.

Rahul Gandhi has admitted that the party has lost its connect with the masses. This plain truth has manifested repeatedly in the party's inability to win elections but seems to have eluded the Gandhis all this while. Rahul blamed poor communication strategy for the disconnect and promised a revamp. However, the loss of touch with the masses may not necessarily be the outcome of strategy. The problem also lies with the message and the messenger. Despite being out of office at the Centre for over eight years, the Congress is yet to reinvent itself as a party of the Opposition. Its politics has been more reactive than a proactive one of setting the agenda or building its own narrative. The incapacity to articulate in a coherent manner what the party stands for is curious since there is no dearth of articulate leaders in that party. There is no clear idea about the goals and party's message is incoherent and often contradictory. The party has now announced two campaigns - a Bharat Jodo Yatra and Rozgar Do Yatra - to rebuild its ties with the people.

However, a party's prospects will be shaped more by the commitment and vision of its leadership. Ideological clarity would help, but a leadership that can work 24x7 and remain accessible is necessary to inspire workers and revive the Congress. Just passing resolutions won't be sufficient to take on Prime Minister Modi and Amit Shah of the BJP. Congress is top heavy without enough foot soldiers. The self-styled election strategist Prashant Kishor has given up his effort to revive the party because he has realised that the Gandhi family is not willing to give up leadership to capable young men.

The over-a-century-old party has gone into a state of deep coma in the last seven years. So where does the Congress go from here? The party has a choice either to revive and strengthen itself once again or go into oblivion. Although the party can’t be written off yet, its current state of stupor has greatly affected its image and benefited its friends and foes alike. Many Congress stalwarts who could win a good number of seats have either left the party to join the BJP or withdrawn into a shell and nowhere seen in public. Either way, the loss is for the Congress. Any more procrastination on its part to set its house in order will seriously affect its prospects in 2024. Given the current mood within the party, it appears to be difficult to predict even a double-digit win for the Congress in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

The only choice left for the Congress is revival. But those who are coming very close to a solution are still afraid to openly demand the removal of the Gandhi family from the leadership.

It is common knowledge that the ‘mother-son-daughter’ leadership has failed to lead the party to victory but the votaries of change are willing to strike but afraid to hurt. The G-23 seems to know the solution but no one is willing to risk administering the bitter medicine.

Thought for the week What mental health needs is more sunlight, more candor, and more unashamed conversation. – Glenn Close

Political Sketchbook Alpesh Patel

Rule Britannia, Jai Hind In this the Queen’s Platinum year you will hear much singing of Rule Britannia – and why not? A country with much to be proud of. This is the opening stanza to Rule Britannia: When Britain first, at Heaven's command Arose from out the azure main; This was the charter of the land, And guardian angels sang this strain: "Rule, Britannia! rule the waves: "Britons never will be slaves."

Now that’s confidence. Gets better in stanza two: The nations, not so blest as thee, Must, in their turns, to tyrants fall; While thou shalt flourish great and free, The dread and envy of them all.

"Rule, Britannia! rule the waves: "Britons never will be slaves."

You will also hear very often the phrase ‘Slava Ukraini’ – meaning glory to Ukraine. It’s like Jai Hind.

People are so often proud of their nations. (Even misguided Russians – though most presently rightly see their country as an embarrassment to humanity, but they too like the Germans, Japanese and Italians after World War Two will be re-admitted sometime in the future into the human race again when their equivalent of Hitler/Mussolini/Hirohito is hung from some lamppost).

Where does that leave the children of immigrants.

Do we have a two for one bonus? Proud of the UK and of India?

I am currently reading ‘The Anarchy’ by William Dalrymple. The book is about the relentless rise of the East India Company and the industrial scale looting (loot being an Indian word – as theft would not do).

I am also reading Sathnam Sangera’s Empireland – another well researched book. As he writes, the reason we are here is because they were there.

The second generation of immigrants from India had a difficult time finding work in Britain with many being under-employed. The difficulties faced were twofold: firstly, they struggled to find jobs; secondly, even if they did get work it would often not be using their qualifications. Many Indian graduates ended up driving taxis and working in corner shops while those who had gone into medicine or law now found themselves delivering milk or working as cleaners. It was the experience of the second generation that led to the creation of the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE).

In 2006, Indians were more likely to be entrepreneurs than people from any other ethnic group, with 9.5% of all business owners belonging to this group.

Whilst Britain is richer for it, and better off, it is our heritage and struggles which have enriched Britain and we are mutually grateful to each other.

So feel free to proclaim Jai Hind and Rule Britannia in the same sentence. You are a child not only of the Universe but of both nations.

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Birmingham's award-winning Indian restaurant now sits neglected Award-winning and one of Birmingham's pioneering Indian restaurants Maharaja which should have celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2021, now sits neglected and covered in graffiti.

Once a favourite of Hollywood legend Lauren Bacall, this restaurant will not be at the culinary heart of the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

With the death of restaurateur Nat Batt and

Covid-19, it has lost its glory.

In 1956, Nat arrived in England from Punjab. In the 1970s, he founded Maharaja - 'the king of kings'. First three years it was difficult as

customers wanted steak and chips.

However, Nat brought in Madan Lal, a top chef with a leading Delhi restaurant called Moti Mahal and preserved authentic North Indian cooking.

Twenty-five years after opening in 1996, Maharaja was named the Egon Ronay Indian Restaurant of the Year.

Nat's original signature

dishes – rogan josh, lamb pasanda and butter chicken – were a major hit and the menu would remain the same regardless of who was in the kitchen.

During an interview in 2009, Nat said, Food is like a religion. I regard every customer who comes through my door as a house guest. I always say to my waiters, You never serve a dish to a guest that you would not eat yourself.

Woman from Leicester warns BAME communities about mental health Joy Chinewe Aguguo, who is of Nigerian origin, moved to the UK eight years ago from Italy, and is now making it her mission to pioneer change for ethnic minorities in the city after losing her friend. According to some studies, BAME communities are more likely to suffer from both physical and mental health issues.

“Late last year, one of my friends who is also of African origin died at work. He worked tirelessly in the mental health sector which is already a very demanding

career.

"Unfortunately one of his patients kicked him in his chest, killing him instantly.

From what I was told, the impact of the kick made my friend slump over immediately and just like that, he

was gone.

"Reflecting on this incident, I wondered if my friend having high blood pressure had anything to do with his instantaneous death. But it wasn't just that, he was probably overworked.

"BAME communities work very hard - specifically the black community who are very dependent on each other and there is a lot of pressure for us to work hard for our families back home in Africa. That type of stress is what a majority of Africans in the UK go through.

"We go about our daily lives, working endlessly but we don’t really think about our internal health and what all this work is going to our bodies. That's what made me want to start a movement."

Leicester man makes documentary about his own alcohol addiction 48-year-old IT worker Jit Chauhan who was an alcoholic has completed seven years of sobriety. I’m Jit and I’m an Alcoholic is a short documentary-style film which talks about his journey through alcohol dependency and recovery.

"Some days I'd sleep with a knife next to my pillow, just wanting to end it all.

Other days I'd wake up on a

park bench," he said.

"I started drinking when I was 15 with the family but it was between the ages of 31 and 41 that were the worst years for me. It was a 10 year period of heavy drinking.

"I was weary going to social events because I knew that they'd cause my drinking to spiral. I'd disappear from my family and friends, whole weeks were spent just

drinking and doing drugs on my own.

"My rock bottom was a four-week episode of drinking and doing drugs. I'd drink at least a litre bottle of whiskey in a day and that's not including other alcoholic drinks I was consuming like beer.

"I was dependent on alcohol. Any minor issue, even something as small as

stubbing my toe, I'd turn to drink.

"Mentally I didn't have control over anything.

Alcohol makes you feel good in the moment, but ultimately it was affecting my health and my livelihood."

“I want people to know that it is okay to talk and it’s also okay to have an issue.

There is help and support services out there," he added.

Loughborough-based rapper and charity Equality Action release song 'The Game' for mental health awareness week A Loughborough-based charity Equality Action has composed a song titled The Game to raise awareness of men's mental health, in celebration of Mental Health awareness week. The song explores a man's journey in navigating and escaping his mental health struggles through gaming.

Loughborough-based 33-year-old local rapper Lakhbir Legha, also known as Lacky C has provided vocals for the track, alongside local youth groups. The single was released on Thursday, May 12, on all major streaming sites.

In order to support BAME communities in Leicestershire and Rutland, Equality Action has teamed up with national healthcare provider Vita health.

The charity helps BAME communities to access the appropriate mental health services and improve their wellbeing through commu-

nity projects.

Project officer of Equality Action Anita

Barand said: “Conversations for the song's production started last year in September, and we contacted several youth groups and then a local music producer contacted us and played us some beats for us to decide if they were something we could use.”

Due to lockdown

restrictions, the charity put a call on social media and asked people to get involved, Anita says.

Lacky C said he was honoured and privileged to be part of the project and he just wants listeners to be more mindful of men's mental health when listening to the song.

Mum creates Indian clothing line for breastfeeding women When Heal Golani from Oadby in Leicestershire, a mum-of-two found that there is a dearth of traditional Indian occasionwear that suits the needs of breastfeeding mums, she created her own line Jiva just before the pandemic.

She herself was so frustrated as there were no options. 35-year-old Hemal recalls how she looked in local stores and online but could not find anything suitable.

"I asked lots of other women, including friends and family, and they all said the same thing - there was nothing out there."

Hemal faced the same challenge when she had her second child, her daughter, and

had been pondering on the idea of making her own clothing line.

When she had her second child, she was still pondering the idea of making her own clothing line.

Finally, she started sketching a few designs while her children took a nap.

Under her brand, Hemal has designed a range of blouses that while being practical, are in keeping with modern trends and can be mixed and matched with other garments such as a sari or skirt. They have extra fastenings and openings that are discreet but allow mums to breastfeed with ease.

Railway company fined £550k after worker 'buried alive' A railway infrastructure company VolkerRail Ltd has been fined over half a million pounds after a worker was buried alive following a trench collapse. Railway company pleaded guilty to an offence under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

On July 6, 2014, an employee was working in a trench as part of a project carrying out excavation work outside Stafford Railway Station when the trench collapsed burying the worker alive. Though he

survived the ordeal, he suffered serious injuries including a broken pelvis and several broken ribs, a court heard.

He needed surgery and was placed in an induced coma as well. And as of 2021, he was still in pain and no longer able to work full time.

VolkerRail Ltd failed to prevent danger to workers undertaking excavation work beside the railway, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) found in its investigation.

Birmingham secondary schools get lowest rating in England The government's education watchdog Ofsted has rated three secondary schools in Birmingham as 'inadequate'. The inspections took place during or just before the Covid pandemic began.

Ofsted released a report mentioning about the schools making progress but many still faced challenges, some with longer-term consequences.

Headteachers of all the three schools with the low-

est ratings said when the inspections took place, they were 'significantly affected' by the pandemic.

The schools with the lowest possible rating in Birmingham are Camp Hill Education, a new independent school in Camp Hill, Ark Kings Academy, which is a co-educational allthrough school and sixth form in Kings Norton, and Redstone Academy for Boys, an independent school in Moseley.

Teacher accused of sexually assaulting schoolgirls A Birmingham teacher Muhammad Taimoor has been remanded into custody charged with sexually assaulting four schoolgirls.

He is also accused of four counts of causing or inciting child sexual exploitation, sexual activity while in a position of trust, and two counts of trafficking within the UK. 28-year-old Taimoor is alleged to have assaulted the girls, two aged 15, one aged 14 and one aged 16, between January and May this year. He appeared at Walsall Magistrates' Court where he spoke only to confirm his name, date of

birth and address during a short hearing. He was not required to enter pleas to any of the 14 charges.

It is alleged that some of the assaults happened while the defendant was at work, the court heard.

Taimoor is also accused of driving the girls around in his car with the intention of sexually assaulting them.

On May 9 he was arrested and released on conditional bail but was detained again. District Judge David Murray remanded the accused into custody to appear at Birmingham Crown Court on June 13.

Fake Zamzam water on sale in Leicester, officers warn people Trading Standards officers in London have seized 1,400 litres of unofficial holy water, Zamzam. However, it is believed that some may have already gone to safe places including Leicester.

For Muslims, Zamzam water is sacred and a miraculously generated source of water.

The source of authentic Zamzam water is a well in

Mecca in Saudi Arabia, and many tourists bring small quantities home when they visit the country. But, the fake version of the water is not safe to drink and cannot be sold legally in the UK. Meanwhile, Trading Standards officers are advising people not to buy any water labelled as 'Zamzam water' because it can pose a risk to health if consumed.

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Sajid Javid told to overhaul NHS, will freeze prescription charges The Health Secretary has been told to attack the NHS after the number of fat cat managers have doubled since Covid. He is being warned the Tories will be in big trouble if the £12billion a year National Insurance rise is gobbled up by managers.

A senior Tory source said: “If Saj has a major plan

to make sure we get value for money, then I haven’t seen it yet.

“I worry that’s going to happen to Saj.” Meanwhile, Sajid Javid will be freezing prescription charges in order to ease the cost of living crisis The Department of Health and Social Care

(DHSC) believes the move, which is the first for 12 years, will save patients £17 million.

Boxer Amir Khan talks about poor diet in Asian athletes

Amarjit scoops ‘Entrepreneur’ award Dhiren Katwa

teamwork. It so happens that I’m at the The boss of a British woodhelm of this business working family business has but its success so far been crowned, for the secis down to our fantasond time this year, tic workforce who are Entrepreneur of the Year. an integral part of the Amarjit Binji, CEO of AJB Group extended AJB Group, beat off stiff family. competition to win this Amarjit’s career prestigious title at the Amarjit Jai and Aaron began at the age of 12.

Nachural Entrepreneurship He started out as a carpenter and Awards 2022. joiner. Frustrated with the lack of Winners across the 21 categories innovation and modern technique were announced at a gala black-tie within his specialist field, he decided event held in Leicester on Friday to set up his own company in 1999.

(May 13). The Nachural Group host a AJB Group currently employs series of awards across popular UK around 40 staff, including his brothcities throughout each year. er Mandeep, sister Kully and best In March 2022, Amarjit was friend of over 35 years, Hitesh, who proud recipient of the same title, works as Operations Director, HR Entrepreneur of the Year 2022’ at the Midlands Business Awards.

Director and Project Manager, Visionary entrepreneur and respectively. Darren Moore, Factory proud dad-of-two Amarjit said: “It is Manager, is the longest-serving further proof, I feel, of effective employee.

Because of this, the charge for a single prescription will remain at £9.35, while a three-month prescription prepayment certificate (PPC) will stay at £30.25.

Twelve-month PPCs will remain at £108.10 and can be paid for in instalments.

35-year-old Boxer Amir Khan who announced his retirement from boxing during a farewell press conference said that young Asian sportsmen and women of allowing excuses and a poor diet to stop them from fulfilling their potential.

He picked on Asian footballers for lacking dedication and allowing racism to undermine their progress and development.

“It’s an amazing platform for them to see what I’ve done and that it’s possible for them to do the same and achieve what I’ve achieved. People used to say: ‘We are Muslim, we are Asian, we can’t make it in boxing. We’re not going to be picked.’ It’s an excuse that all Asians use – that we’re never going to be picked."

Overseas-trained NHS doctors more likely to be struck off Doctors who graduate abroad and are working on NHS are more likely to suspend or be struck off as they don't have a legal representation upon attending a tribunal hearing, new figures show. In comparison to 25 per cent of doctors who qualify in the UK, nearly 40 per cent of doctors who trained abroad do not have legal representation.

Based on the findings, the General Medical Council (GMC) is being questioned whether it displays “systemic racial bias” in its treatment of foreignborn medics accused of wrongdoing The hearings fall under the responsibility of the

Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS), which is the GMC’s disciplinary arm.

Dame Jane Dacre, the president of the MPS, said: “The fact that so many doctors coming to work in the UK have no one to defend their interests, provide legal advice and guide them through what is a lengthy, stressful and complex regulatory process, is worrying. I am deeply concerned for them.”

Secure English Language Tests (SELTs) approved for applications to UKVI for visas, visa renewals, British Citizenship and Settlement GESE: Graded Examinations in Spoken English A speaking and listening in English test available at levels A1, A2 and B1 Tests available seven days a week at centres UK wide Provisional result received by 9am the next day and certificates sent within seven days

New Trinity SELT test centre now open in Newcastle!

You can now book your Trinity SELT test in Newcastle, only a 10-minute walk from Newcastle Central Train Station

Scan the QR code or visit trinitySELT.co.uk to book your Trinity SELT test

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MAY RESILIENCE WIN! Continued from page 1 Though the Bank of England hasn’t used the word “recession” in its warnings, economists are coming to the conclusion that the UK is heading towards one– if not already in it.

On Monday, Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey, and two members of the institution’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), were allegedly probed by MPs on the likelihood of a UK recession.

Media reports suggest that we are “back to the bad old days of the 1990s as recession looms for UK” as the BoE issues warnings of 'apocalyptic' global food shortage, while Governor Andrew Bailey says he is 'helpless' in face of surging inflation.

With “very big income shock” the UK stands at the risk of double-digit inflation before the end of the year.

If trade pundits are right, the consumer prices index will be at its highest level since 1990, when the UK was struggling with one of its worst post-war property slumps and a full-blown recession. This is when the disposable incomes across the country have been hit hard for all families.

Britain’s GDP will fall by 0.2pc in the three months to September and another 0.4pc in the final quarter of 2022 as “stagflation” threatens, before returning to years of mediocre growth, The Daily Telegraph reported.

The impact of the recession will not just shake up the already unstable foundations of businesses and individuals, but also shatter middle-class dreams of having more disposable income, and even worse for those who are ill, suffering from Long Covid, non-Covid or terminal diseases. According to a report in The Guardian, unemployment is forecast to remain low, at 3.8% – the same as the previous month – though this figure is flattered by the 500,000 workers, mostly over-50s, who have quit the labour market in the past 18 months.

While economists have warned that Rishi Sunak's failures will trigger a recession, the Chancellor told the BBC he was "ready to do more" but did not commit to further action on tackling the rising cost of living. The Chancellor would not say whether a recession was likely in the coming months but did admit that the "global economy is facing inflationary pressures", because of the war in Ukraine.

No country can escape a recession Speaking to Asian Voice, Professor Siddhartha Bandyopadhyay, The Department of Economics Professor of Economics, University of Birmingham said, “The current state of

Siddhartha Bandyopadhyay

the UK economy is grim, with inflation at 10% and the economy predicted to shrink over the last 3 months of 2022. Its impact will be felt by everyone in terms of a drop in real income. Vulnerable groups are having to make tough choices around energy consumption vs food, and the middle-income group is struggling to meet its outgoings, While most of the factors are driven by world events, governments are under enormous pressure to consider emergency measures. While there is a risk of spending one’s way out of trouble (because of the larger debt burden in the future), there is an even greater risk of letting the economy shrink further with businesses facing lowered demand if people are forced to cut back spending.

Governments need to guard against not becoming isolationist as trade can be the engine of growth needed to boost the economies of all countries.”

Multi-award-winning businessman, social reformer and philanthropist, Lord Rami Ranger CBE told the newsweekly

through trade.

“The Russian invasion of Ukraine has compounded the situation and disturbed the fragile recovery countries were beginning to experience. Russia is facing worldwide sanctions, and in retaliation, Russia is barring western companies from selling their products and services. Europe depends on Russia for its energy needs, and alternative energy sources will add extra cost and take time.

“The impact on the economy will be significant as energy and food prices have already gone up. Many households will struggle to meet the energy and food bills as the wages have not gone up to keep pace with the inflation. “We in the United Kingdom are fortunate as we are experiencing full employment. In fact, there is a shortage of labour in the farms, hospitality and care sectors. The Govt has taken up a levelling programme where deprived areas will receive extra funding to help support local businesses and communities. Chancellor Rishi Sunak is working to lessen the impact of the global recession in the United Kingdom.

The process takes time, but we will bounce back as a nation. A free trade agreement with India will bring added stimulus to the economy.”

Commenting on the impact of the recession on the travel industry, Jaymin Borkhatria of Southall Travels told us, “This could

Jaymin Borkhatria Lord Rami Ranger CBE

that he thinks Mr Sunak is working to lessen the impact. He told us, “The world’s economy is going through an unprecedented time due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which is still not over after nearly three years.

The second-biggest economy, China, is still grappling with Covid. Many big cities in China are under a lockdown regime. The industrial output is at its lowest, which has resulted in a global shortage of almost everything.

“The hospitality industry is still facing considerable challenges. Firstly, there is a staff shortage as the workers have not returned to work. Secondly, tourists and businessmen are not making as many trips abroad as they used to.

It all adds up to create a global recession. No country can escape recession in a worldwide economy as most economies are interlinked

be a worrying time for some households as we hear in the media reports of slowing economic growth and rising prices. Holidays are important to look forward to as is visiting family overseas.

Forward planning usually pays dividends as flight capacity has not yet reached 2019 levels. Also, if fuel prices remain high the cost of travel may increase in the future.”

Recessions are a good time to capture market share Business Growth Coach Shilpa Panchmatia said, “Recession is a brilliant time

Shilpa Panchmatia

to start a business. Yes, recessions create problems; a key one being that investment in innovation slows down. Being forced to minimise overheads will stresstest the business' finances, productivity and profitability - making a lean yet robust model for future market undulations.

Remaining agile while prioritising longterm growth will not only help businesses overcome a downturn but also lay the foundation for continued success. Recessions are a good time to capture market share when other businesses are distracted. I’ve been through no less than three recessions and found the upturn afterwards to be phenomenal. Uber Disney and FedX are some iconic brands that were born in a recession and have thrived.

You're in for a ride but it could be the best yet!”

Investing Expert and Asian Voice columnist Alpesh Patel OBE listed

Mandirs would have helpful people. They must also write to the paper to seek help if they cannot through the above two. AgeUK gives help at home and helps with benefits – heating, public transport, council tax, housing, urgent or one-off expenses, Attendance Allowance, carer’, he added.

Two-fifths of London's Universal Credit claimants are already in work as pay lags behind inflation In response to new Government statistics, revealing that in March 2022, 41% of London’s 916,000 Universal Credit claimants were in employment, Labour’s London Assembly Economy Spokesperson, Marina Ahmad AM, said, “Amidst

Marina Ahmad AM

Alpesh Patel OBE

some key points that could possibly help the elderly cope with the recession.

According to Alpesh, the elderly need to be aware of the benefits and help available from Government and other places. He suggested that they get someone computer literate if they are not to help them. They should visit Citizens Advice too/ Mandir re help – most

this spiralling cost of living crisis, the stretched incomes of over 900,000 Londoners are being hit by the legacy of the Government’s scrapping of the weekly £20 Universal Credit uplift.

“When the Government brought in the cut, Ministers tried to justify it by saying it would help move more people into work. But this misses this point when two-fifths of people relying on Universal Credit are already in jobs.

“The Government’s boasts about the unemployment rate ring hollow when

regular pay is lagging behind inflation. Many of my constituents are working every hour they can and still need to claim Universal Credit.

“As well as strengthening the safety net, the Government should be finally getting a grip on inwork poverty. Instead, we have had some condescending advice from a Minister telling people to just find a better job, along with a National Insurance hike at the worst possible time”.

Over a third of adults say they’re unable to afford adult education Meanwhile, a YouGov survey of 2,109 British adults commissioned by distance learning provider Oxford Opening Learning found that, although 69 per cent of respondents said they could be motivated to learn for any type of new qualification - from GCSEs to PHDs and industry certificates - only just over a quarter of Brits (27 per cent) are likely to actually do so.

The biggest barrier to British adults continuing their education is cost, with more than a third (35 per cent) saying they’re unable to afford to study, while almost a fifth (19 per cent) say they don’t have time.

The five most common issues that stop adults from continuing with education in the future are Lack of affordability (35 per cent), Time constraints (19 per cent), Not needing any further qualifications (18 per cent), Lack of motivation (17 per cent) and Lack of energy (17 per cent).

Almost half of the millennials (25–34-year-olds) say they are likely to consider studying for a new qualification in the future.

Foreign Secretary launches new International Development Strategy Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has set out her vision for the future of UK international development. The strategy, which builds on a proud record of global leadership in the development, will challenge dependency on malign actors, offering choice and bringing more countries into the orbit of free-market economies.

The strategy will help address increasing global challenges, delivering investment, supporting women and girls, getting humanitarian assistance to those who need it most, and continuing our work on climate change, nature and global health.

The strategy will use British International Investment and other tools to provide honest

and reliable finance to help low- and middleincome countries take control of their futures, giving them an alternative so they are not burdened with unsustainable debt with strings attached.

This approach will help deliver the Clean Green Initiative, supporting countries to grow their economies sustainably.

The Government will also use the strategy to rebalance the aid budget towards bilateral programmes. This will give the Government greater control over how money is spent allowing a focus on priorities and improving lives around the world.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said: “In an increasingly geopolitical world,

we must use development as a key part of our foreign policy. Malign actors treat economics and development as a means of control, using patronage, investment and debt as a form of economic coercion and political power. We won’t mirror their malign tactics, but we will match them in our resolve to provide an alternative.

The new strategy, launched today, will ensure that our international development work brings benefits across the globe and here at home.

Our strategy will deepen economic, security and development ties globally, while delivering jobs and growth in both the UK and partner countries.”

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in brief NHS WAITING LIST HITS RECORD HIGH WITH 6.4M PATIENTS In England, the waiting list for routine hospital treatment has hit a new record high, but the number of two-year waits has fallen, new figures show. At the end of March, total waits for procedures such as hip replacements and cataract surgery stood at 6.4 million, up from 6.2 million in February and the highest number since records began in 2007.

The Government and NHS England have decided to eliminate all waits of more than two years by setting the ambition in the elective recovery plan, except when it is the patient’s choice, by July. However, the number of people having to wait more than a year to start hospital treatment in England has increased from 299,478 in February to 306,286 in March.

MORE THAN A MILLION MISSING OUT ON APPROVED TREATMENTS The study, by PwC for the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) found that more than a million diabetes, asthma, stroke and kidney patients are missing out on treatments that are approved for use in the UK. The study focuses on 13 medicines for four treatment areas — stroke prevention, kidney disease, asthma and type 2 Diabetes.

Based on National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) recommendations, it concludes that 1.2 million fewer patients received the drugs than were eligible.

Richard Torbett, chief executive of the ABPI, said: “It’s been the case for a long time that we’ve struggled with the uptake of medicines in the NHS. There is a range of issues, particularly fragmented decision-making at the local level.”

Take a taxi to hospital 4th India-UK Healthcare instead of an ambulance, Conference says health chief As A&E waiting times hit record highs, the head of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine has advised that people who are in need of an ambulance should consider taking a taxi to the hospital.

In the month of April, around 24,138 people had to wait more than 12 hours in A&E departments in England, from a decision to admit to actually being admitted. The number waiting at least four hours from the decision to admit to admission fell to 131,905 in April, according to NHS data, down from an alltime high of 136,298 the previous month.

The average response time in April for ambulances deal-

ing with the most urgent incidents was nine minutes and two seconds, which had improved slightly from March where the response time was nine minutes and 35 seconds.

Dr Katherine Henderson, the president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said in her 20-yearcareer, that this is the first time when emergency services have “broken the commitment” to get an ambulance to a patient in a timely manner.

Oxford falls behind in medical research, Leicester overtakes Oxford, despite being the architect of one of the Covid vaccines, has fallen behind the University of Leicester for medical research in the latest academic rankings.

2021 Research The Excellence Framework (REF), which is carried out by Research England and measures the volume, quality and impact of research produced at different universities, shows

high-quality research is spread evenly across the UK and will boost the government’s “levelling up” agenda, the experts said.

Other universities such as Northumbria and Leicester have leapt up the rankings since it was last published in 2014. Meanwhile, Oxbridge and other Russell Group universities have been ranked highly.

The fourth edition of the India-UK health care conference took place at the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) in London on Thursday, May 12. The event took place in collaboration with the UK's Department for International Trade and the High Commission of India.

Hosting the 4th India-UK Healthcare Conference, High Commissioner of India emphasised ‘Affordable’, ‘accessible’ and ‘adaptable‘ should be the guiding mantra as India and UK cooperate in healthcare for mutual benefit and to bring solutions to the world.

High Commissioner for India in the UK, Gaitri Issar Kumar, addressed the seminar emphasizing the bilateral agenda for initiatives and cooperation between the

two nations.

She said, “Health care was again underlined by our two Prime Ministers in the talks that they held when Johnson visited New Delhi. Their jointly issued statement reaffirmed their commitment to Covid preparedness, global clinical trials, a new partnership on antimicrobial resistance, digital health, associated technologies, and convening of a ministerial dialogue on health and life sciences in this year itself.”

Kenya-born artist will design £1 coin A Kenyan-born artist Michael Armitage has been picked to design the new British One-Pound (£1) coin that will enter circulation in the United Kingdom in 2023, the chancellor Rishi Sunak announced speaking during a Royal College of Art’s (RCA) reception. Michael will design the new coin to mark its 40th anniversary year.

“I am delighted that Michael will lend his vision to the creation of this new £1-coin design in its 40th anniversary year. This coin will symbolize the rich tapestry of modern Britain and honour our

deep heritage and history,” the Chancellor said.

Armitage said he was honoured and privileged to be part of Britain’s coin-making history.

“It is a great privilege to have the opportunity to collaborate with the Royal Mint on the design of the new £1 coin. It is an honour to be part of the lineage of coin-making in the United Kingdom and I am grateful to the Chancellor and the selection panel for the opportunity to contribute to this history in considering what it is to be part of Great Britain today,” he said.

Teenager shot on busy street, cops ADULTS WAITING FOR hunt gunman SOCIAL CARE RISEN TO

MORE THAN 500,000 In England, the number of adults waiting for social care has risen to more than 500,000, according to the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS). It said this was a dramatic increase from last year’s estimate of 294,000. Its president Sarah McClinton said it was having “a devastating impact on people’s lives”. Having been hit by the cost-of-living crisis and low pay, the sector is experiencing a shortage of workers.

The association said a rising number of people with complex needs require care and capacity is not keeping pace. To help address the shortages, government advisers said that carers should receive an increased minimum wage and should be made permanently eligible for work visas under immigration rules.

ROYAL MAIL ADMITS TO DELAYING POST, BLAMES COVID Royal Mail has admitted that its performance is not up to the mark and has blamed the pandemic for the impact. It also admitted that a fifth of items sent first-class, do not arrive the next day. It said a pandemic affected its service standards and workers also had to isolate themselves over the past year. Reporting its annual quality-of-service statistics against its target of 93 per cent, the company said 81.8 per cent of first-class mail arrived the next day in the year to April.

Grant McPherson, chief operating officer of Royal Mail, said: “We know we need to improve our performance and some of the steps we have taken to address the issues are bearing fruit.”

A teenager was shot on a busy street, and was rushed to hospital after the attack in Brixton, South London.

DECODE THE GITA WISDOM FOR SUCCESS AND PEACE Witnesses said they were forced to duck for their safety after they heard gunshots. One witness claimed that they saw a car crash before a number of people got out of the vehicle and a handgun was fired.

Police reached the crime scene close to Lambeth Town Hall following reports of a firearm discharge at 7.15 pm. Officers found the teen with a gunshot wound and no further information about his condition has been released.

A witness told MyLondon: "The bus stopped and we heard then saw this big silver 4x4 crash and there were these guys running out of it, then we heard six gunshots." "[The bus] was probably about 70/100 metres away. It was pretty loud and you could tell straight away what it was - a car crash then multiple gunshots.

"Our bus was stopped when it was happening, then I crouched down for safety". There have been no arrests and enquiries continue.

In-person Lecture at Conway Hall, Central London Short walk from Holborn Tube Station 8 June 2022, 7.00 pm – 8.00 pm

T

he Bhagavad Gita is an ancient scripture which contains essential values of living which are relevant for the modern times. The Gita is not a religious text but a philosophical one and is applicable to people from all backgrounds the world over. Aldous Huxley from his lifelong study of philosophy writes: “Gita is one of the most clear and comprehensive summaries of perennial philosophy ever revealed; hence its enduring value is subject not only to India but to all of humanity." The Gita can be applied at work, in your homes and for self-development. It helps one become stress-free, self-sufficient and self-motivated.

Bhaskarji is a senior disciple of the world-renowned philosopher Swami Parthasarathy. Based in the UK he has an

experience of teaching the philosophy for 25 years now. In the one-hour lecture he will be introducing the timeless philosophy of the Bhagavad Gita and it’s relevance to managing oneself, work and relationships.

He has addressed various organisations such as Accenture, JPMorgan, BP, Young Presidents Organisation, British Wheel of Yoga, John Lyon School among others.

Over 200 people regularly attend his online weekly classes in the UK. Bhaskarji had a successful career in the Merchant Navy and he graduated from a three-year residential course at the Vedanta Academy, India under the guidance of Swami Parthasarathy. He is the managing trustee of the registered charity, Vedanta Institute London.

Register Now: www.vedanta.org.uk Join us for an evening of engaging and thought-provoking discourse. Bring your family and friends along

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UK-based Indian students organisation NISAU shortlisted for Pioneers 2022 International Higher Education awards The National Indian Students and Alumni UnionUK (NISAU) has been shortlisted as a finalist in three different categories at the sixth annual PIEoneer Awards. The PIEoneer Awards are the only global awards that celebrate innovation and achievement across the whole of the international education industry. With a distinguished judging panel representing geographical and professional diversity, The PIEoneer Awards recognise both individuals and organisations who are pushing professional standards, evolving their engagement or redefining the international student experience.

In a first, NISAU has made history by being the only Indian students association to have been shortlisted for multiple categories at the prestigious PIE awards: 1. Association of the Year This award recognises organisations that go above and beyond standard expectations to support their membership. NISAU has been short-

listed alongside various longstanding, institutional global sector representative organisations, such as the Universities UK International, which represents 140 universities in the UK; Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan), Canada which represents Canadian public colleges and institutions and English Australia, represents 120 Australian colleges.

2.Student Support Award This award recognises innovative & successful ways in which organisations support international students, to ensure their overall student experience is exemplary. This year the NISAU is shortlisted alongside institutions such as the University of Portsmouth and corporates such as Duolingo.

3. Outstanding Contribution to the Industry NISAU’s Founder and Chairperson Sanam Arora has been shortlisted as a finalist for this award which recognises individuals who have helped evolve or shape the global education sector in a

Sanam Arora

significant way. This is testimony to her painstaking and persistent work toward the welfare of the Indian student community in the UK and beyond. Last year’s winner was Vivienne Stern MBE, the incoming Chief Executive of Universities UK, the body representing British universities nationally and internationally.

10,942 food parcels handed out in Brent in year following lockdown 10,942 food parcels were given out by the Trussell Trust to people in Brent between April 2021 and March 2022, according to the charity’s end of year report. Over a third of these emergency supplies were given to children in the borough. In total, over 283,000 parcels were distributed across the capital during this period. Local London Assembly Member, Krupesh Hirani AM, said that these figures are “heart-wrenching” and made “even more worrying” by the fact that they “reflect the situation before the surge in energy bills and increase in National Insurance contributions”.

Hirani also took aim at the recent Queen’s Speech in which the Government failed to announce any immediate measures to tackle the growing cost of living crisis.

The London Assembly Member is backing calls for the National Insurance increase to be shelved and for a windfall tax on gas and oil companies which would pay for more support for low-income families and households to deal with surging energy bills.

He also wants to see the uplift in

Universal Credit to be restored and Local Housing Allowance to be unfrozen and increased so that it covers average rents in Harrow.

The latest Government figures show that 42,738 people in the borough are being impacted by the £20 weekly cut to Universal Credit payments.

Recent research published by the Food Foundation shows that last month, more than two million adults in the UK could not afford to eat every day.

This week, the Chairman of Tesco, John Allan, warned that the country is

being impacted by “real food poverty” and that an increasing number of the supermarket’s customers were using foodbanks.

Local London Assembly Member, Krupesh Hirani AM, said: “It is heartwrenching that so many local children and households can’t afford to feed themselves in one of the world’s richest economies.

“Yet again, the Trussell Trust’s End of Year report makes for very concerning reading and what’s even more worrying is that these figures reflect the situation before the surge in energy bills and increase in National Insurance contributions.

“It is clear that people in Brent want to see the Government do their job and offer clear solutions to the cost of living crisis. Instead, we saw a damp squib of a Queen’s Speech, which will do very little to put more money in the pockets of those struggling.

“Ministers could help those on the lowest incomes right now by strengthening our welfare system, tackling inwork poverty and shelving the National Insurance hike”.

Campaign to give IVF couples statutory time off reaches parliament A campaign to give statutory time off to women going through fertility treatment is being brought to Parliament by Nickie Aiken MP. The central London MP is introducing a Private Members Bill through the Commons which will help millions of people, especially women, who are juggling fertility treatment and work.

It comes as one in six couples are affected by infertility, more than a third of people undergoing treatment have considered leaving their job, and 70 per cent have taken sick leave.* Many people feel they have to hide it from their employer because they fear it will be held against them, they won’t be considered for the next promotion, or they will risk facing redun-

dancy. Those who do tell their employer, feel they are often overlooked for promotion or have big projects taken off them.

Nickie is now working with a coalition of charities and organisations; they are pushing the government to introduce statutory time off for couples to undergo fertility treatment.

Nickie said: “Fertility treatment affects millions of people from all ethnicities and socio-economic backgrounds. It is emotionally draining, costly, risky and a long process. You could go through multiple cycles before conceiving, they can be unpredictable, and women have to deal with the symptoms, the risk of complications, and the day-to-day practicalities

such as self-injecting.

“Undergoing treatment while juggling a career is very tough. Many people feel they cannot tell their employer for fear of being overlooked for a promotion or being made redundant.

The number of people hiding it from their employer and taking sick leave is shockingly high. It’s no wonder more than a third have considered quitting their job.

“This must change. Couples need permission to attend fertility appointments no matter where they work, without fear of being negatively impacted in their career. My Private Members Bill sets out to give couples the right to take the time off for fertility treatment, just like they would have for antenatal appointments.”

Lisa Nandy believes Starmer didn't break lockdown rules Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s announcement that he would quit if Durham police find him guilty of breaking lockdown rules has sparked speculation in Westminster about his potential successors.

When Lisa Nandy, the shadow levelling up secretary was asked whether she would run to succeed Starmer, she insisted that “he’s not going to resign because he hasn’t done anything wrong”.

“There is something really important for me about this, which is that I’ve been in parliament for 12 years now. I stood for the Labour Party leadership last time round because I could-

n’t bear to see us continue to make the same mistakes that would cost us the support and interest of the country.

“I think we got things very, very badly wrong under the last Labour Party leadership. I think we got things badly wrong around Brexit, which then fuelled this sense of distrust amongst people who’d always voted Labour in the country,” she added.

Last week, Durham police announced that they were investigating whether Starmer broke the rules when he drank beer and ate Indian food in an office during a visit to Durham on April 30 last year.

Monkeypox cases confirmed in England The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has detected 4 additional cases of monkeypox, 3 in London and one linked case in the north east of England.

The 4 new cases do not have known connections with the previous confirmed cases announced on 14 May and the case announced on 7 May. Investigations are underway to establish links between the latest 4 cases, who all appear to have been infected in London. All 4 of these cases self-identify as gay, bisexual or other men who have sex with men (MSM).

Currently, common contacts have been identified for 2 of the 4 latest cases.

There is no link to travel to a country where monkeypox is endemic, and exactly where and how they acquired their infections remains under urgent investigation, including whether they have further links to each other.

Those patients needing medical care are all in specialist infectious disease units at the Royal Free Hosptial, Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle upon Tyne and Guys’ and St Thomas’. The individuals have the West African clade of the virus, which is mild compared to the

Central African clade.

These latest cases mean that there are currently 7 confirmed monkeypox cases in the UK, diagnosed between 6 and 15 May. Due to the recent increase in cases and uncertainties around where some of these individuals acquired their infection, we are working closely with NHS partners to identify if there may have been more cases in recent weeks, as well as international partners to understand if similar rises have been seen in other countries.

Monkeypox is a viral infection usually associated with travel to West Africa.

It is usually a mild self-limiting illness, spread by very close contact with someone with monkeypox and most people recover within a few weeks.

Initial symptoms of monkeypox include fever, headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills and exhaustion. A rash can develop, often beginning on the face, then spreading to other parts of the body including the genitals.

The rash changes and goes through different stages, and can look like chickenpox or syphilis, before finally forming a scab, which later falls off.

Re-opening of revamped Bank Station In response to the full re-opening of the Northern Line, Labour’s London Assembly Transport Spokesperson, Elly Baker AM, said, “It’s great to see the Northern Line fully up and running again with a much more spacious southbound platform and concourse at Bank.

“Londoners will all know that changing at Bank can be a bit of a nightmare, so I am now looking forward to the completion of the next phase of upgrade works which will make the station more accessible, with much greater capacity and easier interchanges.

“Properly investing in our transport infrastructure is what will underpin the green, economic recovery of our capital- and the rest of the country. This is why we need the Government to stop withholding a fair and long-term emergency funding settlement for TfL”.

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Coventry University psychologist talks about soothing loneliness A Coventry University psyextroverted characterischologist has shared her five tics, are artefacts of top tips to help young people being happy, heard and soothe their feelings of lonewell – yet loneliness is as liness, to coincide with much about 'context', as Mental Health Awareness personal characteristics.

Week.

“Transitions between life stages, a Course Director of sense of disconnect, an Childhood, Youth and inability to express Education Studies in themselves or at least Coventry University’s School when trying to feel they of Psychological, Social and don't matter, pressure to Behavioural Sciences, Nim fit in or be socially Bahia has 14 years of health Nim Bahia accepted are a few exampsychology practice experiples of 'why'. Social media is an example of ence working across health and education one such platform which continues to harwith children and young people. ness a gap between young people's authentic Due to that background, she is able to sense of self and what they perceive to share her insight into an Office for National appease others online.

Statistics survey that revealed young people aged 16 to 24 years reported feeling lonely “There are often two types of reactions more often than those in older age groups. that can precede when a young person She said: “Loneliness can be described as describes feeling lonely, one that can a hollow, sinking feeling of emptiness and in unhelpfully label the feeling as a ‘problem, or a physical sense is the pain experienced from deficit’, and a second which overlooks the feeling deficient of social connection, or a debilitating nature of loneliness, as a method network of relationships that make you feel of ‘attention seeking’ or a characteristic of 'heard'. We continue to live in a world where adolescent behaviour.” it is assumed a large social following, and

Shaista Gohir OBE appointed to the House of Lords as a non-party-political peer Shaista Gohir OBE of the Muslim Women’s Network UK (MWNUK) has been appointed to the House of Lords as a nonparty-political peer. She was selected by the House of Lords Appointments Commission following an independent competitive process and recommended to the Prime Minister because of the expertise and experience she will be able to bring to the work of the House.

Shaista, who is of Pakistani heritage, has worked in the charity sector for nearly twenty years and is a leading women's rights campaigner, recognised as one of the most influential Muslim women in Britain.

Shaista first joined MWNUK in 2005 when it was an advisory group to the government. She then became one of the founding members who established MWNUK as an independent organisation and has led its growth since, serving as the Chair and Executive Director and building MWNUK to become a highly respected and awardwinning charity. To oversee the charity’s next period of growth, Shaista recently stepped off the board to lead it as the CEO. As a leading voice on issues relating to Muslim women, Shaista has ensured their lived experiences inform policymaking. For example, she successfully challenged the Foreign Office policy on charging 16-17year-old forced marriage victims repatriation fees. She conducted ground-breaking research on the sexual exploitation of Asian girls and contributed to the government’s Sharia Law Review with her research on Muslim marriage and divorce.

Her report on Muslim women’s experience of the criminal justice system shone a light on the justice gap faced by victims of abuse while her latest report, which will be published in June 2022, will focus on the harms experienced by Muslim women and their babies during their maternity care. Her other achievements have included setting up the national Muslim Women’s Network Helpline, and Counselling Service. She also established the APPG on Muslim Women.

In addition to her work at MWNUK, Shaista has served on various national and international advisory groups and boards. She is currently a Non-Executive Director at the University Hospital North Midlands NHS Trust and the Women’s Voices Lead at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, an honorary role with responsibility for ensuring women’s views and experiences of maternity and gynaecology services are heard. Her passion for social justice led to her to also founding a new charity last year, the Nisa Global Foundation, which will help women and girls in developing countries. Shaista has already been awarded the MBE for services to Muslim People and to Community Relations and OBE for Gender Equality and Women's Rights.

Commenting on the appointment, MWNUK Chair, Dr Iram Sattar MBE said: “This is a huge achievement given the highly competitive process; the appointment is very well deserved, and we are proud of her. Shaista will make an excellent addition to the House of Lords. Her dedication and passion for public service is demonstrated in all the roles she has been involved in, particularly how she has led the development of MWNUK with her ideas and vision.”

Shaista Gohir OBE added: “It is a huge honour to have been invited to join such a prestigious institution and be at the heart of lawmaking. I did not think someone like me would ever be given such an opportunity. I see this role as an extension of my activism and will use my voice to fly the flag for women’s rights, inequalities experienced by the most vulnerable in society, the charity sector, women’s health, the NHS and of course the West Midlands region. I look forward to working independently with peers across the House, sharing my expertise and providing scrutiny of government policy and legislation.”

Communities that Work welcomes new member: BME London Landlords Communities that Work, the Commenting for BME only national body for housing London Landlords, Chair Ben and employment, has welLaryea said: “BME London comed BME London Landlords brings together 13 Landlords as one of its newest BME-led registered social members. landlords who provide affordable housing to tenants across Communities that Work, is Greater London with a shared committed to transforming vision of being a leading examlives for good by supporting ple of successful collaboration people into rewarding, sustainand social innovation. able employment. Given the Collectively, we can optimise combined impact of Covid our impact to improve and with the current cost-of-living Khalid Mair advocate for better support for and energy crises, its role has our BME residents and the wider communinever been more relevant and vital for indities we serve. Post-pandemic, London’s viduals, households and communities than it already marginalised BME communities are is today. facing immense challenges.”

BME London Landlords is one of the key Commenting on the SHARP initiative, names behind the Social Housing AntiKhalid Mair, Executive Support for BME Racism Pledge (SHARP). Developed in partLondon Landlords, said: “SHARP reflects the nership with BME National and The social housing sector’s Zero Tolerance Housing Diversity Network, the SHARP initowards racism and drives to build racial tiative calls on all registered social landlords inclusion for the benefit of its tenants as well to adopt an anti-racist stance by adopting a as its employees. Many providers have taken clear policy that states their organisation is progressive action, and we’re calling on all anti-racist. registered social landlords to sign up to Commenting for Communities that SHARP, pledging to adopt a clear antiWork, Managing Director Lynsey Sweeney racism policy framework with an action plan said: “Communities that Work is the only committing their organisation to tackle national body for housing and employment racism and racial inequality, monitored and – in these critical times, a collaboration reviewed annually over a three-year period. between these two sectors is more vital than The SHARP initiative will support its social ever, delivering services that drive opportuhousing landlords to develop and shape their nities for residents and communities. We’re organisational cultures with real integrity, delighted to welcome BME London holding them accountable for ensuring Landlords to our membership body – spanracial equality as part of their core values and ning 1.4 million homes owned and managed as a key imperative. As such, the social housby 61 members drawn from across England. ing sector can demonstrate national leaderWe continue to raise the profile of the social ship on making UK society zero tolerant housing sector and increase recognition for towards racism and set the standard by the important work of our members to help which the housing association movement people and communities access employoperates.” ment, training and in-work progression.”

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Politicians out-off touch with public As we have lived in different countries before settling down here, I appreciate our politicians who are for the most part polite, helpful and caring. As I write often to them, so often sending them Christmas cards, including Prime Ministers and members of the Royal family, I inevitably get a reply or at least an acknowledgement card if the subject matter is not important to comment on.

Perhaps this is one of few nations where politicians and the public interact! Then in most countries, like India, the US and many more, it is not possible, as their constituents exceed a million or even more which makes it impossible to reply to everyone who writes to them.

Unfortunately, I have noticed a trend, especially in those politicians who come from the ethnic minority.

Although I have such an experience with only a couple of MPs, I feel the trend may spread, unless main political parties groom their new candidates on how to interact with the general public, and never ignore them.

Although an MP can only act on behalf of his or her constituents, they can and should be available to the general public when their enquiries have nothing to do with their own situation. I am totally against Russia and Ukraine wars and many of us write to as many MPs as possible, a right subject to ask their opinion, and where they stand.

PM has just announced that some ninety-one thousand Civil Servants will be made redundant so as to facilitate tax cuts for the rich and the privileged! When people say Conservatives are for the well-off and businesses, there is some truth, as I have seen how laws, rules and regulations let down consumers.

Recently I had a problem with one of the big energy providers. When they failed to deal with it, I approached Financial Ombudsman and other bodies.

But they refused to attend, as it is voluntary! I hope the recent consumer rights bill addresses our concern and make it compulsory for a business to attend and accept, and act on the judgement!

Bhupendra M. Gandhi

A clever response Life is getting too depressing so let’s all have a laugh at a joke I heard recently, and here it is. Two Indian lawyers are eating their own homemade snacks in a restaurant.

The manager notices them and hurries over to their table.

“Excuse me, gentlemen,” he says, “but we don’t allow customers to eat their own food here.” Both lawyers apologise profusely, then swap their homemade snacks with each other and carry on eating, watched by a shocked and speechless manager!

Rudy Otter

Congratulations on the 50 years Golden Anniversary Please accept my belated congratulations on the 50 years Golden Anniversary of Gujarat Samachar. What an amazing milestone! I heard about it recently. Your vision, hard work and vision have no doubt, helped to reach this amazing anniversary.

Warmest wishes for the future.

Deepak N Lalwani OBE Chairman - Lalcap Ltd Chartered FCSI, FCCA

Gujarat Day 2022 Celebration Thank you for publishing reports on Gujarat Day 2022 Celebration in Gujarat Samachar and Asian Voice publications.

The compositions bring out a clear picture of the proceedings and the spirit of the people at the event.

Thank you once again.

Pravin Amin

It's a fact The slogan "Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it'" has been coined by Joseph 'Kaka' Baptista of Mumbai and not Lokmanya Tilak as our history books mention it. Kaka Joseph Baptista was an associate and confidante of Lokmanya Tilak and a participant of the Home Rule Movement. It is never too late to correct this error and give our children the right information.

Jubel D'Cruz, Mumbai, India

Anti racists across Britain to #TakeTheKnee two years on from George Floyd's murder On Wednesday 25 May, the second anniversary of the murder of George Floyd that sparked the explosion of global Black Lives Matter protests, Stand Up To Racism groups across Britain will be holding #T ake T h eK nee events to mark his death and raise the issue of ongoing institutional racism. ‘Remember George Floyd’ #TakeTheKnee events and speaks outs will be held in localities, workplaces and campuses with an event at the US embassy in South London on the day at 6pm with Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP. Two years ago, George Floyd was murdered by police in Minneapolis.

Anger at the injustice of his death sparked the biggest wave of protest against racism the world has ever seen. The movement that spread from Minnesota across the USA and then the world raised the slogan ‘Black Lives Matter’. Some justice was won for Floyd as his murderer Derek Chauvin and two other officers were tried and found guilty. Racism and racist institutions were challenged in cities, towns and villages across Britain by a mass movement on the streets.

The case of Child Q, strip-searched by police in Hackney, highights the fact that the institutional

racism that George Floyd’s death exposed on an international scale is still a reality - despite Boris Johnson’s government stating it was "imagined" in its ‘CRED report’ of 2021.

Diane Abbott MP said, “From the disgraceful treatment of refugees, outrageous deportation flights and the widening of stop and search this government is engaged in an all-sided attack on the rights of Black and Asian people and other ethnic minorities. We have to prepare to fight back on all these issues and more."

Aamer Anwar, human rights lawyer leading a public inquiry into the death of Sheku Bayoh at the hands of six police officers in Kirkaldy, said, "This public inquiry would never happen, had it not been for the courage and perseverance of Sheku’s loved ones who have refused to walk away, to be silenced, bullied or patronised. This Inquiry is a testament to their desire to seek the truth and ensure Sheku is never forgotten.”

ernment’s strategy to tackle violent crime.

The letter has been sent to police forces about the restrictions on section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act, which have limited when officers could use stop and search and have been in place since 2014, will be removed.

Couriers have lost hundreds of new passports Couriers have lost hundreds of new passports over the pandemic, new figures reveal. Because of this, families are facing delays in renewing their crucial documents and more people will miss out on summer breaks abroad.

The waiting time for an adult passport renewal has risen to ten weeks, and with warnings, this target is regularly being missed.

Kapil Dudakia

KAPIL’S

KHICHADI

Ukraine, the End Game?

Piece by piece, the very infrastructure of Ukraine, both physical and societal are being destroyed. The west and its media have portrayed the conflict in the traditional good versus evil narrative. In essence, if you are with us, you are good, otherwise you are evil. The imperial mindset has still not changed within the elite in most western nations. They thrive on their ability to hoodwink their citizens with ease, whilst millions die or are displaced by their global game of power chess.

Police to start using controversial stop and search powers Officers now will be able to stop people without suspicion in areas where serious violence may occur which will help prevent knife crime.

Home secretary Priti Patel has decided to lift restrictions placed on police in the use of controversial stop-and-search powers as part of the gov-

•

This chaos has triggered questions in parliament following which the Passport Office has pledged to hire 700 new staff.

Figures were sought after a freedom of information request, showing that the number of passports sent out by the government department fell in 2020 and 2021, and more of them were lost en route.

Who can you trust to be your friend? Be careful how you answer that question. In the case of Ukraine, it thought the west was there to ensure its territorial integrity. Recent events show us this to be far from the truth. You see, NATO was never going to allow Ukraine to join. Primarily because there is a massive element within Ukraine that is neo-Nazi centred and believes in the power of the white supremacists. In fact, Ukraine even has a military arm that is fundamentally a neo-Nazi operation.

Let me remind you of the consequences of world wars. The top 20 nations with the highest deaths in World War 2 are given in the chart below (estimates vary).

Table 1: Deaths by Country - WWII The west was saved by the sacrifices of those in the east, lest we ever forget. There is a historical issue with the DNA of Europe. It has always been a white supremist enterprise. And that includes nations who fought on both sides of the war. Ukraine (which was part of the Soviet Union until 1991) also lost massively during WW2. As did China, India and Poland. The two epicentres of the global war were Germany and Japan, so it’s not a surprise they suffered serious losses as well.

Today we see the farce of those who started WW2 trying to put the Russian bear back in the cage. The very same Russia (Soviet Union) that saved them from the Nazi madness that was sweeping right across the whole of Europe. This does not exempt Russia from legitimate condemnation for what it does, but when the instigators of most wars and regime changes post WW2 gather to lecture the world about human rights and sovereign integrity, it would be the foolish who fall for that narrative blindly. This is why I commend India for its position. It was not going to be brow beaten into submission and follow the dictate of the west. It has chosen its own path, a path borne of the freedom it now has as a free nation. And the events unfolding shows us why India is right.

Ukraine is getting billions of Dollars from the west, but ultimately, it is only their nation and people who suffer. It will lose a portion of its territory, no matter what the west does.

In a complex world, one has to ask what is the endgame in Ukraine? The bottom line for NATO is to make sure Russia is damaged sufficiently that it will not pose any threat, militarily or economically. If for one moment you think they care about Ukraine, then I am afraid, you really are deluded. Ukraine is just another sacrificial pawn in their game of economic and military chess.

We now suddenly hear that both Finland and Sweden can be part of NATO quickly, but Ukraine will have to jump over many hurdles just to be considered! This now takes us into dangerous territory. Russia will never allow itself to be defeated. If necessary, it will deploy nuclear weapons, and from that point onwards, all bets are off.

The west needs to take a breath, they have miscalculated yet again, and their error (just like in WW1 and WW2) this time may well end the lives of billions.

The endgame, step back.

We are grateful to all letter writers for more and more versatile letters well within word limit.

Please keep contributing as always. If you are new, then write to Shefali at shefali.saxena@abplgroup.com

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Preparing for an Interview, Abhyudaya can help

Ruchi Ghanashyam Mrs. Ruchi Ghanashyam is the former High Commissioner of India to the UK. With a career in Indian Foreign Service for over 38 years, she has been posted in many countries including South Africa, Ghana, before arriving in the UK. She was only the second woman High Commissioner to the UK since India’s independence and during her tenure, she witnessed a number of significant developments in the UK-India relations. @RuchiGhanashyam

Everyone has a memory of at least one interview. Mine is the interview I gave at the time of appearing for the civil services.

Every interview is not necessarily a landmark in one’s life, but each interview is important. It reflects a search, a quest, a desire to do something. The interview is the opportunity to realise a dream, to achieve what one has been searching for; it may be a job, a grant, or an agreement.

The art of giving an interview is important. Everyone prepares for an interview. But often it’s not crammed knowledge that influences the judgement.

A balance of good awareness, analytical ability, the capacity to think on one’s feet, and a good personality generally play a key role in assessments. In any interview,

the interviewer tries to assess the sincerity of the person in front. Is it just regurgitation of acquired facts or has the person actually thought about the issue? How much sincerity and commitment does the person have to what he /she is saying?

All this is far more important than the cut of one’s suit or the brand of one’s shoe. Good appearance is important. But neatness and sobriety is more important than richness. Unless of course, the interview is with a bank for a big loan or project, where the affluence and assurance of wealth and success could convince the interviewer of one’s credentials! Or for a creative endeavour, where being outlandish could be a qualification by itself. The apparel should, thus, be appropriate to the occasion. This understanding is an important life lesson. There are phrases in the English language that colourfully describe an inappropriate appearance: when someone says that a person is dressed like a “Christmas tree”, it indicates that the person is overdressed!

There’s an occasion to dress up the Christmas tree: Christmas. It is not loaded with ornaments throughout the year.

It pays to develop an understanding of the basics.

At the end of April, my husband and I were invited by the government of Uttar Pradesh to Lucknow to give such tips for success in the civil services interviews to aspiring candidates. It was then that we discovered the interesting scheme launched in UP at the behest of the Chief Minister of the state to help students

crack competitive examinations like the ones conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for entry to the civil services of India, and the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE), which is the Indian standardised computer-based test for admission to various technical undergraduate programmes in engineering, architecture, and planning across colleges in India. An initiative by UP CM Yogi Adityanath, Mukhyamantri Abhyuday Yojana, inaugurated on February 16, 2021, is aimed at ensuring greater participation by students in various competitive examinations and gives free-of-cost training to poor but meritorious students. Already, some students enrolled with the scheme have achieved success at the UPSC civil services examination and the JEE. Commissioner Lucknow and nodal officer of Abhyuday scheme, Ranjan Kumar explained that the training classes were given online during the multiple lockdowns during the Covid pandemic and that more than 5000 students through offline medium and over 10,000 students through the online medium were prepared for competitive exams like

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurating Abhyudaya Yojana

the NEET, CDS, JEE, NDA and civil services.

I was a bit unclear about how meritorious students are selected for the scheme. Ranjan Kumar explained that aspirants of the state who wish to get trained under the scheme for the respective competitive exam have to first apply for it; once registered, their selection is done on the basis of an entrance test conducted by the Abhyudaya authority, they then get enrolled for free coaching and training sessions. To start with, he personally supervised and prepared the questionnaire for some of the entrance exams.

A portal has been developed and those

who do not clear the entrance test can avail of the coaching material available on it. More than 3.5 million aspirants have filled up the form and registered on the portal and they can view any physical class online. The entire session that we addressed was available on YouTubeLive.

Similarly, other classes are also available to those registered on the portal. This hybrid model is the way to go for taking education to people’s doorsteps.

Both my husband and I were happy to share our life experiences with youngsters who joined physically as well as online.

The robust discussion and questions and answers session thereafter showed the keen desire of the candidates to succeed.

Director Venkateshwar Loo of the Uttar Pradesh Academy of Administration & Management, Ranjan Kumar and his wife, who is a civil servant herself, also shared their experiences.

It was gratifying to have an opportunity to help aspiring young people in the state of my birth. Help for success in interviews is, thus, available online too!

Call for evidence for new 10-year plan to improve mental health Shefali Saxena The general public, people of all ages with lived experience of mental health conditions and those who support people with mental illhealth are urged to respond to a 12-week call for evidence to inform a new 10year mental health plan and a refreshed national suicide prevention plan seeking views on what can be improved within the current service, particularly in light of the pandemic which has led to record levels of people seeking treatment.

Around 1 in 5 adults in Britain experienced some form of depression in the first 3 months of 2021, over double pre-pandemic figures. Through the NHS Long Term Plan, we have committed to continue expanding and transforming mental health services and addressing the impacts of the pandemic.

Minister of State for Care and Mental Health, Gillian Keegan spoke to Asian Voice about encouraging responses to the government’s mental health call for evidence from groups who

Minister of State for Care and Mental Health, Gillian Keegan

are currently underrepresented. So far, only 2% of respondents are Asian or British Asian.

Keegan told us that she is open to exploring and overcoming any kind of stigma and linguistic barriers to help the Asian community in seeking help for their mental health under this 10year programme.

Mentioning that the inputs of the community will be instrumental in shaping the 10-year health strategy for the cross-government programme with NHS, the minister said, “We're really keen to hear more from the British Asian community, especially more from mothers in the British Asian community as well as young people, including fathers.”

“We want to make sure that we're fully representative of people who have had exposure to experiences with mental health during the pandemic. The plan aims to say that mental health is everybody's business. It's your employer's business. It's your school's business, a university's business. It's your family, business, your friend’s business and we're all here to support each other. So, hopefully, that's given us a little bit more impetus to open up that conversation, even more, to say, now's the time to recognise that any of us can suffer from our mental health, anyone can recover.”

Ms Keegan also agreed that this plan will potentially help more South Asian women to come forward and be heard, as well as believed that they can seek help and recover. She acknowledged that people suffering from cancer, long covid, and other ailments will also hugely benefit from the call for evidence. The call for evidence, which opens today (Tuesday 12 April 2022) and will close on 5 July.

Uber driver murdered for location mix-up Connor McPartland, 20, and Martin Treacy, 18, were extremely drunk when they battered an Uber driver Ali Asghar to death for a location mixup.

Manchester Crown Court was told, on October 29, 2021, around 4:30 am, McPartland had ordered the taxi from Oldham town centre to Koko Lounge club in Rochdale, with the hope to meet girls there, instead, the driver entered the address for Coco’s Grillhouse and Desserts in the town.

This led to the ferocious

argument following which, Mr Asghar opened the rear door to let the passengers out but the pair instead launched the assault, resulting in the driver cracking his head on the pavement and fracturing his skull, the jury heard on the first day of the trial.

Another taxi driver,

Mohammad Khalid, saw the victim being confronted and attempted to help but he was forced to retreat.

Another witness who lived nearby to the scene saw one of the defendants push the victim, causing him to fall and hit his head, before running off a few minutes later.

After suffering devastating injuries in the assault, the 38-year-old man died two weeks later in Salford Royal Hospital’s intensive care unit.

The defendants have denied murdering Mr Asghar. The trial continues.

Met Police issue more than 100 fines over Partygate scandal Met Police, which is investigating the Partygate scandal in Downing Street and Whitehall, said they have issued more than 100 Partygate fines since their last update in April.

The Metropolitan Police said in a statement: "As of Thursday 12 May, Operation Hillman, the investigation into breaches of COVID-19 regulations in Whitehall and Downing Street, has made more than 100 referrals for fixed penalty notices (FPNs) to the ACRO Criminal

Records Office.

"These referrals have continued to be made throughout the period since our last update on Tuesday 12 April and the investigation remains live."

Meanwhile, No10 confirmed that Boris Johnson

has not received a fine in this latest tranche, which is believed to include penalties for guests at the Downing Street Christmas party in December 2020.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "With regards to the Cabinet Secretary and the Prime Minister, I don't have any update ... the position (is) we will update you if that were to change."

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SCRUTATOR’S Couple sues son, bahu for failure to give grandchild An elderly couple in Haridwar sued their Guwahati-based pilot son and Noida-based working daughter-in-law on grounds of “mental harassment” after they “failed to give them a grandchild, even after six years of marriage.”

The elderly couple demanded a grandchild “within a year” or £500,000, which they claimed they spent on their son’s “upbringing and education”. This amount also includes the cost incurred on the son’s wedding at a five-star hotel, a luxury car gifted to him and money spent on his honeymoon, the couple’s counsel said. The petition was admitted by a local court in Haridwar.

“I have only one son. I spent all my savings on his upbringing and education. I sent him to the US for a pilot training course for which I spent over Rs 50,00,000. He returned to India in 2007 due to the recession abroad. He had lost his job. I supported him financially during this period as well,” said the father. He added, “We got him married in 2016 with the hope that we would get us a grandchild to play with in our retirement age. However, almost six years have passed and there is no child. We are facing immense mental harassment”. (Agency) Women 'marry' wrong men after a blackout

A joint wedding went wrong during a blackout and the brides accidentally married the wrong grooms. Two sisters were part of the quadruple wedding in Madhya Pradesh which affected by a power cut. The muddle came after father of the brides, Rameshlal Railot, organised the weddings of his son and three daughters on the same day. The sisters wore the same outfits and covered their faces in keeping with local traditions. As the pre-wedding event began a power cut hit and two of the daughters ended up sitting with the wrong grooms for the initial wedding ceremonies.

Daughter Nikita, who was to marry a man called Bhola, ended up switching with her sister Karishma, who was to marry Ganesh.

The pairs began performing a number of the rituals with their grooms before the lights came back and everyone realised the error. Reportedly one bride’s hand was given to the wrong groom due to the power failure. The brother explained that the mistake was detected in time before any vows were exchanged and the remainder of the ceremony continued as planned. (Agency) Clearing class 10, 12 exams at the age of 87

Former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala has cleared his Class 10 and 12 exams at the age of 87. He received his mark sheets from the Haryana board last week. In 2021, Chautala had appeared for Class 12 exams under the Haryana Open Board. However, his result was withheld because he had not yet passed a Class 10 English exam. In order to get his Class 12 result released, he appeared for the Class 10 exam. He scored 88 marks out of 100 in the English paper in his Class 10 examination last year. Except English, he had cleared his Class 10 exams from the National Institute of Open School in 2017 while serving a 10-year sentence in Delhi’s Tihar Jail. At an examination centre, Chautala had refused to speak to the media, saying “I am a student.” (Agency)

Groom shoots bride’s uncle after tiff over DJ, dowry A 50-year-old man died after being shot by the man his niece was supposed to marry in Muzaffarnagar. Eyewitnesses said the shocking turn of events followed “petty disputes over the DJ as well as dowry demands”. The victim, Zafar Ali, was a property dealer, police said. Zafar Ali’s brother Vakeel Khan said, “The first dispute broke out a day before the wedding. Youngsters from both sides fought over the choice of DJ at the event.

However, the issue was resolved. The next day, we waited for the baraat but it was late. When we visited the groom’s house his family then demanded Rs 10,00,000, a motorbike, and a gold chain from us. The situation got ugly and turned into a clash.”

The two sides started pelting stones at each other. The groom Istekhar Ahmed suddenly climbed onto the terrace, grabbed a gun and opened fire on members of the bride’s family. (Agency) Japanese woman's seal of approval for 'palak paneer'

The spices, flavours and aroma of Indian cuisine is popular around the world.

People from many countries visit India, just to taste its unique and spicy food. An old woman in Japan too gave her seal of approval to an Indian delicacy, according to a video going viral. The woman is seen trying Palak Paneer and vegetable curry for the first time in the now famous video. In the viral video, the senior citizen is seen taking a bite of paratha and Palak Paneer (a dish made out of spinach and cottage cheese) together, and looks amazed by its taste. She then tells the person shooting the video that the food is healthy. The video has received over 23,000 views and over 1,660 likes on Instagram. Users have made heartfelt comments on the post. “She will never eat Japanese again don't make her do that,” a user wrote. “Everyone should at least try real Indian food from India..... Not the one they serve outside,” a second user commented. Last month, a video of little girl trying Indian food for the first time at a restaurant in Australia went viral on social media. Indian cuisine includes a wide range of regional and traditional dishes from across the Indian subcontinent. These cuisines vary substantially due to differences in soil, climate, culture, ethnic groups, and professions, and use locally available spices, herbs, vegetables, and fruits. Indian cuisine has shaped the history of

international relations - a proof being the spice trade between India and Europe.

Spices were sent from India to Europe and other parts of Asia.(Agency) Kantharpur banyan tree to be religious tourism site

and the canine was also seen in numerous videos taken by the team. Officials said when the lion sat, the dog too rested and when the wild cat ran, the canine joined it by walking beside it. Sandeep Kumar, conservator of forest, Rajkot circle, said, “It’s rare to see a dog accompanying a lion in the latter’s landscape. It’s possible that the dog might never have seen a lion before. The lion’s height was slightly more than the dog and it had seen new animals in its territory. In other areas, we have seen fights between lions and dogs but in this area, the lion did not see it as a threat.”

(The Times of India) Thirsty cobra drinks water from a glass The video of a black cobra sipping

The area near the massive Kantharpur banyan tree near Gandhinagar is being developed as a religious tourism spot. A statement said that on directions of PM Modi, the ‘Kantharpur Mahakali Vad’ is being developed by Gujarat Pavitra Yatradham Vikas Board as a tourism site.

The first phase of development works worth £600,000 has been taken up which includes works like landscaping, meditation spaces, exhibition halls, pathways and gathering area. The entire project to convert the giant banyan tree into a religious tourism site is worth £1.49 million and the Gujarat Pavitra Yatradham Vikas Board has been asked to complete the project in the stipulated time. The ‘Kantharpur Vad’ is said to be around 500 years old, and it is also known as ‘Mini Kabirvad’. A large number of devotees visit the place, as a temple of goddess Mahakali is also located under the tree. The area of the banyan tree is spread across over half an acre, the government release said (The Times of India) Dog becomes this lion’s best friend!

A dog has become a friend of an Asiatic lion in Gir forest. Forest department officials confirmed that the lion spotted near Sanganva village of Lodhika taluka was accompanied by a black coloured dog throughout the former’s journey. The lion has returned to Girnar sanctuary and to their surprise they found that a dog accompanied the lion in its entire journey when it was not in Gir and was moving in the territory of canine. Forest officials said they found the pug marks of the dog very close to those of the lion at several places

water from a glass held by a man is going viral on social media. The cobra is among the most venomous species of snake on the planet and are native of Southeast Asia.

The video of the venomous snake was posted by a person in response to IFS officer Susanta Nanda's Twitter post, which showed a monkey and few ducklings sharing watermelon. “Love to share," Nanda said in his tweet. A user then responded with a video of a cobra drinking water. He captions the video as, “Monkey and ducklings are eating watermelon and here u are watching the king cobra actually drinking water from a glass held in the hand. They too have to be hydrated then n there. But they don't open the mouth to drink water there is a small nostril through which they suck water.”

Though it's natural for every animal to drink water to keep itself cool during extreme heat, this particular video has sent chills down the spine of internet users.

“Unbelievable, looks quite huge, looking at the tail behind,” a user wrote in the comment. “Need lot of courage to do this,” while another commented about the man who is holding the cup. It mostly eats other snakes, including its own kind. It rarely hunts other vertebrates, such as rodents and lizards, unlike other snakes.

(Agency)

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in brief POLICE TO QUIZ LABOUR ACTIVISTS WHO ENJOYED PARTY WITH STARMER Durham Constabulary will start contacting 15 Labour activists who enjoyed a beer and curry with Sir Keir Starmer during the notorious latenight 'Beergate' gathering that took place on April 30 last year. 63 per cent of voters have branded Sir Keir as a hypocrite for stirring up the Partygate row. According to the poll, the majority believe the Labour leader should quit if he is fined by police and 61 per cent said if he does quit, then Boris Johnson must quit too.

Last week, Sir Keir said he would step down if he is found guilty.

WKH TAKING A TOLL ON HEALTH, SAYS BUPA The after-effects of the pandemic have made it difficult for people to recover from the negative health impacts of working from home, says the report by the Wellbeing Index, by healthcare insurance company Bupa. The findings are based on a survey of more than 8,000 adults in the UK carried out in March. According to research, the fifth of those working from home exercise less while a third is eating more. The findings also revealed that half of the people have not visited their GP in the past year and 60 per cent have not had a dental check-up.

LONDON COULD RUN OUT OF WATER IN 25 YEARS Within 25 years London could run out of water and British rivers could lose more than half their water by 2050, as cities across the world are dealing with growing risks from droughtdriven by the climate crisis, says a report by Christian Aid. The charity has warned that drought is increasing in 10 of the world’s major cities – from London to New Delhi, and Sydney to Kabul. The report highlighted the importance of cutting greenhouse gas emissions and improving the management of freshwater as the toll will be felt most acutely by the world’s poorest inhabitants. The charity has called for an international fund to pay for loss and damage from climate impacts. Nushrat Rahman Chowdhury, one of the authors of the report, said, “At this year’s UN climate talks in Egypt, we are calling for the creation of a loss and damage finance facility to be a major priority.”

STARMER: ‘I’VE PUT EVERYTHING ON THE LINE’ Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer who appeared on Loose Women for the first time said he has "put everything on the line" because it is "the right thing to do". In April 2021, he was caught on camera drinking a beer in an MP’s office after a day of campaigning for the local elections in Durham. During this fime, indoor gatherings were banned except for work purposes. Currently, Durham Police is investigating the matter and Sir Keir has announced that he will quit if he is issued with a fixed penalty notice. He maintained that he did break any Covid rules in Durham and the police will come to the same conclusion.

INVIGILATORS REFUSE TO RETURN Fear of catching Covid has led to the shortages of invigilators. Due to this school children are facing more disruption in their exams.

Invigilators have either moved to a new job or are worried about catching Covid. Association of School and College Leaders have suggested that other staff as well as parents on some occasions must fill in as invigilators. ASCL General Secretary Geoff Barton said: "It is also clear that there are sufficient difficulties in recruiting enough invigilators. It would obviously reassure these staff if free Covid testing was available for exam students and we once again appeal to the government to make this simple and obvious provision."

London is the “crown jewel” of Vistara’s flight destinations Rupanjana Dutta Vistara, a Tata Group and Singapore Airlines joint venture, has recently launched a fast track security clearance service for business class passengers at London’s Heathrow Airport, travelling from London to Delhi.

The airline’s CEO Vinod Kannan on 10 May, at a press conference at the Taj Hotel, called London its “crown jewel” among the other international destinations they currently fly to.

From the beginning of May the airline has started daily flights between London and Delhi in India with further connections to 29 cities in India.

At the press conference, the airline’s CEO indicated that a second flight would be on the cards as more aircraft and slots become available. The evening concluded with a dinner attended by travel agents, airline partners and other industry leaders.

Speaking to the journalists, Vistara CEO Vinod Kannan said, “Internationally, we cover a total of 10 cities, London being the ‘crown jewel’ which we have ramped up to a daily service this month (May).

"For now, we are very, very happy with the route, the load factors are very strong.

The average load factors are in excess of 8085 per cent and the front-end cabins are well subscribed. If we did have the aircraft, Europe would definitely be a focus point, probably with a second London-Delhi flight if we get the slots, and Paris and Frankfurt would go up daily. The US is a sector we would look at further down the line.”

Though the airline does not plan to start any direct non-stop flight to other regions of India, Mumbai is possibly on the card, though currently constrained by the supply of 787 Dreamliners. While the airline is already operating two, they are still in need of at least four more.

Looking at the post-pandemic expansion ideas, especially after Brexit, Mr Kannan,

Deepak Rajawat, CCO, Vinod Kannan, CEO and Rashmi Soni, VP & Head- Corporate Communications, Vistara at the press conference in Taj, London

insisted that the game of the plan is flexibility. Though Vistara started operation internationally during the Covid pandemic as a part of the air bubble arrangement between India and other countries, Vistara was among the only few airlines to open more destinations during the pandemic. He further thinks, code sharing with other airlines including British Airways and other partner airlines may prove to be useful, now and in the future, as the world opens up to normal travelling.

Though he admitted high fares on longhaul flights, triggered by fuel price and Russia-Ukraine war are here to stay, he was hopeful that Vistara’s fantastic services with price and membership choices, food and beverages such as on board Starbucks coffee, touchless technology such as paperless baggage tag and rewards through frequent flyer program will attract loyal passengers.

He further said, "We are probably one of the few airlines that opened more destinations during the pandemic, something we are proud of. Now that we have gone through the tough part, we look forward to what the future holds. With our product offering, we feel very well placed to operate in this part of the world and provide a viable alternative to customers flying to and from the UK.” The airline is on course to induct more than 20 new aircraft, a mix of narrow-body

and wide-body, by 2023, taking the total count to over 70 aircraft, moving forward in its vision of becoming a global airline of choice.

“We believe the journey should be as enjoyable as the destination. Vistara challenges the status-quo and offers the finest flying experience among all Indian carriers by being agile, and keeping pace with time and evolving customer preferences. Being a pioneering brand that brought many firsts to

P S Kang - Morsand Group, Jaymin BorkhatriaSouthall Travel, Ujjwal Sehgal -Skylord Travel and other guests

Indian aviation, Vistara is focused on continuous innovation and consistent delivery of customer service excellence,” said Mr Kannan.

Celebrating the fast track service at London Heathrow, in a statement, Deepak Rajawat, Chief Commercial Officer, Vistara, reportedly said, "Starting May 11, our business class customers departing from London Heathrow airport are able to avoid long queues for security checks and breeze through the Fast-Track Security gates thereby enjoying a seamless experience."

Besides London, Vistara also connects India with other international destinations such as, Bangkok (Thailand), Dubai (UAE), Kathmandu (Nepal) Singapore, Dhaka (Bangladesh), Paris CDG (France), Male (Maldives) and Frankfurt (Germany). The airline has flown more than 30 million passengers since starting operations.

Government hits goal to see a million more disabled people in work Continued from page 1 The latest figures show the number of disabled people in employment has increased by 1.3 million since 2017, delivering on a government goal to see one million more in work by 2027.

The 10-year employment goal was a government manifesto commitment originally set in 2017 to break down barriers for disabled people and those with health conditions and to build more diverse and inclusive workforces.

Welcoming the milestone and recognising that more can be done, the Minister for Disabled People will tomorrow (Wednesday 18 May) open a Disability Confident jobs fair at Hillman Street Jobcentre in Hackney, East London.

The event has been set up to give job seekers with disabilities the chance to meet local employers, support groups and work coaches to help them access work and training opportunities that meet their career goals, as work is the best way for people to get on and improve their lives.

Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work Chloe Smith MP said: “This is an important milestone showing our commitment to supporting disabled people to lead independent lives and reach their full potential. Ensuring everyone has the same opportunity for a fulfilling working life is a key part of levelling up the country and we will continue to push for greater accessibility and inclusion for disabled jobseekers.”

There are a range of government initiatives, including schemes in partnership with the health system, to support those with disabilities and health conditions to live independent lives and to start, stay and

succeed in employment. One of these, the Disability Confident scheme, helps employers create more accessible and diverse workforces by championing inclusive recruitment practices. The scheme, which covers 11 million paid workers, helps employers think differently about disability, and improve how they attract, recruit and retain disabled workers. Ford, Sainsbury’s, Hilton and Coca-Cola are among the thousands of organisations across the UK signed up to the scheme aimed at boosting the number of disabled people in work. Over the next three years, the government will invest £1.3 billion in employment support for disabled people and people with health conditions. This money will go toward building up existing provisions, including expanding employment support, to grow the economy and help people with the cost of living.

Support for employment will also be an important theme within the DWP’s Health and Disability White Paper, due to be published later this summer, and it will outline further detail about how the £1.3 billion investment will be spent.

Commenting on the impact of the cost of the living crisis on the disabled, Zeenat Jeewa, CEO - of Asian People’s Disability Alliance told Asian Voice, “ It is important that the issue of the Asian Disabled community being more drastically & negatively impacted by the cost of living crisis and made more public and known. Asian disabled people are impacted due to a variety of factors like these: Firstly, they are less likely to be asked or listened to by mainstream society with regard to their needs and problems.

“Secondly, they are already disadvantaged by the costs to manage their health impairments (e.g.particular foods only eaten, or can not take public transport if mobility issues, Carer costs, medications or medical equipment costs).

“Thirdly the cost of being culturally different and needing to eat or live life in a specific cultural manner can be more expensive as the limitation of where to buy, or access the services to meet those cultural needs. Fourthly, if you are a disabled Asian woman, then you are triple disadvantaged by the nature of the situation of all the needs and costs associated with those needs are rising with existing barriers in their community & societal pressures having a financial implication which they are not in a position to earn more money to pay.

“Debts are accruing for many disabled people, and the shame of not being able to manage is evident, where we will soon find ourselves with rising suicide rates of Asian people as a result of this crisis when they really start to feel like they can't cope with the burdens etc.”

Kamran Mallick, CEO of Disability Rights UK told Asian Voice, “Millions of Disabled people and families with Disabled children have been thrown into crisis by the dramatic increases in the cost of living.

Many of us use energy, to run vital medical and health equipment and mobility aids, as well as to keep our homes warm. We are not just choosing between eating and heating, as we need the energy to stay alive and lead a life. The Government needs to take urgent action to target financial support towards Disabled people in crisis.”

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O

The Father and The Assassin’s W Nehru aka Marc Elliot speaks about the Theatrical

pening in May 2022 hat is it like to work in the Olivier Theatre with a case where the is The Father and majority of artists are artists The Assassin, a gripping new of colour? What are your play by Anupama learnings?

It’s not the first time I’ve Chandrasekhar, one of India’s been in a cast where everymost exciting playwrights, one is a person of colour but directed by Indhu if I’m honest it hasn’t overtly Rubasingham. affected the group dynamic.

The play traces We are very lucky to work in Nathuram Godse’s life over an industry where everyone, 30 years during India’s fight

by Shefali Saxena irrespective of race, gender, for independence: from a sexuality or age is respected devout follower of Mahatma and heard. This amazingly Gandhi, through to his raditalented and kind group of calisation and their tragic crazy, adorable people is no final encounter. Shubham exception. It has been a Saraf is cast as Godse alongpleasure, an honour and an side Paul Bazely as Gandhi. absolute riot working with The company also them on this project. includes: Sagar Arya, Ankur andhi and Nehru, both Bahl, Ralph Birtwell, Ayesha are beloved leaders of Dharker, Marc Elliott, Ravin Indian political history. Do J Ganatra, Dinita Gohil, Halema Hussain, Irvine you realise you’re a part of Iqbal, Nadeem Islam, Tony an extremely historic Jayawardena, Sakuntala ensemble? So many would Ramanee, Anish Roy, Sid have their eyes on you?

Sagar, Shubham Saraf, I’m fully aware of how Akshay Shah, Peter Singh and Maanuv Thiara. venerated Nehru was (and still is) by Indians Set and costume design is by Rajha Shakiry, across the world and it was always going to be lighting design is by Oliver Fenwick and sound a challenge playing such an esteemed historical design is by Alex Caplen. Movement director is figure. My aim throughout the process has Lucy Cullingford, music composed by Siddhartha been to learn as much as I can about him as a Marc Elliot Khosla, music director is David Shrubsole, sound political leader and a man and channel that designer is Alexander Caplen, fight director is into the piece that Anu has written. It has never Ruth Cooper-Brown of Rc-Annie Ltd, and the dialect been my intention to impersonate him but to represent coach is Shereen Ibrahim. The staff Director is Gitika him on stage with respect and integrity.

Buttoo. ow was your experience working with Director Indhu Asian Voice spoke to Marc Elliott who essays the role Rubasingham and playwright Anupama Chandrasekhar? of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in the play. efore embarking on the journey of this play, how much did you know about Nehru?

If I’m honest I only really knew the basics of Indian history within the period and I didn’t know a great deal about Nehru as a man. It has been fascinating learning more about him and the complexities of the political landscape at the time. t a time when India’s political economy is truly the most debated and critiqued one, what is the significance of this play for the Indian diaspora in the UK? I think it’s brilliant that the National are staging a show that both challenges and informs a modern audience about a moment in history that was responsible for shaping India into the country it is today.

Working with Indhu and Anu on this play for six he play is cited as the story of the man who murdered weeks in the rehearsal room has been nothing short of Gandhi. Is the premise of the play criticism or critique? amazing. Both are incredibly powerful, intelligent and I may be wrong but I don’t think Anu has set out to do kind women. Indhu as a director is so instinctive and either of these things. The play is a partly fictionalised insightful and Anu has been so open and giving with her retelling of a story that we all know. Anu’s central conceit, time and creativity. It is a true labour of passion and love which is to tell that story from the viewpoint of Gandhi’s and that cannot help but be reflected on the stage. Getting assassin (Godse), is both bold and dramatic. It is through this show to a place where we can proudly put it in front of this lens that she explores radicalisation and the dangerous an audience has been a lot of hard work but also an awful belief system of the far-right, which are both incredibly lot of fun and it has been an experience I’ll never forget. pertinent topics in the world right now.

Ambitions of Barbican Creative Hub shown during ministerial visit Work to transform one of Lincoln’s most iconic buildings into the Barbican Creative Hub is well underway, and a special visitor was treated to a behindthe-scenes look inside the building last week. The Arts Minister, Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay, was impressed

that Lord Parkinson and the Government see the huge benefit that the Barbican Creative Hub will bring, and fully support the project.

“The Hub will be the catalyst for rapid growth in the creative sector, not just in Lincoln but across the

by the vision of the project as he was shown around the former hotel as part of his visit to Lincoln.

The development to establish a dedicated space for creative professionals will soon be coming to life thanks to funding from the Government’s Towns Fund, Historic England’s High Street Heritage Action Zone and a partnership between the University of Lincoln, UK, and Lincolnshire Co-Op. Lord Parkinson was hosted at the Barbican site

by Sukhy Johal MBE, Director of the Centre for Culture and Creativity at the University of Lincoln, UK. Sukhy said: “Following the success of the Town Deal funding from Government, we were very pleased to welcome Lord Parkinson to Lincoln and to share our vision and ambitions for the future.

“We are encouraged

county and the region, allowing us to harness and encourage local artistic talent.

When it is completed in 2023, the development will serve as a community creative hub by providing a gallery, a café and creative workspaces to super-charge the growth and productivity of the county’s creative industries.

The Barbican Creative Hub will provide a mix of studio space, working spaces and a dedicated members' room. An attractive membership scheme will open up opportunities for networking, support programmes and access to specialist workspaces. The Barbican building is one of the most iconic buildings in Lincoln, at the heart of the city and opposite both Lincoln Central Train Station and Lincoln Bus Station. This project will regenerate the building and bring it back into use.

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British Curry Day raises thousands of pounds for good causes Curry houses have raised thousands of pounds for good causes – thanks to a national event celebrating the forefathers who introduced millions of Britons to a taste of the subcontinent.

British Curry Day was launched to mark those who came to Britain in the 1960s - opening restaurants and takeaways – and to show supL-R: North Warwickshire’s MP Craig Tracey, Kamal Miah, port for the industry today. of Maya restaurant in Atherstone, and Tam Webster of Businesses taking part donated Veterans Contact Point £1 to good causes for every Tikka ing organisations: Barton Hill Amateur Masala sold on the day.

Boxing Club; ConfiDANCE, which provides Community champion Naseem free dance sessions to children and young Talukdar, from Bristol, whose own parents people in Shirehampton and Avonmouth; ran a restaurant, said: “It’s great so many Street Space, a youth and community work people were keen to get involved. organisation is based in Knowle; St “It was an opportunity to both commemAldhelm’s Juniors Youth U12 Girls football orate past generations and support our comteam and Oasis Community Hub North munity.”

Bristol.

Charities and community contributions The hub works across the communities Bristol alone raised £2,500 for of Lawrence Weston, Shirehampton and AskingBristol, which connects charities with Avonmouth in North West Bristol to reconindividuals, organisations and businesses nect people to each other and to the services that can support them. they need.

It then gave £500 each to the five follow-

Armed forces charity founder of Projects Against Plastic (PAP) charity, added: And Maya, in Atherstone, “British curry has been a key raised £500 for Veterans’ culinary and cultural contribuContact Point (VCP), which was tion made by migrants from nominated by North the Indian subcontinent.

Warwickshire’s MP Craig “The industry continues to Tracey. change and adapt, including Kamal Miah, who runs finding ways to support its Maya, in Sheepy Road, and is community and be more envithe third generation in the Naseem Talukdar ronmentally friendly.” industry, said: “This was an opportunity to support charity and celebrate our forefathers, who introduced millions of Britons to a taste of the subcontinent.”

Challenges Curry houses continue to face challenges following the outbreak of Covid-19.

Enam Ali, the publisher of Spice Business magazine and event founder, has spoken of ‘losing many of the country’s first curry restaurateurs’ to the pandemic.

UK Curry Connect (UKCC) is a campaign A cheque made out to a youth club group which has been set up to raise awareBritish Curry Day coincided with 50 ness of skills shortages in the Asian catering years of independence for Bangladesh, which industry. was a national holiday in the country on Naseem is UKCC director for social December 16. responsibility and sustainability, as well as

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Opera North announces Jasdeep Singh Degun as artist in residence

Maulik Gandhi: The Forefront of Surgical Tech Sunetra Senior Exceptional entrepreneurial medic, Maulik, has invented ground-breaking, vital technology that improves the efficacy of modern orthopaedic surgery: namely simulated procedural reality. The impressive gear allows those currently in orthopaedic medical training to adeptly practice the mechanical movements from within the operating room independently.

“The tech is augmented reality: as opposed to virtual reality where you’re looking at an entirely fictive artificial landscape,” Maulik told us; “augmented is integrated into the real world and adds virtual elements e.g., Pokémon Go, the nostalgic children’s game, was a very early augmented reality. You saw the streets actually in front of you with the programmed graphic appearing. My tech is specifically intraoperative. It will pick up hand movements and apply them to an immersive operative picture.” This advanced arthroscopic teaching has been tested on burgeoning surgeons who have performed markedly better as a result. *** Maulik, who is an experienced orthopaedic surgeon, specialises in the elbow and shoulder, and continued: “I’m generally interested in advancing medical teaching and the virtue of learning. This tech came of my experience as a trainee observing inspiring trainers. When you have a good teacher, the effect is two-fold. Not only are you providing quality patient-care but also developing two generations at once. Oneself and the field as well as the new talent who are necessarily carrying on the legacy.” Equally passionate about handheld gadgets growing up then, Maulik uniquely combined his clinical education and love of accessible tech to create arthroscopic simulation and develop an educative curriculum that could be implemented widely. Maulik is the Co-Director of MAVRIC: medical augmented and virtual reality innovative coaching. “If we do it right, the equipment can be scaled up across the world. The vision is to be able to have a great simulator for every individual who requires one in the privacy of their own home.

They’d be able to practice little bits of surgery here and there so they may improve over time. My journey isn’t about furthering myself, marketing or profit – it’s to inspire as many people as possible. The next step is partnering with NHS England to further test and evaluate more innovations[mg1] .”

Indeed, the patented tech, or, Mavric can be extended for use in other medical departments, from cardiology to neurosurgery, and even cross-industrially beyond. In this way, the simulator goes beyond creating new opportunities for medics to revolutionise the way medicine and pragmatic training is fundamentally learned. Finally, in lieu of the sometimes-superfluous glamour of auxiliary tech, Maulik interestingly utilises what is inherently there: “there are so many advances in tech in lifestyle but such crude and basic equipment within the NHS or healthcare,” the philanthropic founder stated; “and if you try to incorporate even mediocre tech into the NHS, it’s three times the price of a high-end smart phone. As a result,

a lot of my energy is put into pivoting existing tech e.g., in the past, I’ve converted a remote from Nintendo Wii into a keyhole camera for the value of £25.00. It would basically but effectively map how your hands move and simply needed some adaptive thinking to take it to the next level. There’s a lot at our fingertips and we need only to acknowledge it.

Imagine also the possibilities for developing countries. Nowadays everyone across the globe has access to a smart phone. The tech can be easily downloaded as an app, opening the doors to those less fortunate, disseminating core surgical skills. It wouldn’t simply improve learning in the first world.” And so, Maulik holistically invigorates society from deep within. He doesn’t simply demonstrate the innovative height of medicine, but also the far-reaching benefit of a true paradigm of progress. One that powerfully propels civilisation as opposed to simply ornamenting or reinforcing it. “Big solutions come of being proactive – transforming incredible frustration into an approach that you know is better. This is what drives me. This mindset can accomplish breath-taking feats.”

Novelty, here, is a natural incarnation of moral responsibility.

Y

ou embody innovation that stretches beyond orthopaedics.

What does that exactly mean for you?

The best patient-care. Everything I do is towards this end.

MAULIK GANDHI particular skills required, it could be educatively workable. I programmed the first generation of the prototype myself. Then I completed a MPhil where I was dedicated to developing the tech, comparing my model to other VR simulations available at the time. That’s when commercial interest began being won.

Later, I was in one of the first cohorts of the NHS Clinical

Entrepreneur Scheme. Again, I was able to grow contacts and leverage. I also received the BOA International Travelling Fellowship to South Korea (July – Aug 2017). During this time, I was able to patent other forthcoming innovations involving position of instruments and implants during hip and knee surgery (dANGLE).

H

ow did the pandemic impact on your progress?

My tech is specifically intraoperative: it will pick up hand movements and apply them to an immersive operative picture

H

ow did your augmented arthroscopic reality initially come about?

I’ve always been interested in teaching and wearable tech that monitor or diagnose in the context of healthcare. Then when I was at medical school, completing orthopaedic rotation, I began to think that it may be more fun to learn via the format of playing a computer game. I thought if I can work out how to really apply the

From a positive perspective, there was a massive shift in people’s mental attitude towards simulation training.

People wanted to upskill and maintain existing skills using tech. I actually run the Technical Skills Lab and the number of people who’ve wanted to tighten up their proficiency has really rocketed.

F

inally, what made you want to specialise in orthopaedics which is at the metaphorical heart of this technology?

Well, it is my passion which is hard to park. I come from a medical family - my dad is a surgeon. When I was younger, we always joked about how with my hayfever I was scared of sneezing whilst operating if I became a surgeon. However, when I became a medical student and went into the operating theatre, I remember being immediately in awe. The process of surgery is very technical and key hole surgery in particular I always visualised it as a somewhat sophisticated computer game.

W: https://www.mavriconline.com

Opera North has announced the sitarist and composer Jasdeep Singh Degun as its new Artist in Residence.

Opera North's new 18month programme for a lead artist from a nonWestern tradition is part of its ongoing commitment to embedding diversity at the heart of its artistic decisionmaking. The scheme will create new musical encounters and bring unique ideas and perspectives to the full range of the Company's work, to ensure that its stages reflect the many diverse communities it reaches.

Born and raised in Leeds, Jasdeep began his productive relationship with Opera North as music director for the first of the Company’s Resonance workshops in 2017. Part of PRS Foundation’s Talent Development Partnership network supported by PPL, the ongoing annual residency programme in support of global majority artists launched with Partition, a collaboration with South Asian Arts-uk in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the division of India and Pakistan.

Jasdeep went on to compose the sitar concerto, Arya, for the Orchestra of Opera North, performing as a soloist in its premiere at Huddersfield Town Hall and touring to Durham and Manchester just before lockdown in 2020.

He is currently working closely with baroque specialist Laurence Cummings as joint musical director, composer, arranger and per-

former on Orpheus, Opera North and South Asian ArtsUK's ambitious new reimagining of Monteverdi’s masterpiece that brings together South Asian and western classical traditions. Earlier this month, Real World Records released Jasdeep’s long-awaited debut album Anomaly, produced under the mentorship of Nitin Sawhney and featuring collaborations with artists from both western and Indian classical backgrounds, to critical acclaim.

The initiative celebrates and reinforces his long collaborative relationship with the Company, and will open up new creative ground for both Jasdeep and Opera North.

Jasdeep Singh Degun, Artist in Residence at Opera North, said, “I'm very grateful to Opera North for appointing me as Artist in Residence. Enabled by our mutual trust and willingness to venture outside of our respective musical worlds, it has been an honour to work with the Company over the last five years. As part of the closelyknit creative team for Orpheus, I'm excited to be further exploring the territory between my own tradition and western classical music, and I'm very much looking forward to being even more closely involved in Opera North's work over the next 18 months!”

Life is sad & beautiful: The debut poetry collection from the original mummy’s boy Hussain Manawer is a critically acclaimed poet born and raised in East London.

He is a globally renowned mental health activist and most recently featured alongside Oprah Winfrey and Prince Harry in their latest docuseries The Me You Can’t See’ His works have been viewed over 50 million times across multiple platforms and focus particularly on grief, loss, mental well-being, hope and healing. He derives much of his inspiration from his own experience and intense grief at the sudden loss of his mother and his experience battling through depression and out the other side.

Dignitaries, major brands and broadcasters seek him out to articulate the struggle and shame that many find suffocating. In

partnership with King’s College London and Hackney Empire he set The Guinness World Record for the Largest Mental Health Lesson. Manawer was called upon earlier this year by The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to create the ‘Mental Health Minute’ which was broadcast on all radio stations with an all-star line-up including David Beckham, Joanna Lumley, Shirley Bassey, Jessie Lingard, Jamie Oliver, Anne Marie and Charles Dance.

Hussain’s moving debut poetry collection invites readers on his journey through depression and grief, and out the other side to a better place – through joy, hope, tears, and laughter – all the emotions that make up the collective fabric of human experience.

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JALARAM TEMPLE LEICESTER TREE PLANTING CEREMONY TO MARK HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN’S PLATINUM JUBILEE

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he Trustees of Jalaram Temple Leicester assisted by the Hanuman Savak Group, together with local schoolchildren, community and business leaders gathered outside the Virbaimaa Jalaram Community Centre, to take part in a special tree-planting ceremony on Sunday 8th May 2022, as part of Her Majesty The Queen’s Green Canopy Campaign for her Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Hindu spiritual leader Dwakeshlalji Mahodayshri travelled from India to be a part of the event, which saw 14 trees planted in total. These included trees planted by: Trustees of Jalaram Charitable Trust, Vaishnauachaarya Dwarkeshala (Kadi Ahmedabad), Leicester Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby, Leicester Council of Faith, Hindu & Jain Temples of Leicester, Children of Jalaram Bal Vikas, Fullhurst Community College, Ellesmere Community College, Hanuman Seva Volunteers Group & Organ Donation CampaignGroup, Sanvika & Ruhani Ruperalia, Chandubhai Morarji Rughani, Sanjay & Jayshreeben Rughani, and Shree Hiteshbhai Pujara, together with trees planted in memory of loved ones: Former Police CommissionerLate Simon Cole, Late Lalitaben & Shantilal Tharkrar, Late Motiben Harji Mashru, Sponsored by: Manubhai Mashru, Maganlal Mashru Sponsored by: Pradeep Mashru, Siana & Diyan Mashru, Nayla & Sia Patel.

Pramod Thakkar-Trustee of Jalaram Temple Leicester said: “The Queen's unwavering dedication to the nation has been an inspiration to us all, so I am delighted that our organisation has led the way forward to plant trees to mark her Platinum Jubilee and support The Queen's Green Canopy

individuals to community groups, villages, cities, counties, temples, schools, and businesses to play their part to enhance our environment by planting a total of ‘1008’ trees through to the end of the Jubilee Year ~ This would be the Hindu contribution to the Green Canopy initiative.

Sanjay Jagatia-Chair of The Hindu Think Tank UK (Hindus in the UK) added: “It is heart-warming that so many individuals and organisations agreed to be part of the tree planting ceremony today, and I know that these trees will go a long way towards helping with climate change. Trees are indeed essential, as they feed us and animals, provide fresh air to breathe, and support all other members of

Gujarati singer at Royal Windsor Britain celebrated the Queen of United Kingdom Platinum Jubilee at the Royal Windsor Horse Show. This occasion was celebrated with a 4-day long program filled with numerous cultural & fun events.

Amongst all these four days of celebration, what caught our eye was the Gujarati song "Dholida Dhol Re Vagad Mare Hitch Levi Se" being sung at the Windsor Castle by the British born Gujarati folk singer Pritee Varsani who is rooted to her native Naranpar village in Kutch, Gujarat. She represented her Gujarati folk culture by performing “Dholida Dhol Re Vagad Mare Hitch Levi Se '' garba in front of Queen Elizabeth. this four-day In Platinum Jubilee program, out of a thousand famous artists from all across the globe, only two Native Indian artists had been selected from among the artists who are currently in London. The India segment was specially curated by The Bollywood Co featuring Jas Dhami and Pritee Varsani. The vision of the segment was unity in dance by portraying Punjabi as well as Gujarati Folk Dance & Music.

For the last many years, Pritee Varsani, one of the best Gujarati Folk Singers in London & Parle Patel – who happens to be a producer of Gujarati folk music– have created awareness and shown indifference towards the Gujarati culture & folk amongst the youth in London working very closely

The Queen inaugurates Elizabeth Line The Queen made a surprise visit to Paddington Station to see the completed Elizabeth line on 17th May. Transport for London (TfL) announced the delayed Crossrail project will open to the public on 24 May. Ahead of the opening, the 96-year-old joined her youngest son the Earl of Wessex for the official visit. The longestThe Queen smiles as she formally opens the Elizabeth Line which comes into service in her Platinum Jubilee year. Photo source: Twitter

their ecosystem. Hindu’s worldview of nature is based upon the Vedas and the Upanishads, the ancient scriptures which

initiative on behalf of the people of Leicester. Planting a tree is a simple but enduring act that will provide habitat for wildlife and be enjoyed for years to come. I hope our initiative will encourage many more community groups, organisations, and Leicester residents to also plant a tree for the Jubilee, which will benefit current and future generations”.

Muna Chauhan-Hindu Faith Ambassador for the Tree Planting initiative said: “The Queen's Green Canopy is a unique tree-planting initiative created to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022-2023, which invites people from across the United Kingdom to ‘Plant a Tree for the Jubilee’. We are urging the entire Hindu Community across the UK, from

with Sur Sagar. In 2016, Pritee Varsani and Mira Salat brought “Rangeelu Gujarat” - a 2 days festival in London where they found 60-65 new & upcoming folk artists from Gujarat with whom they created a musical impact on the Gujarati community of London. Since then, they have been regularly hosting Navratri as well as other cultural events.

In Pritee's recent conversation with the media, she said that it was a great honour for her to represent Gujarat & her culture in London through this program organised by The Royal Windsor Horse Show for Her Majesty The Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebration.

She further added, "From what I understand this would be the first time a traditional Gujarati song has been presented to the Queen in her 70 year reign. Whilst Dholida Dhol re Vagad is a traditional lok geet garbo, the particular version that the orchestra recreated has been composed by Parle Patel. In this rendition, there were many new features added to give the song an appeal amongst young British Gujarati and Garba lovers.”

The four-day event featured cultural performances by a number of well-known artists from across the globe, with Queen Elizabeth appearing on the final day of the show to encourage the people of Britain.

This event was broadcast globally live on several channels and reached out to a million souls.

not only describe the eternal principles and the unified ontology of humans, gods, and nature, but give prescriptions for living,

which then translate themselves in terms of the Hindu way of life, and various devotional and ritualistic practices. Trees are divine representatives that incessantly consume themselves on multiple fronts to ensure, all beings survive and remain healthy”.

The Hindu scriptures – Atharva Veda states: “Mother Earth may whatever I dig from you grow back again quickly, and may we not injure you by our labour”.

reigning head of state, the Queen is just over two weeks away from her Platinum Jubilee celebratory weekend to celebrate 70 years as monarch.

A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said: "In a happy develop-

ment, Her Majesty The Queen is attending today's event to mark the completion of the Elizabeth line.

500,000 FREE books given to children for Queen’s Jubilee – here’s how to get yours The Queen’s commitment to the country and her Christian faith has inspired a free story book, which will be distributed to half a million children in honour of Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee.

The book, which is based on faithfulness, honours The Queen’s 70 steadfast years on the throne and is being issued by The Church of England and Thy Kingdom Come, The Archbishop of Canterbury’s global prayer movement. 450,000 of the books have already been requested and given away.

The free story, Queen CJ and the Bouncy Castle, is a product of The Cheeky Pandas – a children’s cartoon series featuring contributions from stars including CBeebies’ Gemma Hunt, and Archbishop Justin Welby.

In the book, a little panda who owns a bouncy castle and doesn’t want to share it with her friends learns that a good ruler is faithful

to her people and serves her country through the ups and downs – just like Queen Elizabeth II. Alongside the book, there will also be a special ‘Royal’ themed Cheeky Pandas episode by the makers of CBBC’s Andy and the Band and CBeebies’ The Baby Club, with voiceovers from Gemma Hunt, and free activity packs (including a widget version for children with additional needs), assembly plans and music videos to use in homes, schools, and churches. Cartoon episodes will also be available in BSL. Pete James, the creator of the Cheeky Pandas said: “It is an honour to partner with Thy Kingdom Come and the Church of England this year to create these resources to nurture young children’s faith in a fun way, in celebration of Her Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee”

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QUEEN'S PLATINUM JUBILEE

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From Bombay to Buckingham Palace The Jubilee Pudding: 70 Years in the Baking Shefali Saxena BBC One follows a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity as five exceptional home bakers, one of which is Shabnam, who is among those who have been plucked from thousands in a national competition to find a brand-new pudding to mark The Queen’s historic Platinum Jubilee.

In The Queen’s Jubilee year, this onehour celebratory special - The Jubilee Pudding: 70 Years in the Baking follows Fortum & Mason’s competition as it celebrates our Monarch’s 70 years on the throne by finding an original and celebratory cake, tart or pudding fit for The Queen.

Following in the footsteps of the Coronation Chicken and the Victoria Sponge, this winning recipe will go down in history and become part of the British food story. Up and down the country on Jubilee weekend the winning recipe will be recreated at street parties, family events and community gatherings as the centrepiece to the nation’s celebrations as the Platinum Pudding.

Chaired by Food writer and Television Presenter, Dame Mary Berry the judging panel comprises of award-winning home bakers and professional chefs, authors, historians and pâtissiers including Monica Galetti: Chef proprietor of Mere, TV presenter and judge on MasterChef: The Professionals, and Food Writer, author and baker, Jane Dunn; Baker, author and TV presenter, Rahul Mandal; Pastry Chef, Matt Adlard; and culinary historian and author, Regula Ysewijn.

The creations are an exceptional sight to behold, taking inspiration from grandmothers, grandparents, childhoods and the four nations with puddings, tarts and cakes that are thoughtful, utterly delicious and entirely accessible to recreate

gifting the winning Platinum Pudding recipe to the nation for all to enjoy for the commemorative weekend and beyond, alongside recipe cards and expert baking tips.

The winning recipe will be available online via the BBC Good Food, Fortnum’s and The Big Jubilee Lunch websites.

The Jubilee Pudding: 70 Years in the Baking, a 1x60’ for BBC One and iPlayer, is made by Sidney Street. It was commissioned L-R: Sam, Susan, Kathryn, Shabnam, Jemma

– truly worthy of the Platinum Pudding title.

For each and every one of the five finalists, it is beyond their wildest dreams that such an esteemed panel of their baking and cooking heroes will taste and comment upon their recipes. Viewers have a front row seat behind the scenes as the judges discuss, deliberate and decide on the winning recipe – but it’s not an easy decision – all of the puddings and cakes have their own merit, original flavour combinations and look divine.

Once the historic decision is made, Dame Mary Berry has one last surprise for the finalists as she introduces a very special guest to announce the winning recipe HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, patron of The Big Jubilee Lunch, an idea from the Eden Project.

Every year since the Eden Project idea began in 2009, The Big Lunch has encouraged communities to celebrate their connections and get to know each other a little better. Following the success of the first Big Jubilee Lunch to celebrate Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012, The Big Lunch will once again bring the Jubilee celebrations into the heart of every community in 2022.

Fortnum’s will support The Big Jubilee Lunch as the nation comes together for the Jubilee weekend celebrations (June 2-5),

The Queen, 96, walks to her seat at Platinum Jubilee celebration On 14th May, the Queen received a standing ovation as she walked toward her seat in her first appearance during her Platinum Jubilee celebrations by 5,000 people.

The attendees included Dame Helen Mirren, Tom Cruise and Katherine Jenkins at the Royal Windsor Horse.

“The Queen reached the event

Actor Tom Cruise at the Jubilee Celebrations

Photo source Twitter @Platinum2022

life. Not just Americans, but the world knows the dignity, devotion and kindness, that is what I have always felt about her. Someone that understands her position and has held it through a history that's just been extraordinary the past 70 years.'

The show featured more than 1,300 performers, 600 horses, children's choirs, a 75-piece

by car with an escort from the Household Cavalry as the national anthem was played. She handed her now-familiar walking stick to a member of the greeting party as she carefully eased herself down from her Range Rover – in which she was accompanied by her The Queen responds to a joke from Omid youngest son, Prince Edward,” the Djalili who thanks her for choosing the Royal Windsor Horse Show over the State Opening Mail reported. of Parliament Her appearance came as a breather to those who were orchestra and stars from stage and worried about her health. screen, was always going to be Actor Tom Cruise reportedly something the Queen would have said that it was 'a real honour and been keen not to miss. privilege' to be a part of the Queen's Different eras of British history Platinum Jubilee celebrations in were enacted on stage as part of the Windsor. He said: 'What she has show. Dame Helen Mirren, who has accomplished is historic. played both Queen Elizabeths on 'She has met presidents, world TV and in film, reprised her role as leaders, people from all walks of the Tudor monarch.

L-R: Jane Dunn, Susan, Roger Pizey, Jemma, Kathryn, Dame Mary Berry, Regula Ysewijn, Sam, Monica

by Catherine Catton, Head of Commissioning, Popular Factual and Factual Entertainment, and the Commissioning Editor is Ricky Cooper.

Karen Ross is Executive Producer with Lucy Hards as Producer and Phil Ashton and Ray Easmon as directors.

Asian Voice spoke to Shabnam about it.

Commenting on the Queen's Golden Jubilee celebration and what it means to the diaspora celebrating in the UK, Shabnam told Asian Voice, “The continued monarchy is our inheritance. Our ‘accidental’ Monarch who at the age of 21 dedicated her life to the service of the nation is truly someone to celebrate. She is an inclusive World Leader and having embraced such a multicultural Britain I am ever so grateful to her celebrating this diversity is at the heart of the Platinum Jubilee for me. Being a finalist in the national Platinum Pudding competition is

proof that you can go from Bombay to Buckingham Palace. The UK is the most fair, equal, and successful welfare state in the world. Shabnam with Rose Falooda Queen Victoria was the Empress of India and you cannot deny the love affair that continues between our two countries. I Hope the Falooda Cake brings together our neighbourhoods & communities to celebrate all our cultures and traditions old and new.”

Talking about the importance of baking in British cooking versus Indian cooking, Shabnam said, “When you are an immigrant you want to hold onto what is familiar but also explore what is in front of you. I’ve always been trying to find my place in the world and food can really reveal the journey you make over the years.

My food has always been about wanting people to accept me. I grew up in Mumbai with a Punjabi father and a South Indian mother which was plenty of diversity in the Indian community, love and marriage was such a rarity in those days. Growing up, I didn’t care much for Indian sweets, and I see these ingredients in a different and more British way which unknowingly has influenced my cooking over the years.

My food is more subtle. I don’t use a lot of salt, oil or spices. I believe in less is more.

My popular dishes are chicken tikka lasagna, Kedgeree Scotch Egg, Amritsari Macchi Fish n Chips and of course the Rose Falooda Cake. My food has a personal significance to me and I try to give them a new life, I a girl from India with my feet on British land. My food has always been fluid and moves across boundaries. I always believe that tradition is great, but it can bind you.”

The queen's platinum jubilee beacons The Indian Vegetarian and Vegan Society have announced plans to organise a Beacon event for The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee on the evening of Thursday, June 2, 2022.

The Beacon event is one of the thousands being held in the UK and the Commonwealth and forms part of the official programme announced by Buckingham Palace for the Jubilee Weekend. In addition, beacons will be lit in all 54 Commonwealth capitals and the Principal Beacon lighting will take place in a special ceremony at Buckingham Palace on Thursday evening The Beacon event will be held at Lloyd Park, Coombe Road, Croydon, CRO 5RA and it will be one of over 2,022 organised by charities, communities and faith groups all over the UK. Bruno Peek LVO OBE OPR, Pageant Master of The Queen’s Jubilee Platinum Beacons said; “Building on a long tradition of lighting beacons to mark significant royal celebrations, thousands of beacons will be lit across the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. They will enable local communities to join together to pay tribute to Her Majesty as part of the official programme of events.

“For the first time, town criers, pipers, buglets and choirs from the UK and the Commonwealth will come together to join in the celebrations in their own individual and special way. It is wonderful to see the range of support for beacon lighting, which will highlight both the diversity and unity of the nation and the Commonwealth. The Queen has lit up our lives for 70 years through her dedicated service and commitment. We would like to light up the nation and the Commonwealth in her honour.”

Nitin Mehta founder of the Indian Vegetarian and Vegan Society said “We are very excited to organise this joyous event’’.

We are honoured to be part of this special event for Her Majesty, The Queen’s 70th year as our Monarch and Head of the Commonwealth on her Platinum Jubilee.”

The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Beacons and Associated Activities have been conceived and

organised by Pageant master Bruno Peek and his dedicated team.

The venue is a Southside entrance. Parking for some cars is available here.

We will NOT have a Beacon fire but we will light up the park with glow sticks, torches and mobile phones!

The Northside entrance is from Deepdene Avenue and Mapledale Avenue (CRO 5JP). There is parking on the side roads.

We will have around 100 Glow sticks which will be given on first come first basis. Please bring your torches to light up the park. You can also bring a Veggie picnic box. We will be singing the national anthem. If any individual or group would like to play music or perform a dance please contact me.

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Mayor of Greater Manchester outlines commitment to oppose conversion therapy On this year's International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOBIT), Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham and Greater Manchester's LGBTQ+ Panel are announcing a commitment to oppose the practice of conversion therapy in Greater Manchester.

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester said, “Greater Manchester should be a safe city-region for everyone, and we are committed to ending conversion therapy for all members of

the LGBTQ+ community.

“Conversion therapy is a practice where an individual or organisation seeks an intervention with a predetermined outcome to change, cure or suppress the sexual orientation or gender identity of a person. Just as we won't do business with those who promote discrimination or division, we believe that organisations that support, promote or facilitate conversion therapy for any member of the LGBTQ+ community should not be receiving pub-

lic funding.

“Those organisations that support, promote, or facilitate conversion therapy or which campaign against the ending of conversion therapy should not be able to provide services on behalf of Greater Manchester Combined Authority, or to receive support from the GMCA or its affiliated community funding streams.

“I urge all public bodies, organisations and businesses in Greater Manchester to sign up to this commitment."

Admissions to Oxbridge must be on merit, Zahawi says The education secretary Nadhim Zahawi said Britain should be “very proud” of its private schools and admissions should be based on merit alone as he urged people to put aside their “tribalism” over high-performing independent schools.

He praised leading private schools including Eton and Westminster for offering support to the state sector and said he wanted them to do more.

He said: “I think it should be based on merit and evidence. The thing to

do is deliver great outcomes for all children, wherever they live, especially our most disadvantaged children.

This is why I’m flexing the system towards those areas that have fewer great schools or good, outstand-

ing schools.

“You don’t create a system that people feel is fair and equitable by in some way thinking that there is an easy fix. The best thing you can do is create schools in the state system that are as good as independent schools. Which we are.

Zahawi put forth his statement after Professor Stephen Toope, the vicechancellor of Cambridge University said private schools must accept that they would get fewer students into Oxbridge.

Accountant jailed for conning vulnerable man Sukhdev Singh, of Chelwood Drive, Leeds, a manipulative accountant, who conned a man with learning difficulties out of his £300,000 home before charging him rent to live there, has been jailed. The accused persuaded his victim – who had the mental age of a 12-year-old – to sign over his inherited family home in Harrogate.

The victim, who is in his 50s, had left the properties and two bank accounts

worth tens of thousands of pounds when his parents died. 73-year-old Singh made the victim believe that he would look after the funds on his behalf.

However, by 2016 Singh had taken ownership of the Harrogate home, which was mortgage-free, and was charging him rent to live there. Along with this, he also spent the victim's money within a fortnight on expensive jewellery, gambling, bank transfers to

accounts held by him in India and private school tuition fees.

Three years later the property had fallen into disrepair and the victim approached the Citizen’s Advice Bureau (CAB) for help. After a thorough and complicated investigation, Singh was arrested in July of that year, and the victim’s remaining assets were secured.

Singh was charged with four counts of fraud.

Government refuses to support mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting, shows ‘lack of will’, Tory MP says A Conservative MP and chairwoman of the Women and Equalities Committee, Caroline Nokes is unhappy over the government’s unwillingness to introduce mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting. She has blasted the government for its “lack of will” to tackle racial disparities.

In February, the House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee called for legislation to introduce the metric for companies with more than 250 employ-

essary data would be too difficult, and then promptly outlines how this could easily be addressed – is disappointing.

“It makes clear that what is lacking in this administration is not resource or knowhow, but the will or care to foster a fairer and more equal society,” said Caroline Nokes.

Meanwhile, Dianne Greyson, founder of the #EthnicityPayGap Campaign has condemned the government’s “laissez-faire attitude” to tackling racial inequalities.

No explanation for awarding first-class degrees to graduates The Office for Students (OfS), the student watchdog, found out that almost four in ten graduates were awarded first-class degrees last summer and most cannot be explained. Criticising the spiralling grade inflation, the student watchdog said top degrees were given to 80 per cent of graduates

at one institution.

Also, in recent years, the rate of students getting firsts despite having three Ds or lower at A-level has increased significantly on a national level, added the regulator.

As per the regulator’s analysis, the proportion of students achieving a first-

class degree doubled from 15.7 per cent in 2010-11 to 37.9 per cent in 2020-21. In 2019, 29.5 per cent of students graduated with a firstclass degree, of which 48 per cent were unexplained, and in 2020, 36.1 per cent achieved firsts, of which 62 per cent appeared unjustified.

Brothers slashing police with knife jailed for total of 18 years Two brothers who slashed police officers during a crazed knife attack at a shopping centre have been jailed for a total of 18 years.

When PC Leon Mittoo and PC James Willets saw Maninder Hunjan, 26, and Parminder Hunjan, 37, after wearing thick coats and gloves outside Boots during a heatwave, they grew suspicious and tried searching for them, however, while doing so, both the brothers attacked the police officers with a knife at West Bromwich, West Midlands, last July.

During the attack, PC Mittoo suffered a slash wound to his head which required stitches and cuts to his hand while PC Willetts suffered a wound to the back of his head.

Jurors were told that the

FA cup leaves streets littered The FA cup finale which was held on Saturday, May 14, at Wembley stadium took a toll on the city’s streets, leaving them awfully littered.

An Asian Voice reader shared these unpleasant photographs from Baker Street with us. This is the scene from right outside the Baker Street underground station and the Madame Tussauds.

ees, however, the government has rejected that call.

“In February, we made clear to the government that the necessary systems and structures to report on the ethnicity pay gap are already in place. Introducing mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting for larger businesses would set the ball rolling reducing inequalities between different ethnic groups.

“The government’s nonsensical response – which claims that gathering the nec-

brothers had smoked cannabis before launching their attack. In Parminder’s rucksack, an armoury of weapons including a BB gun, a revolver, a machete, a serrated blade, a hammer

and a Bushman’s knife was also found.

Brothers were found guilty of possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and will be sentenced on May 9.

Labour MP jokes about Queen's absence from the State Opening of Parliament Rupa Huq, the Labour MP for Ealing since 2015, joked about the frail Queen's absence from the State Opening of Parliament.

She posted it on Twitter: 'With such a thin Queen's Speech, no wonder Her Majesty opted to work from home today.'

The Queen is said to have 'episodic mobility

problems'. For the first time since 1963, she missed the ceremony, which set out the Government's plans. Miss Huq is the elder sister of former Blue Peter presenter Konnie Huq. The Queen's Speech set out plans for 38 bills but has been criticised for not focusing enough on the cost of living crisis.

Shree Lohana Mahaparishad’s President Satishbhai is on UK visit Satishbhai Vithalani, President Shree Lohana Mahaparishad is on a visit to the UK. He will attend the meeting organised by The Lohana Community North London.

Shree Lohana Mahaparishad is doing the representation of more than 3.5 million Lohanas residing all over the globe.

Under the leadership of Satish Vithalani, Youth wing is empowered and entire LMP operations are going

Global. The vision of Satishbhai is to develop a module for Higher Education, Business Growth, Social Responsibility and Collaborations.

A roadmap is being developed which will connect Lohana Youth from any part of India to a Lohana Youth residing abroad and they can collaborate for Education, Entertainment, Business and Fellowship.

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Issa brothers, Mukesh Ambani face off in battle for Boots Britain’s billionaire Issa brothers and Indian tycoon Mukesh Ambani are preparing to face off in the final battle for UK's Boots drugstore chain. The Issa brothers are seen as the party to beat ahead of next week’s deadline for proposals, after they submitted the highest offer in the first round, people with knowledge said.

The duo are going up against Ambani, who’s been working on a bid together with buyout firm Apollo Global Management Inc. Bidders are now sizing up Boots’ billions in pension

guarantees - which they’ll have to take on - as they figure out how much they can pay for the business, people in the know said.

They’re also working around the clock to arrange financing.

That’s a lot to sort through, and suitors are

getting a few extra days to firm their bids up after the chain’s owner Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. pushed back the May 16 deadline to later in the week, the people said. A deal would fit in well with the Issas’ empirebuilding ambitions. In recent years, they’ve gone on an acquisition spree that’s turned their main company EG Group into a global gas station and convenience store colossus. They’ve snapped up UK supermarket operator Asda Group Ltd. and the Leon chain of fast casual restaurants.

UAE telecoms group e& buys Indian-origin to join Bank of 9.8% stake in Vodafone England's monetary panel Emirates Telecommunications Group Company PJSC, now known as e&, has acquired a 9.8% stake in Vodafone for $4.4 billion. The move comes days after e& said it was looking to expand into new markets in Africa, Europe and Asia and in areas outside telecoms such as financial technology as its seeks to drive growth.

Vodafone has been struggling in its more mature markets, where competition and regulation have pushed prices lower.

Net debt at the group has reached 44.3 billion euros ($46.1 billion), and its Chief Executive Nick Read is under pressure to simplify its portfolio and improve returns after a more than 20% slide in its share price since he took over in 2018.

Vodafone said it looked forward to building a longterm relationship with e&.

"We continue to make good progress with our long-term strategic plans and will provide an update in our FY22 results

announcement," it said in a statement.

E& said it had made the investment to gain "significant exposure to a world leader in connectivity and digital services". It added it had no intention of making an offer to buy Vodafone, saying it is fully supportive of the company's current business strategy and its board and existing management team.

"We see this investment as a good opportunity for e& and its shareholders as it will allow us to enhance and develop our international portfolio, in line with our strategic ambition," said CEO Hatem Dowidar.

Leading Indian-origin academic Swati Dhingra has been appointed as an external member to the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC).

Dhingra was the first Indian-origin woman to join the committee. The MPC is responsible for deciding what monetary policy action the Bank of England will take to keep inflation low and stable. It meets eight times a year to set the Bank of England’s own interest rate.

Dhingra, associate professor of economics at LSE and an associate in the Centre for Economic Performance’s trade programme, will join the panel on 9 August for a three-year term. “Dr Swati Dhingra’s experience in international economics will bring valuable new expertise to the MPC. I am delighted to appoint her to this role and look forward to seeing her contribution to policymaking in the coming

Swati Dhingra

years," Rishi Sunak said.

Dhingra will replace current external member, Michael Saunders, who has been on the MPC since August 2016. Dr Swati Dhingra said: “I am very pleased that the Chancellor has appointed me to join the Monetary Policy Committee. The work of the Committee is of great importance as the UK faces an exceptional cost of living crisis amid the global challenges of the pandemic and the war.”

MPs call for strict laws to tackle money laundering Member of the parliamentary groups on anti-corruption and fair banking called for wideranging reforms to tackle money laundering. They wanted the banking executives to be held responsible for their failure to prevent economic crime.

They urged the government to allot more money to spent on enforcement and to provide protection for whistleblowers. Though the government promised

to bring in a second economic crime bill in the Queen’s speech, many MPs feared it would not go far enough and urged the government to take tougher measures.

Conservative MP Kevin Hollinrake said making

executives criminally liable would bring the desired effect. MP Dame Margaret pointed to a 35% fall in money laundering prosecutions in the last five years, saying: “our agencies are completely outgunned and are simply not fit for purpose.” The Government has already committed to spending £100 million over the next three years on economic crime enforcement, with another £300 million coming from the private sector through

the economic crime levy, but MPs want to see that commitment increased to match those private funds.

T r a n s p a r e n c y International UK welcomed the proposals, with director of policy Duncan Hames saying: “This manifesto is a compelling call for government to act on the scourge of economic crime and corruption. Now is the time for government to press forward against the criminals who hide their dirty money.

Energy firms threatened with heavy taxes Chancellor Rishi Sunak told energy firms that if they don't invest enough in new projects then heavy new tax will be imposed on them. He said that there is no option than to boost energy security.

Opposition parties also want to tax oil and gas firms' soaring profits to help households grappling with rising bills. Treasury officials

have been ordered to examine a potential tax, a source said.

In an interview, Sunak said that he was not attracted to the idea of a windfall tax, but may be forced to introduce one.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson also said that if there is not enough investment, then the government may be forced to

look into the proposal.

Labour, the Lib Dems and the SNP are all calling for a windfall tax on their profits to pay for tax cuts and benefit boosts, to help households cope with rising living costs.

Sunak's comments mark a change of tone on the idea of a windfall tax that has been pushed by the opposition.

The chancellor has

previously said it's not a good idea, and reiterated that he's not attracted to such a policy.

But he also stressed that there were elevated profits being made right now by the energy companies this time of high prices.

It is time for the energy firms to think carefully about their next move to boost energy security.

Dear Financial Voice Reader,

Alpesh Patel OBE

Should We Still Sell in May and Go Away?

There is an old stock market maxim that says we should "sell in May and go away." Like most proverbs or cliches, it has a foundation in truth. From the 1950s to 2013, the Dow Jones Industrial Average saw lower returns between May and October before picking up around November to April.

But I did some research recently where I examined what would happen if you bought in May for 12 months the 8 best performing big (S&P500) stocks from Jan to May of that year.

And the results looked great – about 38% returns in recent years. Even going back 20 years there were outstanding years.

So is it ‘Buy in May and Go Away?’.

Anyway, I want to focus on the older maxim, ‘Sell in May’. However, since 2013, this once-reliable seasonal pattern has become less predictable. Indeed, the composition of indexes seems to be at play here. The S&P 500 is heavily weighted with tech stocks, so exiting the market in recent years would have mean lost gains in growth stocks.

Another factor to consider is that this May is a somewhat unique scenario. The COVID-19 pandemic crash, followed by the government stimulus-response, has led to extraordinary levels of growth. Timing the market is never easy, so investors risk missing out on returns.

Investors should know that stock returns do slow down in the summer months in British and European markets.

However, there are a few caveats to this approach that investors should consider.

1)Nominal interest rates are currently lower than inflation. Additionally, real rates are negative. So, even if market returns lower during this six-month period, exiting into cash is a losing proposition.

2)Moving out of stocks generates taxes. If the plan is to dip out for the summer, then by back in November, investors should make sure their calculations are correct.

The Case For Going Away Of course, some believe getting out this May could be a good strategy this year. Carter Worth, at Cornerstone Macro, suggests that stocks are toppy at the moment and believes there is some wisdom in exiting the market on this basis alone. Worth does go on to say that he considers a seasonal approach a poor choice and that leaving money exposed to the market is a better move.

Mark Yusko at Morgan Creek Capital Management suggests gains in commodities could lead to inflation in Q2.

Additionally, he believes capital gains taxes and higher interest rates could lead to a rotation out of growth stocks and into value names.

While all of this is interesting, we can't escape that we're still in a bull market. While historically selling in May may have been wise, selling this May could mean missing out on significant returns. Failing to time the top and also facing a tax bill would be a double-blow.

Conclusion There is still plenty of debate about "sell in May and go away". While past performance can give investors some clues to market movement, this is still a very unusual market.

While the US and UK have rolled out successful vaccine programs, globally, the COVID crisis is far from over. There is still some room for disruption.

However, as Ryan Detrick at LPL Financial notes, the data suggest that over the last ten years, a strong April usually means a solid next six months. For example, April gains of 5% in the S&P 500 have been followed by 6.2% gains from May through October.

With many companies posting high earnings, the market is bullish. Exiting the market carries a penalty of a tax bill, so the best thing for investors this year is to stay put, so they don't miss out on gains.

My own picks from ‘Buy in May’ I’ve posted on my Telegram channel: www.alpeshpatel.com/telegram

Petrol retailers in UK fail to pass on duty cut Britain’s petrol retailers have been accused of profiteering from the energy crisis after research found they had failed to pass on nearly half of Rishi Sunak’s 5p fuel duty cut.

As diesel prices hit record highs, the RAC said that retailers were taking, on average, 2p more in profit per litre of fuel sold than they did before the chancellor reduced duty in March. With motorists buying about three and a half billion litres of fuel a month, the research suggests that petrol retailers

may be making extra profits of about £7 million a month.

Ministers urged retailers to pass on the duty cut to motorists to ease the cost of living.

Tory MPs called for a regulator to protect consumers.

“These companies are fleecing motorists along with the major oil companies and seem to be the only people doing well out of the war in Ukraine and the cost-ofliving crisis,” said Robert Halfon, who led the campaign for the March fuel duty cut.

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Stirring the deal

Suresh Vagjiani, Sow & Reap Properties Ltd

Currently, pockets of the central London market are heated up; there is a real lack of supply and heated demand. This leads to higher prices and a scurry to grab properties as soon as they hit the market.

This prompted us to obtain a valuation of a property owned by a client in a premier road in Notting Hill.

The property is freehold and currently used as an HMO, though it could easily be used as a single family dwelling; the agent echoed our thoughts on the market.

When selecting an agent for a property it is important to see who is best preforming in that particular locality. They should know the buildings on the road and have a track record of selling them. This should be on the tips of their fingers, so they can give you an accurate price there and then. If they cannot, they do not have their finger on the pulse.

This agent certainly did, having sold numerous properties on the same road over the years. However, as a consequence, he was stubborn about his fees. He was not prepared to go below 2% which comes to a lucrative fee on a valuation of £3.3M. On the flip side, I mentioned if he is so confident of performing then he shouldn’t need more than four weeks to sell this property. He agreed. The strategy is to invite offers above £3.1M. This means there is no limit to the upside, and encourages bidders to offer liberally.

Only one person will purchase the property. Ideally, this person should be buying this as a family house.

This means they will be buying with emotion, and preferably that buyer would have lost out on previous properties due to being out bid. This would be the rough profile. However, one can speculate, but the market decides; and I have been surprised before, both pleasantly and unpleasantly.

The other issue is performance, an offer can be accepted, but that has no meaning unless it can be executed in a timely manner.

The profile of the buyer will need to be analysed, as an offer has no meaning, unless you can lift up the hood and look into the bonnet and see the actual fire power. This will be a condition of the offer being accepted.

The button to go ahead on this sale has been pressed. It will be interesting to see how it progresses.

India’s retail inflation rises to 8-year high in April

Adani Group to acquire Holcim India business Gautam Adani-owned Adani Group announced a deal to acquire Holcim's businesses in India for $10.5 billion. The group revealed that it had entered into definitive agreements for the acquisition of Switzerland-based Holcim Ltd’s entire stake in two of India’s leading cement companies – Ambuja Cements Ltd and ACC Ltd. Holcim, through its subsidiaries, holds 63.19% in Ambuja Cements and 54.53% in ACC (of which 50.05% is

held through Ambuja Cements). The value for the Holcim stake and open offer consideration for Ambuja Cements and ACC is $10.5 billion.

Adani, in a statement, said, “Our move into the cement business is yet another validation of our belief in our nation's growth story.” This deal would make Gautam Adani's conglomerate the second-largest player in the domestic cement sector. Adani Group, which is

RIL eyes to acquire grocery, non-food brands to take on foreign giants India's biggest retailer Reliance will acquire dozens of small grocery and non-food brands as it targets building its own $6.5-billion consumer goods business to challenge foreign giants like Unilever, sources familiar with the plan said.

Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance plans to build a portfolio of 50-60 grocery, household and personal care brands within six months and is hiring an army of distributors to take them to mom-and-pop stores and bigger retail outlets across the country, the sources added.

The consumer goods push under a vertical named Reliance Retail Consumer Brands will come on top of Ambani’s brick-and-mortar store network of more than 2,000 grocery outlets and ongoing expansion of JioMart ecommerce operations in India’s nearly $900-billion retail market.

Reliance is in final stages of negotiations with around 30 popular niche local consumer brands to fully acquire them or form joint venture partnerships for sales, said the source.

The total investment outlay planned by the company to acquire brands isn’t clear, but the second source said Reliance had set a goal to achieve £5 billion of annual sales from the business within five years. With the new business plan, Reliance is seeking to challenge some of the world’s biggest consumer groups, like Nestle , Unilever, PepsiCo and CocaCola, which have been operating for decades in India, the sources said.

Jan Jenisch & Gautam Adani

already a ports-to-energy conglomerate, with this deal will also enter the cement sector.

Jan Jenisch, CEO of Holcim Limited, said, “I am delighted that the Adani Group is acquiring our business in India to lead its next era of growth.”

Adani Group, in the last couple of years, has diversified its portfolio beyond the

core business of operating ports, power plants and coal mines into airports, data centres and clean energy.

Last year, Asia's richest man Gautam Adani's group has also set up two cement subsidiaries - Adani Cement Ltd. and Adani Cementation Ltd., intending to set up two cement units at Gujarat’s Dahej and Maharashtra’s Raigarh.

Cambell Wilson appointed as new Air India chief Campbell Wilson, currently the CEO of Singapore Airlines (SIA) budget arm Scoot, has been appointed as the MD and CEO of Air India. He will bid adieu there on June 15. Tata-SIA JV Vistara's former CEO Leslie Thng will succeed him at Scoot. With full service AI and Vistara and low cost AI Express and AirAsia India in its fold, the Tatas have selected someone who has rich experience of running both these models.

The appointment of Wilson, who has been in the airline industry for 26 years, is subject to getting required regulatory approvals. The Tata Group had earlier selected former Turkish Airlines chairman Ilker Ayci as AI MD & CEO. Later Ayci declined to take up this offer,

prompting the Tata group to launch a fresh hunt for a CEO. Tata Group and AI chairman N Chandrasekaran said: “I am delighted to welcome Campbell to Air India. He is an industry veteran having worked in key global markets cutting across multiple functions. ” Wilson said: “It is a honour to be selected to lead the iconic Air India and be a part of the highly respected Tata Group. Air India is at the cusp of an exciting journey to become one of the best airlines in the world, offering world-class products and services with a distinct customer experience that reflects Indian warmth and hospitality. I am excited to join Air India and Tata colleagues in the mission of realising that ambition.”

Maruti to set up new manufacturing plant in Sonipat

India’s consumer price inflation surged to an eightyear high of 7.79% in April, 2022, breaching the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) socalled tolerable limit of 6% for the fourth straight month, official data showed.

Food inflation, which is driving the rise in retail inflation, rose by 8.38%, the highest so far in this fiscal.

The continued surge in shop-end prices will pile more pressure on the RBI to act more aggressively to check inflationary pressures, which have squeezed average household budgets.

According to the latest inflation numbers, overall retail prices rose higher in rural India (8.38%), while in urban India, they rose 7.09%. Food prices too increased faster in

the countryside at 8.5%, compared to 8.09% in urban areas.

Rising consumer inflation has increased the cost of living for average Indians, who are paying higher prices for a range of commodities, from fuel, electronics and transport to basic food items.

A rise in food prices relatively hurts poor households more because lowincome households spend a larger share of their monthly budget on food. Cereals rose 5.96% as a heatwave in March crimped at least 5.7% of wheat output from 111 million tonne forecast in Feb to 105 million tonne, according to revised estimates of the government.

Maruti Suzuki will spend £1.1 bn to set up a new manufacturing facility in Haryana, its third in the state and spread over an 800-acre area, as India's largest carmaker looks to add a fresh 10,00,000 units to its capacity from the location over the coming years.

The company, which currently has an annual installed capacity of 22,50,000 units across its existing two plants in Haryana (Gurgaon and

Manesar) and one in Gujarat, will start with an initial capacity of 250,000 units at the new location at IMT Kharkhoda in Sonipat district from 2025. This will thereafter be scaled up to

10,00,000 units progressively, as the market expands.

“The new plant with a manufacturing capacity of 250,000 vehicles per annum is expected to be commissioned in 2025, subject to administrative approvals. In the first phase, the investment will be over £1.1 billion. The site will have space for capacity expansion to include more manufacturing plants in the future,” the company said.

Rahul Bharti, director (corporate affairs), said the company hopes to provide direct employment to about 15,000 workers by the time it reaches peak production capacity at the new site.

Bharti also said the company doesn’t have any immediate plans to shut down or relocate its Gurgaon facility, something that has been speculated for long in view of the plant’s age and the heavy residential activity around it.

After re-entry, Ford to exit India again Ford Motors did a U-turn in only three months, announcing that it’s giving up on EV manufacturing in India (for exports), despite making the cut for benefits under the government’s production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme. It is believed that the company is close to securing deals to sell its India factories - the first one at Chennai in Tamil Nadu and the second one at Sanand in Gujarat. Tata Motors is believed to be close to acquiring the

Gujarat plant, while talks are on with a clutch of companies for Chennai, sources said.

The company, which in February this year showed willingness to re-enter India, after originally pulling out around the middle of 2021 (when it failed to secure a JV with Mahindra & Mahindra), is understood to have informed its workers about the latest decision.

Ford in India official said, “After careful review, we have decided to no

longer pursue EV manufacturing for exports from any of the Indian plants.

We remain grateful to the (Indian) government for approving our proposal under the production-linked incentives and for being supportive while we continued our exploration.”

The company said as of now, its previously

announced “business restructuring continues as planned, including exploring other alternatives for our manufacturing facilities. ”

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in brief INDIA PROMOTES HINDI, CONTRIBUTES OVER £600,000 TO UN India has contributed over £600,000 to the UN aimed at promoting and enhancing the public outreach of Hindi in the world body.

India’s Deputy Permanent Representative R Ravindra handed over a cheque for the UN project launched by India in 2018 to spread information about the Hindi-speaking population across the world. In a statement, the UN said that India has been making continuous efforts to expand the use of Hindi in the world body. India has been partnering with the UN Department of Global Communications since 2018 by providing an extra-budgetary contribution to mainstream and consolidate news and multimedia content of DGC in Hindi. Since 2018, the UN News in Hindi has been disseminated through the UN’s website and social media handles and a UN Facebook Hindi page, along with a regular Hindi audio bulletin on UN Radio is released every week.

PAK APPOINTS TRADE MINISTER IN INDIA A day after it appointed a trade official for its high commission in India, Pakistan said that the appointment of the minister (trade & investment) should not be seen in the context of “any relaxation of trade restrictions with India”. Islamabad had for the first time in five years announced appointment of a trade minister here. Pakistan had called off all trade with India following the latter’s decision to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019. Like the previous government, the new coalition government headed by Shehbaz Sharif also seems to be believe any forward movement on trade will be seen domestically as a dilution of Islamabad’s position on the Kashmir issue.

Pakistan’s clarification followed criticism of the fresh appointment by the PTI leader and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi saying the decision had “hurt the feelings of the oppressed people in Kashmir and the government should reconsider this decision”.

UAE’S AILING PRESIDENT SHEIKH KHALIFA DIES AT 73 The United Arab Emirates’ President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan died aged 73, state media said, after battling illness for several years. The president of the oil-rich Gulf state, who was rarely seen in public, is likely to be replaced by his half-brother, Abu Dhabi crown prince Mohammed bin Zayed, who was already seen as the UAE’s de facto ruler. The ministry of presidential affairs has announced 40 days of mourning, with flags at half-mast from Friday last.

“The Emirates has lost its virtuous son and leader of the ‘stage of empowerment’ and the trustee of its blessed journey,” Mohammed bin Zayed tweeted.

US RECORDS 1 MN DEATHS FROM COVID-19 The US has crossed the threshold of one million deaths from Covid-19, the White House said, as cities like New York try to turn the page on the pandemic despite threats of another surge.

“Today, we mark a tragic milestone: one million American lives lost to Covid-19,” President Joe Biden said in a statement that acknowledged the “unrelenting” pain of those who had lost loved ones during the pandemic. He called on residents to “remain vigilant against this pandemic” and said it was “critical” for Congress to fund resources like testing, vaccines and treatments. The loss represents about one death for every 327 Americans, or more than the entire population of San Francisco or Seattle. America recorded its first Covid death, on the West Coast, in early February 2020. For many, the toll of more than one million deaths was difficult to comprehend.

2 Sikh traders killed in northwest Pak; Sharif calls it 'terror attack' PESHAWAR: Two Sikh businessmen were shot dead by the Islamic State terrorists in northwest Pakistan on Sunday, the latest targeted attack against the minority community members in the restive province bordering Afghanistan.

Kanwaljeet Singh, 42, and Ranjeet Singh, 38, died on the spot after being attacked by two bike-borne assailants in the morning in Bata Tal bazaar of Sarband, Peshawar, the capital of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to the police.

The attackers fled after carrying out the attack. The victims were in the business of spices and had shops in the Bata Tal bazaar in Sarband, about 17 km from

Peshawar.

The Islamic State's Khorasan unit (ISKP) claimed that it carried out the attack targeting two Sikhs in Peshawar. The ISKP is an affiliate of the Islamic State (IS) active in South Asia and Central Asia.

The Counter-Terrorism Department registered a case of

murder of the two Sikh men, Saddar Superintendent of Police Aqiq Hussain told Geo News.

"The incident appears to be a terrorist attack.

The CCTV footage will be acquired and the suspects will be arrested soon," he said. A large number of angry Sikh protesters blocked the Peshawar-Islamabad road in front of Qila Bala Hissar to register their protest against the killing. They were holding placards against the brutal killings and raising slogans "Stop target killings", "We want justice."

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the

incident and directed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan to ensure immediate arrest and punishment of the culprits. He also ordered a high level inquiry into the incident. He urged the chief minister to ensure steps for the protection of the lives and properties of the citizens, particularly of nonMuslims. He observed that enmity with Pakistan was the reason behind this act of terrorism and resolved to eliminate the enemies of the country, the report said. Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah criticised the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for the attack and sought a report from the provincial chief secretary and inspector general of police.

No petrol; national carrier to be privatised: Lanka PM COLOMBO: Crisis-hit Sri Lanka has run out of petrol as it is unable to find dollars to finance essential imports, the new prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said in an address to the nation.

“We’ve run out of petrol. . . At the moment, we only have petrol stocks for a single day,” Wickremesinghe said, warning his bankrupt country could face more hardships in the coming months. The debt-ridden nation will also privatise its state-run national carrier, Sri Lankan Airlines, the PM said.

The island nation’s revenues have dropped sharply and its banks are out of dollars, leaving the country short of funds for essential goods, Wickremesinghe added. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka was set to form a new cabinet as political rivals make common cause to tackle a worsening economic crisis after last week’s deadly violence, party leaders said.

Protesters remained camped outside President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s residence demanding that he resign, as troops continued to patrol the streets while ordinary Sri Lankans queued up for scarce supplies.

Wickremesinghe has struggled to form a

“unity government” after the main opposition insisted that Gotabaya should follow his brother Mahinda who quit as premier last week. However, two stalwarts from the main Samagi Jana Balawegaya opposition party agreed to break ranks and join an “economic war cabinet”, party sources said. Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa said his party would not block in parliament any legitimate “solutions to the economic problems”.

Another opposition group, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, said they will also offer conditional support to Wickremesinghe, overturning their earlier decision not to.

PM backs protesters In an unusual move, Wickremesinghe has extended public support to the protesters, who have demanding the resignation Gotabaya. The PM said he had appointed a committee to look after the interests of the ‘Gota Go Home’ village protesters demand.

Wickremesinghe said the young protesters in the village would be safeguarded and their views would be sought for the shaping of future policy. In an interview, Wickremesinghe said the ‘Gota Go Gama’

Pak army slams attack by ruling leaders against former ISI chief ISLAMABAD: Pakistan army denounced comments made by the ruling dispensation against Peshawar’s Corps Commander Lt Gen Faiz Hameed, terming them “very inappropriate”. Addressing a rally last week near Islamabad, PML-N vice-president Maryam Nawaz had criticised Hameed while referring to Imran’s recent podcast appearance where he had said the former intelligence chief was the “eyes and ears” of the government. “We know that he wasn’t your eyes and ears (rather) he was your hands through which you throttled your political opponents,” she said.

Hameed, who served as the InterServices Intelligence chief from June 2019 to October 2021, has been under fire from senior politicians of major ruling coalition parties for his role as ISI chief under ousted PM Imran Khan.

Imran had opposed and confronted the

country’s powerful security establishment when Lt Gen Hameed was transferred to Peshawar as corps commander by army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

Hameed has been widely held responsible for “selecting” Imran to PM’s office by allegedly rigging the 2018 polls. Observers believe that Hameed was expected to become the next army chief if Imran had continued to stay in power. This fear, according to observers, had prompted the Imran’s opponents to remove him through a no-confidence vote in parliament. Reacting to the politicians’ attack, Pakistan military’s media arm, the Inter Services Public Relations, said, “Imprudent comments made by important senior politicians recently about Hameed are very inappropriate,” the ISPR statement read, adding that such statements undermined the honour and the morale of the institution and its leadership.

Bangladesh cancels foreign trips of 17 officials DHAKA: The Bangladesh government cancelled foreign trips of 17 officials following its decision to stop overseas trips of government officials on May 12, in the wake of the post-Covid economic recovery and the current global crisis.

The Education Ministry cancelled the Australia trip of 12 University Grants Commission and ministry officials. According to UGC sources, 11 officials of the commission including two UGC members of the UGC and one Secondary and Higher Education Division of the ministry were scheduled to go to Australia on May 28. They were scheduled to visit various universities in Australia. Bridges Division under the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges, cancelled Malaysia tour of five officials of Bridges Division and Bridge authority, according to Monjur Hossain, secretary of Bridges Division.

They were scheduled to visit Malaysia in between May 26 to 29. The finance ministry in a circular on May 12 said all exposure visits/study tours/travels for APA, innovations, workshops or seminars will remain suspended until further notice.

protest should be continued to bring a change in the political system in the country and let the country’s youth take the responsibility to lead. Over 200 people have been arrested in the country on various charges, including violation of curfew, attacking the public and causing damages to public and private properties, as the authorities try to bring order back to the Island nation.

Meanwhile, the new PM held discussions with the country’s representatives of the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) amid the ongoing economic crisis. Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis since independence with food and fuel shortages, soaring prices and power cuts affecting a large number of the citizens, resulting in massive protests over the government’s handling of the situation.

The recession is attributed to foreign exchange shortages caused by a fall in tourism during the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as reckless economic policies including the government’s last year’s move to ban chemical fertilizers in a bid to make Sri Lanka’s agriculture “100% organic”.

Pak’s forex reserves drop to lowest since Dec 2019 ISLAMABAD: Cash-strapped Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves have dropped to their lowest level since December 2019, owing to an increase in current account and trade deficits, higher external debt payments and dried dollar inflows, according to a media report.

As per data from Pakistan’s central bank, inflows clocked in at $ 16. 4 billion in the week that ended May 6, from $16. 5 billion a week earlier. The country’s foreign exchange reserves declined by $ 178 million or 1. 1% on a week-on-week basis to stand at $ 16. 376 billion, the central bank data showed.

The central bank reserves also fell to a 23month low, decreasing by $ 190 million to $ 10. 308 billion, Pakistan’s Geo News reported.

The decline was attributed to outflows related to external debt repayments. Analysts estimate the central bank’s latest reserves can cover imports for 1. 54 months. The reserves of commercial banks, however, soared up to $ 6. 067 billion from $ 6. 054 billion.

Increasing twin deficits - the current and trade deficits, lack of foreign currency inflows, and increasing foreign debt servicing obligations have led to the fast depletion of the forex reserves. The falling reserves put pressure on the currency as it plunged to an all time low of Rs 191. 77 per dollar in the interbank market.The delay in the revival of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout along with the lack of pledges of funding from friendly countries is adding pressure to the foreign reserves and the local unit.

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PM Modi pitches for India's traditional medicine at Covid summit NEW YORK: India is using its traditional medicines to back up the fight against Covid-19 even as the country has vaccinated nearly 90 per cent of its adult population against the disease, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“In India, we extensively used our traditional medicines to supplement our fight against Covid and to boost immunity, saving countless lives,” he said at the second global Covid-19 summit convened by US President Joe Biden.

While the use of indigenous supplements has stirred controversies among some practitioners of western medical systems, Modi mentioned the international interest in them.

“Last month, we laid the foundation of WHO (World Health Organization) Centre for

Narendra Modi

Traditional Medicine in India with an aim to make this age-old knowledge available to the world,” he said speaking in English.

The virtual summit met as the Covid death toll in the US neared the 1 million mark and Biden ordered the flags to fly at half-staff to honor the pandemic’s victims. “We’re going to face, together, global health crises,” he said at the start of the summit. “This is not the last one we’ve had; it’s not a

question of ‘if’, it’s a question of ‘when’.” Therefore, he said that the US will share critical Covid technologies through the WHO’s Covid -19 Technology Access Pool. “We’re making available health technologies that are owned by the United States government, including stabilized spike protein that is used in many Covid-19 vaccines.”

But Modi’s appeal went beyond that, reiterating India’s request for loosening intellectual property rights to deal with the pandemic. He said that the World Trade Organization rules, “particularly TRIPS need to be more flexible”.

TRIPS is an abbreviation for the WTO’s Agreement on TradeRelated Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights and India and South Africa have requested a

temporary waiver from its conditions to help produce vaccines to face the pandemic.

The WTO has reported progress on this with India, the US, the European Union, and South Africa, known as the Quad at the WTO, proposing a deal that could be the basis of an agreement at the WTO ministerial meeting next month.

Despite the skepticism of some doctors, a British institution is conducting trials with Ashwagandha to see if it can help people suffering from long Covid.

The BMJ (formerly known as the British Medical Journal), has reported that according to the National Institute of Siddha four clinical trials are underway to test the efficacy of Kabasura Kudineer in reducing susceptibility to Covid.

10 killed, 3 hurt in ‘racially motivated’ Indian origin to be dean of shooting at NY grocery store Stanford’s climate change school HOUSTON: Arun Majumdar, Indian-American material scientist, engineer and professor, has been named the inaugural dean of Stanford University’s new school that focuses on climate change and sustainability. To be launched on September 1, Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability - the university’s first new school in 70 years - aims to accelerate solutions to the global climate crisis. Majumdar will assume his new post on June 15.

Originally from Kolkata, Majumdar got his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at the IIT, Bombay in 1985 and his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley in 1989. He was nominated for the position of undersecretary of energy in the US between November 30, 2011 and May 15, 2012 but then the

Arun Majumdar

nomination was retracted. After leaving Washington DC, Majumdar was the vicepresident for energy at Google, where he assembled a team to create technologies and businesses at the intersection of data, computing, and electricity grid. He joined Stanford in 2014.

He was the founding director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy, and currently serves as the chair of the advisory board to US secretary of energy.

WASHINGTON: A teenage white supremacist who raged that people of colour are replacing whites in America in a 180-page “manifesto”, zeroed in a minority-frequented store in Buffalo, New York and shot and killed 10 people and injured three more - almost all of them Black.

Payton Gendron, 18, surrendered after the carnage, which he lived-streamed on a social media platform, and was charged with first-degree murder in what law enforcement officials described as a racially motivated hate crime. He pleaded not guilty and was remanded without bail.

There appeared to have been plenty of red flags about Payton’s extremist views and his intent to conduct mass shooting. Aside from the racist opinion he expressed in the manifesto, authorities in the school where he studied told the local media in Buffalo that he had threatened violence and shooting in exchanges with fellow students and had been referred for mental health evaluation and counseling.

On his way to conduct the massacre at a place that he chose by looking up the zip code with a heavy black population, he began a live stream that showed him wearing military-style tactical gear with helmet. On the barrel of his rifle, the “N-word” is spelled out in white paint, with the number 14.

The number 14 is said to refer to a 14-word statement that is popular with white supremacists, and reads, “We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white people”. The statement is attributed to the late David Lane, an activist with a white supremacist terror group known as The Order.

20 Punjabis in fray for Ontario provincial polls ONTARIO: As many as 20 candidates of Punjab origin are in the fray for the Ontario provincial elections in Canada for which the polling is scheduled to be held on June 2 for all 123 constituencies.

The three major political outfits - the Liberals, National Democratic Party (NDP) and the Progressive Conservative Party (PC) - are not only banking heavily on South Asians in general and Punjabis in particular, but they have also given “adequate representation” to their communities by fielding them.

In the final list, Liberal Party and Progressive Conservative Party have fielded six Punjabi candidates each, New Democratic Party five, Green two and one will contest as an Independent. Most of the Punjabis are contesting from the 11 constituencies of Brampton and Mississauga suburbs of Toronto, dominated by the diaspora.

The Progressive Conservative Party has fielded Hardeep Grewal from Brampton East, Amanjot Sandhu from Brampton West and Deepak Anand from Mississauga Malton. Liberals have fielded Jannat Garewal from Brampton East, Harinder Malhi from Brampton North, Rimmy Jhajj from Brampton West, Aman Gill from Mississauga Malton, Ruby Toor from Brantford Brant and Manpreet Brar from Essex.

The NDP has fielded Sara Singh from Brampton Centre, Sandeep Singh from Brampton North, Navjot Kaur from Brampton West and Jasleen Kamboj from Thornhill. Green party has fielded Aneep Dhade from Brampton North and Mini Batra from Durham, while Manjot Sekhon is contesting from the Ontario party.

Seven Punjabis who won in 2018 are

again trying their luck. Prominent among them are Nina Tangri from Mississauga Streetville, Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism Parm Gill from Milton, President of the Ontario Treasury Board Parbmeet Sarkaria from Brampton South and NDP national president Jagmeet Singh’s younger brother Gurratan Singh from Brampton East.

Briton scales Mt Everest for the 16th time KATHMANDU: Kenton Cool, a 48-yearold British national, has scaled the world’s highest peak Mount Everest for the 16th time, becoming the first non-Nepalese to do so, a media report said.

Cool, who hails from Gloucestershire, a county in South West England, reached the top of Mount Everest for the 16th time early on Sunday morning, citing the Instagram page of Cool. Cool’s initial push for the summit was delayed due to high winds, which forced his team to wait below the peak.

Many Nepali guides who help tourists climb the mountain have completed substantially more ascents of Everest. The current record-holder is Kami Rita, a Sherpa who last week climbed the mountain for the 26th time at the age of 52.

In an Instagram post, Cool paid tribute

Kenton Cool

to the local guides, who he said had “worked super hard on our behalf”, calling them the “superheroes of the mountain”, the report said.

May is the most popular time to climb the world’s highest peak. The Nepal government has issued 316 permits to climb Everest this peak season.

in brief MUSK’S TAKEOVER OF TWITTER ‘ON HOLD’ FOR NOW Elon Musk said his $44 billion bid to purchase Twitter was “temporarily on hold” until he could get more details to confirm that spam and fake accounts represent less than 5% of the social network’s total users. Musk made the announcement in a tweet, the latest chapter in an unfolding corporate drama that has raised questions about free speech online and the ramifications of putting the world’s richest person in charge of one of the most influential social media platforms. Musk, the chief executive of Tesla, has said that ridding the platform of fake accounts, bots and spam would be one of his top priorities after taking over. In his tweet, Musk made reference to a May 2 regulatory filing by Twitter that included an estimate of the number of spam and fake accounts.

TOKYO TO RECOGNISE SAME-SEX UNIONS Japan’s capital Tokyo has announced it will start recognising same-sex partnerships to ease the burdens faced by residents in their daily lives, but the unions will not be considered legal marriages. The Tokyo metropolitan government unveiled a draft plan to accept registrations starting in October from sexual-minority couples seeking certificates of their partnerships. It said applicants will be limited to adult residents of Tokyo but will include foreign nationals.

BABY FORMULA SHORTAGE IN US Parents across the US are scrambling to find baby formula because supply disruptions and a massive safety recall have swept many leading brands off store shelves. Months of spot shortages at pharmacies and supermarkets have been exacerbated by the recall at Abbott, which was forced to shutter its largest US manufacturing plant in February due to contamination concerns. Nationwide about 40% of large retail stores are out of stock.

UKRAINE’S MINE SNIFFING DOG GETS MEDAL FROM PREZ President Volodymyr Zelensky has presented Ukraine's famous mine sniffing dog Patron with a medal to recognise their dedicated service since Russia’s invasion. The pint-size Jack Russell terrier has been credited with detecting more than 200 explosives and preventing their detonation since the start of the war on February 24, quickly becoming a canine symbol of Ukrainian patriotism.

Zelensky announced the award at a news conference in Kyiv with Canadian PM Justin Trudeau. Patron barked and wagged his tail, prompting laughter from the audience.

Trudeau patted his pockets as though looking for a dog treat. The award also went to Patron’s owner, a major in the Civil Protection Service, Myhailo Iliev.

REPORTS CLAIM XI SUFFERING FROM CEREBRAL ANEURYSM Chinese President Xi Jinping is suffering from ‘cerebral aneurysm’ and had to be hospitalised at the end of 2021, media reports said. It is learnt that he preferred to be treated with traditional Chinese medicines rather than going for surgery, which softens the blood vessels and shrinks aneurysm. Of late, there have been speculations about Xi’s health as he had avoided meeting the foreign leaders since the outbreak of Covid-19 till the Beijing Winter Olympics. Earlier in March 2019, during Xi’s visit to Italy, his gait was observed to be unusual with a noticeable limp and later also in France during the same tour, he was seen taking support while trying to sit down.

Similarly, during an address to the public in Shenzhen in October 2020, his delay in appearance, slow speech and coughing spree again led to speculation about his ill health.

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India halts wheat exports with immediate effect In a major U-turn amid calls for ban/cap to curb rising prices, India decided to ban wheat exports with immediate effect. An official notification called the action a part of measures to control rising domestic prices.

However, the export shipments for which irrevocable letters of credit (LoC) have been issued on or before the date of this notification will be allowed, according to the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) notification dated May 13.

To aid neighbours Following the G7 criticism of India’s decision, the Indian embassy in Berlin explained in a statement that the move by India will ensure the fulfilment of the genuine needs of India’s neighbours and fooddeficit countries and that the restrictions imposed won’t come in the way of meeting prior commitments.

The embassy said India announced an amendment in India’s export policy for wheat to manage the overall food security situation in India and to support the needs of neighbouring and vulnerable countries that are adversely affected by the sudden changes in the global market for wheat and are unable to access adequate wheat supplies.

However, it added, this restriction would not apply in cases where prior commitments have been made by “private trade as well as in situations where permission is granted by the Government of India to other countries

to meet their food security needs and on the requests of their governments.”

“The amendment order serves three main purposes: it ensures India’s food security and checks inflation, it helps other countries facing food deficit, and it maintains India’s reliability as a supplier. The amendment also aims to provide a clear direction to the wheat market to prevent hoarding of wheat supplies. The decision to regulate wheat exports will also control inflationary expectations,” it said.

Procurement extended A day after imposing strict export controls, the Centre extended wheat procurement in six states, including Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, by up to three weeks with the exercise now targeted to end on May 31. The wheat procurement was scheduled to end on May 10 in Rajasthan and on May 15 in UP, MP, Bihar, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. The food ministry said the Food Corporation of India (FCI) will continue with wheat procurement for the central pool.

ASI releases pics of closed rooms of Taj Mahal The Archeological Survey of India (ASI) recently released pictures of some of the 22 underground rooms of the Taj Mahal, which were opened in January for carrying out conservation work.

This was done to debunk claims about the presence of Hindu idols and structures in the so-called “permanently locked” rooms, as was claimed in a petition filed in the Allahabad high court (HC).

The Lucknow bench of the HC had dismissed the petition filed by BJP media in-charge of Ayodhya, Rajneesh Singh, last week that sought nod to open the “locked rooms” and get a survey done to ascertain the presence of idols of Hindu deities.

After the dismissal of his petition, Singh said that he would approach the Supreme Court and pursue the matter of the “secret” Taj cells. Photographs of the opened rooms in the basement were released earlier this month by ASI, whose superintending archeologist

Manik Saha takes oath as new Tripura CM Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Manik Saha was sworn in as the chief minister of Tripura on Sunday, a day after his predecessor Biplab Kumar Deb resigned.

Governor Satyadeo Narain Arya administered the oath of secrecy to Saha at a brief ceremony at Raj Bhawan.

No other minister took oath along with Saha.

Deb was the first BJP chief minister of Tripura.

Deb played a crucial role in the BJP’s thumping victory in 2018 assembly polls. Deb resigned from his post saying that he would now focus to strengthen the party organisation to ensure the BJP’s return in 2023 assembly polls.

Saha joined the BJP in

Manik Saha

2015 and was made the chief of the party in 2020.

He became Tripura’s first Rajya Sabha MP from the BJP this year. During his initial days in the party, he was panna pramukh incharge of urban areas and also booth management committee in-charge in the 2018 assembly polls.

Barely 24 hours after

meeting Union home minister Amit Shah, Deb tendered his resignation.

Hours later, Saha was elected leader of the BJP legislature party. Through the unexpected move, the BJP leadership has once again relied on its mantra of replacing a CM just before the polls to beat anti-incumbency, as was

done in Uttarakhand, where the party broke the trend of the ruling party being voted out.

After B S Yediyurappa (Karnataka), Trivendra Singh Rawat and Tirath Singh Rawat (both Uttarakhand) and Vijay Rupani (Gujarat), Deb is the fifth BJP CM to be replaced without completing the full five-year term.

“The disgruntlement among the state party leaders was increasing fast. It was reflecting on the general mood in the state. However, the party leadership took its time before making the decision that it could not go to the state polls with so much discontent among the party cadres,” a senior party functionary said.

(Agra circle) Raj Kumar Patel said pictures of restoration work done by authorities were now available on ASI’s website “for everyone to view”.

Officials added that conservation work was carried out in these cells between December 2021 and March 2022. The cost of the project was roughly Rs 600,000.

Several photographs that were then taken were sent to ASI's Delhi headquarters.

Some of them were included in the ASI’s January newsletter, which was uploaded on May 5 on their website. The ASI has recently started publishing a monthly newsletter, which was earlier released annually. Each

AFSPA may soon be lifted from entire Assam: Shah Union Home Minister Amit Shah exuded confidence that AFSPA will soon be revoked from entire Assam, as improved law and order and peace accords with militant outfits during the last six years have already led to its partial withdrawal in the state.

He said that due to the efforts of the Centre and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, most of the militant outfits have entered into peace agreements and the “day is not far when the entire state will be completely free from insurgency and violence”.

Shah was addressing a

2 days after fire that killed 27, building owner arrested The owner of a building in Mundka, where a massive fire left 27 people dead last week, was arrested from Ghevra More, near the Haryana-Delhi border. The accused has been identified as Manish Lakra, a property dealer who was residing on the top floor of the building with his mother, wife and their two children.

Delhi Police said, Lakra came home, asked his wife to make tea, sensed something was burning and realised the building was engulfed in fire. After making a few calls to his relatives, he escaped with his family through another building. Cops are probing whether Lakra had shut the top floor door which, if left opened, could have saved lives.

Cops said multiple raids were conducted in Delhi and Haryana, which led them to the accused.

They are now looking for other members of his family who are absconding. Lakra had built two rooms, a kitchen and a bathroom on the top floor of the building, police said. “Inquiry revealed that

the building originally belonged to his father, who died in 2015. The property then passed to Lakra.

Apart from Lakra, Harish Goel and his brother Varun, owners of a company that was operating in the

circle has to send highlights of work done by it to the headquarters every month, said officials.

“The maintenance work of underground cells on the riverside of the Taj Mahal was taken up a few months ago. Decayed and disintegrated lime plaster was removed and a fresh coat laid. Traditional lime processing took place before application,” said the ASI website. It carried four photographs of the basement cells before and after restoration work.

Photographs of other monuments where conservation work was done during this period were also included in the same issue, said officials.

building, were also arrested earlier.

Only 8 identified Officials and families were having difficulty in identifying the bodies – 21 women and six men – since all of them are charred. By the end of the day, only eight bodies had been identified. The rest, besides some of the ones already identified, may have to undergo DNA profiling for confirmation.

CM announces relief Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced an immediate financial relief of Rs 10,00,000 for the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for those injured.

Announcing an inquiry, the chief minister said that his government will ensure “strictest possible punishment” for those responsible.

“Once we get the inquiry report, no culprit will be spared,” he said.

Amit Shah

gathering after presenting the President's Colour, a special flag, to the Assam Police. It is the highest honour to be given to any military or police unit in recognition of exceptional service rendered to the nation, both in peace and war.

“The Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) has been revoked from 23 districts, and partially from one district. I am confident that it will be completely withdrawn from the entire state soon,” he said.

The Act was extended 60 times in the state since 1990 but now, instead of special laws, youths can look forward to development and a bright future, the union minister said.

He said that those who have surrendered and returned to the mainstream are being rehabilitated by both the central and Assam governments and they will participate in the development journey of the state.

Shah said accords were signed with all four factions of the NDFB and militant outfits in Karbi Anglong, while 274 cases against 427 cadres were withdrawn by the state government.

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in brief

SOUTH INDIA

Amit Shah sounds poll bugle in Telangana HYDERABAD: Sounding the poll bugle in Telangana, Union home minister Amit Shah hit out at the TRS government in the state for alleged corruption and unkept promises and said his party is ready to face the polls, due in the state next year.

Addressing a public meeting which marked the culmination of state BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar’s second phase of ‘padayatra’ (foot march), Shah appealed to the electorate to defeat the ruling TRS and make the saffron party successful in the 2023 elections.

“Do we need to change the Nizam of Telangana or not,” he asked the gathering, in an obvious reference to chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. Accusing the TRS government of failing to fulfil the major planks of separate Telangana agitation of “water, funds and jobs”, Shah said BJP, if elected to power, would implement them.

Amit Shah

He also said his party would end minority reservations in the state and increase the quota for STs, SCs and backward classes.

Shah expressed confidence of BJP coming to power in the state in the hustings next year and urged the voters to elect the saffron party to usher in a secure and prosperous Telangana.

Referring to TRS poll symbol of car, Shah charged that its steering is in the hands of AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi.

On the alleged highhandedness against BJP activists, he claimed attempts were on to make Telangana like West Bengal.

Karnataka bans use of loudspeakers from 10 pm to 6 am BENGALURU: Karnataka government has banned the use of loudspeakers between 10 pm and 6 am amid a raging debate over loudspeakers.

The government said that a loudspeaker or a public address system shall not be used (between 10 pm to 6 am) except in closed premises for communication within e.g., auditoria, conference rooms, community halls and banquet halls," the order said.

The circular cited the Supreme Court order which has said that the noise level at the boundary of the public place, where a loudspeaker or public address system or any other noise source is being used shall not exceed 10 dB(A) above the ambient noise standards for the area or 75 dB(A) whichever is lower.

The loudspeakers row started when the MNS chief on April 12 gave an ultimatum to the Maharashtra government to remove loudspeakers from mosques by May 3, failing which, he warned, MNS workers will play Hanuman Chalisa on loudspeakers.

PUNJAB

Fire at Amritsar hospital, Punjab govt to end VIP over 600 rescued culture in jails AMRITSAR: A major tragedy was averted at the Guru Nanak Dev Hospital here after a massive fire broke out in two wards and the o u t p a t i e n t department (OPD).

The staff and the attendants scrambled to save patients and there was no loss of life or serious injury to anyone.

The fire started after multiple explosions in two transformers near the Xray department and spread to the nearby multifloor wards of the skin and cardiology patients, besides the OPD. More than 600 patients were in its range. Because of thick smoke and raging flames, rescuers avoided the staircase and smashed windowpanes to make an escape route. Fire tenders, later, brought blaze under control.

Government Medical College principal, Dr Rajiv Devgun, confirmed there had been blasts in the two transformers.

Sources said the leakage of inflammable transformer oil could have started this fire.

State power minister, Harbhajan Singh, visited the site, met the rescued patients, ordered an inquiry, and said they would install a substation at the hospital.

CHANDIGARH: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said his government will soon end the ‘VIP culture’ in state jails by converting ‘VIP cells’ there into administrative blocks.

Mann made the announcement in a video message emphasising that jails would be converted into 'Sudhar ghar' (correctional facilities) in the true sense.

The chief minister expressed his government's intention to reform jail administration saying over 700 mobile phones, being used by gangsters and criminals in jail, have been recovered from different prisons in the past 50 days during search operations.

He said his party had promised that after coming to power it would stop the network of gangsters and criminals operating from jails.

Mann said those lodged in

Bhagwant Mann

jails have been punished by courts for violating the law and they cannot enjoy various facilities in jails. “It is surprising how can anyone become a VIP in a jail after a court punishes him (for a crime)," he asked. “We will end VIP culture in jails.

People think they (accused) are in jail but the accused take rest there, play badminton and tennis and watch TV. We are going to stop this culture," the chief minister said in his video message.

WEST BENGAL

CAA won't be implemented in Bengal: Mamata KOLKATA: Reacting to Union Home Minister Amit Shah`s remark about implementing the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee asserted that the BJP will not return to power in 2024 and no CAA will be implemented.

The Bengal’s Chief Minister’s remark came soon after Union Home Minister Amit Shah slammed the Trinamool Congress for spreading rumours about the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and said that the Central government will implement it once the Covid-19 pandemic ends.

The Chief Minister also alleged that Amit Shah visited

Mamata Banerjee

the state to unnecessarily drag the Border Security Force (BSF) into dirty politics. While addressing the media persons, West Bengal CM said she

respects the BSF but it should not fall under Amit Shah`s trap.

"The Communist Party of India (Marxist) is BJP`s linkman.

They believe in doing `tukda`.

But they want to divorce Hindus and Muslims, they want to divide communities. As the Home Minister of the country, he has only misused the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). He is bringing the Delhi danga to Bengal," said Mamata.

The Chief Minister said that the Citizenship (Amendment) Act Bill has lapsed. "They are talking about CAA. Then those who elected the PM and CMs were not citizens of this country?

The CAA Bill has lapsed. Why are they not bringing this bill to Parliament? I don`t want the rights of citizens to be curbed.

We all have to stay together, unity is our strength," she added.

ALERT IN TN TO CURB INTRUSION OF REFUGEES FROM LANKA The Tamil Nadu coastal police are on high alert following inputs from Central agencies on the possibility of a heavy intrusion of refugees from Sri Lanka following political and economic uncertainty in the island nation. A senior officer of the Tamil Nadu home department said that the state is constantly in touch with the Union home ministry regarding the possibility of a Sri Lankan inflow into the Indian soil. Police are also alert on the possibility of 50 prisoners who had escaped from the Hambantota prison escaping into India through the sea route. The state home department has also directed the Tamil Nadu coastal police to alert the village committees in Dhanushkodi, Rameswaram, and other coastal areas of the state to inform the police regarding the presence of strangers.

SAFFRON FLAG HOISTED ON MOSQUE TOWER Tense situation prevailed after some miscreants hoisted a saffron flag on a mosque in a village in Karnataka’s Belagavi district. According to the police, the antisocial elements climbed atop the mosque tower and hoisted the flag in the early hours. The incident came to light in the morning following which tension prevailed in the region. The incident took place in the Sattigeri Maddi mosque in Mudalagi taluk of the district. The police reportedly rushed to the spot and controlled the situation. The police held a meeting of the leaders of both the Hindu and Muslim communities and removed the safforn flag. Security has been beefed up in all sensitive areas of the district to avoid any untoward incident. The incident caused panic and raised concerns all over the state as the state has been witnessing agitations by the Hindu organisations on the loudspeaker row.

PUNJAB CONG EXCHIEF JAKHAR QUITS PARTY Former Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar announced his decision to quit the party which had last month removed him from all positions for alleged anti-party activities.

The leader, whose decision comes as the party discusses the way forward during a three-day ‘Chintan Shivir’ in Udaipur, went live on his Facebook page to make the announcement. “These are my last words to Congressmen. Good luck and goodbye Congress,” Jakhar said while asserting that it was the end of an association that spanned 50 years and three generations.

“You broke (my) heart,” Jakhar said.

Jakhar’s is the latest high profile resignation from the party.

BENGAL LEADS IN NUMBER POLITICAL CASUALTIES In Bengal, the BJP has been at the receiving end of violence inflicted by ruling TMC workers, with the police accused of being hand in glove with the perpetrators. BJP workers have been killed, the women raped, homes and properties have been burnt down and captured, and thousands forced to flee their villages. According to the ministry of home affairs 693 incidents of violence and 11 deaths were reported during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in the state. Even after the elections as many as 852 cases of political violence were reported from June 1 to December 31, 2019, which led to the deaths of 61 people. In 2020, the MHA report said, 663 incidents were recorded, in which 57 people were killed.

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Gyanvapi area China building infrastructure sealed after near Arunachal border: Army Shivling claima A lawyer's claim about a ‘Shivling’ being found in the wuzu khana (ablution pond) of the Kashi Vishwanath-Gyanvapi complex during the ongoing court-ordered survey of the premises prompted the civil judge hearing the case to direct the administration to immediately seal and secure the area. The keys to the sealed zone were handed to the treasury soon after.

The controversial turn in the case involving five women petitioners seeking the right to unhindered daily worship of Goddess Shringar Gauri and other deities along the outer wall of the complex came a day ahead of the scheduled submission of the videography survey report to the court of civil judge (senior division) Ravi Kumar Diwakar.

SM Yasin, joint secretary of the Anjuman Intejamia Masajid (AIM), which is one of the respondents in the case, accused plaintiff Rakhi Singh's lawyer Harishankar Jain of passing off a portion of a fountain within the pond as a Shivling. Terming the purported Shivling “a very important piece of evidence in the case”, Jain had pleaded with the court to get the area sealed “for its safety”. He also demanded a ban on the entry of Muslims into the complex, besides restricting the number of people offering namaz at the mosque to 20 at a time.

Moments before Jain approached the court, the petitioners and their lawyers had stepped out of the Gyanvapi complex with a sense of jubilation. “Baba mil gaye. Jin khoja tin paiya gahre pani paith… Isharo me puri baat samajh lijiye (We found Shiva. We found what we were searching for. Try to understand what I want to say in gestures),” said Dr Sohanlal Arya, one of the lawyers.

His colleagues representing the other petitioners said it was a "historic day" as the "evidence" collected by the court-appointed commission would determine all Gyanvapi-related cases pending in various courts. The claim coincided with the Allahabad high court adjourning the hearing in one of these cases till May 20. Civil judge Diwakar said the chief secretary and the DGP of UP would be responsible for overseeing the process of sealing the disputed zone and ensuring that the court's order was adhered to by the district magistrate, the police commissioner and the CRPF commandant. He said it would be the trio's personal responsibility to secure that area. DM Kaushal Raj Sharma said the administration was making alternative arrangements to ensure that the Muslim faithful didn't face any problem on reaching the mosque for namaz.

The chief of Indian Army's Eastern Command said China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) is engaged in infrastructure capacity enhancement across the international border in Arunachal Pradesh.

General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Command, Lt Gen R P Kalita, however, said the Indian side is also continuously upgrading its infrastructure and capabilities to deal with any situation that may arise along the border.

"Across the Line of Actual

Control (LAC) in the Tibet region, a lot of infrastructure development is going on. The other side is constantly upgrading their road, rail and air connectivity as well as 5G mobile network so that they are in a better position to respond to a situation or mobilise forces," he said.

The Chinese authorities have built border villages close to the LAC that can be used for dual purposes, Kalita said. "We are continuously monitoring the situation. We are also upgrading

India plans first underwater tunnel across Brahmaputra The road, railway ministries and the Border Road Organisation (BRO) have joined hands to construct India's first underwater road-cum-rail tunnels across Brahmaputra in Assam. As per the plan, there will be three parallel tunnels – one for road, another for rail and the third one for emergency use. The tunnels will be of 9. 8 km each. This will be the first project where integrated tunnel construction will be undertaken. These tunnels will be interconnected with cross passage for evacuation in case of any emergency.

The strategic multi-modal transportation system aims to integrate the rail and highway network through the JamugurihatSilghat axis towards North Assam, Tawang and the rest of Arunachal Pradesh. This can be used for both civilian and strategic purposes.

According to the estimate, the government would spend around £700 million for these tunnels.

The tunnel will take off from about 9 km upstream of the existing Kaliabomara (Tezpur) road bridge and will connect Jakhlabandha railway station on the south bank and at Dhaliabil railway station on the north bank of Brahmaputra.

At a recent meeting chaired by the CEO and chairman of the railway board, the BRO submitted that these rail-cum-road tunnels are required from the strategic point of view. It also suggested that the project may be funded by the defence ministry. The underwater tunnel project is expected to be an engineering marvel and will also strategically reduce travel time between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. Currently, there are 5 bridges across the Brahmaputra.

10th century Buddha statue finally returns to India SAN FRANCISCO: A stolen ancient Indian artefact of a ‘Buddha in Dharma Chakra Mudra’ was handed over to India’s Consul General TV Nagendra Prasad by the US Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security representatives.

At a solemn ceremony held at the historic Gadar Memorial, the US team, led by Supervisory Special Agent Chad Fredrickson, handed over the 10th-century bronze statue back to India.

The statue was believed to have been stolen in February 1967 from India’s Archeological Survey of

India Museum in Nalanda. The statue was acquired by intermediaries and donated to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) where it was exhibited.

At the request of ASI, the US Department of Justice acquired the stolen piece and initiated the process of repatriation to India in November 2021. The Consulate in a statement expressed deep appreciation to DoJ and the Department of Homeland Security led by Fredrickson, Supervisory Special Agent Raffi Guluzian, Special Agent David Keller, Public Affairs Specialist Marie Ferguson, and Assistant Attorney Amanda Bettinelli for their contributions in returning the precious statue to India.

our infrastructure and capabilities as well as the mechanism to handle the situation. These have put us in a robust position," he added.

Kalita asserted that the Indian Army is fully ready with "high level of operational preparedness".

The Commander acknowledged that difficult terrain and inclement weather conditions have been the biggest challenges while enhancing capabilities and

infrastructure in forward locations, leading to delays in completion of the projects. When asked about the border standoffs between the two large armed forces at several places, he said that the actual boundary is not properly demarcated, especially along the McMahon Line.

LG assures Kashmiri Pandit employees of security Jammu and Kashmir LG Manoj Sinha said that Kashmiri Pandit employees would be deployed in secure and safer district and tehsil district headquarters in the view of the recent terror attack on them. Recently terrorists entered a government office and shot dead a Kashmiri Pandit employee.

After meeting the governor, the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) urged Kashmiri Pandits to not leave the Valley, adding they share equal pain and will bear this tragedy together.

J&K government sources said during the meeting with PAGD leaders, Farooq Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti, CPI (M)’s M Y Tarigami, NC MP Hasnain Masoodi and Awami National Conference senior vice president Muzaffar Shah, the Lt Governor assured the delegation that necessary action was being taken by the administration for safety and security of PM package employees.

The assurance came a couple of days after over 350 PM package employees resigned in protest against the targeted killing of Rahul Bhat by terrorists in Budgam. Lt Governor Sinha informed the delegation that security forces have been given full freedom to avenge the killing of innocents and said those aiding and abetting terrorists will not be spared. He also told the delegation that all PM package employees will be shifted to secure district and tehsil headquarters and to address other issues, a special cell has been constituted in LG secretariat.

The Lt Governor also said that all parties are most welcome to give their suggestions on issues of targeted killings, eliminating terrorism, terror ecosystem, development, issues concerning youth etc. " My doors are always open for people. All sections of polity and society must come together as a united front to eliminate terror ecosystem”, Sinha said.

In Loving Memory

DOB: 26th Oct. 1923

Demise: 15th May 2022

Vidyaben Patel (“Ba”)

Ba departed on 15-May-2022 from London, UK for her ultimate journey to The Divine Mother

Ba was daughter of Late Chaganlal Patel and Late Laxmiben Patel Wife to late Dr Bhailalbhai Patel (“Dr B.P.”) Mother to Chandrashekhar, Nilesh, Raj and Miten Mother-in-law to Lindy, Diana, Rehana (“Honey”) and Mayuri Grandmother to Hema, Anika, Sameer, Ross, Laila and Priya Great-grandmother to Indi, Matilda, August and Rumi Sister to Late Chanchadben Patel, Late Dr Ramanbhai Patel, Late Suryakant Patel, Late Hansaben Patel, Late Kusumben Amin, Nalinkant Patel, Dr Yashwantbhai Patel, Late Raojibhai Patel, Kantibhai Patel, Late Sudhaben Patel and Madhvi (“Gita”) Patel.

Funeral & Bhajan information will be posted on tinyurl.com/VidyabenPatel

Let Thy Will Be Done ा ी ं : ं ॥ Shanti Shanti Shanti ||

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West, European leaders wooing PM Modi to counter China The European leaders courted Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his recent visit, despite his refusal to break ties with Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. Modi toured France, Germany and Denmark after visits to India by UK PM Boris Johnson and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen. Western leaders signed bilateral deals designed to bind New Delhi - seen as a vital Asian counterbalance to China - closer to the west.

“There’s the realisation that India is far too big and far too important to be slotted into these convenient definitions of, ‘Either

you’re with us or you’re against us’,” said Nirupama Rao, a former Indian foreign secretary and US and China ambassador. “The stand that India has taken has largely helped India to consolidate its own interests.”

After some early criticism, western leaders have carefully avoided tense exchanges over New Delhi’s ties with Moscow. Instead, with India’s military dependence on Russian weaponry, the UK and France have announced defence partnerships in order to diversify its arsenal. The EU and UK have also sought to turbocharge talks for free trade deals to deepen economic links.

Some leaders, such as Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen, who met Modi in Copenhagen, have suggested that India could use its neutrality over the conflict to “influence” Moscow.

“Everyone understands the fact that the political leadership in India is perfectly comfortable,” one Indian official said. For foreign leaders, “the best option is to align with [the BJP] on issues that are of mutual interest and keep subtle pressure on issues which are of concern”. Many Indians consider Russia to be the country’s oldest partner. Post-independence leaders including Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s

Cong to set up task force on party reforms for 2024 polls Congress president Sonia Gandhi will Sonia Gandhi form an advisory group of CWC members for discussion on political matters and challenges before the party, and will constitute a “task force” for internal reforms to prepare for 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Making the announcement to the delegates at the end of the three-day Chintan Shivir, the Congress chief made it clear that the advisory group “is not a collective decision-making body”, but a forum she will chair to benefit from the advice of experienced party leaders.

The clarification appeared significant in view of the demand of the dissident G-23 bloc that there should be collective decision making in the party and the Congress Parliamentary Board should be revived. The formation of advisory body is seen as a rebuff to restoration to CPB. For the party struggling with electoral defeats, the AICC will set up a dedicated department for “election management” – a long felt need for brainstorming on strategy, campaign and alliances for the round-the-year poll cycle, instead of approaching each election episodically. Sources said the measure was added to the “Udaipur declaration” by the CWC on the demand of Rajiv Shukla and Jitendra Singh, who incidentally have been flagging its requirement for one year.

The CWC adopted the Udaipur declaration on the recommendations of six sub-committees on political affairs, economic policy, organisation, social justice, youth and farmers.

The Congress will also form an “internal insight department” which will collect survey/feedback on important issues to aid decision-making.

Among all issues, the organisational reforms were the most watched as workers and leaders believe they will address the political decline. A “national training institute” will be set up for inhouse training in ideology and party viewpoint on important subjects.

As expected, Congress approved “one

first prime minister, looked to the Soviet Union for economic inspiration. The country would go on to depend on military support to bolster its forces against arch-rival Pakistan.

Economic ties with the US and Europe have become far more consequential but most of India’s weapons are still Russian in origin, meaning that New Delhi continues to rely on Moscow for servicing and logistical support. India stuck with its historic partner after the invasion, abstaining in UN votes denouncing Russia. It has also looked to bolster bilateral trade, increasing imports of Russian oil at

a discount as western countries tried to isolate the Kremlin economically by imposing wideranging sanctions. The volume of Indian fuel imports from Russia nonetheless remains well below that of many European countries.

Yet analysts say that with India considered a vital geopolitical and economic alternative to China, international leaders see little upside to irritating officials, who have responded furiously to international criticism. Foreign minister S Jaishankar in March denounced what he called a “campaign” against India over its Russian oil imports.

Ties with Nepal unshakable like Himalayas: PM Modi

India and Nepal’s “everinvitation of his strengthening” counterpart Sher friendship and closeness Bahadur Deuba, made will benefit the entire the remarks while humanity amid the kind an addressing of global conditions that international conference are emerging, Prime on Buddhism.

Minister Narendra Modi The visit also saw a said in a special 20bilateral meeting Narendra Modi & Bahadur Deuba minute address in between the two leaders Lumbini on the sidelines of Buddha Jayanti following which India and Nepal signed six celebrations. He added that ties between the agreements. Modi, who attended the 2566th two countries are unshakable like the Buddha Jayanti celebrations at the Himalayas.

International Convention Center and Modi, who was in Lumbini on the Meditation Hall at Lumbini, was occasion of Buddha Purnima at the accompanied by Deuba and his spouse Dr Arzu Rana Deuba. Several Nepalese ministers were among the other dignitaries present.

PM Modi together with Nepal PM Deuba participated in the ‘shilanyas (foundation stone laying)’ ceremony for the construction The Supreme Court put the sedition law on hold, asserting it “is not in tune with the current of the India International Centre for social milieu", and asked the Centre and states not to arrest or prosecute anyone under the Buddhist Culture and Heritage at a plot in 152-year-old penal provision until the Union government reviews it.

Lumbini belonging to the International A bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) N.V. Ramana emphasized that “it will be Buddhist Confederation (IBC) based in New appropriate not to continue the usage of the provision of law by the governments when the Delhi.

Centre itself has conveyed a desire to “reconsider and re-examine" the contours and validity The PM said both countries will work of the colonial-era section 124A of the Indian Penal Code - a non-bailable offence punishable towards solving global problems with with jail terms ranging from three years to life, and one that activists and jurists allege is often Buddha’s ideologies. misused to muzzle dissent.

“Buddha is the embodiment of the “It is clear that the Union of India agrees with the prima facie opinion expressed by this collective understanding of humanity,” court that the rigours of section 124A of IPC are not in tune with the current social milieu, Modi told a gathering in Lumbini of some and was intended for a time when this country was under the colonial regime. In light of the 2,500 people that included monks, Buddhist same, the Union of India may reconsider the aforesaid provision of law," said the bench, scholars and international participants. which also comprised justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli, in its 10-page order.

Lumbini, located in the Terai plains of Putting in place a protective apparatus till the time the central government takes a call on southern Nepal, is one of the holiest places the law, the top court said no new FIR should be lodged by the police across the country under of Buddhism, as Lord Buddha was born section 124A, and all court proceedings under the law should be suspended. there. Modi said the energy of the place “We hope and expect that the state and central governments will restrain from registering where Lord Buddha was born, gives him a any FIR, continuing any investigation, or taking any coercive measures by invoking section different feeling. “I was happy to see that the 124A of IPC while the aforesaid provision of law is under consideration...All pending trials, Mahabodhi sapling I had gifted in 2014 for appeals and proceedings with respect to the charge framed under section 124A of IPC be kept this place is now growing into a tree,” he in abeyance," directed the bench as it fixed the matter for hearing next in the third week of added.

July. It further clarified that if any fresh case is registered under the section despite the court “From Sarnath, Bodh Gaya and order, the affected parties should approach the concerned courts, which should pass suitable Kushinagar in India to Lumbini in Nepal, orders, “taking into account the present order passed (by the Supreme Court) as well as the this holy place is a symbol of our common clear stand taken by the Union of India." About cases where the sedition charge has been invoked against the accused along with a set of other penal provisions, the bench left it to the heritage and shared values. We have to wisdom of trial courts and high courts to decide if such cases can proceed in relation to other develop this heritage together and enrich it charges, without causing any prejudice to the rights of the accused. further,” he said.

family one ticket”, with the caveat that a second member can get the nomination after putting in five years in the party.

Congress also announced “one man one post” and banned back to back tenures for office-bearers to “give chance to new people” . A tenure now will be followed by a cooling period of three years. These measures are designed to improve the messaging among workers who resent the monopoly of leaders and families in the party units, which is most rampant in the lower rungs of blocks and districts. To make the state units proactive, each PCC will have a “ political affairs committee” to collectively evolve positions on important local issues.

SC puts sedition law on hold till Centre reviews it

India win first-ever Thomas Cup Continued from Page 1 Chants of "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" and the sound of Dhol were reverberating at the Impact Arena as the young Indian shuttlers came out all guns firing on the big day.

India did not need the second doubles match and the third singles match as Lakshya Sen, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty and Kidambi Srikanth made it 3-0 for the historic victory.

It all began when Lakshya Sen showcased why he is one of the highly-rated young shuttlers in the world. The 20-year-old, ranked No. 9, had headed into the final on the back of defeats to Viktor

Axelsen and Lee Zii Jia in the semifinal and quarter-final, respectively. It did not start well for Lakshya as he was blown away 8-21 in the opening game by Olympic bronze medalist Anthony Ginting. Lakshya looked unsettled as he was hitting with the drift after Ginting won the toss and

chose sides.

However, Lakshya, just 20, retained his calm and composure, helped by his coaches from the sidelines. The young Indian shuttler, who reached the All England final, upped his game and became more proactive, forcing errors from Ginting.

The first match was played a break-neck speed as Ginting, known as one of the fastest players on the tour, was undone by Lakshya's stunning defence.

Lakshya bounced back to win the opening match and give India a 1-0 lead. It was an incredible turn around as the young shuttler kept

his calm, frustrating Ginting who loves to finish off rallies quickly.

Lakshya's incredible defence was on display as he completed the comeback 8-21, 21-17, 21-16 in an hour and 5 minutes.

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who agonisingly missed out on reaching the knockout stages at the Tokyo Olympics, made up for it by being the pillars of the Indian team throughout the competition.

Facing World No. 1 and World No. 2 doubles stars Kevin Sanjaya and Mohammad Ahsan, the young Indian pair did not wilt under pressure but thrived. After losing the opening game 18-21, Satwik

and Chirag saved 4 match points to force a deicer. The confidence of Lakshya's win was evident as Satwik and Chirag stunned Sanjaya and Ahsan to give India 2-0 lead.

Kidambi Srikanth ended Thomas Cup 2022 with a perfect 60 record. The former World No. 1 has tasted world-level success for the 2nd time this year after having won the silver at the world championships earlier in 2022.

Srikanth brought all his experience as he remained calm under pressure to outclass Joanthan Christie 21-15, 23-21 in the second singles match which proved to be the final one of the tie.

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Breastfeeding associated with Diet tips for hypertension improved maternal mental patients to avoid kidney diseases health outcomes: Study A new systematic review looked at the effects of breastfeeding on mothers’ mental health to make recommendations for breastfeeding. The results of this study are published in the Journal of Women’s Health.

Megan Yuen and Olivia Hall from the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School and colleagues found a positive relationship between breastfeeding and mothers’ mental health outcomes.

However, they found that for mothers who experience difficulties in breastfeeding or differences between their expectations and their actual experience, breastfeeding was associated with negative mental health outcomes.

Of 36 studies that found a statistically significant relationship between breastfeeding and mental health, 29 of those found that breastfeeding was associated with fewer mental health

symptoms, and one found that breastfeeding was associated with increased maternal mental health symptoms.

Of 34 studies that found a statistically significant relationship between breastfeeding and symptoms of postpartum depression, 28 studies found that breastfeeding was associated with a decreased risk of postpartum depression symptoms.

"To help clinicians personalize breastfeeding and mental health counselling, it

is important to recognize that while breastfeeding is generally associated with improved maternal mental health, it can have negative mental health consequences if the mother experiences breastfeeding challenges or the experience does not meet her expectations," says Journal of Women's Health Editor-in-Chief Susan G. Kornstein, MD, Executive Director of the Virginia Commonwealth University Institute for Women's Health, Richmond, VA.

World Hypertension Day was observed on May 17 in a bid to educate the masses about the ill-effects of hypertension or high blood pressure on the body. This year, the theme is ‘Measure your blood pressure accurately, control it, live longer’.

It aims to reflect on combating the low awareness rate and create more and more awareness about the disease and its management.

According to a study published in the Lancet journal, India is ranked 156 and 164 globally in terms of hypertension prevalence among men and women respectively. In an article dietician Apeksha Ekbote described the condition in detail.

She said, “Hypertension or high blood pressure causes damage to the tiny blood vessels that filter blood in the kidney, making removal of waste from the body difficult and thereby resulting in damaging kidney.”

She added, “When the function of kidneys begins

to fail, they can cause a further increase in blood pressure by releasing certain hormones or by causing retention of salt and water in your body.”

She added, “One who is hypertensive may not know that they have kidney disease until their blood is tested for Blood Urea, Serum Creatinine and GFR. It is an extremely important parameter that every hypertensive individual should be tested at least once in six months irrespective of their age to check for their renal function. For patients who have high blood pressure and kidney disease, it is extremely important to keep a control check on their blood pressure through their lifestyle

changes. It is very imperative to adhere to a strict diet.”

Apeksha said the most common advice is to restrict salt/sodium which is not the only thing to do but it is important to understand to follow a DASH diet - a Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension. She said, “Inclusion of DASH, staying well hydrated and indulging in physical activity of 45 minutes per day not only controls blood pressure and prevents kidney diseases but also keeps a check on your weight and overall wellbeing.”

According to Apeksha, the diet approach includes, “Salt-controlled diet, less intake of sodium-rich foods, consume fresh fruits and vegetables, add whole grains to the meal, avoid refined cereals and grains, avoid saturated food items and organ meat and avoid packaged and canned food items.”

Study explores how brain processes emotions during dream sleep Scientists at the Department of Neurology of the University of Bern and University Hospital Bern identified how the human brain triages emotions during dream sleep to consolidate the storage of positive emotions while dampening the consolidation of negative ones. The findings of the study were published in the journal Science. REM or Rapid eye movement sleep is a unique and mysterious sleep state during which most of the dreams occur together with intense emotional content.

Prof Antoine Adamantidis from the Department of Biomedical Research (DBMR) at the

University of Bern and the Department of Neurology at the Inselspital, University Hospital of Bern, said, “Our goal was to understand the underlying mechanism and the functions of such a surprising phenomenon.” How and why these emotions are reactivated is unclear. The

prefrontal cortex integrates many of these emotions during wakefulness but appears paradoxically quiescent during REM sleep.

The researchers first conditioned mice to recognize auditory stimuli associated with safety and others associated with danger

(aversive stimuli). The activity of neurons in the brain of mice was then recorded during sleep-wake cycles. In this way, the researchers were able to map different areas of a cell and determine how emotional memories are transformed during REM sleep.

The results obtained showed that cell somas are kept silent while their dendrites are activated. "This means a decoupling of the two cellular compartments, in other words, soma wide asleep and dendrites wide awake", explains Adamantidis. It was found that the brain favours the discrimination of safety versus danger in the den-

Consume these fruits and vegetables to slow down the ageing process No matter how our lifestyle, we all deal with stress on a daily basis. Stress accelerates the ageing process and makes us prone to other diseases. To add to that, the kinds of food we consume also affect our health adversely if we aren’t packing a nutrition-rich diet. Nutritionist Anjali Mukerjee addressed the issue of ageing on her social media, and wrote, “We are facing the greatest environmental assault in the history of mankind. Disease & ageing is inevitable - unless you choose your food wisely. Nothing keeps your cells young, vibrant, and disease-free like eating fresh fruits & vegetables. They have a major anti-ageing impact on our overall health.”

Anjali wrote that the plant kingdom is abundant with polyphenol-rich anti-ageing options that can suit the plate in a tasty and healthy way.

In her post, she noted six fruits and vegetables which can slow down the ageing process and make oneself look younger.

Cabbage: Cabbage, being a cruciferous vegetable, is rich in Indole-3-carbinol which helps in

correcting estrogen dominance in the body and consists of anti-ageing abilities.

Carrots: These veggies are a powerhouse of nutrients. Carrots help in lowering cholesterol and boosting immunity. This further helps in cutting down the risk of cancer.

Grapes: Grapes are loaded with powerful antioxidants which help in fighting free radical damage to the cells of the body.

Onions: Onions, like garlic, contain powerful anti-aging abilities. They are also rich in quercetin which helps in anti-inflammation. They also help in thinning the blood and raising good cholesterol.

Tomatoes: Tomatoes are loaded with lycopene – a powerful antioxidant – which helps in protecting brain health and has anti-cancer and antiaging properties.

Spinach: Spinach contains lutein which has anti-ageing properties and helps in improving eye health. Spinach also contains folic acid which helps in DNA repair. This further helps in slowing down the ageing process.

drites, but blocks the overreaction to emotion, in particular danger.

According to the researchers, the coexistence of both mechanisms is beneficial to the stability and survival of the organisms: "This bi-directional mechanism is essential to optimize the discrimination between dangerous and safe signals", says Mattia Aime from the DBMR, first author of the study. If this discrimination is missing in humans and excessive fear reactions are generated, this can lead to anxiety disorders. The findings are particularly relevant to pathological conditions such as post-traumatic stress disor-

ders, in which trauma is over-consolidated in the prefrontal cortex, day after day during sleep.

Breakthrough for sleep medicine These findings pave the way to a better understanding of the processing of emotions during sleep in humans and open new perspectives for therapeutic targets to treat maladaptive processing of traumatic memories, such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD) and their early sleep-dependent consolidation. “We hope that our findings will not only be of interest to the patients but also to the broad public”, says Adamantidis.

Try these remedies for hair fall this season Hair fall is one of the most common issues faced by most of us today.

Reasons for it could be many. It could be due to stress or due to the weather or not being able to take out time to take care of our hair. The road to lustrous locks is long and hurdled with hair fall issues. There can be several factors contributing to this issue.

Nutritionist Anjali Mukerjee, shares health-related information on her Instagram profile on a daily basis, shared a few tips and tricks related to hair fall. In a new post, she addressed hair fall and posted two natural remedies to curb the issue.

Brahmi oil Anjali wrote that Brahmi oil should be massaged on the scalp in a circular motion from the crown to the entire skull. The oil should be left on the scalp for minimum two hours, or preferably

overnight. Brahmi oil helps in treating stress-induced hair fall. It also helps in preventing hair fall by blocking the DHT at the hair follicles. Brahmi oil also nourishes the hair by enhancing blood circulation in the scalp.

Aloe Vera She wrote, “Aloe Vera has a similar chemical makeup to that of Keratin (the primary protein of hair).” She further added that the pulp from the stalk of the Aloe Vera should be extracted and applied to the scalp and hair. It should be allowed to be on the scalp for around 45 minutes, before rinsing with normal water. Anjali recommended Aloe Vera hair massage thrice a week.

Aloe Vera helps in maintaining the shine of the hair and repairing the split ends. It also helps in breaking down dead skin on the scalp and prevents clogging of hair follicles.

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nushka Sharma recently posted a new photo from a magazine cover shoot on Instagram over the weekend, garnering much attention from fellow celebrities and fans alike. However, the sweetest gesture came from her husband, cricketer Virat Kohli’s shout-out to his wife that stood out.

Anushka and Virat often leave the sweetest comments on each other’s social media posts. Showing his admiration for Anushka, Virat dropped a short-and-sweet comment on her image from her latest magazine spread. He called her “Gorgeous”. In the picture from the March cover of Harper’s Bazaar India, Anushka is dressed in a pale pink blazer, baby blue shirt, and white trousers.

On the work front, Anushka will be next seen in ‘Chakda Xpress’, a biopic of Jhulan Goswami, former captain of the Indian women’s cricket team. Talking about filming the movie, Anushka said, “I was a part of the inception of ‘Chakda Xpress’. I was supposed to have worked on it earlier but the film got postponed because of the pandemic and then I got pregnant. When I finally began working on it, I was really nervous because I had just had a baby so I wasn’t as strong as before.”

Anushka’s new picture from magazine cover shoot Akshay tests Covid-19 positive, to skip Cannes Film Festival A

ctor Akshay Kumar said he has tested positive for Covid-19. The actor revealed that he will not be able to attend the Cannes Film Festival which kicks off on May 17. He said he was “really looking forward to rooting for our cinema” at the Indian pavilion there.

Taking to Twitter, Akshay said, “Was really looking forward to rooting for our cinema at the India Pavilion at #Cannes2022, but have sadly tested positive for Covid. Will rest it out. Loads of best wishes to you and your entire team, @ianuragthakur. Will really miss being there.”

This is the second time in over a year that Akshay has being diagnosed with coronavirus.

In April 2021, he tweeted that he had tested positive for Covid-19. He wrote, “I wish to inform everyone that, earlier this morning, I have tested positive for Covid-19. Following all the protocols, I have immediately isolated myself. I’m under home quarantine and have sought necessary medical care.

I would sincerely request all those that have come in contact with me to get themselves tested and take care. Back in action very soon.”

On the work front, Akshay will be next seen in and as ‘Prithviraj’ alongside Miss World 2017 Manushi Chillar.

The movie also stars Sonu Sood and Sanjay Dutt, and will be out in theatres on June 3. ‘Prithviraj’ will release in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu. Akshay recently spoke about the first song from the film, ‘Hai Har’, and called it “one of the most patriotic songs that he has heard in his entire acting career.”

He said, “Hari Har is the soul of the film and salutes the daredevil spirit of Samrat Prithviraj Chauhan who sacrificed everything to protect his motherland from the merciless invader, Mohammad of Ghor. Hari Har is brimming with the mighty king's resolve to protect India which is why I connect so deeply with the song.”

Katrina sings 'Happy Birthday' for Vicky at rooftop party in NYC A

ctor Vicky Kaushal turned 34 and had a blast celebrating his special day with his 'favourite people'. Taking fans inside his low-key celebrations in New York with his wife, actor Katrina Kaif, he penned a note full of gratitude for those who wished him on the occasion.

Taking to his Instagram handle, Vicky dropped a happy picture of himself swinging on a hammock chair, followed by a glimpse of his birthday cake cutting session with close friends and Kat. The video features him flashing his biggest smile as he sat next to Katrina who happily clapped and sang the birthday song for him before blowing the

candles. It also had a picture of the rooftop setting where the star couple celebrated the special day with their friends.

Thanking fans, friends and everyone, Vicky wrote in the caption, "Swinging into the new year with my favourite people. My heart’s filled with utmost joy and gratitude. Thank You everyone for sending me all your love and warm wishes.

Pyaar pyaar aur bohot saara pyaar!!!" While fans can't stop gushing over ViKat, celebrities such as Richa Chadha, Shibani Dandekar and Zakir Khan are once again showering the 'Uri' actor with heartfelt wishes.

Kareena 'directs' Jaideep Ahlawat in his 'toughest performance'

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areena Kapoor Khan and Jaideep Ahlawat are two power-packed performers who have championed separate genres. Which is why their upcoming collaboration is an exciting venture all of us are looking forward to. However, for now, both the actors have more important stuff to excel in - the pout game.

Last week, both the actors took to their social media handles and posted a click holding the clap of the Netflix project. While Bebo has perfected the pout, Jaideep appears to have a long way to go. Jaideep expressed his “devotion” and wrote, “So much Devotion” in Learning how to Pout from ‘The Best’ & I failed miserably… Day 1 completed Together and a long Journey ahead with The one & only “The Bebo”, The Gorgeous @kareenakapoorkhan.”

Kareena shared the same photo and captioned it, “Getting one of the finest performers to do his toughest performance…the pout! So much to learn from each other…”

Both, Bebo and Jaideep are uniting for Sujoy Ghosh’s untitled film, based on Japanese novel The

Devotion of Suspect X. The movie marks Kareena’s OTT debut. Written by Keigo Higashino’s The Devotion of Suspect X was previously adapted in Chinese in 2017. The mystery-thriller’s Hindi remake also stars Vijay Varma.

Sujoy Ghosh had called The Devotion of Suspect X “probably the best love story I’ve ever read.” He said getting to adapt it into a film was “an honor” to him.

Kareena, on her part said, “It’s one that has all the right ingredients – a great story, a visionary director and a super talented cast and crew. I am really looking forward to working with Sujoy, Jaideep, and Vijay. It’s the beginning of an electrifying journey and I can’t wait for audiences worldwide to see this global bestseller come to life.”

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Kiara T Advani ran away from ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2’ sets

he entire cast of ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2’ was on Kapil Sharma’s popular show ‘The Kapil Sharma Show’ lately, and we got to hear several fun stories.

The team included Kartik Aaryan, Kiara Advani and director Anees Bazmee. During the episode, Anees revealed how he scared the film’s cast during the shoot. Kiara, on one instance, was so scared that she ran away as

fast as she could.

‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2’ was shot at a spooky mansion located in a secluded place. Narrating how he pulled off a prank on both Kartik and Kiara while shooting a scene, the director said, “The atmosphere there was such that one could not enter the mansion alone. Even if you have ten or twelve people with you, you must think twice before

Sidharth Malhotra injured on ‘Indian Police Force’ sets

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ctor Sidharth Malthora has had an injury on the set of filmmaker Rohit Shetty’s ‘Indian Police Force’. Currently filming for the series in Goa, the incident occurred while shooting an action sequence for the Amazon Prime Video series.

Sidharth revealed about his injury in an Instagram post.

In a video shared from the film sets, Sidharth was seen performing an action sequence, when he got hurt, while Shetty was seen directing him. The actor also shared a selfie showing off the injury on his arm, along with Shetty in the frame.

He captioned the post, “@itsrohitshetty action hero equals to real sweat, real blood! Rohit sir working the camera for some crazy action sequences in Goa.” Multiple fans expressed their concern for Sidharth soon after the post. Some even applauded him for his hard work and dedication. A fan wrote, “Hard work never fails.” Another commented, “The dedication and hard work will pay off!”

Filmmaker Shetty too shared a photo from the Goa shoot, where he was seen leaning down while trying to get a picture-perfect shot on his camera. He captioned the post, “Goa…Action Mode!!! INDIAN POLICE FORCE.” Both, Sidharth and Shetty are working together for the first time in the Amazon Prime Video series ‘Indian Police Force’. It also stars Shilpa Shetty and Vivek Oberoi.

On the work front, Sidharth has ‘Mission Majnu’ in the works with Rashmika Mandanna.

entering.”

He continued, “We were taking a shot inside the mansion and the camera was situated at a distance. It was a big room, and the shot was that Kiara and Kartik are searching the room for something. We had already made someone lie down on the couch underneath a lot of sheets. The minute, these guys reached the couch, he woke up. Kiara ran away from there as fast as she could.”

‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2’, also starring Tabu, is all set to release in theatres on May 20.

Kangana Ranaut says star kids 'look weird like boiled eggs'

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ctress Kangana Ranaut is not really shy of expressing her dislike of nepotism in Bollywood. She has always been vocal about how she feels the opportunities given to star kids in Hindi films deprive “outsiders”. Now, Kangana has once again targeted star kids by saying in a recent interview that their lack of relatability with the audience is causing Hindi films to lose to South cinema.

With South movies beating Hindi films at the box office, Kangana feels it is because the audience doesn’t relate with the star kids, who are being cast as the leading men and women in many Hindi films. In an interview, Kangana responded to a question asking what makes South Indian cinema more successful than Bollywood of late. The actor replied, “The way they have connect with their audience, it is very strong. I wouldn’t say fans, it’s much more than that.

With us what happens is that their (celebrities) kids go abroad to complete their studies. They talk in English, watch only

Hollywood films. They eat only with knife and fork and talk differently. So, how will they connect? Dekhne me bhi ajeeb se aise lagte hai jaise uble hue ande (They even look weird like boiled eggs). Their entire look has changed so people cannot relate. I don’t mean to troll anyone.”

She then gave the example of Allu Arjun’s character Pushpa in the 2021 Telugu blockbuster ‘Pushpa: The Rise’. She said, “Look how Pushpa looks like someone we know. Every labourer is able to connect with him. Tell me which of our heroes can look like a labourer in todays’ times? They cannot. So, their culture and their grounded nature is paying them off. I hope they don’t start taking inspiration from the West. It’s important to stay connected to people within your country.”

On the work front, Kangana is currently awaiting the release of her spy actionthriller ‘Dhaakad’. Directed by Razneesh Ghai, the movie also stars Arjun Rampal and Divya Dutta.

Would feel bad earlier when people didn’t know my name: Pankaj Tripathi

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ctor Pankaj Tripathi has carved a place for himself in the Indian film industry; from playing side characters to leading entire movies and series. However, Pankaj confesses that being recognised only as his characters wasn’t always something to be happy about.

Speaking in an interview, he said, “If today people call me by my characters’ names, I like it more. In the beginning however, around six-seven years ago, I would feel bad that people don’t know my name. They would say ‘aap actor ho, uss film mein Sultan ka role kiya tha’ I would always wish they knew my name. And today, everyone knows my name but they love my characters so much that they deliberately call me by those names.”

He says that now he has an established fan base, there are often crazy fan encounters. He said, “There’s a fan who

plans trees on the occasion of my birthday every year. Then there was another one who I encountered while shooting in Delhi for ‘Fukrey 3’. He was shouting for two-three hours about how big a fan he is. But we aren’t allowed to get pictures clicked while we are in the character’s costume, in case the look gets leaked. I later got a handwritten note delivered to him.”

When asked what his biggest struggle today, he said it is the weight of expectations he now feels he is under.

“Logon ki ummeedein badh gayi hain, uss trust ko barkaraar rakhun.

(People’s expectations have increased for me, so I want to maintain their trust) People tell me they listen to me, they go on YouTube to watch my interviews. Itna sammaan hai, emotional ho jaata hoon. (There’s so much respect, I get emotional)”

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DHANUSH CELEBRATES 20 years in the film industry A

ctor Dhanush took to Twitter to express his gratitude recently as he completed 20 years in the film industry. He wrote, “I can’t believe it’s been two decades since I started my journey in this film industry. Time flies, never did I even dream I’d come this far when I start ‘Thulluvadho Illamai’, God has been kind. I can’t thank my fans enough for the continuous love and support, you are the pillars of my strength, I love you all. I would also like to thank the cinema lovers all around the globe for showering me with their unconditional love.”

In the last two decades, Dhanush has evolved into a fine actor with two National Film Awards to his credit. The actor has also established himself as a successful producer, director, and songwriter.

Marking the milestone, Dhanush also thanked his family for shaping and protecting his talents.

He added, “I thank my brother & Guru Selvaraghavan. You all know why! I thank my father Kasthuri Raja, for he’s the one who identified the actor in me. Finally, I thank my mother, it’s her everyday prayers that have protected me and brought me this far. Without her I’m nothing.”

On the work front, Dhanush is set to feature in the Russo Brothers’ upcoming Netflix auctioneer ‘The Gray Man’.

'RRR' to release on OTT platform from May 20 S

S Rajamouli's magnum opus film 'RRR', which entered the highly coveted 1000 crore club worldwide within 16 days of its release. The film became the third highest grossing Indian film of all time. The blockbuster film will now release on the OTT platform- Zee5 on May 20. The film will surely reach a wider audience after its release.

Starring Ram Charan and Jr NTR, 'RRR' was based on a fictional period revolving around two Indian freedom fighters – Alluri Sitarama Raju and Komaram Bheem. The film was appreciated by the entire world for its commendable performances, scintillating cinematic scale, action and drama.

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Sai Pallavi joins Kamal Haasan’s upcoming venture A

ctor Sai Pallavi has been roped in for director Rajkumar Periasamy’s untitled film, which is bankrolled by superstar Kamal Haasan’s banner Raaj Kamal Films International. The banner tweeted, “We are elated to welcome talented performer @Sai_Pallavi92 on board #RKFIProductionNo_51.” The announcement coincided with the actress’ 30th birthday celebration.

The upcoming movie stars Sivakarthikeyan in the lead role. The movie was announced last year during the finale of the fifth season of ‘Big Boss Tamil’.

Sivakarthikeyan had earlier said, “It’s a project filled with multiple emotions for me.

Kamal Haasan sir is a master craftsman of Indian Cinema. In fact, he’s an international icon living amidst us. To work on a project in which this iconic legend is the producer, itself is a great feeling for me.” The film is jointly bankrolled by Sony Pictures Films India.

On the work front, Sai has various projects in the pipeline. She is waiting for the release of ‘Gari’ and ‘Virata Parvam’.

Meanwhile, Haasan recently kickstarted the promotions of his much-awaited movie ‘Vikram’. Written and directed by Lokesh Kanagarah, the film also stars Vijay Sethupathi and Fahadh Faasil in the lead roles.

The OTT release date of the film has been announced 45 days after the release of the film. The film will be streamed in South Indian languages- Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam

TV Listing

* Schedule is subject to change

and Kannada on Zee5 OTT from May 20.

Zee5 has also released a new OTT trailer with the official announcement. This new trailer has raised expectations among the fans.

Manju Warrier to star in Ajith Kumar’s next?

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he buzz is that the makers of Tamil superstar Ajith Kumar’s upcoming movie, which has been tentatively titled AK61, have roped in Malayalam star Manju Warrier.

However, an official word on the same is awaited.

If it’s true, it won’t be the first time, Manju will be doing a Tamil movie. Earlier, she had played a significant role in Dhanush’s hit movie, 'Asuran.' She was last seen in 'Lalitham Sundaram' and is now waiting for the release of 'Jack and Jill.'

Meanwhile, the production of 'Ak61' is underway in Hyderabad. This film marks Ajith’s third consecutive collaboration with director H Vinoth and producer Boney Kapoor. Earlier, the trio had collaborated on 'Nerkonda Paarvai', which is

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MON 23 MAY - FRI 27 MAY 2022 6:00 Alakh Na Ajwala 9:00 SHUBH PRABHAT 9:30 SUR PRABHAT 15:00 RASOI SHOW 17:30 SHRIMAD BHAGWAT MAHAPURAN 18:00 DESHI BEATS 18:30 SURI 19:00 BHAKT GORA KUMBHAR 19:30 MARU MAN MOHI GAYU 20:00 RASHI RIKSHAWALI 20:30 MOTI BAA NI NANI VAHU 21:00 SORATHNI MRS SINGHAM 21:30 GEETA

21:30 SASURAL SIMAR KA 2

* Schedule is subject to change

the Tamil remake of Hindi hit 'Pink'. And then they worked together for 'Valimai.'

Recently, Ajith’s photo had gone viral on the internet. It seems he’s losing weight for his role in 'AK61'. It’s worth noting that he was body shammed by some critics over his look in his last movie 'Valimai.'

SATURDAY 21 MAY 2022 6:00 Chundadi Odhu Ne Sajan Sambhre 9:00 SHUBH PRABHAT 9:30 SUR PRABHAT 15:00 RASOI SHOW 17:30 SHRIMAD BHAGWAT MAHAPURAN 18:00 DESHI BEATS 18:30 SURI 19:00 BHAKT GORA KUMBHAR 19:30 MARU MAN MOHI GAYU 20:00 RASHI RIKSHAWALI 20:30 MOTI BAA NI NANI VAHU 21:00 SORATHNI MRS SINGHAM 21:30 GEETA SUNDAY 22 MAY 2022 9:00 SHUBH PRABHAT 9:30 SUR PRABHAT 12:00 Chori Na Fera Char 15:00 RASHI RIKSHAWALI 16:30 MOTI BAA NI NANI VAHU 18:00 DESHI BEATS 18:30 MARU MAN MOHI GAYU 20:00 RASHI RIKSHAWALI 20:30 MOTI BAA NI NANI VAHU 21:00 SORATHNI MRS SINGHAM 21:30 GEETA

MON 23 MAY - FRI 27 MAY 2022 16:30 RASOI SHOW DESI FLAVOURS 17:30 CHHUTA CHHEDA 18:00 SASURAL SIMAR KA 18:30 TU AASHIQUI 19:00 THE GREAT INDIAN GLOBAL KITCHEN (SEASON 2) 19:50 BHAGYA KA LIKHA 20:00 SWARAN GHAR 20:30 KAWACH MAMTA KA 21:00 AJNABI BANE HUMSAFAR

SATURDAY 21 MAY 2022 16:30 RASOI SHOW - DESI FLAVOURS 17:30 SASURAL SIMAR KA 19:00 THE GREAT INDIAN GLOBAL KITCHEN (SEASON 2) 19:30 BHAGYA KA LIKHA 20:00 COMEDY NIGHTS WITH KAPIL 21:00 AJNABI BANE HUMSAFAR 21:30 SASURAL SIMAR KA 2 SUNDAY 22 MAY 2022 16:30 RASOI SHOW - DESI FLAVOURS 17:30 SWARAN GHAR 19:00 THE ANUPAM KHER SHOW SEASON 1 20:00 COMEDY NIGHTS WITH KAPIL 21:00 COMEDY NIGHTS WITH KAPIL

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CROSS-PLATFORM

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Indian delegation lights up Red India is the official Carpet at Cannes Country of Honour at the Cannes Film Market T I

n wonderful news, India will be the official country of honour at the Cannes Film Market scheduled to take place from May 17 to the 28th. As India celebrates its 75th year of Independence, which also coincides with the Cannes Film Festival’s 75th anniversary, a brand new restoration of Indian cinema legend Satyajit Ray’s rare movie ‘Pratidwandi’ will be presented in an exclusive screening at the movie gala.

According to a press release issued by the festival, the movie is restored under the National Film Heritage Mission, a project undertaken

by India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The restoration was carried out by Prime Focus Technologies and the grading was supervised by renowned Indian cinematographer Sudeep Chatterjee. The restored version is presented by the National Film Archive of India (NFDC). Indian film ‘Thamp’, a 1978 Aravindan Govindan directorial, will have its Restoration World Premiere at the movie gala too.

Also, the Hollywood classic ‘Singing In The Rain’ will be presented in a brand new 4K restoration. The 1952 Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen film details the transition from silent film to talkies. Its screening will be held on the Boulevard de la Croisette.

Demi Moore, daughters pose with Mata Amritanandamayi A

ctor Demi Moore recently shared a picture of herself and her daughters with spiritual figure Mata Amritanandamayi, fondly called Amma (Mother). In the pictures, the actor’s daughters Rumer, Scout, and Tallulah Willis are seen sitting close to Amma as they pose for the camera. Demi shared the photo on the occasion of Mother’s Day. Sharing the picture, Demi wrote, “Happy Mother’s Day! So grateful to those who show us the way of true unconditional love and nurturing and for my daughters who light my path with their loving!” Several fans of the actress were surprised at her connection with Amma. Demi also shared the same picture on her Twitter handle.

One person commented there, “Mata Amritanandamayi is your spiritual leader?” While one wrote, “I’ve met her, hugging Amma, She’s wonderful for sure," another one commented, “Love from India.”

Another fan commented, “Wow amazing I had a blessing from this lady she came to Dublin Ireland she’s amazing.” Another one wrote, “Amma from India.” Many dropped blessing hands and heart emojis in the comments section.

In 2013, Demi visited Mcleodganj in Himachal Pradesh, along with her spiritual teacher Hargopal Kaur Khalsa, to attend a mind and life conference called Craving, Desire and Addiction. Spiritual leader the Dalai Lama also attended the conference.

The Archies

by Zoya Akhtar marks debut of Bollywood’s biggest star kids

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he Cannes Film Festival has kicked off, and the list of Indian celebrities set to make a statement on the coveted red carpet is beyond amazing! Cannes regulars, Deepika Padukone and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan are returning to the South of France this year, with the former finding a seat on the prestigious Cannes Film Festival jury. Although not officially announced, Aish is expected to walk the carpet in a luxe avatar.

She left for France with daughter Aaradhya and husband Abhishek Bachchan.

The list of attendees at this year’s event ranges from movie actors to television stars. The list includes Southern star Nayanthara, along with Tamannaah Bhatia, Pooja Hegde and Aditi Rao Hydari. Also in attendance are TV’s Hina Khan and Helly Shah. While this would be Hina’s second time at Cannes, the other ladies will be making their debut this year. The 11-day festival begins on May 17 and will run through May 28.

For the first time, Deepika Padukone will sit on the main jury at the Cannes Film Festival instead of being an attendee. The Festival de Cannes announced on April 26 that Deepika had been selected to be a jury member for the festival’s 75th edition.

In a star-studded presence on the Red Carpet, Union Minister of Information & Broadcasting Shri Anurag Thakur led the largest ever Indian official delegation of eleven celebrities walking together on the inaugural event at the Cannes Film Festival.

In a historic moment for Indian folk arts, Shri Mame Khan became the first-ever folk artist to open a Red Carpet for the Indian contingent at Cannes ever.

Among the stars was actor Nawazuddin Siddique, a regular at Cannes. His raw, powerful acting and the realism of his movies, such as The Lunchbox or Gangs of Wasseypur, have particular resonance among

European audiences and signal that India is capable of producing movies catering to a wide range of sensitivities.

The presence of superstar music composer AR Rahman in the group displayed the intent of the Indian delegation to pay tribute to cinematographic music. Ricky Kej, an internationally acclaimed new age music composer and multi-Grammy Award winner, represented a more contemporary side of India.

Prasoon Joshi, a lyricist who penned innumerable evergreen film songs, and now Chairman of the Central Board for Film Certification (CBFC), was also present.

This year, cinema from the south was in the spotlight. R. Madhavan, an actor and producer who has been involved in movies shot in six different languages (Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi and English) was a good example of the staggering diversity of Indian cinema. Two Telugu cinema superstars, Tamannah Bhatia and Pooja Hegde, also made their dazzling appearance as part of the delegation.

Shekhar Kapur, director of legendary films such as Mr. India, and now chairman of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), as well as Vani Tripathi Tikoo, actress and member of CBFC, also took part in the Indian delegation.

Emma Chamberlain wears Maharajah of Patiala’s diamond choker to the MET

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his year’s Met Gala had quite an interesting theme, ‘Gilded Age’ and saw several celebrities delivering stunning outfits. While multiple lewks graced the red carpet being a topic of contention for days, it was YouTuber Emma Chamberlain’s accessory that caught the internet’s eye this year. Chamberlain, who wore Louis Vuitton to the Gala and was signed by Cartier as its brand ambassador, arrived at the Gala on May 2, dripping in jewels and diamonds.

Some eagle-eyed social media users, however, drew attention to a particular diamond-studded choker she flaunted that day. The choker belonged to the Maharaja of Patiala Bhupinder Singh and was made in 1928 after the Maharaja decided to turn his De beers diamond, the 7th largest in the world into an heirloom choker. The piece of jewellery was commissioned to Cartier and the end result was called the Patiala Necklace. It flaunts 2930 diamonds and Burmese rubies. It is believed to be one of the most expensive pieces of jewellery made in history, evaluated at a whopping $30 million today in

he teaser of the Zoya Akhtar’s Netflix film The Archies dropped on Saturday and Bollywood celebrities cheered on Agastya Nanda, Suhana Khan and Khushi Kapoor.

Apart from the three-star kids, The Archies teaser also introduced Mihir Ahuja, Dot, Yuvraj Menda and Vedang Raina in key roles. While several fans expressed their excitement for the film based on the popular comic book, several others called out Bollywood for aping Hollywood films and comics after remaking several South Indian films. Netizens criticised Shah Rukh Khan’s daughter Suhana, Sridevi’s daughter Khushi and Amitabh Bachchan’s grandson Agastya Nanda’s casting and expressed their disappointment with Zoya Akhtar.

its original form.

Twitter expressed its disappointment, with many writing about the “deep and painful history attached” to the necklace. One user wrote, “So i just found out emma chamberlain wore the maharaja of patiala’s necklace at the met gala… this is wayyy worse than kim wearing marilyn monroe’s dress. It has a deep and painful history attached to it. Very on theme, nothing screams gilded glamour quite like expropriation”.

Another wrote about the choker’s history after it disappeared from the Patiala treasury in 1948. They wrote, “The height of privilege to be able to flaunt stolen goods on the global stage. Jewels stolen from Panjab resurface at the Met Gala in NY. The fate of the Maharaja of Patiala’s Cartier Diamond Choker is unknown, but it was likely sold and reacquired by Cartier at a later date.”

“Thanks #cartier. Those are the jewels of the Maharaja of Patiala. That’s a piece of India’s stolen history, not a fancy piece of jewellery to lend out to celebrities. Disrespectful on so many levels,” said a tweet by another user.

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Saha, bowlers ensure top-two finish for Titans Wriddhiman Saha’s unbeaten 67 off 57 balls against Chennai Super Kings ensured that debutants Gujarat Titans will get two cracks (if necessary) to make the final. The spadework of Sunday’s victory was laid by Gujarat bowlers who restricted CSK to 133/5. The CSK attack didn’t have enough to bother Saha and his opening partner Shubhman Gill and with 59 off 7 overs, Titans were in control. For CSK though, Sri Lankan slinger Matheesha Pathirana (2/24), playing his first match, was like a breath of fresh air. He got Gill out with a yorker in the first ball of his IPL career and gave all righthanders a difficult time, even going on to dismiss Hardik Pandya. It was not possible for Pathirana alone to stop Titans from sailing to the target, especially with Saha playing sheet anchor at one end. The victory came in the last over, but there was never any doubt that Hardik’s boys will reach there.

Royals score over Lucknow Rajasthan Royals scored a 24-run win over Lucknow Super Giants and move to the second place behind Gujarat Giants.

After making a competitive 178/6, Royals restricted Super Giants to 154 for eight in their 20 overs. Earlier Royals managed to put up a competitive total. The top-scorer was opener Yashasvi Jaiswal with 41 and the other batters chipped in with useful knocks.

The start was far from ideal for Rajasthan.

Orange Cap holder Jos Buttler’s stumps were pegged back by Avesh Khan when the Englishman was on 2. Skipper Sanju Samson walked in at No. 3, and was languid with his strokeplay from the beginning.

Samson’s confidence rubbed on Jaiswal at the other end. The left-hander then took a special liking to Dushmantha Chameera and smashed 21 runs off the Sri Lankan pacer’s second over. At 154/6 after 18 overs, with Ravichandran Ashwin and Trent Boult batting, it seemed the Royals would not go past 165. But Boult and Ashwin hit a few

Wriddhiman Saha

boundaries towards the end to help Rajasthan reach a fighting total Capitals stay in hunt Punjab Kings’ boom-or-bust batting approach came back to haunt them as they messed up their chances of qualifying for the playoffs after surrendering to the Delhi Capitals by 17 runs in a must-win contest on Monday. Punjab batters dug their own graves with irresponsible shot selection on a slow track, as Delhi Capitals rode on pacer Shardul Thakur’s impressive four-wicket haul to bolster their chances of qualifying for the top four. Thakur overcame a lean patch to spearhead the turnaround in Delhi’s favour with the twin strikes of Bhanuka Rajapaksha (4) and Shikhar Dhawan (19) within three deliveries, and later came back to remove Jitesh Sharma (44), and Kagiso Rabada (6). Delhi’s demolition act came in a matter of 15 deliveries as Punjab were reduced from a comfortable 52/1 to a precarious 55/4, before the spin twins Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav paired up to further dent the red and gold brigade’s hopes.

Knight Riders beat Sunrisers Shreyas Iyer-led Kolkata Knight Riders produced another strong performance as they defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by 54 runs in the Indian Premier League clash at the MCA Stadium, Pune on Saturday evening. Andre Russell emerged as the

Knight Riders Group acquire Abu Dhabi franchise The Shah Rukh Khanowned Knight Riders Group has bought another T20 team (their fourth), this time the Abu Dhabi franchise in UAE’s new T20 League.

The Knight Riders already own the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL (from 208), and the Trinbago Knight Riders in the Caribbean Premier League (from 2015). Not surprisingly, the new team will be called the 'Abu Dhabi Knight Riders. ' “Recently, the Knight Riders Group made a significant investment in Major League Cricket (MLC) in the USA and intends to set up a franchise and build a world-class cricket stadium, in the greater Los

Angeles area. This investment by the Knight Riders Group, which is led by Bollywood superstar, Shah Rukh Khan, along with Juhi Chawla & her husband Jay Mehta, will establish their 4th T20 franchise around the world in IPL, CPL, MLC and now in UAE’s T20 league,” a release from the Knight Riders on Thursday said.

“For several years now, we have been expanding the Knight Riders brand globally and closely watching the potential for T20 cricket in the UAE. We are excited about becoming part of UAE’s T20 League, which no doubt will become hugely successful,” Khan said in a statement.

Indian golfer Diksha wins gold at Deaflympics Indian golfer Diksha Dagar outplayed American Ashlyn Grace in the final to bag gold medal at the Deaflympics in Caxias, Brazil, fulfilling her promise of improving upon the silver-winning performance at the 2017 edition.

Diksha is now the only golfer with two Deaflympics medals a silver in Samsun, Turkey in 2017 and gold in 2022, which is actually the 2021 edition of Deaflympics.

The 21-year-old left-hander, who is a professional with victories on the Ladies European Tour, completed a dominant performance with a 5 and 4 win in the final of the

match play section of the ladies golf competition. She beat Grace Johnson with four holes to spare In 2017, when golf was first introduced at the Deaflympics, Diksha, then still an amateur and still short of her 17th birthday, reached the final comfortably. There she lost in a play-off to American Yost Kaylin, who at that time was also playing in the Symetra Tour and some events on the LPGA Tour. In 2021, Diksha also qualified at the last moment for the Tokyo Olympics and became the first golf player to have ever played at both Deaflympics and the Olympic Games.

standout player of the contest, helping his team with a brilliant all-round display.

With the bat, the Windies all-rounder hit an unbeaten 49 off 28 deliveries to push KKR to a stiff 177/6 in 20 overs after they opted to bat first. He then scalped three wickets in his four-over quota and conceded just 22 runs as Kolkata restricted their opponent for a paltry 123/8 in response.

Mumbai send Chennai out of reckoning Mumbai Indians on Thursday snuffed out defending champions Chennai Super Kings’ faint hopes of making the Indian Super League playoffs with a five-wicket win in a low scoring match. Opting to bowl, MI shot CSK out for 97 with pacer Daniel Sams (3/16 from 4 overs) running though the MS Dhoni-led side’s top-order with three quick wickets in a fiery opening spell, and then huffed and puffed to overhaul the small target of 98 with 31 balls to spare. MI were four wickets down for 33 runs in the fifth over before Tilak Varma (34 not) and Hrithik Shooken (18) calmed the frayed nerves with a 48-run stand for the fifth wicket. MI reached 103 for 5 in 14. 5 overs.

Tim David remained not out on 16 off just seven balls. With their eighth loss in 12 matches, CSK are out of reckoning for a play-offs berth. They remained at ninth position with eight points.

IPL points table TEAM GT RR LSG DC RCB KKR PBKS SRH CSK MI

M 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 12 13 12

W 10 8 8 7 7 6 6 5 4 3

L 3 5 5 6 6 7 7 7 9 9

P NRR 20 +0.391 16 +0.304 16 +0.262 14 +0.255 14 -0.323 12 +0.160 12 -0.043 10 -0.270 8 -0.206 6 -0.613

McCullum to coach England’s Test team Former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum has been appointed as head coach of England’s Test team, the country’s cricket board (ECB) said. McCullum replaced Chris Silverwood who left the role in February after England were thrashed 4-0 in the Ashes in Australia, with Paul Collingwood stepping in as a caretaker coach.

McCullum, 40, is currently in charge of Indian Premier League side Kolkata Knight Riders but the ECB said he will be in place to start his role when New Zealand visit for a three-test series starting at Lord’s on June 2. “We are delighted to confirm Brendon as England men’s test head coach. It has been a real privilege to get to know him and understand his views and vision for the game,” ECB managing director Rob Key said in a statement.

“He has a recent history of changing cricket culture and environments for the better, and I believe he is the person to do that for England’s red-ball cricket. “We were incredibly fortunate to have a seriously strong list of quality candidates for the post, with Brendon demonstrating he was our number one choice. ” McCullum played the last of his 101 tests at Christchurch in 2016 against Australia, where he hit the fastest ever century in the format (54 balls). He finished his career with 6,453 runs including 12 hundreds and 31 half-centuries.

in brief GUJARAT WOMEN SCRIPT VOLLEYBALL HISTORY Gujarat women won their maiden crown at the 24th Youth National Volleyball Championship, in Sangli, Maharashtra. In the final, Gujarat stunned traditional powerhouse Kerala 25-21, 25-19, 25-20 to clinch the gold medal. Kerala are 16 time champions apart from being runners-up five times, while Gujarat had previously finished runners-up just once. The team was captained

by Sandhya Rathod, with other members being Manisha Zala, Isha Jain, Anisha Chaudhari, Neha Prajapati, Nipa Barad, Priyanka Zala, Disha Vala, Devubala Chauda, Usha Vala, Mahek Pan dey and Nirali Vala. In the final, Manisha and Nipa led Gujarat with 13 points each, while Anisha contributed 12 points. Captain Sandhya chipped in with five points.

FORMER OZ CRICKETER SYMONDS DIES IN CAR CRASH Former Australia cricketer Andrew Symonds, one of the finest all-rounders and a two-time World Cup winner, has died in a tragic car accident, leaving the cricketing world in shock. He was 46 and is survived by his wife and two young children. Cricket Australia has now lost three prominent figures in the past two months. Spin legend Shane Warne and former wicketkeeper Rodney Marsh had died within hours of each other in March. According to a statement issued

by Queensland police, the accident happened in Hervey Range Road on Saturday night. “Early information indicates, shortly after 11pm the car was being driven on Hervey Range Road, near Alice River Bridge when it left the roadway and rolled." Emergency services attempted to revive the 46-year-old driver and sole occupant, however, he died of his injuries."

KOHLI LIKELY TO BE RESTED FOR SA T20 SERIES Enduring a lean patch, Virat Kohli, in all likelihood, will be rested for the upcoming fivematch Twenty20 series against South Africa.

The break is expected to help Kohli recharge his batteries before the high profile England tour. It has been learnt that the National selection committee, headed by Chetan Sharma, would allow India’s No. 1 batter to take some time off from the game after spending considerable time in bio-bubble in the last two months. South Africa are scheduled to play a five-match Twenty20 series in India from June 9 to 19.

INDIAN ARCHERS WIN EIGHT GOLD The Indian junior archers capped a stunning show by winning eight gold, four silver and two bronze medals to top the medals tally at the Asia Cup Stage 2 in Sulaymaniyah (Iraq). On the concluding day, India bagged five gold, four silver and one bronze that included a rare clean sweep in the compound men’s individual section, adding to their earlier tally of three gold and one bronze. Recurve archer Mrinal Chauhan spearheaded the Indian challenge on the final day to finish with double gold medals, while Prathamesh Fuge reigned supreme in the compound section by signing off with a hattrick of gold medals.

Pak keeper Rizwan all praises for Pujara Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan wishes to have focus and concentration levels of his county teammate Cheteshwar Pujara as he looks to improve as a red-ball cricketer.

Pujara has made a strong case for a Test comeback with two hundreds and as many double hundreds in his campaign for Sussex in County Championship Division 2.

The Indo-Pak pairing had

shared a 154-run stand against Durham earlier this month and they playing for the same team has also attracted a lot of positive attention on social media. Rizwan, who was named the ICC Player of the Year for 2021, rates Pakistan's Younis Khan and Fawad Alam very highly when it comes to batting with unwavering concentration but he has now added Pujara to the list.

"...As far as myself and Pujara are concerned, I didn't feel anything strange (on the lines of India-Pakistan rivalry). And hopefully, if you ask him, his answer will be the same as mine.

Although I do share a laugh with him and tease him (laughs) and everyone in the team knows this," Rizwan said when asked about the time spent with the India veteran.